.
The joint venture is part of a consolidation wave in recent years as companies seek scale to invest in costly fast-speed network infrastructure and offer combined services.
Vodafone and Liberty had been in talks about combining operations in as many as seven European markets last year but the negotiations failed.
"It's a one-off transaction where we both benefit. Neither of us is looking beyond Holland in terms of such cooperation at the moment," Fries told Reuters. "We don't have plans to do it again, although it is a possibility. We're more into takeovers than joint ventures."
Liberty Global, owned by U.S. billionaire John Malone, operates in more than 30 countries.
Story continues
The company has no plans to add new countries in Europe, but does intend to expend operations in countries where it is already present, including Poland, Fries said.
Market sources told Reuters this month Liberty, which owns Poland's largest cable operator UPC, was in talks to buy rival Multimedia to double its market share, and may also be interested in Polish mobile operator Play.
Fries declined to comment on any specifics.
He said the company was always looking to get bigger and planned to invest about 4 billion zlotys ($1 billion) in Poland over the next five years anyway, not counting any takeovers.
"We are committed to mobility and it will grow as part of our business. We're going to try to grow in mobile in Poland, too," he said.
"We don't have great scale in Poland, where we have 20 percent of the cable market. It's a fragmented market and acquisitions are an option here."
(Editing by Marcin Goclowski and David Clarke)
By Thomas Wilson TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Line Corp on Tuesday set a price range for a Tokyo share sale that could value the messaging app operator at up to $6.57 billion, indicating strong demand for a firm that pitched itself as a stable investment rather than quick-growing startup. Line, owned by South Korea's Naver Corp, set a tentative range of 2,700 yen to 3,200 yen a share. At the top of the range, Line could raise 129 billion yen ($1.26 billion) from the sale of as many as 40.25 million shares. That would make the initial public offering (IPO) the largest in the global tech industry this year. Line's announcement comes at a time of volatility in global financial markets as investors fret about economic uncertainty after Britain on Friday voted to leave the European Union. The company had delayed the announcement on Monday to assess global stock market reaction throughout the day. But its bullish pricing on Tuesday ran counter to any fear of volatility prompting firms to postpone or even shelve IPO plans. The top of Line's price range, when compared with the 2,800 yen reference price released earlier in June, suggests investors warmed to an IPO pitch that emphasised value and steady returns in its core markets of Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan. While that pitch might suit the current period of uncertainty, playing down chances of explosive growth had blunted interest from some domestic investors. Some fund managers said Line should have listed when it commanded more value during its period of rapid growth - from a makeshift communications tool born in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to Japan's dominant mobile messaging app. But local retail investors and international investors expressed high interest in the listing, brokerages in Tokyo and a person involved in the listing told Reuters. "There are fewer companies around with short-term profit outlooks that can be increased," said Mitsushige Akino, executive officer at Ichiyoshi Asset Management, which oversees 140 billion yen worth of assets. "So it's probably been easy (for Line) to attract interest." Line plans to list in New York on July 14 and in Tokyo the following day. It has hired Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Nomura to manage the listing. ($1 = 102.3600 yen) (Reporting by Thomas Wilson; Additional reporting by Emi Emoto; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
LONDON (Reuters) - London mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday called for the city to be given more autonomy to allow it to ride out the economic uncertainty unleashed by Britain's vote to leave the European Union. While Briton voted 52 to 48 percent to leave the bloc last week, London was the only region in England to back remaining. Since then, more than 175,000 people have signed an online petition calling for London to become an independent city state. "On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now," he said according to the text of a speech supplied by his office. "As much as I might like the idea of a London city state, I'm not seriously talking about independence today. I am not planning to install border points on the M25," Khan said, referring to London's orbital motorway. Khan, who campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU, is seeking devolution of tax raising powers, as well as more control over areas including business, transport, housing and planning, health and policing, his office said. "More autonomy in order to protect London's economy from the uncertainty ahead. More autonomy to protect the businesses from around the world who trade here, and more autonomy to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity." The mayor said London, a global financial centre, must also have a seat in the negotiations with the EU over Britain's future relationship with the bloc. London, which offers by far the deepest pool of capital in the time zone between Asia and the United States, accounts for 41 percent of global foreign exchange turnover, more than double the nearest competitor, New York. (Reporting by William James and Kylie MacLellan; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
By Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - More than 1,000 protesters rallied in central London's Trafalgar Square on Tuesday to show their opposition to Britain's leaving the European Union, after a demonstration planned earlier was called off on safety grounds because too many people wanted to attend. London voted in favour of remaining in the EU in last Thursday's referendum, but 52 percent of Britons overall cast ballots in favour of leaving. An event organised on Facebook under the initial banner "London Stays" but changed to "Stand Together" was called off when around 50,000 people said they would attend, exceeding the safe capacity of the square close to the Houses of Parliament. Tom Stoker, a 22-year-old filmmaker from Wales, said he still wanted to make his voice heard. "We are with Europe, and not separate," he said. "The vote doesn't reflect the whole country's view." The referendum result has stunned global financial markets and thrown British politics into turmoil. Prime Minister David Cameron resigned and opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost a vote of confidence held by Labour lawmakers. It has also splintered Britain along the lines of age, location and education, according to polls. Scotland and Northern Ireland wanted to remain in the EU; England and Wales voted to leave. Young protesters said they felt upset and betrayed by a vote that saw many older people turn their back on Europe after more than 40 years. "It feels like the worst breakup, like when I broke up with a boyfriend when I was 16," Carmel Dann said. "It's a tragedy that it's come to this." Leave campaign leader and former London mayor Boris Johnson was the focus of many protesters' anger. One of many homemade placards had a picture of Johnson and the words: "This is the real threat". Edward Till, aged 43 from London, said the referendum should never have happened. "We're a parliamentary democracy, not a direct democracy," he said. "The issues were complicated and subtle, but the vote was not decided on the realities of the EU." (Writing by Paul Sandle, editing by Larry King)
* Brexit seen as blow to fast-rising European tech scene
* Some tech firms say they are eying pull back from London
* Funding, talent to be hit while tech and ad spending sink
By Eric Auchard
FRANKFURT, June 28 (Reuters) - Britain's tech start-up scene was having a bumper year in terms of new company creation, fresh funding and acquisitions by global tech players before voters decided to leave the European Union in Thursday's referendum.
Now high-profile companies are threatening to pull out or slow down plans to enter the UK market, international employees are second-guessing their immigration standing and investors could cut new funding that is the lifeblood of young tech firms.
Market researchers are predicting a sharp slowdown in UK technology and advertising spending and the longer-term threat that sizeable portions of these budgets will move to the continent.
"Nothing's changed yet but everything's changed," said Taavet Hinrikus, the Estonian CEO and co-founder of cross-border money service Transferwise, which is based in London.
London has become a magnet for tech entrepreneurs looking to do business in the European Union and a global launch pad for firms aiming to compete with U.S. and Asian web giants. Half the founders of London's top tech start-ups come from outside Britain.
One-third of recent European investments by venture capitalists, who are often drawn to tech startups, were made in Britain. In the first quarter, UK firms drew in $1.3 billion (984 million pounds) in funding, while the rest of Europe took $2.2 billion, according to research firm CBInsights.
"The two main benefits of being part of the EU are access to talent because of the free movement of labour and the fact that you can 'passport' regulation so if you're regulated in the UK, you're regulated across the EU," said Hinrikus.
"We don't know what's going to happen with either of those."
The Transferwise CEO now says "it's too early to say" what the company may do but said before the referendum that his company could scale back further investment in London and consider moving its headquarters if Britain voted to leave the EU. (http://reut.rs/1UUA5qC)
Story continues
BODY BLOWS
Number26, a Berlin-based start-up offering Internet banking services over smartphones in eight European countries, is now reconsidering its planned entry into the UK market.
"We are probably going to consider other markets first," said co-founder and chief executive Valentin Stalf, citing separate bank licensing requirements likely to be required once outside the EU. "The UK market suddenly became a much more expensive proposition."
Detached from the EU, London could lose some key advantages: its status as a world financial centre, European talent, and the uniformity of regulations that allowed London-based companies to cater to the European market.
Its international employee base may leave the city amid uncertainty about future immigration laws, creating shortages in retail, hospitality, healthcare and financial services, Forrester Research analyst Laura Koetzle said.
Questions about who will have the right to stay "will both drive footloose talent to look for jobs abroad and dissuade others from coming," she said, as employers likely face tougher work visa regimes.
Berlin, London's biggest rival for new tech firms, is likely to become more attractive as a European base, nearly a dozen entrepreneurs told Reuters. Aspiring fintech hubs including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dublin and Switzerland also could see more investment shift in their direction, financial services players said. (http://reut.rs/28UIkE7)
Matthias Kroener, head of Munich-based Internet bank Fidor, which entered Britain only last year, said: "Fintechs with the European market in their sights, may pull the plug on London because as young companies with the smallest roots they can react fastest and move first."
The vote requires Britain to file a two-year notice of plans to leave Europe, creating a period of uncertainty that will have immediate effect on overall technology and advertising spending, as well as fragile start-ups, analysts and entrepreneurs said.
Number26 is likely to focus on other countries in Europe before expanding to the U.S. or Asia starting in 2018, although it has not ruled out the UK market completely, Stalf said.
"The decision weakens Britain but it is not good for Europe altogether. Suddenly, the common market has shrunk by 60 million people," the Berlin-based executive said.
The decision is a setback for Europe generally, which in recent years has been out-gunned by five-fold in tech funding by the United States and twice over by Asia, as its bids to build world-class firms capable of taking on Apple, Google, Amazon and Uber.
BUDGETS AT RISK
Technology spending for both Britain and Western Europe will turn negative both this year and next due to uncertainty caused by ongoing political volatility, said John Lovelock, chief forecaster for global technology market research firm Gartner.
UK spending will sink by 0.3 percent in 2016 and 3 percent in 2017, the world's largest corporate technology advisory firm now estimates, while expected tepid growth of 0.2 percent across Western Europe will fall to an unspecified level below zero.
Gartner previously saw UK tech spending growing 1.7 percent in 2016 and 2.0 percent in 2017. The tech sector accounts for around 10 percent of British gross domestic product.
Frost & Sullivan, another research firm, said start-ups face steeper funding and credit hurdles, with the big question mark whether the European Investment Fund (EIF), the largest investor in UK venture capital firms, will continue to invest there, and for how long.
But not everyone thinks Brexit will harm London start-ups.
"People are going to continue to live in London, the world's hippest city. Whether or not the UK is part of the European Union, it still has a super business environment," said Mark Tluszcz, co-founder and CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm with $750 million under management. With 15-20 percent of his portfolio in Britain, he's still looking for fresh prospects.
Oleg Fomenko is a Russian-born London entrepreneur whose latest company, Sweatcoin, is a fitness app which pays people to be more active. He said entrepreneurs adapt quickly.
"The whole country turned around 180 degrees," Formenko said. "If anyone knows how to get through this, it's us." (1 British pound = $1.3206) (Additional reporting by Andreas Kroener in Frankfurt and Meg Garner in San Francisco; editing by Anna Willard)
By Eric Auchard
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Britain's tech start-up scene was having a bumper year in terms of new company creation, fresh funding and acquisitions by global tech players before voters decided to leave the European Union in Thursdays referendum.
Now high-profile companies are threatening to pull out or slow down plans to enter the UK market, international employees are second-guessing their immigration standing and investors could cut new funding that is the lifeblood of young tech firms.
Market researchers are predicting a sharp slowdown in UK technology and advertising spending and the longer-term threat that sizeable portions of these budgets will move to the continent.
"Nothing's changed yet but everything's changed," said Taavet Hinrikus, the Estonian CEO and co-founder of cross-border money service Transferwise, which is based in London.
London has become a magnet for tech entrepreneurs looking to do business in the European Union and a global launch pad for firms aiming to compete with U.S. and Asian web giants. Half the founders of London's top tech start-ups come from outside Britain.
One-third of recent European investments by venture capitalists, who are often drawn to tech startups, were made in Britain. In the first quarter, UK firms drew in $1.3 billion (984 million pounds) in funding, while the rest of Europe took $2.2 billion, according to research firm CBInsights.
"The two main benefits of being part of the EU are access to talent because of the free movement of labor and the fact that you can 'passport' regulation so if you're regulated in the UK, you're regulated across the EU," said Hinrikus.
"We don't know what's going to happen with either of those."
The Transferwise CEO now says "it's too early to say" what the company may do but said before the referendum that his company could scale back further investment in London and consider moving its headquarters if Britain voted to leave the EU. (http://reut.rs/1UUA5qC)
Story continues
BODY BLOWS
Number26, a Berlin-based start-up offering Internet banking services over smartphones in eight European countries, is now reconsidering its planned entry into the UK market.
"We are probably going to consider other markets first," said co-founder and chief executive Valentin Stalf, citing separate bank licensing requirements likely to be required once outside the EU. "The UK market suddenly became a much more expensive proposition."
Detached from the EU, London could lose some key advantages: its status as a world financial center, European talent, and the uniformity of regulations that allowed London-based companies to cater to the European market.
Its international employee base may leave the city amid uncertainty about future immigration laws, creating shortages in retail, hospitality, healthcare and financial services, Forrester Research analyst Laura Koetzle said.
Questions about who will have the right to stay "will both drive footloose talent to look for jobs abroad and dissuade others from coming," she said, as employers likely face tougher work visa regimes.
Berlin, London's biggest rival for new tech firms, is likely to become more attractive as a European base, nearly a dozen entrepreneurs told Reuters. Aspiring fintech hubs including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dublin and Switzerland also could see more investment shift in their direction, financial services players said. (http://reut.rs/28UIkE7)
Matthias Kroener, head of Munich-based Internet bank Fidor, which entered Britain only last year, said: "Fintechs with the European market in their sights, may pull the plug on London because as young companies with the smallest roots they can react fastest and move first."
The vote requires Britain to file a two-year notice of plans to leave Europe, creating a period of uncertainty that will have immediate effect on overall technology and advertising spending, as well as fragile start-ups, analysts and entrepreneurs said.
Number26 is likely to focus on other countries in Europe before expanding to the U.S. or Asia starting in 2018, although it has not ruled out the UK market completely, Stalf said.
"The decision weakens Britain but it is not good for Europe altogether. Suddenly, the common market has shrunk by 60 million people," the Berlin-based executive said.
The decision is a setback for Europe generally, which in recent years has been out-gunned by five-fold in tech funding by the United States and twice over by Asia, as its bids to build world-class firms capable of taking on Apple, Google, Amazon and Uber.
BUDGETS AT RISK
Technology spending for both Britain and Western Europe will turn negative both this year and next due to uncertainty caused by ongoing political volatility, said John Lovelock, chief forecaster for global technology market research firm Gartner.
UK spending will sink by 0.3 percent in 2016 and 3 percent in 2017, the world's largest corporate technology advisory firm now estimates, while expected tepid growth of 0.2 percent across Western Europe will fall to an unspecified level below zero.
Gartner previously saw UK tech spending growing 1.7 percent in 2016 and 2.0 percent in 2017. The tech sector accounts for around 10 percent of British gross domestic product.
Frost & Sullivan, another research firm, said start-ups face steeper funding and credit hurdles, with the big question mark whether the European Investment Fund (EIF), the largest investor in UK venture capital firms, will continue to invest there, and for how long.
But not everyone thinks Brexit will harm London start-ups.
"People are going to continue to live in London, the world's hippest city. Whether or not the UK is part of the European Union, it still has a super business environment," said Mark Tluszcz, co-founder and CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm with $750 million under management. With 15-20 percent of his portfolio in Britain, he's still looking for fresh prospects.
Oleg Fomenko is a Russian-born London entrepreneur whose latest company, Sweatcoin, is a fitness app which pays people to be more active. He said entrepreneurs adapt quickly.
"The whole country turned around 180 degrees," Formenko said. "If anyone knows how to get through this, it's us."
(Additional reporting by Andreas Kroener in Frankfurt and Meg Garner in San Francisco; editing by Anna Willard)
By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Britain's tech start-up scene was having a bumper year in terms of new company creation, fresh funding and acquisitions by global tech players before voters decided to leave the European Union in Thursdays referendum. Now high-profile companies are threatening to pull out or slow down plans to enter the UK market, international employees are second-guessing their immigration standing and investors could cut new funding that is the lifeblood of young tech firms. Market researchers are predicting a sharp slowdown in UK technology and advertising spending and the longer-term threat that sizeable portions of these budgets will move to the continent. "Nothing's changed yet but everything's changed," said Taavet Hinrikus, the Estonian CEO and co-founder of cross-border money service Transferwise, which is based in London. London has become a magnet for tech entrepreneurs looking to do business in the European Union and a global launch pad for firms aiming to compete with U.S. and Asian web giants. Half the founders of London's top tech start-ups come from outside Britain. One-third of recent European investments by venture capitalists, who are often drawn to tech startups, were made in Britain. In the first quarter, UK firms drew in $1.3 billion (984 million pounds) in funding, while the rest of Europe took $2.2 billion, according to research firm CBInsights. "The two main benefits of being part of the EU are access to talent because of the free movement of labour and the fact that you can 'passport' regulation so if you're regulated in the UK, you're regulated across the EU," said Hinrikus. "We don't know what's going to happen with either of those." The Transferwise CEO now says "it's too early to say" what the company may do but said before the referendum that his company could scale back further investment in London and consider moving its headquarters if Britain voted to leave the EU. (http://reut.rs/1UUA5qC) BODY BLOWS Number26, a Berlin-based start-up offering Internet banking services over smartphones in eight European countries, is now reconsidering its planned entry into the UK market. "We are probably going to consider other markets first," said co-founder and chief executive Valentin Stalf, citing separate bank licensing requirements likely to be required once outside the EU. "The UK market suddenly became a much more expensive proposition." Detached from the EU, London could lose some key advantages: its status as a world financial centre, European talent, and the uniformity of regulations that allowed London-based companies to cater to the European market. Its international employee base may leave the city amid uncertainty about future immigration laws, creating shortages in retail, hospitality, healthcare and financial services, Forrester Research analyst Laura Koetzle said. Questions about who will have the right to stay "will both drive footloose talent to look for jobs abroad and dissuade others from coming," she said, as employers likely face tougher work visa regimes. Berlin, London's biggest rival for new tech firms, is likely to become more attractive as a European base, nearly a dozen entrepreneurs told Reuters. Aspiring fintech hubs including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dublin and Switzerland also could see more investment shift in their direction, financial services players said. (http://reut.rs/28UIkE7) Matthias Kroener, head of Munich-based Internet bank Fidor, which entered Britain only last year, said: "Fintechs with the European market in their sights, may pull the plug on London because as young companies with the smallest roots they can react fastest and move first." The vote requires Britain to file a two-year notice of plans to leave Europe, creating a period of uncertainty that will have immediate effect on overall technology and advertising spending, as well as fragile start-ups, analysts and entrepreneurs said. Number26 is likely to focus on other countries in Europe before expanding to the U.S. or Asia starting in 2018, although it has not ruled out the UK market completely, Stalf said. "The decision weakens Britain but it is not good for Europe altogether. Suddenly, the common market has shrunk by 60 million people," the Berlin-based executive said. The decision is a setback for Europe generally, which in recent years has been out-gunned by five-fold in tech funding by the United States and twice over by Asia, as its bids to build world-class firms capable of taking on Apple, Google, Amazon and Uber. BUDGETS AT RISK Technology spending for both Britain and Western Europe will turn negative both this year and next due to uncertainty caused by ongoing political volatility, said John Lovelock, chief forecaster for global technology market research firm Gartner. UK spending will sink by 0.3 percent in 2016 and 3 percent in 2017, the world's largest corporate technology advisory firm now estimates, while expected tepid growth of 0.2 percent across Western Europe will fall to an unspecified level below zero. Gartner previously saw UK tech spending growing 1.7 percent in 2016 and 2.0 percent in 2017. The tech sector accounts for around 10 percent of British gross domestic product. Frost & Sullivan, another research firm, said start-ups face steeper funding and credit hurdles, with the big question mark whether the European Investment Fund (EIF), the largest investor in UK venture capital firms, will continue to invest there, and for how long. But not everyone thinks Brexit will harm London start-ups. "People are going to continue to live in London, the world's hippest city. Whether or not the UK is part of the European Union, it still has a super business environment," said Mark Tluszcz, co-founder and CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, a Luxembourg-based venture capital firm with $750 million under management. With 15-20 percent of his portfolio in Britain, he's still looking for fresh prospects. Oleg Fomenko is a Russian-born London entrepreneur whose latest company, Sweatcoin, is a fitness app which pays people to be more active. He said entrepreneurs adapt quickly. "The whole country turned around 180 degrees," Formenko said. "If anyone knows how to get through this, it's us." (1 British pound = $1.3206) (Additional reporting by Andreas Kroener in Frankfurt and Meg Garner in San Francisco; editing by Anna Willard)
During the IIFA weekend, Sayani was photographed in two looks, and though both dramatic, were very different from each other. Between the Amit Aggarwal mini (paired with oxblood Zara pumps) and the LaBourjoisie dress (paired with a Dillano ring and Steve Madden sandals) on the main event day, it was easy to pick the favorite. The former had our vote, hands-down; Sayani looked great in Amit Aggarwal. The black dress, embellishment, slit, hoodie and al screamed tacktastic! Ms. Gupta could do way better.
Sayani Gupta Wears Amit Aggarwal And LaBourjoisie To IIFA 2016, Madrid-1
Sayani Gupta At IIFA 2016
Sayani Gupta Wears Amit Aggarwal And LaBourjoisie To IIFA 2016, Madrid-2
Sayani Gupta At IIFA 2016
The post The Long And Short Of It appeared first on High Heel Confidential.
Image via @ludacris
Image via @ludacris
Fireworks and barbecues are all fine ways to celebrate Independence Day, but if you happen to find yourself in Guantanamo Bay, the site of the infamous prison, feel free to add a Ludacris performance to your scheduled activities.
On the 4th of July, Luda will be performing as part of the Freedom Festival at Guantanamos Windward Ferry Landing. Unfortunately, this doesnt mean that the prisoners currently being held at Guantanamo are going to get themselves a free rap show: According to The Miami Herald, the venue is far enough away so the music wont reach the seafront prison camps.
Ludacris will definitely be the most impressive artist to ever play the event: Magic! performed last year, and previous acts have included Jimmy Eat World and Plain White Ts. Ludacris goes on at 10 p.m., after the Family Fun Zone and a fireworks display.
More from Pigeons & Planes
By Simon Jessop
LONDON (Reuters) - British asset manager M&G Investments, the fund arm of insurer Prudential (PRU.L), is looking at expanding its operations in Dublin in the wake of a British vote to leave the European Union.
Under current rules, asset managers need an EU base to sell investment funds to continental retail investors, although the rules under which UK-based managers will access European clients after the vote have yet to be clarified.
While most of its rivals already have substantial retail operations in Dublin and Luxembourg, M&G runs a small number of funds aimed at institutional investors out of Dublin and also has a so-called 'feeder' fund, which helps collect money for retail-focused funds managed in Britain.
Around 10 percent of its 246 billion pounds in assets is currently sold from Britain to non-UK customers, which comprises sales to continental European clients as well as those based in Asia.
The company said work was well-advanced in putting in place legal structures in Ireland and Luxembourg which would give it operational options, but that no funds or personnel were in the process of relocating.
"We've been doing a lot of planning for this ... for the last year or so, we've been working on an extension of our Ireland-domiciled funds, so our operational preparations are quite well advanced," a company spokeswoman said.
Dublin is currently the firm's preferred option although it had others and so no decision had been taken, she added, saying any final decision would depend on the outcome of talks between Britain and the EU over the terms of Brexit.
The firm would also step up its work with policy makers in London and Brussels in an effort to minimise the disruption to its customers, she said.
(This refiled version of the story fixes typo)
(Editing by Sinead Cruise and Alexandra Hudson)
KOT, Afghanistan -- As heavy gunfire and artillery shelling ring out in the mountains, the residents of a remote region in eastern Afghanistan fled their homes in haste.
Most adults were observing the dawn-till-dusk Ramadan fasts as they left their mud houses on foot or in tractors. They are among the hundreds of residents of Kot district of Nangarhar Province -- along Afghanistans eastern volatile border with Pakistan. All trying to escape the much-feared militants of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
Everyone on the move in the scorching heat spoke of great suffering at the hands of the ultra-radical fighters. They began stabbing our children to terrorize us, said Mohammad Din, a young farmer while fleeing his village, Said Ahmad Khel in Kot, on May 26. They prevented us from taking our belongings and even burned some homes.
Another Kot resident, who refused to give his name, said IS militants beat him and that he barely survived by running away.
They tortured me, stepped on me when I fell to the ground and then hit me with the butts of their machine guns, he said. They confiscated all our belongings, and I barely escaped with my life.
The ongoing fighting in Kot marks the return of IS to Nangarhar, where it was thought to have been defeated after a yearlong campaign. The hard-line militants swiftly overran large swaths of rural Nangarhar. By August last year, they were in charge of Kot and five neighboring mountainous districts bordering Pakistan.
Their atrocities, however, provoked a local tribal rebellion that helped government troops reclaim lost territory. The IS stranglehold in Nangarhar crumbled this spring after the Taliban, the Afghan Army, NATO troops, and a host of regional countries contributed to their defeat in what appeared to be uncoordinated efforts aimed at denying IS an Afghan foothold.
The hard-line militants now seem to be have made a limited comeback in Nangarhar by attacking Afghan forces in Kot late last week and swiftly overrunning parts of the rural region.
Nuroz, a middle-aged man, also fled his village, Lagharjoo, on May 26. He blamed Pakistan for his suffering. Most of these [IS] militants are Punjabis from Pakistan who are now fighting against us, he said.
Jandad, a farmer, hastily loaded everything he could on to his tractor and left his home amid an Afghan Army counteroffensive against IS.
We fled because the [artillery] shells and [machine-gun] bullets were hitting our homes, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. Daesh (eds: an Arabic language term for IS) was committing unspeakable atrocities against us. It was impossible to leave our women and children behind in the areas they controlled.
Afghan officials say scores of civilians, at least a dozen Afghan security forces, and more than 100 IS fighters have been killed in the fighting in Kot since it broke out on June 23.
Zar Mohammad Tarakhel, a local police official, said the IS use of civilian mud houses as hideouts and trenches has complicated their efforts to clear the region.
For Kots civilians, this means more weeks and months of displacement and misery.
Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on Shah Mahmood Shinwari's reporting from Kot, Afghanistan.
fg/
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2016 / MagIndustries Corp. (OTC Pink: MAAFF) ("MagIndustries" or the "Company") announced today that Eucalyptus Fibre Congo ("EFC"), the operating subsidiary of the MagForestry division of MagIndustries, received a notice from Ministry of Forestry and Sustainable Development of Republic of Congo (the "Ministry") (le Ministere de l'Economie Forestiere et du Developpement Durable de la Republique du Congo), which requested an early termination of the long term leasing agreement dated October 1, 2004 under which EFC operates. Discussions between the Company and Congolese authorities continue on this matter and the Company will report further developments as they occur which developments may include a definitive termination of the forestry lease and any liabilities remaining with the Company or compensation due to the Company.
The Company also announced today the resignation of Mr. Jiang Qiang as a director of the Company.
About MagIndustries Corp.
MagIndustries is a Canadian company focused on the development of its potash assets in the Republic of Congo. More information on the Company is available on its website, www.magindustries.com.
Forward Looking Information
Except for historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, country policy and political risks, currency exchange risk, changing market conditions, force majeure events, and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings. Specifically with respect to this press release, the Company does not know at this time how the discussions with the Congolese authorities will impact the Company. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under the Company's continuous disclosure obligations.
Story continues
For further information contact:
Simon Liang, Chief Executive Officer
MagIndustries Corp.
Email: simon@sinopacific.com.cn
SOURCE: MagIndustries Corp.
Craig Watts raised broiler chickens for Perdue for more than two decadesuntil he let the animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming film inside one of his barns in 2014. As a result, Americans got an HD look at how their favorite meat is raised. In the video, which as been viewed nearly 2.4 million times on YouTube, birds are shown unable to stand under their own weight, feathers burned off their stomachs by the noxious waste layered on the ground. The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote that as a farmboy who raised small flocks of chickens and geese, I never saw anything like the stomach sores that appear common in Watts' barn.
Nearly two years latertwo years that saw Perdue announce a No Antibiotics Ever plan for its poultry operations and Watts both leave his contract and file a lawsuit against the companyPerdue announced on Monday one of the most ambitious animal welfare plans in the industry. Based on the Five Freedoms endorsed by many animal welfare groups, Perdues Commitments to Animal Care: 2016 and Beyond lays out plans to create more space in poultry barns, increase the amount of time and space birds have for exercise and play, and move away from the kind of rapidly growing modern breeds that result in birds that cannot withstand their own weight. Eventually, all birds will be anesthetized before slaughter.
There has been definitely criticism of Perdue from various fronts, Julie DeYoung, a spokesperson for Perdue, said in an interview with TakePart. So as we studied and tried to learn from those and began talking with our critics a little bit more completely about that, they encouraged us to be more public about the changes the company is making. For example, while Perdue started to cut back on antibiotics in 2002, it only started talking publicly about the issue in the last couple of yearsa far greater interval than it took to engage with consumers over the conditions chickens live in. In addition to raising questions about animal welfare, DeYoung said that undercover videos reminded us of how important farmers are in our equation.
Story continues
Compassion in World Farmings Leah Garces is one of the critics Perdue has been engaging with more. Last winter, she was invited to meet with Bruce Stewart-Brown, who oversees food safety and animal welfare issues for the company. On Monday, she called Perdues new animal welfare standards a good first step but said that time will tell what it means for the birds. Last year, Perdue raised 676 million chickens.
While there are questions over timelines, implementation, and auditingthe kind of nitty-gritty concerns about large-scale corporate change that follow a feel-good press announcementGarces, U.S. director for CIWF, was clear that she sees this as significant for the industry. You have to recognize that no other company has done a policy like this, she said. Other animal welfare groups, including the Humane Society of the United States and Mercy for Animals, have lauded the announcement.
But where Garces sees progress, the man on the other side of the 2014 undercover video and his legal team are less than pleased.
I dont want to outright say theyre liars, said Amanda Hitt, director of the Food Integrity Campaign at the Government Accountability Project, which is helping Watts with his lawsuit against Perdue. But I dont believe that theyre necessarily telling the truth until we see some action and change.
To suggest that they give a s--t about these birds or these farmers just belies what Ive learned over the last couple of years representing Craig and other farmers, she said. Watts didnt respond to a request for an interview made through GAP, but Hitt said he is not happy with the announcement. Part of the reason he wanted the world to see the conditions his birds were living in, Watts said in 2014, is that those were the conditions that Perdue mandatedand that he was unable to implement changes that would have made the chickens' lives better. But at the time the video was released, Perdue said it showed that Watts was not following protocol and was himself responsible for the mistreatment of the chickens.
Perdues DeYoung said that changing the companys relationship with its contract farmerswho put up their own money to build and maintain chicken houses but do not own the birds or the feedcould be a part of the overall animal welfare improvement process. Contracts are traditionally built around concerns of production and efficiency, DeYoung said, but the company now provides bonuses for farmers who follow Perdues USDA processverified poultry care standards. Going forward, the company wants to figure out other ways to connect animal care with pay and incentives, DeYoung said. In addition to bonuses, we are talking about ways we can, perhaps contractually, we can change the relationship.
Perdue is looking to Niman Ranch, which it purchased last year, for ways to improve relationships with farmers. (Niman ranchers are contracted to raise animals but are guaranteed a minimum price to protect the farmers overhead, earn a premium price over the industry standard, and receive other financial support from the company.) While its unclear how its poultry farmer contracts will change, Perdue is willing to widely adopt the best practices it learns from smaller companies like Niman that it acquires.
When Perdue bought Coleman Natural Foods, which produces organic and antibiotic-free poultry, in 2011, DeYoung said there was an assumption at Perdue that producing organic chickens would mean less efficiency or less productivity, but that was not the case. Some of the changes that will be implemented in the animal welfare overhaul are based on Perdue's organic poultry production that will allow us to produce birds that are still productive and work for us from a business perspective as well.
While some changes have been a function of learning from other companies and some have been precipitated by consumer demand and very public forms of criticism, others are a matter of necessity, according to Garces. Raising birds in cramped, enclosed, and dirty environments? Thats fine when we have antibiotics holding the whole thing together, she said. But the train has left the station for antibiotics. Without routine low doses of antibiotics, birds raised in such conditions are getting sick and passing disease to one another. Mortality rates are climbing up across the board after a decade of decline.
What weve foundis that we needed to look closer at the animal husbandry practices in order to be successful without antibiotics, DeYoung said.
While Perdues announcement gives hope to animal welfare organizers like Garces that we can see a future where birds are no longer being crushed under their own weight and broilers can move freely in natural light, the immediate changes from Perdue are going to be small. By the end of 2016, Perdue will retrofit 200 of its chicken houses with windowsjust 3 percent of its 6,000 houses across the country.
Take the Pledge: Let's Put an End to Food Waste
Related stories on TakePart:
Its Time to Talk About Poultry Worker Welfare
The Fight for the Image: Who Gets to Define the Meat Industry?
Rich Investors Are Worried About Meat Raised With Antibiotics Too
Original article from TakePart
So you have an air-gapped computer, or unconnected to the Internet, and you think your data is secured just because its not accessible online? In most cases that might be true, but thats not 100% accurate. There are ways to steal information from computers that are not connected to the web, and smart hackers will not stop looking for such tricks. The newest such malware would let attackers steal information from supposedly secure computers with the help of the sound made by its fans and processor.
DONT MISS: Leaked iPhone 7 photos point to intriguing new camera design
Researchers from the Ben Gurion University in Israel explained in a new paper that they would be able to retrieve data from an isolated computer thats not connected to the internet and doesnt have cameras or audio hardware in such a manner.
What they did was to control and listen to the speed of the computers fans and CPU, Motherboard explains. The information can be transmitted in Morse code up to eight meters, and a smartphone could pick up the signals and turn it into usable information.
Even so, to work, the malware has to be installed on the air-gapped computer. That would be done using a stick, or any other external storage device that would carry the virus. Once installed, it locates data on the machine and starts transmitting it by controlling the speed of the CPU and cooling fans. The acoustic waveforms would probably be ignored by the computer user, but a nearby listening device would pick it up and translate it for the attacker.
Because this is still morse code, hackers cant really steal large amounts of data. Researchers expect speeds of 900 bits per hour which isnt a lot. But it might be enough to get passwords and encrypted keys without leaving a trace.
Of course, this type of attack still needs two things to happen: 1) the malware needs to be installed on the air-gapped computer, and 2) the attackers need to be in the range of the hacked device to pick up the signal. But its more than clear that people are actively devising ways to compromise even the most secure computers.
Story continues
The full paper on the matter is available at the source link.
Related stories
The same hackers who hit Zuckerberg take down Google CEO's Quora account
After DNC attack, hacker Guccifer 2.0 claims Hillary Clinton 'dossier' leak
Lone hacker claims responsibility for DNC breach, but fingers still point at Russia
More from BGR: Apples Craig Federighi explains the built-in security features of Auto-Unlock
This article was originally published on BGR.com
From Cosmopolitan
According to Alaska Dispatch News, a 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly groping a 16-year-old girl on an Alaska Airlines flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday. The flight was diverted to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport due to the incident.
The police report obtained by ADN explains the girl, who has not been named, was trying to sleep on the flight when Jesse Salas reportedly grabbed her thigh. She thought it was a mistake and pushed the hand away until she allegedly felt it on her leg again. The girl told police the man then kissed her using his tongue, and that she felt violated and disgusted because he tasted like "stale beer."
The young woman told police she pushed Salas forcefully away about five times, prompting the third person in the row with them to ask her if she knew him. When she said no, he alerted the flight's crew. SeaTac spokesman Perry Cooper told ADN that Salas and the girl were then immediately separated, the pilot was notified, and the flight was diverted.
FOX News reports Salas was cooperative when police met and arrested him on the ground, but according to the Washington Post, he appeared intoxicated and bumped into other passengers while exiting the plane. The girl decided to continue her trip to Portland.
Salas was charged with fourth-degree assault and booked into jail on $1,000 bail - he was released on bond the next morning. The incident came just days after a 26-year-old man allegedly groped the 13-year-old siting next to him on his American Airlines flight more than 15 times before anyone noticed.
Follow Tess on Twitter.
From Cosmopolitan
The day after a Father's Day fishing trip with his family to Port Aransas, Texas, Adrian Ruiz woke up with a fever and a rash on his leg, FOX 7 reports. The rash turned into boils and sores, and Ruiz quickly ended up in the Seton Hays ICU where he was diagnosed with Vibrio, a flesh-eating bacteria that kills around 100 people in the United States per year. The family provided graphic photos of Ruiz's leg before he was treated to local news stations, some of which are included below.
According to the CDC, Vibrio is most often caught by consuming undercooked seafood or exposing a wound to seawater. Doctors believe Ruiz caught the bacteria from wading in the Texas water, though they were not able to find a cut or opening on his leg. The Dallas News reports Ruiz is the 27th person to be diagnosed with a flesh-eating bacteria in the state this year. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 41 percent of those cases involved contact with water.
Originally, it was unclear if the infection would require Ruiz's leg to be amputated or even kill him, but at a press conference June 23, his wife La Shelle told reporters, "He's going to live, that's the main thing. So at least he has life still, that's the biggest thing of all."
Seton Vice President of Medical Affairs Dr. Fausto Meza confirmed to KXAN Ruiz's "swelling is going down. He is looking good," but he remains on an IV drip with four different antibiotics to eliminate the infection and has "a long road to recovery." Meza did not speak to why there have been so many diagnoses of flesh-eating bacteria this year, particularly in Texas, other than explaining, "It's something that happens when the water tends to heat up our Gulf Coast."
A friend set up a YouCaring account to not only raise money for the Ruiz family's growing medical expenses, but also to educate others about the increasingly present problem. The page reads: "If we can save one other person from suffering from this, that is what we want to do!" La Shelle believes "the cities need to post stuff on the beaches, and let people know," she said. "Because if we would have known there was flesh-eating bacteria that was there, we wouldn't have entered."
Just last week, a man from Jacinto City, Texas, had his leg amputated after catching a flesh-eating bacteria from nearby Texas waters.
Follow Tess on Twitter.
Actress and musician Maria Conchita Alonso weighed in on Britains decision to leave the European Union in an apparent rejection of the socialist tendencies in the continent.
Its a very tough decision, what they decided to do, but they have to go for whatever they think is right, Alonso continued, I think each country has a right to do what they think is best for them.
Alonso also discussed the financial collapse of Venezuela, the country where she was raised.
The problem with Venezuela is that the politicians that are supposed to be the opposition are really in bed with the regime. Not all of them, I wont say all of them are, but a lot of them are and theyre not allowing the people that want to go out and want to stay out on the streets, Alonso told the FOX Business Networks Charles Payne.
Alonso then explained what Venezuelans need to do to achieve much needed political and economic reforms in the country.
You cant treat a regime that is a communist, socialist, extreme leftist, as if it was a democratic country, because you cant get out of it like that. So people should get out on the street, stay on the street, dont go back home.
Related Articles
Marriott International, Inc. MAR and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide HOT have declared that the European Union has given antitrust clearance to their pending merger. Last November, Marriot inked a definitive merger to purchase Starwood and create the world's largest hotel company.
Both the companies had already received the green signal from antitrust regulators in the United States, Canada and other regions. With this clearance issued in a press release by the European Commission, the merger deal is likely to close in Jul 2016.
Stockholders of both the companies approved the proposed acquisition at their individual shareholders meet in April. While 97% of Marriotts shareholders voted in favour of the proposal, 95% of Starwood stockholders approved the merger.
STARWOOD HOTELS Price
STARWOOD HOTELS Price | STARWOOD HOTELS Quote
Per the approved deal, Starwoods shareholders will receive 0.8 shares of Marriott along with $21.00 in cash for each share they hold. In addition, they will receive a separate consideration from the spin-off of the companys timeshare business Vistana Signature Experiences. Vistana Signature Experiences was acquired by Interval Leisure Group, Inc in May this year.
On completion, the combined entity would operate or franchise about 5,700 hotels with 1.1 million rooms globally, bringing together 30 brands catering to all lodging segments.
Marriotts move to buy Starwood shows that the hospitality industry thrives on such blockbuster deals that are critical to their success at a time when online booking is becoming important in the lodging business. Larger hotel companies, boasting economies of scale, can bargain with online travel agents like Expedia, TripAdvisor and The Priceline Groups Booking.com for better fees.
Until the merger is legally complete, the companies will keep on operating as separate and self-governing entities.
Starwood currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Story continues
Other Stocks to Consider
Investors interested in the space may also consider Belmond Ltd. BEL and Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. SNOW, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
STARWOOD HOTELS (HOT): Free Stock Analysis Report
MARRIOTT INTL-A (MAR): Free Stock Analysis Report
INTRAWEST RESRT (SNOW): Free Stock Analysis Report
BELMOND LTD (BEL): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Marvels Jessica Jones spinoff Luke Cage will be heading down to Comic-Con next month. In a SDCC debut for the upcoming series, Mr. Cage himself, star Mike Colter, will be at the San Diego Convention Center, along with howrunner Cheo Hodari Coker and co-stars Alfre Woodward and Theo Rossi, who plays Cages enemy Shades AKA Alvarez.
Right now, it seems that Cages former and future (if youve read the comics) love Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, will not be there. We also hear that Marvel intends to show preview footage from Luke Cage, which is set to premiere September 30 on Netflix.
Comic-Con 2016 runs from July 21-24.
On the series Woodard plays Mariah Dillard, a local Harlem politician and cousin to recently announced Cornell Cottonmouth Stokes (Mahershala Ali) who is looking to bring a new era of change to the streets she grew up on.
Luke Cage made an appearance in the first season of Jessica Jones, playing the private detective superheros widower boyfriend. He has unbreakable skin and superhuman strength. Jones was involved in the murder of Cages wife, no thanks to the influence of her nemesis Kilgrave. The Netflix series explores Cages storyline as a wrongly accused man who, granted superstrength by a sabotaged experiment, escapes prison to become a superhero for hire. He becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern-day Harlem. But soon he is pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his cityforcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.
Luke Cage also stars Sonia Braga as Soledad Temple, mother of Rosario Dawsons Claire Temple (also reprising her Daredevil and Jessica Jones role); Frank Whaley as hard-nosed Detective Scarfe and Simone Missick as bionic-armed Cage associate Misty Knight.
Last year, among Marvel TVs Comic-Con activities, they held a combined Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter panel. The latter series was cancelled by ABC last month after its second season wrapped.
Story continues
Related stories
'BoJack Horseman' Season 3 Trailer: And The Oscar Goes To ...
HBO's 'Game Of Thrones', 'Vice Principals' & More Headed To Comic-Con
Ellie Reed Cast In Netflix Comedy Series 'Girlboss', Signs With CAA
From Road & Track
Good news: Mazda, a company that always seems to be doing a little more for those of us who appreciate driving dynamics, will deploy its newest piece of technology, called G-Vectoring Control (GVC), as a standard feature in all trim levels for 2017 model year Mazda6 and Mazda3 products. Eventually, GVC, an advanced form of chassis management, will be standard on every Mazda sold.
Before I explain how GVC works, though, it helps to remember that Mazda really does see itself as a company of enthusiasts building cars for enthusiasts. It has made hero cars, the fantastic little MX-5 and performance RX models, but its entire lineup drives and handles a little better than similar models from Toyota, Honda, or Nissan. General Motors and Ford, as well, for that matter.
(Full disclosure: I know the company sees itself as a bunch of enthusiasts because I worked at Mazda headquarters in Hiroshima from 2002 to 2005. I saw it up close.)
The Mazda people are always carrying on about Jinba Ittai-the idea of horse and rider as one-but it's not just idle talk. They go after it. Mazda is the only Japanese automaker to hinge its throttle pedals to the floor, not hung from above as is common practice, in all their vehicles. Why? Better control, a more linear response. To Mazda, that matters. To people that care about driving, that matters.
The new G-Vectoring Control technology is a bit like a throttle pedal hinged on the floor, another small step forward in Mazda's march to even better driving dynamics. So what does it do?
The physics behind GVC are pretty simple: To achieve the car's natural cornering posture, you increase the vertical load on the front tires by triggering a slight deceleration. Done right, this forward pitch (longitudinal g-force), is very natural and something you may already do on a race track or canyon road-breathe the throttle to prepare for a fast corner, help the front tires get the car into the corner more smoothly. Breathing the throttle or brushing the brakes will create noticeable longitudinal g-force. You and your passengers can feel the car pitch forward.
Story continues
But what if that longitudinal g-force was more subtle and happening nearly every time you turned the wheel?
That's what Mazda asked. And kept asking for the past eight years while hunting an answer. Engineers initially went down the path of lightly-very lightly-applying brakes every time the driver turned the wheel, but that was an impossible solution: too slow to react and not natural, mainly. There were other issues. It was a dead end.
Then it chased development work on an electric Mazda2 (known as a Demio in Japan), creating a way to slightly reduce torque output of the electric motor with each steering input, neatly marrying longitudinal g-force (created by torque reduction) with lateral g-force (created by steering input). And that was the breakthrough: using the powertrain to improve chassis dynamics.
In the 2017 Mazda6 and Mazda3, the GVC system is essentially monitoring three parameters: vehicle speed, throttle position, and rate of steering wheel rotation. Turn the steering wheel even the smallest amount and the system goes to work, reacting in less than 50 milliseconds, minutely reducing engine torque by retarding spark timing. The result is an increased vertical load on the front tires.
At maximum, the system will deliver .05 g of deceleration, enough to generate a measure of longitudinal g-force but generally below the threshold of human perception. (F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, a super human, may feel it.) This moment of longitudinal g-force, married to the lateral g-force created by steering input, is where Mazda says the magic happens. The result: a more natural vehicle cornering posture for improved turn-in performance.
Does it work? Well, yes. But you have to go to the data to see it.
Mazda let us drive a Mazda6 rigged with a GVC "on-off" switch. (In production, the system will be invisible, part of the software package and with no "off" switch.) We drove a number of different scenarios including a simple parking-lot oval-two tight, constant-radius turns connected by short straights-at speeds between 20 and 35 mph with cruise control switched on to deliver a constant speed.
With the GVC system on, the data showed less steering wheel movement.
With the GVC system on, the data showed less steering wheel movement, indicating the initial turn-in moment for each maneuver was more precise and needed less mid-maneuver correction. And that's the goal: improved steering performance at nearly all speeds and in nearly every condition. On slippery surfaces, the difference is more noticeable.
Mazda is quick to point out GVC is not a torque vectoring system. Technically, torque vectoring from Acura, Audi, Ford, and the like are "active yaw control" systems. They help a car rotate by altering torque delivered to a single wheel. In a left-hand turn, for example, the hybrid Acura NSX will instruct the electric motor powering its front-right wheel to add more torque, pushing the vehicle to the left and into the corner.
Done correctly, torque vectoring can be wonderful. But Mazda does not embrace the solution, as it finds it unnatural and disruptive to the purity of their driving dynamics. Further, torque vectoring systems are often set up to help only at higher speeds. This is not to discount torque vectoring-not at all. It's just not a solution Mazda loves. It went its own path.
G-Vectoring Control, Mazda believes, is a pure solution and can improve dynamic feel with every steering input at nearly ever speed. The only time G-Vectoring Control is not activated by steering movement is when the driver is completely off throttle.
GVC is a unique solution and, more to the point, it personifies Mazda. In the same way Honda will constantly hunt for another 5 millimeters of cargo space in back of an HR-V, Mazda will pursue every incremental improvement in driving pleasure. To Mazda, that's the righteous pursuit. And what makes Mazda very Mazda.
By Susan Cornwell and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration and U.S. Senate Republican leaders scrambled on Tuesday to garner enough support to get a Puerto Rico debt relief bill through a critical procedural vote set for Wednesday which several lawmakers predicted would be close. After months of waiting for Congress to act as Puerto Rico's economic crisis progressively worsened, the Caribbean island appeared to be on the verge of securing a relief plan from Washington aimed at helping it address a hobbling $70 billion debt. The leaders of both political parties in the Senate are on board, but the outcome appeared uncertain. The Obama administration sent Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to try to persuade recalcitrant Democrats, while Republicans heard arguments for the legislation from fellow senators at a closed-door luncheon. "We will win the vote tomorrow," said Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, as he left the meeting with Lew. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, told reporters he was "very much on board," and was urging Republicans to back the measure establishing a federal oversight board to be in charge of restructuring the U.S. territory's debt. "I'm hopeful and optimistic that the (Obama) administration will be able to get Democrats on board, and we believe strongly that its an approach that appeals to most Republicans," McConnell said. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said he would support the bill. The Senate Democratic whip, Dick Durbin of Illinois, a recent convert to the proposal, said he was trying to get a majority of Democrats to back it. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi added that while there is much to the legislation she objected to, she implored her Senate colleagues to adopt the bill. "Failure to pass this bill would be a tremendous win for the unscrupulous hedge funds that have held this bill up for six months demanding to be first in line over the needs of the people of Puerto Rico," she said. "Unless Congress acts, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico will be plunged into deep economic turmoil in just three days time." Puerto Rico's 3.5 million residents are U.S. citizens. The U.S. territory is reeling from a 45 percent poverty rate, a steady flow of outward migration to the U.S. mainland that further shrinks its tax base and the shuttering of essential services. But Durbin predicted "it will be close" Wednesday morning, when the Puerto Rico debt relief bill will need a supermajority of 60 senators' votes to stay alive in the Senate. And despite McConnell's expression of optimism, other Republicans said the leadership appeared worried behind the scenes. "I think leadership is concerned because they're really whipping it," said Senator Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican. "When they whipped me last night, I said 'no'. So they're coming back and asking if I'll reconsider." JOINING THE FRAY The White House joined the fray, with spokesman Josh Earnest saying that without action by Congress to help Puerto Rico deal with its debt, the need for a bailout of the U.S. territory will become more likely. The measure is identical to the plan passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month, as Congress tries to send it to President Barack Obama to sign into law by July 1. That is when Puerto Rico faces a potential default on a chunk of its debt if it cannot make $1.9 billion in payments. If the Wednesday morning procedural vote is successful, it would clear the measure for passage this week. But Republican skeptics of the bill are worried it could constitute a bailout - something its supporters deny - while Democrats have expressed concern about the composition of the oversight board and labor provisions that they say could lower minimum wages for young workers in Puerto Rico. The top Democrat on the Senate Finance committee, Oregon's Ron Wyden, announced Tuesday he would back the legislation. But Ohio Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown appeared to be wavering even after meeting with Lew, Wyden and other Democrats in a Senate office building. Brown said he would be more likely to vote "yes" in Wednesday's procedural vote if Senate leaders promise him a vote on an unrelated issue - legislation to ensure that the federal government and coal mine operators honor payment of promised pensions and health benefits to retired miners. Lew said he thought there was "broad understanding" of the urgency. "I just do not believe that we can let three and a half million Americans descend into chaos," he said. (Additional reporting by David Lawder and Isma'il Kushkush; Editing by Daniel Bases and Matthew Lewis)
With Michael Chiesa forced out of the UFC Fight Night 91 main event against fellow lightweight contender Tony Ferguson due to a back injury, the bantamweight bout between Michael McDonald and John Lineker has been elevated from the co-main event to the main event. Originally scheduled as a three-round bout, McDonald and Lineker will now become a five-round fight.
The event, which takes place on July 13 from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will be the first event the UFC has hosted in South Dakota.
RELATED > Carlos Condit Foregoes Retirement to Fight Demian Maia at UFC 202
Ferguson, who is ranked 3rd in the lightweight division, will remain on the fight card. He'll face undefeated UFC newcomer Landon Vannata in the co-main event.
Vannata (8-0) fights out of the Jackson-Winklejohn gym in Albuquerque. The 24-year-old is unbeaten and has finished seven of his eight opponents.
Follow MMAWeekly.com on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Nick Lam is a modern-day matchmaker: He connects his elite clientele with the perfect cars.
The 25-year-old co-founder and CEO of New York Auto Depot makes it his business to help rich Chinese college students navigate the American car market and buy ultra-luxury vehicles.
Most of the Chinese students who come to America and purchase their first cars "don't know what they are talking about: what this button's for or ... that after buying a car, you need to pay tax," Lam said. "I'll also help them get a better price, because they don't know how to negotiate with American people that's why they come to me."
Lam knows from firsthand experience. Soon after he came to New York from Hong Kong in 2009 to attend Stony Brook University, he purchased a car so he could deliver pizza for Papa John's. But it turned out to be a poor decision.
"In just four months it had brake problems, engine problems, transmission problems," he said. So he turned to books, magazines and YouTube to learn what was ailing his car.
From there, his small business began organically. Friends and acquaintances would ask him to accompany them to dealerships to supervise and advise on their purchases, thanking him with free meals.
As more Chinese students sought his expertise, he began to charge them. Soon, dealerships even came to him, soliciting his promotion among the young, affluent group.
But Lam wasn't content to be just a middle-man for dealers. He decided to open up his own dealership.
New York Auto Depot has cultivated a regular customer base at 19 universities, but is always reaching out to more schools with events and social media advertisements.
According to Lam, there are several kinds of Chinese citizens studying in the U.S. The first: students who are "geeks" and just want to focus on their studies and will settle for cheap or public transportation. They're followed by those with a "limited" budget of $20,000 to $60,000 and can purchase a "very decent car" like a BMW or Lexus. And then there are the elite clients.
Story continues
"There's another group of people: Their parents are super rich. They come to America, and they say, 'The price of the cars are so cheap,' so they buy a luxury car like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari," he said.
Lam is doing more and more business with this last group. His company sells about 60 cars per month at an average price of $30,000, but luxury high-end vehicles now account for around 20 percent of his sales, he said. The most expensive car Lam has ever sold approached $800,000, he told CNBC.
Elite cars in China can cost more than 250 percent of their U.S. price, he said, so wealthy students are eager to snap up the deals.
"When Chinese students come to America, [they think] the price is reasonable," Lam said. "[They think] if we have a certain amount of money, why don't we just buy one?"
More From CNBC
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she saw no chance that Britain might go back on its decision to leave the European Union. Speaking at the end of the first day of an EU summit, Merkel described talks with outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron as "serious" but "friendly". She said it was not a time for sorrow or anger, but that Europe must simply deal with the situation with which it was now confronted. "I want to say very clearly tonight that I see no way to reverse this," Merkel said when asked about the possibility of a British U-turn on Brexit. "We all need to look at the reality of the situation. It is not the hour for wishful thinking." (Reporting by Noah Barkin)
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that the EU could survive a Brexit and warned Britain the union would not tolerate "cherry-picking" in upcoming negotiations on their future relations.
"The EU is strong enough to withstand Britain's withdrawal," she told the German parliament ahead of a crisis summit of the 28 member states in Brussels.
"It is also strong enough to successfully defend its interests in the world in future."
Voicing confidence in the union as it confronts the first defection since its founding, Merkel said the EU would continue to be a guarantor of "peace, prosperity and stability".
Merkel, who is expected to take a leading role in future negotiations with London, again voiced her regret that Britain had voted in a referendum last week to quit the bloc.
She said both sides had a "strong interest" in maintaining "close and friendly relations".
But she stressed Britain would not be able to dictate the terms of its ties to the EU.
"We will ensure there are no negotiations based on the principle of cherry-picking," she said to applause.
"There must be and will be a noticeable difference between whether a country wants to be a member of the European Union family or not."
She added: "Anyone wishing to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations but keep the privileges."
"This applies to Britain as it does to everyone else," she said.
A non-EU country can join the common market if it accepts the free movement of people, goods, services and capital, she added, mentioning the example of Norway.
Merkel, who had huddled with the leaders of France and Italy Monday in the aftermath of the shock referendum, said the three biggest economies on the continent had agreed on a "common position" on the approach to the Brexit vote.
After their talks in Berlin, the trio urged steps among the remaining 27 members to jointly boost cooperation on security as well as programmes to boost economic growth and youth employment.
Story continues
Merkel said she hoped the Brussels summit would take place in that spirit of unity, and said the EU should aim to complete reforms of the bloc in time for the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome laying its foundations in March 2017.
The German leader said she would welcome "any proposal that would lead the European Union of 27 (member states, without Britain) out of this crisis".
But she warned against moves that would strengthen the "centrifugal forces" threatening to tear the EU apart.
"I will act with all my strength, and so will the German government to prevent that," she said to more applause from the chamber, "and I see a good chance that we will succeed."
The Obama women have added two new members to their " special girl-power unit."
On Tuesday, actresses and education advocates Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto joined First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia in Morocco as part of their tour to promote the Let Girls Learn initiative, aimed at helping young girls around the world get a quality education.
After Obama announced that the Let Girls Learn initiative would be extended to Morocco, she, Streep and Pinto participated in a panel discussion with local girls about the importance of education. The first lady documented the moment on her Snapchat account, writing, "It is critical to the health of our nations to invest in girls' education."
"Those 62 million girls who are not being educated around the world impact my life in Washington, D.C. Because if we aren't empowering and providing the skills and the resources to half of our population, then we're not realizing our full potential as a society, as mankind," Obama told the audience of local girls, many of who were the first in their families to go to high school. "So we have to change those notions that girls are only valuable for their reproductive capacity, or their ability to do manual labor. We need every one of our citizens, boys and girls, to be educated and involved and empowered."
Meryl Streep and Michelle Obama Tell Girls in Morocco to Never Give Up on Education: 'When You Lose Heart, You Lose Everything'| politics, Movie News, Freida Pinto, Malia Obama, Meryl Streep, Michelle Obama, Sasha Obama
"Every single person's story is different," Streep said, telling the young women that she was the first in her family to get a university education.
"In my own life I know that losing heart is the most dangerous thing," she added. "You can put any obstacle in front of me and I will jump over it, but when you lose heart, you lose everything."
Streep also said she was eager to continent hop for the cause of girls' education: "If Mrs. Obama asked me to road trip anywhere in the world I would say, 'I'm there in five minutes.' "
Pinto advised the girls to seek out organizations like Let Girls Learn that help young women complete their educations, and added that "it's important for girls to be able to stand their ground. It's important for you to not be shy to raise your voices."
Meryl Streep and Michelle Obama Tell Girls in Morocco to Never Give Up on Education: 'When You Lose Heart, You Lose Everything'| politics, Movie News, Freida Pinto, Malia Obama, Meryl Streep, Michelle Obama, Sasha Obama
The Obama women touched down in Morocco on Monday evening, where they were greeted by King Mohammed VI's wife, Princess Lalla Salma. It was the second day of their six-day international trip, which includes stops in Liberia, Morocco and Spain. The Obamas were in Liberia on Monday, where the first lady visited Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), a girls' leadership camp sponsored by the Peace Corps.
"I'm traveling with my mother and my two daughters," she said Monday, adding with a laugh: "This is the special girl-power unit of the Obama household. We left the president behind because he's a boy."
The first lady is set to attend a Moroccan iftar a traditional dinner to break the fast during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan with Princess Lalla Salma on Tuesday night, before continuing on to Spain with her family on Wednesday.
MetLife Inc (NYSE: MET) disclosed Tuesday that PPG reached a deal with it and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company to provide annuity benefits to approximately 13,400 retirees in PPG Industries, Inc's (NYSE: PPG) defined benefit (DB) pension plans, representing pension obligations of $1.6 billion.
MetLife's SVP for U.S. Pensions, Wayne Daniel, said, "MetLife is pleased to be working with PPG to remove the risks and liabilities associated with its pension plans. As a market leader with 90+ years of experience and $38 billion of transferred pension liabilities, MetLife can provide PPG with the security and knowledge that their risks are well-managed and their participants' benefits are protected."
The insurance firm said the transaction involved two groups of retirees, one is salaried and the other is non-union hourly. The company added that for 11,000 salaried retirees, both of them providing 50 percent of the monthly benefits each. While MassMutual would be the lead administrator, MetLife would pay its portion of the benefits through an administration agreement with MassMutual.
As far as non-union hourly group, MetLife would be the exclusive provider for making payments directly to the retirees.
The transaction is expected to close later in the current year subject to customary conditions. The company added that it would be executed with a combination of cash and assets-in-kind. The insurer added that PPG will purchase group annuity contracts from MetLife and MassMutual. In turn, the insurance firms would assume responsibility for making benefit payments to the retirees or their survivors covered by the agreement.
See more from Benzinga
2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican federal judge banned the entry of fresh potatoes from the United States amid concerns that pests they contain may damage the environment, Mexico's Federal Judicial Council (CJF) said on Tuesday. The judge, based in Los Mochis in the northern, potato-producing state of Sinaloa, held that measures taken by Mexico's Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA) could not guarantee the prevention of the spread of 63 quarantine pests present in potatoes from the United States. The judge declared SAGARPA's measures unconstitutional on the grounds that the threat of pests violates the human right to a healthy environment and food security. According to official data, last year's total shipment of fresh potatoes from the United States totaled 122,796 tons. Between January and April this year, the figure amounted to 36,516 tons. Mexico produced 1.679 million tons of potatoes in the 2014 agricultural cycle, as per the most recent data available. The main producers are the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, both in the north, and Puebla, in central Mexico. SAGARPA and Mexico's Economy Ministry had no immediate comment on the decision of the court. (Reporting by Alizeh Kohari; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Mexico City (AFP) - A judge temporarily blocked the extradition of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States Tuesday after his lawyers filed appeals against the transfer.
The Mexican judge granted the temporary stay of Guzman's extradition -- to face US charges of drug trafficking and homicide -- after agreeing to examine the appeals, a process that could last several months, a judiciary source told AFP.
"The extradition requests from Texas and California lack sufficient evidence under Mexican law to extend the extradition period," Refugio Rodriguez, one of Guzman's lawyers, told AFP.
Lawyers Andres Granados and Carlos Castillo submitted the documents Monday evening.
The Mexican government had given the green light to extradite the infamous head of the Sinaloa drug cartel after the United States guaranteed he would not face the death penalty, a punishment outlawed in Mexico.
The United States still expects extradition by the end of the year, a US official told AFP, which would be a relatively short period for this type of procedure.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto had previously opposed Guzman's extradition, preferring to try the country's most notorious prisoner in Mexico.
But after the kingpin's brazen escape in July 2015 -- his second jailbreak -- through an elaborate tunnel under his cell's shower embarrassed the government, Pena Nieto requested the attorney general to expedite the extradition process.
"El Chapo" is currently incarcerated in a federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, a northern Mexican city that borders the United States.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was heckled by a crowd that called him an assassin at Torontos Casa Loma castle, where he was to eat dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 27. This video shows Trudeau shaking hands with Pena Nieto while a crowd yells at him in front of the castle, prior to both men attending a banquet for 300 guests.
The epithet, translated by some sources as murderer, has followed Pena Nieto for several months, arising from his countrys long and bloody confrontations with drug dealers, and from his administrations mishandling of the abduction of 43 students from Iguala. Credit: Facebook/NOVA VISION T.V.
A computer science teacher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico found that the only way to get the attention of his students was by slipping into Spider-Mans costume during the classes. The 26-year-old Mexican Moises Vazquez said that he was inspired to wear the spidey suit after he found out that Peter Parker, whose alter ego is Spider-Man, was also a science teacher. In an attempt to make money Peter, apart from being a freelance photographer, had become the science teacher at Midtown High, the same school where he had studied.
Moises Vazquez, 26, known as Spider-Moy, a computer science teaching assistant at the Faculty of Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), teaches dressed as a comic superhero Spider-Man at the university in Mexico City, Mexico, May 27, 2016. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
I do the same job as anyone else. I dont think its the best class in the world because I put on a suit. But I assure you I want to be the most honest and dedicated there is. I just want to make the classroom a better place, he said.
Vazquezs family had initially expressed concern that pretending to be Spider-Man could hurt his career. A year has passed and his unusual teaching technique is yet to receive flak from the students as well as other teachers. Obviously they reacted with surprise, but they were happy too. Everyone was smiling at me, said Vasquez.
Vasquez can be seen dressed up as the Avenger even when he leaves his house in eastern Mexico City and travels to his university. Of course, the people commuting with him assume that the outfit is a part of a film shoot.
Moises Vazquez, 26, known as Spider-Moy, a computer science teaching assistant at the Faculty of Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), who teaches dressed as a comic superhero Spider-Man, travels on a subway on his way to work in Mexico City, Mexico, May 27, 2016. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
Also read:
Video: Deadpool Vs Spiderman, who is the better dancer?
(Adds details on announcement, value of trade, Canadian industry)
June 28 (Reuters) - Mexico will allow expanded imports of Canadian beef starting in October, leaders of the two countries said on Tuesday, ending 13 years of restrictions related to mad cow disease.
Mexico currently imports Canadian beef only from cattle under 30 months old, since Canada in 2003 reported its first case of mad cow, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
Mexico's decision to lift restrictions was announced in Ottawa by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Trudeau told reporters that Mexico would open its market to all Canadian beef.
Canada is the world's sixth-largest beef and veal exporter, and currently sells on average C$136 million ($103.96 million)worth of beef annually to Mexico, the eighth-biggest global beef consumer, according to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Prior to Mexico's restrictions in 2003, Canada sold about C$270 million to C$290 million worth of beef to the country.
Cargill Ltd and JBS USA LLC slaughter most of Canada's cattle. ($1 = 1.3082 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Mexicos 14th Morelia Film Festival will host a Berlinale Spotlight as part of the 2016-17 Germany-Mexico Dual Year, a bilateral initiative promoting exchange in the arts and creative industries as well as trade, tourism, education, science and innovation.
The program comprises 10 films from Februarys Berlinale, the retrospective Germany 1966 Redefining Cinema, and a focus on German classic films. In addition, there will be presentations of Berlinale initiatives such as World Cinema Fund and Berlinale Talents.
Jointly curated by the Morelia and the Berlin Festivals, the event is backed by the Goethe-Institut.
This initiative not only provides our audiences with the chance to see new and exciting international works, but also strengthen the relationship between our festivals, our countries and our cinematographies, said Morelia fest director Daniela Michel.
Launched with the backing of Mexican exhibition chain Cinepolis, Morelia has built fast as a showcase for its new wave of directors and maintains a new talent focus through a strong short film program, accompanying its feature film sections. It is also an outstanding example of how festivals are looking to collaborate across international borders in order to pursue their common goal of promoting quality films for audiences avid, at least in a festival context, to broaden their experience of movies.
More than any other festival in Latin America, Morelia has also built strong links with Europes biggest film events. Cannes head Thierry Fremaux, a frequent fest guest, stepped in to open its 13th festival, delivering a speech about Guillermo del Toro before a screening of Crimson Peak.A program of Morelia shorts also play at Cannes Critics Week. In 2015, Morelia and Switzerlands Locarno Festival teamed to launch a training initiative, the Locarno Industry Academy International in Morelia, targeting six young Mexican distribution and exhibition executives.
The Germany-Mexico Dual Year kicked-off in Germany on April 11 with the state visit to Germany of Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto; It continued June 6, with foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeiers visit to Mexico.
Story continues
The Berlin Festivals European Film Market, the second biggest film market in Europe, announced in May that Mexico will inaugurate its new Country in Focus program, which kicks off next year.
The 14th Morelia Intl. Film Festival runs Oct. 21-30.
John Hopewell contributed to this article
Related stories
Cannes: Morelia's Critics' Week Shorts Rep Broad Gamut of Mexican Cinema
Berlin European Film Market's Selects Mexico as First Country in Focus
Berlin: Spanou Repping Generation's 'Plants,' Producer-Turned-Director Doveris' Debut (EXCLUSIVE, WATCH)
Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Links on Saturday in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Donald Trumps longtime lawyer published a tweet on Tuesday that accused Hillary Clinton of selling uranium to Russia through a fake charity, illegally deleting public records and murdering a U.S. ambassador.
Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and special counsel to the presumptive Republican nominee, posted an image of the former secretary of state that included the conspiratorial accusations.
I presided over $6 billion lost at the State Department, sold uranium to the Russians through my faux charity, illegally deleted public records, and murdered an ambassador, the text above Clintons image read. Elect Me!
Cohen did not immediately respond to a request seeking evidence of the accusations. But in an email to the Washington Post, he sought to distance himself from the campaign. Cohen has repeatedly appeared on CNN as a Trump surrogate.
As you are well aware, I am not part of the campaign and do not speak on behalf of Mr. Trump, he wrote to the Post. My tweets are mine and mine alone.
Cohens Tuesday tweet was published hours before Republicans on the House Select Committee on Benghazi released its final report on the deadly Sept. 11, 2012, attacks that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, at a U.S. outpost in Libya.
The committee blamed the Obama administration for what it concluded was a slow response to help the Americans under attack. But the report did not find that Clinton, head of the State Department at the time, did anything illegal.
Story continues
Democrats on the Benghazi committee blasted the GOP report as a conspiracy theory on steroids bringing back long-debunked allegations with no credible evidence whatsoever.
Trump himself has repeatedly accused Clinton of breaking the law by using a private email server for official State Department business.
What she did is illegal, Trump said last week. She shouldnt have had a server.
And the brash real estate mogul has floated other far-right-wing conspiracy theories about the Clintons. In a May interview with the Washington Post, Trump mused about the very fishy circumstances surrounding the 1993 death of Vincent Foster, the former White House aide who both police and federal investigators determined had committed suicide.
By Aziz El Yaakoubi MARRAKESH, Morocco (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, her mother and daughters Sasha and Malia were joined by Meryl Streep in Morocco's Marrakesh on Tuesday on a six-day tour to try to promote girls' education. More than a third of Morocco's population of 34 million is illiterate - one of the highest rates in North Africa, and the rate is higher for women at 41 percent, official data shows. "I am sitting here now as the U.S. first lady, talking to you, because of my education," Michelle Obama told a dozen girls from different towns. The U.S. government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was launched during her visit and includes $100 million to be spent on 100,000 Moroccan students, half of whom will be teenage girls. The funds come from $450 million given by the MCC last year to boost education and employability in Morocco. Michelle Obama stepped up her campaign for girls' education after Islamist group Boko Haram seized 276 girls from their school in Nigeria in 2014 and she highlighted their plight through a Twitter hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls. She spent Sunday and Monday in Liberia, where she visited a U.S. Peace Corps site and a school with President and Nobel Peace laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, promoting Let Girls Learn, a U.S. government initiative begun with her husband in 2015. (Editing by Louise Ireland)
Geekologie has shut down.
Thank you to everybody.
Now go be happy.
Michelle Obama walks with Spains Queen Letizia at the Zarzuela palace near Madrid, Spain Walking through a garden on the grounds of the Zarzuela palace, Michelle Obama, wearing a white dress with a large bow in the back, contrasted well with Spains Queen Letizia in a bright red sheath. (Photo: Reuters)
After bringing her Let Girls Learn initiative to Europe last summer, Michelle Obama is continuing to draw attention to adolescent education. Her latest efforts involve a three-nation trip to shed light on the millions of girls around the world who are not in school.
On Monday, the first lady, who brought along her daughters, Sasha, 15, and Malia, 17, and mother Marian Robinson, landed in Libera. This is the special girl-power unit of the Obama household, she said. We left the president behind because hes a boy. Wearing an abstract floral print dress, the family was welcomed to the Western African country with a red carpet and traditional dancers.
Following the announcement that the United States would be providing $27 million in aid for the expansion of the Let Girls Learn Peace Corps program in the country as well as meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa, the Obamas moved on to Morocco.
On the second leg of the first familys tour, they were met by Frieda Pinto and Meryl Streep for a panel discussion moderated by CNNs Isha Sesay in Marrakesh and delivered even more money to help some of the 62 million girls worldwide lacking access to formal education.
The last part of the six-day trip will be in Spain, where FLOTUS will deliver a speech. The message shes trying to get across is this: You have the power, right now, to step up and be a champion for those 62 million girls who arent in school. You have everything you need right now to raise awareness about their stories and to support their efforts to get an education.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Marrakech (Morocco) (AFP) - US First Lady Michelle Obama launched a $100 million aid package in Morocco Tuesday to promote the education of girls in a country where half of females over 15 are illiterate.
Visiting Marakech with actresses Meryl Streep and Frieda Pinto of the "Slumdog Millionaire" film, she told girls in attendance she wanted them to be part of a global conversation on female education.
"We want to share this conversation with young girls around the world, particularly in the United States," she said.
Obama, who was accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, arrived on Monday evening in Marakech and was welcomed by King Mohamed VI.
The first lady launched her "Let Girls Learn" education initiative in March 2015 to help adolescent girls across the world access a quality education.
She has since travelled the globe to call for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.
"She shared lots of things with us that will help us to work hard and focus on our education," Rihab Boutadghart, a beneficiary of the initiative, said after attending the launch in Marakech.
Morocco has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world, according to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government aid agency.
The MCC used Obama's visit to announce a nearly $100-million (90 million euros) fund to tackle high drop-out rates among girls and make schools more "girl-friendly".
The money, which will fund internships, girl-friendly bathrooms and training for teachers, is expected to benefit about 100,000 students, said the MCC.
The Peace Corps said it would work with its volunteers and community leaders to advance girls' education and improve their employment prospects.
USAID pledged to spend $400,000 through an NGO to establish five new dorms for girls across the country.
Obama said she hoped the funds would "help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise".
Story continues
Over half of Moroccan girls aged over 15 are illiterate, despite efforts by the government and NGOs to promote their education, according to a 2014 study by the High Commission for Planning, a government body.
But the same study said the rate of school attendance among girls of 7-12 years old had risen from 78 percent in 2004 to 94 percent in 2014.
Obama says girls around the world face challenges that prevent more than 62 million from getting an education.
The first lady spent Monday in Liberia, where she told girls to fight to stay in school despite financial pressures that cause the vast majority to drop out.
She will continue her trip with a visit to Spain on Thursday, where she will deliver a speech on the education initiative before meeting Queen Letizia.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's protest against same-sex marriage is going to cost him. Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan sued the former Arkansas governor for copyright infringement for playing the band's signature Grammy-winning hit, "Eye of the Tiger ," at a rally last year for Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who made national news for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
According to CNN, Huckabee -- who had not paid for the rights to play the song -- recently agreed to a confidential, out-of-court settlement with Sullivan's Rude Music to pay $25,000 in the case. The payment came to light when Huckabee listed the $25K as a campaign expense on his federal election records, describing the check to Rude Music as a "legal settlement" for "copyright infringement."
Survivor Did Not Grant Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis Rights to 'Eye of the Tiger'
Two different payments showed up on Huckabee's June 20 filing, one in May described as a $12,500 "itemized disbursement" and another listed as "debts and obligations." Huckabee had tried to avoid paying the settlement, describing the anti-gay-rights rally on Davis' behalf as a "religious assembly... signifying joy and praise at the release of Mrs. Davis."
If a judge had agreed that it was a religious gathering and that playing the song in that scenario would count as "non-commerical," covered under the "fair use" doctrine, Huckabee would have gotten away with playing part of the song without making a payment. That argument failed in court, though, when Sullivan's lawyer noted that Huckabee claimed the rally as a presidential campaign expense.
A spokesperson for Sullivan could not speak about the details of the case, but noted that Republican New Gingrich was also sued in 2012 for using the song at his political rallies for years, settling or an undisclosed amount.
Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee was ordered to pay $25,000 to a company owned by Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan to settle a lawsuit stemming from Huckabee's unauthorized use of the band's "Eye of the Tiger" at a rally in support of Kim Davis.
Survivor Condemn Mike Huckabee for 'Eye of the Tiger' Usage
The former Arkansas governor initially came under fire for using the track at a September 2015 rally without permission. However, given the high-profile nature of this specific rally Huckabee was celebrating the release of Kentucky county clerk Davis, who was imprisoned after refusing a court order to give marriage licenses to same-sex couple Sullivan, the song's co-writer, told Rolling Stone at the time he was weighing a lawsuit against the then-candidate.
"I do not like mixing rock and roll with politics; they do not go hand in hand," Sullivan said. "What upset me most [about Huckabee's use] was that, once again, my song was being used to further a political agenda and no one even bothered to ask for permission."
In 2012, Sullivan also sued Newt Gingrich over that GOP candidate's use of the Rocky III theme on the campaign trail; they eventually settled out of court. Mitt Romney, who also briefly used the track at 2012 rallies, escaped with just a cease-and-desist warning.
"The 'Eye of the Tiger' copyright is a very valuable asset, and we work very hard to protect it," Sullivan's attorney Annette McGarry told CNN. In court, Huckabee's lawyer argued that "noncommercial, fair use" laws protected this specific use of "Eye of the Tiger." However, Sullivan's team countered that Huckabee had claimed the rally as a "presidential campaign expense."
In addition to protecting the rights of his work, Sullivan also told Rolling Stone that he was considering a lawsuit because the rally so contrasted the guitarist's own view on same-sex marriages.
Story continues
"I do not agree with Kim Davis' stance and do not believe in denying gay rights and the freedom for all individuals to choose the lifestyle they want to live," Sullivan said at the time. "Our Constitution, and the words of our Founding Fathers, stand tall for freedom, which is what America is all about. I find it ridiculous in this day and age that this fight against gay marriage has gone on, even after the Supreme Court's ruling. Let's stop!"
Related
By Dan Whitcomb (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday ruled that clerks in Mississippi may not recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples based on religious beliefs, despite a bill passed by the state legislature intended to carve out that exception for them. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves said that the recusals on religious grounds granted by the state's so-called "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act", or House Bill 1523, violated the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2015 ruling legalizing gay marriage. The Supreme Court's decision is commonly referred to as the "Obergefell" case after lead plaintiff James Obergefell. "Mississippi's elected officials may disagree with Obergefell, of course, and may express that disagreement as they see fit - by advocating for a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision, for example," Reeves wrote in his 16-page ruling, which came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Campaign for Southern Equality. "But the marriage license issue will not be adjudicated anew after each legislative session," Reeves wrote. Mississippi is among a handful of Southern U.S. states on the front lines of legal battles over equality, privacy and religious freedom. Reeves has not yet ruled on other provisions of the state legislation, which is expected to become law on Friday and also contains a set of religious objections provisions that have been challenged in four separate lawsuits. But Mississippi's lieutenant governor, Tate Reeves, quickly slammed the ruling in a written statement. "If this opinion by the federal court denies even one Mississippian of their fundamental right to practice their religion, then all Mississippians are denied their 1st Amendment rights, Reeves said. "I hope the states attorneys will quickly appeal this decision to the 5th Circuit to protect the deeply held religious beliefs of all Mississippians." A spokesman for the Campaign for Southern Equality, meanwhile, said the group was "delighted" with the decision and expected the judge to rule in their favor on its challenges to the entirety of the HB 1523. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Paris (AFP) - France may have found a long-awaited Asian partner to help rescue its nuclear industry as its energy giant EDF signed a partnership deal with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
Under the memorandum of understanding, MHI said it could take a minority stake alongside EDF in Areva NP, the reactor unit which is to be split off from other parts of France's troubled state-owned Areva nuclear behemoth.
MHI boss Shunichi Miyanaga and EDF chief Jean-Bernard Levy said in a statement that the planned deal would strengthen ties between the two countries' nuclear industries and allow them to pursue new nuclear projects across the globe.
The joint statement also calls for EDF to take part in Atmea, a MHI-Areva joint venture that offers a reactor with design elements from both Areva and MHI.
EDF will provide engineering, operations, and safety know-how -- but no capital -- to the project of constructing four Atmea reactors at Sinop in northern Turkey.
The Sinop project is estimated to be worth more than 15 billion euros ($16.6 billion).
"We look forward to cooperating with EDF in the civil nuclear fields comprising the development of the first ATMEA project, ATMEA 1, which will become one of the most advanced nuclear power plants in the world," said Miyanaga.
- Year-long search -
Splitting the reactor business off Areva and selling it to EDF, the world's largest operator of nuclear power plants, is a main element of the French government's plan to rescue the majority state-owned company.
Areva is also involved in the mining of uranium and its processing into nuclear fuel.
Areva has faced severe difficulties since 2011, when the Fukushima disaster in Japan called nuclear power generation into question across the world.
Confidence in the technology's future was further shaken when Germany announced that it would shutter all of its nuclear power plants over the decade following the calamity, reversing a decision to keep the reactors running.
Story continues
Areva's woes were compounded by construction problems affecting its first EPR reactor in Finland -- now expected to open nine years late in 2018 -- putting company finances deep into the red.
EDF, also majority owned by the French state, agreed in June 2015 to purchase between 51 and 75 percent of Areva NP at a valuation of around 2.7 billion euros ($2.99 billion), with the deal expected to be finalised in 2017.
The rump of Areva would retain a stake of between 15 and 25 percent in the affiliate.
But company chiefs and the French government have been hunting since October for an Asian minority partner to join the takeover with up to a third of shares, with MHI the longstanding favourite.
The French state holds an 87 percent stake in Areva and 84 percent of EDF shares.
France sees nuclear energy as a key national industry and the government has been closely involved in talks to restructure the sector.
The French state has poured billions into Areva in the interim to keep the lights on and thousands of French workers on the payroll.
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) and TargetGene Biotechnologies LTD revealed a license agreement to advance the application of its proprietary techniques in international agriculture. TargetGene is an innovative genome-editing using RNA-guided gene-editing techniques.
Monsanto said that under the agreement, it was awarded an exclusive license to TargetGene's novel and proprietary platform to deliver continuous enhancements in agriculture. The company also created an equity position in the private Israel-based company. The companies did not reveal any additional terms of the agreement.
The company's biotechnology lead, Tom Adams, commented, "TargetGene has uniquely positioned itself to develop precision-editing techniques that can improve a broad range of solutions that help growers around the world deliver better harvests. Monsanto has conducted extensive research with various gene-editing approaches for years, and we believe access to TargetGene's technology will help drive further precision and efficiency within the company's robust plant breeding and biotechnology pipelines."
Similarly, TargetGene's CEO, Yoel Shiboleth, said, "TargetGene is pleased to be working with Monsanto to enable the next generation of agricultural innovation through the application of our genome-editing technology. In a time of increasing environmental challenges and a growing global population to feed, this science has never been more important."
See more from Benzinga
2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at a news conference with members of the House Democratic leadership following the House vote on the Omnibus bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 18, 2015. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to hold a fund-raiser on Tuesday in Menlo Park, California, for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and other House Republicans.
At least one powerful Democrat thinks that's a horrible decision.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who represents San Francisco essentially said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that she thought that Cook was making a mistake.
"Poor Tim. What a nice guy he is, but somebody gave him bad advice," Pelosi said. "He probably doesn't think that much about politics."
The Democratic leader argued that when Cook and other Silicon Valley giants support the Republican party, they are tacitly supporting presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
"But when they say 'We don't like what Trump says, but we'll donate to his party,' they're either naive or they think we're naive," Pelosi said.
The news that Cook would host a Republican fund-raiser came shortly after reports that Apple would not provide financial support or computers for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, later this summer.
Cook doesn't often publicly comment on his political beliefs, but he has been an advocate for certain issues, including climate change and gay rights.
In 2015, Cook wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post arguing against Republican-supported "religious freedom" laws that could be used to discriminate against same-sex couples.
Cook and other Apple leaders were notably missing from a list of business leaders supporting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton released earlier this week.
NOW WATCH: The most annoying thing about the iPhone isn't changing any time soon
More From Business Insider
By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO and the European Union promised closer defence ties at a summit on Tuesday to deter Russia and counter Islamic militants on Europe's borders, seeking a show of unity days after Britain voted to leave the EU. Unnerved by the departure of Europe's biggest-spending military power, EU and NATO officials hope a new strategy to share information and work together from the Baltics to the Mediterranean will shore up defences that have long relied on Britain to provide ships, troops and commanders. "Cooperation between the European Union and NATO was important before the UK vote. It has become even more important now," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the EU summit in Brussels. "We have to work even harder," he said, stressing that Britain remained committed to transatlantic security as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Britain makes up about a quarter of European military spending and pays for about 15 percent of EU-led missions. But it has also blocked deeper EU defence cooperation, fearing an EU army that would be an affront to its sovereignty. In a call for unity after the EU referendum result left Britain in disarray, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Europe needed "to guarantee that this uncertainty, this chaos, is not extended to the other EU member states." Mogherini presented the EU's new five-year global strategy to Stoltenberg and EU leaders including British Prime Minister David Cameron, which sets out how the European Union could act more independently of the United States if needed. Britain, as a leading member of NATO, has pledged to work with the European Union and avoid any isolation stemming from its decision to leave the bloc. Having failed to stabilise its neighbourhood economically over the past decade, Europe now faces a myriad of threats on its borders, from a more assertive Russia following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, to a migrant crisis stemming from strife in North Africa and the Middle East. London is not expected to stand in the way of a formal EU-NATO cooperation pact set to be signed at an alliance summit in Warsaw in July, as the two pillars of Western security aim to overcome years of mutual distrust and competition despite often having similar goals. The European Union's focus is to reverse years of defence cuts and allow governments to develop new tanks and ships together without relying heavily on the United States, which has been Europe's protector since the end of World War Two. Mogherini's five-year plan says EU governments need "all major equipment to respond to external crises and keep Europe safe. This means having full-spectrum land, air, space and maritime capabilities." (Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Neelofa also revealed that she was ready for marriage.
28 Jun Actress, host and entrepreneur Neelofa said that she was still active in the acting world despite having been absent from both the big and small screens for quite some time now.
Neelofa, or more known as Lofa, revealed that she will return to acting once her business is settled by the end of next month, according to Utusan Malaysia.
However, the "Pilot Cafe" actress will be more selective when it comes to choosing acting offers in order to play characters that are more suitable for her.
Aside from that, she will also have to divide her time properly and find a balance between hosting and acting.
When asked about rumours saying that she was ready to settle down, the 27-year-old replied that she was ready but will leave fate in God's hands.
"For sure, I am ready. Only in this matter, I have never waited, never urged and thought about who would be the perfect candidate.
"For this matter, I just pray. My fate is still His secret and I believe that if our intentions are good, everything will go well," said the actress.
Hence the actress is more comfortable waiting and will not talk further about the issue. She doesn't deny, however, that her fate just might intertwine with someone close to her.
(Photo source: Neelofa's Instagram)
Zurich (AFP) - Analysts on Tuesday praised Nestle's choice for its new chief executive, healthcare manager Ulf Mark Schneider, as the food giant took a further step in its bid to become a leader in nutrition.
Schneider, 50, will take over on January 1, replacing outgoing chief Paul Bulcke who has been nominated to become the company's chairman.
In tapping Schneider for the post, Nestle bucked its near century-long track-record of picking in-house candidates for its top job.
The last time the company selected an outsider as chief executive was in 1922, when banker Louis Dappels was brought in to reverse financial losses.
Nestle said Schneider's selection points towards a shift in the company's strategy.
With concerns about rising obesity on all continents, the company that has long been associated with fattening packaged foods wants to get in front of a global pivot towards nutrition and health.
In announcing Schneider's hiring, the company's board "reconfirmed the long-term orientation for Nestle as a Nutrition, Health and Wellness company," a statement said.
Markets welcomed the move, as Nestle's stock closed Tuesday up 3.31 percent at 73.45 Swiss francs ($74.80, 67.74 euros) on the Swiss exchange.
- 'New era' -
Choosing Schneider, a German-US national who thrived as the head of the healthcare company Fresenius, was consistent with that strategy, the board said.
"Schneider will trigger a new era at Nestle," Bank Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy wrote.
The new chief's plans may include a "radical" streamlining of the company's product portfolio, especially in traditional areas like chocolate and US frozen foods, while pursuing new opportunities in the health sector, according to Bertschy.
"Nestle is in need of fresh legs," Jefferies analyst Martin Deboo said, according to the Bloomberg news agency. "Schneider's track record is exceptional."
Story continues
Schneider, who will begin at Nestle for a transition period in September, said he was honoured to join "an iconic global company".
"With consumers around the world taking a deeper interest in their personal health and wellbeing, Nestle's industry-leading global food and beverage business positions it well for advancing the vision of Nutrition, Health and Wellness," he said in a statement.
In a study released this month, the UN-linked Global Nutrition Report said nearly two billion of the world's estimated seven billion people are either obese or overweight.
The World Health Organization has said that affordable, healthy snack options generated by private sector companies are crucial to long-term health on the planet.
Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux, said the hiring was a "positive and a clear signal" that Nestle will "leverage nutrition and health into its food portfolio to drive growth."
The later years of Bulcke's tenure saw turmoil, especially a damaging recall in India of Nestle's massively popular Maggi noodles, which the government banned over lead levels.
An Indian court called that decision arbitrary and the noodles are back on the shelves, but the crisis has hurt Nestle's position in a key Asian market.
CEDAR RAPIDS Republican Rep. Rod Blum and his Democratic challenger, Monica Vernon, are wasting little time in drawing battle lines in their race for the Iowa 1st District U.S. House seat.
Vernon, who kicked off her campaign with friends and supporters Monday night, called the first-term congressman part of the problem in Washington.
In nearly everything he does, he sides with the very, very far right. In fact, he is voting with Steve King, Vernon said at a campaign open house in Cedar Rapids. King is the seven-term western Iowa Republican U.S. House member.
For her part, Vernon told campaign supporters she was running to stand up for all of you.
We got to get an economy that works for everyone, the former Cedar Rapids City Council member and small-business owner said. I think we need to invest in small businesses, invest in our communities, invest in people and education right here at home.
Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, called her exactly the type of person we need in Congress today because she knows how to work together with everyone to move our country forward.
However, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Vernons recent comment that she was unable to think of a single thing Blum has done with which she can agree calls into questions her ability to work across the aisle.
Vernon listed several disagreements she has with Blum, including his mailings to constituents.
Hes wasting close to a half-million dollars so far on self-promoting ads and literature, she said. I think thats really, really important. Those are federal dollars for members of Congress to run their offices.
A Gazette analysis found Blum spent about $422,000 on mass mailings, newspapers ads and automated phone calls in 2015. Thats about one-third of his $1.265 million communications allowance.
Communicating with constituents is part of the job of a member of Congress, campaign manager Jeff Patch said. Unlike other members, Blum does not waste money on first class airfare, personal car leases or a bloated Washington, D.C.-based staff.
In fact, Blum returned $102,000 of his 2015 office budget to the U.S. Treasury and asked that it be used to pay down the national debt.
Thats fiscal responsibility, Patch said. Monica Vernon may think engaging with Iowans where they live is wasting money, but thats quite an elitist attitude from someone who supposedly aspires to represent all Iowans, not just partisan Democrats.
Blum is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents because of an approximately 26,000 Democratic voter registration advantage in a district carried twice by Barack Obama.
This isnt just a candidate. This is a movement, Vernon said about her campaign. Come November, we can win this.
Although Vernon has raised nearly as much campaign cash as Blum, she spent much of it on her primary election race. At the end of May, she had raised $1,402,326 to Blums $1,486,503. He has $1,284,392 on hand to her $420,887.
Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's anti-graft agency on Tuesday charged former president Goodluck Jonathan's campaign spokesman with corruption in yet another arrest of a top-ranking member of the previous administration.
Femi Fani-Kayode, who was also a former aviation minister, was arraigned in an Abuja court on corruption charges linked to Jonathan's re-election campaign last year.
He was accused alongside former finance minister Nenadi Esther Usman, who was allegedly in charge of campaign funds for the 2015 polls.
Both were alleged to have siphoned more than 1.5 billion naira ($5.3 million, 4.8 million euros) in state funds for "political and personal uses".
Fani-Kayode pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Friday.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who defeated Jonathan in the 2015 vote, has launched a wide-ranging campaign against corruption targeting key members of the Jonathan's regime.
Former national security advisor Sambo Dasuki is currently facing a slew of charges over allegedly bogus arms deals in which money meant for military procurement was diverted for political purposes.
The money was allegedly paid into accounts of senior figures to fund Jonathan's re-election campaign.
Former party spokesman Olisa Metuh, who allegedly received a share of the campaign cash, said he was only acting on Jonathan's orders.
A cousin of the former Nigerian leader, Robert Azibaola, is also standing trial for allegedly stealing $40 million from public funds.
Despite the arrest of Jonathan's key confidantes in connection with his re-election campaign, the former president has not been charged by Nigeria's anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Theres a drought in Texas, yall. More specifically, a love drought at the San Antonio Memorial Hospital. With Kenny (JR Lemon) and Gwens (Merle Dandridge) breakup and TC (Eoin Macken) and Jordans (Jill Flint) relationship currently on-hold, there hasnt been a lot of romance for our favorite battlefield doctors-turned-ER staff on The Night Shift. Enter AnnaLynne McCords Jessica Sanders, the most beautiful pharmaceutical rep in the free world.
Related: My Name is Karen, and I Watch The Night Shift
This exclusive clip from tomorrows (June 29) episode features Dr. Clemmens (the always handsome Scott Wolf) in a tizzy about impressing a rep from Presslers Pharmaceuticals with the power to bring cutting edge technology to the hospital. As Jessica Sanders interrupts his chatter with TC and Dr. Zia (Ken Leung), its very clear shes been sizing up the handsome staff of San Antonio Memorial for quite a while. And who could blame her?
The Night Shift will air 2 new episodes on Wednesday, June 29 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, said on Tuesday he has seen no "significant" change in Iran's behavior in Syria under the international nuclear deal announced last July. "I have not seen a significant change in Iranian behavior ... They are primarily working to prop up the Assad regime," McGurk told a U.S. Senate hearing. He said Iran is also supporting some Shi'ite militia groups that are operating in Iraq. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain's withdrawal from the European Union has to be notified as soon as possible after a referendum voted in favour of Britain leaving the bloc last week, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said after a meeting of EU leaders. "We want article 50 to be triggered. It has to be sped up, we don't have months to meditate," Juncker told a news conference in Brussels. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
OSLO (Reuters) - The fatal crash of an Airbus helicopter in Norway in April was probably the result of metal fatigue in the aircraft's gearbox, the country's Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) said in a preliminary report on Tuesday, backing earlier findings. All 13 people on board were killed when the Super Puma's main rotor blades separated from the aircraft as it was ferrying passengers from a Norwegian offshore oil platform operated by Statoil. The European Aviation Safety Authority on June 2 grounded H225 LP and AS332 L2 Super Pumas following the discovery of metal fatigue in the gearbox of the crashed helicopter. The AIBN said metallurgical examinations through x-ray scans had strengthened its belief that the failure took place in the gearbox. "At this stage of the investigation, the AIBN finds that the accident most likely was the result of a fatigue fracture in one of the second stage planet gears," the report said. "What initiated the fatigue fracture has not yet been determined." Two other scenarios had also been investigated, but neither appeared to have caused the crash, the AIBN added. "It is considered unlikely that (the) fatigue crack propagated as a consequence of a structural break-up of another component," it said. The helicopter that crashed was operated by Canada-based group CHC Helicopter [CHCEL.UL]. Investigators have previously ruled out human error, saying the crash was caused by a technical fault. Previous Super Puma incidents linked to gearbox problems included a 2009 crash off Peterhead, Scotland, in which the rotor also flew off and 16 people died. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Gareth Jones)
What do hidden Egyptian tombs and microscopic structures in the human eye have in common? Scientists have recently tried to solve mysteries about both of them using sophisticated imaging techniques.
Earlier this year, Egyptologists were abuzz at the possibility that radar scans had detected hidden chambers behind King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. However, a second series of scans seemed to suggest that no chambers were present after all.
Meanwhile, a similar type of technology was used to probe a space closer to home specifically, a tiny canal in the human eye, according to a new commentary, published June 23 in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]
Researchers used the new devices to probe both the tombs and the eye canal, said Dr. L. Jay Katz, the director of glaucoma service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and the author of the commentary. In both cases, the devices sent out signals and then observed how they bounced back, Katz said. Depending on the timing and pattern of those signals' return, scientists could deduce the shape of both an object and the cavities within it, be it a storm front, a long-lost tomb or the human body, he said.
In the study of the human eye, a precise technology called optical coherence tomography or OCT, has recently been used to map out very tiny areas that researchers previously couldn't see, Katz told Live Science.
Using OCT, scientists have been able to study a structure in the eye called Schlemm's canal, Katz said. The structure is so tiny that it isn't visible to the naked eye, he added.
Schlemm's canal is part of the eye's internal plumbing, Katz said. (Think of tear ducts as the eye's "outdoor" plumbing, he added.) It helps drain fluid from the inside of the eyeball to other areas around the eye, he said. The canal is essentially an outflow pipe, with fluid made in the eye flowing out through this passage, he said.
Story continues
This process helps regulate eye pressure, which is elevated in people who have glaucoma, Katz said. When pressure in the eye is too high, it can damage a person's optic nerve, leading to vision loss.
Previously, doctors were able to study Schlemm's canal only in the eyes of cadavers, Katz said. And although this did allow researchers to examine and identify the structure, they learned little about how it worked in a living person, he said.
The new technology can also help scientists study how certain drugs work in the eye, Katz said.
For example, doctors have known for over 100 years that a drug called pilocarpine reduces eye pressure in people with glaucoma, but physicians didn't know how the medicine worked, Katz said. In one recent study, however, researchers using OCT found that the drug may work by changing the structure of Schlemm's canal, he said.
In the study, researchers put one drop of pilocarpine in the eyes of people with and without glaucoma, and then did scans using OCT, Katz wrote in his commentary. The investigators observed that after the drug was administered, the area and volume of the canal increased, he wrote.
In the future, the technology could be used to see how other drugs work in the eye, and help scientists develop new drugs, Katz said.
OCT could also help doctors diagnose glaucoma in patients, Katz said. In addition, it may be possible to identify problems earlier and determine the best way to treat patients, he said. For example, OCT may help doctors determine how to treat individual patients, he said. Doctors may be able to decide whether patients should try to restore the function of the eye or focus on preventing things from getting worse, he said.
Originally published on Live Science.
Editor's Recommendations
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
CHARLES CITY A Charles City man is accused of shooting his roommate in the chest with an arrow from a crossbow.
Devin Hundley, 19, is set to appear in court Wednesday on a charge of felony willful injury.
He is accused of shooting his roommate, Corbin Gast, on June 23 while attempting to kick him out of their residence in the 600 block of Second Street in Charles City, according to court documents.
Police say Hundley pulled the armed bow on Gast, who then grabbed for the weapon and was shot.
Gast suffered a non-life-threatening wound to the upper right chest.
He called police to report the alleged incident while walking to the police station on Milwaukee Mall Street, said Charles City Police Capt. Brandon Franke.
An ambulance met Gast at the police station and took him to the hospital.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The process of collecting a rape kitthat is, gathering evidence of a violent assault from a person's body shortly after the crime was committedis an impossibly sensitive one. But Julie Groat is an expert. She is a forensic nurse and program director at Wayne County SAFE, a nonprofit that was founded in 2006 to focus exclusively on providing care to sexual assault survivors.
Its first decade has been a dramatic one. In 2009, 11,341 untested rape kits were found in a Detroit police warehouse, leading to a long and still-ongoing battle for justice. A Michigan law enacted in 2014 now mandates a timeline for moving the kit from health care provider to various levels of law enforcementthree months from start to finish. It also requires that health care providers notify victims of their right to receive information about their own kits.
This process begins at the front door of SAFE. At their clinic in Taylor, Michiganone of five in the Detroit areaGroat walked me through the process, beginning from the moment when there's a knock on the door.
Can you talk about when the patient first arrives?
We greet everybody. I always have our young patients introduce me to whoever they bring. It empowers them. I introduce myself and then I say, "Well, who did you bring?" I may already knowI've got the reporting on who mom and dad arebut I want them to tell me. It also lets the parents know that [their child] is in control.
We then excuse ourselves from the family and ask the patient to come to the back room, where we go through the medical history and the incident. You only write what the patient tells you, even if you know more about what's going on. Everybody processes differently; she may forget some things that happen. I'm not going to pick and choose.
Photo credit: Courtesy Anna Clark
I'm also not going to rush the patient. She's going to go at her own pace. If she needs a break, she needs a break. I know parents sometimes want [their child] to have these exams. Well, it's up to the patient. It's a very invasive procedure. We don't want to re-victimize anybody by making them go through something that they don't want to go through. Power and control has already been taken away; you want to give that back to them.
Story continues
What happens when you're treating patients?
We're focusing on how the information pertains to our diagnosis and treatment. We're not investigative. Knowing what color of car was driven is more for the police.
We do a head-to-toe assessment. We do a detailed genital exam with a colposcope, [a device that allows us to] magnify and take pictures of the genital area. We do hair combings. We collect underwear or whatever clothing they're wearing. We collect swabs as we go. Based on the patient history, we know where to swab, but we go beyond that. Even if it was a vaginal assault, we still get anal swabs, because gravity will pull [fluids] into that area.
Listening is the most important thing we do. Many years ago, there was a serial rapist, and during one of the patients' histories, she said that there was licking of the breast; so we swabbed the breasts of the victims. We wouldn't have done it otherwise. The DNA we found there was only gathered because we listened to the patient.
We offer the STD and pregnancy prophylaxis as a standard component of care. We follow-up with our social work staff. I explain to my patients, you may not be ready today, you may not be ready tomorrow, maybe not next week or in a month, or even a year. But the services here are always free and we encourage you to take advantage of them.
What happens after the exam?
With the new legislation [mandating a timeline for the testing of rape kits in Michigan], we have 24 hours to notify law enforcement that a kit has been completed, and then they have 14 days to get it to the crime lab. The crime lab has 90 days to have the kit processed. Detroit [police] picks up the kits at least once a week, if not twice.
How would you describe the people you serve as patients?
Predators seek the vulnerable. They seek [people] who are maybe not the most credible. It's not uncommon for us to see sex workers or patients that have extensive mental health issues. Sometimes health care staff (in traditional hospital settings) can be a little insensitive. We treat all our patients the same. We treat them as people.
You talk about affirming the choices of patients. What happens if they make a choice that you think isn't the best one, like refusing an STD test?
If they decline, we educate them. That's all I can do. I can't force them. I give them their choice, and then I tell them that they have up to so many hours to take the medication.
Do people ever leave partway through? Just decide, "You know what? Never mind. I want to go home."
Yup. Sometimes patients have waited hours and hours in an emergency room by the time they see us. They've already told their history to the resident and the nurse and the physician, and maybe they've contacted the police. They're done talking. We'll provide them with as much information as we can. They have 120 hours to receive the [rape] kit.
And if there's a disagreement about treatment between, say, a parent and a child?
It all comes down to what the patient wants. I'll let the patient know that I'll take the burden for this. Mom can be mad at me. We've come across that quite a few times.
I had one grandmother who was checking her granddaughter's hymen all the time. She was 13. The grandmother was a big lady, six-foot-something. I'm like, "What are you doing? Stop! Stop doing that to her. If you do it one more time, I'm calling the police. You're re-victimizing her." I thought, dear God, she's going to hit me or something. But I felt bad for the little girl, because what was she going to say to grandma?
Photo credit: Courtesy Julie Groat
That was probably good for the girl to hear.
I didn't want her to feel like she was the little girl. I said, "That's her body and you don't have any right to go back down there."
How do these appointments usually end?
We do see a transformation by the time they leave. I usually get a hug or something and they thank us. That's our reward.
People will ask, "I'm going to be okay, right?" I can't tell them for sure. I don't know who the perpetrator is. I don't know what's going to happen. I have to be honest with them.
What kind of training do the people who work at SAFE have?
They take a course. We have speakers come in. We do mock trials. We have someone who is transgender come in to talk about gender biases. There's a lot of information. Then there's a clinical portion. The court portion is the piece that scares everybodyhaving to testify.
Is that because there's a lot riding on your testimony?
It is, yeah. I think I've probably testified over a hundred times. [In your first few cases] you look at your [medical] chart [from the initial appointment] and it's like, "What the heck was I thinking?" Then you get better at it. And you come back and you teach the rest of the staff. "Okay, this is what I learned, and I don't ever want you guys to go through this." Because it's a horrible experience when you're like, "I have nothing to say." Or, "I have the answer, but it's just not coming out."
I think the big thing to remember is that you're there as medical personnel. We're not investigators. You have to stay unbiased. If you focus on that, you're going to be okay.
How does the rape kit process today compare to what it was like before 2006, when SAFE was founded?
As an ER nurse, we were never taught how to process the kits. We were handed a box and told, "Okay, your patient's in Room 5 and here's your box. She's been sexually assaulted." [When the nurses finished with the exam] nobody knew what to do with the box. It sat on the counter because nobody picked it up. It was really sad.
You started at Wayne County SAFE the same year that more than 11,000 neglected rape kits were found in Detroit. Do you think publicity around that has impacted your work?
We work a lot with law enforcement and we want to stay unbiased. I just think that people are coming forward and reporting [sexual assault] more, and talking about it more. I don't know if I can say that they're reporting more because of the untested kits. But years ago, it was just pushed under the rug.
I can tell you that with the patients I've treatedand it's probably been over 1,000 nowthis isn't the first time that they've been sexually assaulted. It's often been one, two, maybe even three or more times in the past. They may never have said anything before, and never had follow-up care.
This work must take an emotional toll on you.
You do experience a lot of trauma, because you're meeting with patients right at the rawest moments. You're actually reliving some of what they just experienced. This weekend, I did three cases back-to-back from the same incident. If you don't have a strong passion for the work you do, you really could get burned out.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
You Might Also Like
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed on Tuesday about explosions at Turkey's main international airport by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, the White House said. At least 10 people were killed and many more wounded when two suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Tuesday, Turkish officials and witnesses said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Bill Rigby)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama warned against financial and global hysteria after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, saying that while full European integration may be on pause, cataclysmic changes are unlikely, according to an interview that aired on Tuesday. "There's been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATO's gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. That's not what's happening," Obama told National Public Radio. Obama's comments come as global financial markets recovered slightly on Tuesday after the shock result of Thursday's vote wiped a record $3 trillion off shares worldwide. Still, trading was volatile even as policymakers vowed to protect their economies. The vote also unleashed political chaos, prompting the resignation of Britain's prime minister, igniting uncertainty about the rest Europe, and raising concerns about democratic order in an era of globalization and rising populism. U.S. officials have said the American economy is strong enough to withstand the "headwinds" following Brexit and vowed to maintain its relationships with the United Kingdom and Europe. Obama, who has said he respected the British voters' decision even though he had opposed the move, in the interview on Tuesday said the vote has signaled that UK voters were reacting to a European Union that was growing too fast and "without as much consensus as it should have." "The best way to think about this is, a pause button has been pressed on the project of full European integration," he told NPR. "This will be a moment when all of Europe says, 'Let's take a breath and let's figure out how do we maintain some of our national identities, how do we preserve the benefits of integration and how do we deal with some of the frustrations that our own voters are feeling,'" Obama said. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Oil prices rebounded in Asia on Tuesday on bargain hunting but tremors from Britain's shock vote last week to leave the European Union continue to dampen buying sentiment.
The pick-up in the black gold came in line with a recovery in Asian stock markets as speculation swirls that authorities could unveil stimulus measures to offset the impact of the so-called Brexit.
At around 0635 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate rose 63 cents, or 1.36 percent, to $46.96 and Brent gained 54 cents, or 1.15 percent, to $47.70.
Both contracts have slumped around 10 percent since hitting 2016 highs earlier this month, with Thursday's vote accelerating the selling.
"The turmoil in the financial markets, triggered by the UK referendum results, is keeping the pressure on oil prices, which look set to clock a monthly loss in June," said IG Markets Singapore analyst Bernard Aw.
"The lack of guidance from the UK government and the prospects of a leadership struggle continued to dampen investors appetite, and this should persist through the week," he told AFP.
British Prime Minister David Cameron quit after losing the vote and the race is on to find a successor who will be tasked with hammering out the deal to extricate the country from the EU.
While markets are enjoying a pick-up Tuesday, economists said there remains a lot of uncertainty.
"Apart from economic considerations, concerns are that the Brexit vote could encourage other EU countries to seek their own referendums, including Netherlands, France, Spain and Greece," DBS Bank said in a note.
It added that "this could potentially revisit the EU breakup fears that plagued the region" during the eurozone debt crisis.
(Reuters) - An explosion leveled a house in a Toronto suburb on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring up to nine people, local police and Canadian media said. The cause of the explosion and the extent of injuries were not immediately known, Peel Regional police said on Twitter. Photos posted on Twitter of the location showed a large plume of smoke rising above houses in Mississauga, just west of Toronto, while the road and roofs of neighboring houses were strewn with debris. Police said they had set up a large perimeter and nearby homes were being evacuated. They warned the public to avoid the area. Four houses have been affected by the explosion, CBC reported, quoting residents as saying they had heard a "loud bang" and felt the ground shake. (Reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Sandra Maler)
MASON CITY The search for the M16 rifle, 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition stolen from an unmarked Mason City Police Department car continued Tuesday.
Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said officers tracked down leads provided by the public and worked old burglary cases to try to find the M16 A1 rifle and Remington 12-gauge shotgun.
The guns and 28 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition, 17 shotgun shells with 00 buckshot and 12 slugs were taken from a police vehicle parked in the 300 block of South Tennessee Avenue.
We are still following up on information and what we think are the next best steps for possible places for these to surface, Brinkley said.
The guns and ammunition have not been found.
Authorities believe the items were stolen between Friday afternoon and Monday morning.
The theft was discovered Monday morning.
Mason City police officers went door to door Monday in the neighborhood where the guns were taken but did not find the weapons.
Police would not release the name of the officer involved.
The department says the officer had moved the guns from the trunk into the back seat to deal with a maintenance issue and that a lock on one of the car doors may have malfunctioned.
The incident will be reviewed by the department, Brinkley said.
Anyone with information about the case can call Mason City police at 641-421-3636 or Crimestoppers of North Central Iowa at 800-383-0088.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain urgently needs to establish a new relationship with the European Union, but should not serve its notice to quit the bloc until this new model had become clear, Chancellor George Osborne told business leaders on Tuesday. "The truth is, for all of your businesses, that uncertainty will only really be resolved when we come to an agreement ... on the relationship we now want with our European partners..." Osborne said at a conference hosted by The Times newspaper. "And I think that's where the urgency is now required." He added that Britain should not trigger its two-year notice period to leave the EU, known as Article 50, until this relationship had become clear. (Reporting by Andy Bruce and Ana Nicolaci da Costa, editing by David Milliken)
From Harper's BAZAAR
Update, 7/6: Last week, over 6,000 signatures accrued on a Change.org petition to rename the intersection of 57th and 5th Avenue "Bill Cunningham Corner." Today, that wish of many New Yorkers and fashion insiders alike is becoming a reality as New York City officially renamed Cunningham's go-to street style spot in his honor.
The official renaming, however, will only be temporary as the New York Times reports that permanent street renamings are extremely rare and must go through an intense legislative process. Regardless, Mayor de Blasio's office claims it's still looking for a more permanent way to honor Cunningham's legacy.
Watch the unveiling of Bill Cunningham Corner below:
Original Article, 6/28: Along the city pavements outside Fifth Avenue's Bergdorf Goodman was the quintessential New York spot to see Bill Cunningham in action: perched atop his bicycle, camera in hand, snapping stylish New Yorkers as they walked by. Just days after the city and fashion community mourned the death of the legendary Times photographer, a petition has emerged to rename his go-to street style corner at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue the "Bill Cunningham Corner."
Over 1,300 signatures have already accrued on the Change.org petition started by Nick Nicholson, a friend of Cunningham. Though WWD reports that chances of the City Council renaming that particular street corner are low due to a moratorium on street naming in the district, designer Jeffrey Banks is also reportedly commissioning a sculpture of Cunningham on his bicycle that would be placed near his signature stakeout spot.
You can sign the petition for the Bill Cunningham Corner now at change.org.
Older investors are more pessimistic.
Singapore-based investors fear that they will suffer losses on back of escalating volatility brought about by Brexit, a survey by Hong Kong-based marketing research firm CSG showed.
The survey revealed that 53% of Singapore investors believe that the performance of their current investments will worsen over the next 12 months. The results show that older investors are more pessimistic on the outcome, with about a quarter of investors older than 50 deciding to put their investment plan on hold after the referendum results.
In contrast, young investors below 50 years tend to search for new opportunities.Almost a third or 29% of investors aged 25-29 also feel enthusiastic about their investments despite the Brexit.
The survey also showed that Hong Kong investors appear to be more impacted by Brexit, with a staggering 65% of Hong Kong investors thinking that their portfolios will weaken over the next 12 months. Another distinction between both cities is that while 63% of Singapore investors think that global investment opportunities will remain the same or improve, only 53% of Hong Kong investors shared this sentiment.
More From Singapore Business Review
The sterling's devaluation won't rock their balance sheets.
Mainboard-listed developers City Developments and Oxley Holdings have clarified that their portfolios in the United Kingdom will not be extremely affected by Brexit, and assured jittery investors that adequate hedging policies will protect their balance sheets from the effect of currency fluctuations.
In a statement, CDL said that it continues to have confidence in the long-term fundamentals of the UK economy, and reiterated that its strategy of targeting UK nationals for its residential developments remains sound.
CDL highlighted that all its residential acquisitions in the past two years have been outside Central London, and a majority of its UK development projects cater to the local market.
This helps insulate its projects from any potential impact of UKs impending exit from the EU, CDL said, adding that its revenue exposure to the UK stands at 12% while its exposure to the rest of Europe is not significant.
CDL said that its foreign exchange exposure to the UK is naturally hedged by its policy of matching receipts and payments, and asset purchases and borrowings in each individual country.
As for Oxley, the group noted that hedging policies mean that the devaluation of the British pound will have a limited impact on currency conversion to the Singapore dollar.
Oxley added that the depreciation of the GBP is expected to generate more purchasing demand in the UK market, and said that it has received increased enquiries from potential overseas buyers since the Brexit result was announced.
Oxley also noted that Brexit will have an indirect benefit to its upcoming project in Dublin, Ireland, as an increasing number of financial institutions are considering setting up offices there. The project is expected to be launched in 2016/2017.
More From Singapore Business Review
The expanded 102-year old Panama Canal was officially inaugurated on Jun 26 after the completion of a 10-year long intensive project. The expansion project, which is worth more than $5 billion, will now let huge ships carrying upto 14,000 containers travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through a set of new locks.
The COSCO Shipping Panama, a Chinese container ship, was the first one to cross the expanded canal amid much fanfare. Panama hosts a major chunk of global shipments and its main competitor is the Suez Canal. This expansion will also increase competition for railroad companies that had been benefitting with lower fuel prices.
Expansion Motive and Investments
The Panama expansion project has primarily been focused on two aspects. First, an increase in the volume of containers which cross the canal by threefold thereby enabling massive ships to finally cross the stretch. Second, a reduction in the time taken by ships which sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
The expansion project is expected to open several other opportunities like increase in commodities trade with Asia, as well as transport of natural gas across the route, as ships sign up to use the expanded routes. Though most investors are hopeful of the canal contributing to growth in the current slumping shipment industry, some remain skeptical about the high expenses incurred.
In addition to investments in building the canal, a sizable amount has been spent by port owners to revamp their facilities to manage the arrival of the bigger ships and higher container volumes. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey spent $6 billion, while Port Miami has undertaken projects worth $2 billion in this regard. However, besides the investments, the canal expansion is likely to reduce global maritime costs by $10.46 billion.
Transportation Sector Price Index
Transportation Sector Price Index
Impact on Western and Eastern Railroads
The Panama Canal expansion is significant for investors interested in the railroad industry. The railroad stocks will be the most impacted by the expansion as freight volumes across various routes would change significantly. Interestingly, the expansion will have a contrasting effect on railroad services based on their operational location.
In terms of transport between the U.S. West and East coasts, importers tend to prefer using large vessels for shipments as they can carry a higher number of containers and hence, are more cost effective. Historically, imports from Asia have followed the sea route upto the West Coast and then transported by road to the East Coast. However, given that now the Panama Canal can let large ships traverse through to the East Coast, railroads with sizable portions of West Coast railways traffic, such as BNSF Railways, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. BRK.B and Union Pacific Corp. UNP, stand to be adversely impacted.
However, companies are not viewing the canal as a major threat. United Pacific recently cited certain factors that make it confident that its business would not be significantly impacted. The company noted that much bigger ships with 18,000 20 foot containers that land on the West Coast cannot traverse the Panama Canal yet.
Story continues
This is because these shipments are limited by height of the Bayonne Bridge in New York and inability of East Coast ports to accommodate increasing container volumes, thereby keeping the West Coast railroad volumes intact. The company also said that given a higher proportion of cargo would be at sea due to longer travel period to reach East Coast, financially struggling shipment companies would have to buy more containers which would be tough for them.
On the other hand, companies operating on routes, which move cargo from the Midwest south to Gulf Coast, are poised to witness a boom in business due to higher exports from this region. Companies with traffic concentration from the East Coast ports such as Norfolk Southern Corp. NSC and CSX Corp. CSX are expected to highly benefit from the increase in volume.
A study by C.H. Robinson and The Boston Consulting Group estimates that 10% of all cargo from Asia docks at the East Coast instead of the West Coast due to the canal expansion. Thus volumes managed by these companies are set to increase. Companies like Canadian National Railways Company CNI and Canadian Pacific Railway Litd. CP, which have operations on both coasts, could eventually see a rise in freight volumes.
Conclusion
The effect of the Panama Canal expansion depends on various factors such as improvement in the shipping industry, global macroeconomic positivity which could increase volume of exports and imports, and capacity management by ports and railroad companies. Though some companies are likely to suffer a setback based on traffic routes, an increase in volumes could benefit the overall sector.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report
UNION PAC CORP (UNP): Free Stock Analysis Report
CDN NATL RY CO (CNI): Free Stock Analysis Report
NORFOLK SOUTHRN (NSC): Free Stock Analysis Report
CDN PAC RLWY (CP): Free Stock Analysis Report
BERKSHIRE HTH-B (BRK.B): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
Panama City (AFP) - A judge in Panama asked Interpol on Tuesday to help arrest the country's ex-president Ricardo Martinelli on spying and corruption charges, police said.
"The national police received the demand and it was immediately sent to the Interpol office" in Panama, said the head of the force, Omar Pinzon.
"They immediately began procedures according to international police norms."
Martinelli is thought to be in Miami, according to media. The foreign ministry on June 9 said it wanted the United States to extradite him.
Martinelli, a millionaire businessman, is accused of corruption and of tapping opponents' and journalists' phones and emails during his 2009-2014 presidency.
A Papa John's in Louisville, Kentucky, named an Asian-American woman's pizza order "ching-ching."
On Monday evening, Laura M. Cheifetz a Presbyterian Church minister tweeted a photo of a box of pizza that was a labeled "ching-ching." On Twitter, Cheifetz said she believed Papa John's labeled her pizza order with the derogatory slur when they heard her accent over the phone.
@PapaJohns put this name on Asian American's pizza order. Racism on 06/25 at Taylorsville store in Louisville, KY.pic.twitter.com/zZb2iqziy9 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cl-vSRTWEAIxAtq.jpg:large
Papa John's customer support tweeted an apology to Cheifetz and said they would be working with the customer.
@lmcheifetz We sincerely apologize for this mistake and are working to make it right with the customer.
In another tweet, they said they terminated the employee responsible for labeling the order with the anti-Asian slur. They also said that the racist incident doesn't represent the values of the pizza company.
@YeoshinLourdes This action is inexcusable and doesn't reflect our company values. This employee is no longer a member of the PJ's team.
This isn't the first time a Papa John's employee used racist slurs toward Asian-Americans.
On Jan. 6, 2012, Minhee Cho went to a Papa John's in New York City where they put her name as "lady chinky eyes" on the receipt.
Hey @PapaJohns just FYI my name isn't "lady chinky eyes" http://twitpic.com/84epmb
But using anti-Asian slurs isn't exclusive to just Papa John's. In 2013, a Korean-American woman from New Jersey sued CVS for $1 million when a cashier labeled her receipt as "Ching Chong Lee." When the woman contacted CVS customer relations, they emailed her saying the employee would be "counseled and trained" and didn't issue an apology.
An employee at a Chick-fil-A in Irvine, California, named the receipts of two Asian-American UC Berkeley college students with "ching" and "chong."
But while Papa John's did apologize for their "mistake" on Monday, Cheifetz insisted that companies using "ching ching" isn't a mistake it's an act of racism.
Or it's just racism. Wish there were conduct standards and training instead of "it's a mistake."https://twitter.com/journeywithgod/status/747624165713260545 ...
"Or it's just racism, Cheifetz said on Twitter. "Wish there were conduct standards and training instead of "it's a mistake."
old lady woman cheerleader baby boomer elderly
The EU is threatening to crumble and markets are in turmoil. Nativism and bigotry are taking political center stage in the US and around the developed world.
Blame your parents.
For decades, the generation of people between 52 and 70 known as the baby boomers have been controlling the planet.
The consequences of this came into sharp focus last week in the UK.
It was the baby-boomer generation that voted overwhelmingly for Britain to leave the EU in a bid for a return to isolationism, proving themselves all-too susceptible to the seduction of self-serving promises that leaders on the Leave side could never keep.
British youth, meanwhile, took the streets of London on Tuesday to protest the vote to leave.
This merits examination. Young people from the US can learn a lot from what the UK is experiencing because our parents are likely just as awful.
Old dog whistles, new politics
During the campaign, UK's Leave vote made a distinct promise that it knew would appeal directly to the baby-boomer generation. It promised to take the 350 million pounds a week that it claimed was going to the EU to maintain the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
It's England's publicly funded healthcare service, and yes, it serves mostly the elderly.
A few hours after the Leave vote won last week, Nigel Farage, the face of the campaign even though he wasn't necessarily a part of the group backtracked on that statement completely.
"No, I can't [guarantee it], and I would never have made that claim. That was one of the mistakes that I think the Leave campaign made," he said in a speech after the referendum. "We have a 10 billion-pound-, 34 million-pound-a-day featherbed that is going to be free money that we can spend on the NHS, on schools, on whatever it is."
nigel farage UKIP
It's hard to say that voters were totally swindled here. Fact checkers wasted no time in pointing out that there was no truth to Leave's statement from the beginning of the campaign, but Leave emblazoned the 350 million-pound-a-week claim on buses anyway.
Story continues
Baby boomers heard what they wanted to hear, and they voted for it in much greater volumes than younger people. What they wanted to hear was that they would be taken care of immediately, and that they would not have to worry about invisible people on the continent.
What they didn't want to hear was how leaving the EU would cut off opportunity, economic and social, for the people who would have to live with the vote for a long time opportunity that is worth paying for.
Again, it's not like no one told them. Economists, financiers, political leaders, and more warned them of the repercussions of a Leave vote. And in crushing the pound and UK stocks especially banks the market is telling them now.
Here's a fun chart:
Absolutely brilliant poll on Brexit by @YouGov pic.twitter.com/EPevG1MOAW Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) June 23, 2016
This kind of short-term, me-first thinking is a hallmark of the baby-boomer generation on both sides of the pond.
'But you also have to get elected'
Donald Trump is using the same kinds of promises to bring in baby boomers here in the US. He's promising to cut taxes, an idea that they have always loved, and not touch Social Security, a program more baby boomers are coming to rely on.
On the latter point, Trump has come up against his own party. First, he sided with US House Speaker Paul Ryan, whose poindexter obsession with debt and the budget fits in well with the GOP's traditional commitment to keeping America's finances in line. Ryan wants to figure out a way to cut the program in the present so that it's around for future generations.
The problem is, that's a policy that doesn't appeal to baby boomers, who after voting for tax cut after tax cut during previous administrations, want to make sure that their retirements are secure. Forget what happens to their children Generation X and millennials.
We should note that this sudden desire to spend money on Social Security doesn't necessarily jibe with how baby boomers have treated government spending since they took power. Since the 1980s, the big question in government budgetary policy has been "How much can we cut?" not "Where do we invest?" and this has been showing in America's education system and its infrastructure for years now.
And so, Trump has picked up that dog whistle and blown it. He now no longer wants to touch Social Security, but there will still be tax cuts don't worry, Mom and Dad.
Trump told Ryan, according to Bloomberg Businessweek:
"From a moral standpoint, I believe in it. But you also have to get elected. And there's no way a Republican is going to beat a Democrat when the Republican is saying, 'We're going to cut your Social Security' and the Democrat is saying, 'We're going to keep it and give you more.'"
Now to be fair, this cheap pandering from politicians like Trump and Britain's Farage works because baby boomers actually go out and vote. Only 36% of 18- to 24-year-olds showed up to the Brexit vote, according to Sky News, but 83% of voters 65 and older showed up.
That's why our parents are being seduced in the first place.
donald trump
A different world
Young people, by and large, cannot be seduced by this rhetoric and based on Farage's backsliding, that's most of what it is so far.
According to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Youth Poll, young people across the political spectrum overwhelmingly dislike Trump. Hillary Clinton has 61% of young voters likely to turn out to the polls for her while Trump grabs only 25%.
Part of this is because what Farage and Trump were selling was a return to a world that young people barely remember if they knew it at all. Years ago, the world was bigger. Distances were greater and there were more borders separating people and goods. Both men come from a world before globalization.
And they think that they can put the genie back in the bottle.
To younger generations, this seems impossible. Millennials are the most diverse and largest generation in history, so the xenophobic and nationalistic arguments Trump and Farage have made make less sense to us than to our parents.
The freedom of being able to move and learn in the physical world now mirrors what they can do with the internet in the digital world.
So, what Trump and Farage are presenting isn't just short-term thinking. It is thinking that's stuck in the past. It's the kind of thinking that still frames the world in terms of our war between capitalism and socialism. Younger people are showing signs that they're getting past that dichotomy.
young people reject socialism and capitalism chart
In Harvard's poll, they overwhelmingly said that that they rejected socialism and capitalism see the chart to your right. They're looking for something new.
Perhaps this is why, according to the same poll, only 15% of young people believe that the US is headed in the right direction. Half of the people polled don't think our leaders have the stuff to get us through what seems like tough times ahead.
Now, I hate to bring our grandparents into this, but they actually invested in our country. They passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which built the US Interstate Highway System, in 1956 and managed to avoid having a generational panic attack like a Brexit vote, for instance when that project wasn't done until 1992.
On the other hand, it was hard to get baby boomers to vote for spending on infrastructure development during the depth of the recession when Americans desperately needed jobs.
And don't even get me started on education spending as it relates to student loans.
Our parents are the worst.
NOW WATCH: Obama on the Brexit vote: Dont panic
More From Business Insider
PARIS (Reuters) - A leading French banker and a top Paris politician cranked up the French capital's campaign on Tuesday to attract London bankers shocked by the UK vote to leave the European Union, calling for tax incentives as competition with other financial centres heats up.
Big Wall Street banks and some European lenders are considering options for relocating staff now that London is on shaky ground as the region's pre-eminent financial hub.
SocGen's (SOGN.PA) chief executive, Frederic Oudea, said Paris could benefit from the vote to leave the EU as financial institutions based in the UK would no longer be able to access European markets the way they used to before.
"I hope that Paris, today a challenger, will be able to take advantage of this opportunity," Oudea said in an opinion piece published on his LinkedIn account.
"We are awaiting a clear message on banking and tax regulations".
Meanwhile Gerard Mestrallet, the head of the Paris Europlace lobby group, lost little time making the case for tax incentives to Finance Minister Michel Sapin, securing a meeting with him on Tuesday.
Mestrallet told Les Echos business newspaper that taxes for foreigners in France and French expatriates returning home should be made easier as should a special income tax on financial sector workers imposed because the sector does not pay value added tax.
Sapin had said on Friday that the "red carpet" had been rolled out for London banks and hinted that the tax terms for expats could be made more attractive.
But he also warned that the odd "tax measure here or there" would not change much Paris's attractiveness as a financial centre. [nL8N19G6I1]
The head of the wider Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, cranked up the French capital's marketing campaign on Tuesday, saying more action was needed to make Paris visible to businesses.
The former conservative government minister said that regional authorities were prepared to open bilingual schools and that Paris had more offices available than other cities.
"The European capitals have already started their campaigns in London: Luxembourg, Dublin, Frankfurt, Bruxelles, we cannot stand still," Pecresse said in a interview to RTL radio station.
(Reporting by Maya Nikolaeva; Editing by Leigh Thomas, Greg Mahlich)
The latest "People of Pittsburgh" segment Missy Moreno talks with is popular Pittsburgh blogger Ya Jagoff! John Chamberlin! His blog and podcast on the Pittsburgh Podcast Network has gained many fans of all things Pittsburgh and recently garnered John as "Best of the 'Burgh: Readers' Poll 2016" Best Blogger with Pittsburgh magazine! || See more 4 the 412 videos at Facebook.com/4the412
MASON CITY | A Mason City man accused of attacking a woman during an argument Monday night faces criminal charges.
Austin Willier, 23, was charged with felony willful injury and misdemeanor aggravated domestic assault.
Officers were called about 10:25 p.m. to Willier's residence on 26th Street Southwest, said Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley.
Investigators believe Willier pushed an adult female resident of the home down the stairs during an argument, he said.
The woman was taken to Mercy Medical Center--North Iowa with what Brinkley said were potentially serious injuries.
Her condition wasn't available on Tuesday morning.
Willier hadn't appeared in court as of Tuesday morning.
Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story.
CmDz6dKWYAAhFDO
Donald Trump just delivered a major economic policy speech at a factory in Pennsylvania.
But while the location was intended to convey the real-estate mogul's seriousness about revitalizing American manufacturing industries, observers were at first a bit distracted by the backdrop that was directly behind Trump.
Indeed, for over a half an hour, Trump spoke at length about his protectionist trade policies while perched in front of several compacted blocks of recycling, which took up much of the screen on the major cable networks that carried the speech.
Observers on Twitter were quick to point out the bizarre staging:
Nothing says declare independence from the elites like that backdrop https://t.co/UP9P2YZ1hV Domenico Montanaro (@DomenicoNPR) June 28, 2016
Just turned on the TV: Is Trump giving this speech inside a giant trash compactor? pic.twitter.com/FFEn5KtH0t Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) June 28, 2016
Is this backdrop advance success or failure? pic.twitter.com/nJpAxMlN45 Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) June 28, 2016
That staging is complete rubbish Dan Eggen (@DanEggenWPost) June 28, 2016
EXCLUSIVE: Footage of Trumps advance team setting up the backdrop for todays speech. pic.twitter.com/E6A5FpMwsT Aaron Earls (@WardrobeDoor) June 28, 2016
Staffer 1: So just whatever you do, don't put him in front of a giant pile of garbage.
Staffer 2: Got it. pic.twitter.com/1zjzNEnLoy Rob Flaherty (@Rob_Flaherty) June 28, 2016
Well what message do we want the setting to communicate to voters?
"Garbage"
*snaps* I know just the thing pic.twitter.com/7E8CNYgpO1 Will Ritter (@MrWillRitter) June 28, 2016
Some observers saw some parallels to Trump's plan to build a wall along the Southern US border:
Story continues
he really oversold that wall pic.twitter.com/NFUfxtuZsQ Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) June 28, 2016
NOW WATCH: Trump praised Scotland for voting to leave the EU it didn't
More From Business Insider
SHANGHAI, June 28 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc will invest $350 million to build a biotech centre in China, the latest in a series of moves by pharma industry giants to set up shop in the world's no. 2 drugs market with the aim of securing faster approvals for their products.
The facility in eastern Hangzhou region - Pfizer's first biotech centre in Asia - is expected to be completed by 2018, the firm said in a statement on Tuesday.
Global "Big Pharma" is increasingly looking for smart ways to tap China's healthcare market, estimated by consultancy IMS Health to be worth around $185 billion by 2018. From investing in China facilities to acquisitions, licensing deals and joint ventures, the aim is to seek an edge in dealings with domestic regulators and government.
John Young, group president for Pfizer's essential health division, said in the statement that the Hangzhou facility should "help support China's aim to increase the complexity and value of its manufacturing sector by 2025".
Pfizer said it would "work closely" with local regulators to bring the drugs "to market as soon as possible". The centre will mostly on biologic drugs - made from living micro-organisms rather than chemically synthesised - and lower-cost 'biosimilars', of generic versions of biologics.
Pharmaceutical executives have long complained about the slow process of getting drugs to market in China, while others have run up against regulatory roadblocks. Pfizer had to close its vaccine business in the country last year after a licence for its top-selling vaccine Prevenar was not renewed.
China's overall healthcare spending is set to hit $1.3 trillion by 2020, but drug market growth has slowed to a low single-digit percentage pace from over 20 percent just four years ago as branded generics have lost their shine and Beijing has looked to drive down prices to keep a lid on costs.
(Reporting by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Pfizer Inc. PFE is boosting its presence in China by setting up a state-of-the-art Global Biotechnology Center in the Hangzhou Economic Development Area (HEDA). The company will be investing about $350 million in the facility which will be Pfizers third biotechnology center globally and the first in Asia.
Pfizer intends to manufacture high-quality, affordable biosimilar medicines at the Center to cater to patients in China as well as across the world. The Center is scheduled to be completed in 2018. China remains an attractive investment area for several companies given the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases and an aging population.
We remind investors that Pfizers biosimilar portfolio was significantly enhanced with the acquisition of Hospira last year. Earlier this year, the companys biosimilar version of Remicade gained FDA approval while key programs include biosimilar versions of Herceptin, Rituxan, Avastin, and Humira.
The biosimilars market represents huge commercial potential. On its first quarter call, Pfizer had mentioned that approximately $100 billion of currently patented branded biologics are expected to lose patent protection in the next 5 - 10 years. Moreover, the company said that the global market for biosimilars is expected to grow from around $1 billion annually in 2013 to $17 billion - $20 billion in 2020.
Pfizer is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock. Other well-ranked large cap pharma stocks include Bristol-Myers Squibb Company BMY, Johnson & Johnson JNJ and Bayer AG BAYRY.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
BRISTOL-MYERS (BMY): Free Stock Analysis Report
PFIZER INC (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report
JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report
BAYER A G -ADR (BAYRY): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte takes office this week looking to end the domination of "Imperial Manila" with a radical shift to federalism that he says is vital to fighting poverty and ending a deadly Muslim separatist insurgency.
Duterte, who won last month's elections in a landslide, has vowed to have the constitution rewritten to achieve his bold plans -- which would see power devolved from the central government in the capital to newly created states governing the current 81 provinces.
"It (the current system) is an excuse for them to hang onto power in Imperial Manila. They have always been there in one single office, running the Philippines," Duterte said in a speech during the election campaign.
Such comments are typical fare for Duterte, an anti-establishment figure who relentlessly rails against the elites who have mostly ruled the Philippines since independence from the United States after World War II.
Duterte will on Thursday take over from Benigno Aquino, who remains a generally popular figure but nevertheless comes from one of the remarkably small number of wealthy clans that have long dominated national politics and overseen one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.
Duterte will become the first president from the vast southern region of Mindanao, which is one of the nation's poorest areas and home to decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Highlighting his antipathy for Manila rule, Duterte snubbed his proclamation by Congress as the winner of the elections -- an event normally rich in tradition and ceremony.
Duterte has also travelled to the capital just once since winning the election, and vowed to spend the bulk of his six years as president based in Davao, which has less than two percent of the nation's population and is 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from Manila.
- Peace, poverty hopes -
Under Duterte's federal set-up, the states will be largely autonomous and allowed to retain most of their income, rather than remitting it to the central government, which he believes will be a key driver of economic growth in the impoverished countryside.
Story continues
He has said the central government would retain essential national functions, such as defence, foreign policy and customs.
Duterte has repeatedly said one of the main benefits of federalism would be to end separatist rebellions waged by the country's impoverished Muslim minority because they would in effect have autonomy in the new states.
"Nothing short of a federal structure will give Mindanao peace," Duterte said on the campaign trail, and broadly supportive comments from Muslim rebel leaders in recent weeks have indicated they are receptive to the plans.
Amending the constitution is a highly sensitive subject in the Philippines.
Lawmakers have not touched it since it was rewritten in 1987 following the "People Power" revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos the previous year.
The constitution was redrawn to put in place safeguards to avoid another dictatorship, including limiting presidents to a single term of six years.
Tentative attempts by previous presidents to revise the constitution failed amid strong opposition from groups that feared the leaders were merely seeking to extend their reigns.
- Riding high -
However Duterte, flush with his election success that has seen political opponents swiftly shift allegiances to him, is confident of enjoying big majorities in both houses of congress, as well as broad popular support, to propel his push.
With Duterte due to turn 77 at the end of his presidential term, many voters do not see him as someone who will want to extend his rule.
Seeking to capitalise on his early-term popularity, Duterte is aiming to lay the framework for a referendum to change the constitution in the first half of his presidency, according to his allies.
Still, what would be the biggest shake-up to Philippines' democracy since 1987 is by no means assured, and political analysts say opposition could build.
Critics have accused Duterte of being very vague about his plans, questioned whether federalism is indeed the panacea to the nation's woes, and warned that it could cause more problems than it solved.
In a nation which already has issues with weak governance like the Philippines, federalism might result at worst in the break up of the country, according to Temario Rivera, chairman of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance think-tank.
He said federalism could strengthen the hold of political dynasties or clans that already monopolise power in local governments, often through the use of private armies, with a weakened central authority unable to respond.
"Shifting to a federal system will have uncertain and unpredictable results," Rivera told AFP.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Planning is underway for the military campaign to liberate Mosul from Islamic State, Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State said on Tuesday. "Mosul will be a significant military challenge but also a political, diplomatic and humanitarian challenge. The planning is now underway," McGurk told a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. (Reporting by Yara Bayoumy and Patricia Zengerle; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Leave Brexit supporters
Reports of xenophobic and racist incidents have surfaced across the UK since the country's vote to leave the EU in a referendum on June 23.
Police have seen a 57% increase in reports to True Vision, the UK's online hate-crime reporting website.
Numerous other organizations, however, receive and record hate crime reports in the UK.
The trend follows other international and national events and usually returns to normal "relatively quickly," according to the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for hate crime, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton.
"It's no coincidence this has come off the back of the EU vote," a police source told The Guardian. Police decried a recent incident on a Manchester tram as a "disgusting display of abuse, which quite frankly has no place in society."
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Service, the governing body of forces in Greater London, has seen no increase in reported hate crimes, but the organization "remain[s] highly aware that certain events can spur intolerance, hate, or extremism," Commander Mak Chishty, who leads community engagement for MPS, said in a statement provided to Business Insider.
Regardless of difficulty pinpointing the increased frequency, one woman started a Facebook album called "Worrying Signs" to document discriminatory tweets, stories, and images since the referendum. People also began using the hashtag #PostRefRacism on Twitter to highlight similar occurrences, Al Jazeera noted.
The Muslim Council of Britain also documented numerous reports of Muslims being told to "go home" and similar exclusionary taunts more than 100, according to the BBC.
"Now we are witnessing the shocking extent of this with reports around the country of hate speech and minorities being targeted," said Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the organization.
Aside from Islamophobia linked to resettling refugees from the Syrian civil war, Polish immigrants have faced much of the negative sentiments. Approximately 800,000 Poles live in the UK, making the group one of the top three minorities in the region, according to Al Jazeera.
Story continues
In Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, a town in southeastern England, cards that read "Leave the EU, no more Polish vermin," in both Polish and English, were distributed to people's mailboxes. Police have urged anyone with information to come forward, The Independent reported.
these cards have actually been put through letter boxes of Polish families in Huntingdon today. I could weep pic.twitter.com/P3maK1Vasf fencelt (@howgilb) June 25, 2016
The Polish Embassy in London issued a statement of shock on Monday and asked people to report incidents.
Polish Embassy statement following recent incidents of xenophobic abuse directed against #PolesinUK. pic.twitter.com/ndYVgk4yWj Polish Embassy UK (@PolishEmbassyUK) June 27, 2016
'A disgusting display of abuse'
Much of the situation seems to stem from the wrong belief that leaving the EU would force immigrants to leave the UK.
In the video below, for example, posted by Channel 4 News, an apparently inebriated man on a Manchester tram repeatedly told another man to "get deported." Police called the incident a "disgusting display of abuse, which quite frankly has no place in society."
A screenshot of a tweet posted in the "Worrying Signs" Facebook album shows a man wearing a T-shirt that reads "Yes! We won! Now send them back."
Picture from Romford today. (Photo with permission from the must-follow @diamondgeezer) pic.twitter.com/tsB56jAuww Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) June 25, 2016
Immigrants from within the EU already in the UK would likely be allowed to remain, but if the government doesn't keep the EU's freedom of movement law, incoming immigrants could be affected.
Recently elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim to hold the position, declared "zero tolerance" on Monday for crimes against minorities and immigrants, and he asked police to remain vigilant.
Soon-to-resign UK Prime Minister David Cameron also condemned the behavior, calling graffiti on a Polish community center "despicable." Someone had painted the word "out" in large, yellow letters, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The 'breaking point'
Anti-immigrant and nationalist sentiments have simmered underneath economic motivations for the Brexit since long before the referendum.
As neoconservative thinker and senior editor for The Atlantic David Frum wrote:
"The force that turned Britain away from the European Union was the greatest mass migration since perhaps the Anglo-Saxon invasion. 630,000 foreign nationals settled in Britain in the single year 2015. Britain's population has grown from 57 million in 1990 to 65 million in 2015, despite a native birth rate that's now below replacement. On Britain's present course, the population would top 70 million within another decade, half of that growth immigration-driven."
Several days before the vote, Brexit leader Nigel Farage unveiled a billboard showing a long queue of refugees and the words "breaking point" in red capital letters, with "the EU has failed us all" underneath. Many described the advertisement as racist propaganda.
Leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage poses during a media launch for an EU referendum poster in London, Britain June 16, 2016.
The UK, however, has experienced an influx of refugee applications well below the EU average, according to Eurostat, especially when compared with Germany, whose chancellor, Angela Merkel, has adopted an open-door policy.
Conservative Tory member and Brexit campaigner Dan Hannan clashed with CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday when she asked if he was concerned about "post-Brexit hate crimes."
Hannan responded:
"Oh, come on. That's our fault? That is an outrageous question ... In every society you have some racist idiots. But for you to suggest without any connections that this is somehow connected, that there were no racists in Britain before."
More From Business Insider
LONDON (Reuters) - Police cordoned off roads around the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London on Tuesday in a security alert caused by an abandoned vehicle, Sky News television reported. A spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said officers were examining a suspicious vehicle. "It looks like a false alarm, but we're still assessing it at the moment," he said. (Reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
GRAFTON | Rumble strips and flashing stop signs will be installed at a rural Grafton intersection where two people were killed Friday.
The Worth County Board of Supervisors on Monday ordered the safety improvements at Thrush Avenue and 390th Street. County Engineer Richard Brumm also was directed to install rumble strips at a number of other intersections in the county.
Work is expected to begin in July.
Some county residents say the measures at Thrush and 390th dont go far enough to protect drivers at the intersection, which has been the site of a number of crashes in recent years.
On Friday, Lahoma Counts, 86, of Mason City, and Evelyn Mallo, 85, of Clear Lake, died when their car collided with another vehicle about 10:45 a.m.
The women's northbound car ran a stop sign on Thrush, hit an eastbound car and then burst into flames, state troopers reported.
Two killed in Worth County crash GRAFTON Two people were killed Friday in a two-vehicle crash at 390th and Thrush Avenue in
The driver of the eastbound car, Sam Bergan, 18, of Hanlontown, was taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.
His father, Larry Bergan, said Monday morning the teen has been released from the hospital and is recovering from injuries that include a fractured L1 vertebrae in his lower back, abrasion on his lung and fluid in his abdomen.
If you made that intersection a four-way stop, in my opinion you cut the chances of an accident by 50 percent just because you make it a four-way stop, Larry Bergan said. And I guarantee you that if that wouldve been a four-way stop that accident would not have happened on Friday.
Some at Mondays board meeting also criticized the supervisors for not acting fast enough to install the safety upgrades.
Supervisors Dave Haugen, Merlin Bartz and Ken Abrams had discussed installing rumble strips at the intersection prior to the crash. They had directed Brumm to first research what other intersections in the county needed the strips so the work could be ordered all at once in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
Signs warning motorists that cross traffic does not stop ordered before Fridays crash arrived the day of or the day after the fatal accident, the supervisors said.
Supervisor Merlin Bartz disputed criticism on social media, as well as at Mondays meeting, that the county hadnt acted fast enough to make changes at the intersection.
There was some social media comments and there was some inferences that the county will take no action and that the county wasnt taking any action and that somehow this is the countys fault, I dont buy that argument, he said.
Additionally, some at Mondays meeting questioned why Kensett and Manly firefighters were called to the crash and Graftons department, which was the closest agency at less than three miles away, was not also dispatched.
The intersection of 390th Street and Thrush Avenue is at the boundary of three fire districts: the northeast and southeast corners are in Graftons district, the northwest corner is in Kensetts district and the southwest corner is in Manlys jurisdiction.
Tammy Schuttler, of the Grafton Fire Department, said the agency also wasnt dispatched to another crash at the intersection on May 12. She and other members responded without being dispatched after hearing about that crash on their emergency radios, she said.
Im not fighting who should go to what, said Schuttler, whose daughter was hit by a driver who ran a stop sign at the same intersection in 2013. Call both of us out.
Two women injured in Worth County accident GRAFTON | Two North Iowa women were injured Monday in an accident west of Grafton in Worth County.
Worth County Sheriff Jay Langenbau, who oversees the county dispatch center, said the countys computer-aided dispatch program indicated Kensett firefighters should be called first and that Manly should be sent out as the secondary agency.
He expected the situation to be discussed at the next monthly emergency management meeting, which has representation from rescue personnel and law enforcement agencies.
Authorities on Tuesday released the chilling 911 calls two Texas sisters placed moments before their mother shot them dead.
Taylor Sheats, 22, her 17-year-old sister Madison Sheats, and their father can be heard screaming, crying and begging for their lives in two of the emergency calls obtained by TIME. Please dont point the gun at us, a male voice says. Please put down your gun. Please dont shoot. Dont do it. Please, I beg you.
Im so sorry. I promise you whatever you want, I will he continues before suddenly being cut off.
The Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office said two of the several calls they received came from shooter Christy Sheats two daughters. The first came from Madison Sheats.
Police said Christy Sheats, 42, convened a family meeting inside her Katy home Friday evening before opening fire on her two daughters. Christy Sheats husband Jason Sheats was also present in the living room but was not injured.
Traditional Japanese artwork will be celebrated at the annual Summer Festival of Arita/Imari Porcelains, on in Tokyo from July 1 to August 7.
Arita/Imari Porcelain
Made in the town of Arita (northwestern Kyushu) since the 17th century, the pottery was exported principally from the port of Imari, Saga, hence the two names. Early Arita ware can be recognized for its blue and white color scheme, with a pattern drawn on a white background. But, later in the movement, the original Arita style was replaced by Kakiemon, a brighter and more colorful version.
The Summer Festival of Arita/Imari Porcelains
For its 36th year the exhibition will once again be held in the lobby of the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo, entitled "Modern Art, Reflections of the Future." A giant "Porcelain Tree" sculpture measuring 9.5 meters long and 3 meters wide will be installed in the main lobby, alongside work by three renowned Arita artists, two of whom have been given the title of National Living Treasure: Inoue Manji, Imaizumi Imaemon and Sakaida Kakiemon (from who stemmed the style variant). Inoue Manji works with his son Yasunori on the art of white pottery, while Imaizumi Imaemon is known for his work with indigo, charcoal, sozo, and snow flower patterns, fired in 17th-century kilns.
Dine at the Keio Plaza Hotel
The hotel, located in Shinjuku, Tokyo's center, is considered one of the capital's most luxurious. As part of the festival, ten of the restaurants at the Keio Plaza Hotel are offering guests a selection of special menus, served in Arita/Imari-style pottery, which will also be available for sale. Menus include a Japanese Lunch Set (4,200 yen), a Tempura Course (18,000 yen) and even a French & Italian Lunch (4,500 yen). For more information, see the website at www.keioplaza.com.
Triggered by economic uncertainties and stock market mayhem post Brexit, the U.K. government has halted plans to sale stakes in Lloyds Banking Group plc LYG and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc RBS.
The governments plan to sell $15.65 billion of loans issued by Bradford & Bingley which was also nationalized during the financial crisis, will be held back as well, according to government advisers.
The Treasury which currently has 73% stake in RBS and 9% in Lloyds, lost nearly 8 billion as shares of these U.K.-bailed banks slumped following the EU referendum. Notably, over the last two trading days, RBSs shares plummeted 30%, closing at 174.30 pence on Monday, while Lloyds plunged 29% closing at 51.15 pence.
A recent release by The Financial Times quoted Mark Garnier, a Conservative MP and a member of Treasury committee, saying, All the work to repair share prices has been undone in one day. Any major share sale is a non-starter with this uncertainty. Plus we have political uncertainty with the leadership changes.
In a bid to return Lloyds to full privatization, British Finance Minister George Osborne had planned to sell about 2 billion of Lloyds shares this year if the Britons had voted to remain in the European Union.
The British government also initiated the nations biggest privatization with the sale of 5.4% stake in RBS last August. The Treasury sold the stake at 330 pence per share, much below the purchase price of 502 pence it had paid while bailing out the bank during the 2008 financial crisis. This move translated to a loss of around 1.1 billion which Osborne defended on grounds of improvement in the broader economy.
Notably, since 2010, the government has recovered over 75 billion of taxpayers money through disposal of the assets it had rescued during 2008-09 crisis. However on the heels of economic and political worries sparked by Brexit, the delay in governments privatization plans indeed gives a huge blow to taxpayers and investors.
Both Lloyds and RBS carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of better-ranked stocks in the foreign banks include Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CM and Bank of Montreal BMO each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
ROYAL BK SC-ADR (RBS): Free Stock Analysis Report
BANK MONTREAL (BMO): Free Stock Analysis Report
LLOYDS BANK GRP (LYG): Free Stock Analysis Report
CDN IMPL BK (CM): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
June 28 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
- Volkswagen AG has agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion to settle claims stemming from its diesel emissions cheating scandal, in what would be one of the largest consumer class-action settlements ever in the United States. http://nyti.ms/296mj3O
- The world' s largest uncut diamond, a 1,109-carat white diamond discovered last fall in the Lucara mine in Botswana will be up for bid Wednesday evening in a public auction at Sotheby's in London. http://nyti.ms/28ZzQWS
- An airbag made by the auto supplier Takata Corp has been linked to a crash that killed a woman in Malaysia over the weekend, the vehicle's manufacturer said on Monday. http://nyti.ms/28ZUwzd
- AstraZeneca Plc is trying to get its popular anti-cholesterol pill Crestor approved to treat children, who have a rare disease, characterized by high cholesterol. Critics say AstraZeneca is trying to abuse the law, since the overwhelming use of Crestor is for treating adults with high cholesterol, not children with the rare disease. http://nyti.ms/28X5Nij
- The Supreme Court declined to review a 2015 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, limiting debt collectors to state usury laws. http://nyti.ms/28UybUY (Compiled by Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru)
By Barbara Lewis BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Energy ministers from the Group of 20 major economies meeting in Beijing this week came under a three-pronged attack on Tuesday over their failure to agree a deadline for the phasing out of subsidies on fossil fuels. Officials from the United Nations and European Union, plus 200 non-governmental organizations, urged the G20 to end years of fruitless talks and follow the lead of the Group of Seven industrialized nations by setting a date for the end of subsidies on coal, gas and oil. EU officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were pressing for 2025 -- the year already agreed by the G7 -- at Wednesday and Thursday's energy talks, which will be attended by European Energy and Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete. An open letter from 200 non-governmental organizations called for a 2020 cut-off date. United Nations talks last year in Paris reached a global agreement on curbing climate change and said that temperature rises need to be kept below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) versus pre-industrial levels. "Post Paris, the question has become why wouldn't you put a timeline on it?" Rachel Kyte, chief executive of U.N. body Sustainable Energy for All, said of the subsidies proposal. Kyte, who previously worked for the World Bank as group vice president and special envoy for climate change, told Reuters that 2025 appeared to be acceptable to most but that subsidies should be phased out as soon as possible. "With low oil prices, it is the time to do it -- and the countries who are doing it now are reaping the rewards," she said. Although cheaper fossil fuels make it easier for governments to remove subsidies, political complications abound. Japan, for instance, resisted efforts by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to phase out coal export credits, or preferential financing for companies that export coal technology, such as Toshiba, EU sources said. The G7 nation is burning record amounts of coal for electricity generation and plans to use even more of the dirtiest fossil fuel to fill the gap after the Fukushima disaster paralyzed its nuclear sector. The 200 non-governmental organizations called for the G20 to set "a clear timeline for the full and equitable phase-out by all G20 members of all fossil fuel subsidies by 2020, starting with the elimination of all subsidies for fossil fuel exploration and coal production". (Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by David Goodman)
DES MOINES Republican state leaders said they do not think Iowans or state lawmakers will be affected by Mondays U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Texas law that restricted the number of health care facilities that could provide abortions.
With a 5-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday negated a Texas law that required physicians who performed abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and required clinics to meet hospital-like standards.
No such restrictions exist in Iowa, although Republican state lawmakers have introduced similar legislation in recent years.
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, both Republicans, said Monday they do not think the Supreme Court ruling will have a significant effect on Iowa or their work at the Capitol.
Branstad did say, however, that he is disappointed by the ruling.
Im disappointed that the Supreme Court made that decision. I think that the states should have the right to determine those matters, Branstad said. But this was a law that was unique to the state of Texas. But we believe the states ought to have the right to protect the safety and well-being of their citizens with regard to abortions.
The U.S. Supreme Courts ruling said arguments in support of the Texas law did not provide sufficient evidence that the law was medically necessary.
Iowa Republicans have introduced bills similar to the now-struck Texas law, but those proposals did not pass Iowas split-party-control Legislature.
Upmeyer said House Republicans this year focused on trying to expand access to health care for women. Their proposal in 2016, which also did not pass, was to cut state funding to clinics that perform abortions, including Planned Parenthood, and send that money instead to womens health clinics that do not perform abortions.
Texas and their legislators, Im sure, listened to Texans and decided on a law they thought was good for Texas, Upmeyer said. At the core of it, I think states are going to respond to things the public would like to look at.
Branstad said he found the U.S. Supreme Court ruling similarly disappointing to a 2015 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that struck down the states ban on telemedicine abortions.
I was very disappointed when our Iowa Supreme Court sided with the Planned Parenthood against our Board of Medicine on telemed abortions. And were one of the few states that has permitted telemed abortions. I think that was a bad decision, Branstad said. I guess well have to analyze and review what impact (Mondays U.S. Supreme Court ruling) might have.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland president and CEO Suzanna de Baca praised the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, calling Monday a great day.
The Supreme Court made it clear that politicians cannot pass laws to block access to safe, legal abortion, de Baca said.
Prince Harry said the only thing he wants in life is to make his mother proud, and we have a feeling this would do just that.
The 31-year-old royal has vowed to carry on Princess Diana's legacy as an advocate for HIV and AIDS awareness, a cause his late mother devoted herself to during her life and one that Harry now hopes to "shine a spotlight on."
"Building on his decade of experience in supporting young people with HIV in Lesotho [in South Africa] through his charity Sentebale," a royal spokesperson said in a statement, "The Prince is now determined to help his generation understand that the battle against the disease has not yet been won and still needs fighting."
WATCH: Harry Remembers Mom Princess Diana, Say He's 'Sure She's Longing' for Him to Start a Family
Getty Images
Harry founded Sentebale in 2006 along with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, meant to aid children in the country suffering from extreme poverty as well as the disease.
"His Royal Highness wants to expand his own knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in the fight against the virus around the world," the statement explained. "This will see him tackling topics including testing, treatment, and prevention as well as anti-stigma efforts that were famously championed by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales."
Harry will kick off his campaign on Tuesday with a concert at Kensington Palace headlined by Coldplay. Next month, he will return to South Africa to speak at the International AIDS Conference.
"Prince Harry believes that greater public awareness of the innovations in both testing and treatment for HIV can help save lives and he wants to do his part," the statement read.
RELATED: Prince Harry Visits the Homeless in First Trip to Nepal, Pays Tribute to Princess Diana -- See the Sweet Pics!
Earlier this year, Harry emotionally opened up about the "gaping hole" left in his life -- and in the world -- when Diana tragically died.
Story continues
"If I can try and fill a very small part of that, then job done. I will have to, in a good way, spend the rest of my life trying to fill that void as much as possible. And so will William," he said.
"All I want to do is make my mother incredibly proud," he added. "That's all I've ever wanted to do...I know I've got a lot of my mother in me."
Hear more of his comments about his mother's legacy in the video below.
Related Articles
Veteran casting director Marci Liroff, who is currently spearheading a Casting Society of America committee to probe widespread pay-to-play audition practices, has harshly criticized the industry's practices, according to a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter and recently circulated among the embattled casting workshop owners she was apprising. Liroff's long list of film credits runs from E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Footloose to Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.
The CSA committee was established in April, weeks after THR published an investigation into the proliferating pay-to-play scene. Since then, its most prominent practitioner, Criminal Minds casting director Scott David, has parted ways with the show and shuttered his workshop business, The Actors Link. Meanwhile, a petition urging L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer to take action on the issue is closing in on 15,000 signatures.
The memo indicates that Liroff's comments were made over the phone on June 9 to Ajarae Coleman, the founder and operator of The Workshop Guru, a listings service for workshop classes. Coleman then transcribed and paraphrased the remarks as annotations and observations about the CSA's detailed official workshop guidelines, which were issued in May 2010.
"She took me through the Guidelines one by one, highlighting offenses that she believes are happening regularly," Coleman wrote in an introduction to the memo, which was distributed during a meeting with fewer than 10 owners and managers of workshops that took place the following day, at Connect Studios in Burbank. (Representatives from Connect, GoGo Acting, The Workshop Spot, Actors Advantage, Next Level Studios and Act Now were among those in attendance. The prominent Actor's Key, of particular focus for Liroff, was not.)
In an interview, Coleman acknowledged the authenticity of the memo but would not speak further to the meetings except to say, "It's a work in progress." Liroff, CSA president Richard Hicks and the owners of Connect Studios declined THR's requests for comment. The CSA will be holding a town hall meeting for members on July 14, which will focus on the workshop issue.
Story continues
Liroff's remarks, as rendered by Coleman, were tersely dismissive about the educational value of the workshops often bandied about by the owners and participating casting directors, along with their associates and assistants. She expressed disbelief that a one-on-one reading structure was anything more than a pseudo-audition (deriding it as "more like a speed-dating scenario than a class"). And she ridiculed the educational value of the perfunctory explanatory sessions that begin each session: "A Q&A and 'this is how my office works' is not a lesson plan. It needs to be prepared in advance and given to the workshops."
Liroff went on to observe that casting associates and assistants not only must attain permission from their bosses each time they "teach," but the workshops must be responsible for having a vetting process in place to "make sure this is taken care of."
Yet perhaps her biggest concern is related to the workshops' advertising practices, which Coleman documented her describing as "so egregiously outside the rules." Associates and assistants without proper experience are allowed to "teach" classes. ("Are they really a casting director or do they answer phones?" Liroff asked aloud)
The June 10 meeting at Connect Studios among workshop owners turned in short order into a venting session, according to one attendee. While they are upset, in the near-term, that there has been a dip in monthly client business - "Actors are calling and saying they aren't going to do workshops, but [the owners] know that actors are showing up by the hundreds in L.A. every day" - they are far more concerned about the difficulty they are having booking notable casting directors since THR's investigation.
"CDs [industry shorthand for casting directors] are canceling left and right," this attendee says. "Apparently a couple of the networks have even outright said 'you are not allowed to do these workshops.'"
As for Liroff's assessment, the attendee observes, "[workshops] have no intention of changing how they are running things and what they are doing - they believe in what they are doing." According to that individual, a preliminary plan was instead put forward on June 10 to look into forming a self-governing trade association, which could nominally enforce guidelines but primarily act as a buffer for the increasingly wary entities that interact with them, including the studios, networks, production companies and, most especially, the CSA. Says the attendee: "They think that by creating such an organization they could present as policing themselves."
UPDATED June 29, 11:45 a.m. to reflect that it was the CSA's official workshop guidelines that were issued in May 2010.
Read more: New Hollywood Economy: Pay-for-Play Auditions for Actors Gain Dominance
By Simon Jessop
LONDON (Reuters) - British asset manager M&G Investments, the fund arm of insurer Prudential (PRU.L), is looking at expanding its operations in Dublin in the wake of a British vote to leave the European Union.
Under current rules, asset managers need an EU base to sell investment funds to continental retail investors, although the rules under which UK-based managers will access European clients after the vote have yet to be clarified.
While most of its rivals already have substantial retail operations in Dublin and Luxembourg, M&G runs a small number of funds aimed at institutional investors out of Dublin and also has a so-called 'feeder' fund, which helps collect money for retail-focused funds managed in Britain.
Around 10 percent of its 246 billion pounds ($327.30 billion) in assets is currently sold from Britain to non-UK customers, which comprises sales to continental European clients as well as those based in Asia.
The company said work was well-advanced in putting in place legal structures in Ireland and Luxembourg which would give it operational options, but that no funds or personnel were in the process of relocating.
"We've been doing a lot of planning for this ... for the last year or so, we've been working on an extension of our Ireland-domiciled funds, so our operational preparations are quite well advanced," a company spokeswoman said.
Dublin is currently the firm's preferred option although it had others and so no decision had been taken, she added, saying any final decision would depend on the outcome of talks between Britain and the EU over the terms of Brexit.
The firm would also step up its work with policy makers in London and Brussels in an effort to minimize the disruption to its customers, she said.
(Editing by Sinead Cruise and Alexandra Hudson)
Publicist Kasey Kitchen has joined East 2 West Collective. Kitchen moves to East 2 West from Pinnacle PR, bringing client Jaimie Alexander (Blindspot), and will be based in the Los Angeles office.
Im thrilled to join East 2 West Collective, said Kitchen. With offices in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, plus a thriving social media/digital division, their wide reach and strategic thinking will provide tremendous support for my clients as they navigate this rapidly changing business.
East 2 West Collective recently rebranded from Elizabeth Much and Sharon Houses Much and House PR.
Related stories
Much & House Public Relations Rebrands As East 2 West Collective
Disney Holds Dividend At 71 Cents A Share
'Tallulah' Trailer: Kidnapping, Coming Of Age And Accidental Parenthood
(ORLANDO, Fla.) One of the exits at the Pulse nightclub was inoperable weeks before the massacre of 49 patrons by a gunman on June 12, but the gay nightclub had twice the number of exits needed to accommodate its maximum occupancy of 300 patrons, according to emails and texts released Tuesday by the Orlando Fire Department.
The last fire inspection at Pulse was conducted in late May when the inoperable door was discovered. A follow-up visit was planned but hadnt yet been assigned so it wasnt known if the problem was fixed, according to an email exchange between Orlando Fire Marshall Tammy Hughes and Fire Chief Roderick Williams.
Hughes said that was within a normal follow-up schedule.
NO concerns about our practice at this time, Hughes wrote in the June 12 email.
In a separate text message, Hughes said the clubs six exits were enough to handle double the allowable occupancy.
The emails and texts were released on the same day of the first of two court hearings over whether 911 calls from the Pulse massacre can be made public.
Nearly two dozen news media organizations including The Associated Press, CNN and The New York Times contend city officials are wrongly withholding recordings of 911 calls and communications between gunman Omar Mateen and the Orlando Police Department. Mateen was killed by police after a standoff in the shooting at the Pulse nightclub that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.
City officials claim the recordings are exempt under Florida law.
putin
In December 2011, Vladimir Putin, then Russia's prime minister, was positioned to reclaim his role as Russia's president in the March 2012 elections.
Fittingly, he hosted a lavish banquet at New Century, Moscow's richest equestrian club, for members of the Valdai Club and distinguished academics and journalists from around the world.
"The fare was extravagant: smoked trout, duck liver, venison soup, rhubarb sorbet, veal cheeks, and pear soup with caramel," according to Douglas E. Schoen and Melik Kaylan, authors of the book "The Russia-China Axis."
Putin addressed his guests on topics ranging from the "Russian government's loss of public trust to his own indispensable leadership."
He later directed his focus on the US and addressed the Americans in attendance.
"You ask me whether we are going to change," he said. "The ball is in your court. Will you change?"
He went on to express his disapproval of US plans to build a missile-defense system that he believed would pose a deliberate threat to Russia's national security.
Putin then added that the only reason the US had any interest in relations with Moscow was that Russia was the only country that could "destroy America in half an hour or less."
Schoen and Kaylan conclude: "It would be difficult to find a statement more revealing about Putin's true position regarding the United States."
NOW WATCH: How a struggling Soviet spy became the most powerful man in Russia
More From Business Insider
Quantum mechanics suggest that seemingly empty space is actually filled with ghostly particles that are fluctuating in and out of existence. And now, scientists have for the first time made an advanced machine known as a quantum computer simulate these so-called virtual particles.
This research could help shed light on currently hidden aspects of the universe, from the hearts of neutron stars to the very first moments of the universe after the Big Bang, researchers said.
Quantum mechanics suggests that the universe is a fuzzy, surreal place at its smallest levels. For instance, atoms and other particles can exist in states of flux known as superpositions, where they can seemingly each spin in opposite directions simultaneously, and they can also get entangled meaning they can influence each other instantaneously no matter how far apart they are separated. Quantum mechanics also suggests that pairs of virtual particles, each consisting of a particle and its antiparticle, can wink in and out of seemingly empty vacuum and influence their surroundings. [ Beyond Higgs: 5 Elusive Particles That May Lurk in the Universe ]
Quantum mechanics underlies the standard model of particle physics, which is currently the best explanation for how all the known elementary particles, such as electrons and protons, behave. However, there are still many open questions regarding the standard model of particle physics, such as whether or not it can help explain cosmic mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy both of which have not been directly detected by astronomers, but are inferred based on their gravitational effects.
The interactions between elementary particles are often described with what is known as gauge theories. However, the real-time dynamics of particles in gauge theories are extremely difficult for conventional computers to compute, except in the simplest of cases. As a result, scientists have instead turned to experimental devices known as quantum computers.
Story continues
"Our work is a first step towards developing dedicated tools that can help us to gain a better understanding of the fundamental interactions between the elementary constituents in nature," study co-lead author Christine Muschik told Live Science. Muschik is a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Innsbruck, Austria.
Whereas classical computers represent data as ones and zeroes binary digits known as "bits," symbolized by flicking switch-like transistors either on or off quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, that are in superpositions meaning that they are on and off at the same time. This enables a qubit to carry out two calculations simultaneously. In principle, quantum computers could work much faster than regular computers at solving certain problems because the quantum machines can analyze every possible solution at once.
In their new study, scientists built a quantum computer using four electromagnetically trapped calcium ions. They controlled and manipulated these four qubits with laser pulses.
The researchers had their quantum computer simulate the appearance and disappearance of virtual particles in a vacuum, with pairs of qubits representing pairs of virtual particles specifically, electrons and positrons, the positively charged antimatter counterparts of electrons. Laser pulses helped simulate how powerful electromagnetic fields in a vacuum can generate virtual particles, the scientists said.
"This is one of the most complex experiments that has ever been carried out in a trapped-ion quantum computer," study co-author Rainer Blatt, an experimental physicist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Innsbruck, Austria, said in a statement.
This work shows that quantum computers can simulate high-energy physics showing how particles might behave at energy levels that are much too high to be easily generated on Earth. "The field of experimental quantum computing is growing very fast, and many people ask the question, What is a small-scale quantum computer good for?" study co-lead author Esteban Martinez, an experimental physicist at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, told Live Science. "Unlike other applications, you don't need millions of quantum bits to do these simulations tens might be enough to tackle problems that we cannot yet attack using classical approaches." [Big Bang to Civilization: 10 Amazing Origin Events]
The problem the researchers had their quantum simulator analyze was simple enough for classical computers to compute, which showed that the quantum simulator's results matched predictions with great accuracy. This suggests that quantum simulators could be used on more complex gauge-theory problems in the future, and the machines could even see new phenomena.
"Our proof-of-principle experiment represents a first step toward the long-term goal of developing future generations of quantum simulators that will be able to address questions that cannot be answered otherwise," Muschik said.
In principle, desktop quantum simulators could help model the kind of extraordinarily high-energy physics currently studied using expensive atom smashers, such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
"These two approaches complement one another perfectly," study co-author Peter Zoller, a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Innsbruck, said in a statement. "We cannot replace the experiments that are done with particle colliders. However, by developing quantum simulators, we may be able to understand these experiments better one day."
"Moreover, we can study new processes by using quantum simulation for example, in our experiment, we also investigated particle entanglement produced during pair creation, which is not possible in a particle collider," Blatt said in a statement.
Ultimately, quantum simulators may help researchers simulate the dynamics within the dead stars known as neutron stars, or investigate "questions relating to interactions at very high energies and high densities describing early-universe physics," Muschik said.
The scientists detailed their findings in the June 23 issue of the journal Nature.
Original article on Live Science.
Editor's Recommendations
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) Chief Executive Officer Ross McEwan has warned staff that Britain's decision to leave the European Union has caused a range of economic uncertainties "in the short, medium and long term", a memo seen by Reuters showed.
Although he said the result was a surprise for many, McEwan said the state-backed bank has planned extensively for both outcomes to ensure it was well placed to support customers and colleagues.
New Zealand-born McEwan also paid tribute to the RBS staffers in all parts of the lender who managed the immediate market fallout that followed the result on Friday, who he said "did us all proud."
He also noted that the result had rippled beyond markets and into "everyday exchanges between colleagues, friends and family" but called on RBS employees to remember how diversity was a major contributor to the bank's success.
"As someone born outside the UK, I see one of this country's biggest strengths as its openness to the rest of the world, and the people of it. As a major employer and backer of the economy we have a duty to ensure that we reflect that," he said.
"The diversity of those who make up this bank at every level is key to our success. In uncertain times I want to ensure that everyone understands that."
Shares in RBS have fallen by 27.5 percent in the three days since the decision after earnings downgrades and sell off by worried investors.
(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill, editing by Sinead Cruise)
It can be as simple as a patients brief phone call or Skype chat with a clinician about an earache or skin rash. Or as routine as hooking up to a phone and transmitting heart rates, blood pressure and other vital signs to a doctors office a little too distant to visit.
Or it could be something as dramatic as Doctors Without Borders relaying tough medical treatment questions about victims of terrorist violence or rare diseases in the Sudan, Iraq and other war-torn regions to a network of 280 experts around the globe.
Related: No More Sick Days? Telemedicine Brings the Doctor Into Your Workplace
Not all that long ago, the notion of obtaining medical advice and treatment over the phone, email or video seemed exotic and risky. There were too many confusing questions about state regulations, which services would be covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance, and whether patients were actually receiving quality care.
But as Melinda Beck of The Wall Street Journal wrote on Monday, many of those obstacles and concerns have been surmounted, and the era of the virtual doctor is upon us.
Driven by faster internet connections, ubiquitous smartphones and changing insurance standards, more health providers are turning to electronic communications to do their jobs and its upending the delivery of health care, Beck wrote.
As the American Telemedicine Association defines it, telemedicine involves the remote delivery of health care services and clinical information often using the most basic of telecommunications technology including the internet, wireless, satellite feeds and telephone lines.
There are at present roughly 200 telemedicine networks with 3,500 service sites operating throughout the United States. More than 15 million Americans annually receive some type of medical care remotely. One of the most common practices is cardiac monitoring a service currently provided to about one million Americans.
Related: Obamacare Premiums Rising At Least 10 Percent Next Year
Story continues
Among the fastest growing services in telemedicine: consumers hooking up electronically with doctors theyve never met before for quickie, non-emergency consultations for colds, the flu or ear aches.
Those routine on line consultations typically cost about $45. That compares with $100 or more for an in-office visit, $160 for a visit to an urgent-care clinic and $750 or more at a hospital emergency room, according to The Journal.
One wonders how many lives could have been saved if ailing veterans had been able to confer with a doctor by phone or submitted vital health care data on line to the Department of Veterans Affairs Phoenix health care centers.
At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, according to reports that first surfaced in 2014. Many of those unfortunate vets had been placed on a secret waiting list for six months or longer because of inadequate medical staffing.
Related: How Small Ideas Are Helping to Bend the Health Care Cost Curve
The VA has experimented with telemedicine for a number of years, according to the American Telemedicine Association. The Veterans Health Administration delivered over 300,000 remote consultations using telemedicine in 2011, according to the trade association.
Its not clear why that practice wasnt extended to the vets who died waiting to get into the Phoenix center.
Among other vital statistics about this the surge in use of telemedicine:
The number of virtual doctor visits in the U.S. climbed from one million in 2015 to 1.2 million this year.
The share of health care providers that operate telemedicine programs: 72 percent of all hospitals and 52 percent of all physician groups.
The share of larger employers providing telemedicine benefits: 48 percent in 2015 but 74 percent in 2016.
Read more about the mushrooming of telemedicine here.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Denis Dumo JUBA (Reuters) - At least 43 people were killed in fighting between armed groups and government forces around the northwest South Sudanese town of Wau last week, a government official said on Tuesday. Thousands fled the clashes in the world's newest country, still hit by violence almost five years after securing its independence from former civil war foe Sudan, and months after a peace deal with rebels inside its own borders. Government forces had battled fighters loyal to Ali Tamin Fatan, a militia leader trying to control territory further west near the border with Central African Republic, government spokesman Makuei Lueth told reporters. So far up to this morning the report which I got is that there are 39 (civilian) bodies and another four belong to police," Lueth said. Numbers could rise, he added, as there were currently no casualty figures from the army. Lueth said Fatan was trying to carve out an Islamist state but added that his force included members of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army, a nominally Christian group that fought a violent insurgency in neighboring Uganda and has launched attacks across the region. He was not immediately available to give further details. Impoverished South Sudan has been plagued by fighting between a range of armed groups, often along ethnic lines, vying for control over grazing land and oil reserves. Lueth accused Sudan of backing the rebels, a charge often leveled at the Khartoum government which regularly dismisses such allegations and accuses South Sudan of supporting insurgents in its territory. The United Nations said late on Monday that around 12,000 people had sought refuge in a cordoned-off area around its base in Wau. (Additional reporting by Lou Charbonneau in New York; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f129993%2fa2e659b674c042ca944de3d7f5d1de99
Swimming pools across America have long been a hotbed of racismfrom poolside segregation in the 1900s to a brutal police encounter at a McKinney, Texas, teen pool party in 2015.
Unfortunately that racism has the capacity to extend into 2016 in unexpected ways. The Red Cross recently apologized for their production of a pool safety poster after a Twitter user called attention to it's hidden racial biases.
SEE ALSO: Jesse Williams gives a passionate speech about racism at the BET Awards
The poster was originally posted on Twitter by John Sawyer, who called it "super racist" and asked the Red Cross to send a new one to The Salida Pool and Recreation Department in Colorado. It depicts a variety of children enjoying the poolsome of those ways being dangerous and against the rules, therefore labeled "not cool."
What made the controversial and problematic to some is that the poster depicts almost every child doing something "not cool" as black, while the others who are "cool" are not. To break it down in another way, four out of the seven of the black children are depicted as breaking the rules, while only two of the 10 non-black children are seen breaking the rules. The only depictions of "cool" behavior are from white children.
Some people did not understand the implications of the poster, while other Twitter users openly expressed their frustrations.
Red Cross responded to people who tweeted their concerns, stating that they were removing the material for their site and creating new posters.
"We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone," the organization said in a statement.
BERLIN (Reuters) - London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) and Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE) are examining the consequences of the British vote to leave the European Union on their planned merger together with regulators, a spokeswoman for Germany's finance ministry said on Tuesday.
"It is the job of the regulatory authorities to form an opinion here," the spokeswoman told a regular government news conference when asked about the impact of the Brexit vote.
"In addition, the companies themselves will be thinking about the consequences of the result of the referendum," she said, adding that the ministry would await any outcome.
Earlier, the head of German financial market regulator Bafin came out against London as the headquarters for a merged group combining London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse.
(Reporting by Madeline Chambers and Michelle Martin; Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Andrea Shalal)
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / June 27, 2016 / REVOLVER RESOURCES INC. (TSXV: RZ) (the "Company" or "Revolver") is pleased to announce that it has signed an option agreement (the "Agreement") with Ximen Mining Corp. (XIM.V) ("Ximen") under which Revolver may acquire 100% of Ximen's Gold Drop property (the "Property") in Greenwood, British Columbia (the "Transaction").
Under the Agreement, Revolver may earn-in a 100% interest in the Property by making certain staged cash payments and share payments of common shares in the capital of Revolver to Ximen over a four year period equal to a total of $400,000 ($100,000 each year) in cash and such number of common shares equal to $600,000 ($150,000 of common shares each year subject to a minimum of 250,000 shares each year), in addition to 1,000,000 common shares of Revolver within five business days following the approval of the Transaction by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") and work expenditures on the Property of $1,000,000 (subject to a minimum of $150,000 of expenditures on the Property each year).
Ximen will retain a 2.5% net smelter return royalty (the "NSR Royalty") which Revolver may buy down 1% of the NSR Royalty by paying $1,000,000 to Ximen. Upon the acquisition of the Property, Ximen will have a right for nine months thereafter to elect to form a joint venture with Revolver by paying to Revolver the amount of money equal to 30% of the total amount expended on the Property by Revolver. If Ximen exercises this joint-venture right, Ximen and Revolver will enter into a joint venture for the exploration and development of the Property. Details of the Agreement will be available on Revolver's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
The Transaction is subject to, among other things, the completion of a National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Property, and obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals, including the TSXV.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Barry Brown, Director
604-488-3900
This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to the Transaction, comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, execution of the letter of intent and definitive agreement. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction with Ximen or will be completed or, if completed, will be successful.
Story continues
Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates, including that: the current price of and demand for minerals and metals being targeted by the Company will be sustained or will improve; the Company's current exploration programs and objectives can be achieved; the Company will be able to obtain required exploration licences and other permits; general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; financing will be available if and when needed on reasonable terms; the Company will not experience any material accident; and the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional mineral interests on reasonable terms or at all. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: that resource exploration and development is a speculative business; that the Company may lose or abandon its property interests or may fail to receive necessary licences and permits; that environmental laws and regulations may become more onerous; that the Company may not be able to raise additional funds when necessary; potential defects in title to the Company's properties; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; fluctuating prices of commodities and metls; operating hazards and risks; competition; potential inability to find suitable acquisition opportunities and/or complete the same; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the Company's public filings. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE: Revolver Resources Inc.
* Roche MS drug Ocrevus could win U.S. approval by Dec. 28
* EMA, FDA reviewing new treatment for two forms of MS
* Would be 1st approved treatment for primary progressive MS
By John Miller
ZURICH, June 28 (Reuters) - Roche 's new multiple sclerosis (MS) drug could be approved in the United States this year, earlier than previously forecast, the Swiss drugmaker said on Tuesday, after winning the U.S. regulator's priority review status for the medicine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted marketing applications for Roche's Ocrevus medicine, for both the relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive forms of MS, the company said in a statement.
With FDA fast-track review, Roche said U.S. approval for Ocrevus now could come by Dec. 28, faster than the company's previous estimate of early 2017.
"It offers the hope that soon we'll be able to bring ocrelizumab to patients," said Paulo Fontoura, who heads Roche's clinical development program in neuroscience, in an interview, referring to the chemical name for Ocrevus.
"We feel strongly based on the data that this is a medicine that has the potential to really change the way MS is being treated right now."
Ocrevus' approval in Europe will likely stretch into the third quarter of 2017, Fontoura said.
Roche submitted its application for Ocrevus last year, before the EMA initiated its own fast-track "Prime" approval process to cut the time it takes promising new medicines to get to market.
"That's a very new process for the EMA," Fontoura said. "It hasn't really had an impact yet."
Winning regulators' backing for Ocrevus is a pivotal part of Roche's strategy to develop new drugs for cancer and other diseases to replace revenue from older medicines such as Rituxan whose patents are expiring, leaving them exposed by late 2017 to cheaper biosimilar drug copies.
MORE OPTIMISTIC
In an interview last week, Chief Executive Severin Schwan said he had grown steadily more optimistic that his company's new drugs would boost revenue even amid the biosimilars threat.
Story continues
Ocrevus sales could hit 3.7 billion Swiss francs ($3.8 billion) by 2022, according to Reuters data.
Roche has previously said late-stage trials with Ocrevus show it works better than rival drugmaker Merck's Rebif in patients suffering from relapsing MS.
The drug, administered by intravenous infusion every six months, would be the first approved treatment for the primary-progressive form of the disease.
About 85 percent of those diagnosed with MS suffer from relapsing-remitting MS, while 10 percent suffer from primary-progressive MS.
($1 = 0.9780 Swiss francs) (Editing by Mark Potter)
By John Miller ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's new multiple sclerosis (MS) drug could be approved in the United States this year, earlier than previously forecast, the Swiss drugmaker said on Tuesday, after winning the U.S. regulator's priority review status for the medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted marketing applications for Roche's Ocrevus medicine, for both the relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive forms of MS, the company said in a statement. With FDA fast-track review, Roche said U.S. approval for Ocrevus now could come by Dec. 28, faster than the company's previous estimate of early 2017. "It offers the hope that soon we'll be able to bring ocrelizumab to patients," said Paulo Fontoura, who heads Roche's clinical development program in neuroscience, in an interview, referring to the chemical name for Ocrevus. "We feel strongly based on the data that this is a medicine that has the potential to really change the way MS is being treated right now." Ocrevus' approval in Europe will likely stretch into the third quarter of 2017, Fontoura said. Roche submitted its application for Ocrevus last year, before the EMA initiated its own fast-track "Prime" approval process to cut the time it takes promising new medicines to get to market. "That's a very new process for the EMA," Fontoura said. "It hasn't really had an impact yet." Winning regulators' backing for Ocrevus is a pivotal part of Roche's strategy to develop new drugs for cancer and other diseases to replace revenue from older medicines such as Rituxan whose patents are expiring, leaving them exposed by late 2017 to cheaper biosimilar drug copies. MORE OPTIMISTIC In an interview last week, Chief Executive Severin Schwan said he had grown steadily more optimistic that his company's new drugs would boost revenue even amid the biosimilars threat. Ocrevus sales could hit 3.7 billion Swiss francs ($3.8 billion) by 2022, according to Reuters data. Roche has previously said late-stage trials with Ocrevus show it works better than rival drugmaker Merck's Rebif in patients suffering from relapsing MS. The drug, administered by intravenous infusion every six months, would be the first approved treatment for the primary-progressive form of the disease. About 85 percent of those diagnosed with MS suffer from relapsing-remitting MS, while 10 percent suffer from primary-progressive MS. (Editing by Mark Potter)
Independence Day: Resurgence may not have lit up the domestic box-office this weekend tallying a rather ho-hum $41 million but it wasnt for lack of trying to match its predecessors giddy destruction of global landmarks. In a new video from Variety featuring director Roland Emmerich, the man behind those on-screen explosions discusses the origins of that storytelling signature, which began with the original ID4s obliteration of the commander-in-chiefs home.
Related: Independence Day Helped Make Will Smith a Superstar
Emmerich addresses this whole blowing-up business, which he says was a natural extension of his love of 70s disaster movies. Those served as inspiration for 1996s Independence Day, in which the planet is attacked by unfriendly visitors from another world. When trying to figure out which famous attractions would be best to detonate, he says the Capitol was considered, but the mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C. stood out to him as the most iconic and famous target.
Related: Red Carpet Flashback! independence Day Premiere in 1996
While he insists that Im not blowing up just stuff to blow them up. Theres always a story point to it, his subsequent, lighthearted admission that it has to be the White House makes it clear he was looking for the ultimate Wow visual. Left unsaid is that its difficult to top such an annihilation sequence and we wonder if maybe thats part of the reason Independence Day: Resurgence didnt catch fire with audiences the way its predecessor did 20 years ago?
Watch Roland Emmerich discuss what made Independence Day: Resurgence possible:
With so much talk about a future filled with self-driving cars, it's easy to forget that general advances in autonomous software technologies can also be applied to boats. That being the case, Rolls Royce recently announced that it's been working on technology that might someday make it possible for gargantuan cargo ships to sail themselves across oceans.
In a white paper published a few days ago, Rolls Royce explained how their vision of "remote and autonomous shipping" may become a reality as early as 2020. The initiative is part of Rolls Royce's Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications (AAWA) program.
DON'T MISS: Video gives us a 15-min walkthrough of the Galaxy Note 7s leaked next-gen software
Speaking on the matter, Rolls Royce VP of innovation Oskar Levander explained: "This is happening. Its not if, its when. The technologies needed to make remote and autonomous ships a reality exist. The AAWA project is testing sensor arrays in a range of operating and climatic conditions in Finland and has created a simulated autonomous ship control system which allows the behavior of the complete communication system to be explored. We will see a remote controlled ship in commercial use by the end of the decade."
Indeed, as Rolls Royce envisions it, we're just a few years away from an environment where a lone operator would be able to remotely control an entire fleet of ships from a central command console. And because this is the future we're talking about, Rolls Royce envisions the console being an advanced holographic display as evidenced by the renderings above and below.
rolls royce ship commander
Some of the anticipated benefits of remote and autonomous shipping include an improved safety profile and the ability for crew members to focus on more pertinent tasks. For instance, the company explains how these ships of the future would be able to use advanced sensors and companion drones that would effectively serve as advanced scouts capable of identifying important travel issues that humans might otherwise not notice.
Story continues
So while Rolls Royce at the moment is working on decreasing the role of humans in the shipping process, the company eventually believes that fully autonomous shipping may be possible within two decades. Before that, the company is confident that remote controlled ships will become operational by 2020.
A few more photos from Rolls Royce's press release can be viewed below.
rolls royce command center
cargo ship rolls royce
rolls royce ships
rolls royce autonomous ship control command
rolls royce sailing ship sea remote control
Related stories
Watch this train driver save his passengers from a certain crash
We're still a long way from a real Hyperloop
You can watch the first full-scale Hyperloop test right here
More from BGR: Watch the fastest Tesla in the world take on Pikes Peak
This article was originally published on BGR.com
From Popular Mechanics
Rolls-Royce is aiming for a 2020 launch of crewless cargo ships. The company has been toying around with this idea for quite some time now, but is now doubling down. In an official statement Oskar Levander, Vice President of Marine Innovations insists: "This is happening. It's not if, it's when." And a new white paper from the company outlines the path ahead.
These robotic ships would be remote-controlled by land-based crews on virtual decks monitoring several ships simultaneously. Rolls-Royce plans to implement the use of drones and virtual reality cameras to observe the ships surroundings, also claiming that this technology would be able to identify certain issues before humans physically could.
A few months ago, the company released this concept video of how it imagines this future might look. It is....intense.
Military drone ships have already been floating around, but the design of these crew-free civilian cargo ships started in late of 2013. Developers recognized that they could maximize the cargo space by eliminating the need for living quarters for crew members. They also noted that the boats would ultimately be lighter and be more fuel efficient. Making the move to drone cargo vessels could eliminate some pre-existing jobs, but by going virtual there will be new land-based positions to be filled.
Human safety comes into play as well. Crew-members would no longer be exposed to rough waters, hazardous weather conditions and real-life pirates. However, ships would now need to anticipate a technological kind of piracy- computer hackers. These ships will need extreme firewalls and security systems in place to deter hackers from attempting to break in.
There still plenty of hurtles to hop between now and then. Just some of the white paper's many subtitles include thorny subjects like:
1.3 Environmental mapping and obstacle detection for autonomous ship navigation.
4.2 Maritime Liability Rules
5.4 User-centered Design and Validation of the Shore Control Center Operation
You got three and a half years guys. Hop to it!
Source: Rolls-Royce via Engadget
We are supposed to be a neutral court of law, Justice Samuel Alito told the relatively sparse audience at the Supreme Courts final session Monday. When it comes to ordinary legal rules there is no justification for treating abortion cases differently from others. Alitos words were the opening of an angry bench dissent from the Courts 5-3 decision in Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, a blockbuster win for the forces of choice.
As a lawyer, I can sympathize with Alitos sentiment. Good old ordinary legal rules! Life would be great if I could just go around muttering, A waiver of assignment also operates as a waiver of sublease, or A standard-form contract is construed strictly against the drafter. But abortion cases are constitutional, not legal, cases. Constitutional law operates (as it must) under its own rules. And even within the world of constitutional cases, abortion has always been judged under special judge-made standards that bear little resemblance to maxims of the common law.
In fact, the real question in Hellerstedtmentioned by no one on either sidewas whether there would henceforth be any real rules at all when states seek to regulate, restrict, and even eliminate abortions within their borders. The Fifth Circuit had upheld the Texas statute at issue here with an opinion that in essence said, If the legislature says it wants to make women healthier, we wont ask whether or not its really doing that. If the high Court had approved that rule, almost any abortion regulation would have been untouchable as long as it didnt say, No abortions shall be allowed at all, or The purpose of this bill is to make womens lives worse.
Recommended: Donald Trump's Plan to Avoid a Revolt at the Republican National Convention
In an opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer, the majority (Breyer and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor) told the states that health regulations of abortion need to be supported by evidence showing that they actually improve, well, health. Texasas the states own lawyer, Scott Keller, essentially conceded at oral argumentcould show no such evidence. Though labeled a health law, the statute, H.B. 2, imposed rules that would provide no clear benefit to patients but would make abortion radically harder to obtain.
Story continues
That plough, the majority said, wont scour.
The two regulations at issue were: (1) a requirement that any clinic performing abortions meet all standards for an ambulatory surgical center, where invasive minor operations can be performed without requiring hospitalization; and (2) a requirement that any physician performing abortions have admitting privilegesthe ability to order a patient admitted without an initial examination by another doctorat a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic. The law was in effect for two weeks; during that time, a dozen clinics closed. Once it was stayed, they reopened temporarily; if the law took effect permanently, however, it would (according to evidence submitted to a district court in Texas) leave only seven in operation. These would be large health centers in large citiesleading, among other effects, to a 2,800 percent increase in the number of women in Texas living more than 200 miles from an abortion facility.
Recommended: How American Politics Went Insane
Abortion cases really are decided by a special rule that applies only to themthe so-called undue burden rule. In Casey, a three-justice plurality held that [r]egulations designed to foster the health of a woman seeking an abortion are valid if they do not constitute an undue burden. Regulations may also express profound respect for the life of the unborn, if they arent an undue burden. Heres the definition of an undue burden: Unnecessary health regulations that have the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion impose an undue burden on the right.
Got that? An undue burden is a substantial obstacle. But whatever that is, the state cant impose it on women or doctors just because it doesnt like abortion. A regulation either has to communicate profound respect for unborn life or foster the health of a woman.
The evidence showed that neither of the Texas regulations foster[ed] anything but clinic closures.
At trial in federal district court, the evidence showed that neither of the Texas regulations foster[ed] anything but clinic closures. Admitting privileges have no relation to healthy outcomes because the state already requires abortion clinics to have working arrangements with nearby hospitals; thus, patients needing hospitalization are already transferred smoothly to hospital care. In addition, admitting privileges dont prove that doctors who have them are more competent than those who do notthe privileges are essentially an economic arrangement designed for doctors who are staff or deeply involved in a specific hospital. And, finally, complications requiring hospitalization are incredibly rareand when they happen, they happen after the abortion, usually when a woman has returned to her home many miles away. As Breyer noted, When directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted there was no such evidence in the record.
The surgical-center requirement is similarly farcicalsimply because abortion isnt surgery. It isnt performed in a sterile field and doesnt require a 240-square-foot operating room. The evidence at trial, Breyer wrote, showed that the requirement does not benefit patients and is not necessary. Many proceduressuch as liposuction and colonoscopyare far riskier but can be performed in an office. In addition, Breyer wrote: Nationwide, childbirth is 14 times more likely than abortion to result in death, but Texas law allows a midwife to oversee childbirth in the patients own home.
Recommended: Is Elizabeth Warren Native American or What?
Faced with this evidence, the trial court enjoined the law. But the Fifth Circuit upheld the requirements and laid down a profoundly cynical restatement of the undue burden rule. Other circuits had applied the rule to strike down similar regulations, but the Fifth Circuit now said that the medical factsthat is, whether the new requirements will actually make patients any healthier at allare not the Courts business. When the legislature passes a health law, medical uncertainty underlying a statute is for resolution by legislatures, not the courts. It was a perfect statement of what the Italians call ponziopilatismo, the sinembodied in the New Testament by the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, who found no fault in Jesus but allowed his crucifixion anywayof washing ones hands of responsibility for justice.
The heart of Mondays opinion is the majoritys contradiction of that holding:
The Court of Appeals articulation of the relevant standard is incorrect. The first part of the Court of Appeals test may be read to imply that a district court should not consider the existence or nonexistence of medical benefits when considering whether a regulation of abortion constitutes an undue burden. The rule announced in Casey, however, requires that courts consider the burdens a law imposes on abortion access together with the benefits those laws confer.
The italics are mine, because the decisionand Kennedys vote for itare very important. They announce to lower courts that they really are expected to apply the law as the Court wrote it. The rules for abortion may be special, but they remain rules. No wink-wink, nudge-nudge approach to whittling away abortion. Ginsburg wrote a short concurrence to underline that Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers laws like H. B. 2 that do little or nothing for health, but rather strew impediments to abortion cannot survive judicial inspection.
As noted above, Alito dissented from the bench, and with a 43-page principal dissent joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas. He spends virtually none of those pages defending the Fifth Circuits faux rule. (Thomas wrote a separate dissent, for himself alone, defending the rule as the proper application of Casey.) Most of Alitos dissent argued that the case should be dismissed because the same plaintiffs had lost an earlier challenge to the rules; this means, he argued, that this claim was barred by the rule of res judicataan ordinary legal rule that bars parties from bringing the same claim twice. The majority noted that the earlier case had failed, in part, because the Fifth Circuit claimed the challengers hadnt proved the regulations would lead to clinic closures. Once they took effect, the closures happenedso the challengers went back to court. Thus, Breyer wrote, this case does not present the same claim.
I used to teach res judicata for a living, so please believe me when I say that further explanation might lead at best to you turning to cat videos on YouTube and at worst to you experiencing profound coma or depression. I will say that both sides have good argumentsand that, in the days ahead, anti-abortion critics of the decision are likely to focus on this issue rather than to defend the Fifth Circuits undue burden holding.
That holding is indefensible. The Supreme Courts rejection of it didnt invent special rules for abortion. They already existed. It was a welcome and very important statement that there really are rules for abortion casesthat, at least when womens health is involved, a wink and a nudge dont fool a majority of the Court.
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Washington (AFP) - Washington and Moscow on Tuesday accused each other of conducting dangerous maritime maneuvers after two warships sailed closely past each other in the Mediterranean Sea earlier this month.
Russia's defense ministry said the USS Gravely, an American destroyer, crossed the path of the Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry on June 17, coming "dangerously close."
The US Navy committed a "gross violation of international rules on the prevention of collisions at sea," violating a maritime agreement signed by the US and Soviet authorities in 1972, Moscow said.
A US defense official later gave a completely different account, saying the Russian ship had deliberately maneuvered to approach the USS Gravely.
The Russian frigate had also displayed an international sign showing her maneuverability to be restricted when she first positioned herself about two miles (three kilometers) from the Gravely, the official said.
"The maneuvering demonstrates that (the Yaroslav Mudry) was not in fact restricted in her ability to maneuver, and was thus intentionally displaying a false international signal," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Russia insisted its frigate was in international waters and not "conducting dangerous maneuvers" in regard to the American destroyer.
US officials said the two ships passed within 315 yards (288 meters) of each other. The Russians put the distance at just "60 to 70" meters.
The Pentagon has reported a number of cases of Russian jets buzzing US planes and ships in the Baltic Sea in recent months with tensions between the two sides at their highest point since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine.
In April, the US Navy released video footage of Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea flying very close to another destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, including in a "simulated attack profile."
Russia's defense ministry used the contested incident in the Mediterranean Sea to hit back at the United States.
Story continues
The Pentagon "has recently accused with great perseverance Russian pilots and marines of lacking professionalism," it said.
"But this incident shows that US (sailors) allow themselves to forget basic rules of maritime safety."
Relations between Russia and the West nosedived over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Kremlin insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident which results in serious injury or death," the US defense official said.
Brussels (AFP) - Irish no-frills airline Ryanair will put the brakes on new UK connections for the coming months given the uncertainty caused by the British vote to leave the EU, its CEO said on Tuesday.
"I don't think we'll open up many new lines in the UK for the next twelve or eighteen months, until this current uncertainty is removed," chief executive Michael O'Leary told AFP in Brussels.
Ryanair earns more than a quarter of its sales in Britain and is particularly at risk to turbulence from the shock vote.
O'Leary said the entirety of an upcoming delivery of 50 Boeing aircraft would be used for routes outside Britain.
"Most of those, if not all of those aircraft, will be allocated to European Union countries: Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, central European countries," he said.
O'Leary said he hoped Britain would remain in the European single market, despite the shock vote on Thursday.
"That has delivered enormous benefits for not just UK citizens but for European citizens," he said.
"But it's a matter for the UK government, whenever that government emerges," he said.
Since the June 23 referendum, British Airways owner IAG and British no-frills airline EasyJet have issued profit-warnings, as the pound dives against the euro on financial markets.
Airlines are among the industries in Britain, in addition to banks, to have been left especially exposed by the Brexit vote.
Based in eurozone-member Ireland, Ryanair would remain unaffected by the tumbling pound.
"If sterling is weaker, it means we're getting paid less. But you know, Ryanair always does well when prices are falling and fares are getting cheaper," O'Leary said.
"More people fly and they fly Ryanair," he added.
Marc Benioff
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is one of the most vocal activist CEOs, earning the nickname "corporate bully" in some circles.
And Benioff once again made it clear that he's not afraid to make his political voice heard at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, slamming the UK government leaders for the way they handled the Brexit crisis.
Benioff thinks that they failed to be more assertive about the potential downfalls of a Brexit, even though they had a chance to address it in the beginning of the year at the Davos World Economic Forum.
Benioff said:
"In Davos, the discussions were not forceful around Brexit. In fact, they were somewhat ambiguous, I would say even tentative.
"Even the leaders of the United Kingdom who were there, including David Cameron, in their specific comments to CEOs, which I personally attended, were kind of, I would say, unremarkable in their content."
Benioff noted that a group of CEOs had finally placed an advertisement in a London newspaper just a few days before the vote to warn of the potential threats of a Brexit. But it was simply "too little, too late," he says.
"I believe it was a little bit too little, too late when finally they realized that there was a real situation and it could really turn in the wrong direction," he added.
Benioff believes that this is just another symptom of today's leaders failing to be more straightforward with their positions on certain issues out of fear of hurting their reputation or existing relationships.
Benioff, who runs a company that's now worth $50 billion, is famous for using his business reputation to drive social and political change. He helped reverse "antigay" legislation in Indiana last year by threatening to move his company out of the state, while pressuring Georgia's governor to veto a bill that would have allowed sexual discrimination.
He believes that other leaders should step up and be more forceful with the way they stand up for certain issues. Otherwise, more people will "pay the price" the way the UK did with Brexit, he warns.
Story continues
Benioff said:
"Us as the leaders have to step forward and we have to step forward with more strength, more clarity, and more articulation of what we actually care about and what we mean. And this is going to be scary for a lot of people like myself who are CEOs of companies where it's not always appropriate or encouraged to speak out.
"And if you don't, then you will pay a price, which is what we just witnessed last week."
NOW WATCH: George Osborne outlined the 3 biggest challenges in a Brexit Britain
More From Business Insider
For many Americans, the Fourth of July is more than just a patriotic party celebrating our nations independence its also a time for family picnics, barbecues, and fireworks displays. While staying close to home may be a tradition, its a tradition that is quickly changing. According to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, 80 million Americans are planning to vacation over the holiday weekend this year, which is a remarkable trend.
Not that theres anything wrong with celebrating at home with friends and family, but a lot of Americans are opting to take it easy over the weekend and let someone else do the planning, cooking, and entertaining. If you want to follow suit, we suggest you choose to stay at one of American Express Travels patriotic destinations or historic hotels that are part of its Fine Resorts & Hotels Collection and The Hotel Collection.
Planning your travel is easy because you can book everything from flights to rental cars to accommodations online, and when you stay at one of the hotels or resorts listed in either collection, you are eligible for resort credits, complimentary Wi-Fi, early check-in, and room upgrades. If you use your American Express card to pay for your trip, you may also be eligible for cardholder benefits with both the Resorts & Hotels Collection and The Hotel Collection.
What are you waiting for? Decide what kind of Fourth of July vacation you want to have and choose the getaway thats right for you. To help you find the right fit, here are four of the top hotels in the American Express collections, along with a few suggestions of what to see and do during your visit.
Hotel Del Coronado
If you are looking for the charm and luxury of a bygone era, the legendary Hotel Del Coronado offers a vacation experience you will remember for years to come. Set in sunny Coronado, California (just over the bridge from San Diego), this iconic hotel has been the playground of the rich and powerful in Americas history since it was built in 1888. Members of Americas wealthiest families have stayed here, and many presidents (including John F. Kennedy, Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama) have passed through her doors.
Story continues
With a distinctive terra cotta-colored roof and white exterior, the Hotel Del Coronado is more than just a beautiful slice of Americana, its also a National Historic Landmark. Affectionately nicknamed The Del, it is one of the few surviving examples of a bona fide American architectural genre: wooden Victorian beach resorts. Excellent amenities, personal concierge service, and timeless refinement have kept guests returning to the Hotel Del Coronado for 125 years. Whether you choose to stay in one of the elegantly appointed guest rooms, or reserve a cottage or villa at Beach Village, The Del offers a classic California retreat thats perfect for a beachside Fourth of July vacation.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Patrick Gearhiser
Omni Parker House
For a lot of Americans, the story of the Boston Tea Party is as deep-rooted as any childhood bedtime story, so its no surprise Boston is a favorite destination for revolutionary history buffs on July 4th. You can go early and take advantage of all the sites, like the tall ships in the harbor and great museums, and then attend Harborfest. This 35-year-old event celebrates Bostons harbor and history and is the countrys largest Fourth of July festival. It includes live music, historical reenactments, food and drink diversions, patriotic salutes, and hundreds of other events for adults and children. If youre a fan of music, camaraderie, and fantastic fireworks, you wont want to miss the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (one of our picks for Americas 10 best Fourth of July Fireworks Shows), where you can sit under stars and sing along to familiar songs. We suggest you reserve a front-row seat to all that Boston has to offer and plan to stay at the Omni Parker House in the heart of downtown Boston. Its a captivating Old World gem set along the Freedom Trail at the foot of Beacon Hill, Boston Common, Quincy Market, and Faneuil Hall marketplace (which was ranked No. 14 in our list of Americas Best Food Halls 2016).
The Rittenhouse Hotel
Philadelphia is the birthplace of independence, and, as you might imagine, it throws a July 4th party that is hard to beat. They begin celebrating Independence Day as early as Monday, June 27 with Free Museum Day, and the fun continues with movie premiers, the annual Wawa Welcome America! festival (also in our best fireworks list), a Summer Mummer Concert, a starlight performance by the Philadelphia Pops in front of Independence Hall, and the incredible Fireworks Finale over the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Each night, sleep in comfort at one of Phillys most historic hotels, like The Rittenhouse Hotel, which was once an opulently appointed mansion owned by Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Station railroad tycoons A.J. and Lois Buchanan Cassatt. Its conveniently located near all of Phillys most important and historic attractions, and the comfortable beds ensure you will get a good nights sleep so you can get the most from your itinerary.
The United States Library of Congresss Prints and Photographs division, Carol M. Highsmith
The Willard InterContinental
Like bookends on Pennsylvania Avenue, the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House are stately buildings that have awed visitors to D.C. for centuries and just one block from the White House grounds is the stately Willard InterContinental Hotel, affectionately called the Crown Jewel of Pennsylvania Avenue. Grand as any Haussmann edifice in Paris, the Willard is a classic example of Second French Empire Beaux-Arts, and its listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Its a great base for a visit to D.C.s July 4th celebrations, and is walking distance to all of the Independence Day festivities on The National Mall. Since the 1860s, the Willard has been a haven for the worlds power brokers, and it was one of President Grants favorite haunts for an afternoon cigar and whiskey. Other famous guests have included Martin Luther King, Jr., Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens and just like other travelers, they came for the incredible amenities and ageless beauty of the hotels dining rooms, guest rooms, and special event spaces. From cocktails in the famed Round Robin bar, to afternoon tea in the Peacock Tea Room, to rejuvenating spa packages, the Willard offers classic service and luxury with modern conveniences.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f12951%2fsddefault
As the Doctor once said, "Run!"
After the Brexit vote, Donald Trump praised the Scottish people for voting to leave the European Union. Unfortunately, Scotland voted against Brexit, and is being dragged along by English voters who wanted to leave.
On Full Frontal, host Samantha Bee employed Scottish-born actor, David Tennant, to read out some of the concerned tweets Scottish voters directed at Trump after hearing the news complete with very entertaining insults and swears that only the good people of Scotland could dream up.
SEE ALSO: Samantha Bee delivers strong message on gun control on 'Full Frontal'
Bee also did a longer monologue about Brexit on her show, reflecting the fears a lot of Americans have after seeing a campaign based on xenophobia and anti-globalization can really sway voters, even in 2016.
Bee noted that the vote is a clear example of why Donald Trump can actually win the next election, and American voters should fight against it.
"Trumps brand of right-wing, racist, anti-immigrant demagoguery isnt American," Bee said. "Its a European import. And if were smart, well stop it at the border and send it back where it came from."
At the end of her segment with Tennant, who played the 10th Doctor on Doctor Who, she asked whether a Time Lord like Tennant could help us all go back in time and stop the Brexit vote from happening.
Even a Time Lord can't save us now.
sam bee 1 final
Monday's episode of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" explained how the outcome of the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union (known as Brexit) is eerily similar to what could happen if presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump triumphs in the presidential election.
"The Brexit vote was driven by angry, less-educated, older white voters who feel screwed by globalization and the establishment, and have been fed a chip butty of xenophobia slathered in slogan sauce," Bee said.
The way Bee sees it, those are the same people who follow Trump and his brand of "right-wing, racist, anti-immigrant demagoguery."
"The worst outcome of Brexit," Bee said, "is not the breakup of the EU or the fact that you can now use the British pound as loo paper, its that the vote made these hateful morons think that over half of the country agreed with them."
So why does Bee believe that same scenario won't happen to us? It comes down to the demographic makeup of the US.
87.1% of the UK is made up of whites.
sam bee 2 final
63.7% of whites make up the US, a much smaller proportion.
sam bee 3 final
Bee's hope is that our instinctive nature and historically pro-immigrant spirit will mean things play out differently here come November.
Being not Britain is pretty much central to the whole America brand, the host said.
Watch the complete segment here:
NOW WATCH: The trailer for the highly-anticipated Tupac Shakur biopic just arrived
More From Business Insider
Following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, parallels were drawn between the Brexit vote and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Essentially, if the U.K. were foolish enough to leave the EU, could America actually put Trump in office?
While the latest poll numbers suggest otherwise, Samantha Bee issued a stern warning to the United States on Monday's Full Frontal, in wake of the Brexit vote.
"The Brexit vote was driven by angry, less educated, older white voters who feel screwed by globalization and the establishment and have been fed a chip butty of xenophobia slathered in slogan sauce," Bee said. "Even a brain-damaged baboon couldn't miss the parallels between the U.S. and Britain."
Bee continued by making more comparisons between the political figures in each country; former London Mayor Boris Johnson is a Trump equivalent; U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, who will step down following the vote, is the country's version of House Speaker Paul Ryan.
However, the most indicting part of the Brexit vote, Bee posits, are the increasingly racist comments after the result many of which she notes can be found with the hashtag #PostRefRacism at your own discretion.
"The vote made these hateful morons think that over half the country agreed with them," she says. "This is why it's not enough for Trump to lose. It has to be a fucking landslide.
"Trump's brand of right-wing, racist, anti-immigrant demagoguery isn't American. It's a European import. And if we're smart, we'll stop it at the border and send it back where it came from."
You can watch Bee's full breakdown of the Brexit aftermath below:
Sam's_Club_store
Costco members can now use their Costco cards to shop at Sam's Club.
On Saturday, Sam's Club announced that, until July 4, Costco Membership Cards could serve as free Sam's Club Cards noting that Sam's Club accepts all major credit cards, unlike Costco. Typically, only members can shop at Sam's Club, with an annual membership costing at least $45 a year.
The deal comes on the heels of Costco's move to make Visa the card of choice at the retailer, ending a 16-year partnership with American Express. After the change went into effect last week, on June 20, customers flooded Citi with questions about the change and took to social media to complain about difficulties with the switch.
Sam's Club isn't being subtle about the fact that it hopes to cash in on Costco's unhappy customers. To add insult to injury, the budget retailer changed its Facebook header to mimic rival Costco's. While Costco's header currently reads "Costco + Visa = [heart]", Sam's Club's header reads "Sam's Club + Choice = [heart]".
sams club
costco plus visa
Costco has a stricter credit card policy than Sam's Club. The retailer accepts all Visa cards, Costco credit cards, and debit cards but, as of last week, not American Express.
With the change from AmEx to Visa, Costco customers who earn rewards through a Costco co-branded credit card will need to use the Costco Anywhere Visa not the TrueEarnings American Express Costco card.
This new Costco Visa credit card became the biggest problem in the transition from AmEx to Visa. The most common complaint came from customers who had not received their new Citi Visa card on time.
"I'm thinking that in spite of having many months to work out the distribution of new cards, Citi has committed a 'fail,'" a Costco member who hadn't received the replacement card wrote Business Insider in an email, calling the switch a "debacle." "Costco may live to regret cutting off AmEx."
A Costco shopping cart is shown at a Costco Wholesale store in Carlsbad, California September 11, 2013. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
Story continues
According to a UBS survey of 25 Costco warehouses across the US, 40% of stores reported "a lot" of members had not received their cards, while another 40% reported that "some" members had not received their cards two days after the switch was finalized.
Other complaints UBS noticed on Costco's Facebook page included not being able to use corporate American Express cards, charges being flagged as "fraud," and the transfer of rewards dollars being lower than expected.
These issues were complicated by long wait times and dropped calls while waiting to speak with Citi customer service representatives.
costco shopping toilet paper
"Worst credit card transition ever 4 hours and counting on the phone with Citibank and they still can't get my cards to me," writes one member. "Saving money isn't worth alienating your members ... seriously rethinking my patronage."
With 11 million Costco members making the switch, Citi had a huge customer base to help transition and, apparently, not enough customer service representatives. According to Citi, call volumes began to return to normal as of Wednesday of last week, meaning that going forward Citi representatives should be more readily available to help Costco members with issues with their credit cards.
However, Sam's Club is banking on the fact that, for some members, the problems they have already faced in the credit card swap will be enough to convince them to give the rival retailer a try. Costco has extraordinarily loyal customers but, if they can be convinced to visit Sam's Club once, the competitors may be able to win over at least a few new members in the long term.
NOW WATCH: Here are the 8 food items you should only get from Costco
More From Business Insider
Sarah Gadon is going from Hulu to Netflix.
The Canadian actress has been tapped to topline Netflix's Margaret Atwood drama Alias Grace, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Gadon, who most recently co-starred opposite James Franco in Hulu's Stephen King limited series 11.22.63, will play Grace Marks in the streaming giant and Canadian broadcaster CBC's adaptation of Atwood's award-winning novel.
Published in 1996, Alias Grace follows Grace Marks, a poor, young Irish immigrant and domestic servant in upper Canada who, along with stable hand James McDermott, was convicted of the brutal murders of their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, in 1843. McDermott was hanged, while Marks was sentenced to life imprisonment. She became one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of 1840s Canada for her supposed role in the sensational double murder and was eventually exonerated after 30 years in jail. Her conviction was controversial and sparked much debate over whether she actually was involved in the killings or merely an unwitting accessory.
Read More: Netflix Adds Margaret Atwood Murder Drama 'Alias Grace' From Sarah Polley, Mary Harron
The six-hour miniseries is inspired by Marks' true story and will be written and produced by Sarah Polley (Looking for Alaska, Away From Her). Mary Harron (American Psycho, I Shot Andy Warhol) will direct. Production is slated to begin in August in Ontario. Polley, Harron and Noreen Halpern (NBC's Working the Engels) will executive produce; D.J. Carson (Spotlight) is on board as a co-executive producer. A premiere date has not been determined.
The Netflix adaptation, like Atwood's novel, will introduce a fictional young doctor named Simon Jordan who researches the case and falls in love with Marks. He soon becomes obsessed with her as he seeks to reconcile his perception of the mild-mannered woman he sees with the savage murders of which she has been convicted.
For Gadon, the role marks her first stateside starring TV vehicle. In addition to 11.22.63, her credits include the feature Indignation. She is repped by WME, Creative Drive Artists and Jackoway Tyerman.
ADEN (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition air strike killed 10 Yemeni civilians and wounded at least another 15 in the southern province of Lahj on Tuesday, residents said, a day after bombing attacks by Islamic State that killed 45 others. Yemen is more than 15 months into a war in which the Saudi-led coalition has intervened to prevent Iran-allied Houthis, who control the capital, from completing a takeover of the country and overthrowing the government. The fighting has enabled Islamist militants to gain territory and carry out attacks of their own, further destabilizing the country. The air strike hit a village market for smuggled fuel in the Hayfan district, which lies near a frontline combat area for the pro-government forces fighting the Iran-allied Houthis. A spokesman for the Saudi-led alliance, which intervened in the fighting in March 2015 against the Houthis, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The attack comes a day after three Islamic State bombing attacks in the southern city of Mukalla targeted security forces who wrested the city from Al Qaeda control in April. A local security official on Tuesday that the death toll from the explosions had climbed to 45 people. Islamist militants have gained territory and freedom to operate thanks to the war, which has split Yemen's army and led U.S. counter-terrorism personnel to quit the country last year, although pilotless drone strikes continue. Residents in the Al Qaeda-held town of Mahfad in southern Abyan province said a drone missile killed five militants when it hit the home of a local leader of the group late on Monday. Negotiators from the Houthi and government sides have been seeking a peace deal to end the fighting in U.N.-backed talks in Kuwait for over two months but have achieved few results. (Reporting by Mohammed Mukhashaf and Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Takata shares jumped on Tuesday after the airbag supplier's boss reportedly said he would resign once the company recovers from a scandal linked to at least 13 deaths and scores of injuries globally.
The Tokyo-listed stock soared as much as 10 percent in early afternoon trade after chief executive Shigehisa Takada told the annual shareholder meeting that he would step down from his family company, before trimming those gains.
The shares ended 2.17 percent up at 375 yen ($3.70).
"Once I'm convinced the company is back on track, I will pass the baton" to new management, he told the closed meeting, according to Japan's leading Nikkei business daily.
The company, one of the world's biggest auto parts suppliers, declined to confirm the remarks.
But shareholders who attended the meeting confirmed Takada agreed to quit once the firm was on solid footing again.
"I don't think the president is qualified for his post," a 66-year-old shareholder told reporters outside the meeting.
Takada was widely criticised for his handling of the crisis, rarely appearing in public even as the firm plunged deeper into trouble.
Shareholders at the meeting reported that executives were peppered with angry questions about their response to the scandal, which has sparked the biggest auto industry recall in US history.
Ahead of the meeting, one investor told AFP: "They have to put an end to the damage that has been done. I want to hear about management's thinking on its responsibility."
Takata is facing lawsuits, investigations and huge compensation costs over a defect that can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the airbag's inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an airbag is deployed.
At least 13 people have died in accidents linked to the defect and scores more have been injured, while the crisis has sparked the recall of some 100 million airbags worldwide.
The Nikkei recently reported that US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) was looking to buy a majority stake in Takata, which reported a 13.08 billion yen net loss in its latest business year.
Story continues
On Monday, Honda said an airbag made by Takata exploded after a minor crash in Malaysia where the driver was killed after suffering chest injuries.
"Honda has confirmed that the Takata single stage drivers airbag inflator ruptured in a crash," it said in a statement
It was still awaiting the official cause of death, Honda added.
In morning trade, Takata's shares had plunged more than eight percent in response to the announcement from Honda, which is Takata's biggest airbag customer and the worst-affected automaker in the crisis.
Hallie Twomey wanted to give her departed son one last adventure by asking others to help spread his ashes while on vacation. The response far exceeded anything she could have imagined, and his ashes were scattered across all seven continents and nearly 200 countries by close to a thousand people.
Now a Washington D.C.-based film production company called Spark Media is working on a documentary about the young mans life and death and his mothers memorial.
Suicide prevention and mental illness should be spoken about. The stigma needs to be removed, and a conversation needs to happen, Twomey, of Auburn, Maine, told Yahoo News.
At first, she was apprehensive and nervous when the filmmakers approached her about the project, which they pursued after reading about the Scattering CJ story over a year ago. But she got onboard after seeing some of their work and hearing that they wanted to focus on suicide prevention and how social media can foster community.
Spark Media launched an Indiegogo page Tuesday afternoon to raise $100,000 for production and post-production costs for the feature documentary.
In November 2014, Twomey started the Scattering CJ Facebook page to see if people could help her son posthumously fulfill his dream of traveling the world. She asked people if they would take his ashes to beautiful places he never got the chance to see, tell him how much his family loves him, and take pictures to chronicle the journey, usually featuring a photo of CJ wearing a Red Sox T-shirt.
The Scattering CJ Facebook page grew into an online community with more than 21,000 members where people discuss suicide and the impact it has on the families people leave behind.
Ive actually had people reach out and ask to speak to me and tell me that theyve changed their minds about taking their lives after watching me sort of share our journey, and thats amazing, Twomey said. Again, I wish CJ wasnt the person behind that, but I cant bring him back so I feel at least we are doing some good in his name and adding to his story and his legacy.
Story continues
Yael Luttwak, a producer on the documentary, said the Facebook page has demonstrated that if people have a forum even a virtual forum to discuss these issues, it can actually prevent people from taking their own lives.
Thats her story, and its totally appropriate for film and filmic language because she has asked people to spread his ashes in places all over the world which are scenic and exotic and places that tragically he will never visit, Luttwak told Yahoo News.
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, more than 42,000 Americans die by suicide every year, and there are on average 117 suicides per day.
On April 14, 2010, after one year of Air Force training, CJ Twomey took his own life in his driveway at age 20.
Twomey said she cries a little less often now than she did at first, but that she has not stopped beating herself up. At the time of his suicide, they were in the middle of an argument over what he was going to do with his life.
He said to me, You think Im a failure dont you. And I clearly remember, I can physically feel rolling my eyes and thinking, Oh God, hes being dramatic. He turned back and said, Failure, Ill show you failure. He ran out in front of our house, jumped into his car and put a gun to his head, as we followed him out there. So Ive never forgiven myself. I dont expect to anymore.
Twomey said she can function at work and tries not to talk about CJ all of the time, but that people dont know how it feels for her inside. Not a single day or moment, she said, has gone by that he is not on her mind.
The family plans to scatter a little bit of his ash somewhere on July 3, his birthday, to be close with him. They have already taken his ashes to his beloved Fenway Park a few times.
From day one, Twomey feared that CJ would be forgotten. Thats why she started the Facebook group. Thats why she talks to the media. And thats why she agreed to the documentary.
Part of the intent of doing this documentary will be to give people a tool and a resource to know that theres no shame in having issues, she said. And hopefully to prevent other people from walking in the same footsteps as CJ, and preventing any other family from having to live in the nightmare weve been living for six years.
Scattering CJ will show the familys story parallel with the volunteers who helped spread his ashes around the globe and the bonds that these strangers formed.
Twomey, who grew up outside of Boston, wants people to know that their family has not made and does not intend to make money on any project involving CJ. Any profit, she said, will be donated to either suicide prevention or organ donation agencies.
We donated CJs organs, so thats sort of my second passion, she said. Weve met some of the people whose lives were saved by CJ.
Is banning tweens and teens from wearing makeup at school going too far? (Photo: Getty Images)
A school outside of London is banning its students from wearing makeup on campus, including heavy foundation, self-tanner, false eyelashes, and lipstick.
Gary Vyse, the headteacher of the Hundred of Hoo Academy in Kent, told parents that school isnt the place for makeup. A school is not a fashion parade, Vyse said, according to Kent Online. There are, however, far-reaching corners of our community who are not being supportive of their child by allowing them to arrive at the academy in makeup, which includes heavily drawn on eyebrows, heavy foundation, bronzer, fake tan, lipstick, and false eyelashes.
The new ban starts Sept. 1, and students caught in violation of the rules will face disciplinary measures, according to Vyse. I ask parents to not be surprised if your child is sanctioned for the above, he said.
This isnt the first school and likely wont be the last to ban makeup. In 2011, Time.com reported that a British secondary school not only banned makeup for students ages 13 to 16 but also temporarily took down the mirrors in the bathroom so girls wouldnt be tempted to primp.
While trying out makeup at a young age is often a rite of passage, it can also be a sign of low self-esteem. A 2013 survey from the Renfrew Center revealed that at least one in five young girls between the ages of 8 and 18 who have worn makeup have negative feelings about their self-image when they go makeup-free. They reported associating a bare face with feeling self-conscious and unattractive. Only five percent of the surveyed girls said that not wearing any makeup made them feel more attractive.
When Debate.org posed the question of whether teens should be allowed to wear makeup to school, the overwhelming majority (81 percent) voted in favor of allowing makeup. One teen pointed out that wearing light makeup can help boost self-esteem, especially since it helps cover up pimples a common and often embarrassing problem in the teen years. For us girls with imperfect skin, we make ourselves presentable through wearing makeup (light, not caked on) and when we are made to take it all off, it makes us feel ugly and worthless and it seems like everyone is looking at you and thinking ew she had bad skin. Wearing makeup is a way to boost confidence and feel good about [yourself] inside.
Story continues
Another commenter agreed: Personally, I wear makeup to cover up my acne as Im really self-conscious about my skin. By wearing makeup, I feel more confident as I have a way of hiding what I hate most. Girls dont wear makeup because they want to have sex or because they view school as a beauty pageant. We wear makeup because it makes us feel confident. We wear makeup because it makes us feel better about ourselves.
Heather Russo, the site director at the Renfrew Center of Los Angeles, believes that banning all makeup in school takes things too far. These blanket policies concern me, Russo tells Yahoo Beauty. When tweens start wearing makeup, its this sort of moment in their lives where their appearance takes on a bigger role and possibly more mental energy and concern. Its developmentally appropriate. But what we do want to look out for is hiding and having anxiety that comes from being seen for who they are if it becomes evident that there is a deficient amount of self-acceptance and seeing themselves as beautiful just as they are.
Russo also points out that theres a difference between applying makeup to hide blemishes and using it as a mask to hide behind. We have to look at the anxiety level that results from not wearing makeup, she says. If youre leaving the house without makeup on, are you consumed by self-consciousness or are you able to still enjoy your day and move throughout life?
Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
A lunch lady accused of ripping off students may have thought it was like taking candy from a baby.
Virginia elementary school cafeteria worker Fadwa Sarsaur has been charged with stealing lunch money from student accounts.
Read: Karate Teacher Sent Nude Photos to 11-Year-Old Student, Told Him She Wanted to Have Sex
Sarsaur, 51, was a full time kitchen manager at Baileys Elementary and an employee with the Fairfax County School District for more than 20 years, John Torre of the Fairfax County School District told InsideEdition.com
According to a statement by the Fairfax County Police Department, police were notified after a manager from the school's food services office "discovered discrepancies in accounting records."
"Over the period of three years the suspect allegedly took a large sum of money from several different lunch accounts," the statement continued.
According to the Associated Press, officers believe the theft may have totaled thousands of dollars.
Read: Robbers Get Arrested After Bragging About Stealing Thousands of Dollars In Facebook Video
Sarsaur reportedly turned herself in Friday afternoon and has since been charged with three counts of embezzlement.
The cafeteria employee has also been suspended without pay from her position at the school, Torre said.
Watch: Dad Put 6-Month-Old Daughter in Refrigerator After She Allegedly Died In Hot Car
Related Articles:
whale surveying buoy
The Wildlife Conservation Societys (WCS) New York Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will be working together to listen to whales near New York.
To do this, they are deploying an acoustic monitoring buoy to the New York Bight, the coastal waters between the eastern tip of Long Island and the Cape May inlet of New Jersey.
This 4-foot wide buoy was engineered by Dr. Mark Baumgartner. It will sit on the sea floor and its mast will project 6 feet above the surface of the water. Inside the buoy, there is a hydrophone, which is how scientists will listen to whales swimming close by.
The New York Bight region is the home to 7 species of whales, including the blue whale (the worlds largest animal) and the humpback whale (renown famed for its beautiful songs). Also spotted in the area are fin, sei, minke, baleen, sperm whales, and endangered North Atlantic right whales. There are only about 450 North Atlantic right whales left in the wild because they were once hunted to near-extinction.
The acoustic monitoring buoy device listening for these whales will work in near real-time. When the whales vocalize, the sounds will be picked up by the hydrophone, transported through stretch hoses to an onshore satellite, then sent to a WHOI computer. Julianne Gurnee, a member of the Passive Acoustic Research Group, will then listen to the sounds and identify each of the species from their calls.
Similar devices are already being used today in Massachusetts and Maine, but this will be the first time one is used in New York. The New York buoys exact location will be 22 miles south of Fire Island, nestled between 2 major shipping lanes entering the New York Harbor.
Researchers know that high shipping traffic and loud ocean sounds have a profound effect on whales, especially since whales rely so heavily on their voices for socialization and navigation. Human activities, like the use of sonar, are harming the animals and degrading their habitat. So, the research team hopes that this new buoy will give them a better understanding of just how debilitating these threats are in New York waters. They also hope that this information will be useful in improving whale conservation efforts.
Story continues
In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is planning to team up with WHOI to release another device, called the wave glider, in the near future. The wave glider will be an aquatic vehicle with the same real-time technology as the buoy, but it will be powered by wave and sun energy. This too could help scientists collect more information about whales in the New York Bight and help protect protect them.
NOW WATCH: People with these personality traits have more and better sex
More From Business Insider
London (AFP) - The leaders of Gibraltar and Scotland discussed remaining within the European Union on Tuesday after a British vote to leave the bloc, a statement said.
Gibraltar, a rocky outcrop on Spain's southern tip that was ceded to Britain 300 years ago, voted overwhelmingly to remain within the EU.
Scotland also returned a majority to stay, but it wasn't enough to sway the overall British vote to pull out of the 28-member bloc.
"The Government is now exploring all the options in order to determine how to best protect the position of Gibraltar in the future," a statement from Gibraltar read.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo spoke to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, it added.
The two discussed "giving effect to the possibility of Scotland and Gibraltar remaining in the EU, in line with the views of their respective people."
"They agreed that technical experts from the two Governments should meet in order to review the situation," it added.
Sturgeon is due to travel to Brussels on Wednesday to seek to defend Scotland's place in the EU in a series of meetings with leaders.
"Through all of this I am determined, utterly determined, to preserve Scotland's relationship and place within the EU," Sturgeon told an emergency session of the Scottish parliament on Tuesday.
By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will meet European Parliament leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to seek a way for Scotland to remain in the European Union. Scotland voted decisively to stay in the EU in last week's referendum, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted in favor of Brexit. Sturgeon has called the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU "democratically unacceptable" and said she would take all necessary steps to prevent it, including revisiting the issue of independence from the United Kingdom. In an initial visit to Brussels on Wednesday she would set out Scotland's position to the speaker of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and to representatives of the major groups of European lawmakers, she said. However Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council which defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities, will not be meeting Sturgeon, his spokesman said, because he did not think it was an appropriate time. Sturgeon said she also intended to discuss the Scottish issue directly with the European Commission, the EU's executive body. "Our early priority has been to ensure that there is a widespread awareness across Europe of Scotland's different choice in the referendum and of our aspiration to stay in the EU," she told the Scottish parliament. She said she had already discussed the fallout from the Brexit vote with the president and prime minister of Ireland, and that the Scottish government was directly in touch with the governments of other EU member states. Earlier a European lawmaker for Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) called on European Union colleagues to respect that the Scottish vote had diverged from the British one. "Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, 'chers collegues,' do not let Scotland down now," said Alyn Smith, winning a standing ovation from his counterparts. INDEPENDENCE? Sturgeon has said the results of the EU referendum showed a split between Scotland and the rest of the UK and that a second independence referendum was now "highly likely". Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum in which EU membership was presented as one of the key advantages of remaining part of the UK. Sturgeon argues that the Brexit vote has changed the context so profoundly that Scots should be able to vote again on the issue, should independence turn out to be the best way for Scotland to remain an EU member. Polls show some indication that support for independence has risen since the Brexit vote, though there are also doubts on how long such support may be sustained. The Scottish arm of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, which is the main opposition to the SNP in the Scottish parliament, attacked Sturgeon for linking the EU issue to the possibility of a second independence referendum. "You do not dampen the shockwaves caused by one referendum by lighting the fuse for another," Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told the parliament in Edinburgh. "(The Brexit vote) does not break the continuing logic of our sharing power with the UK, not splitting from it." (Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London, Philip Blenkinsop and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; writing by Estelle Shirbon and Elisabeth O'Leary; editing by Stephen Addison)
As the U.S. becomes increasingly vulnerable to the global spread of the much feared Zika virus, the Senate seeking to address the growing crisis did what it does best on Tuesday: It dithered.
On the same day that Florida officials reported the first case of a woman giving birth to an infant with microcephaly, the head deforming disease spread by infected mosquitos, Senate Democrats and Republicans stalled over a $1.1 billion measure to finance a public health campaign to try to stop the disease from spreading in this country. Although the woman who gave birth to the deformed baby is a Haitian who contracted the disease while outside the U.S., federal officials warn that mosquitos will likely be infecting people in southern states with the warmer weather upon us.
Related: U.S. lawmakers deadlock on Zika virus funds
Congress typically has gone down to the wire in addressing some of the most challenging problems, such as the government running out of money or being on the verge of a default; the aftermath of major storms like Sandy and other natural disasters and floods; and Puerto Ricos simmering bankruptcy crisis, just to name a few. Partisan sniping and political maneuvering frequently have complicated these legislative challenges and led to major delays.
Highly alarmed Republicans pressed the Obama administration to move with greater dispatch in 2014 amid fears of a small handful of Ebola cases in the U.S. But this time around, GOP lawmakers have moved with far less urgency in response to reports of the spreading Zika virus. And now Republicans and Democrats are caught up again in a partisan deadlock with highly serious public health implications.
Norman Ornstein, a political scientist with the American Enterprise Institute who has written widely on congressional gridlock, said in an interview on Tuesday that there is no excuse for lawmakers failure to act before now on the spreading Zika virus, given the fact that weve known this crisis was emerging, that it was going to be particularly tough during the summer months and had a real potential to spread from a handful of places to a much larger range across the United States.
Story continues
To play politics with a health crisis like this and still be unable to do anything, its a poster child for really not just gridlock but an utterly dysfunctional legislative process, Ornstein added.
Related: Congress Is Taking an $18 Billion Gamble With the Pentagons War Fund
Indeed, since early March, many of the nations top public health officials have been warning of the need for urgent action to contain the Zika virus -- and called on Congress to allocate funds for research and for mosquito control to prevent the spreading of the disease. President Obama had requested $1.8 billion for the task, according to the New York Times, but his proposal almost immediately ran into resistance on Capitol Hill, where Republicans suggested that money previously earmarked for the Ebola virus be used instead.
Public health officials responded that most of those Ebola funds were already committed to testing vaccines and to continue monitoring in Africa for signs of another Ebola outbreak. Despite a growing public unease over reports of Zika including concerns that it would force a postponement of the Summer Olympics in Brazil -- Congress continued to take its sweet time.
The Zika virus has plagued the Caribbean and the Americas since last fall. It has been blamed for thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect that results in bizarre head deformities and neurological disorders. The World Health Organization has declared it a global health emergency.
There have not been any reported cases of local transmission of the Zika virus in the continental U.S, according to Reuters. However, 820 cases of the Zika virus were acquired by people while traveling abroad or gained through sexual transmission. Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory located in the Caribbean, has reported more than 1,800 cases of Zika infection.
Related: Trumpification of the Congressional Agenda Begins
Fast forward to Tuesday: With the House finally on board with the new funding legislation, the Senate appeared set to give final approval to a House-Senate conference report on military and veterans spending that included $1.1 billion to fund Zika virus research. The funds could be used for mosquito control efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, money for vaccine research by the National Institutes of Health, and assisting communities hardest hit by Zika transmission.
But Senate Democrats complained that Republicans had excluded them from the room when they drafted the details of the funding plan. They complained that they werent privy to decisions to cut spending elsewhere in the budget and to transfer money to the Zika initiative from others used to battle Ebola and implement Obamacare in U.S. territories.
Perhaps the Democrats biggest beef was a provision added renewing the Republicans long standing battle against Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides abortion related services as well as family planning consultation and birth control. Republicans last year mounted a major attack and investigation of Planned Parenthood over conservatives complaints about its practices of disposing of fetal material. President Obama and the Democrats blocked GOP efforts to cut off funding for Family Planning, but they were back at it again this week.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and other Democratic leaders were furious and blocked the legislation. On a crucial vote, 52 to 48, the Republicans fell eight votes short of a super majority of 60 needed to invoke cloture and pass the legislation. It now appears that the legislation will languish until after the July 4 holiday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) denounced the Democrats for engaging in partisan politics by blocking the spending bill, according to The Hill. "They might like to pretend this Zika control measure is woefully inadequate, but Senate Democrats are all on record supporting this level of funding. It's really puzzling to hear Democrats claim to be advocates for women's health measures when they are the ones trying to block the Zika legislation."
"I don't know what planet my friend the Republican leader is living on," Reid retorted. The conference report is nothing more than a goody bag for the fringes of the Republican Party."
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Richard Cowan and Daniel Bases WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - After months of waiting for the U.S. Congress to act as Puerto Rico's economic crisis progressively worsened, the Caribbean island is on the verge of securing a relief plan from Washington aimed at helping it address a hobbling $70 billion debt. The Senate is set to launch a debate on Wednesday for legislation establishing a federal oversight board that would be in charge of restructuring the U.S. territory's debt where one out of every three dollars it earns in revenue is used to pay creditors, according to the U.S. Treasury. "We're not going to let Puerto Rico go off the cliff here. It's too important," said Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. The measure is identical to the plan passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month, as Congress tries to send it to President Barack Obama to sign into law by July 1. That is when Puerto Rico faces a potential default on a chunk of its debt if it cannot make a $1.9 billion payment. As early as Wednesday, the Senate could cast a procedural vote on the bill that, if successful, would clear the measure for passage this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also took steps to limit amendments that can be offered to the bill. Some Democrats have complained about the makeup and operation of the oversight board that would be appointed by Washington as well as provisions demanded by House Republicans that potentially could lower minimum wages for some younger workers. "Something needs to be done. We would really love some amendments on key issues like the composition of the board, the procedures for taking Puerto Rico into the bankruptcy court, and then especially, the labor provisions on overtime and minimum wage," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia told reporters. But any amendments would delay Congress' work on the bill and make it impossible to get to Obama before July 1, as the House of Representatives would have to sign off and it is in recess until July 5, after the Independence Day holiday weekend. TREASURY'S LEW CALLS FOR PASSAGE U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew reiterated his call for the Senate to pass the bill on Monday, saying if nothing is done by the Friday deadline, the debt crisis will only ratchet higher. Puerto Rico is reeling from a 45 percent poverty rate, a steady flow of outward migration to the U.S. mainland that further shrinks its tax base and the shuttering of essential services. If Congress does not pass the "Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act," or PROMESA, before July 1, the island could default on all or part of the debt payment, including General Obligation bonds that are senior to all credits. "The Senate should take up the matter immediately," Lew said in a letter to McConnell. "Delay will only jeopardize the ability of Congress to conclude its work before July 1, a critical deadline Puerto Rico's leadership has publicly highlighted for months." While Puerto Ricans want some sort of relief from the debt their government is saddled with, many of the 3.5 million residents, who are U.S. citizens, nonetheless worry that the proposed seven-member oversight board will trample on San Juan's self-governing rights. "The bill is not perfect. I do not like the board. I do not like that it doesn't add a mechanism to make our economy grow, but what is the alternative right now? That is why I call on the Senate to vote for this bill," Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said during a panel discussion last week in Washington. Without PROMESA, an existing trickle of lawsuits could turn into a flood. In April when there was little sign of congressional action, Puerto Rico's legislature passed a local debt moratorium law giving Garcia Padilla the authority to withhold debt payments. Investors on June 21 filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court calling the Puerto Rico Emergency Moratorium and Rehabilitation Act illegal. "We are at the mercy of the judge," Garcia Padilla said during the panel discussion. PROMESA, if signed into law, puts an immediate stay, or hold, on any future lawsuits and is retroactive to December 2015. The stay remains in effect until the debt has been restructured to a sustainable level with the goal being an orderly restructuring an sustainable amount of debt. (Reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington and Daniel Bases in New York, additional reporting by Susan Cornwell in Washington; editing by Chris Reese and G Crosse)
London (AFP) - Defending champion Serena Williams reached the Wimbledon second round Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic as her mother watched from the front row of the Royal Box.
The 34-year-old world number one, chasing a seventh Wimbledon title and record-equalling 22nd major, took her Grand Slam career record in first rounds to a formidable 63 wins against just one defeat.
She next faces fellow American Christina McHale for a place in the last 32.
"My mom was up there in the Royal Box, so that was nice," said the American star after giving mother Oracene Price an afternoon to remember on Centre Court.
"I will have to get my dad out here now."
Williams claimed victory over world number 148 Sadikovic on a second match point courtesy of a successful Hawk-Eye challenge.
"I never underestimate any opponent. I always expect the best of myself," added Williams, who won 12 straight points at the start of the match to open a 3-0 lead.
However, not everyone gave her the royal seal of approval.
"It was one of the worst serving efforts I've seen from Serena. This is what is giving other players hope," said US legend John McEnroe, commentating for the BBC.
By Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's prime minister on Tuesday urged British companies wanting to continue trading with the European Union to move to his country after the British vote to quit the bloc. "They are thinking it is time, today, to go to Belgium and work in Belgium," Charles Michel told Reuters, citing a poll which he said found one British business in five was thinking of moving out in the wake of last week's Brexit referendum. "We are in the heart of Europe," he added. "We have a business-friendly government. We want to develop the attractivity of our country and there are many opportunities in Belgium to invest and Belgium's a good hub." Belgian officials stress that the government would have much preferred Britain to stay in a bloc in which Belgium is a strong supporter of closer European integration. But if British business was on the move to the continent, they wanted a share. "If they do, I would prefer if they came to Belgium, Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels and not, for example, the Netherlands," Michel told Belgian public radio. By contrast, the president of Belgium's northern region of Flanders, which exports some 27 billion euros ($30 billion) of goods per year to Britain, called for caution after the Brexit vote. "We should not antagonize the British," said Geert Bourgeois, who has pleaded for a soft Brexit in order to limit damage to Flemish exporters. Belgium is the euro zone's sixth-largest economy, and one of the world's most open, with Flemish exports to Britain ranging from textiles to food including fruit and chocolate. The region regularly goes on joint trade missions with the Dutch. Michel told the radio he did not intend his plan to be provocative, adding: "But I don't plan to let Belgium pay the bill for Brexit." ($1 = 0.9046 euros) (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Gareth Jones)
Sheila E. is honoring her friend, frequent collaborator and one-time flame Prince once again with a new song.
After the music icon died in April, Sheila E. (short for Escovedo) was moved to write a track to pay tribute to him.
An emotional piano ballad, "Girl Meets Boy" and its accompanying music video, premiering exclusively with PEOPLE, finds the famous drummer poignantly reminiscing on her 38 years of friendship with Prince.
Sheila E. Honors Prince in Emotional New Song 'Girl Meets Boy'| BET Awards, Music News, Prince, Sheila E.
"I was just a girl / and when I saw your face, you were just a boy / But you rocked my world / and deep inside, I know that I did the same / I let your love rain down on me," sings the musician, 58. Forgoing her customary drums, she breaks down in tears on a piano bench, as a tattoo of Prince's love symbol is visible on her left forearm, and pictures from their youth flash in the clip. "When you left, it rained on me."
In addition to the aching song, Sheila E. who performed a heartfelt medley of Prince songs at the BET Awards Sunday wrote a tribute to her departed pal exclusively for PEOPLE:
There have been so many thoughts, words, emotions, and memories shared as a result of the loss of Prince. Even reading those last three words seem surreal.
When we first met at a concert, as the story has been told, he was an aspiring artist, unbeknownst to most, and to my surprise, a fan of Sheila Escovedo. We were both child-like, embarking on a journey in an industry where innocence is a commodity and dreams are lost everyday. Months later, I found myself in an audience screaming at the antics of a boy who had become somewhat of a wild child since I met him. Prince was still just a kid, but the energy and musicianship that he displayed implied that he was going to be a man whose force no one could reckon with. Needless to say, now it was I who was the fan.
Sheila E. Honors Prince in Emotional New Song 'Girl Meets Boy'| BET Awards, Music News, Prince, Sheila E.
In getting to know him as a friend and collaborator, I found that special something, in that special someone, which a girl dreams about and, secretly, hopes for. We played as children will, we laughed, we dared, and we challenged; not only each other but also the world and industry that said a girl couldn't and a boy shouldn't. He believed in me and I believed in him.
In being chosen to open for Prince during The Purple Rain Tour, we embraced our growth together, as artists and as people. We still played as children will, but the world of sparse innocence and demand of dreams took its toll and the child like laughter was replaced by the responsibilities of adult life. But for Prince, that was only another challenge and instead of retreating, he boldly went forth, like a fairytale Prince might do, which only encouraged me to follow. More collaboration, more music, and tours would follow. He, leading the band and the masses. Me, pounding on drums and providing rhythm to the music the world loved, for a man whom I loved.
As time often does in the lives of girls and boys, we drifted apart, but never away. He grew into a conqueror of rules, and a provider of dreams for millions.
I still, and always will, provide the rhythm of his music and memory, whether through my music, drums, words, or the beating of my heart.
Until we play again, rest in peace. Sheila E.
Sheila E. Honors Prince in Emotional New Song 'Girl Meets Boy'| BET Awards, Music News, Prince, Sheila E.
Sheila E. and Prince began working in the studio together shortly after they met in 1978, collaborating on her 1984 hit "The Glamourous Life" and touring and playing together on and off for years.
Prince was 57 when he was found dead at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21. Six weeks later, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office released a statement revealing he had died of an accidental opioid overdose after self-administering the prescription painkiller fentanyl. Having left no will behind, the fate of the icon's estimated $250 million estate remains unsettled.
Las Vegas performers Siegfried & Roy are getting the biopic treatment.
The German magicians and entertainers, who were a Las Vegas institution before an onstage tiger attack brought a sudden end to their careers, have signed a deal for a film version of their extraordinary lives.
Philipp Stolzl, director of 2013 period drama The Physician, has signed on to helm the project for German studio UFA Fiction. Physician screenwriter Jan Berger will pen the script. UFA's co-CEO Nico Hofmann will produce.
"The image of Siegfried and Roy floating down onto the stage in their fantastical outfits, landing amidst a pack of snow-white tigers, has been burned into my mind since I was a boy," Stolzl said Monday in a statement. "It was truly out of this world. Being able to tell the story of Siegfried and Roy, covering all their successes, desires and dreams, is a wonderful gift that comes with a special set of challenges for me as a director."
The magicians themselves, Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Horn, will act as executive producers via their S&R Enterprises shingle, together with Sebastian Werninger and S&R's Jan Mewes. Pixomondo, the VFX firm which counts Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead among its credits, will handle visual effects on the project.
Read More: Presto! How David Copperfield Found a New Career in Film
Siegfried and Roy's high-camp style magic show, involving white lions and tigers, was incredibly successful. It is estimated that more than 25 million people saw their Las Vegas show at the Mirage Resort and Casino. But the duo came under attack from animal rights activists who disapproved of their use of live animals in their act.
The Las Vegas show ran from 1990 to 2003, when a white tiger called Mantecore attacked Roy during a live performance and hauled him offstage, causing serious injury. Roy was left partially paralyzed by the attack and, after a brief comeback in 2010, the pair retired from show business. The tiger was not put down and survived until its death of natural causes in 2014.
Story continues
Siegfried and Roy's act was the basis of NBC's short-lived primetime animated series Father of the Pride, which was nearly canceled after the tiger attack on Roy.
Siegfried and Roy said they were "excited and very honored" that Hofmann, whom they described as "Germany's most successful film producer," would be adapting their life story for the screen.
Hofmann said it had long been a dream of his to work with the pair. "This isn't just a story of two Germans who became world stars," he said, "it is, above all, a story of diving into the world of magic. Siegfried and Roy's life's work is an almost unbelievable source of energy and creativity."
Read More: Tiger That Mauled Siegfried & Roy Magician Dies at 17
The Platinum and Palladium Rings Join an Existing Range that Includes Tungsten, Titanium, and Traditional Metals
WELLINGTON, NZ / ACCESSWIRE / June 28, 2016 / Simply Suave, a New Zealand-based jeweler that specializes in affordable wedding bands, recently announced its decision to expand its existing collection to include platinum and palladium rings. The companys range, which already features gold and platinum rings, also contains cobalt chrome, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten pieces.
At this time, Simply Suave sells men and womens rings, bracelets, and earrings. The company also creates custom wedding rings, which come in unlimited options and give clients the chance to explore new metals. Simply Suave designs mockups of each ring before creating it, and the rings take about three weeks to be delivered.
In addition to titanium rings, tungsten rings are some of Simply Suaves most popular pieces. Forged in the intense heat and pressure of volcanic eruptions, tungsten is considered to be harder than gold, scratch-resistant, and almost indestructible. In addition o having one of the highest melting point of all metals on Earth, it often outshines similar metals.
Simply Suave combines tungsten and an iron alloy to create three distinct colors in its tungsten ring range: classic gray, white, and black. The resilient characteristics of tungsten help jewelers create diverse designs, and its versatility makes it appealing to men and women. Couples often consider tungsten bands to be representations of their unshakeable and passionate relationships.
As a family owned business, we are proud to have been part of over thousands of weddings in New Zealand and across the world over the last decade, stated a representative of Simply Suave. Thrilling our customers is a privilege we hold dear. Our range of fine rings and wedding bands, are hand designed, supremely finished and made only from the purest metal and materials backed by our best in the industry 5 Year Guarantee.
Story continues
Individuals interested in learning more about Simply Suave and its mens wedding ring collection can visit the companys website for additional information.
About Simply Suave:
Simply Suave is a Wellington, New Zealand-based jeweler that is proud to offer affordable wedding bands that never compromise on quality. In business since 2010, the company specialises in rings and wedding bands made of contemporary metals such as tungsten and titanium, as well as traditional metals such as gold and platinum. For more information, please visit https://simplysuave.co.nz
Contact:
Harry Mohan
contact@simplysuave.co.nz
0800 886 478
SOURCE: Simply Suave
(Adds Stockbridge Capital declining to comment)
June 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's sovereign-wealth fund GIC is in talks to buy Denver-based Yes Communities, an owner of manufactured-housing communities, in a $2 billion deal, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The talks with private equity firm Stockbridge Capital Group could still break down, the WSJ said, citing people familiar with the matter. (http://on.wsj.com/294WiDc)
Yes owns or operates 178 communities in 17 American states.
GIC and Stockbridge Capital declined to comment. Yes Communities did not respond to a request for a comment.
(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)
By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - International powers should keep out of Cambodian domestic politics, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned on Tuesday, as he posed for selfies with supporters and played down tension between his ruling party and the opposition. An opposition win in an election due in 2018 could tip the country back into civil war, the quixotic Cambodian strong man has warned. Foreign governments have accused him of intimidating his political opponents ahead of the vote. Those who portrayed the country as experiencing a political crisis were guilty of a "dishonest trick to deceive public opinion," Hun Sen said in the capital, Phnom Penh. "They must not misconstrue individual mistakes as political issues and put pressure on the courts," he added, in a reference to foreign governments and international institutions. "That is an insult to people, state institutions and a dangerous adventure for the nation." Last month, the European parliament threatened to review nearly half a billion dollars of aid to Cambodia if Hun Sen's government continued to harass political opponents. The United Nations and the United States have called for dialogue between the two sides. Tension has risen in Cambodia as opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha face legal charges they say have been trumped up by a judiciary in thrall to Hun Sen. The Cambodian prime minister says if they have committed crimes, they must face the legal consequences. The opposition says the prime minister has started a campaign against it early, to weaken its campaigning ahead of the election. At the last vote in 2013, a strong performance by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) nearly cost Hun Sen the premiership. Sokha has spent one month in hiding inside the CNRP headquarters as he seeks to evade arrest, while Rainsy is in self-imposed exile to avoid arrest on charges for which he had previously received a royal pardon. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Simon Webb and Clarence Fernandez)
By Farah Master TANMEN, China (Reuters) - Ornaments made from the shells of endangered giant clams, renowned in China for having auspicious powers and the luster of ivory, have become coveted luxuries, a trend which has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem of the South China Sea. China banned harvesting of giant clams last year but in the tiny seaside town Tanmen on the southern island of Hainan, most stores still sell products made from the over four-foot-wide shells. The once sleepy fishing village has transformed over the past three years to harvest clams on an industrial scale. There are around 460 handicraft retailers, compared to 15 in 2012, with the industry now supporting around 100,000 people. The price of giant clams has risen 40-fold over the past five years, while the plundering of the seabed has led to severe degradation of the reefs, scientists and academics said. "With rising tensions in the South China Sea, Tanmen fishermen's important role in strengthening China's claims in the disputed waters and supporting the People's Liberation Army navy are recognized by the Chinese government," said Zhang Hongzhou, an associate research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. "As a result, authorities have turned a blind eye." China claims almost the whole South China Sea, setting it at odds with rival claims from its Southeast Asian neighbors, including the Philippines. The region accounts for more than a tenth of global fisheries production. The Qionghai government, which looks after Tanmen, announced in March 2015 that it would strictly enforce the ban on digging, carrying and selling of endangered marine species including the giant clams. "The government is enforcing the ban," said Zhang Hongying, an official at the Qionghai government foreign affairs office. Another official called Zhao said the authorities were not doing anything to support the industry. "If the business is legal, our government won't stop people doing it," he said. "But theres no government file saying that we are going to do something to promote the shell industry." Fishermen said they had not been allowed to dig for clams since last year, while shop keepers said new supply remained tight. To harvest the clams, the entire reef has to be dug up, said Neo Mei Lin, a marine biologist at the National University of Singapore. "What used to be really good coral reefs in there have definitely been decimated over the last two to three years," Lin said. Tanmen fishermen's income has more than tripled over the last three years, according to media, while the town has urbanized rapidly with neatly paved roads and modern buildings. "I think the Hainanese have essentially taken out all the giant clam shells from the South China Sea, dead or alive," said Ed Gomez, a senior adviser at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute. But during a recent visit to Tanmen, stores lining the harbor promenade were mostly empty. Many retailers said business had dropped since April due to China's tough economic climate and soaring temperatures. "There are no tourists at the moment. We have to wait until September," said Yu Guo, owner of Xianyu Xuan craft store. Yu, from Beijing, came to Tanmen to buy property four years ago and set up the store with a local partner as the economy boomed. "In the good times, we could earn 10 million yuan ($1.52 million) per month," he said. (Additional reporting by Tris Pan; Editing by Nick Macfie)
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - The yield on Spain's 10-year government bonds fell below its Italian counterpart for the first time in almost a year on Tuesday.
Spanish bond yields, which posted their biggest one-day fall for two years on Monday on hopes of an end to political deadlock, fell a further 13 basis points on Tuesday to 1.33 percent.
Italian 10-year yields fell 8 bps to 1.35 percent but the gap between those and Spanish peers was at its tightest since July 2015.
Bond yields in peripheral eurozone states were dragged lower by expectations of further monetary easing by the European Central Bank to mitigate the fallout from last week's Brexit vote.
(Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Venkat Desirazu
India is a land that lives by size and nothing speaks volume like the size of your car. For those who dont see enough from luxury sedans or premium hatchbacks, there are always big SUVs. We have a large range of European models on sale today like the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS which have been in the market for a bit and have developed a fan following.
However, there will be a new entrant looking to break the ranks and this time it is an American in the form of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Fiat showcased the brand at the 2016 Auto Expo and will launch the Grand Cherokee as the second vehicle in the range later this year. Obviously, given what we do, there just had to be a comparison between the three and so here you go
Dimensions
If size is your thing then these cars seem to have a lot of it. T he Mercedes-Benz GLS is the largest of the lot as it measures 5.13metres as compared to the Q7s 5.05metres and the Jeep Grand Cherokees 4.82metres. Its a similar story for wheelbases too where the GLS tops out at 3.07metres while the Q7 is marginally smaller at 2.99metres. The Grand Cherokee shares the second spot in this fight as it is 2.95metres, which compared to the Q7 is almost negligible. These cars are large in size, have subtle hints of chrome and high stance giving them solid road presence. However, the Q7 and the GLS in that typical German fashion are a bit understated while the Grand Cherokee is a bit louder.
Engine and performance
The Grand Cherokee in standard form is offered with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine producing 240bhp and 570Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed AT and an AWD system. The GLS too gets a 3.0-litre V6 diesel which produces 258bhp and 620Nm of torque. The car is now offered with a 9G-Tronic AT. Finally, the Audi Q7 also gets a 3.0-litre V6 diesel that produces 245bhp and 600Nm of torque with power going to all four wheels via an eight-speed AT.
These cars are also offered in high performance formats which are basically the Audi SQ7, GLS63 AMG and the Grand Cherokee SRT and of this only the SQ7 is a high performance diesel. The Mercs power plant is a 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 577bhp and 760Nm of torque while the Grand Cherokee SRT gets its jollies from a 6.4-litre V8 that produces 469bhp and 630Nm of torque. Finally the Audis heart is a 4.0-litre V8 diesel that produces 432bhp and a massive 900Nm of torque. This number has been achieved in part due to a new electric turbocharger. Both the SRT and SQ7 will be launched by the end of the year while the GLS63 AMG is likely to be launched here sometime in 2017.
Equipment
At prices ranging above 50 lakhs you can be assured of things like climate control, leather seats, a multitude of electronically adjustable things as well as an infotainment system with as many menus as possible. The GLS and Q7 are both seven-seaters which instantly gives them an advantage over the Cherokee which will arrive only in five-seater guise for the Indian market. The GLS is only offered in the 350d trim level which is basically one fully loaded model. So what we have done then is to decipher the difference between the two variants of the Q7 and the Grand Cherokee. There is a Rs 7 lakh difference between the variants of the Q7 but this additional difference is the price of cornering headlamps, 360 camera system and Audis new virtual instrument cluster which it has dubbed as virtual cockpit. It is a much more detailed story in the Grand Cherokee where the variants have differences in terms of the leather trim, music system, body cladding, exhaust tips and electric adjustment for the steering wheel. We believe that they will be priced apart much further than the Q7 variants.
Price (Ex-showroom Delhi)
The Audi Q7 has been priced in the range of Rs 72 lakh to Rs 79 lakh while the Mercedes-Benz GLS is available in a single trim level and has been priced at Rs 82.36 lakh. We believe that Jeep will price the Cherokee in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 80 lakh for the top-of-the-line SRT performance model. The Q7 and GLS are locally assembled while the Cherokee will begin its Indian innings as CBU and depending on demand may get locally assembled.
For more news,reviews,videos and information about cars, visit CarWale.com.
Check On-Road Prices | Find New Cars | Upcoming Cars | Compare Cars | Dealer Locator
If youre reading this, it might be time to power down your laptop or smartphone and head outdoors.
Researchers from the University of Queensland found that city residents who spend at least 30 minutes outdoors each week had a reduced risk of depression and high blood pressure.
The study estimates that if every one spent half an hour in their local park during the course of a week, the population of these illnesses would decrease by 7 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively.
Weve known for a long time that visiting parks is good for our health, but we are now beginning to establish exactly how much time we need to spend in parks to gain these benefits, says researcher Richard Fuller.
Fuller and colleagues analyzed data from 1,538 residents of Brisbane City, examining the state of their mental health as well as their exposure to nature. Participants in the study were asked to detail the average amount of time spent in green spaces as well as the intensity of the nature in the space, measured by the amount and complexity of vegetation in the space.
Given that 5.4 per cent of Canadians suffer from some form of mood disorder or depression, and that metal illness in Canada costs the public health care system $51 billion each year, the use of green spaces could be a way to lighten the burden.
If youre still clinging to the couch cushions of the great indoors, the study also found that those who frequently spent time in nature were also more comfortable in social situations.
Researchers believe the health and social benefits of green spaces could be linked to reduced stress and mental fatigue. Also, green spaces provide a pleasant location for exercising and friends to gather and socialize.
Despite this, more research is required to determine what long-term and lasting health effects the intensity, frequency and duration of nature exposure has on a person.
Stephanie March is getting candid about an extremely difficult time in her life.
The 41-year-old actress opens up about the serious health problems she faced when she got breast implants in 2014 in a new essay for Refinery 29, as well as how her personal life was spiraling out of control at the same time.
March admits that in hindsight, getting plastic surgery was the wrong decision for her from the very start. March says her life was "disintegrating" at the time, so she decided to change her body, because she couldn't change her life. Although the former Law & Order: SVU cast member doesn't mention her ex-husband -- celeb chef Bobby Flay -- by name, she does give some insight into their difficult 2015 split.
WATCH: Someone Flew a 'Cheater' Banner Over Bobby Flay's Walk of Fame Ceremony
"Couldn't get a job I wanted on camera, couldn't get attention for my production projects, couldn't travel the world far enough or fast enough or immerse myself in philanthropy enough to make it all go away," she shares. " ... See, the other thing that was happening was that my marriage of nearly 10 years (and 14 together) was falling apart. And nothing, nothing was helping me cope. Not therapy, not patience, not wine-soaked dinners with friends where I 'got it all out.'"
"I could not fix it -- any of it. My job. My relationship. My life. Not a damn thing," she admits. "But not being one to sit on a problem, I decided to try one last thing. And what I did next was exactly what you are not supposed to do when it comes to plastic surgery."
March says she was initially happy with the results after she went under the knife in August 2014, but says both Flay and her close friends were bewildered by her decision.
"In five weeks I looked darn good," she recalls. "Skinny from my misery. Nice breasts from my wallet. My life may have been falling apart, but this? This was pretty good."
Story continues
Although, that all changed in early October, when her right implant became infected and the seams of the scar on her right breast burst. Her doctor immediately removed the implant, but March wanted it put back in.
"One morning in early October I sat up in bed and felt a sickening wet mucus sliding down my chest," March recalls. "It was everywhere, soaking my shirt and the sheets. I raced to my surgeon's office. He shot me full of anesthesia, deftly removed the entire implant, cleaned and packed the wound, and immediately sent me to an infectious disease doctor."
"I had a hole in my breast for six weeks while I blasted my body with antibiotics," she continues. "I had the implant put back in. I had another infection and rupture on Christmas Eve. I had it taken out again. I had more cultures and tests and conversations with doctors than I care to recall."
March now says she is simply allergic to implants, and stresses that she does not blame her surgeon. In April 2015, she finally came to the decision to take her implants out for good.
"By this point, my marriage had completely tanked, it was all over the tabloids, and my mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and moved in with me for her treatment," she says. "It was time to move on and deal with my life. I said, 'Enough of this. I have other things to worry about. Take them out. I'm done with this project.'"
March later gets candid about being self-conscious about "new people" seeing her breasts given that she was going to date again after her divorce -- but it turns out she had nothing to worry about when it came to her new partner. March is reportedly dating hedge fund manager and technology investor Dan Benton.
PatrickMcMullan.com
"And yes, a new person has seen my breasts," March writes. "It felt awkward at first: Those scars announce news about my medical history a little earlier than I might have wanted to share it. ... He seems not to mind. In fact, he has been quite tender about it."
Despite her harrowing experience, March doesn't rule out plastic surgery in the future.
"I want to say clearly and truly that I have no problem with plastic surgery. None whatsoever," she stresses. "It's a private matter. It's nobody's business. It often turns out just fine. And I fully anticipate my revisiting it in the years to come, if I'm being honest."
But for now, she is healthy and happy just as she is.
"I have accepted this episode as a part of my larger story. And I refuse to be ashamed of it," she says. "I am taking back my body, my story, and myself in a bathing suit."
"And now, I anticipate summer of 2016 with great joy," she adds. "I will be poolside, beachside, and swimming -- and perhaps, in a more daring moment (with a margarita nearby), I will be topless. I have nothing to hide."
WATCH: Bobby Flay and Stephanie March Reach an Amicable Divorce Settlement
Meanwhile, Flay, 51, has moved on as well after the two reached an amicable divorce settlement last July. This past March, Flay looked happy and cozy with 31-year-old Masters of Sex actress Helene Yorke after he attended her Broadway musical, American Psycho, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York City.
The couple hasn't been shy about their relationship on social media.
Watch below:
Related Articles
Last Friday, Kanye West debuted the new video for Famous, his first single off of his Life of Pablo album. West showed the video to a bunch of fans at the Forum in Los Angeles, California, and streamed it live on the music service, Tidal. In the not-safe-for-work video, Kanye is laying in bed naked with other celebs like Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, Bill Cosby, Caitlyn Jenner, and many others. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the talk show host discussed the fact that the other celebs are clearly just some sort of wax or silicone statues, and it doesnt seem like Kanye got anyones permission to use their likeness. Over the weekend, Kanye tweeted out, Can somebody sue me already, because he apparently wasnt getting the backlash he was hoping to get. On the show, Colbert jokingly said he would sue Kanye for cutting him out of the video. Stephen then showed a clip from the Famous video that he claimed was edited out of the original. The clip showed a naked Colbert, laying in bed with everyone else and eating crackers.
Steve Madden is notorious for stepping on the toes of other shoe designers. (Photo: Getty Images)
Litigious luxury shoe brand Aquazzura is at it again. As Yahoo Style reported last week, the Italian company is suing Ivanka Trump and Marc Fisher for copying three popular footwear designs. Now Aquazzura has filed a similar suit against Steve Madden, also for lifting a trio of designs Christy, Sexy Thing, and Wild Thing (which Trump was also accused of stealing) according to Womens Wear Daily.
Founder Edgardo Osorios complaint states: Defendants predatory business model depends on copying these and other popular Aquazzura designs, which are virtually identical but of lower quality than Aquazzuras luxury products. One of the designs Madden is being accused of knocking off, the Christy shoe, has actually been patented by the Florence-based company.
Steve Madden has developed quite a reputation for stealing other, often high-end brands creative visions. In 2009, Alexander McQueen took Madden to court for ripping off his Faithful high-heeled bootie, according to New York magazines the Cut. Then, in 2014, his company was sued by Balenciaga for selling a studied copy of the French fashion labels Motorcycle bag, according to the Fashion Law. Back in 2009, New York magazine reported that Balenciaga filed suit against Madden for imitating its undeniably distinctive Lego shoe, which retailed for $4,175 and was famously worn by Beyonce at the 2007 American Music Awards.
As Yahoo Finance reported, Madden was also the subject of a lawsuit lodged by Stella McCartney last year for copying her labels Falabella bag. As if thats not enough, the same year, Skechers sued Madden for replicating its Go Walk shoe line.
All cases were settled out of court, so if history is any indication, the Aquazurra case will follow suit.
Madden has gone on record to defend his brands rampant copycatting, brushing off the Balenciaga accusation as silly and stupid, according to the Fashion Law. He brazenly said of the McQueen knockoff: Im sure they were alike. Yeah, of course they were. We see millions of shoes. We are influenced by everything that goes on.
Story continues
In a strange and grandiose turn, Madden even compared his legal troubles to those of the Beatles. In 2013, he told the New York Times, I am not embarrassed by [the lawsuits] whatsoever. I mean, George Harrison was sued for My Sweet Lord, right? And John Lennon was sued over Come Together.
Weve yet to see how far Maddens long and winding road of litigation will go.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
(Adds Tusk, Smith comments from Brussels)
By Elisabeth O'Leary
EDINBURGH June 28 (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will meet European Parliament leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to seek a way for Scotland to remain in the European Union.
Scotland voted decisively to stay in the EU in last week's referendum, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted in favour of Brexit.
Sturgeon has called the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU "democratically unacceptable" and said she would take all necessary steps to prevent it, including revisiting the issue of independence from the United Kingdom.
In an initial visit to Brussels on Wednesday she would set out Scotland's position to the speaker of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and to representatives of the major groups of European lawmakers, she said.
However Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council which defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities, will not be meeting Sturgeon, his spokesman said, because he did not think it was an appropriate time.
Sturgeon said she also intended to discuss the Scottish issue directly with the European Commission, the EU's executive body.
"Our early priority has been to ensure that there is a widespread awareness across Europe of Scotland's different choice in the referendum and of our aspiration to stay in the EU," she told the Scottish parliament.
She said she had already discussed the fallout from the Brexit vote with the president and prime minister of Ireland, and that the Scottish government was directly in touch with the governments of other EU member states.
Earlier a European lawmaker for Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) called on European Union colleagues to respect that the Scottish vote had diverged from the British one.
"Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, 'chers collegues,' do not let Scotland down now," said Alyn Smith, winning a standing ovation from his counterparts.
Story continues
INDEPENDENCE?
Sturgeon has said the results of the EU referendum showed a split between Scotland and the rest of the UK and that a second independence referendum was now "highly likely".
Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum in which EU membership was presented as one of the key advantages of remaining part of the UK.
Sturgeon argues that the Brexit vote has changed the context so profoundly that Scots should be able to vote again on the issue, should independence turn out to be the best way for Scotland to remain an EU member.
Polls show some indication that support for independence has risen since the Brexit vote, though there are also doubts on how long such support may be sustained.
The Scottish arm of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, which is the main opposition to the SNP in the Scottish parliament, attacked Sturgeon for linking the EU issue to the possibility of a second independence referendum.
"You do not dampen the shockwaves caused by one referendum by lighting the fuse for another," Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told the parliament in Edinburgh.
"(The Brexit vote) does not break the continuing logic of our sharing power with the UK, not splitting from it."
(Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London, Philip Blenkinsop and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; writing by Estelle Shirbon and Elisabeth O'Leary; editing by Stephen Addison)
By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will meet European Parliament leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to seek a way for Scotland to remain in the European Union. Scotland voted decisively to stay in the EU in last week's referendum, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted in favour of Brexit. Sturgeon has called the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU "democratically unacceptable" and said she would take all necessary steps to prevent it, including revisiting the issue of independence from the United Kingdom. In an initial visit to Brussels on Wednesday she would set out Scotland's position to the speaker of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and to representatives of the major groups of European lawmakers, she said. However Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council which defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities, will not be meeting Sturgeon, his spokesman said, because he did not think it was an appropriate time. Sturgeon said she also intended to discuss the Scottish issue directly with the European Commission, the EU's executive body. "Our early priority has been to ensure that there is a widespread awareness across Europe of Scotland's different choice in the referendum and of our aspiration to stay in the EU," she told the Scottish parliament. She said she had already discussed the fallout from the Brexit vote with the president and prime minister of Ireland, and that the Scottish government was directly in touch with the governments of other EU member states. Earlier a European lawmaker for Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) called on European Union colleagues to respect that the Scottish vote had diverged from the British one. "Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, 'chers collegues,' do not let Scotland down now," said Alyn Smith, winning a standing ovation from his counterparts. INDEPENDENCE? Sturgeon has said the results of the EU referendum showed a split between Scotland and the rest of the UK and that a second independence referendum was now "highly likely". Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum in which EU membership was presented as one of the key advantages of remaining part of the UK. Sturgeon argues that the Brexit vote has changed the context so profoundly that Scots should be able to vote again on the issue, should independence turn out to be the best way for Scotland to remain an EU member. Polls show some indication that support for independence has risen since the Brexit vote, though there are also doubts on how long such support may be sustained. The Scottish arm of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, which is the main opposition to the SNP in the Scottish parliament, attacked Sturgeon for linking the EU issue to the possibility of a second independence referendum. "You do not dampen the shockwaves caused by one referendum by lighting the fuse for another," Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told the parliament in Edinburgh. "(The Brexit vote) does not break the continuing logic of our sharing power with the UK, not splitting from it." (Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London, Philip Blenkinsop and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; writing by Estelle Shirbon and Elisabeth O'Leary; editing by Stephen Addison)
Edinburgh (AFP) - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would travel to Brussels on Wednesday for talks to defend Scotland's place in the European Union after a vote by Britain as a whole to leave the bloc.
Sturgeon said she was "utterly determined" to protect Scotland as she obtained a formal mandate for direct talks with the European Union institutions at an emergency session of the Scottish parliament.
"Tomorrow I will make an initial visit to Brussels to set out Scotland's position and interests" to European Parliament leaders, Sturgeon said.
"Through all of this I am determined, utterly determined, to preserve Scotland's relationship and place within the EU," said Sturgeon, head of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).
Britain as a whole voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU but Scotland voted strongly for Britain to remain -- by 62 percent to 38 percent.
However, European Council President Donald Tusk has refused a meeting with the first minister, according to a source in the group of EU leaders.
"Sturgeon requested a meeting with president Tusk, but Tusk thinks it's not the appropriate moment," the source said.
Scotland is to draw up legislation for a new independence referendum to ensure it could be held during any negotiations for Britain to leave the EU, which would last a maximum of two years unless all EU member states agreed to extend them.
Outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled Sturgeon's initiative out, saying Scots had already voted against independence in 2014, and the referendum would require the authority of the British parliament to go ahead.
"The last thing Scotland needs now is another divisive referendum," his spokeswoman said earlier.
But Sturgeon stressed the circumstances had changed since 2014 and Scotland was in "uncharted territory" and that a new referendum was now "highly likely".
Story continues
- Standing ovation -
Gibraltar, the rock outcrop on Spain's southern tip that was ceded to Britain 300 years ago, also voted to remain within the EU and is seeking to stay in the bloc.
"Technical experts" from both Scotland and Gibraltar are to meet to review the possibility of both remaining in the EU, according to a statement from Gibraltar.
Sturgeon is due to meet European Parliament president Martin Schulz on Wednesday, along with senior liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt.
Scottish SNP member of the European Parliament Alyn Smith called on it to stand by Scotland in an impassioned speech earlier on Tuesday in which he described himself as "proudly European".
"Scotland did not let you down... Chers collegues, do not let Scotland down now," Smith implored in a mix of French and English, bringing fellow MEPs to their feet in a standing ovation.
Experts have said one way in which Scotland could remain in the EU would be if it became independent and then applied to be a "successor state", effectively inheriting Britain's EU membership.
- 'Extreme turbulence' -
As Sturgeon addressed the Scottish parliament, hundreds of pro-EU campaigners rallied outside the building.
"We want to give a message to Brussels that we want to stay," said Joana Barrett, a 33-year-old children's charity worker.
Richard Taylor, 48, a computer technician, said: "I feel very strongly about the issue of Scotland staying in the EU."
On the possibility of Scotland becoming independent, he said the "chances have increased".
Gordon Love, a 52-year-old fencing instructor attending the rally, said: "We are at a moment of extreme turbulence, change and instability."
Jack Kelly, 22, said the result was "terrible for our country and it is going to have dark consequences".
But 71-year-old Sandra Black said she was among the third of Scottish voters who wanted Britain to leave the EU.
"I was against the extra control above our country," she said.
Speaking in London, Sturgeon's predecessor Alex Salmond, now a leading SNP lawmaker in the British parliament, said he expected a new independence referendum "in the two and a half years coming" if it was the only way of staying in the EU.
"We've already seen from European politicians in many, many countries, significant European politicians, a great expression of sympathy and solidarity with Scotland's position," Salmond told AFP.
He praised Sturgeon's leadership amid the current political turmoil in Britain's two main parties -- the Conservatives and Labour.
Sturgeon "has been the only politician on these islands with a steady, clear view of the road ahead and the politicians at Westminster have been running around like headless chickens," he said.
Willow Smith's First Chanel Campaign Has Arrived [Instagram]
Since being named as a Chanel brand ambassador in March, Willow Smith has been a front-row fixture at Karl Lagerfeld's various shows around the globe. But now, the Society Management-signed model has just made her relationship with the brand campaign official. Like Chanel muses Kristen Stewart and Lily-Rose Depp before her, Smith is being initiated into the French fashion house by starring in an eyewear ad for the fall 2016 collection.
Adidas Resurrects '90s Kate Moss Photo for Relaunch of Gazelles [Business of Fashion]
Adidas is hoping to have another Stan Smith-type success with the relaunch of one of its other vintage styles, the Gazelle. To reintroduce the classic trainer, Adidas has partnered with digital artist Doug Abraham, better known by his Instagram handle, @bessnyc4, to give new life to an archive photo of Kate Moss wearing Gazelles in 1993. Adidas consultant and curator Gary Aspden remarked of the project: "Like the Gazelle, Kate Moss is just as relevant in 2016 as she was back in the 1990s, which is why the image works so well."
"Gazelles were THE trainer we all wore in the 90's. They have a timeless look that just doesn't date. I was and always have been an adidas girl." - Kate Moss
A photo posted by adidas (@adidas) on Jun 27, 2016 at 11:07am PDT
Cosmopolitan's Amy Odell Is Now Digital Editorial Director of Redbook, Too [WWD]
Amy Odell, site director of Cosmopolitan.com, has added a new job at Redbook, Cosmo's sister publication, to her list of titles. The editor has been named as the digital editorial director for Redbook.com, and will oversee editorial content for the site. Ashley Mateo, who has been named as Redbook's website director, will report to Odell. Meanwhile, Odell will continue to report to Kate Lewis, Hearst Digital Magazines senior vp and editorial director.
Vetements Announces Collaborations with 18 Brands [The Cut]
Story continues
DHL isn't the only brand getting a little love from Vetements. It was revealed that the most-buzzed about brand in Paris would be partnering with 18 brands - including Hanes, Manolo Blahnik, Juicy Couture and Levi's - for its upcoming spring presentation on Sunday at The Galeries Lafayette department store. Designer Demna Gvsalia tells The Cut's Cathy Horyn that the decision to collaborate with so many brands was bred out of a desire "to work with manufacturers who specialize in each category - whether it's jeans, T-shirt, bomber jacket."
Karl Lagerfeld's First Real Estate Project [Pret-a-Reporter Inbox]
Karl Lagerfeld is undertaking a brand-new design project - but this one has nothing to do with apparel. For his first stateside real estate project, the Kaiser will design the lobbies of The Estates at Acqualina in Miami. In partnership with the Trump Group (unrelated to Donald), Lagerfeld will be creating the sunny interiors of the beachside residences. One only has to look as far as his 2017 resort collection for Chanel, which he showed in Havana, Cuba, to imagine what his tropical designs might look like.
Los Angeles (AFP) - Former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has filed a lawsuit against Chris Brown claiming that the R&B star did not hire adequate security at a nightclub where Knight was shot in 2014.
Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the suit also accuses the club's owners of failing to hire proper security at the party hosted by Brown and of allowing at least one armed person into the venue.
The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, alleges that the club -- 1 Oak -- should have taken special measures given that events hosted by the "Look at Me Now" artist had a history of violence.
Brown "was a known gang associate with a history of violence and had a well-documented track record of hosting events and/or parties in which violence frequently erupted," the suit states.
Knight survived gunshot wounds to the abdomen, chest and left forearm at the party and has said he has complications from those injuries, including a blood clot.
The rap music icon has been held behind bars since running over two men with his car, killing one, in January 2015 in Los Angeles.
Lawyers for Knight have argued he didn't intend to harm the two men outside a fast food joint in Compton and was trying to drive away after they attacked him with guns in broad daylight.
In the lawsuit filed on Monday, his lawyers linked the injuries he sustained at the nightclub shooting to the incident in Compton, saying they left him fearing for his life and still recovering.
"Mr Knight was still extremely frail from his gunshot injuries less than five months earlier," attorney J. Tooson wrote in a statement carried by US media.
"When the facts are finally revealed in this case, we're certain it will be apparent that our client was simply trying to flee for his life."
Tooson declined comment on the lawsuit on Monday and attorneys for Brown could not be immediately reached for comment.
Knight co-founded Death Row Records along with hip-hop music king Dr Dre in the early 1990s.
The label launched stars such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur but collapsed in 1996 when Knight was jailed for violating a probation order by beating up a rival in Las Vegas.
He again served a 10-month jail stint in 2003 after getting into a fight outside a Hollywood nightclub.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Suicide Squad, arguably the last big tentpole of the summer on Aug. 5, generated the most social media conversations at 66K last week according to ComScores PreAct, beating other highly anticipated movies such as Disneys Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Dec. 16) and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 18). All data is for the period of June 17-23.
star trek beyond
In addition, Suicide Squads total conversations on Pre-Act at 1.3M are beating the buzz on Paramounts threequel Star Trek Beyond which opens on July 22 by close to three-fold, Sonys Ghostbusters on July 15 by 1.65 times, Warner Bros. upcoming Independence Day weekend release The Legend of Tarzan by close to 12-fold and Disney/DreamWorks The BFG by nearly 14-fold.
Rogue One
In the wake of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justices dark tone polarizing DC fans, director David Ayer underwent reshoots for Suicide Squad. There was a trailer dropped at CinemaCon set to Sweets Ballroom Blitz that resonated with the exhibitors in the room. Suicide Squads social buzz stems from character posters, a new music video from the soundtrack and new footage dropping last week.
Typically conversation spikes on PreAct whenever a film releases marketing materials, but its remarkable to point out that Disneys Rogue One jumped to second during the span of June 17-23 due to the news that Darth Vader was definitely returning to the Star Wars saga, and Vader voiceover James Earl Jones too. Teaser posters and a recent featurette pushed Fantastic Beasts chatter while the news about Bryan Cranston joining the Power Rangers cast as floating head mentor Zordon generated close to 33K conversations for the Lionsgate movie, due out March 24, 2017; close to half of its total online conversation to date at 68K.
Granted, these films are at different stages of their publicity cycles, particularly those that are several weeks out, however, ComScore stacks the social conversation of all movies next to each other at the same point in time. During the period of June 10-16, Disneys Moana was leading all social conversations at 56K following the trailers debut online, followed by Sonys The Shallows (27K), Suicide Squad (19K) and Universals Furious 8 (17K).
Story continues
PreAct collects their information largely from Twitter conversations. Data is hard-counted and not extrapolated.
Heres the full chart from ComScore for the span of June 17-23:
Related stories
'Star Trek Beyond' Trailer: Rihanna Brings Her 'Sledgehammer' To The Soundtrack
'Suicide Squad's Jared Leto On The Joker As "Role Of A Lifetime", Interviewing Edward Snowden & Creative Freedom - Awardsline
'Lazer Team' Getting Japan Theatrical Release; MastersFX Opens Toronto Outpost - Global Briefs
Upcoming action movie 'Suicide Squad" generated the most online attention off the summer film schedule last week.
The Warner Bros. anti-hero movie featuring a host of DC Comics super villains recruited by a secret government agency was the subject of the most social media conversations at 66K from June 17-23, Deadline reports. The data is taken from comScore's PreAct.
The film, which is set for release on August 5, is generating more buzz on social media than Disney's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which is being released on December 16, and Warner Bros.'s Harry Potter spin-off "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
Her public profile in recent months has been far from flattering the younger woman who got tens of millions of dollars during the years she lived with Sumner Redstone, only to be tossed out of his Beverly Park mansion for allegedly having an affair with another man.
But now comes news that Sydney Holland sometime operator of a high-end dating service and one-time maker of eco-conscious yoga clothes did not just use her riches on an endless shopping spree. She is getting credit as an executive producer of an obscure documentary, but one that puts her in some A-list company.
Holland and her Rich Hippie Productions, a film financing and production company, are credited as part of the team that helped finance a documentary about life on a northern Minnesota Indian reservation. She funded post production on The Seventh Fire, according to first-time feature director Jack Pettibone Riccobono, who called Holland very passionate about the issues in the film focusing on how urban gang life has crept into rural Indian reservations.
In recent news accounts focused on Redstones twilight fight over control of his corporate empire, Holland, 45, has received unwanted attention as his former girlfriend. She got vast riches from the magnate, along with another long-time Redstone companion, Manuela Herzer, who last fall also was tossed out by the Viacom/CBS magnate. Court filings suggest the two collected a total of $150 million over five years.
Holland reportedly got the boot when Redstone learned that, while living with him, she had been carrying on an affair with a one-time actor. The Redstone ex made more headlines in recent weeks when news organizations reported she is seeking a role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
But Hollands involvement with the documentary puts her in a much different universe. She is joined as an executive producer on the film by acclaimed director Terrence Malick, Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman and several other film veterans.
Story continues
Hollands producing associate, Erik Fleming, had previously done some work on an Indian reservation in San Diego and had an interest in issues confronting Native Americans, said director Riccobono. Sydney and Erik were both pretty passionate about stories of redemption from addiction, said Riccobono. I think that is what spoke to them.
Hollands company cut a low profile in the industry during its few years of operation. Rich Hippie previously had several projects in development, including Unconscious, a psychological thriller that was to star Kate Bosworth and Wes Bentley. Riccobono said he had heard the company is no longer in operation.
The Seventh Fire focuses on gang leader Rob Brown and his return to prison for the fifth time, an experience that forces him to confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved American Indian community in northern Minnesota, according to the documentarys press release.
The film screened at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival and received some positive attention from critics. It is being distributed by New York-based Film Movement and opens July 22 at the Metrograph theater in New York and on July 29 at the Laemmle Royal in West Los Angeles.
Riccobono doesnt know about all those tabloid accounts of Holland. He called her a warm person, adding: Im sure she has a complicated history, like we all do. Im sure she is a more complex person than has been portrayed in the media.
Related stories
Sydney Holland Lists Secret Sedona Love Nest (EXCLUSIVE)
Jordanian Director Naji Abu Nowar's 'Theeb' Scoring Standout Box Office In Middle East
Film Movement Acquires U.S. Rights to Melanie Laurent's 'Breathe' (EXCLUSIVE)
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected appeals over abortion laws in Mississippi and Wisconsin, upholding the rulings of lower courts that blocked restrictions on abortion providers.
The laws in both states required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their abortion clinic, Reuters reported. In Mississippi, that would have meant the closure of the states only clinic.
The decisions, which were praised by abortion rights advocates, follow a landmark Supreme Court ruling on Monday that struck down similar abortion restrictions in Texasin what many consider to be the most significant abortion ruling in a generation. The ruling determined that a 2013 Texas law, which required all abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals, constituted an undue burden on the right to terminate a pregnancy.
Read more: What the SCOTUS Ruling Says About the Abortion Battle
State Rep. Sam Mims, who sponsored the Mississippi law, called the Courts decision very disappointing, the Associated Press reported.
It seems like these five justices are more concerned about access to abortion than health care to the women, he said.
Similar admitting-privilege requirements are in place in Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee. They were on hold in Mississippi and Wisconsin, along with Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama and Kansas, the AP reported. Other states are now reviewing the status of their own restrictions in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a request by public school teachers in California asking the justices to rehear a major challenge to fees that unions collect from non-members on which the court split 4-4 in March.
The non-union teachers, represented by the Washington-based Center for Individual Rights conservative group, launched a long-shot effort to get the court to reconsider its decision. That request was denied without comment.
The decision in March was a victory for unions, preserving a vital source of cash for organized labor.
The 4-4 split, which left intact lower court rulings in favor of a teachers union in California, was made possible because the court was shorthanded after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February.
At issue in the case were so-called agency fees equivalent to union dues, currently mandatory for non-union workers under laws in about half the states including California.
In the March decision, the court, which is now evenly divided with four liberals and four conservatives, left intact a 1977 legal precedent that allowed such fees, which conservatives have long abhorred.
Conservatives for years have tried to curb the influence of public sector unions like those that represent police, firefighters, teachers and other government employees. Those unions typically back the Democratic Party and liberal causes.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
From Esquire
OK, so I've figured it out. If you want to get Justice Anthony (Weathervane) Kennedy on board on a contentious social issue, you have to get him in June, when Washington reverts to its original meteorological role as a marble-encased skillet. Last June, Kennedy joined the majority (and wrote the majority opinion) in the case that legalized marriage equality nationally.
On Monday, he joined a 5-3 majority in what possibly is the biggest victory for the right to choose since Roe v. Wade itself. In the case of Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, the Court absolutely eviscerated the mock concern for women's health as manifested by the phony anti-choice regulations imposed by the state of Texas. There are a few other states that have engaged in this chicanery, too. It's hard to see how similar regulations survive there, either.
Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen Breyer spent a great deal of complicated legalese to demonstrate that he and his fellow members of the majority did not arrive in chambers that morning on a turnip truck.
"The surgical-center requirement also provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an 'undue burden' on their constitutional right to do so."
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg minced even fewer words.
Many medical procedures, including childbirth, are far more dangerous to patients, yet are not subject to ambulatorysurgical-center or hospital admitting-privileges requirements. See ante, at 31; Planned Parenthood of Wis., 806 F. 3d, at 921922. See also Brief for Social Science Researchers 911 (comparing statistics on risks for abortion with tonsillectomy, colonoscopy, and in-office dental surgery); Brief for American Civil Liberties Union et al. as Amici Curiae 7 (all District Courts to consider admitting- privileges requirements found abortion "is at least as safe as other medical procedures routinely performed in outpatient settings"). Given those realities, it is beyond rational belief that H. B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women, and certain that the law "would simply make it more difficult for them to obtain abortions." Planned Parenthood of Wis., 806 F. 3d, at 910. When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.
Story continues
(You gotta love faute de mieux there, by the way.)
What has become clear over the last two weeks is that, since the death of Antonin Scalia, for whatever reasons, Kennedy seems to have discovered just how far to the right Republican politics and Republican policies have drifted. He joined in the majority opinion on the Fisher 2 affirmative action case. That case never should have reached his desk in the first place.
And now, with this one, he and the other four people who made up the majority looked at the pious nonsense about women's health behind these laws and called bullshit very clearly. At the very least, the concept of "undue burden" as stated in Planned Parenthood v. Casey is much more clearly defined, and not in a way that's going to make the anti-choice charlatans happy.
If you're looking for What This All Means in regards to importance of the Court in the presidential election, you can check out Justice Clarence Thomas' dissent.
"The Court has simultaneously transformed judicially created rights like the right to abortion into preferred constitutional rights, while disfavoring many of the rights actually enumerated in the ConstitutionBut our Constitution renounces the notion that some constitutional rights are more equal than others. ... A law either infringes a constitutional right, or not; there is no room for the judiciary to invent tolerable degrees of encroachment. Unless the Court abides by one set of rules to adjudicate constitutional rights, it will continue reducing constitutional law to policy-driven value judgments until the last shreds of its legitimacy disappear."
Yeah, he's not happy.
Curiously, although the decision came down almost at the moment the rally in Cincinnati kicked off, neither Senator Professor Warren nor Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioned it at all from the podium. I'm sure this had nothing to do with Cincinnati and its surrounding area long being a hotbed of anti-abortion activism. I am such a terrible cynic.
Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.
By Steve Keating OMAHA, Nebraska, June 27 (Reuters) - Katie Ledecky delivered everything but the world record everyone had expected, storming to victory in the women's 400 metres freestyle at the U.S. Olympic swim trials on Monday and securing her ticket to the Rio Games. The dominant figure in women's swimming, Ledecky is a threat to smash a record almost every time she dives into a pool and she clearly had her sight set on lowering her own mark in the 400 free. But the 19-year-old faded badly over the final 200, settling for the third fastest time ever in the event of three minutes, 58.98 seconds. "I think the last 150 I just kept telling myself, Rio, Rio, Rio, just come on," said Ledecky. "I just tried to keep myself fired up on that and didn't really care what the time was." Ledecky, who came into the final having registered eight of the top 10 swims in the event, had looked poised to demolish her own mark of 3:58.37 when she blazed through the opening 200 metres more than two seconds under world record pace. But the world champion had gone out too fast. Losing time at each split in the final 200, Ledecky paid the price for her searing early pace. She was out of gas and even a delirious soldout crowd of 14,000 at the CenturyLink Center could not lift her to a new record. Near the end, Ledecky was pushed by Leah Smith, who became the fourth fastest swimmer ever in the event when she touched in 4:00.65. Entered in every freestyle event from the 50 to the 800 in Omaha, Ledecky will have many more chances at world records. But as always her focus will be on the races in which she has few rivals, the 200, 400 and 800 metres. She owns the top times in the world in each event this year, and is seeking to qualify in all three and then chase a rare triple gold sweep at the Rio Olympics. In other finals, Kelsi Worrell won the 100 metres butterfly charging past 2012 Olympic champion and former world record holder Dana Vollmer to qualify for Rio. Worrell, however, needed the second fastest time of the year to qualify for her first Olympic team, clocking 56.48 while Vollmer, returning to competition after having a baby, touched in 57.21. Kevin Cordes is also headed to Rio after winning the men's 100 metres breaststroke in 59.18, beating Cody Miller to the wall by .08 seconds. Hampered by a pulled groin, a battling Ryan Lochte fought through the pain to qualify for the men's 200 freestyle final with the fifth fastest time of 1:47.58. Conor Dwyer, runnerup in the 400 free, will head into Tuesday's final as the top seed with a time of 1:46.96 but all eyes will be on Lochte, whose bid to secure a spot on a fourth U.S. Olympic team is threatened by an injured groin. The 11-time Olympic medallist suffered the injury in the heats for the 400 individual medley on Sunday but the 31-year-old has vowed to fight on. (Editing by Andrew Both)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Twenty-four Syrian civil society groups enlisted by the United Nations to support peace talks threatened to quit Tuesday over the failure to halt fighting in the five-year war.
The non-governmental organizations wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the mounting death toll meant their presence at the peace table was "not only meaningless, it is unnecessary."
Among the 24 signatories were the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Syrian Women's Network and the UOSSM group supporting hospitals that have come under repeated attack in the country.
"If a serious mechanism to protect our civilians and enforce the cessation of hostilities is not developed and implemented, we fear it will be impossible for our organization to continue our participation in the Geneva talks," the groups wrote in the letter to Ban.
While the groups are not hugely influential in the peace talks, the threat to walk out underscored growing frustration with unraveling diplomatic efforts.
"After five years of conflict, our groups want a just peace, not just a peace process," they wrote.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura earlier this year invited civil society representatives to help support the peace process, which has been deadlocked since late April when the last round ended.
The UN-backed talks are aimed at reaching a political settlement to Syria's five-year war, which has left more than 280,000 people dead and driven millions from their homes.
De Mistura is due to report to the Security Council on Wednesday on the state of the peace process amid much pessimism over the prospects for progress.
The envoy has yet to set a new date to resume the talks, insisting that the ceasefire reached in February must be restored and aid deliveries allowed to reach civilians in besieged areas.
The 24 groups called for breaking the sieges with air drops of aid, setting up a special tribunal to try war crimes suspects and releasing detainees.
By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels launched an attack on a town held by Islamic State near the Iraqi border on Tuesday, senior commanders said, opening a new front against militants also facing an offensive from U.S.-backed forces in the north. If the rebel New Syria Army succeeds in capturing the town of Al-Bukamal from Islamic State (IS), it would hamper the jihadists' ability to move between the Iraqi and Syrian territories of their self-declared caliphate. Armed and equipped by the U.S.-led coalition, the New Syria Army was formed 18 months ago from Arab rebels driven out of eastern Syria by Islamic State as it expanded its territories in mid-2014 following the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul. A commander said the rebels had secured the desert approaches to Al-Bukamal. Another senior rebel source said they were now inside the town's administrative boundaries after a rapid advance across sparsely inhabited desert from their main base further southwest in al Tanf. The rebels had advanced close to a railway station nearly five km from the outskirts of the Euphrates River town, approaching mine-laden trenches dug by IS as a line of fortified defense, two rebel sources said. The militants also cut internet and electricity services in the town, which IS has controlled since 2014, they added. U.S.-led coalition jets fired missiles at the town's Aisha hospital used by Islamic State but intense aerial bombing had not begun yet, Abdul Salam Muzil, a senior member of the New Syria Army in touch with commanders on the front, told Reuters. But another New Syria Army commander said the rebels would be relying on heavier air strikes in coming days to help them encircle the town, believed to have around 50,000 people. "This is a major gamble but we have been preparing for it for a long time. U.S. logistical support and aerial support is key to the success of this operation," said the commander, who like others requested anonymity. In a video posted by the rebels, a commander is seen driving in a military vehicle through an undisclosed desert area and saying his troops were heading to "liberate the town". The New Syria Army's base in al Tanf was hit twice earlier this month by Russian air strikes, even after the U.S. military used emergency channels to ask Moscow to stop after the first strike, according to U.S. officials. Russia is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally in his more than five-year-long war with rebels trying to overthrow him. A U.S. Defence Department spokesman, Major Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway declined to comment on the latest campaign but said Washington was assisting unnamed Syrian rebel groups. "Coalition-partnered forces will isolate, degrade, disrupt, destroy the Da'esh organization and seize their terrain and functional capabilities," the Pentagon spokesman said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria has gone up a gear this month, with an alliance of militias including the Kurdish YPG launching a major offensive against IS in the city of Manbij in northern Syria. (Reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Suleiman al Khalidi in Amman and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
San Francisco, June 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Medical Gas Pressure Regulators from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Medical Gas Pressure Regulators market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Medical Gas Pressure Regulators, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.
Browse Full Research Report With TOC on http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-gas-pressure-regulators-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021
Medical gas pressure regulators reduce high-pressure gas in a cylinder or process line to a lower, usable level as it passes to another piece of equipment. They also maintain pressure within a gas delivery system. Medical gas pressure regulators are not flow control devices; they are used to control delivery pressure only which are used in pipeline systems for the following medical gas: oxygen; nitrous oxide; air for breathing; carbon dioxide; oxygen/nitrous oxide mixtures; air for driving surgical tools; nitrogen for driving surgical tools; oxygen produced by an oxygen concentrator.
Global Medical Gas Pressure Regulators Market Forecast and Analysis 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Medical Gas Pressure Regulators market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Medical Gas Pressure Regulators market areEmerson, Concoa, Air Liquide, Gentec, Danyang Airtech, Aero Tech, Ningbo Kaipo, Linhai Pressure Gauge, Yuyao Jiahua, Flow-Meter.
See More Reports of This Category by Radiant Insights: www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/medical-devicesv
The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Medical Gas Pressure Regulators industry has been provided.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Scope of Report
1.1 Research Methodology
1.2 Geographic Scope
1.3 Years Considered
Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-gas-pressure-regulators-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021/request-sample
Part 2. Introduction
2.1 Key Findings
2.2 Value Chain Analysis
2.2.2 Upstream
2.2.3 Downstream
Part 3. Manufacture
3.1 Manufacturing Process
3.2 Issues and Trends
Explore Other Reports By Radiant Insights,Inc at
China Pyrantel Pamoate Monthly Export Monitoring
http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/analysis-china-pyrantel-pamoate-monthly-export-monitoring
China Lauryl Trimethyl Ammonium Chloride Monthly Export Monitoring
http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/analysis-china-lauryl-trimethyl-ammonium-chloride-monthly-export-monitoring
About Radiant Insights
Radiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services. Our market research studies are designed to facilitate strategic decision making, on the basis of extensive and in-depth quantitative information, supported by extensive analysis and industry insights. Using a patented and robust research methodology, we publish exhaustive research reports covering a host of industries such as Technology, Chemicals, Materials, and Energy.Radiant Insights has a strong base of analysts, consultants and domain experts, with global experience helping us deliver excellence in all research projects we undertake.
Contact Details:
Michelle Thoras
Corporate Sales Specialist, USA
Radiant Insights, Inc
Phone: 1-415-349-0054
Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519
Email: sales@radiantinsights.com
Web: http://www.radiantinsights.com/
Boston Beer Co. Inc. SAM is facing a tough time due to weakness in the cider category and troubles at its Samuel Adams brand, which has been up against severe competition from other brewers entering the craft beer market. Shares of the company have plunged 17.8% on a year-to-date basis, highlighting this craft brewers dismal run.
Boston Beer remains susceptible to weak depletion trends, which along with other factors, hurt its results in the preceding quarter. The company, which performed brilliantly in 2015, succumbed to earnings and sales miss in the first quarter of 2016. While the top line was adversely impacted by a drop in core shipments, the bottom line felt the pinch of soft sales and margins, as well as elevated costs.
In fact, management expects this weakness to persist over the short term. This was reflected in the companys lowered outlook for 2016. Management slashed its earnings, depletions and shipments and gross margin guidance for 2016. Consequently, the Zacks Consensus Estimate witnessed a downtrend, with the stock price dropping 5.5% since the earnings release.
BOSTON BEER INC Price and Consensus
BOSTON BEER INC Price and Consensus | BOSTON BEER INC Quote
On the brighter side, the company's consistent brand-building efforts and initiatives to add new products to its beer, malt and cider businesses remain key revenue drivers. Notably, Boston Beer is the largest premium craft brewer in the U.S. and commands a strong portfolio of globally recognized brands. Apart from selling alcoholic beverages in the U.S., the company distributes its beverages in many foreign countries through a strong network of wholesale distributors.
We expect Boston Beers continued focus on pricing, product innovation and brand development to boost its operational performance and position in the market. Further, the company is always seeking strategic opportunities to expand its business through inorganic means. It mainly focuses on acquiring assets to fulfill its goal of enhancing brewing capacity as well as expanding into new geographic regions, which can also help it gain considerable market share.
Additionally, Boston Beer invests significantly in research and development, and focuses on testing and producing new types of beers and ciders at its breweries. In 2016, the company remains committed to innovate within the Samuel Adams brand; incorporate persuasive drinking programs; promote and advertise all its brands; and prioritize the distribution of its core styles within the Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, Traveler and Coney Island Hard Root Beer families.
While on the one hand, the company seems to be troubled by the aforementioned factors which hurt its first-quarter 2016 results, its brand revival efforts might just do some wonders and turn the tables for the stock. Lets wait and see who wins this tug of war Boston Beers growth strategies or the hurdles?
Zacks Rank
Boston Beer currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the same industry include Compania Cervecerias Unidas S.A. CCU and Molson Coors Brewing Company TAP, each with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and Ambev S.A. ABEV, with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) .
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
MOLSON COORS-B (TAP): Free Stock Analysis Report
BOSTON BEER INC (SAM): Free Stock Analysis Report
CERV UNIDAS-ADR (CCU): Free Stock Analysis Report
AMBEV-PR ADR (ABEV): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
While Vicki Gunvalson may have called it quits with Brooks Ayers last year, her Real Housewives of Orange County co-star, Tamra Judge, doesn't think the split will stick.
Judge sat down with Andy Cohen on Monday's Watch What Happens Live, and the 48-year-old reality star and bodybuilder opened up about Gunvalson's rocky relationship with Ayers.
WATCH: Vicki Gunvalson Slams Brooks Ayers Over Cancer Drama: 'I Want Him Out of My Life'
"I can only speculate but I do think they're still talking, and I think it's a matter of time before they get back together," Judge shared.
Gunvalson, 54, broke up with Ayers last October after he was embroiled in a scandal in which he was accused of lying about having cancer and allegedly forged medical documents to support his claims.
WATCH: 'Housewives Happy Hour' With 'OC' Star Vicki Gunvalson
Recently, she struck up a relationship with politician and former police officer Steve Lodge, who she's been dating since May. Judge told Cohen that she's met Lodge and said that he "seems like a really nice guy."
"But Vicki doesn't like the nice guy, she likes the bad boy," Judge added.
WATCH: Vicki Gunvalson Admits She Still Loves Brooks Ayers
Last week, Gunvalson sat down with ET and admitted that she "always will care for and love Brooks, regardless of what he did and why he did it," adding that she and her ex "have unfinished business." Check out the exclusive interview below.
Related Articles
When it comes to pure speed and raw acceleration, you'd be hard pressed to find a car that offers you more bang for the buck than a Tesla Model S. Specifically, the Tesla Model S P90D -- with Ludicrous Mode enabled -- is a 762 horsepower speed demon that can skyrocket from 0-60 in just 2.8 seconds.
Not surprisingly, we've seen no shortage of videos which pit a tricked out Model S against all sorts of supercars, from a Lamborghini Aventador to a McLaren 650S Spider. We've even seen a Tesla Model S go head to head with a Boeing 737 for reasons that still defy explanation.
But what happens when a Tesla goes against itself?
DON'T MISS: Leaked iPhone 7 photos point to intriguing new camera design
Recently, the enterprising folks over at Drag Times decided to see what happens when a Tesla Model S P90D gets matched up against its brethren, a Tesla Model S P85D.
The result isn't necessarily surprising as the P90D obviously earns the W, but the gap between the cars is worth paying attention to. Video of the race in its entirety can be viewed below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klh1yUIFRLs
Related stories
Self-driving cars will deliberately kill people, and that's ok
Mercedes' next-gen autopilot probably won't run you into a van like Tesla's
WWDC 2016 could be the start of something better
More from BGR: Interview: Spaces is the most exciting VR startup youve never heard of
This article was originally published on BGR.com
Tesla Motors, Inc. TSLA will be introducing Model X 75D in the Chinese market on Jul 2, 2016, according to sources. Model X 75D is expected to cost 850,000 yuan or around $128,000. The vehicle, featuring a 75kWh battery, will offer a range of 237 miles.
Teslas Model X 75D will be the new base model of the Chinese Model X lineup that also consists of the 90D and the P90D. Model X was officially launched in China last month. The car has been approved under Beijings New Energy Licensing Program. This will facilitate owners of the car to obtain a license plate faster. Teslas Model S was also included in this program in 2015. The government in China has been encouraging the use of electric vehicles through this program in order to reduce air pollution.
Tesla has already started delivering Model X in China. On Jun 24, the automaker delivered 5 white and 1 black Model X SUVs to customers in Beijing.
Tesla actively undertakes international expansion. The electric carmaker opened its 100th Supercharger station in China on Jun 27. It is situated in front of the companys headquarters in Beijing.
Tesla is planning to set up a production base in China, per media reports. The facility will most likely be built in Shanghai, although the cities of Suzhou and Hefei are also lobbying for the investment. This will help Tesla avoid the 25% import tariff imposed by China, thus reducing car prices in the nation. Also, this will likely boost sales. Tesla's global operations will expand further with the opening of new stores and service centers, and the expansion of the Supercharger network.
Tesla currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
TESLA MOTORS Price
TESLA MOTORS Price | TESLA MOTORS Quote
Stocks that Warrant a Look
Some better-ranked automobile stocks include Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. CVGI, Oshkosh Corporation OSK and Superior Industries International, Inc. SUP, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
TESLA MOTORS (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report
SUPERIOR INDS (SUP): Free Stock Analysis Report
OSHKOSH CORP (OSK): Free Stock Analysis Report
COMML VEHICLE (CVGI): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) disclosed that it unveiled a reinforced isolated amplifier with the highest reliability, lowest power consumption, highest DC accuracy and enhanced overall efficiency compared to competitive devices. The company added that its AMC1301 is the newest addition to its reinforced isolation portfolio featuring the industry's highest working voltage specifications.
Texas Instruments said that with the lowest offset drift of 3 uV/C over the widest temperature range, -40C to 125C, the AMC1301 offers the most accurate solution for shunt-based current sensing in high-voltage equipment, like industrial motor drives, solar inverters, battery management systems and uninterruptible power supplies.
The company pointed out some of the key features and benefits like highest reliability and longer lifespan, lowest power consumption, and highest DC accuracy.
In the pre-market trading on Tuesday, the stock advanced 1.32 percent.
See more from Benzinga
2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f129795%2fhotdognsync
The post-boyband hot dog scene is heating up.
*NSYNC's Joey Fatone is joining the ranks of mall food connoisseurs with Fat One's Hot Dogs and Italian Ice, a new food stand in Orlando's Florida Mall that will open in August 2016.
Orlando Business Journal reports that customers will have various 100 percent angus beef options with names like "Gone Hollywood" and the "Boybander"which of course are five mini hot dogs to represent the five members of *NYSNC.
After years of working on television food shows, Im excited to open this new venture, which is a combination of who I am, where Im from and where Ive been, Fatone said in a statement to the Orlando Business Journal. Launching Fat Ones at The Florida Mall, where I roamed as a middle school kid, felt like a perfect fit for our first location.
Lance Bass is the first of the former boy band to comment on his friends new endeavor. "This is just perfect," he tweeted. "The perfect amount of wrong."
Fatone dabbled in the food industry when he hosted My Family Recipe Rocks, a show that found Fatone meeting different home cooks across the country. He was also featured in Food Network competition shows Rachel vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and hosted the snack food show Rewrapped.
MARTINSVILLE, N.J., June 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its annual ranking of the Best Places to Work in NJ1, NJBiz has awarded Condor Capital Management a top-20 finish for the Small/Medium Companies category in its 2016 list, making it five years on this prestigious list for the wealth management firm!
Separately, Condor Capital Management was recognized as one of 2016s Best Financial Advisors for Dentists by Dental Products2. Condor Capital Management was selected for this list based on its financial knowledge & experience working with dentists, as well as its good standing in the wealth management industry.
Being recognized as a Best Place to Work in NJ for the fifth consecutive year is a tremendous honor. We go to great lengths to promote a positive and productive work environment, said Ken Schapiro, Founder and President of the employee-owned wealth manager. Having this type of atmosphere with happy, engaged employees many of whom are also owners of the firm helps us to provide the best possible service to our clients. With that said, I am delighted by our recognition in Dental Products report, as we have extensive experience working with dentists and other medical professionals to help with their unique financial needs, Schapiro went on to say.
Condor Capital Management offers a number of in-house investment management strategies, using stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, and mutual funds. The firm aims to construct diversified equity portfolios with exposure to various investment styles, market capitalizations, and geographic regions. Bond portfolios are diversified among several different types of fixed income instruments, including bonds of varying maturities and credit qualities. As a fee-only independent wealth manager, we eliminate potential conflicts caused by commissions. Condor Capital clients receive complimentary financial planning on an as-needed basis and a unique investment strategy because, when it comes to your money, one size does not fit all.
1To be eligible for consideration, companies must meet the following criteria: Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity, Be a publicly or privately held business, Have a facility in the state of New Jersey, Have a minimum of 15 employees working in the state of New Jersey, and Must be in business a minimum of 1 year. Best Companies Group conducts a simple yet thorough company assessment. The assessment is a two-part process designed to gather detailed data about each participating company. In part one, the employer completes a questionnaire and in part two, employees of the company complete an employee survey. The collected information from the two instruments will be combined to produce a detailed set of data enabling the analysts to determine the strengths and opportunities of the participating companies. The workplaces are ranked based on this data and then the Employee Feedback Reports are returned to each participating company.
2The Dental Products Best Financial Advisers for Dentists listing is based on the following criteria: qualifications, good standing with the SEC and FINRA, fee arrangements, and minimum portfolio. Dental Products Best Financial Advisers for Dentists is a paid Listing advertising supplement, written and published by Advanstar Communications Inc as a source of information concerning individual financial advisers for use by physicians, heath care professionals, and the public. The listing is provided as a service to its subscribers, and the Dental Products Best Financial Advisers for Dentists Advertising Supplement does not contain sufficient information to verify the Advisers credentials but it does offer the public, physicians, hospitals, managed care organizations and other care organizations general information pertaining to the listed advisers. Adviser data is self-reported by the Adviser. References to any specific adviser does not imply or constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring of such Adviser by the Publisher or any of its affiliates.
Condor Capital Management
Founded in 1988, Condor Capital Management is an employee-owned, SEC-registered investment advisor based in Martinsville, N.J. employing 16 professional and support staff. Since Condor is a fee-only investment management firm, its fees are based on portfolio size, not sales commissions or number of trades. For more information on Condor Capital Management, please visit http://www.condorcapital.com or call 732-356-7323.
European Union Parliament leader Martin Schulz has called for Britain to leave the EU as soon as possible, contending he doesnt want to prolong geopolitical and economic uncertainty any longer than necessary. But that might be a pipe dream.
The people of Britain have voted for the Brexit, but a lot needs to happen before it becomes reality. Some bet it will never happen, and theyre not totally delusional. The EU referendum is not legally binding and could even be reversed.
In order for the UK to leave the EU, it would have to exercise something called Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union. Article 50 establishes the process for a member-state to leave the EU.
Article 50 states that the prime minister of the UK would have to (1) formally tell the European Council the UK intends to leave. (2) Next, The European Council will have to meet and come to an agreement on how it will let go of the UK. (3) The European commission will then negotiate these terms with the UK and come to an agreement. (4) Once a deal is reached, both the European Council and Parliament will have to agree to it.
The EU gives two years to do all of this but also allows for the process to be extended indefinitely. A member-nation has never tried to leave the EU before, so an extension may indeed be necessary to give everybody time to navigate the uncharted waters.
Before the two-year timeline begins, the UK Parliament will need to authorize the prime minister to trigger Article 50. Current PM David Cameron has said the UK wont move now to trigger Article 50, and even Boris Johnson former London mayor, assumed Conservative candidate and very vocal Brexit proponent has said the UK shouldnt rush to break up from the EU.
If the UK stalls long enough before triggering Article 50, a couple of different things could happen:
1. The UK could have yet another Brexit referendum
In a sign that voter Bregret could gain some traction, over 3 million Britons have signed a petition calling for another referendum on Brexit. A brand-new referendum that has the opposite outcome could help restore the legacy of Cameron, who staunchly opposed Brexit.
2. Call for a general election
The conservative party is already divided over the Brexit; if this divide is enough to split the
party a general election could be called. Right now the next general election is slated for May of 2020. If, however, two-thirds of Parliament (including vacant seats) agrees to a new election, the UK could end up with a Labour Party majority that could take its election as a mandate to forget about the Brexit.
Telegraph columnist Juliet Samuel has written that a new general election is the only answer for a nation thats so divided. The only way to decide how we move forwards is with the tried and tested method of the institution at the heart of the Brexit campaign: our parliamentary democracy, she wrote. We must have a General Election; we must see our leaders come forwards with their best effort at a thoughtful plan for the future; we must see new leaders emerge.
By Alex Bregman
The long-awaited report from the House Select Committee on Benghazi was released Tuesday. Yahoo News Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff joined Yahoo News Guest Host Stephanie Sy on Yahoo News Now and broke down five things to know about the new report.
First, is there a smoking gun when it comes to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the attack at the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens? Isikoff told Sy: Theres no smoking gun here. Theres no fundamental revelation thats going to alter our understanding of what took place.
The Clinton campaign called the new report a partisan sham filled with discredited conspiracy theories. Isikoff said, however, its kind of ironic to call this filled with conspiracy theories because if anything, this 7 million dollar, two-year investigation didnt find anything to substantiate any of the conspiracy theories that had been put out there about Benghazi.
Second, in an addendum to the report, two members of the Select Committee, Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mike Pompeo of Kansas, write: The administration told one story privately and a different story publicly. So was there anything that shows the Obama administration was at fault before, during or after the report? Isikoff told Sy: There are some incriminating emails from inside the State Department that when Ambassador Susan Rice went on the TV talk shows and blamed it on a video, the State Departments own officials in the Near East bureau who are closest to it [were] saying shes off the reservations. He continued, What was being said publicly about the cause of the attacks was not matching with what the intelligence was showing that Sunday.
Third, what came of the more than two years and more than $7 million spent on the investigation? Isikoff told Sy: What this investigation shows is just how politically polarized Congress has become so that it cant actually conduct a serious bipartisan investigation. This one was not properly focused. There are things that couldve been investigated much more broadly. Isikoff pointed to the administrations failed Libya policy, of which Secretary Clinton was an eager champion as one of those things.
Fourth, what shouldve been learned from the investigation? Isikoff told Sy: The question is when you participate in what turned out to be the overthrow of a government, the lesson we thought everybody learned from Iraq is you have to plan for the day after, and thats where Secretary Clinton, the State Department and the Obama administration has justifiably gotten a lot of criticism. He added that an investigation that looked more broadly at American policy in Libya and the lessons we shouldve learned from Iraq and could learn from this wouldve been a much more serious investigation.
Finally, what will the House Select Committee on Benghazi be remembered for most? Isikoff told Sy: It did stumble across whats been probably one of the biggest political stories of the year, certainly as far as the Clinton campaign goes, and thats her private email server, which is still under investigation by the FBI. We are still learning more about those emails.
Joel and Ethan Coens 1984 debut Blood Simple is at least according to one Yahoo Movies writer their crowning achievement. A pitch-perfect neo-noir starring Dan Hedaya and Frances McDormand, it charts the disastrous consequences of one mans plot to have his wife murdered. Now, on the eve of its re-release, the directing siblings are showing off the demo reel that helped them get their movie made in the first place. Watch it above.
Blood Simple will return to theaters this Friday in New York and San Francisco (and on July 29 in L.A.) courtesy of Janus Films and the Criterion Collection, the latter of which has produced a new 4K restoration of the genre classic for its forthcoming Blu-ray release this September. In celebration of this encore engagement, Janus is giving fans a sneak peek at the investor trailer the Coens created in order to drum up financial support for their very first movie. And as the clip above indicates, they did so with the help of none other than Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell, who here plays the Dan Hedaya part, and who came to be involved thanks to the Coens friendship with Evil Dead (and future Spider-Man) director Sam Raimi.
As Vanity Fair reports, Joel discusses the origins for this trailer in a new interview included on the Criterion Collection disc, stating:
Sam taught us that if you call on the phone and ask people to invest in a movie theyll tell you to go hell. But if you tell them I have a piece of film to show you, then some of the would let you come into their living room and set up your little projector and show it to them.
While its not currently listed as one of the discs supplementary features, this investor trailer does suitably set up not only the films basic narrative premise which we described as a blistering saga of Texas deception, vengeance, greed, and amorality but also its grim atmosphere and black humor. You can check out the Coens inaugural tease for Blood Simple above, and catch it in theaters beginning this Friday, ahead of its Sept. 20 Criterion Blu-ray premiere.
Watch a scene from the actual movie below:
A startup space in Paris, France.
PARISAny place trying to present itself as a tech-startup hub has a difficult job, but that sales pitch only gets harder when outsiders define its business climate with the phrase 35-hour work week.
Nor can it help when the country in question has a history of passing dubious tech-policy laws and, with its neighbors, has taken to sparring with US tech giants. Last week, for instance, a Paris government official called Amazons new one-hour delivery in that city a form of unfair competition.
And it really cant aid matters when this marketing effort steps up just as nationwide labor unrest leaves people challenged to put gas in their cars.
But with its economy growing only .6% in the first quarter and unemployment stuck at around 10%, France cant count on its traditional enterprises pulling it out of the ditch. The countrys small but growing tech sector might help, though.
This potential source of economic growth has led the French government to embark on a development effort marked by generous incentives, modest ambitions, and maybe even a lesson or two for the US. However, France's burgeoning tech sector is getting a slow start though because of one non-obvious obstacle: lax investment.
Good examples, but few big ones
Ive long since lost count of the places vying to become a Silicon [fill in the blank], but France is not crazy for putting in its bid.
The country made online services a mass-market phenomenon before the US did, putting pre-World Wide Web online portals called Minitel terminals in 5 million French homes by 1990. Today, Paris-based Parrot has become a household name in drones since its 1994 founding. The ride-sharing firm BlaBlaCar is not as well-known in the US, but its late 2015 funding round pushed its valuation to $1.6 billion.
And French gadget startups filled a quarter of the Eureka Park exhibit at CES in 2015 and made enough of an impression for my former colleague Jason Gilbert to crown France as the winner of CES.
Story continues
France has real strengths in hard engineering areas like IoT and devices, observed Evan Burfield, co-CEO of 1776, a Washington-based incubator that runs a global startup competition. Lots of well-educated talent with engineers available at a lot less than youd pay in NYC or the Valley.
I met quite a few other interesting startups during a week in Paris at the end of May. Qarnot Computing distributes data-center servers into fiber-connected apartment buildings and offices, where the heat they generate can provide climate control and warm water. Lendix routes small businesses around the latency of European banks by connecting them with private investors. Delair-Tech makes lightweight, long-range drones that such clients as Frances SNCF railways use for remote inspection.
(Disclosure: I moderated a panel at the Connected Conference, an Internet-of-Things gathering here. Most of my travel expenses, as well as those of a group of visiting journalists and analysts attending the conference, were covered by Business France, the governments economic-development bureau.)
A startup space under construction in Paris
Regulations
The founders I spoke to during and after the trip complained less than I expected about the 35-hour work week and other rules in the Code du Travail, the labor laws that President Francois Hollande is pushing to reform against fierce union opposition.
Knowledge workers typically have a contract that involves a number of days per year with no restriction of number of hours per week, except: disconnecting for 11 hours per night, and 35 hours per weekend, e-mailed Yann Lechelle, chief operating officer of the privacy-optimized artificial-intelligence firm Snips.
(If youd read that France outlawed after-hours work e-mail, thats not exactly true.)
But Lechelle, a co-founder of the tech group France Digitale, added that outside the tech sector, labor laws often lead subpar staff to burrow in.
They dont want to quit the comfort of the daily job, they are not incentivized to leave, they fear not finding another job down the line, he wrote. Reversely, companies fear hiring people even when market conditions are optimistic.
The overall culture is one of asking permission more than forgiveness, which may help to explain Ubers hostile reception here. Summed up Lendix chief operating officer Patrick de Nonneville (who works in London, not Paris): France is the country of the rules. One of the rules is if something is not permitted, then its not allowed.
There is, however, one exception to this pattern: drones. Once an unmanned aerial vehicle is licensed for commercial use even beyond the operators line of sight, something still banned in the US after last week's release of more liberal rules companies dont need a special authorization to use it.
The certification lasts forever, said Delair-Tech co-founder Benjamin Benharrosh.
At the Connected Conference, organizers announced that Paris will feature a drone race over part of the Champs-Elysees in September the equivalent of staging one down Pennsylvania Avenue, except well probably see pigs fly over Americas Main Street first.
Inadequate investment
Nobody I spoke to in Paris had anything great to say about the investment climate, especially for startups that have gotten past their earliest stages.
A lot of French startups end up heading to London or the US to raise later stage capital, said 1776s Burfield. (Of course, the recent UK's recent vote to leave the European Union may influence startups' decision to raise money in London.)
For example, 90% of BlaBlaCars 310 million ($351 million) in funding came from the US even though that ride-sharing firm has no intention of expanding to the States and none has come from French funds since its first round.
France legalized equity crowdfunding in 2014, also ahead of the US, but the French havent quite rushed to support local startups through that mechanism.
We had roughly 20% of French contributors to our Indiegogo campaign, said Matthieu Ventelon, business developer with Akoustic Arts, a Paris startup making highly directional speakers.
The government tries to even things out with tax credits and subsidized first-round investments through the state-backed investment firm Bpifrance. That venture-capital organization invests for longer terms than private investors, said chief external relations officer Antoine Boulay meaning a seven- to 10-year term instead of four to six years.
Bpifrance was the No. 1 tech investor in France last year ... but despite that state-backed thumb on the scale, France's 960 million total in venture-capital funds raised trailed far behind Germanys 2.7 billion and the UKs 3.3 billion and barely beat Swedens 900 million.
Of course, the Brexit may end up impacting those numbers this year and in the years to come.
Initiatives
Beyond literally throwing money at the problem, the French government is banking on digital infrastructure. Its also stepping up its own marketing to remedy a perceived gap between the countrys know-how and its ability to make itself known.
Or as minister of digital affairs Axelle Lemaire put it in a meeting with journalists, "We have a lot of savoir-faire, but we are so crap at faire-savoir.
The infrastructure part hinges on a public-private national-broadband plan that will see 20 billion spent more than 3 billion coming from the national government to bring 100-Mbps fiber connections to most of the country.
"This is the biggest infrastructure plan that we've launched in the last decade, Lemaire said.
National and local governments have also been backing the construction of startup incubators. One 366,000-square-foot facility under construction in a former railroad yard in Paris largely financed by telecom entrepreneur Xavier Niel, who got started selling services on Minitel will be the largest in the world when it opens next year.
The marketing effort revolves around La French Tech, an initiative that includes a conference in New York this month and a program called the French Tech Ticket that offers foreign startups funding, office space, a residence permit, mentoring and other assistance if they move their companies to France.
(One could imagine the US doing something like that ... or one could have, before the entire subject of immigration became hopelessly politicized well in advance of this election season.)
We wanted to send a strong signal to the startup world, said French Tech Ticket manager Adrien Cabo at Le Cargo, a startup incubator in Paris that hosts some of the 23 startups to win a home in France in the programs first year. The Ticket just began taking applications for its second season, with about three times as many spots open.
But the French remain strikingly humble in their overall ambitions for these tech efforts, a distinct contrast with Silicon Valleys techno-utopianism.
Said Cabo: The long-term goal is to have one one very successful company to come out of this program.
Lemaire made a similar point as she noted that forecasts called for Frances digital sector to grow by 2.6% this year barely half of the 4.7% growth seen for the US information-technology sector by the trade group CompTIA.
"It could be better," she said. "It's enough to create jobs."
Read more:
Donald Trump has a big problem with email spam
Big cable has a plan to help you dump your cable box
Big telecom lost in court, but an open internet won. So did you.
New customer service survey says Comcast is no longer the worst
Email Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro.
From Good Housekeeping
Update, June 28, 2016: After three children died in recent tip-over accidents, IKEA will stop selling the MALM dresser. Other types of IKEA chests have also killed three other toddlers, prompting the company to recall most of its dressers and chests, a total of 29 million items sold in the U.S. over the past 14 years.
IKEA pulled the three, four, five and six-drawer MALM models from its website on Monday, but not the two-drawer chest. The taller items failed industry safety tests because they could fall over when unattached to a wall. The decision marks a sharp turn from the retailer's previous efforts to provide free anchoring kits while continuing to sell the dangerous products. But after the MALM dresser caused a third death in two years, multiple consumer organizations called for a definitive recall.
"It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers' homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," IKEA spokeswoman Mona Astra Liss told Fortune on Monday.
IKEA has also recalled the GUTE, RAKKE and KURS chests. A GUTE four-drawer chest tipped over and killed a toddler in 1989, as did the RAKKE five-drawer chest in 2002 and the KURS three-drawer chest in 2007.
Anyone who recently purchased an IKEA children's dresser over 23.5 inches high or an adult dresser over 29.5 inches is eligible for a full refund, while items bought before 2002 can be exchanged for partial store credit. Customers can also order the free wall-anchoring kit, with complimentary in-home installation upon request.
Besides the three deaths, MALM products have caused another 41 tip-over incidents, including 17 injuries to children under 10 years old. Other types of IKEA dressers are linked to 41 more accidents, including the additional19 more injuries. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a child is injured every 24 minutes in the U.S. from furniture or TVs tipping over, averaging one death per week.
Story continues
Update, April 18, 2016: A Minnesota toddler is the latest child to die after an IKEA MALM dresser tipped over. After his mom put Theodore "Ted" McGee down for a nap in his bedroom, she went back to check on her son 20 minutes later, and found the six-drawer chest had fallen on top of the 22-month-old. "They didn't hear the dresser fall," the family's attorney Alan Feldman said. "They didn't hear Ted scream."
The McGees, who hadn't heard about the repair program last July, are pursuing a lawsuit against the retailer for not issuing a stronger warning. Both the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and IKEA are investigating the death.
Original Story, July 22, 2015: IKEA may be known for their easy-to-assemble furniture and endless home decor options, but the Sweden-based company is currently gaining attention for a slightly less appealing reason. Apparently, there are potential dangers associated with their classic MALM collection and other pieces.
In conjunction with the CPSC, the retailer just announced that they are recalling 27 million chests and dressers because they can tip over and crush children if they aren't properly anchored to the wall.
The news comes after two children died after furniture fell on them in 2014, though the company says it has been made aware of 14 other reports of tip-over incidents that led to four injuries and three additional deaths from tip-overs since 1989.
In a statement, IKEA's U.S. commercial manager Patty Lobell said they are "deeply saddened" by the deaths and hope "our efforts prevent further tragedies." Beyond the recall, those efforts include a new repair program in which consumers who have purchased any of the 7 million MALM chests and 20 million other IKEA chests included, can order or pick up a new free wall anchoring kit instead of returning the furniture.
But CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye doesn't want IKEA to stop there, as he hopes the company will lead the way by setting an example for the entire furniture industry to follow.
"Today is a positive step and I commend IKEA for taking that step," said Kaye. "But they need to do more and to make more stable furniture and they need to help lead industry."
[h/t USA Today]
Sydney (AFP) - Thirty Vietnamese found illegally fishing in Australian waters were on Tuesday handed suspended jail sentences and had their boats destroyed in what authorities said was a strong deterrent message.
The crew were from two boats caught illegally fishing in a Coral Sea marine reserve off Australia's north coast on June 2, with diving gear and six tonnes of sea cucumber -- a delicacy in countries such as China -- found on board.
The fishermen all pleaded guilty in a Darwin court to breaking Australian fisheries and environmental laws.
Their penalties included suspended jail sentences ranging from two months for the crew to five and seven months for the masters of the vessels.
They were also issued good behaviour bonds ranging from two to three years, with up to Aus$2,000 (US$1,477) to pay if they are breached.
"Illegal fishing threatens the economic viability and sustainability of Australia's well managed marine resources," said Australian Fisheries Management Authority general manager Peter Venslovas.
"The convictions and destruction of the vessels are a good result and will send a very strong message to all those considering illegally fishing in Australian waters."
The case came on the same day a Papua New Guinean boat was apprehended for suspected illegal fishing in Australian waters, allegedly carrying sea cucumber and two shark fins.
According to a United Nations Development Program report this month, up to 26 million tonnes of fish is caught illegally each year.
Stepped up surveillance by Australia has seen the amount of illegal fishing fall from highs of 367 boats caught a decade ago to just 17 so far in the 2015-2016 financial year, government data shows.
If journalists in the Philippines still held any hope of having working relationships with president-elect Rodrigo Duterte after he said last month that they are not exempt from assassination, they probably dont now.
After Duterte spent months on the campaign trail throwing insults at journalists, his press secretary said this week that the president-elect will ban all independent media from his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
Instead, news of the event will be broadcast exclusively by a state-run television network and radio station, the South China Morning Post reports. He is the first Filipino president to do so in recent history.
The move is in line with Dutertes promise to boycott the media: Earlier this month, he subjected a female reporter who was mid-sentence in asking a question to catcalling and then a serenade all during a televised news conference. Three days after that, he cut his losses and announced he would no longer grant interviews until the end of his term.
And this is just one in a series of attempts by Duterte who rode to victory on his tough-on-crime credentials as the longtime mayor of Davao City to distinguish himself from every other president who has led the Philippines since the countrys last dictator was overthrown in 1986.
Duterte has moved the inauguration ceremony from its traditional open-air location in a historical park in downtown Manila into the closed-door, chandeliered ballroom of his presidential palace, where only selected guests and the state-run media will be allowed to observe the proceedings. Attendees will be served coconut juice and deep fried bananas.
And the president-elect has further bucked tradition by choosing an associate justice and former college fraternity brother not the traditional chief justice of the Supreme Court to officiate the ceremony.
For what its worth, Dutertes press secretary successfully lobbied the organizers to let accredited television stations set up cameras on the palace lawns a tiny concession considering that the event will be held inside. The rest of the media will be sequestered in separate palace buildings and able to watch it on a live-stream.
Story continues
In addition to the free press, Dutertes own future vice president, Leni Robredo, wont be invited to the party. Despite winning the vice-presidency, Robredo, whose concern for womens rights and the poor tend to contradict Dutertes brand of overbearing machismo, has failed repeatedly to schedule a meeting with the president-elect.
Maybe after initially shocking the press with his lewd and threatening comments, Dutertes blanket ban on journalists is a way to carefully filter who gets to cover his presidency, and how.
As one of his longtime aides said in response to the outcry over Dutertes catcalling antics: No press cons, no mistakes.
Photo credit: JEOFFREY MAITEM/NurPhoto via Getty Images
(Updates with three missing after crash and evacuation order)
AUSTIN, Texas, June 28 (Reuters) - Three railroad workers are missing after two freight trains they were on collided in northern Texas on Tuesday, causing a huge fire, officials said.
The accident near Panhandle, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Amarillo, happened when the lead locomotives of two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co trains crashed into each other, said company spokesman Joe Faust.
There was no information available as to what caused the accident or the fire, he said.
There were four workers aboard the two trains. One was found and taken to an area hospital. That person's condition is unknown, he said.
"Rescue efforts are under way at the scene with respect to the three other railroad employees involved in the incident," Faust said. Local rescue officials said the three were missing.
The Carson County Sheriff's office issued a mandatory evacuation for an area near the accident.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz Editing by G Crosse and James Dalgleish)
People stand outside the entrance of Istanbul Ataturk Airport after a suicide bombing attack, June 28, 2016. (Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images)
At least 41 people were killed and 239 were wounded after multiple perpetrators attacked the Istanbul Ataturk Airport Tuesday evening. The incident is the sixth such attack in Turkey this year.
January 12:
An ISIS-backed suicide bomber attacked Sultanahmet Square, an area near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The bomb killed at least 10 people, many of them German.
Mourners gather near the site of a bombing in the historic Sultanahmet district in Istanbul, Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP)
February 17:
A car bomb was detonated in Ankara, Turkeys capital, killing 29 and injuring more than 60. The car bomb reportedly targeted a military vehicle in the heart of the city. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons took responsibility for the attack. The group, often called TAK, is an offshoot of the Kurdish separatist group PKK.
Smoke rises from a burning bus in Turkeys capital, Ankara, on February 17, 2016. (Photo: Haluk Yavuzhan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
March 13:
A car bomb exploded in a central Ankara neighborhood, killing 37 and injuring more than 100. The attack was designed to target a nearby bus and transport hub. The Turkish government claimed that PKK militants carried out the attack.
Emergency workers at an explosion site in Ankara, Turkey, March 13, 2016. (Photo: Elif Sogut/Getty Images)
March 19:
A suicide bomber with suspected ISIS ties struck the district governors office in central Istanbul, Turkeys interior ministry reported at the time. The attack killed at least four and injured 36 more, with most of those killed or wounded being Israeli.
A man prays at the scene of a suicide bombing on Istiklal Street, a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul, March 20, 2016. (Photo: Osman Orsal/Reuters)
June 7:
More than 10 people were killed when a car bomb was detonated in Istanbul on June 7. TAK took responsibility for the attacks in Turkeys tourist hub later this month.
A Turkish police bus was the target of a bomb attack in central Istanbul, June 7, 2016. (Photo: Osman Orsal/Reuters)
Slideshow: Deadly attack at Istanbuls Ataturk Airport
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- June 28, 2016 -- Two Saudi students have been selected by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) for a summer externship in the United States, where they will participate in a work-study program with companies affiliated with the renowned business incubator program at the bwtech@UMBC research and technology park of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Two of the students were selected from Al Faisal University and flown to the U.S. to participate in the program, which is coordinated in collaboration with both the UMBC English Language Institute and Career Center.
Arwa Al Anqari and Muneera Al Omran will both spend two months in the Baltimore region. Al Anqari is working at Amidus (www.amidus.com), which provides energy analytics, consulting and implementation services to commercial, institutional and governmental clients in the U.S. and internationally. Al Omran will work at Blue Wave Semiconductor (www.bluewavesemi.com), a high technology manufacturing company focused on supplying nanomaterial deposition tools for the research and development market worldwide.
During the externship program with bwtech@UMBC, students will learn effective entrepreneurial and technical skills in cyber program management and engineering; increase their knowledge of products and solutions to government and commercial customers; improve their business, English technical writing and professional communications skills; and gain effective hands-on experience with a technology company. The program represents a valuable opportunity for the participants, both Saudi women, to develop new expertise in a field where women have historically been underrepresented.
Commenting on the externship initiative, Walid Abukhaled, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Middle East Region, said: "This type of hands-on training is vital for Saudi students, especially Saudi females, who have traditionally been introduced to high technology on a theoretical level rather than receiving practical training.
"Through this innovative program, Northrop Grumman supports Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy, transfer of knowledge and make sure its youth have the skills needed to successfully implement the recently announced 2030 vision."
The externship adds to Northrop Grumman's continuing effort to support knowledge transfer and to increase the percentage of Saudis pursuing science and technology careers. Earlier this year, the company signed a new education and training initiative with King Saud University and began an educational tour of Saudi universities with a program focused on cybersecurity awareness.
The bwtech@UMBC community is a center of innovation for businesses in all different stages of development. Located near Baltimore-Washington International Airport, bwtech@UMBC brings research, entrepreneurship, business leads, prospective clients and economic development in the Maryland region to one singular placea place full of like-minded businesses on the forefront of innovation. Please visit bwtechumbc.com for more information.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
The following timeline charts the origin and spread of the Zika virus from its discovery nearly 70 years ago: 1947: Scientists researching yellow fever in Uganda's Zika Forest identify the virus in a rhesus monkey 1948: Virus recovered from Aedes africanus mosquito in Zika Forest 1952: First human cases detected in Uganda and Tanzania 1954: Virus found in Nigeria 1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa 196983: Zika found in equatorial Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan 2007: Zika spreads from Africa and Asia, first large outbreak on Pacific island of Yap 2012: Researchers identify two distinct lineages of the virus, African and Asian 201314: Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Retrospective analysis shows possible link to birth defects and severe neurological complications in babies in French Polynesia March 2, 2015: Brazil reports illness characterized by skin rash in northeastern states July 17: Brazil reports detection of neurological disorders in newborns associated with history of infection Oct. 5: Cape Verde has cases of illness with skin rash Oct. 22: Colombia confirms cases of Zika Oct. 30: Brazil reports increase in microcephaly, abnormally small heads, among newborns Nov. 11: Brazil declares public health emergency November 2015-January 2016: Cases reported in Suriname, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, French Guiana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Curacao, Jamaica Feb. 1: World Health Organization (WHO) declares public health emergency of international concern Feb. 2: First case of Zika transmission in United States; local health officials say likely contracted through sex, not mosquito bite Feb. 5: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says virus being actively transmitted in 30 countries, mostly in the Americas Feb. 8: U.S. President Barack Obama requests $1.8 billion to fight Zika Feb. 12: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika infections and 4,314 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 462 confirmed as microcephaly and 41 determined to be linked to virus Feb. 17: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika and 4,443 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 508 confirmed as microcephaly and most of those cases are linked to the virus. WHO seeks $56 million to fight Zika. Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32. Feb. 23: CDC investigating 14 cases of possible sexual transmission of Zika. CDC also adds Trinidad and Tobago and Marshall Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 34. Feb. 25: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases number more than 580 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly. Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika. Feb. 29: CDC adds St. Maarten, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 36. March 1: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 641 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,222 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common." March 9: CDC adds New Caledonia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 37. March 15: Cuba reports first case of Zika contracted in the country. March 16: Cape Verde identifies first case of microcephaly. March 18: CDC says during Jan. 1, 2015 to Feb. 26, 2016, 116 residents of the United States had evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on laboratory testing. Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 863 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,268 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38. March 21: South Korea confirms first case of Zika. March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39. Bangladesh confirms first case of Zika virus. Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 907 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,293 suspected cases of microcephaly. March 29: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 944 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil said the number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped slightly to 4,291. March 31: According to the World Health Organization, there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take months or years. April 1: CDC adds Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 40. April 4: CDC adds Fiji to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 41. April 5: Vietnam reports first Zika infections. April 6: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,046 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 4,046. April 7: St. Lucia confirms first two cases of Zika, contracted locally. April 12: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,113 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 3,836. It was the second week in a row that the overall total figure fell. April 13: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. The CDC said now that the causal relationship has been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years. CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42. April 14: Colombia confirms two microcephaly cases linked to Zinka. April 18: Peru reports first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus. CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43. April 19: Chilean authorities find Zika mosquito for first time in decades. April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case. April 26: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly climbed to 1,198 from 1,168 in the week through April 23, but suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,710 from 3,741 a week ago. Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February until April 2, the health ministry said, in its first national report on the epidemic. April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The country also confirmed 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika, the CDC reported. May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika. May 6: Spain gets first case of Zika-related brain defect in a fetus. May 9: CDC adds Papua New Guinea, Saint Barthelemy and Peru to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 46. Honduras suspects first case of microcephaly in Zika patient. May 11: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly dropped to 1,326 in the week through May 7 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,433. May 12: CDC adds Grenada to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 47. May 13: Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly. May 20: WHO says an outbreak of Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde is of the same strain as the one blamed for birth abnormalities in Brazil. May 24: Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at 1,434 for the latest week to May 21. Suspected ones under investigation declined to 3,257. May 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48. June 9: WHO issues updated guidelines on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, including advising women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant. June 14: El Salvador confirms first case of microcephaly linked to Zika. June 28: First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida. SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by the Americas Desk)
Theres a major Asian power that refuses to compromise in its far-reaching territorial claims in oil-rich waters, despite appeals from its smaller neighbor to resolve the dispute in an international court.
But its not China throwing its weight around in this case. According to the tiny nation of Timor-Leste, Australia has steadfastly rejected attempts to negotiate a permanent maritime boundary in the Timor Sea, home to plentiful oil and gas fields.
The Southeast Asian countrys prime minister, Rui Maria de Araujo, flew to Washington last week to make his case to Congress and the State Department, asking U.S. officials to use their influence with their allies in Australia.
Its not easy to get American lawmakers and diplomats to pay attention to Timor-Lestes maritime claims. But the prime minister argues the long-running disagreement with Australia carries relevance for increasingly tense disputes in the South China Sea to the north, where Washington has repeatedly accused Beijing of coercive tactics against its neighbors.
If we could not resolve these issues following the principles of international law, how can you expect one of your big allies to stand up to China and tell them to follow international law? he told Foreign Policy in an interview.
Australia, like China, has said it refuses to recognize the jurisdiction of an international court in The Hague that is supposed to resolve disputes under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Whats at stake is not just sovereignty or fishing rights in the Timor Sea, but billions of dollars in oil and gas. After East Timor gained independence in 2002, the two countries negotiated deals on sharing oil and gas revenues in three treaties. Those agreements split evenly revenues from the lucrative Greater Sunrise gas field, while granting Timor-Leste 90 percent of the revenues from another field.
One of the treaties includes a clause that calls for a 50-year freeze on negotiating any permanent maritime boundary between the two countries.
Story continues
As a result, Australia has maintained that the current arrangements have benefited both sides and that the two governments have agreed not to revisit the sea border anytime soon.
Fed up with what it considers Australias intransigence, Timor-Leste last month turned to the United Nations to conduct a non-binding conciliation process with independent experts weighing in on the disagreement. The two countries are then supposed to hold negotiations based on the recommendations of the experts.
Timor-Leste made the move, Araujo said, because we are left without any choice. Oil and gas revenues account for more than 95 percent of the tiny countrys income, and it needs to clarify the legal status of the deposits in the Timor Sea to jumpstart production.
But Australias view is that the resources in the area are being divvied up in an equitable way, and that the two sides had agreed not to delve into the maritime boundary.
We stand by the existing treaties, which are fair and consistent with international law, Australias foreign ministry said in April after Timor-Leste announced plans to take the case to the United Nations.
But Timor-Leste maintains that it always wanted to work out a permanent solution to the maritime boundary, and that it is missing out on revenue. Its leaders say the law of the sea favors the idea of equidistance, and that would mean drawing the line halfway between the two countries.
If we use the principle of equidistance, we think that all these resources would belong to us, Araujo said. The fields are less than 100 miles from Timor-Leste and almost 300 miles from Australia.
The Timorese have come to distrust the Australians over the issue, especially after the Canberra government was accused of eavesdropping on cabinet officials in Dili during treaty talks in 2004 on sharing gas revenues.
The Timorese prime minister met with several U.S. lawmakers on Thursday and held talks on Friday with Daniel Kritenbrink, the National Security Councils Asia director, and with senior State Department officials, including Thomas Shannon, undersecretary of state for political affairs, and Daniel Russel, assistant secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He said he was optimistic his message was well-received.
By resolving the maritime argument between Australia and Timor-Leste based on international law and good-faith negotiations, the prime minister suggested it would strengthen the credibility of the United States and its Asian allies as they seek to counter Beijings tough tactics in the South China Sea.
If we could solve this problem, which is not too complicated, we will have much more moral authority to address the South China Sea dispute, he said.
Photo credit: VALENTINO DARIEL SOUSA/AFP/Getty Images
Despite mounting fears of new terror strikes at home, a senior U.S. official said the Islamic State was steadily losing both territory and fighters in Iraq and Syria as Washington and its allies press the group on the ground and from the air.
Brett McGurk, the State Departments pointman in the battle against ISIS, said the Islamic State has lost 47 percent of the territory it previously controlled in Iraq, a sharp reduction in the size of its self-declared caliphate. In addition, he said that the group had roughly 18,000-22,000 fighters, a decrease from the estimated 33,000 militants that it had in 2014.
Whereas [the Islamic State] once promised lavish pay for recruits, and free services in its caliphate, it is now slashing pay, cannot provide services, and is facing internal resistance, McGurk said. We know from other sources, as well, that [IS] fighters are panicking on the battlefield, foreign recruits are now looking to return home, and leaders are struggling to maintain discipline, even despite the threat of execution for disobedience.
McGurks optimistic assessment of the fight against the group in Iraq and Syria contrasted with the terror fears sparked by the deadly attack on an Orlando nightclub earlier this month by a disturbed gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State before killing 49 people in the worst mass shooting in American history. Last year, a husband-and-wife team of extremists who also said they were acting in the name of ISIS, murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California.
GOP presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump has cited those attacks as proof that the Obama administration isnt doing enough to combat the Islamic State, and lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pressed the White House administration to ramp up the tempo of the ISIS fight.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), asked McGurk if progress in the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq could prompt the group to launch more terrorist attacks against the west. McGurk said lone wolf types of attacks remain possible even as the group loses ground because they are very difficult to stop. At the same time, he noted that the group has been talking about attacking us for years.
Story continues
McGurk said law enforcement had found no evidence of a direct link between the Orlando shooter and the Islamic State. He defended the administrations approach of assisting indigenous fighters on the ground through air power and special forces advisers.
Much of the prepared testimony by McGurk, who formerly served as the deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, described recent battlefield gains in the fight against the Islamic State. He also stressed that pivotal battles were looming in both Iraq and Syria.
In Syria, McGurk highlighted an ongoing operation inside Manbij, a stretch of territory in northern Syria that has allowed foreign fighters to move in and out of Syria. He said a coalition of Kurds, Arabs, Syriac Christians, and Turkmen backed by U.S. warplanes were currently fighting to prevent the Islamic State from using the transit route. As we speak, these fighters are now entering the city limits, under cover of coalition air support, he said.
Offering a preview of the administrations war planning, he said once Manbij is cleared, the U.S.-led coalition will move onto the Islamic States de facto capital in Raqqa. Its hard fighting, he said. Once that is done, that sets the conditions for Raqqa.
In his prepared testimony, McGurk said the greatest challenge would be the recapture of the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul in Iraq. Last week, Iraqi forces began an operation to cut off the routes into the city from smaller towns such as Hawija and Sharqat in Kirkuk and Salahuddin provinces. This operation is now underway and making considerable progress, enabled by Apache helicopters and other accelerants authorized by the president in April, McGurk said in his testimony.
He also said the U.S. was working to clear the Islamic State from Syrias tri-border region near Jordan and the Golan Heights, which could pose a threat to Israel. He noted that as the Islamic State has suffered battlefield losses, it has telegraphed its desire to attack the Jewish state, clearly hoping to generate international headlines to compensate for its defeats.
We must not allow this to happen, he said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday that he will support a bill to address Puerto Rico's financial crisis when it comes up for an important procedural vote on Wednesday, but he could not say how many other Democrats are for the legislation. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
A congregation of 50 religious leaders, or Islamic clerics, in Pakistan declared that marrying transgender individuals is permissible under Islamic law on Monday, Reuters reported.
The religious leaders also announced that transgender people have full rights when it comes to Muslim burial ceremonies and Islamic inheritance law.
But here's the catch: You have to have been "born" trans.
According to the Telegraph, the fatwa a ruling on Islamic law declared by the Tanzeem Ittehad-i-Ummat Pakistan said that only a "female-born transgender person having 'visible signs of being a male' may marry a woman or a male-born transgender with 'visible signs of being a female,' and vice versa."
Source: Anjum Naveed/AP
But that's not the end of it. The language used to explain the religious edict is pretty damn unsettling, too.
The document, as reported by Reuters, refers to cisgender men and women as "normal" people when detailing their right to marry transgender-born individuals of the opposite sex.
"Normal men and women can also marry such transgender people as have clear indications on their body," it states.
Despite the change in marriage laws in Pakistan, same-sex coupling remains illegal in the country due to anti-sodomy laws.
Transgender people are one of the most marginalized communities in Pakistan. Due to discrimination against the trans community, they are often forced into sex work and subjected to sexual violence. Like in the U.S., that discrimination can lead to death.
A very painful vigil. Alisha was killed for solely being #transgender in #Pakistan. #LGBT #HumanRights #Humanspic.twitter.com/MW89gn1RiV https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjoNbgBUoAAQKPw.jpg:large
On May 25, a man reportedly known for extorting money from transgender communities in Pakistan fired at a crowd of trans activists. Alesha a 23-year-old trans woman who died after the shooting was taking to a northern Pakistani hospital, where she was denied medical care because workers didn't know whether to put her in the ward for male or female patients.
Story continues
But some progress has been made for transgender equality in Pakistan: In 2009, the Supreme Court of Pakistan recognized those who identify as "third gender" and provided them with the option to list it as their gender on their national ID cards. The same court also granted equal rights for transgender people in 2012. With this move, transgender people had the right to inherit property and the right to vote in Pakistan's elections. And in 2013, transgender Pakistanis were permitted to run for public office for the first time.
Pakistan granting marriage rights to transgender people is a great step forward for trans rights. However, not unlike the United States, the country still has a long way to go when it comes understanding trans identities.
Yang Kaiheng and his wife, Ai Takagi, making their way to the State Courts earlier this year. (Photo by Associate Press)
Yang Kaiheng, the ex-editor of socio-politcal website The Real Singapore, was sentenced to eight months jail on Tuesday (28 June) for sedition.
Yang, 27, pleaded guilty to six sedition charges on Friday (24 June) after seven days of trial.
The co-founder of the website was charged along with his 23-year-old Australian wife, Ai Takagi, in February this year with seven counts of sedition over articles published on the website.
They were also each charged with one count of failing to furnish documents to the police.
The couple was supposed to face a joint trial but Takagi had pleaded guilty from the start. She is currently serving a 10-month jail term.
Yang, however, had denied his involvement in the daily management of the site, and had claimed trial. But he decided to plead guilty on Friday.
The maximum punishment under the Sedition Act is a $5,000 fine and/or three years jail on each charge.
In his most substantive comments on trade policy to date, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump threatened to blow up the U.S. trade relationship with Asia, painted Hillary Clinton as a tool of the elites, and promised without offering any details to deliver long-departed manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
Speaking in Monessen, Pa. Tuesday, Trump said he would label China a currency manipulator. He said Beijings entry into the World Trade Organization marked the the greatest jobs theft in history. He threatened new tariffs against Chinese goods. In addition, he accused China of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of U.S. intellectual property. He also attacked his Democratic rival for once supporting the Trans Pacific Partnership, a massive trade deal with 12 Pacific nations that would cover 40 percent of the world economy.
As President Barack Obamas secretary of State, Clinton supported the deal. However, as Sen. Bernie Sanders used his opposition to the deal as a populist rallying cry on the campaign trail, Clinton flipped on TPP. China is not a signatory on the agreement, and Obama has argued that lack of an agreement would allow Beijing to write trade rules in Asia. Right now, China is currently negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with Asian countries meant to rival the U.S trade deal.
TPP would be the death blow for American manufacturing, Trump said, according to prepared remarks. It should be no surprise then that Hillary Clinton, according to Bloomberg, took a leading part in drafting the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She praised or pushed the TPP on 45 separate occasions, and even called it the gold standard.
He then attacked Clinton of flip-flopping on the deal. Hillary Clinton was totally for the TPP just a short while ago, but when she saw my stance, which is totally against, she was shamed into saying she would be against it too but have no doubt, she will immediately approve it if it is put before her, guaranteed. She will do this just as she has betrayed American workers for Wall Street throughout her career.
Story continues
He also blamed China for the loss of manufacturing jobs in Pittsburgh, a message that played well in the nearby town of Monessen. He did not cite the fact that the Steel City has rebounded with new jobs in the medical, technology, and financial services industry.
Trump also took aim at the North American Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect during President Bill Clintons plan. As first lady, Hillary Clinton had touted the benefits of the trade deal between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Trump called NAFTA the worst trade deal in history. In typical Trump fashion, he promised Americans he could negotiate a better one, though he offered no details on how.
And I dont mean just a little bit better, I mean a lot better, Trump said. If they do not agree to a renegotiation, then I will submit notice under Article 2205 of the NAFTA agreement that America intends to withdraw from the deal.
Withdrawing from NAFTA was part of the seven-point plan Trump unveiled Tuesday as part of what he described as a new push to create American jobs. He made the claim in spite of the fact that many mainstream economists believe the benefits of free trade spurring economic growth, increasing overall employment, and saving consumers money outweigh the sometimes severe job losses suffered by workers in fields like manufacturing. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders ran an unexpectedly tight race against Clinton by speaking of the same economic dislocation caused by free trade.
If Trump gets his way, the United States would move away from the current free trade model toward financial protectionism.
This was evident is his support for the Brexit, which has spooked financial markets and thrown the future of the European Union into doubt. Nearly all economists agree that Britain leaving the EU would be bad for both sides.
Trump doesnt see it that way. In his prepared remarks, he said the Brexit allows Britons to take back control of their economy, politics and border.
Trump portrayed the Brexit as a competition between the haves and the have nots. Its the same way he portrayed the upcoming election: ordinary Americans vs. Clinton, who represents the political and economic elite. According to Forbes, Trump, who made his fortune in real estate, is worth $4.5 billion. Forbes estimates Clintons wealth at more than $30 million.
I was on the right side of that issue with the people while Hillary, as always, stood with the elites, and both she and President Obama predicted that one wrong, he said. Now its time for the American people to take back their future. Thats the choice we face. We can either give in to Hillary Clintons campaign of fear, or we can choose to believe In America.
Photo credit: JEFF MITCHELL/Getty Images
By Emily Stephenson and Amanda Becker MONESSEN, Pennsylvania/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement with the United States - or scrap it - if elected, as part of an effort to protect and restore American jobs. Trump criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement as a U.S. job killer and tried to link Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to it on the eve of a meeting in Ottawa of the "three amigos," the leaders of the three NAFTA signatories: the United States, Mexico and Canada. In his most detailed speech on trade, the presumptive Republican nominee said he would pull the United States out of negotiations for a deal among 12 Pacific Rim nations, and promised to use executive power to resolve trade disputes with China. Trump, who also pledged to revive the U.S. steel and aluminum industry, spoke at an aluminum scrap factory in Monessen, Pennsylvania nearly 30 miles (50 km) south of one-time American steelmaking capital Pittsburgh. Trump has identified Pennsylvania as a state he believes he can wrest from the Democrats in the Nov. 8 election. He was slated to campaign later on Tuesday in Ohio, like Pennsylvania a Rust Belt state. Democratic President Barack Obama won both states in 2008 and 2012, but manufacturing job losses have led to voter anxiety in the region. Trump said, "I'm going tell our NAFTA partners that I intend to immediately renegotiate the terms of that agreement to get a better deal for our workers. And I don't mean just a little bit better, I mean a lot better." If Canada and Mexico do not agree to renegotiate the pact, Trump said he would notify them under the agreement's terms "that America intends to withdraw from the deal." He tried to tie his Democratic rival to the pact approved in 1993 during the administration of her husband, President Bill Clinton, calling NAFTA one of the "worst legacies" of the Clinton years. On MSNBC after Trump's speech, Clinton spokeswoman Kristina Schake called the wealthy New York businessman the "king of outsourcing," in an apparent reference to Trump-branded products such as suits and ties made overseas. "It was full of hypocrisy and misstatements and outright lies," Schake said. Trade has been a vulnerability for Clinton, who struggled for white, blue-collar votes in her Democratic primary race against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. He criticized her for supporting trade deals and said she was too close to Wall Street. Trump echoed Sanders' criticism on Tuesday, saying Clinton supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal being negotiated among 12 Pacific Rim countries, while she was secretary of state and only opposed it once she was running for president. Clinton has said she will evaluate each trade deal on its merits but does not believe the TPP is good for U.S. workers. Sanders now says he will vote for Clinton in November although he has not formally withdrawn from the race. Trump said he saw no way to fix the TPP, calling it a "death blow" for American manufacturing. Although China is not part of the agreement, Trump said Beijing might try to enter it "through the back door" later on. Just hours before Trump spoke, Clinton allies sought to pre-empt the planned trade speech by saying Trump's policies amounted to empty promises. Earlier, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told a trade conference in Washington that "Trump embodies everything that is wrong with our current trade policy. He has consistently sent American jobs overseas to line his own pockets." The AFL-CIO, which collectively represents more than 12 million workers, making it the largest U.S. labor federation, endorsed Clinton this month. POPULIST ANGER Both Clinton and Trump have acknowledged that Britain's vote to leave the European Union signaled a global economic frustration among working-class voters that could reverberate in the U.S. election. "There is a lot of legitimate anxiety, fear and even anger in many parts of our country because people feel like the economy has failed them," Clinton said in Denver on Tuesday. "I think this is going to be one of the defining issues in this election." Trump has seized on the historic "Brexit" vote to bolster his argument that voters are rising up against establishment leaders, saying Americans would reject the "global elite" and support his presidential candidacy. But Trump has broken with Republican Party orthodoxy in criticizing trade deals, and threatened to slap tariffs on Mexican and Chinese imports. His rhetoric has drawn criticism from many economists, who say such practices could spark trade wars. As Trump spoke, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is usually in sync with prominent Republicans on trade policy, said on Twitter: "Under Trump's trade plans, we would see higher prices, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy." (Additional reporting by Adam DeRose and Alana Wise; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) expects to release its second quarter 2016 financial results after the close of trading on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. A webcast conference call will be held on Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 9:00 am EDT for management to discuss the Companys second quarter 2016 performance. David C. Adams, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Glenn E. Tynan, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will host the call.
The financial press release, access to the webcast and the accompanying financial presentation will be posted on Curtiss-Wrights website at www.curtisswright.com. In addition, the Listen-Only dial-in number for domestic callers is (844) 304-5753, while international callers can dial (623) 900-6008.
For those unable to participate live, a webcast replay will be available for 90 days on the Companys website beginning one hour after the call takes place. A conference call replay will also be available for seven days.
Access Conference Call Replay:
Domestic (855) 859-2056 International (404) 537-3406 Passcode 40973086
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE:CW) is a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the commercial, industrial, defense and energy markets. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships. The company employs approximately 8,400 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.
In the wake of the latest trustees report that funding for Social Security, the premier government retirement program, will be exhausted by 2034, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump squared off this week on how they would preserve the system and continue to provide adequate benefits for future retirees.
The dueling positions of the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees were stated as op-ed pieces in the upcoming bulletin of the AARP. And they underscore the continued dearth of Trumps public policy ideas and Clintons relentless efforts to champion the middle class and placate the liberal wing of her party.
Related: Social Security Trustees Project Trust Fund Will Be Tapped Out by 2034
Trump is sticking to his guns that Social Security and other entitlement programs can be propped up indefinitely by growing the economy with tax cuts and other policy measures, without tampering with the basic benefits and funding mechanisms. Clinton agrees that the current Social Security system must be preserved or even expanded but insists that can only be accomplished by imposing higher taxes on wealthy Americans.
AARP, the largest seniors advocacy group, has been pressing presidential candidates to Take A Stand and provide voters with substantive ideas for keeping the Social Security system solvent. The group has warned that if the Social Security trust fund begins to run short of revenues in the coming decades, retires could lose up to $10,000 a year in benefits.
Congress hasnt done a major overhaul of the Social Security system since 1986, although several blue ribbon budget commissions, Republican congressional leaders including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and the Obama administration have toyed with ideas for preserving the system. Those ideas have ranged from raising the retirement age and reducing the cost-of-living adjustment to privatizing the system for younger workers an idea repeatedly pushed by Ryan and other House GOP leaders.
Story continues
Related: Democrats Promise to Expand Social Security Regardless of the Risk
Trump, the billionaire real estate businessman, early this year broke with other Republican presidential candidates by vowing to protect Social Security, Medicare and other pricey federal entitlement programs from cuts, even while boasting that he would balance the budget and wipe out a major chunk of the $19.2 trillion federal debt. However, he provided few clues as to how he would achieve those simultaneous goals, other than to claim he would save hundreds of billions by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse.
In his latest attempt to explain his approach to preserving Social Security, Trump was equally opaque, asserting that the key is generating a robust and growing: economy. He would do this, he said, by passing arguably the largest tax cut in U.S. history, repealing the Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation, spurring competition and rooting out government waste and fraud.
If we are able to grow the economy, increase the tax base, bring capital and jobs back to the United States and encourage foreign direct investment, we will shore up our entitlement programs for the time being, Trump wrote in the AARP bulletin. For too long Americans have had a great deal of uncertainty in their lives, and the reforms I will bring to D.C. will remove that uncertainty and will restore confidence in the American economy.
Related: The Social Security Mistake That Can Cost You Thousands a Year
But Trump is being highly disingenuous in feigning a lack of interest in reforming Social Security to address its glaring weaknesses. In April, Sam Clovis, Trump's chief policy adviser, hinted at a Washington budget seminar that Trump would be open to curbing Social Security and other entitlements if his ideas of spurring growth didnt pan out.
After the administration has been in place, then we will start to take a look at all of the programs, including entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, Clovis said. Well start taking a hard look at those to start seeing what we can do in a bipartisan way.
Clinton says that the Republicans like Ryan are using scare tactics concerning the future of Social Security and she has vowed to oppose any attempt to undermine the bedrock of the system.
She has gone on record against any attempts to gamble seniors retirement security on the stock market through privatization. She opposes any move towards reducing annual cost of living adjustments something even President Obama has expressed interest in. Clinton also is against raising the retirement age or closing the long-term shortfall on the backs of the middle class, whether through reductions in monthly benefits or increases in the Social Security payroll tax.
Related: Harsh New Penalties for Social Security Fraud Are Coming
Her long-term solution for preserving Social Security is to raise taxes on high-income Americans, including the possibility of taxing a portion of their income above the current Social Security cap. Right now, the Social Security payroll tax is phased out on wages above $118,500.
During the Democratic primary season, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont put enormous pressure on Clinton to commit to an expansion of benefits to retirees using an increase in the payroll tax. That is an idea that is highly popular within the partys liberal wing and was used as a litmus test of Clintons commit to progressive values.
Sanders said if he were elected president, he would use a tax increase to increase annual retirement benefits by $1,300 for everyone making under $16,000 a year.
Clinton says she would use the additional tax revenue to target the needs of women who are widows or who took significant time out from the work force to care for their children, elderly parents or ailing family members.
Related: Medicare and Social Security Worse than They Look
According to Clintons campaign, which prepared her responses to the AARP, the poverty rate for widowed women 65 or older is nearly 90 percent higher than for other seniors. Thats partly because when a male spouse dies, his surviving family can suffer a sharp loss in retirement benefits. In the case of a two-earner couple, benefits can drop by as much as a half in the case of a death.
Hillary believes that we have to change that by reducing how much Social Security benefits drop when a spouse dies, so that the loss of a spouse doesnt mean financial hardship or falling into poverty, Clintons campaign says.
Hillary firmly believes that we must not cut or privatize Social Security, the Clinton campaign declared in response to the AARP request for comment. Hillary will expand Social Security for those who need it most. Hillary will fight to expand Social Security for those who are treated unfairly today.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Donald Trump Delivers Trade Policy Address In Pennsylvania
Donald Trump reacted on Tuesday afternoon to the deadly attack at an Istanbul airport, saying that the US must do "everything possible" to keep such "horrible terrorism outside" the country.
"Yet another terrorist attack, this time in Turkey. Will the world ever realize what is going on?" Trump tweeted.
"So sad," he added.
In a follow-up tweet, he said: "We must do everything possible to keep this horrible terrorism outside the United States."
Istanbul's governor said that 28 people had been killed and 60 wounded in the attack on the airport.
Trump drew criticism the last time he commented in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Following the Orlando nightclub shooting earlier this month, he tweeted that he didn't "want congrats" for "being right" about the dangers posed by terrorists.
NOW WATCH: Donald Trump's 'strange' morning habit tells you everything you need to know about him
More From Business Insider
katrina pierson cnn
Donald Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson says Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from entering the US applies only to Muslim immigrants, not all Muslims.
In a contentious interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar on Monday, Pierson said that Trump's policy hadn't changed and that she was only clarifying his position.
"It's only really a change if you never knew what the ban was to begin with," she said. "The policy in and of itself was an immigration policy, so the context there is extremely important."
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, proposed the controversial ban five days after the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting that killed 14 people in December. The proposal immediately received criticism from all sides of the political spectrum and was fiercely attacked by several of Trump's rivals during the Republican primaries.
His original statement, which is still on his campaign website, reads:
"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
Pierson on Monday said the proposal was meant to keep out "individuals who cannot be vetted," adding that the US does not have a vetting process in place for refugees entering the country, a claim Trump has made before.
Keilar then read a PolitiFact analysis contradicting that claim. It said the US's vetting process had been in place for three decades and for some refugees lasted longer than two years.
"You're saying there's no vetting process," Keilar said. "I just read the vetting process. How does he want to change it?"
"Here's the thing," Pierson responded. "We're not going to base national security off PolitiFact."
Pierson's comments come as Trump appears to be slowly walking back his proposal in favor of one that targets countries with a history of terrorism.
But when pressed to reveal the countries that Trump is targeting, Pierson declined to provide details.
Story continues
"Mr. Trump is going to release more specifics to answer all of your questions," she said.
Pierson hit back against Keilar's criticism on Twitter after the interview aired:
I'll take my vetting advice from the CIA and FBI Director Comey over Politifact, United Nations & CNN https://t.co/XcTG630iym #Trump2016 Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) June 27, 2016
Watch clips from the interview below:
Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson: The ban was never against ALL Muslims https://t.co/wJSgobFywz https://t.co/yTA3f6fmot The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) June 27, 2016
.@brikeillarcnn presses Katrina Pierson for answers about potential changes to Trump's Muslim immigration ban https://t.co/LoD8bJJBU8 The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) June 27, 2016
Trump national spokeswoman: Were not going to base national security off Politifact https://t.co/wJSgobFywz https://t.co/Ln8gQs6OYw The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) June 27, 2016
Trump spokeswoman on @CNNSitRoom: "Mr. Trump is going to be refining his policy" https://t.co/iRlpDVec76 https://t.co/MBmhcAGzkL CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 27, 2016
.@brikeilarcnn presses Katrina Pierson for answers about potential changes to Donald Trump's Muslim immigration ban https://t.co/o7YFlwT6ch CNN (@CNN) June 27, 2016
NOW WATCH: TRUMP SPOKESWOMAN: Why the Republican Party has 'miserably failed'
More From Business Insider
From Esquire
Women hoping America can "be great again" put on their trucker hats and showed their support for Donald Trump on social media Sunday afternoon. Feeds were flooded with the hashtag #TrumpGirlsBreakTheInternet, which showed photos of women supporting the presumptive GOP presidential candidate.
The hashtag began after a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll was released Sunday showing Hillary Clinton with a lead over Trump among women.
The first reference to #TrumpGirlsBreakTheInternet appears to be from @BakedAlaska on Saturday before the hashtag caught fire after it was seen by @BabesForTrump.
Not everyone was using the hashtag in support of Trump, as many hijacked it with dissenting views.
While many of the #TrumpGirls support the candidate, it seems unlikely that he supports them or their rights or their existence beyond sex appeal. His views on women are pretty well-documented at this point, from saying he'd date his daughter to calling Megyn Kelly a "bimbo." What lady could resist voting for a man like that, right?
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey and Israel will this week start the process of exchanging ambassadors after they signed a deal to restore ties following a bitter row in 2010, Ankara said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said Turkey and Russia's foreign ministers would meet after months of acrimony, as Ankara launches major efforts to repair damaged friendships in the region.
"New steps will definitely be taken to restore ties with Israel in the areas of the economy, trade and energy," Kalin told reporters in the capital.
He added that Ankara wants to "open a new chapter in Turkish-Russian relations" which were severed when Turkey shot down one of Moscow's warplanes on its border with Syria last November.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are due to speak by phone Wednesday for the first time since the incident prompted an unprecedented crisis in Moscow-Ankara ties.
"We expect relations to be normalised in areas of politics, trade and energy," Kalin said, indicating that the pair would likely discuss the lifting of punishing sanctions Russia has slapped on Turkey.
Erdogan had on Monday reached out a conciliatory hand to fellow strongman Putin.
The Kremlin said Erdogan apologised over the plane incident, but Kalin denied this, saying the Turkish leader's letter had "expressed deep regrets" rather than offering an outright apology.
Kalin added that there were no plans to offer compensation, but suggested Ankara may make a "gesture" to the family of the plane's slain pilot to "ease their sorrow".
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will meet Friday in the Russian resort of Sochi, on the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting.
- 'Zero problems with neighbours' -
The breakthroughs with Russia and Israel come as Turkey moves back towards an approach dubbed "zero problems with neighbours" following several diplomatic rows and with its foe President Bashar al-Assad still in power in Syria.
Story continues
Israel was formerly a close regional ally, but ties plunged into deep freeze in 2010 following an Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy that left 10 Turkish activists dead.
Israel had already offered compensation and an apology over the raid, leaving Turkey's third condition for restored ties -- the Jewish state's naval blockade on Gaza -- as the main obstacle.
In a compromise, the deal signed Tuesday will see Turkey invest in Palestinian infrastructure and deliver aid to Gaza residents via Israel's Ashdod port rather than directly to Gaza.
The blockade itself will remain in place.
Nevertheless, Kalin said Friday's departure of a Turkish ship, carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid, would be "the first test to see if Israel will play a facilitator role" in easing the blockade.
A new hospital for Gaza, to be opened as part of the deal, will be operational in two or three months, Kalin said.
Erdogan's Islamic-rooted AKP party has maintained friendly ties with the Islamist Hamas movement which runs Gaza, and Erdogan has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Under the deal, Ankara has committed to keeping Hamas from carrying out military activities against Israel from Turkish territory, "including fundraising for such purposes," according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But Kalin denied Israeli media reports that Hamas would be able to carry out diplomatic operations from Turkey, saying: "Hamas does not have a bureau in Turkey."
Ankara (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday went back on an earlier offer of compensation to Russia for shooting down one of Moscow's military jets in November, media reported.
"Compensating Russia is not on the table, we have only expressed our regrets," CNN-Turk cited Yildirim as saying, hours after he said Ankara was ready to offer compensation for the incident that shattered ties between the two countries.
Speaking on public TV network TRT late Monday, Yildirim had said: "We have said that if necessary we are ready to pay compensation."
The confusion came a day after a major breakthrough in the diplomatic crisis between the two countries -- which back opposing sides in the Syrian war -- with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaching out a hand of conciliation.
The Kremlin said Erdogan had apologised for the incident, which took place along the Turkish-Syrian border.
But Turkish officials said Erdogan had written to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "express his regrets" over the incident rather than issue an outright apology.
Despite the retraction of the compensation offer, Erdogan and Putin are due to speak by phone on Wednesday for the first time since the plane was shot down, the Kremlin said.
ANKARA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel signed a deal on Tuesday to restore ties after a six-year rift, formalizing an agreement which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said sent a "hopeful signal" for regional stability. The accord, announced on Monday by the two countries' prime ministers, was a rare rapprochement in the divided Middle East, driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over growing security risks. It was formally signed on Tuesday by Turkey's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu in Ankara and Israel's Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold in Jerusalem, officials said. Relations between Israel and what was once its principal Muslim ally crumbled after Israeli marines stormed an activist ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and killed 10 Turks on board. Under the deal, the naval blockade of Gaza, which Ankara had wanted lifted, remains in force, although humanitarian aid can continue to be transferred to Gaza via Israeli ports. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said late on Monday the two countries might appoint ambassadors "in a week or two." Israel, which had already offered its apologies for the 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara activist ship, agreed to pay out $20 million to the bereaved and injured. The deal requires Turkey pass legislation indemnifying Israeli soldiers. "This is an important and hopeful signal for the stability of the region," Ban said at a meeting with Israel's president in Jerusalem on Monday. Visiting a U.N.-run school and a Qatari-built rehabilitation hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, he also called for an end to the Israeli blockade. "The closure of Gaza suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts. It is a collective punishment for which there must accountability," Ban said. Israel says the Gaza blockade is needed to curb arms smuggling by Hamas, an Islamist group that last fought a war with Israel in 2014. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz, additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Mark Trevelyan; Writing by Ece Toksabay and Nick Tattersall)
metallicafan wrote:
In Japan, a government advisory committee called for the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the largest telephone company in the world, so it would be two local phone companies and one long-distance provider.
(A) In Japan, a government advisory committee called for the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the largest telephone company in the world, so it would be
(B) The breakup of the world's largest telephone company, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, was called for by a government advisory committee in Japan, so it would be
(C) A government advisory committee in Japan called for the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the world's largest telephone company, into
(D) The breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the world's largest telephone company, was called for by a government advisory committee in Japan, so it would be
(E) Called for by a government advisory committee, the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company in Japan, the world's largest telephone company, was to be into Quote: two local phone companies and one long-distance provider.(A) In Japan, a government advisory committee called for the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the largest telephone company in the world, so it would be(B) The breakup of the world's largest telephone company, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, was called for by a government advisory committee in Japan, so it would be(C) A government advisory committee in Japan called for the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the world's largest telephone company, into(D) The breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company, the world's largest telephone company, was called for by a government advisory committee in Japan, so it would be(E) Called for by a government advisory committee, the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company in Japan, the world's largest telephone company, was to be into
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Option E
Therefore, C is the most appropriate option.
This question is based on Construction.The sentence is made up of a few pieces of information 1. in Japan2. a government advisory committee called for3. the breakup of Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Company4. the largest telephone company in the worldThe most appropriate option is the one that puts together these pieces of information with the last part of the sentence in the most logical manner.Option A contains the conjunction so, implying that the second part of the sentence is a consequence of the first. The sentence intends to convey the meaning that the committee has called for the breakup of the company into two local companies and one long-distance provider. Furthermore, the modal auxiliary verb would introduces a note of probability into the sentence that is not implied by the first part of the sentence. Since the meaning conveyed is not logical,can be eliminated.Option B contains an ambiguous pronoun. The pronoun it could refer to Japan, advisory committee or the company. This option also contains the same error of construction as Option A because of the conjunction so. So,can also be eliminated.Option C is the most concise version of the sentence. All the pieces of information have been placed in the most appropriate manner. The option also contains the correct idiomatic usage breakup of the company into. So,is appropriate.Option D has a passive construction, which makes it wordy. There is also an ambiguous pronoun it in this option. The antecedent of the pronoun is not clear, socan be eliminated. This option also contains the same error of construction as Options A and B because of the conjunction so.The construction of this option is awkward and wordy. The phrase breakup of the company was to be into is clumsily worded. In this option, the modifier "the world's largest telephone company" has been placed after the noun 'Japan" implying that Japan is the world's largest telephone company. So,can also be eliminated.Jayanthi Kumar._________________
A couple once known as TV news personalities in Arizona are now facing child abuse and drug charges after cops say their baby tested positive for cocaine.
Krystin Lisaius, 26, and husband Somchai Lisaius, 42, were known as reporters for Tucson TV stations in May, when the couple rushed their 4-month-old baby to a hospital after it began to act lethargic.
Krystin and Somchai Lisaius's baby reportedly tested positive for cocaine. (Source)
According to an Oro Valley Police report, the couple said their baby was also not eating normally but they refused to allow hospital staff to draw blood from the child.
Read: Man Who Said He'd Spend Powerball Money on 'Hookers and Cocaine' Speaks Out
The couple then left the hospital with their baby against medical advice, according to the report, before going to a second hospital.
The baby is alleged to have consumed cocaine throuhgh her mother's breastmilk. (Source)
At the second hospital, police say the couple was again uncooperative when asked to take a blood sample from the infant.
However, hospital staff told police that a urinalysis was conducted and it reportedly confirmed the presence of a drug, the name of which police have redacted. According to multiple reports, the drug was cocaine.
After first denying she'd used cocaine, police say Mrs. Lisaius eventually admitted to doing the drug the night before at a barbecue she and her husband had hosted at their home.
She also allegedly told a social worker that she'd been breastfeeding the child but that she thought it would be safe to do so after 12 hours had elapsed since she last used the drug.
Police said in the report that Mr. Lisaius also admitted to using cocaine with his wife and a friend at their home.
Read: This Drug Ring Stashed Cocaine in Toy Characters From Frozen, The Minions
The couple admitted to having cocaine in their home, as well, and directed police where to find it, the police report says.
Story continues
On June 9, 2016, the parents were indicted on possession of a drug, drug paraphernalia and child abuse charges.
The child has been placed in the custody of a family member.
As footage by KVOA shows, they appeared in court for the first time on Monday, where they pleaded not guilty to all three felonies.
Their attorney, Michael Piccarretta, told reporters that this was an isolated incident and that he's confident the baby will be back in the Lisaius' care soon.
Watch: Tom Hanks' Son: I Smoked Crack, Did Cocaine Until I Couldn't Snort Anymore
Related Articles:
By Eric M. Johnson
(Reuters) - Two mothers and their four children were killed early on Tuesday after their minivan was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer and burst into flames as it tumbled down an embankment north of Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol said.
After surviving the crash, the fathers of the victims suffered burns to their arms trying to free their children and wives trapped inside the van, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Frank Romero.
"When we arrived on scene, we saw the van starting to catch fire. We saw the husbands come running up to us, told us their families were in the vehicle still," Officer Dan Williams told Los Angeles television station KABC in video posted online.
Williams said in the video interview that he and his partner tried in vain to extricate the women and children after the crash, which occurred along Interstate 5 about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
"My partner went and tried to get in through the van door," Williams said. "The flames came at him, he had to back out. I grabbed the fire extinguisher, I tried to extinguish the flames, but the van burst into flames very, very quickly and we were unable to assist in getting anybody out of the van."
Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Gustavo Medina said by phone that the department dispatched units at about 3:30 a.m. local time to the crash site near the community of Gorman.
Romero, the California Highway Patrol spokesman, said the cause of the crash was still being investigated.
The husbands, identified as Aaron Hon Wing Ng, 34, of San Francisco, and Wei Xiong Li, 45, of Daly City, were airlifted to a hospital and expected to live, Romero said. The names of the other victims were not yet released. The ages of the children were also not released.
The van initially came to rest on the far right shoulder of the highway after a collision with another car. But the rear end of the van remained in the traffic lane and was then struck from behind by the big rig, Romero said.
Story continues
The driver of the truck, Richard Lopez, 60, of Walnut, California, was uninjured and not arrested.
Footage of the crash site showed the burned out van angled backward down a steep embankment off the side of the highway.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; editing by Sharon Bernstein and Dan Grebler)
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Three railroad workers are missing after two freight trains they were on collided in northern Texas on Tuesday, causing a huge fire, officials said.
The accident near Panhandle, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Amarillo, happened when the lead locomotives of two Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co [BNISF.UL] trains crashed into each other, said company spokesman Joe Faust.
There was no information available as to what caused the accident or the fire, he said.
There were four workers aboard the two trains. One was found and taken to an area hospital. That person's condition is unknown, he said.
"Rescue efforts are under way at the scene with respect to the three other railroad employees involved in the incident," Faust said. Local rescue officials said the three were missing.
The Carson County Sheriff's office issued a mandatory evacuation for an area near the accident.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz Editing by G Crosse and James Dalgleish)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Two suspects blew themselves up at Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Tuesday, detonating their explosives just before the security check at the international terminal, a Turkish official said. Police fired shots to try to "neutralize" the suspects, the official said. Around 40 people were wounded in the blast, broadcaster HaberTurk reported. (Reporting by Turkey newsroom; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall)
PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Tuesday she is awaiting a briefing on the blast at the airport in Istanbul, Turkey. "I'm awaiting a briefing on that matter right now ... certainly we will be looking into it," Lynch told reporters at a press conference in Phoenix, Arizona. (Reporting by Julia Edwards; Editing by Chris Reese)
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Britain on Tuesday to act to prevent further incidents of xenophobic abuse in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union, and to prosecute perpetrators. Polish and Muslim leaders in Britain have expressed concern about a spate of racially motivated hate crimes following last week's Brexit referendum, in which immigration was a key issue. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the U.N. rights boss, said in a statement that he was deeply concerned by reports of abuse targeting minority communities and foreigners in Britain. "Racism and xenophobia are completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances," Zeid said. Police said offensive leaflets targeting Poles had been distributed in a town in central England, and graffiti had been daubed on a Polish cultural center in London on Sunday, three days after the vote, while Islamic groups have reported a sharp rise in incidents against Muslims. Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attacks on Monday in parliament and said he had spoken to his Polish counterpart Beata Szydlo to express his concern and to reassure her that Poles in Britain would be protected. Mutuma Ruteere, the independent U.N. investigator on racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, said that some of the abuse and comments reported since the vote "certainly are xenophobic and racist". "I also note that the government and the Prime Minister has been very categorical in denouncing those practices as well as what has taken place," Ruteere told a news briefing in Geneva. Britain had watchdog institutions that monitor racism, he said, adding: "This is the test for all these institutions that have been put in place over time. "I'm quite confident and hopeful that actually the institutions that exist can address this problem and nip it in the bud before it becomes a bigger problem." Anti-foreigner sentiment has emerged in many parts of Europe, with people "playing up the migration crisis", said Ruteere, a human rights expert from Kenya. "It is regrettable in my view, it is something that ought to be tackled decisively by political leaders," he said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Sri Lanka must rein in its military forces, prosecute war crimes committed during the long civil war with Tamil rebels and win the confidence of the Tamil minority, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Witnesses must be protected under an effective transitional justice mechanism that should include international judges, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in an annual report. The military and Tamil Tiger rebels - who were fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the Indian Ocean island - are both likely to have committed war crimes during the 26-year conflict that ended in 2009, the U.N. said last year. President Maithripala Sirisena's government, formed in March 2015, has "consolidated its position, creating a political environment conducive to reforms", but governance reform and transitional justice had lagged, the report said. "The early momentum established in investigating emblematic cases must be sustained, as early successful prosecutions would mark a turning point from the impunity of the past," it said. "Continuing allegations of arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual violence, as well as more general military surveillance and harassment, must be swiftly addressed, and the structures and institutional culture that promoted those practices be dismantled." Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said the foreign minister would respond on Wednesday. "But overall, Zeid's report is positive," he said. Sirisena has said that foreign participation is not needed for an impartial inquiry. Many Sri Lankans oppose foreign involvement and supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa believe that U.N. efforts aim to punish the military unfairly. The U.N. Human Rights Council will debate Zeid's report on Wednesday when the government is expected to come under fresh pressure to commit to prosecuting perpetrators. Sri Lanka acknowledged this month for the first time that some 65,000 people were missing from the war. The United Nations and activists have long urged justice for the families of those who disappeared, including those alleged to have been secretly abducted by state-backed groups and paramilitary outfits. At least 250 security detainees were still being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the U.N. report said, noting that Zeid had urged the government during a visit last September to quickly charge or release them. The report voiced concerns over "military engagement in commercial activities, including farming and tourism" and aggressive campaigns in social media that it said "stoke nationalism against ethnic, religious and other minorities". (Additional reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Airbnb hosts in New York City who take advantage of the platform by illegally renting out entire apartments for at least three months each year took about 10% of the city's available rentals off of the market in 2015, according to a report [PDF] out this week from a duo of affordable housing nonprofits.
"Airbnb's own data demonstrates that the illegal short term listings of residential units on its site exacerbate the acute affordable housing crisis that plagues our city," said Marti Weithman, a supervising attorney for MFY Legal Services, which commissioned the study along with Housing Conservation Coordinators.
The report focuses on a subset of Airbnb listings that its authors argue are the most destructive to the city's dwindling affordable housing stockthose for entire apartments that are managed either by a host who rents multiple listings for at least three months out of the year, or a single listing for at least six months of the year. There were 8,058 so-called "impact listings" in NYC in 2015, out of 51,397 total.
Report authors pinpointed these listings using Airdna, an online Airbnb analysis tool that quickly identifies the number of days per year that a given listing is available for rental.
Impact listings ate up 10% of NYC's rental market last year based on the report's assumption that these units were all vacant rentals prior to being listed on Airbnban assumption Airbnb vehemently challenges.
But more than half of the impact listings identified were controlled by hosts with multiple units: a common indicator, local politicians and advocates argue, of an illegal hotel operation run by a landlord or third-party operator.
"NYC is overwhelmingly rental housing," added Weithman. "While there probably are some homeowners in there [among the impact listings], to the extent that there are, it's far less than the [number of] landlords."
This week's report also found that more than half of 2015 Airbnb listings, about 56%, violated the Multiple-Dwelling Law, which prohibits New Yorkers from renting out entire apartments for under 30 days at a time if the tenant on the lease is not present. This finding is in line with Airbnb's own December 2015 data dump.
At the neighborhood level, the report shows that impact listings are concentrated in Manhattan and Brooklyn, from 599 in the East Village to 105 in Fort Greene. The table below shows what percentage of potential rentals in these neighborhoods were lost to Airbnb. In Crown Heights, for example, Airbnb hosts allegedly withheld 12% of available rentals.
"Landlords will displace long-term families, only to operate illegal rentals or hotels," said Crown Heights Tenant Union organizing director Kerri White in a statement. "Today's report proves what we know from our experience in the neighborhood to be true."
(via study)
Airbnb spokesman Peter Schottenfels accused study authors of targeting the middle classa now-familiar accusation.
"We need to work together to find solutions that actually benefit middle class New Yorkers, including how to protect responsible home sharers, rather than protecting the interests of the hotel industry," he said.
According to the startup, 95% of NYC hosts have one listing on the platform, and three quarters of NYC hosts are low-to-moderate income.
But Airbnb has continued to criticize legislation aimed at weeding out bad actors, including a bill recently passed by the state legislature that would make it illegal not only to rent out your entire apartment, but to advertise such a rental online as well. Fines would range from $1,000 for the first offense, up to $7,500 for the third.
"Airbnb can criticize the report, but at the end of the day they are a corporation that needs to abide by the laws of New York State," said Weithman on Monday. "And thus far they have refused to do that."
Governor Cuomo will have the final word on the advertising bill before year's end. "This is one of 554 bills that passed both houses of the Legislature at the end of this session," said spokesman Rich Azzopardi on Monday. "They are under review by Counsel's office."
The U.S. Navy has lifted an alcohol ban on sailors based in Japan, less than a month after it was imposed amid local anger over crimes and other incidents involving American military personnel.
Rear Admiral Matthew Carter, the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan, announced Tuesday that sailors would now be able to consume alcohol at off-base establishments. Sailors are still restricted to imbibing before 10 p.m., and lower-ranked personnel out on the town must be accompanied by a liberty buddy, the announcement said.
A full ban on alcohol consumption for Navy personnel was imposed on June 6 following the arrest of a sailor who was involved in a car crash on Okinawa that injured two people, allegedly while driving drunk. That incident followed the arrest of an American civilian working for the military who is suspected of murdering a Japanese woman, also on Okinawa, where the majority of the 18,600 sailors stationed on the key U.S. allys territory are based.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets to protest against the U.S. militarys presence in Japan in the light of the incidents, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confronted President Obama with the Japanese peoples profound resentment over the womans murder.
An earlier announcement had loosened the restrictions to allow drinking on base, but the commander has separately announced there will be no July 4 celebrations on U.S. Navy bases in Japan this year.
The U.S. Navys statement said sailors had been given training on the responsible use of alcohol. Over the past few weeks, the performance of Sailors across Japan has been outstanding, Carter said in the announcement. They recognize that liberty is a mission, especially here in Japan. They know that their performance in this mission area has a direct impact in preserving the vital strategic relationship with the Japanese, and preserving peace and stability in the Western Pacific.
(Adds reaction from trade association ICI)
By Lisa Lambert
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The top U.S. securities regulator on Tuesday proposed a rule intended to ensure that investors are not harmed when asset managers fall on hard times or close up shop.
The proposed rule would require investment advisers to put in place business continuity and transition plans, laying out how they would minimize material disruptions to service in the event of business disruptions such as natural disasters, cyber-attacks, technology failures or the departure of key personnel.
"While an adviser may not always be able to prevent significant disruptions to its operations, advance planning and preparation can help mitigate the effects of such disruptions and in some cases, minimize the likelihood of their occurrence, which is an objective of this rule," Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White said in a statement.
She added that the proposal is part of a broader effort to "modernize and enhance regulatory safeguards for the asset management industry."
Advisers could tailor their plans to fit their operations and risks specific to their particular business models. Specifically, they would need plans to maintain systems and protect data, arrange alternative work sites, keep up communications and review third-party service providers. They would also need to show how they would handle the transition of winding down or stopping services.
"This is an important part of Chair White's rulemaking agenda for the asset management industry," said David Blass, general counsel for the Investment Company Institute, the leading trade association for registered funds.
ICI is currently reviewing the proposal.
Regulators are drawing stricter boundaries for the industry and the SEC has zoned in on asset management this year. It has proposed changing information funds must disclose, as well as measures on their liquidity management and use of derivatives. The commission has also scaled back on examining brokers to boost oversight of investment advisers.
Story continues
Also on Tuesday, the commission announced it added a new co-chief to its enforcement division's asset management unit, Dabney O'Riordan, who has investigated "a wide variety of misconduct" across the industry. O'Riordan has worked on cases involving advisers who misallocated private fund expenses as well as investigations into "gatekeepers" such as auditors, according to the commission.
In April, the heads of the major U.S. financial regulatory agencies called for more analysis of hedge funds in its review of risks the asset management industry could pose to financial stability.
(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Dan Grebler and Andrew Hay)
By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic senator on Monday prevented legislation from being quickly considered that would expand the FBI's power to use secretive surveillance orders to obtain some Internet records, arguing it would lead to a "dramatic erosion" of U.S. privacy rights. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon placed a hold on the annual Intelligence Authorization Act, which grants congressional approval for clandestine operations carried out by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. A provision of the authorization bill would allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use national security letters, which do not require a warrant, to compel companies such as Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook to hand over certain Internet records. These would include email metadata, some browsing history and social media log-in information. Such an expansion would allow the FBI to retrieve sensitive data of U.S. citizens without court approval, Wyden said. "Convenience alone does not justify such a dramatic erosion of Americans constitutional rights," he said on the Senate floor. National security letters are the latest flashpoint in a years-long debate pitting U.S. surveillance operations against digital privacy interests. Wyden's objection blocks the Senate from rapidly advancing the bill and now forces Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell to go through normal order to hold a roll call vote, a process that can take days. Currently, national security letters, or NSLs, can only compel sharing of phone billing records, according to a 2008 legal memo written by the U.S. Justice Department. Still, the FBI has used the letters since then to request Internet records during national security investigations. Senate Republicans have attempted to advance the NSL expansion, which FBI Director James Comey has called his top legislative priority, several times in recent months. Last week the Senate came two votes short of advancing separate legislation that would have expanded national security letters. [uL1N19E0ZY] Though some Republicans invoked the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando earlier this month to promote that measure, Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last week it was "one hundred percent correct" that it would not have prevented the massacre. Wyden also said he opposed another provision of the authorization bill that would limit the jurisdiction of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a government advisory committee that reviews the legality and effectiveness U.S. surveillance programs. (Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Diane Craft)
By Dan Levine SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Rival ride services Uber and Lyft have settled high stakes litigation involving two of their top executives, court filings show, in advance of a trial that could have aired sensitive details about both companies. Lyft and its former chief operating officer Travis VanderZanden ended litigation in a California state court in which Lyft accused VanderZanden of breaking his confidentiality pledges when he went to work for Uber. Uber also withdrew a subpoena on Monday in separate litigation over a data breach at Uber, which had targeted an Internet address assigned to Lyft's chief technology officer (CTO), according to a court filing. Last year Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was pursuing a criminal investigation of a May 2014 data breach at Uber [UBER.UL], including an examination of whether any employees at competitor Lyft were involved. Lyft has said it found no evidence that any employee was involved in the breach. It is unclear what impact the civil settlements will have on that probe. A Lyft spokesman confirmed the settlement with VanderZanden on Monday but declined to disclose the terms. An Uber representative could not immediately be reached for comment. VanderZanden served as Lyft's chief operating office until August 2014, when he expressed disagreement with the company's leadership and approached two board members about taking over as chief executive, according to court filings. Lyft accepted VanderZanden's resignation instead, and he eventually became vice president of international growth at rival Uber. Lyft sued him in November 2014. In a sworn affidavit submitted in court earlier this year, VanderZanden said Lyft sued him in bad faith. According to VanderZanden's filing, Lyft surmised he had told Uber that Lyft's CTO, Chris Lambert, had discovered a method to "hack into Uber's computer systems and gain access to Uber confidential information." Uber revealed last year that as many as 50,000 of its drivers' names and their license numbers had been improperly downloaded, and filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court in an attempt to unmask the hacker. As part of its investigation, Uber determined that an Internet address potentially associated with the breach could be traced to Lambert. However, Lambert's attorney told Reuters Lambert "had nothing to do" with the breach, which was launched from a different Internet address. Trial in the VanderZanden case had been scheduled to begin in August. (Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Mark Potter)
LONDON (Reuters) - British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday he was seriously considering entering the race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister. Hunt, who backed the campaign to stay in the European Union, told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme he was weighing up whether to put his name forward before nominations for the next Conservative party leader close on Thursday. "I am seriously considering it," he said "What I want to do is to make the argument as to the kind of Britain that we need to be outside the EU. This is a big, big change and if we get it right we can succeed." Cameron announced he would resign after Britons voted to leave the EU. Boris Johnson, who was the most high-profile figure in the Leave camp, is favourite to replace him, but a number of other prominent Conservatives are also thought to be considering a leadership bid. Hunt said Britain must remain part of the single market, and writing in the Daily Telegraph he said Britain could hold a second referendum on EU membership if it could broker a deal with the bloc to allow full control of its borders. "I'm not saying we have a second referendum on whether we remain in the EU," he told the BBC. "We are leaving the EU...but what I am saying is that when we have negotiated the terms of our departure....I do think people should have a chance to have their say on those terms." Hunt said the prime minister who succeeded Cameron should be given a chance to negotiate with Brussels before Britain hands in its two-year notice to quit the EU, so they can put any deal on migration to the British public. "So before setting the clock ticking we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people, either in a referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh general election," Hunt said. (Reporting by William James, Michael Holden, Sarah Young and Andy Bruce; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Kate Holton)
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - British lenders submitted a record volume of bids for Bank of England funds at an auction for six-month finance on Tuesday, the first held by the central bank since the country voted to leave the European Union last week.
Banks bid for 6.330 billion pounds ($8.43 billion) of funds, the highest volume since the repo operations adopted their current format in February 2014, but the central bank only filled 3.072 billion pounds worth of requests, lower than at a repo in early June.
Unusually most of the bids were secured against the lowest tier of collateral, and the central bank rejected those which did not offer to pay at least 20 basis points more than its 0.5 percent Bank Rate. ($1 = 0.7506 pounds) (Reporting by David Milliken, editing by Estelle Shirbon)
By Kylie MacLellan and David Milliken
LONDON (Reuters) - Securing access to the European Union's single market is the top goal in Brexit negotiations, Britain's business minister said on Tuesday, as a business group warned the government was a long way from having a clear plan for its future ties with the bloc.
Sajid Javid hosted a meeting of business organisations and representatives from Britain's largest trade sectors to seek to reassure them after last week's shock referendum vote to leave the EU sparked a meltdown in financial markets.
"The biggest issue raised was the need to secure continued access to the single market. While I am not in any position to make promises, I assured everyone that my number one priority will be just that in the negotiations to come," he told a news conference after the meeting.
Javid, who had campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, is seen as a candidate to become the next finance minister in a new government after Prime Minister David Cameron announced he would step down by October.
Business groups have urged the government to explain how the world's fifth largest economy will extricate itself from a bloc it joined in 1973. Economists have already warned Britain could tip into recession, hitting the stock prices of sectors such as housebuilders, holiday groups and airlines.
Javid said businesses had told him they wanted to see more political leadership, citing both the contest to replace Cameron and also turmoil in the opposition Labour Party, whose lawmakers backed a motion of no-confidence in their leader on Tuesday.
After the meeting, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which represents Britain's largest employers, said the government was "a long way off" having a plan.
"There are very high levels of real and genuine concern in the business community," CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn told reporters.
"What businesses want to happen now is, first of all, very visible political leadership around the UK being an open trading, successful, outward-facing market ... Secondly the commitment to developing a plan very quickly around the deal that we would have."
Story continues
UNCERTAINTIES
The CBI, which had argued there was a strong economic case for staying in the EU, said a number of its members had put plans on hold but others wanted to go ahead with investments.
"Businesses want to invest, they want to grow, they're looking for the opportunity. As some of these huge uncertainties at the moment begin to diminish, many of our members said they still have plans they want to go ahead with," said Fairbairn.
Javid said Chinese technology company Huawei [HWT.UL] told the government on Tuesday it planned to go ahead with a 1.3 billion pound investment in Britain despite the vote.
The government invited representatives from some of Britain's largest sectors, including aerospace, defence, automotive, oil and gas, steel, rail, tourism and food and drink to the meeting, which it said would be the first in a series.
Cameron is also due to meet business leaders later in the week to discuss the impact of the referendum result.
Britain's top share index, the FTSE 100 (.FTSE), bounced back on Tuesday after a fall of more than 5 percent in the two sessions following the vote wiped nearly 100 billion pounds ($132 billion) off the value of blue-chip firms.
Javid said businesses could see some of the opportunities of Brexit, such as the chance to forge new trade deals.
He said he would lead a series of trade missions this year and the government, which has few trade negotiators as its deals have been conducted for decades through the EU, had already begun the process of boosting resources to negotiate deals.
Asked whether access to the EU's single market would mean accepting free movement of people as countries such as Norway do, Javid said Britain's agreement could be different.
"Access can come in many forms ... I dont think we can stand here and say if that is how it works for other countries it has to work like that for the UK," he said. "We will see over time what actually materialises."
($1 = 0.7567 pounds)
(Additional reporting by Andy Bruce and William James; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Ahh glorious summer, the time of iced coffees and frozen cocktails, refreshing drops of rain from the sky and the dulcet melodies of ice cream trucks slowly draining your will to live. Every year, the phone lines at 311 are peppered with complaints about the pernicious ear worm, and this year is no different. So far in 2016, New Yorkers have lodged 1,013 noise complaints against Mister Softee and its ilk. So far, only one ticket has been issued in response.
Like exposed feet and sweaty garbage, ice cream truck jingles are a seasonal scourge, reviled by just about everyone with ears. At a Department of Environmental Protection hearing on Monday, a measure was proposed to ban the music between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., the Post reports. City Councilman Daniel Dromm also wants to make it easier for inspectors to issue summons, which they're now only able to do if they are present for an infraction.
"I love the sound of an ice cream truck jingleit's nostalgic," says Michael Hearst, the man responsible for the grating arrangement of notes called Songs for Ice Cream Trucks. "I would vote for ban on Harley Davidson volume before ice cream truck jingles. It's unfair to single-out jingles." We say why not both!
Mister Softee, who's had an exciting year fighting a turf war with a rival gang of ice cream trucks, got a bit of a reprieve this week. The company, which was suing its competitor for illegally using their trademarked jingle, found success in its plight in Brooklyn Federal Court. Dimitrios Konstantakakos, owner of the ripoff New York Ice Cream fleet, was ordered to pay $10,000 to Mister Softee for jacking its jingle.
Video by Jessica Leibowitz
If you find your nerves jangled by the melodious noises wafting into your window as you sleep at night, there are steps you can take to lodge a formal complaint, for all the good that'll do you. Or, you can follow the practices set forth by Gothamist Publisher and Native New Yorker Jake Dobkin:
The Facebook page of the Texas woman who fatally shot her two daughters before being shot and killed by police herself lends eerie retrospective insight given her proclamations of love for her children and her views on guns.
Christy Sheats, 42, called a family meeting and opened fire on her daughters in her living room, according to a press release from the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. Taylor, 22, and Madison, 17, along with Christy's husband, Jason, ran out of the house through the front door. Madison collapsed and died, but the mother followed Taylor into the street and shot her again.
A witness confirms to PEOPLE that Sheats went back into the home and reloaded her gun before coming out to shoot Taylor again. Jason escaped the shooting.
Taylor was airlifted to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
The Texas mom had posted several times on her Facebook page to support the Second Amendment and oppose gun control.
"It would be horribly tragic if my ability to protect myself or my family were to be taken away, but that's exactly what Democrats are determined to do by banning semi-automatic handguns," she wrote in a March Facebook post.
In January, she posted a meme that read, "I have 10 guns. Obama wants 8 of my guns. How many guns do I have? That's right, I have 10 guns."
According to the Houston Chronicle, she shared another meme that read, "Donat punish me because SOME gun owners are nutjobs." It pictured children from the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Sheats also used her social media page as an outlet to celebrate her two daughters.
In September, Sheats posted a sweet kind message to her children: "Happy Daughter's Day to my two amazing, sweet, kind, beautiful, intelligent girls," she wrote with photos of Taylor and Madison. "I love and treasure you both more than you could ever possibly know."
Taylor had kind words to say about her mother in a May 2013 Facebook post on Mother's Day.
"You're one of the strongest people I know, if not the strongest, and you have had to overcome so much in your life but you still manage to love us and put your everything into being a mom," Taylor said in the post, sharing a photo of her younger self smiling with her mom.
Authorities say Sheats had a history of mental illness, and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office had been to her home "for previous altercations" involving Sheats's "mental crisis," sheriff's spokeswoman Caitilin Espinosa tells PEOPLE.
Washington (AFP) - The United States has complained to Russia about a mounting campaign of harassment and intimidation of American diplomats and their families in Moscow, the State Department said.
Among those to raise objections, US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said.
"Over the past two years, harassment and surveillance of our diplomatic personnel in Moscow by security personnel and traffic police have increased significantly," she told reporters during a news conference.
She was commenting about a report by The Washington Post on Monday that described a series of actions by Russian security and intelligence services, including following diplomats and their family members, appearing at social functions uninvited and paying for negative media stories.
Some diplomats said intruders had broken into their homes at night to rearrange furniture, turn on lights and even defecate on a living room carpet, the newspaper reported, citing officials as saying Russian intelligence officers once broke into the US defense attache's Moscow house and killed his dog.
"We see an increase and we take it seriously," Trudeau said on Monday.
Moscow accuses the United States of harassing its own diplomats and says it takes reciprocal measures only in response.
"We have recently felt a significant increase in pressure on the Russian embassy and consulates general of our country in the United States," Russia's TASS news agency reported Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying last week.
Russian diplomats "regularly become the objects of provocations by the American secret services, face obstacles in making official contacts and other restrictions," such as travel, she added.
Trudeau denied the accusation on Monday.
"Russias claims of harassment are without foundation," she said.
State Department officials say Russian harassment has increased significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, which prompted Western sanctions against Moscow, The Washington Post reported.
Kerry spoke to Putin about the matter during a visit to Moscow after Washington stripped five Russian honorary consuls of their credentials in January in response to the harassment of its diplomats.
Qatar airways cabin crew
America's big airlines have been waging a campaign to get the US government to put pressure on Middle Eastern rivals that are stealing away international travelers.
It has, at times, been fun to watch: Rarely are corporate CEOs as outspoken as Delta's Richard Anderson was when he brought up 9/11 as a reason for the US to push back against Arab competitors. (Qatar Airways' chief has been no less colorful, recently calling Delta "wicked.")
But the US carriers just suffered a big setback in their efforts.
The airlines want the US to reexamine bilateral agreements called Open Skies Agreements that govern air travel between the US and Qatar as well as the United Arab Emirates. American, Delta, United (dubbed the US3) claim that Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways (dubbed the ME3) have received more than $42 billion in subsidies that violate the terms of those agreements. The ME3 have repeatedly denied these allegations and have pointed to their audited financial reports as evidence of their sustainability as businesses.
Represented by a lobbying group called the Partnership for Fair and Open Skies, the US3 were seeking formal consultations between the US and the governments of the UAE and Qatar over the issue.
But the Obama administration has told them that this won't be happening, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Instead it is going to hold informal diplomatic talks with the UAE and Qatar later this summer.
Politico reported the decision earlier.
The Partnership is spinning this as a win
Emirates Commercial Jennifer Aniston
"We appreciate how seriously the United States government has taken the issue of massive subsidization of the Gulf carriers," the group said in an emailed statement to Business Insider. "Discussions between our governments are an important step forward."
Sure, it's better than nothing.
But this is really a victory for Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar, which are never going to budge on the assistance they give their airlines, and the key to understanding why is the differing roles airlines play abroad.
Story continues
In Qatar, the UAE, and many countries around the world, investment in the national airline is an important part of an economic development strategy. For these nations, airlines serve as the de facto face of the country. That's in addition to the the airline's ability to drive tourism and investment dollars to the country.
As a result, the success and flawless execution of the airline is not measured just in terms of profitability, but also how it can further the nation's goals of becoming a financial hub or a tourism destination.
dubai
In many respects, airlines in the US once saw things in a very similar way. During what we now call the "golden age of commercial aviation" back in the 1960s, Pan American World Airways was America's flag carrier. Wherever the airline's Boeing jets went, so did America. In fact, stepping foot on board a Pan Am jet was tantamount to stepping foot on American soil.
Today, US airlines operate in a very different environment (with one caveat being lingering limits on foreign ownership). During Pan Am's heyday, it was protected from competition by the US government's regulatory scheme. But since the airline industry deregulated in the late 1970s, the nation's airlines have been left to fend for themselves.
But the Persian Gulf's trio of mega carriers along with their pristinely presented cabin crew along with shiny new fleet of jets have, in effect, implemented a modernized version of Pan Am's play book.
And in that respect the discontent among America's three major legacy carriers is understandable. All three were either bankrupt or near it less than a decade ago. Through disciplined management and thanks to a fall in oil prices, they have returned to profitability. But along the way, American, Delta, and United have been forced to scrimp on product offerings and have had do without shiny new fleets of planes.
Pan Am 747
Which leads us back to the US airlines' campaign to have the Obama administration reexamine the Open Skies agreements.
For there to be any significant change in the dynamic between the US and Middle Eastern carriers, a major shift in the ME3's funding scheme would have to occur. But with the key role these airlines play economically and diplomatically for the small Persian Gulf nations, spending won't stop.
As a result, the informal talks would amount to nothing.
NOW WATCH: Hugh Hefner's son reacts to the sale of the Playboy Mansion
More From Business Insider
Beirut (AFP) - US-backed rebel fighters in eastern Syria said they launched an offensive on Tuesday to sever a vital supply route of the Islamic State group to neighbouring Iraq.
The New Syrian Army's fighters are first aiming to cut the route before targeting Albu Kamal, a town in the oil-rich eastern Deir Ezzor province mostly held by the jihadists.
IS militants seized the town and nearby border crossing in mid-2014, just as the Sunni extremist group declared a self-styled "caliphate" in territory it controlled across both Syria and Iraq.
If the NSA's fighters manage to seize Albu Kamal, it would be the second border point they have captured from the jihadists this year after overrunning Al-Tanaf.
The operation launched on Tuesday is backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition.
Its aim was to "cut Daesh's military supply lines between Syria and Iraq," said NSA spokesman Muzahem al-Sallum, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
"We began our attack in full coordination with the Iraqi side, specifically tribal fighters in Anbar and the counter-terrorism service of the Iraqi government," he told AFP.
Iraqi fighters had launched a parallel operation at noon towards Albu Kamal, which is known as Al-Qaim across the border.
Within hours, units of the NSA were pushing northeast from the Al-Tanaf border crossing and hundreds of its fighters were now locked in clashes with the jihadists, said Sallum.
An online statement published by the NSA asked residents of Albu Kamal to move away from IS positions in the town ahead of coalition air strikes there.
Fighters of the NSA were trained by the British and Americans in Jordan and is backed by the US-led air coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State group is now facing growing pressure from US-backed offensives on its bastion cities in both Syria and Iraq.
In northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters have edged into the IS stronghold of Raqa with air cover by coalition warplanes.
Story continues
In neighbouring Iraq, authorities declared at the weekend that they were fully in control of the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
Fallujah, in Anbar province, was one of the last two cities held by IS in Iraq.
IS has lost the major towns and cities of the province but still controls areas in Anbar's far west, near the Syrian border.
Washington (AFP) - The United States has condemned what it called the "heinous" bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport that left at least 36 people dead, pledging "steadfast" support for Turkey.
"Ataturk International Airport, like Brussels Airport which was attacked earlier this year, is a symbol of international connections and the ties that bind us together," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement.
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism."
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the attack was "only the latest in a series of attacks aimed at killing and maiming innocent civilians."
"Such attacks will only reinforce our determination to work with the government of Turkey to counter the scourge of terrorism and support all those across the region who are working to promote peace and reconciliation," he said in a statement.
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in a statement that "all Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence."
"Todays attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world," she added. "And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat."
Her rival Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, said the threat of terrorism "has never been greater."
"We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe," he said in a statement.
The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all flights between the United States and Istanbul, US media reported.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- which oversees transportation infrastructure for the two states -- said it has added high-visibility patrols equipped with tactical weapons and equipment at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports.
"The agency continues to monitor the situation in Turkey and is collaborating with federal, state and local law enforcement partners to include the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force," the agency said in a statement.
The triple-suicide bombing and gun attack was the fourth deadly bombing in Istanbul this year. The government has blamed previous attacks on both Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
Washington (AFP) - The US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria could be completed within 14 months, a senior US official told skeptical lawmakers Tuesday.
Some 65 countries are engaged at varying levels in trying to defeat the IS group in its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, under a campaign that began in August 2014 and was initially devised to take three years.
US lawmakers, especially Republicans, have frequently blasted President Barack Obama for what they call an overly cautious approach that only takes incremental steps in ramping up the fight.
"We're not going to defeat them within 14 months, are we?" Senator Ron Johnson asked Brett McGurk, who is Obama's special envoy for the coalition.
McGurk, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, pointed to progress in the 22-month-old operation and said he wanted it finished even before it hits the three-year mark.
"I want it to go a lot faster than that," he told senators.
"We are moving at a tempo that I believe will lead to the ultimate defeat" of IS, he added.
Within the past week, Iraqi security forces have recaptured Fallujah from the violent extremists, and are looking to eventually seize Mosul.
In northern Syria, US-backed local fighters are focusing on the city of Manbij before an eventual battle for Raqa, the IS group's de facto capital.
The Obama administration is struggling with how best to characterize the fight.
On the one hand, the IS group has lost large portions of land and thousands of its fighters have been killed.
But CIA Director John Brennan last week warned the jihadists' "terrorism capability and global reach" had not been reduced and the number of terror attacks claimed or inspired by the group overseas keeps rising.
His comments came days after a gunman who pledged allegiance to the IS group slaughtered 49 people in a Florida gay nightclub.
Still, McGurk told lawmakers that external financing for IS had been severed, and said the jihadists' online propaganda was now being successfully countered by a global network of people, groups and companies.
Story continues
He also said IS leaders were being killed at a rate of one every three days.
"And ISIL's territory is shrinking, losing nearly 50 percent of territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria over the last 18 months," McGurk added.
Much of the counter-IS fight has been conducted through air strikes, though coalition forces are also training and equipping local troops in both Iraq and Syria.
Pentagon officials this week said that in northern Syria, a program to instruct leaders of anti-IS units had trained less than 100 men -- but each has a "force multiplier" effect reaching about 10,000 anti-IS fighters.
"We have a system now that is very well-structured in terms of a force that we work with on the ground, being able to call in precision air strikes," McGurk said.
Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Tuesday extended the reach of its major ruling in support of abortion rights, denying efforts by two states to reinstate restrictions on doctors providing the procedure.
In brief orders without comment, the court refused to take up appeals by Mississippi and Wisconsin, effectively upholding lower court rulings blocking their laws on requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.
Had the Mississippi law prevailed, it was expected to have caused the closure of the southern state's only abortion clinic.
The laws backed by the two states mirrored the Texas legislation struck down on Monday by the court in a 5-3 ruling.
That law included both the admitting privileges requirement along with rules mandating that clinics meet the tough standards of ambulatory surgical centers.
The high court on Monday ruled that both types of restrictions placed an undue burden on abortion access -- a major win for the "pro-choice" camp in the country's most important ruling on the divisive issue in a generation.
On Monday, Alabama said it would scrap its efforts to have its admitting privileges law reinstated in the wake of the court's ruling.
"While I disagree with the high court's decision," said state Attorney General Luther Strange, "there is no good faith argument that Alabama's law remains constitutional in light of the Supreme Court ruling."
Abortion rights advocates hailed Monday's ruling as a new beginning.
"This is just the start: for many women, the constitutional right to an abortion is still more theoretical than real," said Jennifer Dalven, director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
"There is much more work to be done to ensure that every woman who needs an abortion can actually get one."
Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said: "We will not stop fighting until every person can make their own personal medical decisions about abortion no matter who she is, or where she lives."
Story continues
Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered the short-handed court's key swing vote, sided in the Texas case with his four liberal colleagues on the bench.
Defenders of the Texas law claimed that it aimed to protect women's health, but opponents saw it as part of a nationwide drive to restrict abortion access.
A woman's right to end a pregnancy was established under the court's landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela's government is considering asking the high court to dissolve the legislature controlled by President Nicolas Maduro's opponents who are seeking to remove him from office, a spokesman said Tuesday.
It was the latest maneuver in a political conflict that has raised tensions in the volatile South American country as it struggles with an economic crisis.
Maduro's side "has started discussions to request a consultation with the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court" with a view to achieving "the abolition of this National Assembly," ruling coalition spokesman Didalco Bolivar told a news conference.
The opposition blames Maduro for a deep economic crisis that has caused widespread food shortages and deadly looting.
It has launched efforts to remove him since taking control of the assembly in January. Maduro has challenged them through the Supreme Court, which his rivals say he controls.
Bolivar said the government in its latest action would charge the opposition lawmakers with abuse of power, treason and breach of the constitution.
The political standoff between the president and the assembly has heightened tensions in the oil-producing nation.
- Coup, fraud -
Maduro's opponents in the centrist MUD coalition are pushing for a referendum this year on whether to cut short his term.
The government on Monday launched a counter-maneuver, announcing fresh legal challenges against a petition filed by the opposition calling for a referendum.
The opposition is rushing to complete the recall process by January 10, the cutoff date to trigger new elections.
After that date, a successful recall vote would simply pass power to Maduro's hand-picked vice president.
The national electoral board has said it will announce by July 26 whether enough signatures on the petition have been authenticated for the referendum drive to proceed.
If that happens, Maduro's opponents will have to collect four million more signatures to call a full referendum.
Story continues
"We now call for this process to advance unobstructed, with respect for the constitutional principle of swiftness," MUD general secretary Jesus Torrealba told a news conference on Tuesday.
Maduro on Sunday called the collection of opposition signatures a "giant electoral fraud."
The opposition leader of congress, Henry Ramos, said that if Maduro blocked the referendum, that would amount to a "coup d'etat."
Bolivar said the government in its new legal action would also demand "that legislative elections be called so that the people can say whether they want this obstructionist and constitution-violating assembly to be in charge, or the contrary."
He said the governing coalition would make an announcement on its planned lawsuit next week.
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
Vicki Gunvalson is ready to move on from the cancer scandal surrounding ex boyfriend Brooks Ayers that plagued last season of The Real Housewives of Orange County. But her fellow castmates? They might need a little more time.
On Monday's episode, housewives Shannon Beador, Tamra Judge, Meghan King Edmonds and Heather Dubrow all made it clear they weren't ready to mend fences with Gunvalson.
"I have nothing to say to someone that doesn't take responsibility for what they do," Beador explained to her husband David, while at dinner. "I've seen no remorse, I've seen her taken no accountability for her actions about the lies that are still continuing, nor about how she treated me as a friend."
Beador revealed she might be able to forgive Gunvalson, but that it wouldn't make the pair fast friends again. "I absolutely believe in forgiveness," she confessed. "But forgiving them doesn't mean you need to be their best friend. How many times do you hear about murderers where the parent forgives the person that murdered their child. Do you think they keep in touch with them?"
"She needs to start realizing that you can't just brush everything under the carpet," she added. "Maybe that's how some people work maybe that's how she works but it's not how I work."
And there was plenty more where that came from.
"What are you sorry for?" Judge wondered, separately. "Are you sorry you got caught?"
"She has hurt every one of us and she's still playing victim," Edmonds expressed.
Vicki Gunvalson Struggles to Repair Real Housewives of Orange County Friendships: They 'Lost Respect for Me'| Reality TV, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Real Housewives of..., TV News, Vicki Gunvalson, Tamra Barney
Dubrow who previously said on her podcast that she had "no interest in filming with [Gunvalson] was the only one who tried to address the issue directly with the original Orange County housewife, pushing her for the truth about the cancer fabrication.
"I don't care what Brooks did," Durbrow said, before jetting off to a vacation with husband Terry and their kids to Turks and Caicos. "I only care your involvement in it."
But Gunvalson maintained that she had no idea why Ayers had forged his cancer documents. "I was not part of a lie," she told Dubrow, maintaining that "he did it to me."
"I don't want to talk about it anymore to anybody," Gunvalson later said on her ride home from Heather's event. "I'm sad because I think the women lost respect for me and lost compassion. I can't control what other people think of me. I want to be happy."
Gunvalson declared to viewers that her focus this season is to stay positive after being entrenched in the drama last year.
"It's really hard to feel that these women are not willing to move forward, but my primary focus is my business and my family," she said. "Just get the negativity out of my life."
Story continues
RELATED VIDEO: Does Heather Dubrow Think Vicki Gunvalson's 'RHOC' Friendships Can Be Saved?
RHOC Friendships Can Be Saved?" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="peoplenowupclose" data-auto-play="no">
She may have some help getting there, from new "whoop it up" housewife Kelly Dodd, who felt compassion for the ostracized insurance saleswoman after meeting with her for a private lunch.
"I don't know Vicki that well, but I've been ganged up by girls many times in my life, Dodd said. "It's awful. And when I see somebody doing it to somebody else? I want to protect that person."
Dodd attempted to address the issue with Beador, Judge and Edmonds, while attending a kitchen remodeling party at the latter's house.
"She's really hurt," Dodd told them, standing by her decision to pursue a friendship with Gunvalson and calling out the girls out for ignoring Gunvalson while at Dubrow's party. "I felt like you guys were kind of mean to her a little bit."
But the other housewives thought Dodd's comments were out of line.
"Kelly has no idea what happened," Judge replied to viewers. "She just met Vicki and now she's going to stick up for her around people that have known her for a long time? Are you kidding me?"
Perhaps Dubrow summed up the problems the housewives have with Gunvalson best. "You can't just move on because we haven't," she observed.
The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
(Reuters) - A woman was critically injured in a shooting inside a downtown Denver office building on Tuesday and police said the suspected gunman was pronounced dead at the scene with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Denver Police spokesman Doug Schepman told reporters at a news conference that the woman was shot multiple times around 2:45 p.m. local time (2045 GMT) and was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The suspect appeared to specifically target the victim, Schepman said, adding that the building was searched and secured and no further threats were found. He said he did not know what type of weapon was used in the shooting. Police said streets in the vicinity were closed and that although the scene was secure, the investigation was ongoing. The Denver Post newspaper uploaded video online showing office workers with their hands above their heads fleeing the building dubbed the Alliance Center, a hub for environmental activism groups and other organizations. Jacob Smith, a programs director for the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, referred questions about the shooting to Denver police when reached by email. Diana Best, a Greenpeace worker who went to the center to meet with someone from another environmental group, told the Denver Post: "I heard screaming, I saw the door to the second floor open and there was just loud screaming." "It seems like it's out of control. I'm still shaking. As a human being, we have to figure out what to do with gun violence," she added, according to the newspaper. Earlier this month, a gunman opened fire inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people and injuring another 53, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; editing by James Dalgleish, G Crosse)
Volkswagen, the iconic German carmaker, has agreed to pay $14.7 billion to settle charges that it cheated on U.S. diesel emissions tests. But the companys legal fight is far from over.
The deal announced by the Justice Department Tuesday contains the largest-ever car buyback program in U.S. history. Volkswagen has agreed to pay more than $10 billion to buy back cars or make fixes to the nearly 500,000 diesel-powered vehicles that used the cheat, meant to beat U.S. emissions standards.
In addition, VW has agreed to pony up $2 billion to pay for programs directed by California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency meant to promote the use of electric cars, ride sharing, and other means of cutting down on auto emissions. It will also pay $2.7 billion for an environmental remediation fund.
Were getting VWs polluting vehicles off the road and were reducing harmful pollution in our air, pollution that you never should have been emitted in the first place, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a press conference Tuesday. She called it a groundbreaking settlement.
Last year, Volkswagen admitted to adding software in VW and Audi cars with 2-liter engines dating back to 2009 that allowed them to cheat U.S. emissions standards. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said the action was one of the most flagrant violations of environmental and consumer laws in our countrys history.
The company is not out of the woods yet. Yates said the company could face additional penalties down the line. She added that a criminal investigation into the remains active and ongoing.
Separately, Volkswagen agreed to pay at least $600 million to settle a case brought by 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Tuesdays agreement is hardly an end to the companys legal woes. It still faces a class action suit from 278 institutional investors in the company, who suffered massive losses when the emissions cheat became public. Volkswagens stock price has plummeted as much as 40 percent since the news of the scandal broke.
Story continues
It also faces separate inquiries in Europe. Consumers have been massively misled by Volkswagen and this settlement in the U.S. recognizes the damage suffered by car drivers. It is inconceivable that consumers in the EU get treated differently, Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumer Organisation, said in a statement.
Richard Hilgert, an analyst at Morningstar Equity Research, estimates the total cost to the automaker will exceed $61 billion.
Photo credit: JOHN MACDOUGALL/Getty Images
Volkswagen AG VLKAY has reached a settlement with around 500,000 U.S. diesel vehicle owners and government regulators over the emissions scandal, according to sources. However, the deal will cost the company around $15 billion. This is therefore set to be the largest auto scandal settlement in U.S. history.
Volkswagen will either repair or buy back the affected vehicles. Of the total cost, $10 billion will be allocated toward buying back 475,000 affected vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines from their owners. Volkswagen will also compensate the owners with an additional payment ranging from $5,100$10,000. Owners opting to sell their vehicles back to the company will be receiving the trade-in value prior to the scandal becoming public on Sep 18, 2015. The scandal has severely affected the value of Volkswagen vehicles, with the price dropping almost 19% since the scam was uncovered. However, owners may decline the offer and opt to sue the company independently.
Of the remaining amount of the settlement, $2.7 billion will be allocated for environmental mitigation and another $2 billion will be used for research on zero-emissions technology. Further, the automaker will sign a separate settlement worth $500 million with all the U.S. state attorneys general for the emissions scandal.
Volkswagen has been facing significant trouble since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that the company had developed a software algorithm to deceive U.S. emission tests. Volkswagen admitted that its diesel vehicles are installed with software that makes the engines appear to have low emission levels during tests. According to the EPA, these vehicles emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx, at almost 40 times the standard amount. Nitrogen oxide emissions lead to smog and acid rain, and can cause serious health concerns like lung cancer.
Volkswagen may have to shell out billions toward several more fines and penalties. This $14.7 billion settlement does not include the 90,000 3-liter Volkswagen diesels, which were identified with another type of cheating software. In April, the company incurred charges of $18.2 billion for the emissions scandal that affected 11 million vehicles worldwide.
Story continues
VOLKSWAGEN-ADR Price
VOLKSWAGEN-ADR Price | VOLKSWAGEN-ADR Quote
Zacks Rank
Volkswagen currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Other favorably ranked automobile stocks include Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. CVGI, Oshkosh Corporation OSK and Superior Industries International, Inc. SUP, all sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
VOLKSWAGEN-ADR (VLKAY): Free Stock Analysis Report
SUPERIOR INDS (SUP): Free Stock Analysis Report
OSHKOSH CORP (OSK): Free Stock Analysis Report
COMML VEHICLE (CVGI): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
For the second year in a row, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board voted Monday night to freeze rents on the citys 1 million rent-stabilized apartmentsa result that wasnt enough for many of the more than 400 people who packed the meeting hall at Cooper Union, chanting loudly for a rent rollback.
The board voted 7-0 for no increase on one-year leases that are renewed for the year beginning October 1st, and for a 2% increase on two-year leases. The two landlord representatives both abstained.
Tenant representative Harvey Epstein had earlier proposed reducing rents by 4% on a one-year lease and 2% for two years. RGB figures showed owners' net operating income rose by 3.5% last year, the tenth straight year its gone up, he said. The boards Price Index of Operating Costs estimate was 1.2% lower than it was last year, and according to Epstein, not a single large landlord testified at the five public hearings held before the vote.
Meanwhile, he continued, tenants are paying a higher percentage of their incomes toward rent than ever, 10,000 apartments were deregulated last year, 20,000 people were evicted43% from rent-stabilized apartmentsand 100,000 people stayed in city homeless shelters.
If landlords arent making a profit, Epstein said, they could apply to the state or city housing agencies to help. They dont do it because they dont have any hardship, he added afterwards.
The board rejected the rollback, 7-2, with no further debate.
I think its inappropriate to base an unprecedented rollback on an aberrational cost factor, RGB chair Kathleen Roberts said. The decrease in operating costs, she explained, came from a 41% drop in fuel costs. She said she opposed a larger increase because of significant affordability concerns: The citys 2014 Housing and Vacancy Survey showed rent-stabilized tenants had a median income of $41,500 a year, and spent a record 36.4% of that on rent.
Were unhappy. A freeze is unacceptable, JNell Simmons, head of LandlordsNY, a social network for property owners, said afterwards. The networks 2,762 members own buildings containing about 750,000 apartments, she said, but many are more akin to a mom-and-pop shop and struggling. Its heartbreaking to see people who cant afford to stay in their apartments, she added, but rent stabilization is tied to the unit, not the person.
A LandlordsNY staffer said they dont have numbers to discuss Epsteins claim about hardship exemptions for owners.
(Steve Wishnia / Gothamist)
Owner representative Scott Walsh acknowledged the depth of the city's housing crisis, but said it could be better solved by measures such as a city rent credit of $300 a month for people who spend more than half their income on rent, expanding rent subsidies for the elderly and disabled, and freezing taxes and water rates retroactive to 2014none within the RGBs power to enact. Rent stabilization is not an official affordable housing program, and owners still need compensation, he said, proposing an increase of 3% for one year and 5% for two. The board voted no, 7-2.
You dont always get what you want, but you get something, Epstein reflected afterwards. A rent freeze will be great for millions of tenants, he said, calling it a historic moment. There might be less families that are going to be evicted this year.
"This year, the facts demanded a rent freeze," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement. "More than a million people will now have more security and a better shot at making ends meet. And the financial health of our buildings will remain protected because declining fuel costs have offset other expenses. In short, tonights decision by the Rent Guidelines Board reflects whats actually happening in our neighborhoods."
The more than 400 protesters who packed the hall kept a sing-song, call-and-response chant of We Need aRent Roll Back going for more than 10 minutes before the meeting started. They insisted that rents must be lowered because theyre just too high for people to live with.
The working class cannot afford increases every year, said Luis Tejada, director of Mirabal Sisters, a community organization in West Harlem and Washington Heights that brought more than 100 people in gold-and-green T-shirts down.
The RGBs repeated increases during the Bloomberg era were particularly hard for old people, he said. While the rents paid by people whove been living in the same apartment for 40 years might seem low by current standards$500 to $1,100 a monththeyre a huge bite out of a monthly $1,200 Social Security check. Almost two-thirds of the neighborhoods elderly pay more than half their income in rent, Tejada said.
If owners can drive those tenants out, he added, they can get more than $3,000 once they renovate. Elderly immigrantsfrom the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador, and El Salvadorare particularly vulnerable to harassment, because they dont speak English and dont know their rights.
East Village resident Billie Madley, who's been living in the neighborhood for two decades, said she supported a rent rollback "because no creative people can live here any more. Those people made the East Village what it is. Regular families can't live here. It's become a very vanilla place."
(Steve Wishnia / Gothamist)
West Harlem resident Orlando Cotto, 32, was one of the first protesters to turn out, holding a Rent Freeze sign on the corner of East 7th Street and Cooper Square. The landlord took away everyones preferential rents, he said, beginning a rapid litany of his buildings grievances. The ceiling fell on me. I got four screws and a metal plate. Im on Social Security disability, he added, pulling up his pants to show the scars on his right ankle.
Cotto, who was then a customer-service agent for a car and limousine service, has been battling with his landlord ever since he moved in four years ago. The owner claimed that the legal stabilized rent was $1,820, but told Cotto hed give him a preferential rent of $1,309. But after four years, the owner ended the discount, jacking the rent up to $2,000. Cotto filed an overcharge complaint with the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal, and found that the previous tenant had been paying $1,176. The landlord claimed the increase was justified because hed done $27,000 worth of renovations, but according to court papers filed by Cottos lawyer, there were bedbugs, leaks in the kitchen and bathroom ceilings, and nothing in the apartment looked newly renovated.
On June 6th, the state agency lowered his rent to $1,285. Others in the building have similar issues, he said.
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) testified in favor of a rent rollback at one of the RGBs public hearings. Landlords have been getting unjustified rent increases for years, she said before the vote. During the Bloomberg administration, the board gave increases as high as 7.5% and 8.5%, and now, its time to pay tenants back and give them a break.
Once you pay your rent, you dont have any money left for anything else, said Ruth Riddick, a retired corporate trainer from Flatbush.
In East Harlem, many tenants spend 70% of their incomes on rent, said Pilar de Jesus, a paralegal who worked in a combination legal clinic and food pantry there last year. Her clients were also there to get food, she says. They couldnt afford to buy food because their rent was too high. These people are human beings, not commodities.
Eva Brown, a retired medical salesperson from Clinton Hill, was happy with the result. After eight mayors and 46 years, Mayor Bill de Blasio gave us a rent freeze, she said. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
This year, given the data, we really wanted a rent rollback, in the interest of justice, said Wasim Lone of Good Old Lower East Side. Politically, it wasnt going to happen. Well come back next year. The struggle continues.
Steven Wishnia is a New York-based journalist and musician, and the editor of Tenant/Inquilino. He is also the author of "When the Drumming Stops," "Exit 25 Utopia," and "The Cannabis Companion."
In the wake of the surprise Brexit vote, markets around the world have been tumbling. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) has gone from 2,113 on Thursday before the votes were counted to 2,000 on Monday, a 5.3% drop in just two trading sessions.
Most strategists on Wall Street are recommending clients to think twice about pouring money into this market.
"Don't be a hero yet," Barclays macro strategist Ajay Rajadhyaksha said.
"Beyond Brexit, we believe there are other reasons to be cautious on US equities given the multitude of risks that do not appear to be priced in," Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Savita Subramanian warned. "(i) pullback in oil prices, (ii) deteriorating credit trends, (iii) a potential Fed hike later this year, and (iv) what is likely to be a heated election season."
Deutsche Banks David Bianco identified similar concerns while recommending: Stay tactically cautious on either UK vote result: Next 5%+ move is likely down."
This is the type of stuff that's right in line with the gut feelings shared by most investors who've enjoyed the bull market, which is in its seventh year.
Some pros are recommending something clients don't want to hear
Richard Bernstein. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
However, some Wall Street pros believe it's a mistake to wait for the dust to settle.
"Investors are scared, and probably want to hear portfolio managers echo their fears," Richard Bernstein Advisors' Richard Bernstein said. "It sounds quite smart right now to say one should be cautious, that the environment is unprecedented, and that taking risk is foolish given extreme uncertainty. However, we think joining that chorus may be a disservice to our clients. We prefer to dispassionately review and interpret the data, and invest using [our firm's] risk-averse, contrarian strategy that has been successful over many market cycles, many economic cycles, and many highly unusual macro events like Brexit."
History shows that some of the best times to buy stocks are also uncomfortable times to buy stocks. Indeed, long-term thinking investors have a long track record of being rewarded for weathering uncertain times.
Story continues
Despite a long history of uncertainty and geopolitical risk events, the market has rallied. (Image: JPMorgan Asset Management)
"In the near-term, one cannot fight the valuation headwind coming from uncertainty," Fundstrat Global Advisors' Tom Lee said. "But we believe this pullback will ultimately need to be bought."
At the very least, investors should be selective when they go out and buy.
"For intermediate- and longer term investors, know what you own and why you own it, with reasonable expectations as to how your investments could perform in various scenarios, Oppenheimers John Stoltzfus wrote. If so inclined, investors should consider pullbacks as a time to make shopping lists of desirable opportunities as well as time to seek babies thrown out with the bathwater during market volatility. Market pullbacks serve to remind us of the age-old adage buy low, sell high.
"[B]loodied but unbowed, buy the dip," UBS's Julian Emanuel said.
This opportunistic thinking is not for everyone. And so many people in hindsight find themselves regretting what could've been.
"Scaling cliffs of concern tends to be a rewarding experience but it may require a gut-wrenching decision to buck the popular discomfort of uncertainty," Citi's Tobias Levkovich said.
Sam Ro is managing editor at Yahoo Finance.
Read more:
A single word explains why financial markets everywhere are nosediving
Veteran investors know there's one smart way to trade a Trump presidency
Tom Lee: The best investment decisions are characterized by 1 word
Now's a great time to reread Warren Buffett's op-ed he wrote after one of history's worst sell-offs
Merrill Lynch chief economist nails the truth about risk in a perfect 3-word sentence
By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state must repair road culverts that are blocking salmon from swimming to spawning areas because the pipes violate fishing rights protected by tribal treaties, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday. The ruling marks a major victory for 21 tribes joined by the U.S. government that sued Washington state in 2001, arguing that hundreds of culverts block salmon from more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of streams in western Washington. "The Indians did not understand the Treaties to promise that they would have access to their usual and accustomed fishing places, but with a qualification that would allow the government to diminish or destroy the fish runs," Judge William Fletcher, of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote in a 59-page opinion on Monday. Three judges unanimously affirmed a lower court's 2013 order that Washington state correct its road culverts because they violated the Stevens Treaties of 1854-55, the opinion says. Under the treaties, the tribes relinquished huge tracts of land in exchange for a guaranteed right to off-reservation fishing. The lower court held that the culverts have caused the size of salmon runs in Washington state to diminish and therefore violated the state's obligations under the treaties, according to Monday's ruling. Culverts are essentially large pipes that allow streams and excess rainwater to flow underneath roads. They can block mature salmon from reaching spawning grounds and offspring from returning to the sea if they become damaged or clogged with debris. The Lummi Nation, among the plaintiffs in the case, said after Monday's ruling that repairing the hundreds of offending culverts would cost roughly $2.4 billion. "Our families, our culture and our economy rely on the ability to harvest fish," Tim Ballew II, chairman of the Lummi Indian Business Council, said in a statement. Fletcher, the appeals court judge, also sided with the lower court's order that the state correct most of its high-priority barrier culverts within 17 years, and fix the remainder during unrelated construction projects or after they give way to age. A spokesman for Washington state's Attorney General said: "We are reviewing the decision with our clients, the state agencies affected by the ruling, to determine next steps." The ruling marked the second major decision over salmon swimming the waters of Washington state. In May, a federal judge said the U.S. government's latest plan for offsetting the harm to salmon from dams in the Columbia River watershed violates the Endangered Species Act. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in SEATTLE; Editing by Paul Tait)
A salt shaker, a tissue box, a straw and a vacuum cleaner. That's a shopping list for most folks. But for Fifth Harmony's Camila Cabello and Benny Blanco, those day to-day-day objects are an arsenal of instruments.
Cabello and Blanco recently joined members of the non-profit arts organization OMG Everywhere to host a free day-long music workshop for six kids in New York. The goal: to create something neat without instruments.
Fifth Harmony's Road From Opening Act to South American Arena Headliners
Blanco urged the youngsters to think outside the square. "No idea is a bad idea, ok," Blanco told the students on the day. Cue an outpouring of ideas and a sprinkling of dreams, played out on an orchestra of random instruments and arranged with some production wizardry. The result: an original piece of work, "Power In Me." Check it out below.
"Power In Me" (An OMG Original Song) feat. Camila Cabello and Benny Blanco from OMG Everywhere on Vimeo.
On Jun 27, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Sonoco Products Co. SON, a global manufacturer of consumer and industrial packaging products.
Sonoco cautions that second-quarter 2016 will be up against tough comparisons due to strong results in the year-ago quarter. Further, tough market conditions affecting its corrugating medium operation and a strong dollar will continue to hurt exports. For the second quarter, the company thus expects earnings per share in the range of 6570 cents. The mid-point of the guidance reflects a year-over-year decline of 1%.
Estimates have been stable lately ahead of Sonocos Q2 earnings release. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is at 68 cents, within the companys guidance. Given the earnings beat in last two quarters, the company has an overall positive earnings surprise in the last four quarters.
Despite the weak outlook for the second quarter and headwinds from a strong U.S. dollar and generally flat-to-weak economic conditions, Sonoco expects overall improved results in fiscal 2016. This is backed by record first-quarter 2016 results wherein each business segment reported solid year-over-year improvement. Sonoco thus reiterated its earnings per share guidance in the range of $2.64$2.74. Compared to prior-year results, the guidances mid-point depicts a 7% rise.
Last quarter, a customer had decided against renewing a contract to continue operating a packaging center in Irapuato, Mexico. Sonoco is in the process of transitioning the operation to this customer. The loss of business will have a modest impact of about $50 million on second-half 2016 sales for the Display and Packaging segment. The slowdown in manufacturing in the U.S. and emerging markets, along with headwinds from a strong dollar, is expected to continue affecting its industrial businesses.
Meanwhile, Sonoco remains committed to its Grow and Optimize strategy, which is focused on targeted growth of its Consumer Packaging and Protective Solutions businesses and optimization of its Industrial-focused businesses. The company will also launch several innovative products in 2016, as it continues to work closely with customers through its i6 Innovation Process, utilizing the full capability of the recently opened IPS Studio in Hartsville. According to the company, there are ample opportunities that would accelerate growth and optimize its customers operations in Europe.
Sonoco has capital growth projects in the pipeline through 2017 that will help expand its global production capability in composite cans, flexible packaging and rigid plastic containers. In consumer packaging, Sonoco will add more capacity to its new composite can plant in Kutno, Poland.
The introduction of a third line to this facility is in the pipeline for this year and Sonoco plans to add a fourth by mid 2017. The ramp-up of the Kuala Lumpur plant in Malaysia is also on track, delivering profits despite start-up costs. The company plans to add a new composite can line at its new plant in Shanghai, China, and follow it up with the development of a second plant in South China in the next two years.
Sonoco plans to develop a new rigid paper product technology engineered by its European rigid packaging operations for commercial development at its West Chicago, IL, can plant. In the flexible packaging business, Sonoco completed the installation and began operating a triplex laminator in its Morristown, TE plant. A new rotogravure press for its Waco, TX facility is also on schedule and will start trials this July. Further, in rigid plastics, to meet customer demand, Sonoco added new portion control and food tray capacity in its thermoforming operations and added capacity to its Beauty Park, OH blow-molding facility.
Sonoco has acquired a majority interest in Graffo Paranaense de Embalagens S/A (Graffo), a closely held flexible packaging business located in Brazil. Given Graffo's strong technical capabilities and established relationships with both large global consumer product companies and growing local companies, the company will be able to grow its business in Brazil, one of the important emerging markets.
Other Stocks to Consider
At present, Sonoco carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better stocks worth considering in the same industry include Berry Plastics Group, Inc. BERY, Greif, Inc. GEF and Silgan Holdings, Inc. SLGN. All of these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
SILGAN HOLDINGS (SLGN): Free Stock Analysis Report
GREIF INC (GEF): Free Stock Analysis Report
SONOCO PRODUCTS (SON): Free Stock Analysis Report
BERRY PLASTICS (BERY): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
JoJo Fletcher took Chris Harrison's oft-quoted line "there are no rules" to heart on Monday night's episode of The Bachelorette, as she defied the show's typical process of elimination at the rose ceremony. But don't be fooled with the sudden twist: Even the famously hyperbolic host didn't try to pass this snoozefest off as "one of the most dramatic episodes ever."
(Editor's note: Spoilers ahead for season 12, episode six of The Bachelorette.)
This week, JoJo was courted by her flock of men across Buenos Aires, dancing in a levitating pool with Wells during her one-on-one date and sharing a long-awaited kiss. Luke, Robby, Alex, Aaron Rodgers' brother and James Taylor all accompanied JoJo on the group date, as the contestants visited La Boca district for shopping and exploring the area and James bemoaned his lack of outright douchiness muscles as compared to his fellow contestants.
JoJo's one-on-one date with Wells provided arguably the most awkward scenes from the show's latest season to date, as she basically had to beg him to kiss her ON THE DATE CARD. And that message still didn't sink in until hours into the date. First, the two shared a high-five a high-five! matched with a peck on the cheek that nobody wants to remember. But here's a GIF of it anyway:
Source: Mic/ABC
Yikes. Later, Wells openly admitted he doesn't believe in everlasting fairytale love, which is not the thing you tell the bachelorette who ostensibly got cast for her ability to curl her hair just so faith in things previously only found in a Nora Ephron movie. Which is to say, JoJo sent Wells back to Nashville.
JoJo's week capped off with a two-on-one date featuring Derek and painfully bad tango dancer Chase, who somehow managed to convince her his dancing wasn't an obvious reason for his elimination.
Source: Mic/ABC
Instead, Derek was sent packing as the three were out for dinner, creating an important opportunity for the show's producers to juxtapose his limo tears with "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." Oh, Derek we're not crying, you're crying.
Story continues
Source: Mic/ABC
Source: Mic/ABC
Yeah, sorry. You're definitely crying.
At the rose ceremony, however, JoJo was hesitant to continue the bloodbath. The two men on the chopping block, James Taylor and Alex, were spared after JoJo noticed she only had two men, one rose. She lodged a complaint with Chris Harrison who, in a surprise "there are no rules" plot twist, returned with roses for each man.
And JoJo, who earlier in the episode wondered aloud about the possibility of like Ben before her falling in love with two contestants, seems that much closer to becoming everything she hates.
Tune in next week to watch JoJo and the six remaining men freak out about being on the brink of hometown dates.
If you only read one thing: House Democrats and Republicans released dueling reporters into the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound and CIA annex in Benghazi, which killed four, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. The attacks, carried out just weeks before that years presidential election, were politicized almost immediately by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, at the time drawing condemnation from some GOP foreign policy experts. But in the years since it has become a potent symbol of a hyper-politicized Washington on both sides of the aisle, with Democrats reflexively defending Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republicans outright misrepresenting information to present them in a negative light. The final reports offer some new details about the run-up and immediate aftermath of the attack, but reveal that on the night of the attack, little could have been done differently that would have changed the outcome. Expect it to remain a political wedge this falla sobering reminder that even the deaths of four Americans can be made into political hay.
Donald Trump is set to deliver a policy speech on the U.S. and global trade Tuesday, just days after the U.K.s vote to leave the E.U. roiled the financial markets and kickstarted a reversal of decades of efforts to further intertwine nations. Yet Trump finds himself squeezed, as free trade has been a central tenet of the GOP platform for generations. And while Trump claims to be in favor of free trade, his policies show otherwise. Trump, who is on record opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, NAFTA, and a several other trade deals, has advocated using trade policy as a lever in other disputesincluding the use of tariffs to punish outsourcing.
Hillary Clinton joined with Elizabeth Warren Monday where the Massachusetts lawmaker stole the show with a blistering critique of Trumps personality and policies. But while it may be an appealing ticket to some, dont go betting on it. The liberal Senator would be a tough selection for Clinton, who is already facing trouble in some swing states for having shifted her policies leftward during her unexpectedly long primary with Bernie Sanders.
Story continues
The Supreme Court struck down a restrictive abortion law in Texas. Clinton is winning the surrogate battle. And Trump is set to visit coal country Tuesday.
Here are your must-reads:
Must Reads
Why Hillary Clinton Remains Unlikely to Pick Elizabeth Warren for Veep
TIMEs Philip Elliott on the tantalizing, but long-shot Democratic ticket
The Benghazi Circus Is Still In Town
A two year investigation concludes, but confusion abounds TIMEs Mark Thompson writes
Supreme Courts Abortion Decision Reverberates in Presidential Campaign
In overturning restrictive Texas law, Court gives both parties something to rally their supporters around [New York Times]
Final Benghazi report details administration failures
The findings offer new details, but are unlikely to change the political dynamic around the attacks [Politico]
Sound Off
She made up her heritage, which I think is racist. I think shes a racist, actually because what she did was very racist Donald Trump to NBC on Sen. Elizabeth Warren after she delivered a blistering criticism of him with Hillary Clinton Monday.
A small, insecure money grubber who fights for no one but himself Warren on Trump at Mondays rally with Clinton.
Bits and Bites
Millennials Backed Bernie Sanders. Heres How Hillary Clinton Plans to Win Them Over [TIME]
Donald Trump Heads for Coal Industry Fundraiser in West Virginia [TIME]
Another 165 Pages of Hillary Clintons Emails Released [Associated Press]
Hillary Clinton Is Beating Donald Trump in Early Surrogate Battle [TIME]
The heroin epidemic was once mostly immune from politics. Not anymore. [Washington Post]
Trump Hires Senior Adviser for Communications [Bloomberg]
Democrats on Benghazi committee: Panel squandered millions of taxpayer dollars [Washington Post]
Supreme Court Vacates Ex-Virginia Governors Graft Conviction [New York Times]
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asked lawmakers of Britain's anti-EU UKIP on Tuesday why they had attended a European Parliament session to discuss the consequences of the British vote to leave the bloc. "We must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view," Juncker said in a speech to parliament, words that were greeted by rare applause from the UKIP members present. "That's the last time you are applauding here... and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here. You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favor of the exit. Why are you here?" Juncker continued, breaking from his speech text. Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him. Before the session began, Farage had gone over to speak to Juncker. Both men appeared relaxed and as Farage made to leave, Juncker pulled him close and gave him an air-kiss on the cheek. Juncker said he would make no apology for being "sad" at the result of the British vote - "I am not a robot," he said, "I am not a gray bureaucrat." He urged Britain to explain quickly what it wanted from the EU in terms of a new relationship but insisted he had told his staff to engage in no preliminary talks with British officials until London engages the two-year mechanism for leaving the EU. "No notification, no negotiation," he said. On a rare personal note, the 61-year-old former Luxembourg prime minister, struck out at critics, notably in the German press but also among east European governments, who have called on him to stand down following the Brexit vote. "I am neither tired or sick, as the German papers say," he said. "I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe." (Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
Downtown performance artist Reverend Jen Miller's tiny Lower East Side apartment has been home to hundreds of trolls and many "magical" parties over the years, but it now appears the spell may finally be broken. On Thursday, Millerknown as "the Elf" among the LES artist communityreceived a visit from a City Marshal. In what became a tense encounter, the official informed her that her landlord, Misrahi Realty, was evicting her from her sixth story Orchard Street walk-up, which doubles as New York's only Troll Museum. "They physically removed me," says Miller, who's been staying with a friend, John Foster, for the past five days.
The court granted Miller access to the apartment from 10-4 p.m. on Tuesday for the removal of her possessions, but after two decades of accruing art, knick knacks, Miller is at a loss about where to store her one-of-a-kind collection. "I have no fucking idea where all this is going to go," she said, sitting on a wilting pink-velvet couch, "I guess I should get online and tell people they can come by and buy it off me. Or just take it. I don't fucking care."
Glum-faced neighbors and fans arrived to help Miller pack up, heaping troll dolls into plastic bags and removing psychedelic art from crowded walls. "We're just trying to do anything we can to support her," said Jen Tobin, a musician, who says Miller was "like a mother" to many in the LES arts community, where she ran experimental "Anti Slam open mics" and hosted concerts in the Troll Museum's shower ("the acoustics are great," explained Foster).
"Around Jen, everyone is welcome," said George Courtney, a photographer and astrologer who has known Miller for over ten years, as he detached a troll poster from the wall. "At her open mics, everyone got a ten [out of ten], everyone got a chance on stage," added Tobin.
The volunteers returned periodically to Miller's side, hovering anxiously as she puffed on an e-cigarette and spoke hoarsely to the few reporters present. She recounted moving into 122 Orchard in 1995, at which time, she says, she was the only white resident of the building. Now, hers is one of only three remaining rent-stabilized apartments in the building, set at $1,590 a month, according to Miller.
"Rent stabilization just makes owners more greedy, and they'll go to any lengths to get people out so they can raise the price," she said.
Miller admitted she hasn't paid rent since last summer, when a series of illnesses landed her in the hospital and out of work, but she insisted she never received warnings of an impending eviction. "On Thursday, they came to tell me I was post-eviction," she said, and "I was shocked." For now, Miller hopes to get a stay for at least three months, she said, but warned that if she's not granted a stay, she may refuse to leave anyway. "I'm at the end of my rope," she said, shaking her head. "I guess they can arrest me. Let them."
While Miller and her friends are still weighing potential recourse, it seems the days of the Troll Museum have ended, and with it, said Tobin, another important part of the "real" LES. "The Museum, the parties, the open micsit was part of what made the LES the weird, wonderful place that it was. [Miller] played a big part of keeping it that way."
While her friends described her as a "fighter," after a few hours of watching her apartment come apart, Miller appeared shaken. "This shit is out of hand," she said, a crate of grubby dolls at her feet.
Misrahi Realty did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment.
DENVERIn this mountain town, which began allowing the recreational sale of marijuana in 2014, businesswomen and female entrepreneurs say they are launching marijuana-centric companies with the hope that they can avoid the glass ceiling some say prevented them from reaching board rooms and corner offices in other industries.
In the past several years, women have become a driving force in the growth of the cannabis industry here and across the United States. As one magazine cover proclaimed recently, Legal marijuana could be the first billion-dollar industry not dominated by men.
Numbers would seem to bear those sentiments out. According to Marijuana Business Daily, women make up about 36 percent of executives in the legal-marijuana industry, compared to about 22 percent of senior managers in other industries. Women hold just 4.2 percent of the CEO positions at S&P 500 companies. At tech companies like Google and Twitter, disproportionately few executives and engineers are women.
Its a new chance for many women who have been in the corporate world who couldnt get to the next level, said Becca Foster, an independent consultant with Healthy Headie, an in-home cannabis shop co-founded by Holly Alberti-Evans that goes by the tagline the Mary Kay of Mary J. A young mother of four, Foster worked as a senior implementation manager at Bank of America before going the cannabis consulting route. It stalled out, she said of her finance career; there was no clear way to balance both family and work.
Recommended: Would a Work-Free World Be So Bad?
Its not often that entire industries are born, Crystal Huish, a certified public accountant with an M.B.A. in accounting, echoed. Huish owns Count Cannabis, an accounting firm that specializes in the marijuana industry. With cannabis companies, business models arent set yet, Huish said. Its an opportunity to break old traditions.
Story continues
But this relative gender parity wasnt always true of this field. Long before states began permitting the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, smoking pot was traditionally portrayed in pop culture as a male pastime. Studies suggest men are still more likely than women to consume cannabis. And several of the women I spoke with said the early days of legalization here seemed dominated by aggressive frat bro businessmen.
Its an opportunity to break old traditions.
Yet that seems to be shifting with the advent of organizations like Women Grow. Launched in 2014, the group wants to help women both influence and succeed in the marijuana market as more states eliminate laws that make selling and smoking illegal. And it wants them to enter the market early, so that women have as much of a say as men about how the post-legalization landscape develops. In the past couple of years, its membership and reach have swelled to more than 30 chapters across the United States.
I met both Foster and Huish at a Women Grow networking event in the trendy and pot-friendly Five Points neighborhood. At this particular meetingheld on the same day some 83 years ago that prohibition unofficially collapseddozens of women of all ages and backgrounds gathered to talk about pot-focused philanthropy and to listen to a presentation that suggested women will ultimately lead the cannabis industry. Other Women Grow events have outlined how to launch a company or how to cultivate a client list.
While proponents of pot legalization have for years recognized the importance of getting support from women, female entrepreneurs said they are pushing for more than just advocacy and consumption roles in the marijuana market. They are tired of working in industries where the rules are setand stacked against them.
Recommended: Why Women (Sometimes) Don't Help Other Women
Consider a field like finance; Foster felt she had to be willing to work all the time, which made volunteering at her kids school or taking them to extracurricular activities difficult. And multiple women said that in their previous careers, there wasnt necessarily a camaraderie among workers, who were often rewarded for making the most sales or bringing in the most money, not for helping each other. Cannabis, they said, felt like a chance for a clean start.
I think its a chance for women to make the rules, Foster said. The industry offers its workers more flexibility than something like finance, she said, and there are fewer glass ceilings because everyone is figuring it out simultaneously. Perhaps because of their shared experiences in less-accommodating fields, the female leaders in the cannabis industry told me that they tend to be supportive of each other as they navigate what is still a relatively new market.
The conversations that I have with executives of companies that are women are a lot easier than the conversations that I have with men, said Kendal Norris, who runs Mason Jar Events, a company that puts together swanky pot-themed parties. And I think that might be for a couple of reasons, one of which is, it sort of goes back to that thing from Madeleine Albright, that theres a special place in Hell for women who dont help other women.
There are also more women entering the cannabis industry because they see market openings and strategies that men seem to have overlooked, such as the Mary Kay-influenced model used by Healthy Headie. Jordan Person, a former nurse, launched a cannabis-infused massage-therapy company called Primal Therapeutics in 2014. She wasnt expecting to be the self-described grandmother of cannabis massage, she told me over tea at a cafe just south of downtown. But no one had thought to launch a company quite like hers. The business took off fast and there was no one else to look to for guidance, so people started coming to her. Now, she gets daily phone calls asking how she launched her business from people around the country, she said.
Recommended: Why Are Millions of Prime-Age Men Missing From the Economy?
When she isnt giving massages, Person serves as the executive director of the Denver chapter of NORML, a national group pushing for marijuana legalization. Most of the chapters officers are women.
The push by women to become involved in writing the rules may also have to do with the idea, suggested by several people I spoke with, that women might be less comfortable than men operating in what is still a legal gray zone. They want a voice in how ambiguous rules are ultimately resolved. While its legal in Colorado to buy pot at a dispensary, public consumption is still off limits. That means there arent cannabis clubs or other public places where people can officially get together and smoke. While Person can go to peoples homes or hotel rooms, apply her product, and share cannabis with clients who are interested (she insists that not all of her customers indulge), she cant set up a brick-and-mortar storefront. There are several different effortsat least a couple of them spearheaded by womenunderway to bring public consumption to Colorado, but its a controversial process and one thats unlikely to be resolved soon.
While Person is reluctant to get into the potential differences between how women and men might approach the industry landscape, several other women said the lack of clarity around what is and is not acceptable might deter women in particular from launching businesses. But other women have deliberately waded into the industry because they want to prevent specific ills theyve experienced in other industries, such as scientific research being closely guarded for personal and political benefit instead of being shared to drive more discovery, from taking root. Daniela Vergara is an evolutionary biologist and researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also cofounded the nonprofit Agricultural Genomics Foundation to make sure cannabis research is publicly available to prevent big companies from taking over, she said.
Many of the women who have already launched their own companies in places like Colorado, where recreational use has been legal for a couple of years, say they recognize that they are entering the field early and, in some cases, building the scaffolding to go national before too much competition from bigger players pushes them out of the market. But their operations are generally small-scale. If larger companies muscle in with more money and more political clout, some women worry they could lose ground.
Heidi Keyes, who runs Puff, Pass, and Paint, a company that specializes in cannabis-friendly art classes, said she forgets that she cant just pop by a local dispensary or sign up for a cannabis-related course when she visits family in Wisconsin. Marijuana legalization has clearly allowed an entire new set of businesses to emerge in Colorado that have altered how and where people partake and even how they spend their leisure time in lasting ways. Turning a profit obviously appealed to a lot of entrepreneurs after legalization, but, Keyes pointed out, only those with good business plans have survived, and many are helmed by women. I think that definitely does prove something, she said. To be a part of this industry, as a woman, its really rewarding. Its an exciting time.
Emily Jan contributed reporting to this article.
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
PEN Center USA, the literary and human rights organization, is honoring former ABC newswoman Willow Bay and former Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief Jason Rezaian with awards at its 26th annual Literary Awards Festival, the center announced.
Bay, currently the director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, will receive the Award of Honor, which recognizes people and institutions that have made meaningful contributions to the world of writers and journalists. Before joining the Annenberg School, Bay was a correspondent for Bloomberg Television, NBC News and MSNBC. Earlier in her career she co-anchored ABC's Good Morning America. She's also currently a senior strategic advisor at the Huffington Post.
Rezaian will receive the Freedom to Write Award. In July 2014, Rezaian and his wife were detained by Iranian authorities on vague and meritless charges of espionage and propaganda. He spent 545 days in Tehran's Evin prison before being released on Jan. 16, 2016, as part of broad negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over that country's nuclear arms program. Several other American detainees were released at the same time as Rezaian.
PEN Center previously announced Isabel Allende as the recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.
This year's PEN Center gala is being hosted by actors and best-selling authors (as well as wife and husband) Amber Tamblyn and David Cross. The event takes place Sept. 28 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Read More: Adele's Overdue Glastonbury Headlining Set: "This Is the Best Moment of My Life"
The FBI is on the hunt for a Wisconsin woman accused of fatally shooting a pregnant mother and killing the victims unborn child.
Authorities say Shanika Minor, 24, has been missing since March, when she allegedly opened fire on her mothers neighbor in Milwaukee over an argument about loud music. Minor, who is now on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, is accused of shooting the neighbor in the chest on March 6 after a fight about the noise escalated.
The 23-year-old victim, who was five days away from her due date, died in her home in front of her two children, authorities said. Her unborn baby also died.
This was a senseless crime, and we believe Minor is capable of more violence, FBI Special Agent Chad Piontek said in statement. We need to capture her so that no one else is harmed.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to her capture.
The wanted woman, who is believed to still be armed, may have contact with friends and extended family members in Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and Georgia, officials said.
Our hope is that whoever is assisting her will find the potential reward more attractive than protecting a person wanted for first-degree murder, Piontek said.
Outraged by what she saw on her neighbors balcony in Dallas, where temperatures reached more than 100 degrees, Cassandra Clark took action. She called news outlets, Dallas Animal Services and even 911 to report a husky hunched over in a tiny cage but no one was responding fast enough. So, she took her call for help to social media.
Clark noticed the crying husky when walking her own dogs a few days before her June 20 post. The husky had no food or water, she said. Apparently, the dog was routinely kept outside for a few weeks and inside for only a few days. When contacted, Dallas Animal Services said it would take at least 24 hours to respond, and 911 said there was nothing they can do.
Come on people, she wrote in the post. You cannot have the privilege of owning a dog if its like this. Wheres [sic] is animal right activists of Dallas?!
Clark posted the photos on Facebook, which soon went viral, and finally led to a faster rescue of not only the husky, but allegedly 12 other animals, including another husky and kittens, kept in poor conditions inside the household.
You never know what youre gonna find, she said, according to local television station KTVT. You have to speak for those who cant speak.
The rescued animals will soon be put up for adoption, according to KTVT.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, the head of Britain's anti-EU UK Independence Party, said on Tuesday he wanted to be good friends and trading partners with the remaining EU nations after Britain exits the bloc. "We won the war. Now we have to win the peace," Farage told journalists before a European Parliament session to discuss the British referendum. "We want to be good friends, good neighbors, good trading partners." Farage said Britain should leave as soon as possible, but that the process should be amicable, adding that the size of the British economy and its close links with the rest of the EU meant that it should be given a preferential deal. "We are the biggest trading partners of the euro zone. We can get a much better deal than Norway," he said. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
World's largest mosquito factory hopes to prevent Zika Chinese researcher Gan Renxian releases adult mosquitoes in a village on Shazai Island near Guangzhou, China, where the Sun Yat-Sen University-Michigan University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease is conducting field trials, on June 21, 2016. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
The Sun Yat-Sen University-Michigan University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease is conducting field trials to prevent the Zika virus near Guangzhou, China. Considered the worlds largest mosquito factory, the laboratory raises millions of male mosquitoes for research that could prove key to the race to prevent the spread of Zika. The labs mosquitoes are infected with a strain of Wolbachia pipientis, a common bacterium shown to inhibit Zika and related viruses, including dengue fever. Researchers release the infected mosquitoes at nearby Shazai island to mate with wild females, who then inherit the Wolbachia bacterium, which prevents the proper fertilization of eggs. The results so far are hopeful: After a year of research and field trials on the island, the lab claims there is 99 percent suppression of the population of Aedes albopictus or Asia tiger mosquitoes, the type known to carry the Zika virus. Researchers believe that if their method proves successful, it could be applied on a wider scale to eradicate virus-carrying mosquitoes in Zika-affected areas around the world. The project is an international nonprofit collaboration led by Professor Xi Zhiyong, director of the Sun Yat-Sen University-Michigan University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease with support from various levels of Chinas government and other organizations. (Getty)
Photography by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
Find more news-related photo galleries on the Yahoo News Photo Tumblr
Geneva (AFP) - Nadia Murad, a slight, soft spoken Yazidi woman from Iraq, endured a three-month nightmare as a sex slave of the Islamic State (IS) group.
After her harrowing escape with the help of a fake religious ID nearly two years ago, Murad has a message for world leaders striving to crush the extremists: IS leaders must stand trial for genocide.
"Genocide must be recognised," the 23-year-old told AFP through a translator in Geneva.
As Iraq wages an offensive against IS, with government forces retaking full control of the jihadist bastion of Fallujah on Sunday, UN investigators are making a renewed push for justice for the jihadists' victims.
The Yazidis, neither Muslim nor Arab, are an ancient religious minority of more than half a million people concentrated near the Syrian border in northern Iraq.
The IS group has said it despises the Kurdish-speaking group because Yazidis are not "people of the book", meaning their faith does not adhere to the theological tradition that begins with Abraham of the Old Testament and extends through the Koran.
In 2014, IS jihadists massacred Yazidis in Sinjar, forcing tens of thousands of them to flee, and capturing thousands of girls and women as spoils of war.
The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) for Syria earlier this month said it had compiled evidence proving that IS was continuing a genocide against the Yazidis.
With Iraqi leaders hailing their recent victories over IS in Fallujah and weighing a new operation to flush them out of their northern strongholds like Mosul, Murad insisted that the need for accountability should not be forgotten.
- Forced Islam conversion -
She was taken by IS from her home village of Kocho near Iraq's northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to Mosul.
"The first thing they did was they forced us to covert to Islam," she said. "After conversion, they did whatever they wanted to do."
In a December speech at the UN Security Council, Murad recounted her so-called "marriage" to one IS captor, who subjected her to horrific abuse.
Story continues
"I was not able to take any more rape and torture," she told the council, so she decided to flee.
On the run in Mosul, Murad said she was terrified that no one would take her in, but she ultimately found shelter with a Muslim family in the city.
"They made me an Islamic ID," she said, which she used to cross the border into Iraqi Kurdistan.
There she lived in a camp for displaced people and, with the support of the Yazidi welfare organisation Yazda, relocated to Germany, where she now lives with her sister.
- 'Roadmap for prosecutions' -
The United Nations and several Western powers first suggested last year that the IS assault on the Yazidis amounted to a premeditated, genocidal effort to exterminate an entire community.
The evidence presented by the COI earlier this month was more conclusive.
COI member and former international prosecutor Carla del Ponte described the commission's report as "a roadmap for prosecutions".
Supported by witness testimony, the COI found that IS "sought to erase the Yazidis through killings, sexual slavery, enslavement, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment".
Referring heinous, mass crimes to the International Criminal Court often meets obstacles in the UN Security Council for political reasons.
But COI members expressed hope that the Yazidi case could be investigated by The Hague-based ICC, because the IS group has no public political support.
Murad, one of 376 people and organisations nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, broke down in tears as she told a UN audience the extent to which her people felt abandoned by the international community.
Speaking at a Human Rights Council event in Geneva last week, she said that anger would intensify if the IS attempt to exterminate the Yazidis did not lead to prosecutions.
"For you to regain the trust of the Yazidis will take a lot of work," she said.
Aden (AFP) - A flare-up in violence across Yemen on Tuesday killed 80 people, nearly half of them civilians, officials said, as lengthy peace talks in Kuwait made no headway.
The escalation came after a wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops killed at least 42 people on Monday in the southeastern city of Mukalla, in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.
It also comes as UN-brokered talks between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi stuttered despite a visit by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to push the negotiations.
In the deadliest violence, warplanes from the Saudi-led pro-government coalition killed 34 people, including 19 civilians when they targeted the Shiite rebels in the southwestern region of Taez, a Yemeni military official said.
The pre-dawn strike hit a lorry transporting weapons for the Huthis as it crossed a busy road, a provincial official said, adding four women were among the dead, as well as 15 rebels.
In the flashpoint city of Taez, 11 civilians and a soldier were killed when rebels bombed a residential area, a military official said.
Meanwhile, 12 rebels and three loyalist soldiers were killed in clashes in Nahm, northeast of Sanaa, while six other rebels and two soldiers died in fighting in Marib, east of the capital, the official said.
In the same province, a coalition warplane hit a vehicle carrying pro-government forces "by mistake", killing four soldiers and wounding four others, another military official said.
The Huthis overran the capital in late 2014 before moving into other parts of Yemen, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March last year.
The United Nations says more than 6,400 people have been killed in Yemen since then, mostly civilians.
The fighting has also driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 percent of the population in need of humanitarian aid.
- Talks fail to advance -
Clashes have continued despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that entered into effect on April 11 and paved the way for the peace talks in Kuwait.
Story continues
In the Gulf emirate, Ban appealed on Sunday to warring parties to accept a roadmap for peace and quickly reach a comprehensive settlement to the 15-month-old conflict.
The peace roadmap proposed by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed calls for the formation of a unity government and the withdrawal and disarmament of the rebels.
Meanwhile, at least seven civilians including two children were killed in air strikes "probably by drones" on jihadists which mistakenly hit a nearby house in Mahfed, between the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa in Yemen's south, an official told AFP.
US strikes have taken out a number of senior Al-Qaeda commanders in Yemen over the past year.
Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the network's deadliest franchise and has vowed no let-up in its war against the jihadists.
The US military said this month that it had killed six Al-Qaeda fighters in three separate strikes in central Yemen.
Mukalla was under AQAP's control for one year until pro-Hadi troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, drove the jihadists out in April.
Both AQAP and IS have exploited the power vacuum created by the conflict in the impoverished country to expand their presence in the south and southeast.
By William Maclean, Noah Browning and Yara Bayoumy ABU DHABI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, is deploying its military against al Qaeda in Yemen, and in the process providing what some see as a badly-needed new template for counter-terrorism in Arab lands. UAE special forces are orchestrating the hunt for al Qaeda in remote deserts and mountains, adding the capability of Arab troops seasoned in war zones like Afghanistan and Somalia to a campaign long the preserve of the U.S. and Yemeni militaries. Suicide attacks killing 38 in Mukalla on Monday show the challenge. While the UAE helped to eject al Qaeda from the southern coastal city in April, militant threats persist - the latest attack was claimed by Islamic State, in Yemen a lesser force than al Qaeda. The Emiratis deployed initially against a different foe - Yemen's Houthi group, joining a Saudi-led campaign last year to try to reverse a bid for national power by a group seen by many Gulf Arabs as a proxy for regional arch-rival Iran. The war weakened the Houthis, but in the resulting turmoil al Qaeda swept across the eastern side of the country, seizing more land than it had ever held and raising tens of millions of dollars from running Mukalla, the countrys third largest port. The UAE's al Qaeda push meets a demand made repeatedly by Washington that Gulf Arabs do more to ensure their own security. But a so-called "Obama Doctrine" of relying on local allies instead of big U.S. military deployments abroad to fight militant jihadis has been seen as stumbling in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, despite funding and training of local partners. Yemen may prove a happier example, its supporters hope. STAMINA TO ENDURE The UAE response is to use special forces to try to sharpen a long-running push against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), seen as one of the jihadi network's most capable. The Emiratis are working with the United States to train, manage and equip Yemeni fighters in that effort, signalling they have the stamina to stick with a campaign that could last long after the separate confrontation with the Houthis is resolved. The ability to run combined air, sea and land operations, deploy forces clandestinely and endure scores of troop losses has won acknowledgement from Western states long despairing of the fractured Yemeni army's ability to tackle al Qaeda. Retired General Anthony Zinni, former chief of U.S. Central Command, told Reuters the UAE was "a top military" in the region and "exponentially more capable than its size might indicate". "It has also shown the ability to hang in there despite casualties ... (The UAE) has proven its willingness to fight alongside the U.S. and coalitions." After months of preparation the UAE orchestrated the ousting of al Qaeda from Mukalla by Yemeni allies in a complex operation backed by U.S. intelligence support and aerial refuelling. While al Qaeda said it staged a tactical retreat without losses, it in fact took a beating, coalition sources said. Coalition forces estimate al Qaeda lost 450 fighters, while the coalition lost 54 Yemeni fighters. Al Qaeda fled inland. "The focus is on not allowing al Qaeda to recover. Our intent is to keep them on the back foot," said a senior coalition military official, who declined to be named. RISKS INVOLVED "They are the most capable counter-terrorism force on the ground in Yemen," said a U.S. counter-terrorism official familiar with Yemen, who requested anonymity. Some in the U.S. government initially doubted the UAE's sincerity in attacking AQAP, he said, but the Mukalla operation showed that "thats not the case". The UAE's counter-terrorism gambit comes with risks. By taking such a central role in Yemen the UAE places itself in the middle of its turbulent politics: In particular its presence mainly in the south risks entanglement in possible unrest arising from a re-energised separatist movement, whose demands for independence for the south are growing louder. Despite their cultural affinities, UAE officers must take care not to get on the wrong side of tribes for whom short-term alliances with jihadis are a survival tactic. Militants continue to assassinate coalition-backed military officers and stage suicide bombings of Yemeni army and police compounds. And while the UAE has poured in more than $400 million in humanitarian aid, Yemenis remain impatient for reconstruction. "Most people still think that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are angels because they saved us from the Houthis," said Nisma al-Ozebi, a 21-year-old civil engineering student in Aden. "But some people are coming to think they came to Yemen not because they love us and want to help us, but because they have their own interests here." For now, Abu Dhabi is undaunted by the challenge and insists its campaign protects the whole region. It suggests it has the Gulf Arab heritage to help navigate complex tribal networks. "As non-Westerners were able to operate with Yemeni fighters and gain their trust," the coalition official said. Washington is paying attention. U.S. action against al Qaeda was at first disrupted by the war with the Houthis, which forced the evacuation in early 2015 of the programme's U.S. personnel. But after the Mukalla operation, the Pentagon said a small number of military personnel were deployed to help UAE counter-terrorism efforts, in a possible sign of increasing U.S. willingness to re-engage on the ground. The Pentagon said last week that this support mission, initially seen as short term, is being extended. "TEXTBOOK SOLUTION" Michael Morrell, former deputy director of the CIA, wrote in Politico that the UAE's Mukalla assault was a "textbook solution of dealing with terrorist groups that hold territory". From the Yemen war's outset, the UAE took on a big role. Days after hostilities began, an eight-person special forces team of forward air controllers landed discreetly in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on Aden's Little Aden peninsula on April 13-15, 2015, the senior coalition military official said. The team linked up with a Yemeni agent on the ground, part of the anti-Houthi southern resistance, the official said. Within 10 days there was an amphibious landing to insert more troops. In ensuing weeks, 4-to-6 man teams of UAE special forces trained groups of 50 Yemenis and provided leadership, building a 2,000-strong team of resistance fighters in Aden. In July 2015, after months of preparation and liaison with Saudi-led partners, the force drove the Houthis from Aden and from a big air base nearby. The UAE went on to train 4,000 Yemeni fighters in Assab, Eritrea, as a force to help prevent lawlessness in the sprawling city. In the autumn the UAE smoothly rotated thousands of its troops in-theatre, while planning for the Mukalla operation. "The Emirates has played an exceptional role," Mahmoud al-Salmi, a professor at Aden University, said of the UAE's rebuilding of hospitals and schools. The coalition initially seemed to tolerate jihadis in the south, as they shared its anti-Houthi agenda, but later cracked down on them, he said. Southern Yemenis were grateful to the coalition because now, "whether theres secession or not, the south is in the hands of its sons and that was made possible by the coalition countries". Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy says counter-insurgency in Yemen may last many years. "But the Emiratis are capable of making that commitment," he said. (Additional reporting by Phil Stewart in Washington, editing by Peter Millership)
By Terrence Edwards and Natalie Thomas ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - In a stretch of open grassland surrounded by yurts, some of the thousands of Mongolians headbanging to the likes of heavy metal band "Purgatory Destroyers" at the country's biggest music festival were thinking about politics as much as partying. Many young Mongolians, not much older than the wind-swept, land-locked democracy squeezed between autocratic China and Russia, are disillusioned with the slow economy and established political parties, and could play a decisive role in parliamentary elections on Wednesday. More than half Mongolia's three million people are under 30 and grew up during a time of rapid change following a peaceful political revolution in 1990 that saw the Soviet system replaced by democracy and the influx of influences from Hollywood, hip hop and heavy metal. "The quality of politicians is, I think, very bad," said Khishigdelger, a festivalgoer at the Playtime Music Festival. "So Mongolians need to do something different." Turnout at the polls is expected to be at an all-time low, amid widespread perceptions that the older generation has hung on to power to further its own interest at a cost to the rest of the country. Economic growth has fallen from 17.5 percent in 2011, the year before the Democratic Party took power, to the IMF's projected 0.4 percent for this year. The resource-rich country has struggled to adapt as the market for coal and copper slumped on weaker demand from China, and some blame officials for creating mining disputes. "Maybe that older generation should just die off," says Umbanyamba Unenkhuu, who is running for office as a member of the National Labour Party. Sporting a beard and tattoos, Unenkhuu, 36, said he had taken time off from organizing heavy metal concerts and playing in a band to pursue elected office. "You know some of those members of parliament, they've been in office for at least like the last four terms, right? And I mean what has changed? Nothing," the rocker-turned-candidate said. "I think they should all step down and give way for the new generation." Unenkhuu acknowledges he will be in a tough race as he faces off against the two largest parties - the Democratic Party and the main opposition Mongolian People's Party (MPP). Polls suggest that voters, fed up from four straight years of slowing growth under the Democratic Party, are likely to award more seats to the MPP, which ruled Mongolia when it was a socialist one-party state and has held power most often since democratic reforms in 1990. (Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)
* Turkey's 79 mln people are the youngest in Europe
* Amazon, Naspers, eBay all have e-commerce investment
* Much more room for growth, industry says
By Asli Kandemir
ISTANBUL, June 28 (Reuters) - When Demet Mutlu dropped out of Harvard six years ago to found an online fashion retailer in her native Turkey, friends thought she was crazy to leave the world's top business school for a leap into the unknown.
But more than her chutzpah, it is the 34-year-old's unshakeable faith in the young Turkish consumer that seems to be paying off: her company, Trendyol, is now one of Turkey's best known online fashion retailers and has drawn backing from foreign investors.
Last year, Trendyol had sales of 550 million lira ($188 million). While that represents just 2 percent of Turkey's fragmented e-commerce market, Trendyol is growing fast and Mutlu expects sales to almost double to 1 billion lira this year and grow another 50 percent in 2017.
"News about Turkey is very negative recently, but if you set up the right business model and target young people, there is tremendous growth potential in e-commerce, even more so than in the U.S. or Europe," Mutlu said. "I believe in Turkey's young population and its vibrant economy."
Global investor enthusiasm for Turkey has cooled in recent years due to rising security concerns and worries about President Tayyip Erdogan's growing authoritarianism.
This year Turkey has been hit by a string of suicide bombings and it is battling a renewed Kurdish insurgency in the southeast. Consumer confidence has been rising from a six and a half year low last September but there are still more pessimists than optimists.
But despite those worries, Turkey's demographics and growth potential are the envy of Europe. The country is home to 79 million people with a median age of just over 30, younger than anywhere else in Europe. By 2050, the population is expected to swell to 93 million, while much of the rest of Europe ages.
Story continues
Young Turks are tech savvy and early adopters of technology. The country boasts a wealth of home-grown phone apps and mobile penetration is nearly 94 percent.
"Our website averages 35 million visitors a month, which is 20 times more than the busiest shopping mall in the country," Mutlu said.
At 24.7 billion lira last year, Turkey's e-commerce market is small, accounting for only 2 percent of total retail revenue, according to Turkey's Informatics Industry Association. Growth, however, was an impressive 31 percent.
Travel sites account for a big chunk of that revenue with nearly 36 percent, online retailers account for another 34 percent, marketplaces 15 percent and the rest is split among niche players, the data showed.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
In 2002, Turkey's per capita gross domestic product averaged $3,600, just ahead of Equatorial Guinea, an African oil producer. By 2015 it was $9,261, not far behind Malaysia. Today, Turkey sits comfortably among the world's top 20 economies.
In developed markets, e-commerce accounts for about 7.1 percent of total retail revenue, and 5.1 percent in emerging markets, or more than twice Turkey's current level.
"Looking at the share of e-commerce in the rest of the world, Turkey's market is not saturated. Therefore, there is a lot of space to expand the sector," said Hakan Orhun, the head of the Electronic Trade Operators Association.
Turkey's e-commerce market has grown about 22 percent annually over the last five years, said Burak Tansan, senior managing partner at Boston Consulting Group in Istanbul.
"For the growth to continue, consumer confidence in online shopping needs to increase. Around 40 percent of consumers are receptive to online shopping but they have not tried it at all," he said, adding that Boston Consulting studies show consumers still prefer to do research online and then buy at stores.
The potential for online retail growth has, nevertheless, attracted overseas players and investors.
Tiger Global Management LLC, a fund known for its early bet on Facebook, has invested in Trendyol - which sells more than 2,000 local and global brands including luxury labels such as Prada and Versace.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have also invested in Trendyol. Together with Tiger Global, they own 80 percent of the company, having invested $60 million over the last four years.
Naspers, the South Africa-based, emerging markets-focused e-commerce and media giant, bought Trendyol rival Markafoni from its founder in 2014.
Private equity firm Abraaj took a minority stake last year in online retailer Hepsiburada.com, one of Turkey's best known e-commerce sites. Auction site eBay has invested in GittiGidiyor, another online retailer, and Amazon.com has an investment in Ciceksepeti.com, a flower delivery site.
The investor interest is helping to create a vibrant start-up culture, said Cem Sertoglu, a partner with European venture firm Earlybird Venture Capital.
Earlybird raised $150 million 2-1/2-years ago and has invested in several Turkish firms, including online furniture seller vivense.com and real-estate marketplace tapu.com.
"We are supporting early stage startups that aim to meet local demands through high technology solutions and run by first-class teams," Sertoglu said.
"The growth potential in such companies is less reliant on the country's macroeconomic outlook than bigger firms."
($1 = 2.9261 liras) (Editing by David Dolan and David Clarke)
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL June 28, 2016 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Alphabet (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Facebook (FB) and Apple ( AAPL).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog:
Technology Stock Roundup: Brexit and Other Commotion
Last week was a historical one, with Great Britain voting in favor of leaving the EU. But it was a close call, and rightly so, because the benefits to the country arent very clear. Economists, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), President Obama, and practically every financial and economic advisor has said that leaving the EU would be detrimental to Britain, but its citizens didnt heed the warning. So Brexit is here, or at least the severance process will start soon, and it is unlikely to be completed by 2018.
What could people have been thinking? For one, there was the issue of immigration that the EU hasnt been particularly good at curbing the free inflow of immigrants. The second was rising food prices, because in an attempt to protect the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, customs duties on food items under the EU had risen.
Then there was the theory that an independent Britain would be more flexible in negotiations and would therefore become stronger in trade. To top it all off was some patriotic hot air about Britains former glory that campaigners used to play on peoples emotions.
Its time to take stock of the damage and what it could mean for technology companies, particularly U.S. companies operating in the EU. In a nutshell, this is bad news and technology stocks reacted suitably.
Story continues
For companies like Alphabets (GOOGL) Google, Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Facebook ( FB), etc., the situation has become highly complex on multiple levels. It was great having an EU member with relaxed rules that tech companies could headquarter in, store their data in and also use as a tax haven. With Britain out of the EU, countries like Germany and France, which have hit out at U.S. technology companies, will assume even greater importance in the EU and the result is unlikely to be positive for technology players. Privacy will also be an issue, and companies headquartered in the UK will no longer be subject to its more relaxed rules.
With that, lets jump into the other top stories for the week-
New FDI Norms to Help Apple in India
The Indian government has decided to allow three years for retailers to alter their business models and procure 30% of their inputs from within the country. The adjustment in the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms are a big positive for Apple ( AAPL) both because the company is seeing issues in China (still a very big market) and because of the maturing traditional markets where further penetration is likely to be limited.
Additionally, Indian smartphone penetration is likely to escalate over the next few years and any delay in consolidating market position would be highly detrimental to market share. Of course, Apple products are already available in India and the stores are mainly for the purpose of brand building. Apple products are high-end and they become even more so because of the currency differential; hence brand building becomes all the more important. With the relaxation in the FDI rules, Apple can start opening its stores right away.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
https://www.zacks.com
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.
This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
ALPHABET INC-A (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis Report
MICROSOFT CORP (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report
AMAZON.COM INC (AMZN): Free Stock Analysis Report
FACEBOOK INC-A (FB): Free Stock Analysis Report
APPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL June 28, 2016 Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Korea Electric Power (KEP), Royal Bank of Canada ( RY) and BAE Systems ADR ( BAESY ) .
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
Here are highlights from Mondays Analyst Blog:
Whose House Would You Rather Live In?
I think globally each week. Do you? Follow me on Twitter @johnblank100
As I wrote this weeks Global Week Ahead, I started laughing out here in California. But it really isnt that funny. In fact, it is sad and scary.
88-year-old English zoologist Desmond Morris says humans laugh like this when we are fearful. A quote from him-- I viewed my fellow man not as a fallen angel, but as a risen ape.
The optimistic thing that can be noted about the post-Brexit situation in the U.K. is the government -- all of it, previous ones, future ones and the present one -- have 3 months to sort this out.
As an economist who thinks mightily of the U.K. and its long history, I hope they do. They can do this. They can emerge with a positive and forward-looking solution for their country.
Here is what the FT wrote
It is far from fanciful to imagine that the next two years or so will see the complete recasting of the nations politics, quite possibly with the creation of a new, centrist, pro-European party. So those who want Britain to stay close to its own continent could think the unthinkable and work to make it thinkable.
Pessimists out there may well be right. This U.K. situation can go from extremely bad and head swiftly to even worse instability soon. Riots and violence against immigrants can escalate; Scotland can exit the EU; a series of U.K. governments may collapse in succession over the next couple years. All of that is entirely possible.
An Old United Kingdom has been dis-united by the New European Union. Look at news out of Europe you can see: the EU is not dissolving. It is strengthening.
U.S. leadership is already adjusting. The Secretary of State is meeting first with NATO and the EU and catching up with the U.K. Foreign Secretary later today. The Head of the U.S. Fed is in Portugal at a meeting with the Head of Chinas Central Bank and the Head of the ECB Mario Draghi.
Here is what is going on in the U.K. --
(1) There are now 3.7 million signatures on a U.K. re-play petition. This was a petition put up by a Leave supporter before last weeks EU referendum vote, and is now being used by the Remain camp.
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 U.K. Parliament will consider all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures. The government responds to all petitions that get 10,000 signatures. It should be taken up on Tuesday of this week.
(2) On Monday, the U.K. pound resumed its historic slide in the wake of the UKs decision to leave the EU, tumbling to a fresh 30-year low despite an attempt by U.K. Treasury chancellor George Osborne to calm the financial markets.
(3) On Sunday, for his weekly column in the U.K. Daily Telegraph newspaper, former London mayor and MP Boris Johnson, one of the heavyweights behind the pro-Brexit campaign, and possibly the countrys next prime minister had a few words for the U.K. public.
He cited outstandingly strong economic fundamentals in the UK.
FYI, The Daily Telegraph pays him huge sums of money to write. Johnson was paid 266,687 last fiscal year by the Telegraph to write his weekly column, according to his tax returns.
Here are a few more written comments from him--
(a) The stock market is way above its level of last autumn.
(b) the pound remains higher than it was in 2013 and 2014.
(c) We had one Scotland referendum in 2014, and I do not detect any real appetite to have another one soon.
(d) With reports of serious violence against Polish U.K. immigrants and property over the weekend, Johnson answered that EU citizens living in this country will have their rights fully protected, and the same goes for British citizens living in the EU.
I am not making this up!
A U.S. friend of mine just spent 2 weeks biking and hiking in Wales. He said the news on Brexit was complete garbage. Absolutely complete garbage.
(4) Conservative Party Chancellor George Osborne hasnt revealed his ambitions yet. PM David Cameron is done leading the U.K and the Conservatives effective October. That collapses his 6-year-old government.
The FT's George Parker and Alex Barker reported over the weekend that UK PM David Cameron first decided to call for the EU referendum at a pizza restaurant at Chicago OHare airport.
Now reporters at Slate have done some digging in an effort to figure out which pizzeria was the location for the fateful meeting. They have concluded that it was "likely" a Pizzeria UNO in O'Hare's Terminal 3.
Once again, I am not making this up!
(5) U.K. Labor Party deputy Tom Watson, who has his own mandate after being elected as deputy leader last summer, told the Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn he had lost the confidence of the Parliamentary Labor party.
The move follows a dozen resignations by members of the Labor Party shadow cabinet and a letter calling for Mr. Corbyn to go.
Expect this letter to be backed by more than of Labor Party MPs. In short, the U.K. Labor Party has collapsed too.
Here is what is going on in Europe
(1) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has landed in Brussels. He was seen in a photo with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
(2) German chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out starting informal talks with London about the UKs exit from the EU before Britain formally asks the bloc to begin official negotiations.
Before Great Britain sends this [Article 50] notice, there are no informal discussions about exit procedures. The sequencing must be observed, said Steffen Seibert, the Chancellors spokesman.
(3) Europes first security strategy in more than a decade is to push for closer EU defense cooperation, paving the way for multinational headquarters, military procurement and deployments to help cope with times of existential crisis.
A draft version of the EUs global strategy seen by the Financial Times casts serious defense integration as the norm that will boost the blocs defense industry and better project Europes foreign policy clout in its neighborhood.
(4) Mariano Rajoy emerged as the clear winner of Spains general election on Sunday night, after his conservative Popular party won a better than expected 33% of the vote, putting the acting prime minister in a strong position to lead the next government.
Three non-U.S. large cap stocks emerged at the top of Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) list
(1) Korea Electric Power (KEP): This $31 billion market cap stock is South Koreas provider of electricity. The stock also holds a long-term Zacks VGM score of A.
(2) Royal Bank of Canada (RY): This $88 billion market cap stock is one of the largest banks in Canada. However, the Zacks VGM score is F.
(3) BAE Systems ADR (BAESY): I know. This major U.K. aerospace and defense stock is crazy to point out right now. Someday, you might look brilliant. The long-term Zacks VGM score is A.
Despite what Boris Johnson is telling you, I bet you can buy U.K. large-cap stocks even cheaper in the weeks ahead!
LOL.
Boris Johnson and Donald Trump may need to sit down and try a Pizzeria Uno in LaGuardia or Heathrow. Maybe a panini joint if there isnt one?
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
https://www.zacks.com
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.
This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
KOREA ELEC PWR (KEP): Free Stock Analysis Report
ROYAL BANK CDA (RY): Free Stock Analysis Report
BAE SYSTEMS-ADR (BAESY): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL June 28, 2016 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Coal (Part 1), including Westmoreland Coal Co. ( WLB ), Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. ( AHGP ), CONSOL Energy ( CNX ), SunCoke Energy ( SXC ) and Cloud Peak Energy ( CLD ).
Industry: Coal (Part 1)
Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/84114/coal-industry-stock-outlook---june-2016
What is the first thought that crosses our minds when we think of coal? Do we only relate this fossil fuel with belching black smoke or look upon it as a cheap source of power generation?
We will always have mixed feelings with different groups advocating divergent views. Even with a declining share in the energy generation mix, the truth is coal still holds a prominent place and will do so for the next few decades.
Coal is currently mined in more than 50% of U.S. states. The top five coal-producing states Wyoming (39% of the total), West Virginia (12%), Kentucky (8%), Illinois (5%) and Pennsylvania (5%) contribute nearly 79% of the total coal production of the country, per reports from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Unfortunately, all coal producers have been affected by the drastic fall in demand and consequently its prices. Prices of major coal companies have taken a beating, so much so that reverse stock splits could not help Peabody Energy Corp. and Arch Coal from bankruptcy and delisting. But, coal still occupies an important position in the fuel mix for electricity generation and is expected to hold its place for the next few decades.
Coal remains a dominant source of power generation worldwide despite the increasing use of other sources. However, natural gas and renewables are eating away coals share at a rapid pace. The new Clean Power Plan, announced in Aug 2015 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), calls for CO2 reduction of 28% by 2025 and 32% by 2030, from 2005 levels. This plan will certainly ensure the closure of more coal-based power units. They will either be idled or converted to natural gas based units, affecting the long-term prospect of coal stocks.
Story continues
Coal and its various byproducts also find use in the industrial sector, underlying its manifold advantages. However, unchecked usage of this fossil fuel has raised concerns in all quarters. The primary cause of concern related to coal is global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases.
Zacks Industry Rank: Negative Outlook
The dark hour for coal is aptly reflected in our rank for the industry and the individual stocks within it.
The Zacks Industry Rank, which relies on the same estimate revisions methodology that drives the Zacks Rank for stocks, currently puts the coal industry at 162 out of 258 industries in our expanded industry classification. This puts the industry in the lower third of all industries, corresponding to a negative outlook. Most of the coal miners reported in the red in their latest releases, which had an adverse impact on the industry rating.
The way to look at the complete list of 258 industries is that the outlook for the top one-third of the list (Zacks Industry Rank of #85 and lower) is positive, the middle one-third of the list (Zacks Industry Rank of #86 to #169) is neutral while the outlook for the bottom one-third (Zacks Industry Rank #170 and higher) is negative.
Please note that the Zacks Rank for stocks, which is at the core of our Industry Outlook, has an impressive track record going back years, verified by outside auditors, to foretell stock prices, particularly over the short term (1 to 3 months).
Of the 14 coal companies presently in our coverage, a sole stock Westmoreland Coal Co. ( WLB ) has a bullish Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), while 12 have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. ( AHGP ) is relegated to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Earnings Review and Outlook
The coal industrys overall results in the first quarter of 2016 were weak with the majority of them reporting in the red.
CONSOL Energy ( CNX ) and SunCoke Energy ( SXC ) delivered positive surprises in the first quarter. Companies like Cloud Peak Energy ( CLD ) have, however, come up with negative earnings surprises in the first quarter.
In response to lackluster coal market fundamentals, the companies have resorted to stringent measures to improve their financial performance. Miners have taken initiatives to cut costs while engaging in tactful expenditures to ensure coal-mining safety. High-cost coal mines are being shuttered while operations are moved to low-cost regions.
Miners have taken the extreme decision of selling some coal mines and cutting jobs to lower operating costs. Longwall coal mining techniques are also having a positive impact on production. The marketing teams of coal companies have also been working hard to secure new contracts and renew existing long-term contracts.
If there is a bright spot for these coal mining firms, it is the rising demand for coal from India. Coal production in India falls far short of its domestic requirement as most of its power units are run on this fossil fuel. The country will have to rely on imports to sustain its growth plans.
India needs to import both thermal and metallurgical coal providing ample room for U.S. exporters to vie for. However, the lower-than-expected growth rate in China and the accompanying fall in thermal coal demand are causes of concern for global coal exporters.
For a detailed look at the earnings outlook for the different sectors in our coverage, please check our weekly Earnings Trends report.
Bottom Line
Undoubtedly, coal stocks are bleeding and some presume theyre on their deathbed. Loads of negative factors are bringing coal down do these companies have the resources to fight back successfully?
Unlike renewables like wind and solar that rely on natures whims for the production of energy (wind must blow and sun needs to shine), coal-based power plants provide stability to the performance of the grid. Coal is also far cheaper than other fuel sources. And lets not forget that it was coal that brought about the Industrial Revolution and the modern day economy as we know it today.
Admittedly, coal has a long list of drawbacks. Even so, coal will still account for nearly 30% of the electricity produced in the U.S. in 2016 not a bad achievement for an industry that has been under tremendous pressure from cheap natural gas and booming alternative energy sources. And lest we forget, its cost advantage and wide availability in most countries across the world make it a widely accepted source of power generation.
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Click here for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
https://www.zacks.com
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.
This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
WESTMORELAND CO (WLB): Free Stock Analysis Report
ALLIANCE HLDGS (AHGP): Free Stock Analysis Report
CONSOL ENERGY (CNX): Free Stock Analysis Report
SUNCOKE ENERGY (SXC): Free Stock Analysis Report
CLOUD PEAK EGY (CLD): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Mice given a single shot of one of two experimental Zika vaccines were completely protected when exposed to the virus one to two months later, a promising sign that similar vaccines under development for humans will protect against Zika, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. This is an encouraging first step in Zika vaccine design and pre-clinical testing. This new mouse model should be useful for comparative assessments of the large range of vaccine candidates now being designed," said Professor Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University's Jenner Institute, which did not conduct the mouse study but is also developing Zika vaccines. Separately, U.S. scientists said they have developed a model of the Zika virus in monkeys, a close proxy for human disease. The studies advance efforts in fighting the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has swept through the Americas and Caribbean since last fall, and has been linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, as well as to neurological disorders. On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency. With diseases spread by biting insects, such as Zika, standard quarantine measures are useless, so stopping an outbreak in its tracks requires a vaccine-led approach," said Dr. Derek Gatherer, a lecturer in the division of biomedical and life sciences at Britain's Lancaster University. In the mouse study, published in the journal Nature, a team led by Dr. Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, tested two different vaccine candidates in a strain of mice that develops Zika symptoms. One candidate, a DNA vaccine, was developed by Barouch and colleagues. It contains bits of genetic material from a Zika virus strain from Brazil. The other was made from a purified but inactivated version of the Zika virus from Puerto Rico. That vaccine was developed by researchers at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. Mice given either type of vaccine were 100 percent protected from Zika after a single shot. Unvaccinated mice that were exposed to the virus all developed symptoms of Zika. Both types of vaccines - DNA and inactivated virus vaccines - have been successfully developed to prevent infection from viruses related to Zika, including West Nile and dengue. The team also showed that antibodies taken from immunized mice could be used to protect other, unvaccinated mice, offering proof that the antibodies produced by the vaccines were specific to Zika. "We need to be cautious about extrapolating data from a mouse model into humans," Barouch said. But the fact that the vaccines protected mice and that their antibodies protected other mice from Zika was grounds for optimism over the development of a Zika vaccine, he said. At least 15 companies and academic groups are racing to develop Zika vaccines, according to the WHO. U.S. vaccine maker Inovio Pharmaceuticals last week got U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin testing its Zika DNA vaccine in humans. Oxford University's Hill stressed that there are still years of testing needed before a finished vaccine will be available for humans. MONKEY INFECTION In another advance, researchers at the University of Wisconsin reported on Tuesday that they have successfully infected rhesus macaques with an Asian strain of the Zika virus that is currently circulating in the Americas. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that monkeys - which have immune responses similar to humans - can be used to study Zika. In the study, David O'Connor and colleagues inoculated eight rhesus macaques - including two pregnant monkeys - with a strain of Zika virus currently circulating in the Americas. All eight animals were infected. Tests showed viral particles in their blood, saliva, urine and spinal fluid. All animals stayed infected for at least 21 days, and some remained infected for at least 57 days. A second exposure to Zika 10 weeks after the first did not make the animals sick, suggesting that antibodies developed by the monkeys protected them against a second case of Zika. This is a promising sign that humans may similarly be able to develop protective antibodies against the virus. The scientists are still working to understand whether the pregnant monkeys will pass the infection along to their fetuses, and whether infected monkeys can transmit the virus sexually, as has been seen in infected humans. U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Frances Kerry)
HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader and President Robert Mugabe's chief rival for the last 17 years said on Tuesday he has been diagnosed with cancer of the colon and is undergoing treatment in neighbouring South Africa. Morgan Tsvangirai, 64, who was Zimbabwe's prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with the 92-year-old Mugabe from 2009 until 2013, said it was important for national leaders to disclose their health status. Mugabe routinely denies local media reports that he is suffering from prostate cancer and says his frequent trips to Singapore are for routine medical checks. "As a leader and a public figure, I have taken a decision to make public my condition," Tsvangirai said, adding that he had an operation last month and is on chemotherapy treatment. "It is my firm belief that the health of national leaders, including politicians, should not be a subject of national speculation and uncertainty." Tsvangirai, who lost the 2013 presidential vote against Mugabe, has since 1999 led the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) but the party has, however, been weakened by splits over how to confront Mugabe's ZANU-PF. The MDC chief, a three time loser to Mugabe, said although his condition was unfortunate, he intended to confront "this development with the determination to overcome it." The MDC, evicted from the unity government after its crushing defeat in the 2013 election, is split over whether to dump Tsvangirai before the next vote in 2018. Critics say he has often been outsmarted by Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader. The turmoil within the MDC has been a boost for Mugabe, whose ZANU-PF party has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 amid charges of rigging recent elections. Mugabe, who intends to contest the 2018 vote at the age of 94, has denied rigging previous elections. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by James Macharia)
Days after Silicon Valleys business elite endorsed Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee today spelled out her tech agenda saying that she strongly supports the FCCs tough net neutrality rules and opposes initiatives such as the Hollywood-supported Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Tech companies vigorously support net neutrality, which bars internet providers from favoring some services over others. For example, the FCC rules prohibit Comcast from transmitting Hulu, which it co-owns, faster than Netflix.
Clinton would defend these rules in court and continue to enforce them, her campaign says in its Initiative on Technology & Innovation.
That would seem to put her at odds with internet providers mostly cable and phone companies.
They say the rules are unnecessary and will chill investment, and have vowed to appeal this months court ruling upholding the FCCs decision to reclassify the internet as a regulated common carrier service. Justices in an earlier case said this was necessary to clarify the FCCs authority.
Clintons new policy statement is less clear about the policies she would favor to protect copyrighted works from piracy one of Hollywoods big concerns.
It says that the copyright system has languished for many decades, and is in need of administrative reform to maximize its benefits in the digital age.
Still, she maintains her opposition to policies that unnecessarily restrict the free flow of data online such as the high profile fight over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
The proposal, which Hollywood supported, would have given the government the right to block overseas web sites that traffic in pirated content. It collapsed in early 2012 after the Obama administration opposed it, saying it threatened free speech.
Clinton says today that she wants to modernize the copyright system by unlockingand facilitating access toorphan works that languished unutilized, benefiting neither their creators nor the public. She would encourage stakeholders to work together on creative solutions that remove barriers to the seamless and efficient licensing of content in the U.S. and abroad.
Story continues
In addition to these plans, Clinton says she will accelerate the FCCs effort to redeploy airwave spectrum to promote speedy wireless internet services.
She would challenge state and local governments to identify, review, and reform legal and regulatory obligations that protect legacy incumbents against new innovators. That could put a spotlight on states that bar municipalities from creating broadband services that challenge cable systems or that limit access to utility poles.
Clinton says she can protect privacy rights without undermining national security and law enforcement. She would support a move to create a national commission on digital security and encryption that would work with the technology and public safety communities to address the needs of law enforcement, protect the privacy and security of all Americans that use technology, assess how innovation might point to new policy approaches, and advance our larger national security and global competitiveness interests.
Activist group Free Press applauded the open internet proposals but says it lacks details about how to balance privacy and security,
Now that Clinton has released her internet and technology priorities, we ask presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to do the same, CEO Craig Aaron says. Voters need to know where the candidates stand on these crucial issues.
Related stories
TV Stations Set Surprisingly High Price To Sell Spectrum In FCC Auction
SCOTUS Abortion Ruling: Cable News Nets Vary In Coverage; Hollywood, Hillary React
NYC Pride Parade Blends Joy And Solemnity, With Support From Hollywood To Broadway
On Jun 27, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Computer Sciences Corporation CSC.
Recently, CSC announced its decision to merge its business with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Companys HPE Enterprise Services business, which will be spun off from the parent company. This deal will bring together CSCs strengths in insurance, healthcare and financial services along with HPEs Enterprise Services expertise in industries like transportation, pharma, technology, media and telecom.
Post the merger, the combined entity will become the worlds second-largest IT services company after Accenture plc ACN and generate revenues of approximately $26 billion. The company plans to generate cost synergies worth $1 billion in year one and a run rate of $1.5 billion exiting year one. We believe that the merger with HPEs business will strengthen Computer Sciences capabilities, allowing it to become a leading player in the IT services domain.
Computer Sciences is currently focused on the cyber business, cloud computing and Big Data. A significant portion of the companys cyber business is contributed by the federal government and, to an extent, by the commercial sector. Apart from this, the cloud computing business forms a major portion of the companys business model. Clients increasingly prefer to rely on cloud-based services as it makes the IT system more agile and productive, which leads to considerable cost savings. According to Gartner, SaaS spending is estimated to witness 20.3% year-over-year increase in 2016 and will reach $37.7 billion from $31.4 billion in 2015. Computer Sciences, being a major player, is expected to benefit from this growth.
The company is also focusing on strategic partnerships to expand its share in the cloud computing market. For instance, the strategic partnership with AT&T where Computer Sciences cloud business infrastructure will be merged with AT&Ts cloud infrastructure. HCL had joined forces with the company to expand its core banking and card services solutions. The company has also entered into a partnership with Amazon to develop cloud-based solutions for enterprise and public sector clients. Computer Sciences has also entered into a cloud partnership agreement with IBM and SAP as well. These alliances will increase Computer Sciences customer base and help in garnering additional revenues.
Story continues
Computer Sciences has also made a few important acquisitions to build its product portfolio and stimulate growth. Acquisitions are central to the companys growth strategy and help it to gain access to newer markets and technologies. Also, since intensifying competition is making the cloud computing and cyber security market tougher to penetrate, acquisitions have helped the company to boost revenues. Most recently, Computer Sciences signed a binding Scheme of Implementation agreement to buy out UXC Limited. Moreover, the company completed the acquisition of three companies last year Autonomic Resources, Fruition Partners and Fixnetix. These acquisitions are expected to enhance the services offered by Computer Sciences to its global utilities clients and support its strategic presence in the Big Data business by providing a flexible and scalable platform-as-a-service offering. Moreover, the companys continued acquisitions are expected to make a good contribution to its revenue stream.
Nonetheless, the market is becoming competitive with companies like CACI International Inc. CACI and Accenture making their presence felt, which could hurt Computer Sciences top-and bottom line.
Currently, Computer Sciences has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
COMP SCIENCE (CSC): Free Stock Analysis Report
CACI INTL A (CACI): Free Stock Analysis Report
ACCENTURE PLC (ACN): Free Stock Analysis Report
HEWLETT PKD ENT (HPE): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
Google says it is responding to fears that foreign organisations and individuals could overly influence the outcome of the Irish referendum on abortion (AFP Photo/Chandan Khanna) (AFP/File)
Brussels (AFP) - Google faces fresh EU anti-competition charges, this time targeting the search engine giant's advertising business, sources close to the matter told AFP on Tuesday.
Margrethe Vestager, the powerful EU Competition Commissioner, could open two new in-depth investigations against Google as early as August, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
The first case would involve the Silicon Valley giant's lucrative advertising business, while the second would deepen an existing case targeting online shopping practices.
The EU in 2014 accused Google of abusing its dominance in the Internet search market to steer European consumers to its own shopping service.
A spokesman for the European Commission refused to comment on the report.
In April, Brussels also charged Google with abusing the dominance of its Android mobile phone operating system. The Android operating system accounts for about 80 percent of the world market for mobile phones, far ahead of Google's closest rival, Apple.
The EU has accused Google of obstructing innovation by giving unfair prominence to its own Android apps, especially its search engine, in deals with mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei.
If found at fault, Google risks a fine equal to up to 10 percent of worldwide global sales for one year, which would amount to a $7.4 billion on the basis of 2015 revenues.
From Popular Mechanics
Being able to code-or at least understanding the basics of how programming actually works-is an important 21st century skill that is only getting more crucial. The problem is that code is about as abstract as things get, which is why Google's hopping into the world of "tangible programming" with its new Project Bloks.
There are two kinds of bloks, first there are the "Base Boards," little square blocks that pair with "pucks." The pucks are simple, self-evident little things like dials or switches that can take input from a programmer, and the Base Boards they are on translate this input into code. Then, each setup will also have a "Brain Board" which compiles all the input from the various pucks and their Base Boards, and communicates it to whatever the whole system is controlling, whether it's a light, or a remote control toy, or a speaker, or who knows what else.
Premise sound familiar? It is. Google is in no way the first to do something like this. Project Bloks clearly has some influence from littleBits and other toys and games that teach children how to code by making it physical, like the board game Robot Turtles. What Google brings to the recipe is awareness-everybody knows-and a huge developer network.
Google's Project Bloks is an open-source shindig, so developers everywhere can come up with their own pucks and Brain Boards and devices that will work with them. While other, smaller companies might be hard-pressed to get developers on board, Google shouldn't too much trouble getting this off the ground.
Project Bloks is a work in progress. According to Google's site on the whole thing:
Project Bloks is still in active research. To further inform the development of the project, we'll be conducting more research over the course of the summer into the opportunities for tangible programming and the Bloks platform.
Still, there's no doubt that Google will help bring more attention to the growing trend of physical computing toys and, most importantly, introduce tons of children to the challenge and joy of programming computers before they are old enough to even conceive of a line of code, much less write one. That can only be a good thing.
Source: Google
A report on Tuesday morning reveals that South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating some of Apple's business practices in the region. Rumors emerged as recently as last week suggesting that an investigation would soon be underway, and the FTC's head confirmed as much during a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. For the time being, however, the FTC is not revealing exactly why Apple is being investigated.
DON'T MISS: Free app lets you save seven times more photos on your iPhone
During an FTC hearing on Tuesday morning in South Korea that was attended by a Reuters reporter, FTC chairman Jeong Jae-chan confirmed that the country's antitrust regulator is currently investigating Apple. Jeong said that the FTC is investigating "some matters" related to the world's top consumer electronics company, but he would not discuss any further details surrounding the investigation.
Earlier this month, local media including The Korea Times reported that Apple would be targeted in an upcoming FTC investigation. According to those reports, some of Apple's contracts with wireless carriers in the region were to be the focus of the investigation.
Unnamed sources told the website that Apple was believed to be pressuring some South Korean carriers into purchasing a minimum number of promotional iPhones, though it is unclear how that might violate regulations in the region. The site also reported that Apple is allegedly forcing carriers to share the burden of iPhone repair costs.
"The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating mobile carriers over the exact terms of their contracts with Apple, and Apple Korea will also be looked into soon," one unnamed source told the site.
Apple hasn't yet commented publicly on the investigation.
Related stories
9 paid iPhone apps on sale for free today
Here's why the iPhone 7 'Deep Blue' color option isn't happening
Leaked iPhone 7 photos point to intriguing new camera design
More from BGR: Sharp new satellite imagery makes Google Earth way better for stalking
This article was originally published on BGR.com
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg betrayed his shareholders when he agreed to sell the company to Comcast for $3.8 billion with an unusually lucrative consulting deal for himself, a shareholder suit at Delawares Chancery Court charges. (Read it here.)
The complaint from the Ann Arbor City Employees Retirement System blasts an agreement that will enable Katzenberg to collect 7% of the profits in perpetuity for DreamWorks New Media a joint venture he will create with Comcast for online studio AwesomenessTV and the DWA Nova 3D animation technology unit. Hell oversee the operation for two years, then remain a consultant.
Had Katzenberg not received the extraordinarily valuable Side Deal, Comcast would have been required to increase the merger price to secure Katzenbergs support, and the Class would have shared pro rata in that increased consideration, the suit says.
The payment for his consulting work is completely divorced from the services that he will provide to Comcast post-closing and is akin to an equity rollover, the filing says. It also will enable him to participate in the upside of two of DreamWorks most promising units without any of the downside risk that is associated with typical equity investments.
Thats a problem for other shareholders: DWA has multiple classes of stock that give Katzenberg control of about 60% of the shareholder votes. That means others cant veto the deal with Comcast.
Still, the complaint says, DWAs charter calls for all investors to receive equivalent consideration in any merger.
Since Comcast only needed Katzenbergs approval, he had an immediate conflict of interest that should have precluded [his] involvement in any discussions with Comcast until the DreamWorks Board had agreed to accept a final price.
Instead, he used his leverage to extract disparate consideration in violation of the Charter.
Story continues
The plaintiffs, seeking class action status, want the court to order Katzenberg to share his take with other shareholders, on the grounds that he breached his fiduciary obligations to them and violated his contract,
DWA declined to comment.
Related stories
'Trolls' Trailer: Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake Seek Their Happy Place
Charter And Time Warner Cable Kept Cash From Overcharges, Senate Study Charges
Antitrust Officials Clear Comcast's $3.8B DreamWorks Animation Acquisition
You could call it an unintended birthday present from British voters to American drivers as the long Independence Day weekend approaches.
Gas prices have started sinking, which isn't the direction they normally go headed into the Fourth of July. Analysts say markets in the aftermath of last weeks stunning Brexit vote are holding the prices down.
After United Kingdom voters chose to leave the European Union last Thursday, European and British currency weakened, strengthening the U.S. dollar and pinching oil prices.
"The big question: Is this a knee-jerk reaction, or is this going to be continued losses for crude?" said Will Speer, a Houston, Texas-based senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, which tracks prices.
Retail gas prices fell about 2.6 cents per gallon over the past week, averaging about $2.29 Monday in the Billings area, according to Gasbuddy.com.
Prices are about 49 cents lower from a year ago in the Billings area. Nationwide, prices in 2016 have been far below the previous year's levels, largely because of a worldwide crude-oil supply glut created by the production surges from hydraulic fracking.
Statewide, gas prices in Montana averaged about $2.34 a gallon, down from $2.79 a year ago, according to AAA.
In typical years, gas prices will start to rise with demand around Memorial Day, the unofficial kickoff of the summer travel season. Speer said prices usually peak around Independence Day, but this year has not been typical for crude oil.
"This Brexit vote has not been good for the price," Speer said.
West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, opened at $47.60 a barrel Monday, down 6 percent since Thursday, the day of the British referendum.
For the recreation industry, the low gas prices have been a boon. AAA is estimating about 43 million will travel this weekend nationwide, or about 5 million more compared to Memorial Day weekend.
Officials at Yellowstone National Park say they saw a 15 percent increase in visitors in May and June. This is mostly due to promotional efforts to boost visitors during the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service, but low gas prices have also played a role, said Charissa Reid, a park spokeswoman.
"There's been a concerted effort to get more people out in national parks," Reid said.
She added that big crowds mean visitors may have to wait longer for parking spaces and encounter delays traveling through the park.
"We're just really hoping that as people come to the park, they pack their patience," Reid said.
This year, U.S. drivers have spent about $20 billion less on gasoline than the same period in 2015, which is boosting overall travel, according to Anna O'Donnell, a Helena-based spokeswoman for AAA Mountain West.
"We are well on our way for 2016 to be a record-breaking year for summertime travel. This trend is welcome news for the travel industry and a sign that Americans are taking to our nations highways and skies like never before," O'Donnell said in a written statement.
DEER LODGE A decision to close the Title and Registration Bureau in Deer Lodge and move its 35 jobs to Helena by November has local officials dealing with state leaders to discuss other options.
On Monday, a Deer Lodge contingent converged on Helena, first talking to the Department of Justice, which made the decision to move the bureau, and then meeting across Capitol grounds with Gov. Steve Bullock's staff.
Mike Milburn, state Attorney General Tim Fox's chief of staff in the justice department, met briefly in the foyer with Mayor Zane Cozby, city councilmen, county commissioners, state legislators and two bureau employees. Fox was not available Monday.
Milburn said the Montana Public Employees Association had filed an intention to open contract talks for the 35 bureau employees. At that point, staff is restricted from speaking on the issue, Milburn said.
Becky Beard of Elliston, a Republican running for the Montana House of Representatives from District 80, asked if a cost analysis has been done relative to the move, but Milburn did not answer.
He said he's happy to discuss what he can with officials, including Beard, on an individual basis, preferably starting with Mayor Cozby.
From there, the group met with the governor's Deputy Chief of Staff Ali Bovingdon and Director of Communications Tim Crowe.
Bovingdon said Gov. Bullock recognizes what losing 35 jobs will do to the community and stands ready to work with the attorney general to seek an alternative location.
They emphasized, however, that the governor's authority is limited in this situation because the Legislature appropriates the money to the Department of Justice, and the attorney general not the governor determines where it is spent.
"We keep getting doors slammed in our face; 35 jobs will decimate Deer Lodge, and we'll become the next ghost town off I-90," Cozby said.
He said he appreciates the governor's concern and Bovingdon and Crowe listening, but "we need something besides lip service."
Beard asked if the agencies are under a directive by the governor's office to cut the budget. Bovingdon said no.
State Sen. Gene Vuckovich, D-Anaconda, expressed frustration over the decision.
"This is a big deal for Deer Lodge. Those people will put in an extra three hours a day to commute. I cannot understand where the attorney general is coming from."
State Rep. Gordon Pierson, D-Deer Lodge, said he expects three-fourths of the bureau's staff will not commute to Helena. He said it will be difficult to train new people quickly enough to replace those who quit.
Powell County Commissioner Dan Sager said that throughout his business career diversity has been encouraged.
"We have a building that is very suitable for the (bureau). When bookkeeping and accounting jobs at the prison were moved to Helena, greater efficiency was not achieved. If 35 employees left Helena, no one would notice, but in Deer Lodge, job losses impact the entire community. Small-town Montana is on the way out."
But local leaders are undaunted.
"No one in Deer Lodge is going to lay down and just let this happen," Rep. Pierson said.
Bovingdon replied, "The governor wants to help; we want to try to find solutions."
In January, the ranks of Helenas homeless were filled with newcomers.
For slightly more than one in three, life without a place to call home was a first-time experience.
The nationwide, annual Point in Time survey was orchestrated locally by the United Way of the Lewis & Clark Area and conducted Jan. 28.
Nearly 36 percent of respondents said this was their first time without permanent housing. In the 2015 survey, a little more than 27.6 percent of respondents said they were homeless for the first time.
Homelessness is something that can happen to our neighbors, said Katie Gallagher, the United Way's executive director.
Trina Filan, the United Ways community impact coordinator, shares that view and added, its our neighbors who are at risk.
Homelessness is much more complicated than the people on a street corner with us, she said.
Its about our neighbors who are living precariously, she continued, before explaining There are more people than we think who are at risk of falling into homelessness.
On the day of this years survey, the homeless were scattered across Helena, and not just the 9.35 percent who said they relied on a shelter to provide them with beds.
The Point in Time survey results, compiled by the United Way here, found that slightly more than 10 percent of those who had no homes were living in pre-release centers. Another 10 percent temporarily relied on family and friends for housing.
A little more than 7 percent were those who, for example, camped out or lived in vehicles. City parks or vacant buildings were other places that they might have sought out each night.
The survey is orchestrated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and establishes the dimensions of homelessness and can result in resources for communities to address it.
This years survey involved 278 respondents, which represented a total of 435 people.
Being homeless doesnt always mean being without work.
According to the survey, more than 21.5 percent of respondents worked full-time jobs yet lacked permanent housing, while nearly 15.5 percent had part-time employment.
Roughly 24.5 percent relied on federal payments such as disability income or funds provided to the aged, blind and disabled.
When Filan looks at the survey results -- individual vignettes of lives -- one statistic commands her attention: those who say they have mental health problems.
The slightly more than 43 percent who reported having mental health problems leads Filan to conclude there needs to be a comprehensive look at homelessness and what contributes to it.
We cannot solve any of these issues if we do not acknowledge that they all go together, she said.
Another key finding for her is the number of single women with at least one child who were homeless.
The survey found nearly 19 percent of respondents were single women with at least one child while another 40 percent involved women accompanied by an adult and a child, Filan said.
Theres a real need for a shelter for women with children, she continued and said the point in time survey data corroborated that need.
While the Gods Love shelter on Last Chance Gulch primarily serves men -- it has beds for 31, although its accommodated up to 50 with the others sleeping on the floor -- it has an area on its main floor where seven beds are available for women, said Dave Miller, the shelters manager.
Recently, the seven beds for women were filled and six more women slept on the floor, he said.
Kellie Goodwin McBride, executive director of the Helena YWCA, recently helped oversee a renovation of her organizations three-story brick building that opened in 1919.
Its 26 rooms are filled with women who are transitioning from homelessness to being able to afford and retain their own housing, McBride said.
The YWCAs strategic plan calls for a shelter for women, as women with children, she explained, have no options for emergency housing.
The YWCA serves moms and kids, McBride said, but asked where do they live before being accepted into the YWCA.
Every woman deserves a safe place to sleep, she said. Every woman and child deserves a safe place to sleep.
Providing women and children with housing is really about human dignity, McBride said.
We need to be providing better for those who are most vulnerable, she added.
This years survey of those who are homeless found 25 of the respondents, amounting to nearly 9 percent, were between the ages of 13 and 19.
The percentage of children younger than age 18 in this years survey mirrors that found in the 2015 survey. This years survey contained 102 minor children and represented more than 23 percent of the survey population.
The 2016 survey found that 35 of the children who were among the 102 that were counted were age 3 or younger -- young enough that they would have been carried or transported in strollers.
The number of people who said they were military veterans and without homes declined by about 10 percentage points from the 18 percent in the 2015 survey to the slightly more than 8.6 percent in this years survey.
Filan suggested the decline could be due, in part, to the national emphasis on finding housing for veterans, but she also noted that Montanas weather in January can play a role too.
The overall number of those who responded to the survey would appear to reflect the influence of weather on pushing people into town to find shelter, as the 2016 count was only about 66 percent of the number surveyed in 2015.
This year, Januarys weather wasnt as severe as that of 2015, Filan noted.
Many people camp out year-round, and an effort is made to visit those camps to include these people in the annual count.
The United Way is planning another survey for July when the weather is more welcoming to better gauge those who live here without permanent homes.
The face of those who are homeless isnt just that of those that might appear as if they have no homes and are here one day then gone the next.
Nearly 49 percent of those surveyed are longtime residents of this community, with nearly 15.5 percent having been here more than five years and slightly more than 14 percent having been here more than 10 years.
Better than 18 percent have called Helena home, yet had no permanent housing, for more than 20 years.
Although thoughtful people and caring organizations are already involved in addressing homelessness, we need to go beyond just those organizations. I think its a whole community issue, Filan said.
She sees the statistics gathered from the survey as a window into understanding that homelessness is a diverse and complex issue.
As a community, we have the capacity to work together to figure out how to solve that problem, Filan said.
It has to be a big conversation, and it cant be just one, she added.
The nine rooms that Gods Love formerly used to help homeless families transition into permanent housing are being put to a new use as the result of a change in allocation of federal funds.
Every year since about 1999, the Gods Love homeless shelter has received some $150,000 through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant. The funding allowed it to provide rooms for families that were trying to put homelessness behind them, said the shelter director, Dave Miller.
Gods Love was among the organizations affected by the change in funding, Miller said.
HUD has been talking about going from transitional housing to rapid rehousing, he explained.
According to the HUD website, The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program will provide financial assistance and services to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless and help those who are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized.
The funds under this program are intended to target individuals and families who would be homeless but for this assistance. The funds will provide for a variety of assistance, including short-term or medium-term rental assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services, including such activities as mediation, credit counseling, security or utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and case management.
The Helena YWCA lost its annual $35,000 HUD grant as a result of the change, said Kellie Goodwin McBride, the organizations executive director.
When thats your only funding you can count on in a month, its a big deal, she said of the monthly effect of losing the annual allocation.
States ranked their priorities for HUD funding and provided HUD with those rankings, said Erik Amundson, HUDs field director in Helena.
The Montana ranking process contained 19 organizations in the first tier that shared in a $2,455,569 allocation, according to data provided for fiscal year 2015 continuum of care competition for homeless assistance awards.
In that fiscal year, funding to transitional housing programs nationwide was reduced by about $155 million because of either reallocation by states in favor of creating new permanent housing programs or because projects or organizations failed to score high enough to be funded, Christine Baumann, a HUD public affairs specialist in Denver, wrote in an email.
Ten other organizations, including Gods Love and the Helena YWCA, were in Montanas second tier that did not receive funding.
While Gods Love transitional housing helped families for six months to two years, Miller described the rapid re-housing program as cash for families to address specific issues.
Its kind of a one-time government handout and the governments done with you, Miller said.
A description of the program provided by Baumann contains various time limits, up to 24 months, for the financial assistance its able to provide a household.
He doesnt anticipate the program will be successful and said that without the case management that came with the transitional housing program these families will continue to face financial challenges and be knocking on the doors of social service agencies for additional assistance.
Baumann wrote in an email that the rapid re-housing program requires participants to meet with a case manager not less than once a month to assist in ensuring long-term housing stability.
The shift in funding, Baumann continued, is that permanent housing programs are generally more cost-effective and result in better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
While acknowledging the contribution of transition housing programs toward people who are homeless, she wrote that HUD has to invest its limited resources in the programs that are most cost effective and result in the best outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, and all evidence points to permanent housing programs as the best path forward.
The nine rooms at Gods Love are being used to fill other housing needs and most are already filled. Interviews were set for late last week for the remaining vacancies.
Families are given priority for the rooms and next in line are single women who often have children with them, Miller said. Couples are considered next for vacancies and lastly would be single men, although he noted its unlikely there would be vacancies remaining for single men.
Gods Love has 31 beds for single men and can sleep about 50 with the overflow bunking on the floor.
Miller said he would look to the community to help offset the loss of HUD funding.
Were just going to rely on donations, he said. Were just going to rely on the community and God to help us do what we do.
Montana moms are pleased to voice enthusiastic support for Gov. Steve Bullock making good on his promise to map out a responsible energy future for the children of Montana and committing to protect our air and water from pollution.
For the last several months, Montana Mountain Mamas along with Moms Clean Air Force have been organizing hundreds of children and parents across the state, creating tiny handprint artwork to remind Gov. Bullock that the future is in our hands. We are all in this together.
In April, Moms Clean Air Force and the Montana Mountain Mamas organized over 100 children and parents to join Gov. Steve Bullock at the Montana State Capitol to discuss the importance of protecting Montanas healthy environment. We also floated the Madison River with First Lady Lisa Bullock to celebrate Mothers Day and discuss clean air, clean water and the importance of access to our public lands.
Gov. Bullock recently released the Montana Energy Plan, which increases Montanas potential for wind and solar and cuts unnecessary energy waste. With this plan, we can protect the clean air and water that Montana kids need to grow up healthy. We can do this, while protecting traditional energy jobs.
Montana Mountain Mamas and Moms Clean Air Force are particularly pleased by two specific points of the plan. Montana can and will double our solar development and reduce energy use 10 percent by 2025. These are commonsense goals we can collectively reach for. To help, we also fully support a $5 million proposal to the 2017 Montana Legislature to fund energy conservation projects in schools across the state. Energy conservation saves money in the long-term and will help school districts lower their long-term energy bills.
The announcement of the energy plan is a huge win for Montana families and we think parents and kids across the state will be excited to learn more about Gov. Bullock's positive steps forward on clean energy. By creating a made-in-Montana plan for clean energy and lessening our dependence on fossil fuels, we are taking a huge step forward to safeguard Montana's clean air and water.
As Montana parents we raise our kids outdoors with plenty of clean air, clean water and access to it all. We will stand up for family fishing and floating trips on the Blackfoot, weeklong backpacking adventures in the Pintlers, surrounded by fresh air, and kicking the summer heat by snorkeling Fort Peck Reservoir to spy monster walleye. In order to maintain these and all of the ways we teach and grow our children under the Big Sky, we need clean air and clean water to do it.
We greatly appreciate Gov. Bullock's leadership and the hard work he has dedicated toward building a strong vision for Montana's future. For us, it's simple: our children need clean air and water -- and access to it all -- to grow and thrive. Thank you Gov. Bullock for demonstrating vital courage and vision for our future generations of leaders.
Becky Edwards of Bozeman is the Director of the Montana Mountain Mamas and Michelle Uberugua of Livingston is the Montana State Director for Moms Clean Air Force.
There is a movement afoot to raise Montanas campaign finance limits. Certain Republican legislators seem to feel that the well-off should be afforded even greater and more unequal access to political influence in this state than they already have.
We Americans would indignantly object if the well-off were given the advantage of a few extra votes for the privilege of being well-off. Yet the money that the well-off can pump into the political process gives them an equally unfair political advantage, plain for all to see.
A recent majority on the Supreme Court (appointed by Republicans) has perversely called this kind of political money free speech. This cockamamie ruling has identified free speech with the power to disseminate speech which is a different matter entirely. Are we to conclude that citizens of modest means who have little or no money to fling into political campaigns have limited free speech -- or none at all?
The people of the state of Montana decided by ballot issue to set some of the lowest campaign finance limits in the nation on the grounds that the well-off should not have the right to rule, and that the corruption of big money politics should be circumscribed.
Our Republican friends who are suing the state of Montana argue that our campaign finance limits are much lower than those of surrounding states. Is this not like arguing that our corruption level is lower than our neighbors and must be raised in order for us to become more egalitarian?
Stanley Speck
Helena
The British defiance of the EU hurt the workers here in the United States by causing retirement funds to lose their value. Workers here are depending on those funds for retirement.
Similarly, a California heat wave caused a power outage because solar and wind alone do not have enough power to serve a network when everyone demands electricity at once. Furthermore, the oil oligarchy benefited when environmentalists shut down its only competitor, which is coal.
Food and Water Watch reported methane gas is known to trap 87 times more heat than carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush passed legislation while in office restricting government from regulating fracking. So now we are releasing more poison into the air and have an unregulated monopoly.
Why cant people count their blessings and stop blaming and destroying others?
Denise Corrao
Miles City
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court issued its strongest defense of abortion rights in a quarter-century Monday, striking down Texas' widely replicated rules that sharply reduced abortion clinics in the nation's second-most-populous state.
By a 5-3 vote, the justices rejected the state's arguments that its 2013 law and follow-up regulations were needed to protect women's health. The rules required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.
The clinics that challenged the law argued that it was a veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get abortions by forcing the closure of more than half the roughly 40 clinics that operated before the law took effect.
Justice Stephen Breyer's majority opinion for the court held that the regulations are medically unnecessary and unconstitutionally limit women's right to abortions.
Breyer wrote that "the surgical-center requirement, like the admitting privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions and constitutes an 'undue burden' on their constitutional right to do so."
Thirteen states have similar requirements, enacted as part of a wave of abortion restrictions that states have imposed in recent years. Others include limits on when in a pregnancy abortions may be performed and the use of drugs that induce abortions without surgical intervention.
Amy Hagstrom Miller, the owner of several Texas clinics among her eight facilities in five states, predicted that the decision would "put a stop to this trend of copycat legislation."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the law "was an effort to improve minimum safety standards and ensure capable care for Texas women. It's exceedingly unfortunate that the court has taken the ability to protect women's health out of the hands of Texas citizens and their duly elected representatives."
Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Breyer's majority.
Ginsburg wrote a short opinion noting that laws such as Texas' "that do little or nothing for health, but rather strew impediments to abortion, cannot survive judicial inspection" under the court's earlier abortion-rights decisions. She pointed specifically to Roe v. Wade in 1973 and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992, of which Kennedy was one of three authors.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Thomas wrote that the decision "exemplifies the court's troubling tendency 'to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.'" Thomas was quoting an earlier abortion dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. Scalia has not yet been replaced, so only eight justices voted.
Alito, reading a summary of his dissent in court, said the clinics should have lost on technical, procedural grounds. Alito said the court was adopting a rule of, "If at first you don't succeed, sue, sue again."
Abortion providers said the rules would have cut the number of abortion clinics in Texas to fewer than 10 if they had been allowed to take full effect.
Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the clinics, said, "The Supreme Court sent a loud and clear message that politicians cannot use deceptive means to shut down abortion clinics."
President Barack Obama praised the decision, saying, "We remain strongly committed to the protection of women's health, including protecting a woman's access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future."
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called the outcome "a victory for women in Texas and across America."
Abortion opponents had hoped Kennedy, who wrote a 2007 opinion upholding a federal ban on a certain type of abortion, would conclude that states can enact health-related measures to make abortions safer.
Instead, he sided with his four more liberal colleagues.
The court "has stripped from states the authority to extend additional protections to women such as clinic safety standards or admitting privilege requirements for abortionists," said Notre Dame University law professor Carter Snead.
Texas is among 10 states with similar admitting-privileges requirements, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. The requirement is in effect in most of Texas, Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee. It is on hold in Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
The hospital-like outpatient surgery standards are in place in Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and are blocked in Tennessee and Texas, according to the center.
Texas passed a broad bill imposing several abortion restrictions in 2013. Clinics won several favorable rulings in a federal district court in Texas. But each time, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state
Breyer's opinion was a rebuke of the appeals court and a vindication for U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel, who had held a trial on the challenged provisions and struck them down.
Separate lawsuits are pending over admitting-privileges laws in Louisiana and Mississippi, the other states covered by the 5th circuit. The laws are on hold in both states, and a panel of federal appellate judges has concluded the Mississippi law probably is unconstitutional because it would force the only abortion clinic in the state to close.
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.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)
Today
Mainly clear. Low around 50F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Mainly clear. Low around 50F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Deputy hit during the firefight has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, celebrates the British vote to leave the European Union as he leaves a party on Friday. PHOTO BY MATT DUNHAM/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Megin McDonell and Jenni Dye: Anniversary of marriage equality decision a powerful example of why courts matter
RACINE The City of Racine has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against Racine Police officers and the city for $100,000.
The case, Veguilla v. City of Racine et al, involves Racine resident Miguel Veguilla, who claimed he was unfairly treated and had his civil rights violated by four Racine police officers on July 3, 2014. The City Council approved the settlement Tuesday, but not without first emphasizing its support for the Police Department.
According to the lawsuit filed in July 2015, Veguilla was allegedly handcuffed and beaten outside of his home while in his underwear after police came to investigate a crash Veguilla wasn't personally involved in.
Veguilla's girlfriend at the time, Marisol Martinez, had allegedly been in an accident earlier that day, left her information with another driver and left the scene before police arrived, according to the complaint. Police found the vehicle Martinez had driven in the accident at Veguilla's house, but Veguilla didn't know about the accident because he had been sleeping, the complaint stated.
"I think the fact that they paid that amount underscores that they thought that there was real misconduct on the part of the police officers," said Michael Sperling, the attorney for the plaintiff.
"We believe they entered his home without the right to do so," Sperling said. "He was arrested for doing nothing. He was not a threat of any kind to anybody."
Veguilla was arrested and held on suspicion of resisting arrest, a charge that court records show was dropped.
In May, the case was sent to Magistrate Judge William E. Callahan Jr. for mediation, according to federal court records. Records show that the parties reached a settlement agreement at a June 13 hearing and the Tuesday City Council meeting agenda valued the settlement at $100,000.
"We believe the city paid close to the full value of the case," Sperling said.
The city was initially implicated for improper training of the officers, but that part of the lawsuit was let go, according to Sperling. The city remained responsible for the misconduct of its officers, he said.
Racine City Attorney Scott Letteney represented the city in the settlement.
"Under the circumstances of this case, it just seemed more appropriate to settle it rather than move forward with a trial," he said.
Chief stands by officers
Racine Police Lt. Dave Wohlgemuth confirmed that the four officers named in the suit Robert Rasmussen, Allan Wassil, Andrew Matson and Christopher Brush are still with the department.
Racine Police Chief Art Howell said the incident was reviewed both internally and by independent use of force experts, and the officers' actions were determined to have been legal.
"Force was legally used to effect the arrest, not to inflict or intentionally cause injury," Howell said in an email on Saturday.
According to Sperling, Veguilla sustained a torn rotator cuff and had to have surgery. Howell said Veguilla's injury was not the optimal or desired outcome of the arrest.
"When possible, it is our objective to avoid physical confrontation, as the probability for injury (to both officers and those who resist being taken into custody) increases," Howell wrote. "The fact that an injury occurred in this case (and the fact that members of the Racine Police Department have sustained injuries during the past year while making arrests) is unfortunate and not the optimal or desired outcome.
"The overwhelming number of arrests (where cooperation and compliance is gained) do not result in physical confrontation or injury," Howell said.
City Council OKs settlement
The Racine City Council approved the settlement at Tuesday's meeting by a 12-2 vote, with 1st District Alderman Jeff Coe and 5th District Alderman Steve Smetana voting against it. That approval came after discussion from four aldermen, including Coe, who said he found the settlement "atrocious."
Sixth District Alderman Sandy Weidner voted to approve settlement, but only after making sure she communicated the council's support for the Police Department and the difficult jobs they do.
"I think its so important for our police officers to understand that we, the city council, have their back," Weidner said. "We know that we send them out into harm's way every day that theyre working and sometimes things happen. We have to sometimes make decisions that are based on fiscal reasons rather than any kind of criticism or judgment for what they may or may not have done."
While he agreed with Weidner on the importance of supporting the Police Department, 8th District Alderman Q.A. Shakoor II also stressed the importance of agreeing to the legal settlement.
"True enough, its $100,000, but it could go up to 300 (thousand dollars), (a) half million (dollars), who knows?" Shakoor said. "It all depends on what a jury would decide. I dont think we need to take that chance. I think this is being responsible."
Third District Alderman Michael Shields also commended the Police Department, but emphasized his concern that the city's financial burden in the case "could go deeper than that" based on the evidence presented to the Finance and Personnel Committee.
"Citizens should be protected and the Police Department should be protected," he said. "Public safety goes both ways and we cant assume that officers are always right and citizens are always wrong."
The 60-year-old Dane County Jail caught another inmate Monday night, trapping the inmate in a cell for close to an hour when the door wouldn't open.
Deputies were conducting a random search for contraband in a cell block on the sixth floor of the City-County Building's jail, the older of two county jail facilities in Downtown Madison.
"An individual cell door malfunctioned when deputies were moving inmates from their cells to the day room area, leaving one inmate trapped inside," said Sgt. Michael Connors.
Deputies tried to manually override the system but the door still wouldn't open. Maintenance was called and the door was opened 51 minutes after it malfunctioned.
The inmate was moved to a different cell block and the cell with the malfunctioning door would be out of service until repairs are made.
"The outdated operating system of the cell doors has proven to be a life and safety risk on several occasions," Connors said. "Thanks to the quick response by our deputies and maintenance staff, this incident was resolved quickly and the inmate was never in any danger."
A woman armed with an 8 1/2-inch blade knife allegedly chased after a man, broke a window on the man's car and caused a disturbance at a nearby hotel Thursday morning on Madison's East Side, before getting arrested.
The incidents happened at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the 4400 block of Femrite Drive, Madison police said.
Emma Findley, 35, of Chicago, was tentatively charged with disorderly conduct, disorderly conduct while armed and criminal damage to property.
According to police:
Officers and State Patrol troopers went to the scene after getting a report of a 39-year-old man being chased into his place of employment by Findley.
"He ran into the building, seeking some safe location," said police spokesman Howard Payne. "While chased he finally found a door to lock himself behind until police could arrive."
The man told police Findley broke the rear window on his convertible as well.
Police said Findley left the building and went into a nearby hotel lobby, where she allegedly harassed guests by making sexual and racial comments.
Officers arrived at the hotel and arrested Findley, and also recovered the knife.
"Officers never obtained a coherent statement from Findley that explained why all of this happened," Payne said.
A fire in a mobile home in Janesville on Sunday was caused by natural gas ignited by an arcing electrical line.
Nobody was injured in the fire reported shortly after noon on Sunday at 3315 S. Highway 51, the Janesville Fire Department said.
The fire caused an estimated $2,500 in damage.
Nobody was home when the fire happened. Arriving crews found the outside gas meter and side of the mobile home on fire, with the fire extinguished shortly after arrival.
Alliant Energy technicians at the scene said arcing electrical current caused a hole in flexible gas tubing to the meter on the customer side of the meter, causing the fire.
Ill-fitting pants helped Madison police officers catch a teenager who allegedly stole a car Monday afternoon.
Johnny R. Dunlap, 18, of Madison, was arrested after he tripped when his pants fell down while trying to run away from officers, Madison police said.
A 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt was reported stolen in the 400 block of West Gorham Street on Monday afternoon, and an officer noticed two females and a man leave the car and begin walking westbound on University Avenue. After more officers arrived, they approached the three people. Police said the two females seemed to be unaware that the car was stolen.
When police asked the man, later identified as Dunlap, questions, he said he was "Santino Jones from California," and then began to run.
Officers chased the Dunlap, who eventually fell because of his loose pants, and arrested him, police said.
Dunlap was taken to the Dane County Jail and tentatively charged with operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and resisting and obstructing a police officer, police said.
Witnesses will testify that they saw Juan Aguilar-Vargas stab drug informant Jacob Payne and hit him with a sledgehammer, but they didnt tell police that story until months after they were first contacted, the lawyer for Aguilar-Vargas told a jury Monday, as a first-degree murder trial for Aguilar-Vargas began.
We believe the evidence will show that Juan had nothing to do with the killing, said David Geier, lawyer for Aguilar-Vargas. He was there, but he was a bystander.
A jury of eight men and six women, which includes two alternates, was chosen Monday, then heard opening statements. Aguilar-Vargas, 28, of Madison, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the April 7, 2015, murder of Payne, 23, whose body was found four days later weighted by an I-bar and chain in Lake Mendota near Governors Island.
Another man, Rudy Ramirez-Milian, 28, of Madison, pleaded guilty last week to second-degree intentional homicide. He will not testify at Aguilar-Vargas trial.
A criminal complaint states that Payne was buying cocaine from Ramirez-Milian and working as an informant for state and federal drug enforcement agencies.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Jambois told jurors that Payne, who was essentially homeless, lived in a car outside an auto shop run by Ramirez-Milian on Acker Road in the town of Bristol.
Jambois said that on April 6, Ramirez-Milian told Payne that his father-in-law would be coming to the shop that day, so he didnt want Payne around. Later that night, when Payne appeared at the shop, Ramirez-Milian became angry with him and they argued, before Payne was attacked.
It was a vicious, unprovoked, unspeakably brutal assault against Jacob Payne, Jambois said.
Jambois said one of the men at the shop, Saul Garcia-Rosario, will testify that Ramirez-Milian and Payne argued on and off much of the day.
Later on, Ramirez-Milian and Aguilar-Vargas conversed privately together, then walked over to Garcia-Rosario and another man, Erlin Vargas, and told them not to be afraid of what was about to happen, Jambois said.
That was when Ramirez-Milian began to stab Payne, who fell to the floor. Ramirez-Milian called to Aguilar-Vargas, who also began stabbing Payne, and then struck him in the head with an eight-pound sledgehammer, killing him, Jambois said.
Garcia-Rosario told police that Ramirez-Milian thanked Aguilar-Vargas for the help, Jambois said.
But Geier said that Aguilar-Vargas watched in fear as Ramirez-Milian committed the killing by himself, then coerced the others into helping him dispose of Paynes body and clean up the shop. In the days, weeks and months that followed, Geier said, the stories that Garcia-Rosario and Vargas told police changed. The earlier versions of the stories didnt involve Aguilar-Vargas killing Payne, he said.
Geier also said that Ramirez-Milian had wounds on his hand from the knife slipping as he stabbed Payne, while Aguilar-Vargas had none.
On a 6-0-1 vote, Madison School Board members approved a $376.5 million preliminary operating budget Monday for the 2016-17 school year.
There were few surprises, as administrators and board members had been working since January to shape the spending plan.
Board member TJ Mertz abstained from voting. He said he didnt want to vote no, as that would have been dismissive of all of the work that went into the budget and could send the wrong message that he thinks its a bad budget.
Yet he didnt want to vote yes, he said, due to concerns with the budget process. He said he sometimes did not have enough information to make decisions, and he felt the board sometimes lacked time to thoroughly debate some measures issues he hopes the board will address in coming months.
Its not that bad choices are being made, its that I cant be confident that theyre the best choices, he said in an interview.
The $376.5 million figure refers to the operating budget, which funds basic operations and includes all instructional programming. It essentially is the pot of money the board has to work with.
Theres also what the district calls its all funds budget, which is $421.5 million. It includes things like debt service that arent on the table.
The total spending plan raises property taxes 2.5 percent. The owner of a $254,549 property the average-priced home in the district will pay a projected $3,045 toward educating Madison children, an increase of $74 over the prior year.
The budget:
Uses the districts full levy authority and $1.6 million of reserve funds.
Adds $200,000 to the capital maintenance budget, to $4.7 million, still far below the $8 million goal recommended in a 2012 facility study.
Reduces staff by 64.2 full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions, or 1.6 percent, to 4,017 FTEs. Some of the reductions are due to enrollment adjustments.
Increases the technology budget by $625,000, to $3.6 million.
Increases the pool of money available for wages and salaries by 2.05 percent. This is sufficient to fund the three standard components of the districts compensation system: an across-the-board base wage increase (0.12 percent this coming year), as well as increases due to years of experience and additional educational attainment.
Additionally, the budget requires all employees to begin contributing to their health insurance premiums. Currently, only administrators are required to, at 10 percent of the costs. The new structure will use a differentiated approach, with higher-paid employees generally contributing more. Teachers will contribute 3 percent.
The move is not without precedent. For years, when the district offered Wisconsin Physicians Service (WPS) insurance, employees who chose to enroll in that more-expensive plan contributed to their premiums, though other plans without premiums were available.
Mertz and board member Anna Moffit did not vote on the premium issue because they both receive health insurance from the district through their spouses, who are district employees.
The 2016-17 fiscal year begins July 1. The board will vote on a final budget in October after enrollment figures, state aid and other details are finalized.
PETacular Professions, one of the themes for the Camp Pawprint summer programs at the Dane County Humane Society, introduces youth to different professions that involve working directly with animals.
Every kid wants to be a vet, said Ash Collins, humane educator at the humane society.
Campers will learn about a variety of occupations through visits with animal professionals such as veterinarians, dog trainers, mounted police and a K-9 unit.
I want to work with animals but I didnt know all of the choices I had, Diana Schwichtenberg, who will be a seventh-grader at Toki Middle School, said about attending the camp last week.
Another camper, Annika Crabb, whos entering fifth grade at Madison Community Montessori School, said she wants to be vet.
PETacular Professions is one of three themes for Camp Pawprint, which runs through the summer in weeklong sessions. Two more PETacular Professions sessions will be held July 18-22 and Aug. 8-12, which is full. The other themes are Animal Allies and Wild Things. Campers range in age from 7 to 13.
They also work on service projects for the shelter, make toys, clean cages and learn what signs to look for to make sure animals are comfortable. They also help train the shelter dogs not to unnecessarily bark using the Click for No Bark program.
I want to be able to teach the kids what goes on in an animal shelter, Collins said.
Presley Rindfleisch, who will be in second grade at Crestwood Elementary School, said she likes the camp because she gets to see how different kinds of animals are trained.
Talia Jackson and her brother, Armani Jackson, who are home-schooled in California, attended the camp while they were living with their dad in Madison for the summer. Talia, who has attended Camp Pawprint before, said she likes to have a variety of experiences and she has volunteered with animal rescue programs.
Armani and Jack Dallman, who will be a second-grader at Heritage Elementary School in Waunakee, said they enjoyed working with the rats at the shelter.
I thought this camp was a great way to interact with animals, said Sophia Flath, a rising fourth-grader at Randall Elementary School who is thinking about being a groomer or vet technician.
SUN PRAIRIE To accommodate future growth, a Sun Prairie School District committee is recommending up to three schools be built, including a new high school.
At an informational meeting Monday, committee members presented a three-phase plan to address space problems and plan for the future.
The recommendations call for a new elementary school to open in 2018, a new high school in 2021 and another elementary school, if dictated by enrollment, in 2023.
The recommendation, which will be discussed by the School Board at meetings July 5 and July 11, is in response to predictions of large growth in the area.
Enrollment of the entire district in September 2015 was 7,565. It is projected to grow to 9,169 by 2025.
Estimated costs for three schools, which include construction and the purchase of additional land, range from about $220 million to $242 million.
School Board President Tom Weber said all but one of the districts seven elementary schools is over capacity.
He said building an elementary school would be a response to current problems, while adding a high school could help the district in the long-term.
Referendums would be needed to get the cash to build the schools.
To get one on the Nov. 8 ballot, which the plan calls for to build an elementary school, Weber said board members would have to pass a resolution setting the referendum around mid-August.
The potential fall referendum would ask voters for a little under $60 million, which would include capital maintenance and the purchase of land needed for the other future schools.
A survey of school district residents this spring found that 57 percent of people would support building an elementary school, with a margin of error of 1.5 percent.
Of all the respondents, 7 percent said they would not support any plan and 9 percent said they are unsure or need more information.
Members of the districts School Space Planning Committee have been coming up with a strategy for more than a year.
The committee hired Eppstein Uhen Architects to help study existing facilities, look at master planning efforts and sketch out any potential referendums.
The committee also hired J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. to estimate construction or renovation costs.
Committee member Del Mineard Jr. said the recommendations represent a majority consensus of the more than 100 parents, students, area residents, teachers, staff and administrators on the committee.
The districts current high school opened in 2010, and Weber said its already at its target enrollment level and could be over capacity within a few years.
Under the recommendation, a referendum for a new high school could go to voters in November 2018, and a second additional elementary school could see the ballot in November 2021 if growth continues.
UW-Madison ranks in the top 10 when it comes to producing chief executive officers for the country's biggest firms, according to Money Magazine.
Harvard leads the list, followed by Cornell, Penn State, Texas A&M, the U.S. Military Academy, Notre Dame, UW, Princeton, Stanford and Miami of Ohio.
UW-Madison is one of only four traditional public universities in the top 10.
Money used educational background data on CEOs from the Fortune 500 list of the biggest companies in the U.S. to come up with its top 10 list.
"With strong business and engineering programs, as well as a reputation as one of the top state flagship universities in the country, it's little surprise UW is one of three public colleges to break into this top 10 list," Money said.
Of the 25 colleges graduating the most CEOs on the Fortune 500 list, four are from the Ivy League, eight are public, five are traditional liberal arts colleges and three are high technology or computer science schools.
"UW-Madison not only prides itself in offering a world-class education, but in preparing our students for success after graduation," Chancellor Rebecca Blank said.
UW-Madison alumni CEOs listed by Money include Thomas Falk of Kimberly-Clark, David Lesar of Halliburton, Thomas Kingsbury of Burlington Stores and Keith Nosbusch of Rockwell Automation.
The state's flagship university is no stranger to being one of the best schools producing corporate leaders.
In 2010, UW-Madison ranked fourth behind three Ivy League schools in a U.S. News and World Report ranking of schools producing CEOs, and tied for first with Harvard in 2006 in Businessweek's ranking of schools producing CEOs for companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 index.
Taxpayers will pay a local radio show host $75,000 to settle a lawsuit he filed against Gov. Scott Walkers administration after being arrested in 2013 while covering the arrests of protesters at the state Capitol.
Dominic Salvia, co-host of the liberal talk show Devils Advocates Radio Show on The Mic 92.1 FM, will receive the money as part of an out-of-court settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit Salvia filed in 2014 against three Capitol Police officers who handcuffed and ticketed him during the July 2013 mass arrests of singing protesters.
Salvias attorney, Jeff Scott Olson, said on the radio show Tuesday that he plans to represent anyone arrested that summer in a class-action lawsuit against the state. Olson told the Wisconsin State Journal he plans to go forward with a class-action suit that includes 75 plaintiffs.
Salvia sought compensatory and punitive damages for violation of his First Amendment rights as a member of the press and his Fourth and 14th Amendment rights for being arrested without probable cause.
While appearing on the Devils Advocates show, which Salvia hosts with Mike Crute, Olson said the settlement amount will cover his legal fees of $47,500. The rest will go to Salvia.
Department of Administration spokesman Steven Michels referred the State Journal to the state Department of Justice for comment on the settlement.
In consultation with our client, DOA, we reached a settlement without admitting any liability to reduce the risk to the taxpayers from an expensive trial and much larger costs if the state did not prevail, said DOJ spokesman Johnny Koremenos.
Michels said the state will continue to enforce a notification process for groups larger than 12 people at the Capitol.
Groups are consistently providing notification of events allowing Capitol Police to allocate the resources necessary to protect the health and welfare of everyone who visits the Capitol, he said.
In October 2013, the DOJ asked a judge to dismiss Salvias ticket, one of more than 400 issued between July 24 and Sept. 6 as part of a coordinated crackdown on protesters.
The state continued to prosecute other tickets, many of which have been dismissed by Dane County judges.
The ongoing noontime protests, known as the Solidarity Singalong, are a remnant of mass demonstrations that began in 2011 against Walker.
According to the lawsuit, Salvia was taking pictures of the Solidarity Singalong July 24 when Officer Adam Fell approached him and told him he was participating in an unlawful event and needed to leave the Capitol or face arrest.
Salvia began to leave the area when Sgt. Chris Weiss told Fell to place him in custody. Salvia asked why he was being arrested and identified himself as a member of the media.
Fell then restrained his wrists with plastic flex cuffs and took him to the basement where he was photographed, processed and issued a citation for violating Wisconsins administrative code.
At no time on July 24, 2013, did the plaintiff participate in the sing-along, the lawsuit states.In addition to Fell and Weiss, the lawsuit also names Sgt. David Davis as a defendant, saying he was involved in approving the citation.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Wisconsin of a federal appeals court ruling that struck down the states law placing restrictions on abortion providers. But state lawmakers pledged new abortion-related bills during the next legislative session.
The justices decision to refuse to hear appeals from Wisconsin and Mississippi came a day after the nations highest court struck down a Texas law with similar restrictions requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to nearby hospitals.
State Attorney General Brad Schimel said the decision was not surprising given the courts Monday ruling. Schimel said the earlier ruling from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals striking down Wisconsins admitting privileges law stands.
Schimel, who filed an amicus brief in the Texas case in support of the restrictions, said Mondays ruling is disappointing and undermines the respect due to policymakers.
Walker signed Wisconsins law on July 5, 2013, and required providers to have privileges in place three days later. Privileges were to be at hospitals within 30 miles of clinics.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and Affiliated Medical Services sued the state, arguing that the requirement would force the shutdown of the AMS clinic in Milwaukee because its doctors could not get admitting privileges. That amounted to restricting access to abortions, they argued.
We are thrilled that Wisconsins unconstitutional admitting privileges law has been permanently blocked, said Tanya Atkinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin. It was an attempt to put obstacles in the way of women seeking safe, legal abortion care. We are pleased the Supreme Court recognized the true intention behind this law.
But the decision hasnt deterred anti-abortion advocates and like-minded lawmakers in Wisconsin.
After the courts decision was released, Walker on Tuesday tweeted, Were disappointed an activist court overturned common sense standards on abortion providers, (and) we will cont(inue) to protect sanctity of life.
Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said despite the courts rejection of the states appeal, the anti-abortion group remains undeterred in our efforts to protect women and unborn children from the abortion industry.
We will continue to empower women with hope and the information they need before making the life-and-death decision of abortion, she said in a statement.
Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, said he plans to propose a bill next legislative session requiring doctors to inform patients of the ability to reverse medication-induced abortions. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists urged its members in 2015 to pressure Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to veto a similar bill on the grounds that the medical advice is unscientific and could be dangerous.
And Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, who authored the bill that included the abortion restrictions that Tuesdays decision invalidated, said he plans to introduce again legislation that bans research using fetal tissue, which was unsuccessful last Legislative session.
Myranda Tanck, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in an email that Fitzgerald fully expects to see bills related to abortion next legislative session.
Wisconsin currently requires that women wait 24 hours before having an abortion, and that women undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion. The law also bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Monkeys infected with Zika virus are protected from future infection, and pregnancy dramatically prolongs infection in monkeys, findings that could help fight the virus in people, UW-Madison researchers said Tuesday.
Scientists on campus have infected 13 rhesus macaque monkeys with Zika, a virus that has caused an outbreak involving severe birth defects such as brain damage in Latin America and the Caribbean.
No one has acquired the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the non-territorial U.S., but health officials say cases may appear in southern states this summer. Cases are unlikely in Wisconsin, they say.
The UW-Madison scientists, in publishing the first findings of their study in the journal Nature Communications, said six monkeys injected with the virus twice, 10 weeks apart, became infected the first time but not the second time. That is apparently because their immune systems, trained by the first infection, warded off the subsequent challenge.
We found complete protection, said Dawn Dudley, an associate scientist at the university and first author of the study. This is a key finding because it means a vaccine could be quite effective against the virus.
Two monkeys injected with Zika during their first trimester of pregnancy sustained infections for 29 days and 71 days, compared to about 10 days for the non-pregnant monkeys.
The longer infections in the mothers might be because their immune systems become weaker during pregnancy, said David OConnor, a UW-Madison pathology professor who led the study.
It could also be that fetuses, once infected by the mothers, re-seed their mothers infections, OConnor said. In a human example supporting that theory, a pregnant womans Zika infection went away after she had an abortion.
If the mother-fetus infection loop proves to be true, it could mean that testing the level of virus in Zika-infected women during pregnancy might predict the degree of damage to the fetus, he said.
That might provide a low-cost diagnostic test that could be used even in areas that dont have access to sophisticated imaging to look at the fetus, OConnor said. The longer the sustained (infection) lasts, the more severe the fetal infection might be.
In the monkeys, ultrasound and MRI scans suggest the fetuses of monkeys infected during the first trimester might be smaller than average, the researchers said.
The babies are scheduled to be delivered by Cesarean section next month, when researchers will be able to determine birth defects. They will also examine a variety of tissues to see where Zika is present.
Babies of two other monkeys, infected during their third trimester, were delivered by C-section this month. Findings about them were not included in the journal paper, but OConnor said studies of their tissues have begun.
So far, we havent seen any evidence of viral infection at birth in these tissues, he said.
If further testing confirms no trace of the virus, it could mean that Zika infection is less damaging to babies if it comes later in pregnancy, he said.
In another finding suggestive of that conclusion, the monkeys infected during the third trimester had shorter infections than those infected during the first trimester 9 days and 36 days.
The researchers plan to study whether infection with dengue virus, carried by the same mosquitoes that harbor Zika, increases susceptibility to Zika or vice versa, OConnor said.
They also may look closer at how much the level of virus in a mothers blood is related to the severity of damage to the fetus. It could be that drugs or a vaccine during pregnancy might minimize birth defects.
The research, involving the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Dane County communities wanting to clean up urban storm water runoff can get financial help from the county.
The Urban Water Quality Grant Program is taking applications through July 31 from municipalities hoping to build catch basins that collect trash and debris containing phosphorus, material that would flow directly into area lakes and streams during heavy rain or snow melt.
The county has $1.4 million available this year. Since the start of the program in 2005, over $10 million has been awarded to help fund 53 projects.
"Our lakes, sterams and rivers are incredibly valuable resources and are an integral part of our economy and quality of life," said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi in announcing this year's program on Monday.
"By working together with local communities, we are able to get more done and stop more pollutants from getting into our waters," Parisi said.
Municipalities proposing projects in one of the county's top 10 target areas, where the most phosphorus and sediment is being discharged, will get a 75 percent county cost share, while other eligible projects will get a 50 percent cost share.
In order to be considered for funding, projects must be complete by the end of 2017. Go online for more information and an application.
Bob Dold campaigned with Senator Mark Kirk in 2012
Lake Bluff, IL Maybe you live in Illinois' 10th Congressional District, represented in the U.S. House by Bob Dold - who, like his predecessor Mark Kirk has taken numerous positions that clash with the Republican Party's platform - and you'd like to discuss it with him. You'll have several chances over the weekend, the campaign announced Tuesday.
Dold for Congress will kick off its People Before Politics bus tour on Wednesday, June 30 at the Dold for Congress Headquarters in Lake Bluff, IL. During Independence Day weekend, Rep. Bob Dold will be traveling throughout the District to speak with voters and participate in local July 4th celebrations.
During the tour, Dold will travel to local restaurants, manufacturing facilities, community events, senior centers and parades with community leaders, 10th District residents and special guests in tow. Volunteers will be distributing yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons, literature and other campaign information to inform and energize voters for Election Day November 8.
In case you are wondering, Im using a political scientist definition of downstate not a geographers. Downstate in a political sense is anyplace in Illinois that is not part of Chicago or its suburbs. Even northern Illinois communities like Rockford, Ottawa, Kankakee and Freeport are considered downstate.
There are plenty of downstaters who would just as soon see Chicago depart the Land of Lincoln. And hey, I know more than a few Chicagoans who view Downstate as a parasite leaching away a great citys life blood.
You know what Im talking about: Should Chicago and the rest of the state part ways?
SPRINGFIELD As soon as the Brits voted to depart from European the Union, I began listening for the first rumblings of discontent in Illinois.
The deep-seeded political animosity has been around for more than a century. And while some political commentators have written off downstate antipathy toward Chicago as being racial in nature, I disagree.
The political divide long predates the great migration of southern blacks to northern industrial cities such as Chicago. The divide is more cultural than racial.
When someone in Southern Illinois thinks of coal, its a source of jobs. For Chicagoans, its a source of pollution.
For many downstaters guns represent a source of recreation. For many Chicagoans they are viewed as a source of danger.
And lets be honest. Chicago has a long history not only of political corruption but of flexing a unified political muscle.
Downstaters are many fine things. But politically united they are not.
For decades they have complained about getting whacked on their collective political noggins by their neighbors to the north. And downstate voters have come to resent the political successes Chicago lawmakers have scored in Springfield along with a certain arrogance that has accompanied it.
Folks in Springfield are still grumbling about Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn refusing to live in Springfield. They viewed it as a snub, which it was.
By the way, these intrastate rivalries are hardly unique to Illinois. When I was reporter in Nevada, the same animosity could be detected between Las Vegas and the rest of the state.
When I spoke to the Alaska Press Club a decade ago, reporters were complaining that their then unknown governor, Sarah Palin, was spending too much time in Anchorage and snubbing Juneau, the state capital.
For decades Ive seen politicians stir up Illinois regional rivalries for their own political gain.
Im disappointed Gov. Bruce Rauner, who I generally agree with on policy issues, is doing the same thing.
Rauner has been tromping around downstate telling audiences that he doesnt want their hard-earned tax dollars to get taxed away and sent to the Chicago Political Machine.
I agree we should not pour more tax dollars into that sump hole without first getting reform. But exasperating the states long simmering cultural and geographic animosities isnt going to make for a better state. And might I add, you dont get any more downstate than me.
I grew on a hog farm near Galesburg. I drive a pickup. I like guns. And Im uncomfortable in traffic.
But that doesnt mean I hate Chicago.
When Congress made Illinois a state in 1818, it was for better or worse. Were stuck with each other. It may be a bad marriage, but it is a marriage nonetheless.
Rather than pointing fingers, we should be uniting behind solving the states staggering problems: a massive debt, a moribund economy and political culture that resists reform.
Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist. He works as a freelance reporter in the Springfield area and can be reached at ScottReeder1965@gmail.com.
WASHINGTON Tuesday, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) announced its first round of fall broadcast and cable reservations totaling $22.8 million and something pretty noticeable for Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk is missing:
NH $15.8 million (4 weeks in September; 2 weeks in October)
OH $8.1 million (2 weeks in September; 2 weeks in October)
NV $6 million (3 weeks in September; 3 weeks in October)
PA $6.2 million (3 weeks in October)
MO $2.5 million (3 weeks in September)
SLF says they will add buys in additional states in the coming weeks, specifically in Florida where Senator Marco Rubios reelection announcement came after these TV buys had been assembled.
After years of partisan dysfunction under Harry Reid, the Senate is getting results again for American families under Mitch McConnells steady leadership. We set out this election cycle with one paramount goal: keeping the Senate in Republican hands. We are making good progress toward that goal, and this investment is another big step in that direction," said Steven Law, former chief of staff to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and president of the Senate Leadership Fund.
Apparently, no SLF money is being invested in Illinois for Senator Kirk's re-election.
CHICAGO - In what can be explained only as the Tweets of a desperate re-election campaign, Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk's last four posted comments insult and demean three key sectors of Illinois' Republican voting bloc: those who are pro-life, pro-natural family and pro-2nd Amendment.
From Chicago's Gay Pride Parade Sunday afternoon:
He congratulated the pro-abortion lobby for the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to throw out Texas' reasonable health care standards for abortion clinics:
He advocated stricter gun control by twice pushing out his op-ed published in the Daily Herald:
In the speech, he promised to withdraw the U.S. from the international agreement if he is elected president.
PENNSYLVANIA - The Trump campaign released the following memo Tuesday afternoon on the topic of the Trans-Pacific Partnership - a topic about which he spoke Tuesday in Monessan, Pennsyvlvania.
Clinton Played A Leading Role In Drafting The TPP, And Has Called It The "Gold Standard"
As Secretary Of State, Clinton Took "A Leading Part In Drafting The Trans-Pacific Partnership." "She's pressed the case for U.S. business in Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other countries in China's shadow. She's also taken a leading part in drafting the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade pact that would give U.S. companies a leg up on their Chinese competitors." (Elizabeth Dwoskin and Indira Laksmanan, "How Hillary Clinton Created A U.S. Business-Promotion Machine," Bloomberg,1/10/13)
Clinton Had Said The Trans-Pacific Partnership "Sets The Gold Standard In Trade Agreements." CLINTON: "[We] need to keep upping our game both bilaterally and with partners across the region through agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. Australia is a critical partner. This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade, the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field. And when negotiated, this agreement will cover 40 percent of the world's total trade and build in strong protections for workers and the environment." (Hillary Clinton, Remarks at Techport Australia , 11/15/12)
Click To Watch
CNN Headline: "45 Times Secretary Clinton Pushed The Trade Bill She Now Opposes." (Jake Tapper, "45 Times Secretary Clinton Pushed The Trade Bill She Now Opposes," CNN , 6/15/15)
The TPP Is Projected To Lead To The Elimination Of Over 2 Million U.S. Jobs
The Economic Policy Institute Estimates That The U.S. Trade Deficit With The 11 TPP Nations Led To The Elimination Of More Than 2 Million U.S. Jobs In 2015. "The U.S. trade deficit with the 11 other TPP countries eliminated 2 million jobs, as shown in Table 2, which reports the number of direct, indirect, and respending jobs lost (aggregated over all industries). The trade deficit between the United States and the 11 other TPP member countries in 2015 directly eliminated 418,900 jobs. In addition to the direct jobs lost, the U.S. trade deficit with the TPP country group eliminated an additional 847,200 indirect jobs in supplier industries, including jobs in manufacturing, commodity, and service industries. Finally, wages lost because of direct and indirect job cuts from the trade deficits with the TPP member countries would have supported an additional 759,700 respending jobs. The direct, indirect, and respending jobs displaced by the U.S. trade deficit with TPP member countries totals 2,025,800 jobs lost." (Robert E. Scott and Elizabeth Glass, "Trans-Pacific Partnership, Currency Manipulation, Trade, And Jobs," Economic Policy Institute, 3/3/16)
NAFTA
Clinton Has Continually Praised NAFTA As A "Boon To The Economy"
In 1998, Clinton Praised The Passage Of NAFTA, Pledging To Continue Free Trade Advocacy: "It Is Certainly Clear That We Have Not By Any Means Finished The Job That Has Begun." "At the 1998 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, she praised corporations for mounting 'a very effective business effort in the U.S. on behalf of NAFTA.' She added: 'It is certainly clear that we have not by any means finished the job that has begun.'" (Kristin Jensen and Mark Drajem, "Clinton Breaks With Husband's Legacy On NAFTA Pact, China Trade," Bloomberg , 3/30/07)
In 2006, Clinton Said That She "Thinks NAFTA Has Been A Boon To The Economy." "CLINTON: Clinton thinks NAFTA has been a boon to the economy, but voted against the Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, saying it would drive jobs offshore." (Michael Rothfeld, " Newsday's Guide To Politics And Politicians," Newsday, 9/11/06)
NAFTA Has Cost Nearly 700,000 American Jobs
The Economic Policy Institute Estimates That The U.S. Trade Deficit Caused By NAFTA Has Resulted In Nearly 700,000 Lost U.S. Jobs Through 2010. "NAFTA led to a flood of outsourcing and foreign direct investment in Mexico. U.S. imports from Mexico grew much more rapidly than exports, leading to growing trade deficits, as shown in the Figure. Jobs making cars, electronics, and apparel and other goods moved to Mexico, and job losses piled up in the United States, especially in the Midwest where those products used to be made. By 2010,trade deficits with Mexico had eliminated 682,900 good U.S. jobs, most (60.8 percent) in manufacturing." (Robert E. Scott, "NAFTA's Legacy," Economic Policy Institute, 12/17/13)
Normalizing Trade Relations With China
Clinton Claimed She Would Have Voted To Normalize Trade Relations If She Was In The Senate At The Time
In October 2000, Clinton Said She Supported Normalizing Trade Relations With China, And Would Have Voted For It Had She Been In The Senate. CLINTON: "Had I been in the Senate this year, I would have voted for normalizing trade relations with China." (Hillary Clinton, Remarks To The Council On Foreign Relations , New York, NY, 10/17/00)
The Trade Deficit With China Has Cost 3.2 Million American Jobs Between 2001 And 2013
During Clinton's Four Years As Secretary Of State, Year-On-Year Trade Deficits With China Increased By $89 Billion, Or Over 39 Percent. ("Trade In Goods With China," U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 6/1/16)
After Normalizing Trade Relations With China, The Economic Policy Institute Estimated That "Growth In The U.S. Goods Trade Deficit With China Between 2001 And 2013 Eliminated Or Displaced 3.2 Million U.S. Jobs." "Growth in the U.S. goods trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2013 eliminated or displaced 3.2 million U.S. jobs, 2.4 million (three-fourths) of which were in manufacturing. These lost manufacturing jobs account for about two-thirdsof all U.S. manufacturing jobs lost or displaced between December, 2001 and December 2013." (Will Kimball and Robert E. Scott, "China Trade, Outsourcing And Jobs," Economic Policy Institute, 12/11/14)
Through 2013, China's Entry Into The World Trade Organization (WTO) In 2001 Has Led To Skyrocketing Trade Deficits That Has Killed 3.2 Million U.S. Jobs. "Between 2001, when China came into the WTO, and 2013 the U.S. trade deficit with China increased $240 billion. These growing trade deficits eliminated 3.2 million U.S. jobs. China became the third largest recipient of FDI in the world, which fueled the growth of thousands of new manufacturing plants that generated exports to the United States and other markets." (Robert E. Scott, "Fast Track To Lost Jobs And Lower Wages," Economic Policy Institute's Working Economics Blog, 4/13/15)
KORUS
Clinton Called Ratifying The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement One Of Her "Top Priorities" While Secretary Of State
In 2011, Clinton Said Convincing Congress To Ratify The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement Was One Of Her "Top Priorities." CLINTON: "I am pleased to report that KORUS is currently ready for review by the United States Congress. This is a high, if not a top -- I think it is probably one of my top priorities for the next months. We are determined to get it done, and I believe we will. We will need your help. It will be important to keep making the case to both of our respective legislative bodies." (Secretary Hillary Clinton, Remarks At The American Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, Seoul, South Korea, 4/17/11)
In 2012, Clinton Called The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement A "Historic Milestone That Will Lead To Even More Trade And Investment Between Our Two Countries." CLINTON: "Today, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) enters into force, marking an historic milestone that will lead to even more trade and investment between our two countries. KORUS will provide new market access opportunities in Korea's dynamic trillion dollar economy for U.S. exporters, creating jobs here at home while increasing opportunities for Korean companies in the United States. This agreement is another example of this Administration's commitment to deepening our economic engagement throughout the world." (Press Release, "U.S., Korea Free Trade Agreement Takes Effect," U.S. State Department, 3/15/12)
Since KORUS Ratification, Trade Deficits Have Skyrocketed And Job Losses Have Soared To 95,000
The U.S. Has Lost More Than 95,000 Jobs Due To The Rising Trade Deficit With South Korea In The Wake Of KORUS. "Meanwhile, the rapid growth of Korean imports has eliminated tens of thousands of U.S. jobs. Using the trade and employment multipliers implied in the White House KORUS fact sheet, I estimate that the growth in the U.S. trade deficit with Korea between 2011 and 2015 has cost more than 95,000 U.S. jobs. Most of those jobs lost were in manufacturing (the growth of the manufacturing trade deficit was responsible for nearly three quarters, or 74.9 percent of the growth in the total U.S.-Korea trade deficit). In addition, the U.S. trade surplus in agriculture and primary commodities declined by $1.2 billion in this period, also contributing to growing trade-related job losses." (Robert E. Scott, "U.S.-Korea Trade Deal Resulted In Growing Trade Deficits And More Than 95,000 Lost U.S. Jobs," Economic Policy Institute's Working Economics Blog , 5/5/16)
Colombia Free Trade Agreement
The Clinton's Have Received Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From Groups Pushing The Free Trade Agreement, Clinton Pursued It's Ratification As Secretary Of State
By 2008, Bill Clinton Had "Earned Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars Speaking On Behalf Of A Colombia-Based Group Pushing The Trade Pact" "Former President Bill Clinton has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars speaking on behalf of a Colombia-based group pushing the trade pact, and representatives of that organization tell The Huffington Post that the former president shared their sentiment." (Sam Stein, "Bill Clinton's Ties To Colombia Trade Deal Stronger Than Even Penn's," The Huffington Post, 5/25/11)
"Clinton Was Paid $800,000 By The Colombia-Based Gold Service International To Give Four Speeches Throughout Latin America." "In June 2005, Clinton was paid $800,000 by the Colombia-based Gold Service International to give four speeches throughout Latin America. The organization is, ostensibly, a development group tasked with bringing investment to the country and educating world leaders about the Colombia's business opportunities." (Sam Stein, "Bill Clinton's Ties To Colombia Trade Deal Stronger Than Even Penn's," The Huffington Post, 5/25/11)
In 2011, Clinton Said "We Are Absolutely Committed To Passing The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement." CLINTON: "And of course, we are absolutely committed to passing the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement to open new markets and create jobs and opportunities for both of our peoples." (Hillary Clinton, Remarks With Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin, Washington, DC, 5/31/11)
The Agreement Is Projected To Cost Americans 55,000 Jobs
During Clinton's Four Years As Secretary Of State, Year-On-Year Trade Deficits With Columbia Increased By $6.4 Billion, Or Over 340 Percent. ("Trade In Goods With Columbia," U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 6/1/16)
In 2010, The Economic Policy Institute Estimated That The Colombia Free Trade Agreement Would Cost The United States 55,000 Jobs By 2015. "In 2008, U.S. imports from Colombia could have supported 127,000 jobs if produced domestically, and exports supported 99,000 jobs, so net trade with Colombia resulted in a net displacement of 27,000 U.S. jobs. Given projected changes, the growth of the U.S. trade deficit with Colombia will displace 83,000 U.S. jobs in 2015, for a net loss of an additional 55,000 jobs." (Robert E. Scott, "U.S. Trade Deals With Colombia And Korea Will Be Costly," Economic Policy Institute, 2/25/10)
Normalizing Trade Relations With Vietnam
Clinton Voted To Normalize Trade Relations With Vietnam As A Senator
In 2001, Clinton Voted With The Majority Of Senators To Normalize Trade Relations With Vietnam. "Passage of the joint resolution that would grant annual normal trade relations status to Vietnam. The resolution would allow Vietnamese imports to receive the same tariffs as those of other U.S. trading partners." (H. J. Res. 51. CQ Vote #291: Adopted 88-12: R 39-10; D 48-2; I 1-0, 10/3/01, Clinton Voted Yea)
Trade Normalization Went Into Effect After Vietnam Approved The Agreement A Month After It Was Approved By Congress. "Finally, after ratification last month by the United States Congress, Vietnam's National Assembly voted today, 278 to 85, to carry out the agreement. It is expected to take effect at the start of the year." (Seth Mydans, "Relations At Last Normal, Vietnam Signs U.S. Trade Pact," The New York Times , 11/29/01)
The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement Covered Six Major Areas, Including Industrial And Agricultural Goods, Intellectual Property Protection, And Investment Protections. "The agreement covers six major areas: market access for industrial and agricultural goods, protection of intellectual property, market access for services, investment protection, business facilitation, and transparency." (Press Release, "Background On The U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement," White House Fact Sheet, 6/8/01)
The Trade Deficit With Vietnam Increased Over 70 Percent While Clinton Was Secretary Of State
During Clinton's Four Years As Secretary Of State, Year-On-Year Trade Deficits With Vietnam Increased By $6.5 Billion, Or Over 70 Percent. ("Trade In Goods With Columbia," U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 6/1/16)
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.
Baidu will carry out road tests of driverless cars in 10 Chinese cities, with the aim to commercialize the technology in three years and realize mass production in five years.
Baidu has already completed its first road test of automatic driving in mixed road conditions.
By India Today Web Desk: Chinese tech giant Baidu on Monday said it plans to begin mass-production of driverless cars in five years as part of its efforts to get ahead of its US rivals Google and Tesla Motors in the autonomous vehicle technology.
President Zhang Yaqin said Baidu will carry out road tests of driverless cars in 10 Chinese cities, with the aim to commercialise the technology in three years and realise mass production in five years.
advertisement
ALSO READ: 5 fun things you'll be able to do in driverless cars
The move is a significant step for the Beijing-based tech company trying to get ahead of Google in building autonomous cars, and is marshalling the resources to advance the effort.
During the ongoing Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos, in Tianjin, Zang told state-run Xinhua news agency that the core technology of Baidu's driverless cars, was the "Baidu car brain," which includes high-precision electronic mapping, positioning, sensing and decision-making and control systems.
ALSO READ: Can Google shape the rules of the driverless road?
Baidu has already completed its first road test of automatic driving in mixed road conditions.
The company has plans for more road tests in various weather, road and traffic conditions in ten Chinese cities.
ALSO READ: Google teaching its driverless car to go toot-toot
After it launched its autonomous car project in 2013, Baidu joined the race with Internet giants such as Google and Tesla Motors.
Baidu is now leading the world in terms of the cutting-edge technology of driverless vehicles, Zhang said.
--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Ola, India's leading mobile app for transportation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Haryana, to create over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state. As part of the MoU, Ola will invest Rs. 350 crores over the next five years to skill and train thousands of men and women and help them take their first step towards entrepreneurship. Ola will also work with the state government to introduce innovative and customised mobility solutions like Ola Auto, Ola Bike, Ola Share and Ola Shuttle across the state. Ola will further build for local mobility needs using its technology to serve citizens across Haryana, giving them instant access to reliable and convenient mobility.
Shri Sudhir Rajpal, Managing Director, HSIIDC said, "Haryana is developing at a rapid pace. Our government recently introduced the 'enterprise promotion policy' for ease of doing business here. Ola's commitment to building mobility for citizens by using cutting edge mobile technology and by enabling entrepreneurship and skilling will be invaluable for the state's growth. We are confident that our partnership with Ola will further accelerate government's efforts of pumping the economic development of the state with a focus on skilling and creating entrepreneurial opportunities for tens of thousands of men and women across the state."
advertisement
Also Read: Ola to add 2,000 CNG cabs every month in Delhi NCR
One of states with the highest per capita income in the country; Haryana is banking on technology and skill development amongst the youth for further development in the region. It is through focused training and skilling initiatives with the involvement of the Government and private enterprises like Ola, that men and women in the state can realise their entrepreneurial dreams. Once trained, these individuals stand to benefit from Ola's technology platform. Driver partners working with Ola across India have seen their incomes grow by as much as 40%. In fact, more than 70% of the drivers associated with Ola are entrepreneurs themselves.
Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola said, "We are proud to partner with the Government of Haryana to create more than 10,000 entrepreneurship opportunities across the state. To this end, we are planning to invest over Rs. 350 crore in Haryana over the next 5 years. We will work with the government to train and provide the right skill set to thousands of men and women across Haryana and help them take their first step towards entrepreneurship." Pranay further added, "We will also improve access to mobility in cities across the state by bringing on-board innovative transportation use cases like Ola Auto, Ola Share, Ola Shuttle, Ola Bike and many more, to complement the existing urban transportation system in Haryana."
Also Read: After Uber, Jugnoo accuses Ola of unethical practices
Ola is currently present in five cities in Haryana including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Ambala and plans to expand its services in the region further. Ola's portfolio of smart commuting solutions including multiple options in cabs, Ola Auto, Ola Bike and shared mobility solutions like Ola Share and Ola Shuttle are immensely popular amongst citizens across the state.
--- ENDS ---
Takata is seeking a financial backer to help it bear to costs of a massive global recall of potentially deadly air bags.
Investment bank Lazard is now heading a process to seek financial support for Takata as it faces mounting liabilities.
By Reuters: Takata Corp CEO Shigehisa Takada said on Tuesday he would resign after a "new regime" is found for the auto parts supplier, finally bowing to calls to step down over a long-running recall crisis.
Takata is seeking a financial backer to help it bear to costs of a massive global recall of potentially deadly air bags.
ALSO READ: Honda recalls more vehicles in Japan over Takata air bags
advertisement
Speaking at a shareholders meeting in Tokyo, Takada told investors he would stay in his role "until a hand-off".
Sources close the company had told Reuters earlier this year that he could step down and take responsibility for the industry's worst ever recall. But the company said then that Takada had no intention of resigning at that point.
ALSO READ: BMW recalls 120,000 cars over Takata air bags
Since, pressure has been building on the Tokyo-based company and the bookish grandson of the group's founder.
Investment bank Lazard is now heading a process to seek financial support for Takata as it faces mounting liabilities.
As many as 30 potential investors have indicated initial interested in providing support for the company, and the "new regime" Takada mentioned likely refers to a team expected to take over once a deal is struck.
ALSO READ: Honda recalls more vehicles in Japan over Takata air bags
Takata shares were down 6.8 per cent in early afternoon trade.
--- ENDS ---
The settlement includes $10.033 billion to offer buybacks to owners of about 475,000 polluting vehicles and nearly $5 billion in funds to offset excess diesel emissions and boost zero emission vehicles.
The $10.033 billion is the maximum VW could pay if it had to buyback all vehicles, but the actual amount VW will pay could be significantly less if a large number of owners take buybacks.
By Reuters: Volkswagen AG's settlement with nearly 500,000 US diesel owners and government regulators over polluting vehicles is valued at more than $15 billion cash, two sources briefed on the matter said on Monday.
The settlement, to be announced on Tuesday in Washington, includes $10.033 billion to offer buybacks to owners of about 475,000 polluting vehicles and nearly $5 billion in funds to offset excess diesel emissions and boost zero emission vehicles, the sources said.
advertisement
ALSO READ: Volkswagen has fixed only 50,000 cars in Europe till now
A separate settlement with nearly all US state attorneys general over excess diesel emissions will be announced on Tuesday and is expected to be more than $500 million and will push the total to over $15 billion, a separate source briefed on the matter said.
Spokeswomen for US Environmental Protection Agency and Volkswagen declined to comment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, due to court-imposed gag rules, the first sources said that owners of 2.0 litre diesel VW 2009-2015 cars will receive at least $5,100 compensation along with the estimated value of the vehicles as of September 2015, before the scandal erupted. Some owners will get as much as $10,000 in compensation, the first sources said, depending on the value of the car.
ALSO READ: Volkswagen to take $18.2 billion hit on emissions scandal
The $10.033 billion is the maximum VW could pay if it had to buyback all vehicles, but the actual amount VW will pay could be significantly less if a large number of owners take buybacks.
Prior owners will get half of current owners, while people who leased cars will also get compensation, said the first sources.
Owners would also receive the same compensation if they choose to have the vehicles repaired, assuming US regulators approve a fix at a later date.
ALSO READ: VW owners can pick buybacks, fixes in emissions deal
The settlement includes $2.7 billion in funds to offset excess diesel emissions and $2 billion in VW investments in green energy and zero emission vehicle efforts, the first sources said. The diesel offset fund could rise if VW has not fixed or bought back 85 per cent of the vehicles by mid-2019, the first sources said.
The $2 billion in green energy and zero emission efforts will be spent over 10 years, the first sources said, and will include zero emission vehicle infrastructure.
The settlement, the largest ever automotive buyback offer in US history and most expensive auto industry scandal, stems from the German automaker's admission in September 2015 that it intentionally misled regulators by installing secret software that allowed US vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.
advertisement
ALSO READ: US sues VW over false 'Clean Diesel' advertising claims
The company's top US executive, Michael Horn, was summoned to testify before Congress and in the days after the emissions scandal broke he said the company had been dishonest. "In my German words: We totally screwed up. We must fix those cars," said Horn, who left the company in March.
VW still must reach agreement with regulators on whether it will offer to buy back 85,000 larger 3.0 litre Porsche, Audi and VW cars and SUVs that emitted up to nine times legally allowable pollution and how much it may face in civil fines for admitting to violating the Clean Air Act.
Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor, said "VW had little negotiating power, given the evidence. The costs of the remedies should make automakers cautious about misleading people in ways that give prosecutors the ability to bring criminal charges. Potential criminal charges mean you open your wallet in the civil actions, hoping to receive leniency instead of jail time."
advertisement
ALSO READ: US judge sets April 21 deadline for VW diesel fix
Reuters reported earlier the initial VW settlement would not include civil penalties under the US Clean Air Act or address about 85,000 larger 3.0 litre Audi, Porsche and VW vehicles that emitted less pollution than 2.0 litre vehicles. A deal covering the 3.0 litre vehicles may still be months away.
The settlement does not address lawsuits from investors or a criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Regulators will not immediately approve fixes for the 2.0 litre vehicles - and may not approve fixes for all three generations of the polluting 2009-2015 vehicles, sources previously told Reuters.
ALSO READ: VW must do more in emissions investigation, say investors
Owners will have until December 2018 to decide whether to sell back vehicles and fixes may not eliminate all excess emissions.
VW cannot resell or export the vehicles bought back unless EPA approves a fix, Reuters reported last week.
VW, the world's second largest automaker, has seen US VW brand sales suffer in the wake of the crisis. VW brand sales are down 13 per cent in the United States in 2016, while sales of its luxury Audi and Porsche units have risen.
advertisement
ALSO READ: Volkswagen managers were notified about diesel probe in May 2014
US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will hold a hearing on July 26 to decide on whether to grant preliminary approval to the settlements. If granted he would hold a later hearing to give final approval. Buybacks are likely to start no earlier than October, the first sources said.
In April, VW set aside $18.2 billion to account for the emissions scandal.
VW had said the scandal impacted 11 million vehicles worldwide and led to the departure of CEO Martin Winterkorn.
ALSO READ: VW to update engines of 3 lakh vehicles recalled in India
Last week, Germany's financial watchdog called on prosecutors to investigate VW's entire former management board over the time it took to disclose the carmaker's emissions test cheating, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
German prosecutors said this month they are investigating Winterkorn and a second unidentified executive over whether they effectively manipulated markets by delaying the release of information about the firm's emissions test cheating.
--- ENDS ---
The strong message from Bihar CM and some arrests that were made in connection to the media expose of the hapless state of Bihar toppers are not enough to eliminate the deep-rooted problem of cheating in the state.
By India Today Web Desk: After the Bihar toppers scam came to light, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar promised that he will take necessary steps to stop this menace, saying, "The education department is looking into the matter and the state government will also intervene. Nobody will be spared. It is good that this issue came to light, as I am sure now that it won't happen again after tough action,"
advertisement
However, the strong message from Bihar CM and the arrests made in connection to the media expose of the hapless state of Bihar toppers are not enough to eliminate the deep-rooted problem of cheating in the state.
Here is a report:
There has been many incidences when the false practice of cheating was recorded in Bihar:
Cheating scene 1: Diploma in Elementary Education Examination (DELED examination)
Future teacher, who were taking the Diploma in Elementary Education examinations, were caught cheating at several places in Bihar. Here is a look at some unbelievable pictures of the officers who were responsible for conducting the examination.
Different views on cheating:
On the one hand, Katihar Bhartendu, supervisor of an institute in Chapra, said, "Nothing as such is happening here. When you enter the exam center, you should first meet centre head. I have no idea about any cheating taking place here.''
While on the other hand, Nalanda Education Officer said, "They were caught cheating. They were all teachers who were appearing for the Diploma in Elementary Education exam. If they pass, they will then undergo training and get promoted. "
Madhubani Magistrate said, "There is no corruption or cheating in the state. I am trying to maintain law and order."
Scene 2: Vir Kumar Singh College, B.A Part I Examination
The students, who had appeared for B.A Part I examination, were seen rampantly cheating in front of teacher at Vir Kumar Singh College. Even the teacher was seen assisting these students in cheating, he literally helped them in forgery. "Photos of cheating have already been taken. Now, it will come in the newspaper and television. Do not hesitate to do your job," the teacher said.
advertisement
Scene 3: Hajipur, Bihar
A shocking scene came in front of the media where a teacher was seen prompting answers to the students at an examination centre in Hajipur, Bihar. After the media expose, the teacher was suspended by the government.
Read: These words by Deepika Padukone will motivate any student
Read: 82-year-old 'student' fails class 10 exam for 47th time
Click here for more education related news.
To get more updates on education related news, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com .
--- ENDS ---
The Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra has released the final merit status for admission to first year of undergraduate technical courses in Engineering and Technology for the academic year 2016-2017.
By India Today Web Desk: The Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra has released the final merit status for admission to first year of undergraduate technical courses in Engineering and Technology for the academic year 2016-2017. The candidates can get the list from the official website, the link for which is http://www.dtemaharashtra.gov.in
How to check?
In order to check the list, the candidates are required to follow the steps listed below:
Go to the official website
Click on the link, '
Thereafter, the candidates should enter application id and date of birth
After submitting the same, the list would appear on the screen
The candidates can take a printout for future use.
advertisement
The Maharashtra is likely to declare the results of B.Ed CET on June 30. The candidates can check their results through the official website bed.mhpravesh.in
About DTE:
The role of the Directorate is to maintain and enhance the standard and quality of technical education by laying the policies, establishing developing government institutions, guiding supervising the aided, private institutions, interacting with industry and national level institutions etc.
For more details, the candidates can visit the official website.
Get latest updates on exam notifications and scholarships across India and abroad here.
For more updates, follow India Today Education or you can write to us at education.intoday@gmail.com
--- ENDS ---
In the ongoing school admission process, Lokmanya Tilak High School at Tilak Nagar in Chembur (Mumbai) has refused to give admission to a student due to nonpayment of fees.
By India Today Web Desk, Press Trust of India: In the ongoing school admission process, Lokmanya Tilak High School at Tilak Nagar in Chembur (Mumbai) has refused to give admission to a student due to nonpayment fees.
After the mother of four-year-old boy studying in junior KG class filed the case in the Bombay High Court, the Judge gave directions to the school to give admission to the boy.
advertisement
(Read: 33 schools get notice for refusing admissions through RTE)
Moreover, as the widowed mother of the boy was not capable to pay the entire fees in one go, the Judge himself offered to pay Rs 10,500 as admission fees from his own pocket.
Details of the hearing:
At a hearing held on Friday, June 24, by Justice V M Kanade sitting at a division bench, along with Justice M S Sonak, asked the concerned school to allow the mother to pay the fees in installments
While speaking on the issue, Justice V M Kanade said, "Please consider this or else I would pay... let the child be not deprived of getting education"
(Read: Delhi govt launches project for easy procurement of certificates for school admissions)
Family background:
Rita Kanojia, the boy's mother, works as a housemaid and lives in slums near the school
In July 2014, her husband, who ran a laundry service, passed away due to cancer
Also, she has two daughters studying in classes 3 and 4 in the same school.
(READ: Kejriwal launches education loan portal for financially weaker students)
Details of last hearing:
As per reports, in the last hearing, the school was asked to grant admission to the kid without pressurising him to pay Rs 19,500 in the name of building development fees.
Therefore, the school asked the mother to pay Rs 10,500 as school fees.
According to statements given by the mother's lawyer, the school authorities refused to pay the fees and even directed the watchman to stop her from entering school building.
Moreover, the bench said, "Please take a sympathetic view of the case and do not deprive the child from getting education."
For more updates, follow India Today Education or you can write to us at education.intoday@gmail.com
--- ENDS ---
JKCE 2015 exam dates and admit cards have been released at the official website.
By India Today Web Desk: The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) has released the exam date and admit cards for the Kakspal Competitive Examination 2015 at the official website.
The candidates who had successfully applied for the Jharkhand Kakspal Competitive Examination 2015 (JKCE), can now download their admit cards, from the commission's website.
The commission has notified that it would conduct the competitive examination on July 10, 2016 at centres across Ranchi.
advertisement
To download the Jharkkhand Kakspal Competitive Examination 2015, the candidates should perform the following steps:
Log on to the official website of the commission, the link for which is http://www.jssc.in/
On the home page, click on live link 'Admit Card for JKCE -2015 Main'
When the new page opens, the candidate should enter the required details such as their application number and date of birth in the space provided and submit
The admit card would appear on the screen. The candidates are advised to take a print out of their hall ticket for future reference.
The aspirants should ensure that they carry their admit card to the examination centre, without which, they might not be allowed to enter the examination hall.
In case a candidate is unable to download his/her admit card, they can collect their admit cards from the commission's office on July 7 and 8.
Read: High Court of Delhi Higher Judicial Service Mains Exam 2016: Download admit cards now at www.delhihighcourt.nic.in
Read: ISRO Scientist/Engineer Exam 2016: Admit cards released at isro.gov.in
For information on more upcoming exams and results,click here.
--- ENDS ---
As a part of her latest Africa visit, First lady Michelle Obama on Monday visited a leadership camp for girls in Liberia and urged the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.
By AP, India Today Web Desk: As a part of her latest Africa visit, First lady Michelle Obama, on Monday, visited a leadership camp for girls in Liberia and urged the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.
With her own teenage daughters joining her, Obama told the girls she was "just so thrilled to be here".
advertisement
"I'm here to shine a big bright light on you," she said.
'Education for girls' is the theme of her Africa visit
The central theme of the first lady's trip, which includes stops in Morocco and Spain, is 'Education for girls' . She was welcomed on her arrival in Liberia with a red carpet and traditional dancers.
USAID announced a funding of USD 27 million in Liberia
In connection with the first lady's visit, USAID announced up to USD 27 million in funding for 'Let Girls Learn', an initiative launched by Mrs. Obama and President Barack Obama last year.
The first lady is travelling with her mother and daughters Malia, 17, who recently graduated from high school, and Sasha, 15.
History of Liberia at a glance:
The country was founded as part of an effort to resettle freed American slaves and has deep ties to the United States
The country's oldest vocational high school, located in Kakata, is named for African-American civil rights activist Booker T. Washington
Liberia was battered by civil wars between 1989 and 2003
Ebola swept the country in 2014, killing more than 4,800. Schools were closed for months.
'A real inspiration to the young girls'
The school suspended mid-term exams scheduled to start Monday "to allow the students to give Mrs. Obama a rousing welcome to appreciate what the United States has done for us," principal Harris Tarnue said.
"She will be a real inspiration to the young girls around here," he said.
Obama's previous Africa visits as first lady included Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Tanzania.
Read: 'Tulsidas ji, pranam': Bihar topper Ruby Rai's one line essay on poet Tulsidas
Read: Cheating, a menace in Bihar: Read to know why
Click here for more education related news.
--- ENDS ---
Khamis has been appointed as PM amid the civil war that has been going on in Syria since 2011. It has been five years since it started and it doesn't seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.
By India Today Web Desk: In the middle of the Civil War that started in the year 2011, Imad Mohammad Deeb Khamis has been appointed as the new Prime Minster of Syria by President Bashar al-Assad. Imad Khamis had been serving the country since 2011 as the Minister of Electricity.
Khamis is set to replace Wael Nader al-Halqi, who served the conflict-hit country from August 2012 to June 2016.
advertisement
Khamis has been appointed amid the civil war that has been going on in Syria since 2011. It has been five years since it started and it doesn't seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.
Let's know all about the war:
Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.
To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail to education.intoday@gmail.com
--- ENDS ---
As Mallikarjun Kharge takes charge as the Congress president, we raise these questions on the show: Can Mallikarjun Kharge transform Congress? What will be Gandhis' new role in the party? Rahul Gandhi still the face of Congress? Is Kharge capable of taking tough decisions? Watch as Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khurshid and Prithviraj Chavan share their views on the road ahead for Congress.
By PTI: Panaji, Jun 28 (PTI) Setting eyes on the upcoming assembly polls in Goa, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that his party will repeat the stunning performance of Delhi in Goa assembly election next year and will win at least 35 of the 40 seats.
"AAP will spoil the prospects of both the parties (Congress and BJP). Out of the 40, we will win minimum 35 seats (in Goa Assembly elections)," Kejriwal told reporters in Vasco town after interacting with fishermen community.
advertisement
The Delhi Chief Minister began his two-day visit to the state today.
On a question on the chief ministerial face of the party in Goa, he said AAP will give this responsibility to someone from the state.
"There are 20 lakh people living in the state. Goans have leadership capabilities. I am a small person here. I cant do much sitting in Delhi," he said.
"Kejriwal is not important, the party is important," he said when asked whether his image is becoming larger than AAP.
He claimed AAP will repeat in Goa the history created in Delhi as people will go for the party and reject Congress and BJP.
"We will repeat the history. The reason is that people in Goa have witnessed that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin, they just fight on the face, but behind that they hold secret meetings with each other. They go along very well, but people suffer," he commented.
He alleged that both Congress and BJP are "completely corrupt parties".
"People have realised that. But they had no option in the past. Now there is an option in the form of AAP," he claimed.
Kejriwal said, "AAP is not a party, it is a revolution...a revolution against corruption."
Equating problems of fishermen in Goa to that of poor people in Delhi, he said the fight of the people is for the livelihood, which is being snatched by government.
"Similar situation prevailed in Delhi when our government was formed. Poor people were fighting for their livelihood. Before the election, we had promised that we will not allow anyones livelihood to be affected or homes to be demolished. We are fulfilling the promise. We are constructing houses for the people living in huts," he claimed.
Kejriwal will hold interactions with small hoteliers at Calangute tomorrow. PTI RPS NP NM RG
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Jaipur, Jun 28 (PTI) Condemning Saturdays terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmirs Pampore, spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah Zainul Abedin Ali Khan today said the armed forces should be given a free hand to take action against terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
"The attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba is an act of cowardice," he said in a statement.
advertisement
"Pakistan is waging a proxy war with India through terror groups and the Indian Air Force should be given the nod to enter and destroy terrorist camps set up by the Pakistani army in PoK," he added.
Khan said terror attacks are against the principles of Islam and Islamic religious leaders across the world should unite in rejecting such outfits who, in the name of jihad, spread terror and kill innocent people.
The Ajmer Dargah Deewan also criticised Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for shrugging off a question on the terror attack, asking the media to rather focus on the Iftaar Party that was going on at the Pakistan High Commission.
"When our jawans are being killed at the border, how could the Iftar party take place," Khan said, adding that the Rasthriya Muslim Manch withdrawing its decision to invite Basit to an Iftar party was worth appreciating.
He said talks between the two countries can never be successful because the army and ISI are more influential in Pakistan than the civil government. PTI SDA RC RG DBS
--- ENDS ---
Anna Hazare is happy with director/actor Shashank Udapurkar's attempt to capture his life on celluloid, and has praised his efforts.
Anna Hazare is happy with the story of his life being adapted to the big screen.
By India Today Web Desk: Social activist Anna Hazare has praised director/actor Shashank Udapurkar's attempt to capture his life on celluloid. Hazare said the film 'Anna' will help people have pure thoughts and inspire them to act towards a life without blemishes, at the poster launch of the film.
"This film is not fictitious. It is not that the script is made out of imagination and then a film is made on it. This is practical. The film is based on what happened on the ground and because of this, there would be good weightage for the film," said Hazare.
advertisement
The poster launch was attended by director/actor Shashank Udapurkar, veteran actor Sharat Saxena, Tanisha Mukerji. Tanisha, who was last seen in Big Boss, will be seen making a comeback, playing a journalist in this film. Her last big film as an actor was Sarkaar Raj in 2008.
The poster sees the back of Shashank Udapurkar in his Anna Hazare avatar, as he addresses a crowd gathered against a lightning in the sky. The film wil capture Hazare's childhood days, army days and his return to Ralegan Siddhi where he began his fight against corruption.
--- ENDS ---
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has yet again become the joke of the day on Twitter.
By India Today Web Desk: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is the favourite whipping boy of satirical and parody accounts on Twitter.
The AAP supremo apparently never fails to provide fodder to the Twitteratti that is just waiting for him to slip up. This time, in what can only be described as a brilliant move (if you're Lady Gaga), Kejriwal showed up in Goa wearing some sort of crown or headgear made up of flowers.
advertisement
We still don't know the reason for the bizarre headgear. Twitter has reason to believe the CM has been snorting something suspicious or is just resorting to using Snapchat filters. Some feel he is just using too much fertiliser in his shampoo. We cannot confirm or deny any of these.
Meanwhile, have a look at some of the hilarious tweets poking fun at the CM's flower power.
Kejriwal's new plan to combat pollution in Delhi - all Delhiites to grow gardens on their heads pic.twitter.com/2bjQ5o9Pgf The Bad Doctor (@DOCTORATLARGE) June 28, 2016
"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown . . . " pic.twitter.com/evUpm5Z0i5 Overrated Outcast (@over_rated) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal has finally installed Snapchat pic.twitter.com/D2U65GS9jK Anurag Verma (@kitAnurag) June 28, 2016
Guys with Girl DPs on Twitter be like pic.twitter.com/XrBbwzrx6Y Aladdin (@Alllahdin) June 28, 2016
The Perks of Being a Kejriwallflower. Swamy (@slimswamy) June 28, 2016
When you're high af because you're in Goa, but also have to give election speeches pic.twitter.com/oDtoeFYoK7 Aladdin (@Alllahdin) June 28, 2016
When you have dharna at 6, but you gotta attend Coachella at 8 pic.twitter.com/qTMHRzgEpK Anuradha (@anuradha_kush) June 28, 2016
Me and my friends after taking in all the drugs in #UdtaPunjab pic.twitter.com/Za3XaIk4WF Ashwin Mushran (@ashwinmushran) June 28, 2016
Growing Flowers on Head. Aur kya achhe din chahiye? https://t.co/ClBfmy8lEW Sagarcasm (@sagarcasm) June 28, 2016
Who wore it better? Like for Taher, RT for Kejriwal ?????? pic.twitter.com/3eUuitv4jL Circuit (@SirKit_) June 28, 2016
--- ENDS ---
A 28-year-old man killed his father in Koramangala after suspecting him of doing black magic that rendered him jobless.
By India Today Web Desk: In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old man murdered his father after he suspected him of casting a spell on him. Kiran Kumar stabbed his father Goutham Kumar, 72, following a family dispute in Koramangala locality of Bengaluru on Sunday night. Kiran was arrested by the police later.
Police said that Kiran believed that he was unable to find a job as his father had done black magic on him. Kiran and Goutham, a retired army man, got into a heated argument following which the incident took place.
advertisement
According to sources, the family had gone to attend a social event when the incident took place. Police said that Goutham frequently admonished Kiran as he was unemployed and was mostly idling with other unemployed youth from the locality. Police said that Kiran has been harbouring a grudge against his father for the past few months.
Here's what happened: Goutham was alone at home on Sunday night when Kiran approached him at around 10.30 pm. The duo allegedly got into an argument after Kiran asked formoney from his father. Outraged after being reprimanded by the father who asked him to find a job, Kiran took a sickle and stabbed him. Hearing the commotion neighbhours rush to the spot, only to find Goutham lying in a pool of blood. They informed Viveknagar police who rushed to the spot. According to neighbhours, Kiran fled from the spot when he saw them approaching. The deceased was living with his family in Srinivagilu in Ejipura and Kiran was the youngest of his two sons. Sources said that Kiran, a B.com graduate, had left his job recently and was idling away his time. The family told the police that Kiran was suffering from a nervous disorder and frequently got angry. The family also confirmed that Kiran was under the impression that he was unable to find a new job as his father had used 'black magic' on him. After retiring from the Army, Goutham had been working as a clerk with Madras Engineers Group.
Also read:
Kerala techie kills father, dumps body parts separately
--- ENDS ---
The incident came to light when the landlord found the cab abandoned and could not locate Bharati.
By Rohini Swamy: She was known as Bengaluru's first lady cab driver. But life was too short for this woman achiever as she was found dead at her rented house in Sanjayanagar in the city under mysterious circumstances.
The incident came to light when the landlord found the cab abandoned and could not locate Bharati. He immediately went to her house on the third floor and found her hanging when he looked through the window. The landlord informed the police and the police rushed to the spot, but found her dead.
advertisement
Sources in the police said that Bharati was staying alone in her apartment, and had recently informed her landlord that she wanted to shift to her hometown in Andhra Pradesh.
SUICIDE NOTE NOT FOUND
With no suicide note and the leads to the incident looking suspicious as the house was unlocked, the police are now investigating the cause of death.
As of now the police have filed a case of suicide.
Meanwhile, Additional Commissioner Sharath Chandra said, "Reasons unknown. One phone is checked. There are no messages. It is completely deleted. Other phone is locked. She has not left any death note. The details of the death has to be ascertained."
UBER'S STATEMENT
"We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Bharathi Veerath. Bharathi was a positive person and one of our top women driver partners. She was an inspiration to many driver partners and riders. Our thoughts are with her family." Uber spokesperson.
--- ENDS ---
Revel in nature, take a bike tour or learn about the inception of Bhutan. Also, Amitav Ghosh will be there!
Bhutan's literary festival will be held from August 26-28 this year. Picture courtesy: Tumblr/kingdomofbhutan
By India Today Web Desk: Amitav Ghosh, authentic Bhutanese food, a bike tour and unique history of how a country came together--sounds like fun, doesn't it? Well, it is--a whole lot of fun.
Bhutan's literary festival this year is going to be unlike any literary festival you have attended.
This year, Bhutan's seventh edition of literary festival, Mountain Echoes, will focus especially on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, the first ruler who united the small, happy country.
advertisement
Tracing the entire history of the country with respect to 'this' historical figure will be done through a conversation between Kuenga Wangmo (an archaeologist who has worked in Bhutan and India) and Dasho Sangay Khandu (member of the Economic Affairs Committee, Foreign Relations Committee and the Indo-Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship), festival co-director Namita Gokhale said in a statement.
Also read:A tale of India's 300-year-old Turkish hammam
"An initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation in association with Siyahi, Mountain Echoes, to be held from August 26 to August 28 is a confluence of art, music, literature and new media of both countries, serving as the ideal platform for debate, discussion and cultural exchange," Gokhale said.
The event will be held together with the important religious Buddhist festival, Tsecheus.
"What mask dancers are to the Tsechues, authors are to the Mountain Echoes," said Tshering Tashi, the festival co-director from Bhutan.
"Its idyllic location and programme of events makes it one of the most unique literary festivals and a leading event in the international literary calendar," he added.
The festival will open with a talk on climate change and its impact by the acclaimed Indian writer, Amitav Ghosh, and introduced by Indian ambassador Jaideep Sarkar. It makes sense; after all, the event itself is called Mountain Echoes.
Also read:This store in Kolkata has unique watches
Just FYI, Bhutan is considered to be one of the greenest countries on the planet, with more than 60 per cent green cover.
This year, the festival will also see the inauguration of the Bonfire Tales--a bike tour into the lovely valleys of Bhutan.
The participants will be led by Bhutanese actor Kelly Dorji, who has acted in Indian films like Ek Ajnabee and Fareb (you might remember him as Lara Dutta's ex, though).
The bikers will explore Bhutan in the tour, which aims to provide them with a genuine experience of the Bhutanese culture through food, history and religious sites.
(With inputs from IANS)
--- ENDS ---
India Today, is in exclusive possession of the medical report which points towards two-finger test having been carried. The report says that "vaginal orifice admitted two-finger loose."
By Rohit Kumar Singh: Despite the Supreme Court ban on the two-finger test on any rape victim, Bihar is continuing to conduct the test. This came to the light after the first medical report of the Motihari rape survivor was out few days back. The minor girl's medical examination report suggested that the medical board had conducted the banned two-finger test on the rape victim. The board after the test had ascertained that there was no rape.
advertisement
India Today, is in exclusive possession of the medical report which points towards two-finger test having been carried. The report says that "vaginal orifice admitted two-finger loose."
TWO TESTS CONDUCTED
It may be noted that already there have been two medical examination conducted over the rape survivor in last one week and both pointed towards the fact that there girl was not subjected to rape. However, deputy medical superintendent of Motihari Hospital, Dr Manoj Kumar contradicted the first medical board report of which he was also a part and claimed that the girl was indeed raped.
India Today, when spoke to the Civil Surgeon of Motihari Hospital, Dr. Prashant Kumar, said that only the necessary process of medical examination was conducted on the girl. Prashant Kumar said, "Necessary process of medical examination was done. There is nothing like two-finger, three-finger or one-finger test".
Meanwhile, the President of the Indian Medical Association of Bihar Chapter, Dr. Sachidanand Singh said that if two-finger test was carried on the girl, it was illegal and strict action should be taken against the doctor concerned. "The two-finger test is banned in India and if this test has been carried, it wrong and action should be taken against the doctor", said IMA's Bihar President
NO CLARITY ON RAPE
Incidentally, there is still no clarity whether the girl was raped or not as the two medical tests have denied rape but the National Commission for Women asserts that the girl was raped and the state government was simply trying to cover up the case.
Amidst all this, demands has been growing in the state to send the girl to Delhi for a fresh medical examination.
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Karachi, Jun 28 (PTI) Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today expressed unhappiness over performance of his party-led government in Sindh as he dodged questions about security measures in the province.
Bilawal, who visited the home of slain qawwal Amjad Sabri in the densely-populated area in the city under strong and elaborate security arrangements,
stayed with Sabris family for about 30 minutes.
advertisement
When a reporter asked: "What is Sindh government doing after Amjad Sabri?s killing and abduction of Sindh Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shahs son Owais Shah?"
Bilawal asked Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal to respond to the question.
"Jawab dou Sindh government Jawab dou (give answer Sindh government, give answer)," the PPP chairman said.
Later, senior PPP minister Nisar Khuro hold a press conference in which he stressed that the chairman was not unhappy with the performance of the Sindh government.
The PPP-led governments performance has come under the scanner after the two high-profile incidents in the city.
Sabri was shot dead while driving in his car in the city?s Liaqatabad area, while Awais Shah was abducted outside a supermarket in the city.
Karachi, a teeming metropolis of more than 20 million people, has long been plagued by political, ethnic and religious violence, although crime has dropped sharply since the launch of a paramilitary operation in September 2013. PTI CORR ZH
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) Trying to emerge as a "strong alternative" to the ruling BJD in Odisha, BJP will launch state wide protests against the Naveen Patnaik government tomorrow, days after the vehicle carrying Union Minister Santosh Gangwar was attacked by alleged BJD supporters.
"The attack was pre-planned as the BJD is jittery over the rise of BJP. We are fighting to become a strong alternative to the ruling party. Congress there is in terminal decline," BJP General Secretary and the state in-charge Arun Singh said today.
advertisement
It was a "murderous" attack aimed at scuttling the partys programmes in the state, he told reporters.
Gangwar along with Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and former Jharkhand Chief Minister was in Bargarh district last week to participate in a programme to observe the second anniversary of the Modi government.
While the party will hold protests across all blocks tomorrow, it has planned an agitation in state capital Bhubaneswar on July 4.
There has been reports that the BJP is working to keep the BJD in good humour as it needs its support to push its legislative agenda in Parliament, especially in the Rajya Sabha, but party leaders insisted that they see the state as a "bright" prospect in 2019, when both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls are due.
BJP had received over 22 per cent of votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. It could win only one seat and came second on nine.
Congress had secure more vote share but the saffron party believes that it can emerge as the principal challenger to the BJD, replacing Congress. PTI KR RG
--- ENDS ---
These are parts of the findings which have come out in a survey by MyGov, which was conducted to get an insight into the mood of the nation as the Modi government completed two years in office. Officials claim that this survey has seen the largest mass participation in India.
Visits by President Barack Obama a the first US president to visit India twice during his tenure a and other pro-active foreign policy initiatives have grabbed the maximum limelight, with over 76 per cent rating from people.
By Kumar Vikram: Pro-active foreign policies and impressive turnaround of the infrastructure sector - including the railways and roads -in two years of the Narendra Modi government seem have caught the maximum attention of people. On the contrary, a large number of people believe that the government's efforts in tackling black money or its thrust on generating employment through flagship schemes like Mudra Yojna and Startup India have not been quite effective.
advertisement
SURVEY
These are parts of the findings which have come out in a survey by MyGov, which was conducted to get an insight into the mood of the nation as the Modi government completed two years in office. Officials claim that this survey has seen the largest mass participation in India.
While over 64 lakh people have shown interest in the comprehensive survey - both online and by phone calls - a total of 2.68 lakh people have completed the survey, replying to 30 questions based on the initiatives and flagship schemes of the government. The survey started on May 26 as the government completed two years and the exercise continued till June 23.
POSITIVES
The government might be on the Opposition's radar over the failed attempt at a membership in the NSG, but successful visits by President Barack Obama -the first US president to visit India twice during his tenure that too as the chief guest on the occasion of Republic Day - and other pro-active foreign policy initiatives have grabbed the maximum limelight with over 76 per cent rating from people, who participated in the survey.
Similarly, continuous efforts of the ministry of Railways in making common people's journey free of hassles secured impressive marking from people. Initiatives of Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu in modernising the railways infrastructure has also garnered over 75 per cent score.
Turn-around of roads and highway sector by reaching the target of constructing 25 kms of road everyday throughout the year has transformed the infra sector and people have given over 75 per cent score to the efforts put in by Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari for bringing about this transformation.
Similarly, the government's Make in India initiatives, under which foreign companies have been offered the Indian platform has been well-appreciated by the people with over 74 per cent scoring.
Make in India initiatives comes under different ministries including finance led by Arun Jaitley, commerce led by Nirmala Sitharaman and others. However, the efforts of the government, particularly the finance ministry, in tackling black money - both foreign and domestic -has received the least score, with just about 62 per cent.
The government has unearthed as much as Rs 50,000 crore of indirect tax evasion and another Rs 21,000 crore of undisclosed income in the last two years. The finance ministry data also said that the crackdown on black money has led to seizure of Rs 3,963 crore of smuggled goods in two years - a 32 per cent jump over the previous two years.
MyGov
However, people feel that much needs to be done in regards to black money both inside and outside the country. Similarly, flagship schemes including Mudra Yojna and Startup India aimed for creating entrepreneurship and generating employment has not received too much of appreciation with only about 65 per cent score.
advertisement
While a total of 3.5 crore beneficiaries availed Rs 1.22 lakh crore loans under Mudra yojna during last the fiscal, government aims to disburse more in the current year which is around Rs1.80 lakh crore.
Similarly, under Startup India scheme, the government platform provides tax facilities to the new and innovative startups. Officials said that on the occasion of completion of two years of the government, MyGov became the principal online engagement platform for the citizens.
"A specially designed micro-site https://twoyears.mygov.in/ was created where the impact of various governance initiatives in the last two years was reported back to the citizens in real time, keeping in tune with the true essence of Jan Bhagidari.
advertisement
For the period May 26 to June 23, 2016, this website became the default landing page of MyGov," said a senior official of the MyGov. The survey was divided in two sections to seek comprehensive feedback from the citizens. Amid wide publicities of the Modi government's achievements through various media platforms, about 14 ministers took live questions from common people through Mygov website over the last one month.
ALSO READ:
BJP is fast losing popularity, Modi isn't: Salman Khurshid
Mood of the Nation poll: Has the Modi magic faded
--- ENDS ---
In the wake of last Thursday's vote to leave the European Union, Britain has seen a surge in xenophobia expressed in taunts, threats and worse.
By AP: An Eastern European family in Rugby finds dog excrement shoved through its mailbox. A Londoner nearly gets into a fight over drunken slurs shouted on a crowded subway car. A Polish teenager in Gloucestershire is taunted with threats of deportation at her high school.
In the wake of last Thursday's vote to leave the European Union, Britain has seen a surge in xenophobia expressed in taunts, threats and worse. For many, foreign- and native-born, the U.K. has suddenly become much scarier place.
advertisement
"Before Friday we lived in a tolerant society," said Oana Gorcea, a 32-year-old Romanian who has lived in Britain since she was a teenager. "I've been here 13 years, but I've never felt like I had to hide where I came from. But from Friday, things completely changed."
Gorcea, who works for a multinational company in Rugby, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of London, said her street was being patrolled by "English commandos who walk around and try to intimidate non-white non-English people." The talk of the neighborhood was the dog feces shoved through a local immigrant family's mailbox.
Gorcea's story and others like it have been echoing across social media for days. Eastern Europeans, Muslims - even Americans and Germans - have reported acts of intimidation and harassment. Victims describe an emboldened angry fringe emerging to crow over Thursday's vote; a T-shirt sported by a man at an Armed Forces Day parade in the working class London borough of Havering over the weekend seemed to sum up the new attitude:
"YES! WE WON! NOW SEND THEM BACK."
British reporters across the country have seen the resurgence of racism up close and personal. Adam Boulton, a presenter for Britain's Sky News, posted a message to Twitter saying he and his family had witnessed three separate incidents of when-are-you-going-home?-style abuse aimed at Europeans over the weekend.
Channel Four's Ciaran Jenkins said that within a five-minute span in the northern England town of Barnsley, three people had shouted "Send them home!" BBC reporter Sima Kotecha said that she was in "utter shock" after having returned home to the southern England town of Basingstoke and been abused with a racial slur she hadn't heard "since the 80s."
Police are investigating vandalism at a Polish cultural center in west London and incidents in Cambridgeshire in which cards were given to Polish residents calling them "vermin" and ordering them to leave the country. The National Police Chiefs' Council said there had been a 57 percent rise in hate crime complaints in the past four days compared to the same period last month.
MUSLIM COMMUNITY AFFECTED
Britain's sizeable Muslim community has also found itself caught up in the anti-immigrant backlash. Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that "hundreds of hate crimes" had been reported across the country.
advertisement
"The type of language that has been used, like 'go back to your own country,' 'we voted this way, now you have to get out,' that type of language indicates there is some sort of link" to the referendum, he said.
Those who championed the campaign to pull Britain from the EU have condemned the attacks.
"I've never, ever, ever encouraged or condoned behavior like that, and I never, ever would," said United Kingdom Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, before adding that "the real prejudice is the prejudice that's been there for a decade or more against anybody that dares stand up against the establishment, anybody that dares to say that we shouldn't be part of the EU."
Other politicians didn't buy it.
"The leaders of the Brexit campaign have engendered an atmosphere where some people believe it is open season now for racism and xenophobia," said lawmaker Harriet Harman, a former leader of the opposition Labour Party.
'COMING OUT LIKE WOODWORMS'
For the victims, the link between the referendum and the abuse is clear. Immigration was a key issue in the campaign, with Farage posing in front of a massive, truck-drawn poster carrying a photograph of hundreds of swarthy migrants under the words "Breaking Point." Many "leave" voters cited the influx of foreigners as a top concern.
advertisement
"Just because of one referendum ... it's coming out like woodworms," said Julie Sauter Daoud, a French-German national who has lived in Britain most of her life. On Sunday she got a firsthand encounter with xenophobia when two men overtook her car shouting, "Go home, you (expletive) German."
She said the attack, which happened while she was driving down a residential street in the northern English city of Sheffield, left her so shaken she was even scared to speak French to her youngest child at the supermarket.
"It's terribly sickening," she said in a telephone interview. "The first time ever in my life. Ever." She paused for a second. "Probably not the last time now."
The 44-year-old's story is one of hundreds filling a Facebook group called "Worrying Signs," which is gathering evidence of the recent surge in intolerance. By late Monday the site was jammed with stories and photographs of sinister graffiti and even broken windows. Polish-British national Natalia Nicholls wrote on the site that her 14-year-old sister was taunted by boys at her high school in the Cotswolds region of England who boasted that "now we can get rid of the Polish and the blacks." Corinne Abrahams, 24, said she was returning from a music festival when she nearly got into a fight with an inebriated man yelling anti-foreigner epithets on the London subway. An American woman said she was recently accosted by people calling her a "Yankee (expletive)" in a parking lot.
advertisement
The wave of rage has unsettled the country's political class, already in disarray following the Brexit vote. Prime Minister David Cameron, in his first appearance before lawmakers since the vote to reassure Europeans and other ethnic minorities living in Britain that they would be protected.
"Let's remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country," he said. "We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks. They must be stamped out."
Also Read:
Au revoir anglais? EU could drop English as official tongue after Brexit
EU calls for UK to 'Brexit' quickly; Britain wants more time
Brexit: Here's what you need to know
--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Italian actor, filmmaker and star of Spaghetti-westerns, Bud Spencer died on Monday, at the age of 86. He died 'peacefully' and did not 'suffer any pain' his son, film producer Giuseppe Pedersoli was quoted as saying. "My father died peacefully at 18:15 and did not suffer from pain, he had all of us next to him and his last words were 'Thank you'," he said.
advertisement
Born with the name Carlo Pedersoli in Naples, Italy, the actor moved to Hollywood in the '50s, where he made a name for himself as the 'big friendly giant' for his sheer size. Starring alongside friend Terrence Hill, Spencer majorly played the role of cowboys or policemen. He was also a professional swimmer, and was the first Italian to swim 100m under a minute.
Tributes poured in from Italian PM Matteo Renzi, and Hollywood star Russell Crowe on Twitter.
Ciao #BudSpencer
Ti abbiamo voluto bene in tanti Matteo Renzi (@matteorenzi) June 27, 2016
RIP Bud Spencer ... My heart goes out to your family https://t.co/KSfsfUtrga Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) June 27, 2016
Some of his most famous films include: Ace High, They Call Me Trinity and A Friend is a Treasure. The actor once talked about how he picked his screen name for Hollywood and was believed to have said, that his name was a tribute to his favourite beer Budwesier and favourite American actor Spencer Tracy.
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Aditi Khanna
London, Jun 27 (PTI) Britian will not tolerate intolerance, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said today after it emerged that over100 incidents of racial abuse and hate crimes have been reported since the UK votedto leave the EU.
"We should be absolutely clear that this government will not tolerate intolerance... intimidating migrants, telling them they need to go home," the Prime Ministers Downing Street spokesperson said.
advertisement
Britain witnessed over100 incidents of racial abuse and hate crimes, including alleged racist graffiti and cards reading "no more Polish vermin" posted outside a school.
Scotland Yard was called in to inspect suspected graffiti found on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London early morning yesterday.
"We are investigating the racially motivated criminal damage on a building," Metropolitan Police said, urging any witnesses to come forward.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary was also investigating racism reports around laminated signs calling on people to leave the UK being posted through the doors of members of the Polish community in Huntingdon in the east of England.
Detective Superintendent Martin Brunning of the Constabulary said: "The production and distribution of this and any other similar material is committing the crime of inciting racial hatred."
According to reports from the Cambridge News, a number of cards saying "Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin" in both English and Polish were found outside St Peters school.
Meanwhile, two men were arrested in Birmingham after a protest outside a mosque on Saturday where police confiscated a banner with the slogan "rapefugees not welcome".
Officers were also investigating reports from Upton Park, east London, where a witness said that he went to the aid of a Polish man and his father who were beaten up on Saturday night.
Such crimes carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Baroness Warsi, the Conservative peer who stopped supporting Leave because of the anti-immigrant tone of the campaign, said the "atmosphere on the street is not good".
"Ive spent most of the weekend talking to organisations, individuals and activists who work in the area of race hate crime, who monitor hate crime. They have shown some really disturbing early results from people being stopped in the street and saying look, we voted Leave, its time for you to leave," she said.
Many of the incidents seem to show the mistaken belief that EU citizens living in the UK will be forced to leave the country instantly as a result of the referendum result. PTI AK AMS AKJ NSA
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
By PTI: Gwalior, Jun 28 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Nadda today announced that the Centre will set up a state level cancer care unit here at a cost of Rs 45 crore.
"A state-level cancer care unit will come up on the campus of government-run J A Hospital. The Centre is going to spend Rs 45 crore to set up the unit," he said at the stone-laying ceremony of super specialty block at government G R Medical College here.
advertisement
The minister also lauded the Madhya Pradesh government for "effective" implementation of vaccination programme under the Centres Indradhanush Mission.
"The effective implementation of Indradhanush Mission has brought down infant and child mortality rate in MP," he said.
In December 2014, the Union Minister had launched the Indradhanush Mission aiming at immunising all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B by 2020.
Besides Nadda, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also addressed the function. PTI COR LAL NP SRY PTP
--- ENDS ---
The Congress has constituted a committee to oversee these programs. The committee has all the bigwigs of the party while the implementation committee has Shiela Dikshit as the convener.
By Ashhar Khan: After the ruling BJP snubbed the Congress by celebrating the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel by observing his birth anniversary as National Unity Day and skipped the event commemorating the death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, the Congress this time has decided to have a series of programs on the birth centenary of the former prime minister.
advertisement
The Congress has constituted a committee to oversee these programs. The committee has all the bigwigs of the party while the implementation committee has Sheila Dikshit as the convener. Senior leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and Anand Sharma are co-conveners.
The idea is to counter what the Congress terms as "propaganda" against the former prime minister Indira Gandhi. The Congress feels that the good work which has been done by her needs to be highlighted.
Shiela Dikshit has however tried to downplay the whole thing. She said, "We will be meeting shortly to decide and chalk out the entire program for the centenary celebrations." She also adds that memorabilia will also be released. The Congress is also planning to release a booklet on this.
The Congress had earlier celebrated the 125th anniversary of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. These celebrations witnessed an international conference in New Delhi.
--- ENDS ---
While the jawans fired from inside the bus the two terrorists kept changing their positions and managed to inflict heavy damage within a few minutes.
By Abhishek Bhalla : The role of surrendered terrorists is being suspected in the ambush of a CRPF convoy that killed eight CRPF soldiers and wounded 22 others in Pampore area of Srinagar on Sunday.
While two terrorists fired at three vehicles of the CRPF, two others who dropped them at the spot, fled in their car and drove towards Srinagar, CRPF Director General (DG) K Durga Prasad said on Monday.
advertisement
While the force faced heavy casualty, its men did put up a brave fight. Three among the CRPF jawans who were killed continued to fire even after being hit and the bravehearts ended up firing over 90 rounds between them before succumbing to injuries.
However, the two terrorists engaged them in a gun battle that continued for three to five minutes. After deflating the tyres of the three vehicles, the drivers were shot. While the jawans fired from inside the bus the two terrorists kept changing their positions and managed to inflict heavy damage within a few minutes.
ALSO READ:
Terror attack on CRPF convoy: MHA team to visit Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday
--- ENDS ---
After the death of three toddlers, Ikea, the Swedish furniture retailing giant, has halted the sale of dressers that easily tip over.
By India Today Web Desk: The death of three toddlers has prompted Ikea, the largest furniture retailer, to stop the sale of dressers that easily tip over. Ikea has recalled sold dressers and has also promised to offer full refunds to millions of customers who bought these.
One particular low-cost dresser range called Malm chests caused death of three toddlers over the past two years. In every case, the dresser toppled and crushed them to death. The news was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, and states that the recall applies to 36 million dressers sold already.
advertisement
In early 2014, a 2-year-old named Curren Collas from Pennsylvania was killed when a six-drawer Malm chest unit fell onto him in his bedroom.
A few months later, a 23-month-old named Camden Ellis from Washington state died when a three-drawer Malm fell and trapped him. In February, 22-month-old, Theodore McGee in Minnesota was killed in his sleep by an Ikea cabinet that fell onto him.
In the wake of these tragic deaths, the company came up with a 'Secure It' campaign to attach dressers to the wall and offered free anchoring kits. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission urged Ikea to repair the Malm dresser design, but they did not follow suit.
Help prevent furniture tip-over injuries & deaths by sharing these tips with friends. https://t.co/8im3o71PgR pic.twitter.com/QqD49aVAHO IKEA USA (@IKEAUSA) June 27, 2016
Speaking to NBC, Lars Petersson, Ikeas US president, said that the consumers who use the defective dressers should immediately get rid of them and make it inaccessible to children.
Reports state, thousands of people die each year or get injured by unstable furniture and wall mountings, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission says that a child gets injured every 24 minutes from furniture or TVs tipping over. They also said such accidents are fatal and happen every two weeks.
In the video below the US Consumer and Product Safety Commission shows why it is important to "anchor" large pieces of furniture, televisions and appliances.
--- ENDS ---
Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases, the worst in 20 years, even as the disease also claimed 60 lives, as per municipal reports.
By Press Trust of India: At least 28 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital with 15 of them in the month of June, according to a municipal report.
May witnessed six cases of the vector-borne disease and 15 cases till June 25, it said.
STATISTICS OF DENGUE CASES
Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases, the worst in 20 years, even as the disease also claimed 60 lives, as per municipal reports.
advertisement
During 1996, a severe outbreak of dengue had occurred in Delhi wherein about 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were reported.
In 2010, besides over 6,200 cases, only eight deaths were officially reported. The Commonwealth Games was held that year and massive construction works in the city was a major factor in the spread of the disease.
This year, dengue cases have been reported rather early and relatively in larger numbers. From June 1-25 last year only only six cases were reported.
Thirteen cases were reported till May this year taking the total number of cases so far in the city to 28, a senior civic official said.
NO CASE REPORTED UNDER NDMC
No case has been reported from any of the zones under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation while Najafgarh Zone of SDMC has recorded two cases, a senior SDMC official said.
SDMC compiles dengue report on behalf of all the civic bodies in the city.
The civic body has reported 4 cases overall while East Delhi Municipal Corporation has recorded one. Of the total number of cases this year, two were reported from areas outside the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations.
While 9 cases were reported from Uttar Pradesh, one of those diagnosed with the disease came from Haryana, and 11 of them came from other states.
The number of houses where breeding of mosquitoes were found are -- 6,786 (NDMC), 19,366 (SDMC) and 2,605 (EDMC).
And, number of prosecution launched respectively in these areas were -- 354, 844 and 64, the report said.
DENGUE-FREE COOLER
As part of its preventive measure against the deadly disease, NDMC had last month launched a drive and sought to popularise the use of a specially-made cooler and the plant Agave Americana.
Named 'dengue-free cooler' and designed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the NDMC claims, they are equipped with facilities to reduce breeding of mosquitoes inside it.
A net placed above the water tank of the cooler keeps away mosquitoes from breeding in water, NDMC Commissioner P K Gupta said.
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain
Islamabad, Jun 27 (PTI) Pakistans intensive diplomatic lobbying, including letters written by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his 17 counterparts, prevented India from gaining entry into the NSG, the countrys top diplomat claimed today.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that hectic diplomatic efforts were made to inform the world leaders about Pakistans position on the NSG entry.
advertisement
"Prime Minister Sharif personally wrote letters to 17 prime ministers of different countries on the matter, which is on record," Aziz said told journalists here.
The Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) meeting last week failed to achieve consensus over the entry of India as some countries including China objected that the being non-NPT signatory, India was not eligible for the membership.
Pakistan has been trumpeting it as success but it at the same time it was seldom mentioned here what happened to its own application for the membership.
Pakistan tried to sell the idea that a criteria-based non-discriminatory approach was needed to admit new members.
India and Pakistan are the two non-NPT states aspiring for the membership of the 48-member nuclear grouping.
Aziz also said that security agencies are in the process of compiling more evidence against arrested alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. He said that legal proceedings against Jadhav would begin soon.
Aziz claimed Jadhav had confessed that he was sent to Pakistan in order to destabilise the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Jadhav from Balochistan in March and alleged that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy." It accused Jadhav of planning "subversive activities" in the country.
India has acknowledged that Jadhav had served with the navy but denied that he has any connection with the government. PTI SH/ZH AKJ KUN
--- ENDS ---
This satirical Australian advertisement picks on Donald Trump's promise of making a wall along the US-Mexico border. And this ad is banned in the United States of America. Read to know why.
By India Today Web Desk: After Britain decided to leave the European Union, many people criticised the decision and the Twitterati came out with innumerable memes and jokes.
A particular tweet went viral which said, "US and UK are competing who can do worse for themselves. With #Brexit, Britain is now in the lead, but America has the Trump card (sic)."
advertisement
The joke is on Donald Trump. After he promised to build a wall separating the US from Mexico, we think the joke is not on him, but him.
Along the same line, 360Fly, an Australian start up, came up with an ad satirising the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his promise of building a border wall.
"Get a broader perspective" is the ad's message, as it launches a single-lens camera that captures seamless 360 degree video.
The ad has been banned by some major media houses for having racial overtones, and the list includes ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision and Comedy Central. It was allowed to run on Fox channel according to Peter Adderton, the CEO of 360fly.
The ad features an actor who nails the Donald Trump look. In the ad, Trump is shown as the President of the United States of America (in a parallel universe, we hope) and Trump unveiling the wall along the US-Mexico border to his "supporters and the press".
However, a man using a 360 degree camera captures Mexican immigrants, Mexican mariachi band members and maids coming out of tunnel while Trump is unaware.
Highlighting how Trump's idea of building a wall will be anything but a success, the ad's message is probably a hint for Trump as well.
--- ENDS ---
As part of its crackdown on dissent, the Egyptian authorities detained popular Lebanese ONTV host Liliane Daoud from her residence on Monday.
Liliane Daoud was taken from her house to an undisclosed location. (Photo: @AlArabiya_Eng)
By AP: Egyptian authorities on Monday detained and deported a famous TV host whose program had been critical of the government's policies, including its crackdown on freedom of speech, her lawyer and officials said.
Liliane Daoud was taken from her house to an undisclosed location, Zyad el-Elaimy said. Daoud hosted a talk show on ONTV, a private network that has adopted a less critical editorial line since Ahmed Abou Hashima, a pro-government businessman, purchased it last month.
advertisement
El-Elaimy said Daoud's arrest, by men who claimed to be from the Passport Department, came hours after the network ended her contract, and that authorities intend to deport her.
"This is forced disappearance," he said adding that he learned about her arrest from her 10-year-old daughter, who was at home when she was detained.
EGYPTIAN AUTHORITY CONFIRMS ARREST
An Egyptian security official confirmed the arrest, saying Daoud's residency permit has expired and that she will be deported. The official added, however, that she had crossed red lines in her TV program and will not be allowed to return to Egypt as punishment.
Shortly before midnight, an airport official said that Daoud, who is Lebanese, has been escorted by security men, without her luggage, to the airport where she took a flight to Beirut.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Daoud's last posting on her Twitter account announced that her contract with ONTV had come to an end after five years. The contracts of another TV host, Gaber al-Qarmouti, and his team were also terminated.
JOURNALISTS, ACTIVISTS EXPRESS SHOCK
Journalists and activists expressed shock at her arrest on social media. The former satirical TV host Bassem Youssef - once described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt- said her arrest is "just the beginning." "She has been kidnapped," he wrote on his Facebook page.
Authorities launched a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent after the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, arresting thousands of people, mainly his Islamist supporters but also a number of well-known secular activists.
Also on Monday, Mozn Hassan, a prominent female activist, was banned from travelling to a human rights meeting in Beirut. Nazra for Feminist Studies, a group she founded, said the case was linked to an intensified crackdown on non-governmental organizations.
Also read:
Former President Mursi sentenced to life by Egyptian court
--- ENDS ---
Police said security forces surrounded a residential house in Nagri village in following information about a group of militants hiding there.
By India Today Web Desk: An encounter broke out between security forces and terrorists in Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir early morning.
One terrorist has been killed in gunfight.
The gunbattle broke out after security forces besieged a house in the area where a local Hizbul commander was believed to be hiding.
Police said security forces surrounded a residential house in Nagri village following information about a group of militants hiding there.
J&K: Encounter between security forces and terrorists underway in Kupwara (Visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/EDZbRH29KEANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
advertisement
This incident comes just two days after eight CRPF men were killed by terrorists, while 22 were injured in an encounter in Pampore area of Srinagar on Sunday.
Earlier last week, a total of seven militants were killed in three encounters in the district.
Also Read:
Kupwara encounters: Seven militants killed in 24 hours
Pampore fallout: Security beefed up along highways, security procedures to be reviewed
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Yoshita Singh
United Nations, Jun 28 (PTI) The UN General Assembly today elected Ethiopia, Bolivia and Sweden as non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year period beginning in January, 2017.
The 193-member UN body conducted the elections for five non-permanent seats, which included one seat for the African Group, one seat for the Group of Asia and the Pacific small island developing states, one seat for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, and two seats for the Western European and Others Group.
advertisement
The two-year terms of the new members will begin January 1 next year and run through December 31, 2018. Ethiopia got 185 votes, while Bolivia got 183 and Sweden garnered 134 votes.
A second round of voting is underway to elect a member between Kazakhstan and Thailand in the Asia Pacific group and Italy and the Netherlands in the Western European group.
The UN Security Council consists of 10 non-permanent members who sit alongside the five permanent, veto-wielding members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.
The non-permanent seats are allocated according to a rotation pattern set by the Assembly back in 1963, to ensure a proportionate representation over time from different parts of the world: five from African and Asian states; one from Eastern European states; two from Latin American states; and two from Western European and Other states.
This year, the one seat for the African Group ? currently held by Angola ? is uncontested, with only one candidate ? Ethiopia ? put forward by the regional group.
The same holds true for the seat for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States ? currently held by Venezuela ? for which Bolivia has been nominated.
However, the seat for the Asia-Pacific Group ? currently held by Malaysia ? is being contested this year, with two member states ? Kazakhstan and Thailand ? presenting their candidacies.
Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden are competing for two seats under the Western European and Others Group ? which are currently held by New Zealand and Spain.
With the exception of Kazakhstan, all competing candidate countries have served on the council in the past.
The new members will join the five other non-permanent members of the council whose terms expire at the end of 2017: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
To secure a non-permanent seat on the council, a candidate country must garner the votes of two-thirds of the member states present at the General Assembly session.
If all 193 UN member states are present tomorrow, this means winning a seat will require 129 positive votes. PTI YAS KUN
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
Shahabuddin filed the petition in the Siwan Court through his lawyer Md. Mobin who prayed that the former RJD MP's life was in danger at Bahagapur jail where he is kept at the moment.
By Rohit Kumar Singh: Former RJD MP and gangster Md. Shahabuddin has filed a petition in a special court in Siwan rasing fear over his life. In his petition, Shahabuddin has said that his life was under threat from the state government.
Shahabuddin filed the petition in the Siwan Court through his lawyer Md. Mobin who prayed that the former RJD MP's life was in danger at Bahagapur jail where he is kept at the moment. Shahabudin's lawyer also petitioned that despite being severely ill and suffering from back pain, there was no arrangement being made for his treatment.
advertisement
Md. Mobin also petitioned that despite getting a green signal from the Union Home Ministry, the state govt was delaying Shahabuddin be shifted to Delhi for further treatment. It may be noted that Shahabuddin's name has figured in the Hindustan daily's Rajdev Ranjan killing that took place in Siwan last month and after severe pressure that Shahabudin was influencing the investigations, the state govt shifted him from Siwan to Bhagalpur jail.
The next date for hearing in this case is 14th July.
--- ENDS ---
The complainant has said that she was deeply hurt by Salman Khan for his controversial rape statement as she is still going through mental and physical trauma.
By Manjeet Sehgal: A gangrape victim from Hisar, Haryana on Saturday sent a legal notice to Bollywood actor Salman Khan for his controversial rape statement during an interview to promote his latest film Sultan.
The legal notice has been sent to Salman at his Mumbai address through Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate Rajat Kalsan.
SALMAN'S PIERCING STATEMENT
The complainant has said that she was deeply hurt by his statement as she is still going through mental and physical trauma.
advertisement
"On June 21, 2016 you gave a statement before the media wherein you made a very objectionable and defamatory remark that is illegal and against the spirit of the constitution of India. You are accountable for every kind of concerned civil and criminal liabilities," the legal notice said, a copy of which is available with India Today TV.
The complainant has not sought any apology from the actor but has demanded a compensation of Rs 10 crore within 15 days.
"By issuing this legal notice on behalf of my client, I demand a compensation amounting to Rs 10 crore to my client within 15 days immediately after the receipt of this notice. Otherwise I have instructions from my client to file civil and criminal cases against you for the aforesaid violation of civil and criminal law," the lawyer said in the notice.
RAPE IS NOT A JOKE SALMAN
The notice also says that the complainant is a Dalit who was kidnapped and gangraped by a gang of 10 upper caste men on September 9, 2012 in Hisar, Haryana.
The accused had also filmed the act which was later made public. The victim's father consumed poison after the incident.
An FIR was registered on September 18, 2012 in Hisar. The four accused were sentenced to life by a trial court.
Also read:
Anurag Kashyap on Salman's rape remark: He must say sorry
Nawazuddin on Salman's rape remark: His intentions were not wrong
Sena seeks apology from Salman for his rape remarks
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Panaji, Jun 28 (PTI) Newly-formed Goa Forward Party today appealed to state DGP Muktesh Chandar to "declare war on drugs" and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar to not "interfere" in police work to eradicate the menace.
"DGP in his recent media statement has asked people of Goa to watch Udta Punjab movie and wage a war against drugs in the state. We welcome his statement which shows his zeal to fight against the drug abuse," Goa Forward chief spokesman Prashant Naik told reporters.
advertisement
"We appeal DGP to declare war against drugs. We also appeal Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who holds Home portfolio, to not interfere in polices war against narcotics," he said.
Taking a dig at the CM, Naik said, "Parsekar should not transfer the police officials concerned who are conducting a crackdown on drugs like the way the police officials who had caught his (CMs) brother-in-law (Dilip Malvankar) for accepting bribe were transfered".
He demanded that government should act on the report of a House Committee, headed by Fransisco Pacheco, which had exposed the "nexus" between politicians, police and drug peddlers. PTI RPS NSK PVI PTP
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New York, Jun 27 (PTI) Google CEO Sundar Pichais Quora account has been hacked by the same group which previously broke into Facebook boss Mark Zuckerbergs Twitter and Pinterest accounts, according to a media report today.
The hacker group called OurMine Team has been posting messages on Quora through Pichais account. The breach of his account became apparent when tweets linking to his Quora posts appeared on his official Twitter account yesterday.
advertisement
The Indian-born Google CEOs has 508,000 followers.
The hacker group initially wrote, hacked using his account. "Hey its OurMine, we are just testing your security, please visit OurMine to upgrade it," it said in later posts, The Verge reported.
Pichai or perhaps his team, however regained control of the Quora account soon, and the tweets were deleted within few hours.
OurMine team claims it is focused on security. It brings out the security flaws in users account by hacking in to them. "We are just trying to let them know that nobody is safe," OurMine told the online news portal Mic.
After taking credit for Zuckerbergs social media accounts, it also compromised the Twitter account of the microblogging sites co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams earlier this month. Spotifys Daniel Ek was one of its targets too.
It is not clear how the group is gaining access to their accounts. The group claims that it uses various exploits to pull passwords from celebrities browsers, the report said. PTI AMS AKJ AMS
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Tianjin, Jun 28 (PTI) India was today ranked low at 105th position globally on a worldwide Human Capital Index, which measures countries ability to nurture, develop and deploy talent for economic growth and was topped by Finland.
India ranks much below Chinas 71st position while Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are also placed higher on the index released today by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) in this Chinese city at its Annual Meeting of New Champions -- also known as Summer Davos summit.
advertisement
Pakistan ranks further lower at 118th place.
Giving India 105th rank out of the total 130 countries included in the index, WEF said the country has optimised just 57 per cent of its human capital endowment -- placing it in the top of the bottom quartile of the Index.
India was ranked 100th last year out of total 124 countries included in the 2015 index.
"Although the countrys educational attainment has improved markedly over the different age groups, its youth literacy rate is still only 90 per cent (103rd in the world), well behind the rates of other leading emerging markets," it added.
"India also ranks poorly on labour force participation, due in part to one of the worlds largest employment gender gaps (121st)."
On positive side, India has got better rankings on quality of education system (39th), staff training (46th) and ease of finding skilled employees (45th) indicators. This suggests "a primary avenue for improvement for the country consists of expanding access to its numerous learning and employment opportunities".
The report also showed that India had the largest share in the "global distribution of tertiary degree holders" at nearly 78 million while it was second largest after China on global distribution of recent graduates in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at about 2.5 million.
Globally also, an average of only 65 per cent of the worlds talent is being optimised through education, skills development and deployment during peoples lifetimes, WEF said.
Finland, Norway and Switzerland hold the top three positions, utilising around 85 per cent of their human capital. Japan leads when it comes to 55 year-olds and over.
"Todays transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, combined with a crisis of governance, creates an urgent need for the worlds educators and employers to fundamentally rethink human capital through dialogue and partnerships," said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF.
"The adaptation of educational institutions, labour market policy and workplaces are crucial to growth, equality and social stability."
On the global index, Japan and Sweden have moved up to 4th and 5th places and are followed by New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada and and Belgium in top ten.
Among BRICS countries, India is ranked lowest as against Russias 28th, Chinas 71st, Brazils 83rd and South Africas 88th.
advertisement
Countries ranked below India include Nepal, Myanmar, Haiti, Malawi and Burundi while Mauritania, Yemen, Chad, Nigeria and Mali are placed in the bottom-five with below 50 per cent talent optimisation. PTI BJ ARD
--- ENDS ---
Talking to India Today, Santhana Gopala Krishnan said, "It is an unbearable loss for my family. Now, my family members are afraid of going out."
By Pramod Madhav: "Had the commuters present at the railway station showed some courage and retaliated, the culprit could have been caught," said the father of the Infosys techie S Swathi, who was hacked to death at a busy railway station in Chennai on Friday (June 24).
Talking to India Today, Santhana Gopala Krishnan said, "It is an unbearable loss for my family. Now, my family members are afraid of going out." Krishnan said it was sad to see that no one had the courage to stop or retaliate the attacker.
advertisement
Chennai: Woman Infosys employee hacked to death at railway station
"We can not expect the police to be present everywhere. Police security can't be provided to each and every citizen. People watched as mute spectators. What has happened... has happened but it should not be repeated again. This incident should be the last one in our city. What has happened to me, can happen with anyone. If only a single person had the courage to counter the attacker, things would have been different," Krishnan added.
HIGH COURT PULLS UP CHENNAI POLICE
The investigation into the murder of the 24-year-old IT professional in full public view was yesterday transferred to a special team of Chennai police hours after the Madras High Court warned of suo motu intervention if there was any slackness in the probe.
IBM techie found dead in her Bengaluru flat
The Tamil Nadu government made the submission about the transfer in the probe after a bench comprising Justice S Nagamuthu and Justice V Bharthidasan posed tough questions and summoned the Public Prosecutor to clarify a news report about alleged lack of coordination between Railway and city police in investigating the case.
"We will give two days? time. If we feel there is slackness after two days, we will take suo motu proceedings after Chief Justice's concurrence," the high court said.
Earlier, Justice Nagamuthu lambasted the police for not taking any steps for nearly two hours after the murder even to cover up the body of the woman.
TCS techie rape, murder case: Driver Chandrabhan Sanap sentenced to death
"Where were your police officers? Two hours on a platform. Even a dead person has got right to dignity under the Constitution. Even after death, the girl's dignity cannot be denied. Why it was lying like an exhibition for more than two hours? It speaks volumes. Why it should take so much time for police to complete the formalities? he asked.
CCTV FOOTAGE OF THE ATTACKER
The Chennai Police had released CCTV images of the suspected attacker walking out of the railway station after the incident. However, cops are still clueless about the man.
advertisement
The images show a man wearing a blue shirt crossing the tracks and walking briskly outside the railway station premises.
Also Read:
Infosys techie murder: Madras HC takes suo moto notice, seeks report from Tamil Nadu govt
Snapdeal employee Dipti Sarna kidnapping: Accused followed her 150 times, studied her for 1 year
--- ENDS ---
This is the first such meeting where the finance minister assured the industry that confidentiality will be maintained but stuck to the September 30 deadline for tax defaulters.
By India Today Web Desk: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, today held a high-level meeting with industry, bankers groups, CII, tax dept official on black money issue. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared that the government is clear on the deadline of September 30 for tax defaulters.
This is the first such meeting where the finance minister assured the industry that confidentiality will be maintained but stuck to the September 30 deadline for tax defaulters.
advertisement
MoS Finance Jayant Sinha, Revenue Secretary Hansmukh Adhia were also present in this meeting where the issue of how to increase dissemination of information on black money voluntary disclosure scheme was discussed.
WHAT JAITLEY SAID Any declaration made under this law (Income Declaration Scheme '16) is protected, that info won't be shared with any other authority. People who have black money need to legitimate it and for that September 30 is the last date. The compliance window is open for people with undisclosed income to legitimise it by paying 45 per cent tax between June 1-September 30.
INDUSTRY DEMANDS
Confidentiality of data should be maintained.
Payment should be in installment. Industry, CA groups demanded payment in three installment at least.
Suggestion given to extend the deadline till December or March. Logic behind this suggestion was that people/industry normally file their income tax by September. Therefore they need more time to disseminate the information and create awareness. But on this demand, no positive indication from FM was given
There was an issue of immovable property, as groups that several tax defaulters may have immovable properties. Under this scheme, people will have to pay 45 per cent tax on present rate. Industry representatives raise their concern over this issue and want some relaxation, but again no positive signal from FM.
Few more round of meeting expected in coming days to sort out these concern and effective implement to this plan.
--- ENDS ---
In the making since 1983 when the idea to develop a home-made fighter jet took off, Tejas in 2016 has finally crossed the finishing line though without completing the race. Tejas, in its current form, is ready to replace MiG-21s, the Soviet-era combat jet which has already completed a golden jubilee run in the IAF, with a modern but moderate capability.
The IAF is set to begin the induction of indigenous combat jet Tejas from July 1.
By Gautam Datt: Subduing three-decade-long birth pangs caused by complex technological challenges, cost over-runs, international sanctions and bagful of missed deadlines, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to begin the induction of indigenous combat jet Tejas from July 1.
In the making since 1983 when the idea to develop a home-made fighter jet took off, Tejas in 2016 has finally crossed the finishing line though without completing the race. Tejas, in its current form, is ready to replace MiG-21s, the Soviet-era combat jet which has already completed a golden jubilee run in the IAF, with a modern but moderate capability.
advertisement
FEATURES
The aircraft is capable of firing a whole range of weapons from air-to-air missiles to smart and dumb bombs. In terms of handling, its indigenous fly-by-wire system - a real feather in the cap for the developers - and navigation system makes it comparable to any fighter in its class in the world.
SQUADON
The IAF will revive its 45 squadron "Flying Daggers" with two Tejas to begin with and the strength will be taken to 20 eventually. The squadron, which was flying MiG-21 Bis, was number plated in 2002.
One of the high moments for Flying Daggers, based out of Naliya in Kutchh, was the shooting down of Pakistani Atlantique surveillance plane in 1999. But Flying Daggers in its latest avatar will be based in Sulur, down south in Tamil Nadu.
The squadron is being raised with the role of providing Local Area Defence and Close Air Support, a typical job meant for the low endurance fight jet. Despite the raising of the IAF squadron, improvements on Tejas will continue.
ONE OF THE BEST
The second squadron, planned in the coming years, will have aircraft with additional capability of firing Beyond Visual Range missiles, a must for a modern fighter jet. It will also have mid-air refueling facility for longer endurance.
The complete version of Tejas, known as Mk IA, will bring it at par with the best in the world, is still some years away.
This aircraft will have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) which will enable it to handle several targets. Officials said that in terms of handling, Tejas is even better than similar lightweight, single engine jets flying in the world including Swedish Gripen and Pakistan and China's joint venture JF-17 Thunder.
The IAF will have 20 aircrafts with the current capability and equal numbers with enhanced features and 80 with the advanced version which, apart from the new radar, will have capability to fire advanced BVR and short range missiles.
DEFICIENCIES
The IAF had flagged 43 deficiencies that needed to be addressed before inducting the aircraft. The officials said that these have been brought down to less than 20 issues but none relate to the flight safety aspect.
advertisement
The officials stressed that the aircraft has flown around 3000 sorties during the development stage out of which over 2000 had a clean safety record.
ALSO READ:Dhanush to end Indian Army's gun drought
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bengaluru, Jun 28 (PTI) Karnataka and Germanys Bavaria have signed a joint declaration ofintent to intensify police cooperation between the two states.
The declaration was signed between the BavarianMinistry of Interior for Building and Transport and theKarnataka Home Department during the visitof a delegation lead by Home Minister G Parameshwara to the German state.
Both ministries have intended to cooperate by exchangeof experience in police tasks with regard to public securityand order, especially in fields of safe city planning and development, citizen-friendly policing, establishment of safe cities jointly with stakeholders including civil society. Also, victim protection, especially protection of women and children; cooperation between police, justice and civil society organisations; traffic security; cyber crime and technologies for crime fighting; basic and advanced police training are covered under the tie-up, a copy of the declaration released to the media here said.
advertisement
The document of joint declaration of intent signed between Parameshwara and Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian State Minister of the interior for Building and Transport in Munich on June 20, said that the cooperation will be carried out mainly through the engagement of experts, information visits and capacity building measures like workshopsm, seminars and conferences. The declaration of willingness is in continuation tothe existing MoU between the two governments signed on April 2,2007. PTI KSU RA VS KND TRK
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) Actress Kriti Sanon has denied reports of vacationing with "Raabta" co-star Sushant Singh Rajput in Thailand, insisting she is at home with her sister.
There were reports that Sushant and Kriti were holidaying in Thailand as they were in the South East Asian country together to train in mixed martial arts for their upcoming film "Raabta".
advertisement
The 25-year-old "Dilwale" actress took to Twitter to wonder who is her lookalike when she is spending time with her sister at home.
"@pinkvilla Having Chai at home with my Lovebird @NupurSanon !! Whos my look-alike holidaying in Thailand???," she wrote along with a puzzled picture of her and sister.
Post Sushants breakup with his long-time girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, the actor and Kriti are often being romantically linked. PTI NDS NDS
--- ENDS ---
Police sources have told India Today that the Hizbul commander was in Kupwara to receive fresh infiltrators from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
By Ashraf Wani: A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was today killed in an encounter that broke out between security forces and militant at Nagri area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Tuesday morning, police said.
A senior police officer told India Today that army's 47 RR, SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Cargo Srinagar and SOG Kupwara cordoned off the Nagri village near Drugmulla in the frontier district following specific information about the hiding of some militants inside a house of one Ghulam Mouhidin last night.
advertisement
Security forces, as such, intensified the cordon-and-search operation and fired several warning shots towards the suspected spot in the wee hours today, the officer said, adding that the militants opened fire, triggering off an encounter.
Hizbul's divisional commander Sameer alias Jan who was killed in an encounter in Kupwara today.
"During the exchange of fire, the militant was killed", he said.
He said that an AK-47 rifle and other war like stores were recovered from his possession.
The officer identified the militant as Sameer alias Jan, and he is said to be Hizbul's divisional commander for north Kashmir.
Body of the slain militant, a resident of Dooru, Sopore was handed over to the concerned police station for further formalities.
Police sources have told India Today that the Hizbul commander was in Kupwara to receive fresh infiltrators from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Meanwhile, clashes and protests erupted in the area soon after the news about the killing of the local militant spread.
Eyewitnesses said the youth staged protests and pelted stones on forces. Police had to use teargas shells to curb protesters.
Reports of protests have also been reported from Dooru area of Sopore, the native village of the slain militant.
Also Read:
Kupwara encounters: Seven militants killed in 24 hours Pampore fallout: Security beefed up along highways, security procedures to be reviewed
--- ENDS ---
Tension prevailed in Bhagalpur village of Malda district after a 13-year-old boy was found murdered.
By India Today Web Desk: Tension gripped Bhagalpur village of Malda district, West Bengal after mutilated body of a 13-year-old boy was found in mysterious conditions. Following the incident locals staged an agitation demanding proper investigations into the incident.
The deceased has been identified as Sabbir Momin. The teenager was allegedly kidnapped and murdered few days ago. Sources said that there were severe injury marks on his body.
advertisement
POLICE FIRED SEVERAL ROUNDS TO DISPERSE THE MOB
Agitators disrupted police when they went to collect the post-mortem report of the deceased. Following the protests, the National Highway 34 was blocked to avoid further chaos.
According to sources, the police had to fire several rounds in the air to disperse the angry crowd. The situation was soon brought under control by the police.
Also read:
Tension in Malda after mob torches police station
--- ENDS ---
By Maha Siddiqui: Two incidents of crimes against women in a span of three days have left the country shocked and numbed. The brutal daylight murder of 24-year-old Swathi in Chennai and suicide of 21-year-old Vinupriya who killed herself over her morphed pictures floated on a social networking site have once again highlighted the urgent need to help women in distress. With the worrying trend of rise in crimes against women, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi's idea of having Special Mahila Police Volunteers (MPVs) to help women has been finally given a push by the Home Ministry. A circular has been sent to all states and UTs to start recruiting MPVs.
advertisement
PURPOSE OF MPV
The idea is to create a link between women, especially at the grassroots and the police. It is a recognised fact that many women hesitate in approaching the police and do not even register complaints. The Women and Child Development Ministry's own website guidelines on MPVs says 'As observed by the Working Group on Women's Agency and Empowerment, these numbers (National Crime Records Bureau data on crimes against women) have to be viewed keeping in mind that not all crimes against women are reported. The actual numbers may give even greater cause for concern.' So, the ministry believes 'it would, therefore, be desirable to provide them an effective alternative for getting help and support.'
SELECTION PROCEDURE
The Home Ministry circular dated 22nd June directs all states to select educated women of the locality in a transparent process after inviting applications for the role of MPVs. They will be given training regarding their work at the district level. The circular further says, 'the broad mandate of MPVs is to report incidences of violence against women such as domestic violence, child marriage, dowry harassment and violence faced by women in public and private spaces.'
DEPLOYMENT
The scheme will initially be implemented in one or two districts in each state/ UT which will be selected on the basis of incidence of crimes against women as well as low child sex ratio. The MPV will directly report to the Circle Inspector in the police station. A MPV will be entrusted to create awareness of the existing services available for women and children, for example, One Stop Centers (OSC), Short Stay Homes, Shelters, Police Helpline 100, Women's Helpline 181, Childline 1098, Mobile Application for Emergency (Himmat App). She will be expected to inform police personnel about any unpleasant behaviour or untoward incidences against women and girls in the community. MPVs will also mobilize and facilitate Mahila aur Shishu Rakshak Dal (MASRD) preferably of 10-12 members from the community to curb violence against women and girls.
RISING CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, during the year 2014, 3,37,922 incidences of crime against women were reported as against the 3,09,546 cases reported during 2013. Gender-based violence faced by women both in public and private spaces, including domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, stalking are a major threat to women's equality and empowerment. The ministry says a gender responsive police service requires specific training, increased presence of female personnel within the police force and community outreach to integrate gender issues into policies, protocols and operational procedures. The MPV scheme is just one step in the direction.
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
Taking note of India Today's Rent-a-Riot expose, the former UP chief minister said that both the BJP and SP were trying to evoke communal passions ahead of Assembly election.
By India Today Web Desk: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has challenged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to remove tainted ministers from his Cabinet. The former UP chief minister termed Akhilesh's decision to revoke mafia don Mukhtar Ansari's Quami Ekta Dal with the Samajwadi Party as nothing but a big drama.
Taking note of India Today's Rent-a-Riot expose, the former UP chief minister said that both the BJP and SP were trying to evoke communal passions ahead of Assembly election. "Both these parties (BJP, SP) came to power in false promises and they are now trying to divide the society on communal lines. However, the people of the state will not allow them to succeed in their nefarious aims," Mayawati said.
advertisement
Mayawati Dalit nahi, daulat ki beti hai: BSP's SP Maurya quits party alleging corruption
Talking to reporters in Lucknow, Mayawati hit back at the Akhilesh Yadav-led regime, saying the SP government was protecting goons in the state.
HERE'S WHAT MAYAWATI SAID:
In an apparent reference to the Jawahar bagh violence in Mathura, she said criminals have become so fearless under the Samajwadi Party rule that policemen are being killed. The SP government is protecting the goons. The Samajwadi Party is doing drama over Mukhtar Ansari's party. People are going to teach them a lesson in the coming election. You will see that Samajwadi party will actually help Ansari's party in the coming elections by fielding weak candidates against them. If the UP government is serious about law and order situation in the state, it should send all the ministers with criminals records and other criminals to jail. One day they sack a minister, the other they reinstate him. They are doing this to encash vote banks. But it will not help.
AKHILESH PUTS HIS FOOT DOWN
Earlier this week, CM Akhilesh Yadav put his foot down as Samjwadi Party called off its merger with gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's party just three days after it announced the decision drawing all-round flak.
We don't need people like Mukhtar Ansari in party: Akhilesh
The party also decided on reinduction of Secondary Education Minister Balram Yadav, who was sacked by Akhilesh apparently for facilitating the merger.
"Mukhtar Ansari will not be welcome in the party. We don't want such people in the party," Akhilesh said during a programme in the state capital, publicly venting his unhappiness on the merger with Ansari's QED.
The announcement of the merger on June 21 by Cabinet Minister Shivpal Yadav, who is brother of Akhilesh's father and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, had started a tug-of-war in the Yadav family. Akhilesh had said that he didn't take the decision regarding the merger.
Akhilesh's displeasure over the merger ahead of next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls was evident earlier when he said, "If party workers perform their responsibilities, then there will be no need of another party."
Also Read:
How will Mukhtar Ansari's transfer to Lucknow jail affect the state's politics?
advertisement
Swamay Prasad Maurya is a traitor, says BSP chief Mayawati
--- ENDS ---
According to the top intelligence sources, terrorist are getting special training about map reading, GPS reading, understanding of route, IED development.
By Manjeet Negi: A new app calculator has been found on smart phones of terrorists infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir which helps them to remain in touch with their handlers in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) without being detected by technical surveillance by army.
According to the top intelligence sources, terrorist are getting special training about map reading, GPS reading, understanding of route, IED development etc. As per input there are 40 terrorist camps in PoK out of which 17 are active and five are giving Daure-e-Khaas training which includes technological training.
advertisement
JOINT EFFORT TO CRACK NEW MECHANISM
The army's signal unit which relies mainly on technical intercepts like usage of wireless and mobile phones by infiltrating terror groups to track them, is working along with National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and other agencies to crack this mechanism used by the terrorists.
During interrogation of some of the Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, the agencies came to know that the terror outfit had modified it and created an application 'calculator' which can be downloaded on smart phones attached to the off-air network created specifically for them.
'COGNITIVE DIGITAL RADIO'
The technology is based on the concept of 'cognitive digital radio' that enables users to turn their smartphones into peer-to-peer, off-grid communication tools. The technology was first used by a US-based company during hurricane Katrina so that the affected residents could remain in touch with each other.
The network generates its own signal through proprietary adhoc networking protocols and automatically coordinates with other units within range which enables users to send and receive text messages, share their GPS locations on offline maps regardless of access to WiFi or cellular service.
INFILTRATION ATTEMPTS
The infiltration of terrorists from across the border by end of April 2016 stands at around 35 in Kashmir area.
All the security agencies were unanimous about infiltration from the Jammu side where they claimed militants made three infiltration bids which were foiled by troops.
There were 121 infiltration attempts along the border in J&K in entire 2015 of which 33 were successful. In 2014, there were 222 infiltration attempts in the state of which 65 were successful.
Also Read
Kupwara encounter: Top Hizbul commander killed in gunfight with security forces
Sopore tense following Hizbul commanders death, mob torches van
--- ENDS ---
Police sources told India today that group of militants snatched 56 AK rifle with two magazines from J&K Police constable Bashir Ahmad who was deployed as PSO of local BJP leader Gulam Mohammed Chopan in Panzan.
By Ashraf Wani: Militants on Tuesday morning, believed to be five to six in number, barged inside the guardroom of BJP leader and decamped with a service rifle of his Personal Security Officer (PSO) at Panzan area of Chadoora in central Kashmir's Budgam district.
Police sources told India Today that group of militants snatched AK-56 rifle with two magazines from J&K Police constable Bashir Ahmad who was deployed as PSO of local BJP leader Gulam Mohammed Chopan in Panzan.
advertisement
Additional security forces have reached the spot and massive search operation has been launched to nab the militants.
All the entry and exit points leading to the village have been sealed.
--- ENDS ---
'Tributes to PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary. He led India at a crucial time and his leadership was both notable and vital,' Modi tweeted.
By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid his tributes to former premier PV Narasimha Rao on his 95th birth anniversary.
"Tributes to PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary. He led India at a crucial time and his leadership was both notable and vital," Modi tweeted.
Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921 at Karimnagar in Telangana and served as the Prime Minister of India from June 21, 1991 to May 16, 1996.
advertisement
Rao's tenure was marked by his alleged failure to prevent the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, forcing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to distance herself from him.
"RAO WAS PRO-HINDU"
A new book, 'Half Lion: How PV Narasimha Rao Transformed India', by Vinay Sitapati describes in detail the controversy over the demolition and the consequent hounding of Rao within the Congress.
"Rao wanted to protect the mosque and protect Hindu sentiments and protect himself. He ended up with the mosque destroyed, Hindus un-attracted to the Congress, and his own reputation in tatters," says the book.
RAO'S BIGGEST FAILURE
On Monday, at a ceremony on the release of the book, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar attributed Rao's "pro-Hindu mindset" encouraged the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya while Natwar Singh described the December 6, 1992 demolition as "the biggest failure" of Rao.
"We tried to persuade the Prime Minister to wake up to the danger" but added that Rao declined to do so. "Rao was completely convinced that by talking to the sadhus and saints he could solve the problem," he said.
Rao died on December 23, 2004 at the age of 83. After the Congress refused to accord him any honours in Delhi, his body was taken to his hometown in Andhra Pradesh for a quiet funeral.
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kuala Lumpur, Jun 28 (PTI) NRI-owned Lulu Group, one of the largest retail chains in the Middle East, has opened its first hypermarket in Malaysia as part of its plan to invest USD 300 million in the Southeast Asian country.
The 250,000 square feet hypermarket was inaugurated by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in the presence of his deputy Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, Ambassador of the UAE and High Commissioner of India T S Tirumurti and other dignitaries, the company said.
advertisement
The new hypermarket is expected to attract large segment of population from all walks of life. It is spread in three levels and combines grocery and supermarkets products to fashion, household and latest electronics and gadgets.
The group had recently announced its plans to invest USD 300 million as part of its expansion and intends to set up 10 hypermarkets in the next five years in the country.
"We are very pleased to welcome LULU brand to Malaysia as this will pave way for more international brands to come and invest in Malaysia. 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," Razak said.
"With an initial investment of USD 300 million in the first phase, we plan to open 10 hypermarkets by end-2021 and a central logistics and warehousing facility in Malaysia. These projects are likely to generate more than 5,000 job opportunities for Malaysians," Chairman of Lulu Group Yusuff Ali MA, an Indian businessman from Kerala, said.
"We also plan to set up contract farming to ensure continuous supply of high quality products and to support the Malaysian agriculture sector," Ali said.
Apart from the 10 hypermarkets which are already planned, Ali has also announced the groups plan to invest another USD 500 million in setting up the largest shopping mall in Malaysia.
The Lulu Group, one of the largest retail chains in the Middle East, currently operates 126 stores across the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, -- Egypt, India, Indonesia.
Ranked by Deloitte as one of the top 10 fastest growing retailers in the world, it employs more than 38,000 people. PTI CORR CPS AKJ CPS
--- ENDS ---
Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times was highly critical of India's NSG bid, saying its status as a non-NPT country made it morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defense of principles.
By Ananth Krishnan: A Communist Party-run tabloid on Tuesday slammed "spoiled" India's bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and claimed that "at least 10 countries" had been opposed to India's entry.
The editorial was published in the Global Times, a tabloid published by the Communist Party's official mouthpiece People's Daily. The Global Times is seen by analysts as not an official voice of the Party or government but as a reflection of more nationalist views in China. The paper is widely read in China and seen by diplomats as a useful barometer of public sentiment.
advertisement
The editorial was highly critical of India's NSG bid, saying its status as a non-NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) country made it "morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defense of principles."
"At least 10 countries, including China, have opposed their bid," the edit said, responding to Indian media reports that "claim that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 have given it a green light, except China."
TARGETS US TOO
The Global Times also hit out at the U.S. for pushing India's case. "The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India," the paper said.
"Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled...it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international 'adulation' of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs."
The paper was critical of Indian media and "self-righteous" public sentiment which it contrasted with the Indian government that "behaves decently and is willing to communicate".
'INDIAN NATIONALISTS SHOULD BEHAVE'
Drawing a contrast with China's response to India being granted membership to the Missile Technology Control Regime which China has failed to enter, the paper said, "the news didn't even make a ripple among the Chinese public. The Chinese have become more mature in dealing with these setbacks caused by international relations."
"India's nationalists," it added, "should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games."
Justifying China's stand, the Global Times said Beijing's moves were "based on international norms, but India's reaction seems to indicate that their national interests can override principles recognised by the world."
The paper however failed to mention China's own controversial moves to flout the NSG's rules by exporting nuclear reactors to Pakistan, which is also a non-NPT country.
Also Read:
China says ready for discussions on NSG entry but unaware of plans for talks
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha takes on Modi on NSG fiasco, slams India's Pakistan policy
advertisement
Little to be gained from NSG, what is on offer is second class membership: Yashwant Sinha
--- ENDS ---
On June 21, assailants opened fire at state-level taekwondo player Rajan Gupta and his father at Delhi's Bhajanpura area over a festering land dispute.
By Himanshu Mishra: This state-level taekwondo player had a dream of representing India in the combat sport. But Rajan Gupta's dreams were shattered in a flash.
ATTACK
On June 21, assailants opened fire at him and his father at Delhi's Bhajanpura area over a festering land dispute. His father died in the attack and the 16-year-old was hospitalised with four bullets lodged in his feet and hip.
advertisement
Days later, the taekwondo hopeful lies hapless on his bed at the trauma centre of AIIMS. Surgeons have amputated his legs to save his life.
NO EMERGENCY TREATMENT
His mother Sonam Gupta alleges her son received no emergency treatment in time. The day the assault took place, the teen was hospitalised almost 14 hours after being shot, she alleged.
Her friend, Rani, accused the police and hospital authorities of delaying the victim's treatment over paperwork. Rajan Gupta wanted to play for India, she said. But now, he has to live in this condition, that too under the fear he could be targeted again, Rani added.
The June 21 firing wasn't the first instance of deadly firing on the Guptas, the family alleges. Last year, assailants had shot Rajan's elder brother, Vishal, dead. The police is yet to make arrests in the June 21 assault.
ALSO READ:
To hell and back: Dutee Chand amazing story as she attempts to conquer Rio
--- ENDS ---
Khar, in an interview with Geo News, said that the contentious Kashmir issue could only be discussed in an environment of mutual trust.
By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan's former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said that Pakistan could not "conquer Kashmir through war" and the only way out was dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi.
DIALOGUE CRUCIAL BETWEEN ARCH-RIVALS
Khar, in an interview with Geo News, said that the contentious Kashmir issue could only be discussed in an environment of mutual trust.
"I believe that Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war and if we cannot do that, the option we are left with is dialogue, and dialogue can only proceed with a partner with which we have normal relations and a certain level of mutual trust," she said in the interview earlier this week.
advertisement
Khar, who was Pakistan's foreign minister from 2011 to 2013, opined that if there was continuous talks on Kashmir between India and Pakistan, it was likely that the arch-rivals would reach somewhere at some point.
MILITARY PERSPECTIVE ON ISSUES SIGNIFICANT?
Khar also said that some people believed that the Kashmir issue could only be resolved "if there was a BJP government in India and a military government in Pakistan".
Responding to a question on the military's influence on the country's Pakistan foreign policy, she said that it was a diplomat's job to carry forward the military's perspective on issues where the military was a relevant stake holder.
PPP TRIED ITS BEST TO RESOLVE KASHMIR ISSUE
Khar claimed that despite being in a coalition government, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had tried its best to normalise ties with India.
She said visa rules were relaxed and trade ties were normalised for the purpose.
Khar further said that because Pakistan Muslim League enjoyed majority, the Prime Minister could do much more when it came to relations with neighbouring countries, particularly India.
"The issues between the two countries cannot be resolved in a hostile environment," she added.
Also Read:
J&K BJP to Centre: Bomb Pakistan and call off all dialouges
Even if hanged, I will say Jammu and Kashmir is not integral part of India: Engineer Rasheed
--- ENDS ---
The CRPF bus carrying the personnel was isolated and not moving as part of a convoy.
By Gaurav C Sawant: There were a series of lapses which resulted in the killing of 8 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and injuries to 22 others in a terrorist attack in Pampore on Saturday, according to top sources engaged in counter terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
The area where Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists struck was used by terrorists to attack convoys even before. The Jammu-Srinagar highway and the Srinagar-Baramulla highway are considered extremely sensitive, especially now with Amarnath Yatra round the corner.
advertisement
"The road domination should have been very active. But where was the road opening party and why was this bus isolated? Why was it not a part of a convoy?" asks a top officer, who is a part of the overall management of situation in J&K.
Some of the glaring short comings that have been pointed out in the initial investigations include:
1. The CRPF road opening party failed to secure the highway or respond in time to the attack.
2. The CRPF bus carrying the personnel was isolated and not moving as part of a convoy.
3. The lead vehicle (Armour plated Gypsy) carrying the convoy commander was separated by almost half a kilometer from the bus.
4. As per convoy standard operating procedures, distance between two vehicles should not be more than 30-50 metres. This wasn't followed.
5. The convoy protection vehicle (mobile bunker) was not with the bus. It did rush and engage the terrorists subsequently.
VIDEO OF THE ATTACK
India Today has accessed a video of the encounter (different from the one shot from across the river) which shows two terrorists firing indiscriminately into the bus and then two army mine protected vehicles (MPVs) of the army rush to the spot from either side of the road.
"The Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of 50 RR was the first to respond along with the mobile bunker of the CRPF. From the Cupola, the CRPF soldier fired and getting out of the MPV, the army QRT fired at the terrorists neutralizing them," sources told India Today. In the video, the mobile gypsy of the CRPF can then be seen rushing towards the bus but it doesn't engage the terrorists in these pictures.
"This is not the first time a CRPF convoy has come under attack. In February too a CRPF bus was ambushed by terrorists in Pampore. The terrorists then ran into the EDI building and the army lost two brave officers of the special forces in neutralizing the terrorists. The CRPF needs to improve its training, tactics and response under fire," sources added.
advertisement
In Anantnag, South Kashmir in early June, a BSF convoy came under fire resulting in the death of three security force personnel. "The highways are the arteries but also the Achilles heel if not well protected. And fool proof corridor security remains a nightmare," said an official.
SECURITY TIGHTENED
"Strength of the force is being looked into for highway security ahead of the Amarnath Yatra," K Durga Prasad, Director General CRPF said. "As of now, there is a company deployed every 11 kilometres south of Pir Panjal and every 4.5 kilometres north of Pir Panjal. The CRPF is now working on increasing not just the force strength for the Yatra but also working on increasing the number of mobile bunkers along the highway. The force is also re-looking deployment along the highway," he said.
K Durga Prasad complimented his force personnel for firing back at the two terrorists despite being in the line of fire. "Our effort is now to ensure the QRT response time is reduced further," he added. However, he refused to comment on lapses, insisting it would be premature to comment ahead of the inquiry.
The army after the 2013 Hyderpora highway killing of its soldiers - made a series of changes in its convoy movement. The changes included deploying additional highway domination teams (HIDOTs) - deploying troops at vulnerable roads, points and occupying high ground to prevent terrorists from launching a stand off attack. The army also altered the timing and dates of their convoy movements. Additional counter measures were taken in terms of convoy protection vehicles not just in the front and rear but also in the middle of the convoy.
advertisement
"Troops inside were also given weapons to respond to a threat. Training was re-jigged to ensure troops could immediately retaliate and neutralize the treat," sources said.
"The Central police organizations - BSF and CRPF need to train officers and men together and ensure standard operating procedures including distance between vehicles and highway protection teams are strictly enforced," the official added.
Also read:
LeT attacks CRPF convoy in Pampore, 2 militants killed
Role of surrendered terrorists suspected in Pampore attack
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Bengaluru, Jun 28 (PTI) Considered one of the citys first woman cab drivers, 40-year-old Bharati Veerath wasfound dead at her residence here, police said today.
Bharati, who worked for cab aggregator Uber and hailed from Warangal in neighbouring Telangana, was found hanging in her residence in Nagashettyhalli yesterday, police said.
The incident came to light when neighbours got suspicious onseeing her cab parked unattended, they added.
advertisement
Police said they were investigating the cause of her death.
Officials said they are waiting for the postmortem report.
Uber said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddenedto learn of the tragic death of Bharathi Veerath. Bharathi was a positive person and one of our top women driver partners. She was an inspiration to many driver partners and riders. Ourthoughts are with her family." PTI KSU RA VS SAI DK
--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Once again, Salman Khan made headlines for the wrong reasons. During a press conference, the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor compared his gruelling shoot for upcoming film Sultan to that of a condition of a raped woman. Salman's 'rape comment' has stirred enough controversy and his unapologetic comment has also aroused the fury of many women right activists.
ALSO READ: Dear Salman Khan, please quit, nothing is worth feeling like a 'raped woman'
advertisement
ALSO READ: Arbaaz Khan on Salman's rape metaphor - If he feels he needs to apologise, he will
B-Town celebs have now opened up and have different sides to take on Salman's rape analogy. On one hand, Anurag Kashyap said that Salman's usage of words was completely thoughtless and he should apologise. On the another hand, Nawazuddin Siddique and Salim Khan believe that the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor's intentions weren't wrong.
Bollywood celebs like Kangana Ranaut and Sona Mahapatra have slammed the Kick actor for his comment. And now Priyanka Chopra was asked her opinion on Salman Khan's 'raped woman' remark. The Bajirao Mastani actor told Khaleej Times, "First of all, you should be asking the person who made this comment. It is very important for the media and for me as women to use our power and talk about the real problem which is happening in India every single day to so many women instead of pushing a controversy for a headline, which is unfair."
"There is so much reality happening like a brutal rape case in Bihar took place - why is no one talking about the issue. A lot has been said about the Salman issue. I don't want to add to the noise. I would rather bring notice on real issues... the real problem is us talking about how to treat our women better in India and how to treat women better generally," added the Quantico actor.
Salman's rape analogy has even been targeted by Twitterati and the Sultan actor has been asked to publicly apologise, but the actor is yet to say anything on the same. When he was asked about it at the press conference of IIFA 2016, the Sultan actor said, "I will not take much time because nowadays the less I speak the better it is."
--- ENDS ---
Pragya was the first accused to be arrested in the Malegaon blast case on October 23, 2008.
By Vidya : Despite the National Investigation Agency (NIA) giving her a clean chit in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, a special MCOCA court today rejected the bail to Sadhvi Pragya.
In her plea, she argued that no case was made out against her as per evidence collected by the NIA but Special Judge NA Tikole ruled that prima facie materials are available against the accused, hence the bail application cannot be considered.
advertisement
The NIA had last month given its no-objection to the bail and said that the evidences on record against Sadhvi are not sufficient to prosecute her.
The Sadhvi contended that there is "no evidence against her" as among the grounds for getting bail.
She also submitted in the court that some of the witnesses - whose statements were used to implicate her - later recanted and filed complaints of torture against the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.
HERE'S WHAT THE COURT SAID:
On the motorcycle used in the blast: At this prima facie stage, she can't avoid her connection with it being registered in her name and she being the owner of the same. At prima facie stage, without going to the question which version of witness's statement is correct, a safe conclusion can be drawn on basis of statement that during a meeting in Bhopal, the applicant was present and there was discussion about jihadi activities in Aurangabad and Malegaon and ways to prevent it. It was evident from their discussion that the above participants wanted to establish 'Hindu Rashtra'. During the meeting, they also discussed to establish a 'government in exile.' They were not ready to accept present Constitution and wanted one of their own. Prima facie, Sadhvi Pragya was also present during the Bhopal meeting. There are reasonable grounds to believe accusations against Pragya is prima facie true. It is difficult to accept the prayer (bail application) merely on the ground that the NIA has given a cleanchit to Sadhvi Pragya.
Pragya is currently lodged under judicial custody in Bhopal's Ayurvedic Hospital where she is undergoing treatment for various ailments. She had asked for bail on medical grounds, citing her cancer treatment as one of the main reasons for it.
Pragya is yet to get bail in RSS member Sunil Joshi's murder case.
Seven people were killed in a massive blast at Malegaon, a predominantly Muslim town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.
Pragya was the first accused to be arrested in the Malegaon blast case on October 23, 2008 by the ATS. She used to live in Jabalpur at that time.
Two victims had filed intervention applications before Judge SD Tekale, requesting the court to reject the NIA's chargesheet and not grant bail to the accused.
--- ENDS ---
Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall of the Ataturk airport but they blew themselves up, one of the officials said.
By AP: Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk airport Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed that 36 were dead and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 147 were wounded.
Turkish rescue services help a wounded person outside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. Photo: AP
advertisement
DEATH TOLL CLIMBING
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 36 were dead and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 147 were wounded.
Another senior government official told The Associated Press the death toll could climb much higher.
The senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol, at first said close to 50 people had already died, but later said that the figure was expected to rise to close to 50.
ATTACKERS
Yildirim said three suicide bombers were responsible for the attack and all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group was behind it.
He said the attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi and blew themselves up after opening fire. Asked whether a fourth attacker might have escaped, he said authorities have no such assessment but are considering every possibility.
The victims included some foreigners, he said, adding that many of the wounded have minor injuries but others are more badly hurt.
Medics and security members work at the entrance of the Ataturk Airport after explosions in Istanbul, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Photo: AP
Another Turkish official said two of the attackers detonated explosives at the entrance of the international arrivals terminal after police fired at them, while the third blew himself up in the parking lot.
The official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol and cited interior ministry information, said none of the attackers managed to get past security checks at the terminal's entrance.
Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS
Roads around the airport were sealed off for regular traffic after the attack and several ambulances could be seen driving back and forth. Hundreds of passengers were flooding out of the airport and others were sitting on the grass.
Medics and security members work at the entrance of the Ataturk Airport after explosions in Istanbul, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Photo: AP
Hevin Zini, 12, had just arrived from Duesseldorf, Germany, with her family and was in tears from the shock.
advertisement
"There was blood on the ground," she told The Associated Press. "Everything was blown up to bits... if we had arrived two minutes earlier, it could have been us."
South African Judy Favish, who spent two days in Istanbul as a layover on her way home from Dublin, had just checked in when she heard an explosion followed by gunfire and a loud bang.
She says she hid under the counter for some time.
Favish says passengers were ushered to a cafeteria at the basement level where they were kept for more than an hour before being allowed outside.
Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos said. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a hand gun."
The private DHA news agency said the wounded, among them police officers, were being transferred to Bakirkoy State Hospital.
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
By Press Trust of India: A Sikh politician contesting in the upcoming elections from Australia's Greens party has been targeted with "racist flyers" which she claimed were distributed in her electorate.
Alexandra Kaur Bhathal, a candidate from Greens party for the seat of Batman, Melbourne, today wrote on her Facebook page that a flyer was distributed in her electorate targeting her background and beliefs.
advertisement
VICIOUS, RACIST REMARKS
"Yesterday and today a flyer has been distributed in my electorate of Batman targeting my background and beliefs. The leaflet contains vicious and racist statements about me and my heritage as a Sikh," Bhathal said.
"I was sickened and disturbed by this, as are members of the Sikh community who've seen the flyer, but it only adds to my resolve to keep campaigning and defend multiculturalism. This propaganda, based on misinformation, racism and hatred, will not sway me from my faith as a Sikh, a religion that stands up for the rights of all people - we are a progressive, humanist faith that believes all people are created equal and that we must respect all religions," she added.
According to media reports, the alleged printed material claimed Bhathal supported "Khalistan terrorist movement" to create a "racist" nation in Punjab.
The flyers had a picture of Bhathal speaking at a Sikh congregation in Melbourne marked as Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary last year and it claimed that she "infiltrated the Greens to promote her hidden race agenda."
COMPLAINT LODGED
Bhathal said, "It won't sway me from my political commitments as a Greens candidate. I have lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission. This kind of racism has no place in our politics. We cannot allow hatred to grow unchallenged."
"To the people who wrote and produced this flyer, I want to tell you that I will not be intimidated. I'm proud to stand up for what I hold most fundamental and that includes my belief that racism has no place in our country," she asserted.
Polling for the general election in Australia will be held on July 2.
--- ENDS ---
Sonakshi Sinha plays the title character in Akira, which is her second collaboration with director A R Murugadoss after Holiday.
By India Today Web Desk: Sonakshi Sinha unveiled the first poster of her latest film Akira on Twitter. The film also stars filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and Konkona Sen Sharma in leading roles, as suggested by the poster. Sonakshi tweeted, "She will fight back. No one will be forgiven! Here's the 1st poster of #Akira & more good news: #AkiraTrailerOnJuly4".
She will fight back. No one will be forgiven! Heres the 1st poster of #Akira & more good news: #AkiraTrailerOnJuly4 pic.twitter.com/nkwiSsYGyL AKIRA/Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) June 28, 2016
advertisement
The tagline of the film reads 'No one will be forgiven' and has Sonakshi playing the title character, a journalist by profession. This will be her second collaboration with director A R Murugadoss after 2013-hit Holiday.
ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar can't wait to see Sonakshi Sinha's Akira
The poster shows a bruised Sonakshi Sinha looking fierce and determined, while it also shows Kashyap with a gun and Konkona Sen Sharma in a uniform presumably playing the roles of police officer, constable respectively.
The film is a remake of Tamil film Mouna Guru, released in 2011. The first trailer will hits our screens on July 4, while it is slated for release on September 4.
--- ENDS ---
Sopore witnessed clashes on Tuesday after the death of Hizbul divisional commander in a fierce gunbattle between security forces and militants.
Slain Hizbul commander's body was taken out in a procession to his native village. (Photo: Ashraf Wani)
By Ashraf Wani: Clashes erupted in Sopore hours after Hizbul commander was killed in a gunbattle at Nagri area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district today morning. Angry protestors set ablaze a police van that brought the dead body of the commander.
The mob was protesting after dead body of slain Hizbul commander reached his native village in Wadoora of Sopore.
advertisement
The deceased identified as Sameer Wani alias Jan was in Kupwara to receive fresh infiltrators from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir on Tuesday morning.
Protestors torched a police van in Sopore on Tuesday.(Photo: Ashraf Wani)
Jan was killed in an encounter that broke out between security forces and militants in Nagri area. Body of the militant was handed over to the concerned police station after the incident.
PROTESTS IN SOPORE
Wani's native witnessed major protests and his body was taken in a procession from Kupwara to Sopore. Sources said that security forces lobbed teargas shells to disperse protestors.
Meanwhile another search and cordon operation has been launched in Jatty Post area of Nowgam sector near LOC after an input about presence of militants believed new infiltrators in area.
About 10 militants have been killed in the valley since last Tuesday.
Also read:
Kupwara encounter: Top Hizbul commander killed in gunfight with security forces
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 27 (PTI) The Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) will participate in Indias only tea and coffee trade fair, World Tea & Coffee Expo (WTCE), to be held here during October 20-22.
According to the Commerce Ministry data, Sri Lanka exported Rs 382 crore worth of tea to India in 2014-15, reflecting a 33 per cent growth over the previous years Rs 285 crore.
advertisement
Representing the Board at the exclusive pavilion at the fourth edition of the event will be several leading Sri Lankan tea companies with varieties of tea produce, brands and flavours, a statement issued here said.
The companies will not only be seeking buyers but also joint venture partners and distributors across India. The companies will also be looking at accessing the latest technological advances in the hot beverage sector which will be on display at this niche one-of-its-kind expo.
"The Indian markets now offer enormous scope for product innovation as demonstrated by rising consumption of Sri Lankan tea. WTCE is very professionally executed and offers SL tea companies a single door opportunity to transact business with India," Sri Lanka Tea Board chairman Rohan Pethiyagoda said.
WTCE is supported by many eminent trade bodies including the Tea Board of India and fulfills the need for an organised event for Tea and Coffee companies in India to come together for exchange of ideas and business transactions, Sentinel Exhibitions Asia Director Priti M Kapadia said. PTI AP NRB JM ABK PTP
--- ENDS ---
A study has revealed how people who exhibit personality traits like narcissism and over-confidence are considered more romantically desirable in the speed-dating scenario.
A still from Ramleela, where actor Ranveer Singh's portrayal of the infectiously charming and overconfident Ram, garnered him more than just accolades. Image for representational purposes only. Picture courtesy: YouTube
By India Today Web Desk: How often have you turned down a potential partner on the pretext of them being a little too vain and narcissistic for your taste?
Well, if you just went all "Oh, a lot of times!" on us, then chances of you lying to us are pretty high.
Published by the University of Graz in Austria, a study has gone on to establish an essential link between narcissism and dating that has debunked the age-old belief of how over-confidence can ruin your chances of impressing a potential partner.
advertisement
The study elaborates on how--contrary to popular belief--people who exhibit personality traits like narcissism and over-confidence are considered more romantically desirable in the speed-dating scenario.
Also Read: Women use polite words, men most likely to swear and abuse on social media
The research was carried out over a sample size of 90 individuals gathered over social media, who then participated in a string of 691 dates across three full-fledged speed-dating sessions.
After determining the sexual orientations and the 'dark triad' traits (Machiavellianism, that refers to the willingness to manipulate people; psychopathy, that is the inability to relate to others' internal feelings and emotions, and narcissism which is the quality of an inflated self-esteem) of the participants, the three-minute-long dates came into being.
Also Read: 91 per cent women think men look the sexiest in these clothes
The individuals were also handed out photographs of other participants to rate their physical attractiveness.
The results revealed that "both men and women who exhibited narcissism were more likely to be seen as potential long-term partners," reports Hello Giggles.
There was also a positive correlation between physical appearances, extraversion and subsequently, dating.
--- ENDS ---
Swamy posted an intriguing tweet today, "The world is in general equilibrium. A small change in one parameter effects changes in all variables. So Krishna advised: Sukh Dukhe...."
By India Today Web Desk: It was the morning after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a rare TV appearance, rebuked Subramanian Swamy for his "publicity stunts" which included attacks on Raghuram Rajan, Arun Jaitley and top government officials, calling them "inappropriate".
Swamy, who is not known to mince words in taking on people, posted an intriguing tweet today, "The world is in general equilibrium. A small change in one parameter effects changes in all variables. So Krishna advised: Sukh Dukhe...."
advertisement
The controversial Rajya Sabha MP did not elaborate on what he meant by this apparent invocation to Krishna and an episode from Bhagvad Geeta.
Is Swamy referring to this shlok from Geeta?
Sloka 38 (Chapter 2)
Sukha dukhe same' kritva labha labhou jaya jayou tatho yuddhaya yujyasva naivam papam avapsyasi
Having an equal mind in happiness-sorrow; gain-loss; victory-defeat; engage in battle and thereby you will not incur sin.
MODI TICKS OFF SWAMY
In an interview to Times Now, Modi ticked off Swamy, saying he disapproved of his attacks on Raghuram Rajan and and asserted the RBI Governor was "no less patriotic than us".
"I believe Raghuram Rajan's patriotism is no less than anyone of us. It will be injustice to him if one says that he will serve the country only if he is at a particular post," Modi said, warning Swamy, in unmistakable terms, not to consider himself "bigger than the system".
Swamy, who has been critical of Rajan since the formation of the National Democratic Alliance government in 2014, had questioned his patriotism, even saying "he (Rajan) is mentally not fully Indian". Later, Rajan announced he was not interested in a second term at the Reserve Bank of India.
Modi's remarks came on the day when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was also upset with Swamy's remarks, returned from China on late Sunday night, cutting short the visit by a day.
Also read:
PM Modi rebukes Swamy: Breaking party line, seeking publicity wrong
--- ENDS ---
The matter came to light when teachers who were tasked with the job began protesting.
By Rahul Noronha: A Block Education Officer (BEO) in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district asked school teachers to take pictures of those defecating in the open as part of measures to strictly monitor the Swachh Bharat Mission. Teachers who were asked to carry out the task began protesting and the orders issued by the BEO were cancelled by the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
advertisement
SWACHH BHARAT MISSION
BEO of the Unchehra block in Satna district directed teachers in his block to first explain the village residents the importance of not defecating in the open but if they still persist, to click their pictures on cell phones and report the matter. When the order by the BEO came to the knowledge of the district administration, it intervened and cancelled the orders.
"The SDM has cancelled the orders and has also told the BEO to not issue such orders in the future," said NK Pal, Collector, Satna.
TEACHERS PROTEST
The matter came to light when teachers who were tasked with the job began protesting.
An anti open defecation drive is on across the state as part of the Swacha Bharat Mission and officials from across departments have been entrusted with its responsibility.
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) Business leader Rahul Bajaj today said he wondered as to how will the government progress on the black money issue after Switzerland backed out of supporting India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
"Where is Switzerland? What happened at NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group)? The Swiss president said they support India, but what happened at Seoul? They backed out," he told reporters here when asked about the governments fight on black money.
advertisement
India was not able to muster enough support to get admitted in 48-member NSG due to opposition by several countries including Switzerland. In the lead up to the NSG meet at Seoul last week, however, Switzerland had publicly declared support to India.
The European nation, famous for an opaque banking system, is also believed to be home to bulk of Indians unaccounted black money stashed abroad.
"Every country has its own regulation and you cannot force Switzerland to do what you want," Bajaj said, adding that the government is doing whatever it can in this matter.
He hit out however at the BJPs pre-poll promises to get back all the black money as being "wrong".
"The kind of promises people were made before the elections were wrong. They cannot be achieved. You cannot get billions of dollars, there are none," he said.
Referring to the statement by BJP chief Amit Shah on depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizens account, Bajaj said such a thing is not a possible. "You cant get Rs 15 lakh in everybodys account."
Black money has been a subject of intense debate in the country and one of the first decisions of the new government in 2014 was to set up a special investigation team to look into the matter. PTI AA NRB NM SA
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 28 (PTI) Business leader Rahul Bajaj today said he wondered as to how will the government progress on the black money issue after Switzerland backed out of supporting India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
"Where is Switzerland? What happened at NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group)? The Swiss president said they support India, but what happened at Seoul? They backed out," he told reporters here when asked about the governments fight on black money.
advertisement
India was not able to muster enough support to get admitted in 48-member NSG due to opposition by several countries including Switzerland. In the lead up to the NSG meet at Seoul last week, however, Switzerland had publicly declared support to India.
The European nation, famous for an opaque banking system, is also believed to be home to bulk of Indians unaccounted black money stashed abroad.
"Every country has its own regulation and you cannot force Switzerland to do what you want," Bajaj said, adding that the government is doing whatever it can in this matter.
He hit out however at the BJPs pre-poll promises to get back all the black money as being "wrong".
"The kind of promises people were made before the elections were wrong. They cannot be achieved. You cannot get billions of dollars, there are none," he said.
Referring to the statement by BJP chief Amit Shah on depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizens account, Bajaj said such a thing is not a possible. "You cant get Rs 15 lakh in everybodys account."
Black money has been a subject of intense debate in the country and one of the first decisions of the new government in 2014 was to set up a special investigation team to look into the matter. PTI AA NRB NM SA RDS
--- ENDS ---
The Telangana judges and advocates are opposing the provisional list released by the High Court on May 3, allocating 135 judges of Andhra Pradesh nativity to subordinate courts in Telangana.
Protesting the suspension, Telangana Judges' Association had yesterday reportedly decided to apply for mass casual leave on Tuesday.
By Asian News International: Around 200 judges from Telangana went on mass leave starting today in protest against the suspension of two judges on disciplinary grounds by the high court.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad had on Monday suspended two judges on following an agitation against provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
WHO HAS BEEN SUSPENDED?
advertisement
The two suspended judges are - K. Ravinder Reddy, the IVth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge at the Nampally criminal courts and Varaprasad, the XIVth Additional District Judge in Ranga Reddy courts.
Protesting the suspension, Telangana Judges' Association had yesterday reportedly decided to apply for mass casual leave on Tuesday.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED
According to reports, about 120 judges of Telangana courts met at on Sunday and resolved to resign in protest against allocation of judges of Andhra Pradesh nativity to posts in Telangana.
The Telangana judges and advocates are opposing the provisional list released by the High Court on May 3, allocating 135 judges of Andhra Pradesh nativity to subordinate courts in Telangana.
Also read:
Hyderabad High Court suspends 2 lower court judges, Telangana judges and lawyers to intensify agitation
Judges protest provisional allocation between AP and Telangana
Agitation of Telangana judges: HC suspends nine more
--- ENDS ---
Tusshar Kapoor says that he always wanted to be a father and IVF helped him realise his dream.
By India Today Web Desk: Tusshar Kapoor took social media by storm on Monday (June 27) when he announced that he has become a father now. The actor, who is single, decided to walk the surrogacy way to welcome his first child, a baby boy named Laksshya. The Shor in the City actor said that he was in a hurry to become a father and is happy that he took this decision.
advertisement
ALSO READ: Unmarried Tusshar is now father to a baby boy, thanks to surrogacy
"I wanted to be a father. I met Dr. Firuza Parikh and she suggested this procedure. I was in a hurry to become a father.. I am turning 40 in a few months, so I felt I was in the right stage to become a single parent and I went ahead with what was told to me," Tusshar said while addressing the media at his residence.
The 39-year-old actor said that he feels that his family is complete now. And also added that his son looks exactly like him.
"I am happy that I have taken the right decision. Our family is complete now, we are five now, grandparents, me, my sister and little Laksshya. I wanted to be a single parent, my dream has come true. My son looks exactly like me, so it makes me very happy. I have no words to express how excited or joyous I feel right now," he added.
Tusshar, who was last seen in Kya Kool Hai Hum 3, revealed that he always wanted to have a child of his own. "It's just your paternal instinct when you feel mentally that you are ready to become a father... Lot of people adopt, but I didn't want to adopt, I wanted to have my own child," he said.
Previously, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan conceived their third child through the IVF and surrogacy procedure.
A conversation with Rajneeti director Prakash Jha, who has an adopted daughter, was one of the reasons behind Tusshar's decision.
"I had visited Tirupati temple last year and while I was leaving after the darshan, I met Prakash Jha who was also in my flight. And in our conversation he said that 'this (IVF) is also a way if you want to have a child, if you want to be a single parent'. He introduced me to a family who had followed the IVF and surrogacy procedure. So I felt very inspired and felt I was ready," Tusshar said.
--- ENDS ---
Corbyn said on Tuesday that the vote has no constitutional legitimacy.
He said he will not "betray" his supporters by resigning.
The main opposition party's lawmakers earlier passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence.
Many called for him to step down as party leader.
He has been criticized severely for his weak performance during the European Union referendum campaign, which ended with Britain voting to leave the EU.
The Labour Party backed staying in the bloc but many said Corbyn campaigned poorly.
By PTI: From Aditi Khanna
London, Jun 28 (PTI) The UKs embattled Opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, today lost a no-confidence motion brought against him by his Labour party MPs in the wake of UKs shock Brexit vote.
The 172-40 vote, which is not binding, follows a raft of resignations from the shadow cabinet and calls on Corbyn to quit.
advertisement
The leader, however, remains defiant and issued a statement: "Labour has the responsibility to give a lead where the government will not. I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning.
"We are a democratic party, with a clear constitution. Our people need Labour Party members, trade unionists and MPs to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country."
However, Corbyns allies have told his critics to trigger a formal leadership contest if they want to challenge him.
"I couldnt believe the strength of feeling, the overwhelming rejection of Jeremy as our leader, and the pleading with him that he should consider his position and go with dignity," said Dame Margaret Hodge, one of the MPs who had tabled the no-confidence motion soon after the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) last week in a historic referendum.
Corbyn, 67, faced calls to resign at a stormy meeting in the House of Commons yesterday after more than 20 members of his shadow cabinet and a similar number of junior ministers walked out, questioning his performance during the EU referendum and ability to lead the party.
"MPs dont choose the leader of the Labour Party, the party does. I think it is really sad that colleagues have chosen to stage this three-ring circus because they dont want to have a leadership election because they are not certain of winning a leadership election. The way to resolve this is to have a leadership election," said Dianne Abbot, newly promoted as shadow health secretary and one of Corbyns closest allies.
Corbyn told grassroots supporters from the Momentum campaign group who staged a rally in his support outside Parliament yesterday to stand up for the causes they believed in.
"Dont let the media divide us; dont let those people who wish us ill divide us. Stay together, strong and united, for the kind of world we want to live in," he said.
He has continued to remain defiant since the crisis was triggered within the party over the weekend with the sacking of Hilary Benn, former shadow foreign secretary.
advertisement
He was elected as Labour party leader last September in a landslide of Labour members and supporters. PTI AK SUA SUA
--- ENDS ---
"Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back," Republican Senator Senate Chuck Grassley said.
By PTI: A top American Senator has asked the Obama Administration to discontinue issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to citizens from 23 countries, including India and China, while alleging them of being non-cooperative in taking back illegal immigrants from the US.
Steep hike in H1B visa fee as Obama signs Omnibus spending bill into law
"Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back," Republican Senator Senate Chuck Grassley said in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
advertisement
ALL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
In fiscal year 2015 alone, 2,166 individuals were released in the US because of this decision and the non-cooperation from recalcitrant countries; more than 6,100 were released in the preceding two years, Grassley, who is the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman said. Currently, 23 countries are labelled by the US as uncooperative, with the top five most recalcitrant countries being Cuba, China, Somalia, India, and Ghana, Grassley said. In addition, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is monitoring another 62 nations where cooperation is strained, but which are not yet deemed recalcitrant. In the letter to Johnson, Grassley reminded him that, Congress addressed this problem when it enacted section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. "Under section 243(d), the Secretary of State is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a country upon receiving notice from you that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country," he said. "This tool has been used only once, in the case of Guyana in 2001, where it had an immediate effect, resulting in obtaining cooperation from Guyana within two months," Grassley said.
Also Read:
Why India rejected over 17,000 visa applications from Pakistan
MHA to liberalise visa policy to attract more investment, tourists to India
--- ENDS ---
The ruling could affect similar laws in more than a dozen states and stands as the biggest affirmation of abortion rights in more than two decades.
Bethany Van Kampen, left, hugs Alejandra Pablus as they celebrate during a rally at the Supreme Court in Washington on June 27, 2016 (Photo: AP)
By Reuters: The battle over abortion was expected to shift to measures focusing on the foetus in the wake of the US Supreme Court's decision striking down a Texas law enacted in the name of maternal health.
The 5-3 ruling held that Texas clinic regulations put an undue burden on women seeking abortion, a right established in the court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
advertisement
The ruling could affect similar laws in more than a dozen states and stands as the biggest affirmation of abortion rights in more than two decades.
Opponents said they would regroup, turning their attention to defending and expanding laws that ban abortion after 20 weeks gestation or sooner.
But this path could be difficult as well. The Supreme Court has not taken up any outright ban on abortion tied to fetal gestation in decades and has repeatedly rejected pleas by states to endorse such laws.
"We believe that, even before today, these laws were very likely to be struck down because they are unconstitutional bans on abortion," said Emily J. Martin, general counsel for the National Women's Law Center. "Today's decision only strengthens that conclusion."
Abortion opponents acknowledged the defeat but vowed to press on.
"The pro-life movement takes two steps forward and, occasionally, a step backward," said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee.
PROVISIONS BANNING ABORTIONS
More than a dozen states now have provisions banning abortions after 20 weeks, "and, and we are going to be pushing that," Tobias said.
Nebraska enacted the first 20-week ban in 2010. Since then, similar laws have been adopted in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research organization that supports abortion rights. Mississippi's law bans abortion after just 18 weeks.
Activists demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court in Washington on Monday, June 27, 2016. (Photo: AP)
Abortion opponents said they also planned to step up efforts encouraging states to limit second term abortions through bans on the use of dilation and extraction method. Nine of 10 abortions in the United States are performed in the first trimester. But the dilation and extraction method is the most common procedure used for second trimester abortions.
Kansas and Oklahoma adopted bans on the procedure last year, but those laws have been blocked by courts. West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana passed laws this year; none has yet to draw challenge.
advertisement
The Supreme Court has turned away state efforts to revive bans struck down by lower courts. Earlier this year, it rejected Arkansas' bid to revive a ban on abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The Supreme Court turned away North Dakota's effort to revive a law that banned most abortions once a fetal heartbeat could be detected, as early as six weeks after conception. And, in 2014, it declined to hear Arizona's appeal of a lower-court ruling invalidating a ban on the procedure at 20 weeks.
LAST ABORTION RIGHTS CASE WAS IN 2007
Before Monday, the last time the court had taken up an abortion rights case was in the 2007 dispute over a federal ban on a procedure critics call "partial birth abortion." The procedure, known medically as "intact dilation and extraction," involves a physician removing most of the fetus intact rather than dismembering it.
Reagan Barklage of St. Louis, center, and other anti-abortion activists demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court in Washington. (Photo: AP)
By a 5-4 vote, the court upheld the procedure. Writing the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy referred to moral issues and Congress's findings that the procedure would not be necessary for the health of the mother. In Monday's case, Kennedy joined the majority decision that the Texas law lacks the medical benefits to justify the burden it places on women's access to abortion.
--- ENDS ---
advertisement
By Anindya Banerjee: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu is angry with national carrier Air India after he had to cancel his visit to Hyderabad following a flight delay. Naidu who was slated to fly Air India to Hyderabad for an official engagement had to miss it because the pilot of the flight AI544 didn't turn up on time. In a series of tweets, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister slammed Air India's unprofessional work culture.
advertisement
Air India pilot insists for particular woman co-pilot, delays flight
"Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition," Naidu said.
"I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 hrs... was told on time... reached airport by 1230 hrs. I was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as the pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 hrs, boarding didn't start. Returned to home. Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment," a furious Naidu said.
CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER RESPONDS
Moments after Naidu's tweets, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju responded, saying he has ordered a probe into the incident. Raju has asked Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani to order an inquiry and take action 'on priority' basis.
"Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI (Air India) to enquire and take action on priority," Raju said.
Sources in Air India tell India Today that formalities of who will head the enquiry committe is being worked upon and a report will be submitted 'at the earliest'.
PILOT WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC JAM
According to a statement issued by Air India, the pilot was stuck in a traffic because of which he could not report on time for the flight.
"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flight delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered," Air India said.
The Hyderabad bound flight finally took off from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2.28 pm, a little more than an hour late from its scheduled departure.
Also Read:
Quarrelling crew members delay Air India flight carrying VVIPs
Rat detected on Air India London flight, called back to Mumbai
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Mumbai, Jun 26 (PTI) With monsoon setting in the island city with spell of bountiful rains, catchment areas in the city are yet to receive good rainfall as water level in the seven reservoirs was recorded low as against last year.
According to the water level chart of seven reservoirs that supply water to Mumbai, issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today, as on June 26, 96,665 million litres water was available as compared to 3,32,647 million litres on June 26, 2015.
advertisement
"There has been decent rainfall for the last few days in the catchment areas, but it is not satisfactory, specially if we compare lake (water) level of present day with corresponding period last year. We are keeping a close watch on the situation," BMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner (General Administration) Sudhir Naik told PTI.
Giving details of rainfall received in five major lakes from 6 AM to 6 PM today, Naik said, Modaksagar received 6 mm rainfall, Tansa 2.40 mm, Vihar 36 mm, Tulsi 19 mm, Middle vaitarna 0 mm and Bhandup complex 45.20 mm.
As per BMC weather stations, Mumbai recorded 65.06 mm rainfall, eastern suburb received 72.97 mm and western suburb 61.52 mm in the last 24 hours.
According to Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai, Colaba (south Mumbai) received 122.4 mm rainfall, while Santacruz (western suburbs) recorded 85 mm rains in the last 24 hours.
The seven reservoirs that supply water to Mumbai are Modak Sagar, Tansa, Vihar, Tulsi, Upper Vaitarna, Bhatsa and Middle Vaitarna.
BMC supplies 3,750 million litres of water everyday to the island city and suburbs, which still falls short of the actual demand of 4,200 million litres. PTI APM ARS AYP PTP
--- ENDS ---
The Wedding Story Studio just gave us a sneak peek into Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya's pre-wedding shoot.
By India Today Web Desk: Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya are all set to get married in 10 days' time (July 8) in Bhopal. Before the festivities begin, the couple seems to have done a pre-wedding photoshoot with The Wedding Story, the photo studio that also did Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover's wedding shoot.
Divyanka took to Facebook to share a sneak peek from the shoot, with the caption--"Coming up: An unusual #WeddingStory."
advertisement
Also read: Honeymoon will have to wait till Sept-Oct, says Vivek Dahiya
Also read: Vivek Dahiya's Kawach beats Divyanka Tripathi's Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, becomes No. 1 TV show
Divyanka has been keeping extremely busy these days shooting for Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, shooting for a catalogue and making preparations for her wedding. The actress has also been shopping for her wedding trousseau and bridal jewellery.
Thanks to the couple's shooting commitments, they will only be able to head for their honeymoon in Sept-Oct, Vivek told us in an exclusive interview.
Also read: WATCH: Divyanka Tripathi shops for wedding jewellery, says she's happy to become Vivek's dulhan
--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Kolkata, Jun 28 (PTI) Zoological Survey of India has started five long-term monitoring plots in the Himalayas to document the impact of climate change on animal world.
The project, funded by the Ministry for environment, forest and climate change, will monitor indicators in species like fish, butterflies, bees and other insects to find how their distribution has been affected by climate change, officials said.
advertisement
ZSI director Kailash Chandra said it has very old records and will compare the distribution of species in the past and present to come out with a study report on the impact of climate change on their survival.
The project will run for three years in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and more than Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for the exercise.
Last year, 262 new animal species were discovered from India out of which 70 have been credited to ZSI scientists.
Chandra said the number of scientists working in ZSI has decreased over the years. He said only 80 scientists were working with the organisation now as compared to 120-130 in the past.
This has also resulted in the decline of reporting of new species. An average of over 100 new species was recorded by ZSI scientists in the past which has now come down, he said.
India is home to 94,515 species from the animal kingdom as on 31 December 2015. PTI NIK KK SRY
--- ENDS ---
Earlier this month the FTC was reviewing details of the U.S. firm's contracts with South Korean mobile telecoms carriers.
By Reuters: South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating "some matters" relating to tech giant Apple Inc, the head of the anticompetition body said during a parliamentary hearing, without disclosing further details.
Speaking at the hearing on Tuesday, FTC Chairman Jeong Jae-chan declined to comment on the specifics of the regulator's investigation when asked to do so by a South Korean lawmaker.
advertisement
Domestic media reports said earlier this month the FTC was reviewing details of the U.S. firm's contracts with South Korean mobile telecoms carriers.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
--- ENDS ---
A woman from California decided against complaining about it on internet, instead she went and sued Microsoft. And she won.
By Manish Sain: Microsoft has been accused of forcing people to install the latest Windows and also of installing the update without permission. A woman from California decided against complaining about it on internet, instead she went and sued Microsoft. And she won.
According to The Seattle Times, Teri Goldstein, a businesswoman from California, sued Microsoft for installing Windows 10 on her computer without her permission. She said after the update her computer "slowed to a crawl. It would crash and be unusable for days at a time".
advertisement
"I had never heard of Windows 10. Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to update," Goldstein said.
Goldstein reached out to court after the Microsoft's customer support failed to fix the issue. She sought compensation of $10,000 for loss of wages and cost of a new computer.
According to report, Microsoft had appealed against the lawsuit but later dropped it "to avoid the expense of further litigation" and compensated Goldstein with $10,000.
Microsoft in its defence says that it offers users a choice to update and it is not a requirement.
It also gives users option to roll back to previous Windows version within 31 days of installation if they are not happy with the Windows 10.
Goldstein is but one example of Microsoft's aggressive campaign to install Windows 10 on as many computers as possible. But ever since Microsoft started rolling out Windows 10 update to people it has met with more resistance than Kylo Ren did in the episode 7 of Star Wars.
Launched in July 2015, the latest Windows OS has been free for all those who had Windows (original/pirated) in their computers. The company will make the OS chargeable from July 29. It will be available to buy for $119 for Windows 10 Home version.
Most critics have stood with Windows 10 regarding its usability, safety and features, but the public response hasn't been similar.
The resistance against Microsoft's persistent requests rose when many users said the company is forcibly installing the Windows on their systems. According to Mary Jo Foley, a tech journalist, Microsoft has made saying no to Windows 10 "nearly impossible to implement".
Microsoft's latest OS has led to slowing down of systems, but in our experience we have found the issue is present only with lower-end PCs, which have less than 4GB of RAM and also lower amount of physical storage.
The company also doesn't specify minimum requirements and optimal requirements before the installation. Another Windows watcher, Paul Thurrott, reported a pop-up, which asks users to install Windows 10. According to Thurrott, the pop-up doesn't have a cancel option and if a user clicks on the 'X' to close it, the tool interprets it as a 'yes' to the Windows 10 update.
advertisement
"The violation of trust here is almost indescribable," Thurrott said.
Microsoft has continuously denied all the allegations of forcing people to install Windows 10, but reports talk otherwise. The end of free update looks like the last hope for those who can't take it anymore, the company may stop pushing those update pop-ups after July 29.
--- ENDS ---
His letter reads as follows:
To the UN Human Rights Council,
I, Hassan Sadeqi, a political prisoner of Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison in Karaj, write this letter to talk about my current condition. As I was schedulled to visit my wife imprisoned in Evin Prison, one of the prison guards, named Mohammadreza Shojai, arbitrarily prohibited my visitation with my wife. When I asked about the reason he said that there is a court order prohibiting you from visiting your family. I asked him to show me the court order which has been issued for me and he refused to show it, saying that he is not permitted to do so. I asked him how is it possible that a court order is issued for me while I am not permitted to know about its content.
However he was explicitly lying and there was no such court order, the judicial structure is so ignorant and abusive that a low-ranking official could have arbitrarily imposed punishment and harassment to the prisoners.
It is worth noting that my wife and I are sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment individually since we were charged with supporting the Peoples Mujahedin Organization of Iran [PMOI or MEK]. The only hope for our children is their monthly visitation with us. In such circumstances, the political prisoners are not allowed to make phone calls. Although my children and I were accorded with the basic rights of human life for ourselves to have at least a phone call, by all means, they arrested my son because of making the effort to contact us and now we have all been prohibited from visitations.
Indeed, the pressures and the violation of rights stem from a corrupt hierarchy, repression and systematic tortures that go on in prison. Torturing and harassing prisoners have become the norm. As a political prisoner whose basic rights have been violated; I want you to tell us what to do in the current situation when no justice exists.
Hassan Sadeqi
Gohardasht (Rajai Shahr) Prison, Karaj
On July 9th, hundreds of senior political dignitaries, parliamentarians, human rights and womens rights activists, as well as religious leaders from the United States, Europe, and Islamic countries, will come together in Paris to join a major gathering of Iranians and their international supporters for the cause of democracy and freedom in Iran. This gathering, Free Iran, will highlight the plight of Irans political prisoners, like Hassan Sadeqi, who continue to suffer at the hands of the mullahs regime.
Deputies also endorsed calls for the removal of the regimes Revolutionary Guards in addition to other mercenaries from countries in the area, Syria and Iraq particularly. The statement cautioned the Iranian governments interference in Syria has escalated to an unprecedented level and it is massacring Syrians without interruption. As well, the Iranian government has given great assistance to and prepared the ground for the ascendancy of ISIS.
The declaration also urged the US, the EU and various world leaders to assist in supporting Mrs. Maryam Rajavis 10-point plan for a future Iran which seeks to be secular republic with democratic elections, the outlawing of all discrimination, broad spectrum gender equality, elimination of the death penalty, and harmonious and peaceful coexistence with other countries in the area and internationally.
The statement made public earlier this month includes among the 319 signatories 11 deputy ministers, five committee chairmen, 19 committee vice-chairs, members of the Parliaments steering committee, and a number of former ministers.
Italian parliamentary support comes prior to the major Free Iran gathering in Paris on July 9. Expected to attend are various government representatives from around the world, human rights and womens activists, Islamic religious leaders from various countries and European and American representatives.
[June 27, 2016] Fitch Affirms McLeod Health's (SC) Bonds at 'AA-'; Outlook Revised to Positive
Fitch Ratings has affirmed the 'AA-' rating on the following Florence County, South Carolina bonds issued on behalf of McLeod Regional Medical Center of the Pee Dee, Inc. (dba McLeod Health): --$69.9 million series 2014; --$112.8 million in series 2010A. The Rating Outlook is revised to Positive from Stable. SECURITY The bonds will be secured by a pledge of gross revenues of the obligated group (OG). KEY RATING DRIVERS STRONG FINANCIAL PROFILE: The Outlook revision to Positive reflects the improving trend in profitability in 2014 and 2015, further elevating McLeod Health's (McLeod) already healthy financial profile. McLeod generated a 16.1% operating EBITDA margin and 6.5x coverage of its maximum annual debt service (MADS) in 2015. Solidly consistent profitability has bolstered cash reserves, reflected in strong cash to debt of 276.9%. SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATING RECENT ACQUISITIONS: McLeod has been broadening its regional presence with the 2012 acquisition of Loris Health System (now McLeod Loris Seacoast Hospital; MLSH), the June 2015 acquisition of Chesterfield General Hospital (now McLeod Health Cheraw) and the recently announced affiliation with Clarendon Health System. McLeod successfully integrated MLSH into the system and Fitch expects that it will be similarly able to turn around operations at the Cheraw and Clarendon hospitals in fiscal 2016 and 2017, respectively, so that they will be accretive to McLeod. GROWING MARKET PRESENCE: McLeod's leading market position improved to 53.5% in 2015, up from 48.5% inpatient share in 2013 within its six-county primary service area (PSA). The growing market presence has translated into notable increases in both medical and surgical utilization. Moreover, the recent hospital acquisitions should continue to provide additional opportunities for market growth. MANAGEABLE CAPITAL PLANS WITH NO ADDITIONAL DEBT: McLeod's plan in 2016 and 2017 includes approximately $230 million in capital spending. The largest project is a $117.8 million 50-bed new inpatient tower and emergency department expansion at McLeod Seacoast Hospital. With an average annual operating EBITDA of $137.4 million in fiscal 2014 and 2015, McLeod is able to fund its capital plans without eroding its liquidity or needing to borrow additional debt at this time, thereby preserving balance sheet strength. RATING SENSITIVITIES CONTINUED ENTERPRISE GROWTH: Fitch expects McLeod to benefit from its recent community hospital acquisitions and further leverage its growing market reach. Upward rating movement could occur if McLeod maintains the current high level of profitability and further strengthens liquidity metrics to offset the system's somewhat limited revenue size and regional concentration. CREDIT PROFILE McLeod is a $922 million in revenue health system serving the midlands to coastal regions of South Carolina. McLeod owns and operates 453-bed McLeod Regional Medical Center (MRMC) in Florence, 49-bed McLeod Medical Center in Darlington (a division of MRMC), 79-bed McLeod Medical Center in Dillon, 105-bed McLeod Loris Hospital in Loris, 50-bed McLeod Seacoast Hospital in Little River, 59-bed McLeod Health Cheraw and various other entities. The system recently announced its affiliation with Clarendon Health System, which it began managing in May 2016. The final 99-year lease agreement is expected to be executed in July, at which time the hospital in Clarendon will join the OG and be rebranded as McLeod Health Clarendon. Fitch based its analysis on the consolidated entity. The members of the OG include McLeod Health, MRMC, McLeod Medical Center Dillon, McLeod Health Cheraw and McLeod Physician Associates, which are the only obligors under the Master Indenture. For fiscal 2015 the OG comprised 93% of total assets and 88% of total revenues of the consolidated entity. STRONG FINANCIAL PROFILE McLeod's strong financial profile was further enhanced in fiscal 2015 (ended Sept. 30) when the operating margin reached 8.9%, an increase from 7.1% in 2014 and 6.8% in 2013. Similarly, operating EBITDA increased to 16.1% in 2015 from 15.4% in 2014, above the median value of 11.5% for the 'AA' rating category. The system benefited from an increased revenue level of $921.7 million (from $824.3 million in 2014) as a result of strategic growth, increased utilization, and $5 million in igher Medicaid disproportionate share payments (DSH).
Management expects the results in fiscal 2016 to be slightly more modest than 2015, but still in line with Fitch's 'AA' category medians. McLeod reported an operating margin of 6.7% in the six months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to 7.3% in the same period in 2015. The results in fiscal 2016 are expected to be slightly tempered by the investments in physician recruitment to integrate the medical staffs at the new acquisition hospitals in Cheraw and Clarendon to McLeod's clinical model. McLeod Health Cheraw is still generating a modest loss of about $700,000 but is expected to break even by the end of calendar 2016. Clarendon had an operating loss of approximately $5.5 million in its last year before the acquisition, but it is expected to break even by the end of calendar 2017 with the planned enhancements and consolidation of clinical and non-clinical functions. The historically strong operating results have allowed the system to build and sustain a robust balance sheet. McLeod reported 397.6 days cash on hand (DCOH), 33.2x cushion ratio and 276.9% cash-to-debt in 2015. McLeod reported similar results for the six-month interim period in 2016 with DCOH at 374.4 days, 33.9x cushion ratio and 288.3% cash-to-debt. Fitch expects these metrics to remain relatively stable over the next couple of years.
SOLID AND GROWING MARKET POSITION McLeod remains the market leader with 53.5% inpatient market share in 2015 within its PSA, approximately double the market share for its closest competitor Carolinas Hospital System in Florence. MRMC has been enhancing its position as a regional referral center by broadening its reach in fast-growing Horry, Clarendon, Chesterfield and Marlboro counties in recent years. All of McLeod's community hospitals represent important referral streams to the main hospital in Florence for higher acuity needs. McLeod Health Cheraw in Chesterfield has absorbed most of the volume from the Marlboro Park hospital in Bennettsville that was closed in 2015. The Clarendon facility similarly provides an opportunity for McLeod to leverage the short-term market disruption caused by the 18-24-month closure of the community hospital in neighboring Williamsburg which was closed due to flood damage. McLeod reports profitable operations at the Loris and Seacoast hospitals that were added to the system in 2012. Inpatient admissions grew at these facilities, although they have experienced enhanced competition for outpatient surgeries. McLeod is building on its market presence in this area to take advantage of the growth near the coast with the expansion at McLeod Health Seacoast and a new medical office building and outpatient clinic in a new 43-acre plot of land it purchased in Carolina Forest. Both of these projects will be ongoing in fiscal 2016 and 2017. DEBT PROFILE McLeod has a conservative debt profile with fixed-rate borrowings accounting for approximately 80% of the total $310.1 million in debt outstanding at fiscal year-end 2015. No new debt issuances are currently planned. Additionally, there is no pension liability as the system maintains a defined-contribution plan. With robust EBITDA generation, McLeod posted solid MADS coverage of 6.5x in fiscal 2015 based on consolidated MADS of $25.8 million in 2022. McLeod's annual debt service is approximately $21 million or less each year, except for the MADS year of 2022. MADS for the OG is $15.9 million, yielding a stronger coverage ratio of 9.3x for the OG. CONTINUING DISCLOSURE McLeod covenants to provide annual audited disclosure within 180 days after fiscal year-end and quarterly disclosure within 45 days after each quarter-end. Disclosure includes financial statements, utilization, and management discussion and analysis. Fitch notes that disclosure has been thorough and timely, with good access to management. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=750012 U.S. Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Rating Criteria (pub. 09 Jun 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=866807 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1008066 Solicitation Status
https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1008066 Endorsement Policy
https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160627006230/en/
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[June 27, 2016] hack/secure Unites 25 of the Top Entrepreneurs to Help Form and Fund 100 U.S.-based Cybersecurity Companies over the Next Three Years
Today, serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist Chris Lynch along with partner Cort Johnson unveiled hack/secure, an invite-only investment syndicate to help U.S. citizens build cybersecurity companies to ensure the United States leads the global effort in protecting the free world. At launch, hack/secure includes a syndicate of 25 of the industry's pre-eminent and proven entrepreneurs investing in the next generation of cybersecurity entrepreneurs. The organization already has local presence in Austin, Boston, Washington DC and New York. hack/secure was founded and is run by Chris Lynch and Cort Johnson of Accomplice. The 25 entrepreneurs and angel investors forming the syndicate serve as hack/secure leads. Using the power of the AngelList platform, when a lead finds a company they want to invest in, hack/secure backs that lead's investment with up to $250,000 of additional investment capital. "The world runs on software. It powers everything from the banks that govern our financial system, the computers that fly our airplanes and drive our cars, to the power plants that generate our energy," said Lynch. "WWIII is already underway, and it's a cyber war. We believe it will be won with hands on the keyboard, not boots on the ground. The cybersecurity industry is just as important to protecting the free world as the manufacturing industry ws to supporting the Allied forces victory in WWII. hack/secure is our effort to ensuring America leads the protection of our way of life and that of the free world."
hack/secure in action: Kolide
hack/secure's first investment is Boston-based cybersecurity startup Kolide, a promising new venture formed by top technologists from Mandiant, FireEye and Facebook (News - Alert). Kolide has raised $1.6 million led by Dustin Willis Webber, CTO and co-founder of Critical Stack. Dustin has built a legendary reputation in the infosec community for his numerous key open source contributions, founding multiple successful security startups, and for the sheer speed at which he delivers innovative products. His investment is backed by hack/secure, Liam Randall, CEO of Critical Stack, and other security experts from its syndicate. Kolide is led by co-founder and CEO Jason Meller, formerly Chief Security Strategist at FireEye (News - Alert). The founding team also includes Mike Arpaia and Zach Wasserman from Facebook's elite security team, where the two built and open sourced osquery, which is used to ensure the security of hundreds of thousands of Facebook's endpoints.
"Jason approached me with an incredible idea to leverage open source technology at the endpoint to solve some big challenges in a way I had never seen before," said Webber. "As someone who has built their entire career contributing to and relying on open source technology, I understood the benefits to that approach instantly. What you have here are the raw elements to break the endpoint market wide open and I knew that if we could bring in additional open source innovators like Mike and Zach, we'd have something super special here to invest in through hack/secure." Kolide's mission is to take on the nascent endpoint security and dev-operations space by building an enterprise-grade experience and tooling around Facebook's popular osquery project. "Wide proliferation of network encryption has effectively neutered some of the best detection tools security experts have relied on for decades," said Kolide CEO Jason Meller. "Visibility at each individual machine is the only remaining effective way for organizations who care about cyber attacks to regain that lost sight. Unfortunately, most the endpoint technologies out there are proprietary, and you are effectively trusting the vendor that you aren't introducing more holes. An open source solution like Facebook's osquery, which can be scrutinized and improved by every expert in the field, is the solution. A ton of organizations are already making major investments in osquery because of its current capabilities. When they see the value we add with Kolide, their bet on the technology will be paid off 100 fold." About hack/secure
hack/secure is an investment syndicate of 25, and growing, of the top minds in the cybersecurity industry. The organization's board of directors act as managing directors of their region across the U.S., and initially include: Austin: HD Moore (News - Alert) - Founder of Metasploit (acquired by Rapid7), Principal at Special Circumstances
HD Moore (News - Alert) - Founder of Metasploit (acquired by Rapid7), Principal at Special Circumstances Boston: Dustin Webber - Founder and CTO of Critical Stack, Founder of Threat Stack
Dustin Webber - Founder and CTO of Critical Stack, Founder of Threat Stack Boston: Jen Andre - Founder and CEO of Komand, Founder of Threat Stack
Jen Andre - Founder and CEO of Komand, Founder of Threat Stack New York: Dan Guido - CEO and Founder of Trail of Bits
Dan Guido - CEO and Founder of Trail of Bits Washington DC: Liam Randall - Founder and CEO of Critical Stack hack/secure syndicate members include: Brian Ahern - CEO of Threat Stack
Jen Andre - CEO of Komand
Tim Belcher - Former CTO of NetWitness
Bob Brennan - CEO of Veracode
Art Coviello - Former CEO of RSA (News - Alert)
Adam Fuchs - Co-Founder of Sqrrl
Dan Guido - Co-Founder and CEO of Trail of Bits
Sam King - CSO of Veracode
John Langton - Founder of VisiTrend (Acquired by Carbon Black)
HD Moore - Founder of Metasploit Project
Patrick Morley - President and CEO of Carbon Black
Liam Randall - CEO of Critical Stack
Corey Thomas - President and CEO of Rapid7
Mike Viscuso - CTO of Carbon Black
Dustin Webber - CTO of Critical Stack View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160627006266/en/
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[June 28, 2016] Valens' First HDBaseT Automotive Silicon is Now Available
DUSSELDORF, Germany, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ConCarExpo 2016 -- Valens, the developer of HDBaseT technology and founder of the HDBaseT Alliance, is unveiling the VA600T the first silicon to demonstrate the transmission of high-throughput, time-sensitive applications over an HDBaseT Automotive link. Valens will be demoing the VA600T's capabilities at the ConCarExpo 2016, in Dusseldorf (June 29-30). HDBaseT Automotive is the only technology today that enables up to 6Gbs tunneling of audio, video, data, USB and more, with native networking capabilities over a single unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable for up to 15m (50ft), targeting the existing 100BASE-T1 comparable channel utilized today in the automotive sector. The VA600T illustrates the clear benefits brought by HDBaseT Automotive, including high-bandwidth, top performance, feature-rich capabilities, and near-zero latency transmission, through a highly robust and EMC-resistant solution. At ConCarExpo 2016, Valens will showcase the VA600T, including demonstration of 1Gb Ethernet traffic using the VA600T native Ethernet interface, and distribution of high-throughput audio, video and USB, with near-zero latency, over an HDBaseT Automotive link. Evauation kits (EVKs) for the VA600T will be available for customer sampling as of Q3 2016, through the company's website.
"The VA600T is just the first step in corroborating the unique features brought by HDBaseT Automotive, following in the footsteps of its parent technology, HDBaseT. Since its introduction in 2010, HDBaseT has revolutionized the transmission of high-throughput multimedia content, and the technology is now a digital connectivity standard in the professional audiovisual and consumer electronics markets. HDBaseT Automotive simplifies system design, lower overall costs, and provides better performance for end users, improving the overall connected driving experience. With the VA600T, the in-vehicle connectivity revolution is about to start." Micha Risling, Sr. Vice President Marketing & Business Development and Head of the Automotive Business Unit, Valens
Valens' VA600T will be showcased at the HDBaseT Alliance's stand at ConCarExpo 2016 (Stand 46), in Dusseldorf. To schedule a meeting with a Valens representative at the show, please contact [email protected]. Join Micha Risling on June 29th to learn more about HDBaseT Automotive, at the ConCar Forum. The session starts at 11:15 am. About Valens
Established in 2006, Valens provides semiconductor products for the distribution of uncompressed ultra-high-definition (HD) multimedia content. The company's HDBaseT technology enables long-reach connectivity of devices over a single cable and is a global standard for advanced digital media distribution. Valens is a private company headquartered in Israel.
For more information, visit www.valens.com.
CONTACT:
Sandra Welfeld
Communications
[email protected]
+972-52-4007283 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150208/174155LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/valens-first-hdbaset-automotive-silicon-is-now-available-300291096.html SOURCE Valens
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[June 28, 2016] Acuant Partners with Leading Automotive Software Solutions Provider TSD
LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Acuant, the leading provider of intelligent data capture and authentication solutions, has partnered with TSD, which provides cutting-edge fleet management software for vehicle rental companies, dealerships, OEMs and businesses that require fleet management tracking tools. Through this partnership, Acuant serves the automotive industry by providing a solution that optimizes the workflow process and increases customer satisfaction by automating data intake and cutting down on the amount of time employees spend on each transaction. Acuant's idScan Go solution is designed to gather data from scanned IDs on any mobile device and auto-populate the information into company forms digitally on their own customer management systems. Acuant's solution protects company assets by verifying licenses from all 50 states as well as government issued ID's from over 100 countries and all passports for authenticity, and decreases compliance issues by eliminating the need for agencies to photocopy IDs. Acuant's data capture solution was chosen by TSD in an effort to optimize workflow at car rental companies. The counter agent is able to scan a license and instantly gather the data which will auto-populate this information into the TSD agreement. "We are confident that our partnership with Acuant will help car rental companies improve CSI through faster, more convenient and more efficient service," says Shawn Concannon, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Operations at TSD." With the integration between TSD and Acuant, car rental companies are able to eliminate manual data collection and improve sped and customer service through automation.
A leading national car rental company recently implemented Acuant's technology in an international airport that serves over 70 million passengers a year. After the company started using Acuant, they found customer processing times had decreased by two minutes, with the average car rental transaction time being less than seven minutes. Customers and staff alike are delighted with the service. "The automotive industry is becoming increasingly digital in an effort to provide faster, more pleasing customer service," said Yossi Zekri, CEO of Acuant. "Our partnership with TSD will streamline the vehicle rental process and provides a cost efficient, revenue enhancing solution."
About TSD Founded in 1983, TSD designs, develops and delivers cutting-edge fleet management software solutions to help our clients manage their rental and loaner car fleets. TSD has become the industry's leading SaaS Company and a global leader in providing technology and solutions for companies servicing the temporary transportation market including vehicle rental companies, dealerships and OEMs. With more than 250 years of combined fleet management experience, TSD is driving the automotive industry. About Acuant Acuant's patented intelligent data capture, advanced document authentication and identity verification technologies provide a comprehensive suite of solutions. Utilizing proprietary technology and the industry's largest document library, Acuant verifies identity credentials issued from over 100 countries and transforms data into useful and insightful information to optimize company workflows. A multi-platform solution, Acuant empowers businesses globally giving them the freedom to work on any device, in the cloud or locally. Acuant solutions easily integrate into any environment; customers include start-ups, Fortune 500 and FTSE 350 organizations in the financial services, healthcare, automotive, hospitality and security sectors. For more information, please visit acuantcorp.com. Follow Acuant Twitter: https://twitter.com/acuantcorp Blog: http://www.acuantcorp.com/blog/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acuant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acuantcorp/ PR Contact:
Mike Gallo
Gutenberg Communications for Acuant Corp
212-239-8594
[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acuant-partners-with-leading-automotive-software-solutions-provider-tsd-300290832.html SOURCE Acuant
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[June 28, 2016] IEEE Experts Driven by Unconventional Inspiration Advance Technologies to Benefit Humanity
NEW YORK , June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Members within IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, are incorporating outside technologies and ideas to drive innovation in a range of robotic fields such as disaster response, medical and biomechanical engineering. Hugging a Robot Can Save Your Life
According to the International Lifesaving Federation, 1.2 million people around the world die by drowning every year. With most of these incidents happening during warmer seasons as people flock to the water, Dr. Robin Murphy, IEEE Fellow and director of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASER) at Texas A&M University, is working with aquatic robots that are being utilized for water safety rescues. EMILY (Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard), a four-foot long remote controlled buoy, can reach distressed swimmers faster than any human and has been instrumental for lifeguards, as well as search and rescue personnel during floods. "Approaching a distressed swimmer or flood victim is always difficult because, in times of distress, the person's behavior can be extremely erratic," stated Murphy. "Through implementing elements of proxemics, a psychological study of human use of space, and the effects it has on one's behavior, communication and social interaction, we've been able to program EMILY to approach distressed swimmers in a comforting manner, allowing victims to trust the buoy to bring them to safety." Making Strides in Robotics that Improve Walking for People with Disabilities
With the continued developments of the Electroadhesive Clutch, a lightweight, low-power and highly-mobile exoskeleton, Steve Collins, IEEE member and associate professor of biomechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, is working towards enhancing the quaity of life for the disabled and rehab patients. The Electroadhesive Clutch has the potential to provide enhanced mobility, enabling disabled and rehab patients to handle more tasks on their own, lift and carry heavier objects and perform routine tasks. This robotic innovation is an improvement to Collins' Walking Assist Clutch, which reduces the energy exerted in walking by seven percent.
"A sandwich bag and a couple of pieces of aluminum foil helped me conceptualize the Electroadhesive Clutch, particularly how the transference of power would work in allowing the clutch to operate on such low power," stated Collins. "The primary challenge in prosthesis and exoskeleton design is discovering functionalities that will actually help humans. With the Electroadhesive Clutch, we can now use hundreds of individually controlled clutches each one thin, lightweight and consuming very little electricity in a single exoskeleton. This will completely change the way we design robotic systems in the future." Video Games ARE Good for Your Health
Researchers at John Hopkins Medicine believe that more than 250,000 patients die each year due to medical errors, which is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. To increase the success rate of surgeries, Blake Hannaford, IEEE Fellow and director of the Biorobotics Laboratory at the University of Washington, is currently working on the Raven, a semi-autonomous surgical robot that is becoming instrumental in assisting surgeons during medical procedures. Semi-autonomous robots can benefit surgeons by providing them with greater dexterity and accuracy during a procedure, lowering the chances of surgeons making medical errors that can lead to complications or death.
"Our team has discovered that using AI algorithms called 'behavior trees,' built for opponents in certain video games translates well as a modeling language for automated medical procedures," stated Hannaford. "The AI behavior trees have direct applications to programming the semi-autonomous Raven surgical robot, which will provide millions of patients with cutting edge care through greater precision and minimal invasiveness." Robotics Real-Talk Facebook LiveStream
Join us on June 30 at 1:30pm ET on IEEE's Facebook page as professor Blake Hannaford will be showcasing his research at the Biorobotics Laboratory at the University of Washington. Professor Hannaford will be providing demos, which include his work in robotic surgery, locomotion and haptics, as well as answering questions from the livestream participants. About IEEE
IEEE is the largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org. Media Contacts:
Ryan Siss
Finn Partners for IEEE
212-715-1677
[email protected] Fran Tardo
IEEE
212-419-7750
f.tardo@ieee.org Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151110/285730LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ieee-experts-driven-by-unconventional-inspiration-advance-technologies-to-benefit-humanity-300291118.html SOURCE IEEE
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[June 28, 2016] Tektronix Releases PCI Express 4.0 Test Solution Including Support for 16 GT/s Data Rates
BEAVERTON, Ore., June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tektronix, a leading worldwide provider of measurement solutions, today announced a series of enhancements to its suite of PCI Express (PCIe) test solutions including support for the 16 GT/s data rate and the industry's first automated transmitter and receiver test solutions supporting the PCIe 4.0 architecture. With the faster data rates for PCIe 4.0 technology come new test challenges such as major increases in channel loss, tightening of the total jitter budget and more complex link training and timing requirements. As design margins shrink, accurate and standard-specific measurement solutions play a vital role in debug, design verification and interoperability testing. All of these needs are fully met by the latest Tektronix test solutions for PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 in conjunction with DPO70000SX high performance oscilloscopes. "As important industry specifications such as PCIe evolve over time, it's critical that our test and measurement tools keep pace," said Brian Reich, general manager, Performance Oscilloscopes, Tektronix. "Offering unmatched accuracy and scalability, DPO70000SX oscilloscopes along with the enhancements to our PCIe solutions enable our customers to debug and verify compliance to the latest versions of the PCIe specification while dramatically reducing compliance test times and boosting productivity." PCIe 4.0 transmitter testing Option PCE4 for Tektronix DPO/DPS70000SX and DPO/MSO70000DX high performance oscilloscopes provides new transmitter (Tx) measurements specific to the new PCIe 4.0 Base Specification including the 100 MHz reference clock, with its picosecond jitter requirements, used in all four generations of PCI Express: 2.5, 5.0, 8.0 and 16.0 GT/s. Other nhancements include support for the new U.2 form factor (formerly called SFF-8639) and additional optimizations to reduce the overall test time by about 30 percent. These same capabilities are also available as enhancements for Option PCE3, Tektronix' solution for PCI Express 3.0 technology.
PCIe 4.0 receiver testing Tektronix now offers support for PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.1a Base Specification receiver testing. The solutions automate Tektronix BERTScope bit error rate testers and Tektronix high performance real-time oscilloscopes to calibrate stressed eye openings and test Rx conformance and jitter tolerance. Following industry-standard methodology, these solutions, offered in cooperation with Tektronix partner Granite River Labs, provide a simple user interface to automate complex PCIe testing and significantly reduce equipment calibration time. The solutions also support looping through a variety of timing and voltage parameters, using ranges defined by the user, to create 2-dimensional result plots.
Industry validation The PCI Express Base Specification, Revision 4.0, Version 0.7, is quite complex, exceeding 1,000 pages, making it challenging for test engineers to quickly come up to speed. Tektronix works closely with industry organizations such as PCI-SIG to help translate industry specification test requirements into easy-to-use turnkey test solutions that offer clear and concise characterization reports. DPO70000SX Meets 4th Gen Performance Requirements As engineering teams prepare for next generation serial standards in the rapidly growing cloud computing and storage segments, they need a measurement platform with extremely consistent and precise measurement for the high data rate signaling schemes used in PCIe 4.0 and other standards. The DPO70000SX, Tektronix' latest oscilloscope family, offers a number of advantages for 4th generation serial buses compared to previous generation oscilloscopes, including: High bandwidth, low noise ATI channels for the best signal fidelity and widest measurement margins
A flexible architecture with room to grow, allowing units to be configured at the customer site from 23 GHz to 70 GHz with minimal downtime
Industry-best triggering with 25 GHz edge trigger bandwidth to easily capture the fastest signals
High-precision time base delivering extremely accurate timing and jitter measurements on today's fastest standards
An integrated counter/timer that enables high precision timing measurements to characterize designs and debug problems Pricing and availability The new PCIe 4.0 transmitter test solution will be available in July. The receiver test solutions and updated PCIe 3.0 solutions are available now. Pricing starts at $7,290. Free trial licenses are available. For full details, go to: http://www.tek.com/pci-express Wondering what else Tektronix is up to? Check out the Tektronix Bandwidth Banter blog and stay up to date on the latest news from Tektronix on Twitter and Facebook. About Tektronix Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for over 70 years. Join us on the journey of innovation at TEK.COM. About PCI-SIG PCI-SIG is the consortium that owns and manages PCI specifications as open industry standards. The organization defines industry standard I/O (input/output) specifications consistent with the needs of its members. Currently, PCI-SIG is comprised of nearly 800 industry-leading member companies. To join PCI-SIG, and for a list of the Board of Directors, visit www.pcisig.com. Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. PCI-SIG, PCI Express and PCIe are trademarks or registered trademarks of PCI-SIG. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160125/325847LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tektronix-releases-pci-express-40-test-solution-including-support-for-16-gts-data-rates-300289914.html SOURCE Tektronix
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
ARCOLA -- When Brenda Hearn's worst nightmare woke her at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, she was ready.
A phone call to her at home told the executive director of the Carriage Crossing assisted living center in Arcola that the building was on fire.
We had our emergency plan and the training we'd put in place, training you hope you never have to use, said Hearn, who lives in Mahomet. But this time we did have to use it and the whole thing was executed beautifully.
The three staff working the night shift had already begun evacuations of the 46 residents in the facility and they were soon helped by additional staff members Hearn was summoning and coordinating as she rushed to the scene.
Arriving there and seeing your staff in full action, it all went very smoothly, Hearn added. The planning worked.
The residents, who ranged in age from late-70s to mid-90s, were found rooms at local hotels where Carriage Crossing's 50-strong staff have continued to look after them. The American Red Cross helped initially with meals, and then they were provided by an Amish restaurant. By Monday, Carriage Crossing nutrition workers had set up in the kitchen of the Arcola Community Center and meals were being provided from there.
The Carriage Crossing building, a multi-million dollar facility opened in 2013, remains unusable after the fire and is likely to be out of commission for months. The blaze, which is believed to have started in an air-conditioning unit in the roof of the administrative area, caused extensive damage.
Hearn says some residents have since gone to stay with family members and others, needing more acute care, are being lodged at other care facilities. About 27 remain in the Best Western Hotel in Arcola and are being looked after by Carriage Crossing workers and medical staff there.
Their full meal menu for the week is still being provided and it's truly amazing that we are in full operation, said Hearn. She has taken up residence at the hotel herself to make sure I am available when staff or residents need her.
The longer range plan is to eventually move the displaced residents to a new assisted living building Carriage Crossing's corporate owner, Randall Residence, has just built in Champaign. They will remain there until Carriage Crossing is repaired.
ARCOLA (JG-TC) -- Residents of a senior care facility in Arcola were evacuated during a fire that heavily damaged the building early Saturday.
The fire was reported at Carriage Crossing about 1:30 a.m. and led to damages to about half of the facility, according to Bob Clark of the Arcola Fire Protection District.
Clark said the fire apparently started in the facility's office area. He said the cause hasn't been determined and the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office is helping with the investigation.
No one was injured and Carriage Crossing workers and others did "a fantastic job" evacuating the facility's residents, Clark said. He said the residents are being housed temporarily in two Arcola motels.
Residents living near the area of the fire were out of the building within seven minutes of its being reported, according to a news release from Carriage Crossing. Clark said Arcola police and Douglas County sheriff's deputies helped with the evacuation.
Clark said the fire got into the building's ceiling and then spread and fire crews were at the scene until about 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Fire crews from Arthur and Hindsboro helped with the fire and Shrader Ambulance Service, Arthur ambulance crews and the Gould Transportation school bus company helped with the evacuation, he said.
The Carriage Crossing news release said the facility opened in 2013 and has 56 apartments. It's located at 909 Green Mill Road, which is just southeast of the Arcola Interstate 57 interchange.
Gov. Pete Ricketts recently met with representatives from a Fortune 500 company interested in expanding in Lincoln, the governor said Tuesday.
Ricketts did not name the company, but said the meeting took place in late spring.
"There were certainly advocates within the company who thought Lincoln was an outstanding place to be able to hire people," he said.
Should the company choose Lincoln, its move could bring 200 to 300 jobs to the area, said Pat Haverty, vice president of the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development.
Assurity CEO Tom Henning broke the news at a press conference in the governor's office Tuesday morning, and officials touted an employment milestone Nebraska reached last year: topping an average 1 million nonfarm jobs statewide for the first time.
"We are growing our state," Ricketts said. "There's a lot of hard work going on by a lot of people across the state to do that."
The governor was joined by Henning, the state Labor and Economic Development directors and representatives from major Nebraska employers Marriott and Hudl, who spoke about what keeps their businesses here.
"We need to highlight the fact that this is a good place to grow businesses," said Economic Development Director Courtney Dentlinger.
Five companies with headquarters in Nebraska, all based in Omaha, were listed on Forbes magazine's latest Fortune 500 list: Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, Peter Kiewit Sons', Mutual of Omaha Insurance and ConAgra, which announced it was moving its headquarters to Chicago late last year.
Henning said conversations with the firm eyeing Lincoln are ongoing, and a decision could take months. He didn't say which other communities the company is considering.
Representatives from the company also met with local employers to talk about workforce and other issues, said Haverty.
Workforce was a major focus of Tuesday's news conference, as well.
John Wirtz, co-founder of Hudl, said job candidates are drawn by Lincoln's cost of living, atmosphere and amenities, along with the ability to choose between downtown activity and the rural quiet of surrounding areas.
Ricketts also unveiled a video touting Nebraska's first-in-the-nation "re-employment" plan, which Marriott Hotels began using last year to identify workers for its new team of home-based customer service representatives in Columbus.
The video features Jacquie Smith, a mother of five who struggled to keep working while caring for her medically troubled son. She connected with Marriott after visiting a Labor Department career center.
"I wasn't really sure where to start," she said Tuesday. "I went into the career center and immediately felt that glimmer of hope."
Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister identified Sgt. Mario Robinson and Officer Josh Atkinson as the two who shot homicide suspect Germichael Kennedy to death Sunday morning.
On Tuesday, the chief said the two are still on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which is protocol for any officer who fires a service weapon.
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office is conducting a separate investigation into Kennedy's death.
Robinson has been with the police department for 22 years and Atkinson for eight, Bliemeister said.
Both men fired at Kennedy, 22, about 9 a.m. Sunday after he refused to stop and pointed a .40-caliber handgun at them, according to authorities and a witness.
Officials haven't been able to say how many shots were fired, but Bliemeister has said he doesn't think Kennedy shot his weapon during the confrontation near 14th and Adams streets.
Police were chasing Kennedy as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Marlene Rashida about six hours earlier on Portia Street between Knox and Adams streets.
On Tuesday morning, Bliemeister offered a few more details on the shooting, which followed a fight involving Kennedy and left 23-year-old Dezarae Mann critcially injured.
Officers responding to a call about the fight in the 3400 block of Portia Street arrived to find a crowd that broke up when they got there, the chief said.
Among those leaving were Rashidi, 20, and two friends. Mann and another person were in a car about a block away. Police have no evidence showing that either Rashidi or Mann was involved in the altercation.
Bliemeister said Kennedy and Rashidi knew each other, but police are still trying to figure out whether either or both of them knew Mann.
While officers were investigating the disturbance, they heard gunshots. Bliemeister said Kennedy shot into both vehicles, but the motive is unclear.
The driver of the car Rashidi was in took off, and Bliemeister said the occupants didn't realize she'd been hurt until they got to 21st and K streets. They called 911, but she died in the car.
Mann was shot several times and remained in critical, but stable, condition Tuesday, police said.
Two people interviewed at the scene on Portia Street named Kennedy as the shooter, Bliemeister said.
Police found his car about 7 Sunday morning near 20th Street and Cornhusker Highway and canvassed the area until they found him on 14th Street between Adams and Hartley streets about 9.
Rashidi, who is from Lincoln, was a sophomore at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where she was on the track and field team and was planning to become a lawyer.
Mann went to Northeast High and, according to her Facebook page, works at a convenience store.
"At this point she has undergone surgery to remove her spleen, has a punctured kidney and other internal injuries," said a June 26 online post seeking contributions to help her pay medical bills and other expenses. "... Dezzy is sole provider for her baby girl and now will be unable to work to care for the two of them pending full recovery. ...
"Dezzy is truly a fighter and a strong-willed woman and we remain confident that she will make a speedy recovery, although Dezzy has a long road ahead," the post says, ending with, "anything will help and if you can't donate financially prayers and well wishes also help."
People can donate at gofundme.com/dezzym.
Kennedy moved to Lincoln late last year from Mississippi.
The city got a $4 million budget reprieve with Mondays council decision to merge two police, firefighter pension fund accounts.
Despite union objections, the City Council voted 6-0 to merge what is called the 13th check fund into the primary pension fund. However, several council members pointed out other changes will be necessary to reduce taxpayer costs.
The merging on paper of the two funds allows the actuarial company handling the pension fund estimates to reduce the citys liability for next fiscal year from about $12 million to $8 million, with an estimated $208 million savings over 30 years.
"This is really a first step," said Councilman Jon Camp. "We have serious negotiations ahead of us to make sure this plan is viable."
Without the change, the City Council would likely have faced a property tax hike proposal, said Councilman Roy Christensen. But passing it doesn't solve the pension fund problems, he said.
Christensen promised to do all he could to make sure the city doesn't ignore the pension problems down the road.
The merger of the 13th check fund was one of the few recommendations from a pension review committee that could be accomplished without union approval.
The committee that studied the city's defined benefit pension system for police and firefighters for five months offered nine recommendations, including a change requiring union members to share in the investment risk of the pension plan.
Currently, members pay a percentage of their income into the fund, and the city must make up losses when the investment income is less than expected.
That risk-sharing recommendation requires union approval and would be part of the negotiation process.
The firefighters union had recommended the council leave the 13th check fund merger issue as part of the negotiating process. The 13th check fund is used to pay a 13th monthly check each year, an alternative to a traditional cost of living increase. That payment will continue.
The defined benefit pension for firefighters and police is the only pension where the city guarantees a monthly retirement benefit based on the employees final salary. Police and firefighters do not participate in the federal Social Security system.
Other city employees participate in a defined contribution plan -- much like a 401K for private business -- where the city pays a percent of the employees income into the plan but does not guarantee a specific benefit at retirement. The employee takes the investment risk. These employees are part of the Social Security system.
The city costs for the defined benefit pension system has been increasing since the 2008 stock market collapse to offset the investment losses and make sure there is enough money in the fund to pay future retirement benefits when current employees retire.
The good jobs are disappearing. Those that predated the digital revolution are dropping away altogether or being replaced by low-paying service jobs and other less secure employment. These include part-time jobs, freelance contracting and gig opportunities. The number of Americans working under these arrangements rose by 9.4 million from 2005 to 2015; 48 million Americans are now in low paying jobs.
This growing job shift is transformational. For employers, it offers new efficiencies and greater flexibility. Workers are cheaper and fewer can demand benefits. Employers can staff-up as needed; workers take the risks.
Momentous technological advances exert a steady and downward pressure on the availability and value of traditional work. Corporations, by restructuring themselves, often through consolidation, are creating high value with scant hard assets and contracting out more and more jobs. All these trends comprise a new staffing model, facilitated not only by technology but by outsourcing as well. Automation and globalization are steadily and permanently moving workers into a digital world of work and a service economy. These trends are producing fewer, not more, jobs as the computer scientists and software engineers find ever new ways to increase efficiencies.
In a cover article published in The Atlantic a year ago, Derek Thompson concludes that the new workplace arrangements and the need for far fewer workers are central to the ongoing triumph of capital over labor. He documents the quiet demise of the traditional working man e.g., the growing ranks of the non-working and the underemployed and the impressive dexterity of information technology.
The share of U.S. economic output that is paid out in wages has fallen and now stands at its lowest level since the mid-20th century. Nearly seven years into the recovery, real wages remain stagnant. Workers see the possibilities for their retirement and their childrens futures shrinking. The share of prime-age Americans who are working has been trending downward since 2000. According to Mr. Thompson, Nine out of 10 workers today are in occupations that existed 100 years ago, and just 5 percent of jobs generated between 1993 and 2013 came from high tech sectors.
Digitalization is on steroids. Complex machines, robots and artificial intelligence are charging ahead to reinvent our economy and our lives. Facebook is challenging Google and Amazon as it seeks a larger share of the various online consumer markets with its chatbot robots that simulate human conversation and work like personal assistants.
James Galbraith writes in The End of Normal that these technological advances have led to far less secondary employment than such previous revolutionary advances as railroads, the automobile and the telegraph. Tens of millions of Americans will no longer be able to find work in the future. Simply consider the difficulties now encountered by those over 50 seeking new jobs.
Many of the long-standing service, administrative and professional jobs are on their way out. Digital forces have upended communications and commerce. Millennials prefer to shop online. Eight hundred department stores are expected to close in the near term. Internet sales make many things like TVs and household appliances cheaper. Traditional retail businesses are shifting to e-tail.
Intermediation has been swept away by the digital tsunami. Increasingly, middlemen are no longer needed, pushed aside by the power of direct-to-you networked computing. It is evident in the fields of politics, stocks and banks, insurance, real estate, travel, music, books and auto sales. Middlemen in these fields are being replaced by online merchants and advisory services. Likewise, in many professional fields e.g., law, accounting, investment positions are being lost.
All the talk and promise of the gig or sharing economy is a dead-end for most American workers. It puts workers on shaky ground and turns them into temps, freelancers and independent contractors without benefits. Companies such as Airbnb, Uber and TaskRabbit will not adequately support middle class prosperity, the backbone of the American economy.
The meaning and consequences of these digital trends have not been adequately recognized. They profoundly affect the entire economy, indeed, our existing system of capitalism. The alarm bell has yet to sound.
It has been disturbing to listen to Nebraska political leaders and radicalized citizens who are so gun crazy that they can't see a problem with thousands killed each year in family disputes, mass killings and accidental shootings by not only adults, but children as young as toddlers. Do you so love your weapons that you'll sacrifice the lives of so many to keep your love affair with a weapon developed for the military?
Our political representatives treat the Second Amendment as more important then the Ten Commandments or the teachings of Jesus. They do so while claiming to be "Pro-Life" according to their preferred, limited definitions. I happen to believe there is more to life than being born and having the privilege of purchasing an AR-15.
It is time to challenge this idolatry and call it what it is. It is the sale of the soul to the NRA and gun manufactures. It is partisan politics over principles of human decency and the love of our neighbor.
It is unfathomable to me that so-called evangelical Christians and Nebraska mainline faithful can be such a paranoid bunch that they ignore facts and choose to follow the Judas goat of NRA propaganda. The lack of action by Congress mocks God, for they take a moment of silence to supposedly ask God to comfort the victims families but their actions would suggest that they were thinking of the next big check they will get from the coffers of the NRA.
I pray that after their too frequently taken break is over and they return, they will actually try to represent the majority of Americans who want meaningful gun legislation that curbs the availability of guns to terrorists and the mentally ill.
Rev. Lauren D. Ekdahl, Scottsbluff
In response to Deidre Mau's letter ("Senators owe explanation," June 25), I would like to point out that our senators did in fact vote for multiple proposals to bar the sale of firearms to those on the various terror watch lists, a compromise intended to both please the left by banning the sale of the weapons and satisfy the right by not undermining due process for U.S. citizens. Democrats resoundingly voted against these measures, ensuring it would not pass. If the blame for the failure to pass legislation on guns should fall on anyone, it should go squarely on the shoulders of the Democrats who present their proposals as "common sense" but fail to realize that their ideas on this issue are anything but.
A year after he was nominated, Omaha attorney Robert Rossiter Jr. was confirmed Monday by the Senate as Nebraska's newest U.S. District Court judge on a 90-0 vote.
President Barack Obama nominated Rossiter last June to the seat that was vacated by Judge Joseph Batallion of Omaha 20 months ago when he moved to senior status.
Rossiter was recommended to the Senate by Sen. Deb Fischer and former Sen. Mike Johanns.
"As a federal judge, Rossiter will serve Nebraska with integrity, professionalism and dedication to the rule of law," Fischer said after the Senate acted.
Sen. Ben Sasse said Rossiter is "indeed qualified and experienced" and he expects that Rossiter "will make Nebraskans proud by being impartial and fair as he upholds the rule of law."
Judge Laurie Smith Camp, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Nebraska, welcomed Rossiter's confirmation on behalf of Nebraska's federal judges.
"Bob Rossiter is respected throughout Nebraska's legal community for his intelligence, skill, termperament and commitment to justice," she said.
"His distinguished career in trial practice and his long history of public service ensure he will be an outstanding addition to Nebraska's federal bench."
The new judge has been a partner in the firm of Fraser Stryker in Omaha.
Rossiter graduated with honors from Creighton University School of Law in 1981.
KEARNEY A Kearney woman has been ordered to help restore the credit rating of the woman whose identity she is accused of stealing.
Janelle McAtee, 27, was sentenced Wednesday to four months in jail and an additional four years of probation after she is released. She had been charged with identity theft and attempted unauthorized use of a credit card.
Deputy Buffalo County Attorney Melanie Young said McAtee attempted to or was successful in using the woman's identity 36 times on credit cards, email accounts or loans between July 25 and Aug. 3.
McAtee's attorney, Charles Brewsterm said his client did not know what she was doing at the time of the incident.
Judge Bill Wright ordered McAtee to write letters to any lending institution that her victim may apply to and explain the circumstances for the woman's poor credit. McAtee has paid over $2,000 in restitution.
McAtee must complete classes in responsible thinking, money management and victim impact. She must also write a letter of apology to the victim, complete an outpatient counseling program, cognitive group therapy and 200 hours of community service as part of her probation.
If McAtee fails to complete any condition of her probation, she could face jail time or her probation could be revoked and be resentenced.
The eighth annual Helen Boosalis Inspiring Women luncheon honoring political trailblazer Helen Boosalis is the inspiration for three scholarships that benefit democratic women students. The Inspiring Women Scholarship, established in 2009 following Boosalis death, will be awarded this year to three recipients; one from each congressional district.
Helen Boosalis was an inspiration to Nebraska Women. We wanted to find a way to honor her while encouraging tomorrows female political leaders, said Nebraska Democratic Womens Caucus chair Mary Herres. Previous award winners have become even more involved in local, state-wide and national political campaigns, their colleges, and their communities. Mayor Boosalis would be impressed with their dedication and commitment to democratic womens principals.
The $500 scholarship will go to three Democratic Nebraska Women who are active in their community and progressive politics, she said.
Boosalis began her political career on the Lincoln, Nebraska city council in 1959 with an upset victory. In 1975 she became the first woman in the country to be elected mayor of a city over 100,000, later becoming the first female president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
In an interview following her gubernatorial campaign Boosalis said, I want to help encourage people to go beyond what they think theyre capable of doing. You can accomplish what you didnt dream was possible. Take a little risk. Be prepared. Set your goals high, she said.
Applications for the $500 Scholarships are limited to Nebraska Democratic Women who are graduating from high school in 2016 and continuing in higher education or non- traditional students and those that are continuing in higher education. Applicants are asked to submit an essay of up to 500 words about a female politician or activist who inspired their own community service and/or political involvement. Essays should be submitted by July 10 to Womens Caucus, Nebraska Democratic Party, to maryherres@aol.com. The scholarship will be presented at the Inspiring Women Luncheon in Lincoln, August 5, 2016. Applications can be accessed on the NDWC website: www.ndpwomenscaucus.org , Education Quest Website or by contacting: Mary Herres, NDWC Chair, maryherres@aol.com.
Insurance Professionals of Lincoln, Inc. has presented it 2016 Youth Awards to Micaela Koberlein, a student at Kahoa Elementary School and Aidan McCullen, who attends Irving Middle School. Each received a SouthPointe Pavilions gift card and medal with ribbon during a recent recognition dinner at Pizza Ranch.
Nomination forms were mailed to all Lincoln Public Schools, asking counselors or teachers to nominate students who exhibit excellent leadership skills and contribute to the community in a positive manner through volunteering, community projects or participation in local community organizations.
The students must also be of high moral character and demonstrate traits of perseverance, integrity and commitment to serve others.
For details regarding the 2017 Youth Awards, call Betty J. Nelson, API, AIS, AIAF, ARC, CPIW, president of Insurance Professionals of Lincoln, Inc., at (402) 540-5972 or IWOL_NEBRASKA.COM
We live in a shrinking world because of the fantastic advances in the speed of commercial and military aircraft.
I borrowed This World Our Home from Walter Locke, who gave this title to a book he wrote. Locke was a brilliant journalist who in his twenties was the chief editorial writer for the Nebraska State Journal. Later he became editor of the Dayton (Ohio) Journal.
Our ultra-extended family includes members of Englands Royal Air Force. All travel the world. Stepgrandchildren and their cousins have visited Spain as high school students. Vacations have lured many three generations this summer -- to the Hawaiian Islands. Work-related air travel has taken family members to Alaska and the European Continent. All of us have traveled by air to many American states either for work, weddings or vacations. Some have vacationed with friends in time-shared lodgings in Mexico or other facilities...
Relatives, newspaper editors and other friends have visited the United Kingdom, Israel, China, the Middle East, Czech Republic, Central and South America, Italy and Greece.
As a child I sailed in 1922 to England, where I had my first year of school. Our parents saved a brochure telling of the steamship Berengaria. My brother Norman was not born until 1931. But my sister Millicent and I accompanied our parents on their year-long visit to their homeland, England.
We returned on the Berengaria, a huge vessel that was larger than the Titanic. German-built, she was named the Imperator. She was renamed when she became British-owned as part of the reparations after World War I.
The Berengaria was 909 feet long (three Lincoln blocks). In the autumn issue 2007 of Voyage magazine, official publication of the Titanic International Society, I wrote an article headlined, Recalling voyages of wonder aboard two British liners. We sailed the North Atlantic in the golden years of sea travel from Montreal, Canada to Liverpool. England, on a new vessel named the Montclare.
Our return from England -- Southampton to New York City -- was on the Berengaria. From its deck we viewed the Statue of Liberty. This World Our Home is indeed shrinking in ways scarcely imagined when I was a child.
Charles Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris in 1927. I remember it well. We did not have a radio. I was climbing an elm tree in our backyard in Shelby, Nebraska. The Nebraska State Journal had arrived at our home. My Dad hollered to me from our back porch, Lindy made it!
His solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean proceeded a new era in international travel. Lindbergh learned to fly in Lincoln, but never soloed here. He roomed in a home, long ago demolished, not far from where Elliott Elementary School now stands. It is too bad that residence wasnt saved.
There is a plaque at Lincolns airport regarding Lindbergh and other markers tell of where he learned to fly.
RACINE The 23rd season of the Music and More concert series continues today from noon to 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave.
Performers are Ryan Andersen and Greg Berg; Karen Beaumont; and Jennifer Hansen and David Ramsey Jr.
Andersen has been playing cello for 13 years and is currently studying music education at Illinois Wesleyan University. Berg teaches private voice at Carthage College.
Beaumont, an organist, made her solo debut in New York City in 1999 and performs regularly throughout the U.S. and in the United Kingdom. She has recorded five CDs.
Hansens program is a song cycle based on the poetry of William Shakespeares Sonnets 18, 43, and 44. Hansen, a multi-faceted vocal artist, has appeared in many area productions and was an apprentice artist for Milwaukee Opera Theatre. Ramsey is a Wisconsin-based composer. His compositions have been performed around the world and include numerous choral pieces, liturgical works, chamber and symphonic pieces.
The church is air-conditioned and handicapped-accessible with elevator at parking lot entrance. Additional parking is available at Living Light Community Center. Donations will be accepted each week to benefit Health Care Network, Racine Habitat for Humanity and Racine Vocational Ministry Inc.
RACINE A convicted sex offender, released from prison in January, was in the Racine County Jail on Monday after allegedly tampering with a state-issued GPS device and not being at the address he gave state officials for almost two months.
Quordalis V. Sanders, 50, of Racine was charged with felony tampering with a global positing system tracking device, felony sex offender registry violation, and misdemeanor criminal damage to property as a repeat offender, court records showed.
Sanders was convicted in 2014 for exposing his genitals to a child as a repeat offender, allowing a child to view sexual activity as a repeat offender, and stalking a victim under 18, court records showed.
He was released from prison in January, court records showed. Officials from the Racine Police Department and the state Department of Corrections said Sanders planned to reside at 1400 Washington Ave. after being released.
On Jan. 28, officials received a tamper alert from Sanders GPS unit, according to the criminal complaint. The next day, officials interviewed Sanders roommate and discovered Sanders had left and not returned, according to the complaint.
As of March 2, Sanders had not returned to the Washington Avenue address, had not provided state officials with a current address, nor notified them of his current location, according to the complaint.
Sanders has been assigned a July 6 preliminary hearing in Racine County Circuit Court.
CALEDONIA Kyle S. Felton was only a few minutes from his house, out for a ride to a friends on Saturday night.
That is when he reportedly struck a deer near the intersection of Stefanie Way and Highway V, a collision that ended up killing him, Racine County Medical Examiner Michael Payne confirmed Monday morning. He was not wearing a helmet, Payne said.
The 30-year-old Caledonia man, who was recently married and a local mechanic, was flown to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa via Flight For Life sometime before 10 p.m. Saturday. He was pronounced dead at about 11 p.m. Sunday, Payne said.
Lt. Gary Larsen of the Caledonia Police Department, which responded to the accident scene, said he was told the victim was found by another motorcyclist. That motorcyclist told authorities that it appeared that Felton struck a deer.
The motorcycle Kyle was riding was one he built himself, said his wife, Vanessa Felton, 27, who works for Premier Fall Protection in the Union Grove area.
They were recently married in February in Jamaica, she said and were planning to spend the rest of their lives together.
The two had dated for about three years, but they had known each other for a long time before that.
He is someone I saw everywhere, Vanessa said. He had a million friends. Everywhere he went, he made friends.
Everyone is heartbroken, Vanessa said about her husband, a 2004 Case High School graduate.
Kyle worked in Oak Creek at Interstate Erecting as a shop manager, Vanessa said.
Derek Verhalen, 30, of Oak Creek, said the bike Felton was killed was one he had built with Verhalen when they were about 17. Kyle had been riding it ever since.
He was proud of that bike, said Verhalen, who considered Felton his best friend and said they did everything together, including one random snowmobile trip to Wyoming that they planned in just a few hours time.
While Kyles life was cut short, he will be able to live on through others and through his donated organs, which Vanessa said she knew went to at least three people.
The family was planning a funeral for Thursday, but said that final details were still being worked out Monday.
He had a million friends. Everywhere he went, he made friends ... Everyone is heartbroken. Vanessa Felton, regarding her husband, Kyle, who died Sunday after a motorcycle crash the night before.
Even honest journalists know,
"assault weapons bans don't work"
June. 25th, 2016. Foxnews.com
Stacey Dash sounds off about A-listers' stance on the controversial issue.
(Note, turn up your volume when viewing the video).
A very poignant image going round via email has these words- "Let's reduce drunk driving, by taking cars away from sober people". It sort of sums things up after all the post-Orlando 'gun control' hysteria. Anti-gun people are demonstrably total lame opportunists, and the tragic events in Orlando show just how much they latch onto such things -- just the excuse needed to try and inflict further damage to the Second Amendment.
"You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side."
2016 JPFO All rights reserved.
jpfo@jpfo.org
1-800-869-1884
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
12500 NE 10th Pl.
Bellevue, WA 98005 USA
Americas most aggressive civil rights organization
We make the NRA look like moderates
Join JPFO
Back to Top
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.
Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.
For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
A horrible business
Trafficking has become a low-profit, high-risk enterprise, but traffickers are not aware of this
Australian ambassador to Dahal: Situation not as projected by media
CPN (Maoist Centre) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Australian ambassador to Nepal, Glenn White held a meeting at the former's residence at Lazimpat on Tuesday.
Crowd sing along to Nepathya despite tech glitch
Nepali folk-rock band Nepathya, currently on tour in the US, performed to a large crowd at the Barnum Hall in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Daniel Radcliffe 'not ruling out' Harry Potter return
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has said he would not rule out a return to the character, if the script was right.
Fate of agriculture
The sector is set to worsen as youths remain unenthused by the prospect of farming as a career
Former prez considering moving to Janakpur
Former President Ram Baran Yadav is considering returning to Janakpur, his hometown, for good.
Govt bent on splitting alliance
Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Party Chairman Sharat Singh Bhandari has accused the government of trying to create a rift among the agitating parties.
Govt told to resolve issue of fertilizer held up at dry port
The parliamentary Agriculture and Water Resources Committee on Monday directed the government to urgently settle the issue of demurrage claimed by Sirsiya dry port on a shipment of chemical fertilizer as further delays in distributing the vital farm input amid the paddy planting season could be disastrous.
Hearing committee divided over JC nominee Sitaulas ejection
Members of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee are divided over the decision of the incumbent government to withdraw the nomination of Senior Advocate Ram Prasad Sitaula as a Judicial Council member.
India says ready to supply more electricity to Nepal
Expressing its readiness to provide additional 120MW of electricity to Nepal through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar trans-border transmission line, India has called on Nepal to complete the construction of a sub-station at Dhalkebar at the earliest.
Is Facebook stalking you to suggest new friends?
Ever surprised by finding a person whose face you remember but not the name until the "People you may know" feature on Facebook told you about him/her? This is probably because Facebook stalked you and used your phone's location to suggest new people you could befriend.
Kin of Kabul attack victims to receive Rs 3 m insurance
British security consultancy firm, Sabre International, the employer company of the 13 Nepali migrant workers who were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 20, has announced that it will hand over Rs 3 million insurance money to the victims family.
Kolkata-Jogbani railway of no use, say traders
Although India developed a broad-gauge railway line from Kolkata to Jogbani some five years ago, industrialists and traders based in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor have been unable to route their imports through the railway line.
Laws must be in place first to hold polls: EC
The Election Commission (EC) has told the government that it will be able to hold the local body elections in November/ December provided that the government amends election laws in line with the constitutional provisions.
Man gets three years in jail for committing marital rape
Okhaldhunga District Court has convicted a man of marital rape and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Mehtas solo exhibit at NAC
Artist Hari Om Mehtas third solo exhibit, titled Black Voice, commenced at the Nepal Art Council, in the Capital, on Sunday.
New UNHCR rep presents letter of credence
Kevin J Allen, the new UNHCR Representative for Nepal, on Monday presented his letter of credentials to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa.
NRA sub-regional offices authorised for rebuilding
The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has delegated authority to its six sub-regional offices to expedite reconstruction activities in coordination with local agencies, NGOs and local communities.
One arrested for swindling one million rupees
Police have arrested a person on Tuesday from Balkhu, Kathmandu on the charge of swindling one million rupees from another person by alluring him with a job at the Nepal Electricity Authority.
Panel formed to end deadlock
After a five-day long standoff in the Legislature-Parliament over the distribution of grants for post-earthquake reconstruction, the ruling and opposition parties on Monday formed a seven-member committee to resolve the row.
Parliament meeting postponed for 11 am tomorrow (Update)
The meeting of the Legislature-Parliament scheduled for 5 pm on Tuesday has been postponed for 11 am on Wednesday.
Political parties padlock office of Red Cross Society in Dolakha
Political parties in Dolakha have padlocked the local office of Nepal Red Cross Society, accusing the office of irregularities in relief distribution following the Gorkha Earthquake of April 2015.
Presidential visits soon
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae has said that the presidents of Nepal and India will visit each others countries soon.
Ramadan in Nepal
Like Muslims around the world Nepali believers are undertaking the month-long fasting in the month of Ramadan.
Sajhas new buses to arrive in August
If everything goes according to plan, the valley will be for the first time seeing disabled- and eco-friendly buses plying the roads from mid-August.
Strict Texas abortion law struck down
The US Supreme Court has struck down a 2013 Texas abortion law that imposed restrictive regulations on the procedure.
TMLP chairman hints at unification of Madhesi parties to boost protest
Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) Chairman Mahantha Thakur has said his party was positive about unification among the Madhes based parties.
Trade barriers at top of Nepals agenda
Nepal will put trade barriers imposed by India on its exports at the top of the agenda when the commerce secretaries of the two countries meet for an Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting slated to start Tuesday in New Delhi.
Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits
Yes, they will make the city more inviting
Maybe ... does it really matter?
No, the signs in place are fine
No, it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars
Vote
View Results
Preparations to have the Member of Parliament for Mukono Municipality Betty Nambooze to South Africa for further treatment have been finalized.
Hon.Nambooze was admitted at a hospital in Mukono about a week ago after she developed what has been described as stomach complications.
According to Namboozes aide Mr.Robert Namugera, they have already submitted her travel documents the South African High Commission and just waiting for the decision of the medical board to be flown.
He however dismisses media reports indicating that the legislator is struggling to raise the funds required for her treatment saying they have received tremendous support from the Speaker of Parliament and family members.
Story By Damali Mukhaye
Ugandans living and working in South Sudans north western town of Wau are in a state of panic and fear after fresh violence erupted yesterday leaving several people dead.
The violence is said to have occurred after a group of youth blocked a minister from crossing to another province.
Many Ugandans are part of the civilian population that fled the fighting into the nearby United Nations Mission in South Sudan base.
The UN Mission in South Sudan says it has provided protection to more than 10,000 people who fled violence in Wau Town in an area adjacent to its site.
There were reports from civilians that UNMISS had closed its gates to those who wanted to seek refuge at its compound.
However, UNMISS Spokesperson, Shantal Persuad, says there are set procedures to respond to civilians in need of protection.
In a statement, UNMISS says it is currently negotiating with the SPLA for access to Wau town to conduct additional patrols to protect the civilian population in the town.
Story By Fredrick Musisi
.. 300
300 ( ) . 300
The top Norwegian envoy in Seoul called Tuesday for cooperation with Korea to build hydrogen-powered cars as the two countries are pushing to go green by slashing carbon emissions and switching to renewable energy sources.
Norwegian Ambassador Jan Grevstad said complementary expertise in the energy, maritime and oil and gas industries creates ample opportunity for South Korean and Norwegian businesses to contribute to a green transition, reducing fossil fuel consumption, and relying more on solar, wind and other forms of energy production.
"A great example of the Norwegian-Korean energy cooperation can be found in the transport sector," Grevstad said in a session of the Korea-Norway Economic Cooperation Council at the Federation of Korean Industries, which speaks for Korea's large businesses.
"Korean engine technology is paired with Norwegian hydrogen production and infrastructure technology to create hydrogen driven cars," according to the text of Grevstad's speech provided by the Norwegian Embassy. Grevstad did not elaborate beyond that.
Korea has been racing to develop hydrogen fuel cell cars as they do not produce greenhouse gases that scientists say are to blame for global warming.
A fuel cell car emits only water vapor as it converts stored hydrogen into electricity, which turns the vehicle's motor.
Hyundai Motor, Korea's largest automaker, has become the first carmaker in the world to mass produce a hydrogen-powered car.
Hyundai Motor said it has sold a total of 503 units of the Tuscon fuel cell vehicles, including 26 units in Norway.
Norway is set to ban the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars, beginning 2025 as part of its efforts to move toward a new and greener economy.
Korea is Norway's second largest trading partner in Asia, and the largest international market for the Norwegian supplier industry. (Yonhap)
By Javier Solana
MADRID US President Barack Obama's recent visit to Hiroshima was no typical diplomatic stop. Not only did it mark the first visit by a sitting US president to that city, which was destroyed by an American nuclear bomb in 1945; it also drew attention to Obama's record on non-proliferation.
In a 2009 speech in Prague, Obama identified nuclear weapons as "the most immediate and extreme threat to global security," owing to their potential to fall into the hands of terrorists or other rogue elements, and committed to reducing their role in America's national security strategy. In his moving Hiroshima address, Obama again emphasized the need to pursue a world without nuclear weapons. He described the "moral revolution" that must accompany technological progress, with societies resisting the "logic of fear" that compels them to cling to their nuclear arsenals.
But, though both speeches expressed similar ideas, they were delivered against very different policy backdrops. Indeed, the Obama administration's nuclear policy has changed substantially since 2009, when containing nuclear proliferation was among its central foreign-policy concerns.
In 2010, Obama brought world leaders together for the first-ever Nuclear Security Summit, which focused on keeping nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists a focus that has since proved to be justified. Though the initial aim of freezing stocks of plutonium and highly enriched uranium was not achieved, the four summits held since then have brought about a reduction in other sources of radioactive material, and safety measures have been improved.
The 2010 summit came just days after another apparent victory for non-proliferation: Obama and then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which committed them to halve their stores of strategic nuclear missile launchers. Just a year earlier, then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced a "reset" in bilateral relations. Since then, however, the relationship has deteriorated, taking with it hope for further cooperation.
In fact, Obama's entire non-proliferation agenda has lost considerable momentum. Russia chose not to attend the latest Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington, DC, earlier this year. And not only has the US not proposed any new international non-proliferation initiatives; at a 2015 conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it moved to avoid a conference on a nuclear weapons ban for the Middle East, in order to avoid increasing tensions with Israel.
Moreover, the Obama administration has reduced America's own nuclear arsenal more slowly than any US administration since the end of the Cold War, instead promoting its modernization an effort that will require an estimated $1 trillion in investment over the next three decades. Though the program is technically aimed at improving existing weapons' reliability and thereby allowing future reductions critics emphasize that as more small, high-precision nuclear arms are developed, the likelihood that they will be used increases.
Obama has, however, secured one major victory for non-proliferation: helping to close a long-awaited international deal with Iran to prevent it from using its civilian nuclear program to develop weapons. After years of sclerotic negotiations, domestic developments in Iran namely, the 2013 election of the more moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani provided a critical diplomatic opening, which Obama seized. The breakthrough provided clear evidence that while institutions are very important in world affairs, individuals can sometimes be decisive.
The Iran deal was a major achievement, and not just because it should help to mitigate the risks arising from that country. Because just one nuclear-armed country can make achieving regional stability a near-impossible task, stopping Iran had far-reaching regional implications. By easing the fears of Iran's regional rivals, the deal created some space for the potential development of a Middle Eastern security structure. It even provides a model for future multilateral agreements on thorny security-related topics.
But this triumph should not invite complacency. Nuclear weapons remain a deep and urgent threat to security and stability worldwide. Only nuclear weapons can turn a small confrontation into a catastrophe on the scale of the one Obama commemorated in Hiroshima. Given this, the drive to eliminate nuclear weapons must be revived with all of the vigor of Obama's first years in office.
That drive should take us, first and foremost, to North Korea, which, despite severely limited means, continues to invest heavily in advancing its nuclear program. The international community's best option for influencing North Korea is China, which has long had close relations with and strong economic influence over the Hermit Kingdom.
And China's approach toward North Korea seems to be changing, spurred by the nuclear issue. Earlier this year, China decided not to use its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block a tough new round of sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest round of nuclear tests. Yet a visiting North Korean delegation recently announced that the country was committed to continuing its nuclear program.
Given that there can be no security in East Asia especially for South Korea and Japan without a nuclear deal, strong international action is crucial. Specifically, the international community must escalate its response to North Korea's increasingly unruly behavior, by compelling the country's leaders to engage in negotiations with world powers regarding its nuclear program. For talks to be successful, however, China and the US which have plenty of disagreements of their own must work together, and the other members of the UN Security Council must facilitate such cooperation.
Obama's address in Hiroshima carried huge symbolic significance. But, with more than 15,000 nuclear weapons still in the world, symbolism is not enough. It is time to take action to advance non-proliferation.
Javier Solana was EU high representative for foreign and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.
By Lee Seong-hyon
A Chinese government official once told me why he likes Koreans more than the Japanese. "It's because when I talk to Koreans, I can tell what they're thinking inside. It's written all over their faces. But when I talk to the Japanese, I don't know what they're thinking inside. I have to guess a lot."
He added: "I like Koreans because they don't hide their feelings. And I don't misunderstand them."
At first, I thought he was making fun of Koreans in veiled diplomatic sarcasm about how Koreans don't make good diplomats. But soon, I was able to sense that he truly meant it as a compliment.
We moved on to other topics. But what he said lingered in my mind. And I am sharing it for the first time here.
The incident aroused a question in my mind. How much do Koreans and Chinese know each other? This may sound like an odd question to ask. Koreans and Chinese have lived next to each other for thousands of years. There has been robust interaction in the cultural and social dimensions.
That gives the context for Koreans' confidence with China. Koreans often claim they are the "people who know China best in the world," a point that can be contested.
While Koreans openly express confidence in knowledge about China, they mean it in a more general sense. It should be more fair to say Koreans are "familiar" with China, not necessarily "know" China.
On the other hand, Chinese are more reserved and specific. Like the above Chinese are official, and while they easily establish emotional bonding with Koreans, they don't necessarily claim to know Korea in a singular, lump-sum manner.
South Korea on Tuesday welcomed China and Russia's resolve to oppose North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and implement U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said Seoul "welcomes" the statement issued after Saturday's summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed their opposition to the North's nuclear and missile strategy.
The summit came days after Pyongyang claimed it "successfully" test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
"The joint statement says (China and Russia) strictly oppose North Korea's nuclear and missile development and our government welcomes such a statement," Cho said. "We also welcome the fact that China and Russia publicly pledged at the summit level to fully implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 2270."
The resolution, adopted by the Security Council in March, imposes the toughest-yet sanctions on North Korea over its fourth nuclear test in January and its long-range rocket launch in February.
The spokesman also noted China and Russia's strong opposition to the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system, called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, on South Korean soil.
"The joint statement included an expression of opposition to THAAD, but our government's position is that it is being considered purely for defensive purposes to protect our people and defend our national security in the face of North Korea's threats," he said, citing last week's missile launch.
"We continue to explain that even if it is deployed, it will have no effect on the security interests of our neighboring countries."
Beijing and Moscow have long opposed the THAAD system, regarding it as a threat to the strategic balance of the region. (Yonhap)
Many arrested over the weekend
ANGOLA The following people were arrested over the weekend by law enforcement officers working in Steuben County and booked in the Steuben County Jail.
Cynthia A. Aguilar, 23, of the 7000 block of North C.R. 650W, Orland, arrested at S.R. 127 and S.R. 727 on a misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended with a prior.
Jay D. Clark, 26, of the 1000 block of Woodview Drive, Garrett, arrested at the 20 block of Lane 420, Lake James, on misdemeanor charges of intimidation and leaving the scene of an accident.
Matthew D. Derbyshire, 26, of Angola, arrested at the 100 block of East Gale Street on a warrant alleging a misdemeanr charge of probation violation.
Kyle J. Ferrell, 23, of the 8000 block of East C.R. 500S, Wolcottville, arrested at the jail on a warrant alleging a misdemeanor criminal trespass.
Jose A. Garcia, 44, of the 5000 block of North C.R. 900W, Orland, arrested at S.R. 120 and C.R. 900W on a warrant alleging misdemeanor charges of probation violation and driving without a licence.
Adam C. Jex, 36, of the 1000 block of Summit Ridge, Fort Wayne, arrested at the Steuben County Sheriffs Department on a warrant alleging a felony charge of probation violation.
Shane Neuhaus, 47, of the 22000 block of Woodburn Road, Woodburn, arrested at the 30 block of Lane 345, Crooked Lake, on a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated.
Trenton J. Randol, 37, of the 9000 block of South C.R. 500E, Wolcottville, arrested at Bay View Road at Lane 400 on a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated.
Timothy D. Rowe, 31, of the 7000 block of South C.R. 969W, Hudson, arrested at Wabash Avenue on a misdemeanor charge of a fugitive warrant.
Corben C. Ruse, 24, of the 300 block of Parsonage Avenue, Hudson, arrested at West Maumee Street on a misdemeanor charge of driving while suspended with a prior.
Stanley S. Sgro Jr., 37, of the 2000 block of Keen Avenue, Toledo, Ohio, arrested at the 6000 block of West C.R. 490N on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.
Chris C. Shackelford Jr., 28, of the 400 block of Manahan Street, arrested at the 300 block of Oak Street arrested on a felony charge of domestic battery in the presence of a child.
Kayla N. Todd, 32, of the 800 block of West Rudisill Boulevard, Fort Wayne, arrested at the 3000 block of West Orland Road on a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated.
Kyle L. Yoquelet, 24, of the 800 block of Buchanan Street, Fort Wayne, arrested at the Steuben County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of failing to appear in court.
ANGOLA A man whose current home is a correctional facility in West Virginia was sentenced Monday to six years in an Indiana prison.
Jason Keith Little, 37, violated the terms of the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender registry while living in Steuben County. Earlier this month, a Steuben County jury found him guilty of a Class C felony charge of failure to register as a sex offender with a prior conviction.
The reason he didnt register, it was revealed in court, was because he was staying at a home within 1,000 feet of a place where children congregate. The reason he was at that home frequently, said Little, was to smoke methamphetamine.
Little is currently serving a sentence in St. Marys, West Virginia, for possession of the precursors to make meth and conspiracy to operate a meth lab. When he is returned, he will begin drug treatment, he told Judge William Fee.
Fee followed Steuben County Probation Departments suggestion of a six-year sentence, which will be served consecutively to the West Virginia term.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Travis Musser pointed out a criminal record that included at least six felony convictions.
For his age, he has an extensive criminal history, all felony convictions, said Musser, noting there were no mitigating circumstances in the case.
Littles public defender Robert Hardy who will remain on the case for up to 30 days in case Little decides to appeal admitted there were no redeeming merits to Littles case. He said Little will begin receiving drug treatment when he returns to West Virginia, and that rehabilitation is his best chance at avoiding further felonies. April 2017 is his earliest possible release date in West Virginia, and then he will be brought to the Indiana Department of Corrections to begin serving his six years.
Little received credit for 116 days already served in Steuben County Jail.
RANDOM LAKE, Wis. (AP) Near the southern border of Sheboygan County, a small but fast-growing manufacturing shop now stands as the epicenter for whats become one of the beer industrys more creative marketing tools the tap handle.
Over the past decade, AJS and Associates has been rolling out increasingly elaborate tap handles as brewers seek new ways to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
The plant now manufactures upwards of a half-million custom-made tap handles a year.
Everyone is looking for something unique, something more eye-popping, said Mark Steinhardt, the companys general manager. Theres that much more competition for them in the bar, so they definitely want to stand out.
The privately held company, which is owned by Reedsburg-based Hankscraft, recently began construction on a 16,500-square-foot expansion in Random Lake, where it was founded in 1987 and now employs about 45 people.
The companys customer list now encompasses some of the biggest players in the brewing industry, including national brands such as MillerCoors, Boston Brewing Co., Lagunitas and Ballast Point, and regional ones, such as New Glarus and 3 Sheeps.
The tap handles are sold directly to brewers, who then sell the handles to distributors along with kegs of beer.
We always like to say the tap handle can sell the first beer. Of course, the beer itself needs to sell the second one, Steinhardt said.
Most of the handles are designed in-house and crafted out of hard maple using saws, planers, sanders, routers and lathes. The company also makes handles using acrylics, metals and polyurethane thats hand-poured into silicone molds.
From the design stage to a finished product can take weeks or months, depending on the complexity. About 85 percent of their products are made in Random Lake, with the most labor-intensive produced in China.
Steinhardt said the process has seen little automation because of the custom nature and artistry in what they do, combined with their small production runs.
Its a cross between manufacturing and art, Steinhardt said. We get designs that are really out in left field, and we have to scratch our heads and figure out how to make it manufacture-able and cost-effective.
The business has seen rapid growth as the number of brewers has doubled in the U.S. in the past five years. At bars, what was once a handful of draft beers has exploded into dozens and in some cases hundreds.
Of course, none of it has caught Steinhardt by surprise.
Ive been pleased by it, maybe not so much surprised, he said. Its definitely helped our business.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Wisconsin of a federal appeals court ruling that struck down the states law placing restrictions on abortion providers. But state lawmakers pledged new abortion-related bills during the next legislative session.
The justices decision to refuse to hear appeals from Wisconsin and Mississippi came a day after the nations highest court struck down a Texas law with similar restrictions requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to nearby hospitals.
State Attorney General Brad Schimel said the decision was not surprising given the courts Monday ruling on the Texas law. Schimel said the earlier ruling from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals striking down Wisconsins admitting privileges law stands.
Schimel filed an amicus brief in the Texas case in support of the restrictions. And on Monday, Schimel said that Supreme Court ruling is disappointing and undermines the respect due to policymakers.
Walker signed Wisconsins law on July 5, 2013, and required providers to have privileges in place three days later. Privileges were to be at hospitals within 30 miles of clinics.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and Affiliated Medical Services sued the state after the law was enacted, arguing that the requirement would force the shutdown of the AMS clinic in Milwaukee because its doctors could not get admitting privileges.
That amounted to restricting access to abortions in Wisconsin, they argued.
We are thrilled that Wisconsins unconstitutional admitting privileges law has been permanently blocked, said Tanya Atkinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.
Rather, it was an attempt to put obstacles in the way of women seeking safe, legal abortion care. We are pleased the Supreme Court recognized the true intention behind this law.
But the decision hasnt deterred anti-abortion advocates and like-minded lawmakers in Wisconsin.
After the courts decision was released, Walker on Tuesday tweeted, Were disappointed an activist court overturned common sense standards on abortion providers, (and) we will cont(inue) to protect sanctity of life.
Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life, said despite the courts rejection of the states appeal, the anti-abortion group remains undeterred in our efforts to protect women and unborn children from the abortion industry.
We will continue to empower women with hope and the information they need before making the life-and-death decision of abortion, she said in a statement.
Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, said he plans to propose a bill next legislative session requiring doctors to inform patients of the ability to reverse medication-induced abortions.
And Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, who authored the bill that included the abortion restrictions that Tuesdays decision invalidated, said he plans to introduce again legislation that bans research using fetal tissue, which was unsuccessful last Legislative session.
Myranda Tanck, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in an email that Fitzgerald fully expects to see bills related to abortion next legislative session.
Wisconsin currently requires a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, requires women to undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion and bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shillings advocacy for public health issues prompted the Wisconsin Public Health Association and the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards to recognize the La Crosse Democrat as their legislator of the year.
La Crosse County Health Department officials will present the award to Shilling at 9 a.m. Thursday on the second floor of the countys Health and Human Services Building at 300 N. Fourth St. Local elected officials and regional health professionals are expected to attend.
The health department belongs to both organizations, which cited Shillings leadership and efforts on legislative issues to promote prevention and wellness and increase access to health care as reasons for honoring her.
Her work during the 2015-16 legislative session will help improve the health of individuals and communities across Wisconsin, the organizations said in a joint news release.
Once upon a time, Democrats would sit in to press for civil rights. Today, they sit in to take civil rights away.
How else to describe the goal of last weeks 24-hour sit-in by House Democrats? They took to the floor Wednesday demanding a vote on gun control legislation in the wake of the terrorist attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Gun ownership is a right. Due process of law is a right. The government needs to meet a very high threshold before denying citizens either one.
Rep. John Lewis led the protest, which devolved into screaming matches early Thursday. The Georgia Democrat is an undisputed hero of the civil rights movement. He marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and suffered a fractured skull on Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. It took us three times to make it all the way from Selma to Montgomery, Lewis told reporters Thursday. We have other bridges to cross.
But the Democrats gun control efforts arent about justice. Its a campaign to build a bigger, stronger, less accountable police state in the name of safety and common sense.
The Senate early last week voted down four bills two Democratic, two Republican to expand background checks and prevent anyone on the governments dozen or so terror watch lists from purchasing a gun. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California argued her bill would have prevented the Orlando shooter from buying his weapons because he had been on the FBIs list not once but twice.
Trouble is, Omar Mateen wasnt on the list when he bought his guns. The FBI dropped him in 2014 when it decided he was more of a wannabe than a real risk. Unless Feinstein wants to pass legislation to prevent anyone who ever appeared on a watch list from buying a gun, her bill wouldnt have made a difference.
But the bigger problem is the federal watch lists are an opaque mess. By some estimates, more than 1 million people appear on the lists. The government supposedly uses a reasonable suspicion standard for adding possible terror suspects. Because the lists are classified, however, official assurances about their reliability are impossible to verify.
But the American Civil Liberties Union not ordinarily an ally of the National Rifle Association describes the secret watch list system as error-prone and unreliable, using vague and overbroad criteria and secret evidence or sometimes no evidence at all.
If you happen to be on one of the lists by mistake, its next to impossible to clear your name. A federal judge in 2014 ruled the governments process for hearing challenges falls far short of satisfying the requirements of due process and is wholly ineffective.
Oh, and get this: You dont have to be a suspected terrorist to end up on the feds blacklist. The Guardian reports that the National Counterterrorism Center permits relatives, including children, of watch-listed persons to be included.
This is the system Democrats want to use to stop bad guys from buying guns?
Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who led a 15-hour filibuster last week to shame Republicans into allowing an up-or-down vote on Feinsteins bill, said: Republicans have decided to sell weapons to ISIS.
No, Republicans have decided to make sure people are not denied the right to keep and bear arms without due process of law.
So what would have stopped the Orlando terrorist attack? One Florida gun shop owner could tell something wasnt right with Mateen. He refused to sell the killer a gun and called the FBI. The FBI did nothing.
Maybe instead of sitting around and chanting no bill, no break, Democrats could work with Republicans to give federal law enforcement the resources it needs to follow up next time.
Nelson clerk pleads guilty to stealing village funds
A village clerk in Nelson, Wis., has pleaded guilty to stealing village funds from accounts deposited at a bank where she worked as a teller.
Penny M. Mau entered a plea agreement in U.S. District Court in Madison June 23 where she pleaded guilty to one count of stealing an estimated $2,836 from the Bank of Alma in 2014.
Mau, 54, was charged for felony robbery of money from Bank of Alma after an FBI investigation. She lost her job at the bank in 2014, according to bank officials.
Mau admitted that she intentionally deposited village of Nelson funds into her personal accounts and used the money for personal benefits, according to U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil.
As part of a plea agreement Mau signed in April, she agreed to pay restitution for all losses relating to the charge and scheme, according to federal court records.
Mau was scheduled to be sentenced in Madison Sept. 8 by Judge William M. Conley. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
- Winona Daily News
Richland Center woman arrested for animal cruelty
A 56-year-old Richland Center, Wis., woman was arrested for animal cruelty after several ill kittens and one deceased kitten were found Monday in her vehicle in Viroqua, Wis.
Sue Sheire was taken to the Vernon County Jail and is expected to face cruelty to animals charges, according to the Viroqua Police Department.
Police received a complaint and investigated a vehicle parked in the 200 block of South Rock Avenue. Witnesses told officers that kittens were located in a van inside a plastic tote.
When police officers opened the van, two adult cats sprang from the vehicle and ran away. Inside the van, in a covered tote, were 11 kittens. One of the kittens was deceased and they all were covered with fleas and appeared to have had worms, according police.
The totes plastic cover appeared to have been pierced by a knife to make air holes.
Two of the remaining kittens have since died. The remaining eight kittens are under veterinary care and are expected to survive. The two adult cats that fled the vehicle have not been found.
- Vernon County Broadcaster
69 grams of meth found during La Crosse traffic stop
Authorities found 69 grams of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in La Crosse on Friday and another 23 grams concealed in a womans bra, according to police reports.
A La Crosse officer stopped Ryan Nowlan, 20, of Holmen for driving without a license about 1:10 pm. on the 1700 block of Liberty St. A police canine indicated there were drugs inside the vehicle before officers found the 69 grams of meth under where passenger Mackenzie Kimball was seated, according to reports.
Passenger Ryan Koenig, 20, of Onalaska had a gun and pipe in his backpack, reports stated.
Jail staff found more meth in Kimballs bra as she was being booked into the La Crosse County Jail.
Prosecutors charged Kimball, 19, of La Crosse with two counts each of possession with intent to deliver meth and possession of drug paraphernalia. She also is charged with felony bail jumping for committing a new crime while on bond for drug charges.
Koenig is charged with possessing drug paraphernalia and carrying a concealed weapon.
- La Crosse Tribune
Bangor woman faces reckless endangerment charges
A Bangor, Wis., woman twice rammed her car into another vehicle before a bystander used a concrete block to smash her window to prevent her from leaving the scene.
A bystander witnessed Stephanie Hoth, 25, strike a car parked at Audio Mobile in La Crosse about 2:30 p.m. Friday, according to La Crosse police reports. Fearing she was trying to kill the driver, the witness threw the concrete block through her back window and ordered Hoth to turn over her keys. She complied, kicked her car and then sat on the ground and waited for police.
The driver of the other vehicle said he was reversing from a parking spot when Hoth twice struck the passenger side of his car, according to reports. Both cars were damaged.
Police found empty beer cans and alcohol bottles in Hoths car, but she would not cooperate with field-sobriety tests. She kicked the inside of a squad car, removed her handcuffs and was uncooperative during booking at the jail.
Hoth faces charges of recklessly endangering safety, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct and a ticket for operating while impaired when she appears in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
- La Crosse Tribune
For Southeast Asia, the slowdown of Chinas economy may have a bigger economic impact than the British vote to leave the European Union.
Chinas government reported the countrys economy expanded at 6.7 percent in the first three months of this year. That is high compared to many countries. However, it is the lowest increase of its Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, since early 2009. GDP is a measure of the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country.
Joseph Incalcaterra is an economist with the British bank HSBC.
He has studied economic growth in Asia from 2000 to 2014. He says Chinese trade became more and more important in the area during those years. Yet, he notes that Chinas slowing economy is, in his words, weighing down exports in the rest of the region.
Estimates place the value of Southeast Asias economies at $2.6 trillion dollars. However, growth has slowed in seven of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Indonesia has been most affected, at least partly because it exports commodities such as raw materials to China.
However, Southeast Asias relatively young population and increasing wealth keep growth possible, although its exports to China are slowing.
Earlier this year, the Asian Development Bank predicted economic growth of 4.5 percent for this year and 4.8 percent for 2017 for the area.
Le Hong Hiep is with the Singapore-based research group ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He said he has not seen a lot of impact from Chinas economic slowdown in Vietnam. He said last year, Vietnams exports to China grew by almost 15 percent. He said those exports which are mainly raw materials and agricultural products are less affected by a slowing economy.
Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos have had changes in political leadership recently. But that has not stopped the flow of foreign investment to the area. Not only China, but India, Russia and the United States have been increasing investment in the area.
Trade between the U.S. and Vietnam increased to $45 billion in 2015. In addition to existing trade, U.S. President Barack Obama has pushed for the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
The trade deal includes 12 Pacific nations. Four of those countries, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, are in Southeast Asia. Supporters say the deal counterbalances Chinas influence in the areas economy.
Brian Eyler is deputy director of the Stimson Centers Southeast Asia Program. He thinks U.S. investment in the area will continue to increase. He says, We see the U.S. investing more in Southeast Asia, training more, restructuring its diplomatic architecture, to better integrate with Southeast Asia.
Eyler said India and Russia are seeking to do the same. He noted that Chinas slowdown leaves roads, ports and other public systems underused. In his words, No one wants to see that go to waste.
Im Dorothy Gundy.
Shannon Van Sant reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
impact n. a notable result, a powerful effect
monetary adj. of or relating to the money in a country's economy
commodity n. something that is bought and sold
counterbalance v. to limit or balance out, having an opposite but equal effect
architecture n. a structure, something that is built up
integrate v. to bring together into a whole sides or groups that were not together before
When U.S. Congressional Democrats demanded votes on gun control measures last week, Republican leaders turned off the cameras.
The action is strangely similar to what congressional Democrats did in 2008 to answer a Republican protest over energy legislation.
But in 2016, Democratic Party lawmakers had a new way to get their protest message out. They used cameras on mobile telephones to provide live video of their speeches on social media. That technology was not available in 2008.
So, Americans could watch as Congressman John Lewis, a leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, spoke about the cost of gun violence.
Focus on Orlando Shooting
Lewis said that guns kill 30,000 people across the country each year.
We have lost too many of our children, our babies, he said. We have lost too many of our mothers and fathers.
The Georgia congressman and other Democratic lawmakers took turns speaking for nearly 26 hours straight in the House of Representatives. Many held up pictures of people killed by guns.
Much of their focus was on the 49 people killed earlier this month at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Since the Orlando shootings, congressional Democrats have stepped up efforts to pass gun control legislation. At the top of their list are bills to expand background checks. Supporters say such bills, when enacted, would stop people with a criminal record, or who support terrorism, from buying guns.
The Democrats also want to ban the military-style weapons used in the Orlando attack and other recent mass shootings. They include the one last December in San Bernardino, California, the mass killing at a Connecticut elementary school in 2012, and the attack at a Colorado movie theater.
Focus on Terrorism
The Republican Party holds majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Republican lawmakers generally support the position of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA argues against bills that would limit what the group says is a constitutional right to own guns.
Terrorism is the issue and defeating terrorism is our focus here in the House, said House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Let me be really clear. We are not going to take away the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.
Ryan called the Democratic protest a political ploy.
Marc Morial is president of the National Urban League. He has supported gun control laws since the 1990s, when he was mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the first mayor to take legal action against gun manufacturers for deaths and injuries on the streets of New Orleans. But the case failed.
Morial told VOA he is not surprised gun control bills continue to face strong opposition. It reflects the power of the NRA, he said.
It is also due to a strong gun culture among many Americans, who enjoy hunting and want guns for self-protection, Morial said.
Republican Offers Compromise
Just hours after the House of Representatives protest ended Thursday, the Senate took up a gun control bill written by Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, with moderate Democrats and Republicans.
By a 52-46 vote, the Senate agreed to let her bill move forward. But that was still eight votes short of what Collins needs for Senate passage.
Her bill would block gun sales to individuals on U.S. government no fly lists because of their suspected links to terrorists. Also stopped from buying guns would be people required to go through additional airport screening because of security concerns. Her bill would permit court hearings for those denied the chance to buy guns.
The National Rifle Associations Chris Cox said the Collins bill does not do enough to protect gun rights.
Unfortunately, Senator Collins and others are focusing their efforts on unconstitutional proposals that would not have prevented the Orlando terrorist attack, he said.
He added that Congress should focus on fighting terrorism.
Shannon Frattaroli is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy. He said most of the 30,000 gun violence victims killed each year are not killed by terrorists, but by people they know.
Attention for Democrats Is New
Catholic University political science professor Matthew Green said all the attention paid to congressional Democrats last week was unusual.
Usually, the leaders of the majority party and the news media ignore the minority party, Green said. But he said all the attention to the Democratic protest probably will not be enough to pass a single gun control bill this year.
Im Bruce Alpert.
Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Some of the story is based on reports from VOAs Carol Pearson and Michael Bowman. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us about how to reduce violence in the Comments Section and on our Facebook Page.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
focus n. the subject on which people's attention is placed
background check n. a formal look to see if someone has something in his or her past that would make them a risk
law-abiding adj. obeying laws
ploy -- n. a clever trick or plan that is used to get someone to do something or to gain an advantage over someone
screen v. to check people for dangerous items such as guns
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Texas went too far in regulating a womans ability to end a pregnancy.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the opinion for the 5-3 majority. He said the Texas law is not medically necessary, and unconstitutionally limited a womans right to an abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy.
The Supreme Court justices were deciding whether a 2013 Texas law was constitutional. The law requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals located near their clinics. It also required abortion clinics to meet surgical requirements for patients similar to those for patients at hospitals.
Breyer said those requirements provide few, if any, improvements for womens health. But, he said they make it harder for women to get abortions.
In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a right to decide to end a pregnancy through abortion.
The Center for Reproductive Rights says the ruling will likely put an end to laws in nine other states that are similar to the Texas law. Wisconsin, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri have similar laws to the one in Texas. Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Florida also have such laws.
The Supreme Court ruled on another highly disputed case related to guns on Monday.
The court said that people convicted of domestic abuse, even for a lesser criminal charge, or misdemeanor, can be barred from owning guns. Domestic abuse is when someone is violent toward a wife or husband, or other partner.
Two men had disputed the ban on guns, saying they had hit a romantic partner in an argument, not in a pre-planned attack.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion for the 6-2 majority. She rejected the mens argument.
A person who assaults another recklessly uses force, no less than one who carries out that same action knowingly or intentionally, Kagan wrote.
And in another well-known case, the Supreme Court threw out the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
McDonnell was found guilty of accepting gifts from a businessman who sought his help selling his product. The gifts, which included a Rolex watch, were worth more than $175,000.
Chief Justice John Roberts said that while McDonnells actions are distasteful, the federal government went too far in building a bribery case. The courts ruling was 8-0.
But it was the abortion ruling that got the most attention of the three major decisions released Monday. The three rulings came as the Supreme Court neared the end of its 2015-2016 term.
Three justices, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, opposed the majority ruling against the Texas abortion law. They released what is called a dissent meaning they disagreed with the decision of the majority.
Thomas quoted from an earlier written statement by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia wrote that the some justices bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion. Or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.
Scalia died in February. He has not been replaced on the Supreme Court. That has left the court with only eight of its regular nine judges.
Lawyers for Texas abortion clinics brought the abortion case. They said the 2013 Texas law had reduced the number of abortion clinics from 40 to about half of that in the state. The number would drop to 10 if the law is allowed to fully take effect, the lawyers said.
That would require Texas women seeking abortions to travel long distances to their nearest abortion centers.
Without question, today's ruling is a game changer in what has been an unrelenting assault on women's rights across the country, said Nancy Northup. She is president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said the Supreme Court ruling subjects more innocent life to being lost.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Supreme Court has taken the ability to protect womens health out of the hands of Texas citizens and their duly-elected representatives.
Im John Russell.
Ken Bredemeier reported on this story for VOA News. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
regulate v. to make rules or laws that control something
privilege n. a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others
clinics
surgical adj. of or relating to the process of performing a medical operation
assault n. to physically attack someone
recklessly adv. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions
intentionally adv. to do something on purpose or as planned
bend the rules idiomatic phrase. to not be strict or exact about following a rule
unrelenting adj. not slowing down, stopping, or growing weaker
The United Nations is continuing to build legal cases against North Koreas leadership for crimes against humanity.
UN officials are gathering statements and other evidence from more than 30,000 North Korean defectors to support the cases.
Human rights activists and UN representatives met in Seoul on Monday to discuss the latest developments in the investigation.
Signe Poulsen represents the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Seoul. She said the investigation is continuing, but it takes time and is hard to prepare a case based on information from defectors alone.
Verification is extremely difficult and it is an ongoing challenge, and I think something we have to be quite humble about because we dont have access at the ground level.
The investigators are trying to collect evidence linking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other high-level officials to crimes against humanity.
In 2014, a UN Commission of Inquiry called on the UN to refer North Koreas leadership to the International Criminal Court.
The inquiry report documented at least 120,000 political prisoners inside the country. It also linked North Korean officials to atrocities including extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence.
The UN General Assembly voted in support of the Commission of Inquirys call for action. But the measure was never passed in the Security Council, where North Koreas allies China and Russia would likely veto it.
The Security Council ordered new sanctions on North Korea earlier this year for carrying out a nuclear test and launching a long-range rocket. Those measures are not directly linked to the international concerns about the countrys human rights record.
Marzuki Darusman is the UN Special Rapporteur on North Korea. He said UN officials and human rights groups continue to build legal cases against North Korean officials. But he said those cases may never be brought unless the government of Kim Jong Un collapses someday.
That is quite unique in that sense, compared to the general practice where justice seeking is then implemented after the big bang, so called, he said.
UN investigators believe Kim should ultimately be held responsible for the atrocities committed in North Korea. They say they have found orders and handwritten notes directly connecting him to some crimes.
Greg Scarlatoiu with Human Rights North Korea said low-level officials in state security agencies also should be held responsible.
We know those agencies, we know the hierarchy within those agencies and we even have many lists of names of officials who are still there, who have been holding positions at these agencies.
But North Korea expert Remko Breuker, from Leiden University in the Netherlands, disagrees.
Where does accountability stop? When do people have no other choice than to obey? This is ideally something I think that should be left to North Koreans to decide.
UN officials and activists working to build a case against the North Korean leadership know that no legal action is likely to happen anytime soon. But they remain hopeful that one day the political environment will change to make prosecutions possible.
Im Bryan Lynn.
Brian Padden reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
defector n. person who abandons their country for another one
verification n. the process of establishing whether something is true or not
humble adj. not proud; not thinking of yourself as better than others
atrocity n. a very cruel or terrible act
extermination n. to completely destroy or kill
hierarchy n. a system that places people or things in difference levels and importance
prosecution n. the act of holding a trial against a person accused of a crime to establish guilt or innocence
LEXINGTON, Neb. After taking an entrepreneurship class during summer school, 14 middle school aged students put their skills to action in the real world.
These students sold their own products on Monday afternoon outside of the Lexington Walmart during the first annual Biz Kids Expo.
Students could be seen in front of their tables with decorative displays selling everything from sandals, soaps, photography cards to cupcakes, cheesecakes and dog treats.
Yasmin Monroy, who made and sold Bow Wow Treats for dogs, said she got her idea for her product from Janita Pavelka, the teacher of the entrepreneurship class, who told her one student from a prior class made dog treats and was very successful.
To make her dog biscuits, Monroy said she used: rice, flour, raw oats, unsweetened applesauce and sold them at $1 per bag. She said she had prior experience helping her mother and father cook but that making her dog treats proved challenging.
It was really hard. It was harder to make the pretzel dog treats then the dog biscuits. I started at 10 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m. It was kind of frustrating, Monroy said.
Taking the entrepreneurship class and selling her own products allowed her to learn a lot of skills and gain a bunch of confidence in herself, Monroy said.
Megan Kuefner, made cupcakes for her expo product. One of the most difficult parts of making her product was decorating the cupcakes with icing, she drew faces of yellow minions characters with big white eye balls made of marshmallows. Other cupcakes had regular frosting.
I was looking at different ideas for the cupcakes online, and I picked minions because I really love minions. When I was making the cupcakes sometimes I would forget something and my mom would remind me. Now I feel like I can bake better, Kuefner said.
Abel Flores made caramel and candy apples to sell at the expo. He said he enjoys eating candy apples and wanted to spread that joy to others.
Flores said it was not too difficult to make his apples, it only took a couple of hours. He said he has seen how his father has managed a business in Lexington in the past and added to his business knowledge by taking the class and making his own products.
I learned a lot of things I didnt know. This is the best class to take to learn how to start your own business,Flores said.
Carlos Pano Jr., who had previously taken a photography class in another town, decided to sell postcards with his own photography and also offered customized photography postcards.
Pano said he enjoyed photography because it captures a moment, it lets you look at it as long as you want. I like the beauty of photography and different perspectives.
He said he learned a lot of things required for starting a business, like making a budget and allocating start up costs and figuring out what operating, income and a profit is.
I might do this when I get older, start a photography business, Pano said.
Pavelka, an entrepreneurship educator from Holdrege, said she taught 16 students from Lexington during summer school. Two students could not attend the expo due to a prior engagement, she said.
She said she remembers that after the end of the first day of class, students had 10 different business ideas. Once students got their ideas, they went home and talked to their parents about what products were doable and what might be a stretch, she said.
Her lessons for the class included discussion about ethical behavior, good customer service, service with a smile, keeping receipts, start-up costs, operating cost, revenue and profits.
I am so excited to see them sell their products. In the class I taught them how to make their pitches, the first line is the hardest. They give customers their 30 second pitch, talk about what their product is, she said.
Pavelka described the Lexington students as a fantastic class that had a lot of ideas and plenty of parental support during the class and also during the expo.
For the first time in one of her classes, three Lexington students gave public service announcements at KRVN announcing the expo to the community, she said.
Also, Pavelka taught the students the 80-20 rule. This rule recommends that 80 percent of money earned be used for savings, 10 percent to spend and the other 10 percent is given away to a good cause, she said.
All 14 students chose who they would give the 10 percent of money to. It is better to give then receive, she said.
A group of volunteers has come to town to help North Platte Habitat for Humanity finish its 46th house at 819 S. Griffith.
The RV Care-A-Vanners is a volunteer program for anyone who travels in a recreational vehicle, wants to build Habitat houses and have fun doing it, said Dalene Skates, executive director for Habitat in North Platte. RV Care-A-Vanners welcomes people of all ages, from all walks of life, who want to pick up a hammer and help change lives, and the North Platte Area Habitat for Humanity is fortunate enough to be one of the sites selected by a group of Care-A-Vanners this month.
The seven volunteers will be in North Platte until July 8. Some of them have served with Care-A-Vanners for many years, and for others this is their first build.
My wife and I usually travel around and work for about five months out of the year, said Larry Durham of Goleta, California. Well be here for two weeks, then well have a two-week rest, then were going up into Brookings, South Dakota. That is our fifth build this summer and will be our last build for this year.
Durham a retired roofing and home improvement contractor, said he believes everybody should have a chance to have the American dream.
The reason I think we all do it is because were trying to help out our fellow man, or woman, and children, Durham said. When you see a child that sees a house in the framing stage and says, Thats my room, with a smile from ear to ear, it just tugs at your heart.
Sometimes the Care-A-Vanners know each other from previous projects, but this time Durham said these are all new acquaintences for him and his wife, Margot.
Weve never met each other before, but by the time the two weeks are up I think well be pretty good friends, Durham said.
He also said North Platte has treated them all very well.
The campground were at has been really friendly, Durham said. I had problems with my car and the guy told me where to go, and I went and they took care of me right away.
Another husband-and-wife team is on their first build with Care-A-Vanners. Curt and Nina Hall are from Mena, Arkansas.
Ive done a lot of volunteer work, quite a lot of construction, Curt Hall said. Ive built a couple of churches and a clinic in Arkansas.
Curt said he has been retired for 22 years.
Ive done construction pretty much all my life off and on, but never for a living, Curt said. Im also very involved in a prison ministry. I go to prisons and conduct services and tell them about Jesus and let them know somebody does care.
Durham said the work helps develop friendships.
Weve made a lot of lifelong friends from people that life all over the country that weve met doing Habitat, Durham said. A lot of times, well get in touch with each other and then say, Hey, Im going to be in such-and-such a town, theres openings for the build, why dont you see if it will work into your schedule.
Once in a while, the Care-A-Vanners have the opportunity to return to a town where they helped with a build.
Tou go back sometimes to the same town again a year later and the people see you, because they work on their houses too, Durham said. They see you and come out and give you a big hug and say, Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. Its a real blessing.
Property taxes for at least four landowners will increase dramatically if the Lincoln County Commissioners deny their valuation protests.
The Lincoln County Assessors Office changed how it classifies the land in question, resulting in much higher valuations.
On Monday, Jerome Vieyra, Frank C. Peck Sr., Bonnie Smith and Donald Goddard presented their cases to the Lincoln County Board of Equalization. The commissioners also serve as the board of equalization.
After a lengthy discussion, the board decided to continue the items to its next meeting on July 5. The meeting is postponed a day because of the July Fourth holiday.
Vieyra owns two properties at 2405 and 2403 Vieyra Drive that are affected by the change. The property at 2405 Vieyra Drive is being assessed at a little more than $320,000. Vieyra wants it reduced to a little more than $110,000.
My parents purchased the property in 1958 and Ive lived there since 1995, Vieyra said. Weve consistently grown corn there, its currently in oats, and a land dispute settled in district court in 2005 determined accretions were considered agriculture.
In that court case, Vieyra said, the property in question had to meet three criteria to be deemed agricultural, and the court said it met all three stipulations.
Lincoln County Assessor Julie Stenger said that with each of the properties brought to the commissioners on Monday, it is difficult to determine the type of land use.
This year we changed our methodology and looked at all the properties along the river, Stenger said. Most of them were approved if there was any agriculture use.
Stenger said her office determines the assessment based on the lands use if it were sold for instance, agriculture, residential or recreational.
Commissioner Joe Hewgley asked about the change in methodology.
Is there something from the assessors department that says these are the things you should consider when you say those go into our consideration, Hewgley said. For instance, How is it going to sell? Is that in writing somewhere or is that maybe a policy of the office?
Stenger said the statute does not address it in detail.
That is part of our new methodology its more office policy, Stenger said. State statute really doesnt go into detail as far as defining how it will sell for.
Stenger said there is no denying there is agricultural use present on every property being considered at Mondays meeting, but our question is whether it is primarily ag use.
I have had some people bring information to indicate their property is being used as agriculture, but it doesnt support agriculture as a livelihood, Stenger added.
Vieyra said his property is being used for agriculture and he doesnt think the uncertainty of the definition should create issues for him.
Im being victimized as a taxpayer by something that is not very well-defined, Vieyra said. Lets get a standard, and until that time, I should not be penalized.
In other action the commissioners:
>> Approved a grant application to be submitted to the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety by the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office for overtime in the amount of $7,980.
>> Approved the purchase of a parking lot at 115-115 W. Second St. that will help alleviate parking problems at the courthouse.
>> Adopted a resolution to amend article 11 of the zoning regulations that deals with Notice of Hearing.
>> Adopted resolutions to sign interlocal agreements to house inmates at the Lincoln County Detention Center with Keith, Kimball, Thomas and Logan counties.
>> Authorized the chairman to sign a subscription contract with GIS Workshop for the Lincoln County Emergency Management Office.
LINCOLN Distefano Technology and Manufacturing of Omaha and MetalQuest of Hebron have won state grants for programs aimed at opening the world of manufacturing and technology to Nebraska students.
Gov. Pete Ricketts congratulated the two companies Monday for receiving the Nebraska Developing Youth Talent Initiatives 2016 grants. Each will get up to $125,000.
Ricketts proposed the initiative last year to foster collaborations between private industry and public schools on programs that expose middle school students to careers and opportunities in manufacturing and IT.
Public-private partnerships like these are setting the bar when it comes to working with their communities and schools to connect youth with career paths with good-paying jobs, Ricketts said.
These efforts are helping build the 21st century workforce Nebraskas industries and companies need to remain competitive in a global economy, he said.
Distefano is part of an area consortium of manufacturers working with the Omaha Public Schools and OPS Career Center on creating a metro-area mobile manufacturing expo.
The expo will offer hands-on learning experiences for middle school students in areas such as 3-D design and printing, robotics, welding and related careers.
MetalQuest is working with the South Central Unified School District to offer exploratory courses in manufacturing for students in grades 6 through 8.
The courses will be offered under the supervision of a Central Community College instructor.
Scott Volk, vice president of MetalQuest, said part of the program will be simply countering the popular misconceptions about manufacturing jobs and careers.
Most students, as well as many parents and teachers, know nothing about manufacturing, he said. Some believe it involves employees spending their days in dark rooms, with dirty machines, doing repetitive tasks.
The reality of modern manufacturing involves such things as directing computers and robots that do the repetitive work.
Theres a big negative perception out there, Volk said. Theyre going to use their head as much as their hands.
The first round of grants, provided for the 2015-16 school year, went to Flowserve in Hastings and Hollman Media of Kearney.
Courtney Dentlinger, the state economic development director, said the hope is that the grants will help fill the workforce needs of Nebraska manufacturers by finding ways to engage and interest students earlier in their education.
She said the state has been adding about 1,000 manufacturing jobs each year, with half of them outside of Omaha and Lincoln.
Ricketts said he expects the initiative to evolve based on evaluations of the grant-funded programs.
Thank you for reading!
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Mining in Zambia is relatively under-reported, and there are deep and abiding misconceptions about what it actually does and its impact on society and the economy, hence the launch of a new website - mininginzambia.com to provide a deeper understanding about the industry.
It is also educational and extensive in scope and content, and complements the Chamber of Mines existing website featuring latest industry news from Zambia and around the world, a live updated copper price, tracking of the price of other mineral resources and the kwacha/US dollar exchange rate.
Its a world-first in the topics covered, the ease of reading and its daily round-up of news and financial information, says Zambia Chamber of Mines president, Nathan Chishimba.
Public engagement
This powerful website is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the role of mining in the Zambian economy and society. We expect readers to return to the site daily, or at least weekly, to keep themselves updated especially as we continue to add new content. It will appeal to all who follow the mining industry, be they experts or ordinary Zambians, he adds.
The website is part of an on-going programme of strategic, public engagement by the mining industry, and its primary content is free for anyone who wishes to access it.
Its five key sections are:
Understanding mining which covers topics such as starting a new mine, the capital-intensive nature of mining, and why the copper price fluctuates on world markets;
Zambias mines which gives an overview of the Zambian mining sector, the key role played by the Big Four mines, and their challenges and opportunities;
Social contribution which explains, through case studies, how mines contribute to the development of communities;
Economic contribution which explains how the industry contributes to fiscal and macro-economic development, and how it can stimulate local economic development; and
Los Angeles: American songstress Lady Gaga met with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama for a small talk about compassion and meditation at the US Conference of Mayors gathering in Indianapolis.
Their 20-minute chat that happened yesterday was shared on Facebook Live, reported USA Today.
The Dalai Lama answered questions Gaga, 30, chose from social media about how to deal with injustices in the world.
"We are a social animal, so individuals' future depends entirely on the community," he said.
He offered this advice, "Once (a) tragic situation happens, not avoid (but) look at more deeply, widely. Many positive, happy things are there if you look (from a) wider perspective. If you look real closely, it appears unbearable.
But if you look widely (you see) other positive things there."
As for meditating, Gaga does it, and so does His Holiness.
However, "I am a poor practitioner of meditation. 81 years old... progress, not much," he said, smiling. But his analytic meditation methods seem to work. "You can judge my (young-looking) face," he said. "Nothing special medicine... My mind (is) always clear."
The Dalai Lama also said, "I'm an 81-year-old person with quite a lot of experiences. My experiences much bigger than your experiences," said the Dalai Lama.
"You didn't know this, but I'm much older than you," joked Gaga, and they both laughed.
However, the innocuous exchange between the pop star and the Tibetan spiritual leader didn't go down too well with authorities in China, which announced a "ban" on Lady Gaga.
"Lady Gaga has been added to a list of hostile foreign forces banned by Chinas Communist party after she met with the Dalai Lama," a Guardian report said.
Newspapers from the region reported that Gaga's "entire repertoire" would be banned from the mainland after her conversation with His Holiness.
Being trolled online is one of the pitfalls of being a celebrity.
A case in point is Sona Mohapatra who faced a barrage of abuse from Salman Khan fans after she called him out for making a flippant remark about rape while promoting his film Sultan.
Actress Shruti Seth was similarly attacked on social media when she expressed some criticism of prime minister Narendra Modi's "selfie with daughters" campaign.
Most recently, Neha Dhupia was trolled when she posted a photo of the tan line surrounding her bikini strap while she was on vacation. Several derogatory remarks were made about Neha's appearance on social media.
These examples barely skim the surface of the kind of vicious comments celebrities routinely face down on social media. While some choose to overlook such trolling, believing perhaps that responding further fuels trolls to vent their poison, others prefer smart take-downs the virtual equivalent of the mic drop.
Virat Kohli did it just a few months ago, when he posted a picture of a wall with the word "shame" emblazoned on it, on his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Along with that simple and powerful image, Virat told those who had been attacking his rumoured girlfriend Anushka Sharma online, to back off, in no uncertain terms.
Now another celebrity has chosen to speak out against online abuse.
TV actor and presenter Karan Kundra, who is popular for his appearances on Channel V's true youth crime show Gumrah and MTV Roadies, wrote a long post challenging a roll's unsavoury comments about his girlfriend Anusha Dandekar.
Karan had posted a photo of Anushka and himself several days ago, to which a follower had commented in a vulgar fashion. When another follower tackled the troll, a comments war ensued.
When it came to Karan's notice, he immediately spoke up for Anushka, and said he didn't want followers who didn't respect women.
Here's Karan's take-down of the troll, in his own words:
I do not want fans like these.. If you've been brought up in such kind of filthy ways.. And belong to the lowest scums of humans plz I beg of you.. Do not be a fan and make me sad! The worst part is that the account is run by a girl!! A GIRL!! I can't imagine what pathetic mindset of people must she belong to that she can talk like this about another girl! A photo posted by Karan Kundra (@kkundra) on Jun 27, 2016 at 8:06am PDT
The image of Karan and Anushka that reportedly got the troll going:
Ever since Deepika Padukone was announced as Vin Diesel's co-star on xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Instagram has been the place where the duo has unveiled some pretty striking photos together.
This was where the actors unveiled the fact that they were teaming up for the movie, and posted regular updates from the sets of their shoot as well.
The film's shoot in Canada may be over, but it seems Deepika and Vin won't be calling time on their friendship just yet. Recently, the Hollywood action star posted a photo of Deepika visiting his family, and holding his baby daughter Pauline, on Facebook.
Deepika seemed completely at ease on this visit to Vin's family home, and the camaraderie between the co-stars comes across even in photos.
Here's a look at some of Deepika's other photos/posts with Vin Diesel:
Destiny.... #thereturnofxandercage A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Jun 5, 2016 at 7:15am PDT
SNAPPED: @deepikapadukone and @vindiesel caught in a candid moment on the sets of #xXx! We can't wait to see these two together in #TheReturnOfXanderCage! Can you? - Team DP A photo posted by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Apr 13, 2016 at 12:16pm PDT
Here's another still of @deepikapadukone & @vindiesel looking flawless for #TheReturnOfXanderCage Aren't you excited to see them together on the big screen? #xXx? A photo posted by Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) on Mar 17, 2016 at 10:42am PDT
New Delhi: Seeking to draw government's attention to an alleged criminal case against a top Air India official, the airline's pilots union ICPA has written to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha alleging that this officer had "suppressed facts" at the time of his selection.
Air India had recently expanded its board and inducted a new director. The selection of the new director was done by the government's Public Enterprises Selection Board (PSEB).
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents narrow-body aircraft pilots of the airline, said in its letter that they had come to understand that the new appointee "had suppressed the facts from Air India management of the FIR filed at Sahar police station Mumbai" and that he was released on bail.
A case against him is being heard at a court in Mumbai, the ICPA claimed in its letter to the Cabinet Secretary.
"We as a responsible union feel duty bound to bring this to your notice so that officers with doubtful integrity do not occupy the sensitive and responsible post of functional director in Air India at a time when the government, Air India CMD and the entire workforce is committed in turning around our airline," it said.
An email and text message to Air India for its response on the issue went unanswered.
Apart from the CMD, government representatives and independent directors, the airline board has four functional
directors from the areas of finance, personnel, commercial and operations.
All the five independent directors on Air India Board at present have completed their three-year term and the civil aviation ministry has already recommended names of 15 eminent persons including some bankers and industrialists to the PESB for the positions.
PTI
Mumbai: Foreseeing worsening situation of bad loans in the country, Reserve Bank today said the gross non- performing assets of the banks can rise to as high as 9.3 per cent in 2016-17 after hitting 7.6 per cent in March 2016. Banks' gross NPA had stood at 5.1 per cent in September 2015, a report released by RBI said.
"Gross NPAs of banks' sharply increased to 7.6 per cent of gross advances from 5.1 per cent between September 2015 and March 2016 after asset quality review," according to the Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by RBI. Net non-performing advances as a percentage of the total net advances increased to 4.6 per cent in March 2016 from 2.8 per cent in September 2015.
The report said macro stress tests suggest that under the baseline scenario, the GNPA ratio of banks may rise to 8.5 per cent by March 2017 from 7.6 per cent in March this year. "If the macro scenarios deteriorate in the future, the GNPA ratio may further increase to 9.3 per cent by March 2017 under at severe stress scenario," the report said.
RBI conducted asset quality review (AQR) during the second half of 2015-16 and it covered 36 banks (including all PSBs), which accounted for 93 per cent of the banks' gross advances. The sample reviewed in AQR constituted over 80 per cent of the total credit outstanding and 5 per cent of the number of
accounts of the banking system reported through CRILC.
The main objective of AQR was to examine the assessment of asset quality at the bank level and at the system level as a whole and to uniformly deal with cases of divergence in identifying NPAs and additional provisioning across banks. RBI said among the banks, PSBs may continue to register highest GNPA ratio.
Under the baseline scenario, PSBs GNPA ratio may go up to 10.1 per cent by March from 9.6 per cent as of March 2016. However, under a severe stress scenario, it may increase to 11 per cent by March 2017.
The report said the GNPA ratio of private sector banks, under the baseline scenario, may rise to 3.1 per cent by March 2017 from 2.7 per cent as of March 2016, which could further increase to 4.2 per cent under a severe stress scenario. The report further said there was a sharp reduction in restructured standard standard advances ratio to 3.9 per cent in March from 6.2 per cent in September.
PSBs continued to hold the highest level of stressed advances ratio at 14.5 per cent, whereas, both private sector and foreign banks, recorded stressed advances ratio at 4.5 per cent.
Amongst the major sectors, industrial showed a decline in the stressed advances ratio from 19.9 per cent to 19.4 per cent between September 2015 and March 2016, though the GNPA ratio of the sector increased sharply to 11.9 per cent from 7.3 per cent.
Among the major sub-sectors within industrial sector, basic metal and metal products accounted for the highest stressed advances ratio as of March followed by construction and textiles.
The stressed advances ratio of the infrastructure sector declined to 16.7 per cent from 21.8 per cent between September 2015 and March 2016.
FSR further said share of large borrowers' in total loans increased from 56.8 per cent to 58 per cent between September 2015 and March 2016.
Their share in GNPAs also increased from 83.4 per cent to 86.4 per cent during the same period.
The GNPA ratio of large borrowers increased sharply from 7 per cent to 10.6 per cent during September 2015 to March 2016 and the increase was evident across all bank groups. In this respect, PSBs recorded the highest GNPA ratio at 12.9 per cent.
The report said both return on assets (RoA) and return on equity (RoE) of banks' declined sharply to 0.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent, respectively, in March 2016 from 0.8 per cent and 9.3 per cent in March 2015.
Profit after tax (PAT) declined by 43 per cent during the financial year 2015-16, due to sharp increase in risk
provisions and write-off, the report said. It said overall credit and deposit growth of banks' remained in single digits because of subdued performance of PSBs.
Credit growth of all banks', on a y-o-y basis, declined to 8.8 per cent in March 2016 from 9.4 per cent in September 2015 while the growth in deposit declined to 8.1 per cent from 9.9 per cent.
The relative performance of bank groups reflects their respective strengths amidst on-going industry-wide balance sheet repair and also sluggish growth in private capex, the report said.
New Delhi: Offering black money holders one last chance to come clean, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said information on assets disclosed during the one-time compliance window will not be shared with any other authority. Jaitley, who met industry chambers, CAs and tax professionals to clear any misgivings about the four-month compliance window provided to domestic black money holders to pay their taxes and escape harsher penalties, said there will be no extension of the scheme.
"People who have (undisclosed) income and have stayed outside the income tax net, this is the last chance to declare them and sleep peacefully," he told reporters after the meet. Black money holders who do not avail of the government's offer and continue to hide wealth will be shown "consequences" of doing so, he said.
"There is a... (new black money law) and whosoever comes within its purview will be told about consequences (of holding black money)," he said.
The minister said any declaration made under the law will be protected. "That information is not to be shared with any other authority. It won't be made public, it won't be shared with anybody."
The Income Declaration Scheme or IDS, which opened on June 1, allows domestic black money holders to declare ill-gotten wealth, pay a total of 45 per cent in tax and penalty and escape prosecution.
"The compliance will remain open from June 1 to September 30 and people who have such (undisclosed) income, which has not come under assessment they can disclose such incomes and legitimise by paying 45 per cent tax and penalty," he said. The meeting called to popularise the scheme and get best results, was also attended by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitender Singh.
"This is not an immunity scheme. Immunity scheme is one where there is no penalty. In IDS there is penalty," Jaitley said adding the Income Tax Department may come out with a third set of clarifications on the scheme in form of frequently asked questions (FAQ) based on inputs from today's meeting.
The trade bodies, he said, have suggested that the tax should be allowed to be paid in installments. "We will consider this and we will come out with FAQs."
"We have nothing to do with any investigation under any law but any declaration made under this law is protected. That information is not shared with any other authority. It won't be made public, it won't shared with anybody," Jaitley said. "In such disclosures we do not ask for source of income and no enquiry takes place."
Today's meeting was called by the Revenue Department as well as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) with industry chambers, trade bodies, CAs and tax professionals to discuss the income disclosure scheme.
"We are taking this as a campaign, as a mission mode and the professional bodies and trade organisations, we have taken their suggestions. We will come out with a third FAQ. We expect that anyone who has such income they disclose it and legitimise their income and assets," he said.
Government ministers as well as CBDT officials will be travelling throughout the country to educate people about the scheme, so that maximum number of people avail of it, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this week warned that the black money holders to take advantage of the scheme or face action.
"It will be better that you take advantage of the window provided and save yourself from the difficulties that you can face after September 30," he said.
The four-pronged strategy prepared by the CBDT for the success of the scheme, includes single point contact to ensure confidentiality, setting up of facilitation centres across the country, giving wide publicity and monitoring at the highest. Government has promised that there will be no inquiry into the source of the undisclosed income and assets if declaration is made voluntarily.
In order to give wide publicity, the CBDT has also suggested putting up posters about the Income Declaration Scheme-2016, at places frequented by potential declarants, like club houses, posh markets, showrooms of high end products.
Last year the government came up with a similar scheme for persons having unaccounted black money abroad. Disclosures during that window were charged with a total tax and penalty of 60 per cent.
A total of Rs 4,147 crore of undisclosed wealth was declared during the 90-day foreign black money compliance window that ended September 30. At 60 per cent (30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty), the government got a net tax of Rs 2,500 crore from the declarations.
Industry and trade bodies also demanded that information disclosed in the Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS) should not be shared with the indirect tax wing Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
"The government has assured that the information would not be shared with any other authority so that there is no separate proceedings under Service Tax or VAT laws," said Krishan Malhotra, Senior Partner, Dhruva Advisors.
Various trade bodies suggested some leniency in payment of taxes and asked the government to extend the date for the scheme to address the cash flow problem around November. "Government was very receptive to the concerns of the industry and assured that it would come out with more clarification to address the apprehension," Malhotra said.
CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said the meeting among other things the meeting discussed confidentiality. "The government assured that there is no need to disclose the source of income under the scheme. Besides, requests were made for payment to be made in installment," Banerjee said
New Delhi: Retirement fund body EPFO will on 7 July take a decision on increasing investments in stock markets through ETFs, as they have started giving returns, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today.
"A report will be presented before the Central Board of Trustee on (ETF) investments of the EPFO on 7 July. Now the report is positive. We will decide quantum of percentage increase. According to the percentage (increase), the amount of investment will also increase," Dattatreya said at an event here on occupational safety.
The meeting of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation is scheduled on 7 July where a detailed analysis of its investments in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) will be presented before the CBT headed by the Labour Minister.
An ETF trades like an individual stock in the market and is generally a basket of various securities such as shares, bonds, commodities and indices. The EPFO had started investing in ETFs last August. It had started by investing 5 percent of its investible deposits in ETFs last fiscal. Now, there is a move to increase the proportion of such investments this fiscal.
The minister said: "The EPFO trustees will take a decision regarding increase in proportion of its investment Exchange traded funds (ETFs) after consultations with stakeholders."
He further said, "After deliberating on the analysis of the report, as Chairman I will discuss it with other members of the CBT about increase in percentage of ETF investments. Last year, It was 5 percent. It can go up to 15 percent as per Finance Ministry investment pattern."
Earlier, the minister had said, "As on 31 March, 2016 the amount invested was Rs 6,577 crore which gave a return of Rs 6,601 crore, which is up by 0.37 percent. As on 30 April, 2016 the amount invested was Rs 6,674 crore and this gave a return of Rs 6,786 crore which is up by 1.68 percent."
The proposal will go to the law department and then to the Cabinet for approval. The minister also spoke about introducing a new provision for having safety auditors for ensuring Occupational Safety and Health in the Factories Act. "The proposal regarding safety auditors will soon go for vetting by Law Ministry and then it will go to the Cabinet."
A senior Labour Ministry official said that the tripartite consultations for introducing the concept of safety auditors were completed as there were two rounds of discussion on that.
New Delhi: Tata Communications today said Liquid Telecom, a privately-owned, pan-Africa telecom group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, has entered into an agreement to acquire its subsidiary Neotel for South African Rand 6.55 billion (Rs 2,904 crore).
"The shareholders of Neotel -- Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion -- have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR 6.55 billion," Tata Communications said in a BSE filing.
It further said: "Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30 per cent equity stake in Neotel."
Tata Communications added that the transaction, subject to all affirmative, corporate and other regulatory approvals, is transformative and will create the largest pan-Africa broadband network and B2B telecom provider.
"Through a single access point, businesses across Africa will be able to access Liquid Africa's 24,000 km of cross-border, metro and access fibre networks. These currently span 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned," it said.
Tata Communications MD and CEO Vinod Kumar said: "Liquid Telecom is the right partner for the next phase of Neotel's evolution. Convergence of technologies and services will be the key driver of growth across the globe and this transaction will encourage inclusion and support the growth aspirations of the African continent."
In March this year, Tata Communications' transaction to sell a majority stake in subsidiary Neotel to Vodacom, South Africa, had lapsed due to regulatory complexities and non-fulfilment of certain conditions.
The company on December 10 last year had said Neotel and Vodafone's South African subsidiary, Vodacom, have concluded a modified transaction and the transaction documentation relating to the restructured deal was submitted to the Competition Tribunal.
The deal was originally signed in May 2014 wherein Vodacom had reached an agreement to buy Neotel, controlled by Tata Communications, for 7 billion Rand (about Rs 3,200 crore).
In dollar terms, the value of transaction at that time was around $676 million. Tata Communications owns over 68 percent stake in South Africa's largest fixed line telephone service provider Neotel.
The stock of Tata Communications was trading 4.54 percent higher at Rs 470 on BSE.
Start-ups are going through a rough phase as falling valuations and tightening funds lead many to shut shop or look for consolidation.
The e-commerce sector, which has seen many startups springing up, seems to be worst hit. Growth is spiralling downward and many of them are trimming down their workforce.
A report in The Times of India said the total gross merchandise value (GMV) of the top e-commerce firms in India was at $10.2 billion at the end of May 2016, registering a 13.3 percent growth from the GMV recorded for the same period last year. A large chunk of it came from Amazon India which grew to $2.7 billion from $1 billion in a year. In comparison, Flipkarts GMV was at a constant $4 billion for the last one year while Snapdeal witnessed a sharp 50 percent fall to $1.2 billion as of June, the report said.
Firstpost spoke with a few investors and bootstrapped firms that had not sought external funding for their firms to find out what they think is the way out for the Indian startups.
Directi, a conglomerate of tech companies operating across India, the US, China, Dubai and Europe, boasts of having turned out a 'successful mass market businesses one after the other without any external funding'. Founded by Bhavin Turakhia, the company is valued at $300 million and has over 1,000 employees. I feel the slow-down in the start-up sector is because there is serious lack of innovation, says 36-year-old Turakhia. The question to be asked when the sector got easily funded should have been: How do you intend to monetise? This is being asked now by investors and the result is lowered valuations in some firms, he says.
Discount game
One of the popular ways that e-commerce companies have gone about to entice consumers is by offering discounts and freebies. Though they may bring in the initial customers, they may not be loyal and shift to the next e-commerce player with heavier discounts.
Harshil Mathur, CEO and Co-Founder, Razorpay - a payments platform for small medium businesses and larger e-commerce companies who want to run their business online - says that customer delight goes beyond good customer experience. "It means that a firm exceeds customer expectations and gives them a pleasant surprise with an unexpected product/service quality.
One of the common issues that customers complain about is delay in product delivery. Other issues include pricing tricks, selling used goods as new and problems with return policies. These issues diminish brand loyalty among customers. The hunger for revenue growth should be balanced with good customer experience, says Mathur.
Discounts and incentives attract customers to purchase online and change their buying behaviour. But there is a limit to how much of it can be done in a sustainable way. It does not speak much about a firm when it pays a customer by way of discounts to buy the start-up's product/ services, says Turakhia.
Almost all e-commerce companies have low prices, quick delivery, and unquestioned returns. Trying to compete in such a market with even lower prices and unsustainable costs would be a recipe for disaster. Mathur suggests that e-commerce companies should try to develop a USP. For example, there are certain e-commerce companies that sell products that are not available in mainstream e-commerce stores. Some players have come up with products and solutions which are tailor-made to a unique set of customers. You have to become a leader in a specific category and dominate that niche in a sustainable way. Its only a myth that price points are more important than quality service, says Mathur.
Be a differentiator
Innovation is the key, and innovative adaptation of Business Intelligence could go a long way in making the start-up a differentiator in the crowded world of start-ups. There is so much data, so much intelligence to gather from all around the world. Strategic identification of pain points and presenting them attractively can solve many market demands, says Anoop Sahoo, Founder, Ideapoke, a B2B platform that enables technology scouting.
The present times of lower valuation and funds crunch is a good time for the industry, says Alok Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Teesort, a bootstrapped online menswear start-up. He reasons that this time can be used by the industry players to focus on their operations and root out inefficiencies that creep up with fast growth. He suggests that on-line start-ups focus on shipment returns and logistics around it in this slow period.
The government recognises e-commerce as a key player in the economy as is evident from the e-commerce marketplace rules notified earlier this year. We have barely scratched the surface in the online retail story and I am confident that the best days are still ahead of us," says Agarwal, who is upbeat about the sector.
Large players in e-commerce industry are on an acquisition spree. Many large players like Flipkart and Snapdeal are acquiring the smaller fishes. Eg: Flipkart's acquisition of wehive acquisition, Mahindra took over Babyoye and Snapdeal's acquisition of martmobi.
"I strongly feel these giants will come to the rescue of disruptive start-ups to increase their market dominance," says Dr Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Co-Founder and President, Venture Catalysts. He says that what he looks for as an investor is for start-ups that leverage state-of-the-art technology, innovation, data driven services, plans to increase productivity and create value for customers, a good team, and 'a good investor-start-up match'.
Some investors are still buoyant about the sector, irrespective of the bleak developments in the sector that has provided it a much-needed churn. Though investors and entrepreneurs may hesitate to pump in more liquidity and entrepreneurs may be less aggressive in the market than before, Sahoo of Ideapoke believes that after the correction, most of the e-commerce companies will be back on track and would continue to grow in a sustainable way.
ERBIL, Iraq It was barely more than a squiggle, but the mark of a single letter sprayed overnight on a wall in the heart of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate was a daring act of dissent.
The next day, ultra-hardline Islamic State fighters came and scrubbed out the "M" -- the first letter of the word for "resistance" in Arabic -- which appeared in an alley near the Grand Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul about three weeks ago.
A video of the single letter, scrawled about a metre long on the wall, was shared with Reuters by an activist from a group called "Resistance", whose members risk certain execution to conduct small acts of defiance in areas under Islamic State rule.
Nearly two years since Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivered a sermon from that same mosque summoning Muslims worldwide to the "caliphate", it is fraying at the edges.
As an array of forces make inroads into their territory spanning Iraq and Syria, the jihadis are becoming even harsher to maintain control of a population that is increasingly hostile to them, according to Iraqi officials and people who managed to escape.
"They are harsh, but they are not strong," said Major General Najm al-Jubbouri, who is in command of the operation to recapture Mosul and the surrounding areas. "Their hosts reject them."
Many local Sunnis initially welcomed the Sunni Muslim militants as saviours from a Shi'ite-led government they perceived as oppressive, while thousands of foreigners answered Baghdadi's call to come and wage holy war.
For a time, the militants claimed one victory after another, thanks as much to the weakness and division of the forces arrayed against them as their own strength. They funded themselves through sales of oil from fields they overran, and plundered weapons and ammunition from those they vanquished.
But two years since the declaration of the caliphate, the tide has begun to turn in favour of its many enemies: Iraqi and Syrian government troops, Kurdish forces in both countries, rival Syrian Sunni rebels, Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias, and a U.S.-led coalition which has bombed the militants while conducting special operations to take out their commanders.
Of the 43 founders of Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, 39 have been killed, said Hisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based expert who advises the Iraqi government.
The self-proclaimed caliph, Baghdadi, is moving in a semi-desert plain that covers several thousand square kilometres west of the Tigris river and south of Mosul, avoiding Syria after two of his close aides were killed there this year: "war minister" Abu Omar al-Shishani and top civilian administrator and second-in-command Abd al-Rahman al-Qaduli, Hashimi said.
The most senior commanders after Baghdadi are now Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the group's spokesman who took over military supervision after Shishani's death, and Abu Muhammad al-Shimali, who oversees foreign fighters and succeeded Qaduli as civilian administrator, he said.
Kurdish and Iraqi military commanders say the group is deploying fighters who are less experienced and less ideologically committed to defend what remains of its quasi-state, which is under attack on multiple fronts.
Iraqi forces recently entered the Islamic State bastion of Falluja just west of Baghdad, and are pushing north towards Mosul, by far the biggest city Islamic State controls with a pre-war population of 2 million.
In neighbouring Syria, U.S.-backed forces are closing in on the militant stronghold of Manbij, and President Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed army has advanced into the province surrounding the de facto Islamic State capital Raqqa.
On a front south of Mosul, a group of women displaced by the offensive said Islamic State fighters' grip had begun to loosen as Iraqi forces advanced, to the point that they no longer punished people for not wearing the full face veil.
The number of foreign fighters has fallen significantly, and renewed efforts by the group to recruit locals have proven largely unsuccessful, except amongst the young and destitute, according to people who recently fled, including three repentant Islamic State members.
"When you are a young man and you don't own 250 dinars and someone comes and offers you 20,000, 15,000 or 30,000, you will do anything," said a former Islamic State militant from Iraq's northern Hawija district who recently gave himself up to Kurdish forces.
Members of Islamic State's vice squad, the Hisba, are increasingly being sent to the frontlines as designated fighters are killed off, according to people who escaped as well as Iraqi and Kurdish military and intelligence officials.
That means there are fewer militants to enforce the group's draconian rules and dress code. But a 28 year-old teacher who recently fled Mosul said people were so afraid of the militants they did not disobey them even when they were not around.
"If they say black is white, you agree," said the teacher, who asked not to be identified because he still has family inside the city and feared they could be targeted.
School courses were redesigned by the militants to reflect their war-like ideology. He gave an example of a math problem given to his pupils: "The Mudjahid is carrying seven magazines for his rifle, each with 30 bullets; how many rounds can he fire at the unbelievers?"
He said Arabic lessons were also redesigned, with pupils asked to fill in blanks in slogan-like sentences such as "The Islamic State is xxxx and xxxx". The answer is "staying and expanding".
ASSET AND LIABILITY
The Sunni population in which the militants have embedded themselves is becoming more of a liability to them but also remains one of their greatest assets.
As living conditions deteriorate and the militants crack down, the local population is increasingly hostile to the group, which has repeatedly used civilians as human shields to slow the advance of Iraqi forces in frontline cities like Falluja.
Those caught trying to escape Islamic State territory are liable to be executed on the spot -- even women and children.
Despite outnumbering the militants, the population remains weaker than them. Residents were disarmed and the security forces purged in the early days after the fighters captured Mosul. But residents are increasingly cooperating with the security forces outside the city by informing on the militants.
Nineveh provincial council member Abdul Rahman al-Wakaa said the group had begun moving local leaders around so people could not identify them as easily and pass their location on to coalition and Iraqi forces.
The jihadis have also cracked down on communications with the outside world, executing people for using mobile phones and confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces.
Iraqi military leaders are hoping there will be an uprising against the insurgents as the army draws nearer to Mosul. A top Iraqi general told Reuters troops were in contact with people inside Mosul to synchronise such action with an external military assault.
The plan is to engage the militants on several fronts around Mosul simultaneously, to draw them out of the city, giving the local population a chance to revolt.
Acute hardship and hunger since Baghdad cut salaries to state workers living in areas under Islamic State control around a year ago has forced more locals to work for the group.
Islamic State, for its part, plays on the population's fears of retribution from Iraqi forces and pro-government Shi'ite militias. Despite a string of defeats, military officials say there have been few defections from the group.
Three young men who joined Islamic State and recently surrendered to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq said the militants hunted down those who tried to abandon them.
Ahmed Ibrahim Abdullah said he had been arrested and tortured by the militants when he left. He sold a cow to pay for his bail so he could escape.
Twenty-six year old Ahmed Khalaf said he had surrendered to the Kurds in the hope he would be treated with more leniency than if captured by government forces, but that others were too afraid to the same: "There are people who have a certain idea that their fate is tied to the fate of Daesh."
(Editing by Peter Graff)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Kozhikode: A police team from Karnataka has recorded the statement of the Dalit nursing student, a victim of ragging now undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital here, police said on Tuesday.
Nineteen-year-old Aswathi was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel of Al Qamal College of Nursing in Kalaburgi in Karnataka on 9 May, seriously damaging her internal organs.
She was admitted to a private college in Kalaburgi after the incident, but as her condition worsened after five days, she was sent back home with another Keralite student.
She was then admitted to Thrissur Medical College Hospital in Kerala, after which she was referred to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) on 2 June.
It took several hours for the team, led by Kalaburgi DSP Jhanvi to record her statement on Monday as she experienced breathing problems and vomiting, Sub Inspector of KMCH police station, Habib said.
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.
Quoting hospital sources, Habib said it would take at least six months for the girl to recover.
Based on her statement, the city police had on 22 June registered an FIR against five of her seniors and a copy of it was sent to Kalaburgi Police Commissioner for further investigation.
Cases under various sections of IPC, including 307 (attempt to murder), 36 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 346 (wrongful confinement in secret) and various sections of SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act were registered against the senior students. The case has been transfered to Gulbarga University police station for investigation.
The Karnataka Police had on 24 June arrested three senior students of the nursing college in connection with the incident.
The Kerala Women's Commission (KWC) had earlier sent a letter to the Karnataka Women's Commission, urging it to intervene in the matter and "take right action on the incident in which the girl was brutally harassed in the name of ragging".
KWC Chairperson Rosa Kutty has also spoken to her Karnataka counterpart.
Kolkata: Citing the example of Bihar which banned liquor in April, the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and the Congress on Tuesday sought to make West Bengal also a liquor-free state.
Raising the matter in the assembly, AIFB legislator Ali Imran Ramz said making Bengal a dry state will bring down crime though he conceded that the state revenue will take a beating in the process.
It will also save the state's youth and contribute towards West Bengal's progress, the legislator said.
"Liquor ban in Bihar has led to development in industry, education and infrastructure sectors. The Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) should declare the state liquor-free," Ramz later told the media.
His suggestion was supported by the Congress, including Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan.
"The Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) has shown the path. He made Bihar liquor-free despite loss to the state exchequer as he wanted to give a healthy ambience to his people," said Mannan.
Addressing the media, former state Congress President Manas Bhunia too supported the idea.
"I don't know whether West Bengal Finance Minister (Amit Mitra) has the power to do so but if Bengal can emulate Bihar in this respect, the state can be uplifted from the degradation it has suffered," said Bhunia.
Guwahati: The Centre will invest around Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 750-bedded All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Assam, the land for which was handed over by the state government on Tuesday.
"The Aiims in Assam will be a 750-bedded hospital. We have got the land today from the state government. Now once
the Union cabinet approves the plan, we will start work," Union Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary Arun
Kumar Panda told PTI in Guwahati.
The AIIMS, to be set up in Kamrup district, will house 18 super-speciality departments, he said.
Responding to a question about financing, Panda said: "It is likely to incur an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore for the construction and equipment set up work. This amount will be spent by the Centre."
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday handed over to Panda more than 571 acres of government land at Changsari area of Kamrup district.
"This is a historic day for people of Assam as a long- pending dream is about to come true. People have struggled a
lot democratically for this institute in the state," Sonowal said at the function.
With setting up of the Aiims in the state, Assam will now figure in the the list of healthcare destinations of the
country, he said.
Referring to the ongoing protest by people of Nagaon and middle Assam for not selecting Raha as the place for AIIMS, the chief minister said: "We do not have any role in selecting the place. We showed seven locations, including Raha, to experts from the Centre and they chose Changsari in lower Assam."
He also said the state government will work towards giving better healthcare facilities to hill districts and
Barak Valley in future.
PTI
Four days after Swathi was murdered, the Tamil Nadu government has finally decided to look into the matter.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa held an emergency meeting with the DGP to review the law and order situation in the state.
Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa holds an emergency meeting with the DGP regarding law & order situation in the state. ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
Meanwhile, the victim's father, Santhanagopalakrishnan, has said that his family is now afraid of stepping out of the house, as reported by the news channel India Today.
"We have much confidence in Chennai police. I think they will find the culprit and produce him before a court of law," said Santhanagopalakrishnan. He rued that his daughter's body remained at the Nungambakkam station, where she was found murdered on last Friday, for two and a half hours and where "passengers remained mute witnesses".
"Swathi, was a very tender-hearted girl and wanted to donate her organs. If we had her organs, we would have given it to people in need. And looking at them, I could have told myself she is still alive, with us..." said the father to NDTV.
S Swathi, a 24-year-old Infosys employee was hacked to death at Nungambakkam railway station in Chennai on 24 June at 6.30 am. She was waiting to board a train to work, when a young man approached her. He then got into a heated argument with her and then attacked her with a sickle.
The BJP's state unit staged a protest demanding justice for Swathi. The party's state unit president Tamilisai Sounderrajan and other senior leaders participated in the protest held at Valluvar Kottam.
Congress national Spokesperson Khushbu Sundar called on the family of the victim and consoled them. The actor-turned-politician visited Swathi's residence at Choolaimedu. She later told reporters that the issue should not be politicised, "although there are some lapses on part of the government" such as absence of CCTV camera in the station. Khushbu also regretted that no passengers had come forward to help the victim. They could have even called an ambulance, she said.
Even if one of them had taken a picture or a video of the alleged attacker on their mobile phone, it would have helped in identifying him, Khushbu said, adding that people should come forward in such incidents to help the victim or overpower the attacker. She also expressed concern over what she termed as "speculation" on social media and platforms over the motive behind the killing.
The police had come under criticism as no headway has been made in the case so far, although cops had released CCTV images of a suspect.
The Madras High Court had also come down on the state government, warning it of suo motu intervention if there was any negligence in the probe.
The court asked the police: "Where were your police officers? Swathi's body was lying like an exhibition for two hours. Even the dead have got right to dignity under the Constitution," reported NDTV.
The state government had subsequently transferred the investigation of the case from the Government Railway Police to the city police on Monday.
With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by a friend and a security guard inside the premises of a private school in east Delhi's Jagatpuri area, police said on Tuesday.
The accused were arrested from their homes and slapped with charges under IPC and POCSO Acts.
In her complaint, the girl told police that her friend took her to the school on the pretext of job on Monday.
They went to an office room inside the school premises where her friend, who is a scrap dealer, and the private school's security guard raped her, a senior police official said.
The prime accused, who was known to the girl for at least a year, met the girl at a local market on Monday and told her that he had set an appointment with someone at the private school.
The accused fled the spot after the incident. The girl went back home and narrated her ordeal to her mother and the matter was later reported to the police, the official said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is all set to raise the first squadron of the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas on 1 July.
The first LCA squadron will be based in Bangalore for two years and then will be shifted to Sulur in Tamil Nadu. State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-Aeronautical Development Agency will hand over the first two Tejas aircraft to the IAF on 1 July.
Given the moniker of 'Flying Daggers 45, LCA is considered superior to Pakistan's JF-17 built jointly with China, according to the IAF. "It is better than JF-17, since it is mostly made of composite which makes it light and very agile. It also comes with smart ammunition and bombs which help it to hit targets in a precise manner," a source said.
The Tejas may not be combat ready yet, but it will be a historic moment for a country which imports over 65 per cent of its military hardware and software, reported The Times of India. These fighter jets, however, are expected to get into combat role next year, said some officials.
Sources also said that Tejas will replace the MiG 21s and will be used for air-to-air fight and ground attack and could also be a compliment to bigger fighter planes such as Su 30 MKI.
"During its 3,000 hours of sorties in the development phase, the LCA registered more than 2,500 hours of exceptionally clean flights," IANS quoted an IAF official as saying.
The first Tejas squadron will consist of 20 airplanes in total, with four in reserve. The IAF plans on inducting 20 LAC under the "Initial Operational Clearance" and 20 more would be inducted at a later stage.
The IAF also wants to induct over 80 Tejas 1A, which are airplanes with better specifications. They will have improved capabilities, including critical necessity of missile firing to Beyond Visual Range. It will also have specifications like mid-air refueling, modern internal radar warning receiver and external self-protection jammer pod to enhance survivability and an active electronically scanned array radar.
The IAF sources said that Tejas is also equipped with helmet-mounted display and fly-by-wire, a semi-automatic and computer-regulated system for controlling the flight of an aircraft or spacecraft which makes it a 4.5 generation plane.
The idea of have an indigenous fighter aircraft was conceptualised in 1970s, the work started only in 1983.
Here's a look at how the developments have taken place over the years.
With inputs from agencies.
One terrorist was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Tuesday, reported India Today. The encounter comes just two days after eight CRPF personnel and two terrorists were killed in Pampore.
#FLASH Kupwara (J&K) encounter UPDATE: 1 terrorist killed in gunfight with security forces, encounter ends. ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
According to the report, a top Hizbul Mujhadeen commander was believed to be hiding inside a house.
A report in The Tribune quoted a police official as saying that the militant had opened fire after a joint party of the Army and the police approached the house.
Two AK 47 Rifles and 11 hand grenades were recovered form the encounter site, Business Standard reported.
According to The Tribune, soon after the militant was gunned down, clashes erupted between police and protesters in the area.
The militant commander, Samir Ahmad Wani alias Jaan Sahib was a resident of Dooru, Sopore. He was active since 2014 and associated with militant organisation Lashkar-e-Islam for a brief period, according to the report in The Tribune.
Srinagar: Six militants reportedly barged into BJP leader Ghulam Mohammad Chopan's house and snatched an AK-56 rifle from a security guard posted with the leader in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district on Tuesday and fled from the spot.
According to DNA, initial reports stated that the incident happened in the morning around 9am when Chopan was at his home in Chandoora, Budgam district. It is around 17 kilometers from Srinagar.
Police said the militants overpowered constable Bashir Ahmad, snatched his rifle and ran away. The entire area has been alerted and all entry points to the village have been sealed, reported DNA.
"The snatching of the weapon has been reportedly done by militants who overpowered the guard. A search has been launched to trace the militants," a senior police officer told IANS in Srinagar.
According to CNN News18, an alert has been sounded across the area and all entry and exit points leading to the village have been sealed. Authorities have also beefed up the security across Srinagar and south Kashmir.
The incident comes just days after militants opened fire on security personnel and a nearby CRPF camp in Pampore. Eight CRPF personnels and two militants were killed in the attack.
Also on Tuesday, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara districts of north Kashmir.
With inputs from agencies.
Two recent developments in the field of school education that have come to light should shatter the belief, if any, that it seeks to groom children by instilling knowledge, discipline, honesty of purpose. One is the undeserving being made "toppers" in Bihars Std 12 board examination, and the other is the doling out of 27 marks to over a lakh of students in Punjab so that the number of students who pass nearly doubles.
These "toppers" in the Bihar secondary school examination have been arrested, and one of them has reportedly said, I only told Papa to get me passed, but they went ahead and made me a topper. This points to two things: The child knew that such mischief was possible; and the parents not only obliged her, but to give her a better gift.
However, the arrests of the children were unwarranted, because they are the victims, first of parental neglect in not getting them to study, and two, of the system which is so malleable that a student who cannot write an essay beyond Tulsidas, pranam, can be so brazenly ranked fully knowing that television crew were bound to land up at the doorstep and ask questions.
The focus has to be on the scamsters, which appears to be so as of now, with arrest of a former MLA, and the Bihar State Education Board chief Lalkeshwar Prasad, his wife, and the principal of the college from where the two students wrote the exam. However, it remains to be seen if the focus will remain on the toppers or a thorough probe into the school education system in Bihar will be done. It had better be the latter as this incident has revealed how rotten the system is.
This is a case of parental neglect and getting false marking with the connivance of officials there is hardly any other way this could have happened, unless a computer glitch is trotted out as the cause. The students may have been lazy and had not studied, or possibly be ignoramuses, but they could hardly be the members of a gang operating the scam.
If her post-arrest version is true, there have been reckless parents, middlemen, and evaluators who willingly fixed the marks. If they thought that it would not be found out one time or the other, they would have been stupid, though subsequent stings have shown that adding undeserved marks is a wide practice. Perhaps that is one reason why students dont study, apparently unmindful of the consequences as they navigate their lives in future.
Of late, cases of students copying in exams, aided by outsiders, possibly relatives, who pass on chits and pages from books to students inside, have come to the fore. Teachers on duty are lax, even conniving, but the sabotage of education and manipulation of the system is more than evident. Above all, it is a fraud on the students. The probe may reveal the play of money.
Allotting 27 grace marks to more than a lakh of students so that the proportion of students who pass goes up from a pitiable 39.5 per cent to 72.25 per cent in the Class 10 school leaving final examination is galling. A year ago, media reports say, a similar step shot the pass percentage from 48.22 per cent to 65.21 per cent. It was less, I would wager, for the students benefit as is made out, but more to dress up statistics. It is all about creating illusions of worth.
It is surprising that by these steps, the students are being taught that the undeserving too would get honours, and that life ahead is a jugad, where only money, connections, and clout matter. It seems not to have struck anyone that a disservice is being done to the students, and the education system in the country is being reduced to a farce.
Madhya Pradesh, a state that almost always figures at the bottom of the country's Human Development Index table, used lakhs of rupees out of the taxpayers' pockets to provide 'royal' hospitality to the Supreme Court judges including the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in an event in April; by hosting a gala dinner in fine silver, and by bestowing expensive gifts upon the judges and their spouses.
That's rather rich for a state already bearing the stigma of the Vyapam scam a professional examination board scam in which impersonators were caught appearing on behalf of students for a hefty fee, all with the collusion of the officials of the examination board.
A response to a RTI query revealed that expenses worth more than a whopping Rs 8 lakh were incurred in just one evening to host a 'royal' (officially traditional) dinner of 240 VVIP guests mostly judges and their families, including CJI TS Thakur, on 14 April in Bhopal.
The dinner was hosted by the state government on the occasion of a four-day programme Retreat of the judges of the Supreme Court organised at the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, which was inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee.
A copy of the information sought under the RTI, accessed by Firstpost, shows that the principal secretary to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan issued an official note stating that, keeping with the stature of the event, the dinner should be served in silver crockery.
According to protocol, traditionally for any lunch or dinner hosted by the state government, the arrangements are made by the MP State Tourism Development Corporation Limited (MPSTDC).
But instead, the official note mentioned that, since such arrangement are not available with the MPSTDC, the contract should be given to a reputed private caterer from Indore, through competitive bidding.
The response to the RTI query, made by Bhopal-based activist Ajay Dubey, shows that besides the CJI and the judges of the Supreme Court, the list of invitees (state guests) included SC registrar and additional registrar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Lokayukta of MP PP Naolekar, among other ministers and bureaucrats.
As per the copies of the bills procured through the RTI, about Rs 3.37 lakh was paid for food, Rs 3.57 lakh towards catering and silver crockery, and more than Rs 1 lakh towards 46 pieces of gift items.
Documents by Firstpost
Were not questioning the dinner hosted by the MP government but the arbitrary manner in which it was done. Our democracy is based on the principle of equality, but in this case, the Supreme Court judges and other guests were treated as royalty. What is the logic behind serving a government dinner on silver crockery, when there are scams like Vyapam and a part of the state is reeling from drought. Lakhs of rupees, which is the taxpayers money, was spent on silver crockery and gifts, Dubey told Firstpost.
As per the judicial ethics, the members of judiciary are not supposed to accept gifts. I dont think the SC judges had asked for this kind of treatment or even liked it, added Dubey, also a member of Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog.
Lucknow: On the run for almost three months after National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer Tanzil Ahmed was shot dead, the mastermind in the murder case was arrested on Tuesday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) from Noida, said a senior officer.
The main accused in the case, Muneer (35), a former student of Aligarh Muslim University, was nabbed from Bisrakh area in Gautam Budh Nagar in the National Capital Region.
"Muneer, who masterminded the murder, and his accomplice Adnan were arrested by the STF. Muneer was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh," IG (STF) Ramkumar told reporters here.
Acting on a tip-off that the two would come to Noida, an STF team arrested them at around 9.30 am following an encounter, he said.
A .32 bore pistol, a revolver, cartridges, a motorbike and Rs 90,000 in cash were recovered from the duo, he added. Muneer was involved in a number of criminal activities, including looting Rs 34 lakh from a bank cashier in Bannadevi area of Aligarh in 2014, Rs 31 lakh from a PNB employee in
civil lines area there in the same year and Rs 1.5 crore from a cash van in Kamla Nagar locality in New Delhi on November 29, 2014, the IG said.
He has also confessed to looting a 9 mm pistol from the bodyguard of a judge in Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow, he added.
The pistol was later used in the killing of the NIA officer. Muneer was angry with Ahmed for having alerted the police about some of his accomplices and getting them arrested, said Ramkumar.
After committing the crime, Muneer went to Nepal, stayed there for some time before coming back to India, the IG said, adding that he was planning to go to Mumbai in two-three days.
Ahmed (45) was driving back to Delhi after attending a family wedding at Sahaspur village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh on the intervening night of April 2 and 3 when two bike-borne men overtook his car and shot him 24 times.
His wife Farzana Khatoon too received bullet injuries and succumbed 10 days after the incident at AIIMS in New Delhi while their two children, aged 14 and 12, survived the attack as their father had asked them to duck in the back seat of the vehicle.
It was Muneer who had allegedly fired at Ahmed and Farzana.
Earlier, four persons - Rizvan, Tanzeem, Rehan and Zainul - were arrested in connection with the NIA officer's murder. Uttar Pradesh police had claimed to have solved the case by arresting Rehan, the nephew of Ahmed's brother-in-law, along with Zainul.
After the arrests, the police had contended that a domestic dispute was the motive behind the crime.
The IG said investigations so far have not pointed towards any financial transaction between Ahmed and Muneer as reported by a section of the media.
Isak Chisi Swu, a veteran of many long marches to China with bands of Naga rebels, has died and left his comrade Thuingaleng Muivah in a bit of a legitimacy crisis.
Those of us who have seen the NSCN functioning closely know "Uncle Isak" was more into praying. He did offer his opinions on critical issues, but all knew who called the shots: None other than Muivah.
But the NSCN is a divided house, much like the entire Naga separatist movement and the faction that Isak and Muivah led was called the IM faction after their initials. This is easily the strongest NSCN faction and the government has been negotiating with it since 1997 for a final settlement of the Naga problem.
But this faction is largely made up, both its leadership and fighters, of Tangkhuls, who are Nagas living in eastern Manipur, mainly the Ukhrul district. Muivah is from Somdal village of this district and most of his comrades Rh. Raishing, Phungting and Angelus Shimray are from the Tangkhul tribe. Muivah's faction rivals like Khaplang, Khitovi Sema, Khole Konyak, Wangting Ao and P Thikhak all allege that his is a Tangkhul outfit with little legitimacy in Nagaland.
Isak Swu, a Sema Naga and a Naga National Council (NNC) veteran, gave the NSCN (IM) that legitimacy in Nagaland. Now that fig leaf is gone.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, much is at stake. By signing the "framework agreement" with the NSCN (IM), the government, like others before it, has accepted the primacy of the IM faction in the Naga peace-making process. That causes much heartburn.
If the Modi government can now work out a final settlement on the basis of the "framework agreement", it will have to ensure that this is acceptable to all factions. That is when both Muivah and Modi will miss "Uncle Isak". He was the one leader in the IM faction who could open a dialogue with the other factions, specially using his contacts in the Naga Church.
Against this, Muivah is a leader of many marches to China and survivor of many battles but is also a deeply divisive figure in the Naga separatist movement not the least because he authored a party document where he chest-thumped the Tangkhuls as "revolutionary patriots" and the Angamis leading the NNC as "reactionary traitors". Many Nagas feel he has much too much Chinese communist influence in him.
Isak represented the softer side of the faction and was perhaps its only hope in effectively selling an accord that might finally have been signed with the Centre.
The Modi administration is already on thin ice because the other factions are not formally in the peace process and the Khaplang faction has already stepped up violence to undermine it. The central government has to realise that signing an accord with a faction may be good for some quick publicity, but its test lies in marketing it to all factions. With Isak gone, that will not be easy.
Srinagar: There have been 11,270 ceasefire violations and border firing incidents by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir since 2002 which have resulted in the killing of 313 people, including 144 security forces personnel, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
She said these violations and incidents have taken place between 1 January, 2002 and 31 December, 2015.
The highest number of such violations took place in 2002 when 8376 incidents were reported while 2045 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported in 2003, she said in written reply to a question.
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control and international border in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003.
For three years 2004, 2005 and 2007 there was not a single such violation on the border, Mehbooba said.
The Chief Minister said 169 civilians and 144 security men were killed in the shelling from across the border in J&K since 2002.
The highest number of 76 civilians were killed in such violations in 2002 while in 2003, 59 civilians were killed in the border shelling.
Over the next 10 years, four people died in the ceasefire violation, she said.
In 2014 and 2015, 14 and 16 civilians were killed respectively in ceasefire violations from across the border, she said.
A total of 735 civilians and 311 security forces personnel were injured in these violations in these years, Mehbooba said.
She said a maximum of 58 security men were killed and other 157 injured in the year 2002.
New Delhi: Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday criticized Air India after missing a flight to Hyderabad, claiming that though he reached the airport ahead of the scheduled departure time, the flight got delayed.
Naidu said he was at the airport at 12.30 p.m. to catch the flight set to depart at 1.15 p.m., only to be told it had been delayed because the pilot had not yet come.
After waiting for half hour, the minister returned home. By the time he came back to the airport, the flight had departed.
"I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544... was told (it was) on time.. reached airport by 1230," Naidu tweeted.
"Was informed at 1315 that flight was delayed as the pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345, boarding didn't start. Returned home," he said.
Naidu criticized the air carrier for lack of transparency.
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment.4 M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Soon after Naidu's tweets, the public carrier expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, while Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he had asked Air India to conduct an inquiry and take action.
"Sir, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flt delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered," Air India tweeted.
Raju said,"Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to inquire and take action on priority."
"Cognizance taken, CMD @airindia to enquire into the incident. Thanks for the feedback," said Raju's deputy Mahesh Sharma.
Srinagar: Security forces on Tuesday shot dead a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering violent protests in Sopore to which he belonged.
Police said Sameer Wani was killed after security forces surrounded a house in Nagri village in Kupwara district, some 100 km from here, following information that some militants were hiding there.
A police officer told IANS that security forces came under heavy fire from the hideout, leading to fighting that left Wani, the Hizb divisional commander for north Kashmir, dead.
As soon as reports of Wani's killing reached his Dooru village in Sopore, hundreds of residents came out to protest shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans, witnesses and officials said.
The protesters set ablaze a police vehicle in Shiva area after his body reached the village but its occupants were not harmed.
Dozens of motorcycle borne young men took out a rally as the militant commander's body was taken in a procession for funeral prayers.
Markets were closed and public transport went off the roads spontaneously following Wani's death.
The protesters also clashed with police and threw stones at them. Police fired tear gas to disperse them as tension ran high in and around the area.
New Delhi: Hardly had the guns fallen silent after fierce fighting during Saturday's ambush of a CRPF contingent by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore when a row erupted between the paramilitary force and the Army over whose personnel killed the terrorists.
While the Army claimed to have killed the two militants in retaliatory fire, the CRPF lodged a protest against it for "wrongly claiming credit".
The CRPF, which has been involved in counter-militancy operations in the Kashmir Valley, alleged some Army troopers arrived at the scene after the encounter was over and started clicking selfies with the bodies of the slain militants.
Within no time, the Army's Northern Command tweeted," Army kills two terrorists who fired upon CRPF convoy at Pampore, Kashmir Ops in prog. Injured CRPF personnel being attended to".
Fuming, the CRPF men and officers took up the matter with the Army's top brass.
Soon thereafter, the official twitter account of Northern Command posted a revised message, saying "Update on Pampore ops. Injured CRPF personnel evacuated to hospital. Two terrorists killed in joint op by security forces."
Unrelenting CRPF officers informed their top brass as well as that of the Army that there was no joint operation. They said the Army personnel arrived on the scene after the encounter was over and walked away with weapons and dates carried by the militants, besides clicking selfies with their bodies.
"They were wrongly claiming credit for an operation of which they had no clue," said an officer who was associated with the developments on Saturday when two militants attacked a CRPF bus at Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, killing eight personnel and wounding 21 before being felled in the counteroffensive by the paramilitary force.
The Army was shown videos of its men busy clicking selfies after which an embarrassed Northern Command tweeted: "Update on Pampore Ops. Two terrorists killed by CRPF in retaliatory action. Earlier tweet stands corrected."
Director General of CRPF K Durga Prasad, who was today asked at a press conference about whether the Army had played any role in the encounter, said "Army's 51 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) unit reached the spot after the incident got over."
When contacted spokesperson for Srinagar-based 15 Corps Col N N Joshi refused to comment.
Sans the usual fireworks in his hard talk with the Prime Minister, the mellowed down version of Arnab was a clear disappointment for his scores of fans. The Prime Minister indeed got off easy and that was not his fault.
Obviously Goswami was out of his depth and robbed of command, unable to raise the pitch of the programme.
You are facing an erudite man across the table and he is not a pigeon in a pigeonhole whom you can control. Shorn of his usual armoury and mildly intimidated by the presence of Narendra Modi the anchor fell back on traditional Indian courtesy and respect instead of being a TV journalist.
People like Tim Sebastian who made Hard Talk world famous brought a style to their one on ones. Even Stephen Sackur has that aplomb and they dont lead the witness or give him gumdrops to sweeten the path. On the other side people like Jimmy Fallon and Ellen Degeneres have adopted a playfully disarming manner that still has the famous occasionally squirming in their seats.
Either that or you be outrageous like Rush Linbaugh or that redneck Earl Pitts. No punches pulled.
Here is where Arnab was handicapped. His style does not suit a one on one especially if he is shorn of his power. He has become so accustomed to badgering and yelling and holding the reins of the chariot that his style could not display the flexibility of an adult conversation and filtered into a teacher-student affair.
The only way he could have achieved that affect of putting Modi on the backfoot would be to get hostile like he did with Jairam Ramesh or would do with Subramaniam Swamy or even Arvind Kejriwal. Righteous, loud, overbearing. With such folks he would have been in his element and wiped the floor with them.
Modi bested him at his own game. He eruditely disarmed a man who already had a jammed pistol and sprayed his charm which he manufactured as honest answers.
For Arnab discovering an opponent who was unafraid of him or his acerbic manner there was either the choice to surrender the fight or go aggressive and rude and loutish which he just couldnt bring himself to do.
There is no middle ground for the anchor and he was lost in the wilderness of his own making.
A more sober and may I say mature person would have drawn the PM out.
Since Arnab could not or would not or did not penetrate further and demand more proactive answers to the questions on NSG and China and talks with Pakistan the viewer was left feeling he was munching a wafer, so thin were we on fresh content.
If you interview a leader exclusively you have to break fresh ground. There must be a milestone, either in statement, or in policy or in intent on an issue of fiery importance. Simply ambling along as if you were looking for a nice restaurant to dine in doesnt cut the mustard. At times Arnab was almost showing the PM the menu.
The viewer has to come out wiser on some subject.
This is mandated. People flock to the screen to hear THE MAN tell us something dramatically new. Not the same old, same old.
That is exactly what happened. No one stung like a bee or floated like a butterfly doing it.
Again, not Modis problem. It was not his show. If you do not want to corner him and you are delivering baby punches rather than uppercuts why would any boxer not just shadow box around the ring and play with you.
Two days after the 21-year-old Salem woman committed suicide, as her morphed nude images were uploaded on Facebook, the police has made an arrest, according to ANI.
Tamil Nadu woman suicide case: Salem Police arrest man for uploading morphed pictures of the victim on Facebook ANI (@ANI_news) June 29, 2016
The police has arrested a 21-year-old youth, who worked for a power loom, CNN News18 reported. The parents of the girl had protested against police inaction in the case and had refused to claim the body of the deceased. Locals also held protest and demanded prompt action in the case, following which the Superintendent of Police, Amit Kumar Singh held a meeting with the girl's parents and assured them of timely action. The girl's parents finally accepted the body and cremation was done on Tuesday.
#BREAKING Police arrests 21-yr-old man for uploading morphed pics of a college student on FB which allegedly prompted her to commit suicide News18 (@CNNnews18) June 29, 2016
Upset over the social stigma and sexual harassment on the public site, the woman hanged herself on Monday afternoon while her parents were away. Her uncle found her and rushed her to the hospital, where she was declared brought dead.
According to The Hindu, the girl had finished her B.Sc and was looking for a job. The girl found her morphed pictures tagged on her account last week. Upset over the incident, she informed her parents, who registered a complaint with the police on 23 June. However, after the police took on the case, another picture was uploaded on the site along with her father's mobile number, which spurred the girl to commit suicide.
The family of the girl have blamed delay in action on the police. The father of the girl has said that no action was taken in the matter even after a complaint was filed, which is why his daughter took the extreme step, ANI reported.
No action has been taken even after we complained: Family member of girl who allegedly committed suicide after facing harassment on Facebook ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
I have lost faith in the police dept: Family member of girl who allegedly committed suicide after facing harassment on Facebook
ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
The Times of India also reported that the girl's father has said he will not accept his daughter's dead body until action is taken against the people behind the social media post. "If they had taken action against the miscreants, they would not have uploaded the second photograph and my daughter would still be alive," article quoted him as saying.
A report by the Indian Express says that the family members allege that despite a complaint, the police did not even begin the process of blocking or removing the post.
The police on the other hand has denied such allegations and said that the victim ended her life while investigation was still underway, CNN News 18 reported. The police had apprehended a youth known to the family but later let him go stating that the investigation revealed he was not involved in the matter.
According to The Hindu report, the police informed the girl's father that they would need to collaborate with the cyber crime cell to nab the culprits and sought 15 days time for the investigation. However, the girl, after seeing the second image decided to end her life.
The Times of India also reported that a suicide note was found at the girl's home, which suggested that the girl was upset because her parents suspected she had something to do with images and that she could not deal with the predicaments.
The southern Indian state has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Last week an IT company employee, S. Swathi was murdered in broad daylight in Chennai, raising severe questions on the safety and security of women in the state. Drawing much flak from the opposition over the degrading law and order situation in the state, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has ordered an emergency meeting with the states DGP.
Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa holds an emergency meeting with the DGP regarding law & order situation in the state. ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
Meanwhile, the parents of the girl have demanded prompt action and justice for their daughter.
Washington: In a breakthrough, an artificial intelligence (AI) system has emerged victorious against a human expert during a high-fidelity air combat simulation.
The system developed at the University of Cincinnati in the US was assessed by subject-matter expert and retired US Air Force Colonel Gene Lee who holds extensive aerial combat experience as an instructor and Air Battle Manager with considerable fighter aircraft expertise.
The AI, dubbed ALPHA, is the most aggressive, responsive, dynamic and credible AI to date, according to Lee.
ALPHA is a significant breakthrough in the application of what is called genetic-fuzzy systems, researchers said.
The application is specifically designed for use with Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) in simulated air-combat missions for research purposes.
In its earliest iterations, ALPHA consistently outperformed a baseline computer programme previously used by the Air Force Research Lab for research. In other words, it defeated other AI opponents.
It was only after early iterations of ALPHA bested other computer programme opponents that Lee then took to manual controls against a more mature version of ALPHA in October last year.
Not only was Lee not able to score a kill against ALPHA after repeated attempts, he was shot out of the air every time during protracted engagements in the simulator.
Since that first human vs ALPHA encounter in the simulator, this AI has repeatedly bested other experts as well.
"I was surprised at how aware and reactive it was. It seemed to be aware of my intentions and reacting instantly to my changes in flight and my missile deployment," Lee said.
"It knew how to defeat the shot I was taking. It moved instantly between defensive and offensive actions as needed," he added.
"ALPHA is already a deadly opponent to face in these simulated environments. The goal is to continue developing ALPHA, to push and extend its capabilities, and perform additional testing against other trained pilots," said Nick Ernest, who graduated from University of Cincinnati in 2015.
"Fidelity also needs to be increased, which will come in the form of even more realistic aerodynamic and sensor models," added Ernest who is now CEO at Psibernetix, the firm that created the ALPHA project.
ALPHA can take in the entirety of sensor data, organise it, create a complete mapping of a combat scenario and make or change combat decisions for a flight of four fighter aircraft in less than a millisecond, researchers said.
It is so fast that it could consider and coordinate the best tactical plan and precise responses, within a dynamic environment, over 250 times faster than ALPHA's human opponents could blink, they said.
The research was published in the Journal of Defence Management.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Monday filed a complaint against Shiv Sena
minister Ravindra Waikar with Lokayukta alleging he usurped a government land in Aarey Colony in Mumbai and made illegal construction in a state-run gymnasium there.
In his complaint, Nirupam demanded action against the Minister of State for Housing for "misusing" his office and for "exerting" his influence as a minister in "usurping the land".
Nirupam, a former MP, said he has also demanded action against certain officers of Housing department for their "connivance" in the "land grabbing".
"I have also demanded immediate demolition of the illegal structures in the name of the gymnasium which is being run by Waikar's family members," the city unit Congress chief said, claiming the Lokayukta immediately took cognisance of his complaint.
He also claimed that the Lokayukta has sought the minister's explanation within a week.
Waikar, the Sena MLA from suburban Jogeshwari, was inducted into state government immediately after his party joined hands with the BJP to form a ruling coalition in 2014.
On Wednesday, Nirupam had accused Waikar of "usurping" 20 acres land in Aarey Colony area here and also alleged that Waikar has made an additional construction in the gymnasium located adjacent to the "grabbed" land and has been running the facility through his private unregistered trust.
He had also demanded ouster of the minister and registration of an FIR in this regard.
Waikar had dismissed the allegations against him.
"Aarey Milk Colony's CEO has been sending letters to Mhada (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) to demolish the illegal part of the structure in the gymnasium for over a year. However, as Waikar is minister of Housing, he is misusing his influence and the structure has not been razed so far," Nirupam had claimed.
Aarey Milk Colony, which has significant greenery, is situated in suburban Goregaon. Part of its total land area is leased out to various organisations and institutions of state and central governments.
New Delhi: BJP MP Hukum Singh, who had stoked a controversy by claiming that many Hindus had migrated from Muslim-dominated Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh due to fear, on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to apprise him of the law and order situation in the state.
"Law and order situation is the worst in Western Uttar Pradesh. People are migrating due to fear," he told reporters after the meeting.
The BJP MP from Kairana said he briefed the Home Minister about the situation in the region.
About a month ago, the MP had released a list of 346 families claiming they were forced to leave Kairana which has 85 percent Muslim population. Kairana is in Shamli district that had witnessed communal riots in 2013.
Subsequently, Hukum Singh had released another list of 63 families and claimed that they had to flee Kandhla town in Shamli district. "These Hindu families have left under duress," he had said.
However, the BJP leader had made a U-turn after a few days, saying the "migration" of Hindus from Kairana was "not communal" in nature but had more to do with the law and order situation even as he claimed the number of families that had to flee can go up to 400-500.
The Union Home Minister had said "if some people are forced to leave their native place by any individual or gang, the state government must take proper action."
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had accused BJP leaders of "lying" and being "dishonest" on the issue.
Yadav had claimed that most of the people had left the village about 10 to 15 years ago, while others had left in search of jobs about seven or eight years ago.
Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition Congress-led UDF along with the lone BJP MLA staged a
walkout in the Kerala Assembly on Tuesday protesting denial of permission for a debate on arrest of two Dalit sisters, daughters of a Congress leader in Kannur district, for allegedly attacking a CPI(M) activist.
Replying to the notice for adjournment motion moved by K C Joseph (Cong) and M K Muneer (IUML), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the issue was "not so serious to stop the proceedings and discuss it."
A case has been registered, investigation was on and the first accused had been arrested, he said.
Police had registered a case against the women Akhila and Anjana, daughters of N Rajan, leader of INTUC, on a complaint filed by Shijil, a party functionary on 11 June.
The women were not prepared to take bail following which a court had remanded them. The next day they were released and one of the sisters allegedly consumed an overdose of tablets, Vijayan said.
During their arrest, police had followed all procedures. Allegations were also made against the magistrate when they were remanded, the Chief Minister said.
Following Vijayan's reply, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan denied permission to discuss the issue.
Former minister and Irrikur MLA, Joseph said after the CPI(M)-led LDF government came to power, it had promised that equal justice would be meted to all. "But that was not so. This should be viewed seriously", he said, adding, "false cases were being foisted on those who opposed LDF", he said.
Attacking the Chief Minister, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said the issue was being dealt in a very "casual manner" by the Chief Minister.
"He is speaking like a former party Secretary, not as a Chief Minister", he said.
The two women were called to the police station and arrested without following the Supreme Court guidelines.
Describing the incident as a "disaster and pathetic", IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty said the approach of the police towards the two women was "wrong."
Kerala Congress (M) Supremo K M Mani also criticised the government for the action against the women.
BJP's lone member and former Union minister O Rajagopal also walked out of the House after stating that the incident had caused "apprehensions".
In Kannur, such incidents in 'party gramams' (party villages) have been going on for years. This should be stopped. The Chief Minister's response was not satisfactory, Rajagopalan said.
The arrest of the Dalit sisters had kicked up a row as one of the women had gone to jail with her 18-month-old daughter.
The National commission for Schedule castes had also intervened in the matter.
Panaji: Ending corruption will eliminate proliferation of drugs in Goa, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday, accusing both the Congress and the BJP of corruption.
After interacting with the fisherfolk community in Goa, Kejriwal also said that eradicating corruption and saving Goa's cultural identity were two most crucial needs of the state which goes to polls in early 2017.
"Drugs are there because of corruption. Someone somewhere is accepting bribes to allow drugs being sold. Once corruption is eradicated, we will take strong action against drugs," Kejriwal said, claiming the AAP would win as many as 35 of the 40 assembly seats in the upcoming polls.
"There are two important things in Goa. One is to eradicate corruption and the next is to save Goa's cultural needs. It is most the important thing," he said.
Kejriwal, who is on a three-day visit to the state, also said that like in Delhi, an Aam Aadmi Party government in Goa would try to regularize slums and provide permanent housing for slum dwellers.
"God and not human beings provide a roof over the head and daily bread. No human being has the right to snatch it. A government's job is to provide daily bread. But if you cannot provide it, it also has no right to snatch it. The AAP government will be a government of the poor," he said.
The AAP leader said both the Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party were working in tandem and accused both parties of cheating people.
"They both fool people together. Both are completely corrupt parties who have looted the people. People know this now. Earlier they did not have an option. They have it now. And in Delhi, people have seen. It has been a year and a half and the works we had promised, we are executing them one by one, whether it is in power, slums... We have given pucca houses for slum dwellers," Kejriwal added.
It was a command performance by Narendra Modi.
In his first major interview to an Indian English news channel after taking over as Prime Minister in 2014, he remained the master of the show, with Arnab Goswami, the lion of Times Now, playing lamb to the man once called "Gujarat ka Sher".
Not that Goswami didn't have tough questions to ask, but Modi took them head on where he was comfortable, offered a straight bat for the difficult ones, and deflected those that seemed likely to dislodge his stumps. Barring the controversy related to RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan raked up by Subramanian Swamy, Modi made motherhood statements in response to most questions. He came up trumps for one simple reason: he looked earnest and a man engaged with his work and responsibilities. Not for him the distractions manufactured by the media. Barring congenital Modi baiters, whoever watched the show, would have come away with the feeling that we have right man in the top job.
This is not because of the answers he delivered, but the glimpses he gave into his personality and approach to issues. It is clear that he is a listener, and delves deep into problems. He is a boss with an eye for detail. At one point, when he was discussing water issues and the two consecutive droughts, he explained how he spent two or three hours each discussing water management with as many as 11 states. For a politician, he has a technocratic approach to problems. He is not just a big picture man, delivering visions and leaving it to minions to execute. He goes some levels below vision to seek delivery.
Though there was no mention of Modis much-bandied-about Minimum government, maximum governance slogan, it is now clear what he really meant. It was not a Thatcher or Reagan approach to shrinking government, but about making a government work better, with the top man pushing his troops hard to do better. Under Modi, minimum government is not about the size of the government at all. That wont happen. It may even grow, given Modis efforts to position himself and his party to the centre-left, with a pro-poor agenda. It is politically the best position to take, never mind what the economic Right in India thinks about it.
On another occasion, he showed us how he separates Modi the politician from Modi the administrator. Asked, at one point, how he thinks about elections, he explained, not insincerely, that his decisions are not dictated by election considerations. He is apolitical in his decision-making when no elections are in sight; he switches to election mode when he is leading his party into it. He seems to have a remarkable ability to play both roles simultaneously. This is what he did in Gujarat. In the first four years after re-election, he would focus on governing. In the last year, he would be become a politician even while retaining his non-political side for critical decisions.
The interview also confirmed that Modi does not trust the media. This came through whether he was talking about foreign policy or his address to the US Congress or while answering questions about wilful defaulters.
When asked about his keen interest in foreign policy and his many foreign tours, he explained this simply: The world didn't know me. The world wants to know who the head of the state is. If someone would want to know Modi through the eyes of the media, then he would be disillusioned on which Modi is the real Modi. If this happens, the country will be at a loss. Modi's personality shouldn't be a hindrance for the world to have faith in India.
Translated, this means he does not want the media to play middleman in how the world views him.
On another occasion, when he was asked about the element of humour he introduced while addressing the US Congress, he replied: I have a humourous side but these days humour can be a risky thing. Pressed further, he had this to say: In this era of 24/7 news channels, anybody can lift a small word and make a big issue out of it. But I will tell you the truth, the reason for the absence of humour in public life is this fear. I am myself scared.
He didnt quite appear scared, but the point was clear. He thinks the media distorts.
When asked about his commitment to take on wilful defaulters, given that the government is seen to have let Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya escape abroad, Modi took another side swipe at the media. Firstly, this question is not in the minds of people. The people of India have confidence that if there's someone who can do this (bring defaulters to book), it is Narendra Modi and he will do it. Citizens of the country have full faith.
What he means is that it is the media that does not have faith in him, and (conversely) him in the media.
Then again, when asked why he lets Sangh loud mouths say what they want, his answer was the media: "Don't make them heroes, they will stop?." When Arnab protested and said "we don't make them heroes, we make them villains", Modi's counter was classic: "But why do you make them so big? I see such statements by people on TV, whose faces I haven't even seen and they end up becoming spokesmen on TV?." Touche.
On the Subramanian Swamy-Raghuram Rajan issue, Modi's answer had a double edge: he dissed Swamy for his publicity stunts, but also gave enough indication that Rajan's term would not have been extended even without Swamy inserting himself into the issue. Modi pointedly suggested that Rajan's patriotism could not be questioned and pointedly referred to the fact that while people had talked about Modi removing Rajan as soon as the new government, he did not do so. Implied in the answer was the assertion that he could have done so and instead chose to leave things be till his term actually ended.
On both Pakistan and China, where Modi's policies do not appear to have yielded any dividend, Modi suggested that he was following the twin track approach - of continuing talks to make sure India is not accused of aggressive intent, and using stronger measures when provoked on the border. On China too, where India was blocked from the NSG entry due to the Chinese veto, Modi spun the setback differently: it looked bad due to his success in the US, which got hyped up by the media. ?More realistically, he emphasised that India had many problems with China and the dialogue was about finding areas of common concern. Where the differences existed, neither country was in any doubt about where their respective interests lay. In short, Modi is still feeling his way through on finding the right mix of responses to India's two biggest geopolitical and regional rivals.
On issues ranging from the economy to corruption to jobs and the rural distress, Modi's answers were standard and correct ones. The real value of the interview was not in what was said but in how it was said. We know Modi a little better than before and much of it is good.
The Prime Minister's much-discussed interview with Times Now, among other things, made one point very clear. Narendra Modi's relationship with India's mainstream media remains at best testy, at worst hostile and in a state of permanent disrepair.
To decongest issues, this is not to say that the media should act as a cheerleader for the politicians. The relationship should remain professional, even adversarial but fair. But as a former Gujarat chief minister and now at 7 Race Course Road, Modi, an elected representative, has faced and continues to face overarching, ruthless and relentless animosity from the media.
Modi has responded to this treatment in the only way he knows. Both in Gujarat and now in New Delhi, he has made himself scarce before the mainstream medium of communication. In the rare instances where he has appeared before it, as he did during the interview which was aired on Monday evening, it emerged that this distrust is mutual and deep.
And it was evident even when the Prime Minister was in a jocular mood. On being asked by the interviewer why the sense of humour that pervaded his address to the joint session of US Congress is missing in his national discourse, Modi replied that it is out of fear of being hunted down by the media.
"I have a humourous side, but these days humour can be a risky thing In this era of 24x7 news channels, anybody can lift a word and make a big issue out of it. But I will tell you the truth, the reason for the absence of humour in public life is this fear. I am scared too. Earlier when I used to make speeches, I would make it so humourous, but now I am in fear.
"And not just me, everyone is scared. My speeches used be humourous. I see it in Parliament, that humour is finished there too. It is a matter of concern. Even if you mention a proverb, they (media) will connect it with something else and begin a conversation. The one who is saying the proverb does not know for what he is speaking."
This scathing indictment was followed by another quip, more a straight jab, when the issue of his foreign travel came up.
Modi has been repeatedly criticized for his tours abroad. Some of this is unwarranted. To put it in perspective, as US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton visited as many as 112 countries between the years 2008-2012.
Modi toured 26 countries in 2015, logging far less air miles in comparison. As a head of state, many of his visits broke new grounds. He toured five Central Asian states, even Seychelles the first by an Indian PM in 30 years and believes that this is to help India stamp its presence in an increasingly inter-connected world.
"We need to understand that earlier the world was bipolar. Foreign policy would be centered around two super powers. India was a little late in realizing that this bi polar situation was for namesake. Now the entire world, in changed circumstances, especially in 21st century, it is more interdependent and inter connected"
But his larger point brings out the distrust of the media more clearly. The Prime Minister felt compelled to visit so many countries and meet heads of states in person because otherwise, they would form an assessment of him through the prism of media and that is a risk he cannot afford to take.
"The world didn't know me. The world wants to know who the head of the state is. If someone wants to know Modi through the eyes of the media, then he would be confused about which Modi is the real one.
"If that happens, the country will be at a loss. Modi's personality shouldn't be a hindrance for the world to have faith in India. But unless I meet all those leaders and engage with them, unless I speak to them frankly, they wouldn't know about me, more so because I am not from a political family."
At another place he suggested that there is a difference between what media thinks of Modi and what the people of India think of him. When Arnab prefaced a question on the government's failure to bring back black money with the words "public thinks", a deadpan Modi cut it: "The public does not think so. The public knows that if there is one person who will bring the money back, it is Modi." The subtext was clear: What the media says is not necessarily what the masses believe -- and that he does not need the media to play the medium.
Development was the promise Modi made while riding to power in 2014. The media has often highlighted incendiary comments from some far right elements or even BJP hotheads while seeking to justify its narrative that behind Modi's development promise, lies a communal agenda. This has long been the greatest area of friction between Modi and the media.
On whether comments from hotheads will derail his focus on development, Modi sought to put the onus on the media, asking it to not blow those up. "I would like to tell the media not to make heroes out of those people who make such comments. Don't make them heroes, they will stop. I see such statements by people on TV, whose faces I haven't even seen and they end up becoming spokesmen on TV. I don't know why such people are encouraged"
At the end of a long one-on-one discussion, the interviewer sought to thank the PM for appearing for an interview. Modi was quick to respond.
"I just request you to not create controversies out of this but instead use it for the benefit of the country."
The last word, too, was an indictment of a controversy-hunting media.
At the height of Udta Punjab controversy, social media had another top trend. Many of those who were posting on Twitter with the hashtag #UdtaPM were ridiculing the Prime Minister's propensity to fly around the world to either hard-sell India as an investment destination or to garner support for the government's ambitious push for seats in high tables.
Foreign policy has remained Narendra Modi's key focus area ever since he assumed office. The Prime Minister has been very proactive in external affairs, be it focusing on India's immediate neighbours with 'Neighbourhood First' initiative, wooing the US Congress, approaching Switzerland to gain backing over NSG inclusion or flying to Iran to sign the Chabahar pact.
But critics media, the Opposition and even some in his own party have repeatedly criticised Modi for what they claim is a scattergun approach to foreign relations campaign. It is said that he relies too much on charm and oratory skills to bulldoze the balance of power on international arena that remains a brutally cold and calculated exercise.
Modi's personal ambition and breathtaking pace, goes the criticism, have actually been counter-productive when it comes to external affairs and he has over-extended himself and India's case while doing so.
In 2015, for instance, Modi set a scorching pace in visiting 28 countries and welcomed leaders from 12 countries, including the US, Germany, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bhutan.
While talking to Times Now in an interview that was aired on Monday, Modi made it clear this was necessary because world leaders didn't know what he stood for except viewing him through the prism of media.
"The world did not know me; and the world wanted to know who the new (Indian) prime minister is. If someone tries to know Modi through the eyes of the media, they will be confused. If that happened, it will be a loss. My personality shouldn't be a hindrance for the world to have faith in India.
"So, if I had not met world leaders and talked to them, they would not have known the Prime Minister of India. I was not a member of a political family. I was new; so being proactive was important for me," he said.
The point is, said the prime minister, that in an increasingly interconnected world, India cannot remain steadfastly tied to a corner.
"We need to understand that the world was bipolar earlier on. The foreign policy would be centered around two super powers. India was a little late in realising that this bipolar situation was a mirage. Now, the entire world, in changed circumstances, especially in the 21st century, is more inter-dependent and inter-connected There's been a shift in paradigm."
Modi said that not coming from a political family and having no background in the field were helps, not hindrances, as he doesn't have to carry any baggage and press the 'reset' button where necessary.
"Because I do not have any previous baggage, because I had a clean slate, I write everything from beginning and that has a benefit. Today, we are building relations with countries across the world. The amount of respect with which I engage Saudi Arabia, I engage Iran with the same amount of respect. The amount of respect with which I speak to America, I speak to Russia with the same amount of respect. We need to understand this. We also need to understand that we shouldn't consider smaller countries insignificant. I abide by this principle."
This isn't a man steeped in hubris who is in a hurry to build a legacy on steroids. The prime minister appears to be a man aware of his and India's role on world stage and presents a refreshing new gaze on the way the country must engage with neighbours.
China, which stonewalled India's audacious bid for NSG membership, presents an entirely new challenge though. Its growing political, military and economic clout make it increasingly assertive many areas where India's active interest will be involved.
On being asked why China repeatedly is blocking us despite the PM's personal proactive measures and outreach, Modi's answer was diplomatic, non-confrontational and pointed to his grasp of the realpolitik. He played down the NSG setback as a "continuing process" and said that both countries have differences but do not need to be adversaries.
"The first thing is that we have an ongoing dialogue with China and it should continue to happen. In foreign policy it's not necessary to have similar views to have a conversation. Even when the views are contradictory, talks are the only way forward and problems should be resolved through dialogue. We don't have one problem with China, we have a whole lot of problems pending with China. Slowly and steadily, an effort is on to address these issues through talks and make them less cumbersome.
"I can say that China has been cooperating with India to search for solutions. On some issues, it's a question of principles for them. On some issues, it's a question of principles for us. On some issues they differ with us and there are issues on which we differ with them. There are some basic differences.
"But the most important thing is that we can speak to China eye-to-eye and put forth India's interests in the most unambiguous manner."
On Pakistan, the prime minister pointed to multiple power centres to clarify the NDA government's position which has been slammed as knee-jerk. He said the democratically elected government in Pakistan lacks heft which makes it difficult to carry out policy initiatives.
The first thing is that with whom in Pakistan will you decide the lakshman rekha (the red line) with the elected government or with other actors? So India will have to be alert and conscious all the time. There should not be any laxity and negligence."
Modi said that his continuous Pakistan outreach has convinced the international community that India wants peace and harmony and Pakistan is under increasing pressure to explain its stand.
"There is an outcome due to my continuous efforts like my visit to Lahore and my invitation to the Pakistani prime minister to come to India. Now I don't have to explain to the world about India's position. The world is unanimously appreciating India's position. And the world is seeing that Pakistan is finding it difficult to respond. Today the world has to accept what India has been saying about terrorism. So I believe we have to take this process forward."
The Congress on Tuesday left no stone unturned when it criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his remarks made in his interview with Times Now on Monday.
Senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in a media conference in New Delhi lashed out at PM Modi over pretty much every issue that the PM spoke on during his interview.
Azad alleged that PM Modi took no action against BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who recently put the Modi government in an embarrassing situation after his comments against RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.
Instead, the Prime Minister treated Swamy like a naughty child and "scolded" him like a mother scolds her child when he or she does something wrong, Azad said.
"Laaton ke bhoot baaton se maante hain?" said Azad. "What action did PM Modi take against him? He treated him the way a mother scolds her child when he has done something wrong," he added.
Congress also criticised Modi for his government's foreign policy.
"PM Modi conducted talks with Pakistan PM several times over these two years. But what did we get out of that in 2 years?" he said. "Before this government began their rule, terrorism was almost finished in Kashmir. Now, after these two years, it is on the rise again..The amount of violence in Kashmir shows that we are back to the situation we were in during the '90s," he added.
"PM Modi dealt in a lot of diplomacy with China too. (Xi Jinping) ko jhoola bhi jhulaya. But the more PM Modi meets Chinese leaders, the worse our ties get with them. What kind of foreign policy is this?" said the senior Congress leader.
"When Rajiv Gandhi was PM, he got Russia and America on our side and improved ties with China," Azad said.
The Congress leader further said that Modi's remarks on the communal politics practiced by BJP in Uttar Pradesh basically meant that he was asking the media to leave the BJP leaders alone.
"The Prime Minister said, 'I would like to tell the media not to make heroes who make such comments'. So the PM is basically telling the media to let them do whatever they want," Azad said.
"BJP is engaging in communal politics in UP. PM Modi did not even give any answer on this issue," he said. He also said that PM Modi was wrong in saying that he did not even know the BJP leaders making communal remarks.
"Do you not know BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj? Do you not know Yogi Adityanath? Do you not know Mahesh Sharma?" he said. "PM Modi basically told the media to shut up and let them (BJP leaders making communal remarks) carry on," he added.
Congress also criticised the PM on his remarks on the economy and black money.
"Unemployment is on the rise. Both skilled and unskilled labourers find it tough to get jobs...PM Modi did not have anything to say about black money," he said. "When asked about his Rs 15 lakh promise, PM Modi just smiled and dismissed it as an issue which Opposition likes to take up during elections," he added, referring to the PM's remark before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls that Rs 15 lakh could come to the account of every person if black money was brought back from abroad.
"Why is PM Modi not naming and shaming the people who have black money abroad now?" he said.
On Parliament disruptions, Azad said that it was actually the Modi government's fault because the Lok Sabha, where the Modi government had a majority, was not performing as well as the Rajya Sabha. "You have a majority in the Lok Sabha. Even then, you are not able to get any work done. Rajya Sabha was more productive," Azad said.
Azad also spoke against Modi's remarks on the agricultural crisis in the country in his interview to Times Now.
"Farmers are committing suicide everyday," he said. "PM Modi also spoke on price rise. The price of dal shot up under this government's rule," he added.
Yavatmal: In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the cleanliness drive, senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Tuesday said he should first set the BJP's house in order.
"It would be appropriate on the part of prime minister to cleanse the BJP first instead of making a propaganda about 'Swachh Bharat'," the former Union minister told reporters here.
His comments came in an apparent reference to allegations of corruption against senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse who resigned recently as Revenue Minister.
Praful Patel claimed that no section of society is satisfied with the performance of the state and Central governments.
"It is unfortunate that BJP leaders like chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari have not brought any development to Vidarbha," Patel said.
He said the NCP would contest the forthcoming elections to the local bodies and municipal councils in the state on its own strength.
Praful Patel alleged that no development in real terms came to Vidarbha despite the CM signing MoUs worth thousands of crores at various forums.
"Gadkari has performed 'bhoomipujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) for road development projects but not a single tender has been passed so far," the former Civil Aviation Minister said.
He replied in negative when asked if NCP would extend its support to BJP in case Shiv Sena walks out of the coalition government.
When asked whether NCP is avoiding playing an aggressive opposition out of fear of action against its leaders facing the graft charge, Patel said, "Who has stopped government from launching probe or taking legal action against us. They are free to do so. We are ready to face any eventuality".
He said NCP would go with people's choice on granting statehood to Vidarbha.
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday took potshots at its alliance partner BJP, continuing the war of verbal volleys between its mouthpiece Saamana and the BJP's fortnightly magazine Manogat.
The Sena, however, defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he does not 'have a magic wand.' The Saamana editorial on Tuesday said, "Modi has to clean the mess that has been created over 50 years... One cannot expect that everything will change in two years."
However, the Sena mouthpiece also hinted at recent remarks made in Manogat, saying, "If some people speaks the truth, threatening to burn them is not in our culture."
Sena cadres had last week burnt effigies of BJP state spokesperson Madhav Bhandari over his article in party publication Manogat in which he had dared Uddhav Thackeray's outfit to walk out of the alliance.
In response, BJP's Mumbai president Ashish Shelar had said that the party also has the right to protest against people maligning his party and could resort to burning of newspapers.
In its editorial on Tuesday, Saamana raised the issue of black money, saying, "Before the election, Modi had said that one-and-a-half to two lakh crore rupees worth of money has been stashed abroad. He had promised that as soon as the new government would come to power, the money would return and go to the poor... Opposition parties are now questioning as to how many people have got the promised Rs 15 lakh in their accounts."
The editorial, however, had words of praise for Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying that their efforts to fulfil their promises are 'praiseworthy'.
"It is not just industrialists, film personalities and terrorists who have black money. A large amount of black money is with politicians, and it is necessary to take action in this regard," the editorial said.
Other Saamana editorials in the recent past have also have been critical of some sections of the BJP in Maharashtra, while praising Modi.
Earlier, this week, the party mouthpiece had alleged that the BJP politics is based on spreading 'falsehoods and rumours'. However, the party took care to desist from attacking Modi, saying, "If they talk of burning Saamana, they should remember it is like burning the idea of Hindutva and the RSS' ideology along with Modi's basic ideas."
With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: In yet another attack on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sena activists on Tuesday tried to disrupt his press conference in South Mumbai for inviting Pakistani photo journalists to the city under a peace initiative.
The incident occurred at Press Club when Sena workers barged in at the venue despite the security arrangement and raised slogans against Kulkarni and against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism.
The Pakistani photo journalists were also present at the presser when the incident occurred.
The handful of activists were immediately detained by police and taken to Azad Maidan police station.
The Sena activists had last year smeared Kulkarni's face with black ink for organising a function to launch a book written by former Pakistan foreign minister Khursid Mehmood Kasuri.
Kulkarni's Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has launched a project 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai' under which five photographers visit each other's countries as "messengers of peace".
While the five photo journalists from Pakistan arrived in the city on June 20 and will return on June 30, the Indian contingent is expected to travel to Karachi in the first week of July.
Unfazed by the ruckus, Kulkarni, erstwhile speech writer of BJP patriarch L K Advani, said, "They (Shiv Sena) threatened us saying we should not allow any Pakistani to enter Mumbai. Inspite of their threat, we conducted a programme last year for the release of Khursid Mehmood Kasuri's book in Mumbai. We shall do so again and again."
He said Mumbai did not belong to these people who claim to be the "sole preservers, protectors of the national interest".
"We are also patriots....we equally condemn terrorism, religious extremism, but we shall not bow before these extremists who want to stop us from promoting India-Pakistan friendship," Kulkarni said.
He later told PTI that Sena activists tried to hit his car after the presser ended.
"While I was conducting the press conference, Sena workers barged in and created a ruckus shouting slogans like 'Sena zindabad' and 'Pakistan murdabad'. Also, when I was going back after conducting the press conference, they tried to hit my car," Kulkarni said.
Questioning the logic of Sena in opposing entry of Pakistanis to Mumbai over backing terrorism against India, Kulkarni said, "All Pakistanis are not terrorists. There is a strong section there that condemns terrorism and are victims of terrorism themselves."
On 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai, he said, "This is an example of photography for peace. Terrorists shoot with guns, they (photographers) shoot with cameras. Sena should see the difference because Uddhav Thackeray (Sena president) himself is a very good photographer. He should honour his own photographic fraternity."
He further said that Government of India, the security forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were capable of responding effectively to the threat of terrorism.
"People of both countries want to live in peace. This can happen with more people-to-people contact so that the constituency of peace and friendship becomes strong. They have every right to protest but every political party should also follow rule of law. Nobody can take law into their hands and commit violence," Kulkarni said.
Meanwhile, justifying their action, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said Kulkarni should go to the border and tell extremists to stop terrorism.
"Pakistan is openly conducting terrorist attacks and our jawans are dieing on the borders. When the country is reeling under terrorism, he (Kulkarni) is inviting them.
"Last time (at Kasuri's book launch) he did the same thing and was given protection. Why did not BJP tell him to stop this? Who is behind this man? Why does he not go to the border and tell terrorists to stop terrorism...Make peace with terrorists," she asked.
Two years after he secured the state of Telangana after a 13-year-long struggle, K Chandrasekhar Rao will wear the hat of a protester once again. The chief minister of Telangana now plans to do an Arvind Kejriwal by sitting on a dharna in the country's capital, to protest against the delay in bifurcation of the High court of Hyderabad. After the division of Andhra Pradesh, the High court of Andhra Pradesh was rechristened as High court of Hyderabad and it serves as the top judicial body for both Telugu states.
Since 6 June, barring the High Court, all courts in Telangana are on strike. The judges of the new state are upset that posts in Telangana are being filled with judicial officers from Andhra Pradesh. Voices of `Andhra judges, go back' are being heard all over again. In one instance, effigies of Andhra judges were burnt at a court complex in Nizamabad. Two lawyers have attempted suicide in the last two days, bringing back memories of the emotionally charged up Telangana agitation.
That judiciary will be the new battleground was obvious when the list of provisional allotment of judges to lower courts in both states was issued on 5 May by the High court. 335 judicial officers were allotted to Telangana and 495 to Andhra Pradesh. Telangana was livid when it noticed that of the 335 in the Telangana pool, 130 were officers of Andhra nativity.
That threw the courts into turmoil. An agitated lawyer from Telangana Arun Kumar asks, "Is this why we fought for a separate Telangana state?" The dictum that "Telangana is for Telanganites" where those from Andhra should not get a piece of the cake' is once again gaining ground, at least in the judiciary. The AP Reorganisation Act provides for a separate court for Telangana but work on it has been extremely tardy.
On Sunday, Hyderabad saw something that had not happened ever before. About 130 `Honourable' judges - district and civil judges from all ten districts of Telangana - hit the roads, marching up to Raj Bhavan, to submit a memorandum to the Governor. On display was Judiciary vs Judiciary, with the presiding officers of the lower courts calling the High court "untrustworthy", claiming they have lost trust in the higher judiciary to deliver unbiased justice. They threatened to resign en masse, protesting against what they called "stepmotherly treatment".
A note issued by the Judges Association points out: "We feel we are working under the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and not under the High Court of both states. We are afraid of their future intervention in political and executive administration of Telangana. We cannot work under Andhra judicial rulers."
The apex court in Telangana hit back hard on Monday. It suspended two judges who participated in the street march on disciplinary grounds. One of them K Ravinder Reddy is the president of the Telangana Judge Association apart from being the 4th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge at the Nampally criminal court. The other V Varaprasad is the secretary of the association and a sessions judge in Ranga Reddy district court. On Tuesday, nine more judges were suspended by the High Court, taking the total number of judges who have suspended to eleven.
That has only worsened the standoff, with no end to the boycott of courts in Telangana. What's worse, the decision to suspend the two judges is seen as reeking of a bias against Telangana, with the judges of the High court being seen through regionally tinted glasses. Sriranga Rao, the convenor of the Telangana Advocates Joint Action committee says, "There are only three judges from Telangana in the Hyderabad High court. Of the 21 judges, 18 are from Andhra Pradesh."
The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti has come out in support, realising the mood in the legal fraternity and gauging the political benefits in riding on this issue. K Kavitha, Lok Sabha MP and KCR's daughter took the fight to her party's favourite punching bag, Chandrababu Naidu, saying, "Younger judges from Andhra have been posted in Telangana, while those close to retirement have been posted in Andhra. Even after bifurcation, Chandrababu Naidu wants to control Telangana using the courts as a backdoor."
Congress leaders allege the TRS is using the issue to wriggle out of the mess it is in over the land acquisition for Mallanna Sagar project in KCR's home Medak district. Over 30000 villagers in 14 villages are up in arms against the KCR government for over a month now, refusing to give up their land for the irrigation project. All opposition parties have lent their support to the cause, pushing the administration on to the back foot.
"For the last two years, you knew that bifurcation of High court is to be done as per the AP Reorganisation Act. Why didn't your MPs try to get it done? You are trying to divert the attention of the people from the Mallanna Sagar issue by stoking the Telangana sentiment," says Ponnala Laxmaiah, senior Congress leader.
Kavitha in turn accuses the Congress leadership of favouring Andhra Pradesh over Telangana. "First, I would like the opposition parties to give up on their farcical agitation over Mallanna Sagar and support us over the issue of judiciary. Two, I want to point out that Sonia Gandhi in Lok Sabha spoke only about Andhra, never about the interests of Telangana," says Kavitha.
The polemics in this round of Telangana vs Andhra has highlighted the trust deficit between the people of Telangana and Andhra that defined the period of the Telangana agitation. Just when the wounds of the bitter division had healed, Agitation 2.0 threatens to reopen them.
Baalbek : Lebanese troops raided makeshift refugee camps near a predominantly Christian village on the border with Syria on Tuesday, a day after two waves of suicide attacks.
But Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq said the attackers who carried out Monday's violence had come from inside Syria, not refugee settlements nearby.
"We are worried that there are more terrorists, so the Lebanese army is searching the area," said Bashir Matar, mayor of Al-Qaa, which lies in a hilly border area shaken by violence since the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.
Five people were killed and 15 wounded when four suicide bombers attacked the village before dawn on Monday.
A second wave of attacks hit Al-Qaa on monday night.
Another four suicide bombers wounded 13 people.
Al-Qaa lies on a main road linking the Syrian town of Al-Qusayr to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley.
Its 3,000 residents are predominantly Christian, but the Masharia Al-Qaa district is home to Sunni Muslims and some 30,000 Syrian refugees live in a makeshift camp on the edge of the village.
"The army has deployed a large force to Masharia Al-Qaa and is carrying out widespread searches in the displacement camps, looking for weapons or wanted people," the state National News Agency reported.
In televised comments from Al-Qaa on Tuesday, the interior minister said a preliminary investigation indicated that "the suicide attackers came from Syria, not from the (refugee) tents."
Residents also took to the streets with their own weapons in an apparent show of force, an AFP journalist reported.
"The whole village is mobilising. Everyone men and women are sitting in front of their homes to protect them after the terror that we lived yesterday," said local official Mansur Saad.
One man with silver-grey hair and clad in a black vest poured himself a small cup of coffee, his assault rifle lying in his lap.
Several women strolled through the street and posed in front of cameras, smiling and gingerly carrying weapons.
"We haven't been scared or terrified like that in our whole lives," said resident Yola Saad.
"All the guys from the village came out with their guns to protect their neighbourhoods," she added.
Prime Minister Tamam Salam urged residents not to take up arms and to leave the military work to the security forces.
Washington: Al-Qaeda has praised Orlando gunman Omar Mateen but criticised him for targeting gays, saying lone wolf jihadists should attack white Americans and avoid minorities so that no one mistakes their terror assaults for hate crimes.
In an article in the latest edition of its online magazine Inspire, Al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), called for more "self-directed" Muslim terrorists to kill in America. In the article, titled Inspire guide: Orlando operation, the terror group tells terrorists to "avoid targeting places and crowds where minorities are generally found" because if gays or Latinos appear to be the targets, "the federal government will be the one taking full responsibility."
The online magazine praises the Orlando attack but instructs terrorists to target "Anglo-Saxons", Fox News reported. In the 12 June attack in Orlando, Omar Mateen massacred 49 people and injured 53 inside a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Although Mateen, who was later killed by police, told hostage negotiators he pledged allegiance to ISIS, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has characterised the attack as a hate crime against gays.
"I cannot tell you definitively that we will ever narrow it down to one motivation," Lynch told reporters last week. "People often act out of more than one motivation. This was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate," she had said.
Although Al-Qaeda does not take credit for Mateen's attack in the online article, it urges more "lone wolves" to take up arms. Jihadists should target "areas where the Anglo-Saxon community is generally concentrated," it states.
"This class of the American community is the majority and it is the one that is in the American leadership," it says. Al Qaeda is "very carefully threading a needle" by endorsing the attack while criticising Mateen's target selection, said Ryan Mauro, national security analyst for Clarion Project, a Washington-based nonprofit that tracks the international terror threat.
"This is Al Qaeda's way of asserting itself above ISIS in the wake of its competitor's success," Mauro was quoted as saying. Inspire magazine often exploits terror attacks in the West and makes threats against Europe and the United States. While the terror group responsible for 9/11 has been overshadowed by rival ISIS in recent years, it praised Mateen for his monstrous act.
Washington: Another 165 pages of emails from Hillary Clinton's time at the State Department surfaced on Tuesday, including nearly three dozen that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee failed to hand over last year that were sent through her private server.
The latest emails were released under court order by the State Department to the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch. controversy
The batch includes 34 new emails Clinton exchanged through her private account with her deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin.
The aide, who also had a private email account on Clinton's home server, later gave her copies to the government.
The emails were not among the 55,000 pages of work-related messages that Clinton turned over to the agency in response to public records lawsuits seeking copies of her official correspondence.
They include a 22 March, 2009, message where the then-secretary of state discusses how her official records would be kept.
"I have just realized I have no idea how my papers are treated at State," Clinton wrote to Abedin and a second aide. "Who manages both my personal and official files? ... I think we need to get on this asap to be sure we know and design the system we want."
In a blistering audit released last month, the State Department's inspector general that concluded Clinton and her team ignored clear internal guidance that her email setup violated federal records-keeping standards and could have left sensitive material vulnerable to hackers.
The audit also cited a then-unreleased copy of a November 2010 email Clinton sent Abedin in which the secretary discussed using a government email account, expressing concern that she didn't want "any risk of the personal being accessible."
Clinton never used a government account that was set up for her, instead continuing to rely on her private server until leaving office in 2013. Though Clinton's work-related emails were government records, she didn't turn over copies until more than 30 lawsuits were filed, including one by The Associated Press.
Before providing her correspondence, Clinton and her lawyers withheld and subsequently deleted tens of thousands of messages that she claimed were personal, such as emails about her daughter's wedding plans, family vacations, yoga routines and condolence notes.
With the new release on Monday, more than 50 work-related emails sent or received by Clinton have since surfaced that were not among those she provided.
Brussels: It's the European Union's exit door, the legal way out of the bloc.
Known as Article 50, this exit mechanism was first enshrined in the EU's governing Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 and has never been used before. Here's a look at how it works following Britain's vote to leave the EU.
What is it?
Article 50 is short: It includes just five main points on less than half a page, but it is long on ramifications.
Essentially, it says that any member can leave the EU according to its own constitutional requirements.
That member should notify its EU partners in an unambiguous way of its intention to trigger this "exit clause," setting off a two-year window in which the formal departure will be negotiated.
When will Britain activate it?
This is the question on everyone's lips in Europe in the wake of last week's politically earth-shattering referendum in Britain.
British Prime Minister David Cameron says he's resigning and it's up to his successor to notify the EU of the country's departure, which could be in October or later.
Some have speculated that the next prime minister may not trigger it at all. But as far as European Council President Donald Tusk is concerned, it's the only option on the table, and Britain can't be forced out until it's good and ready to go.
"It is the British government who initiates the process of exit from the EU. And this is the only legal way we have," Tusk told reporters Tuesday before chairing a two-day EU summit in Brussels.
What happens next?
Once London triggers the exit clause, the remaining 27 members of the EU will draw up the guidelines for it to happen and must accept Britain's departure by a qualified majority vote around two-thirds. Should the talks bog down, the UK could ask for an extension beyond the stipulated two years, but all 27 others would have to agree.
The European Parliament must give the exit its consent too. Until it all happens, Britain will remain a member, with all the rights and obligations of membership.
The exit negotiations will take into account how the two sides see their future relationship. But they cannot get into the nitty-gritty of those ties, like detailed trade talks, until the UK is actually out, possibly in early 2019.
If it changes its mind down the road, it can ask to join again. The EU's entry door is Article 49, but that's another story.
OTTAWA Canada is pressing Beijing over media reports that Chinese authorities are no longer allowing some Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong to visit China on 10-year visas, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Chinese-language media say that since early June, first-generation Hong Kong-born Canadians are being told they can only apply to travel to China as Chinese nationals. Previously, they could choose to travel either as Canadian or as Chinese citizens.
If true, the changes could be seen as an encroachment on Hong Kong's autonomy. Hong Kong has been governed as a special administrative region since its return to China from British rule in 1997, a policy known as "one country, two systems."
"Canada is aware of the recent reports of challenges for Canadians of Chinese descent in Hong Kong obtaining visas to visit China. The Consulate General has sought clarification from local authorities," said a Canadian foreign ministry spokeswoman.
The issue is sensitive in Canada, where more than a million of the 36 million population are of Chinese descent. Many Hong Kong residents emigrated to Canada and took up citizenship both before and after the city's return to China.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has not received any notification of changes to the visa policy, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.
Canadian Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, told reporters on Tuesday that she wrote to Foreign Minister Stephane Dion urging him to look into the visa situation. Kwan is a member of the opposition New Democrats.
"The change in practice should be of grave concern to Canadians, after all, a Canadian is a Canadian. As such, should all Canadians not be treated the same?" she said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, due to visit China for a week in late August to boost trade ties, has previously said Beijing must do more to protect human rights.
Earlier this month, Canada complained to China about the behaviour of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who publicly berated a Canadian journalist in Ottawa.
(Additional reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver; Editing by Bernard Orr)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
After a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Florida this month, police dispatchers fielded calls from people inside who screamed of being shot, begged for help and spoke in hushed voices of the bloody scene around them.
The 911 operators' notes, made public on Tuesday, are part of an Orlando Police Department incident narrative that began at 2:02 a.m. on June 12 with two words: "Shots fired."
Over the next three hours, operators recorded hearing people screaming and multiple shots fired as Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
There were also periods of eerie silence.
"My caller is no longer responding, just an open line with moaning," an operator wrote at 2:09 a.m.
The calls came from Pulse nightclub's bathrooms, attic, dressing room and office. People reported being shot in the arm, shoulder, leg, chest, stomach, according to the police log.
One victim shot in the leg and rib was said to be "losing a lot of blood."
Another note described someone in a bathroom whispering, "Please help."
Nearly an hour into the rampage, a caller to the police emergency number told a dispatcher that Mateen was saying he was a terrorist and claimed to have bombs strapped to his body, according to the notes.
The claim that he had bombs turned out to be false, but it convinced police to breach the rear wall of the bathrooms and confront the gunman.
At 5:15 a.m., the incident log included another two-word note: "Subject down."
The city of Orlando has not released audio recordings of the 911 calls or any video recorded by police cameras at the shooting scene. Several media organizations filed a lawsuit last week to force the release of that information.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released a partial transcript of a 911 call made by Mateen from the club, and brief summaries of three other calls made by the gunman.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Additional reporting by Fiona Ortiz; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
CALGARY, Alberta/HOUSTON At least two offshore oil platforms halted operations on Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after a fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mississippi shut a crucial pipeline that brings output onshore, several companies said.
The fire at the Enterprise Products Partners LP plant in Pascagoula was brought under control, but officials were forced to close the 225-mile (362 km) Destin gas pipeline system that can carry 1.2 billion cubic feet per day from offshore fields to Pascagoula.
There were no injuries from the blaze, Enterprise said, adding the cause was under investigation. Enterprise took ownership of the plant from BP Plc on June 1.
Destin, majority-owned by BP with Enbridge Inc a minority partner, said it was declaring force majeure, a legal clause that allows it to scrap commitments, as a result of the fire.
By Tuesday afternoon, the plant had not yet resumed operations. In a notice, Destin said that Enterprise had not yet indicated a timeline for the restart, and was looking at offering shippers options for alternate offshore transportation.
Southern Green Canyon crude, an offshore, medium grade delivered into Nederland, Texas, traded at $3.25 a barrel discount to the U.S. crude benchmark on Tuesday compared with a midpoint of $3.80 below WTI on supply concerns.
Destin's pipeline is connected to over 10 oil and gas platforms with capacity to produce hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil and millions of cubic feet of gas a day.
Murphy Oil Corp said it shut its Thunder Hawk platform, which has capacity to handle 60,000 bpd of oil and 70 mmcfd of natural gas.
Murphy added it plans to flow gas to an alternate processing facility and expects minimal disruptions to its operations. Producers in some cases have several different routes to bring output ashore.
Offshore company LLOG, a partner of investment group Blackstone, said it was shutting its Delta House floating production system, which has 100,000 bpd of oil and 240 mmcfd of gas capacity.
Oil major BP declined to comment on the status of its Thunder Horse and Na Kika platforms, both of which tie into the Destin pipeline and together produce close to 400,000 bpd of oil and more than 700 mmcfd of natural gas.
Royal Dutch Shell said it was not impacted.
Williams Partners LP said the Gulfstream Pipeline, a joint venture with Spectra Energy Partners LP, appeared to be unaffected.
Other Gulf of Mexico producers, including Stone Energy and Freeport McMoRan, operate facilities that connect to the Destin pipeline, according to a company map. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. crude benchmark settled up $1.52 to $47.85 following a two-day rout as traders bid up the benchmark on expected inventory draws.[O/R]
Gas futures rose more than 20 cents to $2.93 per million BTU. Traders attributed the spike to hot weather instead of the fire. About 137 million cubic feet of gas was due to flow through the meter outside the plant on Tuesday, according to Thomson Reuters Analytics flow data.
Several social media messages first said the blaze was at Chevron's 330,000 barrels per day refinery in Pascagoula, but police denied this.
(Additional reporting By Erwin Seba in Houston and Scott DiSavino in New York; Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Phil Berlowitz)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
London: Finance Minister George Osborne warned on Tuesday that Britain would face tax rises and further cuts to state spending after the country voted to leave the European Union.
In an interview with BBC Radio, the chancellor of the exchequer spoke of the need to provide Britons with "fiscal security" following Brexit.
Asked if that meant taxes would rise and spending cut, Osborne replied: "Yes, absolutely. But that decision will come under a new prime minister. It's obviously not possible while the Conservative Party is having a leadership contest."
Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron resigned in the wake of Thursday's shock referendum result. Both he and Osborne had been at the forefront of the Remain campaign to persuade the electorate to vote to keep Britain in the EU and avoid a recession.
"It is very clear that the country is going to be poorer," Osborne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday, as he again insisted that Britain would need to face an emergency budget.
"We are absolutely going to have to provide fiscal security to people, in other words we are going to have to show the country and the world that the country can live within its means," the chancellor added.
Osborne, long tipped to succeed Cameron, has meanwhile ruled himself out of the contest to replace the prime minister.
CINCINNATI Liberal Elizabeth Warren attacked Republican Donald Trump on Monday during her first campaign appearance with U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, calling him an "insecure money grubber" who is driven by greed and hate.
Warren, a leader of the Democratic Party's progressive wing and a potential vice presidential pick, said Clinton had spent her career fighting for liberal values while Trump, a wealthy real estate developer, was focussed on boosting his bottom line.
The U.S. senator from Massachusetts appeared with Clinton before a raucous, enthusiastic crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, targeting a battleground state in a potential preview of a Clinton-Warren campaign team. She repeatedly accused Trump of looking out for himself instead of for average Americans.
"When Donald Trump says he'll make America great, he means make it even greater for rich guys just like Donald Trump," Warren said, standing shoulder to shoulder with a cheering Clinton.
Clinton has struggled to win over some liberal backers of rival Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist U.S. senator from Vermont, since beating him for the Democratic nomination this month. She hopes the support of Warren can help her in that effort as she campaigns against Trump for the Nov. 8 election.
Warren, who has vigorously attacked Trump in recent weeks, called him "a small, insecure money grubber who fights for no one but himself" and warned: "He will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants. That's who he is."
The capacity crowd repeatedly roared its approval, and a line of supporters who could not get inside stretched out the door and down the street. At one point, Warren stopped her speech to turn and applaud Clinton, a former secretary of state.
"She knows what it takes to beat a thin-skinned bully who is driven by greed and hate," said Warren, known for calling for reining in Wall Street and eradicating income inequality.
WARREN 'A SELLOUT' - TRUMP
In a statement, Trump called Warren "a sellout" for backing Clinton, who has taken donations from Wall Street interests and once backed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asian trade deal. Clinton has since reversed her trade stance.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump called Warren "a fraud" and "a racist," accusing her of making up claims about her Native American heritage to advance her career.
He again called Warren "Pocahontas," the name of a 17th-century Native American figure, to draw attention to a controversy first raised during Warren's 2012 Senate race in Massachusetts.
"She is one of the least productive senators in the United States Senate," Trump told NBC. "We call her Pocahontas for a reason."
Two other potential Clinton vice presidential picks - U.S. senators Tim Kaine of Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio - rejected Trump's assertion and defended Warren's record.
"Thats what he does, he attacks people. He acts like hes attacking their character - hes attacking his own character when he does that," Brown told Reuters.
You cant believe anything Donald Trump says. Period," Kaine told Reuters.
OHIO PIVOTAL
Taking the microphone in Ohio, Clinton said she liked Warren's aggressive approach to her Republican rival, who has sprayed rivals and critics with insults throughout his campaign.
"I just love how she gets under Donald Trump's skin," Clinton said.
Clinton's decision to campaign with Warren for the first time in Cincinnati, a city on Ohio's southwestern border with Kentucky and Indiana, underscored the swing state's vital role in the November showdown with Trump.
Ohio has backed every successful presidential nominee since 1964 and no Republican has won the White House without carrying the state.
Warren's calls to rein in corporate excess could resonate with two groups Clinton must court in the election - Sanders supporters and those anxious about the economy who are drawn to Trump's promise to toss out international trade deals.
Ohio's manufacturing base has taken a hit in recent economic slowdowns, and Trump has identified it as a state where his anti-free trade rhetoric could resonate with alienated blue-collar voters.
Since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee, Clinton has repeatedly tried to portray businessman Trump as fundamentally unfit for the presidency. Clinton said Warren's long history of fighting for progressive economic values made her a perfect messenger for that critique.
(Writing by John Whitesides; additional reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by Frances Kerry and Howard Goller)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Beijing: As India and Pakistan moved a step closer to join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an official Chinese daily on Tuesday raised concerns that their "territorial and religious" disputes may disturb the bloc's functioning and shift its focus.
"Generally, including new members can help the SCO expand its clout. But the inclusion of the two South Asian powers might also lead to some problems," an article in the state-run Global Times said.
"First of all, the inclusion may have an impact on the SCO's principle of consultation-based consensus. The principle of consultation-based consensus has been widely recognised and adhered to by the members," it said.
"In this sense, the inclusion of India and Pakistan may bring into the SCO their long-existing disputes over territorial and religious issues and disturb the organisation's efforts to carry out the principle," it said.
"For the possible problems that may arise after India and Pakistan become full members, the SCO cannot just ignore but instead deal with them in a positive and rational manner," it said.
The daily underlined that SCO founding members should be given some special rights to dispel their concerns caused by the expansion.
"Requirements can be proposed to the new members in terms of mechanism-building so as to avoid cooperation bottleneck after the expansion," it said.
Today's article, second in the daily in recent weeks, said the inclusion of India and Pakistan may divert the focus of the SCO.
"As four out of six founding members of the SCO are in Central Asia, the SCO has always concentrated on the region. But the joining of India and Pakistan may split the focus of the SCO, and hence the four Central Asian members will reduce their dependence on the SCO," it said.
"Moreover, giving full memberships to India and Pakistan will affect the SCO mechanism. The working languages of the SCO are now Chinese and Russian, and there has already been massive language workload in current meeting mechanisms. If India and Pakistan are taken in, the organisation's daily work is likely to increase exponentially," it said.
But at the same time it said "the inclusion of India and Pakistan will undoubtedly enhance the influence of
the SCO, and the member states also highly value and support the wills of observers and dialogue partners to step up their cooperation with the organisation," it said.
India and Pakistan last week signed Memorandum of Obligations to join the six-member organisation at the Tashkent summit as part of lengthy process to join the grouping.
The SCO formally decided to admit the two countries in Ufa summit last year but the Indian officials say the process of admission is still continuing as both the countries have to ratify all the documents of the group since it was founded in 2001.
SCO, focussing mostly security related issues like terrorism in Central Asia, has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.
Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status.
London: Labour's Jeremy Corbyn lost a non-binding confidence motion, with 172 Labour MPs voting against him and only 40 in favour out of a total of 229 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons lower house.
British Labour Party lawmakers voted massively against their leader on Tuesday amid political turmoil in Britain, after a vote to leave the European Union as candidates to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron vied for power behind the scenes.
But veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn insisted he would not stand down.
"I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Tuesday's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy," Jeremy Corbyn said in a statement.
Five days after the shock referendum vote, the two parties that have dominated Westminster for nearly a century were in almost complete disarray.
Pro-EU finance minister George Osborne, long tipped to succeed Cameron, ruled himself out on Tuesday while British media reported that Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Crabb, a virtual unknown to the British public, would put his name forward.
Former London mayor and 'Leave' figurehead Boris Johnson now a bogeyman for many in the 'Remain' camp is tipped as one of the favourites.
The other is interior minister Theresa May who is reportedly seeking support for a rival bid that British media tipped as the 'Stop Boris' campaign.
The Conservatives have set a Thursday deadline for nominations and the party said the winner would be announced on 9 September.
Cameron has said he would leave it to his successor to invoke Article 50 the formal procedure for exiting the European Union.
Corbyn defiant
On the opposition side, over half of Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet the leadership of his party have now resigned since Sunday in a coordinated series of resignations against the 67-year-old, who only became leader in September.
Corbyn, a veteran socialist and Eurosceptic who voted against EU membership in a 1975 referendum, has come under heavy criticism from pro-EU lawmakers for his lukewarm campaigning in favour of Britain staying in.
Many experts have blamed the strong anti-EU vote in Labour heartlands in northern England on Corbyn.
But Jeremy Corbyn himself has blamed Conservative austerity measures for creating disenchantment in many working-class areas and said the media had not covered Labour's referendum campaign, focussing instead on rifts within the ruling Conservatives.
Boris or Theresa?
The Conservatives are meanwhile scrambling to choose a successor to Cameron, who announced his resignation within hours of the Brexit result last Friday.
A new poll Tuesday put May in the lead with 31 percent, against 24 percent for Johnson.
Nominations for the party leadership open Wednesday, and close Thursday.
If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will vote next week to whittle down the field to two nominees, before the new leader is chosen by a postal ballot of party members, who currently number around 150,000.
The new Tory leader is expected to be announced on September 9, the party announced Tuesday.
Critics have questioned whether the 'Leave' camp and Johnson in particular has any idea how to manage the unprecedented situation left by last week's vote.
"He has still to offer anything like a concrete plan on how he would negotiate the post-Brexit future," wrote former BBC political editor Nick Robinson. He added: "The fallout from the biggest exercise in popular democracy has already been dramatic... It has, though, only just begun. The old order has been smashed. It may be a very long time not weeks, not months but years before the shape of the new order and the answers to all those questions become clear."
Zurich: Nestle SA named Ulf Mark Schneider as its next chief executive in a surprise choice on Monday, as the Swiss food giant underlined a shift towards health and wellness by poaching the boss of German healthcare group Fresenius.
Schneider will replace Nestle's long-standing CEO Paul Bulcke, whom the board has proposed as chairman when 71-year-old Peter Brabeck-Letmathe hits mandatory retirement age next year.
Nestle's appointment of Schneider, a US-German dual citizen, marks the company's first external hire for the CEO job in nearly a century.
"This is a truly iconic global company with a proud heritage and tremendous future prospects," Schneider, 50, said in a statement released after the market close.
Earlier in June, Brabeck hinted the company could be eyeing external candidates for the CEO role, although many analysts and shareholders still expected it to continue its tradition of promoting internally.
Nestle's best-known goods range from baby food to coffee and chocolate, but it has been investing more recently in higher-margin, higher-growth healthcare products as it tries to fend off criticism that its scale stifles agility.
It has signed a series of deals with small companies in its bid to create a new kind of business that is midway between food and pharmaceuticals. The goal is to find new ways to treat, diagnose and prevent a range of diseases, from gastrointestinal problems to Alzheimer's.
Nestle said the board had appointed Schneider with the long-term orientation of the company in nutrition, health and wellness and full the integration of its health science and skin health divisions in mind.
Both divisions will report directly to the CEO from Jan. 1.
Known as a hard worker who enjoys great respect within the industry, Schneider grew Fresenius through a series of deals, increasing sales four-fold and net income twelve-fold during his 13 years at its helm.
"He has led Fresenius through a period of exciting and sustainable growth and has truly transformed the company," Fresenius Chairman Gerd Krick said in a statement announcing Schneider's resignation on Sunday. "While we regret his departure we wish him the very best for his future endeavors."
When burning the midnight oil, Schneider has been known to consume nutritional drinks made by Fresenius's hospital nutrition unit Kabi to get himself going again.
He will assume the role of chief executive at Nestle at the start of 2017 after an introductory period with the company beginning in September.
Bulcke, who has led the company since 2008, will resign at the end of 2016 to respect a mandatory cooling-off period before standing for election as chairman at Nestle's annual general meeting on April 6, 2017.
While the CEO runs the company, the chairman provides strategic guidance. Nestle's last four chiefs, whose collective CEO tenure lasted 40 years, all became chairmen.
New York: A new Islamic State video is taunting those grieving after the Orlando mass shooting, celebrating the attack and calling for more strikes like it in San Francisco and Las Vegas. This was the second video praising the Florida massacre.
The video came just as people in San Francisco were celebrating LGBT pride over the weekend, with heightened security measures in place across the city, two weeks after 49 people were gunned down in cold blood at the Pulse gay club in Orlando. Fifty-three other people were injured in the attack.
The video glorifying the hideous crime, according to RT Online, has emerged just days after another, made by an alleged American Islamic State fighter.
According to PJ Media, the footage comes courtesy of Islamic State itself, and was made in Mosul. It features several international IS fighters, two of them French-speaking and one Bosnian Muslim, speaking directly to the camera.
Nearly all threats of this sort feature similar content, this one was no exception. It featured iconic San Francisco landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Financial District. It also shows President Barack Obamas speeches, a slideshow of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, and footage shot by Paris murderer Larossi Abballa, who on 13 June claimed the lives of a police commander and his partner.
A message was included in the video that read: Arise, O Muslims and kill the unbelievers in their own homes. This is in keeping with the now traditional calls for more lone wolf attacks on the US the terrorists have been issuing.
The Golden Gate footage appears to have been taken with a handheld camera, possibly a cell phone, while taking a walk along the pedestrian walkway.
San Francisco police did not report any ongoing plots or investigations into potential attacks at this time.
Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an RSS affiliate body, has withdrawn its invitation to the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for a grand Iftar party it is organising on 2 July, according to ANI.
Rashtriya Muslim Manch withdraws its invitation to Pak High Commissioner Abdul Basit fr Iftar party to be held at Parliament Annexe on July2 ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
In what was seen an attempt to redeem its anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan image, the right wing body had last week invited the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for Iftar on 2 July. According to a Times of India report, ambassadors of several other countries were also invited.
According to The Dawn, Pakistan's interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan had earlier in the same week, blamed Indian Hindu right wing organisations like the RSS to hamper the normalisation of ties between the nations. But, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch went ahead and invited Basit, saying their aim was to "tell the world about Indianness, helping people from all communities live in peace and harmony."
However, on Tuesday, just three days ahead of the party, the RSS affiliate body decided to withdraw its invitation, citing Pakistan's failure to condemn the attack on a CRPF convoy in Pampore in south Kashmir. The national convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch told ANI that the body has decided to withdraw its invitation.
Withdrew invite as Mr. Abdul Basit failed to condemn #PamporeAttack-Mohd Afzal,Nat'l Convener,Rashtriya Muslim Manch pic.twitter.com/71elReuZIP ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
Apparently, Basit had earlier downplayed the deadly attack on the CRPF convoy by asking the media to focus on the Iftar party during Ramzaan. We hope we will sit and discuss on the issue and find a solution. Its the month of Ramzaan, lets focus on this Iftaar party, Basit told the media when asked to react on the Pampore attack.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch was founded in December 2002, the same year as the infamous anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat. Their official website claims that the group founded by nationalist Muslims and functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) aims to bridge the widening rift between the Hindu and Muslim communities.
ISTANBUL Two suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding many more, Turkish officials and witnesses said.
Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall of the Ataturk airport but they blew themselves up, one of the officials said.
Speaking in parliament, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that based on initial information he could only confirm there had been one attacker. He said 10 people were killed and around 20 wounded.
"According to information I have received, at the entrance to the Ataturk Airport international terminal a terrorist first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew themself up," he said in comments broadcast by CNN Turk.
The state-run Anadolu agency said around 60 people were wounded, six of them seriously.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Ataturk is Turkey's largest airport and a major transport hub for international travellers. Pictures posted on social media from the site showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside one of the terminal buildings.
A witness told Reuters security officials prevented his taxi and other cars from entering the airport at around 9:50 pm (1850 GMT). Drivers leaving the terminal shouted "Don't enter! A bomb exploded!" from their windows to incoming traffic, he said.
Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene. One witness told CNN Turk that gunfire was heard from the car park at the airport. Taxis were ferrying wounded people from the airport, the witness said.
FLIGHTS HALTED
The head of Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik, said on CNN Turk that people should go to blood donation centres and not hospitals to give blood and called on people to avoid main roads to the airport to avoid blocking path of emergency vehicles.
Authorities halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and passengers were transferred to hotels, a Turkish Airlines official said. Earlier an airport official said some flights to the airport had been diverted.
Turkey has suffered a spate of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
In the most recent attack, a car bomb ripped through a police bus in central Istanbul during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36 near the main tourist district, a major university and the mayor's office.
Turkey, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, is also fighting Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.
(Reporting by Istanbul bureau; Writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattesall; Editing by Gareth Jones)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Antananarivo: A toddler died in hospital following a grenade attack in Madagascar's capital, bringing the death toll to three in what the president called "an act of terrorism".
The blast struck the Mahamasina municipal stadium in Antananarivo at around 7:30 pm local time (1600 GMT) on Sunday, just as a free concert was taking place to mark the nation's 56th anniversary of independence from France.
According to the gendarmerie, the attack immediately killed two teenagers aged 16 and 18.
"There are now three dead," including the 14-month-old girl who died of her wounds, Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana said on Monday, adding that 91 people were injured in the attack and an enquiry was under way.
President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who visited the wounded in hospital, blamed the attack on tensions with political opponents in the Indian Ocean island nation.
"There may be differences of opinion between us, but these acts of destabilisation are unacceptable," he said in a statement broadcast on national television, describing the attack as "not just a destabilising act but an act of terrorism".
Pleading for calm, he added: "We will not respond to violence with violence."
"I do not believe that a divergence of views pushes people to commit such an atrocity " said former prime minister Omer Beriziky, one of the voices critical of the current regime.
"The explosion was causd by a grenade," general Anthony Rakotoarison, head of security and intelligence with the national gendarmerie, told AFP by phone.
"We consider this a terrorist act," he added.
A military parade had been held at the stadium earlier Sunday.
One of those injured, 15-year-old John Joelison, said there were three security checks at the stadium. "So I can't understand how the attacker managed to get the bomb in," he said.
However a medical source said that the security forces had rapidly been overwhelmed, letting people come and go without being searched.
The last attack to hit Madagascar was in January 2014 when a grenade blast killed a toddler and injured several other people outside the same stadium targeted on Sunday.
No arrests were ever made in connection with that attack and there was no claim of responsibility.
Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries, is slowly getting back on its feet after a lengthy period of political instability triggered by the 2009 ouster of president Marc Ravalomanana by Antananarivo's then-mayor Andry Rajoelina.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will talk over phone on Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The decision was made after the Russian side received Erdogan's apologies over the death of the Russian pilot on the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November 2015, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We will need to take more than one step in each other's direction, one shouldn't think that everything can be normalised in a few days, but work on this will continue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"In particular, tomorrow, a phone call between Putin and President Erdogan will be held at Russia's initiative," Peskov said.
Kremlin on Monday said a letter was sent by Erdogan to Putin containing both an expression of regret and an apology for downing the Russian bomber, voicing readiness to mend ties.
According to Peskov, this was an important step made in the direction of normalising relations, which have soured after Turkish forces shot down a Russian Su-24 jet near the Turkish-Syrian border on November 24, 2015 for alleged airspace violation.
Denying such accusations by Turkey, Russia has repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologises and provides compensation for the downed aircraft and to the family of the killed pilot Oleg Peshkov.
After Iraqi officials declared Fallujah fully liberated, the U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants told lawmakers on Tuesday "planning is now underway" for a military campaign to free Mosul from the terrorist group.
"We will not put a timeline on the Mosul operation. But with momentum now on our side, it is safer to say that ISIL's days in Mosul - where it proclaimed its phony caliphate to the world - are numbered," Special Presidential Envoy of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk said in his written testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, using an another acronym for Islamic State.
After weeks of ferocious fighting, Iraqi forces ousted Islamic State extremists from Fallujah over the weekend with the support of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.
McGurk told senators: "Mosul will be a significant military challenge but also a political, diplomatic and humanitarian challenge. The planning is now underway."
Mosul, once home to millions of people, fell into control by Islamic State militants about two years ago. Iraqi leaders have vowed to liberate Mosul this year.
The U.S. is working through the coalition to ensure resources are ready to support Mosuls displaced population and lay the groundwork for their return and stabilization after Islamic State control.
The U. S. said morale inside the Islamic extremist group is plunging while coalition forces against it are gaining momentum.
The State Department called the liberation of Fallujah a major step towards the total defeat of Daesh in Iraq. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State terrorists.
The U.S. will host a pledging conference in Washington on July 20 to raise support for humanitarian and de-mining needs in Iraq. Participants will include representatives from Canada, Japan, Germany and other countries.
The programs under the Continuing Education Development Plan initiative, which was implemented 5 years ago by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), have gathered the interest of close to 240,000 residents, according to DSEJs Continuing Education Department head, Kong Ngai.
Kong was speaking on the sidelines of the plenary meeting of the Youth Council at the press conference held by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau.
Around 60 percent of the population [in conditions to apply to the program] already registered an account (during the 2nd phase), said Kong, adding that Macau has a program participation rate far higher than other neighboring regions.
The official used the example of the territories of Hong Kong and Taiwan where the participation rate is 12 and 7 percent respectively.
The 3rd phase, currently still under review, is expected to have a period of three years similar to the first two phases of the plan. According to a study ordered by the DSEJ to the Hong Kong company Policy 21 Limited, the duration is considered adequate.
A very long period might be difficult to manage in terms of the government budget, Kong said. We believe that three years is a good period for both parties, as for the people, it gives them time to establish a study plan according to their availability of time, he added.
According to the information from DSEJ, the same study done by the HK company will be used as reference for the conception of the 3rd phase.
Although there is no clear calendar or budget for the 3rd phase, Kong says that one of DSEJs aims is the electronization of the system that will operate through online platforms of application, submission of documents and communication to ease the process and allow a better collection of statistic data. Kong highlighted that the system to be in place will also allow closer contact with the course organizers in order to improve on the monitoring and inspection.
Six cases of suspected fraud related to the Continuing Education scheme were prosecuted. DSEJs Continuing Education Department head added that they are related to fraud and forging of documents, namely attendance sheets.
On a separate topic, the DSEJ Youth Department head, Un Choi Cheng commented on the mid-term review of the Youth Policy of Macau saying, 80 percent of the work have been already initiated, adding that the aim is to achieve, as its said on the 5-year plan, reach the goal of 95 percent [of the policies planned].
The official added that included in the 20 percent that DSEJ will work on, and that are currently in a preparatory study phase, will be measures like the cooperation between youth associations according to the one belt, one road initiative.
France has ordered the release of 30 Algerian political prisoners in a move aimed at winning Muslim support over French plans for the colonys future.
General Charles de Gaulle has already unveiled proposals for local elections in Algeria and for a referendum of all French citizens on changes to the constitution which would give him far-reaching powers as president.
He was invited back as French prime minister on 1 June to deal with the civil war in Algeria which was threatening to spill over into France. General de Gaulle was viewed as the only man capable of ensuring the obedience of French generals in Algeria.
The crisis in Algeria reached a head on 13 May when an army junta seized control of Algiers and General Raoul Salan announced that the army was in charge of the countrys destiny.
There have been a growing number of casualties in the war between those who wish to see Algeria remain a French colony and the Muslim nationalists who want the colony to break its ties with France.
At a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Paris today plans were discussed for limiting the powers of the French military authorities in Algeria.
It is understood the leader of the insurrection, General Salan, will remain in control but only temporarily. A new military commander in chief is to be appointed to replace him and he is to be relieved of his civil powers.
During a visit to Algeria earlier this month, the General spoke of giving equal rights to all Algerians whatever their race or creed, whether they were French settlers or Muslims.
He referred to the Muslim rebel forces who had put up a brave fight and had to be brought back within the French fold.
He also promised everyone would have a vote in the local elections. Until recently, pressure from the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) would have made it impossible for Muslims to express their opinions freely.
The General is returning to Algeria later this week.
Reports from Algiers suggest General Salan and his ruling Committee of Public Safety are making a number of demands. There are also claims that 100 or so undesirables, members of political parties and civilian officials, have been expelled.
A statement issued by the group made clear the insurrection was only suspended and the spirit of 13 May would spread to mainland France unless General de Gaulle pushed ahead with Algerian integration.
Courtesy BBC News
In context
General de Gaulle went on to become the first president of the fifth republic in December 1958.
His initial plan to end the civil war and create an Algeria closely linked to France in which Europeans and Muslims would join as partners met fierce opposition.
In September 1959 General de Gaulle dramatically reversed his stand and used the term self-determination for the first time. He envisioned majority rule in an Algeria formally associated with France.
In 1961 Mr de Gaulle began talks at Evian which led to an agreement for Algerian independence.
In July 1962 the country was declared independent.
French officials estimate the eight years of terrorism and warfare leading to independence cost 350,000 lives Algerian sources put the figure much higher at 1.5 million.
Panda Xinxin gave birth to twin cubs on Sunday, as announced in a brief statement made by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) to the media yesterday, at the IACM main building.
Xinxin gave birth to her first cub at 3.45 p.m. while the second one was born at 4.27 p.m., weighing 135 grams and 53.8 grams respectively.
After veterinary inspection, Xinxin and the first cub are in good condition, while the second cub is under 24-hour intensive care observation for being underweight.
Huang Wen Jun, a veterinarian from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, informed that it is very difficult to keep an underweight panda baby alive. However, Huang assured that caretakers will try their best to help the cub survive.
The Chairman of the Administration Committee of the IACM, Lei Wai Nong, said that the smaller cub will be under human care until it can be safely handed back to the mother.
At this stage according to the IACM, the gender of the cubs is not ascertained. However, in light of the current situation, all signs indicate the two cubs to be males.
Regarding their names, Chan Hoi Fan Sonia, Secretary for Administration and Justice, told the media that the IACM is at the time focusing primarily on providing the panda babies a comfortable living environment, therefore their naming will be revealed to the media later. Information will be given to the public in the future.
The panda pavilion will be closed until July 11. IACM administration committee member Leong Kun Fong informed that the pavilion is preparing a diary to keep track of the babies growth. The public who are interested in knowing about the pandas latest progress will be allowed to check this diary. The IACM will also print panda-themed post cards and brochures.
On July 12, only the father panda Hoi Hoi will meet the visitors, according to Leong. He expects Xinxin and her cubs to meet the public when the cubs are six months old. Staff reporter
The Philippine president-elect said yesterday he would aggressively promote artificial birth control in the country even at the risk of getting in a fight with the dominant Catholic church, which staunchly opposes the use of contraceptives.
Rodrigo Duterte, who is to be sworn to the presidency on Thursday, said having many children has driven families deeper into poverty, and he reiterated his recommendation for Filipinos to have three at most.
Known for his profanity-laden speeches, Duterte jokingly threatened to have penises of defiant men chopped off and cited his family planning program as a longtime mayor in southern Davao city, where he has offered cash rewards to villagers who volunteer to undergo free vasectomy or ligation and to doctors who perform the procedures.
I will reinstall the program of family planning. Threes enough, Duterte said in a speech after a flag-raising ceremony in front of the Davao city hall. Ive also been colliding with the church because its no longer realistic.
It was not clear if Duterte would replicate the reward system nationwide.
Duterte praised former President Fidel Ramos, who backed his presidential candidacy, for courageously promoting contraceptives as the countrys first Protestant leader starting in 1992.
Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, also figured in a high-profile spat with the Catholic church for signing a 2012 reproductive health law that allowed the government to finance the acquisition and distribution of contraceptives after overcoming a legal challenge by opponents.
Many politicians have tried to avoid colliding with influential Catholic bishops in the Philippines in the past by taking a vague position or not aggressively advocating contraceptives use.
Catholic leaders considered the law an attack on the churchs core values. Aquinos government said it helped the poor manage their number of children in a country that has one of Asias fastest-growing populations.
Duterte has had an adversarial relation with the church. During the campaign, Duterte had a tiff with Catholic bishops after cursing Pope Francis due to a monstrous traffic jam during the papal visit in January last year.
Last month, Duterte blasted the local Catholic church as the most hypocritical institution and accused some of its bishops of asking for favors from politicians. AP
It remains problematic for the region to achieve the goal of economic diversification and draw investors to non-gaming projects, a Singaporean scholar told the Times yesterday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Pearl River Delta Academy of International Trade and Investment Law 2016 launch yesterday, Henry Goh, associate professor of Law at the Singapore Management University, stressed that the city needs better infrastructures to be effective in attracting investors to the non-gaming market.
Goh said that the city needs to improve its education system so as to be able to attract investors to industries unrelated to gaming. He suggested that he believes this will take a long time.
The scholar also said that the regions trade and investment exhibitions are only useful to a certain extent. Unless you have the infrastructure and the capable workforce ready, I dont think investors would come, he said.
He stressed that just because businesses are attending such massive exhibitions in the city, it does not guarantee that they will invest in Macau.
When asked whether the region has the capacity to train and further educate residents needed to diversify the economy, Goh pointed out the regional competition.
Well it would be hard because nowadays Hong Kong and even China are already doing a lot of training. So the question is, why would people want to do it in Macau? he said.
The professor also argued that Macau is limited in its aspirations without partnering with neighboring regions, noting that the city could consider collaborating with other cities in the region such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
As the region has very limited land, the expert believes that affiliating with neighboring cities
will allow Macau to create a synergy that will lead to a more effective way to diversify and achieve a lot more than what it can achieve on its own.
Moreover the expert noted that the under-construction Hong Kong-
Zhuhai-Macau bridge is set to attract more visitors to Macau, allowing them to more easily access the region. Goh hoped that the bridge could also be a way to shore up the economy.
The training on international trade and investment law features courses focusing on international taxation, global governance, international environmental law and China-India economic order.
The Pearl River Delta Academy of International Trade and Investment Law 2016 will continue with daily sessions until Friday at the citys Cultural Centre. Staff reporter
A top Chinese diplomat is visiting Vietnam ahead of a ruling by an international court on Beijings extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The visit by State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who outranks the foreign minister, comes as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is expected to issue a ruling in a case filed by the Philippines contesting Beijings claims to most of the South China Sea.
Beijing has rejected the arbitration, saying the territorial disputes should be negotiated directly between rival claimants.
Tran Cong Truc, former head of Vietnams border committee, said Yang may try to lobby Vietnamese leaders on the issue, but that Vietnams opposition to Chinese claims to virtually the entire region will not change.
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh told Yang yesterday that ties between Vietnam and China will remain good despite the territorial disputes.
We are glad to realize that the two countries relationship continues its trend of positive development, despite some existing problems that need to be solved, Minh said after greeting Yang.
The two top diplomats also witnessed the signing of a memorandum on cooperation between the two countries maritime police forces.
The two forces faced off against each other in May 2014 when China placed a giant oil drilling rig near the Vietnamese-claimed Paracel islands off Vietnams central coast.
The oil rig incident plunged relations between the two Communist neighbors to their lowest point in years. Since then the two countries have been trying to mend ties.
Yang is in Hanoi to co-chair an annual conference on Vietnam-China cooperation. He was to meet with Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dai Quang yesterday before departing today. AP
Vietnam has welcomed around 4.7 million tourists in the first half of 2016, an increase of 21.3 percent year-on-year, according to an announcement made yesterday by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
In June alone, the country has received 700,446 international tourists, down 7.5 percent from May and up 29.8 percent year-on-year. During the six-month period, the Vietnamese tourism sector has also seen around 32.4 million domestic visitors.
The countrys total tourism revenue from January to June period is estimated to be around 200.339 trillion Vietnamese dong (over USD8. 98 billion), up 22.1 percent year-on-year, said the administration on its website.
In 2016, Vietnam set itself the target of welcoming 8.5 million international tourists and 60 million domestic visitors. The country is set to earn 370 trillion Vietnamese dong (USD16.59 billion) from tourism. MDT/Xinhua
Uber, an online transportation plat-form that is in its 8th month of operation in the region is not only being used by locals but by tourists as well.
As the app is used in nearly 500 cities globally general manager of Uber Macau, Trasy Lou Walsh told a media gathering yesterday, noting that costumers from 150 cities used Uber in the territory.
Declining to comment on the controversy with local authorities (who previously claimed that Uber is operating illegally) Walsh revealed that the ultimate vision of the online app while operating in the region is to make Macau a more livable city for locals, also stressing that Uber can help boost the citys tourism image.
We usually hear from tourists that they love Macau but getting around to the historical areas and then getting back to the hotel is just very painful, she told the Times yesterday.
Uber was launched in Macau in October last year as part of its expansion into Asia. While it first operated in the United States in 2010, Walsh noted that it was only in 2013 when the company started its operation in Asia, with Singapore in its sights.
The general manager admitted that since the online transportation platform has been focusing on primarily expanding in China; in the span of two years it has expanded to between 40-50 cities, with an aim of providing the service to over 100 cities in China by the end of this year.
Although she refused to disclose the number of Uber drivers in Macau, she revealed that the number of drivers is increasing every day. Driver numbers are not really something that we think are a very good indicator of how our business is growing, she stressed.
Because some drivers can work like one hour a week since were a very flexible platform. Some drivers can be online for over 40 hours a week. [] We dont want to give a number to mislead [the media].
The general manager said they want to maintain the average of a five-minute waiting time for Uber users, seeking to continually shorten the waiting time. She admitted that when Uber first started operation in Macau, the waiting time was 20 minutes.
Now its five minutes, so this is a good indicator of how much the business has grown in terms of drivers and riders, she noted.
According to Walsh, the main users of their services are the elderly and children, especially those who live in areas where taxis do not normally pass by.
The legality of Ubers service in Macau has been questioned by groups of taxi drivers and authorities. In November last year, the secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam sated that the service violates the law and therefore is illegal.
Authorities said that the provision of such services is illegal and the region has its own legal and public transport systems.
Nonetheless, Uber claimed they have created job opportunities for drivers who used to work in the casino VIP businesses and were affected by Chinas economic crackdown.
Uber helped some of them to actually earn a living, said Walsh. We hope to continue to do better and improve. Lynzy Valles
AREAS along Zimbabwes border with Mozambique are under threat from the unrest rocking the neighbouring country following fresh clashes between the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) government and opposition Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo), the Financial Gazette can report. Renamo, a rebel movement led by opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama, waged a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992 against Frelimo, which has been ruling Mozambique since independence in 1975. The Dhlakama-led militant opposition went into a power-sharing arrangement with the Filipe Nyusi-led government, but later withdrew in 2013 citing an unfair governance system. The rebel movement also refused to accept the Frelimo partys victory in 2014 elections and has taken up arms. In an escalation of a simmering conflict between the old civil war foes, pockets of violent clashes have erupted in the neighbouring country. Mozambiques Ministry of Education and Human Development has revealed that 97 schools have been closed in Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia provinces due to clashes between Renamo and government security forces.
The on-going clashes are posing a new security threat to Zimbabwe after Renamo rebels and Mozambican refugees were spotted in areas bordering Mozambique in the eastern province.
Early this year, Renamo rebel soldiers were spotted in Nyanga and Burma Valley where they lured unemployed youths to join their army.
In Chipinge District situated in the southern part of Manicaland Mozambicans have sought refuge.
Members of Parliament, traditional leaders and pressure groups have warned of an imminent threat posed by the conflict in Mozambique.
Nyanga North legislator, Hubert Nyanhongo, told a Parliamentary session in March this year that Renamo rebels were recruiting youths from his constituency.
A Burma Valley-based farmer recently confirmed similar incidents in the banana farming area.
We are at risk of losing some of our farm workers here because Renamo soldiers have been coming here frequently and asking our workers to join their army. We are very worried about our safety and that of our livestock. Who knows maybe tomorrow they will be forcing everyone to join, said the resettled farmer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Chipinge resident and Platform for Youth Development founder, Claris Madhuku, said Mozambicans fleeing from the unrest were seeking refuge in Chipinge.
It may be important for the public to know that the unrest in Mozambique is affecting areas along the border. There has been an influx of people from Mozambique to Zimbabwe, who are seeking refuge from Matsangaise (Renamo rebels), he said.
Chief Mapungwana also confirmed that several Mozambicans have approached his traditional council asking for a place to seek refuge.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Luxson Chananda, however, said he was in the dark over the matter.
But Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson, Charity Charamba, said their officers in Manicaland were on high alert.
I have checked with officer commanding Manicaland and officer commanding Mashonaland West because they, both, police borders with Mozambique, but they havent received anything official. They have also checked with refugee camps (Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge), but there are unconfirmed rumours. So they are going to verify these reports and see whether its true or not, she said.
Provincial army spokesperson, Major Luke Mafere, referred questions to national army spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Alphios Makotore, who requested questions in writing.
These were e-mailed to him over a fortnight ago before he later requested this paper to send the questions to a Colonel Ndlovu at the Zimbabwe National Army headquarters.
Ndlovu had not responded to questions from this newspaper at the time of going to print.
Buhera South legislator, Joseph Chinotimba, recently raised concerns in Parliament over the armys state of preparedness in dealing with the Mozambican crisis.
Chinotimba said Zimbabweans living along border areas were not safe, including the countrys investments such as the Beira Corridor which transports fuel from the Beira Port to Mutare.
Minister of Defence, Sydney Sekeremayi, responded by saying government was closely following events in Mozambique and would react accordingly to any threats.
The Mozambican government should be the first to deal with Renamo rebellion. When our interests are tempered with, we will definitely react and we will notify the government there, Sekeremayi told Parliament.
In http://www.financialgazette.co.zw/zimbabwe-borders-under-threat/
KETCHUM Who are the real people behind the city of Ketchums operations?
Now you can find out through a new storytelling app developed by Ketchum-based start-up business Solu Publishing.
The city-and-business partnership allows Ketchums stories to be shared with the world in an innovative way.
Were a very small town, Assistant City Manager Lisa Enourato said. So its nice for the public to know their city servants on a more personal level.
Solu Publishing has been in the Ketchum Innovation Center for more than a year, and released the Solu app for iPad a couple of months ago. The apps purpose is to allow people to share their memoirs in one place via video, audio and text. It was built on the five pillars of inspiration, organization, social connection, collaboration and preservation, CEO David Currier said.
Most social media is really about what youre doing at the moment, Currier said. Solu is really about who you are, not what youre doing.
Since its launch, more than 2,000 authors have created accounts. The app is free to download and view, Currier said, but anyone who wants to contribute and create content pays a one-time fee of $29.95 for single-authorship or $49.995 for additional collaborators. Unlike other platforms, Solu defaults posts to private versus public, he said.
Enourato said Ketchum Mayor Nina Jonas came up with the idea of using it for the city.
She really loved it, and saw the way the city could utilize this as getting information out to the public, Enourato said.
Jonas referred to Solu as an answer to her trunk full of memories.
So far, the city has posted the stories of its mayor, city councilmen and three of its employees. Enourato said she also included stories about geocaching and the arts and plans to post more. The city can use the multimedia storytelling program for free, but Enourato believes it will help raise awareness of Solu.
Its a great way to support one of Ketchums start-up businesses, she said.
The city entered the partnership into the City-County Communications & Marketing Associations Savvy Awards, Currier said.
The Solu app for iPad is just the first step, as the company prepares to launch the project on more platforms later this year.
The browser version of Solu will go live Friday, with a mobile app coming out later this summer, Currier said. Also planned is a new feature that will allow authors to have unlimited downloads of Solu ebooks for a $1.99 fee.
Solu Publishing is seeking investors to move forward, as it plans to develop a curriculum for educational opportunities. Another potential for Solu to expand is in the preservation of language and culture, Currier said.
People are using it in ways we never imagined at the outset, he said.
Solu Publishing opened in the Ketchum Innovation Center in 2015, and received a tax-reimbursement incentive from the Idaho Department of Commerce. Over five years, the company is required to hire 88 full-time employees with jobs paying higher than the countys average. The average wage is estimated at $60,500.
In 2016, the company plans to hire about 15 employees, Currier said. Its already brought in three more from the original four. Solu Publishings co-founders are Currier, Stephen and Joseph White. Currier said the beauty of software developing is that it can be done anywhere and the backdrop of the Wood River Valley was ideal for the companys purposes.
The Ketchum Innovation Center, meanwhile, is also getting bigger.
It has the capacity to not only accelerate our growth, but a lot of other companies, Currier said.
The center was planned to occupy the former post office in July.
TWIN FALLS The U.S. Attorneys office will investigate illegal threats and harassment of public officials related to an alleged sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl at the Fawnbrook Apartments.
But federal prosecutors clarified Tuesday that U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson was not referring to constitutionally protected speech when she said some statements related to a sexual assault at the Fawnbrook Apartments may violate federal law.
Many in the press, public and online bloggers are misinterpreting the statement I issued on Friday, June 24, 2016, in support of the 5-year-old victim of an assault in Twin Falls, Idaho, and in support of the law enforcement authorities there who are prosecuting the case, Olson said in the statement. The statement was not intended to and does not threaten to arrest or prosecute anyone for First Amendment protected speech.
Olson went on to say she issued the statement because public officials had gotten threats, and that those may violate federal law and will be investigated. She continued to say she was concerned that intentionally false and inflammatory rumors are creating an unsafe environment in Twin Falls, and that the threats appear to have stemmed from said false and inflammatory information, often spread by people outside of Twin Falls.
Olson urged people to support the victim and her family and to be patient while the juvenile justice system works.
In the case, three boys, aged 7, 10, and 14, from Iraqi and Sudanese families, are accused of being involved in a sexual assault against a 5-year-old girl at Fawnbrook on June 2. The two older boys are facing juvenile charges, and the story went viral earlier this month after the boys were arrested.
Several blogs that reported about the incident claimed the boys were Syrian or described graphic details of the assault that police and prosecutors have said were inaccurate. Some have also accused the city of trying to cover up what happened, an accusation officials have denied.
Local police and the FBI are investigating death threats made to several city officials.
Olsons original statement on the case didnt distinguish between threats and other false or inflammatory speech.
We have seen time and again that the spread of falsehoods about refugees divides our communities, Olson said in her original statement Friday. The spread of false information or inflammatory or threatening statements about the perpetrators or the crime itself reduces public safety and may violate federal law.
This led some to wonder whether Olson was threatening people who criticize the government, Islam or refugee resettlement.
Idaho Refugee Rape: Obama Justice Official Threatens Americans Who Criticize Migrant Program, the conservative news website Breitbart headlined its story on Olsons comments.
Ms. Olsons not-so-veiled threat is closer to illegal speech by a government official than the speech she threatens, David Yerushalmi, a lawyer and political activist who is involved in the anti-Shariah law movement, told WorldNetDaily. But this abuse of government power is no surprise coming from the political hacks this president has appointed in the U.S. attorneys offices.
Eugene Volokh, a legal blogger at the Washington Post, also said Olsons remarks seemed to go further than merely warning people would be held accountable for illegal threats.
The federal prosecutor surely knows how to speak carefully and precisely about what very limited sorts of speech she can prosecute, Volokh wrote. Yet she chose to equally threaten federal prosecution not just for the punishable true threats or for the deliberate lies that may be punished under state but not federal law but also for an unspecified range of inflammatory statements about the perpetrators or the crime itself, as well as for the spread of false information (with no limitation on the spread of deliberate lies). It looks like an attempt to chill constitutionally protected speech through the threat of federal prosecution.
Read Olsons two statements:
Friday, June 24: The United States Attorneys Office extends its support to the five-year-old victim of assault, and her family, at the Fawnbrook Apartments in Twin Falls. The United States Attorneys Office further encourages community members in Twin Falls and throughout Idaho to remain calm and supportive, to pay close attention to the facts that have been released by law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney, and to avoid spreading false rumors and inaccuracies.
Grant Loebs is an experienced prosecutor, and Chief Craig Kingsbury is an experienced law enforcement officer. They are moving fairly and thoughtfully in this case, said Wendy J. Olson, U.S. Attorney for Idaho. As Mr. Loebs and Chief Kingsbury informed the public, the subjects in this case are juveniles, ages 14, 10 and 7. The criminal justice system, whether at the state or federal level, requires that juveniles be afforded a specific process with significant restrictions on the information that can be released. The fact that the subjects are juveniles in no way lessens the harm to or impact on the victim and her family. The spread of false information or inflammatory or threatening statements about the perpetrators or the crime itself reduces public safety and may violate federal law. We have seen time and again that the spread of falsehoods about refugees divides our communities. I urge all citizens and residents to allow Mr. Loebs and Chief Kingsbury and their teams to do their jobs.
Tuesday, June 28: U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson issues the following statement:
Many in the press, public and online bloggers are misinterpreting the statement I issued on Friday, June 24, 2016, in support of the five-year-old victim of an assault in Twin Falls, Idaho, and in support of the law enforcement authorities there who are prosecuting the case. The statement was not intended to and does not threaten to arrest or prosecute anyone for First Amendment protected speech.
I issued the statement because public officials in Twin Falls have received threats. Certain threatening or harassing communications may violate federal law and will be investigated. I am also concerned that intentionally false and inflammatory rumors are creating an unsafe environment in Twin Falls. In this case, it appears that the threats have resulted from false and inflammatory information spread about this crime, often times by those from outside of the community. I encourage all to be patient while the juvenile justice system works. I also encourage all to support this victim and her family.
RAFT RIVER Two Oregon residents were injured Sunday in a one-vehicle rollover crash that closed westbound lanes on Interstate 86 for six hours.
Idaho State Police investigated the crash, which occurred near milepost 14 west of the Raft River-Yale Road exit at 3:15 p.m.
Michael C. Holmes, 71, of Springfield, Ore., was driving a 2006 GMC Sierra pickup pulling a camp trailer when he lost control of the pickup.
The pickup hit the guardrail and the vehicle turned over and blocked both westbound lanes.
Holmes was taken by ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.
Holmes passenger, Becky A. Holmes, 65, also of Springfield, was transported by air to Portneuf Medical Center and was later flown to the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City.
Both were wearing seat belts.
The crash remains under investigation.
RUPERT A man and woman were found dead Sunday in an apparent murder-suicide at a Rupert residence.
Officers found Kelli Joann York, 47, dead from multiple gunshot wounds and Lauren R. Jackson, 57, dead with a single gunshot wound, after someone called 911 about 7:30 p.m.
Police would not say Monday who called 911.
York and Jackson were a former couple, police said.
Minidoka County Coroner Lucky Bourn said he planned to take the bodies to Boise on Tuesday for autopsies.
Detectives suspect the deaths were connected to a domestic dispute, according to a statement issued Monday by the city.
The Rupert Police Department, Minidoka County Sheriffs Office and Idaho State Police continue to investigate. They are waiting for an official coroners report before releasing more information.
There is no ongoing threat to public safety, police say.
TWIN FALLS A patient at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center jumped a fence to try to get to the Air St. Lukes helicopter Monday afternoon, city authorities said.
Police received a report a little before 2 p.m. of an intoxicated man in a white tank top and shorts running around the hospitals parking lot, city spokesman Joshua Palmer said. Palmer said the man, who had been a patient at the hospital, fled the emergency department, which is near the helipad, and headed for the helicopter.
Hospital security pulled him back, Palmer said, but the man fled again into the parking lot. When police arrived, Palmer said, they tasered him to prevent him from harming himself or anyone else.
Palmer said the mans intentions, whether he was trying to steal the helicopter or not, werent clear. Palmer said he would likely face charges but hasnt been charged.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.
Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
RUPERT As police continue to investigate what led up to a murder-suicide Sunday in Rupert, the towns police chief says it involved a man he knew for 20 years.
Police found Kelli Joann York, 47, dead from multiple gunshot wounds and Lauren R. Jackson, 57, dead with a single gunshot wound, after someone called 911 about 7:30 p.m.
York and Jackson were a former couple, police said. Detectives suspect the deaths were connected to a domestic dispute, according to a statement issued Monday by the city.
Im as dumbfounded as anyone else, Rupert Police Chief James Wardle said. I cant imagine him doing something like that.
Jackson was a volunteer with the city and worked at the city of Ruperts Outdoor Shooting Complex. Jackson volunteered to help manage the range starting in late 2014. He was not a city employee but was a reserve police officer for the city more than a decade ago.
Wardle said he worked for the county sheriffs office while Jackson was a reserve officer. The two worked together several times, including patrol at ball games. Jackson worked with a police dog when he was on the force, Wardle remembered.
Something like this touches more than just the family, it touches everyone involved, the police chief said.
Tall flowers ran the length of a wooden ramp to Jacksons front door and police tape surrounded the rest of the home Tuesday morning. Jeff Smith, a reserve officer with the city, sat outside of his patrol car, parked on one corner.
Its been a lot of years since Ive been with him, he said.
Years ago, the two had gone geocaching together up in Pomerelle. The last time he saw Jackson was in October at the citys gun range, where the retired reserve officer volunteered.
On one side of the house was a light brown Honda cruiser motorcycle. A boat sat in the backyard attached to a Chevrolet truck.
By accounts from his neighbors, Jackson loved the outdoors.
Joel Garcia Jr., visiting his parents who live behind Jacksons home, grew up with the former officers daughter. He said Jackson was into hunting. The two said hello to each other whenever they were outside.
On Sunday night, Garcia Jr.s parents heard what may have been gunshots from Jacksons home. He was shocked at the news, calling it crazy.
He was a pretty good guy, Garcia Jr. said. Hard worker and everything.
City Administrator Kelly Anthon said many city employees knew Jackson and are in shock that he could be involved what appears to be a murder.
I never really knew him but I had worked with him also. It is a real tragedy, he said. Our real sympathies go out to the victim and her family and to Laurens family. This type of thing affects everyone, especially in a small community like this with the values that we have.
Jackson was enthusiastic about the city gun range and started several programs, Anthon said.
The city is very satisfied with law enforcement and the prosecutors office for the thoroughness of the investigation, Anthon said. They are finding out what the facts are and there has been no rush to judgment. A very important part of the investigation is the other law enforcement agencies that have been working with the city police department to make sure it is a thorough investigation and to lend us resources.
Anthon said after the investigation is complete, Minidoka County Prosecutor Lance Stevenson will review the case. Autopsies were planned for Tuesday but coroner Lucky Bourn couldnt be reached for comment.
By about 5 p.m., the police tape around Jacksons home was removed. Outside was Rupert councilman Todd McGhie along with employees from a cleaning and restoration company. The house had been cleared from the investigation and released to a daughter, McGhie said.
Jacksons neighbors said hed lived at the house for about 25 years. He was previously married but divorced. Neighbor Sandra and her daughter Sonya Cantu said York lived with Jackson last year but that she had been back at the house for about two weeks. She kept to herself and would not say hi to them, Sandra said.
Jackson often fished and showed Sandras husband what he caught. Hed also wave to the family when hed walk home from his job at the A&B Irrigation District.
He was a nice guy when he wanted to be, she said.
Still, Sandra said she speculated Jackson may have been a little controlling with York.
He would talk, she said. But she wouldnt.
The Cantus didnt hear or see any arguments leading up to Sundays shooting. By all accounts, it was a quiet household. But on Sunday, the Cantus were at home next door when they heard at least five gun shots.
All me and my sister heard were big bangs, Sonya said. It sounded like hammering.
Sonya said she heard about five or six shots in about 30 seconds. Then a minute later, she said, one last bang.
The Garcias, neighbors of Jacksons for nearly 25 years, were also home on Sunday. They said they never heard any arguments or knew of trouble with Jackson the entire time they lived next door.
Joel Garcia Sr. said he last spoke to Jackson in the middle of the month when the city had a boil order. The two were talking about the water well that caused the city to shut down its water system.
His wife, Rosalina, was outside on Sunday when she heard shots from Jacksons home.
She was watering the plants, Garcia said, but thought it was just fireworks.
Q: The hanging baskets on Shoshone Street are beautiful. Whats the secret?
A: Moss Greenhouse supplies the plants that are designed to withstand the heat and wind that is common to streetscapes, said Todd Andersen, the citys parks coordinator. The Parks and Rec crews water the plants twice daily. We fertilize every four weeks in the water solution to keep the plants healthy.
The city has more than 70 hanging baskets and watering them all takes about four hours a day, Andersen said. Thats 250 gallons of water daily.
We use a truck supplied by Wills Toyota with a hand wand, he said. It takes two people to operate the water truck, one to drive the truck and one to water in the bed.
The conditions for those baskets are tricky because it is so hot up there and they have much exposure to wind and dont always have enough water. Taking all of that into consideration, we selected a variety of cascading Ivy Geraniums that would hold up to the wind, heat, and be drought tolerant. Also, their variety needs very little maintenance so there is no pinching of dead blooms needed. They are periodically fertilized and do have a moisture mat in the bottom to help keep the plant from getting too thirsty, said Jennifer Moss, marketing and sales for Moss Greenhouse.
The city changed the watering times this year so traffic is blocked less frequently, Andersen said.
The baskets, which hang on Shoshone Street, start out near Glanbia Foods on south Shoshone, and continue northeast on Shoshone to Sixth Avenue at the corner of City Park.
The baskets are hung up on June 1 and taken down as weather holds out, usually around early October, said Andersen.
Shirley Long, Brian Martin, Thomas Bernier, and Ida Carreira are the employees that do the daily watering and deserve thanks for doing a great job, Andersen said. Wills Toyota deserves a big thank you for letting us use their vehicles every year for this project.
TWIN FALLS Mike Winston passed out kits with magnifying glasses Monday to a group of about 10 teachers.
Those are yours to keep, the retired Shelley teacher said during an i-STEM summer institute at the College of Southern Idaho. Those are cool magnifying glasses.
Teachers gathered around a desk to look at mustard seeds using the brightly-colored handheld devices.
STEM on the playground is among seven workshops this week to help preschool through 12th grade teachers better incorporate science, technology, engineering and math lessons in their classrooms, affecting thousands of students.
About 160 teachers are participating in the workshops at CSIs Twin Falls campus. And across Idaho, its among six institutes this month, with about 700 teachers whove signed up.
Its the seventh year for the program, put on by Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Department of Education and industry partners.
Its lots of fun, hands-on learning (teachers) can take back to their students in the fall, said Anne Seifert, K-12 STEM manager for the Idaho National Laboratory.
Across the state, 42 different workshops are being offered. In Twin Falls, topics include materials science, high school chemistry, and probability and statistics in gaming.
Heres six takeaways from the institute, which runs through Thursday:
Filling a Statewide Need
The Idaho Board of Educations Complete College Idaho plan aims for 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds to have a post-secondary degree or certificate by 2020. And skilled workers are especially needed in STEM fields.
Computer science/technology and engineering are college degrees that will be in the highest demand statewide by 2018, according to Idaho Business for Education.
Finding Time for Science Lessons
Sara Holley, a kindergarten teacher in Filer, is going into her second year of teaching. Shes looking for resources to help her implement science lessons in her classroom.
Theres not really a lot of opportunities for us to teach science, she said. But when shes able to find time, my kids love it.
The kindergarten curriculum tends to focus on math and reading, she said. And she was surprised by the lack of science standards for kindergarten.
Another institute participant Jamie Bridges, who teaches at CSIs preschool lab, wants to learn more about scientific names of plants and animals and how to incorporate technology into lessons.
Science by Observation
Winston told a group of teachers many students are ill-prepared for going on field trips. They look around and in about 10 minutes, theyre ready to go home or pull out their phone, he said.
Teachers should help students prepare, and encourage them to slow down and observe their surroundings., he said. Nature will take care of itself if a kid slows down.
On Monday, his group of teachers went on a field trip where they were encouraged to use their senses something they can do with their students.
Many Career Pathways
Eian Harm and Matt Wigglesworth, instructors of Getting Dirty with STEM, are both former geologists who became educators for their second career. Harm, a former science teacher, is now a district administrator for the West Ada School District in Meridian.
There are many science-related jobs that go unfilled, Harm said. And he said there needs to be a larger realization that not every child is going to embark on a traditional path, such as going to a four-year university. We have to engage kids in a variety of different pathways.
Assuming every child will end up becoming a college professor, for example, is a flawed model and doesnt work economically, Harm said, adding there needs to be a focus on preparing students for science-related trades, too.
Real World Application
During the Getting Dirty with STEM workshop, teachers will look at what local resource and environmental scientists do.
Theyre coming up with their own experiment questions, collecting samples from the South Hills to the Wood River Valley, and presenting their findings.
The purpose is to tie in real-world application with science lessons, Harm said, and to encourage students to take charge of developing their own research questions. Ultimately, its about student-centered learning.
His group of teachers will also visit Stukenholtz Laboratory in Twin Falls, a soil sample lab.
Taking Lessons Back to the Classroom
The key thing that tends to be missing in teaching workshops is time for participants to figure out how to apply content in their own classrooms, Harm said.
He wants to ensure teachers can take what theyve learned and create a lesson plan.
By the end of the institute, I hope they see what inquiry is, he said, as well as how to design their own experiments, collect and present data.
And Harm hopes theyll have a deeper knowledge of local environmental topics and opportunities to engage students.
BOISE A Supreme Court ruling Monday that struck down Texas laws limiting access to abortions is raising new questions about efforts to regulate the procedure in Idaho.
Like Texas, Idaho is a red state where the governor and a solid majority in the Legislature are against abortion, and bills seeking to restrict the practice further have come up during most recent sessions. This year saw the enactment of a bill requiring abortion providers in Idaho to provide a list of places to get a free ultrasound, and one banning harvesting organs or tissue from aborted fetuses.
While the specific abortion restrictions in Texas that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down on Monday are not in Idaho law, Idaho is in the middle of one lawsuit over abortion restrictions that opponents say go beyond what the U.S. Constitution allows.
Planned Parenthood of the Greater Northwest and Hawaiian Islands filed a federal lawsuit in December 2015 seeking to void two laws passed in 2015 that ban the use of telemedicine when a doctor consults with a patient through a telephone or internet connection rather than in person to administer abortion drugs.
Idaho was also the subject of an abortion lawsuit that ended a year ago when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated a state law banning abortion later than 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The Texas law that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in a 5-3 ruling required abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges and required clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery. The same requirements are on the books in other states, although they are on hold in some pending court rulings. Idaho does not have these particular requirements; Sen. Lee Heider, R-Twin Falls, introduced an admitting privileges bill in 2015, but it didnt pass.
Hannah Brass Greer, Planned Parenthoods Idaho lobbyist, said her organization is thrilled with the Supreme Courts decision, but it doesnt automatically erase the harm done in states, including Idaho, that have passed increasing restrictions on abortion over the past decade. She said the ruling bolsters their arguments in the telemedicine lawsuit.
We were optimistic yesterday, and even more so today, she said.
In light of the ruling, Planned Parenthood here and throughout the country plans to review their states existing abortion restrictions to see if any conflict with the high courts decision, Brass Greer said.
U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said in a statement the ruling underlines the importance of electing a president who will appoint conservative judges to Supreme Court. Many Republicans who didnt initially support presumptive nominee Donald Trump, such as Labrador, have been making the argument that voting for him is important to ensure conservative judges are appointed this was one of the themes of Labradors speech at the state GOP convention earlier this month.
I am deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court has sided with the abortion industry and erased health and safety protections for innocent women and unborn children, Labrador said Monday. This decision means abandoning common-sense clinical standards and the perpetuation of abuse and negligence.
TWIN FALLS A sexual assault against a 5-year-old girl that has brought national attention to Twin Falls was again the focus of the public comment at the City Council Monday, although it was a calmer meeting than last week's, with many people focusing on the need to help the victim.
"We don't want lawlessness in our community," Heather Stroup said. "We want to be protected from all lawlessness wherever it's found."
Mayor Shawn Barigar, who has received threats against himself and his family related to the incident, started things off with a speech urging people to have faith in the justice system and remember the girl and her family.
"At the heart of this incident is a 5-year-old victim," he said.
Barigar said the pieces of the incident that were known were "woven together into a narrative of falsehood," and people spread online "a story that is beyond the bounds of reason and (based) in emotion and fiction."
This, Barigar said, painted a picture of a community "that is not us." He asked people to keep their emotions in check and base future discussion on "facts and good information."
"We are friendly and neighborly, and we love this community with all of our hearts," he said.
The girl was assaulted at the Fawnbrook Apartments on June 2. Three boys, ages 7, 10, and 14, and from Sudanese and Iraqi families, were implicated and the two older boys are facing juvenile charges.
The case is sealed because of the ages of the accused, but Police Chief Craig Kingsbury and Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs have gone public to refute details that were incorrectly reported on anti-refugee and anti-Muslim blogs after the boys were taken into custody a week-and-a-half ago, such as claims that the boys were Syrian refugees, that they held the girl at knife-point or that it was a gang rape. Some have accused city officials and prosecutors of trying to cover up the incident, and city offices and officials have been deluged with emails and phone calls about it, some of them threatening.
Julie Ruf, an outspoken opponent of refugee resettlement, said she would pray for the safety of the members of the City Council, and praised Vice Mayor Suzanne Hawkins, who ran last week's meeting, for keeping calm and letting people express themselves.
"What type of people would we be were we not emotion about the rape of a small child?" Ruf asked.
Ruf said it is the community's responsibility to keep the girl safe. Fawnbrook is evicting the boys' families, but Ruf said they are still there now and the little girl is afraid to go outside.
"Who has become the prisoner?" she asked. "After being dragged and attacked and violated. Who has become the prisoner?"
A couple of people praised the Council's handling of things. Scott McKinney said the boys, who are also children, need to be protected as well, and that authorities shouldn't release any more information than necessary. He said fear is driving much of the public reaction, as well as the connections between what happened and the larger issue of refugee resettlement.
"People are scared," McKinney said. "They don't want these people. To me, I'm 100 percent in favor of trying to help these people."
Out of all the people who spoke, Terrence Edwards was most critical of the Council, accusing them of not being compassionate toward the victim and calling them "bumps on a log" and "an embarrassment to this community." Edwards and Ruf were among a handful of refugee resettlement opponents who came to a City Council meeting two weeks ago while police were still investigating and before the boys were taken into custody, asking questions about the incident. The City Council members who spoke at the time said they weren't aware of it.
"By you guys not putting your foot forward first and getting ahead of this issue, (you) brought this onto your own heads," Edwards said.
TWIN FALLS At least 28 people have died on Idaho roadways since Memorial Day weekend, including at least five in the Magic Valley.
The Idaho Transportation Department says the 100 days from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day are the deadliest and most dangerous on Idahos roadways, and so far 2016 is no exception. If the current pace continued until Labor Day, 84 people would die on Idaho roadways this summer the same number that died last year in the same time.
Its more than just a number, says ITDs new Driving Toward Zero campaign video. Its mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and other loved ones.
The campaign urges drivers this summer to think of the lives youre saving by driving smart, because smart choices can save lives.
Last weekend was a particularly deadly period across the state, with three deaths Saturday and four on Sunday.
In the Magic Valley, there were fatality crashes on both days, with passengers killed in both crashes. On Saturday, a child whose name was not released was thrown from a car that lost control and went airborne about 6 a.m. on Idaho 24 in Lincoln County. The child died at the scene.
On Sunday, 55-year-old Jesus Gomez-Rangel, of Gooding, was thrown from a pickup that lost control and overcorrected about 3 a.m. on U.S. 26 in Gooding County. Gomez-Rangel was flown to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise, where he later died.
Across the rest of the state this weekend, Idaho State Police reported these fatality crashes:
Thomas Schwartzenberger, 51, of Cheney, Wash., was riding an all-terrain vehicle Saturday near Kingston when he swerved off a road, hit a tree, went down a long embankment and hit another tree. His passenger was injured.
Robert Gust, 24, of Bonners Ferry and his 25-year-old passenger, Christopher Erickson, of Deland, Fla., were both killed Sunday in Post Falls when their car rolled off an exit ramp on Interstate 90.
Motorcyclist Kevin Guth, 52, of Meridian was killed Sunday on Idaho 55 near Horseshoe Bend when he crossed the center divider and crashed into oncoming traffic.
Dalton Parrish, 26, of Spokane, Wash., lost control of his car Saturday night on U.S. Highway 89 near the Utah border. Parrish was not wearing his seat belt and his car caught on fire after hitting the trees. He was taken to a hospital in northern Utah before he was flown to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he died.
Enough is enough
The story read: A Muslim radical who was being investigated for terror ties stabbed a French police chief to death outside his home, then tortured the mans wife in front of their toddler son all while live streaming his rampage on Facebook.
I guess we should all get used to that, as certain factions in our country and much of Europe, have seen to it these licentious murderers are welcomed, against a backdrop of the needy faces that ISIS spokesmen say will continue to be infiltrated.
Although a 10th-generation American, I recognize my family landed on these shores as immigrants.
Thus, I am not prejudiced against Muslims who come here to gain a better future and be part of what was once the American dream. But, how much carnage must we see committed by people welcomed into our military, law enforcement, businesses that require heavy screening, or those being investigated, before we pull up our socks, say enough is enough, and stop ignoring the magnitude of the problem?
Conservatives across the country said they were tired of the same old, same old and wanted to give Trump a chance, and now his own party seems more determined to destroy him than the Hate-America-First Left. That is far afield from the electoral process I was taught about in school. The conservatives spoke. But, the minions of the GOP didnt like what they heard. So they, like the Supreme Court they enjoy chastening so heartily, just changed the rules. Many countries have used our Constitution as a model. I wish we could remember that and why.
I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Thomas Jefferson
William Denham
Twin Falls
Starting July 1, Idahoans will be able to defend themselves without needing permission from the government to do so. You no longer will have to see your sheriff, prove your worthiness and pay a fee to carry a weapon concealed.
Its a big day for freedom. Equally important, its a big day for the safety and security of all Idahoans.
Permitless-concealed carry is one the great achievements of the 2016 legislative session, made possible by the tenacity of gun rights champions who had the vision of a state where people dont need a permit as part of their Second Amendment rights. The pro-self defense victory serves as a contrast to the efforts taking place in Washington, D.C., where progressive politicians, surrounded daily by professional armed security, and their allies in the media, have used every tragedy that has involved a gun to try to upend the Second Amendment.
Idahoans have long enjoyed, as a staple of their state Constitution, the right to openly carry. But lawmakers have resisted the right for Idahoans to conceal their weapons under a coat or in a purse, even though legislators granted themselves and other elected officials that right years ago. Some argued that the government needed to authorize ordinary mortals to carry concealed.
Changing the law so it applies to all Idahoans was the brainchild of Greg Pruett of the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. But Greg quickly learned that pro-gun Idaho lawmakers werent going to simply accept a change in policy because its a darned good idea. It took years of negotiating, proposing and eventually nagging.
The lesson learned from this experience: Even in Idaho, where a legislators National Rifle Association ranking is like gold, Second Amendment rights do not come easily. They must be fought for valiantly, passionately and tirelessly. And even though this victory was years in the making, dont be terribly surprised if the Legislature again debates gun restrictions in 2017 as part of the larger national debate about mass shootings, terrorism and national security.
Thats why the next several days, weeks and months are a great time to, as the Idaho Freedom Foundation says, Reveal your Conceal. Go to IdahoFreedom.org/Reveal-Your-Conceal and tell the world why your Second Amendment rights are important to you and why youve decided to carry concealed.
It might be because you want to defend your family or your friends and neighbors. It might be because you believe were all safer at the checkout line, movie theater or gas station when we have a means of self defense. Maybe you have a personal story of how your Second Amendment right saved your life or the lives of people dear to you. If so, please share it.
With Independence Day just around the corner, its time celebrate and to educate. Lets do so that other Americans who are not so blessed as we are in Idaho will come to understand and appreciate what the U.S. Constitution means when it says: the right of the people to keep and bear arms are not to be infringed.
King Mohammed VI, Portugals President Hold Talks in Casablanca
King Mohammed VI held, on Monday at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, tete-a-tete talks with Portugals President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, arrived earlier in the day on an official visit to Morocco.
On this occasion, the Sovereign decorated the Portuguese Head of State with Wissam Al Mohammadi, the highest honor in Morocco.
For his part, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decorated King Mohammed VI with the Grand Collar of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, the highest Portuguese honorary decoration awarded to foreign heads of State.
Later in the evening, King Mohammed VI hosted an official iftar in honor of the Portuguese President and his accompanying delegation at the Royal Palace in Casablanca.
The Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Teresa Ribeiro, described, in a statement to reporters in Casablanca, relations between Morocco and Portugal as excellent and called for enhancing these relations in the political, commercial and cultural sectors.
The Portuguese official who highlighted the long lasting friendship between the two countries and the importance of the Presidents visit, reiterated her countrys support to Morocco within the European Union and at other international fora as well.
Actually, Portugal is among the EU member states that have officially expressed their support to Morocco and are sparing no effort to overturn a ruling of the European Court of Justice, suspending the Morocco-EU agricultural agreement concluded in 2012.
Portugal, along with France, Belgium, Germany and Spain reaffirmed support for the Moroccan position and for preserving the agricultural agreement between Morocco and the EU.
Portugals stand is not surprising as the European country is fully aware of the role played by Morocco in preserving peace and stability in the Mediterranean.
Last April, Morocco and Portugal agreed to bolster cooperation in security, energy, maritime transport, tourism, training and scientific research. They also signed an agreement to conduct the feasibility study on the setting up of an undersea at 1,000 megawatt power connection, which would be the second Europe-Africa link.
So, the Portuguese Presidents official visit to Morocco, his first to an Arab country, reflects the deep friendship, fruitful cooperation and acting solidarity binding the two countries. These strong relations are also based on the two countries common history and on the noble values shared by the two friendly peoples.
Turkish authorities are ready to warm ties with Russia even if it requires paying compensation for the downing of the Russian war jet last year near Syrian border, Turkish Premier told local media on Monday.
We have said that if necessary we are ready to pay compensation, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told public TV network TRT.
I think we have reached an understanding on this affair. We will put this incident behind us and continue on our path, he added.
Ties between the two countries grew tense after Turkish forces downed one of Russias military jets near the Syrian border last November. Ankara had then refused to apologize for the act stressing that the Russian jet violated its airspace.
Yildirims comments follow President Recep Tayyip Erdogans tilt towards Russia. Erdogan sent a message to Russian President expressing regrets over the episode.
According to his office, Erdogan said I would like to inform the family of the deceased Russian pilot that I share their pain and to offer my condolences to them.
The Turkish President later in the day, at an Iftar at his presidential palace in Ankara, hoped for quick normalization of relations.
Turkey has always shown its friends that it is a trustworthy country, Erdogan said.
Kremlin was irked by the November incident and demanded apologizes. Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed in economic sanctions against Turkey suspending free travel permit for Turkish citizens and banning Turkish travel operators from offering travel packages to Russian tourists. Russia also put a ban on Turkish goods.
Ankara has also announced it would try a Turkish man suspected for killing the Russian pilot after the downing of the jet as demanded by Russian authorities, reports say.
These moves could help end the feud between the two countries.
A third day of clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound has left more than 30 Palestinians injured while dozens were arrested.
Israeli police held the Palestinians responsible for the scuffles claiming that masked youths disrupted visits of non-Muslims to the Temple Mount referred to as the Noble Sanctuary by the Muslims. Palestinian officials say the visit trampled on a tradition that only allows Muslim worshippers to the compound during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the area will be closed to visitors until the end of Ramadan, which is next week. Scores of Israeli security forces have reportedly encircled the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinians are reported to have injured a 73 year old woman at a nearby plaza with a stone while the Israeli police used rubber bullets and batons to disperse the protesters.
The al-Aqsa compound has been at the center of numerous confrontations between Muslims and Jews in East Jerusalem. Jews and other non-Muslims can visit the site but are banned from praying there. Israel occupied the area in the 1967 war but its authority is not recognized by the international community. Jerusalem is also a key issue in negotiations between Palestine and Israel for a two-state solution as both states want it to be their capital.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said after a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Tel Aviv a negotiated two-state solution remains the only viable option to prevent perpetual conflict and to achieve the legitimate aspirations of both peoples. He pointed out that Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories has not brought security for Israeli and underlined that nearly 50 years of occupation has had a devastating impact on Palestinian lives, undermining the belief in a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
Israels foreign ministry director-general Dore Gold and Turkish foreign ministrys undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu signed an agreement on Tuesday ending the dispute between their countries over the May 2010 flotilla incident after a year of negotiations.
According to the agreement, Tel Aviv will pay 20 million as compensation to the relatives of the 10 Turkish activists who died following the intervention of Israeli commandos and Ankara on the other hand will drop claims and charges against the commandos. Israels Ashdod Port will be used by Turkey to channel aid to Palestine as part of the agreement and a vessel loaded with 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid is expected to sail off on July 1. Ankara will also have to curb Hamas hostilities from its territory towards Israel.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is hopeful that the embargo on Gaza would largely be lifted under the leadership of Turkey but his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not prepared to compromise on the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip; its vital to prevent Hamas from beefing up its arsenal.
The agreement has been welcomed by Hamas and it expressed its deep appreciation and gratitude to President Erdogan for his continuous support to the Palestinians. The movement acknowledged Ankaras official and popular efforts to ease the Gaza blockade through the agreement and hailed the martyred and wounded activists on board the Mavi Marmara as heroes who sacrificed their lives and blood for Palestine.
However, the agreement was criticized by Hanan Ashrawi, member of the PLO executive committee, who described it as a pact of self-interest, both by Turkey and Israel but thinks that Tel Aviv had the upper hand as she lamented that they didnt get the siege lifted, which is the real issue.
U.S. first Lady Michelle Obama is visiting Morocco to promote education for girls in the North African Kingdom, one of Washingtons major allies in the region.
Michelle Obama, who is accompanied by her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, was greeted by Princess Lalla Salma upon her arrival in Marrakech Monday night.
She spearheads Let Girls Learn campaign, a U.S. government initiative seeking to ensure adolescent girls get the education they deserve.
During her Moroccan trip, Obama took part in a conversation with adolescent Moroccan girls moderated by CNNs Isha Sesay. In the discussion, participants tackled the challenges many girls in the region face in pursuing their education.
Around the world, girls face complex physical, cultural, and financial barriers in accessing education. As a girl grows older, the fight to get an education becomes even harder. Her family must be willing to pay school fees. She may have a long, unsafe walk to school. She may be forced to marry. And she often lacks the support she needs to learn.
On the sidelines of Michelle Obamas visit, the White House unveiled on Tuesday that the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign-aid agency, will earmark nearly $100 million in funding to create a new model for secondary education.
The money will serve to fund mentoring programs, internships, and afterschool clubs, upgrade bathrooms for girls and training for teachers.
The White House also announced that the USAID will donate $400,000 to a local NGO to establish, by the next school year, five new girls dorms (known as Dar Talibas) to provide housing and support for rural girls to continue their education. Michelle Obamas visit to Morocco is part of an African tour focusing on education for girls. The tour took her to Cape Verde and Liberia.
After her trip in Marrakesh, Michelle Obama is expected in Madrid on Wednesday to highlight new commitments to support Let Girls Learn.
At the United State of Women Summit held on June 14 in Washington, Michelle Obama announced more than $20 Million in new commitments to the Initiative.
Portugals President Marcelo Duarte Rebelo de Sousa is paying this Monday a visit to Morocco at the invitation of King Mohamed VI in a move to further boost ties with the kingdom of Morocco.
The Moroccan Sovereign will hold talks with his Portuguese guest and host an Iftar in his honor.
The visit, the Portuguese Presidents first of its kind to an Arab country, comes as both countries are endeavoring to scale up their multifaceted cooperation ties.
Part of these efforts, Rabat and Lisbon have recently endorsed an energy project to build an energy inter-connexion estimated at 1,000 megawatt.
Portugal is the 13th economic partner of Morocco, while Rabat stands as the 11th economic partner of the EU country and as the 38th supplier of the Portuguese market. In 2014, the trade balance showed an excess estimated at about 407 million in favor of Portugal.
Portuguese exports of goods and services to Morocco increased by 18.5 pc in 2015 while imports grew by 12.2 pc.
Some 200 Portuguese companies are established in the North Africa country. They are operating in the sectors of pharmaceuticals, agri-business, building, cork industry and textile.
To enhance further economic relations and trade exchanges between the two countries, a Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Portugal was set up last year in Morocco.
The two countries have equally developed their cultural cooperation, notes Manuel Pechirra, head of the Portugal-Morocco circle of friendship.
Pechirra also indicated that Morocco is a key diplomatic partner for Lisbon, which is resolved to enhance its ties with Rabat, and that Morocco can rely on its strong bonds with Portugal to broaden and strengthen its overall diplomatic relations with the European Union.
Morocco currently stands as Portugals first partner in the Arab world and its second partner in Africa, after Angola, a former Portuguese colony.
As Morocco is expanding its presence in Africa and in view of the huge business opportunities offered by the continent, some experts argue that Morocco and Portugal can jointly tap these opportunities, particularly in Portuguese-speaking African countries.
Georgia-NATO, EU and Russian challenge
By Messenger Staff
Carnegie Europe, a leading analytical organisation, released a transcript of its interview with Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.Speaking with Editor-in-Chief of the Strategic Europe blog at the Carnegie Europe, Judy Dempsey, Kvirikashvili focused on Georgias Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Georgia-Russia relations and Georgia-European Union (EU) visa liberalisation prospects.We dont see any alternative for ensuring the long-term stability of Georgia beside joining the Euro-Atlantic family of countries, Kvirikashvili said.Its not only the military dimension that attracts us. There are also common values of democracy and freedom, which motivate us to continue very important reforms that will transform the country into a European country. Nothing can derail us from this track, the PM added.Discussing Georgia-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) relations, the PM stressed that Georgia hoped that the Alliances Warsaw summit in Poland on July 8-9 would result in a broader cooperation package with NATO.The PM said the new cooperation would allow the Georgian Government to strengthen Georgias defence capabilities.And I think that someday in the future, the window of opportunity will be open for Georgia, the PM added.When it came to Georgia-EU visa-free travel the PM said introducing the visa-liberalisation was just a matter of time.We may have to wait a couple more months to put in place the snap-back mechanisms and then, hopefully, in September the final decision will be made by the European Parliament, Kvirikashvili stated.Touching upon Georgia-Russia relations after the Russia-Georgia war of 2008, the PM said the Georgian Government strived for constructive relations with Russia but never at the expense of changing Georgias Western course.We want to restore normal relations. And again, for this, we would need to follow our own path, Kvirikashvili said, highlighted the importance of peaceful solution of conflicts.Carnegie Europe was founded in 2007 and has become the go-to source for European foreign policy analysis in Brussels on topics ranging from Turkey to the Middle East and the Eastern neighbourhood to security and defence.Georgia-EU, Georgia-NATO and Russia-Georgia relations are three challenging aspects for Georgia.Georgia strives for constructive relations with Russia and says that confrontation can provide instability.However, Russia's intent towards Georgia cannot be underestimated; Russian forces were ready to invade Tbilisi during the Russia-Georgia war of 2008 before being recalled.Russia is also against Georgias EU and NATO aspirations and never misses an opportunity to describe Georgia's ambitions as damaging the regional peace.All that Georgia can do is maintain stability and continue towards membership in the Euro-Atlantic space, hoping that the international community will one day see fit to admit the country.
The News in Brief
Prosecutors Office Launches Probe After ECHRs Ruling into Merabishvilis Case
The Georgian Chief Prosecutors Office said on Tuesday it has opened an investigation into allegations voiced by ex-Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili two and a half years ago about being removed from his pretrial detention cell for a meeting with the then-Chief Prosecutor in an attempt to put pressure on him. The issue has not yet been investigated, resulting in the European Court of Human Rights ruling partly in favour of Merabishvilis complaint last week.
Based on the European Court of Human Rights June 14 ruling, the Chief Prosecutors Office launched an investigation into a possible case of exceeding official powers by certain officials, said Prosecutors Office spokesperson Natia Sukhiashvili.
The Strasbourg-based court said in its ruling on June 14 that Merabishvilis initial pretrial detention in May, 2013 was lawful, but the decision of the Tbilisi City Court four months later, in September 2013, to remand him in detention lacked reasonable grounds.
The ECHR also found violation of Article 18 of the European convention on human rights, saying that Merabishvilis detention was used not only for the purpose of bringing him before the relevant legal authorities on reasonable suspicion of various offences with which he had been charged, but was also treated by the prosecuting authorities as an additional opportunity to obtain leverage over investigations into unrelated cases, including the one against ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Article 18 of the Convention deals with situations when even if the state justifies restricting someones rights, it will still be deemed a violation if it turns out that this restriction of rights, among them detention, was used for some ulterior purposes, including hidden political agenda or any reason other than the one formally stated. There have been only few cases in the practice of the ECHR to find the violation of this article.
This finding by the Strasbourg-based court in respect of violation of the Article 18 stems from the incident that occurred in December 2013, when Merabishvili was removed from his cell and taken for a late-night meeting with then chief prosecutor, Otar Partskhaladze, whom Merabishvili accused of intimidation for the purpose of obtaining information about the death of the former Prime Minister, Zurab Zhvania, and about alleged secret offshore bank accounts of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili.
The ECHR found this allegation of Merabishvili about his removal from the cell credible. The Court also noted that there was clearly observable reluctance by the prison authority to provide access to video images taken by the prison surveillance cameras, which could have shed more light on the incident; and in general, the ECHR said, the authorities, notably then Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, then prison system minister Sozar Subari, who is now the minister in charge of IDPs issues, were unmistakably opposed to the calls for an objective and thorough investigation.
Justice Minister Tea Tskulukiani said on June 14 that the Georgian authorities will now have to investigate the December 2013 incident.
The UNM opposition party said that launch of investigation now is too little, too late.
UNM MP Levan Tarkhnishvili said that the only adequate reaction to the ECHRs ruling would be to release Merabishvili and other political prisoners from jail. (Civil.ge)
Employee of Ministry of Refugees arrested on bribery charges
The Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service has arrested Tekla K., employee of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees, for taking a bribe in large amounts, Giorgi Kurdadze, the investigator of the case said at a briefing today.
According to him, the investigation found that Tekla K. requested and received 7 000 USD from an IDP in exchange of assistance in getting an apartment from the Ministry.
The Anti-Corruption Agency of the State Security Service has launched an investigation into the case. The detainee faces 5-11 years in prison if convicted. (IPN)
182 criminal offences, 1450 administrative violations revealed on 16-18 June
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a result of police control, 182 criminal offences, including 61 cases of illegal possession of arms, 1 attempted murder, 21 cases of illegal purchase, keeping and sale of drugs, 1 case of drug smuggling, were revealed on 16-18 June.
In addition, police arrested 1 person and solved a number of cases of a robbery, attempted robbery and drug smuggling.
There were 1450 cases of administrative violations, including 49 cases of illegal drug use, 17 cases of hooliganism, 32 cases of disobedience, 16 cases of disobedience and petty hooliganism.
During police control activities, 26 persons were detained for criminal offences and 53 for administrative offences. (IPN)
19 June 2016, Statement of the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Tanju Bilgic, in Response to a Question Regarding Allegations of Shooting at Syrians Who Were Trying to Cross Into Our Borders Illegally
Certain reports in the media to the effect that Turkey's security forces deliberately opened fire on Syrian civilians last night who were trying to cross into Turkey illegally through the section of our borders near Hatay province and therefore caused their deaths do not reflect reality.
Our security forces maintain the security of our borders with appropriate measures in line with the sensitivities presented by risks and threats brought about by both the conflict in Syria and the activities of terrorist organizations and smuggling networks in this country.
Our security forces act fully within the confines of the legal framework when they respond to border incidents and illegal border crossing attempts. (Turkish Embassy)
@PatriciaMazzei
Democrats took to Twitter on Tuesday to note that Carlos Curbelo, a Republican candidate seeking to challenge Miami Congressman Joe Garcia, did not qualify for the ballot by filing petition signatures.
"@CarlosLCurbelo, who declared he would qualify to run for Congress by petition, just paid the filing fee," Rachel Johnson (@RayJohnRondo) of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party tweeted. She cc'ed the party's Juan Cuba and Miami Herald political writer Marc Caputo.
Then Cuba picked up the jab.
"@carloslcurbelo I can get my uncle and maybe my aunt to sign a petition. How many more do u need?"
Submitting petitions helps candidates save money -- in this case, a $10,440 qualifying fee.
Curbelo, a Miami-Dade School Board member, had emailed supporters asking them to sign the petitions. But he never gave formal notice that he intended to qualify that way, the Republican said Tuesday afternoon.
His campaign had enough signed forms to qualify but its vendor made a mistake on voters' birth dates, Curbelo said. Many petitions would have been challenged, he said, so the campaign decided not to submit them (though the information on them still makes for a useful voter database).
"The Democrats should be more worried about the FBI's investigation of Joe Garcia' straw candidate than about my qualifying strategy," Curbelo said in a text message.
@alextdaugherty
The American Civil Rights Union, a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing the elections board of Broward County of failing to ensure that only eligible voters are on the rolls.
Broward, where Democrats typically win presidential elections by landslides, is one of many municipalities the ACRU has targeted over the years for potential election fraud. The group alleges that Brenda Snipes, the supervisor of elections for Broward County, violated Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act.
At the time of the 2014 general election, approximately 103% of the citizens of voting age were registered to vote and could cast a ballot in Broward County, the suit alleges.
The ACRU has filed similar lawsuits alleging that the National Voter Registration Act was violated in Texas and Mississippi. Both of those lawsuits occurred in counties that Democrats won by large margins in recent presidential elections.
Broward County has more registered Democrats than any other county in Florida. Removing registered voters from the rolls can take time, and individuals who have left the county could still be counted as registered voters if they did not register elsewhere.
No lawsuit has been served on the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office as required, Broward elections attorney Burnadette Norris-Weeks said. A response will be filed after that time. Please note, however, that the Broward SOE wholly rejects the allegations.
The ACRU did not return a request for comment but did have a statement listed on its website.
Browards Supervisor of Elections, Dr. Brenda Snipes, is not using all of the tools available to keep Florida elections clean, ACRU Chairman/CEO Susan A. Carleson said in a statement. Broward was one of four Florida counties that was asked to do a recount in the 2000 presidential election. We think its time they cleaned up their rolls before the next one.
Amy Sherman contributed to this report.
@alextdaugherty
Eight elected officials made public comments at Monday's Public Service Commission hearing at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium and all of them were opposed to Florida Power and Light's proposal to raise base electric rates by 23.7 percent over the next four years.
State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D-Miami) voiced his opposition to the proposed rate increase, arguing that increased costs to consumers without proper environmental management means that FPL should not receive a rate increase from the PSC.
"At a time when a lot of families and small businesses are struggling to get by, FPL is asking for 23 percent increase in base rates and a one percent increase in guaranteed profits," Rodriguez said. "This is not the time to be asking for that increase."
Rodriguez highlighted individuals living on social security and the fact that they saw no increase in their benefits last year and will only see a one-fifth of one percent increase in 2016.
"It hits directly in the pocketbook," Rodriguez said. "It's not simply that its excessive, its pure profit. What we're asking tonight, how is FPL doing? Is it safe and adequate? We do not have safe and adequate service when the water supply of our community is threatened by the mismanagement at Turkey Point."
Rodriguez is challenging incumbent Republican State Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, who did not attend the hearing. A billboard truck provided by liberal advocacy group Florida Strong sat outside the auditorium read: "FPL Lobbyist Miguel Diaz de la Portilla gets paid...you get stuck with his new tax."
Miami-Dade District 8 Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava also spoke in opposition to the increase.
"I'm not here to speak against Florida Power and Light," Cava said. "But I am here to speak against a system that is undermining competition, its undermining job growth, environmental protection and our public welfare."
Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner was more aggressive toward FPL. She was shouted down by PSC Chairman Julie Brown after going over her allotted time during the public hearing.
"I am here to speak against Florida Power and Light and their corporate greed," Lerner said after Cava's remarks. "We have the fifth highest income inequality in the country."
Other public officials that spoke in opposition to the rate increase were South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard, South Miami Vice Mayor Robert Welsh, South Miami Commissioners Walter Harris and Gabriel Edmond along with Miami-Dade School Board member Marta Perez Wurtz.
The Miami-Dade School Board is in opposition to the rate increase because it will cost the district $7 million more in energy costs.
"That's 100 teachers," Wurtz said.
Dozens of community members spoke at the FSC public hearing, which lasted four hours. About half were opposed to the rate increase while half praised FPL's service to the community and service to customers. Almost none directly said they would be happy paying more for electricity.
In response to the elected officials who spoke against the rate increase, FPL director of public affairs Mark Bubriski said: "It was pretty clear that there were politicians who were here for a purpose, they had a billboard truck outside."
UPDATE: Portilla responds to the billboard. ""Of course I oppose FPL's rate increase," Portilla said in an email. "I don't know a single FPL customer who supports it. However, Jose Rodriguez and his shadowy dark money group, Florida Strong, should stop playing politics with our power bills. We have seen what the politics of fear-mongering have done to our political discourse. Jose's demagoguery does nothing to protect consumers from FPLs rate increases."
@ByKristenMClark
The Florida Police Benevolent Association has endorsed Democrat Patrick Murphy in Florida's U.S. Senate race this year, Murphy's campaign said today.
It adds to a growing list of endorsements from unions and other party establishment organizations who have rallied behind Murphy ahead of the August Democratic primary.
"The Florida PBA is proud to endorse Patrick Murphy because we know that he will stand with our police officers and first-responders in the U.S. Senate," PBA President John Rivera said in a statement provided by Murphy's campaign. "Patrick is the leader that our officers need to ensure that they can continue keeping our communities safe. As the organization that advocates for Floridas police officers, we trust Patrick Murphy to advocate for us.
In the Aug. 30 party primary, Murphy, a congressman from Jupiter, faces fellow U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando; Miami labor attorney and former naval officer Pam Keith; former assistant U.S. attorney Reginald Luster of Jacksonville; and California businessman "Rocky" Roque De La Fuente, of Orlando.
Gov. Rick Scott sought intervention from the Centers for Disease Control Tuesday after the Department of Health confirmed the first case of a Florida infant with Zika-related microcephaly.
Scott, who scheduled Zika roundtable sessions in West Palm Beach and Jacksonville, issued a statement calling on the CDC to convene a call with Florida medical professionals.
"It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child," Scott said.
The governor's statement said the mother contracted Zika while she was in Haiti. Scott said the Department of Health is working family to provide services through a program known as Early Steps.
@PatriciaMazzei
A young super PAC focused on promoting clean energy on Monday backed U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, pledging to spend six figures in an online ad campaign on behalf of the Miami Republican, who is seeking re-election in one of the country's most competitive districts.
ClearPath Action Fund, founded earlier this year by Jay Faison, a Republican entrepreneur and millionaire from North Carolina, picked Curbelo as its first candidate to endorse for the U.S. House of Representatives.
"Carlos Curbelo has quickly proven to be a leader among Republicans in protecting the environment and expanding the development of clean energy, lowering energy costs for families, creating jobs and protecting South Florida's environment," Faison said in a statement. "We're excited to help ensure that he remains a central figure in Congress in promoting thoughtful and sensible solutions."
The super PAC highlighted Curbelo's position on climate change; he wrote in a Miami Herald op-ed last October that "to vie climate change through partisan lenses only detracts from efforts to discover practical solutions."
Also weighing in Curbelo's favor, according to ClearPath, were his votes to fund an advanced energy research program at the U.S. Energy Department, to make private companies more liable for cleaning up oil spills that occur in foreign water, and to expand tax credits for clean-power generation systems.
A poll commissioned by ClearPath found that 26 percent of respondents in Curbelo's district, which spans Westchester to Key West, consider environmental and energy one of their top issues. The survey, conducted by Washington-based Olive Tree Strategies, found voters were more likely to support Curbelo if they heard a message about his clean-energy support.
"After voters learn about Curbelo's positions on these issues, he receives a clear majority of the vote against either [Joe] Garcia (55% Curbelo-32% Garcia) or [Annette] Taddeo (56% Curbelo-27% Taddeo)," according to a poll memo provided by ClearPath.
As part of its online ad campaign, ClearPath will target ads on websites like Facebook, Google and Twitter. Faison has said he plans to spend about $5 million this election cycle promoting "conservative clean energy solutions through market-based principles."
An earlier version of this post misidentified the super PAC's name as CleanPath.
@PatriciaMazzei
Marco Rubio rolled out Senate re-election endorsements Tuesday from top Florida Republicans: CFO Jeff Atwater, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.
Here are their statements of support:
From Atwater: "Marco's ability to communicate the conservative principles that we so desperately need is second to none. His vision for our country, and his work in the U.S. Senate on behalf of Floridians is something I am proud of, and why we need Marco to continue his service."
From Putnam: "Now, more than ever, we need Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate. The control of the Senate is going to come down to Florida, and without a Republican majority, we would be giving a green light to the disastrous policies of the last eight years. With Marco, we have the power to determine a Supreme Court nominee, the future of the disastrous Iran deal, and the future of our country, based on conservative policies and ideals. I wholeheartedly endorse Marco in his re-election bid, and I encourage all Floridians to unite in support."
From Crisafulli: "This will be a pivotal election in our nation's history. I commend Senator Rubio on his decision to run for re-election and will do everything in my power to ensure that he wins in November. Marco has a proven conservative record of leadership for Floridians, whether that be in the state legislature or the U.S. Senate. We must unite our party, and I ask all Floridians to join me in supporting Marco Rubio in his re-election bid."
@alextdaugherty
Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo says he is using his political action committee, dubbed What a Country, to help fellow House Republicans who favor immigration reform.
Immigration reform has many definitions, but Curbelo previously stated that WACPAC funds would likely go to Republicans who support President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) plan. A Miami Herald analysis of WACPAC's 47 recipients shows that some who received money have consistently voted against Curbelo on immigration issues.
Curbelo's Democratic opponents, former Rep. Joe Garcia and former Miami-Dade Democratic Party chair Annette Taddeo, were quick to deride Curbelo's use of WACPAC.
"Curbelo's donations to the campaigns of the most extreme anti-immigration members of the Republican party is upsetting but not surprising," Garcia said in a statement. "As a Congressman he has always said one thing in South Florida and done the opposite in Washington. I'm running because South Florida needs a representative who will actually take a stand for South Florida families, not play politics with people's lives."
"This report shows Carlos Curbelos true colors," Taddeo said in a statement. "Its disgraceful that hes been supporting anti-immigrant, Donald Trump supporters in Congress. Immigration reform is nowhere because of politicians like Carlos Curbelo, who says one thing and does another. South Floridians deserve a leader wholl fight for them every step of the way, not some chameleon wholl say, and do whatever it takes to get re-elected.
UPDATE: ""It is no surprise that a corrupt ex-congressman is using the issue of immigration reform for his political gain," Curbelo spokesperson Nicole Rapanos said. "Here are the facts: Carlos Curbelo has been an ardent supporter of immigration reform in Congress. Just a few weeks ago, Carlos was rallying votes to stop an anti-DACA Amendment in Congress. In a historic win for pro immigration reform supporters the amendment was defeated by one vote. Carlos is committed to working with anyone to solve this important issue. He will not use the issue of immigration reform to divide our community like his opponents.
@JeremySWallace
Carlos Lopez-Cantera is no longer running for the U.S. Senate, but that is not stopping him from continuing to attack one of his former GOP rivals who remains in the race.
At a meeting of Seminole County Republicans, the lieutenant governor and former Senate candidate ripped wealthy real estate developer Carlos Beruff for not being conservative enough and backing former Gov. Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate in 2010 after Crist left the Republican Party, a charge Beruff denies.
This man is no conservative, this man is no Republican, Lopez-Cantera said according to the Orlando Political Observer. He is man driven by ego and self ambition and not by the principles we work hard for.
Lopez-Cantera is good friends with Sen. Marco Rubio and dropped out of the Senate race last week to make way for Rubio, who changed his mind to seek re-election after saying for most of the last year that he would not run for re-election.
Carlos Beruff supported Charlie Crist after he left the Republican party, Lopez-Cantera told about 300 people, according to the Orlando Political Observer.
But in an interview last week about Crist, Beruff said he never supported Crist after he left the Republican Party in 2010 to instead run as an independent in the 2010 race. Campaign finance records show Beruff donated $4,800 to Crist in the U.S. Senate race in 2009, when Crist was still a Republican. When Crist dropped out of the Republican Primary and ran as an independent, Beruff never sent any other donations to Crist, Federal Election Commission records show.
When Charlie Crist turned, I said Im outta here,'" Beruff said adding that Crist got stupid when he decided to go independent.
However, in 2010, Beruff was one of dozens of prominent donors who attended a fundraising event with Crist (when he was an independent) at the home of Siesta Key resident Gary Kompothecras. Beruff said while he was there, he never financially supported Crist after he turned.
Beruffs campaign on Tuesday fired back at Lopez-Cantera for his comments and insisted Beruff is more conservative than Rubio.
Just more lies from Marco Rubio and his team of political hacks, said Chris Hartline, communications director for Beruffs campaign. Its what career politicians do. Carlos is the most conservative candidate in this race. And if you want to talk about someone driven by ego and self ambition, look no further than Marco Rubio, who wants the people of Florida to pay him for his next run for President.
Lopez-Cantera is not the only former Beruff rival weighing in on the race. Orlando-area businessman Todd Wilcox, who also dropped out of the race last week, issued a statement accusing Beruff of "stalling" in reporting his personal finances. Beruff has requested and received an extension for filing his financial disclosure reports. That report was originally due in May, but Beruff has twice received extensions to push his filing to July 31. Beruff's campaign noted he entered the race in February and needed more time to perpare the documents.
As Florida House Democrats delivered petitions Tuesday signed by 46 members seeking to poll all 160 lawmakers on the need for a special session on guns, House Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran called them "irrational, irresponsible and unstatesmanlike."
Democrats needed 32 signatures on a petition to press Secretary of State Ken Detzner to poll members on whether a special session should be held to consider new gun restrictions in the wake of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12.
Detzner's polling of members may start later Tuesday. Support from three-fifths of the members of both chambers (72 House members and 24 senators) is needed for a session to be held. The Democrats' chances of reaching that goal is very remote (Republicans hold majorities of 81-39 in the House and 26-14 in the Senate). A leader of the petition effort, Sen. Darren Soto of Orlando, is running for Congress.
Corcoran, a Land O'Lakes Republican, issued a statement to the Times/Herald that said: "I'm very disappointed in my Democratic colleagues. It was and is my hope to work in an honest and professional bipartisan spirit for the next two years. Unfortunately, the irrational, irresponsible and unstatesmanlike actions of some place that expectation in jeopardy. This is especially true because this is being done solely for political purposes. Whenever politics is your sole purpose, the people lose. I do have complete faith in my Republican colleagues to be statesmen and to use common sense and to govern properly."
Told of Corcoran's remarks, House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, said: "The last time I checked, Democrats have every right that Republicans have for the triggering of a survey among legislators. This is an opportunity for a bipartisan moment. Legislators have an opportunity to do things all through the year, not just 60 days out of the year."
via @learyreports
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats blocked a $1.1 billion Zika funding bill, complaining it was packed with partisan provisions.
Reaction from Florida politicians: Sen. Bill Nelson (voted against): Four months after the request for emergency funding, the House in the dark of the middle of the night, with no opportunity for debate, puts on an otherwise uncontroversial bill, a bill to deal with the virus. It's not serious. Instead, it's another attempt to use an emergency must-pass bill to try to further extremist political agendas. Why can't we grow up and get to the point that we don't want to play partisan politics? We need to stop playing these political games. It's time to treat this as a real emergency and it's time to pass the appropriations bill without all of this political agenda added to it.
Sen. Marco Rubio (voted for): Shame on Washington for failing to pass Zika funding. Weve been on top of this issue for five months, and its a failure of both parties in this town, including the President of the United States, that its taken this long to even get to this point. This total Washington leadership failure will have devastating consequences on those Americans already infected with Zika and many more who will become infected in the coming months. I realize this was not a perfect Zika bill, but getting this plan approved now is absolutely better than nothing. We need to get something done here, and we need to do it quickly." Rubio's office did not respond to a question about the issues Democrats raised.
GOP Senate candidate Carlos Beruff (campaign statement): "Its been four months since a federal funding request to help fight Zika was sent to Congress. Marcos had a lot to say on the subject giving floor speeches and reiterating talking points during interviews and yet Floridians still havent seen a dime from the federal government to help combat this threat. In the five years Marco Rubio has been in Washington hes often found speaking eloquently on various issues in interviews and, when hes not running for President, on the Senate floor. But Marcos Washington talking points rarely translate into action."
@MichaelAuslen
The photo looked harmless enough: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and state Rep. Darryl Rouson, both Democrats, standing side-by-side at St. Pete Pride. But with a hotly contested primary for a Tampa Bay Senate seat that's solidly Democrat-leaning, nothing is innocent.
Rouson tweeted the photo of him and Castor on Tuesday. Less than an hour later, Castor replied:
Nice pic, but I've endorsed @EdNarain for State Senate! Ed is an outspoken advocate for all of Tampa Bay! https://t.co/FR7cKWkRvT US Rep Kathy Castor (@USRepKCastor) June 28, 2016
@darrylrouson Do not use picture of two of us together again You're implying my support. I support Ed Narain @EdNarain for State Senate Thx US Rep Kathy Castor (@USRepKCastor) June 28, 2016
Rouson, who lives in St. Petersburg, is one of three candidates seeking the District 19 seat in the Florida Senate. The others are Rep. Ed Narain and former Rep. Betty Reed, both of Tampa. The race has divided local Democrats, though Narain has garnered high-profile endorsements in Castor and Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner.
The photo has since been taken down.
@PatriciaMazzei
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has made no bones about criticizing the federal government over its plans to prevent the Zika virus.
But he and President Barack Obama have a common foe on the matter: Congress, which on Tuesday morning failed to pass a Zika-funding bill in the Senate.
That prompted White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest to give Scott a rare shout out in his Tuesday briefing with reporters.
"Gov. Rick Scott from Florida, no friend of the Obama administration but is making the same case that the Obama administration is, that Congress needs to step up to the plate and provide additional resources that can be used to try to fight the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus," Earnest said.
Here's the full question and answer, from a transcript:
QUESTION: Thanks, Josh.
I want to ask you a question about Zika. And the surgeon general said earlier this month that -- they were coming to a point where the funding for the Zika response is going to run out. Now that Congress, the Senate failed to advance this latest funding package and it doesn't look like there's going to be a deal at least before July 4 , can you say exactly when the money for the Zika response is going to run out?
EARNEST: Well, again Jordan I think the issue that we have is that there's insufficient funding that's being dedicated to the effort to fight Zika, and to protect pregnant women and their children in this country. That is the issue. And what the Department of Health and Human Services has already done is taken funding that has been deployed to confront a range of public health questions, challenges, and devoted it specifically to this effort.
But even that is not enough. And we've made clear that's not enough. That's why the president put forward a package four months ago. This is a package that was recommended to him by the foremost public health officials in the country. And for the last four months we have seen Republicans do very little other than play political games with that request.
So you would think that at some point the safety and well-being of pregnant women in the United States would be more important than politics to Republicans. But unfortunately it's not. Because as I mentioned to Darlene earlier, Republicans now apparently see Zika funding as the vehicle to allow the display of Confederate flags in cemeteries across the country. I don't really understand what that has to do with Zika virus and protecting pregnant women. But that's the vehicle that Republicans have apparently chosen to use in order to ram through a partisan measure.
It's apparent that Republicans don't take this particularly seriously. But I can tell you that public health professionals across the country take this seriously. In fact just today we have a letter from a couple dozen non-profits urging Congress to dispense with the kind of partisanship that House Republicans have displayed and to act on what they describe as a public health emergency. These are organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Easter Seals, March of Dimes. These are organizations that don't have any interest in partisan politics. They do have a keen interest in protecting the American people and protecting pregnant women and preventing birth defects.
And what they're urging Republicans to do is to dispense with the partisanship and actually focus on this public health emergency. We'll see if Republicans are persuaded.
QUESTION: In the absence though of that funding for now, can you say, can you tell us, when's the next time the public health agencies are going to have to move around money to like fund the Zika response through the summer or however long (inaudible)?
EARNEST: Well, Jordan I think the point is that right now they don't have as much money as they would like to have in order to do everything possible to protect the American people from the Zika virus. That's, if you're asking me when are those agencies going to need more money to fight Zika virus, they need that money right now. They needed that money four months ago.
They needed to send, for a variety of reasons, they needed to send a clear message to the private sector that we were going to be invested in their efforts to develop a vaccine and to develop enhanced diagnostics and to expand lab capacity so the people who get tested quickly get their results and know what precautions they should take to protect their partner or other people in their community from the Zika virus.
For weeks if not months we've seen local officials particularly in the South ask for additional assistance from the federal government so they could do a better job of fighting mosquito populations in their states. That request, even from those Republican officials, has fallen on deaf ears.
Governor Rick Scott from Florida, no friend of the Obama administration but is making the same case that the Obama administration is, that Congress needs to step up to the plate and provide additional resources that can be used to try to fight the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus.
It's only Republicans in Congress who are treating this as a partisan issue. Governors in both parties all across the country have called on Congress to act on this. Public health professionals including charitable organizations like the Easter Seals and the March of Dimes are calling on Republicans in the Congress to act.
But the only thing we've seen Republicans in Congress do thus far is to try to make this issue partisan for reasons that are difficult to explain.
URAYASU, Japan A Tokyo suburb will help women cover the cost of freezing their eggs in a pilot program aimed at tackling the nation's declining birth rate.
The Japanese city of Urayasu, about 9 miles east of Tokyo, is allocating 90 million yen ($850,000) over three years to fund the research project conducted by Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital.
The hospital hopes that preserving the eggs would encourage women to give birth when they are ready instead of giving up having children.
Dr. Iwaho Kikuchi of the hospital said Thursday that using public funds to support this kind of study may be a first in the world.
The average cost of such procedure is around 500,000 to 600,000 yen ($4,700 to $5,700), but a woman will only pay 20 percent of the cost with the subsidy. Women between the age of 25 and 34 who live in Urayasu, also home to Tokyo Disneyland, are eligible to participate.
Kikuchi said 12 women are in the process of starting the freezing process, and about two-thirds of them or their husbands have some sort of health issue.
The success rate of pregnancy from frozen eggs is slim. If a woman freezes eggs at the age of 25, the chance of successfully giving birth is 30 percent. At the age of 34, it drops to 20 percent.
Japan has been struggling to boost the nation's declining birth rate, which would depress the working population and increase the financial burden on them as the baby boomer generation retires.
Urayasu mayor Hideaki Matsuzaki called the low birthrate a national problem.
"In general, pregnancy and childbirth is an individual issue. But when the situation has become this far, I consider it a social problem," Matsuzaki said. "I view using public expenditure as the right thing to do."
Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painters or sculptors work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of Gods spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts. Florence Nightingale
***
The Nightingale Tribute was originally developed by the Kansas State Nurses Association as a tribute to honor a nurse at his/her funeral or memorial service. It includes a brief non-religious ceremony at a designated time within the funeral or memorial service and is conducted by an Honor Guard of nurses who recognize the persons lifetime of service to others.
The Honor Guard comprises two to four hospital nurses wearing traditional white nursing uniforms, capes and caps. A coordinator from the hospital works with the funeral home and family to gather information regarding the date and time of the memorial service, and other information related to the recipients service in nursing.
The tribute may include:
A short homily to the nurses service and profession of nursing.
Lighting of the Nightingale Lamp.
Reading of a non-religious poem.
Placement of a white rose on the casket or urn.
Presentation of the lamp to the family.
A call relieving the nurse from duty.
Nursing is a calling, a lifestyle, a way of living. It is a service profession where nurses invest their knowledge, skills, and themselves as they provide care to the sick and vulnerable. It is a profession that cannot be lived in isolation.
Nurses collaborate with patients and an Interdisciplinary Care Team to develop and carry out appropriate evidence-based, patient-centered plan of care. Nurses rely on the synergy of teamwork, cooperation, excellence, and innovation to care for patients. They embrace life-long learning, respect diversity, and make visible, a compassionate and healing presence for each patient and family in their care.
For all of these reasons, we celebrate the nursing profession and invite the community of Missoula to join us in honoring our departed nursing brothers and sisters.
To find out more about this service, call 329-2667 or email Nightingale.Tribute@providence.org.
***
Leanna Ross, BSN, RN-BC, is Manager of Neurobehavioral Medicine, Providence St. Patrick Hospital
Allegiant Airlines has announced that it will now offer nonstop flights from Missoula to Los Angeles year-round, rather than just in the summertime.
The flights currently operate Thursday and Sunday, but starting in August they will depart Missoula on Monday and Friday. The flights will leave Missoula International Airport at 6:22 p.m. and arrive at LAX at 8:04 p.m.
The flights will leave Los Angeles on Fridays and Mondays at 2:12 p.m. and arrive in Missoula at 5:42 p.m.
Allegiant also flies from Missoula to Mesa, Arizona, and Las Vegas year-round. For the past three seasons, the flights to L.A. have been summer seasonal only. The airline's service to Oakland will remain as a summer seasonal offering.
Cris Jensen, the airport's director, said that the route between Missoula and L.A. has been popular.
"Obviously our market has performed very well and we were one of the lucky few chosen," he said. "It really goes both directions. In the summer, it's kind of the L.A. traffic this way, but we expect the local Missoula population to want to go that direction in the winter to go get some sunshine or go to Disneyland."
Meanwhile, Delta Airlines will no longer be offering its early-morning nonstop connection from Missoula to Seattle past Sept. 4.
"It was a new market for (Delta) so we weren't quite sure what their plans were," Jensen said. "It wasn't a shock by any means. It will come back again next summer, and it's already on their schedule for just before and just after Christmas."
Delta began offering the daily 6:15 a.m. flights late last year.
Alaska Airlines still offers direct flights from Missoula to Seattle.
Frontier Airlines announced this past May that it will be offering nonstop flights to Denver from Missoula until at least October of this year.
Jensen said the airport is on track for another record year.
"We are up about 9.1 percent in total enplanements, which is people boarding from Missoula, which is substantial growth," he said.
The airport had 350,361 people board flights from Missoula in 2015. However, from June of 2015 until May of this year, there has already been 360,033 enplanements.
"So we're up about 10,000 passengers already over last year, and our biggest growth months are yet to come this year," Jensen said. "We are definitely anticipating seeing that growth continue."
Jensen said the Missoula to L.A. trips will be welcome for Montana residents.
"It's an easy trip and Allegiant pricing is always competitive," he said.
No form of art captures the power of silence the same way that miming does. And nobody understands that more than Bill Bowers.
Bowers, a Missoula-born mime, is scheduled to perform his one-man show, speechLESS, Tuesday night to help raise money for the Missoula Childrens Theatres Next Step Prep scholarship fund.
Despite being trained by one of the worlds most famous mimes, French-born Marcel Marceau, Bowers isnt a traditional mime. There is no white make-up, no black suspenders and, most puzzling, he speaks.
His show is part physical performance and part monologue. He uses the silence to highlight what people dont talk about.
A large inspiration for using silence as a tool was growing up gay in the 1960s. There was no conversation back then, Bowers said. Thats a lot of silence to deal with.
Bowers speechLESS is a collection of mime sketches from his solo shows, with an emphasis on local stories, Bowers said.
So much about me being a mime is about me being from Montana, Bowers said. Montana is this classic big, quiet place.
The scholarship fund was set up so that kids who normally couldn't afford the six-week summer program at MCT can attend.
Three quarters of the kids who are here come through the scholarship, said Greg Boris, the managing editor of Next Step Prep.
Next Step Prep brings students from small communities across North America to Missoula to train with some of the top educators and performers in theater, dance and music.
Tickets for Bill Bowers speechLESS are $20 for the 7:30 p.m. show at MCT. Doors are scheduled to open at 6:30 p.m.
Chere Juisto, the executive director of the Montana Preservation Alliance in Helena, made sure on Monday that the Missoula City Council was aware of the seriousness of their task as it considers an appeal of a denied demolition permit application for the Missoula Mercantile building.
"You are being asked to sign a death certificate for the city's most historic building," Justio said, explaining that she believed the council must deny the appeal.
A Bozeman developer, HomeBase Montana, is proposing to deconstruct the entire downtown Merc structure, which was built in the late 1800s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and replace it with a $30-million, five-story Marriott hotel.
The council heard from a few supporters and many opponents of the proposal.
Page Goode of Preserve Historic Missoula criticized what she said was a lack of transparency.
"Had HomeBase brought their proposal for demolition to the preservation commission when they began meeting with city administrators, had there truly been a good faith effort to consult ahead of the demolition application process and to look creatively at alternatives to enable the preservation of the Mercantile, we all would be having a very different conversation right now," she said.
Goode said that there are new markets tax credits and historic tax credits available right now to give a potential developer a financial boost to rehab the building. Goode did not elaborate, but her assertion contradicted the testimony of the chief financial officer of the Montana Idaho Community Development Corporation, who told the council last week during a long and detailed presentation that there are no tax credits available for Missoula right now.
***
The city's Historic Preservation Commission denied the demolition permit application earlier this spring on the basis that HomeBase and the building's current owner, Octagon Partners, did not adequately prove that all reasonable economic use of the building would be prevented by a denial. They also found that HomeBase did not meet a number of other criteria, including consulting with the state Historic Preservation Office.
HomeBase appealed the denial to the City Council saying the commission chose to ignore findings of fact submitted by the city's Development Services office that supported approval. The Development Services staff had recommended that the HPC approve the permit, saying HomeBase met all the required criteria. The HPC unanimously disagreed.
David Tyrell of Missoula said that he believed a partial demolition would be a suitable compromise.
"It would set a standard as to how much we value our heritage," he said.
Tyrell also said that if HomeBase would be willing to accept a "more reasonable rate of return" then they could allocate money for preserving the facade, something Andy Holloran of HomeBase has denied in the past.
"Just because the financial returns don't work for them, there's no reason to demolish the Merc," Tyrell said.
Carl Davis said the situation has gotten out of control because there is a lack of public imagination. He also decried a lack of dialogue and advocated for preserving the structure.
"There's been little or no face-to-face dialogue, only behind-the-scenes maneuvering," he said. "Now we have civic mistrust and ugliness on display in our community."
Dudley Dana, the owner of the Dana Gallery downtown, said that many new businesses could remain open or open initially if there was a new hotel downtown.
"Historical preservation is one thing, blight preservation is another," he said.
The council will not have a meeting on July 4. The City Council will hold another public hearing on the issue on July 11, and then it will be sent back to the Land Use and Planning Committee. The council has no set deadline to make a decision on HomeBase's appeal.
THOMPSON FALLS A Massachusetts man who said he was trying to shoot a coyote is facing a negligent homicide charge in a year-old case.
Jonathan Ross Gray, 27, is accused of shooting Polson teenager Aunika Corrigan to death on June 24, 2015, while attempting to fire at a coyote northeast of Camas Prairie in Sanders County.
Gray has pleaded not guilty. A jury trial has been set for Oct. 31.
According to court documents, Corrigan had not known Gray until the day of her death. The 16-year-old, who had recently finished her sophomore year at Polson High School, joined a friend that day.
The friend had met Gray earlier that day on Tinder, a social networking app, and made arrangements to hang out.
The two girls met Gray at Sloans Bridge on the Flathead River, west of Ronan, to go fishing and swimming, and later went with Gray in his truck to hunt rattlesnakes. They crossed the river, which separates Lake and Sanders counties, to do so.
Corrigans friend told authorities that Gray spied a coyote in a field and stopped his truck. While Gray climbed in the bed of the truck, Corrigan exited the back seat and went to stand near the rear of the truck.
The other girl, who stayed in the passenger seat, told Sanders County Detective Chad Cantrell she was busy with her phone and not really paying attention. However, she saw Gray manipulating the gun.
She heard one shot, and then heard Gray scream and cry.
***
The friend, the court documents say, told paramedics that Gray had consumed several beers throughout the day and later told Cantrell that Gray had consumed a couple of beers.
Gray, the documents say, told Sanders County deputy Robyn Largent he had maybe three alcoholic drinks during the day.
He also said the gun misfired while he was loading the first chamber.
The Montana State Crime Lab said the gun was a mechanically functional firearm. A toxicology report from the lab said no drugs or alcohol were found in the Corrigans system.
If convicted of negligent homicide, Gray could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined $50,000.
A Stevensville man killed himself Sunday after leading local law enforcement on a slow-speed chase northeast of Stevensville.
The chase followed a warrant for the arrest of Chad Michael Robb, 44, on sexual crimes in Ravalli County, according to Ravalli County sheriffs press release.
The sheriffs office had been searching for Robb for several days to arrest him on the warrant and serve him with an order of protection.
Late Sunday afternoon, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper located Robb driving a vehicle in the Three Mile area northeast of Stevensville.
The trooper was joined by law enforcement members of the sheriffs office, Montana Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service in a low-speed pursuit of Robb into the Three Mile Wildlife Management Area.
When Robb reached the end of the roadway, the release said he exited his vehicle with a handgun.
Robb refused to comply with the law enforcement officers commands to drop handgun and then took his own life.
The incident will be reviewed by the Missoula County Sheriffs Office at the request of Ravalli County Sheriff Chris Hoffman and County Attorney Bill Fulbright.
The United States Forest Service continues to ignore public input and destroy trust as it did last year with proposed logging in the Rattlesnake Recreation Area. At a meeting recently, the Bitterroot National Forest made it clear that before releasing the final decision, they had already lined up workers to complete logging that threatens the integrity of a popular trail near Hamilton. The trees have also been marked and geotechnical work for a new road bridge has been completed prior to the final decision.
In planning the Westside Collaborative Vegetation Management project, the USFS has disregarded numerous public comments, discounted possible compromises, and dismissed almost all 17 objections filed. At the center of the controversy is the proposal to commercially log more than two square miles of mature Ponderosa forest, build 7.6 miles of new logging roads and run log trucks on quiet residential roads. Much of this work will occur around the Coyote Coulee trail, a popular 9-mile loop in a pristine, unroaded area that was acquired by the USFS in the 1970s for big-game winter range. The trail was built and has been maintained by the Backcountry Horsemen in true collaboration between the Backcountry Horsemen and the Bitterroot National Forest. Recently, Darby students have also participated in its maintenance. With this history of cooperation, its astounding that the USFS is now ignoring public concerns, including a request for a buffer around the trail. And this project will cost taxpayers almost $1 million.
If it is truly necessary to make this forest more resilient, the work could be accomplished with less impact in sensitive areas like Coyote Coulee by keeping new roads out and using non-commercial hand thinning. Considering public input by implementing compromises to keep this area pristine would certainly help the USFS win back the trust of the American people.
Jeff Lonn,
Michele Dieterich,
Hamilton
Re: " Gianforte right on refugee relocation ban " (June 20), Rep. Austin Knudsen is proud that his great-grandfather came to this country the right way in 1914. "He followed the law."
In 1914, America banned no immigrants except Chinese, convicts, lunatics, idiots, those who couldn't take care of themselves and those with contagious disease. The world was a dangerous place then, on the brink of World War I. Yet even all refugees fleeing violent dictators, poverty, famine, economic disasters and terrorism were welcomed to this country then with open arms. Why not now?
Brexit is an acronym for British exit. Last week the British voted to secede from the European Union, despite our president flying there to, once again, admonish people about lofty ideals of remaining. We would have been better served if he had just stayed in the Oval Office, watching TV.
Barack Obama's great liability is that he is parochial. Big brain, big education, but he's lived in Chicago most of his life, poisoned by urban rhetoric, ignorant of the cultural history of the Western Hemisphere. On his first day in office he had sent back a gift from Britain, the marble bust of Winston Churchill; an impertinent act, so foolish, so irrelevant and so arrogant he should have been punched in the nose. It was an insult to our strongest ally. Obama didn't know that Winston Churchill provided the impetus and spiritual strength for the British to fight off the Nazi invasion daily through radio as London was being bombed by Germany.
Last week, Obama visited Britain solely to inform their people how stupid they are to leave the European Union. So, the Brits left by popular vote, and our president may have been the sole reason that caused it. The massive illegal immigration in Europe, now in the millions, has crippled Europe and endangered their population with terrorism. Is this all coincidental or about an agreement by a few speculators in the oil industry? Oddly, Saudi Arabia has not accepted any illegal immigrants, while Germany has accepted 1 million. We do know Exxon is the sole distributor for Saudi Arabian oil, so is this chaos accidental?
The evidence points to a trade-off for the oil industry, Saudi Arabia, and idiot in the White House, who use to be a Harvard professor. Welcome to "hope and change" - if you have any.
Mike Donohue,
Kalispell
HELENA The Republican Governors Association agreed to register as a political committee in Montana after spending more than $450,000 prior to the state's June 7 primary to benefit Bozeman businessman Greg Gianforte's campaign for governor.
Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl called on the governors association to register as a committee after the Associated Press reported the group acknowledged spending large amounts of money for television spots critical of Gov. Steve Bullock.
The organization filed a campaign finance report Monday, the latest reporting deadline, as required of all political committees that register as a Montana entity.
Under the auspices of the RGA Right Direction PAC, the association of GOP governors reported spending more than $453,000, the bulk for advertising and two polls.
"That was a lot of money, and we're glad it is now reported," Motl said on Tuesday.
Montana law requires groups spending money on Montana campaigns to register with Motl's office and file monthly spending reports. Motl acknowledged a gray area in state law that he said could be interpreted as allowing federally registered committees to report less frequently under the schedule set by the Federal Election Commission.
Prompted by an AP report earlier this month about the pace of spending and fundraising in the Montana governor's race, Motl sent a letter noting that the Republican Governors Association had not filed as a political committee under state law.
Michael Adams, the governors association's general counsel, replied to Motl in an email that it was his understanding that the RGA, as a federally registered committee, was in compliance.
"That said, let me assure you we have no desire to be cute or tricky or game the system" Adams wrote in a subsequent email. "We are not a 'dark money' organization and we have always been transparent about our activities, in Montana and elsewhere."
Motl said Republican Governors Association officials were cooperative, and despite gray areas in state law opted on their own to register as a political committee with his office.
"We're not trying to create a fight with the RGA," Motl said. "We were just trying to get them to report because this was a lot of money."
The Democratic Governors Association is also registered with the state. In its most recent filing on June 4 it shows a donation to the Montana Democratic Party of $20,000, made on June 2.
Montana's gubernatorial race has generated big money thus far, in fundraising by the candidates and in outside spending.
Campaign finance reports filed with the state on Monday show Bullock has more than $1.4 million to spend in his re-election campaign, while his Gianforte has about $133,000 left after spending heavily in the first months of the governor's race.
Monday's filing reports were the first since the state's June 7 primary elections and cover the period between May 28 and June 22.
Gianforte's report shows his campaign received another $100,000 from his personal fortune. In all, the Bozeman businessman has contributed $500,000 toward his bid for governor.
Gianforte has spent more than $1.6 million since launching his campaign, while Bullock has spent $554,000.
While Gianforte might have drawn down much of the $1.8 million he's raised, he can tap into his personal wealth to help finance his campaign.
***
Associated Press reporter Bobby Caina Calvan wrote from Helena.
A Missoula man wanted for absconding from his probation from a 1996 conviction for attempted deliberate homicide was captured in Bozeman on Tuesday after a standoff with law enforcement.
A warrant for Chad Earl Williams, 38, was issued in mid-June after a petition to revoke his release on probation was filed, alleging positive tests for methamphetamine, among other violations.
Williams, who was armed with a handgun, was found in a trailer home on Yerger Drive in Bozeman and started a standoff with law enforcement around 3 a.m. The incident involved officers from the Gallatin County Sheriffs Office and Bozeman Police Department.
Negotiators started speaking with Williams around 6:30 a.m., and he surrendered to law enforcement after the hours long standoff.
In 1996, Williams was sentenced to 50 years in the Montana State Prison with 25 years suspended after he was convicted of shooting Louis Donald Craighead twice in the head and at least once in the stomach while trying to rob him. Craighead survived the attack.
According to a news release from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, Williams will make a court appearance in Bozeman on the arrest warrant before being transferred to Missoula.
" " Job interviews are stressful enough without you sabotaging yourself. But you'd probably be surprised how many strikes job seekers put up against themselves before they ever answer a single question. Comstock/ Thinkstock
I wasn't looking for a job, having already committed myself to the vagaries of a freelancer's life. But when a huge publishing house in New York City asked me to interview for a position, I couldn't say no. If nothing else, perhaps, I could walk away with some contract work.
As I sat in the lobby, my prospective boss came out to greet me. She was young. So young. Too young. Very young. Not that I have anything against young people -- I used to be one myself. Yet, when I see a person her age in a management position, I know she isn't making a lot of money, which means, neither will I.
Advertisement
We walked into the conference room where two other Lil' Rascals were waiting. Suddenly, I wanted out, but it was too late. We went through the usual pleasantries and got down to business. As far as job interviews go, it went well. I told them all the right things and nodded my head at all the right times, all the while staring at their un-wrinkled faces and trendy haircuts. I even managed to seem excited.
Then I decided to commit hari-kari. When I thought the time was right, I tactfully asked Darla, Alfalfa and Spanky what the job paid. Perhaps it was arrogance, perhaps pride. Maybe I wanted to show that I was doing them a favor by interviewing. It didn't matter. I smirked, or perhaps grimaced, when they told me. I thanked them for their time and off I went.
I never heard back. Go figure! While I purposely sabotaged that interview, many people don't know any better. One colleague said she received a resume from a person where every line was a different color. "We just HAD to write her back and tell her how unprofessional it was." Then there was the candidate who sent in her resume on a cake. Yummy, yes. Interview? No!
If you want to see the best ways to ruin a job interview -- and who doesn't really? -- keep reading.
The Oxford English Dictionary made headlines in 2013 when officials announced selfie was the dictionarys word of the year.
In case youre not keeping up with the folks at Oxford, taking a selfie refers to the act of snapping a photo of yourself and often then posting it on social media.
Since 2013, use of the word has skyrocketed, and infamous selfies have made headlines, such as President Obamas selfie with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandelas 2013 memorial service.
But according to Cooper Fisher, selfies arent just for politicians they can also be used by local governments that want to promote their cities as tourist destinations.
And in the Mining City, the Butte Chamber of Commerce is doing exactly that.
Recently the chamber unveiled its selfie spot campaign, which involves the installation of vinyl decals at 24 tourist attractions throughout the city. The decals encourage people to take selfies, post them on social media, and use Butte-themed hashtags.
Selfie spots can be found at the World Museum of Mining, Berkeley Pit and the Copper King Mansion, for example; but the campaign also includes Buttes favorite watering holes such as Headframe Spirits, Butte Brewing Company, Quarry Brewing, and Muddy Creek Brewery.
Fisher, the social media director and executive assistant for the chamber, is spearheading the campaign.
To fabricate the selfie spots, Fisher received $1,500 from Buttes Tourism Business Improvement District, a public entity that collects a $1 assessment for every hotel stay in Butte to help fund projects and events that promote tourism.
While selfie spots might be the latest and greatest in Butte, Fisher said theyre nothing new.
He got the idea after taking a trip to Helena, where he saw that the city was using selfie spots to promote local attractions.
After doing some research I found that it was really a national thing said Fisher. There was even an amusement park that was doing them at the top of their water slides.
Already Fisher said hes seeing the Butte selfies on Facebook and Instagram.
Vibecka Olson of Great Falls visited Butte Saturday when she decided to snap a selfie at the Berkeley Pit.
I never take selfies, said Olson as she described her spur-of-the-moment decision.
Butte Brewing Company owner Tony Olson, meanwhile, said his establishment had its selfie spot installed last week and that he believes some intrepid individuals will try to hit all 24 spots in one day.
But for Fisher, selfie spots are more than just an activity for tourists they are also a marketing tool that keeps the city current.
You have to stay culturally relevant in any marketing situation, said Fisher. You have to be able to capitalize on trends.
According to a 2011 Nielsen report, an increasing number of consumers use social media to express brand loyalty.
A majority of active social networkers (53 percent) follow brands, (and) these brands are increasingly recruiting their fans and followers to spread word-of-mouth recommendations about their products and services, the authors write.
When asked whether he thought consumers are starting to take part in the marketing of their favorite brands online, Fisher responded, I would say so, yeah.
People want to share things theyre passionate about, he continued. In this case, what we want people to be passionate about is Butte.
Although hes lived in Butte since childhood, Fisher whos a senior at Montana Tech where hes double-majoring in business marketing and business management said it wasnt until recently that he fell in love with his hometown.
Fisher said his budding sense of conviction started after interacting with city leaders during internships for his degree.
Once I started to get out and experience the community and experience what Butte really is and has to offer, I fell in love with it, and now I want to share that, said Fisher.
But its not just tourism that Maria Pochervina, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Fisher hope to promote through the selfie-spot campaign. Their ultimate goal, the two said, is to generate buzz about the Mining City and translate that buzz into more people moving to Butte.
Tourism is a major economic driver, but also its a form of economic development in that were able to showcase this community as a great place to live and to do business, said Pochervina. Its going to reach that younger demographic, that millennial demographic who maybe looking for that next best place to live.
The excellent article in the Montana Standard about Buttes economic condition (6/26/16) unfortunately neglects to consider one significant economic condition in Butte: Poverty.
Poverty is both a cause and result of Buttes stagnant economic growth. Poverty is an affront to human dignity, is a form of societal violence against the poor, exacerbates other social problems, and is a drag on economic development. Poverty in Butte is an offense against social justice. Whatever economic growth is occurring in Butte has not been equitably distributed. Our economy is dysfunctional when it comes to the poor. Yet, for too long government has ignored the plight of the poor. The poor are marginalized, denigrated and ignored. Poverty is something as a community that we do not want to talk about. But we cannot develop and implement any just and effective economic growth policy that does not directly admit and address Buttes poverty.
In Butte, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 20 percent of the population lives below the official U.S. poverty line. This poverty rate is up 10 percent from 2010. The childhood poverty rate is 23 percent which translates into 1,800 children in Butte. (Montanas rate is 19 percent.) If one uses 150 percent of the poverty line, which is generally considered to be a more accurate poverty line, 33 percent of Butte residents live in poverty which is a 15 percent increase since 2009.
In Butte, 47 percent of the population has low income status which is defined as incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line. Fifty-one percent of Butte children live in low-income households. All of these rates for Butte tend to be higher than the Montana and national average. In addition, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, about 2.4 percent of Buttes citizens receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families compared to the state average of 1.89 percent. Over 10 percent of the Butte population receives food-stamps compared to 7.56 percent statewide.
Studies also indicate that the vast majority of low income citizens live in Uptown Butte.
Within the county, there are pockets of deep poverty. Forty percent of Butte-Silver Bows Census Block Groups (17 out of 43) have poverty rates higher than the overall county rate that ranged from 15 percent to 61 percent. Of the 17 high poverty Block Groups, 10 (or 59 percent) were located in Census Tracts 1 and 2, inside the older town site. These two tracts contain 52 percent (2,550 people) of the countys poor while containing only 29 percent of the total population. (Butte-Silver Bow Growth Policy)
Butte faces a major environmental justice issue in that, as demonstrated by the data presented above, Buttes poor are concentrated in Buttes Superfund sites. In addition to all the other harms they must endure, Buttes low income citizens also must endure a disparate toxics burden.
The poor in Butte have a greater risk of cancer from exposure to heavy metals than do the non-poor. The poor in Butte are more threatened by the release of toxic heavy metals associated with mining than the non-poor. (Environmental Defense Fund) (The Standard article also did not consider the drag on economic development of the whole Superfund situation in Butte. Until Butte receives an adequate cleanup from the EPA, real economic development will remain elusive.)
Much of the housing stock in Uptown/Central Butte is in a state of decay and dilapidation. Homes in Uptown/Central Butte often have contaminated attic and indoor dust, contaminated yards and lead-based paint in the home. Heating these homes can be prohibitive. Poor housing contributes to poor health.
The point is not to dwell on the negative but this poverty problem has been ignored for too long. Poverty will not be solved by not talking about it because supposedly it harms Buttes image. Poverty will not be solved by falsely blaming the poor for their plight.
Poverty is real, disgraceful, unjust and demands government ameliorative action. It would be a moral failing as well as a policy failing to continue to ignore Buttes poverty. Any strategy for Buttes economic growth must admit that there is a poverty problem and address poverty and income inequality in Butte. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. -- John F. Kennedy.
--
John W. Ray, Ph.D, teaches classes in public policy and political science at Montana Tech. He has published extensively on the environmental justice issue. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Montana Tech.
U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke recently claimed that he was a Teddy Roosevelt Conservationist. He then voted for H.R. 2316, a piece of legislation that would transfer management of four million acres of national forests to state-appointed committees. These committees would be charged with stimulating commodity production and revenue. The multiple-use principle for American forests that Theodore Roosevelt championed would not apply.
Given the impact Roosevelt has had on Montana, its no wonder that our politicians want to lay claim to his legacy. A closer look, however, suggests Rep. Zinkes "conservation feet" are much too small to fit in Teddys boots.
Our Montana conservation ethic and our outdoor lifestyle owe a great deal to Roosevelt. During the time he spent living and hunting in the American West he shot a buffalo in Montana, in 1883, experienced a conservation epiphany and, in 1887, established a club for the introduction of the sporting code and restoration of big game. That club got Congress to pass a provision allowing presidents to set aside forest lands for their protection. They called it the Creative Act. When Roosevelt became president, the Creative Act was in the hands of its creator.
As president, Roosevelt set aside more than 150 million acres as forest reserves and created the U.S. Forest Service. In Montana, new Forest Service lands included the Kootenai, the Custer, the Elkhorns, the Crazy Mountains, the Big and Little Belts, the Little Rockies, the Helena, the Lolo, the Big Hole, the Cabinets, and more. When you also consider the wildlife refuges, game ranges, parks and monuments he protected, the total number of acres he protected exceeds 230 million acres. Those are some big conservation boots.
When Roosevelt left office, the assault on conservation was immediate. His successor, William Taft, began by obstructing an investigation into accusations of corrupt dealings by coal interests in Alaska. Roosevelts trusted friend and the first chief of the Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, protested, so President Taft fired him. After the Great Fire of 1910 burned across parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, lawmakers proposed selling the burned land to private interests. The assault on conservation continues to this day, and foes of conservation come by the generation, each with their own scheme. The latest scheme involves transferring American public lands to the states. Thats what Rep. Zinke voted for when he voted for H.R. 2316.
H.R. 2316 would allow local interests to exploit our national forests for maximum, short-term profit the very thing Roosevelt wanted to prevent when he established the Forest Service. Under H.R. 2316, the Forest Service mandate to protect wildlife habitat, ensure clean water, and provide for multiple types of recreation would be removed.
Politicians have been hacking away at the Forest Services maintenance and operations budgets for decades. They now whine about the bad management that results from those budget cuts and claim that local control of national resources can solve the problems those cuts have created.
The reality is that exploitive interests have never been able to accept the conservation ethic of our democracy and continue to find ways to undermine that ethic. H.R. 2316 is the latest attempt to undermine that ethic.
Instead of voting for bills that diminish Roosevelts conservation legacy, I would encourage Rep. Zinke focus his energy on adequately funding the Forest Service, so it can do the job that our former president intended for it to do.
There is a common cliche that says: If the shoe fits, wear it. I suggest that Congressman Zinke is not close to fitting Teddys conservation boots.
-- Jim Posewitz lives in Helena. He is retired after a career at the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and is the author of two books about Theodore Roosevelt, Rifle in Hand: How Wild America was Saved and Taking a Bullet for Conservation.
MUSCATINE, IowaIowa State Patrol is asking for the public's assistance in the investigation regarding a fatal bicycle accident that occurred Saturday.
Lisa Kuhn, 40, of Muscatine was riding in the third annual pEDaling for Pancreatic Cancer bicycle fundraiser when she was struck and killed at approximately 9:41 a.m.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, Ryan McKillip, 28, of West Liberty, was driving a vehicle and struck Kuhn while both were southbound on Davis Avenue south of 121st Street.
The State Patrol is asking all who may have witnessed the incident or have any information about the accident to call, 563-284-9501.
MUSCATINE, Iowa A campaign to collect school supplies for needy children in Muscatine netted 20 bags of all kinds of items students will need for school as well as just over $70 in cash.
WAPELLO, Iowa Despite opposition from the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, salary increases for some Louisa County Public Health Service staff will apparently stand.
During their regular meeting Tuesday, the supervisors reviewed payroll changes for county employees, including several that had been approved a few weeks ago by the Louisa County Board of Health. Under Iowa law, Boards of Health govern the operations of local public health service agencies in each county, including setting salaries for each staff member.
According to a previous table distributed during the supervisors June 7 meeting, six of the LCPHS nine employees would receive increases ranging from 2.1 percent to 26 percent. The actual hourly increase for each of the employees listed in the table included (with the current amount in parenthesis): administrator Patti Sallee, $39.96 ($32.96); office manager Heidi Pallister, $21.73 ($17.43); clerk Brandy Blow, $16.47 ($13.07); and nurses Roxanne Smith, $27.69 ($24.69); Leah McElhinney, $26 ($24); Robin Grimm, $24.78 ($24.28). The table initially identified the raises as starting Aug. 1, but the supervisors noted Tuesday the higher salaries would be effective Jul. 1.
Officials also pointed out that Pallister was being re-designated as an assistant administrator, while Blow would become the office manager.
Supervisor Chris Ball, who is the board of supervisor representative on the Board of Health; and supervisor chair Paula Buckman said they both attended a recent emergency meeting of the Board of Health and asked the Board of Health to provide more information on its wage decision.
Ball said he had made a motion during the BOH meeting to review a survey that had been used as the basis for originally approving the raises, but that motion was voted down.
Buckman indicated she was disappointed over the decision.
I would like to see the survey they based these wages on, she said, adding job descriptions had also not been provided that showed an increase in duties or responsibilities for some of the staff.
All (Louisa County Board of Health chair) Jeri (Bailey) could say was we have the right to do this. We are an empowered board, Buckman said.
She also reported the BOH had decided not to meet with the supervisors on Jul. 5 as previously arranged to discuss the issue.
Its a done deal, Ball acknowledged.
This size of county cant afford this, supervisor Randy Griffin complained after hearing the reports.
Ball said even with the raises the public health services FY17 budget would not be exceeded because the wage increases would come from grant funding.
Griffin however was not convinced there would not be a later effect, especially when the grant funding disappeared.
At this time its no cost to the taxpayer, (but) well have to deal with this, he predicted.
Later in the meeting, during a discussion on a Louisa County Conservation Board request to transfer $76,609 to the countys Conservation Land Acquisition (Reserve) Fund, Griffin returned to his concern over the growing county government.
They have worthy projects, but I want to shrink government instead of grow government, he said.
The supervisors tabled action on the transfer and Buckman said she would request a five-year plan for spending the reserve fund down.
The supervisors also met with county department heads and accepted a $16,556 bid from K Buster K, Morning Sun, for construction work related to a new water system at the Louisa County Complex.
MUSCATINE, Iowa Muscatine Police ordered the shutdown of the 100 block of East Second Street between Sycamore and Iowa avenues for a time Tuesday afternoon due to a gas leak.
The street has since re-opened to traffic.
The minor leak was caused by work in the alley, and no injuries were reported, according to the Muscatine Fire Department.
Mike Hartman, Assistant Chief at the fire department, said the natural gas dissipated quickly, and there was no need to evacuate nearby shops.
A crew was on scene for just over an hour, which Hartman said was standard procedure, while Alliant Energy repaired the leak.
MUSCATINE, Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, provider of blood components to hospitals in Muscatine, Iowa City and the Quad Cities, is requesting appointments from all eligible blood donors in the days leading up to the Fourth of July.
The rate of blood donation has dropped over the last month, and donations are urgently needed to avoid a shortfall in the blood supply. To schedule an appointment to give blood at the Muscatine Donor Center or a mobile blood drive, call (800) 747-5401 or schedule online at www.bloodcenterimpact.org.
MVRBC is the exclusive blood provider to UnityPoint Health Trinity Muscatine, as well as hospitals in Iowa City, Washington, the Quad Cities and many other communities in eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. To thank those who step forward to support the blood supply, MVRBC is providing I Gave to Save T-Shirts to all presenting donors who come to mobile blood drives (through July 16) and a $5 Starbucks gift card for all who come to give blood at MVRBC Donor Centers (through Sept. 10). In addition, all who register to give blood will receive automatic entry in MVRBCs summer-long drawing for a new Ford Fiesta (through Sept. 30). The drawing is made possible with support from Lindquist Ford and Clinton Auto Group details at www.bloodcenter.org/win.)
The rate of blood donation has dropped by 10-15 percent since Memorial Day and the end of the school year. This is due, in part, to our inability to hold mobile blood drives at schools during the summer months, says Amanda Hess, Director, Donor Relations. But donor presentation at our Donor Centers and other mobile blood drives has also decreased. At the same time, our donor deferral rate has increased. These trends are concerning, because hospitals rely on us to provide a consistent blood supply year-round.
The deferral for travel to the region where the Zika Virus Outbreak is occurring and an FDA-required increase in the allowable Hemoglobin threshold for male donors have both contributed to a recent increase in MVRBCs donor deferral rate. This, combined with a decrease in the rate of donor presentation, has made this a challenging summer for the blood supply.
The need for blood at local hospitals is constant throughout the year, but we know it can spike at any time, said Hess. In times of crisis, were reminded that its blood components that were already on the shelves at the hospital that make the greatest difference.
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Comsol has launched Comsol Fibre Connect, which it states is South Africas first and only nationwide open-access high-speed carrier-grade data network.
The network will connect enterprises in both major metros and small towns, said the company.
Comsol Fibre Connect offers the best of the fibre and wireless worlds, allowing carriers and service providers to connect their customers with speeds from 2Mbps to 1Gbps.
The combination of a fibre optic backbone with high-speed wireless infrastructure provides near blanket coverage of metros, cities, and district councils.
Parts of the network have already been rolled out and are operational, with the bulk of the roll-out expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
The company said existing fibre networks in the country are not far-reaching enough and take too long to deploy.
Comsol will connect over 200 towns and cities across the country via its Fibre Connect project. The majority of the towns are expected to be connected by December.
More on broadband
Afrihost buying back controlling stake from MTN
Faster speeds and lower latency on Seacom
Local telecommunications company Neotel expects regulators to approve the sale of its business to Econet-owned Liquid Telecom before the end of March 2017.
Indias Tata Communications, which owns a controlling stake in Neotel, announced on Tuesday that it is selling the South African telecoms company to Liquid Telecom for R6.55bn.
Liquid Telecom is a data, voice and IP provider. Local empowerment investment group Royal Bafokeng Holdings has also committed to taking a 30% stake in Neotel, said Tata Communications.
The deal comes after Vodacom launched a bid in May 2014 to buy Neotel for R7bn.
But in March 2015, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao and Vodacom chief executive Shameel Joosub expressed their frustration at regulators slow approval of the deal.
Amid MTN and Cell C also opposing the transaction, Vodacom abandoned the deal in March this year citing regulatory complexities and certain conditions not being fulfilled.
However, Neotel expects regulators to move faster on Liquid Telecoms bid for the company.
Next steps will be to submit this transaction to ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa), the Competition Commission and then the Competition Tribunal for approval, said Neotel non-executive director Kennedy Memani in an emailed statement.
We expect this process to be concluded by the end of the current financial year, said Memani.
Neotels current financial year ends in March 2017, the company told Fin24.
Meanwhile, Liquid Telecoms bid to buy Neotel is expected to create the largest pan-African broadband network and business to business telecoms provider, according to the companies.
Liquids acquisition of Neotel would mean that its connectivity business would span 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya.
I believe Liquid Telecom is the right partner for Neotel, said Memani in the statement.
Our respective customers and networks complement each other well, the transaction structure is in line with our countrys critical BEE agenda, and I am confident that our customers and our employees will benefit from the transaction and from the resulting stability and business expansion, said Memani.
Liquid Telecom is majority owned by Econet Wireless, a company that is founded and run by Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa.
Fin24
More on Neotel
Neotel launches 200Mbps FTTB service
Neotel remains without a CEO and CFO
Ikea is recalling 29 million chests and dressers that can easily tip over and trap children underneath.
Ikea issues recall on dressers
Six kids killed
Recall for US and Canada only
Ikea recall information
Six children have been killed and three dozen others injured, and federal safety officials on Tuesday urged consumers to take immediate action.
The Swedish retailer announced the recall Tuesday, saying the furniture can pose "a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children" if it is not properly anchored to a wall.
"Consumers need to act immediately because it's a very present hazard, especially if you have kids in your home," Elliot Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in an interview.
The CPSC underscored the risk at a news conference Tuesday that included live demonstrations of chests tipping over.
Kaye said consumers "need to either get their anchor kit from Ikea for free and install it on their furniture, take it back to the store for a full refund or have Ikea come and pick it up from their homes for free."
The recall, which only applies to customers in the U.S. and Canada, is for several types of Ikea chests and dressers, including the Malm line. Ikea said the units under the recall are children's chests and drawers taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29.5 inches.
The recalled units were sold at Ikea stores "at various times through June 2016," the company said.
All of the children killed were 3 years old or younger, the CPSC said. One child was killed about 27 years ago. The other deaths were more recent, between 2002 and 2016. The CPSC said it received 36 reports of children who were injured.
Ikea said that anyone who owns one of those chests and dressers and has not attached them to a wall should remove it out of reach from children. Ikea is offering free kits to attach the chests and dressers to a wall.
Customers who don't want to keep the recalled furniture can ask for a refund. Ikea said it will give a full refund to owners of recalled chests and dressers made between 2002 and 2016. For recalled units made before 2002, customers can receive a store credit for half the original price.
Ikea USA president Lars Petersson said that the chests and dressers were sold with instructions saying that they had to be mounted to walls. Last year, the company offered free wall-mounting kits to owners of its Malm chests and dressers after reports of children's deaths.
Kaye said IKEA is now working with CPSC to bring safer designs to the markets so that furniture is more stable.
"I expect the rest of the furniture industry to do the same," said Kaye.
BRUSSELS European Union leaders began plotting a future without Britain on Tuesday, urging the island nation and economic powerhouse to disentangle itself as fast as possible from the other 27 nations in the bloc to avoid extending the turmoil that has been roiling European and global markets.
E.U. Council President Donald Tusk said he was planning a special meeting of the E.U. leaders minus Cameron in Bratislava in September to chart a way ahead, after last weeks referendum made abundantly clear that a business-as-usual approach to Britain leaving could possibly threaten the unity of the entire bloc.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron held talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hours ahead of an E.U. summit in Brussels where the outgoing British leader is expected to say that exit talks might not be launched before October. There has been talk that Britain wants informal negotiations on what the U.K.s future relations with Europe might look like before that happens a notion many in the bloc have rejected.
Juncker and other European leaders insist they wont begin any talks until Britain invokes the Article 50 of the EUs Treaty of Lisbon, which sets in motion a two-year process to split away from the group designed to unify Europe after the horrors of World War II.
In an unprecedented emergency session of the E.U. parliament, called after Britain voted Thursday to leave the union, Juncker demanded that Britain clarify its future.
I want the U.K. to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9 a.m., but soon, he told lawmakers Tuesday. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Juncker said he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggers the exit clause.
No notification. No negotiation, he said to resounding applause.
Tusk was already looking further ahead. He said the 27 E.U. heads and state and government minus Cameron would hold a special meeting in September to discuss the new process of deeper reflection, a new impulse for Europe, a new future for Europe.
We need a few weeks to prepare this process, Tusk said.
The immediate reaction to the British departure also called the Brexit in the E.U. parliament was emotional Tuesday. Nigel Farage, a British member of the European Parliament and a leader in Britains leave movement, was booed and jeered.
when he urged Europe to give Britain a good trade deal when it leaves, saying jobs in Germanys auto sector might be at stake if it doesnt.
Why dont we just be pragmatic, sensible, grown-up, reasonable ... and cut a sensible tariff-free deal? he asked.
In a speech interrupted several times, Farage warned: The UK will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
Bearing out his words, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called the British vote an extraordinary victory for democracy a slap for a European system based more and more on fear, blackmail and lies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, said Tuesday she will use all her strength to prevent the EU from drifting apart. At the EU summit, she and other leaders hoped to hear Camerons position and chart the way forward. Cameron, head of the failed remain side, has said he will not be the leader to invoke Article 50, leaving that for his predecessor, who is to be chosen by October.
Britains leave leaders hope the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to the U.K. to address concerns about unlimited EU immigration. Merkel, head of the EUs biggest economy, made clear that isnt an option.
In an address to the German Parliament before heading to Brussels, Merkel said she expects that Britain will want to maintain close relations with the EU once it leaves, but warned it cannot expect a business-as-usual approach.
WASHINGTON Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP-drafted measure to provide $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus, accusing Republicans of packing the measure with partisan provisions and unfair spending cuts.
The nearly party-line 52-48 vote Tuesday left the Senate short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure. What happens next is unclear.
Democrats oppose a provision that restricts the use of $95 million worth of federal grants to provide services such as birth control to women in Puerto Rico threatened by the virus, which can cause horrible birth defects. The restrictions, which appeared aimed at mollifying House Republicans, would block health care providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving the funds.
Democratic leaders said they are willing to compromise and predicted that Republicans controlling Congress would soon sue for peace.
AMERICAN CANYON Business owners, politicians and community members gathered for an economic development town hall discussion that revealed a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum facing the city.
On one hand businesspeople say American Canyon has trouble attracting more retail and restaurants because local residents dont shop enough in town to entice new opportunities.
The flip side has residents saying they would shop more in American Canyon if it got more of the things they seek, such as sit-down eateries and alternative grocery stores like Trader Joes.
The town hall, organized by the American Canyon Chamber of Commerce and held at the Boys & Girls clubhouse, did not provide a definitive solution for this problem. But it did produce examples and ideas that may someday lead to American Canyon expanding its commercial sector.
Michael Holcomb, a commercial real estate broker with Strong & Hayden, said locals often ask why their city doesnt get a Trader Joes. The current shopping options are limited to Safeway and Wal-Mart.
The challenge, said Holcomb, is youre dealing with markets all over the state that are competing for the attention of big corporations considering the next locale for a franchise or outlet.
He said cities with larger population densities and higher per capita incomes stand a better chance than American Canyon of attracting a Trader Joes.
Other communities are perceived as lower-hanging fruit that have markets with lower risks, said Holcomb, who helps lease commercial space in the city.
Another business leader, John Naab with R. H. Hess Development, which owns and operates Canyon Plaza and Canyon Corners, said American Canyon was unlikely to ever get a Trader Joes, based on a conversation he had with a company representative.
He said, No way, ever would Trader Joes set up in the city because it lacked all of the necessary qualifications the corporation seeks for a new location.
American Canyon also has shortcomings when trying to attract dine-in restaurants to complement the Subways, Sonic Drive-In and small independent eateries.
Mayor Leon Garcia asked why the city of Winters, which is a third of American Canyons size with about 6,000 residents, was able to bring in a Buckhorn restaurant, but his own town wasnt.
We talk about (the need for) family restaurants here, said Garcia. Why cant we have this?
Naab cited American Canyons inability to provide sufficient numbers of weekday customers for restaurants due to the fact that so many residents commute out of town for work and are not around Monday through Friday.
The restaurants cant survive just on the weekend traffic, said Naab. They need people during the week, too.
He also cited the high cost and risk of starting a restaurant as barriers to franchises and even mom-and-pop establishments. While a small retail operation might require $40,000-$50,000 to open, he said, a restaurant can demand half a million dollars or more to begin.
Ive been trying for 10 years to get a barbecue in American Canyon without success, said Naab.
The city will need to find a way to create more employment locally so fewer residents have to drive out every morning for work, said Councilmember Mark Joseph.
We have a bedroom community phenomenon, said Joseph, which has our arms tied behind our backs because people commute out and no one can shop or eat during the day.
He said it was critical for American Canyon to develop better-paying jobs as well as more affordable housing. If it does these things, that will generate economic development.
Joseph and others are hoping the mammoth Napa Logistics Park project on the north side of town, most of which still must be built, will help generate higher-income employment for residents tired of commuting.
The town hall also was a chance to promote business success stories, specifically Walt Perlic, owner of FASTSIGNS.
When Perlic set out nine years ago from Marin to establish a FASTSIGNS store in the North Bay, the company advised him to look in Vallejo.
Vallejo had more space available and lower costs, said Perlic. But he decided to check out Benicia and American Canyon as well.
He decided American Canyon was an ideal location because of its proximity to Vallejo, Benicia, Napa and other cities located just off Highway 80.
American Canyon looked like the community we wanted to be a part of, said Perlic, noting that at the time the city was growing in size, its commercial sector was expanding off Green Island Road, and it was planning to build its first high school.
The startup wasnt easy, he said. In addition to the normal struggles a new business has getting established and building a client base, the economy crashed last decade after they opened.
They overcame the downturn, and his business now is doing so well that Perlic recently acquired the Barber Sign Co. in Vallejo. FASTSIGNS also was named Business of the Year at the citys annual Community Recognition Ball.
Naab said Perlics business can serve as an example to showcase to other corporations that might otherwise overlook American Canyon as a place to consider.
We need the FASTSIGNS to grow here and demonstrate what can happen, said Naab.
AMERICAN CANYON Relay for Life last weekend was 24 hours of sweat and tears, laughs and sorrows, celebrations and remembrances.
Local residents, as well as some intergalactic visitors from the 501st Legion of Star Wars enthusiasts, walked the dirt track continuously from Saturday morning to Sunday morning at Donaldson Way Elementary School to raise money for the fight against cancer.
The event offered more than the opportunity to walk together for a good cause. People took breaks together in the many tents surrounding the track on this hot summer day. They watched children get their faces painted and participate in sideline contests. They enjoyed a communal meal of ribs and smores in the evening.
Nightfall was also a time for perhaps the most moving portion of Relay: the Luminaria.
Hundreds of paper bags, illuminated by candlelight, lined the earthen track. Each bag contained a message to someone who had battled cancer, is still fighting it, or who had lost.
One anonymous message read:
Mam-ma
I miss you every single day.
I still pick up the phone to call you.
I love you to the moon and back.
Vincent Lin, chairman of this years Relay for Life, acknowledged at the beginning of the Luminaria ceremony how emotionally difficult it would be for him.
Im going to try to get through this without crying, he said to those gathered at one end of the track.
Lin said it was a time to reflect about loss, how each luminaria will touch us in a personal way.
Jill Neumeier of Florida said she comes out every year for American Canyons Relay ever since her daughter, Shanda, survived her battle with breast cancer.
This Relay is our Relay, she said. Its close to our hearts.
Neumeier talked to the crowd about her own experience as a parent and caregiver to someone who went through the long ordeal of being diagnosed with cancer.
The two most devastating words youll ever hear, she said, referring to the results of a biopsy, is, Its positive.
She proceeded to talk about how a persons life changes after hearing those two words, and how it is possible to turn its positive which really is a negative, she said back into something positive.
Its positive you are going to the beauty parlor to address the results of having chemotherapy treatment.
Its positive you are off to Wal-mart because the person youre caring for will need new clothes from weight loss, or DVDs and games to fill the long hours and days of recovery.
Its positive you are off to Safeway for comfort food.
She concluded her remarks by telling her daughter, who has fully recovered: You are positively our hero.
As a physician, I would not feel comfortable treating someone for a significant disease or malady that I have not had the most rigorous training in. That is especially true for my children. My training and experience give me the knowledge of my limitations and when to rely on another expert in the medical field.
I would hope that anyone that could be treating my kids on their own -- or yours -- is held to the same high standards we have in the state of California. As a pediatrician myself, I have spent tens of thousands of hours in study, clinical training and practicing procedures, all to prepare myself for the variety of challenges that come with practicing medicine.
Beyond that training, I answer to a board of physicians who have "lived in my shoes" over the course of their careers. Their oversight ensures that the decisions made by my colleagues and I are reviewed by those who understand those decisions and can appropriately address any corrective action necessary so that all patients have access to the highest level of care across California.
Unfortunately, two bills going through the Legislature in Sacramento would change that, by both dramatically decreasing the level of clinical training required and at the same time not ensuring the same level of oversight.
SB 323 would allow nurse practitioners to practice medicine independently from physician supervision. I have worked with nurse practitioners my entire career, including today, and I find them to be very valuable members of our team. But they are not physicians.
A physician-led team is crucial to the safe practice of medicine. Physicians are licensed and have oversight by the Medical Board of California. SB 323 would remove independent nurse practitioners from that oversight. Instead they would answer only to the Board of Registered Nursing.
Unfortunately, those boards would not necessarily have individuals on them who are well-versed with the procedures they would regulate. We cannot let that happen.
SB 622 would allow optometrists the ability to perform surgical procedures without the appropriate level of training and oversight as well -- procedures currently provided by ophthalmologists who are medical doctors and spend many years in training. The new proposal would include a 25-hour training course and a minimal number of training procedures followed by oversight from the State Board of Optometry.
As a physician in California, I am committed to providing access to high-quality care for all residents of our state. But these bills, although perhaps well-intentioned, will do little or nothing to improve access and would sacrifice patient safety. Instead of creating greater trust between patients and parents, these bills give us one more thing to worry about: "Do they even know what they're doing to my child or loved one?"
I tell my kids all the time not to "take the easy way out," but that's exactly what these bills would do -- no matter the goals. Efforts like these bills have been rejected by the state Legislature in the past, yet we see them coming back again without realistic provisions to protect our citizens from the perils of inadequate training and oversight. I urge our lawmakers in Sacramento to make the right decision again and vote these bills down. All Californians, including our children, deserve better.
Dr. Victoria C. Morgese
Napa
The article "Napans protest deadly clash in Mexico" (June 23) told a very sad story of the killing of eight people in a violent confrontation in a small state of Oaxaca. Thirty-plus people joined the spontaneous gathering. There was front-page coverage with back-page photos of the demonstrators.
I was reminded of all our attempts at gaining publicity for the peaceful prayer services held to mark the deaths of MILLIONS of unborn children. More than 50 people would gather in front of Planned Parenthood where peaceful prayer services were held to object to Planned Parenthood's policies as the largest provider of abortions worldwide.
Once again one has to ask the question about fair, objective coverage.
Margie Crotty
Napa
St. Helena police are investigating a rash of incidents where thieves have stolen the wheels from parked cars.
The crimes occurred on Spring Street between 3 and 5 a.m. on June 19, at Harvest Inn on the night of June 21-22, and on Monte Vista on the night of June 23-24.
The culprits police believe there are probably at least two, but theyre not sure have targeted newer SUVs, said Sgt. Chris Hartley of the St. Helena Police Department. Its unclear whether the suspects are primarily after the rims or the tires, since both are valuable, even in their unmodified stock versions.
In the first case, the suspects stole only three wheels because the car collapsed, trapping the fourth wheel and the suspects jack underneath.
They got all four wheels from the second car, which was parked in a secluded parking lot at Harvest Inn. They left the car supported by a scissor jack and cinder blocks.
They got two wheels from the car on Monte Vista, possibly because theyd been interrupted, Hartley said. They left behind a jack and another item that Hartley declined to identify.
Hartley said police have collected some substantial evidence thats being analyzed with the help of the Napa County Sheriffs Office crime lab in Napa. He didnt elaborate on the nature of the evidence, but he said hes hopeful it will lead to the identification of one or more suspects.
Weve changed up our tactics on this caper to try to catch them in the act, Hartley said.
Similar crimes have been reported in American Canyon recently, but its unclear whether theres a link to the St. Helena incidents.
Hartley advised citizens to park in lighted areas, keep an eye out for suspicious activity, and be observant when dogs start barking late at night, since that could be a sign of something unusual happening.
Owners of newer SUVs in particular should take extra precautions if its possible, Hartley said. Garage it or leave it in a driveway. Dont leave it where there are no streetlights.
Dont be afraid to call us on a hunch, especially during the hours of darkness, Hartley said. Wed rather respond and have it turn out to be nothing, just to know that the neighbors are paying attention.
Dan Beltrami at Browns Auto Parts said there are locking lug nut kits available that could help deter such crimes. He also suggested parking next to an object, such as a high curb, that would make it difficult to jack up one side of the car.
First in a series
When asked if, at the age of 66, he had any plans to retire, legendary guitarist Carlos Santana said, What? No, why? Were just getting started, man. He thought a minute and added, We used to be seekers. Now were finders.
Wisdom combined with a sense of wonder its a powerful combination.
St. Helena resident Kirsten Mickelwait recently conducted brief interviews with several local folks older than 60 who are still living creative, active, curious lives, although this interview with Volker Eisele was done before his death in 2015.
I came to UC Berkeley from Germany in the late 1960s. It was there I saw a Sierra Club calendar with the Henry David Thoreau quote, In wildness is the preservation of the world. I didnt really understand the thought, but I read Walden. The idea of conservation became implanted in me.
Its always bothered me that, in this country, we take our open space for granted. What is already lost in Europe we still have here. Over the past 50 years, Ive begun to understand how politics and land use function all the interrelated issues of ecology and conservation. Now the Thoreau quote makes all the sense in the world to me.
Biodiversity is not just a new-age idea, its a basic necessity for our survival. As biological beings, we cannot separate ourselves from the rest of nature. Contact with the natural world is absolutely essential to what it means to be human. Its taken me this long to understand what they already understood in the 19th century: You want to be in nature and with nature. Now I feel as if Thoreau was talking to me.
Eisele (1937-2015) was an environmental activist and founder of the Eisele Family Estate Wines.
The full series can be found at findersfile.wordpress.com.
State Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) was honored Friday, June 17, by residents of the Veterans Home in Yountville for her work to reverse a 2009-10 budget action that resulted in non-veteran spouses having to pay up to 90 percent of their income to live with their husband or wife at a state veterans home.
Wolks Senate Bill 1440, which took effect in 2015, allowed non-veteran spouses to pay the same fees and charges as their veteran spouse to live at one of the states veterans homes.
SB 1440 restored fairness to the way fees are assessed at Californias veterans homes. Now, non-veteran spouses of veterans like myself can live with their spouses without losing their savings. Senator Wolk made that possible. We thank her for all of her work to get SB 1440 signed into law, said Jac Warren, who lives with her husband at the Yountville Veterans Home, and was among the Yountville residents to honor Wolk.
Before Wolks law took effect, numerous veterans and their spouses saw their personal finances, savings and assets wiped out by the fees charged for living at a veterans home. Couples left veterans homes and even separated as a result of the steep, unforeseen increase to the cost of living many experienced.
I was proud to author SB 1440 to enable veterans to live with their spouses without having to pay up to 90 percent of their income, said Wolk, who represents the Veterans Home in Yountville. That fee increase was put into effect by the previous governor to close the budget gap during the Great Recession. Prior to that, spouses were recognized as part of veterans support team.
Wolk has worked on numerous veterans issues, writing and supporting numerous measures supporting the states veterans. Currently, Wolk is writing SB 543 to provide a single statewide account in which to deposit Veterans Home Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) funds spent on functions or activities directly related to the morale, welfare and recreation of the residents. SB 543 will streamline the distribution of MWR monies and provide greater accountability and transparency of the funds.
The measure passed the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee last week on an 8-0 vote.
The heat of summer has arrived. On Sunday, it was 101 in St. Helena and it was a few degrees hotter on Monday. Its supposed to cool off a few degrees for the holiday weekend, but no matter how you cut it, its just plain hot. If you dont get out and do your chores or errands, or exercise early, youll be doing them in the heat and thats no fun.
Those thoughts were rumbling through my mind on Monday morning on my way to work. Timothy had his thumb out in Middletown. He wore a ragged T-shirt and shorts, carried an old backpack with all his possessions in it and was traveling with Odie, a 9-year-old pit bull mix who looked like he weighed 80 or 90 pounds. The last thing he did before he put Odie and his backpack into the back seat of my car was empty the water from a collapsible bowl.
How long have you been waiting? Only a few minutes, Timothy said. He and Odie had spent Sunday night behind the old jail in Lower Lake. There was just enough room to pitch his tent, he said, but it wasnt the best place, because he pitched it in the dark and unknowingly on top of a pile of red ants.
Where you heading? Going to Santa Rosa. I was born there and maybe I can find a park to sleep in.
Im only heading to St. Helena, where do you want to be dropped off? Oh, by the Arco gas station. There will be shade there and water for the dog.
By now, Odie had stopped barking, but he was excited and fidgeted all the way down Highway 29. Hes not used to being in a car, Timothy said, hed rather be in my truck.
But, it turns out, that truck had a mechanical problem all the oil from the transmission just poured out onto the road from a bad seal, Timothy said, and now its in a junk yard because it was too expensive to fix.
It had 297,000 miles on it, and I shouldve taken the Ford when I split from my wife. I once had a brand new Chevy truck and a brand new Ford and the Ford truck lasted much longer. The Chevy fell apart by the time I was done with it. Id like to drive a brand new truck again.
When did you get divorced? A year ago. I was living with my sister in Clearlake. Shes an RN who just works all the time, but I thought Id leave. I was married to that mean German woman for eight years and was with her nine years.
By now, Timothy noticed the display console in my Toyota Prius. He was fascinated by the charging of the battery and the running of the engine it doesnt run all the time, especially going downhill. I explained a little bit of it to him and told him the battery would be fully charged soon, because we were getting to the crest of Mount St. Helena, near Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
Timothy was looking out the window and as wed go past a patch of green, hed say, Id like to camp there. As he saw vineyards in the distance, hed appreciate the view and mention how expensive the land is in Napa County. Theres no surprise in that, I told him.
Talking to Timothy was like peeling an onion there were layers of complexity. At the beginning of the conversation, I suspected he was homeless, a suspicion that turned out to be correct. All I knew was that it was a warm morning, he was traveling with a big dog and he was carrying all he had on his back. It wasnt very much.
I used to be able to walk for hours, Timothy said, but now I cant walk much more than a mile or two.
Hes disabled, he said, and he was trying to figure out how to save enough money for a new truck as long as the rent wasnt too much, maybe $130 a month, he figured.
I should be able to save a couple hundred a month. Then, in a few months, Ill get a new truck. I might be able to finance it. I had a friend who did that once but he lost his truck when he stopped making the payments.
I want to work, maybe do something thats not too hard. I understand minimum wage is 10 bucks an hour. I had a friend who didnt want to work at McDonalds until he found out he would get 10 bucks an hour.
Thats not a whole lot of money, I said, its tough to make it on 10 bucks an hour.
Yeah, I know, Timothy said. I know someone whos making 20 bucks an hour and hes still having a tough time making ends meet.
Timothy liked to talk and if he werent talking to me, it would probably be to Odie. Hed had the dog a long time and he said when he split with his wife, her dog wanted to go with him and Odie wanted to stay with her. But things dont work out that way.
Odies my dog. I didnt get a lot of sleep last night, because Odie snored a lot. He just crawled into the tent and lay down. He didnt want to eat last night, it was too hot, but he ate a little this morning. And Im carrying his collapsible water bowl that I bought at Wal-Mart, the best thing I ever bought.
As we passed a parking lot full of work trucks on Tubbs Lane, Timothy told me he had once worked for Caltrans. He was 17 and spent the day holding a sign, slowing and stopping traffic. He spent the summer doing that. Timothy said he shouldve stayed with that job. Wistfully, he said, I couldve retired with 25-30 years with them and Id be all set.
We were nearly there. As we turned from Tubbs Lane and headed onto Highway 128, I wondered how Timothy and Odie would get along in life. If Timothy would find some help in Santa Rosa or a place to stay. When would either of them get a good meal, I wondered. And more immediately, would Timothy find some shade for Odie, while they waited for a ride to Santa Rosa.
I let them off and drove away. And then 24 hours later, I read a story on the front page of the Press-Democrat. A homeless man had been stabbed to death early Monday in a doorway on Riley Street, right in front of the Sonoma County Public Health Office. The police called it a homicide, the third this year, involving a population thats vulnerable, despite the efforts of the local government, the social service agencies and the police.
According to the P-D story, the victim, 32-year-old Cirak Mateos Tesfazgi, was a gentle, polite man who wrote poetry. The story said he was well-known in the downtown area because he went to the same coffee shop every morning. Friends say he had been homeless since 2009.
This years 2016 Federation Internationale des Confreries Bachiques (FICB) Congress brought more than 200 members from 12 different countries to the Napa and Sonoma valleys this month.
The 2016 FICB Congress was organized by the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine (KOV) of America, according to Pat Pingitore, 2016 FICB chair and KOV international emissary.
It was a six-day event that started Wednesday, June 8, in Santa Rosa before moving to St. Helena on Saturday, June 11, for an unusual parade and an academic session at Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
At Mitchell Drive and Oak Avenue behind the Sunshine Grocery, four busloads of FICB Congress members were dressed in long 16th-century-styled robes, adorned with brightly feathered caps, gold neck chains and medals with dangling silver or gold saucers. They gathered behind individual placards representing their countries of origin. There were members from Macedonia, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, the United Kingdom, U.S., France and Japan, to name a few.
Boys and girls, dressed in school uniforms and choir robes, held the placards in the very somber, very short parade that extended along Oak Avenue for two blocks from Mitchell Drive to Tainter Street.
Inside the Catholic Church, according to Pingitore, the congress celebrated a nondenominational Mass to the accompaniment of the St. Helena Catholic School choir. Then the congress gathered once more for a group shot in front of the church before climbing aboard their buses.
The congress session at the CIA began with a presentation of an FICB medal to St. Helena Mayor Alan Galbraith. Then there were two talks by researchers at the UC Davis University on the history and the actuality of grape-growing in California, and on the technical progress made in support of sustainability in winemaking. All of this was followed by the tasting of a broad selection of local appellation wines at the CIA.
Throughout the six-day event, the Congress toured through both Napa and Sonoma counties to numerous wineries on its agenda. It held a Grand Wines of the World Presentation and Dinner at Napa Valley Country Club on Friday, June 10, and more than 100 different wines brought by the members were sampled and compared.
According to its website (KOV.org), the KOV is Americas first and oldest wine brotherhood. It was founded in 1964 and in the tradition of wine brotherhoods around the world, promotes the wine industry by educating its members to the benefits and enjoyment of wine. The FICB is an umbrella organization that coordinates similar wine brotherhoods around the world, and its members meet every two years in a congress where members visit wine-producing regions, have educational seminars and participate in culinary activities.
The next FICB Congress will be held in 2018 in Macedonia.
Raisi: Terrorist attack in Shiraz will not go unanswered
Turkey arrests doctor who called for investigation into chemical weapons use in northern Iraq
Blinken: China has decided that the status quo in Taiwan is no longer acceptable
Steven Mnuchin says China will face significant economic downturn that will affect rest of world
German government allows Chinese company to buy reduced stake in Hamburg port terminal
'Corridor' between Armenia and Azerbaijan becomes subject of heated debate in European Parliament
Awkward lunch: Macron humiliates Scholz in Paris
Polish government prepares for 'potential use of nuclear or chemical weapons' by Kremlin
Iran: Unknown shoot and kill 2 IRGC members
EU calls on defense ministers of bloc countries to coordinate arms purchases
What will Israeli defense minister discuss in Turkey
Erdogan: We cannot allow 'terrorist organizations' to take the issue of Sweden's membership in NATO hostage
KGB: Opponents of authorities will begin to rock situation in country in November-December
Finance Ministry: Armenia plans to increase pensions in July next year
Terrorist who carried out shooting in Shiraz is foreigner
Saudi Arabia slams countries for using emergency oil reserves to manipulate prices
Azerbaijani who fought in ranks of AFU killed in Kiev as result of Iranian drone strike
Konstantin Zatulin: You don't have to be Armenian to love Armenia and Armenians
Biden's approval rating approaches lowest level of his presidency just 2 weeks before election
White House tones down its previous optimism about the midterm elections
Ford Motor leaves Russian market by selling its stake in Sollers joint venture
Council of Lazarev Club considers ban on Konstantin Zatulin to enter Armenia outrageous trick
The New York Times: Saudi Arabia pissed off U.S. by derailing a secret deal
Samvel Karapetyan: Various forces are pushing Armenia away from Russia, this cannot be allowed
Dubai Silicon Oasis interested in cooperation with Armenia in IT sector
Jens Stoltenberg announces his intention to visit Turkey
Wiktorin: EU observation mission will ease tensions
Saudi Aramco: European embargo on Russian oil increases uncertainty in global oil market
Commander of Lithuanian Armed Forces against transfer of howitzers and air defense systems to Ukraine
Armenian Finance Ministry gives outlook on economic activity and debt ratio
Minister: Rehabilitation works after Azerbaijani Armed Forces' invasion continue
About 230 kilometers of roads are being built and repaired in Syunik
Bloomberg: Europe has more gas than it can use
Pashinyan says he would like to sign Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal before end of year
168.am: President of Artsakh leaves for Russian capital
Armenia's Pashinyan: I will attend trilateral meeting in Sochi
Bloomberg: China's budget deficit since beginning of year approached record trillion dollars
PM: There is expectation that CSTO will adopt roadmap to restore Armenias territorial integrity
Pope receives Armenian FM
Armenia ruling party convention to be closed to media
Dollar falls, euro rises in Armenia
Kremlin: Russia has information that Ukraine is preparing terrorist attack using 'dirty bomb'
Governor underscores EU envoy to Armenias efforts in returning of Shirak Province POWs (PHOTOS)
Putin: US is using Ukraine as battering ram against Russia, CSTO, and CIS
Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak leaves Russia
Russian military practices massive nuclear strike in response to nuclear attack of adversary
Germany restricts visas for Iranian passport holders
Belarus Foreign Minister visits Iran
Iran expands sanctions against EU
Zatulin says it is necessary to discuss relations between Russia and Armenia at different levels
Ardshinbank is the only company from Armenia with assigned ratings from the big three credit rating agencies
Armenia Security Council chief receives OSCE needs assessment mission members
Kremlin comments on deployment of American division in Romania
Iltalehti: draft bill on Finland's membership in NATO allows deployment of nuclear weapons
Kremlin informs about preparation for Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan leaders meeting
Armenia envoy briefs Costa Rica president on South Caucasus situation
Legislature head on chances of Armenia leaving CSTO: There is very little time left for us to make decision
Mercedes confirms intention to leave Russia
Armenia parliament speaker: No document on table
Air-raid alarm sirens to be installed in Estonia
Armenia legislature head: PM will go to Sochi on October 31, meet with Russia, Azerbaijan presidents
US State Department: Armenia, Azerbaijan should decide whether Putin's invitation would be useful to them
US transfers to Ukraine first 2 NASAMS complexes
Armenia National Assembly speaker: Phrase about signing peace treaty by years end is tacit deadline
Armenia parliament speaker: We have 240 casualties as result of Azerbaijan attack
Armenia FM in Vatican, meets with Substitute for Holy See Secretariat of State for General Affairs
Israel president gives US intel on Iran UAVs in Ukraine
Copper prices are rising
World oil prices falling
Armenia MPs approve several changes to laws
FM: Armenia has never lost its belief in humanity despite facing many challenges, calamities
Canada embassy to soon be opened in Armenia
Biden: Russia would be making serious mistake to use tactical nuclear weapon
Margarita Simonyan says she is banned from entering Armenia
Newspaper: Artsakh Public Council establishment causes concern in political arena
First sneakers for horses created in US
India fines Google for $113 million
Mass dedicated to peace in Armenia is celebrated at Vatican
Saudi Arabia decides to be more mature guy in its quarrel with US
Biden says Russia would make 'serious mistake' if it deploys tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine
Ukrainian media report on Dnipro rocket attack
Romania plans to intensify talks on Black Sea and military purchases
Karekin II and Aram I refuse to participate in World Armenian Forum
IMF Director: Ukraine's need for external financing could reach $5 billion month
Turkey continues to beat out gas discount from Russia and payment deferral from Gazprom
Alen Simonyan refuses to participate in fifth meeting of Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club
New Serbian government plans to invest 12 billion euros in energy projects
UN Security Council to meet at Russia's request over accusations that Iran is supplying drones to Russia
Leading Wall Street bankers warn of recession in US and Europe
Armenian FM tells Vatican secretary of state about Azerbaijani aggression
Secretary of Armenian Security Council holds telephone conversation with Biden's aide
IEA head: World still needs Russian oil to flow into the market
Norwegian police arrest man on suspicion of spying for Russia
Ambassador-at-Large meets with Personal Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office
EU to offer banks to offer mandatory instant payments in euros
Ambassador: Active efforts of Armenian authorities are registering regress in Armenian-Russian relations
Saudi minister: Saudi Arabia and US will overcome unjustified spat
Zatulin: My ban on entering Armenia coincides with trilateral meeting planned in Russia
Rishi Sunak vows to fix 'mistakes' of Liz Truss
MFA comments on information about meeting of special envoys of Armenia and Turkey
Aedes aegypti. Credit: University of Florida Entomology & Nematology
MIAMI, Florida The Florida Department of Health confirmed on Thursday the first cases of the mosquito-borne disease, chikungunya, that were locally transmitted in the continental United States. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area have been infected with the virus and are spreading it to people
One case was reported in Miami-Dade County and the other in Palm Beach County. Chikungunya is a disease spread by bites from infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. If a person is infected and bitten by a mosquito, that mosquito may later spread the infection by biting another person.
The Department has been conducting statewide monitoring for signs of any locally acquired cases of chikungunya. said Dr. Anna Likos, State Epidemiologist and Disease Control and Health Protection Director. We encourage everyone to take precautions against mosquitoes to prevent chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases by draining standing water, covering your skin with clothing and repellent and covering doors and windows with screens.
Since 2006, the United States has averaged 28 imported cases of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) per year in travelers returning from countries where the virus is common. To date this year, 243 travel-associated cases have been reported in 31 states and two territories. However, these newly reported cases represent the first time that mosquitoes in the continental United States are thought to have spread the virus to a non-traveler.
The arrival of chikungunya virus, first in the tropical Americas and now in the United States, underscores the risks posed by this and other exotic pathogens, said Roger Nasci, Ph.D., chief of the U.S. Center for Disease Controls Arboviral Diseases Branch. This emphasizes the importance of CDCs health security initiatives designed to maintain effective surveillance networks, diagnostic laboratories and mosquito control programs both in the United States and around the world.
It is not known what course chikungunya will take now in the United States. CDC officials believe chikungunya will behave like dengue virus in the United States, where imported cases have resulted in sporadic local transmission but have not caused widespread outbreaks.
None of the more than 200 imported chikungunya cases between 2006 and 2013 have triggered a local outbreak. However, more chikungunya-infected travelers coming into the United States increases the likelihood that local chikungunya transmission will occur. Florida has had the most number of imported cases this year at 73, followed by New York with 20.
CHIKV is spread by two mosquito species: Aedes aegypti (primarily) and Aedes albopictus, both found in Florida. Introductions of the mosquito-borne virus to Florida are possible when a CHIKV infected visitor or returning traveler is bitten by Florida mosquitoes in the early stages (the first week) of their illness. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people they bite.
Since CHIKV is new to the Americas, most people in the region are not immune. This means that people in Florida can be infected and spread the virus to other mosquitoes. To make matters worse, a person could become infected with both dengue and CHIKV at the same time because they are both carried by the same types of mosquitoes.
Chikungunya Signs and Symptoms
An infected person will typically become ill three to seven days after the mosquito bite, but symptoms can begin anywhere from two to 12 days post-bite. These symptoms can last 3-10 days.
Up to 28% of people who are infected will not have any symptoms (asymptomatic), although they can still be infectious to mosquitoes for a short time if bitten. Persons at greatest risk for severe illness include newborn infants, those over 65 years of age, and those who have other health conditions. Treatment is symptomatic or supportive.
Symptoms may include:
Sudden high fever (usually >102 F) which may be continuous or intermittent
Severe joint pain that commonly involves the hands and feet
Joint swelling
Back pain
Rash usually 2-5 days after fever starts
Other symptoms may include headache, body ache, nausea, vomiting, and redness around the eyes. In unusual cases, infection can involve the brain, eyes, heart, kidney and other organs.
Fatal infections are rare, however many patients have chronic joint pain, arthritis, loss of energy and depression lasting weeks to years.
Credit: Google Maps
VIERA, Florida After an extensive search on Monday afternoon for a missing 4-year-old boy, Brevard County Sheriffs deputies have located the boys body in a pond near his home on Ayshire Circle in Viera, Florida.
As the above map shows, the entire Villages of South Solerno neighborhood located off of Stadium Parkway is pocketed with several retention ponds.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Florida loses more children under age five to drowning than any other state, according to the Florida Department of Health. Annually in Florida, enough children to fill three to four preschool classrooms drown and do not live to see their fifth birthday.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, drowning is a leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4. For toddlers (children ages 1 to 4 years), swimming pools pose the greatest risk of submersion injury.
In 2013, Florida had the highest unintentional drowning rate in the nation for the 14 year old age group with a drowning rate of 7.54 per 100,000 population. Brevard County has nearly twice the statewide rate of unintentional drownings.
Brevard County Sheriffs Deputy, Yousef Hafz, pictured center.
PALM BAY, Florida The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested Brevard County Sheriffs Deputy, Yousef Hafza, for the charges of second degree murder with a firearm and attempted second degree murder with a firearm following an alleged road rage incident on Emerson Drive in Palm Bay, Florida on Sunday, June 19, 2016.
The 32-year-old deputy shot and killed 25-year-old Clarence Mahogany X Howard while off duty during the incident. According to the Brevard County Sheriffs Office, Hafza did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer and was not acting in a law enforcement capacity.
FDLE began the investigation at the request of Palm Bay Police Chief Mark Renkens and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. The investigation shows Hafzas vehicle and another vehicle nearly collided just after 11 a.m. on June 19.
The driver and a passenger followed Hafzas car. Hafza and the victims stopped their vehicles and exited.
During their interaction, Hafza fired his weapon, resulting in the death of the passenger in the other vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was not injured. Hafza is being held in the Brevard County Jail on no bond. The State Attorneys Office, 18th Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case.
Cases involving a member of your own agency are best facilitated with complete transparency that ensures public trust while also protecting the integrity of the investigation, said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. As such, from the very beginning of the incident, I asked FDLE to conduct an independent investigation and present their findings to the State Attorneys Office for a full review of the facts. Following their review, the State Attorney authorized an arrest warrant, which resulted in Yousef Hafza being charged today by FDLE.
Pursuant to the arrest, Hafza was immediately suspended from our agency without pay pending an Administrative review of the incident. Once FDLE has completed their investigation, they will provide a copy of the findings, which will furnish the information required to complete the Administrative Investigation.
Hafza is an eleven-year law enforcement veteran, having been previously employed by the Palm Bay Police Department, Orange County Sheriffs Office and the West Melbourne Police Department. He is on paid administrative leave from the Brevard County Sheriffs Office following the shooting.
Around 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 19, 2016, Howards brother-in-law was allegedly driving a Honda Civic when the road rage incident occurred and ended with the fatal shooting at the intersection of St. Johns Heritage Parkway and Emerson Road in Palm Bay, Florida.
Palm Bay Police Department radio transmissions reveal the following chronology:
11:15 A.M. Howards brother-in-law calls 911 to report that Howard was shot in the chest and that the shooter is no longer at the scene.
11:16 A.M. Dispatch alerts Palm Bay patrol officers of a shooting at the intersection of St. Johns Heritage Parkway and Emerson Road.
11:17 A.M. Dispatch relays to officers that a male has suffered a gun shot wound to the chest.
11:17 A.M. Dispatch relays to officers that the shooter called into 911 to say that two men where chasing him and that it is a very chaotic scene there.
11:18 A.M Dispatch relays to officers that the shooter is old I.D. 181 who shot him- it was Hafza. Sounds like road rage. Our old I.D. 181 advised they got out of the car and started chasing him and that he had to shoot them. Dispatch then tells officers that Hafza is located away from the scene at a residence.
11:20 A.M. Radio chatter advises that CPR is in progress and being performed by responding Palm Bay police officers.
11:22 A.M. Dispatch advises fire rescue that the scene is still not secure.
11:23 A.M. Scene declared secure.
11:24 A.M. Request to launch First Flight.
11:25 A.M. Roads ordered closed in the area of Pace for First Flight landing zone.
11:30 A.M. Fire Rescue declares that the patient is not a trauma code.
11:31 A.M. Injury is described as a gun shot wound to the patients right side near the lung but not a code.
11:36 A.M. Patient coded again decision is made to transport by ground to Holmes Regional Medical Center rather than by First Flight.
Photo credit: West Melbourne Police Department
Audio credit: Broadcastify / Radio Reference
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylgjJEooWc]
Emory Italian Studies Program The Emory Italian Studies Program offers students a unique and intensive immersion into Italian language and culture, literature, art, history, religion, healing traditions, cultural mores and current events. Program participants engage in interdisciplinary study of Italy through the ages, incorporating the perspectives of Italian cultural interdisciplinary studies and medical humanities with the special participation of faculty from the Center for Ethics and from Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Students of all academic disciplines investigate notions of compassion, mercy and charity as civic and religious virtues illustrated through Italian history, art, literature, social institutions, current events and daily life. This year's trip began May 17, with students set to return June 29. Hosted by the Department of French and Italian and the Italian Studies program, the Emory Italian Studies Program is directed by Judy Raggi Moore, professor of pedagogy in Italian.
Editor's note: In this column, Emory professors Ruth Parker and Arri Eisen reflect on the Orlando shooting and the discussions it sparked for students participating in the Emory Italian Studies Program, who learned of the tragedy while studying in Italy.
Weve been talking so much about fate; was this the fate, the destiny, of those who were killed in Orlando?
The night before we had watched in awe as the evening sun slowly sank into the horizon, with the ancient Greek temples of Selinunte in Sicily magically silhouetted against vibrant glowing reds, yellows and pinks.
Then the mass murder and all our students eyes lower together, like suns going down, as we pause less than 12 hours later to reflect, console and wonder. Eyes dont lie.
And the question about fate.
We are a couple dozen undergraduates from across the disciplines, medical students, and professors from biology, ethics, medicine and Italian studies. For nearly a month weve been tracing the arc of Western civilizations history through Italy the Etruscans, the Ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines to the Renaissance.
The trip is full immersion liberal arts with the weave of religion, science, art discover and rediscovery Plato, Boccaccio, Vitruvius, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Galileo. The great themes of death and dying; beauty, balance and harmony; fate and the soul; health and healing; compassion and communication.
Now this: tragedy as a teachable moment, gathered in a half circle and caught in that surreal space, far from the deaths in Florida and far from our loved ones, huddled in a forced, almost guilty solidarity. The eyes going down.
There is mostly silence.
Learning to see
That afternoon, Judy Raggi Moore, the Italian scholar who directs our experience, will lead us through this sleepy, impoverished seaside towns soul its archeological park and we will stand before its majestic temples and discover more of who the people were and what they thought as they built this magnificent and powerful ancient city, now laid low by time, epic battles and a massive earthquake.
The students will draw, discuss and wonder at the confluence of math, science, engineering and philosophy intersecting to render beauty. We encircle the bronze Efebo di Selinunte, now prominently displayed in the parks small museum. In previous years he was missing stolen, then found, in repair, and now he is home.
We study his human form and speak of its semi-circles, triangles, and of observation and the beauty of humans. The Greeks understood. His eyes semi-circles above, semi-circles below stare straight, do not lie.
Nor do the downcast eyes of our students. Da Vinci goes inside the eye, cuts it open, sees its connections to the brain, sees perspective as a "function of the eye." Galileo turns his toward the heavens, removes humans from the center, extends our vision. We had discussed with our students the perhaps apocryphal tale of those men of the 1500s on Galileos roof refusing to look in his telescope for fear of the foundations it would shake in their world.
I feel overwhelmed. How can we respond?
See. Raise up your eyes, we tell our students.
From meaning to action
There is resonance with Platos Academy, its study for citizenry.
Our students represent the historic and distinct diversity of the 21st century classroom: a black Southern Christian who will be a professor of history; a Muslim from Orlando, uncertain and frustrated by his forced reality, working toward his MD; first-generation college students with parents from Laos, Kenya, and South America; a Korean whose parents are Christian who has moved toward Buddhism; a second generation Indian Hindu from Colorado.
The courses we teach are Italian Culture and History; Medicine & Compassion; Science, Religion and the Nature of Evidence. We share and analyze the Greeks and the Renaissance, Selinunte and Orlando, through the lenses of our disparate histories and cultures, disciplines and experiences.
We decide as a group after our reflections on Orlando to continue with the planned course discussions of the day, to include the tragedy in our thoughts and academic discussions, readings and writing.
We look in the telescope. We use our cultural engagement and immersion in this cradle of Western thinking to collectively look within and without. Can we make meaning as a community of scholars and citizens meaning that can lead to action and change? See.
As we move on to another site, a student reflects, Its not until youre having a conversation that you realize what youre learning.
Ruth Parker is a physician and professor of medicine, pediatrics and public health. Arri Eisen is professor of pedagogy in biology, the Institute for the Liberal Arts and the Center for Ethics.
18:08
Days after a city-based couple claimed to have successfully scaled Mount Everest, a probe has been ordered to verify their claims after a group of mountaineers approached Pune Police alleging that the two have faked their expedition by morphing photographs at the peak, a senior police official said today.
Tarakeshwari and Dinesh Rathod, who are serving as constables in Pune Police, had claimed on June 5 that they became the first Indian couple to scale the Everest on May 23.
"Based on a complaint from some mountaineering organisations, an inquiry has been ordered, and till date the couple has not reported to duty," Pune Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla told PTI. Asked whether the police will get in touch with Nepalese authorities to verfiy the couple's claims, she only said, "a probe has been ordered" and refused to elaborate further.
Surendra Shelke, one of the complainants and secretary of a city-based mountaineering association, had alleged that the couple had morphed pictures and there were several discrepancies in their version given about the summit, which can prove that they were making fake claims.
"If you see the individual photos of Dinesh, he is wearing a red and black down jacket at the summit and in the couple photo at the top, both are wearing orange down jacket and yellow and black shoes. "It is next to impossible to change clothes and boots mid-climb as there is a danger of frostbite and we are cent- percent sure that photographs were taken either at a base camp or at a studio and later it was meticulously morphed or cropped," Shelke said.
He added they even inquired with the mountaineers who were at the expedition between May 19 and May 24 and according to them nobody saw the couple beyond any of the base camps en-route to the summit.
Shelke further said they have nothing personal against the couple. However, if the issue is not brought to light, a wrong message will go and young aspirants in the mountaineering field will resort to such tactics.
Meanwhile, constable Dinesh Rathod told PTI that they have submitted all the certificates received from the Nepal government upon completion of the summit, along with other proofs to the investigating officer of Pune Police.
Asserting that Kashmir is an integral part of India, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said trying to make it a controversy time and again would not help improve bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. Naidu said there is no question of India bargaining on the issue of Kashmir. "You want to discuss, clear your doubts any number of times, one can have discussion and also clear their (Pakistan's) doubts. But trying to make it a controversy time and again is not going to help to improve the relationship," Naidu said. "Terrorism is the enemy of the mankind. It should be curbed. And then, Pakistan also sometimes laments, saying they are also becoming the victims of terrorism. You are encouraging terrorists on one hand, and then, you are lamenting about terrorism on the other hand. So, let Pakistan realize and see that such forces are crushed down in Pakistan," he added. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said India looks forward to friendly ties with Pakistan and is taking effective steps to achieve the same. "Pakistan is our neighbour. We are always trying to hope for better relations and we are taking every step. The Prime Minister himself went to Pakistan.he invited the Pakistan Prime Minister to come for the swearing-in-ceremony. Steps are being taken. We have again restarted the dialogue process," said Naidu. "In spite of all that, if elements in Pakistan go on doing like this training, abetting and funding terrorism, this is not going to help the situation. Pakistan should give it up once and for all," he added. Naidu, however, avoided commenting on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's alleged remark that she is "ashamed as a Muslim". "I am happy certain clergies and leaders of the Muslim community in India have condemned it and also given a call. That's a healthy trend. Every religion should come out openly and condemn these barbaric activities of terrorism," he told the media here. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister has come under sharp criticism of the National Conference over her "ashamed of bloodshed in name of Islam during Ramzan" remark. "I am unable to understand how somebody can indulge in such shameful acts of bloodshed in the name of Islam, and that too in the holy month of Ramzan when people seek forgiveness and peace," Mehbooba said after laying floral wreath on the coffins of the CRPF personnel killed in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, yesterday. Meanwhile, Naidu also condemned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's remark asking to focus on the Iftaar Party that was going on in the Pakistan High Commission rather than the Pampore attack. "The comment made by the High Commissioner of Pakistan. I thought later he will realize it, but unfortunately he has not done it. The comment that was made let us focus on party that was completely insensitive," Naidu said. The Pakistan High Commissioner earlier on Saturday shrugged off the question on the attack, asking to rather focus on the Iftaar Party that was going on in the Pakistan High Commission. "It's the month of Ramzaan, let's focus on this Iftaar 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 on the issue and find a solution. Let's have the iftaar party and enjoy ourselves," Basit told the media. (ANI)
"One Muslim and two Christian prisoners were awarded death sentences by the Anti-Terrorism Court following the completion of arguments," Newsweek quoted a court official as saying.
"Christians Anjam Naz and Javed Naz and Muslim Jafar Ali were found guilty in the same blasphemy case," he said, adding that 11 witnesses had recorded statements against the accused.
Pakistan has extremely strict laws against blasphemy, and rights campaigners say they are often used to settle personal disputes in a country where 97 percent of the population is Muslim.
--IANS ahm/rn
( 128 Words)
2016-06-28-15:46:03 (IANS)
Striving to empower the SME's into the Indian growth story, the first 'Buying Club' for SMEs in India Power2SME has enabled the small and medium enterprises to obtain the most optimal pricing for their procurement needs. With its innovative business model, Power2SME focuses on small and medium business enterprise segment and its mission is to 'Empower SMEs to enable the Indian growth story'. As the buying club for SMEs, the company focuses on reducing their purchase prices and aims at increasing productivity. "The company pools the demand of multiple SMEs for raw materials for their business needs, thus allowing it to not only obtain the most optimal pricing, but also have an access to a larger pool of quality suppliers. It buys directly from the manufacturer and sells to the SME, cutting out the middle link of distributors and wholesalers," said Founder and CEO Power2SME, R Narayan in an interview with ANI. With a bold and ambitious vision, R. Narayan has been working as an entrepreneur for the last 16 years with a strong corporate background. The industry veteran started his career working in sales and marketing profile across Microsoft, Oracle and Tata. Further elaborating on the model, Narayan said, "It also provides an online platform that enables the SMEs to reduce costs and build efficiencies in their business processes, thus allowing them to compete on an equal footing with large enterprises." The online platform allows the SME customers to track all their purchases as well as undertake transactional activity such as placing new enquiries, checking price quotes, uploading purchase orders, checking status of delivery, account statement, notification of payment due etc. Catering to over 40,000 registered SME users on its platform Power2SME has raised foreign direct investment (FDI) from Inventus Capital, Kalaari Capital and Accel Partners in three rounds of funding. "It also raised Rs. 42 crore in its third round of funding from its existing investors. A total of USD 15 million dollars have been raised in the three rounds funding," said Narayan. Headquartered in Gurgaon, the company was recognized as 'Top 100 Innovative company 2014' by Inc India and was awarded with 'Best strategy in-line with Business' award under Global HR Excellence category in Jan 2015. Also, it was selected amongst the Red Herring's Top 100 Global list for the year 2013, where R Narayan was awarded the award for 'Serial Entrepreneur of the Year'. The team comprises of experienced and specialized professionals that negotiate the prices directly with manufacturers and can obtain prices that are significantly lower than the standard market prices. Some of the clients of Power2SME has SME clients with turnover ranging from Rs. one crore to Rs. 250 crore. Available to the clients at all hours without any charges, Power2SME works with some established suppliers of the industry such as Indian Oil, Arcelor Mittal, SAIL, GAIL, Rathi Steel, Jindal Steel, Haldia Petrochemicals, Dupont, Dulux amongst several others. (ANI)
New Delhi, June 28 (ANI-NewsVoir): Molson Coors Cobra India Ltd., the Indian subsidiary of leading global brewer Molson Coors Brewing Company announced a new brand packaging for Thunderbolt, a leading strong beer brand in India. Designed to uphold the macho imagery of the brand, the new look of the bottle and the new typography Thunderbolt in bold and upper case stands for confident, fresh and strong, embodying the brand image. Targeted at the savvy, go-getter and avid adventurers, the newly designed pack is available across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh from June 2016. This redesign will include a new look bottle, a change in visual identity and a new logo. The new look will have thunderbolt labels on the body and neck of the bottle in mono-color (blue) with white typography that will be visually appealing when the bottles are lined up. "Packaging is a valuable visual identity which connects to the consumer, and the heart of the repackaging strategy was to create a stronger connect with our consumers. We decided to create a look which was more effective on the shelf, appealing to our consumers and gave us competitive advantage," said President of Molson Coors in India, Ashish Kapoor. "The new packaging is an embodiment of our brand and how we plan to connect it to our consumer. Packaging is about the look and feel of the brand, it's about bringing an experience to our customers. Thunderbolt is about being fresh, confident and strong and the new bottle and labeling is about this," added Ashish Kapoor. The look of the bottle was conceptualized and designed by Molson Coors Cobra India, the technical feasibility and testing was done by American Glass Research (AGR). The bottle matches Thunderbolt's one-of-a-kind bold taste, and has proprietary design which is uniquely recognizable in the marketplace, while remaining easy to produce. Produced in emerald green glass, the new Thunderbolt bottle features an instantly iconic debussed, shield-shaped label panel adorned with the familiar Thunderbolt silver and blue logo. The angular and aggressive shoulder construction displays an embossed lettering wrap that spells out the Thunderbolt brand name including a lightning emblem within the letter 'O'. Two additional embossed lightning emblems bracket the back label panel, just above the lower sidewall pinch, which transitions into a prominent heel construction. A new ring-pull cap gives the bottle a modern and premium twist in both look and function. "We have received rave reviews from both customers and consumers about the new Thunderbolt bottle, which we believe reinforces the brand's identity of always staying original," said Ashish Kapoor. Dr. Wenke Hu and Brad Salitrik of AGR created the bottle using the concept design provided by Molson Coors. Using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) techniques, the AGR team was able to evaluate the bottle's ability to acceptably with stand the expected loading conditions (internal pressure, impact and vertical load) and to verify that the bottle would perform as desired once it was manufactured. India is largely a strong beer market and Thunderbolt has seen an unprecedented success by retaining its position as one of the leading players in the North. Post the acquisition of Mount Shivalik Breweries Ltd (MSBL) in April 2015, Molson Coors has made a substantial investment toward upgrading the existing facilities to international standard and expanding Thunderbolt's presence in the northern markets. As a result, the brand has been able to deliver international quality output while maintaining consistency. The new Thunderbolt pack (650ml glass bottle) is available across Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. (ANI-NewsVoir)
India should set up an inter-ministerial group to monitor the political-economic scenario in Europe since the risks posed by Brexit to global economy and its spin-off for India are emerging to be much larger than initially perceived, a top industry organisation said here on Tuesday. "The risks to global economy and its spin-off to India from Brexit from European Union are emerging out to be much larger than initially perceived, making it imperative for the Indian government to heighten its watch on the unfolding political-economic scenario in Europe by setting up the inter-ministerial group...," Assocham said in a status paper. "Given the increased global risks, it would be quite prudent for the government to announce a successor to Raghuram Rajan as the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) Governor sooner than later," the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India added. The chamber has suggested that the high-level monitoring group may comprise senior officials of the ministries of finance, commerce, information technology and the RBI. "The active involvement of the Indian High Commission in London and missions in several European capitals be sought in getting real-time information from ground zero with a proper perspective. Constant inputs should be sought from Indian firms with base in Britain and across the European continent," it said. "The damage is not limited to the global economy and the stock market sentiment. With this kind of charged-up political environment, the damage to the world economy would be much more than just a few sectoral gains or losses," the paper said. "Different trading giants like China might tweak their currency valuation, making the going tough for Indian exports to the EU, Indias largest trading partner. An eagle eye must be kept on China," Assocham Secretary General D.S. Rawat said. Indias exports have slowed for more than 18 months in a row, and any rise from here would largely be on account of a very low base impact. --IANS mm/tsb/vt ( 334 Words) 2016-06-28-16:06:17 (IANS)
Hosted by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross for the second year in a row, the ceremony honoured Samuel L. Jackson with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In a statement, Jackson said, "It's an honor to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 BET Awards. I'm humbled to be recognized by my peers and to join the company of the exemplary recipients before me."
Jesse Williams was awarded with a Humanitarian Award.
"Jesse has proven to be a true pioneer of our generation. He is a refreshing new face of activism during a time of crisis in this country," said BET in a statement.
The complete list of winners' as follows:
Humanitarian Award: Jesse Williams
Lifetime Achievement Award: Samuel L. Jackson
Best Group: Drake and Future
Best Male R&B Pop Artist: Bryson Tiller
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan
Best Actress: Taraji P. Henson
Best New Artist: Bryson Tiller
Video of the Year: Beyonce "Formation"
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist: Drake.(ANI)
The 42-year-old actor took to his Twitter handle yesterday to share the snap of the trio and wrote, "AFRICA!!! Flying 18 hours straight since stage. Last leg to #kilimanjaro #thefunbegins #travellersNOTtourists."
The 'Bang Bang' actor further posted a snap from the flight and wrote, "U see what I see? . Little plane imprint on big sky? #wildAfrica #wildplane #wildboys."
On work front, after a very hectic schedule for a year, Hrithik has wrapped up the shoot of Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Mohenjo Daro' with Pooja Hedge, which is slated to release in August. He has also been shooting for Sanjay Gupta's 'Kaabil' alongside Yami Gautam. (ANI)
According to hospital authorities, Swu, 85, died at 12.40 p.m at the Fortis hospital.
He was admitted to the Vasant Kunj-based Fortis on July 5, 2015, where he underwent a series of surgeries including for urinary tract infection.
Speaking to IANS, his son Pasheto said: "Yes, Sadly it is true that dad (Isak Chisi Swu) passed away today. His body will be flown back to his ancestral village in Nagaland soon."
Isak Chisi Swu was co-founder of NSCN-IM along with T. Muivah.
Due to his illness, Swu could not attend the inking of the historic Naga Peace Accord on August 3, 2015 with the Government of India at the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Swu, formerly member of Naga National Council (NNC) and later the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), was born in 1929 in Chishilimi Naga village in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland.
His death comes at a time when the NSCN (IM) and the Indian government are still negotiating for the final conclusion of the Naga Peace Accord.
--IANS rup/rn/bg
( 215 Words)
2016-06-28-15:10:03 (IANS)
Unleashing a belligerent attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raking up the issue of Emergency in his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio program, the Congress on Monday accused the former of practicing petty politics. Addressing a press conference here Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, "How do you have an anniversary on Emergency and how do you do a 'Mann ki Baat' on Emergency. "What happened in 1975, why do you talk about it in 2016. What is the relevance of that today? You can't have such an Emergency today. Why are you talking about it except for petty politics," he added. Sibal further castigated Modi government for deflecting from real issues and said that there are many Emergency like issues prevalent in India which need due attention. "The Emergency of 1975 can never happen today because of amendments in the Constitution. There are many emergencies in India to be dealt with like farmers emergency, drought emergency and unemployment emergencies. Deal with them," said Sibal Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the days of 1975 Emergency, calling it the "darkest hour" in India's history. "Very often, Mann Ki Baat is criticised, but this is possible because we are a democracy," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the nation in the 21st edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme. "Today, we are proud of our democracy. But June 25, 1975, was a black night for Indian democracy when Emergency was declared, rights of citizens were killed, and the country was turned into a jail," he said. The BJP has been criticising Congress on the Emergency. 49 central ministers are today campaigning against Emergency across the nation. (ANI)
Giving out details of ambush on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore which left eight personnel dead, Director-General of the paramilitary force, K. Durga Prasad, on Monday said over 200 rounds of ammunition was fired upon their bus. Asserting that they were in the process of discussing the steps needed to improve upon their existing practices, Durga Prasad said that CRPF personnel swiftly retaliated and neutralized two of the terrorists. "Officers and men of 161 battalion had gone to a training centre there for annual practice. They were returning in the evening. Around 1645 hours in Pampore area, they were in four vehicles. First one was a truck, behind it was a bus with 45 persons, behind that was Swaraj mazda and behind that was vajra, this was the configuration on convoy," he said at a press briefing. "At a turning, when the truck was crossing, it was fired upon by two militants who got down from a car. By the time they open fire the truck had passed through and the bus came under direct attack. It looks like they fired more than 200 rounds . The magazines and the weapons recovered indicate, they were 11 in number. Calculating by the shells and left over magazines, they fired more than 200 rounds," he added. He said the CRPF's brave personnel quickly took position and fired back at the terrorist, adding that a nearby bunker also came to their aid. "In retaliation, there was firing from the bus from our officers and men and the bunker. It was on the ROP duty there, moving up and down, which was coming down right behind this bus took position and fired. Both the militants were neutralized ,but in the process eight of our bravehearts and 22 others were injured," he said. "They were rushed to hospital . Five of them were operated upon , one of them has come out of the ventilator , four are still on ventilator while will come out today evening. Out of all, one is in serious condition," he added. Saturday's attack was the fourth one on the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this month. At least 17 security personnel were killed and several others injured in the last three major strikes along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway during the period. Officials say infiltration has dramatically gone up compared to the previous year with more than 50 terrorists crossing the border in the last five months. Last year, there was zero infiltration in the first four months. (ANI)
Addressing a party workers convention in Barabanki, Shah exuded confidence and said that the BJP would form the next government in Uttar Pradesh with two-third majority.
"Both Mulayam ji and Mayawati ji supported the corrupt UPA Government at the Centre. If you want development then uproot the Samajwadi Government from Uttar Pradesh," he added.
Laying thrust on the Gujarat model of development, the BJP president said Prime Minister Modi, now a 'UP wala', will take the politically crucial state ahead on the development path.
"Modi ji has developed Gujarat a lot, now it is Uttar Pradesh's turn. It is now Modi ji's responsibility to develop Uttar Pradesh," said Shah.
Yesterday, Shah exhorted the party workers in Haldwani to brace up for the 2017 polls in both Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh while asserting that past victories would be meaningless without wins in these two states. (ANI)
In the wake of the militant attack on a CRPF convoy in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed lives of eight security personnel, former Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav on Monday asked the Centre to strengthen internal security to prevent such untoward incidents. Responding to Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's remark that Pakistan carried out the attack in Jammu out of frustration, Yadav told ANI that mere talking will not do, and added that the centre will have to assume talks with Pakistan to resolve issues. "Mere talking will not do we will have to strengthen our internal security. And the way our Jawans are dying at the border is disheartening. I would like to say is that we should assume our talks with Pakistan and strengthen our security forces like raw and intelligence to avoid such attacks," said Yadav. Parrikar yesterday said the Pampore attack was a mark of 'frustration'. "Over the last one month, we had shot down 25 to 30 terrorists who had infiltrated to India from Pakistan. Chances are slipping away from the hands of the terrorists. This incident is their attempt to keep themselves in the news," said Parrikar. Last week, eight para-military personnel were killed and 25 were injured in the attack, said to be the worst in the last three years. Officials say infiltration has dramatically gone up compared to the previous year with more than 50 terrorists crossing the border in the last five months. Last year, there was zero infiltration in the first four months. (ANI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress of promoting criminality and corruption and added there is bankruptcy of real leadership in the latter. Commenting on AICC Secretary and Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari's appointment as the general secretary in-charge of Punjab to replace former union minister Kamal Nath, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said "As far as the issue of appointing Shrimati Asha Kumari as the in-charge of the Congress campaign committee in Punjab is concerned, one thing is absolutely clear that there is dearth of leadership in the party," adding "congress has only promoted criminality and corruption." Kamal Nath resigned as the party's in-charge of Punjab affairs on June 15 following a controversy over his alleged role in the 1984 riots. Kumari was also convicted in a land grab case earlier this year. She is presently out on bail. "We have seen previously how 1984 riot accused Kamal Nath had been made the in-charge of the Congress in Punjab and today once he has submitted his paper Asha Kumariji becomes the in-charge, who in fact has been convicted by the court of this country in the land acquisition case," Patra told ANI. Expressing similar sentiments, another BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said "the problem with Congress is that they don't have any clean politician on whom there are no ongoing cases of scams. Thus, the party is facing a drought of politicians with clean image and as a result in Punjab they have appointed an in-charge on whom already many accusations are there." He also said that the Congress has no chance of winning the elections in Punjab. "The people of Punjab have already decided not to give any chance to the Congress so it does not matter who their in-charge is. Their defeat in Punjab is final and no one can save them," said Hussain. When asked about the opposition alleging that the BJP is putting up these accusations, Hussain said: "We are not accusing, it's already known to all even to the congress. By keeping a face in front, Rahul Gandhi himself wants to contend the Congress elections under his own command but they have even failed to present a clean face." Yesterday, Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit called these cases as politically motivated saying "There has been a political conspiracy and she is being targeted and the matter is sub-judice. All legal options will be explored in the case." Asha Kumari is a five-term MLA from Himachal Pradesh. She has been a minister two times in the Himachal government and currently secretary in the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The case against her dates back to 1998 when a complaint was filed against her by a former Dalhousie councillor Kuldeep Singh. Presently, the matter is sub-judice. She has been accused of manipulating revenue records, fabricating wills and transferring 60 bighas of forest land belonging to the government in the name of her husband Brijendra Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Chamba. Reportedly, the Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh wanted somebody with a low profile unlike Kamal Nath but even the current appointment has been marred with controversy. Kumari's selection as the Congress' general secretary in-charge of Punjab can be seen as an attempt on part of the grand old party to boost its chances in Punjab. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government has been in power for two consecutive terms in Punjab where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also trying hard to prove its mettle this time. (ANI)
Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa on Monday said that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) should introspect and see how clean their ministers are, rather than targeting his party. Training his guns at BJP president Amit Shah, Bajwa told ANI that when the BJP chief is an accused in a murder case, how can its party leaders point fingers at the Congress. "I am surprised that the BJP is levelling allegations on us where its own party president Amit Shah ji has been booked in a murder case. Many BJP ministers and MPs have several criminal charges on their heads, but they all are working," said Bajwa. "AAP has 67 MLAs out of which 23 MLAs who at the time of filing their affidavits with the election commission have agreed to the fact that they are criminal cases registered against them. So, I would like to advice both these parties to first introspect and then accuse us," he added. Bajwa further said that appointments within the Congress are not anybody's business, as it is party president Sonia Gandhi's prerogative to assign whatever task to whomsoever she wants. "This is an internal matter of the Congress. Moreover, this is the prerogative of the Congress president that whom she wants to appoint as the in charge of which state, similarly she has appointed Asha Kumari ji as the in charge of state affairs in Punjab," said Bajwa. Coming out in defence of Kumari, Bajwa said that the former must have been convicted in a forgery case by the lower court but the Himachal Pradesh High Court has suspended the awarded sentence and that till the times the highest court pronounce its verdict a person cannot be tagged guilty. "The charges the opposition has levied that Kumari has been booked under forgery charges might be correct but the charges aren't proved until the highest court gives its verdict," said Bajwa. "The high court of Himachal Pradesh has suspended the punishment of Asha Kumari which was awarded by the lower court," he added. Congress earlier today selected Kumari to replace Kamal Nath as the general secretary in-charge of Punjab ahead of next year's assembly polls in the state. Kumari, who had earlier this year been convicted in a land grab case, is presently out on bail. Nath resigned as the party's in-charge of Punjab affairs earlier on June 15 following a controversy over his alleged role in the 1984 riots. (ANI)
Senior lawyer and AAP member H.S. Phoolka on Monday accused Punjab ministers of being indifferent to the ground realities of drug addiction in the state. "The problem is that these Punjab ministers are so away from ground realities. Whenever they go in public, they are always surrounded by their security guards, nobody is allowed to meet them, and so, they do not even know the truth, and neither do they want to know about it," Phoolka told ANI. He rejected Punjab Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani's contention that only around one percent of the state's youth is drug addicts and that some vested interests are trying to malign Punjab's image. Phoolka said: "Let me remind Mr Jyani that this is last year, a judge of the Supreme Court Justice Sikri, former High Court judge Justice Chan and five other sitting judges of the high court took out a march in Bhatinda in scorching heat in month of May to spread awareness that drug use is a rampant problem in Punjab." Phoolka further questioned Jyani about what vested interest could a Supreme Court judge have, adding that the march was an attempt to create awareness and find a solution to the problem of drug addiction. "It is a deep rooted problem and to find a solution to it and make people and the public and the government aware of it (the march was carried out), and now, today, Mr Jyani to say that somebody has a vested interest now Mr Giyani what vested interest the judge of the supreme court could have," said Phoolka. Earlier on Monday, Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani claimed that a survey conducted in ten districts of Punjab revealed that only 1.8 percent of the population is addicted to drugs. "We had conducted a survey in ten districts of Punjab. It shows that 1.8 percent of the population is addicted to drugs; we didn't conduct the survey in all the 22 districts of the state," Jyani told the media in Amritsar, during a function on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction centre. He also said that the ruling dispensation in Punjab is committed to tackle the drug menace.(ANI)
In an attempt to ease mounting tensions between the two Asian neighbours following the recent Pampore terror attack and the blocking of India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Pakistan High Commission has released a colourful mission diary for the month of June that highlights the bilateral cultural heritage of the two nations. The eye-catching 19-page mission diary has placed a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the cover of the issue, along with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj meetings with Sartaj Aziz, Prime Minister Sharif's Foreign Affairs Adviser and Abdul Basit, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India. The high commission has, in its mission dairy, shared pictures of various events exhibiting interactions at various levels between the two sides. The mission diary also shares pictures of the representatives of the Pakistan Day reception, meetings of Pakistani officials with several think tanks and civil society. There are pictures titled 'Message of Peace' in which Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit can be seen participating in the Dussehra celebration at Delhi's Ramlila ground and also visiting mosques of Kolkata and Bangalore. Pictures of the Delhi Commonwealth Women's Association (DCWA) fair in which the Pakistan ladies club of the High Commission participated are also featured. (ANI)
The Congress Party on Monday dubbed Punjab Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani's remark on drugs as extremely shameful and said that one should comment on such sensitive issues only after proper information. Congress leader P.L. Punia asked as to on the basis of which research or study such an assertion can be made. "This is the Health Minister's personal view. On the basis of which study or research can this be said? Today, everyone in Punjab is saying the state is under the drug menace. In fact, a film 'Udta Punjab' is based on this. So, the Health Minister should comment after proper information," Punia told ANI. Resonating similar sentiments, another Congress leader Shobha Oza told ANI the entire nation knows how drugs have finished the youth of Punjab and how there is a conspiracy of the drug peddlers where even the government is involved. "Now, a shameful remark came from the Punjab Health Minister that only one percent of the state population is drug addict. It is very much unfortunate and condemnable," she added. Jyani has claimed that a survey conducted in ten districts of Punjab revealed that only 1.8 percent of the population is addicted to drugs. "We had conducted a survey in ten districts of Punjab. It shows that 1.8 percent of the population is addicted to drugs; we didn't conduct the survey in all the 22 districts of the state," Jyani told the media here. "The survey has pointed out that the addiction of drug takes place mainly because of the peer group and because of the youth who make it a way of business," he added. The drug menace in Punjab has become a new topic of debate post the Censor Board's decision to order massive cuts in the film 'Udta Punjab', which talked about drug menace and addiction in the state. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are leaving no stones unturned to target the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance government on this issue ahead of next year's assembly elections in the state. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs staged a protest in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday in the wake of the killing of eight CRPF troopers in an ambush in Pampore on Saturday. The BJP MLAs raised anti-Pakistan slogans like 'Pakistan Murdabad' while demanding strict action against the neighbouring country. BJP leader, Ravinder Raina said for the first time anti-Pakistan slogans have been raised in J-K Assembly. "This is very unfortunate. Pakistani militants are continuously attacking our Jawans. Our jawans are getting sacrificed. Air strikes in terrorists camps in PoK should be made so that this does not happen again. The nation will not accept further sacrifices. The assembly has condemned the attacks on jawans," he said He also added that Indian military and Air force should be allowed to enter the areas where militants are hiding. Eight CRPF personnel were martyred and 24 injured in the major ambush by two terrorists on Saturday, who were neutralised in the encounter in Pampore. Security personnel recovered arms and ammunition, including two AK 47 Rifles, 11 hand grenades from the killed terrorists. Saturday's attack was the fourth one on the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this month. At least 17 security personnel were killed and several others injured in the last three major strikes along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway during the period. Officials say infiltration has dramatically gone up compared to the previous year with more than 50 terrorists crossing the border in the last five months. Last year, there was zero infiltration in the first four months. (ANI)
Most of the radioactive fallout, which landed on downtown Tokyo a few days after the Fukushima accident, was concentrated and deposited in non-soluble glass microparticles, as a type of 'glassy soot'. According to a new research, it meant that most of the radioactive material was not dissolved in rain and running water, and probably stayed in the environment until removed by direct washing or physical removal. The particles also concentrated the radioactive caesium (Cs), meaning that in some cases dose effects of the fallout are still unclear. These results are announced at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Yokohama, Japan. The flooding of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) after the disastrous earthquake on March 11 2011 caused the release of significant amounts of radioactive material, including caesium (Cs) isotopes 134Cs (half-life, 2 years) and 137Cs (half-life, 30 years). Japanese geochemists, headed by Dr Satoshi Utsunomiya (Kyushu University, Japan), analysed samples collected from within an area up to 230 km from the FDNPP. As caesium is water-soluble, it had been anticipated that most of the radioactive fallout would have been flushed from the environment by rainwater. However, analysis with state-of-the-art electron microscopy in conjunction with autoradiography techniques showed that most of the radioactive caesium in fact fell to the ground enclosed in glassy microparticles, formed at the time of the reactor meltdown. The analysis shows that these particles mainly consist of Fe-Zn-oxides nanoparticles, which, along with the caesium were embedded in Si oxide glass that formed during the molten core-concrete interaction inside the primary containment vessel in the Fukushima reactor units 1 and/or 3. Closer microparticle structural and geochemical analysis also revealed what happened during the accident at FDNPP. Radioactive Cs was released and formed airborne Cs nanoparticles. Nuclear fuel, at temperatures of above 2200 K (about as hot as a blowtorch), melted the reactor pressure vessel resulting in failure of the vessel. The airborne Cs nanoparticles were condensed along with the Fe-Zn nanoparticles and the gas from the molten concrete, to form the SiO2 glass nanoparticles, which were then dispersed. Analysis from several air filters collected in Tokyo on 15 March 2011 showed that 89% of the total radioactivity was present as a result of these caesium-rich microparticles, rather than the soluble Cs, as had originally been supposed. The paper was presented at Goldschmidt Conference, 2016. (ANI)
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar signed the document of accession into MTCR in the presence of Ambassadors of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg in the national capital.
Ambassador-designate of France Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus Stoelinga and Luxembourg's Deputy Head of Mission to India Laure Huberty were present on the occasion.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup yesterday said New Delhi had applied for membership of the MTCR last year, adding all the procedural formalities have been completed.
The MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia.
The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload for at least 300 kilometres as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.
Significantly, China, which opposed India's entry into the 48-nation NSG at the recently-concluded Seoul plenary, is not a member of the 34-nation MTCR. (ANI)
With the Opposition targeting the Narendra Modi Government over India's failure to clinch a membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Janata Dal (United) on Monday dubbed the blockade as 'biggest foreign policy failure' of the current regime. "This is the biggest defeat of present government's foreign policy. We are being perceived as a part of America's military organisation and our situation has become like the Philippines and Israel," JD(U) general secretary K.C. Tyagi told ANI. "The government needs to engage the Chinese counterpart, so that India can get an entry into the NSG group," he added. The Centre has been on the opposition's radar over the failed attempt for membership in the NSG, which called it as a diplomacy failure of the Modi government. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had criticised Prime Minister Modi tweeting, "NSG: How to lose a negotiation by Narendra Modi #FailedModiDiplomacy" The Congress leadership also slammed the Prime Minister for the 'public tamasha' over getting an entry into the 48-country elite group. "The world saw the PM making a spectacle of himself and India in dealing with the NSG issue. Now, India faces an unnecessary embarrassment. It's high time that he realizes that diplomacy requires gravitas, depth and seriousness. Modi needs to understand that diplomacy needs depth, not public tamasha," Congress leader Anand Sharma said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who never misses an opportunity to target the Centre, too attacked Prime Minister 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?" he said. In a setback to India's efforts to join the 48-nation grouping, a two-day NSG plenary in Seoul didn't accept 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... while countries like Brazil, Switzerland, Turkey, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand too opposed to India's entry in NSG because it is not a signatory to Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). (ANI)
Continuing its tirade against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused the Delhi Government of covering up the scams which took place under its regime, adding that it is least bothered about the core issues of Delhi. "If they (AAP) want an honest probe, then he (Kejriwal) should resign. But they won't do so. They just want to do drama and Delhi is fed up with this drama. Delhi wants delivery. There are many issues in Delhi, you are not bothered. Rather you are covering up the scams you have done," BJP leader R.P. Singh told ANI. Escalating his attack, Singh alleged that the AAP is creating a clash with the Centre. "The AAP is deep neck in scams and they know police will call them and probe would be initiated in future..so they are trying to protect themselves. Enquiry is constantly going on in the Rs. 400 crore Jal Board scam and Rs. 300 crore number plate scam," he added. The BJP leader further stated if the AAP minister and the MLAs wanted to surrender, they would have gone to the police station and not to the Prime Minister's residence. "Why didn't Kejriwal go to surrender himself? There is an FIR against him. He should resign and join the enquiry of the ACB," he said. As many as 52 AAP MLAs, who were detained along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia en-route Prime Minister Modi's official 7, Race Course Road (RCR) here yesterday, were released by the Delhi Police. The 'surrender' march came after the president of the Ghazipur Vegetable Market Association submitted a complaint against Sisodia, accusing him of intimidating businessmen. Sisodia yesterday accused the ruling dispensation at the Centre of interfering in the AAP Government's good work and offered to surrender before Prime Minister Modi. Asserting that no one is above the law, the Delhi Police yesterday said they take strong action against anybody violating the law, adding that the AAP leaders would be released only under assurance that they would not again march towards the Prime Minister's residence in protest. (ANI)
Defence expert Major General (Retd.) P.K. Sehgal on Monday said Pakistan's assertion that China acted upon its principled stance in opposing India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is an attempt to save the blushes, adding Beijing will find it very difficult to be obstructionist in the same manner that it has been at present in the next meeting. Major General (Retd.) Sehgal said Pakistan is trying to say exactly the same thing what China said. "China supported Pakistan to the hilt and now in its own term Pakistan is trying to support China to the hilt. Both know fully well that the entire world was unitedly standing behind India and China was on the wrong foot forward," Major General (Retd.) Sehgal told ANI. "And now to save the blushes as far as China is concerned, the Pakistan Foreign Secretary is making such a statement," he added. Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry has in an interview with state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) said that regarding India's bid to NSG membership, China along with other countries supported the principled stance that it would be a bad precedent if New Delhi was granted membership without signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Dawn reports. Major General (Retd.) Sehgal, however, appeared to be in tune with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) contention that the government's inability to clinch the NSG membership was not a failure of diplomacy. "I totally tend to agree much that the opposition parties may not like to agree with me. India made a great effort, all major powers across the globe whether it was America, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Canada stood behind very solidly behind India. The Chinese attitude was absolutely obstructionist...Despite China's opposition; China did not want this issue to be discussed at all," Major General (Retd.) Sehgal said. "This meeting has not come to an end. In November-December, it is going to be taken up afresh and I am very certain this time China will find it very difficult to be obstructionist in the same manner that it has been at present. And India in the meantime has stated that they will try their level best to woo China and explain China the reasonableness behind India's stance," he added. MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup earlier in the day said the the Indian diplomacy doesn't have fear of failure. "If we don't get desired results it only means that we redouble our efforts," Swarup said. "There are some processes which take longer, I would evaluate the NSG membership process in that category," he added. Accusing the present Modi Government of indulging in 'public tamashas', the Congress Party earlier dubbed the BJP-led NDA government as 'desperate', saying this kind of hectic campaigning was not required for entry into the elite NSG. "It is an embarrassment for India to do what was not required. When there are no obstacles when it comes to nuclear trade with the NSG countries, it was unnecessary. We do not know why India showed its desperation and allowed India to be equated with Pakistan on the issue of NSG membership," Congress leader Anand Sharma told ANI. The NSG will meet yet again this year to discuss the process of inclusion of countries like India, who have not signed the NPT. A special plenary session of the NSG can be called by the year end. According to sources, there is possibility of India's inclusion in the NSG, while New Delhi will continue to discuss the issue with China. The NSG earlier on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on New Delhi's membership application after several members of the 48-member group insisted on adhering to NPT conditions for admission. (ANI)
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup yesterday said New Delhi had applied for membership of the MTCR last year and all the procedural formalities have been completed.
He said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar will sign the document of accession into MTCR in the presence of Ambassadors of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg in Seoul today.
The MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia.
The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.
Significantly, China, which opposed India's entry into the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) at the just-concluded Seoul plenary, is not a member of 34-nation MTCR. (ANI)
The Bombay High Court is set to pronounce its verdict in the matter pertaining to entry of women in to the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah today. The high court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by several women activists urging the court to lift restrictions imposed on entry of women in the dargah by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust. The state government had in February said before the Bombay High Court that unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that ban is part of their religious practice with reference to Quran, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali. The trust had claimed that separate arrangements are made for women who are allowed up to a certain point from where they can offer prayers but they cannot touch the tomb of a male saint as it is a sin in Islam. Amid all this, Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai yesterday visited Shani Shingnapur temple to seek blessings ahead of the verdict. "The Bhumata Brigade had taken out a protest in regard to the entry of women in the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah. The verdict in regard to the PIL in the Bombay High Court will come tomorrow. We are going to the Shani temple today to pray that the verdict comes in our favour," Desai told ANI on Monday. The activist - who had successfully campaigned against the ban on women entering the Shani Shingnapur temple - had in April, planned to enter Haji Ali dargah, which does not allow women in its core area. However, local residents and policemen foiled Desai's entry. (ANI)
Taking a critical view of the Centre's foreign policy, especially with regards to Pakistan, the Janata Dal (United) on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Government had left the nation's foreign policy to become a mere 'event management exercise.' JD (U) leader Pawan Verma was reacting to Prime Minister Modi's remarks on government's foreign policy in an interview to Times Now. The Prime Minister had said that the nation had made significant progress in the diplomatic front since the BJP government assumed office. "The Prime Minister has to defend his government and foreign policy. As far as foreign policy is concerned, people are asking if it is an event management exercise or if there is any strategic thought behind it. Especially, after the attack on CRPF jawans and 100 percent increase in terrorism, people want to know what is Prime Minister Narendra modi's foreign policy towards," Verma told ANI. In an interview to Times Now, the Prime Minister said that PMO, External Affairs Ministry, Finance Ministry and other related ministries work in tandem, which was not the case during the previous regime. "We work as a team. Foreign ministry, Prime Minister's officer, commerce ministry, finance ministry, defence minister, everyone works as a team, not as separate pieces. The impact that is now visible is not just because of Modi, it is because of the team. All teams work in a particular direction," PM Modi said. "That is why the impact is seen, earlier these teams were splintered. We have seen instances where the party would give a statement, the prime minister would say something else, party leaders would say something else. This disunity has had a negative impact. Thirdly, we also need to understand that earlier the world was bi polar. Foreign policy would be centered around two super powers. India was a little late in realizing that this bi polar situation was for namesake," he added. (ANI)
Police said security forces surrounded a residential house in Nagri village in following information about a group of militants hiding there.
"The gunfight is still going on and all escape points of the holed up militants have been sealed," police said.
--IANS sq/ksk
( 65 Words)
2016-06-28-09:40:01 (IANS)
Isak Chisi Swu, who for decades spearheaded a bloody insurgency in Nagaland before shaking hands with New Delhi, died on Tuesday after months of battling a kidney ailment. Swu, the 85-year-old Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), passed away at 12.40 p.m. at the Fortis Hospital here, doctors said. He was admitted to the hospital on July 5 last year for a series of surgeries including for urinary tract infection that confined him to bed for months. His son Pasheto told IANS here: "Yes, it is true that dad (Isak Swu) passed away today. His body will be flown back to his ancestral village in Nagaland soon." His illness prevented Isak Swu from attending the signing of a historic Naga Peace Accord on August 3, 2015 between the NSCN-IM and the Indian government at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence. A colourful personality, Isak Swu was a co-founder of the NSCN -- often dubbed the mother of all insurgent groups in the country -- in 1980 along with long-time Naga comrades Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang. The NSCN was formed to protest the Shillong Accord signed between the Indian government and the Naga National Council (NNC). But differences cropped up within the NSCN after some time, leading to the departure of Khaplang, who formed his own group, the NSCN-K. This group is still at war with India. Muivah and Isak Swu remained together, mostly resident in Thailand and the Netherlands, even after deciding to go for talks with New Delhi. And while Muivah was considered the group's dominant hardline leader, Isak Swu represented its softer side maintaining close ties with the Church. A former member of the NNC, Isak Swu was born in 1929 in Chishilimi Naga village in Zunheboto district of Nagaland. He took early education at the American Mission School at Chishilimi and the Government High School at Kohima. He graduated in political science from St Anthony's College in Shillong. He joined the underground in the late 1950s. He was the Foreign Secretary of the NNC before being elevated as its Vice President. Married to Khulu, the couple have five sons and one daughter. Isak Swu's death comes at a time when the NSCN-IM and the Indian government are still negotiating for a final conclusion of the Naga Peace Accord. The Naga insurgency is India's oldest and is known to have received at various times financial and other support from Pakistan, China and the US. From demanding independence from India, the NSCN-IM now seeks a "Greater Nagalim" or Greater Nagaland comprising Nagaland as well as Naga populated areas of neighbouring states. --IANS rup/mr/py/vd ( 450 Words) 2016-06-28-19:02:06 (IANS)
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who presided over the meeting also attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, directed the security forces to mount extra vigil in the state and all over the country.
Besides, Mr Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, heads of Intelligence agencies and senior officials of other departments concerned attended the meeting.
The Home Minister was briefed over the security situation in the country and Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the inputs given by the security forces and intelligence agencies, Mr Singh, in the hour-long meeting, dwelt at length on the corrective steps to be taken by the forces to avoid such attacks.
Eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including an officer, and two militants were killed and 20 other personnel injured in a fierce encounter at Pampore on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Saturday.
Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) militant outfit has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Mr Singh has set up a committee to probe whether there were any lapses in the Pulwama encounter.UNI NAZ SW AE 1907
-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-809172.Xml
As Isak Chisi Swu, staunch Naga rebel and co-founder of National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), met his life's end after months of combating chronic health issues, the Naga clan on Tuesday lost one of its main leaders, who continues to be a source of inspiration for thousands of Naga youths. Of course, the history of the last six decades in the state has been a saga of brutal killings and deep conflict. According to many senior rebel leaders from various factions of the NSCN, though the death of Isak Swu was sudden and unexpected, he himself would have been happy that he and T. Muivah -- co-founder of NSCN-IM could at least make the Indian government understand the gravity of the Naga conflict and ink the historic Naga Peace Accord in 2015. Born to an economically well-off Sema family in Chishilimi village of Zunheboto district in Nagaland and having graduated from Shillong-based St. Anthony's College, Isak Swu's legendary role in the Naga revolution seemed pre-decided since birth. After joining the Naga National Council (NNC) in his early 20s, then the only armed group fighting for the Naga cause -- under the leadership of Angami Z. Phizo, Isak Swu went on to became the "Foreign Secretary" of the group. It won't be wrong to say that during the early 1950s, when the Naga insurgency saw its inception, it was the contribution of Isak Swu, Muivah and S.S. Khaplang among several other leaders of NNC who accelerated the movement in the state. Phizo -- father of the Naga revolution -- was more into getting the Naga cause international attention after failing to convince the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. "In the demise of Yariuwo Isak Chisi Swu, Nagas have lost not only a great freedom fighter but also a faithful servant of God. The vacuum created by his death will be difficult to fill," Lima Jamir, a veteran journalist from Nagaland, who has been close to the NSCN-IM, told IANS. Though he fought for the Naga cause for decades, Isak Swu was completely against the split in the Naga groups over ideologies, which according to him was the reason behind the delay in the solution to the Naga conflict. Isak Swu and Muivah had created the NSCN-IM after misunderstanding erupted with Khaplang in 1988 while all of them were together in the NSCN, which again was a splinter group of the NNC after some members of the group quietly inked the Shillong Accord with the Indian government in 1975. Having led most of his adult life in the jungles and hideouts of Myanmar and Bangladesh, Isak Swu was among the only Naga rebel leaders who insisted that the leadership get a ceasefire and then approach the Indian government for peace talks, an effort that finally led to the signing of the framework of the Naga Peace Accord on Aug 3, 2015. It was the NSCN-IM, precisely Isak Swu and Muivah's style of running the armed group, which led many other armed groups of the Indian northeast to take training under them and learn the tactics of leading an insurgency. It is perhaps the stature of rebel leaders like Isak Swu which allowed the door to remain open for other rebel factions, including the NSCN-Khaplang, to join the Naga Peace Accord negotiations. The latter faction withdrew from the 14 year-old ceasefire in 2015. Isak Swu was of the opinion that if there was a need for peace in Nagaland, then that would have been possible only through bringing all the factions on board. Till very recently, Isak Swu kept himself abreast of the negotiations being held between the NSCN-IM and the government from the hospital bed. With deterioration in his health, though, which included a series of surgeries, Isak Swu collapsed medically but was kept on ventilation until Tuesday when he was declared dead. He was 86. Apart from his wife, Isak Swu leaves behind five sons and a daughter, Isak's body will be flown to Nagaland, where it will be kept in the Hebron camp -- designated camp of NSCN-IM -- on the outskirts of Dimapur for the public to pay their last respects before being buried. (Rupesh Dutta can be contacted at Rupesh.d@ians.in) --IANS rup/rn/hs/mr ( 717 Words) 2016-06-28-20:28:03 (IANS)
With India joining the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) on Monday, the French Government has hail the development and welcomed New Delhi's commitment to combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. In a statement released today, the French Foreign Ministry said that India's adherence will contribute to better regulating the proliferation of equipment that could be used in missiles or drones capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, the MTCR has welcomed India's accession into the Regime saying India's membership has been thoroughly discussed over the years, ultimately resulting in a consensus decision by all MTCR members to offer India membership. "As all formal procedures for membership have now been finalised, the Chairman of the joint Netherlands-Luxembourg Chairmanship of the Missile Technology Control Regime, Ambassador Piet de Klerk (NL), in close consultation with the French MTCR Point of Contact, is pleased to announce today that the Republic of India now formally is the 35th member of the Regime," the statement said. The MTCR asserting that India's membership will strengthen the international efforts to prevent proliferation of delivery systems (ballistic missiles or unmanned aircraft) capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. "The MTCR looks forward to India's full participation in the Regime, including the upcoming annual plenary meeting of the MTCR in the Republic of Korea in October 2016," the statement added. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America are the 35 members in the MTCR. Earlier today, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar signed the document of accession into MTCR in the presence of Ambassadors of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg in the national capital. Ambassador-designate of France Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus Stoelinga and Luxembourg's Deputy Head of Mission to India Laure Huberty were present on the occasion. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup yesterday said New Delhi had applied for membership of the MTCR last year, adding all the procedural formalities have been completed. The MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia. The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload for at least 300 kilometres as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction. (ANI)
On Saturday, not a single local newspaper was published in Gilgit-Baltistan, the region from where no national newspaper is published.
Local journalists boycotted the budget session of the GB Legislative Assembly on Friday.
According to the Dawn, the decision to stop publishing newspapers was taken at a meeting of the GB Newspapers Society (GBNS) on Friday.
The owners said that dues of around Rs.50 million were unpaid.
GBNS president Eman Shah told Dawn that the GB government had not paid their advertisement dues for that past four years. (ANI)
The Prothom Olo newspaper quoted the former prime minister, as saying, "Local and foreign arms and ammunition are oftentimes found under the possession of AL leaders and activists. So, true trial will only be held, and peace and security will return in the country once these people are arrested."
Khaleda alleged that the country is witnessing a festival of looting and grabbing.
She said, "Even the National Press Club has been occupied. The government is occupying everything with muscle power as it fears election."
Claiming her innocence in the NIKO graft case, Khaleda said, "Everything was done under Sheikh Hasina's instructions. I had no part in it. Hasina's case has been withdrawn. So, no one else should be accused in the case." (ANI)
"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally wrote letters to 17 prime ministers of different countries on the matter, which is on record," Dawn quoted Aziz as saying at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
The NSG on Thursday failed to reach consensus on New Delhi's membership application after few members of the international nuclear trade cartel insisted on adhering to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) condition for admission.
India is a non-signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Despite being openly backed by the United States President Barack Obama, the move was a setback for India.
India and Pakistan, both a non-NPT states are aspiring for the membership of the 48-member international nuclear trade cartel.
Regarding the arrest of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav,
Aziz said the security agencies are in the process of compiling more evidence against the former adding that that legal proceedings would begin against Jadhav soon.
On the issue of the Afghan Taliban, Aziz acknowledged that the Pakistani government categorises Taliban into 'good' and 'bad' groups and that the government is trying to push 'good Taliban groups' for resumption of dialogue.
"In the prevailing situation, the Afghan Taliban do not seem interested in resuming talks," he said.
The advisor added that the government has taken decisive action against all Taliban groups in tribal areas.
"Consultations with security establishment is a normal thing as United States [too] consult its security establishment in foreign policy matters,"he added. (ANI)
The publishing of contemptuous advertisements in national newspapers for funding as part of an anti-Ahmadi campaign is a unique development as in the past similar campaigns only took the form of pamphlets, wall-chalking and hate speeches, reports the Express Tribune.
Campaigns promoting hate of a particular segment of society are contradictory to the National Action Plan (NAP), the fifth clause of which reads, "Strict action [will be taken] against the literature, newspapers and magazines promoting hatred, decapitation, extremism, sectarianism and intolerance."
Jamaat-e-Ahmadia Spokesperson Saleemudin, told the Express Tribune that the ads were an incitement to kill Ahmadis.
"They are openly collecting contributions to spread hatred and instigate people to kill Ahmadis by holding conferences, publishing and distributing hate material," he added.
"Law enforcing agencies should take action against the instigators as it [the campaign] is a clear violation of the National Action Plan," Saleemuddin said.
He expressed concern over the advertisements, being published in national and widely circulated newspapers.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Press Council of Pakistan Chairman Dr Salahudin Mengal said the aggrieved party or person can file a complaint before it since the organisation cannot take suo motu notice of the issue.
"Once a complaint is filed, we refer it to the committee which after finding substantial evidence refers the matter to a judicial commission that is authorised to impose a fine as high as Rs10,000." (ANI)
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 Beijing 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 Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement posted on its website.
Taiwanese officials said Saturday that they would continue to try to communicate with their mainland counterparts.
"We hope Taiwan and the mainland can continue to have benign interaction, which is good for both sides," said Tung Chen-yuan, a government spokesman in Taipei.
According to the New York Times, Taiwan and China have been estranged since the Communist revolution of 1949. Under Ms. Tsai's immediate predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, the two sides forged closer economic and political ties. (ANI)
China is very afraid of terrorism perpetrated by its Muslim Uighur population. High level Chinese counterterrorism experts warned, "With Uighurs in conflict zones with motivation, skills and networks directing, inspiring and instigating attacks in Xinjiang, the potential for a spike in extremism and terrorism in China in the immediate to the mid-term is high." One facet of China's antiterrorism campaign was its first comprehensive antiterrorism bill that came into effect on 1 January. Pushed through by President Xi Jinping, it contains 97 articles in ten chapters. The law defines terrorism as, "Any advocacy or activity that, by means of violence, sabotage or threat, aims to create social panic, undermine public safety, infringe on personal and property rights, or coerce a state organ or an international organization, in order to achieve political, ideological or other objectives." Significant is the word "advocacy". In the first draft of the law, it listed "any thought, speech or activity." Western commentators severely criticized the word "thought", and while it was removed, "advocacy" remains vague enough to cover nearly any eventuality. Uighurs have been blamed for a number of high-profile attacks in China. Recent examples include an altercation in Lukqun in June 2013 (35 killed), a deadly knife-wielding assault in Kunming railway station in March 2014 (33 killed), and an attack at a coal mine in Aksu last September (50 killed). Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, told ANI that, "The challenge China faces is not from the Uighur community as a whole, but from a tiny segment of politicized and radicalized Uighurs." The contemporary origins of Uighur nationalism and, later, Uighur Islamism can be traced back to conflicts in two theatres - Pakistan-Afghanistan and Iraq-Syria. "Uighur participation in conflicts emboldened and empowered them to fight for their own Muslim, and later an Islamic, state," Gunaratna documented. Gunaratna informed ANI, "A greater understanding between China and the West and the rest of the world is essential for China to better manage the extant and emerging Uighur threat. As escalation in violence in Xinjiang has implications for other countries hoisting Turkic territorials and diaspora." There are large Turkic populations in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and spreading Uighur extremism and terrorism could affect all these, as well as Europe and North America. Gunaratna said "the Chinese are aware of the dangers" from Uighur extremism. He noted, "While it is essential to preserve the traditional Uighur culture and religious traditions, China should protect the Uighur community from extremist influences from the Middle East and South Asia.While remaining in the shadow, Beijing should co-opt the existing and emerging Uighur leaders in Xinjiang and empower them to manage their own community." The counterterrorism expert acknowledged that the challenges Beijing faces in Xinjiang and Tibet are "daunting". He continued, "The unity of China depends on the ability and willingness of Beijing to work with the minorities in China. The current relationships Beijing builds with the Uighur elite will determine the future security of Xinjiang and beyond." However, the kind of restrictions laid upon the Muslim community in the current holy month of Ramadan will likely do more harm than good. Muslim members of the Chinese Communist Party cannot openly follow Islam, while all are encouraged to eat in daylight hours during Ramadan. In Xinjiang, the government's strict rules forbid anyone under the age of 18 from following a religion. Indeed, parents face stiff fines if their children are found studying the Quran or fasting during Ramadan. It is reported that security staff are installed inside mosques 24 hours a day to monitor adherents, and the sermons of imams must be preapproved by censors. Such draconian measure seem at odds with a White Paper on religious freedom in Xinjiang released by the State Council on 2 June. It stated, "No organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. No citizen suffers discrimination or unfair treatment for believing in, or not believing in, any religion." Gunaratna continued, "To maintain security and stability in the long term, China should integrate its minorities with the other communities." The professor believes China does not have the option of allowing minorities to do as they want, as this would lead to a breakup of the country. Going into more detail, he advised, "To limit the spread of foreign ideologies and extremist practices, China should continue to maintain a security platform in Xinjiang.If China relaxes the security measures in Xinjiang, the threat will grow and spill over to other parts of China." "Today, China should develop strategies to fight the operational threat, counter ideological extremism and promote coexistence between Han, Uighur and other communities in Xinjiang," the Singapore-based expert advised. A key part of the counterterrorism effort is the public. Article 8 of the new counterterrorism law tells authorities to establish joint coordination mechanisms to mobilize grassroots organizations, Article 74 directs them to set up formal forces/community volunteer groups, and Article 44 encourages civilians to act as informants. The law also contains provisions that require telecommunications and internet providers to give the Chinese government "backdoor" access to their systems for investigation purposes. Another proviso restricts how terrorist incidents are reported, including reporting on response agencies and personnel. Such an approach could backfire, however. Dr Zunyou Zhou, head of the China section at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, explained, "This is because public ignorance of the true state of terrorism affects people's ability to cooperate with the government in its counterterrorism efforts. Further, freedom of the press is not only a fundamental human right but also a major foundation of democracy." The new counterterrorism law gives the government and agencies powers above and beyond those it already possesses. Zhou assessed that, "These new powers will inevitably affect fundamental human rights," something for which the legislation does not really provide any specific protection. Beijing vigorously blames the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for its terrorism ills. It is known that several hundred Uighurs traveled from Xinjiang to join ETIM, a group molded by the Taliban and al Qaeda. The nationalist ETIM also morphed into the politico-religious Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), both organizations fightingthe US-led coalition in Afghanistan from 2001 onwards. Gunaratna told ANI, "Xinjiang continues to be affected from the spillover effects of the Afghan and now the Syrian conflicts. Today, several hundred Uighur foreign fighters from Xinjiang are active in Asian and Middle Eastern conflict zones. The blowback to China is in the form of a sustained campaign of terrorism in Xinjiang, a region bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan." He believes probably nearly a thousand Uighurs are actively linked to terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State (IS). "China faces an imminent threat from Uighur terrorist and extremist networks," he warned. Western governments, media and academics often focus on human rights abuses in China's prosecution of its war on terror, but Gunaratna believes this aspect has been exaggerated. "Human rights are a political weapon used by Western powers against their enemies. As such, China should not worry too much about Western governments, Western public opinion or lobbying by NGOs [non-government organizations], including human rights organizations." What then should China do about the problem of Islamic-inspired terrorism? Gunaratna summarized the best approach as follows: "The Chinese strategy should be threefold. First, to detect, disrupt and dismantle the threat structures. Second, win over the Uighurs both in China and overseas. Third, protect its interests at home and overseas." However, it is clear that China has overreacted to the problem, causing the threat to grow. Chinese antiterrorism methods often appear heavy-handed or disproportionate, and Gunaratna agreed that Chinese strategy "has lacked sophistication and finesse". He advised, "China should abandon the dominant and overwhelming use of kinetic and lethal force and embrace strategies to reach out to the Uighur community. China should adopt a smart counterterrorism doctrine, the integration of hard and soft power." This would ideally be 5% kinetic/lethal measures, and 95% engagement strategies. Such a "hard on the inside and soft on the outside" doctrine calls for a range of measures, according to Gunaratna. He listed a three-pronged methodology. First, use intelligence-led tactical counterterrorism units to hunt terrorists, including those overseas. Interestingly, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is now allowed to conduct antiterrorism operations overseas under China's new law. Second, Beijing needs rehabilitation programs to de-radicalize captured terrorists and extremists. Third, the authorities need to engage and empower communities to counter the spread of extremism and promote moderation, toleration and coexistence. China is attempting to improve its methods. For example, the Northwest University of Political Science and Law in Xian is planning to open an antiterrorism school to teach "the latest antiterrorism theories and practices". University president Jia Yu added, "The purpose is to develop specialized talents for antiterrorism." Gunaratna assesses that Chinese expertise in fighting terrorism has improved since 9-11 but it still remains limited. "The strategy of harsh measures alone will not work in the long term," he warned. "China has much to learn from global counterterrorism good practices." Problems include "competition between the different services, and there is no coherent effort to tackle the problem". Gunaratna concluded his interview with ANI, "Beijing should as quickly as possible develop a comprehensive national strategy to contain, isolate and eliminate the terrorists and engage the Uighur community."(ANI)
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the airstrike was carried out in the restive Chardara district, adding in addition two others were critically wounded.
However, it wasn't clear if the airstrike was carried out by the Afghan or the U.S. forces.
The U.S. forces have started targeting the Taliban militants and insurgents groups after President Barack Obama approved a wider role for the military stationed here.
The new role was approved amid deteriorating security situation in the country. (ANI)
Oli visited the commission office to take stock of its functioning including preparations for the elections.
"He asked us about overall preparations for the upcoming elections," the Himalayan Times quoted Election Commission Joint-Secretary Bir Bahadur Rai as saying.
"The Commissioners here requested him to expedite procedures to formulate laws necessary for the polls," he added.
Meanwhile, Oli's press coordinator Chetan Adhikari said that the Commissioners expressed readiness to conduct the elections if the government announced dates for them.
He added that a team led-by Oli had asked the Commission if they had prepared timetables for preparations of the polls.
Though no specific date has formally been announced for the election, the government has been saying that it would hold local bodies' elections by mid-December. (ANI)
The flight flying from Changi to Milan returned to Singapore two hours into its journey out after reporting an engine problem, reports the Guardian.
While the passengers clapped as the jet made what appeared to be a smooth emergency landing, reports say that seconds later, the right engine and wing were ablaze, with flames engulfing the right side of the jet.
Singapore Airlines in a series of tweets narrated the event and confirmed that no one was injured.
"Flt SQ368, a B7300ER opting SIN-MXP returned to Singapore on 27Jun due to an engine oil warning message. The aircraft right engine caught fire after it touched down at ard 6.50 a.m.. The fire was put out by airport emergency services and no injuries to the 222 pax + 19 crew on board," Singapore Airlines tweeted.
It added, "Pax disembarked safely and will be transferred to another aircraft which is expected to depart for MXP later today. SQ is working with authorities."
Singapore Airlines has only had one accident resulting in fatalities in 2000.
A flight from Singapore to Los Angeles crashed into construction equipment after attempting to take off on the wrong runway during a typhoon, killing 83 of the 179 people on board.(ANI)
The Pakistan government has said that it will decide whether or not to allow Indian investigators to visit the country in connection with their probe into a deadly terror attack on an Indian airbase after Eid-ul-Fitr. On January 2, 2016, a heavily armed group attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, part of the India's Western Air Command, killing six Indian security personnel. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan-based jihadi group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) for orchestrating the brutal assault. A high-level meeting to be attended by top civil and military officials will be convened by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after he returns from London to discuss an India's request for a visit by its investigators and issues related to bilateral dialogue between the two neighbours, reports the Express Tribune. The Express Tribune has quoted a senior official, who is part of the government's core team dealing with India, that the meeting would decide whether to allow a team from India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) to travel to Pakistan for carrying forward the probe into the Pathankot attack. A five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) from Pakistan had visited India between March 27 and 31 to collect evidence with regard to the attack. The team comprising officials from police and intelligence agencies had met officials from National Investigation Agency in New Delhi and had also been given access to the Pathankot airbase where the attack took place. Islamabad, however, contended that its investigators were given limited access as they were not allowed to meet eyewitnesses. New Delhi, in return requested Pakistan to allow its investigators to visit the country to question alleged masterminds of the attack including JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his brother. So far, Pakistan has not officially responded to the Indian request. One of the reasons behind the government's reluctance has been reported that it thinks India may use the visit to ridicule Pakistan. "We will take the final decision after Eid," the Express Tribune quoted an official as saying. The official on being asked about the prospects of resumption of the bilateral dialogue said India appears to be 'hiding behind the Pathankot incident.' The Pathankot attack led to the cancellation of crucial foreign secretary-level talks, which were to take place in mid-January. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj last week at a news conference in New Delhi said that foreign secretary-level talks were not cancelled but New Delhi is only awaiting probe from Pakistan side on the Pathankot attack. Though the prospects of resumption of talks at present are at grim, officials are hoping that the both nations will eventually return to the negotiating table before the next Saarc summit scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan in November this year. (ANI)
He said that the referendum vote in the UK will heighten uncertainty for markets in his country.
"It`s difficult to predict now.The knee-jerk reaction from the market is probably a bit excessive and needs to calm down and take an objective view. If (Brexit) is an important landmark in terms of a reversal of globalisation, I think that`s very bad for the world, it`s very bad for China, " Jiwei was quoted, as saying.
Jiwei was speaking at the just concluded first annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing.
"China is perhaps one of the least impacted economies in the world by the event of Brexit. I don't expect a global recession or another global financial crisis," he said.
"I think the impact of Brexit is significant, but not of the same size and magnitude of the one we had 2007 to 2009," he added.
Michael Falcon, CEO of Global Investment Management Asia Pacific at JP Morgan, said he expects more market volatility but doesn't think the vote would derail a global recovery.
"It is a shock, not a crisis and so far markets seem to be handling this pretty well," Falcon said at the WEF conference. (ANI with inputs)
Uyghur leader Dolkun Issa has questioned Pakistan's silence on the Beijing imposed ban on Xinjian's Muslim population from observing Ramzan. In a statement which has been widely circulated across East Asia, Issa said Pakistan which professes to be a soul mate of the World's Muslims, is turning a blind eye to the terrible ban imposed on the majority Muslim population of Xinjiang, stopping them from observing any of the rituals associated with Ramzan. Questioning Pakistan's silence on the issue, Issa wondered as to why the South Asian nation is silent about making any observation on this matter as it has been vocal for the rights of Muslims elsewhere. Issa added that " Nothing stops Pakistan from talking about the plight of Muslims anywhere in the world but when it comes to Xinjiang there is complete silence even though the people there are suffering harsh religious prosecution." Issa said there is no religious freedom for the Muslims in Xinjiang as the government's strict rules forbid anyone under the age of 18 from following a religion. The parents face stiff fines if their children are found studying the Quran or fasting during Ramadan. The senior Uyghur leader pointed out that security staff is deployed inside mosques 24 hours every day to monitor the muslims, and the sermons of imams must be preapproved by censors. No Imam is allowed to deliver a sermon unless the text is cleared by a Beijing approved sensor. Such draconian measure said Issa is the norm in Xinjiang during Ramzan. He pointed out that Halal meat is banned. Head scarves and religious caps cannot be worn. Workers are not given time out for prayers. In fact workers are given special financial incentives by employers if they skip prayers and do not fast. For Muslims who do not fast there is appreciation by the Xinjiang Government. Issa added that the system is designed to ethnically cleanse the region of those who follow the Islamic faith. In this situation, it is strange that the friend of Muslims - Pakistan - is totally oblivious to the happenings. The Uyghur activist's assertion assumes significance in wake of Beijing's growing proximity to Islamabad. Dolkun Issa said this was Pakistan's payback to China for support at the NSG meet in Seoul and for many other favours. (ANI)
Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said he is not very hopeful about normalisation of ties with India claiming that New Delhi wanted it on its own terms, which was not acceptable to Islamabad. Speaking about ties with India at a foreign policy briefing session held for journalists here yesterday, Mr Aziz said India wanted normalisation on its terms, which was not acceptable to Pakistan. Mr Aziz said Pakistan wanted to have peaceful relations with India but it would not back down from its principled stance over Kashmir. He sounded sceptical about any progress towards normalisation in the near future and instead called for managing the situation so that tensions would not grow, Pakistan daily Dawn said. ''Their narrative has remained unchanged. They do not want to give us credit [for our actions against terrorism] and keep an excuse for not starting dialogue,'' he said. Pakistan has been insisting dialogues on all issues, whereas India wants an exclusive focus on terrorism. ''If no major improvement takes place, we should manage the situation and our minimum objective should be to prevent tensions from growing,'' he suggested. On Pakistan -Afghanistan relations, he said,''Prospects of the [Afghan] peace process are not good. It would all now depend on the ground situation in Afghanistan. The peace process was sabotaged following elimination of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone attack last month, he said. Mr Aziz said Pakistan has already reviewed its policy on Afghanistan under which it had been decided to expand relations with Kabul in all spheres and be more mindful about its concerns. He made it clear it was not in the hands of Pakistan to bring all Afghan Taliban groups to the negotiating table. ''Border management is an immediate need that is our priority. Moreover, border is not an issue for us, which we would like to negotiate,'' he emphasised. On Pakistan-US relations, he said relationship was moving in the right direction despite recent setbacks, which led to cancellation of an F-16 deal. He said that working groups of the bilateral 'strategic dialogue' would be meeting shortly. Earlier, the US government had concerns about the nuclear programme, but after realising that Pakistan would not budge on that, it started agitating the Haqqani network issue, he said. "Even there we do not have any difference of objective, we only hold divergent views on timing and sequencing of how we proceed," he added. UNI XC SV 1050 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0103-808004.Xml
A new Islamic State video is taunting those grieving after the Orlando mass shooting, celebrating the attack and calling for more strikes like it in San Francisco and Las Vegas. This was the second video praising the Florida massacre. The video came just as people in San Francisco were celebrating LGBT pride over the weekend, with heightened security measures in place across the city, two weeks after 49 people were gunned down in cold blood at the Pulse gay club in Orlando. Fiftythree other people were injured in the attack. The video glorifying the hideous crime, according to RT online, has emerged just days after another, made by an alleged American Islamic State fighter. According to PJ Media, the footage comes courtesy of IS itself, and was made in Mosul. It features several international IS fighters, two of them French-speaking and one Bosnian Muslim, speaking directly to the camera. Nearly all threats of this sort feature similar content, this one was no exception. It featured iconic San Francisco landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Financial District. It also shows President Barack Obamas speeches, a slideshow of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, and footage shot by Paris murderer Larossi Abballa, who on June 13 claimed the lives of a police commander and his partner. A message was included in the video that read: Arise, O Muslims and kill the unbelievers in their own homes. This is in keeping with the now traditional calls for more lone wolf attacks on the US the terrorists have been issuing. The Golden Gate footage appears to have been taken with a handheld camera, possibly a cell phone, while taking a walk along the pedestrian walkway. San Francisco police did not report any ongoing plots or investigations into potential attacks at this time. --IANS ahm/vt ` ( 316 Words) 2016-06-28-16:14:09 (IANS)
Nigel Farage of Britain on Tuesday was booed in the European Parliament after he insulted fellow members in an extraordinary exchange in the wake of the Brexit vote. Any hopes of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader adopting a more conciliatory tone before the difficult negotiations that lie ahead were dashed by his belligerent speech to a highly charged emergency session of the European Parliament in Brussels, the Guardian reported. After an initially "on the face of it" warm embrace between Farage and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, things rapidly deteriorated into open hostility, as the former Luxembourg Prime Minister demanded of the UKIP leader: "You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?" Farage laughed off the comments before launching an astonishing attack on his colleagues that drew boos and heckles. Rising to his feet, Farage began by sarcastically thanking his fellow Members of European Parliament (MEPs) "for the warm welcome" before landing his first blow: "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well I have to say, youre not laughing now, are you?" "And the reason youre so upset, the reason youre so angry, has been perfectly clear from all the angry exchanges this morning. You, as a political project, are in denial. You are in denial that your currency is failing." Despite urging a "grown-up" conversation between the EU and Britain, Farage continued in a similarly mocking vein throughout his monologue, at one point telling MEPs: "Virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives." Amid uproar, European Parliament President Martin Schulz tried to restore order while himself taking a dig at Farage. He told MEPs: "I understand that you are emotional, but youre acting like UKIP normally acts in the chamber. So please dont imitate them." His efforts did little to calm the atmosphere as Farage went on to tell MEPs that any attempt to impose trade barriers on the UK would backfire, pointing out German car assembly workers as being among those who would suffer. He said Britain could be "your greatest friend", provided the EU did not thwart its global ambition. The UK should invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty soon to begin its withdrawal from the EU, Farage said. "I dont think we should spend too long doing it." The former broker said people were sick of "merchant bankers, multinationals and big politics" controlling them and gleefully predicted that more EU countries would follow Britain in leaving the bloc. He was booed as he sat down and a number of MEPs turned their backs on him. The first person to speak after Farage was Marine Le Pen, the leader of Frances Front National party, who hailed Britains decision as the beginning of a "peoples spring". But a number of MEPs who followed were not so complimentary. Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said: "I am shocked, Mr. Farage. You are presenting yourself as the defender of the little man, while you have an offshore financial construction." As Farage laughed, Verhofstadt added: "OK, lets be positive, we are getting rid of the biggest waste of EU budget: your salary." --IANS lok/rn/vt ( 565 Words) 2016-06-28-21:10:01 (IANS)
RIGA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Although Britain' s departure from the European Union (EU) is going to have a generally adverse effect on economic growth, Latvia is unlikely to suffer any serious losses from Brexit in the short term, Bank of Latvia economist Uldis Rutkaste said on public radio on Monday.
During the splitting-off process which could take about two years, there will be uncertainty about Britain's future and the global economy at large, the Latvian central bank's economist projected.
Brexit' s negative effects on the Latvian economy are not expected to be significant and might affect less than one percent of Latvia's GDP, Rutkaste said, noting the impact would be stronger if Britain decided to sever ties with the EU altogether.
Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis said in an interview with Latvian Television Monday morning that Latvia might be affected if Britain chose confrontation with the EU, which would cause the bloc to substantially reduce funding to its member states. Britain, however, is unlikely to take such a path and will instead seek a sensible solution, the Latvian prime minister said.
In a referendum in Britain last Thursday, 51.9 percent of voters supported Brexit, while 48.1 percent voted for remaining in the EU. Enditem
Nobel Laureates, politicians and guests arrived at the city theater of Lindau for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, on June 26, 2016 in the southern German city of Lindau. (Xinhua/Zhu Sheng)
LINDAU, Germany, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings kicked off on Sunday in southern German city of Lindau, attracting 29 Nobel Laureates and more than 400 selected young scientists from all over the world.
More than 30 Chinese young scientists, the third largest group after Germany and the United States, attended the yearly event, which will last until July 1, according to the official statistics.
The young participants are outstanding students, graduate students and post-docs under 35 years old, who conduct research in the field of physics. The proportion of women is 31 percent.
Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg (right), president of the council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, welcomed Heinz Fischer (middle), president of Austria, on June 26, 2016 in the southern German city of Lindau. (Xinhua/Zhu Sheng)
"Innovation depends on knowledge transfer, inspiration and collaboration, which is why our mission is 'Educate, Inspire, Connect'," said Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, president of the council for the meetings.
In front of guests from about 80 countries and regions, Austrian President Heinz Fischer addressed the meeting participants as this year's host country.
Due to renovation work of the usual meeting hall, this year's event is held in the city theater of Lindau. The meeting since 1951 is designed as a forum for exchange, networking and inspiration.
The 66th event is dedicated to the field of physics and focuses on the core areas of the discipline. Key topics are about cosmology, particle physics and quantum technology.
STOCKHOLM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Stockholm stock market plummeted by nearly eight percent on Monday, the first day of trading since Britons voted to leave the European Union last week.
The Stockholm stock exchange was closed over the midsummer's weekend and Monday was the first day of trading after the so-called Brexit vote. It turned out to be one of the worst since October 2008. That was at the height of the financial crisis when the Stockholm stock exchange dropped by 7.12 percent.
"We were celebrating Midsummer's Eve on Friday so there was a delayed effect here after the UK referendum," said Johanna Cervenka, economics commentator at Swedish Television.
She continued,"They are trying to assess what will happen next but right now everything is very uncertain and so many turn away from what are regarded insecure stocks. Instead, they look for what is secure, like gold for instance."
The Swedish banks were hardest hit. Shares in Sweden's Handelsbanken, which counts Britain as a home market with over 200 branches in the country, slid nine percent on Monday over concerns about the impact of Brexit.
The currency market also experienced chaos after the EU referendum, with the British pound plunging. Against the Swedish krona, the pound dropped to around 11.40 -- the lowest exchange rate since the fall of 2014. By comparison, at the start of the year, the pound was worth 12.61 krona. Enditem
LONDON, June 24, 2016 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech at 10 Downing Street in London, June 24, 2016. Britain Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday morning announced his intention to resign after his country has voted to leave the European Union. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
LONDON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron told a packed House of Commons here Monday that a special unit would be set up to prepare for Britain's exit from the EU following last week's national referendum.
The cabinet met at 10 Downing Street earlier on Monday to agree to the new unit which will bring together officials and policy expertise from the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and Business Department, Cameron said.
"This will be most complex and most important task the British civil service has undertaken in decades. The new unit will sit at the heart of government and be led by and staffed by the best and brightest from across our civil service. It will report to the whole of the cabinet, advising on transitional issues and exploring objectively options for our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world," said Cameron.
He outlined the procedures being put into place for the "divorce" from the EU.
The two-hour session was the first chance MPs have had to discuss the unexpected Brexit decision after supporters of Remain had expected a narrow victory for their side.
"It was not the result I wanted, nor the outcome I believed is best for the country I love. But there can be no doubt about the result. It is going to be difficult. We have already seen that there are going to be adjustments within our economy, complex constitutional issues, and a challenging new negotiation to undertake with Europe. But I am clear that the decision must be accepted and the process of implementing the decision in the best possible way must now begin," said the prime minister.
Cameron reassured European citizens living in Britain, and British people living in European countries, there would be no immediate changes to their circumstances, or any initial change in the way people travel, or in the way goods can move, or services sold.
He said the deal he negotiated in Brussels in February would now be discarded and a new negotiation to leave the EU would begin under a new prime minister, due to take over in the fall.
During the debate that followed, Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson said "we have no intention whatsoever of seeing Scotland taken out of Europe. We are a European country and we will stay a European country, and if that means we have to have an independence referendum to protect Scotland's place, then so be it."
Scotland, along with Northern Ireland and London voted to remain in the bloc, with virtually the whole of England and Wales supporting Brexit.
Related:
Spotlight: Brexit leader stresses efforts for "intense" European cooperation
LONDON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson tried on Sunday to drive home future efforts to intensify cooperation with Europe in a bid to allay doubts among the divided British public.
"I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be. There will still be intense and intensifying European cooperation and partnership in a huge number of fields," said Johnson in an article carried by Sunday's Daily Telegraph newspaper. Full Story
Britain PM announces intention to resign
LONDON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Britain Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday morning announced his intention to resign after his country has voted to leave the European Union.
HELSINKI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The repercussions of British exit from the European Union (EU) have reached the very northern part of Europe. In Finland, a country outside NATO, the EU has been seen in a security role more than in most other EU countries.
Initial comments made by Finnish politicians were cautious, but reflected concerns felt in Finland as the strongest military force within EU was pulling out.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said last Friday, the first day when the result of the British referendum was released, that the impact on European security would depend on the "willingness of Britain as a NATO country to cooperate in security policy with the EU".
When non-NATO Finland joined the EU in 1995, the role of the EU in maintaining security was highlighted. During the recent tension in eastern Europe, Finland underlined the security dimension of the EU.
Finnish Defence Minister Jussi Niinisto said Brexit is a blow to the joint foreign and security policies promoted by the EU.
He said Britain has the strongest military force in the EU and in that respect a hole will be left after the country leaves the EU.
He said it remains to be seen whether the remaining EU countries will deepen their cooperation in security policy. "This is not the end of the world," he assured.
Finland, an EU country that has a lengthy borderline with Russia, maintains general conscription and aims at an independent credible defence, reiterated the defense minister.
Meanwhile, former Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen on Monday said the media had exaggerated the impact of Brexit.
Talking on Yle television, Lipponen said he saw the growing role of Germany as a positive factor in the security sense.
Lipponen said that to Finland, Germany and France are more important than the UK.
"Germany and Finland have a joint interest in aiming at getting along with Russia," he said.
Arguing that anti-Russian sentiments are "not sensible", he said the EU had tackled "too large issues" such as the Ukraine crisis.
He acknowledged that Britain has been a important partner to Finland in matters such as reducing bureaucracy in Brussels and promoting free trade.
While the weight of Germany is increasing within the EU, Finland should intensify cooperation with the rest of the Nordic countries, said Lipponen.
"To secure Finnish influence in the EU, Nordic companions are important," said Lipponen.
Lipponen said he did not believe any domino effect would get under way to leave the EU.
"There are claims that deepening of European cooperation would cease, but even that is not certain. More cooperation is needed in the euro zone to make the currency work better," he said.
Lipponen was a social democratic prime minister of Finland in 1995-2003.
TOLIMA, June 27, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Image provided by Colombian Presidency shows Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos delivering a speech at Tolemaida Fort in Melgar, Tolima Department, Colombia, on June 27, 2016. The bodies of all the 17 people aboard a military helicopter that crashed in the municipality of Pensilvania in the central Caldas Department had been found, the army's commander said on Monday. Before the deaths were confirmed, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking from the Tolemaida military base, lamented the accident.(Xinhua/Cesar Carrion/Colombia's Presidency)
BOGOTA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The bodies of all the 17 people aboard a military helicopter that crashed in the municipality of Pensilvania in the central Caldas Department had been found, the army's commander said on Monday.
While expressing his regret over the accident, which happened on Sunday, the commander of Colombia's Army, General Alberto Jose Mejia said that after the crash, the aircraft broke into several pieces after hitting a mountain.
Mejia said initial investigations showed that the accident happened due to a lack of visibility caused by poor weather conditions.
People on board the National Army's MI-17 helicopter were on their way to the Tolemaida military base from the department of Choco where they had successfully carried out a military operation against the guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN), said the general.
The last contact with the helicopter was at 2 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) on Sunday when they were 35 miles north of Mariquita in the central-western department of Tolima.
Shortly after the accident was announced, there were already teams from the Combat Rescue Company (C-SAR) looking for the aircraft and victims.
Troops from Ayacucho's No. 22 Infantry Battalion were also involved in searching for the bodies with the help of planes as well as members of the police, civil defence, firefighters, Red Cross and volunteers from Pensilvania that had joined together in the search.
Before the deaths were confirmed, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking from the Tolemaida military base, lamented the accident and said it did not seem the news about the people on board would be good.
"I deeply regret this accident. We are going to investigate to find out what happened. In this area, which passes the mountain range, there are always clouds. It is close to the municipality of Pensilvania, in Caldas, and we are awaiting the results of the investigation to see what really happened," said Santos.
Santos said the five crewmen and 12 members of "our armed forces were carrying out a very important task."
"They were in Uraba, in (the department of) Choco, carrying out a search. Many of those that were in the helicopter were experts in unpiloted planes. Also, others had been supporting the operations against the ELN," added the president.
Santos expressed his solidarity with the families of the victims and offered a minute of silence for the members of the armed forces that have lost their lives in the line of duty during the armed conflict in the South American country.
40 Yemeni soldiers were killed on June 27 in a series of suicide bombing attacksthat struck military posts in Yemen's Hadramout province. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
ADEN, Yemen, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a series of suicide bombing attacks that struck military posts and an intelligence compound in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout rose to 40 deaths on Monday, Yemeni officials told Xinhua.
A source of the Fourth Regional Military Command based in Hadramout province said that a series of suicide bombings that targeted military checkpoints in different places in the city of Mukalla left about 40 soldiers killed and several others injured.
"About 40 were killed and dozens others injured according to the medical information coming from three public hospitals in Hadramout about the latest casualty figures of today's attacks," the source said.
Witnesses told Xinhua that three military checkpoints and an intelligence compound in the coastal city of Mukalla, Hadramout's provincial capital, were struck by huge blasts simultaneously.
The simultaneous explosions took place while the soldiers were gathering minutes before the time of breaking their day-long fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to witnesses.
An intelligence officer told Xinhua that "the bombers disguised as distributors of Iftar meals and delivered bombs wrapped up as food to soldiers in some checkpoints in Mukalla."
Another suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden motorbike and targeted a military intelligence building in the same city, according to the source.
A medical source confirmed to Xinhua saying that hospitals call for urgent blood donations due to the high number of casualties.
The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) claimed responsibility Monday for the four terrorists attacks on Yemeni military posts in Hadramout just minutes following the incidents.
The claim came in a short statement posted via Twitter by the group's semi-official Amaq news agency, the same channel that claimed the Paris, Brussels and Orlando attacks.
The agency affiliated with ISIS claimed that "the jihadist operations killed more than 54 soldiers of the counter-terrorism units and the elite forces in Hadramout."
The Yemeni government forces launched anti-terror offensives and drived out scores of gunmen linked to the al-Qaida and the Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State from key neighborhoods and government compounds in Lahj and Abyan provinces in the last two months.
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Monday congratulated Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on freeing the city of Fallujah from the terror group Islamic State (IS).
"The United States military and our coalition partners are proud to have supported the Iraqi Security Forces under the prime minister's command in this important operation," Carter said in a statement issued by the Pentagon.
Carter called the operation "another milestone" in the joint efforts to accelerate IS's defeat.
The operation in Fallujah was a significant challenge for the Iraqi security forces and for the multinational coalition, but it won't be the last, Carter said.
Hard fighting remains ahead, as does the vital task of caring for the residents of Fallujah displaced by IS's violence and beginning to rebuild the city so that its people may safely return, Carter said.
He added that it's also essential to complete the investigations launched by the Iraqi government "to address alleged abuses of civilians."
Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told reporters Monday that the coalition continues to provide support through strikes, intelligence, advice and assistance to Iraqi government fighters operating in Fallujah and will continue to do so as they began clearing operations.
Since the ground operation began on May 21, the coalition forces have conducted more than 100 airstrikes in support of Iraqi government forces to liberate the city of Fallujah, which is the closest IS-held territory to the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, Davis said.
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Monday released their own report to refute accusations by the Republicans against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her role in a 2012 terror attack.
The House Democrats said they issued the 339-page report because it is "long past time" for the Republican-led select committee investigating the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 to conclude its work.
They noted that the committee has already spent more than two years and 7 million U.S. dollars in taxpayer funds "in one of the longest and most partisan congressional investigations in history."
Four Americans including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens were killed on Sept. 11, 2012 when the U.S. consulate in Benghazi were attacked by armed militants.
Clinton, now presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been accused by the Republicans for being responsible for the terror attack as she had denied numerous requests for increased security protection from the U.S. diplomats in Libya.
The Republicans also questioned Clinton's characterization of the attack, as she initially said that the attack was only inspired by a controversial anti-Islamic Youtube video rather than a planned terror attack.
The horrid attack triggered several investigations by Congress and the State Department, which faulted some State Department officials for ignoring requests for more guards and safety upgrade for U.S. diplomatic facilities in Libya.
In May 2014, then House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, announced to form a House select committee to conduct further investigation into the Benghazi attack.
But the Democrats have decried the formation of the Republican-led committee as an attempt by the Republicans to conduct a political witch hunt for Clinton, who was then slated to enter the 2016 presidential race.
In the Monday report, the Democrats said nothing uncovered by the select committee will change the underlying narrative about the 2012 attack.
The Democrats' report revealed transcripts of interviews with dozens of officials from the White House, State Department, Pentagon, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
It also denied reports that Clinton never personally denied requests for additional security from the U.S. diplomats in Libya ahead of the attack.
The Republicans in the House select committee are prepared to release very soon the formal report on the committee's investigation, which is expected to be very critical of Clinton's role in the Benghazi attack.
By releasing the report on Monday, the Democrats aim to counteract the Republicans' attack as the presidential race kicks into high gear ahead of the national conventions by the two parties in July.
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States will continue to talk with the European Union (EU) on the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement, despite Britain's vote to leave the EU.
The agreement to get a TTIP has now been affected in light of the decision by the British people over the weekend, said Eric Schultz, White House principal deputy press secretary at a briefing on Monday.
"If we have to start negotiating separately with the United Kingdom, that's going to start from a different vantage point," Schultz said.
Also on Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that a lot of progress has been made on the agreement during the last eight month.
"The economic and strategic rationale for TTIP remains strong," he said at the Bretton Woods Committee annual meeting.
"Our goal remains to continue working with the EU to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive and high standard agreement this year."
Froman also admitted the U.S. government was evaluating the effect of Brexit on the TTIP negotiations.
Democratic U.S. presidential candidateHillary Clinton(L)displayed an unusual and powerful alliance with liberal superstar Senator Elizabeth Warren at a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Lu Jiafei)
CINCINNATI, the United States, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In a major step to woo the disgruntled progressive wing within the Democratic Party, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday displayed an unusual and powerful alliance with liberal superstar Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The first joint appearance on campaign trail between Clinton and Warren in Cincinnati, Ohio came after Warren broke the year-long silence and announced early this month her endorsement of Clinton.
For Clinton, it was better late than never.
"I'm here today because I'm with her. Yes, her," proclaimed Warren at a rally event in Cincinnati. "We're all here today because we're with her and we're going to work our hearts out to make Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States."
For Nicole Kurtz, she drove from the neighboring Kentucky to join some 2,600 people at Cincinnati Museum Center to see Warren, not Clinton.
"Yes, I'm here for her, Elizabeth, not Clinton," said Kurtz, a 37 year-old single mother with two children. "I'm still a proud supporter of Bernie, and I don't think I'll be voting for Clinton without a qualm. She's part of the establishment."
Despite the all but unanimous support from party leaders, Clinton was still scrambling to win over backers of her rival in the primary season Bernie Sanders, a self-claimed democratic socialist senator from Vermont who mounted surprisingly serious challenges against her.
According to a new Bloomberg Politics poll released on June 14, nearly half of Sanders' supporters wouldn't back Clinton. In addition, more than one in five of Sanders' backers said they would vote for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
But an endorsement from Warren would definitely pull back some Sanders' supporters, Kurtz admitted.
Echoing the populist note during the primary season, in which Bernie Sanders, a self-claimed democratic socialist senator from Vermont, mounted surprisingly serious challenges against Clinton, Warren acknowledged on Monday that opportunities for ordinary people in the country "are slipping away."
"A lot of Americans are worried and angry. Angry that too many times Washington works for those at the top and leaves everyone else behind," said Warren.
"That Washington gives corporations fat tax breaks for CEO bonuses, but won't raise the minimum wage. That Washington pushes big corporate interests in trade deals, but won't make the investments in infrastructure that create good jobs here in America."
Clinton fights for ordinary Americans, said Warren with gusto.
If nothing else, the surging of Sanders' outsider campaign in the past year made Clinton shift noticeably to the left, rejecting not only the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal but the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, both of which were opposed by the Democratic progressive wing.
To culminate her embrace of the prevailing populism after a bruising primary season, Clinton on Monday touted her progressive economy vision for the United States in one of the crucial battleground states with nod of approval from Warren. And her attacks against the Wall Street, with which she had established close ties, stood out from other part of the plan.
"Let's set the goal of making sure that Wall Street and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes," said Clinton.
"No millionaire should pay a lower tax rate than somebody working for him, like his secretary. The people who have profited the most, even since the Great Recession, are people who now need to give back. This country has given so much to all of us, and everybody should share the burden."
Related:
U.S. House Democrats issue own Benghazi report to defend Hillary Clinton
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Monday released their own report to refute accusations by the Republicans against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her role in a 2012 terror attack. Full story
U.S. Democrat Bernie Sanders says to vote for his rival Hillary Clinton to beat Donald Trump -- TV network
Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff (Source: Xinhuanet)
BRASILIA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff, has not been found directly delaying the government's payments to public banks, a practice known as "fiscal pedalling," according to a report released Monday by the Senate.
However, the report added that Rousseff was responsible for issuing two credit decrees without authorization from the Congress.
In the 223-page-document, the auditors said there were irregularities concerning decommitments without legal permission and delays in paying public bank subsidies to the Harvest Plan for financing the agricultural sector.
The document was put together using reports from the Federal Court of Accounts and with authorization from Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Federal Supreme Court.
Both "fiscal pedalling" as well as the decrees that were unauthorized by Congress were the basis for beginning the impeachment process that suspended Rousseff from her post.
Rousseff's defence team assured that permission from the Congress to issue the challenged decrees was not necessary. But the Senate's technicians said in the report that authorization was compulsory.
Last week, the Senate's Impeachment Commission approved a new timetable which means that the final vote that will decide Rousseff's future will take place at the end of August.
If two thirds of the senators, or 54, find Rousseff to be guilty, she will lose the presidency and cannot take up a civil service position for eight years. However, if she is acquitted, Rousseff will be reinstated as president as soon as the sentence is published.
While Rousseff is suspended, interim President Michel Temer has been in charge of running the South American country.
However, over recent months, Temer has seen his popularity steadily decrease, according to a survey carried out by the consultancy firm Ipsos which was published Monday by local daily Estado de Sao Paolo.
Temer's disapproval rate among citizens grew from 61 percent in February, to 67 percent in May, and 70 percent in June, said the survey.
This percentage is similar to that of Rousseff, who currently has a disapproval rating of 75 percent.
Temer, who belongs to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), assumed the role of provisional president on May 12 after the Senate suspended Rousseff for 180 days in order to investigate the administrative irregularities.
The survey confirms a strong deterioration in the presidency's image, a result of the successive corruption scandals within Operation Car Wash which has uncovered a large corruption scheme involving the government-owned oil company Petrobras.
All potential presidential candidates have a disapproval rating greater than 50 percent in the South American country.
The Workers' Party leader, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), registered a disapproval rating of 68 percent in the survey while the president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Aecio Neves, has 63 percent.
At the same time, current Foreign Minister Jose Serra and Sao Paulo's governor Geraldo Alckmin, both from the PSDB, have a disapproval rating of 55 percent while Senator Marina Silva has 56 percent.
While politicians are suffering from the alleged corruption claims, judges are receiving high rates of approval.
Judge Sergio Moro, responsible in the first instance for Operation Car Wash, has an approval rating of 55 percent, while Joaquim Barbosa, the former president of the Federal Supreme Court and reporter for the Mensalao corruption scandal back in 2005, has an approval rating of 42 percent.
Related:
Brazil's Rousseff to provide written statement in corruption case
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who is being suspended from office in an ongoing impeachment process, will provide a written statement in a corruption case where she was called as a witness, local media reported Friday.
Rousseff is taking advantage of an article of the Constitution, which allows those who are called witnesses to provide written statements instead of attending a court session. Full Story
Timetable set for Rousseff impeachment trial
BRASILIA, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The impeachment commission of the Brazilian Senate approved on Wednesday a new timeline for the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, which will be held at the end of August.
by Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The religious right in the United States is slightly more positive about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump than they were a few months ago, but this important voting bloc still remains lukewarm about the candidate, found a Gallup poll on Monday.
The brash billionaire sought the support of evangelicals last week. The group remains lukewarm about him, a trend that sits in sharp contrast to the group' s support of former Trump rival Senator Ted Cruz, who generated significant support among evangelicals, Gallup found.
Gallup classifies Americans as highly religious, moderately religious or not religious, based on their self-reports of whether religion is important to them and how frequently they attend religious services.
The poll comes at a time when Trump has defied experts' expectations and galvanized support among rank and file Republicans in a way not seen in perhaps decades.
But at the same time, the candidate is very unpopular with independent voters, in an election that may well be determined by those not tied to either party.
Trump clearly considers evangelicals to be an important target for his presidential campaign. Last week, he met with nearly 1,000 Christian evangelical leaders in New York, with the presumed objective of shoring up his support and, ultimately, increasing turnout among that group.
He released a photo of himself and a major Christian conservative leader; took a swipe at his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's religiousness, and appointed an evangelical advisory board.
Based on personality, history and other factors, it's not clear whether Trump will ever generate the type of differentially strong appeal among evangelicals as was the case for Cruz.
But, in terms of sheer numbers alone - 54 percent of white Protestant Republicans are highly religious -- if there is a way for Trump to increase his image and support among this group, it would appear to have significant upside potential for his campaign, Gallup said.
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (L) displayed an unusual and powerful alliance with liberal superstar Senator Elizabeth Warren at a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Lu Jiafei)
CINCINNATI, the United States, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In a major step to woo the disgruntled progressive wing within the Democratic Party, presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Monday displayed an unusual and powerful alliance with liberal superstar Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The first joint appearance on campaign trail between Clinton and Warren in Cincinnati, Ohio came after Warren broke the year-long silence and announced early this month her endorsement of Clinton.
For Clinton, it was better late than never.
"I'm here today because I'm with her. Yes, her," proclaimed Warren at a rally event in Cincinnati. "We're all here today because we're with her and we're going to work our hearts out to make Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States."
For Nicole Kurtz, she drove from the neighboring Kentucky to join some 2,600 people at Cincinnati Museum Center to see Warren, not Clinton.
"Yes, I'm here for her, Elizabeth, not Clinton," said Kurtz, a 37 year-old single mother with two children. "I'm still a proud supporter of Bernie, and I don't think I'll be voting for Clinton without a qualm. She's part of the establishment."
Despite the all but unanimous support from party leaders, Clinton was still scrambling to win over backers of her rival in the primary season Bernie Sanders, a self-claimed democratic socialist senator from Vermont who mounted surprisingly serious challenges against her.
According to a new Bloomberg Politics poll released on June 14, nearly half of Sanders' supporters wouldn't back Clinton. In addition, more than one in five of Sanders' backers said they would vote for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
But an endorsement from Warren would definitely pull back some Sanders' supporters, Kurtz admitted.
Echoing the populist note during the primary season, in which Bernie Sanders, a self-claimed democratic socialist senator from Vermont, mounted surprisingly serious challenges against Clinton, Warren acknowledged on Monday that opportunities for ordinary people in the country "are slipping away."
"A lot of Americans are worried and angry. Angry that too many times Washington works for those at the top and leaves everyone else behind," said Warren.
"That Washington gives corporations fat tax breaks for CEO bonuses, but won't raise the minimum wage. That Washington pushes big corporate interests in trade deals, but won't make the investments in infrastructure that create good jobs here in America."
Clinton fights for ordinary Americans, said Warren with gusto.
If nothing else, the surging of Sanders' outsider campaign in the past year made Clinton shift noticeably to the left, rejecting not only the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal but the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, both of which were opposed by the Democratic progressive wing.
To culminate her embrace of the prevailing populism after a bruising primary season, Clinton on Monday touted her progressive economy vision for the United States in one of the crucial battleground states with nod of approval from Warren. And her attacks against the Wall Street, with which she had established close ties, stood out from other part of the plan.
"Let's set the goal of making sure that Wall Street and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes," said Clinton.
GAZA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement said late on Monday night that it highly appreciates the Turkish efforts to ease an Israeli blockade that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for ten years.
The movement said in an emailed official statement in comment to an agreement reached between Turkey and Israel that Hamas appreciates the Turkish efforts "to help our people in Gaza and to relax the Israeli siege."
"Hamas thanks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey for supporting the Gaza Strip which expresses the clear supportive Turkish position towards the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people," said the statement.
However, Hamas said that it is still sticking to its stable positions towards the Israeli occupation, mainly ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and give the Palestinian people their legitimate rights.
"Hamas hopes that Turkey would keep playing its role to back the Palestinian cause and completely end the Israeli siege and keep also pressuring the Zionist occupation to stop its assaults on our people and their holy sites, mainly al-Aqsa Mosque," said Hamas statement.
On Monday, Israeli and Turkish leaders said they had reached an agreement that ends around six years of severing political and economical ties between the two countries after a deadly Israeli commandos attack on Turkish ships carrying aid to Gaza in 2010 killed eight Turkish activists.
The deal would enable Turkey to increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza, ship Turkish goods and products to the enclave via Israeli seaports, open large investments in the Palestinian territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip, built up a power station, a hospital and water desalination station.
Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza right after Gaza militants kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, who was later released in 2010 in an Egyptian-brokered prisoners swap deal. In 2007, Israel tightened the blockade following Hamas' violent takeover of the enclave.
Israel eased the blockade after the Israeli army commandos attacked several Turkish ships carrying humanitarian aid and killed eight Turkish activists in 2010. Ties between the two countries were severed following the incident.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Sacramento Police Department in California said on Monday it was investigating the violence that erupted a day earlier before a scheduled rally by a neo-Nazi group.
In a statement posted online about the incident, which led to 10 injuries, including two people with critical stab wounds, the department said the rally organized by the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was permitted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Aware of a counter-protest effort organized by an anti-fascist group in Sacramento, the state capital some 140 kilometers north of San Francisco, and in anticipation of the potential for unrest, the department said it deployed over 100 officers to areas within the city jurisdiction while CHP officers guarded state Capitol grounds.
In an apparent response to some witness accounts that police did nothing to stop violence, the local law enforcement clarified that "the majority of these violent altercations took place on the state Capitol grounds which are within the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol" and that it "is aware of two assaults that took place within the city jurisdiction and is currently investigating those incidents."
No arrests were made either by the department or the CHP as of Monday afternoon.
Matthew Heimbach, chairman of the TWP, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that his group and the Golden State Skinheads organized the Sunday rally, adding that one of his protesters was stabbed in an artery and six of the counter-protesters were also stabbed.
Despite the fact that more counter-protesters were injured, TWP spokesman Matt Parrott was quoted as saying by a report in the Sacramento Bee on Monday that he does not "think there's any controversy about who started it... People rushed our guys." He said that "what we hadn't anticipated was that the Sacramento police were going to actively and deliberately set us up for ambush by allowing angry mobs to come at our guys."
However, some counter-protesters said the neo-Nazis sparked the violence by pepper spraying and attacking them.
Witnesses said there were about 25 TWP members on the west steps of the Capitol building, outnumbered by more than 150 counter-protesters.
The TWP claims to be "America's first political party created by and for working families" and states on its website that "European-American identity is under constant attack by members of American institutions such as the state, education, culture and even churches." It planned the Sunday event for several weeks and said members of its California affiliate would be "marching in the city of Sacramento to protest against globalization and in defense of the right to free expression."
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit organization that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination in the United States, identifies the TWP as a white supremacist and neo-Nazi hate group and reveals that it was formed in January 2015 as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN), a small umbrella group established in 2013 that aims to indoctrinate high school and college students into white nationalism.
In its statement, the Sacramento Police Department said its officers were approached during the event by a citizen who located a loaded handgun on the state Capitol grounds, and the firearm was turned over to police custody and was booked as evidence.
CANBERRA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Negative political campaign ads are increasingly driving Australian voters to vote for minor parties and independents, a study by the Australian National University (ANU) revealed on Tuesday.
Political marketing researcher Dr Andrew Hughes of the ANU Research School of Management studied the biometric reactions of everyday voters and found people became irritated by negative messages in political advertisements.
"Political advertising does not work. It doesn't get attention, it's not remembered all that well," Hughes said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"What I've noticed in this election more than anything else is that people are saying 'I don't like the ads for the major parties, this time around I'll be voting independent'."
Hughes said he attached a number of sensors to the test subjects' bodies, and found noticeable changes in heart rates and skin conductance, which measured the trace electricity produced after the subject was exposed to political advertisements.
He said the effect the ads were having were negative on voters, and it was pushing people towards voting independent or for a minor party at Saturday's federal election.
"Whilst attack adverts certainly bring up the emotions, they don't convince people to change their vote. If anything negative advertising made people angry with the political process," Hughes said.
"When people do remember negative advertising it's because they hate the ads. That's not a good thing, as you want people to like your ads because it means they will remember what's in the message."
Hughes said the political parties should instead put money into more positive messages to garner better voter reaction.
"Put the majority of the money into grass-roots campaigning like social media engagement, town hall events, meet-and-greets, a good website and policy delivery," he said.
MELBOURNE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A force of 10,000 firefighters from the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) are set to target polling booths throughout the state's marginal seats on the July 2 election day, in what shapes as a blow to the Australian Labor Party's federal campaign.
CFA volunteers have been frustrated by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of a three-year dispute between the CFA and the United Firefighters Union (UFU), a union representing career fire fighters.
The UFU have been negotiating with the Victorian Government over a new pay deal that would significantly raise the wages of career firefighters, their working conditions and safety measures.
But the CFA has rejected the new deal, as it feared it would give the UFU too much power over operational decisions and would threaten the volunteer organization.
The CFA is one of the world's largest volunteer emergency services and community safety organizations. Its 59,000 volunteers are responsible for controlling fires in country Victoria and outer Melbourne, and played a major role in saving lives and homes in the 2009 Victorian bushfire, known as 'Black Saturday'.
Andrews' intervention in the firefighters' dispute has had an adverse effect on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's federal campaign. In a survey published by NewsCorp earlier this week, it was revealed 40 percent of voters in four of Victoria's marginal seats were less likely to vote Labor because of the CFA dispute.
Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has urged Andrews to reconsider his support for the new UFU deal, warning him it could damage the CFA. The federal government is considering legislation to protect the CFA from a union takeover, as the power play is threatening to spill into the federal election campaign.
The dispute is set to come to a head on July 2, election day, when an army of CFA volunteers are set to face off against hundreds of UFU members in key marginal seats across Victoria.
NewsCorp is reporting that CFA members will be at polling booths in their yellow uniforms, carrying signs and talking to voters.
One senior CFA volunteer organizer said: "We'll be there with our trucks, carrying signs, wearing our yellows."
UFU members plan to hand out how-to-vote cards which put the Liberal Party last.
MELBOURNE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Australian wine makers could be an unlikely beneficiary of Great Britain's Brexit vote, as the current EU-sanctioned export costs could be waived if a free trade deal is struck with the United Kingdom.
Great Britain is currently the largest export destination for Australian wine, and the national body, Wine Australia, believes that Brexit could make it less expensive for Australian producers to send their wine to the UK.
Under current EU law, Australian winemakers pay taxes that European winemakers, from regions such as Bordeaux, Barolo and Alsace, do not have to pay, meaning Australian wine is often priced out of the market.
Wine Australia believes the tariffs could be dropped or reduced under a free trade deal with Britain, making Australian wine cheaper to purchase in the UK.
Meanwhile head of the Winemakers Association of Western Australia (WA), Larry Jorgensen, said a tariff reduction for Australian winemakers is not a 'given', but said the Winemakers Federation of Australia and Wine Australia would work closely with the Australian government to negotiate favorable trade terms.
"Let's not forget how big the EU is and the fact that the UK does most of its business with them. I don't reckon they're going to compromise too much on that for the sake of old friends," Jorgensen told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday.
Local winemakers, such as Western Australia's Larry Cherubino, are optimistic but equally cautious.
"We're hoping that all these changes augur well for the Australian wine industry in terms of there being a more level playing field between us and the rest of Europe, but we really don't know what the outcome is going to be," Cherubino told the ABC.
"We live in hope, I mean we are farmers after all and we've got to be eternally optimistic."
NAY PYI TAW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's just-ended gems emporium has fetched 3.15 million euros (4.18 million U.S. dollars) through sale of gem lots, according to a press release of the emporium on Tuesday.
Of 353 gem lots displayed at the 53rd Myanmar Jade, Gems and Pearl Emporium in Nay Pyi Taw which ended on Monday, 34 lots were sold through tender system while 26 lots found buyers by auction.
Despite the number of lots sold during the emporium, it had a lower turn-out compared with last year. The emporium fetched a good price as there was no significant difference in the earning, an official report quoted the emporium organizing committee as saying.
Recently, the value of cut and uncut jade products within Myanmar's gem and jewelry industry has depreciated in value by about 40 percent, according to local jade market survey.
The emporium, which started from last Friday, attracted 1,733 local and 2,064 foreign gem merchants who are from China, India, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
Myanmar started holding Gem and Jade Emporium in 1964.
SANSHA, May 1, 2016 (Xinhua) -- A boat moves on the sea near Zhaoshu Island of Qilianyu Islands in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province, April 30, 2016. Since Sansha was officially established in 2012, people's lives on Zhaoshu Island have significantly improved by building the power station, seawater desalination plant and the road running around the island. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Peaceful negotiation is the best solution to the disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, given the historical background and the complexity of the issue, said two former judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday.
The decision of an arbitral tribunal to allow a mandatory arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines will not help easing tensions in the region, according to Abdul G. Koroma, who served two terms as a judge at the ICJ.
"There is an obligation in international law, to resolve all disputes between states peacefully and you may achieve such an objective on the basis of negotiation, arbitration or judicial settlement. However, on such a complicated matter regarding so many littoral states along the South China Sea, and given the nature of the disputes, I think negotiation is the best method to solve such disputes," said Koroma.
Pemmaraju Sreenivasa Rao, former Chairman of the United Nations (UN) International Law Commission and former judge ad hoc at the ICJ, shared the same opinion.
"Negotiation is the only best method for this kind of disputes, particularly with so many difficult features coming from a long background and history," said Rao.
"I would rather have the parties sit together to discuss their common future to share, common resources to share, and common solutions to poverty and maritime environment," Rao added.
The two judges both took part in the third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1982, which led to the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
"It was our luck and privilege to have seen the great progress of negotiation to settle matters with different partners towards peace, security, development and cooperation," said Rao.
"It is written in the convention that disputes between two parties should be settled with peaceful means," he added.
"The concept of negotiation appears in the United Nations' Charter, and it also appears in the UNCLOS. It is not as if it is contrary to the law; it is also legal to negotiate, to find a peaceful solution to a dispute," said Koroma.
China has reiterated its stance of nonacceptance of and nonparticipation in the case, which is in line with international law according to the experts, as China has excluded territorial and delimitation disputes from mandatory arbitration in the reservations it made in agreeing to submit to the UNCLOS.
Koroma explained that it is up to the sovereignty of a state to decide whether it wants to embark on or initiate third-party processing or not, and a state has the right to reject an arbitration decision on the basis of international law if the jurisdiction is questionable.
Rao added that there's a lot of room for parties in the convention,therefore "I don't think the tribunal can foreclose any of these options."
The former judges also drew attention to the people living in the region, urging relevant parties to put the interests of the people at first.
"Eventually all the littoral states have to live together; the people have to live together. You have to find a method of settlement that you can live with," Koroma said. "Negotiation will certainly give the best result possible."
Related:
Arbitration not answer to S. China Sea disputes: experts
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, experts said Monday.
An arbitral tribunal's decision to allow a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is also highly questionable, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar here. Full story
Spotlight: China does not accept arbitration on South China Sea issue: ambassador
PARIS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24. Full story
Int'l experts question proceedings of South China Sea arbitration
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Some 30 experts from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe exchanged views at a seminar co-organized by Leiden University's Grotius Center for International Legal Studies and Wuhan University's Institute for Boundary and Ocean Studies. Full story
Interview: Bilateral talks best option to solve South China Sea dispute
BARCELONA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "Bilateral agreement is the best solution" for resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, Spanish political scientist and PhD in Intercultural Studies Marc Selgas Cors said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
It is expected that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will soon announce the decision on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines. Full story
Brazilian expert supports China's sovereignty over South China Sea islands
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands has already been established and there are no legal reasons for the Philippines'claim for the sovereignty over the Huangyan Island, a Brazilian expert has said.
The islands belong to China and not to the Philippines, and that is a matter already settled decades ago, Carlos Tavares, an author of 10 books on China and a longtime expert of China-Brazil relations, told Xinhua. Full story
South China Sea disputes should be resolved through bilateral dialogue: Argentine expert
BUENOS AIRES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea should be settled through bilateral negotiation, Argentine expert Paola de Simone said Thursday.
Simone, a lawyer and political analyst from the University of Buenos Aires, told Xinhua that Manila's arbitration request over the issue "violated the Philippines' commitment to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)." That is, territorial and jurisdictional disputes should solved through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned. Full story
Interview: Manila intensifies tension in South China Sea -- former diplomat
MANILA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has been behind the intensifying tensions in the South China Sea, a former diplomat of the country told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Alberto Encomienda, former secretary-general of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, said: "China has been for the negotiations all along, but from the beginning we are not." Full story
How to Bridge the Divide Over the South China Sea
The differences between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea issue have become a matter of concern and even anxiety. But some of the perceptions in the U.S. and elsewhere about Chinas policy and intentions in the area are misplaced. A pressing task is to understand the facts and Chinas intentions correctly so as to avoid real danger and consequences as a result of misinterpretation and miscalculation. Full Story
China urges Philippines to immediately cease arbitral proceedings
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday again urged the Philippines to stop its arbitral proceedings and return to the right track of settling relevant disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation with China.
SANSHA, May 1, 2016 (Xinhua) -- A boat moves on the sea near Zhaoshu Island of Qilianyu Islands in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province, April 30, 2016. Since Sansha was officially established in 2012, people's lives on Zhaoshu Island have significantly improved by building the power station, seawater desalination plant and the road running around the island. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The United States should urge the Philippines to return to negotiation with China to settle the maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, said Abraham Sofaer, former legal adviser to the U.S. State Department.
Speaking at a seminar in The Hague on Sunday, Sofaer said supporters of the Philippines' arbitration case, including the United States, believed that the action against China was justified by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and would advance the influence and effectiveness of international law, but to the contrary, the litigation has caused far more harm than good.
The Philippines has unilaterally filed an arbitration case against China over South China Sea disputes. China maintains that the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the case, which is in essence about territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation.
Sofaer, the 78-year old former federal judge and expert on international law, pointed out that one of major problems with the case is jurisdiction.
According to UNCLOS, an arbitral tribunal cannot rule on sovereignty disputes, and China has excluded such disputes from mandatory arbitration.
Therefore, it is simplistic and wrong to assume that China would agree to submit to the arbitration on the Philippines' claims, Sofaer said.
Sofaer was a professor at Colombia University Law School before undertaking the position as a legal adviser to the U.S. State Department from 1985 to 1990. He currently serves as a senior fellow in Foreign Policy and National Security Affairs at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Citing the territorial disputes between the United States and Canada, he also questioned the necessity of the Philippines' claims, saying the notion that border disputes of this sort have deadlines, or should have deadlines, has no basis in international practice or the realities of international relations.
Sofaer said as a legal advisor to the State Department he learned that the United States had 10 separate border disputes with Canada, which had existed since the War of 1812 -- a military conflict between the United States and Britain -- adding that only two cases were submitted to arbitration with the consent of both parties.
As for the remaining disputes, he said, each side was maintaining its position, and was operating on a basis the other found acceptable.
China has been dealing with its border disputes on land in a very professional and thorough way, Sofaer said. "So, it is also shortsighted I think to assume that no hope exists for multilateral diplomacy on maritime disputes."
"The real-world consequences of the Philippine case have already been seriously adverse to the interests of all parties, and are likely to get even worse."
Pushing states into mandatory arbitration of highly political issues where a credible basis exists for their refusal undermines the progress of developing effective international law, according to Sofaer.
He said that the United States could play a more meaningful, constructive role in settling disputes in the region rather than its current repeated calls on China to support "the rule of law."
"The U.S. should urge the Philippine government to curb the harm caused by its litigation," he said. "The Philippines should return to the bargaining table with China, instead of continuing to seek 'victories' from a tribunal incapable of enforcing its judgements."
Related:
Arbitration not answer to S. China Sea disputes: experts
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, experts said Monday.
An arbitral tribunal's decision to allow a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is also highly questionable, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar here. Full story
Spotlight: China does not accept arbitration on South China Sea issue: ambassador
PARIS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24. Full story
Int'l experts question proceedings of South China Sea arbitration
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Some 30 experts from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe exchanged views at a seminar co-organized by Leiden University's Grotius Center for International Legal Studies and Wuhan University's Institute for Boundary and Ocean Studies. Full story
Interview: Bilateral talks best option to solve South China Sea dispute
BARCELONA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "Bilateral agreement is the best solution" for resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, Spanish political scientist and PhD in Intercultural Studies Marc Selgas Cors said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
It is expected that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will soon announce the decision on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines. Full story
Brazilian expert supports China's sovereignty over South China Sea islands
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands has already been established and there are no legal reasons for the Philippines'claim for the sovereignty over the Huangyan Island, a Brazilian expert has said.
The islands belong to China and not to the Philippines, and that is a matter already settled decades ago, Carlos Tavares, an author of 10 books on China and a longtime expert of China-Brazil relations, told Xinhua. Full story
South China Sea disputes should be resolved through bilateral dialogue: Argentine expert
BUENOS AIRES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea should be settled through bilateral negotiation, Argentine expert Paola de Simone said Thursday.
Simone, a lawyer and political analyst from the University of Buenos Aires, told Xinhua that Manila's arbitration request over the issue "violated the Philippines' commitment to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)." That is, territorial and jurisdictional disputes should solved through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned. Full story
Interview: Manila intensifies tension in South China Sea -- former diplomat
MANILA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has been behind the intensifying tensions in the South China Sea, a former diplomat of the country told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Alberto Encomienda, former secretary-general of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, said: "China has been for the negotiations all along, but from the beginning we are not." Full story
How to Bridge the Divide Over the South China Sea
The differences between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea issue have become a matter of concern and even anxiety. But some of the perceptions in the U.S. and elsewhere about Chinas policy and intentions in the area are misplaced. A pressing task is to understand the facts and Chinas intentions correctly so as to avoid real danger and consequences as a result of misinterpretation and miscalculation. Full Story
China urges Philippines to immediately cease arbitral proceedings
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday again urged the Philippines to stop its arbitral proceedings and return to the right track of settling relevant disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation with China.
PANAMA CITY, May 12, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Workers walk on the platform of the expanded Panama Canal project in the Pacific sector, in Panama City, capital of Panama, on May 11, 2016. China COSCO Shipping line's container vessel Andronikos won the draw to inaugurate the Expanded Panama Canal this June, according to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). (Xinhua/Mauricio Valenzuela)
MEXICO CITY, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The newly expanded Panama Canal will boost trade between China and Latin America as it makes the flow of goods between the two regions easier and more efficient, a Mexican expert on Asia said.
Jose Luis Leon-Manriquez of Mexico City's Autonomous Metropolitan University, spoke with Xinhua following the opening of the expanded canal on Sunday, with the inauguration ceremony featuring a huge Chinese container ship passing through the waterway.
It (the expansion) does not only make it easier to ship manufactured goods from China to the east coast of the United States, but also makes it possible to improve transport between Chinese ports and Latin American ports on the Atlantic side, said Leon-Manriquez.
The Panama Canal allows ships a shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The expansion project, which aims to make the waterway capable of accommodating larger modern vessels, lasted nearly a decade at a cost of 5.5 billion U.S. dollars.
The canal, which was built 102 years ago, sees 6 percent of global trade passing through its lanes and locks every year.
Due to the expansion, the canal now allows passage of NeoPanamax mega-vessels, which could carry up to 13,000 containers. The largest ship used to travel the canal could only carry 5,000 containers.
Neopanamax ships represent 16 percent of the world's shipping fleet, but move up to 45 percent of all cargo, said Leon-Manriquez, adding that the situation underscores the need to expand the canal.
"There was a certain decrease in traffic through the Panama Canal in recent years, because these enormous ships couldn't pass through," he said.
China is the canal's second-biggest client, after the United States, transporting about 23 percent of the total volume of goods through the waterway in 2014, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
"Now it will be much easier for these large ships stacked with containers to pass through ... reducing transport time and by extension, costs," said Leon-Manriquez.
In April, the China Ocean Shipping Company won a draw to inaugurate the expanded canal with its container vessel Andronikos, which it renamed Cosco Shipping Panama in honor of the historic event.
UNITED NATIONS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" the consecutive terrorist attacks in Lebanon's northeast town of Qaa, stressing the need to bring perpetrators to justice.
On early Monday, four suicide bombers targeted the town along the Syrian border, killing at least five people and injuring 15 others. Hours later, two bombers blew themselves up outside a church in the town, injuring at least 13 people.
In a press release, the 15-nation council stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist organizations and individual terrorists.
Reiterating that terrorism in all its forms is criminal and unjustifiable, the council urged all states to combat "by all means" threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks.
As a consequence of the spillover of the five-year Syrian war into Lebanon, the border area has witnessed multiple attacks by extremists in recent years.
SANSHA, May 1, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Fishing boats are berthed at Zhaoshu Island of Qilianyu Islands in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province, April 29, 2016. Since Sansha was officially established in 2012, people's lives on Zhaoshu Island have significantly improved by building the power station, seawater desalination plant and the road running around the island. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) President and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced on Tuesday that the CPP would not back the arbitration court's upcoming decision over the South China Sea issue, saying that the party saw the upcoming decision as "the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics."
In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.
"The CPP does not support, and more so is against, any declaration by ASEAN to support decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in relation to the South China Sea disputes, which some countries outside the region have wire-pulled and pressured ASEAN members even before the court reaches a decision," Hun Sen said in a speech during the CPP's 65th founding anniversary in Phnom Penh.
"The CPP foresees this issue, and views it the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics, the result of which would lead to division among ASEAN members themselves and between ASEAN and China," he said.
The prime minister warned that efforts of some countries outside the region to mobilize forces against China would bring negative impacts on ASEAN and peace in the region.
Related:
Arbitration not answer to S. China Sea disputes: experts
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, experts said Monday.
An arbitral tribunal's decision to allow a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is also highly questionable, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar here. Full story
Spotlight: China does not accept arbitration on South China Sea issue: ambassador
PARIS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24. Full story
Int'l experts question proceedings of South China Sea arbitration
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Some 30 experts from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe exchanged views at a seminar co-organized by Leiden University's Grotius Center for International Legal Studies and Wuhan University's Institute for Boundary and Ocean Studies. Full story
Interview: Bilateral talks best option to solve South China Sea dispute
BARCELONA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "Bilateral agreement is the best solution" for resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, Spanish political scientist and PhD in Intercultural Studies Marc Selgas Cors said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
It is expected that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will soon announce the decision on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines. Full story
Brazilian expert supports China's sovereignty over South China Sea islands
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands has already been established and there are no legal reasons for the Philippines'claim for the sovereignty over the Huangyan Island, a Brazilian expert has said.
The islands belong to China and not to the Philippines, and that is a matter already settled decades ago, Carlos Tavares, an author of 10 books on China and a longtime expert of China-Brazil relations, told Xinhua. Full story
South China Sea disputes should be resolved through bilateral dialogue: Argentine expert
BUENOS AIRES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea should be settled through bilateral negotiation, Argentine expert Paola de Simone said Thursday.
Simone, a lawyer and political analyst from the University of Buenos Aires, told Xinhua that Manila's arbitration request over the issue "violated the Philippines' commitment to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)." That is, territorial and jurisdictional disputes should solved through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned. Full story
Interview: Manila intensifies tension in South China Sea -- former diplomat
MANILA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has been behind the intensifying tensions in the South China Sea, a former diplomat of the country told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Alberto Encomienda, former secretary-general of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, said: "China has been for the negotiations all along, but from the beginning we are not." Full story
How to Bridge the Divide Over the South China Sea
The differences between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea issue have become a matter of concern and even anxiety. But some of the perceptions in the U.S. and elsewhere about Chinas policy and intentions in the area are misplaced. A pressing task is to understand the facts and Chinas intentions correctly so as to avoid real danger and consequences as a result of misinterpretation and miscalculation. Full Story
China urges Philippines to immediately cease arbitral proceedings
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday again urged the Philippines to stop its arbitral proceedings and return to the right track of settling relevant disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation with China.
TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The sharing economy has huge potential in China, where the younger generation are ready to embrace new ways of doing business and living, senior management of Airbnb believe.
"We've seen positive signs of a developing sharing economy in China both from the consumers and the government," Varsha Rao, head of global operations for Airbnb, told Xinhua during the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos, in Tianjin.
Airbnb, considered a pioneer in the sharing economy with its model based on short-term rentals of private homes, launched in China in 2012, and more than 2 million Chinese have since used the service to travel abroad.
Rao said China has become Airbnb's fastest-growing market for outbound travel, surging by 500 percent year on year in 2015.
Chinese Millennials are more adventurous and looking for a different kind of travel than their parents. They want to experience more authentic local culture instead of just ticking off tourist spots on a package tour, according to Rao.
"We call them travelers, not tourists, as the former try to meet local people and experience life there instead of just seeing sights," she said.
Chinese travelers seeking overseas trips have been and will continue to be the focus of Airbnb's service targeting China, she said, citing data showing that China is the world's largest outbound tourism market.
Airbnb is now working with Chinese social media platforms in a localized marketing campaign.
"Chinese consumers are very sophisticated now, so we must keep localizing and improving our services," Rao said.
The potential for the sharing economy in China is huge, Airbnb believes. Rao pointed to a Nielsen report showing that 94 percent of young Chinese are interested in sharing, almost double the rate in North America.
There is also government support, as Premier Li Keqiang stressed developing the sharing economy in the government work report this year.
Li reiterated the government's position while addressing the opening of the Summer Davos on Monday. He said the sharing economy offers everyone a chance to participate and benefit, which will contribute to a fairer distribution of income and a stronger middle class.
Rao practices what she preaches and has stayed in Airbnb homes while in Beijing and Shanghai. She was particularly impressed by one Beijing host who took her to a noodle shop and helped her practice Mandarin.
If Airbnb hosts are to continue offering such a warm welcome, the company will need to overcome regulatory challenges that have gnawed at it and other sharing economy leaders like Uber.
Rao said Airbnb is open to appropriate regulation in partnership with regulators and consumers.
"Building trust is the core of our business model innovation, which is enabled by a real and verifiable identity, insurance guarantee and 24/7 customer service," she said.
"Trust is the foundation of the sharing economy and it's driven by technology."
YANGON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- One more Thai airline, the Thai Lion Air (TLA), is planning to fly between Bangkok and Yangon starting from July 22, Myanmar state media reported on Tuesday.
The low-cost airline is one of the subsidiaries of Indonesia's Lion Air group which registered in Thailand.
TLA will operate twice daily from Bangkok to Yangon, offering free 30 kg checked-in baggage and free 15 kg of sport equipment to every passenger, the state media quoted Captain Darsito Hendrosepputro, managing director of TLA, as saying.
Currently, there are five airlines flying to Myanmar from Thailand, which are Thai Airways, Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways, NOK Air and Air Asia.
Myanmar airlines flying Bangkok are Myanmar National Airlines and Myanmar Airways International with daily flights.
Meanwhile, a Netherlandish airline, the Royal Dutch KLM, will also fly Yangon soon, according to an aviation agreement signed between Myanmar and the Netherlands on Monday.
There are now 25 international airlines flying Myanmar in addition to 10 domestic airlines, media reports said.
TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China is committed to transforming its manufacturing sector by leveraging the latest technology to meet diverse demands, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday.
"Manufacturing is the foundation of China's development and the key for China's manufacturing sector is to move up the value chain," Li said during a session with business executives at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
Manufacturing will have to become "smarter," relying on technology such as the Internet, cloud computing and big data, and the sector must adjust to changes in market demands, like customization, he said.
Tailoring products and services will help companies appeal to China's swelling middle classes, according to the premier.
Related:
China to continue opening up to aid economic transition: Premier
TIANJIN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China will continue opening up its service and general manufacturing sectors and keep the renminbi generally stable within a reasonable and proper range, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.
China will open wider to the outside world, improve its open economy, further open up the service and general manufacturing sectors and build a fairer, more transparent and predicable investment environment for foreign investors, Premier Li said while addressing the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos. Full Story
Premier promises steel, coal capacity cuts
TIANJIN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China will cut excess capacity in steel and coal as part of its economic structural reform, Premier Li Keqiang vowed as he addressed the opening of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos, in Tianjin on Monday.
PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) President and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced on Tuesday that the CPP would not back the arbitration court's upcoming decision over the South China Sea issue, saying that the party saw the upcoming decision as "the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics".
In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.
"The CPP does not support, and more so is against, any possible declaration by ASEAN to support decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in relation to the South China Sea disputes, which some countries outside the region have wire-pulled and pressured ASEAN members even before the court reaches a decision," Hun Sen said in a speech during the CPP's 65th founding anniversary in Phnom Penh.
"The CPP foresees this issue, and views it the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics, the result of which would lead to division among ASEAN members themselves and between ASEAN and China," he said.
The prime minister warned that efforts of some countries outside the region to mobilize forces against China would bring negative impacts on ASEAN and peace in the region.
He said the CPP regards the South China Sea issues are matters between countries directly concerned, and not ones between ASEAN and China.
"In this sense, the CPP appeals to every concerned countries to resolve their issues peacefully together," Hun Sen said. "Only countries concerned will be able to resolve this problem. ASEAN is not able to work on behalf of those countries concerned."
He said that there is the ASEAN-China mechanism to resolve issues through the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed in Phnom Penh in 2002.
"The CPP calls on all concerned parties to implement justly the spirit of DOC, while ASEAN and China work together to achieve a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC)," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, he called on countries outside the region to cease their interference on issues of South China Sea.
"The CPP also appeals to concerned countries and those with attention given to South China Sea issues to stop using South China Sea as bargaining tool or hostage in regional and international meetings for the results in recent years have been divisive," he said.
Hun Sen said Cambodia had again, and again, become victim of South China Sea issue because of unjust accusations and expressed hopes that countries unconcerned will not suffer injustice as Cambodia did.
The prime minister also said that ASEAN has so much more works to do besides dealing with the South China Sea issue.
TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The development of new business models in China will help with reemployment of steel workers and coal miners made redundant in the country's trimming of overcapacity in those sectors, according to Premier Li Keqiang.
"The new economy and new business models are creating more jobs than we expected," said Li, when meeting with business leaders on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016 in Tianjin, also known as the Summer Davos, on Tuesday.
The Chinese government has been encouraging business startups, especially in technology, and has welcomed development of the sharing economy. There is also a drive to promote tourism in rural areas.
China is aiming to cut 100 million to 150 million tonnes of steel capacity and 800 million tonnes of coal capacity in a few years, Li said.
"The reduction will involve nearly two million people," according to the premier.
The central government has earmarked 100 billion yuan (about 15 billion U.S. dollars) to help laid-off workers. It has asked local governments to provide funding as well.
Li vowed to cut excess capacity in "a market-oriented and lawful" manner, instead of using administrative orders.
Related:
China to continue opening up to aid economic transition: Premier
TIANJIN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China will continue opening up its service and general manufacturing sectors and keep the renminbi generally stable within a reasonable and proper range, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.
China will open wider to the outside world, improve its open economy, further open up the service and general manufacturing sectors and build a fairer, more transparent and predicable investment environment for foreign investors, Premier Li said while addressing the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos. Full Story
Premier promises steel, coal capacity cuts
TIANJIN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- China will cut excess capacity in steel and coal as part of its economic structural reform, Premier Li Keqiang vowed as he addressed the opening of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos, in Tianjin on Monday.
MONTEVIDEO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A sub-regional trade bloc in Latin America has decided to replace a summit meeting with a ministerial-level one next month to mark the transition of its presidency from Uruguay to Venezuela, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa said on Monday.
The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) will not have a gathering of top leaders from member states to mark the occasion as it did in the past, Nin Novoa told the press in response to inquiries about the arrangement for next month's Mercosur presidency handover ceremony.
The summit was scrapped due to the volatile situation in Venezuela, which is roiled by economic and political crises, the minister said.
Instead, foreign ministers from member countries will take part in the event, he added.
Mercosur, which was founded in 1991, now groups Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Brazilian media reported earlier that Brazilian Interim President Michel Temer would not attend an upcoming ceremony to mark Venezuela taking over the Mercosur presidency, nor would his Foreign Minister Jose Serra.
Such reports indicate the nonchalance on the Brazilian side might be a sign of deepening ideological rift between the two countries.
"Mercosur has its complexities, but they can be resolved with more Mercosur, not less," said Argentine Foreign Minister Susuana Malcorra, who attended a trade forum with Nin Novoa before his revelation about the Mercosur summit.
The two ministers, aside from jointly making a call for further opening of trade in the bloc, urged countries to set aside their ideological differences to pursue common development. Enditem
SYDNEY, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Three Australians as well as a person from New Zealand who were released after being held hostage in Nigeria are not yet fit to return home, AAP reported on Tuesday.
The men, who work for Perth-based mining company Macmahon Holdings, were still undergoing health checks, after they were kidnapped last Wednesday near the city of Calabar.
The men have been taken to a safe location, although Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop did not confirm if the men had left Nigeria yet.
"The precise details of their location are not being made public but I am assured by the company that they are being looked after, they are in safe hands," Bishop told reporters in Perth on Tuesday.
"I'm relieved that we've kept in touch with their families. It was obviously a very traumatic situation."
It has been reported two Australians had serious injuries although were in a stable condition.
"I understand they are going through health checks at present," she said.
"They are being looked after and I hope they can come home as soon as possible."
Bishop however refused to state if the company had paid a ransom for the men's return.
"I understand there were negotiations with the company -- that's obviously a matter for the company," Bishop said.
"The Australian government was dealing on a government-to-government level."
SYDNEY, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A review of elderly patients has found more than a third received invasive and potentially harmful end of life treatment, a study released on Tuesday revealed.
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Australia-led study was based on the analysis of 38 studies over two decades and data from 1.2 million patients in 10 countries, including patients from Australia.
The results have prompted researchers to call for better training for hospital doctors and more community education.
Lead researcher Dr Magnolia Cardona-Morrell from UNSW said rapid advances in medical technology have fuelled unrealistic community expectations of the healing power of hospital doctors.
"It is not unusual for family members to refuse to accept the fact that their loved one is naturally dying of old age and its associated complications and so they pressure doctors to attempt heroic interventions," Cardona-Morrell said.
"Doctors also struggle with the uncertainty of the duration of the dying trajectory and are torn by the ethical dilemma of delivering what they were trained to do, save lives, versus respecting the patient's right to die with dignity."
The study also revealed 33 percent of elderly patients with irreversible conditions were given non-beneficial interventions such as chemotherapy in the last two weeks of life.
"Our findings indicate the persistent ambiguity or conflict about what treatment is deemed beneficial and a culture of 'doing everything possible'," she said.
"More training for doctors will help them let go of the fear of a wrong prognosis, because they will be better able to identify patients near the end of life."
She urged the community to begin discussions with the elderly regarding end of life care preferences before they became too ill.
Cambodian Prime Minister and President of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Samdech Techo Hun Sen (R, front) releases doves during the 65th founding anniversary of the CPP in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 28, 2016. (Xinhua Photo by Sovannara)
PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) President and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced on Tuesday that the CPP would not back the arbitration court's upcoming decision over the South China Sea issue, saying that the party saw the upcoming decision as "the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics".
In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.
"The CPP does not support, and more so is against, any possible declaration by ASEAN to support decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in relation to the South China Sea disputes, which some countries outside the region have wire-pulled and pressured ASEAN members even before the court reaches a decision," Hun Sen said in a speech during the CPP's 65th founding anniversary in Phnom Penh.
"The CPP foresees this issue, and views it the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics, the result of which would lead to division among ASEAN members themselves and between ASEAN and China," he said.
The prime minister warned that efforts of some countries outside the region to mobilize forces against China would bring negative impacts on ASEAN and peace in the region.
He said the CPP regards the South China Sea issues are matters between countries directly concerned, and not ones between ASEAN and China.
A boat moves on the sea near Zhaoshu Island of Qilianyu Islands in Sansha City, south China's Hainan Province, April 29, 2016. (Xinhua Photo by Yang Guanyu)
"In this sense, the CPP appeals to every concerned countries to resolve their issues peacefully together," Hun Sen said. "Only countries concerned will be able to resolve this problem. ASEAN is not able to work on behalf of those countries concerned."
He said that there is the ASEAN-China mechanism to resolve issues through the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed in Phnom Penh in 2002.
"The CPP calls on all concerned parties to implement justly the spirit of DOC, while ASEAN and China work together to achieve a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC)," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, he called on countries outside the region to cease their interference on issues of South China Sea.
"The CPP also appeals to concerned countries and those with attention given to South China Sea issues to stop using South China Sea as bargaining tool or hostage in regional and international meetings for the results in recent years have been divisive," he said.
Hun Sen said Cambodia had again, and again, become victim of South China Sea issue because of unjust accusations and expressed hopes that countries unconcerned will not suffer injustice as Cambodia did.
The prime minister also said that ASEAN has so much more works to do besides dealing with the South China Sea issue.
COLOMBO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka Prime Minister's office has said the government will expedite the signing process of Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement with India, local media reported Tuesday.
The decision was made in response to the fallout of Brexit. Local businesses had suggested that speeding up the deal will benefit stability and continuity of the country's economy.
The prospect of Sri Lanka's exports to Britain, which account for some 40 percent of the country's total exports to Europe, became uncertain given the new situation in Europe.
According to the report, a group of Sri Lankan officials will arrive at New Delhi to negotiate with India and fast track the signing of the agreement.
Sri Lanka will also explore the possibility of signing trade agreements with countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, according to the report.
MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia has delivered four tons of humanitarian aid to low-income families in the Syrian province of Homs, the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation at Hmeimim airbase said on Tuesday.
The Russian military brought flour, cereals, canned fish and meat, and sweets for children, and Russian military doctors also provided medical treatment to villagers in need, according to reports by local media.
"Any humanitarian action represents a step closer to peace. I expect that such humanitarian actions motivate other areas to join the reconciliation process," Russian news agency Sputnik quoted Col. Igor Borodin, spokesperson for the center, as saying.
Syria was plunged into civil war in 2011, with numerous opposition factions and extremist groups fighting government forces, seeking to topple the government of President Bashar Assad.
A cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Fed. 27, bringing relative peace to the war-ravaged country, which still sees sporadic fighting between government forces and rebel factions.
MANILA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines respects British decision to leave the European Union (EU) as it looks forward to continuing its ties with Britain and the EU, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
"As a nation that shares with the United Kingdom adherence to democratic principles and the rule of law, the Philippines respects this decision of the British people," said the department in a statement.
The DFA cited the Philippines' deep relationship with Britain over the past 70 years.
It noted that trade between the two countries amounts to about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars per year.
The department also said Britain is home to some 200,000 Filipinos, and last year over 154,000 British tourists visited the Philippines.
SYDNEY, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Australia's supply of O-Negative blood has fallen to just two days' supply.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service is urging those with O-Negative blood to donate, as cold and flu symptoms wipe out up to 1,000 donors a day, placing a strain on those who are already donating.
Australian Red Cross Blood Service spokesman Shaun Inguanzo said it was time for new donors to come forward.
"O-Negative is the universal type given to patients in emergency situations, when their blood type is unknown," he said.
"Australian patients need around 500 O-Negative donations a day to survive these situations."
Inguanzo noted maintaining O-Negative supplies during winter was a seasonal challenge for the Blood Service.
"The number of people suffering cold and flu symptoms increases, limiting the number of regular donors who are able to give," he said.
"Around the country, we are seeing as many as 1,000 people cancel their appointments every day, almost half of them due to illness."
Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik works on a sand sculpture praying for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, at a beach in Puri, India, March 12, 2014. (Xinhua/ Stringer)
DAR ES SALAAM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian aviation experts said on Monday a piece of an aircraft wing found last week on Pemba Island off Tanzania's coast was of a Boeing 777, but were hesitant to confirm that it belonged to the missing Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777-200 ER Flight MH370.
Reports said last week that a new piece of debris was found on Pemba Island, linking it to the missing flight MH370.
The Beijing-bound flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
Hamza Johari, Director General for Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), said investigations by TCAA experts found that it was a piece of wing from a Boeing 777.
"But it is too early to link the piece of wing to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which was also a Boeing 777," he told Xinhua by phone.
"We are also puzzled because no such plane has been reported missing in Tanzania and the entire east African region," said Johari.
Students watch a three-dimensional graffiti as a way of sympathizing to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 at a school in Makati City, the Philippines, March 17, 2014. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
He said TCAA was getting in touch with Malaysian aviation authorities to send experts to Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam to establish whether the debris was part of the fateful aircraft.
Johari said TCAA was also making arrangement to ferry the piece of wing from Pemba to Dar es Salaam where it will be kept while waiting for the Malaysian experts.
On Saturday, Minister for Works, Transport and Communication Makame Mbarawa said Tanzania has contacted the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, to help investigate the wreckage linked to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
He said experts from ICAO would join local experts from TCAA to investigate the debris.
"This is a very sensitive issue. We need to undertake thorough investigation before moving to another step," said Mbarawa.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said last week the new piece of debris found in Tanzania would be examined for a possible link to the missing Flight MH370.
The opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos Forum, is held in Tianjin, north China, June 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)
TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua)-- The Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, which is convened between Sunday and Tuesday, has attracted more than 1,700 business leaders, experts and policymakers worldwide. Here are some interesting quotes about China and the Chinese market from the forum:
Travis Kalanick, current CEO of the transportation network company Uber, speaks during a session named "Technology Tipping Points: Digital Ubiquity" of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, north China, June 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
"We are seeing [second and third-tier cities] grow far faster than the first tier cities, so we are really excited about expanding there."
-- Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber
Varsha Rao, Head of Global Operations, Airbnb Inc, attends the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, north China.
"The Chinese millennials are more adventurous and looking for unique experiences. China has been the fastest growing market for outbound travel using our platform, rising about 500 percent y-o-y in 2015."
-- Varsha Rao, Head of Global Operations, Airbnb Inc.
Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of CloudFlare, speaks during a session named "Technology Tipping Points: Digital Ubiquity" of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, north China, June 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)
"The real opportunity for china is that the great creative entrepreneurship that exists here not only serves the Chinese market but now increasingly serves the world market."
-- Matthew Prince, Co-founder & CEO of CloudFlare
"The market in China is very receptive to new ideas. People just jump on things and give it a try and see how it works. We really see a lot of amazing new companies popping up and a large user base to support these companies."
-- Caleb Kruse, Chief of Staff, U.S. Virtual Reality company Leap Motion
"The Chinese millennials are more exposed to global trends than the previous generation, they shop online and value recommendations from friends when deciding what to buy."
-- Carol Liao, President of Greater China at Boston Consulting Group
"In China, as well as in the world, the competition for talents has become the most important competition in the field of artificial intelligence."
-- Yuan Hui, Chairman and CEO, Shanghai Xiaoi Robot Technology Co., Ltd
"China has a thriving ecosystem in terms of innovation, second to Silicon Valley perhaps. There are many people with a global mindset and a lot of entrepreneurial talent."
-- Mio Takaoka, Managing Director at Monex Ventures, Japan
"I've been watching the development of the concept of the circular economy and sustainable development for 20 years...[China's] environment needs serious attention but I have a feeling that the Chinese will innovate into the ecological century in a way that will surprise the rest of the world and be leadership."
-- William McDonough, Chief executive of McDonugh Innovation
A Chinese medical expert teaches workers from Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital how to protect themselves against Ebola disease at Jui, about 30 kilometres from Freetown of Sierra Leone, Sept. 22, 2014. (Xinhua/Huang Xianbin)
FREETOWN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China has promised to build a disease control center and a new office for Sierra Leone's health ministry.
Gao Fu, Deputy Director of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, disclosed this to the media during his visit to the country last week shortly after a meeting with President Ernest Bai Koroma at the State House.
Gao said Chinese government has agreed to construct this facility for Sierra Leone "because of what the country went through during the Ebola crisis, and the country's readiness to improve their health care system".
He told the media he had a fruitful meeting with President Koroma, who commended the Chinese for coming to the aid of the country "when it needed help".
China was among the first countries that responded swiftly when the Ebola pandemic swept through Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
China has offered aid worth 750 million yuan (about 113.77 million U.S. dollars) and sent thousands of medical personnel to Ebola-hit countries since early 2014.
CHENGDU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A giant panda gave birth to twins, a male and a female, in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday, four days after another such pigeon pair were born at the same breeding center.
A female adult named Ji Li gave birth to a male cub weighing 186 grams at 6:41 p.m. and a female cub weighing 68.5 grams at 7:07 p.m., said Wu Kongju, an expert with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Although Ji Li is a first-time mother, she did not show any panic. She clutched the male cub in her arms and comforted him. However, giant pandas are unable to hold two cubs at once, so Ji Li had to make a decision on which of her babies to mother. She chose the male.
In the wild, the female cub would be unlikely to survive in this scenario. But the research base can take good care of both cubs. Ji Li and her two cubs are now in good condition, according to the center.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, June 28 (Xinhua) -- About 37 Islamic State (IS) militants had been killed in fresh operations within the last 24 hours in Kot district of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, the provincial government said on Tuesday.
Some 44 IS militants were also wounded during the latest cleanup and military operations launched by Afghan army, police and allied militiamen in Kholgai, Janjal Ghondai and Seapy areas of Kot, it said in a statement.
The joint forces defused 29 landmines planted by IS militants recently besides clearing more than 40 villages of the militants, according to the statement.
Sporadic clashes have been continuing between security forces and IS militants in the district since early Friday after the militants attacked security checkpoints and set on fire several houses.
More than 150 IS militants, eight civilians and at least two security force members have been killed since the start of the clashes in the remote district.
No casualty on civilian or security force members were reported during the above raids, the statement noted.
Nangarhar province with Jalalabad city as its capital, 120 km east of Kabul, has been the scene of clashes between security forces and IS militants since the emergence of IS in early 2015.
The militant group has yet to make comments.
GAZA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday arrived in Gaza Strip before concluding a tour in the Middle East.
Ban Ki-moon came into Gaza through the Israeli controlled Erez crossing. He met with UN officials working in Gaza and visited a school run by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA.
The last visit of UN Secretary General to Gaza was in 2014, after Israel launched a 50-day-long offensive on Gaza. He also visited the coastal enclave in the end of 2008.
CAIRO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian investigators said Tuesday that the flight data recorder of EgyptAir flight MS804 that plunged into the Mediterranean last month had been "successfully repaired."
"The repair process was conducted at the labs of the French aircraft investigating bureau, where accurate tests for the board were carried out to make sure that the aircraft data file is on the recorder," the investigators said in a statement.
The repair process was carried out by experts from the French investigation bureau and was witnessed by the technical investigation committee immediately after their arrival in Paris, it added.
The investigators also said that the repair of the doomed plane's cockpit voice recorder would commence "within hours."
EgyptAir flight MS804 spiralled down into the Mediterranean early on May 19 on its way from Paris to Cairo, killing all 66 people on board.
Last week, the investigation committee said the hired vessel, Lethbridge John, located several spots of the wreckage of the doomed plane in the Mediterranean, noting it was provided by the first images of the wreckage from one of the spotted sites.
A day later, the committee said the vessel found the crashed jet's CVR yet it was damaged.
The recorders arrived in Paris from Cairo on Monday to remove salt deposits. They will be sent back to a laboratory in Cairo for data analysis at the Central Department for Aviation Accidents of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of Egypt, according to an earlier statement from the committee.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ten reporters from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been on a 10-day tour of Tibet and Beijing which ended on Tuesday.
The reporters, invited by the State Council Information Office, interviewed farmers, herders, and people in residential communities, schools, enterprises and temples in Tibet. They visited the Lama Temple, China Tibetology Research Center, and Xinhua News Agency in Beijing.
They focused on topics including locals' lives, economic development, culture and environmental protection.
Juris Paiders, head of Latvia's journalist association and one of the 10 delegates, had already been to Tibet 10 years ago. He said its development at that time was impressive and it had moved on since then.
HANOI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- As many as 31,119 enterprises are estimated to halt their operation in the first half of 2016 in Vietnam, up 15 percent year-on-year, said the General Statistics Office (GSO) on Tuesday.
Among the figure, a total of 12,203 enterprises have registered to suspend operation for a certain period, up 37.1 percent year-on-year while other 18,916 enterprises stop operation, up 4.2 percent year-on-year.
The number of those that have finished dissolving procedures hits 5,507, up 17 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, from January to June, the number of those resuming operation is 14,902, up 75.2 percent year-on-year, posting the highest rise over the past few years, assessed GSO.
In the first half of 2015, the figure was up 2.2 percent compared to that of the same period in 2014.
At the same time, in six-month period, as many as 54,501 enterprises have been established, with total registered capital of 427.8 trillion Vietnamese dong (19.18 billion U.S. dollars), up 20 percent in volume and 51.5 percent in value year-on-year.
Average registered capital for one enterprise in Vietnam stood at 7.8 billion Vietnamese dong (350,000 U.S. dollars), said the GSO.
ANKARA, June 28 (xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu signed the Turkish side of deal to normalize ties with Tel Aviv on Tuesday in Ankara, Anadolu Agency reported.
The director-general of Israel's Foreign Ministry, Dore Gold, signed the deal in Tel Aviv Turkish media CNN Turk has reported. Turkey and Israel will exchange ambassadors after reaching a deal to normalize ties.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Monday that Turkey and Israel will exchange ambassadors after reaching a deal to normalize ties after a six-year diplomatic rift, adding that the deal would be signed on Tuesday.
Relations between Turkey and Israel had come to a halt after Israeli forces raid on an aid flotilla that killed 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists who tried to sail to the blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010 in May 2010.
Attempts to mend ties were initiated in 2015 when delegations from two sides met for the first time. Negotiations were conducted throughout 2016 until June 26, when the two sides met in Rome to agree on the latest draft of the agreement.
Under the deal, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the relatives of the Mavi Marmara victims, and Turkey will deliver humanitarian aid and other non-military products to Gaza with a first shipment of 10,000 tons of supplies being sent next Friday.
ABIDJAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan has urged member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinforce their cooperation to defeat terrorism.
Duncan who was speaking during an official ceremony on Monday at the ECOWAS offices in Abidjan, said "increased cooperation and harmonization of efforts will enable the region to effectively overcome security challenges facing the region."
"The reality of terrorist attacks and piracy in our different regions requires us to work together," the government boss said.
According to him, it is important for the region to confront these threats to maintain stability and peace within ECOWAS region.
Terrorist attacks targeting tourists or places frequented by foreigners have been on the rise in Africa in the last one year.
On Jan. 15, 2016, 30 people, most of them Westerners, were killed and 70 others injured when terrorists raided Splendid Hotel and Cappuccino restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso capital.
The siege which was brought to an end by Burkinabe forces supported by French soldiers, lasted for about 12 hours.
Al-Mourabitoune terror group that is affiliated to Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted the two joints that are frequented by the expatriate community.
On Nov. 20, 2015, Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali capital, was attacked by armed assailants who killed 20 people among them 14 foreigners.
Malian and French forces intervened to rescue customers and employees who had been held for nine hours by terrorists said to be allied to AQIM.
On June 26, 2015, 38 tourists, most of them British nationals, died when an armed Tunisian student opened fire at a hotel in the tourist resort of Sousse, some 140 km south of Tunis.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack at Sousse, as well as another attack on March 18, 2015 at the Bardo museum in Tunis that claimed 22 lives, 21 of them foreign tourists.
Finally, on March 13, 2016, 22 people, among them 14 civilians and two security officers, lost their lives in a terrorist attack that targeted three hotels in Cote d'Ivoire's Grand-Bassam tourist resort which is situated about 30 km southeast of Abidjan. AQIM claimed responsibility for the attack.
GAZA CITY, June 28, 2016 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (C) speaks during a news conference at a school run by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in Gaza City, June 28, 2016. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for ending the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and described it as "collective punishment." (Xinhua/Yasser Qudih)
GAZA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for ending the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and described it as "collective punishment."
Ban said in a press conference in a UN-run school in Gaza that the "blockade on Gaza suffocates its residents, destroys its economy and impedes reconstruction operations."
He added that "the blockade is a collective punishment which must be ended and be held accountable," and that the UN is always with the people of Gaza and knows the difficult living conditions they are experiencing.
He pointed to the electricity shortage in Gaza and the unemployment that hit 50 percent among the coastal enclave's youths.
The UN chief said "we must speak openly about the unacceptable hardships faced by the people of Gaza in light of the humiliation, occupation and siege, as well as the division between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
He called for uniting the West Bank and Gaza under a democratically elected government based upon the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Ban also thanked donors for their efforts in the reconstruction of Gaza, pointing out that 90 percent of the schools and hospitals were reconstructed.
He stressed that the international community "has a great responsibility to work continuously and seriously to achieve peace," and that the UN will continue to work for a future without occupation and injustice, and for the establishment of a Palestinian state to live side by side with the state of Israel.
Ban's visit to Gaza came at the end of a tour in the Middle East.
Before leaving Tuesday night, he is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and Palestinian officials including Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and President Mahmoud Abbas.
TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A group of 11 rebels were killed in clashes with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Hossein Rajabi, commander of Revolutionary Guards told local private news agency Tasnim on Tuesday.
The Revolutionary Guards forces identified the 11 "counter-revolutionary" rebels as they intended to cross into Iran through its border city of Sarvabad in Kurdisan, Rajabi was quoted as saying.
Three troops from the Revolutionary Guards were also killed, he said, without specifying the date of the clashes.
The Kurdish-populated border regions in western Iran has recently seen more clashes between armed rebels and the Iranian security forces.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Mobile app providers must fulfill "six obligations" when operating in China, including enforcing real-name registration and preserving records of their users' activity for at least two months, a new regulation has made clear.
Firstly, app providers must verify users' identities by requiring mobile phone numbers or other information, according to the regulation released by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Tuesday.
Secondly, they should protect users' information and cannot use the information without the users' consent.
Thirdly, the providers should improve their censorship and punish anyone releasing illicit information through warnings, suspension of service or shutting down accounts, said the regulation, which will take effect on Aug. 1.
Under Chinese law, online rumormongers and those who promote extremism or terrorism can face prison sentences.
Fourthly, app providers must inform users of their rights and are forbidden from collecting users' location information and reading their contacts stealthily.
Under the fifth obligation, providers are banned from pirating rivals' products.
Lastly, they are asked to record user logs and preserve the information for at least 60 days.
"The regulation was enacted after substantial field research and soliciting public opinions... and is aimed at regulating app services and promoting the industry's healthy development," the CAC said in a statement.
The number of people using mobile Internet in China stood at 619 million at the end of 2015, accounting for more than 90 percent of all those with Internet access in the country.
More than four million applications are available from domestic app stores, and the number is increasing rapidly. "Some apps have been used for spreading violence, terrorism, pornography and rumors, while some apps are violating users' privacy and cheating money from them," according to CAC.
The app stores should also shoulder "management responsibilities," according to the regulation. They must review the legitimacy of app providers and urge them to protect user information and respect intellectual property rights.
Stores should also censor the apps to ensure they do not contain illegal content or functions, the regulation said.
It also encouraged government and Party authorities to make use of mobile apps to improve their services and increase transparency. Enditem
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force held a symposium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of China's missile force, formerly known as the Second Artillery, on Monday in Beijing.
Wei Fenghe, commander of the PLA Rocket Force, attended the symposium, along with retired servicemen, representatives of military heroes and role models, military experts and professors.
At the meeting, participants reviewed the missile force's history, summarized valuable military expansion experiences, and reaffirmed the tasks needed to achieve a powerful and modern rocket force.
The PLA Second Artillery Force was established on July 1, 1966. It was renamed the PLA Rocket Force on Dec. 31, 2015.
TIANJIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Ride-hailing firm Uber is looking to expand further into China's lower-tier cities, where business has been growing faster than in top-tier cities, CEO Travis Kalanick has said.
"We are seeing [second- and third-tier cities] grow far faster than the first-tier cities, so we are really excited about expanding there," said Kalanick in an exclusive interview with Xinhua during a meeting of the World Economic Forum, which is being held through Thursday in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
Uber has announced plans to expand its ride-hailing service to 100 Chinese cities this year. It now operates in nearly 60 cities, including many lower-tier cities also targeted by domestic rival Didi.
Uber has secured over 6 billion U.S. dollars in its latest funding round. Liu Zhen, Uber China's head of strategy, said this month that most of the money raised will be used to fund Uber's operations in China.
While the company has generated over 1 billion dollars in profits from its top 30 cities, Kalanick said it has not yet made money in any Chinese cities where the company operates, even though it provides more trips in China than any other country.
The strong demand for better transportation in lower-tier Chinese cities also gives Uber more breathing room than in bigger cities, where Didi dominates.
"I lose half an hour of sleep every night because of competition for China," Kalanick said.
A growing number of automakers are placing bets on ride-hailing firms. Toyota has invested in Uber, while Volkswagen has bought a stake in Gett in Europe and General Motors has backed Lyft in the United States.
To keep up with rival Didi, Kalanick said it must continue investment in China.
"We have to invest right now because we have a competitor that's also investing," he said.
Earlier this month, Didi announced 4.5 billion dollars in equity financing, including 1 billion dollars from Apple.
However, Kalanick would love to see the funding race end sooner.
"We all have to be sustainable at some point, and I can't wait till that happens. But for the time being, we are going to keep investing."
WINDHOEK, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s 2016 State of the World's Children suggests that 69 million children under five will die from mostly preventable causes.
The report released on Tuesday from UNICEF Representative to Namibia states that 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, unless the world focuses more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children.
The report said that education plays a unique role in levelling the playing field for children, the number of children who do not attend school has increased since 2011, and a significant proportion of those who do go to school are not learning.
In Namibia, government reports indicates that 34 percent of children live in poverty compared to 29 percent of the general population (2012 Child Poverty Report, NSA) and poverty can be seen in the high levels of stunting and malnutrition. Stunting affects 24 percent of children under-5 years old in Namibia.
Last week, Namibia's Ministry of Education Arts and Culture launched the "Out of School Children Report" which highlights the challenge of drop-outs from the school system in Namibia.
According to this report, over 100,000 Namibian children are currently out of school. Factors such as disability, HIV and AIDS, learner pregnancy, violence, parental support, and poverty are some of the reasons that prevent these children from being in school.
Furthermore the report indicates that institutional factors such as grade repetition, poor school and hostel infrastructure, and access to services and school location also inhibit children from going to school and completing their schooling.
"The gains that Namibia has made for her children are many, and we applaud the Government for that," said UNICEF Representative to Namibia, Micaela Marques de Sousa.
"And yet we do need to address the obstacles facing many children, especially those from the most vulnerable households obstacles which cause these children to remain behind, to be invisible, to have their rights left unrealized and to be denied the chance to become equal citizens in their country of birth," she added.
Meanwhile, the 2016 State of the World's Children points to evidence that investing in the most vulnerable children can yield immediate and long-term benefits.
NEW DELHI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit four eastern and southern African countries early next month to seek cooperation in energy, maritime security and defense, said local media Tuesday.
Modi will visit Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa from July 7 to 11, during which he will also meet with the large Indian diaspora in Africa, local daily Economic Times quoted unnamed official sources here as saying.
Modi will also revisit the railway trains once used by modern India's founding father Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa one century ago.
Nearly all the countries to be visited have coasts facing the Indian Ocean and have large Indian communities settled there for long time.
The visit would follow that by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to three African countries earlier this month.
LUSAKA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Immigration authorities in Zambia have confirmed that bodies of 19 Ethiopians who suffocated to death in a containerized truck in a suspected human trafficking case have been repatriated to their country, a statement seen on Tuesday said.
They were among 95 immigrants who were initially thought to be Somalis and were crammed into a Zambian registered containerized truck together with fish and groundnuts.
The truck was intercepted by Democratic Republic of Congo authorities on the Pedicle Road, which is shared by the two countries en-route to Zambia's Copperbelt Province.
Immigration Department spokesperson Namati Nshinka said the bodies were repatriated on Saturday in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
He said the surviving 76 Ethiopians were still being held in a safe shelter in Lusaka, the country's capital and that arrangements were being made to repatriate them to their country.
The official further said the department has also removed 39 other Ethiopians and repatriated them after they were pardoned by President Edgar Lungu on May 25, 2016.
JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli ultra-nationalist Jewish Home faction said Tuesday it will vote against the reconciliation deal between Turkey and Israel when it comes to vote on Wednesday.
A statement by the party said that the party Chair and Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, and Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, will vote against the deal in the security cabinet meeting.
The party's main objection concerns the 20 million U.S. dollar compensation that the agreement requires Israel to pay to the survivors and family of those who died during the Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010.
"Reconciliation with Turkey is important and in the interests of the State of Israel. However, compensation to the perpetrators of a terrorist act is a dangerous precedent Israel will regret in the future," Bennett said in the statement.
He also called on Turkey to do everything it can to make sure that the bodies of two dead soldiers, killed during Israel's 2014 military campaign in the Gaza Strip, will be returned home.
The Jewish Home's announcement follows Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's newly-appointed far-right security minister, who said Monday he will vote against the deal.
The security cabinet is Israel's top governmental forum on security issues. Currently, it has 10 minister members, meaning the deal is still expected to be approved.
The deal, announced on Monday in Rome, was accepted with mixed reactions in Israel, with some welcoming it as an important diplomatic step and many criticizing it as "bowing" to Turkey without bringing achievements to Israel.
The two countries, once close allies, suspended their diplomatic ties and cooperation after the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, in which Israeli commando soldiers raided and killed 10 Turkish activists who headed to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid, in protest of the Israeli-imposed blockade.
Under the agreement, Israel would compensate the families of the deceased and injured victims in a sum of about 20 million U.S. dollars, and would allow Turkey to carry out rehabilitation projects in Gaza.
Turkey would pass a bill that would not allow citizens to sue Israeli soldiers who took part in the raid, and relinquished its demand for Israel to remove its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement since 2007.
The two countries would soon appoint ambassadors to Tel Aviv and Ankara and remove the restrictions on cooperation between them, specifically on the matter of natural gas deals.
SINGAPORE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Singapore shares closed 0.98 percent higher on Tuesday, as investors' concerns over Britain's decision to leave the European Union eased.
Policymakers of the major economies vowed to protect their economies and markets from the impact of Brexit.
Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index rose 26.68 points to 2,756.53 points. Trading volume was 1.13 billion shares worth 1.14 billion Singapore dollars. Advancers outnumbered decliners 232 to 139, while 536 stocks did not move.
Top Glove closed at 1.635 Singapore dollars. The Malaysian rubber glove company began trading in Singapore on Tuesday, as its secondary listing shares. The firm, which is the world's largest maker of rubber gloves with a 25 percent global market share, has been listed in Malaysia since 2001.
QT Vascular jumped 7.1 percent to 9 Singapore cents. The vascular disease therapy specialist received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell a medical technology it has developed. The approval is a win for the company as a lot of its business is in the United States.
Among the top gainers, Jardine Matheson rose 3.8 percent to 56.65 U.S. dollars, whereas Venture Corporation became one of the top losers by falling 0.6 percent to 8.33 Singapore dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 1.36 Singapore dollars)
An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in South China Sea. (Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)
ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China and the Philippines should engage in "constructive" dialogue to solve their dispute in the South China Sea as conflicts are "destructive" to all sides, Turkish analysts said.
In the view of Altay Atli, a research fellow with the Asian Studies Center of Bogazici University in Istanbul, Manila's resort to an international tribunal over the dispute may not help produce a solution.
In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea.
The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.
"I think instead of waiting for the international tribunal to solve the problems by itself, China and the Philippines should enter a constructive dialogue, discuss their issues together, and jointly decide on a solution that would protect both sides' interests," said Atli.
He was echoed by Kamer Kasim, vice president of the International Strategic Research Organization and dean of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences with Abant Izzet Baysal University.
"The parties need to engage in peaceful solutions regarding the South China Sea dispute," said Kasim.
Tensions are running high in the South China Sea as the United States and Japan, among others, have opted to engage in the disputes.
"I think that the involvement of countries from outside the region only serves to complicate the situation," observed Atli.
"None of the countries who has a stake in this region, neither China nor the other countries, have anything to gain from rising tension and possible conflicts," he said.
Referring to the fact that almost all of the East Asian countries are going through a process of "serious" economic transformation and restructuring, Atli stressed that "In such a period, what they need is not tension and conflict, they need greater cooperation and integration."
In Kasim's view, it is in the interests of both Washington and Beijing to keep "peace and security" in the Asia-Pacific region.
"The last thing that China and the U.S. needs is any kind of interruption of the trade in Asia-Pacific," he said.
"It would be easy to ignite any kind of conflict in the South China Sea," he stressed. "However, when the conflict starts it would be difficult to stop and it would also be destructive for all sides."
Related:
Arbitration not answer to S. China Sea disputes: experts
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, experts said Monday.
An arbitral tribunal's decision to allow a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is also highly questionable, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar here. Full story
Spotlight: China does not accept arbitration on South China Sea issue: ambassador
PARIS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24. Full story
Int'l experts question proceedings of South China Sea arbitration
THE HAGUE, June 27 (Xinhua) -- A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Some 30 experts from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe exchanged views at a seminar co-organized by Leiden University's Grotius Center for International Legal Studies and Wuhan University's Institute for Boundary and Ocean Studies. Full story
Interview: Bilateral talks best option to solve South China Sea dispute
BARCELONA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- "Bilateral agreement is the best solution" for resolving the dispute in the South China Sea, Spanish political scientist and PhD in Intercultural Studies Marc Selgas Cors said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
It is expected that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will soon announce the decision on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines. Full story
Brazilian expert supports China's sovereignty over South China Sea islands
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- China's sovereignty over the South China Sea islands has already been established and there are no legal reasons for the Philippines'claim for the sovereignty over the Huangyan Island, a Brazilian expert has said.
The islands belong to China and not to the Philippines, and that is a matter already settled decades ago, Carlos Tavares, an author of 10 books on China and a longtime expert of China-Brazil relations, told Xinhua. Full story
South China Sea disputes should be resolved through bilateral dialogue: Argentine expert
BUENOS AIRES, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The disputes between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea should be settled through bilateral negotiation, Argentine expert Paola de Simone said Thursday.
Simone, a lawyer and political analyst from the University of Buenos Aires, told Xinhua that Manila's arbitration request over the issue "violated the Philippines' commitment to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC)." That is, territorial and jurisdictional disputes should solved through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned. Full story
Interview: Manila intensifies tension in South China Sea -- former diplomat
MANILA, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government has been behind the intensifying tensions in the South China Sea, a former diplomat of the country told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Alberto Encomienda, former secretary-general of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Center of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, said: "China has been for the negotiations all along, but from the beginning we are not." Full story
How to Bridge the Divide Over the South China Sea
The differences between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea issue have become a matter of concern and even anxiety. But some of the perceptions in the U.S. and elsewhere about Chinas policy and intentions in the area are misplaced. A pressing task is to understand the facts and Chinas intentions correctly so as to avoid real danger and consequences as a result of misinterpretation and miscalculation. Full Story
China urges Philippines to immediately cease arbitral proceedings
BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday again urged the Philippines to stop its arbitral proceedings and return to the right track of settling relevant disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation with China.
MADRID, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Spanish national airline Iberia on Tuesday opened a new direct flight between the Spanish capital Madrid and Shanghai, east China.
The flights leave Madrid for Shanghai on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with the return from Shanghai to Madrid on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
"We have always had the vocation to be a global airline and with this route to Shanghai we are taking another step in this direction at the same time that we are bringing such an important economic power and tourist market as China closer to our country," said Iberia Executive President, Luis Gallego in a press communique.
The Madrid-Shanghai flights will be made by an A330-200, which has 16 seats in Business Class and 269 in tourist class.
Iberia has contracted Chinese cabin crew in order to help give a more complete service to Chinese passengers, while the films for passengers on board are subtitled in Chinese and children's programs dubbed in that language. Iberia is also planning to publish an onboard magazine in Chinese.
These new flights will continue to make it easier to travel between Spain and China for business travelers and tourists.
The first nine months of 2015 saw a 66 percent increase in Chinese visitors to Spain, while it will now also be easier for Spaniards to visit Shanghai given that previously there had been no direct flight to the city from the Spanish capital.
JAKARTA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A coal mine in West Sumatra province of western Indonesia exploded earlier Tuesday, injuring five people, official said.
The explosion took place at 00 : 50 a.m. Jakarta time at Salak village of Sawah Lunto district, Suri Noster Sinaga, head of provincial search and rescue office disclosed.
"Three persons have been treated in a hospital in Padang city and the others in a hospital in the district," he told Xinhua by phone.
The victims got intensive medical treatments for their injuries, Sinaga added.
Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of thermal coal.
TIRANA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Albanian officials have expressed worries over the potential impact of the Brexit referendum on Albania's and other countries' bids to join the European Union (EU).
Some of them said it might make it harder for Albania to become an EU member, as the enlargement of the bloc will no longer be a priority for Brussels, the Albanian Daily News reported Tuesday.
High-level meetings of the EU are expected to be dominated for at least a year by the Brexit topic, politicians and diplomats said at the Integration Council meeting ahead of a Paris summit, where the integration of some Balkan countries is expected to be discussed.
"It must not be forgotten that during this year, there has been a chain of referendums and all these developments have a direct impact," said Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati.
Some politicians said that it is important for Albania to complete required reforms in time to avoid a negative impact on its EU integration process.
Albania's EU integration process will be based on whether the reforms are completed and EU standards are adopted, said Majlinda Bregu, chairperson of the European Integration Committee.
The Paris summit, to be held in early July, will be an important meeting in the next stage of the EU integration process of the Western Balkan countries, following summits in Berlin in 2014 and in Vienna in 2015.
NAY PYI TAW, June 28, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a meeting of the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) for Ceasefire in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Soe Than Lynn)
NAY PYI TAW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi Tuesday invited all nationalities residing in the country to establish a genuine federal union, saying it is the sole aim of the new government.
Meeting with a peace process leading group in Nay Phi Taw, Suu Kyi expressed her belief that if working for peace actively, the group would undoubtedly overcome the matter of worry, inviting all stake-holders to help establish the union with trust and respect.
"Myanmar can only develop when there is peace and it should explore a way of peace based on unity," she said, adding that "the country will be prosper only when peace is achieved."
Present at the event were Border Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Ye Aung, Minister of the Office of the State Counselor U Kyaw Tint Swe, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for holding the 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference Dr Tin Myo Win on the government side, while the ethnic peace group includes seven armed groups led by Saw Mutu Sae Poe of the Kayin National Union.
According to U Hla Maung Shwe, secretary of the Panglong Conference Preparatory Committee, both sides proposed that the conference should start before the end of August without delay, inclusive of non-ceasefire-signatory armed groups.
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Tuesday called Brexit "the victory of a certain form of populism," but said he was "not ready to foot the bill."
Michel made the remarks while commenting on Britons' decision to leave the European Union (EU) in Thursday's referendum in a radio interview carried by the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
He also pleaded to clarify the timing of the Britain's withdrawal from the European Union in order to "ensure clarity in the interests of all."
"We will discuss these topics this afternoon and listen to the arguments of David Cameron," said the prime minster.
A two-day European Union summit of leaders of all member states will kick off Tuesday afternoon in Brussels. Brexit is high among the summit agenda.
"I wish, obviously, that Britain is doing well economically after the Brexit, we need to keep it a stable partner," but "I am not ready to pay the bill, to undergo a hostage," Michel said.
The prime minister also promised that he would make "every effort to protect and defend economic and social interests" of Belgium.
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday Europe would remain "a peace project" and "a project for the future," just hours ahead of a European Union (EU) summit.
He made the remarks while addressing a special plenary session of the European Parliament on the outcome of the British referendum.
He reiterated regret over but respect for the choice of British voters.
"I urge the government of the United Kingdom to clarify as quickly as possible the situation," he said, adding "not today, not tomorrow, but quickly."
He also stressed that there would be no "secret negotiations" and no "prior negotiations."
Tuesday's summit will be the first one after Britons' historic decision to leave the EU. Leaders of the EU countries is now gathering in Brussels to discuss the terms of the divorce, among other issues.
Related:
Turkey to open new chapter of EU accession process
NAY PYI TAW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar government and eight ceasefire signatory armed groups agreed on Tuesday to hold the 21st Century Panlong Ethnic Conference in late August under equality and non-secession basis, said Presidential Spokesman U Zaw Htay.
The agreement was reached between State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives from eight armed groups following a coordination meeting of the two sides.
The armed groups voiced support of of Suu Kyi's policy of holding the conference identical to that historically convened by her late father General Aung San.
The conference aims at achieving peace and national reconciliation aspired by Suu Kyi.
Panlong conference calls for building a federal union with unity and non-secession spirit, Suu Kyi explained to the armed groups at the meeting.
U Zaw Htay disclosed that the Panlong Conference Preparatory Committee is working hard to ensure that those remaining non-ceasefire signatory armed groups can take part in the gathering.
Peace Negotiator Dr. Tin Myo Win said, some remaining non-ceasefire signatory armed groups including the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the National Democratic Alliance Army(NDAA) , Arakan Army (AA) and Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), would talk with the state counselor.
Member of the National Reconciliation and Peace Center U Hla Maung Shwe also revealed that the Naga Group is also being invited for talks in Yangon for the participation in the Panlong Conference .
Myanmar former government and eight ethnic armed groups out of 15 signed the Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA) on Oct. 15, 2015.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Tuesday that it would extend anti-dumping duties on certain iron or steel fasteners imported from the European Union (EU) by another five years.
Anti-dumping duties, ranging from 6.1 percent to 26 percent, on imports of certain iron or steel fasteners from the EU were first imposed on June 29, 2010, the MOC said in a statement.
When the last five-year period ended in June, the ministry reopened the investigation following a request from domestic industry players.
If the anti-dumping measures end, dumping of fasteners from the EU may continue, damaging the domestic industry, the ministry ruled.
Thus, it has decided following the one-year investigation, the anti-dumping duties will continue for another five years starting Wednesday.
JAKARTA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will allow Indonesian military to enter its territory if another kidnapping of Indonesian nationals occurs there, Indonesian defense minister said here Tuesday.
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu made the remarks after meeting with his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin in Manila in an effort to release seven Indonesian seamen being held hostage by an armed group in southern Philippines.
"We have reached an agreement, should another kidnapping occur again, we can enter the territory," Ryacudu said at the security chief's ministry.
He said his meeting with Gazmin was carried out after their meeting with Malaysian defense minister, who also agreed to the entry of Indonesian military to the Philippine territory, last week.
Indonesian Military Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo disclosed that the abductors of the Indonesian seamen are the Al Habsyi faction of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines.
The general said four out of the seven are being held hostage in Jolo Island of southern Philippines and the others are in another place.
The seven crews of Tugboat Charles 001 and Robby barge ship 152, were abducted in the Sulu Sea of southern Philippines on June 20, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
It was the third abduction of Indonesian nationals in the waters between the two countries this year.
The kidnappers released six out of 13 people on board, Retno added.
The abduction occurred after the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines reached an agreement last month to conduct a joint patrol to secure the waterways at the borders of the nations.
TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A group of 11 rebels were killed in fresh clashes with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), a military commander told Iran's Tasnim news agency on Tuesday.
The IRGC forces identified the 11 "counter-revolutionary" rebels as they attempted to cross into Iran through its border city of Sarvabad in Kurdisan, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Rajabi, commander of IRGC in Iran's western Kurdistan province, was quoted as saying.
Once the rebels entered the country they went under the surveillance of the IRGC in Kurdistan, which finally led to a clash and their annihilation, he said.
Three troops from the IRGC were also killed, he said, without specifying the date of the clashes.
The "counter-revolutionaries" in the Kurdish-populated region of Iran have been unsuccessfully working against the Islamic revolution since 1979, according to Press TV.
Recently, the area in western Iran has seen more clashes between armed rebels and the Iranian security forces.
Also on Tuesday, Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani charged Saudi Arabia of inciting unrests inside Iran and warned about ongoing efforts aimed at casting doubt at Iran's might, Press TV reported.
"The Saudis have had contacts with some disgraced terrorist cells in Iran's east to make some kind of noise," Larijani said, adding that similar contacts have been made by some counter-revolutionaries with terrorist groups in the country's west.
He called for vigilance in the face of such subversive attempts.
PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday again urged foreign countries not to interfere in the country's internal affairs, saying the country was not in political tension.
"We hope that certain foreign circles, who do not understand the truth of Cambodian situation, will continue to make themselves informed properly to give support to the process of positive implementation of rule of law of Cambodia, while respecting Cambodian sovereignty," he said here during the 65th founding anniversary of the Cambodian People's Party.
He said Cambodia does not suffer any crisis.
"Efforts by some persons to make noise that the country is in crisis or political tension are in fact a dishonest trick to deceive public opinion. In truth, it is personal crisis of a small number of people who have committed wrong-doings," the prime minister said.
"They must not remodel individual mistake to political issue and put pressure on the courts," he said. "This is an act of insult on people, state institutions, and a dangerous adventure for the nation."
Recently, two opposition politicians - a senator and a lawmaker - had been arrested for falsifying a Cambodia-Vietnam border treaty and accusing the government of using fake border map with Vietnam.
ADDIS ABABA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have launched a project geared towards ending hunger in the Horn of Africa.
The project dubbed "Ending Hunger in the Horn of Africa: Moving from Rhetoric to Action," has come in line with FAO-AU partnership to address hunger and translate earlier commitments into action to tame food insecurity and malnutrition in the sub-region.
A two-day workshop that deliberates on the project kicked off on Tuesday at the AU Headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.
The workshop discusses and reviews the project work plan and key activities to ensure smooth implementation in the target countries and across the Horn of Africa.
The project targets countries including, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda, and will be implemented with initial budget of 350,000 U.S. dollars.
It helps target countries document successes, develop country-driven strategies to end hunger as well as helping put in place monitoring and coordination mechanism to coordinate among the various ministries and departments involved in the implementation of the project.
In the Horn of Africa, the recurring and severe droughts and other natural disasters have, over the years, caused widespread famine, ecological degradation and economic hardship.
Although individual countries made substantial efforts to cope with the situation and received support from the international community, there are still signs that the problem is still far from over.
A regional approach has strongly been argued to supplement national efforts in addressing the problem.
The AU heads of states in June 2014 endorsed a declaration in Malabo on accelerated agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods, and one of the main tenets of the declaration is the "Commitment to Ending Hunger in Africa by 2025."
FAO also partners for Africa's commitment to end hunger by 2025 under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Patrick Kormawa, FAO Coordinator for East Africa, said the menace of hunger is still huge in Horn of Africa despite successes in some countries.
He told reporters, in particular, and said FAO and AU have been partnering over 50 years and FAO is more than 70 years old in the business of ending hunger in the world.
"Our partnership with the African Union this time related to the project we are launching today is to put in place specific programs that will lead to eradication of hunger in the Horn of Africa," he noted.
FAO, through the partnership with AU, is working very closely on the CAADP which is a flagship program of AU, said Kormawa, adding, the Organization has also been supporting AU and its member states to develop their investment plans.
FAO has also been supporting AU member states in terms of building technical capacity for the implementation of CAADP programs.
"The program we are launching today is one of a series of programs in the East African sub-region towards ending hunger," he said.
Responding to question about the beneficiary population, the Coordinator said, "Our target is all the member states in the Horn of Africa that they internalize the program, once internalizing it, it means it affects the poor, it means it affects the hungry, it means it affects young people, it means it affects children, that is our target."
Ernest Ruzindaza, Senior Advisor to the AU Commissioner of Rural Economy and Agriculture, noted that the project is the first one in a range of activities for translating the Malabo commitments into concrete actions.
"The Horn of Africa with its notable food insecurity challenges, which the recent El Nino effects aggravated, is the right place to start with," he said.
The workshop creates platform for the participants to internalize, discuss, and agree on how to deliver it together, according to the Official.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday suggested that safe, trustworthy network systems and products should be included in a draft law on cybersecurity.
Some lawmakers proposed that the key to better managing and containing cybersecurity threats was in legislation, better information infrastructure, and safe network facilities and data, according to a statement released after panel discussions on the draft law.
The draft was submitted Monday to a bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee for its second reading. The session will end Saturday.
During panel discussions, some legislators called for further improvements to be made to institutions tasked with protecting citizens' personal information, regulation rolled out on the use of the Internet, and harsher penalties for those guilty of cyber crimes, to effectively safeguard the public's rights and interests.
Lawmakers stressed that legislation on cybersecurity was "very necessary," to help maintain order in cyberspace, ensure cybersecurity and build China into a cyber power, the statement said.
MOGADISHU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Somalia government has teamed up with the private sector to launch an initiative to help spur investment in the Horn of Africa nation.
The Public Private sector Dialogue (PPD) initiative which was presented in Mogadishu by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed seeks to create investment opportunities for Somali entrepreneurs.
"The PPD platform we are launching will allow the private sector to further seize the investment opportunities existing in Somalia, to create jobs and revenue for the Somali people," Ahmed said in a statement received on Tuesday.
The World Bank is providing support to the Somalia PPD process through its International Finance Corporation.
Rahma Hassan, an entrepreneur, welcomed the PPD initiative, saying the international partners have a role to play in the rebuilding efforts, because the majority - or a significant portion of public expenditure - is coming from official development assistance at the moment.
"For that reason, they need to be part of the important conversation," she noted.
The initiative, which will be driven by the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, aims at supporting the country's economic growth, which is adversely impacted by low investment, insecurity and inadequate regulation.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia Michael Keating lauded the initiative, describing it as a catalyst for business, adding that the potential benefits of a well-structured Public Private Dialogue are enormous.
"The challenge is how you structure it in a way that will bring tangible results that builds upon the mutual interest of the government, both at Federal and state level and build upon the things that are already working," Keating.
Discussions between government representatives, member states and the private sector focused on the establishment of a Somalia National Public Private Dialogue platform, which would identify through consensus private sector priorities, public sector interventions and support from the international community.
COLOMBO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said that it will focus more on Asia, particularly China and India, to boost the local economy after Britain had recently decided to withdraw from the European Union (EU).
Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr. Harsha de Silva said that the withdrawal of Britain from the EU, popularly known as Brexit, will hurt Sri Lanka's economy.
He said that a committee has been appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinhe to study the impact Brexit will have on Sri Lanka and the remedial measures the country must take.
"We will strengthen trade ties with Asia. We need to expedite the proposed trade agreements with China and India," he said.
Britain is one of Sri Lanka's biggest export markets and the country was hoping to improve trade with Britain under the EU GSP plus trade concession.
Dr. Harsha de Silva said that Sri Lanka will this week formally submit its application to regain GSP plus from the EU, but since Britain will now be out of the EU, Sri Lanka will look to sign a new free trade agreement with Britain.
"We are now confident of getting back GSP plus but since Britain will not be in the EU we are studying the possibility of signing a free trade agreement with Britain," Dr. Harsha de Silva said.
Sri Lanka lost the EU GSP plus trade concession when the former government was in office over human rights related issues but the new government which took office last year has met most conditions to regain GSP plus.
Dr. Harsha de Silva said Sri Lanka needs to cushion the impact Brexit will have on the country so it will push to agree on trade deals with several Asian countries.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday was asked if the Chinese government planned to refuse to issue Lady Gaga with a China vias after she met with the Dalai Lama.
It was reported that on Sunday, before speaking at a conference in the U.S. city of Indianapolis, the Dalai Lama met the American pop star and they spoke about love and compassion.
"If you visit Chinese websites and look at the comments left by Chinese netizens, you will see how angry they are about this meeting," spokesperson Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.
The Dalai Lama also met with U.S. President Barack Obama two weeks ago, drawing condemnation from China. Another spokesperson, Lu Kang, warned that the 14th Dalai Lama was not a purely religious figure, but a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Aoyuan residential complex in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, which is home to about 8,600 residents, runs well thanks to the support of a Communist Party of China (CPC) committee.
Since 2013, the nine-member CPC committee has played the middleman, coordinating between residents, the developer, the property management firm and the government.
"We do things like help settle disputes," explained Han Exin, deputy secretary of the committee and the only full-time member of the CPC committee. The rest of his team work part-time and were selected from the 283 Party members living or working in the community.
The committee has achieved a lot for the community. One of the biggest successes, Han said, was a trash processing unit, which had the residents at loggerheads.
"No one wanted the unit near their building because of the smell," Han said.
The committee assigned CPC members to talk with every household so that an acceptable plan could be agreed upon. It coordinated with the developer to ensure the processing unit would be top of the range and inked a contract with the property management firm to ensure it was efficiently managed.
Guo Ziwen, chairman of the board of China Aoyuan Property Group, has to make time to sit on the Party committee, despite being busy running a large real estate firm. But he said it was worth it.
"Normally the developer is quick to leave the table once the property has been transferred to the tenants and the property management firm. There was no process by which we would all sit down and discuss any major problems. The Party committee has stepped into this role -- and proved to be quite efficient," Guo said.
The CPC Aoyuan community committee is the first of its kind in Guangdong Province.
The CPC is set to celebrate its 95th anniversary on July 1. For almost a century it has supported and maintained a far-reaching network spanning the country's urban sprawl right down to its tiny hamlets. However, as urbanization has exploded, the Party has been faced with the challenges brought about by this rapid change.
A real estate project like Aoyuan, where, despite being a "community," the tenants are mostly strangers, is uncharted waters for the CPC.
According to Han, the committee has assigned each apartment building a sub-committee. There are also sub-committees for migrant workers, the community dance troupe, a choir and a pool of volunteers.
The Party committee also maintains an active online presence including a website and various social media accounts, including WeChat, Weibo and QQ.
Meanwhile, in rural areas, the former stronghold of Party networking, the CPC is facing challenges as more and more villagers leave for cities.
This year, the CPC Central Committee launched a new education campaign, which focused on the study of the Party Constitution and rules and pledged to cover every branch in the Party's network and every member.
Party members in the Aoyuan community have been involved in the campaign through their Party committee.
Retiree Zhao Xuewen, who is the head of the community dance troupe, not only attended the study and reading sessions but also started a free weekly tailoring service with her fellow Party members, a project following the Party doctrine of "serving the people."
Dai Yanjun with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told Xinhua that the CPC has been fine tuning its networking methods as society has shifted.
"Close connections with the people is how the CPC will win the support of the people and rule China in the long run," Dai said.
BERLIN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Tuesday that Britain should not expect to retain privileges it had before without fulfilling certain obligations in negotiations over its new relations with the European Union.
"We will make sure negotiations are not guided by the principle of 'cherry-picking,'" Merkel told the lower house of German parliament before heading to Brussels for a summit with European leaders.
"There must be a noticeable difference whether a country wants to be a member of the EU or not," she said, "Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations while keeping the privileges."
Merkel added that Britain, which opted to leave the EU in a referendum last week, would not get access to the European single market without accepting obligations such as freedom of movement, mentioning Norway which accepted free migration from the EU in return for access to the internal market.
"This applies to Britain as it does to everyone else," she said.
The German leader reiterated that no formal or informal negotiations over Britain's future relations with the EU would start until the country formally notifies its intention to leave.
As long as Britain hasn't formally exited the bloc, it remains an EU member state and "all rights and obligations of membership would continue to apply to both sides."
Merkel expressed confidence that the EU is "strong enough" to withstand a withdrawal of Britain.
"Any suggestions that could lift the EU out of this crisis are welcome," she said, adding that she and the German government would make every effort to prevent nationalist forces in the EU from strengthening.
Related:
Belgian PM says not ready to pay bill for Brexit
SOFIA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A ten-day multinational flight training of military transport aviation, involving six NATO countries and the European Defense Agency, will kick off in Bulgaria on Wednesday, it is announced on Tuesday.
During the drill Balkan Spartan 16, which would continue until July 8, Bulgarian, Italian and Romanian C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft would perform tasks such as low altitude flights, landing and takeoff, and drop of cargo and paratroopers, Bulgarian Air Force said in a statement on its website.
Representatives of Slovak Air Force and the European Defense Agency would join the headquarters of the exercise, while their counterparts from Lithuania, Australia and the U.S. Coast Guard would be official observers, the statement said.
During the past three years, the Bulgarian Air Force hosted various multinational training of military transport aviation, the statement said.
MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to have a telephone conversation Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
The decision was made after the Russian side received Erdogan's apologies over the death of the Russian pilot on the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November last year.
"We will need to take more than one step in each other's direction, one shouldn't think that everything can be normalized in a few days, but work on this will continue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
"In particular, tomorrow, a phone call between President Putin and President Erdogan will be held at Russia's initiative," Peskov said.
Kremlin said Monday that a letter was sent by Erdogan to Putin containing both an expression of regret and an apology for downing the Russian bomber, voicing readiness to mend ties.
According to Peskov, this was an important step made in the direction of normalizing relations, which have soured after Turkish forces shot down a Russian Su-24 jet near the Turkish-Syrian border on Nov. 24, 2015 for alleged airspace violation.
Denying such accusations by Turkey, Russian leaders have repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologizes and provides compensation to Russia for the downed aircraft and to the family of the killed pilot Oleg Peshkov.
JUBA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN children's fund (UNICEF) said Tuesday it is seeking 3 million U.S. dollars for immediate emergency response to the fighting in Wau, northwest of South Sudan which has displaced over 36,000 civilians.
In its Update on the latest fighting in the South Sudan town, UNICEF said its response will focus on nutrition, health, education and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
"A registration desk has been established to record missing and unaccompanied children. So far, 61 separated children have been registered. UNICEF has established children's groups for psychosocial support," it said.
The UN children's agency said additional staff is also being deployed to Wau in order to scale up the response after one suspected measles case has been reported and there is a need for an urgent measles campaign.
The fighting erupted on Friday after the dismissal of the incumbent Governor of Wau by the President, leading to instability in the town, with fighting breaking out between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and youth associated with the opposition.
There have been reports of civilian casualties and loss of life amid reports of heavy shelling outward from Wau overnight, but no incoming fire. As of Monday, the situation in Wau is reportedly calm, with some alleged sporadic shooting in surrounding areas.
"The displacement of civilians in and around Wau town has immediate humanitarian consequences which need to be rapidly addressed. The water situation is particularly critical; currently, it is estimated that the displaced population is accessing only 2 litres/per person/per day," UNICEF said.
Meanwhile, U.S-based humanitarian organization, World Concern, has suspended activity and evacuated staff from Wau due to the fighting. In a statement, the relief agency said four expat and six national staff were evacuated to a base in another town where it operates, after experiencing sporadic gunfire and heavy artillery in Wau.
"Due to the intensity of the gunfire, we decided to evacuate out of the town," said World Concern South Sudan Country Director Harun Ringera.
The number of casualties is unknown, but staff report hearing of looting and burning of homes in town, as well as loss of life.
"We are praying for those affected and for peace in this region," said World Concern President Jacinta Tegman. The agency serves thousands of people through projects that address livelihoods, agriculture, water, sanitation, hygiene, and education.
MOGADISHU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Somalia Al-Shabaab militants killed a senior military officer in Wadajir district in the capital Mogadishu, officials said Tuesday.
Ministry of Internal Security spokesman Abdikamil Moalim Shukri confirmed to Xinhua the killing of Col. Hassan Barre Rage, saying security forces are pursuing the attackers.
"Al-Shabaab militants shot down Col. Rage, a military commander at Nasteho village in Wadajir district in Benadir region on Monday night, the perpetrators escaped from the scene, but security forces are conducting operation in the area. But no one has been arrested," Shukri said.
The spokesman added the security forces are also still pursuing perpetrators who killed a young man in Waberi district in Mogadishu on the same night.
Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the killing of the military officer. At least 16 were killed and 30 others injured when the militants stormed a hotel in Mogadishu on Saturday.
Somalia National Army (SNA) backed by the African Union peacekeeping troops flushed out the group from the capital in 2011.
But the insurgents still carry out deadly attacks against government officials, social gatherings, African Union and SNA bases in the south and central Somalia.
ADEN, Yemen, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led military coalition launched airstrikes against the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen's southwestern governorate of Taiz on Tuesday, killing about 20 people, local residents told Xinhua.
Missiles from the Saudi-led warplanes mistakenly hit a local fuel-dealing black market in Rahidah district of Taiz, according to the residents.
They said about 15 Houthi fighters and five civilians were killed in the raid.
In addition, a Yemeni security source said a U.S. drone strike killed 10 al-Qaeda militants in the tribal village of Mahfad in the country's southern governorate of Abyanon on Tuesday morning.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni security troops have beefed up security measures near state facilities and deployed armored vehicles in some government-controlled cities against possible terrorist attacks, the source said.
An official statement released by the Hadhramout-based Second Regional Military Command said at least 45 soldiers were killed in a series of suicide attacks that struck Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramout on Monday evening.
The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for these terrorists attacks, saying more than 54 security troops were killed.
Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been plagued by one of the most active regional al-Qaeda insurgencies in the Middle East.
The Yemen-based al-Qaeda offshoot, known as Ansar al-Sharia, emerged in January 2009. It has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on Yemen's army and government institutions.
The already fragile security situation in Yemen worsened further in March 2015, when a war broke out between the Shiite Houthis, supported by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the Saudi-backed government troops.
The war has killed more than 6,000 people, half of them civilians, and displaced more than 2 million others, according to UN humanitarian agencies.
NAIROBI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) on Tuesday unveiled a ten-year strategy that seeks to accelerate agricultural transformation in Africa in a bid to achieve food security, economic growth and job creation.
Gabriel Negatu, the regional director of AfDB, said its implementation will be a game changer in efforts to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and poverty in Africa.
Negatu said the Feed Africa: Strategy for agricultural transformation in Africa 2016-2025 sets a clear road map to achieve food security while boosting rural incomes in the world's second largest continent.
"Transforming Africa's agriculture sector is key to achieve economic growth, food security and better incomes for rural communities," he said, adding that women and youth will reap immensely from the next phase of agrarian revolution in Africa
Implementation of the ten-year strategy to hasten agricultural transformation in Africa will cost an estimated 400 billion U.S. dollars the bulk of which will be mobilized from governments, private sector and multilateral donors.
Negatu said the AfDB board has already endorsed the strategy while sensitization on its contents to national governments has gathered steam.
"There is a strategic value of investing in Africa's agriculture since it not only contributes immensely to the continent's economies but has capacity to convert it into an industrial hub," said Negatu.
The AfDB's ten-year strategy for agricultural transformation roots for private sector investments, technology adoption, irrigation and streamlining of key value chains to re-invent a sector that is the bedrock of Africa's economies.
Statistics from AFDB indicate that 60 percent of Africa's population relies on agriculture for their livelihood.
Negatu said the new ten-year strategy for agricultural transformation in Africa borrows heavily from earlier declarations adopted by the continent's leaders to modernize the sector and make it competitive.
He added implementation of the strategy will offer lasting solution to challenges blighting agriculture sector in Africa including climate change, dysfunctional value chains, limited access to finance and technology.
"The strategy looks beyond agricultural productivity to focus on creation of well functioning markets for produce. It also looks at ways to minimize post harvest losses," Negatu said.
AfDB will support member states implement domestic programs that hasten agricultural transformation in line with its new ten year strategy.
Josephine Mwangi, the manager of agriculture and agro-industry department at AfDB Regional Office, said the strategy roots for country led initiatives to re-invent production of key staples like maize, cassava, millet, sorghum and soybean.
BEIJING, June 28, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn who came to visit China and attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or the Summer Davos Forum, in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should respect each other's core interests and major concern, and strengthen communication to well maintain the overall situation of their strategic partnership of cooperation, Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday.
The premier made the remarks in his talks with ROK Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn in Beijing.
Peace and stability in Northeast Asia is important for the region and the world. China is willing to work with all relevant parties for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and for the region's development and prosperity, Li added.
Hwang said the ROK is willing to maintain the general situation of the bilateral relations, strengthen strategic communication with China, and to jointly safeguard peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
With regard to bilateral cooperation, Li urged the two sides to boost cooperation under the bilateral free trade agreement; promote joint research, innovation and entrepreneurship; and expand cooperation in areas such as automobiles, robotics, flat panel displays, new materials, and information communication.
He also called on the two countries to explore financial integration cooperation, support cross-border e-commerce, and boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Hwang, hailing the development of the bilateral cooperation in recent years, said the ROK highly values relations with China, and is willing to take the 25th anniversary of ties, next year, as an opportunity to strengthen innovation cooperation and bring the bilateral relations to a new high.
Hwang is in China for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, held in Tianjin from June 26 to 28. Hwang's China visit will last from June 26 to June 30.
BAGHDAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi federal court on Tuesday nullified two parliament sessions held earlier by divided lawmakers, and quashed relevant decisions that included the sack of parliament speaker and partially cabinet reshuffle, the Iraqi judiciary said.
"The Federal Court decided today to nullify the two parliament sessions held on April 14 and 26," the judicial spokesman Abdul Sattar al-Biraqdar said in a statement.
The court decision came after each of the two sides of the divided parliament lawmakers presented appeals to the federal court about the parliament session of the other side. Both complained that the session of the other side was marred by constitutional violations.
During the past few months, a critical divide appeared in the 328-seat Iraqi parliament after dozens of legislators criticized the speaker Salim al-Jubouri for the repeated delay of the proposed vote on the new cabinet candidates according to the reforms proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
On April 14, the protesting lawmakers held an emergency session headed by Adnan al-Janabi, an elder member of the Parliament, after al-Jubouri and his two deputies Humam Hamoudi and Aram Sheikh Mohammed did not attend the session. The dissenting legislators voted in sacking al-Jubouri and chose al-Janabi instead as interim parliament speaker.
However, sacking al-Jubouri was rejected by the legislators' other camp, who argued that the session was unconstitutional due to the insufficient required quorum.
On April 26, the parliament held a session but it turned into chaos once Abadi entered the hall, as about 30 dissenting legislators kept shouting "illegal" referring to Parliament Speaker Salim Al-Jubouri whom they dismissed earlier during an emergency session.
Later in the day, al-Jubouri's camp held a parliament session after a number of dissenting legislators ended their protest and joined the parliament which reconvened in another parliament building hall.
Subsequently, Abadi presented his cabinet candidates and the cabinet approved five of Abadi's list after voting on dismissing the previous ministers.
The court's verdict could be viewed as a serious blow to Abadi's efforts for presenting comprehensive reforms, including a government reshuffle, better services and an end to corruption.
A series of failed reform measures have paralyzed Iraq's parliament and the government as the country struggles to fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which seizes swathes of territories in northern and western Iraq, and in dire need to respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices.
SINGAPORE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Singapore navy frigate RSS Steadfast is leading two other warships in a multinational group sail from Japan's Okinawa to Hawaii to participate in the Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Tuesday.
The Singapore navy conducted naval warfare serials with the two other naval ships en route, in preparation for the high-intensity sea phase during Exercise RIMPAC.
RSS Steadfast, with an embarked S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter, led the conduct of helicopter operations, surface warfare drills, gunnery firings as well as manoeuvring and communications serials. The exercise serials enhanced interoperability and mutual understanding among the naval ships, MINDEF added.
Started in 1971 and held every two years, the U.S.-led RIMPAC will be conducted in the waters off Hawaii from July 1 to August 5. This is the fifth time that the Singapore navy will be participating in the exercise.
Exercise RIMPAC, as well as the multinational group sail component, serve as important avenues for Singapore navy to sharpen its combat proficiencies and deepen professional ties and interoperability with the other participating navies, the ministry said.
GENEVA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday that an aid convoy on Monday delivered much-needed supplies for 30,000 beneficiaries living in the town of Qudsaya in rural Damascus.
This is the second convoy to reach the city's residents this year after a first delivery was completed in May.
Latest OCHA data reveal that 900,000 civilians living in hard-to-reach and besieged Syrian areas have received life-saving assistance since relief operations kicked off earlier this year.
A breakdown of the figures shows that almost 57 percent of civilians living in besieged areas have received aid in 2016, while 12 percent of those living in hard-to-reach areas have been reached.
A total of 16 out of the 18 besieged areas have received vital humanitarian supplies, though aid convoys poised to reach Arbin and Zamalka in rural Damascus have yet to be granted access.
"The UN continues to call for unconditional, unimpeded, and sustained access to the nearly 5.5 million Syrian men, women and children in hard-to-reach locations," OCHA concluded in a statement.
KAMPALA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Tuesday said it will starting October this year withdraw its troops hunting down the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, the military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that the decision has been taken to start the phased pullout of 2,500 soldiers involved in the African Union (AU)-led Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of LRA (RCI-LRA) in October till December.
"There is where you reach in a campaign and you have to withdraw. You can't be in an operation for over five years. Our plan is to pull out of CAR before end of this year unless something substantial happens," he said.
The military spokesperson said the LRA has greatly been weakened and has no means to fight.
The AU Peace and Security Council last month requested Ugandan authorities to reconsider their decision to withdraw the soldiers arguing that the move would create a security vacuum, which the LRA and other rebel forces could exploit to escalate their activities in the region.
The Council recommended that the troops' mandate be extended up to May 2017.
The Ugandan authorities however argue that the LRA has been degraded and no longer has means to fight.
The LRA is a Ugandan rebel group which was flashed out of the country in 2006 after a two decade long insurgency that left tens of thousands of people dead and over two million others homeless.
JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday that security measures alone would not put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Currently on an official farewell visit to Israel, Ban made the comments at the beginning of his meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Ban mentioned increasing Palestinian rage over Israel's nearly 50 years of occupation, and concluded that the solutions need to be based "on mutual recognition of the legitimate claims of both people," according to the Ynet news website.
He is set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as other Israeli and Palestinian security officials throughout Tuesday.
Netanyahu thanked Ban for his service and for his friendship with Israel, but criticize some UN bodies as biased, like the Human Rights Council, which has been slashing Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, according to a statement.
He also appreciated Ban's meeting with the families of two soldiers who were killed in the 2014 military campaign in Gaza and whose remains are held by Hamas.
Ban attacked Hamas for its "genocidal" intentions, and expressed his hope that the UN will take into consideration "Hamas's crimes."
Israel and Hamas, an Islamist movement governing the Gaza Strip since 2007, have fought several rounds of fighting in the enclave in the past nine years.
Ban's visit to Israel comes as the country is mired in a nine-month wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, claiming the lives of 32 Israelis and 206 Palestinians.
The Israeli government promoted several contentious measures, including military raids in the West Bank, demolition of homes of attackers, imposition of occasional closures and increased detentions for attackers, among others.
On Monday, Ban said that leaders on both sides need to take "concrete steps" in order to "restore hope and a political horizon so that Israeli and Palestinian people see a pathway to peace, not a quagmire."
He also suggested the Middle East Quartet, a forum constituting the UN, United State, Russia and the European Union, to be involved in the attempts to restart peace talks.
The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ended without results in April 2014.
Amid the ongoing wave of violence and the standstill in the talks, several international initiatives are in place, calling for the resumption of peace talks.
Netanyahu is currently in Rome, where he met with U.S. Secretary John Kerry, to discuss the initiatives.
France offered its own initiative in January, calling to hold a peace conference in the country later this year, hoping it would kick-start negotiations.
While the Palestinians support the bid, Israel rejects it, claiming an international forum would enable Palestinians to avert direct negotiations and set up preconditions.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (C) waves to the media as he arrives to visit a Qatari-funded rehabilitation and artificial limbs hospital in Gaza City, June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Yasser Qudih)
JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday that security measures alone would not put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Currently on an official farewell visit to Israel, Ban made the comments at the beginning of his meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Ban mentioned increasing Palestinian rage over Israel's nearly 50 years of occupation, and concluded that the solutions need to be based "on mutual recognition of the legitimate claims of both people," according to the Ynet news website.
He is set to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as other Israeli and Palestinian security officials throughout Tuesday.
Netanyahu thanked Ban for his service and for his friendship with Israel, but criticize some UN bodies as biased, like the Human Rights Council, which has been slashing Israel over its treatment of Palestinians, according to a statement.
He also appreciated Ban's meeting with the families of two soldiers who were killed in the 2014 military campaign in Gaza and whose remains are held by Hamas.
Ban attacked Hamas for its "genocidal" intentions, and expressed his hope that the UN will take into consideration "Hamas's crimes."
Israel and Hamas, an Islamist movement governing the Gaza Strip since 2007, have fought several rounds of fighting in the enclave in the past nine years.
Ban's visit to Israel comes as the country is mired in a nine-month wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, claiming the lives of 32 Israelis and 206 Palestinians.
The Israeli government promoted several contentious measures, including military raids in the West Bank, demolition of homes of attackers, imposition of occasional closures and increased detentions for attackers, among others.
On Monday, Ban said that leaders on both sides need to take "concrete steps" in order to "restore hope and a political horizon so that Israeli and Palestinian people see a pathway to peace, not a quagmire."
He also suggested the Middle East Quartet, a forum constituting the UN, United State, Russia and the European Union, to be involved in the attempts to restart peace talks.
The last round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ended without results in April 2014.
Amid the ongoing wave of violence and the standstill in the talks, several international initiatives are in place, calling for the resumption of peace talks.
Netanyahu is currently in Rome, where he met with U.S. Secretary John Kerry, to discuss the initiatives.
France offered its own initiative in January, calling to hold a peace conference in the country later this year, hoping it would kick-start negotiations.
While the Palestinians support the bid, Israel rejects it, claiming an international forum would enable Palestinians to avert direct negotiations and set up preconditions.
DAMASCUS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Despite the fact that half of its pre-war 23 million got displaced out of their homes as a result of a crisis branded as the worst since the World War II, Syria still hosts communities of Arab refugees from several nationalities.
From Iraqis, all the way to Somalians and Eritreans, the war-torn country is still seen by those refugees as a safe haven.
"Despite the crisis that has been gripping it for over five years, I think Syria is safer than my homeland Iraq," said Nema, an Iraqi refugee, who had fled her country in 2004 following the U.S.-led invasion to Iraq.
The 45-year-old woman sought refuge in Damascus along with her husband and kids and said she had fled her home once, but will never flee her second in Rukn Aladdin district north of Damascus.
"When the Americans invaded our country, I had to leave with my family out of fear of the violence that has ensued. I had found no place to go, no place to host me unconditionally without strict visa rules but Syria," she said, referring to the visa-free entry the Syrian government had granted for all Arab nationals ahead of the Syrian crisis.
For her part, Amani Ali from Eritrea said she has been living in Syria with her mother for over 20 years.
She said Syria for her is a home she can never leave, as she has become so attached to it after fleeing crisis in her country.
She hoped the international powers could provide more financial support to the refugees and stop the wars and conflicts, which cause the displacement.
"Syria is my home now, and I cannot think of leaving it despite the crisis, which I hope it could end soon for this country to return as it had used to be," she told Xinhua.
Her friend, Zahra Abdi from Somalia, said the situation in Syria is still better than her original country's.
"Despite the war in Syria, the situation here is much better than that in Somalia," she told Xinhua.
Those refugees rely largely on financial aid they receive from the humanitarian organizations, despite the fact that some of them have for long blended in the community and even got jobs.
The Syrian government has for long boasted about the fact that Syria was always a safe haven of Arabs fleeing conflicts, keeping its borders open without visa to the Arab visitors and those fleeing wars and conflicts.
Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Syria hosted several waves of Palestinian refugees, which counted later for nearly 500,000 people.
Following the U.S.-invasion of Iraq in 2003, 250,000 Iraqis were registered as refugees in Syria.
During the July War of 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, around 100,000 Lebanese citizens fled to Syria to find short-term shelter.
True that large numbers of those refugees had left the country either before the crisis like the Iraqis and Lebanese, or others during the crisis like Palestinians, but others have decided to stay.
UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, said last month that of 560,000 Palestinians in Syria before the war, some 120,000 left the war-torn country.
Firas al-Khatib, the spokesman of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told Xinhua that Syria still hosts 31,400 refugees, mostly from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea.
He said the country still hosts those refugees despite being plagued with "the biggest humanitarian crisis the world has witnessed since the World War II."
According to the UNHCR, over three million Syrians have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria.
Meanwhile, nearly 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union, while member states have pledged to resettle further 33,000 Syrians.
TEHRAN, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) rebels have killed 11 individuals in fresh clashes, raising the total number of casualties to dozens from both sides in recent days, reported local media on Tuesday.
IRGC commander in Iran's Kurdistan province, Brigadier General Mohammad Hossein Rajabi, said that forces have identified an 11-member team of "counter-revolutionary" rebels attempting to illegally cross into Iran through its border city of Sarvabad in Kurdisan, reported Tasnim news agency.
Once the rebels entered Iran, IRGC in Kurdistan placed them under surveillance, eventually leading to clashes and their death, Rajabi was quoted as saying.
Three IRGC troops were also killed, he said, without specifying the date of the clashes.
On June 16, the IRGC said its forces busted two terrorist cells in the north west of the country, killing twelve terrorists.
Three further IRGC members also lost their lives in clashes with "counter-revolutionary terrorist groups," it said.
Reports revealed that the "terrorists" were members of the outlawed "counter-revolutionary terrorist groups," including the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).
The KDPI is a Kurdish political party located in Kurdistan, claiming to be fighting to secure Kurds' national rights.
The "counter-revolutionaries" in Iran's Kurdish region have for long been unsuccessfully opposing the 1979 Islamic revolution, according to Press TV.
Recently, the west of Iran has witnessed an increase of clashes between armed rebels and Iranian security forces.
On Sunday, IRGC's Ground Force Commander, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, said that troops will target terrorists and armed rebels both within the country's borders and beyond.
Pakpour's remarks referred to the recent clashes between the IRGC's forces and the Kurdish rebel groups in the north west of Iran.
The commander added that since these groups' headquarters are located in northern Iraq, the country's authorities must assume responsibility to prevent the rebel groups' operations which pose a threat to Iran's security.
Iran will target the terrorist groups' headquarters anywhere, he reaffirmed.
Subsequently, a Kurdish security source said that Iranian artillery struck Iran's Kurdish rebel posts located along the border within Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq, wounding five people on Sunday.
"Iranian artillery pounded the border regions of Sodkan and Soran in the province of Arbil, wounding five people and damaging several residential buildings," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Iran's attack also targeted the villages of Alana, Kuna Re and Harman, in Haj Omran which is beside the Iranian border in the Chorman area of Arbil province, the source said.
No casualties were reported following the shelling against the villages, however several families were forced to leave their homes for safer areas, the source added.
Furthermore, a Press TV coverage dated June 13 revealed that Iranian security forces killed five members of the Jaish-ul-Adl terrorist group in the south east provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The terrorists were allegedly planning terrorist attacks, police spokesman Saeed Montazer-al-Mahdi said, specifying that Iranian security forces confiscated substantial amounts of ammunition from the group.
Al-Mahdi said the terrorists were killed during clashes with the police forces, adding that a policeman was also killed during the clashes, the report quoted him as saying.
Jaish al-Adl, which translates from Arabic into the 'Army of Justice,' is the Sunni rebel group fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims in the Iran's provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, and had repeatedly attacked Iran's border posts.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani accused Saudi Arabia of inciting unrest within Iran on Tuesday as well as its ongoing efforts aiming to cast doubt upon Iran's prowess, reported Press TV.
"The Saudis contacted some abject terrorist cells in Iran's east to cause trouble," Larijani said, adding that counter-revolutionaries also contacted terrorist groups in the country's west.
He urged increased vigilance in the face of such subversion.
Related:
5 militants killed in fresh clashes in northwestern Iran: IRGC
TEHRAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Saturday that its forces have killed five armed insurgents in the fresh clashes in the Kurd-populated region of Iran's northwestern province of West Azarbaijan.
"In the clashes on Friday night between IRGC's Hamzeh Seyed al-Shohada forces and the counter-revolutionary armed insurgents in the border point of Sarvabad as well as Mahabad region, five mercenaries of global arrogance, including two of their commanders Arash Menbari and Shouresh Menbari, were killed," said the statement issued by the public relations of IRGC's ground forces. Full story
Iran's IRGC says busts two "terrorist" cells, kills 12
TEHRAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that its forces smashed two" terrorist" cells and killed 12 terrorists in northwestern Iran.
People participate in a march mourning the victims of crashed EgyptAir Flight MS804 plane in Cairo, Egypt, May 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Meng Tao)
PARIS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The two black boxes of the crashed EgyptAir flight arrived Monday in the laboratory of the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for civil aviation safety of France (BEA) to be repaired, French daily Le Figaro reported Monday.
"The BEA's mission is to make the memory cards of the two recorders readable, since they are very damaged," a spokesman of the BEA said, cited by Le Figaro.
According to the reports, one representative from the black box manufacturer Honeywell, four investigators from Egypt and one representative from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board were in the laboratory on Monday.
Once the memory cards are repaired, they will be sent back to Cairo to be analyzed, Le Figaro added.
Also on Monday, the Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into "involuntary homicide" on the crashed EgyptAir flight.
EgyptAir flight MS804, an Airbus A320, went missing on May 19 en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board, including 30 Egyptian and 15 French passengers. In the ensuing days, some passengers' belongings, small pieces of wreckage, and some body parts of victims were later found in the Mediterranean Sea.
On June 1, a French vessel participating in the search received signals from one of the plane's data recorders from the seabed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (9th R Front) meets with representatives of the prospective founding countries who attended the signing ceremony of the articles of the agreement of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 29, 2015. Representatives of the 57 prospective AIIB founding countries signed the agreement on Monday in Beijing. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A "major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics" has taken shape since Xi Jinping became the top leader in late 2012.
Following are 26 key words or phrases that relate to this new style of diplomacy.
AIIB
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a new development bank proposed by China, started operation on Jan. 16, 2016.
The new global multilateral financial institution, to support infrastructure projects in Asia, was formally established in Beijing on Dec. 25, 2015. Headquartered in Beijing, it now has 57 founding members.
AIIB also means a great deal to the global economic governance system. It is a product of the evolving economic landscape, and will help make the global economic governance system more just, equitable and effective.
Belt and Road Initiative
The Belt and Road initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was first promulgated by Xi in 2013, who envisioned a trade and infrastructure network that connects Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. Over 70 countries and organizations have voiced support for and willingness to join the initiative.
Climate Change
To fulfill its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change, China will cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 percent by 2030 from the 2005 levels; increase non-fossil fuel sources in primary energy consumption to about 20 percent; and peak its carbon emissions by 2030. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said China had demonstrated great leadership with its remarkable commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Destiny
The concept of "a community of common destiny" was first raised in a report approved by the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, expressing the hope of the Chinese people to build a better world together with people from other countries.
It underlines that all nations should raise the awareness that everyone on earth is a member of the community of common destiny, meaning there is a common responsibility to pull together in times of trouble, and strive for common development and lasting peace.
Economic Governance
According to a communique issued after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, in the five years from 2016, China will further integrate its economy with the wider global economy, and pursue an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win, while participating in global economic governance and the provision of public goods, raise its institutional discourse power in global economic governance and establish a far-ranging community of shared interests.
FTA
The latest free trade agreements (FTAs) between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and between China and Australia, shows that a "grand free trade strategy" is taking shape, bringing the nation closer to establishing a global free trade network and implementing deeper domestic reforms.
China has signed and implemented 14 FTAs covering 22 countries and regions across Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Europe.
G20
China will host the 2016 G20 Summit in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4 to 5 under the theme "Building an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy."
Host
China has hosted the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit; the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) summit; and is preparing for the upcoming G20 summit.
These events provide important opportunities for China to promote multilateral diplomacy at home. China's surging international influence has been translated into increasing global attention, hence, the more active diplomatic push on the home court.
Innovation
Innovation will drive development in the five years from 2016, and China understands how important innovation cooperation with foreign countries will be. For example, China and Switzerland agreed to build an innovative strategic partnership during Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann's visit to China in April 2016. It is the first time China has established an innovative partnership with any other country.
Justice
In its relations with developing countries, China applies a more balanced approach between upholding justice and seeking interests, which means it will put justice first, and pay more attention to the needs of developing countries.
Korean Peninsula
As a neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, China plays a vital role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. China supports the denuclearization of the peninsula, opposes conflict and seeks to safeguard the legitimate security rights of all members in the region. This reflects China's commitment to resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and negotiations.
Legitimate Rights
The actions China has taken in the South China Sea are legitimate reactions to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. China will continue to take reasonable and legitimate approaches to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Major-Power Relationship
In 2013, President Xi and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama agreed to build a new type of major-power relationship between the two countries at the Annenberg Estate in California. Two years later, Xi made his first state visit to the United States. His trip has boosted China-U.S. relations and lifted "trans-Pacific cooperation" to a new level.
Neighborhood Diplomacy
In October 2013, Xi proposed a new philosophy of neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. He stressed that the Chinese Dream should chime with similar visions of neighboring countries; planting the seeds of a community of common destiny into the region.
Opening up
China's economic miracle started decades ago with two major policies, the reform and opening up. Xi said that China will continue to contribute to global development and pursue an opening up strategy driven by mutual benefit. The door to China will never close and all countries are welcome to ride on its development.
Partnership
China has established partnerships in various forms with more than 80 countries, regions and organizations under the principle of building a global network of partnership while abiding by the principle of non-alignment.
Quota Reform
On Jan. 27, 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) publicized the 2010 Plan for Quota and Governance Reform.
According to the plan, around 6 percent of quota shares were shifted to dynamic emerging markets and developing countries, making China the third largest shareholder of the IMF with quota rising from 3.996 percent to 6.394 percent.
Rejuvenation
The Chinese Dream, championed by Xi in late 2012, is to build a moderately prosperous society and realize national rejuvenation. Chinese diplomacy is aimed at creating a more stable and friendly external environment for this to be realized.
Security Concept
President Xi Jinping proposed a new concept of Asian security in 2014. In sharp contrast to the decades-old Post-Cold War security system, the new approach aims to establish a mechanism that stresses common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security to tackle rising challenges facing the region.
At the third Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in The Hague, Xi first proposed "a rational, coordinated and balanced" nuclear security concept and called for a global nuclear security system featuring fairness and win-win cooperation.
Ten Cooperation Plan
At the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Xi announced ten major China-Africa cooperation plans for the next three years, backed by 60 billion U.S. dollars, including interest free loans and preferential policies.
Unprecedented
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that trust between Russia and China had reached an unprecedented level.
The China-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination features mutual support on issues concerning core interests such as sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and close coordination in solving major international and regional issues and propelling large-scale cooperative programs.
V-day
Dozens of heads of state and governments attended China's Victory Day celebrations on Sept. 3, 2015. The event commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
World Order
When addressing the annual high-level general debate of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters, Xi said China will stick to a path of peaceful development, dedicate itself to defending the existing world order founded on the UN Charter, and continue to support the global body.
Xi-style
President Xi Jinping pointed out that China must develop a distinctive diplomatic approach befitting its role as a major country, so that diplomacy will show salient Chinese features -- style and confidence. China's relations with the outside world have started new chapters. Some foreign media outlets believe that China's diplomatic stance sends a signal -- Xi-style diplomacy has taken shape.
Year
China has launched various people-to-people exchange events with a number of countries, such as the China-U.S. Tourism Year; the China-Russia Media Exchange year; "the Year of Languages" program between China and Germany; and China-India Tourism Year. These colorful events play an important role in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship.
Zero-sum Game, No!
In a signed article run by the state-run newspaper Russian Gazette in 2015, Xi said the bitter lessons drawn from WWII teaches that a "winner-takes-it-all" or zero-sum mindsets contradict coexistence, peace and development. Conditions today are more favorable than ever to achieve peace and development. He called for efforts to build a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core.
Related:
Book on Xi's prosperous society remarks published
BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhua) -- A compilation of remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping on the campaign to achieve a moderately prosperous society by 2020 has been released, publisher said Sunday.
The book, published by the Central Party Literature Press, is divided into seven subjects, including one outlining how the campaign will help the nation realize the Chinese dream, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Full Story
President Xi's speech on science, technology published
BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The text of President Xi Jinping's speech at a science and technology (S&T) conference on Monday has been published by the People's Publishing House.
DAMASCUS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian government on Tuesday accused the Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria of dismantling a key electricity station, and moving its parts and components into Turkey, according to the state news agency SANA.
The Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sham Movement, and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front have plundered the components of the Zayzun Thermal Station for Generating Electricity in the countryside of the northwestern province of Idlib, smuggling them into the Turkish territories, said SANA.
SANA said the terror groups must have had external help from experts, as dismantling the components of the thermal station couldn't be done by normal people with no concerned knowledge.
The report said the authorities evacuated the station last year after repetitive attacks by the Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham.
The station used to feed hundreds of thousands of Syrian homes in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus and Hama with electricity.
Meanwhile, a source at the Ministry of Electricity was cited by SANA as saying that the rebels have opted to sabotage the infra-structure in Syria over the past years of crisis, to hit the economy of the war-torn country.
It added that the rebels, using high-tech machinery, have started stealing the components of the station of Zayzun a couple of months ago.
It said the current cost of the station is half a billion U.S. dollar.
The national TV went on to accuse the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being responsible for the plundering of the station and other Syrian factories in northern Syria, mainly in the northern province of Aleppo, near Turkey.
The Syrian government repeatedly blamed the conflict on the Turkish support to the rebel groups in Syria.
PARIS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of French workers took the streets again across France on Tuesday to protest against the French government's plans to reform the country's labor laws.
According to the police, around 14,000 to 15,000 participated in a march in Paris under heavy security surveillance.
However, organizers said 55,000 showed up to demand the government withdraw the new labor code which is to be voted in by the French Senate.
In Marseille, labor union CGT put the number of protesters at 38,000 against the 3,000 announced by the police, while in Havre, police counted 2,800 protesters instead of 15,000 by the organizers.
Prior to the start of the demonstrations, the head of CGT Philippe Martinez announced "a new day of actions" against the new labor code on July 5 when the French National Assembly will reexamine the bill.
Martinez is supposed to meet on Wednesday French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and French Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri for further discussions.
Iraqi children who fled with their family the northern province of Nineveh following the advance of jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group, are seen in a refugee camp in al-Hawl located some 14 kilometers from the Iraqi border in Syrianortheastern Hassakeh province, on May 31, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP)
DAMASCUS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Despite the fact that half of its pre-war 23 million got displaced out of their homes as a result of a crisis branded as the worst since the World War II, Syria still hosts communities of Arab refugees from several nationalities.
From Iraqis, all the way to Somalians and Eritreans, the war-torn country is still seen by those refugees as a safe haven.
"Despite the crisis that has been gripping it for over five years, I think Syria is safer than my homeland Iraq," said Nema, an Iraqi refugee, who had fled her country in 2004 following the U.S.-led invasion to Iraq.
The 45-year-old woman sought refuge in Damascus along with her husband and kids and said she had fled her home once, but will never flee her second in Rukn Aladdin district north of Damascus.
"When the Americans invaded our country, I had to leave with my family out of fear of the violence that has ensued. I had found no place to go, no place to host me unconditionally without strict visa rules but Syria," she said, referring to the visa-free entry the Syrian government had granted for all Arab nationals ahead of the Syrian crisis.
For her part, Amani Ali from Eritrea said she has been living in Syria with her mother for over 20 years.
She said Syria for her is a home she can never leave, as she has become so attached to it after fleeing crisis in her country.
She hoped the international powers could provide more financial support to the refugees and stop the wars and conflicts, which cause the displacement.
"Syria is my home now, and I cannot think of leaving it despite the crisis, which I hope it could end soon for this country to return as it had used to be," she told Xinhua.
An Iraqi child who fled with his family the northern province of Nineveh following the advance of jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group, plays with a makeshift tricycle in a refugee camp in al-Hawl located some 14 kilometers from the Iraqi border in Syria northeastern Hassakeh province, on May 31, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP)
Her friend, Zahra Abdi from Somalia, said the situation in Syria is still better than her original country's.
"Despite the war in Syria, the situation here is much better than that in Somalia," she told Xinhua.
Those refugees rely largely on financial aid they receive from the humanitarian organizations, despite the fact that some of them have for long blended in the community and even got jobs.
The Syrian government has for long boasted about the fact that Syria was always a safe haven of Arabs fleeing conflicts, keeping its borders open without visa to the Arab visitors and those fleeing wars and conflicts.
Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Syria hosted several waves of Palestinian refugees, which counted later for nearly 500,000 people.
Following the U.S.-invasion of Iraq in 2003, 250,000 Iraqis were registered as refugees in Syria.
During the July War of 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, around 100,000 Lebanese citizens fled to Syria to find short-term shelter.
True that large numbers of those refugees had left the country either before the crisis like the Iraqis and Lebanese, or others during the crisis like Palestinians, but others have decided to stay.
UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, said last month that of 560,000 Palestinians in Syria before the war, some 120,000 left the war-torn country.
Firas al-Khatib, the spokesman of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, told Xinhua that Syria still hosts 31,400 refugees, mostly from Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea.
He said the country still hosts those refugees despite being plagued with "the biggest humanitarian crisis the world has witnessed since the World War II."
According to the UNHCR, over three million Syrians have fled to Syria's immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. 6.5 million are internally displaced within Syria.
Meanwhile, nearly 150,000 Syrians have declared asylum in the European Union, while member states have pledged to resettle further 33,000 Syrians.
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday expressed doubts on the draft general rules of the civil code, which proposed lowering the age for persons with limited civil capacity of conduct from 10 to six years.
The general rules stipulate the basic principles of the civil code, which China's top legislature officially started reviewing at the ongoing bimonthly session.
According to the draft general rules, the suggestion to lower the age standard was influenced by increased physical and psychological maturity, and cognitive ability due to social development and improved living and educational standards.
However, during a group deliberation on Tuesday afternoon, members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) disagreed on the change.
Xu Weigang, a member of the NPC Standing Committee, said six-year-old children are too young to have the ability to recognize and identify issues.
"They are prone to be influenced by adults and environments, so I suggest the age remains unchanged at 10 years old," said Xu.
The draft stipulates that persons between six and 18 years old have limited civil capacity of conduct.
"Six-year-old children vary in their ability. The excessively low age standard will not protect minors," said Sun Jing, another member of NPC Standing Committee.
Yan Yixin, also an NPC Standing Committee member, said in the group discussion that the age standard for persons with limited civil capacity of conduct is lowered to that of the legal age for compulsory education.
"I suggest that the age standard is lowered to eight years old," said Yan.
Another NPC Standing Committee member Xu Zhenchao said a six-year-old child cannot recognize enough characteristics or count, not to mention they lack basic knowledge of law.
"The current age standard of 10 years old is appropriate, as 10-year-old children have basic knowledge of life and society, as well as the nature and consequences of their behavior," said Su Zelin.
"The change does not conform to the actual situation," added Su.
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday said that 69 million children under five will die from mostly preventable causes, 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN agency compiled the report based on the basis of the current trends, urging the world to focus more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children.
"The State of the World's Children," UNICEF's annual flagship report, painted a stark picture of what is in store for the world's poorest children if governments, donors, businesses and international organizations do not accelerate efforts to address their needs.
"Denying hundreds of millions of children a fair chance in life does more than threaten their futures -- by fueling intergenerational cycles of disadvantage, it imperils the future of their societies," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "We have a choice: Invest in these children now or allow our world to become still more unequal and divided."
The report noted that significant progress has been made in saving children's lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty.
Global under-five mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990, boys and girls attend primary school in equal numbers in 129 countries, and the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide is almost half what it was in the 1990s.
But this progress has been neither even nor fair, the report said. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest.
Across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children born to mothers with no education are almost three times more likely to die before they are five than those born to mothers with a secondary education. And girls from the poorest households are twice as likely to marry as children than girls from the wealthiest households.
Nowhere is the outlook grimmer than in sub-Saharan Africa, where at least 247 million children -- or two in three -- live in multidimensional poverty, deprived of what they need to survive and develop, and where nearly 60 percent of 20-to 24-year-olds from the poorest fifth of the population have had less than four years of schooling.
At current trends, the report projected that by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa will account for:
-- Nearly half of the 69 million children who will die before their fifth birthday from mostly preventable causes;
-- More than half of the 60 million children of primary school age who will still be out of school; and
-- Nine out of 10 children living in extreme poverty.
Although education plays a unique role in levelling the playing field for children, the number of children who do not attend school has increased since 2011, and a significant proportion of those who do go to school are not learning.
About 124 million children today do not go to primary- and lower-secondary school, and almost 2 in 5 who do finish primary school have not learned how to read, write or do simple arithmetic.
Meanwhile, the report also pointed to evidence that investing in the most vulnerable children can yield immediate and long-term benefits. Cash transfers, for example, have been shown to help children stay in school longer and advance to higher levels of education.
On average, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10 percent. And for each additional year of schooling completed, on average, by young adults in a country, that country's poverty rates fall by 9 percent.
Inequity is neither inevitable, nor insurmountable, the report argues. Better data on the most vulnerable children, integrated solutions to the challenges children face, innovative ways to address old problems, more equitable investment and increased involvement by communities -- all these measures can help level the playing field for children.
ANKARA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday that Ankara will not pay compensation over the downing of a Russian jet, Anadolu Agency reported.
"We only expressed our sadness over the incident and shared the grief of the Russian pilot's family," Yildirim said in a meeting of ruling Justice and Development Party.
He also said legal proceedings were ongoing for the man alleged to be responsible for killing the Russian pilot.
The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a telephone talk with Turkish President Erdogan on Wednesday, while Turkey said that Putin would have a "thank-you call" to Erdogan, local NTV reported.
It is the first time Putin calls Erdogan since downing of Russian jet in November last year, local Daily Sabah reported.
Yildirim said that the initiatives by the two leaders "have finally started bearing some fruits."
President Erdogan sent a letter to President Putin on Monday, expressing sadness over the downing of a Russian jet in an attempt to mend strained ties between the two countries.
MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. destroyer moved dangerously close to a Russian warship in the Mediterranean, violating international and bilateral agreements, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"On June 17, U.S. guided missile destroyer Gravely made a close encounter with a Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry in the eastern Mediterranean at a distance of 60-70 meters on the port side and crossed its course at the bow (of the Russian ship) at a dangerous distance of 180 meters," the ministry said in a statement.
It said the Russian warship was sailing in international waters, maintaining constant course and speed without any dangerous maneuver towards the U.S. ship.
The ministry accused the U.S. destroyer's commander and crew of a "gross violation" of International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and a Russia-U.S. intergovernmental agreement on avoiding incidents at sea signed in 1972.
"This incident shows that U.S. naval sailors allow themselves to forget about the fundamental principles of navigation security and give no thought to the consequences of such dangerous maneuvers in areas with heavy sea traffic," the ministry said.
The Russian side in April refuted media reports about dangerous maneuvers by Russian aircraft when encountering U.S. warships and military aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry then denied its acts were aggressive and insisted all flights were held in accordance with international law.
MOGADISHU, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN children's fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday called for rights of all Somali children after the Horn of Africa nation ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 2015.
UNICEF Representative for Somalia Jeremy Hopkins also called for work on implementing human rights for all Somali children to be prioritized.
"These children may be living in inaccessible rural areas, displacement camps, they may be members of minority groups or have specific and special needs," Hopkins said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
His remarks comes as UNICEF publishes its annual flagship report, The State of the World's Children, which this year focuses on the plight of the most disadvantaged children in the world.
"We call on everyone in the country who cares about the future of Somalia- governments, donors, civil society organisations, community leaders, mothers and fathers- to unite their efforts for the most vulnerable children and those children most difficult to reach," said Hopkins.
The report points to evidence that investing in the most vulnerable children can yield immediate and long-term benefits.
On average, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10 per cent.
The State of the World Children's report found that Somalia is highly unlikely to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of cutting under-five-year old mortality by the target date of 2030 unless more is invested in the future of the disadvantaged.
Peter de Clercq, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia said the children in Somalia deserve the opportunity to go to school, to be healthy, have clean water and be protected from abuse or being forced to join armed groups.
"The Somalia authorities demonstrated their commitment to children and young people by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and we are providing support to make this a reality," de Clercq said.
The report shows that globally there has been some progress in saving children's lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty.
In Somalia the number of children who die before their fifth birthday has dropped from 180 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 137 in 2015.
EDINBURGH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Scottish government on Tuesday put forward a motion to ask the Scottish parliament to give a mandate to continue its work and explore every option for retaining Scotland's relationship with the EU.
Making a statement at the Scottish parliament, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed her hope that the motion will attract support across the chamber.
She made it clear that "a vote for this motion is not a vote for a referendum on independence," stating that she was emphatically not asking the Scottish parliament to endorse another referendum on independence on Tuesday's debate.
"If the government does conclude that the best or only way to protect Scotland's place in the EU is through a referendum on independence, we will return to Parliament with that judgment and it will then, at that time, be for Parliament to decide," said Sturgeon.
She stressed that her starting point for the debate was to protect Scotland's relationship with the EU, and that the motion launched calls on the Scottish government to report back to the Scottish parliament and its European Committee.
Sturgeon promised to do so and keep party leaders informed of the Scottish government's progress to protect Scotland's relationship with, and place in, the EU.
Earlier, she set out for the Scottish parliament the action the Scottish government had taken since Britain voted to leave the EU while Scotland chose to remain in Thursday's EU referendum.
Sturgeon said she had set up a "standing council" of experts to provide her with advice following the Brexit vote, and would visit Brussels to set out Scotland's position and interests to representatives of the major groups in the European Parliament and with European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
Meanwhile, she reassured those from other countries who chose to make Scotland their home that they are welcome in Scotland and their contribution are valued, adding "Scotland remains a stable and attractive place for business and investment."
In a historic referendum on June 23, Britain voted to leave the EU after 43 years in the bloc. The Leave campaign received 51.9 percent of the votes, against 48.1 percent for the Remain side.
However, Scotland voted 62 percent in favor of remaining in the EU, with the majority in each council of its 32 local authority areas voting to remain. Enditem
ISLAMABAD, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least four policemen were killed in two separate incidents of firing in Pakistan's southwest Quetta city on Tuesday night, local Urdu media reported.
Aaj TV said that two policemen were killed and a passerby injured when some unknown gunmen opened firing on a vehicle of Senior House Officer (S.H.O) police in Sariab Raod area of Quetta, the capital city of the country's southwest Balochistan province.
The S.H.O escaped unhurt in the incident, but his driver and bodyguard got killed in the gun attack.
In a separate attack in Shalkot area of the city, two policemen were killed when some unknown gunmen attacked their patrolling vehicle.
Police said that the police vehicle was on its routine patrolling across the city when it came under attack.
The both incidents happened with in the span of two hours, and the militants fled the scene after carrying out the attacks.
Police kicked off a search operation in the city to arrest the on-the-run militants.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Chief Minister Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri took notice of the incident and sought report from the concerned authorities. Enditem
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- There were 1,341 vocational colleges for higher education in China in 2015, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE) Tuesday.
These colleges were attended by 10.48 million students in 2015, accounting for 41.2 percent of all college undergraduates.
These vocational institutes also provided on-the-job training to 20 million people in 2015.
Vocational colleges offer occupational courses, and are important to transforming higher education from an elite area to one for the masses, said Ge Daokai, director of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education with the MOE.
As of 2015, all the provincial regions in China had established financial support systems for vocational colleges. Annual financial subsidies on each student should be no less than 12,000 yuan (1,806 U.S. dollars) in 2017, according to the MOE.
A budget of 5 billion yuan from the government is also expected from 2016 to 2020, to promote the combination of production and study and build a modern vocational education system.
BEIRUT, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese business leader and former minister of economy and trade Adnan Kassar said on Tuesday that a Lebanese gourmet festival will be launched in Beijing on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"We shall open a two-week Lebanese gourmet festival and a five-day exhibition of leading Lebanese producers and services in Beijing next month on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the China-Lebanon diplomatic relations," Kassar said in an interview with Xinhua in Beirut.
He said Lebanon attaches great esteem and sees potential in China-Arab ties.
"Lebanon was one of the first countries in the Arab world to sign a trade agreement with the People's Republic of China. Chinese President Xi Jinping's first official tour in 2016 was to our region and indeed his visit was a promising sign of peace and friendship," he said.
He said Lebanon has much to offer and benefit from China's Belt and Road Initiative and the closer cooperation with China.
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.
"Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, we are proud that China is Lebanon's number one trade partner, and we hope to see Lebanese companies active in China," Kassar said. Enditem
LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gestures as she campaigns at East Los Angeles College in Los Angeles, the United States , May 5, 2016. (Xinhua file photo/Zhao Hanrong)
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi Tuesday faulted the U.S. government for lack of preparedness and slow response in sending help during the attacks in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead.
The U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi released Tuesday its 800-page final report on the 2012 attack which marked the culmination of a two-year investigation.
"Despite President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's clear orders to deploy military assets, nothing was sent to Benghazi, and nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost 8 hours after the attacks began," the report said.
In a statement regarding the findings of the report, Republican Representative Mike Pompeo accused the Obama administration of putting politics ahead of the lives of Americans.
"While the administration had made excuses and blamed the challenges posed by time and distance, the truth is that they did not try," Pompeo said.
Four Americans including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens were killed on Sept. 11, 2012 when the U.S. consulate in Benghazi were attacked by armed militants.
Pompeo and Republican Representative Jim Jordan, in an addendum to the report, also criticized the Obama administration for its public explanations of the attacks.
"With the presidential election just 56 days away, rather than tell the American people the truth and increase the risk of losing an election, the administration told one story privately and a different story publicly," the two representatives wrote.
The Democrats have slammed that the Republican-led investigation, which costs more than 7 million U.S. dollars, was intended to undermine Hillary Clinton 's presidential campaign.
Clinton, now presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been accused by the Republicans for being responsible for the terror attack as she had denied numerous requests for increased security protection from the U.S. diplomats in Libya.
"The Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are finishing their work in the same, partisan way that we've seen from them since the beginning," Clinton's spokesman Brian Fallon said in a statement in response to the report.
"In refusing to issue its report on a bipartisan basis, the Committee is breaking from the precedent set by other Congressional inquiries into the Benghazi attacks," Fallon said.
The Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Monday released their own report to refute accusations by the Republicans against Clinton for her role in the attack.
The House Democrats said they issued the 339-page report because it is "long past time" for the Republican-led select committee investigating the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi to conclude its work.
By releasing the report on Monday, the Democrats aim to counteract the Republicans' attack as the presidential race kicks into high gear ahead of the national conventions by the two parties in July.
Related:
U.S. House Democrats issue own Benghazi report to defend Hillary Clinton
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Democrats on the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Monday released their own report to refute accusations by the Republicans against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her role in a 2012 terror attack.
The House Democrats said they issued the 339-page report because it is "long past time" for the Republican-led select committee investigating the terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 to conclude its work. Full story
Libyan army claims major success against militants in Benghazi
TRIPOLI, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan army has announced "major success" in operations against militants in the eastern city of Benghazi.
LONDON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The University of Oxford Tuesday announced that a new approach to gas exploration has resulted in the discovery of a huge helium gas field in Tanzania, which could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element.
Helium is critical to many things people take for granted, including MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners in medicine, welding, industrial leak detection and nuclear energy. However, known reserves are quickly running out. Until now helium were mainly found in small quantities during oil and gas drilling.
A team of researchers from the University of Oxford and Durham University, working with a helium exploration company, has developed a brand new exploration approach. The first use of this method has led to the discovery of a world-class helium gas field in Tanzania.
Their research shows that volcanic activity provides the intense heat necessary to release the gas from ancient, helium-bearing rocks. Within the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley, volcanoes have released helium from ancient deep rocks and have trapped this helium in shallower gas fields. The team sampled helium gas and nitrogen just bubbling out of the ground in the valley.
The team found that volcanoes in the valley play an important role in the formation of viable helium reserves, and volcanic activity likely provides the heat necessary to release the helium accumulated in ancient crustal rocks.
"By combining our understanding of helium geochemistry with seismic images of gas trapping structures, independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 billion cubic feet (1 cubic feet = 0.028 cubic meter) in just one part of the Rift Valley," said Professor Chris Ballentine from the University of Oxford.
To put this discovery into perspective, global consumption of helium is about eight billion cubic feet per year and the United States Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world's largest supplier, has a current reserve of just 24.2 billion cubic feet, according to Ballentine.
"This is a game changer for the future security of society's helium needs and similar finds in the future may not be far away," said Ballentine. Enditem
This photo released by the US Navy shows the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) arriving on June 11, 2013 for a visit at the port of Souda Bay in Greece. (AFP PHOTO/US Navy/D.L PAUL FARLEY)
MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. destroyer moved dangerously close to a Russian warship in the Mediterranean, violating international and bilateral agreements, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
"On June 17, U.S. guided missile destroyer Gravely made a close encounter with a Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry in the eastern Mediterranean at a distance of 60-70 meters on the port side and crossed its course at the bow (of the Russian ship) at a dangerous distance of 180 meters," the ministry said in a statement.
It said the Russian warship was sailing in international waters, maintaining constant course and speed without any dangerous maneuver towards the U.S. ship.
The ministry accused the U.S. destroyer's commander and crew of a "gross violation" of International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and a Russia-U.S. intergovernmental agreement on avoiding incidents at sea signed in 1972.
"This incident shows that U.S. naval sailors allow themselves to forget about the fundamental principles of navigation security and give no thought to the consequences of such dangerous maneuvers in areas with heavy sea traffic," the ministry said.
The Russian side in April refuted media reports about dangerous maneuvers by Russian aircraft when encountering U.S. warships and military aircraft.
The Russian Defense Ministry then denied its acts were aggressive and insisted all flights were held in accordance with international law.
Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi speaks at a press briefing after the European Union (EU) extraordinary summit aiming to discuss how to address the migratory pressures in the Mediterranean at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 23, 2015. (Xinhua/Zhou Lei)
ROME, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of new migrant and refugee arrivals were registered in Italy on Monday, officials said.
At least 1,140 people were saved during eight rescue operations carried out on Monday in the Strait of Sicily, a spokesman from the Italian coast guard told Xinhua.
Some 400 migrants were rescued by a coast guard vessel in the first two separate operations, and another 620 people were later brought to safety by two Italian ships and an Irish vessel, according to the official.
An Italian navy ship assisted 120 people who were sailing on board a dinghy off the coast of Libya.
All migrants were brought to Sicily in southern Italy, to receive first aid and later be brought to reception centers.
Further distress calls were received by the coast guard late on Monday but involved a much lower number of people compared to the last two days, the coast guard spokesman said.
About 3,500 people were saved during the weekend when trying to make the perilous journey from Africa to Italy across the Central Mediterranean Sea route.
They were rescued in 27 separate operations involving Italian vessels, along with other naval forces from the European Union (EU) borders agency Frontex and humanitarian groups, the coast guard said.
Besides rescuing migrants, Italy also recovered bodies from past sea tragedies in the past few days.
The bodies of six migrants recovered between June 23 and 24 were brought to Palermo in Sicily by the navy on Monday.
The migrants had died in a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily on August 5, 2015, the navy said.
At the time of the incident, an Irish vessel rescued some 373 people and found 26 bodies.
Prosecutors in Palermo later entrusted the navy with locating the ship, in order to possibly recover any more victims. The wreck was discovered 60 meters below sea level in December 2015.
Some 10 bodies were detected during inspections inside and around the sunken boat, but only six of them were retrieved due to safety reasons, the navy said.
To date, some 64,056 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy this year by sea, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR stated.
About 16,000 arrivals were registered in June alone. The figure was high, yet it marked a decrease compared to the 22,000 people registered in the same month in 2015.
Most of them headed towards other countries in northern Europe.
Syrian people made up 46.7 percent of all arrivals registered in Italy, Spain, and Greece between January and March 2016, the UNHCR also said.
Among other top nationalities of Mediterranean arrivals were people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, and Pakistan.
PARIS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The French Senate adopted on Tuesday a more pro-business labor law bill, the French Senate said on its website Tuesday evening.
Controlled by the right wing, the French Senate changed the bill to a even more pro-business version, and adopted it with 185 against 156 votes.
The Senate extensively revised the text, including removing the 35 hours as the standard for working time, French daily Le Figaro reported.
Thousands of French workers took to street again across France on Tuesday to protest against the French government's plans to reform the country's labor law.
Prior to the start of the demonstrations, the head of CGT Philippe Martinez announced "a new day of actions" against the new labor code on July 5 when the French National Assembly will reexamine the bill.
The National Assembly will have the final vote on July 20. Enditem
Greek firefighters assisted by water dropping aircraft and helicopters battle wildfire near Athens on June 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Greek firefighters appeared concerned on Monday over resource shortages due to austerity cuts as they battled the first major summer wildfires.
More than 150 firefighters and five aircraft were deployed some 40 km northwest of Athens on Monday to battle the fire which broke out on Saturday night at Dervenochoria, the fire brigade chief Lieutenant General Ioannis Karatzias announced.
No populated zones have been under threat so far, but the ongoing wildfire was split into two in remote areas and large sections of a pine forest had been scorched, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
Strong winds blowing in the area on Sunday had receded on Monday, with the hope the blaze would soon be extinguished, the fire service said.
Meanwhile, an investigation was underway for the cause of the fire as well as the reasons why a water bomber, which was participating in the operation, was forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday.
Representatives of firefighters complained that Greece's fire fighting fleet was old and posed risks. In general, available resources were inadequate due to the spending cuts introduced in recent years amidst the debt crisis, they said.
Yannis Stamoulis, the president of the Greek Association of Greek Fire Brigade Officers, expressed "serious concern whether the fire department will be in position to deal with wildfires effectively this summer," while speaking to local media Vima FM on Monday.
In a recent statement, the association warned that several of the fleet's 30 planes and helicopters were more than 40 years old and firefighter uniforms were in short supply.
In a visit to the fire brigade's special operations squadron two weeks ago, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras acknowledged "shortages in resources as the crisis has hit all sectors" and pledged the government would work hard to address them as soon as possible.
Public order minister Nikos Toskas reiterated the promise on Monday when speaking to local media that the fleet would be gradually replaced. He said the government was examining the idea of leasing aircraft and helicopters from neighboring countries.
Greece suffers from scores of destructive wildfires every summer. In many cases, high temperatures and strong winds play a part, while arson is also a factor.
In 2007, in the worst wildfires tragedy in recent decades, over 80 people died as dozens of major wildfires raged across Greece.
OTTAWA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday announced his government's intention to lift the visa requirement for Mexican visitors beginning on Dec. 1, 2016.
"Canada is pleased to deliver on the government' s commitment to lift the visa requirement for Mexican nationals. We look forward to the social and economic benefits that lifting the visa requirement will bring to both countries," Trudeau said.
The announcement came just after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto came to Canada Monday for a two-day state visit and for the North American Leaders' Summit, which is to open here Wednesday.
Lifting the visa requirement is expected to increase the flow of travellers, ideas, and business between both countries, Trudeau said in a statement.
Canadian officials are reportedly working with their Mexican counterparts on final details to ensure a successful visa lift, it said. This includes expanding existing collaboration and cooperation on migration issues -- with the goal of ensuring that the benefits of the visa lift are fully maximized by both countries.
Up to Nov. 30, 2016, the visa requirement is still in place for Mexico. Enditem
N'DJAMENA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Much progress has been made in recent years to improve the situation of children in Chad, but there is still a long way to go, Bakary Sogoba, chief of Children Protection Program of United Naions Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Chad, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Between 2010 to 2015, infant mortality rate fell from 106 per 1,000 to 72 per 1,000, Babary said on the occasion of the publication of UNICEF annual report on "the situation of children in the world."
In the same period, the number of children in Chad vaccinated has tripled from 8 percent to 25 percent, and the number of children sleeping under mosquito nets went up from 12 percent to 36 percent, he said.
"Looking at these numbers, we imperatively need to help millions of disadvantaged and vulnerable children," he said, adding, "the barriers to help these children are not technical. It is rather a question of commitment, it is a question of resources and it is a question of collective will."
Based on current trends in the world, says the report of UNICEF, 69 million children will die of the reasons which can be prevented, 167 million children will live in poverty and 750 million women will be married as children by 2030, the deadline for realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Enditem
KAMPALA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN children's agency has urged Uganda to reduce the number of children dying under the age of five if it is to realize the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target of 26 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in its report, The State of the World's Children 2016, said to fully realize the target, Uganda needs to reduce its under-five mortality rate in poor communities by 6.8 percent per year.
"Under-five mortality should continue to decline for all children. But in order to reach the child survival targets, mortality rates for children from the poorest households will have to fall much more rapidly than the rates for those from the wealthiest households," the report issued on Tuesday said.
Currently, Uganda's under-five mortality rate is 90 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to figures by the children's agency.
According to the agency, based on current global trends, 69 million children will die from mostly preventable causes by 2030. In Uganda, every day, 52 children die of pneumonia, 42 from malaria and 33 from diarrhea.
"In many cases, the constraints on reaching these children are not technical. They are a matter of political commitment and collective will. They are a matter of resources. If we all join forces, we can address the inequity and inequality that hundreds of thousands of children across Uganda currently experience," said Aida Girma, UNICEF's Representative in Uganda.
The report said that significant progress has been made in saving children's lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty globally, but highlighted that this progress has been neither even nor fair. Enditem
ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday re-affirmed its commitment towards supporting the East African Community's Integration interconnections in railway, airlines and industrialization.
Lu Youqing, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Tanzania, and the EAC bloc made the remarks in Arusha, Tanzania when he paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Liberat Mfumukeko, the Secretary General of EAC.
The Chinese envoy stressed the need for the trading bloc to fast track the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on China/EAC Aviation Cooperation.
Lu expressed China's growing interest in augmenting its cooperation with EAC, specifically the China/EAC/FTA Cooperation, noting that it would positively impact on EAC products going to the Chinese market, especially agricultural products.
He informed the Secretary General that China was finalizing the process of donating vehicles to EAC to enhance its capacity. The Chinese envoy further expressed hope that the Secretary General would continue the strong cooperation with China.
During the visit, ambassador Mfumukeko and the Chinese envoy discussed among other things the possible areas of cooperation and the need to organize investment conferences in China led by the East African Business Council.
Amb. Liberat recognized the significance of China in EAC noting that China is a potentially big partner for the bloc.
He acknowledged the contribution made by China in the infrastructure sector, particularly rails, roads and air transport geared towards enhancing trade in the region.
The Secretary General thanked China for her contribution towards the Burundi Dialogue Process and invited China to contribute to other projects and programmes, through the EAC Partnership Fund.
RIGA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian anti-corruption watchdog is seeking criminal prosecution against Ugis Magonis, the former CEO of Latvijas Dzelzcels (Latvian Railway), for large-scale graft, local media reported on Tuesday.
The Corruption Prevention Bureau has sent materials of the case to the Prosecutor General's Office, asking to prosecute Magonis for taking a bribe worth roughly 500,000 euros (551,812 U.S.dollars).
According to information provided by the bureau, Magonis received the bribe in relation to a multi-million-euro deal of LDz Ritosa Sastava Serviss, the Latvian rail company's subsidiary in charge of rolling stock.
Magonis faces criminal prosecution for accepting a large bribe, and another individual who has also been probed in connection with the case is also likely to be prosecuted for bribing a state official.
According to media reports, Estonian businessman Oleg Ossinovski allegedly gave the bribe so that his company Skinest could sell four old diesel locomotives to LDz Ritosa Sastava Serviss for several million euros.
Ossinovski, who features as a suspect in the probing, has claimed to Estonian media that the diesel locomotive tender was held in accordance with rules and that he had never made any illegal payments to anyone in relation with it. Enditem
by Omar Mendoza and Leng Tong
SANTIAGO, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Chile, under the leadership of President Michelle Bachelet, has promoted "the convergence" of Latin American trade blocs Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance.
"Seeking the convergence of two different mechanisms of integration that share similar goals must be a reality," Bachelet has said recently.
"We must once and for all put aside all these preconceptions that there are two opposing blocs that do not dialogue between them," she added.
The older of the two, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), gathers south cone countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, while the Pacific Alliance brings together Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, all countries with extensive Pacific coasts.
To promote this convergence, Chile's Foreign Affairs Ministry has developed a series of initiatives, including inviting Argentinian President Mauricio Macri to an alliance summit, scheduled for June 28 to July 1 in Chile's southern port city of Puerto Varas.
The alliance is home to 35 percent of the Latin American and Caribbean population, and represents up to 50 percent of the region's total trade.
Mercosur already lists Chile, Colombia and Peru, among other nations, as associate members, with Mexico as an observer country.
Together the two blocs account for more than 80 percent of the region's foreign trade, and more than 90 percent of Latin America's gross domestic product (GDP) and flow of foreign direct investment, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The key to convergence lies in identifying aspects the blocs have in common, especially specific terms of agreements, in a region that has achieved relative stability despite the global financial crisis and more recent sluggish regional economic growth.
Joining the Pacific Alliance is one of the goals of Argentina's president, who already has the strong support of his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos, as evident during Macri's recent trip to Bogota.
Paraguay's President Horacio Cartes has also expressed his intention to participate in the alliance as an observer country and forge ties with the bloc, without negatively impacting Mercosur.
In Uruguay, a founding member of Mercosur, former President Luis Alberto Lacalle has said the bloc needs to reconsider its future, while other prominent personalities have called on the government to study the possibility of joining the alliance.
While the Pacific Alliance has succeeded in consolidating itself in a relatively short time since it was created in 2012, Mercosur has been weakened by political difference between members, especially following the recent rise of conservative governments in Argentina and Brazil.
In Brazil, industry trade unions complain that membership in Mercosur limits a country's ability to independently establish alliances with markets outside the bloc.
The goal of economic integration now seems unlikely in Mercosur, but more viable within the alliance, which has made headway in such areas as the verification and balanced application of norms regulating trade transactions, spurring exchange between member countries.
At the upcoming summit in Puerto Varas, participants will be talking about deepening integration amid stagnated trade exchange in the region for the third year in a row.
Today, driven by a certain political affinity, the left-leaning governments of Bolivia and Ecuador are looking to join Mercosur, as Central American countries, such as Costa Rica and Panama, are trying to become alliance members.
In its 20-year existence, Mercosur has seen achievements on various fronts, including in promoting judicial cooperation and educational integration, facilitating the flow of people between member countries, promoting environmental management, and establishing the Mercosur Virtual School, which provides training in e-commerce.
Several studies propose the bloc focus on its strengths, redirecting its efforts towards resolving social issues and promoting accords in the areas of science, technology, health and education.
In the meantime, the Pacific Alliance is poised to pursue the free movement of goods and services, capital and people, with an eye to improving competitivity, boosting trade with the Asia-Pacific region, and raising the standard of living among member states.
Yemeni children play next to the wreckage of a car on June 15, 2016 in an empoverished part of the capital Sanaa. (AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED HUWAIS)
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday said that 69 million children under five will die from mostly preventable causes, 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The UN agency compiled the report based on the basis of the current trends, urging the world to focus more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children.
"The State of the World's Children," UNICEF's annual flagship report, painted a stark picture of what is in store for the world's poorest children if governments, donors, businesses and international organizations do not accelerate efforts to address their needs.
"Denying hundreds of millions of children a fair chance in life does more than threaten their futures -- by fueling intergenerational cycles of disadvantage, it imperils the future of their societies," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. "We have a choice: Invest in these children now or allow our world to become still more unequal and divided."
The report noted that significant progress has been made in saving children's lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty.
Global under-five mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990, boys and girls attend primary school in equal numbers in 129 countries, and the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide is almost half what it was in the 1990s.
But this progress has been neither even nor fair, the report said. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest.
Across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children born to mothers with no education are almost three times more likely to die before they are five than those born to mothers with a secondary education. And girls from the poorest households are twice as likely to marry as children than girls from the wealthiest households.
Nowhere is the outlook grimmer than in sub-Saharan Africa, where at least 247 million children -- or two in three -- live in multidimensional poverty, deprived of what they need to survive and develop, and where nearly 60 percent of 20-to 24-year-olds from the poorest fifth of the population have had less than four years of schooling.
At current trends, the report projected that by 2030, sub-Saharan Africa will account for:
-- Nearly half of the 69 million children who will die before their fifth birthday from mostly preventable causes;
-- More than half of the 60 million children of primary school age who will still be out of school; and
-- Nine out of 10 children living in extreme poverty.
Although education plays a unique role in levelling the playing field for children, the number of children who do not attend school has increased since 2011, and a significant proportion of those who do go to school are not learning.
About 124 million children today do not go to primary- and lower-secondary school, and almost 2 in 5 who do finish primary school have not learned how to read, write or do simple arithmetic.
Meanwhile, the report also pointed to evidence that investing in the most vulnerable children can yield immediate and long-term benefits. Cash transfers, for example, have been shown to help children stay in school longer and advance to higher levels of education.
On average, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10 percent. And for each additional year of schooling completed, on average, by young adults in a country, that country's poverty rates fall by 9 percent.
Inequity is neither inevitable, nor insurmountable, the report argues. Better data on the most vulnerable children, integrated solutions to the challenges children face, innovative ways to address old problems, more equitable investment and increased involvement by communities -- all these measures can help level the playing field for children.
Liu Fang, secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), speaks during a joint interview with UN Radio and Xinhua News Agency at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 24, 2016. Civil aviation, which remains the safest among all transportation means, can play a very important role in promoting sustainable development across the world, Liu Fang said. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
by Xinhua writer Gu Zhenqiu
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Over the past decades, China has had a good record in aviation safety while developing the industry at a high speed, the head of the UN specialized agency for civil aviation has said.
Its experience in this regard needs to be shared by other countries, particularly the developing ones, Liu Fang, secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), told Xinhua in an interview.
Liu said that China is the second largest country in the world in terms of total volume of passengers and cargo carried by air transportation behind the United States.
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed it was estimated that passengers made a total of 440 million trips in 2015, up 11.4 percent year on year. International routes also registered an explosion, increasing to 660 international routes.
"At present, China is a major power in world civil aviation," Liu said. "Its experience in this regard should be shared by other countries."
COOPERATION FOR SECURITY
"It is our hope that ICAO and China will further their cooperation so that more countries can share China's experience," she said. "This is conducive to the development of global civil aviation."
She said that her agency is a very good platform to share China's relevant experience with the other 190 member states, particularly those developing nations.
Liu said that governments of the member states, including China, attach great importance to the safe and secure air transport systems. "I would like to see all member states, including the Chinese government, to enhance their cooperation and collaboration," she said.
"We also would like to see strengthened cooperation between ICAO and China in the field of technical assistance and technical cooperation," she said.
A challenge in global civil aviation lies in the uneven implementation among all member states of international standards, she said.
"We set a global target for this global implementation, for now, that is 60 percent. However, some States are still unable to reach this target," she said, adding that ICAO would like to raise this rate to 80 percent or even 90 percent in the coming years.
"So, clearly, there is a need for the States which are really in need to get proper support and assistance in terms of expertise, in terms of funding resources, to help them establish national regulatory system, to help them get proper capacity in terms of expertise and to help them establish a technical system to do the job."
To reach the target, the Montreal-based ICAO has put forward the "No country left behind" initiative, she said.
CONTRIBUTION TO CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE
Meanwhile, Liu said that aviation can also play a very active role in boosting efforts to carry out China's Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, she said.
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.
"We know China has the Belt and Road Initiative. I think one of the important components is infrastructure development for a lot of our member states," she said. "I think this is what they really need. For that part, aviation safety and security is one of the important components."
"I think ICAO can contribute to this initiative through our technical expertise, through our technical advice to that endeavor," she said. "Through the strengthened cooperation, we would like to assist countries in this region, and also in developing countries at large which are in need to effectively implement our standards."
"We hope we can strengthen this cooperation with the Chinese government to enhance these states' effective implementation level of our standards to ensure the safe and secure operation of air transport around the world," she said.
Liu Fang, secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), speaks during a joint interview with UN Radio and Xinhua News Agency at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 24, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
At the same time, Liu noted that nowadays more and more Chinese are travelling abroad by air.
"So it is hoped that the Chinese citizens wherever they fly on whatever airline, they will be safely and securely transported to the destination they are looking for," she said.
"For ICAO, we would like also to take a balanced approach to aviation security and facilitation of passenger and cargo flow through the airports," she said.
"When you go through every airport as a passenger, you will go through the security procedure, that is to ensure the aircraft operation and airport to be operated in a safe and secure manner," she said.
"Meanwhile, we will try to get this process to be efficiently managed and handled, to be user friendly and we will encourage our member states, when implementing these security standards, to think of facilitation -- to facilitate the cargo and passenger flow to ensure our air transport is speedy and efficient. That is one of the most important characters of the air transport," she said.
Liu was at UN Headquarters in New York to brief the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council on the challenges in the global aviation security and how to strengthen cooperation in this regard.
In March 2015, Liu, a Chinese national, was appointed as the secretary general of ICAO for a three-year term, beginning on Aug. 1, 2015.
She becomes the first woman ever to head the UN specialized agency for civil aviation, and only the second ICAO secretary general from the Asia Pacific region.
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Violent protests broke out in Indian-controlled Kashmir Tuesday with irate youth setting ablaze a police vehicle to protest the killing of a militant commander, police said.
The police vehicle was set ablaze at village Hardeshiva in Sopore, about 65 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
"The vehicle carrying prisoners was stopped by the protesters and set ablaze," a police official said. "However, all the prisoners are safe."
Reports said people in the area including youth took to streets to protest the killing of a local militant commander Sameer Ahmad Wani of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).
HM is the region's indigenous militant outfit.
Wani according to Indian military was killed in a gunfight on Tuesday morning in Kupwara district.
"Based on specific intelligence about the presence of a militant at Nagri village in Kupwara, a joint operation was launched by the army and police. As the operation progressed and the suspected house was cordoned, security forces made number of attempts to convince the militant to surrender by making announcement but the militant resorted to firing following which a gun battle ensued which ended with his elimination," Indian military spokesman Col. N N Joshi said.
No sooner the news about Wani's killing reached his native place in Sopore, hundreds of residents including women and children came out in mourning. The mourners were shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans to protest his killing, eyewitnesses said.
Clashes broke out in the area with protesters throwing stones and brickbats at police, which responded by firing tear smoke shells and warning shots to disperse people.
Wani's body was taken in a procession for funeral prayers and subsequent burial. Locals said the procession was one of the largest in the recent times.
Anti-India sentiment runs deep in the psyche of majority of Kashmiris.
Last week six militants were killed during a day in two different gunfights in the region.
A separatist movement and guerilla war challenging New Delhi's rule has been going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Gunfights between the militants and Indian troops take place intermittently across the region.
Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Enditem
by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- After six years of animosity, Israel's reconciliation with Turkey was announced on Monday. The deal, which marked the beginning of a new geopolitical reality in the region, enables the two countries to normalize relations, but the road ahead could be bumpy.
The agreement, which still remains to be ratified by Israel's cabinet and Turkey's parliament, is the epitome of realpolitik on both sides and it is perhaps exactly what is needed in the volatile Middle East, observers here say.
The Israeli government is hailing the agreement as a success. Its terms do show achievements for the Jewish state.
Israel and Turkey used to be close allies. In 2010 when a Gaza bound flotilla originating in Turkey tried to break Israel's blockade on the territory, a forceful Israeli intervention killed nine Turkish citizens and created a huge rift in the relations between the two countries.
The agreement was greeted by many but questioned as well. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they received all what they had asked for. The truth is somewhere in the middle -- this way each leader can capitalize politically.
As part of the deal, the countries will restore full diplomatic relations which were downgraded immediately after the incident.
Israel will pay 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation to the families of the Turkish victims.
Turkey will be allowed to begin aid projects in the Gaza Strip and deliver goods to the impoverished territory through an Israeli port in the south of the country.
Throughout the negotiations, Turkey had insisted that the blockade on Gaza be lifted and sees this as a sign of Israel essentially doing just that.
Speaking in Rome after announcing the deal, Netanyahu said the blockade is still in place.
Turkey will be allowed to send goods into Gaza through an Israeli port, which means Israel still controls what goes into Gaza. In addition, perhaps more importantly, Israel still controls the traffic of Gazan residents -- most of them not allowed out of the impoverished territory.
Raphael Ahern, a diplomatic correspondent for the Israel Times said the agreement "allows both sides to save face."
Israel had already in the past issued an apology for the incident and had agreed to compensate the families. Some in Israel believe such compensation is unprecedented.
In a Facebook post, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog called the financial settlement "unfathomable," saying "every Hebrew mother should know that right wing leaders will compensate your son's attackers."
A poll conducted by Israeli Channel 10 hours before the agreement was announced showed that the majority of Israel's were unhappy with the deal. About 56 percent were against, 33 percent were in favor and the remaining 11 percent did not know.
For many Israelis, the compensation is a difficult pill to swallow, as expressed by Herzog.
In addition, Israelis expected to receive the remains of two missing soldiers who were killed two years ago during the last war Israel fought with Hamas in Gaza.
The poll indicted that 67 percent of Israelis believe the return on the bodies should have been a precondition to the deal.
In response to the public criticism, the Israeli prime minister's office said that Hamas was not a party in the agreement and therefore this could not be agreed to. However, they added, Turkey promised to assist in bringing the soldiers home.
When word of the agreement came out, the families erected a tent outside of Netanyahu's home in protest of the agreement. Netanyahu said he understood 'the suffering of the families.'
As part of the agreement, Turkey has agreed to ratify a law that would end all legal claims the Turkish people may have against military personnel who participated in the raid on the flotilla.
The deal comes at a time of great instability in the region.
Professor Dror Zeevi, who specializes in Middle Eastern Studies, explains the geopolitical context.
"Turkey and Israel are both kind of isolated in the Middle East. They need each other. There are lots of common issues -- ISIS, problems of Syria and Iraq. They need each other, the U.S. and probably the world needs them to cooperate on these issues," he says.
Hours after the reconciliation was announced, there were media reports that Erdogan had apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the downing of a Russian jet on the Turkish-Syrian border last year.
The timing of both is probably no coincidence -- both Turkey and Israel need to improve their positions in the fragile Middle East.
"It's a pretty good one for Israel. It paid some compensation but in financial terms, it's not much and the agreement about Gaza allows Israel to maintain some kind of control over what goes into Gaza and what goes out of Gaza and that's very important as well," Zeevi summarizes.
The blockade on Gaza has not been lifted as a result of the agreement. This means Israel has achieved its main goal, while patching up its relations with a critical neighbor in the region.
Turkey had gotten the apology it had wanted prior to Monday's announcement and Israel had already said it would agree to pay compensation. Turkey will now be allowed to send goods and aid into Gaza via Israel. This allows Erdogan to say he is helping rehabilitate the territory.
The mutual interests of both sides are being served and this will most likely guarantee the longevity of the agreement. Enditem
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an iftar event in Ankara, Turkey, June 27, 2016. (Reuters photo)
by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, June 28 (Xinhua) -- After six years of animosity, Israel's reconciliation with Turkey was announced on Monday. The deal, which marked the beginning of a new geopolitical reality in the region, enables the two countries to normalize relations, but the road ahead could be bumpy.
The agreement, which still remains to be ratified by Israel's cabinet and Turkey's parliament, is the epitome of realpolitik on both sides and it is perhaps exactly what is needed in the volatile Middle East, observers here say.
The Israeli government is hailing the agreement as a success. Its terms do show achievements for the Jewish state.
Israel and Turkey used to be close allies. In 2010 when a Gaza bound flotilla originating in Turkey tried to break Israel's blockade on the territory, a forceful Israeli intervention killed nine Turkish citizens and created a huge rift in the relations between the two countries.
The agreement was greeted by many but questioned as well. Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they received all what they had asked for. The truth is somewhere in the middle -- this way each leader can capitalize politically.
As part of the deal, the countries will restore full diplomatic relations which were downgraded immediately after the incident.
Israel will pay 20 million U.S. dollars in compensation to the families of the Turkish victims.
Turkey will be allowed to begin aid projects in the Gaza Strip and deliver goods to the impoverished territory through an Israeli port in the south of the country.
Throughout the negotiations, Turkey had insisted that the blockade on Gaza be lifted and sees this as a sign of Israel essentially doing just that.
Speaking in Rome after announcing the deal, Netanyahu said the blockade is still in place.
Turkey will be allowed to send goods into Gaza through an Israeli port, which means Israel still controls what goes into Gaza. In addition, perhaps more importantly, Israel still controls the traffic of Gazan residents -- most of them not allowed out of the impoverished territory.
Raphael Ahern, a diplomatic correspondent for the Israel Times said the agreement "allows both sides to save face."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with the UN secretary general in Jerusalem on June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP)
Israel had already in the past issued an apology for the incident and had agreed to compensate the families. Some in Israel believe such compensation is unprecedented.
In a Facebook post, Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog called the financial settlement "unfathomable," saying "every Hebrew mother should know that right wing leaders will compensate your son's attackers."
A poll conducted by Israeli Channel 10 hours before the agreement was announced showed that the majority of Israel's were unhappy with the deal. About 56 percent were against, 33 percent were in favor and the remaining 11 percent did not know.
For many Israelis, the compensation is a difficult pill to swallow, as expressed by Herzog.
In addition, Israelis expected to receive the remains of two missing soldiers who were killed two years ago during the last war Israel fought with Hamas in Gaza.
The poll indicted that 67 percent of Israelis believe the return on the bodies should have been a precondition to the deal.
In response to the public criticism, the Israeli prime minister's office said that Hamas was not a party in the agreement and therefore this could not be agreed to. However, they added, Turkey promised to assist in bringing the soldiers home.
When word of the agreement came out, the families erected a tent outside of Netanyahu's home in protest of the agreement. Netanyahu said he understood 'the suffering of the families.'
As part of the agreement, Turkey has agreed to ratify a law that would end all legal claims the Turkish people may have against military personnel who participated in the raid on the flotilla.
The deal comes at a time of great instability in the region.
Professor Dror Zeevi, who specializes in Middle Eastern Studies, explains the geopolitical context.
"Turkey and Israel are both kind of isolated in the Middle East. They need each other. There are lots of common issues -- ISIS, problems of Syria and Iraq. They need each other, the U.S. and probably the world needs them to cooperate on these issues," he says.
Hours after the reconciliation was announced, there were media reports that Erdogan had apologized to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the downing of a Russian jet on the Turkish-Syrian border last year.
The timing of both is probably no coincidence -- both Turkey and Israel need to improve their positions in the fragile Middle East.
"It's a pretty good one for Israel. It paid some compensation but in financial terms, it's not much and the agreement about Gaza allows Israel to maintain some kind of control over what goes into Gaza and what goes out of Gaza and that's very important as well," Zeevi summarizes.
The blockade on Gaza has not been lifted as a result of the agreement. This means Israel has achieved its main goal, while patching up its relations with a critical neighbor in the region.
Turkey had gotten the apology it had wanted prior to Monday's announcement and Israel had already said it would agree to pay compensation. Turkey will now be allowed to send goods and aid into Gaza via Israel. This allows Erdogan to say he is helping rehabilitate the territory.
The mutual interests of both sides are being served and this will most likely guarantee the longevity of the agreement.
THE HAGUE, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch House of Representatives (De Tweede Kamer) on Tuesday rejected by majority a motion by PVV leader Geert Wilders for a referendum on the Dutch European Union membership.
"I say this to everyone: the Dutch deserve a referendum as well," Wilders stated while advocating his motion in the Dutch parliament in The Hague. "The Dutch should also be able to rule in favor or against the departure of the Netherlands from the European Union and the restoration of our national sovereignty and independence."
Only 14 of the total of 150 MP's supported the motion for a Nexit referendum, the 12 members of Wilders anti-EU Party of Freedom PVV and two MP's who had separated themselves from the PVV.
A Dutch EU referendum would be possible with the backing of a majority of the parliament or if the prime minister would issue a referendum. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has already stated that he is against a referendum in general and also against the Netherlands leaving the EU.
"That would have major consequences for the Netherlands, our stability and the recovery of our prosperity," Rutte reacted on the outcome of the Brexit referendum, with Britain leaving the EU. "I am absolutely against it. It would not be in the Dutch interest."
According to a poll by Dutch news show EenVandaag on Saturday 54 percent of the Dutch people would like to have a referendum on whether the Netherlands should stay part of the European Union. The same survey showed there would be no majority for a Nexit, with 48 voting to leave the EU.
According to Dutch law, citizens of the Netherlands can only apply for an advisory referendum and such a referendum can only deal with laws or treaties already adopted but not entered into force yet. This was the case in April this year when a majority of the Dutch voted against the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement.
Wilders won't give up on his Nexit message. "My proposal for a Nexit referendum was rejected today," he stated. "But the Dutch get a second chance on March 15, 2017, the day of our next general elections."
MUNICH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- German manufacturers' expectations in export growth rose notably in June compared to last month, research group Ifo institute reported here on Tuesday.
The outlook value rose from 6.2 balance points in May to 8.1 balance points in June, reaching its highest level since December 2015, the think tank said.
According to the report, companies in automotive sector, metals and electronics industries and pharmaceutical industry were all more optimistic, while optimism among mechanical engineering companies waned slightly.
However, the report noted that the survey was made prior to the Brexit referendum.
"German exporters held their ground in a weak global economic climate," Ifo president Clemens Fuest commented.
The Ifo business climate index is considered the most important barometer for the German economy. Enditem
BRATISLAVA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia opened a new business center mostly for Chinese companies in Senec in western Slovakia on Tuesday.
Among the first companies coming to Senec are manufacturers of lighting, soy products, skates and avionics systems.
The administration-logistics center, with a capacity of 10,000 square metres, is divided into sections of technology, food, retail and a space for expositions. Tuesday saw the opening of the first 1,800 square metres, with a total of some 10 million euros (11 million U.S dollars) invested in the project.
"We've prepared 80 administration-expo units for our partners at D1 Expo-Business Center," explained development company IPEC group director Ivan Carnogursky, who was the main investor.
The center provides services to non-European manufacturers entering European markets, from administration and presentation of products to logistics, marketing and business solutions.
The grand opening ceremony of the center was also attended by Chinese Ambassador to Slovakia Lin Lin and economic department head of the U.S. Embassy to Slovakia Liam Sullivan. Support for the project was provided by the Slovak Economy Ministry and Senec municipality. Enditem
BRASILIA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Federal police in Brazil have disbanded a corruption ring that defrauded the Culture Ministry of some 180 million reals (53 million U.S. dollars), Agencia Brasil reported Tuesday.
Police arrested 14 people suspected of abusing a law designed to promote spending on cultural activities, by using the money instead to throw parties and lavish weddings.
According to Rodrigo de Campos Costa, an official with the force's organized crime division, the abuse was flagrant.
"There was, at the very least, an auditing failure on the part of the Culture Ministry," he said.
In 1991 Brazil enacted the Rouanet Law, which allows companies to declare any money spent on promoting cultural activities as a tax write off.
Investigators said the suspects diverted funds that were earmarked to support such projects as children and youth theater productions in poor neighborhoods, concerts and the publication of books, among other activities.
Campos Costa said the ministry was cooperating with the investigation, to ensure "the law is effectively used for the objective it was designed, which is to promote culture in the country."
For at least the past two years, Brazil has been mired in successive public-sector corruption scandals that have led to the imprisonment of top officials.
President Dilma Rousseff has also been suspended pending an impeachment trial on charges of concealing the extent of the public deficit. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A first group of 23 UN observers has arrived in Bogota, capital of Colombia, to monitor the implementation of a historic ceasefire agreement signed last week to end a half-century civil war in the South American country, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday.
"These observers are from Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay," Haq said at a daily news briefing here, adding that they joined an advance team of about 20 civilian staff already in the country preparing for the establishment of the mission.
The Colombian government and FARC guerrilla group signed the historic agreement on June 23 in Havana, the Cuban capital, in order to bring an end to the civil war that started in the 1960s.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and top FARC commander Timoleon Jimenez presided over the signing ceremony, which was attended by world dignitaries, including Latin American heads of state and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
"A second group of observers is expected to arrive at the beginning of July," Haq said.
"With their arrival, the UN will be able to begin monitoring and verifying activities as soon as a final peace agreement is signed and the bilateral ceasefire comes into effect," he said.
"For now, the team on the ground is engaging in preparatory activities, while the special representative of the secretary-general, Jean Arnault, is actively engaged in the discussions in Havana about ceasefire implementation," he said.
According to Latin American news network Telesur, the longest-running civil war in Latin America claimed 220,000 lives up to 2012, left 25,000 missing and displaced 5.7 million people. Enditem
Photo taken on March 6, 2012 shows school buses produced by Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. The bus manufacturer has stepped up its production of school buses on an increasing demand since the beginning of this year. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday announced its preliminary affirmative determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation against imports of truck and bus tires from China, signaling that it may impose punitive duties on the products.
The department said that producers and exporters of such products from China had received countervailing subsidies from 17.06 percent to 23.38 percent.
As a result of the preliminary affirmative determinations, the Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits based on these preliminary rates.
The Commerce launched antidumping (AD) duty and CVD investigations against imports of such products from China in February 2016, in response to a request from United Steelworkers (USW) based in Pennsylvania. The department is scheduled to make its both final determinations in November this year, unless the statutory deadline is extended.
Punitive duties would be imposed after both the Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) make affirmative final rulings. The USITC is scheduled to make its final determination in December 2016.
Imports of these products from China were estimated at about 1.07 billion U.S. dollars in 2015, according to U.S. official data.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has repeatedly urged the United States to abide by its commitment against protectionism and work together with China and other members of the international community to maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.
ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed and 69 others injured in two explosions that hit the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Tuesday evening, forcing the suspension of all flights.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said in Ankara that one terrorist opened fire at random and then blew himself up at the airport, resulting in at least 28 deaths and 69 injuries.
Press reports, citing eyewitnesses, spoke of two terrorists wreaking havoc, while social media put the number of injuries at least 40.
Turkey's NTV said three explosions occurred, causing at least 60 people wounded, six of them seriously.
Kerem Kinik, the head of Turkish Red Crescent, has appealed for blood donation on CNNTurk.
A Chinese national upstairs at the airport said he heard of gunfires and run for cover. He then heard of one explosion inside, and saw smoke everywhere and the injured being carried away.
"It's really good to be alive," he added.
SOFIA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The 10th anniversary of the establishment of Confucius Institute in Sofia was celebrated here on Tuesday evening.
Xu Lin, head of Confucius Institute Headquarters,or Hanban, said in a congratulatory speech that since the founding of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, the number of students studying Chinese has grown steadily, and the quality of teaching has been constantly increasing, while cultural events were becoming more diverse.
The Confucius Institute in Sofia was recognized as one of the first model Confucius Institutes worldwide for its active contribution to promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and Bulgaria in education and culture, and strengthening friendly relations between the two countries, Xu said in the speech, read by Prof. Ge Zhiqiang, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia.
Prof. Alexander Fedotov, who in 2006 signed the agreement for the establishment of the Confucius Institute Sofia on behalf of the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", said the past 10 years have been rough but successful.
In turn, Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov, the current rector of the Sofia University, said in turn that he is proud of the Confucius Institute in Sofia.
He hopes that the coming years will be even more successful for the development of the institute, and the interest of Bulgarian public to the Chinese language will increase, Gerdjikov said during the event, which was attended by Borislav Velikov, former speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament.
Chen Ying, First Secretary of the Chinese embassy in Bulgaria and head of its education section, noted that Confucius Institute in Sofia has already become a bridge for cooperation and exchange of ideas and projects in all areas of bilateral relations between China and the Balkan country.
The Confucius Institute in Sofia was established with the support of Hanban as a partner organization between the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and the Beijing Foreign Studies University, and it is part of the global network of over 400 Chinese educational institutions worldwide.
Ambulance cars arrive at Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016. (Reuters pic)
ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 28 people were killed and 69 others injured in two explosions that hit the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Tuesday evening, forcing the suspension of all flights.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said in Ankara that one terrorist opened fire at random and then blew himself up at the airport, resulting in at least 28 deaths and 69 injuries.
Press reports, citing eyewitnesses, spoke of two terrorists wreaking havoc, while social media put the number of injuries at least 40.
Turkey's NTV said three explosions occurred, causing at least 60 people wounded, six of them seriously.
Kerem Kinik, the head of Turkish Red Crescent, has appealed for blood donation on CNNTurk.
A Chinese national upstairs at the airport said he heard of gunfires and run for cover. He then heard of one explosion inside, and saw smoke everywhere and the injured being carried away.
"It's really good to be alive," he added.
LONDON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people were protesting outside the Houses of Parliament against the result of the referendum of Britain's membership of the European Union, Sky News reported on Tuesday.
The protest appeared to be spontaneous and without apparent leadership, and groups of demonstrators were singing songs and chanting slogans, many of which were aimed at the leaders of the Leave campaign, according to the broadcaster.
The crowds gathered near the Houses of Parliament shortly after 5 p.m. local time, holding placards which read "Reunited kingdom", "Everyone is welcome here" and "let's hug it out", according to a report posted on the Daily Express website.
The size of the protest was much bigger than the pro-Corbyn demonstration held in Parliament Square on Monday night, and it looked like this is a segment of the population who signed up to that protest online, which had garnered three million signatures so far, calling for a debate in parliament and for a second referendum, Sky news reported.
A small rally of hundreds was earlier held in Trafalgar Square against Brexit, shortly after Labour Party MPs voted against Jeremy Corbyn in a motion of no confidence.
By Matthew Rusling
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump's support for the Brexit will help him with his base but could hurt him in efforts to gain backing from independent voters, experts said.
The United Kingdom last week voted to leave the European Union (EU), with separatists citing their desire not to be controlled by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, as well as concerns about the massive tide of legal immigration from Eastern Europe, which is ten-fold what it was in the early 1990s.
But many economists have warned of negative economic impacts from the move, which has already caused a drop in global financial markets and a drop in the British currency.
In the weeks leading up to the historic vote, Trump pledged his support for those who wanted to leave the EU, casting the fight as that of the masses versus the political elite.
The situation has played into Trump's narrative that Washington politicians are selling the nation down the tubes at the expense of ordinary Americans.
While his stance will likely help shore up support with his base - even if the markets take another hit - it may hurt him with independent voters who want someone more predictable and someone they view as stable, experts said.
Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua that Trump supports Brexit because it is a way to play to his populist base.
Many of Trump's supporters believe that international trade deals have been bad for the average worker and that Brexit is a way to give people in particular countries more control over their economic destinies, West said.
Even though the stock market has dropped, Trump' s base sees Brexit as a good thing because it allows countries to erect borders and do things that put their own nation first.
"That is very consistent with Trump' s economic agenda. It doesn't matter if there is short-term damage because these people feel it will be good in the longer run," West said.
Indeed, the bombastic businessman has called for the U.S. to build a wall on its border with Mexico - and get Mexico to pay for it - in a bid to stem the tide of illegal immigration, which already stands at around 11 million.
His stance on illegal immigration reflects concerns of those who voted for the Brexit, at a time when legal immigration to England is surging and shifting the cultural landscape. Immigrants from Eastern Europe are utilizing the EU' s freedom of labor laws to flood into the UK.
But for the population of undecided voters and independents, Trump' s Brexit support could cost him, especially in an election that may well be decided by those voters.
"It could hurt Trump in that Americans might be more concerned about electing someone so unpredictable and untested in an unstable world. This is the message that (Hillary) Clinton will sell," Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, told Xinhua.
Indeed, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has slammed Trump for his Brexit support, saying the country needs leaders who "understand that bombastic comments in turbulent times can actually cause more turbulence, and who put the interests of the American people ahead of their personal business interests."
While the markets may well bounce back once the dust clears, the political damage to Trump may be long lasting, and allow Clinton to paint him as a reckless cowboy who is not the kind of leader that Americans want to see in the White House.
"Moments like these can create major doubts in the minds of voters that don' t disappear even as stability returns," Zelizer said.
RAMALLAH, June 28, 2016 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (L) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on June 28, 2016. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that those who are seeking two states and making peace must stop creating facts on the ground that makes reaching a solution impossible. Abbas made the remarks in a joint news conference with the United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon after a meeting held in Ramallah on Tuesday evening. (Xinhua/POOL/Nasser NASSER)
RAMALLAH/GAZA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday that those who are seeking two states and making peace must stop creating facts on the ground that makes reaching a solution impossible.
Abbas made the remarks in a joint news conference with the United Nations Secretary General Ban ki-Moon after a meeting held in Ramallah on Tuesday evening.
Ban had earlier on Tuesday morning visited in the Gaza Strip that is ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement.
"Creating facts on the ground would mount the conflict, increase range of losing hope, grow up frustration among the Palestinians and give an excuse for those who call for fanaticism and terrorism in our region and in the world," said Abbas.
He stressed that the Palestinians look for ending decades of injustice and practicing their right of self-determination by implementing the international resolutions based on the principle for the Arab peace initiative without renovation.
Abbas clarified to the UN Secretary General that "our hands are extended to peace based on the two-state solution on 1967 borders."
"But the problem is the continuing occupation and the Israeli settlements which are totally contradicting with peace," said Abbas, who stressed the importance of the French initiative as well as the Arab and European efforts.
He went on saying all the efforts aim at holding an international conference for peace in the Middle East before the end of this year.
Last peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in April 2014 following deep differences between the two sides on issues related to settlement, security and borders.
Meanwhile, Abbas appreciated Ban's efforts for preparing a legal study to ensure an international protection for the Palestinian people.
"As a non-member observer state in the UN and a member in many UN agencies and treaties, we are determined to carry on with our efforts to join all the international treaties and agencies," said Abbas.
Ban said that the expansion of settlements "is illegal," adding the ceaseless actions of violence, terrorism and incitement contradict with the progress in the negotiations based on the two-state solution.
He called on the Palestinian leadership to act seriously mainly on incitement, and the two sides to act in order to prepare the atmosphere for the resumption of meaningful negotiations.
"The two-state solution is the only choice when it is implemented, and peace can be achieved in the entire region," said Ban, who also called for speeding up the construction plan in the Gaza Strip.
He went on saying that everlasting stability in Gaza can be achieved through out unity between Gaza and the West Bank under one authority and also through out the complete lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ban visited several houses in Gaza, called for ending the Israeli blockade since 2007 and described it as "collective punishment."
He pointed that the electricity shortage in Gaza hit 70 percent, as nearly half of its youth are unemployed, highlighting that the situation cannot stay as such because it yields anger and frustration, which may lead to an escalation of hostile acts.
The UN Secretary General said "we must speak openly about the unacceptable hardships faced by the people of Gaza in light of the humiliation, occupation and siege, as well as the division between Gaza Strip and the West Bank."
He called on uniting the West Bank and Gaza under a democratically elected government based upon the political program of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Ban also thanked donors for their efforts in the reconstruction of Gaza, noting that 90 percent of the schools and hospitals were reconstructed.
He stressed reconstructing life quality in Gaza, the treatment of those who suffered from the war and creating job opportunities in order to retain peace.
The UN will continue to work for a future without occupation and injustice, and for the establishment of a Palestinian state to live side by side with the state of Israel, Ban added.
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy and the Netherlands on Tuesday proposed to share one Security Council seat for non-permanent members, splitting up a two-year term as one country serving for one year.
The two-year term will start from Jan. 1, 2017 and will conclude at the end of 2018. The two countries have proposed that Italy will take the seat in 2017 and the Netherlands will serve at the council in year 2018, according to the proposal.
The General Assembly has voted to elect five new non-permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council on Tuesday. A two-thirds majority of 129 votes is needed for a member state to be elected.
The Netherlands and Italy, competing for a seat representing the regional group of Western European and other states, put forward the proposal after a fifth round of voting concluded with a tie result with 95 votes for each country.
The regional group of Western European and other states has decided to discuss the proposal on Wednesday.
In earlier voting, neither of the countries garnered enough votes to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, the most powerful body of the UN.
Bert Koenders, foreign minister of the Netherlands, told the General Assembly that the tie result has sent a signal that "you appreciate both countries in representing you in the Security Council."
While Paolo Gentiloni, Italian foreign minister, said he hopes that the proposal can deliver a "message of unity" between the two European countries.
Earlier on Tuesday, the General Assembly has elected Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Sweden as non-permanent members of the Security Council, which will start their terms at the beginning of next year.
The newly-elected members will replace the retiring members of Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, and Venezuela. They will join the other five non-permanent members of the Security Council, namely Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are elected every year to join the five permanent and veto-wielding members of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
This year, the elections, which were previously held in October, have been moved to June in a bid to leave more time for elected member states to prepare for their terms.
According to the rules, the Security Council non-permanent seats should be distributed as five from African and Asian states; one from Eastern European states; two from Latin American states and two from Western European and other states.
Olof Skoog, Sweden's permanent representative to the United Nations, Sweden's foreign minister Margot Wallstrom and Sacha Llorenti, Bolivia's permanent representative to the UN(L to R) pose for a photo after Sweden and Bolivia are elected as non-permanent members of UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy and the Netherlands on Tuesday proposed to share one Security Council seat for non-permanent members, splitting up a two-year term as one country serving for one year.
Bert Koenders(L, center), foreign minister of Netherlands, speaks with Paolo Gentiloni Silveri(R, center) Italian foreign minister, during the election of non-permanent members of UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York. June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
The two-year term will start from Jan. 1, 2017 and will conclude at the end of 2018. The two countries have proposed that Italy will take the seat in 2017 and the Netherlands will serve at the council in year 2018, according to the proposal.
The General Assembly has voted to elect five new non-permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council on Tuesday. A two-thirds majority of 129 votes is needed for a member state to be elected.
The Netherlands and Italy, competing for a seat representing the regional group of Western European and other states, put forward the proposal after a fifth round of voting concluded with a tie result with 95 votes for each country.
The regional group of Western European and other states has decided to discuss the proposal on Wednesday.
In earlier voting, neither of the countries garnered enough votes to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, the most powerful body of the UN.
Bert Koenders(L), foreign minister of Netherlands, addresses during the election of non-permanent members of UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York. June 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
Bert Koenders, foreign minister of the Netherlands, told the General Assembly that the tie result has sent a signal that "you appreciate both countries in representing you in the Security Council."
While Paolo Gentiloni, Italian foreign minister, said he hopes that the proposal can deliver a "message of unity" between the two European countries.
Kazakhstan's foreign minister Erlan Idrissov(C) is congratulated after Kazakhstan is elected as non-permanent members of UN Security Council at the UNheadquarters in New York. June 282016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
Earlier on Tuesday, the General Assembly has elected Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Sweden as non-permanent members of the Security Council, which will start their terms at the beginning of next year.
The newly-elected members will replace the retiring members of Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, and Venezuela. They will join the other five non-permanent members of the Security Council, namely Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
The UN Security Council consists of five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are elected every year to join the five permanent and veto-wielding members of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
This year, the elections, which were previously held in October, have been moved to June in a bid to leave more time for elected member states to prepare for their terms.
U.S. Government Accepts IANA Transition Proposal
History of ICANN
The U.S. government took a major step toward getting out of the internet oversight business on June 9, 2016, when the U.S. Department of Commerce approved a proposal by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to assume the operation and oversight of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) . Since the early days of the internet, there has been a consistent level of U.S. government oversight of IANA functions. The Department of Commerces approval follows nearly 20 years of plans and negotiations to end that oversight and pass it on to a global, multistakeholder community. However, concerns that such a community may include authoritarian and other regimes with histories of restrictive practices may lead Congress to intervene.
Notwithstanding its origins in the 1960s as the U.S.-based and U.S.-funded ARPANET, the internet rapidly grew beyond U.S. borders to become a regional, then global, series of interconnected networks regulated by standards, structures, and protocols designed to allow people to communicate seamlessly. These necessitated a global network of boards, organizations, and task forces to maintain and further develop the internets structure and operations. ICANN is the most widely recognized and known organization.
ICANN is an independent, nonprofit corporation with an international board of directors. However, it is based in the U.S., and, critically, since 2000, it has been operating under a series of contracts with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a division of the Department of Commerce. The contracts give NTIA authority over ICANNs operation of IANA functions. Those functions, which are critical to the operation of the internet (because they control and regulate its numerology), include serving as the central repository for IP protocol name and number registries, coordinating the allocation of IP and Autonomous System numbers to regional internet registries, processing root zone file change requests for top-level domains (TLDs), and maintaining a publicly available WHOIS service with contact information for TLD operators.
Proposals on Internet Oversight
NTIAs IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal Assessment Report describes its oversight of ICANN and its IANA functions as limited and clerical in nature. It does not have any role in the management of Internet numbering resources or Internet protocol parameters functions. NTIAs role has been primarily to verify that ICANN follows established policies and procedures in its management of IANA functions. The current NTIA contract runs through the end of September 2016.
The earliest proposals to disentangle the U.S. government from internet oversight date back to a 1997 Clinton administration memorandum that directed the Department of Commerce to privatize Domain Name System (DNS) functions. The effort really kicked into gear in 2014 when NTIA announced its intention to privatize the DNS functions through a multistakeholder process. This is, at least in part, a response to a 2012 congressional resolution supporting a multistakeholder model that governs the Internet.
NTIA Principles
In being open to privatization, NTIA does impose a series of principles that it requires to be central to any privatization agreement. The first is that the process used to develop the proposal must be open, transparent, bottom-up, and garner broad, international stakeholder support. Next, the proposal must maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS, including its decentralized authority structure, its transparency and accountability, and its resistance to data corruption. Third, the proposal must meet the needs and expectations of the global customers and partners of the IANA services. Finally, the proposal must maintain the openness of the Internet, specifically a neutral and judgement-free administration structure over the technical DNS and IANA functions. NTIA also goes on to assert that it would not accept a proposal that replaces the NTIA [oversight] role with a government-led or an intergovernmental organization solution.
ICANN put together a number of working groups to develop a proposal in line with these principles. The groups completed their work in February 2016 and delivered the proposal to NTIA. It outlines a series of recommendations that correspond with the NTIA principles, including the creation of a separate, nongovernmental organization that would represent the various stakeholders and would have authority over the ICANN board of directors, as well as the authority to develop and implement strategic planning and to initiate independent reviews.
After an extensive review period, NTIA accepted the proposal as meeting all of its requirements for privatization. NTIAs complex assessment process included a review by a government agency working group with representatives from more than a dozen federal agencies, such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the FBI, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the National Security Council (NSC). NTIA also conducted a review of frameworks for internal control at the recommendation of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Finally, NTIA reached out to the private sector by asking experts on corporate governance whether the proposal reflected corporate governance best practices.
Reactions to the Proposal
The proposal met with general approval throughout the assessment process, adhering to sound risk assessment and corporate governance principles and meeting NTIAs requirements of security, openness, considering the needs of global customers, and the absence of a government-led or intergovernmental organization solution. Governmentsincluding the U.S. governmentwould have access to an advisory committee to provide advice on public policy issues, but it would not have power to unilaterally direct ICANN or its board. Finally, the U.S. would retain ownership of the .gov and .mil TLDs.
The NTIA approval of the privatization proposal was supported by a number of technology companies and trade groups, including key technology players Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also showed its support. Describing the plan as providing the internet with the best path forward for self-governance, the Internet Association, CCIA (Computer & Communications Industry Association), and the Internet Infrastructure Coalition also display their support.
Concerns have been raised, however, that removing U.S. oversight of ICANN could open up the internet to increased influence from governments such as Russia and China. Notwithstanding the 2012 congressional resolution in support of privatization, ICANNs proposal has resulted in at least two congressional bills that would prevent NTIA from discontinuing its oversight absent specific congressional approval. In introducing the Protecting Internet Freedom Act, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) argue that the U.S. oversight of ICANN is necessary to protect the internet from authoritarian regimes that view the Internet as a way to increase their influence and suppress freedom of speech and that doing away with U.S. oversight will give more than 160 foreign governments increased influence over the internet.
Other commentators point out that having the U.S. get out of the internet supervision business might actually reduce the influence of foreign governments over the internet by taking away the argument that the U.S. governments oversight compels other governments to pursue similar roles. Techdirts Mike Masnick argues that removing the link between the U.S. government and the internetwhich he describes as almost entirely imaginarytakes away any useful fodder for a more complete move [by authoritarian regimes] to take over control [of the internet] themselves.
Barring any action on Cruz and Duffys legislation, the NTIA proposal could go into effect by Sept. 30, 2016. Several more technical steps and processes need to take place, and ICANN will submit an updated report to NTIA by the middle of August.
Man guilty of killing step-daughter
Gibbs was killed on June 17, 2005, and her step-father led police and her family to where her body was discovered in a shallow grave at the side of an abandoned house a few metres from her home. Stacy who was taken out of school a year before she died, disappeared from her Moller Street home on June 17.
Her body was found eight days later tied in a coloured sheet, under a large stone tied with a piece of rope at the bottom of a half-filled cesspit which had been covered with three pieces of galvanised iron sheets. Gibbs told the dead girls mother Colleen, that her daughter had run away. He also formed part of the search party, until admitting he had killed her and pointed the officers to where her body lay. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Gunmen fire on car near mosque
However police have not gotten far in their investigations as attempts to interview several persons on the scene proved futile.
According to a police report at about 12.45 am yesterday, Clevon Bruce, 43, of Crown Trace Enterprise was driving a white Nissan B15 car along Lamont Street, Longdenvile with passengers Rhona Richards, 41, of Lamont Street, Longdenvile; Brian Daniel, 38, of Chase Village, Chaguanas and Andrea Smith, 41, of Gopaul Avenue, Longdenvile.
Police said that on reaching the vicinity of the Lamont Street Mosque, the driver observed two men wearing masks standing nearby. The men pointed guns at the car and opened fire before running off. PCs Bhajan and Carter visited the scene and Carter is continuing investigations.
In an unrelated incident, an 18-year-old Cunupia man has been arrested and charged with larceny of a diamond ring valued at $20,000 which police said was stolen from the home of a medical doctor a month ago. On Sunday, acting on information, police executed a search warrant at teenagers home where they discovered the stolen ring.
According to a police report, at 8 am on May 28, the 34-yearold female doctor secured her Cunupia home and went away.
A day later, when she returned home, the doctor discovered the ring missing.
On Sunday, she reported the matter to the Cunupia Police Station following which PCs Mohammed and Roberts went to a house at Madras Road in Cunupia and conducted a search. The ring was found and the teen arrested and charged with larceny.
Cedros man shot dead in Arima
Vesprey who was killed on Sunday, was described as a family- oriented and loving person.
He get kill down the road and everyone knows he was a father, yet they still kill him like a dog, just like that, cried Rene Augustus, his common-law wife of 12 years. I dont know why anyone would do this because he was good with everybody.
Sometimes when it had people in need he would leave me out because he would say we have plenty and would give to them instead. According to reports, at about at about 9.45 pm on Sunday, Northern Division Police were alerted after gunshots rang out at Walnut Drive, Calvary Hill, Arima. When officers responded, they found the body of a man later identified as Vesprey, a father of four, lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
While police officers were working on the theory that the shooting may have been drug-related, Augustus told reporters yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre (FSC), St James that there was no drug block in the area, so the shooting could not have been related to any drug transaction. She added that he was accustom liming in the area.
Newsday understands Vesprey worked offshore, and when he was on land, he worked as a wielder, to make ends meet.
He was described as a family-oriented man.
He liked his hustle.
He never left his children wanting anything or hungry; I could say that proudly and tell anybody that.
Small as it is, he would give his children.
Whoever do it they really hurting me and my children.
He wasnt in drugs. He wasnt in anything. He does always lime by my cousin there. Always.
And its right there he dead and where he dead it have no drug block, nothing, said Augustus to reporters at the centre.
An autopsy conducted at FSC confirmed that Vesprey died from haemorrhaging due to gunshot wounds. Investigations are continuing.
Logos of China UnionPay are seen on bank cards in this file photo illustration taken in Beijing Dec 5, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]
Imagine a financial system that is far more efficient than the one we presently have. One that is less expensive to run and less costly to use, yet at the same time more robust and much harder to abuse. One that gives individuals more control over their financial transactions while better protecting their privacy.
A revolutionary new technology, the "blockchain", allows parties to carry out direct transactions without using an intermediary. It does so by providing a means for people to share reliable and tamper-proof lists of information known as "distributed ledgers".
It allows firms to do things that they have previously been unable to. For instance, Blockchain could allow banks to introduce the real-time settlement of transactions. By adding full programming capabilities to blockchains we could create "smart contracts", autonomous financial agreements that enforce themselves. We could build "smart wallets" for individuals that would allow them to carry out a large part of their financial transactions on their own, and even manage their money for them.
As with any nascent technology, there are significant challenges as well. Some are technical: blockchain today has issues of speed, scalability and security. Some are legal: autonomous smart contracts require a new type of smart contract law. Some are systemic: direct financial transactions will only work if we can move "real money" onto the chain and solve important issues around digital identity and privacy.
To realize the full potential of blockchain we will above all need to collaborate on a common platform. At UBS, we think it essential that the industry avoid a standards war of the type that has bedeviled the adoption of new technologies in the past.
The good news is that such collaboration is happening. There are already several significant larger collaborative efforts, like the R3 consortium or the Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Project; and many banks, ours included, have been experimenting intensely with the technology and working with peers in open, collaborative ways. These are all positive steps.
At the moment, China's main initiative in the blockchain space is the China Ledger Alliance, a non-commercial organization focused on research and development of blockchain applications. Led by R&D company Wanxiang Blockchain Lab and similar in structure to the aforementioned international collaborations, it can be considered China's answer to the rapidly evolving blockchain ecosystem.
The aim of the alliance is to adapt and develop existing blockchain technology to the needs of Chinese businesses and set standards across the industry to ensure regulatory compliance to China's legal environment. At the moment the alliance counts 15 members, including both financial services firms and technology companies.
Attention to the opportunities that blockchain technology now offers to China was significantly raised at the Global Blockchain Summit held in Shanghai in late 2015. Chinese Regulators have developed a strong interest in blockchain since this Summit. Also, in early 2016, the central bank of China announced its investigation into digital currencies as an answer to the growing interest of Chinese investors in Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies.
Chinese venture capital investments in blockchain have been mainly directed to international companies. However China is also growing a pool of local blockchain startups. A number of established Western start-ups are also eying the Chinese market and could extend their offering soon.
It is impossible to say how or when the overall blockchain puzzle will be solved, or what it will look like. But if we manage to build a common fabric, then I believe large-scale transformation of our industry will happen sooner rather than later. With that, many of the things we are only imagining today will likely become tomorrow's reality.
The author is UBS Group chief operating officer.
Three guns, ammo found under tyres
Police believe the guns and ammo belong to gang members who had hidden the weapons there for safe keeping .
At about 7.30 am on Sunday, a party of officers led by PC Farrell and including PCs Mars and Shepherd, under the supervision of Snr Supt Basdeo Ramdhanie, head of the Western Division, went to Farm Road Extension off Rich Plain Road. Officers searched a heap of discarded tyres and found a Rossi revolver, a Baretta pistol, a Taurus revolver and 21 rounds of assorted ammunition .
The weapons were examined by fingerprint experts and later handed over to ballistic experts at the Forensic Science Centre to ascertain if they were used in any recent murders and gun-related crimes .
Officers thanked the public for partnering with them in giving key information which led to the seizure of the guns and ammunition .
Yesterday Ramdhanie again praised the public for sharing information with the police with respect to where illegal arms and ammunition are being concealed and added that the information will go a log way in assisting in the fight against crime .
Up to yesterday Western Division police had seized 65 illegal arms for the year so far .
Magistrate: Jail helps sometimes
Court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie read that shortly after 9 am on Friday last, police went to execute a search warrant at the home of Mitchell at Sookoo Trace Extension, Claxton Bay.
Police found nothing illegal inside the house.
However the officers found the marijuana in the yard secured in a plastic bag, the prosecutor added. Police arrested and took him to the St Margarets Police Station where PC Gordon charged him with the offence.
Defence attorney Diptee told the magistrate that based on instructions received, his client, a father of two, had neither previous convictions nor pending matters. The magistrate looking at documents before her remarked that maybe Mitchell had a fading memory issue.
40 new officers for Homicide Bureau
Yesterday, the 40 officers from the rank of Constables to Sergeants were instructed to attend a meeting at the Fifth Floor of the Police Administration Building where they were addressed by the Acting Commissioner.
The 40 were told there are over 200 murders for the year thus far and only 40 have been solved. This, Williams said, is unacceptable.
The Acting Commissioner told the officers they were hand-picked to get the job done and he expects that by the end of the year, the detection rate would rise from a dismal 17.7 percent to at least 60 percent.
Officers were told that their transfers to the three regions within the Homicide Bureau will take place in 14 days time, and they will be given in-house training by senior homicide officers.
Most of the officers chosen already have specialised training in all aspects of policing and it is hoped that with their combined experience and training they will be able to make a positive impact on the detection rate where homicides are concerned. Some of the officers said yesterday they are court prosecutors and asked how their transfer would affect cases at the courts.
The Acting Commissioner noted that they will be replaced by persons who could also do that job and there is no need to worry about a shortage of police court prosecutors in the legal system.
Newsday understands another 40 officers will soon be added to the Homicide Bureau and the Acting Commissioner expects the manpower strength to increase to at least 100. Regions I of the Homicide Bureau is based in Port-of-Spain, Region II is at the Arouca Police Station and Region III is in San Fernando.
The hand-picked officers all expressed a keen interest in doing their best in improving the detection rate and pointed out that they were keen in getting the job done.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Commissioner Harold Phillip who thanked the officers for their attendance.
Other senior officers present were Acting Deputy Commissioner Deodath Dulalchan, Acting Asst Commissioner of Police in charge of crime Wayne Boyd and Asst Commissioner of Police in charge of homicide Vincel Edwards.
Newsday understands that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley - as chairman of the National Security Council is not pleased with the detection rate and shared this displeasure with Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon who in turn had a meeting with all Divisional Commanders last month. Dillon yesterday pledged to give the police his fullest support and called on the public to partner with the police to tackle murders and the low detection rate.
Measures that are adopted to increase the detection rate will have my full support because the detection rate is not where we want it at this time, Dillon said. He said that investigators from the Homicide Bureau are currently reviewing 25 files out of 95 from August 2015 to the present, which had solvable factors.
Scope of evidence widens
Justices of Appeal Allan Mendonca, Peter Jamadar and Judith Jones yesterday ruled on two appeals and two cross appeals which saw additional hearsay and irrelevant evidence previously struck out, being allowed when the five petitions are heard from today.
The judges also affirmed the courts ruling on allowing confidential election documents in five constituencies in the last general election at todays hearing in the Port-of-Spain High Court. The hearings of the petitions were expected to begin yesterday and newspaper notices were published to this, however, the start of the hearing was pushed back by one day to allow for the hearing of the appeals filed by the UNC and the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
In their ruling yesterday, Justices of Appeal Allan Mendonca, Peter Jamadar and Judith Jones held that Justice Mira Dean-Armorer failed to take into account relevant considerations when she gave the EBC only 48 hours to reply to an affidavit to which the election documents were affixed. They have extended the time to Thursday, for the EBC to reply.
The three judges also agreed that while there is no absolute discretion to allow hearsay evidence, there was the general principle that such evidence could be admitted. They also noted that she did not give her reasons for not allowing the evidence advanced by the UNC, as they held that she was wrong not to consider the evidence and sent it back to her for consideration.
Justice Mendonca further noted in the oral ruling, that the UNC petitioners were entitled to lead evidence in support of their case, adding that the judge looked at the issue case too narrowly.
The judges agreed that their rulings will not affect the start of the petitions which will be heard all this week, with additional days being set aside next week.
In earlier arguments, British Queens Counsel Timothy Straker, who represents the UNC petitioners, labelled last Septembers general elections as a shamble and argued that the petition hearing was of huge constitutional importance and should not be limited in evidence adduced to the court.
He argued that the judge could have allowed hearsay evidence.
In one of her rulings on evidential objections, Justice Mira Dean-Armorer threw out several portions of the EBC and the UNCs affidavits. She held that evidence unsupported by the pleadings in the petition matters ought to be struck as inadmissible. Several paragraphs of the EBCs legal officer Fern Narcis- Scopes affidavit were struck out of evidence on the ground of inadmissible hearsay and lack of evidential foundation while similarly several paragraphs were struck out from the UNCs affidavit on the grounds that the petitioner either failed to plead the claims, irrelevance, inadmissible opinion or hearsay and being speculative and argumentative.
Her ruling on the issue was given during the pre-trial stage of the five election petitions filed on behalf of the UNC which is challenging the results in the constituencies of Toco/Sangre Grande, Tunapuna, St Joseph, San Fernando West and Moruga/Tableland.
In a separate ruling on Friday last, the judge said she considered whether polling station diaries should form part of the proceedings.
She noted that although there was opposition by the Elections and Boundaries Commission for the documents to be adduced into evidence, she said it had been conceded by the commissions lawyers that the material was required for the purpose of the petition, as she held that the official documents would be admitted into evidence.
She has also allowed for the EBC and the Peoples National Movement to file affidavits in response to the evidence being allowed.
The judge in her ruling noted that the population had a right to know whether there was a valid challenge to the election petition.
She also noted that the first anniversary of the election was swiftly approaching.
In her ruling on the issue of disclosure, Justice Dean-Armorer had also ordered that the report of the Returning Officers in the constituencies, the recapitulation sheets, the statement of polls setting out the number of ballots cast for each candidate as well as the polling station diaries be made available to the UNC.
She ruled that while such documents were normally confidential, they were relevant to the election petitions filed by the UNC and was proper for the petitioners attorneys to have sight of them. The EBCs lead attorney Russell Martineau,SC, argued that the judge was unfair to allow the documents to go into evidence by way of affidavit without allowing his clients an opportunity to peruse the documents and responding to the affidavit. The EBC and PNM were given until Wednesday to respond, even as hearing of the petitions went on.
What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames
news
Poland beekeepers successfully ban bee-killing GM corn
Health and food freedom enthusiasts around the globe have celebrated the victory over genetically modified corn achieved in Poland. Poland banned the use of Monsantos MON810 corn. MON810 corn is a GMO line of corn designed to produce its own insecticide within each and every kernel. Poland officially banned the use of this charming product after thousands of protesters took to the streets and made their demands.
These protests were a direct response to the fact that the use of MON810 and the chemicals used alongside it were at least partially responsibly for the onset of colony collapse disorder (CCD). CCD is a worldwide phenomenon which leads to entire colonies of honeybees disappearing or dying. You can imagine the kind of devastation that would cause.
Reports indicate that Polands ban of MON810 made them the first country to publicly acknowledge that the use of this genetically modified crop was related to CCD. The Polish agriculture minister Marek Sawicki explained that pollen from the MON810 crops appeared to be contributing to the loss of Polands already-devastated honeybee population, and to the honeybee crisis around the world.
Polands ban on this Bt crop also affirms countless reports detailing the links between GM crops and bee deaths. For example, independent research conducted by a Pennsylvania bee farmer named John McDonald found that bees who foraged near Bt crops suffered severely detrimental effects. Bees who were exposed to Bt crop pollen did not gain sufficient amounts of weight and failed to produce honey during times when they should have been doing just that.
Poland is not the only European country that has expressed concern over the use of GM crops in the last few years. Not too long ago, nine European countries Great Britain, Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia banded together to stop the efforts of the Danish EU to allow for the expansion of GM crop cultivation. In 2015, Poland became the fourteenth European country to ban GM crops entirely. Some of the other countries that have officially banned GM crop cultivation include Germany, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Croatia, Latvia, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania and Austria.
Many countries continue to boycott the use of GMO crops, specifically Monsantos GM corn, for fear of what its long-term effects on the environment and human health may be.
Sources:
NaturalNews.com
NationOfChange.org
Submit a correction >>
A newly discovered helium field in the geothermally active East African Rift Valley may contain more helium than the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas, which holds about 30 percent of the worlds helium supply.
Independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 billion cubic feet [1.5 billion cubic meters] in just one part of the rift valley.
The Federal Helium Reserve currently holds just 24.2 billion cubic feet, and the total known reserves in the U.S. contain about 153 billion cubic feet (4.3 billion cubic m), Ballentine said, while global consumption of helium is about 8 billion cubic feet (0.23 billion cubic m) per year.
The newly discovered gas field in Tanzania holds enough helium to fill over 1.2 million medical MRI scanners, he said: This is a game changer for the future security of societys helium needs, and similar finds in the future may not be far away.
One of the project leaders, geologist Jon Gluyas of Durham University, told Live Science that although the Tanzania gas field is large, its only a small part of what the entire Rift Valley area may contain. So it could be substantially larger, Gluyas said. We will still have a lot of data to collect to be really confident, but yes this is a globally significant discovery.
A new approach
Gluyas said the discovery hinged on a new understanding of the very complex and ancient nuclear, chemical and geological mechanisms that create helium in the Earths crust and transport it into pockets that can be tapped by drilling.
Almost more significant than the volume of helium found is that it was found on purpose, he said. Every other discovery of helium to date has been found by accident.
Helium accumulates inside rock in the Earths crust over billions of years, from the radioactive decay of the elements uranium and thorium. But the gas remains trapped in the rock until it is freed by very intense volcanic heat, such as that found in geothermally active regions such as the East African Rift Valley, Gluyas said.
By studying that process and the geological mechanisms that cause freed helium gas to accumulate in pockets, the researchers were able to identify potential drilling sites, he added.
Gluyas said the team took the same protocols and applied the same sort of thinking you would for finding oil to finding helium.
The fusion of hydrogen atoms produces large amounts of helium in the nuclear processes that power the sun. But here on Earth, helium is hard to find and hard to keep hold of, Gluyas said. Helium atoms are so small that the gas leaks out of almost every sort of container, and once helium escapes into the atmosphere, its gone for good, he explained.
In a bizarre sort of way, it is the ultimate nonrenewable element, and at the moment, it is not replaceable for many applications, certainly for medical systems such as MRI scanners, Gluyas said
Researchers knew that volcanoes (including Yellowstone) often had helium sources nearby. Future research will likely look at narrowing down the areas where governments and companies can successfully prospect for helium.
We show that volcanoes in the Rift play an important role in the formation of viable helium reserves. Volcanic activity likely provides the heat necessary to release the helium accumulated in ancient crustal rocks. However, if gas traps are located too close to a given volcano, they run the risk of helium being heavily diluted by volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide, just as we see in thermal springs from the region. We are now working to identify the goldilocks-zone between the ancient crust and the modern volcanoes where the balance between helium release and volcanic dilution is just right, said Diveena Danabalan, lead author of the research.
SOURCES Live Science, Popular Science
Some US naval analysts believe Chinas new Type 093B nuclear-powered attack submarine are on par with the U.S. Navys Improved Los Angeles-class submarines.
The 93B is improved over the 93. The 93B is a transition platform between the 93 and the forthcoming 95. Jerry Hendrix, director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security said, The [93B] is quieter and it has a new assortment of weapons to include cruise missiles and a vertical launch capability. The 93B is analogous to our LA improved in quietness and their appearance demonstrates that China is learning quickly about how to build a modern fast attack boat.
Other sources were not convinced that Beijing could have made such enormous technological strides so quicklybut they noted that the topic of Chinese undersea warfare capability is very classified. Open source analysis is often extremely difficult, if not impossible. Regarding the question on the Type 093B, I really dont know, anything is possible I suppose, but I doubt it, said retired Rear Adm. Mike McDevitt, now an analyst at CNAs Center for Naval Analyses. I have no doubt that the PLAN has ambitions to at least achieve that level of capability and quietness.
The Seawolf and Virginia-classes have surpassed the Improved Los Angeles-class as the premier US Navy attack submarines, such older vessels will remain the mainstay of the services undersea fleet for many years to come. If the Peoples Liberation Army Navys newest boats are able to match the capabilities of the U.S. Navys shrinking undersea fleet, Washington could be in serious trouble.
The US Navy already anticipated that it could be facing-off against a Chinese submarine fleet that is nearly twice its size, but not as technically capable. The U.S. Navy has roughly 52 attack submarines now but might only have 41 attack boats by 2029 as older boats are retired faster than newer ones are commissioned.
If China is truly catching up technologically, Congress might consider accelerating the attack submarine build rate to the maximum capacity of Americas two nuclear-capable shipyards. At the same time, the U.S. Navy might have to accelerate the development of the next-generation successor to the Virginia-class, which has been tentatively designated the SSN(X) program and is scheduled to enter service in 2044.
SOURCE National Interest
IBM is promising that a 200 petaflop supercomputer for 2018 that would top Chinas 93 petaflop Sunway TaihuLight, which recently took the top spot in the Top 500 rankings of the worlds most powerful supercomputers.
The machine, called IBM Summit, will be delivered to the US Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory in early 2018.
The money for Summits and Auroras site preparation is not allocated yet, nor is the money for their actual installations, which presumably will be part of the FY18 budget request. So all of this might turn out to be wishful thinking, and given Congresss recent performance, it surely could. But thats the plan as it stands today.
The updated spec for Summit (above) provides a higher node count of ~4600, compared to ~3400 for the original 150-petaflop configuration. The total peak power draw increased accordingly, from 10MW to 13.3MW. TaihuLight, the current top system, uses more than 15MW. Also note that the Aurora system, which is planning to use the next-generation Knights Hill Xeon Phi processors and reach 180 petaflops in 2018-2019, will draw nearly the same amount of power as the Power9/Volta GPU-powered Summit, but will do so with about 10 times as many nodes.
Of course, by the time Summit and Aurora are installed, there may be other Chinese systems of similar or even greater performance. Regardless, the DOEs supercomputing timeline is more methodical than that of its Chinese counterparts, and there does not appear to be any specific effort by US policymakers to catch up to their rivals in the FLOPS department.
That contrasts markedly with what happened in 2002 when Japans Earth Simulator opened up a performance gap with the US systems similar to the one we see today with TaihuLight. At that time, the response by the DOE was immediate and spurred the agency to accelerate their supercomputing program significantly.
The US response is likely to be very different if the Chinese systems manage to close the application gap on their way to exascale. Thats a more difficult task than just developing fast processors and adding more of them to a machine, but given Chinas trajectory in supercomputing over the last several years, it is certainly conceivable.
Chinas latest five-year plan called for building two 100-petaflops-class supercomputers. A U.S export ban prevented the Tainhe-2 system from getting the Intel processors it wanted to upgrade to that level of performance, fueling enthusiasm for domestic efforts like the Sunway system.
Last year, representatives of Chinas National University of Defense Technology said they have plans to design custom processors based on ARM cores to upgrade Tianhe-2, said Simon. There is incredible internal competition in [supercomputing in] China just like there is in U.S. he said.
China now has three domestic supercomputer vendors with systems among the Top500, server makers Inspur, Sugon and Lenovo which purchased IBMs x86 server business. In addition, China does not need to support the kinds of legacy applications supercomputers in the U.S. must run.
All the U.S. systems on the list are getting old, said Horst Simon, Deputy director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, noting several are beyond the three-to-five years of typical upgrades. There will be no 100-petaflop systems in the U.S. for two yearsand we have been complacent for four or five years about pushing for an exaflop system, he said, blaming the 2008 recession, sequestration and the political climate.
Tomorrows exascale class computers will be an entirely new breed, said Dongarra in an email exchange. Not only are they fast, they handle big data in entirely new ways [that] open avenues for techniques in artificial intelligence, data science and simulations that can tease out new insights, he said, citing applications in modeling everything from cancer cells to climate change.
Loss of U.S. leadership in supercomputing and simulation will have staggering consequences, Dongarra said.
Without deliberate and sustained investment, supercomputers manufactured abroad with ever-improving technologies developed elsewhere will soon dominate, and the simulation techniques invented in the United States will become other nations innovation advantages, he added.
SOURCES- The Inquirer UK, Top500, DOE, EE Times Asia
New laser-based uranium enrichment technology may provide a hard-to-detect pathway to nuclear weapons production according to a forthcoming paper (25 pages) Ryan Snyder, a physicist with Princeton Universitys Program on Science and Global Security.
Research on the relevant laser systems for laser enrichment is also currently ongoing in the United States, Russia, India, China and Iran. Third Generation Laser Uranium Enrichment Technology is likely over 5 times more energy efficient and more compact than the best centrifuges.
Nextbigfuture It is unclear how an enforceable agreement could be reached as laser systems will become more efficient and more compact once initial commercial or weapon scale enrichment is achieved.
Long-standing efforts to develop a commercially viable laser based process for uranium enrichment, initially with atomic and later molecular isotope separation, have had limited success. This article discusses a model for a third generation of laser enrichment technology where CO2 laser light is Raman scattered to generate 16 micron photons that excite a vibrational mode in uranium-235 hexafluoride molecules within an adiabatically expanding free carrier gas jet, allowing for the partial separation of uranium isotopes by condensation repression. The SILEX (Separation of Isotopes by Laser Excitation) process being developed as part of the Global Laser Enrichment project may be one example of this separation technique. An ideal, asymmetric cascade for enriching uranium to weapon-grade levels is presented, and an analysis of the minimum laser performance requirements is included. Optimal running parameters, physical space constraints, and energy efficiency estimates are discussed. An assessment of the technical skills required is also provided. Finally, material available in an online supplement discusses possible lasers that may be utilized in such a process, and offers an introduction to dimer formation, a laser-based enrichment cascade, and a model for estimating the enrichment factor.
One third generation laser enrichment process under consideration for commercialization is known as separation of isotopes by laser excitation (SILEX). It was developed at laboratory scale by Silex Systems Ltd., an Australian company, and has been licensed to Global Laser Enrichment (GLE), a consortium comprised of General Electric (51 percent), Hitachi (25 percent), and Cameco (24 percent), for commercial development.
GLE was issued a construction and operating license for a laser enrichment plant at General Electric-Hitachis nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Wilmington, North Carolina, by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2012. GLE has stated that a decision about whether to proceed with this project will be based upon market considerations, but Silex Systems Ltd. claims key technology improvements that may lower the operating and capital costs of a commercial production facility. Other countries pursuing research related to this technology could also build plants if they believe it is cheaper to enrich uranium with lasers than with centrifuges.
Schematic of a third generation laser isotope separation unit for uranium enrichment. A high repetition rate laser tuned to excite a vibrational mode of UF cross-axially irradiates a UF/G free jet flowing from a supersonic nozzle into a low pressure chamber. The enriched product is collected with a downstream skimmer.
The importance of high isotopic selectivity requires that the UF6 gas be cooled to narrow and separate the absorption spectra. This is achieved by feeding the gas into an evacuated chamber through a nozzle to form a supersonic jet, which cools as it adiabatically expands and accelerates. Absent such cooling, thermal excitations would result in the unwanted excitation of some 238UF6 molecules due to the overlap of its vibrational absorption spectrum with 235UF6.
Supersonic speeds can be achieved when a gas passes through a converging and diverging duct, typically called a Laval nozzle.
It is estimated 300 square meters of SILEX equipment is capable of producing 32.5kg of 90% HEU annually. This estimate is almost certainly
generous.
For current Enrichment Technology Company (ETC)-supplied centrifuges to Urenco plants or American Centrifuge Plant (ACP) centrifuges, about 50 kWh/SWU is required. The 12.7 kWh/SWU (or 1.29 kWh/SWU for ten meters SILEX) estimate is low considering that 10.2 m light must be Raman-shifted, and only 55 percent energy efficiency is claimed in the shift to 16 m. In addition, the electro-optical efficiency of the TEA CO2 laser is only 15 percent to 26 percent prior to Raman-shifting. These inefficiencies change the energy consumed to 88.8154 kWh/SWU for one meter and 9.0215.6 kWh/SWU for ten.
A 5000 SWU SILEX-type plant operating at 10 kWh/SWU would consume as much energy as a grocery store in the United States that was only 100 square meters in size.
With some laser enrichment and cascade designs the SILEX efficiency could be greater than state of the art centrifuges by a factor of 5, and possibly much higher.
SOURCES Science and Global Security
Recapturing Fallujah, the first city to fall to the Islamic State group more than two years ago, means that authorities can now set their sights on militant-held Mosul.
ISIS had largely been driven out of the city by the previous weekend, but Sunday's declaration came after Iraqi forces cleared ISIS from the northwestern neighborhood of al-Julan.
The Fallujah operation was carried out by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism troops, Iraqi federal police, Anbar provincial police and an umbrella group of government-sanctioned militia fighters - mostly Shiites - who are known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces. An Iraqi special forces soldier confirmed the account, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.
Abadi, dressed in the black fatigues of the counterterrorism forces and carrying an Iraqi flag, visited Fallujah's central hospital Sunday and called for residents of the city 40 miles west of Baghdad to celebrate the military advance.
While the Iraqi forces should celebrate a well deserved victory, Mr Reed said defeating Islamic State would be a "one-by-one-by-one" win.
Caring for the displaced residents of Fallujah and rebuilding the city so they can go home is a "vital task" that remains ahead, Carter said.
"To some extent once (Iraqi troops) got through the hard candy shell and into the chewy center, things went much more quickly", Davis said.
Special forces Cpl. Mohammad Hussein, stationed at a makeshift base in the city center, said his men arrested about six people who were caught looting. "We want to prevent them catching their breath and attacking our forces with vehicle bombs", he said. Known as "the city of mosques", nearly all are still standing, but many have their intricate tile work chipped away by small arms fire and artillery.
"It's just people burning garbage", he said, "or it could be from a house booby-trapped with explosives".
Retaking the city has prompted a humanitarian crisis, as thousands of civilians fled their homes during the fighting and are now living in refugee camps outside the city.
A spokesman for the USA -led military coalition fighting against ISIS seemed to suggest that there was still a bit of fighting left to take full control of the city.
"However, we have seen significant progress by the United Nations and Iraqis in recent days to provide for the basic necessities of internally displaced persons", she said.
Majid, the policeman who also fought in Ramadi, said Fallujah was left in better shape, but acknowledged that the damage was still significant.
"Even this destruction could change how people feel about the government", he said.
Information for this article was contributed by Matthew Lee, Sinan Salaheddin and Qassim Abdul-Zahra of The Associated Press.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto arrived on Monday and U.S. President Barack Obama is set to join Mr. Pena Nieto and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss issues such as climate change and free trade between the three countries.
"The goal of this visit is to renew our bilateral relationship, to give it new life, to find ways to advance the prosperity and competitiveness of North America", Pena Nieto said in Quebec City ahead of the North American leaders summit, dubbed the "Three Amigos" meeting.
At the summit, leaders will also look at how best to foster trade with each other, said Mexico's Finance Minister Luis Videgaray.
The previous Conservative government imposed visas in 2009 to stop thousands of asylum claims being made by ineligible Mexican citizens - a controversial move that has stood as the major irritant between the two countries ever since. The requirement caught the Mexican government off guard, and it marred relations.
"You are taking it further", he said to Trudeau.
Canada's Liberals promised during last year's election campaign that the visa requirement would be lifted, but the process has been fraught with delays.
The deal builds on a slate of climate efforts from the Obama administration, including the EPA Clean Power Plan and signing of the Paris Climate Agreement a year ago.
The commitment - which will be a joint one, rather than an individual commitment by each nation - represents an aggressive target given the reliance by the United States and Mexico on fossil fuels for much of their electricity supply.
Later this afternoon, the two leaders will drop by the Canadian Museum of Nature for a "Q&A with youth", and cap off the day by attending a state dinner at Rideau Hall, at which, reporters are advised, there will be "open coverage for remarks and toasts only".
Canadian and Mexican officials say the real aim of the discussions is to set up a partnership to combat what both leaders see as rising protectionist sentiment in the US, their biggest trading partner.
"There's very much a "Keep calm and carry on" approach and we're going to ignore some of the domestic politicking and see what happens when it happens", said a Canadian source familiar with the summit talks.
The US, Canada and Mexico are set to announce that 50% of North America's electricity will come from clean power sources by 2025, at the "Three Amigos" summit in Ottawa tomorrow.
Trudeau said the restrictions would be lifted on December 1 this year.
Canada produces 81% of its electricity from hydroelectric, solar, wind and nuclear power generation, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, which first reported the North American deal on Monday.
Israel and Turkey have announced a reconciliation deal to end a bitter six-year rift between the Mideast powers.
Netanyahu was happy to announce the "immense implications for the Israeli economy" the Washington Post reported, that will provide a significant boost to Israel's economy.
Once tight, already frayed relations between Israel and Turkey were significantly downgraded in 2010 after Israeli commandos staged a raid on a six-ship Turkish flotilla which was trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Strip.
Both sides have been pushing to complete the deal in recent months, with Israel in search of a potential customer for its offshore gas exports and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member Turkey wanting to restore its regional clout, analysts say.
Yildirim also noted Israel's commitment to pay $20 million in compensation over the 2010 raid that killed 10 Turkish activists, in exchange for all claims against Israeli soldiers being dropped.
Yildirim said the deal "largely" lifted the Israeli blockade, while Netanyahu said the blockade remains in place.
"There is no doubt this agreement gives Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan status and placed him as the leader of the region's Sunny Muslims..."
Israel said the operation was needed to halt Hamas rocket fire and that the heavy civilian death toll resulted from Hamas using residential areas for cover.
"Both were favorable (to the agreement) and so we continued on our way", Erdogan said at dinner at his palace to break the daily Ramadan fast.
But the deal was never implemented as Turkey demanded the lifting of the Gaza blockade.
The Kremlin statement said Mr Erdogan had expressed his readiness to do everything necessary to restore the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russian Federation, and also to jointly fight terrorism.
Feridun Sinirlioglu, the undersecretary to the Turkish foreign ministry, and Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover met in Rome to discuss the deal, according to the Turkish news source Hurriyet.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency outlines Istanbul's view on the deal.
Israel had its own incentives to patch things up as it seeks regional customers for gas exports, with talk of a potential pipeline to Turkey.
Turkey's worst nightmare in Syria has come true: Russian support has enabled its enemy Bashar Al Assad to remain in power, while Kurdish militia fighters have benefited from USA support as they battle ISIL, bolstering their position in territory adjacent to the Turkish border.
On Monday, Erdogan expressed regret for the downing of the plane in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting a key Russian demand for improving ties. Russian sanctions imposed over the incident have dealt a blow to Turkey's economy. News of the deal first emerged on Sunday, and an Israeli official confirmed the details of the deal to The Associated Press.
The deal with Israel after years of negotiation was a rare rapprochement in the divided Middle East, driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over growing security risks.
"With this deal, the process of returning ties to normal has begun", Yildirim said.
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi, back left, and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, back right, witness a signing ceremony after the ninth meeting of China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 27, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
HANOI - The ninth meeting of China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation was held Monday in Vietnam's capital Hanoi under the co-chair of Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Yang said in the past year, under the guidance of leaders of the two parties and states as well as the joint efforts of both sides, China-Vietnam relations have continued the good development momentum while exchanges and cooperation in various fields have been continuously deepened.
Both sides should well implement consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, map out plans for bilateral exchanges, and conduct coordination among ministries and localities to enhance cooperation in various fields, said Yang, adding that at the same time, the two sides should properly handle existing issues and differences so as to jointly promote China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a more stable and better manner.
Pham Binh Minh, for his part, said recently Vietnam-China relations have maintained positive developments with frequent exchanges between leaders of the two parties and states.
The two countries have reached important consensus in developing bilateral relations in a sustainable and healthy manner, gaining progresses in cooperation in various fields.
Minh expressed his belief that the meeting will contribute to the promotion of Vietnam-China cooperation in politics, economy, trade, and socio-culture, among others.
Yang and Minh agreed that the two sides should continue to maintain close exchanges between the two parties and states, strengthen high-level strategic communication, and promptly exchange views on major issues of bilateral relations.
The two sides agreed to continue strengthening cooperation between the two parties, foreign ministries, armies, as well as cooperation in security and law enforcement.
Both sides also reached consensus on accelerating the linking of development strategies, jointly promoting the projects under "Belt and Road" initiative and "Two Corridors, One Belt" framework, expanding and deepening cooperation in economy, trade, investment, agriculture, transportation, culture, education, healthcare, tourism, youth exchanges, among others.
The two sides consented to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in inland border areas, make good use of the existing mechanisms between the two governments, well control maritime issues through friendly consultations and negotiations, as well as safeguard peace and stability in South China Sea.
The two sides reached consensus on positively studying and negotiating joint development at sea, effectively implementing cooperation projects and continuing to explore new cooperation fields.
Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Brussels and London to meet with top diplomats, including the Israeli prime minister. U.S. President Barack Obama and many other world leaders had urged Britain to remain inside the 28-nation bloc.
The legal procedure to start Britain's withdrawal from the European Union will not be triggered at this week's European summit in Brussels because of the "significant political crisis" there, a senior EU official has said.
United States officials are also keen to help London's divorce from Brussels go through smoothly without further inflicting further damage on skittish world financial markets.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks about the Ukraine crisis after his meetings with other foreign ministers in Paris, March 5, 2014.
Kerry repeated his plea hours later in London, where he emphasized Washington's "special relationship" with Britain and said the United Kingdom's role in the world would be changed, but not diminished as a result of the European Union vote.
"Brexit and the changes that are now being thought through have to be thought through in the context of the interests and values that bind us together with the European Union".
Scotland's leader promised she would do whatever it takes to keep her strongly pro-EU country in the bloc, including potentially vetoing legislation on a British exit from the world's biggest single market.
He said he and Obama were "absolutely convinced that we will be able to work through this in a sensible, thoughtful way that takes the best strengths of the European Union, the best strengths of the marketplace, the best interests of our national security and global security, and works to keep them moving in the right direction for our countries".
In what promises to be one of the bitterest summits in the EU's history, British Prime Minister David Cameron will then face huge pressure in Brussels on Tuesday to immediately trigger the two-year exit process. He said the vote left Britain "undiminished" as a global force.
Instead, he said everyone needs to "look for ways to maintain the strength that will serve the interests and the values that brought us together in the first place". That doesn't mean we won't miss that voice within the context of the European Union.
But it's unclear what more Kerry, or the USA, can say or do right now to help Britain or the EU.
"The wound is quite raw", Hammond said.
The vote to "leave" is just the latest of a series of blows to financial markets, including an economic collapse in Greece and a threatened USA debt default to the more recent slowdown in the Chinese economy.
Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott welcomed Mr Cameron's decision to delay the "divorce" for several months, despite pressure from Brussels for a rapid departure.
By agreeing to stay until autumn, he at least provides time for the Conservative party to put flesh on the frankly skeletal Brexit plan set out by the official leave campaign.
The statement appeared to scotch hopes by Conservative lawmaker Boris Johnson and his Vote Leave campaign to hold preliminary talks on the general outlines of a deal before Article 50 triggers a two-year countdown to a British exit.
He urged caution on triggering Article 50 - which starts the formal process for exiting - saying that there needed to be consensus about next steps and the relationship Britain wants with the bloc. Nationalist leaders in both countries have vowed to leave the kingdom if necessary to stay in the EU. The parliament elected in 2015, and from which he derives his authority, has through the referendum been overridden. That wing is disunited to the point of dysfunction and will need time to absorb their unexpected victory.
Moody's meanwhile will downgrade the rating outlooks for major British banks to "negative" on Tuesday because of the fallout from the vote to leave the EU, Sky News reported, citing sources. An Irish referendum, by contrast, posed very specific legal questions, giving clear instructions to the politicians. Major banks, European and USA alike, have long had operations in the City of London to take advantage of the access to European markets while remaining in the financial industry-friendly locale. Norway and Switzerland have such arrangements.
David Cameron announced early Friday that he would resign, soon after the result came through.
In Northern Ireland, which voted to remain, the Sinn Fein party has said the national result justified its call for a referendum on uniting with the Republic of Ireland.
The European UnionThe EU, grappling with risky centrifugal forces, will try to act decisively, something it rarely does.
Cameron will attend a European Council meeting as planned on Tuesday (June 28). That, after all, has been the explicit goal of some leave campaigners.
Mary Turner Getty Images
For the next few years, companies will face uncertainty, which research firm Forrester said will impede companies' ability to tailor services and advertising based on personal data. "We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks".
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Britain's departure from the European Union created new uncertainties in the world economy at a time when downward pressures on China's economy are mounting.
Beyond that, talks with the Irish government, the Commonwealth, Nato and innumerable other bodies await.
They know it, and are already lowering expectations.
He said there was "no doubt about the result" of the poll and that the "decision must be accepted".
The reaction from Asian stock markets, many of which had suffered heavy losses in the immediate aftermath of the vote, was less extreme. But she ruled out informal talks before London notifies the European Union of its intention to leave under the EU's Lisbon Treaty, which provides its constitutional basis.
"They told lots of people that these trade-offs, which were reasonably obvious and are now coming to the fore, didn't exist", Portes said.
On Monday the Tories' committee in charge of the leadership election said the successor should be in place by September 2, "although an earlier conclusion may be possible", with nominations for the post formally closing on Thursday.
The CityComments from the European Central Bank on Saturday morning crystallised the fears of London's financial industry, which had pushed hard to remain in Europe. Many voters in Scotland and Northern Ireland valued the economic benefits of European Union membership. "The basic theory was banks couldn't be managed because they were too big".
"During the campaign there was talk about triggering Article 50 and its process of leaving the European Union right away, literally on Friday morning, and I think quite rightly the PM has paused on that which allows the dust to settle, allows people to go away on holiday, have some informal discussions about it, and then think about it come September/October time".
The number of displaced people by war and conflict reached its highest ever recorded level in 2015, amounting to 65.3 million people around the world, the United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Refugees reported Monday.
This number is much higher than the figure for 2014 (59.5 million). In 2015, Yemen was the biggest new producer of internal displacement, with 2.5 million or 9 percent of its population. About 11.5 million people from Syria had fled their homes: 6.6 million within the war-ravaged country and 4.9 million overseas. In a year when more than a million people arrived on European shores, UNHCR said continued conflicts and persecution in places like Syria and Afghanistan fueled a almost 10-percent increase in the total number of refugees and internally displaced people in 2015. Around three million people were awaiting a decision on their asylum claims.
"At sea, a frightening number of refugees and migrants are dying each year", UNHCR's Filippo Grandi said in the report. On top of that, we're doing a worse job of figuring out solutions-like voluntary repatriation, asylum or integration into a new country-to the problem of displaced persons. Turkey, for instance, has taken in the maximum number of the distraught people fleeing their country.
It estimates that 65.3 million people were either refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced at the end of 2015, an increase of 5m in a year. Lebanon hosts 183 refugees for every 1000 inhabitants, the highest ratio in the world, while Turkey hosts the highest total number of refugees - 2.5 million people.
Asylum-seekers fleeing conflicts or persecution are increasingly confronted with walls or anti-foreigner sentiment, Grandi said.
In the face of millions of people entering into foreign lands, Grandi has called on countries to resist the xenophobia that is gradually rearing its head.
A mixture of worrying factors has led to rising displacement and narrowing space for refugee resettlement. Many have come from countries like Columbia, Peru, Eritrea and Haiti.
Progress has lagged on a scheme to redistribute 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other European Union states to alleviate pressure on the two front-line countries.
Mr Grandi said: "There is no plan B for Europe in the long run".
The minister said South Africa would strive to assist refugees the same way South Africans would want to be served if they should flee to another country.
"Everybody has to share responsibility now".
AFP adds: Counting Earth's population at 7.349 billion, the United Nations said that one out of every 113 people on the planet was now either internally displaced or a refugee.
The diplomatic thaw also could open new channels for outside assistance to the Gaza Strip.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim made an announcement simultaneously in Ankara. "Long negotiations have taken place". "As the Prime Minster of Israel, I am responsible for protecting our national interests for the long term with an understanding of the worldwide political climate and the present and future security and economic needs of the State of Israel", Netanyahu said Monday afternoon in Rome.
In Turkey, the agreement will be submitted to parliament. It calls for increased Turkish investment and aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, where access is tightly controlled by Israel. An initial shipment of 10,000 tons of aid will be dispatched as early as Friday, Yildirim said.
Relations between Israel and Turkey broke down in the wake of the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, when Israeli commandos boarded and killed nine Turkish citizens in fights on a boat that was attempting to break Israel's Gaza blockade.
Within Israel, the deal was given a mixed response, with one newspaper quoting a soldier from the Mavi Marmara raid as saying "it's nothing less than spitting in our face". The Israeli navy warned the ships to reverse course and eventually intercepted the flotilla.
The Israeli government sees the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals once ties with Turkey are mended. But a compromise was reached to allow Turkish aid to reach Gaza through the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, officials said.
"We want the rebuilding of Gaza", said a high Israeli official during Netanyahu's visit to Rome.
"This isn't a cease-fire agreement", Yildirim said.
Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Netanyahu on the agreement when the two met in Rome on Monday, calling it a "positive step".
Netanyahu also said Israel ambassadors will return to Turkey. Despite the crisis, trade continued and exceeded $5 billion in 2014, according to the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
Both sides had been cautiously optimistic about reaching an agreement, but serious sticking points remained between the two countries, which have suffered years of strained relations. Turkey is looking for a natural gas supplier, as relations with Russia, its main provider, significantly declined after the downing of a Russian jet near the Turkish-Syrian border a year ago.
"Restoring relations with Ankara is a linchpin in Israel's strategy to unlock its natural gas wealth", Reuters added, noting that Israeli energy stocks and shares in Turkey's Zorlu Energy rose in reaction to the agreement.
Just in April a spokesman for Turkish President Erdogan said that any formal reconciliation between Turkey and Israel is impossible without the lifting of the siege on Gaza. The families say Netanyahu promised them that a return of the soldiers' remains would be part of any deal with Turkey.
Shaked and other analysts said it is unlikely that relations would immediately return to their level of six years ago. "And I mean positive huge implications". But "it will be development to change perspectives".
"This could have very profound implications for our economy (in Northern Ireland)".
Mr Kenny added that Ireland was a strong, open and competitive economy and said its recovery was testament to the resilience of the economy.
The Irish government has said the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union will have "very significant implications for Ireland".
And while the data analysts would not reveal the exact number of searches for information on the Republic's citizenship rules, they said most interest was shown in Northern Ireland with the normally unionist heartland of Holywood, Co Down, taking top spot.
The implications of this vote for Northern Ireland and for relations between North and south on this island will require careful consideration.
According to Google trends, searches within the United Kingdom for "Irish passport" and "EU passport" jumped relative to searches for other terms overnight, with Irish passport proving the most popular of the three.
British finance minister George Osborne has said border controls would be inevitable, while former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major, who also campaigned for a vote to remain, said a Brexit could undermine peace in the six-county province.
"The border with Newry will not change in the short term and we would hope that the Irish government will do all in their power to minimise disruption for manufacturers, transport, retail, tourist and employees who live and work in different jurisdictions", he said.
The prime minister said that there were more immediate issues to be addressed than a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.
"We knew it would come but the test has not been met and therefore I do not believe it will happen", she commented.
Sinn Fein called for the referendum on a united Ireland in the aftermath of the Brexit result, stating there was a "democratic imperative" for a border poll.
Pro-Brexit campaigners, including Britain's minister for Northern Ireland, described those warnings as "scaremongering" and said a Brexit would not endanger a common travel area that predates both countries' entry into the European Union in 1973.
Gibraltar voted in favor of Britain remaining in the EU.
The outcome has very significant implications for Ireland and the European Union as a whole, a government statement said. Wales joined England in voting Leave.
"I would be calm about a border poll because if that referendum was called I would be absolutely and totally confident that it would be an overwhelming majority to stay with the United Kingdom", he said.
"In any event it is for the Secretary of State to call that referendum on the basis that there is a prospect there actually being a united Ireland".
"Mr. President come and see for yourself what the host communities are going through in the hands of Nigeria government and the multinationals", the group said in a message on its website, adding that he should go to various export terminals.
The Niger Delta Avengers, a Nigerian militant group which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil facilities in the country's southern energy hub, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to visit the region.
Eradiri did not say when the meeting might take place but stated stakeholders would meet shortly on the crisis and the way forward.
"Buhari should lead the negotiation team, we want him in the creeks, Buhari should not expect our oil to stabilize Nigerians economy, that is a thing of the past".
"Therefore, we call on President Buhari to act by starting the process of genuine and serious engagement with the Niger Delta people with a view to address the Niger Delta agitation for resource control once and for all, " he said.
"Those of you who have friends among the leadership or even the militants themselves should plead with them in the name of God?Almighty to take it easy". Niger Deltans are not part of Nigeria he is referring to because we belong to Niger Delta Republic.
Oil production in Nigeria has risen to about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd), from 1.6 million bpd, due to repairs and more than a week having passed since a major pipeline attack in the Niger Delta, a state oil company spokesman said on Monday.
"We are in a very hard time, so we have to organise ourselves".
"The only solution to Nigeria's problems not just Niger Delta problem is that we restructure this country to the point where people sit down and agree that we should go forward as a nation".
On Sunday, the Avengers stated that it wanted a referendum on breaking up the Nigerian Federation.
The decision to become a member of the SCO was taken previous year following Prime Minister's outreach during the BRICS summit. SCO mainly addresses security concerns of its member nations and discusses threats in the form of terrorism and extremism.
The 2-day summit in Tashkent has brought together more than 1,000 guests from the SCO members and observers.
India's entry into SCO as a full member will provide it an opportunity to have extended cooperation with member countries in areas of defence, security and counter-terrorism.
"India may benefit from the grouping's strengths in energy and natural resources and in turn India's strong economy and vast market could drive economic growth in the SCO region", Modi said.
He also stressed upon the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan, and said: "A stable, independent and peaceful Afghanistan is not just a honest desire of each Afghan but also necessary for greater security and stability in the SCO region".
Prime Minister Modi on his part thanked Russian Federation for its support in SCO and said India as BRICS chair would keep up the momentum generated by Russian Federation.
Summit meeting in Uzbekistan capital Tashkent, which is set to be held on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India looks forward to fruitful outcome, particularly in the field of economic cooperation.
Pakistan has become full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) after signing Memorandum of Obligations (MoOs) in SCO's Heads of State Summit at Tashkent. "So we will wait and see how that develops", Mehta added.
India's inclusion in the group will expand the territory of the organization and it will almost account for 80 percent of the Eurasian continent and will have a population of 2.7 billion, more than one third of world's population. At present Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are permanent members of SCO.
Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia are still observer states. At the same time, she said the Prime Minister will have couple of other bilaterals.
Nine Turks, including a dual American citizen, were killed and dozens of activists were wounded, one of whom died several years later.
The rapprochement has potential wide-reaching security and economic ramifications in the region.
Netanyahu was originally expected to meet Ban on Monday but he was in Rome for talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians.
The diplomatic thaw also could open new channels for outside assistance to the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Authority Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki said Ramallah welcomed the agreement between Turkey and Israel "in principle", but asked that Ankara work with Ramallah on aspects of the agreement concerning the Palestinians.
After the deal is signed on Tuesday, the approval process will start in both countries, and the Turkish premier said Ankara would appoint an ambassador to Tel Aviv within weeks.
In Turkey, the agreement will be submitted to parliament.
The Hamas political movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, has said it hopes that the agreement would have a wider impact across the Palestinian territories.
An Israeli official said the impending deal would include $20 million in Israeli compensation for families of those killed in the raid, an end to all Turkish claims against Israeli military personnel and the state of Israel over the raid, and the mutual restoration of ambassadors. The ship was part of a flotilla that set sail with the aim of breaking Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
The animosity peaked on May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos stormed a ship called the Mavi Marmara while stopping the worldwide flotilla.
"Under the deal, the sea blockade of Gaza will remain in place", Netanyahu was quoted as saying by Israeli state media.
For example, he noted, "the agreement allows the passage of goods into Gaza and the establishment of a power plant and desalination plant and the construction of a hospital in Gaza".
"By nature, this will be a very cold agreement; an agreement of convenience, but nothing of the deep dialogue and strategic partnership we once had", he said. Turkey has also agreed to support Israel's admission into worldwide agencies, by supporting the opening of an Israeli mission in NATO's headquarters in Brussels. Despite the crisis, trade continued and exceeded $5 billion in 2014, according to the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
Relations took a sharp turn downward during Israel's three-week war against Hamas in Gaza in 2008 and 2009, when Erdogan criticized Israel over the high Palestinian death toll. Turkey remains close ties with Hamas, an Islamic militant group that is sworn to Israel's destruction and is labeled a terrorist organization by Israel and the West.
"I believe we will normalise our relations with Russian Federation rapidly by ending the existing situation which is not in the interest of both sides", Erdogan said at a dinner to break the fast for the holy month of Ramadan.
He said the deal would help bring "stability" to the turbulent Middle East.
"The deal has enormous consequences for Israel and Turkey, both economically and strategically", said Eli Shaked, Israel's former consul general in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city.
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States in a landmark ruling protected access to safe, legal abortion by blocking two unconstitutional Texas restrictions that threatened to close all but nine health centers in the entire state that could provide abortion for the 5.4 million Texas women of reproductive age - down from approximately 40 health centers before passage of this risky law.
A separate appeal is pending at the Supreme Court from Wisconsin, where federal judges have struck down that state's admitting-privileges law.
The Supreme Court decision gives abortion rights supporters a new and very important piece of precedent to challenge dozens of other laws that are similar to Texas's unconstitutional restrictions.
The sponsor of a MS abortion law says he thinks it probably will fall, since the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a similar law in Texas.
That action, however, focuses on the law's defunding of the organization, a required annual inspection of its patient files, and a redefinition of gestational periods, according to Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.
"First, it requires that all doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where the abortion takes place".
The court's majority further noted Monday that "the great weight of evidence" demonstrated that abortion in Texas was "extremely safe" even before passage of the state law, with particularly low rates of serious complications and virtually no women's deaths occurring on account of the procedure.
The justices have maintained a tenuous balancing act when it comes to limiting abortion rights. "After years of fighting heartless, anti-abortion Texas politicians who would seemingly stop at nothing to push abortion out of reach, I want everyone to understand: you don't mess with Texas, you don't mess with Whole Woman's Health, and you don't mess with this lovely, powerful movement of people dedicated to reproductive health, rights, and justice".
"As we have said, a losing litigant deserves no rematch after a defeat fairly suffered, in adversarial proceedings, on an issue identical in substance to the one he subsequently seeks to raise", the dissent said. The bill was passed by the Texas legislature in 2013. Joining him in opposition was Chief Justice John Roberts and Clarence Thomas.
"Gosnell had not been actively supervised by state or local authorities or by his peers, and the Philadelphia grand jury that investigated the case recommended that the Commonwealth adopt a law requiring abortion clinics to comply with the same regulations as ASCs [ambulatory surgical centers]", he wrote. Proponents say such standards-which stipulate things like the minimum dimensions between cabinets, counters, and shelves-are necessary to ensure patient safety.
Part of the legal wrangling in this case was over whether a state Legislature must prove that a law restricting abortion truly has a health benefit instead of merely stating that is the law's intent.
The ruling overturned the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had upheld the law. In doing so they have advocated for substandard health regulations. Another factor in the reversed course was that in 2000, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor had voted to strike down the partial-birth ban.
More than 40 abortion clinics were open in Texas in January 2013, when then-Gov. "Texas' goal is to protect innocent life, while ensuring the highest health and safety standards for women", Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. In response, defenders of the law point to the horrors of Kermit Gosnell as an example of what happens when abortion clinics are not adequately supervised. "Thomas was quoting an earlier abortion dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February".
"It's exceedingly unfortunate that the court has taken the ability to protect women's health out of the hands of Texas citizens and their duly-elected representatives", Paxton said in a statement released Monday morning.
The three clinics are also challenging a 2015 Tennessee law requiring a 48-hour waiting period for women obtaining an abortion.
"Today, women across the nation have had their constitutional rights vindicated", declared Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Justice Anthony Kennedy sided with four liberal justices for a 5-3 decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, considered the biggest abortion case since Roe v. Wade.
South Korean and USA military officials have said the North launched what appeared to be two intermediate-range missiles dubbed Musudan on Wednesday.
Having been hit with strengthened United Nations sanctions for a fourth ever nuclear test in January and a subsequent rocket launch, Pyongyang could now face further punishment.
South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Friday to continue to seek policy coordination and share information against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said.
"Under these circumstances, in which the USA hostile policy is still there, DPRK is not in a position to talk about denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", she said outside the country's embassy.
"We totally reject this UNSC press statement, which is devoid of impartiality and a product of double standards", said a spokesperson from Pyongyang's foreign ministry.
The first launch was considered to have failed, travelling about 150km (90 miles) before landing in the sea.
The United States, NATO, Japan and South Korea also denounced the test, with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter urging the expansion of missile defence systems in the region.
The Security Council wasted little time in condemning North Korea's double launch of mid-range projectiles last Wednesday, as Pyongyang is barred from developing ballistic missile technology along with nuclear testing under multiple United Nations resolutions.
Speaking at an event commemorating the upcoming 66th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War, Park also said the will of the worldwide community will "never be shaken" in its unanimous call for North Korea denuclearization, Yonhap reported Friday.
The launch was condemned by the worldwide community, and the UN Security Council held closed-door consultations on how best to respond. If it was sacked at a normal angle of 45 degrees, it could have flown some 3,000 kilometers, which means it could theoretically reach US military units in Okinawa in Japan and fly as far as the USA territory of Guam. "North Korea claims it is a nuclear power, and has been escalating tensions with cyberterrorism and other provocations, but the global community's will, will never be shaken on the issue of North Korea denuclearization".
Seoul and Washington are now in talks about deploying the advanced US Thaad (terminal high-altitude air defence) missile system in South Korea - a move opposed by China.
"We can't deny that (North Korea's) technological development is making progress, and the situation is alarming", Japanese government spokesman Koichi Hagiuda told reporters.
Pyongyang's Rodong Sinmun newspaper referred to the anniversary by highlighting the North's rise to become "a powerful nuclear state".
Any further measures would require the support of veto-wielding permanent council member China, which has shied away from additional action in favour of calls for resuming the six-party talks.
A gun rights group had appealed an October decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit that upheld core provisions of NY and CT bans on certain semi-automatic weapons and restrictions on bullet magazines.
On one side, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case that challenged Connecticut's state law banning assault weapons, thus upholding the ban.
Gun rights advocates challenged the NY court ruling, saying that it infringed on US citizens' second amendment rights to bear arms.
By declining to hear the challenge, the Supreme Court left in place a ruling banning semi-automatic weapons in the state that was passed after the Sandy Hook shooting that left 20 students and six educators dead on December 4, 2012.
Described as an "assault weapons ban", the law prohibits the sale or possession of rifles that accept detachable magazines and at least one additional specified feature, such as a pistol grip or telescoping stock.
Assault weapons bans are in place in five other states: California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Hawaii. The New York law, enacted the same year, is modeled on Connecticut's law but doesn't list specific prohibited weapons.
Although the decision comes days after the Orlando shooting, that event probably didn't move the justices either way.
In 2008 the Supreme Court recognized the right for handguns to be kept at home for self-defense in District of Columbia v. Heller. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump says he is opposed, although he supported a ban in his 2000 book, "The America We Deserve". Connecticut, after all, passed its assault-weapons ban shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre, which also involved an AR-15.
"Plaintiffs complain that mass shootings are "particularly rare events" and thus, even if successful, the legislation will have a "minimal impact" on most violent crime". But Scalia also pointed out that government is allowed to regulate such weapons.
Director Jonathan Lowy of the Legal Action Project at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence celebrated Supreme Court " s decision not to hear Shew v. Malloy.
The petition to the Supreme Court argued that the additional firearms subject to the ban are commonly owned and lawfully used by millions of Americans. "Mr. Wilson suggested that the Court's decision to decline review may have been influenced by the recent, unfortunate death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the author if the Heller decision", the CCDL said in a statement on Monday.
But the Supreme Court seems to be avoiding the issue altogether. "We can not sit idly by and watch tragedy after tragedy, horror after horror", Malloy said.
Cramsey, who calls himself a "rebel" on Facebook and owns a gun range, was stopped during Tuesday morning rush hour at the tunnel's New Jersey toll plaza along with Dean Smith, 53, and Kimberly Arendt, 29.
Three Pennsylvania residents facing numerous charges after weapons were found inside a pickup truck that was stopped at the Holland Tunnel are set to make their initial court appearances. Cramsey's daughter, Alexandria, died from a heroin overdose in February, according to Facebook posts.
A friend of Cramsey, Lyn Baker, tells the Daily News that the trio was headed to NY to help the girl. In addition to its shades of neon green and red, the truck carried pro-gun decals - and a skull on its gas cap.
According to officers, the three said they wanted to rescue a 16-year-old girl they believed was in danger from drugs. Smith replied, "I'm there", noted The AP.
Susan Hirst, a friend of Cramsey, posted on Facebook "Legally or illegally, he enters heroin houses, hotels, or whatever the hell they are called".
Pictured en route to rescue mission, John Cramsey, Kimberly Arendt and Dean Smith.
The group made claims that the 16-year-old was being help against her will - which the NYPD later determined to be false.
Police arrested two men and a woman from Pennsylvania carrying rifles and body armor who said they were coming to Brooklyn to save a drugged up friend.
The trio wasn't traveling incognito.
The van the three were travelling in had the name Higher Ground Tactical - a Pennsylvania gun range - on the side.
Port Authority of NY and New Jersey police officers stopped the group's van around 7:40 a.m.in Jersey City for a cracked windshield, according to spokesman Joe Pentangelo. It is unlawful to transport a loaded gun in a vehicle in New Jersey, where the truck was stopped.
In the proceeding search of the vehicle, police found an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun, five handguns, tactical vests, helmets, and high-capacity magazines, CBS News reports. It was unclear what, if anything, the weapons had to do with their plans. A Hudson County judge declined to give them the option of paying 10 percent of their $75,000 cash bail.
"The police officers said they stopped them because they saw a crack in the windshield, but clearly that's not what happened", James Lisa, Cramsey's attorney, said after Wednesday's arraignment.
"Nothing about gun violence probably forgot to take it out", he said.
"This conduct had the potential to bring danger to the destination of these defendants", he said.
Waukesha's request is the first to win approval under the 2008 Great Lakes Compact.
The council approved several amendments created to ensure that conditions it placed on Waukesha's application could be enforced.
Perhaps even more important is the area served by the new source of water is restricted to Waukesha's current borders, meaning the city can't use it to advance suburban sprawl. But the proposal has drawn major opposition, including from Racine leaders, who say the Root River will be harmed.
Whether it also represents a triumph for the Great Lakes Compact will take a little longer to assess.
"Approving the diversion project will provide environmental benefits to the region, and have virtually no impact on our treasured Great Lakes", Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement. However, once the city uses the water for their municipal supply, it is treated and diverts to the Mississippi River Basin.
In order to pump water from Lake Michigan, the city had to petition the eight states aligned with the Great Lakes Compact, a law providing the states bordering the lakes with joint water management power. The city is only 17 miles from the lake but lies just outside the Great Lakes watershed.
The drinking water in a Wisconsin town is contaminated, and the city wants to draw water from Lake Michigan.
That required the city of about 72,000 to get special permission under the compact, which prohibits most diversions of water across the watershed boundary. These include Waukesha has to document the daily, monthly and annual amounts of water withdrawn and returned, all the other Great lake States are allowed to conduct audits of the records and the agreement can be withdrawn by the other states at any point if conditions of the agreement are violated.
"That will be where they withdraw all the Lake Michigan water", McKay said.
A coalition of environmental groups argued that the city failed to meet that standard, contending that Waukesha could update its water treatment plant to remove radium from its deep groundwater wells as some of its neighboring communities are doing. At the time Julie Ekman with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Governor Dayton was "still consulting with stakeholders" on Waukesha's application. Given the rapid growth of many drought-plagued states and countries, some planners and financial analysts say water will be become more valuable than oil during the coming century.
Representatives of Great Lakes states and provinces have given preliminary approval to the Waukesha plan.
Despite the improvements made to the diversion proposal by the Regional Body and Compact Council, concerns with Waukesha's diversion proposal remain.
The group also indicated it would take the coming weeks to "review the specific conditions adopted by the Compact Council today to assess critical shortfalls and appropriate next steps".
In the deadliest violence, warplanes from the Saudi-led pro-government coalition killed 34 people, including 19 civilians when they targeted the Shiite rebels in the southwestern region of Taez, a Yemeni military official said.
Meanwhile, at least seven civilians including two children were killed in air strikes "probably by drones" on jihadists which mistakenly hit a nearby house in Mahfed, between the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa in Yemen's south, an official told AFP.
The three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Yemen's minority Houthis, who are Shiite, rebelled a year ago against the Sunni-led government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
Mukalla, capital of the vast eastern province of Hadramout and an important shipping hub, was the centre of a wealthy mini-state that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) built up over the past year as it took control of an nearly 600km band of Arabian Sea coastline.
At least 48 government troops were killed in multiple suicide bombings claimed by Daesh in Yemen's south-eastern city of Mukalla on Monday. He says the attacks, blamed on Yemen's Islamic State affiliate, also wounded 30 people.
Six other soldiers were killed in clashes in the flashpoint city of Taez, where rebels attacked an army base, a military official said. In one of the attacks, a bomb was concealed in a box of food brought to soldiers at a checkpoint to break their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast.
Fighting between Yemeni government forces and Shiite rebels raged on Sunday on several fronts, killing 41 people, officials said, as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kuwait to push forward peace talks.
A local security official on Tuesday that the death toll from the explosions had climbed to 45 people. It was recaptured in April by Yemeni government and Saudi-led coalition forces. He has also pressed for the release of prisoners, including journalists and political detainees.
The government has demanded the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on the rebels to withdraw from all cities, including Sanaa, and hand over their heavy weapons. The Houthis want to form a unity government prior to any changes on the ground, according to the negotiators.
Leaves are falling, the air is crisp and deer season is right around the corner. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this time of year. Becoming involved in hunting a few years ago gave me yet another reason why I look forward to fall.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
King Mohammed VI held, at the Royal Palace in Casablanca on Monday, tete-a-tete talks with Portugals President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who arrived earlier in the day for a visit to Morocco.
During their encounter, the Sovereign decorated the Portuguese Head of State with Wissam Al Mohammadi, the highest honor in Morocco, while President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decorated King Mohammed VI with the Grand Collar of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, the highest Portuguese honorary decoration awarded to foreign heads of State.
Later in the evening, King Mohammed VI hosted an official iftar in honor of the Portuguese President and his accompanying delegation at the Royal Palace in Casablanca.
The Portuguese Presidents visit, his first to an Arab country, reflects the high quality of Moroccan-Portuguese relations, which are based on a strong partnership and shared will to strengthen the multifaceted ties between the two countries, the Ministry of the Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery had said in a press release announcing the presidential visit.
Tunisia Monday remembered the victims of the June 2015 attack in Sousse where a militant of the Islamic State (IS) group mowed down 38 people, putting the countrys onetime buzzing tourism further into jeopardy.
Minister of tourism Selma Elloumi Rekik and British Foreign Office official Tobias Ellwood laid down flowers in remembrance of the 38 victims among whom 30 Briton holidaymakers.
They were joined by diplomats from Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Russia whose countries also lost victims in the attack as well as employees of the hotel who had helped save tourists during the carnage.
A priest called out the name of the victims in the presence of a strong security protection.
The 38 tourists were massacred by a lone Tunisian said trained in an IS training camp in Libya.
In March the same year, two IS commandos also reportedly trained in Libya gunned down 21 foreign tourists at Bardo Museum in Tunis.
The wave of attacks continued in November in capital Tunis where 12 members of the presidential guard were killed in a suicide bomb attack near the Presidential palace.
Tunisias busy tourism industry was the worst hit by the attacks as most tourists and travel agencies left the country. Revenues for the first quarter of this year were down by 51.7 percent compared with last year, and the number of arrivals fell by 21.5% in the first six months of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to the countrys Central Bank and Tourism Department.
British tourist number has sharply collapsed more than 92 per cent.
Following the June 26 attack, British Foreign Office cautioned its nationals to avoid the North African country until further notice.
To stem illegal crossing of IS militants into the country, Tunisia built walls and dug trenches along the lengthy boarder with Libya.
France, UK, Germany and the U.S. have also provided significant support through installating electronic surveillance systems and training Tunisian security forces.
As First Lady Michelle Obama is paying a visit to Morocco this June 27-29 part of the Let Girls Learn initiative she is spearheading, the US government announced on Tuesday new investments to promote girls education in the North African country.
The U.S. Government announces new programming in Morocco to help address the unique barriers that prevent girls access to an education. Through these programs, the U.S. Government hopes to improve the future for adolescent girls in Morocco, says the White House in a fact sheet on the First Ladys visit to Morocco and on the new investments.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has thus announced on Tuesday a nearly $100 million investment in a new model for secondary education in Morocco.
In partnership with the Moroccan Government, the MCC investment is expected to benefit about 100,000 students, including 50,000 adolescent girls through activities that will address the particular learning needs of adolescent girls.
A new $4.6 million Education for Employability Partnership Fund, included in this investment, will engage the private sector and NGOs to develop innovative programs for middle and high school students that address the unique needs of girls and work to reduce social and gender inequalities in Morocco, the White House release says.
The USAID on its part announced a new $400,000 investment in a local NGO to establish five new girls dorms (known as Dar Talibas) to provide housing and support for rural girls to continue their education. The new dormitories will be ready by the next school year.
Princess Lalla Salma, spouse of King Mohammed VI, greeted the First lady and her accompanying two daughters, Sasha and Malia, upon arrival in Marrakesh on Monday.
The First lady is to participate this Tuesday in a conversation with adolescent girls moderated by CNNs anchor Isha Sesay. She will be joined by actress Meryl Streep and Indian actress Freida Pinto, who are both advocates for girls education.
The discussion will focus on the challenges many girls in the region face in getting a quality education. Major barriers to adolescent girls enrollment include the limited number of middle and secondary schools particularly in rural areas, and the lack of safe and affordable transportation options available to girls traveling to school. These factors contribute to the low high school completion rates for girls, a rate standing at only 14 percent in some rural areas.
I am so proud that the U.S. is working with the Moroccan Government to make these transformative new investments to educate and empower girls across Morocco investments that will help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise, the White House release quoted Michelle Obama as saying.
The White House also announced that Morocco will become, in the coming months, Peace Corps 36th Let Girls Learn country. The Peace Corps will train incoming volunteers and community leaders to advance girls education and empowerment, and will work with local leaders to focus on girls development through a renewed focus on building critical skills for leadership and employment.
After her trip in Marrakesh, Michelle Obama will fly to Madrid to speak to girls and young women about the power of education and urge them to do their part to help girls worldwide fulfill their promise.
She will share with the audience the stories of girls she met during her visit to Morocco and her prior travels and highlight new commitments to support Let Girls Learn. While in Spain, the First Lady will also meet with Queen Letizia.
After briefly being replaced by the chief justice as the symbol of judicial betrayal among conservatives, Anthony Kennedy the Supreme devil is back. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
After nearly three decades on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy has carved out a truly distinctive role for himself in constitutional jurisprudence, and a reputation for ideological unpredictability. After all, he wrote the opinions in what are perhaps the 21st centurys leading landmark decisions from the conservative (Citizens United v. FEC) and progressive (Obergefell v. Hodges) points of view. Both were 54 decisions that he nonetheless turned into sweeping precedents, the first a bulwark against campaign-finance regulation and the second nationally legalizing same-sex marriage.
But while he has been fairly consistently conservative on cases involving commercial interests and voted the right way in the two emotionally pivotal Obamacare cases, conservatives are beginning to put the horns back on Kennedy following the latest Supreme Court term. From their point of view, Kennedy flip-flopped on two big cultural issues before the Court in the latest term.
In the second iteration of Fisher v. University of Texas, Kennedy wrote the opinion for a 43 plurality of the Court (Elena Kagan recused herself due to prior involvement in the case as solicitor general), upholding the Texas schools race-conscious affirmative-action program after writing the opinion in the first iteration that remanding the case to a lower court for a finding of fact seemed very unfriendly to the university.
Much worse yet from the conservative point of view, Kennedy gave the Courts liberals a 53 majority in the latest big case involving abortion, striking down a Texas law that was one of many that sought to exploit an avenue to abortion restrictions laid out by Kennedy himself in the 2007 decision Carhart v. Gonzales. In Carhart, one of the many 54 decisions where Kennedy has broken the tie and written the opinion, the Court upheld a federal ban on so-called partial-birth abortions based on a congressional claim that the law was focused on protecting the health and safety of the women seeking abortions. But in Mondays Whole Womans Health v. Hellerstedt, Kennedy supported Justice Breyers determination that the states not-very-convincing argument that it was trying to protect womens health was far outweighed by the practical impact on access to constitutionally protected abortion services. Had Kennedy gone the other way, the Court would have been deadlocked 44, the Texas law would have stayed in place, and abortion-rights advocates would have been denied a landmark decision.
Kennedys power as the king of a divided Court was aptly summarized by conservative writer John Podhoretz, who tweeted: Everybodys upset about Brexit, but basically the United States is now being governed by one 80 year old man. (Kennedy turns 80 next month).
You can expect past conservative wrath at Kennedy to experience a revival. Theyll remember his signal offense to American exceptionalism in citing foreign and international law in a death-penalty case. Theyll excoriate him for replacing Sandra Day OConnor as the swing vote who robbed a Court largely appointed by Republican presidents of countless conservative victories. And theyll never forget his ultimate betrayal in becoming the chief judicial advocate of gay rights (Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state sodomy laws and U.S. v. Windsor and killed the Defense of Marriage Act) and then same-sex marriage.
It was in the wake of Obergefell that the Heritage Foundations Betsy Hart painted Kennedy as the main target of conservative bitterness about the betrayal of the Cause by judges appointed by Republican presidents even the sainted Ronald Reagan, who appointed Kennedy after conservative heartthrob Robert Bork was rejected by the Senate:
No one at the time thought backing down from fighting for Bork would lead to the calamity that Justice Kennedy has been in countless narrow decisions over the years, most recently last week.
That demonic Kennedy is back after a brief absence during which he wrote Citizens United and opposed John Roberts for a bit Kennedys replacement as a conservative pariah on the two Obamacare cases.
But conservatives should be as discreet as possible in blasting Kennedy. If conservatives look forward too gleefully to his retirement, he could time it to give a Democratic president say, Hillary Clinton another Court appointment. And if there is anything conservatives hate more than a flip-flopping, backstabbing conservative justice, its a faithful and predictable liberal. Thats what Kennedy could supply if hes pushed too far.
A Rangel selfie at a Fathers Day block party in East Harlem. Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev
dinner. It was nearing ten oclock on Saturday night, and hundreds of alumni of Alpha Phi Alpha, the nations oldest African-American fraternity, were gathered in black tie at Terrace on the Park, a gaudy 1960s-era banquet hall in Queens, for the annual Juneteenth Galadinner. Among the honorees was Charlie Rangel, dressed in a sparkling white tuxedo jacket. Just past his 86th birthday, Rangel recipient of a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for leading his unit for three freezing days behind enemy lines in the Korean War, founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, survivor of scandal and censure that would have felled lesser politicians stood up to the microphone. He talked about his own life, coming from a broken home, and finding support and strength in a black fraternity when he returned home from the war. He told the alumni that they were blessed that Donald Trump had emerged as the Republican nominee, since he exposed the racism that exists in this country, and that even if they didnt march with him and Martin Luther King in Selma, they could tell their children they saved the nation from an even greater threat by registering voters in this election.
The room stood to applaud. Rangel gathered the statue that had been given to him, shook a few hands, and made his way back to his seat.
And then he collapsed.
The room gasped. Half a dozen people rushed to help him up, but Rangel stayed on the ground a moment longer, before getting up, waving to the crowd, and making his way, on his own, back to his seat, the award broken in two pieces. (Rangel later said he tripped over something but wasnt sure what.)
The next afternoon, Rangel is dancing across a playground in East Harlem, seemingly fully recovered from whatever ailed him the night before. It is a neighborhood Fathers Day party, and Rangel shimmies while 1970s soul classic Let Me Be Your Rockin Chair blares in the background. He twists his hips and punches the air.
Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev
This is how Rangel has spent all of his Sundays for the past 45 years, going from block party to barbecue to senior center. Wherever ten or more voters have gathered, a visit from Rangel is likely. In an era in which distrust of politicians runs deep, the reception Rangel receives on these neighborhood tours seems like something more befitting a cultural icon.
Old men jump up from their domino game, put down their Coronas, and rush to him. 1972, you got me my first summer job, says one, then tries to remind Rangel of another time he ran into him, downtown, sometime in the 1990s. Rangel feigns a memory. A pair of young toughs sitting on the back of a park bench barely nod their heads when he walks by, but kneel in the front when a group gathers for a photo. We are going to miss you! says one middle-aged woman as she goes in for a hug and a photo (she estimates she already has 30 or so photos of herself with the congressman at home).
Im not going anywhere! Rangel barks back.
But Rangel is going somewhere. After 23 terms in the House, the dean of the New York delegation is at last retiring. Today marks the first Democratic primary in more than four decades that voters in New Yorks 13th congressional district have not been able to cast a ballot for Rangel. The Harlem political graveyard is full of would-be Rangels, aspiring members of Congress who thought they could wait out Rangels reign. For 40 years, Rangel ran virtually unopposed. Then, in 2010, a series of scandals led him to become only the sixth member of Congress censured by the House in 120 years, and President Obama shoved him toward the exits.
These allegations are very troubling, and you know, hes somebody who is at the end of his career, Obama told an interviewer. Im sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity.
Rangel, sitting in the leather-upholstered front seat of his luxury Chrysler in between events, suggests reluctance. I dont want to get in a pissing contest with the president.
He proceeds to get into a pissing match with the president.
But I dont know anyone in the House or the Senate that knows Obama well enough to answer the question Why did he say what he said? I cant think of anybody that he has embraced politically, and that is true for Democrats, Republicans, white or black. And so his remark to me is like a pimple on an elephants behind, if you are going to ask why he is that way.
In 2012, taking advantage of new district lines that had extended the district beyond Rangels native Harlem and into the Bronx, and an influx of immigrants and gentrifiers into what was once the capital of black America, Adriano Espaillat, a hard-charging Dominican state lawmaker, came within a thousand votes of beating Rangel in the Democratic primary.
And even though Rangel made it to the House by knocking off the legendary Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in 1970, he still takes the presumption of Espaillat personally.
He ran against me because I was in the hospital, Rangel said, referring to the back injury that laid him up for several months back in 2012. He would call the hospital and say, Dont worry about the rumors. He thought I had cancer.
After the back injury, Rangel faced a staph infection that nearly killed him. He said it was then, lying alone in the hospital, that he decided it was time to retire after he gave it one more go in order to set up his chosen successor, Keith Wright, with time to lay the groundwork for his own campaign.
I dont remember, except in combat, ever being alone with myself, with nobody, says the Korean War vet. I had more time in the world to think about things other than legislation and politics. It was just me. They werent on the agenda.
Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev
Espaillat ran again in 2014, and Rangel, now fully healthy, beat him by about a thousand more votes than he had the previous election. This time, Espaillat is facing Wright, a state assemblyman and the chair of the Manhattan Democratic Party. Rangel is as involved in Wrights campaign as he was in his own he helped nudge aside would-be challengers to his chosen heir, and keeps a folded-up print-out of Wrights daily schedule in the front seat of his car to keep tabs on his proteges movements.
Rangel doesnt much like to discuss it, but it is hard not to read the upcoming Wright-Espaillat campaign as a battle about the future of Harlem. The congressional seat that Rangel held for 46 years was created in 1942 in order to elect an African-American to Congress. Rangel and Powell have been the only two people ever to hold it. Year by year, though, the neighborhoods historical black voting base has been nudged aside, either by white gentrifiers thrilling to its brownstones, or the immigrants from the Dominican Republic and points south whose numbers have swelled in recent years.
In the races final days, these racial tensions have burst out into the open, with Wright and the Reverend Al Sharpton accusing Espaillat of attempting to suppress the black vote, and Espaillat, who long suspected that Board of Elections shenanigans were responsible for his earlier losses, calling on the Justice Department to monitor the election.
Historically we have always had an anchor in this community, Rangel said. Its a historic legacy.
When he first came into office, parents crossed the street to avoid taking their kids to school past empty lots full of rats, and the city painted fake metal windows on abandoned buildings to make them look occupied, he recalls. Everybody knew somebody that had been mugged that week, Rangel says.
Things began to change when Rangel, along with Bill Clinton, ushered in the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. Crime went down, too, helped in part by Clintons 1994 crime bill. Rangel originally opposed that, but relented after pressure from the White House and local ministers. He later urged Hillary Clinton to move to New York and run for the Senate, and served as one of her top surrogates in that campaign.
And he has looked on with dismay as the current crop of civil-rights activists and supporters of Bernie Sanders have pinned the fault of the crime bill on her.
What was her role? he shouts. She was married to the president! What the hell she had to do with the crime bill? Nothing! Who gives a damn whether Obamas wife, Michelle, supports anything?
What about the time Clinton warned of a new generation of super-predators that would roam the streets with impunity if it were not for her husbands tough-on-crime measures, a comment that, two decades on, carries more than a tinge of race-baiting?
Now you really are looking for something. In the course of defending her husband she made some stupid statement, he says. Are you really going to charge her with the passage of the bill? Hell no!
Foremost among those who have been guilty of saddling Hillary Clinton with her husbands actions, in Rangels view, is Bernie Sanders.
He is a socialist Democrat. I dont know anybody that is a socialist Democrat. I never had a conversation with Bernie Sanders about anything, and I dont know anybody in the House that has had a conversation with him, he says. I have never been involved in a civil-rights struggle or a campaign for any Democratic issue that Bernie has been involved in.
Hillarys struggles, he adds, are easy to explain.
Clinton is Clinton is Clinton. This is a bad year for political credibility. Cmon, so some guy gets out there on the street corner and says, Free college, free health care, free this and free that, peace in the streets. Hell, sounds good to me. Everything he says sounds good to me. I dont remember him doing anything about it over the last 46 years but what the hell.
Although Rangel was instrumental in getting Clinton to New York to run for the Senate, and stumped on her behalf, he has been unwelcome on the trail for her in 2016. Even Fox News, which delighted in having the brash Democrat on when he was mired in scandal, has ceased asking him to weigh in on the news.
Which doesnt mean that he cant swing the hammer on the GOP.
Trump, he says, is just taking up the mantle of Richard Nixons race-driven southern strategy.
Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev
I thought the Klan people would have said, Hey, keep quiet about this guy, hes our best shot, Rangel continued. But they were too excited about him, so they came out for this big blond-headed white guy married to three foreigners who says, Hey, there are too many goddamn non-Christians, and immigrants, and so put up a goddamn wall to keep those people out, and keep Muslims out of the goddamn country, too. I never thought that could happen in America.
The two know each other a bit. Trump has given more than $20,000 to Rangel over the years, and they would see each other at events.
It is hard for me to think of a guy that was so self-promoting. Its an illness. Ive got a lot of people that are trying to impress me with how smart they are, but Ive never seen anyone go on about himself like this, he says. Deals he would close, how important he is. If you were playing poker with him you would say, Why are you always blowing this hot air out of your ass? But hes rich, so you got to tolerate it, I guess.
It is getting late, and Rangel still has an afternoons worth of work to do for the Wright campaign before heading to another awards dinner in his honor uptown. For 45 years, Rangel had no life other than politics, other than traveling around Harlem and talking to his people. He insists he was ready to move on, to spend more time with his family. What next? He talks about getting on the speaking circuit, giving whatever he earns so that poor students can attend City College.
Before he leaves, an MTA employee walks up to the car and asks Rangel to move. The Chrysler has been in a bus lane for over an hour. When Rangel rolls down the window, the bus driver pulls back.
Oh, its you, congressman, he says. Everybody knows you. You can stay right here.
Boris Johnson. Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Days after Britain voted to leave the European Union, former London mayor and leader of the Leave campaign Boris Johnson hailed Brexit as the most extraordinary political event of our lifetime then promised it would change almost nothing.
British people will still be able to go and work in the EU; to live; to travel; to study; to buy homes and to settle down. As the German equivalent of the CBI the BDI has very sensibly reminded us, there will continue to be free trade, and access to the single market, Johnson wrote in The Telegraph. The only change and it will not come in any great rush is that the UK will extricate itself from the EUs extraordinary and opaque system of legislation.
In short, Johnson assured the British public that they would regain democratic control of immigration policy while losing none of the benefits of EU membership.
But on Tuesday, German chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU isnt interested in that kind of relationship.
Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep the privileges, Merkel told the German Parliament, before heading to Brussels for meetings with other European Union leaders. We will ensure that the negotiations will not be a matter of cherry-picking.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker put the matter less delicately.
I am accused of being undemocratic, as a faceless bureaucrat, as some kind of robot, Juncker said at a meeting of the European Parliament. Thats the way Im portrayed in the United Kingdom. I respect what the British people have said. But I think weve got to see some consequences.
Juncker delivered his remarks in French, a linguistic choice he hoped would send a message that English was fading as an official language of Brussels with the British departure, the Washington Post reports.
One of the men who portrayed Juncker as a tyrannical robot, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, addressed that same Parliament with the manic giddiness of a triumphant supervillain.
Isnt it funny: When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me, Farage said. Well, youre not laughing now.
Farage also made sure to personally insult the faceless bureaucrats in his midst.
Virtually none of you have done a proper job in your lives. Or worked in business or worked in trade or indeed ever created a job, Farage said, before daring the EU to deny the U.K. access to its common market. If you were to decide to cut off your noses to spite your faces and to reject any idea of a sensible trade deal, the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us.
EU leaders will meet with outgoing U.K. prime minister David Cameron on Thursday. Cameron has refused to invoke Article 50 which would formally initiate Britains divorce proceedings with the EU and has deferred most questions about what Britain will seek in negotiations to his eventual successor. Camerons Conservative Party will select a new, presumably pro-Brexit leader in September. This leisurely timetable has frustrated European leaders, who believe that keeping Britain in geopolitical limbo will mean a full summer of market chaos.
On this side of the Atlantic, President Obama told the Western world to take a deep breath and count to ten.
Theres been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATOs gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner, Obama said in an interview with National Public Radio Tuesday. Thats not whats happening.
Still, its far from clear what is happening. Boris Johnson is the early favorite to become the U.K.s next prime minister, and, unlike Farage, he seems to care a lot more about common-market access than restricting immigration.
It is said that those who voted Leave were mainly driven by anxieties about immigration. I do not believe that is so, Johnson wrote in The Telegraph. After meeting thousands of people in the course of the campaign, I can tell you that the number one issue was control.
Many readers have taken Johnsons column as a sign that the Tories will seek an arrangement akin to that enjoyed by Norway, which is not an EU member but still has access to the common market. However, as part of that arrangement, Norway has forfeited democratic control of its immigration policy, accepting the EUs commitment to the free movement of people across borders. Thus, as EU officials tell BuzzFeed News, Johnson is ostensibly proposing that Britain retain most of its obligations to the union, while forfeiting all control over EU rule-making:
EU governments have said that the Norway option would be the most feasible route for the UK. But officials have privately expressed bewilderment at why the UK would go though a referendum, and a cumbersome negotiation, to ultimately end up in an arrangement that involves accepting most of the current rules and regulations, including freedom of movement, while still paying into the EU budget at similar levels to current net contributions but losing any chance to influence future rule-making.
These contradictions have fueled speculation that when Johnson says Brexit was about control, what he really means is his control of the Conservative Party and not much else.
On Tuesday, Times deputy political editor Sam Coates explained that the likely next prime ministers promises about life after Brexit shouldnt be taken too seriously, as he wrote them while tired.
A rare celebration for pro-choice activists. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/This content is subject to copyright.
Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In this edition, the Supreme Court rules on abortion access, Volkswagen is out billions, and Britain doesnt make the grade. Heres the rundown for Tuesday, June 28.
WEATHER
More large storms will move across the Plains today and into the Northeast, affecting the Mid-Atlantic coast. New York City wont be spared, with rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. That wont do much to cool temperatures, which will likely remain in the high 70s. [USA Today]
FRONT PAGE
Landmark Abortion Rulings Effects Will Take Time
Hopes that Mondays landmark Supreme Court ruling could restore access to abortion, which Republican state legislatures have been chipping away at for years, may be overblown. The Texas law that the court struck down had already closed more than half of the states 41 abortion clinics, and providers say opening clinics to replace them will be logistically daunting. Also, Texass Republican-dominated state legislature is sure to do everything in its power to make opening new clinics as difficult as possible. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has already said he will go through this line by line and see what it is that we can address in a way that a Supreme Court would approve. It is still unclear how the ruling will affect restrictive abortion laws in other states, though it certainly puts them in a more precarious position. [AP]
EARLY AND OFTEN
Trump Turns to Lying Teds Camp for Guidance
Donald Trump has hired Jason Miller as his new senior communications advisor, tasking him with clarifying the campaigns platform and communicating with the media. Millers last job was with Ted Cruz, a runner-up to Trump both for the presidential nomination and the award for Americas least-likable person. Trump is expected to announce more new hires in the next few days as he tries to transform his presidential campaign into something that actually resembles a presidential campaign. [Bloomberg]
Clinton to Lay Out Tech Agenda, Though We Already Know Her Thoughts on Email
Politico took a peek at Hillary Clintons 14-page technology and innovation agenda, which touches on everything from surveillance to the employment status of Uber drivers. It takes a hard line in favor of net neutrality, lays out plans for a special commission on encryption, and perhaps most exciting for those of us working using a hot-spot on our phones Clinton promises to make broadband internet access available to 100 percent of American homes by 2020. [Politico]
Senator Stops Sweeping Spy Bill
Oregon Democratic senator Ron Wyden stepped in yesterday to effectively put on hold this years annual Intelligence Authorization Act. Among other intelligence-gathering operations, the legislation would have allowed the FBI to force internet companies to share information on their users with national-security letters, which do not require a warrant or any oversight by a judge. The hold does not kill the legislation, it just means that the Senate will have to submit it to a normal roll-call vote. [Reuters]
For Some, Presidential Campaign Just Not Unpredictable Enough
The unpopularity of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has led to third-party candidates considering serious runs for the White House. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll had Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein getting 16 percent of the vote combined. Tellingly, when the 1,000 people surveyed were given a choice of a third-party candidate, Clintons lead over Trump dropped from five points to just one. [WSJ]
THE STREET, THE VALLEY
Lyft Puts Itself Out There
The ride-sharing app Lyft Ubers largest competitor has hired the investment bank Qatalyst Partners to help it find parties interested in buying a stake in the company. Companies reportedly approached by Lyft include major car manufacturers like General Motors. It is still not clear why Lyft is exploring a sale. [WSJ]
Volkswagen Owners Prepare for Windfall, Environmental Damage Totally Worth It
Volkswagen has negotiated a jaw-dropping settlement that will cost the company $15 billion over its cheating on emissions tests. The billions will go toward compensating Volkswagen owners as much as $10,000 per vehicle and paying for them to replace their car, as well as nearly $3 billion to offset the unreported diesel emissions, and $2 billion to invest in making the company greener. [Reuters]
British Economic News Goes From Bad to Whatever Is Worse Than Worse
Fallout from Brexit continues, and Americas glee that were not the only ones embarrassing ourselves in the voting booth is becoming nearly uncontainable. Yesterday brought the worst news for the British economy yet: S&P reduced the U.K.s credit rating by two whole grades from AAA to AA, and Fitch followed suit, docking it one grade to the same level as S&P. [Bloomberg]
Windows User Gets Sweet, Sweet Justice
Microsoft has paid a California-based Windows user $10,000 after she argued that Windows 10 installed itself on her work computer without her permission, rendering it useless and costing her thousands of dollars in lost wages and in having to replace the computer. We have a feeling she wont be the last person to explore this avenue. [The Verge]
MEDIA BUBBLE
Newsletters Finally Getting the Respect They Deserve
The New York Times is rolling out its first state-specific daily newsletter with California Today. As one snarky Twitter user pointed out, the inaugural newsletter featured news about raging forest fires, Californias Nazis, and some quaint Summer festivals. Newsletters really are the most exciting innovation in contemporary journalism. [NiemanLab]
Huge Loss for SCOTUSblog, a Giant Get for Constitution Daily
Octogenarian Supreme Court reporting powerhouse Lyle Denniston is leaving SCOTUSblog, the hugely influential Supreme Court resource he helped put on the map, to take over the Constitution Daily blog at the National Constitution Center. He will also do some lecturing at the University of Baltimore law school. Wow, it really is getting harder and harder to retire in this country. [Politico]
Americans Spend 11 Hours a Day Watching Screens, One Hour Complaining Nothings On
The just-released Nielsens Q1 2016 Total Audience Report contained some disturbing findings, chief among them that Americans are now consuming media for an average of ten hours and 39 minutes a day, six hours of which are dedicated to Seinfeld reruns. [AV Club]
PHOTO OP
Doppelganger for Co-President
The steadily building buzz around an Elizabeth WarrenHillary Clinton ticket is certainly exciting, but do they need to be dressing alike? If this spreads to the Republican side, maybe Trump could tap Boris Johnson, who already has the trickiest bits of the Trump look down.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Senator Elizabeth Warren wave to the crowd before a campaign rally at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Photo: John Sommers II/2016 Getty Images
MORNING MEME
Racist Poster Angers Many
This obviously racist Red Cross poster about pool safety is being phased out by the company after people pointed out it was obviously racist. Also it is just ridiculous. Everyone knows rule-following is not cool.
Who made this poster? The American Red Cross or The American Red Neck? #NotCool pic.twitter.com/Y0VRvgxPqX Rick Aaron (@RickAaron) June 28, 2016
OTHER LOCAL NEWS
Seattle Man Questions His Self-Worth
A 31-year-old man from Seattle, Washington, is in big trouble after repeatedly scanning a certain portion of his anatomy in the self-serve checkout line of a local grocery store. When noticed by employees, including one woman Fisher called over and a male cashier who came to see what all of the commotion was about, Fisher apparently just laughed. He is now facing charges for indecent exposure and assault. Another reminder to always disinfect those self-check scanners. [Deccan Chronicle]
High Schools Disaster-Preparedness Kit Insufficient
As were sure youre already aware, today is the 40th anniversary of George Stevens Academys Twinkie in Blue Hill, Maine. The Twinkie originally came into the classroom as part of a lesson on food additives a pretty effective lesson from the looks of it but has remained for four decades because the Twinkie has proved easier to take care of than a class gerbil. [UPI]
HAPPENING TODAY
Just When You Thought Primaries Were Over
There are state congressional primaries today in four states: Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and New York. These primaries dont tend to get people very excited, even though they often have a greater direct impact on their lives than anything at the national level. For example, in 2014 only 3.5 percent of potential voters turned out in New Yorks contested elections. Nice job, America. [Gothamist]
Something Much Cooler Than Burning Man Is Happening in the Desert Today
NASA is planning on testing out one of its massive rocket boosters today in the Utah desert. The booster will run for two minutes. We really like this description from the Verge: the huge combustion will send an impressive plume of flames and rippling exhaust clouds shooting out into the desert. That is just totally awesome. [The Verge]
E.U. Nations Meet to Determine How to Punish Britain
Representatives from each of the 28 European Union member countries will meet in Brussels today and tomorrow to discuss precisely how to handle the island-sized tantrum that Britain has become. Many in the U.K. and abroad have started to cautiously hope that somehow they will be able to remain in the E.U., despite the recent nationwide vote to the contrary. [NYT]
Welcome back to the New York Magazine Competition. On alternate Mondays (or, this week, Tuesday), we lay out a challenge and offer sample responses. Enter in the comments section or on Twitter with the hashtag weve provided, and the editors will select a winner. Criteria are highly subjective, but heavily retweeted and favorited posts will have an advantage. The prize is a years subscription to New York in print or a two-year subscription to the iPad edition (winners choice). Full rules are here.
COMPETITION NO. 72: BREGRETS ONLY. In the spirit of the U.K.s morning-after Bregrets, please offer a portmanteau word that describes remorse associated with a major (or not-so-major) event or public figure.
For example:
Enter on Twitter with the hashtag #otherregrets, or in the comments thread below, by July 7.
RESULTS OF COMPETITION NO. 71, FAMOUS MISSED CONNECTIONS, in which you were asked to write a Craigslist near-miss-encounter posting by a recognizable figure.
HONORABLE MENTION TO:
Your red and white striped sweater, glasses and pom-pom hat were so cool but I lost you in the crowd.
@ElbyNY
I was on the upper deck of the Viking Cruise Line, when your face briefly appeared among the crowd gathered to wish us Bon Voyage. Your beauty apparently caused the crew to prematurely launch our ship and you vanished from sight. The devils in the details, but I would give my soul to have the opportunity to exchange a kiss with you.
BENLINUS99
I was a young girl, pure as virgin snow when you came like a bolt of lightning to me that one night, since then you havent visited, you havent even written. Well we have a son who is exactly like you but mysteriously separate. Right now he is working with his step father; dont worry my relationship with the stepfather is chaste, but now your son wants to do your kind of work and I dont have a good feeling about it.
lessadoabouteverything
You: Delta airlines flight 1986 departing from LGA in fifteen minutes.
Me: At JFK.
haunt_fox
It was the day the Germans marched into Paris. Germans: wore gray. You: wore blue. We said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, Ive done a lot of it since then, and it all adds up to one thing: we get some organic juices at the Park Slope Food Coop and then maybe walk around Prospect Park if the weathers nice. Saturday, 2-ish.
kaboomm
I should have approached you that very first day at Harvard Law. Heads turned as you sauntered by; tall, dark, handsome, with a cigarette dangling dangerously from the corner of your mouth. One of the girls whispered that you were from Kenya.
KathleenS
You: Have a luxurious mane of hair and a hairy chest. (I love men with lots of testosterone.) Me: I am considered a Beauty; Donald Trump called me a 10 with a large, er, personality. We met at your castle. Give me a ring.
BobKopac
At the wedding, I sat behind you and during the feast of great meat and fine wine I fell in love with you and all your dark curls. But then, that music! In an instant, all turned so very very red and there was so much screaming and carnage. All I could hear for so long was the mournful sound of distant wolves. I took the milk of the poppy to forget that painful night but my dear, I could not forget you. Meet me quickly at The Square at the hour of the nightingale because winter is coming.
YettaTelebenda
Dont believe everything you hear about me. Im no tramp, and Id be honored to call you my lady. Do you like Italian? I know a great place for spaghetti and meatballs.
3North
Me: I looked hot in my slit skirt, caressing my Tommy submachine gun. You were sitting in that Model T in front of the bank fondling a .38 tucked in your waistband. You stole my heart when you stole that $5,000. Lets stay together till the bitter end.
Lexxman
You: Tall, Ebony beauty in white mini-sweater dress. I especially love your truckasaurus hands. Ditch that guy in the black turtleneck who was drunkenly pestering you, and lets go on a mission together
Econpete
You: Wise Latina lugging law books on the subway heading to Yankee Stadium. Me: Columbia U grad student headed to Harvard Law and history. Looking to add you to my Supremes dream team.
rbison
You were a beautiful brunette lighting designer on the NASA moon landing set, and I was playing the role of Neil Armstrong. I tried to catch up with you on breaks, but Im a method actor, so I was moving very slow and realistic around the craft services table. We never landed on the moon, but you planted a flag on my heart that day.
MiddleCoastDan
AND THE WINNER IS:
You: A plain wooden chair hanging out backstage. Me: Looking for the perfect partner to join me in Tampa at my gig at the Republican Convention. I saw you and was thunderstruck with inspiration. The two of us will create a sensation.
j_son
Sad! Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Shortly after the massacre in San Bernardino last fall, Donald Trump assured a frightened nation that everything was going to be okay for Donald Trump.
Whenever theres a tragedy, everything goes up, my numbers go way up because we have no strength in this country, the GOP nominee told CNN. We have weak, sad politicians.
After Omar Mateen murdered 49 people in an Orlando nightclub, Trump once again struck a triumphant note.
Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2016
Most pundits found Trumps victory lap unseemly but still suspected he had a real reason to celebrate: In recent years, the American electorate has preferred Republican authoritarians to liberal technocrats on matters of national security. Thus, the angry orange tycoons chances of taking the White House would, presumably, increase in the wake of this latest ISIS-flavored atrocity. But a new Washington PostABC News poll suggests that the more terrified Americans become, the less interested they are in giving the nuclear codes to a former reality star.
The survey finds that 50 percent of voters trust Clinton more than Trump to handle terrorism, while only 39 percent say the reverse. Last month, before the attacks in Orlando, those numbers were 47 and 44, respectively.
Donald Trump's big, bold response to terrorism is a big bust with Americans https://t.co/e2n9WKISqB pic.twitter.com/lmj7CRr9Fo Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) June 28, 2016
And the widening gap appears to be a direct result of the two politicians divergent responses to that attack. After expressing his gratitude for all the congrats, the Republican nominee suggested Barack Obama might be an ISIS sympathizer, then renewed his call for a blanket ban on all Muslim immigration and called on Americans to stockpile weapons for their own self-defense. Hillary Clinton, by contrast, suggested that discriminating against Muslims on the basis of their religion would not be the best way to defend American values and counter ISIS propaganda. Rather, Clinton vowed to defeat lone-wolf terrorists by spending (even) more money on intelligence so as to (ostensibly) expand surveillance of potential terrorists but not in an explicitly discriminatory manner.
The PostABC News poll shows that Americans found the latter approach more pleasing. Only 28 percent of respondents said Trump did a better job of responding to the Orlando shooting than Clinton, while 46 percent said the reverse. Similarly, 53 percent said Clinton gave them more confidence that she could handle a terror attack as president, while only 34 percent said the same of Trump.
Notably, the public has more faith in Trumps policy proposals, such as they are, than they do in the man himself.
By a margin of 48 to 40 percent, voters agree with Trump that political leaders should say terror attacks are caused by radical Islam, even if that might legitimize terrorists claims that their actions are supported by Islamic teachings.
Whats more, 54 percent of the country thinks Trump was right to encourage Americans to fight terrorism through personal gun ownership (if you see something, shoot something). And while most Americans opposed Trumps Muslim ban, a full 43 percent said they would support it.
The most popular proposal of all is one on which Clinton and Trump seem to agree: banning gun sales to anyone on the terror watch list, a policy disdained by the ACLU (and certain bloggers), but cheered by 86 percent of the public.
Thus, voters seem to be less alarmed by what Trump says than by how he says it. It turns out the American people find a former secretary of State calmly laying out a detail-oriented plan for reducing terrorism to be more comforting than a real-estate mogul shouting that the nation must chose between his radical agenda and certain doom: 59 percent of Americans say Clinton showed a better temperament in response to Orlando; only 25 percent said the same about the GOP nominee.
Potential cookbook fraud Elizabeth Warren. Photo: Andrew Harrer/2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
Donald Trump gets a lot of attention for saying offensive things about Mexicans, but on Monday, Americas birther-in-chief reminded us that he doesnt discriminate when it comes to attacking opponents about their ethnic background. In honor of Elizabeth Warrens first campaign appearance with Hillary Clinton, Trump tweeted that the Massachusetts senator lied on heritage, then called her Pocahontas in an NBC News interview. She made up her heritage, which I think is racist. I think shes a racist, actually because what she did was very racist, Trump added. She used the fact that she was Native American to advance her career. Elizabeth Warren is a total fraud.
As Warren embraced the role of Clintons top anti-Trump attack dog in recent weeks, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has tried to revive the years-old controversy over her supposed Native American roots. And while Trumps recent attack on a federal judges Mexican heritage was so clearly offensive that even House Speaker Paul Ryan called it the textbook definition of racist comments, few have leaped to Warrens defense. Even in a recent report on how Trumps attacks on Warren have riled Native Americans, the New York Times is vague about the veracity of her claim, saying only that it dates back to her 2012 Senate campaign. The story closes with a quote from a Navajo Republican running for Congress in Arizona, who believes, I think Donald Trump is within his full rights to make fun of her for it It is a scandal.
So is this one of those confounding times when Trump is actually right? Not really, but the issue hasnt been put to rest because Warrens heritage is murky. Aside from the obvious racism of Trump repeatedly calling Warren Pocahontas or the Indian, an extremely thorough investigation of Warrens background never turned up proof that she committed fraud by intentionally lying about being Native American, or that she benefited from claiming minority status. And as the senator recently noted, it definitely didnt help her get into Harvard:
Get your facts straight, @realDonaldTrump. I didnt even go to Harvard Im a graduate of @UHouston and @RutgersU. Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) May 26, 2016
The problem is that no one ever found evidence to support Warrens claim that she is part Cherokee and Delaware either. As the Washington Post explained in September 2012, the issue emerged when Warren was running against incumbent Republican senator Scott Brown:
In late April, the Boston Herald reported that in the 1990s, Harvard Law School where Warren began teaching in 1992 and was granted tenure in 1995 touted the Democrats Native American background as part of an effort to boost its diversity hiring record. Warrens campaign said she didnt bring up her heritage before Harvard hired her and that her background came out through later conversations In late May, the Globe reported that Warren acknowledged that at some point after she was hired by Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, she informed the schools of her Native American heritage. The revelation spurred a new round of questions, since Warren never brought up the fact a month earlier, instead saying she didnt know why Harvard listed her as Native American. Earlier in the May, a report pointed out that she listed herself as white at the University of Texas Law School, prompting questions about consistency.
As Brown slipped in the polls, he used the issue to question Warrens character. The fact that she couldnt explain the inconsistencies and only had anecdotal evidence to back up her claims added fuel to the controversy. These are my family stories, she said at the time. This is what my brothers and I were told by my mom and my dad, my mammaw and my pappaw. Warren said she was told her parents eloped because her paternal grandparents said of her mother, No. You cannot marry her, because she is part Cherokee and part Delaware. She also recalled her Aunt Bee lamenting many times that her father (Warrens grandfather) had high cheekbones, like all of the Indians do, but she didnt inherit them.
In 2012, The Atlantic did a deep dive on Warrens heritage and found that she is definitely not qualified to become a member of the Cherokee Nation, as both the tribe and the federal government have strict requirements that exclude even some people with well-documented Cherokee ancestry. (At one point, a genealogist from the New England Historic Genealogical Society believed hed found a marriage certificate that proved Warrens great-great-great-grandmother was Cherokee, but later, questions were raised about whether the document exists.)
Warren might not even be Cherokee according to her own standard of family lore. When contacted by the Boston Globe in 2012, some members of Warrens family shared her memories of family members claiming to have Cherokee blood, but other said they never heard anything about having Native American ancestry.
Still, none of this proves that Warren was willfully misrepresenting her background. Genealogists told The Atlantic that believing you have Native American roots is one of the most common ancestral myths in the nation, particularly in Warrens home state of Oklahoma. (Its even more prevalent than descendants of immigrants suggesting that almost everyones name was changed as they passed through Ellis Island.)
Warren could give credence to her claim by undergoing DNA testing, as her former opponent Scott Brown not so helpfully suggested on Monday. Harvard can release the records, she can authorize the release of those records, or she can take a DNA test, said Brown, whos endorsed Trump. Its a reverse form of racism, quite frankly.
But such tests arent definitive, and as Brown notes, theres another factor at play. Being mistaken about her heritage is one thing, but did the blonde-haired, blue-eyed senator exploit affirmative-action programs (which conservatives arent fans of in general) in order to advance her career? While both Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania pointed to Warren as proof that they were diversifying their faculty, evidence that Warren herself touted her minority status for professional gain has yet to emerge.
Despite Browns often-repeated claim during the campaign that Warren checked the box claiming she was Native American, documents obtained by the press show Warren did not claim to be a minority when applying for undergraduate admission to the University of Houston or to Rutgers Universitys law school. According to the Washington Post, in papers related to her employment in the mid-80s at the University of Texas, where Warren did groundbreaking research on bankruptcy, she describes herself as white.
However, between 1986 and 1995 she was listed as a minority (but not specifically a Native American) in the Association of American Law Schools Directory of Faculty. Warren explained in 2012, people for whom Native American is part of their heritage and part of their hearts. There arent a lot of people like me in law teaching. And so I just thought I might find some others. She noted that never actually happened.
So the big question is whether Warrens claimed minority status made her more attractive to the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, where she taught on and off from the late 80s up to her run for the Senate. That hasnt been definitively ruled out, but several people involved in Warrens hiring have said her heritage didnt come up while they were considering her. I can state categorically that the subject of her Native American ancestry never once was mentioned, said Charles Fried, who worked in the Reagan administration and served as the head of the Harvard committee that considered Warren.
The Atlantic highlights another big piece of evidence supporting Warrens version of events: While Harvard was facing criticism for its lack of faculty diversity at the time, the Harvard Crimson article announcing Warrens hiring in 1995 does not note that she was (possibly) the first Native American on the law schools faculty.
During the years Warren was at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, both schools said they had a Native American woman on staff in federal affirmative-action reports, apparently referring to Warren, though she did not meet that criteria. However, Warren insists she only learned this when it was reported during her Senate campaign, and did not inform the schools of her background during the hiring process. There was no, there is no reporting for this, she told the Boston Globe in 2012. It came up in lunch conversation once with faculty, after the fact.
Why the Ivy League universities were providing false information to the federal government and describing Warren as a woman of color has never been resolved, but that doesnt necessarily implicate the senator. After years of controversy, the most concrete evidence that Warren benefited from claiming to be Native American is her contribution of several recipes to a 1984 Native American cookbook called Pow Wow Chow. Is that proof that her whole life was based on a fraud, as Trump put it? Okay, maybe if anyone knows culinary chicanery, its the man behind Trump Steaks.
Good News at the Washington Post Inside the paper Jeff Bezos bought
&
Donald Trump banned.
Photograph by Christopher Payne
One of the first things you notice in Washington Post editor Marty Barons office is the typewriter art on the wall. To me, they represent a bit of a metaphor, he says one afternoon in May, standing in front of a cheerful Anne Duncan lithograph of an Underwood typewriter done in a riot of red and magenta. These were the glory days of the old newspaper, Baron explains. And this he gestures at a muted photograph of a typewriters fire-charred skeleton taken by a Post photographer on assignment in Detroit is some of the wreckage of the industry. Thats kind of where we are.
And yet Baron does not seem at all worried. I feel quite good about things, actually, he says, sitting across from a cutout of an Oscar statuette hed received from colleagues for being the real-life hero of last years Academy Awardwinning film Spotlight, about his time at the Boston Globe. Barons optimism has little to do with his Hollywood turn and a lot to do with editing the Post at a time of resurgence under new owner Jeff Bezos. In 2013, the Amazon founder bought the paper for $250 million from the Graham family. Since then, hes invested millions more, turning the Post into a laboratory for inventing a sustainable future for newspapers.
In January, Bezos moved the paper out of its drab offices atop a former printing plant and into a sleek space on K Street that resembles a tech start-up. Around the newsroom, engineers and data scientists sit alongside journalists to integrate emerging technologies into everything the Post does a far cry from the old Post, where, until 2010, the digital newsroom was relegated to a separate building all the way across the river in Arlington. We view ourselves as a technology company as well as a media company, says Post publisher Fred Ryan. Its a phrase that has become something of a mantra for web publishers lately (Vox Media, Gawker, and BuzzFeed, among others, have claimed the same, and the Tribune Publishing Co. rebranded itself, somewhat ridiculously, as TRONC Tribune online content), but the Post is in a singular position: None of those other companies is owned by someone who also built one of the most significant companies of the modern internet.
Journalists are inclined to be suspicious of the tech industry, which, after all, upended their own in a fairly painful way. And Amazon in particular hasnt traditionally engendered much goodwill with bookish types. But the tech world does come with deep pockets and a new way of looking at old problems. What Jeff really brought, beyond his initial investment, is more freedom to innovate and take more risk, says Joey Marburger, the Posts director of product.
After years of layoffs, buyouts, and battered morale, the Posts newsroom has its swagger back. Under Bezos, the paper has grown by 140 journalists and has won two Pulitzers. Its aggressive coverage of the 2016 presidential race frequently drives the news cycle and so infuriated Donald Trump that he has banned its reporters from his campaign. Most significantly, in business terms, since Bezos bought it, traffic to washingtonpost.com has more than doubled. When it briefly beat out the New York Times in November, to celebrate, the Post ran house ads proclaiming itself the new publication of record.
Getting journalism in front of readers has always been a priority for newspapers. Web publishing has only increased the stakes. The Times has waded cautiously into the territory of audience development, worrying about maintaining a certain Timesian quality. But the new Post has none of these reservations. In an era when readers increasingly get their news on social-media platforms, the Post is the only major newspaper company to publish all of its content directly to Facebooks Instant Articles. (The Times has declined to publish most of its articles there for fear of cannibalizing its subscription business, which still makes up 60 percent of revenue.) The Post newsroom now talks unabashedly about journalism as a consumer product. [Jeff] constantly tells us, Dont focus on the competition, focus on the reader, says Shailesh Prakash, the Posts chief technology officer. Its easy to see parallels between Bezoss philosophy of growth as developed at Amazon essentially, give the people what they want, as fast as possible and the changes at the Post.
Some of that growth has come via tried-and-true web methods: The Post has ramped up the number of first-person essays, along with health and lifestyle coverage (recent stories: As a Trans Muslim, I Used to Feel Vulnerable All the Time; Low Testosterone Makes You a Better Dad). Headlines, in particular, have gotten webbier and more sensational (This Is What Happened When I Drove My Mercedes to Pick Up Food Stamps). The paper has launched a slew of newsletters, like the agenda-driving Daily 202. But Bezoss open checkbook also means the Post is able to do ambitious (and expensive) journalism a 7,000-word investigation of a sexual-assault case in the Marines; a multimedia package on the European migrant crisis; extensive reporting on the Syrian civil war.
The paper is also experimenting technologically and collaborating with Silicon Valley to do so. This spring, the Post became the first publication to team with Google to build a prototype of a progressive web app, designed to cut mobile page-load times from four seconds to 80 milliseconds and to let readers surf the Post in their browsers even without a web connection. The company is conducting research on intelligent news bots with whom readers can chat to get the headlines in their car, on Siri, or (in a convenient bit of synergy) with Amazons Echo. Other publications are trying similar things, but the Post has a bigger budget than most to play with.
This might not always be the case if the Post doesnt eventually turn a profit. Bezos is said to have invested $50 million in the company last year, according to sources. He wants us to prove ourselves, says Prakash. As does in a reversal of the old circulation wars the rest of the industry, which finds itself rooting for a tech titan to figure out how to disrupt it.
Trump Revealed, the Post's biography, due out later this summer. Photo: Scribner
In the very recent past, the Post was a symbol not of possible resurgence in the newspaper industry but of its precipitous decline. In 2008, Katharine Weymouth, the granddaughter of legendary Post owner Kay Graham, was named publisher with a mandate to look for new sources of revenue. One of her ideas selling lobbyists and advertisers access to Post journalists at off-the-record salons was leaked to Politico, inspiring worry over whether the next generation would be the same careful stewards of the Posts journalistic integrity as previous ones. The salons never came to be, but neither did any other significant revenue streams: By 2013, with more newsroom cuts in the offing, Weymouth and her uncle, Washington Post Company CEO Don Graham, realized that the best way for the family to protect the Post was to find a deep-pocketed, public-spirited buyer. They drew up a short list of tech-savvy, politically moderate billionaires to pitch, which included Pierre Omidyar, Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Bezos. In past interviews, Bezos has said he wasnt initially interested in owning a newspaper. But he accepted Grahams $250 million ask a bargain price because he thought it would be an intellectual challenge to try to fix the industrys broken business model.
The news that the Grahams had sold the Post to the Amazon founder stunned the newsroom. The Grahams had owned the paper since 1933, and despite Weymouths rocky tenure as publisher, the family remained beloved by Post employees. And shed succeeded in recruiting Baron as editor in 2012. Meanwhile, many journalists regarded Bezos warily. He was the CEO of a company famous for its culture of secrecy and hostility to the press. (Bezos declined to comment for this article.) I feel sorry for my PR guys, Bezos recently joked at a tech conference.
During his first newsroom meeting, Bezos spoke in the vaguest of terms about his plans. We need to think big and lean into the future, he said. And: The death knell for any enterprise is to glorify the past, no matter how good it was. He was clearly learning on the job and making some missteps along the way. Bob Woodward recalls how he emailed Bezos in 2014 to ask him to attend Ben Bradlees funeral after hearing the new owner wasnt planning to show. He was the soul of the institution that is now yours, Woodward wrote to him. Understand, on my way, Bezos replied. In early meetings, Bezos suggested things that baffled and worried senior executives: Once, he floated the idea of creating a game that would allow readers to erase vowels from articles they didnt like; another time, he asked why Post reporters needed editors at all.
Some of Bezoss early personnel moves scared employees, too. First he replaced Weymouth, a year almost to the day after taking over (hed agreed to keep her in her role for a year). In her place, he recruited Fred Ryan, the former president of the parent company of Politico a publication famous for its grueling newsroom culture. Then Bezos froze the Post-employee pension fund. Jeff has a Silicon Valley ideology that we dont do pensions, one former Post executive says.
By the end of that year, though, the internal view of Bezoss leadership had improved markedly. He instituted biweekly conference calls with senior executives and scheduled quarterly retreats. Over breakfast shortly after Bezos bought the paper, Woodward whod known his new boss socially for years told him the Post needed to hire 20 new reporters. I had a list of things I went through, and he took notes, Woodward recalls.
Instead of another round of layoffs, Bezos hired 100 new employees during his first year and approved investment in new projects. I almost felt like clapping, Prakash says, recalling his reaction when Bezos approved his pitch to build software to publish digital video.
More encouraging for the newsroom, Bezoss interest seems to have expanded beyond the business model to journalism with a capital J. He thinks journalism is an important asset for democracy, says Walter Isaacson, who recently spoke with Bezos about the paper. And last year, he was welcomed at the Gridiron Club and Alfalfa Club dinners, annual Washington social rituals where journalists rub shoulders with politicians. When Post foreign correspondent Jason Rezaian was released from an Iranian jail earlier this year, Bezos flew him to Florida on his private jet stocked with beers and burritos after asking Rezaians friends what his favorite foods were. Bezos seems to have gone from being seen as a threat to Establishment intellectualism a destroyer of bookstores and publishing houses to being seen as, perhaps, one of its champions.
Indeed, for all the talk of innovation at the Post, the paper is succeeding in large part because of a very old-media tradition: the support of a wealthy owner. Not to mention the guidance of an increasingly legendary editor. Around the newsroom, Post reporters and editors talk about Baron as a towering and beloved figure, much like they once talked about Ben Bradlee. When you go to the executive editors office and sit down, hes personally read every sentence and is telling you what he thinks, says Carol Leonnig, who won a 2015 Pulitzer for covering scandals in the Secret Service. Reporters also describe their boss in ways that largely comport with Liev Schreibers Spotlight portrayal. Baron can be affectless and relentless. One journalist recalls receiving an email from Baron that ended: In short, I can see nothing good about this idea. To some degree, I have to trust how other people see me, Baron says when I ask about Spotlight. I would say its incomplete in terms of who I am. A small minority of people say I have a sense of humor.
Baron and Bezos have a good relationship, but they rarely speak outside of the leadership teams biweekly conference calls and corporate gatherings. Im not aspiring to be a buddy and hes probably not aspiring to be my buddy, Baron says. If Bezos ever did meddle, Baron says hed quit: Im just not interested in that.
Bezos is also proving his worth as owner in another crucial way: He doesnt mind the heat that comes with newspaper publishing. Donald Trump has singled out Bezos and the Post in recent weeks to preemptively attack a Trump biography the Post is publishing in August. Every hour were getting calls from reporters from the Washington Post asking ridiculous questions, and I will tell you, this is owned as a toy by Jeff Bezos, who controls Amazon, Trump told Fox News in May. Hes using the Washington Post for power so that the politicians in Washington dont tax Amazon like they should be taxed. Bezos responded by calling Trumps attacks not appropriate onstage at a Post-sponsored event, sounding like a heroic defender of journalistic values. Most of the worlds population live in countries where if you criticize the leader, you can go to jail, he said. We live in the oldest and greatest democracy in the world, with the strongest free-speech protections in the world. And its something, I think, we are rightly proud of. Its critical that we be able to critically examine our leaders. A few weeks later, Trump cut off access to Post reporters because of a headline he didnt like.
Its almost as if Jeff Bezos has been in the Graham family, Woodward tells me. Its the precise series of values.
Editor Marty Baron with owner Jeff Bezos, right. Photo: Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
That Bezos would be interested in disrupting the newspaper industry isnt all that surprising. After all, he founded Amazon by taking on another legacy industry. When he left Wall Street to launch his online retailer in 1994, Bezoss big idea was that the internet could offer consumers infinitely more choice at a lower cost than brick-and-mortar bookstores. But whats interesting is that he never tried to reinvent retail with Amazon; instead, he focused relentlessly on using technology to increase efficiency. In a way, hes taking a similar approach at the Post.
The first new Post product Bezos put his stamp on was the papers tablet app. Before engineers started work on the project in the summer of 2014, Bezos told them the story of how he created the Kindle. He said it wasnt trying to replace the book. It was keeping the elements of the book that people like, but in an easier format, recalls Prakash. Most newspaper apps, in Bezoss view, deluged readers with too much content, which resulted in what he called cognitive overhead and a terrible reading experience. Bezos suggested experimenting with layouts that would allow readers to hover over articles, as if from a drone (this was a few months before he unveiled the Amazon Prime Air drone concept). It completely didnt work, Joey Marburger says. But it pushed them away from thinking about trying to simply replicate the newspaper experience onscreen. The app launched in November 2014 with a design that displays articles in tiles with large photographs and headlines, like a series of magazine covers.
It is notoriously difficult to get people to download a new app, and most news is consumed on mobile devices rather than tablets these days. But the Post had an advantage over other newspapers when it came to tablets. Just before the app launched, the Post struck a deal to pre-install it on all Amazon Fire tablets, and Amazon now offers free six-month subscriptions to Prime members. According to sources, the app now has 100,000 paid subscribers and has been the Posts biggest digital success story by far.
The project also proved to Post staffers that the paper could afford to take risks. We have to fail successfully, if thats a proper term, says Fred Ryan, espousing the gospel of Silicon Valley. Last year, for instance, engineers built a Mario Bros.style video game for cell phones called Floppy Candidate, which involves players steering their presidential candidate around obstacles while collecting gold coins. It was such an out-there, weird idea, says Marburger, who was part of the design team. But Jeff loved it. He played with it a ton and laughed. Another idea was an in-house social network called the Washington Post Talent Network, which was created by former Post deputy national editor Anne Kornblut. The LinkedIn-style website allows writers to pitch stories and editors to find vetted writers to cover breaking news around the country. Bezos considers it one of the Posts big successes and recently approved more hires to work on it.
Data is now at the heart of virtually every strategy discussion. Last year, the Post built an analytics system, Loxodo, that can track virtually all the ways readers engage with Post content. It tests which headlines and photos are encouraging the most readership, a feature common to widely used industry software like Chartbeat. But Loxodos algorithm automatically publishes the winner of each test so editors dont have to continually monitor it. Another project analyzes reader behavior in the days leading up to when they subscribed, so that, instead of putting up a universal paywall of a certain number of free articles per month, the Post can better target potential subscribers. For instance, if a reader clicks on mostly articles on health, then he would be asked to subscribe after reading a fifth health article, when hes most likely to want to keep reading.
Recently, the Post unveiled software that allows readers to bookmark articles and continue reading across multiple devices. It also gives the Post a fuller view of how readers are engaging with content. That 7,000-word investigation of a sexual assault in the Marines had an average reader engagement of 21 minutes. This is an insanely high number. Higher than any other story weve done in the past year, says Kat Downs, the graphics director.
Its not just technology helping to sell the editorial brand; the editorial brand is being used to sell technology. Last year, the Post began licensing its custom publishing platform to publishers and universities. So far, only about a dozen publishers have signed on, including the Toronto Globe and Mail, Alaska Dispatch News, Willamette Week, and Santa Fe Reporter, but the Post believes it can eventually generate $100 million a year from the business. This spring, it launched software that solves certain problems for digital advertisers: One rapidly reduces load times for mobile display ads; another reformats video ads for vertical cell-phone screens. The goal, again, is to sell to other media companies. I want the New York Times to call me and say, Holy shit, I want that, says Jarrod Dicker, the Posts head of ad product and technology.
The news staff considers page one in the paper, right, and on the site. Photo: Christopher Payne for New York Magazine
Despite all these experiments, the Post has yet to find a breakout business model. I dont think anyone knows that answer, Prakash acknowledges. Our aspirations are to grow scale and try, even if we get less revenue per person, to grow the person pool so much so ultimately its way larger. But even with all this experimentation, the Post is swimming upstream: The rapid spread of ad-blockers, which one study predicts will be adopted by a quarter of all internet users this year, could devastate digital revenue. Marburger tells me: Some of these things we have no idea how to monetize. Thats a truthful answer.
Some Post journalists worry that the Amazonian values of growing an audience by giving the customers what they want could conflict with journalisms civic mission to report on unpleasant truths. Theres gallows humor: Are we selling our soul for traffic? says one longtime Post staffer. Veteran Post journalists have been spared traffic quotas, but junior employees who blog for the website feel the pressure to produce with great frequency. Baron disputes the criticism that the Post has employed so-called clickbait to juice readership. The way I would define it is, it has a headline that tries to trick you to read the story and when you get to the story theres nothing of any substance. I dont think we have any of that, he says. I know whats generated the traffic here. And it isnt clickbait. Clickbait or not, its clear that the Post is playing a volume game, publishing a vastly higher number of stories than its competitors. According to a recent analysis, the Post, which has a newsroom of about 700, generates 500 stories per day, compared to 230 at the Times, whose newsroom has about 1,300 employees. Thats also about twice what BuzzFeed publishes daily.
At Amazon, Bezos built a retail empire and a $62 billion personal fortune by investing for the long term. And he has publicly said he is committed to funding the Post until it is a sustainable business. My sense, after a number of discussions with him, is that this is a 10-to-15-year investment, Woodward says. Bezos is also committed to keeping the print edition going for a long while. But inside the paper, there are concerns that the cash spigot wont run freely forever. We are his second or third or fourth hobby, one Post staffer says.
According to sources, the Posts digital revenue is around $60 million, far below what the newsroom needs to function. The last time total operating revenue for the paper was published, in 2012, it was $580 million; one former executive estimates today its probably closer to $350 million. Another Post veteran told me that Bezos said in a meeting that the companys annual budget, currently around $500 million, will have to be cut by 50 percent over the next three years. The newspaper denies this, and so does Prakash, who does, however, confirm that Bezos told him, We cant be an organization that loses gobs and gobs of money.
The stakes for the Posts success are high. Its a newspaper that has all the elements in place: a tech-billionaire investor-owner, a brilliant editor, a rich history, and the resources and culture to encourage innovation. In other words, if the Post cant invent a business model for newspapers, who can?
*This article appears in the June 27, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
or Already a subscriber? Sign In
What is your email? This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Enter your email: Please enter a valid email address. Submit Email or Connect with Google
Sign In To Continue Reading Create Your Free Account edit email Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google Choose a password to create an account: Enter your password or sign in with a different email Forgot Password? Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: Lower case letters (a-z)
Upper case letters (A-Z)
Numbers (0-9)
Special Characters (!@#$%^&*) New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our This password will be used to sign into allsites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Sign In Create Account
Barack Obama, liberal, and Bernie Sanders, democratic socialist. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
As the Obama era comes to a close, one question before the Democratic Party is how it ought to regard business. Barack Obama has spent most of his presidency rebutting the accusation that he is a crypto-socialist. Obamas Radicalism Is Killing the Dow, blared the headline of Stanford economist and respected Republican functionary Michael J. Boskins March 6, 2009, Wall Street Journal op-ed. The Dow has nearly tripled since then, and while Republicans have dramatically reduced the volume and frequency with which they express their belief that Obamas insidious socialist agenda is strangling prosperity, they never reconsidered it. Over the last year or so, however, the Bernie Sanders campaign subjected Obama to roughly the opposite critique that his tepid acquiescence to rampant capitalism has permitted the corporate elite to trample the public interest.
In their surface aspects, the policy agendas proposed by Obama (and Hillary Clinton, his all-but-designated successor) bear a superficial resemblance to Sanderss program. The liberal Obama-Clinton wing, like the democratic-socialist Sanders wing, would increase the minimum wage and Social Security benefits for low-income workers, increase taxes on the rich, tighten regulations on Wall Street, and invest heavily in public infrastructure. Liberals and socialists disagree on more than just the scope of change, though. The philosophical disagreement runs deep nearly as deep as that between Obama and his right-wing opponents. Obamas recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek provides fresh insight into a worldview that, for all the partys efforts to paper over the distinctions, is utterly foreign to Sanders.
Obama believes better policies can create more economic growth. (I do believe we can grow a lot faster than were growing right now.) More growth means more income for everybody gains for the poor dont need to come entirely at the expense of the rich.
Sanders, on the other hand, presents the political struggle as a zero-sum conflict. He sees economic growth as almost irrelevant:
The whole size of the economy and the GDP doesnt matter if people continue to work longer hours for low wages and you have 45 million people living in poverty. You cant just continue growth for the sake of growth in a world in which we are struggling with climate change and all kinds of environmental problems. All right? You dont necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country.
Obama does not believe the rich and the non-rich have identical interests, but he does see their interests as overlapping. In Sanderss view, American society is riven by a zero-sum conflict between the ruling class and everybody else. Class, in his telling, means far more than a rough description for a persons income or level of social need. It is the singular prism through which Sanders views politics. He does not merely argue that people with different incomes have different economic interests. He treats class as the fundamental identity in American society. Sanders describes what he calls the billionaire class or the one percent terms he uses interchangeably as locked in a death struggle against the vast majority of the populace. Obama argues against right-wing economic ideas, while Sanders tends to dispense with the ideas and focus on what he identifies as the self-interest behind it: a ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation. The billionaire class cannot have it all. Our government belongs to all of us, and not just the one percent.
The difference between these two modes of thought is not merely abstract. Sanders conceives of the conflict as one pitting opposing classes in irresolvable conflict. The billionaire class controls the political system in order to protect its own self-interest, and the only answer is a revolution that renders this class economically and politically impotent. Because Obama identifies his adversary as a set of ideas rather than a class, he sees it not so much as venal but as misguided.
The main theme of Obamas Bloomberg Businessweek interview is that his policy goals dovetail with a longer-term and more enlightened understanding of corporate Americas self-interest. Obama uttered a version of this belief in the 2008 campaign, when he told an Ohio man, I think when you spread the wealth around, its good for everybody. That belief was considered so dangerously radical that it became a first-order campaign gaffe (and launched his interlocutor, Joe the Plumber, into minor fame and a political career). The controversial element of the remark was Obamas endorsement of spread[ing] the wealth around, but this was merely a slightly impolitic expression of a long-standing Democratic belief in a more progressive tax and transfer policy. It is the other half of Obamas statement, that more redistribution is good for everybody, that sets him apart from Sanders.
In his interview, Obama concedes that Wall Street resents his regulation of the financial industry, and concedes that it has reduced the industrys profitability (which it demonstrably has). Nonetheless, Obama argues that the increased stability of the financial system is good not only for business overall but for the financial system, too:
When we put forward regulations that make mortgages simpler and more intelligible to consumers, that may be bad for somebodys short-term bottom lineif their business model is built on pushing out shaky loans to consumers. But it will actually be good for the housing market and for the financial system as a whole if people know what theyre buying and they can afford the mortgages they take on.
Obama likewise extends the case to higher wages:
You know, if I am a CEO in a boardroom right now, I should be thinking about, how do I make sure my workers are making a decent wage? And if Im a shareholder, that is something I should be paying attention to, too, because if youre not, thats when you start getting the kinds of political pushback that youre seeing here in the United States. Thats how you start getting a Brexit campaign. Over time, youll strangle this goose thats been laying you all these golden eggs. Share the eggs.
In Obamas telling, his opponents are foolishly greedy, defending their short-term interests at the expense of their long-term interests. In Sanderss telling, they are shrewdly and correctly greedy.
More Donald, more problems.
Despite conveniently forgetting to register to vote for him in the New York primary, Ivanka Trump has so far been an outspoken champion of her fathers political campaign. She stood by him throughout his feud with Megyn Kelly (which included more than one incendiary comment about the female reproductive cycle), stayed mum after he said women ought to be punished for getting abortions, and recently praised him for elevating the presidential campaign. But the editor-in-chief of the Mexican and Latin American edition of Marie Claire is gambling that, deep down, Ivanka is just as horrified by Donald as the rest of us.
#QueridaIvanka Que le dirias a la hija de Trump? No te pierdas nuestra edicion de julio y unete a la conversacion. pic.twitter.com/M5HObBemie Marie Claire Latam (@MarieClaire_LA) June 24, 2016
The magazines July issue is dedicated to Ivanka Trump its cover reads: Dear Ivanka, how long will you defend your father? and its entire feature well is devoted to letters from Latin American and Mexican journalists, academics, and artists appealing to Ivankas better nature.
Id like to ask you, from the bottom of my heart, if supporting your dads strategy is the best thing for you, as a woman or the best for your country and, consequently, mine, reads editor-in-chief Daniela Von Wobesers opening letter. She goes on:
Do you think your father would be the leader America deserves? Do you think the values he promotes are the ones you want your three children to inherit? My mind is full of questions as I read and see things that unfortunately he has done and said, andit is hard for me to think that you, a privileged and educated woman, tolerates this dangerous ideas, especially as an immigrants daughter yourself. I understand no one chooses their parents, but sooner or later we have to understand that being a father does not exclude you from human degradation and, therefore, its [up to] us, their children, to [break] from them when [they] voluntarily choose that path, or be doomed to live the same destiny.
In theory, the magazines appeal to Ivanka makes sense: Shes a savvy businesswoman whos heavily involved in the Trump Organization as executive vice-president of development and acquisitions, shes the one who has to deal with the fallout every time her father says something racist or xenophobic or straight-up wrong. But shes also managed to spin her success off into her own accessories line and lifestyle brand, which takes a similar hit every time Donald opens his mouth. Surely surely she must be sick of the damage her father consistently does to their joint business.
She also happens to be Trumps very female daughter, which as Von Wobeser points out carries its own set of complications:
Lucky for you, Donalds narcissism outnumbers its sexism, and by being part of his genes, he might have a different image of you in contrast with the other women of the world, which he thinks they are only worth because of their looks. (Am I wrong? Wasnt he the one who stated that you are so beautiful that if he wouldnt be your father he would be dating you?)
No, Daniela, youre not wrong.
Photo: Abdeljalil Bounhar/AP
The Obama women have commenced their world tour for the Let Girls Learn initiative, touching down in Morocco Monday.
They arrived looking as elegant as ever, with Sasha and Malia sporting what appear to be business-casual chokers. After spending the day in Liberia, the family traveled to Morocco to make the second stop on their six-day tour.
This is the special girl-power unit of the Obama household, the First Lady (and Snapchat superstar) said. We left the president behind because hes a boy.
The group will meet up with Meryl Streep today, where the buddy comedy weve all been waiting for will commence.
Time to get onboard. Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
For months now, weve been hearing the moaning, so much moaning, from disaffected Democrats. This election marks a depressing return to lesser evilism; its the year of the hated, in which two candidates, both disliked by a majority of voters, are pitted against each other. Supporters of each are mostly motivated by dislike of the opposition, not enthusiasm about their choice. Though recent polls show Bernie supporters coming around to the idea of Clinton faster than Clinton supporters warmed to Obama in 2008, theres little sense that theyre doing so with enthusiasm, in part because the holdouts remain so vocal. The New York Times Nate Cohn wrote on Monday of how the background music of my life is the steady drumbeat of tweets about how Hillary Clinton stole the presidential primary from Bernie Sanders; one Bernie-or-buster told CNN over the weekend that a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote against democracy. Jill Stein, the presumptive Green Party nominee for the presidency who in a recent WSJ poll was drawing 6 percent support has been pushing Trump-Clinton comparisons, speaking earlier in June about how Trump says very scary things deporting immigrants, massive militarism and ignoring the climate; well, Hillary, unfortunately, has a track record for doing all those things We see these draconian things that Donald Trump is talking about, we actually see Hillary Clinton doing.
This spirit of false equivalency, of Clinton as the only slightly less bad guy, has led plenty of Clinton supporters to keep quiet about their enthusiasms, fueling the perception that no one is excited about this election.
Okay, electoral Eeyores, it is time to cheer up. Its not just that Democrats have to better manage their worry-wart tendencies; the early part of this week has offered ample reason to begin to show some actual spirit about the upcoming election. This is not the most depressing election of your lifetime, not by a long shot; this is not a choice between two candidates, two administrations, two futures that will be anything like each other. We have to stop acceding to, and thus supporting, the narrative that were all just going to be dragging ourselves to the polling stations in four months to petulantly cast an unhappy vote against some monster, instead of casting a vote for a set of ideas progressives should be proud and excited to support. The fact is, we are in the midst of an election that should be extremely thrilling for progressives, because the possibility for change for progress is actually thrumming around us.
Over the weekend, the Democratic platform committee settled on its final draft. And though, for murky reasons, it has not been published in its entirety, it is, according to reports and a public summary, the most progressive platform put forth by Democrats in decades. For the first time, the platform explicitly calls for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services, leaving poor women, disproportionately women of color, without access to the reproductive services that are their right. It calls for the abolition of the death penalty. It calls for protection and expansion of the Dodd-Frank financial reform, an update of Glass-Steagall, and a breakup of financial institutions that pose a systemic risk to the stability of our economy. The platform also advocates for an expansion of social security, a $15 minimum wage, an end to private prisons and investment in reentry programs for the incarcerated, along with comprehensive immigration reform including an end to family detention and the closing of private detention centers. (In fact, it redefines immigration as a defining aspect of the American character and history to be supported and defended rather than a problem to be solved.) No, it does not include certain progressive positions such as opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a fracking ban or carbon tax, or a pledge to enact single-payer health care and reasonable people can debate whether those compromises made sense or not. It is also true that a party platform has little more than symbolic power in the real world. But given that just over a decade ago, the platform cautiously said that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare (a formulation that Hillary was rumored to have devised herself), this edition feels practically like a rallying cry.
Then, on Monday, came the Supreme Courts 5-3 decision on Texass Whole Womens Health/HB2 law, blowing to smithereens not just this law but the entire dishonest sham of so-called TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws and other newfangled ways of restricting abortion access in the name of protecting women. It is beyond rational belief that HB2 could genuinely protect the health of women, wrote Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her efficient, two-page concurring opinion. The decision, in addition to being great news for Texas women and families, seems to finally suggest that the tide of anti-abortion laws that have washed over large parts of the country could be stemmed. It also serves as a reminder of just how transformative it could be to have several Supreme Court seats open up during the next presidential administration. Yet another reminder of how critical, and yes, exciting, this election is.
Also on Monday, Hillary Clinton was making her first campaign appearance with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. The two women took the stage in Cincinnati in front of a jubilant crowd wearing a similar shade of electric blue by accident, according to the Huffington Posts Jennifer Bendery. They had the look of two confident women who DGAF and could not stop grinning about it.
As someone whos been neutral about the idea of a Clinton-Warren joint ticket (for entirely practical reasons), their appearance on Monday moved me firmly into the pro-Warren camp, not just for the strategic pop of excitement it would bring the campaign, but for the impact it seemed to have on Clinton herself. As she watched Warren tear into Trump, she looked as relaxed and happy as I have ever seen her during a campaign stop. Some have worried that Clinton couldnt take such competition for the spotlight on her own ticket, but I think thats a misreading of the candidate. For better or worse [cough], Clinton has long been drawn to high-wattage partners, and is comfortable working alongside them. And having Warren at her side could halve the symbolic burden of being first and only, weight that Clinton does not much enjoy lugging around.
It was also useful to see how excited Warren seemed to be. Though she has been critical of Clinton in the past, she seems to be truly enthusiastic about her now (either that or she is a great performer). Though television cameras did not catch Warrens reactions to Clintons speech, Buzzfeeds Ruby Cramer reported from the room that Warren [was] hanging on HRCs every line. At mention of infra[structure] investment, she mouths, yes! At college debt, she does a little jump & dance. NBCs Monica Alba tweeted an image of a persuasive-looking hug between the two before they parted.
This does not mean progressives should have no issues with Clinton. There is much to be concerned about with regard especially to her hawkishness, her Iraq vote, her policies around Libya, Syria, Haiti, and Honduras, her positions on Israel and Palestine. Progressives should and will make their concerns about her foreign-policy positions clear, both during her campaign and if she should get to the White House. But behaving as though the blame for these conflicts rests entirely at Clintons feet is not honest, nor does it offer us a current, practical path toward better or more humane foreign policy.
Yes, leftist critique is valuable. Sanderss remarkable success forced Clinton to take on more economically populist positions. Which she has done. It worked. This is great news. As Liza Featherstone, an energetic critic of Clinton from a socialist-feminist perspective, recently wrote in Dissent, The goal of left politics is to make left ideas so popular that the most mainstream politicians will support them, and Clintons shift on the Fight for $15 shows how, by organizing, we can do just that. The left and its most crucial movements are prevailing in presidential politics and on major party platforms, around minimum wage and criminal-justice reform and reproductive rights and the death penalty and paid leave. This is not boring.
Doesnt the fact that Elizabeth Warren, a progressive firebrand who has led the party toward stronger economic policies before and since her election to the Senate in 2012, can feel so excited can jump and dance and holler and clap and hug about Clinton mean that maybe its time for the rest of her party to start expressing a little enthusiasm too?
According to Next Media, Lady Gaga has been banned from China after meeting the Dalai Lama. Such an extreme decision pic.twitter.com/4zOSJdzZhq Shady Music Facts (@TheShadyFacts) June 28, 2016
According to Chinese News Site Next Media , Lady Gaga and all of her products have now been banned from sale and distribution in China because of her meeting last weekend with the Dalai Lama. The Chinese government has issued a statement warning that His Holiness's meeting with Lady Gaga on the topic of youth mental health, community and kindness was in fact a facade to disguise his pro-Tibet Independence propaganda. The Dalai Lama has stated he desires Tibet to have more autonomy under Chinese rule.Lady Gaga had previously been banned from China for vulgarity in 2011, and then unbanned again in 2014.
10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
7.Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
5. Thelma & Louise (1991)
2. The Blues Brothers (1980)
This desert drive has the highest rating from IMDb users at 8.1. Its currently ranked 178 in the list of top-rated movies, and its also the most recent title on the list. George Miller directed, produced, and co-wrote this fourth film in the Mad Max franchise. It's a reboot/sequel of sorts, starring Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), but only enough to justify the title. The real star is Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and her bat-out-of-hell flight from Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) along with his five "wives" in post-apocalyptic Australia. Audiences and critics found the film shiny and chrome, paying it over $378 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing film in the franchise. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won six for the production value.Alfonso Cuaron, who would go on to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban right after this, co-wrote, produced, and directed this reimagining of the American road movie to showcase Mexico's politics, culture, people, and geography. The coming-of-age art house hit introduced many viewers to Mexican actors Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal, and earned an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.They just wanted a girls weekend away. And boy, did they get one. Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) got a lot more than they bargained for, and fans got a movie with six Oscar nominations, a breakout performance from Brad Pitt, a road trip dream car in Louises 1966 Ford Thunderbird, and a modern landmark of feminism on film. Writer Callie Khouri took home the films only Oscar win for her very first produced screenplay. According to Thelma & Louise trivia, George Clooney, a struggling actor at the time, auditioned five times for the role that went to Brad Pitt. There's a long list of actresses who were all considered for the roles of Thelma and Louise, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster. Both were reportedly the original leads, but pre-production took so long that they had to drop out due to other commitments.The road to making The Blues Brothers was as dramatic as the Bluesmobile's journey through the film. Universal wanted to capitalize on John Belushi's fame by making a musical action comedy based on his and Dan Aykroyd's Blues Brothers characters from "Saturday Night Live." But as legend has it, production became its own animal house, with new screenwriter Aykroyd taking six months to deliver a long script that director John Landis had to rewrite before filming. Then filming began without a final budget in place. Delays, along with the car destructions on screen (a record, at the time, 103 cars) and other complications, put the film $10 million over budget, which is a lot since the final budget was $27.5 million (around $80 million today). But the film lives on as a quotable cult classic, and IMDb users rated it 7.9. What's your favorite road trip movie?
I've been trying to improve my Spanish.
Reply
Thread
Link
you'll catch up quickly because you can practice with other people
check Memrise and HelloTalk, those 2 helps a lot with vocabulary and conversations respectively
Edited at 2016-06-28 07:30 pm (UTC)
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Same. I try to use a little every day but I need to work on it so much more.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
me too bb!
it's difficult to find a good class that acknowledges the differences in Spanish depending on where it's coming from, and I finally managed to come across a good one. I'm lucky that my family is from Chile too, so if I have any questions, they are right there!
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I've been meaning to do that for years, but I'm unmotivated when there are no grades. I have a disc program and everything.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Yo tambien. Speak it whenever and with whoever you can - it sharpens quickly. I love it. <3
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
can you cry in spanish?
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Man this makes me sad because I'm conversational in Japanese and only understand Kannada and Telegu. My mom and dad know so many Indian languages it's crazy.
Reply
Thread
Link
wasn't one of her kids going by "john" at some point?
Reply
Thread
Link
oh wow lol this is something i read recently and thought was recent news, shows what i know
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Shiloh used to be a really big fan of Peter Pan, and after Brad talked about her going through a phase of asking to be called John or Peter because of that (when she was like three or four I think?), the press dug up that story years later and seemed to decide that Shiloh was trans and had formally requested to be known as John
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I speak only 3 languages rn: Finnish, Swedish, and English. I'm thinking of starting either Russian or Spanish, can't decide which.
Reply
Thread
Link
Greek is my native language, then English + plus some Spanish and French. I am not fluent in the last two but I will try a lot with Spanish this year.
Reply
Thread
Link
Goodness :( I really would love to learn Greek. It's on my list of languages to learn :b
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I'm half greek but can't speak it so I am extremely jealous of you. Did you go to greek school at church when you were a kid?
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Mad is interested in editing
yas mad! flawless choice.
Reply
Thread
Link
I'm bilingual French and English. I know a bit of Spanish, German and Japanese but really not much.
Reply
Thread
Link
I speak Norwegian and English, understand Danish if written or spoken slowly and Swedish.
Reply
Thread
Link
queeen
Reply
Thread
Link
i speak german, english, chinese/mandarin and a lil bit swedish and korean.
Reply
Thread
Link
i know english, punjabi, urdu, and hindi.
i feel like the latter three are so similar. started with punjabi and picked up on the other two.
Reply
Thread
Link
hay girl same
and a lil bit of french
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i studied spanish in high school butttt hardly any of it stuck.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
wait, is your name kiren? bc thats my name too, just spelled differently
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Urdu and Hindi are basically the same, it's only the difference between Muslims and Hindus that there's more Farsi words in Urdu in place of Hindi words.
Punjabi is juuuuuust different enough.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Same.
But add French, Arabic, a bit of Japanese and Korean and Inuktitut into the mix.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Aw they're so big
op: bad English, spanish and a1 German
Reply
Thread
Link
If you need creative German insults, I'm here for you.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
yass pls send me all of them, don't be shy
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
yay japanese student! i minored in college but didn't push myself as much as i should have so im going to take the JLPT 5 at the end of this year and work my way up over the years to 1 if I can.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
how long have you been studying japanese for?
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
English, German, Russian and Ukranian. so pretty close to Mad's choices lol
Reply
Thread
Link
HOW is Shiloh ten already omg
Reply
Thread
Link
Emily Ratajkowski looks like a totally different person in motion/videos it's so weird
Reply
Thread
Link
i'm so over her
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS. She is beautiful, but in motion, she looks...odd? I can't put my finger on it.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
so I'm traveling to texas this weekend for a wedding and should I take my make up bag on the flight with me or put it in my luggage? I don't have any liquids in there unless foundation counts and foundation is usually like 1 oz no?
Reply
Thread
Link
If you're taking a lot of makeup I'd put it in your checked bag
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
it's enough to fit into 1 make up bag with some room to spare. I have a lot of travel sized shit lmao
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I personally carry my makeup with me. If something happened to it, I would be upset.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i always take makeup with me onto flights. nothing worse than having no makeup if they lose you luggage
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
carry on. otherwise it can break
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Carry on specially because you don't know if you're going to be late or have problems with TSA.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
If it's a lot of makeup, carry your palettes and all pressed powders with you on the flight. Otherwise it'll all just break and crumble in your luggage if you decide to check it out.
Edited at 2016-06-28 08:37 pm (UTC)
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
carry it on. The worst that's ever happened to me is the TSA agent said you know your makeup should be in the liquid bags and put it back. It's not really the contraband they're looking for
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
All my makeup goes in the carry on but I'll keep the liquid things (like foundation or setting spray) in the liquids baggie.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Carry on. I checked it once before and all of my powdered makeup ended up cracked when I opened it because my luggage was tossed around too much.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i just looove carina lau she's so pretty. love the color CT chose for her too.
my friend recently picked up a dose of colors lipstick for me and a melt stack... so gorgeous i'm in love
Reply
Thread
Link
yaaas @ liv. my queen
emily seems pretentious, her vogue 73 questions made me cringe so much (taking into account that they're cringey anyway)
i wish i could afford really nice lipsticks. lipstick is my fav makeup
in other news i've started ocm in the morning with rice water cleansing oil and my skin has never been so soft
Edited at 2016-06-28 07:57 pm (UTC)
Reply
Thread
Link
i watched her 73 questions and was surprised by her politics tbh
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i liked her politics
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
I always fucking hate those videos.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Lipstick and eyeliner are things I splurge on because both last for a good year, and with lipstick, even more. With mascara, I limit myself to travel size, and really, I don't use it every day, so it lasts for a couple of months and then some.
Actually, I splurge on all of it because I NEVER finish.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Her video made me like her except when she said Syrian refugee I was like ok girl
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Poppy looks so old here :/
Is it the styling or am I mistaken? Looks like she's had a shit-ton of bad work done.
Reply
Thread
Link
i think the makeup (false lashes and heavy eyeshadow) def ages her here, along with how thin she is
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
As long as I'm not the only one who thinks so. Her skin looks like plastic too.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Poppy has been looking old, she and Leigh Lezark looked like grannies at coachella
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Murad products i love the perfecting day cream.
Reply
Thread
Link
That is an unflattering still of Poppy. Or maybe her whole look is unflattering, I'm not sure and I'm not interested enough to click play to find out.
Reply
Thread
Link
I love lipstick so much. I wish I had money to buy all the Bite Beauty lipsticks that I want. D:
Can I get a sugar daddy who like doesn't want sex or anything, but just wants to buy me makeup?
Reply
Thread
Link
same
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
this probably gets asked every beauty post but who are your guys favorite youtube makeup ppl that aren't lisa eldridge? i like really girly and colorful makeup if u guys know anyone who does a lot of tutorials for stuff like that
Reply
Thread
Link
sharon farrell? she doesn't post a ton but her make up looks generally aren't super dark and she seems to enjoy playing with things other than neutrals
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxem10oFdCb9XIT3JKMbn8A
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjAmKEI6QMbb-5E97y6cBFg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsdfqEG8shRJBeuhEBALoCQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEPwaev8_zrpafISAPhruA
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8v4vz_n2rys6Yxpj8LuOBA Lisa bores me to tears. I know she's popular and she seems like a nice lady, but her style doesn't translate into anything I want to do. Here are women I enjoy:
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
VintageorTacky, Linda Hallberg, Eimear McElheron, LetzMakeup, Pixiwoo, Chloe Morello. Last two hock more products than the others but their looks are pretty.
Those are probably the ones I like most for creative and/or glam looks. Some are more out there than others but I hope that helps!
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
seconding linda hallberg. i don't always like the makeup looks she comes up with but i like her personality and her videos are pretty concise and to the point
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Yeah vintageortacky definitely does colorful looks. Also like Pixiwoo a lot too
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Also Karima McKimmie! And Sharon Farrell as the user above mentioned!
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
sona gasparian is pretty good.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Harry makes it up
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
I always recommend Karima Mckimmie, and even though I haven't been feeling her at all lately, she's still really one of the only people I would look to for actual advice, ideas and honest reviews.
Chloe Morello is imo not someone from whom to take any sort of legit advice, but a lot of her looks are on trend and she has a mostly fun personality.
Kaushal Beauty, I like for seeing mostly on-trend, fun and sometimes more diverse make-up looks.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
karima mckimmie but i can't remember the last time she did a tutorial. sharon farrell, monika blunder, shonagh scott (although her makeup is very instagram, she does like to use color)
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
kathleenlights but she sometimes repeats the same looks.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Pixiwoo's videos are strangely calming to me
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
easyneon
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
For really colorful makeup ahitsrosa.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I've become addicted to Peter Thomas Roth face masks. They're soooo expensive but so worth it, the Irish moor mud and pumpkin enzyme ones are my faves so far
Reply
Thread
Link
oo you've encouraged me to try these! i've been eyeing them for a while.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I got the set of 5 from sephora and I adore them all. Some days I can't decide which to use
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
They sell the full sized ones at my job so they only end up costing me $15-20. I really want to try the gold one next
Edited at 2016-06-28 08:26 pm (UTC)
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Would they be good for acne/oily skin? I'm looking for some good masks.
I just bought the drunk elephant cleansers so here's hoping.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
face masks are my downfall dont tempt me sis. i've been trying to downgrade to just one good clay mask and one good moisturizing mask from superfacialist
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
I tried the sulfur one and I wasn't impressed, I need a new mask tho
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i got the 5 piece set last xmas when they were on sale. not sure if they make much of a difference but they smell nice and it's nice to use (when i remember).
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
https://www.amazon.com/Nourish-Organic-Refreshing-Balancing-Toner/dp/B00V0XR4L4 I love Thayer's and use it interchangeably with Nourish Organic's Face Toner with rosewater and witch hazel. I try to stay all-natural with skin stuff tho so I haven't strayed away from these two.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i mix the thayer's rose water toner with raw apple cider vinegar. i've heard mixed opinions on acv but i find it works well on my skin i use about 3:1 ratio of rose water to acv.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I use a rose water spray in place of a toner
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
right now, i like clean and clear's sensitive skin toner. yes, i have student loans.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
over working out (max heart rate type of exercising) releases alot of cortisol and stresses the body which can cause breakouts I recently found out after experiencing the same so maybe supplement high intensity exercising with weight lifting on some days or pilates/barre etc.
also obvi you wash your face before working out so no makeup or creams are clogging your pores as you sweat.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
wash your face or use wipes immediately after working out. i work out at a studio that only has 2 bathrooms, so a lot of the time i don't want to wait to properly wash my face, so i'll just use a clean and clear wipe. not usually a fan of wipes because of how bad they are for the skin/environment etc., but i'll break out for sure if i don't do something to get all the sweat off my face immediately. bioderma is also good if your skin doesn't take to wipes really well. i have a travel size that i throw in my bag, but i always forget to repack cotton pads for it so i resort to the wipes.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
My metallic colourpop lipsticks finally shipped jfc. I'm bummed to find out they aren't stains though. I got a Mac Prep+Prime highlighter in Peach Forecast and it's awesome. I had written it off because I got the wrong shade, but Peach Forecast really helps with this shit going on under my eyes.
Reply
Thread
Link
I want to try Kylie's Lip Metals but I never get any and the price with shipping is crazyyyy
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Yeah I'm not happy about the shipping prices either, but at least she's relatively fast. Faster than Colourpop, that's for sure. The metals are fine. I have one and it's a nice formula, but the lip kits are better. She needs to expand the color range of the metals.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
does anyone have any favorite dusty rose lip colors?? can be lipstick, liquid lipstick, whatever. I know it's like an ~it color~ but it works sooo well with my skin color and i can't stop hoarding them
Reply
Thread
Link
Kat Von D Lolita, Mac Whirl, Mac Persistence, Colourpop Stingraye, Colourpop Tulle, Dose of Colors Truffle
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
NARS Rikugien
NARS Dolce Vita
MUFE some color that was in the 2014 birthday gift from Sephora
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
seconding Dolce Vita
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
i like nars audacious lipstick anita in smokey rose and antique rose, kat von d magick, and kat von d lolita.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Stila' Liquid Lipstick in Patina
NYX Liquid Lingerie in Bedtime Flirt
Gerard Cosmetics Lipstick in Vintage Rose (you might like this option the best because it's the truest to a dusty rose color)
Edited at 2016-06-28 08:46 pm (UTC)
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
If you don't already have it, I second NARS Dolce Vita (especially the pencil version).
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
I like NYX's tea rose
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
the balm - charming
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
rimmel kate moss 104
MAC twig
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Charlotte Tilbury - Coachella Coral
Chantecaille - China Rose
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Hot Lips?
Ellis' mattes are called that as well and have been for some time....
Reply
Thread
Link
Ellis Faas has some of the most unique colors on the market, and her 'Hot Lips' line is AMAZING!
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
Most of her stuff is amazing. I almost never wear foundation because I dislike the way it looks but her's close to tolerable for me.
And her creamy eyes are the best!
Reply
Parent
Thread
Expand
Link
Mac Russian Red is on the bluer side. It might be a bit too dark to read as a 'pink' red for you, but it looks great on olive skin.
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
definitely try ruby woo
Reply
Parent
Thread
Link
The UKs decision to leave the European Union sparked turmoil in financial markets around the world at the end of last week, but stocks rebounded on Tuesday in an early indication that the effects could be temporary. The surge in volatility seen in commodities, currencies and stock markets may not be over, but the massive sell off was probably a bit of an overreaction. Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Tuesday, clawing back some lost ground.
Months from now, the effects of the Brexit may only appear to be blip on the radar for oil prices, a temporary downturn at the end of June that may sort itself out in short order.
But while the global effects will be muted, the Brexit is likely to have much greater effect on the domestic British oil and gas industry. The North Sea still represents a large source of oil output at roughly 1 million barrels per day, but the Brexit could compound an array of already existing challenges facing the oil-producing region.
Because the North Seas oil fields are decades old with most in decline, the region suffers from high-costs. For many companies, there are not large prospects for growth. North Sea oil production did actually increase in the past two years, but that new output came from projects planned years ago when oil prices were in triple-digit territory.
The reality is that today, many companies are abandoning the region, decommissioning oil rigs and platforms and shutting down infrastructure. Low oil prices could force the shutdown of a series of North Sea oil wells much earlier than expected, and some estimates project 150 platforms decommissioned over the next decade. That becomes a problem for oil companies that want to stick around having fewer peers to share the cost of infrastructure makes it that much harder for firms that want to maintain a presence in the North Sea. Decommissioning infrastructure will be a much faster growing industry than oil exploration in the North Sea in the coming years. Related: Did Brexit Kill The Oil Price Rally?
That was all before the Brexit. The UK leaving the European Union could make things worse. On the one hand, London sets a lot of rules, regulations and levels of taxation. Brussels had less control over offshore oil drilling than some other sectors of the European economy. The regulatory regime may not change much.
On the other hand, the Brexit could spark a chain of events that quickly starts to change the North Sea operating environment. Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already announced plans to pursue a second independence bid in an effort to keep Scotland within Europe. There is quite a deal of momentum for independence at this point with so many Scottish voters opting for Remain in the Brexit vote. That makes Scotlands second bid for independence a very real possibility.
Many oil fields in the North Sea are actually off of the coast of Scotland, so Scottish independence would force a change in sovereignty over those resources. Some of the assets would be split, possibly along existing maritime borders used for fishing, which Bloomberg says would hand Scotland 96 percent of annual oil production and 47 percent of natural gas production.
The UK would lose out bigtime, and oil companies in the North Sea would face a different sovereignty structure. Of course, the Scottish independence movement has gone to lengths to describe the North Sea oil sector as a crucial pillar to the countrys potential independent economy, so there would be little incentive for the Scottish government to scare away investment. But in a region that is already losing its competitiveness, an independence vote which could take years to pull off creates another layer of uncertainty. Related: Does The U.S. Really Need A Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
"Many of the operators and service companies with Scottish operations are global by nature and the most important thing is Scotland remains an easy and profitable place to do business, Andrew Speers, CEO of oil and gas recruiter Petroplan, told CNBC.
British oil companies are on alert after the Brexit vote. The U.K. oil and gas industry is at a critical juncture and we need to ensure the U.K. continental shelf continues to attract investment, Oil & Gas U.K., an industry trade group, said in a statement on June 24.
The one upside to a Brexit could be a weaker British pound, lowering the costs for North Sea oil producers. While that may be comforting, it may not be enough to compensate for years of political and legal uncertainty.
By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Natural gas prices are on a tear, and every small dip is being aggressively bought by the traders. Technically, the current rally should rise to the next resistance level of $2.95/MMBtu, but do the fundamentals justify the rise?
(Click to enlarge)
Natural gas supply
The latest U.S. Energy Information Administrations Natural gas weekly update reports a drop in production in all the seven shale-producing regions. The production is 1 percent below last year, averaging 73 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). However, drilling is likely to increase with a sharp rise in natural gas prices.
Natural gas storage
The injections into the storage have slowed, compared to both the previous year and the 5-year average. The stocks exceeded 3,000 billion cubic feet (Bcf), but year-over-year, the storage surplus has fallen for eleven consecutive weeks.
Related: Saudi Arabias Oil Storage Falling As Exports Exceed Production
Compared to last year, the stocks are 618 Bcf higher and are 678 Bcf above the five-year average of 2,425 Bcf.
Natural gas demand
Aided by higher than average temperatures and increased exports to Mexico, the demand remains robust and higher than the previous year. The power burn rate of 26 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) is 10 percent greater than the previous year.
Natural gas prices are sensitive to weather forecastseither a hotter summer or a record chilly winter increases the consumption of natural gas for cooling and heating. However, a gentle winter pushed natural gas prices to multi-year lows in February.
The markets were way oversold at $1.666/mmBtu, and a rebound was inevitable, because a large drop in the drilling rigs meant lowered supply in the future.
In general, (traders) no longer believe that the market is oversupplied, Kent Bayazitoglu, analyst at the energy-consulting firm Gelber & Associates in Houston, said in a note, reports The Wall Street Journal.
As the markets pulled back, the news of above-average weather encouraged traders to go long in anticipation of higher consumption.
(Click to enlarge)
Cyclically, the markets have turned down in June or remained flat, barring 2012, when prices continued their uptrend.
Though the current rally resembles 2012 when prices made a similar dash to the upside after making a significant bottom, a pullback is in the cards due to the near vertical rise from the levels of $2/mmBtu. Related: Does The U.S. Really Need A Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
While I do think its overbought, you can point to multiple reasons this thing has come to life here, said Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA Inc. You should expect a pullback in the coming days, but I dont think you can expect a very deep pullback, reports the WSJ.
Natural gas stocks are above the five-year average, but demand is also likely to rise further. NatGasWeather.com forecasts temperature in the high 90s to 100s in the western, central, and southern U.S., which is likely to increase natural gas demand.
One also needs to consider that higher natural gas prices have encouraged firms to consume more coal. The trend for coal consumption has followed higher natural gas prices. Since week ending 19 May, coal consumption has increased 29 percent nationwide.
As long as the weather doesnt play spoilsport, natural gas prices should march higher. Nevertheless, if there is any respite in the hot summer, prices will correct, due to the lack of fundamental support.
By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Exxon Mobil has announced a new, and potentially big, oil and gas find off the coast of Guyana. The oil and gas find was struck in an appraisal well, which is the companys second success in the tiny South American country.
Last year, Exxon found oil and gas in another offshore well, and at the time, Exxon said that find could be a huge one: a deposit holding up to 700 million barrels of crude worth an estimated $40 billion. Now, after the second successful find, it is planning to drill a third well in the area.
If the estimates of how much oil and gas Guyana has in its shelf come true, it could make a big difference, both for the country and for Exxon.
Guyana does not currently produce any oil and gas, and even with the weak prices for hydrocarbons, its economy would benefit from a new revenue source. In fact, the reserves from the Liza-1 well that was drilled last yeareven at current pricesare worth 12 times Guyanas GDP, which is about $8000 per capita annually. With less than a million people, that brings the GDP to somewhere around $3 billion.
For Exxon, a major new find would be good news in light of its less-than-favorable exploration failure rate, which reached 39 percent in 2014, up from 33 percent in 2013. Now, on top of this, theres less money for new exploration, which is a problem not unique to Exxon.
Exxon is not the only oil major exploring in Guyana. British Tullow Oil and Spains Repsol are also drilling in the area, but have not so far announced any major finds.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has given its approval to a rule that will require oil and gas companies to disclose payments they make to foreign governments.
Under the new rule, companies would be required to make known what they paid in taxes, royalties and other types of fees for exploration, extraction and other activities. The rule, which the SEC approved on Monday, requires the reporting when a company spends in excess of $100,000 in a fiscal year on a project. A company is exempt from the rule when it involves the first year of acquisition for a firm, and also allows companies to delay disclosure on payments related to exploration for up to one year.
The rule, which was mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Law, had been on hold for years, and had become had become mired in the courts. The human rights group Oxfam filed a lawsuit against the SEC over the rule, and a federal judge ordered that the rule be fast-tracked. SEC chairwoman Mary Jo White said that the rule would provide enhanced transparency.
Related: Saudi Arabias Oil Storage Falling As Exports Exceed Production
The move by the SEC comes in the wake of a decision by the federal courts in 2013 to block a version of the rule that would have required companies to disclose even more information. The court characterized the rule as being overly-broad, requiring companies to disclose too much information. At the time, drilling companies were concerned that the rule would expose proprietary information, including financial data.
The oil and gas industry expressed its displeasure with the rule. Stephen Comstock, the director of tax and accounting policy for the American Petroleum Institute stated, The SECs rule forces U.S. companies to disclose proprietary information to its competitors while foreign entities do not. This can give some large industry players an advantage on future business projects, and can fundamentally harm American jobs.
The Institute sued the SEC over the rule.
By Lincoln Brown for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Russia has indicated that it is ready to restart negotiations on the Turkish Stream gas transport project, after the Turkish president sent an official apology for the downing of a Russian military plane. The incident happened last year amid growing tensions with regard to Syria and provoked Russia to slam Turkey with economic sanctions.
Now, it seems, the road is once again clear for the two countries newest energy project. Turkish Stream has been largely seen as an alternative to South Stream, which was to pass through Bulgaria but faced major opposition from the European Commission, so it was more or less shelved indefinitely. Still, earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin told media that Russia is not giving up either of these.
Talks on Turkish Stream started two years ago. The pipeline was to have a capacity of 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year, of which 16 billion cubic meters would be used by Turkey. The remainder would be collected in a hub at the border between Turkey and Greece, before being distributed to Europe.
Related: Did Brexit Kill The Oil Price Rally?
The cooling of the two countries relationships after the plane shoot-down last year put an end to negotiations. The bilateral situation worsened further recently, when it surfaced that Romania and Turkey are mulling over a new Black Sea fleet, aimed at protecting the region from potential Russian aggression. Russia did not look kindly upon this initiative and made this very clear.
Turkey and Russia have strategic importance for each other, especially in the energy sector. Their respective political agendas are very different, however, and could put a spoke in the wheels of energy cooperation. Then again, energy may very well trump political priorities.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
Last November, we reported on plans to revive the old Wally Schmidt tavern located at 1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
The historic building, which has been vacant for many years, was purchased by developer Juli Kaufmann of Fix Development and co-developer Jeremy Davis, Lindsay Heights resident and environmental specialist at Walnut Way Conservation Corp., with plans to restore the building to its former grandeur. Those plans include building out office spaces on the upper floors and opening a neighborhood restaurant on the main floor.
The project aims to transform a formerly foreclosed, boarded-up building into a neighborhood asset, involving local residents in the developerment, construction management and ownership group.
Since our last report, more than $37,296 has been raised with the help of an ongoing IndieGoGo campaign, as well as both public and private financing. The developers have also successfully raised $380,000 from a crowd investment strategy which has brought together 40 diverse local investor owners for the building, 25% of which are Lindsay Heights residents. The hope is that the commercial real estate model, which aims to incite social change, can be made into an open source model available for replication. Parties interested in supporting the project should contact Kaufmann at Fix Development.
In the meantime, a local chef, Caitlin Cullen, has signed on to operate the restaurant, which will be called The Tandem.
Whats in store
The restaurant, which is slated to open early this fall, will accommodate 65 diners indoors, including bar, booth and table seating. Meanwhile, an outdoor patio located in a courtyard behind the building will seat an additional 43.
"The feel will really encompass the idea of an old school tavern, with a modern twist," says Cullen. "It will be adequately dark, but surprisingly bright for a tavern."
In terms of cuisine, The Tandem will emphasize affordability, freshness and seasonality with a menu that takes inspiration from a variety of traditions including Midwest home cooking, Caribbean street food, southern soul food and healthy new American fare.
Appetizers will include house-made pickles, handmade burrata with seasonal accompaniments, chicken liver mousse and a variety of other rotating options. Healthy salads will include power greens, grains and Southern-style bean salads.
Meanwhile, family-style entrees will feed a family of four for $30-50. Options will include a fish fry, hot ham and rolls, and sancocho, a Dominican stew featuring chicken, beef, pork and plantains.
One of the house specialties will be chicken, which Cullen says shell prepare three ways:
Dominican roasted: "It has a lot of citrus, with a spicy black pepper note on the end. And the skin is crispy while the chicken is tender."
Memphis fried: "Chicken brined in hot sauce and then dredged in wet cornstarch batter that really creates a lacquer-like finish thats super crispy on the outside and really moist and tender on the inside."
Georgia fried: "Its your basic buttermilk wet-and-dry battered chicken with a crisp pillowy crust."
Sometimes you just gotta take a fried chicken break in the middle of the work day #memphisstyle #friedchicken #researchanddevelopment #nofilter #whynotabeertoo A photo posted by Caitlin Cullen (@businessmancaitlin) on Jun 10, 2016 at 10:28am PDT
Cullen, who will work alongside Sous Chef Joe Sutter (formerly of Company Brewing), says the goal is to create a neighborhood restaurant that provides a gathering place for both residents and Downtown diners while engaging in a deeper mission to provide substantial employment and culinary training to those in the community.
Getting to know you
Cullen, who began her career as an educator in Detroit, transitioned into the service industry through work with a variety of Milwaukee chefs including Thi Cao of Buckleys and Gregory Leon of Amilinda. However, her career took off under the tutelage of Chef Karen Bell of Bavette, a mentor she credits for giving her the necessary skills to move forward with her dream of opening a restaurant.
"Karen [Bell] is the real deal," notes Cullen. "She's extraordinarily talented and well-respected, she works harder than anyone I've known, and is an amazing mentor and teacher; I feel ready for this because of the time I've had with her."
In 2015, after working for Bell for nearly three years, Cullen made the decision to return to her
hometown of Detroit to help launch Iron Ridge Marketplace, a 90,000-square foot makers market comprised of small independent food businesses.
"We got the project running," she notes, "And I thought Id eventually start a restaurant there. But in February, I got a call from Karen [Bell], who told me that another potential restaurateur had dropped out of the Wally Schmidt revitalization project. And she encouraged me to consider taking it on."
In a sense, Cullen notes, The Tandem is a mechanism by which she can give back to the industry by providing the same skilled training she received from Bell and others to neighborhood residents.
Behind the name
"My dad comes from a huge family of eight brothers and sisters," says Cullen. "Two of my uncles, who are twins, struggled after college with finding a direction for their careers. Ultimately, my family invested in the purchase of a bar, which my uncles operated. The name of it was 'The Tandem,' and it was the kind of place where everyone who came in was a regular. It gave two guys who didnt really have a direction a means for making a living and having a purpose."
Cullen says the name resonated when she considered the Wally Schmidt project.
"A tandem bike has two seats," she explains. "You can ride it alone. But when you ride with another person, you get more power. And it makes the ride so much easier. Im looking at my relationship with Lindsey Heights very similarly as a partnership."
A bigger mission
Cullen says that one of The Tandems long-term goals is to act as a culinary skills gateway of sorts, connecting the young talent of Milwaukees northern neighborhoods with the burgeoning restaurant scene of the citys Downtown areas.
"Im an educator at heart," says Cullen. "And part of what Ive always loved about cooking is the training aspect. A fairly high percentage of the Lindsay Heights neighborhood is between the ages of 18 and 24. And we hope to cultivate interest among those young people in entering the service industry."
Cullen says that, within its first year of operation, she plans to employ at least 15 local residents for both part- and full-time positions. Among them, she foresees providing on-the-job training for at least a dozen kitchen staff. Training would take place both at The Tandem, as well as at partner restaurants, including Amilinda, who would take on kitchen staff as stages, teaching them how to work in a variety of restaurant environments.
"As the dining scene continues to explode, theres an increasing need for skilled workers who can fill the gaps in kitchens across the city," says Cullen. "So one of our goals is to provide training for individuals in the neighborhood who would like to launch careers in the industry."
Watch for additional information about The Tandem at OnMilwaukee including a preview of the space in the coming weeks.
The so-called "sit-in" on the floor of Congress launched by House and Senate Democrats is a fraudulent and transparently cynical exercise in partisan branding and election year theater.
Brands neither mean what they say nor say what they mean. Brands are marketing devices, calculated to evoke a desired set of emotions, to call forth real or imagined memories in an audience, independent and apart from facts or logic. Atlanta congressman John Lewis and his colleagues are leveraging his rep and the "sit-in" brand for their resonance with the Southern Freedom Movement of the 1950s and 60s.
Keen observers on social media pierced the hypocrisy almost immediately.
"Color me unimpressed," wrote Keeanga Yamahtta Taylor, author of from Black Power to #BlackLivesMatter in a Facebook post that was shared thousands of times almost immediately.
"Where was the sit-in when Congress was cutting $5 billion from food stamps? Where was the sit in where is the sit-in for affordable housing as Congress continues to cut HUD to shreds? Where is the sit-in against police brutality in our cities? Where is the sit-in against the Supreme Court ruling yesterday that guts the Fourth Amendment and revives 'stop and frisk' policing? Where is the sit in to demand equitable funding for our nation's public schools? Where is the sit-in to end racism and the criminal justice system? This smacks of election year tomfoolery..."
Worse still, the so-called "sit-in" piggybacks on the secret and arbitrary "no-fly" and "terror watch" lists, which some of those same Democrats denounced back in the Bush Cheney era. Back then they rightly pointed out the criteria for landing on those lists is secret, and once on the list there is no appeal and no way off, though the State Department does revoke your passport, also without appeal. Government places people on those lists it cannot charge with any crimes. According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, the government has placed Muslims on the no-fly and terror watch list when they refused to infiltrate and inform on their neighbors, or when their names were similar to someone else's. Democrats, like California Rep. Barbara Lee once opposed hysterical and secret government blacklists noting that any sort of activist out of favor with the government could land on these lists.
But now it's election year and they have very few issues to differentiate themselves from the other capitalist party. So they want to use the secret government blacklist and the civil rights brand to score meaningless points against Republicans.
Congressional Democrats are not stupid. They know perfectly well they could be sitting in to end these secret lists. They could be sitting in to explain how the second amendment was put in the Constitution to permit armed slave patrols, and land theft and genocide against Native Americans. They could be sitting in for a living wage and universal single payer health care, or cutting the Pentagon budget by two thirds. Instead Democrats deliberately chose to sit in for this, instead of forgiving student debt, instead of addressing climate change or black unemployment or mass incarceration.
Since John Lewis and his hypocritical crew are just as much the party of the one percent as Republicans, their disputes with Republicans are confined to carefully staged food fights between meaningless brands. This is the party that wants to control Congress instead of Republicans.
This is why it's time to chuck both the one-percenter capitalist parties, and do something completely new. For Black Agenda Radio I'm Bruce Dixon. Find us on the web at www.blackagendareport.com.
BRexit door
(Image by mctjack) Details DMCA
Are responsible & critical leave voters culpable for the recent upswing in explicitly crude and racist behavior in the UK, post referendum?
Is it still possible to distinguish between responsibility and culpability? Perhaps accepting responsibility for the negative consequences of one's vote is substantively distinct from accepting blame or culpability? My responsibility is to strike a balance between the arrogant swagger of UKIP, and just hiding away in a corner. If anything, the crude and frightening rhetoric of Leaveshaming (see viral Facebook post by Alex McNamara) should lead Leavers to humility; avoiding both the arrogant, smug, complacent hubris of UKIP, and the timidity of 'Shy Leavers.'
Perhaps many people who voted 'Leave' will want to hide under a rock right now.
But I would argue that this does no good.
Both the opportunistic Leaveshamers and the similarly carpe-diem-ridden Remainbaiters will be hoping that those who voted for Leave out of principled scepticism and with a critical eye will just roll over and let the misleading narrative of 'Latte-guzzling Islington journos' and 'Knuckledragging pleb morons' dominate the future of the UK.
Wouldn't that be a tragedy?
Did you vote 'Leave' out of skepticism and with critical thinking, rather than anti-immigrant hostility and hatred?
Be proud that your vote was informed, to the best of your understanding and capabilities.
Did you vote 'Remain' out of legitimate concerns about the possible impact of Brexit, and because of the genuine benefits of remaining in the EU?
Then be proud of behaving honorably and with decency.
But sadly, the idea that 'there is only one kind of Leave voter' or 'there is only one kind of Remain voter' has been a big problem.
Leavers now, as much as ever (if not more so!) must have the courage of our convictions. Our lack of moral certainty may be a weakness, from a particular point of view; but it is also a strength. Like so many others in the UK and elsewhere, the role we have to play is a very special one. Can we set an example by refusing the false choice of privileged white populist hard-right racism and Remainbiting, and privileged white leaveshaming?
Note: this article is inspired by recent Facebook discussions; but the wording is largely original. Let's not forget the constructive role social media can play in our critique or activism.
Articles Listed By Date List By Popularity
Search Title
Date Between Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 and Any 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Any 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
(3 comments) SHARE
Italian Euroskeptic Coalition Party Win Causes Stock Market to Tumble, or Did it? Fake news, fake statistics, fake economics, fake, fake, fake.How many lies will we be told by the media crooks before we stop believing any of their self-serving propaganda? Wednesday, May 30, 2018Fake news, fake statistics, fake economics, fake, fake, fake.How many lies will we be told by the media crooks before we stop believing any of their self-serving propaganda?
(1 comments) SHARE
The Democrats Poison Pill(ary) The Democratic Party took its poison pill when they shafted Bernie Sanders and stole the nomination from him. Now we are all paying the price. Our future was hijacked by the High Priestess of Crookery. Hopefully this destroys the old Democratic Party and paves the way for new young leaders to emerge, leaders who truly represent progressives. Liberal = neoconservative oligarchs. Friday, November 11, 2016The Democratic Party took its poison pill when they shafted Bernie Sanders and stole the nomination from him. Now we are all paying the price. Our future was hijacked by the High Priestess of Crookery. Hopefully this destroys the old Democratic Party and paves the way for new young leaders to emerge, leaders who truly represent progressives. Liberal = neoconservative oligarchs.
(15 comments) SHARE
I Used To Be A Left Wing Liberal Once upon a time it was great to be a liberal. We stood for an end to war, a clean environment, equal rights, and anti-nuclear weapons. We were arguably responsible for stopping the Vietnam War and enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Today, in a Animal Farmesque kind of way, we have become the piggies protected by Rottweilers. Tuesday, November 1, 2016Once upon a time it was great to be a liberal. We stood for an end to war, a clean environment, equal rights, and anti-nuclear weapons. We were arguably responsible for stopping the Vietnam War and enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Today, in a Animal Farmesque kind of way, we have become the piggies protected by Rottweilers.
by NW Spotlight
Thousands of people attended the Franklin Graham prayer rally at Noon at the Capitol in Salem today. The rally was part of Franklin Grahams Decision America Tour 2016 thats going to all 50 states.
Security at the event estimated a crowd of 4,000 to 5,000.
Grahams tour is urging Christians to vote, to live out their faith in every part of their lives, and to pray for our nation.
During his talk in Salem, Graham also called on Christians to become active in public life through registering to vote, voting and also possibly running for office including at the local level.
UPDATE: Heres a link to the Salem Statesman Journal article on the rally, with the headline Thousands gather at Capitol for Franklin Graham. They have a good 360-view video of the crowd.
ECP cannot take action against PM
ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Secretary Babar Yaqoob Malik has apparently given a clean chit to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the disqualification references filed by various political parties.
The ECP cannot take action as long as the vacant seats of its members are not filled, the secretary said.
Talking to media persons at an iftar dinner in Islamabad on Monday, Malik said the ECP received disqualification references from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but it could not take action on these references because it was not complete yet. He said the chief election commissioner could not take action on the references as long as the vacant posts of ECP members are not filled. Though the election commission is not complete at the moment, we are ready to conduct free and fair elections in the country, he said.
At least 32 by-election petitions are pending with the ECP due to retirement of its members. Of these petitions, 22 are related to local council elections and 10 are related to general elections.
The secretary said the ECP had advised the government to appoint sitting judges of high courts as members of the constitutional body in consultation with the Supreme Court chief justice, but the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms did not accept this proposal. If the parliamentary committee approves this proposal, he said, the ECP could save a lot of money. He said that political parties trusted the judges.
In a related development, the chief election commissioner has written a letter to the prime minister to fill the vacant seats of the ECP members within the time stipulated in the constitution. The constitution binds the government to appoint ECP members within 45 days of retirement of the previous members, he said. He lauded the electoral reform committee method for choosing the ECP members. He said that a committee decision was commendable and through this method the ECP would not face any difficulties in future. He said that a proposal was given to the government to give full powers to the chief election commissioner for a brief period after retirement of the ECP members, but the government rejected this proposal.
Malik said the annual review of electoral lists would begin on July 29. He said the ECP was expecting a good number of new voters in new lists. After finalising these lists, he said, the ECP would display them at its regional offices and important places for verification. The ECP has approved the plan for the annual revision of electoral rolls for the year 2016 in which all new national identity card holders will be made part of the electoral rolls and all voters who have become disqualified (deaths/cancelled national identity cards) will be excluded from the rolls after their door-to-door verification followed by the display process. The voter count is expected to increase from 93 million to 97 or 98 million after the revision process, he said.
According to the plan, he said, the door-to-door verification campaign shall be carried out from August 1 to August 15 and it shall be followed by 21 days of display process starting from August 21. Officials shall visit the permanent addresses of the new national identity card holders for their verification.
Simultaneously, votes of dead people shall be cancelled during the door-to-door verification campaign. After verification, lists shall be displayed at designated display centres, offices of the district election commissioners, registration officers and assistant registration officers for public inspection.
Turkish President apologised to Vladimir Putin over downing of jets in Syria
MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had apologised to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Ankaras downing of one of Moscows military jets in Syria last year that shattered ties.
Putin has repeatedly demanded an apology from Erdogan since the November 24 incident and the latest move could help spell the end of a feud that has seen Moscow slap a raft of sanctions on Ankara.
The head of the Turkish state in his message expressed his sympathy and deepest condolences to the family of the dead Russian pilot and said sorry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He added that Erdogan wrote in a letter that he wanted to do everything possible for the restoration of the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia.
The Kremlin later released a statement citing Erdogan as saying Ankara never had the desire and the intention to down the Russian Su-24 warplane.
I want to once again express my sympathy and deep condolences to the family of the dead Russian pilot and I say sorry, the statement quoted the Turkish leader as saying.
Turkeys Anadolu state news agency reported that presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Erdogan had written to Putin to express his regrets about the downing of the warplane, but he did not explicitly confirm Erdogan had apologised over the incident.
We are pleased to announce that Turkey and Russia have agreed to take necessary steps without delay to improve bilateral relations, Kalin added. Turkeys downing in November of the warplane on its border with Syria where Moscow is flying a bombing campaign in support of long-standing ally President Bashar al-Assad sparked an unprecedented crisis in the two nations relations.
In response to the jet incident, Moscow imposed a series of economic sanctions on Turkey, including an embargo on many Turkish food products and consumer goods.
Russia also halted charter flights between the two countries, stopped the sale of package holidays in Turkey and scrapped its visa-free regime for Turkish visitors.
According to the Kremlin, Erdogan also said in his message that the authorities were probing a Turkish national allegedly responsible for the downing of the jet.
Turkeys Hurriyet newspaper reported that Turkish militia fighter Alparslan Celik who Moscow had accused of killing pilot Oleg Peshkov as he parachuted to the ground after his plane was shot down was released from prison on Monday.
In a sign that ties could be set to warm, a Turkish foreign ministry source told AFP that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had accepted a Russian invitation to attend the Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting in Sochi on July 1. In another development, Israeli and Turkish leaders on Monday lauded a deal reached at the weekend to restore ties after six years of acrimony over a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed Israels maritime blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip would remain after the agreement, though Turkey obtained aid concessions for the Palestinian enclave.
His Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim said that to this end, our first ship loaded with over 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid will leave for Israels Ashdod port on Friday.
Yildirim also noted Israels commitment to pay $20 million in compensation over the 2010 raid that killed 10 Turkish activists, in exchange for all claims against Israeli soldiers being dropped.
Netanyahu pointed to the economic benefits for Israel, with his country in search of regional customers for gas exports and talk of a potential pipeline to Turkey.
Speaking in Rome after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry, Netanyahu described the agreement as having immense implications for the Israeli economy.
I mean positive, immense implications, he said.
Kerry also hailed the deal as a positive step, while UN chief Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, called it a hopeful signal for the stability of the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas spoke by phone overnight, with the Turkish leader explaining the agreements main points, a statement from the Palestinian presidency said.
A customer walks into a licensed gun store and chooses the model(s) to purchase. Before any money changes hands, he or she fills out ATF Form 4473, which in addition to asking for name, address, citizenship and other basic information, will ask whether the buyer has been convicted of a crime with imprisonment of more than one year; is a fugitive from justice; is addicted to drugs; judged mentally defective; or unlawfully living in the U.S., among other criteria.
Once the form is filled out, the gun dealer then either picks up the phone or goes online to reach the NICS division at the FBI, or a state agency that acts as an NICS "Point of Contact" (POC) and has access to the FBI system. A licensed gun dealer in a POC state contacts the state agency instead of the FBI [source: FBI].
Advertisement
The dealer submits the supplied Form 4473 responses. The NICS searches for records matching that potential buyer with any of the prohibited criteria listed on the form. The system automatically searches three databases:
Interstate Identification Index , a nationwide database of criminal records
National Crime Information Center , a nationwide database of restraining orders and outstanding warrants
NICS Index, a supplemental database of people identified by state and federal sources as ineligible to purchase a gun, including people in the United States illegally and those with documented mental illnesses that would indicate a threat to public safety.
If the potential gun buyer is not a U.S. citizen, the search extends to databases maintained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency [source: Bureau of Justice Statistics].
In less than a minute, the gun dealer receives one of three responses: "Proceed" with the sale, indicating no matches were found; "deny" the sale, indicating at least one definitive match; or "delay" the sale, indicating at least one possible match [source: FBI].
With a "delay," the clock starts running on a three-day waiting period. The FBI has exactly 72 hours to gather additional information from sources not automatically searched by the NICS, which can include contacting state or local law-enforcement or court authorities directly. If the FBI can confirm the match, a "deny" response is returned to the gun dealer; if the FBI can disprove the match, a "proceed" response is returned; and if the FBI is unable to do either (or just doesn't respond) by the end of the three days, it is within the gun dealer's discretion whether or not to proceed with the sale [source: FBI].
Regardless of the response, the FBI must destroy all records generated by the background check within 24 hours of returning a decision. The only exception to this is the Voluntary Appeal File (VAF). The gun seller is not told the reason for the "deny" and so cannot tell the prospective buyer. But the denied person can find out by writing to the FBI or state POC. He or she can also file an appeal, in which case the FBI reviews its decision in light of any additional information or corrections provided by the denied buyer. If the appeal is granted, the sale can proceed [source: FBI].
The system seems pretty straightforward. And yet, there are some serious limitations.
Denied Between 1998 and 2013, by far the greatest number of NICS-denied buyers were ex-convicts (590,000), followed by those found guilty of misdemeanor domestic violence (103,000) and fugitives of justice (99,000). Court-determined mental illness, dishonorable discharge and renounced U.S. citizenship were among the least common reasons for denial [source: FBI].
Latest PCI Certification Underscores Cloud Monetization Leaders Dedication to Maintaining Highest Standards for Enterprise Companies
SAN FRANCISCO, CA(Marketwired Jun 28, 2016) Aria Systems, which helps enterprises grow recurring revenue, today announced that it has met the stringent standards required for the latest Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards compliance, version PCI DSS 3.1. Being PCI 3.1 compliant ensures companies that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect network security, firewall defense, and process and coding controls so that critical customer credit and personal data remain uncompromised and protected.
PCI 3.1 is the highest PCI standard, ensuring the use of the best protections available today. It is assessed and governed by the PCI Security Standards Council, an independent third party comprising the major credit brands. Aria maintains a dedicated team to ensure that the company continuously upholds the highest security standards in the industry.
Previously, Aria was awarded the TRUSTe Certified Privacy Seal, demonstrating that the companys website has fulfilled rigorous TRUSTe program requirements and provides high-level protection to safeguard user privacy and personal information. Aria also supports the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor framework for the collection, use, and retention of personal data from European Union countries and Switzerland. In addition, the company was recently awarded HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) compliance, which verifies that the administrative, physical, and technical protections required for medical care businesses are in place.
PCI compliance means that Arias clients and their customers can be assured that credit card information and personal data are protected in accordance with the highest standards available, said Oleg Ganopolskiy, CIO, Aria Systems. This achievement underscores Arias continued commitment to our clients, delivering the utmost protection, privacy, and transparency in all areas of our business.
About Aria Systems
Aria Systems cloud-based monetization platform is the consensus analyst choice, top ranked by leading research firms. Innovative enterprises like Adobe, Philips and Zipcar depend on Aria to accelerate time to market and increase flexibility, enabling them to maximize customer value and grow recurring revenue through subscription and usage-based offerings. For more information, visit www.ariasystems.com.
Aria Systems and the Aria logo are trademarks of Aria Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA(Marketwired June 28, 2016) Instacart (www.Instacart.com), the fast-growing retail delivery service that deliver items from trusted local stores, announced today a partnership with Venice Merchant in Los Angeles. Starting today, customers on the Westside can order locally harvested and organic produce, dairy, meats and seafood, delivered straight to their doorsteps in as little as one hour.
Venice Merchant was founded in 2012 by a local couple on a mission to bring affordable access to organic local farms produce and humanely raised meats to their community. Not satisfied with the grocery store model, the idea was to shorten the supply chain between grower and consumer and deliver farm fresh within 48 hours of harvest, and animal products raised the old fashioned way. Originally launched with 150 friends, VM has since grown to include many hundreds of members and access to many more local farms and ranches.
The extension to our affordable subscription service through Instacart allows us to increase the community access to our great local farms, seven days a week, said Giles, founding member at Venice Merchant. We are very excited at the opportunity Instacart has given us to bring the highest quality California groceries to your door within one to two hours.
All of our customers should have fast and easy access to healthy local, farm fresh food, which is why were thrilled to bring a locally-owned retailer that supports this lifestyle onto our platform, said Instacarts General Manager of Los Angeles, Sean Twersky. Were looking forward to bringing Venice Merchant to more customers on the West Side.
Instacarts initial delivery area with Venice Merchant includes the following West Side neighborhoods, Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista and Loyola Marymount University. Zip codes served: 90402, 90403, 90404, 90405, 90291, 90066, 90292 and 90094
How Instacart works: Customers go online to www.Instacart.com or open the Instacart mobile app on their iPhone or Android device, select their city/store, add items to a virtual cart, and then choose a delivery window (within one hour, within two hours, or some scheduled time in the future) and check out. A Personal Shopper accepts the order on his/her smartphone, uses the Instacart Shopper app to guide them through shopping, and then delivers the order to the customer in the designated delivery timeframe.
New customers can open an account at www.Instacart.com. The first delivery is free and future orders cost just $5.99 for two-hour delivery or $7.99 for one-hour delivery for orders over $35. The minimum order size is just $10. Instacart also offers Instacart Express an annual membership that eliminates delivery fees for all orders of $35 or more. The cost is just $149 per year. For other FAQs, visit https://www.instacart.com/faq.
About Instacart
Instacart allows people to order groceries online by connecting them with personal shoppers who hand pick items at customers local, favorite stores and deliver straight to their doors. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 22 metropolitan areas across the U.S. and partnered with dozens of grocery retailers, including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco, Petco) as well as local, regional grocers (Marsh Supermarkets, Bi-Rite, Cub Foods). By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery service that can meet todays on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.Instacart.com.
About Venice Merchant
Venice Merchant believes in the pre industrialized farming methods, organic mixed crop growers and delivering their superior products to your door within 48 hours of harvest. We are part of todays food movement, a new generation of Health Food Grocery Store.
Other Point of Sale blogs that may interest you:
CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC(Marketwired Jun 28, 2016) Mobify and Gorilla Group have announced a partnership to help retailers and brands increase conversion rates and grow revenue by delivering industry-leading mobile ecommerce experiences. Gorilla Group, headquartered in Chicago, is an award-winning commerce solutions provider with extensive experience building ecommerce solutions on the leading technology platforms. Mobify, based in Vancouver, provides the Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform, the one platform retailers need to build strong, loyal customer relationships for increased revenue online and in-store.
Gorilla Group will provide strategy, design, technology and managed services for the Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform, which brings together in a single platform Progressive Mobile web and apps, push notifications, and a host of new app-like features for web to enable customer-first mobile experiences.
With mobile expected to influence $1 trillion in spend in the US this year, every client we speak to asks about mobile strategy. Mobify has delivered the right platform to help retailers tap into the incredible power of mobile to eliminate shopping complexity and cultivate powerful, enduring relationships, said Bob Meyer, Gorilla Group managing director of client services, U.S. Were very excited to be able to offer Mobify to our clients as a difference-making engagement platform for their mobile solutions.
According to Mobify CEO Igor Faletski, Gorilla Group has an amazing track record of providing exceptional digital commerce solutions for high-profile brands because of their ability to provide strategic guidance across the entire ecommerce spectrum. Were very pleased to join forces to help customers leverage mobile, the most important touchpoint for winning, serving and retaining customers.
Mobile customer engagement solves key business challenges for customer experience, marketing investment, and customer retention by unifying customer interactions independent of device, screen, location and channel. This enables retailers to eliminate shopping complexity and cultivate powerful, enduring relationships, leading to improved growth, margins and loyalty with the potential for millions in annual revenue.
With Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement, retailers can:
Increase conversion rates from mobile web and apps and increase customer lifetime value with higher revenue, loyalty and retention
Increase brand value and differentiation with memorable brand moments; increase new customer acquisition by converting paid clicks into new customers at a lower cost
Increase in-store revenue by using mobile functionality to drive foot traffic to stores
Reduce churn by using customer segmentation to deliver targeted campaigns and loyalty programs
See the Mobify Mobile Customer Engagement Platform in action.
About Gorilla Group:
Combining award-winning website design, development, strategy, post-launch managed services and hosting, Gorilla delivers innovative ecommerce solutions to B2B and direct-to-consumer brands across industries. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, Gorilla has unmatched expertise creating unique, functional shopping experiences that connect brands with their customers, producing better ROI through the digital channel. Thats why Gorilla is a Smarter Species of Commerce.
About Mobify
Mobify delivers a comprehensive Mobile Customer Engagement Platform to help retailers cultivate powerful relationships with their customers, increasing revenue online and in-store.
Mobify leverages its Progressive Mobile technology to create connected mobile web and native apps linked with legacy commerce platforms to ensure seamless customer journeys across channels and minimize development, operational, and maintenance expenses. With Mobifys Engagement Engine, retailers can tailor content to each customers context, including their real-time physical location and online behavior. The Mobify Connection Center brings everything together in a single interface for managing all mobile customer interactions across web, apps and push notifications.
Other Point of Sale blogs that may interest you:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a petition to rehear a case in which they deadlocked on a challenge to mandatory union fees.
The case stemmed from Rebecca Friedrichs, a California teacher in Orange County, who said she had resigned from the union but was still required to pay about $650 to cover bargaining costs.
The plaintiffs argued that the mandatory fees violate the free speech rights of members who disagree with the political positions and policies of unions.
The 4-4 tie between the liberal and conservative justices upheld the lower courts ruling in the case. The court only has eight members with the February death of Antonin Scalia.
Friedrichs issued a statement expressing disappointment that the justices would not rehear the case and issue a decision on the merits. The initial ruling was a one-line statement saying that it was a 4-4 tie.
"My heart is broken for Americas children and families, as their teachers will continue to be forced to fund policies and highly political collective bargaining processes which place the desires of adults above the rights and needs of children. I am grateful to the thousands of teachers and parents who have stood beside my fellow plaintiffs and me, she said in a news release.
She voted to keep fighting to restore the First Amendment rights to teachers and other public sector workers.
State officials announced Tuesday that municipalities across the state will get an additional $100 million to pave roads this year, money that will amount to millions for local counties, towns, villages and cities.
The funding is above and beyond the annual consolidated highway improvement money that the state annually gives to municipalities. The last two years the state gave them additional funding for road repairs because of damage from tough winters, but with a mild winter of 2015-16 that project was discontinued.
Instead, the state Department of Transportation is beginning programs dubbed PAVE NY and BRIDGE NY to dedicate funds directly to road and bridge improvements.
Over 1,600 municipalities across the state will receive money, with Washington County and the towns and villages in it getting over $1 million, Warren County and its municipalities nearly $820,000 and Saratoga County will get more than $1.3 million countywide.
State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, said he has been pushing state officials for more money for road repairs, and was glad to hear of the funding being made available.
Im pleased these additional funds have been made available so that our local roads can be given the added attention they need, he said.
Glens Falls Public Works Superintendent Robert Schaivoni said the state had not yet made his department aware of the additional funding of $86,143 that the city will get, but he said he was happy to learn about it from a reporter.
Thats great, he said. Believe me, we can use the money. We have a lot of projects we would like to get to.
He said part of South Street and Murray Street will be paved this year.
Warren County Public Works Superintendent Jeff Tennyson said his office learned during the spring that additional state funding was likely. The county DPW alone will get $376,348, with the towns to get an additional $357,333 for town roads.
Weve got plenty of projects to apply to this, Tennyson said.
Among the county roads scheduled to get resurfacing this year are Round Pond Road and parts of Bay Road in Queensbury, while Murray Road in Stony Creek was recently done. He said the department will be putting together a list of additional projects to get done later this summer with the additional funding.
The municipalities are still getting their annual allotments of consolidated highway money, known to municipalities as CHiPS funding, but some of that money can be used to purchase equipment. The PAVE NY money can be used only for resurfacing, widening and realignment, construction of turning lanes at intersections, and new road drainage.
This program will enable the Counties of this State to expand their paving programs, which is so desperately needed, and which will allow the citizens of this State to have safe roads to travel on, Hamilton County DPW Superintendent Tracy Eldridge, president of New York State County Highway Superintendents Association, said in a state news release.
For a full list of funding amounts, log on to www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/PAVENYAwardsPDF.pdf.
PLATTSBURGH A lawsuit has been filed against several correction officers at Clinton Correctional Facility, accusing them of brutally beating inmates and denying them their rights in the aftermath of last year's escape of two murderers.
The suit, authored by Brooklyn attorney Leo Glickman on behalf of inmate Mattieu Burks, claims that Burks was beaten, threatened and called racist names.
The abuse allegedly occurred before inmates Richard Matt and David Sweat escaped on June 6, 2015, and continued afterward.
'Frivolous'
The suit also points to a host of other problems at the prison that were reported by a prison watchdog group.
The New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union representing correction officers, said the suit is baseless.
"The overwhelmingly number of use-of-force investigations statewide are unsubstantiated, and it is unfortunate that anyone is using the Clinton escape as an opportunity to file a frivolous lawsuit," NYSCOPBA spokesman James Miller told the Press-Republican.
'Inappropriate comments'
Burks was transferred from Downstate Correctional Facility to Clinton on Feb. 26, 2015. He is from Rensselaer County, serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence on a narcotics charge.
The suit says Burks was often subjected to verbal harassment by white officers who made inappropriate comments about a photograph in Burks's cell of his girlfriend, who is white.
In April 2015, the legal paperwork alleges, Burks was observed having a conversation with a white female correction officer when several male officers interceded.
Burks was told, "in sum and substance," the suit said, "you don't know your place," and that "he needs to be educated."
An officer also allegedly said Burks was "just another n---. We will kill you, do the paperwork, and no one will care about another dead n---."
Tailor shop worker
The suit claims officers then took Burks out of his cell and physically assaulted him by kicking him in the testicles and otherwise roughing him up, and he was then put back in his cell and further assaulted.
Burks worked in the prison tailor shop, the suit says, under civilian employee Joyce Mitchell and with Matt.
Mitchell was convicted for helping Matt and Sweat escape.
At one point, Burks claims in the suit, an officer came into his cell and slammed him around, punching him in the face.
Another officer, he says, then came into the cell and told the officer beating Burks not to hit him in the face.
"The head belongs to the state, and the body belongs to us," the officer allegedly said.
'Widespread brutality'
In addition to the allegations by Burks, the suit contends that the maximum-security prison, where 50 percent of the inmates are black and not one of nearly 1,000 officers are black, is rife with inappropriate behavior by staff.
The suit points to a list of "10 things you need to know about Clinton Correctional Facility," published last September by the New York State Correctional Association, which monitors and reports on the state of New York's correctional facilities.
The list alleged:
Officers suffocating people during interrogations.
Severe and widespread brutality in the escape's aftermath.
Inmates targeted post-escape for reasons unrelated to the escape.
Longstanding and ongoing brutality at Clinton.
After being assaulted, inmates are sent to solitary confinement.
Lack of proper documentation and accountability for abuses.
COs deny inmates the most basic rights and living conditions.
Racism and dehumanization are at the core of all of the abuses.
Inmates at Clinton have been held in solitary confinement for decades.
Beating, maiming and torture occurs system-wide in New York prisons.
Governor blamed
The suit also blames Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the alleged culture of violence at Clinton Correctional after the escape.
Cuomo visited Clinton shortly after Matt and Sweat's breakout was discovered, and he questioned the inmate whose cell was next to the ones the fugitives had occupied.
That inmate, Patrick Alexander, later had a plastic bag placed over his head and was beaten by officers, who threatened to waterboard him, the suit claims.
The suit further says: "The governor's unjustified, overly broad and unsubtle support of Clinton correction officers assured them that this torture, physical abuse and racial harassment they inflicted on inmates in the aftermath of the escape would go unpunished."
Requests trial
Correction Officer Gene Palmer was arrested for his role in helping Matt and Sweat escape and sentenced in February to six months, including time served. He was released Monday morning.
Several other Clinton officers and administrators, including Superintendent Steve Racette, were placed on administrative leave following the breakout. Racette has since retired.
Mitchell was sentenced to 2 and 1/3 to 7 years in prison for assisting Matt and Sweat.
The suit filed by Glickman seeks a trial by jury in the U.S. District Court Northern District of New York.
The State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said it can't comment on pending litigation.
Inmates photographed
Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, R-Peru, who serves on the Assembly Committee on Corrections, said she does not believe the allegations in the lawsuit.
"Most of the inmates on the Honor Block were transferred out after the escape, and each one of them was photographed, and there was no evidence that anyone was roughed up," she said.
"There was no evidence in the inspector general's report, and nothing that has been verified by DOCCS.
"This seems like a creative effort on some folks' part to get some money."
'Irresponsible reports'
NYSCOPBA contends the suit is biased.
"Organizations like the New York State Correction Association, who advocate solely on inmates' behalf, continue to conduct biased research based on interviews with convicted felons whose credibility certainly can be questioned," Miller said.
"In the aftermath of the escape, there were several irresponsible media reports of alleged inmate abuse, none of which, a year later, have been substantiated."
A detailed report on a year-long investigation by State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott showed that a systematic failure that led to the escape, Miller noted, so blame lies at many levels.
"The men and women who work at Clinton CF, as well as the other 53 prisons statewide, do so with professionalism and integrity," he said.
"NYSCOPBA will continue to advocate for its membership and provide the necessary support when there are baseless allegations."
Editors note: This is part of a continuing series about local veterans and their experiences.
In 1981, Dickson Haviland returned to his home in Amsterdam after spending the night in jail. He had been charged with DWAI. When he came home, he began to drink again.
That night, drunk, he took a sledgehammer and trashed the inside of his garage. Then, alone in the house, Haviland sat with a 9mm German Luger in one hand and a loaded magazine in the other. At 1 a.m. there was a knock on the door. It was his father.
I dont remember calling him. He lived here, in Glens Falls, and its an hour drive and thank God because I dont know what would have happened, but after that I put (the gun) away, Haviland said.
He grew up in Glens Falls and volunteered for the draft on Oct. 10, 1966.
I went down to the draft board and I said, Look, youre going to get me sooner or later, Haviland said.
Haviland was assigned to the artillery and on Nov. 3, 1967, he arrived in Vietnam as part of the 11th Infantry Brigade, 6th Battalion, 11th Artillery of the Americal Division.
He worked primarily in the fire direction center, where forward observers in the field would call in to request fire missions. His job was to ensure that the battery had the correct firing logarithms to hit the target.
The greatest danger in calling a fire mission was that a round fired by the battery would fall short and hit friendly forces this possibility was always on their minds, he said.
Although his unit was theoretically behind the lines, they were never far from the fighting. They would often hear infantry units just on the other side of a hill, engaging the enemy.
Haviland said one day he was ordered to investigate a civilian who was poking around one of their outpost bunkers where guards were placed at night. He found it was a boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old. Seeing Haviland, the boy disappeared.
He ran and took off and that night this place blew up with two guards in it, Haviland said. I figure he must have thrown a satchel charge in there when he was up there.
He doesnt remember, or has repressed, how he felt following the sabotage, Haviland said. Looking back, he isnt sure what he could have done because the boy was unarmed.
I did feel a little guilty I guess, but that didnt last very long. I sort of rationalized it, plus I think I probably just pushed it right out of my head. I couldnt think about that all the time.
If he had entered the outpost and found the charge, it could have gone off and killed him, because the enemy usually placed charges on a pressure release, he said.
Haviland left Vietnam in August 1968.
When he arrived in the U.S., he was warned not to wear his uniform. Going through the Chicago airport, he and others were sworn at and spit on, he said.
The atmosphere in the U.S. when I got back for anyone who had been in uniform was horrid, he said.
He finished his undergraduate education at St. Louis University, then applied for veterinary school at Cornell. He said he got an interview but it was canceled at the last minute and he was denied admission.
Later, through a family friend at Cornell, he learned his file had been marked with the letters PI for political influence and placed at the bottom of the admissions pile. He feels he was rejected because he had been in Vietnam.
He had similar experiences at other colleges, he said.
No one would let me on their campus.
Haviland ended up attending veterinary school in Canada. He and his wife had two daughters while they were there. The couple would later divorce.
Once enrolled, Haviland threw himself into his studies. He never told anyone he had been in Vietnam.
All we did was keep our mouths shut, he said.
After graduating in 1976, he practiced as a veterinarian in Glens Falls, Albany and Florida. He returned to live in Glens Falls around 2007 and retired in 2009.
Following his 1981 DWAI, he sought help from the Veterans Outreach Center in Albany. He was encouraged to visit the Vietnam War Memorial, which he finally did in 1991. It was there, he said, that he realized for the first time he was not alone.
He matured in Vietnam and became a loner, Haviland said. But he has come to terms with his service.
Im pretty proud of it now. It took me a long time. Before, I would never even admit it, Haviland said.
Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether
Read more
I think we should relate the UK exit in terms of countries and in particular to Ghana as it is clear that in the short term to medium term there will be no implications," Hanna told Citi FM.
"Even if Britain decided to leave or is in the processes of negotiating her exit, the regime will remain the same for the next two years at least.
"I think the crucial thing here will be the trade and the trade relationship will not change, certainly not in the next two years and may not at all so we must wait and see, he said.
According to her, it stands to reason that Ghana would seek to renegotiate these agreements with Britain alone, given that the UK may well be the single biggest trade destination for Ghana in the EU.
Even though Britain has not formally exited the EU, and the UK remains bound by previous agreements signed under the EU, Ghana will immediately start talks with the UK on a bilateral trade agreement she said.
The UKs decision to exit the EU also sparked public conversation as to whether Ghana will still have to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement or not.
Hannah Tetteh said Ghana has a deadline of October, 2016 to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement, failure of which will mean that non-traditional exports to EU countries will attract taxes.
We will have to take a decision on the EPAs as soon as possible, because clearly there is a deadline. We are currently engaging in stakeholder discussions to ensure that all aspects are taken into consideration. But a decision will have to be made soon.
Signing the EPAs will ensure that exports from Ghana to the EU will be duty-free. But that will grant the same opportunities to similar products from EU countries, opening the Ghanaian market to EU products. This possibility has alarmed Ghanaian businesses due to possible unfair competition from EU companies.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Speaking at the company's annual general meeting in Accra, Nkrakwah added that: We are reliably informed that the Exim Bank Board has been constituted, and we await the announcement soon."
President Mahama during his State of the Nation address to parliament said the EXIM Bank would move the country from import-dependent to a large-scale exporter, adding that "The primary purpose [of the bill] is to finance exports, notably light industrial products."
He said the establishment of the bank is "part of our agenda to achieve a value-added and export-led economy."
In addition, the bank will improve the capacity of the country to produce goods and services in the competitive international marketspace.
Ntrakwah said all legal requirement for the smooth integration have been met.
He added: The law has been passed and I understand a board has been constituted. The transition committee is working on the integration process. If that happens, Exim will assume a different shape in terms of what can be done by bringing the three institutions together."
Pusher as he is widely known following his role in popular television series Things We Do for Love in an interview said some people who knew about the situation advised him to resort to other means in order for his wife to conceive but he did not heed to their advice.
Even from places that you cant even think of imagining; Churcha man came to me at church and had this bottle and said it is from an old lady in Togo. Once you sprinkle it in water for your wife but you shouldnt tell your wife.So there was so much pressure, people would say well you are not bound to have kids with her so why dont you move on and Im like wow, that hasnt even crossed my mind beforeand to have things like that from people whom I respect, and others, wow it wasnt easy, viasat1.com.gh quotes him to have said on Tonight aired on Viasat TV.
According to Adjetey Anang, although there was pressure from some quarters, his parents and that of his wife were patient with them.
Adjetey Anang however pointed out on the Tonight Show that his family and that of his wife were critical in ensuring that they overcame their challenges during the initial seven years of marriage.
What made it very easy was the fact that the two families, my parents and my family and hers were understanding and didnt really bother about that and we thought thatlook, it was a time to bond, so I say that there is a reason for everything, he said.
Machine-2-Machine (M2M) technology, which fuses into the general concept of the Internet of Things is considered the new frontier of telecommunications across the world. It helps machines and devices to connect to each other and communicate, providing a transformational tool on how people run their businesses and lives.
Matt Hatton, global C.E.O of Machina Reseach, Angela Mensah Bonsu, Head of Vodafone Business, Alex Opoku-Yeboah, and Eddie from Vodafone Business Solution led the forum with comprehensive analysis on how new and old business can benefit from the IoT service provided by Vodafone Ghana.
Vodafone Ghana IoT service provides businesses with centrally hosted secure self-service which delivers authentic and access control, near real-time usage, and management of any global SIM.
Our solutions promise to deliver usage at near realtime meaning, 1/10th of milliseconds will provide that information to you. That is life saving enough, Eddie stated during his presentation.
He said businesses can manage four networks on just one Vodafone SIM with Vodafone Ghanas IoT services.
So instead of signing four contracts with four different mobile network operators, businesses can manage more on just one SIM, he added.
IoT means a SIM is not in a room environment. So the SIM that is your phone is with you and it keeps your temperature. The SIM will begin to malfunction when it goes beyond 35 or 50 degrees. So we have SIMs that can withstand every temperature, said Eddie.
Vodafone IoT service covers some of the most crucial areas of the economy including health, transport, logistics, banking, utilities and security.
Globally, Vodafone is ranked the best in M2M with about 21.5 million SIMs currently connecting assets in various industries in the world.
Chief of Obo Kwahu and a representative from the Ministry of Communications graced the forum.
Dear John,
Yes, the Chinese are extracting lots of natural resources from Africa. Yes, the Chinese now have more troops in Africa (about 3,000) than ever before. That too is well documented. And yes, the Chinese are indeed building a naval outpost in Djibouti. So in that sense, youre totally correct.
The problem comes when you try to link those facts together to prove that China is a colonial power in Africa. Thats where it all breaks down.
Lets get the natural resources issue out of the way first.
To compare what the Chinese are doing today in Africa with the brutality, violence and moral horrors committed by the European colonialists makes me think you dont fully understand the injury committed by the French, Belgians and British and others upon Africa.
Chinas behavior in Africa is not perfect by any measure. There are problems. Lots of problems. But despite their shortcomings, the Chinese are not actually stealing any of Africas lands or natural resources as the Europeans did. Instead, the Chinese are using the tools of 21st century capitalism to buy the oil, minerals and other resources it needs from Africa. The terms of these deals may be bad, even unfair, but it is not theft and certainly not colonialism.
Your connection of Chinas resource agenda with its military strategy highlights two common flaws in Western thinking about the Chinese in Africa:
Misconception #1: The Chinese are mimicking Western imperialism. The Chinese dont have to build an army to conquer vast lands to secure the natural resources that feed their factories and the energy to power their economy. Why would they do that when they can just buy it on the open market for a fraction of the price? After all, globalized markets in the 21st century are far more efficient in securing resources than the imperialist system of the 18th century! Right?
Misconception #2: OK, if thats the case, then what are all those soldiers doing in Africa? The Chinese have somewhere around 3,000 military personnel deployed in 9 or 10 countries, but very few of them are actually combat troops. Most are are engineering, medical and other support staff. In fact, combat-ready soldiers are only in two countries, South Sudan and Mali. None of these troops - combat and non-combat - are there to fight for the Chinese government as they are all under UN command. Hardly a colonial invasion force!
So what about that base in Djibouti?
Yes, the Chinese are building a naval military facility in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti, that also happens to house bases from the United States, France and Japan. Its possible that this small base could indeed be used for offensive combat operations. Its possible, but extremely unlikely.
Unlike the US, and even the French, the Chinese lack the necessary supply networks to maintain a base like that for combat operations, especially since its so far from home. So one tiny base by itself would be largely useless as a base of operations.
Instead, most experts believe this base will be used to re-supply PLA Navy ships engaged in multinational anti-piracy operations in Gulf of Aden and other UN missions in the region (e.g. South Sudan). Also, a base in Djibouti can support Chinese naval operations in the Indian Ocean to protect Chinese shipping lanes. Finally, as China engages in more humanitarian missions in Africa (Ebola, Mali, South Sudan, etc) Djibouti is strategically located to service both the Sahel and Sub-Sahara Africa.
Even if the Chinese wanted to mount the kind of militaristic imperial agenda that you and so many other Westerners suggest, theres no way the Chinese could pull it off. So your question reveals more about Western insecurities of losing power and influence than it does about Chinas actual capabilities and agenda in Africa.
Eric
The suspect Peter Kwaku Anto is said to have sneaked into the room of the old woman, who stays alone at night to rape her.
The prosecutor of the case, Nana Konadu Owusu Banahene told the court; Anto and the victim became friends after assisting her to secure her National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Card from the schemes office in Obuasi in 2014.
Nana Banahene also established that based on this friendship, Anto started visiting the victim occasionally after work.
However, the victim began complaining to her daughter that she had not been sleeping well as someone had been entering her room and been forcibly sleeping with her.
Consequently, she said on June 18, 2015, the complainant decided to spend the night with the victim at her place at Nyamebekyere.
According to the prosecutor, while the two women were asleep, Anto forcibly pushed the door opened which made the daughter of the victim raise an alarm of an impending robbery.
Anto responded by saying that he was not a thief but had only brought the victims NHIS card to her but was unable to produce the card when interrogated.
Nana Banahene further explained that the victim was able to identify the voice of the accused person as the man who has been sneaking into her room at night to rape her.
Anto was however arrested a day after at a family gathering where he had brought some elders to plead on his behalf.
Medical examination conducted on the victim showed signs of rape and syphilis and has been put on medication.
The deceased, Nachanjah Chikpab, is said to have been killed on his farm with his gun.
The badly mutilated lifeless body was dumped about three kilometres away from the scene of the crime by his assassins.
The deceased reportedly made a call to his brother, Moses Tange, about the attack on him by the herdsmen but his brother was late in coming to his rescue.
The deceased brother and some other people subsequently got to the place but could not find Chikpad nor his assailants.
They, however, saw clear signs that there had been a fierce struggle.
It took the police and the people of the community three days to find the remains of the deceased.
Its a great distress for qualified graduate nurses who completed training in November 2015 to stay at home as at this very day without employment. We hear different stories each and every day concerning our posting and this makes the future of our nursing career seem very uncertain, bearing in mind the four-year mandatory bond period, the Coalition said in a letter written to the Health Ministry.
Below is the letter from the Group to the Health Ministry:
THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER
MINISTRY OF HEALTH.
REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION ON POSTING OF QUALIFIED NURSE ASSISTANT CLINICAL (2016)
The leadership of Coalition of Non-posted Nurses (CNN) request your clarification on the posting of Nurse Assistant Clinical who completed in November 2015 and had the results released in February 2016.
Its a great distress for qualified graduate nurses who completed training in November 2015 to stay at home as at this very day without employment. We hear different stories each and every day concerning our posting and this makes the future of our nursing career seem very uncertain, bearing in mind the four-year mandatory bond period.
The question we keep asking ourselves is, for how long are we going to languish at home after satisfying all the necessary requirements?.
This very question, for which we have no answer to, have caused severe unrest among graduate unemployed nurses. Most of these graduates who seek temporal employment with the various private facilities have failed to secure any, since those facilities are not ready to work with staff that will surely terminate their appointments in no time.
We acknowledge the relentless efforts of your ministry in resolving issues concerning its stakeholders and therefore seek for clarification on matters of our posting. Counting on you to ensure pragmatic solutions to our plight. Thank you.
REPRESENTING CNN
.
LARYEA BERNARD NII TETTEH
In a Facebook post, Nana Oye Lithur said I have just read a chauvinistic insulting comment attributed to the Npp Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyepong against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Mrs Charlotte Osei.
Mr. Agyepong who was speaking on a campaign platform in Asokwa in the Ashanti Region said Charlotte Osei would not have been appointed if she didnt have sex with some people in higher authority in the NDC.
But Nana Oye Lithur said Hon. Kennedy Agyepong if you said what has been attributed to you, it is very regrettable and you should apologise to the Chair of the Electoral Commission immediately.
She further indicated that the current Ghanaian will not allow such comments personal attacks on women who have committed to serve Ghana in public office.
She was quick to remind him that he also occupies a public office and should live above reproach for the general public to emulate.
According to the police, the two are behind the robbery attack at the deceaseds Kasoa residence in 2015.
The Kasoa Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Samuel Kwaku Alordey, indicated that a third suspect, identified as Wisdom Adokpo, alias Moro, 19, is said to be serving a three-year prison sentence at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons after he was arrested for another robbery case.
Alordey added the two suspects were arrested at their hideouts in Kasoa. He said further investigations revealed that Gariba was the one who shot the victim.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a manhunt for one other accomplice, identified only as Kojo Joe, alias Hitler, who is currently on the run.
Background
Seth Akyea was murdered in August 2015 by three unknown assailants. The incident took place at 9.30 pm at the residence of the deceased.
Until his death, Seth Akyea was the Operations Manager at the Cantonments Branch of Ecobank.
The Ministries of Petroleum and Power must ensure that all outstanding receivables in respect of lean gas sold to the VRA, which stood at US$227.78 million as at the end of December 2015, is paid as matter of urgency so as to guard against the GNGC falling into the never-ending cycle of indebtedness prevalent in Ghanas energy sector, he said.
According to him, this would ensure that the GNGC is in the position to pay the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for raw gas exported to the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant.
Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho said the Act presented before Parliament has been subsequently referred to the council of state for input within 30 days.
We referred the bill to the council of state for consideration; and this house and the council of state shall render advice on the bill 30 days after receiving it, he explained.
After that period, it will be brought back to the House to be finally gazetted.
The Electoral Commission had earlier said it was optimistic that this year's general elections will come off on November 7 as planned, contrary to concerns raised by some Members of Parliament (MPs) about the proposed date.
Some MPs have said changing the date from December 7 to November 7 might be cumbersome.
The Commission, in October 2015, announced plans to organise the general elections on November 7 instead of December 7.
This allegation has been condemned by a number of people including the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Nana Oye Lithur. Mr. Franklin Cudjoe said even though people had the right to disagree with the EC chair there was no need insulting her.
Below is the full statement by Franklin Cudjoe
Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the current EC boss is not lazy and she is not dumb and she definitely won't trade her body for excellence.
It is regrettable if true the derogatory comments allegedly made by a sitting MP about her womanhood. Some of us do in fact, believe Charlotte is not doing well as current EC boss and I am very surprised given her stellar performance as the recent boss of the NCCE.
Last year, she and the NCCE made it to second position out of 45 Ministries, Departments and Agencies ranked by the annual IMANI Public Sector Leadership Awards.
IMANI ranks but singles out only the top 5 most inspirational public sector leaders for mention.
Below is what got Charlotte to the top.
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CIVIC EDUCATION (NCCE)
The primary mandate of the NCCE is to educate Ghanaians on all matters of civil affairs. The rather broad array of civic affairs means the organization has a rather difficult mandate particularly given the large number of illiterate or partially illiterate Ghanaians.
This fact, coupled with the fact that the Government budget allocation is woefully inadequate makes its task even more nebulous. As we speak the commission does not even have its own head office. Their key staff are literally perching at the Electoral Commissions head office.
These challenges notwithstanding, the Commission has consistently strived to deliver on its mandate as best it can. Under the year in review (October 2014- October 2015), the organization had been quite busy particularly as a result of the fact that there was the District level Election in 2015.
During the run up to the these elections, the Commission was at the fore front educating Ghanaians across the length and breadth of the country on the need to take the elections seriously because local assembly men are the closest representatives of the Executive to the people.
Beyond that, the commission also educated Ghanaians to vote more women and other minorities in the district level elections as research indicates that they are better leaders.
The Commission has further deepened its engagement with local communities all over the country by organizing several Town hall meetings, Local IPAC meetings of local executives of political parties across the country in a bid to create a harmonious environment in the lead up to the 2016 elections.
The Commission has also launched special quizzes and debates specifically on the constitution in basic and second cycled institutions across the country also in a bid to fulfill its mandate of educating Ghanaians on all civic-related issues. It scored 65% under the Public Engagement Pillar.
The Commission has also improved radically as far as technology usage is concerned. It currently stores majority of its documents electronically.
Also, the Commission is using its website and social media pages to adequately engage the Ghanaian public.
This is all quite commendable particularly at a time when a good number of public agencies do not even have websites. Quite clearly, the organization undertakes proper research. This is evident in the number of different publications NCCE released in the period under review.
It is instructive to note that the organization was one of the first to do a nation-wide survey that indicated that majority of Ghanaians wanted to vote for their DCEs instead of having them appointed by the President. The Organizations own internal management has been good over the period as well. Its level of transparency is also commendable.
It constantly publishes annual report on its website, in which a detailed financial report of the year under review is given. It scored 73% and 86% respectively under the Promise of Transformation and Independence pillar.
Despite the many positives the Commission has chalked there still remains a lot it has to do tobuild its status as a really top institution. Crucially, the Commission has to find a way to make its finances more sustainable.
Currently, it heavily relies on Donor generosity which is clearly problematic. Perhaps, the Commission may have to exert itself more to ensure that it gets its due, from the Government.
Furthermore, the Commission has to do more to exert its influence in the more urban parts of the country.
When youre a citizen and you are voting, know that your vote is evidence of your sovereignty as an individual, Mr. Kufuor told journalists on the sidelines of a public lecture organized by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) on Monday.
If you have power to send some people to go and manage your affairs, to better your lot and you throw that power away, what do you expect? he asked, adding: So, we must make the right and positive use of our power.
Mr Kufuor further indicated that a strong and determined leadership is vital for Ghanas ability to achieve the United Nations development targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
John Agyekum Kufuor was the president of Ghana from 2001 to 2009 after winning two consecutive terms in office.
If it is building factories that work well and jobs that last, then I respectfully ask Ghanaians to look to the one called edwumawura, Papa Kwesi Nduom.
Dr. Nduom who is often referred to as edwumawura meaning the provider of jobs said he is the best to provide factories and other forms of job for the Ghanaian populace.
He was responding to the announcement by the NPP's Nana Addo to set up a factory in every district in Ghana if he becomes president.
Dr. Nduom also chastised President Mahama for making promises cant fulfil .
John Dramani Mahama is promising millions of jobs. It can only mean one thing. So they are at it again, making promises they cannot keep. You would think they would have learnt from the mistakes of the past. But no, they believe in promising what they believe the people want to hear. So they can win votes.
The first presidential candidate to appear on the Evening Encounter was the PNCs presidential candidate Dr. Edward Mahama. The platform will also give an equal opportunity to the NPPss Nana Akuffo Addo to also sell his vision a week after Mr. Greenstreet. After the presentation, a cross section of members of Ghanas civil society present will cross-examine him. These encounters are prior to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates to be held in August.
Communications Director of the CPP Kadir Abdul Rauf Issifu said the partys parliamentary candidate will outshine the other candidates.
"I think that given the kind of preparation that Ivor Kobina Greenstreet has done, concerning this particular Evenings Encounter Im very hopeful that he is going to perform creditably well because he has not left any stone unturned
He mentioned that Mr. Greenstreet will speak on unemployment at all levels as well as the power crisis Ghana has been battling for years.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
ALSO READ:Miranda Kerr collaborates with Swarovski for jewelry collection
The luxury cut glass lead glass brand will collaborate with designers to present looks embellished with their signature crystals at the fashion showcase set for 1st through 3rd July 2016 at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Victoria Island where the foremost brand will close the show.
Marking the brand's first time in Nigeria/Nigerian fashion industry, Swarovski is set to give people a show of a lifetime at the event.
"On the 3rd of July, Swarovski will close the Africa Fashion Week with a viewing of garments embellished with Swarovski Crystals. This day, we will affirm the brilliance of Swarovski crystals as the ultimate luxury ingredient. The brilliance of the distribution and refraction of light with Swarovski crystals will be our evidence of 120yrs of craftsmanship.
Our objective is to immerse designers in the phenomenon to become a part of this creative evolution. Explore the stunning pieces designed using Swarovski, learn and discover more about this initiative. Self-expression is the new luxury. Dare to be yourself, and be the best you can be. Welcome to our world of sparkle with Swarovski. We are happy to announce our collaboration with `Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2016. We look forward to a glamorous experience and a successful collaboration" Svarovski revealed in a release.
"Nigeria is a country of great potential and great talent. We believe that African designers are creative and passionate about fashion. The objective of our workshop is to introduce to designers, our crystals and gems with exceptional brilliance, irresistible range of colours and textures adding A TOUCH OF SPARKLE to the fashion Industry in West Africa" the AFWN team revealed in a release.
About Swarovski
"In 1892, Daniel Swarovski invented a machine for making precision-cut, beautiful, high quality lead glass crystals using quartz, sand, and minerals. The exact proportions of these raw materials has remained a company secret. This specialized manufacturing process ensures the highest possible degree of precision which produces brilliant crystals. Since then Swarovski has continually pushed boundaries of innovation and crystal creativity.
Today, Swarovskis brand for cut-crystals is the ultimate luxury ingredient. Unrivalled in quality, precision and consistency, it is used and known worldwide by top designers, including D&G, Christian Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton etc.. For its exceptional brilliance and irresistible range of colours and textures.
Taking the concept of individuality and self-expression to a new dimension, Swarovski collaborates with` Africa Fashion Week Nigeria 2016 from 1-3 July 2016.
We will like to introduce our brand to Renown and creative designers in Africa. We will like African designers to know more about the Swarovski brand, the products we offer, our availability and our new brilliant Xirius crystal rose cut- the ultimate luxury ingredient. Knowledge about the brand will lead the way forward into a new era of glamorous, personalized creativity and bring a fresh sophisticated elegance to the whole process of personal design. The art of creating your own customized crystal style.
It was gathered that Haruna allegedly connived with his friend, Bello Ibrahim, who is 21-years-old, to abduct the victim on June 18, and called his father to provide the ransom or he would not see his wife alive.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Haruna Mohammed, in a statement, said that police detectives attached to Ningi Division arrested Haruna of Batu village in Ningi Local Government Area of of the state after the matter was reported by his father.
The suspect conspired with his friend, Bello Ibrahim, male and 21 years, of the same address, and demanded N100,000 ransom from his father to secure her release."
The shocking discovery was posted by a close relation of the bitter man on social media to unveil the dubious hearts of some women as the wife had built the house without letting the husband know about it and had been collecting the rent on the house for years.
According to the family member, the man was surprised that the house rent kept increasing after every two years and when he could take it no more, decided to investigate and during the investigation, discovered that the house was owned by his wife and that she had been collecting the entire rent he had been paying.
Read the story here:
"A man rented a house and moved in with his family. After two years, the rent was increased; he did not complain because he liked the house and environment.
After another two years, typical of landlords in Lagos, the rent was again increased and the man could not come up with the money.
Pressure from the agent made him miserable and at that point, the wife offered to help. She decided to lend the man the money with the promise to pay back and the husband agreed. He was happy thanking God for the life of his wife.
After another two years, there was another increment on the rent and the man was so upset that he decided to meet with the landlord for dialogue but the agent prevented him.
Ogbar was ordered remanded in prison custody by the Chief Magistrate, Tajudeen Elias, who refused to take his plea when the case was brought before him.
Elias said the court had no jurisdiction over the case and therefore transferred the matter to the Apapa Magistrates Court.
The incestuous father who resides with his family at Oke-Ogba Street, Badagry, was arraigned on two-counts of defilement and rape.
The police prosecutor, Sergeant Rafael Donny, had told the court that the offences were committed between January and May at the accuseds residence, after Ogbar raped his two older daughters, aged 24 and 20, while also defiling the third daughter, who is 10-years-old.
It was gathered that Anto was in the habit of sneaking into the old woman's home at night, to rape her on several occasions.
According to court record, a daughter of the victim, Akua Gyasiwaah, who lives at Obuasi New Estate while the victim lives by herself at Nyamebekyere, both suburbs of Obuasi, revealed that sometime in 2014, Anto assisted the victim to retrieve her National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Card, from the Obuasi office of the scheme and the two became friends.
Based on this friendship, Anto started visiting the victim occasionally after work but, according to Gyasiwaah, her mother that she had not been sleeping well as someone had been entering her room and been forcibly sleeping with her.
Consequent upon this, Gyasiwaah decided to spend the night with her mother at her place, to see what would happen and true to what her mother had been telling her, while they were asleep, Anto forcibly pushed the door opened and entered the room and Gyasiwaah quickly woke up and started shouting thief, thief, thief.
The prosecution told the court that Anto responded by saying that he was not a thief but had only brought the victims NHIS card to her. However, he was unable to produce the card.
It was during the interrogation that the victim heard the accused persons voice and identified him to be the one who had been sneaking into the room to rape her. Anto was arrested the following day at a family gathering where he had brought some elders to plead on his behalf.
A medical examination conducted on the victim showed that she had been raped and even infected with syphilis.
According to a reports, the Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo Isiokuwa made it known that the 42 witnesses will testify against the defendants in the case when the trial begins later in the year.
Amosu alongside Air Vice-Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Owodunni Olugbenga, Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, Mcallan Oil And Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, Fonds and Pricey Limited, Deegee Oil and Gas Limited, Timsegg Investment Limited and Solomon Health Care Limited are being charged with defrauding the Nigerian Air Force to the tune of N21billion.
The President stressed that the country and her past administrators refused saving for the current situation, thus, mismanaging high revenue that accrued from oil in the past decade.
Buhari made this known to the public during his speech when the Chief Global CEO of Unilever, Mr Paul Polman, paid him a courtesy visit at the State House in Abuja on Monday, June 27, 2016.
ALSO READ: President says rice production will improve in 18 months
In his words,We refused to save for the rainy day. Now the rain is beating us. No money, no savings, nothing. And we are thoroughly wet from the rains.
We want to create jobs, and supporting manufacturing is one way to do it. As soon as we have stabilized our budget, I would personally be interested in the manufacturing sector, particularly in the generation of essential raw materials, the President said.
The president, who was speaking at the Ramadan breaking of fast with members of the business community, said 13 states of the federation had been identified for the production of the crop.
He said the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, had already been briefed on how best to achieve the target.
He said the nation had no option than to concentrate more on agriculture and solid mineral activities.
The president also condemned ``the ruthless devaluation of naira, saying that he was yet to be convinced about the economic benefits of the exercise.
``How much benefits have derived from naira devaluation in the past?
``I don't like the returns I get from the CBN because that coupled with the demand that let us devalue the naira, in August 1985 when the naira was N1.3 to a dollar now you need N300 or N350 to a dollar.
``What do we derive from that, how much benefit can we derive from this ruthless devaluation of the naira?
``I'm not an economist neither a businessman, I fail to appreciate what is the economic explanation.
``What has happened to us now is that we have maneuvered ourselves into mono-economy which led to the collapse we are seeing now.
``A lot of responsibilities now fall on your shoulders now. You have a lot of investments, a lot of people you employ, he added.
In his remarks on behalf of the business community, Mr Kola Jamodu, expressed the readiness of the private sector to partner the administration in addressing the economic challenges facing the country.
This is following allegations that the COAS bought two properties in Dubai with funds he got from a vehicle purchase scam.
The groups spokesman, Ifeanyi Odili also said the continued stay of Buratai in office, is a slap on President Buharis anti-corruption war.
Odili said "The recent revelation of the procurement of properties in Dubai by the COAS as published by Sahara Reporters on June 25, 2016 which was subsequently denied by the Army spokesman, is a dent on the integrity of Buharis administration.
The Buhari administration has been showcasing anti-graft posture and the massacre of hundreds of Nigerians in Zaria is in contrast to democratic ethos and norms.
According to Sahara Reporters, Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, and his two wives are joint owners of a Dubai property worth of $1.5m that was paid for in one transaction.
The report indicated that the money for the purchase of the property may have come from a vehicle contract scam while Mr. Buratai was the Director of Procurement at the Army HQ, he added.
Meanwhile, undefinedof spreading false allegations against him.
The minister gave the order on Monday in Abuja shortly after an on-the-spot assessment of the Kuje prisons where two inmates had escaped on Friday.
Dambazau, who was taken round the prison facility by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Ahmed Jafaru and other prison officials, expressed dismay at the ugly incident.
He said that he had ordered for detailed investigation into the matter and vowed to get to the root of the matter, while the hunt for the escaped inmates continues.
The minister decried the poor state of the prison and recalled that he had observed some security lapses around the prison the last time he visited and called for remediation.
`` The last time I was here I noticed some security gap in the prison, I made my observation then with the former CG with the present controller prison and I notice the security gap and I told them precisely what to do but unfortunately this has occurred, he said.
He said he will not preempt the outcome of the investigations but expressed worry on some of the security lapses around the facility.
``Two prisoners escaped and especially these are prisoners who are awaiting trial for murder. So, this is a very serious issue that I cannot be happy about, he added.
Buratai also said the Army is putting a cyber team together to counter the alleged terrorists propaganda.
The Army chief also said the rumours are being spread by members of the Boko Haram sect who have been defeated.
Also, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, who spoke to Punch on the issue, said those spreading the rumours are out to distract Buratai, adding that details of the property were in the asset declaration form which the Army chief submitted before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
Buratai also said I am not supposed to comment on this because the Federal Government has already made a statement on that through the Ministry of Defence. But if you want my take on the issue, it is that we have already defeated the terrorists and the insurgents on the land, now they have migrated to the cyberspace, they have migrated to the Internet and other electronic media and so on.
We want to assure them that these terrorists, the Boko Haram terrorists, who have migrated to the cyberspace, we will follow them to that cyberspace, and equally defeat them and clear their doubts.
He said We are meeting all the terrorists in the cyberspace, we have defeated them, in the battle ground. We are developing our own cyber warriors and we will defeat them as we have done in the North East.
The issue of the refurbished equipment is still part of campaign of calumny. I refer you to the theatre commander. We are doing internal audit, they know my position. We will continue to do that. Definitely, the way we defeated them, we will defeat them in the cyber space.
Sahara Reporters alleged that undefinedwith funds which he got from a vehicle contract scam while serving as the Director of Procurement at the Army Headquarters.
Ubahs company was shut on Monday, June 27, 2016, by an FIRS enforcement team, according to Sahara Reporters.
We assessed and gave them notice of what they owe as tax. They did not respond to our communication. This was followed up with two separate reminders, FIRS enforcement team leader, Chinazo Udeh said.
Thereafter, a demand notice was sent to them with all these largely ignored. After the expiration of the one month window following the final notice, we were left with no option but to enforce the law, he added.
A statement issued by Ododo made available in Abuja said that questionable activities of certain members of staff led to the delay.
``We, the citizens are the real problem of this state and not the leaders.
``It took local government staff a long time to release to us the information we requested for in the approved format. As we speak, some are yet to send to us what we need to prepare their salaries.
``Two weeks ago, we asked all staff of Local Government Education Authority to send the list of staff with work schedules.
``Up until this moment, none has complied; so, how do we pay them?.''
He, however, said that some teachers who were cleared were paid, including 14 local council staff.
Mr Mahmud Sani, Airport Manager, NAIA, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the new car park would address the traffic gridlock that had hitherto been experienced at the airport.
Sani said the management of FAAN saw the incessant traffic jam, occasioned by the ongoing construction work as a source of concern.
He said the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr Saleh Dunoma gave approval for the construction of the car park few weeks ago, adding that the car park became operational on Monday.
He said traffic gridlock had drastically reduced within hours after the car park was opened, adding ``as you can see, there is free flow of traffic now.
"The traffic congestion has always been a concern to us because it has subjected many passengers to some kind of suffering as many of them usually missed their flights.
"It has also been an embarrassment to the management of FAAN being the agency managing the airport and also because of the status of the airport.
"I am sure that this development will make passengers feel friendly in Abuja Airport," he said.
Sani said FAAN was collaborating with all the security agencies at the airport to ensure that traffic gridlock did not return.
He called on the passengers and motorists to take advantage of the new car park and cooperate with the security agencies to overcome the challenges of traffic.
Mr Tony Umah, Manager, Vikko Travels, an operator of airport taxi at NAIA, said that the new car park would address the issue of traffic congestion at the airport.
Umah said that traffic congestion had been an issue of concern and commended the management of FAAN for providing an additional car park.
He said this on Monday, June 27, 2016, while speaking to Bloomberg in China.
Kachikwu further revealed that Nigerias crude oil production has increased to 1.9m barrels per day from the dropped output of 1.4m barrels per day.
The Daily Sun reports that he said All the way from January right through to about April, we were producing an average of 1.9 to 2.2 million barrels, which is basically between the threshold of 2.2 that we budgeted for the year.
Obviously in May and June, we suffered a lot of militant attacks, which took us down to about 1.3(million). Weve managed to begin to lead conversations with the militants, a lot of engagement is taking place on the authorisation of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adding that Weve been able to get production up back to about 1.8/9 million barrels per day as of two days ago. We are continuing those conversations and by the time the Forcados line is repaired in July, we should be able to come back to our production ceiling for this year, of 2.2 million.
Things are looking up, engagements are trending positively, weve been able to make in-routes into those conversations, but what is more important is the need to continue that momentum and the need to look to a long term solution to the Niger Delta crisis.
Ibe Kachikwu visited Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta State, in June 2016, to meet with representatives of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
Daily Post reports that the outgoing Deputy Consul-General in the United States embassy, Dehab Ghebreab, also said the activities of the militants are affecting other nations.
She said Youths in the Niger-Delta should not resort to violence because violence is really destructive.
They need to know that violence or militancy does not only affect people living in their region, but may also affect other countries.
They should know that foreign companies are also doing businesses in Nigeria and that some may just want to come to Nigeria, but would only be ready to invest in places where their businesses would be safe.
The Deputy Consul-General also called on the Federal Government to ensure that talks with the militants yield result.
Adding that "We strongly believe that it is important that Niger-Delta youths engage in meaningful dialogue with the government, for government to know their grievances.
During this dialogue, it would become easier for the government to know what the issues really are and be able to solve them.
The Niger Delta Avengers recently challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to visit the region and see the extent of damage that oil companies have caused.
Reports say a Senator who was there, confirmed that Sani tutored the Senate leaders.
His words: "Sani came and lectured the presiding officers on life in the prison. He told them that in the prison there is ranking rule like at the National Assembly. He advised them to cooperate with the Governor in the prison.
"He said after registration, they will be given plates for meals. Sani also told them that they are going to share toilet, bathroom with other inmates and that it is the Governor of the prison that will allocate bed space to them.
Sani also confirmed that he lectured Saraki and Ekweremadu on prison life saying "Yes, is anything bad in what I did? They are my colleagues and as a former inmates, I felt I should educate them on how to live in the prison, so that they will not be caught unaware.
Senator Shehu Sani also opposed the planned life pension and immunity for principal officers of the National Assembly (NASS).
He also alleged that the traditional ruler of the kingdom was placed under arrest by the military for 7 days.
Tompolo, who undefinedsaid he has contributed to the development of Nigeria in his own little way.
The ex militant leader also claimed that the soldiers looted the village and carted away with valuables worth millions of Naira.
He also alleged that 10 students sitting for the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations (WASSCE) were arrested along with some palace staff, and paraded as members of the Niger Delta Avengers.
Tompolo said As I write you now, these innocent young promising men are still with your military for no reason. This is truly mans inhumanity to man in our own country. We are presently being treated like conquered people because of crude oil.
Calling for the release of the young men, he reminded Buhari that no condition is permanent adding that when the time comes.
He said This was how they arrested Chevron Nigeria Limited Staff on routine duty in Kokodiagbene community of Gbaramatu kingdom, and labeled them members of Niger Delta Avengers. It took spirited effort by leaders of the kingdom and other well -meaning Nigerians to convince the military, that the arrested men were not involved in pipeline destruction.
Your Excellency Sir, as they say, wonders shall never end, I am still in a great shock as the only developmental project, Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, established by the previous administration in 2014 in the coastal area of the Niger Delta region to meet the yearnings and the aspiration of the people, is yet to commence academic session. Even though all is set for Universitys take off, he said.
Tompolo was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he failed to show up in court to face trial over allegations of fraud, despite several summons.
The militants engaged Onagugas security team in gun battle when she embarked on an inspection visit to some borderline communities between Ogun and Lagos states sacked by militants.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suspected militants had last Friday attacked the communities killing scores of residents.
Onanuga, who visited Imushin, Elepete and Igbo-Olomu communities, reassured the residents of the commitment of the authorities to protect their lives and property.
The suspected militants however, began shooting at the security operatives who accompanied the deputy governor at Akoka Ebute area of Ibafo, in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.
However, the gun battle which lasted for about 20 minutes, did not record any casualty.
Traditional rulers from the affected communities had earlier held a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of Ogun State (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa, in Abeokuta.
NAN reports that the outcome of the meeting spurred the government to send a delegation, led by the deputy governor to visit the affected communities.
As the advance security team led by the service chiefs was approaching Ibafo Creeks, where the suspected militants were believed to be hiding, a barrage of gunfire ensued, forcing the law enforcement agents to take cover.
NAN gathered that the security operatives, comprising soldiers and policemen, responded immediately and repelled the suspected militants, who later retreated deeper into the creeks and escaped.
The delegation later made a detour from the troubled area after the deputy governor had assured the residents of commitment to their safety.
Reacting to the gun battle, the SSG expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the affected communities and called for urgent Federal Government's assistance.
``It is a thing of regret that things have gone so bad in our country; at this level, the teams led by the deputy governor of the state were not able to have access to a part of our state.
``It means that without mincing words, the Federal Government needs to get involved in this.
``This is something that is beyond the capacity of the police. We need military task force like the one we have in Niger Delta; it's necessary and desirable.
``As we can see in Elepete, Igbo-Olomu and Imagbon, nothing can be compared with the violence here in Ibafo," Adeoluwa said.
The leadership of our party under Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, invoked section 31, sub section 2E of the Constitution of PDP by suspending the state executive members of the PDP in Edo State led by Chief Dan Orbih, for three months and appointed a seven-man committee to superintend the affairs of the PDP in Edo State, Ebenezer Alabi , the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee instituted by Sheriff told journalists in Benin City on Monday, June 27, 2016.
We are holding our governorship primaries on Wednesday, and the purpose of the primaries is to conform with the ruling of the court. You are aware that a lot of our members are in court as to who is the authentic leader of PDP in Nigeria because of the aborted convention we had in Port Harcourt. The court has made pronouncements. We are a democratic party, and I believe we must follow the law, he added.
In fact, Saraki has been throwing this particular party since he was
Saraki first gave this hint when he said that his trial was the work of powerful individuals who were unhappy at his emergence as Senate President.
Distinguished Senators, I believe you have all followed with keen interest, my trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Saraki said on Tuesday, September 29.
I wish to reiterate my remarks before the Tribunal, that I have no iota of doubt that I am on trial today because I am the president of the Nigerian Senate, against the wishes of some powerful individuals outside this Chambers, he added.
It is not a fight against corruption, it is more about being persecuted. The charges have nothing to do with corruption or money being stolen anywhere and that is why at the end of the day, I will have my day in court. Because it is not about corruption, Saraki said in reference to the charges on February 26, 2016 while attending the Social Media Week in Lagos.
Saraki once again made a reference to these mysterious powerful people on Monday, June 27, 2016, after the commencement of his trial on charges of forgery.
This is a cross I am prepared to carry. If yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are bent in undermining our democracy and destabilising the Federal government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest, he said.
The Senate President is alleged to have connived with his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others to forge the 2015 Senate Standing Rules.
Saraki has also managed to indoctrinate Ekweremadu with the victim mentality as the latter claims that his boss is the most persecuted politician in Nigeria.
Mr Senate PresidentI commend your resilience despite the fact that you were the most persecuted, being buffeted from all directions,Ekweremadu saidon June 9, 2016, the first anniversary of the 8th Senate.
Saraki wants Nigerians to feel sorry for him, but he is yet to address the real issues.
Did Saraki lie on his asset declaration forms? Did he acquire property abroad and maintain foreign accounts while in office as governor? Did he forge the Senate Standing Rules? The Senate President has failed to give convincing answers to these questions, instead he, his senator brothers and his gang of lawyers have taken to playing hanky-panky and wasting valuable time.
Saraki must be mistaken if he expects Nigerians to sympathize with him. Did he sympathize with the suffering masses when he was buying cars worth N330 million for his own personal use in this struggling economy? Did he consider the feelings of Nigerians when he sent his mouthpiece to tell us that having N12 million in cash in a home he wasnt even living in was no big deal?
The Senate President doesnt care about Nigerians, he only cares about saving his own hide, so he should spare us the pro-democracy facade because nobody is buying it.
Saraki needs to stop whining and stop trying to dodge justice. Instead, he should prove his innocence to the courts and stop pointing fingers at imaginary figures that are only figments of his troubled imagination.
This was contained in a statement signed by Sheriff and his national secretary, Wale Oladipo on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Abuja.
The statement reads:
"Please be informed that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in a meeting held on the 28th of June 2016, and having received nomination from the Concerned PDP stakeholders (Abuja Convention Group) and major stakeholders in the South-south has appointed you (Ojougboh) as the Acting Deputy National Chairman of the party pending the conduct of election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the erstwhile Deputy National Chairman.
"This appointment takes immediate effect.
Sheriff urged the Ojougboh to discharge the functions of his office with dedication to ensure the progress of the party.
Until his appointment, Ojougboh was the immediate past national vice chairman of the PDP, South-south chapter and one of the officials whose removal was announced at the party's national convention held in Port Harcourt in May.
Ojougboh will replace Uche Secondus who has since identified with the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the party.
The list contains names of 1268 candidates who have been offered admission into the school.
145 students were granted admission into School of Management and Social Science. 136 candidates will have the opportunity to study for B.ILD (HONS) International Law and Diplomacy while 28 got admission into the College of Health and Medical Sciences. Candidates were also admitted to other departments.
Babcock authorities have directed all candidates who have been offered admission to proceed immediately with the next step of admission and registration process. It was also mentioned that admission offers will be withdrawn if the stipulated requirements are not met.
The school also informed candidates who took part in the post UTME of Babcock University to check their names.
Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican in the United States, echoed a call from many members of his party, who have dismissed President Barack Obama's contention that Britain will be at the "back of the queue" for trade talks.
"That is something we should begin discussions with Great Britain to ease concerns so that we do have a smooth trade relationship with Great Britain because they are our indispensable ally," Ryan said on WISN, a radio station in his home state Wisconsin.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon placed a hold on the annual Intelligence Authorization Act, which grants congressional approval for clandestine operations carried out by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.
A provision of the authorization bill would allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use national security letters, which do not require a warrant, to compel companies such as AlphabetInc'sGoogle and Facebook to hand over certain Internet records. These would include email metadata, some browsing history and social media log-in information.
Such an expansion would allow the FBI to retrieve sensitive data of U.S. citizens without court approval, Wyden said.
"Convenience alone does not justify such a dramatic erosion of Americans' constitutional rights," he said on the Senate floor.
National security letters are the latest flashpoint in a years-long debate pitting U.S. surveillance operations against digital privacy interests.
Wyden's objection blocks the Senate from rapidly advancing the bill and now forces Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell to go through normal order to hold a roll call vote, a process that can take days.
Currently, national security letters, or NSLs, can only compel sharing of phone billing records, according to a 2008 legal memo written by the U.S. Justice Department. Still, the FBI has used the letters since then to request Internet records during national security investigations.
Senate Republicans have attempted to advance the NSL expansion, which FBI Director James Comey has called his top legislative priority, several times in recent months.
Last week the Senate came two votes short of advancing separate legislation that would have expanded national security letters.
Though some Republicans invoked the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando earlier this month to promote that measure, Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last week it was "one hundred percent correct" that it would not have prevented the massacre.
Thousands fled the clashes in the world's newest country, still hit by violence almost five years after securing its independence from former civil war foe Sudan, and months after a peace deal with rebels inside its own borders.
Government forces had battled fighters loyal to Ali Tamin Fatan, a militia leader trying to control territory further west near the border with Central African Republic, government spokesman Makuei Lueth told reporters.
So far up to this morning the report which I got is that there are 39 (civilian) bodies and another four belong to police," Lueth said. Numbers could rise, he added, as there were currently no casualty figures from the army.
Lueth said Fatan was trying to carve out an Islamist state but added that his force included members of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army, a nominally Christian group that fought a violent insurgency in neighbouring Uganda and has launched attacks across the region. He was not immediately available to give further details.
Impoverished South Sudan has been plagued by fighting between a range of armed groups, often along ethnic lines, vying for control over grazing land and oil reserves.
Lueth accused Sudan of backing the rebels, a charge often levelled at the Khartoum government which regularly dismisses such allegations and accuses South Sudan of supporting insurgents in its territory.
Morgan Tsvangirai, 64, who was Zimbabwe's prime minister in an uneasy coalition government with the 92-year-old Mugabe from 2009 until 2013, said it was important for national leaders to disclose their health status.
Mugabe routinely denies local media reports that he is suffering from prostate cancer and says his frequent trips to Singapore are for routine medical checks.
"As a leader and a public figure, I have taken a decision to make public my condition," Tsvangirai said, adding that he had an operation last month and is on chemotherapy treatment.
"It is my firm belief that the health of national leaders, including politicians, should not be a subject of national speculation and uncertainty."
Tsvangirai, who lost the 2013 presidential vote against Mugabe, has since 1999 led the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) but the party has, however, been weakened by splits over how to confront Mugabe's ZANU-PF.
The MDC chief, a three time loser to Mugabe, said although his condition was unfortunate, he intended to confront "this development with the determination to overcome it."
The MDC, evicted from the unity government after its crushing defeat in the 2013 election, is split over whether to dump Tsvangirai before the next vote in 2018. Critics say he has often been outsmarted by Mugabe, Africa's oldest leader.
The turmoil within the MDC has been a boost for Mugabe, whose ZANU-PF party has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980 amid charges of rigging recent elections.
This is contained in the treasurys report on Monday to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, in response to the courts paper asking it to determine the amount Zuma should repay.
The Constitutional Court had ruled earlier that Zuma violated the Constitution when ignoring a recommendation from the public protector.
He had argued that the upgrades were for added security, even though the renovations also included a swimming pool, a cattle enclosure, a chicken coop, a visitor centre and an amphitheatre.
The Treasury said it valued the five items at 7.8 million Rand.
Zuma survived impeachment proceedings regarding the affair in April and then apologised to the nation, denying conscious wrongdoing.
STEM SCHOLARSHIPS
The Quad-City Engineering and Science Council has awarded 16 scholarships totaling $36,000 to high school seniors in pursuit of STEM-related degrees. Recipients and their high schools include:
Vermeer Leadership
Matt Tjaden, Bettendorf, is participating in the Vermeer International Leadership Program at Iowa State University, Ames. The program takes students beyond the classroom to better understand global challenges such as clean drinking water, poverty and food insecurity and the impact for international corporations.
A Davenport man accused of robbing two banks in April pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Davenport
Shawn E. Lee, 38, was indicted last week on two counts of bank robbery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a forfeiture order for $733 seized from Lee at the time of his arrest.
A status hearing is scheduled for July 12.
Court documents claim Lee robbed Northwest Bank & Trust, 1454 W. Locust St., on April 25 and US Bank, 3624 N. Division St., on April 27.
In both robberies, Lee handed the teller a note and demanded money, prosecutors claim.
Lee was arrested the same day as the US Bank robbery. State charges were dismissed when federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint on June 1.
Those who met Ayana Culbreath were instantly drawn to her.
Everyone went to her, everyone talked to her about everything, her aunt, Janice Collins of Davenport, said.
Thats why its so hard, because shes like an angel she was so innocent.
The 15-year-old, who would have been a sophomore at Davenport Central High School in the fall, was shot early Sunday during a gathering at a home in the 4200 block of Warren Street.
She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport.
No one has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Davenport police have released few details about Ayanas death or what may have preceded the shooting.
Lt. Jason Smith said in a news release Monday that detectives are working tirelessly on this investigation and will continue to follow up on all leads.
Ayana is the daughter of Jervina Culbreath of Davenport and Christopher Bryson of Arkansas. She has three brothers and two sisters.
Collins said Ayana was like a daughter to her.
Ayana, nicknamed Lady by her family, loved school, volleyball and listening to music.
Collins said Ayana was close with the family, especially her cousins, and was working hard to graduate a year early so that she could graduate with her older cousins.
Ayana even wanted to try modeling.
She was a tomboy all the way up until a year ago, Collins said with a laugh. We finally got her to wear dresses. She was beautiful."
Collins said she and Ayanas aunt, Georgette Culbreath, were at her grandmothers house when they got the call that Ayana was shot.
Collins, a nurse, said she kept thinking that Ayana would be OK. As she was driving to the scene, she kept telling those on the scene not to move her and that they were on their way.
Im thinking if I could just get there and do CPR, shell be OK, Collins said.
As they arrived, medics were placing Ayana into the ambulance.
Its hard, Collins said Monday. We have to remind ourselves to eat. We have to be strong for the children.
The family is concentrating on remembering Ayana and preparing for her funeral, which is Tuesday, July 5, Collins said.
Friends and family flocked to social media to Monday after learning of Ayana's death.
RIP Ayana Culbreath, one person posted on Facebook. Dang, you were too young to die. I love you baby girl.
Im so sorry this happened to you baby, you were so sweet and gorgeous, another person posted.
The Rev. Daniel Teague, who leads a grassroots organization called Boots on the Ground, said community involvement is important when it comes to tackling violence in the Quad-Cities so that we dont have to get to this point.
Its has to take everybody, we have to have all hands on deck because these are our kids, Teague said.
Boots on the Ground invited the public to talk about the recent violence during its monthly meeting Monday night at United Neighbors in Davenport.
During the meeting, attendees brainstormed ways to better prevent youth violence, such as providing better access to enrichment programs and encouraging parents to play an active role in their kids lives.
A Davenport teen charged as an adult in connection with the death of a 19-year-old man during what police say was a drug deal gone bad will be arraigned July 21.
Jonathan Jay Behan Jr., 17, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Scott County District Court.
During a preliminary hearing, a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to justify a trial. The judge does not make a determination on the guilt or innocence of a defendant during these hearings.
Defense attorney Meghan Corbin filed an appearance Monday in the case.
Behan faces charges of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Aaron Cotton of Davenport.
Around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Davenport police, fire and Medic EMS responded to the 2100 block of West 58th Street for a report of an unconscious man lying in the road. Officers and medical personnel discovered that the man, later identified as Cotton, was dead.
According to arrest affidavits filed by Davenport police in support of the criminal complaint:
During a drug transaction, Behan took approximately one gram of marijuana from Cotton without paying for it and tried to leave the area in his truck.
Cotton was clinging to the vehicle while Behan accelerated the truck and steered the vehicle aggressively by turning it left and right in an attempt to force Cotton to fall from the vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Behan continued to drive aggressively for four to five blocks when in the 2100 block of West 58th Street, Cotton fell from the vehicle and suffered fatal injuries, according to the affidavits.
Behan remains in custody on a $1 million cash-only bond.
For adults, first-degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison under Iowa law. Also for adults, first-degree robbery carries a mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison of which 17 years must be served before parole can be granted.
Because Behan is 17, sentencing on the murder charge would be at the discretion of the judge presiding over his case. The U.S. Supreme Court in January struck down mandatory life sentences for juveniles in murder cases.
That same Supreme Court ruling applies to the automatic sentence for the first-degree robbery charge and sentencing for Behan on that charge also would be at the discretion of the judge.
Davenport School Board members soon will have to decide what to cut at the high school level in order to save money in coming years, district officials said Monday.
Superintendent Art Tate proposed switching from a block to a traditional schedule or increasing class sizes moves he said would save the district about $1 million in the 2017-18 school year budget.
However, he quickly pointed out, the district ran into legal trouble in 1989 when it moved forward with the latter option without paying teachers extra or negotiating the issue with the teachers union first. As a result, the district had to reimburse teachers for their extra contact time with students for a year.
In hopes of not repeating history, the seven-member board agreed Tate should address the potential of switching high school teachers from a five-period day to a six-period day with the Davenport Education Association. To pull off the savings, Tate added, the district would need to cut teacher positions and hire additional para-educators for assistance.
Toby Paone, UnivServ director of the Iowa State Education Association, said the 1989 case serves as the law of the land as it stands right now.
If the district wants to go back to a traditional class schedule they need to cost it out and show us what it means to my members, he said. It doesnt matter if the district is broke; if you move away from this schedule, youve got to pay them more.
School board president Ralph Johanson called the recommended cuts "disastrous," but said hes willing to move forward with the schedule debate.
It doesnt concern me at all there was a court decision in 1989, he said. Theres no pending arbitration on this; its just a possibility.
Noting teachers concerns with traditional scheduling in the past, several school board members shared their support for keeping the status quo.
I think we could sink a million into arbitration and there goes the savings we couldve made in legal fees, Julie DeSalvo said.
Jamie Snyder agreed, adding whatever cuts the school board decides on will affect the classroom.
"There's no way to keep it away from the classroom," he said. "But if there's no savings with this, I think we're wasting our time and our community's time by investing any more time into this."
Tate said the school board will need to come up with a solution to save money by this fall.
"Either youre going from a block to a traditional schedule or you're increasing class sizes," he said. "You can't do both."
Hillary Clinton has gotten out of the blocks with television ads in Iowa, and so far, rival Donald Trump has yet to respond.
Much like 2012, when President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney to the airwaves with ads aimed at influencing the public's opinion about the Republican presidential nominee, Clinton, too, has beaten the presumptive Republican nominee to television first.
It's not clear how big her lead is at this point. The Clinton camp has said only that it's begun airing an "eight-figure" television buy in eight states, including Iowa. But the pro-Clinton Super PAC Priorities USA said that as of the end of last week, it already had spent $1.2 million in Iowa.
It's still early in the 2016 general election campaign. By about this time in 2012, the Obama camp had spent more than $800,000 on television ads in the Quad-Cities alone, with pro-Romney forces pitching in another $400,000-plus.
Still, that Trump has not responded yet will give an advantage to Clinton down the road, said Brad Anderson, who directed Obama's campaign in Iowa in 2012.
"A month from now, you are going to see the results of these ads," he said. Clinton's ads began airing about two weeks ago.
Iowa is expected to be a battleground state. A Public Policy Polling poll, released Tuesday, said Clinton holds a narrow lead over Trump in Iowa, 41 percent to 39 percent. That's virtually the same as the 3-point lead she held in a poll the group conducted before the Clinton campaign began airing its ads but after the Super PAC spots began to run.
Republican Party leaders in Iowa don't appear to be worried about Clinton's head start on the air. Asked about it last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, dismissed the idea there was any reason to be concerned.
He said he hadn't spoken with Trump, but his impression is that he will rely on allied groups to do the work that traditionally has fallen to campaigns.
"I think he's going to have the RNC be the superstructure of his campaign," he said.
To what extent the ads will affect the electorate is not clear yet. The 2016 election cycle has sparked a debate over whether television ads will carry the same clout they have in the past. In the primary campaign, after all, Trump was able to leverage massive amounts of free news media coverage and withstand millions of dollars of negative ads thrown at him by rivals and their allies.
Brian Dumas, a media buyer and political consultant for Davenport-based Victory Enterprises Inc., which works for Republican candidates, said Trump has rewritten many of the rules.
"I just think he breaks all the standard norms," Dumas said.
He added that although Trump won't be able to sustain millions of dollars of television ads without responding, this also is a different election cycle in that the two major party candidates already are well known to the electorate.
A number of polls say that Clinton and Trump are seen in a negative light by a majority of voters, although Trump's unfavorable ratings are worse than Clinton's. And the Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa said only a fraction of voters didn't have an opinion about either of the candidates.
Nonetheless, Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University, said ads can move people's opinions about individuals, even if they are already well known. She notes that Clinton's early ads, for the most part, are highlighting her work on progressive issues, the kind of biographical spots that usually are aired by candidates who aren't well known.
"What shes trying to say is, 'Dont believe everything you know about me,'" Bystrom said.
Donna Hoffman, the head of the political science department at the University of Northern Iowa, also noted that while Trump has benefited from media coverage, it was with a primary electorate, not a wider general election audience.
"The asymmetric aspect of ads in the state at this point is unusual, and we don't have a lot to compare it to historically in terms of potential impact," Hoffman said in an email. "That said, Trump benefited enormously from free media during the nomination campaign. While I think that is unlikely to continue at the same pace in the general election, this cycle has proven to be very unusual and hard to predict."
CEDAR RAPIDS A new poll in Iowa and five other battleground states suggest voters would prefer President Barack Obama rather than Donald Trump pick the next Supreme Court justice and are inclined to punish GOP senators holding up the selection process.
Despite 40 percent of Iowans surveyed saying Sen. Chuck Grassley refusal to hold hearings on Obamas Supreme Court nominee makes them less likely to vote for him, his lead over Democratic challenger Patty Judge remains steady.
However, not all of the news is good for Grassley. The Public Policy Polling survey of 897 registered in Iowa June 22-23 found both his lead over Judge and his approval rating under 50 percent.
The poll, with a 3.3 percent margin of error, found Grassley leading the Senate race 46 percent to 39 percent for Judge, a former lieutenant governor, and 14 percent undecided.
An early June Public Policy Polling survey found Grassley leading Judge 48 percent to 41 percent with 11 percent undecided.
In the new poll, 43 percent of those surveyed said they approve of the job Grassley is doing while 40 percent do not.
Just 22 percent said the refusal by Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to hold hearings on Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland makes them more likely to vote for him and 38 percent said it doesnt matter.
Asked who they trusted to make a Supreme Court nomination, 49 percent said Obama while 39 percent went with Trump.
The race for president in Iowa is even closer. Public Policy Polling found voters split 41 percent to 39 percent in favor of Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
By a similar margin 48 percent to 39 percent, those polled said they voted for Obama over 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The respondents were 35 percent Democratic, 37 percent Republican and 28 percent independent, Public Policy Polling said.
CEDAR RAPIDS Republican Rep. Rod Blum and his Democratic challenger Monica Vernon are wasting little time in drawing battle lines in their race for the Iowa 1st District U.S. House seat.
Vernon, who kicked off her campaign with friends and supporters Monday night, called the first-term congressman part of the problem in Washington.
In nearly everything he does, he sides with the very, very far right. In fact, he is voting with Steve King, Vernon said at a campaign open house. King is the seven-term western Iowa Republican U.S. House member.
For her part, Vernon told campaign supporters she was running to stand up for all of you.
We got to get an economy that works for everyone, the former Cedar Rapids City Council member and small business owner said. I think we need to invest in small businesses, invest in our communities, invest in people and education right here at home.
Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids called her exactly the type of person we need in Congress today because she knows how to work together with everyone to move our country forward.
However, Republican Party of Iowa chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Vernons recent comment that she was unable to think of a single thing Blum has done with which she can agree calls into questions her ability to work across the aisle.
Vernon listed several disagreements she has with Blum, including his mailings to constituents.
Hes wasting close to a half-million dollars so far on self-promoting ads and literature, she said. I think thats really, really important. Those are federal dollars for members of Congress to run their offices.
A Cedar Rapids Gazette analysis found Blum spent about $422,000 on mass mailings, newspapers ads and automated phone calls in 2015. Thats about one-third of his $1.265 million communications allowance.
Communicating with constituents is part of the job of a member of Congress, campaign manager Jeff Patch said. Unlike other members, Blum does not waste money on first class airfare, personal car leases or a bloated Washington, D.C.-based staff.
In fact, Blum returned $102,000 of his 2015 office budget to the U.S. Treasury and asked that it be used to pay down the national debt.
Thats fiscal responsibility, Patch said. Monica Vernon may think engaging with Iowans where they live is wasting money, but thats quite an elitist attitude from someone who supposedly aspires to represent all Iowans, not just partisan Democrats.
This isnt just a candidate. This is a movement, Vernon said about her campaign. Come November, we can win this.
Although Vernon has raised nearly as much campaign cash as Blum, she spent much of it on her primary election race. At the end of May, she had raised $1,402,326 to Blums $1,486,503. He has $1,284,392 on hand to her $420,887.
A virtual tour and update on the renovated Camp Liberty topped the agenda at Tuesdays Scott County Board of Supervisors committee-of-the-whole meeting.
Saved from the brink of sale in January 2014, the camp has seen 500 girls use the facility since summer camps began on Fathers Day, said Mahlon Sibert, director of properties for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Fifty on-site staff supervise and manage the facility, Sibert said.
Weve upgraded everything, added amenities like WiFi and hot spots for cellphone service, Sibert said. The girls can ride anytime of year in the equestrian arena.
Shelly Wells Cain, Girl Scouts vice president of marketing and development, said the camp, previously called Camp Conestoga, opened before the capital fundraising campaign was completed.
Weve raised $4 million of our $5 million goal, Cain said. The community really wanted to invest in girls. We paused to get the girls in there this summer.
The last major improvements were made to the 70-year-old camps single small building in 1970, Sibert said. In addition to the indoor equestrian facility, camp improvements include a high ropes course, a mobile climbing wall and a 6,000-square-foot lodge with commercial kitchen that will accommodate 250 people. The lodge is available for community rental when the girls and Girl Scouts are not scheduled to use it, Cain said.
Supervisors chairman Jim Hancock commended the effort to rebuild and improve Camp Liberty.
This is a great investment for Scott County, Hancock said.
In other business, Community Services director Lori Elam presented fiscal year 2017 contractual agreements with the Center for Active Seniors Inc. and Community Health Care. Elam recommended continuing the countys level of funding support for CASI and decreasing funds for CHC.
Elam reported her office is inundated with requests for support for seniors who are living alone and need help. But the number of uninsured seeking CHC medical services has dropped because of the Affordable Care Act. Elam requested a $52,946 decrease in CHC funding intended to help people who don't have health insurance get health care.
About 20 soldiers based at the Iowa Army National Guard's Davenport Army Aviation Support Facility will be leaving next month for an assignment that will take them to the U.S. Central Command overseas.
The soldiers from Company B, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion will leave after a community sendoff ceremony scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the Aviation Support Facility at 9650 Harrison St., Davenport. The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony.
The soldiers first will travel to Fort Hood, Texas, for additional training before heading overseas. The Central Command covers 20 nations in the Middle East, North Africa and central Asia, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The unit flies, maintains and refuels CH-47F "Chinook" helicopters.
DAVENPORT Hal Wiese, 80, of Davenport passed away Saturday, June 25, 2016, at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House.
Per his wishes, cremation rites have been accorded. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, who provided competent and compassionate care for Hal in his last hours. Online tributes may be expressed at www.rungemortuary.com.
Hal was born June 3, 1936, to Harold and Marie (Murphy) Wiese.
Hal graduated from Davenport High School and furthered his education in engineering at the University of Iowa before employment of 15 years as a sales representative for Colt Industries. He was a true entrepreneur, forming a machinery control company in the 1970s, serving major corporations in Canada and the States. Later, he traveled to South Africa, where he brokered diamonds and coffee beans. In 1987, he returned to Davenport to help care for his parents and run the family business, Wiese Manufacturing.
Hal asked to express thanks for the recent care he received from his cousin and best friend, Jerry Ralfs.
A couple from Kalona, Iowa, have been identified as the victims in a single-vehicle crash Monday on Interstate 74 in Henry County.
Veva A. Herschberger, 78, was the driver of the vehicle, and Melvin J. Herschberger, 81, was her passenger, Illinois State Police said in a news release Tuesday. Both died of injuries suffered in the crash.
I have always had an over-the shoulder view about ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but an eerie incident happened over the weekend in our household. My wife had neatly stacked the Sunday papers in the plastic recycle bin of our garage. It was about 9 p.m. A half-hour later, I went into the garage to be sure the doors were locked. They were.
I was startled. Atop the pile of newspapers was a large 1957 postcard, exactly picturing B.J. Palmers Two Hemispheres circus bandwagon that I had written about for the front page of that days Quad-City Times. Where did that card come from? I said to Helen. She had no idea and was very puzzled. It was not there when she put the papers in the bin. That circus wagon card was not on top of the stack of papers, she insisted. If there is anyone I believe, it is my wife.
This was a giant old postcard, 6-by-8 inches, in excellent condition. The postmark was Chicago, Aug. 12, 1957. It had a 3-cent stamp, the Statue of Liberty. The name of the person who was to receive the card had been blacked out, but the address was 119 18th St., Rock Island In 1957, this was Richard Carnes Sign Shop. That location is now a parking lot. Scribbled under the address was Ken painted this wagon. The card was from Henry Spanjer Jr., of Spanjer Bros, a Chicago company that made wooden advertising letters and ornamental carvings. It boasted that it had made the original carvings for the bandwagon, and the finish was gold leaf over lead and oil. An advertising pitch on the card said: Today, the letters and carvings are just as good as new.
Well, what do you say? How can I explain how that old bandwagon card showed up on a neat stack of newspapers in our locked garage and on the exact date that my story appeared in print. Spooks? It had to be. Alma Gaul, a writer on this noospaper staff, listened to my story. She agreed when I said, Its like Ripleys old Believe It Or Not. She suggested that the ghost of B.J. Palmer may have slipped into our garage when we werent looking.
How creative it is!
Signs of our times, getting more clever every day this long hot summer. On the front door of friendly K&K Hardware, Bettendorf, a hand-painted sign:
ITS HOT
Your Dog Is
Welcome Inside
Outside Pizza and Subs in Rock Island:
Free Box
With Every Pizza
Let us praise good service
Mona of Lunardis in Davenport has this on her smartphone: If everyone waited tables for one month of their life, we would be a much nicer place.
Ill have seconds, please
They never fail me at the annual Red Cross picnic, which has been going on for 21 years. Dining at our first, a dozen years ago on the green lawn of the Rock Island Arsenal, I complained that I would never return because there was no potato salad. It cannot be a picnic without potato salad, I griped. Every year since, they have served me my personal bowl of potato salad. At Friday night's picnic at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island, there was plenty of onion and hard-boiled egg. Tradition!
OUR LAST three meals, at three different places, were Mexican food. Frisky song and dance at a birthday party at the Steve Rameriz home with the lively Crooked Cactus Band. Los Nopales Chuecos and its three trumpeters were as hot as the tamales. I grew up on hot tamales, tightly wrapped in corn husks to protect the flavor that will clear the sinuses.
Of course, it was a "publicity stunt." And, in that measure alone, House Democrats can claim victory.
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, was none too pleased with Speaker Paul Ryan's characterization of last week's sit-in, which stalled House business for more than a day. House Democrats, hoping to capitalize on growing public discontent over the lack of any semblance of gun control, walked into the chamber and, well, took a seat.
This was anything but a political stunt, Loebsack told James Q. Lynch at The Gazette of Cedar Rapids. It was serious business, business the American people want us to attend to.
Ryan's suggestion that Democrats were fundraising off the protest also annoyed Loebsack, calling it "demeaning." And I'm not sure why. Democratic challengers, in districts suddenly in play thanks to Donald Trump, did use the unsanctioned event to hit up donors. It's politics. Ryan's synopsis was based in reality.
Protesting Democrats, including Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois, disingenuously blamed "politics" when even the panoptic eye of C-SPAN went dark. In fact, as many media outlets noted, C-SPAN was simply following House rules, established at the beginning of this Congress. Sure, House Republicans probably could have moved to accommodate the protesters. But it's not as if they crafted new rules to create the blackout.
In 2008, mind you, then-minority Republicans staged something similar over energy policy. Democrats literally shut the lights off. This time, the power stayed on, at least. And the Democrats, especially Bustos, should be thankful.
Bustos, a former Quad-City Times reporter, set about interviewing about 60 of her protesting colleagues and posting the videos and quotes to social media. C-SPAN, under fire for the trumped up allegations of playing politics and unable to flip on its cameras, even began streaming the content Bustos and others were generating. This thing took off.
The drama, real or perceived, served well the Democrats who spent Wednesday night sitting on the royal blue carpet. But, in the end, the House left town with the "no-fly" gun bill no closer to action in the lower house. The sit-in didn't accomplish its stated purpose. But it did draw attention to the issue. Sorry, Rep. Loebsack. Publicity stunt, indeed.
And that's just fine. The Senate, where 60 votes are required for almost anything of consequence, is often ruled by similar, albeit official, mechanisms of political theater. In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, spent an entire night reading Dr. Seuss, an Obamacare protest that ultimately launched his unsuccessful presidential bid. Earlier this month, Senate Democrats, lead by Connecticut's Chris Murphy, used the filibuster to seize the Senate floor. Unlike House Democrats, they at least got to see their gun bills die by vote. A bipartisan compromise bill is circulating the Senate, right now.
But majority truly rules in the House. Without the formal filibuster option, Democrats decided to order takeout and take a seat. A sit-in doesn't tout the pageantry of the filibuster. Don't expect a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Takes a Seat" anytime soon.
But it did, at least in the short term, highlight the unwillingness of House Republicans to even debate gun legislation.
And that's the very definition of a publicity stunt, whether Loebsack likes it or not.
The Rock Island Arsenal is an integral part of the Quad-Cities community and economy. As a member of the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce board of directors and chairman of the Chambers Military Affairs Council, I am regularly engaged in the many opportunities available to show support of our defense community.
Four major commands on the Rock Island Arsenal: Army Sustainment Command, First Army, Joint Munitions Command, and the U.S. Army Garrison Rock Island Arsenal, will all receive new leadership in the span of three months this summer. Four leaders will transition to another part of their career, including Gen. Kevin OConnell and Gen. Michael Tucker who prepare to retire. We wish them well, and thank them for their service. As four new command leaders join the Quad-Cities community, this is an excellent opportunity to embrace them and their families, and show them the many great things our community has to offer.
The 241st Army Ball was held on June 17 to celebrate the birth of our nations Army. Quad-Cities Chamber is a proud partner in this event. Nearly 500 people, both military and civilian, gathered to celebrate and toast the United States Army.
There are many ways to become engaged in the defense community, and you can find opportunities to be involved at HooahQuadCities.com, which offers information on community events, veterans services, and military-friendly employers.
Scott Lohman
Moline
Editors note: Lohman is a representative of Lohman Companies, Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce board member chairman, Military Affairs Council
DES MOINES Davenport could be the site of a debate involving the candidates for U.S. Senate, if Democrat Patty Judge and incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley agree on a plan proposed Tuesday.
Judge, a former lieutenant governor, secretary of agriculture and state senator, issued a call Tuesday for the two major-party candidates to hold televised debates in the states four largest media markets based in Davenport, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Sioux City. She also proposed a radio debate.
Judge said her campaign would reach out to media outlets across the state to begin the process of planning debates. The campaign already has received and accepted an invitation from KCCI-TV and the Des Moines Register to participate in a general election debate.
Iowans have an important choice in this election and four televised debates in Iowas largest media markets will give voters all across the state the opportunity to see both candidates before casting their ballot, Judge said in a statement.
Im excited to talk with voters about how we can break the gridlock and get back to work for families across Iowa, she added. I hope Chuck Grassley agrees to participate in a series of four televised debates across Iowa and allow voters to make an informed decision in November.
Robert Haus, campaign manager for Grassley Works, said the GOP senator would consider the debates once he receives more details from his Democratic challengers campaign.
Sen. Grassley has always debated his opponents, and intends to do so in this campaign as well, Haus said in a statement. Despite her statements to the contrary, we have received no formal invitation from the Judge campaign and will consider it when it is received. Given her history of chronic absenteeism and missing 50 percent of the primary debates and forums, Iowans should worry whether Patty Judge will even show up.
Judges campaign noted that she participated in two televised debates and a series of forums across the state, while Grassley has not participated in live televised debates in recent elections.
CEDAR RAPIDS Despite trailing, Patty Judge said she is very encouraged by a new poll on the Iowa U.S. Senate race.
A Public Policy Polling poll shows Sen. Chuck Grassley leading Judge 46 percent to 39 percent with more than four months until Election Day.
Seven points, thats a horse race, Judge said in Cedar Rapids Tuesday.
The poll showed that for the first time Grassley, a six-term Republican, is below 50 percent in general election support and in his approval rating.
That may look like a horse race to Judge, but Grassley campaign manager Robert Haus pointed out that in five other battleground states PPP Judges primary campaign pollster found Democrats leading or within a percentage point or two of the incumbent Republican senator.
Even with a bogus survey, shes the weak link, he said.
Judge, who said her campaign did not commission the most recent poll, also takes encouragement from the polls finding that 40 percent of the 897 registered voters surveyed June 22-23 are less likely to vote for Grassley because of his refusal to hold hearings on President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee.
And theres more undecided voters than in an early June poll, which Judge called good news for a challenger.
Now, I have to work very hard to close the gap, she said.
The Republican Party of Iowa has been chiding Judge for not working hard at all. Since winning the four-way Democratic primary with 48 percent of the vote, the former lieutenant governor has returned to her favorite pre-primary spot: off the campaign trail, according to the party.
Patty Judge is fond of saying she is the judge you cant ignore, but the problem is nobody could find her if they tried, RPI Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said.
I didnt know I was hiding, Judge said. Shes keeping a busy schedule meeting with Democrats and a fair number of independents around the state. She was in Sioux City and Council Bluffs Monday, and Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Tuesday.
I havent slept in the same place more than a night for a week or 10 days, Judges said.
Shes doing the same things as in previous statewide campaigns for secretary of agriculture and lieutenant governor.
Im going to coffee shops and businesses, talking to people and shaking hands, Judge said. This is still a retail politics state.
IOWA CITY Its been a rough couple of years for the Department of Veterans Affairs with allegations that officials falsified records to hide the length of time veterans waited for medical service and, in some cases, veterans died while waiting for care.
But thats not what about 50 veterans wanted to talk about Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa.
Instead, they came to praise the VA system, specifically the health care and the veterans service officers.
I just want to say something positive about the VA, said Cathy Mrazek of Coralville, who was an Army military police officer for 12 years.
Theres not enough credit given to the VA for everything they do for veterans, she said at the Iowa City Democrats fifth annual Serving Those Who Served town hall meeting at a veterans memorial outside the Johnson County Administration Building. If they dont have an answer, they try to find one.
Other veterans praised the care they had received in dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues.
Loebsack acknowledged there are issues in the VA but said Mrazeks comments were typical of what he hears in meetings with veterans around the 2nd Congressional District.
They need to work it out, but in Iowa, relatively speaking, they do a good job from what I hear, he said.
He was critical of the slow response to allegations in 2014 that the VA falsified records at a Phoenix medical center to hide the length of time veterans had to wait for appointments. That triggered similar reports from VA centers around the country.
There has not been enough people held accountable, Loebsack said. Not enough people have been fired.
Loebsack, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is doing a series of meetings around the Fourth of July with veterans to hear their concerns and to thank them for their service.
There arent many issues that folks on all sides can come together on, he told the veterans. If it werent folks that were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, we wouldnt be celebrating the Fourth.
DES MOINES More than 3,600 car owners in Iowa are in line for refunds ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, the result of a settlement with carmakers Volkswagen and Audi.
Volkswagen, which produces both vehicle brands, must pay the refund plus buy back or fix cars that were designed to manipulate emissions test results illegally, the Iowa Attorney Generals Office announced Tuesday.
Iowa is among more than 40 states that participated in a class-action lawsuit.
It was a fraud that is really troublesome in terms of its brazenness and in the sophisticated calculation and operation that they did and the danger to the environment, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Tuesday at a news conference.
The vehicles that sparked the lawsuit were equipped with software that falsified emission test results. While Volkswagen marketed the vehicles as environmentally friendly, they emitted harmful nitrogen oxide at rates up to 40 times the legal limit, Miller said.
The affected vehicles, according to a list provided by Millers office, include various model year 2009 through 2015 Volkswagen Jettas, Jetta Sportwagens, Golfs, Beetles and Passats, as well as Audi A3s.
The companies, as part of the $15 billion settlement, must send affected vehicle owners a restitution payment that Miller thinks will range between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on the vehicles value as of September 2015, before news of the illegal software was reported.
Owners also will be offered a choice between a buy-back based on pre-emissions value or a modification to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
Volkswagen also must pay $2.7 billion for programs throughout the country to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, commit another $2 billion to producing zero-emission vehicles and pay $570 million to states for violations of consumer protection laws.
Iowa will receive nearly $3.5 million for violations of its state consumer protection laws and roughly $20 million for the nitrogen oxide reduction programs. Miller said one possible example for use of the latter could be upgrading or replacing old school buses.
The sophistication and the brazenness of this fraud, this scheme, is very troubling. The settlement, I think, reflects that. As it should, Miller said. We feel good about resolving this.
Because the settlement still requires a federal judges approval, the recall program may not begin for several months, Millers office said.
Volkswagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
With dry conditions and fire danger ranging from very high in the Black Hills to moderate in the surrounding plains, public safety officials are urgently reminding residents about fireworks safety.
The Rapid City Police Department will be focusing enforcement efforts on impaired driving and fireworks compliance in the days leading up to the 4th of July holiday.
The legal sale of fireworks began Monday in South Dakota. However, Rapid City and other Pennington County communities limit fireworks:
Within city limits, Rapid City residents are permitted to buy and use just certain novelty fireworks, including party poppers, snappers, sparklers, toy caps, and flitter sparklers.
Use of any other fireworks within one mile of the city is a crime carrying a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and $500 fine.
Those discharging illegal fireworks within city limits also will have their fireworks confiscated and subsequently destroyed.
Box Elder: Fireworks are allowed on private property but only from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily July 2-4. A city-sponsored fireworks display is set for dusk on Saturday, July 2.
Hill City: Discharge of fireworks is prohibited inside the city limits of Hill City, except for novelty fireworks.
Wall: Discharge of fireworks is prohibited inside the city limits of Wall.
If you reside in the Black Hills Fire Protection District, fireworks are prohibited and it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to shoot fireworks anywhere inside the Black Hills Fire Protection District.
Pennington County ordinance allows the discharge of fireworks in areas outside of municipalities but not in the Black Hills Protection District. However, use of fireworks is allowed only if the grassland fire index does not exceed the "high" fire risk rating.
Under state law, fireworks may be discharged through the Sunday following July 4. This year that means you can shoot fireworks in specified areas until Sunday, July 10.
In addition to fireworks, the Rapid City Fire Department advises holiday gathering planners to consider the fire conditions when thinking about use of outdoor barbecue grills and fire pits.
Extra Rapid City police officers will be patrolling during the holiday to assist with fireworks-related calls. A department news release said Independence Day is typically the busiest day of the year for city police because of the increased calls related to fireworks.
South Dakota U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds says Department of Veterans Affairs staffing cuts at the Hot Springs VA Medical Center are against the law and wants answers from the regional veteran healthcare director.
Rounds on Monday shared with media a letter he sent to Janet Murphy, head of the Midwest VA network. The former governor noted 33 Hot Springs medical staff have been transferred or cut since 2012.
Murphy, based in Eagan, Minn., could not be reached for comment.
Rounds said the cuts included doctors, physicians assistants, pharmacists, psychiatrists, X-ray and lab technicians, nurses and respiratory therapists. The senator said the Hot Springs VA respiratory clinic closed June 10.
These staff reductions have dramatically reduced care and services to veterans, placed undue burden and stress on remaining staff and potentially add risk for veterans, Rounds wrote.
The VA system is collecting public feedback on plans to realign veteran healthcare in the Black Hills. Proposed changes include closing the Hot Springs hospital and moving the bulk of services to Rapid City. The Fort Meade VA operations at Sturgis will not change.
Rounds said the impact study is ongoing, at the same time Congress has prohibited the VA system from realigning veteran care services.
He asked Murphy to explain the Hot Springs campus downsizing and how the VA system interprets the law to justify the elimination of services at Hot Springs.
The Rapid City School Board approved more wage increases at Monday nights meeting, this time for the districts two assistant superintendents, Brad Berens and Dave Janak. Both received $2,500 raises.
Janak, the districts chief financial officer, will see his salary go from $101,000 to $103,500. Berens salary will go from $96,000 to $98,500.
The raises are the latest in a round of wage increases the school board has awarded to the districts employees for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, which begins on July 1. Though all district employees will receive raises, the most significant increases were made to teacher and administrator pay.
Failed negotiations between teachers and district officials eventually resulted in the imposition of a contract that will provide $6.5 million in raises for the districts educators. An additional $990,000 will boost pay for administrators, some by as much as $25,000 starting July 1.
The money for teacher raises comes from $5.2 million in new funds provided by the state this year. The rest will come from the district's capital outlay fund, which typically pays for building improvements and construction projects.
The $990,000 paying for administrative salary increases is part of a $2 million surplus in the general fund. The district freed up that money by decreased spending on utility bills, unfilled teacher and administrative jobs, a decrease in workers compensation, and steady health insurance costs.
The surplus also will pay for Janak and Berens salary increases, according to Janak.
The wage increases were approved as part of the consent agenda, which contains numerous items that are voted on in a single motion.
Superintendent Tim Mitchell was not present at the meeting. Though his official last day is June 30, he has already left Rapid City for his new job as superintendent at the Riverside Community School District in Iowa, according to district spokesperson Katy Urban. His replacement, Lori Simon of Minnesota, will officially take on her new role on July 1.
MOSCOW, June 28 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court had ruled to extend detention of five men accused of murdering Russian opposition politician Nemtsov until late summer, lawyer Roza Magomedova told RAPSI on Tuesday.
The Moscow City Court has dismissed our appeal petition against an extended detention until 27 August, the lawyer said.
The probe into the case of the five detainees has been completed, they could study the case materials and the case has been submitted to the Prosecutors Office for the approval of indictment. The finalized charges have been brought against Zaur Dadayev, Anzor Gubashev, Shadid Gubashev, Temerlan Eskerkhanov, and Khamzat Bakhayev standing charged with a contract murder in the composition of an organized gang, and of illegal acquisition, transportation and possession of firearms.
Boris Nemtsov, 55, a prominent opposition politician, was shot down in the center of Moscow as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin on the night of 28 February. According to investigators, the conspirators in the murder had thoroughly prepared to commit this crime: they studied Nemtsovs schedule, spied upon him, prepared suitable weapons, vehicles and communication equipment. On the day of the murder, 28 February, after following Nemtsov from his home, at about 11.31 p.m. Dadayev, having received a signal from Anzor Gubashev and Shavanov that the situation was suitable for the murder, shot Nemtsov at least six times.
The investigation into Mukhudinov, the alleged mastermind behind this high-profile murder, who has been on the international wanted list since 2015 and other unidentified persons, is still going on.
Dadayev, was arrested in Ingushetia, a Russian Caucasus Republic, on 5 March 2015 on drug abuse charges and later transferred to Moscow in the custody of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Russian Investigative Committee. Other co-conspirators were arrested on 8 March 2001; on the same day all of them were detained by the decision of the Moscow Basmanny Court.
Russian ex-official charged with $922k embezzlement to go on trial
MOSCOW, June 28 (RAPSI) Prosecutors in Russias Sakhalin Region have forwarded a case against former Deputy Chief of the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot) Sergei Gorelik, who stands charged with embezzling 60 million rubles ($922,200), to court, Alexander Kurennoy, spokesman for the Prosecutor Generals Office, told journalists on Tuesday.
Prosecutors have approved indictment in the case, Kurennoy added.
According to investigators, Gorelik organized embezzlement of about 60 million rubles from the subordinate organization, federal government agency Sakhalin Seaport Administration, in 2010.
The case against Gorelik and his alleged accomplice will be considered by the Korsakovsky City Court of the Sakhalin Region.
Russian Supreme Court mitigates sentence for banned Islamic groups leader
MOSCOW, June 28 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) - Russias Supreme Courts Military Collegium has reduced the sentence handed down to Roman Ivanov, an organizer of the St. Petersburg branch of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami organization banned in Russia, by 4 months, RAPSI learnt in the courts press office on Tuesday.
In March, Ivanov was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison for creating a terrorist group.
According to the convicts lawyer, Alexander Kuznetsov, after the sentence had been read by the Moscow Military District Court, Ivanov pleaded guilty but argued against declaring the religious group headed by him had been terrorist.
In the summer of 2014, the Federal Security Service (FSB) in cooperation with police arrested about 30 individuals allegedly involved in the Islamic groups activity in St. Petersburg. Ivanov was arrested in the Leningrad Region on June 24, 2014.
In June 2015, the FSB said Hizb ut-Tahrir activity in St. Petersburg had been stopped as a result of a joint operation of the local FSB and Interior Ministry departments. All active members of the group were put in jail, according to the statement.
Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), founded in Jerusalem in 1953, is banned in several Arab and Central Asian countries. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group from operating on the territory of the country in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization.
Hizb ut-Tahrir members are regularly arrested by the police across Russia, mainly in big cities in central Russia, the Volga region and Siberia. Also, there are many supporters in Crimea, which rejoined Russia last spring.
Federation Councils Committee supports bill on Russian National Guard
MOSCOW, June 28 (RAPSI) The Federation Councils Committee on constitutional legislation has supported a bill on Russian National Guard.
On June 20, the State Duma Committee on security and fighting corruption has approved an amendment to the bill, extending the National Guards rights on using weapons, including, under certain circumstances shooting in crowds.
On April 5, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree launching a major overhaul of Russias security agencies. According to the decree, Interior Ministrys interior troops should be transformed into the National Guard directly subordinated to the President. The bill on National Guard gives the service a right to use special equipment and weapons.
The Presidential decree specifies the main duties of the National Guard, which should include fight against terrorism and extremism, participation in the territorial defense of the Russian Federation, protection of important state facilities and special cargoes, support for border guards, and monitoring of compliance with the law in the areas of arms circulation.
Spring planting was winding down and the majority of crops across Idaho were in good to excellent condition the week ending June 12, according to the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Northwest Regional Field Office in Olympia, Wash.The weather remained quite warm, further rising from the highs of the previous week and allowing for 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork.Low temperatures were reported at 31 degrees Fahrenheit in the south central region and a high temperature of 101 degrees in the southwestern region, with a statewide temperature differential of 5 degrees to 10 degrees above normal.Producers in the Magic Valley in south central Idaho were enjoying the wonderful hay drying weather after most of the first cut got rained on, said Steve Hines, University of Idaho Extension educator in Jerome County. The warm temperatures also got the corn up and going.It was cool before it got hot and that corn was just sitting there hating life, Hines said. It wanted to take its coat off and get going.Producers in eastern Idaho who grow mostly cereal crops and potatoes had conditions similar to those in the Magic Valley, although theyve had more disease in their wheat, specifically stripe rust, which has hit growers to a greater or lesser degree from Wyoming to Oregon on the Snake River Plain, Hines said.Caribou County reported the dry, warm weather helped farmers get a good start on first crop hay. Teton County reported the heat caused increased snow melt and runoff.Irrigation was a major activity in the south east region. Water supplies were strong. Irrigation ditches were full and some flooding resulted.Topsoil moisture was 7 percent very short, 17 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was 5 percent very short, 19 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus.Winter wheat is 79 percent headed this week in Idaho, behind last year, but well ahead of the five-year average of 49 percent. The condition of the crop is 68 percent good and 18 percent excellent, with just 12 percent fair and 2 percent poor or very poor.Spring wheat is 8 percent headed this week, about average for this time of year. The crop is fair to excellent.Barley is 93 percent emerged, whereas last year it was totally emerged at this date. The condition of the crop is mostly fair to excellent.Oats are 96 percent planted, 86 percent emerged. There are no statistics for the five year average on oats. The condition of the oat crop is fair to excellent.Hines said the cereal grains in the Magic Valley are headed out thanks to the warm days and temperate evenings.Prolonged heat can cause problems on cereals, but its cooled off in the evenings, he said.Potatoes are 82 percent emerged, a little behind last years 92 percent, but right around the five-year average of 81 percent. The condition of the potato crop is 87 percent good and 12 percent excellent, with just 1 percent reporting a fair crop.Sugarbeets are 93 percent emerged this week, and the crop is 1 percent fair, 75 percent good, and 24 percent excellent.Field corn is 94 percent emerged, the same as this time last year, both well ahead of the five-year average of 86 percent. The crop condition is 3 percent very poor, 7 percent fair, 88 percent good and 2 percent excellent.Dry edible beans are 90 percent planted, 59 percent emerged, which is ahead on the planting front and a bit behind on the emerging both compared with last year and over the five-year average. The condition of the crop is 53 percent fair, 42 percent good and 5 percent excellent.The first cutting of alfalfa hay is 71 percent compared with 61 percent at this time last year and 48 percent over the five-year average. A small percentage of lucky producers, just 3 percent, have managed a second cutting of alfalfa hay.No information about the progress of the onion crop is available, but the crop is reported as being 100 percent good.Pasture and range conditions were reported to be 1 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 19 percent fair, 60 percent good, and 18 percent excellent.Lincoln County reported large populations of the invasive medusa head grass on private and public rangelands.Across the state, the abundant early spring rain about a shower a week through March and April kept conditions cool and wet leading to a verdant and, possibly in a few weeks, combustible range, Hines said.The grass out on the range may be a concern in 3 or 4 weeks when it dries out and the cheat grass becomes potential fuel for fire, Hines said. It could be bad fire year, but a lot has to do with lightening.
The recently born twins boys to a HIV-positive couple at the Bharatpur Hospital in the Chitwan district, as seen on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Photo: RSS
CHITWAN: Twin boys are born to a HIV-positive couple here in the district recently. The newborns are said to be in a good health.
The couple hail from Madi of the district. The boys were delivered at the Bharatpur Hospital on June 18.
No HIV has been detected in the newborns in the preliminary tests. Doctors, however, said PCR-DNA test after 42 days of their birth could confirm if they are free from the virus.
The boys parents had married four years ago after divorcing their former partners who, according to them, spread HIV to them.
As many as 71 babies have been born to the HIV-positive parents at the Bharatpur Hospital since 2011. Out of them 66 are clean, while only two are infected with the virus. Three babies, however, did not survive.RSS
National delegation keen on success of Kuwait consultations
KUWAIT, June 26 (Saba) The national delegation confirmed on Sunday its keenness on the success of the Yemeni consultations in Kuwait under the auspices of the United Nations.
This came during a joint session between the national delegation and Riyadhs delegation in the presence of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
At the session, the UN Secretary-General asserted that the position of the international community is clear, which is that the conflict should stop and Yemen should return to the path of political transition.
Ban Ki-moon expressed his optimism for the recent release of prisoners and detainees, urging the parties to release all prisoners as a goodwill initiative before the Eid al-Fitr.
He called on both sides to the Kuwait consultations to work seriously with his special envoy to Yemen for approving a roadmap, to be committed to the cessation of hostilities in order to translate the progress made so far and to reach a comprehensive solution as soon as possible.
At the meeting, head of Ansarullah delegation Mohamed Abdusalam affirmed the keenness of the national delegation on the peace and stability in Yemen,
The peace is what we are searching for, which is the demand of the Yemeni people, who have suffered so much as a result of aggression," Abdusalam said.
He pointed out that a wide revolution broke out on the 21st of September 2014 demanding economic reforms and the implementation of the National Dialogue outcomes, and formed a government under the peace and partnership agreement, which was welcomed by the whole world.
The country is based on the principle of consensus since the beginning of the transitional period, he said, stressing they are now in Kuwait for the sake of peace according to that principle.
BA
Saba
Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter
Whatsapp Whatsapp
Telegram Telegram
Email Email
Print Print
[27/June/2016]
If Dajuan Harris Jr. is underrated, its not by those at Kansas
Hawk Zone
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2016 wrapped up over the weekend with a screening of its Closing Film and the announcement of the events final prize: the Audience Award. Fittingly Gillies MacKinnons warm-hearted and whiskey-soaked remake of Alexander Mackendricks Ealing Comedy classic Whiskey Galore played out the festival, while a man whos carving out his own niche in classic comedies took the Award. Taika Waititis Hunt for the Wilderpeople proved a firm favorite with critics and audiences alike. Starring Sam Neill as a grizzled loner forced to go on the run with a young tear away, the exceptional Julian Dennison. The film is both hilarious and touching throughout and fully deserves the praise it has received. Other entries to score highly in the public vote included A Man Called Ove, The Carer, Adult Life Skills, and The Fundamentals of Caring.
Edinburgh 2016s Awards in full:
Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film
Chosen by a jury consisting of actress Kim Cattrall, Edinburgh-based Spanish filmmaker and actress Iciar Bollain, and actor Clancy Brown, the Award went to Scotlands own Ben Sharrock for his directorial debut, Pikadero. A keenly observed, Basque-set comedy, Pikadero sees two young lovers repeatedly foiled in their attempts to find a quiet spot for romance.
Best Performance in a British Feature Film
Catrin Stewart put in a double shift as twin sisters, the palindromic Ana and Nan, to earn this best actor award for her role in Euros Lyns feature debut The Library Suicides.
Best International Feature Film
An International Jury comprised of actor Angus Macfadyen, actress and producer Sadie Frost and Editor of Screen International, Matt Mueller honored Argyris Papadimitropoulos Suntan.
Best Documentary Feature Film
Veteran producer Steve Abbott, actor Dougray Scott and film executive Tejinder Jouhal awarded Johan Grimonprezs expose of the global arms trade, Shadow World.
Best Short Film: Before Love, Dir. Igor Kovalyov
McLaren Award for Best British Animation: Simon's Cat - Off to the Vet, Dir. Simon Tofield
If you're an ardent chanbara cinema follower, this bit may concern you. SP International Pictures's own Steven Paul (Ghost Rider (2007), Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011), Tekken (2009), Tekken: Kazuya's Revenge (2014)) is now developing a live-action remake of Inoue Akira's 1993 film, Lone Wolf And Cub: Final Conflict which commences shooting in 2017. The film takes its cues from manga series author Koike Kazuo's 1970 Futabasha publication which ensued in manga follow-ups like "Lone Wolf 2100", as well as a six-part film franchise which led to two compiled U.S. versions, a television series and several stage plays.
The epic ronin tale is set in the Tokugawa shogunate era and tells of Ogami Itto, the Shogun's elite enforcer and executioner who journeys the land with his only son to redeem himself and avenge the death of their family following a treacherous conspiracy at the hands of a rival clan. Interestingly enough, Justin Lin, the current director of Star Trek: Beyond as well as many a Fast And Furious and upcoming sequel, Space Jam 2, was once posied to direct an adaptation of his own he had reportedly been developing since summer of 2011 for Kamala Films.
Paul who is also producing a remake of Tekken following events at last year's Cannes, is among the producers behind the March 31, 2017 release of Rupert Sanders's manga/anime adaptation, Ghost In The Shell for Paramount Pictures. In the meantime, Lone Wolf And Cub: Final Conflict currently awaits news on a director and cast while it is noted that an essentially Japanese cast will headline its English-language treatment.
Frankly, after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this being remade in English, though I have my own ideas on who I want to see starring. I would gladly watch it in Japanese with subtitles as I'm sure many among my niche would, but, how do you all feel about this movie? Share your thoughts and comment below!
"The Criminal Justice Black Box" | Main | Final SCOTUS order list has nine Mathis GVRs ... and I suspect hundreds more cases will be impacted
The Pew Charitable Trusts has this new Stateline report headlined "Prisons, Policing at Forefront of State Criminal Justice Action." Here are excertps:
Faced with overcrowded prisons and evidence that lengthy sentences dont deter crime, more states opted this year to revamp sentencing laws and send some people convicted of lesser, nonviolent crimes to local jails, if theyre locked up at all.
In an about-face after a half-century of criminal justice policies that favored long-term incarceration, Alaska, Kansas and Maryland this year joined at least 25 other states in reducing sentences or keeping some offenders out of prison.
The move to end lengthy prison stays for low-level offenders is one of several steps states took this year in reevaluating criminal justice policies during legislative sessions that have wrapped up in all but a few places. Other measures would help offenders transition back into their communities after release and hold police more accountable.
For years, many lawmakers were wary of appearing soft on crime. But states have recently retooled their criminal justice policies in response to tight post-recession budgets, shifting public opinion and court rulings demanding they ease prison overcrowding....
Alaska, Maryland and Kansas passed bills this year that divert all shoplifting and first-time DUI offenders away from prison, eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders, expand parole eligibility, and establish diversion programs for youth offenders, respectively.... And in Tennessee, lawmakers changed standards for property theft charges to help reduce the prison population, and established alternatives to re-incarceration for offenders who violate conditions of their parole or probation.
Many of the proposals enacted this year strike a complicated balance between boosting support for ex-offenders and ensuring that those convicted of crimes are held accountable. Relaxing sentencing and increasing the amount of good-time credits prisoners can earn toward an early release means hardened criminals might get out of prison sooner than they should, said Maryland Del. John Cluster, a retired police officer.
But he said his state could have gone farther to help offenders with job training and other re-entry assistance once they serve their time. You clean an addict up and you let him out, Cluster, a Republican, said. [If] he doesnt have a job, in less than a year hes going to be back on the drugs.
Many lawmakers are eager to reduce the expenses that come with running prisons. For example, prison systems cost taxpayers 14 percent more than state budgets indicate because they do not factor in expenses like benefits for correctional employees and hospital care for inmates. Prisons also strain local social services, child welfare and education programs.
But still, some elected officials want to build more. In Alabama, Republican Gov. Robert Bentley proposed spending $80 million to consolidate some of the states existing prisons and build four new ones. The state has one of the most overcrowded prison systems in the country, operating at 180 percent of capacity.
La Passion de Simone, presented by Cal Performance as part of the Ojai North Festival last past weekend, chronicles the life of Simone Weil. A French Jewish philosopher, Weil converted to Catholicism and, after fleeing France during WWII and emigrating to first New York then London, died there of either anorexia or from a mysticism-driven hunger strike to share the plight of people starving during the war.
Why attend this rather drab predicament, when at the same time, SF Opera was offering a star-studded night of light banter and joyous arias to celebrate the retirement of general director David Gockley with Renee Fleming or Thomas Hampson? Part of the reason is the attraction from its creator: Kaija Saariaho is one of the rare female composers to be on the program at the Met Opera. Actually, the Met's upcoming production of her L'amour de loin will be the first written by a woman since Ethel Smyths Der Wald in 1903, and the second one ever. (We couldn't find any performance by a female composer on the main stage of SF Opera, with one production by Thea Musgrave and one by Rachel Portman on smaller stages, so we can't really scold the Met.)
Kaija's music is a big deal, and Ojai North was advertised as women-oriented, despite being curated by Peter Sellars, who carries a Y chromosome. Not only was there La Passion de Simone, but there were two more evenings, one dedicated to Josephine Baker and a concert by Dina El Wedidi. Good for Sellars to feature these women, as we were not too impressed by his feminist cred after watching Dr Atomic, for which he wrote the libretto, and which had two female cliches on stage: A raging alcoholic stay-at-home wife and a selfless nurturing Native-American nanny.
He must have taken the criticism received over these characterizations to heart, since his next collaboration with Dr Atomic composer John Adams, just announced by SF Opera's David Gockley for 2017, is titled the Girls of the Golden West and focuses on the tough chicks of the gold rush.
Now, Ojai Festival, if you want to empower women, it's simpler to just make them artistic directors, you know. Out of the 70 editions of the festival, only once was a woman alone in that role (Dawn Upshaw in 2011; some shared the duties in three more occasions).
Kaija's La Passion de Simone is an oratorio for one soprano and a small chorus that runs seventy five minutes of rather bleak emotions, following Simone through the final stages of her life and presented as fifteen stations of her suffering. The Ojai version is scaled down from the original, which had electronics and larger forces. Breaking up the narrative arc into small pieces fits Kaija's musical writing, which likes bite-sized phrases and melody. The text (in French, by Amin Maalouf) is broken up into chunks of syllables that are set to short and simple melodic lines.
The orchestration supports the vocal lines with the same short, broken-up patterns. Kaija does not layer her music with the typical harmonic bass line in the lower register and melodies and counter-melodies on top. It's all orchestrated vertically, all instruments having similar role and weight, and the timbral texture oscillating along a rhythmic pulse. The impression is that of a spectral orchestral wave coming and crashing, then the next one, with a slightly different color, then the next one, according to an almost regular pulse. There are no long melodic phrases, but rather a halted ebb-and-flow that shimmers in a myriad of textures, an amazing feat considering the small size of the chamber orchestra. Kaija imbues this with expressionist gestures, such as a mechanical description of the plant where Simone worked, or the explosion that kicked off WWII. Her music is of subtle aural shifts, and we're convinced we've never seen the strings bow so much up and down the neck, to alter the color of the same note, rather than sideways.
The performance rested on the shoulders of Julia Bullock, who sang amplified and had to deal with Sellars' stage direction, which asked her to circle between lying on the floor, standing up, and leaning her forehead against a six-foot-tall light box. (At least, the silent dancer Sellars had put at La Passion de Simone's premiere in Vienna had the good taste to be absent.)
Bullock put a lot of energy and passion in Simone's long agony, and made it more lively than we'd expect from the terse text. Joana Carneiro, to complete the feminist theme, got the chamber ensemble to clearly bring out the subtleties of Saariaho's music. It's that music that stayed with us, walking back to the car after the performance, not Simone's starving death; we felt not guilt lining up for a late night ice-cream sandwich on Telegraph.
The San Francisco Police Department nabbed multiple suspects this weekend, after a pair of attempted robberies went down on the oft-sleepy west side of the city.
at 10:05 Saturday night, two men attempted to rob the user of an ATM at the Stonestown Galleria, police say, wielding what turned out to be a BB gun as they did so.
The robbery mugging suspects, two men aged 27 and 29, then "ran from the scene and then fled" in a white sedan, SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Michael Andraychak says. Police spotted the vehicle on Sunset Boulevard "and attempted a traffic stop. The suspects did not pull over and a short pursuit ensued."
During the chase down Sunset, the suspects allegedly ran a red light and collided with a driver at Wawona Street and Sunset. Unable to continue by car, they then "ran from the vehicle but were arrested a short distance away." The BB gun they allegedly used in the holdup was recovered at the scene, according to Andraychak.
The occupants of the vehicle struck by the suspects "sustained non-life-threatening injuries," Andraychak says. The suspects were booked into San Francisco County Jail on charges of attempted robbery, conspiracy, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting or delaying a peace officer. The driver of the suspect's vehicle was also charged with felony evading a police officer, and felony hit-and-run.
As of publication time, police had yet to publicly identify the suspects or release their booking photos.
Then, on Sunday at 12:09 in the afternoon, police were called to the 700 block of 48th Avenue, which is between Balboa and Cabrillo Streets in the Outer Richmond.
When they arrived on the scene, they learned that, according to the Ex, three women jumped two juvenile female victims and "mugged one of them for her purse."
The suspects then "jumped into a red vehicle and fled the scene," Andraychak says. According to the Ex, the women slammed their car "into a parked SUV at 44th Avenue and Balboa Street," which is where police found and arrested them.
All three were booked into San Francisco County Jail on robbery and conspiracy charges, . and "the driver of the 'get away' car was also charged with being an unlicensed driver and speeding," Andraychak says.
"The stolen purse was recovered and its contents were given back to the victim," Andraychak reports.
Although arrests have been made in both cases, Andraychak still asks that anyone with information on either heist to call SFPD's Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the beginning of the message.
"Closing Night: Looking."
Jonathan Groff had just managed to snap a cell phone picture of those words on the marquee at the Castro Theatre yesterday evening before he was recognized by a shrieking fan.
Groff was ahead of his cast mates, because unlike them, he had chosen to stroll to the theatre on foot rather than wade through lingering Pride traffic by car. Wearing a San Francisco T-shirt with a rainbow and a slightly tired smile, it was possible, for a moment, to see the actor as his character from HBO's erstwhile show: Patrick, a happy Pride-goer, rather than Groff himself, a high-ranking member of gay royalty who recently finished a run in the hottest show on Broadway in decades.
Looking, whose first episodes premiered at the Castro Theatre two years ago, was cancelled somewhat predictably at the end of its second season following mixed reviews and poor ratings. Speaking after the screening, creator Michael Lannan and director Andrew Haigh acknowledged that their show had always been "filmic," and so seemed content with the opportunity to embrace the format in a capstone piece. Here's the trailer for the movie, which dropped before Pride. It airs on HBO on July 23rd, and so I won't spoil anything in it, I promise, although I really want to.
The action of the film, as you'll glean from the trailer, takes place a bit into the future from where things left off at the end of Season 2. Patrick is returning to San Francisco, from which he's moved away, and the occasion is a wedding of two characters you may not have expected to get hitched.
This return approach imbues the movie's 90 minutes with a nostalgia that's particularly appropriate to fans parting with the show's characters. Also, the need for an ending and the additional time allowed in the feature-film format work well for pacing purposes. Last, that jump-ahead nicely accelerates certain characters in terms of maturity.
Groff put it well in the Q & A, saying that "it was very meta... In a lot of ways, in a lot of subconscious ways... we were coming back to say goodbye, so the characters could say goodbye." He proposed that this made his job easier: His character is also returning to say his goodbyes, or as Patrick puts it a few times, "bury his dead." Only, some things in San Francisco are alive and well: In the end, parting is sweeter and more sorrowful than we might have imagined. Last, in a final layer of meaning, seeing the film at the Castro Theatre which itself appears in the final frame of the movie provided a particularly fond farewell for Frameline viewers this Pride weekend.
Looking the movie, debuts on HBO Saturday, July 23 at 10 p.m.
Previously: The Looking Finale Film Trailer Drops Ahead Of Pride Weekend Premiere
HBO Cancels Looking, Will Conclude With One Final Special
Silicon Valley's first season ends with big success: A huge win for Pied Piper at TechCrunch Disrupt. Its second season ends with serious failure: Richard Hendricks is ousted from his position as CEO at the company he founded. But last night's season three finale lay somewhere in between, putting the team on a more independent track and with a more accidental but all the more promising vision for their company as they proceed.
To recall where we're at: While installs of Pied Piper's platform have been great, daily users were severely lacking, and with money running out and a potentially high profile failure on their hands, Jared desperately purchased users from a Bangladeshi click farm. The ruse doesn't get dragged out: Richard immediately reveals that he knows about the fake users and that it won't matter anyway, because the company is going to fold regardless. However, here's the twist: A newly reinvigorated Erlich is coming into his own as a PR head. He explains, in a brilliant, fast-paced speech, that he's played a bunch of venture capitalists off one another to convince them, based on the uptick in fake users, to provide a Series B round of funding to Pied Piper. A sample of his language: "I was at the Rosewood for lunch I mean it was the lunch hour, I was there, I wasn't eating, the usual..." Anyway, after name dropping everyone from Marc Andreessen to Vinod Khosla, Erlich announces that Coleman Blair Partners would like to offer Pied Piper a $6 million round at a $60 million valuation, putting them back in business.
Naturally, that leaves Richard and Jared in an ethical bind: It would be fraudulent to represent the company as growing based on daily active users. But as Richard justifies matters "It's not we're lying about it like fucking Theranos." Quick to discover the duplicity are Dinesh and Gilfoyle, who in a lovely wink and nudge routine explain that they've helped cover the fake users' tracks but don't want to be implicated in any way. "Whatever you did or didn't do," says Dinesh, "that was some serial killer level shit." Adds Gilfoyle: "I think I finally respect you as a CEO."
Returning to Hooli, a reinstated Gavin Belson is paying the piper for his most recent live animal display, an ongoing gag that hasn't really made much plot sense, until, debatably, now. The elephant, an endangered species, keeled over and died on Hooli property: We're told it was rescued from the circus but actually very depressed because it loved performing. "You always said that here at Hooli, in order to achieve greatness, we must first achieve goodness," Belson's subordinate tells him. "I was a bridesmaid at Sean Parker's wedding when he handed out live bunnies as plush toys. That wasn't goodness. That was badness. So's this." Of course, Belson fires her and has the elephant's body lifted by helicopter and dumped in the Bay. The spurned subordinate reports the behavior to that blogger, CJ, who's publication, Coderag, is now owned by Erlich and Bighead. CJ confronts Belson with the story, and he does exactly what Erich did: Buys the blog, this time out from under Erlich, to kill the story.
Laurie Bream and Raviga, Monica included, are already furious that Richard and Erlich are shopping around by the time the Pied Piper CEO and PR head swing over to the meewith Coleman Blair. It gets worse from there. Richard can't keep up the lie up and confesses that the daily active users are fake, infuriating Erlich, who had no idea. This is the maddest we've ever seen him, and it's the end, it seems of their friendship. Word gets out quickly about the fake users, and soon Erlich and Richard are at a board meeting with Raviga where Laurie is ready to put the company up for sale.
The highest bidder? We assume, based on a previous scene picturing an encounter with Laurie, Belson, and Jack Barker, that it's Hooli. Belson's offered to pay $1 million for it an incredible, insulting steal that will mean Hooli won the compression war after losing every battle. The scene in the Raviga board room is bizarre and fast-paced: Monica refuses to agree to the sale, and so, for that matter, does a totally random other Raviga dude because, he claims, he's in love with Monica. It's high drama and hilarious because who the fuck is this guy, but anyway, it doesn't matter at all because Laurie is going to get her way and Richard is totally defeated and basically plays dead.
Except: Twist again: The sale is not to Hooli for $1 million but to a higher bid (by one dollar) from "Bachmanity," the VC firm of Erlich and Big Head's creation that, with the $2 million sale of Coderag, is back in action. This turn of events unites pretty much everyone, even bringing Big Head and possibly Monica, who may have been fired, back into the fold. While Erlich gives Richard a stern talking to about how he'll have to earn back his trust, but then we cut to the team celebrating together.
So, what's next? In its final moments, the episode gestures at a number of possible changes like a pivot to Dinesh's video chat, which has organically been picking up followers, inspiring Big Head and Erlich to buy Pied Piper in the first place. Mostly, what's next is more to look forward to: This was such a weird, fun, intricate episode, one tying together seemingly mundane elements from the whole season. Even Jian Yang has a funny line to cap things off, prank calling Erlich "from the future." What's really ahead? Sadly, we have a long wait to find out.
Previously: Silicon Valley Ep. 3.9: 'Pipey'
Celeste Guap, the 18-year-old Oakland prostitute who had sex with over a dozen OPD officers as well as a half dozen in the Richmond PD, and allegedly three in the SFPD, sat down for an exclusive, on-camera interview with ABC 7 reporter Dan Noyes in which she reveals some new information in the case. First of all, after we've gotten differing reports about the numbers of officers involved from various jurisdictions, Guap confirms that she had sexual encounters with 32 difference law enforcement officers, 16 of them with the Oakland PD though she says she has kept some of their names to herself, despite having turned over cell phone data that's incriminated a number of them. Also, while she says she had the liaisons in exchange for information and protection from the cops, she seems a little bitter about the fact that only three of the 32 ever paid for her services.
Coincidentally, he interviews in a Richmond park where cops would sometimes bring her for sex.
More dramatically, in a separate piece of the interview that you can watch below, Guap reveals exactly how and why the story broke in the first place and it's all because she was upset that the original officer whom she considered her protector ignored a phone call she made to him on her 18th birthday.
That officer was Brendan O'Brien, who himself was reeling from the suicide of wife last year, and who met Guap in February 2015 when she was running from a pimp in East Oakland. She tells ABC 7 that while O'Brien knew that Guap had trysts with other officers on the force, "We [would] tell each other you're my only, you know, like that, but he knew what it was."
She traveled to Puerto Rico to celebrate her 18th birthday, and she says when she found herself drunk and alone in a "rough area" in a bikini, her cell phone about to die, she called O'Brien for some long-distance help, and he ignored her call. This led to her making threats that she would expose him for having had sex with her when she was 17, which she did sending him a screenshot of a message she sent to a commanding officer, an OPD sergeant, detailing her underage affairs with O'Brien and several other officers. Authorities then believe O'Brien took his own life within hours. This was in September 2015.
Guap appears to have some guilt about this, and perhaps some anger toward the dozens of other officers who contacted her for sex over the ensuing months.
She is, however, protecting at least 10 officers who provided information that kept her and some friends from being arrested.
She claims that she had sex with three SFPD officers (previously we'd heard of two), apparently after turning 18, and four Alameda County sheriff's deputies have already been cleared in their own cases because they had consensual sex with her, for no money, after she was of age.
This scandal, along with a couple of others revealed this month, has roiled the already troubled Oakland Police Department at a time when some believed it had turned a corner. After having to fire three different chiefs, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf put a civilian temporarily in charge of hiring and administration for the department, Oakland City Administrator Sabrina Landreth.
Guap continues to "work a corner" in East Oakland, and her mother is still employed with the Oakland PD as a dispatcher. She says she first had sex for money at the age of 12 when she lived in Richmond.
Previously: Two SFPD Officers Now Implicated In Oakland Police Sex Trafficking Scandal
Oakland Police Sex Scandal Deepens With More East Bay Officers Implicated, Interim Oakland Chief Fired
One of the creative arms of the Works Progress Administration, the Federal Writers Project (FWP) was established in 1935 to support out-of-work writers, editors, historians, and social scientists. A secondary aim of the FWP was to stimulate travel and consumerism by producing a series of state guidebooks perhaps the best-known of the projects efforts that discussed the history and culture of each state, paired with guided automobile tour routes of notable places. The scope of the guidebook project also covered a number of American cities, including Milwaukee . The Milwaukee project began in 1935, with the County Board of Supervisors agreeing to contribute money to the publication of the manuscript when completed. However, squabbles over the quality and political content of the volume doomed the project and, for over 70 years, the 600+ page manuscript sat in the Wisconsin Historical Society archives.
John D. Buenker, professor emeritus of history for UW-Parkside, has finally brought this incredible work to the eyes of the public in his new book from Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Milwaukee in the 1930s. The original FWP project was conceived in three parts a series of historical essays about the city, a series of neighborhood guides, and a set of three tours one could take heading north, west, or south from downtown. In editing down the manuscript, Buenker mostly persevered the neighborhood guides and tours, but left out all but one of the historical essays. In his insightful preface, he explains that the essays were the greatest cause of consternation to the county board when it was submitted for publication and the resulting work was written by a committee whose deliberations were constantly interrupted by bitter ideological and partisan conflict. He does, however, supplement the missing essays with a brief recounting of the citys history and presents the manuscripts final historical essay, titled Today, as-is.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays. SIGN UP
The decades this work spent gathering metaphorical dust (I have no doubt the WHS took excellent care of it) have aged it into a wonderful and articulate snapshot of time when Milwaukee was caught beginning to emerge from its old world roots as a modern American metropolis. In the Today essay that follows Buenkers preface, this is illustrated by noting that Milwaukee was then the 12th largest city in the nation, but the locals still thought of it as an overgrown village. Buenker notes that one of the complaints of the county board was that the history essays were too negative in their appraisal of the city. This idea bleeds through just a bit in Today, with the local residents depicted as frugal and simple folk. College degrees and extensive travel cannot always erase typical turns of phrase from the vocabularies of those to whom Milwaukee is home, the essay states, Once and yet are as thick in Milwaukee speech as raisins in a Christmas Stollen and as indiscriminately placed.
But to take this as an insult is to miss the strange affection that shows through the book. In closing the Today essay, Milwaukeeans are said to regard their hometowns idiosyncrasies with the affectionate and amused pride that one takes in ones old Aunt Susan, who always leaves her spoon in her coffee cup. She is not suave, or permanent-weaved, or smart, but she does as she pleases, speaks her mind, and commands recognition.
Milwaukee as it looked in the 1930s.
The chapters that follow reflect this idea. A user of the volume in 1940 could regard the breweries as a greater draw than the skyscrapers, the churches being more important than the mansions, and might note that the Jones Island sewage treatment plant keeps nearly the same hours for public tours as the Layton Art Gallery (and with no admission charge). The neighborhood essays also, of course, capture an image of the city that once was. Supplemented with the tour descriptions that close the book, the essays use simple and clear language, with the folksy touch seen above, to paint a unpretentious portrait of Milwaukee in a long-past time. The previous scarcity of the manuscript itself also preserves a number of interesting items that have remained mostly absent from histories of the city. The Spite House that once sat at Park Place and Downer Avenue an imposing square building painted a deathly combination of red and black to protest a city zoning ordinance is one such treasure. As is the labeling of what are presently known as the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods as the Wooden Shoe District, so-called because of a lazy translation of Deutsch, in reference to the areas many German residents, as Dutch.
The work is also wonderfully illustrated, with dozens of images of Milwaukee from the era depicted that are in some cases as interesting as the text itself. The nature of the book, essentially being a 75-year-old tourist guide to the city, might leave it as something more of a tool for historians or academics than a book just to pick up and read. However, the depth of the information contained, and the uniqueness of the project that produced it, should make the work both accessible and interesting to anyone interested in local history.
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City Council on Monday voted to grant final site approval of cellphone tower placement within city limits to the City Council.
The item, which passed 4-1, was amended from a series of changes to the current cellphone tower policy recommended by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission. The commission's original recommendation had been for final approval to remain with the Board of Adjustment. Under that existing policy, the council could remand the board's decisions back for further consideration but did not have final say.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott, who made the initial motion to give the council approval, said the council often takes much of the blame from the public when people don't like the placement of a tower.
"My problem is we get blamed for them and we have no say in them," he said.
Under the new structure, the Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing for cellphone tower placements, then send a recommendation to the council, which will also hold a public hearing and grant final approval.
Councilman Keith Radig said he was in favor of allowing the opportunity for the public to contest these decisions at the council level.
"I just think this is a key decision for a neighborhood, Radig said. "And honestly, if they dont have the right to petition their council and get results, I just think thats wrong."
Councilman Dan Moore, the sole "no" vote, said he believed the Board of Adjustment was capable of doing the job.
"I just think the Board of Adjustments doing a great job, and they have been," he said. "I just want to stand up for what they're doing. They're doing a good job."
Scott also expressed the desire to ban all cell towers within residential areas. Board of Adjustment chairman Jason Geary said the Planning and Zoning Commission had also discussed that measure but said it could expose the city to potential legal problems.
After Monday's vote, Sioux City becomes the second of Iowa's major metropolitan cities to use city council final site approval, according to city officials. The other is Cedar Falls.
Other amendments regarding cell towers included a recommendation that the city encourage stealth towers, which are designed to be less noticeable; and a requirement that towers would need to be painted neutral colors without signage. Under Radig's recommendation, the council also amended the regulations to keep cellphone tower height restrictions at 200 feet, rather than lower them to 150.
Cornerstone monument
In other action Monday, the City Council voted 4-1 to sell a 20-by-20-foot parcel at Third Street and Wesley Parkway to Cornerstone World Outreach to erect a memorial to the Rev. George Haddock, a Sioux City prohibitionist preacher killed in 1886. The monument will include a monument, bench and landscaping.
SIOUX CITY | A council decision regarding a controversial rezoning near the Sergeant Floyd Monument in Sioux City will have to wait another two weeks.
The City Council voted Monday to defer its vote in order to give enough time to look at drainage in the area and how it would affect the developer's future site plans.
The owner, Casey Fenton, of Sioux City, currently plans to build self-storage units on the property, which lies east of the monument across Highway 75 and is currently zoned for residential use. When Fenton petitioned the Planning and Zoning Commission to change the zoning to general industrial, the proposed change drew letters of concern from the National Park Service and Iowa State Historic Preservation Office.
The Planning and Zoning Commission then made a recommendation to the City Council to zone the property to general commercial, which would still allow for the self-storage units through an approval process.
On Monday, Fenton said he wants to work with local historic societies to develop a design that would appease both sides. He said he plans to abide by city code in the area and to plant trees on the location that will eventually exceed the height of the 12-to-14-foot storage units.
"I'm not trying to change the integrity of the area," he said. "What we intend to do is to make it look nicer than what it did when I first purchased the property."
Councilman Pete Groetken said he was reluctant to support anything that would affect the historic integrity of the area, which was named as the nation's first National Historic Landmark in 1960.
"I don't object to anything that you're attempting or wanting to do at all," he said. "It's the idea of this national landmark to me and the importance of the historic integrity that's associated with it. I think it brings an awful lot of visitors to Sioux City."
Three others stood up to voice their hesitancy for the project.
Beverly Hinds, of Sioux City, said it was important to maintain the area for the visitors to the area, who come from around the nation and other countries.
After discussion of the drainage problems on the property, Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott moved to table the discussion to ensure those issues were being addressed properly.
"I think before we go down the road and make him spend all that money, we need to make sure there's even drainage on that site," Scott said after the meeting. "It leads me to believe we don't have any storm sewer south of that site, which is concerning if you all of a sudden make it all concrete."
The council will take up the issue at its next meeting on July 11. The council will not meet July 4 due to the holiday.
DAKOTA CITY, Nebraska | A member of the Dakota City Fire Department has died after suffering a heart attack while in the line of duty.
Capt. Eric Speck, 38, died Monday after suffering from a heart attack on Thursday after responding to a medical call.
Dakota City Fire Chief Clint Rasmussen said Speck had been complaining of chest pains during the call and traveled to the hospital afterward, where it was found he had suffered a heart attack.
Rasmussen said Speck had been with the department for a combined 15 years. His wife, Joanie, also serves on the department. They have two children, Skyler, 15, and Devin, 13.
"The Dakota City Fire Department will honor Eric, and well be here for the family," Rasmussen said.
South Sioux City Fire Chief Toby English said his family is acquainted with Eric's and that they had worked together several times on mutual aid calls. He said it was tragic to hear the news.
"Our hearts are out to Dakota City Fire and its members and its family," English said. "We just pray for them and hope that they can get through this and continue on with what it is that we do.
Rasmussen said this is the second line of duty death for the department in the past two years. Capt. Andy N. Zalme, 42, died on April 16, 2015, of a heart attack while on the scene of a car fire.
The city lowered its flags to half-staff Tuesday in Speck's honor. A vigil is currently planned at the Dakota City Fire Hall from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Friday, also at the fire hall. The Nebraska Serious Injury and Team is on location assisting the Dakota City Fire Department with funeral arrangements.
SERGEANT BLUFF | Two people were taken to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City after a single-vehicle accident just south of the Sergeant Bluff rest area on Interstate 29 northbound Tuesday.
According to the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office, Sydney Wallin, 19, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was driving northbound and was passing a dark colored vehicle. Witnesses say the dark colored car drifted toward Wallin's vehicle and caused her to swerve and lose control, and struck a tree in the east ditch around 12 p.m.
Dep. Todd Peterson said Wallin was trapped inside the vehicle, with her door pinned against a tree. Authorities had to push open the door to free her from the vehicle.
She was then flown by Mercy Air Care to Mercy Medical Center.
Wallin's passenger, Reid Wondra, 19, of Bellevue, was also transported to Mercy.
Their conditions are not being released at this time.
Traffic was slowed in the northbound lanes for several minutes as rescue crews shut down the right lane of the interstate. Both lanes were opened Tuesday afternoon.
The Woodbury County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Salix Fire Department, Iowa Department of Transportation and Mercy Air Care.
SIOUX CITY | A wave of cooler weather looks to continue in Siouxland through the remainder of the work week, bringing temperatures in the low 80s and a few chances for scattered showers.
According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, today will be partly sunny with a high of 81 degrees. Chances of precipitation are 20 percent.
Rain chances will increase to 40 percent tonight, with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible mainly after 2 a.m. Tonight's low will be around 62.
Wednesday will be 80 degrees with a 50 percent chance of precipitation. Chances for showers and thunderstorms remain through the evening hours, with a low of 64 degrees.
Thursday's high will be 83 degrees, with a 30 percent chance of precipitation, mainly before 1 p.m. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low around 57.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be partly cloudy with highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Independence Day looks to be partly sunny with a high near 88.
SIOUX CITY | A judged rib competition Saturday raised a record $43,000 for a Sioux City organization that operates a camp for individuals with disabilities.
In addition, the second annual Camp High Hopes Rib Fest brought more than 1,000 visitors to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's Battery Park June 25.
With ribs and chicken donated by Tyson Fresh Meats and sides donated by Famous Dave's and Aggie's, Rib Fest featured live music, as well as a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned cooking contest.
"Rib Fest 2016 was a huge success," said Camp High Hope executive director Chris Liberto. "The community showed up, had a great time and really made a difference for our campers."
Camp High Hopes offers individual, barrier-free recreational experiences for children, teens and adults with disabilities in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
According to an Iowa State Patrol report, 63-year-old Merle Broesder, of Sibley, Iowa, was driving a 1999 Oldsmobile Bravada north on Larch Avenue near the 190th Street intersection when the vehicle veered into the ditch, ramped 190th Street and rolled. The vehicle came to rest in a field.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill a pastor during church services.
David Flores-Marroquin, 25, entered his plea in Woodbury County District Court to charges of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and first-degree harassment. His trial was set for Aug. 16.
According to court documents, Flores-Marroquin entered the Community Bible Chapel, 1000 Virginia St., on June 12 and began shouting at pastor Tranquilino Estrada-Ramirez during church services. Flores-Marroquin then sat down, pulled out a realistic-looking BB gun, pointed it at the pastor and threatened to kill him, court documents said.
A day earlier, Estrada-Ramirez had asked Flores-Marroquin to leave after finding him outside the building cutting himself with a knife and wiping blood on the steps. Court documents said Flores-Marroquin threatened to kill the pastor with the knife.
SIOUX CITY | Northwest Iowa lawmakers had a mixed reaction to a big national abortion ruling Monday, disagreeing on whether the U.S. Supreme Court's striking down a Texas law will mean abortion is less likely to be debated in the state Legislature.
The justices on a 5-3 ruling struck down Texas's regulation of abortion clinics Monday in the court's biggest abortion case in nearly a quarter century. The justices sided with the Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion.
State Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, said the ruling marked "a sad day for the unborn in America today as this decision once again illuminates the clear difference between the Republican and Democratic Parties and how critical this upcoming presidential election is to the unborn."
Bertrand said it is time for Iowa lawmakers to redouble efforts.
"It's time to stop nibbling at the edges and pass legislation based upon modern indisputable science that defines life at conception. Only then will the emotionless slaughter of the innocent unborn come to an end," Bertrand said.
State Rep. Chris Hall, D-Sioux City, said given the split control by Republicans and Democrats of the two Iowa Legislature chambers, there haven't been many discussions of proposals on abortion, with moderation on the issue taking hold due to pragmatism on what could be enacted. He said it is unclear whether the Supreme Court ruling will mean the abortion topic will be discussed even less in 2017.
"We've had a very mature and moderate conversation on those issues over the years," Hall said.
Republican lawmakers have sought to pull money from Planned Parenthood in Iowa, which provides abortion services. Late in the 2016 session, a $1.8 billion health and human services budget bill was held up by pro-life legislators insisting that taxpayer money should not go to womens health care providers that have abortion services.
In the Monday ruling, Justice Stephen Breyer's majority opinion held that the Texas regulations are medically unnecessary and unconstitutionally limit a woman's right to an abortion. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Thomas wrote that the decision "exemplifies the court's troubling tendency 'to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.'" Thomas was quoting an earlier abortion dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February.
Texas abortion providers said the rules would have cut the number of abortion clinics in the state by three-fourths if they had been allowed to take full effect.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has clinics in four states, including one in Sioux City in the 4000 block of Stone Avenue. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland CEO Suzanna de Baca praised the ruling, calling Monday a great day.
The Supreme Court made it clear that politicians cannot pass laws to block access to safe, legal abortion, de Baca said.
Mary's Choice operates right next to the Sioux City Planned Parenthood office, as an alternative to abortion, by giving counseling, contacts for birthing doctors and adoption tips. Alice Card, an assistant at Mary's Choice, said her disagreement with Supreme Court rulings dates to 1973 with the landmark Roe v. Wade case that made abortion legal in all states.
Card said the most recent ruling shows a court who doesn't recognize the sanctity of all lives.
"(Abortion) is an abomination of life," Card said.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Hall like the court's ruling.
Hulse is doing what she believes to be right. If you want to call her something, call her an example to landowners whose property is along the route of Navigator's proposed CO2 pipeline. She wants others like her to know they're not powerless.
SIOUX CITY | Removing a financial barrier that threatened to thwart the $6.7 million project, Woodbury County supervisors approved $1.5 million Tuesday for the proposed Ag Expo and Learning Center in Sioux City.
For several months, state and city leaders had urged the county to contribute to the facility envisioned for a tract in the former stockyards, on the doorstep of downtown along Interstate 29.
Last November, the Sioux City Council pledged $2 million and 12 acres of land at the site of the former John Morrell pork plant. At the time, the city funding was contingent on a $2 million pledge from the county and $1 million from the nonprofit gaming group Missouri River Historical Development. MRHD presented a pledge in that amount last week.
By a 4-1 vote Tuesday, the supervisors pledged $1.5 million to the project over 10 years, at $150,000 per year.
"This is a unique opportunity where Woodbury County and the city of Sioux City stand ready for growth ... It is a very exciting endeavor," supervisor chairman Jeremy Taylor said.
The county money was considered crucial in the city's bid to land $13.9 million in future sales and hotel taxes from the Iowa Economic Development Authority for the ag center and two other big-ticket projects totaling $72 million. (The other pieces are a new hotel near the downtown Sioux City Convention Center and the nearby Virginia Square mixed-use development.)
The city's Reinvestment District application is awaiting final approval from the IEDA board, which at a meeting earlier this year had warned the state funds could be dependent on the county and other public bodies, such as Western Iowa Tech Community College, showing a financial commitment to the project.
The county's first payment to the ag center would come after July 2017, with the funding coming from either the county's portion of gambling revenues from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City or from tax-increment financing. That funding detail will be worked out over future months, although Taylor said he preferred the use of gambling revenues for at least the next few years.
The county annually gets from $375,000 to $400,000 in gaming proceeds.
"It will be financially responsible," Taylor said.
The dissenting vote Tuesday came from Supervisor Larry Clausen, who said he preferred tapping the county's 1 percent Local Option Sales Tax fund for the money for the ag center. Clausen said the county has used the gambling fund proceeds to pay for equipment purchases and other unanticipated costs that arise each fiscal year, so the fund could be too strapped.
"I'd love to vote for this. The money is not there," Clausen said.
Along with Taylor, supervisors Jackie Smith, Mark Monson and Matthew Ung also supported the $1.5 million plan, which will be fleshed out in a series of upcoming sharing agreements with varying entities involved.
"This is a great, great, great project ... It is all about agriculture and just about everybody in this area is involved in agriculture," Monson said.
Dennis Gann, a member of the Ag Expo and Learning Center Board of Directors, cheered the decision.
"This is is a great moment ... It is visionary," Gann said.
After months of hesitation, the county board moved toward supporting the ag center after working out a series of stipulations with the other entities. The county insisted that it will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the center or responsible if the center experienced financial losses. The center will be run by a private management firm, rather than the city as was originally envisioned.
The county money is also contingent on Western Iowa Tech contributing $250,000 to the ag center, which would be designed with classroom space.
The center, which would host equestrian competitions, livestock shows and other farm and ag-related events, is projected to draw more than 100,000 people annually. Preliminary plans call for the complex to include a 3,000-seat arena, a warm-up arena, livestock pens and a stockyards hall of fame.
More private fundraising will be needed to finalize complete financing.
"This will allow us to charge ahead and raise the additional funds and go back to the state," city of Sioux City Economic Development Director Marty Dougherty said.
A few years ago, the county backed plans for a different version of the center that was originally planned next to the Woodbury County Fairgrounds in Moville and as primarily an equestrian center.
Gann said it was unfortunate the project never came together in Moville after sufficient funding failed to materialize. The focus then shifted to Sioux City.
WASHINGTON -- The Leave campaign won the referendum on withdrawing Britain from the European Union because the arguments on which the Remain side relied made Leave's 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 Cameron's attempt to justify Remain by negotiating EU concessions regarding Britain's subservience to the EU. This dickering for scraps of lost sovereignty underscored Britain's 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 world's fifth-largest economy, would endure myriad calamities were it to end its 23-year membership in the EU. Remain advocates rarely even feigned enthusiasm for the ramshackle, sclerotic EU. 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 government's 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 GDP 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 EU's ever-multiplying tentacles. And that the very viscosity of the EU's statism guarantees its immortality.
Voters chose the optimism of Brexit. Sixty years after Britain's 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 government's actions. Britain was last conquered by an invading army in 1066. In 2016, it repelled an attempted conquest by the EU'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 EU'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 EU, look across the English Channel, to France. There, King Clovis recently was invoked 1,505 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, France's 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 EU'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 own identity." Sarkozy, the son of Greek and Hungarian immigrants, sympathizes.
Euroskepticism is rising dramatically in many EU nations. There might be other referendums. Or the EU 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 side's intellectual sloth, it wielded the threadbare aspersion that advocating withdrawal amounted to embracing "isolationism." Actually, Brexit was the choice for Britain's 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 post-war European history.
DES MOINES Iowa is in good fiscal health, the states auditor said Monday.
But Mary Mosiman also cautioned lawmakers to put a pause on new expensive, multi-year programs like the 2013 education reform and commercial property tax cuts that have depleted the states budget surplus.
Mosiman delivered her annual audit of the state budget on Monday. She said good budgeting principles have helped keep the states reserve accounts full and state spending within available resources.
When asked by reporters for a grade rating of the state budget, Mosiman offered a B+.
This years budget is stable, and it is responsible, Mosiman said. We have ongoing challenges and opportunities in Iowas fiscal forecast, as we always do.
Among those challenges are the ever-increasing cost of educating Iowas children and providing health care for older and lower-income residents.
According to Mosiman, education and health care spending chews up three-fourths of state dollars budgeting for the fiscal year that starts Friday. In fiscal 1995, those were just less than half of the state budget.
Mosiman also noted that although lawmakers and the governor have spent state revenue responsibly, the states budget surplus in two years has fallen from more than $400 million to $80 million. Mosiman said that decline largely has been because of the states commercial property tax cuts and education reform, both passed in 2013.
The state has reimbursed local governments for revenue lost from the commercial property tax cuts, costing the state $136 million in fiscal 2015, $253 million in fiscal 2016 and $280 million in fiscal 2017.
The education reform package cost the state $50 million in 2015, $100 million in 2016 and $150 million in 2017.
Mosiman said that with the state budget surplus almost completely spent, it would be challenging to enter into any new multi-year programs.
I would think additional laws that add significant multi-year accelerated financial commitments would be challenging until our revenues rebound again, Mosiman said.
The state budgeted $8.574 billion for the coming fiscal year, $200,000 less than was legally permitted, according to Mosimans analysis.
Mosiman also noted more than $5.4 million in misspent funds found as the result of state audits in this past fiscal year.
The most egregious examples were $1.9 million diverted to the personal account of an orthopedic specialist at the University of Iowa, $1.6 million in misspent funds by the states Sixth Judicial District and nearly $1 million in erroneous unemployment benefits payments made by Iowa Workforce Development due to a telephone system malfunction, scammers and overpayments.
SIOUX CITY | A couple in their early 20s occupy the second and third floor of a 1916 prairie farmhouse with a wrap-around porch and peeling paint, a piece of Sioux City history nestled among a sanctuary-like setting of blooming flowers, bushes and trees and a bubbling fountain that cant be missed.
Brody Osterbuhr, a tenderhearted 22-year-old with thick-rimmed glasses and a scraggly beard, and his wife Nikole Klemmensen live in Latham Park.
He holds a romantic view of the privately-owned public park as many do who grew up in the area and threw pennies into the fountain or exchanged vows in the quaint, green estate of the late Clara Latham that covers nearly an acre, one block off of Morningside Avenue.
His grandparents lived in a yellow house across the street for 40 years. His family moved into that same house 11 years ago.
When I was growing up, Id always come over and visit Grandma and Grandpa. Wed walk through the park. I was here all the time, he said.
The quiet retreat exists because of Clara Latham. When her parents retired from farming south of Moville, Iowa, in 1899, they moved to Morningside. Her two brothers built the family home, at 1915 S. Lemon St., and she lived there until she died in 1937.
Before she passed, she established a trust, now managed by Security National Bank, to preserve her home and surrounding property for public use.
By 2002, money in the trust fund was running out, and the Friends of Latham Park formed to rectify the situation. Contrary to popular belief, the city does not own or maintain the park or make financial contributions to it.
Park maintenance requires an annual operating budget of $25,000-$30,000, according to Jill Swanson, co-president of the nonprofit association.
Some of the biggest expenses arise from the century-old home.
In recent years, grants and donations -- monetary and in-kind -- helped to remodel the kitchen, install a new furnace and central air conditioning unit and replace the roof, gutters, windows and doors. New insulation, wiring and siding are next on the list.
An outdoor stage recently arrived in a 1,500-pound package, a purchase made possible thanks to a $10,000 grant from Missouri River Historical Development. The portable stage and sound system will be used for weddings and other special events, including a live family-friendly music festival in the spring featuring local musicians.
Anything we do, we have to raise the funds for, Swanson said. We dont get any help from the city or the state or the federal government. Its all private donations and grants. To be able to continue this park, we have to be continually reaching out to the community, getting in a younger demographic The median age of our group of volunteers is probably 62.
Eager to use social media to promote the park, Osterbuhr and Klemmensen are a big part of energizing community outreach initiatives. Theyre at least half the age of past caretakers, a job that comes with a rent-free residence but no salary.
For that matter, its not just a job. Its a lifestyle -- a welcome one.
They moved into the Latham home in April after a stint of living in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he worked as a train conductor for BNSF Railway. It was a grueling work schedule.
Id be home for 10-12 hours and gone for 36. Thats not the work-life balance that I really wanted, he said. Id much rather do this for the rest of my life than do that for five years.
While volunteers do pitch in to help, theyre responsible for a better part of the upkeep, which includes mowing, weeding, planting, pruning and fall cleanup. Theyre also expected to be on site to oversee all events whether its a wedding or the annual pancake breakfast.
Their motivation for maintaining the park isnt money but a memory of a man.
Osterbuhr smiled as he recalled his boyhood playtimes, hiding in the perennial elephant ears that towered 7 feet tall. But the fondest times were spent walking the parks paths with his grandpa, Cecil Vander Weil, the unofficial supervisor of the neighborhood.
Thats why Osterbuhr wanted this job. His grandpa loved Latham Park.
Vander Weil died in August and dedicated memorial funds to Latham Park. The money went toward updating the summer kitchen. The open-air structure in the southwest corner of the park got a fresh coat of paint, new shingles and soffit and a wheelchair-accessible sidewalk.
If his grandpa were still alive, Osterbuhr thought the watchman would approve.
The Internal Revenue Service is cracking down to make sure restaurants comply with a 2012 rule change governing how servers gratuities are treated. The change may force restaurants to reconsider their policies on so-called automatic gratuities. In an official IRS posting about the tax rules on reporting and withholding tips, the federal agency explains:
Employees who receive cash tips of $20 or more in a calendar month while working for you, are required to report to you the total amount of tips they receive. The employees must give you written reports by the tenth of the following month. Employees who receive tips of less than $20 in a calendar month are not required to report their tips to you but must report these amounts as income on their tax returns and pay taxes, if any.
But thats not even the part that has restaurateurs perplexed and concerned.
The rule addresses how automatic gratuities are treated for tax purposes. Rather than simply divvying up these tips at the end of the night, all automatic gratuity tips will now be classified as service charges. So they will be taxed as regular wages and subject to payroll tax withholding. According to the IRS, These non-tip wages are subject to social security tax, Medicare tax, and federal income tax withholding. In addition, the employer cannot use these non-tip wages when computing the credit available to employers under section 45B of the Internal Revenue Code.
What is the IRS Rule on Automatic Gratuities?
If youve ever dined with a large party, youre familiar with how restaurants add a set amount on to the bill for the tip (typically 18% for parties of 6 or more). Its a common way to cut down on the work involved in calculating tips in a large party and helps ensure servers get gratuities in other situations. Under the rule, restaurant owners and hospitality providers have two choices:
Add automatic gratuities to your wait staffs wages.
Stop charging customers for automatic gratuities, if you want to avoid income tax complexities.
The IRS rule on automatic gratuities covers the following:
Large Party Charge (restaurant).
Bottle Service Charge (restaurant and night-club).
Room Service Charge (hotel and resort).
Contracted Luggage Assistance Charge (hotel and resort).
Mandated Delivery Charge (pizza or other retail deliveries).
Restaurant operators are concerned about the paperwork this rule will add to what theyre already juggling.
New IRS Tips Rule Finally Coming Into Play
The IRS automatic gratuities rule was originally announced in 2012. Restaurant owners and hospitality companies were given until this year to figure out how to comply.
Now, two years after it was first announced, the new rule is in force and concerns have intensified. A representative of the National Restaurant Association, Christin Fernandez, told us here at Small Business Trends:
While the IRS action regarding service charges does not change the law or initiate new policy, the ruling implies enhanced IRS enforcement. We expect some restaurateurs may, as a result, re-examine how they handle automatic gratuities in light of the rule going into effect January 1, 2014. For others, it may simply be business as usual (again, this is not a new policy and the ability for restaurateurs to determine auto-gratuity practices in their individual establishments has not changed in any way).
Fernandez said that regardless of how individual restaurateurs respond to the IRS rule, its critical that operators maintain the flexibility to implement policies that make the most sense for their individual business, workforce and customers.
There are many fitness goals out there that we desire. Some of us want to be leaner and others wish to put on muscle mass. The thing is, for you to achieve your fitness goals, you need to
Darrell Lee, age 48, of Charlotte Hall, Maryland
GREENBELT, Md.
(June 27, 2016)U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced Darrell Lee , age 48, of Charlotte Hall, Maryland, today to 184 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for robbery, and for carrying and brandishing a gun during a robbery. Judge Grimm also ordered Lee to pay restitution of $24,791.50 and forfeit $19,987.The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron; and Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.According to his plea agreement, on June 18, 2014, Lee and Furman Troy entered a jewelry store in Charlotte Hall. Lee brandished a gun at the store owner and Troy bound the victim with duct tape. After obtaining the key to the jewelry counter from an employee, they stole jewelry worth approximately $8,890, cash, a laptop computer valued at approximately $2,100 and other items.On June 22, 2014, Lee and Troy robbed a pharmacy in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Again, Lee brandished a gun and Troy bound the employee with duct tape. They stole cash and prescription bottles containing oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone and endocet, valued at approximately $8,997.Furman Troy, age 45, of Charlotte Hall, Maryland, pleaded guilty to his participation in the scheme and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. In addition, Michael Burgess, age 54, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Abdelrahim Ayyad, a/k/a Sahid, age 50, of White Plains, Maryland previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robberies and await sentencing.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation, and recognized the St. Mary's County State's Attorney's Office for its assistance in the case. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Leah J. Bressack, who prosecuted the case.
Booking photos.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.
Booking photos.
Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: http://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at http://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at http://so.md/expungeme.
(June 27, 2016)The Calvert County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.WEEKLY SUMMARY: During the week of June 20 through June 26, deputies responded to 1387 calls for service throughout the community.BURGLARY CASE #16-35448: On June 24, 2016, Deputy D. Naughton was dispatched to Parkers Creek Road, in Port Republic, for the report of a burglary. The owner of the Ogden's Vintage Store reported that sometime between 12:00 on June 17 and 9:00am on June 24, a suspect(s) made entry into the antique store and stole furniture, household items, jewelry, tools and several other miscellaneous items. The investigation is continuing.BURGLARY CASE #16-34139: On (June 17, 2016), Deputy R. Evans responded to Armory Road, in Prince Frederick, for the report of a burglary. The victim stated that sometime on June 16, someone broke a window to gain entry into a home and stole bath towels. The suspect(s) also forced entry into a locked shed, but it does not appear that anything was stolen.BURGLARY CASE #16-34086: On (June 17, 2016), Deputy S. Morder was dispatched to Sandy Point Road, in Prince Frederick, for the report of a burglary from a locked shed. Sometime over the last several months, someone gained entry into the victim's shed and stole a handheld, Stihl Leaf Blower, Model BG55. There are no suspects at this time.BURGLARY CASE #16-34079: On (June 17, 2016), Deputy M. Naecker responded to a burglary, which took place on Webb Lane in Dunkirk. Sometime between 2:30pm on June 16 and 8:00am on June 17th, someone forced their way inside a home under construction and stole a GE stainless steel microwave oven. Anyone with information is asked to contact this Deputy.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-34987: On June 21, 2016, Deputy T. Mohler conducted a traffic stop, at approximately 6:30pm, on Harbor Drive in Chesapeake Beach. The driver,, was found to be in Possession of a CDS: Synthetic Narcotic (Suboxone), possession of paraphernalia (bottle) and unlabeled Prescription bottles. She was arrested and transported to the Detention Center.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-34738: On June 20, 2016, Deputy M. Trigg conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle being driven in an unsafe manner at the intersection of Limerick Lane/E. Chesapeake Beach Road in Owings. He discovered the driver,, to be in possession of several illegal drugs and a loaded firearm. He was charged and arrested for possession of a dangerous nonnarcotic drug (Xanax), CDS possession of a narcotic (Codeine), possession with intent to distribute a narcotic (Codeine), possession of paraphernalia (rolling papers), Handgun in Vehicle, Carrying and possessing Illegal Ammunition, Firearm/Drug Trafficking Crime, CDS: Distribute with Firearm and for possession of a regulated Firearm.CDS VIOLATION CASE #16-34646: On June 20, 2016, Deputy S. Trotter conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of N. Solomons Island Road/MF Bowen Road in Huntingtown. Upon this stop he determined the driver,, to be driving on a suspended license. Deputy Trotter charged Morsell with the traffic offense and also with possession of paraphernalia (2 syringes and a prescription bottle containing Heroin and Oxycodone).DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY CASE # 16-34691: On June 20, 2016, Deputy C. Callison responded to Magnolia Circle, in St. Leonard, for the report of damage to property. The victim reported that sometime during the evening of June 17, an unknown substance was thrown on their vehicle, causing the paint on the hood, roof, trunk and driver side doors to bubble and flake off. There are no known suspects at this time.DISORDERLY CONDUCT CASE #16-35756: On June 15, 2016, Deputy V. O'Donnell was dispatched to the intersection of Broome's Island Road/Oyster House Road, in Broome's Island, for the report of a domestic problem. When he arrived and made contact with the complaint,, he attempted to determine the reason for the 911 call. The caller was uncooperative and walking unsafely alongside the road. He arrested Ms. Stecchino for Public Intoxication with Public Endangerment and for Disorderly Conduct.DISORDERLY CONDUCT CASE #16-35632: On June 25, 2016, Deputy S. Moran was dispatched to Golden West Way, in Lusby, for the report of disorderly subjects outside of a residence. Upon arrival he was able to coax the subjects back into the house but approximately 20 minutes later, Deputy Moran received another call for a disorderly subject in the same area. He was approached by, who was ordered to calm down but would not cooperate. He was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and transported to the Detention Center.THEFT CASE #16-35940: On June 26, 2016, Deputy P. Wood was dispatched to the Prince Frederick Walmart on N. Solomons Island Road for the report of a theft with a shoplifter in custody. He made contact with, who admitted to stealing various pieces of clothing and body spray. He was arrested for Theft Less Than $100.00 and transported to the Detention Center.THEFT CASE #16-35700: On June 25, 2016, Deputy D. Naughton was dispatched to the Giant grocery store located on N. Solomons Island Road, in Prince Frederick, for the report of a theft with a shoplifter in custody. He made contact with the suspect,, who admitted to stealing various food items, vitamins, health/beauty items and other general merchandise. She was arrested for Theft Less than $1000.00 and transported to the Detention Center.THEFT CASE #16-34980: On June 21, 2016, Deputy R. Spalding responded to the complainant's home on Crescent Court, in Prince Frederick, for the report of stolen registration plates. Sometime earlier in the day (June 21), both plates were stolen off of the victim's car. This theft took place at an unknown location in Calvert County.THEFT CASE #16- 34934: On June 21, 2016, Deputy C. Callison met a complainant at the Sheriff's Office who reported a theft from vehicle which was parked on Stern Court in Lusby. Sometime between 9:00pm on June 19 and 4:30am on June 20, an unknown suspect(s) entered their unlocked vehicle and tossed items around. The only items the victim could identify as missing was money from a purse that was left on the front seat.THEFT CASE #16-34759: On June 20, 2016, Deputy J. Livingston responded to a home on Patuxent Avenue, in Broome's Island, for the report of a theft from vehicle. The caller stated that approximately 5:00pm, on June 20th, he parked his vehicle on Chesapeake Avenue, in Prince Frederick, to help a friend. He only stepped away from his vehicle for 15 minutes; during that time, someone entered his unlocked vehicle and stole his brown wallet, Driver's License, gift card and money. No suspects at this time.THEFT CASE #16-34713: On June 20, 2016, Deputy S. Trotter was dispatched to Scenic Way, in St. Leonard, for the report of mail theft. The victim reported receiving notice that a package was delivered at 11:15am on June 18, but when they returned home on June 20th, the package was not there. The package contained a tan fleece long-sleeved shirt and a green shirt. No suspects at this time.THEFT CASE #16-34644: On June 20, 2016, Deputy P. Foote was dispatched to Fire Berry Court, in Prince Frederick, for the report of a theft from unlocked vehicle. The complainant reported that sometime between 8:00pm on June 19 and 6:00am on June 20, an unknown suspect(s) rummaged through a vehicle and stole credit and social security cards.
GREENBELT, Md.
(June 28, 2016)Damien Travis Boddy, age 35, of Silver Spring, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to possession of an unregistered firearm and to transportation of explosive material with the intent to injure, kill or intimidate.The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Daniel L. Board Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesBaltimore Field Division; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George's County Police Department; and Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Marc S. Bashoor.According to his plea agreement, in the early morning hours of October 19, 2014, Boddy drove to a gas station in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and filled several empty beer bottles with gasoline. Boddy placed the bottles in his car and drove to a residence in Upper Marlboro. Using protective gloves and a lighter, Boddy set fire to at least two of the bottles filled with gasoline and threw the lit bottles at the residence. The lit bottles, which qualify as explosives, struck a window on the first floor and ignited a small fire on the exterior of the residence. The bottles did not penetrate to the interior of the residence and the fire was confined to the exterior of the window and shrubbery. Members of the Prince George's County Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Fire investigators subsequently recovered the remnants of one of the gas filled beer bottles near the residence, gas residue on the window, and an intact gas-filled beer bottle on the sidewalk adjacent to the residence.Members of the Prince George's County Police Department encountered Boddy in his vehicle a short distance from the residence. Officers discovered a beer bottle filled with gasoline in the vehicle's cup holder, a lighter, protective gloves and paperwork from the gas station where Boddy filled the beer bottles.Boddy knew the owner of the residence and in previous years had set fire to a car parked at the victim's residence, and had contacted the victim's employer and threatened to kill the victim.Boddy and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Boddy will be sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for October 3, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the ATF, Prince George's County Police Department and Prince George's County Fire/EMS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel C. Gardner, Michael T. Packard, and Erin B. Pulice, who are prosecuting the case.
BALTIMORE
Chart of affected models provided by Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh's office.
(June 28, 2016)Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced a settlement requiring Volkswa gen to pay more than $570 million for violating state laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive trade practices by marketing, selling and leasing diesel vehicles equipped with illegal and undisclosed defeat device software. This agreement is part of a series of state and federal settlements that will provide cash payments to affected consumers, require Volkswagen to buy back or modify certain VW and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles, and prohibit Volkswagen from engaging in future unfair or deceptive acts and practices in connection with its dealings with consumers and regulators. Volkswagen must pay more than $15 million to settle the claims brought by the Maryland Office of Attorney General."Volkswagen's deceptions are particularly egregious because they told consumers that these carswhich are environmental nightmareswere good for the environment, even going so far as saying they were as environmentally friendly as hybrids. Consumers who bought these cars not only did not get what was advertised, but they also paid a premium because they wanted to be responsible environmental stewards," said Attorney General Frosh. "Instead, they have unwittingly been driving cars that were spewing up to 40 times more pollution than allowed by law. My Office will not tolerate companies that lie to consumers and endanger our environment for the sake of profit."The attorneys generals' investigation confirmed that Volkswagen sold more than 570,000 2.0- and 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the United States equipped with "defeat device" software intended to circumvent applicable emissions standards for certain air pollutants, and actively concealed the existence of the defeat device from regulators and the public. Volkswagen made false statements to consumers in their marketing and advertising, misrepresenting the cars as environmentally friendly or "green" and that the cars were compliant with federal and state emissions standards, when, in fact, Volkswagen knew the vehicles emitted harmful oxides of nitrogen (NOx) at rates many times higher than the law permitted.Under the settlements, Volkswagen is required to implement a restitution and recall program for more than 475,000 owners and lessees of 2.0-liter diesel vehicles, of the model years 2009 through 2015 listed in the chart below at a maximum cost of just over $10 billion. This includes 16,326 vehicles in Maryland.Today's coordinated settlements resolve consumer protection claims raised by a multistate coalition of 43 State Attorneys General against Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Porsche AG and Porsche Cars, North America, Inc.collectively referred to as Volkswagen. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General served on the multistate coalition's Executive Committee. Volkswagen is also entering into settlements to resolve actions brought by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the State of California, and car owners in private class action suits.Once the consumer program is approved by the court, affected Volkswagen owners will receive restitution payment of at least $5,100 and a choice between: A(based on pre-scandal NADA value); or Aprovided that Volkswagen can develop a modification acceptable to regulators. Owners will still be eligible to choose a buy back in the event regulators do not approve a fix. Owners who choose the modification option would also receive an Extended Emission Warranty; and a Lemon Law-type remedy to protect against the possibility that the modification causes subsequent problems.The consumer program also provides benefits and restitution for lessees (restitution and a no-penalty lease termination option) and consumers who sold their cars after September 18, 2015 when the emissions-cheating scandal was disclosed (50 percent of the restitution available to owners). Additional components of today's settlements include:Volkswagen will pay $2.7 billion into a trust to support environmental programs throughout the country to reduce emissions of NOx. This fund, also subject to court approval, is intended to mitigate the total, lifetime excess NOx emissions from the 2.0-liter diesel vehicles identified below. Under the terms of the mitigation trust, Maryland is eligible to receive approximately $72,900,000 to fund mitigation projects.In addition to consumer restitution, Volkswagen will pay to the states more than $1,000 per car for repeated violations of state consumer protection laws, amounting to $570 million nationwide.Volkswagen has committed to investing $2 billion over the next 10 years for the development of non-polluting cars, or Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV), and supporting infrastructure.Today's settlement by state attorneys general preserves all claims under state environmental laws, and Maryland maintains the right to seek additional penalties from Volkswagen for its violations of environmental and emissions laws and regulations.Volkswagen will also pay $20 million to the states for their costs in investigating this matter and to establish a fund that state attorneys general can utilize for future training and initiatives, including investigations concerning emissions violations, automobile compliance, and consumer protection.The full details of the consumer program will be available online at VWCourtSettlement.com and www.ftc.gov/VWSettlement.
BALTIMORE (June 28, 2016)On Friday, Alliance Defending Freedom and Jones Day attorneys representing the Allegany County commissioners filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that seeks to uproot a Ten Commandments monument on the county courthouse grounds that is nearly identical to one the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2005.
Jeffrey Davis, who resides in a neighboring county but owns property in Allegany County, filed the lawsuit to have the monument, located on the courthouse lawn, removed because "he is offended" by it, his complaint from March says.
"A Ten Commandments monument isn't unconstitutional simply because someone says he is offended by it," said ADF Senior Counsel Brett Harvey. "The Supreme Court clarified this issue when it upheld a virtually identical monument in Texas. The emotional response of an offended passerby doesn't automatically amount to a violation of the Establishment Clause."
In 1957, the Fraternal Order of Eagles donated the monument, which stands not far from a monument to George Washington. In its 2005 decision in Van Orden v. Perry, the high court upheld the constitutionality of a nearly identical monument, also donated by FOE, on the grounds of the Texas Capitol complex. The court ruled that the monument did not violate the Establishment Clause.
In its 2014 ruling in the ADF case Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court questioned the legitimacy of "offended observer" claims, saying that adults "often encounter speech they find disagreeable; and an Establishment Clause violation is not made out any time a person experiences a sense of affront from the expression of contrary religious views."
"A passive monument acknowledging our nation's religious heritage resting unchallenged for nearly 60 years cannot be interpreted as the government establishing a religion," Harvey explained. "Since the Supreme Court has already settled this matter, we are asking the district court to dismiss this case."
Jones Day attorneys Noel Francisco, James Uthmeier, and Kaytlin Roholt, three of more than 3,000 private attorneys allied with ADF, are co-counsel on behalf of the county commissioners in the case, Davis v. Shade, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
LA PLATA, Md. (June 28, 2016)Charles Co. Superintendent Kimberly Hill is temporarily reassigning new middle school students moving into high growth areas in the Milton M. Somers Middle School zone. Students moving into new homes in the St. Charles neighborhoods of Gleneagles South, Gleneagles North, Villages of Wooded Glen and Villages of Piney Reach after July 15 will attend Benjamin Stoddert Middle School rather than Somers.
The moratorium affects only students moving into newly constructed homes, and not already attending Somers. The moratorium is temporary and intended to limit growth at Somers, which is over capacity, until the school system conducts a comprehensive middle school redistricting. The redistricting will coincide with the completion of a renovation and expansion of Stoddert in 2020.
Earlier this school year, the Board of Education acknowledged the need for middle school renovations and expansions based on the growing student enrollment at some schools, most specifically Somers. The Board approved the fiscal year 2017 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) that includes the renovation and expansion of Stoddert. Renovation will modernize the school; expansion adds capacity. Construction at Stoddert is expected to begin in 2019, at which time a comprehensive middle school rezoning will begin. Renovations should be complete by August 2020.
Until that time, Hill said, Stoddert has the capacity to absorb new growth to relieve additional student enrollment pressures at Somers. The relief is estimated as a reduction of around 30 students per year at Somers and an addition of the same number of students at Stoddert.
Additionally, Hill has recommended a comprehensive elementary school redistricting along with the addition of Elementary School 22 and the renovation of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School. That redistricting process will start in fall 2016, to be phased in and to take effect with the completion of the construction projects.
Description of temporary assignments
The Superintendent plans to temporarily assign all new middle school students from Blocks 2711, 2641, 2643 and 2631, in the St. Charles development area, to Stoddert starting with the 2016-17 school year. The change does not affect students already living in homes or who had secured a use and occupancy permit prior to July 15, 2016. All students moving into homes in blocks 2711, 2641, 2643 and 2631 that do not have a use and occupancy permit by July 15, 2016, will attend Stoddert rather than Somers.
The moratorium:
does not reassign to Stoddert any Charles County elementary school student currently living in a house zoned for Somers;
keeps bus transportation of students in the designated moratorium areas to a minimum without incurring additional transportation costs;
allows students moving into an occupied or resale home in the affected blocks to attend school at Somers; and
initiates a moratorium in blocks where development is planned, but where no residents and students reside. The moratorium only impacts future growth and future homes.
Blocks include the plan are in the St. Charles neighborhoods of Gleneagles South, Gleneagles North, Villages of Wooded Glen and Villages of Piney Reach.
If you walked alone and untutored through the tall pines, century-old oaks, big beeches and sweet gums of the forest, near where the Eastern Shore's Wicomico River carves a bend known as Pirates Wharf, I'm pretty sure the need to begin cutting it down as the best way to protect its health wouldn't leap to mind.Indeed, if you were accompanied by Joan Maloof, emeritus biology professor at Salisbury University and a nationally regarded expert on old-growth forests, you'd come away convinced the woods at Pirates Wharf is well on its way to becoming something truly specialif we let it follow its natural destiny across the next century or two.Maloof lived on the property for 32 years, until she was recently notified her lease was being terminated by Wicomico County. It had bought the forest and adjacent riverfront in 1997 for a future park. (The eviction notice came two days after she stopped the county from cutting trees in another park"a coincidence," county officials say).Maloof would tell you the splendid diversity of plants and animals that flourish best in ancient forests; would show you the impressive number of warblers, thrushes, hawks, owls and other birds that even now inhabit Pirates Wharf's interior; and would point out the several species of amphibians that are dependent on dozens of acres of wetlands deep in the woods there. She'd delight in the dead and dying trees as much as those growing huge. The former are among the best parts of aging woodlands, returning nutrients to the soil, creating light gaps for new growth, and providing for a rich abundance of insects and fungi nutritious to forest life.You would receive an equally impressive education on forests were you to walk the same one-mile-by-half-mile block of woods with Matt Hurd, a young forester with Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. But you'd emerge feeling you'd walked through a completely different world.Hurd would explain how Maryland is losing forests to development; how, with 90 percent of our forests in private hands, the state needs to persuade owners about the value of retaining trees. But he'd also show you how much of Pirates Wharf is "overstocked" with bigger, older trees that are no longer adding marketable timber very rapidly and are growing ever more vulnerable to declining health, disease, and uprooting in winds.Cutting would "improve and renew" the forest, he'd tell you. And large sections of the renewed forest could then be managed to favor a single speciesloblolly pine, which is the primary harvest of the lower Eastern Shore's commercial timber industry.Hurd has written it all up in a Forest Stewardship Plan, submitted to Wicomico County last year at their request. He says he is proud of his report, and feeling "kind of beaten up" by Maloof and a number of environmental groups who are lobbying the county to let the forest be.He points out that he has "given the county what they wanted," which was a plan that specified commercial timber harvest as a first priority. His plan calls for clear-cutting trees in sections, spaced over a number of years, and in some caseslike the wetlands areascutting selectively or not at all. It could permit some recreational use by future park-goers even as timbering proceeded, he said.A commercial forester friend who's seen Hurd's report said, "given the county's wishes, Matt's done a responsible job."Still, we're looking at two different worlds here: the forest as ecosystem or the forest as timber production; stand back and let nature do its thing over a very long time, or manage intensively for relatively narrow purposes. And it's land purchased with nearly a million taxpayer dollars for a park."[The county is] just trying to be responsible, says Wicomico administrator Wayne Strausburg. "To be perfectly frank, we're not doing it for economic reasons only for the health of the forest. If DNR [Department of Natural Resources] came to us and said leave it alone is the best thing to do, we would do that."So the solution could begin with the county requesting a second "worldview," a report as good as Hurd's on what it would mean to manage the forest lightly and for the long term. In this view it's certain many big trees will die of disease or old age; but also certain the forest as a natural system will continue to age beautifully.The DNR has a Natural Heritage group, which would appear well-equipped to write such a document. It would further our education of what constitutes a "healthy forest," an education with implications beyond this patch of woods to natural resources management in generalnatural oyster reefs versus power dredging, for example.The writer Aldo Leopold expressed it decades ago when governments were busily building "scenic overlooks" to accommodate motorists: "Recreational development is a job not of building roads into lovely country, but of building receptivity into the still unlovely human mind."
Get ready, European baristi, because Barista Camp 2016 is coming to Estonia in October. That may seem like a ways away, but tickets are already on sale this week at the World Of Coffee in Dublin.
Put together by the Barista Guild of Europe, the four-day barista extravaganza will take place at the Estonia Resort and Spa in Parnu, just off the fabulous Gulf of Riga. Participants will be able to choose from a host of curricula based upon what skills they are looking to hone; there are foundational courses in barista training, brewing, sensory, green coffee, and first time ever, roasting. There will also be intermediate tracks for barista, sensory, and green coffee.
If you arent able to make it to Dublin to reserve your spot in person, tickets are now available via the BGE website. The BGE is offering early bird pricing on tickets until August 1st at the rate of 475 for SCAE members and 550 for non-members.
There are only a limited number of spots on any given track, so reserve your spot sooner rather than later to make sure you can get your desired curriculum. For more details, head to the Barista Guild of Europes site here.
In addition to being educational and good for ones coffee career, these events are really a lot of fun. Who knows, you couldlike an unnamed Sprudge co-founderget together with your future spouse at Barista Camp, in which case 475 is a small price to pay for love and happiness.
Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.
*top image via the BGE
Kees van der Westen, the man, may be camera-shy, but the newest engineering development for his Spirit and Speedster espresso machines proved most photogenic in Dublin this week.
Making its global debut at the World of Coffee trade show is what the Kees van der Westen team calls a progressive pre-infusion cylinder system: PPIC for short. This technology allows a barista to take hands-on control of pre-infusionthat is, the initial wetting of the coffee puck that occurs before an espresso shot is extracted from a machine.
By simply turning a knob, the barista can now manually modify the pressure involved in the infusion process. A glass cylinder lets the barista see the spring-loaded piston in motion, relying on its rise as a visual cue and reading the pressure gauge for instant feedback. Plus, since each group has its own knob, a machine can have as many pre-infusion settings as there are groups. This also means that different espresso types or preparations can be simultaneously dialed in on a single piece of equipment.
Earlier this year, when Sprudge visited Kees van der Westen Espressonistic Works in Waalre, the Netherlands, it was clear that this particular parameter mattered to the industrial engineer renowned for his retro speed-inflected design. We now are going to offer more and easier ways to adjust the infusion, KVDW said then, alluding to this project then in the works.
And six months later, poof! Proof was scattered across the show floor of the Irish capital at World of Coffee. Of the three PPIC-fitted prototype machines in operation, the most prominently placed was a two-group Spirit with a customized PEAK panel at the Mahlkonig stand. Over in the microcosm of cafe and roaster booths known as The Village, a similar Spirit was commandeered by Bailies Coffee, the Belfast-based company that recently became a Kees van der Westen distributor for Ireland and Northern Ireland. Littlest but not least was the one-group Speedster being doted on by IMS, the group screen and filter basket specialists from Italy.
We already had quite a nice infusion system, Van der Westen says of the earlier Spirit and Speedster models, but we found that peoplebaristaswant to play with adjusting things, getting feedback, and working on the machine. And yet, when they are done playing in the morning, everything should stay adjusted to their preferences.
Precise pre-infusion reportedly has benefits such as preventing channeling, locking the fines in place, and optimizing grind quality. For laymen its a bit of a rabbit holeexplaining channeling, and the fight against it, could make for an entire other article. But for hardcore espresso enthusiasts and professionals, this is the stuff coffee dreams are made of.
According to mechanical engineer Omri Almagor, a finer grind is desirable for the light- and medium-roasted coffees popular in the specialty market. He explains: You get more solids, you get more fibers, more fat, and then you can see much more crema than you usually seeusually the bright coffees look bad.
Almagor, who works in the R&D division of Espressonistic Works, is credited by his boss for the winning idea of a transparent yet durable cylinder.
I was thinking of slits, but glass is better, Van der Westen says. We like to keep things close to the human being. If people can see whats actually happening inside, they can understand it very easily.
Following some minor modifications and tests in real-time surroundings, the Kees van der Westen PPIC-fitted (and retrofitted) machines are expected to be available by October. In the meantime, the company welcomes preorders for what appears to be pre-infusion perfection.
Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more Karina Hof on Sprudge.
The timing couldnt have been better; Hiroshi Sawada was in Chicago for the weekend, tending to recipes, food, and business, when I reached out to Sawada Coffee. The awesome folks at Hogsalt Hospitality, owners of West Loop staples Au Cheval and Green Street Smoked Meats, put us together with a translator. A little catch-up, for those who arent familiar: Hiroshi Sawada, Sawada Coffees namesake, is an acclaimed Japanese latte artisan and coffee fanatic (and the 2008 Free Pour Latte Art World Champion). This past December, he and Hogsalt collaborated together to open Sawada Coffee in Chicagos West Loop.
Sawada himself comes off just as hard as his caricatured logo showcases. Yet that grit and determination is directed solely at coffee. Outside his craft, hes humble, shy, soft, and fantastically kind. When he arrives in Chicago, he tends bar and chills with the baristas; crew and customers alike pine for his next visit. His other passions? Skateboardingthough thanks to outdated laws in Chicago, he wont attempt it thereand documenting moments through an Olympus OM-D with the gentle care youd expect when hes behind bar.
Hogsalt and Sawada came together out of persistent luck, and his caring touch is exactly what helped bring the concept of Sawada Coffee to life. Brendan Sodikoff and Jean Tomaro of Hogsalt were in Japanfantasizing about starting their own coffee shop in Chicagoand sought out Sawadas Streamer Coffee Company cafe for inspiration. They were in awe of the quality and beauty of the teams coffees, even without Sawada present. Once back Stateside, they reached out, translating their note to Japanese. Unsure of exactly how to begin a coffee shop, the two were positive of one thing: they had to have Sawada train their staff on how to do it properly. He agreed, came to train, and was blown away by the quality level of food and service for which the Hogsalt restaurants were known.
To the lanky, unassuming latte artist, Chicago was intriguing; he knew of La Colombes investment in the city alongside Intelligentsia Coffees fame and felt that the citys broad shoulders held up a diverse coffee culture. It was a community that would be open to two powerhouse cultures melding together: Tokyo and Chicago, East and West.
The team got together and began searching for the perfect spot. According to Sawada, the West Loop was appealing because it was such a culturally rich, restaurant-oriented neighborhood that I just wanted to be a part of that culture. Hogsalts pedigree opened up a lot of doors, and as luck would have it, they had the perfect space: a terrible black room, without any natural light, where Green Street stored their beer.
Obviously some work had to be done, but even initially, the cohesion of Green Street Smoked Meats and the West Loops edgy, industrial heritage with Sawadas love of atmosphere and skateboarding made perfect sense. Throw in graffitied walls, a great deal of foot traffic, a Divvy bike-share station, and the loaded-with-international-guests Soho House hotel across the street, and Sawada was set to go. Interior walls were knocked out, revealing a huge open space that leads down into swaths of tables and Green Streets counters, exterior windows were put in place. Sawada-adorned skateboards spill over the walls in back, with an old-school pinball machine up against the bar (The Getaway, Williams, 1992). Even the Hario pour-over station is doused in black, skulls, and a board.
The real beauty of Sawada Coffee comes in the form of a partnership with local craft specialists Metropolis Coffee. Despite having access, of course, to Streamer Coffee, Sawada and Hogsalt wanted the coffee in Chicago to be fresh from Chicago. Therefore, Sawada, Sodikoff, and Tomaro worked closely with Tony Dreyfuss at Metropolis to develop Project XSawadas special blend, a rich, low-acidity coffee designed to resemble the flavors and characteristics of his signature brand from Tokyo, but with a Midwestern twist. Along with the beans, a shop from such a pedigree comes with the associated bells and whistles: a customized Nuova Simonelli Black Eagle machine, Hogsalts own Doughnut Vault doughnuts and baked goods, Mahlkonig Guatemala grinders, and a skateboard inspired pour-over station.
The menu is as basic as it can get, outside of the additional tea drinks headed up by the Military Latte, a matcha-style drink mixed with espresso. Under Sawadas guidance, Sawada Coffee has developed a cold brew mixed with either shochu, a special Japanese liquor, or kuromitsu, a Japanese simple sugar, both drinkable at every occasion. Tomaro explains, Guests favorite drinks at Sawada Coffee are the Japanese-influenced items like the green tea latte, the Military Latte, and now the Tokyo-style cold brew. These items are a combination of Sawadas experience and knowledge that are then mixed with local and accessible ingredients.
Sawada Coffees influence over Chicago culture is making itself known, from a proliferation of matcha-style drinks to an exploration in diversity in flavors and tastes. Sodikoff and Tomaros values of tradition, quality, and generosity seem to be syncing up perfectly with Sawada and the West Loop (#westloopisbestloop). Unfortunately, for the Second City, we may soon start having to share Sawadas US visits with New York Cityas the team have a concept planned for the East Coast.
My final thought is please, let Chicago relax its repressive laws against skateboarding, so that we may see Hiroshi Sawada around town a bit more frequently.
Adam Arcus (@aarcusphoto) is a journalist and photographer based in Chicago. Read more Adam Arcus on Sprudge.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) His comments come ahead of the July 8-9 NATO summit in Poland, to which Sweden along with Finland were invited as non-aligned states. In May and earlier in June, Finland and Swedens foreign and defense ministers took part, for the first time ever, in NATO ministerial talks in Brussels.
"I do not see Russia as an enemy of Sweden and I strongly think we should discuss our differences of opinion with each other. As long as possible we should keep the dialogue going, not because we agree, but because we disagree in some important matters!" Stig Henriksson, lawmaker from Sweden's Left Party, said, mentioning as an example the diverging positions on Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine.
Asked whether invitations to such meetings signal the closer ties the Alliance is trying to establish with the two Nordic countries, Henriksson said: "Yes, the participation is that kind of a sign."
Polish media reported on Monday, citing a leaked document, that France and Germany are preparing a project of deepening integration in the European Union in the sphere of security including boosting defense capabilities, creating a European platform for intelligence cooperation, establishing European civil protection corps and harmonization of criminal law. The document also says that securing the bloc's external borders is not an exclusively national task and proposes to create multinational border and coast guard.
According to Haider, his party feels that the European Union lost its main partner that had a critical view on the EU mechanisms and institutions after the United Kingdom voted to leave the bloc.
"For my party, we lost a good partner in criticism of the way the EU is functioning and ruled," Haider said.
It comes less than a week after the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union, with over 50 percent of the UK public voting in support of Brexit.
Daesh appeals directly to young radicals using a language they already know from Hollywood movies and computer games. Today, there is no doubt that trained video directors and filmmakers are behind Daesh's videos, which are vastly superior to those produced by al-Qaeda ten years ago.
"Daesh utilize common media tricks that are familiar to end users. Propaganda that is professionally made resonates with a greater public and ultimately has a greater impact on the receivers," Thomas Elkjer Nissen, a military analyst at the Danish Defense Academy, specializing in strategic communications, told Danish Radio.
The videos Daesh distribute through a number of web portals are not all violent and brutal and include everyday reporting, such as news from a marketplace in Syria or information on how the health system in the Daesh-controlled city of Raqqa works. Such videos aim to convince the recipient that Daesh is succeeding in developing a civil society within the so-called "Caliphate."
In the days following the astonishing Brexit referendum, Sweden's Migration Board has received 104 applications for Swedish citizenship from UK citizens, Swedish Radio reported. In total, 129 Britons applied last week, which is a historic record high for a single week, Annette Grafen Silander, who heads the Citizenship Unit at the Migration Board, told Swedish Radio. According to her, a normal week usually features about 20 applications. So far this year, 615 Brits have applied for Swedish citizenship, as opposed by 440 British applications during the whole of last year.
Silander said it was too early to tell whether this trend would continue, yet did not exclude a connection with last week's referendum, in which 51.9 percent of British voters had backed Brexit.
"The first and most obvious reason is that I want to remain in the EU. Secondly, I'm very fond of Sweden," Briton Gavin Maycroft, who has lived in Sweden for nine years, told Swedish Radio, explaining his choice to apply for citizenship.
During his visit to St. Petersburg, Sputnik correspondents offered the 'mythbuster extraordinaire' and SFX expert a taste of one of Russia's most peculiar dishes okroshka.
Okroshka is essentially a cold soup, a mix of mostly raw vegetables, boiled potatoes and eggs, cooked meat or sausages, kvass (a non-alcoholic beverage made from fermented black or rye bread) and garnished with sour cream.
Not only did this culinary creation earn Hynemans approval, but he also quickly figured out what makes the otherwise somewhat bland ingredients taste so good when combined and served in this particular fashion.
Lt Col Chung detailed how the new system is needed to mitigate the potential loss of personnel and material from North Korean "local counter-firepower attacks." He also discussed the importance of broadening the target servicing capabilities and operational areas of individual batteries, which will also help lower the number of operators.
Central to this new design is a projectile-and-charge loading system that is fully automatic, and will be de retrofitted to RoKA's K9 Thunder 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzer (SPH), currently in service.
TOKYO (Sputnik) North Korea has started to equip its ships in the Yellow Sea on the border with South Korea with US made multi-barrelled machine guns, South Korean media reported Tuesday.
"It is noticed that North Korea has started to replace obsolete weapons installed on its coast guard ships with the Gatling machine guns," a military source in Seoul said as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
According to the source, if the North Korean coast guard fleet, consisting of 382 ships, is equipped with such machine guns, it will "pose a significant threat for the South Korean naval forces".
"Not only the United States but also Russia believe, the fact that India, as a responsible power with perfect reputation in non-proliferation, having a developed system of export control, will join this regime, will contribute to boosting global efforts on non-proliferation," Kadakin said.
Russia is interested in strengthening global positions and authority of India as a powerful, independent and friendly state, he added.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Envoys from South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a joint briefing on June 30 on UN response to the North Korean missile tests conducted earlier this year, a South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
"[The briefing is] intended to raise the awareness of UN member states of the UN sanctions resolutions and also to discuss effective ways to further strengthen [these] sanctions," the ministry's spokesman, Cho June-hyuck, was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.
The consultations starting at 11 a.m. local time (15:00 GMT) will last for three hours, Cho added.
Stock market analyst Dmitriy Tratas told Sputnik that the new steel giant is not only capable of pushing China's Hebei Iron and Steel Group from its leading position in China, but of becoming a world leader.
With a combined output of 62.72 million tons per year, he said the new company could also take second place in the world arena. The only bigger producer will be steelmaking corporation ArcelorMittal, registered in Luxembourg, which manufactures 97.14 million tons per year.
"The Chinese leadership has two aims for this merger. The first is to make a giant that can compete with the world number one steel producer, the Luxembourg ArcelorMittal. In this way it can exert pressure and compete, at least in terms of output."
"The Chinese government's second goal is to reduce steel processing. This year they are going to cut production by 45 million tons and by 2020 they want to cut production to 150 million tons. At the moment, China's production capacity is 1.2 billion tons a year, which means the market is crowded for Chinese steel companies," Tratas said.
China's excess steel production in China has led European producers, particularly in the UK, to blame Beijing for dumping its excess steel production and undercutting domestic producers there.
However, in Beijing's view the problem of low prices for steel should be attributed to a disbalance in the world market because of a decline in manufacturing and falling oil prices.
Mikhail Belyaev from the Institute of Stock Market and Management told Sputnik that the merger is a move from China to defuse a potential confrontation with the West about the issue.
"It's a step away from a 'steel war' with the West," Belyaev explained.
"However, it can't be ruled out that the country changes its tactics when it suits, because on the world stage, nobody has ended competition."
"In this case, the country is doing things a softer way. For China steel is a state resource, and that means the possibility of acting on one or another representative of the steel industry," Belyaev said.
The company claims that it is committed to deliver the smartphones at the promised cost of $3.70 to consumers who have pre-booked the phone online, despite the company having to incur a loss of $2.65 per smartphone. The manufacturer plans to come out with 10 new models of inexpensive smartphones and hopes to offset the loss incurred due to the Freedom 251.
However, the company never expected overruns. According to Goyal, "We were expecting a profit even at the sale price of $3.70. But, the cost of the deal with the smartphone application maker proved to be beyond the target. Still, we will deliver the smartphone to consumers but the government has to support us for the larger cause."
The 'Digital India' campaign, conceived and implemented by Modi's government, envisages that every Indian will be connected to the Internet to maximize the reach of government schemes as well as facilitate research and the provision of study materials for millions of students. However, Goyal says "the irony is that 750 million Indians do not have smartphones. I want the government to distribute smartphones to every Indian. For the sake of that 50% of Indians, the government can ask any company to manufacture cheap smartphones. For this, the government can provide subsidies to the manufacturer for the benefit of millions of Indians. The subsidy amount will be up to $3 billion."
Goyal says that his motive behind this scheme was to show to the world that India can deliver smartphones at the cheapest rate.
"Even if government wants to procure 700 million smartphones at a cost of Rs 251 ($3.70), the company can deliver the amount within a year, provided that the loss incurred per unit is subsidized by the government. If the government can't trust this company, they can acquire Ringing Bells or send government officials to oversee the manufacturing process. However, we will not bribe leaders or officials to bag the project."
During an Iftar party hosted at the Pakistan High Commission Abul Basit shrugged off the question on the terror attack and asked the attendees to enjoy the party.
"It's the month of Ramzan, 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. Let's have the Iftar party and enjoy ourselves," the Pakistani envoy told reporters.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded that Pakistani envoy should be sent back to his country.
Similarly Janata Dal (United) has criticized the Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit for not condemning the Pampore attack.
"How does it matter to Abdul Basit that if a terrorist attack takes place in India, will he cancel his Iftar? They are the ones who help the terrorists. Our government knows this but still turns a blind eye to this," JD(U) Spokesperson Ajay Alok told media.
Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate body of the Hindu right wing group RSS, has also withdrawn its invitation to the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for an Iftar party, in which several other diplomats have been invited, over Pakistan's failure to condemn the terror attack in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the Police Superintendent, "A suicide note was found in her room in which she stated that she could not deal with the predicament, more so after her parents suspected she had something to do with the photos uploaded on Facebook."
In fact, Vinupriya's father lodged a complaint with police and urged them to take action against the culprits when her first doctored photo was uploaded by the miscreants. But the police response was slow and meanwhile the unidentified people uploaded another morphed semi-nude photo of Vinupriya. Unable to bear the mental torture and social stigma she committed suicide.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) According to the Financial Times newspaper, Volkswagen will spend over $10 billion to buy back about 475,000 polluting vehicles in the United States. Each US owner of the Volkswagen rigged car will be offered from $5,100 to $10,000. The car owners will have a choice to sell their cars back or have them fixed.
Another $2.7 billion will be allocated to the US authorities as a compensation for the environmental pollution and $2 billion more will be spent for development of zero emission technology, the media outlet said with reference to its sources.
The agreement is expected to be officially announced on Tuesday in California, according to the publication.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The price for a barrel of Brent oil increased by about 3 percent to reach $48.73. The price for WTI oil showed a similar rise more than 1.5 percent to $47.32 per barrel.
The increase in oil prices comes amid uncertainty in Norway where more than 750 employees may go on strike on Saturday if a new wage deal is not agreed by Friday. The final round of negotiations is scheduled for June 30 and July 1.
If the sides fail to reach a compromise the strike may result in significant decreases in Norwegian oil and gas production.
According to the president, the defense industry should focus on the production of competitive high-tech civilian products, and "must think about this today, and take the necessary measures."
"The sceptics," Pskezin recalled, "immediately began talking about the idea being a forced measure. In their view, the budget is short on cash, hence the conclusion about an imminent curtailment of military orders. Supposedly, enterprises are losing a reliable source of financing through the state defense order, and hence being encouraged toward self-sufficiency."
In reality, the journalist suggested, "blaming the budget deficit is completely pointless. Moreover, the reorientation of the defense industry to civilian production is not the result of any campaigning; the process itself is going along according to plans developed a long time ago."
"First off, in December 2010, the president signed the since-implemented State Armaments Program for 2011-2020. Its framework included the modernization of the army and its equipment with the latest weaponry. All this took place long before the aggravation of the international situation, and the Western countries' attempts to affect us economically through sanctions and by military means (through bringing NATO forces directly onto Russian borders)."
Last week, Deputy PM Rogozin praised the results of the above-mentioned modernization program: "Last year, [defense contracts] amounted to 1.8 trillion rubles [about $27.8 billion US]. Production has increased by 13%, while the output of military and special purpose equipment has increased by 20%."
Moreover, according to the official, several areas of the civilian sector too have enjoyed impressive growth over the past year, amounting to 32% in the electronics industry, 22.5% in specialized chemicals, 16% in shipbuilding, 7.5% in rocketry and space production, and 6% in aviation.
. If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the Access to the chat has been blocked for violating the rules . You will be able to participate again through:. If you do not agree with the blocking, please use the feedback form
The discussion is closed. You can participate in the discussion within 24 hours after the publication of the article.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico will release a plan at their summit this week in Ottawa that will include an ambitious goal to achieve 50 percent clean energy within the next decade, White House Senior Advisor Brian Deese told reporters on a conference call.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will meet in Ottawa for the North America Leader Summit.
"We will be in a position to release a comprehensive North American climate clean energy and environment partnership," Deese said on Monday. "We will announce a historic goal to achieve 50 percent clean power across North America by 2025."
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The successful test of a Zika virus vaccine in mice demonstrates that the development of a single-dose human inoculation for brain-damaging virus is not only possible, but likely, a group of scientists reported in the journal Nature.
"Our findings suggest that the development of a ZIKV [Zika virus] vaccine for humans will likely be readily achievable," the scientists said on Tuesday.
Mice and humans are similar in their respective responses to Zika. In both species, the virus crosses the placenta barrier in pregnant females, severely limiting brain development in babies.
"We are faced with serious problems today, including refugee issues, problems related to the fight against international terrorism, extremism and radicalization, numerous conflicts in Europe, particularly in Ukraine. We need to unite our efforts to respond to these challenges more effectively," Agramunt said ahead of a session of the parliamentary assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Moscow.
The PACE head noted that BSEC members are part of the Council of Europe as well. "We need to work together to coordinate our actions," he said, adding that this is of particular importance as Russia currently chairs the BSEC.
In the run-up to the summit, European politicians offered various ways to resolve the situation, with many focusing on the reforms within the EU.
Last Friday, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany had prepared a proposal on the transformation of the EU into a "more flexible alliance," with its members having the right to determine the extent of its integration into the EU on their own.
Security preparation underway in Brussels for the exraordinary #Brexit EU summit. pic.twitter.com/XW3YkqSC5T Sandor Zsiros (@EuroSandor) 28 2016 .
On Saturday, the plan was approved at the EU's emergency ministerial meeting, where French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault even called for the resignation of Cameron, so as not to delay Britain's withdrawal from the EU.
The Polish media in turn were quick to slam the German-French project as an attempt to create a "super state" led by Berlin and Paris; the media outlets claimed that the document even includes proposals for EU members to give up their own armies.
The EU's at the sharp end of things going into this summit. Needs to address #Brexit but not be consumed by it. pic.twitter.com/AlvuRIKyA3 Ros Atkins (@BBCRosAtkins) 27 2016 .
In fact, the document contains neither a proposal suggesting a superstate nor suggestions of "a more flexible EU," according to RBK.
Warning about the challenges faced by the EU, the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France offer to create a unified security policy and coordinate military budgets.
Additionally, they call for creating a comprehensive platform for cooperation between intelligence services of the EU member states, shifting the resolution of migration issues to a EU level and overcoming the Eurozone crisis via further financial integration.
#UK not invited to Day 2 of this week's #EU summit when the other 27 countries will discuss the EU's future post #Brexit katya adler (@BBCkatyaadler) 27 2016 .
At the same time, however, the ministers recognized that in different EU countries there is a "different degrees of desire for European integration," a factor that they said should always be considered so as to respect the views of the EU member states.
As far as Russia is concerned, the unexpected result of last week's national referendum in Britain led to a situation where the prolongation of the anti-Russian sanctions is very unlikely to top the EU summit's agenda.
ATHENS (Sputnik) The Panhellenic Railway Employees Association (POS) launched Tuesday a new wave of strikes across Greece against privatization of railway transport.
Railway employees are protesting against privatization of the TrainOSE railway company and train maintenance company ROSCO.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) European lawmakers called for the immediate activation of a process in the European Unions founding law to formalize the United Kingdoms exit from the EU in a non-binding resolution passed Tuesday.
"The European Parliament Takes note of the wish of the citizens of the United Kingdom to leave the EU; points out that the will expressed by the people must be entirely and fully respected, starting with the immediate activation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU)," the resolution reads.
The amended text passed with 395 votes against 200 and 71 abstentions.
The UK is the US' main ally in Europe, and Washington had hoped for the UK to play a key role in the EU's new defense strategy. This would enable the US to spend less money on European defense, while retaining political influence.
"Things are going to be a lot harder," a senior Western defense official involved in EU-NATO cooperation told Reuters.
"NATO planned on linking itself up to a stronger European Union, not being the default option for a weakened, divided bloc."
As well as the new EU's new global defense strategy, an increase in military cooperation between EU countries and NATO had been planned for approval at the next NATO summit in Warsaw next month.
On Friday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sought to give assurances that defense cooperation with the EU will go ahead despite the UK leaving the union.
"The Alliance remains committed to closer cooperation with the European Union," Stoltenberg said.
"The UK will remain a strong and committed NATO Ally, and will continue to play its leading role in our Alliance."
David Cameron has said he would resign before the next Conservative Party conference, however, on Monday (June 27) the 1922 Committee which triggers an election process announced that the ballot would be opened Tuesday (June 28).
Some lawmakers in the European Parliament have called for fundamental reforms of the EU because of the migrant crisis, which has split Schengen and the troubles in the Eurozone. Sources in Brussels have told Sputnik that there is talk of an offer for the UK to remain in a fundamentally reformed union and run a second referendum on that basis.
"In legal terms, the referendum is not binding on the government. The previous referendum the one in Scotland [on Scottish independence] was binding, so in legal terms, the government could say 'we're not bound by this.' In political terms, it would be quite extraordinary for the government to do anything like this, given that 17 million people voted for it."
An open letter to my friends in Europe. by @GeorgePeretzQC. Please RT, or adapt if you like. https://t.co/SJw9CTyRG6 George Peretz QC (@GeorgePeretzQC) 26 June 2016
"It would also be quite difficult to see how such a radical reform [of the EU] could be put forward [at the June 28/29 summit] given the lack of agreement in the European Union itself about how to do things.
"It's not like the European Union has nothing to do. There's migration and there is the euro. Not all member states seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet. If anything these two incidents [migration and euro crises] have suggested that there is still an effort to try and find some common ground.
"Given the situation, it is very difficult to predict anything. I think there will be some kind of statement, which would recognize that there is some flexibility for the UK Government, because it's a care-taking government. On the other hand, member states of the European Union have made it very clear that they would not be prepared to wait indefinitely," Professor Koutrakos said.
"We are in uncharted territory. We are entering an area of staggering legal complexity. We should take these first statements with a pinch of salt and give the institutions of the states a bit of space to develop their position."
MOSCOW (Sputnik) London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Tuesday demanded more autonomy for the UK capital to protect its economy, following the referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union.
"On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital right now. More autonomy in order to protect London's economy from the uncertainty ahead, to protect the businesses from around the world who trade here and to protect our jobs, wealth and prosperity," Khan said, as quoted by his press service.
I'm demanding more autonomy for London right now. I want to protect our city's economy from the uncertainty ahead https://t.co/2tvOf4mfRI Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) 28 2016 .
He added that the whole country would benefit from London's autonomy because of its influence on the nation.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The EU leaders are not expected to make any decisions regarding the results of the Dutch referendum on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement at the meeting of the European Council due to start later on Tuesday, a EU source told Sputnik.
"As this is the first European Council after the Dutch referendum the expectation is indeed that the Dutch PM will want to inform the other leaders about the results of the referendum and his own interpretation of the outcome. It likely to be an information point and no decisions are foreseen," the source said.
The European Union and Ukraine signed an Association Agreement in June 2014. It was formally ratified by all EU member states but the Approval Act for the ratification of the deal, adopted by the Dutch parliament in July 2015, has not entered into force yet. In April 2016, Dutch voters rejected the parliamentary decision to ratify the Agreement in a non-binding, advisory referendum.
Earlier in June, the deputy head of the Ukrainian Administration, Kostiantyn Yelisieiev said there were three areas in Donbas, where the bilateral troops would be withdrawn. The principal deputy chief monitor of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine , Alexander Hug stated that the withdrawal of forces could begin in the Luhansk region as well.
"Searching for mechanism to stop the armed clashes on the frontline is a relevant issue now. It's not ruled out that it will be the withdrawal [of forces]. We have been holding our positions for a long time already. Ukrainian representatives again came close to us. The negotiating process will be challenging," Pushilin said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The United Kingdom Home Secretary Theresa May is slightly ahead of former Mayor of London Boris Johnson in ratings of the "best new prime minister and leader of the Conservative party," a poll conducted by the YouGov revealed.
The poll held on June 26-27 among 2,013 UK adults put May on 19 percent compared to Johnson's 18 percent, making the two clear leaders, as the third potential candidate for the post of prime minister, Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove, scored only 5 percent, YouGov said in its press release Monday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, which hosts about 20,000 visitors per day, is closed on Tuesday for public due to a protest against an extremely unpopular labor reform bill, the Tower's operating company SETE said.
"Tower's staff will take part in this intraprofessional day. As the staff on site was not numerous enough to open the monument, the Tower will be closed all day," SETE said in a statement.
Trade unions are protesting against the labor bill as part of Tuesday's demonstration, authorized by the prefecture. The rally is set to take place at 14:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT), with protesters marching from Bastille to Place d'Italie.
During his speech, Wilson is also expected to call on SNP leadership to "deploy humility" and to make new independence campaign more broadly based.
A majority of voters in Wales and England voted in favor of leaving the bloc at Thursday's referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union, while London, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in favor of remaining part of the 28-nation bloc.
After the referendum outcomes were announced, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said that the final results showed the desire of the Scots to remain part of the European Union.
In 2014, over 55 percent of Scottish voters rejected secession during the referendum on Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom. The issue, however, remains on the Scottish agenda.
DONETSK (Sputnik) The chances of local elections being held in Ukraines Donbass region this year are negligible due to Kievs stance, the self-proclaimed Donetsk Peoples Republic's (DPRs) negotiator for Ukrainian reconciliation talks, Denis Pushilin, told Sputnik.
"If Ukraine wanted to agree on the election law it [Kiev] would have already done so. That's why, the chances of holding elections this year are negligible," Pushilin said.
The SNPs Alyn Smith made a passionate appeal to MEPs: Do not let Scotland down More here https://t.co/2RsT8jLxVg https://t.co/mtXT6rjx2m STV News (@STVNews) 28 June 2016
The standing ovation from MEPs is the strongest signal yet that any attempt by Scotland to negotiate continued membership of the EU could be met with a favorable response.
Although the UK voted to leave the European Union by 51.9% last week, Scotland voted to remain by 62%. Although the exact method by which Scotland might continue its membership short of declaring independence from the UK is uncertain, the Scottish Government is now seeking talks with European leaders.
Alyn Smith. Proud to be Scottish and proud to be European. No mention of being proud to be British. Newark Anagram (@LarwoodExpress) 28 June 2016
Farage "Give us what we want without paying for It you smelly foreigners"
Alyn Smith: An outward looking plan for Scotland cheered on by EU Craig (@Jahaangle) 28 June 2016
Addressing the meeting of the EU Parliament Tuesday, Alyn Smith said:
"We can see these days that the police are the target of terrorists, but this is also to ensure the police are ready to respond in the event of an armed attack," he said.
"This is a win-win situation for everyone. It means that there are people to provide security for everyone when they are on the beach."
Concerns Over Guns on the Beach
The announcement has raised concerns that beach-goers might be out off by seeing armed officers patrol the French coast, however Comte moved to allay concerns, saying the guns would be held in special cases adapted the officers' swimwear.
"Holidaymakers will not see police in heavy armor, they will see lifeguards," he said.
French policemen now authorises to keep their gun out of duty, #Paris #France #security Melissa Chemam (@melissachemam) November 19, 2015
The development is just one of many security concerns to be introduced in the wake of November's Paris terror attacks.
You think your freedom of movement is safe? France has denied many British citizens entry during the state of emergency. Imagine post-exit. Wail Qasim (@WailQ) June 23, 2016
French officials declared in a state of emergency following the attacks, which gave police and security officials more powers while on duty.
Although the state of emergency is set to expire at the end of July, government officials said it would continue to allow police officers to carry arms with them at all times, even while off duty.
France and Germany also say that before 2018 the EU has to increase fiscal cooperation in order to strengthen the single currency project.
"To overcome the crisis, the euro area has to enter into a renewed phase of economic convergence," so that countries will have to unify their regulation and taxation systems, ending the differences in budget surplus and deficit across the EU.
In response to the document, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told TVP that the proposal is the wrong solution to Europe's problems.
He called it a return to the EU politics of the early 2000s, when Poland and nine other countries joined the union.
Some months ago, he said, there were signals "from European politicians of the older generation, who gave an ultimatum when the EU was enlarged to include Poland: go in, but go into a specific union that we invented ourselves decades ago. I can see that this thinking has returned."
Waszczykowski said that Poland is not convinced about the case for joining the euro now, or signing up for the French and German project.
"It's not a good solution, of course, because a lot has changed since the Union was invented, the political body has changed. The mood in European societies is different and our voters do not want to put the Union into the hands of technocrats."
"Poland has said for a long time that the euro is only acceptable in two situations. Firstly, when it will be profitable for us from an economic point of view, and that time is far away."
"Secondly, when we know what the basis is for creating central institutions under EU control. What is the criterion for selecting these institutions, what is the democratic legitimacy of these institutions. Today we do not see this criterion for the emergence of central institutions that are managed by the EU," the Foreign Minister said.
Waszczykowski added that the Visegrad countries want Western Europe to consider why the UK decided to leave the union.
They want to know "whether there is some reflection on the Western side of Europe on what happened why the fifth largest economy in the world, a powerful state, a nuclear power, decided after 40 years to leave the EU," Waszczykowski said.
LONDON (Sputnik) UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Tuesday he was considering the possibility to run for the prime ministers office, local media reported.
"Im seriously considering it," Hunt told the ITV broadcaster, adding that it was not necessary for the Conservative Party to be headed by a politician who had campaigned for Brexit.
On Monday, Hunt said that the United Kingdom should hold a new referendum on terms of leaving the European Union.
"By saying so, the Prime Minister expressed his SYRIZA party's position on the referendum results. This stance is also shared by many members of the country's opposition," he said.
Stelya added that in contrast, supporting Brexit were representatives of the Greek ultranationalist party Golden Dawn and the Communist Party of Greece.
The Golden Dawn touted Brexit as a "very courageous step," while the communists said that "this budding move showed that the EU in its current state could not continue to run."
Stelya went on to say that the Greek people's reaction to Brexit was significantly different from the position of Greek authorities.
"The people of Greece are exhausted by the unstable situation in their country, which adheres to the policy of austerity. From the Greek people's point of view, Britain's desire to leave the EU was justified, logical and even delayed," he said.
Stelya also pointed to Cyprus's concern and disappointment over Brexit, referring to the special relationship between Cyprus and the UK. He recalled that the island once was a British colony, and that a number of British military bases remain in Cyprus. Thousands of Cypriots now live in Britain with EU passports, and many Britons currently reside in Cyprus, he said.
Meshkov said that Moscow and Brussels used to have a well-structured system of relations, including summits, ministerial meetings, expert consultation among others.
"Now, a part of these mechanism, including the Russia-EU summit has been put on hold. Some of them continue to work. We carried out some examination [of relations]. Now our colleagues from the European Union say that they are also intending to examine the relations and then see how to move on," he concluded.
Former Estonian Prime Minister and Ex-European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas warned that the EU is facing a period of instability and should be prepared to adequately react to swift changes that may come, according to Eesti Rahvusringhaaling (ERR) media outlet.
"The changes will take place, though their exact nature as yet remains unclear. I believe that there will be steps aimed at federalization," Kallas said.
He also added that while some countries may also secede from the EU, it should be noted that the leaders of states who were traditionally considered as Eurosceptic now appear eager to support the union.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)The project of the full European integration has been put on pause following the Brexit vote, in which the British citizens decided that their country should leave the European Union, US President Barack Obama said.
"The best way to think about this is that a pause button has been pressed on the project of the full European integration. I would not overstate it," Obama told the NPR media network in an interview published Tuesday.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, supported Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)Earlier this month, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, reportedly pledging allegiance to the Daesh militant group, killed a French policeman and his wife by stabbing them to death in Magnanville, some 30 miles west of Paris. The attacker was killed in a police assault on the house, where the individuals were killed.
"This is the first time when the CRS will be armed, while they are generally wearing bathing suits during the months of July and August, and have no weapons. This is also to ensure the safety of swimmers and make [officers] be ready to react in case of an armed attack on a beach. This is a safety for everyone on the sand Everyone wins," police union spokesman Nicolas Comte told the Europe1 radio station.
Following the attack in Magnanville, Belgian police unions asked the country's Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAM) to raise the terror alert level for the police staff.
The authors suggested that like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, the United States today is in desperate need of 'glasnost' and 'perestroika' transparency and open discussion, in order to abandon a disastrous foreign policy which threatens both US and global survival in the 21st century.
Meanwhile, Bierre warned, the recent proposal by Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments official Evan Branden Montgomery on the creation of an Asian NATO "leaves no doubt about the US's willingness to maintain their supremacy by force. It proposes extending the US nuclear arsenal in South Korea and Japan by creating a Nuclear Planning Group, under which some allies will receive permission to use these weapons."
"In this context," the analyst suggested, "extreme tensions and an almost complete absence of dialogue between Russia and the United States mean that even the most minor incident can result in a fatal chain of events leading to war."
As far as France is concerned, Bierre pointed out that there are still signs of hope: As on the question of anti-Russian sanctions, France has its own view on NATO's buildup in Eastern Europe. "Following the National Assembly vote in April, the Senate adopted, with a large majority (302 votes vs. 16) a resolution [calling] for 'a progressive and sectorial lifting' of sanctions on June 8."
Meanwhile, she added, "if military journalist Jean-Dominique Merchet is to be believed, France deliberately ignored the Anaconda-16 exercise in Poland As the military analyst suggested in France's l'Opinion newspaper, France's participation was "not immediately useful."
In his article, Merchet argued that "the French military is concerned primarily with the southern flank: Africa and the Middle East," and "hardly interested in the East," and Russia. Explaining this, he pointed to the "historical tendency on which the imperatives of the fight against terrorism and the pro-Russian sentiments in part of the military hierarchy, along with sympathies from right-wing supporters of French sovereignty for Russia's leader, and a perception of the Poles and the Balts as countries" which suffer from "a fever of paranoia."
Ultimately, it is unknown how today's world leaders will respond to what Bierre dubbed the 'reverse Cuban missile crisis'; however, maybe it's time for US leaders to take a hint from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's playbook, when the latter pulled Soviet missiles out of Cuba and thus pulled the world back from the brink of catastrophe.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The British companies willing to leave the United Kingdom after the country's exit from the European Union, can move to Belgium, Prime Minister Charles Michel said Tuesday.
"Twenty percent of companies in Great Britain are planning to relocate. It's better that they move to Belgium, for example, and not to the Netherlands," Michel told local Radio 1.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union, with over 50 percent of the UK public voting in support of Brexit.
Germany is taking on a key role in moving Brexit to the next stages and this has not gone unnoticed by the US.
Nicholas Burns, a former State Department official and adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, told the Financial Times that when a question needs to be settled in Europe, American officials are increasingly looking to Berlin and not London, a close ally for many decades.
"Britain introduced us to the EU and introduced the EU to us, playing a pragmatic role. But much of that will be gone," Burns said.
After #Brexit, my thoughts on strengthening U.S. ties to UK and #Germany. And restoring #NATO power and purpose https://t.co/emYIQ2eLbZ Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns) June 28, 2016
Since the start of the EU referendum the relationship between the US and UK has come under strain and the transition that Britain will have to make now that the country has decided to leave the union, will put this friendship under even more pressure.
According to former US assistant secretary of state, P.J. Crowley, the US is unsure if these changes will be effective.
"The unanswerable question in Washington is what challenges lurk as they shift from the region that is to the one that will be What we don't know is whether they will be more effective," Crowley said.
For the UK the next two years will be critical as they begin negotiations with Brussels. The US had always looked to the UK as a safe bet and has always been called upon to support the US, whether it was the Iraq war or fighting Daesh also known as ISIL. However, since Brexit, the future of this "special" relationship is now unclear.
"It is absolutely essential that we stay focused on how in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cock, people don't start moving on scatter-brained or revengeful premises," Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The EU is an indispensable partner of U.S. Important exchange today on a host of issues with @JunckerEU & @FedericaMog. John Kerry (@JohnKerry) June 27, 2016
The only difficulty that the US may have with partnering with Germany may be agreement on issues such as foreign and economic policy. Germany refused to partake in active combat against Daesh, but now that the UK has voted for Brexit, Germany's power some may say has increased substantially, thus making them an ideal candidate to take over from the UK as Washington's next ally.
"The focus of discussion will be the issue of the withdrawal of military forces. I truly hope [the final decision will be taken]," Martin Sajdik said Tuesday, speaking of a Contact Group meeting in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
Ukraine launched a military operation in the country's southeast in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the coup in Kiev that toppled then-President Viktor Yanukovich.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) If the European Union continues to move toward the centralization of power after the so-called Brexit, Austria will have to react by holding its own referendum, member of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria Norbert Hofer told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"If the renewing of the European Union from the inside out is not successful, there is a referendum as a last resort. If the Union will not leave the wrong way of centralization, it should lead in Austria automatically to a referendum, because this is a radical change of our constitution," Hofer, who narrowly missed out on winning the Austrian presidential election last month, said.
On Thursday, UK citizens voted by a very slight margin for the country to withdraw from the European Union, contributing to the rising Euroscepticism in the bloc.
Late last week, after the Brexit results had been announced, the Dutch Party for Freedom pledged to make holding a UK-style referendum one of the key issues in the general election campaign in the Netherlands next March.
The leader of the French National Front, Marine Le Pen, also suggested France should hold a similar referendum on its EU membership.
The leader of Italy's Lega Nord party Matteo Salvini promised his party would start a petition calling for a popular vote on its EU membership, while two Nordic parties Sweden Democrats and the Danish Peoples Party suggested that their countries' ties should be renegotiated with the European Union or a referendum be held on introducing less binding conditions for EU membership.
German newspapers have reacted to news of the UK's referendum vote to leave the European Union by belittling the concerns of voters there, but the British may be right about the EU and its direction under German Chancellor Angela Merkel, columnist Jan Fleischhauer wrote in German newspaper Der Spiegel on Monday
Referring to an internet poll of voters shortly after the Brexit result, which revealed some of the demographic voting trends, Fleischhauer complained that many commentators used the data to caricature the UK's leave voters as old, uneducated and with a dislike of the internet.
"It is obvious that of 17.4 million leave voters not all of them can live in the backwaters, where, apart from the internet, feminists, the Greens and foreigners are also despised. Even in London, the epitome of easygoing, cosmopolitan life, 40 percent voted to leave."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)On Saturday, the Slovak far-right party Kotleba People's Party Our Slovakia, launched a petition to hold an EU membership referendum, following the Brexit vote. According to Slovak law, 350,000 signatures are needed to kick off a legally binding referendum.
"There is no serious and reasonable political party that would suggest the idea of a referendum now. Slovakia and its people have clearly profited from the EU membership and there is no better alternative for Slovakia than the EU," Stano said.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union, with over 50 percent of the UK public voting in support of Brexit.
"Its impossible to belong to community only with the good things, and not with the bad things. In every family, if you belong to family, you must accept the good things and the bad things. It is impossible to speak only about single market and don't accept the politics about migration. Its impossible to be very communitarian about the economy and not about values. This is the problem, in my view, about this campaign," Renzi told CNN.
"Now, with Britain's exitwhatever passed for long-term plans a [European Union] that gradually takes a greater role in its region and the Middle East as America devotes more attention to Asia are imperiled," Sanger warned.
Accordingly, because there is no other country inside the EU capable of taking the UK's place in serving as the US's chief source of influence over the bloc, Washington, according to the journalist, is forced to think up a new strategy, and to reevaluate its relationship with the EU.
Asked to comment on the New York Times analysis, Moscow State University political science professor Sergei Chernyakhovsky told Russia's Svobodnaya Pressa online newspaper that "in fact, the picture is quite a bit more ambiguous."
"On the one hand, the United States can consider that it has lost leverage on the European Union," the professor said. "On the other hand, it might be said with no less certainty that they have gained" from this outcome.
This, Chernyakhovsky noted, comes down to the fact that "creating a certain amount of chaos in Europe, and preventing the possibility of the EU becoming an independent center of power, is of course profitable for the US establishment. As a result [of the referendum], today everyone is suffering from a sense of bewilderment. But this does not mean that this event will result in catastrophic consequences on a planetary scale."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)On June 23, a nationwide referendum was held in the United Kingdom, in which 51.9 percent of voters opted in favor of the country withdrawing from the European Union. After the official results were revealed, Prime Minister David Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, said he would resign in October.
"Dear Brits, who believe in a United Europe, leave the Brexiters, the quarreling and the weather behind. Start a brand new life in a loving Romanian family," the message on the newspaper's "adoption" web page says.
The campaign calls on the Romanians to volunteer in adopting "the good people" of the United Kingdom, who disagreed to leave the European Union due to their respect of the European values.
"We still hope that common sense will prevail. We hope that our Western partners will find strength to abandon their confrontational plans and consider joining forces with Russia to ensure global and regional security," Meshkov said.
According to the deputy minister, NATO's military buildup in Eastern Europe and its official policy of containment in relation to Russia can only be described as confrontational.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) European Parliament President Martin Schulz said Tuesday he expected the United Kingdom to formally launch divorce proceedings from the European Union in September.
I think we should not wait until the Conservative Party has solved its internal problems. Not a whole continent could wait for it, but I understood that David Cameron wants to move forward to September, Schulz told reporters.
He added that his understanding following Tuesdays meeting of three founding European Union members in Berlin was that September could be a moment where Article 50 [of the Lisbon Treaty] could be triggered.
Over 61 percent of Dutch voters rejected the deals ratification. After the negative result of the national vote, the Dutch parliament rejected a proposal by the opposition to withdraw the ratification, providing the government with more time to review the matter.
The issue is expected to be raised at the two-day European Council meeting in Brussels due to start later on Tuesday. Kox said that speaking in the Dutch Parliament on Monday night, the prime minister refused to give clarity on the issue.
The European Union and Ukraine signed an Association Agreement in June 2014. It was formally ratified by all EU member states but the Approval Act for the ratification of the deal, adopted by the Dutch parliament in July 2015, has not entered into force yet.
Scotland, remember better together said our EU membership was safe with a no vote. Are you yes yet? #EUref pic.twitter.com/qYtu1jaSXd Alisha Ann. (@alishaann94) June 24, 2016
The Better Together campaign's official Twitter account told people that voting for independence was a sure fire way to ensure that Scotland left the EU. Now, with Scotland voting to remain in the EU by 62% many are suggesting that independence is the only way to ensure that Scotland can stay in the EU, and polls this week have seen a huge surge in support for independence.
Losing EU membership was one of the main scaremongering tactics used by the no campaign in 2014 and now look at us. Are you yes yet? Morag (@MoragOs) June 24, 2016
AAA Credit Rating
In 2014, the Better Together campaign suggested that an independent Scotland would lose its AAA credit rating. Due to the UK's vote to leave the EU, ratings agencies S&P and Fitch Ratings have now downgraded the UK's rating to AA, and have warned that more downgrades could occur as EU negotiations take place.
Better Together #brokenpromises
Only way to guarantee AAA credit rating is to vote No
Scotland votes No
UK loses its AAA credit rating Stewart Maxwell (@Maxwellsnp) June 27, 2016
The very same year S&P stated that an independent Scotland would likely receive a AAA rating, in a report in February 2014 the ratings agency said that Scotland's GDP even without oil revenues was similar to other credit-worthy nations.
"Even excluding North Sea output and calculating per capita GDP only by looking at onshore income, Scotland would qualify for our highest economic assessment."
The Financial Districts Mass Exodus
A key argument in 2014 was that financial institutions would be forced to move South of the border if Scotland voted to leave the UK. Now, however, some have suggested that an independent Scotland in the EU could provide an attractive home to major financial groups.
@ReggieMiddleton Financial institutions can move to Edinburgh with Scotland in EU. London to become offshore centre for money laundering etc Alastair McNeill (@aljola) June 24, 2016
Cheaper Shopping
2014 Better Together
@Tesco Did u know that 'better together' r quoting in a leaflet you charge 16% more in Ireland than you do in the UK. pic.twitter.com/5SbfMWgI2q Liam Kirkbride (@LiamKirkbride1) August 29, 2014
2016 Post-Brexit
The increase in prices is a direct result in the drop in the value of the pound, and the loss of the AAA credit rating. Though in 2014 Tesco responded to the Better Together leaflet saying that it did not foresee a rise in costs as outlined on their election materials.
@UK_Together Does he shop at Tesco? Quote: 'pro-Union Better Together campaign leaflet "entirely speculative".' pic.twitter.com/mTzWpEPcTr European | Scotsman (@scotsman) September 6, 2014
Boss of @Ocado supermarket says on positive side: no #Brexit effect on sales. On negative side: food prices could rise cos of weakening Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) June 28, 2016
You Yes Yet?
Many have taken to Twitter to say that they voted 'No' in 2014, but would vote 'Yes' now.
I'm getting lots of e mails from people who are former No voters who say they now support Scottish independence. I will reply to everyone. JOHN NICOLSON M.P. (@MrJohnNicolson) June 25, 2016
I have seen a "political light". I voted No in the first Scottish independence referendum. led down the Westminster path. I'm a Yes man now Grandad Robert (@800723cddedd462) June 28, 2016
My English wife, previously a No, has now declared for Scottish independence and will be applying for citizenship once it is won. Illiam Costain (@CostainMcCade) June 24, 2016
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that a second independence referendum is "highly likely" though of course not everyone is really "yes yet."
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the country's constitution should be amended to provide the right to self-determination to Crimean Tatars, local media reported Tuesday.
"These amendments stem from the inherent right of the Crimean people to self-determination within the sovereign Ukrainian state," Poroshenko was quoted as saying by the Korrespondent news outlet.
EU senior official Federica Mogherini is expected to unveil her draft vision on the EUs foreign and security policy on Tuesday as the bloc is striving to contain the fallout from Britains decision to quit.
"In times when crises and conflicts flare up around the European Union, we are building a solid base and a common strategic narrative for our European foreign and security policyWith a look to the future, many points of convergence must now be elaborated and implemented. This task will occupy us in the months ahead," Steinmeier said.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Parliament: "If we were to be removed from the EU, it would be against the will of our people. That would be democratically unacceptable."
Ms Sturgeon said that she had already had talks with the President of the Republic of Ireland Michael Higgins and the Taoiseach Enda Kenny. She said she had also spoken with the Mayor of London and Gibraltar's Chief Minister, and had been closely in touch with the heads of other administrations throughout the UK.
President Michael D. Higgins meeting with @NicolaSturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, in Glasgow today: pic.twitter.com/atRNPaPTlw President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) June 27, 2016
The First Minister said that her Government had been in direct contact with other EU member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament, and that her priority was to emphasize Scotland's "overwhelming support for staying in the EU." Tomorrow, Ms Sturgeon will visit the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz in Brussels, and she will set out Scotland's position directly to the European Commission.
Britains vote to leave the European Union last Thursday revealed a deep generation gap, with more than 70 percent of under 25-year-olds voting to remain and 60 percent of over-65s backing Brexit.
"The people who study in European universities, in my view, must have the European citizenship and the European passports, so Im ready to create some initiatives for the people who come from the UK," Renzi said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) A vote on Latvia's EU membership is not possible as a petition for holding such a referendum would never be green lit by the Latvian ruling elite as it profits from the country being an EU member, and leaving the bloc would mean an economic collapse, the vice-president of the Russian Union in Latvia Aleksandr Gaponenko told Sputnik on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, Latvians started collecting signatures in support of the idea that Latvia should leave the European Union following the Brexit vote, with at least 2,186 Latvian nationals signing it by early Tuesday, according to the social initiatives website manabals.lv. If the initiative gains 10,000 signatures, the Latvian parliament will have to consider the issue of holding a referendum on EU membership.
"This initiative will easily get the support of 10,000 people But current Latvian ruling elite would never give a green light [to the petition], as it in large part is living on EU subsidies, and leaving the union would mean an economic collapse for Latvia," Gaponenko, who is also the president of the Institute for European Studies in Latvia, said, adding that the country's budget depends on EU money for about a quarter.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) A crowd has gathered in the central Trafalgar Square, as broadcast by Sputnik.
The rally has been earlier cancelled due to the fact that too many people signed up to take part in the protest, making it logistically impossible to ensure safety at the event, according to the organizers.
Another march to support the European Union is planned to be held in London on July 9.
At least 36 people have been confirmed dead. Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has also confirmed that three attackers were involved in incident, with all three opening fire before blowing themselves up.
Taxis are reportedly carrying injured people away from the airport. Turkish broadcaster Haberturk reports that at least 147 people are injured.
Local media reports that the blasts occurred outside as the attackers attempted to enter the terminal. The attackers reportedly detonated the explosive after being fired on by police. Officials say the attackers had not yet gone through the x-ray security checkpoint.
According to Pilger, the Brexit referendum was a protest conducted by the British people against having no say in their own government. Pilger acknowledges that immigration concerns were a factor, but he insists the vote can not be reduced to a single problem.
"It's a kind of idiotic reading of this country. It was a protest in its finest form."
"It is grotesque to say the British people, with all their understanding of politics, with all the struggles in the past, have voted [because of] a racist platform," Pilger says.
According to Pilger, the "Leave" vote is rooted in the economic realities of thee British people. Pilger cites the closing of the mining industry by the Thatcher government, which affected many working class families.
"The only thing people this country are asking for is a modest prosperity."
While some people in Britain are really rich, Pilger says, the rest of the country has been ignored.
"This is what I describe as raw democracy. This is not a vote with gatekeepers, or filtered through the parliamentary system. It's a yes' or no' vote," he says. "And it's a yes' or no' vote with propaganda running one way."
Read John Pilger's full article "Why the British said no to Europe" on his website, johnpilger.com.
AL-HARAKI (Sputnik) The number of settlements in the Syrian Homs province, which support the peaceful settlement of the conflict, continues to increase, a spokesman for the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation at Hmeymim airbase said.
"More and more heads of administrations and local residents are in favour of the peaceful settlement of the conflict. They do not want to see militants of their territory and to to be engaged in political and some other games," Col. Igor Borodin told reporters.
According to Borodin, from three to six Syrian settlements join the ceasefire regime on a weekly basis.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Turkey is not yet under discussion, the Israeli leaders spokesman Ofir Gendelman told Sputnik on Tuesday, after a rapprochement that heralded an end to six years of enmity.
"At present, the Prime Ministers visit to Turkey is not discussed," Gendelman said on the day when the senior diplomats of both countries signed normalization deals in Jerusalem and Ankara.
The return of Turkish and Israeli ambassadors to respective capitals, humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and bolstered Israeli-Turkish economic cooperation are subject to parliamentary and government ratification.
TEL AVIV (Sputnik) Israeli police have closed the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to non-Muslim visitors for three days following riots by Arab youths, the country's police spokesman Michael Zingerman said Tuesday.
"The Israeli police took a decision today to close the Temple Mount to tourists and Jews after assessing the situation. The Mount is also to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday," Zingerman told RIA Novosti.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) is increasingly directing its threats against Israel as the terrorist group is suffering setbacks in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, US Special Envoy to the Counter-IS Coalition, Brett McGurk said on Tuesday.
"ISILs [Islamic State] media statements in recent months, as they suffer losses on the battlefield, have focused on Israel as a target, clearly hoping to generate international headlines to compensate for its defeats. We must not allow this to happen," McGurk said in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed the inclusion of Syrian ethnic and religious groups in Geneva talks with representatives of the Syrian Kurdish National Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"We discussed the importance of including representatives of all ethnic and religious groups in the country in intra-Syrian negotiation process in Geneva for finding long-term solutions and determining the future of a united, independent and sovereign Syria," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Accordng to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the next round of intra-Syrian talks could take place in July in Geneva.
Over the weekend, following the announcement by Turkish and Israeli officials that the two countries had reached an agreement on the normalization of relations after six years of mutual estrangement, Israel also made clear that the sea blockade of Gaza would not be lifted; however, Turkey will be able to send supplies to the Palestinian territory through the Israeli port of Ashdod. In turn, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stressed that the agreement would allow Turkey to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
Relations deteriorated following the 2010 Freedom Flotilla incident, when a convoy of six ships, including one sailing under a Turkish flag, tried to approach the Gaza Stripp with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeil forces, resulting in the deaths of ten Turkish citizens.
Commenting on the apparent normalization of ties, Karel Valansi, a regular political commentator for Israeli newspapers Haaretz and Shalom, pointed out that Israel has not made any fundamental policy shift to accommodate Ankara on the Gaza issue. The port of Ashdod had been open for humanitarian assistance before, with ground-based delivery of aid carried out through the border point at Kerem Shalom. "From this perspective, the agreement has not resulted in anything new. Was the Gaza blockade lifted? No. A naval blockade continues," the journalist said.
BAGHDAD (Sputnik) Russia supplied Iraq with a new batch of Mi-28NE "Night Hunter" military helicopters, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
"These helicopters will make a great contribution in support of ground forces in their operations aimed at targeting terrorist positions and destroying [their] armoured vehicle packed with explosives," the ministry said in a statement published on its website.
On June 3, spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Special Operations Command Yahya Rasul Zubaidi said that Russian-made helicopters including the "Night Hunter" (NATO reporting name Havoc), used by the Iraqi army had demonstrated their effectiveness during the offensive in the city of Fallujah against Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in Russia, the United States and many other countries.
ANKARA (Sputnik) On Monday, Celik's lawyer said his client might stay in custody for some time over an old case dating back to 2010 as he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison over fraud. As he was released two months before the end of the jail term to see his family, he escaped and went to fight in the Syrian war.
"On Tuesday, we, Celik's lawyers, applied to an Izmir court with a petition to reduce or cancel the prison term for the failure to return to prison," Ustundag told reporters.
The lawyer added that the Izmir prosecutor's office resumed the investigation into Celik's involvement in the killing of Russian Pilot Oleg Peshkov and Naval Infantry soldier Alexander Pozynich, who was killed during rescue operation to retrieve the Russian pilots after the Su-24 downing.
But Washington appears to be focused on expanding its mission well beyond combating terrorism. The GEC will also sponsor and fund foreign journalists who are not required to disclose that they receive the lions share of their funding from US government sources.
The largest such operation is the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which will have a $777.8 million budget in FY2017 to not only operate defunct media outlets like Voice of America, but to also subsidize foreign reporters while hiding their influence and bias behind the brands of local, impartial news outlets.
With news industry standards deteriorating around the world due to hidden corporate and government support, people around the world have taken to social media to research the facts on the ground in real-time in order to be one step ahead of the spin.
DUBAI (Sputnik) According to the Saudi Press Agency SPA, the meeting took place in Paris on Monday evening and the sides discussed ways of developing and enhancing of the bilateral cooperation in these spheres.
During the two-day visit to France, the Saudi defense minister also held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. During the meeting latest developments in the Middle East were discussed, according to the media outlet.
The EEU is a Russia-initiated integration association, streamlining the flow of goods and services between its member countries, namely Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
In June 2015, the EEU and India began free trade negotiations, signing a framework agreement at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
The USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the US Sixth Fleet, has anchored outside Skeppsholmen in Stockholm after participating in the giant naval NATO exercise BALTOPS 2016. During the US-led exercise, the 17 nations, including Sweden, practiced coordinated military maneuvering. The multinational forces included 45 warships, 60 aircraft and helicopters as well as 6,000 troops. Sweden contributed with marines, six Gripen aircraft, a submarine and a corvette. It also provided the maneuvers with a jumping-off ground in Stockholm archipelago.
Commander Carlos Sardiello ensured Swedish Radio that it was purely a courtesy call, and praised the Swedish contribution to the exercise as "very professional."
"We are here for a few days to visit your beautiful capital in this beautiful weather," Sardiello sai,d pointing at Stockholm's Old Town, visible in the background.
The modernization effort will see the US Air Force acquiring 1,100 new Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) nuclear-armed cruise missiles and a spate of advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that officials believe will be able to penetrate anti-ballistic missile shields.
The US Air Force is not the only military service that will see an expansion in stockpiles. The US Navy will also acquire scores of upgraded Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles under the program.
During his visit to Hiroshima, Japan, President Barack Obama called for a "world without nuclear weapons." Ben Rhodes similarly suggested that the Obama administration would look to decrease the nuclear stockpile, seeking only to "maintain a credible deterrence that can sustain itself in the coming decades."
ROME (Sputnik) It is necessary to keep all the channels for political dialogue with Russia open to avoid further escalation of tension with Moscow, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Tuesday.
"Enhancing military presence in Eastern Europe should be accompanied by political dialogue at the top level. To avoid further escalation of tension with Russia, we need to keep all the channels of communication open, starting with the NATO-Russia Council," Mattarella said in an interview with La Stampa newspaper.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that Ankara aims to restore relations not only with Russia and Egypt, but with all Mediterranean and Black Sea neighbors.
"Our goal is to restore relations not just with Russia and Egypt, but with all neighboring Mediterranean and Black Sea countries," Yildirim said at a party meeting.
On situation in Iraq
We consider the recapture of Fallujah as a victory for Iraqi forces. It's important for the future and better life of all Iraqi people, Zakharova said.
On Washington Post publication
"The Washington Post has posted an article about the alleged harassment of American diplomats in Russia. We received a lot of mail and people were outraged; that's why we couldn't refuse to react," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Allegations of US diplomats being harassed in Russia are not true, she said Tuesday, adding that US intelligence agencies exert an undue amount of pressure on Russian diplomats in the United States.
"This publication is shallow, this publication does not reflect the real picture, it was prepared hastily, it was prepared [according to] hearsay. If you want an example of propaganda, here is the Washington Posts publication," Zakharova said.
The Western media remains quiet when Russian diplomats are harassed overseas. Instead of improving the situation, however, they turned it upside down.
"Our Russian diplomats constantly face provocations from the FBI and the CIA. In particular, the staff of the aforementioned bodies do not hesitate to apply what includes illegal measures on our diplomats, and psychological pressure in the presence of their families," Zakharova stressed.
If you want proof, one of the experts the Washington Post cited was Michael McFaul, who failed in his role as US ambassador to Russia.
McFaul called Russia a savage country, a term he repeated throughout his tenure.
|This publication was discussed during the State Department briefing. This behavior aggravates Russia-US relations. Let me remind that the US declared that anti-Russian sanctions are aimed at destabilizing Russia.
"It's not us who's worsening the bilateral relations," Zakharova said.
On Ankara-Moscow relations
The Turkish side has taken important steps to normalize relations with Russia. We will monitor] the developments in this field.
On Brexit referendum
The Russian position is very clear this is an internal affair of Great Britain. It is not our business; there are no double standards in our position.
"As for results and consequences this decision hasn't been formalized. What should be done we should wait until the public decision will be formalized by the British government. Only after that can we speak about the Russian reaction. As far as we understand, this decision will affect the European Union. In any case, we are for the development of cooperation with the EU and United Kingdom," Zakharova said.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen, who earlier described Brexit as a "sad result for the whole of Europe and Denmark in particular" has come under fire from the right-wing populist and anti-EU Danish People's Party. Several party members have called on Lkke to either set a date for a referendum on Denmark's future in the EU or resign as the country's prime minister. The news came despite the Danish People's Party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl recently stressing that it was too early to hold a similar vote in Denmark.
The initiative is led by Erik Hgh-Srensen, a Danish People's Party's parliament member based in northern Jutland. He condemned Lkke's stance, citing a recent survey carried out by pollster Epinion, according to which 34 percent of Lkke's own Liberal Party's electorate would like to see a referendum, now that the UK has decided to leave. According to Hgh-Srensen, this is indicative of Lkke's unfitness to lead the party and the so-called 'blue bloc' the Danish People's Party is part of.
"If Lkke refuses to listen to the majority of Danish voters who want direct democracy and a referendum on the EU, then he isn't a worthy prime minister," Hgh-Srensen told the Danish tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet after receiving the backing of prominent fellow party members.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, the Turkish side was represented by the Foreign Ministrys Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu at the signing of the deal in the Italian capital.
On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim announced the restart of diplomatic ties with Israel. Yildirim said the two countries embassies would subsequently reopen. Israel has also agreed to pay $20 million to the victims of the 2010 Freedom Flotilla incident, the prime minister added.
Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one sailing under a Turkish flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, resulting in eight Turkish citizens being killed.
Meanwhile, according to Duowei, the growing significance attached to Russia by Beijing itself has become a "turning point" for China's geopolitical strategy. Ever since China began pursuing a more active policy in the South China Sea, the United States, along with Japan, the Philippines, Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries have begun to condemn such behavior and attempted to isolate China diplomatically and to label Beijing as a 'troublemaker'.
And here, the portal suggested, Russia's turn to the east has given Beijing an opportunity to make a U-turn in terms of its own strategy. Thus, two weeks ago, Russian and Chinese naval vessels appeared near the disputed territories in the South China Sea, triggering panic in Japan. Meanwhile, the results of the recent summit of the SCO, where members spoke out against foreign interference in regional disputes, also hinted that Beijing has found support for its position.
In the final analysis, Duowei noted, for Russia, the move closer to China has eased the "diplomatic problems" Moscow has faced as a result of the crisis in Ukraine, while for China, friendship with Russia has helped to ease the pressure being piled on by the US, Australia and other countries in East Asia.
Therefore, while both countries officially continue to adhere to the principle of non-alignment, it seems that with their positions on the most sensitive issues finding themselves more and more 'aligned', the idea of the countries' non-alignment is gradually fading away. And with the US's Asia pivot in full swing, "under the weight of policy, China is also adjusting its foreign policy; China's diplomacy may face a major turning point," Duowei News concluded.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a phone talk on Wednesday, initiated by Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
"Of course, we will need to take more than one step in each other's direction, one shouldn't think that everything can be normalized in a few days, but work on this will continue. In particular, tomorrow, a phone call between President Putin and President Erdogan will be held at Russia's initiative," Peskov told reporters.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault will discuss the consequences of the Brexit referendum during their meeting on June 29 in Paris, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
"The foreign ministers will exchange opinions on Russia-EU relations. In this context, the discussion will likely include possible consequences of the UK referendum on leaving the European Union," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Lavrov and Ayrault will also discuss anti-terrorism cooperation and major international issues, including the situations in Syria, Libya and Ukraine, according to the spokeswoman.
Former Soviet nomenclature has formed insular power clans in Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the analyst, repeated attempts to shift toward a more transparent and democratic system have so far failed.
Believe it or not, the second Maidan, to some extent, has brought 'Komsomol United' back to power.
"The second Maidan once again resulted in the return of informal post-Soviet models, and the current decision-makers represent a slightly westernized version of their earlier counterparts. The rotation has been supported by the mass change of colors on the part of the Ukrainian elite," the analyst emphasizes.
Whom exactly does the Poroshenko clan comprise?
The analyst points out that it includes Poroshenko's army mate and business partner Ihor Kononenko (formerly, a secretary of Komsomol at one of Kiev's institutes), Borys Lozhkin (who started his career in Kharkiv Komsomol newspaper), Anatoliy Matvienko and his nephew Sergiy Berezenko, the former secretary of Lviv Komsomol Ihor Gryniv amongst others.
So far, Poroshenko's presidency is characterized by maneuvering between Ukrainian oligarchy, his own clan and highly populist rhetoric, the analyst stresses. Predictably, it does not add to the ongoing fight against corruption and nepotism which are still flourishing in the country.
In this context the appointment of Poroshenko's longstanding ally Volodymyr Groysman as Ukraine's Prime Minister is yet another attempt by the Ukrainian president to bolster his clan and concentrate power in his own hands.
It is hardly surprising that anti-corruption reforms have so far failed in Ukraine that sees little if any rotation of elites at the helm of the country.
Vasylyev's stance is echoed by American scholars Neil A. Abrams and M. Steven Fish.
"Since 1991, when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, a powerful political and business establishment has wielded uninterrupted control of the Ukrainian state. Not even popular uprisings in 2004 and 2014 or changes of executive power in 1994, 2005, 2010 and 2014 managed to dislodge this elite," Abrams and Fish wrote in their May article for the Washington Post.
ARD explained that it was unknown whether prosecutors will agree to conduct a formal investigation. German politicians and human rights activists had previously accused the Turkish president of war crimes in 2011; at that time the case was closed without further investigation by German prosecutors, who cited then-Prime Minister Erdogan's political immunity.
In 2015, the resumption of an armed conflict in southern Turkey between Turkish security forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party has resulted in the deaths of over 480 soldiers and police officers, and thousands of Kurdish militants, according to Ankara. However, according to Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, the Turkish government's so-called 'anti-terrorist operation' has also resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.
Asked to comment on the legal initiative, Left Party MP Ulla Jelpke told Sputnik that it was an attempt to bring attention to an issue which is being downplayed in German society.
"We do not understand why the federal government is silent on these crimes. We believe that the mass killings of civilians committed in Turkey are war crimes, crimes against humanity. Therefore, Erdogan and his accomplices to these crimes must be brought to justice," Jelpke said.
DUBAI (Sputnik) The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union will not have a significant impact on the British-Saudi relations, the Saudi foreign minister said on Tuesday.
"We do not think that Britain's exit from the EU will have a significant impact on our relations with the United Kingdom," Adel Jubeir told a news conference in Paris, where he accompanied Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In his famous speech delivered in Cairo in 2009 Barack Obama pledged to seek a "new beginning" between the United States and Muslims around the world, based on mutual respect and mutual interests.
"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings," Obama said as quoted by the New York Times.
"The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth," Obama underscored, thus far distancing himself from the Bush-era belligerent foreign policy in the Middle East.
We are in uncharted territory no country has ever left the European Union before. Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned, and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing a coup. Award-winning filmmaker and activist John Pilger discusses the future of British and European politics in light of this dramatic development.
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a full-fledged coup as his opponents in the Blairite parliamentary Labour Party conspire to oust him in a confidence vote. Are other dramatic developments in British politics like a new independence referendum for Scotland possible? Brian is joined by former Member of Parliament and leader of the RESPECT Party George Galloway.
Chaos reigns in global stock and currency markets. Traders were anticipating a vote to remain, but Brexit has badly thrown them off balance. Can the panic be contained? Head of the School of Economics, Politics and History at Kingston University London Steve Keen considers the economic fallout from the referendum.
Also the Supreme Court struck down a Texas anti-abortion law. Associate Editor at the DCist Rachel Kurzius explains what this means for womens access to reproductive health services.
The Unanimous Dissent team also tackles the Puerto Rico debt crisis, stolen CIA arms shipments, and the corporatization of the US National Park Service.
The draft is motivated by the fact that foreign nationals committed 89,300 crimes in Russia in 2015 and the widespread practice of fingerprinting has failed to yield the desired results, it was noted in the press release. Currently, such a database only registers those convicted of serious and very serious crimes, including convicted sex offenders whose DNA is automatically collected during the course of criminal investigations.
The bill proposes to put the onus to register on employers of foreign nationals and on the individuals themselves should they apply independently for a work permit.
SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) On Monday, the Kremlin's press office published a statement saying that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had sent a letter to Putin saying he was interested in resolving the conflict triggered by the 2015 Turkish downing of a Russian jet in Syria and offering condolences to the family of the killed pilot.
"It won't influence tourist flows, as all tours and tickets are sold out, so nobody will be able to redirect physically," Aksenov told reporters.
Irina Viter, scientific adviser and participant of all of those expeditions, told Sputnik the findings collated by her group became the most comprehensive source of information for the Defense Ministry and Russian Geographical Society as they planned their own expedition to the island.
"The island is rife with trenches and artificial caverns. The northern part of the island was protected by a volcano, and the rest was transformed by Japanese army engineers into a stronghold. The entire perimeter of Matua was ringed by pillboxes, some of them carved into the rock. The entire system also had an extensive network of underground communications," Viter said.
She explained that there's an entire underground city hidden on the island, and that according to the rumors it may have housed Japanese biological warfare or even nuclear research labs, but so far no evidence supporting these theories was discovered.
I believe with all my heart that those are the last words of Marty, Martins ex-wife Christine Keller told the Detroit Free Press. I recognize two different voices screaming and yelling and it always ends with, Dont f---ing shoot.'"
The prosecuting attorney in the case, Robert Springstead, is currently studying the parrots testimony to determine if it can be used in court.
Its an interesting novelty and its been a great opportunity for me to learn about African parrots, he told the Free Press. It is something we are going to be looking at to determine if its reliable to use or if its information we need to prosecute this case.
Springstead previously stated that he was unaware if there was any precedent for a bird to testify in court. He joked that when the judge asks the witness to raise their right hand, it will be quite difficult for a parrot, telling the Free Press, to a parrot, are you raising a wing, a foot?
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US military did not meet established deployment timelines during the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, Republicans on the US House Benghazi Committee said in the final report on Tuesday.
"None of the relevant military forces met their required deployment timelines," the report stated.
The 2012 terrorist attack in the Libyan port city of Benghazi killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The report issued by the Republicans on the US House Benghazi Committee, which looks into the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Libya, lacks reliable evidence and represents a conspiracy theory, the committees Democrats said in a press release on Tuesday.
"The Republican Benghazi report seems like a conspiracy theory on steroids bringing back long-debunked allegations with no credible evidence whatsoever," the release stated.
Earlier on Tuesday, Republicans on the Benghazi committee released a report probing the 2012 attack, which killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The use of private server and email account by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has delayed the probe into the 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, Republicans on the US House Benghazi Committee said in the final report on Tuesday.
"The State Department and the Secretarys email arrangement undoubtedly delayed access to information on what happened to four brave Americans in Benghazi and the governments response before, during and after the attacks," the report stated.
The 2012 terrorist attack in the Libyan port city of Benghazi killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Criminal penalties for Volkswagen and its executives are likely to follow Tuesdays agreement by the auto maker to set aside nearly $15 billion for customers who purchased pollution spewing cars and to pay other civil penalties, Deputy US Attorney General Sally Yates announced at a news conference on Monday.
"While this announcement is an important step forward in achieving justice for the American people, let me be clear, it is by no means the last," Yates said. "The settlements do not address any potential criminal liability, although I can assure you that our criminal investigation remains active and ongoing."
Yates said the criminal probe would target any companies or individuals involved in the scheme in which diesel cars were rigged with software to defeat pollution monitoring tests, while allowing cars to emit up to 40 times allowed levels of pollution.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has carried out airstrikes against the Daesh jihadist group in Iraq from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, US 6th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. James Foggo said in a press release on Tuesday.
"As demonstrated by Truman, and now Ike [Eisenhower], a carrier strike group can effectively counter ISIL [Islamic State], reassure our allies and deter adversaries all from the Eastern Mediterranean," Foggo stated.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) On Tuesday, House Select Committees Republican majority released its report on the attack at the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi.
We expect our government to make every effort to save the lives of Americans who serve in harms way. That did not happen in Benghazi, Pompeo said. Politics were put ahead of the lives of Americans, and while the administration had made excuses and blamed the challenges posed by time and distance, the truth is that they did not try.
The report stated that despite President Obama and then-Defense Secretary Leon Panettas orders to deploy military assets, the US military did not meet established deployment timelines during the deadly attack on the US diplomatic compound.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US authorities are still concerned about harassment of American diplomats in Russia and at posts throughout the world, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Tuesday.
"The United States continues to be concerned about US diplomats who are being harassed at not just the embassy in Moscow, but at other diplomatic facilities around the world," Earnest stated.
VOCs are present in many products, and it is unknown if some of the toxins were from other sources. However, the study does provide more evidence of the link between proximity to fracking operations and higher levels of contamination.
"If your drinking water is contaminated with toxic chemicals you might be able to make do with another source, but if your air is toxic you can't choose to breathe somewhere else," Deb Thomas, one the study leaders, said in a statement.
The small town of Pavillion has only 250 residents and sits in close proximity to roughly 180 drilling operations.
In 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that the operations may have contaminated the town's water supply. Two years later, however, the EPA handed their investigation over to the state of Wyoming, after criticism from local energy industries and the state's fossil fuel regulators.
Once the investigation was in their hands, state regulators stopped all research, despite an alert from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry that residents not use tap water for drinking, cooking, or bathing.
NEW YORK (Sputnik) If elected into office, the US Treasury will be instructed to term China a currency manipulator, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said during a speech on Tuesday.
"Im going to instruct my Treasury Secretary to label China a currency manipulator, which should have been done years ago," Trump told a campaign rally in Monessen, Pennsylvania.
Trump as well as US lawmakers regularly accuse China of unfair trade practices, including via currency manipulation.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The US Senate will take up legislation to help Puerto Rico avoid a debt default on Wednesday, Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters.
"With regard to Puerto Rico, we will be voting on that tomorrow," McConnell said on Tuesday, adding the bill up for consideration "sets up a mechanism that guarantees there wont be a taxpayer bailout of Puerto Rico in the future."
The House of Representatives has already passed legislation to establish a financial oversight board to help Puerto Rico address its $70 billion debt crisis before July 1.
The wall in question is already under construction and surrounds the Facebook founders 700-acre property in Kauai. While Zuckerberg is using locally sourced material, residents are complaining that the boards set up in place of where the wall will ultimately stand are blocking the ocean breeze and beautiful views.
Its hot behind that wall. Because its up on a berm, theres not a breath of air on this side from the ocean, resident Shosana Chantara told West Hawaii Today. You take a solid wall thats 10 or more feet above the road level; the breeze cant go through.
Another resident echoed Chantaras feelings, telling the paper that based on the construction that is already under way, he expects the wall will be at least six feet tall.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees operations of the two airports in the US capital, will update security procedures after explosions in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Authoritys spokesperson Christopher Paolino told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"We have a robust security structure both visible and behinds the scenes. We are in constant contact with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and we will update our security procedures and status in light of ongoing events," Paolino stated when asked whether airports security will be boosted after Istanbul attacks.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) An assailant shot a woman multiple times in a downtown building not far from the University of Colorado Denver campus before killing himself, according to the Denver Police Departments preliminary statements.
A male suspect was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on the scene, the Denver Police Department said over its Twitter feed.
The investigation was still underway with the crime scene secured but not cleared, the Denver Police said in a statement.
TOKYO (Sputnik)Korea JoongAng Daily reported citing South Korean military sources that the North possesses hundreds of Scud extended-range missiles (Scud-ER) that had been modified to cover the range of some 620 miles, long enough to reach the US military facilities in Japan, including the base in Yokosuka.
North Korea could use the Scud-ERs to prevent the deployment of the US forces stationed at the Japanese islands to South Korea in case of the conflict at the Korean peninsula, according to the newspaper.
Tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs escalated after Pyongyang said on January 6 that it had successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test and put a satellite into orbit on February 7. The moves violated UN Security Council resolutions, prompting the United Nations to impose sanctions.
The head of Russia's Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, for his part, urged Turkish authorities to bring all those responsible for the incident with the Russian plane to justice.
"We express the hope that the Turkish side will deliver on its promise to resolve the problem by compensating for damage and bringing the perpetrators to court," he wrote in his Instagram account.
Igor Morozov, a member of the Russian Upper House's International Affairs Committee, said that relations between Russia and Turkey will be discussed at a ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), slated for July 1 in Sochi.
Erdogan's personal, full and complete apology is what was needed to fix the Turkey-Russia relationship. Reason has finally prevailed. Dmitri Trenin (@DmitriTrenin) 27 2016 .
"By apologizing for the downed Su-24, the Turkish President took the first step. Further terms of the normalization of our relations will most likely be resolved in a package deal, due to be discussed at a BSEC gathering in Sochi, attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu," he said.
Daoud Khairallah, Professor of International Law at Georgetown University, told RT that that Erdogan's letter of apology to Putin will help defuse regional tensions.
"Erdogan's apology for the downed aircraft and the death of the Russian pilot is a positive step. What's more, the hope is that the message will contribute to maintaining peace in the region, given Turkey's role in fuelling the conflicts in Syria and Iraq," he said.
Erdogan seems to be in a rare conciliatory mood: apology to Russia, restoring ties with Israel. Omar Waraich (@OmarWaraich) 27 2016 .
Former Turkish ambassador to the United States Osman Logoglu said that Erdogan made the right decision, which he said will be good for Turkey; he added that Erdogan's apology will help allay NATO's concerns about a possible confrontation with Russia.
"I think Turkey made a wise decision by revising the existing relations with neighboring countries, including Russia. Erdogan's apology, which was extended on the eve of the NATO summit in Warsaw, will add to defusing the situation in the alliance," he said.
Former Turkish Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis said in an interview with RT that the apology should become the first step in restoring Russian-Turkish relations.
"Seven months means nothing. I wish he would have done it right from the start, but better late than never. I think that Russia will react in a positive way, and we will gradually ride out of the protracted crisis, something that is the interest of both countries,"he said.
Pointing to the fact that Russia has always been neutral in its official statements on the EU, the newspaper said that Moscow is interested in the EU's economic stability because in the event that it experiences a crisis, the Russians are almost certain to face the consequences.
Nevertheless, some Russian politicians did not mince words when commenting on Brexit, the newspaper said, quoting Russian Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky as saying that the UK said "no" the EU, which he said had been "created by the financial mafia."
Today's Russian papers agree that Brexit is bad for the EU, but see advantages for Russia pic.twitter.com/dMCzQiIkWH Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) 27 2016 .
Lettera 43 said that Britain's withdrawal from the EU may finally play into the Kremlin's hands if Brussels fails to implement structural reforms and resolve internal differences. A possible collapse of the EU will change the balance of power on the continent in favor of Russia, according to the newspaper.
In the short-term, all this could lead to the abolition of anti-Russian sanctions.
"However, in the long-term scenario, Brexit may prompt experts to wonder whether a weak and splintered Europe will remain in the Transatlantic sphere of influence or begin to move closer to Russia," the Lettera 43 said.
At the same time, the newspaper warned against jumping to conclusions, given that each and every country will solve Brexit-related problems as they relate to their own interests.
VIENNA (Sputnik) Russia hopes that the world's economic situation will remain stable after the decision of the United Kingdom to quit the European Union, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov said Tuesday.
"Obviously, we are interested in the world's economic situation not to deteriorate.. [interested in] steady growth, it is necessary for our own economy," Meshkov told journalists.
The UK Electoral Commission announced that around 52 percent of the British people voted to leave the bloc that caused economic turbulence in country's economy and drop of the UK stock indices as well as devaluation of the pound sterling.
Theres been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATOs gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. Thats not whats happening, Obama told the NPR media network in an interview released Tuesday.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.
So it is safe to assume that Russia's relations with Europe are of paramount importance to both sides, he pointed out.
"France is interested in Russia developing ties with Europe. Our goal should be the creation of a global partnership with Russia in all areas, including economics, culture and security in order to resolve the most pressing international issues," he wrote.
Gutmann called for developing "a new and sober approach to Russia, rejecting the Cold War stereotypes, which he said are still in place when it comes to the position of the US, the EU and NATO.
"The alliance pursues an anti-Russian policy which poses a danger to world peace and which is out of line with interests of all parties concerned, including the Eastern European countries," he wrote.
As for the anti-Russian sanctions, they will most likely be extended, even though they fail to affect Russia's policy on Ukraine and at the same time considerably damage the European economy, Gutmann wrote.
According to him, to restore a full-fledged collaboration with Russia, France should pave the way for the resumption of a comprehensive dialogue at different levels.
"First and foremost, Turkey suffered serious losses in connection with the deterioration of trade and economic relations with Russia," she said.
Additionally, Mugisuddin attributed Erdogan's apology to changes in the Turkish government, saying that "some other principles have recently started to dominate Turkish foreign policy."
"In this regard, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that from now on, the national focus will be placed on efforts to increase the number of friends and ease strained relations. And, in my opinion, the process of normalization launched toward Russia is quite in line with this foreign policy line," she said.
Secondly, she added, Europe is currently going through tough times, with Brexit due to inevitably start the process of forming a new balance of power in Europe.
Sultan Erdogan finally sent an apology for the death of a Russian pilot 7 months after the act. RIA reports. extremely online bro (@iFortknox) 27 2016 .
"Both Russia and Turkey should adjust to and benefit from this new process by interacting with each another," she pointed out.
Apart from these political and economic reasons, she said, there are cultural and humanitarian factors which she highly appreciates because impressive results have been achieved in this area over the past few years.
"In this vein, Turkey is strongly interested in the restoration and development of these cultural ties with Russia," she concluded.
On Monday, the Russian President's Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Vladimir Putin had received a letter from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing readiness to resolve the bilateral crisis caused by the downing of a Russian combat plane by a Turkish fighter jet last year.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) US Special Forces are vetting opposition group leaders in Syria and training them on how to call in precision airstrikes, US Special Envoy for the Counter-Islamic State Coalition Brett McGurk said in a congressional testimony on Tuesday.
"What we [United States] are doing now is identifying those groups [in Syria] that are vetted," McGurk stated. "We work with [them] on the ground to call in precision airstrikes."
McGurk noted that the United States is focused on training individual leaders to enhance capabilities on the ground as opposed to trying to organize large units, which was an unsuccessful approach.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The Canadian government has decided to drop visa requirements for Mexican tourists starting December 2016, Office of Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a press release on Tuesday.
"Lifting the visa requirement will deepen ties between Canada and Mexico and will increase the flow of travellers, ideas, and businesses between both countries," the release stated.
The Canadian authorities noted that strengthening relations with Mexico is a top priority, and Ottawa is working with Mexican officials on final details of the visa lift.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) The 38-year old man, identified only as Aydin C, was arrested in the Netherlands in 2014 on charges of extorting lewd images from underage people. He was implicated by 15-year-old Amanda Todd in a YouTube video weeks before she committed suicide.
The District Court of Amsterdam ruled that "the acts for which his extradition has been requested are punishable under both Canadian and Dutch laws by a prison sentence of more than a year."
The court stressed that the extradition was not sought after on charges of Todds death in 2012. The teenage girl from British Columbia confessed in the video she had been subject to an online bullying campaign after her private pictures were exposed on Facebook.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) In 2013, the construction of the Baltic NPP was said to have been halted and almost frozen, but in June of 2016 a spokesman for JSC Baltic NPP said that the construction was not suspended. He said some slowdown in the implementation rate had been seen, but the equipment was supplied and warehouses were being built.
"A number of memorandums on Understanding and agreements on electricity sales from the Baltic NPP, which is under construction, was signed with major European energy holding companies in 2015 in the framework of implementation of Rosatom's strategy of entering international electricity markets abroad," the report reads.
The construction of the Baltic nuclear power plant began in 2010 in Russian Kaliningrad region to secure power supply for the Kaliningrad Oblast and the Baltic states. In 2013, Baltic countries, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia declared their intention to withdraw from the unified energy system with Russia, which led to the project's suspension.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) Reports of an explosion are under investigation in the Peel area of Ontario, Canada, according to a tweet from the Peel regional police.
"Reports of an explosion Fire and EMS [emergency medical services] on scene. Please avoid the area," the Peel police tweeted.
The explosion destroyed at least one home, local media reported.
Northeast Ohios premier trotting race, the Cleveland Trotting Classic, will head to post this Saturday (July 2) at Northfield Park. The 2016 installment of the Classic carries a purse of $180,000.
The Grand Circuit event has attracted some of the best veteran trotters in North America. The Classic has been slated as Race 11 on Northfields 15-dash program. First-race post time on Saturday is 6:00 p.m.
Shake It Cerry has drawn Post 3 and has been named the 2-1 morning line favourite. Although winless so far in 2016, the five-year-old mare has recorded 28 lifetime victories and has trotted to over $2.5 million in purse earnings.
Obrigado has drawn the rail and has been assessed at odds of 3-1 on the morning line. He was the runner-up in last years Classic and has recorded three wins from six starts this season, most recently a 1:53.3 score in the $210,000 Charlie Hill Memorial at Scioto Downs on June 11.
Local favourite Like Old Times enters the Classic off two consecutive wins over the Flying Turns. She was the 2015 Ohio Horse of the Year and is conditioned by Northfield Park Wall of Famer and Ohio Trotmaster Don McKirgan. Although programmed as a 25-1 longshot, Like Old Times broke the track record for four year-old trotting mares just two weeks ago.
$180,000 Cleveland Trotting Classic
(Post Horse Listed Driver Trainer Morning Line Odds)
1 Obrigado Mark MacDonald Paul Kelley 3-1
2 Homicide Hunter Dave Palone Chris Oakes 4-1
3 Shake It Cerry Aaron Merriman Jimmy Takter 2-1
4 Il Sogno Dream Trevor Henry Christopher Beaver 10-1
5 Muscle Up The Goal Aaron Merriman Christopher Beaver 8-1
6 Maestro Blue Chip Victory Kirby Jo Ann Looney-King 6-1
7 Like Old Times Don McKirgan Ronnie Wrenn Jr. 25-1
8 Boffin Jason Merriman Anette Lorentzon 25-1
(*Driver selections will be finalized by 9 p.m. Tuesday evening)
This years Classic program undercard is highlighted by three $20,000 Open events. One features Foiled Again, the richest horse in the history of harness racing and a three-time Battle of Lake Erie winner. The Opens and the Trotting Classic comprise the evenings Pick-4, which carries a $10,000 guaranteed pool.
Guests who want to be close to all of the racing action can stop by the grandstand apron for an array of free fanfare activities. These attractions include a free Northfield Park ball cap for the first 1,500 patrons, a t-shirt toss from the winners circle by the successful driver of each race, country band Six String Cowboy performing on the apron from 6-10 p.m., spinning of the Northfield Park Prize Wheel for free cash and prizes from 8-9 p.m., and some of northeast Ohios favourite food trucks on the grandstand apron from 6-10 p.m.
(Northfield Park)
Friday afternoons Canada Day card of racing at Dresden Raceway will feature something special for fans in Race 9, as five riders will mount up and take part in a Racing Under Saddle race.
Racing Under Saddle racing features Standardbreds that race with a rider, as they do in Thoroughbred racing.
Fridays five-horse field features riders from across the world and will feature pari-mutuel wagering.
Marit Valstad hails from Tondheim, Norway and has been racing under saddle since she was 18. Valstad, who has worked with Standardbreds her whole life, will be aboard Callie Magoo from Post 1.
The Post 2 starter will be Precious Phoebe, who will be ridden by Sarah Town. Town has been riding since age six and calls Owen Sound, Ont. home.
Celebrity Legacy will be guided be Alex Marion. Marion is from France and has been working with horses for most of his life.
Brittany Kennedy is the trainer and rider of Post 4 starter E L Rock. Kennedy is from McGregor, Ont. and does double duty as a registered massage therapist and horse trainer.
Chathams Evelyn Harms will ride the Post 5 starter, Southwind Alice. Harms works for harness trainer Bill Kirkpatrick.
Southwind Alice and Harms are the 7-5 morning line favourite. Kennedy and E L Rock have been listed as the 5-2 second early favourite.
The Canada Day card of racing will feature a giant eight-foot cake decorated as a Canadian flag, as well is many giveaways and contests.
Ontario Sires Stakes races have also been programmed on the Saturday card.
The program of live racing will kick off with a first-race post time of 1:30 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Friday at Dresden, click the following link: Friday Entries Dresden Raceway.
(Dresden Raceway)
Evangelist Alveda King: Hey SCOTUS -- Serve Women; Save Babies
Contact: Leslie Palma, 347-286-7277ATLANTA, June 28, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Evangelist Alveda King, director of Civil Rights for the Unborn with Priests for Life, citing recent quotes from a seemingly unlikely pair of social justice headliners, Walter Hoye of Issues4Life and BET Award Winner Jessie Williams , notes that SCOTUS is out of touch with the American Dream.In a not so surprising move yesterday, SCOTUS overturned Texas law that sought to protect women from substandard care in Texas abortion mills. "This decision will hurt women and kill babies," King said."Don't be misled you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." (Galatians 6:7 NLT)Citing a report from Walter Hoye at issues4life foundation, King noted abortion is the number one killer of Blacks in America; higher than heart attacks, diabetes, and hypertension. Hoye states that according to Violence Policy Center , there were 6,217 Black American homicides for the year 2013. When compared to Black American abortions, the 429,000 abortions in Black America for 2013 represent 69 times the number of Black American homicides.Hoye also cited a recent analysis by Dennis Howard, President of the Movement for a Better America, who has written extensively on abortion demographics, which shows that out of every 1,680 pregnant Black American women 15-44, 1,000 will give birth to their child and 680 will abort their baby. The analysis was based on data from the U.S. Statistical Abstract for 2013 and the National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 64, No. 1 dated January 15, 2015 King also applauded remarks by Jessie Williams, the actor/activist who accepted the recent BET Humanitarian Award for his work in the black community. After going through his customary thank yous and acknowledgements, Williams said: "A system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do."Connecting the dots, King summed it up pointing that the fight for freedom begins in the womb ; and by quoting her Uncle MLK and colleague Rev. Frank Pavone: "Hey SCOTUS, you and the abortion industry can't serve the public by killing the public. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!"King added: "Break every chain. In the end, natural law, God's law will always trump common law. Do not fear or be confused or deceived. Remain prayerful. Keep looking up. God will have the final word in this matter."
AUL Calls on Washington State to Repeal Discriminatory Rule Designed to Punish Pharmacists Who Respect Unborn Life
"Despite this missed opportunity to correct an unconstitutional abuse of power, the Washington State rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners who respect unborn life can and should be immediately repealed," said AUL's Clarke Forsythe. "Justice Alito is correct, when he wrote that the Court's refusal to review this discriminatory rule is an ominous sign for religious liberty."
Contact: Kristi Hamrick, 202-289-1478, press@aul.org
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- The U.S. Supreme Court today declined an opportunity to hear Stormans v. Wiesman, a challenge to a 2007 Washington Board of Pharmacy rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners with religious objections to stocking drugs with known life-ending effects. "Despite this missed opportunity to correct an unconstitutional abuse of power, the Washington State rule that punishes pharmacists and pharmacy owners who respect unborn life can and should be immediately repealed," said Clarke Forsythe, AUL Acting President and Senior Counsel.
"The rule at issue in the Stormans case is unfortunately one of many examples where abortion advocates are pushing an extreme agenda of coercion under the faulty guise of 'choice.' As AUL has written about extensively, Planned Parenthood's fingerprints are all over the unnecessary and unconstitutional rule," continued Forsythe.
He noted that Justice Samuel Alito began his dissent to the Supreme Court's refusal to review the discriminatory rule, writing, "This case is an ominous sign." Alito also noted:
"[T]here is much evidence that the impetus for the adoption of the regulations was hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the State."
"[T]his Court does not deem this case worthy of our time. If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern."
The case "has raised more than 'slight suspicion' that the rules challenged here reflect antipathy toward religious beliefs that do not accord with the views of those holding the levers of government power."
"The conscience rights of all Americans are at risk when they can be ignored by those who do not share the same opinion," observed Forsythe.
AUL has a long history of involvement in this case. On an earlier appeal of this case to the Ninth Circuit, AUL filed an amicus brief on behalf of Washington legislators in support of pro-life pharmacists. On a later second appeal, AUL filed a similar amicus brief on behalf of Members of Congress.
In January, Americans United for Life joined a medical amicus curie (friend of the court brief) as co-counsel in an effort headed by the Bioethics Defense Fund (BDF) and lead attorney Dorinda Bordlee to defend the First Amendment freedom of conscience of pharmacists. The brief demonstrates that conscience objections to drugs misleadingly called "emergency contraceptives," specifically Plan B and ella, are consistent with objective science showing that the drugs have the capacity to end the life of an unique human being. The brief was filed on behalf of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Catholic Medical Association, Christian Medical Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.
To read more about the anti-conscience campaign orchestrated by Planned Parenthood visit AUL's Planned Parenthood Exhibits.
Americans United for Life (AUL) is the legal architect of the pro-life movement. We are accumulating victories, building momentum, and advancing a culture of life in America. Our vision is a nation in which everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law. The first national pro-life organization in America, AUL has been committed to defending human life since 1971.
Looking for the shop safe, someone burglarized Sally Beauty Supply, located at the Twin City shopping center on Ocean Beach in Longview, by punching through an adjoining wall in an empty shop, according to police
According to store staff, the burglar had broken into the former home of Athletes Corner (now on 15th Avenue), punched through the sheetrock inside the shop, then through the pegboard at Sally Beauty, knocking over a shelf in the process.
The staff member said the alarm went off and scared off the burglar. Nothing was stolen, and damage was minimal.
Further information was available.
The longshoreman injured while working on a ship at Weyerhaeuser Co. log dock last week died in a Portland hospital Saturday, according to several sources.
Jimmie Meadows Jr. had been hired by S.S.A. Pacific to load logs, but he was not a Weyerhaeuser employee.
Jimmie will be in our hearts and thoughts and memories," Joe Abram, S.S.A. general manager, said in a prepared statement. "S.S.A. Pacific is very sorry for the loss to his family, as he was a well-respected member of our workforce and the ILWU, Abram said, referencing the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of which Meadows had been a member.
A Facebook post by ILWU member Kyle Mackey included this tribute to Meadows: "When I was 16 years old, after months of looking for a job, a friend of my dad's helped land me the first job I ever had. His name was Jimmie Meadows. I'd like to think that I thanked him for this a few years later when I started to see him down on the docks, and I've been racking my terrible memory trying to recall that conversation ... Jimmie always had a smile on his face and an air of positivity about him. ... He was programmed to be one of the toughest, hardest working guys on the job. Always pushing to get the job done as fast as possible.
"My dad said it best I think, 'I'd rather have 10 Jimmie Meadows than some of these new guys that don't care about protecting the job.' I will always respect and remember these things," the post said.
Meadows died at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital. The official cause of death and other details still were not available Monday.
hidden
German publishers have appealed a Berlin court's rejection of a case in which they accused Google of abusing its market power by refusing to pay them for displaying newspaper articles online, a lawyer for the publishers said on Monday. Germany's biggest newspaper publisher, Axel Springer and 40 other publishers had accused Alphabet Inc's Google of unfair treatment. The court had rejected the case in April, saying that Google's business model was a "win-win" proposition for both parties. Although Google had a 90 percent share of the German market, the company was not treating certain publishers unfairly, the court said.
Jan Hegemann, a lawyer representing the publishers, told Reuters that they would continue to press their case about Google's alleged abuse of market power, and had filed the appeal late last week. The conflict centres on a long-standing row over payments for newspaper content, which Google makes freely available via its online platforms Google News, YouTube and other services. While some in the media industry accuse Google of making money at its expense, the Silicon Valley company says publishers profit from advertising revenue generated through its site.
The unfair treatment allegation centred on what German publishers said were threats by Google to punish those media outlets which demanded payment by displaying abbreviated versions of their stories. A related ruling on whether Germany publishers should receive payments from Google for displaying their news articles is still outstanding.
Reuters
tech2 News Staff
If you have been using Google Maps and have noticed a bump up in image quality, don't rub your eyes. This is because the search giant has been working on improved imagery that has so far been able to deliver more than 700 trillions individual pixels of data, as a recent blog post points out.
And the difference is noticeable. This is more so, if you find yourself using the satellite mode instead of the standard flat graphics that the Maps app usually switches to. The new mosaic is made available thanks to both the Landsat 8 satellite and the publicly available Earth Engine APIs.
The difference, according to Google, comes from cloud-free imageryone that showcases clearer views of the earth with greater detail and truer colours. The Landsat 8 also captures images twice as fast as Landsat 7, making the mosaic more up-to-date than past iterations.
Google states that the data obtained for its current mosaic consists of 700 trillion individual pixels. "To put that in perspective, 700 trillion pixels is 7,000 times more pixels than the estimated number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, or 70 times more pixels than the estimated number of galaxies in the Universe." writes Chris Herwig, Program Manager, Google Earth Engine.
The Home Ministry had recently conveyed to Google that its plans to cover India through Google Street View has been rejected.
Security establishment are wary of allowing such image capture techniques given that planning for the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai is believed to have involved photographic reconnaissance of targets by Pakistani American, David Coleman Headley.
Official sources said the rejection came after a detailed analysis by security agencies and defence forces, which feel that allowing Google to cover India would compromise the countrys security.
tech2 News Staff
Google launched its Expeditions app at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2016 conference. Over a million schoolchildren around the world have already tried the beta version of Expeditions.
https://twitter.com/GoogleForEdu/status/747491310651596801
Expeditions is an application that allows teachers to take their students on field trips to places around the world. A teacher can lead the students in virtual reality scenes, and show students the points of interest around a location. Students can follow leaders at once in small groups, and the leader can discuss the locations with the students as if they are all transported to another location.
Virtual reality scenes available include a mosque, a national park, underwater coral reefs, historical buildings, temples, the Moon and even Mars. The Taj Mahal and Akshardham Temple are available from India. There are a category of Expeditions known as career Expeditions, which shows professionals in various fields at work. There are expeditions with computer generated imagery, that takes you inside the human body.
The application can be used with Google cardboard viewers, or on smartphones and tablets with a touch interface. Expeditions is available on the Play store at launch, a version for iPhones and iPads is expected to be released soon.
tech2 News Staff
A real-estate agency from California sued Microsoft for a broken Windows 10 installation, and won $10,000 (around Rs 6.7 lakh) in settlement, according to a report in the Seattle Times. The travel agent never authorized the upgrade. Once the new operating system was installed, the machine slowed down, would not work and was unusable for days. Customer support was not able to resolve the problems when contacted.
The travel agent took up the matter in court, seeking compensation from Microsoft over loss of earnings and the cost of getting a new computer. She won the case, and Microsoft was ordered to pay $10,000 for the damages. Microsoft didn't appeal to avoid further litigation costs and decided to pay up. Windows 10 is offering free upgrades to users who have genuine versions of Windows 7 or Windows 8. The offer is only valid on the full versions of the operating system, not trial or introductory versions. The offer is valid till July 29, 2016. Microsoft has been very pushy with the upgrade, and updates to the upgrade.
Users can be locked out of their machines during the upgrade process and there are few options available to stop Windows 10 from making your machines unusable at times because of the upgrade and update process. Microsoft blogger Thurrott has termed the pushy upgrades from Microsoft as Upgradegate.
hidden
Rival ride services Uber and Lyft have settled high stakes litigation involving two of their top executives, court filings show, in advance of a trial that could have aired sensitive details about both companies. Lyft and its former chief operating officer Travis VanderZanden ended litigation in a California state court in which Lyft accused VanderZanden of breaking his confidentiality pledges when he went to work for Uber.
Uber also withdrew a subpoena on Monday in separate litigation over a data breach at Uber, which had targeted an Internet address assigned to Lyft's chief technology officer (CTO), according to a court filing. Last year Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was pursuing a criminal investigation of a May 2014 data breach at Uber, including an examination of whether any employees at competitor Lyft were involved. Lyft has said it found no evidence that any employee was involved in the breach. It is unclear what impact the civil settlements will have on that probe.
A Lyft spokesman confirmed the settlement with VanderZanden on Monday but declined to disclose the terms. An Uber representative could not immediately be reached for comment. VanderZanden served as Lyft's chief operating office until August 2014, when he expressed disagreement with the company's leadership and approached two board members about taking over as chief executive, according to court filings.
Lyft accepted VanderZanden's resignation instead, and he eventually became vice president of international growth at rival Uber. Lyft sued him in November 2014. In a sworn affidavit submitted in court earlier this year, VanderZanden said Lyft sued him in bad faith. According to VanderZanden's filing, Lyft surmised he had told Uber that Lyft's CTO, Chris Lambert, had discovered a method to "hack into Uber's computer systems and gain access to Uber confidential information."
Uber revealed last year that as many as 50,000 of its drivers' names and their license numbers had been improperly downloaded, and filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court in an attempt to unmask the hacker. As part of its investigation, Uber determined that an Internet address potentially associated with the breach could be traced to Lambert. However, Lambert's attorney told Reuters Lambert "had nothing to do" with the breach, which was launched from a different Internet address. Trial in the VanderZanden case had been scheduled to begin in August.
Reuters
GIGABYTE Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphic cards, has launched a Facebook contest that tests the graphic designing skills of participants. Titled The GIGABYTE Designer Contest, the event is open till July 10, 2016.
The first prize winner gets a chance to take home a Designare series motherboards. Motherboards in this series are an ideal choice for high performance PCs for meeting the needs of todays digital artists and engineers.
Participation is fun and pretty simple. You have to work on a self-photograph, that is, design or modify your photograph in such a way that it shows your passion in life, or your personal ambitions. And of course, you have to make it attractive and lively with your graphic designing skills.
Thereafter, you have post the your modified image on the contest Comment box, naming your passion in life, along with a few words on why the GIGABYTE Designare Series motherboards are the best choice for todays digital artists.
The GIGABYTE Designare motherboards are primarily meant for digital artists, engineers, 3D modelers, and content creators. The newly launched models include X99-Designare EX and Z170X-Designare based on the Intel X99 and Z170chipsets with support for Intels 5th and, current, 6th Gen.Core processor, respectively. They offer a unique blend of the latest technologies that ensures designing creativity is never placed on hold.
@Technuter.com News Service
Brexit: Cameron to face EU leaders after vote to leave
AFP Image caption David Cameron is seen at a previous meeting with Germany\'s Angela Merkel and France\'s Francois Hollande
David Cameron is to meet European Union leaders for the first time since the UK voted to leave. The UK prime minister will discuss the implications of the Brexit vote and the way ahead at an EU summit in Brussels. German, French and Italian leaders said on Monday there could be no "formal or informal" talks on a British exit at this stage. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for a second referendum over the terms of the UK's departure. He said the withdrawal process should be delayed until shortly before the next election - meaning a delay until after 2022 at the earliest. He is the first cabinet minister to go public with the call. Mr Hunt, who is considering standing for the leadership after Mr Cameron stands down, said the UK must remain within the EU's single market. He floated the idea of a "Norway plus" arrangement outside the EU, where the UK would enjoy the current trade benefits of being a full EU member while negotiating revised immigration rules. The British public's concerns about immigration needed to be addressed, he said, and that was also in the EU's interest as it "faced collapse" unless the current right of all citizens to live and work in other member states was reconsidered. In other developments on Tuesday, Chancellor George Osborne ruled himself out of replacing Mr Cameron as prime minister. He said in the Times that he had fought hard for a vote for remaining in the EU, and though he accepted the referendum result "I am not the person to provide the unity my party needs at this time." Labour MPs will vote on a motion of no confidence in their leader Jeremy Corbyn - who has insisted he is staying put - while Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will address MSPs over Brexit's implications for Scotland's future. As Europe tries to come to terms with Britain's decision to leave, Mr Cameron will attend a working dinner of EU leaders after meetings with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. He will not attend talks between the leaders of the other 27 EU member states at breakfast on Wednesday. 'Swift and coherent' : Speaking on Monday, Mr Cameron said the UK must accept the referendum result and that a special unit within government was being set up to lay the initial groundwork for leaving the EU. However, he has said that it must be up to his successor - who will be elected by the start of September - to decide how to proceed and precisely when to give formal notification of the UK's intention to leave by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Under EU rules, once this happens, the UK would have two years to negotiate the terms of its divorce from the EU - unless the remaining 27 members unanimously agree to extend the process. It must also negotiate its future trading relationship with the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a new UK government must be given time to prepare itself, but she also said the process cannot be delayed indefinitely amid fears of "contagion" for an organisation facing multiple economic and political challenges. French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy have agreed with her stance. The European Parliament will also meet on Tuesday in an emergency session to debate the fallout from the Brexit vote - including a non-binding motion urging the "immediate activation" of Article 50. 'Clock ticking': MEPs, who must ratify any final agreement with the UK, have said they want to be "fully involved" in the process and that withdrawal must be "swift and coherent" in order to protect the interests of the wider "European project". After two days of sharp falls in the stock market and sterling and political turmoil engulfing both the Conservative and Labour parties, there is increasing uncertainty about what Brexit will entail and the precise nature of the mandate that Mr Cameron's successor will be given. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, former Chancellor Ken Clarke said it should be up to MPs to decide the terms of the UK's exit and the blueprint set out by the Leave campaign during the referendum - including quitting the single market - should not be sacrosanct. But Commons leader and Leave campaigner Chris Grayling said the UK was the EU's biggest customer and, as such, negotiations would be a two-way process. There will be real damage to European markets if a "sensible agreement" were not reached, he said.---bbc.com
Youth to die for killing couple in Mymensingh
Staff Reporter, Mymensingh :
A district court on Sunday handed down death sentence to a 26-year old youth, Golam Mustafa Mithu, as he was found guilty of killing husband and wife.
Judge Dr. M Amir Uddin of a special court of Mymensingh District and Session Judge Court pronounced the verdict around 1:15pm.
Case statement said Golam Mustafa Mithu chopped retired postmaster Abdul Haque and his wife Rayatun Nesa, an assistant teacher of Akua Government Primary School, to death in Akua Wireless area of the town on July 12 in 2014 over owing money.
Victims son Hasibur Haque filed a murder case with Kotowali Model Thana on the next day. Inspector of the court Nawajesh Ali confirmed the matter.
Hillary teams up with Senator Warren for Ohio event
Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton stands alongside US Senator Elizabeth Warren at a campaign rally in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Reuters, Cincinnati :US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and liberal favourite Elizabeth Warren campaigned together for the first time on Monday in Ohio, bringing a populist economic message to a swing state that could be vital in November's White House showdown with Republican Donald Trump.Warren, a leader of the party's progressive wing and a potential vice presidential pick for Clinton, is a fiery critic of Wall Street who has also aggressively attacked the wealthy Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.In a potential preview of a Clinton-Warren campaign team, the US senator from Massachusetts said Clinton had spent her career fighting for progressive values while Trump was in the campaign to bolster his financial bottom line."We're here to fight side-by-side with Hillary Clinton," Warren said at a rally in Cincinnati, while dubbing Trump "a small, insecure money grubber who fights for no one but himself.""He will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants," Warren told cheering Clinton supporters. "That's who he is."Clinton's decision to campaign with Warren for the first time in Cincinnati, a city on Ohio's southwestern border with Kentucky and Indiana, was an effort to stop Trump from gaining ground in the state by focusing on how Clinton would help improve the US economy.Ohio traditionally receives plenty of attention from presidential candidates. It has backed every successful presidential nominee since 1964 and no Republican has won the White House without carrying the state.Warren's rhetoric about breaking up too-big-to-fail banks and reining in corporate excess could resonate with two groups Clinton must court in the November 8 election - voters who backed Clinton's leftist rival Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary campaign, and those anxious about the economy who are drawn to Trump's promise to toss out international trade deals.Since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Clinton has tried to portray businessman Trump as fundamentally unfit for the presidency.Clinton said Warren's long history of fighting for progressive economic values made her a perfect messenger for that critique of Trump."She exposes him for what he is - temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be president of the United States," Clinton said.Clinton's campaign in recent days has accused Trump of caring more about how Britain's referendum vote last week to leave the European Union would benefit him financially than how it would impact the US economy.Trump's campaign said the historic vote showed Trump was in sync with a global sentiment of economic frustration and Clinton was out of step.
Kremlin says it will take time to mend ties with Turkey
Turkey\'s President Tayyip Erdogan (2nd R) walks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin prior to their meeting at the Group of 20 (G20) leaders summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey.
Reuters, Moscow :
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it would take more than a few days to mend Russia's relations with Ankara, after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret over the downing of a Russian military plane last year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had said an apology from Erdogan was the condition for repairing relations between the two countries, which were poisoned when the Russian jet was shot down near the Syrian-Turkish border in November.
After writing to Putin to voice his regret over the incident, Erdogan said he now believed that Ankara would normalize relations with Moscow "rapidly".
The Kremlin was more cautious on Tuesday.
"One should not think it possible to normalize everything within a few days, but work in this direction will continue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists.
"President Putin has expressed more than once his willingness to uphold good relations with Turkey and the Turkish people," Peskov said. "Now a very important step has been made in this respect."
Putin and Erdogan will hold a telephone conversation at Moscow's initiative on Wednesday, Peskov said.
Ankara said it shot down the plane because it entered Turkish airspace, an allegation Moscow denies. The Russian pilot ejected from the plane but was killed by gunfire from rebels on the ground in Syria as he parachuted down to earth.
Moscow, which imposed economic sanctions on Ankara over the downed plane, had said that apart from official apologies it also wanted Turkey to pay compensation for the incident.
However, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday that Turkey would not pay compensation to Russia over the downing of the plane.
Yildirim also told reporters in parliament that legal proceedings were underway against an individual allegedly responsible for the killing of the Russian pilot.
Meanwhile, Turkey is ready "if necessary" to pay compensation to Russia after it shot down one of Moscow's military jets over Syria in November, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said.
"We have said that if necessary we are ready to pay compensation," Yildirim told public TV network TRT late Monday, hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached out a conciliatory hand to Moscow over the incident that shattered ties between the two nations.
He also indicated that Erdogan would speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday or Thursday over how to rebuild ties between the two nations, which back opposite sides in the Syrian war.
"I think we have reached an understanding on this affair. We will put this incident behind us and continue on our path," Yildirim said.
Turkey had previously refused to apologise over the incident, insisting the Russian plane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings.
Russia insisted it did not cross the border and accused Turkey of a "planned provocation".
Ankara is backing rebels fighting to topple Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, while Moscow is one of his last remaining allies.
Ankara went on a diplomatic charm offensive on Monday as it seeks to shore up its influence in the region, hailing a deal with Israel to restore ties as well as mending fences with Russia.
Erdogan said at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast on Monday night that he hoped for a "quick" normalisation in ties with Moscow.
Earlier Monday, the Kremlin said Erdogan had apologised to Putin over Ankara's downing of the jet on Turkey's border with Syria.
Turkish officials said however that Erdogan had written to Putin to "express his regrets" and did not explicitly confirm he had said sorry.
The twin breakthroughs with Russia and Israel come as Turkey moves back towards a policy known as "zero problems with neighbours" following a string of diplomatic crises and with its foe Assad still in power in Syria.
Mobile court imposes fine on Mir Group again
Mir Group, a Chittagong wholesale dealer, has courted trouble for the second time within a month. Its misdemeanour this time was to force buyers to buy oil with sugar, thus inviting penalty and a jail term for one of its managers. A mobile court led by Chittagong Executive Magistrate Tahmilur Rahman raided the premises of Ibnat traders, a Mir Group associate, and found that the firm was compelling retailers to buy oil along with every purchase of sugar.A staffer at Ibnat even alleged that the workers were acting on the management's instructions.A fine of Tk 2.2 million was imposed on the Mir Group, while a director-Md Hussai n was sent to jail.
Speaking to media magistrate Tahmilur Rahman said the administration had been receiving complaints about Mir for some time. "Today, the complaints have been found to be true," he said.. After the fines were paid, the three were set free.Md Hussain, however, was imposed a fine of Tk 0.9 million and was also sent to jail.
Retailer Khurshid Alam told that customers were forced to buy "sugar at Tk 7,800 per three bags of 50 kgs sugar each and a tin of ediable oil with the purchase at Tk 1,400 per tin".He said that the Mir Group had issued a curt fiat, saying sugar would be sold only if oil was purchased with it.Mir Group staffer Kanchan Majumder said, "The management forced us to sell oil with sugar. Otherwise, the retailers were not to be provided with sugar."
Mir Group manager Hussain, however, refuted the charge, saying, "The workers misunderstood our instructions. We said oil could be provided to those ready to buy. I never intended compulsion."
Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mejbahuddin said that Mahbubul Alam, the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, had assured him that "such incidents will not happen again".
Mitu killers got money thru` middleman
Two more held : Babul not under scanner, says Asad
Haniful Huq Bhola Monir Hossain
Staff Reporter :At least eight criminals took part in the murder of Mahmuda Khanan Mitu, wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Aktar, in exchange of money they received through a middleman, police sources said.Police arrested two more people for their alleged involvement in the murder of Mitu from Bakalia area of the Port city Chittagong on Tuesday morning. The two arrestees were identified as Ehsetul alias Haniful Huq alias Bhola, 41, and Monir Hossain Monir, 23. Police also seized firearms used in the killing of Mitu.With the arrest of Bhola and Monir, six people have so far been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder. "Acting on a tip off, a special squad of police launched a drive in Bakalia area of the city on Tuesday morning and arrested Bhola and Monir. Out of the two, Monir supplied firearms to the gang for murdering Mitu," Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police told journalists at a press briefing yesterday.However, sources said that the two -- Bhola and Monir were arrested on June 21. Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said that they have not obtained any evidence about SP Babul's involvement in the gruesome murder of his wife Mitu."Police have not found any evidence about Babul's involvement in the killing of his wife Mitu yet. He (Babul) is not under police surveillance. Even we didn't say Babul is now under police scanner," he told journalists after attending a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium. He further said the issue relating to SP Babul's alleged involvement in the killing of his wife has not come for investigation yet. "Please be patient. After obtaining intelligence report, we will tell you everything in details. We need some times for proper investigation," Home Minister said. On Saturday, SP Babul Aktar was picked up from his father-in-law's residence in the city's Khilgaon area. After 15 hours interrogation, he was later set free. The relevance came in view of police interrogation of SP Babul after one of the arrestees allegedly linked the police official with the murder of his (Babul) wife. Earlier police arrested Wasim and Anwar, both from Rangunia upazila in Chittagong on Saturday. They gave confessional statements before a Chittagong Court on the next day admitting their involvement in the June 5 attack.Besides, police said that they had not found the involvement of two other people shown arrested in the case - Abu Nosor Gunnu and Shah Jaman Robin. They are now in jail on completion of their seven-day remand. Police also had detained the owner of the motorcycle and the driver of a microbus who witnessed the killing. But they were released later. Apart from the DB police, members of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) also carried out investigation and working in the case.On June 5, unidentified miscreants gunned down Mitu at the city's GEC intersection while she went there to drop her son, Mahir Akhter, 7, for a bus to Chittagong Cantonment Public School and College.
Dilemma over implementing Rampal power plant
Staff Reporter :
The government is in dilemma over implementing the 1320 megawatt (MW) thermal power plant at Rampal, adjacent to the Sundarbans, due to possible devastating environmental impact of the project on the world's largest mangrove.
On August 2013, an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was done on 1834 acres of land that were mostly agricultural and shrimp aquaculture pond (gher), acquired for the proposed power plant project. That was reportedly done by the government without the consent of the people, but by police and local thugs.
"Both Bangladesh and India jointly decided to construct this large thermal power plant within 14 kilometres of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, ignoring rules and regulations. The preparatory work for the construction of the plant is also underway," Sultana Kamal, an environmentalist and civil rights activist told The New Nation yesterday.
She said the power plant will need to import 4.72 million tons of coal per year. This massive freight will need about 59 ships, each having a capacity of 80,000-ton, that those would be taken to the port on the bank of Poshur river. The 40 kilometers from the port to the plant cuts through the Sundarbans and it includes the river flow path, she said.
Sultana Kamal, also chairperson of TIB, said the government has been pursuing tricks in implementing the Rampal power plant. It (government) has been simultaneously discussing the issue with environmentalists and implementing the power plant as well.
Now the government recognizes the environmental concern as local environmentalists once again urged the government to cancel the Rampal power plant project, saying it would pose an environmental threat to the Sundarbans.
Environmentalists claim these coal-carrying vehicles are not often covered as they scatter large amounts of fly ash, coal dust and sulfur, and other toxic chemicals are released through the entire life of the project.
They have long been demanding that the project be scrapped for protecting the Sundarbans, a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO. The forest lies both in Bangladesh and India.
Recently, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju told Parliament that the Department of Environment (DoE) is yet to provide any environmental clearance for the 1320MW coal-based Rampal thermal power plant.
As per Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in August 2010 between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in which they agreed to implement the project by 2016.
Though the government has signed several agreements with India to implement the Rampal power plant project, the concern of UNESCO and local environmentalists can not overcome so far.
Reality is that, different international organizations, including French banks Credit Agricole, in 2015 said, they would not fund the Rampal power station, after sustained public opposition to the project over its social and environmental effects.
In December 2014, the council on ethics of Norway released its assessment of the country's government pension fund global's investment, valued at US$56 million, in the thermal plant. It recommended the fund exclude the project from its portfolio "due to an unacceptable risk of the company contributing to severe environmental damage".
In March 2015, the Guardian reported that the Norweigan pension fund would likely pull funding from the Rampal plant due considering environmental effect of this power plant.
Loans are expected to fund up to 70 percent (pc) of the US$1.5 billion project, while India and Bangladesh will fund the remaining 30 pc equally (15pc each). However, the Bangladesh Planning Commission refused approval, saying the project was not compliant with the country's existing policy nor was the funding and ownership of the plant clear. This leaves even the 15 pc Bangladesh stake in the project uncertain.
On August 1, 2013, Department of Environment of Bangladesh approved construction of the project. But in September 2013 DoE changed its stance and set 50 preconditions for the project. The location of the plant, 14 kilometers from the Sundarbans, violates one of the basic preconditions which say such projects must be outside a 25-kilometer radius from the outer periphery of an ecologically sensitive area.
Environmental activists contend that the proposed location of the Rampal station would violate provisions of the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention, to which Bangladesh is a signatory, is an international environmental treaty for the conservation of wetlands. The Sundarbans are on Ramsar's list of wetlands of international importance.
"According to India's EIA [Environmental Impact Assessment] Guideline 2010, no power plant can be built within 25 kilometres of forests but in special cases it said 10 km is permissible. But, the same rule was not followed in Bangladesh's case," the environment activists claimed.
The environmentalists who include former caretaker government adviser, Sultana Kamal called upon the government to refrain from implementing coal-based Rampal thermal power plant to save the Sundarban from destruction.
Referring the issue, Sultana Kamal said, "Do not call us anti-development forces, we fought for the country and struggling for make the country a prosperous one, I lost my brother, relatives and friends in the Liberation War and worked at a field hospital where we provided medical services to the injured muktihuddhas, still we are working for the prosperity of the country, so do not raise any question against our patriotism, we all are here as we felt that the Rampal will ruin the Sundarban, we are not against the plant, we are against the site,". she told a consultation meeting at Bidyut Bhaban recently.
The Power Division organized the meeting between the environmentalists and officials of the Division but it failed to reach a conclusion on Rampal Power Plant. Both the sides discussed for four hours and tried to convince each other, but finally stuck to their respective positions on the issue of Rampal power plant project and its impact on the Sundarbans.
After the meeting State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid, told journalists such `dialogue` will continue in future, if necessary. However, he said the minutes of the meeting would be placed before the Prime Minister, the line minister of the ministry.
In the meeting, Prof Anu Mohammad, said this power plant should be cancelled since it will destroy entirely the Sundarbans. `We can only discuss the alternative location of the Rampal power plant.
This power plant will be the source of rivalry between Bangladesh and India, he said.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the Champion of the Earth award and she should cancel this power plant showing respect to this award," Anu said.
BNP ready to help arrest killers, says Khaleda
UNB, Dhaka :Accusing the government of failing to arrest the perpetrators of recent secret killings, BNP chairperson KhaledaZia on Tuesday said her party is ready to assist it in rounding up the real offenders."We would like to request the government to stop arresting innocent people. Arrest the real offenders (those behind the secret killings). We want to help you in this regard," she said.BNP chief was addressing an Iftar party arranged by Dhaka city unit BNP at the city's Ladies' Club.Khaleda alleged that the government did not arrestany of the real offenders behind the secret killings, including those of foreigners, as the perpetrators are either the ruling party men or its supporters. "Instead, it arrested innocent people, including 3,000 BNP-Jamaat men," she said.
BNP plans two-phases programme after Eid
Re-organising party first priority
Reza Mahmud :
The BNP is planning to start two phases programme after the Eid-ul-Fitr, party senior leaders said.
They said the party will first form its full central committee and reorganise its front bodies. Then it will stage series of rallies in different cities and towns across the country to raise voice against the failures and oppressions of the government.
The BNP will handle its every steps with highly cautious. It will not let to go an ineffective committee. In the same way, it will not start street movement without thinking the ultimate result, they said.
"We will start a new phase of movement against the voter less government after holy month of Ramzan. The people of Bangladesh become fade up with the government as they have looted the voting right of the people, BNP standing committee member Brigadier General (rtd) ASM Hannan Shah told The New Nation yesterday.
The party senior leader also alleged that they are looting states wealth and everything. Sources said, BNP high-ups will no more to declare so called agitation programme which may turn into violence. Besides, the party high-ups taking time to form the central full committee to avoid mistaken in this regards.
One of the senior leaders said that the party chief want to appoint perfect men in every posts of the central committee.
"BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia wants to appoint proved, skilled and courageous leaders in appropriate posts. The Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman is working in this regard under the direction of party chief, he said.
The party leaders close to the chairperson said, after forming the committees of central BNP and associate bodies the party high-ups will declare rallies in different cities and towns across the country. Begum Khaleda Zia will address the rallies.
The party leaders said, they have planned to highlight all the failures and faults of the government. The BNP has collected all the data of recent target killing incidents, UP polls irregularities, forced disappearances lists and the incidents of oppressions by filing false cases against the party men in different districts.
It also directed its concern think tanks and leaders to collect funding irregularities of different big projects which are being implemented by the government.
Sources said, the party is trying to build up public awareness by highlighting the government's failures in those rallies. It also wants to start issue-based movements such as the public sufferings. As an example, if the government hiked gas price then BNP will declare a demonstrations against the move.
BNP Joint-Secretary General Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal told The New Nation, "Our party wants to include people in the street progarmmes against the voter less government by building public awareness with various issues like the government's steps against the national interests."
He also said, the people of our country never like the government's subservient mentality towards neigbouring India. They have given India transit by taking stand against Bangladesh.
After holding some rallies in different cities, the party will organise a grand rally by August with it 20-party alliance in Dhaka to press the government to hold national polls under care taker government. From the rally, the party will also give an ultimatum to the government asking to start a dialogue to form a care taker government.
Govt protecting militants, alleges Fakhrul
UNB, Dhaka :Condemning the submission of chargesheet against its leader MA Quayum and six others in the Italian nationalCesare Tavella murder case, BNP on Tuesday alleged that it has exposed that the government is 'protecting militants'.In a statement, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir demanded the government withdraw the chargesheet immediately. "A case has been filed against Dhaka city unit BNP's joint convener MA Quayum in connection with Cesare Tavella murder with a political motive. The submission of the chargesheet against seven people, including Quayum, in the case has manifested the government's motive that it's protecting militants by shifting blame on BNP," he said. On September 28 last year, Tavella, an aid worker, was killed at the capital's Gulshan Diplomatic Zone. Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Masudur Rahman said a chargesheet was submitted to a metropolitan magistrate court on Monday in Tavella murder accusing Quayum and six others. Protesting the government's move, Fakhrul said Quayum was implicated in the case only to show that BNP has a link to militancy. He said the government has blamed BNP for all the recent killings, including Tavella's one, only to protect militants. The BNP leader alleged that the government is making its frantic efforts to link BNP to militancy to divert people's attention to a different direction from siphoning off crores of taka, plundering of money from Bangladesh Bank other banks, killings, enforced disappearances and secret killings.
Ctg BCL leader Rony gets bail for six months
UNB, Dhaka :The High Court on Tuesday extended six months' bail to Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) Chittagong City unit General Secretary Nurul Azim Rony, who was arrested with firearms near a polling centre during the Upazila Parishad elections.Earlier on June 13, the court granted six months' interim bail to Rony until submission of a police report.As police submitted the report on June 19, the term of his bail expired. Later his lawyer S M Rezaul Karim appealed for extension of bail on Monday. After hearing, a High Court bench of Justice Kamrul Islam Siddiqi and Amir Hossain, passed the order."There is no legal bar to release Rony from jail following the order," BCL leader's counsel Advocate SM Rezaul Karim said. On May 7, Rony was held during a raid led by a judicial magistrate outside a polling centre in Hathazari upazila during voting in the 4th phase of the UP polls.
$37b export target likely for next fiscal
Its challenging in view of Brexit fallout: Exporters
Staff Reporter :
The government is likely to fix US$ 37 billion export target for the next fiscal (2016-17).
It would be 10 per cent higher than the target of the outgoing fiscal (2015-16), officials said.
"We have projected the US$37 billion export target taking consideration into the last five year's export growth," Mahruha Sultana, Vice-Chairman of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) told The New Nation on Tuesday.
EPB proposed the target at a meeting with the exporters held at its office recently.
"We will again sit with the export sector's stakeholders to finalise the target. The proposed target will later send to the Commerce Ministry for its approval," said Mahruha Sultana.
The EPB chief said the target is not ambitious if we look at the current trend of export growth.
When asked, she said, "We are optimistic of achieving this year's export target as export earnings continues to grow in monthly basis".
"The trend is expected to continue in June and total export will cross $34 billion mark by the end of this fiscal," she said.
The government earlier set U$33.5 billion export target for outgoing fiscal (2015-16).
Bangladesh's export earnings during July-May stood at $30.66 billion, showing 8.95 per cent growth over the same period of last fiscal.
"The proposed target is realistic if we consider last five years export growths. But achieving the target would be challenging, especially in view of Brexit fall out and sluggish demands from the US and the EU,"
Abdus Salam Murshedy, President of the Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB) told The New Nation.
He also said the Brexit issue may leave an adverse impact on Bangladesh's shipments to the UK and other European nations. At the same time, the falling value of British pound and Euro as a result of Brexit may also affect the country's overall export earnings leading to a lower export growth next fiscal.
Murshedy, however, said that maintaining export growth will largely depend on competitiveness of local products. The ever rising production cost as a result of increased tax burden on manufacturing units and energy prices is badly affecting the diversity of our export markets.
"Our export market remains same (the US and the EU) over the years and when economic shock jolted in these developed markets it is ultimately lowering the country's shipment growth," he added.
So, the government should look into the issue seriously to keep unhurt the country's export growth. An increased rate of incentives should be offered to the exporters to explore new markets, he added.
SC stays 154 tanners' fine till July 17
Staff Reporter :
The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a High Court (HC) order that directed the 154 tannery owners to pay Tk 50,000 per day as compensation for damaging environment till July 17.
Chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order upon a petition filed by the Tannery Owners' Association and Finished Leather Export Association.
The court also sent the petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for hearing.
Earler, on Monday Tannery Owners' Association filed the leave to appeal against the High Court order.
The HC in its order on June 16 directed the Tannery owners to deposit the money in the Exchequer from the date of receiving the copy of the HC order until relocation of their factories to Savar Tannery Industrial Estate.
The court also ordered the Environment Secretary to assess damage of the Buriganga River environment caused by the tannery industry and submit a report by July 17.
The HC order came upon a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), an organization working to save environment.
Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh moved for the Tannery Owners' Association while Advocate Manzil Murshid stood for the petitioner.
The government on April 1, suspended rawhide supply to Hazaribagh, as the tanners failed to meet the March 31 deadline.
The government then extended the deadline to April 10 upon a request made by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), the implementing agency of the leather estate project.
The Industry Ministry on June 17 submitted a report of 154 tanneries violating the HC order to be shifted to the designated site at Savar.
Send blessings salute Rasulullah (Sm)
Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :The Holy Quran proclaims Islam as the Code of life for mankind: " .... This day have I/ Perfected your religion/For you, completed/ My favour upon you,/ And have chosen for you/ Islam as your religion .... " (Sura Mayeda 5:3)Allama Yusuf Ali comments: "The last verse revealed chronologically, marking the approaching end of Mustafa's ministry in his earthly life."This Ayat informs us of the perfection of religion (as complete Code of life) and completion of the blessings of Allah. This final message came through Hazrat Muhammad (Sm), the last and the greatest Messenger. He is the Seal of Prophets - the last of the series of Messengers of Allah. Discussion on any worship or ritual of Islam (Salat, Fasting, Hajj, Zakat or any) will remain incomplete if we don't focus on Rasulullah (Sm) who conveyed to mankind this Divine message. The Holy Quran reveals : "Ye have indeed /In the Apostle of God/ A beautiful pattern (of conduct)/ For anyone whose hope is/In God and the Final Day,/And who engages much/In the praise of God." (Sura Ahzab 33: 21) Al Quran says, "We sent thee not, but/ As a Mercy for all creatures." (Sura Ambiya 21 : 107) Thus his message is universal. In the 'Holy Quran : Translation and Commentary' Allama Yusuf Ali focusses on the universal message of this Prophethood in the following way : "There is no question now of race or nation, of a 'chosen people' or the 'seed of Abraham'; or the 'seed of David'; or of Hindu Arya-varta; of Jew or Gentile, Arab or 'Ajam (Persian), Turk or Tajik, European or Asiatic, White or Coloured; Aryan, Semitic, Mongolian, or African; or American, Australian or Polynesian. To all men and creatures other than men who have any spiritual responsibility, the principles universally apply." Rasulullah (Sm) brought the message for mankind and the creatures of the universe. He was successful in preaching the great ideals of the integrity and solidarity of mankind, fraternal relation and peace - the most cherished one. The Holy Quran reveals : "God and His Angels/Send blessings on the Prophet : / O ye that believe!/Send ye blessings on him,/And salute him/With all respect." (Sura Ahzab 33: 56) Allama Yusuf Ali comments : "God and His angels honour and bless the Holy Prophet as the greatest of men. We are asked to honour and bless him all the more because he took upon himself to suffer the sorrows and afflictions of this life in order to guide us to God's Mercy and the highest inner Life." The Holy Quran also reveals : "Those who annoy/God and His Apostle-/God has cursed them/In this world and/In the Hereafter,/And has prepared for them/A humiliating punishment." (Sura Ahzab 33:57) Allama Yusuf Ali : "Annoy" : Aza (IV) may equally mean: to vex, to cause hurt or injury, to insult, to ill-treat by stander or unseemly conduct, or hurt the feelings of (someone). The Prophet came with a Divine mission to teach and reclaim the world, and he is entitled to the respect of all, even of those who do not consciously acknowledge his mission, for his mission works constantly like the forces of nature. In a minor degree the 'Mothers of the Believers' are also entitled to respect." We feel proud of the highest praises for our beloved Messenger of Allah from the greatest personalities of the world irrespective of caste, creed or colour. They knew well that his followers make no difference among the Messengers. Allah's best Mercy to mankind is the Revelation of the Holy Quran and sending of Hazrat Muhammad (Sm). The Holy Quran and the Sunnah is Guidance and Mercy from Allah. Muslims have to express their allegiance to the Messenger practicing self-restraint and patience in fasting. They submit to the Will of Allah and recognise their allegiance to the ideals of the Messenger of Allah. Offering of Salams to the most dignified Muhammadur Rasulullah (Sm) is a great virtue, specially in the month of Ramzan.All prayers, worships and supplication should accompany Durud and Salam. Acceptability of any worship to Allah depends greatly on the believer's love and salutations to Rasullullah (Sm). So, we should not forget to avail the opportunity to offer Salam to the Friend of Allah in this Holy month, while Allah Himself and His angels send blessings on him.
Readers Forum
Unlawful act indeed !
I am writing this letter to express my concerns regarding an incident which took place with one of my friends who worked in an English Medium school in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. She comes from a respectable family and has taught in multiple schools. In the last school, the school authority all of a sudden sent her a text message stating that she has been terminated from her job. For what reason they terminated her employment was however, unknown to all. My friend tried to know the reason but the school authority didn't explain anything. They didn't even pay her the last month's salary. When she went to the school to talk about this, she was refused entry by the guards as the principal of that school ordered so. She stood there for one hour under the scorching sun and finally left empty handed.
I have heard almost the same experience from many private Kindergarten/English medium school teachers. I wonder what these schools teach their students as they themselves indulge in unethical practices of exploiting people.
Mrs Mizanur Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka
Why Brexit will not happen
Sorin Moisa :
The populist motives of Leave leaders will backfire on them. The ultimate revenge of reality will be to have a Prime Minister Johnson go back to London and read from the draft Exit Treaty the details of how he 'recovered' British sovereignty from the Brussels bureaucrats by actually giving them the power to dictate Britain's regulations without any British input.
The various components of the "Big Lie" will unfold and parade in slow motion before the eyes of the British people, as the economic and institutional consequences of their vote will become known in the months to come.
Firstly, the effective strategic lies in the campaign, such as money being diverted back from Brussels straight into the NHS, or the possibility of stopping migration, both exploiting the anxieties of old and/or vulnerable people, are already being exposed.
Secondly, the economic consequences of Brexit have begun to show, some immediately and abruptly, others will follow more slowly but surely. Divestment is likely by companies which want to continue having guaranteed access to the full EU market. The UK was a great home for them, but the EU market is their ultimate purpose.
Thirdly, there is the obvious risk of breaking up the Union, with Scotland pushing for independence.
Fourthly, and most importantly in terms of the Brexit campaign propaganda, how will the 'independent UK' be able to enjoy its new sovereign powers while remaining an open economy? Not even the Leave campaign has suggested that the non-EU UK could be prosperous by severing its economic ties with Europe: on the contrary, they would be maintained, but on sovereign British terms. How then does newly independent Britain actually 'take back control' from Brussels? There is no logical way around this: if the UK wants to continue having access to the EU's internal market, it will have to accept the rules of that market, designed by EU-27, aka as 'Brussels'.
This is separate from the idea of preferential market access: it is about the rules that UK products and services have to respect in order to be sold in Europe. These rules, and the institutional arrangements put in place to guarantee that there's no cheating about them, form the bulk of EU legislation: this was the very enemy of the Leave campaign.
In other words, the Brussels devil is back with a vengeance, imposing itself on the UK as a pure outside force, once the UK is out of its inner workings. The UK will learn the hard way what Norway - among others - know all too well: that in the EU, it was part of decision-making, while outside it will be forced to operate on a 'take it or leave it' basis for decisions taken fully and exclusively by its former partners. Gone is the possibility to systematically influence, shape or veto Brussels legislation.
The core debate about free trade nowadays is essentially about who creates the rules of the future global economic system. New generation free trade agreements (FTAs) are more about rules than tariffs. This is one of the strongest arguments for the TTIP: will we have a more or less Western type of standards underlying the mega-trends of trade, or not? The size of your own market is a crucial factor in that game. By decoupling itself from the biggest market of the planet, the UK will have chosen to limit its own relevance, will have chosen to be a rule-taker rather than a rule-maker, in Europe and globally.
Global regimes to manage globalisation cannot be created by small players: there is no such thing as 'taking back control' in an extremely interconnected world, by an open economy: denying that is denying gravity. The Leave campaign missed a simple point: as EU member, the UK has some sovereign powers over Germany, France, Poland and so on. It's not 'them and us', it's all pooled and projected globally by the ensuing top global player, i.e. the EU, for all its desperate imperfections. After Brexit the UK will no longer benefit from existing EU FTAs, but will have to negotiate new ones from scratch relying on much less leverage than the EU has.
Finally, the EU will be forced to only accept exit arrangements that will reflect the new power and economic rapports between EU-27 and the UK. Even preferential treatment on its market is not guaranteed for sectors such as agriculture or services. This is not about being mean to the UK, which will forever be a privileged partner and key ally for Europe: but the EU is obliged by the laws of nature to show that membership of the club has its value.
If the UK gets to leave without paying the right price, then the EU commits suicide: it states to the world and its own members that being in our out makes no difference, or worse, that you can have most of the advantages of being in from the outside, without paying the price for it, with the bonus of being able to bash the insiders for opportunistic political gain. This would amount to an open invitation for populist movements to slaughter the EU, and ask for further exits: the EU would be digging its own grave, creating a market for more big lies. The Exit Treaty is thus bound to be generous, but not preserve the status-quo in terms of full access to the single market.
Many of these points have been made during the debate on Brexit.
They were answered with emotional generalities. The big difference in the coming months is that the Utopia of recovered sovereignty will have to be translated into legal text and practical arrangements. This is when the Big Lie will unravel point by point, nuance by nuance. The pain of keeping most of that hated legislation, and the inevitable painful mental projections incorporated in the Exit Treaty describing how the UK will accept future legislation made in Brussels, are going to retroactively destroy the Leave campaign.
Britain is an open society, hosting some of the best minds on this planet, and of course famously endowed with common sense, which always prevails in the end. With the heat and passion of the campaign gone, the facts, the practicality of real life will catch up with British public opinion. There's sheer beauty in the fact that all of this will happen while Britain is still in the EU. The real terms of the choice will crystalise, comparing the practicalities of what it means to be outside and inside the EU.
As public opinion will wake up to the truth about Brexit, dissolving the Big Lie and realising the incredible cynicism of its mainstream supporters, somebody like Theresa May from the Remain campaign within the Conservative Party itself, not to mention Labour, will be able to corner Mr Johnson, prime minister or not, possibly depose him, and force a new referendum.
The new vote will be the real choice, relying on genuine social understanding of what is actually at stake, and chances are it will reject Brexit with a strong majority. Giving up negotiations for the Exit Treaty should then close the matter once and for all. A huge social learning exercise will have taken place for both the UK and Europe. It's going to be a lesson for populists of all creeds.
A few final contextual issues. This is not about 'weak Britain' and 'strong EU'. Any EU member state would be similarly 'weak' in relative terms if it were to leave the EU. It is about the inescapable reality of an inter-dependent world. Nobody can defy gravity. Nor does this mean that the UK, or England, could not be great countries and successful economies outside the EU: of course they could. The non-EU UK would remain a large, interesting, innovative, economy on its own, and the City would not book its wholesale transfer to Frankfurt anytime soon. The point is whether or not the UK will be better off on its own, and whether it has been ambushed with a Big Lie on this occasion.
Last but not least, a likely reversal of British public opinion on Brexit should not become a reason for complacency by the EU: 'oh, look at this, we are not that bad after all'. The fact that one of the greatest countries on Earth, which has shaped humanity, has voted to leave, whatever the details of that vote, is the ultimate reason for a fundamental shake-up. Whether the UK actually leaves or not, the EU should see the Brexit vote as day one in a project to reinvent itself in order to regain the only currency that can guarantee its continued existence: trust, by its member states and its citizens alike. But chances are the UK will not leave us in the end.
(Sorin Moisa (Partidul Social Democrat) is a Romanian MEP, Member of the S&D group)
Illegal occupation by govt officials not a surprise
GOVERNMENT officials and employees are not supposed to do anything illegal. This truth was exposed when Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain told the Parliament on Monday that a total of 128 houses have illegally been occupied by the government officials and employees across the country. While replying to a question he disclosed that out of the total 120 houses, one is F category, two are superior category, 12 are E category, 53 are preserved category, 56 are D category and four are temporary category. Mosharraf Hossain said, "by filing cases with different courts the government officials and employees have been living in these houses since long. We have already taken initiative to free the houses from illegal occupation." To elaborate this initiative he said advertisement has been published in the newspapers for giving appointment of two lawyers in a bid to quick disposal of the cases.We shall not be overcritical of the officials who are occupying government buildings, as because they find illegality and corruption at much high level. These officials are merely using the buildings, but they have not grabbed and made these buildings their own. So what we want to say is if the country is to be saved from corruption and illegalities those who claim to be political leaders must set good example for others. The question is who have made politics a business of illegal gains? Let the political leaders answer that question honestly. There is dishonesty and corruption at every level of the government. The people even have no place to go for a remedy. Allegation against the government officials will have no impact. The government officials are aware how important they are for the government's own survival and the weakness of the government.
SP organised killing his wife: Save police as law enforcers
The alleged involvement of Police Super Babul Akhtar in organising killing of his wife Mahmuda Khanam (Mitu) is a terrible thing to happen. It appears that police high command is dealing with a horrific case as some news report said in total hide and seeks circumstances taking time to break the cruel truth. Openly suspicion is being expressed about high level activities to hide the truth. So sad and unfortunate.
Babul's detention for about 15 hours at CID headquarters on Friday evening added more weight to the speculation. The SP has done the deed of cruelty most illegally. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal however said it is not time yet to say whether or not he was involved but the very fact that the investigation now centering around Babul has already damaged the image of police, which is already much tainted by police complicit in crimes.
The face-to-face interrogation of Babul with two killers was arranged to verifying their claim that they acted for a big brother whom Babul knows. But police are refusing to divulge any information.
It is almost a talk of the town as to why the wife fell to killers' knife. Particularly the reported involvement of the police officer in the killing has put terrible shock waves at all levels including police families where senior officers are obviously having embarrassing time.
What many believe is that over politicization of police who directly work for the ruling party men and rewarded for illegalities including crossfire killings made many officers desperate law breakers being certain of their impunity from punishment. Instead of law enforcers they have by and large become law breakers themselves.
Babul made a name as counter-terrorism officer and he may have acted with over confidence to cover the killing passing blame on Islamist militants. He found killing is easy. We believe who killed Mitu will be finally established in the court but the very discussion of a high police officer's involvement in killing his own wife is enough to cause image loss for the entire force. If she did wrongs as police officer he should have taken action under the law.
Police should be people's friends if they are true police. But the latest incident shows police have lost the humane face even when it comes to family matters.
But what appears to be also true is that in most cases police have been forced to take part in the dirty politics and killings to please ruling party men for suppression of opposition.
We can only urge the high police officials not to allow the police to earn bad name as dangerous criminals. We are a free people and everybody must act in the best interest of the country. Lawless police is dangerous anarchy.
At least two Lafayette Parish state reps will be eyeing Scott Angelles seat on the PSC if he wins his congressional race this fall.
While the Public Service Commission very rarely creates the kind of election drama seen in statewide and legislative races, a few personalities are pointing for other offices, and contested seats may soon be on a ballot heading your way.
The PSC is an independent regulatory agency that oversees public utilities and motor carriers. Each generation has found that a PSC seat can be a steppingstone to higher office, like governor such was the case for Kathleen Blanco, Jimmie Davis, Huey Long and John McKeithen.
The question now is who might be the next PSC member to move on to greener political pastures.
With a well-defined field for the falls U.S. Senate race shaping up, its a lingering question for Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta of Metairie, in the PSCs 1st District.
In a recent interview Skrmetta said he is very close to making a final decision on whether he will become a candidate. He said July should arrive with him leaning one way or another.
If he gets in, Skrmettas candidacy will add a new wrinkle to capturing southeast Louisiana for the U.S. Senate contenders.
Itll also create an interesting situation for the political action committees and individuals who traditionally give money to PSC members that is, those donors will be getting leaned on heavily.
In addition to having Skremettas U.S. Senate bid, Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell of Elm Grove, from the 5th District, is in the same race and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle of Breaux Bridge, from the PSCs 2nd District, is running in the 3rd Congressional District.
Plus there are two incumbents, Commissioners Lambert Boissiere of New Orleans and Clyde Holloway of Forest Hill, up for re-election this fall. They represent the PSCs 3rd and 4th districts, respectively.
Holloway may already have a challenger in the 4th District. Community activists and donors are encouraging Mary Werner of Lake Charles to run against him.
Werner is the CEO of Sweet Lake Land and Oil Company and North American Land Company. Werner is also the daughter of Buddy Leach, the former chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and one-time congressman.
Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette
If Angelle wins in the 3rd Congressional District in the fall, Rep. Nancy Landry, R-Lafayette, said she may make a go at the PSCs 2nd District.
Im thinking about it, said Landry.
If the special election is even needed, others seriously looking at the potential contest are Dr. Craig C. Greene of Baton Rouge, an orthopaedic surgeon; former Rep. Joe Harrison of Napoleonville; and Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Joel Boe.
Meanwhile, Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, has said she is keeping her options open, but focusing more on her House district.
Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.
What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?
Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.
Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:
You get to see exactly what will happen to your money
When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.
Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.
A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.
You find out about potential major repairs
Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.
If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.
You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on
One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.
Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.
You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for
While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.
This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.
Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.
You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price
If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.
You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.
You can sell your home faster and for more money
If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.
In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.
Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.
Your home will hold its value longer
As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.
When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.
You can make smart decisions about property investments
Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.
If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.
There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.
If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage
If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.
They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.
You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors
If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.
For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.
You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition
Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.
You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.
Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.
As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?
You voted:
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.
Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.
In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.
India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.
Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.
But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?
Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.
If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.
I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.
I want more variation in masturbation
I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.
If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.
What is sex toys for Indian?
Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.
It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.
They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.
Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.
The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.
It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.
In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.
Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.
In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.
Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.
Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.
But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.
More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.
Sextoy situation in India
Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.
In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.
Mumbai
Kolkata
Bangalore
Delhi
Chennai
Hyderabad
These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.
In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.
If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.
If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.
What are Sextoys for beginner?
Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.
Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.
I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.
I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.
If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.
Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.
Advantages of using sextoy for Indians
There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians
You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.
Can have stimulating sex
Can develop new sexual zones
If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.
However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.
You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.
Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.
There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.
This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.
When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.
It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).
For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles
[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...
Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.
Sextoy for beginner men in India
So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.
For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!
The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men
Masturbator
Cock rings
Love Doll
Sex Lubricants
Toys for the prostate
Lets check each one in detail.
Masturbator
The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.
It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.
Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.
They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)
Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.
Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !
Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018
Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.
If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here
Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...
[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...
Cock Ring
A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.
It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.
It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.
In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.
Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.
It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.
Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.
Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.
Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.
You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.
[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...
Love Doll
Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.
There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.
Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.
The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.
You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.
There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.
You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.
If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here
Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...
Sex lubricants
Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.
It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.
Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.
There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.
Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.
If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.
What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...
Toys for the Prostate
Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.
The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.
Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.
Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.
What is the prostate?
The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.
You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.
By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.
Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)
The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.
Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.
sextoy for beinner women in India
The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.
The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.
Vibrator.
Dildo
Electric Masserger
Lets check out what each one is in detail.
If you want to check out womens toys, click here.
[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...
Vibrators
A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.
Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.
It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.
Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.
For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.
Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.
Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.
This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.
Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.
When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.
Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...
Dildo
A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.
It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.
A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.
They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.
It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.
A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.
Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.
For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.
This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.
To learn more about dildo, please click here.
What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...
Electric Masserger
A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.
It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.
Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.
Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.
It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.
For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.
It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.
If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?
To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.
What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...
How to choose a sextoy for Indian
Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.
Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)?
Does the size fit you (your partner)?
Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?
Price range
First of all, the choice of size is quite important.
Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.
For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.
Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.
Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.
If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.
Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.
Finally, there is the price range.
The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.
Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.
Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?
I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.
For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.
If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.
How to buy sextoys in India
The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.
For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.
Sextoy is one of them.
Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.
SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.
They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.
Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.
To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.
ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.
Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.
Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.
Cautions for Indians using sextoy
When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind
Keep sex toys clean
Watch out for electrical leakage
Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy
As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.
Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.
It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.
In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.
Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.
If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.
You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.
Summary
What did you think?
In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.
The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.
As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.
However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.
If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?
Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.
I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
CARBONDALE The two Missouri men who were indicted earlier this month on first-degree murder charges in the Easter Sunday shooting death of Carbondale musician Tim Beaty pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Tuesday.
John Ingram and Travis Tyler, both 21 and of Cape Girardeau, pleaded not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder during their first appearance in court since they were indicted on two counts of first-degree murder.
According to a June 17 news release from Jackson County State's Attorney Micahel Carr, count 1 alleges that the defendants, while acting together and in concert with each other, knowingly and without lawful justification, while committing or attempting to commit a forcible felony, aggravated battery with a firearm, shot at Nehemiah Greenlee, who was injured in the shooting, and thereby caused the death of Timothy Beaty.
Count 2 alleges that the defendants, while acting together and in concert with each other, without lawful justification, while committing or attempting to commit a forcible felony, aggravated battery with a firearm, discharged a firearm at or into a building located on West Walnut Street in Carbondale, from a place outside said building, when the defendants knew or reasonably should have known the building was occupied, and thereby caused the death of Timothy Beaty, the release said.
Ingram's and Tyler's attorneys, Bryan Drew and Scott Resenblum, had planned to again ask that the two be tried separately. Currently Ingram and Tyler are being tried together.
Since the two were indicted on charges of first-degree murder, and because of a pending ballistic report into the bullet that was found in the the suspect, the two lawyers asked to push the decision on whether to separate the trials to a later date.
Ingram and Tyler had previously been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; and two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, both Class 1 felonies. The superseding indictment earlier this month also charged the two with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm and two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, in addition to the first-degree murder charges.
Judge Kimberly Dahlen granted the motion and pushed the pair's hearing to Sept. 6.
The jury trial for Ingram and Tyler is set to begin Oct. 17.
Also on Tuesday, Dwayne Dunn Jr., 21, of St. Louis, who is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon both Class 4 felonies for his alleged involvement in the Easter shooting, was again denied a bond reduction during a court appearance.
Casey Bloodworth, the prosecuting attorney in the case, objected to the motion to reduce bond.
"(Dunn's) case is tied with Ingram and Tyler's trial," he said, citing the severity of the charges against the others who were allegedly involved in the same incident.
Dahlen denied the motion for a bond reduction, but said it may be considered during Dunn's next hearing on July 25.
MARION Local officials sounded off Monday about the work stoppage at the Williamson County Airport terminal on Friday.
The airport was building a 23,000-square-foot facility with a $14 million price tag. It was funded by two federal Airport Improvement Grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and also local funds, Williamson County Airport Director Doug Kimmel said.
He said Saturday although there arent state funds involved in the project, the Channeling Act requires federal dollars to flow through the state for a project like the terminal. The project has been under construction for the past year during the state budget impasse.
The airport received a letter from the Illinois Department of Transportation saying work must stop by the end of the June 30. Kimmel said the work stopped Friday so the current bills could be submitted for reimbursement on time.
Guy Tridgell, director of communications for IDOT, said Monday that any federal funds designated for airport improvements outside of the O'Hare modernization project in Chicago must pass through IDOT.
He said without a budget, IDOT doesn't have the legal authority to pass along those funds starting July 1.
"We have been able distribute the funds over the last fiscal year because a capital budget was passed and signed by the governor a year ago, keeping IDOTs appropriation authority in place," Tridgell said in an email. "But without passage of the stopgap budget solution proposed by the governor, this and similar projects must be suspended starting Friday."
Brent Gentry, Williamson County commissioner the Williamson County Board appoints members to the airport board said he wants to know the real reason behind the suspension of funds since the project was allowed to operate for the past year.
I think that this is a disgrace and a major blow to our area, he said. You have an airport that was moving along just great and now it has to come to a standstill.
Gentrys fellow board member Ron Ellis called the work stoppage an absolute travesty.
I think it is absolutely atrocious that we have grown men and women who supposedly represent us in Springfield and they cant do their jobs, Ellis said.
He said it is not just about the airport, but the schools, the roads, the 911 systems, and the human services.
Quite frankly, I think all of them should be fired for not doing their jobs, he said. If this were the real world, they would be fired on the spot.
State Sen. Gary Forby, D-Benton, said the Senate is going to back to session on Wednesday to work on a stopgap budget. He said there will be appropriation for IDOT projects, school funding and human services, but it is a shame the terminal project was affected.
I think they will be able to go back to work soon. It is a shame we had to wait this long, Forby said. The money is there, we just have to appropriate it.
Kimmel said the fact the state is discussing a stopgap budget that will get the project back on track is promising to hear.
Lets hope that is the case, he said.
The airport was hoping for a September opening for the terminal, and a formal dedication on Veterans Day. Kimmel said about $6 million in federal and local funds will be frozen, and about 30 jobs per day will cease. Poettker Construction in Breese is the contractor.
UPDATE: 3:42 p.m.: An email from Marion Police Detective Christopher Ramage after 2:30 p.m. said the man the police were seeking to identify earlier in the day had been identified. No further information was released.
The original story continues:
The Marion Police Department is seeking help from the public identifying a suspect who used a stolen credit card earlier this month.
On June 6, at Walmart, Rural King and other locations in Marion, police said the card was used to buy items.
The suspect is a white male wearing a sleeveless shirt, black shorts, gray hat and tattoos on both arms. He was with a white juvenile, and a second adult male wearing a black T-shirt and black shorts.
The three individuals were driving a white extend cab pickup truck.
If anyone has any information regarding this case, call the Marion Police Department at 618-993-2124.
The Southern
SPRINGFIELD As lawmakers prepare to return to Springfield on Wednesday for the first time since adjourning May 31, the Democrats who control the General Assembly and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner say theyre close to a deal to keep Illinois afloat through December.
But the two sides still appear to be far apart when it comes to a funding plan for elementary and secondary education for the coming school year.
Rauner backs a GOP plan that would fully fund schools for the first time in seven years while also guaranteeing that no school district receives less state money next year than it did this year. The proposal would increase general state aid to schools by $160.1 million compared with the current year. The money would come from the federal government and state funds earmarked for education, according to the governors office.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats, who have spent the past several years trying to change the way the state distributes money to schools, are preparing to introduce a plan that would increase general state aid by more than $750 million.
The additional funding would be targeted toward boosting funding for districts based on need. Nearly $287 million would go to Chicago Public Schools, a 30 percent increase from the current year. Thirty-eight other districts would receive increases of the same percentage or greater.
The Democrats proposal also includes $75 million in additional funding for early childhood education, matching the level Rauner proposed, and $112 million to pay some of the employers portion of Chicago teachers pensions. The state already pays that cost for all other districts.
John Patterson, a spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Cullertons focus has been on reaching an agreement that allows schools to open on time in the fall and remain open.
Were hopefully optimistic that were on the verge of such an agreement, Patterson said.
If thats the case, it wasnt apparent from Rauners public comments Monday, when he held a news conference in his Capitol office with mayors from around the state.
While two sides are pretty well there on a stopgap compromise for other areas of state spending, Rauner said thats not the case when it comes to education.
The governor said Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, have basically threatened to hold up the entire budget process for a bailout of CPS.
Let me be clear, Rauner said. That is wrong. That is unfair. Thats just not reasonable for the children around the state of Illinois, taxpayers around the state of Illinois, parents around the state of Illinois, homeowners around the state of Illinois.
Rauner said the Chicago school system is the victim of its own financial mismanagement, and he railed against Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his refusal to pursue bankruptcy as an option for the states largest school district.
The states new fiscal year begins Friday, and lawmakers left the Capitol at the end of last month without approving a budget for next year or coming to an agreement with Rauner on a full spending plan for the budget year that ends Thursday.
CARBONDALE Before he spent a week in Cuba, Kyle Whittington did not know a lot about socialism, but his awareness has since been raised about its benefits and detractions.
Whittington was one of 29 Southern Illinois University students who traveled with their professors to Cuba earlier this month. They were part of an intercultural study abroad project that taught them about health, medicine and law from Cuban educators and professionals.
At the end of 2015, President Barack Obama relaxed some financial and travel restrictions against the country the United States has had an economic embargo against Cuba since the early 1960s and traveled there himself this past March. His visit was the first time in 90 years that a U.S. president had visited the country.
It has a function, I see why its an ideology, ... but at the same time, I also see why its such a criticized system, and its kind of falling apart in other places, said Whittington, a 21-year-old biological sciences/pre-med major from Elkville. When there is no room for growth, things get stagnate. Competition, he noted, feeds developments like that in this countrys Silicon Valley.
He and others in the group saw a country of people who were cared for by government-subsidized housing, food, healthcare and education, but also learned that people held jobs for which they took tests. Cindy Buys, one of professors who organized the trip, said the average individual's income is about $20 a month.
The SIU study abroad group had virtually no contact with young adults their own age, as they were part of an educational study group not a tour group and had pre-arranged visits with selected contacts.
In addition to learning about the impact of Cubas socialist structure, Whittington and others got to talk with professionals in the health-care system and in academia two arenas in which Cuba shines. The country has a 99.8 percent literacy rate and is considered to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world, even if the equipment and supplies used are not cutting-edge.
This is the second time Buys who teaches International Law and other topics in the university's School of Law has organized a trip for SIU students to Cuba, but it was Buys' fourth trip to the country.
The group landed in Havana and spent time in that city and in the Cuban cities of Pinar del Rio, which has a university, and Trinidad.
The Cuba trip was a first for Melinda Yeomans, associate director in SIUs University Honors Program. She teaches three courses that have a central focus on intercultural understanding for the honors program.
Yeomans said she was particularly struck by Cubas terrain and by the seeming universal care Cubans had for each other.
Theyre tired of the isolationism is the sense that I got from the Cubans I (spoke with), Yeomans said. There was a real sincere welcoming of us as Americans and there was this sense of wanting to build new bridges.
They learned that the Cuban medical system, though not as technologically advanced as the U.S system, was progressive in its preventative health care. For instance, a pregnancy center created for women in more rural areas provided prenatal care in a country with a lower infant mortality rate than that of the United States: 4.63 per 1,000 live births compared to 5.87 per 1,000 U.S. live births, according to 2015 estimates from the CIA World Factbook.
Cubas maternal mortality rate is also lower than that of the United States, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Yeomans noted that some of their farm equipment seemed to be outdated and wondered aloud about how efficient their farming would be if they had modern equipment like that from John Deere.
Yeomans said she was told that it is common for people throughout Caribbean to seek the services for eye treatments in Cuba.
They have masterminded emergency health care, Yeomans said.
Buys noted that the hospitals didnt seem to have many medical supplies. The equipment and other items, reminiscent of American hospitals in the 1960s, did not meet the students' preconceived notions of what modern-day health care should look like.
But, Buys noted, the women seen at that rural maternity home seemed happy and content and well-cared for.
I think theyre doing (an unbelievable) job of providing affordable health care, Buys said.
Buys said it was good to go back to Cuba and witness the country preparing for what will no doubt be many new visitors in the months and years to come. Shes also seeing a lot more of what she called casa pictularas, similar to bed-and-breakfast-style homes.
They were doing them before ... but its really taken off, Buys said.
For me, one of the favorite (things) was going back to Cuba we are seeing it in transition, Buys said.
The West Frankfort Planning Commission met Monday evening to discuss updates on city codes, including a recently passed grass ordinance for residences.
The grass ordinance, which was approved last year, requires homeowners to keep lawns under 10 inches or be issued a violation notice sign by the city; if the lawn is not mowed within six days, the homeowner is fined $50. Codes Inspector Ed Hammonds said the method of issuing signs has been more effective than the previous approach of sending letters.
People dont want to advertise that theyre lazy, Hammonds said. He noted that nearby cities like Marion and Harrisburg had adopted similar ordinances.
The commission received updates on another ordinance, passed in March 2015, which established a program for identification and registration of vacant commercial buildings.
In addition, the commission strengthened the language of an ordinance on portable buildings after receiving complaints about a resident who had built several accessory buildings on one lot. The commission voted to present the new language to the city attorney.
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the broad reach of a federal law that bars people with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from owning guns.
The justices rejected arguments that the law covers only intentional or knowing acts of abuse and not those committed recklessly where a person is aware of the risk that an act will cause injury, but not certain it will. As examples, the court mentioned throwing a plate in the heat of an argument, or slamming a door.
The case involved two Maine men who said their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not disqualify them from gun ownership.
Writing for herself and five other justices, Justice Elena Kagan said that Congress enacted the gun law some 20 years ago to close a loophole and "prohibit domestic abusers convicted under run-of-the-mill misdemeanor assault and battery laws from possessing guns." She said if the law were read to exclude misdemeanors in which a person acted recklessly, it would "substantially undermine the provision's design."
Gun-rights groups had argued that Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong III should not lose their constitutional right to bear arms, while advocates for victims of domestic abuse pushed to preserve the restriction.
The case isn't among the more important ones of the term. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said while the Obama administration is pleased with the ruling, he suggested it wouldn't have a significant impact on the debate in Congress about gun control, a debate renewed by a mass shooting earlier this month that left 49 people dead at a gay nightclub in Florida.
The case is notable, however, in part because when it was argued on Feb. 29 Justice Clarence Thomas asked a series of questions from the bench, the first time in 10 years that he'd asked a question. His questions came less than a month after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, his close friend, conservative ally and also a strong supporter of gun rights.
Thomas expressed concern at the argument that a misdemeanor conviction could deprive someone of their constitutional gun rights, pressing a government attorney for any other examples when that could happen. He returned to that issue in a dissenting opinion Monday.
"Under the majority's reading, a single conviction under a state assault statute for recklessly causing an injury to a family member such as by texting while driving can now trigger a lifetime ban on gun ownership," he wrote, adding: "We treat no other constitutional right so cavalierly."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined Thomas' dissent in part, agreeing that if Congress wanted to cover all reckless conduct it could have written the law differently.
The two men who were the subjects of Monday's decision were convicted of breaking federal law by possessing firearms following misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence. Both men argued that they should not be barred from gun ownership because their convictions could have been based on reckless action, not action that was knowing or intentional.
Voisine pleaded guilty to assault in 2004 after slapping his girlfriend in the face while he was intoxicated. Several years later, an anonymous caller reported that he had shot a bald eagle with a rifle. He was then convicted under the gun law and sentenced to a year in prison.
Armstrong pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in 2008. A few years later, police searching his home as part of a narcotics investigation discovered firearms and ammunition. He was sentenced to three years of probation.
___
Associated Press reporters Sam Hananel and Josh Lederman contributed to this report.
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, Mississippi.
Michael Alvin Muha, age 12, died eight years ago in Redstone Township, Pennsylvania.
Roberto Lopez, age four, died seven years ago in Los Angeles.
Rosay J. Butler Jr., age three, died six years ago in Selma, Alabama.
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, Georgia.
Davia Garth, age 12, died two years ago in Cleveland.
Ja'Quail Mansaw, age seven months, died last year in Kansas City, Kansas.
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.
-- Leonard Pitts Jr. is a syndicated columnist. Readers may write to him at lpitts@miamiherald.com or the Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132.
After watching the ongoing TV ad slamming John Bradley, Brandon Phelps, and Gary Forby, I feel compelled to write a letter supporting the efforts of these legislators. We as voters cannot be misled by ads of the opposing party to the true effectiveness of these men. From road construction to concealed carry, these guys have represented the best interest of all Southern Illinoisans. Politics at that level is a game, where you have to give to get and I'm just not talking about the House Speaker or Senate President, but with all the legislators. Understand this, that if your bill isn't called to the floor for a vote, your effectiveness as a legislature is limited. The House Speaker and Senate President control that through the state constitution and to no fault of these men. John Bradley, Brandon Phelps and Gary Forby have stood up and fought for Southern Illinois to get our fair share of work projects and keep our local economy stable. Sometimes tough unpopular decisions have to be made and making those decisions isn't easy, especially when it may effect your constituents. That's why these men get re-elected to office because the voters understand that all decisions are not going to be easy, but these three individuals have their best interest at heart. I implore you as voters to ignore the hate adds and to support John Bradley, Brandon Phelps and Gary Forby in their continued effort for a better Southern Illinois.
Students of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine pursuing their third and fourth years of clinical training at the Regional Medical Center were recently recognized among the best medical students from the schools Carolinas Campus.
RMC students garnered one-third of 27 awards presented among 160 third-year students at 12 core sites. Among those recognized were Student of the Year Stephanie Minter, Caitlin Allen, Ashley Bohn, Meghan Nelson, McKenzie Sorrell and Chip Wiginton. These students, along with nine others, will complete their clinical rotations as RMC core site fourth-year students.
Thirteen students completed clinical rotations, received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree and will enter residencies/internships at health care centers across the nation. Among these, Cam Golightly, D.O., received the prestigious McCaughan Heritage AOA Foundation Scholarship, awarded annually to an osteopathic medical student who is committed to the science, art and philosophy of osteopathic medicine. Nickia King, DO, was awarded the Welch Scholars Grant because of her outstanding academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, strong commitment toward osteopathic medicine and financial need.
Three of the graduates were inducted into the Sigma Sigma Phi Honorary Osteopathic Service Fraternity with overall grade point averages of 3.8 or higher: Michele Rossi Champigny, DO; Dr. Golightly and Matthew Rohloff, DO.
In addition, RMC VCOM students honored physicians who were especially helpful to them in their studies. Obstetrics/Gynecology Specialist Richard Richardson, MD was selected as Preceptor of the Year by the third-year students, and RMC Hospitalist Lyle Shelver, MD, was selected as Preceptor of the Year by fourth-year students.
While rotating and studying at RMC, many VCOM students volunteer and give back to the Orangeburg community through RMC Community Outreach, local churches, area schools and other non-profit organizations and events. They also participate in and conduct research projects, many of which have been published in medical journals.
VCOM is a four-year, fully-accredited osteopathic medical school based in Blacksburg, Virginia with other campuses located in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Auburn, Alabama.
A woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by a deputy has considered killing herself, her lawyer says.
This lady has been so traumatized by what this officer did to her that this weekend she did contemplate suicide, said Rep. Justin Bamberg, who is representing the woman.
She put a bunch of pills in her mouth, at which point her boyfriend found her and talked with her and she spit the pills out, he said.
The Cordova woman alleges that an Orangeburg County Sheriffs deputy forced her to perform a sex act when responding to a call at her residence on June 12.
Sheriff Leroy Ravenell says he learned of the allegation on June 13 and terminated the officer. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the allegations at the request of the sheriffs office.
During a Monday press conference, Bamberg said his client will be receiving therapy and counseling through CASA Family Services, a non-profit offering assistance to individuals whove suffered abuse and sexual assault.
This is going to be a long, difficult road for her, he said.
I can think of nothing more traumatic for not just a female but an individual human being than to be forced to do something sexual against her will, Bamberg said.
Bamberg said allegations of sexual assaults require further discussions about the use of body cameras by police officers.
South Carolina lawmakers decided last year to require all law enforcement agencies to adopt policies for body cameras, but the agencies dont have to follow them until they get money for the cameras. This years state budget includes $5.8 million for cameras.
Had this officer had a body camera, we would know because it would be on film. It would also persuade him to maybe not do what he did if he knew his camera was on and if for some reason the complaint is made and there is no body camera video, well that leads you to one conclusion, Bamberg said.
Bamberg said the sheriffs office did not treat his client as a victim of a crime and made several missteps in the handling of the entire situation.
The incident began when the womans boyfriend called law enforcement regarding a domestic dispute just after 12 a.m. on June 12.
Bamberg said thats when two deputies responded to the scene: a field training officer and a sworn deputy whod not yet completed certification through the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
Both officers entered the residence and the training officer took the boyfriend outside while the deputy in training remained with the girlfriend inside the residence, Bamberg said.
The girlfriend alleges the deputy in training interviewed her inside the residence, then threatened to throw both her and her boyfriend in jail if she did not perform a sex act.
Bamberg said the incident took place outside of the view of the field training officer.
As a field training officer of a new deputy who is uncertified, youre tasked with supervising them. Youre tasked with looking at their conduct and seeing how they perform. And if you cant see them, how can you supervise them? Bamberg said.
The field training officer couldve gone inside to interact with the other deputy and the woman, Bamberg added. There are a lot of things that couldve been done to prevent this from happening.
Bamberg said hes looking to file civil claims not only against the deputy, but against the sheriffs office.
He said allegations of negligent supervision, negligent training, excessive use of force and due process violations will be part of the civil claims.
In a situation such as this, which my client -- who is staring at an officer who is towering over her, who has a pressed uniform that says Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office and he has a badge and on one side he has handcuffs and maybe a Taser and on the other side he has his department-issued Glock -- she is powerless, Bamberg said.
Your word against an officers word is hard to overcome, he added.
Bamberg said policy changes are necessary.
I believe that SLED should be the agency that investigates all criminal complaints of an officer while theyre on duty, he said.
He explained that in instances of officer-involved shootings, officers from within the affected agency respond immediately to the scene, but do not touch any evidence or do anything until SLED arrives.
Bamberg said the same practice should be applied when officers are accused of crimes during their scope and duties as officers.
WASHINGTON -- 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.
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.
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.
He says his rival has "put political correctness above common sense, above your safety and above all else." She says his views are "shameful" and he is "temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified" to be president. So much for unity in the face of tragedy.
The race for the White House is entering a new, vital phase. The formal end of the primary season and the eclipse of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have removed even the slightest diversion from the beginning of the general-election campaign. The massacre in Orlando has removed even the slightest doubt that terrorism would be a major theme in the presidential election -- and in the American story for 2016.
Both factors seemed to liberate both candidates, and the two responded with unusual vitriol.
Herbert Hoover hit Franklin Roosevelt at his most vulnerable in 1932 when he described the New York governor as a "chameleon on plaid," and Ronald Reagan taunted Jimmy Carter in 1980 with his "there you go again" repartee. But those were faint jousts and parries compared with Donald Trump's remarks that his rival "is in total denial" and Hillary Clinton's response that the Manhattan businessman's rhetoric was "a recruiting tool for ISIS."
With the conventions only weeks away, it is impossible to ignore the prospect that the tone and timbre of this presidential race will spin out of control, that a campaign that already has defied every expectation and every custom will veer into dangerous new territory of incivility and indecency.
At the same time, the success of Trump in becoming the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party and the persistence and strength of Sanders in challenging Clinton combine to produce serious threats to both parties -- and to the American political system.
Conversations with two thoughtful political figures who a half-generation ago were considered outsiders themselves -- one a Republican and one a Democrat -- underline the severity of the tests facing the two major instruments of political life in our country.
"Trump is making the party into something different, and a lot of us Republicans are troubled," said former Rep. Vin Weber of Minnesota, who was considered a 1980s Republican reformer and whose grandfather was a GOP president of the Minnesota Senate. "None of us wants to turn our backs on the party, but you can't assume we will fall in line."
That sense of crisis also reaches into the Democratic Party, which is less likely to be torn asunder this summer but which is in search of an identity and ideology if no longer in search of a nominee.
"The ideal I was working on -- to use the revolutions of globalism and information to expand the economic pie and thereby finance our social agenda -- got blurred over the years," said former Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado, who twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s and who, as the campaign manager for Sen. George McGovern in 1972, is an unusually appropriate bridge figure in the party. "It never made its way into the public policy of our nation."
These frustrations broke into the open this year, perhaps because of economic issues, perhaps because of the constant fear of terrorism, perhaps because of the cumulative effects of disappointment, even a sense of betrayal, in both parties.
Indeed, a comparison of Wall Street Journal/NBC News polls in the spring of 2012 and the spring of 2016 shows that Trump and Clinton are less popular than Barack Obama and his last opponent, Mitt Romney, were at the same time in the campaign cycle. Obama's favorability rating among his own party members in 2012 was 33 percentage points above Clinton's this year. Romney's ratings among Republicans were 19 percentage points above Trump's this year.
This was the campaign, after all, in which a fellow Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, said of his party's front-runner, "Donald, you're a sniveling coward," and in which Sanders said that Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, wasn't "qualified" to be chief executive.
That, plus repeated survey results showing that Republicans felt betrayed by their own party, speak of a deep unease among American voters. That unease is particularly strong on the terrorism issue, which shows every indication of gaining increased prominence as the campaign continues.
Earlier this spring The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed that only 1 in 5 Americans gave Trump good ratings for handling an international crisis. Clinton's 37 percent was better but not so much so that she could feel reassured. An ABC News/Washington Post poll less than a month ago showed that about 53 percent of voters had an unfavorable view of Clinton while 60 percent viewed Trump unfavorably.
This is an era of broad rebellion against party elites -- a parallel phenomenon exists in Britain as Thursday's European Union referendum approaches -- and both Sanders and Trump have drawn strength from that impulse.
Trump, to be sure, has star power of his own; so much that Clinton's efforts to extinguish or even dim it have been unavailing thus far. The best comparison to Trump may be to Theodore Roosevelt, himself a party rebel. "He was his own limelight," said Owen Wister, the author of "The Virginian," the 1902 novel considered the first Western, and a friend of Roosevelt's, "and could not help it: a creature charged with such a voltage as his became the central presence at once, whether he stepped on a platform or entered a room."
That is the force Clinton now faces in a contest she could not have contemplated a year ago. And that is why she needs the forces assembled by Sanders, who won the heart of Democrats but not their nomination. Her cause may also depend on emphasizing that she was for a dramatic overhaul of health care before anyone knew Sanders' name, and that she is not an extension of either Obama or her husband. That may explain her emerging views on terrorism, which break from both men.
But even as Clinton calibrates her position on terror, emphasizing a no-fly zone in Syria that Obama has resisted, Trump is doing some recalibrating of his own, particularly on guns for people on a terrorist watch list. A campaign that has changed everything is itself changing.
-----
David M. Shribman is executive editor of the Post-Gazette (dshribman@post-gazette.com, 412 263-1890). Follow him on Twitter at ShribmanPG.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Column
Better off out of it
While it would have been nice to see either or both of the Blues young Englishmen excel on the world stage, they were better off having played no part in Hodgsons mess.
In the end, it was a tenure that went into a death spiral, hastened by perplexing tactics, stubborn persistence with certain personnel, worsening results and, though denied by many involved, a visible loss of respect on the part of the players in their manager.
It sounds an awful lot like the last days of Roberto Martinez at Everton but in this instance it was Roy Hodgsons lamentable time at the helm of the circus that is the England team, one that ended as any fan on Merseyside who witnessed his awful spell at Liverpool would have predicted.
So much the better, then, that neither John Stones nor Ross Barkley played a single minute of the disaster that unfolded for England in France this summer. Neither Everton player will be the subject of the scrutiny, the hand-wringing and post-mortems already underway in the national press (well, Barkley is but he shouldn't be) and that will surely come as a relief given the examination that both players have already undergone from Evertonian supporters and commentators following a Premier League season of similarly awful under-performance by the Toffees.
Neither player has had an easy year of it, although both had their fine moments in an Everton jersey in 2015-16. Barkley was enjoying his best season for the Blues since breaking into the senior side under Martinez three years ago until the wheels fell off the Catalans tenure for good. And, while he struggled as much as any player in the second half of the campaign, he still travelled to Euro2016 as the midfielder with the most goals and most assists of any that did see action in the tournament.
Article continues below video content
Stones, meanwhile, had largely recovered from a mid-season crisis of form and, Anfield aside, was looking to be getting back to something resembling himself by the closing weeks... that despite the team as a collective having gone into meltdown. How much he would have been able to prevent Englands collapse in France is debatable his path to the team was blocked by two Hodgson favourites and it was going forward where the Three Lions team was found most wanting but the last thing he would have needed (after last Augusts transfer-request-related tribulations) was another trial by fire in the press.
Of course, unless he is convinced by the promise of the Farhad Moshiri era and Ronald Koemans reputation as one of the finest ball-playing centre-halves of his generation, by escaping Euro2016 with his reputation intact, Stones may still have a smooth passage out of Goodison Park to somewhere like The Etihad Stadium this summer.
If not, he will at least benefit from being untouched by Englands calamity and an early return from France, whereby he can join up with the Everton squad for pre-season in more timely fashion. Barkley, too, will benefit from settling back into club life sooner than would have been the case had England progressed further, where he can prepare for what could be his most important campaign since 2013-14.
As has been written before on these pages, the relationship between Everton and England has always been a complicated one... and that doesnt look likely to change any time soon. While it would have been nice to see either or both of the Blues young Englishmen excel on the world stage and add another badge of experience to their still-young careers, twas ever thus that theyre better off having played no part in Englands dismal implosion.
Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer
About these ads
ToffeeWeb
Afkar Capital, an Abu Dhabi-based asset management firm said it was launching a physical, in-kind exchange-traded fund (ETF), which would invest in the largest UAE stocks by capitalisation.
Afkar Capital, which was founded at the end of last year, is launching the UAE dirham-denominated fund despite volatility in local equity markets because of low oil prices and global economic instability.
The ETF will list on the Dubai Financial Market on Wednesday, replicating the S&P UAE BMI Liquid 20/35 Capped Index, Afkar's chief executive Seif Fikry told Reuters. He declined to give a projection for the size of the fund, saying it would be open to all investors.
Unlike swap-based ETFs, which replicate equity indexes using derivatives, physical, in-kind ETFs hold the underlying stocks in an index through a custodian - an arrangement which proponents say can reduce counterparty risk. BNY Mellon will be global custodian for the fund. Reuters
Bahrain Duty Free Shop Complex plans to make an investment of BD6 million ($15.8 million) for a nearly three-fold expansion of its footprint at Bahrain International Airport (BIA), reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.
To read further, please visit GDNonline.
General Electric said it would sell a bulk of GE Capital's US restaurant franchise loan portfolio to three regional banks in separate deals as the industrial conglomerate winds down its financing arm to reduce regulatory burden.
GE said on Monday the deals represent ending net investment of about $1.4 billion as of the first quarter and are expected to release about $200 million of capital for the company.
The company did not give further financial details.
GE said it would retain the financing verticals related to its industrial businesses and sell the restaurant franchise financing assets to First Horizon National Corp, Wintrust Financial Corp and Sterling Bancorp.
The sale is part of GE's plan to sell about $200 billion of GE Capital's businesses largely by the end of this year as it switches focus back to its industrial roots.
GE said it had signed GE Capital deals worth about $180 billion so far and that GE Capital expects to deliver about $35 billion of dividends to the company under the plan.
The three banks will acquire assets based on the location of the regional headquarters of the borrowers, GE said.
Tennessee-based First Horizon said it would acquire about $637 million in GE Capital's restaurant franchise loans in the Southeast and Southwest regions.
Illinois-based Wintrust Financial said it would acquire about $581 million in loans from borrowers in the Midwest and in the western United States.
New York-based Sterling Bancorp said it would acquire a portfolio with about $190 million in loans to borrowers mainly in its core markets of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
First Horizon and Wintrust Financial said they expected the deal to add to their earnings.
Barclays and Moelis & Co were GE's financial advisers and Hogan Lovells was legal counsel on the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter. Reuters
Britain faced angry calls from other European leaders to act quickly to resolve the political and economic chaos unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union which the IMF said could put pressure on global growth.
Financial markets recovered slightly on Tuesday after the result wiped a record $3 trillion off global shares and sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years, but trading was volatile and policymakers vowed to take all necessary measures to protect their economies.
British finance minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets fell on deaf ears on Monday, said he would have to cut spending and raise taxes to secure fiscal stability after a third credit ratings agency downgraded the country's debt.
Firms have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, dashing voters' hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU.
European countries are particularly worried about the impact on the rest of the European Union of the uncertainty created by Britain's vote to leave, with little idea of when, or even if, the country will formally declare it is quitting.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament he would be urging British Prime Minister David Cameron to "clarify as soon as possible" the British position, but did not expect him to launch the two-year withdrawal process "today, or tomorrow morning".
"We cannot be embroiled in lasting uncertainty," he said in a speech which he interrupted to ask British lawmakers who campaigned to leave the EU why they were there.
Cameron, who resigned after it became clear he had failed in his efforts to persuade the country to stay in the EU in the referendum, which he called, says he will leave it to his successor to formally declare Britain's exit.
His party says it aims to choose a new leader by early September, but those who campaigned for Britain's leave vote have made clear they hope to negotiate a new deal for the country with Europe before triggering the formal exit process. European leaders have said that is not an option.
"No notification, no negotiation," Juncker said.
NO CHERRY-PICKING
Cameron arrived in Brussels on Tuesday and went into a meeting with Juncker without exchanging any words in front of the media. He will also meet other European counterparts one-on-one before addressing them all at what promises to be a frosty dinner to discuss what has become known as Brexit.
EU lawmakers have made clear they hope he will trigger the exit process at the dinner, but an EU official said on Monday that was unrealistic given the political chaos in London, where both Cameron's party and opposition Labour are deeply divided.
The ruling Conservative Party in parliament is split into pro and anti EU camps and the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, faces a no confidence vote on Tuesday from parliamentarians who accuse him of lukewarm support for the EU.
"The 27 other members of the EU should not wait for the disorientated Tory (Conservative) party to get its act together," former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstandt, leader of the liberal group in the European Parliament, said on Tuesday, denouncing what he called the "lies" of the Leave campaign.
For Britain, the outlook is bleak. Fitch joined other major credit ratings agencies in downgrading its sovereign debt on Monday, making the promises by leave campaigners that Britain's economy would be stronger outside the EU appear empty.
"We are absolutely going to have to provide fiscal security to people, we are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means," Osborne, who, like Cameron campaigned to stay in the EU, told BBC radio.
Asked if that meant tax rises and spending cuts, he said: "Yes, absolutely."
After Cameron has addressed EU leaders on Tuesday evening, they will meet the next day to discuss Brexit without him.
Leave campaigners in Britain, among them Cameron's possible successor, former London Mayor Boris Johnson, have suggested Britain can retain access to the European single market and curb immigration - goals which are mutually incompatible under EU rules.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain would not be able "cherry-pick" the parts of the European Union it wants, such as enjoying access to the single market, without accepting principles like freedom of movement when it negotiates its exit from the bloc.
"I can only advise our British friends not to fool themselves ... in terms of the necessary decisions that need to be made in Britain," she said.
Reflecting deep concern over the referendum result in London, where a majority voted to stay and people fear job losses if the city loses its status as a global financial centre, Mayor Sadiq Khan said access to Europe's market was key.
"Remaining in the single market needs to be priority one, two and three of our negotiation with the EU," Khan said. "On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now."
Scotland, where people voted strongly to remain in Europe, was due to hold a parliamentary vote seeking backing for a drive to keep Scotland's EU status. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has suggested holding a possible second referendum on leaving the United Kingdom given the vote to leave the EU.
GLOBAL GROWTH CONCERNS
The impact looked likely to spread far beyond Britain's borders although European shares rose for the first time in three days after a heavy sell-off, partly due to hopes of a more co-ordinated central bank response to financial market losses.
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate "destabilising spillovers" between economies.
Shares in European banks have come under particular pressure, particularly those based in Britain, over doubts about future market access, and Italy, with high levels of bad loans.
Sources told Reuters on Monday Italy was preparing to protect its banks from a destabilising share sell-off following the Brexit vote and that Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would ask for more flexibility from the EU regarding public spending.
Brexit creates huge political uncertainty and will put pressure on global growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s Deputy Managing Director Zhu Min said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in northern China.
A key economic adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the country should not give up the right to intervene if investors seeking safe havens drive the yen up too high, but that he thought Brexit would have less of an impact over the longer term.
"I think currency and stock markets overreacted to the shock caused by Brexit. I think the real effects of Brexit will not be as big as people fear no," he told Reuters.
Asian stocks rose and Chinese stocks hit a three-week closing high. They are protected from some of the turmoil by capital controls, but Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sought to reassure nervous investors.
"It's hard to avoid short-term volatility in China's capital markets, but we won't allow roller-coaster rides and drastic changes in the capital markets," said Li, speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the city of Tianjin. Reuters
Turkey has adjusted its military rules of engagement to allow Nato allies to carry out more patrol flights along its border with northern Syria, a Turkish official said on Tuesday.
"Some Nato countries, especially Britain, complained that they could not perform enough patrol flights on Turkey's Syrian border as the engagement rules were too strict," the official told Reuters.
"After talks ... Turkey eased these engagement rules to bring them in line with Nato policies," he said. Nato was told about the move around three weeks ago, the official said, but coalition countries had not yet carried out additional flights.-Reuters
MMD, a leading technology company and brand license partner for Philips Monitors, has introduced the Brilliance 258B6QUEB LCD Monitor, featuring a revolutionary USB-C cable connection.
The monitor offers simple notebook docking and faster data and video transmission, while charging connected devices using just one cable, said a statement from the company.
The Brilliance 258B6QUEB is also equipped with a 25 screen and the Philips SmartErgoBase, which offers low bezel-to-table height adjustments to maximise comfort while working, it said.
All connections to the monitor are made with the new USB 3.1 Type-C cable which is 20-times faster than USB 2.0. It maximises efficiency by transferring data and displaying content while charging a device, eliminating the need for multiple cables and adapters, it added.
The monitors Quad HD IPS panel displays vivid images with QHD 2560x1440 pixels. The IPS technology delivers full colours while enabling extra wide viewing angles of 178/178, said a statement.
The models 25 display panel offers high bandwidth sources such as HDMI and DisplayPort, and built-in stereo speakers, which combine to maximise the multimedia experience and immerse the user in stunning high-resolution content, it said.
Additionally, the monitor also possesses Philips signature flicker-free technology for reducing eye fatigue, and smart-image for optimising the contrast, colour saturation and sharpness of images and videos, resulting in a superior display performance, it stated.
Vineeth Sebastian, regional sales director, MMD Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: With these powerful features, this monitor delivers a stunning visual experience to users at home and office environments. TradeArabia News Service
The Abu Dhabi Court has convicted the administrator of a pirate website for illegally uploading torrents and facilitating illegal streaming of copyrighted television series, movies, and misusing OSNs intellectual property rights.
OSN is a leading pay-TV platform in the region.
Following a complaint by OSN, the Abu Dhabi Police investigated and presented the complaint with evidence to the Prosecutors Office, who prepared and charged the pirate with criminal offences.
During the course of the court hearings, a technical expert was appointed who reviewed the evidence and conducted hearings to cross examine the pirates defence. The expert then prepared and presented a comprehensive report for the Court.
Based on the facts and evidence, the Court passed judgment sentencing the pirate to six months in jail followed by deportation to his home country.
The pirate was also ordered to pay Dh50,000 ($13,610) as compensation to OSN for copyright and trademark infringement by illegally uploading torrents and facilitating illegal downloading of content using the pirate website. As per the courts order, the Prosecutors Office will work with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to block the pirate website. The pirate was initially imprisoned for about two months and has since appealed the verdict.
Sophie Moloney, general counsel of OSN, said: The authorities have adopted extreme vigilance to all forms of television piracy, which has resulted in websites streaming illegal content being blocked in the UAE. Stealing movies or television series is an offence, whether it is online or as DVDs from a shop, and the authorities recognise that the financial impact on the legitimate copyright owners will be the same.
Our efforts against DishTV India for piracy have led to positive results on ground led by the raids and prompt action by the proactive efforts on the authorities. We have also made significant advances in fighting IPTV piracy. The action against illegal operators will serve as a stern warning against TV piracy. The public can contribute to fighting it by voluntarily staying away from accessing illegal content on any platforms, she added. TradeArabia News Service
UAE newspaper The National has organised a webinar for students, teachers and other parties involved in the Genes in Space competition to help them identify the challenges facing DNA analysis in outer space.
Winners of the contest, which is being organized by The National in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency and Boeing, will have the opportunity to observe astronauts conduct the experiments on board the International Space Station (ISS). Successful contestants will also be hosted in the United States, where they will watch the launch of the rocket that will carry the experiment into space.
The competition involves students presenting a gene amplification experiment using polymerase chain reaction. The process will later be replicated in the low-gravity environment of the ISS, said a press release.
The contest is open to students from grades 7 to 12, who are able to work individually or in groups of up to four. They will receive instructions and advice from scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University as well as Khalifa University, the press release added.
Mohammed Al Otaiba, editor in chief of The National, said: This webinar is part of our commitment to support national innovation initiatives and increase national awareness about the latest in space science and technology. This is done through the launch of several initiatives that aim to help participants put together more competitive proposals in order to win the competition.
The National Space Programme will help encourage the generation graduating from schools and universities to conduct experiments in space sciences and other scientific fields. The Genes in Space competition, which comes as part of these efforts, therefore translates our responsibilities into achievements and advances by the UAE on the world stage, he added.
Sheikha Al Maskari, chief innovation officer at the UAE Space Agency, said: The UAE Space Agencys support for the Genes in Space competition is part of our plans to promote a culture of innovation and scientific research among school students throughout the UAE.
A competition like this can help inspire more students to study space sciences and its applications. Ultimately, they will be motivated to lead the national space sector in the future, and to support it with the expertise needed for its long-term growth and development, she added.
Peter McGrath, director of business development at Boeings space exploration division, said: Boeing committed to bring this unique competition to the UAE because we believe that the UAE has a promising youth that are capable of acquiring the necessary skills to excel in space research fields. This workshop will bring huge benefits to those participating in the competition, in terms of providing them with knowledge and experience in gene research and space sciences. This will contribute to an increase in the number of presentations submitted to the competition.
The webinar is being held on Wednesday, June 29. TradeArabia News Service
One hundred and one celebrities are coming together to raise funds for refugees worldwide by donating their jeans to be painted by fashion designer and artist Johny Dar, for a project called Jeans for Refugees.
The celebrities include Kate Moss, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Sir Elton John and Usher, and all proceeds of the fundraising are going to the International Rescue Committee, a global charity organisation whose focus is refugees.
Each pair of jeans will be made into an individual art piece and will be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London. At the end of the exhibition, the pieces will be auctioned off at a special online fundraiser, a press release said.
Johny Dar commented: The refugee crisis has had an impact on everyone it moves us all, it concerns us all. The concept behind 'Jeans for Refugees' is to spread a message through art, to create positive change and empower people to collaborate for a common goal, painting a new paradigm and inspiring a brighter world.
He will be painting the jeans as a live art performance in a refugee camp for 7-10 days, during which he will paint non-stop every day, exploring the endurance and determination needed by millions of refugees as they seek to complete their journey and fulfil their shared dream of a new home and beginning, the press release added.
Dubai-based PR firm White Water PR has been contracted to generate awareness of the campaign among people in the region. TradeArabia News Service
Euro Motors, the exclusive dealer and distributor for Jaguar Land Rover in Bahrain, is offering customers a chance to win the grand prize of $30,030 through its 1001 Reasons to Celebrate campaign during Ramadan.
Customers who purchase either a brand new or an Approved Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle will be eligible to enter the grand draw, said a statement from the company.
The winner will be picked up in the grand draw on July 11 at Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover showroom in Sitra.
During the campaign, those buying a Jaguar or a Land Rover will be given a substantial discount as well, thereby catering to the economic aspects of the purchasing process, it added.
Additionally, highlighting its dealerships commitment to providing a wholesome Ramadan experience, Euro Motors Jaguar Land Rover also offers customers a free five-year service package, free five-year warranty and five-year road assistance, along with complimentary insurance, registration and window tinting.
Paul Yates, general manager of Euro Motors, said: It brings me great pride and joy to be extending the fantastic features of our Ramadan campaign to our customers.
With the concept of the latest campaign, we hoped to embody the spirit of the Holy Month through both the idea of the cash prize itself and through the giving aspect of the campaign as well, he added. TradeArabia News Service
Around 10,000 new hotel rooms will open in Dubai, UAE throughout 2016, according to the organisers of the upcoming The Hotel Show, a major event for the hotel, restaurant, cafe and foodservice industry.
The Dubai Hotel Market Overview prepared by property consultant JLL reveals that 621 new hotel rooms opened in Dubai during Q1 2016, and 9,400 additional rooms will be added to the market by the end of the year.
New properties opening in the coming months include: W Dubai Al Habtoor City; Lapita Hotel Dubai at Dubai Parks and Resorts; Hard Rock Hotel Dubai Marina; Jumeirah Al Naseem, Madinat Jumeirah; and Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai.
This is an important and exciting time for Dubais hospitality and leisure industry, said Gary Williams, event director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio including The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show.
Over the course of the next six months, world-famous brands including W Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels, and Nikki Beach are entering the Dubai market for the first time, while two major new theme parks IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts are set to open their gates.
Alexander Schneider, general manager of the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai said: More than 40,000 people visited the Nikki Beach Club Dubai in its first 3 months of opening, and our hotel, villas, residences and the first Nikki Spa in the world will open here by the end of 2016. We are proud to bring a unique product to this market in an exclusive location on the Pearl Jumeirah.
The next frontier: a look at the new hotel brands entering the market featuring Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai and others opening in the Middle East for the first time will take part in a panel discussion at the fourth annual Vision Conference at The Hotel Show Dubai 2016.
More than 25,000 hospitality industry professionals are forecast to attend the 17th edition of The Hotel Show Dubai and co-located event, The Leisure Show, running from September 17 to 19 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. TradeArabia News Service
The number of foreign visitors to Turkey fell by more than a third in May, official data showed on Tuesday - the biggest drop in at least 22 years as tensions with Russia and a spate of bombings continues to hit tourist arrivals.
The decline signals more pain for Turkey's economy, hurt by slowing exports and weak private investment. Some economists have forecast that tourism revenue will drop by a quarter this year, costing around $8 billion, or the equivalent of 1 per cent of GDP.
The drop-off does not bode well for the rest of the May-August high tourism season, when European and Russian holidaymakers usually flock to Turkey's southern beaches. Turkey on Monday expressed regret to Russia over the downing of a warplane, a sign it is looking to improve relations that have hit the economy.
While that could help to revive Russian tourism, it is unlikely to woo back Europeans spooked by recent bomb attacks.
"If relations with Russia improve we may see a partial recovery in tourism, but there is no change on the European side," said Muammer Komurcuoglu, an economist at Istanbul brokerage Is Investment.
Tourism fell 34.7 per cent year-on-year in May, with 2.49 million people arriving during the month, data from the Tourism Ministry showed. It was the biggest drop on record, according to the data, which goes back to 1994.
The number of Russian visitors all but evaporated, falling by 91.8 per cent, the data showed. Russians traditionally account for one of the biggest groups of foreign visitors after Germany, but they have stopped coming after the shooting down of the Russian warplane over Syria last year.
The number of German tourists fell by 31.5 per cent, according to the data.
TRADE RESTRICTIONS
The Kremlin responded to the downing of the plane by slapping trade restrictions on Ankara, including freezing work on a pipeline to ship Russian gas to Europe via Turkey and advising Russian tourists to avoid Turkish resorts.
"Recent attempts to normalise relations with Russia might alleviate the pain in the sector to some extent and could trigger some last-minute reservations to Turkey, but hopes are saved for next year, in our view," said Ozgur Altug, chief economist at BGC Partners.
The pronounced drop in tourism is yet another headache for a government trying to win back investor confidence. Sentiment has been battered by security fears and worries about President Tayyip Erdogan's growing power.
Turkey has been hit by a wave of suicide bomb attacks this year, including two in Istanbul - its biggest city and traditional tourist draw - blamed on Islamic State militants. In January a suicide bomber killed 12 German tourists when he blew himself up in the city's historic heart.
Three Israeli tourists and an Iranian were killed in March when another suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul's most popular shopping district.
The NATO member faces multiple security threats. It is part of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and also battling the decades-old militant insurgency in the largely Kurdish southeast region.
The Turkish lira firmed to 2.9160 against the US dollar by 0824 GMT from 2.93 late on Monday.
Turkish stocks also gained, with the main share index rising 1.73 per cent to 76,463.38 points, outperforming its emerging market peers which were up 0.87 per cent.
The benchmark 10-year government bond yield fell to 9.38 per cent from 9.53 percent at Monday's close. - Reuters
Tilal Liwa Hotel in Abu Dhabi is welcoming guests to a Majestic Experience this Eid with an exclusive offer tailored for every need.
The Eid Al Fitr packages start from Dh749 ($203.8) including breakfast with a choice of lunch and dinner as well for two adults and two children under 12 years of age.
This exclusive package for UAE and GCC residents gives visitors access to complimentary desert activities, recreational facilities and wi-fi. In addition, visitors who wish to make their package all-inclusive can do so with an additional Dh200 ($54.4) which will include unlimited house beverages.
Tilal Liwa Hotel is an oasis of wonders away from the city. It is the perfect getaway for families who would love to escape the busy city life with some breathtaking views of some of the highest dunes in the world. Visitors can rejuvenate themselves in a sanctuary of tranquility and relaxation at Tilal Liwa Hotel.
Rates are subject to 10 per cent service charge and 6 per cent tourism fee, 4 per cent municipality fee and Dh15 ($4) per room per night, the hotel said. - TradeArabia News Service
WEST YELLOWSTONE -- U.S. Forest Service officials are proposing a logging and prescribed burning project across more than nine square miles just west of Yellowstone National Park.
The agency says the proposal would reduce wildfire risk along evacuation routes through the Custer Gallatin National Forest. It also would restore aspen and whitebark pine trees north of Hebgen Lake and West Yellowstone, Montana.
Twenty-one miles of temporary roads could be built. Officials say the amount of habitat available to threatened grizzly bears would be temporarily reduced.
There is a 30-day public comment period on the proposal.
A separate timber sale involving four square miles southwest of Hebgen Lake has been on hold. A judge last year sided with environmental groups that say logging in the area could threaten grizzly bears and Canada lynx.
After 10 years on the job, state fire marshal Lanny Applegate is retiring.
I have been very honored to serve, Applegate said in a written statement announcing his retirement. I had the good fortune to work with the fire service in cities, towns and counties across the state since 1975. I want to thank my staff they have been outstanding to work with and I wish them nothing but success in the future.
Applegate, who was unavailable for comment, has served as the state fire marshal since 2006. His primary duties consisted of assisting with fire prevention across the state, from training and inspections to investigations and electrical safety.
For the past decade, Lanny has served Wyoming well as the states fire marshal, Governor Matt Mead said in a press release. I thank him for his hard work and commitment to keeping people across Wyoming safe. I wish him all the best in retirement.
Michael Reed will replace Applegate. Hes spent 28 years in law enforcement, training, working with arson investigations, energy management and incident command. He also served 10 years as chief of police in Rawlins. Reed, who is currently a policy advisor for Gov. Mead, starts his new job Friday.
I want to thank Governor Mead for giving me this opportunity, Reed said. It is an honor to be associated with such a professional state agency dedicated to the safety of Wyomings citizens. I look forward to meeting with community leaders and fire departments around the state.
Imagine the surprise when the big "food truck" with larger than life pictures of Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato pulled up Tuesday morning and started doling out free sweets and premium tickets to the pair's "Future Now" concert at Atlanta's Philips Arena.
The two stars partnered up with Marriott Rewards to give fans popsicles. In Georgia on Tuesday, fans had three choices: Lovatos Whats Wrong with Being Coconut? Jonas Last Year was Bananas" and Marriotts Marriott Rewards Mango. They also presented some lucky folks with prized tickets to the "2016 Honda Civic Tour Featuring Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas: Future Now," which kicks off Wednesday, June 29, and runs through early fall.
And here's the good news for us thousands of miles removed from Atlanta and months away from "Future Now" pulling into Phoenix's Talking Stick Resort Arena in September: The Marriott truck will pop up in cities throughout the tour offering popsicles and prized seats. Surely we stand a good chance of getting a visit, dontchathink?
Have you wandered the Grand Canyon trails? We'd like to see and share your photos. Send them to eds@tucson.com with the photographer's name and other information about the photo.
1 of 73 1 Grand Canyon Summer solstice sunset from Grandview Point, June 20, 2016. 2 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 3 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 4 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 5 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 6 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 7 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. 8 Grand Canyon Readers Bob and Lynn Kerry at Nankoweap in 2008. 9 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 10 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 11 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 12 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 13 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 14 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 15 Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. 16 Grand Canyon Nankoweap Granaries 17 Grand Canyon Rim Trail from a Bright Angel rim cabin. 18 Grand Canyon Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon. 19 Grand Canyon Downriver from the Nakozweap Granaries 20 Grand Canyon Cedar Ridge 21 Grand Canyon Deer Creek 22 Grand Canyon From Point Imperial looking to South Rim 23 Grand Canyon Lava Falls Rapid 24 Grand Canyon Marble Canyon from the North Rim 25 Grand Canyon Sheer cliffs of redial limestone in the Grand Canyon. 26 Grand Canyon U.S. Geological Survey benchmark on Grandview Trail. 27 Grand Canyon Bagpiper on the South Rim - 1986. Photo by Marylka Pattison 28 Grand Canyon Squirrel on the Bright Angel Trail - by Marylka Pattison 29 Grand Canyon Bright Angel campground 30 Grand Canyon Mules on the South Kaibab. 31 Grand Canyon Black Bridge tunnel 32 Grand Canyon Silver Bridge 33 Grand Canyon Havasu Falls 34 Grand Canyon Havasu Canyon 35 Grand Canyon Unlikely tree on the way to Supai 36 Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail in 2014. We went from Rim to river to rim each of the last 3 years in about 9 hours. 37 Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail in 2016. We went from Rim to river to rim each of the last 3 years in about 9 hours. 38 Grand Canyon Snow on Bright Angel trail. 39 Grand Canyon Snow while we were hiking out of Bright Angel Trail. 40 Grand Canyon Tree trunk on South Kaibab Trail. 41 Grand Canyon Hiker greeting the sunrise on South Kaibab Trail. 42 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Village in April. 43 Grand Canyon 44 Grand Canyon 45 Grand Canyon 46 Grand Canyon 47 Grand Canyon A page from the scrapbook with pictures taken by Karl Pattison during the 1920s and early 1930s. 48 Grand Canyon 49 Grand Canyon South Rim of the Grand Canyon, March 2013. 50 Grand Canyon A shaft of late-afternoon sunlight adds beauty near a rock window along the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon. 51 Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail taken November 27, 2015. 52 Grand Canyon The South Kaibab trail taken November 27, 2015. 53 Grand Canyon A Memorial Day weekend hike from the South Rim on the Bright Angel Trail to the North Rim, with University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Adventure Club. 54 Grand Canyon Photo by Jerome Gallegos, a day away from wrapping up a rafting trip. Lower Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. 55 Grand Canyon 56 Grand Canyon 57 Grand Canyon 58 Grand Canyon 59 Grand Canyon 60 Grand Canyon 61 Grand Canyon 62 Grand Canyon 63 Grand Canyon Hikers arrive at the top of the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon on Thursday, June 23. Photo by Doug Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star. 64 Grand Canyon Reader Cathy Reigner took this photo at the Grand Canyon. 65 Grand Canyon 66 Grand Canyon Grand Canyon north rim taken last week. 6/16/2016 67 Grand Canyon Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab Trail taken Aug. 31, 2014. 68 Grand Canyon Greg Sims is standing in the Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab Trail. 69 Grand Canyon Reader Peter Curtis captured this gorgeous view from the South Rim of Canyon. Taken June 2015. 70 Grand Canyon 71 Grand Canyon 72 Grand Canyon Jumping for joy at the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, June 21. 73 Grand Canyon A view from the sheer South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's a place that inspires awe. Photo by Doug Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star. More like this... Close 1 of 73 Grand Canyon Summer solstice sunset from Grandview Point, June 20, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon taken from the north rim on June 14, 2016. Grand Canyon Readers Bob and Lynn Kerry at Nankoweap in 2008. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Taken April 2016. Grand Canyon Nankoweap Granaries Grand Canyon Rim Trail from a Bright Angel rim cabin. Grand Canyon Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Downriver from the Nakozweap Granaries Grand Canyon Cedar Ridge Grand Canyon Deer Creek Grand Canyon From Point Imperial looking to South Rim Grand Canyon Lava Falls Rapid Grand Canyon Marble Canyon from the North Rim Grand Canyon Sheer cliffs of redial limestone in the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon U.S. Geological Survey benchmark on Grandview Trail. Grand Canyon Bagpiper on the South Rim - 1986. Photo by Marylka Pattison Grand Canyon Squirrel on the Bright Angel Trail - by Marylka Pattison Grand Canyon Bright Angel campground Grand Canyon Mules on the South Kaibab. Grand Canyon Black Bridge tunnel Grand Canyon Silver Bridge Grand Canyon Havasu Falls Grand Canyon Havasu Canyon Grand Canyon Unlikely tree on the way to Supai Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail in 2014. We went from Rim to river to rim each of the last 3 years in about 9 hours. Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail in 2016. We went from Rim to river to rim each of the last 3 years in about 9 hours. Grand Canyon Snow on Bright Angel trail. Grand Canyon Snow while we were hiking out of Bright Angel Trail. Grand Canyon Tree trunk on South Kaibab Trail. Grand Canyon Hiker greeting the sunrise on South Kaibab Trail. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Village in April. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon A page from the scrapbook with pictures taken by Karl Pattison during the 1920s and early 1930s. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon South Rim of the Grand Canyon, March 2013. Grand Canyon A shaft of late-afternoon sunlight adds beauty near a rock window along the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon South Kaibab trail taken November 27, 2015. Grand Canyon The South Kaibab trail taken November 27, 2015. Grand Canyon A Memorial Day weekend hike from the South Rim on the Bright Angel Trail to the North Rim, with University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Adventure Club. Grand Canyon Photo by Jerome Gallegos, a day away from wrapping up a rafting trip. Lower Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Hikers arrive at the top of the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon on Thursday, June 23. Photo by Doug Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star. Grand Canyon Reader Cathy Reigner took this photo at the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon north rim taken last week. 6/16/2016 Grand Canyon Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab Trail taken Aug. 31, 2014. Grand Canyon Greg Sims is standing in the Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab Trail. Grand Canyon Reader Peter Curtis captured this gorgeous view from the South Rim of Canyon. Taken June 2015. Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Jumping for joy at the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, June 21. Grand Canyon A view from the sheer South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's a place that inspires awe. Photo by Doug Kreutz, Arizona Daily Star. More like this...
The Marana Unified School District is inviting the public to view a new high school textbook before it is adopted.
The districts curriculum management team is evaluating a psychology textbook for use in the AP psychology program.
The public can view the textbook Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Aug. 9 at the districts Office of Professional Practice, 11290 W. Grier Road, Suite 121A.
Gregory student is in Iowa writing program
A Gregory School student was chosen to participate in a University of Iowa creative writing program.
Caitlin McCormick is one of 32 students selected for the Between the Lines program, which brings in young writers from nine Arabic-speaking countries and territories, 10 states in the United States and six cities across Russia.
Between the Lines is a two-week program that provides world literature classes, writing workshops, seminars and cultural exchange.
McCormick will have a chance to work with renowned writers, inclu-ding Karim Alrawi, who wrote the award-winning novel, Book of Sands.
Marana officer wins state resource honor
A Marana police officer has been named the School Resource Officer of the Year by a statewide organization.
Melissa Larkin was honored for her dedication and service during the 2016 Arizona School Resource Officer Association conference on June 21.
Larkin is assigned to Marana Middle School, where she works with seventh- and eighth-graders. She clocked in 240 teaching hours, far beyond the 180 hours required of her by the grant that funds her position.
For hundreds of volunteers and about 1,500 students annually, Arts Express provides a living, breathing, performing link to the star-spangled history of our nation.
A lot of our overall vision with the arts and what we do with Let Freedom Sing and our other programs is to set the tone for our young people and provide a framework for them to celebrate our country, said Karen Wiese, executive director of Arts Express, which has staged Let Freedom Sing in celebration of the Fourth of July for more than 30 years.
We want them to have an understanding of history and learn about what they can do and recognize the lessons they can learn from veterans and others who came before them.
The concert titled A Star-Spangled Celebration this year in honor of a family-oriented theme is one of several annual productions and various programs that facilitate the nonprofits vision of educating, empowering and entertaining Southern Arizonans with the ultimate goal of building culture and community by providing opportunities to experience the arts.
The Fourth of July is about so much more than hamburgers and hot dogs and fireworks. It is about our nations birthday, and celebrating that through this musical presentation with more than 100 performers on stage is a great way to bring a diverse audience together, Wiese said.
The production will feature the Arts Express Choir and The Big Band Express orchestra, along with renowned soloists and local favorites such as Ben Cline, Jodi Darling, Armen Dirtadian, Kathy Jenkins, Delores Maddox, Chach Snook and Dennis Tamblyn. A special appearance by The Manhattan Dolls will feature Andrews Sisters-styled harmonies with the trio performing favorites like Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
Wiese said attendees can also expect to hear traditional patriotic favorites such as The Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful and God Bless America as well as new classics such as a rendition of the Gettysburg Address put to music.
Another highlight of the concert will be a medley of tunes from Rodgers and Hammersteins South Pacific, in recognition of the production this week by 60 youths ages 7 to 22 who are participating in the Arts America Summer Stock Production by Arts Express.
The annual Summer Stock Production stages a full musical in four weeks featuring theater professionals and young actors. It also provides an important opportunity for many children who might not otherwise have the chance to participate in a professional-caliber production, said Eric Yanes, 19.
Yanes, who became involved with Arts Express three years ago, is playing the lead of French expatriot Emile de Becque in South Pacific.
Lots of these kids are from families who might not be able to pay for an experience in a theater company like Arizona Theatre Company or Gaslight Theatre. There is always the reality of finances, and Arts Express provides another option for kids to be involved in dramatic arts, he said.
He believes that Arts Express has positioned itself as a leader in the local arts community moving forward by partnering with organizations such as Broadway in Tucson, UA Presents and the Ben Vereen Awards (the Southwest division of the National High School Musical Theater Awards). It has also developed Arts America: A Summer Arts Immersion Program, which focuses on art and culture in different periods of American history and a variety of other arts-education programs.
I would say that generally in America, and unfortunately in Tucson, there is a deficit in the arts ... Arts Express is on a mission to increase arts opportunities in the community especially for children in elementary school and middle school who are growing up in a society with less funding for the arts. They also have less arts experiences, especially in the dramatic arts, which more than most academic disciplines, tend to change or redirect lives and teach children about humanity, said Yanes.
Yanes hopes the public will turn out in force to support Arts Express at both Let Freedom Sing and South Pacific, the unconventional love story that deals with racial prejudice during World War II.
The story is very meaningful and timeless. It is a very timely piece because it is a show that is ultimately about racism and racial boundaries and racial labeling.
It is about the differences of culture and the disasters that those differences can bring about, which are issues that many Americans are struggling with right now, he said.
Former Tucson television news reporter Som Lisaius and his wife pleaded not guilty Monday to three counts each of drug and child-abuse charges.
The charges stem from a May 15 incident in which the couple brought their then-4-month-old baby girl to Oro Valley Hospital after the baby wouldnt wake up and her eyes rolled back into her head, records from the Oro Valley Police Department show.
The baby tested positive for cocaine as did Lisaius, who at the time was a reporter at KOLD News 13, and his wife, Krystin Lisaius, who worked at KGUN Channel 9 two years ago, also as a reporter.
An official at KOLD said Monday that Som Lisaius no longer works for the station.
The Lisaiuses admitted using cocaine at their home Saturday, May 14, according to police reports released Monday under a records request by the Arizona Daily Star. Krystin Lisaius told police she breast-fed the baby the following morning, but did not think the baby would be affected 12 hours after she used cocaine, the reports said.
Detectives later found about 1.8 grams of cocaine in a desk drawer at the Lisaiuses house, as well as white residue on a Safeway Club Card in the name of Krystin Sorich, her maiden name, and a rolled-up dollar bill inside a Tiffany jewelry box.
When detectives arrived at the hospital, the babys condition was listed as good and she was expected to recover completely, the police report stated.
The Lisaiuses each pleaded not guilty at an initial appearance and arraignment Monday in Pima County Superior Court before Judge Lee Ann Roads. Their next court hearing is scheduled for July 28.
Som and Krystin Lisaius are each facing:
One count of child abuse to a person under 18 years of age, causing death or serious physical injury, a class three felony.
One count of possession of a narcotic drug, a class four felony.
One count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class six felony.
The Lisaiuses, who appeared in court with their attorney, Michael Piccarreta, were released on their own recognizance.
Their infant daughter, who was born in December, was placed by the states Department of Child Safety with her maternal grandmother once she was released from the hospital, Piccarreta said.
Roads said the couple are to have contact with their baby only by what is allowed by DCS.
The Lisaiuses baby was and is 100 percent healthy, and never was in any danger, Piccarreta said in an interview shortly after the court proceeding. He said the infant was well taken care of and described the incident as an aberrant act. The Lisaiuses were allowed contact with their child by DCS almost immediately after the unfortunate incident that was remedied, Piccarreta said.
He said Krystin Lisaius has 24-hour contact with her child in her mothers house, and Som Lisaius is allowed to see the baby for 12 hours a day.
Piccarreta said the parents took the child to the hospital because they became concerned when she became lethargic. He declined to comment about the specifics of the case.
Records from the Oro Valley Police Department said the Lisaiuses and two friends went back to the Lisaiuses house after attending the birthday party of a friends child on May 14.
The baby went to sleep after drinking breast milk Krystin Lisaius had pumped earlier in the day. She breast-fed the baby again around 8 a.m. Sunday and the baby went to sleep a half-hour later.
She tried to wake the baby later that morning, but the baby was like a rag doll and her eyes rolled back into her head, reports state.
The couple took the baby to Oro Valley Hospital, but then left with the baby against medical advice, police reports said. They then requested the baby be taken by ambulance to Banner-University Medical Center.
Hospital staff reported the Lisaiuses refused most lab tests, including a blood test of the baby. The Lisaiuses deny they refused the tests.
It should be noted that at no time according to the report did either parent tell the hospital staff about the mothers cocaine use the night before and Krystin continued to breast feed while at the hospital, one detective wrote.
Krystin Lisaius initially denied using cocaine and said she did not know how her baby was exposed to the drug. She later admitted to using cocaine by snorting it , the reports stated.
When Som Lisaius was told the babys urine tested positive for cocaine, he denied using the drug. After police told him about his wifes statements, he said he had used cocaine on Saturday in the master bedroom, and that he uses cocaine himself every 6 weeks or so, reports state.
After court, Piccarreta said the Lisaiuses are emotionally distraught and very, very upset. They have learned some lessons. Piccarreta added that this act is not really who his clients are. We all make mistakes. We all have done things we regret.
Arizona students performed slightly better on a statewide standardized test in the 2015-2016 school year, but more than half still failed, new results show.
Preliminary, state-level AzMERIT test results showing proficiency levels for math and English-language arts in grades three through eight and high school-level math for the 2015-2016 school year were released Monday by the Arizona Department of Education.
I think we saw, in general, an improvement across most of the subjects and grade levels, which is a positive thing, said Charles Tack, a department spokesman.
AzMERIT replaced Arizonas Instrument to Measure Standards, or AIMS, as the statewide achievement test. The state partnered with the American Institutes for Research to develop the test.
The categories for proficiency are highly proficient, proficient, partially proficient and minimally proficient.
Final results, which would include data for individual schools, districts and charter schools, will be made available in late August. They would also include demographic breakdowns, such as students with disabilities or English-language-learner status.
Some findings in the results released Monday compared with the 2014-15 school year include:
More than half of 10th- and 11th-graders in Arizona were minimally proficient in English-language arts. Generally, ninth-, 10th- and 11th-graders fared worse in ELA this year.
More than half of eighth-graders were minimally proficient in math. The percentage of eighth-graders who are highly proficient in math went from 14 percent last year to 9 percent. That could be attributed to eighth-graders who are taking high-school-level math courses no longer having to take the eighth-grade math test for AzMERIT.
Third-graders improved slightly in English-language arts (reading and writing), though the percentage of minimally proficient students rose. The education departments Tack said thats because a large number of students who were in a special category for having limited English proficiency moved up into the minimally proficient category.
Some of the biggest increases were seen in fourth- and fifth-grade English. The percentage of fourth-graders highly proficient in English went from 6 to 12 percent, while the percentage for fifth-graders went from 4 to 13 percent.
Third- through fifth-graders had some of the highest passing rates for both English and math. They had an average proficiency level of 44 percent for both subjects.
Last years AzMERIT results were a bit of a wake-up call to the department, Tack said. The scores were very low, and many students were failing.
As the state transitioned into the new testing platform, educators expected to see big drops compared to AIMS scores, he said. The scores are still low, and there is a long way to go, but he said the education department sees the slight overall increases in the scores as a positive sign.
The scores will not be factored into schools letter grades, Tack said. The state is in its second year of a two-year moratorium on releasing letter grades as the education system adjusts to the new test.
Expect More Arizona, a state education advocacy organization, attributed the slight gains in test scores to the hard work of Arizonas teachers and students.
We werent really expecting a huge jump to happen, said Selena Llamas, a Southern Arizona mobilization and outreach coordinator for the organization. I would say because this is a relatively new test and students really need to gain more practice with the key skills.
AzMERIT challenges students to show their work and how they got their answers, she said.
Students really need to become familiar with the AzMERIT test format, she said. When that happens, scores will increase over time.
Former Arizona governor Jan Brewer tussled with panelists Sunday on CNNs "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper over political claims of racism and bigotry.
Brewer who supports Donald Trump said she was tired of having Democrats call her and other Republicans racist for their support of the GOP candidate.
With President Obama and Hillary Clinton, every time you disagree with them, it doesnt matter which subject it is, youre a bigot or youre a racist, said Brewer.
Dang it, I get fed up that we hear over and over and over again from the president of the United States that every time somebody wants to support the Constitution and the rule of law that we are out there because we are racists and bigots, Brewer said.
Former Maryland governor Martin OMalley, who was seated next to her, eventually told Brewer, I cant believe youre supporting Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is a bigot. Donald Trump is a racist. Donald Trump in fact is making fascist appeals, said OMalley, who ran in the Democratic primary and is now backing Hillary Clinton.
Even though special master Ken Feinberg, who was in charge of the first federal Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, distributed $6 billion to the estates of those killed on 9/11 an average of more than $2 million to the nearly 3,000 victims the House of Representatives passed its new Fairness for 9/11 Families Act to allow additional claims for the deaths inflicted by the terrorists and set aside $2.7 billion for them.
Help India!
By Amit Kumar, TwocirCles.net
Moreh, Manipur: Kalai Mani is a 29-year-old auto driver in Moreh, a small town in the Chandel district of Manipur. He speaks six languages:English, Hindi, Kuki, Mizo, Burmese and his mother tongue, Tamil. A second generation Tamil, Kalai has been an integral part of the small but surprisingly cosmopolitan society of Moreh, and says that no matter where he goes, his home will always be in Moreh.
Support TwoCircles
N Kumar, Vice president, Tamil Sangam, Moreh
The story of how Tamilians ended up settling in Moreh, nearly 2,000 miles away from Chennai goes back to the 60s, and the origin of the story lies in Myanmar, which is less than 2 kms from Moreh. Although Tamilians had been living and working in Burma for a long time, during the British rule of Burma their number increased substantially as they were employed in a range of jobs. However, once the British left, the local population turned hostile towards Tamilians, and they started leaving the country en masse. But many, despite fleeing Burma, harboured hopes of going back to Rangoon, among other places. They made their way through Assam and Nagaland before reaching Moreh, but were never allowed to return, so they camped in Moreh hoping that one day, they would return to Burma. However, that never happened and by 1970, they started settling in Moreh, their new home.
For Kalai and his parents, Moreh has always been home, even though it was a forced choice in the beginning. However, the local Tamil population has now become an important, and some would say inseparable part of the town. But they are also aware that despite all this, they remain migrants in a state that is currently simmering over the issue of the inner line permit. And this hasnt escaped the attention of a community that is closely knit, but whose numbers have been dwindling over the past two decades.
In the 70s, the Tamilians found their feet in handling the cross-border trade, owing to their knowledge of Burmese along with the laws of Myanmar. Acording to a member of the local Tamil Sangam, by early 90s, as trade in the region locked up, the number of Tamilians in Moreh had reached an all-time high of almost 20,000. However, the mid 90s saw major clashes between Tamils, Kukis and Meiteis and fearing for the worst, a sizeable chunk left the town, never to return. Along with this, a number of children whose parents had settled in the region found good jobs and left for good, and their parents followed. For a number of Tamilians, Moreh was home but our roots belong somewhere else. So, people who got good jobs left immediately and hardly anyone returned, explains Kalai.The Tamils were also hit economically after the opening of Naphalam Bazar, right on the edge of the Indo-Myanmar border, on the side of Myanmar.
According to Navin Kumar, Vice President, Tamil Sangam,the total population of Tamilians in Moreh now stands at about 1,500. Given that their numbers have been on the decline coupled with bitter experience of the past, it is no wonder that the community is keeping a close eye on the issue of Inner Line Permit, but has also chose to remain silent on the issue. According to Kumar, not saying anything is the best option for them. It is an extremely important issue for the state and its people. The tribals and the Meiteis differ completely on the stand, and we have seen how this has lead to massive agitations and protests from both sides, he says.
The three Bills: The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh) Amendment Bill 2015 (MLRLR Bill 2015), The Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 and The Manipur Shops and Establishments Act (Second) Amendment Bill 2015, are being presented by the Government of Manipur as a solution to long pending demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit system by the Meitei organizations to protect them from the high rate of influx of outsiders.
The Inner Line Permit is a special permit required to enter certain restricted areas in the country, and currently such a system exists in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has been spearheading the movement for legislation to protect the indigenous population from migrants.
Chandel also differs from other hill districts of Manipur. Unlike districts like Churachandpur where the protests have almost completely been against the three controversial Bills, in Chandel the situation is different. Despite being a Hill district, even the Meiteis have a strong presence here owing to the location of Moreh as an important trade centre. So, over the last few years the town has witnessed both Meiteis and tribals coming out in support and against the Bills respectively. N Kumar says that the Tamil community has not been included in any discussion on the issue, but believes this is a good situation. Anything we say, whether in support or against the Bill, is only likely to antagonise one party or the other. Either ways, we know that we cannot afford to upset anyone here, he says. The Bills will have a major impact on how migrants are treated in Manipur, and our fate will be no different from that of other migrants, he adds.
For now, the small but strong Tamil population has not been caught in the Meitei-Tribal struggle over the issue, and are hoping that it remains so. However, to quote Kalai, I wish we could have an opinion on the issue; that our views mattered. However, for peace to prevail, it is est for us to watch from a distance, so that we are not accused of taking sides, he says.
Help India!
By TCN News,
New Delhi: The National Convention in Solidarity with the Victims of Torture has reiterated the demand that India should ratify the Convention Against Torture (CAT) without further delay. This has been pending since 1997.
Support TwoCircles
The Convention met on June 24-25 in New Delhi which was attended by lawyers, doctors, activists, academics and representatives of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) that included the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Backward Classes. All the participants strongly affirmed the repeated demand that India should without further delay ratify the Convention against Torture (CAT). This has been pending since 1997.
It also said that the Parliament should immediately enact the Prevention of Torture Bill, incorporating within it the recommendations of the Select Committee of Indian Parliament which has been pending since 2010.
[Courtesy: Sabrangindia]
It further said that India must immediately pass comprehensive statutory scheme for reparation and rehabilitation of torture victims and facilitate the visit of the Special Rapporteur on Torture whose request has been pending for many years.
As India is signatory to the Convention against Disability that also addresses the issue of disabilities caused by torture, a logical and necessary corollary is that India immediately ratifies CAT.
June 26 is observed in solidarity with victims of torture, the pervasive existence of torture within India is a crime deserving of the fullest condemnation and punishment. Torture is a pervasive practice that has to be recognised as such and abolished immediately and completely. It goes against Indias international obligations and our Constitution and amounts to a denial of the right to a life with dignity. There must always be assured punishment for perpetrators. For those who survive the humiliating ordeal of torture there must be assured restitution, compensation and rehabilitation, the convention added.
There is now strong evidence of widespread impunity for illegal and appalling actions as a primary means of investigation when in custody and control of state actors and of torture being used as a means of coercing and subduing dissent amongst voiceless and vulnerable populations. These include large sections in the North Eastern region, Jammu and Kashmir, migrant labour, construction workers, unorganised workers, Adivasis and indigenous peoples, Dalits and Indias religious minorities who bear the additional burden of being often wrongfully associated with acts of terror. Within this women and children are especial vulnerable targets. Indeed, it is seldom recognised that children are victims of torture, often in the name of disciplinary action in educational, care and reform institutions.
In its comprehensive outcome statement the National Convention appealed to Parliament, state assemblies and the executives to take multiple, specific and practical steps to ensure both the abolition of torture and put in place, at the earliest, effective reparation schemes. It called upon the many monitoring agencies across the country including the courts, special commissions such as the National and state human rights commissions and police complaints authorities to take strong and initiatives required by their mandates to ensure accountability from the perpetrator individuals and institutions.
The convention called upon the police and armed forces in particular to acknowledge the practice and take all steps to eliminate it and punish perpetrators.
Help India!
By Rajaraman Sundaresan for TwoCircles.net
Between democracy and development as an idea, one feels that democracy in many ways has taken a back seat. One of the classical examples of this failure is the situation of tribal people in this country. Many historians have documented that, the tribal people were amongst the first original nationalists who fought wars of independence before 1857. In fact, one feels angry and sad at the same time, looking at the situation of the tribal people who once were not only warriors who took on the British, but also were scientists of a different idea of future which combined sustainability and ecology in their very understanding of life-world.
Support TwoCircles
Odisha is home to around 62 tribes and 13 primitive tribal groups. The situation of tribes in Odisha unlike any other state in India is much worse due to corporate land grabbing and the lobbying of mining corporations that are dotting the state with their investment plans. At one level, the BJD lacks the intellectual caliber and acts more often as a set of illiterate goons addressing issues right from poverty to displacement. On the other hand, the tribal people are in constant state of horror and trauma due to the reproduction of violence between the state paramilitary forces and the Naxal groups. One quite often feels that, the counter-insurgency move by the state forces has not only resulted in the morale breakdown of the community but has also created a deep sense of loss in terms of their faith in how the state validates their citizenship through democracy.
Photo credit: Achyuta Samanta
One man, who understood the sufferings of being poor during his childhood, with a larger heart of responsibility and compassion has set up Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, which is the largest residential educational complex in the world for 25,000 tribal children. In fact, the first time I met him in person was in 2008, one could sense the simplicity of the man more in his thought than his lifestyle. In that sense, Dr. Samanta stands out from the crowd not because of his reputation as a social worker, but more as a philosophical thinker who combines simplicity as an idea to the everydayness of life.
Dr. Samanta feels that, lack of education is the root cause of all the miseries in the world. In fact, in many ways lack of education, in terms of the literary sense, denies ones access to the fundamental rights. It is in this context that one has to understand that, the KISS model, that Samanta has envisioned places education as the prime mover in terms of re-defining democracy through citizenship and identity.
Dr. Samanta, is also the founding Chancellor of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, which is one of the pioneering institutes of scientific and technological advancement in the country today. KIIT offers degree courses to more than 25,000 students from across the globe in disciplines right from Bachelors in Technology to Post-Doctoral studies in Buddhism. One has to understand that, KISS as a tribal institute represents the subaltern aspirations, whereas, on the other hand KIIT as an institute of modern scientific advancement represents the aspirations of the mainstream.
In a representational sense, KISS and KIIT is quite often differentiated with a hyphen, like the ideas of development which represents itself through hyphens. So, you have human-development, sustainable-development and so on. In many ways, the hyphen represents the inter-linkaging of two paradigms.
Clifford Geertz, the American anthropologist called this phenomenon of inter-linkaging through hyphens as the web of culture. He said Man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, and I take culture to those webs. In that sense, one has to understand that the hyphen that Dr. Samanta has created between KIIT and KISS represents more of a cultural phenomenon than a developmental shift.
I think Dr. Samanta feels the urge today in empowering the tribal children through education so that they see a secured future that not only re-instates their fundamental rights but also creates the discourse of sustainability within the broader framework of education. I think, the Oslo education summit held last year is a great example of this. The new Universal Sustainable Development Goal (USDG) focuses on poverty elevation through education.
The fate of a tribes future today, is actually a symbolic reflection of the fate of the future itself within the current notions of democracy, sustainability, citizenship and identity. In many ways, education can be a redeemer of this fate of the future. In many repressive societies, education as an instrument, acts as a redeemer that breaks away the masses from the shackles of their oppression. Dr. Samantas KISS has been a forerunner of this idea since the last twenty four years; probably it is because of this, that the KISS-KIIT model has acquired a global acceptance and recognition.
As the plans roll on for empowering more and more tribal children with the importance on education it would be interesting to see how Sustainability as a discourse shapes the very idea of education. With all his passion and commitment, Dr. Samanta crusades ahead silently, with his vision of keeping the democratic imagination alive through education, and one hopefully waits to see this transition.
(The author is an alumnus of KIIT University and a graduate in Government and Public Policy. Currently, an independent researcher in the field of Knowledge studies)
Help India!
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Hyderabad: Hamida Bee, 55 lives alone in a single room rented accommodation, after losing her husband to an illness, some years ago. Even her own son, who lives in another locality of Hyderabad, doesnt visit her, forcing her to venture out and earn on her own. At 55, with myopia, she has to work as a house maid to sustain herself.
Support TwoCircles
Ramadan becomes more difficult for this religious lady, as she has to work, to earn Iftar and Suhoor despite observing fast for whole month of Ramadan.
Another widow Rubina Begum, a Septuagenarian from Nampally locality of Hyderababd, is unable to speak. Ironically, her only daughter is also a widow. She lost her husband some years back due to illness. Now, the mother-daughter duo work as house maids to sustain themselves.
My mother is 68, but still has to work because, if she doesnt work, then there wont be sufficient ration in our home to eat. My income isnt sufficient to sustain our family of three, said her daughter.
Going down south, in Karnataka, Mastan Bee, 63 a widow from village Chidri in Didar district has a similar story to tell. She has no children and relies completely on Zakat and charity for sustenance. Sometimes, her neighbors come to her rescue and provide her with ration, but that only lasts for few months.
The situation in Bidri Colony, located 4 kms from Chidri Village is no different. Here, Fatima Bee, 30 lives along with her three daughters. Fatima works as a sweeper in a local private school, earning a measly salary of Rs 800 per month; an amount that in todays day and age wouldnt be enough to even arrange one square meal for a single person for whole month.
Going up east of India to Telijant village in Bankura ditrict of West Bengal, hundreds of stories of harsh survival starts pouring in from almost every district in this state. Take the case of Manowara Bibi and her husband Jumman.
Bibi, 30, and Jumman, 45, work in the scorching heat in a nearby forest, collecting Shawl leafs and woods to sustain themselves, despite fasting for the whole month. The couple and their two children live in Telijant, a Muslim dominated village in Bankura District of West Bengal and the fate of almost all families in this village is no different.
To provide ease to all such families across India, US-based Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC) reached out to widows and needy like Hamida Bee, Rubina Begum, Fatima Bee and Manowara Bibi across 22 states during the month of Ramadan with the money collected in charities zakat and fitrah.
IMRC distributed 6,70,395 kgs of grain, over 48,75,600 (4.8 million) meals to 20,315 families benefitting 81,260 persons across 22 Indian states in this Ramadan.
The food in grains package includes items such as wheat flour, rice, lentils, oil, salt, chilli, onion and other spices for whole month of Ramadan.
Now Hamida Bee and Rubina Begum dont have to worry about work during Ramadan. Similar is the case of other widows, orphans, poor and needy, who benefitted from IMRC Ramadan Feeding Program.
Every year in the Ramadan month I used to pray to Allah to send us some help. Allah has accepted my Dua and has send me with food grains this Ramadan.May Allah bless all those who provided us with food packages, said Golbahar Bibi, 70, a widow from Telijant Village in West Bengal.
Mastan Bee from Chidri Village of Karnataka was very happy to receive the ration, as she dont to have to worry about food in this holy month of Ramadan, said Abdul Qadeer, IMRC volunteer from Karnataka.
In Haryana, taking cue from IMRC Ramadan Feeding Programme, the Harayan Waqf Board, CEO Akeel Ahmed, who is also Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, issued directions to officials to distribute ration of Rs 2 lakh among the poor.
Akeel Ahmed had inaugurated IMRC Ramadan ration distribution in Haryana earlier this month. When he saw that the Indian Diaspora of America can come forward to help people in India, he wondered why Indians could not do the same. So, he directed Haryana Waqf board to distribute ration of Rs 2 lakh among poor and needy , said Shafi Ahmed, IMRC volunteer from Haryana.
Importantly, last year also IMRC had distributed 545,000 kgs of grains, over 3 million meals, to 15,000 families across 19 states in India.Notably this year it has been extended to three more states.
The 22 states covered under the Ramadan Feeding Program included Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Manipur, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Nagaland.
We use cookies and similar technologies to personalize contents and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share some information about the way you use our site with our partners who deal with web analytics, advertising and social media content: our partners may combine it with other information that you have provided them or that they have collected from the use of their services. To find out in detail which cookies we use on the site, read our Cookie Policy . You can consent to the use of these technologies by clicking the "Accept" button on this banner or you can close it by clicking on the "X", in this case the default settings will be maintained and that does not allow the use of cookies or other tracking tools other than technologycal ones. To change your choices at any time, click on Tracking Management.
Chinese premier vows further cooperation with Kyrgyzstan Updated: 2016-06-28 03:25 (Xinhua)
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) holds talks with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbai Zheenbekov, who is here to attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, north China, June 27, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
TIANJIN -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday called for enhanced cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in areas including the economy, infrastructure and international organization.
Li's pledge came during talks with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbai Zheenbekov in northern China's port city of Tianjin on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, also known as the Summer Davos Forum.
Stressing that China and Kyrgyzstan have highly complementary economies, Li said bilateral cooperation has great potential and broad prospects.
He called on both sides to increase cooperation and optimize trade structure.
"China is willing to enhance production capacity and investment cooperation with Kyrgyzstan," Li told Zheenbekov.
He encouraged the two countries to push forward infrastructure construction projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, urban road networks in Bishkek, and the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline D Line, and expand advanced agricultural cooperation and personnel exchanges.
The two countries should also deepen law-enforcement and security cooperation and people-to-people exchanges in fields such as tourism, education, Chinese language, archaeology and youth exchanges to enhance mutual understanding and cement traditional friendship, Li said.
Hailing the sound development of bilateral ties, Li called China and Kyrgyzstan "good neighbors and strategic partners."
The Chinese and Kyrgyz presidents met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Uzbek capital Tashkent last week.
China firmly supports Kyrgyzstan in choosing its own development path, said Li, adding that China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to forge ahead bilateral cooperation and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
Draft bill would tighten cybersecurity Updated: 2016-06-28 07:37 By Xinhua(China Daily)
China must handle cybersecurity threats from abroad more forcefully, according to a draft law submitted to the top legislature for a second reading on Monday.
The draft Cybersecurity Law has a new article stating that the State must monitor and deal with threats from abroad to protect the country's information infrastructure from attack, intrusion, disturbance or damage.
The draft was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Monday at the start of its six-day bimonthly session.
The draft law includes sanctions against threats to cybersecurity.
Zhang Haiyang, deputy head of the NPC Law Committee, said the State should encourage businesses and institutions to evaluate and certify their cybersecurity status.
The State supports research on data security protection and the opening of public data sources. The draft law stipulates that big data applications must make information anonymous and clearly defines limits on the use of citizens' personal information.
The draft stipulates that operators must comply with social and business ethics and accept supervision by both government and the public.
It includes protections for key information infrastructure and stipulates that Chinese citizens' personal information and other data collected in China should remain in the country.
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page4)
Ex-official pleads guilty, won't appeal Updated: 2016-06-28 07:37 (China Daily)
Former deputy environment minister Zhang Lijun pleaded guilty to graft charges on Monday in Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court and said he would not appeal, no matter what sentence he received.
The court confirmed that prosecutors had accused Zhang of taking 2.4 million yuan ($361,500) in bribes and of aiding project approvals and appointments. The investigation began in July.
Zhang was allowed to address the court, and his defense team was allowed to participate in cross-examination.
The defense asked for leniency, saying Zhang had cooperated with the corruption probe and had returned all ill-gotten assets, the court confirmed. A verdict will be announced at a later date.
Zhang served in his last position between 2008 and 2013.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's anti-graft watchdog, said last year that Zhang had abused his power.
Environmental protection is a widely watched and sometimes sensitive subject in China, with sporadic protests sparked every year by concerns about pollution, particularly at factories.
The Environment Ministry was reprimanded by the watchdog last year for problems including interference by ministry officials and their relatives in environmental impact assessments.
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page5)
Twin giant pandas born in Sichuan Updated: 2016-06-28 16:30 (Xinhua)
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding welcomes baby cubs in Southwest China's Sichuan province, June 20, 2016. The two female cubs are the first newborn twins globally in 2016. [Photo by She Yi/For China Daily]
CHENGDU - A giant panda gave birth to twins, a male and a female, in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday, four days after another such pigeon pair were born at the same breeding center.
A female adult named Ji Li gave birth to a male cub weighing 186 grams at 6:41 pm and a female cub weighing 68.5 grams at 7:07 pm, said Wu Kongju, an expert with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Although Ji Li is a first-time mother, she did not show any panic. She clutched the male cub in her arms and comforted him. However, giant pandas are unable to hold two cubs at once, so Ji Li had to make a decision on which of her babies to mother. She chose the male.
In the wild, the female cub would be unlikely to survive in this scenario. But the research base can take good care of both cubs. Ji Li and her two cubs are now in good condition, according to the center.
A female panda called Xingya gave birth to the first pigeon pair this year on June 23 in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding said.
Xingya gave birth to a male cub weighing 170 grams at 1:17 pm and a female cub weighing 161 grams at 1:30 pm.
Having given birth to twins in 2013, Xingya appeared to be at more ease in handling her new-born cubs this time. She managed to hold two cubs after they were born one after another.
A giant panda called Ya Li gave birth to twins on June 20 in Chengdu, the first twins this year anywhere in the world, according to the breeding base.
Ya Li delivered the first cub at 5:52 am and the second ten minutes later at the breeding base. The cubs, both female, weigh 144 grams and 113 grams.
The mother started to show reduced appetite on May 22 and became restless days later, before exhibiting prenatal behavior, said Yang Kuixing with the base.
Ya Li was born with her twin sister Wen Li in July 2009. She also has a younger sister and a younger brother.
China, Vietnam stress friendship Updated: 2016-06-28 07:36 By Zhang Yunbi(China Daily USA)
High-ranking officials of China and Vietnam agreed on Monday to effectively control the maritime situation and research and discuss joint development in the South China Sea.
While meeting with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong said Hanoi is "always committed" to developing the two countries' traditional friendship and puts a priority on their comprehensive strategic partnership.
Since Beijing and Hanoi earlier this year called for properly tackling disputes, experts said the latest consensus showed their shared determination to avoid further escalation of tension on the sea.
Yang was in Vietnam to co-chair the ninth meeting of the Guiding Committee for China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation.
Trong agreed to manage disputes and increase mutual trust.
At the meeting of the Guiding Committee, the two countries agreed to fully use existing procedures between the two governments and to uphold "friendly consultation and negotiation".
The meeting in Hanoi was co-chaired by Yang and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Beijing and Hanoi highlighted their commitment to further reinforcing exchanges and cooperation regarding border areas.
On strengthening the link between the development strategies of the two countries, both sides agreed to boost construction of projects under the China-led Belt and Road Initiative and the Vietnam-led Two Corridors and One Economic Circle.
Yang told Minh that China-Vietnam ties have "continued developing in an ideal direction" since last year, with joint efforts and guidance of Party and state leaders.
Minh said the two countries have achieved progress in various fields of cooperation.
The two neighbors also vowed to boost military, law enforcement and security cooperation.
Pan Jin'e, a senior expert on Vietnamese studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Hanoi has projected a reasonable vision in its approach to ties with China, and there has been progress made on the sea, including joint development.
Strengthened economic cooperation is supported by Vietnamese in the border areas, Pan said.
"From a general view, Beijing and Hanoi are on the same page when it comes to peacefully resolving the South China Sea issue, and based on such a shared view, they could discuss their differing views in detail," Pan added.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of United States studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said Vietnam knows clearly that sabotaging its ties with China "would deal a heavy blow to its own economy".
zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily USA 06/28/2016 page3)
Regardless of its tempestuous and dramatic plots and subplots, the US electoral system is nothing but an internal American affair. Politicians running for the US presidency, however, should try to view the election through a more global and comprehensive lens to avoid any risk of undermining the US-China relationship.
A healthy US-China relationship with a solid foundation will serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples, safeguard world peace and regional stability and bring prosperity to the Asia-Pacific and the whole world.
It's no secret that US presidential candidates tend to adopt a "China bashing" strategy in election years. Their rants against China, no matter what the topic might be, follow a road map of "the harsher, the blunter, the better".
Democrat primary candidate Hillary Clinton, a noted China hawk, has criticized China during her campaign on a series of issues ranging from human rights violations and cyber attacks to the so-called "military expansion" in the South China Sea, which China claims as its territorial waters.
Republican primary frontrunner Donald Trump shows no lack of anti-China rhetoric either. At a campaign rally on May 1, Trump accused China of engaging in unfair trade practices with the US.
"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country," Trump told a crowd composed mainly of working-class people in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "It's the greatest theft in the history of the world."
Trump has repeatedly made sensationalistic remarks targeting China for years. On Nov 6, 2012, he said, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive." On Feb 21, 2013, he tweeted that "China is not our friend. They are not our ally. They want to overtake us, and if we don't get smart and tough soon, they will."
While irritating to many Chinese, do these remarks really characterize the state of US-China relations? Or are they just a reflection of a loss of orientation in the American democratic system, a sign of US society's weariness with the never-ending battles between its two political parties?
When the American public's disbelief and outrage over its government's foreign policy, economy rejuvenation and overall competence mounts, does "bashing China" really help defuse the collective national sentiment and anger?
In a recent article signed by Fu Ying, chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, the veteran diplomat agreed that perceptions in both China and the US on the China-US relationship are "highly diverse" and complicated by recent media reports painting the South China Sea as a new geopolitical wrestling ground for the two countries.
"However, if you look at what is happening in real life, you see a different picture," wrote Fu. Over the past three years, President Xi Jinping and President Obama have had six lengthy meetings that cover wide-ranging subjects, giving a strong push to the relationship by initiating important cooperative programs.
China has become one of the biggest trading partners of the US on a monthly basis, according to this year's numbers.
Every 17 minutes, there is a flight between China and the United States, averaging hundreds of flights a week shuttling some 4 million people a year.
Our two militaries are actually engaging in more exchanges and dialogues than ever before.
The world's two largest economies have launched continuous partnerships to jointly tackle difficult global issues such as climate change and nuclear security.
So, what is the real state of China-US relations?
"I often hear in the US that China is seeking to dominate the Asia-Pacific and replace US leadership," said Fu. "This is a reflection of America's own fear of losing its primacy in the world more than China's ambitions.
"The US- China relationship has come to a state where if they work together, they are capable of making a difference in the world. If they fight, they can bring disaster onto the world," Fu added.
There's no doubt that there's a gap between perception and reality concerning the real state of the China-US relationship. The gap reflects the underlying need to rebuild consensus within political, economic and academic circles in the US and China.
Maybe Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could start for themselves by speaking and acting more thoughtfully and accurately when it comes to China and China-US relations. The two great countries need to learn to get along, no matter who's elected.
Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
Germany's Merkel warns against long-time impasse over Brexit Updated: 2016-06-28 02:56 (Xinhua)
BERLIN -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday it was understandable Britain needed some reaction time after it decided to leave the European Union (EU) in a referendum last week, but warned the impasse could not last too long.
"I can understand to some degree that Britain needs some time to analysis the situation," she told a press conference here.
The British people voted in favor of leaving the EU in a referendum last week, but the country will remain a member of the bloc until it formally submits a notification to trigger the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he would leave the task to his successor when he steps down in October.
"We can't have a permanent impasse," Merkel said, as it would "not be good" for either the remaining 27 EU member states or Britain.
She said there would be no informal negotiations about Britain's exit before the country formally notified its intention to leave.
The chancellor was due to meet French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin later on Monday.
"We must do everything to prevent centrifugal forces," she said.
Turkey's Erdogan apologizes to Putin over downed jet: Kremlin Updated: 2016-06-28 09:36 (Xinhua)
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an iftar event in Ankara, Turkey, June 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
MOSCOW - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent his apologies to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the death of a Russian pilot of the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November last year, voicing readiness to mend ties, the Kremlin said Monday.
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan expresses his deep regret over the incident and underlines the willingness to do everything possible to restore the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia," the Kremlin said in a statement.
In a message to Putin, Erdogan said Ankara has no desire to worsen its relationship with Moscow, which he sees as Turkey's "friend and strategic partner," and called for joint efforts to solve the crisis in the region and to fight terrorism, according to the statement.
Erdogan said Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the death of the Russian pilot, adding that a Turkish citizen suspected of complicity in the case is under investigation.
The Turkish president also expressed his sympathy and condolences to the family of the deceased Russian pilot, Oleg Peshkov.
Earlier this month, Erdogan sent a letter to Putin, reiterating his wish to restore relations with Russia.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have soured after the latter downed the Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border for alleged airspace violation, which Russia denied and considered as a hostile act.
Putin described the attack as a "stab in the back" and ordered a broad range of economic sanctions against Turkey.
Moscow has repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologizes and provides compensation to Russia for the downed aircraft and to Peshkov's family.
Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.
Loading...
Checking your browser before accessing the website.
This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.
Please wait a few seconds.
Significant increases in the number of new businesses and investments this year indicate improvements in confidence, driven by the Government's efforts to improve the business climate and promote entrepreneurship. Photo baodautu.vn
HA NOI Significant increases in the number of new businesses and investments this year indicate improvements in confidence, driven by the Governments efforts to improve the business climate and promote entrepreneurship.
According to Bui Anh Tuan, deputy director of the Business Registration Department under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, more than 54,500 new firms were established in the first six months of this year, with total registered capital of VN427.7 trillion (US$19.1 billion), rising by 20 per cent and 51 per cent over the same period last year, respectively.
Average registered capital rose by more than 26 per cent to VN7.8 billion.
Tuan said more than VN1.2 quadrillion was poured into the economy in the first half of this year, 65 per cent of which came from increases in the capital of existing firms, showing the willingness of investors to expand production and businesses.
Sectors that attracted businesses interest include property, mining, information and communications and science and technology.
Business confidence was improving significantly due to the impact of the Law on Enterprises and the Law on Investment as well as the Governments guidelines on improving the business climate and promoting an entrepreneurial spirit, Tuan said.
In addition, the number of firms resuming operations touched a record high of nearly 15,000 firms in the first half of this year, increasing by 75.2 per cent, compared to a modest rise of some 2.2 per cent in the same period of the two previous years.
The General Statistics Office forecast that more than 90 per cent of surveyed businesses would see increases in production, up from 81.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
Still, the number of firms dissolved remained high, exceeding 5,500, an increase of 17 per cent over the same period last year.
Tuan said firms still needed support in tackling challenges, especially in accessing credit facilities. VNS
HA NOI The provision of irradiation services for fresh fruit exports in Ha Noi has created many benefits for enterprises, experts have said.
The Ha Noi Irradiation Centre (HIC) on June 23 for the first time irradiated two tonnes of lychees destined for Australia. The centre was expected to help lychee exporters save on storage and transportation costs as well as time, as they did not need to ship the lychees to the south for irradiation treatment, said am Quang Thang, director of Agricare Viet Nam, one of the two companies getting their lychees irradiated at the HIC.
In working with the HIC, the company had reduced its irradiation costs by VN20,000 per kilogramme of lychees compared with having them irradiated in HCM City, so the move was better for the business in terms of corporate benefits, he said.
On the same day, Rong o Manufacturing, Commerce and Services Company also brought lychees to the HIC for treatment.
Nguyen Quang Thieu, director of the HIC, said the irradiation time for each batch of products was some 1.5 hours and the irradiation capacity at the centre had reached 20-30 tonnes per day. After the irradiation process, all products reaching export standards are transported to the airport.
Thieu said the centre was scheduled to irradiate 10 tonnes of lychees for Rong o Company for export to Australia. In addition, some six other companies have registered for irradiation services at the centre for their export products.
The centre expects to provide irradiation services for 100 tonnes of export-bound lychees this year, he said.
Hoang Trung, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments Plant Protection Department, said Australia was currently one of the most demanding export markets. However, in recent years, Viet Nams lychees have entered the market, and these exports have brought high income for farmers and enterprises.
On June 20, 2016, the HIC received official certification from Australias Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, he said. This would be an advantage for lychee exporters because the northern region supplies most of the countrys lychees for export.
Irradiation is a safe technology that helps kill bacteria and micro-organisms and keeps fruit fresh for longer periods, even up to a few months.
Lychee exports
The northern province of Bac Giang by June 22 exported over 32,200 tonnes of lychees, a provincial specialty, to China, the United States, Australia and Malaysia, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of the provinces total production in 2016.
According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, 32,200 tonnes were shipped to China through the Lang Son, Lao Cai and Ha Giang border gates. Meanwhile, 13 tonnes were sent to the United States, Australia and Malaysia.
This year, lychee exporters are expanding their markets to Poland and the Middle East, the department added.
As part of efforts to back exporters, the department has co-ordinated with authorised agencies in the border provinces of Lao Cai and Lang Son to provide updates on the market situation and on any new policies in China, while promoting lychees in the mass media in China, the United States, France, Australia and Malaysia.
From this years crop, Bac Giangs total lychee production was estimated to reach 130,000 tonnes, including 59,450 tonnes meeting VietGap standards. So far, 54,200 tonnes, or 39 per cent of the total lychee crop, have been harvested.
Luc Ngan District, the largest thieu lychee producer in Bac Giang, has 158ha of land dedicated to producing some 1,000 tonnes of lychees to the GlobalGap standard.
Along with exports, Bac Giang has also sold some 8,000 tonnes of lychees to the domestic market, especially in the southern localities.
Lychee week kicks off
The 2016 Luc Ngan - Bac Giang Lychee Week in Ha Noi kicked off at the Big C Thang Long Supermarket last Friday. The event will run through June 30.
It was jointly organised by the provincial Industry and Trade Department, Luc Ngan Districts Peoples Committee, Ha Nois Industry and Trade Department, Big C Supermarket and Ha Noi Trade Corporation (Hapro).
The event aims to get Bac Giang Province farm produce to Ha Noi consumers more easily during 2016-20.
The lychees are displayed with packing labels showing origin information at 10 booths at the event. Prices run from VN35,000 to VN45,000 per kilogramme.
Bac Giang lychees are cultivated in a concentrated lychee-growing area. VietGAP and GlobalGAP cultivation standards are applied, ensuring clean produce that meets food safety and hygiene requirements, according to Tran Quang Tan, director of the Bac Giangs Industry and Trade Department, who spoke at the opening ceremony.
Nguyen Thanh Hai, the deputy director of the Ha Nois Industry and Trade Department, said the event created opportunities for lychee businesses to meet and seek partners to sign trade contracts and boost lychee consumption.
A lychee consumption signing ceremony between Luc Ngan Districts Peoples Committee and six supermarkets and wholesale markets in Ha Noi also took place at the event.
Guillaume Seneclauze, general director of Big C Viet Nam, said Big C was willing to support Vietnamese farm produce consumption in general and lychee consumption in particular.
We expect lychee consumption at Big C will increase by more than 30 per cent year-on-year in our supermarket chain this year, the director said at the event.
Right after the launch of the Bac Giang Lychee Week in Ha Noi late last week, the lychees had been attracting a lot of attention from capital citizens and consumption had spiked, a Big C representative told Viet Nam News yesterday.
At Big C supermarkets in Ha Noi, we have consumed more than 15 tonnes of fresh lychees granted VietGAP and GlobalGAP certificates in just the last three days, the representative added. - VNS
HA NOI - The total foreign direct investment (FDI) registered in the country in the first half of the year reached more than US$11.2 billion, the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) said.
This is a significant surge of 105 per cent against the same period last year.
Of the total, $7.5 billion came from 1,145 newly licensed projects, representing a yearly increase of 95 per cent in capital and 56 per cent in the number of projects.
The remainder was contributed by 535 already-operating projects that had raised their capital by more than $3.78 billion, or 129 per cent, year-on-year.
Disbursement of FDI surged to an estimated $7.25 billion in the six-month period, a year-on-year rise of 15 per cent, FIA reported.
Manufacturing and processing industries continued to be the top sector, receiving FDI of $8.06 billion, comprising 71 per cent of the total registered FDI. The sector attracted 488 newly registered projects and 405 existing projects increased their capital.
The sector was followed by the real estate sector, with 25 projects holding total capital of $604.8 million, accounting for 5.3 per cent of the total FDI. The science and technology sector took third place, with $562.3 million, or 5 per cent of the total FDI.
From January to June, 61 countries and territories invested in Viet Nam. South Korea remained the leading investor, with $3.99 billion, 35 per cent of the FDI pledged to the country. Japan was the runner-up, with $1.22 billion, or 10 per cent of the FDI. Singapore followed with $1.1 billion, accounting for another 10 per cent of the total FDI.
Among the 53 localities, the northern port city of Hai Phong was the most attractive destination for foreign investors. The city attracted $1.74 billion in FDI, comprising 15.4 per cent of the total FDI registered in the country in the first half of the year. The city received a $1.5-billion OLED display factory project from LG Display.
The capital city was close on its heels with $1.63 billion, or 14.45 per cent of the total FDI. The southern Binh Duong and ong Nai provinces took the third and fourth places, with $1.07 billion and $928.9 million respectively.
FDI in garments and textiles sector
The countrys garments and textiles sector this year has not received any major FDI projects despite previously seeing two years of surging investment in the industry.
Alone last year, the sector attracted up to $1 billion in FDI for three major projects including Hyosung ong Nai (Turkey), Polytex Far Eastern (Taiwan) and Worldon Viet Nam (Hong Kong).
Nguyen Hong Giang, general secretary of Viet Nam Cotton and Spinning Association, said the year 2015 marked a record high for investment in the sector as investors wanted to take advantage of opportunities presented by the new FTAs.
He said the decline in FDI in the sector should not be a cause for concern because it is still receiving attention from foreign investors.
Sharing the ideas, the Belgium Ambassador to Viet Nam, Jehanne Roccas, told a conference held in Ha Noi recently that garments and textiles would continue to receive attention from investors due to the advantages presented by export markets, lower tariffs and new investment flows.
The Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association said foreign investors would continue to keep an eye on the sector until 2018. However, localities have remained cautious when considering investors who require large numbers of labourers or large plots of land, such as garment and textile companies. -- VNS
SAN FRANCISCO Telecom group Viettels Bankplus has been the winner of the gold award at the 11th Annual 2016 IT World Awards held in San Francisco yesterday. This is the first time a Vietnamese IT product has been honoured with the prestigious award.
Its two applications of Antispam and BCCS 2.0 were also given bronze awards. This has been the first year Viettel competed at the awards in the US the world biggest IT incubator. It means that Vietnamese IT products could compete with other competitors in the world market.
The online money transfers and payments via mobile phones, Bankplus also won the award for the best financial service in the Asia-Pacific region held by MasterCard for its outstanding results in promoting e-payments.
The products aimed to please Viettels customers. They were highly valued by specialists in Silicon Valley due to their application, creativity and large number of users.
Bankplus has been considered Viettels centrepiece as the application allows customers to open a bank account on mobile phones without internet connection. There are around three million customers using the application with US$150 million in transactions in the system. Bankplus is currently the only mobile banking service in the world allowing connection to several banks in one application. Bankplus has connected up to 16 banks, accounting for 95 per cent of total individual banking accounts in Viet Nam. The application has also been launched in Cambodia, Tanzania and Mozambique.
Rake Narang, editor-in-chief of Network Product Guide and head of IT World Awards organising board said they sought outstanding products from all companies in the world.
I think that Viet Nam has a lot of potential for IT development as the country has won awards on its debut. You should be confident to introduce your products to the whole world if they are excellent. Companies only need new ideas and creations to develop technologies and sell it to the world, he said.
The award aims to honour outstanding achievements in the IT sector. This years awards had the participation of big groups such as Samsung, Dell, Cisco, Ultimate Software and SAP. VNS
GIA LAI The Pleiku City Womens Union and Department of Culture and Information held a cooking competition in the central province of Gia Lai to celebrate Viet Nams National Family Day which falls on June 28.
The Gia inh Cung Vao Bep (Whole Family Cooks Together) cooking competition drew the participation of 24 families representing households from 23 communes in the city.
Each contestant cooked a nutritious meal for ten people at a total cost of less than VN400,000 ($18).
One first prize, two second prizes, two third prizes and 18 consolation prizes were awarded to groups of participants. Hoi Phu Communes Womens Union won the highest prize.
The event promotes Viet Nams National Family Day and fosters relationships among family members, helping to build well-off, equal, progressive and happy families. VNS
Dress to impress: A scene in the film features women from Hue city in traditional dress and conical hats. Photo programme-television.org
Viet Nam News HA NOI A documentary about Viet Nam was aired on French national television last week, promoting the countrys beautiful regions as well as the culture of its people. Les sourires du Vietnam (Smiles of Viet Nam), made by French journalists, was aired on the France 5 channel, and is now available on YouTube. Over the course of an hour and a half, the documentary takes viewers on a journey from Hue, the countrys ancient capital, all the way down south. The film represents an overview of this country, from its abundant natural beauty and fine cuisine to beautiful emotional moments with farmers in the Mekong delta. In the film, French journalist Jerome Pitorin, began his Viet Nam trip in Hue city, the countrys former royal capital city. He then went on to discover beautiful beaches at Hoi An where he met internationally renowned French photographer Rehahn Croquevielle, who has lived here for several years. Together they discover the Co Tu ethnic group that he loves photographing, with its lifestyles and traditions which are gradually being lost. Pitorin then explored bustling HCM City with its millions of motorbikes and the peaceful daily life of people in the Mekong Delta and its floating markets. Through those discoveries and meetings, the French journalist learns more about Viet Nam, amazing him with its impressive economic progress, beautiful landscapes, happy and kind people and excellent cuisine.
Street snack: A scene in the film features a local street vendor. Twitter Jerome Pitorin
After the film was made available on YouTube, it got many comments from Francophone people, praising the beautiful documentary and saying how much they love Viet Nam.
The film was made with support from the Viet Nam Embassy in France, Viet Nam Cultural Centre in France and journalists of the France 5s programme Echappees belles, featuring various aspects of the country from life on the rivers in the Mekong Delta to the hustling atmosphere in the main cities, the countrys religious culture and its magnificent charms.
Viet Nams tourism authorities said this artistic documentary would help promote Vietnamese tourism, and urged Vietnamese agencies abroad to make good use of it.
Viet Nam attracted around 112,300 French visitors during the first five months of this year, a 13 per cent increase from a year ago, thanks to a visa exemption policy that allows tourists to stay in the country for up to 30 days.
Viet Nam welcomed 4 million tourists in total over the first half of the year, marking an increase of 21.3 per cent over the same period last year. VNS
HCM City-based FV Hospital is offering check-ups and treatment to nearly 900 cancer patients who hold national health insurance cards in order to ease the burden on the public hospital system. Photo fvhospital.com
HCM CITY HCM City-based FV Hospital is offering check-ups and treatment to nearly 900 cancer patients who hold national health insurance cards in order to ease the burden on the public hospital system.
The hospital is the first foreign-invested hospital to offer services for cancer patients with such cards.
The hospital received approval from the Viet Nam Social Insurance and Ministry of Heatlh in early July last year to offer the service.
The hospital plans to invest US$3 million to $5 million to upgrade its oncology department to accomodate the added patients, according to Pham Thi Thanh Mai, Chief Operating Officer of the hospital.
According to the hospitals contract with Social Insurance-HCM City, the latter will partly cover expenses for check-ups, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and other services.
Medicine used for chemotherapy will be covered at a rate of 30 to 90 per cent by insurance health fund. Moreover, the fund will cover a part of fee for testing and other medical service. Patients with radiotherapy will be covered VN500,000 ($22) each day.
With the acceptance of the cards, all 150 hospitals and health clinics in HCM City and all provincial hospitals can transfer patients to FV Hospital.
Nguyen Thi Thuong Thuong, 60, who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago, recently underwent treatment at FV Hospital by using her health insurance card.
I registered at FV Hospital in July 2015. In one year, health insurance paid for VN700 million, half of the treatment expenses. Before that, I registered for treatment at HCM City Tumour Hospital, but it was overloaded. So I decided to move to FV Hospital, Thuong said.
More private hospitals
More private hospitals and clinics have signed up with HCM Citys Social Insurance Agency, offering insured patients more options and helping ease the massive load on public hospitals, Luu Thi Thanh Huyen, deputy director of the agency, said.
Fifty private facilities in HCM City, including 20 hospitals, have signed off on agreements so far.
The number of public hospitals 69 -- is not much higher, she said.
The private establishments are doing it to attract a larger share of the total number of patients, she said.
However, only 75.2 per cent of the citys population is covered by health insurance, according to figures released by the agency.
The Government had targeted covering 76.4 per cent of the citys population.
Since March public hospitals fees have risen by 30 per cent, and 60 per cent in the case of those with financial autonomy.
The health insurance fund has increased its cover for nearly 1,900 medical services by 30 per cent.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said healthcare subsidies would be cut gradually to enable poor people to buy health insurance.
The increase in hospital fees would apply for uninsured patients starting later this year to encourage them to buy health insurance, she added. VNS
HA NOI Two taskforces specialising in theft will be founded in Ha Noi and HCM City after proposals from representatives at a conference of the Ministry of Public Security held in Ha Noi yesterday.
The conference aimed to review the ministrys work in the first six months of the year, and set up a plan for the last six months.
Secretary of the HCM City Party, inh La Thang, said that the city faced rampant crime, with ever increasing sophistication, so it was essential to have a professional street crime team, including the best policemen as well as dedicated amateurs.
After receiving Thangs guidance, concerned ministries and departments considered legal regulations related to the foundation of such a team.
But, Lieutenant General Le Van e, deputy director of the General Department of Politics under the Viet Nams Peoples Police, said that at present it was difficult to set up taskforces specialising in these areas because some of the work undertaken could violate laws. For instance, the Law on Road Traffic regulated against running red traffic lights, so the taskforce would be impeded when chasing criminals.
We encourage the proposal of founding the taskforces, but the work should be considered carefully because we cannot set up a team working illegally, said e.
Lieutenant General Nguyen Danh Cong, chief of the secretariat of the Ministry of Public Security, said that the main task of the ministry was focusing on preventing crimes.
The initial work was not only apprehending thieves, but also preventing the crimes in the first place, he said.
During the first six months this year, the Ministry of Public Security opened criminal investigations in more than 21,000 cases, arresting more than 42,700 people, according to reports released by the ministry at the conference.
More than 1,000 criminal gangs were apprehended. A total of 4,820 gambling cases were discovered and investigated.
The police treated more than 9,400 cases violating regulations on economy, and more than 8,800 cases violating regulations on environmental protection. -- VNS
NGHE AN The construction of the Cua Hoi Bridge that crosses the Lam River has begun in central Nghe An Provinces Cua Lo Town on Sunday.
The bridge connects the two central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue and former National Assembly chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung attended the bridges groundbreaking ceremony.
The VN1.5 trillion (US$45.1 million) bridge is built under a Public-Private Partnership contract with funding from the central State budget, the two provinces and the Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No 4 (Cienco4).
Nguyen Xuan uong, chairman of Nghe An Province Peoples Committee, said once completed, the four-lane bridge, which is 6.2km long and 12m wide, will open opportunities for economic and defence development in Viet Nams north central region.
He said the two provinces - Nghe An and Ha Tinh - had been waiting for the bridge eagerly.
The bridge project was part of a national coastal road plan until 2020 approved by Prime Minister in 2010 but the projects commencement was delayed because of a financial shortage. -- VNS
People with HIV/AIDS receives consulting at a medical station. People with HIV and AIDS are expecting medical costs to soar when international health aid is cut off next year. Photo kenh13.info
HA NOI People with HIV and AIDS are expecting medical costs to soar when international health aid is cut off next year, participants at a policy dialogue said yesterday.
Further complicating the issue, this demographic has found it difficult to secure health insurance.
The dialogue on a health insurance policy for people living with HIV/AIDS was co-organised by The Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations and the Health Ministrys Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control.
Health insurance is expected to be a life preserver for HIV/AIDS patients in Viet Nam, particularly when international aid, which covers almost all medical fees for HIV-positive patients in the country, will cease next year because Viet Nam has now been categorised as a middle-income country.
Deputy head of the AIDS Department Hoang inh Canh said that when HIV/AIDS patients pay for health insurance, they would be held accountable to the medical treatment scheme.
As a result, they would avoid skipping treatment or shifting to other medical treatment schemes, which are usually more expensive, he said.
Trinh Thi Le Tram, director of the Ha Noi-based Centre for Law, Healthcare and HIV/AIDS Policies under the Viet Nam Bar Association, said HIV/AIDS patients are usually poor, unemployed or have unstable incomes.
They usually fail to afford health insurance cards, and they need significant medical care to treat opportunistic infections in addition to their anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment, Tram said.
Despite the fact that under the Law on Health Insurance, poor households were granted free health insurance cards and near-poor households had to pay only half of health insurance fees, people with HIV/AIDS still struggled to gain health insurance coverage.
o ang ong, a representative from the Viet Nam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (VNP+), said that besides administrative difficulties in applying for health insurance, societal stigma and discrimination were major barriers that prevented HIV/AIDS carriers from seeking insurance.
Those who left their hometowns to live in other localities also find it difficult to obtain insurance because only residents with permanent or temporary registration can apply for health insurance, he said.
HIV/AIDS children born overseas to mothers who were trafficked or married foreigners could not apply for health insurance either because they did not have birth certificates, he added.
ong said that many people with HIV/AIDS also suffer from cancers that require expensive medicines.
Under a circular issued by the Health Ministry guiding the revised Law on Health Insurance, 25 types of expensive medicines used to treat cancer were paid for by both health insurance agencies and patients, ong said, adding that it was a big burden for HIV/AIDS patients.
An HIV/AIDS carrier in Ha Nois Gia Lam District said he had to take a medicine that cost VN1.35 million (US$60.70) daily to prevent the development of cancer cells.
Previously, health insurance paid for the medicine in whole, but since 2015 he has paid half, which created a large financial burden for him and his family, he said. VNS
President Tran ai Quang meets local authorities of the central province of Phu Yen yesterday. VNVNA/S Photo Nhan Sang
PHU YEN President Tran ai Quang suggested the central province of Phu Yen continuously expand industry and construction, as determined in its economic restructuring plan developed for this year.
He heard that in the first six months of this year, industry and construction grew to account for 36.1 per cent of the southern central coastal provinces economy during a working session with local authorities yesterday.
Noting the localitys advantageous 200km coastline, the President advised the authorities to turn tourism into a spearhead sector, through broader connectivity with other regional localities.
The locality should give more support to small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as handicraft production facilities and trade villages and speed up the construction of transport infrastructure, he said.
Phu Yen should exert more efforts to make Nam Phu Yen economic zone one of the major industrial centres and sea ports in the southern central and Central Highlands regions, the leader stressed.
He encouraged the application of scientific and technological advances into increasing the quality of agro-forestry and fishery products and the development of value chains, initially in the fishing of tuna.
Besides investing more in agriculture and rural areas in line with the building of new-style rural development, Phu Yen should also mobilise resources for the construction of irrigation and water supply systems serving production and daily use, especially in areas affected by drought and saltwater intrusion, he added.
President Quang asked Phu Yen to pay heed to building a transparent, effective and friendly political system and modern administration, while continuing to realise the Partys resolutions on Party building and studying and following President Ho Chi Minhs moral example.
The province should also strengthen communication work on the protection of national sovereignty over sea and islands, associating it with the implementation of projects to upgrade offshore fishing boats and fishery logistics ships.
Phu Yen recorded a GDP growth of 8.4 per cent in 2015 and 7.9 per cent in the first six months of this year.
The localitys average per capita income reached VN32.8 million (US$1,467) in 2015.
Ethnic minority groups have been offered effective support policies, while social security and defence have been ensured.
During the working session, Phu Yen leaders proposed that the Government design specific support policies for the province to attract more investments and help local fishermen engage more in the protection of sea and islands.
They also asked for more assistance in implementing defence-security projects in line with socio-economic development, as well as more central investments in climate change response and natural disaster prevention and relief. VNS
Trucks wait at the Moc Bai Bordergate in the Tay Ninh southern province. An agreement to open four more pairs of auxiliary border gates has recently been signed between authorities of the southern province of Tay Ninh and its neighbouring Cambodian province of Svay Rieng. VNA/VNS Photo
TAY NINH An agreement to open four more pairs of auxiliary border gates has recently been signed between authorities of the southern province of Tay Ninh and its neighbouring Cambodian province of Svay Rieng.
The new pairs of border gates are Vam Trang Trau -Dong, Long Phuoc-Prey Ta Ey, Phuoc Chi-Brasat, and Hoa Hiep-Khser Dek.
The two provinces will submit their request on the opening of these auxiliary border gates to their relevant agencies for approval.
Tay Ninh and four border provinces of Cambodia have to date opened two international border gates on the common borderline, namely Moc Bai and Xa Mat, four main and 14 auxiliary border gates.
About one million passengers pass through border gates between Tay Ninh and Cambodian provinces each year. VNS
HCM CITY Four Chinese nationals were arrested for swindling and misappropriation of assets, the city police said.
Those arrested are Guan Zao, 46, Ke Qinying, 52, Xie Yuqiong, 44, and Zang Huamei, 47. They came from Chinas Guangdong Province and lived on Ong Ich Khiem Street, District 10 in HCM City.
According to the police, the gang of four were on a visit to Viet Nam and by chance met a Vietnamese man named Chau, who had not been found yet.
Chau asked the Chinese nationals to take part in his illegal business, in which he offered naive people a mysterious and spiritual treatment for their diseases.
Zang Huamei and Guan Zao were assigned to look for prey and befriend them, while Xie Yuqiong and Ke Qinying were responsible for introducing the the godly therapist.
On June 25, they found a woman in District 5 and asked her to pay VND5 million (US$220), 30 teals of gold (equivalent to 825g of gold) and a gold lace bracelet in exchange for a bottle of holy water.
Upon realising she had been cheated, the woman reported the incident to the municipal police.
The four immediately admitted to their crime following their arrest.
The police are continuing their search for Chau. VNS
HCM CITY -- The Government will create favourable conditions in terms of mechanisms and policies to enable the development of HCM City, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc promised at a meeting with the city Peoples Committee on Monday.
"The city plays the role of economic locomotive not only for the south-east but also the entire nation, contributing 22 per cent of GDP and 30 per cent of the Governments revenues," he said.
He called on the city to renew and create forces for sustainable development, and play a leading role in international and regional integration.
He suggested four goals for the leaders: establishing a smart, dynamic and modern city with extensive links with international and regional value chains and competitiveness in comparison with other Asian cities; developing high-quality human resources; becoming a destination for investment and start-ups; and becoming a sustainable market economy.
He also called for setting up a smart economic structure, prioritising services and technology.
Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, Nguyen Thanh Phong made several proposals relating to finance, planning, personnel and devolution of power to enable the citys rapid and sustainable development.
"We would like to ask the Government to amend Clause 6 of Decree 101, allowing district-level authorities to verify, assess and approve plans for razing deteriorated tenements in HCM City.
The Government should allow HCM City to select investors for projects to upgrade/rebuild deteriorated tenements; projects for urban renovation; relocation and resettlement of households living on and along canals; and projects for 19 intersections in HCM City.
Phong also asked the Government to allow the city to retain 23 per cent of its revenues over the next decade.
He said economic growth this year has topped 7.47 per cent.
Viet Nam bourse to be based in city
Tran ac Sinh, chairman of the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE), said Phuc green lighted a recommendation to base the Viet Nam Stock Exchange, formed by the merger of the Ha Noi and HCM City exchanges, in HCM City.
In May Phong had petitioned the Government for this. -- VNS
Ltd, owner of the world's biggest refining complex, imported 13.2 per cent less oil in May compared with a year earlier, as it shut a crude unit at its 580,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery for three weeks, according to tanker arrival data from trade sources and ship-tracking services on the Thomson Reuters terminal.
Reliance, which has a diversified crude slate and shifts purchases to maximise revenue, bought 1.15 million bpd last month, a decline of 4.5 per cent from April.
Last month, Reliance received about 98,700 bpd oil and condensate from Iran after skipping purchases from Tehran in the previous month. The Indian conglomerate in March resumed purchases from Tehran after a six-year gap. Reliance is looking for long-term supplies from Iran.
The share of Latin American and African oil in Reliance's overall imports declined in the first five months of 2016, as the company shifted away from dated-Brent linked oil to Middle Eastern grades, the data showed.
The share of Middle Eastern crude in Reliance's overall imports rose to 59 per cent in January-May 2016 from about 43 per cent a year ago, the data showed.
During the same period, African grades accounted for about 5 per cent of the crude purchased, compared with about 13 per cent a year earlier, while the share of Latin American oil slipped to about 33 per cent from 43 per cent.
Reliance's two advanced refineries in the western India state of Gujarat can together process 1.2 million bpd of oil, or about 26 per cent of India's overall capacity.
With India joining the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) on Monday, the French Government has hail the development and welcomed New Delhi's commitment to combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
In a statement released on Monday, the French foreign ministry said that India's adherence will contribute to better regulating the proliferation of equipment that could be used in missiles or drones capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
Meanwhile, the has welcomed India's accession into the Regime saying India's membership has been thoroughly discussed over the years, ultimately resulting in a consensus decision by all members to offer India membership.
"As all formal procedures for membership have now been finalised, the Chairman of the joint Netherlands-Luxembourg Chairmanship of the Missile Technology Control Regime, Ambassador Piet de Klerk (NL), in close consultation with the French Point of Contact, is pleased to announce today that the Republic of India now formally is the 35th member of the Regime," the statement said.
The MTCR asserting that India's membership will strengthen the international efforts to prevent proliferation of delivery systems (ballistic missiles or unmanned aircraft) capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
"The MTCR looks forward to India's full participation in the Regime, including the upcoming annual plenary meeting of the MTCR in the Republic of Korea in October 2016," the statement added.
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America are the 35 members in the MTCR.
Earlier on Monday, foreign secretary S Jaishankar signed the document of accession into MTCR in the presence of Ambassadors of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg in the capital.
Ambassador-designate of France Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus Stoelinga and Luxembourg's Deputy Head of Mission to India Laure Huberty were present on the occasion.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Sunday said New Delhi had applied for membership of the MTCR last year, adding all the procedural formalities have been completed.
The MTCR membership will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia.
The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogram payload for at least 300 kilometres as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.
Afghanistan's president has ordered a "thorough investigation" into institutionalised sexual abuse of children by police, after it was found that the Taliban are using child sex slaves to launch deadly insider attacks.
There has been condemnation of paedophilic "bacha bazi" -- literally "boy play" -- which AFP found has been exploited by the Taliban to mount a series of Trojan Horse attacks over two years that have killed hundreds of policemen in the remote southern province of Uruzgan.
"The president has ordered a thorough investigation (in Uruzgan) and immediate action based on findings of the investigation," the presidential palace said of Ashraf Ghani in a statement.
"Anyone, regardless of rank within the forces, found guilty will be prosecuted and punished in accordance and in full compliance of the Afghan laws and our obligations," the English language statement said.
The ancient custom of bacha bazi, one of the country's worst human rights violations, sees young boys -- sometimes dressed as women -- recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship and to bear arms.
It is deeply entrenched in Uruzgan, where police commanders, judges, government officials and survivors of such attacks told AFP that the Taliban are recruiting bacha bazi victims to attack their abusers.
The claims -- strongly denied by the Taliban -- expose child abuse by both parties in Afghanistan's worsening conflict.
The presidential statement said there was "no place" in the Afghan establishment for abusers, adding it will do "whatever it takes" to punish them.
The announcement follows a flurry of reaction to AFP's report.
"We strongly condemn any abuses of the horrific nature described in the article," the US embassy in Kabul said.
"We urge the Afghan government... To protect and support victims and their families, while also strongly encouraging justice and accountability under Afghan law for offenders."
In a letter last week to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Congressman Duncan Hunter demanded a proactive American role to end bacha bazi in Afghan forces.
"I remain concerned... That the Taliban is increasing its use of children to access security positions and mount insider attacks against... Afghan police," Hunter said in the letter seen by AFP.
"It is my belief that we can begin taking immediate steps to stop child rape from occurring in the presence of US forces and reduce any risk of coinciding insider attacks. This includes imposing a zero-tolerance policy.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari hit out at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial government for allocating public funds to a privately-owned Islamic seminary known for "its links with the Taliban and other militant groups".
The provincial government, led by the Tehreek-e-Insaf in its budget for fiscal 2016-17, has set aside Rs 300 million for the Nowshera-based Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary of Maulana Sami-ul Haq.
"This is nothing but legitimisation of militancy and militant Taliban that will undermine the nation's resolve to fight militants to the finish," the Express Tribune quoted him, as saying.
Zardari's statement was released by his spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar.
Babar said Zardari, also the co-chairman of Peoples Party, was deeply concerned over the use of public money for a private seminary which is reportedly known for promoting private jihads.
"The resources should have been spent on human development instead of on a seminary whose claim to fame lies in its promotion of militant Islam and the worldview of Islamic militants," Zardari said.
Zardari pointed out that the current head of the seminary is an acknowledged sympathiser and undeclared spokesperson of the Taliban.
He was of the opinion that in the wake of Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor's killing in a US drone strike in Balochistan, it appears that some elements are reviving the 'jihadi project'.
"Recently, conservative religious parties led by a proscribed organisation held congregations in Islamabad protesting Mullah Mansoor's death. Now a privately owned pro-Taliban madrassa has been given Rs 300 million," he added.
However, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has last week defended the decision to allocate money to the seminary, noting that about 2.2 million students in the province studied in seminaries as compared to 800,000 in English-medium schools.
Girl, 4, survives
van-train crash
TRINIDAD, Colo. (AP) A 4-year-old girl was the only member of her family to survive after their minivan was hit by an Amtrak train.
The girl was hospitalized with serious injuries after the Southwest Chief train headed from Chicago to Los Angeles slammed into the van as it drove across the tracks Sunday morning near Trinidad, about 15 miles from the New Mexico border.
The Colorado State Patrol said the girls father, 32-year-old Stephen Miller, who was driving the 2005 Chrysler Town & Country, and his wife, Christine Miller, 33, of Trinidad were killed along with their three other daughters, aged 6, 2 and 8 months. The minivan was moving at the time of the crash. The Millers were on their way to church.
Fourth of July travel
will break records
NEW YORK (AP) Going out of town this Fourth of July weekend? Be prepared for a record-breaking amount of company.
Nationwide, 42.9 million people are expected to travel during the holiday weekend, up 1.3 percent from the record high that was set in 2007 and tied last year, according to the Auto Club.
The travel frenzy is being fueled by lower gas prices as well as a growth in consumer confidence, Filomena Andre, AAAs vice president for travel products and services, said in a statement.
Travelers could still run into long lines at airport security.
Police: DWI suspect
had body lodged in car
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) A suspected drunk driver struck and killed a man, then drove for a mile with his body lodged in the car, Oceanside police say.
Esteysi Sanchez, 29, was arrested Monday morning for vehicular manslaughter.
Police said around 6:30 a.m., Sanchez hit a man on a sidewalk.
The mans body went through the windshield and ended up on the front passenger seat, but his severed leg crashed through the back window and landed on the trunk.
Police say Sanchez drove about a mile, parked in a cul-de-sac and walked away. She was arrested a short time later.
40-year-old Twinkie still going strong
BLUE HILL, Maine (AP) In a glass box in a private school in Maine sits a 40-year-old chemistry experiment still going strong: A decades-old Twinkie.
The experiment started in 1976 when Roger Bennatti was teaching a lesson to his high school chemistry class on food additives and shelf life.
After a student wondered about the shelf life of the snack, Bennatti sent the students to the store with some money. When they returned with the treat, Bennatti ate one and placed the still-surviving Twinkie on the blackboard.
Bennatti has since retired, but the snack now resides in the office of George Stevens Academys Dean of Students Libby Rosemeier.
Woman kills intruder in childs bedroom
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Police in Portland, Ore., say a 33-year-old woman returning home with her two young children shot and killed an intruder in one of her childrens bedrooms.
Police say the woman cooperated with investigators after the shooting early Sunday and wasnt arrested. The woman and her 5- and 10-year-old children werent hurt.
A neighbor said the home had been vacant before the family moved in and that squatters were periodically in the home.
Police identified the 59-year-old man who was fatally shot as David Daniel McCrary of Gresham, Ore.
FREDERIKA Brenda Jane Brown, 34, of Searsport, Maine, formerly of rural Frederika, died at home Wednesday, June 15.
She was born May 5, 1982, in Waterloo, daughter of Dennis and Kay Brown of Frederika.
Brenda graduated from Waverly-Shell Rock High School in 2000 and earned a bachelors degree at the University of Northern Iowa in 2004. She worked at the University of Alaska, was a tour guide for helicopter tours to glaciers and worked for five years at the Alaska Network for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Juneau.
Survived by: her parents, of rural Frederika; two sisters, Jill Backus of Columbia, Mo. and Julie Faust of Plover, Wis.; a brother, Mark Brown of Waterloo; a grandfather, Don Brown of Waverly; and a grandmother, Gertie Wright, of Waverly.
Preceded in death by: Grandparents Ginny Brown, Charlie Wright and Alene Brown.
Gathering for friends and family: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 1, at Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home, Waverly. According to her wishes, her body was cremated. There will be no formal funeral service.
Memorials: may be directed to Kay and Dennis Brown, 1141 Navaho Ave., Sumner 50674, to donate to a local agency for victims of domestic violence.
INDEPENDENCE Hodges Nathan Jr. of Independence accepted a plea bargain last week in Buchanan County, but the deal resolves only part of his criminal case, according to court records.
Authorities originally arrested Nathan, 52, in January for third-degree sexual abuse, a felony.
County Attorney Shawn Harden, however, later amended the complaint and charged Nathan with first-degree burglary and with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse enhanced as a habitual offender or as a second or subsequent sexually predatory offense.
Nathans alleged victim was a woman described in court documents as a person suffering from a mental or physical incapacitation, or physically helpless which precluded giving consent.
Nathan through his lawyer, Laura Gavigan, a public defender based in Waterloo, objected, arguing the amended trial information violated his rights to a speedy trial.
Harden countered the clock should be reset based on when the new charges were filed.
Judge David Odekirk on June 21 ruled in Nathans favor, dismissing the two counts of third-degree, enhanced sexual abuse. The burglary charge remains.
A day later, Harden provided a plea offer with options for Nathan to consider.
With the first scenario, Nathan could plead guilty to third-degree attempted burglary and accept a suspended, two-year prison term; a year in a residential facility; and two years of probation. With that, Harden would appeal Odekirks ruling on the sex abuse charges and if successful Harden promised to pursue those charges.
According to Harden, convictions on the sex abuse charges for Nathan would mean up to 25 years in prison on each and mandatory parole for life.
The Appeals Division of the Attorney Generals Office believes a reversal is inevitable if the state appeals, Harden added.
The second option Harden offered was for Nathan to plead guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor. In that scenario, Nathan would receive a suspended, two-year prison sentence; two years probation; one year in a residential facility; and 10 years of parole.
In exchange, Harden promised not to appeal Odekirks ruling.
Nathan took option No. 1, entering an Alford plea to third-degree attempted burglary, an aggravated misdemeanor.
With an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilty but concedes a conviction is likely.
Following the terms of his plea offer, though, Harden on Wednesday filed an appeal of Odekirks ruling with the Iowa Supreme Court.
Nathan was sentenced Friday as described in the plea deal.
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged victim told police Nathan left her residence at 10 p.m. when his ankle bracelet monitored by the Iowa Department of Corrections began to vibrate.
According to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, Nathan was convicted of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse in September 2014 in Fayette County. His victim was a girl 14 to 17 years old.
According to court records, Nathan also has convictions for second-degree robbery in 2006 in Des Moines County and in 1994 in Florida. He was also convicted of being an accessory after the fact of a capital felony in 1993 in Florida.
WATERLOO The Iowa Womens Foundation is planning to share the results from a 2015 tour that looked at the economic challenges for women and girls, and how best to address them.
The organizations follow-up tour will bring those results to Waterloo on Thursday.
The discussion will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday at the Philanthropy Center, 425 Cedar St., in Waterloo.
The event is free and open to the public.
The report is available at http://iawf.org/get-the-facts/research/.
The event will include discussion on the barriers found during last years study and provide to address the key barriers that prevent women from gaining economic self-sufficiency.
The discussion will highlight both local and statewide issues facing women and girls.
The She Matters Tour was conducted last year, where the organization gathered input about those challenges.
WATERLOO A $60,000 boost from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association has put the Northeast Iowa Food Bank halfway toward its goal of paying for a new refrigerated food truck.
For both parties, its the continuation of a strong partnership.
Transportation is key to what we do, said Barb Prather, NIFB executive director. And for the Gaming Association to recognize that and the importance of our infrastructure we are grateful.
We are proud of the good work the Northeast Iowa Food Bank does for those that are food insecure, said Beth Knipp, BHCGA executive director.
The grant is part of the sum total of $530,000 given to nine projects May 17. BHCGA allocates money on a quarterly basis to projects in a seven-county area spanning Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan and others. Funding for the charitable grants comes from a portion of Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo revenue.
Iowa law dictates licensed casinos donate a portion of their revenues to community projects.
The 24-foot refrigerated truck will add to a fleet of six trucks ranging from smaller, 10-foot trucks to 26-footers. With a 20 percent increase in distribution last year, Prather suspects their current 24-footer, which is going on 18 years old, will need to be replaced soon.
We rely on the trucks for all of our food transportation needs, Prather said. She said bigger trucks transport between member agencies and also pick up perishable food donations from businesses like Wal-Mart and Target, which supply 1.5 million pounds of food each year.
Total distribution, an expected 8 million pounds of food this year, has spiked considerably from 4.5 million pounds in the past three years since the food bank moved into its current facility in Waterloo. Prather said the new facility, which received $1 million in donations from the BHCGA in 2010, is the boon that allows for greater service.
The remaining $60,000 needed for a new truck is expected to be raised this summer, Prather said. NIFB would then place the order in the fall in order to have the truck for next summer.
BHCGA has donated a total of $156,500 since 2007 to fund truck-related projects for NIFB. BHCGA has donated $34.7 million to 384 projects in its nine years of existence.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, about 48,000 people in Northeast Iowa are food insecure, meaning they have a limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods.
Transportation is vital for their work, Knipp said of NIFD. The trucks become their workhorses, and we understand the need with increased distribution.
CEDAR RAPIDS Republican Rep. Rod Blum and his Democratic challenger Monica Vernon are wasting little time in drawing battle lines in their race for the Iowa 1st District U.S. House seat.
Vernon, who kicked off her campaign with friends and supporters Monday night, called the first-term congressman part of the problem in Washington.
In nearly everything he does, he sides with the very, very far right. In fact, he is voting with Steve King, Vernon said at a campaign open house at CSPS Legion Arts. King is the seven-term western Iowa Republican U.S. House member.
For her part, Vernon told campaign supporters she was running to stand up for all of you.
We got to get an economy that works for everyone, the former Cedar Rapids City Council member and small business owner said. I think we need to invest in small businesses, invest in our communities, invest in people and education right here at home.
Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, called her exactly the type of person we need in Congress today because she knows how to work together with everyone to move our country forward.
However, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Vernons recent comment that she was unable to think of a single thing Blum has done with which she can agree calls into questions her ability to work across the aisle.
Vernon listed several disagreements she has with Blum, including his mailings to constituents.
Hes wasting close to a half-million dollars so far on self-promoting ads and literature, she said. I think thats really, really important. Those are federal dollars for members of Congress to run their offices.
A Gazette analysis found Blum spent about $422,000 on mass mailings, newspapers ads and automated phone calls in 2015. Thats about one-third of his $1.265 million communications allowance.
Communicating with constituents is part of the job of a member of Congress, campaign manager Jeff Patch said. Unlike other members, Blum does not waste money on first class air fare, personal car leases or a bloated Washington, D.C.-based staff.
In fact, Blum returned $102,000 of his 2015 office budget to the U.S. Treasury and asked that it be used to pay down the national debt.
Thats fiscal responsibility, Patch said. Monica Vernon may think engaging with Iowans where they live is wasting money, but thats quite an elitist attitude from someone who supposedly aspires to represent all Iowans, not just partisan Democrats.
The 1st District is comprised of 20 counties that include Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Marshalltown. Blum is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents because of an approximately 26,000 Democratic voter registration advantage in a district carried twice by Barack Obama.
This isnt just a candidate. This is a movement, Vernon said about her campaign. Come November, we can win this.
Although Vernon has raised nearly as much campaign cash as Blum, she spent much of it on her primary election race. At the end of May, she had raised $1,402,326 to Blums $1,486,503. He has $1,284,392 on hand to her $420,887.
WATERLOO An impassioned crowd urged City Council members Monday to start respecting the mayor and focus on solving Waterloos issues.
Speaker after speaker took to the podium a week after council members rejected Mayor Quentin Harts travel request to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Most focused their ire on the three councilmen who voted against the trip Steve Schmitt, Tom Lind and Bruce Jacobs while taking Schmitt to task for referring to Hart as a mayor in training.
I dont understand how grown people with an education can be talking like theyre talking to our mayor, said Sally Priebe. Its disrespectful. Instead of this pettiness, get yourself up and go forward. Stop this nonsense.
Several residents said the situation was embarrassing to the community and questioned whether Harts status as Waterloos first African-American mayor played a role in how they believe hes being treated.
What this crowd is saying is were not going to stand for it for the things thats been going on with our mayor, said Mike Allen.
Former Mayor Tim Hurley encouraged city staff to hold steady until a July 12 special election to fill a vacant Ward 1 City Council seat ends the apparent 3-3 split on the council.
I am confident speaking for most of the citizens of Waterloo who look forward to the end of the stalemates, the inaction and the bickering, Hurley said.
Schmitt, Lind and Jacobs defended their votes on the travel request and said they had no issues working with Hart to move the city forward.
Im really disheartened to see how this has been so blown out of proportion, so just completely misrepresented, Schmitt said.
Schmitt and Lind both noted they attempted to cut the citys travel budget and have voted against other travel requests. Schmitt said hes voted to send Hart and two former mayors on the annual Cedar Valley Coalition trips but did not support other conference travel.
The vote had nothing to do with (Hart), had nothing to do with what the meetings were, what the associations were, absolutely nothing absolutely nothing to do with race, Schmitt said. It had to do purely with budget.
Lind added, Whether you agree with me or not, I assure you I spent considerable time researching the issue and voted based on the information I got.
Jacobs said he did not believe the conference provide an agenda that would benefit Waterloo. He noted he voted for Harts previous trip to the African American Mayors Association conference and also supported the mayors youth employment program.
If theres a better conference that will help us reduce crime, bring jobs or lower costs Ill vote for it right now, said Jacobs. He agreed the council needs to become a team with like-minded goals.
Hart attended the conference in Indianapolis last week by paying his own way, which prompted two residents to start a grassroots online fundraiser to reimburse him.
Curtis DeGroote, whose fundraiser garnered $2,900 before he could shut it down, showed up Monday with a check for Hart and the remaining $1,259 to be donated to House of Hope, a nonprofit agency that helps homeless mothers.
DeGroote said he believed the council members who voted against the request were good guys despite his disagreement with their decision.
Hart said he cant accept the donation directly because of concerns about state gift laws for public officials. City staff consulted with officials at the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board who indicated the contribution could go through Harts campaign finance committee instead.
Hart said he was heartened by the community support.
The sentiment from so many people across the community, across this entire country, who are paying attention to this tells me that the citizens care about what happens on a daily basis, he said.
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 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 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 U.S. isnt 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 Brexit was a great thing. Never mind 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 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 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 Americas 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 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.
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.
Wildlife expert
to discuss bears
MANCHESTER LaVern Beier, a 35-year veteran of Alaska Fish and Game, will present a glimpse of catching and tracking research brown bears in the temperate rainforests of Southeast Alaska at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
The talk will be in the pavilion just behind the grandstands. All are welcome to attend.
There will be a social hour with a slide show from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with sandwiches served and a cash bar is available. The event is free, and the entire family is welcome. Donations are appreciated to help cover the cost of the food and facility.
Beier is a wildlife research technician for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game Division of Wildlife Conservation.
His wildlife research projects have included the safe live capture, immobilizing and radio collaring and tracking of Sitka black-tailed deer, wolf, mountain goats, wolverine, elk, black and brown bears.
This event is sponsored by the Turkey Valley Sportsmen Club and Dubuqueland Pheasants Forever.
Free meal to be served Thursday
WATERLOO The Apostolic Pentecostal Church, 1645 Downing Ave, will host a free community meal Thursday.
Serving is from 5 to 6 p.m.
Eagles Club sets Thirsty Thursday
WATERLOO The Waterloo Eagles Club, 201 E. First St., will have a Thirsty Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m.
There will be $1 brats, hot dogs, side dishes and beer, along with ping pong and bean bag games.
On Friday, there will be music in the party room with Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee George Clark and friends playing from 7 to 11 p.m.
Hamburger/cheeseburger baskets will be served from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
All members and guests are welcome.
Event planned at Carriage House
ELGIN The Elgin Historical Society will present Tales from the Elgin Museum on July 9.
The program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Carriage House at Montauk Historic Site.
Kenneth and Harriet Blockus from the Elgin Historical Society will display artifacts from the Elgin Museum and tell their stories.
By The Associated Press Jun. 22, 2016 | 05:00 AM | FRANKFORT, KY
The 400,000 Kentuckians who have health insurance through the state's expanded Medicaid program would have fewer benefits and would have to pay small premiums to keep their coverage under a proposal released Wednesday by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin.
Premiums would range from $1 to $15 per month. Beneficiaries would lose vision and dental coverage, but they could get it back by earning credits for such things as enrolling in a smoking cessation program or taking a financial literacy class.
The plan must still be approved by the federal government. If approved, Bevin said the plan will save taxpayers $2.2 billion. If the government does not approve the plan, Bevin said he would repeal the expanded Medicaid program. That would mean about 400,000 people would lose their health insurance.
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
If youre looking to try out an online casino, there are several things that will help you make a decision. Heres what you should look for when choosing an online casino
Are they regulated? A lot of the larger ones have licenses issued by the authorities in their respective regions, so its worth checking this first.
Do they offer games from different software providers? Some casinos just use one software provider and limit your selection. This is fine if you like playing those types of games but you may want to check other casinos as well.
What does their payout percentage look like? The payout rate refers to how much money you can expect to win after every bet. A high payout rate means youll be able to play more often without having to worry about losing all your money. Its also important to know the minimum and maximum bets allowed on each game. If youre going to play roulette, for example, then you probably dont want a casino with a minimum bet of less than $2.50 or even lower than that.
The players used to play the game slot online in the land based casinos in the past time. But now with time after the invention of the online casinos players play the game slot online. Online platform provide the players with the convenience in playing and even better winning. Even after keeping a good percentage of the profits, they distribute good funds to players.
How many games do they offer? There are lots of different types of games to choose from. Roulette, blackjack and poker are some of the most popular options, but you might find slots, video pokers, video bingo and others as well. You can usually filter these games down to only show the ones that interest you best, so make sure that your list isnt too long!
Is there a bonus offer? Many online casinos offer free bonuses as part of their welcome package which includes new players being awarded 100% up to $10 instantly, for example. These offers are great but not everyone has access to them all the time (and some require you to deposit real money). If youd prefer to avoid paying a fee, some casinos offer no-deposit bonuses where you can get a certain amount of funds before you need to put any actual money into the account. These are usually offered alongside welcome bonuses, so make sure you read both parts of the terms and conditions carefully before signing up.
Does it offer live dealer games? Live dealers are much preferred by many over regular virtual versions, so it pays to check this option out too. Most online casinos now offer live dealer games in addition to their regular offerings, allowing you to experience the thrill of the real thing without needing to leave home.
Now that youve got an idea of what to look for when choosing an online casino, heres some tips for making the right choice
It really comes down to personal preference. No two people are exactly alike, so everyone has an opinion on what they like and dislike about each casino. That said, here are some things to consider in order to narrow down your choices
Popularity. Check out reviews, forums and Facebook pages to see what other people think of the casino. Also, ask around at work or friends houses who they would recommend to you. You could always take a look at the casinos website too, to see what kind of information they provide about themselves.
Reputation. Find out what the general public thinks about the casino. Check out any customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot, Amazon and Google Play to find out more. As far as gaming goes, you can also check out the Better Business Bureau to see whether there have been any complaints against the casino.
Security. Make sure the casino uses SSL encryption to secure its transactions, meaning that your private data stays safe during transactions. Other than that, look for security seals on the site itself and verify that theyre legitimate. You can also check out the casinos privacy policy to see how they handle confidential information.
Payment methods. Its good to have multiple payment options available, especially if you plan to play frequently. Its also nice to find a casino that accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. If youre worried about safety, you can always opt for a credit card or PayPal instead.
With all those criteria in mind, heres our top picks
Betway:
Betway is a relatively new UK casino offering online gambling to residents of the United Kingdom and European Union. They offer hundreds of games across both land based and digital platforms, with plenty of top software providers like Net Entertainment, Microgaming and Yggdrasil Gaming Network. With a generous welcome offer that gives players 100% up to 100, you really cant go wrong with Betway.
Coral Casino:
Coral Casino is operated by the same company that runs the famous Caribbean casino, Grand Reef. Like many casinos, Coral Casino offers a wide variety of games, including plenty of video slots and table games. New players can benefit from a huge 100% match bonus up to 1000, while existing customers enjoy 25% cash back on deposits made within 48 hours of opening an account.
Ladbrokes Casino:
Ladbrokes Casino is owned by the same company as the famous bookmaker that started life in 1921. With more than 500 games from leading software providers such as Amaya, NetEnt and Microgaming, you wont be disappointed by the quality of the games here. New players get a 200% match bonus up to 500, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.
Paddy Power Casino:
Paddy Power is another Irish-owned casino that operates throughout Europe. Not only does Paddy Power Casino offer traditional casino games like blackjack, roulette and slots, but it also provides a full range of sports betting, including football, tennis, boxing and horse racing. New players can receive a massive 100% match bonus up to 200, while existing customers can claim 35% cashback on their first three deposits.
William Hill Casino:
William Hill Casino is one of the biggest names in the industry, operating in Europe, Asia and North America. Founded in 1984, this online casino has more than 400 games to choose from, including slots and table games, with a wide array of software providers like WagerLogic, Big Time Gaming and Rival.
Bonus: 100% Match Bonus up to 100 Register Now
Betway: 100% Match Bonus up to 100 Claim Now
Coral Casino: 25% Cash Back on Deposits Claim Now
Ladbrokes Casino: 35% Cash Back on First 3 Deposits Claim Now
Paddy Power Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200 Claim Now
William Hill Casino: 100% Match Bonus up to 200 Claim Now
If youre interested in trying out an online casino but arent quite ready to commit to one, why not try out one of the many no deposit casinos weve reviewed? You can test drive various casinos completely risk-free, so you can feel confident about your choice before you make a single penny deposit.
Canl Bahis siteleri sektoru son derece onu ack ve farkl ozelliklere sahip bir sektordur. Elbette bahis secenekleri arasnda yuksek kazanc getiren alan kuskusuz canl bahistir. Peki, canl bahis nedir?
Canl Bahis Nedir?
Canl bahis adndan da anlaslacag gibi devam eden musabakaya bahis yapmaktr. Bu bahis musabaka devam ederken de yaplabilir olmasdr. Basta futbol olmak uzere voleybol, tenis, hentbol, basketbol, buz hokeyi ve masa tenisi gibi spor organizasyonlarna canl bahisler yaplabilmektedir. Canl bahis siteleri bu oyunlarn hepsine yuksek oranlara bahis yapmanza imkan tanr. En fazla tercih edilen futbol canl bahisleri diger alanlara gore daha fazla on plandadr. Siteden siteye degisen sartlar ve uygulama esaslar soz konusu olsa da kurallar sabittir.
Canl bahisi populer klan ve heyecan katan en onemli ozellikle musabakann basladg ana dek bahis yapabilmedir. Canl bahis icerisinde yer alan secenekler kazanma sansnz da dogrudan arttrmaktadr. Ilk korneri kim kullanr, ilk tac, gol, sar kart, krmz kart gibi futbol musabakas icerisinde olabilecek hemen hemen her seye bahis yaplabilmektedir. Normal bahisegore de son derece yuksek oranda olmas avantajl yonlerini ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim dogru secenek ksa surede kazancl ckmanza etki edecektir.
Strateji ve dogru analizle 90 dakika gibi bir surede anaparanzkatlayabilirsiniz. Tabi bunu basarabilmek icin mutlaka musabakaya dair ayrntlar iyi degerlendirmek gerekir. Soz konusu musabakann detaylarn inceleyip, cezal, sakat oyuncu veya performans dusen takm oyunu gibi detaylar bilmek canl bahiste kazanc belirleyen onemli unsurdur. Guvenilir Canl bahis hem heyecanl zaman gecirmeyi hem de musabakalar takip ederken para kazanmay saglamaktadr.
Canl Bahis Nasl Oynanr?
Bahislerinizi guvenilir sitelerden gerceklestirdiginiz zaman herhangi bir sekilde para cekme de sorun yasamazsnz. Guvenilir bahis siteleri tespit edip sonrasnda da uyelik islemlerini tamamlamanz gerekmektedir. Belirlenen uyelik sartlarn yerine getirip hesabnza da paray aktardktan sonra bahis islemlerini sorunsuz yapabilirsiniz. Peki, canl bahis nasl oynanr?
Oncelikle bahis konusunda mutlaka dogru site arastrmas yapmalsnz. Yapacagnz arastrma neticesinde buldugunuz site uzerinden canl bahisislemlerini gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Bunun icin uye olup, hesaba para atp, canl bahis bolumune girmelisiniz. Sonrasnda dahil olmak istediginiz musabakann saatini ogrenip, gerekli analizleri yapmalsnz. Tahminlerinizi belirledikten sonra karsnza ckacak olan bahis sayfasndan istediginiz hamleyi yapmalsnz. Bahis tutarn belirledikten sonra musabaka baslayacaktr.
Canl bahis diger normal bahis esaslarna gore farkllklar icermektedir. Bunlardan en onemlisi musabakann gidisatna gore islem yapabilir olmaktr.Ayrca musabakann 2. Yarsna gore hamle yapp ayr bir bahisin soz konusu olmas da ciddi avantajdr. Dogru hamle ile sizde istediginiz bahisi yapp kazanc elde edebilirsiniz. Nitekim canl olarak yapacagnz bahis icin mac oncesi raporlara gore hareket etmek onemlidir. Cunku takmlarn durumlarn analiz etmek tahmin gucunu arttracaktr. Misal tamnn en iyi oyuncusu sakat ya da kart cezals ise takmn performansnda dusus yasanacaktr. Buna ek olarak takmn deplasman performans ile evinde ki performans ayr olacaktr. Burada da takmn musabakay nerede yaptgna bakmak gerekir. Bu ayrntlar da iyice analiz ettikten sonra bahsinizi yapp kazanmann keyfini yasayabilirsiniz.
Canl Bahis Siteleri
Son derece yuksek getiriye sahip bahis sektoru uzun zamandr faaliyet gostermektedir. Cok ciddi rakamlarn soz konusu oldugu bu sektor zamanla sanal ortamlara donusmustur. Elbette guvenli ve bir o kadar da avantajl olan bu siteler cok yonlu frsatlar sunmaktadrlar. Canl iddaa siteleri gerek yeni uyelere gerekse de hali hazrdaki uyelerine bolca bonus frsatlar vermektedir. Yatracagnz tutara gore belirlenen bonuslar site icerisinde rahat hareket etmenizi de saglayacaktr.
Canl bahis sitelerini kullanmadan once mutlaka guvenli olup olmadgna goz atmalsnz. Zira baz kullanclar guvenli olmayan sitelerden yaptklar islemlerden dolay magdur olmaktadrlar. Nitekim guvenli ve sorunsuz hizmet sunan yurt ds site tercih etmek en dogru secenektir. Sektorde uzun yllar faaliyet gosteren siteleri tercih edebilirsiniz. Bu alanda yer alan yabanc siteler musteri memnuniyetine onem vermektedir. Oncelik site kullanclarn sorunsuz sekilde bahislerini yapabilir olmasn saglamaktr. Bahis sitelerinde amac hem daha fazla kullancya hizmet vermek hem de sektorde emin admlarla ilerlemek onceliklidir. Dogru site tercihi ile sizde canl bahislerinizi sorun yasamadan gerceklestirebilirsiniz. Sizler icin hazrlams oldugumuz canl bahis siteleri listesi su sekildedir;
Mobilbahis Tempobet Bets10 Bahigo 1xbahis Betboo Youwin Superbahis
Sralams oldugumuz bu siteler sektorde basarl islere imza atms sitelerdedir. Canl bahis konusunda beklentileri karslayacak olan bu siteler sizlere kolaylk sunmaktadrlar. Bol bonuslu secenekle de sizlere farkl bahis yonlerini sunacaklardr. Sistemsel etki icerisinde her zaman etkin sonuc alabilmek icin surekli olarak faaliyet icerisindedirler.
Canl Bahis Taktikleri
Bahis sektorunun en fazla dikkat edilmesi gereken hususu dogru taktik ve dogru tahmindir. Elbette dogru tahmini yapabilmek icin analizi cok iyi yapmak gerekir. Canl bahis taktikleri arasnda ilk sra analiz gelmektedir. Analiz yapamadgnz zaman basarl tahminlerde bulunmanz pek de mumkun degildir. Cunku bahiste onemli olan konu musabakann analizini cok iyi yaplmas gerektigidir. Canl bahisin ozelliklerini iyi bilmek ve nasl bir hamle yapacagnz bilmek gerekir. Ozellikle riskli maclarda yaplacak degerlendirmeler cok daha onemlidir.
Canl bahis yapacaklarn takip edecegi degerler takmlarn durumlar ile alakal olmaldr. Performans uzerine kurulu bahis sisteminde takm degerlendirmesine iyi bakmak gerekir. Iki takmn son 5 macta nasl bir sonuc ortaya koyduguna bakarak hareket etmek onemlidir. Ayrca hangi takm evinde daha iyi performans sergiliyor diye de ayrca bakmak gerekir.
Analizlerle alakal puan durumlarna da goz atmak cok onemlidir. Puan degerlendirmesinde oncelikle takmlarn ihtiyaclar ile dogru orantl hareket etmek gerekir. Cunku olusturulan performans takmn da durumunu ortaya koymaktadr. Nitekim istenilen sonucu elde edebilmek icin tum ayrntlar bilmek gerekir. Takm ici duzenden tutunda da takmn son durumuna kadar her ayrnt onemlidir. Iki takmn birbirleri arasnda ki sonuclar da incelemek gerekir. Burada dikkat edilecek detaylarn basnda maclarda kac gol oldugu ve gollerin hangi dakikalarda atldgdr. Cekismeli gecen musabakalarda bazen goller ilk yarda daha fazla olurken baz maclarda da ikinci yarda daha cok gol olmustur. Iki takm arasnda ki maclarda gollerin cogunlugu ilk yarda geliyorsa buna gore bahis yapabilirsiniz.
Canl Bahis Siteleri Bonuslar ve Kampanyalar
Bahis yapanlar veya yapmay dusununler sitelerin sunmus olduklar frsatlar merak etmektedirler. Cunku siteler daha fazla kullancya erismek icin her donem kampanyalar duzenleyerek kullanc odakl hamleler yapmaktadrlar. Canl bahis bonuslar ve kampanyalar oldukca populer olup, siteler bu konuda adeta birbirleri ile yarsmaktadrlar. Birbirinden farkl ozelliklere sahip olan kampanyalar size frsatlar sunmaktadr. Daha cok kazanma ihtimalinizi arttran bu bonuslar daha cesur olmanza da dogrudan etki edecektir. Nitekim bonuslar sitelerin cekiciligini ve avantajlarn arttrmaktadr. En cok kazandran canl bahis siteleri bedava bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin http://www.milano2018.com/canli-bahis-siteleri-2022/ linkinden yardm alabilirsiniz.
Hos geldin bonusu ile baslayan ve sonrasnda para yatrdkca bonus veren cok sayda site bulunmaktadr. Canl bahis bonusu veren siteler yeni uyelere sunduklar frsatlar farkl kampanyalarla mevcut uyelerine de sunmaktadrlar. Hali hazrda siteyi kullananlarn da bonus frsatlarndan yararlanmalar icin donemsel kampanyalar olusturmaktadrlar. Boylece baska sitelere gidisler olmayacag gibi site de daha keyifli zaman gecirmek mumkun klnmaktadr. Bu tur eklentiler yapan sitelerde musteri memnuniyeti daha fazladr.
Bahis siteleri ozellik ve uygulama bakmndan farkllklar bunyelerinde bulundurmaktadrlar. Verilen bonuslarn olusturulmas ve kullanclar aktarlmasnda yatrlan para miktarlar belirleyici olmaktadr. 1.000 TL yatran bir kullanc yuzde 20 bonus frsat olan bir kampanyadan 200 TL bonus kazanabilmektedir. Yatracag tutar 10.000 TL oldugunda bu bonustutar 2.000 TL olabilmektedir. Gerceklesen ve uygulanan esaslar tamamen donemsel olarak yaplan kampanyalarla alakaldr. Iyi Canl bahis siteleri bonuslar ve kampanyalar icin sitelerin vermis oldugu oranlar takip edebilirsiniz.
Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Yatrma
Online Canl bahis yapacaklarn merak ettigi konulardan bir digeri de para yatrma islemleridir. Oldukca onemli olan bu konuda hata yapmamak cok onemlidir. Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemi sanlann aksine son derece basittir. Oldukca basit ve uygulama esas dogru etki olusturan bu yapda sizde islemi rahatca tamamlayabilirsiniz. Para yatrma konusunda su yolu izleyebilirsiniz.
Guvendiginiz ve herhangi bir sekilde aklnzda soru isareti kalmayan bahis sitesine uye olmanz gerekmektedir. Uyelik islemini sorunsuz sekilde tamamladktan sonra para yatrma islemine gecebilirsiniz.
Kullanacagnz siteye uye olduktan sonra karsnza kullanc ad ve sifresini gireceginiz yer gelecektir. Buraya giris yaptktan sonra site icerisine islemlere devam edebilirsiniz.
Sitede yer alan para yatrma sekmesine tklayp sonrasnda karsnza gelen sayfay inceleyebilirsiniz. Para yatrma bolumunde yer alan ksma ne kadar para yatracagnz yazp devam tusuna basmalsnz.
Yatrmak istediginiz tutar girip sonrasnda da devam tusuna bastktan sonra karsnza kart bilgilerinizi gireceginiz sayfa gelecektir. Kredi kart kullanarak para gondermek isteyenlerin tercih ettigi bu sayfa tum bilgiler girilip islem onaylanmaldr.
Canl bahis sitelerine para yatrma islemini gerceklestirmek icin hesaba havale secenegini de kullanabilirsiniz. Site icerisinde musteri hizmetleri ile iletisime gecerek banka hesap numaralarn ogrenebilirsiniz. Belirtilen IBAN numarasna istediginiz tutar havale edebilirsiniz. Havale ederken acklama ksmna yazlacak bilgilere dikkat etmelisiniz.
Kredi kart veya banka havalesi ile gerceklesen para yatrma islemi sonucunda site hesabnzdan bakiyenize bakabilirsiniz. Bakiyenize gore dilediginiz sekilde bahislerinizi gerceklestirebilirsiniz.
Canl Bahis Siteleri Para Cekme
Canl bahiste dogru hamleler ve dogru tahminler sonucunda kazandgnz bedeli geri almak isteyebilirsiniz. Kazanclarnz istediginiz banka hesabnza cekebilmek icin uymanz gereken kurallar soz konusudur. Oncelikle bahis sitelerinden para cekebilmeniz icin uye olurken dogru bilgi paylasmnda bulunmanz gerektigidir. Cunku canl bahis sitelerinden para cekme islemi icin kullanc hesab ile talep edilen banka hesap bilgilerinin ortusmesi gerekir. Yani uye olurken verilen bilgi ile banka hesab kime ait ise o bilgiler ayn olmaldr. Bu uygulama sitenin hem kullancsn hem de kendisini guvene alma politikasdr. Ayrca frsatclarn onune gecerek yeni bir uye olusumunun da onune gecmek amac gutmektedir. Uye olan kisi farkl para cekilme talebi verilen hesap farkl oldugunda para cekme islemi gerceklesmeyecektir.
Bahisleriniz sonucunda kazanc elde edebilir ve bu kazancnz da hakknz olarak almak isteyebilirsiniz. Burada son derece basit uygulama soz konusu olurken siteler aras farkl gorunumler soz konusu olabilir. Fakat yine de tum sitelerde uyenin site icerisinde para cekme bolumune girmesi yeterlidir. Burada cekilecek olan tutarn belirlenmesi ve hesap numarasnn girilmesi ile birlikte islem onay gerekecektir. Para cekme taleplerinde sizden gerekli bilgiler istenmekte ve havale islemi istenilen bilgiler esliginde yurutulmektedir. Dogru bilgi paylasmak sorunsuz para cekebilmeniz en onemli kuraldr. Istenilen bilgiler girildikten sonra site sorumlular gerekli kontrolleri yapp herhangi bir sorun yoksa ksa surede hesabnza gerekli paray aktaracaklardr.
Canl Bahis Sitelerinden Para Cekmek Icin Istenen Belgeler
Bahis sitelerine uye olduktan sonra baz kullanclar para cekme taleplerinin karslanmadg konusunda sikayetlerde bulunmuslardr. Bu sikayetlersektorde uzun zamandr bulunan guvenilir bahis siteleri de yer almaktadr. Fakat sikayetlerin dayanaklarna bakldgnda ise islerin tamamen farkl oldugu gorulmektedir. Yasanan bu durum kullanclarn hatal bilgi girmesi ve uyelik bilgileri ile banka bilgilerinin uyusmamas ile dogru orantldr. Birde canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler eksik ya da hatal olarak sunulmus olabilir. Ortaya ckan karsklar neticesinde para cekme talebinde bulunan kisi istedigini alamadg icin sikayetci olmaktadr. Oysa ki istenilen bilgiler dogru ve istenilen evraklar eksiksiz sunulsa para cekme islemi sorunsuz olacak.
Sitelerin para cekme konusunda dikkatli hareket etmesi hilelerin ve illegal faaliyetlerin onune gecmek adnadr. Cunku baz kullanclar farkl bilgiler vererek ikinci hesap acabilmektedirler. Bazen de bilincsizce hatal bilgi girilebilmektedir. Hatal islemlerin cozumu konusunda islem yaptgnz sitenin musteri temsilcileri ile gorusebilirsiniz. Talepleriniz dogrultusunda para cekme islemlerinde ki sorunlar giderilecektir. Canl bahis para cekmek icin istenen belgeler listesi su sekildedir;
Kullanc bilgileri ile banka bilgilerini karslastrmak icin kimlik fotokopisi
Banka hesap bilgileri
Ikametgah ve kisiye ait herhangi bir fatura.
Kacak Iddaa
Turkiyede dogrudan bahis yapmak icin resmi kanallar kullanlabilmektedir. Fakat tercih edilen ve oran olarak cok daha fazla frsatlar sunan kacar iddaasiteleri bulunmaktadr. Bu siteler kanunlara aykr sekilde yaplmakta olup, yasal bir dayanag yoktur. Elbette bu sitelerin kurulus merkezi Turkiye olmayp, ds ulkelerdedir ve faaliyetler belirlenen siteler uzerinden yaplmaktadr. Kacak Iddaa oldukca riskli olup, cok dikkatli olunmas gerekir.
Kacak Bahis
Kanunlar cercevesinde istediginiz gibi bahis yapamayabilirsiniz. Bahis yapabilmek icin ya kanuni olarak sorun olmayan ulke dsnda ki kumarhanelere gitmeniz veya kacak bahis sitelerinden islem yapabilirsiniz. Zira bu durum tehlikeli olsa da cok sayda site guvenli sekilde bu alanda hizmet vermektedir. Kacak bahiste oldukca fazla secenek bulunurken yuksek oranda kazanc sunuyor olmas da ragbeti arttryor.
Illegal Bahis
Bahisin bircok alanda yasak oldugu Turkiyede bu alanda cok sayda yabanc merkezli siteler hizmet vermektedir. Illegal bahis sektorunde faaliyet gosteren siteler guvenli hizmet anlays ile kullanclarna frsatlar sunmaktadr. Yurt ds merkezli bu siteler sorunsuz sekilde hizmetlerini surdururken bulunduklar ulkelerde kanunlara uygun sekildedir. Elbette faaliyet noktasnda bulunduklar ulkelerde sorun teskil etmese de Turkiyede faaliyet gostermeleri kanunin yasaklanmstr.
Yasads Bahis
Gerek olusturulan etkenler gerekse de ortaya konulan riskler yasads bahis de oldukca tehlikelidir. Kanunlarn mudahil olduklar bu alanlar da hem kullanclar hem de populer bahis yaptranlar tum riskleri goze almaktadrlar. Fakat yasaklardan uzak sekilde guvenli hizmet sunan siteler de bulunmaktadr. Takipler neticesinde kapatlan sitelerin muhakkak alternatifleri kurularak yollarna devam etmektedirler.
Canl Iddaa Siteleri Nelerdir?
Dunya genelinde kabul gormus cok sayda guvenli hizmet veren populer bahis siteleri bulunmaktadr. Elbette bu siteler dunyann bircok ulkesinde faaliyet gosterse de Turkiyede yasaktr. Sektorde yer alan cok sayda legal iddaa siteleri bulunmaktadr. Herhangi bir kanunsuzlugun olmadg bu sitelerden hzl ve guvenli islem yaplabilmektedir. Tabi bu sitelerde uygulanan oranlar yasal olmayan sitelere gore daha dusuktur. Illegal sitelerin tercih edilme sebeplerinin en onemli etkeni de olusturulan oranlardr. Peki, Iddaa siteleri nelerdir? Faaliyetleri ve uygulama esaslar nelerdir?
Turkiyede faaliyet gosteren yasal iddaa siteleri listesi su sekildedir;
Iddaa
Bilyoner
Tuttur
Birebin
Oley
Nesine
Misli
Iddaa
2004 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslayan Iddaa Spor toto tarafndan kurulmus olup, ilk etapta bayilik seklinde calsmaya baslamstr. Elbette zamanla gelisen teknolojiye ayak uydurarak internet uzerinde de populer bahis severlerin hizmetine sunulmustur. Kuruldugu donemde devletin resmi kurumu olarak faaliyet gosterirken gelinen yeni donemde ozellestirilmistir.
Bilyoner
Turkiyede faaliyetine 2006 ylnda baslayan Bilyoner ilk ozel yasal bahis sitesi olma ozelligine sahiptir. Guvenilir bahis siteleri Turkiyede bunlardr. Ksa surede populer olan site halen faaliyetlerini sorunsuz sekilde surdurmektedir.
Tuttur
Ksa surede adndan bahsettirmeyi basaran Tuttur 2009 ylnda faaliyetlere baslamstr. Guvenilir bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almstr. Gunumuze dek bircok alanda populer bahis yapanlara frsatlar sunarken avantajlar ile de begeni toplamstr.
Birebin
Kullanc odakl calsmalar surdurse de 2011 ylnda sektore giren Birebindiger sitelere gore daha az ragbet gormektedir. Bahis oynamak ise bu sitede oldukca kolaydr. Elbette farkl yaklasmlara sahip olmasndan dolay ilerleyen sureclerde adndan sklkla bahsettirecek gibi gorunuyor.
Oley
2009 ylnda Dogus yayn gruplarnn istiraki olarak kurulmus olup yasal olarak herhangi bir sorunu olmayan sitelerdendir. Bahis siteleri arasnda hzl cks yapms bir sitedir. Oley yapms oldugu yenilikler ile kullanclarn da dikkatini ksa surede cekmeyi basarmstr.
Nesine
Birbirini takip eden surecte Nesine de yine 2006 ylnda hizmet vermeye baslamstr. Yasal bahis siteleri arasnda yerini almay basaran firma ksa surede sevilen ve ragbet goren bir site olmustur.
Misli
2009 ylnda sektore cok hzl giris yapan Misli cok sayda reklam filmi ile on plana ckmay basarmstr. Internet uzerinden hem yasal hem de sorunsuz hizmet veren bahis sitelerinden bir tanesi olmustur.
Canl Bahis Siteleri Kayt ve Uyelik Islemleri
Her zaman populerligini koruyan ve surekli gelisim gosteren canl bahis gun gectikce daha da gucleniyor. Bahis oynamak icin ise sitelere uye olunmas gerekir. Yuksek getirisi ve begeni toplayan faaliyetleri ile cok sayda site bu alanda faaliyet gostermektedir. Elbette sorunsuz sekilde uye olmanz ve faaliyetler gostermeniz de oldukca kolaydr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri dakikalar icerisinde gerceklestirilecek yapya sahiptir.
Uye olacagnz siteyi belirledikten sonra siteye girmeniz gerekmektedir. Girdiginiz sitenin ana sayfasnda uye ol ya da kayt ol bolumu bulunacaktr. Siteler arasnda degiskenlik gosteren bu alanda temel unsurlar bulunmaktadr. Elbette farkllklar olsa da temelinde benzer bilgiler uye olmak isteyen kisilerden talep edilmektedir.
Uye ol bolumune tkladktan sonra karsnza uyelik bilgi formu ckacaktr. Bu formda sizin kim oldugunuzu ogrenmek ve sitenin guvenligini saglamak adna islemler yaplmaktadr. Uyelik formunda yer alan ad soyad bolumunu eksiksiz ve dogru sekilde doldurmalsnz. Sizden bu formda istenen bilgilerin tamamn girmeniz istenecektir. Istenen bilgiler mutlaka dogru ve eksiksiz sekilde olmaldr. Eksik veya hatal bilgi uyelik islemlerinde sorun teskil edebilir. Yine de yanls bilgi girisine ragmen uyelik islemleri tamamlanabilir. Fakat boyle bir yol izleyenler sonrasnda buyuk skntlarla karslasabilirler. Bu skntlarn basnda da para cekme islemlerinde yasanan sorunlardr.
Uyelik islemleri dikkatli ve ozenle doldurulmas gereken yapdadr. Canl bahis siteleri kayt ve uyelik islemleri gerceklestirilirken verilen bilgiler site yonetimi tarafndan muhafaza edilmektedir. Herhangi bir sekilde 3. Sahslarla paylaslmas gibi bir durum soz konusu degildir. Bu faaliyetleri surduren sitelerin guven unsurlar arasnda bu nokta onceliklidir.
Bahis sitelerine uye olurken hatal bilgi paylasmnda bulunmak size faydadan cok zarar verecektir. Diyelim ki bilgileri hatal girdiniz ve uyelik onayland. Uyelik tamamlandktan sonra siteye para yatrdnz ve kazanc elde ettiniz. Kazancnz sonrasnda hesabnza almak istediginizde karsnza banka bilgileri bolumu gelecektir. Para cekme talebi gerceklestikten sonra site uyelik bilgileri ile banka hesap bilgileri ortusmez ise paranz alamazsnz. Boyle bir durumla karslasmamak adna bu hususa ayrca dikkat etmelisiniz.
This part of the world is eager and ready to support foreign investment and new business opportunities. We are excited to announce our new services in Madagascar, Pakistan and Bahrain.
ENCINITAS, CA, June 28, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- "One of the hottest places to expand business is the Middle East. We have expanded our reach to provide support in this rapidly expanding region in addition to our existing presence in Asia and the UAE. Companies are looking to leverage their value, move quickly and stay light on their feet while seeking to consolidate support under one umbrella, which is exactly what we offer as well as providing a single point of contact," said Tiger-Consulting Founder & CEO, Neil Satterwhite.
Working with a different provider in each country or region can be taxing and cost-prohibitive to strategic expansion. Through its own regional offices and by collaborating with strategic partners worldwide, Tiger-Consulting offers regional expertise and local support, while clients continue to enjoy the luxury of working with just one Tiger Consulting account manager.
"The Middle East is a thriving region. There is a tremendous opportunity awaiting businesses that are committed to expanding their reach into the region. This part of the world is eager and ready to support foreign investment and new business opportunities. We are excited to announce our new services in Madagascar, Pakistan and Bahrain. We look forward to continuing our expansion throughout the region. We will help our clients with the complexities of international expansion," added Satterwhite.
Tiger-Consulting Asia has been doing business in Asia for 25+ years. The firm provides HR, payroll and business support to 300+ businesses, spanning industries including IT, Telecom, Social Networking, Travel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Recruitment, Finance, Pharmaceuticals and Gas & Oil.
About Tiger-Consulting Asia
Tiger-Consulting is committed to making expansion and management of Asian and UAE operations easier for international businesses. Tiger Consulting's HR, Payroll, employment and business support services are managed by experienced teams on the ground in 19 countries: Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, UAE, Madagascar, Pakistan, Bahrain and USA. Through strategic partners, the firm also supports clients around the world.
# # #
Jun 28, 2016 | By Tess
Wevolver, an online platform for sharing and collaborating on open hardware projects, has featured some really cool 3D printable projects in the past, such as this open-source motorcycle with 3D printed parts. Recently, the webplatform has released a number of new 3D printed robotics projects that are sure to get makers gears going.
First up is this awesome 3D printable Ghost in the Shell Hexapod Tank, inspired by the popular Japanese franchise. The 3D printed Hexapod Tank was developed by Lithuania based Paulius Liekis who, as a huge fan of the animated cult film, wanted to recreate the tank from the final battle in the movie. Inspired by the animated machines capability of combining animalistic movements with mechanical ones, Liekis set out to create his very own 3D printable robot. The final robotic and 3D printable tank design, which resembles a sort of spiderbot, can be powered by a Raspberry Pi and can be controlled by a PS3 joystick. Additionally, according to Liekis the robot has some autonomous functionalities as well, like detecting and tracking faces.
The impressive Ghost in the Shell inspired 3D printed robot, which apparently moves like no hexapod has moved before, took Liekis about four months worth of full-time work to complete, which he did over the course of 2.5 years.
Not a big fan of GITS? Perhaps these AI.FRAME mini humanoid robots will tickle your fancy. Designed and developed by Shenzhen-based Zebo Sun and Jaiqi Hu, the small robots are versatile, adaptable, and customizable, a perfect project for a dedicated maker. The AI.FRAME Apollo robot (pictured below) consists of 16 metal microactuators, smart servos, a laser cut acrylic sheet skeleton, and 3D printed fuselage. 3D printing can also be used to make a customized shell for the humanoid robot if you want it to feature your name or a logo for instance.
The AI.FRAME 3D printable robots are easy to use and can be controlled by either a game controller, a smartphone, or Wildflower, a custom 3D printed device that allows users to control the robots movements through their own body movements. The versatile robot can also be programmed to perform 10 pre-set motions, and can be programmed to do over 300 individual motions for a wide variety of movements. Full details for electronic and software specifications can be found here.
Last, but definitely not least, is the IMA Juno, a beginner 3D printable robot designed by Canada based startup Explore Making. Explore Making was founded by Catherine Anderson and Noah Li-Leger with the express goal of designing accessible and beginner-friendly maker projects. Their IMA Juno robot is the perfect example of this as it provides not so experienced makers with a solid introduction to 3D printing, Arduino coding, and robot electronics.
By simply following Explore Makings simple step-by-step instructions makers will find themselves creating an easy to use and adaptable 3D printed robot. The IMA Juno can be controlled through an Android app for either smartphones or tablets and can even be updated and customized once the basic design is achieved. Additionally, most of the parts needed for it can be 3D printed on any desktop 3D printer with a print bed of at least 125 x 100mm. No supports are needed for the 3D printed components, and they should be printed at a maximum resolution of 200uM.
Depending on your level of expertise, you could make any of these 3D printed robots thanks to Wevolvers open-source ethos and the talent of the aforementioned developers. Be sure to get printing!
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
chris102 wrote at 6/29/2016 8:14:47 AM:cool robots.
Jun 28, 2016 | By Tess
The 2016 edition of AM Show Europe in Amsterdam has launched today, where guests and exhibitors are sure to see the latest and greatest of 3D printing technologies. Among the exciting unveilings of the exhibition, which lasts until June 30th, is ColorFabbs newest metal filament, steelFill.
The Dutch 3D printing filament company, which launched its first metal filament in 2014 with bronzeFill and has since expanded its collection with brassFill, noticed that their series of metal filaments was lacking in variety. To remedy this, ColorFabb has developed steelFill, which has been designed for optimal performances on the Ultimaker 2, Makerbot Replicator 2, and others.
The product, which will be launching at AM Show Europe in Amsterdam, will be available to consumers through ColorFabbs webshop this summer, as well as through their distributors and resellers. According to the company, their range of metal filaments possess the highest loads of metal particles compared to competing filament products.
In addition to their newest steelFill filament, ColorFabb has a host of exciting projects that will be showcased at Amsterdams RAI center over the next couple days. These include simultaneous printing on five 3D printers, including the Stacker S4 printer, which will reportedly be released later this summer and boasts a large build volume and can print four parts at the same time.
If you stop by ColorFabbs stand, located in Hall 4 of the exhibition center, youll also be sure to see some pretty impressive prints. Among them is a massive Saturn V Rocket 3D printed from ColorFabbs nGen filament. Korneel Bullens, a user of ColorFabbs filament and one of the Netherlands most productive 3D Hubs suggested the ambitious 3D printing project for the occasion of AM Show Europe in Amsterdam.
He explains, When nGen was launched and news reached us of the Additive Manufacturing Europe show which was to be held in the home country of colorFabb, it was clear something big had to be done.. and what better way to celebrate a launch then to print the object where many had failed.. A Saturn V rocket with launch platform and gantrynGen was the material of choice because of its flexibility, durability, ease of printing and lack of warping. Since this build consists of both huge parts as well as very small parts, a material that could cope with all these different materials was found in nGen.
The impressive rocket ship took over 3500 hours to print and build, a feat which was done by four Ultimaker 2+ printers. ColorFabb will also be showcasing some more of its recent materials, such as colorFabb_XT and colorFabb_HT, which feature high heat resistance (up to 100 degrees Celsius) and are prime materials for advanced 3D printing projects. As a final bonus to their varied exhibition showcase, colorFabb will be offering clients a 10% discount on all of their filament spools, which can be redeemed with the discount code: AMSHOW2016.
If you happen to be in the Amsterdam area over the next couple days, be sure to check out AM Show Europe, and while youre at it, check out ColorFabbs extensive presentation.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
Maybe you also like:
Jun 28, 2016 | By Benedict
Innofil3D has unveiled the Innofil3D Professional Series, its latest product line, and PRO1, the first material in that line. The Professional Series materials will have properties suitable for functional prints, prototypes, or low volume production.
This week, Amsterdam becomes Europes additive manufacturing hotbed, with the Dutch capital hosting the Additive Manufacturing Europe trade show. The business-to-business event will showcase the latest in additive manufacturing solutions, 3D printers, and 3D printing materials. One company keen to promote its latest filament offering is Innofil3D, a Dutch materials specialist with over 25 years of experience in filament development and production. Innofil3D today unveiled its new Professional Series of materials at the trade show, with its PRO1 thermoplastic becoming the first material in the series.
Calling its latest range of materials Professional was, according to the company, not a decision taken lightly. Since the term implies an objective level of quality, as well as specific material attributes, Innofil3D had to ensure that the product being created could really deliver on its promise of professional usability. Being the first filament manufacturer to release standardized 3D printed part material data according to ISO 527, 179 and 178, the company has a proven track record in material science expertise, and believes its latest product to be its best yet.
If Innofil3Ds fact sheet is to be believed, its new PRO1 3D printing filament delivers notable advantages over its predecessors, including added speed, strength, versatility, and consistency. Users can expect to reduce their printing time by 30-80 percent, subject to printer limitations, when using their 3D printer at temperatures of around 220-230C. A modified flow enables to material to print extremely quickly at these temperatures, while also demonstrating a strength superior to that of printed ABS. According to Innofil3D, further tweaking of print settings enables a user to take total control of the print job taking place, with emphasis able to be placed on speed or surface finish.
For many 3D printer users, material selection is often a toss-up between PLA and ABS, with both common filaments offering particular advantages. According to Innofil3D, its new PRO1 material offers a best of both worlds solution, delivering the high-speed printability of PLA and the more rugged material properties typically associated with ABSactually surpassing the common materials on both counts.
Innofil3D had been keeping PRO1 under wraps until todays showcase in Amsterdam, but gave a handful of companies and academics an early release package for testing. I have to say that for me this is a game changer, said Juri Pranjic of 3Dworkbench, one of the early users of the material. Im really impressed about the speeds I achieved with this material. Printing at 70mm/s with a proper an good result is no longer a problem.
For those in the Amsterdam area, the Additive Manufacturing Europe show (above) continues until June 30, and will feature a number of talks, conferences, and product launches.
Posted in 3D Printing Materials
Maybe you also like:
Jon Day at n+1:
It began as an internal matter of party discipline. The offer of a referendum was a strategic decision made by the Conservative Party in the run up to last years general election. It was offered both as Prime Minister David Camerons concession to the eurosceptic wing of his own partywhich had been hammering him on the issue of EU membership from the shires of middle England for yearsand as a way of shoring up his nationalist credentials against the upstart band of blazer-wearing, spittle-spewing paranoiacs who call themselves the UK Independence Party.
Though they have one MP in the Commons (their leader Nigel Farage sits prettily in the European Parliament even as he rails against it) UKIP are more of a single-issue pressure group than a real political party. Nevertheless they have proved depressingly effective at whipping up anti-outsider sentiment: against Romanians and Bulgarians, against Turkey joining the EU, against Syrian refugees. It seemed as though they might well dilute the vote for the Toriesas well as for Labour, in some constituenciesduring the 2015 election, so that giving way on the question of an EU referendum made some sense for the Conservatives. Both major parties felt comfortable, if not compelled, to make immigration a campaigning issue.
more here.
Citis recent decision to move jobs from its offices in Hartford, CT to the Tampa Bay Area, means more than 100 local jobs for skilled workers. Positions vary from compliance analysts to various HR positions, management to IT.The number of employees being recruited by Citi to work in the Bay Area will grow as the company creates over 1,100 jobs by 2018 in exchange for approximately $15 million in incentives from the state of Florida and Hillsborough County.Our commitment to Florida is underscored by our decision to locate more of our U.S. employees here than in any other state, after New York, says Citi CEO Michael Corbat.Several vital business operational units are run out of Citis Tampa offices, including HR and accounting, as well as the companys anti-laundering department.4,500 employees provide client service and risk modeling at our center in Tampa, which is also a hub for our anti money laundering efforts, Corbat says.As part of the agreement Citi made with the state and Hillsborough, the jobs are expected to pay an average of $75,000.Corbat says that he not only hopes to bring jobs to the area, but plans to help local residents as well.Last year we provided more than $400 million in loans for affordable housing just here in Florida, he says. And we extended more than $200 million in credit and loans to thousands of small businesses across the state. Were proud of all the things weve done and will continue to do for our customers, clients and communities across the U.S. and around the world.To view the open positions at Citi, click here
Donald J. Trump
What will you do to make Social Security financially sound for future generations?
The key to preserving Social Security and other programs that benefit AARP members is to have an economy that is robust and growing. For too long Americans have had a great deal of uncertainty in their lives, and the reforms I will bring to D.C. will remove that uncertainty and will restore confidence in the American economy. First, I will work with Congress to pass and implement a comprehensive tax-reform plan. Aside from dramatically streamlining personal income tax by removing carve-outs for special interests and reducing the number of brackets, we will also seek to eliminate the alternative minimum tax and the death tax. The centerpiece of our tax-reform efforts will be on the corporate side, where we will lower the rate to 15 percent, allow repatriation of offshore capital at 10 percent, stop taxing returned earnings from overseas that have already been taxed, and allow 100 percent expensing for businesses. These reforms will apply to all business enterprises, not just the largest corporate giants.
Tax reform, however, will not be enough. We will need to renegotiate trade deals and impose budget discipline so that we can stop this reckless behavior that continues to increase our debt. We will move to repeal Dodd-Frank and the Affordable Care Act so as to bring market forces to bear that will increase competition and lower costs to consumers.
We will finally mount a campaign to attack fraud, waste and abuse in the government and will examine reducing the size of the federal workforce. We are spending too much money on enterprises that are of little added value in the lives of Americans.
Immigration reform will also allow us to save hundreds of billions of dollars a year in education, health care and public safety costs, while at the same time we will be increasing our security and lowering the threat of drugs in our society.
All of these initiatives are interrelated and will only be effective if we gain bipartisan support for initiatives that will benefit Americans of all ages and stations in life. If we are able to grow the economy, increase the tax base, bring capital and jobs back to the United States and encourage foreign direct investment, we will shore up our entitlement programs for the time being.
Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) has announced the commencement of piloting for continuous production of lithium carbonate under the second stage of their new test program at the Sileach(TM) pilot plant operated by ANSTO Minerals. The second stage of pilot testing will recover lithium carbonate and potassium salts from solutions generated during the previous pilot plant test.
LIT and PLS Establish Sileach Technology Joint Venture for Low-Cost Lithium Carbonate Production
Sydney, June 28, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium Australia NL ( ASX:LIT ) is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with Pilbara Minerals Limited ( ASX:PLS ) to jointly progress the development of LIT's 100%-owned Sileach(TM) process, which has been developed to recover lithium from spodumene concentrates.
Highlights:
- Lithium Australia and Pilbara Minerals agree to work together to investigate the suitability of LIT's SileachTM process to produce high-value lithium carbonate
- Subject to the success of pilot testing of concentrates sourced from Pilbara's Pilgangoora Project, the parties have agreed to establish the Sileach Joint Venture (SJV)
- Initial participation in the SJV will be 50/50
- SJV pilot testing of Pilgangoora and other concentrates to commence in the near future
- SJV's goal is to be a lowest quartile lithium carbonate producer
Subject to the outcome of series of testwork programs and feasibility studies, the agreement could pave the way for the formation of a 50/50 joint venture with Pilbara (the Sileach Joint Venture or "SJV"), which will aim to commercialise the Sileach(TM) process and investigate the viability of jointly developing a lithium conversion facility.
Such a facility, if it proceeds, would potentially source spodumene concentrate from Pilbara's 100%-owned Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project and could be used to process feed from other Pilbara lithium mineral producers by agreement of the joint venture partners.
The current preferred location of the processing plant is Port Hedland, WA, near Pilbara's Pilgangoora Project.
The agreement follows successful lithium extraction from spodumene by ANSTO Minerals (a division of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) in which lithium extractions of greater than 90% were achieved in as little as four hours.
Unlike conventional lithium recovery from spodumene, the Sileach(TM) process does not require roasting, resulting in a much more energy efficient process and potential to compete with the world's lowest cost producers.
COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM
The Sileach(TM) process has been successfully tested in the course of bench testing at a number of laboratories. The recent results from testing of concentrates from Pilgangoora, and other spodumene sources, have provided sufficient encouragement to consider pilot testing at the ANSTO Minerals facility, located at Lucas Heights in New South Wales.
In the event of successful testing at ANSTO Minerals, the SJV partners may then elect to proceed with construction of a larger-scale pilot plant, for which Port Hedland is currently the preferred location. The plant will be designed and constructed on such a scale as to be operating cost neutral, i.e. with the ability to recover costs through the production of commercial lithium chemicals and by-products.
Operation of the larger-scale pilot facility will be a milestone step in commercialisation of the Sileach(TM) process, and will be used do demonstrate the viability of the process for funding purposes.
THE SJV TRANSACTION
Obligations of the parties, under the terms of the agreement, are as follows:
Initial pilot tests at ANSTO Minerals
- LIT will cover the capital cost of pilot testing;
- PLS will supply the required spodumene concentrates for testing; and
- Operating costs for the tests will be split 50/50.
Large-scale pilot testing
- Plant designed to produce commercial lithium carbonate and recover by-products;
- LIT to cover capital cost of the plant;
- PLS to provide the spodumene concentrates; and
- Costs to be recovered as follows:
-- Firstly recovering capital costs;
-- Secondly recovering operating costs; and
-- Thirdly, paying PLS cost price for the spodumene concentrate.
Definitive Feasibility Study
Data generated from operating the large-scale pilot plant will be used to complete engineering design and feasibility investigations for the construction of a full-scale commercial Sileach(TM) processing plant. The Feasibility Study will be managed by LIT.
Commercial Sileach(TM) processing plant
In the event of a positive outcome of the Definitive Feasibility Study, the SJV will advance to commercial production, including finance and construction, on a 50/50 basis. The key terms of this joint venture will include:
- LIT will be the first manager of the SJV;
- PLS to provide feed to the SJV on a priority basis
THE BUSINESS CASE
The successful development of a commercial hydrometallurgical process to recover lithium from spodumene would place the SJV at the leading edge of the lithium industry. Unlike conventional processes, the Sileach(TM) process does not require a roasting step, therefore providing the potential to be much more energy efficient. Reduction of energy consumption, together with the potential to recover valuable by-product credits, may provide cost efficiencies which were not previously possible.
In assessing the suitability of the SileachTM process for use with Pilgangoora concentrates, the SJV's aim is to be in the lowest cost quartile for lithium carbonate production.
Managing director, Mr Adrian Griffin:
"The agreement with Pilbara Minerals is a very important step towards Lithium Australia's goal of becoming a lowest cost quartile lithium carbonate producer. Successfully combining PLS' Pilgangoora spodumene concentrates with the low-energy Sileach(TM) process has the potential to add enormous value to both parties and may allow the SJV to deal directly with the lithium chemical consumers, including the battery manufacturers. This is a great deal for LIT, PLS and for Western Australia's burgeoning lithium processing industry."
To view the release, please visit:
http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/J43147RQ
About Lithium Australia NL
Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) aspires to 'close the loop' on the energy-metal cycle. Its disruptive technologies are designed to furnish the lithium battery industry with ethical and sustainable supply solutions. Lithium Australias technology comprises the SiLeach(R) and LieNA(R) lithium extraction processes, along with superior cathode material production courtesy of VSPC Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Lithium Australia) and enhanced recycling techniques for battery materials. By uniting resources and the best available technology, Lithium Australia seeks to establish a vertically integrated lithium processing business.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has unveiled a new set of commercials targeting drunken driving and texting while driving.
The advertisements released Monday feature New Mexico State Police and dramatized scenes from fatal traffic crashes.
The ads are part of a push by the governors office to combat drunken driving and come before the start of the July 4th holiday weekend.
The ads will run in radio and television spots.
In November, the governors office announced a similar $300,000 ad campaign that featured police officers telling their stories about crashes caused by drunken drivers. Federal taxpayers funded those commercials.
LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. Sallie Keeling had seen enough photos of destruction over four days to know what to expect when she returned Monday to the fire-ravaged neighborhood where she and her husband had lived for 13 years.
Theres nothing, she said, covered in soot after digging through the rubble. Just ashes.
Keeling, 71, surveyed the devastated South Lake near Lake Isabella as evacuation orders were lifted in some nearby communities that suffered less damage from the wildfire that killed two people and destroyed 200 homes in the southern Sierra Nevada.
The fire grew to more than 70 square miles, but was it 40 percent contained as it burned in steep terrain south of Lake Isabella. Houses could be vulnerable if winds blow the fire back toward some of the communities in the popular recreation area, Fire Chief Brian Marshall said.
Theres still more threats out there, Marshall said. This is going to go down as the most destructive wildfire in Kern County history.
Cadaver dogs searched through the rubble of devastated neighborhoods for more possible casualties, though remains found over the weekend were identified as an animal, Kern County sheriffs spokesman Ray Pruitt said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. A man with two guns was arrested Sunday in a mandatory evacuation area, though further details werent available on possible charges he could face, Pruitt said.
The fire began Thursday and quickly exploded in dry brush and bore down on small communities of houses and mobile homes that surround Lake Isabella, a dammed section of the scenic Kern River popular for fishing, whitewater rafting and other outdoor activities.
Terrifying flames arrived with little warning and residents, many elderly, had to flee amid heavy smoke.
People were escaping barely within an inch of their lives, Marshall said.
The bodies of an elderly couple, apparently overcome by smoke, were found Friday. Their names have not been released.
In addition to the destroyed homes, another 75 were damaged.
The fire was the most damaging blaze in California, but it is just one of many that have burned large swaths of the arid West during hot weather.
Keeling poked through debris and twisted metal in a vain search for a safe-like metal box. She unearthed a charred jewelry box, but most everything else was a total loss, including a Chevy pickup truck and small car that sat on their axles nearby.
Her husband, Steve Keeling, said he inherited the house and the ashes of his parents remains had been inside. They always wanted to spend eternity in that place and now it seemed they would.
___
Melley reported from Los Angeles.
SANTA FE Republicans have filed a complaint against Democratic Secretary of State nominee Maggie Toulouse Oliver for a contribution that one political action committee gave another two years ago, alleging she violated campaign finance laws a claim Toulouse Oliver says is baseless.
The complaint, filed with Secretary of State Brad Winters office by state Rep. Zach Cook, R-Ruidoso, was publicized Monday by state Rep. Nora Espinoza of Roswell, the Republican running against Toulouse Oliver in the November general election.
The winner will fill out the remaining two years of the term of former Secretary of State Dianna Duran, who resigned from the office last year, pleaded guilty to misusing her campaign funds, and went to jail.
Cooks letter, dated June 22, cited an October 2014 contribution of $10,000 from Verde Voters PAC to another political action committee, SOS for Democracy, that was earmarked for a TV ad buy in support of Toulouse Oliver. She was running against Duran at the time.
The complaint says under state law that should be treated as a contribution to the candidate, in which case there were two violations: It exceeded contribution limits and was not reported by Toulouse Oliver.
This complaint is about a PAC-to-PAC contribution and has nothing to do with Maggie Toulouse Olivers campaign committee for secretary of state, responded the Democratic nominees campaign manager, Alan Packman.
Toulouse Oliver didnt receive the contribution, and is legally prohibited from coordinating with such independent expenditure committees, he said.
Republicans are falsely attacking Maggie because they are trying to cover up for the corrupt legacy of Republican former Secretary of State Dianna Duran, who pleaded guilty to violating the law, Packman said.
The allegations made by Cook were outlined in February in a blog posting on New Mexico Political Journal. The blog is edited by former state Sen. Rod Adair, a Roswell Republican who is Espinozas campaign manager.
Kari Fresquez, elections director in the Secretary of States Office, confirmed the complaint was received and said Toulouse Oliver would be asked to respond.
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday ruled resoundingly for abortion rights advocates in the courts most important decision on the controversial issue in 25 years, striking down abortion-clinic restrictions in Texas that are similar to those enacted across the country.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joined the courts liberals in the 5- to-3 decision, which said Texass argument that the restrictions were meant to protect womens health was merely cover for making abortions harder to obtain.
The Texas provisions required doctors who perform abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and ordered clinics to meet hospital-like standards of surgical centers.
The surgical center requirement, like the admitting-privileges requirement, provides few, if any, health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions, and constitutes an undue burden on their constitutional right to do so, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the majority.
Similar restrictions have been passed in other states, including Virginia, and now must be considered suspect.
Today women across the nation have had their constitutional rights vindicated, said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the Texas clinics. The Supreme Court sent a loud and clear message that politicians cannot use deceptive means to shut down abortion clinics.
The admitting-privileges requirement is already in place across most of Texas and has reduced the number of clinics from around 40 to around 20, abortion rights advocates say. They say the surgical-center requirement would have forced more closures, cutting the number of clinics to about 10.
Texas officials criticized the court decision for what they described as judicial overreach that will endanger innocent lives.
The decision erodes states lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women and subjects more innocent life to being lost, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said in a statement. Texas goal is to protect innocent life, while ensuring the highest health and safety standards for women.
Kennedy, the courts pivotal justice on abortion rights, assigned the opinion to Breyer. The courts liberal female justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, joined it.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented.
The outcome of the Texas case turned on an interpretation of the courts ruling nearly 25 years ago in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Written by three justices including Kennedy, it said states had a legitimate interest in regulating abortion procedures but could not impose an undue burden on a womans right to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability.
Included in the description of such a burden was unnecessary health regulations that have the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion.
Ginsburg joined Breyers opinion Monday but wrote separately to amplify its message, saying it fit within the courts previous rulings protecting abortion rights.
And she sent readers on a dictionary search and set a French phrase trending online with this: When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety. The phrase means, roughly, for lack of a better alternative.
President Barack Obama praised the ruling, saying that the restrictions in Texas harm womens health and place an unconstitutional obstacle in the path of a womans reproductive freedom.
We remain strongly committed to the protection of womens health, including protecting a womans access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future, Obama said in a statement released by the White House. Womens opportunities are expanded and our nation is stronger when all of our citizens have accessible, affordable health care.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch vowed that the Justice Department will continue to defend the constitutional rights of women across America including the right to reproductive freedom.
The outcome would almost surely have been 5 to 4 had Justice Antonin Scalia not died in February, and Thomas quoted his friend in his dissent. Mondays decision exemplifies the courts troubling tendency to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue, Thomas wrote, quoting a Scalia dissent in a different case.
Alito also objected to the majority and read parts of his dissent from the bench to emphasize his disagreement.
This is an abuse of our authority, Alito said, holding up the thick packet of regulations. The court had no authority to strike down perfectly legal provisions.
Alito and Roberts contested the majoritys findings that the law had been the reason so many abortion clinics in Texas closed and also complained that the court had relaxed its usual strict rules about bringing challenges to the Supreme Court in order to strike down the Texas law.
They would have preferred to return the case to lower courts to tailor a more limited remedy that would have kept at least part of the law on the books.
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, called the decision a victory for women in Texas and across America in a message posted on Twitter. She also said that despite the ruling, the fight over abortion access will continue into the next presidency and beyond.
This fight isnt over: The next president has to protect womens health, Clinton wrote in the tweet, which was signed to designate it was written by her rather than a staffer. Women wont be punished for exercising their basic rights.
Clintons likely Republican general-election opponent, Donald Trump, did not publicly react to the ruling Monday morning, and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After winning the favorable ruling, Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and chief executive of Whole Womans Health, the plaintiff in the case, said the group has to figure out whether and how its Texas centers can reopen. Miller said leases on centers have expired and licenses have been surrendered to the state. Money must be raised to acquire new equipment, and rebuilding the infrastructure of providers across Texas will take a good deal of time.
The courts decision concerned two parts of a Texas law, HB 2, passed by the Republican-dominated Texas legislature the fiery debate over the law brought Democrat Wendy Davis to prominence and signed in 2013 by then-Gov. Rick Perry (R).
Northup and the clinics said the requirement that clinics meet surgical-center standards was prohibitively expensive and impossible to meet in some instances. They also said the requirement that doctors have hospital admitting privileges could not be met in many places, simply because doctors who perform abortions do not send enough patients to hospitals to get the designation.
Texas said it was motivated by the case of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia physician who ran a shoddy abortion clinic and was convicted of murder.
In his opinion, Breyer said Texas already had laws in place before 2013 that would have prevented such a situation.
A district court found the restrictions unconstitutional. But a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals deferred to the legislatures reasoning for passing the law.
Breyer said that was wrong.
The statement that legislatures, and not courts, must resolve questions of medical uncertainty is . . . inconsistent with this Courts case law, Breyer wrote. Instead, the Court, when determining the constitutionality of laws regulating abortion procedures, has placed considerable weight upon evidence and argument presented in judicial proceedings.
Among the evidence undermining the surgical-center requirement, Breyer said, is a finding that early-term abortions have a lower mortality rate five deaths in a decade in Texas than childbirth, which the state allows to take place at home, or procedures such as a colonoscopy or liposuction, which do not carry the surgical-center requirement.
Texas could also not show why doctors needed an admitting privilege to a local hospital, Breyer said.
When directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case, Breyer wrote.
Nonetheless, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, said it was exceedingly unfortunate that the court has taken the ability to protect womens health out of the hands of Texas citizens and their duly-elected representatives.
The justices took the case because courts across the country had split on the constitutionality of the clinic requirements.
An appeals court, for instance, found a Wisconsin law similar to the one in Texas unconstitutional. And enforcement of the restrictions has been a source of controversy elsewhere.
Virginia passed a law in 2011 that called for increased standards for clinics there.
But Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has targeted those restrictions since taking office in 2014. The state board of health, dominated by his appointees, took steps last year to reverse the mandates on abortion clinics to have transfer agreements with hospitals and to abide by strict construction and design standards. The board is slated to give the changes final approval at a September meeting. Meanwhile, clinics continued to operate under temporary waivers against new construction rules.
The restrictions could potentially be restored under a future Republican administration.
Moving forward, the statutes and restrictions really have a big question mark and red flags, said Progress Virginia Executive Director Anna Scholl.
Victoria Cobb, executive director of the Virginia Family Foundation, said in a statement that abortion rights advocates were exaggerating the effects of the Supreme Court ruling and said Virginias abortion restrictions were not as strict as the Texas laws.
No one can honestly say how this decision will apply to a very different set of facts in Virginia until a court decides how it applies, Cobb said. Prior to our law, Virginia had no standards for this industry. It is wholly unclear if the court believes a state should allow an industry to operate with no standards and no inspections to ensure access.
Maryland licenses and has specific requirements on abortion clinics, but state Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) said that neither of the restrictions that Texas sought to impose are part of Marylands abortion laws.
The Washington Posts Mark Berman, Fenit Nirappil, Katie Zezima and Bill Turque contributed to this report.
VIDEO:
The Supreme Court struck down key provisions in a strict Texas abortion law on June 27 that could have a ripple effect nationwide.
Journal Staff Writer
Local and national television personalities are joining with law enforcement and social service providers this week for a two-day summit targeting how the state can empower women and children.
The hope, summit organizer and state Attorney General Hector Balderas said, is to get New Mexico off of the worst-of lists for child poverty, truancy, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and violent crime.
Im just glad that these darker topics are getting talked about, Balderas said after the Protecting Tomorrow, Today summit launched Monday morning at Hotel Albuquerque. We are getting the stakeholders together to be part of the conversation.
Social service providers of mental health, education and housing joined with police officers, including from the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, to hear key speakers on domestic violence, community activism for women, financial literacy, campus sexual assault and internet crimes against children.
Balderas staff, who each year organize an education summit using federal grants funneled through the Public Education Department, this year invited CNN political commentator and strategist Maria Cardona to give the summits key address on Monday.
In a news conference, Cardona said politicians and law enforcement have to partner with social service providers to get great ideas turned into practical solutions to address the emotional needs and sometimes dire circumstances that keep women from caring for themselves and their families, and thriving as community members. She said the goal is to make sure women and other vulnerable populations know that there are allies who will help them navigate the very complicated map of resources that are out there.
Balderas said the traditional resources and structures in place to help vulnerable people are no longer meeting the communitys needs.
We need to make citizens aware they can no longer rely on the system, he said, adding that law enforcement can no longer keep us safe by traditional techniques.
That is why, he said, he hopes the summit, which ends today, will help make connections between community workers, police, government officials and businesses.
LAS CRUCES New Mexico State University regents voted Monday to trim employee benefits, including vacation time and health insurance, in a bid to cut expenses as the university struggles with declining enrollment and falling revenue.
The cuts apply to benefits given to all NMSU employees 2,259 systemwide, including 850 faculty members while new hires will be afforded a less generous benefits package than current employees will have, even after the cuts.
Current employees will get 20 vacation days annually instead of 22, and in most circumstances, wont be able to cash out unused sick leave when they leave a university job. They get to keep their retiree health care plan and can still carry forward 240 hours of vacation time each year. Faculty members dont get annual leave, because they are nine-month employees.
New employees will earn their vacation over time, with annual leave starting at 12 days, rising to 17 days and 20 days with additional years of service. They wont be eligible for retiree health care or be able to cash out sick leave when they quit. Newly hired part-time employees wont be offered health insurance benefits.
The decision comes during a quiet period on campus, with most students and many professors gone for the summer. The cuts take effect Friday.
The union that represents about 960 NMSU workers, not including faculty members the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees agreed to the cuts, which will be folded into the union contract. The Employee Council, which acts as an advocate for professional employees and staff, also agreed to the reductions.
Regent Amanda Lopez Askin said the cuts were the result of very tough decisions.
I see employees working in 100-degree heat to make sure our landscaping looks perfect and amazing, she said during the regents meeting. These are the things I think of when I think of employees sacrificing some of their benefits to right this ship.
NMSU is working to slash $12.1 million to bring the university system budget to $565 million for fiscal 2017 an increase from previously estimated cuts of $10.7 million.
Like the University of New Mexico and other state institutions of higher education, NMSU has faced years of enrollment declines and recent, sharp reductions in state funding. And, earlier this year, NMSU regents refused to raise tuition for fiscal 2017.
A shrinking student body means less revenue. Fall 2015 enrollment at NMSU dipped 2 percent to 15,490 students on top of a 13 percent decline in enrollment over the previous five years. Likewise, state funding cuts precipitated by a sharp drop in oil and gas revenues also hurt NMSU this year.
Employee reactions to the cuts varied, said Monica Dunivan, chairwoman of NMSUs Employee Council.
We have employees that have that Aggie pride and they say, Anything for the cause, she said. We do have very good benefits, and a lot of people know that, and they come here to work for less pay for the benefits. Now people are saying, Our benefits are being affected. So you have the other side, (people who) are very unhappy that benefits are being cut and are looking to leave. I think that is a small portion versus the portion that have that Aggie pride and are willing to stick it through the storm.
Regent Kari Mitchell voted in favor of the cuts but said the attention to budget cuts should be met with equal attention to increasing enrollment and retaining students through graduation.
We get ourselves out by enrollment, retention, getting students to market to create an economy, and thats how we ultimately solve this problem, she said.
LAS CRUCES A jury trial got underway Monday for one of two former Las Cruces police officers accused of using excessive force on a detainee in a holding cell incident that was captured on surveillance video.
The incident happened more than 16 months ago at the Las Cruces Police Department headquarters and spawned two criminal cases against former officers Richard Garcia and Danny Salcido, who are both facing aggravated battery charges. They are accused of beating a handcuffed man inside the holding cell. Both have pleaded not guilty.
The man, Ross Flynn, who was taken into custody on Dec. 23, 2014, after an incident in which he was accused of threatening a woman with a firearm, has since filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Las Cruces and LCPD, and is seeking a multi-million dollar settlement.
Garcia and Salcido were fired from LCPD in May 2015, about three months after the video of the incident became public. Garcias case is the first to be tried before a Dona Ana County jury. His trial began Monday afternoon in Las Cruces District Court before Chief District Judge Fernando R. Macias.
After opening arguments, special prosecutors Nicholas Gilbert and Jason Yamato, both of the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office, called Flynn to testify and introduced the surveillance video as evidence.
Flynn, now 49, returned the witness stand Monday as a victim. In April, he stood trial in a related criminal case as a defendant accused of assault and resisting arrest. He was acquitted on two assault charges, but was convicted on the resisting charge. He was sentenced to 364 days of unsupervised probation.
Flynn on Monday appeared visibly nervous while on the stand and told jurors that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that he said makes it difficult for him to be in public.
Flynn also told jurors that he suffers from chronic lower back pain, which he said he mentioned to several officers on the evening he was detained at an apartment complex in Las Cruces. After being shot by a Taser and kicked in the chest by officers, he said he was handcuffed from behind and placed inside a police unit, where he was kept for about 45 minutes before he was transported to LCPD.
By the time I was taken to the LCPD holding area, I was in extreme pain, he said.
In the surveillance video, which was played as Flynn testified, he can be seen lying on the floor and arching his back in apparent attempts to alleviate his back pain. At one point, a transport officer, Todd Tellez, who also testified on Monday, can be seen placing a belly chain on Flynn. The chain, Tellez said, was meant to help reduce Flynns back pain.
But the pain persisted, Flynn said.
Frustrated and in pain, Flynn said he walked over cell door and kicked it to get the attention of any nearby officers. Garcia and Salcido were in the cell area, he said, and one of them told him to shut up or Ill be chained to the bench.
My response was flippant, he said, adding that he told the officers, Go ahead and chain me.
Thats when he said Garcia and Salcido entered the cell.
Next thing I know, the doors open, he said. Officer Garcia takes me by my right arm, and then Salcido gets a running start at me. They bounce me back and forth off the wall. He described the incident as an attack.
He said he was slammed against the cell wall and was bent over in a 90-degree angle and received four or five knee strikes throughout his upper body from Garcia.
In his opening remarks, prosecutor Gilbert said Flynns skull was fractured in two places and he sustained a brain hemorrhage, in addition to multiple contusions. Gilbert said Flynn suffers memory loss as result of brain injuries.
All you really need is a pair of eyes and common sense to see the defendants actions were brutal, Gilbert told jurors.
Garcias attorney, Jess Lilley, of Las Cruces, urged jurors to judge the case based on the entire picture. He said Flynn caused the encounter with officers to spin out of control. And he maintained that the knee strikes were used as a compliance technique.
The trial went into recess Monday afternoon before Yamato was able to complete his direct-examination of Flynn. Lilley will cross-examine Flynn when the trial resumes Tuesday.
Carlos Andres Lopez can be reached 575-541-5453, carlopez@lcsun-news.com or @carlopez_los on Twitter.
2016 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
_____
Editors note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the amount of the cash deal for purchase of IntelliCyt.
The German pharmaceutical firm Sartorius AG has acquired one of New Mexicos homegrown high-tech startups, IntelliCyt Corp., for $90 million.
The deal, one of the largest such acquisitions of a homegrown Albuquerque-based startup, is great news for IntelliCyt which will continue to operate in New Mexico with its current 55-employee workforce and for continuing to build the local startup economy, said Lisa Kuuttila, president and CEO of the University of New Mexicos Science and Technology Corp., UNMs technology transfer office.
UNM originally licensed the technology for IntelliCyt, which sells super-fast cytometers, or cell meters, for medical discovery. The company launched in 2006. It further developed the UNM technology into a marketable product, and then built the firm into an established company with $13.4 million in sales in 2015 and projections of $18 million in 2016.
Were very excited, Kuuttila said. This is one of our earliest startups. Were thrilled it managed to get to this point.
Numerous local and out-of-state venture capital firms invested in the company over the years, including the Verge Fund in Albuquerque, New Mexico Community Capital and Village Ventures.
UNM also holds a significant stake in IntelliCyt through STCs licensing contract with the company. That stock will now be cashed out, Kuuttila said, although its not yet clear how much the university will earn for its shares.
It took ten years of development to reach an exit with this company, Kuuttila said. It shows the patience needed to launch and build successful businesses, and the broad support infrastructure that weve built up in New Mexico over the years to help startups succeed.
The company started out with self-funding from the founder and CEO, Terry Dunlay, and originally launched in one of the incubator spaces provided by the STC, Kuuttila said.
Its a shining example of how many different parties and organizations it takes to have successful exits like this, and now much of the money that was invested will come back into the community to help build more promising projects, Kuuttila said. Thats how we build and grow our ecosystem. This provides a great role model for other entrepreneurs to follow who are thinking about doing projects here themselves.
Dunlay could not immediately be reached for comment. But in a prepared statement, he said IntelliCyt has built a powerful platform that seamlessly allows the cytometer to process tissue samples in concert with high-tech analysis software.
The technology allows medical researchers and lab technicians to screen far more cells at a much faster pace than other cytometers on the market 30 to 40 times faster, according to the company.
Before IntelliCyt launched its technology, standard commercial cytometers slowly fed tissue samples one at a time through a flow-through channel for screening in the system. But the company mechanized and automated that system to feed far more samples at extremely fast speeds into the cytometer, allowing much more screening to take place with less time and at reduced costs.
Novel cell screening methods are crucial to enable scientific progress in the fast-expanding research areas of immuno-oncology, antibody discovery and immune targets, said Sartorius CEO Joachim Kreuzburg in a prepared statement. IntelliCyt has developed a powerful platform that integrates instruments, reagents and software seamlessly across the workflow. This is a great addition to our laboratory portfolio.
Founded in 1870, Sartorius is a leading provider of pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment worldwide. The company reports about 1.1 billion Euros (about $1.5 billion) in annual sales. It operates in 110 countries with a 6,200 global workforce.
Sartorius financial and market strength will help IntelliCyt grow in coming years, Dunlay said.
By coupling the global market presence and strong infrastructure at Sartorius with IntelliCyts enabling cell analysis platform, we will be better able to deliver volume to our customers, further penetrate our core markets, and grow the business to the next level, Dunlay said in a prepared statement.
DALLAS Three crew members were missing and one was hurt Tuesday after a head-on train collision in the Texas Panhandle that caused several box cars to erupt in flames and led authorities to evacuate residents in the area.
The two BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track when they collided near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo. Each train carried two crew members; one man jumped before the collision, according to BNSF spokesman Joe Faust.
That man was in stable condition at an Amarillo hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, said Sgt. Dan Buesing of the Texas Department of Public Safety. His identity wasnt available. Because the fire was still burning Tuesday night, crews had not been able to search the wreckage for the three missing crew members, Buesing said, adding that crews are still pouring water on the fire.
Freight cars and containers were derailed and strewn for about 400 yards from the collision site, Buesing said. As nightfall approached, floodlights were being brought in as efforts to quell the flames and search for the missing crew members was expected to continue well into the night, he said.
Its not clear how fast the trains were traveling when they collided, but the speed limit in that area is 70 mph, Faust said. It also wasnt clear why the trains were on the same track. The rail cars were holding a variety of consumer goods, Faust said.
I dont know how anyone survived, said Billy Brown, a farmer in the area who saw a fireball after the collision. Its terrible. Ive seen a number of train wrecks but Ive never seen one like this.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site.
BNSF has pledged to meet a 2018 federal deadline to adopt technology, called positive train control or PTC, that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits. At least three freight railroads have said theyll need an extension to 2020.
Faust said in a statement later Tuesday that the West Texas collision is the type of accident PTC can prevent and that BNSF is aggressively pursuing it across our network.
While sections of the track operated by the eastbound train involved in this accident have PTC installed and are being tested, the section of track where the incident occurred will be installed later this year, he said in the statement.
Its not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck thats struck by a freight train, Buesing said, but the magnitude of Tuesdays accident was startling.
Officials in Panhandle ordered an evacuation of some nearby areas out of concern the flames would cause a fast-moving grass fire, the Amarillo Globe-News reported, but Buesing said that residents later returned to their homes and were told to shelter in place and monitor wind conditions. Officials also asked residents to curtail water use because the water supply is being depleted by firefighters at the scene, according to KVII-TV in Amarillo.
Tuesdays accident is at least the second in recent years involving BNSF trains striking one another. In September 2013, three were involved in a wreck near Amarillo that injured five crew members, according to an NTSB report. The federal agency in that incident faulted the crew in one train for improperly proceeding past a signal and striking the rear of a stationary train, and cars that derailed were then struck by a train passing in the opposite direction.
___
Associated Press writers Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
DENVER With last-minute appeals to Colorados Republican voters, five candidates sought the top prize in Tuesdays primary: The right to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, once considered among the most vulnerable of Senate Democrats but stronger now with millions in the bank.
Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha and El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn sought the partys conservative vote, while Jack Graham, a GOP newcomer and retired Fort Collins businessman, staged a self-funded advertising blitz to appeal to the partys moderate wing.
Also in the running were Aurora businessman Ryan Frazier, a self-described conservative libertarian, and former state Rep. Jon Keyser, once considered a GOP establishment favorite.
Bennet has benefited from the fractious GOP campaign, raising millions of dollars and airing positive campaign ads.
First appointed to the Senate in 2009, Bennet was considered a top GOP target this election in a swing state where independent voters outnumber both registered Republicans and Democrats. In 2014, Coloradans ousted Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, choosing GOP Rep. Cory Gardner, who moderated his conservative views on abortion.
The Republican contenders hammered away at Bennets support for President Barack Obamas Iran nuclear deal, health care overhaul and call to close Guantanamo Bay with Colorado a possible destination for its detainees. All ran as outsiders attacking dysfunction and prolonged incumbencies in Washington.
And all sought name recognition after U.S. Reps. Mike Coffman and Scott Tipton, among others, passed on the race.
Glenn sought the Christian conservative vote, winning late endorsements from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the yea party-aligned Senate Conservatives Fund, which poured money into his run.
Blaha ran on a succeed or leave plank, pledging to come home after one term if he didnt make progress on illegal immigration, a complicated tax code and the debt and deficit.
Graham broke ranks by saying Obama Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland should get a Senate hearing. He called for a balanced budget amendment while condemning dogma and ideology paralyzing Washington.
Frazier, a self-described conservative libertarian, and Keyser, an Iraq and Afghanistan combat vet, decried the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark agreement reached nearly a year ago that lifted sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing its uranium enrichment program.
Colorados GOP Senate race was the only statewide contest. Voters also picked candidates for seven congressional districts, all 22 district attorneys offices and dozens of state legislative seats.
Primary day also featured a Denver campaign stop by Hillary Clinton, who responded to a House Benghazi committee report Tuesday into the 2012 attack that killed four U.S. citizens. Clinton said it found nothing nothing different from previous investigations. The committee produced no new allegations about Clinton.
___
James Anderson can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jandersonap .
ANCHORAGE, Alaska Officials say two hikers rescued after failing to return on time from a trip into the Alaska wilderness are the latest to be saved after trying to reach an abandoned bus made famous by the book and film Into the Wild.
Search and rescue crews located Michael Trigg of South Carolina and Theodore Aslund of Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. Officials say they were uninjured and in good condition, KTUU-TV in Anchorage reported (http://bit.ly/292F8q3).
The two hikers, who started their trip June 20, had made it to the bus but tried taking a shortcut in Denali National Park on their way back when they realized they were running late.
Trigg and Aslund had instructed friends in a post on Facebook before their trip to alert rescuers if they had not returned by Friday. Concerned friends reached out to National Park Service rangers that day.
A group of more than 20 people and one helicopter had joined in the search for the hikers.
Each year, multiple people who attempt to visit the bus under-prepared are rescued by professional search and rescue personnel, according to the National Park Service.
The book by Jon Krakauer and movie directed by Sean Penn chronicled the life and death of Chris McCandless, 24, who hiked into the Alaska wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment and spent the summer living in the bus. McCandless was found starved to death in the bus almost four months later.
___
Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com
Former Albuquerque Public Schools deputy superintendent Jason Martinez was found not guilty on child sex assault charges Tuesday in Denver.
Former Albuquerque Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Jason Martinez was found not guilty of child sex assault charges Tuesday in Denver.
Martinez was acquitted of all four counts two for sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and two for sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse in a case that rocked APS and ended then-Superintendent Luis Valentinos short tenure almost a year ago.
The trial began June 14, and the jury started deliberations Friday. The jurors were off Monday because a juror had travel problems, and they reconvened this morning.
It was Martinezs second time defending himself against the charges. His first trial ended in October with a hung jury.
The 51-year-old former APS administrator had been accused of inappropriately touching two relatives, both boys under age 12, in 2013. On the stand, Martinez argued that the childrens mother was trying to shield herself from problems with Colorado social services.
His attorney said his client is enormously relieved at the acquittal.
We feel that justice was served in this case, said Leonard Martinez, who is not related to Jason Martinez. Unfortunately, he has had to go through a lot to basically prove his innocence, but the day has come when we finally were vindicated.
Before his legal issues, Martinez had been a respected administrator with deep knowledge of technology and curriculum. He worked at Denver Public Schools from 2002 to 2012, then went to publishing giant Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Valentino hired Martinez as his deputy last year, and he began the $160,000-a-year position that summer. At the time, Martinez was out on $50,000 bail and could not legally leave Colorado.
APS human resources did not immediately detect the criminal charges because Martinez repeatedly dodged a mandatory background check. He finally resigned Aug. 18.
Valentino, who had known Martinez for about five years through Latino educators conferences, denied any knowledge of the legal problems and fought to stay at APS.
The Board of Education held three closed-door meetings to decide the superintendents fate, ultimately giving him an $80,000 buyout and positive letter of reference Aug. 31.
Martinez still faces two counts of assault against two men in an unrelated domestic matter and remains out on bail. He is scheduled to appear in Denver District Court for a motions hearing Aug. 19.
Keyton Wayne Lieber, 37, of Las Cruces pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to the unlawful possession of a live grenade. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
New Mexico State Police officers found the grenade in Liebers residence in January while executing a search warrant. The NMSP Bomb Team and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were contacted to safely dispose of the destructive device.
During Tuesdays proceedings, Lieber pled guilty to possessing a destructive device, which was not registered to him. Court documents indicate that inquiry into the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record notified law enforcement that Lieber had no firearms or devices registered to him in the NFRTR.
Lieber remains in federal custody pending a sentencing hearing which has yet to be scheduled.
TUCSON, Ariz. A federal judge has unsealed photographs of several Border Patrol stations in Arizona, where advocates say migrants experience inhumane conditions while being held.
The documents were unsealed Monday. The Arizona Republic, which has sued to access them, first reported the decision.
The pictures show rusty toilets and dirty toilet paper on the floor.
A coalition of advocacy groups filed the suit a year ago claiming the Tucson Sector keeps holding cells extremely cold and dirty.
Judge David C. Bury issued sanctions against the Border Patrol in September over destruction of surveillance video evidence and the plaintiffs were then allowed to inspect four of the eight stations.
The Border Patrol says it does not comment on pending litigation. It has said in the past that it takes the safety and welfare of detainees seriously.
___
This story has been corrected to show the sanctions were issued in September, not November.
The financial and legal future of Albuquerque Rapid Transit remains unsettled even as the city prepares to begin construction later this summer.
A pair of budget proposals circulating in Congress threaten to leave ART without the full $69 million recommended by President Barack Obama in next years budget funding thats crucial to the project. The money would come through a Small Starts grant issued by the Federal Transit Administration.
A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would provide only $50 million for Albuquerque Rapid Transit, and a Senate proposal would shrink the pot of money from which projects like ART are funded.
Still, neither proposal is likely to become law without changes. Instead, federal officials often craft a broader spending plan later in the summer or fall a process that might continue past the Nov. 8 general election.
We have no reason to believe we wont get the full Small Starts funding, ART spokeswoman Joanie Griffin said Tuesday.
The city team working on Albuquerque Rapid Transit says no project in a similar position recommended in the presidents budget has ever failed to be offered the money eventually.
Opponents of the project also are challenging it in U.S. District Court. A hearing on whether to grant their motion to halt Albuquerque Rapid Transit is scheduled to begin July 27.
Shortly after the court hearing, city officials hope to receive a letter from the federal government authorizing the start of construction.
Crews would begin work in early August.
The $119 million proposal is a priority of Mayor Richard Berry. It would create a nine-mile network of bus-only lanes and bus stations in the middle of Central Avenue.
The goal would be to provide faster, more reliable bus service in the heart of the city and attract redevelopment along the old Route 66. Supporters say Albuquerque Rapid Transit buses would mimic a light-rail system, but at a much lower price, and the federal government would provide most of the funding.
Opponents say the project would choke traffic on Central and violate laws on environmental protection and historic preservation. They say construction and traffic problems would scare customers away, forcing businesses to close.
Restaurant group joins ART fight
The New Mexico Restaurant Association is joining the fight against Albuquerque Rapid Transit.
The association says 148 restaurants lie along the construction route.
If ART is built as designed, the group said in a news release, Albuquerque will have more diesel buses that connect to nowhere along a route that is already filled with empty buses.
The city, in turn, says its buses are often filled to capacity along Central Avenue and that fast, reliable transit service will make the area more pedestrian-friendly and attractive for redevelopment.
One lane in each direction would remain open during construction.
AUSTIN, Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued a non-binding opinion suggesting Fort Worth schools are violating Texas law with restroom guidelines for transgender students.
Paxton wrote Tuesday that policies announced last month by Texas sixth-largest school district relegated parents to a subordinate status since they were created without their proper input or consent.
A Republican, Paxton has previously said he thought the guidelines violated state education code. His written opinions arent legally binding, but this one reinforces his past statements.
It was sought by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has unsuccessfully demanded the resignation of Fort Worth Superintendent Kent Scribner.
Scribner didnt go through the school board when announcing the guidelines.
They allow transgender students access to single-stall restrooms. Alternatively, they can use restrooms when other students arent around.
DENVER A gunman walked into a busy downtown Denver office building and shot a person multiple times before turning the gun on himself, police said Tuesday.
The gunman was found dead when SWAT officers arrived, police spokesman Doug Schepman said. The female victim was critically injured and was undergoing surgery at a nearby hospital.
Schepman said the gunman targeted the victim, and detectives are trying to determine the connection between the two. Police have not released any names.
Officers went floor-by-floor to clear the Alliance Center, a building that houses several environmental organizations and provides shared workspaces. Other buildings were locked down, and people were asked to stay away from the area.
Nicole Arnone, who works for the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute on the third floor of the building, said she was listening to a conference call with earbuds when a co-worker tapped her on the shoulder and said, We just heard a few loud bangs and some screaming, and I think we need to go.
We debated whether to hide in the corner or run, Arnone said, and they decided to flee. She smelled smoke and thought it was either a fire or gunpowder, she said. Arnone spotted a shell casing in the stairwell as she fled.
Once outside the building, she ran away and flagged down an officer, who took her to a bus where witnesses were being held.
Jordan Peters, who works nearby and was having coffee next door at the time of the shooting, said she saw a swarm of people running from the area.
They were yelling that there was a man with a gun, that there was a shooter, she said. I got my stuff and ran in the opposite direction.
Office workers in the Alliance Center streamed out of a door with their hands in the air as armed officers secured the scene.
The Alliance Center is steps from the 16th Street pedestrian mall in the trendy LoDo neighborhood near a major transit hub and about four blocks from Coors Field.
___
Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report.
SANTA FE Cormac McCarthy, the 82-year-old novelist who is a trustee at the Santa Fe Institute and has a home in nearby Tesuque, is still among the living.
That fact was briefly in doubt in the Twitter universe Tuesday when a prankster tweeted in broken English, from a fake account that appeared to be associated with Alfred A. Knopf publishing, that McCarthy dies for (sic) stroke at 82.
USA Today subsequently tweeted breaking news that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy dies of stroke at 82, provoking a sad response from no less than another acclaimed writer, Joyce Carol Oates, who called McCarthys death a great loss. McCarthy is known for novels such as No Country for Old Men and The Road.
Penguin Random House, the parent company of McCarthys publisher, and other McCarthy representatives rushed to assure news organizations and the world that McCarthy is not dead. Penguin tweeted, Cormac McCarthy is alive and well and still doesnt care about Twitter.
In response to a Journal inquiry, a spokesman for the Santa Fe Institute said via e-mail, Cormac ignores all the nonsense on Twitter about him. The hoaxster was an Italian teacher who has made a habit of using fake Twitter accounts to make false reports of the deaths of other worldwide celebrities and who admitted his latest fake on Twitter after it had caused a stir Tuesday.
(Bloomberg) Oil-industry investor Morris Zukerman faces more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges of evading more than $40 million in taxes.
Zukermans plea comes just a month after prosecutors accused the 72-year-old of aggressively seeking to evade taxes beginning in 2007, falsely claiming millions of dollars in deductions and providing false information for IRS audits. He admitted to failing to report $28 million in profits from the sale of an oil company and repeatedly lying to his accountantsin one instance creating backdated documents to support his claim.
These statements to the court mark the start of the difficult and painful process of accepting responsibility for and redressing what I recognize as serious criminal wrongdoing, Zukerman told a judge in Manhattan federal court, pausing several times to compose himself. He said his guilty plea gives me an opportunity to repair some of the damage my actions have caused my family, my government, and the many friends, colleagues and business associates.
Amended Returns
Zukerman plans to file at least 80 amended tax returns before his Dec. 5 sentencing date, his lawyer, James Bruton, told the judge in a conference at the bench, adding, So when you see him next you will see a clean slate.
The tax lawyers are working feverishly, Bruton said. In addition to his guilty plea, Zukerman agreed to pay $37 million to the IRS in unpaid taxes.
Zukerman declined to comment after the hearing, but Bruton said his client is doing everything he can to do the right thing.
Zukerman spent 16 years at Morgan Stanley, at one point overseeing its energy practice. He started his own investment firm in the late 1980s, M. E. Zukerman & Co., and his firms partners have included ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Kinder Morgan Inc. He endowed a Harvard sociology professorship and collected dozens of expensive paintings, including works loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Artwork Scheme
The indictment alleged that Zukerman shipped paintings to addresses in Delaware and New Jersey to evade New York state sales tax on artwork that immediately went to his Park Avenue duplex in Manhattan. He didnt plead guilty to that charge but will pay restitution to New York state of $4.6 million.
Zukerman also took a charitable deduction for money he claimed was donated to a local conservation group in Maine to acquire land on Black Island, when in reality he had simply bought the land himself, according to his guilty plea.
He pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and another count of impeding the Internal Revenue Service.
The case is U.S. v. Zukerman, 16-cr-00194, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
By Joshua Krause
Other than politicians and the media, there is no other force in our society that is hated more and trusted less than the big banks. Between the bailouts that followed the crash of 2008, and the wealth confiscations that occurred in Cyprus a few years later, its become abundantly clear to everyone that the banks are run by criminals, and you cant trust them to hold onto your savings.
And if you ever needed another reason to be cautious about putting all of your savings into a bank, you should listen to what happened to Anna and Salvatore Russo. The couple opened a savings account with Chase Bank in 2002, and deposited $30,000, which was reduced to $25,000 after they made a withdrawal shortly thereafter. But with the exception of that withdrawal, they hadnt touched their bank account for years, in the hopes that they would collect interest on the money.
But when they decided to withdraw that money in 2014, it was gone. Anna Russo told CBS how she reacted when the bank told her that they had no record of her account. I said, theres got to be somebody in that bank that knows about my money, but nobody knows. They cant explain it, and they feel that they dont have any no obligation, even though we have a book, her husband added, referring to their own documents.
Chase eventually revealed that they have a record of their first deposit but nothing else, which is why the money is gone. We dont retain records for more than seven years and the customers have not been able to provide any documentation that proves their claims. So if you leave your money in a Chase bank for more than seven years, it ceases to exist apparently.
The Russos ordeal reveals another troubling aspect of the banking industry that most people arent aware of. Money that is left untouched for more than five years can be confiscated by the government. However, the bank is supposed to send you a letter before this happens, which the Russos never received. The government has no record of receiving their money either. It literally disappeared.
Its often been said that when you put your money in the bank, it no longer belongs to you. Now it can be said that when you put your money in the bank, it no longer exists.
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshuas reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshuas website is Strange Danger.
In the wake of the Leave vote, Frost & Sullivan explains that organisations should use the new reality to influence the economy and society in a positive way.
The UK, Europe and the world face a new reality with the majority of British population voting to leave the European Union.
With the pound sterling plummeting to its lowest level in 31 years and the stock market falling sharply, what lies ahead? What will be the impact on companies and markets? What can be done to mitigate potential repercussions that Brexit will inevitably bring? Even more importantly, how can companies adapt to the important changes coming our way and identify new opportunities?
Frost & Sullivan is already working with its clients to assess, review and plan strategically for the future to create a positive impact on the economy and society.
As we all know, Brexit is likely to take a minimum of two years to materialise, with the process for withdrawal from the EU expected to start when Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon is triggered. Once the intention of separation is formalised, Britain will begin to negotiate withdrawal terms with EU member states on issues such as trade tariffs and the movement of UK and EU citizens, in effect laying the ground for its redefined relationship with the EU.
Senior Partner and Managing Director for Europe, Sarwant Singh, explained, It is important to note that during this interim period, Britain will still be subject to existing EU treaties and laws, but will be barred from decision-making processes. Therefore, existing regulations are likely to continue until negotiations are completed.
However, there is uncertainty regarding the path ahead, Singh added. This could trigger a dip in business sentiment and delays in FDI (Foreign Direct Investments). On a positive note though, Brexit could pave the way for Britain to expand trade relations with the rest of the world beyond EU, and this would especially help mitigate risks arising from excessive reliance on one trading partner.
Looking at the UK financial sector, Senior Partner Gary Jeffery admits that there may be risks if financial institutions lose passporting rights which presently allow for the sale of services across EU states without the need to secure local regulatory approval.
Britain could also see the departure of automotive plants from its shores if manufacturers cease to enjoy the benefits of tariff-free trade with the EU. Currency volatility could persist in the medium term given the uncertainty of the path ahead and if the devaluation sustains, we could see exports becoming more attractive, therefore benefitting UK based manufacturers.
Although the results are a cause for concern, one must remember that they also herald the mark of a new beginning for the UK, which will be influenced by a strong government policy and the success of negotiations with the EU and the rest of the world. We will have to wait and watch to see how the nations growth story unfolds.
Meanwhile, no long term impact of Brexit is seen in India. As Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, South Asia, remarked, I do not see any mid or long term impact of Brexit as far as India is concerned. Meanwhile, there may be some tumult in the short term due to a depressed business sentiment. This is because it may be a period of uncertainty and businesses abhor uncertainty, thereby impacting sentiment and advertising is directly influenced and often suffers when sentiment weakens. However, I dont expect this phase to last long. In fact, in the longer run, with the UK being free to strike its own trade deals with Asian markets, newer opportunities could open up for us in India. Probably a more immediate concern for India, far greater than Brexit, is the monsoon. After 2 years of poor rains, we need a good monsoon to trigger rural consumption. Since India is more of a domestic consumption story, a good monsoon will more than offset any volatility in sentiment caused by Brexit.
Kriti Sanon, who walked into the world of Bollywood with 'Heropanti' in 2014, has become a name to reckon in the industry. She dazzled the audience with her presence in Dilwale carving a niche for herself.
Being a fresh face in the industry, Kriti Sanon has been signed up as the brand ambassador of Oasis Tiles. Being the formidable force in the Indian tiles and Sanitary ware sector within a decade, Oasis Tiles has stormed into the top 10 club of the ceramic tiles companies in India. The company does not believe in selling mere products but instead creating experiences that leave the customers rejuvenated.
When asked why the brand felt the need for Kriti to promote it is when Shri. Sukhdev Patel, the chariman& MD of Oasis Tiles said, Kriti Sanon is a talented young actor. Much like the Brand Oasis, Kriti is stylish and vivacious. She has made a remarkable mark in the Bollywood industry with her two releases and has become a youth icon. Both Oasis and Kriti are growing fast and we definitely look at reaching greater heights together.
Kriti on the other hand, who feels her career has just taken off but yet has miles to go, is really excited with her engagement with Oasis brand. She adds, I like the fact that its so new, but still its been growing so fast & I absolutely love the collection. The color combinations are very refreshing. It's one of the best upcoming brands in India, just like me. I hope I bring bit of good luck, some positivity to the brand & I am really glad for this association.
The brand has already started shooting with Kriti and will have herappearing both in TVC as well as Print Campaigns for Oasis.
Micromax Informatics has embarked on a massive 360-degree campaign that challenges the notion of proficiency in English being an integral part of success. The campaign, themed Angrezipanti Ko Dikhao Angootha, draws inspiration from the fact that a lot of heroes in real life come from diverse cultural and regional backgrounds and have done exceedingly well in areas of sports, reality shows, and music, amongst others.
Conceptualised by Creativeland Asia, the campaign has been launched for the latest entrants in Micromaxs Canvas Unite Series - Unite 4 and Unite 4 pro, which enable the users to use their mother tongue with just a Swipe. As part of the entire campaign, Micromax has launched a TVC, which went on air on June 28, 2016, and a digital film with actor and comedian Kapil Sharma. In addition to this, the company has also associated with the upcoming Salman Khan starrer, Sultan.
With the thought that language will no longer be a communication barrier and colonialistic hangover or, as the brand has termed it, Angrezipanti is not a prerequisite to being successful, the new TVC defies the stereotype of regional language speakers. It strongly stands for embracing Indian languages and more importantly, empowering Indians to keep up with the rest of the world through new innovations in the mass smartphone category.
Kapil Sharma features in a digital film, wherein he takes pride in his preferred language Hindi. The film, with a pinch of humour, very strongly sends across a message about breaking through the un-coolness that is often associated with Indian languages over English.
As part of the association with the movie Sultan, a 30-second promo has been unveiled which features Anushka Sharma encouraging Salman Khan in the movie to not struggle with English and embrace his own language. The promo ends with subtle humour stating, Toh pachad do iss angrezipan ko, Naye Micromax Unite 4 series aur Sultan ke saath, Aurangrezipanti ko dikhao anghootha.
India is multi-lingual and multi-cultural country where English is one of the many languages spoken. Most smartphones had English as primary language of interface and hence, Micromax Unite (developed in 2014) series was designed with the vision to empower the non-English speaking India (using feature phones) and bringing them in-line with countrys initiative of Digital India. So far, over 2.5 million smartphones have been sold till date.
Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax Informatics, commented, Micromax is an early mover that was quick to realise that language is a massive roadblock in the adoption of latest technology in the smartphone market. We decided to develop the Unite series after observing smartphone users in India, who often struggle with an English user interface, and an absence of language support in a pro consumer way. Hence, taking ahead the legacy of our most successful smartphone series the Unite Series, Micromax Unite 4 and Unite 4 pro are designed to enable users to break free from the language barrier in being part of the digital revolution of the country.
He further said, English has become a prerequisite for anyone who wants to make it big in life. This is the basis of our idea, Angrezipanti ko dikhao angootha. We want to enable people to communicate and express themselves in any language they are most comfortable with. Were truly proud of our diversity, and this campaign is all about celebrating our Indian-ness. Our two new smartphones truly resonate the same message of empowerment, celebration, simplicity and confidence!
Speaking on the campaign, Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, Apart from being very sharp of the product proposition, the Micromax Unite 4 TVC demonstrates the versatility of the Micromax brand theme - Nuts Guts Glory. It unravels another shade in the strong and audacious personality we are building for Micromax as a whole. And just like the phone, its TVC shows Angootha to anyone who thought the new brand personality for Micromax is not language agnostic.
Watch the ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcvCRHYoQzg
Campaign credits:
Client: Micromax Informatics
Brand: Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 pro
Creative agency: Creativeland Asia
Gaurav Kackar - Head of Brand Marketing, Micromax
Anish Rajan - Senior Brand Manager, Micromax
Cranfield University is establishing six dual programmes with newly-formed Muscat University to build capacity in technology and management as the Omani economy diversifies.
Right: Professor Simon Pollard signing the international partnership agreement in Oman.
Drawing on Cranfields expertise in air transport, supply chain logistics, energy systems, finance and entrepreneurship, and co-delivered in Muscat from September 2017, the dual Masters programmes will equip professional learners in the region with the postgraduate skills suited to Omans ambitions in infrastructure development, logistics and wider commerce.
Professor Simon Pollard, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, was Cranfields representative as the international partnership was launched yesterday at Muscat University. The partnership is being coordinated by Isis Enterprise of Oxford University Innovation.
Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Cranfields Chief Executive and Vice-Chancellor, praised the new venture: Cranfield is delighted to be in close partnership with Muscat University and Aston University in Oman. These courses draw on our combined, world-class expertise in technology and management and will address the growing need for industry-facing postgraduate skills in Oman.
Professor Anthony Cahalan, Vice-Chancellor of Muscat University, said: The vision of the Founders of Muscat University is the provision of quality higher education in Oman and the region and the partnership with Cranfield and Aston Universities is critical to this vision. The three universities share a common goal of real-world higher education that aligns the aspirations of students, industry and government.
ein Google-Unternehmen
Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben
Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen
Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.
neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern
Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen
personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen
personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen
Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.
Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.
Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.
PPG has qualified its proprietary AEROCRON electrocoat (e-coat) aerospace primer at Dassault Aviation for application to structural aircraft parts for corrosion resistance. Qualification to DGT153703 enables Dassault subcontractors to produce parts for the aircraft manufacturer using the chrome-free PPG e-coat primer.
According to Daniel Bencun, PPG segment manager for aerospace coatings in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, the Dassault qualification demonstrates growing interest in the advantages of PPGs e-coat primer.
"Throughout its history, Dassault has been an innovator and aviation industry leader, and qualifying Aerocron primer shows Dassaults continued commitment to technological advancements and the environment," Bencun said. "In addition to its many application and performance benefits, Aerocron primer is chrome-free and water-based, and it reduces emissions as well as waste-treatment requirements."
In the e-coat process, metal parts are immersed into the electrically charged Aerocron primer bath. Compared with traditional spray primer application, PPGs e-coat process provides better corrosion protection, more uniform application, and less coating weight for cost savings and enhanced aircraft fuel economy. Product utilization with Aerocron primer is significantly higher with no overspray, eliminating related worker exposure and producing near-zero waste.
"Dassault aircraft operators will benefit from the reduced weight of coated parts and superior corrosion resistance with Aerocron primer," Bencun said. "While it is difficult to spray on a primer with a consistent coating thickness, Aerocron primer achieves a uniform thickness even on hidden and recessed areas of a part, a significant advantage important within the aerospace industry. Weight savings can be about 30 percent for flat parts and up to 75 percent on complex-shaped parts."
Dassault and its subcontractors will benefit from increased production capabilities, Bencun said. "The e-coat line can be fully automated, and parts can be coated and cured in just two hours, compared with days to achieve full cure for traditional primers. With up to 95 percent transfer ratio, users will also decrease product waste and related operational costs."
PPG expects qualifications by other original-equipment aircraft manufacturers and tier-one suppliers soon, Bencun said. "More and more OEMs and their suppliers are coating and flying parts protected by PPGs e-coat aerospace primer."
Aerocron primer is also qualified to SAE Internationals Aerospace Material Specification 3144 for anodic electrodeposition primer for aircraft applications.
PPGs global aerospace business offers coatings, sealants, transparencies, packaging and application systems, and transparent armor, as well as chemical management and other services.
Yesterdays Air Force: AF museum opens new building
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, is showing off its brand new hangar full of historical aircraft and tons of Air Force history. It features four sections: presidential, research and development, space, and global reach.
Yesterday's Air Force is a history and heritage featurette series profiling significant people and missions from the Air Force's past.
Students lead large-scale joint forcible entry exercise
Sixteen mobility Airmen attending the U.S. Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, participated in a joint forcible entry exercise at the Nevada Test and Training Range June 18.
The exercise, known as JFE Vul, is a large-scale air mobility exercise designed to expose students to a wide range of scenarios they might encounter while operating their aircraft in a contested battlespace.
The exercise is a capstone event for students nearing completion of the C-17 Weapons Instructor Course and the C-130 Weapons Instructor Course, said Maj. Chris Lawler, the 57th Weapons Squadron assistant director of operations and exercise lead for JFE Vul.
During the exercise, participants act as a global response force to plan and execute an intricate airdrop operation in a simulated enemy environment in which sophisticated integrated air defense systems are employed.
This iteration of the exercise included 87 aircraft representing multiple mission design series from around the world, totaling $8.1 billion in airborne assets, Lawler said.
JFE Vul is led by the students, making it the only event of its kind that tests this mission set in a hostile combat environment, Lawler noted. The scenarios presented are meant to simulate the challenges of gaining access to enemy-controlled airspace in order to tactically deliver and recover units such as the Armys 82nd Airborne Division.
This exercise emphasizes the Air Forces ability to place Army assets on the ground anywhere we want, when we want, Lawler said.
The emphasis on interoperability also plays a significant role in enhancing partnerships and preparing mobility forces to accomplish the Air Mobility Command and U.S. Transportation Command missions.
This is the only time crews have dedicated support and assets together in one location to do a dress rehearsal of how this concept would go down in a real-world situation, said Capt. Chris Mahan, a WIC student and C-17 Globemaster III instructor pilot from the 15th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.
Being able to integrate with the Army and add another layer of complexity and realism to training shows us what our true capabilities are, he added.
The integration of forces in this particular exercise provides both students and coalition partners with a joint perspective on how to best support airdrop operations and assess air threats, surface-to-air threats and ground threats.
Our priority is delivering the Army and providing (combat air forces) support, Mahan said. This training forces us to consider questions like, How are we not going to get shot down? What do we need to ensure the Army is safe when they hit the ground? How do we provide the effects that they need to execute their ground mission?
The unique training opportunity pushes participants to fully understand the conditions that must be set in order for mobility air forces to execute. It also equips course graduates with the skillset to dissect and solve complex problems quickly in order to communicate a response in a very short time frame, Mahan said.
We dont get the opportunity to train like this in the C-17 very often since we are both a strategic and tactical aircraft, he said. For us to be able to put on this kind of tactical-level training is paramount for us to continue to get the Army anywhere they need to be.
JFE Vul is the culminating event for the five-month Weapons Instructor Course, which is held twice each year. Each student completes an average of 400 hours of graduate-level academics, along with demanding combat training missions, to become an instructor of instructors.
Students accepted into the school are already highly experienced instructors, usually in the grade of captain, who have been selected by a board to attend the rigorous course, Lawler said.
Our motto is build, teach, lead, Lawler said. They will be considered joint battlefield integration tactical experts for their unit, tactical experts in their aircraft and experts in battlespace dominance by the end of the course.
Wargame provides reality check for war plans
When Uncle Sam and his friends say its time to unleash a major campaigns worth of allied airpower on bad guys on the other side of the globe, they cant just expect all their assets to be available immediately at their beck and call.
It takes rigorous planning to get those assets where they are needed, and that is why more than 70 mobility and logistics professionals from the U.S. and three allied countries convened for an exercise known as Global Mobility, Agile Combat Support (GLOMO/ACS) here June 20-24.
Air Mobility Command has led the biennial wargame since 2002. In 2012, Air Force Materiel Command contributed before becoming a full partner in 2014.
In some wargames, the mobility and logistics aspects are assumed away, said Bryan Riba, AMCs lead for the exercise. Without this, the warfighter might assume everything will be in place very early in a fight, and thats just not realistic.
The exercise tested the Air Forces ability to meet mission requirements in a challenging, dynamic environment. It evaluated the capabilities, platforms and forces that are expected to be available for combatant commanders eight to 10 years in the future. Limiting factors such as distance and degraded operations were also evaluated to influence and improve future planning and deployment of military forces.
Each exercise participant was a subject matter expert in a particular field such as security forces, contingency response forces, air refueling, airlift, aircraft maintenance, and aerial port operations. They informed decision-making by offering real-world perspectives on what can be accomplished and what is unreasonable.
If the subject matter experts have the information, they share it. If they dont, then we see that as a potential learning opportunity, said Charlene Holmes-Plump, AFMCs lead for the exercise.
The information and data produced by the exercise will feed into a more robust one known as Global Engagement.
It was a productive wargame where we identified some shortfalls, Holmes-Plump said.
The exercise also presented subject matter experts an opportunity to work alongside and become familiar with their counterparts from allied countries. Representatives from the U.K., Australia and Canada contributed an additional sense of realism to GLOMO/ACS.
Wing Commander Kate Carlisle, a logistics officer with the Royal Australian Air Force who is currently serving as an exchange officer at the Pentagon, said the exercise served as a good forum to reiterate how much her nation can contribute to and integrate with a coalition of allies.
Since we had so many new capabilities recently come on board that have already been demonstrated operationally, its important to see how those capabilities fit in with the bigger picture from a planning perspective, Carlisle said.
The planning and knowledge sharing are an important aspect of the wargame, but she said there is something more fundamental that comes from working with allies.
You can have all the arrangements documented and written down, but before any conflict happens, if you havent established the one-on-one personal relationships with people, and you havent started building a layer of trust, then youve lost that ability to leverage off that if something goes down, Carlisle said. By having these activities and actually sitting down, going out to dinner or having a chat during the breaks, you are laying a foundation of trust.
Squadron Leader Angela Robinson of the United Kingdoms Royal Air Force said the wargame provided her a deeper understanding of how the U.K.s allies operate, but it also provided a resource that may prove useful as she transitions into a new assignment at the RAF Air Warfare Center.
What Ill take away is all the relationships Ive now built with people that Id absolutely be working with if this all happened for real, so Ill continue communicating with these people, she said. You know they are your friends and colleagues for life. Ive now got someone to reach out to.
Ultimately, the exercise lead to strategic planning that ensured the Air Force and its allies retain their ability to provide rapid global mobility and logistics support to project the military power across the globe.
A special NIA court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Sadhvi Pragya, the main accused in 2008 Malegaon blast, stating that prima facie materials are available against the accused, which questioned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for recently dropping charges against her.
Last month, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also dropped charges against her under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), citing insufficient evidence. Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, who was among those injured in the blast, had filed an intervention application and opposed her plea.
Informing the media over the development, Wahab Khan, lawyer to a victims relative said, Court has said that prima facie and MCOCA cannot be dropped against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur. It has taken an independent view and the NIAs NOC (No objection certificate) has been discarded.
However, court also pointed out that, At this prima facie stage, she cant avoid her connection with the motorcycle used in the blast being registered in her name and she being the owner of the same.
At the prima facie stage, without going to the question which version of witnesss statement is correct, a safe conclusion can be drawn on the basis of statement that during a meeting in Bhopal, the applicant was present and there was a discussion about jihadi activities in Aurangabad and Malegaon and ways to prevent it.
Special Judge NA Tikole said, It was evident from their discussion that the above participants wanted to establish the Hindu Rashtra and during the meeting, they also discussed to establish a government in exile. They were not ready to accept present Constitution and wanted one of their own.
The court said that the NIA, which took over the case in 2011, launched a fresh investigation instead of taking forward the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squads work on the case.
There are reasonable grounds to believe in accusations against Pragya, is prima facie true.
It is difficult to accept the prayer (bail application) merely on the ground that the NIA has given a clean-chit to Sadhvi Pragya, pointed out Justice Tikole.
The NIA said in its charge-sheet that during investigation, sufficient evidences have not been found against Sadhvi Pragya. It also said the motorcycle registered in her name was used by an accused which is missing.
On May 13, NIA had submitted a supplementary charge-sheet giving clean chit to six accused including Sadhvi and also recommended to drop all the charges against them. The agency said that they dont have sufficient evidence to prosecute Sadhvi, after which Sadhvi had applied for the bail.
Sadhvis advocate had on May 30, filed a bail application on the ground that the NIA has not pressed any charges against her owing to lack of evidence and that her health is deteriorating. The defense pleaded that she had no knowledge of how her motorbike was used in the blast and she had never given her consent for the same. He also said that the bike had been sold long before the incident.
After this bail plea being rejected, we will approach the high court against the Special NIA court order, a family member of Sadhvi Pradhya said.
Pragya is yet to get bail in Sunil Joshis murder case.
On September 29, 2008, seven people were killed in a massive blast at Malegaon, a predominantly Muslim town in Nashik district of north Maharashtra.
Pragya was the first accused to be arrested in the Malegaon blast case on October 23, 2008 by the ATS. She used to live in Jabalpur at that time.
While one section of the country is busy debating over the ban on various things, an education scam seems to be brewing in India. Recently, Ruby Rai, the Bihar Class 12 topper, was arrested for cheating during the examination. Rai was arrested by the police after she miserably failed in the re-test and interview conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) as part of the probe into the case. 20 people including Rai have been arrested in connection with the cheating scam. The kingpin in the alleged Bihar school board cheating syndicate is said to be a Bacha Rai, who runs a private college in the state. Rai, who had topped in Political Science, had come under the scanner after she told the media that the subject dealt with cooking. Ruby Rais shocking essay on famous poet Tulsidas ji pranam was another joke, such low IQ students coming in distinction by forgery is a serious issue. Thanks to the media that they interviewed her and exposed the matter for investigations. This prompted the police to launch an investigation in the alleged cheating case. 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. Nowadays, examination scandals are lucrative business especially in Bihar. Last year also we have seen media footage that how Bihar students with the help of police cheat in examination.
Here in Mumbai police has detected engineering exam answer-sheet scam. The Mumbai police had arrested eight staff members of the Mumbai University in the case. The suspects were running the racket for the past few years and the modus operandi involved providing students their own answer-sheets after the exam in exchange of a huge sum of money. The students would then fill the answer-sheets at home and would return it to the suspects, who would then put them back in the stack of answer-sheets in the university. The accused were supplying the answer papers to students after the semester examinations. They would give the papers to the students and ask their friends to make more money. The suspects were charging anywhere between Rs. 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per answer-sheet from students. After paying the money, the students would complete, manipulate, cancel their answers written previously, and, at some instances, the answer-sheets were taken home by the students. Some students during their examination would just sign their attendance and leave the papers blank without writing a word and later write the papers. The answer-sheets had come from exam centres in Karjat, Kharghar, Airoli, Kamothe and Navi Mumbai.
On April 18th in Bengaluru, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing the question paper leak in Karnataka has unearthed some shocking details of how the scam has been in operation. It may be recalled that the Chemistry question paper of the II PU (equivalent to HSC) exam had been leaked twice, forcing the examinations to be postponed. During the probe, it has been found that Shivkumar, the main accused in the scam had sold question papers to 20 different private colleges for Rs. 20 lakh each. This is just a tip of the iceberg and he might have coordinated with more colleges across the state. Several private colleges and tutorials were raided following this scam. Some of the institutions have charged a capitation fee between Rs. 5 and Rs. 15 lakh. The assurance given to the parents is that the students need not worry about the PU exams and can focus only on the Common Entrance Test. The PU paper would be made available to the students a day in advance. The deposition by the 300 students suggests that they were given the question paper a day in advance and asked to by-heart all the answers. Shivakumar who is considered as a kingpin in this scam, become extremely difficult to track. He has been in the business since 2008. He did not deal with just PU question papers. Trails of him supplying question papers of MBBS, engineering, the KPSC and even Sub Inspector examinations have come to light. Shivakumar was a teacher in a college. He took voluntary retirement and has been in the business since then. He has been arrested several times, but lack of proper law against this crime; he was booked under theft and released within a few days.
Cases of irregularities in the pre-medical test were being reported in Madhya Pradesh since the 1990s, but it was not until 2009 that the severity of the crime came to light. The state government set up a committee to investigate into the matter and more than 100 people were arrested in 2011. However, it was in 2013 after the Indore police arrested 20 people who were impersonating the PMT candidates in 2009 that Jagdish Sagars name came to limelight. He is the leader of an organised racket involved in the scam. With subsequent interrogations, names of various politicians and bureaucrats, including the former education minister of the state Laxmikant Sharma were revealed. Till today, Vyapam scam remained unsolved.
There was another fake admission case which had busted in Delhi University. Four people were arrested on July 30, 2015 for facilitating admissions using fake documents. The accused told the police that they wisely selected the students who could not get into the university and created their fake documents for Rs. 3-7 lakhs. 25 fake admissions were reported in Bhagat Singh College, Aurobindo College, Dayal Singh College, Ram Lal Anand College, Hindu College, Kirori Mal College, and Kamla Nehru College.
These scams get exposed but never stops. There are many such organizations and people in education industry, who are making their perks out of such scams without getting traced.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
In yet another attack on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sena activists today tried to disrupt his press conference in South Mumbai for inviting Pakistani photo journalists to the city under a peace initiative.
The incident occurred at Press Club when Sena workers barged in at the venue despite the security arrangement and raised slogans against Kulkarni and against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism.
The Pakistani photo journalists were also present at the presser when the incident occurred.
The handful of activists were immediately detained by police and taken to Azad Maidan police station.
The Sena activists had last year smeared Kulkarnis face with black ink for organising a function to launch a book written by former Pakistan foreign minister Khursid Mehmood Kasuri.
Kulkarnis Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has launched a project Tasveer-e-Karachi Tasveer-e-Mumbai under which five photographers visit each others countries as messengers of peace.
While the five photo journalists from Pakistan arrived in the city on June 20 and will return on June 30, the Indian contingent is expected to travel to Karachi in the first week of July.
Unfazed by the ruckus, Kulkarni, erstwhile speech writer of BJP patriarch L K Advani, said, They (Shiv Sena) threatened us saying we should not allow any Pakistani to enter Mumbai. Inspite of their threat, we conducted a programme last year for the release of Khursid Mehmood Kasuris book in Mumbai. We shall do so again and again.
He said Mumbai did not belong to these people who claim to be the sole preservers, protectors of the national interest.
We are also patriots.we equally condemn terrorism, religious extremism, but we shall not bow before these extremists who want to stop us from promoting India-Pakistan friendship, Kulkarni said.
He later told that Sena activists tried to hit his car after the presser ended.
While I was conducting the press conference, Sena workers barged in and created a ruckus shouting slogans like Sena zindabad and Pakistan murdabad. Also, when I was going back after conducting the press conference, they tried to hit my car, Kulkarni said.
Teri Goldstein of Sausalito, California says that she had never heard of Windows 10 until her PC attempted to install it. The automatic upgrade failed, and now her PC is slow, crashes at times, and could be useless for days.
She did what any normal person would do she reached out to Microsoft support, which didnt help. Then, Goldstein decided to sue Microsoft for lost wages and the cost of a new PC.
She won a $10,000 judgment against the company. Microsoft had filed an appeal, but dropped it last month.
This may be the first time of note that anyone has won litigation regarding forced Windows 10 upgrades, but its certainly not the first time that there has been a high-profile forced upgrade. Back in May, a forced upgrade broke a Twitch users 9-hour livestream. A week earlier, a meteorologist was interrupted during a broadcast with a prompt to upgrade.
These days, Microsoft provides the user with a time and date that the PC will be automatically upgraded. If the user doesnt stop the upgrade before then, the only way to stop it is to disagree to the EULA, at which point the PC will roll itself back.
At that point, anything can happen, and if its a forced upgrade, users are much more likely to be upset if something breaks upon rolling back.
You should care because unlike AIDS, breast cancer or Alzheimers, this epidemic is affecting very young citizens of our country and of the world; and, the rate of diagnosis seems steady. It is happening to your kids friends and to your neighbors....
You should care because unlike other diseases, ASD is not a fatal condition; most have a normal life expectancy. ASD could be viewed as a combination of breast cancer, AIDS and Alzheimers in one horrible package.
It strikes without warning, it carries a stigma and social avoidance and it affects ones ability to comprehend the world and communicate feelings, thoughts or needs.
You should care because this large group of children and young adults is quickly growing up.
My posted comments:
Right now stories about autism in the news are about CHILDREN WITH AUTISM, but, as Jennifer Hendrick pointed out, these children are growing up, and they will live long lives dependent on the taxpayers of each state. What should really frighten everyone is the fact that the numbers continue to increase, with no end in sight.
Jan 21, 2016, Sacramento Bee: Number of California students classified as autistic jumps for 14th consecutive year
More than 90,000 California public school students are autistic, a number that has risen more than six-fold since 2001, according to the latest data from the California Department of Education.
The figure represent a jump of about 6,000, or 7 percent, from 2013-14 to 2014-15. More than one of every 75 kindergartners in California public schools is classified as autistic.
The number of autistic students statewide has risen by between 5,000 and 7,000 every year for a decade. In 2001, there were about 14,000 autistic students in the state.
The state government in California has long known that autism is a growing crisis, but still there are no answers.
Back in 20009, President pro Tem of the California State Senate, Darrell Steinberg , announced the establishment of the Senate Select Committee on Autism (ASD). Steinberg said that their intention is to make autism a public health priority.
Various state officials and autism advocates spoke at a press conference explaining what their work would include. They talked about the cost of autism, the need for services, and the shocking numbers in CA.
While Steinberg made a reference to the prevention of autism, no one expanded on this idea during the press conference. A number of upcoming bills were talked about.
One state senator aims to help with early diagnosing and intervention. Someone else is working on housing for people with autism. Another senator is focusing on employment for affected adults.
One speaker gave us the mind-boggling numbers, saying that there were "14,000 students with autism a decade ago. Then he added the increase, 46,000 students today, and growing."
As I watched the video, I kept waiting for someone to say, "We have to find out why this is happening to so many children. We can't keep adding thousands of children like this. This is a national health care emergency." But no one did.
Rick Rollens of the MIND INSTITUTE spoke and made what I thought were the best comments.
These were among the things he said:
"Autism is epidemic in this state as it is throughout the country."
"Autism population is skewed dramatically toward young children."
"Eight-four percent of the autism population is under the age of 21."
"More six and seven year olds in the system than all the adults with autism combined."
Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism
June 27, 2016
On the heels of a Bahraini court suspending Al-Wefaq for the Shiite societys alleged role in creating "an environment for terrorism, extremism and violence, Bahrains rulers delivered a powerful message on June 20 by annulling Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassims Bahraini citizenship.
Following five years of stalemate, the Bahraini leadership sees no purpose in engaging the Shiite opposition and instead favors eliminating Shiites who call for the governments dissolution from political life in the island. By excluding popular political groups from Bahrains political arena amid a wider crackdown, however, there are risks of militancy gaining broader power and appeal within the Shiite opposition.
Throughout the past five years, Manama has grown increasingly reliant on Gulf Arab and Western allies. The Shiite-led Arab Spring uprising unsettled Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders fearful of Bahrain aligning with Tehran following a popular Shiite revolution. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were quick to deploy ground forces to the island by March 2011 to help Bahrain's rulers quash the uprising.
Manamas participation in the US-led military campaign against the Islamic State (IS) and the kingdoms pricey PR push on K Street seem to have further consolidated Bahrains alliance with Washington, despite some diplomatic spats over the past five years. Despite the Department of Defenses congressionally mandated contingency plans for relocating the Navys 5th Fleet, Washington is unlikely to undergo the massive undertaking of moving the Persian Gulfs most powerful naval force to another facility. The United Kingdoms plans for a permanent base in Mina Salman, Bahrain, announced in 2014, underscore Manamas important role in Londons strategic return East of Suez 40 years after the Royal Navys official departure from the Gulf.
Unquestionably, allies in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Washington and London have prevented the Al Khalifa rulers from being pressured into negotiating a resolution to the kingdoms crisis.
The kings Sunni Islamist support networks
The ruling familys ties with the Bahraini Muslim Brotherhoods political wing, Minbar, and the more conservative Salafi society, Asala, to counterbalance the Shiite opposition has been another pillar of the regimes strategy for standing strong since 2011.
Formed in 1984, Minbars platform reflects Bahrains liberal (by GCC standards) social environment, particularly with respect to womens rights, although the group has close connections with the Muslim Brotherhoods Kuwaiti branch. Many of Minbars members belong to the Hawala tribe, Sunni Arabs who migrated to Persia before returning to the Arabian Peninsulas eastern shore. The Bahraini Muslim Brothers are middle-class professionals, many of whom are teachers and police officers.
Despite pressure from other GCC states, Manama has not designated Minbar a terrorist organization. The Sunni Islamist society not only continues operating publicly, but Bahrains Royal Court and Islamic banking sector reportedly fund Minbar. In exchange, Bahrains Muslim Brothers have backed the governments post-2011 crackdown. In February 2013, for example, Minbar boycotted the national dialogue to protest what the islands Muslim Brothers saw as unacceptable Shiite silence on violence plaguing the uprisings two-year anniversary. At times, Minbar has even criticized the ruling family for responding too softly to Shiite dissent.
Despite Bahrains politically active Sunni Islamists supporting the regime during 2011, a growing number have made their own demands since that crisis erupted. In fact, Shiite protesters shared some of these demands such as releasing political prisoners and liberalizing Bahrain politically. Concerned about the possibility of Sunni opposition materializing, the state implemented electoral reforms to redraw boundaries before the 2014 elections. Consequently, Minbar and Asala only retained a combined three seats in the National Assemblys Council of Representatives down from five. Additionally, although Al-Wefaq was the main target of legislation passed last month to ban mixing religion with politics, the law also bodes poorly for Minbar and Asala Bahrains second- and third-largest Islamist factions, respectively, after Al-Wefaq.
The influence of extremist ideologies in the kingdoms Sunni communities is unsettling, particularly in light of numerous Bahraini Sunnis pledging allegiance to IS. As of January 2015, at least a dozen Bahrainis had joined Sunni militant organizations in Syria and Iraq. After King Hamad revoked Omar Bozbouns Bahraini citizenship for joining IS, he responded by threatening to enter Bahrain with blazing guns and behead the king.
Turki al-Binali, a Salafi cleric hailing from a wealthy Sunni family allied with the Al Khalifas, is now IS leading preacher. Prior to leaving Bahrain in 2013, he held a rally in front of the US Embassy in Manama with his followers holding pictures of Osama bin Laden while waving al-Qaeda flags. Two and a half years after Binali left the kingdom, a Bahraini court tried him in absentia and nearly two dozen other Bahrainis on charges of seeking to topple the Manama regime and create an IS branch in the island. One family member, Mohamed Isa al-Binali, was an officer in the Interior Ministry overseeing Shiite inmates in Jaw Prison before defecting to IS in 2014.
There are several other reasons why Bahrain appears to be a logical destination for the groups agenda. These include IS offshoots waging acts of terrorism in neighboring Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the presence of many Shiite Muslims and non-Muslim expatriates, the 5th Fleet being stationed in Bahrain, Manamas role in the Washington-led military campaign against the group in Syria and the islands reputation as the brothel of the Gulf.
Another threat to the nations stability stems from Manama granting Bahraini citizenship to Jordanian, Pakistani and Yemeni Sunnis to alter the countrys sectarian balance. Opposition voices in Bahrain maintain that these "naturalized Bahrainis" are Sunni fundamentalists who harbor anti-Shiite sentiments. As these non-Bahrainis earn their citizenship through service in Bahrains security apparatus, IS infiltration into the states military and police is a risk.
As underscored by the past several months of violent attacks targeting Bahrains security forces with improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails, the crackdown is failing to resolve the kingdoms crisis. If the cancellation of Qassims citizenship and the courts suspension of Al-Wefaq lead to the exacerbation of violence, the government will be forced to address an increasingly dire security crisis on top of managing social risks stemming from austerity measures amid an era of cheap oil itself a contributing factor to the islands sectarian issues.
As sectarian temperatures rise in the Gulf with Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah officials harshly condemning Manamas annulment of Qassims citizenship and Iraqi Shiite forces retaking Fallujah from IS, the regimes relationship with Minbar will be an important variable to observe as the Saudi-aligned monarchy seeks to maintain Sunni rule in a Shiite-majority island.
Looking ahead, will Minbar remain loyal to the Al Khalifas and continue viewing the crackdown as a safeguard against a Shiite takeover? Or will discontent over the Sunni Islamist societys declining political influence cost the regime a key domestic ally? Will the regime continue seeing Minbar as a domestic ally against the Shiite opposition or as a gateway to IS?
June 27, 2016
CAIRO The Egyptian Foreign Ministry recently accused the media of exaggerating the dispute between Egypt and Sudan over the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle, arguing that the issue does not represent a crisis between the two countries, which share good relations.
However, the ongoing debate in Egyptian political circles about the possibility of reinstating the Nile Valley Parliament, a body comprising parliamentarians from both countries, reveals deep political tension between the two.
The chairman of the Egyptian parliaments Arab Affairs Committee delivered a speech in the Sudanese parliament demanding the reinstatement of the Nile Valley Parliament, and conveyed the same message to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry June 5. Some Egyptian politicians did not welcome the call, considering that Sudans politics toward Egypt have shifted.
The Nile Valley Parliament was established under the Charter of Integration between Egypt and Sudan, signed in 1982. It agreed to equal treatment for citizens, providing for freedom of movement, residency, acquisitions, labor and trade exchange between the two countries, as well as a joint unified policy at the level of international relations and diplomatic representation.
Hatem Bashat, the chairman of the Committee for African Affairs at the Egyptian Parliament, told Al-Monitor, Efforts to revive the Nile Valley Parliament are essential to break the ice in the Egyptian-Sudanese relations and bring views together regarding the contentious issues between the two sides.
According to the Charter of Integration between Egypt and Sudan, the Nile Valley Parliament comprises 60 members: the Egyptian and Sudanese parliament speakers, 19 members from the Egyptian parliament, 19 members from Sudans regional councils of people, and 21 qualified members who are interested in the integration affairs between the countries, appointed by the president of each country.
However, the work of the Nile Valley Parliament came to a halt after the integration charter was suspended in the wake of the 1985 popular uprising in Sudan. The uprising overthrew the presidency of Jaafar Nimeiri, whom Egypt granted the right to political asylum.
Commenting on the role the Nile Valley Parliament could play in resolving the Halayeb triangle crisis, as well as the split in visions over the Renaissance Dam, Bashat said, The parliament expresses the views of the representatives of the people in both countries and not that of the governments. Such issues are highly sensitive."
He added, Parliament will be a channel [of communications with people] with positive feedback with regard to such crises, most importantly the revival of the historic relations between the two countries."
Khaled al-Odaisi, a specialist in Sudanese affairs, told Al-Monitor, Current relations between the two countries are very tense and cannot be solved through the Nile Valley Parliament.
There are differences in the countries political and security perspectives, he said. Also aggravating the situation is Egypts claims that its border with Sudan is a port for infiltrators and illegal weapons trafficking, in addition to the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle problem.
Odaisi added, Calls for the revival of the Charter of Integration between Sudan and Egypt abound from time to time, while this necessitates rebuilding of confidence first. This will happen only once the disputed issues are resolved. Although the relations between the two sides have historical roots, [they were not built] on mutual benefits and interests.
Commenting on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry statements that the media is behind the escalation of the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle issue and that relations are actually still sound, Odaisi said, This is half of the truth. He said the media in both countries have indeed escalated the situation, but to claim that relations are sound is far from realistic.
There is clear tension and differences in vision with respect to cross-cutting issues, including the Renaissance Dam, he added.
The Halayeb and Shalateen triangle crisis has started to overshadow even the Renaissance Dam negotiations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia especially in light of Khartoums stance in support of Ethiopia against Cairo. Sudan believes the dam brings benefits, while Cairo says it will have severe negative impacts on its water share and will deteriorate the quality of the Nile downstream.
Ahmed Imbabi, the undersecretary of the Egyptian Parliaments Arab Affairs Committee, stressed that attempts to revive the Nile Valley Parliament are to no avail, because Sudans political stances regarding Egypt are volatile.
However, Kamal Omar, a leader in Sudans Popular Congress Party, told Al-Monitor by phone that he is in favor of reviving the parliament between Egypt and Sudan and that some political figures also welcome this move.
This is the right time for the leaders of both countries to settle matters of dispute, Omar said, adding that the parliament is a good channel of communications capable of easing escalation or the prospect of war between the two countries. The relations that bind the Egyptians with the Sudanese prevent us from pointing a gun in the face of one another because it would kill both of us.
He added, The issue of the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle and the Renaissance Dam are at the basis of the current escalation, due to lack of understanding on both issues.
Reviving the Nile Valley Parliament as a means to solve the current issues between Cairo and Khartoum could be meaningless, given the full suspension of the integration charter between them. But the charter could hold solutions for the most complex issues. First, per the charter, the Halayeb and Shalateen triangle would turn into a common area on the borders. The charter also provides for unifying stances related to the Nile waters, including the Renaissance Dam.
June 27, 2016
CAIRO Ramadan TV dramas in Egypt are currently under fire from womens organizations and human rights activists, who accuse film producers of neglecting to focus on successful role models and instead persistently distort the image of women and present them in the roles of erotic dancers, prostitutes, psychologically unwell people and so on. According to activists, their only objective in doing so is to make money and attract audiences, which leads to a distorted image of women.
Thus, it was no surprise when the National Council for Women announced June 12 the foundation of a committee dedicated to monitoring and observing depictions of women in TV programs, commercials and series during the month of Ramadan. The committee would also prepare a final assessment at the close of Ramadan that would issue recommendations in the hopes of effecting change in the status quo.
Dina Husayn, a member of the National Council for Women, stressed to Al-Monitor that the committees work is not only limited to dramatic productions, but extends to shows and commercials as well. She said, From the first day of Ramadan, womens images are being tarnished.
She expressed her astonishment at the reprise of the role of the psychologically ill woman in numerous series this year. The actress Yousra appeared in the series, Above the Level of Accusations, playing the role of someone who had been psychologically ill since her youth, believing that everyone around her hated her and was seeking to exact vengeance against her. The actress Nelly Karim, who appeared in the series Free Collapse, killed her husband and sister after the two of them betrayed her, and was committed to a psychiatric clinic. Actress Laila Elwi appeared in the series Da Vinci and Her, where she is treated in a psychiatric clinic and copes with a personal demon that appears to her in the form of Da Vinci. There is also Ghada Abdel Razek in the series Al-Khanka, which puts her in the Al-Khanka [psychiatric hospital] after a businessmans son rapes her.
Husayn added, Psychological illness is no shame. But theres a difference between addressing the subject in a single series and doing so in two, let alone four. This gives off the impression that Egyptian women are suffering from some sort of psychological disorder.
She noted that it is likely that the committees work will continue after Ramadan is over, observing films, series and TV programs throughout the year, and organizing a roundtable conference of drama specialists to uncover the effects of these works on the publics image of women, and put in place a joint vision for preventing any of the likely negative effects. She stressed that this is the first time that there is interest in monitoring and observing the publics image of women within a broader framework to encompass TV programs and commercials.
The Consumer Protection Agencys Administrative Board issued a statement on June 12 to halt broadcasting four TV commercials for Juhayna milk, Birell nonalcoholic beer, and Dice and Cottonil underwear for violating social norms and traditions, and departing from public morality. These commercials had irritated some people when they were first broadcast at the beginning of Ramadan and were described as a breach of public morality and inciting sexual harassment.
Husayn said that the National Council for Women had directly pressured the Consumer Protection Agency to remove these ads because they encourage sexual harassment, and they yielded to that pressure. She added, We are embarked on a major battle with wealthy interests in order to shut down these ads, and it is not an easy battle. She stressed that the council will not be an idle spectator to any attempt at insulting women.
Despite these criticisms, the Ramadan series have revealed a positive aspect, namely that female-dominated series have occupied a large space of the dramatic works, reaching 13 series out of a total of 30. In previous years, female protagonists had been limited to just one or two traditional actresses like Yousra or Elwi.
Intisar al-Said, the director of the Cairo Foundation for Development and the Law, told Al-Monitor that the phenomenon of female protagonists was an encouraging development, insofar as it gives women a major role in dramatic productions and Egyptian cinema. However, she frowned on the idea of mixing between the slums and the presence of dancers and voodoo, which suggested that the slum areas include negative role models. She said, The [lower income] neighborhoods contain millions of [strong women], and they receive a decent education. It's not right to describe all slum dwellers as morally corrupt.
Sa'id added, I would have hoped that Egyptian drama would treat women fairly and dignify them with decent roles since the revolutions of January 25 and June 30, for women are the heroes of the political scene in Egypt and the reason for the [countrys] success in those electoral trials in recent years."
"The production market needs successful role models for women, along the lines of [those who appeared in] previous Ramadan series that portrayed women in [powerful roles], like the 2014 series Womens Prison starring actress Nelly Karim, she said. That series featured models of Egyptian women who had endured great hardship, suffered from oppression and ended up in prison. She stressed that today womens roles are being reduced to the commodity of their bodies.
Fuad al-Said, an expert at the National Center for Social and Criminal Research, told Al-Monitor that, in his view, Egyptian drama is a key feature of society, transmitting images and concepts in a streamlined way. He believes that continuing to perpetuate stereotypes about women will entrench these stereotypes among viewers, especially if dramatic producers are indifferent to these stereotypes and are solely interested in profits. Thats an extension of this phenomenon. He said, Drama is a powerful factor in influencing [people] especially if the viewer has no cultural background.
Said believes that the solution might lie in forming committees of viewers composed of media professors, expert dramatists and intellectuals who could ascertain public opinion concerning artistic endeavors and direct criticism to negative dramatic works that further entrench a social reality biased toward men that deprives women of their rights.
June 24, 2016
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Since 2006 when Israel destroyed the only power plant operating in Gaza in retaliation for the kidnapping of its soldier Gilad Shalit by the Palestinian resistance factions, the Gaza Strip has been suffering from a severe electricity crisis, which is only growing worse with every passing year. This is due to several reasons, mainly the limited energy resources and the population boom, with about 1.9 million people now living in Gaza.
Since the beginning of Ramadan on June 6, the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company has been reducing supply hours while temperatures are rising.
On May 16, the Ministry of Energy in Gaza had announced that the mosques in the Gaza Strip consume electricity worth 200,000 shekels ($51,500) a month during the winter season when air conditioning and cooling systems are not used. This means that in the summer months, the electricity usage in mosques increases.
Mahmoud Baroud, a mosque-goer living in the Nuseirat refugee camp, said that unnecessary electricity consumption in light of the crisis plaguing the Gaza Strip is a very big problem.
I believe ventilators and air conditioners should not be turned on outside the time of prayers inside mosques, even if such electronics do not take up much power, in light of the current crisis. Everything should be taken into consideration in order to ration electricity consumption, he told Al-Monitor.
Abdullah Mahmoud Sharshara, from Gaza City, believes that the scarcity of water and electricity as well as the poor state budget are all reasons to ration the consumption of services in order to provide better and more services for citizens.
Rationing consumption is a moral obligation that the mosques should also undertake, as mosque-goers often take the advice of preachers, especially during the month of Ramadan. However, mosques have been consuming irrationally with all the air conditioners and ventilators they have, Sharshara told Al-Monitor.
Sharshara called for setting a limit for electricity consumption in mosques, stressing the need to have them monitored and supervised by the Ministry of Awqaf to prevent waste of electricity.
The official spokesman for the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company, Tariq Lubbad, told Al-Monitor, Mosques and government institutions in the Gaza Strip pay the electricity bill to the electricity company based on the compensation system, meaning that the electricity bill of mosques [which are affiliated with the Ministry of Awqaf] is deducted from the overall tax imposed by the government on the electricity company. So mosques do not actually pay the bill, as the government covers it by deducting it from the taxes it imposes on the electric company.
The amount payable by mosques for the electricity bill does not exceed 200,000 shekels, which is not a problem as this amount is barely equivalent to a one-hour operation of the power station, he said.
Lubbad added, The problem lies in the lack of electricity sources arriving from Egypt, Israel and the local power plant to the Gaza Strip, which necessitates a minimum of 450 megawatts daily, while what we have available at best, if the power plant worked at full capacity in addition to the electricity lines from Egypt and Israel, is 240 megawatts.
The main sources of electricity in Gaza include a number of Israeli lines that provide electricity to areas on the Israeli-Gaza border, as well as an Egyptian power line that feeds Rafah south of Gaza. This is in addition to the electricity provided by the local power plant.
Lubbad said that according to his estimate, Gazas mosques consume 5-10 megawatts per month, as they use electricity during prayer times only.
He further said that the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company had made a qualitative step in a bid to ration the mosques electricity consumption. We determined the number of mosques that get electricity from the Gaza power plant. We will set prepaid meters inside mosques to bind them to pay in advance for their consumption, maybe also through donations of citizens or the Ministry of Awqaf, he said.
According to statistics that Al-Monitor secured from the Ministry of Awqaf in Gaza, the number of mosques in the Gaza Strip covering an area of 360 square kilometers (139 square miles) is more than 1,000 there are three mosques to every square kilometer.
Ramzi al-Nawajiha, director of the information office at the Ministry of Awqaf, told Al-Monitor, Mosques [currently operating] in Gaza number about 1,000, 950 of which are under the direct supervision of the ministry and the other 50 are affiliated with other religious institutions. Nine other mosques were destroyed in the 2014 war and are currently being reconstructed by Turkey, Malaysia and Kuwait. This is in addition to 64 mosques also destroyed in the 2014 war, which have yet to be rebuilt.
Nawajiha stressed that there are instructions within his ministry to ration electricity consumption inside mosques, and workshops have been held to this effect. During these workshops, we emphasized the need to raise awareness about electricity consumption and to revive religious restraint among people in mosques. We also followed up on those working in mosques and set forth a comprehensive study of the case of every mosque within a monthly report to point out the biggest problems impeding the mosques operations and work on solving them, he said.
If we compare the number of electricity hours in the homes of the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip and in the mosques, we find that the latter are consuming a lot while some houses go 12 hours without electrical power.
June 27, 2016
The news of Iranian rangers who were reportedly killed by poachers has flooded Iranian social media pages in the last few days. In a span of 48 hours, two rangers were killed in Hormozgan province in southern Iran in the Geno Biosphere Reserve, a protected area by the Iranian Department of Environment since 1976. Another ranger was killed in Bamou National Park in Fars province.
Manouchehr Shojaei, who was killed in Bamou, was reportedly shot in the chest and thrown off a cliff on June 25, according to Arman Daily newspaper. He was transferred to a hospital in Shiraz where he died. The bloodied picture of Shojaei circulated widely on Iranian websites and social media. The environmental director for Fars province said that Shojaei was not armed during the confrontation and that his killing was nothing but wickedness.
According to Iranian officials, two hunters carrying unlicensed firearms were apprehended in the area. Bamou National Park is home to many deer, wild sheep and wild goats, and has been protected for more than 40 years.
Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of Irans Environmental Protection Organization, read President Hassan Rouhanis condolence letter at the funerals of Mohammad Dehghani and Parviz Hormozi, the two rangers who were killed in Hormozgan. The statement read that Irans rangers are at the front line of protection of Irans national resources.
The job of a ranger is often seen as a thankless job and one only undertaken by those passionate about animal rights and preservation. Not only are they responsible for the preservation of wildlife, but also for the protection of the natural habitat. In the past when rangers have confronted poachers, they have faced legal consequences. Shargh Daily newspaper wrote that it was just four months ago that two rangers were released from prison after serving seven years for killing a poacher. The rangers were originally sentenced to death.
Some rangers have resorted to recording confrontations with poachers on their cellphones in order to avoid legal ramifications. In a dramatic video uploaded to YouTube last year, Iranian rangers are seen shooting warning shots at a poacher who aims his rifle at them. The poacher is then seeing fleeing on foot.
Shargh wrote, Many are asking why rangers are in this situation. If they kill illegal hunters they are sentenced to death. If they do not kill them, they are condemned to the same fate as the three rangers in Fars and Hormozgan provinces. In the interview with Shargh, Ebtekar said that Irans rangers are bound to specific laws stipulating when an armed official is allowed to use his weapon. She also said that the three rangers were declared martyrs by the Iranian government, and their families would receive the full benefits that are provided to the families of martyrs.
Ebtekar told Shargh that since the Department of Environment was founded in 1956, 119 rangers have been killed in the line of duty.
Mohammad Reza Tabesh, the head of parliaments Environmental Commission, said that the killings show that rangers should be equipped with modern tools and should have the full protection of the law. Tabesh said he hopes parliament and the administration would show more seriousness in reforming laws to protect rangers.
June 25, 2016
NASIRIYAH, Iraq Many houses in the towns and villages in southern Iraq are made of green reeds. The town of Nasiriyah, which is located 350 kilometers (217 miles) southeast of Baghdad, is one of them. The green reeds, found in the marshes of southern Iraq, turn into strong yellow sticks after drying. Green reeds are environmentally friendly, and Iraqis are proud of their cultural value, as they date back to the days of the Sumerian civilization in Iraq in 4000 B.C., specifically in the southern regions of the country. Houses made of papyrus and palm trunks are also common in the south of the country.
Folklore researcher Khayoun Chaker, who lives in the marsh area in Nasiriyah, told Al-Monitor, Clay inscriptions and cylindrical seals inscribed with the images of houses similar to these [homes] were found in the historical city of Ur near Nasiriyah. This proves that these houses made of reed are the same as those built by the Sumerians thousands of years ago.
Journalist and Nasiriyah resident Alaa Kouli told Al-Monitor that people buy these houses, which are common in marsh areas such as al-Jabayesh and Hammar Marshes, because they are cheap and can be built in a few days. They are simple and well suited to the marshes environment that has an agricultural aspect with people living off agriculture, fishing and hunting birds.
Abu Abbas al-Assadi, a sheikh from the Bani Asad tribe in al-Jabayesh district, lives in a house made of reeds in al-Jabayesh, 70 kilometers from the city center of Nasiriyah. The area accommodates floating villages on the marshes. Assadi told Al-Monitor, The raw material from which these houses are built are the plants and large papyrus fields that grow in water. Modern construction materials such as cement and bricks are not used here.
Assadi said, This area is still as it was thousands of years ago, and it is home to water, reeds and papyrus. People still hunt for fish in small boats.
He spoke about the cultural role and status of these houses, saying, Many of these guesthouses were built of reeds and papyrus plants. The people meet there to discuss political and tribal issues in the presence of prominent figures; social rituals and religious practices are also held there.
Haider al-Salihi, an expert with 20 years of experience in the construction of reed houses, told Al-Monitor about the building method of such homes. Reeds and bamboo are dry hollow sticks brought from swamps and marshes that are dried and cut to the desired measurement to be exported to consumers, he said. Bamboo sticks are connected by ropes to form six firm columns in the ground, which are considered the basis of the structure. Long, bendable arms are made of these sticks to cover the ceiling and walls, which are connected with ropes. The structure is then covered with carpets made of papyrus plants or palm fronds to give the guesthouse its final shape.
He added, Roughly seven people take turns to build the guesthouse. They do not use any industrial machines, except knives to cut the reeds and ropes. But after the completion of the houses, they are furnished by their owners if they are rich with satellite dishes, internet, and heating and cooling appliances.
In Babil province, which is roughly 100 kilometers south of Baghdad, Sheikh Majid Kallabi spoke to Al-Monitor about the popularity of this method in the construction of houses, despite Babil being far from the marshes where reeds grow.
He said, This method of building houses became widespread in the 1980s when the region's population emigrated to Babil after the marshes were dried out due to the Iran-Iraq War [1980-88], and they brought this new method of construction with them.
In Babil, Mohamed Hassan, a farmer, gave up his clay house and built a house of reeds, palm fronds and trunks. He told Al-Monitor, This kind of house is adequate for the hot Iraqi weather because it provides a cool environment due to air currents that come in through the perforated walls of the house. In winter we insulate it well to avoid rain leakage.
In 1824, military commander George Keppel described these structures as lined-up yellow houses [across the Tigris River], ranging in length from 50 to 60 feet and resembling the structure of a capsized ship.
To preserve this heritage in eco-friendly houses, the marsh environment suffering from limited water resources needs help. Water issues are pushing people to migrate and killing reeds and papyrus plants that provide the raw materials for the construction of these houses.
Iraq is seeking to include the marshes on the World Heritage List in mid-July at the UNESCO meeting to be held in Turkey, where member states will vote on the inclusion of new sites on the list.
Adel al-Dukheili, the official in charge of trying to get the marshes included on the World Heritage List, told Al-Monitor, There are exceptional efforts made by the local government and the Nasiriyah provincial council in cooperation with the citizens to achieve this goal, which has political, cultural and economic ends.
He added, There is international sympathy for the inclusion of the marshes on the World Heritage List, especially the reed guesthouses in southern Iraq because of their Sumerian cultural and social role.
For the residents of southern Iraq to maintain their culture of building homes out of reeds and to prevent the people from migrating, national and international support of the residents of the marsh areas is required.
June 24, 2016
An impressive mural by the Israeli artist Klone greets customers entering Tel Avivs Sarona Market, one of the citys most sated, rich and megalomaniacal venues, located in the shadow of luxurious upscale apartment towers. Klone made a name for himself as an underground graffiti artist in the citys unmanicured areas, creating in the dark of night, below the radar of the establishment. The cooperation between these two seemingly contradictory elements a graffiti artist and a prestigious real estate venture attests to the connection developed between street art and money, marketing and branding, especially in the context of urban real estate in Israel.
Today private compounds buy street art, a paradox in itself, while cities seem pleased that graffiti artists decorate the streets and create a contemporary urban buzz as long as it's in poor, disadvantaged neighborhoods like Florentine in Tel Aviv and the lower city in Haifa. According to research on street art, a young and well-to-do crowd is drawn to this vibe and will gradually change the face of these neighborhoods. They will push out the poor and the artists who created the neighborhoods character and then clean up the street art in other words, get rid of the very thing that drew them there in the first place.
Possibly, 50 years from now, Tel Aviv will be a city for the rich only. There will be no street art there, said Yael Shapira, an art researcher and founder of Alternative Tel Aviv. But street art will always be here, I believe. It will simply move away [from Tel Aviv] to other cities, like Bat Yam or Holon, south of Tel Aviv.
These days, street artists feel that the establishment treats them like criminals but at the same time exploits their work to promote itself. Israeli law considers graffiti to be vandalism, but Shapira told Al-Monitor that the Tel Aviv and Haifa municipalities have asked her to conduct graffiti tours for the public. The city of Netanya sponsored a huge project last year that invited graffiti artists from Israel and abroad to paint in the municipal market.
One cannot blame the establishment for taking advantage of what the city has, as long as no artists rights are violated, said a graffiti artist who calls himself EDED. But an entity that trips you up in every possible way and then takes a photo of an artwork youve created and uses it as an ad can certainly be accused of immorality. Indeed, graffiti, which by its very nature is considered illegal, is nonetheless often featured in promotional clips for cities.
The city [of Tel Aviv] is two-faced, Meital Perger, a designer and events director at the Zezeze Architecture Gallery at Tel Aviv's port, told Al-Monitor. It says graffiti is banned, but uses it.
The gallery has been holding a series of programs on street art, the last of which dealt with the connection between graffiti and money. The invitation to the last event asked, Does the city keep ignoring certain out-of-the-way, neglected areas that attract non-establishment activity (graffiti) in order to leave them that way as a focal point of attraction?
Perger and Zezeze owner Nadav Lasser claim that the municipality is motivated by its own interests. Thus it prohibits graffiti in some places, while looking the other way in others. Lasser asserted, The municipality is willing to tolerate graffiti in southern [less affluent] Tel Aviv, but is not willing to do so in the prestigious north. Why is there no graffiti on the Tel Aviv Habima national theater walls? If we did that, it would be erased within 15 minutes.
Tel Aviv city hall rejects Lasser's claim. The municipality press department informed Al-Monitor, The initiative and decision are not based on the residential area but on aspects of art, surroundings, safety, maintenance and municipal policy. Unauthorized graffiti on the walls of both public and private buildings is a criminal offense. The entity tasked with enforcing the relevant law is the Israel Police acting in conjunction with municipal enforcement authorities. In addition to enforcement activities, city cleaners go through the streets and erase illegal graffiti.
The artist EDED is of the mind that the one who embraces you is preferable to the one who beats you up. At the same time, he said, Contact with the municipality is not at the top of the agenda. The illegality and the censorship are what make this art.
In the same vein, Shapira claims that the graffiti project organized by the Netanya authorities was not real street art. She observed, What they did in Netanya was a project for the whole family. In other words, such a project doesnt enable discussion of politics or porn or real world affairs, the way true street art does. True street art is direct, not mediated, and theres a price to be paid for that. The artist wont get paid if the art work was not commissioned, and his work might quickly be erased.
Perger is slightly more reserved and thinks that in any case, theres a difference between todays graffiti in Israel and the original street art that grew out of protest, oppression and a desire of the disenfranchised to make their presence known. She said that while underground, protest street art does exist in Israel, The reason for it today is branding, in order to attract attention and audiences. Its closely synchronized with Facebook and the social networks, seeking to create interaction in order [for the artist] to get ahead.
EDED insisted that that is not the case for him. Self-promotion was never a consideration, he said. My art stems from intuition and an internal impulse. Its also out of protest but not only. Fun and conveying an idea and a message are sufficiently good reasons, in my view.
Tamir Ben-Shahar, an economic-urban consultant from the firm of Czamanski Ben-Shahar, does not see a contradiction between authenticity and establishment support, and in fact, believes that cooperation between the two is a must. Just like the city adopts a marketing strategy for a commercial center or an industrial park, he told Al-Monitor, it can and should plan places where street art is leveraged. True, some of the artists cannot stand the establishment, but most of them want to get ahead and leverage their abilities in order to live different lives.
June 27, 2016
On the eve of his departure to Ankara on June 24 to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas' political bureau, invited journalists to his hotel in Doha to react to the expected reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey. "There is a regional plot to parachute someone from the outside to rule Gaza and Ramallah," he cautioned.
Although he did not name the person he believes is poised to threaten Hamas' rule in Gaza and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' rule in Ramallah, the prevailing belief is that he was alluding to former senior member of Fatah, Mohammed Dahlan. Ever since Avigdor Liberman was appointed Israel's new defense minister on May 30, rumors have been spreading about the intention to "crown" Dahlan as Palestine's next leader.
According to Palestinian and Israeli sources, in January 2015, Liberman, who then served as the foreign minister in Netanyahu's previous government, secretly met with Dahlan in Paris in a meeting brokered by their joint friend, Austrian businessman Martin Schlaff. The two reportedly discussed "Palestinian Authority affairs."
Back then, Liberman and Dahlan emphatically denied those reports, yet Abbas did not believe the denials. Then-Shin Bet Director Yoram Cohen scrambled to the PA headquarters (Muqata) in Ramallah to placate the irate Palestinian president, reassuring him that the meeting had not been facilitated by or on behalf of the Israeli government.
Not only have the clouds of conspiracy hovering over Gaza and Ramallah not dissipated since the news of that meeting was leaked, but they have in fact become heavier and more ominous. The new tune coming out of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv in the wake of Libermans appointment is that Abbas is an "obstacle" and that another military operation in Gaza is "inevitable."
The PA has already started the countdown toward the end of Abbas' rule. The identity of his successor has been preoccupying the Palestinian leadership more than ever in view of mounting estimates within the PA that Abbas plans to step down in 2016.
Dahlan has many supporters willing to follow him come rain or shine, yet at the same time he has racked up bitter rivals, one of whom is senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub. Like him, many senior Fatah members regard Dahlan as an existential threat to the PA and the Fatah movement in general.
The mere mentioning of a Liberman-Dahlan nexus whether true or not is enough to stigmatize Dahlan and provide his rivals with much ammunition (which they use repeatedly).
In the Gaza Strip, the situation is even more complex. Dahlan's relations with Hamas have remarkably improved thanks to the close ties he has fostered with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The leaders of the Gaza-based movement had hoped that Dahlan would help them mend fences with Sisi. They also welcomed the infusion of money from the Dahlan Foundation in the Gaza Strip aimed at promoting projects and helping the needy. Hamas leaders in Gaza cannot afford to reject generous financial aid even if Dahlan is the sponsor. Whether or not the latter's actions stem from sincere concern for his own people, it is patently clear that those national projects bolster and cement his standing.
Al-Monitor has learned that a battle has been raging in recent months within the Hamas movement with Meshaal and the movement's leadership in Qatar against the leaders in the Gaza Strip concerning the generous aid Dahlan has been extending to Gaza. A Palestinian source associated with Dahlan has told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Meshaal is doing whatever he can to sabotage important projects in the Gaza Strip that are financed with "Dahlan's money," including those seeking to help the residents of the refugee camps. The spanners he has been throwing in the wheels of those projects, the Palestinian source said, has greatly upset the leaders of the Gaza Strip, especially in view of the fact that the project to rehabilitate Gaza has been stymied by Abbas, Dahlan's arch rival.
The attitude toward Dahlan within Hamas highlights the tensions and different opinions between Hamas' two leaderships the one in Gaza and the one in Qatar. Operating outside of Gaza, Meshaal is motivated by political considerations and dispassionate interests. The leaders in Gaza, by contrast, weigh things according to the end result. The reconciliation between Gaza-based Hamas leaders and Dahlan and their attitude toward the person who was considered a bitter enemy from the time he was the head of the Palestinian Preventive Security in Gaza, does not stem from love or true friendship. Rather, it is based on pure interests.
According to two senior Hamas leaders, Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud al-Zahar (who in the past lambasted the person who humiliated him in the intelligence cellars of Preventive Security), only Dahlan can serve as a bridge between them and Sisi. Furthermore, the projects he has been promoting in the Gaza Strip, including assistance to the needy and young couples, help to reduce pressure on them as well as slightly decrease the criticism leveled at them by Gaza residents.
Hamas, much like Fatah, cannot let go of the thought that the massive power Dahlan has gathered thanks to his ties and the money he has been infusing into Gaza and the West Bank pave his way to the Muqata in Ramallah to replace his bitter enemy Abbas. However, to contend that this is a regional plot is far-fetched.
Indeed, Meshaal did not tell the journalists whom he invited to his hotel in Doha who the regional players are in on the "plot." Yet it seems everyone understands the imaginary axis he was depicting. He suspects that Egypt, Israel, the United States and even Saudi Arabia, which has recently extended aid to the Gaza Strip, are all collaborating with the "devil," to wit, Dahlan.
That being said, anyone who thinks that Dahlan faces smooth sailing from here on underestimates his opposing forces in the West Bank. Ever since he stepped into the PA after the 1993 Oslo Accord, Dahlan's main power emanates from the Gaza Strip. His opponents and enemies in the West Bank rallied around his former friend now-turned rival Rajoub. They won't be serving him the PA on a silver platter. They're lurking around the corner.
June 28, 2016
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Mohammad Bagheri as the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, replacing Hassan Firouzabadi, who held the position for 27 years. Firouzabadi, an outspoken military commander who in recent years has been supportive of President Hassan Rouhanis diplomatic efforts, will serve as an adviser to Khamenei, who is commander in chief of the armed forces.
Before his June 28 appointment, Maj. Gen. Bagheri, whose real last name is Afshordi, was not known as a high-profile personality in Iranian media. Bagheri joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1980 and eventually became one of the senior intelligence operational commanders of the Iran-Iraq War. Bagheri was serving as the deputy of intelligence and operations of the armed forces before his appointment. His brother, Hassan Bagheri, former deputy head of ground forces of the IRGC who died in 1983, was one of the famous commanders of the Iran-Iraq War and played an important role in the liberation of Khorramshahr.
With consideration of your valuable experience during the Sacred Defense [Iran-Iraq War] and your responsibilities at the armed forces and Khatam al-Anbiya [IRGC engineering conglomerate], I appoint you as chief of staff of the armed forces, Khameneis order read, which was shared by Iranian media.
Tasnim News Agency republished an older interview with Bagheri that was conducted when he was deputy of the armed forces. In a reference to his low profile in the media, particularly compared with the profile and name recognition of his brother, Bagheri said, I dont see myself as a significant person in order to be seen. It is natural that martyr Hassan Bagheri and other martyrs like him had this greatness, with their shadow cast over me and people like me. Alluding to his work in intelligence, he added, Of course, my work and employment is such that I have less opportunity for the media, and I am not inclined to have a presence in the public.
On Irans security in the region, especially with respect to the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group, which has a presence on both sides of Irans borders, Bagheri said Irans security position is the best it has been in Islamic Republic history. He said there was a time that Iraqi troops had occupied parts of Iranian territory and a time when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 in which many people felt that Iran would be next. However, now there is no threat of such land invasions at the moment, Bagheri said.
On the origins of the intelligence operations of the armed forces, Bagheri said that after the Iraqi invasion and occupation of southwest Iran, many Iranians from all across the country volunteered. However, these forces did not know the terrain of that part of Iran nor did they have an understanding of the forces they were fighting, and it was necessary to set up intelligence units in order to study them.
When asked to compare Khameneis management of the armed forces to that of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Bagheri described Khamenei as being directly involved in all of the military decisions. He said that Khamenei, due to his position as president before becoming supreme leader, has a firm understanding of managing the country and of the armed forces and has direct communication with all of the commanders.
Bagheri also said that he was part of the second layer of students who took over the US Embassy in November 1979. At the time he was an engineering student at Amirkabir University.
June 26, 2016
Hollywood will soon roll out a biopic about 13th-century Persian poet and scholar Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi. Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni, who wrote the script for the 2000 blockbuster "Gladiator," will be working on the film in collaboration with Turkey.
Known in Iran as Molana (Our Master) or Molavi (My Master) and in the West as Rumi, Balkhi was born in the city of Balkh in present-day Afghanistan, which then was part of the Persianate Khwarezmian Empire.
The announcement of the upcoming biopic has already stirred controversy. Talk of Leonardo DiCaprio being cast as the Persian poet has sparked an outcry centered on charges of "whitewashing" especially in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan, all of which claim Rumi as their national poet.
Iranian film critic and writer Ahmad Talebinejad told Al-Monitor, The United States and the Wests fascination with Molana, or as they call him 'Rumi,' started just a few years ago. He is not only appealing in the world of cinema, but also in music and poetry. This is perhaps because of his all-encompassing view of the world. I mean, if we look at his interpretation of life and existence, we realize that he saw the entire world as his home and hence he does not belong to only one group of people.
Talebinejad referred to the book "Rumi: The Fire of Love" by acclaimed writer Nahal Tajadod, which tells the story of Rumis life, and said, Its not clear how much of this story is rooted in reality. However, it portrays Molana as a unique individual. This is exactly how the public sees him, and in this context, perhaps the people in Hollywood also have a right to make a film about him.
A child at the time, Rumi and his family fled Balkh during the Mongol invasion and traveled through Baghdad, Mecca and Damascus before settling in Konya, which is located in present-day Turkey. Molana taught Islamic theology until his late 30s when he met Shams of Tabriz, a Persian mystic who transformed his life and became the source of inspiration behind Rumis epic collection of poetry.
It is said that the meeting between the two lasted for 40 days, during which Shams taught Rumi in seclusion. Later, Rumi wrote thousands of verses expressing his spiritual love for Shams, which are collected in two masterpieces of Persian poetry: "Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi" ("The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz") and "Masnavi-e Manavi" ("Rhyming Couplets of Deep Spiritual Meaning").
Iranian journalist and film critic Reza Sedigh told Al-Monitor he thinks that Hollywood producers are not capable of understanding the true relationship between Rumi and Shams. He said, Perhaps a figure such as [medieval Persian poet] Omar Khayyam might have been of more interest for Hollywood, since his poems and manner are closer to modern times. For instance, Khayyam said, 'Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.' So when faced with the question of why Hollywood has gone after Molana: Do Western producers comprehend Eastern mysticism? What understanding do they have of Masnavi [one of Rumis most prominent works of poetry]? And can they reach the necessary understanding [of these things]? Unfortunately, the answer is 'no.'
But what image do the films producers have of the Persian poet? In an interview with The Guardian, Franzoni said, Hes like a Shakespeare. Hes a character who has enormous talent and worth to his society and his people, and obviously resonates today. Those people are always worth exploring.
Sedigh told Al-Monitor he believes that Hollywood will present a defaced image of Rumi and Shams, saying, This is exactly what Hollywood has done and will continue to do with history, and especially the history of the East. If one looks at the film 'Noah,' directed by Darren Aronofsky, one can see the huge gap between the real story and Hollywoods distortions. How can Hollywood understand such events when it cant identify with or has not lived with the Eastern mentality of such prominent figures?
What has drawn the most ire is the talk of Leonardo DiCaprio potentially being cast as Rumi and Robert Downey Jr. as Shams of Tabriz. People have taken to Twitter to voice their frustration with the hashtag RumiWasntWhite. Critics asked why no key or positive role is ever given to Middle Eastern actors, with responses referring to the dominant racial preferences in Hollywood. Some netizens, however, wrote that such questions are principally wrong, as they themselves give rise to racism. Meanwhile, others have expressed concerns over the Turkish governments appropriation of Rumi.
Illustration of Leonardo DiCaprio as Rumi (Shahab Jafarnejad/7 Sobh Daily)
Talebinejad told Al-Monitor the key commonality of all these objections is political, saying, We Iranians think Molana belongs to us, and the Afghans believe he belongs to them. However, it is Turkey that has actually seized Molana. In fact, our lack of political maneuvering has led to Molana being registered as Turkish property. Im worried that the same thing will happen again in the future with poets Khayyam and Saadi [Shirazi].
Commenting on the potential casting of DiCaprio, Talebinejad said, He has attractive features and this could bring us closer to the spirituality in Rumis face. On the other hand, we dont truly know which image of Molana is closest to reality.
Sedigh, however, thinks the objections to the film stem from the lack of trust that Eastern peoples have toward Hollywood, saying that makeup and special effects can be effective to a certain extent but that the presence of such an actor shows signs of a Hollywood project about Molana that makes Easterners pessimistic.
In Sedighs opinion, the participation of Turkey in the project can in no way be viewed as a cultural issue. It is clear that this is a political presence both Hollywood and the Turkish government will achieve their goals. And amid all this, Molana and Shams, and the mystic history of the East, will be compromised while having the least importance for either side of the equation, he said.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated DiCaprio had been cast as Rumi. Sources close to the actor confirm he will not be pursuing this role.
A longstanding partnership between the Chamber of Commerce in Huntsville and UAH was formalized today, allowing both organizations to focus on expanding business opportunities across the region.
Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Chip Cherry and UAH President Robert Altenkirch sign a Memorandum of Agreement on June 27, 2016. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)
Chamber President/CEO Chip Cherry and UAH President Robert Altenkirch signed a Memorandum of Agreement to recruit industry, support entrepreneurs and cultivate new economic development projects in the Huntsville/Madison County community.
"Basically, this articulates a process that has been going on for a very long time," Cherry said. "UAH is a key partner of ours when we recruit new industry into town."
Recent economic victories include Aerojet Rocketdyne, which will establish its new Defense Business Unit headquarters in Cummings Research Park, creating about 40 jobs. Other examples of collaboration between the Chamber and UAH include Remington Outdoor, Polaris Industries and GE Aviation.
Cherry said UAH's resources, research and network of skilled graduates are critical recruitment tools for the Chamber as it explores new and existing industries, including semiconductor and advanced manufacturing operations.
"This has helped us create new jobs throughout the market," he said. "The Aerojet announcement today is just one of those pieces to the puzzle."
The agreement allows the Chamber and UAH to seek financial assistance at the local, state and federal levels to help grow the area's business and academic markets.
A rendering of the I2C at UAH. (Courtesy)
The Chamber will also help UAH in its efforts to launch the Innovation to Invention Center, a planned $10 million on-campus incubator that will host dozens of startup businesses between Wilson Hall and the Business Administration Building facing Sparkman Drive.
Altenkirch said the 45,000-square-foot facility, which should be under construction in a year, will support inventors, entrepreneurs, high-tech companies and partners in a 15-county region.
"Those companies might have in the beginning 3-4 employees," he said. "After 3-5 years, as they start to grow and they're successful, they'll move out and expand somewhere else."
Cherry, who said Huntsville is one of the highest per capita patent generators in the U.S., believes the UAH incubator will stimulate growth for high-tech companies and bring new ideas to fruition in a collaborative environment.
"That's what this incubator will be," he said. "A platform or a facility that allows those companies that don't have a lot of resources, that don't have a lot of capital, to share those administrative resources and other common support networks and grow and be able to commercialize those technologies."
Lanett police say a black bear was seen in two places today, as state officials are saying more bear sightings should be expected in the future.
Police said a black bear was sighted in the 1500 block of South 8th Avenue, and later along Magnolia Road and crossing Interstate 85 toward Valley.
Recent bear sightings have also taken place in recent weeks in Alexander City and Oxford. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said the state's black bear population is increasing not just in Alabama, but throughout the South.
There are a lot of young male bears roaming this time of year, said Thomas Harms, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division's Large Carnivore Coordinator.
Breeding populations of bears can be found in Mobile and Washington counties and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. There are also bears in the Little River area in northeast Alabama from a sub-species originating in Georgia, and in the Talladega National Forest.
The Alabama Department Conservation, on its website, states that black bears are poor predators easily intimidated by people. People encountering bears should not attract them with food, as it can cause them to lose their wariness of humans.
"If they continue to be fed, the bears will associate people with food sources and approach other people for food," the website states. "This may seem 'cute' to some people at first, but as the bears become bolder serious problems can occur."
A Tuscaloosa physician has been indicted on drug charges after a two-year probe into alleged opium trafficking.
Dr. James Fullerton Hooper, the 69-year-old pyschiatrist who owns Dr. James Hooper's Clinic in the 1000 block of Mimosa Park Road in Tuscaloosa, faces five counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and five counts of trafficking in controlled substance - opium. Hooper is the former chief psychiatrist at Taylor Hardin
The West Alabama Narcotics Task Force launched an investigation into Hooper two years ago after receiving numerous complaints from citizens of Tuscaloosa County concerning Dr. Hooper prescribing massive amounts of pain medication to patients without any medical verification, said Tuscaloosa police Lt. Teena Richardson.
Hooper was arrested today at 9:30 a.m. on those indictments and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail with bond set at $20,000. Richardson said the investigation is ongoing, with "hundreds" of charges pending against Hooper for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and trafficking in illegal drugs.
Captain Wayne Robertson, Commander of West Alabama Narcotics Task Force, said pharmaceuticals are the cause of more drug-related deaths than cocaine, heroin, or any other illicit drug combined. These deaths are attributed to individuals consuming multiple prescription narcotics and/or combining them with other illicit drugs and/or alcohol, he said.
Robertson said he is concerned that pharmaceuticals may be replacing marijuana as the first drug of choice among young adults. Prescription drug abuse is a very serious problem across the United States, he said, and added that the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force will continue to investigate any leads they received concerning fraudulent distribution of prescription medication.
The Water Works Board of the City of Birmingham has filed a lawsuit seeking to void two state laws that beginning next year would add members on the board from outside the city, diluting Birmingham's control of the water system and also putting new restrictions on the board.
Filed Friday, the lawsuit names as defendants the City of Birmingham, Mayor William Bell, the Birmingham City Council, the Jefferson County Mayors' Association, and the Shelby County and Blount County commissions.
The Birmingham Water Works asks in the lawsuit for a judge to order the 2015 and 2016 legislative acts "null, void, and of no effect." It also seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions against the defendants from taking any actions, including expansion of the board, under those acts.
Among the arguments, the water works board states that the two legislative acts interfere with water works contracts and violates the both the Alabama and U.S. Constitutions.
"The Acts violate these provisions because they impair the obligation of contracts between the BWWB (water works board) and Birmingham," the lawsuit states.
When Birmingham agreed in the 1950s to transfer ownership over the assets of the water system to the water works board the city obtained valuable rights, among them the right to control further amendments to the BWWB Charter and the rights over the composition of the board and the city's appointment powers to the board, the lawsuit states.
"BWWB is duty bound to enforce the contractual commitments it made to Birmingham, but under the Acts (if they are enforceable), BWWB is forced to breach its obligations to Birmingham regarding numerous obligations, including the composition of the Board of BWWB," the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also states that the acts:
- Violate sections 106 and 110 of the Alabama Constitution for failure to publish proper notice before the bills were enacted.
- Violate section 104 (18) of the Alabama Constitution. "The Acts violate SS104(18) because they are a special or private laws, or local laws, amending the charter of BWWB, a public or municipal corporation by, among other aspects, altering the composition of the BWWB Board."
A majority of the water works board fought unsuccessfully the bills' enactments. The board had hired lobbyists to convince legislators.
The Birmingham Water Works Board, in a 3-2 vote, on June 15 hired two attorneys - David Sullivan, of Birmingham, and attorney Wilson Green, of Tuscaloosa - to look at challenging as unconstitutional the two state laws.
But when the lawsuit was filed Friday it also included attorney Calvin Grigsby.
Grigsby, CEO of investment bank Grigsby & Associates, was one of the attorneys in the fight last year against the Jefferson County sales tax law. He also represents a group of clients fighting Jefferson County's plan to exit bankruptcy in December 2013. The lawsuit is now pending on appeal before a federal appeals court.
Green had represented a client in a successful lawsuit saying the county occupational tax passed in August 2009 was unconstitutional. That 2009 tax had replaced a similar one that had been struck down in January 2009, which sent the county into a downward financial spiral into what was then the largest government bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Green last year also represented a client in a lawsuit that resulted in a ruling that struck down a sales tax law that would have allowed Jefferson County officials to refinance nearly $600 million in school construction debt and divert $60 million in savings each year to other non-educational projects.
Under the bill enacted in 2015, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, the board is to expand from five to nine members as of Jan.1, 2017. Currently all five members are appointed by the Birmingham City Council.
The new law states the new board will have six Birmingham residents, one member who lives in Jefferson County outside of Birmingham appointed by the mayor's association, and one each appointed from the Blount and Shelby County commissions.
The law also: sets limits on the term of all board members; caps the compensation of board members; specifies the board will be covered by the State Ethics Law; requires notice and a public hearing must be made prior to adoption of any rate increase; and makes the board subject to the Alabama Open Meetings Act.
In the bill enacted this spring, sponsored by Rep. Oliver Robinson, the appointments for the six Birmingham residents will be split, with two appointed by the mayor and four by the city council.
Birmingham Water Works Board member Ann Florie said Tuesday that she was not aware that the board had filed the lawsuit. "I was surprised it did not come back before the board for a vote," she said.
"I did not see the complaint so I did not know who we had sued or on what grounds," Florie said. "I also was not aware Calvin Grigsby had been added to the legal team."
Florie and board member Sherry Lewis had both voted against hiring attorneys to look into a possible lawsuit.
Updated June 28, 2016 with comments from board member Ann Florie
Suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has been granted a request to have the Court of the Judiciary hear his motion to dismiss judicial ethics charges leveled against him by the state's Judicial Inquiry Commission.
In the meantime, the chief judge of the Court of the Judiciary wants the public to stop the calls and emails to them about the case.
Michael Joiner, chief judge of the Court of the Judiciary who also serves on the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, issued an order late Monday stating that the court will hear Moore's motion to dismiss the charges on Aug. 8. The hearing will be in the Alabama Supreme Court Courtroom in Montgomery.
Joiner also gave the Judicial Inquiry Commission until July 15 to file any brief and materials opposing Moore's motion for summary judgment and any other related motion. Moore has until July 22 to file any responses to the JIC filings.
Each side will be allowed 30 minutes for argument at the August hearing, Joiner stated . "Should any issue or issues remain after the Court rules on the matters addressed at the August 8 , 2016 , hearing , a final hearing , including a trial if necessary , will be set," he stated.
Moore on June 23 had asked that all nine members of the Court of the Judiciary hear his motion to dismiss the case against him. Moore had filed the motion to dismiss and his response to the JIC charges two days earlier.
The JIC charges center on Moore's alleged violation of judicial ethics when in January he advised probate judges in the state that the Alabama Supreme Court's order from March 2015 telling them not to issue same-sex marriage licenses was still in effect, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling three months later making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
Liberty Counsel, the group that represents Moore, in late May filed the federal lawsuit against the JIC, asking among other things that the law that automatically suspends a judge when charged by JIC be declared unconstitutional. The group last week also filed a similar suit on behalf of Alabama Associate Justice Tom Parker, who also has been under investigation by JIC for public comments he has made about same-sex marriage.
U.S. District Court Judge W. Harold Albritton, III has set a hearing for oral arguments on the motion by JIC to dismiss the lawsuit against it for Aug. 4.
If removed from the bench by the Court of the Judiciary, it would be the second time Moore was removed by that court after charges. The first time was in 2003 after Moore refused a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Supreme Court building.
Calls and Emails
In his order Joiner also asked that Moore and others ask people to stop contacting members of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary about Moore's case.
"Members of this Court have received an increasing number of phone calls and emails about this case from members of the public," Joiner stated. "These points of contact have come primarily from individuals expressing support for the Chief Justice."
"Although this Court does not have reason to believe that the Chief Justice has encouraged members of the public to initiate contact with this Court, the Court nevertheless encourages the parties to in fact discourage such contact."
Court of the Judiciary members are prohibited by the Canons of Judicial Ethics from commenting about a pending case, Joiner stated.
"The court would remind the parties, as well as the public, that its members serve without compensation, and the court simply does not have the resources to respond to every request for information by members of the public."
Joiner noted that all filings of the Court of Judiciary are posted on its website, "typically within hours of filing."
Six people were indicted last week in connection with a 2015 probe into a human trafficking ring in which a Madison County spa served as a front for prostitution.
The owners of the Royal Spa, Jun and Myung Kim of Chattanooga, have each been indicted on one count of promoting prostitution in the second degree. Kyong Ae Hurlburt, the manager of the spa housed inside a small residential structure on Highway 72 in Madison, has been indicted on two counts of promoting prostitution in the second degree and one count of promoting prostitution in the third degree.
Un Hui Choe of Doraville, Georgia, was indicted on two counts of promoting prostitution in the second-degree and two others, Ronnie Song of Mobile and Chang Williams of New York City, were indicted on one count each of the same charge. Song, who served as manager of Unique Spa in Mobile, was arrested in February 2015 after the Mobile County Sheriff's Office - with assistance from the Madison County investigators - executed a search warrant at Unique Spa.
When the majority of the suspects were arrested in December following simultaneous raids of the spa in Madison and the owners' Chattanooga home, Madison County Chief Deputy David Jernigan likened the Asian women who worked at the spa to "indentured servants."
"What we found out during our investigation is that the ladies who were working at the spa were actually living there as well," Jernigan said. "That makes them indentured. That makes it equivalent to slavery."
The women spoke little, if any, English, and had no transportation and had no support system outside of their employers. About four women would work out of the spa at a time, and the women would "come and go," Jernigan said in December.
There is no record of a seventh suspect in the case, Jennifer Joe, being arrested on her outstanding warrant for promoting prostitution.
James Chapman.jpg
James Chapman (Scottsboro Police Department)
The charges against an elderly Scottsboro man accused of roughly "disciplining" his grandchildren in McDonald's will be dropped if he can stay out of trouble for the next year.
A clerk in the Scottsboro Municipal Court confirmed to AL.com that the two domestic violence charges against 73-year-old James Chapman on Monday were continued for a year. If Chapman does not have any more arrests in that time, the charges will be dismissed.
Chapman made national headlines last month when he was arrested after disciplining his adopted grandchildren inside the fast food restaurant. Another patron called police and investigators said that multiple eyewitnesses claimed the discipline was excessive.
Chapman's lawyer argued that parents and grandparents have the right to discipline their children.
The kids were not taken to the hospital for treatment after the incident.
Michelle Owens.jpg
Michelle Lee Owens (Decatur Police Department)
The Decatur woman accused of shooting her husband to death inside their home over the weekend had bought a gun just weeks before the slaying and had been "acting crazy" prior to the shooting, according to the couple's teenage son.
A transcript of a 911 call made by the teen also indicates that Michelle and Lawrence "Eddie" Owens II's 7-year-old son was present when his father was gunned down.
Michelle Lee Owens, 44, is charged with murder in the death of Eddie Owens. Eddie Owens, also 44, was found dead Sunday afternoon in the master bathroom of the family's Lenox Drive home.
Michelle Owens is being held in lieu of $1 million bond. In her first appearance before a judge on Monday, via video, court documents state that "she was extremely disruptive and it was apparent she was unable to understand the initial appearance proceedings."
Owens' sister was present in the courtroom and told the judge Owens had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the documents state.
The transcript of the 911 call made by the couple's 17-year-old son, as well as that of an emergency call made the night before by Michelle Owens, have been obtained by multiple local media outlets, including WAFF 48. In Michelle Owens' call Saturday night, she claimed her husband was emotionally abusing her and her younger son.
Scroll down to read the transcripts of both 911 calls made from the Owens home.
In the call, made just before 8 p.m. Saturday night, Michelle Owens asks a dispatcher to send police to escort her and her son to a "Christian-based safe place."
Owens had also used that phrase on her Facebook page Friday night when asking friends for recommendations for "safe places." When people asked if she was all right, however, she said that she, Eddie and the kids were fine.
If anyone knows of Christian based safe places. Please let me know. Thank ya'll Posted by Michelle Smith Owens on Friday, June 24, 2016
In Saturday's 911 call, Owens tells the dispatcher that her husband has been abusing her and their kids and that they "want out of (there)."
The dispatcher asks if Eddie Owens has been drinking, and Michelle Owens says he has. When asked if he's physically assaulted anyone, however, she says he has not.
"He hasn't physically assaulted us, but he has been mentally abusing us. Me and my kids," Owens says.
The dispatcher promises to send officers to the home and the call ends.
The transcript from Sunday afternoon begins with the couple's teen son telling a dispatcher that he has returned home from an overnight visit with a friend and that his mother will not let him in the house.
"I'm - I just got home. And my mom, she's been acting crazy these past couple of weeks because she's been diagnosed with, uh - or with, um - what is it called? Some kind of disease that makes you think thoughts that really aren't real," the boy tells the dispatcher.
He goes on to say that his mother has been acting "weird" and won't let him come inside.
"And she's telling me to leave and stuff. And my brother's in there with her. And I heard him saying that he killed - she killed dad or something like that. And I'm really worried," the boy says.
The dispatcher asks the teen if there are weapons in the home and he says that Michelle Owens had recently bought a gun.
"My mom purchased a pistol the other day, so she's been carrying that around with her," he says.
The teen asks if he needs to leave the property and the dispatcher tells him to leave if he doesn't feel safe. The boy agrees to meet responding officers at the intersection of Lenox and Duncansby drives.
He goes on to tell the dispatcher that he asked his mother if she really killed his father.
"And I was like, mom, did you really kill dad? And she was like, no, everything's okay. But I saw the look in her face, and she looked worried," he says.
The Decatur Daily reports that police had been called to the couple's house several times in the past for domestic incidents, welfare checks and mental and emotional complaints. Court records show that Eddie Owens did not have a criminal history in Alabama.
Michelle Owens also has no prior criminal history in the state. A crime report in the newspaper out of Hartsville, Tennessee, indicates that Owens was arrested June 15 for evading arrest by motor vehicle and speeding. She was out of jail on $15,000 bond.
Details of that arrest were not immediately available.
Besides their two sons, the couple also has a grown daughter.
Updated at 2:30 p.m. to include Michelle Owens' recent arrest in Tennessee.
911 call made by Michelle Owens by c_bonvillian
Owens 911 Call No. 2 by c_bonvillian
A 3-day-old infant died on Monday morning after being attacked by a shar pei pit bull mixed-breed dog in Fresno, Calif.
KMPH-TV reported the child's mother left the baby on the couch while she went to the bathroom on Monday morning. When she returned, she found one of her brother's dogs attacking the baby.
KGPE-TV identified the child as Susie Kirby.
According to the report, the mother had left a backdoor open because it was hot in the house. She thought her brother's two dogs were chained in the backyard.
No criminal charges are expected in the case.
"We believe it was an accident, so we don't think charges will be filed," Fresno police Lt. Dan Macias told the news station. "But we are handling it through our child abuse unit, to make sure there was no child endangerment situation."
Both dogs are in the custody of animal control pending the outcome of the investigation.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a federal law that prohibits people with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from owning guns.
The court split 6-2 on the case, with Justice Elena Kagan writing for the majority. Kagan said any efforts to exclude misdemeanor domestic violence convictions for those deemed to have acted recklessly - as opposed to intentionally - would "substantially undermine" the existing federal provisions.
In a rare union of the conservative and liberal sides of the court, Justices Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor joined to dissent on the opinion, saying the majority opinion was overly broad in its definition of "use of force' in regards to domestic violence convictions.
"Under the majority's reading, a single conviction under a state assault statute for recklessly causing an injury to a family member -- such as by texting while driving -- can now trigger a lifetime ban on gun ownership," Thomas wrote. "We treat no other constitutional right so cavalierly."
The case, Voisine et al v. United States, came after two men from Maine challenged the provision that keeps those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses from owing a gun. Each man had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting their domestic partner and, after their convictions, were found to be in possession of a firearm. The men challenged their federal firearms prohibition, arguing their prior convictions were based on reckless, as opposed to knowing or intentional, conduct.
Attorneys for, Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong III, the men who brought that case, said their misdemeanor domestic violence convictions shouldn't result in a lifetime ban against gun ownership. Voisine pleaded guilty to assault in 2004 after slapping his girlfriend while he was intoxicated. He was later convicted of shooting a bald eagle with a rifle and sentenced to a year in prison for a gun violation.
Armstrong pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in 2008. A later search of his home as part of a narcotics investigation led to the discovery of firearms and ammunition. He was sentenced to three years probation.
gov.JPG
Gov. Robert Bentley sits in a new Hyundai Santa Fe fresh off the assembly line Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC in Montgomery, Ala. The Santa Fe is back on the line in Montgomery after a six-year hiatus. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)
Gov. Robert Bentley got an up close look Tuesday at the assembly line at Hyundai's Alabama plant south of Montgomery where last week the company resumed production of the Santa Fe Sport SUV.
For about an hour Bentley and some staff, along with media, toured the plant on a tram as it weaved its way from one building and assembling line to the next.
Along the way Bentley watched as workers, mostly in dark blue-colored or red company shirts and kakis, and robots - mostly attired in yellow and black paint - seamlessly did a dance of sorts putting together not just the Santa Fe, but also two other Hyundai vehicles built at the plant, the Sonata and the Elantra.
What the governor saw was the blending of the latest robotic technology with highly skilled workers who when combined turn out 1,550 vehicles a day across all assembly lines.
In all about 3,000 employees work at the Alabama plant. There are about 350 robots in use at the plant. That combination allows the plant to run its production lines five days a week, 24 hours a day in addition to some weekends, said company officials.
In terms of the Santa Fe, the plan calls to build 36,700 of them a year along with 175,100 Sonatas and 183,200 Elantras.
The tour took the governor from the very beginning of the building of the vehicles when they begin as mostly flat pieces of mental all the way to the point where they roll off the line.
In a normal day that process take about 17 hours start to finish.
At the end of the tour the governor got behind the wheel of a gray Santa Fe recently assembled. When he opened the door you could smell the new car smell.
Originally built at Hyundai's Alabama plant from 2005-2010, the SUV has been built at the company's Kia plant in Georgia the past 6 years.
Hyundai spent about $52 million getting its Alabama's plant ready to resume building the Santa Fe, a move that will enable the company to produce more of the SUV's to help meet a growing demand among consumers for trucks and SUV's.
Bentley was impressed by what he saw.
"...We're glad to have it back in Alabama," Bentley said of the SUV. "The Santa Fe is a great vehicle and so many Americans to go to an SUV-type vehicle rather than a sedan and Hyundai is ahead of the curve."
Bentley noted the blending of the human and the robotic technology on display in the tour.
"I'm very impressed with the automation here at Hyundai," said Bentley. "I've been to all the auto factories in the state of Alabama and they all do a great job. But no one beats Hyundai in automation and the use of robots and they do a fantastic job."
As Bentley talked, Bill Newton, the state's acting finance director, was busy examining the Santa Fe, looking it over like a potential buyer.
That's because he is. Newton said he asked Bentley to let him tag along on the tour so he could get a unique look at something he just might soon buy.
Newton, already the owner of one Hyundai, said he has a son in need of a vehicle and he's been thinking about giving him his current Hyundai and buying a Santa Fe.
"They're great cars...," said Newton. And as a finance director might note, "...and they are really a great deal when you consider what they cost compared to some of the other SUV's out there."
Mogadishu, Somalia Drivers in the morning rush hour in Mogadishu jostle for space to fill their tanks in one of the newly opened petrol stations in the city. An attendant shouts at the drivers, directing them: Come forward a bit, a bit more. Stop. These scenes are new to the city and its residents.
The filling station is in the K4 area in the heart of the city and it has witnessed a big increase in the number of vehicles passing through its gates since it reduced its prices.
Drivers for a long time complained of high prices at the pumps and avoided filling up as much as possible. Now they have received a respite.
Prices have dropped in line with the slump in the price of oil in the global market. Since December, consumers say, the price for a litre of petrol in the Somali capital has dropped by at least 30 percent.
The price has changed. I used to pay $5 for five litres but now I pay $3.50. That is very good news for us drivers as it means we save money that we can use for other things. I hope the price of oil continues to fall, Zakariye Abdiqadir, a driver at Somoil station told Al Jazeera, as he waited for his turn to fill up.
I never used to fill my tank because it was very expensive. Now coming here is not too bad on our wallets, Abdiqadir added.
At least half a dozen petrol stations have opened in the city, which is recovering from more than two decades of civil war, that ended three years ago.
Recovery from war
Following the collapse of the countrys central government under long-term ruler Siad Barre, in 1991 the energy sector was completely destroyed and drivers depended on vendors who sold expensive petrol from jerry cans by the side of the road. These vendors are slowly disappearing from the streets of the seaside capital and petrol stations are taking their place.
But it is not just drivers benefiting from the global collapse in oil prices. Petrol station owners have witnessed a rise in sales, not just of petrol but also other goods.
A year ago when this station opened a litre of petrol was $1.20. Now it is $0.70, said Abdihafid Ali, a Somoil petrol station manager. Our customer numbers have increased as the prices decreased. More drivers are having their cars washed here or have the oil changed.
As employees washed cars behind him, The station manager told Al Jazeera that: Sales of everything have gone up because drivers have more money to spend.
Price of oil determines most things on the markets of Mogadishu, something that is not lost on the citys drivers.
Even the water we drink in Mogadishu is affected by the price of oil. The water we drink was purified using electricity which came from diesel generators, Abdiqadir said, holding a one litre bottle of chilled water.
No changes for public transport rates
But the petrol price drop and the good times have not reached everyone in this city of more than one million people.
Most people use public service vehicles to go about their daily life. Yet, fares have remained the same. In the Wadajir district of the city, dozens of commuters rush to take the quickly-filling minibuses at the Medina bus station.
The commuters are not happy at what they see as a rip-off by drivers and bus owners. Im paying the same fare as I used to pay before the change in the petrol price, said Abdisalam Sheikh, a university student as he boarded the bus.
When you ask them why they are not changing the price, they either say the price will change soon or they will say it is not their vehicle, they are just employees, Sheikh told Al Jazeera.
There is not much we can do. We cannot walk to university or to work. So we just pay and hope they lower their fares one day, he added.
Adil Abdiqadir Hassan was rushing to get to work and sat a few seats away from Sheikh on the minibus. Hassan said he thinks the fares need to reflect the change in the price of petrol.
Before, when the price of petrol went up they were quick to raise our fares, but when it goes down they are not keen on lowering the fares. To them it is all about maximising their profits, Hassan said.
But owners of transport vehicles in the city say they have good reason not to reduce the fares.
One minibus driver, Abdirahim Maalin, explained that before when the price of petrol was high there were not many buses. But now there are too many buses which means fewer commuters to take so there is less profit and thats why the price is the same.
But as oil-producing countries feel the pinch from the drop in oil prices, in Somalia people for the most part are enjoying the benefits.
We paid a lot of money for petrol for a very long time. I hope the price continues to fall as the low price of oil is good for our lives and development of our country, Abdiqadir, the driver at the petrol station, said.
READ MORE: The expensive luxury of electricity in Somalia
Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa
As India bans foreign surrogacy, clinics look towards Cambodia, but what will it mean for the rights of surrogates?
New Delhi, India Rita* tucks hungrily into a plate of steaming white rice, daal (lentils), a mixed-vegetable curry, yoghurt and a green salad.
Her just-washed hair is gathered at the nape of her neck in a loose bun and the bold, flower print of her tunic stretches out over her heavily pregnant belly. She sits cross-legged on the bed in her sunny room in the yellow surrogate house, just off the main road on the outskirts of Gurgaon, a hub of domestic and international businesses and sparkling malls and eateries bordering New Delhi.
Rita is one of the last surrogates in India carrying a child for a foreign couple. In October last year, when Rita was around five months pregnant, the Indian Council for Medical Research sent a notification (PDF) to all fertility clinics, ordering them not to entertain any foreigners for availing surrogacy services in India.
Earlier, in a written affidavit to the Supreme Court, the Indian government had confirmed it does not support commercial surrogacy and that the new law will have provisions to prohibit and penalise commercial surrogacy services.
An Asian Age report says that as the government finds it a contentious issue, addressing it is the need of the hour.
India has been criticised for its failure to regulate its surrogacy industry and seems determined to address surrogacy as a standalone issue: the much-discussed Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, drafted in 2007 by the then Congress government, of which surrogacy was a part, has now been been narrowed down to deal with just surrogacy and will be renamed the Surrogacy Regulation Bill.
It is at present being discussed by a group of ministers headed by union health minister J P Nadda.
READ MORE: Why international surrogacy is booming
The Indian Council of Medical Research directive followed the release of draft legislation by Indias health ministry prohibiting foreigners except those with family origins in India from employing Indian surrogates.
The new law is in its final stages and is expected to be passed soon, outlawing foreign surrogacy with the aim of protecting the rights of surrogate mothers.
Glaring losses for a $500m industry
Facing losses in what was a lucrative trade Indias surrogacy industry is estimated to be worth around $500m per year Indian clinics have started moving out to Cambodia, a country with ambiguous surrogacy laws and a visa-on-arrival facility for Indian nationals. More than a dozen Thai and Indian clinics are already operating there.
I am aware of a few Indian and Nepali clinics that have set up in Cambodia, says Sam Everingham, director of events and content for the Australia-based Families through Surrogacy. The surrogates come from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. Some may also come from India thats not clear yet.
Non-Indian surrogates often charge anything from $15,000 upwards, and in the US, for example, where commercial surrogacy is allowed only in certain states, it can cost upwards of $150,000. In India, however, the costs are often well under $30,000.
Prospective parents wont want to pay that amount, especially for a country where surrogacy laws are ambiguous, says Nepal-based Preeti Bista, cofounder of My Fertility Angel Cambodia.
These clinics will undoubtedly begin hiring Indian surrogates in Cambodia, Bista believes, simply because they are cheaper.
And some surrogates do not seem averse to this. Hundreds of them had protested against the ban outside the ICMR offices when the ruling was passed.
I was struggling to pay off a debt of $8,000, Rita says. I left my home for nine months to stay in a new place. I am grateful I didnt have to travel, but I wouldnt mind if I had to.
That desperation isnt only shared by the surrogate mothers and their families. Surrogacy in India is also the last resort for many infertile couples in countries where surrogacy is either banned or prohibitively expensive.
The difference between surrogacy costs in India and the US for most infertile couples is the difference between having the option to have a child or not, says New York-based hotelier Arnon Magal, who struggled with infertility for years and sought alternatives, including IVF treatments in Israel and Cyprus and two failed surrogacy pregnancies in India. He was hoping to again hire a surrogate in India this year.
But the ban comes after years of controversies that have plagued the industry, including accusations by rights groups of exploitation of surrogate mothers.
But Mark Henaghan, a New Zealand-based law professor, who follows the issue closely, believes that outlawing international surrogacy will only lead to more abuse of the surrogates.
It is unlikely that the entire industry will cease now that it has been banned. It seems more likely that a black market or underground industry will spring up in its place, which will afford much less protection for everyone involved, especially the surrogates and the resulting children, says Henaghan.
READ MORE: The murky world of transnational surrogacy
Bans make the surrogates more vulnerable in a third country
This was the result when, in 2012, India banned single and gay-couple surrogacy. Neighbouring Nepal, which allowed surrogacy as long as the surrogate was not a Nepalese citizen, emerged as an offshore surrogacy hub with Indian clinics impregnating and then smuggling Indian surrogates across the border into Nepal for deliveries a foreign country where the mothers rights were not clearly defined.
It all came to a head in April last year when a massive earthquake hit Nepal and many Indian surrogates were stranded as Israel airlifted its own citizens and their babies, leaving the surrogates stranded in a quake-ravaged country. The country suspended commercial surrogacy the following August.
Bista was a coordinator for an international fertility agency that worked through an Indian clinic when the Nepal earthquake hit. She says they had to send surrogate mothers who were mid-term in their pregnancies back to India, while some others stayed behind in temporary shelters in Nepal to wait out their pregnancies.
That was horrible, she says.
Even before the earthquake, there were agencies in Nepal who kept surrogates in overcrowded surrogate houses with 10 or so in a room. Some of them had their children and husbands with them. There was no work for the husbands and it was a very harassing situation for them, she continues.
I wouldnt deny it wont happen in Cambodia. The only way out is to regulate. When governments ban, people find other locations to continue. And in fact such bans make the surrogates more vulnerable in a third country, Bista says.
Investigations by various journalists and rights groups into the lives of surrogate mothers revealed mistreatment in the surrogate houses, a lack of nutritious food and poor hygiene. The surrogates were also often emotionally distressed.
Most of the women said they are happy but their answers seemed rehearsed to me, says Janak Sapkota, a local journalist who covered the issue in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake. They missed home, their families and their villages.
Everingham, of Families through Surrogacy, visited Cambodia last year to assess the situation and found it far from ideal.
There is no legislation protecting the rights of the surrogate, child or intended parents, he says. The ban [in India] will push intended parents to engage in far riskier places like Cambodia, where there is a serious lack of medical support services, such as neonatal care units.
There is a strong demand for surrogacy and for people to use surrogates to have their genetic child, Henaghan says.
Where there is demand, it will always find a market.
*Name has been changed
The outcome will be a far cry from the sunny utopian uplands of independence many Brexiters are expecting.
While the former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlais comments that it was too early to say when asked about the effects of the French Revolution are apocryphal he was probably talking about the student uprising in Paris in May 1968 it certainly holds true when assessing the implications of the United Kingdoms decision to leave the European Union (EU), more pithily known as Brexit.
Despite the fact that the initial reaction both across the financial markets and the media has been one of shock, the long-term consequences are simply unknown. Just as both sides of the vote, Leave and Remain, had valid arguments before the election, so it still holds true that the UK may ultimately benefit from this decision.
What is less likely, however, given the expectations generated by the Leave campaign, is that those who voted for Brexit will end up as anything other than disappointed.
Ugly and divisive
The campaign leading up to the referendum was one of the ugliest and most divisive political events in recent British history.
That there were legitimate and compelling arguments to support Brexit, just as there were to stay within the EU, seemed to be lost during a debate where ambition and personal rancour seemed to triumph over reason, manners and even friendships.
READ MORE: Britain and the Arab world post-Brexit
This divisiveness, plus the actual shock that the Leave vote triumphed few of its supporters actually expected to win has contributed to the current state of political and economic turmoil.
The true long-term implications of this event are still far from clear. by
So much so that there exists a real sense that the result, let alone the referendum itself, was a mistake.
Yet the true long-term implications of this event are still far from clear. The current political and economic fallout has to be understood for what it really is, rather than being simply accepted as a defining judgement on the referendum.
Short-term economic volatility is simply no indication one way or the other of future strategic success.
This was clearly demonstrated by the growth of the British economy following the collapse of the financial markets after Britains exit from the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992.
Similarly, much of the ensuing political furore caused by nationalist politicians calling for the United Kingdom to be broken up possibly reflects their personal ambitions more than an immediate political threat.
Disenfranchised electorate
Just as the Leave campaign had grounds to argue the case for the UKs future outside of the EU, so there is a chance they may be able to achieve it.
The UK may well be able to negotiate a free-trade deal with the remaining members of the EU that both allows it to benefit from access to the single market while still maintaining the political sovereignty to reorientate the economy to access new markets.
Similarly, there is no reason to believe that continued membership of the EU would remain an untrammelled success. The EU at heart requires significant reform.
While it has its benefits, it is what its critics claim, viz: a democratically unaccountable elite governing an increasingly disenfranchised electorate.
READ MORE: Brexit and the view from Spain
Likewise, the European social model may well struggle to survive in its current format, particularly given the large-scale level of immigration across the continent.
Yet even if the United Kingdom is able to make a success of its new-found independence and, through increased competitiveness, experience increased wages and lower prices as some of Remains key campaigners admitted might be possible this is still unlikely to satisfy the Leave voters.
Economic fluctuations
Gradual economic growth in the years following a negotiated exit with the possibility of increased resilience to continental economic fluctuations is a far cry from the sunny utopian uplands of independence that many Brexiters are expecting.
Europe, for many, had become a convenient catch-all excuse for problems that lie far closer to home, ie, an economy over-reliant on the financial sector and a dependency on cheap foreign labour to do manual work.
Europe, for many, had become a convenient catch-all excuse for problems that lie far closer to home ... by
With no one left to blame, Brexit may only serve to painfully disabuse the EUs critics of this misconception.
There is also the formidable question of immigration. In this referendum, as in the previous last two general elections, no matter how contentious politicians may have found the subject, immigration came to the fore of voters concerns.
Yet Brexit may not even address the issue of European immigration simply because any free trade deal may be dependent upon the continued free moment of labour.
Similarly, much of the angst related to immigration is not actually directed against communities from within the EU. Rather it is focused on Muslim communities from further afield. Hence, in practical terms, voting for Brexit was little more than an expression of frustration.
That the realities of Brexit will almost inevitably disappoint those who voted for it does not mean that it has to be a failure. There is plenty the UK can do to build on its current economic strengths. Equally, the future prosperity and stability of the EU are by no means guaranteed.
However, such are the expectations surrounding Britains exit that regardless of what is ultimately achieved, those politicians who campaigned for this decision will be judged to have failed. For those who chose to support Brexit to further their political careers it may come as a bitter disappointment.
Crispian Cuss is a former British Army officer who has worked and lived in the Middle East. He currently acts as a defence and security consultant.
The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Senior opposition official denies allegation, after government charges seven over the murder of aid worker in September.
Police in Bangladesh have charged seven people, including a senior opposition official, over the murder of an Italian aid worker last September, an officer has said.
Cesare Tavella, 50, was shot dead by motorcycle-riding assailants in September 2015 while jogging in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka, Bangladeshs capital.
The killing was the first in a wave of attacks in Bangladesh to be claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.
Yet, the secular government of Sheikh Hasina denies the involvement of ISIL, saying the armed group has no presence in the country.
Instead, authorities say the deaths are part of a plot to destabilise the country and have blamed homegrown groups and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Sheikh Nazmul Alam said on Tuesday that seven people had been charged with the murder of Tavella, including two BNP officials.
We submitted the charge sheet against the seven on Monday. Those who are charged include Abdul Quayum, who masterminded the attack, Alam told the AFP news agency, referring to a senior BNP official who is believed to be living in exile in Malaysia.
He said that the attack was part of a plot to tarnish the image of the country and destabilise it.
Quayum denied the charge, telling the Daily Star newspaper that he was being victimised because of his political affiliation.
BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that the charge was false and politically motivated.
It is an attempt to hide the real killers, Rizvi told AFP.
READ MORE: Bangladesh arrests thousands after series or murders
Dozens of foreign aid workers, atheist bloggers, liberal academics, gay rights campaigners, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been killed in brutal attacks across Bangladesh in recent years.
Earlier this month, the government launched a nationwide crackdown on local groups, arresting more than 11,000 people, under pressure to act on the spate of killings.
But many rights groups allege the arrests were arbitrary or were a way to silence political opponents of the government.
Two countries tied in vote after Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and Sweden are chosen for non-permanent seats.
In a symbolic gesture for European unity, Italy and the Netherlands have proposed to split a two-year term on the UN Security Council, after the two countries tied in a contested race for a non-permanent seat on the council.
The proposal came on Tuesday, after five rounds of voting at the 193-member UN General Assembly, where neither of the countries could attain the two-thirds majority vote needed.
Each received 95 votes in the last round.
In earlier voting, Bolivia and Ethiopia both running unopposed and Kazakhstan and Sweden secured their two-year council mandates in the most contested elections in years.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the proposal of a shared seat was symbolic because it was a message of unity between two European countries.
A European diplomat, who spoke to DPA news agency on the condition of anonymity, called the decision a truly European gentlemanly agreement.
The diplomat said the two countries will need to come up with an agreement allowing one to attain the official two-thirds majority in the General Assembly vote, with the understanding that it will hand the post to the other country after a year.
The elected countries will begin a two-year stint on the council on January 1, taking their seats alongside the five permanent council members Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States.
The other five non-permanent members are: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
READ MORE: Is it time for a woman to run the UN?
As the most powerful body of the United Nations, the Security Council can impose sanctions, endorse peace accords and authorise the use of military force.
It also oversees 16 peacekeeping missions in the world, with a budget of about $8bn.
Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden were competing for two spots while Kazakhstan and Thailand were squaring off for a seat reserved for Asia.
Italy was lobbying fiercely for a council seat, portraying itself as a crossroads country in the Mediterranean and touting its experience dealing with the refugee crisis.
Italy was also seen as a player in efforts to pull Libya out of chaos.
The Netherlands, home to the International Criminal Court and other world tribunals, played up its commitment to international justice while Sweden highlighted its role as a major aid donor.
Vying for a council seat for the first time since its 1991 independence from the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been criticised for cracking down on journalists and political activists.
Thailands rights record has also been questioned, after the military leadership, which seized power in May 2014, has banned political activity and ramped up prosecutions under tough sedition and royal defamation laws.
Violence, intimidation and calls of Go home directed at minorities from Europeans in England to non-white Britons.
Britain will not tolerate intolerance, the office of Prime Minister David Cameron has said, after a series of racist incidents were reported following its decision to leave the European Union.
No 10 Downing Street came out on Monday with the warning, less than a week after the country voted to leave the EU in a referendum.
We should be absolutely clear that this government will not tolerate intolerance intimidating migrants, telling them they need to go home, Camerons spokeswoman told journalists.
The Polish Embassy in London earlier said it was shocked and deeply concerned by incidents of abuse directed at Poles and other Eastern Europeans living in England.
They include the posting of laminated cards reading Leave the EU no more Polish vermin to members of the Polish community in Huntingdon, near the eastern city of Cambridge, on Saturday.
There were also reports of racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in Hammersmith, west London. The Metropolitan Police Service said it was investigating the claim.
READ MORE: Poland shocked by xenophobic abuse of Poles in UK
We would like to thank people for all the messages of support and solidarity with the Polish community expressed by the British public, the embassy said.
London mayor Sadiq Khan on Monday placed the citys police force on alert following the incidents.
Khan said he took seriously my responsibility to defend Londons fantastic mix of diversity and tolerance.
Ive asked our police to be extra vigilant for any rise in cases of hate crime, and Im calling on all Londoners to pull together and rally behind this great city.
Mark Hamilton, the head of the National Police Chiefs Council, said: We are seeing an increase in reports of hate crime incidents to True Vision, the police online hate crime reporting site.
This is similar to the trends following other major national or international events. In previous instances, crime levels returned to normal relatively quickly but we are monitoring the situation closely.
90 incidents
Other incidents were reported on social media. Many used the #postrefracism tag and account to call out examples of intolerance, both to EU citizens living in England and non-white Britons.
One Twitter user, Ben Zen, wrote that two Britons waved an English flag towards him and, having heard him speak in Romanian, said: We voted you out. Go home you f*****g immigrants.
Another, Carlos from London, posted images of a Polish father and son who had been severely beaten, reporting that the family members had said Englishmen were behind the attack.
On Facebook, Ai Sha shared a video showing members of the far-right English Defence League gathering outside a mosque in Birmingham waving a flag that read: Rapefugees Not Welcome, as they shouted f*****g p**dos and Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah?. Police later made two arrests.
WATCH: Brexit rhetoric and the consequences of Project Fear
John OConnell, from anti-racism group Far Right Watch, said they had recorded more than 90 incidents in the past three days, ranging from verbal abuse up to physical violence.
Rights groups called on people to report incidents as they promised action.
Now we are witnessing the shocking extent of this with reports around the country of hate speech and minorities being targeted, said Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain. I will be writing to the Home Secretary to ask what measures are being taken to step up security and policing in areas where such incidences have been reported.
Human Rights Watch said authorities should take strong action to curb xenophobic attacks and abuse in the United Kingdom in the wake of the referendum, as it encouraged people to report xenophobic acts to the police.
A failure by the authorities and political leaders to address and be seen to address these initial attacks risks creating a permissive climate for further attacks and exacerbating divisions within society, the group warned.
A few days before the referendum, the far-right, anti-immigrant UKIP party was accused of racism after unveiling a poster showing a queue of refugees with the slogan Breaking point and a plea to leave the EU.
Below are a few examples of verbal and physical xenophobic attacks shared via social media:
https://twitter.com/b0redinbucks/status/746847561504391168
In utter shock: just been called p**i in my home town! Haven't heard that word here since the 80s..! Sima Kotecha (@sima_kotecha) June 27, 2016
Mum got called 'Paki' for 1st time in 40yrs.@Conservatives have created hostile environment for immigrants & British citizens.#PostRefRacism Zarina Rahman (@zarinarahman171) June 27, 2016
Doctor colleague was told to 'go home' today. The legitimisation of racism by the political class is terrifying and real. Must fight it Dagan Lonsdale (@DaganLonsdale) June 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/SonjaHaerkoenen/status/747469318439473154
https://twitter.com/Labour_Values/status/747483326232076288
In emergency session in Brussels, European Parliament urges Britain to clarify its plans after Brexit vote.
Angry members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have pressed Britain to end the uncertainty that has gripped markets worldwide after last weeks referendum, saying that if it intends to leave the bloc it should start the process immediately.
The MEPs called on the UK government to respect its peoples democratic decision and start the withdrawal procedure as soon as possible by activating Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union.
In an unprecedented emergency session on Tuesday, called after Britain voted to leave the union, European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker demanded that Britain clarify its future.
I want the UK to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9am, but soon, he told MEPs in Brussels.
We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Juncker said that he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggered the EU constitutions Article 50, which sets in motion a two-year process to split.
No notification. No negotiation, Juncker said to resounding applause.
OPINION: Why Brexit will disappoint Brexiters
Nigel Farage, a British MEP and a leader in the Leave movement, was booed and jeered when he urged Europe to give Britain a good trade deal when the so-called Brexit takes place, saying jobs in Germanys car sector might be at stake otherwise.
Why dont we just be pragmatic, sensible, grown-up, reasonable and cut a sensible tariff-free deal? he asked.
In a speech interrupted several times due to the noise, Farage warned: The UK will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
When Juncker mentioned the Brexit vote in a speech, Farage cheered, to which the EU Commission president joked, and quipped: The British people voted in favour of the exit why are you here?
But bearing out his words, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called the British vote an extraordinary victory for democracy a slap for a European system based more and more on fear, blackmail and lies.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, meeting EU leaders on Tuesday for the first time since the referendum, vowed that the UK will not turn its back on Europe despite the vote.
These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners, and I very much hope well seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security, because that is good for us and that is good for them, Cameron said as he entered the EU summit building.
Way forward
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will use all her strength to prevent the EU from drifting apart. She and other EU leaders were beginning a two-day summit later on Tuesday to hear Camerons position and chart the way forward.
Britains Leave leaders hope that the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to Britain to address concerns about immigration that were a key factor in the vote.
But Merkel, head of the EUs biggest economy, made clear that this is not an option.
READ MORE: UK sees increase in racist attacks after Brexit vote
In an address to the German parliament before heading to Brussels, Merkel said she expected that Britain would want to maintain close relations with the EU once it left but warned it could not expect a business-as-usual approach.
Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges, she said.
We will ensure that the negotiations are not carried out with the principle of cherry picking, she said.
Merkel and other leaders joined Juncker in saying there could be no talks with Britain until it started the formal procedure to leave.
MEPs paid tribute to Britains commissioner in Brussels, Jonathan Hill, who resigned after last weeks vote.
He wept in the parliament on Tuesday as he received a standing ovation.
China sees dramatic shift in drug use with creation of new, synthetic drugs 100 times more potent than heroin.
A new United Nations report has called China out on its production of new kinds of synthetic drugs, which it says is taking place at a faster rate than can be controlled.
Criminals in Hong Kong are in turn smuggling them and selling them to lucrative markets worldwide, according to the report.
In a news conference on Sunday, Hong Kong police showcased their seizure of 95kg of cocaine with a street value of more than $13m, the citys largest confiscation of cocaine in a single police case since 2013.
Karen Joe-Laidler, a professor at the University of Hong Kong studying the citys drug trends, said it is not just cocaine now flooding the Hong Kong market.
Over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic shift in the types of drugs that people use. The marketplace for drugs in Hong Kong is much more diverse now, Laidler said.
WATCH: The other China boom
The key reason is that China is one of the worlds largest manufacturers of the chemicals needed to make medicinal and recreational drugs.
Chemists in China are creating these new synthetic drugs at an unprecedented rate, drug experts say. Law enforcement agencies are struggling to shut them down as the drugs are too new to be banned internationally.
A derivative of Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller, is now being produced cheaply in China and with an effect authorities believe to be 100 times stronger than heroin.
When you control one derivative of Fentanyl, another derivative comes out, which is not on the control list. Criminals are always one step ahead of law enforcement people, Tun Nay Soe, a coordinator at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said.
The latest drug market report by the European Union says China has now become the fastest-growing wholesaler of new synthetic drugs to Europe as well.
Deportation of Lilian Daoud comes amid crackdown on media in Egypt that has seen scores of journalists tried and jailed.
A prominent dual British-Lebanese journalist who hosted a talk show critical of the Egyptian government was briefly arrested and then deported, security and airport sources have said.
Lilian Daoud was taken from her home on Monday by passport control officials, briefly after she announced the cancellation of her show on Twitter.
Airport sources later confirmed that Daoud had been placed on a plane en route to Beirut, where she arrived on Tuesday.
Daouds show, on the privately owned ONTV network, disappeared from the airwaves after the channel was sold by billionaire Egyptian investor Naguib Sawiris in May.
Her programme, The Full Picture, on which she talked to protesters and youth leaders as well as government officials, broadcast critical views of the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
READ MORE: Egypt journalists union cordoned off in crackdown
Her lawyer, Zyad el-Elaimy, wrote on his Twitter account that her first comment after landing in Beirut was that she will challenge the decision to deport her.
Its the first time someone has been deported in this fashion in Egypt, Elaimy told the Associated Press news agency, speaking by telephone from Cairo.
Elaimy said that Daouds deportation was a new high in the governments crackdown on dissenting voices. He said authorities are not prepared to hear any diverse voices or to hear anyone who is supportive of the 2011 uprising which ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak and ushered in a period of political instability in Egypt.
READ MORE: The Arab media paradox
Since the military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the Sisi government has shown little tolerance for criticism, banning protests and taking programmes off the air.
Daoud formerly worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation, and lived in London before moving to Egypt with her daughter following the outbreak of the 2011 protests.
One of two flight recorders found in Mediterranean repaired as French prosecutors open manslaughter probe into crash.
The flight data recorder from the EgyptAir plane that crashed last month has been fully repaired, raising hopes it will help investigators to determine what caused the passenger jet to go down.
Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it crashed in the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, killing all 66 people on board.
The aircrafts flight data recorder, along with the second component of the black box containing sound recordings from the cockpit, was found two weeks ago but both had broken into several parts and suffered serious damage, which meant consistent readings could not be taken from them.
READ MORE: Timeline major air disasters
They were sent to Frances BEA air safety agency to be repaired, where they arrived on Monday.
The black box recorder has been successfully repaired by the French accident investigation agency laboratory, Egypts investigation commission said in a statement on Tuesday.
Tests have been carried out and we can be sure the flight parameters were properly recorded, the investigators added.
Work to repair the second black box will commence tomorrow.
Manslaughter probe
The announcement came a day after French authorities said they had opened a manslaughter inquiry into the crash, saying that there was no evidence so far to connect it to terrorism.
Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office, told Associated Press that the inquiry was launched as an accident investigation.
She added that authorities are not at all favouring the theory that the plane was downed deliberately though the status of the inquiry could eventually change if evidence emerges to that effect.
EgyptAir Flight 804: Sisi says all scenarios possible
The Egyptian investigation committee is in charge of issuing a final report, but France can also investigate because the plane was manufactured by France-based Airbus and French citizens were among those killed.
Overall, 40 Egyptians, 15 French, two Iraqis, two Canadians and one person from each of Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan were on board the Airbus A320.
The aircraft had been cruising normally in clear skies on an overnight flight when it crashed.
The radar showed that the plane turned 90 degrees left, then a full 360 degrees to the right, plummeting from 38,000ft to 15,000ft before disappearing at about 10,000ft.
Rifaat al-Assad is accused of receiving embezzled funds and tax fraud as judge bans him from leaving France.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assads uncle, suspected of using ill-gotten gains to build a property empire in France, has been charged with corruption, French officials say.
Rifaat al-Assad, 78, who commanded Syrias internal security forces in the 1970s and early 1980s, was charged on June 9 with receiving embezzled funds and tax fraud, a spokesman for the financial prosecutors office said on Tuesday.
A French judge ordered Rifaat al-Assad be prohibited from leaving France, with an exception for receiving medical care in the UK, according to one of the two non-governmental organisations, Sherpa, which filed complaints in 2013 and 2014 that led to the investigation.
Sherpa claims Rifaats fortune was stolen during his time at the heart of the Syrian regime.
In the probe, headed by Renaud van Ruymbeke, investigators estimated that Rifaat and his family amassed about $100m worth of property in France, mainly through companies registered in Luxembourg, between 1984 and 1988.
The Assad family claims the fortune was the result of gifts from wealthy Saudi supporters, including former King Abdullah, with whom he shared a love of horse-racing.
Van Ruymbeke has said that Rifaat has provided proof only of a $10m gift from Abdullah in 1984, the source told AFP.
Exile with nothing
The properties include a chateau and stud farm north of Paris, two mansions, two apartment blocks and a plot of land in the French capital, as well as offices in southern Lyon.
Rifaat, who has four wives, told investigators that he had nothing when he left Syria, having always given his wages away to the poor, according to a source close to the investigation.
He was forced into exile in 1984 for trying to overthrow his older brother, the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.
Then French President Francois Mitterrand invited Rifaat to France, awarding him the Legion dHonneur two years later.
Syrian Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, who also lives in France, told investigators that Hafez al-Assad gave his brother about $300m in 1984 to get rid of him.
Of that, $100m was in the form of a loan from the Libyan government, a source close to the investigation told AFP.
Rifaat is notorious for his role in putting down an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood in the Syrian city of Hama in 1982. At least 10,000 people were killed.
At least 12 killed in suicide attack on Sunni mosque west of Baghdad where worshippers gathered for evening prayers.
At least 12 people were killed and 32 wounded when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives attacked a mosque west of the capital Baghdad, officials have said.
The blast struck a Sunni mosque in Abu Ghraib, roughly halfway between Baghdad and the city of Fallujah, as worshippers gathered after midnight to pray, police and medics told the Reuters news agency early on Tuesday.
A separate report by the Associated Press news agency said the death toll was 14, citing police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to release information.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The attack was the first in or around Baghdad since the Iraqi government declared victory on Sunday over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in the city of Fallujah, further west.
Fallujah, in Anbar province, had been under the control of ISIL since January 2014.
The city, the first to fall to the armed group, was seen as a launching pad for recent ISIL bombings in and around the capital.
READ MORE: Fallujahs displaced endure inhuman conditions
Its recapture by the government was part of a broader anti-ISIL offensive, which saw tens of thousands of civilians risk death to flee their homes, leaving Iraq to grapple with a humanitarian crisis as its forces prepare to launch an attack in Mosul, the last remaining major hub of ISIL in the country.
Police say site closed to Jews and other non-Muslim visitors until end of Islams holy month after two days of clashes.
Israeli authorities have closed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to Jews and other non-Muslim visitors until the end of Ramadan, after two days of clashes between worshippers and Israeli police.
The decision will apply until next week, when the Muslim holy month ends, a police spokeswoman told the AFP news agency on Tuesday.
Clashes between Muslims and Israeli police have been taking place every morning since Sunday during protests against Jewish visits to the site during Ramadan.
INTERACTIVE: A 360-degree exploration of Jerusalems al-Aqsa
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday that its medical team took seven Palestinians to an East Jerusalem hospital for treatment of injuries from sponge-tipped bullets, tear gas and beatings.
Palestinian officials said the trouble began when Israel allowed Jewish visitors into the al-Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam, in breach of a tradition that allows only Muslim worshippers to enter during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
The period, which began on Sunday, is the most solemn for Muslims and it attracts the highest number of worshippers to the site.
Israeli police said officers at the Old City site revered by Muslims and also by Jews who call it the Temple Mount arrested four masked youths who were disrupting visits on the Temple Mount by non-Muslims.
The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is in the Old City of East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967 in a move never recognised by the international community as part of its occupation of the West Bank.
Jews and other non-Muslims can visit the site but are banned from praying there.
Sumana Shrestha gave up a high-powered job in the US to return home and help heal survivors of the devastating quake.
Palo Alto, United States Sumana Shrestha was working in Washington DC when word spread that a massive earthquake had devastated Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people.
Originally from Kathmandu, she immediately realised her people needed help and began organising donations and medical-supply deliveries through Facebook.
Her employer at the time, Boston Consultancy Group, deployed her with the UNs World Food Programme and Shrestha hit the ground to assist quake-stricken Nepalese, particularly those in cut-off rural areas with little in the way of aid.
After months of relief work, Shrestha made the ultimate sacrifice for her countrymen, quitting her comfortable, well-paid job in the United States to use her MIT-earned MBA to open the company Medication for Nepal, which works to get vital health supplies to those in desperate need.
Al Jazeera caught up with Shrestha at the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in California, where President Barack Obama in a speech praised her company in Nepal thats helping to improve charity healthcare.
Crowdfunding projects on the rise for start-up businesses
Al Jazeera: How did you get into this line of work?
Shrestha: I was employed as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) when the earthquake hit and I went back to Nepal to help support relief and recovery. Thus far Ive worked in many different sectors related to relief, from blanket distribution to medicine, and food.
Ive supported 15 districts with 9.5 tonnes of medicines. That was relief work giving it to district officials to disseminate. But what I discovered was much more work needed to be done and cant just be solved by giving handouts. Even though that is critical and necessary, we need a longer-term solution, which is why Im working to create a peer-to-peer platform for medicine support.
Im not talking expensive medicines, just basic ones for fever, diarrhoea, gastronomic problems. If you look at statistics in Nepal, millions of people suffer from these diseases and cant get access to medicine. For those in remote areas, 80 percent of healthcare facilities run out of medicine because of a lot of systematic problems.
So what I think we need is a solution that combines entrepreneurship to tackle these problems. It cant be solved by traditional relief methods. What entrepreneurship means is innovation. You try, if it doesnt work, then you try something else. You keep trying until you come to a solution that actually works.
So what Im doing with the peer-to-peer network is to pre-position medicines in the districts, so when a person makes a two-day or four-day journey from mountainous regions to healthcare centres, theyll have medicine when they arrive.
Whenever we give out medicine, we also take that persons information and put it online for people to donate. What Im trying to do is get Nepali people engaging, because it cant be solved by just western world people supporting countries such as Nepal all the time. The amount of money that a person needs to get better is usually less than a dollar 15 cents, 20 cents, 30 cents. This is something the Nepali people can afford, especially people in urban areas. This really connects people and that is the intangible Im working hard to create.
Al Jazeera: How does being at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit help your cause?
Shrestha: It helps me validate my model, which is very important because if Im going to go about it in a different way, I need a model that a lot of people have a chance to criticise with an opportunity to say how it can be made better.
I have also been introduced to a lot of people who have expressed strong support and who are going to introduce me to foundations who support causes like this. So its been very good in terms of networking opportunities. But GES has meant a lot more. A lot of the ideas Ive heard from people here are so applicable to Nepal that I can bring back. My cause is I want to develop my country.
Al Jazeera: You gave up a nice life in the United States with a well-paid job to return to Nepal. Why did you do that?
Shrestha: I come from a very humble background, but where I am now is because Ive been very lucky in my life. There have been people who supported me, the hard work has paid off. Whenever Ive been sick, Ive been able to get medicine. My dad was lucky enough to have two jobs so he could support the family. There are a lot of people who dont have that. Its so important to realise that its a circle. I am not where I am because of me, Im where I am because of circumstances.
I came to the US in 2003 and every year or so Ive gone back to keep the connection to my country. When the earthquake struck, that was a time I really felt OK, thats enough. I need to really go back and do something there.
Ive worked on Wall Street, Ive got my MBA from MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], worked for BCG, Ive learned a lot. I know how to manage projects and these skills are very useful back home, knowing how to get things done. So thats why I went back.
Attempts to silence Syrian journalists and activists continue unabated by the regime and armed rebel groups.
Beirut He is mourned and remembered far beyond Syria and the modest patch of earth where he now rests. The death of Syrian citizen journalist Khaled al-Essa has raised further questions about the risks facing journalists and media activists covering the conflict in Syria.
Essa, 24, from Kafranbel in the northern Idlib countryside, had become one of the most recognisable faces among the Syrian activists and journalists still working inside the country, bringing images of the aftermath of air strikes on civilian areas to the outside world.
On June 16, Essa, and fellow citizen journalist Hadi al-Abdullah, were critically wounded in an apparent assassination attempt in Aleppo. The bombing, reportedly caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) left just outside Abdullahs home in a rebel-held part of the city, came just days after both activists were injured in a barrel bomb attack on Aleppos Jisr al-Haj, where the two were reporting.
Bloodied and bandaged, Essa and Abdullah were photographed back at work the next day although they were said to be in a critical condition following the IED attack. Essa was taken to Turkey for emergency treatment.
Activists had been working to get Essa out of Turkey so that he could receive life-saving treatment in Germany. On Friday, the German Foreign Ministry reportedly secured Essa a visa. However, it came too late.
He succumbed to his injuries shortly after 11pm that night.
Essa's death only confirms the fact that Syria remains one of the worlds deadliest countries for journalists. Journalists and media activists can be easily hit while covering the conflict or the Syrian daily life, or be the target of an assassination. by Alexandra El Khazen, head of the Middle East desk at Reporters Without Borders
In a Facebook status published on his page on Saturday, Abdullah who is still recovering in hospital mourned the loss of his friend and colleague. What do I do now? he wrote. Come on Khaled, my soul waits for your soul.
Khaled was no doubt extremely courageous; he dedicated his life to wanting to show what was happening in his country, said Yasmin al-Tellawy, a journalist often working inside Syria.
But he was gentle, kind-hearted and emotional under all the laughter. He cared deeply, Tellawy, who was also a close friend of Essa, told Al Jazeera.
Several activists celebrated Essas work following the news of his death. Without Khaled; many insights into the brutality of the Assad [regime] would not have been possible, wrote Palestinian-Syrian activist and blogger Salim Salamah.
Without him, as well, many insights into the beauty of Syrians and their resistance would not have been possible.
There is now mounting speculation about who was responsible for the IED that ultimately killed Essa. Several reports have placed the blame on al-Nusra Front, al-Qaedas Syrian affiliate not least because it previously cracked down on an activist-media centre in Essas hometown, where he used to work alongside Abdullah and well-known Syrian rights activist Raed Fares.
Essa is the latest casualty in Syrias long list of journalists murdered or killed during the course of their work, underlining the perilous conditions for media following the outbreak and later weaponisation of the 2011 uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Alexandra El Khazen, head of the Middle East desk at Reporters Without Borders, told Al Jazeera that both Essa and Abdullah represent the rare journalists and media workers who still actively cover the conflict in the country, despite the great danger for their lives
Essas death only confirms the fact that Syria remains one of the worlds deadliest countries for journalists. Journalists and media activists can be easily hit while covering the conflict or the Syrian daily life, or be the target of an assassination, Khazen said, adding that reporters face violence and reprisals from government forces, armed opposition groups such as al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group (ISIL, also known as ISIS)
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a media watchdog,107 journalists and media workers have been killed in Syria since 2011.
During 2016, two journalists have been killed in Syria photojournalist Osama Jumaa was killed in Aleppo on June 5 while reporting on the rescue of civilians following a regime bombardment; Daraya-based journalist and media activist Majid Diraani was also killed in February while filming a bombardment on the regime-besieged area just south of Damascus. Both were killed by pro-government forces.
At the same time, many more media activists citizens, journalists and activists armed with camera phones, video cameras and social media have been killed.
A report released by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), a monitoring group, found that 463 media activists had been killed either by regime forces or armed groups. Another 1,027 media workers had been arrested or abducted between March 2011 and April 2015. The SNHR distinguished citizen journalists from journalists as someone playing an important role in the transfer and dissemination of news, [who] is not necessarily a neutral person.
The moment a citizen journalist takes up arms or becomes directly involved in combat operations, they are no longer classified as a citizen journalist or media activist, SNHR added.
And while the Syrian regime remains, according to the report, by far and away the top killer of journalists, rebel factions often harass, detain or kill media personnel as well.
WATCH: Syrias war Any one who shows the truth is an enemy
The Islamic State is notorious for its brutal on-camera executions of journalists, including US reporters James Foley, Steven Sotloff in 2014 and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in January 2015. However, the group has targeted dozens of journalists and media activists the majority of them Syrian not only inside ISIL-controlled areas of Syria, but in Turkey as well.
On Sunday, ISIL media channels celebrated the executions of five media activists charged with acting against the Islamic State, communicating with outside parties and receiving funds, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
One journalist was killed after armed men handcuffed him to a laptop rigged with explosives. Another was murdered while tied to his own camera. At the same time, a recent report by independent media initiative Syria Untold documented several cases of detentions or harassment of journalists by al-Nusra Front and armed opposition factions.
In January, media activist Abdul Moyeen Homsi was arrested by Jaish al-Islam fighters in Eastern Ghouta for producing a video report satirically polling public opinion about Syrias future prospects. Later accused of offending the revolution, Homsi was detained and his company banned from working in the area.
Armed men also physically assaulted one of Homsis interviewees from the video.
Louay, a photojournalist working in a rebel-held area, told Al Jazeera that assassinations of journalists have become commonplace recently.
In attempts to silence activists or journalists in these areas, armed groups and rebels might expose us to beatings and arrests, he said. Theres a direct threat for everyone.
A cyclone has developed in the Arabian Sea and is tracking towards the coast of Oman.
Storms are fairly rare in the region, but theyre not unheard of. If they do form in the Arabian Sea, they usually do so as the monsoon rains spread across the region, or when they retreat.
This is why the majority of storms form in June or October.
The strongest storm on record is Tropical Cyclone Gonu which struck in 2007.
Al Jazeeras meteorologist Steff Gaulter was in Oman when the cyclone hit the coast, and described it as a scary experience.
We flew into Muscat and were trying to drive to Sur in the southeast, but the road was becoming more and more flooded. Eventually we could hear the water hitting the bottom of our vehicle and we realised we needed to get to safety and fast, Gaulter said.
Fortunately we happened to be near a village and took shelter in the school. There were a number of other families taking refuge there too, families whose homes had already been inundated by water.
It was pretty terrifying. The wind was howling at the windows and the rain was seeping through gaps in the window frames. The floor became flooded, the electricity went out and in another part of the school I could hear the panes of the windows smashing as the wind became stronger and stronger.
The next day, the village was knee-deep in water and many cars were stranded. Big chunks of the roads were washed away and people were just standing around staring. They couldnt quite believe what they were seeing.
Steff Gaulter Oman, 2007
The current cyclone, however, is nowhere near as strong as Gonu. The sustained winds are only 65 kilometres per hour, and arent expected to become much stronger. The storm is also expected to peter out before it reaches Oman.
However, there has already been some cloud and rain on the Omani coastline and this is expected to continue in some regions for the next few days. The seas will also continue to be dangerous, with waves of around three or four metres in places.
Senior UN official says rising racism and xenophobia following UK referendum is unacceptable.
The United Nations raised alarm as a series of racist incidents against minorities and foreigners were reported in the United Kingdom following the countrys decision to leave the European Union.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said on Tuesday that racism and xenophobia are unacceptable in any circumstances around the world.
I urge the UK authorities to act to stop these xenophobic attacks and to ensure that all those suspected of racist and anti-foreigner attacks and abuses are prosecuted, Hussein said.
All of us must refuse to tolerate discriminatory acts in our daily lives to ensure that there is nothing everyday about discrimination.
Brexit: UKIPs unethical anti-immigration poster
Violence, intimidation and calls of Go home directed at minorities from Europeans in England to non-white Britons have surged since the referendum last Friday.
The Muslim Council of Britain has compiled social media reports of more than 100 racist incidents since Thursday, when a majority of Britons voted for exiting the EU.
In the latest incident, widely reported on social media on Tuesday, three young British men in Manchester were caught on video shouting racist abuse against an American tram passenger, calling him little f**king immigrant and demanding that he get off the f**king tram now. Get back to Africa.
In another incident, a man was seen getting out of his car as he confronted another person, who apparently shouted racist words.
"Go back to your country." Has Brexit made Britain more racist? https://t.co/czZAWRxIjq AJ+ (@ajplus) June 28, 2016
Rising intolerance
The Polish Embassy in London earlier said it was shocked and deeply concerned by incidents of abuse directed at Poles and other Eastern Europeans living in England.
They reportedly include the posting of laminated cards reading Leave the EU no more Polish vermin to members of the Polish community in Huntingdon, near the eastern city of Cambridge, on Saturday.
There were also reports of racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in Hammersmith, west London. The Metropolitan Police Service said it was investigating the claim.
Following the incidents, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the government will not tolerate intolerance.
Cameron said he had spoken to his Polish counterpart Beata Szydlo to express his concern and to reassure her that Poles in Britain would be protected.
Sadiq Khan, the newly elected mayor of London, said he had placed the citys police force on high alert for racially motivated attacks.
OPINION: Brexit: Act in haste, repent at leisure?
Politicians lobbying for the so-called Brexit had argued it would allow Britain to curb immigration.
Mutuma Ruteere, the independent UN investigator on racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, said some of the abuse and comments reported since the vote certainly are xenophobic and racist.
I also note that the government and the prime minister have been very categorical in denouncing those practices as well as what has taken place, Ruteere told a news briefing.
He said the incidents would be a test to Britains watchdog institutions that monitor racism.
Im quite confident and hopeful that actually the institutions that exist can address this problem and nip it in the bud before it becomes a bigger problem.
Yunfai Ng can thank procrastination for her new opportunities.
Procrastination led the 21-year-old UF graduate to the Mama Hope organization, which specializes in community development in some of the worlds poorest areas.
It led her to the organizations Global Advocates program, for which she was recently selected.
In September, it will lead her to western India, where shell be tasked with bringing a mobile health clinic to the villages of Gujarat.
Ng said it was all because she, like countless other people, wanted to avoid studying.
Her test of choice was the Medical College Admission Test. Having graduated in December 2015 with a degree in microbiology and cell science, the native of Miami Lakes, Florida, spent the spring studying for the 6-hour exam.
The need for a break eventually came, and it was avoiding the rigors of nucleic acids and carbon bonds that led her to search for a job.
I still dont really remember which button I clicked on the internet to get there, she said.
Ng said she wanted to do something different, and that, after an exhaustive search, she found Mama Hope.
I made sure I bookmarked it, she said, because if not, I would never have been able to find it again.
She later applied by writing three personal essays, posting two YouTube videos and agreeing to raise $20,000 for her project.
A phone interview stood between Ng and a completed application, but she would soon embark on a family cruise, devoid of cellphone reception.
Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
Ng called Mama Hope and requested to interview early. Her request was granted, and she returned from the cruise to find she was a Mama Hope Global Advocate the first-ever from Florida after 10 past groups of advocates.
She is tasked with the end goal of starting a mobile health clinic in India a concept Ng said she is familiar with.
Ng said she worked as a volunteer coordinator for UFs Mobile Outreach Clinic, a program she originally found while procrastinating.
Its kind of like a mirror, she said of finding the two programs.
While working for the UF clinic, Ng said she realized the difficulties even people in a city like Gainesville face when it comes to getting to a hospital for basic medical care.
Thats the beauty of this mobile model, she said, where I am bringing the services to your neighborhood.
Sara Rahal, who worked with Ng as a volunteer at the clinic, said Ng has many qualities that make her a good fit for a project such as Mama Hope.
Among those qualities is the ability to connect with people and adapt to new situations, Rahal said.
You cant really tell if shes stressed or not because she handles it very well, she said. She knows how to prioritize.
Her main challenge is currently to meet the $20,000 goal, half of which she needs by the time her trip to India comes in late September.
As of press time, Ng said she has raised about $800.
But with events such as a July 15 fundraiser at Oak: Original American Kitchen, located at 15 SE First Ave., Ng said she is not nervous about raising the money or living in India for three months.
She also has an ongoing fundraiser at classy.org.
Though she may find peace in procrastination, it has worked before.
My parents are definitely more worried than me, she said.
Yunfai Ng
Hello my dearest readers. To everybody returning to Gainesville, let me be the first to welcome you back to our humble home. To all of the freshmen who just graduated from high school, dont worry; the worst (the move-in process with crying mothers, silent fathers and impatient siblings) is behind you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zach, but you can call me Zachary. I write a weekly op-ed column here in your soon-to-be most favorite newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator. Congratulations on beginning your collegiate journey by joining us in the wonderful, religiously drunken pilgrimage that is Summer B.
During your time here at UF, youre going to meet a lot of new people. We here in Gainesville are very lucky to have such an eclectic bunch. You have many young people on and around campus, a thriving downtown area (and the infamous dumpster-smelling Midtown, as youll soon grow to un-ironically appreciate in all its wretchedness) and a community of wonderful locals who really care about this city. Consequently, you are entering a world of diverse opinions and worldviews. I encourage you, in your next four years (five for my kind of people) to explore those views and soak up all this potential new knowledge like a sponge. I also encourage you to re-examine your own views, the ones you came here with and the ones you take for granted. The classroom is a great place to do this, but outside the classroom is where youll see this magic. While the rigidity and formal nature of classrooms and chalkboards may release sparks that ignite a curiosity, one of our 369 on-campus Starbucks (Starbuckses? Starbuckss?) will provide the environment you want for a genuine conversation and discussion with one of our many fascinating people around campus (ignore the dancing bald dude in short shorts on University, hes got nothing).
Another great way to do this is to get involved. I know one of the things they shove in your face during the cringe-worthy two days that is Preview is that we have like, a million student organizations. Politically, we have a group for everybody. Ranging from UF College Democrats to the I cant believe this is actually a thing UF Students for Trump (bye-bye half of my potential new readership), theres an organization for you. We also have tons of interest-based student groups. We have LGBTQ+ clubs, environmental groups, health organizations, et cetera. There is a group of people here with the same interests as you, and more importantly, people here who can help you discover new interests to explore, practice and grow.
I wont get into Student Government. I only have about a hundred words left in this column, and it would take me a lot more than that to express my distaste for the institution as a whole. If you want to get involved, I actually encourage civic participation on campus matters. Just know that on both sides of the aisle (its not left versus right there, its Access Party versus Impact Party, but theyll both probably change the names of the parties twice in your time here) dont give a damn about your experience (at my high school, everybody in SG was the best on paper, according to everybody in SG) or any merit that warrants commendation. Shake the right hands, and youll make it here politically. Dont worry about the workload as an SG member, the only work youll have to do is switching the 24-hour libraries every semester. Apart from that, nada.
Also, those lanyards are fucking cool. Wear those constantly.
Zachary Lee is a philosophy senior, and encourages responsibility in all of the things you enjoy.
Hello, Gator Nation, and welcome to Summer B!
As you all finish moving in and tweaking your schedules, I have some important developments to share with you in Student Government.
This past weekend, Saturday, June 25, the Student Body Supreme Court met to discuss amendments to the Student Body constitution dating back to 2008. In this process, they overturned a total of four amendments. These amendments include adding genetic information to the SG non-discrimination policy, numbers of signatures for ballot referendums, online voting and numbers of senate seats.
What the Supreme Court ruled is that since 2008, the Supervisors of Elections have been interpreting election results incorrectly. According to Student Body constitution article VIII, section 4, a proposal by initiative requires a three-fifths approval vote of those voting in the spring general election. The Supervisors of Elections incorrectly tabulated the votes, not considering abstention votes. When abstention votes were considered, each of the previously mentioned initiatives failed. Additionally, article VIII, section 5, states, The text of all amendments and the ballot summary shall be published in a campus-wide print media publication one week before and on both days of the election. As this did not occur, this section also renders these initiatives unconstitutional.
Particularly troubling for me after the excitement surrounding the Spring election is the reversal of online voting. My running mates and I plan to follow through on our promise to make voting easy and accessible, and I will be working closely with the legislative branch in the coming weeks to move forward with these changes. I look forward to the conversations and debate in Student Senate on how to move forward from here.
For those of you who want to learn more about this decision, I encourage you to reach out to the judicial branch and look for their decision in the week to come.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any comments, questions or concerns. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and go Gators!
Susan Webster is the UF student body president.
Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
But then I turned around on the dance floor, and there I was, side by side with Madonna. Even as I write this now, I can feel my 23-year-old-self getting all giddy. The first thing I noticed about Madonna was how tiny she was. She didn't seem much taller than me (and I'm four-foot-nine). The way she presented herself in concert and on TV, I'd thought she'd tower over me. And let's face it, at my height, I think a hobbit or maybe Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister to Game of Thrones fanatics like myself) would tower over me. I didn't really get to talk to her much while we were all dancing that night, but a couple of years later, at my twenty-fifth-birthday party, Madonna did sing "Happy Birthday" to me. How is this my life?
And that's how I started working with Naomi Campbell. Through Madonna. But seriously, I've watched her grow and evolve as a model, businesswoman, actress, and more. Naomi's tried on a lot of different hats as she's expanded her Empire (get it??). Of course she's tried different things: She's a Gemini, like me, and you know what they say about Geministhe whole dual-personality thing. Maybe that's one of the reasons I always got along with her, even when she made me crazy, because, well, Geminis are crazy, and I love her for it.
Deep down, though, Naomi has a loving and generous soul. She always gave Christmas presents to everyone who worked on her career at the agency, and sometimes, if she knew when your birthday was, she gave you presents then, too. She was always grateful and showed it.
But the best present, hands down, that Omi got me was the opportunity to meet and have lunch with Nelson Mandela. Nelson fucking Mandela. After the two met in 1994, they grew closeNaomi referred to Mandela as her "honorary grandfather." You could see how she revered and respected him. His influence on her was noticeable. She was always on her best behavior with him.
So in late 1999, I was wrapping a gig at Elite in Cape Town when Naomi tracked me down. (Still wondering how she did that.) She had her London agency get in touch with me to explain that Naomi was helping Nelson at an event for his Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and she'd asked if I could get hair and makeup for her and go with her to the charity event, which was in a little town right outside of Namibia. And I mean, would you say no to Naomi?
2005 ..
AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank
Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War
The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool
She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold
In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners
By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him
But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63
The Deadly Assault and
Bush Administration Cover-Up
by S. Eben Kirkesby
and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr.
FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground
AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum
OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World
COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground
ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words
BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance
A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum
OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008
HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World
DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground
BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum
WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat
THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground
FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat
THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World
POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day
FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance
YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum
THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground
OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:
WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World
DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama
PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words
TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day
THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum
THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies
AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance
CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida
SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World
PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground
VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day
REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies
FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum
SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies
ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008
AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World
STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special
SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum
TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground
IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008
CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies
WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto
DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance
I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
Smartphone web use is far outpacing computer-based internet surfing. More Google searches are already conducted on mobile devices than on desktops. As consumers continue to increase their engagement with smartphones, they are subjected to the same cyberscams that they were subjected to on desktops and laptops.
But mobile banking users are at much greater risk than those using online banking websites. That is because mobile security controls are failing to address issues like social engineering and mobile bot attacks all part of the new arsenal used by hackers to gain control of mobile devices.
Recently, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council issued a set of guidelines for mobile security, marking an update to previous regulations issued in 2011 and in 2005. The regulations lay out expectations and specifics for entities that accept payments over the internet. While the newest guidelines address some of the more recent developments in mobile security, they still leave many issues unresolved.
Hackers targeting mobile devices, for instance, can have a field day with remote access tool attacks (known as RATs), which let them take advantage of some of the features implemented by mobile device manufacturers and app developers to make interfacing with apps and sites easier. In an era when users get dozens of notifications on their devices each day from social media, messaging apps, SMS services and elsewhere few people think twice before opening a notification or clicking on a link. Hackers can use either of those methods to install a remote access tool to access a device and let them independently log on to a website or open an app.
Many of these RATs are delivered via social engineering scams, where fraudsters impersonate bank representatives over the phone. Users are convinced to install standard remote access support tools, such as TeamViewer, and hand over control to the criminals to "resolve security issues" in the banking app. The new guidelines make no mention of how banks can protect themselves from this type of threat.
Likewise, the guidelines fail to make mention of a big advantage for hackers on mobile devices: many apps including payment apps, shopping apps and even banking apps use the "trusted device" feature to allow users to access services without having to re-enter passwords and security codes. At most, users may have to press a confirmation button in this model, which is easily accomplished by the remote hacker.
The guidelines also do not make mention of the need to detect emulator access. Mobile banking apps are designed to run on smartphones; however, the same apps can be loaded onto PCs using mobile emulator programs. In fact, emulator programs are used to develop mobile applications. While emulators are not malicious, they can be used by cybercriminals to perpetrate mobile banking fraud. It's more convenient for hackers to use scripts, robots and spoof devices through emulators as the technique increases operational efficiency.
Another issue that remains unaddressed is the harvesting of user credentials via bots. The bots (automated login programs) use brute force tactics to match up usernames and passwords, going through thousands of combinations in minutes until a successful user/password combination allows for a login. While banks generally have placed controls on bot attacks on their websites, such controls are not always in place for logins via apps.
While the latest regulations do address some of the issues unique to mobile, there are others very pressing ones that do not. The next round of regulations has to address more of the security issues unique to mobile, which will be no small feat.
Regulating the customer option to designate trusted devices, for instance, will be tough. Despite the security risks, app and device makers continue to offer the feature because customers want it. Here, the regulations will influence not just the technical exchanges between devices and sites, but actual user behavior. Regulators might allow this feature for nonrisky activities (e.g. viewing an account balance), but require stronger authentication for every payment or setting change.
Further, drawing up guidelines is a meticulous and rigorous process that takes time for regulators to investigate, prepare, review, approve and publish. The frequent changes in the fraud ecosystem, especially in digital channels, inevitably render guidelines incomplete the moment they are released.
Since regulators are aware of this challenge, they require banks to engage in a continual process of risk assements and mitigation. As part of the risk mitigation, banks need to identify potential threats and consider tools to safeguard against social engineering, bots, emulators and remote access attacks.
The only thing certain is there's no going back. Mobile banking is here to stay and its popularity will only increase. Regulators should continue to examine the existing risk landscape and periodically prescribe relevant security controls. In order to secure their users, banks must remain vigilant and identify the emerging threats and mitigate them.
Oren Kedem is vice president of product management at BioCatch.
Most organizations want to become customer-centric. Unfortunately, they often focus on the wrong things, believing that somehow they can create a customer-friendly layer around their existing customer-ignoring culture. They can't.
Engaged employees are the cornerstone of a customer-centric culture. Our data shows that, compared with unengaged employees, engaged employees are more than four times as likely to do something good for the company that is not expected of them, four times as likely to make a recommendation for an improvement at the company and 2.5 times as likely to stay late at work to get things done.
The challenge is most organizations fall short of inspiring this level of enthusiasm in their entire workforce. Only 26% of employees in the financial industry are highly engaged, according to the 2016 Temkin Employee Engagement Index, and the percentage of highly or moderately engaged employees in this industry is down seven points from the prior year.
When we researched how large organizations can successfully become customer-centric, we uncovered a critical insight: The way to change the customer experience is to change the way employees do their everyday jobs.
To succeed in aligning employee behavior with this desire to change, organizations must master five practices:
1. Vision Translation: Connect Employees with the Vision. Clearly define and convey not only what the future state is, but why moving away from the current state is imperative. When BMO Financial began its customer experience journey, it aligned employees to its vision by explicitly translating its brand principles into eight actions that every employee could demonstrate, like "Our heads are up, not down." Managers led the rollout and received a launch kit with materials that covered key messages along with anticipated Q&As to prepare them to lead discussions with their teams.
2. Persistent Leadership: Attack Ongoing Obstacles. Realizing that change is a long-term journey, leaders commit to working together until the organization has fully embedded the transformation into its processes. One way leaders can actively sustain momentum during the inevitable ups and downs is by highlighting successes. At Eastern Bank, "wow alerts" are sent to leaders when a customer survey response mentions an employee who delivered great service. Alerts like this can be used to celebrate those who demonstrate the behavior that will make the change successful.
3. Middle Management Activation: Enlist Key Influencers. When asked which groups of employees are the toughest to change, executives almost always say middle managers. But if you want to create sustainable change, then middle managers are a critical building block. ATB Financial's branch managers were one of the earliest audiences to learn about its new brand story and culture. The launch event began with a bankwide livestream, and managers were charged with leading discussions with their teams immediately following the broadcast. Managers received a launch kit built around a series of questions to ask their teams (for example, what does the story mean to us, and how are we already doing some of the things the story talks about?).
4. Grassroots Mobilization: Empower Employees to Change. Front-line employees should help to both shape the change and deliver it. SunTrust gathers input about upcoming changes from an online community of employees. A weekly set of company-generated posts spur discussions, and when changes vetted by the community roll out, they are branded as "reviewed by the Bright Ideas community."
5. Captivating Communications: Share Impactful Messages. In any transformation, communication plays an essential role. Share information about the change through a variety of means that balance the practical with the inspirational for each target audience. One way Fidelity Investments shares customer experience messages is via its "Voice of the Customer Ambassadors" program. These ambassadors inspire their peers with local evangelism and dialogue around customer experience efforts in their respective phone centers and branches.
Is being customer-centric a goal at your bank? Then focus on your employees.
Aimee Lucas, a vice president, and Bruce Temkin, a managing partner, are customer experience transformists for Temkin Group.
It's hard finding a good hacker these days a hacker to work for banks, that is.
Even though cybersecurity jobs can offer six-figure salaries, generous signing bonuses and other perks, banks are struggling to find people to hire.
Part of it is perception banks don't seem nearly as cool as all of the other industries that are just as aggressively targeting the same talent pool.
But another and more serious factor is that the demand for cybersecurity experts is vastly outstripping supply. The digital security firm Symantec estimates there are 500,000 to 1 million open cybersecurity jobs across the nation that cannot be filled due to a shortage of skilled candidates. By 2020, Symantec expects that number to increase to 1.5 million.
Gary Warzala, chief information security officer at PNC Bank, describes the cyber workforce as experiencing negative unemployment. "Clearly, the demand for talented people has never been greater," he said.
The stakes could not be higher for banks, which are expected to have fortresslike protection. Indeed, 77% of the 161 directors and senior executives who participated in Bank Director's 2016 risk practices survey ranked cybersecurity as their top concern.
Industry insiders and experts say the usual recruiting tactics such as attending college career fairs aren't enough in this market. So banks are getting more creative with their efforts to lure cyber talent.
"You really have to get in front of the people doing security," said Jeff Combs, founder of J. Combs Search Advisors, which specializes in information security recruitment.
That's what PNC's Warzala has been doing. He serves as a board member of the Economic Crime & Cybersecurity Institute of Utica College. He also speaks at security events like the CISO Executive Summit and has participated in cybersecurity contests.
Some banks are hosting coding events, allowing college interns to work remotely during the school year, and demoing security hacks to teens. They also are sending their senior executives to mingle at ethical hacking competitions and global information events like Black Hat.
These bankers, so often decked out in suits, are noticeably dressed down for such occasions, the better to connect with the young people they are seeking to hire. Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, wore a tracksuit to one of these events a few years ago.
Eastern Bank began working with Northeastern University of College of Computer and Information Science about a year and a half ago to help its recruitment efforts, according to Ive Gonzalez, the bank's vice president of talent acquisition and inclusion director. The $9.9 billion-asset Eastern also has joined security LinkedIn groups, among other things, to find candidates.
Later this year, Gonzalez plans to host a meetup in the bank's innovation lab to demo technology and to debunk the idea that banking is dull.
"It's about pipelining," she said.
While the youth focus is essential in recruiting for these roles, those working in the field are more diverse than the cybersecurity stereotype of young men in hoodies.
"Don't get me wrong, we have those people and we need them," said Ash Khan, head of information security for Citi's Global Consumer Banking division.
But Khan also needs people who can easily explain risks to senior executives, among other competencies. "Cybersecurity is a very broad discipline," he said.
Cyber want-ads reflect that. They are seeking everyone from individuals with process engineering skills to those with an aptitude for teaching. One of the most-sought after traits is an analytical mindset.
At least some of the factors limiting banks are of their own doing like getting hung up on whether a candidate has a college degree rather than focusing on whether they have the skills to excel in the job. "To find the best people, you have to be willing to hire those without degrees," Combs said.
When a software-as-a-service company sought to hire someone to uncover its security weaknesses, it found a strong candidate banks may have overlooked: a 21-year-old without a college degree.
"They recognized his value," said Mark Aiello, president of Cyber 360, a cybersecurity staffing firm hired by the SaaS company.
Despite the lack of a degree, the company offered around $150,000 a year with a $40,000 signing bonus. "It's a seller market, not a buyer's market," Aiello said.
Drug screens are another potential hiring limitation for what is known as one of the most conservative industries.
Aiello said that, in states where marijuana is legal, drug testing could cause recruiting setbacks. "With pot becoming legal in some many states, it can get in the way of hiring ethical hackers that may enjoy recreational substance on weekends but are still very talented at what they do."
Even the government has run into this challenge. FBI Director James Comey caused a media frenzy in 2014, when he said the bureau couldn't staff enough hackers because too many failed its drug test.
Additionally, recruiters say banks should strengthen their pipeline of potential candidates by backing initiatives that support women as well as veterans.
Dakota State University runs cybersecurity camps sponsored this year by Citibank and First Bank and Trust for female middle school and high school students.
Companies such as Bank of New York Mellon and Capital One have partnered with Girls Who Code, a program designed to close the gender gap in technology.
Citi also launched its own "Women in IT" program a few years ago in Florida, where the company's global consumer technology division is based.
During the program, Citi execs including Khan try to spark an interest in information security among teenage girls. But it's not easy.
Khan recalls an occasion when he asked participants whether they found cybersecurity interesting. Two hesitant hands went up in a group of 16 girls.
Then, he talked up some of things that make the field jazzy, such as when the security team helped Citi launch an Apple Watch app. At the end of his talk, when he asked his original question again, every hand went up.
Hiring those who worked for the military is an increasingly common recruiting tactic for banks. Warzala, for example, happily hires those with military or law enforcement backgrounds. JPMorgan Chase, which has been aggressively courting military members, last year hired retired Army Gen. Raymond Odierno as a senior adviser on cybersecurity and other issues. And Huntington Bancshares recently added a cybersecurity expert who formerly worked for the National Security Agency to its board of directors.
"You get some wonderful training from the military," said Doug Johnson, senior vice president for payments and cybersecurity policy at the American Bankers Association.
To help overcome the problem of too few candidates for too many jobs, industry insiders say banks must continue to try to inspire people to work in this field.
"It will get worse every year, unless we encourage the younger generations to get involved with cybersecurity," said Dr. Kevin Streff, the department chair at Dakota State University Center for Cyber Security and a managing partner for Secure Banking Solutions, a consultancy that helps community banks tackle cyber threats.
Through his work at the university, Streff happens to knows a few potential up-and-coming cybersecurity experts.
But even Streff doesn't have an endless pipeline of candidates for his other employer, Secure Banking Solutions.
He said all of the 500 students currently studying cybersecurity at Dakota State will find jobs. "We have 100% placement rates," Streff said. "That will continue."
And many of them will just be more excited by the prospect of working for the FBI, Google or a hip startup, rather than a bank.
But for all their supposed dullness, banks have at least one advantage in recruiting cybersecurity talent.
The dangers banks continually face work in their favor when it comes to hiring: People in cyber prefer working for high-risk employers so they can actually use their skills.
Like other big banks, Bank of America wants to get nimbler and more innovative. But it is weighed down by the same problem they all are: a vast worldwide technological architecture that costs billions of dollars a year to run.
So, in order to bring new technology in, B of A decided to cut some legacy out.
"Innovation is not just about adoption," David Reilly, the bank's chief technology officer, said in an interview last week at the FinTech Innovation Lab Demo Day in New York, which Bank of America co-sponsored. "You've got to retire the old stuff and get rid of the addressable expense."
Bank technology Meteoric Rise of Startups Evident at Fintech Demo Day Fintech startups continue to captivate venture capital firms and angel investors, giving a boost to a program in which the operators of startups get advice from mentors and make presentations to hundreds of bankers at an annual event in New York. June 26
Bank technology Why Tech-Savvy Banks Are Gung Ho About 'Container' Software So-called containers can lessen the IT workload and help companies bring applications into the cloud. New security and management tools, like automatic patching, are bringing containers into the mainstream. December 3
Bank technology Inside BofA's IT Makeover Catherine Bessant is driving an initiative to centralize and streamline a sprawling technology network at Bank of America. She's got her work cut out for her: the many companies BofA has acquired all came with their own software and hardware, some state-of-the-art and others, not so much. This month, BTN takes an inside look at the challenges facing Bessant and her team, and examines the diffi cult path toward IT modernity at one of the world's largest financialinstitutions. September 1
The bank's budget for technology and operations in 2016 is $17 billion. The IT infrastructure part of that, which Reilly oversees, is down $1 billion since 2012, he said. The bank also has a $3 billion innovation budget. There isn't a one-to-one correlation between tech savings and growth in innovation spending, but the cost-cutting efforts help.
Reilly's team uses Gartner benchmarks to track what its peers spend on infrastructure assets (networks, servers, storage, desktops, etc.) and to figure out where to make changes.
"I compare all that addressable expense to my competitors at a level of granularity that shows me, maybe in the server space my problem is depreciation," he said. "Maybe in the network space it's staff cost. Maybe in the data center it's real estate cost. I get precision around which component of the cost is too expensive."
Layoffs have not been a big factor, Reilly said, because people represent only 25% of these infrastructure costs. Labor is "not enough of the addressable expense to make the kind of headway we've made," he said. "We have to go after what are traditionally called fixed costs."
One means of saving has been the bank's growing use of software defined infrastructure. Bank of America now has 20,000 workloads running on its SDI cloud, in which software directs server, storage and networking resources to business users as needed, similar to the way cloud service providers offer computing on demand.
Efficiencies from the use of SDI will help the bank shut down three more data centers this year. As part of a streamlining effort Cathy Bessant began in 2008 when B of A had 64 data centers in the Americas, it expects to need only eight centers by 2019.
The bank is also turning to containers not only cloud containers like Docker, but also giant physical boxes the size of shipping containers equipped with servers, storage and power, which will make the remaining data centers more efficient.
As a result, the bank's internal cost per workload is lower than what's offered by Amazon, Rackspace or Microsoft Azure, Reilly said. Lower-cost infrastructure allows the IT organization to consider developing and buying more innovative technology.
"Doing what we do with new and emerging companies takes resources, money and investment," Reilly said. "If we weren't driving down the day-to-day running costs of the place, we wouldn't be able to put some of that money back to the bottom line and some of that money toward directed innovation."
Investing in Fintech Startups
Reilly mentored two of the eight fintech startups that participated in this year's New York FinTech Innovation Lab, a 12-week incubator run by Accenture, the Partnership Fund for New York City and senior executives from 16 large banks.
"What this program does for large organizations like us and our peers is it helps to get direct access to innovators in a much faster way," Reilly said. "It's easier to get tech solutions to the right executives. It helps us ensure that we're disrupting our own thought patterns and our own ideas about where technology solutions fit in the bank."
Bank of America also runs its own innovation summit every October, through which it has worked with 1,500 fintech startups, 18% of which have gone on to become vendors for the bank, he said.
One of the companies B of A officials worked with at the innovation lab, Quarule, applies artificial intelligence software to banks' regulatory compliance tasks.
"As rules change, you have to change the business processes to become compliant," Reilly noted. "I had always assumed you needed an army of compliance executives to do that."
The software can also be used to model the impact of new rules on systems and parts of the organization.
It will take a certain amount of effort to integrate Quarule with the bank's existing software and teach it about the bank's processes, Reilly acknowledged. "If you're willing to take that on, that's when you get the automation. Perfect? No. But it raises the red flags [to show] where should I be looking."
The other startup Reilly mentored, T-Rex, provides risk and pricing analytics tools for financial assets, starting with renewable energy assets like solar energy.
"The renewables market has been a very illiquid one," Reilly pointed out. "The promise of this technology is that the analytics would make it a more liquid market. You're going to see customers want to have more of their portfolio assigned to those types of investments, so it's a market that has to mature quickly."
The other six fintech startups, in brief, were:
Untapt, which was one of American Banker and BAI's 20 Fintech Companies to Watch in 2015, uses mathematical algorithms to analyze software developers' aptitudes against recruiting managers' needs and produce matches. "The No. 1 pain point we face is shared across the industry why is it so difficult to hire software engineers?" said Ed Donner, the company's co-founder and CEO.
AlphaPoint has blockchain-enabled technology to create "golden ledgers" meant to reduce the cost and complexity of handling data reconciliation across data silos. "Institutions that have grown organically and through acquisitions have dozens of systems involved in just one workflow," said Igor Telyatnikov, the chief operating officer of AlphaPoint. "And the data between these systems often gets out of sync and causes errors and delays and is costing these institutions hundreds of millions of dollars in manual reconcilement costs."
Syndicated Loan Direct converts unstructured loan data into metrics that make loan portfolios easier to analyze. The product could be used by banks, private-equity firms and regulators to analyze syndicated loans, which totaled $2 trillion last year. The startup has already completed a proof-of-concept with Barclays and has others underway with other banks.
Cambridge Blockchain has built an identity-management platform for multinational banks that is based on blockchain technology. "This puts control of identity data back in the hands of users," said Matthew Commons, the startup's chief executive. The goals are stopping fraud and protecting privacy, he said.
ForwardLane is designed to help financial advisers provide services to a greater number of young wealth management clients. "Financial advisers typically spend less than 50% of their day on the client," said ForwardLane CEO Nathan Stevenson. The company's artificial intelligence software could help financial advisers improve their client coverage, sales and satisfaction, he said. It provides synopses of news of interest to the client and analysis and portfolio recommendations for the advisor. It works with IBM Watson.
51maps provides secure containers for the apps employees run on mobile devices. The apps are encrypted in motion and at rest. A global audit log lets companies track activity among all their users.
These are just eight of a vast universe of perhaps 10,000 fintech startups. With their focus on solving rising challenges for banks and the time they have spent with bankers honing their offerings, they are worth a look by B of A and its peers.
Editor at Large Penny Crosman welcomes feedback at penny.crosman@sourcemedia.com.
WASHINGTON Whether bitcoin is actual currency is at the forefront of a first-of-its-kind money-laundering case in Florida to be decided Friday.
In February 2014, Michel Espinoza was arrested in a Miami Beach motel for agreeing to sell $30,000 worth of bitcoin to an undercover police officer he had met on an exchange site called LocalBitcoins.com.
Prosecutors charged that Espinoza violated Florida statutes on money laundering and for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
But the defense has argued that these laws do not apply to Espinoza's case, because he was not selling currency he was selling bitcoin.
"It's just like you selling your own personal property," Rene Palomino Jr., Espinoza's attorney, said in a court filing. "Since bitcoins are 'goods,' Espinoza's alleged conduct is excluded from the definition of the term 'money transmitter' " under both state and federal law.
The case highlights a conundrum that has confused digital currency companies and state regulators alike: how to deal with a digital asset that is not a legal tender but can still hold value.
"Florida is dealing with the same definitional issues that many other states are dealing with, and that is how the terms currency, money, money transmission and even monetary value are defined," said Carol Van Cleef, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
The question is being addressed in various ways by the states' governing bodies. North Carolina's legislature on Monday passed a bill to modify the definition of money transmitters to account for virtual currency companies.
In New York, the state's financial regulator took the matter into its own hands last year by creating the BitLicense, which implicitly acknowledges that bitcoin is a store of value.
Even federal regulators are divided about how to address bitcoin: the Internal Revenue Service regards it as property, whereas the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network regulates it as a currency.
"The U.S. state and federal government is highly fragmented and each seem to have their own view on this," said Perianne Boring, the founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce.
"At the Chamber, we recognize bitcoin as a digital asset because depending on the use case it can take on characteristics of all of the above" from a property or commodity to a currency or securities instrument, Boring added.
In 2008, Florida changed its definition of money transmitter to account for companies dealing with virtual currency but the modification was not wide-ranging enough, according to Van Cleef.
"Florida actually did intend to cover digital currencies," she said.
But it did not address how money exchanges which cannot be performed without a license could account for virtual currencies, she added.
"If you're giving me the digital currency in exchange for [dollars] in a face-to-face transaction, you're not moving it to another place or you're not moving it to another person," Van Cleef said.
The matter has been placed in the hands of Judge Teresa Pooler of the Miami-Dade Circuit of Florida, who is expected to deliver a ruling on the issue Friday.
"The status of the law has not caught up with technology," Palomino said. "Everybody thought [bitcoin] was going to be a fad, it would just go away. And guess what? I think it's going to stay."
In a press release after the arrests, authorities acknowledged the novelty of the case.
"All of us in law enforcement know that criminals are always seeking new ways to make their activities profitable," said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, noting that the U.S. Secret Service had participated in the investigation. "BitCoins are just a new tool in the cyber criminal's toolkit." Her office declined to comment further on the case.
Beyond Florida, the case could serve as an example for other states, digital currency advocates say.
"If the judge rules that bitcoin is a currency , it would only apply in that state," Boring said. "However, other states could use that decision or ruling as persuasive material in their own legal systems or legislation to guide their own policy making or case decisions."
The case is likely to be litigated after Pooler's ruling. Both parties confirmed they would go to trial if they lost.
The acquittal of Baltimore City police officer Caesar Goodson in the Freddie Gray case has led to a flurry of speculation as to whether state's attorney Marilyn Mosby will continue the prosecutions of Goodson's fellow officers, having so far lost two of three (with hung jury in the other). The speculation is misplaced. These trials are political, not legal in nature. Were Mosby a competent and ethical prosecutor, she would have never brought the cases. If she drops charges against the remaining officers she will be ruined politically, and she is not about to let ethical or legal scruples guide her now.
Mosby pursued the prosecutions out of purely political motivation from the start, in the wake of Gray's death and the riots that followed, absurdly taking the side of the rioters rather than of the law-abiding citizens of the city. The officers were charged before a thorough inquiry into Gray's death could be completed by professional police investigators, and instead went forward based mostly on the biased and cursory work of Mosby's own office. Since that time, Mosby and her prosecution team have repeatedly tried to hide evidence uncovered during their investigation, in clear violation of their legal and ethical duties.
Although it seemed unlikely that the officers could receive fair trials in the racially polarized city, especially after Mosby publicly and forcefully prejudged their guilt, she vehemently opposed a change of venue, successfully forcing the trials in city courts. The judge who denied the change of venue was Barry G. Williams. Williams was then assigned to try all the cases, despite the strong possibility that defendants might ask for bench trials rather than take their chances with jurors who might let emotion or fear sway their decisions.
This is exactly what happened when the jury in the trial of the first officer, William Porter, deadlocked. That led the second officer, Edward Nero, to request a bench trial before Williams.
Mosby no doubt thought she had a ringer in Williams, an African-American jurist who had previously served as a civil rights prosecutor. And Williams's early decisions did not disappoint. Not only did he deny the defendants changes of venue, but he ruled in favor of the prosecution on two other critical issues. First, after Mosby decided to retry Porter, Williams ruled that Porter could be compelled to testify under only limited immunity in the trial of Goodson, which indeed happened. Second, Williams ruled that the fact that police found a folding knife on Gray during his arrest could not be presented in court. The type of knife Gray had, while legal in most of Maryland, is illegal to possess in Baltimore City. Ludicrously, Mosby's office argued that the knife was legal, although clearly Gray believed it was not (which is why he fled police when they saw him), and certainly the officers who arrested Gray realized he possessed an illegal weapon. Rather than resolving the issue, Williams punted, giving the prosecution the advantage.
Since then, Williams has proved to be a thorn in Mosby's side, acquitting Nero and now Goodson. Given William's ruling in Goodson's case, it is practically impossible to see him convicting Porter, in his retrial, or another defendant, Sergeant Alicia White. The charges against Porter and White relate to the time after Gray's arrest during his transport to booking when he suffered his fatal injury. The evidentiary chain of events, as found by Williams in Goodson's trial, show that Porter was less responsible for Gray's well-being than Goodson, while White's involvement was even more minimal and supervisory. Reading Williams's opinion in Goodson's case, it's hard to see how he could convict Porter or White. Both defendants are sure to request bench trials.
Mosby almost surely will demand that Williams recuse himself before trying either Porter or White, but if he refuses, even she should understand that those cases are unwinnable.
Fortunately for Mosby, she doesn't have to cross that bridge yet. The Gray case essentially involved two sets of officers, by chance one all white, the other all black. Goodson, Porter, and White (all black) were (or are) implicated in Gray's transport and death. The other three officers Nero, Garrett Miller, and Lieutenant Brian Rice (all white) were involved in Gray's initial arrest. Williams acquitted Nero, but as I noted here, he did so on narrow grounds. Even under the prosecution's theories of the case, Nero was the least culpable officer, having had little role in Gray's arrest or transport.
The next officer up for trial is Lieutenant Brian Rice. Rice was the officer who initiated the chase that led to Gray's arrest and directly supervised it. The prosecution's theory of the case against the three arresting officers is novel and also preposterous that they made a technically improper Terry stop (a stop-and-frisk based on reasonable suspicion of criminal activity) and for that are criminally liable. Rice (like Nero and Miller a bicycle cop) caught Gray's eye in a crime-ridden section of West Baltimore and gave chase, joined by the other two. The prosecution doesn't allege that this was improper, as it is well established that flight in such an area is sufficient grounds for a Terry stop. But when they caught Gray, they placed him in handcuffs, thereafter discovering the knife. The whole of the prosecution's case against these three officers boils down to Mosby's contention that they should not have cuffed (and thereby arrested) Gray, merely have patted him down.
Now of course, had they just done that, the officers would have discovered Gray's knife anyway and then arrested him which is why the prosecution had to argue that the knife was legal (when it almost certainly was not). As it happened, placing the recalcitrant Gray in cuffs at the time was downright smart, since he might otherwise had gone for the knife, placing himself and the officers in greater danger. Taking the knife out of the equation helps Mosby.
Williams did not deal with the prosecution's odd theory of the case in Nero's trial. He seemed to deliberately avoid it. That leaves hope for Mosby that Williams just might buy into the prosecution's argument in Rice's trial or afterward Miller's. Certainly, it is more than enough to keep Mosby going in these political show trials, and the fact that both of these officers are white probably helps.
Will she ride them all out for her own political interests, at the cost of these officers' lives and reputations, the expense of the taxpayers, and the peace of the city she is supposed to serve? It's a good bet she will, and if she loses them all, she'll blame the "racist" system for it regardless of the fact that the judge and half the defendants are black.
For sure she will try Lieutenant Rice.
Like vultures, the gun-grabbing left (including the full body politic of the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives) has pounced on the awful death scene in Orlando in the wake of the most heinous Islamic jihad attack on America since 9/11 in order to conduct its latest sickening feast at the trough of human suffering. Demonstrating once again an utter inability to modulate their views according to the facts, which in this case should have awakened liberal America to the very real and present danger of Muslim terrorism, leftists instead have chosen for the umpteenth time to ignore the bellicose ideology of the Islamic canon that propelled the murderer to do his despicable deed. Doggedly persistent in their straw man arguments against gun rights, leftists revel in foisting blame for this act of war against our nation on law-abiding gun owners, the NRA, Republicans, Donald Trump, Christians, and the Constitution. Their willful ignorance of history, their disdain for liberty, and their gross misuse of the victims and the grieving families in order to pursue their hate-America, anti-Second Amendment agenda is beyond disgraceful.
President Obama declared in his speech in Orlando after the massacre that it defies common sense to think that it would have been beneficial for more people in the Pulse night club to have been armed than merely the terrorist. Exactly how does that defy common sense? If just one armed individual were in the building, the killer's weaponry advantage would have been immediately nullified; perhaps an armed bartender or patron would have stopped him much sooner in the conflagration than the several hours it actually took the police to eliminate him.
Consider this: on the same night as innocent blood was flowing in Florida, a local bar in Queens, N.Y. was threatened by an armed assailant. It appears that this particular thug was not motivated by anything more than greed as he went into the Parkside Pub to rob the place, but having done so while employing a firearm, he immediately put the lives of the barkeep and four patrons inside in danger. It's a good thing for everyone involved there that a retired policeman frequenting the pub had his own weapon at hand; the ex-cop took down the criminal with one shot, no one else was harmed, and the innocents went home alive. In spite of Mr. Obama's definition of logic, it seems that an armed citizen did the logical thing with his gun, and everything worked out just fine as he protected the lives of the innocent in the face of an armed bad guy.
Mr. Obama and his coterie of statist acolytes believe that the Second Amendment does not mean what it actually says that every American citizen has a natural right to possess any firearm, without any infringement by government, for the purpose of self-protection. Hillary Clinton opines that it is dubious whether individuals have a right to Second Amendment protections. Andrew Cuomo loses his religion over gun rights, tangentially arguing that our Constitution does not provide protections for people to stockpile ammunition for game-hunting excursions. Certainly, our elites imply, we are no longer a nation of musket-carrying frontiersmen. Those previous generations may have needed personal weapons to protect themselves; now we enjoy the benefit of a robust government that provides protection in the form of our modern police departments, thereby eliminating the need for personally owned guns.
When the Second Amendment was enacted, the ordinary citizens of each state served as a de facto "well-regulated militia," which checked the potential advances against civil liberties by an avaricious central government. There was little need for crime prevention departments or standing armies in America's founding period because those first Americans took responsibility for the policing and defense of their own communities. But the left argues: because our 21st-century society currently has well developed professional police forces, those 19th-century militias are unneeded; there's a cop just a phone call away, so what does the Second Amendment actually do for us now other than to give ne'er-do-wells a legal right to get a killing tool?
Today's tyrannical bureaucrats assert that the language of the Second Amendment must be changed to suit our enlightened, therapeutic, postmodern times. The left's routine implication is that the ideas of the dead white men who authored the Second Amendment are no longer valid, thus in our contemporary civil society, the only people who should have guns are policemen. The cops, it is suggested, are trained in the proper use of firearms; the risk of vigilantism, collateral damage, and accidental shootings is just too great to deal with if average citizens regularly and without restriction carry guns.
The irrationality of the left's position on guns is put into stark relief when juxtaposed against their vicious anti-police attitude. On one hand, the left demands a the disarming of the general public so that only trained law enforcement professionals on the public payroll have guns, and on the other hand, they lambaste the police as a uniformly racist, anti-minority posse eager, willing, and able to shoot to kill unarmed African-American men because of their skin color. If we understand the Second Amendment as a hedge against government tyranny, would it not make sense for minorities to have legal access to firearms to protect themselves against the Klan-like men in blue patrolling minority neighborhoods, salivating over the opportunity to pick off the first available black man?
Furthermore, are not thousands of young black men and women in these neighborhoods dying on an annual basis at the hands of lawbreakers who have no regard whatsoever for gun laws? Since the police themselves present a threat to black Americans, shouldn't the innocent citizens in minority communities have the right to arm themselves against the urban terrorists who shoot and murder them at will? Ask the families of Jamiel Shaw and Hadiya Pendleton if they wish they could turn back the hands of time in order to put a firearm in their hands when these innocent teens were murdered in cold blood by violent gang members while merely walking through their own neighborhoods. Such killings mean nothing to the left other than to serve as a cudgel against the constitutional right to bear arms.
While undermining the Constitution for all Americans, the gun control lobby's efforts perniciously affect the Second Amendment rights of innocent, law-abiding black citizens who may wish to defend themselves in urban cauldrons of gang violence like Chicago, Detroit, and South Central Los Angeles. Yet the imposition of firearm restrictions commensurate with the anti-cop culture promoted by the left sends a schizophrenic message to minorities living in these crime-ridden areas. The denizens of these neighborhoods are expected to dismiss their natural, God-given right to protect themselves, while at the same time they are propagandized to disdain the police as irredeemably hateful of and brutal toward African-Americans. Thus, the left's pogrom against guns contains within it the notion that black Americans should neither arm themselves for self-protection nor call on the police for help. Sounds a bit like Jim Crow to me.
John Steinreich is a graduate of the Colorado Theological Seminary and the author of The Words of God?, an analytical comparison of Christianity and Islam, available on Lulu Press and on Kindle.
In a way, I feel sorry for our Democratic friends. As Rush Limbaugh has been saying for 20 years, they are playing out of a 30-year-old playbook, just running the same old plays because thats what Ted Kennedy did.
But conducting a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives on gun control while protected by the guns of the Capitol Hill police goes beyond doing one more for the Gipper. It shows that the modern Democratic Party and its liberal movement have completely forgotten the point of representative government. It removes the need for sit-ins and street politics.
The sit-in, the peaceful protest, the march are all part of the lefts culture of revolution that started in 1848 in the depths of the first great capitalist depression featuring barricades and insurrection all over Europe. For the left, ever since, it is always 1848 and time to hit the streets.
Earth to liberals. There is a big difference between 1848 and today. Back then the working class didnt have the vote. As it surged into the cities to work indoors, the only way that the working class could alert the political system to its grievances was by street action. There was nobody representing their interests in the councils of power.
The bourgeoisie and the landed ruling class put down the 1848 revolutions, but they realized they had a problem, so within a decade or two, they gave the working class the vote, and that stopped the rioting in the streets.
Fast forward to India and the Indian National Movement. Living in colonial India, but educated in Britain, Mohandas Gandhi developed the idea of nonviolent protest into a potent weapon against the Brits.
Of course, the idea of nonviolent protest has always been an oxymoron. A public demonstration or peaceful protest is always a show of force; it is telling the ruling class that here is a problem that wont go away.
In India, the Brits took the hint and gave India its independence.
Fast forward to the Sixties and the U.S. civil rights movement. Civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, having learned the lessons of the Indian National Movement, brilliantly copied Gandhis nonviolent tactics, so that every violent reaction of the authorities became a scandal. The nonviolent protests were appropriate because blacks in the South were disenfranchised; they didnt have a voice in the councils of power.
But sit-ins by representatives in the House of Representatives? Give me a break. The whole point of a legislature is to stop playing like Prince Hal and Harry Hotspur and resolve problems peacefully. If you dont like the result, then you should redouble your efforts to win the next election. If you resort to street action under universal suffrage you are saying you believe in democracy only when your side wins.
Since 1848 the left has done an amazing job of legitimizing street action by their side as the desperate struggle of the dispossessed, and anyone else as a racist sexist fascist. But at least since the Sixties most peaceful protesters have been the agents of the ruling class, funded by lefty billionaires and sponsored by liberal foundations.
In her Bourgeois Equality Deirdre McCloskey asks why the intelligentsia turned, in 1848, against freedom and capitalism. I think the answer is pretty simple. The Educated Youth of 1848 were shocked and appalled by the misery of the 1846-47 depression (caused by the end of the railway boom in England) and determined to do something about it. Being young and foolish, they opted for riot and revolution.
For these young men the heady experience of 1848 was transcendental. Ever since, the left has longed for a return to 1848 when young men manned the barricades and rose up against their fathers -- and had a grand old time. Ever since, they have always lusted for an occasion where street protest was required. For them, it is always 1848.
Only it isnt 1848. The disenfranchised workers of 1848 earned, say, $5 per day. Now the enfranchised workers earn $100 per day, and they are protected from the age-old vicissitudes of life by the welfare state. There is no warrant for taking to the streets, unless you are an illegal immigrant.
The left forgets that two can play at street violence. There are those outside the system, the dispossessed outside the castle gates. Then there are the bully boys of the ruling class. In an age when every well-born Educated Youth is forced to pass a boot camp in lefty activism to get that college degree, Id say that liberals better think deeply about their bully-boy activism culture, before it is too late.
When the ruling class stages a sit-in in the House of Representatives it is an insult to the American people. Call off your bully boys, you regime thugs.
Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class.
Trumps proposal to build a big wall on the southern border of the U.S. has been called an exercise of xenophobia and racism.
Trump asserts that many of the illegal immigrants are criminals, and the U.S. should act to save the country from them. But what many refuse to recognize, what is never discussed, is how illegal immigration exploits the immigrants themselves.
The abuses suffered by illegal immigrants caused by the lack of an effective wall have not been humanely discussed. The plain truth is that illegal immigrants are forced to commit crimes in order to cross the border illegally.
The first time someone is caught crossing the U.S. border without going through legal immigration procedures they are guilty of a Federal misdemeanor. The second time they are caught their act is a Federal felony. Because of the cheerleading of illegal immigration done by Democrats and the media, Hispanics are now in Federal prisons in much greater proportion than their population number would suggest. While Hispanics make up only 13% of the U.S. population they are 40% of the Federal prison population.
The majority of those in Federal prison have committed Federal crimes that are a direct result of illegal immigration. These include drug smuggling and illegal entry. The Mexican drug cartel forces young men and women to carry drugs over the border in exchange for receiving assistance in their border crossing.
It is interesting to consider that the explanation of why blacks are in Federal prison is always that they are exploited by U.S. society and are victims of oppression. But no one states that illegal immigrants are oppressed, that their incarceration is a direct result of racism, even though one may argue that characterizing illegal immigrants as an uneducated, unskilled minority that comes to the U.S. to do low paid jobs no one else will is racist. But it is. Blacks were also brought to the U.S. to work plantations doing low paid work nobody else would do.
If Trump were to build a wall and completely stop illegal immigration, the effect would be that the arrest and incarceration of illegal immigrants for committing Federal crimes while crossing would stop. Americans can decide for themselves if this is a good or bad thing. Furthermore, according to the Pew Research Center's report "Between Two Worlds", Hispanics in the U.S. are now dropping out of high school at twice the rate of blacks. And this is going on throughout the nation. Critics of Trump's wall would need to explain how channeling another minority into a life of poverty is good policy.
Hispanic teenage girls are now becoming single mothers at a higher rate than black teenagers. Single motherhood is the major cause of poverty and crime. How Trumps wall can be criticized for stopping poverty and crime is also difficult to understand.
Those who criticize Trump for wanting to build a wall never discuss the exploitation of illegal immigrants by drug cartels, do not discuss the incarceration of Hispanics and their presence in Federal prisons, or the high dropout rate of Hispanic high school students. One can only wonder why these signs of oppression, which have been used for decades to prove that blacks are exploited by white society, are not used as proof that Mexicans are exploited.
The political fact is, Democrats established all the sanctuary cities. These acts are violations of the 1996 Immigration Act, so it is fair to argue that Democrats are responsible for the high dropout rate of Hispanics, the high single motherhood rate, and the high rate of Federal incarceration of Hispanics. But somehow if Donald Trump makes an effort to stop this he is called a racist.
Democrats are the only political party that benefits from illegal immigration. They segregated Hispanics into communities in big cities where they can serve the party by filling classrooms for the Democrat-supporting teacher unions, and vote for Democrats in elections.
The resistance to Trump's wall only proves that Democrats resort to name calling, ridicule, and intimidation whenever someone threatens their scheme to maintain political power. Hillary Clinton, who is currently the likely opponent of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, is happy to benefit from Hispanic votes, and counts on them, along with black votes, to put her into the White House.
That Hillary can feel confident of the electoral support gained from minorities is a very sad commentary on the Democratic Party and the tactics it has used to stay in power. All the big city black ghettoes have been created by Democrats and have Democrats as representatives in Congress. Their plan to continue this scheme with Hispanics has, unfortunately, been very successful.
Voters can decide for themselves whose actions have the desirable results: Donald Trump, whose wall will reduce the exploitation of Hispanics, or Hillary Clinton, whose party will continue to build up the Hispanic population as their second impoverished voter minority.
Trumps wall will also stop the destruction of desert habitats in the Southwest. Right now these pristine desert preserves, which have never been developed, are being trampled on by illegal immigration perpetrated by Democrats, who claim credit to having started the environmental movement. This environmental issue is never discussed.
The greatest criticism of Trump's comments on the wall is that he labels all Mexicans as criminals. Trump does overstate the issue. But the facts that Hispanics are being segregated by liberals into barrios, single motherhood is on the rise, and Hispanics are being incarcerated in Federal prisons, is not an overstatement.
The one truth in this discussion is that seasonal, unskilled labor is needed by agriculture in many states. However, this need was legally addressed by the Bracero guest worker program, a program stopped by LBJ so the illegal immigration strategy could be pursued.
Anyone who is offended by Trumps strong, disrespectful language should also consider the strongly offensive words spoken by the Black Lives Matter movement, Reverend Wright, and the anti-Trump protesters who burn American flags and use abusive language.
Trump's wall will liberate Hispanics from exploitation, Democrats words support the exploitation.
Voters should ask themselves if, in 1750, it was possible to build a wall to stop the importation of slaves from Africa, if that would have been the moral choice to make, given the history of the exploitation of blacks. We have that choice now.
Given the history Democrats have in the U.S. of creating segregated minority communities and limiting their participation in the economy, a truly liberal, humanely-minded person may want to reconsider the value of Trump's wall, and reconsider who the party of racists is; the Democrats who exploit illegal immigrants or Donald Trump's Republicans, who freed the slaves and now want to control the abuse of Hispanics by the open border.
Trump's wall will save tens of thousands of innocent Hispanics from rape, murder, and Federal prison. Hillary could speak of a guest worker program but she won't do that. Her party doesn't want that. Her party wants voters and residents. It's another shameful chapter in the history of the exploitation of minorities by Democrats.
Summer is upon us, with three big events waiting to make news headlines. Two political conventions and the Rio Olympics. Both presumptive presidential nominees, especially Donald Trump, will be facing opposition at their respective nominating conventions. Trump from his own party and Clinton from Bernie Sanders supporters. The Olympics has dirty water and the Zika virus to contend with.
The media is fully engaged in the presidential campaign, already picking sides and actively or passively campaigning for their favorite candidates. Polling of the media would likely reveal majority support for Mrs. Clinton. In fact, Self-proclaimed Democratic journalists outnumber Republicans by 4-to-1 according to an Indiana University study. Big deal if a newspaper writer in Paducah, Kentucky or Greeley, Colorado is a Democrat. Their media reach doesnt extend beyond their small cities.
Instead its the Washington, DC journalists with the most influence. Those on the evening news, the Sunday talk shows, and those reporting or commenting on the 24-7 cable news networks. The above-mentioned study found that, More than 90 percent of D.C. journalists vote Democratic, with an even higher number giving to Democrats or liberal-leaning political action committees. Is it any wonder that media is referred to as Democrat operatives with bylines?
What does this have to do with opinion polls?
An opinion poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample, designed to represent the opinion of a larger population group. The key word here is sample. Suppose you want to conduct a survey on gun rights. How might the results differ if you sample attendees at a Wyoming gun show versus a meeting of the Ithaca Code Pink chapter?
Presidential polls are no different. The sample determines the poll results. Ask a group of Americans who they prefer for president in November. Who exactly is being asked? Obviously the results would be quite different if the survey was conducted at the gun show or the Code Pink meeting. The best way to have a balanced sample would be by party affiliation, Republican or Democrat.
ABC News gleefully proclaimed the results of their latest presidential poll with a headline, Clinton Opens 12-Point Lead on Trump. For those who even pay attention to the news, most scan the headlines in their social media newsfeeds or on aggregated news sites. The headline says it all. Hillary is measuring the drapes for the oval office and Donald is about to be fired from his own one-year reality show.
Is this a fair assessment of the poll? Or is ABC News, one of many media organizations in the NY-DC power corridor, reflecting the 90-plus percent Democrat affiliation and support of its reporters? Lets look closer at the poll.
The press release for the actual poll results had a similar headline, Clinton Surges on Trump Missteps. All of these surveys have methodology as to who they survey and how they decide who to call. Ill leave those discussions to the statisticians. Instead look at party affiliation of those surveyed.
In the ABC News survey, Democrats accounted for 36 percent of those surveyed, Republicans 24 percent, and the remainder independents. Thats a difference of 12 percent. Remember the headline, Clinton Opens 12-Point Lead on Trump? 12-point lead and 12-point difference in party affiliation of those surveyed. Perhaps this is a dead heat rather than a Clinton surge.
Independents, representing the largest block based on party affiliation, or 40 percent of those surveyed, preferred Trump over Clinton by two points, 45-43. Im no statistician, but simple arithmetic gives Trump the overall edge in this survey if party affiliation is equalized.
This isnt the only poll which oversamples Democrats. A recent Reuters poll claimed Hillary leads Donald 47 to 33 percent. But their sample was 52 percent Democrat and 35 percent Republican, erasing the Clinton lead and in fact giving a slight edge to Trump.
There are further complexities that cant be reconciled by a survey. RedState, part of the #NeverTrump franchise, believes Trump received only 3 million Republican votes in the primaries with the remaining 12 million being Democrat votes. A type of operation chaos with the Democrats sabotaging the GOP primaries and minimal actual support for Trump. Seems highly unlikely that 12 million Democrat voters were given marching orders to switch party affiliation and vote for Trump without someone finding out about such an operation via a leaked email or through social media postings. But not a surprising conclusion from the #NeverTrumpers.
Or perhaps a different explanation. Another survey found, About 20 percent of likely Democratic voters say they would buck the party and vote for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a general election. Meaning that RedStates analysis may be partially correct, except for the motivation of the crossover voters. Maybe they actually support Trump over Clinton rather than being part of an operation chaos. On the other hand, there are #NeverTrump Republicans like George Will or Brent Scowcroft, leaving the Republican party, crossing over the other way and potentially voting for Hillary Clinton.
How relevant is party affiliation this election? I suspect less so than usual. This cycle its the establishment pitted against the anti-establishment, the latter being Trump and Sanders. Much like the recent Brexit vote, the divisions are less along political party lines than a vote against the unlimited immigration, crony EU establishment.
Still opinion polls are a staple of a presidential election news cycle despite their limited predictive value this early in the campaign season. In June 2000, Bush led Gore 50-38 and the election was a virtual tie. In June 2008, Obama and McCain were tied. In June 1992, Bush led Clinton 33-27.
Polls make news. But should pollsters be making the news or simply performing the poll? Should the media report the polls or spin the results toward reflecting their political biases?
The Brexit polls predicted that remain would win by 8 percent when in reality leave won by 4 percent, a 12 percentage point error. This Week correctly noted in their post Brexit headline, Pollsters couldn't resist the temptation to put their thumb on the scales.
Which is exactly what Big Media is doing on this side of the pond in their falsely reported presidential polls. At which point the polls are no longer objective but instead propaganda serving a political agenda.
Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based retina surgeon, radio personality, and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
The petulant children who run the European Union have been throwing epic tantrums since the Brexit vote, looking to punish and humiliate Great Britain for disobeying them. They refuse to meet representatives of the British government informally to discuss how the mechanism of an EU exit can be implemented. EU president Juncker haughtily questioned why members of the UKIP party were attending a meeting of the EU parliament to discuss Britain's exit ("Why are you here"?).
Now it's been proposed that since Britain is leaving the EU, English, the official language, be dropped.
Forbes columnist Tim Worstall explains why that's a really, really dumb idea:
Now that Britain is leaving the European Union theyre moving to insist that English no longer be used in that institution. And the thing is that these sorts of things just dont work that way. Which language people use is a market. Just as which currency they do, which pub they go to or how fashion changes over the years. These are not things decided by bureaucrats miffed that the world isnt giving them enough respect. Theyre things that we decide ourselves and with language its something that we decide every time we open our mouths. I say this not because I am the traditional monolingual Englishman (my Russian was once good enough to do business in that language, my Portuguese and French are good enough to navigate through life in those two countries, my Italian would come back with a month or two in country. Not claiming fluency in any language, not even English, but I can cope) but because markets just dont work in that manner. Language is simply a means of communication people will use whatever language aids in that. Demanding that people use one or the other simply does not work. As the French actually ought to understand.
The French were horrified when terms like "hamburger" and even "french fries" attained widespread usage when U.S. fast food companies expanded on the continent. The official arbiter of the French language, L'Academie Francaise, ordered that all English language terms be dropped from ads in favor of their French alternatives. Needless to say, it didn't work.
If English is dropped, M.P.s will have to go back to using their native tongue.
I, for one, just cannot wait until all Irish MEPs are forced to speak in Gaelic, a language almost none of them have past about 8th grade, maybe 10th. And the joke has already been made that all Maltese who are actually bilingual are already working for the EU translation service. Would be amusing trying to find the Maltese/Lithuanian pair, or the Maltese/Gaelic even, in a simultaneous translator. Which is, of course, why such things are not attempted. Document translation often works through an intermediate language (English!) and certain translation pairs in simultaneous work just arent attempted.
The proposal is not only impractical, but an embarrassment. And it is indicative of how EU leaders view ordinary Europeans. They think they can order them around like little children. But those days if they ever existed are now over.
The EU can pass legislation on what language to use all they want. Getting people to comply is an entirely different matter.
When Democrat Arizona state rep. Cecilia Velasquez voted against stronger anti-fraud tools for the Arizona Department of Economic Security last February, apparently she was protecting herself. According to Fox 32, this was a program that could have quickly detected her alleged fraudulent activity. But even without these new tools, she has been caught. After an investigation by that same agency, launched in 2014, she has been indicted for food stamp fraud. The Phoenix New Times reports:
Unsealed on Wednesday but signed on May 23, the indictment charges Velasquez, 42, with one felony count each of fraudulent schemes and practices, unlawful use of food stamps, and theft. The total loss to the state, which distributes federal funds it receives for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), was $1,726. (snip) The charges revolve around Velasquez allegedly providing false information on her SNAP eligibility paperwork, on which she claimed to have two dependents living with her who really weren't, the source said. The investigation showed Velasquez wasn't living at her declared residence in Litchfield Park but rather in another Phoenix suburb further south, the town of Laveen. If true, the revelation could mean trouble for Velasquez even if she's not convicted of a felony, because Velasquez must live in her district, and Laveen is miles from District 29. Velasquez also allowed her electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card to be used improperly by another person, said the source, who requested anonymity.
Velasquez, who calls herself "Ceci," has a troubled history with law enforcement. Soon after her election in 2013, a warrant was put out for her arrest:
A newly elected Arizona legislator is sought on a warrant stemming from failure to pay fines from traffic violations in 2010. The Arizona Capitol Times reports that the arrest warrant issued in 2013 stems from Rep.-elect Ceci Velasquez's failure to make a $100 payment on more than $2,000 in fines. Velasquez is a Litchfield Park Democrat who won a race for a House seat from Legislative District 29 in the Nov. 6 general election. The fines were levied against Velasquez in Florence Municipal Court for driving on a suspending license, for driving a vehicle with a suspended registration and for not having required insurance for the vehicle.
The Democrats were grooming Velasquez. The Phoenix New Times reports:
Before being elected in 2013, Velasquez attended a six-month, public-office training program called Emerge Arizona, which bills itself as "the premier training program for Democratic women."
Velasquez denies all the charges:
I have done nothing wrong! This is a political witch hunt. I'm confident that justice WILL prevail once all the facts are known! Ceci Velasquez (@cecivelasquez_) June 22, 2016
Hat tip: Instapundit
The Democratic Party has officially become the anti-free speech party by adopting a plank in its party platform that promises to prosecute climate change skeptics.
It was one thing when Democratic state attorneys general banded together to "investigate" skeptics. But now the entire party has gotten behind the most vigorous assault on free expression since World War II.
Daily Caller:
A panel of Democrats voted Friday to approve a final draft of the partys platform to promote Progressive Democratic Values, which apparently includes investigating energy companies who misled shareholders about global warming. Another joint proposal calling on the Department of Justice to investigate alleged corporate fraud on the part of fossil fuel companies who have reportedly misled shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change was also adopted by unanimous consent, according to the Democratic National Conventions website. The drafting committee, led by DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, has decided to back ongoing investigations by mostly Democratic state attorneys general into ExxonMobils stance on global warming. Currently, AGs from California, Massachusetts, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands have launched investigations of Exxon, and at least two AGs have demanded records on conservative think tanks and scientists skeptical of global warming. Such targeting has only fueled calls that these investigations are an attack on free speech. New York AG Eric Schneiderman was the first to launch an investigation into Exxon, based on reporting from eco-left wing reporters at InsideClimate News and Columbia University. Schneiderman hosted a conference in March with other AGs to announce more investigations into Exxon. Republican lawmakers and AGs have pushed back, calling the investigations into Exxon and think tanks an assault on free speech. Some Republican AGs recently warned their liberal counterparts that if skeptics can be investigated for misrepresenting global warming, alarmists can be as well.
The A.G.s pushing this extortion scheme are saying that a couple of memos from the 1970s, when few scientists were working on climate change, and some meetings where the possibility of climate change was discussed in the 1990s constitute "fraud." But whatever "evidence" they've uncovered is a smokescreen. As Greenpeace points out, the Democrats want government to go after fossil fuel companies for the big payday.
Altogether, the picture for fossil fuel companies is beginning to look a lot like the fall of tobacco industry in the 1990s and 2000s. Under that legal movement, the tobacco industry settled with 46 states to hand over hundreds of billions of dollars for public health, anti-smoking campaigns, and policy initiatives. The federal Department of Justice launched a fraud and racketeering lawsuit against the industry, winning the case in 2006.
Exxon and other multi-nationals can take care of themselves. But what of think-tanks and individuals being targeted by government? Dozens of organizations and ordinary people can have their lives ruined and think-tanks shut down, because the expense of defending oneself against these spurious charges is immense.
That's the plan, of course. Destroying lives will force most other skeptics to keep their mouths shut, freeing government from the burden of having to prove anything it says about climate change and allowing Washington to implement job-destroying, industry-killing regulations.
Today, it's climate change skeptics. Who will it be tomorrow?
In a year, Justice Anthony Kennedy has been the key vote in overturning state bans on marriage and now safety restrictions on abortion clinics. In other words, Justice Kennedy made same-sex marriage "legal" and found restrictions on abortion clinics "unconstitutional."
This is odd, because Congress never passed a law on abortion or same-sex marriage. What we call the "law of the land" is nothing more than an opinion written by a justice in 1973 and 2015.
Was this country founded to have people governed by justices who overturn the work of state legislatures? I don't think so, and the 10th Amendment is there for all to read.
In both cases, Justice Kennedy threw out the work of state legislatures. Is that what he thinks of the people? What in the world does Justice Kennedy, or the other four automatic liberal votes, know about "undue process" on getting an abortion? Did they come to Texas and see what these restrictions are?
So what is the point of having state legislatures? Why not just have the Supreme Court decide everything?
The Texas abortion clinic rules were about protecting women rather than denying them their "right" to abortion. Dr. Manny Gonzales reacted to the ruling this way:
I never saw the Texas abortion law as a means to restrict services available to women or put limitations on a patients right to choose. I saw it as a way to ensure that quality standards were being met at the clinics and centers offering this complicated, delicate procedure. It seems to me that while we have no trouble in naming the various issues we face in health care, like medical errors, patient injury, lack of transparency and cost of care, every time we put a solution on the table to address a problem, it becomes poisoned by political correctness and marred by biased motivations.
The left is jumping in glee over Justice Kennedy, a Reagan appointment. However, I hope that everyone is sitting back and thinking about the country.
How can you govern a country when a Supreme Court justice reverses what people pass in state legislatures? How much longer before the people in those states say "we're out of here/, because this system does not respect or work for us"?
Last, but not least, it's time for a governor to say "enough." I hope that Governor Greg Abbott will say "no" and refuse to obey Justice Kennedy's opinion. It's about time that someone reminded the Supreme Court that their opinions are not "the law of the land."
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Donald Trump has said he wants to ban Muslims from immigrating to the United States. And while hes been lambasted from all sides for this proposal, in my view, it does not go far enough.
Trump stops short of offering a comprehensive plan that is long overdue, and it appears he has not educated himself on the teachings of the Quran. Although hes had an intuition that something is not right about Islam, he has not delved into the underpinnings of Islamic law and therefore cannot speak to the matter in a way that would educate the public and combat the lies, lies, and more lies tossed out about the nature of Islam.
It would be a step in the right direction if Trump would consult with the likes of Andrew McCarthy, Frank Gaffney, Sebastian Gorka, Robert Spencer, and other experts on Islamic law and the myriad ways Islam asserts dominance around the world.
As for Trumps proposal to ban Muslims from coming to the United States, its a great idea, but it does not go far enough.
The policy of FBI training materials being scrubbed of all references to Islam must be reversed. The DHS policy of scrubbing references to jihad, sharia, and other appropriate terms must be reversed. The booming business of refugee resettlement must come to an end. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood must be purged from government agencies, and Muslim Brotherhood front groups must be exposed for what they are and dealt with accordingly. Muslim schools that teach hate must be closed. Muslims of America jihad training compounds must be shut down. We must address prisons as breeding grounds for future jihadists. Burqas and niqabs must be banned.
In addition, our dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia must come to a grinding halt. We must re-evaluate our ties to Turkey and Qatar and investigate them as state sponsors of terror. We must stop funding the Palestinian Authority. We must pull out of the United Nations. And we must stop Irans nuclear program.
For starters.
Keeping going, Mr. Trump. The hour is late.
One hundred sixty-five pages of Hillary Clinton emails sent over her private server, previously unseen, were released under court order as a result of a suit filed by Judicial Watch.
Associated Press:
The emails were not among the 55,000 pages of work-related messages that Clinton turned over to the agency in response to public records lawsuits seeking copies of her official correspondence. They include a March 2009 message where the then-secretary of state discusses how her official records would be kept. "I have just realized I have no idea how my papers are treated at State," Clinton wrote to Abedin and a second aide. "Who manages both my personal and official files? ... I think we need to get on this asap to be sure we know and design the system we want."
The "system we want" was made clear last month when the State Department I.G. issued a blistering report accusing Clinton of violating protocol by using her private server. In one email highlighted by the I.G., Clinton observes that she didn't want "any risk of the personal being accessible."
That led to the deletion of emails that should have been handed over:
Before providing her correspondence, Clinton and her lawyers withheld and subsequently deleted tens of thousands of messages that she claimed were personal, such as emails about her daughter's wedding plans, family vacations, yoga routines and condolence notes. With the new release Monday, more than 50 work-related emails sent or received by Clinton have since surfaced that were not among those she provided. Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon did not immediately respond Monday to a message seeking comment. Last week, Fallon told AP that Clinton had provided "all potentially work-related emails" that were still in her possession when she received the 2014 request from the State Department. "Secretary Clinton had some emails with Huma that Huma did not have, and Huma had some emails with Secretary Clinton that Secretary Clinton did not have," Fallon said. Fallon declined to say whether Clinton deleted any work-related emails before they were reviewed by her legal team. Dozens of the emails sent or received by Clinton through her private server were later determined to contain classified material. The FBI has been investigating for months whether Clinton's use of the private email server imperiled government secrets. Agents recently interviewed several of Clinton's top aides, including Abedin. As part of the probe, Clinton turned over the hard drive from her email server to the FBI. It had been wiped clean, and Clinton has said she did not keep copies of the emails she choose to withhold.
A wiped hard drive, deleted emails that should have been turned over, her campaign denying the reality of what the I.G. found and what the emails tell us. This adds up to a cover-up, as Clinton desperately sought to keep damaging emails from coming to light. How many more work-related emails are in that batch that she originally deleted? The evidence so far suggests that those 50 deleted emails that were discovered are just the tip of the iceberg.
Clinton deleted more than 30,000 "personal" emails. The FBI has been able to recover an unknown number of them. It's likely that when the decision on prosecuting Clinton is announced, more of these deleted emails will be released.
A report issued by the House Select Committee on Benghazi confirms much of what had been suspected that differs from the administration narrative of the attack and offers some revelations previously unknown.
Fox News:
The claim that the fatal 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks were sparked by an anti-Muslim video was crafted in Washington by Obama administration appointees and reflected neither eyewitness nor real-time reports from the Americans under siege, according to the final report of the GOP-led Benghazi Select Committee. The GOP report, released Tuesday, followed by less than a day a report by the Democrats on the panel saying that security at the Benghazi, Libya facility was woefully inadequate but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional protection. According to portions of the Republican report reviewed by Fox News, one U.S. agent at the American outpost in Benghazi, whose name was withheld for security reasons, told the committee he first heard some kind of chanting. Then that sound was immediately followed by explosions and gunfire, then roughly 70 people rushing into the compound with an assortment of AK-47s, grenades, RPGs a couple of different assault rifles, the agent said. In addition, a senior watch officer at the State Department's diplomatic security command described the Sept. 11, 2012, strikes as "a full on attack against our compound. When asked whether he saw or heard a protest prior to the attacks, the officer replied, "zip, nothing, nada," according to the Republican majority report.
That pretty much destroys the administration's "fog of war" argument. The only fog in looking at the attack was deliberately created.
Anyone need more convincing?
In an email provided to the Select Committee, Clinton told daughter Chelsea, Two of our officers were killed in Benghazi by an Al Queda-like [sic] group. Clinton also told Egypts prime minister the following day: We know that the attacks in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack -- not a protest.
And yet Susan Rice appeared on TV that Sunday, claiming that the attack was the result of the video.
Oh, and about that State Department "Independent" Review Board that blamed two low-level employees for not beefing up security at the annex? Turns out that Clinton deputy Cheryl Mills had her hands all over it.
Politico:
Cheryl Mills, the longtime attorney, friend and former chief of staff for Hillary Clinton, influenced the findings of an internal State Department review of the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, according to a draft of the final House Benghazi Committee report. A section of the report obtained by POLITICO says the so-called Accountability Review Board did not act independently, as it was supposed to do, and was consistently influenced by Mills. Mills, the report says, helped select members of the panel, gave at least one other State Department official permission to talk to the reviewers, oversaw the production of some documents reviewed by the board and helped edit the final report. The decisions to deviate from longstanding processes raise questions about the boards independence, thoroughness and therefore the fullness of their findings of accountability, the report reads. The issue is a sensitive one for State and Republicans. The department has long held that its ARB report was independent and not influenced by then-Secretary Clinton. Mills has said that while she may have offered suggestions on a draft of the boards report, it was under no pressure to accept them. Shes also said it worked independently in testimony she gave before the Benghazi committees final report was issued Tuesday.
"No pressure" placed on board members? What a crock. One of the secretary's closest aides makes a "suggestion," and they're just going to ignore it? Sheesh.
The Hill reports some other new findings:
But the analysis includes new facts sure to be seized upon by the administrations critics, and which are likely to serve as points of attack against Clinton during the general election. Among the new revelations is the notion that Ambassador Chris Stevens, who along with three other Americans was killed in the attack, was in Benghazi with the aim of erecting a permanent diplomatic post, to replace the temporary one that came under fire. Military orders also appeared to have gotten lost or misinterpreted on their way down the chain, the report claims. And the Libyan forces that eventually evacuated the surviving Americans from the CIA annex were in fact former loyalists of deposed strongman Moammar Gaddafi, and not militia groups with a previous relationship with the U.S. In the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks, Stevens and State Department information management officer Sean Smith died when their diplomatic compound came under attack. Former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone died from mortar fire hours later, at a nearby CIA annex. Scrutiny over the terror attack has dogged the Obama administration for the last four years, and in the process has become a byword for scandal on par with Watergate. Critics suspect the Obama administration of having turned a blind eye to security, failing to come to the victims aid and then misleading the public in the aftermath.
Although there is a legitimate debate about whether U.S. military forces could have actually intervened in time to save the life of Ambassador Stevens and his aide, there is little doubt that the six hours between the attack on the compound and the CIA annex could have been used to rush forces to Libya to defend Americans. Otherwise, even Democrats agree that State dropped the ball on security, and there is a clear email trail debunking the administration's claim they didn't know that it was a terrorist attack.
There have been a lot of urban myths that sprouted up after the attack, and the report seems to have been able to sort out what happened and why. While highly critical of Hillary Clinton (deserved, as it turns out), the report appears to be as complete a record as can be expected. It is not violently partisan, nor does it spare anyone.
And that was the least that was asked of the Committee when it began work.
Just as in Roe v. Wade, when the Supreme Court discovered in the penumbras and emanations of the Constitution a right to an abortion the silly Founding Fathers forgot to be specific about, SCOTUS has discovered a footnote to that right that entitles women to get their abortions in clinics unregulated by the states they live in.
You see, it seems that some silly Neanderthals in the Texas legislature thought it might be a good idea since, as pro-abortion groups insist, we are talking about a womens health issue, abortion clinics ought to meet some sort of health standards namely, those required of ambulatory service centers.
So the Texas troglodytes passed such a law, thinking it might be a good idea to have standards slightly higher than your nearest auto mechanic or butcher. The practical effect of the law was that it forced many Texas abortion clinics to close and required those seeking an abortion to travel longer distances, taking as long as 45 minutes to reach a clinic. The finite wisdom of the Supreme Court, after revisiting those penumbras and emanations, was to strike down the law, saying requiring the same health standards as, say, an emergency room in a hospital put an undue burden on a womens right to choose not to mention the burden it put on these clinics bottom line.
As NBC News reported:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down one of the nation's toughest restrictions on abortion, a Texas law that women's groups said would have forced more than three-quarters of the state's clinics to shut down. The decision was 5-3. Read the decision Passed in 2013, the law said clinics providing abortion services must meet the same building standards as ambulatory surgical centers. And it required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Since the law was passed, the number of clinics providing abortion services in Texas dropped to 19 from 42. Opponents said that number would fall to ten if the Supreme Court upheld the law.
Somehow, I do not believe that this is what the Founding Fathers meant when in the Declaration of Independence they put life as an inalienable right that comes before even liberty and certainly the pursuit of happiness. When the Constitution was written under the concept of federalism, it was assumed that such issues, undefined in the Constitution, would be left to the states, not five unelected grand pooh-bahs in black robes.
One wonders if the Supreme Court will be as adamant about gun rights, which are specifically mentioned in the Second Amendment, and so will rule that banning gun purchases because some clerk violated your due process rights and put you on a no-fly list puts an undue burden on your right to bear arms. This undue burden thing should be applied to all rights, should it not?
Basically, SCOTUS has ruled that abortion clinics need meet only the standards of Dr. Kermit Gosnells clinic in Philadelphia. Abortion supporters claim they want to make it safe, legal, and rare, but this ruling does nothing to make abortions safer or rarer. When you are running an abortion clinic, like any other business, volume is important in improving the profit margin. Presumably, young mothers entering a Planed Parenthood clinic arent told about this part of the operation.
Kermit Gosnell was a Philadelphia doctor who was charged with seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree murder for killing seven babies who survived his abortions and a woman who died after a botched pain-killer injection. As Investors Business Daily noted, comparing what went on at Gosnells clinic to the school shooting at Newtown, Connecticut:
Whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, there ought to be agreement that a squirming infant on a table outside the mother's womb is as worthy of protection from harm as children in classrooms in a school in Connecticut. If Dr. Gosnell had walked into a nursery and shot seven infants with an AR-15, it would be national news and the subject of presidential hand-wringing. Instead, Gosnell is ignored, charged with the deaths of seven aborted babies who were born alive and then killed, their spinal cords cut with scissors. Kermit Gosnell faces 43 criminal counts, including eight counts of murder in the death of one patient, Karnamaya Monger, and seven newborn infants. Additional charges include conspiracy, drug delivery resulting in death, infanticide, corruption of minors, evidence tampering, theft by deception, abuse of corpse and corruption. Gosnell's clinic was inspected only after a federal drug raid in 2010. It was the first time the facility had been inspected in 17 years because state officials ignored complaints and failed to visit Gosnell's Women's Medical Society, the clinic's official name, for years. Although charged with only seven counts of infant murder, witnesses have testified that he may have murdered more than 100 babies outside the womb in the three decades the clinic has been open. One witness says she saw Gosnell perform his "procedure" on 30 infants. According to another, Gosnell said in one instance, "'This baby is big enough to walk around with me or walk me to the bus stop.' "
Women were paying him to end their pregnancy, and by golly, thats what he was going to do under the penumbra and emanations of Roe v. Wade. Sanitation and cleanliness and the inconvenient first breaths of an infant who survived the first attempt at dispatching him or her were an undue burden. So, according to liberals, pro-choicers, and a SCOTUS majority, is regulation of clinics as potentially ghastly as Dr. Gosnells. As TheBlaze described Gosnell and his operation:
weve seen what happens when abortion clinics are unregulated. We dont have to come up with hypotheticals. Kermit Gosnell killed born-alive infants and grown women in a dingy butcher shop with blood stains on the walls and dead bodies piled up in the refrigerator and the corpses of infants clogging up the toilets. He hired unlicensed kids to assist in dangerous operations and distribute medicine to desperate, poor women. He didnt even bother to sanitize his equipment before he sliced open his patients, sometimes giving them infections and venereal diseases in the process. He did all of this for 30 years in a facility situated right in the middle of a major American city. And he wasnt alone. There are other Gosnells, and they all clearly demonstrate what happens when the abortion industry is allowed free rein to govern.
The Supreme Court and who gets to fill the current and future vacancies do indeed matter. Hillary Clinton has called the decision a victory for women. Well, not for the unborn ones.
Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
As our founding fathers grappled with the prodigious task of forming the Constitution for the United States, the climate was hot temperature-wise (William Paterson from nearby New Jersey described Philadelphia that summer as "the warmest place I've ever been") and politically. The parallels between that summer in 1787 and this summer of 2016 are legion. A record heat is scorching the U.S. this summer, much like in 1787, but now, as then, a much hotter political battle is underway.
The hottest topic the founders wrestled with was central (federal) versus regional (state) power. It is this same issue, which last week drove the Brits to vote for Brexit, that also fuels Donald Trump's battle against Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. Thankfully, Great Britain chose correctly by ending the abrogation of its sovereignty to the faceless EU bureaucrats in Brussels.
Our battle is ongoing, as Trump and conservatives plead our case to the American people. The case is simple: our bloated federal government in D.C. is usurping states' rights to an unacceptable degree. It is no accident that British slogans such as "Make Britain Great Again" mimic Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again." This starts by the states recapturing greater control over their destiny. Be it immigration, abortion rights, gun laws, etc., the states must reclaim their dominion.
I and many others believe that the primary driver for Britain's separation from the EU was immigration and a fear that the British culture itself is endangered by the failed and misguided march toward multiculturalism. Immigration is also the primary driver that motivates Trump supporters.
Ironically, this issue of local versus central control was also the primary impetus for the American Revolution itself eleven years prior to the ratification of the Constitution Great Britain being the central power versus the regional colonies. Even more ironically, Britons find the shoe on the other foot presently, having crafted their own "Declaration of Independence" by voting to separate from the EU for basically the same reasons the Founding Fathers espoused 240 years ago.
What lessons can we draw from all of this? Absolute power corrupts absolutely, so the corollary of centralized power is ever increasing central governance over regional rights. For Britain, it is the EU, and for America, it is Washington, D.C.
Much of the long and hot summer in 1787 was dedicated to crafting a Constitution that combated this very tendency. If centralized power is unchecked, eventually, resentment will grow until the people decide they have finally had enough. It was so in 1776 and 1787, and it is so in 2016 as Great Britain herself separates from the EU.
Let's hope we follow Great Britain's lead, and our own before that, when we display by our votes on November 8 that we too have "had enough."
Its no surprise that leftists make excuses for Muslims behaving badly. But members of the GOP (with a handful of exceptions) are also pathetic apologists. The amount of stupid stuff Republicans have uttered on the subject of Islam would fill volumes. Most recently, Donald Trumps position that we (at least temporarily) stop (most) Muslim immigration to the United States has come under fire.
Paul Ryan has stated that banning Muslims from entering the United States does not reflect our principles as a party or as a nation. This is nearly identical to President Obamas verbiage when he admonishes Americans on all manner of issues, including Trumps proposal to halt Muslim immigration, by claiming thats not who we are.
Whenever a politician says that putting the brakes on Muslim immigration is (some variation of) not who we are, I want to ask: who are we? A nation of fools who prefer to embrace members of a demographic group whose holy book mandates our destruction?
Well, whoever we are, we will cease to be if we dont get our act together on matters pertaining to national security.
And next up on that front is Marco I-will-just-be-a-citizen-oops-I-changed-my-mind-and-am-running-for-Senate Rubio, who recently elaborated on why a temporary halt to Muslim immigration is wrong and will not work. Rubios narrative includes noting that many people who report suspicious activity in their communities are Muslims; that many of our troops are Muslim; and that overall, its bad policy to have a religious exclusion.
Taking each point in turn, while its always possible to find examples of Muslims not behaving badly, there are, unfortunately, far too many examples to the contrary. And while its true that some Muslims have reported suspicious activity, such behavior is the exception and not the rule. Former FBI counter-terrorism agent John Guandolo has stated that after 9/11, the FBI received nearly zero help from the Muslim Community.
Then theres the sticky detail of why suspicious activity is an issue in Muslim communities in the first place. Who wants to import more members of a group who adhere to a religion/ideology where one must worry about such things as whether someone interprets their religion in a moderate way or not (moderate being a fabricated term, since Islam is Islam is Islam)?
As to Rubios waxing poetic about Muslims who serve in the military, the former presidential hopeful could use a brief history review.
In 2014, Army recruit Muhammad Hassan announced plans to commit jihad and kill U.S. soldiers. Media reports at the time had conflicting information, with some saying there was a manhunt on while subsequent reports stated that Hassan was placed in an undisclosed mental institution after being discharged from the Army and that he was never a threat. (Uh-huh. Never a threat. Got it.)
In 2011, Marine reservist Yonathan Melaku shot at the Pentagon and other military buildings in Virginia. The FBI found bomb-making materials, a list of bomb components in his backpack and home, and allegiance to Allah and terror organizations in his writings and self-made videos.
In 2010, a Muslim soldier said he couldnt deploy to Afghanistan, stating, I cant both deploy and be a Muslim, noting that as a Muslim he is forbidden to kill other Muslims.
In 2009, Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan murdered thirteen soldiers and injured more than thirty more because he was, in fact, a soldier of Allah and not a man with any allegiance to the U.S. Army. In 2014, he wrote a letter to the head of ISIS asking to be admitted as a citizen to the Islamic State, signing the letter SoA (Soldier of Allah).
In 2005, after being deployed to Iraq, Sgt. Asan Akbar threw grenades into a tactical operations center, killing two soldiers and wounding fifteen others. His goal was to achieve maximum carnage.
In 2001, Naval signalman Abujihaad disclosed via an online forum the location and vulnerabilities of Navy ships and shared ideas about sniper attacks on military personnel, including military recruitment sites.
From 1993 to 2001, U.S. Army soldier and triple-agent Ali Mohamed worked for al-Qaeda, trained terrorists responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, trained bin-Laden's bodyguard[,] and took surveillance photos that bin-Laden used to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Kenya.
(To learn more about Muslims serving in the U.S. military, I recommend listening to Tennessee state representative Rick Womick thoughtfully address the issue here.)
As for Rubios notion that its bad policy to have a religious exclusion, I would simply say this: Islam has a religious exclusion. And its far more severe than excluding others from entering ones country. It is a totalitarian vision that requires all non-believers to convert, live as second-class citizens, or die. These are not just words on paper or theoretical ideas. Devout Muslims have been acting on these dictates for hundreds and hundreds of years. And we have been targeted over and over again, with mounting casualties. Shouldnt we do everything in our power to protect and defend ourselves against this evil?
Or course we should.
Yet the GOP refuses to grasp the gravity of the threat we are facing. Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio are just two examples among a litany of them that highlight the dangerous truth of our clueless and gutless party.
Hat tips: The Right Scoop, TheBlaze, Atlas Shrugs, Breitbart, Daniel Pipes, Militant Islam Monitor, Daily Mail, Religion News, Think Progress, CNN, Fox News
On the outskirts of Salekhard, the capital of the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Region, Russia, on the edge of the Arctic Circle, lies the disused remains of the infamous SalekhardIgarka Railway, known variously as the Railroad of Death, Road of Death, and Dead Road. This planned 1,300-kilometer railway was to be part of Stalins Transpolar Mainline, a grand scheme to connect the eastern and western parts of Siberia, stretching from the city of Inta, in Komi Autonomous Republic, through Salekhard to Igarka, on the Yenisei River. The line was never completed, yet tens of thousands workers forced on the project perished while attempting to.
Most of the workers were derived from the Soviet gulag system, where citizens convicted of political offences were sent to. A political offense could mean anything from turning up late for work, to writing politically incorrect poetry, to spending time as German prisoners-of-war, or stealing beetroots to feed their children. The authorities branded them enemy of the people and sent them to gulag camps where they were subjected to untold miseries and torture.
Prisoner-workers building the SalekhardIgarka Railway. Photo from the book "Gulag" by Tomasz Kizny.
The original plan was to build a port at Salekhard on the Ob River, and transport supplies from factories on western Siberia, such as the large nickel factories at Norilsk, via the river system. But when the Ob estuary was found to be too shallow for the deep water vessels, a new port was built at Igarka on the river Yenisey, and it was decided to connect Salekhard to Igarka by a railroad, with the possibility of a further extension to the South-East to link with the Trans Siberian Railway.
But aside from fulfilling Stalins ambitious plans to conquer the Arctic, there was no real demand for the railroad. The Siberian factories were already satisfactorily serviced by the existing southern rail lines, and the Yamalo-Nenets region itself was too sparsely settled and isolated to generate demand.
Nevertheless, construction of the railroad began in 1947. The Gulag camps provided Stalin a cheap and expendable workforce that he could assign to any project. An estimated 80,000 to 120,000 prisoners were enslaved in the building of the railroad, but some sources claim figures as high as 300,000.
Photo credit: ComIntern/Wikimedia
Working conditions were brutal. In winter, temperatures plummeted to -60C and blizzards chilled the body to the core. In summer, mosquitoes, gnats, and parasites brought diseases and death. Life was cheap and beatings were common. Only the most resilient of workers survived.
The immense technical challenges of laying a line over permafrost were never effectively overcome. Lack of machinery, poor logistics and shortage of materials ensured that the quality of the work was sub-standard. Bridges collapsed, melt and rain water washed out embankments, and the bogs swallowed the railway tracks.
Construction came to an end after the death of Stalin in 1953. By then a total of 698 km of railway were completed at an estimated cost of 42 billion 1953 rubles (or $10 billion in 1950 dollars).
It will never be known how many people actually died because no accurate records were kept. Some say, one-third of the total number of workers perished.
In 2010, a section of the railway from Igarka to Norilsk, a distance of about 220 km, was rebuilt following much of the original corridor, to support the nickel and petroleum industry. The line, now renamed the Northern Latitudinal Route, was opened in 2015.
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Photo credit: CharlyVJN/Panoramio
Sources: Wikipedia / Basement Geographer / BBC
Mobile payment solutions are starting to expand and Googles option, Android Pay, has just expanded into Asia with Singapore being the starting point for the app. Google has officially announced on their blog that Singapore is now a supported country for the Android Pay mobile payment solution, allowing smartphone owners to pay for their goods and services using just their smartphones instead of physical cards or money. Of course, much like Android Pay in any other regions where its supported, users will need to bank with a supported institution before they can set up Android Pay, so there may still be some limitation for various users.
The launch of Android Pay in Singapore follows a launch in the UK earlier this year, as well as a new Android Pay Day initiative in the UK which was launched just last week. For those in the Singapore region that arent familiar with the workings of Android Pay, Googles blog post provides a nice little explanation of how to get things up and running. Of course, the whole process is pretty straightforward. Simply download the app, open it and tap the button to add a new card, and fill out the requested information on the screen. If the bank is supported then the card should be available for use at establishments which accept it. Not forgetting, of course, that NFC will need to be enabled on the device before pay terminals and point of sales will be able to read it.
Advertisement
Devices will also need to be running at least Android 4.4 KitKat to be compatible with the application, although that is most Android smartphones these days so that shouldnt be much of an issue. As this is the start of the launch for Android Pay in the region, its understandably launching with support for a much smaller list of banks than what users would find here in the U.S. From today, Android Pay users in Singapore will be able to use the app with Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards from DBS, OCBC Bank, POSB, Standard Chartered Bank, and UOB, with more bank support on the way in the future. As for places that accept it, retail locations like 7-11, Cold Storage, McDonalds, FairPrice, and StarHub are just a few, as Google notes that it works at launch at thousands of locations. Of course, Singapore users will also be able to use Android Pay to make purchases in apps as well.
Last month, ASUS announced two new additions to its ZenPad line of Android tablets the ASUS ZenPad 8 and ASUS ZenPad 10. Neither of these devices resemble anything close to a flagship device, but that doesnt mean ASUS has forgone such a tablet this year. In fact, the company just took to Facebook to announce the ASUS ZenPad 3s 10, a 9.7-inch tablet with much more impressive specs.
While the device is yet to be officially announced and the Facebook post is more of a teaser of things to come, numerous Chinese media outlets have shared some specifics on the aforementioned tablet. Namely, ASUS has apparently included some additional information within the invitation to the next months press event where the ZenPad 3s 10 is going to be presented. Apart from a 9.7-inch 2K display, the Chinese media is reporting that the ZenPad 3s 10 also boasts a hexa-core processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 5,900 mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. Furthermore, the latest ASUS tablet will also apparently be rather thin as its thickness will allegedly amount to just 5.32 mm. That would basically make it the thinnest 9.7-inch tablet on the planet, 0.28 mm thinner than the current title-holder, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7.
Finally, although the Chinese reports are speculating that the devices 2K screen will either feature 2160 x 1440 or 2560 x 1536 pixels, it was just last week that a yet unannounced ASUS ZenPad hit the FCC. While that one was branded as the ASUS ZenPad Z500M, apart from the names not matching, everything else seems to be in line. If this ends up being basically the same model rebranded for a different market, it seems likely that its 9.7-inch screen will boast a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels and that the aforementioned hexa-core system-on-chip is in fact the MediaTek MT8176V featuring a dual-core ARM Cortex-A72 and a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53. Other than that, the FCC listing reveals that the said tablet features an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing one. Not unexpectedly, its running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. In any case, more will be known on July 12th, the date which ASUS has scheduled for the official announcement of the ASUS ZenPad 3s 10 at a special event in Taiwan.
Google has essentially always profited from the work of others as much as their own work. In their early days as a search company, they made their money by arranging and archiving content other people had created on the internet, and serving ads to people searching those archives. As a web services company, Google began to serve up some totally original content, such as their own maps and an email service, but search continued to be their prime product. All of this came to a head with YouTube, which attracted content creators over time, but mostly made its initial rise to fame from hosting music videos and the like. Googles News service was no different; though they shared revenue with news providers whose material they displayed, they were still displaying other peoples material. Some newspaper publishers in Germany think thats not quite enough, and that Google may be using its market dominance in the news space to favor some publications over others.
When Google hosts a newspaper article for free, it could be the very article that somebody would otherwise have picked up a paper from a vending machine to read. Likewise, a good amount of interesting articles found by somebody over time could convince them to drop their subscription, since reading Google News is free. The ad revenue shared by Google is provided even to free news outlets and doesnt quite hit the same profit per view that a subscription model or selling papers on the corner can boast. Its because of this that many German publishers, feeling they were being cheated, took Google to court. The judge on the case swiftly shot it down, calling the arrangement win-win and saying that Google did have dominance in the local news market, but was not abusing that power to play favorites with publications.
Advertisement
The 41 strong publisher group, which includes Germanys newspaper market wunderkind, Axel Springer, has appealed the denial and will continue to fight against Google on this matter. At the center of the case are allegations that Google has shushed publishers in the past by promising to display abridged articles from those who demanded more money. According to a lawyer for the publishing collective, Jan Hegemann, the appeal was filed late last week and the plan is to continue along the same logical route for their argument; they will need to prove that Google is abusing its market dominance to favor some news platforms over others.
One of the big and clear winners of Googles arsenal of hardware products is the Chromecast. The small dongle which comes with an equally small price has been anything but small in terms of sales or its ability to adopt a position as a market leader in the streaming world. As a result, each month sees more apps and services taken on a cast-enabled role and expanding the footprint of the unassuming technology. The latest of which now seems to be the classroom.
Google has today announced the introduction of a special use case of cast which is designed to be of particular importance to the education sector. Google Cast for Education is designed to offer teachers and students all the benefits of being able to cast content to a single screen, but with education at the heart of it. To take advantage of this specific use of casting, a new Chrome web app is being released and the general idea is that the app will run on the central (teachers) terminal which is also connected to a main display or projector. With the app in place on the main terminal, students will have the ability to cast their own screen to the main terminal and as a result, the connected display for the rest of the classroom to see. A solution which means classrooms will be able to make use of Cast functionality without actually having to introduce any new hardware, just the new Chrome web app.
Advertisement
While Google Cast for Education will naturally garner the most headlines, this was not the only new classroom-oriented feature that was announced today. Google also confirmed a number of new tools including a collection of new creative apps for Chromebooks, quizzes in Google Forms and a widening of access to the Expeditions app. Features which when taken together result in quite a large improvement to how students engage with technology. Those interested in finding out more about all of the new tools that were announced today can do so by heading through the source link below. Those interested in specifically finding out more on Google Cast for Education, check out the video below.
Google tracks just about everyone and everything these days, especially if you have and use a Google account. This is something that we all know, and its how Google is able to offer so many services for free, or at a low price. When you browse online, Google uses cookies to track what youre doing. This is usually to either improve your experience, or send you targeted ads, that you are more likely to click on. Naturally, parents are a bit weary of Google tracking what their kids are doing as they should be of anyone tracking their kids especially when they are playing video games and watching videos on a site like Nickelodeon, or Nick.com which is made for kids to hangout on and have fun.
The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia voted 3-0 to dismiss the appeal in this class action lawsuit brought up by parents, against Google and Viacom. This decision upheld a January 2015 ruling, by US District Judge Stanley Chesler. While Google defeated the appeal, Viacom did get a privacy claim against it. This claim is in regards to Nick.com, where Viacom had promised not to track visitors, but continued to track them. Since Chesler made the ruling in the first place, the surviving claim against Viacom is handed back to him.
Advertisement
Viacom said in a statement that they are pleased with the dismissals in this case. Adding that they are confident it will prevail on the remaining claim. As of now, Google hasnt yet commented on the dismissal of the appeal for this class action lawsuit, but they likely are pleased with the dismissal of this appeal as well.
What this means for kids that may visit Nickelodeons website and their parents is that they are still being tracked. So there is nothing that is going to change here. Remember that Google uses this information that they collect to better their products, and deliver targeted ads. So while it can be a bit creepy, especially when tracking kids under the age of 13, the search giant isnt collecting anything that will put kids lives in danger.
Last year, Google introduced the Google Project Fi. This is Googles take on a pre-paid mobile virtual network operator or cellular carrier, offering a simple plan for Nexus device customers. Project Fi aims to combine the cellular networks of T-Mobile USA and Sprint with Wi-Fi hotspots and a Google VPN, virtual private network, offering unlimited minutes and text messages for $20 a month and data for $10 per gigabyte. The Nexus device used will roam between the Sprint and T-Mobile networks using the one with the better service, but will also handle calls and messaging over a compatible Wi-Fi network. The Project Fi application, which is included on compatible Nexus smartphones and activated when the device detects a Project Fi SIM card, enables the network hopping and Wi-Fi VPN creation aspects of the service. Furthermore, its important to remind customers that this $20 charge is per month and includes free international roaming including data across over 140 countries in the world. Furthermore, customers are refunded for any data that they do not use over the period. For the international traveler, the Project Fi service could save an awful lot of money.
Officially, the Project Fi service is supported by the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P although customers have successfully tried the service on a number of other devices including the Apple iPhone. These non-Nexus devices are not compatible with the Project Fi application, which is how the device understands how to switch between the Sprint and T-Mobile US networks. Instead, non-Nexus customers must manually pick a carrier for their device to use with the Project Fi SIM card. We also cannot recommend using a non-Nexus device on the Project Fi service as Google will not support the service and could terminate the account.
Advertisement
Todays story concerns the recent reports that Google negotiated a deal with one of North Americas largest regional cellular providers, US Cellular. Google announced this deal a few weeks ago but until now, the Google Fi application had not been included with this support. The update is now going live and will be available for compatible customers and devices on a rolling basis: if you are using Google Fi and you havent received the update yet, even using the source below, it should arrive in the next few days.
Honor is Huaweis subsidy, and quite a successful company on its own. This China-based smartphone manufacturer had released a couple of really compelling devices this year, like the Honor 5C and Honor V8, for example. That being said, it seems like Honor plans to introduce a new smartphone really soon, the Honor 8. The Honor 7 was introduced last year, and was quite a successful phone, Honor managed to sell quite a few units, and theyre expecting to see an even better sales number for its successor.
A recent rumor said that the Honor 8 will arrive on July 5th in three variants, though Honor did not confirm that the Honor 8 is coming, nor when will it launch, well, until now that is. The company still did not confirm the exact launch date, but theyve at least confirmed that the device is right around the corner by releasing an official teaser. The company has shared an image through their official Weibo (Chinese social network) page. The teaser clearly hints at Honor 8 launch (take a look at the back of the jersey), though theres not an exact date on the image. Now, if a recent rumor is to be believed, the Honor 8 will be announced on July 5th, and it will hit stores on July 12th, but well see what happens.
Advertisement
The Honor 8 is actually expected to ship with a 5.2-inch fullHD (1920 x 1080) display, 4GB of RAM and either the Kirin 650 or Kirin 950 64-bit octa-core SoC. The 3,200mAh battery was also mentioned in a recent rumor, and you expect to see a fingerprint scanner on its back as well. This smartphone will be made out of metal, and a Type-C port will be placed on the bottom of the phone. The device will, allegedly, come in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage variants. The 32GB model will be available both without NFC and with NFC, and these two variants are rumored to cost 1,999 Yuan ($308) and 2,199 Yuan ($334), respectively. The 64GB and 128GB storage models will be priced at 2,499 ($380) and 2,799 Yuan ($425) if rumors are to be believed. That is more or less it, the device will launch soon, and if any interesting info pops up before the phone arrives, well make sure to let you know.
Meizu is definitely one of the most interesting Chinese smartphone manufacturers lately. This company has managed to grow quite a bit in the last couple of years, and theyve released several devices this year, including their PRO 6 flagship smartphone. That being said, Meizu was actually sued by Qualcomm quite recently. This news surfaced a couple of days ago, and earlier today it was officially confirmed that Qualcomm has decided to take Meizu to court, and ask for the company to pay 520 million Yuan ($78 million) for patent infringement.
So, what exactly is Qualcomm accusing Meizu of? Well, the company claims that Meizu infringed on their 3G and 4G patents, though this is quite interesting considering these accusations are aimed at Meizus MediaTek-powered smartphones. Now, Meizus VP, Li Nan, has decided to share more info regarding this whole matter. The company has reached out to us in order to share Mr. Nans official statement, this is what he had to say: Qualcomm gave us a black box, and said we must take it. The terms in the box are not open nor transparent, so we can not guarantee an open and transparent market. It is difficult for us to accept the unilateral terms. Now, this statement might sound a bit confusing, not only because it was translated from Chinese, but also because the company VPs word choices are interesting. The companys VP basically tried to say that Qualcomm used its own way to calculate patent licensing terms and fees, the unilateral term based on its monopoly in the telecommunications industry, and that Meizu was not aware of all those rules.
Advertisement
It seems like there was some sort of confusion regarding royalties here, we all know that the Chinese market is quite different, and different rules are applied there. In any case, Meizu also added that they respect intellectual property and are more than willing to pay for using patents from other companies. Meizu even added that other companies infringed on their capsule-shaped home mBack button, so they definitely understand the importance of patent protection. The company is hoping that they can negotiate a fair and reasonable fee with Qualcomm. Well see what happens from this point on.
Last month, Lenovo took the wraps off of the new Moto G4 family in India. Announcing three new smartphones in the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play. They were made available in India shortly after the announcement, but when it came to the Western markets, we were told this summer. Now it looks like we are a bit closer to the devices launching here in North America, as the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are now available for pre-order in the US.
The Moto G4 is the lower-end of the two smartphones. Were looking at a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3000mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor which is clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a micro SD card slot. The Moto G4 Plus is a bit higher-specced, and thus costs a bit more. Were looking at the ability to upgrade to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Theres also a 16MP camera on the back. Motorola has also added a fingerprint scanner onto the Moto G4 Plus, while the standard Moto G4 doesnt feature one. The Moto G4 starts at $199 and is customized through Moto Maker, while the Moto G4 Plus starts at $249.
Advertisement
According to Motorolas press release, the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus will be available beginning July 12th at Amazon, Best Buy, BrandsMart, B&H Photo, Car Toys, Frys, MicroCenter, Motorola.com, Sams Club and Walmart.com. Republic Wireless will get both models beginning on July 28th. Aside from the Republic Wireless models, the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus will be available unlocked. Meaning that you can simply put your SIM into your new smartphone and be on your way.
While the Moto G lineup was once seen as a mid-range smartphone, its quite clear that the device is now a bit more high-end, at least this year. Especially with the Moto G4 Plus coming with as much as 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a fingerprint sensor on the front of the device. All for just $299, that definitely makes it an interesting device to pick up, without spending an arm and a leg.
Sonys Xperia XA smartphone was released in the UK on June 23rd with the O2 network, but starting today, it is being offered by rival networks Three and Vodafone, mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse as well as Virgin Media. O2 has been offering Xperia XA at 17 per month on a Pay Monthly deal which includes 100 MB of data, but thanks to the availability of more options, you can now choose among various Pay Monthly plans being offered by other networks and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Carphone Warehouse, for example, is offering a number of plans, the cheapest of which starts at 19 per month, requires no upfront cost, and comes with 500 MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts. Virgin Media also offers a series of Pay Monthly plans starting at 15 per month which includes no upfront cost, 500 MB of 4G data and 250 minutes.
Among Threes offerings for the Sony Xperia XA, the cheapest is an 18 per month one which requires no upfront payment and offers 500 MB of 4G data and 300 minutes. Even though all of these plans sound similar, Threes plans cost just half as much for the first six months. If you take the 18 per month deal for example, you will need to pay just 9 per month for the first six months. If you need more data and minutes, you can go for a 23 a month offer ( 11.50 per month for the first six months) which comes with 1GB of 4G data, 600 minutes and unlimited texts. Vodafone is currently offering two tariff options, one of which costs 19 per month for 24 months with 500 MB of data and an upfront fee of 30, while the other costs 24 per month, requires an upfront fee of 10 and offers 1 GB of 4G data.
Advertisement
The Sony Xperia XA launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February along with the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance phones and was first made available for pre-order in the UK on April 22nd on the Amazon UK website. At that time, the phone cost 279.99 which seemed somewhat higher than its specifications merited. For those who are not aware of the phones prowess, the Xperia XA features a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, an Octa-core Helio P10 System-on-Chip clocked at 2.0 GHz, 16 GB of internal storage, 2 GB of on-board RAM, a 2,300 mAh battery, a MicroSD card slot for additional storage and 13-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear and front cameras. In terms of features and specifications, the phone is inferior and at the same time, cheaper than the Sony Xperia X which was also made available for pre-order for 549.99 on the Amazon UK store.
Chinese President Xi Jinpings regime has built up a track record of shaping new regulations around the tech world and slowly evolving Chinas somewhat outdated legal framework when it comes to technology. In yet another move along those lines, a new law went into draft status in China on Monday that targets apps. Specifically, app marketplaces and their providers, such as Apple, Baidu and Xiaomi are now required to observe user activity and report any user behavior that runs afoul of applicable laws. Things like accessing or creating pornography, openly criticizing the government or publishing anything that could paint the government or its agents in a critical light can land Chinese citizens in jail, and those are the types of behaviors that apps will be required to monitor under this new law. The rules hit the Cyberspace Administration of Chinas site on Tuesday, making them effective at that point.
While the internet at large is already policed by some 2 million odd Chinese authority figures, the confines of apps like WeChat, online games like Avabel Online and social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, at least things that dont make it to a news feed, are largely uncharted territory. While they are policed, its impossible to canvass them with anywhere near the vigilance that can be shown with content floating about on the open web. This is especially true of private, user to user communication, which could easily turn into critical talk of the government. Thus, providers and app stores are now expected to keep a log of user identities and a detailed record of activities going back 60 days.
Advertisement
The new law may end up being enforced with the utmost strictness, or they could end up becoming a formality, for the most part. This would all depend on how the Cyberspace Administration handles things and, to some extent, how willing app providers are to play ball. While the law is the law, a complete collapse of the mobile ecosystem overnight would likely cause some rethinking, though such a collapse is extremely unlikely. Sven-Michael Werner of Bird & Bird partners pointed out that the law, like most Chinese regulations, is written in an extremely broad manner and could be construed and enforced in a large number of different ways.
OurMine have an interesting business plan. One of the OurMine members has been in touch with the source website and has been discussing how they are attempting to improve account security across the world. However, their business practice is at the very least questionable: OurMine hack into the social media accounts of famous or influential persons across the Internet in order to highlight the weakness of the account and to offer to sell their services. To date, OurMine have hacked into Sundar Pichai, Googles Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Elk (Spotify CEO), Werner Vogels (Amazons Chief Technology Officer) and Channing Tatum (of the Magic Mike movie). This is a moderately impressive list of high profile account that OurMine have hacked.
Following a number of messages, the OurMine contact explained that this group consists of three teenage people. Their hacks are designed to promote better security practices across the Internet starting with the more influential accounts. OurMine has used compromised Twitter accounts to Tweet out promotions of its services rather than the usual offensive material associated with hackers (hate messages and porn advertising, for example). Of course to some people, an account hack is still an account hack no matter how benign: on Monday evening, the team accessed Sundars Quora account and used this to ask a question: Is it possible to force my android app users of all version [sic] to update the app? The team also promoted their service and used the information gleaned from the Quora account hack in order to access Sundars Twitter account. However, whereas former OurMine hacks are thought to include reusing a password acquired from another hack, in the case of Quora, the OurMine member stated that they were able to access Sundars account because of a vulnerability on the Quora side of things. Perhaps understandably, Quora were quick to deny that there is a vulnerability in their systems. Quora also highlighted that OurMines claim is at odds with their last hacks and that they have no record of OurMine using an exploited vulnerability before. OurMine were able to obtain Werner Vogels password but declined to explain how.
Advertisement
Of course, with OurMine using influential accounts to advertise their service, what exactly are they selling? OurMine currently has thirty four customers and the service is to scan the security of social media accounts and websites. The original price was $99 but this has been dropped to $30. Its an interesting proposition but it would take a brave Internet user to hand over credit card details to a group that hack accounts to raise money. Another hacker has traced the OurMine IP address to Saudi Arabia, but OurMine have denied any members being from both this country and Russia. Whoever or wherever they are, perhaps OurMine have taken a leaf from other controversial marketing strategies and are trying to stay in the public mind in order to sell a product or service?
Technology is ever-changing and fickle. This nature can be best described by the demise of 3D TVs just a while after its adoption. A new medium has been the subject of interest, for quite a while: Virtual Reality, or VR as it is popularly called. And one of its biggest influencers is the Internet and search giant, Google. Google is confident about the impact Virtual Reality will have on how people experience video, and ever since the launch of Cardboard in Google I/O developer conference in 2014, Google has had high expectations about VR.
Now, Google is bringing VR to the center stage of the Cannes Lion advertising festival. And Google is proud of the fact that YouTube has more VR content than any other platform by a large margin. YouTube has also started educating some of their biggest content-creators about how to use VR as a way of creating new content, as well as providing them with new VR equipment. But as Googles vice president of virtual reality, Clay Bavor notes, less than 1% of the worlds population knows about VR, let alone experiences it, despite Googles attempt of popularizing the technology by distributing more than 5 million Cardboard viewers. Even though there is an increasing interest in VR, it will be an uphill task to make the medium mainstream among people. And mobiles will be key to popularizing VR among the masses, as Mr. Bavor puts it.
Advertisement
Virtual reality is an immersive experience that enables the user watch images as if they were real and around the user, using a customized headset. Anything, from the International Space Station to a scary house can be simulated using virtual reality, making the dream of traveling places without being there come true. More and more companies are resorting to VR as a medium for advertisements, including BMW, Oreo, Hyundai and McDonalds, owing to the immense potential of VR as an immersive platform and Google spearheading it with their massive resources and users.
Google used the Cannes Lion advertising festival to release the ranking and data about YouTubes VR ads, all of which can be experienced with or without a headset. All the ads have gathered more than 20 million views. Google also unveiled Daydream, a new platform exclusively for VR built into Android devices. This, Google believes, will give VR the jumpstart it needs to be accessible to the public. Other companies like HTC and Facebook have also shown considerable interest in VR, with the Oculus Rift, and HTV Vive. In Cannes, Google is showcasing Tiltbrush, a novel approach to VR that lets users interact with the space around them and draw, making it a new experience for a lot of people. Instead of using Cardboard, Google has chosen to go for an HTC headset tethered to a customized computer to showcase the abilities of virtual reality.
DocuSign is a unicorn, a startup worth over $1 billion. To be precise, the early 2000s era authentication startup is worth about $3 billion. According to anonymous inside sources, Rick Osterloh, Googles current Senior VP of Hardware and former CEO of Motorola, had a chance to be the man at the helm, almost took it, then dropped it at the last minute to head back to Google. Having been with Motorola for a long time, he was its CEO when it was sold to Google. When March of 2016 rolled around and a Motorola under Lenovos banner was reorganizing, Osterloh decided to make his exit. It was during this short time that he was found by a recruiting agency at the behest of DocuSign CEO Keith Krach. Just as everything was set to be made official, however, Google made their offer to Osterloh and the rest was history.
Advertisement
While DocuSign, around in some form since the early 2000s, did manage to attain unicorn status, that doesnt mean much on its own. Under Keith Krach since 2011, the firm focused on fundraising, preparing for a big push in development. With new investors, however, came more expectations. They wanted to see their money come back to them somehow, and Krach didnt want to drum up more funding and essentially rob Peter to pay Paul. Investors at that point pressured him to either announce the companys IPO and begin selling shares, or sell the company off. Not liking either course of action, Krach decided to get out of dodge instead. These circumstances at the time of the would-be change meant that Osterloh ducking out left Krach with no choice but to stay at his post until a replacement could be found, a search that has thus far taken nine months despite the involvement of an outside recruiting firm summoned into the fray by DocuSigns investors.
With Osterloh out of the picture and four of DocuSigns nine top execs disappearing in the chaos, the position seems most likely to go to DocuSign board member and former Symantec CEO Enrique Salem. A final decision has, obviously, not quite been reached at this point. Salems track record is admirable, but Krach is looking for somebody hes certain will be able to either go through with the investors suggested options or lead the company to profitability in short order. Insider information points to a decision coming at some point in July. Osterloh, meanwhile, had nothing to say to media outlets about this discovery, nor did anybody else involved. Presumably, he hasnt been quite moved enough by Krachs plight to be convinced to abandon his position at Google, where he heads up Android One and other hardware-centric projects. With top execs gone, an embattled CEO stuck in place and the proverbial bubble about to burst, about the only certain thing about DocuSigns future at this point is that Osterloh wont have much to do with it.
This Monday, Samsung gave us the latest update on its Smart School initiative which has just connected Portuguese and South Korean elementary school children. Originally started in Portugal in 2013, Samsungs Smart School program has so far resulted in 13 smart classrooms located throughout the European country. A few days ago, a group of elementary students from the Vidigueira Elementary School in Portugal got to chat with their South Korean peers from the Daeyanam Elementary School in Gunsan using Samsungs video conference and virtual reality (VR) technologies. As can be seen from the short video provided below, the disadvantaged elementary schoolers have not only chatted, but also discussed school topics, sang, and learned in what looks like a pretty interesting and entertaining environment, especially so if youre 10 years old. As Eunkyung Jeong, a South Korean elementary school teacher put it, the Smart School program has not only encouraged the students to be more proactive in their learning endeavors but has also enabled teachers to provide their students with instant feedback.
The main idea of Samsungs recently started Smart School initiative was to help in advancing the education of the most disadvantaged students. The Seoul-based company has been trying to do that by improving IT accessibility in various classrooms around the world. Among other things, Samsungs smart classrooms are equipped with tablets, the Samsung Gear 360 VR camera, and various teleconferencing devices. With all that technology at their disposal, the young students had no issues with interacting with their peers in real time despite being half a world apart from each other. Samsung also boasts the fact that its program currently has a 100 percent success rate with translation assignments and its enrollment numbers are increasing on an annual basis. The South Korean company currently has plans to expand its program to even more countries and has promised that itll be announcing more related initiatives in the near future.
Apart from having a noble cause, Samsungs Smart School program is also a great advertisement for the companys Internet of things (IoT) business which had a major change in strategy in 2015. At the moment, Samsung is not only aiming to sell its IoT solutions to schools, but also hotels, hospitals, and various businesses from the music industry.
Advertisement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5leDb0HSvSA
Not long after AT&T and Nokia announced that theyll be working together on testing 5G technology, Verizon and the largest South Korean telephone company KT Communications have entered a similar strategic partnership. The two companies are planning on coming up with their own global standards for 5G wireless networks. More specifically, KT stated that its planning a 5G demonstration as soon as 2018, which means that Verizon may have a 5G network before 2020 when the company originally planned to launch it. Naturally, thats all just speculation as the two carriers are yet to reveal the specifics of this partnership.
Regardless of that, this 5G partnership is probably somewhat related to the upcoming 20Gbps 5G network which will get an experimental run during the next Winter Olympics in 2018. As KT chairman Hwang Chang-Gyu explained, his company takes this deal with Verizon rather seriously due to the fact that no single company can single-handedly ensure global 5G standardization. Despite the fact that the duo will probably have an experimental 5G network in two years time, the commercialization of 5G is still slated for 2020. Furthermore, Chang-Gyu promised that the 5G services Verizon and KT will be offering are going to be of optimal quality and realistically priced.
Over in South Korea, KT is just one of the large carriers working on designing and building 5G infrastructure. Companies like LG Uplus and SK Telecom are already attempting to do the same, and the situation isnt much different in the States, though the Federal Communications Commission has yet to define the 5G spectrum. Nonetheless, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are all in the process of getting ready for the new era of wireless communications and Verizon may actually end up winning that race. For the uninitiated, Verizon could realistically monopolize the key 5G spectrum if its latest deal proposed with XO Communications goes through.
Advertisement
Although seemingly sudden, this collaboration between Verizon and KT isnt completely unexpected. In fact, the two companies have already come to a general partnership agreement back in January. That deal actually covered all technologies related to their new future revenue sources, so theyve presumably only covered the specifics of their joint 5G R&D operations with this latest agreement.
Boris Johnson gets loaded the tabloids reviewed
In a poll more loaded than George Bush at a frat house party, the Daily Express finds that 80% want Boris Johnson to be the next Prime Minister. And 80% are convinced Boris will be PM. It is front-page news. As ever in the Express, who responded is not revealed. And at 35p per text vote, you wonder at the sanity of three or four people who did.
The Mail ignores Boris. On pages 8 and 9 it says 8 Tories are fighting to be the PM. Not quite. They are considering standing for election to be the Conservative Party leader. They can then be Prime Minister by default as Gordon Brown was or call a General Election, which they should do. We live in the age of the cult of personality. We demand to know our new leader by way of the popular vote and dull TV debates.
The Mail says Boris Jonson and Teresa May are the favourites to win. But Remainers are creating a stop Boris campaign. So May it is, then.
Or not. Poverty plate coloniser Jamie Oliver says he will leave the country if Boris is made PM. Vote now. Vote often! Wonder if Jamie will go to live in the EU zone, somewhere in deep raw-food friendly rural Romania? Nah. They always go to America.
The Sun leads with news that to blue-collar Tories are plotting a class war leadership bid. Steven Crabb and Sajid Javid are in cahoots to undo Boris. This is a blow to Boris. But by page 6 it is all go for Bogo.
In the Mirror, Boris Johnson is the political pygmy. The man twice-elected Labour mayor who led the successful Leave campaign is also called blundering. On page 10, Boris is in hiding. He wasnt at the Commons for a post-Brexit slanging match. the Mirror says this makes him selfish, cowardly, jaundiced, grotesquely rude, a charlatan and a chiseller.
Vote Boris, then.
Anorak
Posted: 28th, June 2016 | In: Politicians, Reviews, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) - Gorizia, June 28 - Italy has expelled a Bangladeshi national on suspicion of sympathizing with the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group, officials said Tuesday.
The 30-year-old suspect named only by the initials M.H. was married and a legal resident. He was notified of the expulsion order at Venice airport, where he had just landed on a flight from Dhaka via Istanbul.
The suspect "constitutes a threat to State security," according to the order signed by Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.
The man, who owns a bijouterie shop in the small Friuli-Venezia Giulia town of Grado, is also banned from re-entering Italy for 15 years.
The suspect associated only with fellow Bangladeshi and did not attend any prayer halls, officials said. Anti-terror police monitoring found evidence he adhered to ISIS and proselytized for the terror group on the Web.
"This brings to 96 the expulsions carried out since the beginning of 2015. Of these, 30 were carried out in 2016," Alfano said.
NAPLES - A new exhibition is set to be unveiled on Wednesday at Naples' Archaeological Museum showcasing day-to-day objects that tell the story of the cults of Cybele, Attis, Sabazios and Mithras throughout the Roman empire.
The opening of the exhibition marks the third step of the "Egypt Pompeii" display which is already underway at the archaeological site and at the Egyptian Museum of Turin.
Curator Valeria Sampaolo described the show as reflecting that "globalised Roman world which, from the second century BC, with the strong domination of Anatolia, brought Rome close to Arabia and the Persian Gulf".
The exhibition offers a journey into a "cauldron of cultures and religions that Rome tolerated as long as they did not collide with its supremacy. A difficult balance to achieve especially in the Syrian-Jewish region," said Sampaolo.
Among the strongest examples of the influence of eastern religions on the Roman world is the cult of Cybele, the "supreme mother" of Anatolia that was introduced to Rome along with the cult of Attis, her consort.
BRUSSELS - Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri told ANSA on Tuesday that around 300,000 migrants currently in Africa could arrive in Italy from Libya.
"According to our estimates, there are 300,000 migrants who could land in Italy from western Africa via the central Mediterranean route," Leggeri told ANSA.
The executive director warned that "caution" is necessary in forecasts as "numerous variables" can impact migration flows.
He explained that the estimate is based on the number of migrants transiting through the Agadez region in Niger where some 13,000 people have been monitored in a month.
"If the trend continues, we could reach 300,000" migrants.
Niger is a transit country for West African migrants travelling to and from Libya.
In an interview to German newspapers with the Funke group published on Tuesday, Leggeri also warned against the excessive burden carried by Italy with the growing centrality of the central Mediterranean migration route.
"At the moment, the number of refugees reaching Italy from Libya is 13-14 times higher than on the Turkish-Greek route", he was quoted as saying.
Migrants: 905 aboard Spanish ship land in Taranto In Cagliari vessel with 619 refugees, 111 minors
(ANSAmed) - TARANTO, JUNE 28 - Spanish ship 'Reina Sofia' on Tuesday morning arrived in the southern port of Taranto with 905 migrants rescued over the past few hours in the Mediterranean Sea on board. They will be identified and photographed at a hotspot before being sent to different areas within 72 hours.
The prefecture is coordinating the operation. The migrants reportedly appear in good physical condition.
The Spanish ship last month brought 700 refugees who transited through the hotspots.
Also on Tuesday morning another Spanish vessel, the Rio Segura of the Guardia Civil, landed in Cagliari with 619 migrants rescued over the past few days off the Libyan coast, including 434 men, 74 women and 111 minors.
The first to land were the sick, wounded, children and women, five of them pregnant.
At the moment, no significant health problems have been registered except for 90 suspected scabies cases, which are being evaluated by local health authorities.
Also in Cagliari, 737 refugees arrived on Sunday aboard the Norwegian vessel Siem Pilot. (ANSAmed).
ISTANBUL - Tourist visits to Turkey continue to fall due to the threat of terror attacks and the deterioration of relations with Russia, data from the Tourism Ministry showed on Tuesday.
In May, visits from abroad fell by 34.7% on the year to 2.4 million people. Such a large drop has not been registered since the 1990s.
The number of Russian tourists to Turkey has sunk 92% on the year as a result of tensions between the two countries after Turkish military shot down a Russian jet on the Syrian border. A letter of apology sent by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Russia's Vladimir Putin may help to improve relations.
According to tourism sector workers, the return of Russian tourists to Turkey will not happen before next year.
The number of European tourists has also fallen sharply as a result of fears linked to terrorism. German visitors were down 31.5%, British visitor numbers fell 29.4% and Italian visitors slid 56.2%.
Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet...
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The annual ArmTech conference, which this year was held in the Silicon Valley titled Armenia IT Forum, opens new prospects of cooperation with American companies.
Deputy Minister of Economy Emil Tarasyan told ARMENPRESS they visited Nvidia, IBM, Intel, Synopsis, Reddit, during which several agreements were made.
Nvidia might use the services of Armenian engineers
Nvidia, the leading video card producer, performs serious developments in image recognition, which will be implemented in automatic parking of vehicles. They have an agreement with AUDI. We are interested in ensuring engineering work in Armenia as well, in joint processing with Armenian specialist, simultaneously to form a similar lab in Armenia. We are planning their visit to Armenia, a meeting with the administration and discussion of projects. There was interest towards Armenia, they were aware, and we presented the level of development of the IT sector and the opportunities. Now we need to carry out concrete intensive works with them.
Opportunities of expanding IBM in Armenia
We were presented the IBM Watson system in IBM, which is a revolution from the point of view of making analyzes in economys different branches. For example, the system selects the best treatment in medicinal sphere and suggest the best solution of the issue. These are analytical programs, which can be used in all sectors. They expressed willingness to visit, have meetings and have concrete discussions on how to expand IBM in Armenia.
In addition, they expressed willingness to host two scientist-engineers for 1 year for a training. IBM is ready to cover the expenses of 1 specialist.
Reddit can publicize Armenian tourism proposals
We were presented on the achievements and activities of Reddit when we visited their office. Co-founder Alexis Ohanian was suggested to make his personal visits official. We said we are ready to make processing along with Reddit in Armenia, by using our potential. We had a meeting with the young programmers of the company, through a Q&A, we hope we were able to convince them to visit Armenia. Armenia is famous not only for its nature, sightseeing, but also for serious engineering potential, which can interest them in the context of cooperating or just befriending. In addition, there was a suggestion to present our achievements, tourism proposals and all interesting tourism spots via the Reddit system.
About the meeting of Armenian startups and investors
Startups were also taking part in the forum, who had pretty interesting and productive meetings with investors. It prompted them to figure which direction to choose precisely, to attract investments. I planned a meeting with newly formed organizations in order to understand their issues and what is needed for development. It is desirable to understand what was discovered within the framework of the acceleration program in the Silicon Valley, what is needed to change to have development.
Armenia IT Forum was held June 10-11 in Silicon Valley, in the Synopsys Mountain View Campus.
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Twenty-five children were reportedly killed in air strikes that hit heavily crowded areas in a town in eastern Syria, the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) has said, reports Reuters.
Quoting reports from its local partners in Syria, UNICEF said health workers were reported to have pulled bodies of children from under rubble in the town of al-Quria in Deir al-Zor province, which is mostly under Islamic State control.
Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa with territory it controls in Iraq.
"Three attacks reportedly hit heavily crowded areas including a mosque during prayer time," UNICEF said in a statement. "UNICEF deplores these attacks and calls on all parties to the conflict to keep children out of harms way."
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. President of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Arsen Ghazaryan says the Armenian business receives new opportunities to have an access to the Chinese market.
There is a need of increase in exports for the economic growth of Armenia and this must be directed towards the markets which have a large demand, where there are prospects for development. China has such a market. It has been many years that imports and exports are taking place from China to Armenia, and vice versa. Every year, the growth of trade turnover is being realized. We have tried for several times to export the Armenian fruits, vegetables, juice, liquor, Arsen Ghazaryan said during an interview in "Armenpress" press hall.
The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia and the Armenian Chamber of Commerce jointly take steps in several directions in order for the Armenian products to find their place in the Chinese market. Arsen Ghazaryan said for several years containers of the Armenian production were exported to the Chinese city of Ningbo.
Together with the Chamber of Commerce we must urge the members of our organizations to diversify their production activities, not to rely only on the Russian market where as a result of a force majeure the road can be closed for some months, we can face reduction in volumes due to the decrease in the purchasing power, Arsen Ghazaryan said.
Representative of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia and the Armenian Chamber of Commerce in China Artur Yegoryan said the official opening ceremony of the Armenian National exhibition was held in the territory of the free trade zone of the Chinese city of Ningbo on June 11, 2016 with the participation of Chinese high-ranking officials, Armenian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to China Sergey Manassarian.
Why Ningbo city was chosen. It has the largest port. More than 60% of the yearly volumes of food imports is being imported to the country from Ningbo. As for the Armenian center in China, it is being operated for 6 months. It will operate 6 days a week throughout the year. Armenian products are presented here. The employees of the center work in several directions such as sales, marketing and etc, Artur Yegoryan said.
On June 9 food festival and exhibition of China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe took place. From Armenia Kapan Mayor took part in the festival.
Moreover, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia and the Armenian Chamber of Commerce have ratified the strategic agreement on commercial and economic cooperation signed with the China International Chamber of Commerce.
Executive director of the Armenian Chamber of Commerce Andranik Aleksanyan said what was expected from the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia and the Armenian Chamber of Commerce, has been done. Now the ball is in the business field.
We must try to understand what we have in order to reach China, since in terms of volumes and quantities we may face problems. The first step is done correctly, and there is a need for business to have a large number of high-quality products, Aleksanyan said.
The speakers informed that the new opportunities with China have already been presented to the business, active work is being carried out with a number of companies, positive response has been achieved from the business.
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, referring to the St. Petersburg meeting results between the Presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, said the topic of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement demands silence. She said diplomats and experts must work on it, reports TASS.
It is important not to diminish the positive result by public rhetoric, it must be preserved for the implementation of concrete steps, she said during the daily briefing.
There are topics that demand silence since here diplomats and experts must work, she stated.
Zakharova says she understands the interest of media on this issue, however, she added that there is a difference between the provision of information and the use of the public area for measuring the force.
It is important to take such steps in order to transfer the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement into a certain real platform, Zakharova said.
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh conflict has its own platform for discussions. The RF MFA well realizes that there is always a great desire to comment on it or analyze the conflict considering its long history and sensitivity, Armenpress reports RF MFA official representative Maria Zakharova told, commenting on the recent announcements on the results of St. Petersburg meeting made by the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.
It is necessary to set apart clarifications and public debates, as well as the attempts to make use of the public space for resolving this extremely complex conflict. There is a negotiation process aimed at the conflict settlement, comprised of various mechanisms such as summits or meetings in a bilateral or multilateral format. The St. Petersburg meeting was successful according to the assessment of all the participant parties and observers. The meeting ended with issuing a respective statement which has been agreed by the parties to the possible extent and opens new horizons for moving forward. Now it is extremely important not to subvert the positive results by public announcements and rhetoric. Those results must be maintained in order to be brought into life in the future by concrete steps and measures, she said.
Zakharova added that many want to receive a more precise answers or predictions over the issue, but there are some issues that demand silence not because something is hidden but because diplomats and experts must work in that space.
According to Zakharova, there will be comments as soon as there are exact outcomes that can be commented on. I reiterate, just from the beginning we applied to the sides with a plea to use the negotiation process for discussions, but not the public space, in order to achieve real progress in Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, she concluded.
YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. Nearly 500 young specialists of different fields obtained new houses in Yerevans Avan administrative district thank to the housing program Affordable houses for young specialists. Armenpress reports President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan attended the solemn house-warming ceremony on June 28.
The total cost of the program amounts to 10.8 billion AMD that created 700 jobs.
The apartments were allocated to target groups with prices lower than the market price.
The target group included young specialists of information technology and telecommunications, employees of banks and credit organizations, young teachers, journalists, doctors, professors, scientists and artists, public and communal servants.
Best Career Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Career category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
Best Education Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Education category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
Best Technology Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Technology category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
Best Travel Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Travel category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
Best Health Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Health category or any of the sub-categories below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
Best Business Products and Services
Would you like to submit an article in the Business category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article.
Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us.
All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter.
by Christopher Sharma
Police detain Hindu holy man for deceiving and getting young people sold to human traffickers. They also arrest two Buddhists with 35 kilos of hashish hidden in sacred texts. This shows "how religion is improperly used in Nepal, said Fr Ignitious Rai, pastor in Kathmandu, and how its dignity is being undermined.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) Punya Prasad dangal, a 75-year-old Hindu teacher and holy man, was arrested two days ago on charges of duping many young people who came to him for advice on their future.
This is a dangerous and worrying example of "how religion is improperly used in Nepal. No one should undermine the purity of peoples faith, said Fr Ignitious Rai, pastor at Kathmandus Assumption Cathedral as a he reacted to the holy mans arrest as well as that of a couple of Buddhists accused in connection with human and drug trafficking.
The authorities accuse the holy man of trying to get young people to travel abroad (mainly to Japan, the United States and Canada) as earthquake victims. He would be paid for this with the kids ending up in the hands of human traffickers. The accused reportedly pocketed some 2.5 million rupees (US$ 20,000).
"Everyone respected him as a holy man. Many came to him for advice, said Bijaya Manandhar, one of the victims. However, he deceived people and sent them abroad on migrant visas. I trusted him, and he advised me to earn more. I paid a deposit but then I reported him to the police when he put me in touch with a network of traffickers."
Punya Prasad dangal "had good contacts in Arab countries, where people were sold to Islamist militants, said Sitamaya Tamang. Many innocent kids are used as human shields and many girls are sex slaves, she added.
Police also arrested Saiman Tamang, 25, and Dhan Bahadur Tamang, 37, after they were caught with 35 kilos of hashish. The two come from a famous Buddhist area near the Kopan Monastery in the capital.
The drug was found inside Buddhist religious texts, ready for sale abroad. Police seized a million rupees in cash as well.
According to law enforcement, the two are part of a racket run by Dharma Pakhrin, a Bangkok-based Buddhist drug lord.
The traffickers are known for stuffing drugs inside religious objects for shipment to the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
Police believe that this batch of drugs was destined for Islamic militants.
According to authorities, Nepal is increasingly becoming an important drug hub, mainly because of the increased presence of Chinese in the country.
Drugs reach Kathmandu from different parts of the world before they are shipped out through contacts in Pakistan, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and the United States (and many other countries).
Steel and coal mining are set to get the ax. The government wants to reduce steel capacity by 45 million tonnes and cut output by 280 million tonnes. The chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission is very confident that China will reach its targets.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) China plans to cut steel production capacity this year by 45 million tonnes and lower coal output capacity by 280 million tonnes, the head of the countrys top economic planner said yesterday.
The capacity cuts would involve relocating 700,000 workers in the coal sector and 180,000 workers in the steel industry, said Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the northern city of Tianjin, Xu added that he was very confident that China would achieve the 2016 targets. The most urgent task is reducing excess capacity, he explained.
The government has vowed to tackle price-sapping supply gluts in major industrial sectors. In February it had already announced that it would trim steel capacity by 50 to 100 million tonnes and coal output by 500 million tonnes within three to five years.
In order to help local authorities and state-owned firms finance layoffs in the two sectors this year and in 2017, Beijing plans to allocate 100 billion yuan with 20 per cent of the total used to reward high achievers.
Layoffs from the two sectors are expected to cut 1.8 million jobs, according to official estimates.
Still, the government will continue its reforms appropriately expanding aggregate demand to ensure economic growth within a reasonable range, Xu said.
In his view, the governments target was to achieve annual average growth of at least 6.5 per cent between 2006 and 2020.
Jonathan Yim Chi-ngai and Katherine Cheung Yu were commissioned to go to Cambodia with the Hong Kong Catholic Lay Missionary Association. Cardinal Tong congratulated them on their decision, saying that as a couple they can be of mutual support in their service. He added that they can also be strong witnesses to the importance and value of marriage and family.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/SE): A married couple, Jonathan Yim Chi-ngai and Katherine Cheung Yu, were commissioned to go to Cambodia with the Hong Kong Catholic Lay Missionary Association by the bishop of Hong Kong, John Cardinal Tong Hon, at a Mass celebrated in the church of their parish of the Annunciation on June 12.
The couple signed a three-year contract with the lay mission association and are the first married couple ever to go on foreign mission under its auspices.
Cardinal Tong congratulated them on their decision, saying that as a couple they can be of mutual support in their service. He added that they can also be strong witnesses to the importance and value of marriage and family.
The cardinal encouraged people to pray for the missionaries and reminded them that everyone, by virtue of their baptism, has a God-given mission in life and is called upon to give witness to the presence of God in the world.
Jessica Ho Oi-chu, the chairperson of the association, recommended the couple to Cardinal Tong to be commissioned as lay missionaries. The two declared their willingness to become lay missionaries and promised to serve the people of Cambodia with love.
Yim told the gathering that just nine years ago he went to Cambodia and that even at that time he knew that lay people could volunteer for overseas service as missionaries.
Since then, he said, the term missionary often crossed the minds of my wife and myself. We understand that the work of a lay missionary is not limited to teaching catechism in parishes. We also need to mix around in order to witness to the love of God in the wider society.
He recalled that the couple finally acknowledged their missionary vocation through their experience of involvement in their parish, as well as their contact with the lay missionary association.
The couple leave for Kampong Cham in Cambodia on July 9 and initially will be assigned to the formation centre of the association.
Later they will receive an appointment from the local bishop either to a parish or some other apostolate.
The couple become the 14th and the 15th volunteers to be sent on overseas mission by the Hong Kong association. Margaret Pang Ka-yee, from Ha Kwai parish, has been in Cambodia since 2013 working as an occupational therapist at the Kampong Chhnang Centre for children with disabilities, and Stephania Ling Kwan-wai, from Happy Valley parish, who went to Calcutta to work with the Missionary of Charity sisters earlier in the same year.
Three suicide bombers struck in the evening the center of al-Qaa; one of them blew himself up in front of the church, two others near the municipality. In the morning four bombers caused nine victims. Clashes between army and jihadists in the suburbs. Terrorists wanted to strike a symbol of coexistence between Christians and Muslims, priest says. Patriarch Rai appealed for restraint.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - Fresh suicide bombings rocked the eastern border town of al-Qaa on Monday evening, injuring eight people, only hours after four suicide bombers killed five people and wounded 15 others in the town before dawn. In the latest violence, three suicide bombers riding motorcycles blew themselves up in the center of the predominantly Christian town.
One struck in front of a church and the two others in front of the municipality building, the source added.
Lebanese Red Cross chief George Kettaneh said eight people were lightly wounded in the evening bombings.
"Clashes are ongoing on the outskirts of the village between the Lebanese army and armed groups," a security source said. Military sources confirmed to LBCI television that four blasts rocked al-Qaa in the evening and that no one was killed other than the attackers. The statement added that the [morning] attackers were wearing explosives belts that weighed two kilograms each.
Reached by L'Orient-le Jour (Loj) p. Elian Nasrallah, parish priest in al-Qaa, is not surprised by the attacks, since terrorist groups "operating in the area for the last four years. For the priest, the goal of jihadist groups is to "drive out the inhabitants" to "take control" of an area which is an "example of peaceful coexistence" between Christians and Muslims.
Al-Qaa is one of several border posts separating Lebanon and war-torn Syria. The border area has been rocked by clashes and shelling since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011.
Sectarian tensions in Lebanon have been stoked by the civil war in Syria. Lebanon's army has fought off jihadist factions along the frontier and has sought to clamp down on local cells operating in the area.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged unity in the wake of the deadly suicide blasts that rocked the eastern border town of al-Qaa, calling on Lebanese officials to spare Lebanon more tragedies.
On a pastoral visit to the United States, the patriarch expressed his extreme sorrow over the bombings that the hand of terror carried out once again on Lebanon's soil and in the dear town of al-Qaa.
It is a town of peace, love and coexistence and its sons have once again rescued the lives of a lot of innocents, he added.
Calling on citizens to return to their national unity and solidarity to confront the terrorist schemes that are being plotted against Lebanon, al-Rahi urged Lebanese officials to shoulder their national responsibilities in order to spare Lebanon more tragedies.
The patriarch also saluted the army and the security forces, urging further support for them at all levels.
Marking the 65th anniversary of Benedict XVIs priestly ordination, Francis said that from the place where his predecessor now lives "come tranquility, peace, strength, confidence, maturity, faith, dedication and loyalty that do so much good and give so much strength to me and to the whole Church.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Francis marked the 65th anniversary of the ordination of his predecessor, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, during a ceremony held in the Vaticans Clementine Hall.
In his address, the current pontiff said that Benedict XVI "continues to serve the Church". From the little corner where he now lives "come tranquility, peace, strength, confidence, maturity, faith, dedication and loyalty that do so much good and give so much strength to me and to the whole Church. And let me also say that from there also comes a healthy and joyful sense of humor."
The Pope Emeritus arrived around 11.45 am, greeted to the applause of cardinals and monsignors and sat to the side of the platform arranged for the reigning Pope who arrived shortly afterwards, a few minutes ahead of schedule, going straight to his predecessor, who rose to his feet, white skullcap in his hand. Francis hugged him.
In the following short speech, Francis said that love for the Lord ruled Pope Benedict XVIs life. "This is what ruled an entire life devoted to the priestly service and true theology that you, and this is no coincidence, defined as 'the pursuit of the beloved'. This is what you have always born witness to, and which you bear witness to, today, namely that the crucial thing in our days, be they sunny or rainy, the one thing from which everything else comes, is that the Lord be truly present, that we desire him, that we be close to him in our inner self, that we love him, that we truly and deeply believe in him, and that by believing in him we truly love him.
Since 2012, when Xi Jinping came to power, at least 120 government representatives have committed suicide. From 2003 to 2012, under Hu Jintao, 63 killed themselves. The suicide as a gesture of love for the family, which can save money coming from the bribes.
Beijing (AsiaNews /Agencies) - They drown into rivers; drink poisons; jump from bridges or from the upper floors of their offices: these are some of the ways that bureaucrats of the Chinese Communist Party choose to die to escape investigation and inspections. This is a bitter fruits of the anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping.
Since 2012, when he rose to power as Secretary general of the Party and as president, he tried to stop the rampant corruption spread at all levels of government, putting tens of thousands of bureaucrats under investigation and punishing many with lengthy prison sentences.
In this period, the number of deaths of government officials for "abnormal reasons" rose up to 120. That is almost double the 68 recorded suicides from 2003 to 2012 under his predecessor Hu Jintao.
On the surface, the deaths of persons under investigation is an attempt to escape the humiliation of interrogations and public confessions. But it is also a way out for their families.
If the bureaucrat dies before the end of the investigation, his case is closed and the members of his family can keep the money or bribes gained through corruption.
News of government officials suicides do not produce any sympathy in the population, as they think all bureaucrats are corrupt.
The anti-corruption campaign, however, is having its effects: many bureaucrats, for fear of falling into the trap and under investigation, do not dare to take any decisions or leave the government job to work in the private sector. This generates a paralysis in the permits and the launching of new projects.
An organization of Ta'ang minority wanted to denounce human rights violations in Shan State, where civil war rages. The authorities warned the hotel to cancel the event for "lack of permits".
Yangon (AsiaNews/Rfa) Burmese Authorities prevented an ethnic womens organization from holding a press conference on a report detailing abuses against civilians committed by the government army in restive northern Shan state. The meeting was based on the report entitled Trained to Kill, a collection of interviews with more than 100 local ethnic Taang residents in the northern part of Myanmar, where clashes occurre between the rebels and the government army.
The report contains information about human rights violations by the military in northern Shan State, which we collected between 2011 and 2016, said Ma De De Poe Sao, a member of the Taang Womens Organization (TWO). TWO will submit the report to office of President Htin Kyaw and to the upper and lower houses of the National Assembly, she said.
The Yangon regional government didnt give us permission to hold the press conference, Ma De De Poe Sao said. It seems the [Excel Treasure] hotel is not obligated to hold it.
TWO originally scheduled the press conference for June 24 at the Orchid Hotel in Yangon, but local government authorities told the hotels management to cancel the event because the hotel had not received permission to hold it, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported.
The Taang ethnic minority live mainly in northern Shan State, where the armed ethnic group the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has engaged in hostilities with the Myanmar military and the Shan rebel group, the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S). The violences has sparked the flight of more than 10 thousand civilians. The TNLA and SSA-S have also been accused of human rights violations in Shan state, including kidnapping, torturing, and killing civilians.
Canadian Medevac At Sea Shows How Crazy The Job Is
Trending News: Video Shows Why Medevac Rescue Is Not For The Faint Of Heart
Why Is This Important?
Because if you think search and rescue is something you think youd be good at, you may want to think again after watching this video.
Long Story Short
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax, based in Nova Scotia, Canada, posted a crazy video of an emergency medevac at sea. Its pretty cool and probably doesnt come close to showing how insane the job really is.
Long Story
Being a search and rescue tech is no joke. This video, posted by the JRCC, was taken Sunday off the southeast coast of Newfoundland. The 103 SAR squadron based in Gander, Newfoundland and the 413 squadron based in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, are respond to a distress call from a 50-year-old man aboard a fishing vessel in what looks to be pretty unpleasant weather some 260 nautical miles southwest of St. Johns.
While the rescue guys make the job look easy, its a pretty safe bet that it actually isnt. Training is extremely rigorous and has a high dropout rate between half and two-thirds dont make it through the preliminary assessment phase.
RELATED: The most dangerous jobs in the world
The JRCC says the man was transported to a St. Johns hospital for treatment but didnt provide any additional information on his condition. The JRCC has literally dozens of these videos on their YouTube page if you want to see what it takes to do this kind of work day in and day out.
Own The Conversation
Ask The Big Question
Does the fact that Im okay with my boring office job make me less cool than these guys?
Disrupt Your Feed
Should people who find themselves needing search and rescue operations be made to cover at least some of the cost of all that searching and rescuing?
Drop This Fact
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, at over 202,000 kilometres.
Former Queensland chief justice Tim Carmody has lost a bid to keep a recording of an explosive exchange with two fellow judges hidden from the public.
According to a report by The Courier Mail, Supreme Court judges have urged the State Government to release dozens of emails sent during Carmodys controversial time as chief justice.
The recording and other documents are expected to be made public after The Courier Mail successful appealed a Right of Information request, which was initially denied on the grounds it would not lead to positive and informed debate.
Right to Information Commissioner Clare Smith said the public deserved to know what happened behind closed doors before Carmodys resignation last year.
It would provide the public with a more complete picture of the relevant events and the background to the conflict and disharmony within the court around the issues as well as giving context to the information that has already been disclosed, she said in her decision to overturn the bid to keep it hidden.
Disclosure (of information) could reasonably be expected to promote open discussion of these important public affairs and contribute to the debate ...
In a conversation recorded on a government-issued phone by Justice John Byrne without the knowledge of others in the meeting, Carmody allegedly refers to other judges as scum. He has fought the public release of the tapes.
But Smith said the tapes are of interest to the public.
... Given that issues affecting the operation of the Court were discussed, particularly important issues of public interest ... I do not accept that it was reasonable to expect that the discussions would remain confidential as between the three participants to the meeting, she said.
She noted that Byrne was within his rights to record the meeting and that Queensland Police advised the release of the tape would not affect an investigation into the matter.
The Department of Justice and attorney-general fought the release of an email chain along with Carmody, despite the fact that all but two judges consented. They have 20 days to appeal the decision.
Australia is likely to see an increased number of applications for work visas from British people who are unhappy and concerned about the UK's decision to leave the European Union.Google has reported a huge increase in the number of people searching for the words 'immigration to Australia' in the aftermath of the referendum decision when 52% voted for the UK to leave and 48% to stay. According to data from Google Analytics, the number of times people looked for migration to Australia soared in the lead up to the referendum and peaked when it was announced that Leave was on its way to victory after gaining large margins across northern England and Wales.This means that the negotiations for the UK to leave will start in the coming months, but many people do not want to continue to live and work if the country is no longer part of the EU as they believe the economy will sink and unemployment rise.'The grass does look greener on the other side at the moment. The disdain in the UK has driven people to think about other options,' said Professor Glenn Withers, an immigration expert from Australian National University.Professor Withers believes that British immigrants would be welcomed in Australia as they have traditionally settled well and in uncertain times a steady flow of immigrants would keep the Australian economy growing.Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced that Australia will team up with New Zealand in a bid to negotiate new immigration deals as a result of the vote. He said the implications are 'considerable'.'We have many, many common interests in terms of dealing with that, both from a trade point of view, from a movement of persons point of view. There are some big issues in terms of the access of Australians and New Zealanders to Europe and indeed to the United Kingdom,' he pointed out.Ironically, it is an Australian points-style visa system that could be introduced in the UK. There is also the possibility of reform of the UK/Australian relationship which could see citizens of both countries given better visa deals.Boris Johnson, the leader of the Leave campaign, is also being tipped as the next British Prime Minister after David Cameron said he would resign due to the referendum result. Johnson is a big supporter of visa free arrangements between the UK and Australia.So, it could become a lot easier for people from the UK, Australia and New Zealand to work and live in each other's countries.
All I know is that it depends on your local council. They are the ones that are in charge on the times.
The Grand Cherokee will be available in three trims Limited, Summit and the high-performance SRT.
Jeep has revealed details of its upcoming offering, the Grand Cherokee, on its Indian website. As per the update, the Grand Cherokee will go on sale in three trims Limited, Summit and the high-performance SRT.
The Limited and Summit variants draw power from a 240hp, 3.0-litre V6 diesel motor paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Instead of the diesel unit, the high-performance SRT gets a 475hp, 6.4-litre Hemi V8 petrol motor which also comes paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. All three variants come with a four-wheel-drive system, with the SRT additionally getting Brembo high-performance brakes and active damping suspension.
The entry-level Limited variant for India is set to feature electric-adjust front seats with memory, heated front and middle row seats, heated steering, tyre pressure monitoring system, a 5.0-inch UConnect touchscreen infotainment system with voice command, automatic bi-xenon headlamps, powered tailgate, exterior mirrors with memory and heating, a terrain selection system for off-roading, rear parking camera and a host of safety equipment like airbags, ESC and traction control.
In addition to the features on the Limited trim, the Summit variant also gets ventilated front seats, power adjust steering, an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a 506W amplifier and an optional 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, satellite navigation, individual rear seat displays, panoramic sunroof and a rear limited-slip differential.
In the high-performance SRT, the 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is standard, while it is offered as an option in the Summit trim. Additionally, the cars all-wheel-drive system is customised to improve on-road performance unlike its lower variants, and also gets launch control and a track mode. The variant, however, misses out on the panoramic sunroof and hill descent control.
When launched, all three variants of the Grand Cherokee are expected to come with a two-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
Photo gallery
Jeep SRT India review
The new VW Tiguan and new Audi A5 will be the first vehicles to be equipped with the filters; future VW Group emission tests to be held independently.
After being embroiled in the diesel emission cheating scandal which saw the Volkswagen Group lose a third of its market capitalisation and face lawsuits worth billions of dollars, the German carmaker has embarked upon a complete overhaul to mend its reputation. In line with this transformation, the carmaker will now sell its petrol engine vehicles with gasoline particulate filters, to trap and reduce harmful particulate matter emissions and hopes to equip up to
7 million VW vehicles every year with this technology by 2022.
We are continuing our intensive efforts to enhance the environmental compatibility of our diesel and gasoline models, Mathias Muller, CEO, Volkswagen AG said while addressing shareholders at the companys 56th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Hannover yesterday. Muller said that the first vehicles to feature the gasoline PM filters would be the new VW Tiguan and the new Audi A5 to be launched in 2017.
We will successively equip the Group's new TSI and TFSI engines with gasoline particulate filters. This initiative will begin with the 1.4-litre TSI engine in the new VW Tiguan and the Audi A5 in June 2017, Muller revealed.
The filters are designed to collect leftover particulate matter created by internal combustion and are used extensively on diesel vehicles sold by the VW Group since 2008. Petrol engines are already known to emit less particulate matter than diesel motors, but research indicates that even minuscule levels of this matter can have serious damaging effects if inhaled.
VW claims that these filters will reduce particulate emissions of the Groups petrol cars by up to 90 percent. The CEO of Volkswagen AG, made these revelations while presenting the groups Together Strategy 2025, at the AGM on Wednesday. At the same time, he reaffirmed that the company would invest billions over the coming years in a major electrification initiatives as well as in autonomous driving, digitalisation and new business fields such as mobility services.
Independent emission tests for VW cars in future
Muller also outlined that VW Group will now get all future emission tests evaluated by third party independent bodies to promote an environment of trust and transparency. I strongly believe that our industry requires more transparency, courage and openness in dealing with this issue. And this is why we firmly support political initiatives in this area, said Muller.
Future tests will also incorporate real-world random testing of vehicle emissions and on-road behaviour as well, he added. The VW Group, which held its first AGM since admitting to the rigging of emission tests in September, was met with angry investors who lashed out at the management for withholding information about the scandal for weeks. Matthias Mueller had to apologise to investors and was quoted as saying, "On behalf of the Volkswagen Group and everyone who works here, I apologise to you shareholders for your trust in Volkswagen being betrayed. This misconduct goes against everything that Volkswagen stands for."
Meanwhile, German prosecutors are investigating the roles of former VW Boss Martin Winterkorn, and current chief of VW Passenger Cars, Herbert Diess, over violation of disclosure and market manipulation, by withholding information on the scandal to shareholders in a timely manner. Commenting on the matter, Muller said: The external, independent investigation is receiving the wholehearted support of the Board of Management.
The settlement means that Volkswagen will compensate US customers and fix or buy back their affected vehicles.
Volkswagen has been given approval for its $14.7 billion (over Rs 99,000 crore) settlement with owners of cars in the US affected by the emissions scandal.
The settlement money, which is the largest sum in US history, will be used to compensate some 4,75,000 drivers. Owners can choose between getting the software fix or selling their car back to VW. They will also get additional compensation payments of between $5100 to $10,000 (around Rs 1.70 lakh to Rs 6.80 lakh), regardless of which choice they make.
The final approval follows comments from US District Judge Charles Breyer last week that indicated he planned to approve the deal.
Volkswagen has claimed that compensation is not necessary in the UK and the rest of Europe, as the fix is less extensive and customers will therefore have their cars back soon after they have been recalled.
Settlement has been a large factor in the emissions scandal, and Volkswagen has had to negotiate the deal with various factions in the US. However, it's possible that customers can now eschew compensation and independently sue Volkswagen USA.
Nearly half a million diesel vehicles fall under the terms of the settlement, and $10bn (around Rs 68,000 crore) has been put aside by Volkswagen for the purpose of buy-backs, fixes and compensation.
A further $2bn (around Rs 13,600 crore) will be put into the development of zero-emissions vehicles such as hydrogen fuel cell cars and electric vehicles, while $2.7bn (around Rs 18,339 crore) will be put into environmental mitigation.
The results of the retesting scheme revealed that only Volkswagen Group products used the so-called defeat devices, the discovery of which sparked the emissions scandal.
Jimi Beckwith and Doug Revolta
SUV
TDI
These are two spy photos we found on a Spanish blog called Deco Ches . They've snapped a red 5-door with the FR body kit not hiding any of its features. That could also mean that the reveal may happen in the next weeks.The 2016/2017 will undoubtedly be presented at the Paris Motor Show, meaning production isn't going to start for a few more months. But we can't understand why they even bothered to change the headlights.As a fan of the Leon, I can honestly say that I preferred the old ones. Why in God's name did they have to copy the design from the Ateca , an? That's like a Victoria's Secret model trying to look like her ugly sister.I don't like the grille either. Even though this is the FR model, it looks like it's got a blocked off Ecomotive front. Maybe the angle is wrong, but it's clear that SEAT sucks at doing facelifts. First the Alhambra and now this.New engines? Well, the FRs don't come with basic ones, but the back view suggests a rigid axle is installed. That either belongs to the 1.4 TSI or the 2.0with 150 horsepower.In other Leon facelift news, we have a picture of the Cupra front bumper, which is almost the same as the FR. SEAT, you aren't listening at all to what people are saying!At least the blue is a new color, but after you've seen a Cupra in neon yellow or green, nothing will excite you.
The German's present for world wide web addicts comes in the form of the video below, which is basically Porsche delivering on its promise to break "a record" with the second-gen Panamera.The new Panamera has set a Nordschleife lap time of 7:38, with Porsche now calling it the fastest luxury sedan in the world.While the German four-door's performance does place it one second ahead of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q, Porsche probably added the "luxury" particulate to ensure any potential special edition of the Alfa won't take the record back to Italy. Or maybe it's because of the segment difference between the two - it doesn't really matter. This is a bit of a stretch, but we could say we're dealing with an ego brawl involving Porsche and Ferrari here.Zuffenhausen stressed the fact that the car it used is a standard model, running on street tires - after all the controversy with the GT-R's Green Hell time, Nissan should also pay close attention to this fight.And speaking of the model seen here, we're not sure whether we're dealing with a Turbo or a Turbo S. And this is where the fun part of the record begins. Sure, the ceramic brakes point towards the latter, but this could always be a Turbo with optional ceramics.You see, Gernot Dollner, Panamera model line boss, told autocar the new Panamera Turbo will be as quick around the 'Ring as the company's previous "super-sports car". We all expected that reference to include the 7:28 Carrera GT, but perhaps the executive was talking about the 997.1 911 Turbo, which can lap the Nordschleife in (you guessed it) 7:38.We'll be back with more details on the new Panamera soon, but, until then, we're inviting you to check out the footage. While this doesn't include the full lap, it offers us enough high-adrenaline moments to keep us on our toes.With all the fresh engine and gearbox (second-generation 8-speed PDK, remember ?) details about to hit us, this is a memorable day even if you're not a Zuffenhausen aficionado.As for how the fresh Panamera looks like when it's not flying from one Nurburgring vibrator to another, you should check out the second piece of footage below, which offers a more... relaxed perspective.: Here are the delicious details of the 2017 Panamera
CVT
kW
AWD
Even though the pictures make it look as if the C-HR is a subcompact crossover, the hybridized model is actually slotted in the C-segment. Its dimensions tell it how it is: 4,360 mm (171.6 in) long, 1,795 mm (70.7 in) wide, 1,555 mm (61.2 in) high, plus a wheelbase of 2,640 millimeters (103.9 in).The latter is what interests us the most because interior space depends on wheelbase. To put those 2,640 mm into perspective, the subcompact-sized Nissan Juke makes do with 2,530 mm (99.6 in), while the compact-sized Renault Kadjar ups the ante to 2,647 mm (104.2).Although Toyota has yet to release pictures of the rear seats, the C-HR looks pretty spacious up front. Speaking of space, trunk space stands at a respectable 370 liters, or 13 cubic feet. Regarding design, the cabin represents a new Sensual Tech design concept combining high-tech functionality with a sensual and fashionable style. The driver-focused cockpit and blue wraparound detailing are the highlights.The asymmetrical design of the cabin further boasts a free-standing infotainment system dubbed Touch 2, as well as a conservative gear lever for the continuously variable transmission. Speaking of the, this transmission comes as standard on the hybrid variant of the 2017 Toyota C-HR. With this powertrain, the C-HR prides itself on a maximum output of 120 horsepower (122 PS or 90) and a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 76.3 miles per imperial gallon. In old money, thatll be 63.6 U.S. mpg or 3.7 l/100 km.The more conventional powertrain, on the other hand, makes use of a 1.2-liter turbocharged four-banger with 114 horsepower (116 PS) and 136 lb-ft (185 Nm) of torque. Customers who opt for the 6-speed manual will have to settle for a front-wheel-drive chassis. Those who would rather the CVT can tick theoption from the list. In the United States of America and certain other markets, the 2017 Toyota C-HR will also be offered with a 148 horsepower (150 PS) 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder gasoline-fed engine.
Our spy photographers caught the 2019 Toyota Corolla in Germany. To be more specifically, what youre looking at is the Auris, the handle Toyota uses in Europe for the Corolla hatchback. Right behind it, as you can see in the featured photograph, the new kid on the block is closely followed by a red hot Prius.The second-generation Auris , just like the eleventh-generation Corolla, have been around since 2012. Considering that the ninth and tenth generation of the Corolla have been produced for six years each, its safe to assume that the successor will arrive in the calendar year 2018 as a 2019 model year. The biggest news regarding this thing, however, is that the Corolla (and Auris) will switch to the Toyota NGA-C platform, a variation of the Toyota New Global Architecture employed by the eco-friendly Prius and C-HR.Despite the tons of camouflage, its safe to assume that this prototype is almost ready for production. While hard to believe, the Corolla hatchback will adopt intriguing styling cues, especially at the front. The grille, hood, and the headlights are in a much lower position compared to the current model.A much more intriguing aesthetic detail is the position of the side mirrors because they are located higher on the A-pillar as compared to other compact hatchbacks. As for the rear fascia, is it me or does it look extremely similar to the current model? Ah, but have you noticed the different C-pillar and shoulder line? As for the inside, the spy lensmen told us that theyve caught a glimpse of a completely new interior.When it comes down to engine options, speculation is rampant. The most likely candidate will come in the form of a 1.2 turbo four-cylinder engine as found under the hood of the C-HR. A gentleman going by the name of Cpt. Obvious suggests that the hybrid will borrow everything the fourth-gen Prius has to offer.
Indeed, the Turkish World Supersport star, who has been riding Kawasaki machines in WSS since 2012, has big plans for the summer. Sofuoglu already took the H2R to an unsettling 391 km/h (243 mph) recently, but it looks like there's more to this story.Kenan's new attempt will take place in his native Turkey, on the Ozman Gazi bridge, the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. Also known as the Izmit Bridge because it stretches across the Izmit Bay in Turkey, this superstructure will be inaugurated on June 30 and Kenan Sofuoglu's record attempt will add to the overall importance of the moment.Special treatments and gear are envisaged for the new attempt, starting from tires and down to Kenan's leathers. Pirelli came up with a specially-formulated compound for the tires that will be used during the run. Petroleum giant Elf will be supplying a race-grade fuel that should help the H2R engine produce more power and a higher top speed.Rev'It, who is also one of his personal technical sponsors, has been working closely with Kenan to devise a leather suit that reduces drag while providing uncompromised protection. More aerodynamic mods and weight-saving enhancements are expected to make the Ninja H2R more competitive, while still maintaining it in the production class, albeit a track-only, small-series machine.Sofuoglu adds that he should be reaching 400 km/h in about 30 seconds and that tire temperature is a bigger concern than the speed and acceleration of the bike. His attempt also has a full backing from the Turkish President.
The freshest example of this comes from the machine in the piece of footage below, an S2000 that has been given a thorough drag strip-savvy transformation.We're not even sure which one of the following two changes has more potential when it comes to making purists cringe, so we'll randomly start in the engine compartment. The 9,000 rpm naturally aspirated mill of the JDM delight has made room for an American heart. We're dealing with a built LSX here, with nitrous being the power adder of choice.Further down the power line, the brilliant rear suspension setup that gifts this Honda wit its awe-inspiring handling is now gone. This was replaced with a solid rear axle, a setup that guarantees the driver can perform one hard launch after another.Speaking of the guy sitting behind the wheel, he explains the car currently tips the scales at around 3,000 lbs, with him inside.The video below shows us the shakedown of the 1,320 feet beast and, since the Honda currently uses small nitrous shots, the output sits somewhere in the 600 hp league.Now, since the owner went through all the hassle mentioned above, the obvious question here has to do with the quarter mile performance. You should know this S2000 now delivers low 10-second passes. And given the hp and weight figures mentioned above, such times are perfectly normal.For the record, a stock Honda S2000 can deliver quarter mile passes in the high-13s or mid-14s area. So, was all the purist-offending effort worth it? We'll let you be the judge of that.
Our carparazzi used a 50.3 megapixel DSLR camera to snap these pics, the mid-engine Corvette prototype having been photographed from about a mile away. If anything, the spy pics reveal a car thats more low-slung than a regular Corvette. Look just a little bit closer and youll spot what appears to be two pairs of rounded taillights. Despite the mock-up body cladding, its easy to tell that we are dealing with flying buttresses, a lower roofline, and a more rakish windscreen.Regarding the open section over the mid-placed engine, our sources suggest that GM plans to have a glass-covered engine bay. At the present moment, word has it engineers are working on heat and sound management of the C8 Corvette, two of the biggest challenges for GM's maiden mid-engine effort.This, then, is not the Holden Ute-Corvette mash-up spied a couple of years ago, but a prototype assorted with a handful of production-ready bobs. Exciting stuff, alright! GM planners have informed suppliers that they would move to the IVER stage - essentially the early production-spec prototype - as soon as early summer.Well, its summer and my gut tells me that this is one of those early production-spec prototypes. To boot, it's tested alongside a C7 Corvette and a Cadillac CTS. If you thought that the stance is different from the front-engined Chevrolet Corvette, wait til you hear what lurks under the hood of the mid-engined genre.Rumor has it General Motors has developed a pushrod V8 for this beast, an engine that should boast 32 valves and four camshafts. Thats a similar design to the LT5 from days gone past, the engine of choice for the awe-inspiring C4 Corvette ZR-1. Look forward to the mid-engine 2019 Chevrolet Corvette (C8) to debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Motor City. A hybrid model dubbed E-Ray Corvette is rumored to follow as soon as in 2020, boasting electric propulsion at the front axle.Zora Arkus-Duntov would be proud to see his dream come along nicely. These said, General Motors recently announced that it's pouring $290 million into its Corvette plant in Kentucky. Coincidence? I think not.
TDI
A little over nine months since everything came crashing down for the biggest automaker in the world, the German manufacturer announces that is reached settlement agreements with federal regulators in the United States, 44 U.S. states, and private plaintiffs. Volkswagen has agreed to pay $2.7 billion for an environmental remediation fund, whereas $2 billion are to be invested in a handful of initiatives that promote the use of zero-emissions vehicles in the U.S.Other than those $4.7 billion, Volkswagen will put aside $10.033 billion for the 2.0L settlement program. This pool has been created for the owners of 460,000 VW and 15,000 Audi 2.0-liter-engined vehicles that are in use and eligible for buybacks and lease terminations or emissions modifications. Affected owners will have plenty of time to decide how they want to profit from this mess. More specifically, until May 2018.We take our commitment to make things right very seriously and believe these agreements are a significant step forward, explains Matthias Muller, the chief executive officer of VW AG and successor of Martin Winterkorn . We appreciate the constructive engagement of all the parties, and are very grateful to our customers for their continued patience as the settlement approval process moves ahead. We know that we still have a great deal of work to do to earn back the trust of the American people. We are focused on resolving the outstanding issues and building a better company that can shape the future of integrated, sustainable mobility for our customers.Despite the fact Volkswagen will spend a total of $14.7 billion to make things right in the United States of America, this is not the actual end of Dieselgate . As simply put as possible, this settlement doesnt address potential criminal liability and additional civil penalties levied by other states. Oh, and another thing:"Volkswagen continues to work to resolve outstanding legal matters in the United States. These include civil claims by the DOJ, FTC and private plaintiffs represented by the PSC related to 3.0L TDI vehicles and various other putative class action claims, civil penalties sought by the EPA and potential state environmental claims, and any criminal investigations by the DOJ." In other words, VW AG continues to prepare for worst case scenarios.
ECU
The fact that the bodies regulating MotoGP were not very happy with the winglets that made their way fairly recently on almost all the bikes is old news. Among the manufacturers, the most vocal against the aero winglets was Honda, never shying away from expressing their discontent with these add-ons, albeit they devised some for their bikes, as well.Winglets made their way to the MotoGP races with Ducati, who appears to have mastered this technology and added it to all their machines. Yamaha and Honda joined the club, too, but this didn't mean they were entirely happy with this.It is not official whether Honda championed the ban, but we can, at least, expect them to have vetoed any decision in favor of the winglets. The FIM, Dorna and IRTA asked the MSMA to come up with a set of rules for the aerodynamic winglets, thus regulating their dimensions, number and use. And because the manufacturers failed to reach a unanimous result that would lead to an official MSMA proposal, the ban was imposed by the other bodies.The main reason for the ban was rider safety, with the theme repeatedly making the headlines each time a Ducati or other bike with winglets would crash in a race this year. No rider sustained any injuries caused by the aerodynamic winglets, even when Andrea Iannone's machine touched the back of Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez Ducati , through their Team Manager Davide Tardozzi, already warned that Borgo Panigale will be seeking for loopholes in the new, restrictive regulations, and declared that the new rules would better be wisely conceived.Winglets gone, it's expected that the manufacturers will pay more attention to the shape of the fairings, and we might see MotoGP bikes evolving quite a bit in the coming years, compensating the lesser tuneability of the specsoftware.However, the winglets are still usable until Valencia, so it's still game on in the aerodynamic battle.
The Falcon 8X is now EASA-certified, Dassault Aviation announced this week, and FAA approval is expected to follow by the end of next month. The design, based on the companys 7X, offers the longest range of any Falcon jet, up to 6,450 nautical miles, and the biggest cabin, almost 43 feet long. Feedback from the operational trials cabin comfort, air conditioning, and in particular cabin noise was excellent, said Olivier Villa, senior vice president at Dassault Aviation Civil Aircraft. Moreover, new innovations in aircraft insulation will allow us to further lower cabin noise compared to the Falcon 7X, currently the quietest aircraft in the industry.
Dassault also is working to gain approval for its own FalconEye head-up display for the cockpit, which uses a blend of synthetic and enhanced vision systems. Approval for the HUD system is expected by the end of next year. Twelve jets already are in cabin outfitting at Dassaults completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, the company said. The jet is powered by three P&W Canada engines, and flies at a top speed of about Mach 0.9. The 8X sells for about $58 million.
28 June 2016 10:43 (UTC+04:00)
Armenian armed forces have 17 times violated the ceasefire with Azerbaijan on the line of contact over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry June 28.
Azerbaijani positions located in the village of Kohnegishlag of Aghstafa district, as well as in the village of Gushchu Ayrim of Gazakh district took fire from the positions located near the village of Paravakar of Armenias Ijevan district and Voskevan of Noyemberyan district.
Azerbaijani positions also underwent fire from the positions near the village of Garakhanbeyli and from the nameless heights of Khojavend and Fizuli districts.
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.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 15:18 (UTC+04:00)
By Laman Ismayilova
OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier has voiced a need to make full use of the existing negotiation format to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Zannier, addressing the Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna on June 28, further noted the necessity of recommitting to peaceful settlement and stepping up forward in the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Zannier also reminded that the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, the serious updating of violence around the line of contact is of great concern.
Stronger OSCE presence on the ground could play a stabilizing role, believes the OSCE secretary general.
For over the past 20 years the OSCE-led Minsk Group is dealing with the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which emerged in 1988 as a result of Armenia's illegal territorial claims on Azerbaijan.
Russias Permanent Representative at the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich earlier told TASS that A separate session of the three-day Security Conference will be dedicated to conflict situations in the OSCE area and their impact on security in the region.
The OSCE sees a positive trend emerging after the recent consultations of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Vienna and St. Petersburg, he said on June 28.
The high tension on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops has decreased amid the resumption of the peace talks to resolve the conflict.
Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has met his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan twice in the past month and half first in Vienna in May, and the second time in St. Petersburg in June along with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Officials and observers have positively assessed the intensification of talks, along with the signs of more constructive spirit of the talks.
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in their joint statement of June 24 urged the sides to honour the agreements which were reflected in the Joint Statements of the 16 May summit in Vienna and the 20 June summit in St. Petersburg.
We also urge progress in substantive talks and on a proposal to establish an OSCE investigative mechanism. We will continue our engagement with the sides to advance all of these outcomes from the last two meetings between the Presidents, the statement read.
Armenia keeps under occupation 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory and ignores the UN Security Council's four resolution on immediate withdrawal from the occupied lands. Consequently, over 1 million of Azerbaijanis are obliged to live a refugee life in their native lands.
--
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 12:41 (UTC+04:00)
By Jeffrey D. Sachs
The Brexit vote was a triple protest: against surging immigration, City of London bankers, and European Union institutions, in that order. It will have major consequences. Donald Trumps campaign for the US presidency will receive a huge boost, as will other anti-immigrant populist politicians. Moreover, leaving the EU will wound the British economy, and could well push Scotland to leave the United Kingdom to say nothing of Brexits ramifications for the future of European integration.
Brexit is thus a watershed event that signals the need for a new kind of globalization, one that could be far superior to the status quo that was rejected at the British polls.
At its core, Brexit reflects a pervasive phenomenon in the high-income world: rising support for populist parties campaigning for a clampdown on immigration. Roughly half the population in Europe and the United States, generally working-class voters, believes that immigration is out of control, posing a threat to public order and cultural norms.
In the middle of the Brexit campaign in May, it was reported that the UK had net immigration of 333,000 persons in 2015, more than triple the governments previously announced target of 100,000. That news came on top of the Syrian refugee crisis, terrorist attacks by Syrian migrants and disaffected children of earlier immigrants, and highly publicized reports of assaults on women and girls by migrants in Germany and elsewhere.
In the US, Trump backers similarly rail against the countrys estimated 11 million undocumented residents, mainly Hispanic, who overwhelmingly live peaceful and productive lives, but without proper visas or work permits. For many Trump supporters, the crucial fact about the recent attack in Orlando is that the perpetrator was the son of Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan and acted in the name of anti-American sentiment (though committing mass murder with automatic weapons is, alas, all too American).
Warnings that Brexit would lower income levels were either dismissed outright, wrongly, as mere fearmongering, or weighed against the Leavers greater interest in border control. A major factor, however, was implicit class warfare. Working-class Leave voters reasoned that most or all of the income losses would in any event be borne by the rich, and especially the despised bankers of the City of London.
Americans disdain Wall Street and its greedy and often criminal behavior at least as much as the British working class disdains the City of London. This, too, suggests a campaign advantage for Trump over his opponent in November, Hillary Clinton, whose candidacy is heavily financed by Wall Street. Clinton should take note and distance herself from Wall Street.
In the UK, these two powerful political currents rejection of immigration and class warfare were joined by the widespread sentiment that EU institutions are dysfunctional. They surely are. One need only cite the last six years of mismanagement of the Greek crisis by self-serving, shortsighted European politicians. The continuing eurozone turmoil was, understandably, enough to put off millions of UK voters.
The short-run consequences of Brexit are already clear: the pound has plummeted to a 31-year low. In the near term, the City of London will face major uncertainties, job losses, and a collapse of bonuses. Property values in London will cool. The possible longer-run knock-on effects in Europe including likely Scottish independence; possible Catalonian independence; a breakdown of free movement of people in the EU; a surge in anti-immigrant politics (including the possible election of Trump and Frances Marine Le Pen) are enormous. Other countries might hold referendums of their own, and some may choose to leave.
In Europe, the call to punish Britain pour encourager les autres to warn those contemplating the same is already rising. This is European politics at its stupidest (also very much on display vis-a-vis Greece). The remaining EU should, instead, reflect on its obvious failings and fix them. Punishing Britain by, say, denying it access to Europes single market would only lead to the continued unraveling of the EU.
So what should be done? I would suggest several measures, both to reduce the risks of catastrophic feedback loops in the short term and to maximize the benefits of reform in the long term.
First, stop the refugee surge by ending the Syrian war immediately. This can be accomplished by ending the CIA-Saudi alliance to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, thereby enabling Assad (with Russian and Iranian backing) to defeat the Islamic State and stabilize Syria (with a similar approach in neighboring Iraq). Americas addiction to regime change (in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria) is the deep cause of Europes refugee crisis. End the addiction, and the recent refugees could return home.
Second, stop NATOs expansion to Ukraine and Georgia. The new Cold War with Russia is another US-contrived blunder with plenty of European naivete attached. Closing the door on NATO expansion would make it possible to ease tensions and normalize relations with Russia, stabilize Ukraine, and restore focus on the European economy and the European project.
Third, dont punish Britain. Instead, police national and EU borders to stop illegal migrants. This is not xenophobia, racism, or fanaticism. It is common sense that countries with the worlds most generous social-welfare provisions (Western Europe) must say no to millions (indeed hundreds of millions) of would-be migrants. The same is true for the US.
Fourth, restore a sense of fairness and opportunity for the disaffected working class and those whose livelihoods have been undermined by financial crises and the outsourcing of jobs. This means following the social-democratic ethos of pursuing ample social spending for health, education, training, apprenticeships, and family support, financed by taxing the rich and closing tax havens, which are gutting public revenues and exacerbating economic injustice. It also means finally giving Greece debt relief, thereby ending the long-running eurozone crisis.
Fifth, focus resources, including additional aid, on economic development, rather than war, in low-income countries. Uncontrolled migration from todays poor and conflict-ridden regions will become overwhelming, regardless of migration policies, if climate change, extreme poverty, and lack of skills and education undermine the development potential of Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
All of this underscores the need to shift from a strategy of war to one of sustainable development, especially by the US and Europe. Walls and fences wont stop millions of migrants fleeing violence, extreme poverty, hunger, disease, droughts, floods, and other ills. Only global cooperation can do that.
Copyright: Project Syndicate: The Meaning of Brexit
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 14:52 (UTC+04:00)
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Azerbaijan continues and will further continue to strengthen its army, its material and technical base, at the same time, solve everyday problems of servicemen.
Azerbaijans President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev stated about it as he was making a speech at the ceremony to present apartments for servicemen on June 25.
The bloc of flats was constructed in Khatai district of Baku in accordance with President Aliyev's order on measures to strengthen social protection of servicemen of the Defense Ministry.
In his address to the servicemen, the president highlighted the army building measures, noting the refurbishment being carried out in military units and military camps located in different territories of Azerbaijan, as well as construction of new military bases being constructed upon the relevant instructions.
Today, the Azerbaijani Army is one of the strongest armies in terms of material and technical equipment, President Aliyev emphasized, mentioning that the purchased equipment, weapons and ammunition meet the highest standards.
Today our army is using a weapon with high accuracy and very high destructive power. That is, all our military needs are provided, the president said, further hailing the fact that now soldiers are not involved in the civil works in the military units.
Explaining the aim of bringing civilians to works in military units, the president said on the one hand soldiers serve decently in the army and raise their professionalism, on the other hand this means creating new jobs for civilians.
The supreme commander-in-chief also touched upon the military-industrial complex created in the country.
We produce military products of more than a thousand names. This ensures the needs of our army, at the same time, we have already reached foreign markets, he said adding that the imported weapons and ammunition is the most modern one and is of high technological level.
Recently, I gave instructions to further expand and improve the logistics base. Azerbaijan is importing new weapons and technology. This process is underway for past few months and it will continue. We have enough material resources, and we buy military products in many countries. That is to say that we are not dependent on a single source. In this area, as in all other areas, we are on the path of diversification, he said.
President Aliyev has reminded that the army building is not limited to logistical support, and here an important place is occupied by combat capability, morale of soldiers and officers.
I can confidently say that from this point of view, the Azerbaijani army is among the strongest armies. Fighting ability is boosting, moral and psychological atmosphere in the army is very positive, patriotic spirit and discipline is at a high level. Of course, all these factors multiply our military power. In recent years, I have repeatedly pointed out that today the Azerbaijani army is among the strongest armies in the world scale, and the April fighting once again confirmed it, he said.
Azerbaijan does not only enjoy economic and industrial power, but has already made great strides in the military sphere, the President emphasized.
We live in a state of war, of course, the military issues are given the utmost attention. This is the main priority issue in our daily work, and, as I have already noted, this policy is reflected in the state budget, he added.
Reminding that 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally recognized lands are under the Armenian occupation, President Aliyev said Azerbaijan certainly needs to step up its military power given that documents and resolutions adopted by international organizations are not fulfilled, remain on paper, and international law, in fact, does not work.
Armenia has resorted to provocation against us in April to violate and breach the negotiations process, the president said adding that Azerbaijans army gave strong response to this attack and liberated some part of the occupied lands.
I am sure that these events have become a serious signal for Armenia, as well as for those involved in the matter. Because, the desire of Armenia is not a secret. They want to see this process to be ever-lasting, to maintain the status quo. Seeing that the pressure of international mediators on them increases, they resort to various provocations, he underlined.
President Aliyev emphasized that the conflict must be resolved in a short time, a solution should be find on the basis of norms and principles of international law. There is no change in our position, and it cannot be, he stressed.
The supreme-commander in chief also spoke about the peace talks that were resumed following the April escalation with mediation of the OSCE MG co-chair states.
The Azerbaijani side has joined the talks without accepting any conditions [earlier set by Armenia]. The Vienna meeting was held on the initiative of the U.S. I believe that this meeting had positive results. That is, the conditions put forward by the Armenian side were not accepted. In Vienna, the Azerbaijani side has not signed any document. Simply co-chairing countries made a statement, and this is their statement, he said.
The president has positively assessed the holding of a meeting in St. Petersburg on the initiative of Russia only a month after the Vienna meeting.
I want to note that I believe that the meeting in St. Petersburg has positive results. I hope that this process will rapidly continue. Once again, we are going to these talks without accepting any conditions. Negotiations should be meaningful, substantive, they should not be held just for appearances and imitation, he added.
Touching upon the joint declaration adopted after the St. Petersburg meeting, the president said the declaration covers every point, particularly, ways of solving the issue.
Increasing the number of the office workers of the personal representative of the OSCE chairman was also discussed. However, their number is not specified. But I can say that if today six people work there, the number can be increased to a maximum of 2-2.5 times. That is, we are not talking about large mission. If we consider that the line of contact is measured in tens of kilometers, it should not be sought in other sense. The mandate of the office is also in place, there are no changes. Just instead of six there can be 12, 13 or 14 people, that's all, the president explained.
As for the application of a mechanism for investigating incidents put forward by Armenia as a condition, there is no need for this, believes President Alike.
Firstly, there are no such arrangements. No one is telling us exactly what they will be. In this case, considering this question today would be wrong. Secondly, what is the meaning of this. If the idea is to freeze the conflict and take any additional action on the contact line, Azerbaijan, of course, will not agree. This is possible if the negotiation process continues with the positive dynamics. We will see concrete results and we will know when our lands will be liberated from the occupation. Then, of course, a variety of mechanisms can be developed and the matter can be discussed.
President Aliyev once more stated that the talks should be carried out on the essence of the problem.
Aggressive policy of Armenia must end. We need to know when the process of liberation of our lands will begin. This process, of course, will be. The Azerbaijani side and I personally have repeatedly said that we can resolve the conflict only gradually, since otherwise it is impossible. Armenia has always tried to further complicate the situation, to break the negotiation process, as well as the option of a phased solution. But we believe that it is the most appropriate way. It can lead to resolution of the question in short time, he explained.
Emphasizing that no change should be expected in Azerbaijans position, the president reminded that the resolution of the conflict can be only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
As for status of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it is the issue of the future. Of course, a certain status can be. Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exists as part of Azerbaijan. It has a status of autonomy. In Europe, other countries have a progressive experience and different statuses. However, this status should not violate the territorial integrity of our country, he stressed.
The supreme-commander in chief once again stressed that the Azerbaijani state will continue to pay serious attention to army building.
The army building will always remain a priority. Today, the Azerbaijani army is ready, able to perform any task, he said, stressing that the nation is proud to have a powerful army.
Azerbaijan is a strong state with a strong army, the supreme-commander in chief concluded.
Then, President Aliyev presented apartment ownership certificates to a group of servicemen.
On the same day, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev inaugurated a new administrative building of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and reviewed conditions created here.
Then President Ilham Aliyev familiarized himself with the activity of the Central Command Post.
Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijan`s Armed Forces and Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel General Najmaddin Sadikov informed the head of state that all conditions were created here for 140 servicemen.
The supreme commander-in-chief viewed multi-purpose military hardware.
--
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 16:55 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
Financial market Supervisory Board has made a warning in connection with the suspension of dollar sale by some banks after a relevant monitoring held on June 25.
Banks which created artificial obstacles for the currency sale were punished as a result of the inspection. Following the actions taken by the Board all banks restored the currency sale process.
Experts related the suspension of the currency sale with the panic in the global financial markets over Brexit. Decline in the pound rates has triggered strengthening of USD rates. In this regards banks treated the situation with some caution.
The situation has caused a sharp increase in the demand for the currency which in its term triggered USD shortage.
A number of commercial banks including branches of Bank of Baku, Zaminbank, Kredobank has suspended the USD sale, Report.az said. Some of the banks have put a limit on the amount of the currency for sale.
Previously CBA reported that the exchange rate fluctuations that occur in connection with the UKs decision to leave the EU have no impact on the formation of the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to Azerbaijani manat. The U.S. dollar rate to Azerbaijani manat is defined on the basis of the ratio of supply to demand in the local foreign currency market.
Majority of the Banks reserves which amounts to approximately 85 percent falls to a share of USD therefore fluctuations in the rates of other currencies in relation to USD does not lead to significant exchange difference, CBA reported.
Commercial banks are eligible to sell currency with the difference of up to 4 percent in comparison with the official rate established by the CBA.
The supervisory board is aimed at providing all necessary measures to preserve financial stability in the country. The Board is engaged in the management and regulation mechanisms of the country's financial market, pursues a unified policy and regulatory standards on the financial market.
Britons held a referendum June 23. Campaign to leave the EU, known as the Brexit, has won with 51.9 percent of the votes.
Official exchange rate of the U.S. dollar, euro and British pound to Azerbaijani manat was set at 1.5332 manats, 1.6960 manats and 2.0385 manats respectively, on June 28.
--
Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 17:21 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
Members of Hungarian government, business structures and companies operating in different fields got together in the capital of Azerbaijan on June 28, as part of the sixth meeting of the joint intergovernmental economic cooperation commission.
The Hungarian delegation, also comprised by businessmen in industry, agriculture, consulting and banking services, is led by Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto.
Speaking at the event Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev invited the Hungarian companies to work actively in the country, noting that Azerbaijan has good conditions for business. However, he remained dissatisfied with the number of Hungarian companies operating in the country.
So far there are only six companies with the Hungarian capital in the country. This is a small figure. I think that in the future Hungarian companies will work more actively in Azerbaijan, Mustafayev added.
Despite the minister stressed that relations between the two countries are developing very successfully and in all directions, including trade.
"For five months of 2016 the trade turnover between the two sides increased by 62 percent. It is true, the figure [the volume of trade] is small and does not satisfy any of the sides. We believe that potential is much more. I would also like to note that transformers were the first product exported from Azerbaijan to Hungary," he said.
The economy minister also said that Hungarian companies can launch production of medicine in Azerbaijan.
Mustafayev further went emphasizing that Hungarian companies are ready to join the construction of the North-South transport corridor, and the issue was discussed during the meeting on the same day with Hungarian Foreign Minister.
During the meeting, Hungarian Eximbank expressed desire to discuss the possibility of providing financial support for the implementation of the project, designed to connect northern Europe to South-East Asia, passing through Azerbaijan. The North-South corridor, from India to Helsinki, with a length of 7,200 kilometers is designed to carry more than 10 million tons per year.
Hungary is also interested in providing engineering services in equipment supply services.
Peter Szijjarto, addressed the event, voicing that Azerbaijan is the only alternative source that can provide energy security of Europe.
We talk a lot about the need to diversify energy supplies, and the only short-term solution, conducive to ensure Europe with gas, is Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan. That is why, on the EU-Azerbaijan relations, we want to sign an agreement on strategic partnership as quickly as possible. We would like the EU and Azerbaijan to cooperate more closely, he said.
The Shah Deniz field, one of the world's largest gas-condensate fields, was discovered in 1999. Its reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Overall, the field has proved to be a secure and reliable supplier of gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Europe.
Hungarian minister also emphasized that Azerbaijan can count on Hungary during the negotiations on the liberalization of the visa regime with the EU.
The foreign minister went on noting that Hungarian EXIM Bank plans to open credit line for Azerbaijani PASHA Bank in the amount of $5 million, which is sure to contribute to further development of cooperation between the two countries.
EXIM Bank has already opened a credit line of 200 million euros for the development of cooperation between companies of the two countries.
Speaking about the cooperation between the two countries in general, Szijjarto said that political ties, established between the two sides in recent years have given a great impetus to the development of cooperation in trade and economy, adding that there are also opportunities for cooperation in ICT, energy and agriculture. ICT is a very important area of cooperation between the two countries and is worthy of close attention, noted the minister.
We will be happy if the devaluation of the national currency in Azerbaijan will not affect the decrease in imports of agricultural products from Hungary. We believe that the export of agricultural and food products has always been a driving force in bilateral trade turnover, he emphasized.
Following the meeting the two sides inked a Memorandum on Understanding. In accordance with the document, goods manufactured in Azerbaijan, but not having certificates of origin issued by the relevant authorities of the country, will not be admitted by Hungary.
Hungary, in turn, will inform its legal entities and individuals, so that they refrain from investing or providing any service in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The memorandum also provides for the expansion of cooperation in several spheres including trade, investment, industry, energy, transport, ICT, health, education, culture, tourism, agriculture, the environment, youth, sport and science.
The sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park and the Association of Industrial, Scientific and Technological Innovation and Hungary parks.
The fifth meeting of Azerbaijan-Hungary intergovernmental commission was held in Budapest in April 2015. During that meeting, the parties signed a protocol, in accordance with which they agreed to expand the cooperation in making investments, industry, energy, tourism, agriculture, trade, environmental protection, water industry, ICT, culture, sports, science and so on.
--
Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 18:02 (UTC+04:00)
By Nigar Abbasova
The EU has allocated 7.2 million euros ($ 7.8 million) to Azerbaijan within the framework of its Rural Development Support Programme (RDSP), Trend reports.
The program aims at supporting and developing the regional and rural reforms of the Azerbaijani government. Main objective of the program is provision of sustainable development of agricultural sphere and regions of the country through ensuring food security and sanitary control.
RDSP in Azerbaijan was launched in 2012 to expand the access to safe and high-quality food provisions and encourage entrepreneurship in the sphere of agriculture in the country's rural areas by means of improvement of business environment.
The overall budget of the program is 13 million euro ($ 14.3 million). As much as 1 additional million euro ($ 1.1 million) was budgeted for technical assistance to complement the activities.
Currently, the bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of a partnership and cooperation agreement, which was signed in 1996 and came into force in 1999. The agreement provides for wide-range cooperation in the areas of political dialogue trade, investment, in economic matters, legislation and culture. Since then, the European Union has gradually expanded the scope of its assistance and cooperation with Azerbaijan.
The European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI) is currently the key EU financial instrument for the period 2014-2020. Regional and rural development is one of the priority sectors of assistance for 2014-2017 alongside with the justice sector reform and education and skills development.
The main objective of technical and financial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan for the period 2014-2017 is to support Azerbaijan's ambitious reform agenda, promote the diversification of the countrys economy and bring Azerbaijan closer to the EU.
--
Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
Silk Way West Airlines, an Azerbaijani cargo airline that operates freight services linking Europe and Asia, has opened a long-awaited direct regular flight from Baku to the next destination in the Far East - Singapore.
The flights will be operated twice a week on a cargo plane B747-8F, and will connect other destinations around the world served by the Azerbaijani air cargo carrier.
Serving both as a base of Silk Way West Airlines and a hub, the Heydar Aliyev International Airport has geographical advantages for operators, flying en routes from Asia to Europe and back.
The growing network throughout Asia, the Middle East and the CIS, as well as competitive fuel prices provides additional flexibility and stability of the schedule for the airline fleet.
Silk Way West Airlines started its activities in 2012, since the issuance of the operator certificate by Azerbaijan Civil Aviation Administration.
Currently Silk Way West airline fleet consists of three Boeing 747-8F and two Boeing 747-400F. In the third quarter of 2016, the company expects to receive another aircraft B747-8F. Delivery of the new aircraft will enable the airlines to even broader its flight network.
Last year, Silk Way West Airlines was awarded with the Membership certificate from the International Air Transport Association.
--
Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 15:48 (UTC+04:00)
By Amina Nazarli
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has once again confirmed Azerbaijans importance in ensuring energy security both at regional and international scale.
In its Country Analysis Brief report, EIA said Azerbaijan, one of the oldest oil-producing countries in the world, is an important oil and natural gas supplier in the Caspian Sea region, particularly for European markets.
Although traditionally the country has been a prolific oil producer, EIA expects Azerbaijan's importance as a natural gas supplier to grow in the future as field development and export infrastructure expand.
Most of Azerbaijan's natural gas is produced offshore in either the Shah Deniz field or the ACG (Azeri-Chiraq-Guneshli) complex.
Stage 2 development of the Shah Deniz natural gas and condensate field will more than double Azerbaijans natural gas exports by the end of the decade, the EIA said in a report.
The contract for development of the Shah Deniz offshore field was signed on June 4, 1996. The field's reserve is estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.
A final investment decision was made on the Shah Deniz 2 field in Baku in 2013, envisaging producing additional 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year at the field. Azerbaijan will export 6 billion cubic meters a year of this gas to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to Europe.
Gas production in Azerbaijan totaled 18.2 billion cubic meters in 2015, which is 3.4 percent more than the volume of production in 2014, according to BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2016.
The proven gas reserves in Azerbaijan as of early 2016 amounted to 1.1 trillion cubic meters, which accounts for 0.6 percent of global proven gas reserves, according to BP's estimates.
The country holds over three trillion cubic meters of gas reserves which help develop the country's export potential. The Shah Deniz natural gas and condensate field started producing in late 2006, making Azerbaijan a net gas exporter.
While the main focus is on the Shah-Deniz field with estimated gas reserves at 1.2 trillion cubic meters, Azerbaijan possesses additional significant gas fields such as Absheron, Umid, Babek and Nakhchivan, of which Absheron field is projected to be commenced in 2021. The cited indicators ensure future development of the gas industry in Azerbaijan for a period exceeding 100 years.
These reserves are expected to allow Azerbaijan to focus on expanding its energy industry and broader supply routes ensuring a stable economic growth.
The second-largest oil producer in the former Soviet Union, Azerbijan enjoys a potential to produce oil and gas from shale. Shale gas fields are located at the territory of Gobustan, Shemakhi and other regions. Earlier, ConocoPhilips conducted geological survey at Azerbaijani foothills in accordance with the agreement with SOCAR.
Meanwhile, the country recently announced that for the first time it hit a record in commercial gas production level in 2015.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 15:23 (UTC+04:00)
By Fatma Babayeva
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued a grant worth $1 million as the Project Preparatory Technical Assistance (PPTA) within the development of the second phase of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field, the bank reported.
The ADB Baku office confirmed the allocation of the grant on June 24.
Agreement on the PPTA was signed on June 6, 2016, and came into force on the same day. All the work should be completed before December 31, 2016.
The PPTA will undertake the necessary due diligence for preparing the Shah Deniz Phase 2 Investment Plan and tranche 1, and will assist in the pre-implementation work.
ADBs Shah Deniz Phase 2 Investment Plan is $1.505 billion. This plan will support the Azerbaijani government's efforts to finance Shah Deniz-2 project, and is aimed at improving the country's fiscal position by increasing revenues from natural gas exports from the expanded Shah Deniz field and creating additional jobs.
Reserves of Shah Deniz gas and condensate field are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters. Within the framework of Shah Deniz 2 project realization, the annual output of the natural gas will increase from 9 billion cubic meters (first phase) to 16 billion cubic meters (second phase).
The cost of the Phase 2 development amounts to $25 billion. The first gas extraction is expected in 2018, which will be the main source of the Southern Gas Pipeline project.
Gas will be transferred to both Turkey and Europe via the extension of South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipelines.
Azerbaijan will export 6 billion cubic meters a year of Shah Deniz gas to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to the European market Europe.
---
Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 18:11 (UTC+04:00)
By Fatma Babayeva
Internal debt of Azerbaijans state-owned energy companys SOCAR hits $1.095 billion.
The statement was made by companys vice president for economic issues Suleyman Gasimov at the meeting with NGO representatives in Baku on June 28.
He noted that SOCAR's consolidated debt amounts to $6.3 billion or around 9.4 billion manats.
The vice president emphasized that the amount SOCAR needs to pay off this year is not so much. The main part of this debt is loans allocated for 5, 10 and 15 years. This debt also includes loans from the State Oil Fund which was used for the purchase of share in Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field and construction of the Baku Shipyard, and other small loans.
Also, the company received some loans from the International Bank of Azerbaijan.
Part of the loans will be covered at the expense of internal funds of SOCAR, and the remaining part by the government, said Gasimov.
The vice president emphasized that the debt of the company is controlled and managed regularly and does not create any problems to its activities.
The company finalized the previous year without any loses despite the unfavorable situation for the oil producers in the market and was able to maintain break-even-budget thanks to its assets in U.S. dollars.
Moreover, SOCAR estimated its income and expenditures at $50 per barrel on average for 2016.
The company is optimizing its business and restructuring its management systems in order to reduce costs and to achieve more effective management.
SOCAR produces oil and gas in Azerbaijan both at the expense of its own funds and together with the foreign partners.
SOCAR is fully owned by the state of Azerbaijan, largest oil producer in former Soviet Union after Russia and Kazakhstan.
The company is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, as well as, supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan.
Three production divisions, one oil refinery and one gas processing plant, a deep water platform fabrication yard, two trusts, one institution, and 23 subdivisions are operating as corporate entities under SOCAR.
Currently, SOCAR owns gas stations in Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Romania, Georgia and Ukraine.
In December 2015, the company made a decision to suspend activities of all foreign offices which functions passed to the Baku office and companies, which are fully owned by SOCAR.
---
Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 10:18 (UTC+04:00)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the downed Su-24 bomber was long anticipated as a way the two leaders would overcome the diplomatic impasse between their countries, said Matthew Bryza, former US assistant secretary of state for South Caucasus, speaking to Trend June 27.
Bryza, who also formerly served as the US ambassador to Azerbaijan, was commenting on the letter sent today by Erdogan to Putin expressing condolences to the family of the pilot of the Su-24 bomber, downed in November 2015, as well as the regret over the incident.
What is unclear, is whether President Erdogan actually used the expression 'I apologize', says Bryza. In any case, the Kremlin is calling Erdogan's statement an apology, which will allow the countries to rebuild their damaged relations.
Such a sequence of developments was long anticipated, at least by me, as the way these two proud and strong leaders [Erdogan and Putin] would overcome the diplomatic impasse between their countries, he said.
Today is a big day for Turkey's diplomacy with Ankara and Jerusalem also announcing agreement on the normalization of Turkey-Israel relations, added Bryza.
Bryza believes that these two moves were foreshadowed in the first moments of Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's term in office, when he noted that Turkey needed more friends in the world.
Bottom line: Putin claims Erdogan apologized, and Erdogan can claim he said something a little different. Both leaders save face and relations improve, he said characterizing the developments.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 15:08 (UTC+04:00)
By Fatma Babayeva
Turkey is on the way of restoring ties with Russia, whilst the process of bringing political relations to the previous levels is anticipated to take longer than economic ties.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans recent letter of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin can be the basis for the gradual improvement in the deteriorated relations between the two countries.
Turkey shares the pain of downed Su-24 pilot's death with his family and sees it as Turkey's pain. Turkey is ready to take all steps required to relieve the pain and severity of damage to the deceased Su-24 pilot's family, he stated in the letter.
The Turkish president expressed deep regret over what happened and told Turkey is ready to take all necessary steps to restore previous traditional and friendly relations with Russia.
Relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated after Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber on November 24, 2015. Turkey said the bomber entered its airspace, while Russia denied its warplane flying into the Turkish skies.
Following the incident, Moscow imposed a wide-range of sanctions against Turkey starting in January, including the end of visa-free travel and a ban on Turkish food products. Moreover, Russia called its citizens to boycott Turkey as a tourist destination. Economic relations between the two countries saw decline as well.
Turkish government was always willing to mend fences with Russia and kept the diplomatic channels open.
Earlier, Russian President voiced in Athens that his country wants reconciliation with Turkey and stressed that first move should come from Turkey.
In response to Putins statement all the senior government officials of Turkey made a call for Russia to establish a joint working group to discuss which steps can be taken to restore ties between two states.
The conditions put forward by Russia in order to put relations back on track were that Turkey had to apologize and compensate for the losses, which had been caused by a war crime (shot down of SU-24 plane).
In addition to the apology, Turkey agrees to pay compensation according to the countrys officials, which means Turkey fulfills the demands of Russian side.
During the past seven months since SU-24 incident, the relations of the two countries encountered many negative impacts. Russia does not consider Turkey a reliable partner anymore.
Addressing to Turkeys apology, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Federation Council told Russian media that unfortunately, Turkey was late to take this step.
Restoring relations serve to the interests of both Russia and Turkey. Moreover, cooperation with Turkey plays a crucial role in combat against rebels of Syria and resolution of the crises in the region.
If relations better enough, there is even a chance to revive the suspended Turkish Stream a replacement pipeline for South Stream which envisaged to transfer Russian gas to the European market and to bypass Ukraine.
Russia is the largest gas supplier to Turkey, while Turkey used to be a huge exporter of various agricultural products to Russia worth more than $1 billion.
Some experts relate Turkeys recent initiative to Great Britain's exit from the EU. As the union is going to lose 13 percent of its budget and encounter problems with finance, which means under these circumstances, it is unlikely that Turkey will receive the fund promised by Europe for the upkeep of Syrian refugees.
In this context, new Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim recently underlined that Turkey needs more friends in the world.
The country is also improving relations with Israel. On June 28, the two countries plan to sign an agreement on the issue, which is expected to improve ultimately the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The given agreement will enter into force after the approval by Turkeys parliament and Israels Cabinet of Ministers.
Relations between Israel and Turkey deteriorated after the Freedom Flotilla incident in 2010, when a convoy of six ships, including one under Turkey's flag, tried to approach the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and activists on board. The flotilla was blocked and stormed by Israeli forces, with eight Turkish citizens being killed.
President Erdogan said Israel should apologize for the Freedom Flotilla incident, pay compensation to the families of those killed and end the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Turkish PM told TRT Haber news channel on June 27 that Israel apologized to Turkey for the incident earlier, and Israeli government will pay $20 million worth compensation to the families of those killed as a result of the Freedom Flotilla incident and will give a permission for delivering humanitarian aid from Turkey to Gaza Strip which is under the Israeli blockade.
Normalizing relations is also in the interest of Israel, who strives to send its gas from Tamar and Leviathan fields to Europe via Turkey which in turn, wants to become a gas hub in the region.
Nevertheless, development of these fields is expensive, and no funds are available for the construction of such a pipeline for now.
---
Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 13:56 (UTC+04:00)
By Fatma Babayeva
China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization rebuffed Irans bid for the membership despite Russias backing.
The reason why China is opposing Irans membership in the SCO is not an economic but rather a political issue, Kamran Dadkhah, associate professor of Economics at the Northeastern University told Azernews via email on June 24.
It seems that China has two political reasons for opposing Irans membership, noted the expert.
First, there is the antagonism between Iran on the one hand and the United States and some of its Western allies (e.g., Canada) and some Middle Eastern countries bordering the Persian Gulf on the other, Dadkhah said.
Professor went on saying that China has extensive trade and investment relationship with the United States.
China cannot afford any disruption in these activities due to Iran belligerent acts toward the United States or its allies. Such acts could disrupt Chinas and other SCO members economic dealings with the United States, said Dadkhah, adding that the same goes for dealings with Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region.
Another political problem is that Russia and China are both members of the SCO but they do not always see eye to eye, further added the expert.
China considers itself the leading member of SCO, whilst Iran may side with Russia on both economic and political issues, said the expert by stressing that thus, at least at present, China is not enthusiastic about Irans membership.
But with changes in Iranian policies and perhaps some assurances, this may change, he added.
From an economic and trade point of view Iran will benefit from joining the organization, he said, highlighting that this is also true for the SCO and its members, including China.
Iran has oil reserves, and it is a connecting route between East Asian countries and Central Asia as well as being a route to Europe, he added.
Dadkhah underlined that China has always declared its support for the membership of Iran in SCO.
Most recently, during Chinese President Xi Jinping trip to Iran in January, he and Iran President Hassan Rouhani signed a joint statement supporting Iran joining SCO, said the expert, reminding that in the past, the main obstacle to Iran joining SCO was the sanctions, but they are lifted now.
During the summit recently held in Uzbek capital Tashkent, the SCO accepted India and Pakistans proposals to join the organization.
The SCO was established in 2001. Its members are China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus are the observer-countries in the organization, while Turkey, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.
---
Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 16:39 (UTC+04:00)
By Fatma Babayeva
The presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan paid special attention to the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline construction project during the meeting in Tashkent.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Mohammad Ashraf Ghani met within the framework of the session of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations (SCO) member states on June 23-24. Turkmenistan participated in this forum as a guest of honor, the Turkmen government reported.
It was noted at the meeting that the TAPI transnational energy main line, in addition to its functional purpose, will also become a bridge of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation in the region and at the same time a real contribution to ensuring global energy security.
The work on laying pipelines of TAPI began in December 2015. The annual capacity of the pipeline will be 33 billion cubic meters.
The pipeline, including supporting ground infrastructure, is scheduled to be commissioned in December 2019. The implementation of this large scale project will create over 12,000 jobs.
The Turkmen government said Afghanistan expressed interest in purchasing Turkmen oil and gas products.
The transport and communication sector, in particular the project on construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT) railway, was mentioned among the important vectors of cooperation.
Berdimuhamedov added that until late 2016, it is planned to commission a section of this railway connecting Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, namely, its structural unit Atamyrat-Ymamnazar-Akin.
The parties noted that there are prospects for expansion of contacts in agriculture, animal husbandry and food industry.
Turkmenistan supplies electricity to Afghanistan on preferential terms and is working on increasing its export to the country.
The country 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.
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.
Additional energy volumes coming from Turkmenistan may contribute to eliminate energy poverty that most of Afghan people deal and to pave the way for restoring political and social stability and peace in the war-torn country.
---
Fatma Babayeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Fatma_Babayeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 June 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)
Qatar Airways is offering customers in Azerbaijan an incredible early bird sales promotion to travel upon its network of more than 150 exciting destinations around the world.
Customers can visit places they always wanted to with early bird offers and enjoying fabulous savings to Asia, Australia, America, Arabian Peninsula, Africa and beyond with Qatar Airways. Unparalleled travel experience as customers enjoy the trip of a lifetime on their next vacation abroad, that is the promise of world best Airline.
Now through to 1 July 2016, customers in Azerbaijan can enjoy exclusive discounted fares when booking at qatarairways.com . Travel period for this great early bird promotion is 18 September 2016 to 10 June 2017.
Qatar Airways Country Manager, Mr. Nazir Abduvakhidov said: "This is a special promotion for Qatar Airways passengers to travel on board the World's Best Airline and to experience our signature premium service. Through this promotion, we would like to extend our gratitude to our customers for their continued support and loyalty in choosing Qatar Airways as their preferred airline.
Qatar Airways serves key business and leisure destinations around the world with 186 modern aircraft, including destinations such as Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Colombo, and Dubai via the airline's state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport.
At the annual Skytrax 2015 World Airline Awards, Qatar Airways was awarded Worlds Best Airline, Best Business Class Airline Seat, and Best Airline in the Middle East.
Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 19 years of operation and today flies a modern fleet of 184 aircraft to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.
At this point, the best way to help victims of the Erskine Fire is to donate money to the United Way of Kern County, at www.uwkern.org, or the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org, said Kern County Treasurer-Tax Collector Jordan Kaufman, who is coordinating relief efforts.
If you want to donate food, he said, the best things to give are non-perishable items that serve as meals such as canned ravioli, canned chili, canned soup and Hamburger Helper.
Can openers are also needed, as are diapers, including adult diapers, paper towels, plastic utensils, paper plates and bowls, blankets, hygiene items and toiletries.
The places to take all those things above are the Valley Thrift and Food Pantry, 4621 Lake Isabella Blvd. in Lake Isabella, and the Elks Lodge at 6708 Wofford Blvd. in Wofford Heights.
Whats not needed as much, Kaufman said, is used items such as used clothing. But if you still want to give them, the best places to take them are Goodwill stores throughout the county.
In response to concerns about whats happening to donated items, the American Red Cross explained Tuesday that Goodwills sorting and cleaning of items has to be done in Bakersfield and when it is, those items will come back to the Kern River Valley.
The Red Cross and Goodwill will set up a distribution site in the Kern River Valley for residents to access donations free of charge, said American Red Cross spokeswoman Jessica Piffero.
The Goodwill will start taking items requested by the county to the Kern River Valley Wednesday, said agency spokeswoman Marlene Heise.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned the UK leaving the EU will probably result in a short-term spike in the price of food, and has called for MPs to support farmers.
In the wake of Britain voting to leave Europe, NFU president Meurig Raymond has said the depreciation of the pound will drive food prices up.
Raymond said: "Sadly, we only produce 60% of the food we consume, weve seen our self-sufficiency fall dramatically, so we are very dependent on imported food. A weaker pound will mean higher imported food values."
He went on to describe the EU referendum result as a "political car crash". UK farmers, who currently receive up to 3bn in EU subsidies annually, are now headed into "uncharted waters".
Looking to the future, Matt Ware, the NFUs head of government and parliamentary affairs, said that the union is now lobbying MPs to secure their support for farmers, as the UK exits the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
Ware said: "We are asking MPs to pledge their support for UK agriculture as we move towards an era outside the CAP. We are identifying where CAP worked well, and where it can be improved on, in a new British Farming Bill. Our priority is to ensure that successive governments protect the interests of all our members sectors for the long-term.
On trade, Ware said the NFU is "pushing for the best possible access to the single market". He added: "We are urging government to open up new markets for British produce.
This month Britain voted to leave the EU. On the morning of the historic vote, British Baker spoke to industry representatives about what this might mean for bakers.
Health campaigners fear the government will use the Brexit vote to divert attention from David Camerons childhood obesity strategy.
The prime ministers strategy was delayed to make way for the EU referendum, and there is now speculation that it could face further setbacks following the Brexit vote.
David Cameron personally headed up the working party for the campaign, and many fear his imminent departure will also hamper progress.
Jennifer Rosborough, campaign manager for campaign group Action on Sugar, said: We urge the prime minister to do the right thing and announce details of his much awaited childhood obesity strategy before his exit, and leave behind a lasting legacy for the future health of the nation.
On the morning after the historic vote, British Baker spoke to industry representatives about what Brexit might mean for bakers.
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.
Frequent flier programs are easy to join and very popular for travelers hoping to cash in on a free flight.
Weve used our frequent flier miles for going over to Europe, said Delta passenger Karen Carroll. Its been very good for us.
Traveler Leigh McCauley agreed.
It feels really good, cause then you can use that $400 towards other things on your vacation, McCauley said.
Getting Enough Points
Unfortunately, getting enough points to cash in isnt always so easy.
I dont travel as much, so I dont accrue the points, as easy, McCauley acknowledged.
Travelers who dont fly a lot can turn to airlines that partner with credit cards to earn more points.
I use my American Express with Delta and I get double the points, when I do things like any of our major purchases, Carroll said.
Frequent business traveler Brian Williams likes to use his points to upgrade on flights, but he says his biggest pet peeve is how some airlines constantly change the number of points required to get perks.
The problem is the airlines keep jacking up the mileage to get the points, Williams said. About the time I get to a level, theyve changed the points and the rules.
Distance vs. Cost
It used to be that most airlines offered points based on the distance of a flight, but now, many are switching to rewards based on the cost of a ticket. You get bonuses for premium fares and fewer points for economy seats. The number of points you get all comes down to money and how much you spend in the first place.
Booking the Flight You Want
Black-out dates have always been an annoyance for fliers trying to redeem frequent flier points.
They just black out certain flights, its like the more popular flights, said McCauley.
Feeling the frustration of passengers, many airlines are starting to drop the taboo black-out periods, and instead, they simply limit the number of award seats available on flights-- which can often make them just about as hard to get.
We were trying to get flights to Vegas recently and only on the red eye, you could use your points, which wasnt that great, McCauley said.
Putting up with inconvenience like flying at off-peak times and booking earlyup to a year in advance-- does make it easier to get seats. It is a trade-off.
Were saving so much money, its worth the sacrifice, said Carroll.
According to a 2015 survey by Switchfly, the airlines are making more frequent flier award seats available today, than they were five years ago.
Southwest and JetBlue ranked the best for seat availability, with Southwest opening 100% of the seats on a flight to awards and JetBlue opening about 87% of them. Heres a list of how the larger carriers stacked up when it comes to making saver seats available.
Southwest Airlines: 100%
JetBlue Airways: 87.1%
Alaska Airlines: 80%
British Airways: 80%
United Airlines: 75%
American Airlines: 67.1%
Delta Airlines: 57.9%
Discounts on Tickets
Some programs allow you to use points for a discount on tickets.
On Delta, you can use your miles for just $100 off a ticket, so you dont have to have the entire amount available, McCauley explained.
Picking the Best Program for You
There is no one best frequent flier program, but love them or hate them, they are popular and definitely can pay off if you pick the right one for you.
It feels like the airline is giving back to me, said frequent business traveler Rodney Bryant.
2015 Switchfly Survey on Reward Seat Availability
In the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, many have called for a special legislative session in Tallahassee on gun control.
Gun control activists to march in Tallahassee today
Sen. Darren Soto to push bill today to close "terror loophole"
June 12 Pulse nightclub shooting left 49 dead, dozens injured
Pulse shooting
So far, that has not happened.
Today, activists are planning to march on the state capitol and demand some type of action.
State lawmakers have not had much of an appetite for changing any of the state's gun laws, arguing there is no consensus for changing any of the existing legislation.
However, more arguments are being made now for some action. At the very least, critics say, the so-called "terror loophole" should be closed, citing that If a person is too dangerous to fly, then he or she is also too dangerous to buy a gun.
Protestors on the capitol will ask for a special session today as Sen. Darren Soto, a Democrat from Kissimmee, is scheduled to hold a news conference pushing a state bill on gun control.
Soto, who is running for Congress, has said he hopes his bill will get Republican support.
"It's been narrowly tailored to be something to deal with getting guns out of the hands of terrorists," Soto said. "We believe that's something both parties can get behind."
Some Florida Republicans and speaking out against a call for a special session.
"Some Florida state senators are using these killings to draw attention to themselves and their own campaigns for higher office," said Sen. Don Gaetz, a Republican who represents counties in the Panhandle. "As if calling for a special legislative session would somehow cure madness, wipe away grief or defang ISIS. It does get a politician in the blogs or on the front page for a news cycle or two. But how smarmy."
Republican Marco Rubio has a fight on his hands against Democrat Patrick Murphy in his bid to keep his U.S. Senate seat, an exclusive statewide News 13/Bay News 9 poll shows.
Rubio, Murphy tied in US Senate race, exclusive poll reveals
Rubio handily ahead in Aug. 30 GOP primary
Voters largely undecided in Democratic primary
According to the results of a Florida Decides poll conducted June 25-27, Rubio and Murphy both would earn 43 percent of the vote, if the November general election for Senate were today.
Another 8 percent of those surveyed were undecided.
Rubio is far ahead of his Republican rivals in the Aug. 30 GOP primary, according to the Florida Decides poll. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed would vote for Rubio. Another 13 percent are undecided. His next closest rival, Manatee County homebuilder Carlos Beruff, would get 11 percent of the vote.
Last week, Rubio reversed a previous vow not to run for re-election. He suspended his presidential campaign the night of the Florida presidential primary in March. In May, several prominent Republicans encouraged the first-term senator to reconsider his decision, and two days before the filing deadline, he re-entered the Senate race.
On the Democratic side, about 35 percent of those surveyed said they were undecided, if the primary were held today. But Murphy is ahead of Alan Grayson, 30 percent to 21 percent, in that primary. Even though more than a third of Democrats said they don't know who they'll vote for, GOP candidates are focusing their attacks on Murphy. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has endorsed the congressman, and Vice President Joe Biden stumped for Murphy during a visit to Orlando last month for an appearance at the Invictus Games.
Join us for more exclusive poll results Wednesday morning, starting at 5 a.m., and find out who Florida voters would choose for president if the election were held today.
Detailed poll results
Q: If the August 30 Republican primary for U.S. Senate were today, and Marco Rubio, Dwight Young, Carlos Beruff and Ernie Rivera were the Republican primary candidates, who would you vote for? (candidate names were rotated)
All
Gender Age Race Male Female 18-34 35-49 50-64 65+ White Black Asian/
Other Marco Rubio
63% 60% 66% 60% 57% 63% 67% 65% ** 39%
Dwight Young
10% 12% 9% 13% 11% 12% 7% 9% ** 29%
Carlos Beruff
11% 13% 9% 7% 8% 12% 14% 11% ** 13%
Ernie Rivera
2% 2% 1% 7% 2% 1% 1% 2% ** 1%
Undecided
13% 12% 15% 13% 22% 11% 10% 13% ** 18%
Composition of likely
GOP primary voters 100% 52% 48% 11% 22% 31% 36% 92% 2% 6%
Party Affiliation
Strong
Rep. Republican Ind. lean
Rep. Independent Ind. lean
Dem.
Democrat
Strong
Dem.
Composition of likely/actual
GOP primary voters 46% 34% 15% 2% 1% 1% 1% Marco Rubio
67% 70% 47% ** ** ** ** Dwight Young
8% 8% 19% ** ** ** ** Carlos Beruff
12% 9% 11% ** ** ** ** Ernie Rivera
1% 2% 4% ** ** ** ** Undecided
11% 11% 18% ** ** ** **
Ideology Tea Party Very Conserv. Conserv. Moderate Liberal Very Lib. Yes No Composition of likely/actual
GOP primary voters 34% 39% 21% 3% 1% 24% 67% Marco Rubio 71% 65% 52% ** ** 65% 65% Dwight Young 7% 9% 16% ** ** 10% 9% Carlos Beruff 12% 13% 8% ** ** 16% 10% Ernie Rivera 2% 1% 4% ** ** 1% 2% Undecided 9% 12% 20% ** ** 8% 14%
Education Income High School Some College 4-yr College < $40K $40K - $80K > $80K Composition of likely/actual
GOP primary voters 18% 34% 48% 24% 36% 40% Marco Rubio 62% 63% 65% 63% 62% 65% Dwight Young
12% 12% 8% 14% 9% 9% Carlos Beruff
11% 10% 11% 9% 12% 11% Ernie Rivera
2% 1% 3% 2% 3% 1% Undecided 13% 14% 13% 12% 14% 14%
Surveyed: 555 likely August GOP primary voters
Margin of sampling error: 4.1%
** Too few respondents of this type were interviewed for this data to be meaningful.
Q: If the August 30 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate were today, and Alan Grayson, Patrick Murphy, Pam Keith, Rocky De La Fuente and Reginald Luster were were the Democratic primary candidates, who would you vote for? (candidate names were rotated)
All Gender
Age
Race
Male
Female
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
White
Black
Asian/
Other
Alan Grayson
21% 22% 20% 13% 18% 22% 27% 24% 13% 12% Patrick Murphy
30% 32% 28% 22% 19% 34% 37% 32% 21% 40% Pam Keith 10% 11% 9% 8% 11% 13% 7% 10% 12% 3% Rocky De La Fuente 2% 2% 1% 2% 1% 1% 2% 2% 2% 1% Reginald Luster 3% 2% 3% 7% 5% 0% 1% 3% 2% 7% Undecided 35%
31% 39% 48% 45% 29% 27% 31% 49% 37% Composition of likely/actual
Dem. primary voters
100% 45% 55% 16% 23% 31% 30% 72% 22% 6%
Party Affiliation
Strong
Rep. Republican Ind. lean
Rep. Independent Ind. lean
Dem.
Democrat
Strong
Dem.
Composition of likely/actual
Dem. primary voters 1% 1% 2% 4% 14% 37% 40% Alan Grayson
** ** ** ** 29% 14% 23% Patrick Murphy
** ** ** ** 18% 28% 37% Pam Keith ** ** ** ** 15% 7% 9% Rocky De La Fuente ** ** ** ** 2% 3% 1% Reginald Luster ** ** ** ** 1% 5% 1% Undecided
** ** ** ** 36% 43% 28%
Ideology Tea Party Very Conserv. Conserv. Moderate Liberal Very Lib. Yes No Composition of likely/actual
Dem. primary voters 8% 9% 34% 27% 18% 6% 89% Alan Grayson
19% 17% 13% 30% 25% 19%
22% Patrick Murphy
36% 28% 28% 32% 30% 39%
29% Pam Keith 11% 7% 15% 7% 8% 10% 10% Rocky De La Fuente 4% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% Reginald Luster 6% 4% 2% 3% 1% 11% 2% Undecided 25% 41% 41% 27% 35% 20%
35%
Education Income High School Some College 4-yr College < $40K $40K - $80K > $80K Composition of likely/actual
Dem. primary voters 13% 34% 52% 26% 42% 33% Alan Grayson
15% 24% 21% 24% 20% 21% Patrick Murphy
41% 23% 31% 29% 25% 36% Pam Keith 6% 11% 10% 9% 9% 11% Rocky De La Fuente 3% 2% 1% 2% 2% 0% Reginald Luster 7% 2% 2% 2% 3% 2% Undecided 28% 38% 36% 35% 40% 29%
Surveyed: 618 likely August Democratic primary voters
Margin of sampling error: 4.0%
** Too few respondents of this type were interviewed for this data to be meaningful.
Q: If the November election for U.S. senator from Florida were today, and Marco Rubio (R) and Patrick Murphy (D) were the candidates on the ballot, who would you vote for?
All Gender
Age
Race
Male
Female
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
White
Black
Asian/
Other
Marco Rubio (R)
43%
46%
40%
39%
42%
42%
47%
48%
16%
37%
Patrick Murphy (D)
43%
43%
42%
41%
42%
44%
43%
39%
67%
41%
Other 7% 6% 7% 7% 7% 6% 7% 6% 9% 15% Undecided 8%
4%
11%
12%
9%
8%
4%
8%
8%
8%
Composition of likely/actual
November voters
100%
48%
52%
15%
25%
30%
30%
80%
13%
7%
Party Affiliation
Strong
Rep. Republican Ind. lean
Rep. Independent Ind. lean
Dem.
Democrat
Strong
Dem.
Composition of likely/actual
November voters 18% 15% 12% 9% 11% 19% 17% Marco Rubio (R)
84%
84%
66%
36%
15%
14%
6%
Patrick Murphy (D)
6%
7%
15%
34%
70%
71%
87%
Other 6% 2% 12% 16% 9% 5% 3% Undecided
4%
7%
6%
14%
7%
11%
4%
Ideology Tea Party Very Conserv. Conserv. Moderate Liberal Very Lib. Yes No Composition of likely/actual
November voters 16% 23% 31% 16% 9% 11% 80% Marco Rubio (R)
75%
73%
33%
13%
6%
74%
38%
Patrick Murphy (D)
15%
14%
49%
76%
81%
19%
48%
Other 7% 7% 7% 4% 5% 6% 6% Undecided 2%
6%
10%
6%
8%
2%
8%
Abortion Gun owner
Pro-life
Pro-choice
Yes No
Composition of likely/actual
November voters 38% 57% 40% 54% Marco Rubio (R)
67%
27%
56%
31%
Patrick Murphy (D)
21%
59%
32%
54%
Other 6% 6% 6% 7% Undecided 6%
8%
7%
8%
Education Income High School Some College 4-yr College < $40K $40K - $80K > $80K Composition of likely/actual
November voters 16% 33% 51% 27% 38% 35% Marco Rubio (R)
45%
46%
40%
40%
43%
45%
Patrick Murphy (D)
36%
40%
47%
40%
43%
45%
Other 10% 8% 5% 10% 6% 4% Undecided 10%
6%
8%
9%
8%
6%
Surveyed: 1,678 likely November voters
Margin of sampling error: 2.4%
This Florida Decides Exclusive Statewide Poll was conducted by SurveyUSA from June 25-27. Research began as soon as names on the primary ballots were finalized June 24. Most interviews were completed after the results of the British vote to leave the European Union were announced. Of the 2,000 adults interviewed, 1,873 were registered to vote. Of the registered voters, 555 were determined by SurveyUSA to be eligible and likely to vote in the August 30 Democratic primary, and 618 were determined by SurveyUSA to be eligible and likely to vote in the August 30 Republican primary. Only voters eligible and likely to vote in each primary were asked the Senate primary horse-race questions. This research was conducted using blended sample, mixed mode. Respondents reachable on their home telephone (66 percent of likely November voters) were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents not reachable on a home telephone (34 percent of likely voters) were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other electronic device.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
When Tom Reid started working at Johnson Space Center in 1965, his wife often would ask him about his drive home when he reached his Pearland residence via FM 518.
"I'd say 'Well, I saw a couple guys,' " Reid, the longtime Pearland mayor, said. "We waved at each other. A friendly wave."
Change, Reid would start to learn, was coming, and with it a radically different Houston. Oozing southward from Houston practically inch by inch as workers poured tons of concrete was Interstate 45 - the region's first freeway.
Opened in 1948 when Mayor Oscar Holcombe switched on the overhead lamps and bathed the pristine road at Calhoun in incandescent light, the Gulf Freeway was the first but hardly the last stretch of interstate-quality road in Houston's future. Constructed atop many existing routes, the freeways - separated from other streets to allow for uninterrupted travel, accessible by entrance ramps - are the backbone of travel for most of Houston. As crews made more miles of freeway, more people came to Houston.
More Information I-45 growth Average number of cars per day for Houston's first freeway segment, south of the central business district. 1951: 75,000 1982: 150,000 2013: 210,672 See More Collapse
"The form of Houston was determined by freeways," said Kyle Shelton, a post-doctoral fellow at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
Those freeways, meanwhile, were shaped by business leaders, and paid for with the same mix of federal money - focused on the interstate system during the Eisenhower presidency - and state highway funds. Development and developers have a lot of influence on freeway building today, but the level of influence was even greater then.
"Those early freeways and the decisions of where they went, that was the business community more than anything else," said Oscar Slotboom, author of "Houston Freeways: A Historical and Visual Journey."
Regardless of Houston's economic health, freeways have marched on. Interstate 10 cut a path (one that would only get wider and wider) from downtown to Katy by 1968. A freeway-grade U.S. 59 reached Sugar Land in 1975. A year later, officials gathered to celebrate I-45 reaching Galveston.
Their creation wasn't always a pleasant process. To build bigger roads with sweeping ramps for entrances and exits, officials reclaimed adjacent land.
"I-10 and (U.S.) 59 destroyed the Fifth Ward," Shelton said. "It displaced like 1,000 homes."
To those not directly affected, the freeways delivered what officials promised - a fast trip downtown - for a short period of time. As soon as a segment opened to freeway standards, it seemed for residents at the time, it was at capacity.
"I bought a new Chevy Bel Air, brand new, white, at Chuck Davis (Chevrolet) in 1964," said Art Simpson, 88, a lifelong Houston resident. "That weekend, I took my family to Galveston. The freeway was jammed. I mean for miles. . It was the first time I sat there wondering where all these people came from."
Still, Simpson considers the freeways a feel-good story for Houston.
"We grew up at exactly the right time," he said, saying the city needed automobiles, post-war expansion and the jobs it brought. "Without cars and freeways, Houston isn't Houston."
It's a process of growth and groaning about traffic that continues to today. Though rebuilt less than eight years ago, Interstate 10 - which with I-45 connects the Houston region to the rest of the interstate system - has suffered from the same conundrum. It's one of the widest freeways in the country, but remains clogged. The wider it got, the more travelers relied on it, which critics attribute to induced demand - where providing more capacity means more homes are built and stores opened, driving up use.
Freeways also gave rise to what's become a quintessentially Texas thing that's been exported to nearby states, like horizontally placed traffic signals: frontage roads. Where there's a freeway, most of the time, there's a frontage road.
"In terms of influence and development, frontage roads are a huge influence," Slotboom said, noting their role in concentrating shops, restaurants and offices around freeways.
Despite giving rise to the traffic jam, the freeways also made it possible for goods to get through and around the region, and for more people to call Houston home.
As the spokes spread like tentacles from downtown Houston, the city and region also saw itself divided by rings. The last portion of Loop 610, first drawn up shortly after World War II, opened Sept. 22, 1975, coincidentally a month after a rebuild of the first segment of the Loop from I-45 to Texas 225, called at the time the La Porte Cutoff.
Soon "outside the Loop" for many was synonymous with distant and suburban, just as "inside the Loop" over time conjured up ideas of small homes and urban decay for suburban dwellers.
Yet Houston became more and more enamored with freeways, and by the late 1970s Harris County wanted in on the action because the state couldn't keep up with the region's highway demands.
Voters in 1982 approved establishing the Harris County Toll Road Authority, which quickly got to work on some dormant and high-priority projects. By 1987, the portion of the Hardy Toll Road north of Beltway 8 was opened to toll-paying drivers. The southern portion to Loop 610 opened a year later.
A larger project for another loop freeway also lumbered back to life with HCTRA's founding, eventually becoming the Sam Houston Tollway. Beltway 8, part of the state highway system, became the frontage roads for the tollway, complementing the short freeway segment that connects I-45 to Bush Intercontinental Airport. Portions built in the early 1980s were joined, over time, by a complete, 83-mile loop, the last portion of which wasn't separated with overpasses from local roads until 2011.
Yet a second loop wasn't enough. For years, spurred by landowners eager to continue Houston's expansion, officials have laid plans for the Grand Parkway. Though a segment from U.S. 59 to I-10 opened in 1994 to relieve traffic in the growing southwest region, the rest has come together in pieces. Truckers, mostly, received a key segment of the tollway from Texas 146 to I-10 near Baytown.
Attention then turned to the west, where segments opened in December 2013 and early this year, respectively.
It might be the end of the line - for now - but Houston's freeways indicate there's always another road right around the corner, for good or ill.
"Inevitably, there is going to be somebody who says we need another road beyond the Grand Parkway," Shelton said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The organization at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Texas' abortion clinic regulations said on Monday that it hasn't determined which cities will be first but it "definitely has the ability" to reopen its Beaumont facility.
Whole Woman's Health of Beaumont, which was the only abortion provider between Houston and Louisiana, closed in 2014 after the passage of two provisions pushed by the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature a year earlier.
Currently, the closest abortion clinic to Beaumont is in Houston, more than 85 miles away.
The Supreme Court's 5-3 decision was the most sweeping statement on abortion rights since Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992. It applied a skeptical and exacting version of that decision's "undue burden" standard to find that the restrictions in Texas went too far when they closed more than half of the state's 40 clinics.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented.
The decision concerned two parts of a Texas law that imposes strict requirements on abortion providers.
One part of the law requires all clinics in the state to meet the standards for ambulatory surgical centers, including regulations concerning buildings, equipment and staffing. The other requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
"We conclude," Breyer wrote, "that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access, and each violates the Federal Constitution."
Marva Sadler, former clinical services director for Whole Woman's Health of Beaumont, said that the group "definitely has the ability according to state law" to reopen and will "consider demand and where the patients have been going" in determining what facilities should restart.
"It's a small town, and its a very impoverished town," Sadler said of Beaumont, where she lived for two and a half years while the clinic was open. "Making the trip to Houston is hard, and is impossible for very many people of that community."
In a statement, Whole Woman's Health founder Amy Hagstrom Miller outlined the steps needed to reopen closed facilities.
"We have a daunting task ahead of us to determine whether and how we can reopen our health centers that were forced to shut their doors over the past several years. Renewing leases, hiring staff, and working with communities that we previously served to help us re-open for care," she said.
Beaumont resident Maggi Carter, who attended a vigil when the city's clinic closed in 2014, said Monday's ruling was welcome news.
"It's a really big issue that I've watched my whole life and that I was affected by," said Carter, who said she had an abortion in 1973. "It's frustrating to see it go so far in the direction of control over women's bodies. And now finally that the Supreme Court is a little more representative of the people in our country, we're seeing decisions that are more representative."
Anti-abortion advocate Eileen Romano, Director for 40 Days of Life of SETX/SWLA, said that the ruling will endanger the safety of women.
Romano said the Beaumont abortion clinic was "a complete travesty and injustice."
Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of the Diocese of Beaumont said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened" by the court's ruling.
"The Catholic Church here in Texas, along with Catholics and pro-life people across the U.S. and the world, will continue our efforts to actively protect all life and human dignity from conception to natural death," Guillory said.
In dissent, the Supreme Court's Thomas said the majority opinion "reimagines the undue-burden standard," creating a "benefits-and-burdens balancing test."
"Today's opinion," Thomas wrote, "does resemble Casey in one respect: After disregarding significant aspects of the court's prior jurisprudence, the majority applies the undue-burden standard in a way that will surely mystify lower courts for years to come."
The majority opinion considered whether the claimed benefits of the restrictions outweighed the burdens they placed on a constitutional right. Breyer wrote that there was no evidence that the admitting-privileges requirement "would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment."
At the same time, he wrote, there was good evidence that the admitting-privileges requirement caused the number of abortion clinics in Texas to drop from 40 to 20.
In a second dissent, Alito, joined by Roberts and Thomas, said the causal link between the law and the closures was unproven. Withdrawal of state funds, a decline in the demand for abortions and doctors' retirements may have played a role, Alito wrote.
Breyer wrote that the requirement that abortion clinics meet the demanding and elaborate standards for ambulatory surgical centers also did more harm than good.
"Abortions taking place in an abortion facility are safe - indeed, safer than numerous procedures that take place outside hospitals and to which Texas does not apply its surgical-center requirements," he wrote, reviewing the evidence. "Nationwide, childbirth is 14 times more likely than abortion to result in death, but Texas law allows a midwife to oversee childbirth in the patient's own home."
Alito read an extended dissent from the bench, a sign of deep disagreement. "We are supposed to be a neutral court of law," he said, outlining what he conceded were "dry and technical" points of legal doctrine he argued should have precluded the petitioners from presenting the challenge in the first place. "There is no justification for treating abortion cases differently from other cases."
The decision Monday means that similar restrictions in other states are most likely also unconstitutional, and it imperils many other kinds of restrictions on abortion.
LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/LizTeitz
In the wake of the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Program, going into effect April 1, 2016, it is has been made abundantly clear bundled payments are not only here to stay, but will continue to expand their reach. Interest in bundled payments continues to increase as providers are doing what they can to prepare for, and become educated on, these newer payment reform strategies.
The bundled payment market is growing steadily, led by CJR but also with growth in Medicaid, commercial insurance and self-insured employers. There are many beta projects with commercial insurers but no single model has become dominant yet. The CMS programs (Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative and CJR) could serve as templates but currently commercial bundles are generally "baked from scratch." The inability of hospitals and physician groups to process claims is an impediment to the development of true prospective payment bundled payments.
It is generally easier to affect standardized care redesign in surgical episodes than in medical episodes. The predominant episode of care in bundled payments is Total Joint Replacement of the Lower Extremities. TJR is a high-volume episode with a clear care redesign opportunity to eliminate the variation in post-acute care settings.
Whether you are voluntarily enrolled in a bundled payment model or currently mandated to participate in the CJR program, it is vital to have administrative and physician leadership, clearly defined goals with the "end in mind," project management resources to help prioritize goals and keep momentum and engagement/alignment of physicians, PCPs and specialists.
The critical success factors we stress are:
Episode Data Collection and Analytics: Understand where you are, where you need to focus and how your results are emerging
Understand where you are, where you need to focus and how your results are emerging Care Redesign Implementation: Episode-focused care redesign that improves quality care, reduces variation and decreases cost across the continuum
Episode-focused care redesign that improves quality care, reduces variation and decreases cost across the continuum Provider Alignment: Creating the right formal and informal agreements to drive provider alignment through impactful engagements that improve care and reduce cost under the bundle
Creating the right formal and informal agreements to drive provider alignment through impactful engagements that improve care and reduce cost under the bundle Patient Engagement and Navigation: Personalized web-based care plans that digitally connect you to your patient while guiding them on their joint journey
Consulting firms can provide the support and expertise that hospitals and physician groups may not have available to tackle such new and complicated initiatives. Most hospitals in BPCI or CJR are utilizing third-party consulting companies to perform the data analytic and reconciliation work. In addition to sophisticated data analytics capabilities, commercial insurers, self-insured employers, hospitals and physicians may also hire actuaries that assist them in understanding and mitigating their risk. Stryker Performance Solutions is one option, as our suite of services provides a comprehensive solution for total joint episode management.
Various medical groups are imploring CMS to postpone Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 as the "complex" system may result in penalties for providers failing to meet CMS' standards, according to MedPage Today.
Under MACRA, physicians can participate in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System or the Alternative Payment Models. MIPS consists of a weighted score of quality, resource use, meaningful use and practice improvement scores. Physicians have the opportunity to receive financial bonuses if they obtain good quality outcomes. However, many may face penalties if they fail to meet CMS' requirements.
Here are five points:
1. American Academy of Family Physicians Chair Robert Wergin, MD, argued as it currently stands, MARCA is not thoughtful, simple or careful enough to ensure physicians' success. Dr. Wergin referred to MACRA as "overly complex and burdensome to our members" in a letter to CMS.
2. While the American Osteopathic Association is hopeful MACRA could yield promising results, they are concerned over alternative payment models' narrow definition. APMS do not include patient-centered medical homes, which AOA claims could serve to many providers' detriment.
3. Originally, CMS proposed creating "virtual groups" which would allow small practices to work together and bring in more patients. However, CMS could not finalize the details of the virtual groups, which would have enabled practices to pool resources. The AOA is optimistic CMS will include such virtual groups in its final rule.
4. Additionally, both the AAFP and AAOA are imploring CMS to delay quality measure tracking. MACRA currently would require tracking to begin in January 2017.
5. The American Nurses Association claims MACRA excludes advanced practice registered nurses, in that MIPS has a "a substantial roadblock with the size limit," Peter McMenamim, PhD, ANA member, said. To be eligible for MIPS, providers have to have 100 Medicare Part B patients and at least $10,000 in Medicare charges.
More articles on coding & billing:
Colorado voters to decide on universal healthcare in November: 5 things to know
Private healthcare costs spiked 37% during ACA's 1st 4 years: 5 observations
Medicare funds depleting fast; may run out of funds by 2028: 5 things to know
In the wake of a costly opioid epidemic, the CDC released new prescribing guidelines which advise physicians to prescribe small doses and only when needed, according to Kaiser Health News.
However, CMS is implementing a value-based payment system in which patient satisfaction will likely dictate provider reimbursement. Patients often come to facilities seeking a solution to their pain, and opioids are usually that solution despite being highly addictive. In 2014, the CDC found 2 million Americans abused prescription painkillers, with more than 14,000 suffering fatal overdoses.
Therefore, healthcare is giving physicians "mixed signals" where they have an obligation to adhere to CDC guidelines while also ensuring patients' have minimal, if not zero, pain. Organizations including the American Hospital Association and Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing are imploring CMS to get rid of questions about pain from the official hospital survey. However, many are skeptical whether this call for action will gain traction.
A HHS spokesperson said CMS is trying out different phrasing to better form questions about how providers discuss pain with patients, rather than questions that focus on how providers treat pain. Like antibiotics, many physicians prescribe opioids even if they are not truly necessary because patients want a physical remedy to their condition, even if opioids or antibiotics don't fix the problem. Patient would rather walk away with a painkiller than instructions to get more rest.
CMS officials claim there is no evidence proving a relationship being prescribing opioids and enhanced patient satisfaction scores, yet Andrew Kolodny, executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, argues the point is physicians still believe prescribing more opioids will yield better patient satisfaction scores, thereby increasing their revenue.
Because no studies have assessed how physicians' prescribing impacts the opioid problem, many claim it is difficult to quantify the effect removing the survey questions will have on the epidemic. Mr. Kolodny said the healthcare community needs to focus on the scope of the problem.
"We're dealing with an epidemic of addiction. Some people develop addiction because they took drugs to feel effects. But many people develop addiction by taking drugs prescribed by doctors," he said. "Once people are addicted, they're not using the drugs because it's fun. They're taking them because they're addicted, and feel that they have to. And it's awful."
More articles on quality & infection control:
Healthcare industry lagging in adopting patient-centered, coordinated care model: 7 things to know
10 states with the highest & lowest ASC hospital transfers
Only pregnant women and those starting a family need to fear Zika, experts say 5 takeaways
Maryland hospitals plan Tuesday to launch a campaign called "A Breath of Fresh Care" to teach patients how to become engaged in their healthcare by introducing them to hospital wellness and chronic disease management initiatives, according to the Baltimore Sun.
To support this effort, the Maryland Hospital Association created a website with links to individual hospital websites. It will also display information on education forums, which will begin in the fall.
"Healthcare in Maryland is evolving by leaps and bounds; gone are the days when consumers sat on the sidelines, detached from their care," Carmela Coyle, president and CEO of the MHA, told the Baltimore Sun.. "Healthcare in the 21st century is about patients; hospitals and other providers are looking to their patients and communities like never before as partners in health. Simply put, to enable Marylanders to lead long, healthy lives, we need their help."
The campaign is necessary, MHA officials and consumer groups said, because Maryland recently began participating in a reimbursement model experiment with federal regulators that pays hospitals based on value and health outcomes. In exchange for controlling costs, the hospitals earn higher reimbursements from federal health programs.
The MHA has already gained the support of civil rights group NAACP, seniors' advocacy organization AARP, the Young Invincibles, which educates young people about healthcare, and the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative, a consumer advocacy group, according to the report.
Louisville, Ky.-based Kindred Healthcare has completed the acquisition of an additional long-term acute care hospital operated by Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based Select Medical Holdings Corp. and sold an additional LTAC hospital to Select.
Kindred acquired a leased hospital in San Antonio from Select and sold a leased hospital in Atlanta to Select as part of a previously announced agreement.
As announced June 1, Kindred has also acquired leased hospitals in Indianapolis, Houston, Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo., and sold its owned hospital in Cleveland and its leased hospital in Cleveland.
"We have taken aggressive steps to reposition our LTAC portfolio in front of LTAC criteria. We believe the five hospitals that we have acquired from Select will improve our ability to continue the care for our patients in several important markets," Benjamin A. Breier, Kindred's president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.
Nurses with convictions for crimes of violence, sexual offenses and drug thefts are able to evade detection in six states, which have far fewer protections in place than most states when it comes to licensing healthcare workers, according to the Denver Post.
While candidates for jobs such as massage therapists or private investigators are required to submit a fingerprint for checks against state and FBI conviction records, the nurse licensing systems in Colorado, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Maine and Hawaii rely on self-disclosure and complaints. The porous process allows nurses disqualified from obtaining licensure in other states to obtain a license in one of the six states with less scrutiny.
In Colorado, while hospitals and other healthcare employers say they perform their own background checks on nurses, individuals with criminal records continue to get hired. Additionally, hospitals that discover a nurse's criminal past are not required to report them to the state's licensing board, so the employee can find a job elsewhere.
The Denver Post reviewed state nurse discipline records involving criminal activity from 2010 to the present. From the hundreds of records, reporters discovered dozens of cases in which nurses or applicants did not disclose convictions and continued working in Colorado. At least seven people had convictions for sexual crimes, according to the report.
"Any healthcare providers with access to highly addictive narcotics should have checks," said state Rep. Susan Lontine, (D), who co-sponsored a bill this year to require background checks for surgical techs and assistants, according to the report. "We should look at doing something."
Cory Everett, a deputy director with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, said her department will likely seek legislation in the upcoming session to gain authority to conduct criminal background checks for nurse licensing, though she said such checks will require added resources, according to the report.
Minneapolis-based Allina Health has presented a new offer to its nurses in the wake of a seven-day strike, according to a Star Tribune report.
The 4,800 nurses, represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association, began a weeklong strike June 19 at five Minnesota facilities Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis, Unity Hospital in Fridley, United Hospital in St. Paul, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis after voting to reject Allina's previous contract offer and authorize a walkout. At issue in the strike was Allina's plan to eliminate union-backed health insurance and move the workers to plans that other health system employees receive.
The new offer from Allina still calls for nurses to switch from their costly union-backed health plans; however, the proposal gives them until 2020 to make the move, according to the report. The report states that the new offer also includes concessions in other areas such as allowing the union to appoint nurses to workplace safety committees as well as 2 percent raises for each of the next three years.
"The proposal we are making...shows Allina Health is prepared to have an open, constructive dialogue on the issues that both [parties ] have identified as important to an agreement," Penny Wheeler, MD, Allina's president and CEO, said, according to the Star Tribune.
The MNA plans to review the proposal.
"Our position has been clear from the beginning," the union said in its statement, according to the report. "Nurses will not take a step backward economically in the next contract."
Allina did not disclose a date to resume negotiations.
More articles on human capital and risk:
Indiana Regional nurses want more talks despite hospital declaring impasse
Brigham and Women's, nurses reach tentative deal
A jury has ordered Oceanside, Calif.-based Tri-City Medical Center to pay a private management and funding company nearly $20 million, plus attorney fees, in a dispute regarding the hospital's three-story medical office building, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Jurors agreed unanimously that Tri-City Medical Center should pay Medical Acquisition Company $19.7 million for a 57,000-square foot medical office building that has been vacant since construction was completed in 2013.
The building has remained vacant due to an estranged contract agreement between the two entities that began in 2011. However, the deal fell apart in 2012, and Tri-City eventually seized the property through eminent domain.
The hospital claimed that conflicts of interest between former CEO Larry Anderson who was fired in October 2013 and one of its board members, RoseMarie Reno, invalidated the contract with MAC. However, MAC argued there was no conflict of interest and the hospital owed the company the highest fair market value for the building.
Charly Perez, president of MAC, said he was relieved by the court's verdict. "It was a longtime in coming," he said in a statement, according to the San Diego Business Journal. "Now all we want is for the community to be served by the building as it was intended, and to be paid for the value we contributed."
After turning himself in to authorities in May, a physician charged with stealing $177,022 in medical equipment form NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Ill., pleaded not guilty Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Vinay Rawlani, MD, allegedly stole several pieces of ultrasound equipment, infusion and compression pumps, a defibrillator and more from NorthShore facilities between Jan. 23 and April 22. He was arrested after hospital staff noticed the missing equipment and security personnel identified Dr. Rawlani as the thief.
Dr. Rawlani, who was two months from completing his residency, pleaded not guilty to all charges even after he admitted to accidentally taking some of the equipment while traveling between NorthShore hospitals. He is free on bond and enrolled in a court mental health program, according to the Chicago Tribune.
He will appear in court Aug. 12 for a hearing.
Citing a waitlist at Western State Hospital, a court official Monday threatened to stop signing civil commitments that would send people to the Lakewood, Wash.-based psychiatric facility, The Seattle Times reports.
Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Craig Adams ordered the state's Department of Social and Health Services and other officials to provide briefs by July 6 on how to unclog the waitlist and reduce the number of times patients intended for Western State are held in other facilities instead, according to the report. Because of the waitlist at Western State, which the hospital attributed to the shortage of staff and beds, Mr. Adams questioned why he should continue to sign civil commitments to the facility, the report states.
The court official's action comes about two weeks after Cheryl Strange, who was named CEO of Western State in April, was found in contempt of court June 10 for keeping a man with dementia and behavioral disturbances on the wait list for admission after a civil court ordered the man to go to the hospital earlier this year. Ms. Strange was given the option to either admit the patient or report to jail June 15.
After the hearing June 10, Ms. Strange said she would report to jail as she didn't intend to admit the patient. However, the state DSHS stepped in and asked a judge to issue a stay. The judge granted the state's request, keeping Ms. Strange out of jail at least through June 21, according to The Seattle Times.
A North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Monday fined Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health Plan $22,000 for not filing advertisements for its Medicare supplement insurance as required by law and for omitting required information from the ads, according to the News & Observer.
Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm said Sanford Health Plan failed to file 14 ads with his department since 2010. If the health plan had filed the ads, Mr. Hamm said he would have required it to make several changes to them, according to the report.
North Dakota law stipulates that any company selling Medicare supplement insurance must provide a copy of any advertisements within 10 days of their publication in the state for review and approval by the insurance commissioner, according to the report. Mr. Hamm said Sanford failed to provide him with a copy of print ads, some online and radio ads and those included in direct mail letters, postcards and pamphlets.
After reviewing the 14 ads, Mr. Hamm determined nine had content he would have instructed Sanford to change, according to the report.
"Because the ad did not reference all the other plans or suggest there were other plans available, it did not meet statutory requirements," Mr. Hamm said in a statement, according to the report. "The reason for this law is so that consumers, which are mostly seniors, know there are other plans."
Mr. Hamm fined Sanford $14,000 for not filing the ads and $8,000 for having incomplete information on them, according to the report. Sanford agreed to pay the fine.
Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health will soon take over day-to-day operations of the lab at Coney Island Hospital after the hospital's lab failed state inspections, according to a Crain's Health Pulse report published on Northwell Health's website.
The lab's trouble dates back to 2013, when a patient died after receiving the wrong type of blood during a transfusion. Since then, the Coney Island Hospital, which is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, sent blood samples off site for testing, but the lab continued to operate otherwise.
Now, it appears the two systems are building on a prior lab-related partnership Northwell and NYC H+H are building a joint lab, the Clinical Laboratory New York, slated to open in 2018.
"Over the past month, the leadership of Northwell Health Laboratories has been providing on-site assistance to Coney Island Hospital, as it works to address laboratory-service needs in blood banking and transfusion medicine," a Northwell spokesperson told Crain's. "We are now negotiating a management agreement with Health + Hospitals that will further strengthen our relationship, specifically as it relates to both the blood bank, transfusion medicine and general laboratory operations at Coney Island Hospital."
To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below
Kingsley Donaldson (left) with his MP brother Jeffrey at a wreath-laying ceremony at Belfast City Hall organised by NI First World War Centenary Committee last year
In the first of a series of special interviews in the days leading up to the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, Kingsley Donaldson, secretary of the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee, tells why he attended the official Easter Rising commemoration in Dublin and penned an article for An Phoblacht.
He's a former British soldier who has a DUP MP for a brother, but Kingsley Donaldson still managed to smash some of the old stereotypes as he set about trying to make the centenary commemorations of the Great War as inclusive as possible.
And the Kilkeel-born secretary of Northern Ireland's First World War Centenary Committee ended up joining in events to remember the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising as well as major battles like the Somme.
The seeds for the commemorations were sown six years ago when Kingsley and his newly-knighted brother Sir Jeffrey talked about their vision for marking the centenary, but at that point they imagined that any programme they planned would be confined to the Protestant/unionist/loyalist community in Northern Ireland.
"At that stage we hadn't really taken in the possibilities of it being an opportunity to look more closely at shared history and shared past. But, gradually, we started to explore that narrative as well," said Kingsley, who along with his brother set up a non-governmental organisation called the Causeway Institute for Peace Building and Conflict Resolution International to co-ordinate their plans.
"We recognised that, at Stormont, it wouldn't be straightforward to deliver events around the centenary commemorations for 2016 because of the sensitivities surrounding the British Army and the sensitivities around the Easter Rising.
"But the-then First Minister Peter Robinson offered to take the commemoration ideas on board, but said he could only do so on a cross-community basis, recognising interests across the island."
The next significant advance came after the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in Dublin brought together a number of stakeholders from across Ireland including Kingsley, and took them to the Princess Grace Library in Monaco for discussions about how to mark the anniversaries of the Rising and the Somme with remembrance and reconciliation.
The upshot was the establishment of the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee, with representatives from veterans' organisations, arts and cultural groups, the serving military, historians and the Somme Museum, together with southern Irish interests like Glasnevin Cemetery.
A number of odd bedfellows from nationalist and unionist communities came together to discuss the anniversary, including people who would not normally align themselves with anything remotely connected to the First World War.
It's hardly surprisingly there were "uncomfortable" conversations along the way.
Kingsley, who was in the Army for more than 25 years, said he talked with senior republicans.
He explained: "Our work has fostered a greater degree of open-mindedness about our shared pasts and a confidence among people who wouldn't normally have a relationship and who can now hold different views without offending or annoying anyone. We're not quite there yet, but I think our work has been fostering a more collective sense of how we might remember these things and how we might learn from remembering what happened 100 years ago and apply the lessons to our understanding of more recent events."
The committee has been largely self-funded and the participation of his brother in David Cameron's national committee for commemoration has provided a vital link with what's been going on in Britain.
Kingsley said that while the Somme and the losses of the 36th (Ulster) Division have been the major focus for the commemorations, there will also be recognition of the "heroic service and sacrifice" of the 16th (Irish) Division at Guillemont and Ginchy in September 1916.
In relation to the Rising, Kingsley attended the official commemorations in Dublin.
"It was a very open-minded day, which was handled very well and, on my way home, I didn't have to stop the car and take a swim in the Boyne just to recharge my Orange batteries," he said.
"It didn't offend my sensibilities; it didn't attack my sense of identity. And, in fact, it enhanced my understanding of the passion and the nature of people's commitment to their sense of being Irish.
"But I was very aware throughout the day that there was plenty of space for me to be me. And I think the fundamental shift in the way these things are marked is something we would like to emulate with the First World War commemoration. It doesn't need to be exclusive.
"It can be whatever it means to every individual."
He recently wrote an article for the Sinn Fein weekly newpaper An Phoblacht, saying that there was less of a stigma nowadays for a unionist finding out that a relative had nursed the rebels in Dublin at the GPO in 1916, or a republican discovering that his grandfather was at Gallipoli.
Kingsley and Jeffrey didn't lose any of their forebears at the Somme, though there's sometimes public confusion because three brothers called Donaldson died during the war, but there are no known connections.
There is a family link, however, with the 1914-18 conflict.
Kingsley, who lost two RUC cousins during the Troubles, said: "My aunt Maud's uncle won a Victoria Cross in France in 1917.
"He was Robert Hanna, who was born at Aughnahoory in Kilkeel but served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, so next year we will turn our attention as a family to getting a memorial stone for him."
The Great War ended on November 11, 1918 and Kingsley is hopeful even more people will take part in events to mark the centenary of the Armistice in two years.
"I would like to think we would finish our commemorative activity with something more than just being in front of a war memorial at 11am on that Sunday," he said.
"Perhaps we might do something more collectively as a community to recognise that the sacrifices of the soldiers weren't in vain."
Invest NI boss Alastair Hamilton is meeting more than a dozen US investors this week in an attempt to attract new business following the UK's vote to exit the EU.
He's on a week-long trip across the US, which will include more than 14 meetings with potential investors, on both the east and west coasts.
And Invest NI is focusing on pushing the case for Northern Ireland as low-cost base for technology and financial services firms, along with the proposed reduction in corporation tax here.
His visit comes as Damian Carolan of law firm Allen & Overy said that financial back and middle office jobs could be retained in cities such as Belfast post-Brexit.
Thousands of staff work in back office roles in Belfast for big City financial companies - including nearly 2,000 employees at Citigroup.
But writing in the Financial Times, Mr Carolan said back office jobs could stay in the UK, as cities such as Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester would remain low-cost bases.
Mr Hamilton is due to visit firms in cities across the US, including Boston, San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
However, Invest NI would not identify which businesses he would be meeting as they are "commercially sensitive".
"The number of new investors to Northern Ireland has grown by 40% over the past five years, and we remain confident that Northern Ireland will continue to succeed as an attractive location for investment, in particular from our largest target market, the USA," a spokeswoman said.
"At present, Invest NI predominantly targets cost centre opportunities, many of which are offshore service centres for their parent operations.
"The majority of those investors, and those in our pipeline, are not looking for market access, nor will they be impacted by a change in that position.
"The two key factors - talent and cost - have not changed so we expect to continue to drive forward on FDI. In addition, the reduction in corporation tax will play an invaluable role in rebalancing our economy, by supporting job creation, based on the combination of tax, talent and value.
"Invest NI's trade mission and inward investment visit programmes will continue as planned."
Airline bosses have signed a "call for action" to keep Europe's skies open during air traffic control (ATC) strikes.
The chief executives of easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways' parent company IAG were among those who supported the measure at a summit in Brussels.
The meeting in the Belgian capital took place amid another strike by French ATC unions which caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled.
Since 2010 there have been 213 days of disruption in Europe due to ATC strikes, according to lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E).
Some 30,000 flights were cancelled as a result of the disputes, affecting more than two million passengers.
The disruption also caused delays of more than six million minutes.
The "call for action" contains a number of proposals that air traffic controllers and their unions could voluntarily commit to in order to minimise the negative impact of strikes.
They include:
:: Participating in arbitrary or conciliatory procedures before taking industrial action.
:: Protecting flights over a country affected by strikes.
:: Providing advance warning at least 21 days before a strike and a 72-hour advance notification of the expected participation by employees so airlines can better anticipate the level of disruption.
A4E challenged the signatories to also consider more ambitious measures in the longer term, such as minimum service provisions, ATC being carried out by other countries over a region affected by strike action, and a "right of redress" with air navigation service providers for the impact of disruption from industrial disputes in a bid to encourage constructive negotiations.
A PwC study commissioned by A4E calculated that the cumulative impact of ATC strikes on GDP in the European Union from 2010-2015 was 9.5 billion euros (7.9bn), which was associated with 131,000 jobs.
The majority of the economic impact was due to a cut in tourism spending worth five billion euros (4.2bn).
Reduced productivity through delayed journeys was worth three billion euros (2.5bn), followed by lower airline revenues costing around 497 million euros (413 million).
There were 167 strike days in the EU during the six-year period, most frequently in France, followed by Greece, Italy and Portugal.
EasyJet chief executive Carolyn McCall told the summit: "You cannot put a number on the loss in terms of people missing out on weddings, family holidays, important business meetings.
"ATC strikes are one of the most damaging issues facing passengers and airlines today.
"It is an immediate and pressing issue, but there is currently no process in place, legislative or otherwise, to tackle it on a European level.
"We are at the mercy of unreasonable and disproportionate strike action, and our passengers lose out."
The PwC study was based on 213 days of disruption, taking into account the days before strikes when flights were cancelled in advance and the days after when there were knock-on delays.
Hundreds of flights to, from or over France were cancelled on Tuesday due to the country's 12th ATC strike in the past 13 weeks.
The cancellations included 166 by Ryanair and 56 by easyJet, while further flights were delayed.
Artist's impression issued by EDF of plans for the new Hinkley Point nuclear power station
The Hinkley Point nuclear power station project could become a casualty of Brexit, it has been reported.
The 18 billion plans to build the new plant in Somerset could be cancelled now that Britain has voted to leave the EU, a Government advisor told the The Times.
Paul Dorfman said it is "extremely unlikely" that French energy giant EDF will continue with its plans, in the latest of a series of delays for the development.
Mr Dorfman, senior research fellow at University College London, told The Times: "How can EDF invest billions when there is so much uncertainty?"
Angus Brendan MacNeil MP, chairman of the Commons energy and climate select committee said Hinkley is "bedevilled by uncertainty".
"Until last week ... EDF was investing in another EU member state. Now that is no longer the case," he told The Times.
The plant was originally set to be completed by 2017 but will not generate power until at least 2025, after issues with funding and French unions.
EDF has insisted Brexit will have no impact and told The Times: "EDF confirms its commitment to the Hinkley Point project, which continues."
Derek Thompson, who plays Charlie Fairhead in Casualty, will star in the 30th anniversary epiosode
Casualty will mark its 30th anniversary with a feature-length episode that will include "a shocking stunt", the show's producer has said.
Too Old For This Shift, the milestone instalment about Holby City Hospital's emergency department (ED), will be broadcast on August 27.
It will include scenes that will hit "the very heart of the hospital" as key characters will be put in peril.
Fans are promised a trip down memory lane as some much-loved faces from the show's past return.
Stalwart Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson, will also be celebrated as he reaches 30 years of service to the NHS.
But the beating heart of Holby's ED will not have a smooth ride in the special episode.
The team will have to support Charlie and the ED staff in this moment of turmoil.
Belfast-born Thompson has been a Casualty cast member since its debut on BBC One.
He said: "From day one of filming Casualty in 1986, I've been so proud of its true to life storytelling, representing everything the NHS stands for."
The 68-year-old added: "I've been a part of a few anniversaries over the years, but this really feels like a significant moment in British television history."
The heart-wrenching extended Casualty storyline will also see a crossover with sister show Holby City.
Holby's cardiothoracic consultant Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel), CEO Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) will play key parts in Too Old For This Shift.
Executive producer Oliver Kent said: "Casualty's 30th anniversary episode is a huge celebration of everything that the show does best."
Kent also said the feature-length action film "will make the audience gasp, laugh and cry buckets".
He added: "There will be plenty of surprises for the audience, including some old faces that they won't have seen for a while.
"Best of all, it has the incredible Charlie Fairhead centre stage."
Casualty is the longest-running emergency medical drama series in the world.
It has endured due to a combination of powerful acting and writing.
Casualty currently averages 5.35 million viewers when consolidated figures - the audience watching on catch-up services - are added to the numbers who watch live.
The 1,000th episode was broadcast on June 25 and saw the return of original cast member Cathy Shipton as Lisa "Duffy" Duffin.
Prince Harry and Joss Stone (left) watch members of the Basotho Youth Choir during their rehearsals at the Brit School ahead of a performance at the Sentebale Concert.
Prince Harry is to follow in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales and make the fight against HIV a major part of his public work.
Harry is to speak at an international Aids conference in South Africa next month and will carry out other high profile events including meeting doctors and nurses caring for HIV-positive patients in South London and visit an innovative sexual health service.
His decision has been welcomed by HIV charities and organisations who have said his involvement with the issue will help shine a spotlight on the "epidemic" of people contracting the virus.
Diana was the first member of the royal family to have contact with a person suffering from HIV/Aids.
In the late 1980s when many still believed the disease could be contracted through casual contact, she sat on the sickbed of a man with Aids and held his hand.
Both publicly and privately she supported the work of those helping patients, with late-night trips to east London's Mildmay HIV hospice, and serving as patron of the NAT (National Aids Trust).
Harry's charity Sentebale already focuses on supporting HIV positive young people in the African nation of Lesotho but the prince now aims to spread the message to his generation that the fight against HIV/Aids has not yet been won, Kensington Palace has said.
The Prince hopes to convene leading figures in this sector and support their vital work in ensuring that everyone - and young people in particular - get the help they deserve, his office added.
Diana was the NAT's patron from 1991 until her death in 1997, supporting the policy and campaigning organisation which attempts to inform opinion.
Deborah Gold, the organisation's chief executive, said: "I think the focus on HIV in the UK has moved but it continues to be an issue with rising numbers every year - getting attention on that gets more and more difficult.
"I think Prince Harry really focuses on that and will help to draw attention to that. It's something he genuinely cares about and his charity Sentebale has been work with this for 10 years."
She described the numbers of people contracting the virus as an epidemic, with the latest figures from Public Health England showing in 2014 there were an estimated 103,700 people living with the disease in the UK, with 17% of these not aware of their infection.
In 2014 almost 85,500 people were accessing HIV treatment and care, more than double the number (41,157) in 2004, and a 5% increase on 2013.
Ian Green, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "We warmly welcome Prince Harry's commitment to helping tackle the HIV epidemic here in the UK, and look forward to working with His Royal Highness to tackle stigma, increase testing and prevent HIV transmission."
He added: "Incredible medical progress has been made in HIV treatment over the last 20 years, but attitudes and awareness of HIV haven't kept up with these advances.
"The devastating impact of HIV stigma cannot be underestimated - it is a well known barrier stopping people getting tested and onto effective treatment, as people fear reactions from friends, family, colleagues and their community, should they test positive."
Hollywood star Keanu Reeves has surprised Parliament with a visit as the post-Brexit crisis engulfing UK politics rumbled on.
He was first spotted meeting MPs in the Portcullis House annexe, where hardened lobby journalists mobbed him for photos, before later appearing in the Commons chamber for a prosaic debate on the Finance Bill.
After being stopped by reporters for a selfie, the Matrix star strode through the Gothic arches which back on to New Palace Yard followed by a group of excited-looking parliamentary staffers.
Workers based in the Palace of Westminster stopped to catch a glimpse of the actor as he walked past.
He later appeared in the Commons accompanied by Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi, where he caught famously matter-of-fact Treasury Minister David Gauke running through line-by-line scrutiny of tax rates set out in the Budget.
After around 10 minutes the Bill And Ted star left the debate, which was attended by around six backbenchers in addition to the frontbench teams.
Tory MP Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) tweeted a photo of himself with Reeves before revealing they had met "to discuss expanding film production in West Midlands not just in London".
Elsewhere in the Palace, the Labour Party's leadership crisis was reaching new levels of intensity with MPs voting on a no confidence motion in leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Similarly, Tory MPs jostled over who will replace Prime Minister David Cameron when he stands down later this year, as Westminster continued to grapple with how to implement the historic vote to leave the European Union.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey tweeted a photo of himself and Reeves with the caption: "#Brexit explained - it's the matrix."
The Belfast-born actor who has played Casualty's Charlie Fairhead since 1986 is in for a tough time as the BBC hospital drama celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Casualty will mark the occasion on August 27 with a feature-length episode that will include "a shocking stunt".
Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson (68), will also be celebrated as he reaches 30 years of service to the NHS.
But the beating heart of Holby's A&E department will not have a smooth ride. The team will have to support him and the staff in this moment of turmoil.
He said: "From day one of filming Casualty I've been so proud of its true-to-life storytelling."
The company had been in negotiations to take on an unused site in Belfast
A major UK developer has shelved plans to build a 25m high-end office development in Belfast following Brexit, it can be revealed.
The company had been in negotiations to take on an unused site in Belfast, with plans to build grade A office space in a bid to attract top financial and professional services firms.
But yesterday, it decided to shelve plans for at least 12 months. Its understood the business was due to give the green light in the event of a UK vote to stay in the EU.
The 70,000 sq ft development could have been anywhere between six and 10 storeys tall, according to Eamonn Murphy of Murphy Chartered Surveyors, who was advising the developer.
"They had identified a site to build 70,000 sq ft of grade A office space, for the corporate market," he told the Belfast Telegraph.
"But they basically said, we're shelving that for 12 months."
Mr Murphy said another company had also withdrawn from a transaction this week in the wake of Brexit, and the continued "uncertainty" could delay decisions anywhere between "six months and six years".
But he said there still remains huge demand for top-end grade A office space in Belfast, and elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
Last year a report from Invest NI warned Northern Ireland could lose out on foreign direct investment due to a lack of prime office space.
It suggested it intervenes in the market here to help "stimulate the development of new grade A office accommodation".
"There is still the demand for office space. It would take them (a developer) from today, around three years to complete a building. In three years, you will know what the parameters will be".
Earlier this month the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the sale of the Sirocco site in east Belfast, which is due to be developed in a 300m project, was under threat due to Brexit, and a Government conservation order.
Speaking about business confidence and sentiment post-Brexit, Jackie Henry MBE, senior partner at business advisory firm Deloitte, told the Belfast Telegraph clients have "mainly been asking us what happens next".
And she said until it is known how the Leave vote will hit their firms "we are likely to see business confidence remain muted and more cautious investment decisions".
"As indicated by the market volatility, we are likely to see this period of uncertainty continue," she said.
"So, businesses need to ensure they are set up to navigate the immediate risks and impacts of an exit, and have the processes and people in place to manage a period of upheaval.
"Against this backdrop of uncertainty, Northern Irish businesses must continue to be proactive in finding ways to raise productivity and drive growth. We have strong institutions and a highly skilled workforce."
Meanwhile, Invest NI chief executive Alastair Hamilton is on a week-long trip across the US, which will include more than 14 meetings with potential investors, on both the east and west coasts.
A Belfast nurse was told to "f*** off back to your country" after being asked if he was from the EU during a night out in the city.
The incident has been linked to a rise in racist incidents since the historic Brexit vote.
Mohammed Samaana, originally from Palestine and now a UK citizen has lived in Northern Ireland for 15 years and works in a Belfast hospital.
The 41-year-old said he was verbally abused while enjoying a night out in a city centre bar.
He said: "On Saturday night, a man I have never met before said to me: 'You from the EU? F*** off back to your country. Get the f*** out of our country.
At first I thought he was joking, but then he continued the abuse and started shaking his fists at me. I decided it was better to leave rather than have the incident escalate.
What makes me really sad is that the three men and three women who were with him didnt say a word, condoning his racism by their silence.
"I think everyone now needs to speak out and challenge racism wherever and whenever we see it.
Mr Samaana is a member of Amnesty International, which has launched an emergency campaign to combat racism and xenophobia in the UK.
There have been growing reports of racist incidents across the UK since the historic Leave vote win in the EU referendum.
Amnesty has urged politicians and councils to condemn racism and provide support toward helping prevent incidents.
Patrick Corrigan, Amnestys Northern Ireland programme director, added: "This racist verbal attack - in a busy Belfast bar - is just the latest reported incident of its type across the country.
"Bigotry and xenophobia existed before this referendum, but it feels like racists now think it is open season to attack people of a different nationality, accent or skin colour.
When politicians fuel racist thinking, we should not be wholly surprised when some people feel they have been given a license to act on their prejudices.
Society must not stand idly by while migrants and people from minority ethnic communities feel fearful for their safety and their future. After a nasty referendum campaign, politicians must deliver action, not merely words, to reassure everyone that they can feel secure and welcome here.
Amnesty calls on Northern Irelands political representatives, in councils and in the Assembly, to do all in their power to stand against hate.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive at Hillsborough Castle yesterday where the royal couple met invited guests
Northern Ireland's political leaders have refused to be drawn on whether the Brexit furore was discussed during their meetings with the Queen.
But it appears the 90-year-old monarch is in good health, with reports quickly emerging that when Martin McGuinness asked the monarch how she was, she replied: "Well, I'm still alive."
Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster and the Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister had separate 20-minute audiences with the Queen after she and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived for a two-day visit to the region.
It is the monarch's first round of public engagements since the UK voted to leave the European Union last week.
After their meetings at Hillsborough Castle, Mrs Foster and Mr McGuinness batted away questions on whether the referendum was talked about. DUP leader Mrs Foster said that the Queen touched on a "wide range of issues".
"I have just had an audience with the Queen and obviously I am not going to talk about the contents of that," she added.
Sinn Fein's Mr McGuinness, who has met the Queen on a number of occasions since their first historic encounter in 2012, said: "We discussed many things, none of which I will tell you."
Mr McGuinness - who first shook the monarch's hand in Belfast's Lyric Theatre - also paid tribute to her contribution to the peace process.
"I am an unapologetic Irish republican and I value very much the contribution Queen Elizabeth has made to the peace process and to reconciliation," the Deputy First Minister explained.
In Northern Ireland, 56% of voters backed Remain in the referendum. The outcome prompted Sinn Fein to call for a border poll on Irish unity - a demand the UK Government has rejected.
While Sinn Fein and the DUP share power in Stormont, they are on different sides of the Brexit debate.
Mrs Foster, a Leave advocate, pledged to work with Sinn Fein to jointly respond to the consequences of the vote.
"We said before the referendum we would work together to deal with the issues, and that's what we intend to do," she said.
A crowd of well-wishers gathered at the gates of Hillsborough Castle as the royal couple arrived on Monday evening.
Today, the Queen and Philip will head to Northern Ireland's scenic north coast for a series of engagements.
A serial offender and prolific drug user will go to Northern Ireland's highest court today as part of a legal battle to force the Chief Constable to hand back drugs seized from him by police
A serial offender and prolific drug user will go to Northern Ireland's highest court today as part of a legal battle to force the Chief Constable to hand back drugs seized from him by police.
Coleraine man Cain McCarthy, who is regarded by the PSNI as a "priority offender", is using publicly-funded legal aid in his bid to secure the return of 63 so-called legal high tablets.
Police seized the pills amid concern over his health and offending habits.
However, McCarthy claimed that his right to "peaceful enjoyment of possessions" under human rights legislation had been breached.
He also claimed that because the drugs were legal highs, there was no legal basis for refusing to return them.
This is the third time that McCarthy has mounted a legal challenge to have the drugs returned, at a cost of several thousand pounds.
Policing Board member Nelson McCausland said he believed the case was a "bizarre waste of public money".
"Questions have to be asked over the awarding of legal aid in cases such as this," the DUP MLA added.
"Is this really what the public want their money spent on, especially at a time when the Justice budget is under considerable pressure?
"We live in a world where human rights arguments have gone mad. There are legitimate and reasonable concerns about human rights issues in our society, but on the other hand human rights arguments have been used and abused."
McCarthy has been arrested on numerous occasions for drugs-related offences since 2010.
On one occasion an armed response team had to be sent to his mother's house after he smashed up items of furniture and armed himself with a knife while under the influence of legal highs and other substances. Days later, while on bail for criminal damage, he was found to be "highly intoxicated" through legal highs - in breach of his bail conditions.
Police seized the tablets from McCarthy in January 2014 amid concerns over his health and criminal behaviour.
He was found in possession of the 63 tablets after he was stopped and searched by officers who then arrested him on suspicion of possession of drugs. Analysis of the tablets revealed they were legal highs, which are not prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
After the Public Prosecution Service directed against taking a case, McCarthy launched legal proceedings for the return of the drugs, stating that because they were legal highs the police should not be able to retain them. He also claimed his human rights had been breached.
His case for the return of the drugs is due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in Belfast today.
The hearing follows a refusal by two previous courts - North Antrim Magistrates Court and Belfast County Court - to order the return of the tablets.
In October County Court Judge Patricia Smyth ruled that it would be "utterly repugnant to compel the police to return dangerous products which have caused harm" to McCarthy, his family and the community. Judge Smyth added: "There is overwhelming evidence in this case that the appellant has caused harm to himself and to others whilst under the influence of legal highs.
"The appellant is a young person whose prolific offending has now resulted in him becoming subject to the police reducing offending unit.
"It is part of the function of this unit to identify particular triggers for offending in order to achieve rehabilitation. The use of legal highs has been identified as a trigger in this case.
"There is no benefit to the appellant in having these substances returned.
"I consider that this case falls within one of the narrow public policy exceptions which justifies the police withholding the appellant's property."
The referendum result in Northern Ireland has exposed major divisions between the top two Executive parties.
The UK'S exit from the EU is a "huge moment of potential and opportunity", First Minister Arlene Foster said as she sought to reassure the public over an uncertain future.
But Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said the 56% majority here who opted to remain in Europe "could not be bound" by a UK vote.
"I absolutely fundamentally believe that this vote gives us the opportunity for ambition, for innovation, for flexibility and for imagination," the DUP leader told the Assembly.
Mrs Foster and Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness are due to meet Secretary of State Theresa Villiers and the Irish Government tomorrow as the ramifications of the vote continue to ripple.
The pre-arranged talks were organised to review progress on last autumn's Fresh Start deal, but are now likely to be used to discuss the implications of the UK's pullout from the EU.
The Executive is also due to hold its first meeting since the referendum tomorrow, with the DUP and Sinn Fein facing in diametrically opposed directions.
During Assembly question time Mrs Foster said: "What we have at the moment is a huge moment of opportunity and potential, and it is up to us in the Executive to make sure we are well equipped to handle that opportunity and potential.
"I look forward to hearing from ministerial colleagues on how we will move forward."
Quizzed by the SDLP's Nichola Mallon, the DUP leader said she accepted that a majority in Northern Ireland had voted to stay and she intended to respect that. "There's no real surprise there. At the beginning of the referendum campaign we were told that up to 75% would vote to remain. At the end of the day it was 56%," she said.
"The campaign is over, the vote has been taken, and now our focus is to ensure that Northern Ireland's best interests are preserved."
Ms Mallon said the people of the province had sent a clear instruction that they wanted to remain in the EU and she wanted to know how Mrs Foster was going to act on their "clearly expressed democratic will".
The First Minister said: "The mandated instruction was not to this place but to the UK Parliament. We were asked whether we wanted the UK to leave or remain."
Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey asked Mrs Foster to give reassurance for EU nationals living here who were concerned over the result.
Saying she "absolutely welcomed the opportunity", the First Minister added she wanted to "reassure them that we absolutely value what they give to Northern Ireland, and what they have contributed to Northern Ireland".
Sinn Fein's John O'Dowd said: "No matter how you look at this group of islands, they are divided like they have never been divided before. We have to recognise that the EU referendum result is the biggest single social and economic shock to hit the island of Ireland since partition."
The former Education Minister added: "Regardless of where your allegiances lie, whether they lie with the Union, or, as mine and those of my party colleagues do, with the reunification of Ireland, we have to deal with it.
Winding up, Mrs Foster said: "We are determined to use our influence to build for the future.
"The coming weeks and months will, I have no doubt, present many challenges.
"But the Deputy First Minister and I have both made clear we will continue to work for all the people of Northern Ireland."
Individual departmental teams were being put in place by senior civil servants to consider the implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland and identify future challenges and opportunities, the First Minister informed those in the chamber.
Angry Assembly Members have warned there is no contingency plan to cushion Northern Ireland from the "calamity" of withdrawal from the EU.
Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist, SDLP and Alliance MLAs lined up to spell out the potentially disastrous consequences for the province of the verdict - which was opposed by a majority of voters here.
MLAs backed a motion urging the Executive to spell out the consequences of Brexit for Northern Ireland "in the immediate future".
Planned business was postponed to allow for the three-hour emergency debate with Speaker Robin Newton warning Members to be respectful and avoid high emotion.
Opening the debate, UUP leader Mike Nesbitt demanded to know why Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness did not have any contingency plan in place "to deal with this calamity".
He said the last Executive had easily matched its targets for the competitive drawdown of European funds, but now: "Why would the European Union give us money for infrastructure projects? What happens about corporation tax?
"Were we misinformed about the border and the Common Travel Area? I notice that the Taoiseach has said that he will do his 'best' to maintain (them), not that he guarantees it."
TUV leader Jim Allister shouted that Mr Nesbitt was "peddling falsehoods" after he said Northern Ireland was a net beneficiary from EU funds - remarks which Mr Nesbitt asked the Speaker to examine.
The DUP's Christopher Stalford said: "I said that I would be pleased if we got above 28% for 'Leave'.
"In the end, we got 30.5%, and I knew... that ordinary people, who do not come out and vote at election time, were fired up to come out and vote because they were fed up with being ignored by the media and political elite, treated with contempt."
His party colleague Edwin Poots added: "Most of the former leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party voted not to stay in the European Union, including past leaders Tom Elliott and David Trimble.
"Mr Nesbitt does not command the support of his own party."
Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy argued: "It is the responsibility of all of us to try to navigate our way out of the mess we find ourselves in.
"Had the vote been to remain in Europe we would not face the huge degree of uncertainty and potential difficulty that we now face."
The SDLP's Alex Attwood said there was a "palpable sense" of loss, bewilderment and even anger - including loss of identity as well as funds - over the referendum verdict, and criticised the "bombastic approach" of the DUP.
He said nationalists found the decision "upsetting and with immense consequences" because they did identify themselves more as European, but that many unionists would agree.
"Because of last Thursday there is now a different dynamic in politics than at any time in the last 50 years," Mr Attwood went on.
Alliance leader David Ford said it was the biggest political, financial, institutional and constitutional crisis since 1945, and it was clear that the Leave campaign had no "Plan A".
"I wish the DUP had accepted the majorities in favour of the Good Friday Agreement, or indeed the majority at Belfast City Hall on flying flags. It cuts both ways," he said.
People Before Profit's Eamonn McCann, who was in favour of Brexit, asked who the European Commission was responsible to, before answering his own question - "the bankers".
Mr Allister said the UK had begun its rebirth, "taking our trade where the growth is, spending our own money on our own people".
He added that it was sad that the "bad losers" of Remain were still fighting the battle they lost.
Charlie Flanagan and Theresa Villiers will talk about the impact of the referendum on cross-border relations when they meet in Belfast
The UK and Irish governments are set to discuss the fallout from the Brexit vote for the first time on Wednesday.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan and Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers will talk about the impact of the referendum on cross-border relations when they meet in Belfast.
Meetings will also take place with the First and Deputy First Ministers and there will be separate discussions on the divisive issue with SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, who has vowed to block any attempts to drag Northern Ireland out of the European Union against its will, and David Ford MLA, leader of the Alliance Party - another advocate of the Remain campaign.
In Northern Ireland, 56% of people voted for Remain.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Flanagan said: "It is also my first visit since last Thursday's referendum and I want again to reassure people that the Irish Government in its contacts with EU partners continues to emphasise 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."
The implementation of the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements as well as the ongoing work on the legacy of the past and the Irish Government's commitments to north-south infrastructural development will also be on the agenda.
Mr Flanagan added: "My meetings are a welcome opportunity to demonstrate the continuing priority the Government attaches to the ongoing work to support stability, reconciliation and prosperity in Northern Ireland, through the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent agreements."
Ahead of the discussions, Ms Villiers said: "It is important that the UK Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government continue to work together on the challenges we share.
"We will review the significant progress since our last meeting, including the response to tackling paramilitary activity and new legislation passed in Westminster to implement the Fresh Start Agreement. I am also determined that we consider together how best to make early progress in implementing the legacy institutions in the Stormont House Agreement.
"This is also an important opportunity to discuss last week's United Kingdom vote to leave the EU and to see how we can ensure that the interests of Northern Ireland are fully protected and advanced."
A warning has been issued to farmers after an inquest into the death of a man whose body was found beneath a layer of tarpaulin in a silage pit.
Stephen Victor McMinn (25), from Tirkelly Road in Rathfriland, went missing while helping his uncle and cousins build a silage clamp at their farm on the evening of May 16, 2014. He was later found trapped under a layer of plastic sheeting.
It is believed that the welder succumbed to the effects of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide within seconds, leaving him unable to escape from beneath the tarpaulin.
It is the first death of its kind to happen in Northern Ireland since records began in 1968.
A Craigavon Court inquest into Mr McMinn's death was told that the group had laid tyres on top of the lower plastic sheeting layer to stop it blowing away.
After laying the next layer, Stephen's uncle, Robin McMinn, and cousin, Richard Crawford, crawled beneath it to retrieve the tyres.
Mr McMinn went missing as multiple layers of sheeting were being laid on the pile.
His disappearance was not immediately noticed because he had told his cousins he was leaving to meet his girlfriend.
It was only when his wallet and keys were found inside his car at the farmyard that a search was launched.
Mr McMinn was found lying on his side close to the edge of the sheeting at the top of the silo. Subsequent attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Coroner Suzanne Anderson said she would be writing to the Agriculture Minister, the Ulster Farmers' Union and the Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) to raise awareness of the dangers of working with silage.
While the HSENI has updated its guidance on working with silage since the tragedy, Coroner Anderson said: "I think this is something I need to raise formally with them and make sure that any education that can be conducted for the farming community is carried out."
The HSENI's Malcolm Downey said the silo was built according to common practice.
"I would estimate that in the last 40 years, close to two million silos here have been covered in this way," he added.
"At some stage, Stephen entered the area below the silage cover and was overcome by the severe lack of oxygen and tragically died as a result."
He also explained that since its investigation, the HSENI has worked with Stephen's parents to adapt the guidance in Great Britain on working with silage to Northern Ireland, with a section warning not to go between the layers added to the advice.
Carbon monoxide levels as high as 870 parts per million were recorded in the part of the clamp where Stephen was found in the wake of the tragedy, according to commander Edward Carroll, hazardous materials protection officer with NI Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr Carroll said it was unusual to find such high levels of carbon monoxide in such a case, but that was not to say that it did not happen.
"I've never seen such high levels in 26 years in the Fire and Rescue Service," he added.
The deputy state pathologist for Northern Ireland, Dr Alastair Bentley, who spoke to the inquest by video link, said he believed Stephen could have lost consciousness within seconds.
"It is a case of asphyxiation due to entrapment beneath a tarpaulin in a silo," he added.
Stephen's mother, Louise McMinn, said her son had been planning to meet his girlfriend, Rachel Mayne, at 9pm, and had gone to help his uncle and cousins with the silage at 6.30pm. His final text to his girlfriend was sent at 8.45pm.
Robin McMinn told the inquest his son, Kyle, had put his foot through the sheeting where a tyre was sitting beneath, so Robin had gone under the sheets to retrieve the tyre.
He said that after the group finished laying the plastic, they went in for their tea. While they noticed Stephen's car was still there, they assumed he had been collected.
The coroner told the court: "I am extending my deepest sympathy to Stephen's family circle. This is a terrible tragedy for the entire McMinn family."
David Cameron and George Osborne have moved to calm nerves over Britain's withdrawal from the EU, as the financial markets responded with continued volatility after Thursday's Brexit vote.
Both Prime Minister and Chancellor acknowledged the coming months would not be "plain sailing" and made clear they expected "adjustments" to the expected path of the economy, but insisted the UK was strong enough to weather the storm.
Their efforts were not enough to prevent turmoil on the markets, with the pound dropping to a 31-year low against the US dollar while more than 40 billion was wiped off the value of Britain's biggest companies as the FTSE 100 Index fell 2.6%.
The UK suffered a further blow as US ratings agency Standard & Poor's stripped Britain of its top credit grade after a similar move by Moody's on Saturday.
S&P downgraded the country's sovereign rating by two notches, from AAA to AA, warning the Brexit vote would lead to "a less predictable, stable and effective policy framework in the UK".
In a statement to the House of Commons following the first post-referendum meeting of Cabinet, Mr Cameron resisted European pressure for a quick resolution to the situation, insisting it would be for his successor to trigger the two-year process of negotiating a new relationship by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
He dismissed calls for a second referendum to attempt to reverse last week's vote.
His position means talks will be put on hold for more than two months, as a Conservative backbench committee set an accelerated deadline of September 2 for the election of a new party leader.
Meeting in Berlin, the leaders of Germany, France and Italy slapped down calls from Brexit standard-bearer Boris Johnson for informal discussions on future relations before the official notification of intention to leave through Article 50.
Mr Johnson - who is widely tipped as Mr Cameron's most likely successor but was not in the Commons to hear the PM's statement - welcomed the Chancellor's reassurance that the UK economy was "about as strong as it could be" to confront the challenge of separating from the EU and that Britain remained "open for business".
"It is clear now that Project Fear is over, there is not going to be an emergency budget, people's pensions are safe, the pound is stable, the markets are stable, I think that's all very good," Mr Johnson told reporters as he left his London home. Mr Cameron stressed that it was important for Britain to maintain the "strongest possible" economic links with the EU as well as its extensive security co-operation.
"Britain is leaving the European Union, but we must not turn our back on Europe or the rest of the world," he said.
"I believe we should hold fast to a vision of Britain that wants to be respected abroad, tolerant at home, engaged in the world and working with our international partners to advance the prosperity and security of our nation for generations to come."
He strongly condemned abuse of members of ethnic minority communities reported after last week's vote as well as "despicable" graffiti daubed on a Polish community centre.
In an early-morning appearance at the Treasury moments before the markets opened, Mr Osborne said that, after talks with Bank of England governor Mark Carney over the weekend, "further well-thought through contingency plans" were in place to inject stability if needed.
"It will not be plain sailing in the days ahead. But let me be clear - you should not underestimate our resolve," the Chancellor said.
Mr Osborne insisted he was not backing away from warnings that there could be a 36 billion black hole in the public finances by 2030, which sparked accusations of scaremongering from Brexit campaigners during the referendum. It was already clear that companies were "pausing" investment and recruiting decisions, while volatility in the markets was "likely to continue", he said.
Germany welcomed an influx of refugees last year amid the migrants crisis
The number of crimes committed by far-right extremists rose by more than 40% in Germany last year.
An annual report by the domestic intelligence agency recorded 1,408 violent crimes by far-right extremists in 2015. That compares with 990 such incidents the previous year.
German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said far-right extremists targeted asylum seekers in particular.
Far-right groups saw a rise in membership and support amid growing anti-foreigner sentiment last year, amid an unprecedented influx to Germany of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
First things first: the referendum result is the result. The people of the United Kingdom were asked to tell us what they wanted, and they told us - get out of the European Union.
There is no point trying to argue the result does not count because the referendum is not binding on Parliament. In voting in large numbers in favour of holding the referendum, Parliament effectively devolved the decision-making process to the people.
You cannot invite the people to speak, then ignore their view. The result stands.
I still believe that the people of Northern Ireland would have been better off remaining within the EU, and I note 56% of the population agreed. But this was a UK-wide poll, and the people said we should exit, so let us move on and deal with the implications and consequences, once we identify what they are.
The vote has catapulted us into a new era of uncertainty. It will linger longer than the two years of formal negotiations on how we effect Brexit. It may be five to 10 years before we reach a new solid state.
It has been clear since the result was confirmed last Friday that there is no plan to make Brexit work. I have no doubt the leaders of Brexit - Nigel Farage, Boris Johnston, Michael Gove et al - did not see it coming, and are totally unprepared.
In fact, they are tripping over themselves to hit reverse gear over their outlandish claims, like the 350m a week that is not going to the NHS after all, or the fact immigration will continue.
It has been clear for considerably longer that the Northern Ireland Executive has no contingency plan. Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness admitted as much during their recent appearance in front of the Committee of the Executive Office.
Thank the Lord the Bank of England had a contingency plan, otherwise the pound could have fallen even further. The first certainty we need fixed is out of our control. Who will lead the only two political parties capable of leading the county from 10 Downing Street?
The Conservatives have pulled themselves apart, and David Cameron has spotted the Brexiteers have no plan, so is refusing to help them by initiating the Article 50 process that leads to our disengagement. Labour, as one social media wag put it, has endorsed the free movement of people, with the shadow cabinet moving out, en masse.
Investors and the business community hate that sort of uncertainty, and already the UK has dropped from the world's fifth richest economy to number six.
Locally, with so many voting to Remain, there is a reasonable expectation the First Minister will move to reassure the electorate she will represent all the people of Northern Ireland. She is in an unusual position.
David Cameron asked for a Remain vote, did not get it and indicated he would resign.
Nicola Sturgeon, as Scotland's First Minister, asked for a Remain vote and got it, giving her a clear mandate when the UK Government engages the devolved institutions.
Mrs Foster has the challenge of reflecting the tension between the fact the result was for Brexit but was not supported by the majority in Northern Ireland.
Nicola Sturgeon also believes she has the moral and political authority to start the process that would enable a second Scottish independence referendum.
As a unionist, I was keen not to have my fingerprints on that button. We should not be surprised she wishes to press it, but maybe there is more pause for thought in the angry reaction of a section of Northern Ireland's Irish nationalists to Brexit.
I have been struck by the number of nationalists who were previously content to hold Irish unity as a distant aspiration but for whom Brexit changes everything.
We tend to think in binary terms in this country, but it is clear identity is more complex than that and many were clearly happy to accept the constitutional status on the basis their identity reflected their overarching sense of being European.
We should not underestimate the potential implications. Beyond that, the new era of uncertainty has many unanswered questions.
As our land border becomes a line between the UK and the EU rather than just the UK and Eurozone, what does that mean?
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has already made clear the Common Travel Area is something he supports and will seek to maintain, but it is not in his gift.
Brexit MEP Dan Hannan has made clear immigration continues as was, but does the island of Ireland become a more attractive, if convoluted, route from continental Europe into England? And critically, in these times of austerity, what about the money? No reliable commentator argued anything other than Northern Ireland is a net beneficiary of EU funds.
Brexiteers argue the Treasury will have more money, once withdrawal is complete. How much that is, remains to be seen.
There will inevitably be a cost to negotiating continued access to the Single Market, but less clear is what the UK Government will do with it.
When I asked my party executive to endorse the view that, on balance, Northern Ireland was better off within the EU, I offered the room my pen, and said I would support Brexit, if anyone was prepared to sign a blank cheque guaranteeing no one in Northern Ireland would be worse off after a withdrawal - farmers, the voluntary and community sector, the universities, our infrastructure and the rest of those who benefit from EU funds. No one was prepared to sign.
In this era of uncertainty, that is the primary challenge for our First Ministers - ensure no one in Northern Ireland suffers from the Brexit.
As a responsible party of official opposition, I have asked our MEP, Jim Nicholson, to organise a visit to Brussels for our MLAs and MPs to better understand the issues, threats and opportunities from an EU perspective, and to enhance our ability to scrutinise the Executive, when they finally draw up a plan for dealing with the consequences of Thursday's historic vote.
Mobile phone footage taken by a shocked walker of a naked woman posing on Cave Hill for a series of photographs
Mobile phone footage taken by a shocked walker of a naked woman posing on Cave Hill for a series of photographs
A Northern Ireland model whose sexy nude shoot on Cave Hill made headlines has been left suffering from non epileptic seizures following a motorway crash, a court has been told.
But stunning Hillsborough woman Nadine Brammeld-Poole may have to give evidence in the case of the driver accused of causing the accident on the M1 last September.
Ballymoney man Gareth WIlliam McCrea, 26, accepts he drove carelessly but disputes claims about the young mums injuries, according to his solicitor.
McCrea of Drumskea Road was charged at Lisburn Magistrates Court with causing the recently-married model grievous bodily injury by driving carelessly.
But his solicitor said that while McCrea was happy to accept the careless element of the offence he was seeking a date for a contest over the injury allegedly caused.
Describing how a medical statement on the file said Mrs Brammeld-Poole now suffers from non epileptic seizures, the lawyer argued there was nothing objective and nothing to support the contention.
A prosecution lawyer said Mrs Brammeld-Poole had made consistent reports to her doctor about the seizures, adding that the complainant is waiting to be reviewed at the neurological department in the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Expand Close Revealed: 26-year-old model Nadine Poole / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Revealed: 26-year-old model Nadine Poole
McCreas defence solicitor said he had lifted photos from Mrs Brammeld-Pooles Facebook profile taken shortly after the incident where the model is dressed in gym clothing.
The defence solicitor said: Im not a medical doctor but it might be that there are two sides to this.
Mrs Brammeld-Poole made headlines three years ago after ramblers spotted her doing a Game of Thrones style nude photo shoot on Cave Hill.
She was spotted by ramblers who said they turned away in disgust after stumbling across the X-rated shoot.
But a pal of Nadine told Sunday Life at the time that she couldnt believe the fuss around her photoshoot, which she is said to have described as artistic.
At the time outraged Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland called for Belfast City Council to investigate Nadines raunchy shoot, calling it totally inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour.
Expand Close Revealed: 26-year-old model Nadine Poole / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Revealed: 26-year-old model Nadine Poole
This is totally inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour for such a location and will have caused offence to many people who will have been in the area, said the then minister.
Many Christians struggle through reading the Bible. The issue of Bible literacy is a growing topic of discussion and debate. Kenneth Berding, professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology says biblical illiteracy has reached a crisis point.
All the research indicates that biblical literacy in America is at an all-time low, Berding said in an interview with the Christian Post. My own experience teaching a class of new college freshmen every year for the past 15 years suggests to me that although students 15 years ago knew little about the Bible upon entering my classes, todays students on average know even less about the Bible.
Recent studies show that most Americans, even Evangelicals who love and quote Scripture have little understanding of the Bible. According to a report by Barna Group and American Bible Society, majority of U.S. adults said they considered themselves highly, moderately or somewhat knowledgeable of the Bible, but less than half of the group were able to name the first five books of the Bible, and in previous reports even fewer knew that John the Baptist was not one of the 12. When you ask many Christians how often they engage with the Bible, they will say often but engage with it very little outside of the context of church, and daily emailed Scripture. We cant deny that many Christians have trouble reading the Bible. But why?
Some experts believe that the decline in Biblical literacy is because of the changing ways Americans view the Bible. This couldnt be further from the truth. There was a time when Christians were known as people of the book. They were often engulfed in the Bible, memorizing it, meditating on it, and sharing that Scripture with others. In todays age, our world is so fast-paced, and our attention spans are so short that many Christians dont spend time engaging in the Bible like we used to. This is so common that many Christians dont know basic facts about the Bible or even Jesus teachings. Another reason is because many Christians dont think of the Bible as an authoritative voice but more as a book filled with one-liner wisdom. Many Americans dont consider the Bible to be authoritative, that is, they dont consider the Bible to place a claim on their lives, Berding said. They may consider the Bible to be important in a general sort of way, but this is a far cry from believing that God has communicated His will through this book and therefore it is binding upon your actions. If this is the case, and I believe that is, its no wonder that people arent taking the time to engage with the Bible. Statistics show that just a little over a third of Americans read the Bible once a week or more and over a quarter of Americans never read the Bible. Many Christians dont view reading the Bible as an essential part of Christian life. Too often we find Christians lightly engaged and disengaged with the Bible because they dont view the Bible as a solution to their problems.
Another reason Christians have so much trouble reading the Bible is because of the distractions around them. Many Christians say they want to read the Bible more, or plan on engaging with the Bible more but they are simply too busy. Because of our societys busyness, we find ourselves hurried with little time to focus on God. The Bible warns us about this. Romans 12:2 says Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is His good, pleasing and perfect will. As Christians, we cannot allow ourselves to be caught up in the distractions of this world. God wants us to eliminate hurriedness from our lives so we can better be connected with Him.
Technology is also a factor that cant be excluded or ignored. There are hundreds of Bible search and study websites all over the internet and more than 1,000 Bible-related apps that encourage the nearly two billion Smartphone users around the world to search and share Scripture with just the tap of the screen. Its easy. Its convenient. And much good has come from this digitization including mass distribution of Gods word. A 2015 American Bible Society State of the Bible study found that 50 percent of Americans read the Bible online, and Scripture is being shared in mass numbers more than ever on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. While these statistics sound encouraging, there is something that is now missing through the mass digitization and distribution of Scripture through likes and shares online: Bible engagement, which is crucial to Bible literacy and our relationship with God. Unfortunately, Bible engagement isnt happening the way many would expect in our digital age, and its doing major harm than good to Bible reading. With incredible digital access to Scripture on our mobile devices and the ability to broadcast Scripture, people have become disconnected from engaging whole-heartedly in Scripture. Todays Christians are doing a lot more sharing and a lot less reading. The digital space has not helped us. People have shorter attention spans, and want to read less. Many people of faith would much rather have a relationship with Gods Word by consuming a line or two of shared Scripture than they would engaging in what now seems like never-ending chapters.
These are only a few factors that are playing into why Christians have trouble reading the Bible. Its ok if youre not reading the Bible daily or as much as youd like. Today is a new day, and we can trust God to help us through the process. Right now I challenge you to pick up your Bible. Turn to todays Bible reading or even a line of Scripture you connect with that you can easily access. Instead of just scanning the lines, read the entire passage of Scripture, along with the passage before and after the particular text and engage with it. Ask yourself what is God saying to me through these verses? If you actively share online scripture, pick up your Bible and go to the passage the verse youre sharing can be found. Ask yourself what did I learn about this verse that I didnt already know? Asking yourself questions can be a good starting place to gain a better understanding of how God is working through Scripture and speaking to you. We should never find ourselves too busy, or too confident for God or His Word. There is so much more Gods word has to offer you right now.
Lesli White is an Editor for Beliefnet.com
The Sabbath in Christianity is a day of rest like the Jewish Sabbath. Unlike Jewish tradition, held on Saturday every week, Christians started to observe this time on Sunday. During early Christianity, believers would celebrate Sunday, the day Christ rose from the dead. The Apostles would meet on the seventh day to break bread, and this became a regular occurrence.
This replaced the Sabbath, and many Christians today believe that observing the Sabbath was directed to Gods people of the Old Testament. This was before Christ, and even the Lord was criticized for healing on the Sabbath. Corinthians 2 states: Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
What is the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is define by Merriam-Webster as: the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians : Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship.
Today people go to Church, worship, and pray. Many also refrain from working or doing chores, but this is often complicated today with the schedules, family, and even church commitments.
The Lords Day, and the Sabbath should be included in our schedules. After all, it is commanded in the 10 Commandments. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Here are the benefits of observing the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is about readjusting our focus back towards God and allowing Him to become more present in our lives. This is in addition to observing Sunday. It is taking time to be grateful and to acknowledge that He is our source. Despite how hectic life can be, we need to learn to slow down. This can be an additional day to set aside for the Lord. The women rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment (Luke 23:56).
Observing the Sabbath unites the community. In Israel stores close mid-afternoon on Friday until Sunday morning to observe the Sabbath so people can prepare their homes and invite people to honor the Lord. We can invite people to break bread, worship, read scriptures, and pray for each other. This can be a time to us to prayer and build each other up in the Lord. James 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
There is something special about putting God first and worshiping with others as well. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing (2 Thessalonians). Observing the Sabbath will force you to unplug. In Israel, many Jews abstain from all electronics, to avoid distractions, and to keep God at the center.
This is good practice for all of us to cast down distractions. Corinthians 10:5: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Besides growing spiritually, this is an opportunity to realize what is important. More than money, popularity, and material assets, this time put aside will help us realize what is more valuable. We all get entangled with ourselves and the God of this World.
A great scripture is found in 2 Peter 3:13: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Earthy possession can choke out the love and zeal we have for God and it happens subtly.
By observing Sabbath helps reassess the importance of God, people, and sin that is slowing down special progression.
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold (Proverbs 22:1).
Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com.
There are a number of holidays and traditions that many dont know or realize have pagan origin, or elements of Paganism. Many of these are celebrated by Christian culture, and embraced by common culture. Discover five common holidays and traditions have pagan origin here:
Easter
Today, Easter is a celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by Christians. Alongside, Easter being a celebration of the resurrection, secular culture celebrates the spring equinox around this time. Though Easter is celebrated and embraced by religious culture today, the celebration has Pagan roots. In the early days of Christianity, there was a major, and violent conflict between worshippers of Jesus and Pagans who argued over whose God was true. Christians and Pagans ultimately came to an agreement, and accommodated the Spring festival. The date is not fixed, given Easter correlates with the date for Passover which is governed by the phases of the moon. The correlation with the phases of the moon too is connected with Paganism. When it comes to the more secular side of Easter, many Easter-related symbols have Pagan origin. Easter cards, gifts and products are connected with ancient Pagan symbolism. Bunnies are from the Pagan festival of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare. The exchange of eggs is also a part of ancient custom.
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, which also refers to Fat Tuesday, begins on Epiphany, a Christian holiday celebrated to remember the miracles that manifest the divinity of Christ. This celebration originated in the Eastern Church in AD 361, beginning as a way to commemorate the birth of Christ. Later, things were added to the celebrations meaning, like the visit of the three magi. Many theorize that Mardi Gras origins lie in the ancient Pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, such as Lupercalia and Saturnalia. Lupercalia was a holiday that came in Spring that was symbolic of the fertility that Spring brought forth. Saturnalia was the winter celebration of the god Saturn. It lasted seven days and was the favorite of the Roman people. On the day of the festival, there was a sacrifice that took place at the Temple of Saturn which was followed by a large, public banquet. Given Saturnalia was marked by gift giving in a similar manner to Christmas; some sources also believe that Saturnalia was absorbed into the Christian holiday of Christmas.
Valentines Day
While Valentines Day is a celebration of love and romance today, the origins of the festival are connected with Pagan festivals: Lupercalia and the feast day of Juno Februata. Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia was held by the ancient Romans in honor of Lepercus, the god of fertility and husbandry, who was believed to protect herds, and crops, alongside being a mighty hunter particularly of wolves. The Romans believed that Lupercus could protect them from the roving bands of wolves, which devoured livestock and people. Given this, male priests conducted purification rites by sacrificing goats and a dog in the Lupercal cave on Palestine Hill. February, to the Romans was also sacred to Juno Februata, the goddess of love, women and marriage. On February 14, small pieces of paper called billets were placed into a container with the names of teenage girls, and teenage boys would then choose the names at random. They would then become a couple, and join in erotic games at parties and feasts celebrated throughout Rome. They would also remain sexual partners throughout the year. This custom continued through the Roman Empire for centuries.
Birthdays
While research on the exact origin of birthdays and birthday cakes remains inconclusive, there is evidence that ties birthdays to Paganism. The giving of birthday gifts is a custom associated with the offering of sacrifices to Pagan gods on their birthdays. The traditional birthday cake also has its origin in ancient idol worship. They believed that the fire of candles had magical proprieties. They lifted up prayers and wishes to be carried to the gods on the flames of the candles. It was also believed based on a certain school of thought that the position of the stars at the time of birth influenced a childs future. This is when astrological horoscopes came into play, which was believed to tell the future based on a persons birth. Without the calendars and the stars and overall astrology, no one would have been able to celebrate birthdays. Historians have also determined that early Christians initially considered birthdays to be a Pagan ritual. This is because early birthdays were tied to Pagan gods and the Christian Church considered birthday celebrations evil for the first few hundred years of existence. However, this shifted around the 4th century. Around this time, Christians began to celebrate the birthday of Jesus as the Christmas holiday. In addition, there is no hint in the Bible or the early writings of Jesus, or the apostles that they ever celebrated birthdays. There are some Christian denominations like the Jehovahs Witnesses who dont celebrate birthdays in an attempt to avoid Paganism. However, birthdays are not condemned in Scripture as being sinful. There is no direct evidence that birthdays should not be celebrated by Christians.
Halloween
Halloween originated in Paganism, and is related to Pagan belief. Encyclopedia Britannica says: Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. On the day corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars, the new year was believed to begin. That date was considered the beginning of the winter period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed. During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes, and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld. People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present. It was in those ways that beings such as witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons came to be associated with the day. The period was also thought to be favourable for divination on matters such as marriage, health, and death. When the Romans conquered the Celts in the 1st century CE, they added their own festivals of Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest.
The symbols connected with Halloween, along with its customs and practices had influence on Western culture, but this wasnt always the case. It wasnt until the early 20th century that Halloween was widely observed, given Americas strong Christian heritage.
Learn more about Paganism and its different variations here.
Lesli White is an Editor for Beliefnet.com
Amy Beverland Elementary school principal Susan Jordan lost her life Tuesday, January 26th after her valiant act of bravery. A school bus jumped the curb and was headed in the direction of 10-year-old students. Jordan pushed the children out of the way and died at the scene after the bus struck her. The school confirmed Jordans death on Facebook saying, Our district has lost an amazing educator. Principal, Mrs. Susan Jordan, was killed this afternoon in a bus accident at Amy Beverland. We ask for your thoughts and prayer for all involved in the tragic events of this afternoon.
The two students involved in the incident were rushed to the hospital and are reported to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Police are investigating why the bus jumped the curb. According to the Star, the vehicle passed a January 22 inspected by Indiana State Police.
Jordan was a beloved member of society. The township school board released its own statement saying, Susan was an amazing educator. She had a remarkable way of making everyone she came in contact with feel valued and important. She had a passion for children that is unmatched. The entire Lawrence Township Community mourns her loss and extends our sympathy to the Amy Beverland Community [and] the multitudes of people whose lives she touched.
In May 2015, the students and staff members came together and published a video in appreciation of Jordan. Pictures of children holding thank you signs and video bits of admiration display their love for Jordan. Its apparent that Jordans leadership drove her staff and students to strive for their goals. One of her staff members said Jordan, She always beings a positive spirit to Amy Beverland. And thats how she deals with kids and teachers, and the kids parents. She always trusts in her teachers and is always positively supporting us. Shes a great leader and were so lucky to have her in our school and in our lives.
What do her students believe Jordan represents? In the video the students say, J is for joyful to be around. O is for organized in all you do. R is for radiant, because you, Mrs. Jordan, are radiant. D is for demanding because you demand we do our best every day. A is for awesome because youre an awesome principal. N is for nice because youre always nice to work with. And at the end of this heartfelt video the kids proclaim, We love you Mrs. Jordan! Thank you for the many years of leadership!
Its amazing that one woman could inspire so many lives for the greater good. Jordans legacy will live on and shine amongst the rest of the world as her students and staff members continue to share her teachings.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Michael J. Fox is not your average actor. His talent and efforts go far beyond those of a movie or television show. After receiving a Parkinsons diagnosis, Fox struggled with the reality that he was faced with and once he publically announced his condition in 1998 he made it his personal mission in life to make a difference for those also suffering.
He organized The Michael J. Fox Foundation to help advance every promising research path to curing Parkinsons disease. Fox realized that Parkinsons went further than his diagnosis therefore, he took actions into his own hands by raising money to fund the research necessary to getting an answer. Later Fox penned his first book in hope of inspiring others that also suffered from Parkinsons. He went a step further and voiced a testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in 1999 with hopes that his physical testimony would change the course and funding of research. In his book he wrote, I had made a deliberate choice to appear before the subcommittee without medication. It seemed to me that this occasion demanded that my testimony about the effects of the disease, and the urgency we as a community were feeling, be seen as well as heard. For people who had never observed me in this kind of shape, the transformation must have been startling. Fox went on to write another book and appear on several campaigns that support Parkinsons research.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation provides support and advice to Parkinsons sufferers and their families. As of 2015, the foundation is the largest non-profit funder of Parkinsons research worldwide and has funded more than $450 million to speed a cure for Parkinsons disease. In addition, with over a million social media followers Foxs foundation documents their every day actions and efforts towards the fight for a cure. Between the foundation participants and social media community, the message is being heard.
Fox also partnered with Bystander Revolution. The organization is spreading the message of anti-bullying and has teamed with many other Hollywood super stars and notable figures to take the power out of bullying. In addition to promoting Bystander Revolutions message, Fox has also donated his time and funds to assisting further anti-bullying efforts be made in public school systems through education and counseling.
Instead of hiding behind the diagnosis, Fox has chosen to shed his insecurities and be the change. In an interview with Letterman this year Fox commented on his revelation by saying, once you accept it and you learn about it and you realize youre part of a community and you realize youre in a position to do something and to make a difference and to help...
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Misty Copeland is more than a ballet dancer, shes a strong African American woman whos opening doors for other athletes and changing the way ballet is viewed worldwide. Copeland is a ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theater. 2015 has proven to be a very successful year for Copeland as continues to break down barriers previously set by preconceived notions directed towards the world of ballet. In April 2015, Copeland was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME. In June 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABTs 75 year history.
Copeland is considered to be a prodigy because she didnt start ballet until the age of 13. However, her achievements go beyond the world of dancing. She has become a public speaker, spokesperson, stage performer and television personality. She has endorsed products and companies such as T-Mobile, Dr. Pepper and Under Armour. Shes performed on Broadway in On the Town, toured as a featured dancer for Prince and had roles on reality television shows A Day in the Life and So You Think You Can Dance. In addition Copeland has written two autobiographical books, one of which was optioned into a feature length film, and narrated a documentary about her struggles, A Ballerinas Tale.
As a spokesperson for Under Armour, Copelands ads are centered on strong women and the campaign is focused on women having the ability to do anything. There is no doubt that Copeland is showing girls and women all over the world that you dont have to live within a single unit. Instead you can use your talents to expand, become more and inspire real change. And in October 2015, Glamour recognized Copelands work and inspiring efforts by naming her one of Glamours Women of the Year.
Copeland has figured out how to use her success to inspire other women to channel their gifts and live out their dreams. Furthermore, Copeland is very humble and acknowledges her beginnings. When she was 13-years-old she was too shy to participate and it wasnt until a volunteer instructor at the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club took her by the hand and gave her the encouragement that she needed to prevail. Four years later after that meeting, Copeland joined the American Ballet Theatre. Misty is committed to opening those doors for more girls and is giving back by collaborating with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Recently, Misty participated in the Great Futures Start Here and worked with local clubs in the New York area.
And in November 2015, Copeland teamed up with MindLeaps, a nonprofit organization that brings dance instruction, vocational training and academics to the children of developing countries. Copeland traveled to Rwanda to launch the MindLeaps Girls Program and documented her journey via YouTube and Instagram to help further spread the world. Copeland told the HuffPost, Theres really no way to really understand the state that a lot of children are in and living on the street literally not having homes, illiterate, dying. I feel like unless youre there, you dont really see the severity of it. The organization brings children ages 9 to 18, from makeshift homes under sewers and Under the overhangs of buildings into the classroom to learn both dance technique and traditional academics.
Misty Copeland is clearly more than a ballerina. Shes an inspirational figure for all women and proof that hard work and determination truly pays off.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Shes sold more than 40 million albums, has more than 130 million single downloads, and is one of the top five music artists with the highest digital sales and shes also conquered the country and pop charts. Guess what else, shes only 26 years old. We could only be talking about the beautiful and talented Taylor Swift. At the young age of 14, Taylor and her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee and so began her successful singing career. Her third single, Our Song, made her the youngest person to single handedly write and perform a number one song on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Despite the fame and attention, Taylor has managed to maintain a humble and responsible demeanor. She has said in various interviews that she believes its her responsibility to be conscious of her influence on young fans. Her gracious personality is even represented within her ties. From Selina Gomez to Ellen, everyone loves Taylor Swift. She even maintains a close relationship with her fans. Its not out of the ordinary for Taylor to reach out to a fan and make their dreams come true. But, fan or no fan Taylor reaches out to those near and far with her philanthropic endeavors.
Year after year, Taylor is named one of the most charitable celebrities and 2015 is no different. Swift donates auctionable items on a regular basis, and is active in Elton John AIDS Foundation, UNICEF, Oxfam International, and Habitat for Humanity, MusiCares, and Feeding America. Unlike many other humanitarian contributors, Taylor doesnt have one charitable focus. She supports any organization that is making efforts to make the world a better place. Dosomething.org chose Taylor, for the second year in a row, as their most charitable person of the year for 2015. The proceeds of her number one hit Welcome to New York were also given to NYCs public school system. As if that contribution wasnt enough, Taylor also donated hundreds of thousands of books to public libraries in New York to help spread literacy.
In just 2015, Taylor has donated over $150,000 to fans, children and families in need. Of that $100,000, $50,000 was donated to an 11-year-old fan battling acute myeloid leukemia. The fan, Naomi, made Taylors Bad Blood song her own personal fight song against cancer, and the connection struck a connection with Swift she made the donation on Naomis GoFundMe page. Naomis parents had purchased her tickets to see Swift in concert but her condition made kept her from seeing the concert. The pop star found out the news and wrote Naomi a special message that said, To the beautiful and brave Naomi, Im sorry you have to miss it, but there will always be more concerts. Lets focus on getting you feeling better. Im sending the biggest hugs to you and your family. The note came along with the very generous $50,000 donation.
But, wait thats not all. Taylor also gave $1,989 to a fan who was struggling to pay off her student loans and another $15,000 to the family of Texas firefighter Aaron VanRiper after a terrible car accident. Last Christmas, the philanthropist even sent and delivered personal holiday gifts to her most loyal fans.
Taylor Swift goes above and beyond. Her philanthropic attitude exceeds your average needy organization. Instead, Taylor connects with people on an individual level and makes sure that shes leaving the world a better place one person at a time.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie is not your average entrepreneur. Mycoskies philanthropic efforts have changed the way many company owners sell and market their products.
Throughout Mycoskies professional career, he has founded several businesses and sold them shortly after. Then in 2006, Mycoskie visited Argentina while on vacation. There he met an American woman who was part of a volunteer organization that provided shoes to children in need. Over the next days, Mycoskie went from village to village with the volunteer group and came face-to-face with the harsh reality of poverty that existed within the country. In a 2011 article for The Business Insider Mycoskie said, I witness the intense pockets of poverty just outside the bustling capital. It dramatically heightened my awareness. Yes, I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that poor children around the world often went barefoot, but now, for the first time, I saw the real effects of being shoeless: the blisters, the sores, the infections.
When Mycoskie returned to the United States he was deeply inspired by his visit in Argentina and founded Shoes for Better Tomorrows. The foundation is designed as a for-profit business which could continually give new shoes to disadvantaged children. He then created the One for One business model the company donates a new pair of shoes for ever pair of shoes sold.
The campaign has helped to create an appeal to a worldwide audience which fulfills the companys mission and generates great profit. Later in 2006, the name Shoes for Better Tomorrows was shortened to TOMS. As of 2015, the company has donated more than 50,000,000 pairs of shoes to people in need and are sold globally in more than 1,000 stores.
In addition to his philanthropic efforts as a humanitarian, Mycoskie has been very outspoken about paternity leave and how it can change everything for a company. He spoke with Glamour Magazine, discussed his own paternal leave experience and talked about the renewed infectious attitude that he gained from spending time with his family. Mycoskie has spoken in various forums in support of the paternity leave implementation and has made sure to implement eight weeks paid paternity leave within his TOMS company.
Great innovators like Blake Mycoskie help cultivate the world into a better place for the present and future.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
British actor Christopher Lee worked in 150 films during his career, and played cult favorites like Dracula.
Hes also is the most inspirational of 2015 due to his contributions to end animal testing and child poverty. Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was an accomplished English actor and humanitarian. He known for his work in Count Dracula,Lord of the Rings, Star Wars: Episode II, Sleepy Hollow, The Hobbit (Saruman) and Jinnah. Lees last project was Deus Ex Machina 2 as the narrator (2015). Lee received numerous awards, including being knighted in 2009 for his work with charities and film career.
The accomplished actor died on June 7, 2015 in London at the age of 93 from heart failure. Lee was born to Countess Estelle Mar and Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee in London the spring of 1922. His parents would divorce while he was four, but his mother continued to make sure he was given a proper education. Lee spoke Spanish, Greek, Italian and German. Lee acted in plays as young as nine after attending Miss Fisher's Academy to play in Brothers Grimms Rumpelstilzchen.
By 1939 he fought during World War II. He spoke about playing in horror films, and seeing dreadful things.
When the Second World War finished, I was 23, and already I had seen enough horror to last me a lifetime. I'd seen dreadful, dreadful things, without saying a word. So seeing horror depicted on film doesn't affect me much. By 1948 Lee was hired for the role of Charles the British drams 1948Corridor of Mirrors, and also played many small roles until Dracula. .
We don't always get the kind of work we want, but we always have a choice of whether to do it with good grace or not, he said. "One thing to me is very important, if you're playing somebody that the audience regards as, let's say evil, try to do something they don't expect, something that surprises the audience," he said about playing a villain.
In reality, Lee was not a villain-- he cared about ending animal testing, giving a lot of his wealth to stop it.
He also felt that children should not starve death and to lend his notoriety as a platform to fight hunger.
Lee worked with UNICEF, and UNICEFs Child Survival Campaign worked to alleviate the basic causes of death, including common childhood diseases such as pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, malaria and measles, Look to the Stars reported, which shares charities celebrities are involved in.
What's really important for me is, as an old man, I'm known by my own generation and the next generation knows me, too, Lee said.
Lee would work in 150 films during his career
Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com.
She goes by many different aliases Veronica Mars and Princess Anna are just two of them. The talented Kristen Bell has come a long way from her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. From singing to acting, Bell has made a solid place for herself in Hollywood. However, Bell is not just a pretty face.
Bell is a vegetarian and is always standing up for great causes to support animal rights. In an interview with PETA, Bell stated, I have always been an animal lover. I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with dogs and cats, for example from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meet. I always loved my Brussels sprouts! Bell has worked hand-in-hand with the Michigan Humane Society and since her residency has shifted to California, she new supports the San Diego-based Helen Woodward Animal Center. In addition, her efforts have also contributed to raising funds for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and several other non-profit organizations based in California that are dedicated to protecting animals.
Bell has also become a strong advocate of vaccination. Moreover, Bell has acted as a spokesperson for campaigns affiliated with vaccination awareness. In various speeches, Bell has articulated that vaccinations are not only for her childrens protection but also for those they interact with on a daily basis.
Also, Bell has been very outspoken in regards to the legislation for legalizing same-sex marriage. Bell and her husband, Dax Shepard, decided to delay marriage until the state of California passed legislation to make same-sex marriage legal. Bell believed that she wouldnt be acting justly if she decided to wed when others around her were not given the same right and opportunity.
From singing to acting and to making a difference, Kristen Bell somehow manages to do it all. Bell has used her celeb status to become a voice for animals who cannot speak for themselves.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
After reviewing more than 3 million educators in classrooms across the country, The National Teacher of the Year award was given to Shanna Peeples. President Obama presented Peeples with the award on April 29, 2015 during a White House ceremony.
Peeples is an English teacher at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo, Texas. At the school she teaches AP English, English as a Second language and special education. During the recent years, Peeples has received an array of students some never have seen indoor plumbing and others didnt even have public schooling. Before teaching, Peeples was a former newspaper reporter. She earned an English degree from West Texas A&M University and a masters in curriculum from the University of Texas at Arlington. In addition to her teaching duties, Peeples is a literacy trainer for her district, and she gives presentations across the state as part of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts.
In an interview with The Texas Tribune Peeples said, Im still not over even being Texas Teacher of the Year, when you consider there are 330,000 teachers here in Texas who do amazing work. Some of them deal with much more difficult cases than me. Then to think at the national level, I am representing more than 3 million teachers, it is overwhelming.
Peeples also discussed the ceremony in Washington, D.C. by saying, It was extremely humbling. I felt very much the responsibility of representing Texas and hoping that I didnt mess it up for anybody. But what I have noticed everywhere I go is that people love teachers. They just do. When people react to me, my ego would love to think it is about me, but it is really not. It is about what this position is symbolic of, of a teacher that they loved, or a teacher that has really worked with their kids. I think that is what people are responding to.
Deep down Peeples always knew that she would be a teacher. I think I always did, but I was afraid of it. I was afraid that it was going to take a lot out of me and that it was going to be sad, and hard. I tried to avoid it with things that seemed glamorous and fun, said Peeples. The last job that I had right before I became a teacher was a reporter in Amarillo. I covered education as part of my beat. The more I was in those classes with kids; the more I wanted to be there. I realized it I more fun to talk to kids and work with kids than to write about them. That is kind of what pulled me over.
Peeples is an innovative thinker. Her great ideas and teaching style have set the bar high for other teachers and her efforts have clearly changed the lives of others. Not only have students been given the opportunity to learn, but theyve also been given a chance to experience English within a complete different perspective.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Its hard to find encouragement in a deal that many of us find dangerous, and with Iran Ayatollah Ali Khameneis Tweets, uncertainly in the Middle East, and the US bending to Irans demands, how can we find any hope?
Ayatollah's Anti-American rhetoric and threats towards Israels security after the recent nuclear deal approved by the White House should be hard to accept for Washington and for allies.
So here we go again.
Ayatollah Tweeted the following:
Five US presidents since the revolution have wished to see Iran submit to them but they either died with those dreams or are lost. You will also fail to materialize this dream of making Iran bow.
#Israel's security will not be ensured whether there will be an #IranDeal or not.
"US pres. said he could knock out Irans army. Of course we neither welcome, nor begin war, but in case of war, US will leave it disgraced." "US Govs are supporting terrorist, child-killer #Zionist regime. How can we negotiate and agree with such policies?"
US Secretary of State John Kerry was disturbed by the comments one week after the countries met, but I do know that often comments are made publicly, and things can evolve that are different. If it is the policy, its very disturbing, its very troubling, Reuters reported.
Death to America is still being chanted in Iran, and we are seen as the devil. There are people who want peace in Iran just like us, and there are good people like in any country. Many are oppressed by the regime, and when they opposed election time, many were killed or jailed.
According to President Barack Obama, this deal would give us peace, and allow for a better world. Yet, US inspectors are banned from inspecting nuclear sites, and Iran would 24 days to appeal the request.
Additionally, economic sanctions being lifted would give Iran a healthy boost in revenue. We are playing games with our future. You cant trust Iran, or politicians.
So what can we do?
Hope is important here as we need to not only pray for the people making these decisions, but take action by calling our representatives. Then we need to trust God during this time, we need hope to believe that there will be peace, and the unjustly imprisoned Americans like Pastor Saeed Abedini should be released.
Saeed was jailed after conducting Bible studies in his home. Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian has been held in prison in Iran for a year.
We are not going to relent until we bring home our Americans who are unjustly detained in Iran, Obama said in a recent speech.
Naghmeh Abedini said she was hurt that her husband was not released, but said to look to God to bring healing.
God, not Iran, will free Saeed, she told CBN.com.
If this woman who knows her husband has been beaten, and wrongly accused can look to God for peace, and hopeso can we.
This is not the time to become faint hearted, be of good cheer regardless of the news.
Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Most of us know Mother Teresa as a humanitarian a woman who was good to the poor who was selflessly committed to helping those in need. While Mother Teresa has not yet been canonized, she is regarded by many, particularly in the Catholic Church as a Saint. But when it comes to highly-regarded figures in our society, especially after their passing, its easy to lose sight of their mission and continued relevance. The impact Mother Teresa made during her earthly ministry is profound. Here is why she still matters today.
Lets start with her mission. Helping the poor. While we may gloss over the impact helping the poor has, especially because we hear it so frequently associated with Mother Teresa and other humanitarians, its important to remember who she was actually helping. The poorest of the poor. She wasnt just talking about giving back, or pretending to care through words or donations. She was on the ground, in the slums, encouraging her nuns to intimately coexist with those society casts away. And she really walked the walk, aiding in the mandate of tons of institutions to aid the poor including orphanages, schools and hospices all over the world. These institutions were transformative helping to assist those who needed help the most. Many of these institutions continue to run today. Can you imagine how many lives would be transformed if we were truly committed to helping the poorest of the poor?
We cant look at Mother Teresas relevancy today and not look at her possible sainthood the idea of her canonization and the thousands who support it. It was only a year after her death when the Vatican began to investigate possible sainthood. During her earthly life, she exhibited qualities and heroic virtues that the Catholic Church found to be exemplary. Then, when we look at her impact after her death, we still see the miraculous occurring. In 2002, the Vatican was able to validate the miraculous disappearance of a tumor in a woman who prayed to Mother Teresa in heaven. After that, 250,000 came to Rome to be a part of her beautification as blessed. People continue to believe in the power of her name and the healing that can come even through the mention of it. She inspires us to believe that miracles are possible with God. While a second miracle has not yet been identified to allow her to be canonized as a saint, people are so drawn to the idea of her canonization. She has profound meaning in the church and those who are inspired by her earthly ministry.
We can also look at how her memory has survived. She is not just remembered by Catholics, but non-Catholics alike. And her reputation and fame doesnt transcend her creeds. In short, she lived up to her hype. Its been 18 years since she left this world and we are still talking about her canonization and her humanitarian efforts. William Rieads The Letters which comes out December 4 tells the story of Mother Teresa, shared through personal letters she wrote over the last 40 years of her life.
Lesli White is a Writer at Large for Beliefnet.com.
These letters revealed Mother Teresa in a way many of us are not accustomed to hearing a woman who felt troubled, vulnerable, who grew to feel a sense of isolation and abandonment by God. When many of us feel like were lost on our faith journey, we begin to shift away from God, and in that farness justify why giving back and helping others is empty and meaningless. But Mother Teresa never truly strayed from God. Through her times of challenge and trouble, she was committed to changing the hearts and lives of millions around the world. Despite a 40-year spiritual depression, she continued to be transformed by those around her and transform the lives of those around her. Her lifes works, her political oppression, and her religious zeal all reveal an unbreakable spirit that we should all take time to embrace in our own lives.
Regardless of where we stand with Israel politically, the small country about the size of New Jersey is important to us in the West and here are the reasons.
With ISIS, and other extremists want to wipe out Israel, and looking to conquer the world, Israel has the highest level of democracy among her neighbors. Israel it was ranked to have the highest level of democracy in the Middle East, according to Freedom House following Morocco, Turkey, Lebanon, and Kuwait.
In Israel they have civil liberties. The press can disagree and criticize the government like in the US, under freedom of speech and the press.
All Israeli newspapers are privately owned, though ownership is concentrated among a small number of companies, some of which display a clear partisan bias. Internet access is widespread and unrestricted, Freedom House reported. Society can hold demonstrations, and express their views without being censored.
We share a lot if the same values in addition to democracy like human rights. The US loaned money to Israel to help the country absorb Jews from the Soviet Union. After a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Demark, Israel approved a plan to absorb all European Jews who wanted to come home. Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home, announced Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US and Israel share Judeo-Christian values which has deepened the relationship. While Christianity is dwindling in the Middle East, its growing in Israel. Middle East Christians are a minority overall in the region. Israel was an ally to the US during the Cold War, the Gulf War and supporting the nation after 911. Not only has Israel helped the US with intelligence, it helped secure Americas interests in the Middle East. Israel has also helped the fight a shared enemyISIS and armed Saudi Arabia with weapons to protect the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea from terrorists in Yemen.
The US needs a strong friend in the Middle East which shares our beliefs in democracy, and personal liberties. Both countries are fallible, flawed, and not without fault on given policies, but need each other politically, to fight terrorists, and who despise democracy.
If you never loved yourself before, now is the time to start. People are not happy when they unworthy.
It creates issues with relationships, and makes life a roller coaster of emotions. No wonder why self-esteem topics are hot on Googles search engines, retailers, magazines, and websites.
Even on Beliefnet, self-esteem articles and pieces do seemingly well. People are hurting, and this could be a new subject for you as it was for me. Perhaps you were the one that never measured up, lived in the wrong place, or were verbally abused. If not addressed, self-loathing, afraid of success and toxic thoughts relentlessly follows. Ok, are you ready for the first step? Sweet. Its about time to love on you!
Start with wrong thinking. Toxic thoughts generate bad feelings. Be aware that negative thinking is not fact. It can be wrong perceptions, assumptions, and or opinions. Over time this will sabotage self-esteem.
Thoughts like:
Well, my associate didnt answer my email so he or she probably thinks I suck or they are mad at me. All or nothing thinking sounds like I came in third place, so I guess I failed at running.
What is even worse is diminishing accomplishments, and taking negative thoughts to another level by bashing yourself mentally that You are a failure, ect. Stop the negative chatter and stop comparing yourself to others. Replace negative thoughts with healthy ones. Instead of I am a failure. Say I am overcome, and worthy of happiness. I dont receive negative labels.
When this happens stop it in its tracks, and say I am not going there.
If perfection is something you want, get over it. This perfection is unattainable and doesnt exist, writes John M. Grohol of Psyche Central. "Youre never going to be perfect. Youre never going to have the perfect body, the perfect life, the perfect relationship, the perfect children, or the perfect home. We revel in the idea of perfection, because we see so much of it in the media. But that is simply an artificial creation of society."
When you do this, you wont need validation from people that youve been searching for. Self-esteem will help become stable, and a stronger person. This change wont happen overnight. Try to say I love me. I know it is corny, but its affirmingand along with the above, you can realize that I am worth loving.
Having a good sense of money management skills is an effective way to reduce misery, save marriages, improve health and reduce stress. Raising a Christian family means remembering to incorporate good morals and ethics into your structured home engulfed in those elements should be the beliefs centered within the Christian faith. Christians live at a high standard of honesty because God is always by their side. There will be times money will cause disagreements and/or episodes of frustration however, its important to know that even during these times God is surrounding us. Therefore, when Christians evaluate their financial situation God should also be considered in the equation.
God is the provider: Try to engulf Matthew 6:31 in your regiment of money management. Dont become materialistic but keep in mind Christians are not supposed to constantly worry about money. Living by faith is no longer the way to manage your finances. God provides you with property to manage and it is your duty to be responsible for those blessings. People who live without being responsible for their funds and leaving it completely in Gods hands will end up being in debt. Be thankful for the opportunities within your career and the financial blessings that God provides but be willing to own your obligations.
Giving is important: Luke 6:38 says, Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Its important to factor in charity when organizing your funds. This is another way God is put first on a daily basis. As a Christian, its important to remember that God provides you with the strength to work each day therefore, its only right to give back to the church and to charities that have the intent to better the world.
Saving: Its important to make your money work for you. Proverbs 21:20 says, There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. Christians should be able to see the bigger picture and identify what saving a little money each month can equate to. As a family grows over time, parents will need to get their children ready for college or perhaps embark on new career adventures. Having a savings built up will provide the family with a foundation to stand tall on.
Stay Out of Debt: A lot of people get caught up with the concept of borrowing money. Borrowing funds for a house or a car is one thing however, when youre borrowing to pay another debt thats another. In many cases easy credit causes problems later because the amount you could save on the interest paid is substantial. Proverbs 22:7 says, The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Budget: In order to truly understand your financial situation you must keep and maintain a budget. Keep records so you can know where and what your funds are being spent on. Proverbs 24:3,4) says, Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Families will feel more secure knowing their income and debts and will be less likely to get into financial troubles.
Money management tips are essential in Christian homes especially the biblical aspect thats associated with budgeting. Its important to remember God within everything we do especially finances.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
According to the Department of Education, between 2013 and 2014, 1,107 applicants lost eligibility for an entire year of aid because of a drug conviction or failure to report one. And six years prior to 2013, the number was roughly five times higher.
When students apply for federal financial aid, they have to answer whether or not he/she has ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs while receiving federal aid in the past. Unfortunately, if a student answers yes or chooses not to disclose an answer, then the government can legally suspend that individuals financial aid which includes grants, work study and/or loans. The students can become eligible again however, they must complete an expensive drug rehabilitation program or pass approved drug tests. Yet, the law does not punish students for juvenile offenses or tobacco and alcohol conviction. Even though several states legally allow recreational use of marijuana, the student is still deemed as potentially ineligible for federal aid for extent of one year.
Recently Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) are supporting The Stopping Unfair Collateral Consequences From Ending Student Success Act which is also referred to as the SUCCESS Act. The act is requesting the question of drug conviction be removed from the FASFA form.
Sen. Casey told The Huffington Post, A youthful mistake shouldnt keep a person out of college and the middle class. Theres now an emerging bipartisan consensus on the need to reform our criminal justice system and ensure students who have already paid their debt to society are not punished twice.
Senator Hatch told the Huffington Post, It is not the Education Departments job to punish students for drug infractions. Statistics and common sense tell us it is bad policy to deny students education if we want to reduce drug abuse and encourage young people to become successful.
Efforts in the past have tried to repeal the law and failed. But many advocates seem optimistic about the new legislation because of Washingtons bipartisan agreement regarding the ability to reform former criminals. Times have also drastically changed in regards to the drug policies all around the United States.
Angela Guzman is an Editor at Beliefnet.com.
Sergey Brin and Larry Page met as Stanford PhD students while working on a research project together, and developed the program that would eventually become Google's world-famous PageRank algorithm.
The first webpage that served as a guinea pig of sorts for Google was Larry Page's own Stanford home page, which expanded by 1998 to search over 60 million indexable HTML URLs. In 1999, the company moved into a larger, more professional office space, and adopted the code of conduct, "Don't be evil." which basically means to forgo some short-term gains if it means that the company will serve better in the long term if it does good things for the world.
The company name originated from a misspelling of the word "googol", which means a "1" followed by 100 zeroes, which fits the idealogy that "one day", Google would be a very large search engine.
Along with encouraging every staff member to spend minimum of one hour per week on non-job related projects to further develop entrepreneurialism, Google also has a nonprofit division, intially funded with $1 billion, to help with issues like climate change, global public health, and poverty on a global scale.
For more information on Larry Page and Sergey Brin, visit Google's About Us section.
Jessica Jackley, employed by Stanford Business School, invited Matt Flannery to attend a 2003 lecture on microfinance given by Grameen Bank's Muhammad Yunus. The concept of microfinance was still very new, but it served as a "call to action" for Jessica. Soon after, she began working as a consultant for the Village Enterprise Fund, a nonprofit that worked to help fund start-ups in East Africa.
On one visit to Africa, Flannery and Jackley spent time interviewing local entrepreneurs about the problems they faced during the initial phase of their ventures, and learned the greatest obstacle to success was a lack of access to start-up capital. Upon return to the United States, Kiva.org was born - a plan for a microloan enterprise.
Kiva, which means "unity" in Swahili, establishes microfinance institutions, social businesses, schools and non-profit organizations around the world, called "Field Partners", to help further the ideas of people all over the world.
For more information, visit the Kiva.org website.
On paper, Paul Newman had the life everyone would want to live: strong, middle-class upbringing by immigrant parents, grounded in faith; success in film and stage endeavors; a 50-year marriage to his best friend and soulmate; a wonderful family; and a collective of sound business endeavors that have donated over $400 million to worldwide causes.
Even with an active film and stage career, Paul Newman lived much of his life out of the glitz and glamor of the spotlight, in Connecticut. With some 70+ films under his belt, his career placed him on-set with the likes of James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, and earned him an Academy Award for The Color of Money.
All after-tax profits of Newman's Own are donated to charity through Newman's Own Foundation. Paul felt that he had been very lucky in life, therefore helping others was the right thing to do.
For more information on Paul Newman, his company Newman's Own and their Foundation, visit the Newman's Own website.
Whats your greatest fear? Does this question give you pause? Chances are you have a few responses but they feel like a faint possibility in the faraway future. I have a definitive answer to that all-powerful question because I met it head on. And it almost killed me.
On June 10, 2007, Hunter, my only son and firstborn, was killed in a car crash at age 16. I wanted to die. And I pretty much did. Thats what happens. I was forever changed, mentally and physically. When you lose a child, there are immediate and severe psychological and physical effects some that I still carry, some that were more temporary.
While my heart remains broken, I want to share what Ive learned from the front lines of the greatest battle of my life. These lessons havent healed me completely, but they have helped. And I hope they help other people who, God forbid, have to fight through tragic loss. My hope is that my firsthand experience will help others cope and help their friends provide the support they need to lighten their load and lift their spirit along the way.
For those living out their worst fear in real time:
Dont listen when people tell you it was Gods will.
Some people will tell you that. God had nothing to do with Hunters death. Or any person or child who dies due to an accident, illness, or some circumstance of human error. Regardless of your spiritual belief, I dont think God ever takes a childs life.
Call a time out.
You need time to grieve; take some time before you get back into any normal schedule or routine. You will need a period to mourn and process. I went back to work way too early swallowing my sorrow and living in a state of denial. Im still in denial in many aspects I kind of buried my heartache in order to survive. Some of that is probably necessary in many situations. I think I refused to face reality and suffered in the long run because of that.
Expect to go through physical changes.
Its not surprising our thoughts and emotions have a huge impact on our health and well-being. For me, the impact was striking; I experienced premature menopause immediately following Hunters death. It was like my body shut down. I had been a runner, averaging 20 miles a week for almost 30 years. I found I could no longer do it, partly because I had guilt for being alive when Hunter was not and partly because I suffered from permanent exhaustion. I did finally take up Pilates and yoga; the latter was a lifesaver. I found myself experiencing profound emotion during yoga practice when I couldnt express emotion otherwise. Bottom line, find some sort of outlet. Get some physical activity.
Turn the corner from horrific to heroic.
Finding a way to turn the negative into a positive...I know it sounds cliche, but this tactic really propped me up. It was critical for me to do something in Hunters memory. We set up a film competition scholarship in his name, which invites students to warn their peers of the dangers of distracted driving. It was and is a lifesaver. It is a place to put my energy and my love and to keep a little bit of his spirit alive. Because its a passion project, and because its an important cause, Hunters scholarship has grown and it plays a huge role in my life. I know I cant bring Hunter back, but I can prevent other young people from meeting an untimely death.
Give back to the greater good.
You might want to find a special way to remember your loved one. Whether its planting a tree, starting a project, or something else. Consider doing something for the greater good give of yourself to help yourself. You never know what youre capable of until you give it a shot. You become fearless when the need is great and you step outside of yourself (some primal knowledge deep inside takes over; makes us intrepid). Not even a week went by after Hunters death before we started ProjectYellowLight/Hunter Garner Scholarship. Its grown exponentially with amazing partners including the Ad Council, Clear Channel Outdoor, Mazda Motorsports, NHTSA, NOYS and U-Haul, and we even have an arm in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Something gained.
Nothing is the same after losing a child. However, there is something gained. A clear purpose in life, an ability to know and focus on whats truly important the superficial goes by the wayside. A huge empathy and understanding for others, especially those suffering. There is a certain growth and strength in character, and an ability to survive against all odds. I have faced my worst fear; everything else will be OK because having survived this I can overcome any other obstacle.
For those trying to support someone grieving through great loss:
Do something immediately after the loss.
The friends, neighbors and co-workers who reached out to me saved my life. If you know someone who has experienced a loss, no matter how profound, and no matter how awkward you feel, just be there. Write a note. Send an email, give a hug. And repeat. I saved every note, card, letter that anyone and everyone ever sent. I treasure them all it almost doesnt matter what you say or do its the gesture that will be remembered.
Do something again a few months down the road.
Thats when its really tough. People naturally go on with their lives and the attention fades. But the person with a loss is still floundering; suffering. I recall the weeks and months following Hunters death feeling like I had a huge hole in my abdomen. Literally and figuratively. I felt like a freak and that everyone I encountered was appalled. Likewise, I was amazed if people acted as if nothing had happened I wanted to shout out, Cant you see this huge hole? Yes, life goes on, but its an act of kindness to ask a grieving person how that dramatic process is going for them.
Dont be shy about bringing up their childs name.
Please know that its not a taboo subject. Personally, I love to be asked about Hunter and love to talk about him. In fact, I wear a necklace of shells that Ive collected from oceans, seas and rivers. Because Hunter loved the water, I drop some of his ashes in significant places, and pick up a shell to add to my collection. I wear my necklace every day. People frequently admire and ask me about it which leads to talking about my boy. Which I love.
Dont assume to know how they feel.
Speaking for myself here - but I suspect others who have endured the loss of a child may feel the same way... show support, be loving, be empathetic, but dont say I know how you feel. Because no one really knows how another feels after such a loss; even those who have also lost a child. Oddly, despite the seeming commonality of loss; each parent goes through their own unique hell. I know people mean well, but each loss is different, and losing a child is beyond comprehension. Its an unnatural order. Its totally debilitating. It will be with you until you meet your child again. Bottom line, please be compassionate, but dont draw comparisons.
Never underestimate your impact.
In addition to my family, my co-workers saved my life. I dont know what I would have done without their support. The love, kindness and caring we share with one another connects us all universally. Something as simple as a smile, a kind word, can make all the difference. Reach out to those in need. We may all be different on the surface, but underlying, we all have one heart. One soul.
Its been more than eight years since Hunters death and it marks a significant milestone. Hunter has been gone half the time he was on this planet. With time, the pain has eased and life goes on. While I will never be the same and will always suffer an incredible loss, I am able to live my life again with some sense of normalcy. There is hope and a future.
With love and kindness,
Julie
Julie Garner is a Vice President at The Martin Agency, an advertising firm located in Richmond, VA. Garner also serves as co-founder of Project Yellow Light/Hunter Garner Scholarship, a national scholarship competition for teens and young adults that is designed to encourage safe driving habits.
Dont be surprised if you see a new law passed lowering the drinking limits from the age of 21 to 18. This potentially makes many nervous, but the support is also staggering. Advocacy groups like Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the National Youths Rights Association believe it promotes more drinking and violates person civil liberties.
There are states that could change the law. New Jersey, Minnesota, and New Hampshire where expected to propose a bill to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18 if they were drinking with an adult 21-years-old or older. Weve have not heard much since this announcement in January, as the bill assumedly died prematurely. The fight continues for both sides on the issue, but no progress has been made.
At one time you could buy a bottle of wine at 18, but the The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed in 1984 and changed the dynamics. The bill required all states: That States prohibit persons under 21 years of age from purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages as a condition of receiving State highway funds. A Federal regulation that interprets the Act excludes from the definition of "public possession," possession "for an established religious purpose; when accompanied by a parent, spouse or legal guardian age 21 or older; for medical purposes when prescribed or administered by a licensed physician, pharmacist, dentist, nurse, hospital or medical institution; in private clubs or establishments
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) were staunch supporters of this the 1984 law, stating that it has saved countless lives. It cut down tragedies as much as 16 percent, reduced crashes, and prevented further deaths from underage driving.
The organization, founded in 1980, has advocated the threat underage drinking causes. They believe that education would not be enough to keep people safe if the age drops to 18. Young adults still overindulged. The federal government back MADD and passed a law in all 50 states to 21, many states you were allowed to buy alcohol at 18 after prohibition ended in 1933.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reported that 1,825 students die from alcohol-related injuries.
Underage drinking, as well as harmful drinking among students of legal drinking age, continues to be a major problem on U.S. campuses. Researchers estimate that each year 696,000 college students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking, 97,000 students report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape and 1,825 students die from alcohol-related injuries. Supporters of lowering the drinking limit believe it is prohibition, which makes rebellious teens go for the alcohol more, than of theyd had to wait.
Take Students for Sensible Drug Policy founded in 1998 to help change the current laws. The organization believes that lowering the drinking age would give parents more options to instill safer drinking practices and more sensible decisions.
The site said: The 21 year-old drinking age has pushed young adult and adolescent drinking behind closed doors and away from supervision by parents, residence life staff, and other adults authority figures. 90 percent of the alcohol consumption by individuals between 18-20 years old is done while engaging in binge drinking behavior.
The Amethyst Initiative was started in 2008. Professors, presidents and chancellors from universities country-wide signed their name to a public statement that the current age for drinking causes even more abuse of alcohol on campuses. They believe by setting the age at 21, is doing more harm than good.
Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students. Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer. By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.
What are your thoughts?
Corine Gatti is a Senior Editor at Beliefnet.com.
An Indian paramilitary member adjusts the national flag covering the coffin of a colleague killed in an ambush near Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir, June 26, 2016.
Jagtar Singh, a member of an elite Indian police unit, was due to come home to his family on July 2 after serving seven years in the volatile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
He arrived a week earlier but in an Indian flag-draped coffin.
Singh, a constable in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was one of eight members of his unit killed Saturday when militants ambushed a police bus in Pampore, about 14 km (8.6 miles) from Srinagar.
The 45-year-old Singh hailed from north-western Punjab state.
We are filled with pride ... very proud of him, his brother, Pavitar, told BenarNews by phone. He offered his life for the nation while fighting those who have been disrupting peace and spreading violence. He was always willing to sacrifice himself for his country.
He was totally committed to his duties and never feared death. Just as Jagtar would not have regretted sacrificing his life, we have no complaints, even though we believe the attack resulted from a major security lapse, Pavitar added.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, CRPF Director General K. Durga Prasad acknowledged that his force had received prior information about Saturdays attack, one of the deadliest in the Kashmir region in recent years.
A day after the assault, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a militant outfit based in Pakistan, claimed it had carried out the attack that also injured 22 CRPF members, Prasad said.
Both Pakistan and India have territorial claims over Kashmir, a predominantly Muslim region in the Himalayas where an anti-Indian separatist insurgency has unfolded since the late 1980s, killing more than 70,000 people.
Pampore probe details show that a white car with four terrorists attacked the CRPF bus. Out of the injured, five of our personnel are in critical condition; one of them is very serious, Prasad said.
200-plus rounds fired
The bus carrying 40 CRPF personnel was part of a fleet returning from a firing exercise in nearby Awantipore town, Prasad said, adding that two of the four attackers were killed in retaliatory firing that lasted about 20 minutes.
The two other suspects are believed to be on the run and a manhunt is on for them, police said, while conceding they had not identified the attackers.
It looks like more than 200 rounds were fired by the terrorists. We also have intercepts of our own which indicate that security forces were going to be targeted, he said.
The attackers, he said, appear to have chosen the ambush spot because vehicles have to slow because of a sharp curve.
Retaliation against Pakistan?
A day after Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who belongs the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hinted at a retaliatory attack, party members on Monday disrupted a Kashmir state legislative assembly session, demanding airstrikes on alleged militant training camps in Pakistan.
We will make sure not to fire the first bullet, but even if one bullet is fired from their side, we shouldnt even think about keeping a count of the bullets that well fire, the home minister said Sunday.
The two nations have had strained relationships since the Indian sub-continent was partitioned in 1947, with both sides routinely accusing each other of ceasefire violations and pushing cross-border militant activities.
Pakistani-backed militants are attacking our soldiers every now and then. Now it is time India should carry out airstrikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan. We should not accept more sacrifices from our soldiers, BJP legislative member Ravinder Raina told the assembly to loud cheers from his colleagues.
The Indian military and air force should enter areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where militants are hiding, he said, as members of the All India National Congress, BJPs principal opposition party, joined in the anti-Pakistan chorus.
Elsewhere, Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit refused to comment on the attack, telling reporters: I have already said what I think about the relationship between India and Pakistan. Today, we are celebrating iftar. Lets have iftar party and enjoy ourselves.
Updated at 11:26 a.m. ET on 2016-06-28
Malaysias prime minister reshuffled his cabinet on Monday, rewarding loyalists who have defended him against corruption allegations with new posts amid speculation that he is consolidating his power for early elections in 2017, observers said.
In a nationally televised announcement from Putrajaya, Najib Razak said he was shaking up his cabinet for the third time in two years through the appointments of a couple of new ministers and four new deputy ministers.
The reshuffle, which included the replacement of the country's second finance minister, would further strengthen the existing administration to ensure the governments agenda for economic development, welfare and security will continue to run as well as promised, Najib said.
But when asked whether his new team would lead the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition into the next general election, the prime minister stopped short of saying whether those polls would take place in 2018. That would be the regular year for the 14th general election, according to the nations five-year electoral cycle.
It depends when the next general election will be held. I dont know yet, Najib said.
Najib is unlikely to call snap elections immediately but any election is likely to be called in the third quarter of next year, according to political scientist Jeniri Amir.
He would first need to strengthen his grip on things before he can carry on, Jeniri, an assistant professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, told BenarNews.
What we see with the cabinet reshuffle today is a clear sign that he is surrounding himself with loyalists with the likes of Noh Omar and Abdul Rahman Dahlan in the cabinet. And this is just the first step, he added, alluding to two of the big names in Mondays reshuffle.
Noh Omar, the chairman in Selangor state of Najibs party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), was appointed minister of Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, replacing Abdul Rahman, who will now lead the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Ministers Office.
Najib is in a powerful position today. I think he is looking at possible snap polls between March and May 2017 on the back of recent stunning by-election victories, Mahfuz Omar, an MP with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), told Agence France-Presse.
He was referring to two Barisan Nasional wins in elections in Selangor and Perak state to fill two vacated parliamentary seats. Those victories on June 18 tightened Najibs grip on his party, UMNO, following a landslide victory by Barisan last month in the East Malaysia state of Sarawak, according to news reports.
Meanwhile, a source in Najibs administration told Reuters that the strong results in the recent elections were what Najib had been waiting for to call early elections, and these would likely come in the second half of next year.
Comings and goings
Channel News Asia described both Noh Omar and Abdul Rahman as staunch supporters of Najib, noting that Abdul Rahman had been vocal in defending Mr. Najib against his critics in the past year, particularly over the scandal-plagued state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Since July 2015, Najib has faced calls for his resignation amid allegations over the deposit into his private bank accounts of nearly U.S. $700 million in 1MDB-linked money. The PM has refused to step down, maintaining that he never took any of the money for personal gain.
Whats interesting is the re-entry of Noh Omar in the cabinet. Here I think perhaps its a reward to Noh who helped win the by election in Sungai Besar and has tried to strengthen the Selangor Barisan Nasional for the 14th General Election, Mohd. Azizuddin Mohd. Sani, a professor of political science at Universiti Utara Malaysia, told BenarNews.
Last week, following the latest in a string of electoral wins, UMNO sacked two of Najibs critics from leadership positions in the party: former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who Najib had sacked in July 2015 as part of a second cabinet reshuffle because Yassin had publicly criticized the prime minister over the 1MDB scandal and former Kedah state Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir the son of Najib foe and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The latest reshuffle saw Deputy Finance Minister Johari Ghani promoted to the post of Second Finance Minister, replacing Ahmad Husni. Othman Aziz, an MP representing the Jerlun constituency, was appointed as the new deputy finance minister.
According to Malaysian media reports, Husni was unceremoniously removed from his job as second finance minister, and he resigned after finding out that he had been sacked by reading the news in local papers. In his announcement, Najib said he had accepted Husni's resignation as second finance minister, along with his resignation from his other posts as treasurer of UMNO and Barisan Nasional.
At the EPU, Abdul Rahman is replacing Abdul Wahid Omar, who announced his retirement; Nasrun Mansur was appointed deputy minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, replacing the late Noriah Kasnon, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Sarawak in May.
Among other appointments, Sum Agong, an MP from Lawas Henry, was named deputy minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, while S.K. Devamany was named a deputy minister in the Prime Ministers office.
Letter from Anwar
Najibs announcement of a another reshuffle came two days after jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim called on his party and political allies to rally to overcome the recent stinging defeats at the polls.
Malaysia has no hope of making a better future for its people or of gaining the respect of the world under the current regime, whose prime minister is in the center of a financial scandal of worldwide reach and implication, Anwar, the leader of the Peoples Justice Party (PKR) who has been imprisoned on a sodomy conviction, said in an open letter from his cell which published in Saturdays edition of Free Malaysia Today.
The [o]pposition must look at this electoral outcome with humility, and take a hard look at our weaknesses. This is no time for excuses or blame, Anwar said.
Maj. Gen. Chinawat Mandej, right, examines the site of a Sunday car bomb explosion on the road next to Ban Sungai Kolok school in Narathiwat, June 27, 2016.
Updated at 11:37 a.m. ET on 2016-06-28
One person was shot dead and eight others were injured Sunday in a series of bomb explosions in Thailands restive Deep South, Thai security officials said Monday.
The latest round of violence brought to six the number of people killed in attacks that have injured at least 36 others across the predominantly Muslim region since the fasting month of Ramadan began on June 7, officials said.
Between Feb. 10 and the beginning of Ramadan at least 40 people have been killed amid a surge of violence in the Deep South, where more than 6,000 people have died since a separatist insurgency re-ignited in 2004.
A Thai army general Monday warned residents of the Deep South to watch out for more violence in the final days of the holy month, which lasts till the end of the first week of July.
During the last 10 days of Ramadan before Eid-al-Fitr, perpetrators will take this time to step up their violence, Maj. Gen. Chinawat Mandej, deputy commander of the 4th Army Region, which covers the Deep South, told reporters Monday.
Chinawat on Monday visited the site of a car-bombing that injured two police officers and four civilians a day earlier along a road next to the Ban Sungai Kolok school in Narathiwat province.
The perpetrators used a car that was involved in the bombing of a shopping center in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, on April 10, 2015, Sungai Kolok Police Chief Kongat Suwannakham said.
The car was one of three vehicles linked to that incident, which injured seven people on the resort island of Koh Samui, but the car was not destroyed then. It was repainted and reused by suspected militants identified as Hasueming Puta and Sukeeman Kubaru.
The chief said he planned to issue an arrest warrant and request for extradition with Malaysian police, because the suspects had likely already fled to Malaysia.
Among other incidents reported on Sunday, two suspects on a motorcycle shot and killed Abdulloh Doh, the imam of the Ban Kumang Mosque in Yaring district, Pattani province, according to police. And on Monday, another bomb blast injured a paramilitary member of a school security team in Pattani's Panarea district, police Maj. Pongsakorn Wanthong said.
Violent incidents plague the provinces along Thailands southern border where the insurgency has dragged on for decades. Police typically pin the blame on insurgents; notoriously elusive rebel groups neither claim nor deny responsibility for attacks.
People familiar with the region say criminal syndicates on the ground foster a climate of fear so they can operate with impunity. Military spokesman Col. Pramote Prom-in recently told BenarNews that only 5 percent of violence in the Deep South was linked to the insurgency.
Police released this image of suspects in a car bombing outside the Ban Sungai Kolok school, June 26, 2016. (CCTV photo/Sungai Kolok police)
An earlier version incorrectly reported that at least seven people were injured a series of attacks since Sunday.
U.N. General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft (seated at left) speaks before the election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council in New York, June 28, 2016.
Military-ruled Thailand on Tuesday lost out to Kazakhstan by a wide margin of votes in its campaign to win a non-permanent seat on the U.N.s prestigious Security Council.
Thailand received only 55 votes out of 193 votes cast by all of the members of the U.N.s General Assembly, according to information released by the United Nations.
At least 138 member-states voted for Kazakhstan to become the next non-permanent representative for Asia on the Security Council, General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft said in reading out the vote tally, which was broadcast on U.N. television.
Like Thailand under the junta, Kazakhstan, a central Asian republic and former Soviet state, has been the focus of international criticism for its human rights record and authoritarian style of rule. Starting in January 2017, Kazakhstan for the next two years will occupy the regional seat on the council held by Malaysia.
Thailand has spent at least 500 million baht (U.S. $14.1 million) in campaigning for the prestige of being elected to the non-permanent seat, Thai media reported. The Security Council is made up of five permanent members with veto power the United States, Russia, China, France and Great Britain and 10 non-permanent that represent the regions of the globe.
Apart from Kazakhstan, Bolivia, Sweden and Ethiopia were elected to non-permanent seats on Tuesday, while Italy and Netherlands were battling one another late in the day for election to a fifth non-permanent seat on the council, according to news reports.
Thai officials could not be reached immediately for comment. But before the vote on Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha expressed the hope that a majority of members of the world body would elect Thailand to the Security Council.
[It] will be a good opportunity for Thailand to comment in the world forum. Thailand will be able to present issues of the Group of 77 countries and agenda to the United Nations, Prayuth told reporters in Bangkok after a cabinet meeting.
Open letter from rights watchdog
Prayuth is the former general who led a military coup that toppled the civilian-led government of Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014.
Since then, the junta formally known as the National Council for Peace and Order has been widely criticized for implementing policies that have repressed free speech in the country.
On the eve of the U.N. vote on Thailands candidacy, New York-based Human Rights Watch sent an open letter addressed to Prayuth, in which it called on his government to make good on a commitment to upholding human rights that Bangkok had included in its candidacy for the security council.
Since you led the seizure of power on May 22, 2014, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has severely repressed fundamental rights and freedoms that are critical elements for democratic rule, wrote Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
The letter delved into a long list of alleged repressive policies carried out under the junta. HRW detailed media censorship, arrests of government critics and others prosecuted under Thailands strict Lese-Majeste royal defamation law, so-called attitude adjustment detention sessions, and detentions of those who have criticized or questioned a controversial constitutional referendum coming up on Aug. 7.
Thailands campaign for a Security Council seat highlights a human rights policy guided by the principles of reaching out, hearing out and respecting the views of all, Adams said, citing the Aide-Memoire submitted by Thailand in its council candidacy.
But since the May 2014 coup, the government has enforced media censorship, placed increased surveillance on the Internet and online communications, and aggressively restricted free expression. The NCPO has also suppressed the views of persons openly critical of its policies and practices by using arrests and trials in civilian and military courts, he went on to say.
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front row taxi ridesymbolic of the shows content as a fun ride that takes audiences from point A to point B. Gabina VOAs main goal is Enlightening young people, introducing them to cutting-edge technological innovations, exposing them to new processes and ideas so they can be productive, informed and self-governing citizens.
I love how the Lord provides for his people in unexpected ways.
Peter doesnt know where the cash will come from to pay the temple tax, so Jesus tells him to go fishing. He pulls out a fish with a gold coin in its mouth. Another time the disciples tell Jesus to send the crowds away so they can go into the local towns and grab some food. But Jesus comes out of left field again and turns a few fish and rolls into a picnic for thousands.
Three days after the Israelites watch God split the Red Sea and engulf the Egyptian army, they come to a place called Marah (Ex 15:22). Three days and they have yet to find any water. Their lips are cracked and their throats parched. So when they see desert sun glinting on water their hopes soar. But when they run to taste it, its brackish. Its obviously Moses fault. He should have done a Google search for the nearest pure watering hole before leaving Egypt. Hey miracle man, what are we going to drink? they gripe. They were obviously suffering short term memory loss. Hadnt God miraculously saved them from Pharaoh just 3 days earlier? How often our first response to any trial is to grumble and plunge into instant unbelief.
Moses does the wisest thing to do when in trouble he cries out to the Lord. Immediately, God shows Moses a log, or tree (ESV footnote). Moses takes the tree, tosses it into the filthy water, and it becomes not merely drinkable, but sweet!
Approximately 1500 years later God again unexpectedly provides for his people by a tree. When our lives are bitter and brackish with sin, when there is no earthly way to cleanse our putrid souls, God takes his sinless Son and nails him to a tree. A Roman cross, drenched in the blood of Jesus, makes our bitter lives sweet.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree' (Ga. 3:13).
Obviously, it isnt the Roman cross that sweetened our lives, but the One nailed to the tree, taking our bitter curse so he could give us his sweet forgiveness and peace. Praise God for his unsearchable wisdom and unexpected salvation! Praise Jesus for immersing himself in our polluted world and by his death giving us life and sweetness and light.
First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.
Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.
And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.
If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For Immediate Release, June 28, 2016 Contact: Brett Hartl, (202) 817-8121, Bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org Legal Action Launched to Protect Kauai's Seabirds From Kokee Air Force Base's Bright Lights More Than 120 Endangered Seabirds Harmed or Killed Over
Two-week Period in 2015, Injuries Continue This Year LIHUE, Hawaii The Center for Biological Diversity today sent a formal notice of intent to sue the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, and Kauais Kokee Air Force Base over a series of incidents in 2015 and 2016 that harmed and killed Newells shearwaters and Hawaiian petrels, two birds protected under the Endangered Species Act. Artificial lighting on the base disorients the birds causing them to either collide with the lights or crash in neighboring areas. Once grounded, the seabirds are unable to become airborne again and are killed by nonnative predators like cats and pigs. Unshielded, poorly designed lighting has been one of the main causes of decline for these two endangered seabirds. Dead Newell's shearwater at Kokee AFB. Lighting at Kokee AFB. Photos courtesy USFWS. Photos are available for media use. Kokee Air Force Base has become a very dangerous place for these two endangered seabirds its got to stop, said Brett Hartl, the Centers endangered species policy director. The bases slow response and careless actions have significantly set back the recovery of these two species. They need immediate action to permanently protect them from this unnecessary risk. More than a dozen Newells shearwaters were killed by Kokee Air Force Base in September 2015, and more than 100 were injured. During the same series of fallout events, at least one Hawaiian petrel was killed. Many of the remaining birds that were grounded were adults and needed to be taken to the Save Our Shearwaters rehabilitation facility. These adult birds may not have been able to return to their nests during the 2015 breeding season, and as a result their chicks likely did not survive either. These beautiful native birds deserve better than to die or get injured by flying into these lights, Hartl said. The federal government is in charge of protecting endangered species across the country but sadly theyre failing these endangered birds on Kauai. The Newells shearwater was protected as a threatened species in 1975. Its main breeding grounds are in the mountains of Kauai, although small populations are found on Maui and the Big Islands of Hawaii. Known by the Hawaiian people as the ao for the moan-like call it emits when in its burrow, the bird is a small shearwater with a glossy black top contrasted by a striking white underside. It is estimated that the Newells shearwaters population has declined by 75 percent over the past few decades due to introduced mammalian predators, light pollution and collisions with power lines. The Hawaiian petrel was protected as endangered in 1967. The petrel is known to breed only within the major Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Lanai, Maui and the Big Island. This rarely seen petrel is among the ocean's most wide-ranging marine species, and its regular voyages take it as far north as the offshore waters of Alaska and California. The petrel is known by the Hawaiian people as the uau for its haunting, nocturnal call. In spring 2010 the Center and its allies filed notice of intent to sue the St. Regis Princeville Resort as well as the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative over some of the bright lights that were harming these two species. In a resulting settlement, St. Regis Resort agreed to change its lighting and contribute to the conservation of these seabirds. In 2011 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a five-year permit detailing the actions the utility must take to reduce the number of imperiled seabirds it kills and injures each year and to offset unavoidable harm. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
For Immediate Release, June 28, 2016 Contact: Kristen Monsell, (914) 806-3467, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org Obama Administration Permitted 1,200 Offshore Fracks in Gulf of Mexico Documents Show Billions of Gallons of Oil Waste Fluid Dumped Into Gulf Waters WASHINGTON Federal officials permitted more than 1,200 offshore fracks by oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico from 2010 to 2014, according to federal documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity. Gulf of Mexico fracking locations. See interactive map. Map courtesy Center for Biological Diversity. The fracks occurred in at least 630 different wells off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama (see interactive map), and many took place in critical habitat for imperiled loggerhead sea turtles. Oil companies were also allowed to dump about 76 billion gallons of waste fluid into Gulf waters in 2014. The Obama administration is essentially letting oil companies frack at will in Gulf ecosystems and dump billions of gallons of oil waste into coastal waters, said Kristen Monsell, a Center attorney. Every offshore frack increases the risk to wildlife and coastal communities, yet federal officials have been just rubber-stamping this toxic practice in the Gulf of Mexico for years. The Center obtained the information following an agreement that settled a lawsuit challenging the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcements failure to disclose documents regarding the scope of offshore fracking in the Gulf under the Freedom of Information Act. Documents also show that the federal government has been permitting offshore fracking in the Gulf of Mexico with no site-specific analysis of the threats to imperiled species or the environment, and also without public involvement. The federal government has yet to release all the documents, so the full scope of offshore fracking is likely even larger. For example, at least one of the wells connected to the flow line involved in a nearly 90,000-gallon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last month was fracked, according to federal data. The federal government approved the frack job in 2015. Offshore fracking blasts vast volumes of water mixed with toxic chemicals beneath the seafloor at pressures high enough to fracture rocks and release oil and gas. The practice increases environmental damages beyond those of conventional oil drilling by increasing pollution and the risks of oil spills and earthquakes. Oil and gas companies are allowed to dump fracking chemicals mixed with wastewater into the Gulf of Mexico. A Center analysis of federal documents reveals that oil companies operating in federal waters off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana discharged more than 76 billion gallons of such chemical-laced waters in 2014 alone. Offshore fracking is an inherently dangerous activity that simply doesnt belong in the Gulf of Mexico, Monsell said. And the federal government certainly has no right to give the oil industry free rein to frack our oceans or to keep coastal communities in the dark about this toxic industrial activity. At least 10 fracking chemicals routinely used in offshore fracking could kill or harm a broad variety of marine species, including sea otters and fish, Center scientists have found. Other scientists have identified some common fracking chemicals to be among the most toxic in the world to marine animals. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
For Immediate Release, June 28, 2016 Contacts: Alejandro Olivera, +521-6121040604, aolivera@biologicaldiversity.org (in Spanish)
Sarah Uhlemann, +1-206-327-2344, suhlemann@biologicaldiversity.org (in English) Trade Sanctions Sought Against Mexico in Fight to Save Vanishing Porpoise Mexicos Illegal Totoaba Trade Pushes Vaquita Porpoise to Edge of Extinction WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity today urged the Obama administration to immediately impose trade sanctions against Mexico to halt the countrys illegal trade in totoaba, a giant endangered and endemic fish. Mexicos illegal totoaba fishery is also causing the precipitous decline of the vaquita, the worlds most endangered marine mammal, of which fewer than 60 animals are left on Earth. The Centers latest appeal follows its 2014 petition requesting that the Obama administration certify Mexico for failing to enforce a ban on totoaba trade, as required by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Following that petition, in 2015 Mexico adopted additional conservation measures, but those measures have proved insufficient to stop either the totoaba trade or the vaquitas decline. The Centers newest action urges the secretaries of commerce and interior to act quickly to certify Mexico. If the secretaries agree, President Obama may then ban the import of Mexican seafood and other wildlife until the illegal totoaba trade ends. The facts are simple Mexicos failure to stop the ongoing totoaba trade violates its treaty obligations and is killing off the vaquita, said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center. The totoaba and vaquita have waited too long for effective action. Its time to ban seafood imports until Mexico stops its destructive totoaba trade. The primary threat to vaquitas is entanglement in gillnets set for totoaba. Totoaba fishing has been banned in Mexico since 1975, but demand in Asia for the fishs swim bladder, which is believed to have medicinal properties, jump-started the illegal fishery in recent years. At the same time, scientists estimate, the vaquita population decreased by 80 percent between 2011 and 2015 alone. In April 2015, under international pressure, the Mexican government banned most gillnets in the upper Gulf of California and promised unprecedented enforcement to limit totoaba fishing and export. Yet in March 2016, three vaquita were found dead due to entanglement, and more than 600 illegal totoaba nets and lines have been found in the past few months within the vaquitas Gulf of California habitat. Additionally, hundreds of of totoaba bladders have been seized both in and outside Mexico, demonstrating that the lucrative totoaba trade continues unabated. The vaquita needs drastic and immediate measures to ensure its survival, and theres no doubt that the Mexican government has been ineffective in protecting the porpoise from the illegal nets set to catch the endangered totoaba, said Alejandro Olivera, the Centers Mexico representative. As there is no evidence of a real national enforcement effort by Mexico, pressure from the United States is needed to speed up conservation actions. Background
The vaquita is the worlds smallest porpoise, measuring just 5 feet in length. It has black smudges around its eyes and mouth that are sometimes described as a goth look. Totoaba, or Mexican seabass, are marine fish that can grow up to 6 feet in length and weigh 220 pounds. Dried totoaba bladders are used for Chinese buche soup, and bladders can reportedly sell for $5,000 to $14,000 U.S. each. Both vaquita and totoaba are found in only one place on Earth: Mexicos Gulf of California. Negotiated in 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora requires nations to regulate wildlife trade through a permitting process and prohibit commercial import and export of endangered species. More than 180 nations have ratified the treaty, which controls trade in more than 35,000 species. Both the totoaba and the vaquita are protected under CITES, and thus international, commercial trade in both species is strictly prohibited. A U.S. law called the Pelly Amendment requires the United States to officially recognize, or certify, any nation whose wildlife trade diminishes the effectiveness of the treaty. If a nation is certified, the U.S. president may embargo the import of wildlife products, including fish and other seafood, from that nation. The United States has successfully used Pelly Amendment sanctions in the past to enforce whaling quotas and stop rhino and tiger trade in Taiwan. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
The Water Research Commission (WRC) hosted a Youth and Water Entrepreneurship dialogue on 22 June, which saw youth entrepreneurs pitching their water innovations to experts and leaders Dragon Den style. I spoke to Dr Thinus Booysen, a senior lecturer at the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University, who is part of the team that brought South Africa the intelligent geyser system
Tell us about the intelligent geyser and the technology behind it.
Thinus Booysen: The intelligent geyser is based on the notion that, in the new Internet of Things domain, we are able to control things that have not really been intelligent and not accessible to the average user. So weve created a system that gives you a handle on your geyser to control it, to get readings from it, and to perform some analysis which gives a more intelligent control of your geyser.
How did all this start? What inspired you to develop this technology?
Booysen: We wanted to do something thats useful. Engineers exist for the sole purpose of making things easier, I think thats our purpose in life. The two problems we identified were energy and water restrictions and limitations, so we wanted to save energy and water. Being a lecturer, one of my key drivers is to help people understand what they are doing and to give a bit of perspective on the natural environment.
All of those things came together neatly in a geyser control where you have something that consumes 32% of household energy and quite a lot of water as well. In South Africa we have 5.4 million geysers and combined they use in excess of 500 billion liters of water annually. If we had a grip on this, we can help people understand how their consumption patterns lead to their expenses and we can do quite a bit with that.
Why did you pitch? What did you want to achieve?
Booysen: First of all, we would like to create a bit of awareness of what were doing. I think people often think that technology is not meant for Africa and that the general population here arent comfortable with technologies and see it as a foe rather than as a friend. For example, just the term smart metering gives folks a bit of anguish and angst because they get their electricity or water supply cut off by it. So this is really just an opportunity for us to spread the message that this could be something good. As an example, our technology allows you to break down your daily consumption. You can very easily see that, for example, your bath was R5, which is actually quite useful.
We recently returned from Mpumalanga where we did our first ten installations in the province and it was wonderful to see how excited especially poor people were about the fact that they can control their geyser remotely from work. They dont have to come home, turn the geyser on and only after an hour have hot water. They can turn it on an hour before they go home and have hot water immediately when they get home. And we can help people save energy some of the experiments actually showed that you can save up to 30%.Its just a matter of intelligently controlling the device.
Were hoping to make an actual difference, to have people benefit from it. If we can get somebody to buy in and say they are willing to sponsor a thousand of these in a township somewhere, then weve really achieved more than we could hope for. Were busy with a project to install 300 now in Mpumalanga in Mkhondo and Chief Albert Luthuli, and before that we had installations in the Stellenbosch area.
How user friendly is the technology? Is there a bit of training involved when you first install it?
Booysen: It takes about 10 minutes worth of training. The layout of the readings allows you to clearly see what the current temperature and flow rate is, its very intuitive. It also gives you a nice list of your consumption for the day. You can see that it didnt burst. You can see when it is and isnt supplied by power as it is on scheduled control through our system, and when the element is off. Its things like this that makes it easy to understand. In a very neat way, it tells you what happened at what time and how much it cost you. Its fairly user-friendly and easy for people to learn how to control it on, off or scheduled.
Do people need an internet connection to monitor the geyser?
Booysen: We are dependent on an internet connection and a device with which to access the website or app, like a smartphone, tablet or computer, and an email address. It has proven to be a bit of a challenge in Chief Albert Luthuli, but in bigger towns like Mkhondo, most people had access to the internet.
How will your project/technology impact on water and other resources, the way these resources are used, etc? What difference can it make?
Booysen: Weve run an experiment here in Cape Town and, just to give you one very optimistic view of it, one participant reduced their consumption of hot water per day from 500 liters to 320-350 liters. Thats about a 40% reduction already in terms of water consumption. In terms of energy consumption, we were able to achieve about 30% reduction in energy without any effect on the consumer. They didnt even notice any changes.
Weve also seen some users just dont care and its typically the very affluent who dont care about the expenses they would just keep on using as they do. On the other hand, we've also experienced behavioural changes which saw a reduction of up to between 40-45%.
Essentially, with technology that has this kind of potential for water and energy saving, it should become a standard in every household. Now more than ever with water resource challenges facing our country. Do you have any plans to collaborate or partner with government or municipalities?
Booysen: The technology that weve made just attaches to your existing geyser, so its quite small and simple. We have been talking to the WRC and they have given the funding for the installations in Mpumalanga.
Were also partnering with MTN. They own most of the IP that weve generated because they are funding our research lab here at the University.
Weve also been speaking to the Department of Environmental Affairs, who is doing a huge role out of RDP houses about including this solution as part of their smart metering solution.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institutes of Technology (MIT) have created programmable materials that bring otherwise stationary objects to life. Exoskin is a series of membrane-backed, rigid materials that can become broader and more versatile. The changing texture can introduce fluidity and the ability to sense into a variety of products.
By deeply embedding soft materials with more static materials, researchers Basheer Tome and Hiroshi Ishii were able to break down the divide between rigid and soft, and animate and inanimate. This allowed them to design more interfaces physical materials around them, rather than just relying on intangible pixels and their limitations.
The team used Exowheel, an automotive steering wheel, as a tangible example of the designs applications. By incorporating Exoskin, Exowheel is able to transform its surface dynamically to create a customised grip for each individual user. It is also able to adapt the grip during the drive, as the car moves from congested city driving to rougher rural roads.
The people of Britain have voted to leave the European Union and attention will increasingly focus on the direct impact on business, and the practicalities surrounding exit negotiations.
Looking at specific categories with the UK consumer goods sector, according to our Industry Forecast Model:
In forecast volume growth terms, in a Brexit scenario, confectionery, ready meals and sweet and savoury snacks are expected to be the most affected packaged food sectors in the UK. Within this, volume sales of chilled lunch kits, gum and chocolate are most influenced;
Brexit should have a muted impact on the sale of beauty and personal care products. In total value terms, by 2020 the UK market would be $205 million smaller (in 2015 prices) in a Brexit scenario, than it otherwise would be;
The impact of Brexit will be stronger on soft drinks than either beauty and personal care, or packaged foods. Overall, the sector should see cumulative growth of 1.4 percentage points less in a Brexit scenario between 2015 and 2020. This corresponds with 'lost' sales of 475 million litres over this period;
The impact of Brexit on the hot drink sector is likely to be broad based, but not deep. In volume terms in a Brexit scenario we expect period growth of the sector to be 9.8% to 2020, compared to 10.5% without Brexit;
In home care, the impact of Brexit is expected to be limited. Real value growth in home care between 2015 and 2020 will be 1.0 percentage point lower in a Brexit scenario, coming in at 9.5%; and
The impact of Brexit on tissue and hygiene is broadly in line with the impact on home care. Between 2015 and 2020 growth in real value terms will be 1.0 percentage point lower in a Brexit scenario, coming in at 2.8%. This translates as $148 million in lost sales to 2020 (in 2015 prices) or 2.6% of the total market in 2020.
Sarah Boumphrey
Sarah Boumphrey, global lead, economies and consumers of Euromonitor, commented: One keyword will continue to overshadow the UK economy: uncertainty. The uncertainty will also flow on to the EU itself - the UK plays a significant role in the EU, both economically and demographically. Economists were almost overwhelmingly united in their opinions about a vote to leave the EU it would damage the UK economy. The extent of the damage has been harder to agree on. Despite heightened fears of recession in the immediate aftermath, our macro model shows a 2.0% fall in GDP growth over five years stemming from a Brexit, with the biggest impact being felt in 2017.
The impact on the EU and the wider world
Difference from our Baseline Forecasts in a Brexit Scenario: 2016-2020
The answer, in economic terms, is that it would affect a broad range of countries, but the direct impact would not be economically significant:
Due to its close trade linkages, Ireland is likely to see the largest negative impact from a Brexit;
Several non-EU countries are also likely to feel pain, with China, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all expected to see a similar level of impact to Germany in 2017. This is also due to trade linkages.
Although the negative impact will be broad based but not substantial in any one particular country, it is also clear that it would not benefit any other country. In 2017, none of the 57 countries in our macro model will see an uptick in growth in a Brexit scenario.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has estimated that commercial farmers in the Dwars River area of the Western Cape spend approximately R600,000 annually to rid their irrigation systems of filamentous algae. As a tool to avoid extreme pollution in the river which serves as an important water source to the citizens of Cape Town, the CSIR has taken the first step in formulating a tradable permit system.
Taking into account typical irrigation maintenance protocol as well as the costs of labour and other consumables in a low and high algae load scenario, CSIR resource economist, Dr Willem de Lange arrived at an estimated R1,887.92 per hectare per year as the cost of eutrophication. The figure also includes a management budget for filamentous green algae mitigation strategies specific to the area.
He explains that this figure enables the calculation of a reserve price for filamentous green algae pollution permits, which is estimated at between R2.25 and R111.00 per gram of filamentous green algae.
The basis to establish a cost estimate
Algae is a water-based plant, attaching itself to rocks and other plants. Nutrient enrichment from raw or partially treated sewage, agricultural effluent and other forms of phosphorus-rich pollutants stimulates the growth of filamentous algae. This, in turn, clogs farmers irrigation systems.
The standard practice to manage the impacts of filamentous algae is frequent cleaning of irrigation systems, and this provided the basis to establish a cost estimate on the impact of algae. Farmers were aware of the algae problem but did not know how big the problem was and how it affect their pockets, Says De Lange.
Commercial agriculture in the Dwars River is dominated by deciduous fruit and viticulture with plums being grown on 70% of the area. As such, de Lange used plums as a representative deciduous fruit crop in his study.
Approximately 307 hectares in the study area are dedicated to deciduous fruit, and assuming that all farmers are faced with the challenge of filamentous algae, the deduced R1,887.92 per hectare per year translates to R579,591.44 per year for deciduous fruit in the area - enough to establish 10 hectares of plums.
An incentive to reduce polution
Tradable permits seek to limit pollution at an optimal cost to the polluter and create an incentive for companies to reduce pollution further, relative to their entitlement, since it is possible to sell the difference to willing buyers.
Pollution in effect becomes a tradable commodity. This mechanism uses the marketplace to distribute pollution impacts more evenly to support the self-cleansing capability of rivers. The permit is not a system to make the problem go away but is a tool to avoid extreme events, says De Lange.
The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
SAP Africa has officially introduced Cape Town to the latest chapter in the company's Skills for Africa skills development and job creation initiative. The SAP Skills for Africa programme is an intense ICT and business skills training course and this first Cape Town chapter will take place from end June to September. The programme is fully-sponsored with no cost to the students.
The latest chapter of the programme involves local SAP customers and partners including Accenture, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Zimele Technologies, Consnet, UCS and the City of Cape Town, who share an interest in promoting economic growth to develop a platform for sustainable job creation in the region.
A press conference was held on Monday at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) - a member of the SAP University Alliances programme - to officially mark the kick-off of the orientation programme for the first group of Western Cape SAP Skills for Africa students. More than 350 graduates applied for the programme and after rigorous review and interviewing procedures, 44 students were finally selected.
In addition to the start of the orientation process at the beginning of a twelve-week intensive training programme, the students will also be trained in the MIT Scratch software coding methodology to enable them to act as trainers for another SAP skills development initiative, Africa Code Week - which is the largest literacy coding event organised on the African continent.
Skills development for economic development
As digital skills are critical precursors to the growth of developing economies, Cape Town is committed to collaborating with our private sector partners as we continue to build on this legacy by empowering our youth with technical skills. As such, I am incredibly proud to be here today as the City of Cape Town in collaboration with SAP Africa offers employment to 15 graduates with highly sought after technical qualifications, commented The City of Cape Town's Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services and Compliance, Councillor Xanthea Limberg.
Lawrence Kandaswami, managing director for SAP South Africa added that there are many education and skills development initiatives that have been introduced across Africa over the years, but what is key is to link skills development to job creation through internships - resulting in jobs for these talented individuals.
In a developing economy such as ours, a digital education isnt accessible for all. What we see is a cavernous gap between the education that young people are receiving and what the employment market needs. Critical to the success of the SAP Skills for Africa programme is collaboration and we are delighted to be partnering with Western Cape business and government through this exciting initiative.
SRK Consulting (Africa) took a keen role in Sustainability Week 2016 held earlier in June at the CSIR Conference Centre in Tshwane.
SRK professionals at the SRK Sustainability Week exhibition stand included marketing manager Jaya Omar, climate change consultant Paul Jorgensen, and social and sustainability consultant, Victoria Braham.
Sustainability today lies at the heart of what consulting engineers and scientists like those at SRK aim to achieve every day, said SRKs climate change consultant Paul Jorgensen, and it is encouraging to see how businesses are reconsidering their business models with the green economy and climate change in mind.
Best practice in planning, management
Attending sessions on sustainable cities, mining, food security, water conservation, integrated public transport, carbon strategies and green finance, SRKs professionals reported learning from successful case studies raising the bar of best practice in planning and management across all sectors. The event also raised issues that have not been getting the attention they deserved.
The discussion on sustainable cities and food security indicated a gap in knowledge systems and planning in the developing world, said Victoria Braham, social and sustainability consultant at SRK. The vital links with rapid urbanisation are not being addressed, with policy focused predominantly on food security in rural areas. Climate change is also adding a complex dynamic to the adaptive and mitigation measures available to small-scale farmers.
Included in the agenda were talks on transport and mobility, providing insight into the difficulties of implementing integrated public transport in a country reliant largely on minibus taxis, she said.
Water risk
Fiona Evans, environmental and water specialist at SRK, said the sustainable water seminar was hard-hitting and inspiring exploring water risk from localised, national and regional perspectives.
It was shown how South Africas current utilisation of water exceeds the reliable yield, so that drought years are likely to bring large-scale water restrictions across the country, said Evans. Poor governance of water issues and a reactive rather than proactive mindset has aggravated the situation with wastage, leakages and inefficient water use.
At the same time, she said, bold and exciting steps were being taken in conserving water and improving its quality. These included: public-private partnerships at municipality level; intelligent landscape architecture and stormwater features to create ecological zones in urban parks; corporate efforts to offset water usage through technical interventions and community awareness programs; and water foot-printing mechanisms to manage consumption.
A further important field addressed at Sustainability Week was the challenge faced in sourcing funding for green technologies, said Jorgensen.
Useful discussion took place on how to target funders with an integrated and well-considered approach based on the mandate of the particular financier, he said. It is vital to match the objective of the business with the aims and policies of the funder.
When the Constitutional Court pronounces on the powers of school governing bodies, its decision is especially resonant and important to note, as only 4.1% of the country's 12.8 million learners are at independent schools, leaving the majority to deal with public schools or independent schools, receiving state subsidies.
The case of the Federation of Governing Bodies for South African Schools (FEDSAS) v Member of the Executive Council for Education, Gauteng and Another, concerned the validity of certain amendments to the Regulations relating to the admission of learners to public schools published in 2012 (Regulations) applicable to schools in Gauteng. At the heart of the Applicants complaint was its concern that the Regulations trespassed on the power of a School Governing Body (SGB) to determine school admission policies.
Public schools are run through a partnership involving SGBs (representing the interests of parents and learners), teachers, principals and provincial education departments. In particular, SGBs wield great power and responsibility at the coalface of education. The South African Schools Act obliges SGBs to supplement the resources provided by the state to improve the quality of education at individual schools. By way of example, SGBs can:
set compulsory fees
lease, burden or alter immovable public property
hire additional teachers
permit business activity on their premises
In addition, a SGB can set a schools language policy, admissions criteria and dress code, each of which has implications for the manner in which a SGB can regulate admission and influence quality at an individual school.
However, education is a functional area of concurrent national and provincial legislative competence. The powers of SGBs, conferred by the Schools Act, can and often do conflict with the powers and interests of provincial education authorities. In this regard, where provincial executives have encroached on what has been perceived as the SGBs exclusive turf, unfortunate and tense clashes have led to costly and protracted litigation.
Provincial education departments have authority to exercise reasonable control
With this context in mind, the Court has now settled that provincial education departments have the authority to exercise reasonable control over admissions and capacity in public schools. It emphasised that schools are public assets and must be used to ensure that all children are afforded access to education, remarking that, [Public] schools are not rarefied spaces only for the bright, well mannered and financially well-heeled learners. They are public assets which must advance not only the parochial interest of its immediate learners but may, by law, also be required to help achieve universal and non-discriminatory access to education.
SGBs and provincial education departments must co-operate and engage meaningfully in this endeavour. In addition, the Court upheld certain regulations that will affect school admissions policies in Gauteng as follows:
Public schools are prohibited from requesting confidential information from a prospective learners current school before making the admission decision. Thereafter the school may call for the information on the learner it has already admitted.
The MEC for Education in Gauteng must set feeder zones for all public schools by 20 May 2017, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
The head of department has the power to determine an individual schools enrolment capacity and declare that a school is full, if the school has reached its enrolment capacity.
The district director may, at the end of an admission period, place an unplaced learner at any school, that has not been declared full and where all learners on the waiting list have been accommodated.
The district director may consider the relative capacity of other schools in a district as a criterion for placing a learner in a particular school.
A parent of a learner who wishes to lodge an objection against a decision refusing admission to a school may object to the head of the department, before appealing directly to the MEC.
In his last and unanimous judgment, Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke has provided much needed clarity in the murky waters of the shared space between [SGBs] and provincial executives charged with the regulation of public schools. Parents, SGBs and governing body federations ought to take heed of the Regulations in formulating and revising school admissions policies in the future to ensure compliance with provincial laws and the imperative to further equitable access to education.
South Africa (similar to other countries endowed with mineral resources) has recognised that, except for encouraging downstream value-addition (beneficiation) in the minerals sector, policy tools and regulatory frameworks must be implemented to ensure that the extractive industry provides broader benefits to society.
Balancing the need for regulation and promoting sustainable economic development through foreign direct investment in certain sectors of an economy becomes difficult where a countrys international investment and trade law obligations prohibit or restrict the domestic imposition of quantitative and qualitative restrictions on the import of goods or services in such sector.
The draft Reviewed Mining Charter, released for public comment on 15 April 2016 by the Minister of Mineral Resources, reaffirms the South African governments commitment to ensure that, from a local content perspective, any holder of a mining right will be obliged to source a certain percentage of its capital and consumable goods from South African businesses. (This is already the case in terms of the current Mining Charter, despite a lower threshold).
Procurement policy
The Reviewed Mining Charter records the following:
Enterprise development and local procurement are one of the key instruments to achieve both competitiveness and transformation of the mining industry. It also presents opportunities to expand economic growth that allows for the creation of decent jobs and widens scope for market access of South African capital goods, consumer goods and services.
To achieve this, a mining right holder must ensure that procurement policies and actual procurement is aligned to the following:
Capital goods
A mining right holder must procure a minimum of 60% locally manufactured capital goods from BEE compliant manufacturing companies. 30% of the above 60% must preferably be given to small business development which are BEE compliant, a minimum of 10% of the 30% must be reserved for BEE compliant enterprise development.
Consumables
A mining right holder must procure a minimum of 70% of locally manufactured consumables from BEE compliant manufacturing companies. A minimum of 30% of the 70% must be given to small business development which are BEE compliant, a minimum of 10% of the 30% must be reserved for BEE compliant enterprise development.
The rationale behind the use of local content requirements by South Africa in the mining sector (similar to other resource rich countries) is motivated by the need to address the following developmental imperatives:
to gradually reduce the over-reliance on natural resources with respect to their contributions to national income, foreign exchange, and exports
the paradox of plenty, that is, the unacceptably high prevalence of poverty and inequality amid an abundance of resource riches (Karl 1997)
to mitigate and manage social and political risks due to rising expectations domestically for a better and more equitable distribution of wealth
the need to create more job opportunities, given the capital-intensiveness of the extractive sector
Possible challenge from GATT
As a sovereign state, South Africa has the right to adopt any policy or regulatory framework, which has the objective of achieving the developmental imperatives aforesaid.
However, policy documents such as the draft Reviewed Mining Charter (and the current Mining Charter) sets out local content requirements to achieve economic objectives may well be subject to challenge (through domestic court processes or international dispute resolution systems) for failing to comply with international investment and trade law obligations.
The existing international World Trade Organization trade rules on certain forms of local content requirements are very clear in prohibiting, allowing or restricting the grounds for any form of quantitative restrictions.
The draft Reviewed Mining Charter contemplates that 60% of all capital goods and 70% of all consumable goods required by holders of mining rights must be procured from BEE compliant local manufacturers of such goods.
These restrictions may be inconsistent with South Africas obligations in terms of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994, read with the Agreement on Trade-Related Measures, which prohibit any trade-related measures inconsistent with Articles III (national treatment) or XI (quantitative restrictions) of GATT. In respect of quantitative restrictions, Article III (4) of GATT specifically prohibits measures requiring the purchase or use by an enterprise of domestic products, whether specified in terms of particular products, in terms of volume or value of products, or in terms of a proportion of volume or value of its local production.
In addition, it should be remembered that despite the termination of certain Bilateral Investment Agreements (BITs) most of those BITs contain sunset provisions for 15 or 20 years from date of termination. That implies that any adverse policy changes by government, which affects the investment of a company holding a mining interest or right in South Africa, which investment pre-dates the termination of any BIT, could potentially still be deemed as a breach of the relevant BIT.
The SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment also provides further recourse to international arbitration to existing investors who have a qualifying investment for any breach by South Africa of its obligations contemplated therein. There is accordingly a fine-line between a states regulating what is deemed to be in the public interest and the rights foreign investors could enforce on the basis that the state breached, amongst others, the fair and equitable principle contemplated in BITs or multilateral investment agreements.
Inconsistencies must be addressed
From a broad-based economic developmental perspective, it is understandable that the South African government must ensure the meaningful economic participation for historically marginalised people in the mining industry. In that regard, the South African government must be unapologetic in putting policies and legal frameworks in place to ensure that this objective is achieved.
However, in doing so it must ensure that the policies and legal framework adopted do not expose it to legal challenge (domestic court challenges or international arbitration) due to inconsistency with international trade or investment law obligations.
There are a number of other local content requirements imposed by government through national treasury and other government departments (dti and Department of Energy), which are open to challenge on the aforesaid basis or for the failure to follow a proper process in deriving at specific local content targets for local manufacturing (designated sectors for local content). The rationale of these decisions or directives by national treasury or other government agencies may be questionable.
Much has been made of the impact that new technology - and particularly the rise of digital - is having on the travel industry. Mobile apps, big data, analytics and (more recently) bots are among the emerging tools that are undoubtedly changing the business of travel. According to the recent PI Datametrics Digital Travel Report , digital travel sales totaled more than $533 billion in 2015, and by 2019, 'worldwide digital travel sales will top $762 billion.'
Iakov Filimonov via 123RF
Real-time booking vs. on-request
Given the reams of data now available to would-be travelers, along with growing internet access, one of the major global trends to emerge has been real-time booking, which enables consumers to search, book and pay for accommodation both instantly and seamlessly. In Europe, which is largely a city-based travel market, most online travel sites now only support real-time booking models. From a sales perspective, the real-time booking model is a boon for conversions, as consumers go from prospects to paying customers within minutes following just a few simple steps and aided by smart payment gateways.
Interestingly, however, South African travelers have not embraced the real-time booking model as readily and as enthusiastically as European and American consumers. As our own data has revealed, there remain a strong demand for on-request bookings, with local travelers preferring to shop around, take their time, and engage with accommodation providers before making the purchase, says Tom Williams, COO of SafariNow.
While there has been an increase in real-time bookings, it has been incremental. In 2014, 8% of total bookings via SafariNow were real-time, climbing to 11% in 2015 and 13% this year. Notably, among local travel sites that support both real-time and on-request bookings, 80% of bookings have come via the request a quote channel this year. And although this method takes a bit longer for both parties, it is definitely the favoured route amongst SafariNow customers.
The travel experiences
There are several potential reasons behind this. For one, many South Africans are interested in self-driving and self-catering holidays, often with kids and pets in tow. This type of travel requires a more personalised approach and some advance planning. In other words, consumers want to speak to someone and find out more before committing and paying.
In addition, there is a marked rise in informal accommodation options, with private homeowners, small Bed and Breakfasts, home swaps, and couch surfing becoming increasingly popular among cash-strapped travelers. Unsurprisingly, these informal accommodation providers do not have the infrastructure to provide real-time booking options. Indeed, a great deal of the interactions and actual sales happen offline.
Given the more advanced technology that is required to support real-time booking, it is usually the larger and more formal accommodation providers who offer it. Also, with the higher conversion rates and operational efficiencies associated with real-time, many of the major global providers such as Expedia.com and Booking.com only offer the automated option.
As a consumer, however, despite the perceived efficiency of the model, it arguably has more benefits for the providers and sellers than for travelers in search of authentic and personalised travel experiences.
Best of both worlds?
For local travel sites and online providers, it is, therefore, prudent to provide various ways in which travel seekers can search, book and pay for accommodation. For example, a middle way that combines some of the benefits of real-time booking with the on-request model is proving to be a popular option amongst local travelers.
At SafariNow, 6% of bookings are made this way and that figure is increasing rapidly. This model allows consumers to search for and book accommodation online in real-time, but the transaction only goes through once the accommodation provider confirms and approves the booking. So although the process is quick and efficient, there is still some degree of protection afforded to both the consumer and the provider.
Without a doubt, as technology improves and travel booking is increasingly streamlined and automated, many consumers remain determined to retain the human element in their holiday planning.
The Brexit vote puts a drag on global IT spending, but the U.K. will see the worst impact, Gartner said in a new spending forecast. Gartner had predicted a rise in U.K. tech spending by 1.7% this year, for a total spend of $179.6 billion. But this forecast was before Thursday's decision by U.K. voters to leave the European Union.
Olekcii Mach via 123RF
The Brexit vote lowers the 2016 U.K. spending estimate between 2% and 5%, moving it into negative territory, said Gartner. It expects U.K. IT spending to remain negative into next year. The leading reason for the decline is summed up in one word by Gartner analyst John Lovelock: "Uncertainty."
"It's going to be persistent problem over the next six months," said Lovelock, regarding the Brexit vote. The U.K. not only faces the loss of Prime Minister David Cameron, who plans to resign by October, but two years of negotiation with the EU over the terms of the exit.
Global IT spending is not spared. Gartner had forecast $3.4 trillion this year, a gain of 1.5% in constant dollars. It has revised that to say that global IT spending this year "will remain" above a 1.2% increase this year.
The IT spending most affected in both consumer and business markets is discretionary spending, said Lovelock. The political turmoil in the U.K. hurts tech spending in Europe overall. The U.K. accounts for 26% of the tech spending in Western Europe, surpassing Germany at 18%, which is the largest economy. Lovelock credited heavy use of business services for U.K.'s large IT spending.
The IT spending forecast this year for Western Europe was flat to begin with - just 0.2% growth at $688.7 billion, a figure which includes the U.K.
South Africans remain wary of shopping online, with only three million making regular use of electronic shopping trollies to meet their daily requirements, but, with online purchases expected to be near R10 billion in 2016, indications are that changing socio-economic factors will increase the use of digital shopping as technology becomes more accessible.
According to Vuyo Mpako, head of digital channels and e-commerce of Standard Bank, two of the major problems facing South Africans are limited access to the internet and the cost of broadband. Mpako added that although uncapped access to fibre networks is increasing in homes across the country, the cost - usually more than R600 a month - restricts access to those in higher income brackets.
As making homeowners access to fibre a viable economic proposition relies on high consumer take-up numbers, suppliers naturally target major urban areas. Thus, it is the cities and higher-income neighbourhoods that receive services. For e-commerce to become popular beyond city limits, the traditional barriers of large distances and poor infrastructure have to be overcome.
Factors having an impact on e-commerce sales locally include:
A lack of trust in making online transactions;
The belief that internet purchases can only be made if the shopper has a credit card;
The internet may not be cheaper than local retail outlets; and
Local buyers tending to buy non-food items only, such as music, videos, gifts, clothing and software online.
Purchases increasing steadily
The true potential of e-commerce in South Africa can be seen from the fact that, although there are only about three million people using facilities regularly, the value of purchases made annually is increasing steadily, Mpako continued. World Wide Worx indicates that a milestone of 1.03% of total retail sales of nearly R10 billion will be expected to be made online in 2016.
Increasing use of e-shopping will be made by young South Africans who have high levels of computer literacy and are comfortable with using applications, or apps, that make access to services easier.
Presently, this sector, comprising people between the ages of 25 and 35, makes up the bulk of e-commerce users. Not surprisingly, young South Africans between the ages of 25 and 34 make up the bulk of e-shoppers, followed by those between 35 and 44 - about 16% of the total.
Increasing market penetration of smartphones
As predicted by experts, added Mpako, the increasing market penetration of smartphones is set to add further impetus to the use of e-shopping channels.
While South Africas internet penetration lies at 34%, cellphone penetration lies at 86%, according to World Wide Work numbers, and probably more than 50% of the adult population. As these mobile devices become more sophisticated, they bring easier access to streams of information and opportunities.
Every facet of life is affected by smart technology. Phones are used for everything from banking transactions to monitoring fitness levels and ordering groceries. It is inevitable that with the high penetration of smartphones in the market, more South Africans will be drawn to use their phones' offerings.
There is no doubt that as more services converge on smartphones, adoption levels will increase. Local consumers may at present be slow to adopt the technology, but more will see the value e-commerce offers. As this occurs, more people will come to trust the medium, realising the time-saving benefit and potential for the medium to add real value to their lives. This will boost e-commerce and see larger numbers of South Africans moving into a digital shopping environment.
EY has announced South African-born Keith Miller, CEO of Strategic Factory, winner of the marketing category of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 Marketing Award. Miller was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a gala event at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Maryland, on 9 June 2016.
The award recognises outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Miller is a visionary pioneer with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit and strong business acumen. He opened his first Minuteman Press store in 1999. Though the printing industry has gone through dramatic changes, Millers company thrived in a highly competitive field. Miller has grown his business from a single franchise store to five store locations, including Strategic Factory in Owings Mills, which is a marketing, graphic design, printing, signage, promotional products and customised apparel company.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award programme, which has also honoured the leadership of entrepreneurs such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Robert Unanue of Goya Foods, and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2015 winners Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks.
As a Maryland award winner, Keith Miller is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 national programme. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on 19 November, 2016. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, a gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The US Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco, June 2017.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are sponsored nationally by SAP America, Merrill Corporation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
In Maryland, program sponsors also include DLA Piper, PNC Bank, the Baltimore Business Journal, and SmartCEO. Reception sponsors include Cushman & Wakefield, KELLY Benefit Strategies, and Randstad Professionals.
The SA Innovation Summit gives inventors, innovators and established companies the opportunity to enter their prototype or product into the Inventors Garage and/or SA Innovation Legends Pitching Den competitions.
Summit director, Audrey Verhaeghe, says Were excited about the level of innovation displayed, adding The competitions are a big part of the Summit, with finalists and winners exposed to a large number of investors and incubators. While finalists also take part in the Market on the Edge and stand to win incredible prizes. This year also introduces the Match and Invest platform where entrepreneurs can pitch to investors directly in order to secure funding for their growing business.
Pitching Den competition
This competition is open to high-growth start-ups, established companies and large corporates who are driving innovation on the African continent. The overall winners will be announced at an Award Ceremony and stand a chance to win an overseas trip to meet international investors at Slush, a Finnish Innovation Conference supported by TEKES, PR exposure worth R200,000, the opportunity for IP consultation from Spoor & Fisher, matching-making and acceleration, and more.
Through their respective Social Innovation platforms, the SAB Foundation will support the best Social Innovation with a prize worth R50,000. The Innovation Edge will be looking for opportunities to invest up to R1m in ideas that have the potential to radically change the early life experiences of children, giving the best possible start in life right from the start. In addition to funding, the Innovation Edge could offer innovators with promising ideas the chance to attend a week-long incubation bootcamp offered by {code}bridge in Cape Town.
Entries to the Pitching Den are made online. Finalists will be invited to pitch their business to a well-rounded panel of judges at the main conference.
Inventors Garage Competition
This competition is open to anyone with a working prototype or product from proven concept to early commercialisation whether a kitchen or garage inventor, a business or a seasoned innovator.
The first round of judging will then take place and those selected as semi-finalists will be invited to showcase their products or prototypes at the SA Innovation Summits exciting Market on the Edge. This will guarantee massive exposure, advice, mentorship and possible deal-making. The second round of judging happens at the Market on the Edge with initial entries also received online.
Both Competitions close on 30 July 2016.
Match-making and International Exposure
The Market on the Edge is expected to attract many visitors; entry is free to SA Innovation Summit conference delegates, and open to the public, at R80 per ticket.
The SA Innovation Summit main conference takes place this year from 21 24 September at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Johannesburg. With little more than three months to go, preparations are underway for what promises to be a stimulating, informative and game-changing event.
Sponsors for the event include Tekes, SAB Foundation, The Innovation Edge and Spoor & Fischer.
For more information about the competitions, visit http://innovationsummit.co.za/%20competition/ or email az.oc.timmusnoitavonni@snoititepmoc.
As Youth Month draws to a close, we interview activist and entrepreneur Zaid Philander on his social enterprise I Scream & Red . Philander reveals the origin story behind the unusual name of his planet friendly textile company, the challenges he's faced along the way, as well as how he overcame them.
Who is Zaid Philander?
Zaid is a social activist, teacher and entrepreneur. He designs bags made from upcycled materials whilst empowering physically disabled residents from disadvantaged communities in Cape Town. We believe in giving them the opportunity to create I Scream & Red products within their homes. This model enables people to cascade the learning, thus empowering other members of their communities to start businesses of their own. He is a passionate social and environmental activist who teaches art and sewing to kids, whilst running a successful eco-friendly social enterprise in townships across Cape Town.
As a young boy, I was told that sewing is for the opposite sex and that I do not fit the profile. Yet, against all odds (my length, my strength and apparently my gender), I accomplished what I wanted - to sew. Today, I train people with disabilities to sew these planet-friendly items, as I can relate to how society puts limitations on you. My task is now not to prove them wrong, but to inspire others to do whatever they believe they want to achieve. For me, the choice began with a needle and thread.
I Scream & Red - that's an unusual name. Could you elaborate on its origin story?
As a kid, I never enjoyed ice cream. In fact, I always opted for something else like chips, where my siblings instead would be chowing down their cones with frozen cream that made no sense to me! At the same time, my favourite colour has always been red.
When I started this initiative, not really knowing what to call it, there was a disappointing incident where one of my first makers was burgled in his shack and the perpetrators involved took our sewing machines and beat him up. This was very upsetting, and for a long time I had to sit back and ask myself if I am really prepared for this kind of social work that can risk the lives of the people involved. I continued the work nonetheless, and held my head high. I kept the name, which was partly also due to someone dear to me who loved ice cream. So the name was to remind me of the bad things that could happen (being ice cream - something that I never enjoyed), and to remind me of the good things (red - being my favourite colour).
It was only until much later that Ice Cream & Red changed to I Scream & Red because of domain name availability!
What were some of the challenges you faced in getting I Scream & Red off the ground, and how did you overcome them?
Well, as you can imagine, I had a lot of resistance from my elders who believed that the only careers one should pursue to better our lives should be that of a lawyer or a doctor. This challenge was very demotivating for me as a child who wanted to pursue a career in the creative industry, but I managed to see further than that through books and art. After my walks from high school, I would save R2,50 by walking from the city to home (instead of taking a minibus) and save the money up at the end of the week where I would dive into a reject fabric bundle to make my next item, which were often outfits inspired by the legends. The feeling after achieving to create something that was functional, beautiful and allowed me to escape to a place that I felt empowered, is what kept me strong-headed and motivated.
I think a major challenge for me was that my physical ability did not allow me to sew, being too short as a kid, but soon after, I overcame that by using a contraption made from a crutch and a hosepipe that had me sewing using my elbow. This drive, I believe, is the simplicity of wanting to make it happen for myself. So making a plan and having the will to continue is the solution to almost any problem.
Other than that, I would say being the weirdo kid that made his own little fabric malfunctions was difficult. It was difficult because it made me an easy target to be ridiculed. It also made it difficult as I was a 90s kid, so the only people who were sewing around me were female factory workers or grannies. So I guess the challenge was having courage for my own convictions and believing what I made was great and let's be honest, when you're creating clothing at such a young age, some of the items were really not that pretty.
Is there enough support for youth development and entrepreneurship in SA? Where can we improve, and who still needs to come to the party?
Gosh, where to start... I think with a new South Africa, and a legacy of wealth that is still maintained by particular parties, it makes it difficult, as the opportunities for informal entrepreneurs to exist simply does not allow them to go up against the trust fund kids who can pay their way through challenges (especially when it comes to growing their businesses). But, I prefer to not discuss politics and history, as I believe we all possess the power to change things in the world we want to see.
I think there should be better placement for rising and emerging entrepreneurs that are making social changes. There are tons of government subsidies; however, the training and education out there for new entrepreneurs in business to acquire these kind of funds is not very accessible. We need more 'middle-men' who stand between the intensive administration challenges set up by corporates and governing bodies, and emerging entrepreneurs and creatives that do the work we do because we want to see a change in the world.
Other than that, I think science parks, business incubators and corporates that can provide effective support for growing firms need to be established and made more accessible without them wanting the result of financial gain.
What achievements are you most proud of to date?
To be honest, the best achievements are not what one would consider a milestone. The awards, features and blurbs are great and a wonderful pat on the shoulder, but the truth is that the best achievement we've ever accomplished is what we do every day. The idea of being able to empower someone who has been schooled by society to believe that they have a limitation is a gift in itself - that can never be replaced by anything greater.
What does Youth Month mean for you?
Youth means change. It means cultivating, uniting, and optimism; for the people that are the real changemakers of this world are the crazies that are willing enough to see it through.
What's next on the cards for Zaid Philander and I Scream & Red?
There are a few great things happening in the pipeline that may be too early to mention, but we are currently fundraising in order to develop a Sewing Centre to get more disabled makers on board, and to use as a collective space for developing designers that need their items made at a sample level - a centre for true incubation of young designers and changemakers.
We're also focusing on growing our footprint better here in South Africa, which means opening up more spaces across SA and for the people of SA. How can we claim to be a South African-made product if we are not providing our services to South Africa.
More people on the planet own mobile phones than toothbrushes. These levels of mobile technology adoption have created the ability for people that were previously "excluded" to be part and parcel of local and global business.
Musa Kalenga
Our economies are undergoing severe accelerations and external pressures to produce and compete simultaneously. Global businesses are looking to African economies for opportunities and companies that they can partner with or acquire to realise the Africa Opportunity.
This may range from accessing financial services to education and even broader opportunities in commerce. This inclusion has forced traditional businesses to re-think their business models and imagine them in a new context. The wholesale inclusion of people through mobile technology coupled with the disruptive spirit by which companies that are forward-thinking are surviving, makes for really exciting changes in the world today.
We need leaders that will meet this opportunity head on with the interests of Africa at the centre of their thought process and decision-making. We are called for such a time as this.
Our continent requires wholesale leadership changes. We now have seven of the fastest growing economies in the world on our continent. Our economies are undergoing severe accelerations and external pressures to produce and compete simultaneously.
Talent search
The South African digital industry is no different and continues to face diversity challenges in building representative and inclusive workforces. The talent pool has been made that much smaller by the globalisation of the workforce and the mobility of the younger generations. Skills acquisition continues to hamper the talent pool that show promise and where the skill exist, we still have to master the sharing process that leads to scalable value sharing.
I also believe that we need to materially enhance the quality of conversation between clients (brands), agencies and industry bodies. We are not exempt from external forces as the volatility in the foreign exchange rates and the downstream impact thereof impacts on ability to acquire sufficient inventory without material depreciation over time.
Although there are many things to consider, I think it is increasingly important to address the black elephant in the room when it comes to the South African digital industry. We are not in a position to skirt around the need for wholesale transformation and the reasons why this kind of transformation is vital to the industry.
Let me start by telling you a few things that you know or at least should know. Most black South Africans and most Africans in particular remain severely disadvantaged compared to white South Africans. The numbers tell us that 4% of adult Africans have a tertiary qualification; 25% of white South Africans do. We have seen this statistic lived out in the media and social spaces as young students fight for their right to education. When they take to the streets they do so to address this skew and crippling education scenario faced by most young South Africans.
Throughout the South African economy 70% of top managers and 59% of senior managers are white. White senior management structures will unintentionally preserve the status quo and while I choose to believe that this is not always intentional, it is a reality it is human nature. The unemployment rate among Africans is 28.8%; among white people it is 5.9%. This, once again is a result of many years of disadvantage. White families can easily find employment for their children, nieces and nephews; the same doesnt apply for black kids of the same age.
In South Africa, 16% of Africans live in extreme poverty and regularly suffer hunger; 99.9% of white South Africans are better off than that. Even those in South Africa that may go on to become successful still have residual memory in their lived experience and the people close to them. This is nearly impossible to truly quantify, but is a material reality that compounds the social status of most South Africans.
Diversity is the destination
Diversity is the destination. Transformation is the journey...
So, my belief is that we are all in this together and the key question is much like I am challenging you, how would you challenge your colleagues in the industry to promote transformation? For one, I think we should stop spending time trying to figure out ways of crooking our way around the imperative and need to transform. All that energy needs to be repurposed and focused such that we spend time solving for diversity.
Starting the journey is difficult, but if we begin with something simple and iterate as we gain in confidence and understanding, the probability of success is that much higher. A very practical way of uncovering some of our bias is to encourage external interaction as much as possible and engage contrarian conversations. Yes, go ahead and speak to some people who would benefit from transformation. Speak to their peers and understand their challenges. Then go ahead and engage in contrarian conversations, listen, learn and then start applying your mind to how you can affect transformation
The digital revolution has given every person on the planet the ability to change the world. What we do with that responsibility is up to us. My plea to every one of you today is that you absolutely have a responsibility to dream big and push generational boundaries. You need to endeavour to dream about a world of freedom, inclusion and prosperity. But in your quest to change the world change Africa first, change South Africa first, change your business first and change yourself first.
Transformation absolutely does not mean that there is no place for white staff or that white South Africans cannot expect to enjoy the rewards due to hard work and to skill. What it means is that all of us black and white must do everything we can to create a demographically normal society in which everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed.
Masiye Phambili
To build this better world for future generations of South Africans a little patience and a degree of sacrifice is required from all of us. This is not an extraordinary burden, however mature and responsible leadership is required to carefully plan for the future, in so doing exercise self-restraint and sure-footed leadership towards the common goal of a diverse and inclusive digital industry.
The Ecobank Group has launched a new fully integrated consumer advertising campaign, 'Move On Up', centred on the bank's drive to ensure that consumers have world-class accessible and convenient digital banking solutions across Africa.
Ecobank campaign
The bank unveiled the campaign at its head office in Lome, Togo, to shareholders, Ecobank staff and a pan-African media. The launch took place on the sidelines of the Ecobank Groups 2016 annual general meeting earlier this month.
Formally launching the campaign, Ecobank Group CEO Ade Ayeyemi, said: Our sons and daughters are banking online and on their mobiles. For them its not about where you go, but what you do. Our customers are upwardly mobile and Ecobank is in the vanguard of cultivating new opportunities for people so they can experience a better quality of life.
Patrick Akinwuntan, Ecobank Group executive, consumer banking, said: There are three supporting pillars that are central to this campaign. The first is convenience. Our customers want the convenience of banking, from being able to pay with an Ecobank card to making financial transactions on their mobile phones, over the internet, at automated teller machines and at different points of sale.
The second pillar is relevance, because Ecobank creates personal banking solutions that are relevant to its customers, such as a range of accounts packaged together as bundles.
The final pillar is choice. This comes via the accessibility of our wide-ranging products and services, thanks to our leading cross-continent platform.
Ama Okyere, Ecobank Group head, marketing, told the audience: Advertising remains a powerful means of introducing Ecobank and its products and services to our millions of existing and prospective customers, all at once.
Move On Up was produced by Ecobanks full service agency, Brand Communications Group. As well as the 60-second television commercial, there is also a two-minute version for cinema, four 15-second commercials for television and radio, and print versions. Move on Up will be rolled out across all of the African countries where Ecobank has a retail presence.
Ecobank is one of the largest independent pan-African banking groups. It currently has a presence in 36 African countries, and employs over 20,000 people in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organisations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.
The Uganda Police Force (UPF) should promptly, thoroughly, and transparently investigate a series of attacks on Ugandan non-governmental organisations, the media and human rights defenders, and hold suspects accountable, 31 Ugandan and international human rights groups said in a letter to the police inspector general.
Image by 123RF
In a statement by Human Rights Watch, the severity of one of the recent attacks, in which intruders beat a security guard to death, demonstrates the urgency of addressing these attacks, for which no-one has been held responsible.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) recounts that between April and May 2016, intruders broke into the offices of at least three groups in Kampala: the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE); the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF); and the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda).
The break-ins followed more than two dozen previous break-ins at the offices of non-governmental groups since 2012. Although the police inspector general formed a committee of eight officers to investigate the break-ins in July 2014, no one has yet been brought to justice, says HRW.
"The lack of accountability for attacks on non-governmental organisations has apparently led to an atmosphere in which attackers felt free to kill a security guard, in order to accomplish their aims," said Maria Burnett, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Uganda Police Force needs to live up to its obligation to actively investigate these cases and bring those responsible to justice."
At HRAPF, the assailants beat to death security guard Emmanuel Arituha, ransacked the offices of the director and deputy director, and stole documents and a television screen. They did not, however, take computers, laptops, or other electronic equipment.
At FAWE, intruders stole a server, laptop and desktop computers, cameras, and projectors. At HRNJ-Uganda, camera footage shows a visitor apparently providing a dish of food containing sedatives to the security guards, allowing four intruders to search the premises after the guards fell asleep. More than two weeks after the most recent attack, police have not made any arrests.
Organisations whose offices were broken into in 2014 included: Human Rights Network-Uganda; Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda; Uganda Land Alliance; Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS; and Lira NGO Forum. The groups are all known for their work on sensitive subjects, including corruption, land rights, freedom of expression, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people - and for criticising government policies.
In a further attack on the premises of Uganda Land Alliance in July 2015, another security guard, Richard Oketch, was beaten to death. No one has been arrested for his murder.
Investigations
Each incident has been reported to the police in a timely fashion, but police efforts to investigate and collect evidence such as witness statements, DNA, and CCTV footage have been limited and lacked follow-up, claims HRW.
"Human rights defenders already work in a challenging and often repressive environment in Uganda," said Adrian Jjuuko, executive director of HRAPF. "We're determined to continue our work on behalf of the Ugandan people, but we need the police to stop disregarding these threats to our property, our physical security, and even our lives."
As a state party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Ugandan government should ensure the right to life and the right to liberty and security for all persons, as well as the right to freedom of association, both of which are severely impeded when organisations cannot conduct their work in a safe and secure environment, says HRW.
And, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, countries have a duty to protect human rights defenders "against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure, or any other arbitrary action" as a consequence of their work to uphold human rights, HRW adds.
"The lack of accountability and persistent impunity for attacks on human rights defenders and their offices sends a message that authorities condone and tolerate such attacks," said Sarah Jackson, deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, at Amnesty International. "Ending impunity is essential to protecting and ensuring a safe and enabling environment for human rights defenders."
Signatories to the letter include:
Human Rights Watch
Freedom House
Human Rights Network for Journalists - Uganda
Amnesty International, Kenya
Centre for Human Rights University of Pretoria, South Africa
Chapter Four Uganda, Uganda
COC-Netherlands, Netherlands
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, India
Community Development and Child Welfare Initiatives (CODI) Uganda, Uganda
EHAHRDP/Defend Defenders, Uganda
FOKUS Forum for Women and Development, Norway
Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, Uganda
FRI - The Norwegian Organization for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Norway
Health GAP, United States
Human Dignity Trust, United Kingdom
Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, Uganda
Human Rights Network, Uganda
Icebreakers, Uganda
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), Switzerland
Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), Uganda
Legal Aid Service Providers Network-Laspnet, Uganda
NGO Forum, Uganda
Pan Africa ILGA, South Africa
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, United States
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Uganda
The African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV), Uganda
The National Coalition on HRDs, Uganda
Uganda Land Alliance, Uganda
Uganda Network of AIDS Service Organisations (UNASO), Uganda
UHAI-EASHRI, Kenya
Unwanted Witness, Uganda
*This statement was originally published on Human Rights Watch.
On that day, some of the fishermen were fishing at the mouth of Kayan Khali river mouth setting conical fish net against the current after getting permission from concerned authority. The Kayan Khali river flows into Naff Rive - separates Burma and Bangladesh, another businessman Sakarat Ali said.
Suddenly, a group of BGP from camp No.1 of Maungdaw reached there by speed-boat while patrolling and met the fishermen, a fisherman from the locality said on condition of anonymity.
The BGP patrol-group beat them (fishermen) up severely with sticks and gun-butts. As a result, all the fishermen got serious injuries, and one of them, Mohamed Rashid was in serious condition. Afterwards, the BGP personnel back to their station leaving the fishermen in the small fishing boat, the fisherman said.
For a while, the serious fisherman Mohamed Rashid died in the boat. At that time, there were two other fishermen in the fishing boat, namely Abdul Hamid and Mohamed Eliyas of Padinn (Fatanzar Baddil ) village. They were also got serious injuries, the fisherman said.
Later on, the injured fishermen brought the dead body to his home and informed to the relevant authorities. The authority sent the dead body to Maungdaw hospital for postmortem and then getting permission from concerned authority, the dead body was buried in his village cemetery in the evening on that day, a relative of the victim said.
The next day, the injured fishermen went to the BGP headquarters to inform the incident, but they did not take any action, a local elder said.
Previously on 10 January,Border Guard Police of Burma also killed two fishermen in the Naff River while fishing near Shwe Zaar village of Maungdaw Township.
Though Thai business owners had selected 500 migrant workers to be allowed into the hall only about 200 migrant workers were present when Aung San Suu Kyi gave her speech, according to people who attended the ceremony.
Min Thiha, the leader of the Mon Workers Group, who was not allowed to enter the hall said to I.M.N.A.: The workers wanted to express their difficulties and how their rights are being violated. The workers who are really suffering werent allowed inside the hall and only 500 workers selected by the business owners and Thai authorities were allowed inside so the rest of the workers couldnt submit anything.
He said that Burmese workers want Aung San Suu Kyi to negotiate with the Thai government about its decision to stop issuing four-year visas for Burmese workers, which they feel is unfair.
The workers also wanted to ask Aung San Suu Kyi to help them get permission to renew their passports in the towns where they are living and to ask the authorities to make sure all business owners follow Thai labour laws.
He also said that Burmese workers had wanted to meet Aung San Suu Kyi so that they could explain to her how they felt and denying them that opportunity had rendered her meeting ineffective.
When she met with workers leaders outside the hall Aung San Suu Kyi said that she was disappointed that the Thai authorities had selected which workers would be allowed to meet her and that she had been unable make a speech to the workers outside as planned, due to the heavy rain.
Later she released a message for the workers who waited for her in the rain saying that she was very sad that she had not been able to meet with all the Burmese citizens who wanted to meet her and that even though they had not met she understands the difficulties faced by Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.
Following an invitation from the Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, Aung San Suu Kyi officially visited Thailand from 23 to 25 June.
She first visited Thailand when she was the leader of the opposition in 2012. During that visit she met with Burmese migrant workers in Mahachai and visited Karen refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border.
The Thai government estimates that in Thailand there are around two million registered Burmese migrant workers and many others who are undocumented.
Reporting by Wun Thaman for MNA
Translated by Thida LinnEdited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
Coal mining site located in Namma area in northern Shan States Hsipaw Township.
The statement was released on Thursday after representatives from Kachin, Kuki, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Taang, Mon, Arakan and Shan states and divisions concluded a three-day conference in Kachin State capital Myitkyina.
The current concessions on mining and the new mining concessions must be suspended, reads the statement.
Sai Khur Hseng of the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organization and the spokesperson of the newly formed Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMWN) said that the ruling government, when it sets its new policy, must not neglect peoples losses and damage caused by mining operations.
Civilians whose lands were destroyed by mining activity have never been fully compensated, he said. In response, civilians from every part of the country have formed this network to demand the government stop mining operations.
Sai Khur Hseng told Shan Herald that many villagers lands had been forcibly confiscated and damaged due to gold mining in Tar Lue, a village in eastern Shan States Tachileik Township.
Over 300 acres of villagers lands have been destroyed by mining waste, he explained. One villager was even shot dead and several people were injured.
On 9 December 2015, SHAN reported that Burmese soldiers, who in October 2014 shot dead a villager named Loong Sarm, had never been brought into justice.
A process of justice must be applied to solve the issues of those who have lost their lives or been injured due to mining, said Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMWN).
According to Sai Hor Hseng, a spokesperson for the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), mining activities have impacted both human beings and the environment. He said that those people who live near mining operations are often afflicted with diseases and ailments.
MMWN said it urges the state government to recognize and follow the recommendations of the local civic community.
Numerous mining operations are currently ongoing in Shan State, including: coal mining in Mong Kok, Hsipaw, Nam Zarng, Panglong and Mongkerng; and gold mines at Mong Len in Tachileik, and Ti Gyit in Panglaung Township.
Burmas unsafe mining practices were highlighted last November when at least 116 people were killed in a landslide at the Hpakant jade mine in northern Kachin State.
The new Aung San Suu Kyi-led government has vowed to investigate that incident and others where peoples lives and the environment have been affected.
It looks like you have reached this page in error ...
The content you are looking for has either moved, or if you typed in the address there might have been a mistake.
If you believe there has been a technical error please let us know.
Most Popular Destinations
Always Memorable in Mumbai
Embark on an authentic Indian joyride into mad Mumbais chaotic streets with its revving rickshaws, bustling bazaars, timeless temples and colonial history. This melting pot of Indian culture features a mix of rich Bollywood wannabes and the citys slum dwellers, all residing together in Indias most populous city.
South Mumbai is a useful starting point with the symbolic Gateway of India in Colaba welcoming local Marathis and tourists alike. Opposite is the impressive Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel. The Art Deco Regal Cinema underlines Mumbais colonial heritage.
A top Indian curry comprises key ingredients and your Mumbai experience should also include a menu of fashion, film and nightlife. Leopold Cafe is a place to be seen and there are many other chic bars and clubs. You can do a Bollywood tour where you can even feature as an extra in a film!
During the day, take a trip by ferry to the Elephanta Island with its caves and then spend the evening people watching on Chowpatty Beach in the south or Juhu Beach in the west.
Booking.com has hotels in Adheri in the west, around the fort and train station in the south or nearby central Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, amongst many others.
The lawyer representing Motlhaleemang Moalosi in the Sebina phone hacking case has torn evidence presented by a police forensic expert to shreds.
Moalosi is accused of hacking into Assistant Minister of Education and skills development, Fidelis Molaos Facebook account. The alleged hacking associated the junior minister with a raging scandal in which ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councilor for Sebina Kemmonye Amon impregnated a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Moalosi, an activist for the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has since filed an application with the High court demanding his laptop that has since been confiscated by the police as evidence. During a court appearance on Thursday, Moalosis lawyer Owen Nsala dismissed the evidence presented before court by police forensic expert Nonofo Dichabe after the witness (Dichabe) linked Moalosi to the scandalous hacking incident.
As part of his submissions before Francistown High Court Judge, Barnabas Nyamadzabo, Nsala said that Dichabe failed to attach his qualification or certification to convince the court that he is a competent expert and credible witness. If he was so qualified, he could have annexed his qualifications and demonstrate to the court that he is indeed a credible witness, Nsala argued. Dichabe does not give court confidence that he is qualified to use and operate the data forensic equipment, which he claims to have used in linking the applicant to the hacking incident.
Nsala further argued that while the witness claims the conversation was created and accessed in the laptop, there was evidence before court that the purported Facebook conversation was sent from a mobile phone. Detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo is cited as the first respondent while the second respondent is the Attorney General in the matter. Judgment is expected on 29th July.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Members of the Brandon University Students Union will make a 300-kilometre road trip east on July 9 to join in the first-ever Pride parade held in Steinbach a small city of about 14,000 that has found itself in the spotlight for its handling of LGBTTQ* issues.
Several local politicians have said they wont attend the parade. The areas school division faces acomplaint to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission filed earlier in June, stemming from a policy that forbids teachers to discuss sexual orientation in elementary and middle-school classes.
BUSU president Nick Brown said council approved the rental of a van to make the trek to Steinbach. Brown and other leaders will attend the parade in their capacity as BUSU representatives.
While BUSU reps travel across Canada for meetings and conferences, this is the longest distance Brown recalls travelling specifically for an advocacy event. He figures the cost will be about $100, which will come out of the unions outreach budget line.
About nine seats have been filled, with a few more still available.
BUSU representatives were active in several Pride events in Brandon in recent weeks, including a vigil following the Orlando shooting.
Brown, who identifies as bisexual, said he has noted nothing but support for that activity and he expects nothing different for the Steinbach day trip.
This is a celebration, its not a riot. Were not angry were going to have fun, he said.
If you want to be a super right-wing conservative Christian, then go and do that, but dont spread the hate. Just accept that everyone is going to do their thing and accept that if people want to host a big parade with a bunch of rainbows, then they are going to do that.
The Brandon Sun
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School graduated hundreds into its alumni on Monday afternoon before a raucous crowd of camera-wielding family and friends that filled the home side of Westman Place.
The red-robed Class of 2016 took nearly two hours to cross the stage, with many punctuating their walk with everything from celebratory dabs to waves, thumbs-up and nods to their supporters.
This year was principal Chad Cobbes first at the helm of Crocus Plains. He said this years grads are defined by the strong, outward-facing community they fostered.
Bruce Bumstead/The Brandon Sun Students applaud teachers during Crocus Plains Regional Secondary Schools convocation ceremony at Westman Place on Monday.
Crocus faces and meets the challenges its surrounded by it tries to make its surrounding community better, he said.
Keeping that compassion was what he hoped for the students.
When you get where you are going, dont forget to turn around and help the person behind you, Cobbe said during the convocation ceremony.
Brandon School Division trustee Jim Murray, whose granddaughter was among the grads, advised students to fight complacency and conformity as they enter the workforce, travel the world and pursue further education.
Dont accept the world as you find it, he said.
Its OK to change destinations part way through, as long as you do it with confidence, valedictorian Kendra Jaffray said from the podium.
Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun Family and friends stand as Crocus Plains graduates enter the arena during Mondays convocation ceremony at Westman Place.
Jaffray is heading to York University in Toronto to study international development and disaster and risk management.
Kenisha Patel was awarded the years Governor Generals Academic Medal after finishing her high school career with an98.2 per cent average.
Patel, who is pursuing a career in medicine, was dubbed a fine example of courage, empathy and determination, by ceremony emcee Robert Dinsdale.
Bill and Dorothy Palmer watched their granddaughter Abby Donnelly be presented with her diploma its the 10th such graduation theyve attended for family.
Were so lucky, and there isnt an ugly one in the bunch, the beaming grandmother quipped in between photos after the ceremony.
After leaving the stage,Jaffray said shed remember Crocus Plains by the array of moments she has shared with her peers.
Bruce Bumstead/The Brandon Sun Graduates wait to receive their high school diplomas during Crocus Plains Regional Secondary Schools convocation ceremony at Westman Place on Monday.
It doesnt matter what were passionate about, the fact we are passionate is encouraging when I see us leading in the future someday.
Im going to be really proud to see my friends one day and say, Hey, I went to school with them and congratulate them on their accomplishments, she said.
The Class of 2016 grad song, performed by the CP Express, was the Florida rock group Yellowcards 2012 song Here I Am Alive. Graduates walked out of the arena to For Good by Stephen Schwartz and Pharrells hit Happy.
Crocus Plains math teacherChristopher Sarkonak was presented with the Star Blanket, an honour from the schools aboriginal community given to a teacher singled out for his or her work.
Sarkonak said he was surprised and honoured by the blanket.
The thing about Crocus is that kids can go in so many directions, they come out with everything from an academic diploma or they can go straight into auto body or culinary arts or things like that, he said.
Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School graduates await their diplomas.
Im fortunate enough that once in a while some of the past grads come back and visit, and tell me what they are up to. Its amazing to hear their stories and have them come back and say hi.
Kelsey Murdock was in the stands to watch his son Tyler cross the stage.
Its touching to see your kids grow up and fulfilling their path in life, its something parents dream of, he said.
Tylers path hasnt been easy.
Tylers a cancer survivor, hes had a remission hes done seven years and were very proud that he survived and hes battled through. Hes our little warrior, his father said.
We are so glad to have him with us, (today) is a milestone well cherish forever.
Bruce Bumstead/Brandon Sun The graduation date hangs from a cap board tassel.
tbateman@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @tombatemann
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Waywayseecappo First Nation is going to install geothermal energy systems in community homes one way or another, according to Chief Murray Clearsky.
Earlier this year, the community partnered with Aki Energy a non-profit social enterprise that retrofits houses on Manitoba First Nations with sustainable energy systems and trains residents to do the installations.
Six Waywayseecappo residents had completed the first part of their training when Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada announced it was pulling the plug on Akis pilot program last month.
Clearsky says he was frustrated when he first heard the news.
Its saving money for the community it made too much sense not to accept it, he said.
At a recent Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs meeting, Clearsky says he spoke with an INAC representative who told him the department would try to help fund the program outside of the deal Waywayseecappo had with Aki.
They turned around and said if your people want to do it on your own, well find money to assist you, Clearsky said, adding that the First Nation will throw some money in the pot as well. Were going to continue with our six (trainees) and hire a certified electrician.
A statement from INAC on Monday confirmed this: Officials have met with representatives from the First Nation, and are examining whether this project could be funded through other areas in the department.
Aki has been utilizing Manitoba Hydros Power Smart PAYS Financing program an option available to Manitobans wanting to make energy-efficient home upgrades to pay for the $17,500 up-front cost of installing the geothermal systems.
The company asked the government for permission to go this route because INAC covers energy costs for First Nations residents on social assistance. The department approved the financing process for projects in four communities.
Recently, that permission was revoked and weve received no explanation as to why, said Kate Taylor, Akis director of projects.
According to INACs statement, the department is not accepting any new applications from First Nations because it is reviewing Akis program.
Since 2013, the company has installed geothermal systems in 350 homes in Peguis First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation, Sagkeeng First Nation and Long Plain First Nation. The program has also trained 77 geothermal installers in those communities.
Taylor says Hydro bills have either stayed the same or gone down at all of the First Nations Aki has worked with meaning the program isnt costing the federal government any extra money.
Theres no money of theirs on the table. This feels to me like bureaucratic obstructionism, she said. The reason why they can block Waywayseecappo, and any other First Nation, from accessing the project is that they will threaten to cut off the funding for social assistance recipients Hydro bills.
While the federal government is reviewing the program, Akis future is on uncertain ground.
This is going to dramatically downsize what were doing, if not threaten the existence of the company, Taylor said.
ewasney@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @evawasney
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
MONTREAL Top executives of Amaya meet with shareholders today for the first time since former chairman and CEO David Baazov, who is heading a possible takeover bid for the online gambling company, was charged with insider trading by Quebec regulators.
Baazov took an indefinite paid leave of absence in March and will not seek re-election to the Montreal-based companys board of directors.
Baazov has pleaded not guilty, along with two other people and three companies, following an investigation by the provinces market regulator, the Autorite des marches financiers, into alleged insider trading.
Their case is scheduled to be heard in a Quebec court on Sept. 7.
Baazov faces five charges, including influencing or attempting to influence the market price of Amaya shares and with communicating privileged information.
The AMF also alleged that 13 people, including Baazovs brother, used their access to information to reap nearly $1.5 million in illicit profits from stock trades.
David Baazov, 35, is the largest Amaya shareholder with more than 24.5 million shares or nearly 17 per cent of all stock in circulation.
His compensation surged 71 per cent last year to about $1.04 million after Amaya (TSX:AYA) completed its US$4.9 billion acquisition of PokerStars and Full Tilt, a deal that made it the worlds largest online poker company.
Amaya said several potential buyers, including a group headed by Baazov, have entered into confidentiality agreements with Amaya and are conducting due diligence for a possible takeover.
Several new faces have been nominated to join Amayas board with the departure of Baazov and chief financial officer Daniel Sebag.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
(Special) Many parents at this time of year may be wondering what to give their child/children for a graduation gift. Instead of giving some of the more traditional gifts such as a watch, bicycle, personalized note cards or school sweater and jacket why not consider giving the gift that will keep on giving for years to come a financial plan.
As a financial planner we see lots of parents these days who are concerned about their children learning about finances and how to manage money, says Blake Griffith, a financial planner and adviser with Sun Life Financial. They are really interested in seeing their children get good financial advice early in their lives.
Higher education is a costly pursuit in Canada that likely will get more expensive in the future. The total cost for an undergraduate university degree currently can exceed $80,000 and is expected to be more than $140,000 by the time a child born now is old enough to enrol.
According to recent statistics students who require a Canada student loan now graduate with an average debt of $28,000. With a youth unemployment rate of more than 13 per cent, many are having trouble finding jobs and either have to move back home with their parents or take on more debt to survive after graduation.
Planning for the cost of a post-secondary education and learning how to develop and stick to a budget are becoming increasingly important for students coming out of high school.
In his practice, Griffith will sit down either with both parents and the children or just the parents alone to discuss a financial plan.
We really encourage that an education financing plan is in place at the start, Griffith says. Who pays for what often comes down to family values. Some parents want their children to pay some of the costs. In other cases the parents are willing to pay everything but in return expect the child to earn top marks. Theres not one approach which is correct as long as theres a plan in place.
Griffith encourages parents to sit down with their children and help them create a budget. Many children heading off to college or university will be on their own managing money for the first time in their lives and have a lot to learn.
Since for many children this is their first time on their own, there is a real chance they might underestimate the true costs of living on their own, says Griffith. Once theyve had a semester or two experience under their belt they are able to compare their estimates to reality. Thats why its really important for the parents to assist with the budget in the beginning.
Griffith recommends parents look at either or both of Registered Educational Savings Plans (RESPs) and the Tax Free Savings Account as vehicles to help them save for their childrens education.
An RESP is a great way to save for a childs or grandchilds post-secondary education. Parents, grandparents and friends can contribute money any time into an RESP up to a lifetime total of $50,000 per child. These contributions are not tax deductible, but any investment income thats earned within the plan is not taxed until its withdrawn.
In addition to tax-deferred growth, the federal government will automatically contribute a Canada Education Savings Grant of 20 per cent of what you put in up to $500.00 a year to a lifetime maximum of $7,200 for each child. If your family income is low you will receive an even higher amount.
The most important thing is to have a plan to determine the most effective way to save for their education, Griffith says. And the earlier you start the better.
Talbot Boggs is a Toronto-based business communications professional who has worked with national news organizations, magazines and corporations in the finance, retail, manufacturing and other industrial sectors.
Copyright 2016 Talbot Boggs
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr says there is a remarkably similar agenda seizing governments around the world.
The transition off fossil fuels and the race toward energy innovation has begun and Carr calls it an absolutely important moment in human history.
His comments to an innovation conference come on the eve of a summit among the three North American leaders that will centre on climate and energy policies.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto run across the Alexandra Bridge from Ottawa to Gatineau, Quebec on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Carr tells an audience that includes members of the Mexican and U.S. summit delegations that everyone agrees nation states will follow the path of energy transition.
And he said last weeks referendum in the European Union, with Great Britain voting to exit, sets a stark contrast with the North American Leaders Summit.
He said the world is looking to Canada, the United States and Mexico for leadership.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is in Ottawa today for an official state visit ahead of the summit.
Hell meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will make courtesy calls on the Speakers of both houses of Parliament and attend a luncheon.
The president will also attend a youth event at the Canadian Museum of Nature before a state dinner hosted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston at Rideau Hall.
Trudeau hosted a banquet for Peno Nieto on Monday night in Toronto, where the prime minister said discussions between the two leaders over the coming days would include the flow of people and goods.
The two men will be joined on Wednesday by U.S. President Barack Obama for the North American Leaders Summit in Ottawa, commonly known as the Three Amigos.
A White House adviser said Monday that they will focus on a North American-wide commitment to cut methane emissions and release what the adviser says will be a comprehensive North American climate, clean energy and environment partnership.
A Three Amigos summit was scheduled to be held last year but was cancelled amid the Canada-U.S. dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline and an ongoing Canada-Mexico fight over visa requirements.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A Westman fashion designer has bagged the top spot in an international accessories competition.
Adam French found out last week that the ABURY Design Experience (ADEx) jury panel had selected his hand-crafted leather work from the competitions finalists.
The win is still setting in, but French says he is starting to realize the magnitude of the opportunity for his small company, Adan Ballou.
File photo Forrest-area fashion designer Adam French has won the international ABURY Design Experience competition for his handcrafted leather bags, belts and holsters. Later this year, French will travel to Morocco, where he will learn from local makers and create a capsule collection for ABURY.
Winning this competition clarifies in my mind that what Im doing has value, he said. Theres a responsibility here. Theres a lot that can be done with this.
The ADEx contest was created in 2015 with the goal of finding up-and-coming designers who use traditional techniques to create ethical luxury items.
The competition required designers to submit photos of their work along with a video about themselves. Nine semi-finalists then had to rally for public support before moving on to the final round French went head to head with designers from Mexico and Italy.
The three finalists were graded on creativity, craftsmanship, design, quality and personality. ABURY founder and CEO Andrea Bury says French stood out because of his passion and technical knowledge.
In the craft section, he got many points as here his quality and expertise are outstanding. We loved the fact that he really knows the production process, Bury said via email. Also his open and super positive personality that he displayed in his video was very convincing.
French has created a small collection of bags, belts and holsters in the studio of his Forrest-area home tanning all of the leather and casting the metal hardware himself.
Later this year, he will travel to Morocco, where he will spend several months learning from local makers and creating a capsule collection for ABURY.
The real fun stuff will happen after we come back because of all the networking and all the opportunities and everything I can develop during (my time) over there, French said.
ABURY will cover Frenchs travel, accommodation and production costs during his two- to three-month stay and will promote the collection when it is completed.
What we offer is a platform, we support, promote, do PR et cetera as much as we can but at the end its in the hand of the designer what will happen and how they actually use the opportunity, Bury said.
French and his wife, Malena Gonzalez, started working on Adan Ballou seven years ago and are looking forward to establishing the brand locally.
The opportunity there is coming back and having that community level and saying now its a Manitoba product, Gonzalez said.
This is home and we want to reinvest in it, French said. Im hoping that the resources and the opportunities Im going to bring back here can provide a catalyst for people to say, wait a minute, this is something I could do.
Gonzalez, who teaches in the Interactive Media Arts program at Assiniboine Community College, takes care of the marketing side of the business and says social media promotion played a big role in the ADEx win particularly because they live in rural Manitoba.
It doesnt matter where you are. If you want exposure, theres tools available for you now business opportunities are not only in the bigger cities, she said.
Twenty years ago, that would have been an impossibility, French said.
ewasney@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @evawasney
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Six stories in the news today from The Canadian Press:
MEXICAN PRESIDENT MAKES STATE VISIT TO OTTAWA
President Barack Obama, center, walks with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, left, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, as they arrive for a group photo with leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, Philippines, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP,Susan Walsh
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto continues his trip to Canada today with an official state visit in Ottawa. It will include a state dinner tonight hosted by Gov. Gen. David Johnston. U.S. President Barack Obama will arrive in Ottawa on Wednesday for the North American Leaders Summit, commonly known as the Three Amigos.
JURY PROBING DEATHS OF 7 NATIVES REPORTS TODAY
Inquest jurors examining the deaths of seven youths who moved from remote northern Ontario reserves to go to high school in Thunder Bay, Ont., report their findings today. They will decide how the aboriginal youths died and make recommendations to avoid further such tragedies.
FEDERAL COURT TO HEAR MOTION IN CONRAD BLACK TAX DISPUTE
The Federal Court will hear a motion today from former media baron Conrad Black, who is arguing that liens placed on his Toronto estate by tax authorities prevent him from selling the property. Black sold the nine-bedroom, 11-bathroom home to multimillionaire businessman Harold Peerenboom in March for $14 million as part of a lease-back deal.
AMAYA SHAREHOLDERS MEET AMID UNCERTAINTY
Top executives of Amaya meet with shareholders today for the first time since former chairman and CEO David Baazov, who is heading a possible takeover bid for the online gambling company, was charged with insider trading by Quebec regulators. Baazov took an indefinite paid leave of absence in March and will not seek re-election to the Montreal-based companys board of directors.
PROBE UNDER WAY INTO USE OF DEAD BISON IN ALBERTA MOVIE
Animal-welfare officials are investigating whether several bison were purposely killed so their carcasses could be used in the filming of an American movie in southern Alberta. Studio 8, the California-based company producing the ice-age movie The Solutrean, says it is also conducting an internal review, but has so far found no evidence supporting the allegation.
TRUDEAU JOINS CANADIAN SUPERHEROES ON MARVEL COVER
Make way, Liberal cabinet: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have another all-Canadian crew in his corner as he suits up for his latest feature role comic book character. Trudeau will grace the variant cover of issue No. 5 of Marvels Civil War II: Choosing Sides, due out Aug. 31.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:
The Conference Board of Canada will release its latest outlook for Canadas aerospace manufacturing industry.
Statistics Canada will release a report on the victimization of Aboriginal people in Canada, 2014.
Saskatchewan privacy commissioner Ron Kruzeniski will answer media questions about his annual report.
Ontario children and youth services minister will make a statement about autism supports for children, youth and families.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/06/2016 (2312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TORONTO Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed his Mexican counterpart to Canada on Monday, saying the two leaders would have much to talk about in the coming days, including the flow of people and goods.
Trudeau greeted President Enrique Pena Nieto on arrival at Torontos landmark Casa Loma castle before hosting a banquet attended by about 300 guests.
Canada and Mexico are more than just friends, Trudeau said in welcoming remarks. We are partners. And its what we share as partners and friends that Id like to celebrate.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto talk as they walk to a dinner at Casa Loma in Toronto on Monday, June 27, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
He made a point of thanking Mexico for sending 41 firefighters to Fort McMurray, Alta., to help fight the massive wildfires there last month. That help is what good neighbours do and is much appreciated, Trudeau said.
The prime minister said the two men would talk about finding solutions to climate change and working toward better protection for the environment.
The two countries have economic interests in common and both understand the importance of a productive and respectful relationship that allows for greater trade, stronger growth and more job creation, Trudeau said.
Trudeau said many Canadians travel south for Mexican culture, cuisine and a slightly more hospitable climate, while Mexican students come north to study in this country.
The prime minister said it was hard to believe that more than six years have passed since Canada last welcomed a Mexican president on a state visit.
Speaking in Spanish, Pena Nieto called the visit and renewal of bilateral relations a landmark in history.
You are taking it further, he said to Trudeau. Its not just about co-operation and the economy, were here to deepen our friendship.
The president called Canada and Mexico sister countries, noting 96,000 Mexicans live in Canada the second-largest Mexican diaspora. About 60,000 Canadians make his country home, Pena Nieto said.
Pena Nieto talked about legal and orderly immigration, and said indigenous peoples strengthen both countries. He also talked about working toward a healthier environment.
Under Trudeau, Pena Nieto said, Canada has shown itself to be a progressive country.
This is what the world needs today, Pena Nieto said.
Following their speeches, the men proposed a formal toast to one another.
Opinion
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The anti-elites embody a rising intolerance self-righteous refusal to accept the validity of the opposing argument is pivotal to this mood.
Paul Kelly, Editor-at-large, The Australian
A little more than one year before the October 2015 federal election, then-prime minister Stephen Harper made a stop in Langley, B.C., to warn Canadians of those liberal elites who would try to sell voters on the same old bill of goods damaging progressive ideas that offered little to ordinary, working-class citizens.
After seven years in power, it was seen as Harpers attempt to re-establish himself and his party as the champion of working-class Canadians; outsiders in Ottawa who were not part of the intellectual elites who came before. And in truth, he had a right to claim that throne.
This was, after all, the same party that decided to eliminate the mandatory longform census, which provided a wealth of information on Canadians to researchers, scientists, lobbyists, provinces and municipalities.
One year later, the Conservative election campaign went off the rails as it dabbled in subtle demagoguery and dog-whistle politics in a bid for re-election. Harpers use of the phrase old-stock Canadians during an election debate is one example that drew condemnation from writers and professors those intellectual elites he was warning us about.
The Conservative push to ban the Muslim niqab during citizenship ceremonies is another yet it seemed to reflect public mood. In a poll conducted by the firm Leger Marketing one ordered by Harper before the election fully 82 per cent of Canadians favoured the policy somewhat or strongly. Only 15 per cent of Canadians were opposed. Support was especially strong in Quebec.
But as the polls showed a rise in the fortunes of Justin Trudeaus Liberal Party, the Tories took one step too far in their drive appeal to Canadians basest instincts by announcing the creation of a snitch line to combat barbaric cultural practices.
Why is this worth bringing up now, months after the election? If nothing else, its worth showing that the same anti-intellectualism and anti-elitist rhetoric that pervaded the Conservative election bid is being employed by politicians and citizens in various forms around the world, and successfully so.
As part of last Thursdays Brexit vote in Great Britain, 56 per cent of voters in the southwestern county of Cornwall had voted in favour of leaving the European Union, having bought into the notion that funding from the EU to the region considered one of Britains poorest would not be cut.
One day later, at least a few Cornwall residents were having buyers remorse as U.K. Independence Party leader, Nigel Farage, and other leave proponents distanced themselves from their own promises. A story by The Washington Post reported that the county is heavily dependent on the more than 60 million British pounds ($106 million) in EU subsidies per year that are transferred to the region and help finance infrastructure projects and education.
Warnings by county officials regarding the potential loss of revenues and the financial disaster that would ensue were ignored by voters who were more interested in curbing immigration from Muslim countries and poor EU nations than understanding their own economic self-interest.
Playing upon mistrust of political and financial elites in Washington, the rise of Islamophobia, fears of terrorism and on anti-immigrant sympathies among the American population, Donald Trump has all but secured his place as the Republican candidate for president of the United States. Whether he ultimately wins the presidency is debatable, but there is no denying the fact that his ascendency is a direct repudiation of the Republican establishment.
This rise in anti-intellectualism has been pervasive throughout society, and often in subtle and dangerous ways. Case in point, the frightening growth among parents of young children who mistrust mainstream science and choose to delay or completely forgo vaccinations for their children.
As a result, diseases like measles, whooping cough, polio and meningitis, all of which had at one time been considered eliminated or at least conquered in Canada and the United States, have staged a comeback.
And sadly, even in the face of tragedy such as the death of 19-month old Ezekiel Stephan, whose obviously loving parents were convicted of failing to provide their son the necessaries of life because of their mistrust of vaccinations arguments based scientific fact still fall on deaf ears.
What we are witnessing is a rebellion against the establishment, whether that be science, multiculturalism, immigration, the rich, politicians or just a resentment of the other. And while it is not wholly without just cause, this backlash will have major consequences for our world. It already has.
Has the Age of Reason finally passed on?
Opinion
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
VICTORIA Donald Trump could be the next president of the United States. Kevin OLeary, another wealthy reality-TV star, has expressed his desire to lead a national political party in Canada. The unexpected rise of these political outsiders, who seek out and thrive on controversy while flaunting their contempt for traditional political discourse, has left everyone searching for an explanation.
One of the most intriguing aspects of these figures is they challenge traditional political party lines. Trump is just as likely to take a swipe at his Republican colleagues and their affiliation with big business as he is to attack the Democrats and the groups that support them.
Some supporters of Bernie Sanders the left-leaning candidate who mounted a strong bid for the Democratic nomination indicated Trump was their second choice for president rather than Hillary Clinton, the quintessential Washington insider.
In Canada, OLeary indicated his interest in running for the Conservative party leadership when Stephen Harper stepped down. But he went out of his way to say he would not rule out a bid for the federal Liberal leadership at some point in the future.
While we dont yet know where OLearys support would come from, speculation about those who back Trump has become an obsession for the media and political pundits in the U.S. Early in the Republican primary process, Trump voters were identified as mostly white males among the poor and working class with lower levels of education. The narrative quickly emerged that Trumps support came from the economically frustrated and uninformed.
But more recent exit polls conducted by pollster Nate Silver and his website fivethirtyeight.com found voters supporting Trump had higher incomes and levels of education compared to national averages. Even though there is much trepidation among the Republican party establishment, Trump has achieved broad enough support, regardless of education and income levels, to become a mainstream candidate.
Passing off those who support this new breed of flamboyant, populist politician as poor and ignorant overlooks the broader political and societal trends that have set the stage for their ascendance. There is a distrust of traditional elites and institutions of power in Western society that has been growing for decades.
Established political parties have attempted to frame this trend within their own world views. The left points to economic inequality and the undue influence of private corporations. Those on the right single out special-interest groups and complicit governments. But the frustration with unrepresentative institutions and those who speak for them transcends these tired explanations. The average citizens contempt now encompasses governments, the media, private corporations, labour unions and advocacy groups. Political parties have not been able to respond to this and are more likely to be included with this group than seen as an answer to them.
Distrust of institutions and elites is not confined to the poor and less educated. In fact, it can be explained by increases in education levels, coupled with more access to information, which has led the public to demand more transparency from powerful institutions and a larger role in the decisions that affect their lives. The inability of traditional decision-making bodies to address these demands has created the feelings of alienation Trump and OLeary, who ironically claim to speak for the average citizen, have been able to exploit.
It is all too easy and comfortable to believe Trump and OLearys appeal comes from a place of ignorance and emotion rather than informed, rational thinking. But we now exist in a world where an increasingly sophisticated and connected public demands more from its leaders and are less likely to take them at their word. Paradoxically, many people are frustrated enough that they are willing to buy into, or at least overlook, the simplistic, unrealistic and vitriolic brand of politics these leaders practise, in order to send a message.
If we want to keep Trump and OLearys television appearances confined to their reality shows, rather than delivering speeches as national leaders, the first step is acknowledging the true nature of their appeal.
Brendan Boyd is a PhD candidate in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and a former resident of Manitoba. His column recently appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Opinion
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2016 (2311 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Disappointed in Trudeau
Justin Trudeau, our so-called prime minister, doesnt like to make major decisions, but has declared himself as the great defender of gay and womens rights. Most of the countries of the world say that ISIS is committing genocide, but Trudeau pulled our CF-18s out of bombing and watered down Stephen Harpers anti-terrorism legislation and says genocide is out of question. He doesnt want to make major decisions. Trudeau is a weak leader or what?
Rail crossing delays
There has been much controversy about the CN crossing on First Street. I recently sat in a line of traffic while the train moved slowly westbound. When it was three cars short of clearing the crossing it ground to a halt. The switchman did his thing, and it started to reverse. Eighty-five cars plus three locomotives later the crossing was cleared. Why cant CN be more considerate of traffic delays? The switchman was in obvious contact with the head end. Why could he not move the train ahead three car lengths, sit for three or four minutes to let traffic clear, then proceed with the switching? Sixth Street possibly as far as 10th Street would have also been blocked. A few minutes delay would have inconvenienced traffic there, but there isnt the volume there that there is on First Street. I dont think their schedule is so tight that they cant afford a delay that long in the interests of public relations.
Not all war veterans treated the same
Re: Refusal to Admit War Veteran Upsetting to Norwegian Parliamentary Committee. (June 20). Shamefully, our government of Canada also shows indifference to Canadian veterans who are in need of care facilities. Federal regulations limit eligibility to veterans long-term care centres like Camp Hill and Sunnybrook to only Second World War and Korean War veterans. Veterans who served in the Canadian Forces post-Korea are not eligible for care at these types of facilities. The federal government is effectively downloading the cost of long-term care for this younger generation of veterans to the provinces. Veterans not eligible for a placement at Camp Hill turn to provincial long-term care facilities.
Kudos to Community Mobilization Westman!
This is the first government initiative we all should promote. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Respect works two ways
Im so tired of hearing people slamming the police in general. I dont like seeing articles online or in the news that promote hatred toward these authorities. Neither do I enjoy hearing and both seeing about news articles of people who have been a victim of police brutality and excessive use of force. Just stop and think about this problem. The police do not know if an individual is drunk, belligerent or simply altogether dangerous. They have no idea what a day can entail but they wake up every day and leave their families to protect every one of us. People have to take responsibility for their actions, as do law enforcement. It works both ways to get respect, you need to extend the same. Follow the laws so the law wont follow you, and enjoy your summer!
Move it along
I was driving the Highway No. 1 west of Winnipeg from Portage to Austin on June 19 and was not impressed with the long stretch that they are redoing. Do they have to drag it out for that many kilometres? Cant the workers just move pylons as they go along instead of dragging it out that long? Then they wonder why people get upset.
Airline bosses are gathering in Brussels to discuss how to minimise the impact of air traffic control (ATC) strikes.
The chief executives of easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways parent company IAG are among those attending the summit organised by lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E).
The meeting in the Belgian capital takes place amid another strike by French ATC unions.
Hundreds of flights to, from or over France were cancelled on Tuesday due to the 12th strike in the past 13 weeks.
A4E has warned that travellers face a "summer of chaos", with eight further ATC strikes announced in Italy and Portugal over the next four weeks.
It has called on the European Commission and governments to take action to reduce the impact of strikes, and wants neighbouring countries to be allowed to carry out ATC duties in air space affected by industrial disputes.
Ryanair cancelled 166 flights due to the latest French ATC strike, affecting 30,000 passengers.
The Dublin-based carrier estimated that a further 100,000 customers would suffer delays.
Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, said: "It is time for action by the European Commission following this latest French ATC strike aimed at disrupting as many travel plans as possible.
"The frequency of these strikes, right in the middle of the holiday season, only serves to underline how urgent action is required to help reduce the impact of these strikes."
EasyJet announced 56 cancelled flights and warned further delays were expected.
It released a statement which read: "EasyJet can assure its passengers it will do everything possible to limit the inconvenience of this strike on them."
Brexit, a rise in rent allowance and re-opening rural garda stations are on the agenda for this mornings cabinet meeting.
The Taoiseach will bring a memo on the implications of the British vote before he attends todays EU summit.
The cabinet meeting begins early this morning at 7.30am to allow the Taoiseach to travel to Brussels for a crisis meeting of EU states.
Ministers will discuss the possible fallout for Ireland from the leave vote.
A move aimed at tackling homelessness will also be discussed.
The cabinet is expected to agree to a rise in rent supplement and housing assistance payments which will kick in next week.
The Justice Minister is also bringing forward a proposal to open some of the closed garda stations on a trial basis.
Six stations will be re-opened and monitored to see if they have an impact on local crime levels.
Also on a busy agenda is Mick Wallaces abortion bill, which would see terminations allowed in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.
The cabinet will receive legal advice on whether the bill is constitutional.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses after a man drowned in the Grand Canal at Portobello in Dublin.
The man in his early 20s got into difficulty while swimming in the early hours of Saturday morning June 18.
The European Parliament has heard the last thing Ireland needs is an EU border.
Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson has told an emergency gathering in Brussels this morning that her party will defend the vote of the people of the North to remain in the European Union.
A man in his late 20s has been arrested in connection with an assault that took place on Dame Lane on Saturday June 25.
He is currently being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at Pearse Street Garda Station.
By Elaine Loughlin, Political Reporter
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has promised to make the case for Irelands national interest with European leaders when it comes to Brexit negotiations.
Arriving at the European Union Council Summit in Brussels this afternoon, Mr Kenny said Britain needed to be given some time to consider how it will exit Europe but added that: "You cant have a drift into uncertainty here."
The 28 leaders of the European Union are gathering this afternoon to discuss the fallout from Fridays Brexit vote. The crunch meeting is expected to continue into the early hours of tomorrow morning.
The heads of State will then meet again over breakfast tomorrow morning. However, British prime minister David Cameron will not attend this meeting.
Arriving at the summit Mr Kenny said: "I am going to attend this meeting as Taoiseach and I am going to make the case for Irelands national interest here in terms of our economy, in terms of our common travel area, in terms of the peace process and an open border with Northern Ireland.
"Obviously the discussions that will take place eventually in relation to the relationship between the EU and the UK will be central to that and obviously we want to be party to those discussions and those negotiations."
He said he was not in favour of pushing Brexit negotiations down the line but added that he was happy that British leader David Cameron had said that the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which begins the exit process would be done by a new prime minister.
I agree that there should be some little time given to the Conservative Party to elect a new prime minister. That has been brought forward by a month (to September) and I think thats good - that is going to give a sense of stability before the triggering of Article 50.
And that new prime minister, whoever that may be, he or she will have to determine what their views are.
He said the new prime minister may need some time, but you cant have a drift into uncertainty here.
Mr Kenny attended the European Peoples Party (EPP) summit this morning where other members including Angela Merkel, Jean Claude Juncker and Nicolas Sarkozy discussed their combined position on Brexit.
The Taoiseach said EPP members were very well aware of Irelands very special position in relation to exit negotiations.
EPP countries are well aware of Irelands position but I will articulate and our people will articulate very strongly what our vital national interests are here, he said.
University fees for Irish students in the UK could triple according to a Fine Gael MEP.
Brian Hayes has said the welfare of Irish students studying abroad needs to be considered in the post-Brexit negotiations.
Sile Seoige has revealed how much yoga helped her after battling cancer.
The RTE star revealed back in 2012 that she was battling thyroid cancer, but thankfully Sile has since beat the horrific disease.
I bow my head to Western medication I wouldnt be here without it but I also think we need to look at how the mind and all these other stresses can impact out health, she revealed.
The 37-year-old is now practicing and teaching yoga after becoming a qualified yoga teacher back in January.
When I got into it, I wasnt in a good place after cancer, the Galway native told the Irish Sun.
I found it so good for the body and mind.
Sile loves practicing yoga so much, she hopes to be able to bring her love of yoga and her TV work together.
Im looking to expand in all things yoga later this year.
Id love to do something with TV and yoga, she further revealed.
Im the kind of person who would love to watch something like that Id love to something on health from an holistic point of view.
The post Sile Seoige reveals how yoga helped after battling cancer appeared first on Goss.
Update 12.29am: A senior Turkish official said tonight nearly 50 people had been killed in the attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport and initial indications were that the so-called 'Islamic State' group was behind the atrocity.
Update 10.16pm: A total of 28 people were killed in attacks on Istanbul's airport with 60 wounded, the Turkish city's governor said.
Earlier, Turkish justice minister Bekir Bozdag said that according to preliminary information, "a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up".
Update 8.58pm: Ten people have died in two explosions at Istanbul's Ataturk airport.
Two attackers blew themselves up after police fired at them, an official said.
The state-run TRT television said an explosion hit a control point at the international arrival terminal of the airport.
Other media reported the sound of gunfire at the scene.
Eyewitness Ercan Ceyhan told CNN-Turk that he saw some 30 ambulances enter the airport.
The private DHA news agency said the wounded, among them police officers, were being transferred to Bakirkoy State Hospital.
Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or so-called 'Islamic State' (IS) militants.
The bombings included two in Istanbul targeting tourists - which the authorities have blamed on the 'IS' group.
Earlier:
At least two explosions have occurred at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, causing multiple injuries, a Turkish official has said.
An official said it was unclear whether the blasts were caused by bombs or a suicide attack.
Turkish media reported the sound of gunfire at the scene.
BREAKING: Turkish justice minister says 10 dead in Istanbul airport attack https://t.co/oLY0jvPufC Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) June 28, 2016
UPDATE: Around 40 people wounded in Istanbul airport blast being transported to hospital: broadcaster Haberturk Reuters (@Reuters) June 28, 2016
Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.
Nigel Farage told fellow MEPs "you're not laughing now" as he was barracked and booed at an emergency meeting of the European Parliament to discuss Brexit.
The Ukip leader accused them of being "in denial" about the euro crisis, immigration and the imposition "by stealth, by deception, without ever telling the truth" of a political union.
Offering a tongue in cheek "thank you for the warm welcome", he told them: "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union you all laughed at me.
"Well I have to say you're not laughing now are you?"
As the session was disrupted by constant shouts of dissent, Parliament president Martin Schulz was forced to intervene, warning members that "one major quality of democracy is that you listen to those even if you don't share their opinion".
At a highly charged session in the Brussels chamber, Mr Farage declared: "The reason you are so upset, the reason you are so angry, has been perfectly clear from all the angry exchanges this morning: you are in denial.
"You are in denial that your currency is failing," he said.
Nigel Farage, "Even no deal for the UK is better than the rotten one we have already got." https://t.co/eiamLelKqk Sky News (@SkyNews) June 28, 2016
Facing down more boos, he said: "As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the rest of the Mediterranean, you have done very well.
"You are in denial over (German chancellor) Mrs Merkel's call last year for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean into the European Union, which has led to massive divisions between countries and within countries.
"But the biggest problem you have got, and the main reason the United Kingdom voted the way it did, is that you have, by stealth, by deception, without ever telling the truth to the British or the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union."
Earlier Mr Farage sparred with EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who questioned why he had attended.
Nigel Farage hails the seismic result for the UK and warns it will not be the last country to leave the EU. https://t.co/CHS3JBAMfW Sky News (@SkyNews) June 28, 2016
"That's the last time you are applauding here," Mr Juncker said after the fiercely anti-EU politician applauded his opening statement that Europe "must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view".
"To some extent I am really surprised that you are here," he told him.
"You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?"
Mr Farage told him it was a "pleasure".
The pair were seen to share an embrace, with the famously tactile Mr Juncker appearing to kiss the politician on the ear.
Lebanon's army has said it has detained over 100 Syrians for illegal entry into the country, following a series of bombings the previous day that shook a village near the countries' border.
The raids were conducted early on Tuesday in six areas in the Baalbek region, which has many informal refugee settlements.
The President of the European Council Donald Tusk has said the EU is ready to start the divorce from the UK today.
It comes as the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is due to speak with European leaders at an emergency summit in Brussels this evening.
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, is being urged to press the serious impact that a Brexit will have on Ireland - in a bid to protect our free trade and flow of people - at the gathering.
It is expected David Cameron will resist pressure to start the leave negotiations immediately.
But Donald Tusk insists patience is needed for it to be done properly: While respecting the will of the UK voters, we also have to respect our treaties.
According to them it is the British Government which initiates the process of exit from the EU.
British prime minister David Cameron has said he will be formally notifying the other leaders of the result in the UK referendum.
But he insists the divorce process will not be rushed, saying he wants the exit process to be "as constructive as possible": While were leaving the European Union we must not be turning our backs on Europe.
These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners and I very much hope that we will strive for the closest possible relationship, in terms of trade and cooperation and security that is good for us and good for them.
And that is the spirit in which the discussions I think will be held today.
Police have said they are looking for witnesses to an ugly racist rant on board a tram in Manchester today.
Video captured by a fellow passenger, who said she felt frightened during the incident, shows two male teenagers throwing racist slurs and threats at a man who had asked them to stop using bad language.
Copper prices fell on Tuesday in London as a weaker yuan against the dollar made greenback-priced assets more...
SINGAPORE: US oil may test a resistance at $87 per barrel, a break above which could open the way towards...
SYDNEY: India are able to breathe a bit easier after getting their T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan out of the...
LONDON: Rishi Sunak looked set to become Britains next prime minister after his rival Boris Johnson quit the race,...
Melbourne's feminist, pacifist weekly Woman Voter never doubted that capitalists had a vested interest in war.
One hundred years ago this week the Voter had done some detailed bean counting and piped up that, "When Miss Goldstein was [electioneering] in August, 1914, she drew attention to the huge sums of money that would be involved in clothing, equipping and maintaining Australian soldiers".
Dressing our World War I soldiers came at a hefty price.
"She was ridiculed but now figures are released which prove that Miss Goldstein greatly underestimated the sums of money involved. Each man's first cost for clothing averages 11/12/6, and for equipment 21/10/-, making an approximate total of 33. So for our 250,000 men, 8,250,000.
"And every three months a portion of the outfit of a soldier at the front has to be renewed ... so that the total yearly expenditure for renewals for an army of 250,000 men amounts to fully 3,000,000. That is, a minimum total of 11,250,000 is required annually merely to clothe and equip with the barest necessaries 250,000 men. Add to that the cost of feeding, housing, transport, etc., and we begin to get an idea as to how vested interests soon grow up under a military system, and how those vested interests will fight to the last against an alteration of the system.
"We have said nothing of the cost of human life, but think of the commercial and moral loss to a country of its best men and we believe that in your heart of hearts you will begin to rebel against the military system."
Man accused of trafficking 28 kilograms of ice had 'close associations' with drug dealers
Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.
Dismiss
Murray Goulburn's decision to open 2017 farmgate prices below the cost of production and below market expectations will put farmers in the gun and banks on high alert to revisit their exposure to the dairy sector.
The banks have already been running the ruler over New Zealand where their exposures are much higher. Nevertheless there are billions of dollars of credit exposure to dairy farms in Australia.
For instance, National Australia Bank and ANZ each have an estimated $1.5 billion exposure to the Australian dairy industry. In ANZ's case, impaired loans for forestry, fishing, agriculture and mining was $892 million out of a total exposure of $49 billion at its most recent balance date. Two-thirds of this exposure related to agriculture of which $13 billion related to dairy, most of which is in New Zealand.
Brett LeMesurier, head of research at APP Securities, which last week won the best research house at the Stockbrokers Awards, said the market should expect higher rates of bank impairments from Australian dairy exposures following Murray Goulburn's farmgate price announcement.
Macquarie analysts cut their target price for APN News and Media from $5.20 to $4.30 on Monday night.
Shares closed at $4 on Monday and had dropped 18c to $3.82 by lunchtime on Tuesday.
Macquarie's change was based on APN recently divesting it's regional newspaper business and its printing and publishing business in New Zealand. That New Zealand business started trading on the New Zealand exchange on Monday, closing at 80c, but dropped to 78c on Tuesday.
APN was now likely to return to paying dividends, given the proceeds from these sales had improved its balance sheet, Macquarie's analysts noted. APN has said it would introduce a dividend payout ratio of up to 60 per cent of post-tax profit. Macquarie was expecting a dividend yield of 3.4c per share.
Rio Tinto has reduced its exposure to tax havens over the past year but its Singapore marketing hub continues to be investigated by the Australian Taxation Office.
The resources giant said 17 of its 600 subsidiaries were domiciled in tax havens, and eight of those were dormant.
Rio said five of the remaining nine were acquired through acquisitions, and turnover had been reduced in others.
The exposure to tax havens is down from the previous year, when 20 Rio subsidiaries were located in such nations and only two were dormant.
Italy is preparing a 40 billion ($60 billion) rescue of its financial system as bank shares collapse on the Milan bourse and the powerful aftershock of Brexit shakes European markets.
An Italian government task force is watching the markets hour by hour, pledging all steps necessary to ensure stability of the banks.
Italy's banks are the Achilles' heel of the euro zone financial system. Credit:Bloomberg
"We are ready for anything," said Premier Matteo Renzi.
"This is the moment of truth we have all been waiting for a long time. We just didn't know it would be Brexit that set the elephant loose," said a top Italian banker.
The political brinkmanship that's developed between the Canberra Liberals and the Barr government over the post-election fate of the light rail contract took a predictable turn this week when Simon Corbell claimed cancellation would cost between $220 million and $280 million, and be "confirmation of the lunacy of the Liberal position".
In February, when the Liberals suggested they would challenge any "extortionate" pay-out fee (without saying what it regarded as "extortionate"), Capital Metro Minister Corbell said cancellation would cost anything from "tens of million to hundreds of millions". Two months later (and spurred on, it seems, by the Victorian government's decision to cancel existing contracts for Melbourne's East West Link road project at a cost of more than $300 million) the Liberals said any light rail contract would be "torn up" in the event they won office in October.
In opting to call the Liberals' bluff, Mr Corbell has, interestingly, quoted a dollar figure not far removed from the bill the Andrews government agreed to pay to cancel the East West Link. If the payout figure is correct (and, providentially for Labor and Mr Corbell, there's no way it can be independently confirmed) the Liberals will be forced to justify a potentially extravagant election commitment between now and October.
That's precisely what Labor intends, and it explains why opposition transport spokesman Alistair Coe questioned the figure on Tuesday, imploring the electorate to treat it with the suspicion he said it deserved.
Rene Rossey, who has died aged 89, was one of the last surviving French marine commandos who stormed ashore on Sword Beach, Normandy, on D-Day to begin the liberation of their homeland.
Rossey was part of the 177-man French Kieffer Commando, part of Britain's 4 Commando and the 1st Special Service Brigade commanded by Brigadier Lord Lovat.
When he and his comrades leapt off the landing craft at 7.31am on June 6, 1944, braving heavy German fire, Rossey was only 17 and, having been born and brought up in the French colony of Tunisia, had never been to France itself.
British troops inevitably got most of the credit for taking Sword Beach. But Lord Lovat had made the political decision to let the French commandos land on the beaches ahead of the British commandos.
That decision gave "Le petit Rossey" and the Kieffer Commando the confidence to push inland.
Across the postindustrial world, the populist right is excelling in the old bastions of the left.
If there is a lesson in the decision by British voters to exit the European Union, it is the importance of the emerging split between the beneficiaries of multicultural globalism and the working-class ethno-nationalists who feel left behind. These issues have the potential to overcome long-standing partisan ties, even in the United States.
That split was evident in the British referendum on Thursday. The result in Sunderland long a Labour stronghold, which voted 62 per cent to leave the EU was the first clear sign of the outcome.
In the end, many of Labour's traditional working-class strongholds in old industries across northern England voted for the so-called Brexit. (The last deep coal mine in the country closed last year in North Yorkshire, in northern England.)
Emissions impossible? The Turnbull government has made much of Australia being on track to "easily meet and beat" the country's goal of cutting 2000-level carbon emissions by 5-25 per cent by 2020. Less appreciated is the fact that by the end of the decade, annual emissions are headed for 577 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent - or about 6 per cent above 2000 levels. As the Grattan Institute notes in its recent report, Australia is within reach of the lower end of the 2020 target thanks in large part to 128 MT in credits for beating its first target under the Kyoto Protocol in 2008-2012 during the Rudd-Gillard government. But because emissions are rising - from rising coal-fired power emissions and lately more land-clearing - the challenge of hitting 2030 targets will require a sharper cutback than from today's starting point. Turnbull's 2030 target is an emissions cut of 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels, while Labor's election pledge is 45 per cent and the Greens' 63-82 per cent.
Crunch time According to the Turnbull government, Australia's target will require 900 million tonnes of reduced carbon emissions between 2020 and 2030. Environment Minister Greg Hunt has said existing and planned policies can get there. However, the bulk of the emissions cuts are merely aspirational. The Emissions Reduction Fund has $816 million left in its coffers and no new funding.The Safeguard Mechanism has the architecture to become an emissions trading scheme, but will a re-elected Turnbull have the clout to win over climate sceptics within his ranks to make it effective? Energy productivity plans are without funding or bureaucratic back-up. Hopes for technological gains are harder now the government has stripped $1.3 billion from Australian Renewable Energy Agency and wants the Clean Energy Finance Corp to also fund Great Barrier Reef projects and save South Australia's steel industry. Can clean energy rise fast enough? Carbon emissions from the electricity sector are Australia's biggest source - accounting for about one-third - and they have been rising since the Abbott government scrapped the carbon price in mid-2014. Falling costs of clean energy, though, should squeeze fossil fuels' share of the power sector from 85 per cent last year to 41 per cent by 2040, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates. Solar panel costs have dived 80 per cent since 2008 and each doubling of production cuts them another 26 per cent. Wind power costs have halved since 2009 and shrink by 19 per cent at each output doubling.
However, amid the mid-year stocktake sales and car dealership runouts is a notion that it is rather important to sort out private health insurance before June 30.
There is a lot of hoopla surrounding the end of financial year. Suddenly everyone is telling you to buy everything you've ever needed before the magical June 30 deadline, or risk turning into some kind of financial pumpkin at midnight on the first day of July.
The answer is no and no. But if you are a higher income earner or just turned 31, then taking out private health insurance before June 30 can make good financial sense. Here's why.
Government incentives and penalties
The federal government encourages Australians to take up private health insurance through a "sticks and carrots" approach designed to reduce the demand on the public system. The Private Health Insurance Rebate is the "carrot" that makes private cover more affordable, while the "sticks" are the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS) and Lifetime Health Cover (LHC) loading.
The MLS is an additional tax levied on those who don't have private health insurance and earn more than $90,000 for singles or $180,000 for families and couples. LHC is a 2 per cent loading payable on top of your premium for every year you were aged over 31 and did not have private health insurance.
So if you're 31 or older and wait until after June 30 to take out private health insurance for the first time, you'll pay at least 2 per cent more than if you had taken it out before you turned 31. LHC compounds, meaning a 40-year-old taking out private health insurance for the first time will pay 20 per cent loading on top of their premiums, and have to pay the loading for 10 years.
Outsourced Medicare payments could be handing companies a "licence to steal" taxpayers' money, one of Australia's leading health finance figures has warned.
Claims processing must be in the hands of public servants who are not motivated by profit, medical billing services pioneer Margaret Faux has written in a passionate defence of Medicare, which, she says, is "too precious to be preyed upon by corporate greed".
The US experience in private billing of public medical services offers a chilling warning of how the private sector can plunder the health budget if given the chance, Ms Faux has written on health blog Croakey.
Plans for a private player to take over Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and even some Veterans' Affairs payments date back to 2014, and were well advanced until being dumped this month by the Coalition, under pressure from Labor's claim the Turnbull government was bent on full privatisation.
It remains unclear what will happen to the $5 million, 20-strong public service taskforce set up to plan the outsourcing.
Police are investigating after a young woman was sexually assaulted in a prominent Sunshine Coast toilet block overlooking one of Queensland's busiest beaches.
The woman in her 20s was using the facilities at the Loo with a View in the centre of the Mooloolaba Esplanade about 5am Monday when she was assaulted.
The Loo with a View in Mooloolaba.
A police spokesman said it appeared the man had followed her inside and no other witnesses had come forward.
He was described as being around 190cm tall, wearing a black hooded jacket with a black cap underneath and black pants.
More effort needs to be put into tracking the mortality rates of prisoners post-release from incarceration according to one Griffith University researcher.
Professor Stuart Kinner said monitoring of the number of people who die shortly after being released from prison was an important issue to consider.
High rates of post-release mortality in prisoners need to be monitored according to a Griffith University researcher. Credit:Andrew Meares
"There's not a great deal of public sympathy for people moving through the prison system," he said.
"We aren't talking about a separate species of people, we are talking about people in our community. Their health is the health of our community."
The father of three small children who died when their mother drove into a lake has defended her in court , saying she was a "loving mother" who would not have harmed them intentionally.
Joseph Manyang has also given evidence that despite pressure for him to reconcile with his wife, his relationship with his girlfriend, Akon Guode, 36, was stable and she had not threatened him or their children.
Bol, 1, left, Hanger, 4, centre and her twin brother Madit, right, were killed when their mother's car crashed into the lake.
He continues to visit Ms Guode while she's in remand accused of murdering three of their children, and said she'd told him she felt dizzy when she was driving that day.
The pair's three youngest children, 16-month-old Bol and four-year-old twins Madit and Hanger died when Ms Guode drove her car into Lake Gladman, in Wyndham Vale in Melbourne's west, on April 8, 2015.
He faced court on Tuesday after Australian Federal Police allegedly intercepted the drugs at Sydney Airport in 11 industrial diesel generators inside cargo containers.
Nigerian-born Onyedika Hilary Anaeto, an Australian citizen, is accused of using the cover of his car wrecking business to participate in the West African organised crime ring.
The accused kingpin of an international drug syndicate that smuggled 140 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia inside diesel generators allegedly used the codewords "rice" and "beans" when arranging the illicit trade.
Police have charged four people in Sydney and Melbourne over the alleged plot, two of them Nigerian nationals. It's understood more arrests might follow, and the investigation is ongoing.
Police secretly monitored the four men, recording their phone calls and movements, AFP documents tendered to the court show, including two trips Anaeto made to Sydney to meet his co-accused.
AFP federal agent Jason Hall told Melbourne Magistrates Court police had intercepted more than 7500 phone calls as part of the investigation and were in the process of painstakingly transcribing and translating those calls.
Senior Constable Hall alleged the men were talking in code in their phone calls, including one in which Anaeto was overheard saying some people would share the "rice" and some people would share the "beans".
In another taped conversation on June 1, according to AFP documents, Anaeto and a co-accused spoke about something being "tasted", and discussing whether "the person has the things that are needed to get them naked".
The trains and traffic seem to be running quite smoothly this morning. I wonder if the school holidays are a factor, since there are fewer students taking the train to school or harried parents rushing to get to the scholl gates by 9am.
Do you find your commute tends to be lighter whenever the school holidays are on? Shoot me an an email and let me know.
It would be great to get some anecdotal evidence of whether it makes a difference. I'm going to see if I can pull out some stats to test the theory once I wrap up the blog for the day.
A grain truck has lost its load on Great Northern Highway in Upper Swan after a car slammed into it on Monday night.
The 46-year-old driver of the Nissan Coupe that collided head-on with the truck just after 7pm, has been taken to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries.
A grain truck lost its load in Upper Swan. Credit:Scott Cunningham Nine News Perth
Nine News reporter Scott Cunningham said grain was strewn all over the road.
"It's an absolute mess," he said. "A lot of grain has spilled over the road... the truck was fully loaded at the time and it looks like the two carriages on the back have just crumbled on their side after it crashed into a ditch.
A Perth photographer has captured the rare moment a double rainbow formed over the ocean off Yanchep on Saturday morning.
Bob Ellisdon, owner of Outback Bob Photography, told WAtoday he saw the rainbow forming from his house and rushed to capture the phenomenon.
Bob Ellisdon captures the double rainbow off WA's coast.
"I was out the front yard and saw a rainbow forming, so I jumped in the car and went down the beach," he said.
"I live in Yanchep, so I went to Fisherman's Hollow beach and it turned it on."
An Australian man wanted in Perth on drug charges has faced a Bali court for allegedly claiming to be two different men in forged and stolen travel documents.
Shaun Edward Davidson, 30, was quiet and wore a white collared shirt when he arrived in Denpasar District Court on Monday, more than two months after he was arrested by immigration officials and taken into custody.
Shaun Davidson waiting to be transferred to Kerobokan jail in Bali after being charged with possessing another person's identity and overstaying his visa in April last year. Credit:Amilia Rosa
Prosecutor Ika Lusiana said officers first spoke to Dobson in February 29 while he was staying at Rabasta Beach Resort in Kuta.
The Western Australian allegedly claimed he was "Michael John Bayman" and presented a passport that showed a man who looked different to Dobson.
Latest News ANZ to launch digital home loans Full-year results show loan turnaround times 'back to normal'
ASIC appeals dismissal of petition against CBA and Colonial First State The case is over allegations of breached conflicted remuneration laws
The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia ( MFAA ) has met with the Fairfax journalist who published the inflammatory article about mortgage brokers, Mortgage broker salad days are numbered.The meeting with the Australian Financial Review (AFR) journalist, which took place at Fairfaxs head office in Sydney yesterday, was successful, according to the MFAA. The journalist admitted that he was not fully across the operations of the industry and expressed willingness to engage to get a better grasp of it, the association said.We were pleased that we could follow up on our commitment to the industry to meet with this journalist to discuss the basis of the article, the MFAA said.He was willing to sit down with the MFAA to find out more about the data that supports our consumer advantages.The article, published by the AFR last month, claims: Brokers live in fear that commissions will be outlawed. It also claims the standards of the mortgage broking industry continue to lag those imposed on other sectors, namely financial planning.The MFAA provided Fairfax with its Industry Intelligence Service (IIS) Report, which shows broker numbers and revenues, to assist the mainstream media in gathering a more realistic view of the industry.As discussed at the AFG broker days, the industry has to improve its ability to get this message across to media so that the consumer benefits of a brokers interaction are more clearly understood, MFAA head of marketing, Stephen Hale said.[The journalist] was impressed that we could produce real data to support these claims MFAA data rather than random opinions that are not generally respected by the media.He said that he had a different view thinking that our industry was primarily a referral-driven operation and noted that these growth figures showed that we are delivering a better option for consumers.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams
This wild goose chase was no wild goose chase!
A Kensington hero herded a sickly Canada goose off Ocean Parkway and protected him from traffic for more than half and hour on June 22, saving the bird from certain death, according to a local animal rescuer if not under a cars wheels, then by roasting in the summer heat.
He definitely would have died, said Sean Casey, who runs a namesake animal rescue center in Windsor Terrace, and answered the call to pick up the bird and take it to a local vet. It was too weak to fly, and it was a hot day out. He would have just cooked.
Antonio M. Rosario said he was on Ocean Parkway while heading for home when he spotted the hapless avian just off the service road near Avenue C at 1:45 pm.
At the time, another pedestrian and two workmen looked on curiously, but Rosario was ultimately the only witness who bothered to approach the creature.
When he did, Rosario says he found the gander choking, gagging, and having an overall rough time breathing though it was birds general disinterest that left the man fearing the worst.
When I approached and it didnt react, thats when I knew something was wrong with it, he said.
Eventually the goose did manage to regain its webbed footing, and the Kensington resident then spent the next half hour herding it off the road as it waddled onto the sidewalk and ducked under nearby parked vehicles while simultaneously signaling drivers to slow while passing the distressed fowl.
Meanwhile, Rosario managed to get Casey on the horn, who promptly swooped by in his van and managed to pluck up the fowl without any great struggle.
He reached out and just grabbed the bird by its neck, said Rosario. It freaked out a little bit, but it settled down.
It is still unclear what made the bird sick, Casey said he suspects lead poisoning, but it could be any one of a variety of dismal fates that commonly befall feathered critters, including parasites or plain old dehydration.
But the gander seems to be on the mend now, Casey says. The last time he checked, it was taking water and had regained some of its strength.
Once it is better, he will place the bird in the care of a licensed animal rehabilitator, before it is ultimately released back into the wild.
Cars arent the only dangers facing wild geese in the borough, however federal agents famously slaughtered more than 250 of the birds in nearby Prospect Park in 2010 in an effort to stop them from colliding with passing passenger jets.
And this isnt Rosarios first high-profile animal rescue on Ocean Parkway he made headlines in 2012 after rescuing a kitten who had crawled under the hood of a Mercedes.
latest news
October 3, 2022
Dee Gambit
Hundreds if not thousands of new and returning TV shows and movies are released every month your options of what to watch are endless. Variety, they say is ...
As the Brexit debate hots up, the construction industry is nailing its colours firmly to the mast with both the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) stating that overseas workers are vital to the UKs long-term economic wellbeing.
While construction firms up and down the country mull over the employment aspects of staying or going, its also worth bearing in mind the potential impact the UKs departure from the EU would have on importing and exporting materials and services from a regulatory point of view.
It also provides a chance to look at how we would need to reframe our thinking if it became more complex or costly to employ staff from overseas. Would we adapt to these changes by increasing our focus on alternative ways to build the homes we so desperately need?
Reports issued in the last few months from the CITB and the CIOB state that the UK simply does not have enough home grown skilled workers to cope with the volume of construction growth anticipated over the coming years.
The CITB predicts that 230,000 construction jobs will be created in the UK between now and 2020. Figures from its Construction Skills Network report show that of the 44,000 new jobs a year predicted before 2020, 2,870 will be for bricklayers, 4,320 for carpenters and interiors fitters, and 2,510 for building envelope specialists.
While the CITB is pushing to increase the construction skills base with a 7.5m investment in training and the launch of a new website called Go Construct (www.goconstruct.org), in the short and medium term the skilled workforce needs to come from elsewhere.
The CIOB, in its 2015 report An analysis on migration in the construction sector, describes the three options available to meet the CITBs employment forecast. Import from a ready supply of foreign talent, invest in training and development of UK citizens, or redesign the construction process, are their suggestions.
In response to what the CIOB describes as simple options, I believe that all three of these seem a sensible combination the first two are self explanatory, while the final one provides an exciting way forward, and one which is already seeing momentum build. And thats moving away from brick and block and focusing more on off-site construction. The fact that these are quicker to construct, thus requiring fewer man hours, and have a greater percentage of elements which require less highly skilled workers, could ease some of the burden of having fewer staff on the ground.
The latest official figures suggest that across the UK, nearly 12% of the 2.1m construction workers come from abroad mainly from the EU. The CIOB says the huge contracting element of construction means the workforce is constantly in flux moving from site to site, presenting unique labour supply issues.
While it says local labour markets can provide a fairly steady level of underlying construction activity within reasonable travel-to-work distances, the workforce needed for major or highly-specialised projects is seldom met by local tradespeople - necessitating the employment of a highly flexible, sometimes itinerant, workforce.
The report goes on to say: Some migration into and out of the country is both inevitable and desirable for contractors as it helps to dampen the volatility in the labour market. While construction will need to recruit migrant workers to cope with the upswing in work, the opportunity is there to train many more UK youngsters. The workforce issue isnt the only factor construction companies need to consider when dwelling on Britains future within or without the EU. Product and testing standards are currently the same within all member states. A departure from the EU could hamper export opportunities for British manufacturers."
Actis is just one of those companies who may well feel the effect of a Brexit. We are a pan European company and benefits from product and testing standards, which are the same in all member states, reducing our research and development costs and encouraging innovation that can benefit all EU countries. We import and export throughout the union, and do not have to pay import duties for the chance to trade competitively across Europe.
A Brexit would mean any investment within the UK would be reduced as the UK could not be used as a manufacturing base to supply into Europe. Instead, any investment in manufacturing would be made in Europe where there is a market of over 500m potential customers. Then costs of importing products into the UK would increase.
Matthew King is UK and Ireland director at Actis.
The Ridgeon Group recently hosted two celebratory award ceremonies honouring 71 employees at its annual Long Service Awards.
Hosted at Ridgeons Green Light Centre in Pampisford, Cambridge, this year saw a record-breaking 1,165 years of combined service celebrated; with 18 branches represented.
Now in its 19th year, the internal awards recognise employees who have dedicated 10, 15 and 20 years of service to the independent timber and builders merchant.
Nineteen members of staff reached 10 years of service, 53 employees achieved 15 years, and nine members of the team celebrated 20 years of service.
Ridgeons awarded employees with certificates in handmade frames from its Forest Products division. Employees reaching the career milestones were also granted access to exclusive company benefits.
Gordon Ridgeon, PR director for the Ridgeon Group, said: Strong relationships are at the core of our business, and continuity of service allows us to maintain relationships with our customers and communities. It is very uplifting for the family and directors to get together with some of our outstanding employees to celebrate their great milestones.
The Long Service Awards are the perfect opportunity for us to thank our employees for their continued hard work and recognise each as being an extremely important part of the Ridgeon Groups total team. On behalf of all the family and directors, Id like to extend my sincere thanks and congratulations to all those recognised at the awards ceremonies.
Reaching 10 years of service, Ian Clarke, an operations supervisor, attended his first awards ceremony. He added: The day was fantastic, it was great to see so many of my colleagues long careers at Ridgeons being celebrated. Ridgeons is a great team to be a part of and Im proud to be associated with the company.
News / Health
by Staff reporter
Zimbabwe and Sweden have signed a US$24 million facility in Harare to support the country's health sector through the Health Development Fund.The agreement will see the country receiving the first disbursement of funding this year while the remainder will be distributed during a four year period that runs until 2020.The Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa hailed the Swedish government for supporting the country's health sector, adding that the support will consolidate the gains so far achieved in the sector.He said the ministry will continue to lobby the government to commit more resources to the health sector in line with the Abuja Declaration that recommend at least 15 percent of the national budget to be channelled towards health.Swedish Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Lars Ronnas said the agreement and the contribution is in line with his government 's priorities for development cooperation globally.He added that the Health Development Fund will provide a substantial contribution to bring down the maternal mortality rate in the country as part of collective commitment to provide health services of good quality to women and children.A UNICEF representative, Jane Muita commended the Swedish government for the contribution and hailed the efforts by the government of Zimbabwe in improving the health delivery system particularly through the Health Development Fund, among other health intervention measures.The Health Development Fund, which was launched in October last year, is expected to further consolidate and strengthen the health system in Zimbabwe, leading to improved health outcomes for mothers and babies.To date, the fund has already pooled together over US$50 million united.
Federal authorities investigating Bob Menendez, reports and adviser say
The investigation by New York prosecutors is reportedly connected to the 2017 trial in which the senior U.S. senator was acquitted.
MODI AND HIS CHALLENGES
Rajiv Kumar
Bloomsbury
317 pages; Rs 599
Rajiv Kumar is a familiar face as economist and columnist, with impressive academic credentials. He is currently with Centre for Policy Research. He is also a personal friend.
Apollo Hospitals, with 69 hospitals and total bed capacity of 9,554 as on March 31, 2016, has continued its expansion spree. The company, which had allocated Rs 600 crore for capacity expansion in financial year 2016-17 (FY17), recently signed an agreement with Hainan Ecologicals to build a state-of-the art hospital in Hainan Province, China.
After almost two months, Freedom251 is again creating a stir. The smartphones, however, are still some time away as delivery of handsets may begin after June-end.
This is not the first time Ringing Bells, the company offering the Rs 251 smartphones, has altered plans. The story of Freedom251 has been full of twists and turns. The latest being the delivery date of the devices.
ALSO READ: Alarm bells over offer on Freedom251 smartphones
Business process management firm on Tuesday said that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Israel-based PNMsoft, a case management and work optimization solutions provider.
The company did not disclose the terms and financial details of the transaction but said that closing is subject to satisfaction of certain customary conditions and expected in the third quarter.
Since 2005, has acquired five to bridge gaps in its portfolio and improve its service to customers. In the past, its acquisition include Endeavour Software Technologies, Empower Research, HeadStrong and Creditek, which it did first in 2005.
says it wants the Karnataka High Court to impose restrictions on rival Uber's practice of allowing private car users to charge a fare for ferrying passengers in violation of India's transport rules.
Ola, India's largest taxi aggregator had submitted its petition on Monday to the Karnataka High Court accusing rival Uber of not following local laws, says it has done so to seek a level playing field . The court on Tuesday heard the plea of and posted the arguments for July 4.
The initial petition filed by Uber on June 1 that challenges the authority of the Karnataka government to form rules to govern it has drawn a lot of criticism. The Radio Taxi Association, Taxi Drivers Association, and others have come forward to support the government, as they look at the rules as a way to curb Uber's growth in the state.
Ola has been granted a license under the new On-Demand Transportation Technology Rules framed by the state government that came into effect in April. The company in its plea had accused Uber, a multinational company of violating local lawsand being interested solely in making profits.
Ola, the cab aggregator service, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Haryana government, to create 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state. Ola will invest Rs 350 crore over the next five years to skill and train thousands of men and women.
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.
Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
26 years of website archives.
Tata Communications has sold its majority stake in South African internet service provider Neotel to Econet Wireless Global for $295 million (about Rs 1,992 crore).
Liquid Telecom, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, entered into an agreement to acquire Neotel, the company stated.
It will pay Tata Communications and minority shareholders led Nexus Connexion 6.55 billion rand ($430 million) to create the continents largest broadband network and business-to-business telecommunications service.
Tata Communications had acquired a 68.5 per cent controlling stake in Neotel in 2009.
Liquid Telecom is partnering Royal Bafokeng Holdings, a South African investment group that has committed to take a 30 per cent stake in Neotel.
ALSO READ: Deals should keep Tata Comm debt in check
Tata Communications is expected to use the money to repay Neotels debt, according to people familiar with the development.
Last year, Tata Communications had tried to sell Neotel to Vodacom. The transaction lapsed in March because of regulatory complexities and unfulfilled conditions.
Analysts expect Tata Communications will lower its consolidated debt through the asset sales it is undertaking of late. Elara Capital expects debt to fall by 68 per cent, led by deals to sell data centres and Neotel.
Abhishek Gupta, analyst at IDFC Securities Research, said, "Monetisation of data centre and Neotel operations would significantly reduce consolidated net debt of Tata Communications to Rs 6,500-6,700 crore (from Rs 1,15,00 crore as of March 2016) with FY17 net debt to Ebitda ratio at about 2.0x. We believe a healthier balance sheet along with sustain execution in global data business (87 per cent of core Ebitda) would drive stability."
The deal with Liquid Telecom will create the largest pan-African broadband network spanning 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya. Econet will acquire wireless spectrum and broadband access to South African businesses and homes after the purchase.
FirstRand Bank, the only South African Bank in India, advised Tata Communications for the deal.
Nic Rudnick, chief executive officer of Liquid Telecom, said, "We will increase investments in Neotel to cater to rapidly accelerating mobile and enterprise traffic, enabling us to launch new products and services." Analysts expect the deal to close in the later part of FY17.
"We feel there is stronger likelihood the deal will go through this time around, given the previous deal with Vodacom, an existing player in South Africa, was called off as it was already holding 700 MHz spectrum Liquid Telecom has no presence in South Africa and, thus, it will ensure a level-playing field," said Aliasgar Shakir, analyst at Elara Global Research.
The sale of Neotel is part of Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry's plans to exit loss-making businesses worldwide. A year-and-a-half after Mistry became group chairman in December 2012, Tata Power sold a coal mine in Indonesia for $250 million. Tata Communications sold 16 data centres for $633 million this May.
The group is trying to sell its UK steel business and is in talks with German company ThyssenKrupp to merge the rest of its European steel business in a joint venture. Indian Hotels, which operates the Taj group of hotels, has said it wants to sell the Taj Boston.
As Bihar's education system taken a beating after the topper scam, the state Education Minister Ashok Choudhary said on Tuesday that the government is committed to quality education for children.
"The state government has worked a lot on development of infrastructure. We are contemplating as how to ensure quality education. In his 'seven resolves', the chief minister has included quality education. The government is sensitive and committed towards providing quality education," Choudhary said after releasing an UNICEF report on the state of the world's children.
In the immediate aftermath of Saturdays gunbattle in Jammu and Kashmirs Pampore, which claimed the lives of eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men and two terrorists, the CRPF and the Indian Army got into a disagreement over who had actually killed the terrorists involved, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the advertisement industry's self-regulatory body Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to increase monitoring on misleading advertisements in the food and beverages (F&B) sector.
India has voiced concern over the insufficient international humanitarian response to the crises around the world, saying many of the armed conflict situations are "chronic" as not enough attention has been given to facilitate politics in resolving them.
"Any humanitarian crisis involves both short term and longer term aspects to it. Our efforts must focus on all such aspects including risk reduction, improving response measures and sustainable recovery efforts to achieve success," India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Tanmaya Lal said at the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs segment general debate here.
He said while adequate funding for emergency response remains a significant challenge, emphasis on longer term planning to help build resilience in countries, where needed, is also necessary.
"Many of the armed conflict situations are chronic, where insufficient attention has been given, including by the Security Council, to facilitate politics in resolving the conflicts," he said yesterday.
Lal noted that the magnitude, geographical expanse and frequency of humanitarian crises around the world requiring international assistance is becoming unparallelled but the international humanitarian response in many cases is falling "significantly short" of the challenges posed.
"We must reflect on ways to address the challenges in terms of mobilisation of resources required for emergency assistance and also the more longer term strengthening of resilience in individual countries to plan for and manage the crises when they arise," he said.
"The efforts must be to complement the efforts and help them build capacities to meet with the crises themselves over longer term," he said.
He noted that in recent times, there have been attempts to blur categories of those impacted by crises such as the refugees, migrants and the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
"The international frameworks drawn up by the international community are also distinct for different categories, especially the refugees and migrants, which require international cooperation in view of the implications of their cross-border mobility. The IDPs are, and must remain the priorities of the jurisdiction," he said.
He noted that another issue of contention appears to be the humanitarian and development divide, especially in the context of resource allocation as international assistance.
"Improving development levels invariably leads to situations where individual countries are able to manage the crises better themselves. Therefore, it is in everyone's interest, including the providers of assistance whether for development or for humanitarian relief, to retain focus on financing for development for more effective and sustainable efforts," he said.
He outlined the measures taken by India to build its and local capacities to plan for and manage disaster situations, adding that the government adopted a National Plan that seeks to strengthen ways to prevent, mitigate and manage disaster situations.
An BBC reporter faced racist abuse on the streets of her hometown in southern England on Tuesday while she was reporting on Brexit vote.
Sima Kotecha was reporting on the aftermath of the June 23 referendum from the town of Basingstoke, when she heard someone saying "Paki", a racist term used for South Asian origin migrants in the UK.
"In utter shock: just been called 'p..I' in my home town! Haven't heard that word here since the 80s," she later tweeted.
In utter shock: just been called p**i in my home town! Haven't heard that word here since the 80s..! Sima Kotecha (@sima_kotecha) June 27, 2016
The incident reflects a latest spike in racist incidents around the UK since the country voted for Brexit last week.
The decision to leave the EU has led to an estimated 57% increase in reported racist incidents between Thursday and Sunday, compared with the same days four weeks earlier, the UK's Police Chiefs' Council said.
Outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron had condemned the rise in such attacks in his address to Parliament on Monday.
"Let's remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country.We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks, they must be stamped out," he said.
Meanwhile, police officers were on Tuesday also investigating a possible racist attack on a Muslim butcher's shop in the West Midlands region of England.
A worker from the Kashmir Meat and Poultry shop in Walsall was injured, when a suspect walked in and hurled a bottle filled with accelerant liquid.
It left the man bruised and the shop badly fire damaged.
While West Midlands Police said the motive was "unclear" at the moment, "one of our lines of investigation is to determine if this is a racially-motivated assault".
"The inquiry is at an early stage and I am keeping an open mind as to the motive.The man was not seriously injured, but it could have been much more serious. I am appealing for anyone with information," a spokesperson said.
Detectives are examining CCTV from the area in their hunt for the suspect, who wasdescribed as white and 6-foot tall.
In a major breakthrough in the murder case of Deputy Superintendent of Police of Investigation Agency (NIA), Tanzeel Ahmed, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested Muneer, the prime accused in the case.
Muneer has been arrested from Noida and has been taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs. 2 lakh on Muneer, who was absconding in the murder case of Tanzeel Ahmed.
The police had earlier said Muneer, who is the main accused of murder case, formed a gang along with his two associates and attacked Tanzeel Ahmed, when he was driving back home with his family from a wedding near his village Sahaspur in Bijnor.
According to reports, different investigative agencies along with the NIA are questioning Muneer.
Ahmed, an assistant commandant with the Border Security Force (BSF) on deputation to the NIA, was killed by two motorcycle-borne assailants in April this year, when he was driving back home with his family from a wedding near his village Sahaspur in Bijnor.
According to reports, Ahmed had proceeded on leave on April 1 after completing his job as the liaison officer for the five-member Pakistan Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that was in Delhi to probe the Pathankot attack.
Maoist guerrillas are suspected to have killed six people on the outskirts of Ranchi city early on Tuesday, police sources said.
Six bodies riddled with bullets were found at Hidindag village about 20 km from the capital of Jharkhand, they said.
One of the deceased has been identified as Zakir, with a criminal background, the police sources said.
They said they suspect banned Maoist organisation People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) to have carried out the killings.
This is the second major incident of killing in Ranchi district in 24 hours.
On Monday three young people, including two who were brothers, were found dead in Kakara jungle in Namkon, 10 km from here.
The police said they suspected to have been involved in the killing of the three youths.
Prime Minister's Office had said the government will expedite the signing of an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement with India, officials reported on Tuesday.
The decision was made in response to Britain's voting to exit the European Union (EU) last week, Xinhua news agency reported.
Businesses had suggested that speeding up the deal will benefit stability and continuity of the country's economy.
The prospect of Sri Lanka's exports to Britain, which account for some 40% of the country's total exports to Europe, became uncertain after the vote.
According to the report, a group of Sri Lankan officials will arrive at New Delhi to negotiate with India and fast track the signing of the agreement.
The Cabinet is likely to approve higher increase in basic pay than the nearly 15% recommended by the for over 1 crore government employees and pensioners, on Wednesday.
The pay panel had in November last year recommended 14.27% hike in basic pay at junior levels, the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay Commission had recommended a 20% hike which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.
After considering the increase proposed in allowances, the hike in remunerations comes to 23.55%.
ALSO READ: 7th Pay Panel report to be approved soon: Here is how it will benefit govt employees
"Considering the tight fiscal position this year, the government may improve upon the Pay Commission recommendation for basic pay to 18% or at best 20%," a senior official said.
The report will be effective from January 1, he said, adding that the Cabinet will decide if the arrears for the six months have to be paid in one go or in instalments.
A secretaries' panel, headed Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, has already vetted the recommendation and its report is being translated into a note for Cabinet.
"It in most likelihood will come up before the Cabinet tomorrow," the official said.
The government had in January set up the high-powered panel to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.
The Commission had recommended 23.55% overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore or nearly 0.7% of the GDP.
The entry level pay has been recommended to be raised to Rs 18,000 per month from current Rs 7,000 while the maximum pay, drawn by the Cabinet Secretary, has been fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh per month from current Rs 90,000.
The secretaries' panel may have recommended raising minimum entry level pay at Rs 23,500 a month and maximum salary of Rs 3.25 lakh.
While the Budget for 2016-17 fiscal did not provide an explicit provision for implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the government had said the once-in-a-decade pay hike for government employees has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries.
Around Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned for it, the official said.
The union cabinet is expected to discuss the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for Central government employees that has proposed a nearly 15 per cent increase in basic pay along with a model shop and Establishment Act that would allow cinema halls, restaurants, shops, banks and other such workplaces to be open 24/7 in a meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
The Cabinet might also take up the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) tomorrow, which will pave the way for auction of 100 prospective mineral blocks, boosting India's mining potential
Companies that make building materials and home decorative and interior products in China are planning to set up a large manufacturing cluster in Andhra Pradesh to fully access the Indian market.
The Good and Services Tax (GST) might make it complicated for internet services providers to do business in India, industry body Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said on Tuesday.
Piqued at the tardy progress of opening of bank branches in the unrepresented gram panchayats, the Odisha government has urged the Union government to take timely steps to establish the branches by March 2019.
The demand was raised by state finance minister Pradeep Amat at the eastern zonal council meeting in Ranchi on Monday.
Breaking his silence over the Raghuram Rajan episode, Prime Minister today said people who have questioned the patriotism of the outgoing Reserve Bank of India governor were doing him great injustice. The PM termed the attack on Rajan and other Finance Ministry officials as improper and declared that no one is bigger than institutions. The PM didnt refer to anyone by name but said those indulging in publicity stunts should not think that they were furthering the cause of the nation.
A group of 17 members of Parliament, including Indian National Congress's Shashi Tharoor, Biju Janata Dal's Rabindra Kumar Jena and Indian National Lok Dal's Dushyant Singh Chautala, has written to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi for stronger road safety law and suggested bifurcating the proposed Bill into two Bills.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised concerns over the capital adequacy ratio of many lenders (30 of 50), saying they might not be able to meet the norms under extreme scenarios.
The Secretary (DADF), Shri Devendra Chaudhary held a meeting with the Principal Secretaries/Secretaries/State officials of North East States to discuss State Action Plan for National Livestock Mission (NLM), yesterday in New Delhi. The agenda of the meeting was to streamline and give the necessary drive and focus on the specific need of the States in NER and the necessary inclusive development. .
.
The Secretary, DADF discussed State Action Plan for NLM during this year so that the outcome of such activities may enhance the income of farmers, Activities more specific to the States of the NER such as piggery development, backyard poultry and livestock insurance were the main focus in the meeting. .
.
As far as National Livestock Mission (NLM) is concerned, a total amount of Rs.4300 lakh has been allocated to the North Easter States for the year 2016-17. .
.
Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram have been directed to give their requirement for 100 piglets of superior germ plasm for each of their pig breeding farms in the State to National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati. .
.
The Secretary, DADF directed the States to come up with a plan for genetic up gradation for sheep, goat and pig. .
.
Shri Chaudhary also emphasized on need of deworming of existing population of small ruminants and pig population of the States. Sikkim was allocated Rs.30 lakh, Rs.40 lakh for Tripura, Rs.100 lakh for Nagaland and Rs.100 lakh for Meghalaya to deworm their sheep, goat and pig population. .
.
SS/AK
The Secretary for Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Shri Devendra Chaudhary discussed the National Action Plan for bovine breeding with the all States at length from 20 to 23 and 27th June 2016 in New Delhi. Shri Chaudhary emphasized the State officials to enhance milk production and productivity of dairy animals in order to double farmers income. The National Action Plan (NAP) was discussed with State officials at length along with increase in population of indigenous cattle. The Secretary, DADF urged the States to frame strategy to enhance productivity of indigenous breeds as indigenous cattle are managed by poor farmers of the country. All the States agreed to implement National Action Plan. State wise physical and financial targets for different category of dairy animals including indigenous cattle were also discussed. The NAP envisages to enhance productivity of indigenous cattle to 5 kg/per animal/day and AI coverage from the present level of 25% to 70% by 2019-20. It was also mentioned that an amount of Rs 3700 crores will be required by States to implement this National Action Plan. .
.
SS/AK
At least 37 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed within last 24 hours in fresh military operations in the Afghan province of Nangarhar, an official said on Tuesday.
Another 44 militants were injured during the operations launched by the Afghan army, police and allied militiamen in Kot district, Xinhua news agency cited a statement as saying.
Sporadic clashes continue between security forces and militants in the district since early Friday after a security checkpoint was attacked and several houses set ablaze.
More than 150 militants, eight civilians and at least two security force members were killed since the start of the clashes in the district.
Nangarhar province, with Jalalabad city as its capital, 120 km east of Kabul, has been the scene of clashes since the emergence of IS in early 2015.
A wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops killed at least 42 people in the southeastern city of Mukalla, officials said, in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.
The capital of Hadramawt province, Mukalla had been under the control of Al-Qaeda for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.
But ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks yesterday, saying in a statement that eight of its suicide bombers killed 50 members of Yemen's security forces, according to US-based monitor SITE Intelligence Group.
The governor of the vast province, Ahmed Saeed bin Breyk, said previously that Mukalla had "witnessed five suicide attacks in four areas".
Three simultaneous bombings hit security checkpoints in the coastal city at sunset, just as troops fasting during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan were breaking their fast, a security official said.
In the first attack, a suicide bomber on a motorbike asked soldiers if he could eat with them before blowing himself up, the official said.
Two other bombers approached soldiers on foot elsewhere in the city before detonating their explosives.
Shortly afterwards, two suicide bombers launched a fourth attack and blew themselves up at the entrance of an army camp, the official said.
In all, the attacks killed 40 soldiers as well as a woman and child who were passing by and wounded 37 other people, said Hadramawt's health chief Riad al-Jalili.
Al-Qaeda retains a strong presence in Mukalla, and the jihadists still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Last month, the Pentagon said a "very small number" of US military personnel had been deployed around Mukalla in support of pro-government forces.
The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, and two destroyers.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been based in since 2009.
Both it and the ISIS group have exploited the power vacuum created by the conflict in the impoverished country to expand their presence in the south and southeast.
In May, a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS and a second blast killed 47 police in Mukalla -- a city of 200,000 people.
MPs from Britain's opposition Labour Party were on Tuesday voting on a motion of no confidence against leader .
The secret ballot comes after Corbyn told supporters at a rally outside Parliament to not "let those people who wish us ill to divide us".
Shadow Justice Minister Andy Slaughter was the latest to leave his post, after a series of shadow cabinet departures since Sunday.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, however, said Corbyn was "not going anywhere".
He accused Corbyn's opponents of trying to "subvert democracy", and said the party leader would stand in any election if a challenger came forward.
The no-confidence vote is not binding.
Corbyn faced calls to resign at a meeting in the House of Commons on Monday after more than 20 members of his shadow cabinet and a like number of junior ministers walked out, questioning his performance during the European Union (EU) referendum and ability to lead the party.
Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who tabled the no confidence motion, said the Parliament Labour Party meeting had been "extraordinary".
"I couldn't believe the strength of feeling, the overwhelming rejection of Jeremy as our leader, and the pleading with him that he should consider his position and go with dignity," she said.
Corbyn's deputy Tom Watson told him he had "no authority" among MPs and faced the prospect of a leadership challenge.
Several Labour MPs have cited the possibility of a general election in the next six months, following on from the election of a new Conservative leader, as the reason why Corbyn must now consider his position.
never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional security at the US outpost in Benghazi, Libya, according to Democrats on a select House panel who absolved the former secretary of state and the US military of wrongdoing in the deadly September 11, 2012 attacks.
In a report pre-empting the Republicans, the panel's five Democrats said after a two-year investigation that the military could not have done anything differently that night to save the lives of four Americans killed in Libya. US Ambassador Chris Stevens died in one of the two assaults at the diplomatic facility and CIA annex.
Democrats' release of their own report heightened the partisanship of the inquiry, which has been marked by finger-pointing on both sides.
Republicans accuse the Obama administration of stonewalling important documents and witnesses, while Democrats say the panel's primary goal is to undermine Clinton's presidential bid.
The Libya attacks became immediate political fodder, given their timing in the weeks before President Barack Obama's re-election, and that has not abated despite seven previous congressional investigations.
The panel's Republican majority missed a self-imposed deadline to issue a report "before summer," but the Democrats' move in issuing their report could spur the GOP's final product.
Whatever the timing, the Republican report is certain to have repercussions for Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. The investigation led to the revelation that Clinton relied on a private email server to conduct government business, a practice now the subject of an FBI probe.
Democrats said they regretted that their 344-page report was not bipartisan, but said Republicans left them little choice after conducting "one of the longest and most partisan congressional investigations in history."
The inquiry has lasted nearly 25 months and cost more than $7 million so far.
"It is long past time for the Select Committee to conclude its work," Democrats said in their report, titled "Honoring Courage, Improving Security and Fighting the Exploitation of a Tragedy."
The report accuses Rep Trey Gowdy, R-SC, the panel's chairman, of conducting the investigation "like an overzealous prosecutor desperately trying to land a front-page conviction."
Democrats called Gowdy's actions "a case study in how not to conduct a credible investigation.
India becoming a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) would strengthen non-proliferation, the US said on Monday, asserting that New Delhi has demonstrated a "sustained commitment to non-proliferation".
"India demonstrated to all partners a sustained commitment to non-proliferation, and has a legally based, effective export control system that puts into effect the guidelines and procedures, and administers and enforces such controls effectively," State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said.
"All 34 current members, including the United States, agreed India met the standard, and that India's membership would strengthen non proliferation," Trudeau told reporters at her daily news conference.
In a separate statement issued by the State Department, the US welcomed India's accession as the newest member.
The MTCR is an informal and voluntary association of countries that seek to reduce the global missile proliferation threat, primarily by controlling exports of rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and related equipment and technology.
"India possesses substantial missile-relevant technology and has excellent non-proliferation and export control credentials. Its accession bolsters substantially the regime's effectiveness and objectives," the state department said.
"India is a valued non-proliferation partner. We look forward to working with India in the MTCR in support of our shared nonproliferation goals," it said.
Nestle's surprise appointment of former Fresenius chief Ulf Mark Schneider as its new chief executive officer (CEO) could trigger a series of acquisitions by the Swiss food giant to further its ambitions in nutrition and medical foods.
President welcomed the decision of the US Supreme Court to strike down restrictions on abortion by the southern state of Texas.
In a decision by 5-3, the Supreme Court said two parts of the Texas law created a "substantial obstacle in the path of women" who are seeking abortions and neither provision "offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes".
"I am pleased to see the Supreme Court protect women's rights and health today," he said.
"As the brief filed by the Solicitor General makes clear and as the Court affirmed today, these restrictions harm women's health and place an unconstitutional obstacle in the path of a woman's reproductive freedom," he said.
"We remain strongly committed to the protection of women's health, including protecting a woman's access to safe, affordable health care and her right to determine her own future," Obama said.
"Women's opportunities are expanded and our nation is stronger when all of our citizens have accessible, affordable health care," said the President.
Hillary Clinton described the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Woman's Health v Hellerstedt as a victory for women across America.
"By striking down politically motivated restrictions that made it nearly impossible for Texans to exercise their full reproductive rights, the Court upheld every woman's right to safe, legal abortion, no matter where she lives," Clinton said.
For many years, the Supreme Court has maintained that regulations with the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion constitute an undue burden on women trying to exercise their reproductive freedom, and are contrary to principles enshrined in the Constitution, said the US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch.
"I am pleased that the Supreme Court has reaffirmed this longstanding principle in its decision today," she said.
However, Penny Nance, CEO & president of Concerned Women for America (CWA) said the Supreme Court decision represents a great setback for woman's health and safety.
"The Supreme Court dishonours that commitment today by imposing its policy preferences over the women of Texas. It is simply a complete fabrication to say that the Constitution somehow demands that these laws be struck down," she said.
The campaign of Donald Trump, presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican party, has set a target of raising another $10 million by the month end, according to an email sent on Monday.
Over the last few days, the Trump campaign raised $11 million, it said adding it is working to "shatter records" by raising another $10 million in the remaining four days of June.
The mass email seeking funds was sent by his son Eric Trump, who described it as the most ambitious fund raising campaign yet.
"Hillary Clinton's campaign machine and her liberal media allies are desperate. First, they claimed we raised too little. Then, when donors like you helped us to raise $11 million in just a few days, they claimed we were lying," the junior Trump wrote in his first fund raising email.
A real estate tycoon from New York, Donald Trump had self-funded his campaign during the primary elections. He started raising money for the general election in May.
In May, Clinton out-raised him. However, Trump argues that he started fund raising only in the last few days of May.
The Trump campaign says its fund raising activities have gained pace this month.
"The truth is we did better than $11 million and no amount of spin from Crooked Hillary's machine can change that fact. We cannot let them get away with this," Eric Trump said.
"That's why we set another Trump-sized goal. We are working to shatter records again this week by raising another $10 million before the Federal Election Commission's 2nd quarter fund raising deadline this Thursday at midnight. Afterwards, our results will be covered heavily by the media," he wrote.
Eric Trump said his father has the vision, determination and tenacity to get great things done for the country something he's proven throughout his life and career.
"Donald J Trump is the man our nation needs in the White House at this moment. Please help us make history," he said.
"No fight is too tough for my father. He had no problem taking on the political establishment to secure the Republican nomination, and now he's going after Lying Crooked Hillary Clinton in a way that no one has ever gone after her before," the son said.
The UK was stripped of its top credit grade by S&P Global Ratings, and Fitch Ratings also lowered its rank, the latest crushing verdicts on the country's decision to leave the European Union that has left it in political and economic paralysis. S&P reduced the grade by two steps to AA from AAA, citing the risk of a less predictable, stable, and effective policy framework in the UK.
The recent price rise in eggs is expected to continue till the commencement of Shravan month that begins on July 20, when a number of observant Hindus turn vegetarian for the period. The demand for eggs is typically declines during this period and is expected to recover only after the festive season gets over in late November.
Janus Capital, a leading US-based fund house that was among the most bullish investors in India till December, appears to have changed its position in just one quarter.
After a flat opening, have picked up pace and are trading steady mirroring strength in the global equities after participants digested the historic referendum vote where Britain decided to exit the European Union. Investors indulged in buying beaten down blue chips at lower and attractive levels.
The Brexit (the UKs withdrawal from the European Union) was followed by one very bearish session, and by two sessions of relatively low volume and not much movement, in major Asian markets. However, most European bourses saw continuing losses and the US markets also saw losses through Monday, with a small recovery on Tuesday.
has surged 8% to Rs 485 on the BSE after Liquid Telecom, a pan-African telecom group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, has entered into an agreement to acquire South African communications network operator Neotel. Neotel is a subsidiary of the Company.
At least 11 militants loyal to Haqqani network has been arrested in a military operation carried out by security forces in Afghanistan's Khost province.
The National Directorate of Security (NDS) in a statement said that militant crackdown was conducted in Khost city yesterday.
The group was accused of subversive activities, kidnappings, placing roadside mines, among others.
The statement also said that a number of weapons were also sized during the operation.
No further details were provided about the operation.
A group of 36 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil Nadu camps in India, arrive Sri Lanka on Tuesday under the voluntary repatriation program facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The refugee returnees will get back to the areas where they were from in Kilinochchi, Mannar, Jaffna, Colombo, Trincomalee and Vavuniya.
According to the Secretary to Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs V. Sivagnanasothy, a group of 20 male and 16 female refugees were scheduled to arrive on a Mihin Lanka Airline flight MJ 130 at 11.45 a.m. from Chennai, reports Colombo Page.
Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs D. M. Swaminathan, has had a discussion with the UNHCR and facilitated the process for the refugees to return.
The UNHCR has been assisting the voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees by providing free air tickets, reintegration allowance of USD 75 per person, transport allowance of USD 19 per person and monitory non-food grant of USD 75 per family.
Since 2011, already 4,799 refugees have returned to Sri Lanka. Over 64,000 are stationed in 109 welfare camps in India. Totally, over 100,000 refugees are currently in India.
The Sri Lankan government under the leadership of the President Maithripala Sirisena has encouraged the voluntary refugee returnee program on a phased out basis.
Minister Swaminathan has also initiated a Cabinet paper on which livelihood assistance of maximum Rs. 100,000 to refugee returnees is provided to support the livelihood activities.
Further, the provision of dry ration has been already approved for 6 months.
The Ministry Secretary also informed that, the refugees who lost their houses will be provided with houses under the housing program of the Ministry.
Leading online aggregator for outstation travel AHA Taxis announced the launch of its service in over 20+ locations in India including Mumbai, Pune, Sirdhi in Maharashtra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Alwar in Rajasthan amongst others.
The company's expansion comes in line with its plans to broaden the network of cities where it offers its service. Customers in these locations will be able to conduct an easy search, comparison, and book a taxi for outstation travel.
Additionally, with this launch AHA Taxis will also create more employment in and around the locations where they have a presence, a social objective that it is committed to.
Co-founded in January 2015 by Amit Grover, Praveen Samariya, Kunal Krishna, Kumar Aryan and Shivam Mishra, Noida based AHA Taxis has a presence in 350+ cities in India. AHA Taxis' model results in a win-win scenario where customers only pay one-way charges, saving up to 40 percent and taxi drivers get increased .
Typically, in out-station travel, regular taxi operators bill customers for a round trip even for one-way travel. AHA Taxis USP is that it charges customers only one-way fare, based on door-to-door actual kilometers.
The service enjoys high popularity amongst its customers due to its convenient and transparent service and highly affordable fares. Through its proprietary technology, AHA Taxis provides dashboard to cab owners or drivers, which tracks all their bookings and activities, so that drivers themselves can focus on customer delight.
AHA Taxis allows customers to plan their travel in advance and pre-book their desired car in economy, or premium segment, either through the mobile app or online. This guarantees that customers get the car of their choice.
AHA Taxis' network of taxi operators and cab owners have all been through background checks and verification, before being inducted in the system, to ensure that there is no compromise in customer safety.
"We are excited to add newer locations to our network and are thankful for the trust our customers and partners place in us. Our primary objective has always been to simplify a traveler's life, and in this case, we are doing so by getting them the best outstation cab deals in just a few minutes," said CEO and co-founder AHA Taxis, Amit Grover.
"We give our customers the option to book a one-way cab, helping them save up to 40 percent on the travel cost. Our goal is to have pan India coverage and to be the preferred online travel aggregator for outstation travel, to our customers," added Amit Grover.
The cab aggregation industry stands at USD seven to ten billion, of which 90 percent is unorganized. Higher order values in the inter-city taxi booking market help boost revenues, though most of the bookings still happen through offline tourist taxis and round-trip operators and agents.
The Reserve Bank of India today released its Financial Stability Report (FSR) June 2016, a biannual publication and the thirteenth in the series six months after it flagged concerns over weak corporate balance sheets and conducted its first asset quality review (AQR) of banks.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has warned that risks to the banking industry's stability have increased sharply, indicating more pain ahead.
The report suggests that India's financial system remains stable, even though the banking sector is facing significant challenges.
"Global recovery remains fragile amidst weak and uneven growth, a slowdown in world trade and prevailing uncertainties in finance and commodities markets and structural reforms remain the key for macroeconomic stability," the RBI report adds.
The latest edition of the regulator's financial stability report (FSR) says that the gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) of banks jumped to 7.6 percent in March from 5.1 percent in September.
The top 100 borrowers accounted for nearly a fifth of these NPAs. Total stressed assets increased slightly to about 11.5 percent of banks' combined loan book.
This edition of the FSR also captures the impact of RBI's AQR, which forced banks to label a large stock of stressed loans as bad and set aside money to cover the risk of default.
The report shows that as a baseline case, the GNPA ratio would climb to 8.6 percent of total advances by September from 7.6 percent in March.
The GNPA ratio is expected to stabilize at 8.5 percent by March 2017, the FSR said adding that this could jump to 9.5 percent under severe stress scenario.
The exercise sought to validate objective compliance with applicable income recognition, asset classification and provisioning (IRACP) norms and exceptions were reported by the supervisors as divergences in asset classification and provisioning.
China is set to renovate Bangladesh's largest multi-purpose convention center which it had built 15 years ago as a token of friendship between both nations.
Md. Shahidullah Khandaker, Secretary of Bangladesh's Ministry of Housing and Public Works, and Li Guangjun, Economic and Commercial counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, signed the Minutes of Implementation on behalf of their respective nations recently, reports Xinhua.
Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) also known as Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center situated at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla neighbourhood is still considered the only international conference center of Bangladesh.
It is also home to the country's National Parliament and important local and foreign offices.
Bangladesh will later this year arrange a Global Forum on Migration Development (GFMD) in the center and nearly 1,000 guests from all around the are expected to participate in the forum.
"We must renovate our only international conference center at our earliest to better arrange the global forum," Xinhua quoted a Lankan official as saying.
He added that Colombo is glad that Beijing accepted the former's request to renovate the center.
CarDekho.com, India's largest auto portal announced launch of automobile battery research and discovery portal, BatteryDekho.com to build a comprehensive ecosystem for vehicle ownership and making the battery discovery, research and selection process much more convenient for the Indian consumer.
The development will allow users to search and compare specification and pricing of batteries. The site has more than 250 batteries of top brands such as Amaron, Exide, SF Sonic, Tata Green and Base.
Users can search for batteries that are compatible to 500 car and bike brands and contact their preferred dealers for free. has partnered with more than 10,000 dealers in 200 cities to enable better search results and greater selection flexibility for its users.
"After gaining a clear leadership in the new car and used car segments, we are focusing on strengthening the core elements of vehicle ownership for the Indian consumer. Being the only dedicated automotive battery research and discovery portal for consumers in India, we are confident that this development will aid users in making an informed purchase decision," said CEO-car owners business CarDekho.com, Ankur Agarwal.
"We will also equip our users with critical insights on buying batteries through informative articles and videos," added Ankur.
With unique features like 'Ask an Expert', informative articles and how-to videos along with a comprehensive listing of batteries, BatteryDekho.com is set to emerge as the portal of choice for battery care, maintenance and replacement in India.
Bru refugees from Mizoram have been streaming into refugee camps in north Tripura since 1997. Recently, a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs visited Tripura to ensure early repatriation of the Bru refugees to Mizoram.
The repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura to Mizoram has become a major concern for the government.
Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary at North East division of the MHA, met Tripura's Chief Secretary Y.P. Singh and Director General of Police (DGP) K. Nagaraj to discuss repatriation of the displaced Brus, who are currently sheltered in seven camps in North Tripura district.
Garg also visited the refugee camps at Kanchanpur where more than 30,000 Bru refugees have lived since they fled Mizoram in 1997 following communal violence over a land dispute with the Mizos.
Garg said the effort at present is to restart the repatriation process as per the new revised plan submitted by the Mizoram Government.
"As per schedule, repatriation was supposed to take place in the month of August, but for some reason it could not take place. So now, our effort is that we want to ensure that repatriation takes place as per the new plans," he said.
Garg also held meeting with the leaders of Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF) in Kanchanpur.
He discussed the revised road map finalized by the Mizoram Government and urged the refugees to return to their home state accordingly.
It is worth mentioning that the government plans to start the next phase of repatriation of more than 30,000 Brus from November.
The Centre has also promised a repatriation package to the inmates.
"We have basically come to understand the problems. Government of Mizoram has submitted a final repatriation plan and we have shared some of the movement plans featured here. Government of Mizoram is represented here at very high level. Basically, the idea was that all three governments involved in the repatriation have interaction with the people who are to be repatriated, understand their point of view and make this repatriation plan work in time stick," Garg said.
MBDPF president Bruno Mesha said dubbed it to be a legitimate and humanitarian demand.
"In the meantime, we have presented our difficulties of why we are unable to repatriate. We also submitted the certain point which is prepared by the people from here itself to be fulfilled. It is very much legitimate and humanitarian and not a difficult demand so unless and until this demand has been properly address, it will be little bit difficult to go back," he said.
Concerned over the attacks on security forces by insurgents, Garg said the Centre has decided to increase security in the unfenced bordering areas to check cross-border insurgency.
He also expressed concern over Arunachal Pradesh being used as a corridor and a haven by Naga militants.
"Arunachal has got spread over insurgency and is next to Nagaland. Certain areas of Arunachal are next to Nagaland and there is real insurgency situation there, but corridors or insurgents moving for hideouts, shelter or crossover, those concerns are there. However, we are addressing them," he said.
Garg also said the government is ready to hold talks with northeast based insurgent outfits if they are ready to shun violence.
"To bring long-lasting peace in the region, the Government of India has taken an initiative to continue peace talks with various insurgent groups in the region. If the insurgents give up the violent means and accept the Constitution, the Government of India of course will talk, but then there should be a congenial atmosphere," he said.
The government is giving special emphasis on the development of northeast region by encouraging investment in various sectors.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's son, Ali Haider Gilani, on Tuesday broke his silence about his three years in captivity with .
Gilani who was running for a provincial assembly seat from Multan was abducted in May 2013 and could only be recovered in May this year through a joint operation carried out by Afghan and US forces from an compound in Afghanistan's Paktika province.
Gilani said the abductors told him: "Operations were conducted against Osama bin Laden in Abottabad and Swat and Waziristan during your father's term. You are our enemy."
He revealed that although he had not received any threats prior to his abduction, he was told that he was being "followed" and during his time in captivity, an important member of the militant group who went by the name of Zia stayed with him, reports the Dawn.
Recalling the moments of his abduction, Gilani said he was leaving a rally with supporters and two security guards when someone took him by the neck and pushed him hard, landing him on the ground. He then heard shots being fired and saw his two guards dropping near him. He was then hit on the head with a gun and he started to bleed.
"I then thought they had come to kill me," he said.
The abductors then shoved him inside a car and stripped him fearing he could be wearing some spy device on his body.
"Their first question to me was, are you Sunni or Shia," said Gilani, adding that the abductors, "who were all speaking in Punjabi" told him to keep mum.
Gilani said he was first taken from Multan to Khanewal, and then to Faisalabad and Waziristan, and added that the car they were travelling in was covered with election posters and flags.
The abductors introduced themselves as men and told Gilani he had been abducted because he is "the son of Yousuf Raza Gilani"
Gilani said they were not stopped for checking during the travel from Multan to Faisalabad, where he said he was kept chained for two and a half months.
"They told me they were taking me to Waziristan for two months, where I would be released since they had struck a deal with my family. Perhaps they wanted to ensure that I don't resist during the journey," said Gilani.
His family is one of the most powerful in the central town of Multan and a key clan in the PPP, whose campaign for re-election had been dramatically curtailed by Tehrik-i-Taliban threats at the time.
Gilani's interview comes after Advocate Awais Ali Shah, the son of the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC), Sajjad Ali Shah, went missing from outside a super store on 21 June.
Police has registered a case against "unknown suspects" for kidnapping Shah but the motive of the kidnapping remains unclear as no ransom calls have been received.
Police suspects that Awais, may be used as a 'bargaining chip' to ensure release of some captured militants.
After Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal-led government decided to auction small oilfield to private companies, former state chief Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday said that the Congress will fight against the privatisation of the same.
Where addressing the media Gogoi said, "All along we have been opposing the privatisation of this marginal firm. We have been opposing and we will go on opposing. We want it that it should be run by public sector. Said Gogoi."
"If small oilfields are not economically viable, then why the private sector wants to come? It means these sector are profitable and why should it be handed over to private sector?" he added.
The newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state has decided to auction the small oilfield to private companies which has drawn public resentment over the decision.
However, the opposition has been adamant about privatisation of marginal sector and stating that this sector will be run by public sector as it concerns the welfare of the state and is crucial for employment generation.
With the changing equation in the Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA Government at the Centre on Tuesday expressed hope that the Congress won't repeat its earlier mistakes and help in passing the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
"We hope in this Monsoon Session, the Congress won't repeat the mistakes they did earlier. They must have done introspection and must have read the message given by the people. We are hopeful that all political parties will come together and help to pass the GST Bill," Minister of State for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.
Naqvi stated the government wants to take all the parties into confidence and pass the GST as it is a constitutional bill.
Stating that the stalling of the proposed was a loss for the poor people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the changing party arithmetic in the Parliament gave hope for enacting the law.
"There is just one group which has made it the issue of prestige. Now the kind of arithmetic which is working out, I hope that this decision is passed in favour of the poor," Prime Minister Modi said in an interview with an English news channel while referring to the Congress' opposition to the .
"Not having GST straightaway means loss for the poor of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar. Not passing the GST would mean loss for the poor people of poor states like Bengal, Odisha and Assam," he added.
Prime Minister Modi had earlier invited Congress president Sonia Gandhi and his predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh at his official 7, Race Course Road (RCR) residence to arrive at a consensus on the bill.
At least 42 people, including a child, were killed when militants launched four suicide car bombings at security targets in Mukalla, a southeastern port city in Hadramaut province.
Most of the killed were soldiers.
At least 30 more people were also wounded, all security officers except for five civilians, two senior government officials told CNN.
One of the attacks targeted a military compound near a government intelligence building. The others targeted military checkpoints. A child walking near one of the checkpoints was killed.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for these attacks.
Amaq, a media voice of ISIS, said in a statement published on Twitter that four ISIS attackers targeted a joint security base.
The areas attacked had been mostly controlled by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIS before government forces started a campaign to wipe them out.
These militant groups have responsible for at least 40 attacks over the last three months alone in Hadramaut, the Defense Ministry said.
Yemen has become a proxy battleground for Saudi Arabia and Iran. Yemen's minority Houthis, who are Shiite, rebelled last year against the Sunni-led government of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi-led coalition got involved in march 2015 by launching airstrikes in support of Hadi against rebel targets in Yemen. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the violence.
Government forces and the Saudi-led coalition also have fought against AQAP and ISIS, both of which are anti-government Sunni terror groups.
Where Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are making quite a splash in the Western world, Kareena Kapoor Khan says she harbours no such ambition; rather she prefers being "married working woman" and "to start a family."
In a recent interview with Vogue India for its July edition, the 35-year-old actor said, "it's amazing what Priyanka has done," but it is impossible for her as her "priorities are very different."
"My responsibilities are a lot more different than hers (Priyanka Chopra). I have a husband, I would like to start a family. I can't give up everything and move to LA. That's not me," she said.
The 'Udta Punjab' actress added that she is too lazy for such "kind of dedication of wanting to achieve so much" as she does not "want to conquer the world."
"But I don't mind having a little place of my own. It's as simple as that," stated Bebo.
Kareena shared her views about her life as a star, getting associated with social causes and what she regrets in an interview by writer Naman Ramachandran for the July 2016 issue of Vogue India. It will be out on the stands on July 2, read a statement.
The 'Ki and Ka' star will also be appearing in the cover shoot for the same issue, where she looks "unapologetically sexy."
Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, Bebo strikes a sexy pose with an unbuttoned knotted shirt beautifully covering her torso. Her hair has been done by Angelo, make-up by Kay Montano, shirt by Alexis Mabille, skirt by Mugler and shoes by Jimmy Choo.
In the interview, Kareena further said that according to her, actors, including her, "sometimes forget that they are human beings too."
"You either become robots or you're so accustomed to everybody praising you or being in awe of you that you almost forget what you are," she said.
Hence Begum with her Chote Nawab Saif Ali Khan prefers being in London at least twice a year where "you can be a star and cut away from that world and come here and spend time with people who have no idea of Bollywood."
"We both enjoy that a lot. It's nice to pull out for a while," mentioned the 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' actress.
On the work front, after the success of 'Ki and Ka' and 'Udta Punjab,' Kareena might be seen as a lead in Rhea Kapoor's 'Veer Di Wedding.
Gossip mills, Kriti Sanon isn't the right person to mess with as she recently settled all the bubbling rumours about her and Sushant Singh Rajput with a befitting reply.
Recently, a leading webloid reported that the 'Dilwale' actress has taken off to Thailand with the 'Kai Po Che' actor where he is taking martial arts training.
To this, Kriti responded with a photo of her with her sister Nupur, writing "@pinkvilla Having Chai at home with my Lovebird @NupurSanon !! Who's my look-alike holidaying in Thailand?"
The report published by Pinkvilla was, "Lovebirds Kriti-Sushant Holidaying in Thailand!"
This is the second time that the 25-year-old actress rubbished the rumours about being romantically involved with her 'Raabta' co-star.
It all started when the 30-year-old actor broke up with his long-time girlfriend Ankita Lokhande during shooting for Homi Adajani directed romantic-drama. So, reports started pouring in that he is now seeing Kriti.
The risks to global economy and its spin off to India from Brexit are emerging out to be much larger than initially perceived, making it imperative for the Indian government to heighten the watch on the unfolding political-economic scenario in Europe, by setting up a high level monitoring group comprising inter-ministerial and agency representatives at the said on Tuesday.
Given the increased global risks, it would be quite prudent for the government to announce successor of Dr Raghuram Rajan as the RBI Governor sooner than later, the chamber added.
After a brain-storming assessment by its leadership based on the fast moving developments in EU headquarters in Brussels, UK, Germany, France and Italy after the Brexit vote of June 23, the has come out with a status paper, suggesting much greater watch on the situation, than just being complacent, taking solace from strong fundamentals of the Indian economy.
The chamber has suggested formation of a high level monitoring group comprising senior officials of the ministries of finance, commerce, information technology and the RBI.
Active involvement of Indian High Commission in London and missions in several European capitals has to be sought in getting the real time information with a proper perspective from ground zero. Constant inputs should be sought from the Indian firms with base with Britain and across the European continent.
"The damage is not limited to the global economy and the stock market sentiment. The trouble lies in a widening political divide between Britain and the rest of the EU leadership on the one hand and then within UK, on the other. With this kind of charged up political environment, the damage to the world economy would be much more than just a few sectoral gains or losses," Paper highlighted.
The paper analysed the situation well beyond the currency movement of the Pound Sterling and Euro against Dollar and the arbitrage impact on the Indian firms doing trade in Europe.
There are clearly two big takeaways, as assessed by the ASSOCHAM top policy making leadership, from the Brexit.
Firstly, there would certainly be damage to the market sentiment, leading to disruption in the investment flows alongside an impact on the currency valuations. Secondly, the way political relations evolve between the EU and the British leaders would be the key, because those would determine the terms of divorce.
Any harsh and bitter outcome would be disastrous for the world trade and investment. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on terms of breaking away from EU membership is likely to be triggered soon, as EU leaders, including UK Prime Minister David Cameron converge in Brussels to chart out further roadmap.
ASSOCHAM Secretary General D S Rawat who has been reaching out to the chamber's offices in London, Paris and Spain has said though the RBI has been doing professional job par excellence, extra-ordinary situation may emerge as different trading giants like China might tweak their currency valuation, making going tough for the Indian exports to the EU, India's largest trading partner.
"An eagle eye must be kept on China," he said. As it is, India's exports have slowed for more than 18 months in a row, and any rise from here would largely be on account of a very low base impact.
Cornering the Mehbooba Mufti-led government over the deteriorating security situation in the state, the Conference (NC) MLAs today staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The legislators of the opposition party demanded a statement from the state government regarding the steps being taken to ensure the safety of people.
Conference MLA Devinder Singh Rana told ANI the protection of Jammu and Kashmir is the state government's responsibility.
"The government should give us a statement as to what is the security situation is the state, what are the steps the government intends to take to ensure that the people are safe. It is the government duty," he added.
Eight CRPF personnel were martyred and 24 others injured in an encounter in Pampore earlier on Saturday.
Saturday's attack was the fourth one on the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this month. At least 17 security personnel were killed and several others injured in the last three major strikes along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway during the period.
Officials say infiltration has increased compared to the previous year with more than 50 terrorists crossing the border in the last five months. Last year, there was zero infiltration in the first four months.
Authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district have warned that they will start arresting people for defecating in the open and for not constructing with the public funds provide to them.
Mandsaur Disctrict collector Swatantra Singh told media "It (open defecation) is a big crime and to control this we are thinking on provisions about sending such people to jails."
Singh maintained that open defecation portrays the country in wrong light and added that there was no excuse for not building toilets when government assistance for the construction was being provided.
"It spoils the image of our country in front of the world. It (toilet) is a basic necessity, just like we wear clothes. It's very unfortunate that even after incentives from the government, which is now Rs. 12 000 to build a toilet, people are defecating in the open," said Singh.
"If it is found that people who have all resources but are still not constructing toilets or defecate openly despite having a toilet we will see how we can take action against them," he said.
Singh further added "If BPL cardholders did not build toilets then, their BPL cards will be cancelled. Notice has already been issued in this regard so that people have a slight fear somewhere that they have to build toilets."
Singh also said that the authorities are thinking of creating a 'Shaurya' force that can arrest people defecating in the open.
"Another provision that is being talked about is of creating 'Shaurya' forces who can arrest people defecating in open and authorities on their level will motivate such people not to do such a thing so that our district's image is not tarnished."
Saying that Mandsaur is one of the 46 districts selected for completely eradicating open defecation under the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', the district collector added "ahead of a level meeting to be held in Raipur in July, we have chalked out a complete plan to motivate the authorities and the public in all blocks of the district, to build toilets."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2nd 2014, saying "A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019."
The mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a movement focused on sanitation.
Taxi aggregator Ola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Haryana to create over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state.
Mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent and quick service fulfillment aims to invest Rs. 350 crore over the next five years to skill and train thousands of men and women and help them take their first step towards entrepreneurship.
Ola will also work with the state government to introduce innovative and customized mobility solutions like Ola Auto, Ola Bike, Ola Share and Ola Shuttle across the state. Ola will further build for local mobility needs using its technology to serve citizens across Haryana, giving them instant access to reliable and convenient mobility.
"Haryana is developing at a rapid pace. Our government recently introduced the 'enterprise promotion policy' for ease of doing here. Ola's commitment to building mobility for citizens by using cutting edge mobile technology and by enabling entrepreneurship and skilling will be invaluable for the state's growth," said Managing Director HSIIDC, Sudhir Rajpal.
"We are confident that our partnership with Ola will further accelerate government's efforts of pumping the economic development of the state with a focus on skilling and creating entrepreneurial opportunities for tens of thousands of men and women across the state," added Sudhir Rajpal.
Haryana is banking on technology and skill development amongst the youth for further development in the region. It is through focused training and skilling initiatives with the involvement of the Government and private enterprises like Ola, that men and women in the state can realize their entrepreneurial dreams.
Once trained, these individuals stand to benefit from Ola's technology platform. Driver partners working with Ola across India have seen their incomes grow by as much as 40 percent. In fact, more than 70 percent of the drivers associated with Ola are entrepreneurs themselves.
"We are proud to partner with the Government of Haryana to create more than 10,000 entrepreneurship opportunities across the state. To this end, we are planning to invest over Rs. 350 crore in Haryana over the next five years," said Chief Operating Officer at Ola, Pranay Jivrajka.
"We will work with the government to train and provide the right skill set to thousands of men and women across Haryana and help them take their first step towards entrepreneurship." Added Pranay.
He also said that the company aims to improve access to mobility in cities across the state by bringing on-board innovative transportation use cases like Ola Auto, Ola Share, Ola Shuttle, Ola Bike and many more, to complement the existing urban transportation system in Haryana.
Ola is currently present in five cities in Haryana including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Ambala and plans to expand its services in the region further.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on his 95th birth anniversary.
The Prime Minister took to Twitter to extend his greetings.
"Tributes to Shri PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary. He led India at a crucial time & his leadership was both notable & vital," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
Narasimha Rao served as the prime minister from 1991 to 1996.
His ascendancy to the prime ministership was politically significant as he was the first holder of this office from non-Hindi-speaking south India.
Rao's term as prime minister was an eventful one in the nation's history.
Besides marking a paradigm shift from the industrialising, mixed economic model of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to a market driven one, his years as the prime minister also saw the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an alternative to the Indian Congress (INC) which had been governing India for most of its post-independence history.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the multiple power centres in Pakistan made it difficult to draw a "lakshman rekha" for talks with Islamabad, Sudheendra Kulkarni on Tuesday said the 'dichotomy'of power has held back the talks.
"Prime Minister's comment on Pakistan are absolutely on the mark because there is certainly a power dichotomy between the civilian government and the military rulers in Pakistan," Kulkarni told ANI.
"Therefore, the question is there is no one single power in Islamabad, with which India can have a dialogue," he added.
He further said the situation in Pakistan has been intensified with the ill health of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had to undergo a surgery recently.
He said Prime Minister Modi "has done the right thing by giving a detailed interview perhaps for the first time on a number of major issues before the nation and society".
Prime Minister Modi in an interview wondered with whom in Pakistan red lines can be drawn for conducting talks - with the elected government or "other actors".
"The first thing is that with whom in Pakistan will you decide the 'lakshman rekha' -- with the elected government or with other actors? So India will have to be alert and conscious all the time. There should not be any laxity and negligence," Modi said in an interview with a TV news channel.
The Rashtriya Muslim Manch on Tuesday announced that it is withdrawing its Iftar party invitation to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit.
The party is to be held at the Parliament Annexe on July 2.
With Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives being responsible for the death of as many as eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had earlier shrugged off questions related to the attack, saying that media would be better off focusing on the Iftaar party hosted by the Pakistan High Commission.
"It's the month of Ramzaan, let's focus on this Iftaar 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 on the issue and find a solution. Let's have the iftaar party and enjoy ourselves," Basit said
The Shiv Sena had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of losing the 'Hindutva Agenda' after the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an affiliate of the Sangh, announced plans to host a grand Iftar on July 2, saying it is 'pure hypocrisy' on the part of the saffron party.
Kayande also questioned the criticism by the BJP and the RSS of the Congress when it had earlier tried to do the same.
Her comments came after the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), invited ambassadors from nearly 140 countries earlier to attend an international Roza Iftar party at the Parliament House Annexe on July 2.
Responding to the fresh PIL seeking decriminalisation of Section 377, Union Minister for Law and Justice D V Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said the decision in this regard will be taken by the Supreme Court on what stand the Central Government needs to take as the matter is subjudice.
"Government has already discussed the issue of 377 with Attorney General. We will place our arguments in front of the Supreme Court and the decision will be taken today on what stand the Central Government needs to take. Cannot say more on the issue as the matter is subjudice," he told media here.
When asked on filing of a fresh PIL seeking decriminalisation of of IPC, he said the government is working on to reduce the interdepartmental litigation.
"It is said that government is the biggest litigant and therefore we must reduce the numbers of such cases through arbitration," he added.
On the question of shortages of judges, the Law Minister said, "We have cleared 51 appointment of judges and 87 ad-hoc judges had been made permanent within a short period of 4 months only. We have cleared names of 4 judges within a short period of 6 days which were sent by the Supreme Court collegiums."
On February 3, the Supreme Court had referred a batch of petitions against of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial-era provision criminalising consensual sexual acts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) adults in private, to a five-judge Constitution Bench for a possible back-to-roots, in-depth hearing.
Admitting appeals filed by Naz Foundation against re-criminalising of homosexual acts by a two judge bench of the apex court in December 2013, a three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India T S Thakur and Justices Anil R Dave and J S Khehar gave credence to arguments that the threat imposed by the provision amounts to denial of the rights to privacy and dignity and results in gross miscarriage of justice.
Chief Justice Thakur said the petitions pose several questions with "constitutional dimensions of importance" while dictating the order of reference to a Constitution Bench he would be setting up shortly. This Bench neither admitted the petitions nor issued notice to the government, leaving it to the future Constitution Bench to do so, if found necessary.
Seven people, including a senior opposition official, have been charged by the Bangladeshi police for the September 2015 murder of an Italian aid worker.
The deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Sheikh Nazmul Alam, confirmed that seven people, including two Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) officials were charged with the murder of 50-year-old Italian Cesare Tavella.
"We submitted the charge sheet against the seven on Monday. Those who are charged include Abdul Quayum, who masterminded the attack," The Guardian quoted him, as saying.
He added that the attack was part of a plot "to tarnish the image of the country and destabilise it".
The killing of Tavella near Dhaka's diplomatic zone was the first in a wave of attacks that were claimed by Islamic State. Days later a shooting of a Japanese farmer took place in northern Bangladesh.
As the news surfaced about the presence of Islamic State in Bangladesh, authorities rejected the claim, saying the group had no presence in the country.
The government has said that homegrown militants were responsible for the deaths of nearly 50 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities in the country killed over the last three years.
Meanwhile, BNP leader Quayum has denied the charge and instead said that was being victimised because of his political affiliations.
BNP spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi echoing similar sentiments said the charge was "false and politically motivated"
Following the spate of killings in the country, Bangladesh authorities this month launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadi groups, arresting more than 11,000 people.
But many rights groups say the arrests were arbitrary or were a way to silence the government's political opponents.
Moving an entire industry and creating millions of jobs seems a herculean task, but with bold Labour reforms, implementation of GST, robust export infrastructure coupled with innovation & technology, Indian Textile and Apparel industry has the potential to fundamentally change its trajectory, create over 50 million jobs, bring social transformation and gain global dominance. These are some of the early conclusions of the a study on the Indian Apparel, Made - ups & Textile Industry commissioned by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to identify the key catalysts that will enable breakout growth.
According to CII, global trends in the apparel, made-ups and textile industry today are ominous and opportune. With an increase in wages and the Yuan gaining strength, industry is shifting its base away from China, creating a potential market of USD 280+ billion for other countries to capture. The shift is already happening in the apparel sector, large shifts are expected in fabric and yarn sourcing as well. Though Bangladesh and Vietnam are the current frontrunners, emergence of hubs in Africa (e.g. Ethiopia) and a strong resurgence seen for manufacturing in the US, the future landscape could be dramatically different.
Capturing this opportunity can bring immense social and economic benefits. The sector is the largest industrial employer of women in the country and can provide quick employability to a large mass of workers. If the industry achieves breakout growth, we estimate another 50 million jobs to be created by 2025 ~ 35-40 million of which will be employing women. Potential economic benefits are sizeable as well. The Study estimates that the industry can triple in size over the next 10 years, get USD 150 billion annually in foreign exchange, and spur the apparel, made-ups and textile industry to reach USD 300 billion by 2025.
The domestic market will also grow at least 2.5 times to become around 150 billion dollars in size.
According to Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, India is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this opportunity. We are the only country in the world other than China to have the entire value chain from fibre to fashion, both in cotton and synthetics, an abundant and young labour force, a vibrant domestic market and a good starting point in exports (2nd largest exporter of textiles, apparel and made-ups in the world).
The study notes that shifts in the global apparel, made-ups and textile industry are going to be shaped by four major factors a) Cost competitiveness, especially in labour / wage structures and energy structures per unit of output b) Ease of market access (both in terms of tariffs/duties and time to market) c) Ease of doing business and d) Technical innovations.
The CII 6-point agenda identifies the following game-changers for the Indian Apparel, Made-ups and Textiles industry.
Firstly, build scale, as the industry is currently highly fragmented and lacks scale. Being highly labour intensive, introduce flexible labour laws; job linked support schemes, innovative hub and spoke models for apparel / textile parks to employ labour in hinterlands and introduce PPP models for Industry to provide scale and create jobs.
Secondly, bridge the operating cost gap, especially on synthetics. Entrepreneurs need to aggressively drive up productivity by investing in world class facilities, process improvements and build a culture of manufacturing excellence. Simplified tax structures and neutral implementation of GST for both cotton and synthetic products will give the much required boost to the industry.
Thirdly, Infrastructure, especially at ports, import facilities and clearance procedures should be streamlined to cut turnaround times. Signing FTAs with major markets like the European Union can equalise market access positions with key competitors like Bangladesh.
Fourthly, increased investments in technology, especially processing and technical textiles either through capital subsidy or technology partnerships. The A-TUFS released in December 2015 has taken welcome steps in this respect.
Fifthly, to actualise Make-in-India movement, Government can create a comprehensive umbrella of support schemes under the 'Make-in-India' banner. Entrepreneurs need to advertise the made-in-India aspect aggressively, over-invest in quality and make their products worthy of putting up 'Proudly Indian' labels.
And lastly, Indian entrepreneurs need to invest both financial and human resources on technology and innovation to address the constantly evolving markets. Investments are required in technical textiles, processing, and apparel making in particular. India needs to create its own 'silicon-valleys' for technical textiles, with a full ecosystem of investors, start-ups, production facilities and ultra-fast clearances. Ease of doing business is equally critical for innovation.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Government of India has decided to revise the financial limits for appraisal and approval of Non-Plan Schemes/Projects by competent authorities. As per the revised delegation, the Committee on Non-Plan Expenditure (CNE), which serves as an appraisal forum for all non-plan proposals of Central Government Ministries/Departments, will now appraise proposals involving expenditure of Rs.300 crore and above. The earlier limit for this was Rs.75 crore. Non-plan Schemes/projects of less than Rs.300 crore can now be appraised by Ministry / Standing Finance Committee of the Ministry concerned.
The financial power of the Minister-in-charge of the administrative Ministry for approval of the Non-Plan schemes/projects has also been enhanced and the schemes/project costing less than Rs.500 crore can now be approved at his/her level.
Earlier, the Minister-in-charge could approve projects costing less than Rs.150 crore. Finance Minister shall be competent financial authority for approving scheme/projects having financial implications of Rs.500 crore and above and upto Rs.1000 crore.
Proposal having financial limits of Rs.1000 crore and above shall require approval of the Cabinet/Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. Concurrently, financial limits regarding appraisal and approval of increase in cost estimates have also been revised. Increase in cost upto 20% of the firmed up cost estimates can now be appraised by the Financial Adviser and approved by Secretary of the administrative Department, if the absolute cost escalation is upto Rs.75 crore, and by the Administrative Minister-in-charge if absolute cost escalation is above this.
With this enhancement of financial powers, the financial limits for appraisal and approval of plan and non-plan schemes/projects of Central Government Ministries and Departments have been brought almost at par. This is expected to expedite appraisal and approval process in the Central Government Ministries/Departments.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) joined hands with CHIFSS (CII-HUL Initiative on Food Safety Sciences) a partnership initiative between India's premier business association CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and FMCG giant HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) with the purpose of driving science based food safety in order to further strengthen consumer safety and enable a science based innovation environment.
At the Launch of the CII-HUL Initiative on Food Safety Sciences (CHIFSS) ,Mr Pawan Agarwal, CEO , FSSAI signed an MOU with CHIFSS .
FSSAI has already paved the way for a world class regulatory system with its work on harmonization of Indian Standards with Codex and is now focusing on capacity building to develop an inclusive ecosystem through a participative approach involving all stakeholders.
We are happy to sign the MoU with CHIFSS, said Mr Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI on the occasion of the launch. This collaborative initiative will drive and disseminate food safety on science based risk analysis in India and work towards improving food safety through fact and data based technical briefs , food safety plan guidance documents and on-line training programs, he added.
Ms. Anuradha Prasad, Joint Secretary, Ministry of food processing industries, thanked FSSAI for largely resolving the issues being faced by Food Processing Industry at the launch ceremony. She highlighted it as a positive move in a short span of six to eight months. In her address she pointed it is a right time to move beyond compliance and incorporate best international practices on food safety to create and ensure safe food.
Mr Chandrajit Banerjee in his welcome remarks mentioned about CII's extensive outreach and service portfolio on Food Safety and Quality for more than a decade, covering Awareness Campaigns, Collaborative Certificate courses for Food Professionals, Workshops on Risk Assessments and Standards formulation. We are delighted to launch the CII-HUL Initiative on Food Safety Sciences for driving Science behind Food Safety which will work in a partnership mode with FSSAI, eminent scientists, academia and key opinion formers.
The overall purpose of the initiative is to contribute to a holistic growth of the Indian food sector while ensuring safe food for all, stated Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, DG CII.
Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, in his address, stressed the need for a globally benchmarked national food safety agenda, founded on science based food safety principles. He highlighted the expertise of Unilever in food safety sciences and the fact that Unilever experts are globally recognized thought leaders in the areas of food microbiology and toxicology are actively working with academics and scientific institutions globally on food safety matters. He also reiterated HUL's commitment towards partnering with all stakeholders to enhance the science based food safety in India. He said, We are delighted to see CHIFSS fructify into a reality. The pioneering partnership between CHIFSS and FSSAI will further strengthen industry-government collaboration to promote science based food safety which stimulates innovation while ensuring consumer safety.
As the first outcome of CHIFSS, the Food Safety Management System Guidance Document for Ice Creams and Frozen Desserts was also released alongside the launch of the Website. A Panel discussion on Driving Food Safety through Science Based Principles followed soon after the Launch ceremony.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
The Secretary for Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Shri Devendra Chaudhary visited the facilities on 25th June 2016 of ICAR-NDRI and NBAGR, Karnal (Haryana) and interacted with the scientists. On the sideline of the visits Shri Chaudhary also had interactive discussion on National Bovine Genomic Centre for Indigenous Breeds and National Action Plan on bovine breeding.
The Secretary stressed the scientists to work towards enhancement of productivity in indigenous breeds of cattle, as more than 80% of indigenous animals are with small & marginal farmers and landless labours yielding 3kgs of milk per day. He mentioned that in order to double farmers' income there is a need to increase milk production to 300 MMT by 2019-20. The Secretary, DADF also visited Central Herd Registration Scheme milk recording Centre at Gannaur of Sonipat District and emphasized the need for field performance recording and to evolve sustainable method for milk recording.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Government committed to providing accessible and affordable quality training for skill upgradation of nurses: Shri J P Nadda
Underscoring the importance of upgradation of skills of nurses across the country, Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare stated that the Government is committed to providing accessible, affordable and quality training to them. He also emphasised that the Nursing Staff occupies important position in healthcare delivery and without them the desired results cannot be achieved. The role of the nursing staff can be compared equally to that of the doctors when we think of achieving the SDGs. Shri J P Nadda was speaking at the inauguration of Indian Nursing Council Office Complex. Dr Kirit P Solanki, Member of Parliament, Shri Ganesh Singh, Member of Parliament, and Shri Dileep Kumar, President, Indian Nursing Council were also present during the inaugural function. Shri Nadda launched two new Nurse Practitioner Courses, one in Critical Care and the other in Primary Healthcare. He also launched a web-based 'Live Register' for Nurses.
While laying stress on importance of adequate skill enhancement through appropriate training, Shri Nadda stated that the training course for the nurses should be contextualised, so that they are imparted education and knowledge of the Indian healthcare landscape. He also underscored the importance of informal education in addition to formal education, as it shall provide a holistic and rounded understanding of the various issues the nursed are required to deal with in their profession. The need for sensitisation towards laid down protocols in treatment should be made part of the curriculum, the Minister added. The Health Minister stated that in harmony with the vision of the Hon. Prime Minister to Skill India, we also need to ponder on how the courses for skilling the nurses can be synced with the Skill India program.
Shri Nadda termed the newly launched Live Register as path-breaking. Through the Live Register accurate data of active and registered nurses will be made available online. This will help the Government in better manpower planning and for making policy level decisions for the nursing professionals in India. Shri Nadda stated that this will help in rationalisation and optimum utilisation of manpower. He further added that the government has given high priority for improving the Nursing and Midwifery cadre through skill development and continued professional development. He said that the Government has undertaken major expansion of nursing and technical education leading to a three-fold increase in the numbers of nursing institutions and in the number of students passing out of these institutions.
The Health Minister informed that the Government has undertaken several initiatives for strengthening of nursing cadre are. Some of these are establishment of ANM/GNM schools, up-gradation of institutions from School of Nursing to College of Nursing, Training of Nurses, development of 11 one year specialisation courses, revision of curriculum for all nursing programs, establishment of national PhD consortium for Nursing Research.
The Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care Program will be a two-year residential M.Sc degree in Nurse Practitioner in Critical care. On completion of the program Nurses will be qualified to assume responsibility and accountability for the care of critically ill patients. Whereas, the Nurse Practitioner in Primary Healthcare Program will be a one-year residential Post Graduate diploma program.
The Health Minister further said that there is an urgent need to make training course contextual to country's needs. The Health Minister also suggested that the Nursing courses can be blended with skill India training Courses for countering the shortage of Nursing Staff.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
For ZAR6.55 billion
Tata Communications announced that Liquid Telecom, a privately owned, pan-African telecoms group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, has entered into an agreement to acquire South African communications network operator Neotel. The shareholders of Neotel - Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion - have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR6.55 billion.
Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30% equity stake in Neotel.
The transaction, which is subject to obtaining all affirmative approvals and other corporate approvals that may be required by the shareholders of Neotel and other regulatory approvals, is transformative and will create the largest pan-African broadband network and B2B telecoms provider. Through a single access point, businesses across Africa will be able to access Liquid Africa's 24,000km of cross-border, metro and access fibre networks. These currently span 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Tata Communications surged 5.71% to Rs 475.25 at 09:45 IST on BSE after the company entered into an agreement to sell Neotel to Liquid Telecom.
The announcement was made before market hours today, 28 June 2016.
Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 64.90 points or 0.25% at 26,467.86
On BSE, so far 2.01 lakh shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 37,821 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 486 and a low of Rs 473.20 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 490.30 on 24 July 2015. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 325.70 on 29 February 2016.
The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 285 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.
Tata Communications announced that Liquid Telecom, a privately owned, pan-African telecoms group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, today, 28 June 2016 announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire South African communications network operator Neotel. The shareholders of Neotel - Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion - have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR6.55 billion. Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30% equity stake in Neotel. The transaction, which is subject to obtaining all affirmative approvals and other corporate approvals that may be required by the shareholders of Neotel and other regulatory approvals, is transformative and will create the largest pan-African broadband network and B2B telecoms provider. Through a single access point, businesses across Africa will be able to access Liquid Africa's 24,000 kilometres of cross-border, metro and access fibre networks. These currently span 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned. The transaction is subject to approval by South African regulatory authorities and is expected to be completed later this financial year, Tata Communications said.
On consolidated basis, Tata Communications reported net loss of Rs 205.89 crore in Q4 March 2016, higher than net loss of Rs 178.25 crore in Q4 March 2015. Net sales rose 6.9% to Rs 5145.41 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.
Tata Communications along with its subsidiaries is a leading global provider of communications.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Tata Global Beverages rose 1.39% to Rs 127.75 at 12:00 IST on BSE after Starbucks strengthened global partnership with Tata Group with multiple new commitments.
The world's largest US based coffee retailer, Starbucks Coffee Company made the announcement yesterday, 27 June 2016.
Shares of Tata Coffee rose 3.04% to Rs 106.85.
Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 57.08 points or 0.22% at 26,460.04.
On BSE, so far 1.79 lakh shares were traded in the Tata Global Beverages' counter as against average daily volume of 2.24 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit high of Rs 128.70 and low of Rs 126.90 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 149.80 on 6 January 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 100.10 on 12 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 27 June 2016, gaining 7.46% compared with 0.94% fall in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 5.26% as against Sensex's 4.2% rise.
The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 63.11 crore. Face value per share is Re 1.
In a meeting at the iconic Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, Washington, chairman and chief executive officer of Starbucks Coffee Company, Howard Schultz, and chairman, Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry, announced multiple new joint initiatives last week which expand the existing Tata and Starbucks relationship and strengthen the companies' commitment to developing the Tata-Starbucks brand and building a different kind of company in India.
For the first time, Starbucks will offer a single-origin coffee from India in the US, giving customers from outside the country a unique opportunity to experience a rare, small-lot coffee from the Tata Nullore Estates located in Coorg coffee growing area of India. Starbucks Reserve Tata Nullore Estates will be the first coffee from India to be roasted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room and will only be available at Seattle location later this year.
Starbucks also announced plans to increase its coffee roasting capacity for supplying its stores in India and, over time, select markets around the globe.
Starbucks also announced it will soon take flight on Vistara, India's fastest growing full service airline, later this year. Starbucks' fresh brewed coffee service will be exclusively available on all Vistara flights. A joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, Vistara operates more than 457 flights weekly to 17 destinations across India and, in June, celebrated the milestone of flying two million travelers.
Starbucks will extend its Teavana specialty tea brand to India this December with unique bold and customized flavor combinations. Starbucks also plans to expand the availability of Himalayan Mineral Water, bottled by Tata Global Beverages, beyond Starbucks stores in India to Singapore later this year, as the companies explore opportunities to introduce the bottled water brand to stores across Starbucks China and Asia Pacific region.
The local joint venture, Tata Starbucks Private Ltd had opened their first India store in October 2012, and now has 84 outlets making its pace of expansion a record in Starbucks' 45-year history.
Tata Global Beverages' consolidated net profit jumped 2631.5% to Rs 106.53 crore on 2.8% rise in net sales to Rs 1927.99 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.
Tata Global Beverages has an integrated beverage business. The company has significant interests in tea, coffee and water and is the world's second largest tea company.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Trent jumped 7.35% to Rs 1,801.15 at 12:45 IST on BSE after the board of directors of the company at a meeting held today, 28 June 2016 approved 10 for 1 stock split.
The announcement was made during market hours today, 28 June 2016.
Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 86.99 points or 0.33% at 26,489.95.
High volumes were witnessed on the counter. On BSE, so far 16,765 shares were traded in the counter as against average daily volume of 8,829 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit high of Rs 1,842.20 and low of Rs 1,690 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 1,856 on 25 May 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 1,116.95 on 29 June 2015. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 27 June 2016, falling 5.37% compared with 0.94% fall in the Sensex. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 7.33% as against Sensex's 4.2% rise.
The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 33.23 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.
Trent said that the board of directors also approved an enabling resolution for raising of funds by issue of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on a private placement basis upto an amount not exceeding Rs 300 crore. The stock split and issue of NCDs are subject to the approval of shareholders.
Trent's net profit rose 48.6% to Rs 17.02 crore on 14.9% growth in net sales to Rs 369.94 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.
Trent, a retail arm of the Tata group, operates retail chain Westside and bookstore chain Landmark in various locations of India. Trent also operates the hypermarket Star Bazaar in 8 Indian cities.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Godrej Properties, Tata communications, Amara Raja Batteries and Coromandel International are among the other stocks to see a surge in volumes on BSE today, 28 June 2016.
PVR clocked volume of 2.58 lakh shares by 13:40 IST on BSE, a 46.46-times surge over two-week average daily volume of 6,000 shares. The stock declined 0.12% at Rs 949.95.
Godrej Properties notched up volume of 3.41 lakh shares, a 15.95-fold surge over two-week average daily volume of 21,000 shares. The stock jumped 6.19% at Rs 356.
Tata communications saw volume of 3.59 lakh shares, a 13.54-fold surge over two-week average daily volume of 27,000 shares. The stock rose 3.43% at Rs 465 after the company announced that Liquid Telecom, a privately owned, pan-African telecoms group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, today, 28 June 2016 announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire South African communications network operator Neotel. The announcement was made before market hours today, 28 June 2016. The shareholders of Neotel - Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion - have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR6.55 billion.
Amara Raja Batteries clocked volume of 1.02 lakh shares, a 5.34-fold surge over two-week average daily volume of 19,000 shares. The stock gained 0.97% at Rs 858.50.
Coromandel International saw volume of 3.33 lakh shares, a 5.13-fold rise over two-week average daily volume of 65,000 shares. The stock rose 1.29% at Rs 259.20.
Powered by Capital Market - Live News
Myanmar State Counsellor on Tuesday met with representatives from ethnic armed groups involved in peace talks to discuss how to move forward with national reconciliation.
Suu Kyi, who is also Myanmar's Foreign Minister has proposed a 21st century Panglong Conference for late July with all ethnic militants - including at least four which have still not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) adopted in October 2015, EFE news reported.
The Panglong Agreement was first signed in 1947 between the Burmese government and Shan, Kachin and Chin minorities to grant "frontier areas" occupied by minorities autonomy under an arrangement with the federal government.
The Ethnic Armed Organisation Peace Process Steering Team (EAO PPST) was founded in March on the eight NCA signatories including the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Pa-I National Liberation Organisation (PNLO), which has openly urged the army to include non-signatories in political dialogue, according to a PNLO statement.
Four main ethnic armed groups in Myanmar - ruled for decades by an iron-fisted junta until the transition to democracy began in 2012 followed by elections last year that saw the National League for Democracy win a landslide victory - have not signed the ceasefire.
The multiple downside risks in the proposed consolidation in the Indian public sector banking (PSB) space far outweighs the potential benefits, said global credit rating agency Moody's Investors Sevice.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Moody's said the proposal to consolidate the country's public sector banks (PSBs) creates risks that -- in the current weak economic environment -- could offset the potential long-term benefits.
"India's banking system has witnessed an increase in stressed assets since 2012, with the result that no PSB currently has the financial strength to assume a consolidator role without risking its own credit standing post-merger," Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst, Alka Anbarasu said.
"Barring significant government support to boost the banks' capitalisation, we believe the risks arising from the potential consolidation currently outweigh the potential longer-term benefits," added Anbarasu.
Moody's has released a report on Indian banks entitled 'Banks -- India: Consolidation of Public Sector Banks Will Face Challenges Under Current Conditions'.
Referring to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's budget speech, Moody's said the consolidation in the Indian PSB space is gaining policy momentum.
Recently, the State Bank of India (SBI) announced its decision to merge six banks with itself-including five of its associate banks.
"From a credit perspective, industry consolidation would strengthen the banks' bargaining power, help save costs and improve supervision and corporate governance across the banking system," Moody's said.
These potential benefits, however, are outweighed by multiple downside risks, the rating agency added.
According to Moody's, the banks' weakened metrics since 2012 and weak performance mean that many have difficulties meeting minimum regulatory requirements without regular capital injections from the government.
As a result, few public sector banks have the excess capital required to acquire meaningfully sized peers.
Adding to this financial pressure, all listed PSBs are trading at a significant discount to their book value, limiting their ability to attract external capital to support acquisitions.
"Therefore, Moody's believes government support will be a crucial driver of the credit outcome of potential mergers, particularly in the form of the equity capital required to shore up capital buffers," the rating agency said.
As to the challenges in consolidation in the PSB sector Moody's cited the potential opposition from employee unions, which could hamper merger efforts and drive up costs.
For example, SBI estimates that its merger with the associate banks will cost up to Rs 30 million due to differences in employee pension schemes.
The Indian government's ultimate aim is to reduce the number of PSBs to about eight to 10 from the current 27.
--IANS
vj/ksk
Top cyclists from around the world have given their seal of approval for Rio's new velodrome, predicting slick times at the venue during the Olympic Games in August.
"The track is fast and smooth and the wood is great," Switzerland's Gael Suter told Rio2016.com after giving the track a test run, Xinhua news agency reported.
"I think there will be some great times during the Olympics and there will be some great races," added Suter, who has already qualified for the Olympics.
Australian Alexander Porter also said he was impressed by the facility.
"It's a very good track. I really liked how it feels, it's very smooth and really good for racing. It felt awesome to ride on," said Porter, who is still trying to secure his place in the country's eight-member Olympic squad.
"I have really enjoyed racing on it. It feels better to ride on than the one I am used to at home. I am getting a real buzz from being here," he added.
Shogo Ichimaru from Japan was also enthusiastic about the track.
"It is very well made and similar to what I am used to training on in Japan," he said.
Despite the velodrome's official opening on Sunday, construction work is ongoing at the venue.
Built at a cost of 147 million reais ($43 million), the velodrome had been slated for completion last year.
Last month Rio's government rescinded its contract with the building firm responsible for the project after the latter said it was unable to meet its obligations due to financial problems.
Rio mayor Eduardo Paes has said the venue will be ready in mid-July, around three weeks before the Olympic opening ceremony.
--IANS
pgh/
Nigel Farage of Britain on Tuesday was booed in the European Parliament after he insulted fellow members in an extraordinary exchange in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Any hopes of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader adopting a more conciliatory tone before the difficult negotiations that lie ahead were dashed by his belligerent speech to a highly charged emergency session of the European Parliament in Brussels, the Guardian reported.
After an initially "on the face of it" warm embrace between Farage and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, things rapidly deteriorated into open hostility, as the former Luxembourg Prime Minister demanded of the UKIP leader: "You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?"
Farage laughed off the comments before launching an astonishing attack on his colleagues that drew boos and heckles.
Rising to his feet, Farage began by sarcastically thanking his fellow Members of European Parliament (MEPs) "for the warm welcome" before landing his first blow: "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you?"
"And the reason you're so upset, the reason you're so angry, has been perfectly clear from all the angry exchanges this morning. You, as a political project, are in denial. You are in denial that your currency is failing."
Despite urging a "grown-up" conversation between the EU and Britain, Farage continued in a similarly mocking vein throughout his monologue, at one point telling MEPs: "Virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives."
Amid uproar, European Parliament President Martin Schulz tried to restore order while himself taking a dig at Farage. He told MEPs: "I understand that you are emotional, but you're acting like UKIP normally acts in the chamber. So please don't imitate them."
His efforts did little to calm the atmosphere as Farage went on to tell MEPs that any attempt to impose trade barriers on the UK would backfire, pointing out German car assembly workers as being among those who would suffer.
He said Britain could be "your greatest friend", provided the EU did not thwart its global ambition.
The UK should invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty soon to begin its withdrawal from the EU, Farage said. "I don't think we should spend too long doing it."
The former broker said people were sick of "merchant bankers, multinationals and big politics" controlling them and gleefully predicted that more EU countries would follow Britain in leaving the bloc.
He was booed as he sat down and a number of MEPs turned their backs on him.
The first person to speak after Farage was Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's Front National party, who hailed Britain's decision as the beginning of a "people's spring".
But a number of MEPs who followed were not so complimentary.
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said: "I am shocked, Mr. Farage. You are presenting yourself as the defender of the little man, while you have an offshore financial construction."
As Farage laughed, Verhofstadt added: "OK, let's be positive, we are getting rid of the biggest waste of EU budget: your salary."
--IANS
lok/rn/vt
Urvashi Rautela, the lead actress of "Great Grand Masti", says it's a family film and is devoid of vulgarity.
On the sidelines of a photoshoot for the Exhibit magazine, Urvashi spoke about "Great Grand Masti" and said: "It is a family film, not at all vulgar. It's more inspired by 'Masti' (the first film in the series). The audiences can come in with their families and enjoy."
Urvashi says that she plays the girlfriend of characters essayed by Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani in the film, the story of which is about how she turns into a virgin ghost.
"It is my first comedy film. It is a very interesting story and the character I play forms the main crux of the story, the soul of the film. I am very excited," she said.
Urvashi started her film career by playing a homely wife wearing saris in Sunny Deol's "Singh Saab The Great", but in "Great Grand Masti", she will be wearing revealing outfits.
About the transformation, Urvashi said: "As an actor, it is very important that there should be a character which is slightly 'hatke'. For example, Kajol did a negative character in 'Gupt'. Of course, my character is the solo heroine of the film, but this is a very different, very challenging and very demanding character.
"As a creative person, I got the opportunity to do comedy, action and also romance, to live and feel so many emotions and as an actor to showcase yourself to the fullest. To be able to portray such a significant character, I'm thankful to have that level of belief from my producers, my directors and my actors."
"Great Grand Masti", directed by Indra Kumar, is releasing on July 22.
-*-
Ali Fazal hopes to visit Pakistan
Actor Ali Fazal hopes that someday he gets to shoot in Pakistan.
Ali, who recently completed shooting for "Happy Bhaag Jaayegi" with Abhay Deol and Diana Penty, says he used to wonder that Pakistani fans may have mistaken him for Ali Zafar. But he was elated when that was not the case.
"I didn't know I had a fanbase on the other side (of the border). I thought Ali Zafar is Pakistani and they might have mistaken me for him. Yeah, that happens. Anyway, I am so delighted to maybe one day go there and meet those who like me and my work," Ali said in a statement.
"The closest I went (to Pakistan) was to the Attari-Wagah border when we shot some scenes there and it's electric to witness the same enthusiasm and vigour coming from the other side just a few feet away."
It was a case of so near, yet so far for Ali.
-*-
Surrogacy is cup of tea for rich people: Mahika Sharma
Former Miss Teen Northeast Mahika Sharma, who is involved in social work, feels more than welcoming children through surrogacy, celebrities should think about adopting orphans. She says surrogacy is a "cup of tea for rich people".
After superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, actor Tusshar Kapoor became the latest Bollywood celebrity to announce the arrival of his son Laksshya, born last week through IVF and surrogacy.
Commenting on it, Mahika said in a statement: "Surrogacy is cup of tea for rich people. I feel adopting orphans is quite more important as it helps the child to live a better life in a family environment.
"When a person goes for surrogacy, he brings a new child to the world. So, I feel why bring a new one when many are already suffering from poverty and so on."
Mahika said that there should be more examples like actresses Raveena Tandon and Sushmita Sen, who have adopted children.
"Raveena, Sushmita and others have adopted and brought the child to a new state of living. They are an example of humanity. If I need to became a single parent, I'll better choose to adopt a child than go for surrogacy," Mahika said.
--IANS
rb-sas-iv/bg
The breeding of the highly-endangered snow leopard in the Himalayan nature park in this picturesque Himachal Pradesh resort is set to begin with zoo authorities in Darjeeling agreeing to lend it a pair.
"The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling is providing us a pair of snow leopards for conserving bloodlines of the highly endangered species in the participatory zoos," state Chief Wildlife Warden S.S. Negi told IANS.
"We are waiting for permission from the Central Zoo Authority (CZI) to bring one male and one female leopard to Kufri," Negi said.
"After matching their bloodlines, we can go for their breeding at Kufri," he added.
Besides the Darjeeling zoo in West Bengal, a zoo in Sikkim and Uttarakhand each are the other places in the country with elusive snow leopards, a species whose survival is challenged by poaching and habitat loss.
In 2004, snow leopard Subhash and his sibling Sapna were brought to Kufri, 15 km from the state capital Shimla, from Darjeeling under an exchange programme.
Officials said the breeding programme couldn't be initiated as they belonged to the same bloodline. Sapna died of disease in 2007.
Earlier, a female snow leopard had died in Kufri zoo. That feline was discovered as a cub by the shepherds in the Spiti Valley in Lahaul-Spiti district in 1998 and was reared in the park.
After remaining in isolation and forced celibacy since his maturity, Subhash was shifted to Darjeeling in 2013 for the ongoing breeding conservation programme.
"After initial hesitation, Subhash is now part of the programme," said an official.
The Darjeeling zoo is internationally recognised for its 33-year-old conservation breeding programme for the snow leopard, with 56 births till date.
Apart from the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, the state's Pin Valley National Park, the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, the Great Himalayan National Park and the Pangi and Bharmour areas of Chamba district have a sizable population of the snow leopards.
Besides the snow leopard, other rare wildlife species found in these rocky regions at altitudes of 2,700m to 6,000m are the wolf, brown and black bear, blue sheep, ibex, Tibetan gazzle, red fox, weasel, marmot, griffon, lammergeyer, golden eagle and snow cock.
Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said the central government-funded Snow Leopard Conservation Project of Rs.5.15 crore ($758,000) is under way in the Spiti Valley, which lies in the state's northernmost part and runs parallel to Tibet.
The programme would take care of restoring the snow leopard's habitat, he said.
Studies by the state wildlife department show the presence of seven to eight snow leopards per 100 sq km in the Spiti Valley.
The department is already monitoring the habitat, range and behaviour of snow leopards in the Valley through camera traps (automatic cameras).
As per the information gleaned from these devices, the snow leopard population is estimated to be 28 in Spiti and its nearby areas, and 29 in the rest of the state.
"We will soon start radio-collaring five to six snow leopards in Spiti and other areas to monitor their behaviour and, of course, habitat and range," an official of the state's wildlife wing told IANS.
Each radio collar costs around Rs.300,000 and can send signals for at least 18 months. "But the cost of procuring data sent through radio collars is quite expensive," he said.
"The problem of starting the radio collar installations is the non-availability of tranquillising drugs in India as prescribed by our international partner, Snow Leopard Trust," said the official, who wished not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
--IANS
vg/vm/hs/ky/tb
Security forces on Tuesday shot dead a Hizbul Mujahideen militant in a gun battle in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Sameer Wani, identified as a "top local Hizbul commander", died in Nagri village, a police officer told IANS.
Security forces had surrounded a house following information that a group of militants were hiding there.
"The gunfight is still on and all escape points of the holed up militants have been sealed," the officer added.
--IANS
sq/ksk/mr
Rome, June 28 (IANS/AKI) A Bangladeshi supporter of the Islamic State group has been deported from Italy, bringing to 30 the number of suspects expelled this year, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old Bangladeshi had an Italian residency permit and was expelled late on Monday "for reasons of state security", Alfano said.
The Bangladeshi had arrived in Italy from Turkey and had lived in the northern city of Bologna and subsequently in the northeast Adriatric resort town of Grado, Alfano said.
"Following a through investigation, he was found to have been using a false identity and to have published tracts on IS.
"Indeed, collaboration with international investigators established that he was a user of social networks with manifest sympathies for the terrorist organisation."
A total of 96 suspects have been deported from Italy since 2015, Alfano said.
--IANS/AKI
mr/
Kazakhstan beat Thailand in the second round of hotly-contested elections to become the first former Soviet Asian country to win a seat on the Security Council Tuesday after a deadlock in the initial balloting for the Asian slot.
Kazakhstan received 138 votes in the new voting, passing the two-thirds bar of 129 votes in the 193-member General Assembly to succeed Malaysia. The first round was deadlocked with Astana receiving 113 to Bangkok's 77. Thailand received only 55 in the second round.
A deadlock continued for one of the two European seats into the third round, with neither the Netherlands nor Italy getting the needed two-thirds of the votes in the three rounds of voting. Sweden won election in the first ballot to one of the seats.
Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft postponed further rounds of voting for the European seat till later in the afternoon to enable diplomatic efforts to break the deadlock.
Ethiopia was unanimously proposed by the African group and Bolivia by the Latin American-Caribbean bloc, making their first round victories a mere formality.
The defeat was a diplomatic setback for Thailand, which is currently the head of the Group of 77, the 134-member group of developing countries. But this leadership position failed to help it win despite a campaign that began in 2013.
Kazakhstan's pitch was that no other former Soviet Asian nation had ever been on the Council. It also campaigned on its leadership in nuclear disarmament, having given up its nuclear weapon stockpile and playing a prominent anti-proliferation role.
Half of the 10 non-permanent seats with two-year terms come up for election every year. The elections used to be held in October, but the General Assembly moved them to June starting this year to give the new members more preparation time before they take their seats on the Council on New Year's Day.
The winds of change blowing across the UN parting in its wake the veils of secrecy led to the candidates for the contested seats participating in campaign debates held for the first time at the UN. It was sponsored by the World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA).
The debates brought to a public forum the campaigning that began years ago.
While Thailand reportedly brought delegations of diplomats to Bangkok in its lobbying efforts, Kazakhstan tried to boost its profile by holding a food festival at the UN in March. Sweden's Prime Minister Kjell Stefan Lofven personally called several leaders around the world to seek votes.
In its manifesto, Astana spoke of its role in working for peace and stability in Afghanistan and hosting talks on the Iranian nuclear issue, and chairmanship of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
--IANS
al/vd
Police on Tuesday took Assam native Ameerul Islam to law student Jisha's home in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala to recreate the murder scene.
The 27-year-old Dalit woman was found dead on April 28 at her home by her mother Rajeshwari, a casual labourer.
Her body bore injuries that led to suspicion that she was raped before her murder. Police later arrested Islam in the case.
After Islam was taken to Jisha's home on Tuesday morning, he allegedly told police how he committed the crime and how he escaped from the spot.
Police said though the murder case has been cracked, a few missing links in the case needed to be tied up. It's still not clear if Islam acted alone since he has been changing his statements, police said.
The police custody of Islam will end on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the mother and sister of Jisha told police on Tuesday that they had not seen the accused ever before the crime.
"We both have not seen him before. When we confronted him as to why he murdered Jisha, he said it happened just like that," Jisha's elder sister told reporters here.
After the Pinarayi Vijayan government took over on May 25, it set up a new team to probe the murder. Police arrested Islam on June 16 from Palakkad border in Tamil Nadu.
--IANS
sg/tsb/dg
US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Brussels, discussing with European officials on Britain's EU membership referendum, as well as a range of regional and global issues key to the US-EU partnership.
During the press conference following Kerry's meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Kerry said on Monday the Brexit vote did not come out the way he, US President Barack Obama and others hoped that it would, but that's democracy, expressing their respect for the rights of the voters and the process.
"It is critical as we go forward in these next days to understand the importance of a strong EU. The US cares about a strong EU," said Kerry, Xinhua news agency reported.
"So it is my intention, in furtherance of President Obama's commitment to both the EU and the special relationship, to do everything in our power to make this transitional process as sensible and as smooth as it can be," he said.
"I know (John Kerry) is travelling to London later today. I would pass this clear message - the EU is as strong as before and the EU can be even stronger in the future. We will continue to work together in this respect," said Mogherini.
Kerry is on a visit to Rome, Brussels and London from June 25 to 27.
He was scheduled to tour London to discuss the Britain referendum on EU membership and other important global issues, including Syria and the fight against the Islamic State (IS).
--IANS
pgh/
Rome, June 28 (IANS/AKI) Police on Tuesday arrested a 50-year-old man for his partner's murder after her decomposing corpse was found in the cellar of her apartment building in Modena in northern Italy.
Interrogated by police on Tuesday, Armando Cano confessed to murdering 55-year-old Bernadette Fella, according to media reports. "I strangled her after the umpteenth row," Cano was quoted as telling police.
Firemen found Fella's body inside a fridge in the cellar after neighbours reported a worsening stench in the building, according local media. She was believed to have been murdered several days ago.
Cano was arrested at the home of a female acquaintance in the nearby town of Castelfranco. He had Fella's keys with him and those of the cellar where her corpse was concealed, police said.
The cellar belongs to another woman who lives in an apartment in the building, the Gazzetta di Modena reported without elaborating.
Fella had previously reported Cano to police for assault and wanted to leave him, locals were quoted by media as saying.
Cano, who has a prior criminal record, injured Fella earlier this month when he struck her violently in the face, the Gazzetta di Modena reported.
--IANS/AKI
mr/
Militants on Tuesday snatched the service rifle of a security guard posted with a middle-rung Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district.
Police said the militants overpowered Constable Bashir Ahmad, the security guard of Ghulam Muhammad Chopan, a BJP leader in Panzan (Chadoora) village of Badgam district.
"The weapon snatching has reportedly been done by militants who overpowered the guard.
A search been launched to trace the militants," a senior police officer told IANS in summer capital Srinagar.
--IANS
sq/rn/vm
Prime Minister on Tuesday paid tributes to former premier PV Narasimha Rao on his 95th birth anniversary.
"Tributes to PV Narasimha Rao on his birth anniversary. He led India at a crucial time and his leadership was both notable and vital," Modi tweeted.
Narasimha Rao was born on June 28, 1921 at Karimnagar in Telangana and served as the Prime Minister of India from June 21, 1991 to May 16, 1996.
Rao died on December 23, 2004 at the age of 83.
Isak Chisi Swu, co-founder of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), died here on Tuesday.
Swu, who along with Thuingaleng Muivah headed the NSCN-IM, died at the Fortis Hospital here at 12.40 p.m., an aide told IANS. He was in his 80s.
Swu was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in south Delhi on July 5 last year following "severe kidney ailments and urinary tract infection".
--IANS
ab-rn/bg
Isak Chisi Swu, Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), died at a hospital here on Tuesday, after months of battling a kidney ailment.
According to hospital authorities, Swu, 85, died at 12.40 p.m at the Fortis hospital.
He was admitted to the Vasant Kunj-based Fortis on July 5, 2015, where he underwent a series of surgeries including for urinary tract infection.
Speaking to IANS, his son Pasheto said: "Yes, Sadly it is true that dad (Isak Chisi Swu) passed away today. His body will be flown back to his ancestral village in Nagaland soon."
Isak Chisi Swu was co-founder of NSCN-IM along with T. Muivah.
Due to his illness, Swu could not attend the inking of the historic Naga Peace Accord on August 3, 2015 with the Government of India at the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Swu, formerly member of Naga National Council (NNC) and later the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), was born in 1929 in Chishilimi Naga village in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland.
His death comes at a time when the NSCN (IM) and the Indian government are still negotiating for the final conclusion of the Naga Peace Accord.
--IANS
rup/rn/bg
US space agency is set to test-fire a booster for the world's most powerful rocket Space Launch System (SLS) which will power astronauts on the journey to Mars and on other deeper space missions
The booster will be fired up at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems' test facilities in Promontory, Utah, at 7.05 p.m. (Indian standard time) on Tuesday.
The test will provide with critical data to support booster qualification for flight.
This is the last time the booster will be fired in a test environment before the first test flight of SLS with NASA's Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), in 2018.
The first, full-scale booster qualification test was successfully completed in March 2015.
The SLS that will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon in 2018 will also carry 13 tiny satellites to test innovative ideas.
These small satellite secondary payloads or "CubeSats" will carry investigations to help pave the way for future human exploration in deep space, including the journey to Mars.
SLS' first flight, referred to as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), provides the rare opportunity for these small experiments to reach deep space destinations, as most launch opportunities for CubeSats are limited to low-Earth orbit.
"The 13 CubeSats that will fly to deep space as secondary payloads aboard SLS on EM-1 showcase the intersection of science and technology, and advance our journey to Mars," said deputy Administrator Dava Newman in an earlier statement.
On this first flight, the SLS will launch the Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the moon to demonstrate the integrated system performance of Orion and the SLS rocket prior to the first crewed flight.
The CubeSats will be deployed following Orion separation from the upper stage and once Orion is a safe distance away.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the death of veteran Naga rebel leader Isak Chisi Swu and lauded the role of the Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) faction for "bringing out" the Framework Agreement for Naga peace signed between the central government and the rebel outfit.
"My heartfelt condolences to the family and supporters of Mr. Isak Chisi Swu on his demise. May his soul rest in peace," the Prime Minister tweeted.
"Mr. Swu will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace," he said in another tweet.
Modi also wrote on micro blogging site: "Mr. Isak Chisi Swu wished the best for the Naga people and aspired for peace."
On August 3, 2015, the central government signed the Framework Agreement with NSCN(IM).
While the government's Interlocutor for Naga Peace talks, R.N. Ravi, signed the agreement on behalf of the Centre, Chairman Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, General Secretary of NSCN(IM) and long associate of Swu, were the signatories on behalf of the Naga group.
Swu had to miss the signing ceremony at Prime Minister's official residence due to his ill health.
--IANS
nd/rn/vt
Russian President Vladimir Putin will talk over phone on Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The decision was made after the Russian side received Erdogan's apologies over the death of the Russian pilot on the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November 2015, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We will need to take more than one step in each other's direction, one shouldn't think that everything can be normalised in a few days, but work on this will continue," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"In particular, tomorrow, a phone call between Putin and President Erdogan will be held at Russia's initiative," Peskov said.
Kremlin on Monday said a letter was sent by Erdogan to Putin containing both an expression of regret and an apology for downing the Russian bomber, voicing readiness to mend ties.
According to Peskov, this was an important step made in the direction of normalising relations, which have soured after Turkish forces shot down a Russian Su-24 jet near the Turkish-Syrian border on November 24, 2015 for alleged airspace violation.
Denying such accusations by Turkey, Russia has repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologises and provides compensation for the downed aircraft and to the family of the killed pilot Oleg Peshkov.
--IANS
py/dg
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday greeted the people of Seychelles on their 41st National Day and said India's relations with that country have lately been energised.
"It gives me immense pleasure to convey to you, to the Government and the people of Seychelles, warm greetings and felicitations on the occasion of your 41st National Day," Mukherjee said in his message to his counterpart James Alix Michel.
"Last year has seen our relations being energised through exchange of visits and the important commitments made and decisions taken by our two governments," the President said in a statement issued here.
"Multifaceted bilateral cooperation has grown between both the countries based on the strong foundations of friendship, a shared perception of peace and security in the Indian Ocean region".
Mukherjee said he was "confident that the relation between India and Seychelles will strengthen".
--IANS
ayushi/ruwa/kb/dg
Shiv Sena activists on Tuesday attempted to disrupt a function at the Mumbai Press Club here, where a delegation of Pakistani press photographers was present.
The protesters also raised anti-Pakistan slogans during the address by the event organisers. At least two Shiv Sena activists were whisked away and later detained by the Azad Maidan police.
Police presence at the venue ensured no serious ruckus was created by the Shiv Sainiks, as there were also attempts to pelt stones at the car of Observer Research Foundation Chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni.
Kulkarni was scheduled to address a press conference to introduce the visiting Pakistani photojournalists.
The Shiv Sena activists raised slogans to protest Kulkarni's decision to invite the photojournalists from the neighbouring country and against Pakistan for sponsoring cross-border terror.
In October last year, Shiv Sena activists had blackened the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former BJP leader and aide to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, ahead of the launch of a book written by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.
The Pakistan delegation arrived here as part of an ORF project 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' and 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai' under which five photographers each from both countries will exchange visits as "messengers of peace", Kulkarni said.
The Pakistani delegation comprises Malika Abbas of Dawn; Farah Mahbub, a fine art photographer and educator; Amean J., a fashion photographer; Mobeen Ansari, a photojournalist and storyteller; and documentary photographer Malcolm Hutcheson.
The Pakistani photojournalists arrived in Mumbai on June 20 for a 10-day trip, while the Indian photojournalists will visit Karachi in early July.
The Indian delegation will include Chirodeep Chauduri of Nat Geo India, Indranil Mukherjee of AFP, Prashant Nakwe of The Hindu, S.L. Shanth Kumar of The Times of India, and documentary photographer Harkiran S. Bhasin.
"They threatened us and said we must not permit any Pakistani to enter Mumbai. We are not scared. Despite their threats, we released Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's book in Mumbai last October. We shall continue doing so again and again," Kulkarni said.
The ORF chief said Mumbai was not the sole preserve of those who claim to be "protectors of national interest" and even "we are patriots, are opposed to terror and religious extremism".
"However, we shall not bow before such extremists who try to stop us from promoting India-Pakistan friendship," the ORF chief declared, adding that all Pakistanis are not terrorists and a big section there is a victim of terror and condemns terrorism.
Referring to the new ORF project, he said it would be "photography for peace" between the two neighbours.
"Terrorists shoot with guns, photographers shoot with cameras. The Shiv Sena should realise the difference since its president Uddhav Thackeray himself is an acclaimed photographer. He should actually laud his own fraternity," Kulkarni pointed out.
In a retort, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande asked Kulkarni to visit the border areas and tell extremists to stop their terror acts.
"While Pakistan is openly sponsoring terror attacks and killing our soldiers on the borders, he (Kulkarni) is inviting them here," Kayande told the media here.
--IANS
qn/tsb/vt
Telugu film director Krish is getting married to a doctor, Ramya Velaga, in August. He says the simple process of match-making worked for them.
The couple got engaged on June 25 at a function attended by the who's who of Telugu cinema.
Krish, who recently returned from a long stint for his new film "Gautamiputra Satakarni" in Morocco, and is reticent, opened up about his wife-to-be.
"Ramya and I met through the good intentions of relatives from both sides who thought we could be right for one another. We met, spoke and liked one another. Then we informed our respective families that we wished to get married. That's it.
"It was a simple and effective process of match-making that worked wonderfully for us," Krish said.
He is glad that he found a balance between his work and personal life.
"My work is important. But if I had not taken the decision to marry now, I'd have probably missed out on the other more important aspect of my life," he added.
Now Krish and Ramya are all set for a lavish wedding in Hyderabad.
"The wedding is on August 8 early in the morning. We would have liked to keep it simple and small. But that won't be possible. I'll have guests from Bollywood, Tamil and Telugu film industry."
Krish would be taking some time off to be with his newly-wed wife after the wedding.
"Yes, we will be going on a honeymoon. I am taking just a ten-day break before resuming the shooting of 'Gautamiputra Satakarni'."
Krish is very happy with what he shot in Morocco.
He said: "We shot a fantastic battle scene and some other important scenes with Balakrishna and Kabir Bedi. This film is especially memorable for me as the most important event of my life - the marriage - will be forever associated with it."
--IANS
skj/rb/bg
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday condoled the death of Isak Chisi Swu, Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim--Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), who died at a hospital here after months of battling a kidney ailment.
In her condolence message, she hoped that his legacy will evolve into that of lasting peace and reconciliation in Nagaland.
Swu, formerly member of Naga National Council (NNC) and later the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), was born in 1929 in Chishilimi Naga village in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland.
His death comes at a time when the NSCN(IM) and the Indian government are still negotiating for the implementation of the Naga Peace Accord.
--IANS
sid/rn/vt
Researchers at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile have captured stunning new images and prepared the highest-resolution maps to date of Jupiter, a week ahead of the arrival of NASA's Juno spacecraft at the giant planet on July 4.
The images were captured at the thermal infrared wavelengths using a newly-upgraded thermal imager called VISIR.
"We used a technique called 'lucky imaging', whereby individual sharp frames are extracted from short movies of Jupiter to 'freeze' the turbulent motions of our own atmosphere, to create a stunning new image of Jupiter's cloud layers," said Leigh Fletcher from University of Leicester.
"At this wavelength, Jupiter's clouds appear in silhouette against the deep internal glows of the planet. Images of this quality will provide the global context for Juno's close-up views of the planet at the same wavelength," he added.
Jupiter's high resolution maps, which reveal the present-day temperatures, composition and cloud coverage within the planet's dynamic atmosphere, and show how giant storms, vortices and wave patterns shape its appearance, will help set the scene for what Juno will witness in the coming months.
The ground-based campaign in support of Juno is led by Glenn Orton of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Once in orbit around Jupiter, Juno will skim just 5,000 km above Jupiter's clouds once a fortnight -- too close to provide global coverage in a single image.
The Earth-based observations supplement the suite of advanced instrumentation on the Juno spacecraft, filling in the gaps in Juno's spectral coverage and providing the wider global and temporal context to Juno's close-in observations.
Fletcher presented the observations at the National Astronomy Meeting in Nottingham on Monday.
--IANS
vr/na/vm
Thailand and Kazakhstan were deadlocked in the hotly-contested race for the Security Council seat, with neither getting the two-thirds of the votes in the first round of balloting in the 193-member General Assembly.
The two nations along with the Netherlands and Italy, which are contesting one of two European seats, went into the second round after Bolivia was elected to the Latin American-Caribbean seat, Ethiopia to the African slot and Sweden to other European seat.
Kazakhstan was ahead with 113 votes to Thailand's 77, while the Netherlands polled 125 to Italy's 113, against Sweden's winning 134 that met the two-thirds bar for one of the seats.
Ethiopia was unanimously proposed by the African group and Bolivia by the Latin American-Caribbean bloc, making the voting a formality.
Half of the 10 non-permanent seats with two-year terms come up for election every year. The elections used to be held in October, but the General Assembly moved them to June starting this year to give the new members more preparation time before they take their seats on the Council on New Year's Day.
The winds of change blowing across the UN parting in its wake the veils of secrecy led to the candidates for the contested seats participating in campaign debates held for the first time at the UN. It was sponsored by the World Federation of UN Associations (WFUNA).
The debates brought to a public forum the campaigning that began years ago. Bangkok started lobbying for the Council seat as far back as 2013.
Thailand is currently the head of the Group of 77, the 134-member group of developing countries, but this failed to give it the needed two-thirds votes in the first round.
Kazakhstan's pitch has been that it would be the first former Soviet Asian nation on the Council if elected. It also campaigned on its role in nuclear disarmament, having given up its nuclear weapon stockpile and promoting disarmament.
Whichever Asian nation is elected will succeed Malaysia.
--IANS
al/vd
Veteran Tripura CPI-M leader and former deputy speaker of the assembly Subal Rudra was suspended from the party for allegedly grabbing land, a party leader said here on Tuesday.
"After an internal inquiry of the party about allegation of grabbing land against Rudra, he was suspended from the party for a year," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar told IANS.
Dhar, also a CPI-M central committee member, said that party probe found that the accusation of land grabbing against Rudra was correct.
The 66-year-old leader refused to comment on his suspension.
"I have received the suspension letter. I have not yet made up my mind about my future course of action. I would not make any comment at this moment," Rudra, a CPI-M Tripura state committee member, told IANS over phone.
The Tripura government had allotted 3.2 hectares to the bidi workers in 1993 in Melaghar in Sipahijala district. Half of the land was allowed for housing 45 families while rest was kept for construction of a school and other civic amenities.
Rudra is alleged to have grabbed a portion of this land.
Rudra was elected to the assembly five times since 1978, when the CPI-M led Left Front government first came to power in Tripura.
--IANS
sc/kb/vm
Turkey on Tuesday normalised its ties with Israel after a six-year hiatus in diplomatic relations.
Both the sides on Tuesday signed an agreement in their capital cities Ankara and Tel Aviv, restoring diplomatic relations, and they will soon exchange ambassadors, Xinhua news agency reported.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu and Israel's Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold signed the accord in Ankara and Tel Aviv respectively.
Relations between Turkey and Israel had come to a halt after Israeli forces' raid on an aid flotilla that killed 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists who tried to sail to the blockaded Gaza Strip in May 2010.
Attempts to mend ties were initiated in 2015 when delegations from the two sides met for the first time.
Negotiations were conducted throughout 2016 until June 26, when the two sides met in Rome and agreed on the latest draft of the agreement.
Under the accord, Israel will pay $20 million in compensation to the relatives of the Mavi Marmara victims, and Turkey will deliver humanitarian aid and other non-military products to Gaza with a first shipment of 10,000 tons of supplies next Friday.
--IANS
py/vt
The UN General Assembly is set to elect five new non-permanent Security Council members to replace Spain, Venezuela, New Zealand, Malaysia and Angola in January 2017.
Bolivia heads into the Tuesday vote un-opposed and will take over the Latin American seat currently occupied by Venezuela, EFE news reported.
Likewise, Ethiopia is the only candidate for Africa and will take over on January 1, 2017 the seat Angola holds for the 2015-2016 term.
The other three seat are up for grabs: Kazakhstan and Thailand compete for the spot reserved for the UN's Asia-Pacific regional bloc, while Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden vie for the two available seats for the Western European and Group.
To be elected, a candidate must receive the support of at least two thirds of the nations taking part in the vote at the UN General Assembly. If all 193 members take part, a country would need 129 votes to enter the Security Council.
The elected countries will sit for a period of two years along with the five other non-permanent members that started their two-year mandate on January 1, 2016: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay, and with the five permanent members Russia, the US, China, France and Britain.
Kazakhstan, which is going up against Thailand, is the only candidate that has never held a seat on the Security Council. If elected, the Central Asian nation would become the first former Soviet republic to have a vote in the UN's most important decision-making body.
Kazakhstan is riding on its reputation as a staunch promoter of regional and peace and stability, especially in the area of nuclear disarmament.
It is a reputation it earned by voluntarily giving up the nuclear weapons arsenal - the fourth largest in the world - that it inherited following the break-up of the Soviet Union.
The country also has taken a leading role in the global effort to bring into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and spearheaded the Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone agreement.
Bolivia, meanwhile, will return to the UN Security Council for the first time since the 1978-1979 biennium. It was also a non-permanent member between 1964 and 1965.
The government of President Evo Morales has in recent years been very critical of the Council's role in conflict resolution, but Bolivia has worked closely with the UN in various fields, such as the environment.
This year, the Security Council elections are being held for the first time in June instead of October in order to give more time for new members to prepare.
The US has welcomed India joining as the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), saying New Delhi has demonstrated "a sustained commitment to nonproliferation".
Elizabeth Trudeau, director, Press Office, at the US State Department, to a question also said that all the members, including the US, agreed that India's membership "would strengthen international nonproliferation".
She said: "India has demonstrated to all partners a sustained commitment to nonproliferation and it has a legally based effective export control system that puts into effect the guidelines and procedures and administers and enforces such controls effectively.
"All 34 current members, including the United States, agreed India met the standard and that India's membership would strengthen international nonproliferation," she said.
On Monday, India became the 35th member of the global anti-proliferation bloc which would not only ensure transfer of high-end missile technology to the country but also give it a license to export arms.
The embassies of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg conveyed news of India's accession to the Indian government.
The MTCR membership is seen as a step forward in India's recognition as a legitimate nuclear power after New Delhi conducted its atomic tests in 1998.
India had applied in 2008 for the membership of the elite club that controls exports in missile technology and unmanned delivery systems of atomic or other weapons of mass destruction. The group was set up in 1987 to limit the spread of unmanned systems for delivering weapons of mass destruction.
India's long wait to join the MTCR actually ended in Washington earlier in June during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US trip when a deadline for members of the grouping to object to India's admission expired on June 6.
None of the group's 34 members raised any objections, paving the way for India's smooth entry into the bloc of which China is still not a member.
China along with other nations like South Africa, Norway, Brazil, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland and Turkey last week blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), one of the four multilateral export control regimes.
India will now also be able to acquire from the US armed Predator drones; America's hot favourite in its war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Isak Chisi Swu, who for decades spearheaded a bloody insurgency in Nagaland before shaking hands with New Delhi, died on Tuesday after months of battling a kidney ailment.
Swu, the 85-year-old Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), passed away at 12.40 p.m. at the Fortis Hospital here, doctors said.
He was admitted to the hospital on July 5 last year for a series of surgeries including for urinary tract infection that confined him to bed for months.
His son Pasheto told IANS here: "Yes, it is true that dad (Isak Swu) passed away today. His body will be flown back to his ancestral village in Nagaland soon."
His illness prevented Isak Swu from attending the signing of a historic Naga Peace Accord on August 3, 2015 between the NSCN-IM and the Indian government at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence.
A colourful personality, Isak Swu was a co-founder of the NSCN -- often dubbed the mother of all insurgent groups in the country -- in 1980 along with long-time Naga comrades Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang.
The NSCN was formed to protest the Shillong Accord signed between the Indian government and the Naga National Council (NNC).
But differences cropped up within the NSCN after some time, leading to the departure of Khaplang, who formed his own group, the NSCN-K. This group is still at war with India.
Muivah and Isak Swu remained together, mostly resident in Thailand and the Netherlands, even after deciding to go for talks with New Delhi.
And while Muivah was considered the group's dominant hardline leader, Isak Swu represented its softer side maintaining close ties with the Church.
A former member of the NNC, Isak Swu was born in 1929 in Chishilimi Naga village in Zunheboto district of Nagaland.
He took early education at the American Mission School at Chishilimi and the Government High School at Kohima. He graduated in political science from St Anthony's College in Shillong.
He joined the underground in the late 1950s. He was the Foreign Secretary of the NNC before being elevated as its Vice President.
Married to Khulu, the couple have five sons and one daughter.
Isak Swu's death comes at a time when the NSCN-IM and the Indian government are still negotiating for a final conclusion of the Naga Peace Accord.
The Naga insurgency is India's oldest and is known to have received at various times financial and other support from Pakistan, China and the US.
From demanding independence from India, the NSCN-IM now seeks a "Greater Nagalim" or Greater Nagaland comprising Nagaland as well as Naga populated areas of neighbouring states.
--IANS
rup/mr/py/vd
Security forces on Tuesday shot dead a top Hizbul Mujahideen militant in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering violent protests in Sopore to which he belonged.
Police said Sameer Wani was killed after security forces surrounded a house in Nagri village in Kupwara district, some 100 km from here, following information that some militants were hiding there.
A police officer told IANS that security forces came under heavy fire from the hideout, leading to fighting that left Wani, the Hizb divisional commander for north Kashmir, dead.
As soon as reports of Wani's killing reached his Dooru village in Sopore, hundreds of residents came out to protest shouting anti-government and pro-freedom slogans, witnesses and officials said.
The protesters set ablaze a police vehicle in Shiva area after his body reached the village but its occupants were not harmed.
Dozens of motorcycle borne young men took out a rally as the militant commander's body was taken in a procession for funeral prayers.
Markets were closed and public transport went off the roads spontaneously following Wani's death.
The protesters also clashed with police and threw stones at them. Police fired tear gas to disperse them as tension ran high in and around the area.
--IANS
sq-sar/mr
Volkswagen is set to pay $14.7 billion in the US for the emissions-rigging scandal, according to details of the agreement reached between the German car manufacturer and American owners and authorities.
The details of the agreement were leaked on Monday to several US media, but is provisional and will not be officially published at least until a court in San Francisco, which is overseeing the case, will hold a public hearing on Thursday, EFE news reported.
The leak took place hours before the involved parties presented their documents which sealed the agreement between consumers, federal and California state authorities and VW before the court of San Francisco.
The New York Times said in its online edition that of the total figure, around $10 billion will be reserved for Volkswagen to buy back the vehicles at the price set before the scandal erupted in late 2015.
In addition, Volkswagen would pay another $2.7 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in compensation for environmental damage caused by the vehicles.
A contribution of $2 billion would be added to this number for Volkswagen to develop new projects for clean vehicles.
Owners of nearly 500,000 affected vehicles in the US can decide if they want Volkswagen to buy their cars back or if they are satisfied with the solution that the company's engineers have developed to comply with the country's environmental laws.
The problem of Volkswagen diesel engines rigged to cheat on emissions test is that they emit much higher levels of carcinogenic nitrogen oxides than permitted by the US authorities.
To prevent controls that would have detected illegal emissions, Volkswagen installed software that detects when the car is being tested for emissions.
The software alters the engine's performance to minimise emissions of nitrogen oxides but also significantly reduces its performance.
The technical solution developed by Volkswagen has to ensure that the engines do not emit under any circumstances nitrogen oxides above the permitted level. But it almost certainly will hamper vehicle performance which for many owners may be an unacceptable compromise.
Volkswagen still faces a criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice, a request from the Federal Trade Commission and dozens of state investigations.
--IANS
ksk
Isak Chisi Swu, a veteran of many long marches to China with bands of Naga rebels, has died and left his comrade Thuingaleng Muivah in a bit of a legitimacy crisis.
Those of us who have seen the NSCN functioning closely know "Uncle Isak" was more into praying. He did offer his opinions on critical issues but all knew who called the shots: None other than Muivah.
But the NSCN is a divided house, much like the entire Naga separatist movement and the faction that Isak and Muivah led was called the I-M faction after their initials. This is easily the strongest NSCN faction and the government has been negotiating with it since 1997 for a final settlement of the Naga problem.
But this faction is largely made up, both its leadership and fighters, of Tangkhuls, who are Nagas living in eastern Manipur, mainly the Ukhrul district. Muivah is from Somdal village of this district and most of his comrades -- Rh. Raishing, Phungting and Angelus Shimray -- are from the Tangkhul tribe. Muivah's faction rivals like Khaplang, Khitovi Sema, Khole Konyak, Wangting Ao and P. Thikhak all allege that his is a Tangkhul outfit with little legitimacy in Nagaland.
Isak Swu, a Sema Naga and a Naga National Council (NNC) veteran, gave the NSCN (IM) that legitimacy in Nagaland. Now that fig leaf is gone.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, much is at stake. By signing the "framework agreement" with the NSCN (IM), the government, like others before it, has accepted the primacy of the IM faction in the Naga peace-making process. That causes much heartburn.
If the Modi government can now work out a final settlement on the basis of the "framework agreement", it will have to ensure that this is acceptable to all factions. That is when both Muivah and Modi will miss "Uncle Isak". He was the one leader in the IM faction who could open a dialogue with the other factions, specially using his contacts in the Naga Church.
Against this, Muivah is a leader of many marches to China and survivor of many battles but is also a deeply divisive figure in the Naga separatist movement -- not the least because he authored a party document where he chest-thumped the Tangkhuls as "revolutionary patriots" and the Angamis leading the NNC as "reactionary traitors". Many Nagas feel he has much too much Chinese communist influence in him.
Isak represented the softer side of the faction and was perhaps its only hope in effectvely selling an accord that might finally have been signed with the Centre.
The Modi administration is already on thin ice because the other factions are not formally in the peace process and the Khaplang faction has already stepped up violence to undermine it. The central government has to realise that signing an accord with a faction may be good for some quick publicity, but its test lies in marketing it to all factions. With Isak gone, that will not be easy.
(Subir Bhowmick is a veteran journalist and expert on the northeastern region. He can be contacted at sbhaum@gmail.com)
--IANS
subir/vm/hs
Actor Viswant, who has shared screen space with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in upcoming Telugu drama "Manamantha", describes the experience of working with the veteran as his career-high moment.
"For someone like me who is just a film old, to act besides Mohanlal sir is like a career-high moment. Despite being a superstar, he is so humble and supportive. When I met him on the sets, he initiated a conversation and made me feel comfortable, Viswant told IANS, adding that his first shot in the film was with Mohanlal.
He admits he was nervous initially.
"I wanted to get the first take right in the first attempt. It's called the golden take and I was very particular nothing went wrong.
"However, when I learnt my first shot was with Mohanlal sir, I was slightly nervous but luckily everything went smoothly," he said, crediting the "Drishyam" actor's support.
"I realised Mohanlal sir is very good at improvising on the spot. If his co-star fumbles a bit, he knows how to improvise and take the scene forward," he added.
Directed by National Award winning filmmaker Chandrasekhar Yeleti, the film also stars veteran actress Gauthami Tadimalla.
Working with Gauthami was equally special for Viswant.
"On the sets, I voluntarily went and spoke to her. One of the best qualities about her is that she is very punctual. If the shoot is at 7 a.m., she will be there on time and not even a minute late. There's so much to learn from her," he said.
The film, which is slated for release in July, is about four different individuals and how they cross paths.
For Viswant, never did he feel like he "worked" on this project.
"It felt like a journey. We all worked with the 'let's do it' attitude. This project was a big confidence booster and by the time we finished working, it felt like I had worked in five films. Everybody was so warm and welcoming on the sets," he said.
Commenting on his collaboration with director Yeleti, he said: "People have a lot of presumptions about him. They say he only makes offbeat films but I think his films are one-of-a-kind. Only when you talk to him, you know he is very sweet and friendly."
Produced by Sai Korrapati, the film will also be released in Malayalam as "Vismayam", and has music by Mahesh Shankar.
--IANS
hp/rb/vm
Your name is foreign, the business model is copied from your rival in the West and even the money, which makes our rides around town cheaper, is foreign.
There is too much foreign influence on you.
It is not that your rival Uber is a saint. It has violated local rules, as the Karnataka government charges and as you have pointed out. They have a reputation of first building the business by giving incentives to drivers and discounts to riders to grow market share and then force change of rules in many countries. They also take on local governments in court to defend their business model.
Agreed that your so called innovation - cash payment, so common in India's e-commerce space, has been copied by a foreign company Uber.
In Bengaluru, your hometown, you launched the two wheeler taxi just after Uber piloted its UberMoto. It was not that you didn't know that taking passengers for a fee as motorcycle taxis was violating the Motor Vehicles Act, 1998, the rules that you claim to uphold.
The threat of a crackdown by the Karnataka transport department made you back off, and not your conscience of having broken the law. You ran your shuttle bus service as long as you could, despite knowing that it was violating rules to compete with BMTC buses.
Uber, whose founder Travis Kalanick hobnobbed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, thinks it knows the top man at the Centre and continues to show contempt for local rules.
But that does not absolve you of the crime of violating rules.
Let us take the business itself. Both you and Uber are non-transparent.
Each of you claim one has a lead over the other in India.
The only thing we know, in the absence of clear data from both of you, is that in this winner-takes-it-all market, the guy with the larger fleet of cars and customers in its platform will emerge as the winner. The runner up is a distant second like your global ally Lyft is in the United States.
Uber is desperate to ensure that India doesn't become China, where Didi Chuxing, with tonnes of new money, is giving them a hard time.
For now in India, Uber has more money in its war chest, which it is spending on offering rides as cheap as bus fares in smaller towns such as Mysuru. We know that you are raising fresh funds to fill in the sieve that your business model is.
We agree that you complied with the new rules in Karnataka that mandate license for cab aggregators meeting the requirements. Uber claims it wants to comply even if it is against its principles. That is why it has gone to the court.
Now your Monday's petition in the Karnataka High Court claims that Uber is bypassing local laws as it is a foreign company that is looking to make profits. Aren't you looking at profits?
What we are surprised is that when you break the law, it is for the general good of the public. If Uber does, it is the foreign hand. Does this argument make sense?
In a commendable effort, the government has harmonised spectrum in the 1,800-MHz band. According to a report in this newspaper, this will result in additional 200 MHz of spectrum being auctioned later this year. This will come as a big relief to the telecommunications industry. It had complained bitterly that the 700-MHz spectrum was very expensive, which would make it difficult to offer data-heavy 4G-LTE services. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have said that they will not bid for the 700 MHz at this price. It so happens that the 1,800-MHz too is 4G-friendly and is significantly cheaper; telecom companies can now buy airwaves in this band, which will be easy on their pocket. In its original auction plan, the Department of Telecommunications had identified 220 MHz in the 1,800-MHz band, of which 165 MHz was available in chunks of five MHz, the minimum size required to launch 4G services. As a result of the harmonisation, more spectrum will now be auctioned. Bids at the auction also could remain within reasonable levels. On the other hand, companies like Vodafone and Idea Cellular, which do not have 4G spectrum right now, could be expected to bid strongly.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP is not known to pull his punches. Nor does he mince words. No office seemed too high for his criticism. No public personality was insulated from his barbs. Fuelled by his 2.82 million Twitter followers, whom he fondly calls PTs (Patriotic Tweeple), the Scud of Sholavandan ( his ancestral village near Madurai) was firing on all cylinders after tasting success with R3, his code name for RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.
Setting eyes on the upcoming assembly polls in Goa, Convenor Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that his party will repeat the stunning performance of Delhi in Goa assembly election next year and will win at least 35 of the 40 seats.
" will spoil the prospects of both the parties (Congress and BJP). Out of the 40, we will win minimum 35 seats (in Goa Assembly elections)," Kejriwal told reporters in Vasco town after interacting with fishermen community.
The Delhi Chief Minister began his two-day visit to the state today.
On a question on the chief ministerial face of the party in Goa, he said will give this responsibility to someone from the state.
"There are 20 lakh people living in the state. Goans have leadership capabilities. I am a small person here. I can't do much sitting in Delhi," he said.
"Kejriwal is not important, the party is important," he said when asked whether his image is becoming larger than AAP.
He claimed AAP will repeat in Goa the history created in Delhi as people will go for the party and reject Congress and BJP.
"We will repeat the history. The reason is that people in Goa have witnessed that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin, they just fight on the face, but behind that they hold secret meetings with each other. They go along very well, but people suffer," he commented.
He alleged that both Congress and BJP are "completely corrupt parties".
"People have realised that. But they had no option in the past. Now there is an option in the form of AAP," he claimed.
Kejriwal said, "AAP is not a party, it is a revolution...A revolution against corruption."
Equating problems of fishermen in Goa to that of poor people in Delhi, he said the fight of the people is for the livelihood, which is being snatched by government.
"Similar situation prevailed in Delhi when our government was formed. Poor people were fighting for their livelihood. Before the election, we had promised that we will not allow anyone's livelihood to be affected or homes to be demolished. We are fulfilling the promise. We are constructing houses for the people living in huts," he claimed.
Kejriwal will hold interactions with small hoteliers at Calangute tomorrow.
(Reopens BOM 34)
Speaking at a gathering of fishermen community at Vasco, Kejriwal said he was "one-fourth Chief Minister" of a half state.
"Delhi is a half state. I am one-fourth Chief Minister of a half state. I am not a complete Chief Minister. But despite this, if anyone tries to demolish even a hut, we stop it. In last one and a half years we have not allowed even a single hut to be demolished," he said.
"AAP is not a party of rich people, it is a party of poor people....We were voted to power by poor and middle class. Rich people vote for Congress and BJP," he said.
"Media was asking me who would be the AAP's Chief Minister (if it wins) in Goa. Goa's Chief Minister will be a common man of Goa," Kejriwal said.
If a common man like him could become the CM of Delhi, it could happen in Goa too, he added.
Calling corruption as Goa's biggest problem, he alleged both BJP and Congress had "looted the state".
The AAP leader also tried to tap into anxiety about supposed erosion of local culture. "There is a slow assault on Goan traditions. The big projects that are taking shape in the state are not for Goans. They are for the people from outside. If AAP comes to power, not a single project would be allowed without taking people of Goa into confidence," he said.
Congress and BJP leaders are adversaries only in public and buddies in private, he claimed.
"As I am the Chief Minister of Delhi, I often get invited to lunch or dinner at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. There I see Congress and BJP leaders. You can see them and judge how thick friends they are. In public, they just pretend to be each other's enemy," he said.
Instructions from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central leadership led to the cancellation of a Sunday event in Mumbai where Subramanian Swamy was to be chief guest.
Assams main opposition party, the Congress party, has opposed the Centres decision to auction 12 of the states small oil fields; starting July 15. The party has cast doubt on the intention of the Centre and said such move might be aimed at benefiting some private industrialists having good relation with the central government.
Upping the ante against ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President on Tuesday said that the law and order machinery had collapsed and even cops were not safe in the state.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs is slated to meet on Wednesday to fix the schedule for the forthcoming monsoon session. The session, likely to start in the third week of July, will see the government make a renewed push for the passage of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
There have been 11,270 ceasefire violations and border firing incidents by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir since 2002 which have resulted in the killing of 313 people, including 144 security forces personnel, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Legislative Council today.
She said these violations and incidents have taken place between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2015.
The highest number of such violations took place in 2002 when 8376 incidents were reported while 2045 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported in 2003, she said in written reply to a question.
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control and international border in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003.
For three years - 2004, 2005 and 2007 - there was not a single such violation on the border, Mehbooba said.
The Chief Minister said 169 civilians and 144 security men were killed in the shelling from across the border in J&K since 2002.
The highest number of 76 civilians were killed in such violations in 2002 while in 2003, 59 civilians were killed in the border shelling.
Over the next 10 years, four people died in the ceasefire violation, she said.
In 2014 and 2015, 14 and 16 civilians were killed respectively in ceasefire violations from across the border, she said.
A total of 735 civilians and 311 security forces personnel were injured in these violations in these years, Mehbooba said.
She said a maximum of 58 security men were killed and other 157 injured in the year 2002.
Eleven Kurdish rebels and three of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were killed in clashes near the Iraqi border.
"A group of 11 counter-revolutionaries linked to the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), who were attempting to infiltrate the country were immediately detected... And were eliminated after 10 days of pursuit in the Sarvabad region," said General Mohammad Hossein Rajabi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Kurdistan province.
He added that three members of the Revolutionary Guards were also killed.
It followed reports on Sunday that five rebels had been killed in the region. It was not clear if these were included in the 11 reported dead today.
The commander the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, General Mohammad Pakpour, threatened on Sunday to launch cross-border attacks against rebel bases in northern Iraq.
"Since the main bases of these terrorists are in northern Iraq, if they don't follow through with commitments to stop these attacks, their bases will be targeted where they are," he said.
The KDPI is the oldest Kurdish party in Iran, having formed in 1945.
It has fought on-off insurgencies demanding independence, stepping up its armed rebellion after a crackdown by the Islamic authorities in the wake of the 1979 revolution.
Iran intervened across the border in 2011 following Kurdish rebel attacks on its territory, forcing the insurgents to retreat deeper into Iraqi territory.
Iraq's Kurdish authorities also worked to keep the rebels away from the Iranian border, greatly limiting attacks in recent years.
But there has been increased activity in recent weeks, with Iran reporting at least 17 Kurdish rebels and four security personnel killed in clashes in the northwest this month.
Seventeen Colombian military personnel died when their helicopter crashed in rough weather, the army said.
It confirmed the deaths in a statement on Monday, after the MI-17 army helicopter went missing on Sunday in a western central region of the country.
Rescuers "are carrying out procedures to remove the bodies of our military personnel from the scene of the accident," it said.
"I deeply regret what happened," President Juan Manuel Santos said earlier in a speech, as it was looking likely that those on board had been killed.
"The first assessments indicate that the accident could have been linked to the bad weather in the area, but experts will confirm or refute that assumption," Monday's army statement said.
Santos said the victims were providing support for operations against the leftist insurgent group ELN.
Two Christians and a Muslim man were today sentenced to death by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court for committing blasphemy.
The Anti-Terrorism Court of Gujranwala district announced the verdict in the case which was pending for the last one year.
ATC Gujranwala Judge Bushra Zaman handed down death penalty to Anjum, Javed Naz (who are both Christians) and Jaffer Ali for committing blasphemy.
Naz and Ali have been sentenced to an additional 35 years each.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 5 million on Anjum and Rs 8 million each on Naz and Ali.
Gujranwala city police had arrested Anjum, Naz and Ali a year ago on blasphemy charges.
The judge announced the verdict after prosecution presented all witnesses.
Anjum, a resident of Farid Town, some 80km from Lahore ran a chain of Locus Schools System in Gujranwala.
Asif, Anjum's brother, told PTI that his brother never committed any blasphemy.
"Javed Naz was a cousin of Anjum and employed at one of his schools. When Anjum fired Naz on corruption allegations he turned against my brother," he said.
Asif said later Naz started blackmailing Anjum by claiming that he had his voice recorded in which he had made blasphemous remarks.
"When Anjum stopped paying money to Naz, he along with his Muslim friend Ali got a blasphemy case registered against Anjum," he said.
Police during investigation also booked Naz and Ali in the blasphemy case.
"My brother is innocent and we will challenge the ATC verdict in the superior court," Asif said.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan. Two high-profile politicians then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti were murdered in 2011 after calling for reforms to the blasphemy law.
Pakistan's tough blasphemy law has attracted criticism from rights groups, who say they are frequently misused to settle personal scores.
A court here today granted
bail to two persons in separate cases of theft and narcotics smuggling.
Gautam Buddha Nagar District Session judge Aniruddha Singh granted the relief to the two accused.
Shanu alias Shahnawaj was arrested and booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act after he was allegedly found in possession of 1.600 kg.Of ganja on June 18.
The counsel for the accused submitted in the court that his client has been falsely implicated in the case.
The district session judge ordered that Shanu, alias Shahnawaj, be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000/ with two sureties each of the like amount, said a senior prosecution officer.
The court also gave bail to one Rajeev Pandit who was arrested along with one Brijesh while riding a Scooty on the charge of stealing an electronic part of a car.
On search, 5 ECMs were recovered from the dicky of the Scooty, police said.
The accused were said to have confessed their guilt of stealing the ECMs.
Two KMDA officials were today arrested by Kolkata police in connection with the partial collapse of an under-construction flyover which left 26 persons dead and at least 89 injured.
With today's arrests the total number of persons arrested in the case reached 12, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
Priyatosh Bhattacharyya, Chief Engineer AD Sector, KMDA and Santanu Mandal, Executive Engineer, AD Sector, KMDA were arrested this evening, he said.
"Our investigations showed that these two persons have certain roles in connection with the March 31 mishap at Posta in Burrabazar area. There are a few more people who are also involved. They are likely to be arrested," another officer of the Force told PTI.
Kolkata Police had arrested IVRCL Director Operations Gopal Krishnamurthy, Deputy General Manager of Project Monitoring Cell S K Ratnam, Assistant General Manager Mallikaarjun Rao, IVRCL Assistant Vice-president of Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) and administration of the Eastern Region Ranajit Bhattacharjee in connection with the March 31 collapse.
Also arrested were IVRCL Assistant Manager Debjyoti Majumdar, civil execution of IVRCL Niloy Roy, Structure Manager Pradip Kumar Saha, Project Manager Tanmoy Sil and senior engineers Shyamal Manna and Bidyut Manna.
Incidentally, earlier today Kolkata Police submitted the first charge sheet in connection with the mishap at a city court.
However, murder charge against the ten officers of the construction firm IVRCL were dropped from the first charge sheet.
Instead, the ten were charged under IPC sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) in the over 2000-page charge sheet.
Two policemen were gunned down in Quetta city in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province today.
The two policemen were on Eid duty when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on them on Saryab road.
SP Zahoor Afridi said the assailants had opened indiscriminate firing on the police mobile in which constable Faiz Muhammad and driver Nameed were killed on the spot.
No group claimed responsibility for the killings. This is not the first time security personnel particularly policemen have been targeted by gunmen in Quetta and in recent months there have been a spate of target killings.
Only last week a policeman was shot dead inside a mosque near Galwamdni area.
On the run for almost three months after National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer Tanzil Ahmed was shot dead, the mastermind in the murder case was today arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) from Noida, said a senior officer.
The main accused in the case, Muneer (35), a former student of Aligarh Muslim University, was nabbed from Bisrakh area in Gautam Budh Nagar in the National Capital Region.
"Muneer, who masterminded the murder, and his accomplice Adnan were arrested by the STF. Muneer was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh," IG (STF) Ramkumar told reporters here.
Acting on a tip-off that the two would come to Noida, an STF team arrested them at around 9.30 am following an encounter, he said.
A .32 bore pistol, a revolver, cartridges, a motorbike and Rs 90,000 in cash were recovered from the duo, he added.
Muneer was involved in a number of criminal activities, including looting Rs 34 lakh from a bank cashier in Bannadevi area of Aligarh in 2014, Rs 31 lakh from a PNB employee in civil lines area there in the same year and Rs 1.5 crore from a cash van in Kamla Nagar locality in New Delhi on November 29, 2014, the IG said.
He has also confessed to looting a 9 mm pistol from the bodyguard of a judge in Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow, he added.
The pistol was later used in the killing of the NIA officer. Muneer was angry with Ahmed for having alerted the police about some of his accomplices and getting them arrested, said Ramkumar.
After committing the crime, Muneer went to Nepal, stayed there for some time before coming back to India, the IG said, adding that he was planning to go to Mumbai in two-three days.
Ahmed (45) was driving back to Delhi after attending a family wedding at Sahaspur village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh on the intervening night of April 2 and 3 when two bike-borne men overtook his car and shot him 24 times.
His wife Farzana Khatoon too received bullet injuries and succumbed 10 days after the incident at AIIMS in New Delhi while their two children, aged 14 and 12, survived the attack as their father had asked them to duck in the back seat of the vehicle.
It was Muneer who had allegedly fired at Ahmed and Farzana.
Earlier, four persons -- Rizvan, Tanzeem, Rehan and Zainul -- were arrested in connection with the NIA officer's murder.
Uttar Pradesh police had claimed to have solved the case by arresting Rehan, the nephew of Ahmed's brother-in-law, along with Zainul. After the arrests, the police had contended that a domestic dispute was the motive behind the crime.
The IG said investigations so far have not pointed towards any financial transaction between Ahmed and Muneer as reported by a section of the media.
Out of 74 million children, in the group of 3-6 years in India, around 20 million did not attend pre-school and most of them belonged to disadvantaged and marginalised sections of the society, a UNICEF report said today.
According to "State of the World Children Report-2016", released globally by UNICEF, around 34 per cent children from Muslim families, 25.9 per cent from Hindu families and 25.6 per cent from Christian families did not attend pre-school.
"Lack of access to pre-school education has a long-term impact on learning capabilities of a child. It is a continuum. When children enter primary school without going to pre-school they are likely to drop early and will not be able to fulfill their potential," UNICEF India representative Louis-Georges Arsenault said while releasing the report.
According to the government's National Survey for Estimation of Out-of-School Children conducted in 2014, more than 60 per cent of children dropped out before completing grade 3, he added.
The study also found that implementation of Right To Education (RTE) Act has led to a drop in the number of out-of-school children, aged 6-13 years, to six million in 2014 from eight million in 2009.
However, 36 per cent of children drop out before completing elementary education and about half of them are from marginalised and deprived groups, it said.
Highlighting lack of quality education, the report citing the National Achievement Survey (2014), said "less than half of Class V students correctly answered reading comprehension and mathematics question posed to them."
Expressing the hope that the new education policy will address these lacunae, Arsenault said "New Education policy with its vision for India as a knowledge superpower really calls for building the goal of Right To Education Act and moving beyond elementary education and extending it to include pre-schooling and also competition in secondary education."
Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, HRD Ministry, S C Khuntia said "we are formulating a new education policy and have formed a committee in the ministry to look into these issues.
Apart from education, the UNICEF study also pointed at
rise in numbers of neo-natal deaths (probability of dying during the first 28 days of life) in 2015 in India, which accounted for 45 per cent of total child mortality.
The report suggests that this can be addressed by ensuring maternal educational, which contributes to a child's chances of survival.
"Across much of south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children with mothers who received no education are almost three times as likely to die before age of 5 as children of mothers with secondary education.
"Education enables women to delay and space births, secure access to maternal and child health care and seek treatment for children when they fall ill. If all mothers achieved secondary education, there would be 1.3 million fewer annual deaths of children under age 5 in South Asia," it said.
The report also stressed that poverty was a huge obstacle in ensuring literacy among women as marriage often cuts short their pursuit for education.
"Girls from the poorest households--and those living in rural areas--face twice the risk of being married before turning 18 as girls from the richest households or those living in urban areas.
"With no progress, almost 950 million women will have been married as children by 2030, up from more than 700 million today. And by 2050, almost half of the world's child brides will be African," it said.
Thirty seven people have been arrested in for allegedly providing hawala money for "spreading" militant activities, the state government today said.
"A total of 17 cases were registered during the last three years till May 12 in connection with hawala transactions," Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a written reply to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party member Sat Paul Sharma in the state Assembly.
Eight cases were registered in 2013, five in 2014, three in 2015 and one so far this year, Mehbooba, who also holds the home portfolio, said.
A total of 37 people 17 in 2013, nine in 2014, eight in 2015 and three in 2016 were arrested in connection with the cases, she said, adding that over Rs 36.70 lakh, $900 and 33 gold coins were also recovered.
Also, 116 people were arrested for possessing counterfeit currency. Fake Indian currency notes with a face value of Rs 51.15 lakh and $6,980 have been seized since 2013, she said.
The chief minister denied having received any report about separatist leaders receiving hawala money.
She said foreign funds were being routed through various channels, including hawala, to spread terrorist activities in the state.
Four policemen were gunned down in two incidents in Quetta city in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province today.
In the first incident, two policemen were on Eid duty when two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on them on Saryab road.
SP Zahoor Afridi said the assailants had opened indiscriminate firing on the police mobile in which a constable and a driver were killed on the spot.
In the other incident in the Hazarganj area, unknown assailants opened fire on the vehicle of an SHO and in the retaliatory firing two policemen guarding him were killed.
No group claimed responsibility for the killings. This is not the first time security personnel particularly policemen have been targeted by gunmen in Quetta and in recent months there have been a spate of target killings.
Only last week a policeman was shot dead inside a mosque near Galwamdni area.
As many as 53 PSUs in Kerala incurred a total loss of Rs 889.89 crore while 50 others earned a profit of Rs 498.47 crore during 2014-15, a Comptroller and Auditor General of India's report said.
Among the loss making PSUs are Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (Rs 505.22 crore), Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Ltd (Rs 127.95 crore) and Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd (Rs 89.11 crore), Principal Accountant General Amar Patnaik told reporters here.
Four PSUs had made no profit or loss and five companies have not finalised their accounts, according to the report on Public Sector Undertakings for the fiscal ending March 2015, which was laid in the State Assembly today.
Major contributors to profit were Kerala State Electricity Board (Rs 140.42 crore), Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing and Marketing) Corporation Ltd (Rs 123.54 crore), Kerala State Financial Enterprises Ltd (Rs 69.90 crore) and Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (Rs 30.49 crore).
Kerala have 111 working PSUs (107 companies and 4 Statutory corporations) and 15 non working companies, including 5 under liquidation, employing 1.28 lakh employees.
The turnover of the working PSUs stood at Rs 19,194.06 crore which was equal to 4.25 per cent of the state's GDP.
As on March 31, 2015, the total investment in 126 PSUs was Rs 19,933.20 crore.
A report on Economic sector for the year ending March 2015 was also placed in the assembly.
NDMC vice-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar today today accused the AAP government of making "false promises" to slain NDMC officer M M Khan's family and alleged that they have not given the compensation of Rs 1 crore announced by them.
Tanwar, a former BJP MLA said irrespective of the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sanctioning one crore for the kin of M M Khan almost one and a half months back, the money has not been given to them.
"BJP government has already given a sum of Rs 25 lakh along with a Type III quarter in Lutyen's Zone on a monthly rental of Rs 500 and a job to his wife as Assistant Social Education Officer equivalent to the same status and grade pay as that of Khan.
"NDMC employees have also given a days salary amounting to Rs 35 lakh to his family," he said.
M M Khan was shot dead in Jamia Nagar a day before he was scheduled to pass the final order on the lease terms of hotel 'The Connaught' which was functioning on a property of the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Corporation), on May 16.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Home minister Rajnath Singh had announced compensation of Rs one crore and Rs 25 lakh respectively to Khan's family.
AAP has been demanding the arrest of East Delhi MP Maheish Girri and Tanwar, alleging the involvement of two BJP leaders in the case.
However, the Delhi Police has already given the two leaders a clean chit in the case.
Karan Singh Tanwar also said that he would be filing civil and criminal defamation cases against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Delhi State Convener Dilip Pandey, AAP MLA's Surinder Singh and Amanatullah Khan, for allegedly dragging his name into the issue.
Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal today claimed his party will repeat in Goa its electoral performance of Delhi and win at least 35 out of 40 seats in the state in upcoming Assembly election.
"AAP will spoil the prospects of both the parties (Congress and BJP). Out of the 40, we will win over minimum 35 seats (in Goa Assembly elections)," Kejriwal told reporters in Vasco town after interacting with fishermen community.
He began his two-day visit to the state today.
Responding to a question on chief ministerial face of the party in Goa, he said AAP will give this responsibility to someone from the state.
"There are 20 lakh people living in the state. Goans have leadership capabilities. I am a small person here. I can't do much sitting in Delhi," he said.
"Kejriwal is not important, the party is important," he said reacting to the question whether his image is becoming larger than AAP.
He said AAP repeat in Goa the history created in Delhi as people will go for the party and reject Congress and BJP.
"We will repeat the history. The reason is that people in Goa have witnessed that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin, they just fight on the face, but behind that they hold secret meetings with each other. They go along very well, but people suffer," he commented.
He alleged that both Congress and BJP are "completely corrupt parties".
"People have realised that. But they had no option in the past. Now there is an option in the form of AAP," he claimed.
Kejriwal said, "AAP is not a party, it is a revolution... a revolution against corruption."
Equating problems of fishermen in Goa to that of poor people in Delhi, he said the fight of the people is for the livelihood, which is being snatched by government.
"Similar situation prevailed in Delhi when our government was formed. Poor people were fighting for their livelihood. Before the election, we had promised that we will not allow anyone's livelihood to be affected or homes to be demolished. We are fulfilling the promise. We are constructing houses for the people living in huts," he claimed.
Kejriwal is scheduled to hold interactions with small hoteliers at Calangute tomorrow.
Kejriwal also accused the Centre of not clearing the Delhi
government's proposal to regularise hundreds of unauthorised colonies in the capital.
He said if the proposal is approved, such colonies will be regularised within 24 hours.
"We cannot wait for Modi ji's nod. I have directed my ministers to carry out development works in all unauthorised colonies which include construction of roads and laying of water pipelines," he said.
The chief minister said officials involved in flagship projects of the AAP government, such as mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings, were being transferred by the LG next month.
"The way the Centre is creating hurdles, it has never happened in the India's history. I and (Deputy Chief Minister) Manish Sisodia had requested the LG not to transfer officers involved in projects to set up mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings till March 31, but these officers are being transferred next month.
"I appeal to people of Delhi to ensure that BJP, which got three seats, doesn't win even a single seat in the next Assembly election," he said.
Condemning Saturday's terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore, spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah Zainul Abedin Ali Khan today said the armed forces should be given a free hand to take action against terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
"The attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba is an act of cowardice," he said in a statement.
"Pakistan is waging a proxy war with India through terror groups and the Indian Air Force should be given the nod to enter and destroy terrorist camps set up by the Pakistani army in PoK," he added.
Khan said terror attacks are against the principles of Islam and Islamic religious leaders across the world should unite in rejecting such outfits who, in the name of jihad, spread terror and kill innocent people.
The Ajmer Dargah Deewan also criticised Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for shrugging off a question on the terror attack, asking the media to rather focus on the Iftaar Party that was going on at the Pakistan High Commission.
"When our jawans are being killed at the border, how could the Iftar party take place," Khan said, adding that the Rasthriya Muslim Manch withdrawing its decision to invite Basit to an Iftar party was worth appreciating.
He said talks between the two countries can never be successful because the army and ISI are more influential in Pakistan than the civil government.
Actress Jessica Alba shared an adorable series of pictures and videos on Snapchat, while at her four-year-old daughter Haven's preschool graduation.
The strawberry blonde tot smiled bright in the Snaps, waving to her mother during the opening of the Montessori school's ceremony, reported People magazine.
Dressed in the school's official blue t-shirt and khaki shorts, Haven said the pledge of allegiance, and beamed during a shot while holding her diploma.
"I consider myself incredibly fortunate to make a living this way," the teacher said, "and I want to thank you the parents for giving me the honor of teaching your amazing children."
After the ceremony, Alba and Warren, 37, headed off to the Los Angeles premiere of "Seoul Searching". The couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary last month.
The comedy, set in 1980s Korea, had an '80s prom theme, which Alba rocked in a gold-belted, long-sleeve, low-cut black dress, gold-studded short boots and gold Octavia Elizabeth earrings.
Anna Hazare has launched the official poster of director Shashank Udapurkar's "Anna", which is based on his life.
While Shashank is playing the titular role, Kajol's younger sister Tanisha Mukherji will be seen as a journalist.
The poster features Anna waving to his supporters.
"At the age of 25, I had decided I will serve my country till my last breath. My age is 79 today but my determination is same. Nothing is impossible," Hazare told reporters at the poster launch here.
"For the sake of the society and country, someone has to sacrifice his life. I chose not to get married and serve for the society. In a way, I don't have a family but I have so many people (common people), who are my family," he said.
Presented by The Rise Pictures Pvt Ltd and produced by Mahendra Jain, "Anna" also stars Govind Namdeo, Sharat Saxena and Kishor Kadam.
Hazare said besides his much-revered anti-corruption fight, "Anna" also features incidents from his childhood, something which people are not aware about.
"The makers have included incidents from my childhood as well as what I have done."
When asked if "Anna" will have someone playing now Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was once Hazare's associate during the fight, the activist said, "I don't know. I haven't seen the film yet. As it is there is nothing much between him and me.
"My road is of struggle and I will continue to follow that path for my country. I focus on my work," he said.
Hazare started a hunger strike in April 2011 to exert pressure on the Indian government for Jan Lokpal Bill, an ombudsman with the power to deal with corruption in public places.
The activist said he is ready to protest again if the Lokpal Bill doesn't get passed in the near future.
"If the Lokpal bill doesn't happen then again I will head to Ramlila Maidan," he said.
To study the functioning of the high-speed trains in China, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today travelled from Tianjin to Beijing on a bullet train.
The Chief Minister covered the 140-km distance in 31 minutes, with the train cruising at a speed of 295 kmph, a release from his office here said.
On the third-day of his current China tour, Naidu was "impressed" with the bullet train and wanted a similar service introduced between AP's new capital city Amaravati and port city Visakhapatnam.
Chandrababu wanted his team to explore the possibility of introducing bullet or high-speed train services between Amaravati and Hyderabad as well, it said.
The Chief Minister had also raised this issue last week with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, during the inauguration of a superfast train between Vijayawada and Secunderabad.
"You call it bullet train or anything else, we want such trains from Amaravati to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam to cover the distances in two to three hours," he had told Prabhu.
At least 28 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, in the latest deadly strike to rock Turkey's biggest city.
The attackers began spraying bullets at airport guards at the terminal entrance and a shootout erupted yesterday before they blew themselves up one by one at around 10:00 pm (local time), Turkish authorities said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged an international "joint fight" against terror after the attack, the fourth deadly bombing in Istanbul this year alone.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which prompted the suspension of all flights in and out of the the airport, Turkey's busiest.
Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said three suicide bombers had carried out the attack, killing 28 people and wounding 60 others.
Security camera footage widely circulated on social media appeared to capture two of the blasts. In one clip a huge ball of flame erupts at an entrance to the terminal building, scattering terrified passengers.
Another video shows a black-clad attacker running inside the building before collapsing to the ground -- apparently felled by a police bullet -- and blowing himself up.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as the blasts hit, while images on social media showed passengers lying on the floor and luggage trolleys overturned.
"It was very strong, everyone panicked and started running in all directions," one witness told CNN Turk.
Police set up a security cordon around the site, while a dozen ambulances rushed to the scene.
Turkey has been hit by a string of deadly attacks in the past year, blamed on both Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
The Turkish airport attack also follows coordinated suicide bombings at Brussels airport and a city metro station in March that left 32 people dead.
Brussels airport tweeted its condolences, saying: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at @istanbulairport.
"We wish them, their relatives & all airport staff strength & courage."
Dogan agency cited police sources indicating IS is believed to have played a role, though Turkish officials said it was too early to confirm a link.
Security expert Abdullah Agar told CNN the attack bore the hallmarks of a jihadist attack.
"It really bears a resemblance to their methods," he said in reference to the Brussels bombings, which were claimed by IS.
The US and French consulates warned people to stay away from the area, while Turkish officials said flights would be cancelled until at least 8:00 am today morning.
After the airport carnage, Erdogan met his prime minister
and military chief for talks.
"If states, as all humanity, fail to join forces and wage a joint fight against terrorist organisations, all the possibilities that we dread in our minds will come true one by one," Erdogan said afterwards in a statement.
Istanbul, a major tourism hub that is home to some 15 million people, has suffered a series of attacks in recent months, including a bombing in the heart of the tourist district that killed a dozen German visitors and was blamed on IS.
Two months later, three Israelis and an Iranian were killed in a bombing on the city's main Istiklal shopping street, an attack also blamed on IS.
A blast on the tarmac at Istanbul's other international airport, Sabiha Gokcen, killed a cleaner and wounded another in December, damaging several planes.
Located just outside Turkey's biggest city, Ataturk airport served more than 60 million passengers in 2015, making it one of the busiest in the world.
Turkey has been hit by at least five attacks blamed on IS jihadists, including a blast in Ankara in October 2015 that left over 100 dead, though the group has never formally claimed responsibility for an attack in Turkey.
Turkey was long accused by its Western partners of turning a blind eye to the dangers posed by IS but has in recent months considerably stepped up police raids on the group's cells in the country.
Ankara has meanwhile launched a sustained offensive against the outlawed rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) following the collapse of a ceasefire last year.
Hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in PKK attacks since the truce collapsed.
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court today directed the CB-CID police to file its counter to a bail plea of the prime accused in the murder of a former close aide of former union minister M K Alagiri here in 2013.
Justice V M Velumani directed the CB-CID to file the counter on July 5 when the bail petition by 36-year old P Pandi, alias 'Attack' Pandi (36), arrested in the case related to the January 31, 2013 murder of N. Suresh Babu alias 'Pottu' Suresh, came up for hearing.
In his petition, Pandi submitted he had been falsely implicated in the case. He said he was suffering from asthma and is under regular treatment.
'Pottu' Suresh was waylaid and hacked to death by a six-member gang.
The petitioner said police were initially clueless about the assailants and the motive behind the murder and could crack the case only on February 2, 2013 when a gang surrendered before a court in Dindigul district.
His name was included in the case after the police reportedly obtained a confession statement from those who surrendered, he alleged.
Even as per the confession, the petitioner was not present at the place of occurrence, he said, and accused the police of having foisted a series of cases against him due to political motives.
Normal life was today affected due to a 12-hour bandh called by the opposition Congress in the tribal dominated Nabarangpur district.
The bandh was observed as a mark of protest against arrest of 18 Congress leaders including PCC vice-president and former MP Pradeep Majhi.
The Congress leaders were arrested on charge of attacking some government offices at Raighar on June 25, while demanding settlement of forest land in favour of tribals as per the provision of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
While picketing during the bandh, angry Congress activists hurled eggs at the official residence of Nabarangpur District Collector.
A clash ensued between Congress activists and the police, which tried to prevent the agitators.
In retaliation, the Congress workers allegedly threw eggs on police vehicles kept near the Collector's residence.
Similar act was also repeated by party workers at the office of the Divisional Forest Officer. They too threw eggs targeting the DFO office.
All business establishments, banks and other private institutions remained closed and public transport remained off the road in the district headquarter town of Nabarangpur, Umerkote, Dabugam, Papadahandi, Raighar, Jharigam, Chandahandi, Kosagumuda, Tentulikhunti.
A report said Majhi and others have launched hunger strike inside the jail. While doctors have advised Majhi to take food immediately, three of his associates were admitted to the hospital as their blood pressure fell, doctors said.
A state Congress delegation led by PCC president Prasad Harichandan, AICC secretary Bhakta Charan Das and PCC secretary Davasis Patnaik along with legislators Tara Prasad Bahinipatri, Chandra Sekhar Majhi, Bhujabal Majhi, Krushna Sagaria and Kailash Kulesikka visited the sub-jail at Umerkote and met Majhi and other leaders today.
Bangladesh police have charged seven persons including a senior leader of the main opposition BNP for their alleged involvement in the murder of an Italian aid worker last year, an official said today.
The chargesheet was submitted to a Dhaka magistrate court yesterday against seven persons including former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ward commissioner MA Kayum in the murder of Italian national Ceasre Tavella, Dhaka metro police Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman said.
Rahman said that except two, all the accused including Kayum are in police custody, bdnews24 reported.
Four suspects were arrested in October and all of them had confessed to the killing. The fifth suspect, Kayum's brother Matin, was arrested in November.
Tavella, 50, was shot dead in a high security diplomatic area in Dhaka on September 28, the first attack in Bangladesh claimed by the dreaded Islamic State terror group that had prompted many embassies of Western countries to restrict the movements of their diplomats.
Tavella, who was working for the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation as manager of its Profitable Opportunities for Food Security project, was shot thrice from a close proximity in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic zone while he was jogging, police said.
In a statement issued in Arabic, the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) claimed that it killed Tavella, SITE Intelligence Group said.
In its claim, ISIS had warned that "citizens of the crusader coalition" would not be safe in Muslim nations.
Efforts to consolidate 27 into 8-10 large lenders create risks that could offset potential long-term benefits in the current weak economic environment, Moody's Investors Service said today.
Moody's said India's banking system has witnessed an increase in non-performing assets (NPAs) since 2012, with many (PSBs) having suffered significant deterioration in balance sheets, as demonstrated by their asset quality metrics and capitalisation profile.
"As a result, no PSB currently has the financial strength to assume a consolidator role without leading to questions regarding its own credit standing, post-merger," it said in a report titled 'Banks -- India: Consolidation of Will Face Challenges Under Current Conditions'.
Its hypothetical analysis of acquisition of a weak bank by several larger PSBs in the system pointed to a likely significant deterioration in credit metrics for the surviving entity, which underscored the current broad weakness in the system's balancesheet.
"Adding to this financial pressure, all listed PSBs are now trading at a significant discount to their book value. This limits their ability to attract external capital to support potential acquisitions as doing so will be dilutive to current shareholders, particularly the Indian government," it said.
"Therefore, we believe that government support will be a crucial driver of the credit outcome in potential mergers, particularly in the form of equity capital, which will be required to shore up buffers of the acquiring bank before a merger is complete."
Moody's also expected strong challenges to come from employee unions who would react negatively to the prospective loss of jobs.
"The risk is the government and bank management would yield to these reactions and maintain the status quo, thus limiting the ability of the banks to extract meaningful synergies even if consolidation proceeds in a superficial sense," it said.
Furthermore, differences in employee compensation packages and other benefits could add to potential costs of a merger.
These concerns, it said, are reflected in the current proposed merger put forward by SBI, which has already met opposition from employee unions. The estimate is the merger of the associate banks would cost it up to Rs 3,000 crore due to differences in employee benefit schemes.
"Another credit driver is whether the government could facilitate the brokering of agreements with key stakeholders, including labor unions, which would allow the merger to realise the benefits mentioned above," it added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Law Minister D V Sadandanda Gowda today said the Centre has no role in creation of a new High Court for Telangana, rubbishing the ruling TRS' charge that the Narendra Modi dispensation is being "insenstive" on the issue and dragging the matter under political pressure.
Holding that the state government's stand on the issue is "unacceptable and intolerable," Gowda said the creation of a new High Court is in the hands of the Chief Minister and Chief Justice of the common high court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
"It's not in our hands. Creation of new High Court for Telangana. It's in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that High Court (which is common for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and has not been bifurcated after the division of erstwhile state in June 2014)," Gowda told PTI.
TRS MP Kavitha has alleged that the Centre is insensitive in not bifurcating the High Court following division of Andhra Pradesh and that her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would not even hesitate to hold a protest (dharna) in Delhi.
She also alleged that the matter is being dragged by the Centre under political pressure from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Countering the TRS on the issue, Gowda said "If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, the High Court will take care of rest of the things. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, it's not fair on anybody... even the Chief Minister or anybody of Telangana...This (delay in bifurcating HC) is because of the central government, it's quite unacceptable and it's intolerable," Gowda said over phone when contacted.
Asked about Kavitha's charge, Gowda said, "for no reason, if he (Rao) holds a dharna, people will evaluate it."
"Central government has no role to play (in bifurcation of HC). It's not in our hands. Unnecessarily blaming central government, it's not fair on the part of the Chief Minister or any persons of Telangana State government," he said.
"Judiciary is independent. We give maximum respect to Judiciary. Their independence cannot be encroached upon by the Executive at any point of time," he added.
TRS has upped ante on the issue against the backdrop of agitation by lawyers and also judges against provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad has suspended eleven judges following the agitation against provisional allocation.
Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association on Sunday took out a procession here in protest.
Speaking on the issue, Kavitha told reporters here that
"Our Chief Minister is also very very disheartened by the insensitivity of the central government. We do propose to go and express our protest in Delhi. But, we do not want things to go that level, escalate to that level. We once again sincerely appeal to honourable Prime Minister to intervene at this juncture and bifurcate the high court."
She said TRS MPs had raised the issue in Parliament and Rao himself represented to Modi "10 times" for bifurcation of the high court, but the latter has not responded so far, claiming that the Centre is under pressure from Andhra Pradesh CM.
She said Congress president Sonia Gandhi also did not speak on the issue in parliament though she talked about Andhra Pradesh's interests.
Kavitha alleged that there is a "conspiracy" hatched by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" in "Andhra Judges" giving option to work in Telangana.
Meanwhile, the BJP state unit supported the protest by Telangana judges but alleged that the Chief Minister's "protest now is purely political".
"BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with CJH (Chief Justice of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad) and CM appoint district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya is expected to meet Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Law minister Sadananda Gowda along with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi today in this regard, a BJP release said.
A 20-year-old youth hailing from Bihar was arrested for murdering two elderly women at Kalyan in Thane district, police said today.
Nandakishore alias Fantu Manoj Prasad Vai was arrested yesterday for murdering two women last week and sent to police custody till July 8 by a court today.
Additional commissioner of police (crime) Makarand Ranade said that Kamal Baliram Dudhkar (70) and Lilabai Ganpat Dudhkar (60) were found murdered at their house in Khadegolavali in Kalyan on the intervening night of June 17 and 18. Their jewellery and other valuables were missing.
Investigators zeroed in Nandkishor, who worked as a labourer at a powerloom in Kalyan and who ate his meals at a mess run by the deceased women.
A police team was sent to his hometown Arwal in Bihar.
The search was conducted at his father's house two cameras, two gold rings, two gold bangles, mangalsutra, etc, worth Rs 3.37 lakh were recovered from there.
Nandkishor's father was arrested for giving him shelter and abetting the crime. When the accused, who was absconding, learnt about this, he tried to commit suicide by consuming poison and was admitted to a local hospital.
After he was discharged yesterday, the police arrested him and brought to Kalyan by flight and produced in court.
Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar, who led the investigating team, said Nandkishor's father needed money for constructing house, which prompted the youth to commit the crime.
Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today expressed unhappiness over performance of his party-led government in Sindh as he dodged questions about security measures in the province.
Bilawal, who visited the home of slain qawwal Amjad Sabri in the densely-populated area in the city under strong and elaborate security arrangements, stayed with Sabri's family for about 30 minutes.
When a reporter asked: "What is Sindh government doing after Amjad Sabri's killing and abduction of Sindh Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah's son Owais Shah?"
Bilawal asked Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal to respond to the question.
"Jawab dou Sindh government Jawab dou (give answer Sindh government, give answer)," the PPP chairman said.
Later, senior PPP minister Nisar Khuro hold a press conference in which he stressed that the chairman was not unhappy with the performance of the Sindh government.
The PPP-led government's performance has come under the scanner after the two high-profile incidents in the city.
Sabri was shot dead while driving in his car in the city's Liaqatabad area, while Awais Shah was abducted outside a supermarket in the city.
Karachi, a teeming metropolis of more than 20 million people, has long been plagued by political, ethnic and religious violence, although crime has dropped sharply since the launch of a paramilitary operation in September 2013.
The body of a kidnapped teenaged boy was recovered from Kaliachak this morning, following which local people put up road blockade and attacked policemen.
Police said 14-year-old Sabir Momin's body, which bears marks of torture, was found from a mango orchard in Nouda-Jadupur gram panchayat this morning.
Sabir, a student of class VII and the son of Ibrahim Momin, was kidnapped yesterday.
The killing was a result of rivalry between two gangs of Kaliachak, police said
After the body was found, local people squatted on the arterial NH-34 for around three hours to protest against the murder.
Police said the agitators pelted stones at them and two policemen sustained minor injuries.
Later, after reinforcement arrived, the police lifted the squatters from the the national highway.
States will need about Rs 3,700 crore to implement National Action Plan for bovine breeding that aims to increase productivity of indigenous cattle, Animal Husbandry Secretary Devendra Chaudhary said today.
The National Action Plan (NAP) for bovine breeding envisages enhancing productivity of indigenous cattle to five kilo per animal per day. It aims to increase all India coverage to 70 per cent by 2019-20 from the present 25 per cent, he said.
The Agriculture Ministry in a statement said NAP has been discussed recently with the state governments, who have agreed to implement.
"... It was also mentioned that an amount of Rs 3,700 crore will be required by states to implement this National Action Plan," Choudhary said.
All states have agreed to implement NAP. State-wise physical and financial targets for different categories of dairy animals including indigenous cattle have also been discussed, he said.
The states have been asked to enhance milk production and productivity of dairy animals to double farmers' income.
They have been told to frame strategies to enhance productivity of indigenous breeds as indigenous cattle are managed by poor farmers of the country, he added.
The official has also discussed with the north eastern states separately about this year's state action plan to implement the Livestock Mission (NLM) for which the Centre has allocated about Rs 4,300 crore to these states for 2016-17.
In a recent meeting, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram have been directed to give their requirement for 100 piglets of superior germ plasm for each of their pig breeding farms in the state to National Research Centre on Pig, in Guwahati.
The states have been asked to come up with a plan for genetic upgradation for sheep, goat and pigs.
Chaudhary also emphasised the need of de-worming of existing population of small ruminants and pig population of the states, the official statement said.
The secretary has also reviewed the preparations for the National Action Plan, 2020, for fisheries from all the north eastern states.
Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura and Manipur have given information required for finalising the National Action Plan.
"While taking note of the requirements of each of the states, the Secretary has also issued directions based on the unique requirements of each of the state," the ministry said in the statement.
Sikkim has been asked to focus on cold water fisheries, especially trout, while Manipur and Assam have been directed to make special investments on the development of wetlands.
Further, Mizoram has been asked to pick up cage culture technology for their lone reservoir, with an area of 4,300 hectares.
"It is hoped that the special attention being given to the North Eastern region states will have a major impact with respect to the production of fresh water fisheries and will reduce their dependence upon the imports of fish in due course of time," the Ministry said.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said today that after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the bloc needs to "lance the boil" and reform to remedy a pervasive malaise.
Valls said the shock vote proved that many citizens of the European Union had deep doubts about the bloc.
"They don't understand what it does, they cannot see what it brings them. To them, Europe is invasive on minor issues, and absent on the essential," he told the French National Assembly.
"Worse, they feel it imposes its choices and systematically acts against their interests. The pro-Brexit slogan 'take back the power' says things very clearly. And we cannot ignore it."
"We must lance the boil, this vote shows the malaise of the people," Valls said, adding that if Europe did not work with its people, it would "disintegrate".
"The alternative is simple: either we do as we have always done, avoiding the evidence and trying to plug the gaps ... Or we finally pluck up the courage to go all out, turn this shock into an electroshock and an opportunity."
Valls said it would be a mistake to think that the referendum concerned only the British, saying the future of the entire bloc that is at stake.
"I refuse to see this great project veer off course. I refuse to see it founder and sink, pulled under by the growing weight of populism. I refuse to see us cede to fatalism, pessimism," said Valls, who was born in Spain and became a French citizen aged 20.
The British vote is likely to push the EU question to the centr0e of debate in France, which holds presidential elections in April 2017.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who has won over many voters in recent years with her anti-immigration, eurosceptic views, has already called for a "Frexit" referendum.
Valls also said he was opposed to a "punitive Europe following ultra-liberal ideas and budgetary austerity. Europe cannot only be states reporting on the management of their budgets," he said.
West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra today said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report will be placed in the current Assembly session.
"The CAG report will be placed in this session," Mitra announced in the House.
Replying to questions on general budget discussions, he said the budget was placed keeping in mind the 'Maa-Mati-Manush' philosophy and Rs 22,066 crore was augmented towards the social issues like uplift of backward classes and better primary education, despite cut in Central budget on such accounts.
The government has brought "financial prudence" in checking fiscal deficit compared to GDP, Mitra said.
"In 2009, fiscal deficit to GDP was 6.26 per cent and in 2015-16 we have brought it down to 2.68 per cent," he said.
Mitra, however, evaded a member's question on banning liquor in the state following the footsteps of Bihar.
The minister also shied away from replying a question seeking a detailed breakup of employment numbers.
British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived for a grim EU summit in Brussels today, where angry European leaders tightened the screws to hurry Britain's exit from Europe.
Five days after Britons stunned the European Union by voting to quit the 28-nation bloc, key European leaders bluntly told Britain they wanted it to leave quickly - and not expect special treatment.
European President Donald Tusk said the bloc was ready to start divorce proceedings with Britain "even today" and the European Parliament called on Britain to initiate the departure process "as soon as possible."
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Cameron could not "cherry-pick" in the exit negotiations -- and there would be a price for Britain to pay.
"Anyone wishing to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations but keep the privileges," Merkel told the German parliament.
The summit, starting mid-afternoon, takes place amid deep anger among the 27 other European leaders over Cameron's decision firstly to call the 'Brexit' referendum -- and secondly his handling of the campaign itself.
That resentment has been compounded by fury over suspicions that Britain will now drag its feet over leaving, which would boost rising eurosceptic forces within the EU.
Cameron, who had fought to remain in the EU and has said he will step down, told his parliament yesterday that he will not yet start the two-year countdown on leaving the EU.
It begins when Britain formally invokes Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
His successor is not expected to be appointed until September.
But European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking in a stormy session of the European Parliament where he was heckled by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, told Cameron to waste no time, adding: "No notification (of Article 50), no negotiation".
"It is we who must decide what happens, not just those who wish to leave the European Union," Juncker said, echoing comments yesterday from Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin.
Juncker said he had banned officials from holding "secret" talks with Britain.
"There will be no informal or formal talks on the exit of Britain until an application has been filed to leave the European Union," Merkel has said.
Non-resident companies can now claim benefits of tax treaty by just providing personal details including, name, address and tax residency certificate, even without providing PAN.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with Rule 37BC, which gives relaxation to non-residents from furnishing PAN number in India while claiming TDS benefits. Non-residents include foreign partnership, foreign body corporates, besides foreign companies.
It said in the absence of PAN, a non-resident can now provide the prescribed information and will not be subject to higher rate of withholding tax on payments made by Indian companies for interest, royalty, fees for technical services.
Non-residents can now claim the beneficial provisions of the tax treaty by providing personal details - name, email-id, address etc; Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) and Tax Identification Number (TIN) or any other Unique Identification number obtained in the country of residence.
"Non-residents can now take a sigh of relief, since the beneficial provision of the amended Section 206AA has become operational and treaty benefits shall not be denied by the tax authorities in the absence of PAN. Now a non-resident can claim the beneficial provisions of the tax treaty by providing his personal details," said Rakesh Nangia, Managing partner, Nangia & Co.
Section 206AA of I-T Act provides that in absence of PAN, the payer shall be liable to withhold taxes at the rate of 20 per cent or the rate of tax as per the Act or that as per tax treaty (whichever is higher) while making payment to a non-resident. Obtaining a PAN was thus made mandatory for every non-resident, causing hardship.
Section 206AA was amended in the last Budget to provide that higher rate of TDS shall not apply to any payment made to non-residents, provided certain conditions are satisfied.
In order to give meaning and application to the amended provision of section 206AA, CBDT has inserted new Rule 37BC.
KPMG (India) Partner Tax Vikas Vasal said the rule provides the much-needed clarity.
Vasal, however, said that since the transactions between foreign and Indian companies are increasing, the requirement of furnishing the TRC should be re-evaluated, and instead the TIN of the foreign company along with other information may be considered as sufficient compliance.
"In the case of a non-resident...Or a foreign company, and not having permanent account number (PAN) the provisions of Section 206AA shall not apply in respect of payments in the nature of interest, royalty, fees for technical services and payments on transfer of any capital asset, if the deductee furnishes the details and the documents to the deductor," the CBDT Rules said.
(REOPENS DEL 40)
The Central Board of Direct Taxes said the declaration should be accompanied by proof of tax payment and deposit made, adding that taxes paid under the scheme will not be refundable under any circumstances.
"A declarant under this scheme shall not be entitled in respect of undisclosed income or any amount of tax and surcharge paid thereon, to re-open any assessment or reassessment made under the Income Tax Act or the Wealth tax Act 1957, or to claim any set-off or relief in any appeal," it said.
The person making a declaration under the scheme will be liable to pay tax at the rate of 30 per cent of the undisclosed income as increased by surcharge to be called the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Cess calculated at 33 per cent of the tax. In addition, penalty at the rate of 10 per cent of the undisclosed income will be payable.
CBDT said the declaration under the scheme may be made in respect of any income in the form of cash or deposit in an account maintained by the person with a specified entity, chargeable to tax under the Income-Tax Act for any assessment year commencing on or before April 1, 2017.
No deduction in respect of any expenditure or allowance or set-off of any loss will be allowed against the income in respect of which a valid declaration is made under the scheme.
"A declaration under the scheme can be made anytime on or after December 17, 2016, but on or before March 31, 2017. The tax, surcharge and penalty payable under the scheme and deposit to be made... Shall be paid/made before filing of the declaration," it said.
The declaration to the Principal Commissioner or the Commissioner of Income Tax can be done electronically under digital signature or in print. The tax authorities will issue a certificate to the declarant within 30 days from the end of the month in which a valid declaration has been furnished.
Not declaring the blackmoney under the scheme now but showing it as income in the tax return form would lead to a total levy of 77.25 per cent in taxes and penalty. In case the disclosure is not made either using the scheme or in return, a further 10 per cent penalty on tax will be levied followed by prosecution.
The Centre has assured Arunachal Pradesh of funds for establishment of a in the state.
Union Textile Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar gave assurance to Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo for a yesterday, an official release said here today.
Stating that the state government would be informed as and when the proposal would be cleared by the ministry, Gangwar advised government (of Arunachal Pradesh) to submit a detailed project report (DPR) at the earliest, it said.
Gangwar has said he would be visiting the state next month to inaugurate the garment manufacturing unit at Pasighat in East Siang district.
During his visit, the union minister said, he would announce some developmental packages for the state in the textile and handloom sectors.
During the meeting Dolo, who also holds the Textile and Handicrafts portfolio, expressed willingness to establish weaver service centre in Itanagar so that poor weavers of Arunachal, are benefited, the release said.
At present, the Weaver Service Centre at Guwahati has been providing services to the state. Manipur and Nagaland too have such centres.
The deputy chief minister informed Gangwar that permission for single brand under 'Make in India' programme has been obtained from the IKEA, a Sweden based company, for bamboo products and its technical advisor Pratap Goswami is working on the project.
Dolo also urged him to clear all the pending proposals lying with the ministry.
Gangwar said the ministry would release the second installment under North Eastern Textile Promotion Schemes shortly after completing the required formalities.
"The proposal for textile tourism at Poma near the state Capital will also be cleared," Gangwar said.
The Centre will invest around Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 750-bedded All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Assam, the land for which was handed over by the state government today.
"The AIIMS in Assam will be a 750-bedded hospital. We have got the land today from the state government. Now once the Union Cabinet approves the plan, we will start work," Union Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary Arun Kumar Panda told PTI here.
The AIIMS, to be set up in Kamrup district, will house 18 super-speciality departments, he said.
Responding to a question about financing, Panda said: "It is likely to incur an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore for the construction and equipment set up work. This amount will be spent by the Centre."
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today handed over to Panda more than 571 acres of government land at Changsari area of Kamrup district.
"This is a historic day for people of Assam as a long- pending dream is about to come true. People have struggled a lot democratically for this institute in the state," Sonowal said at the function.
With setting up of the AIIMS in the state, Assam will now figure in the the list of healthcare destinations of the country, he said.
Referring to the ongoing protest by people of Nagaon and middle Assam for not selecting Raha as the place for AIIMS, the chief minister said: "We do not have any role in selecting the place. We showed seven locations, including Raha, to experts from the Centre and they chose Changsari in lower Assam."
He also said the state government will work towards giving better healthcare facilities to hill districts and Barak Valley in future.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda today announced that the Centre will set up a state level cancer care unit here at a cost of Rs 45 crore.
"A state-level cancer care unit will come up on the campus of government-run J A Hospital. The Centre is going to spend Rs 45 crore to set up the unit," he said at the stone-laying ceremony of super specialty block at government G R Medical College here.
The minister also lauded the Madhya Pradesh government for "effective" implementation of vaccination programme under the Centre's 'Indradhanush Mission'.
"The effective implementation of Indradhanush Mission has brought down infant and child mortality rate in MP," he said.
In December 2014, the Union Minister had launched the Indradhanush Mission aiming at immunising all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B by 2020.
Besides Nadda, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also addressed the function.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu today met 30 Chinese investors and finalised plans to set up a gas-based fertilizer project at Krishnapatnam Port.
On his second visit to China to mobilise investments for his state, Naidu held discussions with investors including on setting up of metro rail projects in Vijayawada and Visakahpatnam.
Naidu, who was invited to take part in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin, has met several Chinese businessmen scouting for investments in the state.
He also met concerned officials to discuss proposals for high speed rail between Visakhapatnam-Chennai and Visakhapatnam-Tirupathi.
Chinese investors have evinced interest in stepping up investments in Andhra Pradesh, specially in construction of the new capital Amaravati, he told PTI here.
Officials accompanying him said two MOUs to set up a gas-based fertiliser plant at Krishnapatnam port were signed.
The MOU with a three-nation consortium of China HuanqinContracting and Engineering Corporation, LEPL Ventures Private Limited and Isomeric Holdingswill set upa fertilizer project atKrishnapatanamwith an investment of Rs 10,183 crore.
Naidu also said a Chinese investment centre is being set up at Donakonda in about 10,000 acres in which China's small and medium enterprises will set up plants to produce construction materials.
He and his delegation later left for Guiyang, capital of Guizhouprovince to meet investors there.
Naidu had visited China last year and met a number of Chinese investors pitching for investments in his state.
Several Chief Ministers have been visiting China in recent years addressing business seminars and meeting Chinese investors, inviting them to invest in their respective states.
Last week Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Beijing and Guangzhou to woo Chinese investors to invest in projects in his state.
The murder charge against ten officers of a construction firm were dropped from the first charge sheet filed by Kolkata Police today in a city court in connection with the collapse of a portion of under-construction Vivekananda flyover here that killed 26 people about three months ago.
The murder charge, under which ten officers of the construction company IVRCL were arrested, were dropped from the charge sheet submitted at the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate(ACMM-1) Dr Madhumita Basu.
Instead, the ten were charged under IPC sections 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) in the over 2000-page charge sheet.
Ten officers of IVRCL were arrested under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and others.
IVRCL Director Operations Gopal Krishnamurthy, Deputy General Manager of Project Monitoring Cell S K Ratnam, Assistant General Manager Mallikaarjun Rao, IVRCL Assistant Vice-president of Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) and administration of the Eastern Region Ranajit Bhattacharjee were arrested in connection with the March 31 collapse.
Also arrested were IVRCL Assistant Manager Debjyoti Majumdar, civil execution of IVRCL Niloy Roy, Structure Manager Pradip Kumar Saha, Project Manager Tanmoy Sil and senior engineers Shyamal Manna and Bidyut Manna.
Around 241 witnesses were questioned in connection with the framing of the charge sheet.
According to Kolkata Police officials, the SIT formed to probe the collapse was waiting for reports from RITES which is checking whether the design of the flyover has any dispute or not and the National Test House which is looking into the quality of the materials used in the construction of the flyover.
"We are expecting the reports in another 15 days and after that a supplementary charge sheet is likely to be filed," the officials said adding police were waiting for expert opinions for their investigations.
In a guarded response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that India has a "whole lot of problems" with China, Beijing today said it will be in dialogue with New Delhi to find a "fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution" to the contentious issues.
"We have noted the relevant report. China-India relationship is in a generally good state," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told PTI here in response to questions on Modi's interview to a private TV channel.
"Common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences. The Chinese side will work with the Indian side to steer the bilateral relations, and deepen cooperation in different fields," Hong said.
"As for problems in the bilateral relations, the Chinese side will stay in communication and dialogue with the Indian side to find a fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution," he said, referring to Modi's remarks.
Modi had said that "We have an ongoing dialogue with China and it should continue to happen. We don't have one problem with China, we have a whole lot of problems pending with China. There are so many issues."
On India getting the membership of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) ahead of China, Hong said, "we have noted that some of the multilateral export control regimes have changed in one way or another. With that in mind, China is assessing the effectiveness of the MTCR in safeguarding the international non-proliferation regime."
China is yet to be inducted into the 34-member MTCR regime. India became 35th member yesterday.
Reports say China, which blocked India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), is lobbying to become member of the MTCR group.
The MTCR restricts the proliferation of missiles, rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, or drones, and the technology for systems capable of carrying a payload of 500 kilograms for at least 300 kms.
Chairperson Northern region Rumjhum Chatterjee on Tuesday said the industry body will work closely with state governments to help them improve the ranking in Ease of Doing Business during current financial year.
Besides, labour reforms, land and environment related issues will be major focus areas for the industry body this year, she said here.
" will also focus on e-filing of returns, online clearances, creating Land Banks for industry and reservation of certain percentage of Land Banks for SMEs," she said.
To promote Northern region as an agriculture and high-value food powerhouse, will also work with the state governments on a comprehensive policy reforms agenda.
"The reform agenda includes adoption of model APMC Act, fast-tracking investments in agriculture R&D and transfer of technology; making farm mechanisation affordable; promoting e-trading; building integrated infrastructure, introduction of land leasing to support commercial farming & entrepreneurship, incentives and support to farmers to go for crop diversification," Chatterjee said.
CII this year is also launching a unique holistic cluster development project called Sectoral Leadership Programme. It has identified three clusters to begin with. These include auto cluster in Faridabad, bicycle parts cluster in Ludhiana, and pharma cluster in Baddi, she said.
This year is Agro-Tech Year and CII hopes to present a holistic & emerging potential of the sector in the fair. Agro-tech is scheduled for November 19-22 in Chandigarh and will be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee, she said.
In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the cleanliness drive, senior NCP leader Praful Patel today said he should first set the BJP's house in order.
"It would be appropriate on the part of Prime Minister to cleanse the BJP first instead of making a propaganda about 'Swachh Bharat'," the former Union minister told reporters here.
His comments came in an apparent reference to allegations of corruption against senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse who resigned recently as Revenue Minister.
Patel claimed that no section of society is satisfied with the performance of the state and Central governments.
"It is unfortunate that BJP leaders like chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari have not brought any development to Vidarbha," Patel said.
He said the NCP would contest the forthcoming elections to the local bodies and municipal councils in the state on its own strength.
Patel alleged that no development in real terms came to Vidarbha despite the CM signing MoUs worth thousands of crores at various forums.
"Gadkari has performed 'bhoomipujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) for road development projects but not a single tender has been passed so far," the former Civil Aviation Minister said.
He replied in negative when asked if NCP would extend its support to BJP in case Shiv Sena walks out of the coalition government.
When asked whether NCP is avoiding playing an aggressive opposition out of fear of action against its leaders facing the graft charge, Patel said, "Who has stopped government from launching probe or taking legal action against us. They are free to do so. We are ready to face any eventuality".
He said NCP would go with people's choice on granting statehood to Vidarbha.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A cloth merchant was allegedly murdered by three unidentified assailants at his bungalow in the plush Parle Point locality here and looted cash and jewellery, police said today.
The incident took place yesterday around 9.45 PM. The victim, Dishit Jariwala, owned a textile loom factory at Katargam here.
After gaining entry into the house, the assailants held Jariwala captive in his bedroom, while his wife and minor daughter were locked in the bathroom.
Later, they killed Jariwala and looted cash and other valuables including jewellery from the bungalow, police said, adding that other members of Jariwala's family are currently in Mauritius.
The CCTV footage showed three persons coming to the bungalow in an autorikshaw. Police, however, said the accused trio could not be identified due of darkness.
"We are investigating to find out if Jariwala was murdered with the intention of loot or if the assailants had any past enmity with him over his business. They could have been acquainted to the victim, as no trace of struggle was found in opening of the front door of the bungalow," P V Rathod, DCP Zone (IV), said.
"We are not able to identify the persons in the CCTV footage due to darkness, but have come to know that they were conducting recee of the locality for the last two days," Rathod said, adding the looted amount is yet to be ascertained.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
Congress today virtually dared the Prime Minister to take stringent action against those having black money and those involved in the AgustaWestland chopper deal and assured the party's support in the matter.
"What he is doing there? When will we see the money being brought back? Who is stopping the Prime Minister from nabbing the culprits? We will support him," Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters.
He was asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the AgustaWestland issue, maintaining that a "sin" has been committed and those behind them have had a "big protective cover".
"The case about Agusta helicopters. I can't deny it and I believe that we have the right to doubt that people behind this are very experienced.
"They have perfectly practiced the art of doing wrong deeds. They are very experienced and knowledgeable. And one can also smell the fact that such a thing wouldn't have been done without a big protective shield," the Prime Minister had said.
On the black money issue, Azad said that Modi when in the Opposition used to say that the government was not acting against unearthing black money as a top leader's money was stashed abroad.
"It used to be said about us that (our) government was not moving forward on the issue of black money... Because some names were being concealed, because their big leader's money is (stashed) abroad.
"Prime Minister, now we only are saying that bring out their names, publish those, hang them, punish them, put them in jail. Why is the delay now? Who is that person? Let the country know it... Hence, the honourable Prime Minister had no answer to this (question)," he said.
He said the government should act sternly against those having black money. He said it should reveal the names of such persons and take sternest action against them.
Azad's remarks came on a day when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told black money holders to come clean by September 30.
Offering black money holders one last chance to come clean, Jaitley said information on assets disclosed during the one-time compliance window will not be shared with any other authority.
Congress leader K Sudhakaran was today booked by police following a court direction on a complaint that he allegedly asked UDF workers to cast bogus votes in his constituency during the assembly elections last month.
A case had been registered for various IPC offences including abetment of offences, punishment for undue influence or impersonation at an election, against Sudhakaran who lost the election contesting from Uduma constituency, police said.
The case was registered based on a direction by a magistrate court in Hosdurg on a complaint from winning LDF candidate K Kunhiraman, they said.
The complainant alleged that in a video of a closed-door meeting which went viral in social media, Sudhakaran allegedly made a call to UDF workers to caste bogus votes to counter "rigging" by LDF.
Sudhakaran had maintained that he did not call for voter impersonation but only urged his party workers to increase the voting percentage.
A man has been acquitted of charge of raping a divorcee on the pretext of marriage, with a Delhi court saying the physical relations between them were consensual and FIR was lodged in utter desperation due to delay in their marriage.
The court absolved the man, who married the woman last year, saying delay in their marriage was beyond his control as his divorce case with his first wife was sub-judice and he was not legally free to marry.
"The case is not covered by the provisions of section 376 (rape) IPC as the prosecutrix appears to have made consensual relations with the accused under an agreement that he will marry her after he gets divorce from his first wife. The FIR was seemingly lodged in a state of utter desperation emanating out of delay occuring in fulfillment of promise," Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj.
The court also said there were several contradictions and inconsistencies in the woman's evidence.
"It is apparent from her testimony that the accused had initially met her with a proposal of marriage in mind, having found her matrimonial alliance on a website. It is also clear from this fact that she and her family were also interested in marriage. She lodged the complaint as she got frightened due to the delay in the marriage," it said.
According to the prosecution, the woman's parents were looking a match for her after her divorce and they came in contact with the man, a resident of west Delhi, through a matrimonial website.
He told the woman that he cannot marry her at that time and wanted an educated person to take care of his mother, it said, adding that the woman started residing at his house with her daughter.
In April 2012, when she was sleeping in her room with her daughter, the man forcibly established physical relations with her and threatened to kill her and her daughter. Later, she lodged a complaint with the police against the man in 2013, the prosecution said.
The woman, however, changed her statement in court and deposed that her physical relations with the man were with her consent.
During trial, the man submitted that in the beginning he had told the woman and her parents that he cannot marry her till he got divorce from his first wife. He stated that as per the commitment, he has married the woman and was living happily with her and her daughter.
The flamboyant former London mayor Boris Johnson is emerging as the hot favourite to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron who quit after Britain voted to leave the EU in a historic referendum.
Known for his unconventional political style, the 52-year- old journalist-turned-Conservative politician had led the Brexit camp in the June 23 referendum, falling out with his mentor and party leader Cameron who aggressively campaigned for Britain to stay in the 28-member EU.
Other candidates emerging in the fray include UK's longest-serving home secretaries in history, Theresa May, who turns 60 later this year and has reportedly gathered strong support, followed by UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt.
May also narrowly beat Johnson as the politician the country thinks would make the best Prime Minister, according to a YouGov poll today.
May was backed by 19 per cent of the public, compared to 18 per cent who backed Johnson.
A number of other Conservative MPs were also scrambling to build up support for themselves as potential candidates to replace Cameron, who was elected party's leader in 2005.
The 54-year-old former defence secretary, Liam Fox, who finished a close third during the 2005 contest for Tory party leadership, is also expected to throw his hat in the ring for a second time.
Pakistani-origin business minister, Sajid Javid, is said to be considering a bid too as well.
However, UK Chancellor George Osborne has ruled out his candidature.
"I was full-throttled in arguing for remaining in the EU and because half my party wanted to leave the EU I don't think I can be the person to bring this party together, at the moment," he told BBC today.
He said the right candidate to lead the party and the country was the person who is "able to articulate the clearest, crispest version of what relationship we are seeking" with the EU.
The Conservative party's Committee had yesterday announced a leadership timetable, which will see two short- listed candidates go head to head to be elected new leader by September 2.
Chair of the executive body, Graham Brady, said: "I think the view of the party is that both we as Conservatives and the country more generally, really want certainty, we would like some resolution, and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can.
"That ought to mean that we would have a new prime minister before the House of Commons returns for its September sitting."
Nominations for the race to succeed Cameron open tomorrow and close on Thursday, with backbenchers meeting to approve thecompletetimetable for the contest.
Whoever next ends up in No. 10 Downing Street will begin extracting the UK from the economic bloc as Cameron said it will be the new Prime Minister who will take the negotiations forward.
A Delhi court has quashed the order summoning BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri as accused in an alleged assault case, saying there was an attempt to rope him in the case due to "political rivalry".
Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar allowed the plea of 54-year-old Bidhuri, also an ex-MLA, while observing that the complainant Sameen Bhai brought up his name due to political rivalry as he had lost to him in 2003 Delhi Assembly election.
Bidhuri was summoned in 2015 by a court here in a case filed by Sameen alleging that the MP, along with several others, broke into his house and assaulted him and his family members in 2010.
The sessions court said that Sameen did not assign any specific role to Bidhuri in his deposition and neither name him in the FIR, but just mentioned it in examination-in-chief.
"It may be mentioned that complainant, Sameen Bhai, had contested (Delhi Assembly) election against Bidhuri, for the post of MLA (in 2003). Thus, it is clear from the record file that Ramesh Bidhuri was known to the complainant.
"However, Bidhuri had not been named in the FIR. It casts a doubt regarding the involvement of Bidhuri, in the alleged offence. In fact, Bidhuri has been tried to be roped in the present case due to political rivalry," the judge said.
The court further said "thus, there was, prima facie, no material on the record file to summon him as accused under section 319 of CrPC."
Bidhuri had filed a revision plea challenging the 2015 summoning order contending that his prosecution was an abuse of the process of law and testimony of the complainant was politically motivated. He contended that the trial court committed an error and failed to appreciate that no evidence was available on record.
According to prosecution, on the night of October 1, 2010 around 20-30 persons broke into the house of Sameen Bhai and damaged his property.
It was alleged in the FIR that the accused persons beat up his wife and three children and left the premises with cash and jewellery.
Later during deposition in the court, Sameen mentioned the name of Bidhuri along with eight others, alleging they also tried to rape his wife but have not been made accused in the case.
After his statement, the prosecutor moved an application for summoning Bidhuri and others and the court issued summons to them.
One of China's ruling Communist Party's top theoreticians and senior editor of its journal has committed suicide amid reports of rift between reformists and conservatives in the party led by President Xi Jinping.
Zhu Tiezhi, the deputy editor-in-chief of Qiushi Journal, died on June 26, the online edition of People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, reported without providing the details.
Zhu, 56, was found to have hanged himself in the office's garage, a report on the online edition of Chinese magazine Caixin said.
Zhu suffered from depression and was concerned over ideological debates in recent years pitting reformists against a group of increasingly vocal academics in the conservative camp, hisd friend said.
Disillusioned by rampant corruption, the conservatives have become nostalgic for the period of rule under Chairman Mao Zedong, who died in 1976.
The report said they increasingly question reform and opening policies in place since late 1970s under late leader Deng Xiaoping being followed in the last three decades by Chinese leaders including President Xi, who is the General Secretary of the party.
Zhu, a famed essayist on party theories, warned in Qiushi and other publications on multiple occasions that taking such debates too far could undermine reform that is essential to tackling corruption and other pressing issues, according to this friend.
"In a nutshell, if we could not solve real problems, the ideological debates would become empty talk to undermine the mutual trust between the party, the government it leads and the people," he once wrote.
Zhu said several times that the most horrible thing for a scholar is to lose his integrity, his independent way of thinking and unique views, the friend, who was not named, said.
Overseas Chinese media reports speculated that Zhu killed himself partly due to links with Ling Jihua, a fallen former aide to Xi's presidential predecessor Hu Jintao.
Ling faces charges of accepting bribes and illegally obtaining state secrets and expected to be sentenced shortly.
Zhu started working for Red Flag or Hongqi, a theoretical political journal and one of three high-profile party publications during the disastrous Cultural Revolution led by Mao that lasted from 1966 and 1976.
Thirty-two Delhi hospitals have agreed to provide subsidised treatment to the people of the Northeastern region living in the capital under a reach-out programme.
Delhi IGP Robin Hibu, who is also a nodal officer for the people from the Northeast, told PTI over phone that he has been pursuing it with top hospitals, including Fortis, Medanta, Apollo, Max Health Care and many others, to provide subsidised treatment to the people of the Northeast.
More than 11 lakh people from the Northeast are either working in the private sector or studying in Delhi and the Capital Region (NCR) and most of them do not have any medical insurance or facilities, nor can they avail the central government health scheme (CGHS) like government servants.
"The NE people working in Delhi or NCR have to pay for their medical treatments from their meagre salaries, leaving no scope for them to save money or send money to their old parents back home," Hibu said.
On modalities for availing the concession, he said the people have to have a referral letter from his office to be sent with attested ID card to particular hospital according to the patient's choice with his or her original identity card, to avoid any impersonation.
"This facility can be availed only by NE employees in any private companies or shops and NE students studying in Delhi, not for CGHS beneficiaries," he added.
Hibu also informed that a thanksgiving function would be soon organised by Northeast people of Delhi in July, wherein all CEOs, CMD and MDs of 32 hospitals would be honoured with mementos and letter of appreciation by the central ministers hailing from the Northeast region.
Kerala today asked the Union government to allow the states to devise region-specific criteria for the implementation of various central schemes as common nation-wide criteria creates problems for them.
Kerala Minister for Local Self-Governance (LSG) K T Jaleel, who was here to attend a conference of State Panchayat Raj Ministers and Principal Secretaries, said central schemes with common nation-wide criteria create trouble for state governments during implementation.
"The union government should let states devise region- specific criteria for the implementation of various central schemes as each state differs in geography and climate," the minister said in a statement.
Jaleel also sought more assistance from the Centre to strengthen 'Kudumbashree', a women-empowerment programme in the state.
Kerala had also urged the Centre to open a branch of National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) in the state.
"We have the potential to become an open defecation free (ODF) state soon but need the help from the Centre to achieve this," Jaleel added.
The LSG minister also demanded the Centre provide assistance to develop infrastructure at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) so that it could provide better training to law makers of various other states.
"We have already requested the union government to include 18 cities from the state in the Amrut cities scheme of the union government. As of now, the Centre has included eight cities from the state," the minister said.
What is common among Dewa Shareef in Uttar Pradesh, Ramdevra in Rajasthan and Powa Mecca in Assam?
These are some of the lesser-known shrines revered and frequented by people of all faiths and since ages have been portals of peace, tolerance and harmony.
The Dewa Shareef shrine of Haji Waris Ali Shah in Barabanki, hardly an hour's drive from Lucknow, draws the faithful from across many strands of religion.
"The air around the place is liberal and the word intolerance an abomination. Why else would people leave their religious preferences behind and with baskets full of flowers, sweets and colourful shiny chaddars in their hands and wish in their hearts, make a beeline for the shrine of the Sufi saint," says an article 'The Sufi of Dewa' in the latest issue of Equator Line magazine titled 'Liminality of Faith'.
It is said that Shah never asked his followers to shun their own religion and this is the reason why he had a great number of Hindu followers.
The very first foundation of the shrine was laid by Kanhaiya Lal and many more Hindus came forward after that. Both Hindu and Muslim devotees contributed equally to the monument that it is today.
The Ramdevra shrine, about 12 km from Pokhran, is holy to both Hindus and Muslims.
"Ramdevra, the final resting place of Baba Ramdev, or Ramsha Pir as he is called by Muslims, is probably the only temple in the country with an intriguing assortment of devotees," says another article 'A Syncretic Oasis in Pokhran'.
"One of the most puzzling features of the temple is the
number of mazars inside. There are tiny gravestones representing the graves of children and large ones signifying the graves of adults... These are graves of people who had been close to Baba Ramdev. Among these graves, in the sanctum sanctorum, is the samadhi of the saint himself."
Powa Mecca in Hajo near Assam's main city Guwahati is the seat of Sufi saint Peer Ghiyasuddin Auliya.
"Earth was brought from Mecca to lay the foundation of the masjid. The locals believe that a pilgrim to this shrine earns a quarter of the blessings bestowed on someone performing Haj at Mecca. The place - Powa (quarter) Mecca - has derived its name from this belief. It is indeed significant that Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists all find this place holy and come here for pilgrimage," writes noted Bangladeshi author Selina Hossain in 'Faith Synthesis'.
"More so, they say that the mythical bird Garuda, the carrier of Lord Vishnu, flew off the hill. After flying some distance, it stretched its wings and hovered over the place; it is now called Pakhimela market. A saint named Ourjo also sat in prayer there. The place is said to have been inhabited by the asuras. The most devious among them was Hayasur; his face resembled that of a horse.
"The saint had prayed to Vishnu that the asura be slain so he could pray in peace. Vishnu rode Garuda to defeat the asura in Hajo. This form of Vishnu is now called Haigrib. In a gesture of gratitude, Ourjo established the Haigrib temple here, bonding the two religions forever in an uninterrupted harmony," she writes.
"Faith, unspoiled by outside interventions, has an openness that its seekers find reassuring," says the magazine's editor-in-chief Bhaskar Roy.
The issue also profiles Ajmer and Nizamuddin dargahs, Banke Bihari temple and Bavar Swamy's empty shrine at Sabarimala among other shrines.
Slamming the opposition for "defaming" hard working Punjabis by labelling them as "drug addicts", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today claimed the magnitude of the drug problem in the state was "much less than in many other states of the country".
Forces "inimical to the state" were hell bent on branding Punjabis as "drug addicts" only to portray a "wrong picture" of the state before the country, he said on the sidelines of a Sangat Darshan programme in Rajasansi Assembly segment here.
The Chief Minister said since time immemorial, Punjab had been the "sword arm" and "food bowl" of the country but ignoring this huge contribution of Punjabis, a malicious propaganda has been unleashed by some political parties to label these "patriotic sons of soil as drug addicts".
The SAD-BJP government in Punjab has already tightened the noose around drug peddlers by putting them behind the bars and opening a network of de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in the state, he informed.
Badal said he has urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to treat the Indo-Pak border in the state on par with the border in Jammu and Kashmir to enhance vigil on it to check cross-border infiltration.
He said the terror attacks in Pathankot and Dinanagar (Gurdaspur) have shown that Punjab was on the radar of anti-national forces.
The Chief Minister said the state government was in the process of establishing a "second line of defence" along the border, but the Centre must sanction more funds to modernise the police force in the state.
Badal described the AAP as a "water bubble" which would burst soon.
Regarding an alleged incident of sacrilege in Malerkotla recently, the Chief Minister said some forces, "envious" of Punjab, were repeatedly making attempts to disturb the hard-earned communal harmony, peace and brotherhood in the state.
However, he said the government was committed to crush the ugly head of these forces, adding that the arrests in the incident show the state government was committed to the cause.
Slamming the Congress for its "anti-Punjab" stance, the Chief Minister said the party was "inimical" to the state from day one as it "denied" Punjab of its legitimate territorial rights in terms of capital and share in river waters.
Badal said the state government was making concerted efforts to make the youth aware of the glorious history of Punjab, adding that for the first time, unprecedented steps have been taken to perpetuate the cultural heritage of the state by constructing world class memorials at an expense of more than Rs 1,000 crore.
Madhya Pradesh minister Deepak Joshi today said policymakers should patiently listen to views of children and take inputs from them before formulating schemes for them.
"Children should be given a patient hearing. It is important and democratic to listen to children for making the schemes for them successful," he said.
The Minister of State for School and Higher Education was speaking at a function where a copy of the UNICEF's annual flagship report - State of the World's Children - was released. He also interacted with children.
During the interactive session, Joshi said, he heard the children and issues related to them patiently, and will try to address them.
The UNICEF report points out that poverty, illiteracy and early deaths await world's most disadvantaged children and said making the right choices now will reverse this fate.
It paints a dark picture of what is in store for the world's poorest children if governments, donors, businesses and international organisations do not accelerate efforts to address their needs.
The UN agency also lists the significant progress made in saving children's lives, getting them into school and lifting out of poverty.
"Global under-five mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990, boys and girls attend primary school in equal numbers in 129 countries, and the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide is almost half of what it was in the 1990s."
But this progress has been neither even nor fair. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest, it said.
Nirmala Buch, President, MP Child Rights Observatory, called for imparting quality education. "It is not only about infrastructure in education, we need to look into quality and learning levels of children or else we will be missing out," the former bureaucrat added.
Raghvendra Sharma, Chairman of MP State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said, "we need to engage communities and reach out to children who are getting dropped out of schools."
Manish Mathur, Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF, Madhya Pradesh, said, "We need to specifically focus on reaching the most disadvantaged children first.
The English language may be one of the casualties of as it emerged that no state other than the UK has registered it as a primary language among the 28 countries within the European Union.
English has been the top choice for European Union (EU) institutions but Britain's vote to leave the union last week could trigger a ban on its use.
"We have a regulation where every EU country has the right to notify one official language," Danuta Hubner, the Polish MEP or Member of European Parliament who heads the European Parliament's constitutional affairs committee, told a press conference in Brussels yesterday.
"The Irish have notified Gaelic and the Maltese have notified Maltese, so you have only the UK notifying English," she said in reference to the fact that English is in everyday use in member countries Ireland and Malta.
Hubner said that although English was the "dominant language" used by the EU civil servants and MEPs, in legal terms "if you do not have the UK, you do not have English", 'The Times' reported.
Regulations would have to be changed to retain the language, requiring a unanimous vote from the 27 remaining states.
The EU has 24 official languages but for daily business, the European Commission and council of ministers use English, French and German.
Although English is the most popular foreign language in all but five European countries, French politicians have led calls since the vote for an end to its dominance.
However, the Germans are wary of allowing the French their way.
"We have a series of member states that speak English, and English is the world language which we all accept," said German EU commissioner Gunther Oettinger, before joking that if Scotland was to join separately, it could apply for English as their primary language.
EU documents and legal texts are translated into all 24 official languages of the bloc.
If English were to lose that status, Britons would have to do the translation themselves.
EPFO aims to cover all the workers in the country under provident fund (PF), pension and life insurance by 2030, the retirement fund body said in its vision document.
The vision document prepared by EPFO mentions objectives such as "universal social security coverage on mandatory basis by way of provident fund, pension and life insurance for all workers of the country", the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) said in a statement.
The vision also talks about online services for all EPFO benefits with state-of-the-art technology and best service delivery practices.
Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) V P Joy called a meeting of EPF officers Association and All India EPF Staff Federation yesterday to discuss Vision 2030, it added.
The meeting also dwelt on identifying the requisite organisational changes needed to achieve Vision 2030.
EPFO also seeks to implement policies for a benefit structure with adequate support level of social security, it said.
Joy said that EPFO is implementing the largest social security scheme and is catering to 3.5 crore subscribers.
"There is an immediate need to bring substantial improvement in the working of the EPF offices and to bring an attitudinal change in the employees to deal with issues relating to EPF subscribers," he added.
There is also a need to reduce member's grievances by analysing the causes of grievances and also to settle grievances on a fast-track mode, Joy said.
The Patna High Court today dismissed an appeal filed by former Aurangabad Motor Vehicle Inspector Raghubansh Kunwar challenging the district court's decision to confiscate his properties worth Rs three crore.
As per a release issued by the Vigilance department, the court today upheld the order passed by the Special Vigilance Court(II), Patna for confiscation of Kunwar's properties on October 3, 2013.
In its order, the high court directed the authorities concerned not to confiscate Kunwar's wife Lalita Devi's ornaments of gold and silver worth Rs 2,43,054.
But, it directed the authorities to confiscate the accused and his wife's movable assets worth Rs 35,89,064 and immovable assets, which included two houses built on two separate plots in Patna.
The two properties were estimated to be around Rs three crore, the release said.
Vigilance department's lawyer Ramakant Sharma told PTI that with the dismissal of Kunwar's appeal, decks have been cleared for confiscation of his properties.
A disproportionate assets case was lodged against Kunwar after he was caught red-handed by a Vigilance Bureau team while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a transporter in Aurangabad on September 24, 2008.
The order was issued against former transport department official and his wife under the Bihar Special Courts Act 2009.
The French government is interested in collaborating with Puducherry administration for infrastructural development and academic programmes, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said today.
Talking to reporters after a meeting with the Ambassador designate of France to India Alexandre Ziegler, Narayanasamy said he had highlighted various sectors where collaborative initiatives between France and Puducherry could be taken up.
The French connection that Puducherry has was of help for strengthening the bonds with France, he said, adding France was keen on promoting developmental activities.
A proposal to set up smart city in Puducherry was already discussed with the Centre and this would be a specific area where French help might be available, he said.
The Union Territory Administration has decided to integrate Oulgaret and Puducherry municipalities so that the smart city project could be effectively implemented here.
"We have also sought the cooperation of France in this significant project. We would soon prepare a detailed project report which would be forwarded to the Centre for its nod," he said.
Narayanasamy said during his recent visit to New Delhi, he had requested Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to bring Puducherry under smart city programme.
He said the French Ambassador designate had also expressed interest in promoting academic activities by propagating French language among school children in Puducherry.
The French financial institution -- Agence Francaise de Developement -- had already expressed its readiness to provide Rs 2,100 crore for Puducherry to augment drinking water supply, promote sanitation programmes and other infrastructures, he said.
This amount would be released to the Centre as loan and the central government would make it available to Puducherry as grants, he said.
"Necessary agreement would be inked soon between France and the Centre to implement the project," he said.
External Affairs Minister of France would visit Puducherry in August for discussions with the Puducherry government on framing of various developmental programmes for Puducherry in collaboration with France.
Food regulator FSSAI has asked state authorities to crack down on mineral water packaging units that are operating without its licence.
As many as 75 per cent of the packaging units, owned by various firms, including Pepsico and Bisleri, are said to be operating without an FSSAI licence. These units are operating under a BIS certification.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), however, feels there is no safety or quality concern over the bottled water supplied by these units.
Out of total 5,842 registered water packaging units, 1,495 units have both BIS and FSSAI licences, while 4,347 units have only BIS certification.
"FSSAI regulations require mandatory BIS certification on packaged water. However there is a need for such businesses to obtain FSSAI certification. For which we have already written to the state food commissioners," FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said.
When asked about the quality of the bottled water which are sold without FSSAI licence, he said: "BIS has robust system of ensuring quality of packaged water. There is no issue of safety of packaged water at all, if the packaged water businesses have obtained BIS certification."
Most of the companies have no issues in obtaining FSSAI licence as per the feedback received by the regulator, he added.
Stating that many of the bottlers are not abiding by the law, Agarwal said: "Out of close to 6,000 registered packaged water units in the country, more than 4,300 don't have FSSAI licence, which also include some reputed names, where some of their units may not have food regulator's approval."
According to the regulator data, the units which do not have FSSAI licence include units of Hindustan Coca-cola, Pepsico and Bisleri, among others.
Pepsico sells its packaged water under the brand name Aquafina, Coca-cola sells under the name Kinley, while Bisleri sells under its own name.
When contacted, Pepsico India and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said that they manufacture packaged drinking water under valid licences.
PepsiCo India spokesperson said: "We at PepsiCo strictly adhere to all quality and regulatory norms and all our packaged drinking water is manufactured under valid licences issued by relevant authorities. We have not received any communication from authorities in this regard."
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said that it has all the approvals and permissions, including BIS and FSSAI, to manufacture packaged drinking water for all its 26 factories.
"Our factories are fully compliant with all local regulations and have all the approvals and permissions required to operate these factories," Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said.
"This list of permissions include the BIS and FSSAI approvals for manufacturing packaged drinking water," it said.
"Quality and safety of our products is paramount to us. Kinley is a brand built on consumer trust and love and we will never do anything that contravenes the faith and trust that consumers repose in our products," it added.
A gang of seven dacoits, wielding knives and chopper, today allegedly looted the office of an ATM cash handling company here in the wee hours and decamped with nearly Rs 5 crore, police said.
The incident took place when the dacoits, who had their faces covered with monkey caps and handkerchiefs, barged into the office in Teen Hath Naka area at about 3 AM where 4 to 5 staffers were engaged in counting money, Thane Police spokesperson inspector Sukhada Narkar told PTI.
According to initial reports, the amount was pegged at around Rs 12 crore but after counting of the booty looted, police have estimated a sum of nearly Rs 5 crore.
The dacoits kept the three security guards and staffers at bay at gun-point while some of them stacked off the cash. They had also disconnected the CCTV camera connection before fleeing the spot, the officer said.
According to a complaint lodged by one of the staffers, the accused spoke in Hindi and Marathi and were attired in half-pants, shirts and vests.
Narkar said the company handled cash for bank ATMs, malls and jewellers. At the time of the incident, the cash collected was kept in the office.
After receiving an alert, Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh rushed to the scene. He then handed over the probe to crime branch, Thane unit.
Singh earlier told reporters that the cash was estimated to be around Rs 7 to 8 crore but the exact figure was established after thorough counting.
The accused were carrying knives, a revolver and a chopper. Besides cash, they also looted mobile handsets and CCTV camera recorder worth Rs 40,000, Narkar said.
An offence was lodged under 395 (dacoity), 397 (preparation to commit dacoity), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (2) and relevant sections of Arms Act, she said.
All the accused are at large now and no arrest has been with regard to the incident, police said.
Wanted gangster Kumar Pillai, who was held in Singapore in February and brought here yesterday, was sent to police custody till July 7 by a special court today, police said.
He was produced before MCOCA court that remanded him in police custody, a police statement said.
The 48-year-old Pillai, who heads an organised crime syndicate, was detained by Singapore early this year after Red Corner Notice was issued against him by Interpol in 2012, police said.
Efforts were made to extradite Pillai from Singapore by city's crime branch through proper correspondence and submission of papers.
"Pillai was extradited from Singapore after proper follow-ups at international level by the government of India. The extradition proposal was submitted through India's central agencies," Joint CP (Crime) Sanjay Saxena said.
Though he had left India in 1997, Pillai was operating his organised syndicate from foreign land through his men in the country, police said.
"Pillai had stepped into the organised crime world to take the revenge of his father's death and is believed to have considerable influence in eastern suburbs of Vikhroli and Bhandup, where he used to extort money from builders," another senior official said.
In 2009, Pillai had demanded Rs 50 lakh extortion from a builder in Vikhroli. But when the builder refused to relent, Pillai's associates opened fire to kill him, although the builder escaped, the official said.
Five accused were arrested and three of them got convicted by MCOCA court in 2015 in this case, police said.
Cases of attempt to murder and extortion have been registered against Pillai in Vikhroli and Kanjurmarg police stations, police said.
Crime Branch officials said Pillai, an engineer, used to procure weapons from Sri Lanka's LTTE.
The government has granted more time to developers and units of as many as 18 special economic zones (SEZ), including those of Gulf Oil Corporation and Lanco Solar, for implementation of their projects.
The decision was taken by the Board of Approval (BOA), chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia, in its meeting on June 22.
Gulf Oil Corporation has proposed an IT/ITeS/electronics SEZ in Karnataka.
"The board, after deliberations, extended the validity of the formal approval up to June 17, 2017," the minutes of the BoA meeting said.
The board has also extended the validity of the letter of permission of Lanco Solar, a unit in Lanco Solar SEZ in Chhastisgarh, till June 28, 2017.
The other developers and units which got more time for their projects include Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu, BEML, DLF Info Park (Pune) and Tech Mahindra.
Besides, the BoA deferred four proposals for setting up new SEZs including proposal of Wipro, which had sought the board's nod to set up IT/ITeS zone in Kolkata.
"After deliberations, the board deferred the (Wipro's) proposal as the state government recommendation is awaited," it said.
Exports from special economic zones (SEZs) logged a marginal growth of 0.77 per cent to Rs 4.67 lakh crore in 2015-16. The exports from such 204 zones were worth Rs 4.63 lakh crore in 2014-15.
As per the Commerce Ministry's data, these zones have attracted investment worth Rs 3.76 lakh crore and generated employment to 15.91 lakh people as on March 31.
Most of the SEZs are operational in states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.
Puducherry government would soon introduce a new industrial policy to ensure that the industries were labour intensive in a bid to tackle unemployment among the youth, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said today.
He told reporters here that inputs from the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for framing the policy.
"We will study the features of industrial policies adopted in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana besides the Central government and include these features in our policy," he said after attending a CII meet.
He said Rs 200 crore would be invested on a tool room facility to be set up in Pillaichavady near here under a scheme of the Union Ministry for Medium, Small and Micro Industries.
He further said the Centre had not approved the Special Economic Zone project for Puducherry and hence the site acquired for the project in Sedarapet and Karasur would be used for proposed smart city project.
With the cooperation of the industrialists and CII as a whole, the union territory government would regain the industrial atmosphere seen during 1980s here, he said.
"Industrialists are our ambassadors and we will make use of them to promote industrialisation in Puducherry," he added.
Earlier, during an interaction with the industrialists the Chief Minister and Industries Minister M O H F Shajahan explained the policies of the government in promoting non polluting industries.
Shah Jahan said that food processing industries could be set up making use of the coastal wealth in Puducherry.
Some of the industrialists brought to the notice of the Chief Minister during the interaction 'lack of conducive atmosphere in Puducherry for industries and this had resulted in some of the industries shifting their activities to neighbouring Tamil nadu.
Local Administration Minister A Namassivayam and Welfare Minister M Kandasamy and host of officials of various departments were present.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said Rs 100 crore would be spent for building tourism infrastructure to promote 'Shahr-e-Khaas', the historic Old City in Srinagar as a religious and heritage tourism destination.
"Rs 100 crore out of Rs 80,000 crore from Prime Minister's development package will be spent exclusively for building tourism infrastructure in Shahr-e-Khaas in tune with its distinct cultural and religious heritage," she said while interacting with people during her tour to the city.
Mehbooba said the tourism department has been tasked to formulate a comprehensive proposal in this regard.
"Tourism promotion programme for Shahr-e-Khaas would include development of facilities like parks, parking areas, heritage sites, guest houses, restaurants, libraries, reading rooms, food streets and interpretation centres to attract tourists to the heart of the Srinagar city," she said, adding development of various facilities around revered religious places in the city would also constitute part of the tourism promotion programme.
During the tour, the Chief Minister offered prayers at the shrine of Sufi saint Sultan-ul-Aarifeen Sheikh Hamza Makhdoomi and took stock of the facilities available there for devotees and locals.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the garbage being dumped around the shrine, Mehbooba asked tourism department and the Wakf Board to work for the beautification of the shrine and its premises.
The Chief Minister said she would convene a meeting soon to review wakf board's activities regarding development of shrines and other assets.
She asked district administration of Srinagar to formulate a plan for shifting of illegal settlements from around the Malkhah area, which, according to locals, have become a hub of criminal and anti-social activities.
While visiting Hari Parbhat fort built in 1808 under the reign of Shuja Shah Durrani and pitched on a hillock which gives a birds-eye view of the Srinagar city, Mehbooba called for promoting the area as an exclusive tourist destination.
The Chief Minister also visited Sharika Devi Temple and Gurudwara Chatti Padshahi and interacted with the devotees.
"Despite going through turbulent times in recent past, Jammu and Kashmir continues to stand out as an epitome of brotherhood," Mehbooba said.
"It is heartening to see that many visitors who come here as tourists and adventurers go back as pilgrims after discovering the treasure of spirituality here," she added.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said he will seek low-cost and long-term finance for clean energy projects in his meeting with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim tomorrow.
The meeting is significant against the backdrop of USD 250 billion funding requirements towards India's ambitious target of 175 GW power capacity addition from renewable sources by 2022.
"I am meeting the World Bank chief tomorrow... With the World Bank, I am sure would be talking about how we can engage particularly for renewable energy to get low-cost long tenure funding... There could be many other issues that can come up. Cost of funds could be an issue," he told reporters here.
"World Bank funding these days is quite expensive relative to other funding available, so I will probably flag off cost of funds also," he said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of signing of a tripartite MoU between CSIR-CIMFR (Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research), NTPC and Coal India.
"A committee that has been constituted between NTPC, Coal India and other members has drawn up a complete mechanism on how coal sampling will be done, the procedure for testing the sample, reporting the findings and the necessary impact it will have on the billing, particularly at the loading end," he said.
He further said that in the last two years, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of coal being supplied to consumers.
State-owned NTPC has reported reduction of nearly 20 per cent in the cost of coal, largely by reducing imports of fossil fuel, the minister said, adding that there is an annual savings of around Rs 8,000 crore by the power PSU only in consumption of coal.
Goyal gave some firm assurances on the power availability front, saying there is enough electricity for the next 10 years. "Even if we have no hydro power projects, India will have sufficient power," he added.
Among public sector banks, SBI will be financing the largest capacities of 15,000 mw with an outlay of Rs 75,000 crore followed by IDBI Bank (3,000 mw).
Speaking on the occasion, Science and Technology minister Harsh Vardhan said energy has always been a top priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this MoU marks "a historic moment".
Goyal also said Coal Controller of India has started the process of revisiting coal grades of each coal mine, and 22 mines have been verified till date.
As a part of this MoU, CSIR-CIMFR will make use of its knowledge based support in maintaining quality of coal at national level for the entire power sector.
It is estimated that about 300 mt of coal samples will be analysed for quality per year. The contract value of the project is around Rs 250 crore per annum at minimum.
This project is expected to result in improvement in performance of power plants, besides providing benefits to consumers.
Overturning a trial court judgement, the Gujarat High Court has convicted seven persons for murder in a 2002 post-Godhra riots case in Viramgam town in the district.
The court has asked the seven who have been convicted for murder to appear before it on July 25, when it will pronounce the quantum of sentence to them.
There were total 10 accused in the Viramgam town riot case, out of which the trial court had in 2011 convicted two for murder, four of lesser offences while four others were acquitted.
The High Court also upheld the trial court order convicting two on charges of murder and acquitted another accused Devabhai Samatbhai Bharwad.
With this ruling, a division bench of Justice Harsh Devani and Justice Biren Vaishnav, in a judgement on Monday, has convicted a total of nine persons for murder and acquitted one in the riot case where three people were killed in Viramgam.
The court will pass order on their quantum of sentence on July 25.
The seven who were found guilty of murder by the High court are: Satabhai alias Haider Gela Bharwad, Naranbhai Samantbhai Bharwad, Udaji Ranchhodbhai Thakor, Valabhai Gelabhai Bharwad, Viththal alias Kuchiyo Moti Bharwad, Mulabhai Gelabhai Bharwad and Merabhai Gelabhai Bharwad.
They were convicted for offences under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 325 and 326 (causing grevious hurt) of the IPC.
The case dates back to February 28, 2002, a day after Sabarmati Express train was burnt in Godhra killing 59 kar sevaks, triggering state-wide riots.
A mob of around 40 people had attacked a Muslim locality in Viramgam armed with sharp weapons and tried to demolish a dargah. When Muslim residents tried to prevent them from doing so, they were attacked, leading to the death of three persons.
Dostmmohammad Bhatti, an eyewitness, had sought further investigation in the matter from the High Court before conviction, which in 2010 had directed the then Ahmedabad SP (rural) Sandeep Singh to re-investigate the case.
A 29-year-old man from Gujarat was arrested for allegedly molesting an air hostess onboard a Mumbai-bound flight from Dammam in Saudi Arabia, police said today.
The incident took place yesterday on Jet Airways flight 9W 563, a senior official of Sahar Police Station said.
The accused, identified as Mohamad Ambudkar was travelling from from Saudi Arabia and during the entire journey, he forcefully tried to take selfie with an air hostess, the official said.
Ambudkar, who hails from Gujarat, also smoked cigarette inside the washroom of the aircraft. Upon landing at the city airport here, he was handed over to the police after immigration checks, he said.
Based on a complaint by the air hostess, he has been booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC, and section 25 Aircraft Rules (safety violation).
The accused was produced before a local court here which has sent him to judicial custody, the official said, adding the matter is being investigated further.
Observing that police and other authorities should act with iron hands to bring to book culprits involved in brutal murders of young girls, the Madras High Court today upheld the life sentence awarded to a man who carried out a fatal acid attack on a young woman software engineer in Karaikal in 2012.
Dismissing an appeal by accused Suresh Kumar against his conviction and life imprisonment awarded by Puducherry Additional Sessions Court, a bench, comprising Justice S. Nagamuthu and Justice V Bharathidasan, confirmed the sentence.
The case related to the attak on 23-year old Vinodhini on November 14 at a bus stand in Karaikal in Puducherry by Suresh Kumar who was in one-sided love with her.
The woman, who battled for life after the attack left her face totally disfigured, died 90 days after the incident.
The bench in its order found fault with the trial court for not considering death penalty, saying it ought to have examined the question of sentence elaborately to find out whether the offence committed by the accused falls within the rarest of rate cases as propounded by the Supreme Court so as to impose capital punishment.
Unfortunately, the trial court has not undertaken any such exercise. The Puducherry government also did not appeal challenging the quantum of punishment, hence it was forced to confirm the life sentence, the bench said.
Finding fault with the trial court for 'miserably' failing to recommend compensation under Section 357-A of CrPC, the bench directed Puducherry State Legal Services Authority to award Rs three lakh to the father of the woman.
Vinodhini, employed in a software company in Chennai, was on her way to the bus stand in Karaikal to return after celebrating deepavali the previous day when she came under the acid attack.
Unable to bear the loss of her daughter, mother of Vinodhini committed suicide after the verdict delivered by the trial court on August 20, 2013.
The bench, while referring to the recent murder of another software engineer Swathi in a city railway station, said "even before we could sit to write this judgment, we have heard of a similar incident where yet another girl Swathi has fallen victim of a brutal attack in the Nungambakkam railway station in a broad day light in public view.
"The recurrence of these kinds of brutal murders of young girls, either out of sexual obsession or failure of love or for any other reasons, will tend to create a sense of insecurity among the womenfolk.
"We believe that in order to check recurrence of these kinds of heinous crimes the police and the other authorities in the system should act with iron hands to bring to book the culprits to have speedy trials and to get deterrent punishments," the Judges said.
The Madras High Court today directed Tamil Nadugovernment to submit a report with regard to the installation of CCTV cameras at important places, including railway stations, in the wake of the recent daylight murder of 24-year-old woman IT professional at a city station.
Treating a letter by Justice N Kirubakaran of the court to the Chief Justice as suo motu PIL, a bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, issued the notice to Assistant Solicitor General S Srinivasan, Advocate General A L Somayaji and counsel for Railways P T Ramkumar.
It directed them to examine various issues raised in the letter and file their affidavits in four weeks and posted the matter to August 4 for further hearing.
The bench also asked the government to file a report on bringing a legislation on the lines of Andhra Pradesh Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013, which made it mandatory for private establishments to install CCTV cameras.
In his June 27 letter, Justice Kirubakaran had raised about 15 questions to be answered by the state and central agencies and requested the CJ to take it up as suo motu PIL.
Citing the murder of Infosys emeployee Swathi by an unidentified man on a platform in Nugambakkam railway station here on June 24 in full public view, the Judge said "this incident should be an eye opener and authorities should wake up to address the issue on a war footing."
The gruesome daylight murder had not only sent shock waves among the masses but also exposed the lack of police patrolling and lack of surveillance by CCTV cameras at important places like railway stations, the Judge said.
Stressing the need for several measures to be taken by both the state and central agencies, the Judge said "when nobody comes forward either to report or to give evidence with regard to crimes committed in the midst of people, it is very necessary to use scientific innovations as tool to ensure the safety and security of people."
The suo motu PIL has incorporated all the questions posed by Justice Kirubakaran, such as why scientific advancement with its vast benefits was not fully utilised by the central and state agencies for the benefit of people, especially towards their security, by way of installation of CCTV cameras in important places.
Among other queries raised were regarding the number of places where CCTV cameras were already fixed at important public places and direction to Railway Ministry to pay compensation to the family of Swathi who was waiting to board a train on her way to office around 6.30 AM when she was murdered.
Raising several questions about the manner in which the police handled the case, the high court had yesterday cautioned the government that it would suo motu intervene if there was slackness in the investigation.
Haryana power distribution companies today said they will go ahead with their proposed two-day strike starting tomorrow in protest against outsourcing of operation and maintenance of power sub-divisions as talks between employees and government failed.
"We offered various alternatives to the government in two-round of talks with Transport Minister Krishan Lal Pawar. But the government was adamant on its decision of privatization. They are forcing us to go on strike," President, Haryana State Electricity Board Worker's Union, Kanwar Singh Yadav said here at a press conference after the employees representatives and the government held talks yesterday.
"Around 22,000 employees will go on strike on June 29 and 30 while employees on night-shift will observe the same from 10 PM onwards today," he said, adding if Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar himself intervenes and rolls back the decision of privatization of 23 sub divisions, the strike call can be called-off.
Haryana Joint Action Committee (Power), General Secretary, Subhash Lamba, claimed privatization will not benefit government in anyway.
"It will create financial burden on the government. The government is privatising only those subdivisions, including five sub divisions of Gurgaon, which have minimum line losses and maximum revenue," he said.
Employees have been protesting against government's decision of outsourcing of operation and maintenance of 23 power sub-divisions in the state and removal of 485 contractual employees and purchase of power from private sources.
Besides, they are demanding filling up of 30,000 vacant posts, inquiry into sharp rise in losses and debt of power distribution companies.
Yesterday, the Chief Minister, while appealing to employees to withdraw their strike call, said his government was open to talks to address their grievances.
Earlier, government had invoked Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the state for six months to prevent disruption of power supply.
The strike has been called jointly by All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union and Haryana State Electricity Board Worker's Union.
Scientists, using a new approach to gas exploration, have discovered a huge helium gas field in Tanzania, which could address the increasingly critical shortage of this vital yet rare element.
Helium is critical to many things we take for granted, including MRI scanners in medicine, welding, industrial leak detection and nuclear energy.
However, known reserves are quickly running out. Until now helium has never been found intentionally - being accidentally discovered in small quantities during oil and gas drilling.
Researchers from Oxford and Durham universities in the UK, working with Helium One, a helium exploration company in Norway, has developed a new exploration approach.
The first use of this method has resulted in the discovery of a world-class helium gas field in Tanzania.
The research shows that volcanic activity provides the intense heat necessary to release the gas from ancient, helium-bearing rocks.
Within the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley, volcanoes have released helium from ancient deep rocks and have trapped this helium in shallower gas fields.
"We show that volcanoes in the Rift play an important role in the formation of viable helium reserves. Volcanic activity likely provides the heat necessary to release the helium accumulated in ancient crustal rocks," said Diveena Danabalan, PhD student at the Durham University.
"However, if gas traps are located too close to a given volcano, they run the risk of helium being heavily diluted by volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide, just as we see in thermal springs from the region," Danabalan said.
"We are now working to identify the 'goldilocks-zone' between the ancient crust and the modern volcanoes where the balance between helium release and volcanic dilution is 'just right'," she said.
"We sampled helium gas (and nitrogen) just bubbling out of the ground in the Tanzanian East African Rift valley," said Chris Ballentine, Professor at the University of Oxford.
"By combining our understanding of helium geochemistry with seismic images of gas trapping structures, independent experts have calculated a probable resource of 54 Billion Cubic Feet (BCf) in just one part of the rift valley," Ballentine said.
"This is enough to fill over 1.2 million medical MRI scanners," he said.
"The impact of this and expected future helium discoveries will secure supply for the medical scanning and other industries," said Jon Gluyas, professor at Durham University.
"We can apply this same strategy to other parts of the world with a similar geological history to find new helium resources," said Pete Barry, from University of Oxford.
"We have linked the importance of volcanic activity for helium release with the presence of potential trapping structures and this study represents another step towards creating a viable model for helium exploration," Barry said.
India is likely to go in for a government-to-government deal with Germany for heavyweight torpedos after having scrapped plans to purchase them from a subsidiary of chopper scam-tainted Italian defence conglomerate Finmeccanica.
Defence sources said the government had written to various countries looking for options.
The two torpedos that were of interest were F21 from France and SeaHake from Germany's Atlas Elektronik.
Sources said the French wrote back saying they are willing to provide F21 but only for French submarines or those built with French help.
This meant that in case the French don't make the cut in future submarine contracts with India, the government will have to look for options.
As per the plans, the torpedos that were to be fitted on the six under-construction Scorpene submarines being built in collaboration with France's DCNS, would have eventually made it into the next project called P75 I and others.
Torpedoes are self-propelled weapons with explosives packed in their nose and are submarine's primary weapon.
All alternatives are being worked out since we will not be going in for the Italian torpedos, defence sources said, adding, Atlas Elektronik is the front-runner.
The ministry had carried out a detailed study looking into various options before deciding to scrap the plans to procure Black Shark torpedoes, made by Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), a subsidiary of Finmeccanica.
The company had emerged the lowest bidder during the UPA era to arm the Scorpene submarines the first of which will be handed over to the Navy by September this year.
However, the proposal to acquire it had been stuck for long time. Various controversies surrounded the deal which former Defence Minister A K Antony had not signed on.
The deal eventually got embroiled in the VVIP chopper scandal, sources said.
The Navy had been pushing for it citing "operational necessity".
A top American Senator has asked the Obama Administration to discontinue issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to citizens from 23 countries, including India and China, alleging that these nations are non-cooperative in taking back illegal from the US.
Republican Senator Senate Chuck Grassley in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the Obama Administration has failed to use authority "to hold accountable those countries that won't take back their own citizens who have been ordered removed from the US."
He said this has allowed thousands of criminals to be released into US communities.
"Many times, these individuals have criminal histories in addition to entering the country illegally or overstaying their visa," Grassley said.
"Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back," he said in the letter.
In fiscal year 2015 alone, 2,166 individuals were released in the US because of this decision and the non-cooperation from recalcitrant countries; more than 6,100 were released in the preceding two years, Grassley, who is the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman said.
Currently, 23 countries are labelled by the US as uncooperative, with the top five most recalcitrant countries being Cuba, China, Somalia, India, and Ghana, Grassley said.
In addition, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is monitoring another 62 nations where cooperation is strained, but which are not yet deemed recalcitrant.
In the letter to Johnson, Grassley reminded him that, Congress addressed this problem when it enacted section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
"Under section 243(d), the Secretary of State is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a country upon receiving notice from you that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, or resident of that country," he said.
"This tool has been used only once, in the case of Guyana in 2001, where it had an immediate effect, resulting in obtaining cooperation from Guyana within two months," Grassley said.
As India and Pakistan moved a step closer to join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an official Chinese daily today raised concerns that their "territorial and religious" disputes may disturb the bloc's functioning and shift its focus.
"Generally, including new members can help the SCO expand its clout. But the inclusion of the two South Asian powers might also lead to some problems," an article in the state-run Global Times said today.
"First of all, the inclusion may have an impact on the SCO's principle of consultation-based consensus. The principle of consultation-based consensus has been widely recognised and adhered to by the members," it said.
"In this sense, the inclusion of India and Pakistan may bring into the SCO their long-existing disputes over territorial and religious issues and disturb the organisation's efforts to carry out the principle," it said.
"For the possible problems that may arise after India and Pakistan become full members, the SCO cannot just ignore but instead deal with them in a positive and rational manner," it said.
The daily underlined that SCO founding members should be given some special rights to dispel their concerns caused by the expansion.
"Requirements can be proposed to the new members in terms of mechanism-building so as to avoid cooperation bottleneck after the expansion," it said.
Today's article, second in the daily in recent weeks, said the inclusion of India and Pakistan may divert the focus of the SCO.
"As four out of six founding members of the SCO are in Central Asia, the SCO has always concentrated on the region. But the joining of India and Pakistan may split the focus of the SCO, and hence the four Central Asian members will reduce their dependence on the SCO," it said.
"Moreover, giving full memberships to India and Pakistan will affect the SCO mechanism. The working languages of the SCO are now Chinese and Russian, and there has already been massive language workload in current meeting mechanisms. If India and Pakistan are taken in, the organisation's daily work is likely to increase exponentially," it said.
But at the same time it said "the inclusion of India and Pakistan will undoubtedly enhance the influence of the SCO, and the member states also highly value and support the wills of observers and dialogue partners to step up their cooperation with the organisation," it said.
India and Pakistan last week signed Memorandum of Obligations to join the six-member organisation at the Tashkent summit as part of lengthy process to join the grouping.
The SCO formally decided to admit the two countries in Ufa summit last year but the Indian officials say the process of admission is still continuing as both the countries have to ratify all the documents of the group since it was founded in 2001.
SCO, focussing mostly security related issues like terrorism in Central Asia, has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.
Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status.
India's garment export is expected to rise to USD 20 billion during the current fiscal, helped by the new initiatives announced by the government for the sector, an industry official said today.
The Union Cabinet last week approved a Rs 6,000 crore package for textiles and apparel sector with an aim to create one crore new jobs in three years and attract investments of USD 11 billion with an eye on USD 30 billion in exports.
"India's garment exports, estimated at USD 16.80 billion now, is expected to reach USD 20 billion during the current fiscal. The special package announced by the government will not only help in attracting large investments but also enhance production capacity," Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) president Rahul Mehta told reporters here.
The inclusion of state-level taxes in the computation of duty drawback will provide a major relief to the exporting segment, Mehta said.
However, the prevailing downturn in the global economy continues to adversely impact India's garment industry. During the first quarter ended June 2016, the industry may see a five per cent decline in exports. Total exports of apparel from India stood at around USD 4 billion in April-June 2015.
The domestic garment industry also faces dull market conditions and may see flat growth or a two per cent decline in consumption in the quarter ended June, 2016, Mehta said.
CMAI is organising a mega trade show - 'The National Garment Fair' - on July 13-15 in Mumbai. The event will see participation from 812 brands and nearly 40,000 retailers from across the country are expected to visit the three-day B2B fair, Mehta said.
Commenting on Britain's exit from EU, Mehta said there may not be an immediate fallout of the referendum on the business front, but there could be a period of uncertainty and confusion for some time.
He said there may not be any dramatic impact on India's garment exports to the UK or EU. However, a lot would depend on the exact agreements and treaties to be worked out by both sides, especially on tax implication on movement of goods between the two geographies.
Mehta demanded aggressive follow-up for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with EU and other countries. Post-Brexit, he felt, there could be a further delay in the signing of the FTA with EU.
The apparel industry also sees huge export potential in Iran, which has a USD 16-billion market and nearly 60 per cent of the demand is met through imports, he added.
The monetary policy is expected to be more focused on mitigating liquidity tightness through open market operations in the eventuality of capital outflows
Britains exit from the European Union (Brexit) is likely to have an adverse impact on Indias growth with gross domestic product (GDP) expected to decline by up to 60 basis points in a high-stress scenario within the next two years, Morgan Stanley on Tuesday said in a report.
According to the global financial services major, with the UKs referendum to leave the European Union, the impact on would be through trade and financial channels. However, it noted that owing to lower direct exposure in terms of exports to the UK, the Brexit impact would be "less" as compared to other more open economies in the region.
In a medium-stress scenario, we expect downside of 10-20 bp to GDP growth in the next two years, while in a high-stress scenario, we expect downside of 30-60bp to GDP growth, Morgan Stanley said. In terms of policy response to the situation, Morgan Stanley said it expects the monetary policy to be more focused on mitigating liquidity tightness through open market operations (purchase of government securities) in the eventuality of capital outflows.
Given that overall fiscal policy stance remains slightly expansionary, we do not expect any major change in fiscal policy by the government, it added. On the upside, the report noted that several indicators have pointed towards broadening of the country's economic recovery on account of pickup in discretionary consumption following the improvement in public capital expenditure and foreign direct investment flows, which remain strong. The pick-up in consumption is of particular significance given that discretionary consumption has been on a weak trend since mid-2012, the report said.
Retail loan growth, petrol consumption, air passengers flown and consumer durables production have shown an improving trend over the last four months, indicating a pick-up in discretionary consumption, it added. Moreover, there has been a pick up in two-wheeler sales as well as improvement in steel and cement demand reflecting a rise in infrastructure related activity, among others. On private capex, the report said there would be an initial period wherein capacity utilisation levels would rise as consumption demand picks up as well as an improvement in corporate profitability.
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani today said for the first time Indian educational institutions were allowed to tie up with foreign institutions for under-graduate courses.
"For the first time in the history of our country, the government of India has allowed our institutions to tie up with foreign institutions for degree programmes for under graduate courses," Irani said in the fourth convocation of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, at Mohanpur campus in Nadia district.
The students now have the choice in doing two semesters in foreign institution in under graduate courses and also one semester in post graduate courses, she said.
The students will get certificate where the name of parent and foreign institutions would be mentioned, the minister said.
In his speech, West Bengal Governor K N Tripathy said it was satisfying to note that the country had huge talents in science which was playing the pivotal role in the global development.
A total of 122 students were awarded degrees in the convocation.
A 31-year-old Indian-origin web manager charged with siphoning off nearly 100,000 pounds from his boss' firm is facing jail in the UK.
Gaurav Sachan, who worked as digital head for home improvement firm Alison At Home, pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position and was today released on bail to appear before Southwark Crown Court in London next month.
Gaurav is accused of stealing 91,568 pounds from celebrity interior designer Alison Cork.
The fraud occurred between March and December 2014 by moving cash via PayPal accounts, 'Evening Standard' reported.
Gaurav helped divert the funds into someone else's accountby altering the account details held in the firm's name.
Prosecutors accepted his guilty plea ahead of a proposed trial this week and Gaurav will now be sentenced on July 25.
Another accounts manager at the business was jailed in February last year for stealing 23,000 pounds from the company.
Abeyomi Ogunagbadaro, 45, was given a 16-month sentence for embezzling the cash and then laundering it via two of his friends' bank accounts.
Ogunagbadaro had been sacked after only two months back in 2014 for poor performance but his fraud only came to light once he had left the firm.
Alison Cork, who launched the home improvement business in 2012, is a well-known interior designer and also appears on television makeover shows in the UK.
Indo-Nepal relations are back on track after bilateral ties were strained following the promulgation of a new Constitution that sparked violent protests by Madhesis, foreign policy experts said today.
Nepal and India both should maintain a smooth and cordial relations as there are no other options available for both the neighbours, said Rajan Bhattarai, foreign policy expert and CPN-UML lawmaker.
"We must establish a good and working relations with India for ensuring smooth supply of essential goods as well for moving towards economic prosperity," Bhattarai said talking to reporters at an interaction programme here.
Bhattarai is also one of the members of the Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) from the Nepalese side.
The first meeting of the EPG is scheduled to take place on July 4-5 in Kathmandu.
There are four members from each side in the group.
The meeting will review the entire gamut of Nepal-India relations, discuss ways to improve relations and also find out ways to expedite the works of various bilateral mechanisms formed between the two countries.
"Nepalese people had suffered a lot due to the economic blockade and the devastating earthquake last year and now I think that the relations have returned to the normal and it has also started showing improvements in the new context," Bhattarai said.
"The regular meetings of various bilateral mechanisms are taking place and the gap in the relations have been narrowing down," he added.
Officials of both the countries are working on preparing ground for exchange of high level visits between the two countries, he pointed out.
India's ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae recently said that exchange of visits by presidents of the two countries are on the card, though dates are not yet fixed.
Former Nepalese ambassador to India Dip Kumar Upadhyaya said that China cannot be an alternative to India for Nepal, so far as the supply of essentials commodities and economic cooperation are concerned.
Nepal turned to China for the supply of essentials as an immediate relief during the border obstructions, but China cannot solve our problem in the long run, he said.
Indonesia's parliament today passed a tax amnesty bill in a bid to give Southeast Asia's top economy a multi-billion-dollar boost, defying criticism the move will let evaders off the hook.
The government believes the amnesty can bring in 165 trillion rupiah ($12.4 billion) of additional revenue this year by offering low rates to those who come forward to declare untaxed wealth.
Wealthy Indonesians have long chosen to stash billions of dollars abroad, particularly in neighbouring city-state Singapore, to keep it out of reach of the taxman.
All but one of the 10 political parties in the legislature backed the controversial measure, which has been repeatedly delayed due to months of wrangling between lawmakers.
"With this tax amnesty law, we hope to attract overseas capital belonging to Indonesians," Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro told parliament after the bill passed.
Repatriated capital would "enter Indonesia's financial system and boost economic growth", he added.
President Joko Widodo is desperate for extra money to fund infrastructure projects as investment falls due to a slowing global economy, and the government believes improving its historically poor tax revenues will help.
Only 30 million Indonesians are registered taxpayers out of 90 million registered workers, and the country collects less tax as a proportion of GDP than many countries in Southeast Asia.
But the bill has faced criticism from political parties and among the public who believe it means people who have evaded tax will go unpunished, and that it is unfair to those who have honestly paid their taxes.
"The tax amnesty bill is extraordinarily offensive to our sense of justice - it turns criminals into good guys," lawmaker Yandri Susanto of National Mandate Party told parliament.
His party eventually backed the bill. The Prosperous Justice Party, an Islamist party, was the only one in parliament that did not support the measure.
People who come forward with their untaxed wealth at home and abroad will be offered a rate of between two percent and 10 per cent, far below the 30 per cent top income tax rate for individuals.
Under the amnesty, those wishing to declare their untaxed wealth will have until March 2017 to do so. An individual can get better rates by reporting earlier, and by agreeing to send their money back to Indonesia.
A jailor and a jail warden have been suspended for negligence in connection with violence in district jail here in which a prisoner was allegedly beaten to death and another injured by other inmates.
Prison administration yesterday suspendedJailor Satish Tripathi and Jail Warden Subhash Kumar of the district jail. C P Tripathi has been posted as the jailor for a month, Jail Superintendent Rakesh Singh said.
34-year-old Chanderhas was beaten to death and another inmate was injured in an attack by other prisoners in the district jail here on June 23.
Police have booked four inmates in connection with this case.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for "transparency" in the upcoming trial of 48 suspects who stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January.
Rouhani said today that Iranian people are looking to see how the country's judiciary will handle the case of those who ransacked the missions.
Rouhani also reiterated his earlier remarks that the attack went against Iranian laws. The trial is due next week. The comments clearly seek to draw attention to the case and could reflect Rouhani's attempts for rapprochement with the Sunni kingdom.
Angry Iranians attacked the Saudi missions after Riyadh executed a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric, prompting the kingdom to sever diplomatic ties with the Shiite Iran.
Relations between the two regional powers have since been frayed.
An Iraqi court has dealt a blow to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to replace a cabinet dominated by entrenched political parties, invalidating the session that approved new ministers.
But it also settled the issue of whether parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi retains his job -- a question that had resulted in two rival claimants to the position -- by scrapping another session at which lawmakers voted to sack him.
The sessions were held during a chaotic month for Iraqi politics in which lawmakers failed to approve all but a handful of new ministers proposed by Abadi, angering protesters who eventually stormed parliament.
With the ruling, the court effectively turns back the Iraqi political clock to the pre-April status quo: no new ministers have been approved, and Juburi is confirmed in his position.
"The federal court decided to invalidate the parliamentary sessions of April 14 and 26," higher judicial council spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar said in a statement today.
The first session, at which lawmakers voted to sack Juburi, lacked the necessary quorum, with only 131 MPs present, a judicial official said.
The second, in which lawmakers voted to accept some of Abadi's cabinet nominees, took place in an atmosphere "inconsistent with freedom of opinion" as guards entered the session and some MPs were prevented from attending, the official said.
Abadi has pushed for Iraq's current party-affiliated cabinet to be replaced by technocrats, but has faced significant opposition from powerful political forces that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr organised demonstrations calling for a government of technocrats, and his supporters have breached the fortified Green Zone area, where the government is headquartered, multiple times in recent months.
Sadr halted the protests for the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, but has called for a major demonstration after it ends next week, which will increase pressure for the fractious parliament to take action.
The political chaos has paralysed parliament at a time when Iraq faces a slew of challenges, including a war against the Islamic State jihadist group, an economic crisis caused by slumping oil prices, and abysmal public services that have long angered citizens.
Janata Dal-United (JD(U)) today launched the party's membership drive here.
"We have launched membership drive here in Jammu, aiming to enlist secular and youth member of the region into party fold", Afaq Ahmed, All India general secretary Janata Dal-United told reporters here.
"People are searching for an alternative of ruling PDP-BJP as both the parties compromised their core ideology and formed government only for chair while the main problems of people in Jammu as well as Kashmir remained unattended," he said.
State JD-U president G M Shaheen praised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for banning alcohol in the state.
He said that liquor was responsible for many crimes and road accidents and following the example of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir should also ban liquor in the state.
Fifteen troops have been killed and over 60 injured in half-a-dozen militant attacks on convoys or road opening parties of central security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in the last one year.
As per a Home Ministry report, militants have attacked security forces with precision in the last one year. Despite launching only six such hits, they inflicted fatal injuries on 15 soldiers from BSF and CRPF while injuring 63 of them.
In all these cases, there was an element of surprise as the militants targeted the convoys that have remained vulnerable while they travel within the state, unleashing heavy fire from automatic weapons, it said.
The report also suggested that security agencies, as per an intelligence assessment, fear that attacks like the last week's ambush of a CRPF convoy in the Valley could see an upward trend in the coming months.
A total of four terrorists were killed by the security forces as part of their retaliatory action after the strikes during the said period, the report said.
The Border Security Force lost two of its men when militants targeted their bus in Udhampur district in August last year followed by a similar assault on a CRPF contingent in Bijbehara where 5 personnel got injured.
The militants targeted a Central Reserve Police Force convoy at Pampore in February this year killing 2 men of the paramilitary and injuring eight others.
Similarly, on June 3, militants ambushed a BSF party in Bijbehara in Anantnag district when they were on a routine movement killing three troopers.
Nine BSF men were injured in this attack.
On June 13, a lone militant targeted a security force picket in Karal nullah area of Udhampur district. Prompt response from the CRPF troops neutralised him but not before he had killed three people including a civilian.
The last in the series was the attack on the CRPF bus in Pampore on June 25 where two terrorists killed eight personnel and injured 22.
Meanwhile, security forces have now decided to "tweak" their standard operating procedures in the wake of these incidents, with the CRPF declaring that they will provide an enhanced bullet-proof security cover to its men travelling in convoys.
The efforts include providing armour plates to vehicles, using mine protected vans after withdrawing them for anti-Naxal operations to other states and increasing the use of bullet-proof jackets by troops.
CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad had yesterday said the force will enhance vehicle checks in the Valley in coordination with JK police to identify terrorists travelling undercover, well in time.
A day after judges K Ravinder Reddy and V Vara Prasad were suspended by the Hyderabad High Court on disciplinary grounds, lawyers at Warangal today vandalised a local court and tried to assault K V Narsimhulu, additional district and sessions judge.
The HC took the action after the judges of lower courts in Telangana launched agitation against provisional list of allocation of judicial officers between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The lawyers of Warangal bar association today shouted slogans, asking the sessions judge to shift out of Telangana.
As per the call given by the Telangana Bar Association, Warangal Bar Association boycotted the courts.
Slogans slamming the Union Law Minister and demanding separate High Court for Telangana were raised.
Subedari police at Warangal filed a case against general secretary T Venkata Ramana and vice president Allam Naga Raju of Warangal Bar Association and six others for rioting and other offences.
In a move that may trigger another round of tussle between the Centre and the AAP dispensation, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has asked the Delhi government to immediately withdraw its notification to appoint panels of advocates-on-record and arguing counsel for the Supreme Court.
The Lt Governor's direction came after the Ministry of Home Affairs declared "illegal" the Arvind Kejriwal government's notification.
In a communication to the government, Jung has directed it to immediately withdraw its notification on the appointment of panel of advocates-on-record and arguing counsel as the city administration did not follow laid-down procedures.
The LG office asked the government to comply with the MHA orders in this regard.
Last December, AAP government had issued theorder on appointment of three advocates-on-record and 12 advocates for the arguing panel of the Supreme Court.
The order had stated that advocate-on-record shall be paid a fixed remuneration of Rs 90,000 per month.
It had further said advocates-on-record may also be paid drafting fee of Rs 7,500 for each case.
Concerned over crash in domestic arecanut prices, senior BJP leaders from Karnataka including Union Minister Ananth Kumar today demanded ban on imports to curb shipment of poor quality commodity from neighbouring countries and protect farmers' income.
With Karnataka being a leading producer of arecanut, growers' association KRASSSM today met senior BJP leaders from the state to discuss the problems faced by the farmers in view of low quality arecanut imports from neighbouring countries that has resulted in over 70 per cent drop in domestic prices.
Minister of State for Heavy Industries G M Siddeshwara, BJP's Karnataka unit president B S Yeddyurappa were present in the meeting held at Fertiliser Minister Ananth Kumar's residence. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the state was also present.
"We have discussed in detail with the Commerce Minister regarding the severe crisis faced by arecanut growers not only in Karnataka but all over the country. Suddenly, prices of arecanut have crashed. We have demanded ban on imports," Kumar told reporters after the meeting.
In a representation made to the Commerce Minister, Shimoga-based Karnataka Rajya Adike Sahakara Sangagala Sahakara Mahamandala (KRASSSM) has sought immediate ban on imports and levy tax on pan masala makers based on production and not on machine.
"India grows very high quality arecanut. But arecanut dumped into India is of very low quality. This should be banned. ...I have requested Sitharaman that there should be immediate relief to arecanut growers," the Union Fertiliser Minister said.
The Commerce Minister has assured that she would work out a formula to provide assistance and relief to growers of Karnataka and other states, he added.
There is a "huge crisis" as arecanut rates have dropped below Rs 22,000/quintal in 2016 from Rs 80,000/quintal last year. Moreover, import of low quality arecanut from neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh has aggravated the problem, Kumar said.
Raising similar concerns, Siddeshwara said the rise in domestic output of arecanut coupled with growing imports even at higher customs duty has led to crash in domestic rates.
There is a need to restrict imports to protect the domestic growers, who are estimated to have harvested 8,00,000 tonnes in 2015, which is higher by 2,00,000 tonnes from previous year, he said.
He also urged farmers not to focus on one crop and instead diversify to banana, cocoa and other crops in such situation.
Asserting that farmers should get right price for their produce, BJP's Karnataka unit President B S Yeddyurappa said that the government should ban imports and provide immediate relief to domestic growers who are not able to sell their produce at lower rate.
The country's domestic output was 8 lakh tonnes in 2015 against the annual requirement of 12 lakh tonnes. Karnataka produces the country's 60 per cent of arecanut.
A police team from Karnataka has recorded the statement of the Dalit nursing student, a victim of ragging now undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital here, police said today.
Nineteen-year-old Aswathi was allegedly force-fed toilet cleaner by her seniors at the hostel of Al Qamal College of Nursing in Kalaburgi in Karnataka on May 9, seriously damaging her internal organs.
She was admitted to a private college in Kalaburgi after the incident, but as her condition worsened after five days, she was sent back home with another Keralite student.
She was then admitted to Thrissur Medical College Hospital in Kerala, after which she was referred to KMCH on June 2.
It took several hours for the team, led by Kalaburgi DSP Jhanvi to record her statement yesterday as she experienced breathing problems and vomiting, Sub Inspector of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) police station, Habib said.
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.
Quoting hospital sources, Habib said it would take at least six months for the girl to recover.
Based on her statement, the city police had on June 22 registered an FIR against five of her seniors and a copy it was sent to Kalaburgi Police Commissioner for further investigation.
Cases under various sections of IPC, including 307 (attempt to murder), 36 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 346 (wrongful confinement in secret) and various sections of SC, ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act were registered against the senior students. The case has been transfered to Gulbarga University police station for investigation.
The Karnataka Police had on June 24 arrested three senior students of the nursing college in connection with the incident.
The Women's Commission had earlier sent a letter to the Karnataka Women's Commission, urging it to intervene in the matter and "take right action on the incident in which the girl was brutally harassed in the name of ragging".
KWC Chairperson Rosa Kutty had also spoke to her Karnataka counterpart.
Karnataka and Germany's Bavaria have signed a joint declaration ofintent to intensify police cooperation between the two states.
The declaration was signed between the BavarianMinistry of Interior for Building and Transport and theKarnataka Home Department during the visitof a delegation lead by Home Minister G Parameshwara to the German state.
Both ministries have intended to cooperate by exchangeof experience in police tasks with regard to public securityand order, especially in fields of safe city planning and development, citizen-friendly policing, establishment of safe cities jointly with stakeholders including civil society.
Also, victim protection, especially protection of women and children; cooperation between police, justice and civil society organisations; traffic security; cyber crime and technologies for crime fighting; basic and advanced police training are covered under the tie-up, a copy of the declaration released to the media here said.
The document of joint declaration of intent signed between Parameshwara and Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian State Minister of the interior for Building and Transport in Munich on June 20, said that the cooperation will be carried out mainly through the engagement of experts, information visits and capacity building measures like workshopsm, seminars and conferences.
The declaration of willingness is in continuation tothe existing MoU between the two governments signed on April 2,2007.
Kerala has backed out of its commitment to support the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers Amit Mitra said today.
"Finance Minister of Kerala Thomas Issac had supported the bill in the recent meeting held in the city, but now they said they were trying to arrive at a consensus," Mitra, who is also the West Bengal's finance minister told the State Assembly.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, he said that looking for consensus meant things were in 'doldrums'.
He alleged that there was a state of complete contradiction and confusion in the Left Front on the issue.
In the June 14 meeting of the empowered committee of the state finance ministers, all states except Tamil Nadu had agreed to support the GST Bill.
The BJP government was confident of clearing the bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the draft GST bill had also been circulated for public comments.
The revenue department and the state finance ministers
are already in discussion with the trade and industry chambers and other stake holders over the model GST law.
The Empowered Committee of state finance ministers will meet industry chambers on August 30 to understand their concerns about the new indirect tax regime.
The CGST and IGST will be drafted on the basis of the model GST law. The states will draft their respective State GST (SGST) laws with minor variation incorporating state-based exemption. The IGST law would deal with inter-state movement of goods and services.
The body of a kidnapped boy was found at Kaliachak in Malda district today triggering mob protest in which two policemen were injured.
A police officer said as a force went to lift the blockade on NH-34 by a mob which was protesting the death of 14-year-old Sabir Momin, the cops were greeted with brickbats.
Two policemen sustained injuries in the brickbatting but discharged after being treated at local health centre, the officer informed.
Momin, student of class VII in a local school went missing yesterday and his body, bearing marks of torture, was found from a nearby mango orchard falling under Nouda-Jadupur gram panchayat under Kaliachak block this morning, police said.
Deceased's father Ibrahim Momin claimed his son was kidnapped yesterday and was a victim of rivalry between two gangs in the area.
The blockade, which went on for over three hours, was lifted after a strong police contingent went to the area and local political leaders persuaded the mob.
A section of locals claimed that the stretch in Kaliachak area, adjacent to arterial NH-34, had been witnessing armed skirmishes between the two gangs - owing allegiance to one Gokul Seikh and Jakir Seikh - in the area for turf control.
Both the gangs enjoyed political patronage of different parties, the locals alleged.
Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) has bagged the CMO Asia National Award for thebest In-house magazine, for its Healthcare Magazine, 'KIMS Expressions'.
'KIMS Expressions' is a quarterly magazine, which deliberates on various health matters and social issues, and is brought out by KIMS hospitals.
Doctors and the staff from the various centres of KIMS in Kerala and the GCC contribute to its content.
Earlier, the magazine had won the NIB Award, constituted by Press Relations Council of India for the Best Content among health care magazines in India, a KIMS press release said here today.
The magazine is being brought out since the inception of the KIMS Hospital in 2002.
Jayaram Das and Hilal from the Editorial Board received the award at a function organized by CMO Asia in Mumbai recently.
Actress Kriti Sanon has denied reports of vacationing with "Raabta" co-star Sushant Singh Rajput in Thailand, insisting she is at home with her sister.
There were reports that Sushant and Kriti were holidaying in Thailand as they were in the South East Asian country together to train in mixed martial arts for their upcoming film "Raabta".
The 25-year-old "Dilwale" actress took to Twitter to wonder who is her lookalike when she is spending time with her sister at home.
"@pinkvilla Having Chai at home with my Lovebird @NupurSanon !! Who's my look-alike holidaying in Thailand???," she wrote along with a puzzled picture of her and sister.
Post Sushant's breakup with his long-time girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, the actor and Kriti are often being romantically linked.
Lawyers of the Madras High Court today commenced an indefinite boycott of courts protesting the recent amendments to the rules under the Advocates Act even as the Registrar General announced the constitution of a five-judge committee to look into their objections.
The Madras High Court Advocates Association yesterday decided to abstain indefinitely from all courts and tribunals from today demanding unconditional withdrawal of recently amended rules to the Advocates Act, which among others provided for disciplinary action against erring lawyers.
In the principal seat of the court here several lawyers attended the court in the morning session. In the afternoon, some advocates sans their robes were seen present in courts.
The MHAA, however, claimed that its call for abstaining from the court was successful.
A report from Madurai said MHAA members boycotted the courts in the high court bench there.
Association leader Shaji Sellam, who led a demonstration in the court complex, said they would not agree to any amendment to the rules and they should be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, Registrar General of the high court told reporters that the five-judge committee had been set up in pursuant to the resolutions passed in the Full Court Meeting held on June 16.
The committee would suggest necessary, modifications/ amendments to the latest rules that were framed under section 34(1) of Advocates Act.
Justices S Manikumar, S Nagamuthu, Rajiv Shakdher, M M Sundresh and P N Prakash are the members of the committee and would hear the representatives of Bar after due notice, the top court official said.
The Full Court meeting held in the wake of reservations expressed by various bar associations, including district bodies, decided that suggestions so submitted by the bar be examined by the committee.
It was also assured then by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul to the representatives of the Bar Council and the bar associations that pending examination of the rules, no precipitate action will be taken against advocates.
Lebanese troops raided makeshift refugee camps near a predominantly Christian village on the border with Syria today a day after two waves of suicide attacks.
But Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq said the attackers who carried out yesterday's violence had come from inside Syria, not refugee settlements nearby.
"We are worried that there are more terrorists, so the Lebanese army is searching the area," said Bashir Matar, mayor of Al-Qaa, which lies in a hilly border area shaken by violence since the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.
Five people were killed and 15 wounded when four suicide bombers attacked the village before dawn yesterday.
A second wave of attacks hit Al-Qaa yesterday night. Another four suicide bombers wounded 13 people.
Al-Qaa lies on a main road linking the Syrian town of Al-Qusayr to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley.
Its 3,000 residents are predominantly Christian, but the Masharia Al-Qaa district is home to Sunni Muslims and some 30,000 Syrian refugees live in a makeshift camp on the edge of the village.
"The army has deployed a large force to Masharia Al-Qaa and is carrying out widespread searches in the displacement camps, looking for weapons or wanted people," the state National Agency reported.
In televised comments from Al-Qaa today, the interior minister said a preliminary investigation indicated that "the suicide attackers came from Syria, not from the (refugee) tents."
Residents also took to the streets with their own weapons in an apparent show of force, an AFP journalist reported.
"The whole village is mobilising. Everyone -- men and women -- are sitting in front of their homes to protect them after the terror that we lived yesterday," said local official Mansur Saad.
One man with silver-grey hair and clad in a black vest poured himself a small cup of coffee, his assault rifle lying in his lap.
Several women strolled through the street and posed in front of cameras, smiling and gingerly carrying weapons.
"We haven't been scared or terrified like that in our whole lives," said resident Yola Saad.
"All the guys from the village came out with their guns to protect their neighbourhoods," she added.
Prime Minister Tamam Salam urged residents not to take up arms and to leave the military work to the security forces.
Chinese smart devices firm LeEco today said it received orders for 61,000 units of smartphones worth Rs 78.6 crore in an online flash sale during the day, calling it an 'industry record'.
"We have received orders for 61,000 units amounting to sales value of Rs 78.6 crore in one day. This is industry record. With this flash sale, we have crossed sales of 7 lakh units in just 5 months," LeEco India Smart Electronics COO Atul Jain told PTI.
The company today opened sale of its two smartphones, Le 2 and Le Max 2 online and received orders for 61,000 units. About 82 per cent of the total order was received for Le 2 and the rest was for Le Max 2.
LeEco started selling its 4G smartphones in India from February this year.
Both phones are built on Qualcomm chipsets.
"We are the first company to open flash sale of two devices having premium Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset on single day. We also gave away free CDLA earphone worth Rs 1,990 to all Le 2 and Le Max2 buyers. It is our proprietary technology on which we have invested Rs 20 crore," Jain said.
Both phones include a one-year LeEco membership worth Rs 4,900 that gives their users access to over 2000 movies, combining Bollywood and Hollywood and over 150 live channels.
The unprecedented responses from buyers were expected
given four compelling reasons LeEco brought to the smartphone market in India: lossless music with CDLA standard, Supertainment with a complete content ecosystem and membership program, stylish design and unprecedented features with cool technologies, and all these three coming at a disruptive price offer by LeEco.
The record-making numbers of more than 61,000 orders received from buyers only vindicates the point that LeEco's Superphones popularity has been soaring in an unprecedented rate.
The total sales number in the flash sale also points to the growing craze for lossless music. To catalyze this CDLA (Continual Digital Lossless Audio) standard adoption, LeEco has made a handsome investment of Rs 200 million. In the first flash sale of its Superphones Le 2 and Le Max2 that was held today (June 28), the Internet technology conglomerate gave away a free CDLA earphone worth (price here [http://www.Lemall.Com/in/product/le2/cdla.Html ]) to all Le 2 and Le Max2 buyers. LeEco is the world's first company that created the type-C CDLA earphone, replacing the traditional 3.5mm headphone port and creating a lossless audio experience to end users.
The Supertainment program of LeEco is something that is resistless given the popularity of entertainment programs in India. LeEco is now working with big names like Eros Now, YuppTV and Hungama in India. Through LeEco's Membership program, users can get access to a collection of 2000+ movies, inclusive of premieres from Hollywood & Bollywood. LeEco membership program also provides 3000+ hours of curated shows, 150+ live TV channels and 3.5 million songs of users' choices. LeEco takes the lead in offering 1.9 million songs with lossless audio, bringing the users' audio experience to a brand new height.
Maharashtra Cabinet today accorded in-principle approval to a proposal allowing farmers to either sell their agriculture produce-fruits and vegetables-at the market committees or directly to buyers, like private retailers or malls.
The decision is aimed at ensuring maximum profit to farmers, who can now fix the price at which he wants to sell the produce, Minister for Cooperation and Marketing, Chandrakant Patil, told reporters here.
"Sale of produce by farmers to malls and private retailers has been de-regulated and brought out of the sole jurisdiction of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).
"The government decided to approve the proposal to enable farmers and APMCs to take part in the Centre's project 'e-Mandi', wherein people can buy and farmers can sell their produce online," Patil said.
The minister further said six months ago the government had sent the list of 30 APMCs to the Centre to be empaneled in the e-Mandi project. "However, since the government had not amended the law, the Centre rejected the state government's list two months ago," he said.
Patil added in 2010, the previous Congress-NCP government had tried to deregulate the sale and purchase of fruits and vegetables in the open market. However, traders and mathadi workers (head porters) at the APMCs had opposed the move.
He also clarified that the government is not going to dismantle the APMC system.
According to the minister, a cabinet sub-committee under his chairmanship has been set up to sort out the issues, clarify the doubts that the traders and mathadi labour unions at the APMC have in connection with the government proposal.
"This sub-committee will be empowered to take the final decision, which will not require the ratification of the cabinet," he said.
Patil said the government will issue an ordinance before
the monsoon session of the state legislature commences on July 18. During the ensuing monsoon session the government will move a Bill seeking to amend the relevant Acts.
The minister rejected the notion that if the farmers are allowed to sell their produce in the open market to the buyers or retailers there will be no effect on the turnover at APMC.
He said the annual turnover at APMC markets in the state is about Rs 50,000 crore. While the annual turnover involving agriculture produce outside is around Rs 5,000 crore.
"Earlier, farmers had to only sell their produce at the APMC market yards. This process involved deals being struck by the traders and middlemen with the farmer. The farmer in turn had to shell out at least 12 to 13 per cent by way of commissions to the traders, middlemen and labour costs to mathadis," he said.
Patil added that henceforth the financial onus of 'aadat' (striking a deal, fixing price for produce) will now rest on the trader at the APMC and not the farmer.
Although the purchasers or buyers will be allowed to directly procure the farm produce from the farmer, they will have to register themselves with the Assistant Registrar (AR) and District Deputy Registrar (DDR).
"This is being done to ensure protection to farmers who can lodge complaints with the AR or DDR if they are underpaid," he added.
"The proposal will mean granting legal sanctity to the sale of his produce by a farmer to the buyer," he said.
Maharashtra government today decided to offer various concessions to the economically weaker sections (EWS) for projects under its ambitious "housing for all" scheme.
"Land for such affordable housing projects will be allotted to the government housing agencies at nominal rates as per this cabinet decision," said an official from the Chief Minister's Office.
He said a 50 per cent concession will be given in the surveyor and development cost while stamp duty is being fixed at Rs 1,000 for houses meant for the EWS.
In another decision, the cabinet also decided to bring down the retirement age for teaching and non-teaching staff in Higher and Technical Education department to 60 from 62.
"Retirement age for the post of Principal has been kept as it is at 65, subject to a performance review as mentioned in the earlier decision," said an official from Education department.
The cabinet also decided to introduce new Maharashtra Electricity Duty Act 2016 replacing earlier law of 1958.
"The Act is necessary in view of new concepts like power trading, exchange of power, open access, de-licensing of electric generation," said an official from Energy department.
He claimed that the new law will benefit the state exchequer as several consumers were using electricity from various service providers who are currently out of ambit of power duty.
The cabinet also decided to set up 'Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Government Agriculture College' at Halgaon in Ahmednagar district.
Mahindra Partners, Mahindra group's USD 900 million private equity arm, today announced closing of a new round of financing in Scoot Networks, an urban mobility solutions provider based in San Francisco.
With this deal, Mahindra Partners has now joined other investors including Vision Ridge Capital.
This financing round closes simultaneously with Scoot's significant network expansion supported by a brand new fleet of 500 Mahindra GenZe electric scooters, Mahindra Group said in a statement.
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said, the partnership will provide a sustainable solution to the growing challenges associated with urban commuting like parking, congestion and pollution.
"The GenZe 2.0 is designed to intelligently address these challenges by offering relevant and affordable technology," he added.
Mahindra Partners Managing Partner Zhooben Bhiwandiwala, said this venture represents the company's first significant investment in the US and it would suitably expand and develop the "unique sharing model into a globally successful concept".
Stating that electric transportation can be both affordable and profitable, Scoot Founder & CEO Michael Keating said: "We now have the vehicles and resources we need to scale the business, thanks to our partnership with Mahindra and the ongoing support of our earlier investors."
Scoot Networks offers hundreds of shared, smartphone-activated, electric motor scooters and mini cars available all over San Francisco for just USD 4 per ride.
A man was arrested for allegedly posing as an actor and casting director and extracting money from aspiring models by blackmailing them, police said today.
Harpreet Bawa, a resident of Barnala district of Punjab, was arrested yesterday for allegedly posing himself as actor and casting director Darshan Aulakh, UT Chandigarh police said.
Aulakh alleged that Bawa was misusing his name along with the name of his production house, 'Darshan Aulakh Productions' to cheat people.
He also alleged that Bawa was misguiding the new models from Chandigarh, Punjab and Mumbai by posing himself as Aulakh.
Aulakh, who is also a line producer, claimed that the accused used to collect pictures and videos of new models especially girls through WhatsApp and extracted money from them by blackmailing them.
The complainant also provided the screenshots of chat messages of the alleged impostor with new models, in which he was allegedly asking their nude and seminude pictures for offering them to work in movies, said a release.
Bawa has been booked under relevant sections including 66C, 66D of IT Act and 354D, 384 of IPC, police said.
Aulakh, who is also playing a role in Salman Khan starrer "Sultan", has worked in various Bollywood movies like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', 'Phantom', 'Veer Zaara' and Hollywood movie 'Zero Dark Thirty'. He has also played several roles in Punjabi movies.
Notably, Darshan Aulakh Productions is engaged in providing actors, shooting locations in northern part of the country.
The Danish government plans to increase its patrol and surveillance capacity in the Arctic with an annual allocation of 120 million kroner ($18 million), TASS reported, quoting Danish Defense Minister Peter Christensen. The minister added that the move should not be interpreted as Denmark's intention to build up military muscle in the region.
"If something happens [in the Arctic], we need to know what is going on," Christensen said as quoted by Ritzaus Bureau. He added that Denmark has a right to do this.
According to TASS, the planned measures include tighter air surveillance, increasing the number of rotating crews on the three Danish frigates in the Arctic, and creating a voluntary emergency management organization under the auspices of the Danish Home Guard in Greenland, an autonomous country within the Danish Realm.
The Danish government considers these plans necessary in light of the increasing international interest in the Arctic, where melting ice is creating new waterways and opportunities for mining and drilling projects, including the mineral resources of Greenland that has rich deposits of uranium and rare-earth metals.
Denmark's plans will become effective when approved by the parliament.
"The Danish armed forces in the Arctic fulfil many civilian tasks, such as search and rescue at sea and environmental and fisheries monitoring," Mikkel Runge Olesen from the Danish Institute for International Studies told the newspaper Jyllands Posten. "We believe these projects will cost us more as global warming opens the Arctic to shipping. If looked at from this angle, it is no surprise that the Danish armed forces need additional allocations."
A 50 year old man allegedly tried to commit suicide at the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) in north west Delhi's Model Town area, by consuming a poisonous substance today.
The man has been identified as a local shopkeeper Satish Kumar who consumed a poisonous substance at the Model Town ACP office. He was rushed to a nearby hospital by the policemen who spotted him.
Satish was declared out of danger after treatment by the doctors. He revealed during questioning that he took the step under pressure as he was depressed due to threats from moneylenders who had given him huge amount of loans, said a senior police officer.
A case of Section 309(attempt to suicide) of IPC was registered against Satish, he added.
Mauritius today wooed Indian investors to set up ventures in various potential sectors like tourism, manufacturing, food processing and promised them hassle-free environment to have an access to African countries.
"Mauritius offers great opportunity to Indian business houses to make investment in different sectors like tourism, food processing, manufacturing like textile, light engineering goods, trading, pharmaceuticals ICT BPO and financial services.
"These are some of the sectors in Mauritius where Indian investors can make investments," Country Head of Board of Investment, Mauritius, Seewraj Nundlall told reporters here today.
By setting up their ventures in Mauritius, Indian corporates can have an access to African countries, he said.
High Commissioner of Mauritius to India Jagdishwar Gorburdhun said Mauritius offers good environment to investors to set up their businesses.
Nundlall said the government of Mauritius provides friendly, hassle free and highly competitive environment for companies to start their own business.
"Any investor can incorporate its company within a day and one can get occupational permit within 5-7 working days. And there is no minimum capital requirement and there is 15 per cent corporate tax," he further said.
Nundlall said the total imports from India by Mauritius was USD 2 billion in 2015 which comprised import of pharmaceutical products, rice, petroleum items.
Mauritius exports to India stood at USD 20 million, he said adding that it included medical devices, metal product, food items etc.
He said Mauritius has identified several items like tea, high-end garments and rum made from sugarcane as part of its effort to increase exports to India.
India Mauritius Trade and Cultural Friendship Forum President Pritpal Singh Pannu informed about India Mauritius Global Partnership Conference is being organised from July 24 till 27 in Mauritius in which 250-300 businessmen from India will participate.
Suspected militants today snatched the service rifle of a policeman, posted as a personal guard of a BJP worker, from Chadoora area of central Kashmir's Budgam district.
Constable Bashir Ahmad, who is posted as personal security guard to Ghulam Mohammad Chopan of BJP, reported to police that four gunmen barged into the house of the BJP worker at Panzan in Chadoora and snatched his service rifle, a police official said.
He said police has taken cognisance of the incident and sent out an alert to track down the suspects.
Opposition parties today accused Prime Minister of not having a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan, saying diplomacy requires seriousness, gravitas and not "threatrics".
The government's foreign policy lacks coherence, clarity and consistency, they said.
The remarks by Congress and CPI(M) came a day after Modi said that India's efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as the supreme objective but the forces have "full freedom to answer back" in whatever manner they have to.
"Nobody is against engaging with Pakistan but what we have questioned him (Modi) is about not taking the opposition into confidence," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.
He said diplomacy does not require theatrics and needs seriousness, gravitas.
CPM leader Brinda Karat targeted the Centre, saying it does not have a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan.
She said it is really a "show-based" policy rather than a serious diplomatic initiative to deal with a neighbour which undoubtedly has been encouraging terrorists groups against India.
"One day you say you are going to bomb Pakistan. The other day your Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) said you are not going to count the bullets that are going to be used against Pakistan," Karat said, adding that the Prime Minister had gone to Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday.
Congress leader P L Punia accused the government of having a "dual strategy" on the issue of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan saying on the one hand it appreciated his work, but agreed with what Subramanian Swamy said and bid good bye to him.
"Today our economy is passing through such a time that requires stability. There was a need for (his) continuity," he said.
Even as employers are looking for best screening practices, a study today said it found higher number of candidates with discrepancies in their resumes during the first quarter of 2016.
A study of the Case Level Quarterly Discrepancy Analysis for the first quarter of 2016 by First Advantage showed that the discrepancy percentage rose to 12 per cent.
It means that out of every 100 candidates who were screened by First Advantage, 12 were found to have discrepancies in resume in one or more than one components.
The discrepancy level was at 10 per cent in 2013, which rose to 10.5 per cent in 2014, it said. In 2015 it had risen to 11.6 per cent.
The report is based on data collected from background verifications and reference checks conducted by First Advantage across India.
"With the increasing competition amongst multiple players, the pressure has never been far greater to make informed decisions in recruitment. In the coming quarters, employers are looking for best hiring and screening practises that will not just do the task at hand but bring incremental value to the company," First Advantage India Managing Director and SVP Purushotam Savlani said.
Case Level Discrepancy across industrial sectors like retail, telecommunication, manufacturing, ITES/BPO and FMCG has shown a rise in the first quarter of 2016 against last quarter of 2015.
Out of the total occurrences of discrepancies, a huge chunk has occurred in the employment component, followed by address component and education component, it said.
Discrepancy rates for employment and address checks are very high in the southern zone and that for education checks are very high in the northern zone in the country.
Out of every 100 education discrepancies identified, 65 are from the graduate level.
Bengaluru leads in employment related discrepancies, while Hyderabad leads in address discrepancies and Namchi in Sikkim leads in Education related discrepancies.
The highest number of discrepancies have been observed in the associate level employees and in that the age bracket of 22 to 30 years has highest number of discrepant cases (43.1 pc).
However, in BFSI, FMCG and travel and hospitality the discrepancy trend is seen in over 41 to 50 years age bracket.
Overall, it also found that 79 per cent of the discrepant cases are of male candidates. In the employment discrepancy checks, males contribute 81 per cent.
Peeved over the "insensitive" remarks of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on militant attack in Pampore in which 8 CRPF jawans were killed, an RSS affiliate has decided not to invite Pakistan to the 'Iftar' to be hosted by it on July 2 to promote goodwill among Muslims.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate of RSS, which had initially invited the Pakistan High Commissioner in Delhi to the event has now decided not to extend the formal invite to Basit, after he showed "insensitivity" to the killing of Indian jawans.
"We had initially sent an email invite to the Pakistan High Commission, inviting its High Commissioner to the July 2 'Iftar'. But after he displayed "insensitivity" to killing of Indian jawans in a militant attack in Pampore in Kashmir, we have decided not to extend a formal invite to him," national convener of the Manch Mohammad Afzal told PTI.
He said "we had thought of inviting Pakistan as a goodwill gesture and send across a message to open a new route of communication with them. But, it seems they are not ready to listen to any sane voices. Their High Commissioner displayed complete insensitivity on the killing of jawans and did not condemn the attacks."
Seeking to shed its 'anti-Muslim' tag, the Manch is hosting a grand 'Iftar' on July 2 in Parliament annexe where it has invited ambassadors of many countries including Muslim nations to spread the message of unity and harmony and of making India "riots-free".
"We have cancelled the invite of Pakistan High Commissioner. We can't have Iftar with them when our soldiers are being killed. We want to send a strong message that India will not tolerate this," MRM functionary Mohammad Afzal said.
In what the Manch terms as a 'callous' remark, Afzal said when questioned about Pampore attack, Basit insisted that people should focus on the Iftar party during Ramzan and 'not talk politics'.
When asked about the Pampore attacks during an 'Iftar' hosted by Pakistan High Commission last Saturday, he is reported to have asked for focusing on the Iftar party and enjoy it instead.
Basit's statement left the Sangh fuming, leading its affiliate to take the bold step of cancelling its invite for the Iftar.
"We wanted to make a fresh start and forge better
cultural and social ties. But we are disappointed with Basit's reaction," Afzal said, adding that Pakistan does not reciprocate gestures of friendship and would not change.
He cited the Kargil war that followed former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Lahore and the Pathankot terror attack after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore.
RSS leader Indresh, who is the patron of the Manch, earlier said, "The aim is to tell the world about Indian-ness, helping people from all communities live in peace and harmony..."
"India is a ray of hope and peace for the Muslim world. Rashtriya Muslim Manch has urged members to host small iftar parties by inviting people from all communities and spreading the message of brotherhood," he said.
Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao today called the late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao "guiding force of economic reforms" while paying tributes to him on his 95th birth anniversary.
Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Finance Minister E Rajender and several other leaders also paid rich tributes to the late Congress leader at 'PV Gyan Bhoomi', which houses Rao's memorial, here.
The event was organised by the Telangana Government.
Family members of Rao were present on the occasion.
There has been a demand from the late Prime Minister's family and fans that he should be given Bharat Ratna.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called Narasimha Rao a 'Telangana bidda' (son of the soil) who rose from village sarpanch to the Prime Minister. The whole country is proud of Rao, the CM said in a statement.
He also said that Narasimha Rao would have a permanent place in the history as the guiding force of economic reforms.
Telangana Congress president and MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy led the party cadres in paying homage to the late PM.
Members of National Conference and ruling BJP clashed in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today over the security situation in the wake of attack on CRPF convoy, with the opposition party demanding to know what steps were being taken to deal with the growing violence.
NC members later staged a walkout as their demand went unheeded.
As soon as the House assembled for the day, NC MLAs wanted to speak on the security situation, which according to them was "deteriorating".
The opposition members referred to the recent incidents of violence in the state including the deadly Pampore attack on last Saturday that left eight CRPF personnel dead and 21 injured.
"We are in the session (of the Assembly) and the government must come out with a statement," NC member Devender Rana said.
He also took on BJP, which shares power with PDP in the state, for demanding "attack" on militant training camps across the border in Pakistan.
Accusing BJP of creating "war hysteria", he said the ruling party was indulging in "jingoism" and "playing to the gallery instead of spelling out measures to combat violence.
Asserting that war is not a solution, Rana said the state, especially the areas adjoining the Line of Control and International Border, braved the brunt of shelling from across the border two years ago.
"Bullets are fired here, not in Nagpur," Rana said in an apparent reference to the RSS headquarters.
Rana's comments infuriated BJP MLAs who shouted him down and created din.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta intervened, saying the central government was capable of defeating the Pakistani designs in Jammu and Kashmir.
"For a moment, BJP is forgetting that it is in government, both in the state and at the Centre," Rana said.
The NC MLA also took a jibe at PDP and wanted to know its response over the alliance partners "war yells and talk of air strikes" in the neighbouring country.
"What is the response of the party that believed in 'Goli Se Nahi Boli Se (not bullet but by dialogue issues can be resolved)," he said and asked whether the PDP had "surrendered its basic principles for lust of power".
(Reopen DEL35)
Rana said war is no solution to problems as world history stands testimony to the fact that all issues have been resolved on negotiating table.
"Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed havoc in the border skirmishes in the past and therefore tendencies of getting into eyeball-to-eyeball situation with the neighbouring country need to be eschewed," the NC member said.
To ensure this, the BJP, being partner in the government in J&K and ruling the country has more responsibility," he added.
The NC MLAs then staged a walkout while shouting slogans against the government.
Later, two ruling PDP MLAs Javed Hassan Beig and Mohammad Abbass Wani also staged walkout, expressing dissatisfaction over the government's reply to the latter's question about rehabilitation of Ponywallas in Gulmarg tourist resort.
Wani had asked the government about the steps taken by it to rehabilitate the Ponywallas whose livelihood was affected by the setting up of Cable car at the tourist resort.
Beig wanted to ask a supplementary to the question on the grounds that Gulmarg tourist resort was also affecting part of his Baramulla constituency.
However, the Speaker did not allow Beig to speak, prompting the two PDP MLAs to walk out from the House.
Opposition NC MLA from Pahalgam Altaf Kaloo also walked out after the government did not respond to his question whether there was any proposal to start a Cable car project in the south Kashmir tourist resort.
Opposition National Conference MLAs today staged a walkout from the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly over the recent incidents of violence in the state, including the Pampore attack that left eight CRPF personnel dead.
As soon as the House assembled for the day's proceedings, the NC MLAs asked the speaker to allow them to speak on the security situation, which according to them was "deteriorating".
Nagrota NC MLA Devender Rana accused the BJP of creating "war hysteria" in the state. He said violent incidents take place along the borders when the government increases the number of troops there.
"Bullets are fired here (in Jammu and Kashmir) not in Nagpur," Rana said, in an apparent reference to the RSS headquarters.
Rana's comments infuriated BJP MLAs who shouted down the NC MLAs and created a din.
Speaker Kavinder Gupta intervened, saying the central government is capable of defeating Pakistani "designs" in Jammu and Kashmir.
Not satisfied with the Speaker's intervention, the NC MLAs shouted slogans against the government and staged a walkout.
Later during the proceedings, the ruling PDP MLAs Javed Hassan Beig and Mohammad Abbass Wani also staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction with the government reply to Wani's question about rehabilitation of 'ponywallas' in Gulmarg tourist resort.
Wani had asked the government about the steps taken by it to rehabilitate the 'ponywallas' whose livelihood was affected by the setting up of Cable car at the tourist resort.
Beig wanted to ask a supplementary to the question on the grounds that Gulmarg tourist resort was also affecting part of his Baramulla constituency.
However, the speaker did not allow Beig to speak, prompting the two PDP MLAs to walk out from the house.
NC MLA from Pahalgam, Altaf Kaloo also walked out after the government did not respond to his question whether there was any proposal to start a cable car project in the south Kashmir tourist resort.
State-run National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is planning to invest around Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years to set up solar and wind projects across the country.
The company is looking at opportunities in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, among others.
"After expanding our presence in the hydro sector, we now want to diversify into solar and wind sectors as well. We are looking at opportunities and plan to invest around Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years to set up solar and wind projects across the country," NHPC Director (Technical) Balraj Joshi told PTI over phone.
Joshi said the company is already developing a few projects in the said states.
"We are also exploring the possibility to develop 400 MW Koyna stage-IV pumped storage project in Maharashtra. We are carrying out feasibility and technical studies on this project and will soon come out with the report," he said.
Joshi further said the company had not planned to set up 600 MW floating solar project at the Koyna complex project, as reported earlier, but has proposed to develop 400 MW pumped storage project, which will be developed on solar hybrid model.
Pumped storage projects store and generate energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations.
On the solar front, the company has signed an MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set up projects to the tune of 250 MW.
In Kerala, NHPC will be setting up a 72 MW solar project, while in Maharashtra it has planned a 50 MW one.
In Uttar Pradesh, NHPC already has an agreement with Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) to jointly develop a 50 MW plant.
NHPC had in 2014 signed a pact with the Kerala government to develop wind projects in the state. Last year, the company had also approved setting up of a 50 MW wind project in Rajasthan.
He says the vision to source water from the Mendi River and pipe it to Queensland under the Torres Strait has received the backing of the PNG government's Ninister responsible for infrastructure, who will take the plan to cabinet.
But the Queensland government isn't even considering the proposal.
Mr Ariel's plan to build a 2,200km pipeline to transport fresh water from the Papua New Guinea highlands could secure funding from PNG as early as this week.
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND COULD BE the recipient of a massive drink of more than 3,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water each day if one Cairns businessman Fred Ariel has anything to do with it.
Mr Ariel, the Might and Power director, who is also a director of whitewater rafting company Raging Thunder, said the project, which would siphon eight gigalitres of fresh water every 24 hours, had been well received during a trip to PNG before Easter.
He said a reliable water injection was key in making northern Australia a viable base something outlined this week by mining magnates Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart, who have called on incentives to be put in place to attract people to the north.
It follows a leaked plan by Opposition leader Tony Abbott that discussed creating special economic zones for the tropics.
"The premier and (Tony) Abbott both talk about decentralisation and utilising north Queensland both in a resource angle and agricultural angle and what's lacking is water supply," Mr Ariel said.
"This goes towards solving that problem.''
Mr Ariel said the plan would help solve many problems surrounding the Murray Darling Basin.
"This project can deliver the equivalent of 8,000 Olympic swimming size pools of water per 24 hours, year round," he said.
"This will irrigate the marginal grazing land along the route, turning it into agricultural land, terminating at Augathella in central Queensland which is the northern headwaters of the Murray Darling river systems
"The Murray Darling problem is not going to go away," he said.
A spokesperson for Queensland Energy and Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle said the proposal was not currently under active consideration.
Nine more lower court judges were today suspended by the High Court on disciplinary grounds as the agitation against provisional allocation of judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana intensified with 200 judicial officers in Telangana going on mass leave for 15 days.
The Telangana Judges Association also called for a 'High Court Bandh' tomorrow.
The development also escalated the row between Telangana Government and the Centre, with the TRS blaming the Centre for not bifurcating the HC following carving out of Telangana from undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
Protesting the action taken by the High Court today, about 200 judicial officers working across the state decided to go on mass leave for 15 days beginning today.
The HC had yesterday suspended two lower court judges after over 100 of them took out a procession and submitted a representation on their demands to the Governor on Sunday under the banner of the Telangana Judges Association.
The ruling TRS today alleged that the Centre was being "insensitive" in not bifurcating the High Court so far.
TRS Lok Sabha member K Kavitha said her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao even proposed to hold a protest dharna in Delhi over the issue.
However, Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said the Centre had no role in the bifurcation of a high court. The state government blaming the Centre on the issue was "unacceptable and intolerable", Gowda said.
He also rubbished the TRS charge that the Centre was under political pressure from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
"Creation of new high court for Telangana...It's in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that high court (which is common for two states at present)," Gowda told PTI.
"If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, rest of the things high court will take care. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, its not fair on anybody," Gowda said.
"Central government has no role to play. It's not in our hands. But unnecessarily blaming the Central government, it's not fair on the part of the Chief Minister or any persons of Telangana government," the Union Minister said.
On the CM's proposed dharna, Gowda said, "For no reason
if he holds a dharna, people will evaluate the dharna."
Kavitha had, however, hastened to add earlier that the Telangana government did not want things to "escalate to that level" (CM holding dharna) and appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene on the issue of bifurcation.
She said TRS MPs had raised the issue in Parliament and Rao had approached the PM "10 times" for bifurcation of the high court, but the Centre refused to respond under pressure from Chandrababu Naidu.
There was a "conspiracy" by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" in "Andhra Judges" getting the option to work in Telangana, she said.
Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation on June six protesting the provisional allocation. They objected to the judges from Andhra Pradesh getting appointments in Telangana courts.
Some 125 judicial officers of Telangana had on Sunday tendered their resignations to the Telangana Judges Association President, authorising him to hand them over to the Governor, if the demands were not met.
After the suspension of nine more judges today, Telangana Judges Association held an emergency meeting where they decided to proceed on a fortnight-long mass casual leave.
"...Nearly 200 judges under the aegis of Telangana Judges Association attended the meeting and passed a resolution to proceed on mass leave for 15 days," a judicial officer told
Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao had
earlier said the allocation of judges was done by the High Court without taking into consideration the guidelines framed by the HC itself in February this year.
"We have been seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.
Telangana BJP blamed the Chief Minister for the row.
"BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and (is against) the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with Chief Justice of High Court and the CM appoints district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya would meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi today over the issue, a BJP release said.
Meanwhile in Waragal, lawyers allegedly vandalised a local court and tried to assault a sessions judge, demanding that he shift outside Telangana.
Sharpening his attack on Shiv Sena minister Ravindra Waikar, senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam today accused him of "illegally" executing six Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects having a collective turnover of Rs 1,000 crore by "misusing" his official position.
He also accused Waikar, the MoS for Housing in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, of running six construction firms in suburban Mumbai, which he said is a case of the "conflict of interest".
However, Waikar rejected the allegations terming them as "wild and baseless".
Nirupam, who heads the city unit of Congress, yesterday moved Lokayukta against the minister, days after accusing him of "usurping" a 20-acre government land in Aarey Colony here, and sought demolition of "illegal construction" made by Waikar in a state-run gymnasium.
"I am in the possession of clinching documents that incriminate the Housing Minister for State Ravindra Waikar for misusing his ministerial position to secure the permission for his projects and that too illegally in connivance with SRA officials," Nirupam said in a press conference.
He claimed that "Waikar is running six construction firms under various names between suburban Andheri and Jogeshwari in K-East (municipal) ward. While the minister is the main partner in the firms, other partners are front men".
"The size of turnover of all these (SRA) projects is Rs 1000 crore with a saleable area of 3.5 lakh sq ft. Most importantly, permission for all the projects was secured by flouting of rules and regulations," claimed Nirupam, a former MP.
Nirupam, who quit Sena in 2005, clarified that he was not per se against any minister doing business.
"...But Waikar's conduct is the gross violation of the oath that he took as a minister. Despite being a Housing Minister he is running six construction firms, which is the fit case of the conflict of interest," he added.
Nirupam demanded that Waikar be sacked immediately and an inquiry be launched in all the projects.
"I am also demanding action against the SRA officials who helped minister to get permission illegally," he added.
Nirupam had yesterday filed a complaint against Waikar with Lokayukta for "misusing" his office and "exerting" his influence as minister in "usurping the land".
When contacted, Waikar said that he did not need to give explanation to Nirupam's each and every "baseless and wild" allegation.
"I am out of city and will clarify my stand explicitly in a press conference when I return to Mumbai," Waikar told PTI.
After Congress and JD(S), discontent now appeared to be brewing within the BJP against statePresident B S Yeddyurappa over the appointment of party officebearers.
The resentment came to the fore when senior party leader K S Eshwarappa openly criticised Yeddyurappa's "unilateral" decisions in appointing office bearers and presidents of district units.
"These appointments were made without discussing these names in the party core committee meeting. This is wrong. I will question the appointments before the senior party leadersconcerned," Eshwarappa who is Leader of Opposition in theLegislative Council, said a few days ago.
Eshwarappa who had also served as Deputy ChiefMinister during BJP rule today held a meeting of leaders fromvarious districts.
Sources said in the meeting concerns were expressed regarding the "high handedness" of Yeddyurappa's loyalists and prominence given to those who were in his erstwhile outfit Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), while there were also voices in support of the Lingayat strongman.
Yeddyurappa was forced to resign as Chief Minister in2011 over graft charges, following which he quit the party toform KJP.
He returned to BJP following the announcement ofNarendra Modi as party's prime ministerial candidate ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls and was recently appointed state party chief.
BJP leader C T Ravi, who attended the meeting, said "Party workers who have served the party for long time have expressed their feeling. Once Yeddyurappa returns from Delhi it will be discussed with him."
Party General Secretary Aravinda Limbavali said the purpose of the meeting was to work out ways and means to synergise the strengths of the activistswho earlier held positions and the present members of variouscommittees after Yeddyurappa took over as the President of thestate unit.
He saidonly those very few activists who could not be accommodatedexpressed their unhappiness in the meeting.
Nevertheless, the state leadership prevailed upon the workers to work in the larger interest of the party and the state, he added.
Also noting that office-bearers were present in the meeting as per the directions of the State President to give apatient hearing to the suggestions of the activists, Limbavalisaid it was also explained that Yeddyurappa held wide consultations with leaders and important functionaries andthen announced the list of state office bearers, Presidents of various morchas and district presidents.
Commenting on the issue, Yeddyurappa loyalist Shobha Karandlaje said with trust on Yeddyurappa's organisational skills, he has been given the party President position.
"He knows who should be made office bearers keeping next elections in mind, he is not new to the party," sheadded.
Reacting to the developments, Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said any appointment within the party is the prerogative of the President.
The charge sheet had alleged involvement of Rs 40 crore
kickbacks, including Rs 20 crore that was allegedly paid to Prerana for granting favours, including mining licences, during Yeddyurappa's chief ministership from 2008 to 2011.
In his order, the judge said the prosecution has failed to prove the abuse of official position by Yeddyurappa to show favour to JSW Steel Limited represented by (then) Company General Manager Mani C Manuel, either in fixing of premium on iron ore fines, suppression of loss suffered by MML or in the matter of imposition of ban on export of iron ore.
He also held the prosecution failed to prove that South West Mining Limited's representative Rajiv Bansal had purchased land in Rachenahalli at inflated price to cover up the receipt of bribe.
The prosecution also failed to prove that the donation given by accused including South West Mining to Prerana Educational and Social Trust represented by its Managing Trustee Raghavendra was a bribe in disguise, the judge held.
The court set aside the charge against Yeddyurappa that he had abused his official position as a public servant in the matter of fixing of premium on iron ore at 50 per cent instead of 60 per cent and imposing ban on export of iron ore.
"I have already held that absolutely there is no iota of evidence to prove that Yeddyurappa has abused his official position as a public servant in the said matters and also in the matter of denotifying Rachenahalli land."
"Therefore, the question of Yeddyurappa cheating the government of Karnataka with an intention to cause wrongful loss to the State and to make a wrongful gain to his kin does not arise at all," the judge said.
On the other hand, the judge said there is ample evidence on record to show that after fixing the premium of iron ore fines at 50 per cent, the MML has started making huge profit compared to previous years.
"The government of Karnataka cannot be said to have sustained any wrongful loss on account of denotification of Rachenahalli village land, since the denotification of the said land is found to be valid," he observed.
He also said there was absolutely no iota of evidence on record to prove that South West Mining Limited and JSW steel representatives had induced Yeddyurappa's kin and Prerana Educational and Social Trust to exercise their personal influence over Yeddyurappa to do an official favour to JSW Steel represented by Mani Manuel.
There also absolutely no evidence on record to prove that other accused including SWML and JSW Steel representatives hadabetted Yeddyurappa for abuse of his official position in exercise of his official functions to show favour to JSW Steelrepresentative Mani Manuel, the judge said.
The government has directed the construction company to expedite the work on classrooms and hostel buildings of MKCG Medical College and Hospital here by July-end to accommodate the additional MBBS students, who will take admission this year.
The medical college will take an additional 100 students this year as the Medical Council of India has accorded permission to increase the MBBS seats from 150 to 250. The classes are likely to start from September.
Chief Engineer, public works (buildings) Satya Ranjan Sethi has instructed the company to speed up the work while reviewing its progress on the medical college campus.
Construction for 12 multi-storey buildings is going on with an estimated cost of Rs 216 crore, said an official.
A well-known construction company was awarded to contract on January 8, 2014, after an agreement to this effect was inked.
The buildings include eight classrooms, a four-storey lecturer hall, a seven-storey laboratory complex, a 1,500-seated double-storey auditorium, a six-storey 300-bed boys hostel for undergraduate students and a 100-bed hostel for postgraduate students, he said.
The other structures are two 200-bed hostels for undergraduate girl students and a 100-bed hostel for postgraduate girl students, a four-storey 300-bed hostel for nursing students, a nursing school building and a superspecialty building, said Executive Engineer, public works (Berhampur) Binod Padhy.
Principal of the medical college AK Dandapat said, "We expect the buildings to be completed before the admission of the new students."
Besides the increase of 100 MBBS seats, the medical college has also got approval for starting DM (Cardiology), a superspecialty course, from this academic year with two seats, said the principal.
Taxi hailing app has signed an agreement with Haryana government to create over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state with an investment of Rs 350 crore over the period of five years, the company said on Tuesday.
"We are proud to partner with the Haryana government to create more than 10,000 entrepreneurship opportunities across the state. To this end, we are planning to invest over Rs 350 crore in Haryana over the next 5 years," Chief Operating Officer, Ola, Pranay Jivrajka said in a statement.
will work with the Haryana government to introduce innovative and customised mobility solutions like Auto, Ola Bike, Ola Share and Ola Shuttle across the state.
"Ola's commitment to building mobility for citizens, by using mobile technology and by enabling entrepreneurship and skilling, will be invaluable for the state's growth," Sudhir Rajpal, MD of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation said.
Jivrajka said Ola will work with the government to train and provide the required skill set to thousands of men and women across Haryana in an effort to make them entrepreneurs.
"We will also improve access to mobility in cities across the state by bringing on-board innovative transportation use like Ola Auto, Ola Share, Ola Shuttle, Ola Bike and many more to complement the existing urban transportation system in Haryana," he said.
Ola is present in five cities in Haryana including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Ambala, and plans to expand its services in the region further, the statement said.
Opposition Congress-led UDF along with the lone BJP MLA on Tuesday staged a walkout in the protesting denial of permission for a debate on arrest of two Dalit sisters, daughters of a Congress leader in Kannur district, for allegedly attacking a CPI(M) activist.
Replying to the notice for adjournment motion moved by K C Joseph (Cong) and M K Muneer (IUML), Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the issue was "not so serious to stop the proceedings and discuss it."
A case has been registered, investigation was on and the first accused had been arrested, he said.
Police had registered a case against the women Akhila and Anjana, daughters of N Rajan, leader of INTUC, on a complaint filed by Shijil, a party functionary on 11 June.
The women were not prepared to take bail following which a court had remanded them. The next day they were released and one of the sisters allegedly consumed an overdose of tablets, Vijayan said.
During their arrest, police had followed all procedures. Allegations were also made against the magistrate when they were remanded, the Chief Minister said.
Following Vijayan's reply, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan denied permission to discuss the issue.
Former minister and Irrikur MLA, Joseph said after the CPI(M)-led LDF government came to power, it had promised that equal justice would be meted to all. "But that was not so. This should be viewed seriously", he said, adding, "false cases were being foisted on those who opposed LDF", he said.
Attacking the Chief Minister, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said the issue was being dealt in a very "casual manner" by the Chief Minister.
"He is speaking like a former party Secretary, not as a Chief Minister", he said.
The two women were called to the police station and arrested without following the Supreme Court guidelines.
Describing the incident as a "disaster and pathetic", IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty said the approach of the police towards the two women was "wrong."
Kerala Congress (M) Supremo K M Mani also criticised the government for the action against the women.
BJP's lone member and former union minister O Rajagopal also walked out of the House after stating that the incident incident had caused "apprehensions".
In Kannur, such incidents in 'party gramams' (party villages) have been going on for years. This should be stopped. The Chief Minister's response was not satisfactory, Rajagopalan said.
The arrest of the Dalit sisters had kicked up a row as one of the women had gone to jail with her 18-month-old daughter.
The commission for Schedule castes had also intervened in the matter.
A Hindu reporter in Pakistan's state-run agency here was forced to drink water from a separate glass and barred from sharing utensils with other Muslim staff at his workplace after his colleagues found out his caste.
Sahib Khan Oad, a senior reporter with Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), has been barred from drinking water in the same glass and sharing utensils with other Muslim staff at the office, the Express Tribune reported.
Oad, who hails from Dadu district, was initially appointed as a reporter in APP Islamabad and was transferred to Hyderabad and then Karachi in April this year.
The discriminatory attitude started soon after Oad's younger son Raj Kumar visited his office and everyone found out that he was Hindu.
"Actually my name contains the word 'Khan' so everyone in the office initially thought I was Muslim," the paper quoted him as saying.
"The bureau chief asked me to separate my drinking water glass in the office because some colleagues had reservations," he claimed.
Since the start of Ramazan, Oad is not allowed to sit at the same dining table at the time of Iftar and senior colleagues have suggested he bring his own plates and glasses if he wants to eat in the office, the paper said.
"I have now bought a separate glass and plate for the office," he said.
APP Karachi bureau chief Parvez Aslam denied making any such request. "He was suffering from flu so we suggested he arrange a separate glass," he said.
Aslam pointed out that he supported Oad when he was transferred from Hyderabad and called the discrimination charges 'total propaganda'.
"You can come to my office and see how he eats Iftar with us," he said.
Meanwhile, APP managing director Masood Malik said that they have started inquiry into the matter.
Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), an organisation that works for labour rights, has written a letter to federal information minister Pervaiz Rashid against the discriminatory attitude.
"We are really shocked to know that a bureau chief of a government agency has pressurised a reporter to drink in a separate glass because he is Hindu," wrote Piler executive director Karmat Ali.
Pakistan cannot "conquer" Kashmir through war, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has said while asserting that bilateral issues cannot be resolved in a "hostile environment".
"I believe that Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war and if we cannot do that, the option we are left with is dialogue, and dialogue can only proceed with a partner with which we have normal relations and a certain level of mutual trust," Khar told Geo .
She claimed that the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, despite being a coalition, tried its best to normalise ties with India through relaxation of visa rules and by normalising trade ties.
The Nawaz Sharif administration can do much more as it enjoys majority, she asserted.
"The issues between the two countries cannot be resolved in a hostile environment," the 38-year-old PPP leader said.
Khar, who was Pakistan's foreign minister from 2011 to 2013, maintained that the Kashmir issue can be resolved "if we continue to talk on the issue, then we will reach somewhere".
Asked about the military's influence on Pakistan's foreign policy, she said it is a diplomat's job to carry forward the military's perspective on issues where the military is a relevant stake holder.
Khar stated some people believe that the issue can only be resolved "if there is a BJP government in India and a military government in Pakistan".
She observed that it is a fact that military ruler Pervez Musharraf gave India adequate relaxation on the Kashmir issue during his tenure.
Asked about the recent downturn in Pak-US ties and the US' tilt towards India, the former foreign minister said the US tilt towards India is driven by economy, market and because of a wish to contain the rising power of China.
"Now let us ask ourselves, is US moving towards India because India is a nuclear state, or because it is a military power, no, it is people power and their democratic traditions, if we want to compete, lets compete on these grounds," said Khar.
Khar maintained that Pakistan's current foreign policy is "reactive and not active" as Pakistan is not taking its own line or direction but is only reacting on the circumstances arising in the region or world at large.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Naga militant leader Isak Chisi Swu and said he will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace.
"My heartfelt condolences to the family and supporters of Mr. Isak Chisi Swu on his demise. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted.
"Mr. Swu will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace," he added.
Modi said Swu had wished the best for the Naga people and aspired for peace.
Swu, who led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades, died here today following multi-organ failure.
The 87-year-old Chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last around noon, Nagaland government spokesperson Kuolie Mere said.
In August last year, the NSCN-IM signed a Framework Agreement with the government which the Prime Minister had described as a "historic" step to usher in peace in the state.
The pact had been signed in the presence of the Prime Minister, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval by Muivah and government's interlocutor R N Ravi at the PM's residence here.
Parents of TV actor Pratyusha Banerjee, who had allegedly committed suicide in her flat in Mumbai in April, today expressed apprehension that evidences might have been tampered with by her accused-boyfriend, Rahul Raj Singh.
The flat, in which Pratyusha had allegedly committed suicide, was sealed by Mumbai Police following the incident, but was opened two days ago by court order without informing us, said Pratyusha's father Shankar Banerjee and mother Soma Banerjee, who were the complainants of the case.
Addressing a press conference here they said crucial evidences could have been extracted from Pratyusha's home, but it was opened following the court order and in presence of the accused, who might have tampered with possible evidences.
Being the complainant in the case, Mumbai Police should have informed us before opening the flat, but we came to know only after it was opened, they claimed.
"When we enquired about it, Mumbai Police said as they (the Banerjees) were not the owner of the flat, it was not necessary to intimate them when it was opened," Pratyusha's parents said, claiming it was obligatory as they were the complainants.
Accusing Rahul Raj of committing a "cold blooded murder", they claimed Rahul had committed the crime with the help of accomplices.
The Banerjees, who would leave for Mumbai tonight, said they would seek legal opinion.
Earlier, Shankar and Soma had launched a signature campaign here to garner support for a CBI probe into the death of Pratyusha and also met Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu in this regard earlier this month.
Pratyusha's boyfriend Rahul Raj was booked for abatement of suicide and criminal intimidation in connection with her death.
There is evidence indicating that right wing nationalists in other countries are now pushing for an exit from the EU. One could argue that this is rather premature given Britain and the EU have not yet seen the full extent of the Brexit outcome.
Britain is important to the EU because it is its second largest economy, and the worlds fifth largest. Thus her exit is raising fears that a domino effect could follow with other countries leaving the union. Questions are now being asked if the EU will survive.
EUROPE is in shock as Britain votes to pull out of the European Union in what is now termed the Brexit.
Three million Britons have petitioned the government to revoke the decision and parliament had yet to address the outcome of the referendum.
More importantly for the United Kingdom, Brexit is already raising questions of independence for Scotland and the reunification of Ireland. So Britains exit could lead to other important developments that could re-shape her own and Europes future.
While the pro-Europeans are in tears; the Eurosceptics who have longed seen the arrangement as repressive and wanted their country to choose its own destiny are enjoying their victory.
In Europe, as in Britain, more and more people are demanding that their own governments take a tougher stance against immigration. Britains exit is the Euroscepticss finest hour and their call for protecting national borders is echoing across Europe.
The Brexit is creating a ripple effect around the world. Already stock markets have been pummeled and the pound sterling has seen its worst drop in a very long time. For us in the Pacific, the result seems likely to hit our shores sooner rather than later.
In 2007, the EU concluded an interim partnership with PNG and Fiji, paving the way for eventual formal implementation.
The EU is currently negotiating a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with all 14 island states in the south Pacific. The comprehensive agreement will cover trade in goods and services, development cooperation, food health and safety, agriculture, sustainable development and competition.
The Brexit looks as though the EU might put a temporary halt to this negotiation. Britain, for its part, is going to have to negotiate an exit strategy with the EU which seems likely to have effects in this part of the world including a renegotiation of the terms of the economic partnership agreement.
The interim agreement provided PNG with duty free access into the British and European markets; a renegotiation could potentially turn this around and affect PNGs economy especially its foreign reserves which are already under pressure.
This would spell disaster for PNG given its current economic condition where problems in the foreign reserves have forced the government to pursue extraordinary borrowing measures.
The decision by Britain to hold a referendum to decide its future in the EU has brought to the forefront the important question of whether the Pacific could emulate a similar economic union.
There is merit for such a set-up to facilitate trade and labour mobility and it is an issue that has recently gained recognition.
There is also a need to establish a common security policy to address terrorism, illegal fishing, transnational crime, human smuggling and border protection. Most Pacific Island nations have just a tiny military to protect their borders or exclusive economic zones.
The Melanesian Spearhead Group also needs a common voice to address West Papuas push for independence from Indonesia.
Unlike Europe, the Pacific countries have limited resources to be able to stand up individually to negotiate trade and security issues. Through a collective arrangement, the more powerful Pacific island countries like PNG might, in time, be able to support economically depressed countries of the region.
The Pacific islands nations could explore introducing a common currency. However, as we have seen with the Greek crisis, such an option is not presently viable in a region which is prone to global market shocks.
Nevertheless, having a common currency could ease payments for trade in raw materials and reduce transaction costs to boost tourism.
Wipro chairman Azim Premji today said he will donate more to philanthropic causes than the 39 per cent of wealth he has already donated as he exhorted business leaders to play a more important role in society's development.
"Driven by my own instinctive understanding and beliefs and influenced by many ideals of trusteeship, I have irrevocably donated about 39 per cent of the wealth of Wipro to the Azim Premji Foundation. I would like to donate much more to this foundation and I will do that in the course of rest of my life," he said here.
The Indian Merchants Chamber here today conferred the lifetime achievement award on Premji, who in his speech asked business leaders to engage with society in a bigger way.
"Business leaders, with their ability to create businesses and ability to scale, need to play a very important role in social service," he said.
Personal involvement and building institutions should be the key to this engagement, he said.
Speaking of his own journey as philanthropist which started in 2001, Premji said being rich "did not thrill" him.
"The success of Wipro has made me a very wealthy person. I have never felt the need for such wealth, nor any thrill at being wealthy. I have always felt intuitively that such large wealth cannot be the privy of any one person or family," he said.
Azim Premji Foundation is present across the diverse aspects of education sector, from running or supporting schools to influencing policy, Premji said, adding that its personnel have played a role in the overhaul of the upcoming education policy.
He also touched upon following the path of integrity which "was not easy" and "was particularly difficult in the early stages of my life when we were trying to establish that we cherish integrity."
Meanwhile, officials of the 100-year-old IMC said it would be soon renamed as 'IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry'.
The chamber today appointed Deepak Premnarayen, Executive Chairman and founder of ICS Group, as president for 2016-17.
Ahead of its initial public offer, staffing firm Quess Corp today raised Rs 180 crore from anchor investors, including Kuwait Investment Authority.
The company allotted shares to around 15 anchor investors at a price of Rs 317 apiece - upper end of the price band fixed for the Rs 400-crore IPO opening tomorrow.
Apart from Kuwait Investment Authority, Fidelity Investments, ICICI Prudential MF, HDFC MF, Nomura, Harvard Management Co, DSP BlackRock, Wasatch, Pictet and Grandeur Peak were among the anchor investors.
Quess Corp allotted 56.78 lakh shares to anchor investors at the price of Rs 317 per scrip, according to a filing to the stock exchanges.
Promoted by Ajit Isaac and Thomas Cook (India), Quess Corp's IPO has a price band of Rs 310-317 per equity share having face value of Rs 10 each.
The IPO, which would open tomorrow and close on July 1, comprises fresh issue of equity shares aggregating Rs 400 crore.
The Bengaluru-headquartered company plans to use the proceeds towards incremental working capital, acquisitions and other strategic initiatives, debt repayment and other general corporate purposes.
Set up in 2007, Quess Corp offers comprehensive solutions, including recruitment, temporary staffing, technology staffing and IT products and solutions.
A swimming pool poster by the American Red Cross society has been branded 'racist' on social media for allegedly portraying coloured children as 'not cool', forcing the humanitarian organisation to apologise.
The 'water safety' poster shows a group of youngsters engaging in various activities at a pool in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
It labels them 'cool' or 'not cool' depending on whether behaviour adheres to the site's rules, including no pushing others in the water.
However, it has sparked outrage on Twitter after apparently disproportionately portraying young black swimmers as 'not cool'.
One user, John Sawyer from Washington, US, declared the Red Cross should replace the poster because "the current one... Is super racist".
Another user, Matt Hickman, tweeted: "Seriously, RedCross? Behaving white kids are 'cool'; children of color depicted as misbehaving/'not cool' #racism."
The Red Cross has since apologised for the poster, which is titled 'Be Cool, Follow The Rules'.
In a statement , the organisation said: "The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced. We deeply apologise for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone."
"As one of the nation's oldest and largest humanitarian organisations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day. To this end, we have removed the poster from our website and Swim App and have discontinued production. We have notified all of our partner aquatic facilities requesting they take down the poster," it was quoted as saying by the NBC.
It added: "Our organisation has emphasised to our partners and on social media that it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone and apologised for this inadvertent action.
Trade ministers of countries, including India, China and Japan, will meet on August 5 in Laos to iron out issues holding back negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
There are several complex issues, including the proposed three-tier system of tariff relaxation and services sector matters, which need intervention at a ministerial level, a senior official said.
"On August 5, all the trade ministers will meet to deliberate on those issues and try to resolve them so that the talks can be concluded on time," the official added.
In the recently-concluded 12th round of negotiations for the mega trade deal - RCEP - in Auckland, a few members raised concerns about the three-tier system proposed by countries, including India, to cut or eliminate taxes on goods.
"A few countries want duty elimination on about 99 per cent of the goods traded among the RCEP members, but nations, including India, are of the view that moderate relaxation in taxes too would give significant market access to all the member countries," the official said.
India has decided to offer greater access to its market for ASEAN countries - with which it has a free trade agreement in place - and has proposed to eliminate duties or tariffs on 80 per cent of items for the 10-nation bloc under this proposed pact.
Similarly, for Japan and South Korea, it has offered to open up 65 per cent of its product space.
For Australia, New Zealand and China, Delhi has proposed to eliminate duties on only 42.5 per cent of products, as India does not have any kind of FTA with these three countries.
RCEP is a mega trade deal which aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights.
The talks for the pact started in Phnom Penh in November 2012. The 16 countries account for over a quarter of the world's economy, estimated to be more than USD 75 trillion.
India already has FTAs with the ASEAN grouping, Japan and South Korea.
The 16-member bloc RCEP comprises 10 ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
A one-day seminar on "Importance of Financial Documents in Foreign Trade" will be held here on July 4 by International Chamber of Commerce India in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and State Bank of India (SBI), according to a release here today.
Renowned faculty of ICC will lead sessions that focus on significant and beneficial topics for exim trade fraternity that includes significance of terms of delivery (INCOTERMS 2010) in commercial transactions, different types of terms of payment and Open Account, it said.
The seminar will also discuss Letters of Credit, Uniform Rules for Collection and Bank Payment Obligation, discussion on ISBP 745 with Case Study, ICC Uniform Rules for Demand Guarantee and forfeiting, check List for Exporters and Importers - at the time of finalizing the Commercial Contract; and recent ICC Banking Commission Opinions and DOCDEX Cases, the release said.
U Chiranjeevi, General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Kochi, will inaugurate the seminar.
Noting that lack of awareness of these rules and their application in the day-to-day work can affect the organisations detrimentally, the release said it has, therefore, been the continuous endeavour of ICC India to sensitize all concerned on these important trade facilitation rules and this programme at Kochi is one among various centres throughout the country.
The strain in the relationship between ruling allies Shiv Sena and BJP grew further today with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party putting up posters mocking BJP president Amit Shah and setting afire the effigy of the party's city unit chief Ashish Shelar in South Mumbai.
Taking a stern view, BJP warned its belligerent ally of giving a "fitting reply" if Sena leadership fails to rein in its cadres.
Escalating the confrontation, Sena cadres put up posters depicting Shah and BJP chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari dressed in attires of characters from Bollywood movie "Sholay".
The effigy on Shelar was put on fire, days after he gave a veiled warning to Sena to keep away from burning effigies of BJP leaders.
The latest provocation was Bhandari's recent article in BJP publication "Manogat", which has not gone down well with Sena.
In the write-up, Bhandari dared Sena, its sulking ally, to take "divorce" from power and compared Uddhav with comedy actor Asrani's famous character as a jailor in "Sholay".
In a sharp reply tonight, state BJP secretary and MLC Sujit Singh Thakur said, "BJP remained calm for past few days even after repetitive provocations from Shiv Sena workers. If anyone is taking it otherwise, they should understand it clearly that the BJP is strong enough to give a fitting reply".
Taking a strong objection to burning of effigy of Shelar, Thakur said, "We too can resort to burning effigies or burning newspapers. But, we have kept quiet keeping in mind the larger good. But, no one should test our tolerance. If Sena leaders don't control their workers, they would be entirely responsible for any reaction arising from BJP workers".
He stated that BJP would henceforth not tolerate any derogatory remarks aimed at its national leaders.
Some BJP leaders had recently called for burning of copies of Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" for pouring vitriol on BJP every other day. However, Sena in an editorial condemned the BJP leaders' statement, saying that all those who want the daily to be burned were attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ideology.
In yet another attack on ORF chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sena activists today tried to disrupt his press conference in South Mumbai for inviting Pakistani photo journalists to the city under a peace initiative.
The incident occurred at Press Club when Sena workers barged in at the venue despite the security arrangement and raised slogans against Kulkarni and against Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism.
The Pakistani photo journalists were also present at the presser when the incident occurred.
The handful of activists were immediately detained by police and taken to Azad Maidan police station.
The Sena activists had last year smeared Kulkarni's face with black ink for organising a function to launch a book written by former Pakistan foreign minister Khursid Mehmood Kasuri.
Kulkarni's Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has launched a project 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai' under which five photographers visit each other's countries as "messengers of peace".
While the five photo journalists from Pakistan arrived in the city on June 20 and will return on June 30, the Indian contingent is expected to travel to Karachi in the first week of July.
Unfazed by the ruckus, Kulkarni, erstwhile speech writer of BJP patriarch L K Advani, said, "They (Shiv Sena) threatened us saying we should not allow any Pakistani to enter Mumbai. Inspite of their threat, we conducted a programme last year for the release of Khursid Mehmood Kasuri's book in Mumbai. We shall do so again and again."
He said Mumbai did not belong to these people who claim to be the "sole preservers, protectors of the national interest".
"We are also patriots....We equally condemn terrorism, religious extremism, but we shall not bow before these extremists who want to stop us from promoting India-Pakistan friendship," Kulkarni said.
He later told PTI that Sena activists tried to hit his car after the presser ended.
"While I was conducting the press conference, Sena workers barged in and created a ruckus shouting slogans like 'Sena zindabad' and 'Pakistan murdabad'. Also, when I was going back after conducting the press conference, they tried to hit my car," Kulkarni said.
Questioning the logic of Sena in opposing entry of
Pakistanis to Mumbai over backing terrorism against India, Kulkarni said, "All Pakistanis are not terrorists. There is a strong section there that condemns terrorism and are victims of terrorism themselves."
On 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai, he said, "This is an example of photography for peace. Terrorists shoot with guns, they (photographers) shoot with cameras. Sena should see the difference because Uddhav Thackeray (Sena president) himself is a very good photographer. He should honour his own photographic fraternity."
He further said that Government of India, the security forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were capable of responding effectively to the threat of terrorism.
"People of both countries want to live in peace. This can happen with more people-to-people contact so that the constituency of peace and friendship becomes strong. They have every right to protest but every political party should also follow rule of law. Nobody can take law into their hands and commit violence," Kulkarni said.
Meanwhile, justifying their action, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said Kulkarni should go to the border and tell extremists to stop terrorism.
"Pakistan is openly conducting terrorist attacks and our jawans are dieing on the borders. When the country is reeling under terrorism, he (Kulkarni) is inviting them.
"Last time (at Kasuri's book launch) he did the same thing and was given protection. Why did not BJP tell him to stop this? Who is behind this man? Why does he not go to the border and tell terrorists to stop terrorism...Make peace with terrorists," she asked.
Firing a fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his electoral promise to bring back black money stashed aboard, on Tuesday questioned how many citizens have received Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts.
"Bringing back black money was the first promise Modi had made prior to elections. Recently, in his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', he warned those who had stashed money abroad to come clean or face the heat. This warning itself means that the snake is still in the burrow and refuses to come out," Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Modi, during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign, had prominently highlighted the issue of black money and had promised to bring it back. He had said that every citizen will receive Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts.
"Before (Lok Sabha) polls, Modi had said black money worth around Rs 2 lakh crore is stashed in foreign banks and had promised Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of each citizen. Two years in power, how much of it has been brought back?" the BJP ally in the state asked.
It also took potshots at the BJP which recently organised 'Mann Ki Baat' programme at 10 spots in the city, facilitating citizens to listen to the PM's radio show.
"'Mann Ki Baat' is like hot tea and in a bid to attract listeners, several areas in Mumbai had catered free tea. The country is undergoing a change. We do not want free tea, we want the promised Rs 15 lakh deposited in our bank accounts," Sena said.
It claimed that the election system stands on black money and that not just businessmen, film stars or terrorist organisations deal with black money but politicians form a part of the process as well.
"That explains why every party wants businessmen to work with them. One does not need to scout Switzerland or Mauritius to reclaim black money...Modi can succeed in his mission if he unearths black money that is circulating within the country," Sena said.
A Sikh politician contesting in the upcoming elections from Australia's Greens party has been targeted with "racist flyers" which she claimed were distributedin her electorate here.
Alexandra Kaur Bhathal, a candidate from Greens party for the seat of Batman, Melbourne, today wrote on her facebook page that aflyer wasdistributed in herelectorate targeting herbackground and beliefs.
"Yesterday and today a flyer has been distributed in my electorate of Batman targeting my background and beliefs. The leaflet contains vicious and racist statements about me and my heritage as a Sikh," Bhathal said.
"I was sickened and disturbed by this, as are members of the Sikh community who've seen the flyer, but it only adds to my resolve to keep campaigning and defend multiculturalism. This propaganda, based on misinformation, racism and hatred, will not sway me from my faith as a Sikh, a religion that stands up for the rights of all people - we are a progressive, humanist faith that believes all people are created equal and that we must respect all religions," she said.
According to media reports, the alleged printed material claimedBhathal supported, "Khalistan terrorist movement" to create a "racist" nation in Punjab.
The flyers hada picture of Bhathal speaking at a Sikh congregation in Melbourne marked as 'Sikh Genocide Remembrance Day' on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots anniversary last year and it claimed that she "infiltrated the Greens to promote her hidden race agenda."
Bhathal said, "It won't sway me from my political commitments as a Greens candidate. I have lodged a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission. This kind of racism has no place in our politics. We cannot allow hatred to grow unchallenged."
"To the people who wrote and produced this flyer, I want to tell you that I will not be intimidated. I'm proud to stand up for what I hold most fundamental and that includes my belief that racism has no place in our country," she asserted.
Polling for the general election in Australia will be held on July 2.
A 27-year-old owner of a website that fanned anti-foreigner sentiments in Singapore was today jailed for eight months after he pleaded guilty to sedition.
Yang Kaiheng, who could have been jailed for up to three years and/or fined up to of 5,000 Singapore dollars per charge for sedition, admitted that he used his popular site to "promote feelings of ill-will and hostility" and to fan anti- foreigner sentiments in Singapore.
Yang was the owner of now-defunct sociopolitical site 'The Real Singapore' (TRS). He pleaded guilty last week to six sedition charges. His 23-year-old wife Ai Takagi was the editor of the website and was sentenced to 10 months in prison for publishing "seditious articles" intended to "provoke unwarranted hatred against foreigners" in April.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Public Prosecutor G Kannan, said Yang "cannot expect to get away lightly after toying with our peace and harmony".
Yang's conduct, if left unchecked, "can tear our society apart," he said, adding that Yang and his wife had published at least seven seditious posts targeting foreigners here.
"All foreigners... Were fair game in the business (Yang) ran. For what? The almighty dollar," the Channel Asia quoted Kannan as saying.
Yang, despite being aware that seditious posts were "stirring up anger and resentment in Singapore", continued to allow Takagi to publish posts dealing with race, religion and nationality, the prosecution said.
"His crimes are crimes of omission as much as they are crimes of commission," Kannan told the court, pointing to the fact that he did nothing to "rein in" his wife, an Australian of Japanese origin.
Yang had oversight of TRS and could have established "a more responsible editorial policy" but he did not. As a result, "millions of eyes were exposed to these seditious articles," Kannan said and asked the court to hold Yang responsible for the "illegal content" published on TRS.
The site was shut down by Singapore's Media Development Authority in May last year.
Two months ago, Democratic congressional candidate Eric Kingson was fighting to stay on the primary ballot.
Now, he's hoping to pull off an upset that would shake up the 24th Congressional District race.
Kingson, D-Manlius, spent the eve of the primary election campaigning in the Syracuse area. When reached for a phone interview, he paused to greet a voter who approached him on the street.
The favorite to win Tuesday's primary is Colleen Deacon, a former aide to U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand who has received support from the party's establishment.
A poll released by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which endorsed Deacon, showed her leading the race by 33 points over Steve Williams, another candidate seeking the party's nomination, and 42 points over Kingson.
That could be discouraging for some candidates, but Kingson thinks he still has a shot to win and with good reason.
Earlier this month, Kingson was endorsed by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. That led to an influx of campaign donations that allowed Kingson's campaign to keep its television ads on the air and cover other expenses.
Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, headlined a rally for Kingson on Friday in Syracuse. Kingson said that rally helped draw roughly 30 active volunteers to his campaign in days leading up to the primary.
Kingson acknowledged that it's been a tough fight he's been in the race longer than his two primary opponents but he's confident about his chances Tuesday night.
"We are the underdog, but we're a feisty one," he said.
Police today rescued a 28-year-old son of a businessman here, who was kidnapped by six persons including a staff of the victim's father, and arrested the accused.
"Ankit Purushottam Rathi, son of a sugar trader from Hadapsar area in the city, was kidnapped last night. His captors had sought Rs 3 crore ransom from his father," DCP (Crime) P R Patil said.
One of the accused, Narayan Vaishnav, was a former employee of Ankit's father and hatched the plan along with the others, the DCP said.
Ankit was waylaid by the accused last night when he was returning home from office. They took him in a car and drove outside city. The accused then started calling up Ankit's father and threatened to kill his son if their demand is not met, Patil said.
The businessman approached the Anti-Extortion Cell and the sleuths started tracking the location of the kidnappers, he said, adding, "The abductors used to ask the victim's father to bring money at a certain place at one time, but then changed the location."
Patil said since the kidnappers were changing their location, it was difficult for police to zero in on them.
"However, the sleuths managed to trace them and rescued the victim from a car in a village on Pune-Solapur Road," he said.
The accused, Anil Dahire, Nikhil Kamble, Prakash Divakar, Rohit Sathe, Nitin Bendre and Narayan Vaishnav, were arrested and produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody till July 4, the DCP said.
Maharashtra cabinet today decided to convene a special sitting of the Legislative Council on July 8 for the election of the Chairman.
Current Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar of NCP is set to be reelected as he has the support of Congress too.
The new Chairman as well as eleven members who were elected to the upper house recently would take oath on July 8, an official from the Chief Minister's office said.
As per the understanding between Congress and NCP, the post of the Deputy Chairman will be offered to Congress.
A senior Congress leader said that during the recent election for MLCs, Congress supported NCP candidates in return for latter's support to Congress for Deputy Chairman.
The post of Deputy Chairman fell vacant after Vasant Davkhare's term ended and he lost in recent polls.
NCP state unit president Sunil Tatkare said agenda of the special session was only to elect the Chairman. "Once the monsoon session starts, the Chief Minister, parliamentary affairs minister and the Chairman will table the agenda for electing the Deputy Chairman," Tatkare told PTI.
A BJP leader said the ruling party was trying to enlist NCP's support for the Deputy Chairman's post. "We supported NCP when they wanted to remove Shivajirao Deshmukh (Congress), the then chairman, and brought a no-confidence motion. The NCP should now give the post to us," he said.
But an NCP leader said it would support Congress candidate for the post.
Two members of a gang have been arrested for a robbery at a senior citizen's house in New Friends Colony during which one of them was accidentally shot in the leg and later lodged a fake complaint to receive treatment for the gunshot injury, police said today.
"Accused Rajesh was arrested on a tip-off near Pushta Road in Geeta Colony yesterday. During interrogation, he spilled the beans leading to arrest of Sabir Ahmad," said Rishi Pal, DCP (east).
The duo, along with other members of the gang - Nitin, Ateek, Jitender and Lalit, had committed a robbery in the house of the senior citizen on June 25 around 9 pm.
During the robbery, Rajesh fired from his country-made pistol to terrorise the victim, but the bullet accidentally hit Sabir in his leg following which they fled from the spot, he said.
Sabir needed immediate medical aid for the gunshot injury but was unable to visit any hospital for treatment as it would have brought police in the picture.
He later made a PCR call at 10.30 pm reporting a fake loot near Chand Cinema and being shot in the leg by bike-borne robbers. The cops took him to a hospital and a case was registered at Kalyanpuri police station in east Delhi, the officer said.
During interrogation, Sabir also admitted his involvement in robberies of Rs 2.80 lakh from a businessman in Indirapuram and Rs 4 lakh from another victim in Noida in the past six months, added the officer.
An activist detained in Bahrain in an intensifying crackdown on dissent was taken to the hospital today after suffering an irregular heartbeat following 15 days of being held in isolation, his supporters said.
Authorities took Nabeel Rajab to the cardiac care clinic of the Bahrain Defense Force Hospital, said Sayed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.
Rajab's condition wasn't immediately known today. Bahraini officials did not respond to a request for comment and state media did not immediately report on the 52-year-old activist's hospitalisation.
"We raised our extreme worries about the effects isolated detention would have on Nabeel's health and we were ignored," Alwadaei said in a statement. "Nabeel never suffered heart problems before."
Police arrested Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, in an early morning raid on June 13. He faces a charge of spreading "false ."
Rajab helped lead protests during Bahrain's 2011 demonstrations as the island's majority Shiites and others demanded more political freedom from its Sunni rulers.
The government quashed the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though low-level unrest and attacks on police have continued.
Bahrain, a tiny island that is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, has launched a new crackdown on activists since April.
Late yesterday, the Interior Ministry announced a series of arrests of people who were "misusing social media" to "incite people or instigate people to abuse others." It offered no further details on the number or identifies of those arrested.
Authorities have also suspended the country's largest Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, and doubled a prison sentence for its secretary-general, Sheikh Ali Salman.
Authorities now seek to dissolve the political party in court.
Today, lawyers representing Al-Wefaq in those hearings issued a statement saying they would withdraw from the case as authorities had blocked them from entering the group's shuttered headquarters to obtain documents and prepare their defense.
Bahrain, just off Saudi Arabia's coast, faces mounting economic pressure as its oil-dependent economy suffers from depressed global crude prices.
The agency Fitch Ratings on Tuesday downgraded Bahrain's credit rating by a notch below investment grade, putting it into junk territory.
It said that "lower oil prices are causing a marked deterioration in Bahrain's fiscal position."
The decision by Fitch follows a similar move in February by Standards & Poor's to put Bahrain in junk territory.
Business leader Rahul Bajaj today said he wondered as to how will the government progress on the black money issue after Switzerland backed out of supporting India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
"Where is Switzerland? What happened at NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group)? The Swiss president said they support India, but what happened at Seoul? They backed out," he told reporters here when asked about the government's fight on black money.
India was not able to muster enough support to get admitted in 48-member NSG due to opposition by several countries including Switzerland. In the lead up to the NSG meet at Seoul last week, however, Switzerland had publicly declared support to India.
The European nation, famous for an opaque banking system, is also believed to be home to bulk of Indians' unaccounted black money stashed abroad.
"Every country has its own regulation and you cannot force Switzerland to do what you want," Bajaj said, adding that the government is doing whatever it can in this matter.
He hit out however at the BJP's pre-poll promises to get back all the black money as being "wrong".
"The kind of promises people were made before the elections were wrong. They cannot be achieved. You cannot get billions of dollars, there are none," he said.
Referring to the statement by BJP chief Amit Shah on depositing Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's account, Bajaj said such a thing is not a possible. "You can't get Rs 15 lakh in everybody's account."
Black money has been a subject of intense debate in the country and one of the first decisions of the new government in 2014 was to set up a special investigation team to look into the matter.
National-award winning actress Usha Jadhav believes that the film industry is changing for good with filmmakers now preferring talent over appearance.
Usha, who garnered praise for playing Veerappan's wife Muthulakshmi in Ram Gopal Varma latest film, says the lines between commercial and art film are blurring.
"After getting the national award, people thought I am an intense actor but that is not true. I am a good dancer and would love to do an item number or lighter roles.
"Hopefully, I would also get such characters because now things are changing. Talent is not judged by your looks anymore. If a person is a good actor, he/she automatically brightens up the screen," Usha told PTI in an interview.
The 28-year-old Marathi actress says the success of recently released film "Sairat" is a best example of how a good story does not need the usual clutches.
"I think with the success of small-budget films including 'Sairat' many perceptions about our Indian film industry is changing. Filmmakers would cast me too in a love story because the leads of the film were ordinary people."
Usha made her showbiz debut with "Traffic Signal" in 2007. Her second film was Deepti Naval's directorial debut "Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish".
After trying her luck in TV and short films, the actress hit the bull's eye with the role of a mother in Marathi film "Dhag", which won her National award.
Usha says acting was not in her mind when she moved to Mumbai but she was always curious to know the process of filmmaking. Her debut role in "Traffic Signal" happened by chance.
"I moved to Mumbai because I wanted to earn money. I was working in Mahalaxmi, where the famous Mahalaxmi studio is there. So, one day, after my office I went there to see a film shooting. I met a friend, who was a part of Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Traffic Signal'. She suggested that I meet the director."
When asked how she came to be a part of "Veerappan", Usha said she had met Varma in 2013 and he contacted her for the role two years later.
"After two years, he messaged me to meet him. He was ready with the character and her look. He showed me the promo of Kannada film. He knew everything about Muthulakshmi as he had met her and was researching about the subject for last 15 years. It made it easy for me to understand the character emotionally.
The Cenre today told the Madras High Court Bench here that it was holding talks with officials of Oman for rescuing 14 Tamil women employed as domestic help in that country and allegedly tortured by their employers.
Assistant Solicitor General G.R.Swaminathan told a bench comprising Justice K.K.Sasidharan and B.Gokuldass that talks were on with Oman Embassy officials to rescue the women and bring them back home.
The submission was made during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition by Kalvathi whose daughter Meghala had gone to Oman to work as a domestic help for a monthly salary of Rs.20,000 but is facing "horrible" working conditions.
She also said that like her daughter, thirteen other women were "suffering" in Oman.
The peitioner submitted that when her daughter reached Oman with the help of brokers, she found the working condition "horrible" and she had to work for 22 hours a day and not given proper food. She was being treated like bonded labour, Kalavathi claimed.
The petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to produce her daughter in the court as she feared that she would killed.
Directing the Centre to file a detailed counter, the court posted the petition to July 12 for further hearing.
Tata Communications has sold its majority stake in South African Internet-service provider Neotel Pty Ltd to telecommunications firm Econet Wireless Global for USD 293 million (about Rs 1,992 crore).
Liquid Telecom, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, entered into an agreement to acquire Neotel, the company said in a statement.
It will pay Tata Communications and minority shareholders led Nexus Connexion 6.55 billion rand (USD 428 million) to create the continent's largest broadband network and business-to-business telecommunications service.
Tata Communications had acquired 68.5 per cent controlling stake in Neotel in 2009.
"Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30 per cent equity stake in Neotel," it said.
The acquisition will provide South African businessman Strive Masiyiwa-founded company wireless spectrum and broadband access. His Econet Wireless controls Africa-focused Internet provider Liquid Telecom and mobile-phone company Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Ltd.
The deal comes four months after a 7 billions rand proposal of Johannesburg-based Vodacom Group Ltd to buy Neotel fell after almost two years of regulatory battles and legal opposition to the deal by competitors.
"The shareholders of Neotel - Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion - have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR 6.55 billion," a statement by Liquid Telecom, Tata Communications and other stakeholders involved in the deal said.
The transaction, if approved by stakeholders of companies involved and regulatory authorities, will create the largest pan-African broadband network and business-to-business telecommunications service provider, it said.
Through a single access point, businesses across Africa will be able to access Liquid Africa's 24,000-km of cross- border, metro and access fibre networks, spanning across 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned.
"We are excited about this transaction. We will also be increasing investments into Neotel to cater for rapidly accelerating mobile and enterprise traffic, enabling us to launch exciting new products and services," Nic Rudnick, Liquid Telecom CEO, said.
Tata Communications Managing Director and CEO Vinod Kumar said: "Liquid Telecom is the right partner for the next phase of Neotel's evolution. We believe that Liquid Telecom will deliver on the vision of a well-connected Africa, which will augur well for the South African telecom industry and Neotel's customers."
The transaction is subject to approval by South African regulatory authorities and is expected to be completed later this financial year, the statement said.
Tata Communications today said Liquid Telecom, a privately-owned, pan-Africa telecom group, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, has entered into an agreement to acquire its subsidiary Neotel for South African Rand 6.55 billion (Rs 2,904 crore).
"The shareholders of Neotel -- Tata Communications of India and minority shareholders led by Nexus Connexion -- have agreed for Liquid Telecom to acquire Neotel for ZAR 6.55 billion," Tata Communications said in a BSE filing.
It further said: "Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30 per cent equity stake in Neotel."
Tata Communications added that the transaction, subject to all affirmative, corporate and other regulatory approvals, is transformative and will create the largest pan-Africa broadband network and B2B telecom provider.
"Through a single access point, businesses across Africa will be able to access Liquid Africa's 24,000 km of cross-border, metro and access fibre networks. These currently span 12 countries from South Africa to Kenya, with further expansion planned," it said.
Tata Communications MD and CEO Vinod Kumar said: "Liquid Telecom is the right partner for the next phase of Neotel's evolution. Convergence of technologies and services will be the key driver of growth across the globe and this transaction will encourage inclusion and support the growth aspirations of the African continent."
In March this year, Tata Communications' transaction to sell a majority stake in subsidiary Neotel to Vodacom, South Africa, had lapsed due to regulatory complexities and non-fulfilment of certain conditions.
The company on December 10 last year had said Neotel and Vodafone's South African subsidiary, Vodacom, have concluded a modified transaction and the transaction documentation relating to the restructured deal was submitted to the Competition Tribunal.
The deal was originally signed in May 2014 wherein Vodacom had reached an agreement to buy Neotel, controlled by Tata Communications, for 7 billion Rand (about Rs 3,200 crore).
In dollar terms, the value of transaction at that time was around USD 676 million.
Tata Communications owns over 68 per cent stake in South Africa's largest fixed line telephone service provider Neotel.
The stock of Tata Communications was trading 4.54 per cent higher at Rs 470 on BSE.
Three ganja peddlers were arrested today, for attempting to sell ganja to college students here.
Police noticed the trio, including a woman, moving in a suspicious manner near a private college and conducted a search, following which 2.5 kg of ganja was recovered from the gang.
The accused Mahalakshmi and Prakash from the city and Srinivasan from Chennai were arrested.
Further investigations are on to ascertain the source of supply of ganja, police said.
AUBURN As Democrats in the 24th Congressional District went to the polls Tuesday to nominate his challenger, U.S. Rep. John Katko touted his record at a local Rotary Club luncheon.
Katko, R-Camillus, highlighted his work on national security issues he chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and the role he played in passing a five-year, $350 billion bill to fund highway infrastructure projects.
Locally, Katko said he's focused on the heroin epidemic. He's a former federal prosecutor who saw the impact street drugs can have, but he's seen nothing like what's happened over the past several years with heroin's rise.
"The toll it's taking on central New York and this nation is incalculable," he said.
One source of pride for Katko is the 13 bills he's introduced that have been passed by the House. Two have been signed into law by President Barack Obama.
When Katko challenged then-U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei in 2014, he made the case that Maffei should be "fired" for his weak legislative record.
At the time, Maffei had sponsored 13 bills in the 113th Congress. None of the measures were approved by the House or signed into law.
Katko recalled that he "pounded" Maffei for failing to get at least one bill approved by the House and Senate.
"So thank God I got some bills passed," he said.
For Katko, the legislative achievements also showcase one of his other priorities: Bipartisanship. He said when he's introduced legislation, the first thing he does is seek a Democratic cosponsor.
One example he cited was when he introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Treasury to put Harriet Tubman on a denomination of paper currency. He approached U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, who signed on as an original cosponsor.
"I want to work in a bipartisan manner," Katko said.
One topic that didn't come up, at least directly, was Katko's re-election campaign.
The 24th District race is a top priority for both parties. Democrats believe they can win back the seat in a presidential election year. Republicans are confident that with Katko, they have a candidate who can win in a year when Democratic turnout is traditionally high.
While Katko didn't mention the upcoming campaign, he seemed to address criticism from Democrats that he hasn't done enough or anything to boost central New York's economy.
Katko noted that the region has lost 30,000 manufacturing jobs since the North American Free Trade Agreement was adopted two decades ago.
"I'm very concerned about trade agreements we enter into," he said during his opening remarks.
Later in the meeting, he was asked about how to improve the economy. He remembered growing up in the Syracuse area and several major companies had a presence here. But many of these companies transferred jobs to other countries or closed operations altogether.
One way to get American companies to bring jobs back to the country, he said, is by lowering the tax burden.
"We need to level the playing field," he said.
Three persons were apprehended at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here today when they were found with "fake" airport entry passes by security personnel.
Officials said the incident was reported at about 4:00 PM when an on-duty CISF official detected suspicious movements of the trio at the airport terminal.
It was later detected that the three Delhi-based persons were allegedly conned by someone with a fake promise of providing them employment at the IGIA and they were subsequently handed over the fake airport entry passes.
It was found, they said, that the trio were duped of about Rs 1.10 lakh by the conman, who they said, met them at a metro station a few days ago.
The case has been handed over to Delhi police, officials said.
A toddler died in hospital following a grenade attack in Madagascar's capital, bringing the death toll to three in what the president called "an act of terrorism".
The blast struck the Mahamasina municipal stadium in Antananarivo at around 1600 GMT Sunday, just as a free concert was taking place to mark the nation's 56th anniversary of independence from France.
According to the gendarmerie, the attack immediately killed two teenagers aged 16 and 18.
"There are now three dead," including the 14-month-old girl who died of her wounds, Prime Minister Olivier Mahafaly Solonandrasana said yesterday, adding that 91 people were injured in the attack and an enquiry was under way.
President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who visited the wounded in hospital, blamed the attack on tensions with political opponents in the Indian Ocean island nation.
"There may be differences of opinion between us, but these acts of destabilisation are unacceptable," he said in a statement broadcast on national television, describing the attack as "not just a destabilising act but an act of terrorism".
Pleading for calm, he added: "We will not respond to violence with violence."
"I do not believe that a divergence of views pushes people to commit such an atrocity " said former prime minister Omer Beriziky, one of the voices critical of the current regime.
"The explosion was caused by a grenade," general Anthony Rakotoarison, head of security and intelligence with the national gendarmerie, told AFP by phone.
"We consider this a terrorist act," he added.
A military parade had been held at the stadium earlier Sunday.
One of those injured, 15-year-old John Joelison, said there were three security checks at the stadium.
"So I can't understand how the attacker managed to get the bomb in," he said.
However a medical source said that the security forces had rapidly been overwhelmed, letting people come and go without being searched.
The last attack to hit Madagascar was in January 2014 when a grenade blast killed a toddler and injured several other people outside the same stadium targeted on Sunday.
No arrests were ever made in connection with that attack and there was no claim of responsibility.
Madagascar, one of the world's poorest countries, is slowly getting back on its feet after a lengthy period of political instability triggered by the 2009 ouster of president Marc Ravalomanana by Antananarivo's then-mayor Andry Rajoelina.
Three militants of different outfits were arrested and a pistol with ammunition was recovered from separate areas of Manipur, police said today.
While one militant of the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) was arrested from Imphal today, two cadres of the proscribed outfit PREPAK were apprehended by a joint team of state police commandos and troops of 6th Assam Rifles from Takhok Palli in Imphal East district yesterday.
Information revealed by one PREPAK militant led to the recovery of one pistol along with seven cartridges from his residence at Lilong locality in Thoubal district, a police statement said.
All three were involved with extortion, it said.
Alleging that the Centre was "insensitive" in not bifurcating the High Court here following division of Andhra Pradesh, TRS MP K Kavitha today said her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed to hold a protest in Delhi.
She, however, said the Telangana government did not want things to "escalate to that level" and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the issue.
"Our Chief Minister is very disheartened by the insensitivity of the Central government. We propose to go ahead and express our protest in Delhi. But, we do not want things to escalate to that level. We once again sincerely appeal to honourable Prime Minister to intervene at this juncture and bifurcate the High Court," Kavitha told reporters here.
It would not be good if the Chief Minister holds a dharna in Delhi as it will become an international news, she said, urging the Centre to act to prevent such a protest from happening.
TRS MPs raised the issue in Parliament and Rao appealed to Modi "10 times" for bifurcation of the High Court, she said.
Prime Minister has not responded on the demand for bifurcation of the High Court so far and Congress president Sonia Gandhi also never spoke on the issue in Parliament though she talked about the interests of Andhra Pradesh, she alleged.
Kavitha claimed that the Centre was not bifurcating the High Court under the political pressure by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The ruling TRS' stance came against the backdrop of agitation by lawyers and judges against provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad yesterday suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds following the agitation.
Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association on Sunday took out a procession here in protest against the provisional allocation.
Kavitha alleged that a "conspiracy" has been hatched by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" are giving Andhra Judges the option to work in Telangana.
Although BJP supported the protest by Telangana judges,
the party alleged that the Chief Minister's "protest now is purely political".
"BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with CJH (Chief Justice of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad) and CM appoint district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya would meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda along with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi today in this regard, a BJP release said.
(EU) President Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Donald Tusk is ready "today" to begin talks with Britain on leaving the bloc, as he arrived for a Brexit-dominated summit of leaders.
"Europe is ready to start the divorce process even today, without any enthusiasm, as you can imagine. This is not the scenario we were dreaming about," Tusk told reporters.
Following Thursday's referendum in which Britons voted to leave the European Union, London has to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting two years to negotiate the terms of its exit.
But Prime Minister David Cameron has said that London will not take this step yet, saying on Monday that Britain needs first to "determine the kind of relationship we want with the EU."
Tusk also suggested holding a summit of the 27 EU countries without Britain in September to discuss the bloc's future, saying leaders needed time to prepare.
"I will propose that we can hold an informal leaders meeting in September because we need a few weeks to prepare. Maybe the best place will be Bratislava," Tusk said, referring to the capital of Slovakia, which holds the EU's rotating presidency from July 1.
Two persons were arrested for allegedly killing an endangered Indian Pangolin at a village located in the buffer zone of Pench National Park near here, a forest official said today.
"Vinod Madavi (25) and Sadaram Bhalawi (31) of Kharhai village were arrested yesterday for allegedly killing and possessing scales of a Pangolin. Two more persons involved are also being traced out," Park Assistant Conservator of Forest K S Senger said.
The accused were nabbed while they were cooking meat of the Pangolin after removing its scales, he said.
Pangolin scales fetch huge price in the international market as it is used as an aphrodisiac.
Investigators have seized the axe used to kill pangolin from the two men, the officer said, adding that they are interrogating with the duo thoroughly to find out if they are involved with a gang of poachers.
Special Task Force of Forest department is reaching here from Bhopal to quiz the two accused, who claimed that they killed the animal for its meat.
In May 2015, Forest department officials had busted an inter-state gang allegedly involved in smuggling the scales of endangered animal, Indian Pangolin, to China.
Then the 13 accused of the gang had told police that they used to purchase an Indian Pangolin at Rs 500 to 1,500 per kg from poachers in Chhindwara and Balaghat districts of the state besides Chhattisgarh.
Ride-hailing firm Uber is looking to expand further into China's lower-tier cities, where business has been growing faster than in top-tier cities, CEO Travis Kalanick said today.
"We are seeing [second-and third-tier cities] grow far faster than the first-tier cities, so we are really excited about expanding there," Kalanick said during a meeting of the World Economic Forum, being held in Chinese city of Tianjin.
Uber has announced plans to expand its ride-hailing service to 100 Chinese cities this year.
It now operates in nearly 60 cities, including many lower -tier cities also targeted by domestic rival Didi.
Uber has secured over USD 6 billion in its latest funding round.
Liu Zhen, Uber China's head of strategy, said this month that most of the money raised will be used to fund Uber's operations in China.
While the company has generated over USD 1 billion in profits from its top 30 cities, Kalanick said it has not yet made money in any Chinese cities where the company operates, even though it provides more trips in China than any other country, state-run Xinhua agency reported.
The strong demand for better transportation in lower-tier Chinese cities also gives Uber more breathing room than in bigger cities, where Didi dominates.
"I lose half an hour of sleep every night because of competition for China," Kalanick said.
A growing number of automakers are placing bets on ride- hailing firms.
Toyota has invested in Uber, while Volkswagen has bought a stake in Gett in Europe and General Motors has backed Lyft in the United States.
To keep up with rival Didi, Kalanick said it must continue investment in China.
"We have to invest right now because we have a competitor that's also investing," he said.
Earlier this month, Didi announced USD 4.5 billion in equity financing, including USD 1 billion from Apple.
However, Kalanick would love to see the funding race end sooner.
"We all have to be sustainable at some point, and I can't wait till that happens. But for the time being, we are going to keep investing," he said.
The United Nations (UN) chief on Tuesday criticised Israel's blockade of Gaza, a day after Israel and Turkey reached a broad reconciliation pact that looked to ease, but not eliminate, the isolation of the coastal strip.
In a visit to the region, which included a stop at a school, Ban Ki-moon bemoaned the plight of Gazans, saying that "the closure of suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts."
"It's a collective punishment for which there must be accountability," the secretary-general added.
Meanwhile, in low-key affairs, Israel and Turkey formalised their agreement to restore full diplomatic relations after six years of animosity between the once-close allies.
In Ankara, Foreign Ministry under-secretary Feridun Sinirlioglu signed the deal, paving the way for its approval in parliament. The largely procedural signing was closed to the media. In a similar, parallel ceremony, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold signed the pact in Jerusalem.
The agreement with Israel will include an exchange of ambassadors and Israeli compensation for the deaths of 10 Turkish citizens from a 2010 Israeli naval raid on an activist flotilla that aimed to breach the blockade.
Turkey will also be allowed to bring relief supplies into Gaza and carry out new development projects here, but the deal did not fully lift the blockade that Israel has imposed on the Hamas-ruled territory to prevent the Palestinian militant group from importing weapons.
Gaza's Hamas rulers thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support in alleviating the strip's hardship, saying it "expresses its thanks and appreciation" to Erdogan.
However, Hamas stopped short of endorsing the pact and insisted it was sticking to its policy of resisting Israel. Despite the relief, Israel and Egypt still maintain their blockade of the isolated territory.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, said the Israeli-Turkey deal amounts to Turkish recognition of the Gaza blockade.
"From the moment you signed it, you are making this blockade legal," Kilicdaroglu said, addressing the authorities. "You are accepting Israel's control over Gaza."
Relations between Israel and Turkey began to decline after Erdogan, whose party has Islamist roots, became prime minister in 2003. Relations took a sharp turn downward during Israel's three-week war against Hamas in Gaza, from late December 2008 into January 2009, when Erdogan criticised Israel over the high Palestinian death toll.
Israel said the operation was needed to halt Hamas rocket fire and that the heavy civilian death toll resulted from Hamas using residential areas for cover.
The relations reached their nadir in 2010 when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish ship aiming to breech the blockade of Gaza.
International participation will be necessary to ensure "impartiality" of Sri Lanka's human rights accountability probe as the country's judicial institutions lack credibility, the UN's human rights chief has said, contradicting the government's stand.
In his oral update on Sri Lanka at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raaad Al Hussein called on Sri Lanka's government to take concrete steps to address impatience, anxiety and reservations towards the process.
"Key question remains the participation of international judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers in a judicial mechanism," Hussein said.
"The High Commissioner remains convinced that international participation in the accountability mechanisms would be a necessary guarantee for the independence and impartiality of the process in the eyes of victims, as Sri Lanka's judicial institutions currently lack the credibility needed to gain their trust," he said.
The chief's statement is in contrast to the Sri Lankan government's stance that no international participation would be required.
Hussein said the current constitutional reform process was an important opportunity for Sri Lanka to rectify structural weaknesses that hamper human rights accountability which in turn has created impunity.
"The government has also not moved fast enough with other tangible measures that would help to build confidence among victims and minority communities," he said.
Hussein criticised the government's reliance on the Prevention of Terrorism Act to make new arrests.
"These continuing concerns point to a deeper challenge for the government in asserting full civilian control over the military and intelligence establishment and dismantling the units and structures allegedly responsible for grave violations in the past," Hussein said.
The UN has estimated that 40,000 people died, many of them civilians, during Sri Lanka's civil war that lasted nearly three decades.
It was under Mahinda Rajapaksa's tenure that the Sri Lankan forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the separatist group that waged armed insurgency against the government.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon today urged Benjamin Netanyahu to take "courageous steps" toward peace as he met the Israeli premier on what is expected to be his farewell visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Ban also condemned a recent wave of Palestinian attacks, which he called "terrorism", and criticised the Israeli blockade against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
In a statement alongside Netanyahu at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Ban called for efforts to keep the possibility of a two-state solution alive.
While acknowledging the threats facing Israel, Ban said "we must not allow difficulties to become excuses for inaction".
"I encourage you to take the courageous steps necessary to prevent a one-state reality or perpetual conflict that is incompatible with realising the national aspirations of the Israelis and Palestinian people," he said.
"We cannot ignore key underlying causes of violence: growing Palestinian anger, the paralysis of the peace process, the nearly a half-century of occupation," he added.
Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank along with the lack of any progress in peace efforts have helped feed a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since October, many analysts say.
"Stabbings, vehicle rammings and shootings have only one name: terrorism," said Ban.
"Incitement to such acts and glorification of their perpetrators are unacceptable and must be stopped," he added.
Violence has declined in recent weeks, though attacks continue to occur, including a shooting spree at a Tel Aviv cafe on June 8 that killed four Israelis.
Ban specifically mentioned the Tel Aviv, but said security measures would not be enough.
"You need a political horizon," he said. "You need a leadership that is committed to peace and a just and a lasting solution."
Despite Ban's comments, the meeting with Netanyahu appeared friendly, with both men thanking each other. It was Ban's 11th visit as secretary general, expected to be his last before leaving office at the end of the year.
Netanyahu called for an end to what he referred to as bias at the United Nations toward Israel, citing repeated condemnations of his country.
Israel, said Netanyahu, "does more to promote and protect human rights and liberal values than any other in the blood-soaked Middle East.
June 28, 1936
The Washington Street shoe factory operated for many years under the name of the Robinson-Bynon Shoe Co., Inc., will be known in the future as Auburn Shoes Inc. The certificate of change of name has been filed in the County Clerk's Office by Edward J. Flynn, president, and Fred G. Allen, secretary.
June 28, 1961
Candidates for June Dairy Queen gathered this morning at the Auburn Theatre. The queen will be crowned on the stage tonight at 8:30 p.m. Candidates are Sue Baker, Sennett; Kathy Becker, Sempronius; Sharon Reynolds, King Ferry; Sue Coiley, Jordan; Barbara Harkness, Throop; Betty Campbell and Janice Chase of Cato; Marcia Southwick, Victory; Sarah Jane Hitchcock and Phyllis White of Port Byron; Karen Baker, Sennett, and Susan Harkness, Throop.
June 28, 2006
It is only a dot on the map. But what that mark does not show is how deep the community of Meridian goes, how wide its circle of heritage is. It's quiet in the village. Most say that's a good thing. The school, shared by the village of Cato, is close by. It has a recreation center, and the population of 350 also looks forward to the annual July 3 band concert, sponsored by the village.
On a recent Sunday morning, the 11 a.m. service at the Baptist church, founded in 1810, ended a little after noon. June Winks, who has lived in Meridian 32 years, was there with her granddaughter Lora.
June 28, 2011
Uttar Pradesh government has released Rs 66 crore for the expansion of the Ganga Canal road to double lane.
Theexecutive engineer of PWD Department Dharam Prakash told reporters today that the 108 km-long Ganga canal road would be expanded to double lane fom the existing single lane.
He said funds to the tune of Rs 165 crore have been sanctioned for the project. The road connects Uttarakhand and Muradnagar in the state.
This project, which would be competed in 2017, would facilitate easy passage of the 'Kawad' pilgrims and reduce the traffic burden on Delhi-Haridwar National Highway.
Construction work on the project has been started.
US-backed rebel fighters in eastern Syria said they launched an offensive today to sever a vital supply route of the Islamic State group to neighbouring Iraq.
The New Syrian Army's fighters are first aiming to cut the route before targeting Albu Kamal, a town in the oil-rich eastern Deir Ezzor province mostly held by the jihadists.
IS militants seized the town and nearby border crossing in mid-2014, just as the Sunni extremist group declared a self-styled "caliphate" in territory it controlled across both Syria and Iraq.
If the NSA's fighters manage to seize Albu Kamal, it would be the second border point they have captured from the jihadists this year after overrunning Al-Tanaf.
The operation launched on Tuesday is backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition.
Its aim was to "cut Daesh's military supply lines between Syria and Iraq," said NSA spokesman Muzahem al-Sallum, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
"We began our attack in full coordination with the Iraqi side, specifically tribal fighters in Anbar and the counter-terrorism service of the Iraqi government," he told AFP.
Iraqi fighters had launched a parallel operation at noon towards Albu Kamal, which is known as Al-Qaim across the border.
Within hours, units of the NSA were pushing northeast from the Al-Tanaf border crossing and hundreds of its fighters were now locked in clashes with the jihadists, said Sallum.
An online statement published by the NSA asked residents of Albu Kamal to move away from IS positions in the town ahead of coalition air strikes there.
Fighters of the NSA were trained by the British and Americans in Jordan and is backed by the US-led air coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State group is now facing growing pressure from US-backed offensives on its bastion cities in both Syria and Iraq.
In northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters have edged into the IS stronghold of Raqa with air cover by coalition warplanes.
In neighbouring Iraq, authorities declared at the weekend that they were fully in control of the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
Fallujah, in Anbar province, was one of the last two cities held by IS in Iraq.
Russia's defence ministry today accused an American destroyer of coming dangerously close to a Russian frigate in the Mediterranean Sea, calling the incident a "gross violation" of international agreements.
"On June 17, in the east of the Mediterranean Sea, the American destroyer USS Gravely came dangerously close to a Russian warship, 60 to 70 metres from the left side, and crossed the path of frigate Yaroslav Mudry at the dangerous distance of 180 metres from the bow," the ministry said in a statement.
At the time of the incident, the Russian frigate was in international waters and was not "conducting dangerous manoeuvres" in respect to the American destroyer, the statement said.
The ministry added that the crew abroad the USS Gravely had committed a "gross violation of international rules on the prevention of collisions at sea" and violated a maritime agreement signed in 1972 by US and then Soviet authorities.
The Pentagon has reported a number of recent cases of Russian jets buzzing US planes and ships in the Baltic Sea in recent months with tensions between the two side at their highest point since the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis.
In April, the US Navy released video footage of Russian aircraft flying very close to the USS Donald Cook, including in a "simulated attack profile."
Russia's defence ministry on Wednesday used the alleged incident in the Mediterranean Sea to hit back at the US.
The Pentagon "has recently accused with great perseverance Russian pilots and marines of lacking professionalism," it said.
"But this incident shows that US marines allow themselves to forget basic rules of maritime safety."
Relations between Russia and the West have nosedived over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Kremlin insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
N S Vishwanathan is being appointed as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), replacing H R Khan, who will retire next week. Vishwanathan, currently executive director, was chosen by a search committee headed by the Cabinet secretary, the first appointment to be done through this panel.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved, an official source said.
A formal order of his appointment will be issued soon, he said.
When contacted, Vishwanathan said he has not got any formal appointment letter yet and has only heard of the news through media. All appointments of deputy governors to RBI were previously done by a panel headed by the governor. For the first time this has been made through recommendations of the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha. This panel included RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan. Rajan had headed the panel as early as this January that gave a three-year extension to Urjit Patel, another deputy governor.
Khan, in-charge of the financial markets, internal debt management and foreign management department was appointed as a deputy governor in July 2011 and reappointed in 2014.
The central bank has four deputy governors two from within the ranks (the other being R Gandhi), a former commercial banker (S S Mundra) and an economist to head the monetary policy department (Urjit Patel).
Prior to being appointed as executive director in April 2014, Vishwanathan was principal chief general manager in the department of non-banking supervision. He has also served as chief general manager of vigilance at IFCI Ltd, a Delhi-based government-owned finance company.
With monsoon forecast to reach the national capital later this week, the Delhi government today said it has fixed an hour-long deadline to deal with ensuing complaints of waterlogging.
Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain said the government has set up a designated system to address such grievances.
"Under this system, complaints of waterlogging will be disposed within an hour of receiving the same through call centre set up by the government," Jain told reporters here.
He said people won't have to face problems of waterlogging on roads during the monsoon season.
Earlier this month, the AAP government had set up a unified control room to deal with complaints related to water-logging on roads.
People can register complaints on 1800118595.
"The unified control room will receive complaints related to waterlogging from the general public and will further assign them to the office/department concerned for immediate action and resolution," the official said.
The control room will work round-the-clock. Last year too, the AAP government had also issued a helpline to receive complaints of waterlogging in the streets.
The Centre today said it has no role in creation of a new High Court for Telangana and cautioned the state government that blaming the Narendra Modi government on the issue was "unacceptable and intolerable".
"Its not in our hands. Creation of new High Court for Telangana...Its in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that High Court (which is common for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and has not been bifurcated after the erstwhile state's division in June 2014)," Law Minister D V Sadandanda Gowda told PTI.
"If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, rest of the things High Court will take care. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, its not fair on anybody...Even the Chief Minister or anybody of Telangana... this (delay in bifurcating HC) is because of the Central government, its quite unacceptable and its intolerable," Gowda said over phone when contacted.
Earlier today, TRS MP K Kavitha alleged that the Centre was "insensitive" in not bifurcating the High Court here following division of undivided Andhra Pradesh and said her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao even proposed to hold a protest in Delhi.
Asked about this, Gowda said, "For no reason, if he holds a dharna, people will evaluate the dharna."
"Central government has no role to play (in bifurcation of HC). Unnecessarily blaming the central government is not fair. Its not in our hands. But unnecessarily blaming the central government, its not fair on the part of the Chief Minister or any persons of Telangana government," the Union Minister said.
"Judiciary is independent. We give maximum respect to Judiciary. Their independence cannot be encroached upon by the Executive at any point of time," he added.
Zoological Survey of India has started five long-term monitoring plots in the Himalayas to document the impact of climate change on animal world.
The project, funded by the Ministry for environment, forest and climate change, will monitor indicators in species like fish, butterflies, bees and other insects to find how their distribution has been affected by climate change, officials said.
ZSI director Kailash Chandra said it has very old records and will compare the distribution of species in the past and present to come out with a study report on the impact of climate change on their survival.
The project will run for three years in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and more than Rs 2 crore has been earmarked for the exercise.
Last year, 262 new animal species were discovered from India out of which 70 have been credited to ZSI scientists.
Chandra said the number of scientists working in ZSI has decreased over the years. He said only 80 scientists were working with the organisation now as compared to 120-130 in the past.
This has also resulted in the decline of reporting of new species. An average of over 100 new species was recorded by ZSI scientists in the past which has now come down, he said.
India is home to 94,515 species from the animal kingdom as on 31 December 2015.
The settlement, to be announced on Tuesday in Washington, includes $10.03 billion to offer buybacks to owners of about 475,000 polluting vehicles and nearly $5 billion in funds to offset excess diesel emissions and boost zero emission vehicles, the source said.
A separate settlement with nearly all U.S. state attorneys general over excess diesel emissions will be announced on Tuesday and is expected to be more than $500 million and will push the total to over $15 billion, a separate source briefed on the matter said.
Spokeswomen for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Volkswagen declined to comment.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, due to court-imposed gag rules, the original source said that owners of 2.0 litre diesel VW 2009-2015 cars will receive an average of $5,000 in compensation along with the estimated value of the vehicles as of September 2015, before the scandal erupted.
Prior owners will get half of current owners, while people who leased cars will also get compensation, said the original source.
Owners would also receive the same compensation if they choose to have the vehicles repaired, assuming U.S. regulators approve a fix at a later date.
The settlement includes $2.7 billion in funds to offset excess diesel emissions and $2 billion for green energy and zero emission vehicle efforts, the source said. The diesel offset fund could rise if VW has not fixed or bought back 85 percent of the vehicles by mid-2019, the first source said.
The settlement, the largest ever automotive buyback offer in U.S. history and most expensive auto industry scandal, stems from the German automaker's admission in September 2015 that it intentionally misled regulators by installing secret software that allowed U.S. vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.
VW still must reach agreement with regulators on whether it will offer to buyback 85,000 larger 3.0 litre Porsche, Audi and VW cars and SUVs that emitted up to nine times legally allowable pollution and how much it may face in civil fines for admitting to violating the Clean Air Act.
reported earlier the initial VW settlement would not include civil penalties under the U.S. Clean Air Act or address about 80,000 larger 3.0 litre Audi, Porsche and VW vehicles that emitted less pollution than 2.0 litre vehicles. A deal covering the 3.0 litre vehicles may still be months away.
The settlement does not address lawsuits from investors or a criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Regulators will not immediately approve fixes for the 2.0 litre vehicles - and may not approve fixes for all three generations of the polluting 2009-2015 vehicles, sources previously told .
The actual amount VW will spend will depend on how many vehicles are repurchased.
Owners will have two years to decide whether to sell back vehicles - and it is not clear when EPA and California will decide whether to approve fixes, which may not eliminate all excess emissions.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will hold a hearing on July 26 to decide on whether to grant preliminary approval to the settlements. If granted he would hold a later hearing to give final approval. Buybacks are likely to start no earlier than October, the first source said.
In April, VW set aside $18.2 billion to account for the emissions scandal.
VW had said the scandal impacted 11 million vehicles worldwide and lead to the departure of CEO Martin Winterkorn.
Last week, Germany's financial watchdog called on prosecutors to investigate VW's entire former management board over the time it took to disclose the carmaker's emissions test cheating, a person familiar with the matter told .
German prosecutors said this month they are investigating Winterkorn and a second unidentified executive over whether they effectively manipulated markets by delaying the release of information about the firm's emissions test cheating.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, editing by G Crosse and Bernard Orr)
At a time when India is facing pressure to dilute its domestic patent laws to enable more patent protection, India has suggested country-specific patent system that favours the interest of the national economy.
In the opening statement at the 24th session of World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)'s Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) in Geneva on Monday, the Indian delegation has expressed concerns over the attempts towards harmonisation of laws and reiterated "that harmonising patent laws across countries with asymmetric distribution of intellectual property assets has served the interests of rent seekers rather than that of the public in developing and least developed countries."
Sumit Seth, first secretary, permanent mission of India, Geneva, called for a study on the TRIPS (a WTO agreement on intellectual property rights), flexibilities and effective utilisation of compulsory licencing provisions under the Patent Laws and further, the consequential impacts of grant of compulsory licences on the availability and prices of patented drugs. On the issue of patents' quality, including patent opposition systems, the Indian delegation stated that quality of examination needs to improve substantially in conformity with the policy objective of a country.
The system should ensure that it does not create huge social cost of granting patents to insignificant improvement, which eventually creates barriers for dissemination of knowledge and transfer of technology. The delegation also stated that its mandate is to ensure that the global intellectual property regimes and the application of TRIPS flexibilities are fully consistent with the goals of sustainable development. "We, therefore, reiterate that the information on exceptions and limitations, and flexibilities of the patent system to be properly analysed to distil out the contribution of exceptions and limitations of patent system to the socio-economic development," the opening statement said.
The SCP was created in 1998 to serve as a forum to discuss issues, facilitate coordination and provide guidance concerning the progressive international development of patent law. By dealing with clusters of interlocking issues rather than working in isolation on single issues, SCP is intended to provide WIPO member states an effective mechanism for setting priorities, allocating resources and ensure coordination and continuity for on-going work.
The past couple of sessions were indeed tumultuous for the market, given Britons, against all odds, voted for an exit from the European Union, opening up doors for the rating downgrades of Britain and all businesses catering to the blustering financial hub London.
The RBI governor Raghuram Rajan's decision to not consider a second-term too came in as shock for the market, with the equities and the currency market briefly going into tailspin.
But despite many negative triggers, the domestic market emerged as top performer, falling mere 1.5 per cent since last Monday against an up to 11 per cent fall in Asian peers during the same period.
ALSO READ: Don't panic! 5 reasons why India stands immune to Brexit
While one may point towards the inherent strength in the domestic economy, and the not-so-heavy linkages of India with the UK economy, as the key behind the outperformance, many experts believe that the RBI's timely intervention and buying by state run Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) narrowed the damages.
Data suggested that foreign investors were net sellers to the tune of Rs 617 crore last week. They sold an additional Rs 146 crore worth of equities on Monday, provisional data on BSE suggested. However, it was buying by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) which saved the day for the market. As per data available with depository NSDL, the domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 931 crore last week. They were net seller to the tune of Rs 145 crore on Monday, provisional data suggested.
ALSO READ: Post Brexit, moody monsoon may play spoilsport for Dalal Street
The BSE Sensex managed to settle just 600-odd points lower on Friday, after plunging a whopping 1090 points during the intraday trade. The rupee also recovered to close 71 paise higher for the day, after depreciating as much as 97 paise to 68.22 against the US dollar the same day.
"The fall (in the domestic stocks) was arrested by heavy buying particularly by domestic institutional investors, including LIC. However, in the absence of any data, it would be difficult to comment on exactly how much of the buying was attributable to the latter," said Nitasha Shankar, Senior Vice President, Research, YES Securities.
Ankur Varman of SBICAP Seecurities said that the buzz on the dealing desks all through last week was that LIC was definitely buying into equities.
Varman was also privy to the fact that even before the markets opened on Friday, the RBI was ready to act, and it did come in to rescue the currency market.
The RBI started making heavy interventions when the rupee crossed 68.20 level on Friday, forcing the local currency to retreat from its day's low of 68.22 to 68.15 a dollar level by 9:25 am, dealers said.
On Monday, post the Rexit announcement, the overseas investors pulled out over Rs 2,837 crore from market. It was the biggest single-day outflow for the ongoing fiscal year so far.
The net outflow by FPIs in equities stood at Rs 528 crore, while in the debt market they were net sellers to the tune of a whopping Rs 2,310 crore.
On the other hand, all DIIs put together made a net inflow of Rs 724.06 crore in equities, which was more than the net outflow due to sell-off by FPIs - thus helping the stock markets move higher.
A day before the verdict on UK referendum, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had assured that India was well prepared to deal with the consequences of Brexit. The RBI Chief Rajan had also communicated that RBI was prepared for any eventuality on Brexit.
"RBI is continuously maintaining a close vigil on market developments, both domestically and internationally, and will take all necessary steps, including liquidity support (both dollar and rupee), to ensure orderly conditions in financial markets," Rajan said.
Comments from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government indicate that policy makers stand ready to act if needed, said Strandard Chartered in a note.
The comments rejuvenated the sentiment a bit and allayed investor concerns, experts said.
On June 28, 2015, 81-year-old James R. Moore was admitted to Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone. He was diagnosed with respiratory failure and encephalopathy as his heart, lungs and brain began to shut down. On his discharge papers, doctors wrote two words that stand out on his chart:
"Accidental Overdose."
His records showed that Moore had ingested 120 milligrams of oral morphine, which in some cases is enough to cause death.
"Patient was admitted to ICU and provided supportive care, oxygen supplement and IV hydration," his forms stated.
Twenty-four hours later, as the morphine effects wore off, Moore's condition improved, but one question remained: Why was Moore the longest-serving inmate in New York state given morphine at all?
Crime and Punishment
In the fall of 1962, young Pamela Moss went missing.
The 14-year-old girl disappeared Sept. 6 when she entered the wooded area behind her Rochester home to take a shortcut to a shopping center. She had told her parents she'd be back in time for supper.
Two days later, detectives found her body in a water-filled quarry nearby, and a 28-year-old father of three came forward to confess.
His name was James R. Moore.
Moore told police how he had watched the girl as he worked in a neighbor's yard. And he explained how he choked Moss to death and raped her before dumping her body in a gravel pit some 200 yards away.
The part-time landscaper who was previously convicted of assault for molesting two young girls near Buffalo and admitted to molesting other children, according to court records was charged with murder and, in 1963, Judge John Lomenzo sentenced Moore to "natural life" in prison after Moore pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty.
Moore spent the next decade at Attica Correctional Facility, working as a dental assistant, school teacher and administrative assistant in the prison. In 1973, he was moved to Auburn Correctional Facility, where he later met and eventually married Joyce Smith, a volunteer coordinator of the prison's arts programming.
During his time Auburn, Moore said he learned that chemicals he was using during his time as a landscaper were known to cause episodes of mania, and he came to believe that's why he committed those crimes.
Moore spent nearly 30 years in Auburn, where he earned several business degrees and worked as a clerk and machinist before being transferred to Collins Correctional Facility in Gowanda in 1999. From there, he was sent to Cayuga Correctional Facility, until 2011 when he went to Franklin Correctional Facility in Malone.
And on a Sunday in the summer of 2015, the 81-year-old lined up behind a painted line in the infirmary at Franklin prison, waiting in a wheelchair for his medication.
Moore had gone through this routine several times the nurses sitting behind two windows with medication neatly organized in small cups, a corrections officer standing to the side telling inmates when to go to the next window.
"We are told to move up only after the inmate who was ahead in the line has left or cleared away from the window he was at," Moore said in a letter to The Citizen. "The officer will usually tell the inmate to leave after the nurse has seen that the meds have been taken and gives the officer the OK."
But that day, the corrections officer told Moore to go to the next window before the inmate ahead of him was finished, and another officer wheeled him to the front where Moore was ordered to pick up the small cup of pills on the counter and swallow them with water.
Later that day, Moore was rushed to the hospital, which found he was suffering from an "accidental overdose of morphine," a medication Moore was not even prescribed.
And in a letter to the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division dated Dec. 21, 2015, Moore said he believed the overdose "was not 'accidental' but instead intentional."
Now, a year later and with his next parole hearing looming, there are still few answers as to what happened last summer at Franklin prison. The State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has refused to comment on the incident, referencing a policy for when cases are "in litigation." DOCCS also denied a request under the Freedom of Information Law for any and all records pertaining to the alleged overdose, citing the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA.
Meanwhile, Moore and his attorney David Elkovitch have struggled to collect any information as well.
"I have not heard a word from the prison," Elkovitch said in a recent interview. "I've requested the records, so has Mr. Moore, and they refuse to turn them over ... even with a HIPAA form, they won't send me the medical records or what happened at Franklin prison."
Moore tried filing a claim against the state, alleging medical negligence; however, according to Elkovitch, the paperwork got caught up in the system and the period of 90 days in which to file the claim expired.
"You have to get the claim in within 90 days and I had all of the paperwork sent out within 60," Elkovitch said. "They held it, whether on purpose or not."
But on Dec. 22, the state Court of Claims granted Moore's request to file a late claim, giving him 45 more days after finding that DOCCS had contributed to the delay.
"The record shows that the claim was sent by express mail to claimant by his attorney for verified signature on September 14, 2015 but was not received by claimant at Coxsackie Correctional Facility until September 22, 2015," the decision said. "Claimant immediately requested access to a notary public but was not granted such access until September 30, 2015, after his time to file and serve his claim had expired."
Push for parole
In the 1970s, changes to New York State law reduced Moore's sentence from 40 years to life to 20 years to life with the possibility of parole, and since 1982, he has been eligible for parole. And every two years, the Monroe County District Attorney's Office has launched a petition to keep him behind bars.
"In 1962, all sides entered into an agreement that James Moore would be allowed to avoid the death penalty if he were to spend the rest of his life in prison," Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley wrote in an online petition that's posted on the county website. "To put Pamela's family and the community through this parole hearing every two years is fundamentally wrong and violates the spirit of the agreement that allowed the perpetrator of this appalling crime to live. James Moore should remain in prison."
But Moore and Elkovitch said he has been successfully rehabilitated, earning several degrees and completing more than a decade of mental health therapy.
"The parole board keeps saying the same thing: 'You haven't rehabilitated ... You're not ready to go.' But it's all documented that he has," Elkovitch said.
However, Moore alleges that much of that documentation his resume, mental health records and a 2001 letter from sentencing judge Lomenzo recommending his release has not been included or at least considered in his parole board file in the past.
"I've only recently learned that anything favorable in my file was expunged a long time ago," Moore said in his December letter to the state court. "No wonder the parole board has, since my first appearance in 1982, repeatedly told the media that I've made no efforts to rehabilitate myself."
Still, according to a transcript from Moore's parole hearing in 2012, the board stated they had Lomenzo's 2001 letter on file in addition to Moore's resume. But based on Moore's criminal history and "significant community opposition" to his release, the board denied his parole.
Since then, Moore filed a lawsuit on his own related to his 2010 parole, which he has appealed through the state and federal courts. He currently has an application before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding any "missing exhibits" from his parole file.
With his medical negligence claim and the parole board litigation pending, Moore who is currently in the medical unit at Coxsackie Correctional Facility due to health-related issues from the morphine overdose will stand before the parole board again next month to ask for his release. It will be his 18th appeal in 34 years.
"People with worse crimes have been released on parole," Elkovitch said. "There's nothing else that he can do in prison to make it any better. He's done everything that he possibly could."
Retirement fund body EPFO will on July 7 take a decision on increasing investments in stock markets through ETFs, as they have started giving returns, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said.
"A report will be presented before the Central Board of Trustee on (ETF) investments of the EPFO on July 7. Now the report is positive. We will decide quantum of percentage increase. According to the percentage (increase), the amount of investment will also increase," Dattatreya said at an event in New Delhi on occupational safety.
The meeting of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation is scheduled on July 7 where a detailed analysis of its investments in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) will be presented before the CBT headed by the Labour Minister.
An ETF trades like an individual stock in the market and is generally a basket of various securities such as shares, bonds, commodities and indices. The EPFO had started investing in ETFs last August. It had started by investing 5 per cent of its investible deposits in ETFs last fiscal. Now, there is a move to increase the proportion of such investments this fiscal.
The minister said: "The EPFO trustees will take a decision regarding increase in proportion of its investment Exchange traded funds (ETFs) after consultations with stakeholders." He further said, "After deliberating on the analysis of the report, as Chairman I will discuss it with other members of the CBT about increase in percentage of ETF investments. Last year, It was 5 per cent. It can go up to 15 per cent as per Finance Ministry investment pattern."
Earlier, the minister had said, "As on March 31, 2016 the amount invested was Rs 6,577 crore which gave a return of Rs 6,601 crore, which is up by 0.37 per cent. As on April 30, 2016 the amount invested was Rs 6,674 crore and this gave a return of Rs 6,786 crore which is up by 1.68 per cent."
The proposal will go to the law department and then to the Cabinet for approval. The minister also spoke about introducing a new provision for having safety auditors for ensuring Occupational Safety and Health in the Factories Act. "The proposal regarding safety auditors will soon go for vetting by Law Ministry and then it will go to the Cabinet."
A senior Labour Ministry official said that the tripartite consultations for introducing the concept of safety auditors were completed as there were two rounds of discussion on that.
The long-pending demand to exempt non-resident Indians from furnishing Permanent Account Number (PAN) in India to avail lower withholding tax on payments has finally been met by the government.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified the rules providing that provisions of section 206AA should not apply for payments of interest, royalty, fees for technical services and transfer of capital assets.
Section 206AA of the Income Tax Act requires a non-resident to furnish PAN to avail lower withholding rate. However, the lower withholding rate may differ from country-to-country based on the treaty provisions. However, as per the Income Tax Act the (lower withholding tax) rate is 10.506% (inclusive of cess). In absence of a PAN, tax was withheld at the rate of 20%.
Now a non-resident can avail lower tax rates if he/she furnishes prescribed documents and details to payer. The details to be submitted include email ID, contact number, address of resident country and Tax Identification Number of the deductee in the country or specified territory of his residence.
Tax experts and business communities have always maintained that requirement of PAN for non-resident was unfair as it did not consider the treaty benefit.
According to Jiger Saiya, partner-direct tax, BDO India, with the relaxation in the rule, the undue hardship or practical difficulties faced by non-residents such as obtaining PAN for one-off transaction with Indian party to avoid higher withholding will be reduced to a great extent. "This would bring relief to Indian payers who were required to remit payments net of tax and thus bear a burden on account of grossing up at a higher rate," he says.
Earlier in absence of PAN, no TDS certificates could be generated and thus apart from suffering a higher withholding, the non-residents would also face difficulty in claiming tax credit in their country of residence.
"The rules notified were much awaited and would help closure of transactions which were held up because of lack of clarity on the documents required to avoid 20 per cent non-creditable withholding tax," says Amit Maheshwari, managing partner, Ashok Maheshwary & Associates.
It is to be reminded that the RV Easwar Committee on simplification of tax law had made a recommendation to relax this particular provision of the Income Tax Act.
In its recommendation, the committee had said that "this provision (deduction at higher rate in absence of PAN) has proved to be an impediment in terms of ease of business, as many non-residents prefer not to do business with Indian residents, if obtaining of PAN is insisted from them."
The committee had recommended that it should suffice if a non-resident furnishes to the deductor his tax identification number (instead of PAN) in the country of his residence.
The African telecom dreams seem to have faded from the memories of Indian communication giants. It was Bharti Airtel, after its aggressive 2010 bid ($10.7 billion) to acquire Zain's telecom business in Africa, first started reducing its footprint in the region for improving financial performance. Now Tata Communications' plan to sell Neotel in South Africa also shows the lost charm of the African market.
Tata Communications wants to become fit for the future in the communications and telecom solutions space by selling the non-core assets. The Rs 2,904-crore deal with Liquid Telecom will also be a relief for debt-laden Tata Communications, which has Rs 9,595.22 crore debt on its balance sheet. Vindicating the move, the share price of the company has risen 2.44 per cent to Rs 460.55 a share on Tuesday.
Bharti Africa, which is making losses, announced sale of its operations in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone to France-based Orange in January. Last year it announced entering into an agreement with Orange to sell its four subsidiaries Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone, in Africa. The agreements for the remaining two countries have lapsed.
Africa was considered by telecom giants as a huge untapped market. "But doing business there was tough. The challenges are high and the margins are not attractive," say sources from telecom industry.
As part of its plan to exit from non-core assets, Tata Communications also scouted for a buyer for its white-label ATM business earlier this year. The targeted valuation was Rs 1,000-1,350 crore ($150-200 million). "They are still looking to bring in a strategic buyer for the business. It is yet to conclude," sources said. White-label ATM business is not the core business of Tata Communications (erstwhile VSNL), like Neotel, which is the second national operator for fixed line telecommunication services in South Africa.
Neotel was unveiled on 31 August 2006 in northern Johannesburg. Initial holdings by Eskom Holdings, Transtel and two consortiums in Neotel was sold to Tata Communications in 2009 and 2011, which helped the Indian major to raise their stake from 26 per cent to 68.5 per cent. Nexus Connexion and Communitel hold the rest of the stake.
Tata Communications is the largest wholesale voice carrier carrying 53 billion minutes of wholesale voice traffic annually - that's 1 in 10 voice calls globally. About 1,600 telecom service providers use their network. It owns world's largest wholly-owned submarine fibre network - more than 500,000 km of subsea fibre, and more than 210,000 km of terrestrial fibre. Over 24 per cent of the world's internet routes are on Tata Communications' network.
Subduing three-decade-long birth pangs caused by complex technological challenges, cost over-runs, international sanctions and bagful of missed deadlines, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to begin the induction of indigenous combat jet Tejas from July 1.
In the making since 1983 when the idea to develop a home-made fighter jet took off, Tejas in 2016 has finally crossed the finishing line though without completing the race.
Tejas, in its current form, is ready to replace MiG-21s, the Soviet-era combat jet which has already completed a golden jubilee run in the IAF, with a modern but moderate capability.
The aircraft is capable of firing a whole range of weapons from air-to-air missiles to smart and dumb bombs. In terms of handling, its indigenous fly-by-wire system - a real feather in the cap for the developers - and navigation system makes it comparable to any fighter in its class in the world.
The IAF will revive its 45 squadron "Flying Daggers" with two Tejas to begin with and the strength will be taken to 20 eventually. The squadron, which was flying MiG-21 Bis, was number plated in 2002.
One of the high moments for Flying Daggers, based out of Naliya in Kutchh, was the shooting down of Pakistani Atlantique surveillance plane in 1999.
But Flying Daggers in its latest avatar will be based in Sulur, down south in Tamil Nadu.
The squadron is being raised with the role of providing Local Area Defence and Close Air Support, a typical job meant for the low endurance fight jet.
Despite the raising of the IAF squadron, improvements on Tejas will continue. The second squadron, planned in the coming years, will have aircraft with additional capability of firing Beyond Visual Range missiles, a must for a modern fighter jet.
It will also have mid-air refuelling facility for longer endurance.
The complete version of Tejas, known as Mk IA, will bring it at par with the best in the world, is still some years away. This aircraft will have Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) which will enable it to handle several targets.
Officials said that in terms of handling, Tejas is even better than similar lightweight, single engine jets flying in the world including Swedish Gripen and Pakistan and China's joint venture JF-17 Thunder.
The IAF will have 20 aircrafts with the current capability and equal numbers with enhanced features and 80 with the advanced version which, apart from the new radar, will have capability to fire advanced BVR and short range missiles.
The IAF had flagged 43 deficiencies that needed to be addressed before inducting the aircraft.
The officials said that these have been brought down to less than 20 issues but none relate to the flight safety aspect.
The officials stressed that the aircraft has flown around 3000 sorties during the development stage out of which over 2000 had a clean safety record.
(In association with Mail Today Bureau)
European leaders told Britain on Tuesday to act quickly to resolve the political and economic chaos unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union, a move the IMF said could put pressure on global growth.
Financial markets recovered slightly after the result of Thursday's referendum wiped a record $3 trillion off global shares and sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years, but trading was volatile and policymakers said they would take all necessary measures to protect their economies.
British finance minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets fell on deaf ears on Monday, said the country would have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilise the economy after a third credit ratings agency downgraded its debt.
Firms have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, dashing voters' hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU.
European countries are particularly worried about the impact on the rest of the EU of the uncertainty created by Britain's vote to leave, with little idea of when, or even if, the country will formally declare it is quitting.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament before meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron in Brussels that he would urge him to clarify London's position as soon as possible.
But he said he did not expect him to launch the two-year withdrawal process "today, or tomorrow morning".
"We cannot be embroiled in lasting uncertainty," Juncker said in a speech which he interrupted to ask British lawmakers who campaigned to leave the EU why they were there.
Cameron, who offered to resign when it became clear he had failed to persuade the country to stay in the EU in the referendum he called, says he will leave it to his successor to formally declare Britain's exit.
"Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible and I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible," Cameron said on arrival in Brussels for a summit with other EU leaders.
Holding out hope of maintaining good relations with other European countries, he said: "And I very much hope we'll seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security. Because that is good for us and that is good for them."
His party says it aims to choose a new leader by early September, but those who campaigned for Britain's leave vote have made clear they hope to negotiate a new deal for the country with Europe before triggering the formal exit process. European leaders have said that is not an option.
"No notification, no negotiation," Juncker said.
Cameron and Juncker exchanged no words as they met. The British premier will meet other European counterparts one-on-one before addressing them all at what promises to be a frosty dinner to discuss what has become known as Brexit.
EU lawmakers have made clear they hope he will trigger the exit process at the dinner, but an EU official said that was unrealistic given the political chaos in London, where both Cameron's party and opposition Labour lawmakers are deeply divided.
The ruling Conservative Party in parliament is split into pro- and anti-EU camps and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn faces a no confidence vote on Tuesday from parliamentarians who accuse him of lukewarm support for the EU.
"The 27 other members of the EU should not wait for the disorientated Tory (Conservative) party to get its act together," former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the liberal group in the European Parliament, said on Tuesday, denouncing what he called the "lies" of the Leave campaign.
The chamber jeered loudly when the leader of Britain's eurosceptic UKIP party gave a scathing speech saying Europe had deceived its population and Britain would be its "best friend" if it agreed to extend a tariff-free trade deal.
For Britain, the outlook is bleak. Fitch joined other major credit ratings agencies in downgrading its sovereign debt on Monday, making the promises by leave campaigners that Britain's economy would be stronger outside the EU appear empty.
"We are absolutely going to have to provide fiscal security to people, we are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means," Osborne, who, like Cameron campaigned to stay in the EU, told BB radio.
Asked if that meant tax rises and spending cuts, he said: "Yes, absolutely."
After Cameron has addressed EU leaders on Tuesday evening, they will meet the next day to discuss Brexit without him.
Leave campaigners in Britain, among them Cameron's possible successor, former London Mayor Boris Johnson, have suggested Britain can retain access to the European single market and curb immigration -- goals which are mutually incompatible under EU rules.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain would not be able to "cherry-pick" the parts of the EU it wants, such as enjoying access to the single market, without accepting principles such as freedom of movement when it negotiates its exit from the bloc.
"I can only advise our British friends not to fool themselves ... in terms of the necessary decisions that need to be made in Britain," she said.
The 52-48 percent vote to leave, which seemed unlikely until the last minute, has deepened multiple geographical as well as political divisions within the United Kingdom.
Reflecting deep concern over the referendum result in London, where a majority voted to stay and people fear job losses if the city loses its status as a global financial centre, Mayor Sadiq Khan said access to Europe's market was key.
"On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now," he said.
Scotland, where people voted strongly to remain in Europe, was due to hold a parliamentary vote seeking backing for a drive to keep EU status. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has suggested holding a possible second referendum on leaving the United Kingdom given the vote to leave the EU.
The impact looked likely to spread far beyond Britain's borders although European shares rose for the first time in three days after a heavy sell-off, partly due to hopes of a more co-ordinated central bank response to financial market losses.
Sterling also rose and Wall Street was expected to open up.
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate "destabilising spillovers" between economies.
Shares in European banks have come under particular pressure, particularly those based in Britain, over doubts about future market access, and Italy, with high levels of bad loans.
Sources told Reuters on Monday Italy was preparing to protect its banks from a destabilising share sell-off following the Brexit vote and that Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would ask for more flexibility from the EU regarding public spending.
Brexit creates huge political uncertainty and will put pressure on global growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s Deputy Managing Director Zhu Min said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in northern China.
Asian stocks rose and Chinese stocks, protected by capital controls, hit a three-week closing high. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sought to reassure investors by saying the country would not allow "roller-coaster" rides in capital markets.
A key economic adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the central bank should intervene if investors seeking safe havens drive the yen too high, but that he thought Brexit would have less of an impact in the long term.
"I think currency and stock markets overreacted to the shock caused by Brexit. I think the real effects of Brexit will not be as big as people fear now," he told Reuters.
U.S. President Barack Obama took a similar line. "There's been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATO's gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. That's not what's happening," he told National Public Radio.
In view of the disarray in Britain, some people questioned whether Brexit would happen at all. Nordea bank analysts gave it a likelihood of 70% and a senior EU official involved in the process said he thought the country may find a way never to announce its formal departure to the bloc.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said England had collapsed "politically, monetarily, constitutionally and economically".
"I would argue to give them some space." (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
About us
Ryanair is very unlikely to deploy new planes on United Kingdom routes next year and will focus on the European Union instead after Britain voted to leave the bloc, the Irish airline said on Monday.
The Irish low-cost airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, flies 40 million of its 100 million-plus passengers a year to and from the United Kingdom and has its largest hub at London's Stansted Airport.
Its shares have fallen over 23% since the United Kingdom voted on Thursday to leave the European Union.
Chief Executive Michael O'Leary, one of the most vocal business leaders campaigning in favour of continued EU membership, had repeatedly warned he would cut investment in Britain if it voted to leave.
"It's unlikely we will base any additional aircraft in the UK in 2017 as they will be allocated to European Union airports instead," a Ryanair spokeswoman said in an emailed reply to questions.
Earlier on Monday O'Leary told the Wall Street Journal the airline planned to "pivot all of our growth into the European Union," but that the airline's overall growth targets remained unchanged.
The Irish-registered airline said it may consider setting up a UK operating licence if Britain fails to secure full access to European Union's Open Skies air traffic system.
Ryanair expects passenger volumes from the United Kingdom will grow relative to last year, but that fares would be lower, the spokeswoman said.
However, weakness in sterling, whose value has fallen from 1.31 euros to 1.20 since Britain's vote, is likely to have a negative impact on Ryanair's earnings, which are reported in euros. (Reuters)
Source: www.businessworld.ie
About us
There was strong growth in foreign visits, up 10.3% year to year to 2.4m in the three months to May according to the latest figures from the CSO.
The figures show that visitor growth from the higher spending North American market was up over 19.3% year to year to 414,200 compared to +24.5% in the first quarter.
Trips from Europe were up 9.2% year on year to 861,600 compared to a 14% gain in the first quarter.
Nonetheless, visitor numbers from Great Britain were up 9.3% year on year to 990,400, slowing significantly from the +17.2% gain in the first quarter.
Visits from other regions, largely Asia, fell 0.3% year on year to 116,600.
According to Davy Stockbrokers, "Looking ahead, tourism is one of the sectors exposed to a sharp slowdown in UK growth 41% of foreign trips were from the UK last year, accounting for 30% of holiday trips, 48% of business trips, 25% of hotel nights and 1bn in spending."
They added, "In the near term, weaker sterling will make foreign trips to Ireland more expensive for UK travellers, while any disruption to trade agreements and the-visa free Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK could negatively impact the tourism sector in the longer term."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
About us
The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) yesterday called on the Government to create a dedicated unit within the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation to coordinate the various strands of activity to counter the negative effect of the Brexit vote.
In particular, the Association called for an immediate implementation of their Plan B in relation to the short-term effect of currency fluctuation for SME exporters.
The ISME claim the immediate and short-term effect of a weaker sterling will have major implications for SME exporters and the Tourism trade, 41% of which is British holiday-makers.
In addition, the association claims that border counties will be the first to feel the pinch of a prolonged devaluation of sterling.
CEO of the ISME, Mark Fielding commented, "We must do all we can to reduce our costs. Restoring Irelands cost competitiveness is a prerequisite for enhancing our attractiveness as a place to do business, not just for foreign direct investment but for our own indigenous enterprises."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
It was announced today that the Entrepreneurs Academy, formerly QED Training and the Ignite Academy, has secured a new contract with Springboard+ to run two free programmes on Practical Entrepreneurship to support budding entrepreneurs who want to start their own business.
As part of this new partnership with Springboard+, the Entrepreneurs Academy is offering 100 free places in Dublin on two of its 12 week courses, the first of which commences in September 2016 and the other in January 2017.
Both courses will be fully funded through the Springboard+ Initiative, supported by the HEA, and therefore are free of charge and eligible to those who are unemployed.
The Entrepreneurs Academy, founded by renowned entrepreneur and business woman Joanne Hession 18 years ago, has supported thousands of entrepreneurs in Ireland to set up and grow their businesses. It's programmes are run for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, with a strong focus on mentoring.
The programmes will be practical and will focus on giving participants the skills, knowledge, networks and confidence they need to create and drive a lucrative business.
Speaking about the new contract, Founder and MD of The Entrepreneurs Academy, Joanne Hession stated, "The Entrepreneurs Academy are delighted to be delivering new programmes under the Springboard+ initiative. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and our vision is to have meaningful impact on the quantity and quality of entrepreneurship in Ireland."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
About us
There is excitement in Dublin today as Enterprise Ireland hosts a delegation of top US investors to the City.
Enterprise Ireland, in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank is hosting over 15 top US investors and corporate innovation scouts in Dublin this week, starting with todays forum at the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC).
Irish tech companies are today pitching to US investors such as Silicon Valley Bank and innovation investment specialists Qualcomm Ventures as part of the first ever Silicon Valley Ireland Investment & Innovation Forum.
Throughout the week the delegation will meet with the Irish investment community as well as some of Irelands top technology research centres including NovaUCD, CeADAR Centre and the ARCH Centre.
Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland, Kevin Sherry said, "A key role of Enterprise Ireland is to help companies start-up and scale internationally. We are delighted to welcome some of the top US investor and technology influencers to Ireland this week."
He added, "It is an ideal opportunity for us to educate the US investment community on what Irelands leading technology companies have to offer."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
Your New York state editorial roundup on June 11th refers to an editorial in the Middletown Times Herald Record concerning the state legislature's failure to address proposed legislation that it calls "the nation's strongest climate protection bill." The bill would require the state to shift to alternative energy, getting half of our electricity from alternatives by 2030, and with a goal of cutting all greenhouse gas emissions from major sources by the middle of the century.
To accomplish this goal many economists and business leaders advocate a revenue neutral carbon fee to protect our environment from climate change. Citizens' Climate Lobby has proposed such a plan, and it returns the fee in whole to taxpayers to help blunt any effects of higher energy prices. This is an important issue to New Yorkers. Equally important we need action by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on a plan that protects the environment and supports economic growth for the whole country.
The Regional Economic Models, Inc. has produced a study showing that a steadily rising carbon fee returning 100 percent of revenues to households would create millions of new jobs (2.1 million in the first 10 years) and save hundreds of thousands of lives. This is a plan that does not require new federal spending or new taxes.
Please let your state senator and your Congressman (Rep. Katko, for many of us) know that protecting the environment while supporting economic growth is something we need them to sponsor and actively fight for in the State Legislature and in Congress.
John Allen
Syracuse
The second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test for the Space Launch Systems booster is seen, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah. During the Space Launch System flight the boosters will provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, the first step on NASAs Journey to Mars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A large crowd gathered in Utahs west desert to not only see but to also feel the power of a major rocket test Tuesday. They included curious onlookers as well as officials from the National Aeronautic Space Administration and Orbital ATK.
We had a delay, we had some electronic equipment that didnt want to play this morning, said Charlie Brown, program manager for the Space Launch System booster program for Orbital ATK. We worked through that so the test happened an hour later than scheduled. Once we worked through the repair everything worked fine.
The Space Launch System, or SLS, will accompany the most powerful rocket in the world and is built for deep space travel, specifically for a future trip to Mars.
Tuesdays test accomplished several things, most importantly how the solid rocket fuel would perform after being cooled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our flight specification with the government, Brown explained, (is that) we are required to fly between 40 and 90 degree average propellant temperature. The 90 was the one we did a year ago in March. This one was the 40.
In Florida, weve never had the mass of propellant that cold. While we test at 40 weve never seen the propellant temperature below the mid-50s. But its an over test to make sure that were ready to support.
The SLS rocket motor is 154 feet in length, 12 feet in diameter, and has five segments, one more than booster rockets of the Space Shuttle era. Brown said the extra segment provides approximately 20% more thrust for the rocket, helping to propel the entire Orion space craft deeper into space.
Over 500 channels of data were recorded during the two minute test. Analysts will review that data over the next couple of days and the rocket will be disassembled and dissected over the next couple of months.
Now that the ground tests are complete, and once the data is analyzed, NASA will shift its focus to a launch of the Orion spacecraft in late 2018. That test will not have a live crew on board, however.
Its going to do sort of a moon fly by, Brown explained. It will travel to the moon and a certain distance beyond, then turn around and come back to Earth. All of the systems on Orion will be live and they will monitor all of the guidance and other systems throughout the flight. I believe the flight will be in the neighborhood of about three weeks long.
The Orion will come back to Earth the same way the old Apollo missions used to. The capsule will enter the Earths atmosphere, take a lot of heat on its heat shield, deploy a parachute then splash down in the ocean. NASA officials want to ensure this new system of space travel will work before putting people on board.
The SLS test produced approximately 3.6 million pounds of thrust, more than that produced by 14 Boeing 747-400s at full takeoff power. Keeping the rocket in place during its test Tuesday is quite an engineering fete on its own.
At the head end of the motor is a thrust adapter, it looks kind of like a large Christmas tree made of big, thick, steel pipes, Brown explained. That thrust adapter hooks to the forward end of the rocket motor and directs all the thrust to an extremely large concrete and steel block.
That concrete block, part of it is above ground which you can seebut the majority of that concrete extends into the ground. Its like the iceberg effect, you can only see a small part of it.
The SLS test and the progress of the Orion spacecraft is the next stage of space exploration and surpasses the abilities of the now-retired Space Shuttle.
This vehicle gives us options, explained Brown. Obviously the moon is an option, ultimately on to Mars or one of the moons of Mars.
The project is also breathing new life into the Orbital ATK facility in Promontory. After the shuttle was retired, there were questions about the facilitys future. Orbital ATK (in cooperation with NASA) enhanced what was done with the Space Shuttle boosters and created the SLS rocket motor.
-
QUICK FACTS
- The rocket motor for Tuesdays test spent two months cooling down to an average temperature of 40 degrees.
- The flame exits the motor at Mach 3 and burns for 126 seconds
- Gas in the exit cone reaches 3,700 degrees.
- Temperatures inside the booster reached nearly 6,000 degrees.
- On average, 5.5 tons of propellant are burned each second of motor operation.
- The SLS booster is the largest solid rocket booster ever guilt for flight.
- The test stand forward thrust block is made up of more than 13 million pounds of concrete, most of which is underground.
I would like to start by congratulating Berkeley Brean and everyone over at News 10 WHEC for their excellent reporting on the overbearing mandates the New York state government places on our communities. New York state has the highest property taxes in the country. In my county of Wayne, 99 cents of every property tax dollar raised must be spent on something the state gives us no say over. Issues like this are exactly why I decided to run for the State Senate.
As a current member of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors, I have experienced first-hand the weight these state mandates place on our county governments. Our constituents make it clear year after year that taxes are too high, and we hear them. The state, however, ties our hands to these mandates and gives the taxpayer virtually no say on where their money goes.
State mandate keep property taxes high. High property taxes discourage hard-working families from moving to or staying in our region. They discourage industry and small business from sprouting up, damaging our local economy. This drain leaves our region more and more dependent on the state government. This cycle needs to end.
New York expects more from its counties than any other state in the union. We can fix what is wrong through common-sense, principled budgeting at the top. If elected your state senator, I will fight for your tax dollars every day.
Brian Manktelow
Lyons
Manktelow is a candidate for the New York State Senate, 54th District
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO John Sharp (from left), chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal, chairman of the Driscoll Children's Hospital Governing Board, Charlotte Sharp, State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Paul Ogden, interim senior vice president & COO of Texas A&M Health Science Center, State Rep. Todd Hunter, Steve Woerner, president/CEO Driscoll Health System, and Texas A&M president Michael K. Young announce the establishment of the Texas A&M & Driscoll Children's Hospital Global Institute for Hispanic Health.
SHARE
By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times
The largest Hispanic clinical trial operation "on the face of the earth" will launch in Corpus Christi, John Sharp, the chancellor of Texas A&M University System, said during a news conference.
To better meet the medical needs of Hispanics in South Texas, an institute for clinical research and education programs will be established at Driscoll Children's Hospital, Sharp and Driscoll officials announced Tuesday. The institute's initial focus will be to increase access to clinical trials for Hispanics because data shows that group's access to that type of treatment has been low.
"Hispanics are the single most underrepresented group (in clinical trials) in the world," Sharp said. "One in four Texans have virtually no representation in clinical trials, even in cancer, which is the largest killer of Hispanics in the state. We think Texans deserve better."
One of the largest clinical trial operators in the world caught wind of the planned institute dubbed the Texas A&M & Driscoll Children's Hospital Global Institute for Hispanic Health and Sharp said a contract is in the works.
Texas A&M, in coordination with Driscoll officials, will collaborate to provide staffing and management for the research program. Driscoll will identify physicians, researchers, health providers and organizations interested in working with the institute. Both adults and children will be served. The program will reach Driscoll specialty clinics throughout South Texas as well as the university's academic units, such as Texas A&M's Colonias program and AgriLife Extension.
Sharp and Driscoll Children's Hospital President Steve Woerner credited state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, with the idea. He introduced the problem, Woerner said. And through collaboration there will be a solution, he added.
"This institute will bring world class research to South Texas so we can apply it to saving lives," Woerner said. "We see this advancing over the years and becoming prominent nationwide."
Twitter: @CallerBetty
SHARE CALLER-TIMES FILE Hubert
By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times
There is no probable cause to pursue criminal charges against the Kleberg County district attorney for installing a camera outside the courtroom, a visiting judge decided Tuesday.
In a two-day hearing, special prosecutor Carlos Valdez tried to persuade Judge Dick Alcala of San Antonio that District Attorney John Hubert acted illegally when he installed a camera with video and audio capabilities. Defense lawyers have accused Hubert of listening in on their conversations with clients.
Hubert had said he installed the camera at a time when security was a high concern in the courthouse.
Hubert's lawyer, Ron Barroso, called the ordeal a "political effort to discredit Mr. Hubert especially in an election year."
Hubert is seeking re-election this November.
Much of the hearing concentrated on a publicized, tense relationship between Hubert and former 105th District Judge Angelica Hernandez. The two filed grievances against each other with state offices and some of the complaints led to Hernandez signing an agreement that prevents her from performing any judicial duties. Hernandez filed a complaint about the camera after it captured her making derogatory comments about Hubert.
Barroso argued the location where the camera was installed, above the main entrance and exit door to the courtroom near a bulletin board used for public notices, is not a place where there should be an expectation of privacy.
Valdez said the issue was people wouldn't expect their communication to be recorded and argued those conversations were being intercepted.
Hubert hugged about a dozen family members who sat behind him throughout the hearing.
"We strive to be the most professional, ethical office there is. We constantly work to improve but we didn't do anything wrong, " Hubert said. "We didn't listen to any conversations other than the one recorded with Judge Hernandez."
Twitter: @CallerKMT
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times This monument of the unborn is located near the corner of Saratoga Boulevard and Kostoryz Road. The restrictions that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Monday in a 5-3 decision had already forced more than half of Texas' abortion clinics out of business.
SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times This monument of the unborn is located near the corner of Saratoga Boulevard and Kostoryz Road. The restrictions that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Monday in a 5-3 decision had already forced more than half of Texas' abortion clinics out of business. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times These signs are located at the corner of McArdle and Kostoryz roads. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times This building in the 1900 block of Morgan Avenue was the former location of the Coastal Birth Control Center, which was the only location in Corpus Christi where abortions were performed. It shut down after restrictions in a state law no longer made it compliant.
By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times
It's been two years since Corpus Christi lost its sole abortion provider because of restrictions the U.S. Supreme Court has now struck down but the doctor who ran the clinic won't reopen it.
The Coastal Birth Control Center on Morgan Avenue was the only abortion provider between San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley before it shut down in 2014. It was among Texas House Bill 2's about 20 casualties. It now houses a realty management company.
Dr. Eduardo Aquino, the facility's former abortion doctor and certified obstetrician/gynecologist, told the Caller-Times on Monday he has no intention of coming back despite the ruling. It's going to take a physician with thick skin to open an abortion clinic in Corpus Christi, he added.
"You have to be a physician that is not afraid to have a strong personality and feels strongly in favor of women's rights," Aquino said. "It will involve a lot of sacrifice from the doctor and their family. They will have to fight against a lot of groups, including the medical establishment."
After House Bill 2 in 2013, Aquino and San Antonio-based Dr. Alan Braid invested $3 million in an ambulatory surgical center to adhere to the new requirements. Before leaving, Aquino searched for a partner in Corpus Christi to do the same, but to no avail. Together they operate Alamo Women's Reproductive Services.
The law required doctors who performed abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and clinics had to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.
Braid said the Monday ruling validated his and Aquino's work.
"This sends a message ... that you can't pass laws disguised as trying to improve women's health when what you are really doing is hurting women's health," Braid said.
Still, Aquino, 71, said he will soon retire. It would take going back to a weekly commute to Corpus Christi from his home in San Antonio to continue providing services, which is taxing, he said. But because some women in South Texas have to travel up to 300 miles to get an abortion now he offered to mentor any doctor interested in operating a local clinic.
The ruling left others, including Texas bishops "highly concerned," according to a news release by the Texas Catholic Conference, a statewide association of the Roman Catholic Diocese. Diocese of Corpus Christi spokesman Marty Wind said the statement is reflective of the local sentiment toward the ruling.
"The Catholic Church in Texas, in communion with millions of Catholics and anti-abortion people across America and the world, will continue our efforts to protect life and human dignity from conception to natural death," the release states.
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, said in a statement it undermined efforts to improve women's health care.
"I believe in protecting life at all stages, but it's also disheartening to me that our justices won't protect women by ensuring they have access to emergency care if needed," Farenthold stated. "Any procedure can become life threatening very quickly."
Before the 2013 law, there were more than 40 abortion clinics operating in the state. Currently, 19 clinics remain in Texas. If the bill would have gone into full effect, that number would have dropped to 10 clinics serving the entire state.
Terri Burke, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas' executive director, said the restrictions trampled on the rights of thousands of women.
"(HB 2) was a move to shut down access to abortion, it had nothing to do with safety," Burke said. "They were pandering to an extreme minority because they thought it would make a difference in elections."
Twitter: @CallerBetty
Julie Garcia/Caller-Times Corpus Christi Fire and Police Departments along with members of the local media compete Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in the third annual rib eating contest to promote Tip-A-Cop at Texas Roadhouse.
SHARE Julie Garcia/Caller-Times The team from the Corpus Christi Fire Department wins the third annual rib eating contest Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to promote Tip-A-Cop at Texas Roadhouse.
By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times
It's more than eating ribs and gaining bragging rights.
The aim of the third annual rib eating contest Tuesday preludes Tip-A-Cop, a Corpus Christi Police Department event to raise money for Special Olympics South Texas. Tip-A-Cop will be Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Texas Roadhouse. Officers and firefighters will serve tea and water to patrons for tips.
The five-man team representing the Corpus Christi Fire Department destroyed the competition from CCPD and members of the local media organizations KIII-TV, KZTV-10, KRIS-6, K-99 and the Caller-Times.
"It's all about strategy and bringing in the right people," said Asst. Fire Chief Randy Paige. "We brought the two biggest eaters in our department and they carried us through without any problem."
Paige said the real winners are the Special Olympics, and he hopes the fire department will continue its participation for years to come.
"Special Olympics South Texas is an organization that we are really proud promote," said CCPD Senior Officer Kirk Stowers. "We're really pleased with all the special athletes."
Twitter: @Caller_Jules
JULIE GARCIA/CALLER-TIMES More than 60 people attended a special public hearing Monday on whether Nueces County should apply for a countywide polling place program before the general election in November
SHARE
By Julie Garcia of the Caller-Times
Joan Veith has seen it all, or almost everything, in her 40-plus years as an election judge.
"I may be the oldest election judge here," she said. "We have lost so many voters over the years because so many people show up to the wrong precinct. Then they go home; they don't want to make another trip. That's not acceptable to me."
Veith supports Nueces County applying for the countywide polling place program as a solution to a number of the county's polling locations being incompatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Twenty-seven of the county's 127 polling places are not usable for ADA reasons.
County commissioners and County Clerk Kara Sands held a special public hearing Monday in the courthouse's central jury room.
The countywide election precinct polling place program was put forth by the Texas Secretary of State in 2014. The program would give county residents the option to vote at any polling location, regardless of what their designated election precinct is, on Election Day.
The total number of countywide polling places, also known as voting centers, may not be less than 65 percent of precinct polling places, which would be a minimum of 83 possible locations for voters in Nueces County.
About 60 people attended the meeting and several spoke in favor of the program, while a few questioned the short timeline before November's general election.
"It's really early voting on steroids," said County Judge Loyd Neal.
Some temporary fixes or location consolidations were made for the primary and constitutional elections earlier this year, but those options are not possible for the general election in November, Sands said.
Carolyn Moon, longtime election worker, said she does not like the idea for this year's election. There's not enough time, she said.
"Any amount of training will not be enough to get the election workers competent in four months," Moon said. "Are we doing this by Wi-Fi? Oh, goody."
There will be six Texas counties with a population of 100,000 or more participating in the program, Sands said. There will be a cost if the county is chosen, including the purchase of more direct recording electronic voting systems, training for election workers and publicity to spread word to voters.
The added costs will be paid for by the elections fund, said Steve Waterman, Nueces County Commissioners Court Administration Director.
Jennifer Ellis, Democratic Party chair, and Michael Bergsma, Republican Party chair, each personally support the program. The League of Women Voters also backs the idea.
Nick Gilby, president of the Coastal Bend Young Democrats, said the group favors the concept and said it would benefit young voters which are the hardest demographic to capture.
The deadline to apply for the program is Aug. 25. Commissioners will vote July 13 on whether to go forward with the application process for the program.
Twitter: @Caller_Jules
Caller-Times file Waves crash into the shore on Mustang Island in 2015.
SHARE
By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times
Port Aransas officials say it's unclear where a Hays County man contracted vibrio during his Coastal Bend vacation.
Last week, 42-year-old Adrian Ruiz made national headlines after the bacteria infected his leg during his stay in Port Aransas during Father's Day weekend.
Port Aransas City Manager Dave Parsons said Ruiz may have been outside city limits when visiting the beach. Parsons cited the Port Aransas Jetty newspaper, which interviewed Ruiz's wife, La Shelle. The Caller-Times' attempts to reach her on Monday were unsuccessful.
"What we're hearing is they were between beach markers 99 and 104, which is Corpus Christi," Parsons said.
A news release from the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce said reports about where Ruiz contracted vibrio were "speculative."
"During his stay ... he visited beaches in Corpus Christi and went fishing in Rockport," the release stated.
The Galveston County Health District, in conjunction with the Texas General Land Office, monitors bacteria levels at 52 sites weekly and issues a beach water advisory when water-quality standards are exceeded. The state provides information on bacteria levels on Texas beaches at its Texas Beach Watch website, texasbeachwatch.com.
Bacteria levels were listed as "medium, " or between 35 and 104 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, in Port Aransas Park, according to the website's last update June 20. Bacteria advisories are issued if testing reveals bacteria counts greater than 104 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, according to the website.
Twitter: @Caller_Fares
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.
Build your health & fitness knowledge Sign up here to get the latest health & fitness updates in your inbox every week! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
| BY Ricki Green |
Sydney branding agency, Toast Creative has appointed two new members to its executive team.
Emile Rastoll (left) has been appointed as general manager and Euan Blake (right) in the role of strategy and PR director.
The appointments to strategy and public relations are a key move in the agencys growth into new markets.
Rastoll, previously general manager and digital strategist at Permission, has been hired as GM. Responsible for managing the strategic direction of major brand programmes, he brings over 20 years of international digital and brand design experience to Toasts creative team.
Says Nick Sammut, managing director, Toast Creative: Emile brings expert knowledge to Toast in the provisions of digital and user experience for both B2B and B2C brand sectors. His digital smarts and strategic background both compliment and bring clear direction to the Toast team.
Blake has joined Toast as strategy and PR director. Following a successful career both in-house and agency side in the UK, Blake brings a strong focus on strategic planning, PR and communications, particularly to Toasts property marketing clients, which include Sekisui House and SHAWOOD Homes. Blake has previously worked for international clients including the UKs leading housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, Westfield, Land Securities, Hermes Investment Management, Meyer Bergman and commercial agents Jones Lang LaSalle.
Sammut said Blakes appointment is a move into new business opportunities and markets for Toast.
Says Sammut: Euans excellent experience in securing PR and communications development for international brands is a key asset for Toast, to generate further value for our clients as we deliver across various areas of the business.
Toast Creative, whose offices are based in Surry House, on the lower slopes on Surry Hills, holds clients in a number of industries, most notably property development, government agencies, not-for-profit and the hospitality industry.
A 6-year-old boy is recovering after being shot late last week by a carriage driver in Williams.
According to information from the Williams Police Department, officers responded to a report that a child had been shot at the Grand Canyon Railway historic train depot, located at 233 N. Grand Canyon Blvd. in Williams, at approximately 7:15 p.m. Friday. Police learned the shooter was a horse-drawn carriage driver for Cowboy's Service Carriage Company.
(He) felt that there was a threat of a dog coming after his horse, so he pulled out his revolver and cocked it, said Williams Police Department Chief Herman Nixon.
The 6-year-old boy was standing next to the carriage with his mother and grandmother trying to find out how much a ride would cost. At this point, according to Williams police, it looks like the carriage driver fired accidentally.
I guess the dog ran away or whatever and either he was putting his gun back in its holster or doing something with the gun and it went off, Nixon said.
The child was shot once in the right leg above the knee. He was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center, where he underwent surgery that night. Nixon said the boy is expected to make a full recovery.
Hes doing fine at this point, he said.
Neither the dog nor the horse was injured.
Joshua Trent VanWinkle, 29, was arrested by Williams police on charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct with a weapon and child endangerment. He was booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility in Flagstaff.
Cowboy's Service Carriage Company is a family-owned business based in Williams that provides horse-drawn carriage transportation for weddings, funerals and other events all over Arizona.
This was not the first conflict the company has had with a dog. According to the Williams-Grand Canyon News, a dog broke loose from its collar and chased a horse while it was pulling a carriage through the streets of Williams Jan. 6, 2011. That dog continued biting at the horse even after it crashed through the window of a restaurant.
Cowboy's Service Carriage Company declined to comment about Fridays shooting.
Nixon said the investigation is still ongoing. The case will be sent to the Coconino County Attorneys Office to determine formal charges.
"But as I get older and witness more broken promises, it has become harder to know what each party stands for and how much of it is really about effective policies and how much is about political goals and stepping on others to get to the top."
On Tuesday, Mr Joyce said no further relocations would be announced before the election. He would not confirm the long-term plans for the nearly 300 staff at the Murray-Darling Basin authority.
The Coconino County Sheriffs Office completed multiple search and rescue operations over the past week.
According to information from the Sheriffs Office, a 70-year-old woman from the Phoenix area had to be transported off the Humphreys Peak Trail at about 9 p.m. June 21 when she became unable to hike due to an unknown medical condition. Four days later, a 50-year-old woman hiking with a group from the Phoenix area was injured after falling approximately 100 feet downhill while hiking Maxwell Trail in West Clear Creek at about 2:10 pm. Both hikers were treated at Flagstaff Medical Center.
While responding to the West Clear Creek rescue, the Sheriffs Office learned about a 911 open line call made from the Midgley Bridge area. Sedona Police Department located the unoccupied vehicle of a woman in her mid to late forties who intended suicide. Responders found her body below the bridge the next morning. State Route 89A at Midgley Bridge was closed temporarily around 9:40 am Monday while search and rescue crews recovered the body. Her identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification.
The Coconino County Sheriffs Office announced a man who had been missing since Saturday was found dead Monday morning.
Bryon Cole Middlebrook, 32, was last seen by family members at his Flagstaff home at 10 a.m. Saturday, sheriffs officials said. Officials said about 60 responders aided in the search for Middlebrook, including Flagstaff Police officers, Flagstaff Fire Department officials, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Coconino National Forest Wildland Fire crews and friends and family.
Middlebrooks car was found parked at Arizona Snowbowl Saturday, and some of his belongings were found near Hart Prairie Lodge Sunday, officials said.
His body was found at about 8:30 a.m. Monday and appeared to have died from self-inflicted injuries, officials said.
Middlebrook said he was going to travel to visit a friend in Phoenix, but the friend said he never arrived and had not had any contact with Middlebrook, officials said.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.
Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.
Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.
You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Extensive flooding has been reported in Flagstaff's Southside neighborhood.
According to the National Weather Service station in Bellemont, the first big storm of the monsoon season has caused urban and small stream flooding in Flagstaff Tuesday morning.
The first big Coconino County storm of the 2016 monsoon season caused extensive flooding in Flagstaff's Southside neighborhood Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Several streets have been closed between the Northern Arizona University campus and the Downtown area, including DuPont Avenue. Residents there reported standing water several feet deep.
"(There is) clearly a problem with drainage," said Conner Chase, 20, who lives on DuPont Avenue. "It's been a problem ever since I can remember. Actually, my landlord told me about the issue when I moved in but it didn't really seem like there was any sort of movement to fix anything."
He said his street flooded in about two hours.
South Leroux Street was also barricaded between Benton and Cottage Avenues due to flooding, as well as South Agassiz Street at East Butler Avenue. In the Downtown area, the city barricaded the area around North Beaver Street at West Aspen Avenue.
Up to 2.5 inches of rain had fallen in Flagstaff by 11:40 a.m., though rainfall had largely diminished.
A NWS flood advisory will be in effect until 1:15 p.m. for central Coconino County.
____
10:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for central Coconino County, especially in Flagstaff.
According to the NWS station in Bellemont, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms in Flagstaff and the surrounding areas. Trained spotters have reported minor street flooding along Route 66.
Runoff from heavy rainfal is expected to cause flooding of small creeks and streams, highways, streets and underpasses, as well as other drainage areas and low-lying spots. In addition, large amounts of small hail could cause culverts to become blocked.
The flood advisory will be in effect until 1:15 p.m.
_____
5:45 a.m.: This year, it didn't wait for the Fourth of July.
The monsoon has started in Flagstaff, according to the National Weather Service, with a southerly flow producing rain and thunderstorms most of the week.
The official starting date is June 15, but in recent years the heavy rains usually haven't arrived until Independence Day.
The chance of rain today in Flagstaff will be more than 50 percent, with wind gusts up to 30 to 50 mph in thunderstorms. Heavy hail was reported at 10 a.m. in Flagstaff, with 4 inches of standing water at the I-17/I-40 interchange, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures will subside from the near-record levels earlier this month.
President Obamas Cadillac limousine , nicknamed The Beast, broke down during the first day of the U.S. leaders official visit to Israel. Something similar happened two years ago, when the presidential limousine was stuck on a ramp while exiting the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland.
This time, the Cadillac limousines engine stopped running in the middle of the motorway between Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem. The mishap was reportedly caused by a rather embarrassing mistake. It appears that someone from the Secret Service has filled the cars tank with diesel fuel instead of gasoline gasoline instead of diesel!
At least this is what Israeli media reported, including Channel 2 television station. Fortunately for Barack Obama, the Cadillac broke down before he landed in Tel Aviv, so he was spared the embarrassment of being stranded on the motorway looking for a ride. The U.S. President traveled from the airport to Jerusalem by helicopter as scheduled, with another car being flown in from Jordan to drive him around the city.
Meanwhile, the stalled car was towed by a local company. The owner said the U.S. Consulate called him to ask him to recover the vehicle.
They told me that this was Obamas car, the owner of the company, Moti Matmon, told the Daily Telegraph. They didnt say what had happened to it. They just said it had got stuck. Only the mechanic was there when I arrived. The driver had left in another car. The whole thing was very funny.
The limo is now being repaired, with a spokesman for the Secret Service saying the cause of the fault is unknown. Well, maybe the car doesnt like trips abroad that much
At least now people all over the world feeding their cars the wrong fuel have the perfect excuse: It happened to Obamas limo, too.
Correction: A previous version of this story said that the limo was gasoline powered and was fed diesel. As it turns out, its the other way around as the Beast features a diesel unit and the secret service agent used gasoline fuel.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Daily Telegraph via Autoblog , Photo Credits: 2424
PHOTO GALLERY
The airbags supplied by Takata Motor Corp. may have claimed yet another life in Malaysia, after an inflator on the drivers side has been found ruptured during a fatal crash.
According to AutomotiveNews, quoting local newspaper TheStar, a 44-year old woman driving a Honda City has been killed in an accident in the Southeast Asian country on Saturday.
Pronounced dead at the scene, the victim, who could become the third death this year in Malaysia linked to the faulty Takata airbags, had injuries to her chest from a foreign object coming from the center of the steering wheel.
Honda Motor Company confirmed with the local police that the drivers airbag inflator had ruptured in the crash, but the cause of death has yet to be determined.
The vehicle, a 2005 City, was part of a recall issued in May 2015 and should have had both front airbags replaced. According to Honda, though, despite three recall notices having been sent to the owner, the repair was never done.
Takata Motor Corp. didnt comment on the subject, but it is well known that the inflators could explode after long exposure to heat and humidity, sending shrapnel towards the occupants. So far, ten people have been killed in the USA due to the defective parts, and if the latest fatality will be linked to the faulty airbags, then the number would rise to 15 globally.
PHOTO GALLERY
A Lamborghini Aventador head-butted with a guardrail in China, which resulted in significant damages to the supercar.
While theres no information regarding what exactly led to the Italian exotics accident, we suspect that a fatal combo of heavy rain and the 700 PS (690 HP) and 690 Nm (507 lb-ft) pumped out by the 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine fed to all four corners through a 7-speed automatic transmission, played a pivotal role here.
The driver seems to have been more concerned in trying to take something out from the cockpit rather than the huge service bill he was about to receive, but the good news is that neither he or the female passenger in the Lambo were hurt.
According to local media, which reminds that the price of a Lamborghini Aventador starts from 6.48 million yuan, or $975,000 at todays exchange rates, due to the luxury tax, no other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The last documented Lamborghini Aventador crash in the Peoples Republic happened last September, after a collision with a mud truck, which left it completely destroyed. Despite the severity of that accident, firefighters managed to free the driver from the wreckage and saved his life.
Source: Wanhuajing, H/T to CarNewsChina
PHOTO GALLERY
While most high-ranking officials use extremely expensive and sometimes armored limousines as common transport, Pope Francis is well known for his criticism towards extravagant spending.
The Pontiff had some members of the church in his sight in the past due to their inclination towards wealth and advised priests and nuns to choose more humble vehicles and to focus on the poor instead.
This is exactly what the former Argentine Cardinal did during his latest official visits to the US, where he had a Fiat 500L sitting at his disposal, which eventually sold at auction for $82,000, and in South Korea, where he used a Kia Soul.
Now in Armenia for a two-day stay last weekend, Pope Francis had an even more humble car for transportation: a white Dacia Logan, in which he was seen waving and touching people in the crowd, despite being surrounded by an entire platoon of bodyguards.
In the small country located on Turkeys eastern border, right under Georgia and west of Azerbaijan, home to 3 million people, the Pope approached a sensitive subject the 1915-1917 genocide, which is still being denied by Ankaras officials.
Video
One day after Renault announced it plans to reveal the new Alaskan pickup truck on June 30, we got a leaked image that allegedly shows its fascia.
If we are indeed looking at the real deal, then the French didnt have a lot of work to do over the concept shown last year, as the designs of the hood, grille and headlights have been carried over. The bumper has been slightly reworked, and so have the side mirror casings and the windshield, while the roof lights have been replaced by a couple of silver-finished bars.
The French pickup shares the same architecture with the current Nissan NP300 Navara, which, in turn, will be used by the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLT pickup too. Two-wheel and four-wheel drive will be part of the package and setting it in motion will be a range of twin-turbo units, including the 2.3-liter diesel engine used on the Master Van.
At first, the Renault Alaskan will be launched in Europe and South America sometime at the first half of 2017, and other markets will follow shortly. The European version will be put together at the Nissan plant in Barcelona, Spain, while the South American one will be assembled in Mexico and Argentina.
Source: Ferd, H/T to IAB
PHOTO GALLERY
Notably, in addition to the unauthorized use of Hattlers work, the suit alleges that by editing Hattlers films and altering them with filters and other effects, Ashton intentionally defaced, mutilated, altered or destroyed his works. This claim is potentially a violation of California law, which seeks to protect fine art from alteration or destruction.
But federal copyright law provides a specific defense against copyright infringement when an infringing work transforms the earlier copyrighted work. Hattlers attorney, Scott Alan Burroughs of the Los Angeles-based law firm Doniger/Burroughs explained to Cartoon Brew that Californias law is based on the concept of moral rights, a legal concept found frequently in European bodies of law.
Moreover, federal law reserves to the artist the right to make derivative works that is, works that use an original work as a starting point to create more art. For example, trivia books based on the TV series Seinfeld and published by an outside party were found to be derivative of the TV series and thus infringed on the right of the copyright holder. The federal court in that case found that the transformative use had been negligible.
Californias protections against alteration or destruction do not seem to allow for transformative use of a work. This apparent conflict between federal and state law has rarely been tested in court, and Hattlers case could be groundbreaking in the way the federal court addresses the issue. Does Ashtons use of Hattlers work rise to transformative use, that is, does Ashtons use create a new work of original art that escapes liability for copyright infringement? If so, does Hattlers moral rights under California law provide him with a means to protect his work?
Further complicating the matter, California defines fine art as an original painting, sculpture, or drawing, or an original work of art in glass, of recognized quality. Hattler, however, works in new media, utilizing motion pictures, digital media and similar canvasses for artistic expression. His lawyer Burroughs told Cartoon Brew that such media are now recognized just as much as analogue media, and argues that therefore the law should be interpreted to encompass digital drawings and paintings.
Finally, Hattlers suit alleges that Ashton removed digital management information from copies of Hattlers films, in violation of the Digital Management Copyright Act.
Hattler seeks an injunction against further infringement by Ashton and monetary damages.
Ashtons legal response has yet to be filed. In a Facebook posting on April 17, Ashton said he had reached out to Hattler to to make it right by him. He blamed the situation on a huge misunderstanding due to having a large crew and not knowing what was happening, which runs directly counter to earlier interviews in which Ashton has claimed to personally collect the content and oversee the video editing down to the microframe.
Hattler remains quite busy, even while embarking on this lawsuit. He recently completed a new project, entitled Five, created in collaboration with 36 of his students, which is described as a visualization of Gustav Mahlers Symphony No. 5. Five just finished its premiere exhibition at K11 Art Mall in Hong Kong, and was presented at the Society for Animation Studies conference in Singapore. His 2015 work, All Rot, was recently awarded best abstract film at Third Culture Film Festival in Hong Kong and screened in competition earlier this month at Animafest Zagreb.
Here is a recent trailer Hattler made for the 2016 edition of the Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media in Germany:
The following editorial appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday, June 24:
We have long supported comprehensive immigration reform and lamented the inability of Congress whether it was controlled by Republicans or Democrats to approve forward-thinking legislation. But this editorial board has also long opposed the use of executive power in ways that usurp the authority of Congress. The president is not the king.
Thats why we welcome the fact that a 4-4 Supreme Court split has left in place an appellate court ruling blocking President Barack Obamas 2014 executive order on immigration enforcement that effectively rewrote federal laws affecting millions of people who reside in the U.S. without legal status.
Obama, who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, used to agree with our view. As a senator, he railed against George W. Bushs executive excesses. And for years after he became president, he acknowledged limits on his authority including specifically on immigration. In a 2013 online chat, he was asked why his administration didnt do more to stop deportations from breaking up families. The problem is, is that Im the president of the United States, Im not the emperor of the United States, he replied. My job is to execute laws that are passed.
A year later, he changed his mind on this issue. But a simple thought exercise shows why the principled position of having a president who honors constitutional checks and balances is also the smart position. Imagine if the high court had ruled in Obamas favor and established the precedent of a president being able to set immigration policy and then Donald Trump got elected. We doubt many Democratic lawmakers would then want a president with imperial powers.
FAA takes good steps on pilot mental health
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday, June 23:
The possibility that the pilot at the controls in an airline cockpit has mental health problems that are not being addressed is pretty unnerving. So, its a step in the right direction for the Federal Aviation Administration to urge pilots struggling to maintain mental health to get treatment.
Unfortunately, though, the FAA does not intend to initiate psychological testing for pilots, who already undergo annual medical examinations through age 40, when they then must get physical exams twice a year.
The German airline pilot who crashed his plane into the French Alps in March 2015 had severe mental health problems. Authorities have come to the grim conclusion that he purposely crashed the plane killing some 150 people aboard.
But the FAA says it does intend to improve training for aviation medical examiners to be better able to spot mental illness. Thats a positive step, as is the announced goal of a collaborative effort between airlines and pilot unions to expand mental health assistance programs for pilots who have received a diagnosis.
Better mental health care is worth the expense
The following editorial was written by Bloomberg View editors:
When more than half of people who need mental health care cant or dont get it as is true in the U.S. other problems arise. For sufferers, these include physical illness, lost earnings, substance abuse and suicide. For society, there is greater crime and homelessness.
So legislation in the House of Representatives meant to expand mental health care is welcome. The bill, which could soon get a vote, would give mental health issues more weight within the Department of Health and Human Services and improve tracking of wait times for psychiatric beds. It would also provide small grants for suicide prevention, for educating new psychologists, and for training police to better engage with the mentally ill.
And it would remove various restraints on mental health care for instance, an anti-fraud restriction that prevents Medicaid from paying for two services at the same location on the same day. This rule has kept many people from getting treatment for depression as part of a regular checkup.
Yet mental health services in the U.S. are so inadequate that these changes would still leave many Americans without the care they need.
In the past two decades, mental health services have been shrinking, not growing. From 1992 to 2012, the number of psychiatric beds per capita fell by two-thirds, to just two for every 10,000 people. The U.S. is the only affluent country where the number of psychiatrists per capita fell from 2000 to 2011, even as it spends twice as much as others on health care.
To expand psychiatric care as much as is needed would necessarily increase that spending. Federal money is required to pay for more treatment via Medicaid and Medicare.
For example, the legislation wouldnt change Medicares 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric care. Thats especially restrictive for working-age adults on disability; better access to care could help people with mental illness rejoin the workforce. And the law would still limit Medicaids ability to pay for inpatient adult psychiatric care.
Sponsors of the House legislation note that their approach wont add to the federal budget; that may be what it takes to get any bill through this Congress. Certainly, more federal spending isnt the only way to fill the mental health gap. The legislation will push private health insurers to adequately cover mental illness, as well.
But wider coverage by government health plans is still needed. Adequate spending on mental health would save other social and government costs down the road. Left untreated, mental illness drains the public purse one way or another.
Privacy rights remain elusive
The following editorial appeared in The Orange County Register on Sunday, June 19:
These are dark days for the Fourth Amendment, as two measures to put an end to the governments unchecked surveillance of American citizens were recently defeated in Congress.
Things initially looked positive. In late April, the House unanimously passed the Email Privacy Act, which would plug a privacy loophole in a 30-year-old law that allows government agents to search electronic communications stored more than 180 days without first obtaining a warrant. After all, the Fourth Amendment does not have a six-month expiration date. But then Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was forced to pull his corresponding legislation this month in the Senate after amendments were proposed that would have eviscerated those protections.
To make matters worse, on Thursday, the House rejected an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would have defunded the National Security Agencys warrantless searches of Americans communications that are swept up in dragnet surveillance supposedly targeted at non-U.S. citizens without judicial oversight. It also would have prevented the government from requiring companies to include a backdoor in their encryption technologies that the government (as well as hackers, identity thieves, foreign governments and other bad actors) could access. The House had overwhelmingly passed similar measures the past two years, by votes of 293-123 in 2014 and 255-174 in 2015, but in both years it was stripped out of the final budget deal.
This year, however, lawmakers reasoned defenses of Americans liberties were overcome by fear in the wake of the Orlando nightclub terrorist attack. You cant waive the Fourth Amendment just because its not convenient at any point in time, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who introduced the amendment with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told Reason magazine. The irony of my (Republican) colleagues using the Orlando tragedy to erode the Fourth Amendment is they are castigating the Democrats for using the tragedy to erode the Second Amendment, he added.
If we let terrorism compel us to ignore the #Constitution, then havent the terrorists won? Rep. Massie argued in a Facebook post before the vote. Its a shame my colleagues are using the #pulse shooting in #Orlando to motivate an erosion of our rights.
The rights delineated in the Constitution are infrangible. The founders did not include provisions that permitted them to be suspended whenever the government claimed to be facing a threat and with good reason. Such an exception would only encourage those in power to imagine or generate additional threats to justify their violations of our liberties. If our representatives are too spineless or naive to recognize this, then we must replace them with those who do.
A cup of joe or two is good
The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday, June 25:
Coffee drinkers got a dose of good news and bad news recently. The good news is that coffee is no longer considered carcinogenic. The bad news is that it can be if you drink it too hot. This re-emphasizes the common-sense rule of eating and drinking. Dont do it to excess or extreme.
For many years, the World Health Organization considered coffee to be a possible carcinogen. In its latest report, the organization changed course and stated that coffee should no longer be considered carcinogenic. Indeed, it may be beneficial in warding off liver and uterine cancers.
The good news was tempered by the results of a WHO study that found that drinking coffee and any other beverage at temperatures above 149 degrees could cause people to develop cancer of the esophagus.
That is not necessarily a concern for those brewing a cup of coffee before work in the morning. Home coffeemakers produce coffee in the range of 135 to 150 degrees.
It gets trickier when purchasing coffee from a restaurant or coffee shop. In 1992, a woman sued McDonalds after she was burned when the coffee spilled on her. Testimony showed that the coffee was close to 190 degrees.
McDonalds eventually settled the case and modified its guidelines on serving coffee. But it would not be surprising if some diners, coffee shops or fast-food restaurants serve their coffee in excess of 149 degrees.
The common thread, however, through most of these reports is that moderation can minimize risk. A beer or a glass of wine is not dangerous and can even promote good health. Still, three or four beers or glasses of wine a night are problematic. A sensible portion of steak provides needed protein, but too much can spike cholesterol or triglycerides. The same is true of that cup of joe.
This latest study is not a call to quit drinking coffee, but another call for common sense.
Photo: Contributed
Government officials are sending out a friendly reminder to homeowners to get their property taxes in soon, or face a penalty.
Property taxes for 2016 must be paid by midnight on Monday, July 4.
Current taxes that are not paid are subject to a 10 per cent penalty.
Homeowners should have received their property-tax notice in the mail by now. If they have not, they are urged to contact their municipality to let them know.
Instructions are included on each list on how to complete payment online, in person and through your financial institution.
For further details on your own property taxes, contact your municipality directly.
Photo: RCMP
Surrey police are becoming even more multicultural.
As many Surrey residents celebrate Canadian Multiculturalism Day today, Surrey RCMP is working to connect with the many diverse communities it serves with its Diversity Unit.
Sgt. Alanna Dunlop said as the City of Surrey continues to grow and attract a wide range of individuals and families, Surrey RCMP expanded its Diversity Unit earlier this year with the addition of a Diversity and Community Engagement Sergeant, the first position of its kind in the RCMP.
Sgt. Paul Hayes was selected for this new position and has been tasked with developing strategic partnerships and identifying issues and topics that are important to our citys diverse community groups. Together with diversity co-ordinator Yousef Nasimi, Hayes is reaching out to local communities and diversity-focussed organizations to build relationships, mutual respect and a shared understanding.
The expansion of our Diversity Unit is very timely in light of the increasing number of newcomers, including refugees, that are moving into Surrey, said Supt. Shawn Gill, community services officer. Over the past four months, we have been working closely with community agencies to engage with local newcomers to develop trust and an awareness about the role of police in Canada.
A number of community engagement sessions have been held for newcomers and refugees to dispel any misinformation or misunderstandings about police that may have been acquired from their homelands or peer groups.
We wanted to show our newest residents that police are approachable and that we are there to help, said Hayes. Trust cannot be developed overnight and it will take a continued and committed effort on the part of the police to achieve trust, better communication, and positive involvement from these communities.
The positive feedback received from these sessions has led to additional public forums being requested and planned in multiple languages. In May, a forum was held in Arabic and a Mandarin forum is being planned by the Diversity Unit for July.
The Surrey RCMPs Diversity Unit has joined us in ensuring that our immigrant and refugee populations are supported in integrating and thriving in their new environment, said Corina Carroll, manager of counselling services at DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society. We have witnessed the power of connection as our newcomers who, because of their experiences prior to arrival, were distrustful and fearful of police, move to seeing them as a new source of support and safety. It has been a pleasure to work with the Diversity Unit and we are confident that this initiative will continue to have a positive impact.
The Diversity Unit is also responsible for co-ordinating the Surrey RCMPs participation at many cultural events this summer to build relationships and provide communities with crime prevention and youth intervention information, said Dunlpo. The unit participates in a number of roundtables, meetings and campaigns specific to diverse community groups and is also responsible for internal training around diversity and cultural sensitivity.
Moving forward, the Diversity Unit has plans to expand further by adding two more police officers and another municipal support staff co-ordinator to keep up with the increasing demand for their services.
Committed to serving the Community
A local business is asking for the publics assistance in tracking down a glasses thieving suspect.
On June 17, a man entered NuVue Optometry at 1950 Harvey Ave about 4:30 p.m.
Employee Shaylee says while the man was polite and friendly, his behaviour was odd.
I was keeping an eye on him the whole time; he just seemed a little strange, she said.
The man was looking at a display wall of glasses and appeared to take one from the wall and sneak it into his pants.
I wasnt sure he took something because I couldnt tell from where I was standing, but one of the frames was missing from the wall when he turned around.
Shaylee confronted the man who acted surprised and shocked by her allegations he had taken a pair of glasses.
He said I could search him but then he started patting himself down a bit inappropriately, she said. He kept saying he didnt have them, but I told him one was missing and it had to be somewhere. He said maybe it was on another shelf, but the other frames he pointed to were Ray Bans not the pair that was missing.
Shaylee was working alone and decided it was best to ask the man to leave.
As it turns out, this thief was caught on video sneaking two pairs of glasses into a place no one needs to see.
Shaylee called police and started a file number.
The suspect is described as:
5-foot-9 inches tall
thin build
wearing a red shirt, dark coloured shorts and blue shoes
Anyone with any information is asked to call Kelowna RCMP.
Photo: VPD
An infamous Kelowna pedophile is back behind bars after breaching his statutory release conditions, again.
Shawn Joshua Deacon, 50, is one of the most notorious pedophiles in Kelowna's history, with a decades-long rap sheet of abusing young boys and girls.
He was released on Nov. 26, 2015, to live in a halfway house under strict conditions.
Deacon used to call Kelowna home and was released into the community in 2005, but eventually left following a public outcry and moved to Vancouver.
In 2013, he was found to be in breach of his conditions and returned to jail.
In November 2015, he was given another chance, released into an unknown community under strict conditions, including no contact with anyone under 16, no attendance in places where children under 16 are likely to be, no indirect or direct contact with any of his victims, to reside at the residential facility chosen for him and nowhere else, no access to the Internet in any form, no possession of images of children under 16, a condition to follow a specific treatment plan and program and to immediately report all intimate relationships.
He was released despite his lengthy history of abuse and deception with legal authorities. Deacon has reportedly breached parole conditions more than 15 times.
His release, however, didn't last long as it was revoked on June 15, 2016.
According to report prepared by the Parole Board of Canada, Deacon violated his release conditions by sending a package to a man he knew had children that included a congratulations card on his partner's pregnancy and a book that officials believe was for the man's children.
The parole board states Deacon has a history of grooming techniques to gain access to children that included befriending the child's guardians or parents to gain access.
The board notes that the man brought the violation to their attention given Deacons history of befriending parents of children and grooming the victims by providing gifts.
His case management team reported Deacon is unmanageable in the community and recommended his statutory release be revoked.
The report notes that Deacon wanted to be returned to custody even threatening to commit another crime to be put back in jail.
The board adds that Deacon is a very high risk to reoffend.
Despite his lengthy criminal history and massive public outcry, Deacon has not been designated a dangerous offender.
Photo: Kate Bouey
Vernon city council has voted to give staff the authority to issue transit and swim passes to Syrian and Iraqi refugees living within the city limits over the next year.
The decision followed a squabble in council chambers over the request for passes for the latest Syrian family to locate in Vernon.
We all want to be welcoming, we all want to do nice things (but) it's another $1,000 and we can expect to have a few more (refugees), said Coun. Scott Anderson.
What are we supposed to say to the working poor, he complained, pointing out that the Syrian family are actually privately sponsored.
The Kindred Spirits organization requested the passes for two adults and their two pre-school children.
Coun. Juliette Cunningham said the circumstances the refugees are in is exceptional.
Their lives have been totally destroyed, they're livelihoods have been totally destroyed, Cunningham said. I can't imagine myself in a similar position.
Cunningham said up to 60 refugees could end up in the community.
It's a fantastic thing that we do, said Coun. Brian Quiring. It doesn't cost us anything. That pool has to run anyway, so do the buses.
Photo: Darren Handschuh
Vernon will have to live with the old signs welcoming people to the city for the time being.
City council had hoped newly-designed signs would be up in time for the summer tourist season.
But the one proposal to build the signs that came in was significantly over budget, Kim Flick, director of community development, told council on Monday.
When pressed, Flick admitted the proposal was four times the $50,000 budgeted for the signs.
Coun. Catherine Lord said staff has committed to making changes to get the costs down and, perhaps, some money could be added to the budget.
The sign issue has been back and forth to council since last year.
It took three tries before council agreed on the design.
Plans are for two of three signs to be located at the existing sign locations at Swan Lake and Highway 6. A third sign would be constructed to the south of the city on Highway 97.
Photo: Contributed
Coldstream's efforts to start a region-wide air quality service have gone up in smoke.
The City of Vernon is the last community within the North Okanagan Regional District not to support the proposed new function.
Instead, city council voted Monday on a weakened motion to support collaborating with neighbouring jurisdictions to address air quality in the region.
Enderby, Armstrong, Lumby and the electoral areas had already said no.
Mayor Akbal Mund questioned how an air quality function would have worked when there are different burning regulations in different areas.
Vernon's are much more strict, Mund said. How do you allow burning in all of those jurisdictions when Vernon doesn't allow the burning?
Smoke doesn't have the same jurisdiction.
Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick has already expressed disappointment with the decisions of other councils.
It's unfortunate, Garlick said recently. That's one of the things the Ministry of Environment said would be a good thing to work together on when the (Pinnacle) pellet plant came into the area, to deal with it on a regional basis.
Coldstream had proposed that NORD members support and help pay for an air quality function to monitor pollution levels in the area.
Photo: Contributed
Kelowna city council spent nearly 90 minutes debating an issue in which, technically, it has no jurisdiction.
The debate centred around an application by a farmer wishing to build permanent housing for up to 40 temporary foreign workers.
The request flies in the face of both city policy and that of the Agricultural Land Commission, which states permanent housing structures can't be constructed for temporary workers.
"It's all about the temporary nature," said agriculture and environment planner Todd Cashin.
"What we've seen in years past, whether it's picker shacks or the small bunkhouse styles, is, as time passes, they become rental units. And, a significant amount of resources get spent by city staff and ALC staff chasing these after the fact."
Cashin said staff don't deny farmers need workers at this time of year but said he is thinking long term.
This is the second time this year council has had the same debate, with the same outcome: no.
"Even if we, hypothetically, were to approve, chances are the ALC is going to say no because they don't like to see permanent structures on agricultural lands," said Mayor Colin Basran.
As with the previous debate, council was also upset with what many termed confusion over the policy and believed they need to engage the ALC over the policy.
"I don't even think this is an ALC issue. This is a Ministry of Agriculture issue," said Coun. Luke Stack.
"That minister sits in our backyard, is readily available. If he hasn't heard about these issues, he should hear about these issues. This is where some of that decision making needs to take place."
Stack said the province has done a great job of promoting the sale of cherries internationally, which is why farmers are facing the issues they are with temporary worker housing.
"They also are going to have to deal with the issue of temporary workers, or permanent workers and how they are going to cope with it to make this industry a success."
He said slapping up a building on the edge of a cliff is not the answer to the questions.
Former BC Fruit Growers' Association president Kirpal Boparai, who spoke on behalf of the farmer, said more of these applications are going to come forward as farmers look for ways to house temporary workers.
"I don't support the amalgamation of farm workers onto a farm. At that point it does become a hotel," said Coun. Brad Sieben.
"It should be built on industrial lands and they should be busing people where they need to be."
While council said no, it did register its sympathy to the farmer and those in the industry. Council did also agree to contact Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick to sit down and discuss possible solutions.
"Times are changing and we need to change with it," said Coun. Charlie Hodge.
Photo: Contributed
You can expect to see more construction at the once ill-fated Conservatory at Glenmore Road and Summit Drive.
A four-storey, 87-unit, L-Shaped building was approved for the site. The additional units will be located between the current six-storey building and the commercial development, which is currently under construction.
"Yahoo. That's all I can say," sated Coun. Maxine DeHart emphatically.
"I think this is a win, win, win. I think it's a win because, of course, it's rental units, and I think it's a win because it really cleans up that corner.
"The third win is it's going to hide up that existing building."
DeHart complimented the developer because, she said, it currently looks "prisony."
"I was very excited and very happy. I think it's going to be successful.
Coun. Tracy Gray said she was happy to see the tiering of the development, saying the existing building "sticks out like a sore thumb."
City planner Terry Barton told council the new building will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom rental units.
He said it will tie into the existing building with access through common corridors.
The new development will also include 130 underground parking stalls.
"If I could summarize the design in a few key points, I would say it's a modern, contemporary style that is different than The Conservatory," said Barton.
"If I was to think of a similar type of architectural style, The Verve comes to mind, with sloped roofs and more of a contemporary feel."
Council voted unanimously to approve a development permit.
Photo: CTV
RCMP responded to yet another incident of shots fired in Surrey's Newton area Monday night.
About 8 p.m., police received a report of gunfire on the 12800 block of 60th Avenue.
Two vehicles were seen fleeing the scene, but descriptions have not been confirmed.
Officers are canvassing the neighbourhood for more information.
Evidence was found to support that shots had been fired, but no victims were located.
Traffic was closed for a time in the area of 128th Street and 60th Avenue while police investigated.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
Photo: CindyRhyason
About 600 people attended a graduation ceremony Monday for Okanagan College students from the Vernon campus.
More than 100 summer 2016 convocation students were on hand, supported by family, friends and college staff, at the Vernon District Performing Arts Centre.
For some, this means the end of late night cramming and studying.
Photo: Contributed
Police say a man removed a skylight from the roof of Canadian Tire in Penticton and dropped down into the store in a "daring" theft.
Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said Canadian Tire staff saw a vehicle running outside the service bay at closing time, about 8:30 p.m.
They saw Canadian Tire merchandise inside the vehicle, and then noticed a man up on the roof going inside the store.
Employees approached him and told him that police were on their way.
He claimed he used to work there and fled, but was later arrested.
He's now been charged with break and enter.
Photo: Contributed
The Penticton RCMP responded to a large gathering of Grade 11 and 12 students celebrating graduation on a dirt road, east of Wiltse Boulevard on Monday night.
The students were burning pallets but were dispersed without incident.
Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth advised there are currently large fines for lighting fires outdoors.
Photo: Contributed
UPDATE: 4:35 p.m.
According to Penticton communications officer Tina Lee, the name of the business that was recently notified of its business licence suspension was Rush in and Finish Cafe.
Jukka Laurio, the cafe owner and a former Penticton mayoral candidate, declined to comment on the matter.
ORIGINAL
The city of Penticton is cracking down on illegal medical marijuana dispensaries in the city.
According to communications officer Tina Lee, the city's position is that in Canada the sale of medical marijuana is not legal from a storefront, it's only legal by mail, so it is not a permitted use according to their bylaw.
At this time, one business downtown has been issued a notice of suspension of their business licence.
They have appealed and will have a chance to meet with council on the matter.
That will be in the form of a hearing in the next two to three weeks, said Lee.
The city is also aware of three other operations in the city. Staff has been looking into their business licences and are starting to pursue warnings and suspensions.
The town of Osoyoos recently shut down a medical marijuana outlet there.
Castanet will provide more details as they become available.
Photo: Contributed
A woman woke up to find someone inside her condominium on Marina Way on Sunday morning, according to the Penticton RCMP.
Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said the woman's purse was gone and the liquor cabinet was also targeted.
The purse was located outside and items have been seized for fingerprinting.
As the person came in through an open patio door, Wrigglesworth is advising people to lock their patio doors.
Photo: U.S. Fish and WIldlife Service
British Columbia remains free of invasive mussels, thanks to ongoing efforts that have seen more than 6,100 watercraft inspected so far this year already surpassing the number of inspections in all of 2015, according to an announcement by the province on Tuesday.
Through the Invasive Mussel Defence Program, a crew of 32 trained mussel inspectors are working seven days a week, 10 hours a day, at eight permanent inspection stations along B.C. borders to prevent the spread of invasive mussels.
"It's great to see the work being done to protect the waterways in Osoyoos and across the Okanagan from invasive mussels," said MLA Linda Larson. "The ongoing outreach efforts of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program are alerting communities to the serious threat quagga and zebra mussels pose to the province's ecosystems and economy."
Of the watercraft inspected this year, 240 were identified as coming from a high-risk jurisdiction and eight were confirmed to be carrying adult invasive mussels.
A total of 45 decontamination orders were issued, of which 35 had quarantine periods to meet the 30-day required drying time.
In June 2016, B.C. signed the Western Canada Invasive Species Agreement, partnering with Alberta, Yukon, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in a co-ordinated regional defence against invasive quagga and zebra mussels.
Outreach activities are continuing in communities throughout the province.
To date, inspection crews have interacted with more than 10,000 people to promote the message of "Clean, Drain, Dry," and educate the public about aquatic invasive species.
Quagga and zebra mussels pose a serious threat to B.C.'s aquatic ecosystems, salmon populations, hydro power stations and other infrastructure facilities.
They can clog pipes, cause ecological and economic damage, displace native aquatic plants and wildlife, degrade the environment and affect drinking water quality. B.C. remains free of invasive quagga and zebra mussels.
To keep it that way, remember to practice "Clean, Drain, Dry" when boating in B.C.
The public is encouraged to report mussel-affected boats and equipment to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service's Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
I'm getting sick and tired of these crybabies going on strike every other year for more raises.
If you can count to ten, you can deliver the mail. It doesn't take a genius to walk a couple of blocks and drop off parcels.
Get your act together Canada Post, and grow up!
Marianne Cook
Photo: Nicholas Johansen
The BC Coroners Service has identified the woman who drowned in a canoeing accident.
Arlene Susan Westervelt, 56, died when the canoe she was in with her husband tipped over in Okanagan Lake on Sunday evening.
Her husband was rescued by a passing boater, but Westervelt could not be found in the water.
Neither one was wearing a life jacket.
The coroners service says the RCMP dive team found her Monday about 25 meters from shore under about 12 metres of water.
The BC Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate the death.
If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,...
Vietnam: order for FLSmidth
ICR Newsroom By 28 June 2016
Vietnamese cement producer Tan Thang Cement have awarded FLSmidth a contract for the supply of main equipment to a greenfield plant in the country. The Engineering and Procurement contract is valued at approximately DKK255m (US$37.9m). The new 5000tpd plant will be located in the Nghe An province, 300km south of Hanoi.
The scope of supply includes all the main equipment, from raw mill grinding to clinker silo, as well as civil design, coal mill installation, training and commissioning.
Published under
South Africa: PPC lines up banks for rights issue
ICR Newsroom By 28 June 2016
South Africans largest producer, PPC, has announced that it has come to an agreement with four banks to underwrite its proposed ZAR4bn (US$260m) rights issue, Reuters Africa reports.
The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, Nedbank Limited, Absa Bank Limited and FirstRand Bank have been appointed to oversee the offer process, with Standard Bank also taking the role of global co-ordinator.
An extraordinary general meeting is expected to be convened on or around 27 July 2016 to approve the rights issue. PPC is facing higher debt servicing costs following a fall in the value of the rand against the dollar and is looking to use the rights issue to reduce its leverage.
At the end of May, Standard and Poor downgraded PPC from A to BB-, dropping the firms rating seven notches and taking it out of investment-grade status. A presentation released by PPC earlier this month described the move as a sudden and severe ratings action which had disrupted its plans to raise capital in a more orderly fashion.
As of the end of March, PPCs debt stood at ZAR9.2bn (US$600m). The company plans to use the capital raised in the rights issue to repay at least ZAR3bn of this. The issue itself is expected to be completed by September.
Darryll Castle, CEO of PPC, said: The execution of the irrevocable and unconditional guarantee in favour of Noteholders as well as the signing of the standby underwriting agreement are two major milestones for PPC. These pave the way for the Company to resolve its capital structure issues effectively, and focus its efforts on implementing its strategy going forward.
Published under
Cemex celebrates Panama Canal expansion inauguration
ICR Newsroom By 28 June 2016
As the Panama Canal expansion was successfully inaugurated on Sunday, Cemex celebrated along with other suppliers and local dignitaries. The company supplied close to 1Mt of specially-developed cement for the project.
CEMEX congratulates the Government, the Panama Canal Authorities, and especially the Panamanian people for the key role they played in this iconic project, which will change the dynamics of global trade and economy, said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. Our ability to meet the design, supply, and logistics requirements of our clients is a priority for us. We are proud to have fulfilled the demands of this mega-infrastructure.
To enable the steady delivery of all cement required for the construction of the third set of locks, the company invested in 2008 over US$300m to triple its production capacity in the Central American country. A production line was put in operation to exclusively produce the durable cement type with low heat hydration, developed by Cemex Panama and Switzerland-based Cemex Research Group AG.
Published under
Suicide attackers armed with guns and bombs killed 42 people and wounded hundreds at Istanbul's busy Ataturk Airport, apparently targeting Turkey's crucial tourism industry. The government blamed the attack on Islamic State extremists but there was no immediate confirmation from the group.
42 victims killed, more than 230 people are wounded
Death toll excludes the 3 suicide bombers
Officials going throw surveillance video to create timeline of attack
Scenes of chaos and panic unfolded Tuesday night as gunfire and explosions on two different floors sent crowds fleeing first in one direction, then another.
Airport surveillance video posted on social media appeared to show one explosion, a ball of fire that sent terrified passengers racing for safety. Another appeared to show an attacker, felled by a gunshot from a security officer, blowing himself up seconds later. A growing stream of travelers, some rolling suitcases behind them, fled down a corridor, looking fearfully over their shoulders.
"Four people fell in front of me. They were torn into pieces," said airport worker Hacer Peksen.
The victims included at least 13 foreigners and several people remained unidentified Wednesday. The toll excluded the three bombers. The Istanbul governor's office said more than 230 people were wounded.
It was not clear if any attackers were still on the loose.
The attackers arrived by taxi, officials said. The state-run Anadolu news agency said one entered the international departures area with an assault rifle, was shot by a police officer, and detonated his explosives.
At the same moment, according to the Anadolu account, someone standing at the door of the international arrivals area started shouting, sending people inside scurrying in all directions while an armed man entered. Security forces fired on the attacker, and he detonated his explosives before reaching the X-Ray control. A third attacker blew himself up outside the arrivals terminal, according to the account.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," said Paul Roos, a South African tourist who was due to fly home with his wife. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."
Funerals for some of the victims began Wednesday as Turkish authorities tried to piece together how the attack happened, going through surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses to establish a preliminary timeline.
As dawn broke over the destroyed terminal, workers began removing debris. The airport reopened Wednesday morning, in sharp contrast to the 12-day complete shutdown in Brussels after the deadly airport bombing there in March. An information board inside showed about one-third of scheduled flights were canceled and a host of others were delayed.
By evening, the Islamic State group had not claimed responsibility for the attack, although it did issue an infographic celebrating two years since announcing a caliphate. It claimed to have "covert units" in Turkey, among other places, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
"So, what can we think? We cannot think anything," said Ali Batur, whose brother died. "A terror attack might happen everywhere, it happens everywhere. ... If God permits, we will get over this in unity and solidarity."
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it appeared that the Islamic State group, which has threatened Turkey repeatedly, was responsible.
"Even though the indications suggest Daesh, our investigations are continuing," Yildirim said, using shorthand for the Islamic State group. He also suggested the attack could be linked to steps Ankara took Monday toward mending strained ties with Israel and Russia.
Islamic State, however, rarely claims any attacks in Turkey. One possible reason is a reluctance to be seen as killing fellow Muslims; another is its desire to exploit the violent rift between Turkey and Kurdish rebels, said Anthony Skinner, director of the analyst group Verisk Maplecroft.
"It very clearly meets Islamic State's strategic objectives to leave this ambiguity," Skinner said.
Turkey has suffered a series of attacks that have scared away visitors and devastated its economy, which relies heavily on tourism. The country is a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group and a NATO member. It faces an array of security threats, including from ultra-left radicals, Kurdish rebels demanding greater autonomy in the restive southeast, and IS militants.
Turkey also shares long, porous borders with both Syria and Iraq, where IS controls large pockets of territory and have blamed IS for several major bombings over the past year, including in the capital Ankara, as well as attacks on tourists in Istanbul.
"The reality is that Turkey is situated in a very vulnerable situation, geographically speaking," Skinner said.
The government has stepped up controls at airports and land borders and deported thousands of foreign fighters, but has struggled to tackle the extremist threat while also conducting security operations against Kurdish rebels. Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrances to terminal buildings and before the entrances to departure gates.
The devastation at Istanbul's airport echoed the March 22 attack on the Brussels airport, where two suicide bombings ripped through check-in counters, killing 16 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as an explosion the same day at a Brussels subway station that killed 16 more people.
Yildirim, the prime minister, called for national unity and "global cooperation" in combating terrorism.
"This has shown once again that terrorism is a global threat," Yildirim said. "This is a heinous planned attack that targeted innocent people."
Dozens of anxious friends and relatives waited Wednesday outside Istanbul's Bakirkoy Hospital.
"You can hear that people are wailing here," said Serdar Tatlisu, a relative of a victim. "We cannot cope anymore, we can't just stay still. We need some kind of solution for whatever problem there is."
Yildirim later visited some attack victims at the hospital. By late afternoon, 128 were still hospitalized, 41 of them in intensive care.
This year alone, a Jan. 12 attack that Turkish authorities blamed on IS claimed the lives of a dozen German tourists visiting Istanbul's historic sites. On March 19, a suicide bombing rocked Istanbul's main pedestrian street, killing five people, including the bomber, whom the authorities identified as a Turkish national linked to IS.
Last October, twin suicide bombings hit a peace rally outside Ankara's train station, killing 103 people. There was no claim of responsibility but Turkish authorities blamed it on an Islamic State cell.
---
Fraser reported from Ankara. Lori Hinnant in Paris; Bram Janssen in Istanbul, Will Lester in Washington, D.C. and Scott Mayerowitz in New York contributed.
Birthday wishes
Call 281-422-8302 or email sunnews@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.
Happy Birthday Wishes
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 Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
NEWSLETTER
Sign up
Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive.
Offshore Technology Daily Update
The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday.
Offshore Technology Weekly Roundup
A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Friday.
Offshore Technology Focus Magazine
The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every month.
Motorola Mobility's Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, a pair of wallet-friendly unlocked smartphones, will be available across the U.S. starting July 12, the company announced Tuesday.
The smartphones will be available online at Amazon.com and Motorola.com and in stores at Best Buy, Sam's Club and more. The G4 will start at $199, while the larger G4 Plus will start at $249. Both are available for pre-order on Motorola.com.
Advertisement
Compared to the higher-end Moto phones, the G4 and G4 Plus have less-advanced but still respectable specs, including a 13-megapixel camera in the G4 and a 16-megapixel camera in the G4 Plus, as well as TurboPower charging in both. By comparison, the top-of-the-line Moto Z comes with a 21-megapixel camera and even faster TurboPower charging, adding 15 hours to battery life in 15 minutes.
One of the G4 phones' main selling points is that they'll be universally unlocked. That means the phones won't come tied to a particular wireless carrier, nor will their cost be subsidized by a phone plan.
Advertisement
The popularity of unlocked smartphones is on the rise. Manufacturers shipped 14.6 million unlocked smartphones in 2015, 140 percent more than the year prior, according to a February study by Strategy Analytics, a research and consulting firm.
Lenovo-owned Motorola's phones made up 9 percent of the market in 2015, compared to 2 percent in 2014. It was third in unlocked phone shipments behind BLU, a Florida-based company that makes Android phones, and Apple.
"This is the direction the market is heading and it's great to see Motorola is on that, too," said analyst Ramon Llamas, referring to unlocked smartphones. Llamas is a research manager for mobile phones and smartphones at Framingham, Mass.-based market intelligence firm IDC.
He said the fourth-generation Moto G family of phones fits well into Motorola's strategy of offering consumers choice, with phones that are affordable free of carriers and at a variety of price points.
aelahi@tribpub.com
Twitter @aminamania
What do you do when a report by The Institute of Medicine calls out the egregious number of medical errors and lapses in patient safety?
One very successful response to that 1999 report has been the creation of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) which combines the personal relationship of a bedside nurse working on a single unit with the leadership qualities needed to run a team, and the advanced knowledge of a master's-level nurse who can put evidence-based studies into practice. The graduate program in Clinical Nurse Leadership became the first new nursing practice concept in more than three decades.
Advertisement
These highly skilled nurses serve as the nexus for all the various specialists and team members caring for a patient, to lessen miscommunications and lapses in care and improve patient outcomes.
"Most of the safety issues around medicine are results of poor communication," explains Rebekah Hamilton, PhD, CNL, RN, FAAN, assistant dean for generalist education at Rush University's College of Nursing, who is herself certified as a CNL.
Advertisement
CNLs in Chicagoland
Some early success with the one-CNL-per-unit model came from the Veterans Administration, which began a pilot program in 2004. It worked so well that in 2011, the Veterans Health Administration set out to have the CNL model in place across all of its sites by the end of fiscal 2016.
Meanwhile, the CNL model spread and has been particularly well-embraced in smaller community settings, like Rush Oak Park Hospital, located just outside of Chicago, explains Lola Coke, PhD, ACNS-BC, RN-BC, an associate professor at Rush University College of Nursing.
In fall 2012, Rush Oak Park Hospital hired its first cohort of CNLs in the hospital's 24-bed telemetry unit (telemetry nurses use special equipment and data to track vital signs for patients needing constant monitoring). The CNL's charge was to meet with new patients and their families to explain their role as point-person, run the morning rounds, serve as the lead for the unit's interdisciplinary health care teams, champion patient education and facilitate all transitions of care.
Fixing fragmented care
"We really fulfill a need," says Denise Wienand, MEd, MSN, CNL, RN, the CNL liaison at Rush Oak Park Hospital. At the small, nonprofit community hospital, where there are no interns or residents, bedside nurses shouldered much of the burden when it came to coordination of care. The CNLs, Wienand explains, stepped easily into that role.
CNLs also support case managers, who typically handle discharge. "We're on the unit," Wienand says. "We're their eyes and ears."
Seeing, hearing, and perhaps most importantly, communicating what's happening with each patient is one of the most crucial roles for a CNL.
Advertisement
The CNL is the one who fields and sorts information and then communicates it to the right person, explains Hamilton.
Getting results
"There's not a lot of research the role is so new," Wienand explains, which is something this generation of CNLs is out to fix. In August 2015, Wienand served as lead author of "Implementing the Clinical Nurse Leader Role: A Care Model Centered on Innovation, Efficiency, and Excellence." In that paper, she and the team showed that all outcomes they measured average length of stay, incidences of falls, pressure ulcers, central line infections and urinary tract infections decreased after Rush Oak Park Hospital's trial run with the CNL model. Readmission rates decreased from 23.5 percent to 7.1 percent. Average length of stay dropped from 5.73 days to 4.85 days. Staff satisfaction improved, as did their knowledge.
And these published outcomes are crucial to the future of CNLs.
"Hospitals don't change unless they have data," Coke explains, and data from the very people who are shaping a new model of health care is key.
Adds Hamilton, "If you want to sustain a change in a health care setting, that has to come from the bottom up, from the people who are going to do the work."
Advertisement
Laura Lambert for Rush University College of Nursing
His name was Nearis Green, but everyone who knew him called him Uncle Nearis. There is a good chance you have never heard of him. But you have heard of his protege, Jasper Daniel - or, at least, the whiskey that bears his nickname, Jack.
Had a young Daniel not been taught by Green, a master distiller, Jack Daniel's in all likelihood would not be the world's best-selling whiskey. But Green was not a master distiller by choice - he was a slave, owned by Tennessee preacher and distiller Dan Call.
Advertisement
Green's role is not a completely new revelation. In "Jack Daniel's Legacy," a biography written in 1967, a quote from Call described Nearis as the "best whiskey maker that I know of," as the New York Times pointed out.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 15 States where it is most popular: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. (Ed Rode / Jack Daniel's)
But it is a reality that the Jack Daniel's company is only now starting to acknowledge. As the distillery turns 150 years old in 2016, the corporate account of how Daniel learned to create his whiskey is filling in certain gaps.
Advertisement
"It's taken something like the anniversary for us to start to talk about ourselves," said Nelson Eddy, the distillery's company historian, to the Times.
If guides want to talk about Green during the popular Jack Daniel's tour, that is within their discretion, the Times reported. And, for now, there is no acknowledgement of Nearis on the brief history recounted at Jack Daniel's home page. Instead, it reads, "1850: Mr. Jack goes to work at Dan Call's distillery, where he learns all phases of the whiskey business." But the Times notes that Jack Daniel's is starting to mention Green on social media and during its publicity campaigns. (Perhaps, some critics say, as part of a socially aware marketing move.)
Before the increased interest in Green, if his role was mentioned at all, it was brief. Daniel was celebrated for founding his own distillery, in 1866, at the mouth of a cave spring in Lynchburg, Tenn. - the master stroke that separated his whiskey from the stiff competition of the time. But before he found fame, Daniel was orphaned at age 15, according to the history "Dead Distillers," recently published by the Brooklyn-based bourbon distillers Colin Spoelman and David Haskell. Homeless, Daniel was taken in by the Call family, who owned a small distillery. The man Call put in charge of the whiskey production was none other than Uncle Nearis.
It would not have been unusual for Call to rely on slave labor for his whiskey operation in antebellum Tennessee. American slavery and alcohol production had had a long history. In the Appalachian South, for instance, about one in every 77 slaves was involved with liquor production, either by constructing the facilities, crafting the barrels or operating the distillery equipment, according to Virginia Polytechnic Institute sociologist Wilma Dunaway in her textbook "Slavery in the American Mountain South."
Three slaves worked at the average distillery, Dunaway wrote. And larger facilities had more. Sixty years before Daniel established his Lynchburg distillery, George Washington had his own operation in Mount Vernon, Va. There, under Scottish foremen, six slaves helped the distillery, by its 1799 heyday, to produce 11,000 gallons of whiskey a year.
The true extent of slaves' role in producing whiskey may never be known. It is possible that even after the Civil War Green was still helping Daniel distill the liquor. Spoelman and Haskill say that, after the war ended, some former slaves chose to stay on at the Call distillery. And one of Green's descendants, according to the Times, may be pictured in a photograph on Jack Daniel's Facebook page, sitting at the right hand of the famous whiskey man.
The foreclosure frenzy hit homeowner associations hard and fast, but they may be better prepared for the future because of it.
More than 6.3 million Americans lost their homes to foreclosure between 2006 and 2016, according to real estate data company RealtyTrac. Foreclosure filings have steadily declined since their 2009 peak and are now near pre-recession levels.
Advertisement
The news is more cautious in Illinois, which remains one of the top-10 states with the highest active foreclosure rates. The number is down 38 percent from January 2015 to 2016, but it ticked upward 7 percent in May. (New Jersey, Florida, Nevada and Maryland continue to lead the pack.)
The impact on associations in the Chicago area has varied from property to property. Some, which had previously encountered only minor delinquencies, suddenly faced multiple foreclosures. Many were shackled by deep losses of income and struggled to keep up with the most basic bills. Those that followed through with forcible entry and detainer actions through the courts found themselves in the unfamiliar role of landlord.
Advertisement
As association boards and their leaders waded through the wave of foreclosures, the savviest learned how to reduce their losses and keep the cash flowing. Here are some of their survival strategies:
Establish strong policies for collecting association fees. Your collection policy should spell out when assessments are due, when they are late and the consequences for noncompliance.
"Remain diligent in collecting your lifeline, which is your assessments, as much as you can," said association attorney Gabriella Comstock of Keough & Moody in Naperville. "That will likely keep the association in as good a position as possible."
"Stick to your collection policy and use it," said Patricia Bialek, vice president of property management at FirstService Residential in Chicago. "It's the best protection a board can have, whether we are in a foreclosure market or not."
A rental policy that itemizes caps, restrictions and responsibilities also is useful, said Keith Hales, president at Hales Property Management in Chicago.
"So many of the foreclosed units were bought up by investors looking to rent out the unit," he said.
Educate the owners. Many owners, especially first-time buyers, don't understand the implications of not paying their assessments or not paying them on time.
"We make sure all of our communities are knowledgeable about the collection process," said Diane White, senior vice president of condominium management at The Habitat Co. in Chicago. "We use lots of friendly reminders, mostly through electronic emails and newsletters."
Advertisement
The company also partners with area real estate agents, so they have correct information about each association's policies and practices to share with prospective buyers, she said.
"We try to give solid information about fees and foreclosures," she said. "We don't want new buyers getting into a situation they can't afford."
Act quickly and firmly. The situation won't get better on its own.
"The collection process is quite lengthy even if there are no disputes," Hales said. "The sooner the association begins, the better."
"Every association had to take an aggressive stand with homeowners when they knew a unit was going into foreclosure," Bialek said. "They had to get just as aggressive with lenders. The banks said, 'We'll just wait until we sell it, and then we'll pay.'"
Evicting neighbors who are down and out is difficult and emotional, but boards have a fiduciary duty to collect assessments that are due, she said.
Advertisement
Collection policies typically call for delinquent accounts to be turned over after 60 days to the association's attorney for collection. But many of Habitat's client associations shortened the time to 45 days, White said.
Get professional help. Associations that used attorneys who specialize in community associations and assessment collection recovered more money than those that did not, Hales said.
pmckuen@aol.com
If your understanding of Czech food is limited to the dumpling palaces of the western burbs, this hip River North spot will be a revelation. A concept I thought was ambitious-but-doomed has shown remarkable resiliency, for which one must credit chef Jimmy Papadopoulos and his modern riffs on Bohemian standards (his least-authentic dish, the chicken paprikash, is by far the most successful). Funky decor and a low-key vibe help, too.
MORE: Phil Vettel's full review on Bohemian House.
Advertisement
Tribune rating:
Address: 11 W. Illinois St.
Phone: 312-955-0439
Website: www.bohochicago.com
Open: Lunch Monday-Friday; Dinner Monday-Sunday
Prices: Entrees $19-$29
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Noise: Conversation-challenged
Other: Wheelchair accessible
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
The halibut dish is delicate and subtle, supported by aromatic carrots, Japanese turnips, salsify and a deep-flavored broth of mushroom consomme. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
(Down from No. 15) It's customary for guests at four-star restaurants to place all the decisions in the chef's hands (many chefs insist, actually), but Carrie Nahabedian much prefers engagement. Even opting for a multi-course experience (an option that isn't advertised, but available on request) will be more collaboration than tutorial.
MORE: Phil Vettel's full review of Naha
Advertisement
Tribune rating:
Address: 500 N. Clark St.
Phone: 312-321-6242
Website: www.naha-chicago.com
Open: Dinner Monday-Saturday, lunch Monday-Friday
Prices: Entrees $38-$59; eight-course tasting available
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Noise: Conversation-friendly
Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet parking
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Jimmy Bannos Jr., the 2013 winner of the James Beard Foundations Rising Star Chef award, packed up his restaurant and moved it all of 150 feet south, in the process gaining a lot more tables (quickly filled by faithful fans; youll still wait to be seated at prime time). Purple Pigs Mediterranean menu, accented with strong charcuterie and cheese programs, is backed by a wine list that deserves more attention than it gets. Read Phil Vettels full review of The Purple Pig.
Restaurant details
Tribune rating: | Address: 500 N. Michigan Ave. | Phone: 312-464-1744 | Website: thepurplepigchicago.com | Open: Lunch and dinner daily | Prices: Small plates $9-$17 | Reservations: Not accepted
Advertisement
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Though the menu is Spanish, Vera's sense of place is sweet home, Chicago, with its urban-postcard location along the Lake Street "L" tracks and its tavern layout obvious to any Chicago resident. Stop in for a quick bite off Mark Mendez's small-plates menu (mojama, or salt-cured tuna loin, is a treat), or settle in for several dishes or the paella of the day. The nicely composed charcuterie and cheese plates are good options, and finish with a sherry (or two) from Elizabeth Mendez's well-curated list.
MORE: Phil Vettel's full review of Vera
Advertisement
Tribune rating:
Address: 1023 W. Lake St.
Phone: 312-243-9770
Advertisement
Website: verachicago.com
Open: Dinner daily
Prices: Small plates $5-$18
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
Whether you visit the Logan Square/Avondale original, the Hyde Park sequel or even the Las Vegas outpost, Matthias Merges Japanese-inspired small plates are sure to delight. The only trick is knowing when to stop.
MORE: Phil Vettel's full review of Yusho
Tribune rating:
Address: 2853 N. Kedzie Ave.
Phone: 773-904-8558
Website: www.yusho-chicago.com
Open: Dinner Monday-Sunday
Price: Small plates $3-$18
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Strongly recommended
Noise: Conversation-challenged
Other: Wheelchair accessible; street parking
Ratings key: outstanding; excellent; very good; good; no stars: unsatisfactory. The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
The 36th annual Taste of Chicago returns to Grant Park in a little over a week, and it's not called the world's largest free food festival for nothing. (To clarify: Admission is free, but if you want to eat, you have to buy tasting tickets.) This year, 69 vendors will make an appearance, including 18 food trucks.
Taste of Chicago has done a good job over the past few years of stretching beyond the usual assortment of festival vendors, keeping things fresh and exciting. Judging from a preview of the event Tuesday at Daley Plaza, Taste 2016 will keep up that trend. Among the 11 vendors handing out food were Taste newcomers Demera Ethiopian Restaurant, sandwich shop Pork & Mindy's and Doom Street Eats, plus a food truck from one of Chicago's most beloved fried chicken purveyors, Harold's Chicken.
Advertisement
RELATED: 24 GREAT SPOTS FOR FRIED CHICKEN IN CHICAGO
Demera served some of the most flavorful dishes of the day. The best was a red lentil, cabbage and carrot messob served on an injera a spongy teff flour flatbread. This is the kind of festival food Chicago should see more of.
Advertisement
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Kendra Dodson, left, Julia Siegfriedt-Wilson, center and Kelly Kroeger sample the wares at the Taste of Chicago preview at Daley Plaza in Chicago on June 28, 2016. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)
Pork & Mindy's, owned by Jeff Mauro of Food Network fame, is also a new pop-up restaurant this year. The Wicker Park-based restaurant served its Bao to the Pork, a hulking Chinese-bun sandwich with a pile of pulled pork and candied bacon.
Other names not at the preview, but headed to Taste for the first time: Abundance Bakery, Arami, Auntie Vee's, Brgrbelly, Da Lobsta, Firecakes Donuts, Frannie's Cafe Inc, Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, The Happy Lobster Truck, La Jefa, La Patrona, MAD Social, Nana, Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine, Rojo Gusano, Taco in a Bag and Texas de Brazil.
The festival won't be all newbies, of course. Robinson's No. 1 Ribs, a Taste veteran, served diners milling about the preview, and it was good to see Chicago's Dog House back in action too. The Lincoln Park-based restaurant grilled two sausages: a rattlesnake and rabbit link, and a smoked alligator version.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 29 The chocolate covered bacon puff at Puffs of Doom (Booth 25). (Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune)
The busiest restaurant at the Tuesday event was definitely the colorfully painted Harold's Chicken truck. Freshly fried chicken wings coated in hot sauce are hard to beat.
Taste of Chicago will run July 6-8 (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and July 9-10 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) It's free to enter, but tickets are required to purchase food. 12 tickets cost $8.50.
nkindelsperger@tribpub.com
Twitter @nickdk
Ludacris co-hosted the Billboard Music Awards on May 22 in Las Vegas. (David Becker / Getty Images)
This may be the most difficult Ludacris ticket to snag.
The rapper, who spent part of his childhood in Oak Park, is scheduled to perform at U.S. Navy base Guantanamo on the Fourth of July, the Miami Herald reported.
Advertisement
Ludacris is headlining the Freedom Festival, which is slated to include fireworks and family activities. Fewer than 6,000 people live on the base, including troops, Department of Defense contractors, Navy families and war-on-terror detainees, according to the Herald.
"Every year we get a special guest around the Fourth of July, but Gitmo hasn't seen a star with as big a name as Ludacris in several years," Navy Chief Monique Hilley told the base radio station, Radio Gitmo. "The base is really looking forward to it."
Advertisement
The Plain White T's, which hails from the Chicago area, played there in October.
Ludacris, 38, is slated to reprise his role as Tej Parker in the upcoming eighth installment of the "The Fast and the Furious" franchise. He co-hosted the Billboard Music Awards last month with Ciara.
MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR
Watch the latest movie trailers.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
Former "Bachelor" star Ben Higgins found love on the ABC reality show - and his next made-for-TV conquest might be even more of a challenge.
The software salesman is mulling a run for a seat in the Colorado legislature, which would be documented in a new "Bachelor" franchise spin-off show announced last week, optimistically titled "Ben And Lauren: Happily Ever After," starring Higgins and show winner-turned-fiancee Lauren Bushnell.
Advertisement
So is this a genuine political run and not just a way to gin up the kind of drama reality TV cameras love?
Even if it's sincere (his earnest platform is "less government and more personal freedom"), the 28-year-old faces long odds. And there's the small matter of him not even being a candidate yet. Higgins missed the deadline to enter the GOP primary in his district, and his aspirations hinge on the current Republican candidate dropping out, which he has said he'll do.
Advertisement
"He would have to remove himself, if that's what he wants to do, which he's vocalized that it is," Higgins said in an interview.
Then Higgins has to win the party's nomination - and after that, a general election in an urban, heavily Hispanic district against a popular Latino incumbent.
"It's like a Republican getting elected in Adams Morgan (a liberal Washington, D.C. neighborhood)," Democratic political strategist Steve Welchert said. But there's one possible vulnerability for Higgins' would-be opponent, Democrat and current state Rep. Dan Pabon: He was arrested in March for a DUI.
MOST READ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS THIS HOUR
"If he's ever going to have a shot it might be this year, because of the DUI thing," Welchert said, though he wasn't optimistic about Higgins's prospects. "The Bachelor is going to be looking for work come November - if this guy's serious about running for legislature, he needs to move."
Meanwhile, Higgins is making the rounds like a genuine would-be pol, including reaching out to Colorado conservatives, such as Jon Caldara, president of the libertarian Independence Institute.
"He came to me for some political advice, and I was looking for some dating advice," Caldara joked. After speaking with Higgins, Caldara said he sees potential. "I was pleasantly surprised by his breadth of knowledge on Colorado issues," he said. And, he said, Higgins's name recognition won't hurt.
Higgins himself says he's fit for office. "I think politics is one of the very few avenues where you can have a voice, represent well, lead well, and vocalize the character that you've built over the years," he said.
Advertisement
So far, his campaign consists of a website where supporters can sign up for updates. The page only reads: "Thank you for your support as Ben explores his opportunities to make a positive impact on his local community! To stay informed as Ben begins this journey, please sign up to receive emails below."
The reality TV star-turned-politician model isn't new: "Real World: Boston" castmember Sean Duffy is currently serving his third term in Congress, "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken was the Democratic candidate for a North Carolina congressional seat in 2014 (although he ultimately lost to the Republican incumbent), and, of course, likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had his hit show "The Apprentice."
RELATED STORIES:
'Bachelor' spinoff 'Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After' coming to Freeform
Twice dumped on 'The Bachelorette,' Chicagoan heading to 'Paradise'
Ticketmaster tries redeeming itself with millions of free tickets but fans aren't happy
Advertisement
'Bad Chad' Johnson of 'The Bachelorette' explains himself to Jimmy Kimmel
Watch the latest movie trailers.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
If you read only one book by the renowned French writer Marguerite Duras, then it should probably be her 1984 Prix Goncourt-winning autobiographical novel "The Lover," an unparalleled masterpiece of cruelty and longing, written in a dreamy and spare-yet-effulgent style. But why would you read only one? Especially when she wrote a few dozen. "The Lover" was actually her 48th work.
One reason might be that not all of her material has made its way into translation. Luckily, the poet, novelist, professor and translator Kazim Ali and the publishing house Open Letter are doing their parts to remedy that lack, having just released Duras' 1970 novel "Abahn Sabana David" for the first time in English.
Advertisement
Based at the University of Rochester and dedicated to putting out 10 translated titles annually, the nonprofit press Open Letter is one of relatively few publishers dedicated, as they say, "to increasing access to world literature for English readers," particularly "works that are extraordinary and influential, works that we hope will become the classics of tomorrow."
Time will tell if "Abahn Sabana David" will prove enduring enough to be a classic, but at present, it's certainly stimulating, thought-provoking, and a welcome addition for Duras fans who can't read her in the original French.
Advertisement
Short, sophisticated, and exemplifying the pared-down quality of much of Duras' work, "Abahn Sabana David's" plot unspools in just 108 pages, following two communists, David and Sabana, who show up one night at a country house under orders from their brutal leader, Gringo, to find Abahn or as Sabana puts it, "the one they call the Jew" a man they've been sent to guard and eventually kill for his alleged crimes.
Driven by dialogue, the novel uses repetition and terseness in its characters' speech to permeate its scenes with a sense of inescapable political and personal menace. As the operatives explain to their victim the reason for their arrival, Duras writes:
"The Jew does not answer. Sabana speaks: '"The merchants police aren't out tonight. Gringo made a deal with the merchants. They told him, 'If you let us sell to the Greeks then we'll give you Abahn the Jew.' Gringo agreed. The police sleep tonight. The town is Gringo's'."
Ali, who also translated Duras' short novel "L'Amour" for Open Letter, does a skillful job conveying the unease of this story, as well as the starkness and aridity of its diction and syntax. Several images recur to build Duras' motifs of violence and those responsible for carrying it out, including "the muted barking of dogs, their growls rising," specifically "the dogs of the killing fields" where, Sabana says, the dead could number as many as 20 million. So too do characters fall blind, deaf or asleep at random intervals, and Duras emphasizes how frequently, "They are all silent, separate from one another," as if to criticize the ways in which coercive ideological and economic forces pit individuals against one another.
Duras, who died in 1996 at the age of 81, was known for such strangeness and experimentation in her prose. Like her fellow Nouveau Roman or "new novel" movement authors, she began, in the 1950s, to reject the traditional novel as an inadequate form to depict the morally muddled post-war world, and her disquieting sensibility is on full display here.
Bleak and haunting, flat and choppy, this novel resembles someone wearing an outfit that borders on a costume rather than merely clothes; in other words, it is aggressively, almost confrontationally stylish. As such, the book runs the risk of some readers liking it and others being put off, but it's a risk worth taking.
The tale is riddled with deliberate gaps and omissions and an emphasis on subtext and what is left unsaid, a technique which invites readers to step in and think for themselves.
In its severity and coldness, the book has a poetic quality that allows it to offer an eerie parable of paranoia and persecution, bigotry and fear, anti-Semitism and capitalism. Timely and timeless, it shows, among other things, how absurd and damaging it can be to live in terror, and what "a great tiredness" one experiences, either in fearing or in doing the bidding of demagogues.
Advertisement
Kathleen Rooney is the co-editor of "Rene Magritte: Selected Writings," to be published in September by University of Minnesota Press.
"Abahn Sabana David"
By Marguerite Duras, translated by Kazim Ali, Open Letter, 108 pages, $12.95
One of the nation's oldest African-American history museums, the DuSable Museum of African American History, hosted its 21st annual A Night of 100 Stars gala with 550 guests in attendance June 25. For the first time, the event was held in the Museum's Roundhouse, a historic 66,000-square-foot space designed by Daniel Burnham and John Root in 1881. During the event, three outstanding high school seniors were honored with Rising Star Awards and three community leaders were presented with History Maker Awards.
At the reception, partygoers had an opportunity to see some of the museum's treasures. They enjoyed cocktails and live music while exploring the stories of Harold Washington, the Tuskegee Airmen and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as paintings and sculpture.
Advertisement
RELATED: TRENDING LIFE & STYLE NEWS THIS HOUR
ABC-7's Val Warner and Charles Thomas co-hosted the 75-minute program that began with remarks from Perri Irmer, the DuSable's president/CEO. "Our mission is to record, preserve and present the noble history of black people, to show our beauty, assert our narrative and educate all of our children and grandchildren as they carry us proudly into the future." She recognized city officials and foreign consulate representatives from Barbados, Nepal, the Dominican Republic and South Africa who were in attendance.
Advertisement
Harold Closter, director of Smithsonian affiliations, presented Irmer with a certificate recognizing the DuSable's official status as an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. "Dr. Margaret Burroughs was a visionary who built this museum from scratch and recognized the need to build a museum from within the community for the community," Closter said.
News about the Obama presidential library was announced by Michael Strautmanis, vice president of civic engagement for the Barack Obama Foundation. "We're thrilled to open the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago in a few years," he said to excited applause.
The Rising Star Awards were presented to high achieving high school seniors Jasabella Clark (Michele Clark Academic Prep), Hakeem C. Day (Simeon Career Academy) and Jada Stroud (Lincoln Park High School). Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "These kids are the future of this city and state. They're exceeding like every child now in Chicago with rising graduation rates and test scores."
The evening's History Maker Awards were presented to James D. Montgomery (a civil rights attorney), Charles V. Hamilton (professor emeritus at Columbia University) and Cheryl Burton (ABC-7 news anchor).
Burton was introduced by John Idler (president/general manager at ABC-7). "Whether it was covering the opening of Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa or President Obama's inauguration, Cheryl travels the globe for her work and sets a standard in the marketplace. She is a gift to Chicago," Idler said.
In her stirring acceptance speech, Burton shared highlights of her life that included advice from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. "I would rather see you jailed than speak your mind in silence," she said he told her. Burton also recalled the late John H. Johnson, founder of Johnson Publishing, tapping her on the shoulder at age 8 and saying, "Always walk with purpose, little girl."
Co-chaired by Janet Langhart Cohen and William S. Cohen (who were not able to attend), the event raised over $400,000 to fund educational programs and exhibitions for the museum.
The evening concluded with dancing to the Hector Silveira Orchestra. An after-party, co-chaired by Anthony Beckham and Kari Steele, featured music by DJs Jay Illa and Dave Mata and late-night snacks from local food trucks.
Advertisement
Freelance writer Candace Jordan is involved with many local organizations, including some whose events she covers.
More coverage
Find more photos and events at www.chicagotribune.com/candidcandace. Visit Candid Candace's website at www.candidcandace.com, or follow her on Twitter @CandidCandace.
RELATED STORIES:
Floral fashions and a backdrop to match at Botanic Garden's 13th annual Summer Dinner Dance
Shedd Gala funds conservation, animal rescue and kids' programs
Advertisement
Family Focus gala funds early childhood development
The following items were taken from the official reports and press releases of the Winnetka and Northfield police departments. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.
Winnetka
Advertisement
Theft
A rose-colored iPhone 6 with a pink and green case, left in the area of Gordon Terrace and Tower Road, was reported missing on June 22. The amount of loss is $600.
Three black landscaping lights were taken from the yard of a residence in the 900 block of Old Green Bay Road, according to a June 22 report. The amount of loss is $300.
Advertisement
A locked red and black Giant "Rincon" 21 speed men's bicycle and cable lock were taken from the railing at the Metra train depot on June 24, police said. The amount of loss is $300.
An unlocked white Gary Fisher men's bicycle with a black bag under the seat was taken from the parking garage in the 900 block of Green Bay Road on June 24, according to police. The amount of loss is $1,635.
An unknown offender exited a cab in the 1200 block of Elm Street on June 25 without paying for the fare. The amount of loss is $70.
Criminal Damage
Five construction barricades at Maple Street and Spruce Street were reported to be damaged on June 25. Repair costs are unknown.
Drug Possession
Colin T. Meyer, 28, of the 700 block of Candota Avenue in Mt. Prospect, was cited for possession of cannabis in the 1300 block of Willow Road on June 26, according to reports.
Northfield
Alcohol consumption by a minor
One juvenile, 14, was charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor in the 1700 block of Colonial Lane on June 25 after authorities received a request for an ambulance and found the juvenile to be drunk, according to reports. The juvenile was referred to peer jury at New Trier High School.
Hit and Run
A motorist reported on June 24 that when they returned to their vehicle in the 300 block of Waukegan Road, it had been struck by another vehicle that had left the area. Police said there was black paint transfer and scraping in the rear of the car. Damages are estimated at more than $1,500.
Advertisement
DUI
Charles F. Randolph, 55, from the 900 block of Bromley Place in Northbrook, was charged on June 23 with DUI and improper lane usage after he parked behind a police car and fell asleep, according to police reports.
Arthur Pafmanik, 35, of the 1200 block of S. Wellington Street in Buffalo Grove, was charged with DUI and improper lane usage on June 25 at Waukegan Road and Willow Road after police saw his vehicle drifting across lanes and onto the shoulder, according to police reports.
Drug Paraphernalia
Graham M. Davis, 26, of Kentucky was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in the 1800 block of Willow Road on June 26 after a citizen waved down police and told them someone was acting strangely in a Starbucks, according to reports. Davis became agitated when approached by police, who allegedly found syringes in his pocket.
Brian Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Ashake Banks said she opened a candy stand on the street of her North Austin block two weeks ago to keep kids close to their homes and maybe away from gang crossfire.
Late Wednesday night, Banks' 7-year-old daughter Heaven Sutton was sitting next to Banks as she sold snacks and snow cones when someone opened fire down the street around 10:45 p.m. A stray bullet hit the little girl as she ran back to her house in the 1700 block of North Luna Avenue, police and family say.
Heaven was shot in the back and died half an hour later.
"I opened up the candy store for the kids so they wouldn't have to be pulled back and forth on the block because there's been so much shooting," Banks said this morning. "I figured they (gang members) know us, they wouldn't come to the neighborhood and start shooting, but they really didn't even care.
"She looked forward every day to opening up the candy store, and for somebody just to come take her life, it's not right," Banks said.
She said the block was filled with children playing when two men came out out a gangway and one of them started shooting at a group of people standing on the sidewalk near the candy stand. "We're just sitting out here, normal, she's sitting next to me and I just heard shooting," Banks told WGN-TV.
Banks said she threw herself to the ground while her daughter ran for the family's home. Moments later, Banks said she found her daughter unconscious inside a hallway.
"I'm lost for words. That was my pride and joy," Banks said. The little girl had been looking forward to going to Disney World next month. "She just got her hair done, she was going to Disney World."
A 19-year-old man, described by police as a gang member, was wounded in the ankle and taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, police said. The girl was pronounced dead there at 11:16 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Heaven is the 20th person under the age of 17 to be killed by gunfire in Chicago this year, according to a Tribune crime analysis.
Police recently released statistics showing the number of Chicago Public School students shot this past school year -- 319 -- was the highest in four years. The toll from last weekend's gun violence in the city included the deaths of two boys, 13 and 14.
The Austin community, which includes the North Austin neighborhood, has seen 16 homicides so far this year -- four in the last week.
Banks said her daughter was frightened by all the violence around her home and had pleaded with her to move out. "She would say, 'Mom, let's move.' "
Banks had a message for the gangs in her neighborhood. "You all cannot just get away with killing my baby," she said. "You all took her life."
Advertisement
The slaying comes just days before state funding will run out for all five workers from the anti-violence group CeaseFire who mediate gang conflicts in Austin, according to the group.
Rick Velasquez, whose outreach organization relies on CeaseFire, said even if Gov. Pat Quinn secures more funding at the last minute, the workers would still have to be temporarily laid off.
"So how many murders are were going to wait until we get this thing moving?" said Velasquez, executive director of Youth Outreach Services.
Earlier this week, the city for the first time approved funding for 40 CeaseFire workers to work in two police districts where shootings and homicides have risen: Grand Crossing on the South Side and Ogden on the West Side.
Wednesday night's shooting occurred in the Grand Central police district, which has seen significantly less gun violence than the other two districts. From January 1 through June 17 in Grand Central, there were 46 shootings compared to 56 during the same period in 2011, an 18 percent decrease, according to department statistics. Homicides were slightly up during that time, though: eight compared to five last year.
Representatives of CeaseFire visited the Banks home Thursday morning.
Longtime residents of the block say gang tensions have put residents on edge. Ron Ware, 61, said it was only a matter of time before a child or another innocent bystander was shot.
Parents only let their children outside for short periods of time, he said, and then only with close supervision, he said.
"I've seen a lot in my time, but it stuck in my head all night long that baby holding her baby," Ware said. "I couldn't sleep."
Heaven's aunt, Sharmaine Sykes, 28, said Heaven was a "girly girl" always eager to dress up in jewelry and high-heel shoes.
But recent violence in the neighborhood started to make the happy-go-lucky child afraid, she said, and she had asked her mother to move out.
"It hurts so much," said another relative, Nisha Odell, 18, Heaven's cousin. "I'm trying not to cry."
Odell said her younger cousin was joyful and made friends with everyone she met, young or old. "She's the sweetest little girl you could think of," Odell said. "She was playful. She talked to everybody. She kept a smile on everybody's face."
Advertisement
William Lee and Jeremy Gorner are reporters for the Tribune, Jae Miller is a reporter for WGN-TV
wlee@tribune.com
Twitter: @MidNoirCowboy
The son of a slain Lawndale woman filed a lawsuit Monday alleging authorities failed to safeguard his mother by letting her boyfriend be released last summer from Stroger Hospital shortly after he had an apparent mental breakdown and threatened officers at knifepoint.
Steven Taylor's mother, Vanessa, was found strangled in her apartment last June 30, a day after her live-in boyfriend, James E. Thomas, had been let go by the hospital following a mental evaluation, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. He was charged with her murder a few days later.
Advertisement
"I think in this case something went horribly wrong," said attorney Richard Dvorak, who is representing Taylor. "It's quite unusual that someone would exhibit this sort of violence and disturbing behavior and then nothing was done to protect Vanessa."
The incident played out on the night of June 28, according to the lawsuit. Vanessa Taylor and one of her sons called police just before 9 p.m., saying Thomas was acting erratically.
Advertisement
Officers who responded to Taylor's apartment in the 4300 block of West Flournoy Street observed Thomas making Molotov cocktails. Thomas later severed the gas lines in the apartment kitchen, forcing police to evacuate the building, Cook County prosecutors said at the time.
Thomas also wielded a sword and butcher knife when officers confronted him, but police used a Taser to subdue him, according to the lawsuit. He was taken to Stroger for a mental health evaluation, then released on June 29, prosecutors said.
The next day, one of Taylor's sons spotted a Facebook post from Thomas confessing to killing Taylor.
"My girlfriend was part of the mob she came to kill me so I killed her," the posting read, according to prosecutors.
Police again responded to the Flournoy Street apartment early on June 30 and found Thomas hanging out the window and yelling that he had taken poison, according to prosecutors. Officers entered the third-floor apartment and found Thomas holding a knife. Police again used a Taser to subdue Thomas and arrested him.
Officers then found Taylor in another room, strangled with a computer cord. The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled she died from asphyxiation and ligature strangulation.
The lawsuit also alleged Thomas battered Taylor sometime before the first confrontation with police, giving her a visible black eye one officer inquired about. The suit argued the officers violated the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 by not fully investigating the alleged abuse.
About 24 hours after being abandoned by the police, Vanessa Taylor was murdered by Thomas, an outcome that was, sadly, a predictable and likely consequence of leaving her alone with her violent, mentally ill domestic violence tormentor," the suit said.
Advertisement
Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >
Dvorak also said Thomas at least should have been arrested on multiple felony charges relating to the first incident on Flournoy. Court and police records do not indicate why this did not occur.
"That is a complete mystery to me," Dvorak said. "This man threatened to kill a police officer, he committed arson, he assaulted an officer. Why he wasn't charged with that, I have no idea."
The suit named both the City of Chicago and Cook County, which operates Stroger Hospital, as defendants.
Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city's Law Department, said officials had not seen the lawsuit and declined comment, while representatives from Stroger could not be reached for comment.
Thomas was charged with murder and aggravated assault to a police officer in connection with Taylor's slaying. Cook County Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson ruled Thomas mentally unfit to stand trial in May, and he was remanded to the Illinois Department of Human Services for psychiatric treatment, court records show.
cdrhodes@tribpub.com
Advertisement
@rhodes_dawn
Chicago police and community members gather outside a building in Parkway Gardens where a 4-year-old boy and a 28-year-old woman were injured in a shooting June 28, 2016. (WGN-TV / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)
At least 18 people, including a 4-year-old boy, were shot between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday in attacks in Chicago, police said.
In the attack that wounded the 4-year-old, police responded to a report of someone shot in the 6400 block of South King Drive about 9:10 p.m., in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood, said Officer Thomas Sweeney, a police spokesman.
Advertisement
The boy was walking with his mother, brother and a family friend when they heard fireworks followed by gunshots, said Officer Ron Gaines, a Chicago police spokesman. The boy was hit in the face and he was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in serious condition, police said.
A 28-year-old woman was in her bed in her home when a bullet went through a window and through a wall, before striking her in the head. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was listed in good condition, Gaines said.
Advertisement
Police said the shooters were in a dark-colored four-door vehicle and they were shooting at a group of people who gathered in a building's courtyard.
Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 12 Lights flash on a Chicago Police Department bicycles at the scene where six people were shot in the 1600 block of South Christiana Avenue on June 28, 2016, in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Neither the boy nor the woman was the intended target, police said.
One of the boy's relatives, who stood outside Comer Children's Hospital late Tuesday, said the boy was shot in the jaw, but, he added, "he is going to pull through."
At the shooting scene, dozens of police circled the residential housing complex as neighbors quietly gathered outside their apartment buildings, watching officers. People strolled through the crime scene carrying their groceries, seemingly alarmed by the commotion.
"They (expletive) shot a baby," one neighbor cried out after several minutes of silence. He craned his neck back and squeezed his eyes shut. "A baby, man. A baby."
Early Wednesday, the Rev. Corey Brooks announced a $10,000 reward that his nonprofit organization is willing to give to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
In a separate attack, at least four people were shot about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 1600 block of South Christiana Avenue in the Lawndale neighborhood, according to police.
Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >
A 25-year-old man was shot in the right arm and chest, and another 25-year-old man was hit in the left arm, said Officer Veejay Zala, a police spokesman.
Advertisement
A 22-year-old man was struck in the back, and a 24-year-old man was hit in the right foot.
The conditions of all four men were stabilized at Mount Sinai Hospital.
A member of the Chicago Police Department searches the scene where six people were shot in the 1600 block of South Christiana Avenue on June 28, 2016, in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
The shooting occurred after the victims exchanged words with an unknown group of people in a vacant lot, Zala said.
According to Chicago Fire Department media officials, as many as six people were shot in the incident.
Four people managed to get to an area hospital themselves, and two people were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where their conditions stabilized, according to fire officials.
In other shootings:
Most recently, about 4 a.m. Wednesday, a 34-year-old man was seriously hurt in a shooting in the Englewood neighborhood, Gaines said. The man was inside his vehicle in the 7300 block of South Union Avenue when a male attacker with dreadlocks walking nearby fired shots at him. The attacker, who was wearing a blue hoodie, then fled, Gaines said. The man was hit in the back and in the arm, and he was taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, Gaines said.
About 2:05 a.m., a man in his 20s was in a grave condition after getting shot in the 6300 block of South Talman Avenue in the Marquette Park neighborhood, Gaines said. The man was shot three times in the back and once in the head. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was listed in grave condition, Gaines said.
About 2:40 a.m., an 18-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the buttocks in the 2700 block of South Dearborn Street in the Ickes Prairie Homes neighborhood, Gaines said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, Gaines said.
About 12:45 a.m., a 26-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Hermosa neighborhood, Zala said. The man was in the 4300 block of West Palmer Street when he was shot in the right leg. He was taken to Advocate Masonic Illinois Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition, Zala said.
About 12:35 a.m., an 18-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, Gaines said. The man was walking on the sidewalk in the 2900 block of West Walton Street when he heard gunshots and realized he was struck in the leg. He managed to get to Norwegian-American Hospital, where his condition stabilized, Gaines said.
First responders render aid to a woman shot in the head in the 6400 block of South King Drive in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood of Chicago on June 28, 2016. A child was also shot in the incident. (Eric Clark / Chicago Tribune)
Around 12:35 a.m., a 67-year-old man was shot during an attempted robbery in the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, Zala said. The man was sleeping inside his truck cab in the 4400 block of West Ferdinand Street when he noticed several people try to steal his trucks battery, Zala said. The man came out of the truck and confronted the thieves. At that point, the attackers fired shots, striking the man in the abdomen, Zala said. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, Zala said.
About 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, a 26-year-old man walked into Loretto Hospital after getting shot in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side, Zala said. The man was standing on the sidewalk in the 200 block of North Lamon Avenue when an unknown attacker approached him and fired shots, striking him in the back and right arm, Zala said. The man was later transferred to Stroger Hospital, where his condition stabilized, Zala said.
Lights flash on a Chicago Police Department bicycles at the scene where six people were shot in the 1600 block of South Christiana Avenue on June 28, 2016, in the Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
In an effort to improve its relationship with minority communities, the Chicago Police Department will allow more officers to earn extra pay in the parts of the South and West sides where they already regularly work, a police spokesman said Monday.
The strategy will mark the retooling of the department's "violence reduction initiative," an overtime program that calls for several hundred officers each day to work on their days off in some of the most violence-plagued parts of the city.
The change comes as Chicago has seen some of its worst violence since the late 1990s. It is on the heels of a weekend that saw nearly 60 people shot throughout Chicago for the second weekend in a row. From Friday afternoon through early Monday morning, 58 people were shot, seven of them fatally.
The idea of the new overtime strategy is to have officers earn the extra pay in areas of the city they know the best a nod to the department's mission to restore trust with African-American and Hispanic communities, said Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman.
"While working overtime, the officers will already be familiar with the streets they patrol, and they will be able to continue to build relationships with residents and community leaders in the neighborhoods they regularly work," he said.
In its current form, the overtime program allows officers from around the city to work in 19 so-called "impact zones," designated by the department as the most dangerous parts of the South and West Sides.
But in the revamped version of the program, there will be six additional impact zones and officers already assigned to patrol districts that fall within these zones will be the first allowed to volunteer to work there on their days off, said Guglielmi.
Advertisement
For example, a beat officer assigned to the Gresham patrol district on the South Side would work an overtime day in the same district if they choose to work for the additional pay.
If too few officers from those districts volunteer for the extra shifts, the department will allow officers from other parts of the city to work overtime in those zones, said Guglielmi.
The decades-old distrust between the police and those communities was exacerbated following last year's release of a video showing a white Chicago police officer killing Laquan McDonald, a black teen who was shot 16 times as he carried a knife.
The video led to murder charges against the officer, Jason Van Dyke; the firing of police Supt. Garry McCarthy; calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign; and weeks of street protests. It also prompted the start of a wide-ranging civil rights probe into the Police Department by the U.S. Justice Department.
The Chicago Police Department has allowed officers to earn extra pay through the overtime program. But in recent years, it has been criticized by some aldermen who consider it a costly stopgap. The department has spent about $100 million on overtime for its officers each year since 2013, in part because of the initiative.
Department officials, however, have argued that allowing officers to work overtime is cheaper than hiring more officers.
Advertisement
Tribune reporter Peter Nickeas contributed to this story.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich waves to the crowd as he leaves his home in Chicago for a Colorade federal prison on March 15, 2012. (William DeShazer / Chicago Tribune)
A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday to throw out the bribery conviction of a former Virginia governor will play little role in the ongoing legal odyssey of Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor's lawyer said.
"It really doesn't change anything," said Blagojevich's lawyer, Leonard Goodman. "I don't think this will be a primary focus."
Advertisement
Blagojevich has served more than four years in a federal prison in Colorado for misusing his powers as governor in an array of shakedown schemes, most famously for his alleged attempts to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after his 2008 election as president.
In March, the Supreme Court declined to hear Blagojevich's appeal of a 14-year prison sentence. A federal appeals court last year dismissed several counts against the former governor and ordered he be resentenced, but the three-judge panel called the evidence against him "overwhelming" and made it clear he will likely remain locked up for years to come. Blagojevich is scheduled to be resentenced Aug. 9.
Advertisement
While the case of another former governor, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, offers tempting parallels, the high court's ruling will not do much to shape the legal strategy in the Blagojevich proceedings, Goodman said.
The Supreme Court vacated the 2014 conviction on fraud and extortion charges against McDonnell, who accepted more than $165,000 in loans and gifts from a wealthy businessman. The high court's opinion hinged on the definition of what should be considered an "official act" of a public official. The Supreme Court ruled that while McDonnell's actions were "distasteful" and "tawdry," the government overreached in its "boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute."
But the "official act" element does not apply in the Blagojevich case, Goodman said.
"Those legal issues are not really front and center at the resentencing," Goodman said. "That's really our main focus right now: trying to bring him home to his family."
Still, Goodman said, "There's some irony in the fact that a guy who did take loans and gifts of cars and watches, his case is overturned, and Blagojevich never did any of that."
Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >
"There is some concern about the overreaching," Goodman said.
Goodman said he had not spoken to Blagojevich about the McDonnell ruling.
However, Blagojevich's wife, Patti, took to social media to express her frustration that McDonnell's conviction was overturned while her husband remains behind bars.
Advertisement
"Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone ... and still waiting for justice," she wrote, linking to the Supreme Court decision.
In declining to hear Blagojevich's appeal in the spring, the Supreme Court left in place the decision of the three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, which threw out five of Blagojevich's extortion convictions on technical grounds but also ruled the evidence against him "overwhelming," making it clear the judge's original sentence was not out of bounds.
poconnell@tribpub.com
Twitter @pmocwriter
Mike Piotrowski, resident and manager of the Fox Point Mobile Home Park in Wheeling, checks on his mom's mobile home June 28, 2016. In his late 50s, Piotrowski has lived at Fox Point his whole life. His elderly mother also has a home here. "I'm not sure what we're going to do," Piotrowski said of a relocation plan by the village. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Residents of a Wheeling trailer park who sued the village over efforts to force them to move would be paid to relocate under a deal approved by local leaders late Monday.
The Village Board in the northwest suburb voted unanimously in favor of the agreement with residents of the Fox Point Mobile Home Park, who filed a federal lawsuit three years ago contending the village was discriminating against them by forcing them out of their homes along the Des Plaines River.
Advertisement
At the time, severe flooding had damaged some of the mobile homes in the small park of about 40 units tucked behind Restaurant Row. The village had declared some homes uninhabitable.
The amount of money each family or resident would get in the settlement would vary, depending on factors including family size. Wheeling village attorney James Ferolo says he expects each family to receive $20,000 to $30,000, funded through a federal disaster recovery grant.
Advertisement
But the deal's not done yet. The judge in the case has given the parties the village and about 50 residents who are plaintiffs until Thursday to sign off on the pact, Ferolo told the board at Monday's meeting. But as of Monday only 10 had signed, Ferolo said later.
Trustee Joe Vito asked if "holdout plaintiffs" would "blow the whole deal."
Ferolo said that could happen but added, "we don't expect it." He said the judge went over the agreement with some of the plaintiffs' lawyers in court two weeks ago "and made it very clear that it was a very solid settlement agreement that provides much-needed funding."
If the plaintiffs agree to settle, the federal lawsuit will be dropped, along with complaints to the Illinois Department of Human Rights. The relocated homes would be comparable to or an upgrade from the mobile homes, Ferolo said, adding they could be apartments and would not necessarily be located in Wheeling.
One plaintiff who has signed on to the agreement is Juan Lara, who said he co-owned a mobile home in Fox Point with his wife and brother.
He said Tuesday that he was satisfied with the judge's explanation of the settlement and what he stands to receive to relocate. He would have preferred, though, to stay at Fox Point and fix the water damage to his home on his own.
"We wanted to stay there, but the city did everything to take over the place," he said, adding that he signed the settlement because "we don't have another choice. If we continue the suit, there's just going to be more fighting. We've spent a lot of time on this already. We don't want more fighting."
Lara, 55, said he has already bought a home in Mundelein and plans to apply the relocation money toward the mortgage. Many other residents have also already moved out since the severe flooding in April 2013. Only half of the 42 units are currently occupied, Ferolo said.
Advertisement
Village officials have said the water damage, concerns about future flooding and the safety of residents prompted them to intervene. Residents had said the village was using the flooding as an opportunity to disband a neighborhood made up largely of low-income Latinos.
Ferolo said the claim of discrimination "is just not even close to the truth."
In conjunction with Cook County, the village secured a $4 million federal grant from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program to aid in relocating residents out of the flood-prone area, clearing the land and hiring experts.
Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >
Property owner Larry Fischer, who rents mobile home lots to the tenants, confirmed he will also receive compensation from the grant settlement but said the amount will be based on appraisals not yet completed.
"After two years of fighting alongside the residents to keep the park open, it became clear that this grant of federal funds was the best alternative for all parties to resolve the issues," Fischer said. "... We look forward to working with the village and the residents to get them relocated and the park closed in the very near future."
The trailer park property is to be turned into open space.
Advertisement
The deal took "a lot of hours, a lot of time, a lot of patience," Village President Dean Argiris. "It's nice to see that these folks are going to get a good home to go to, and (we'll) take an area there that's had some issues and clean it up where it benefits all the residents, for the entire community."
Erin Chan Ding is a freelance reporter. Robert McCoppin is a Tribune reporter.
rmccoppin@tribpub.com
Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
British Conservative party leadership candidate Theresa May speaks to members of the media at The St. Stephen's entrance to the Palace of Westminster in London on July 7, 2016. (Ben Stansall / AFP/Getty Images)
BRUSSELS EU leaders pressed British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday for a quick and clear plan for Britain's exit from their union, saying there's no turning back from last week's vote to leave despite worldwide uncertainty about the continent's future.
As leader after leader rejected Cameron's pleas for favorable conditions for Britain once it leaves, he frustrated them by refusing to initiate the divorce proceedings immediately. After what's probably his last dinner with EU counterparts, Cameron insisted he would leave the departure negotiations to his successor, saying London needs time to formally trigger the start of negotiations
Advertisement
"Everyone wants to see a clear model appear" for Britain's future relations with the bloc, he said, adding that he "can't put a time frame on that."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed suggestions that Cameron's successor might not start the formal EU withdrawal process because of the financial turmoil prompted by the vote and wide confusion about how to extract a country from the EU.
Advertisement
"I see no way to reverse it," Merkel said after Tuesday's meetings. She said this is not the time for "wishful thinking."
EU Council President Donald Tusk said the bloc's leaders want UK exit plans "to be specified as soon as possible." Earlier, he said "Europe is ready to start the divorce process, even today."
During the earlier meeting, Cameron sat at one end of the oval summit table in blue shirt sleeves, arguing for the best possible exit conditions for his island nation. Around the table, other EU leaders refused to negotiate, seemingly eager to kick Britain out as soon as possible to avoid further political and economic turmoil after the shock and emotion of the British vote to leave last week.
"We are not on Facebook, where things are complicated. We are married or divorced but not something in between," Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel added.
Outside the Council room, markets were still in upheaval as they sought to recover from the unexpected exit vote, which will rob the EU of its biggest military power, its second economy and a diplomatic giant.
In a special session of the EU parliament hours earlier, there had been cries of campaign "lies" from legislators regretting the loss of Britain, and taunting by "leave" campaigner Nigel Farage.
"You as a political project are in denial," declared Farage, leader of the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party. "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, you're not laughing now, are you?"
When the traditional family photo of the leaders at the summit was taken, few were smiling.
Advertisement
Realizing the threat of a rift further tearing at the unity of a bloc of more than 500 million people, Tusk said he was planning a special meeting of the EU leaders in Slovakia in September to chart a way ahead. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to use "all her strength" to prevent the EU from drifting apart.
The leaders of Britain's "leave" campaign hope the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to the U.K. to address concerns about unlimited EU immigration.
The leaders of Germany and France, the bloc's biggest economies, made clear that isn't an option.
French President Francois Hollande said Britain will have to meet strict conditions if it wants to continue to be part of the single market.
Merkel said "Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges."
Unshackled from Britain, the other EU members need to plot a common way ahead. Yet differences between founding nations in the west and newer members in the east are increasingly tough to reconcile.
Advertisement
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban railed against EU migration policies, which played a major role in the British referendum.
"If the EU cannot solve the migration situation, then the challenges we experienced now in the case of the United Kingdom will grow," he said.
Central European nations led by Hungary refuse to accept the imposition of EU refugee quotas. Further north, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Denmark have all tightened border controls in response to the arrival of more than 1 million migrants last year. Their entry overwhelmed Greece and Italy.
First, though, the EU needs to get rid of Britain.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and other European leaders insist they won't begin any talks until Britain invokes the Article 50 of the EU's Treaty of Lisbon, which sets in motion a two-year process to split from the group designed to unify Europe after the horrors of World War II.
Juncker said he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggers the exit clause.
Advertisement
"No notification, no negotiation," he said to resounding applause.
The reaction to Britain's vote to exit the EU was at times acrimonious. Farage was booed and jeered when he urged Europe to give Britain a good trade deal when it leaves, saying jobs in Germany's auto sector might be at stake if it doesn't.
"Why don't we just be pragmatic, sensible, grown-up, reasonable ... and cut a sensible tariff-free deal?" Farage asked.
In a speech interrupted several times, Farage warned: "The U.K. will not be the last member state to leave the European Union."
Bearing out his words, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called the British vote "an extraordinary victory for democracy a slap for a European system based more and more on fear, blackmail and lies."
Despite such attention-grabbing comments, it was Scottish EU Parliament member Alyn Smith who received a standing ovation with his emotional speech noting that a majority of Scots voted to stay in the EU.
Advertisement
"There are a lot of things to be negotiated and we will need cool heads and warm hearts, but please remember this: Scotland did not let you down," Smith said. "Please, I beg you, cher colleagues, do not let Scotland down now."
Associated Press
First lady Michelle Obama, center, hugs Cambodian students at a high school that she visited with Bun Rany, the first lady of Cambodia, second right, on March 21, 2015, near Siem Reap, Cambodia, as part of her Let Girls Learn campaign. (Wong Maye-E / AP)
WASHINGTON First lady Michelle Obama is relying heavily on social media to tout an overseas trip tied to the Let Girls Learn campaign, which is aiming to get an estimated 62 million uneducated girls into school.
Obama started a Snapchat account with help from celebrities including James Corden of "The Late Late Show," with whom she recently taped a "Carpool Karaoke" that will run at a future date.
Advertisement
She's posting reports on her stops in Liberia, Morocco and Spain on hellogiggles.com, an online community for women. She referred in one report to the heartbreak of an 11- or 12-year-old girl told to forget her dreams and prepare to marry a man twice her age and have children.
Obama was in Liberia on Monday, and on Tuesday will begin a two-day swing through Morocco, where she will provide details of nearly $100 million in funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign-aid agency, to create a new model for secondary education, her aides said.
Advertisement
The money will fund mentoring programs, internships, afterschool clubs, upgraded bathrooms for girls and "gender-responsive" training for teachers to change the way curriculum is delivered, aides said.
Obama also plans to publicize a Peace Corps plan to make Morocco the 36th country where the organization's volunteers participate in the Let Girls Learn initiative and try to spur community-led projects to get girls into classrooms, aides said.
School attendance by girls in Morocco drops off after the primary grades. In some rural areas, only 14 percent of girls attend school, aides to the first lady said. Girls are often forced to quit school to work as farmhands or maids, said Mary Beth Goodman, senior director for development and democracy for the National Security Council.
Literacy among Moroccans at least 15 years old is about 79 percent for males and 59 percent for females, according to the CIA's World Factbook.
Obama also plans to talk about $400,000 from the U.S. Agency for International Development that will be used to build five girls' dormitories, her aides said.
Obama is being joined in Morocco by actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto. Accompanying the first lady on her trip are her mother and two daughters.
Obama visits Spain beginning Thursday and returns Friday to Washington.
kskiba@tribpub.com
Advertisement
Twitter @KatherineSkiba
OLYMPIA, Wash. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Washington state pharmacists who said they have religious objections to dispensing Plan B or other emergency contraceptives.
The justices' order leaves in place rules first adopted in 2007 following reports that some women had been denied access to emergency contraceptives that are effective when taken within a few days of unprotected sex. Pharmacies must fill lawful prescriptions, but individual pharmacists with moral objections can refer patients to another pharmacist, as long as it's at the same store.
Advertisement
Stormans Inc., the owners of Ralph's Thriftway in Olympia, a grocery store that includes a pharmacy, sued, along with two pharmacists who said the rules required them to violate their religious beliefs.
Kristen Waggoner, the lead attorney for Stormans in the case, said Tuesday that since many pharmacists work alone, the inability to refer an emergency contraceptive prescription to another pharmacy when other prescriptions can be referred puts pharmacists in a position of violating their conscience.
Advertisement
"The state needs to not make a value judgment that a religiously-motivated referral is not permissible when other referrals are," she said, saying that another lawsuit could ultimately occur if the state doesn't enforce the rules "in an even-handed manner."
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson lauded the high court's decision to not hear the case.
"Patients should know that when they need medication, they won't be refused based on the personal views of a particular pharmacy owner," Ferguson added. "The appeals court ruling upheld today protects that principle."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have heard the appeal.
Calling the court's action an "ominous sign," Alito wrote a stinging 15-page dissent for the three dissenting justices. "If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern," he wrote.
A trial judge twice ruled for the pharmacists in the long-running lawsuit, but was twice overturned by the federal appeals court in San Francisco.
Sold as Plan B, emergency contraception is a high dose of the drug found in many regular birth-control pills. It can lower the risk of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.
Some critics consider the pill related to abortion, although it is different from the abortion pill RU-486 and has no effect on women who already are pregnant.
Advertisement
In 2006, the federal Food and Drug Administration made the morning-after pill available without prescription to adults.
The case is Stormans Inc. v. Wiesman, 15-862.
Associated Press
There is plenty of evidence that the Obama administration less than two months before the November 2012 election tried to come up with a less damning explanation for the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Ben Rhodes was the author of a memo that sought immediately to elevate the anti-Muslim video as the official narrative. The president stuck to that cover story up through his Sept. 25 speech at the United Nations, long after we understood this was a planned attack, the outgrowth of the chaos festering in the wake of the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Republicans investigating the Benghazi attack soon got lost in the weeds of the debacle, although their basic understanding was correct: It was far better for the White House politically to attribute all this to a fluke, a video, than to acknowledge that its Libya policy was a disaster, and moreover, that Islamic jihadism was spreading, not retreating.
Advertisement
The Benghazi Select Committee report, as The Washington Post's Josh Rogin points out, reveals little in the way of new information other than that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was planning a trip to Benghazi: "Republicans see the revelation that Clinton was planning a trip to Libya and that [Ambassador Christopher] Stevens wanted to make the Benghazi mission permanent as evidence that she was trying to cement her legacy as a major proponent of the intervention to topple Moammar Gadhafi, but ignored several signs that the facility was unsafe." Well, yes, but Republicans already made the point that Clinton wanted Libya to be part of her legacy. So?
The newest revelation actually suggests Clinton was unaware of how serious the security situation was. (Otherwise, why go?) And here is an illustration of how the Republicans have repeatedly missed the key failures at the heart of the Libyan episode:
Advertisement
- The president had no interest in dedicating forces and preparing an after-victory plan in Libya, where he never wanted to act. This was the exact error Democrats accused Republicans of making in Iraq.
- Clinton was at best a negligent manager, too removed from the situation in Libya and lacking a system to elevate critical issues (e.g. Ambassador Stevens' requests for help.) Her insistence on isolating herself within a close-knit cadre of advisers has its dangers, and this is a perfect illustration of the risk this management style entails.
- The entire administration was willfully indifferent to evidence contradicting their boast about putting al-Qaida on its heels. Islamist terrorism was spreading, and the lead-from-behind notion that we could retreat and retrench without endangering our security was wrong.
That would have been hard for Democrats to dispute. It's a damning indictment of the president's policies, and Clinton should have been obliged to explain whether, as she did on Syria, she recognized at the time the developing disaster on their hands and advocated a course correction in Libya and elsewhere.
In the primary, Republicans including Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as well as Donald Trump, preaching to the neo-isolationist corner, got the argument wrong again. They rewrote the history of the Libyan civil war, leaving out the critical facts that the country was already in revolt, mass killings were underway and if Gaddafi remained, there would be no end to it, leaving the country a terrorist playground. (Some even went so far as to insist falsely Gadhafi was a good ally of the West.)
The mistake was not our minimal effort to speed up Gaddafi's ouster by his own people, but in our negligence after he was gone. Paul, Cruz and Trump were essentially playing the same lead-from-behind game as Obama. We shouldn't have gone in. Everything was fine before we got involved. Things go wrong when the U.S. acts. This had once again the effect of letting Obama and Clinton off the hook for the real mistake: Lack of follow-through and unwillingness to recognize the metastasizing Islamic threat was going to require more, not less, of an American presence.
Perhaps this was all too complicated for Republicans to explain. All of this doesn't fit nicely the requirements of a made-for-talk-radio scandal. It does not put Clinton in the role of deliberately denying support for her personnel. But it is the truth, and Republicans should have stuck closer to it, making the big-picture case about the failure of the Obama administration to deal with a growing Islamic threat that manifested itself at a politically inconvenient time.
Washington Post
Advertisement
Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
Rejecting Texas' latest effort to do away with abortion rights, the Supreme Court served the anti-abortion movement some very bad news Monday. The justices didn't believe Texas was just trying to help its poor, hapless women out. Instead, according to Justice Stephen Breyer's majority opinion in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt: "In the face of no threat to women's health, Texas seeks to force women to travel long distances to get abortions in crammed-to-capacity superfacilities."
From now on, the court warned, it would no longer, as the White Queen said in "Through the Looking Glass," believe "as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Not even about abortion. Not even, the court emphasized, when the impossible suggestions, like looking after women's health, come from the legislative branch. You want to help women out, Breyer wrote, you gotta prove it to us.
Advertisement
The Court's opinion seems to be the death knell for two decades of anti-abortion activism, which has cloaked itself in unsupported assertions that women need to be protected against abortion rights.
The strategy of purporting to help women, which has, until today, been stunningly successful, started with the attack on so-called "partial-birth abortion" in 1995. It reached its high-water mark with Justice Anthony Kennedy's hotly contested 5-4 decision upholding the restrictions on such procedures in Gonzales v. Carhart in 2007. Kennedy found medical disagreement about the safety advantages of the procedure. Importantly, he then deferred to the findings of the legislature that women would be safer and better off without partial birth abortion. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg devoted her dissent in Gonzales to eviscerating his decision to defer, with special emphasis on the way that Congress got to its findings about the safety of partial-birth abortion and the findings themselves.
Advertisement
The link between helping women and restricting their access to abortion, never very convincing, grew more and more attenuated as conservative state legislatures took Kennedy's majority opinion in Gonzales to mean open season on abortion. As long as they found for themselves that they were helping women, they thought, they were protected from the Constitution.
A bunch of legislatures passed such laws. The Texas law requiring surgical standards and admitting privileges with a hospital, which the court struck down Monday, is just one extreme example of the anti-choice strategy.
But Breyer's opinion and, implicitly, Kennedy's vote with the majority indicate that Texas did not help its cause by pushing the envelope. Defending its law, Texas' lawyers contended that more rigorous standards for doctors who perform abortions and for abortion facilities were needed to help women. However, "when directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement (requiring admitting privileges) would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case," Breyer wrote.
Needing Kennedy's vote in the Texas decision, Breyer emphasized that even Gonzales didn't say the court always had to defer to the legislature on factual matters. Breyer wrote: "Gonzales went on to point out that the 'Court retains an independent constitutional duty to review factual findings where constitutional rights are at stake.'"
This portion of Breyer's opinion looks like a clean sweep for Ginsburg and the dissenters in the prior case. But here's the rub: Breyer's distinction is a fragile one, given the language and outcome in Gonzales, so he buttressed it by noting that the Texas legislature hadn't even made any findings in the current law. Uh-oh. A bunch more laws like Texas' law are waiting in the wings in lower courts. And Alabama's law, for example, includes a long recitation of legislative findings.
And that's where Ginsburg weighed in with one of her signature futuristic concurring opinions. When the news broke that RBG was concurring, the initial reaction was puzzlement. Why would Ginsburg need to write separately from a pro-choice opinion by her liberal colleague Breyer? Looking at her concurrence, however, the explanation is clear.
The concurrence is less than two pages. She dismisses Texas' argument about its interest in protecting "the health of women who experience complications from abortions" by countering that "complications from an abortion are both rare and rarely dangerous." She recites a laundry list of studies of how safe abortion is, and then she delivers the message: "So long as this Court adheres to Roe V. Wade, 410 U. S. 113 (1973), and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U. S. 833 (1992), Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers laws like H.B. 2 that 'do little or nothing for health, but rather strew impediments to abortion,' Planned Parenthood of Wis., 806 F. 3d, at 921, cannot survive judicial inspection." (Emphasis added.)
She is writing into law the factual finding that abortion is safe, full stop. When the court turns to the Alabama law, with its "finding" that women need abortion to be restricted, she wants that future court to be able to cite to her opinion that they do not.
Advertisement
Washington Post
Linda Hirshman the author of "Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World."
Kyriel Thomas, 14, top left, and other students play a game after their first day of a Free Spirit Media program at the Gary Comer Youth Center on June 27, 2016. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Coordinator Rachel Jones sat in a circle of teenagers Monday at the Gary Comer Youth Center, kicking off their first day of a Free Spirit Media program.
"This is our big brainstorm for the whole summer," Jones said. The students will produce five newscasts, sharing stories relevant to them through their own perspectives.
Advertisement
Jakira Smith, 18, jotted their story ideas on a white board as topics weaved through criminal justice, technology and the Illinois state budget crisis. The communications major at Eastern Illinois University discovered her love of broadcasting through the program and returned this year as an intern.
"The whole premise of Free Spirit Media is that the media doesn't represent them well," Jones said. "Giving them the power to tell their own stories, it's good practice for them to see the ways they can change how they're represented and make change in their communities."
Advertisement
Jakira Smith, 18, writes down story ideas as students plan their summer newscasts. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Several topics touched on violence, from the Orlando, Fla., nightclub attack to a recent video clip they'd seen of a man in Chicago shot while live-streaming on social media.
"I always hear about the shootings. We could use a change to learning about college acceptance rates and stuff like that," said Kyriel Thomas, 14, a high school sophomore from Auburn Gresham with an interest in video editing.
"We can learn about stuff other than violence. That's all we ever hear about."
Early Sunday morning, violence struck down the block from the Grand Crossing neighborhood center at a gas station where Selton Ellis, 30, was shot and killed. It didn't occur during working hours at Gary Comer, a hive of activity from gardening students early in the morning to South Shore Drill Team practice in the evening.
"Today might be the most chaotic day," said Emily Emmerman, a director at the center where more than 600 young people would pass through the doors Monday.
"It's the first day of summer camp, it's the first day of the teen employment program, I believe it's the first day of summer school," Emmerman said. Upstairs, one group recorded in a music studio while another worked next door in a robotics lab.
Rachel Jones leads a Free Spirit Media program discussion June 27, 2016. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
In the media classroom, students narrowed their focus for their first newscast. "Do we like the idea of doing LGBT for next week?" Jones asked. The students agreed it was timely, a day after Chicago's Pride celebration.
"So we need three news stories that are related to that," Jones said, sparking an in-depth discussion of politics and religion related to the gay and lesbian community. The students talked candidly about transgender bathroom access, sharing their own beliefs and debating each other. They thought about how they would approach people for interviews at the Taste of Chicago, but their first day was drawing to a close.
Advertisement
"That was an intense discussion. How are you guys feeling?" Jones asked.
"Tired," one young man responded. Jones emphasized that their meetings should remain respectful of everyone's point of view but was glad to hear people sharing.
"Everybody take a deep breath. We're done working for the day," Jones said. "Now it's time for mandatory fun."
The circle of teenagers brainstormed once more before choosing a game. They they spent the last minutes of their first day of summer racing around the room, bouncing off each other and laughing.
(Yesterday, these blocks were homicide scenes. The day after a fatal shooting on their block, police tape is gone and residents live, work and play. Annually, more Chicagoans are shot and killed than there are days in the year, but there's a lot going on in our neighborhoods around the violence. Visit The Next Day collection for more.)
Two 17-year-old boys are charged with ditching guns as they ran from police last week on Aurora's East Side.
Aurora Police Special Operations officers at about 11:45 p.m. June 19 were approaching two cars they recognized as belonging to gang members parked near an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Fox Pointe Circle when one teen ran out of each car and away from the officers, according to an email from police spokesman Dan Ferrelli.
Advertisement
The teens both held their waist bands as they ran, according to police.
Police apprehended one of the teens on Montgomery Road west of Waterford Drive. Investigators found a loaded revolver in the path where he had been running, according to police.
Advertisement
The other teen ran across Montgomery Road into a strip mall parking lot, where he discarded a loaded semi-automatic handgun he had been carrying, causing it to discharge once, according to police.
Nothing was hit and both teens were taken into custody, according to police.
Each is charged with four counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and single counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. The one whose handgun went off is also charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, according to police.
hleone@tribpub.com
Twitter @hannahmleone
Picketers gathered in front of Barrington High School during the first day of school last year. Janitors at the school last August went on strike after their wages were cut. (Brian O'Mahoney / Pioneer Press)
Janitors at Barrington High School soon could receive at least a $10-an-hour minimum wage, a major issue that led school custodians on a two-week strike at the start of school last fall.
The Barrington School District 220 board approved the wage amount and other terms to a new contract with the school's janitors during a meeting June 21. With the bid contract approved, district board members decided to switch providers from RJB Properties to GCA Services Group, a Cleveland-based company that submitted the lowest bid.
Advertisement
"We stipulated that bidders pay their people a minimum of $10 an hour," said Tim Neubauer, district assistant superintendent for business services. "We did not negotiate this contract because the lowest bidder got the contract."
Last August, school janitors picketed Barrington High School on the first school day after the district board earlier in the year accepted a bid contract with RJB Properties that cut the workers' wages from $9.77 an hour to $8.50 an hour.
Advertisement
By early September, the janitors agreed to return to work after their labor group, the Service Employees International Union, said it had productive negotiations with RJB Properties. The janitors' hourly wage eventually increased to $9.50 an hour.
"We put in a minimum wage into effect because we don't want custodial wages below a certain threshold," district spokeswoman Morgan Delack said of the new bid contract with GCA Services Group.
School officials explained how they don't specifically negotiate contracts with the school janitors' union, but they rather state terms and put them out for interested bidders. GCA Services now has to negotiate the contract with representatives from Service Employees International Union Local 1.
Those contract talks began on June 24, said Izabela Miltko, communications director for SEIU Local 1.
A new contract would be effective July 1. School officials also will be able to review the deal each year before deciding to renew it.
"$10 (an hour) is a good starting point for negotiations," Miltko said.
Representatives with GCA Services did not return calls for comment. The company, which will employ about 20 custodians to work two shifts at the high school, previously performed janitorial services at District 220 about eight years ago, Neubauer said.
Even though school officials' focus was on minimum wage, GCA Services' lowest bid totals $629,000 a year. The previous contract with RJB Properties totaled $588,000 a year, Neubauer said.
Advertisement
School President Brian Battle said board members didn't necessarily include the $10-an-hour minimum wage requirement to avoid a future strike.
"I don't know if risk of a strike entered the conversation," he said. "It was more of an issue of getting competitive wages to attract good, strong candidates."
Battle also said district officials considered maintaining Barrington High with in-house workers, but they determined the move would have cost the district $350,000 more than GCA Services' bid.
tshields@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter @tshields19
An animal shelter in northern Gage County recently had its license suspended by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture after the department says a series of violations went uncorrected.
A hearing with the Department of Agriculture was scheduled for April 25 regarding the violations of Stickneys Toy Breed Rescue, operated by Mary Stickney at 5675 S.W. 42nd Road, southwest of Cortland.
The location serves as both a shelter and as Stickneys residence.
Stickney did not appear, and the hearing proceeded without her.
The Department of Agriculture charged Stickney with three counts: ongoing unsanitary conditions, impaired safety of dogs and failure to keep records.
Stickney was ordered to pay an administrative fine of $2,250 for violating the Nebraska Commercial Dog and Cat Operator Inspection Act and the departments regulations. Her license was suspended until she comes into compliance with the regulations.
The department received four complaints related to her operation in less than a year.
The complaints alleged unsanitary conditions, improper groupings of dogs, aggressive dogs, dogs with health problems and neglected dogs.
Sanitation problems were observed throughout the house, specifically hard surfaces that were susceptible to moisture, dirt, food and fecal matter.
A strong odor of ammonia was noted in a bedroom where puppies, a kitten and adult dog were located, Department of Agriculture documents state.
Sharp points on an exterior fence and outdoor drainage issues were also noted.
Stickney alleged inspectors intentionally visited the rescue when she was being treated at a hospital and relying on volunteers at her shelter, rather than doing the work herself.
According to Stickney, inspections were also conducted in the morning hours before the shelter was cleaned, which she said is done daily and followed by regular spot cleaning.
The decision by the Department of Agriculture to suspend her license has prompted Stickney to retire early.
She said health reasons led to a decision to retire later this summer when her license was up for renewal, though rather than pay the fine to be reinstated for a few short months shes retiring now.
It is time for me to retire and I knew that, she said. Then for them to do this -- its not illegal for me to go to the hospital.... Im not going to stay home and die because I have to stay home instead of going to the hospital.
Stickney said she has adopted out 2,982 dogs and currently has 18 that she intends to keep. She added that four dogs have died at her rescue in the last 20 years.
The inspections in question date to Oct. 19, 2015, when the Department of Agriculture received a complaint that Stickneys Toy Breed Rescue was violating the operator inspection act and the departments regulations.
Inspectors met with Stickney at her residence. There were 47 dogs and five puppies living in the house at that time.
In addition to observing violations, inspectors determined Stickney was keeping inaccurate records of the disposition of the dogs in her care that were adopted. The condition of the premise was found to be unacceptable, and Stickney was told another inspection would occur around a month later.
Another complaint was received Nov. 30, 2015 and inspectors returned in early December, observing numerous violations.
Documents state these violations included a small dog with an open wound the size of a quarter in its chest. There were 44 dogs and 12 puppies on the premise during that inspection.
Stickney was told another inspection would occur Dec. 14, 2015. At that time, documents state the number of violations had been reduced, though the premise was still deemed unacceptable.
A third complaint regarding the condition of the dogs and the property was received Feb. 23, 2016 and an inspection was conducted March 7.
Violations were seen again, and the report noted incomplete vaccination records for several dogs. There were 19 dogs and three puppies on the site at that time.
Another inspection on April 20 produced similar findings.
Stickney was served notice that the department intended to take administrative action against her for failing to provide a safe and healthy environment for the dogs and for repeatedly violating several terms of the operator inspection act.
The operation was previously the subject of a massive seizure of dogs in 2010 when Gage County authorities confiscated 104 dogs from her property, citing unacceptable living conditions for the dogs due to the overall condition of the residence.
Stickney was acquitted of the 100 counts of animal neglect by a jury in April 2011, leaving the county with an approximate $50,000 tab for taking care of the dogs when not in Stickneys custody.
She received a license from the department in 2008 to operate the rescue and was registered with the Nebraska Secretary of States Office in 2009. The license was renewed July 31, 2015.
Weird Al Yankovic will perform Saturday, July 2, at RiverEdge Park in Aurora and Sunday, July 3, at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind. (Photo courtesy of Robert Trachtenberg/BWR Public Relations, Rogers & Cowan)
"Weird Al" Yankovic, the king of song parodies and videos gone viral before "viral" was a thing, is a well-spoken fast talker performing in six cities a week and juggling an endless realm of projects outside of touring.
The biggest-selling comedy recording artist in history was recently a cover boy and the first guest editor for Mad Magazine, a staple of his early years in Lynwood, Calif. The naturally curly-haired comedic icon with his own bobblehead doll and action figures also is the new co-host and bandleader of IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!"
Advertisement
And Yankovic, whose voice work for animation has included "Adventure Time," "Teen Titans Go!," "Batman vs. Robin" and Disney XD's new series "Milo Murphy's Law," has not only written two children's books, but is developing a television show based on them with the Jim Henson Company.
"I do so many different things, but I only do one thing at a time. I have to keep reminding myself that. Any time I look at tour schedule it looks crazy," Yankovic, 56, said by phone recently from a Florida tour stop. "As long as I can focus on what's in front of me and enjoy that, do a good job with that it all seems to work out."
Advertisement
Yankovic and his longtime band the same drummer since 1980, same guitar and bass players since 1982 and keyboardist "only since 1991" arrive this weekend in Aurora's RiverEdge Park and Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind., on the return round of last year's tour in support of "Mandatory Fun," the album which landed him a fourth Grammy and was the first comedy album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard. He released eight music videos with it, including "Tacky," a parody of Pharrell Williams' "Happy," and "Foil" based on Lorde's "Royals."
"Word Crimes," which pokes fun at Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," hit another milestone for Yankovic when it debuted in the Billboard Top 40 and put him in the ranks of Michael Jackson and Madonna whom he spoofed early in his career with "Eat It," "Fat" and "Like a Surgeon"- as the only artists with Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades.
The title "Mandatory Fun," Yankovic says, is just a "nice oxymoron" with no hidden meaning although some fans speculated it was based on the last album required under his contract. "I didn't do it against my will."
The current tour brings the same set list as the 5-month Mandatory World tour in 2015, which included a sold-out Chicago Theatre. But it has "freshened elements," he said, adding with a quick laugh, "and we've been practicing so we're better this year."
Yankovic, an only child and high school valedictorian of Yugoslavian, Italian and English descent with no relation to the late "Polka King" Frank Yankovic, is known for a comedic slant that appeals to young and old.
"I do like the fact people can listen to my songs on family car trips and not turn red from embarrassment," he said. "I try to keep it in the realm of good taste and not really offensive. A lot of people doing parodies on YouTube go for the jugular and attack the artist. I'm not going to say that's not a valid way to be funny, but that's not my personal choice."
From the beginning with his debut single "My Bologna," Yankovic has sought permission from songwriters first.
"It's all in good fun and I want them to feel like they're in on the joke," he said, confirming Prince was the only artist to decline and he will not touch the late artist's catalog.
Advertisement
While he has pushed the boundaries a bit, Yankovic says some hot-button topics are best left alone, such as transgender restrooms. He recently came under fire when he performed in Greensboro, N.C., where other artists have canceled appearances because of legislation requiring people to use restrooms according to gender at birth, and donated his concert fee to the Human Rights Campaign.
"I couldn't believe some of the pushback I got. Any time you take a stand on something you get people coming out of the woodwork saying really horrendous things," said Yankovic, who has a 13-year-old daughter with his wife of 15 years. "It blew my mind how offended people can get just based on the sheer fact I donated money to a human rights organization."
Times surely have changed since his eponymous debut in 1983. But being politically correct has its place, he says.
"People are addicted to outrage and in our internet culture people seem to find reasons to be upset. But at the same time, I don't think being politically correct is a bad thing. Some people use that synonymously with being a decent human being. Both are true. People do get way too upset and also you shouldn't sneer at being politically correct because oftentimes that's a nice thing to do.
"I've done some things I'd probably do differently now. Some lyrics weren't so offensive when I wrote them, but 20 years later they're probably not politically correct."
No matter the climate of pop culture, though, he never runs out of source material.
Advertisement
"There's always something ridiculous to make fun of," he said.
Songwriting can certainly be conquered differently these days.
"Sometimes I'll get an idea and I'll have to do some research. Back in the '80s it was hit the local library," he said. "When I wrote 'Living with a Hernia,' my James Brown parody, I researched hernias by hitting the stacks and encyclopedias."
Vickie Jurkowski is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
"Weird Al" Yankovic's Mandatory World Tour
When & Where: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 2, at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, Aurora
Advertisement
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
Tickets: $40; $139 and $269 for VIP
Information: 630-896-6666; www.riveredgeaurora.com
Parking: $5 across street at Metra lot
Etc.: Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; Bag chairs and blankets are allowed in general-admission lawn area but not in standing-room only or limited bench sections; Outside food and soft-sided coolers are now allowed in park.
When & Where: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 3, at Star Plaza Theatre, Interstate 65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville, Ind.
Tickets: $30 to $50; $139 and $269 for VIP; Dinner and overnight packages available.
Advertisement
Information: 800-745-3000; www.starplazatheatre.com; www.ticketmaster.com; www.weirdal.com
Carson & Barnes Circus returns to Toyota Park in Bridgeview from June 27-30 with acrobats and performers, both human and animal, from around the world. (Photo courtesy of Carson & Barnes Circus) (HANDOUT/Carson & Barnes Circus)
A national animal rights organization claims a traveling circus visiting Bridgeview this week has a lengthy history of animal abuse.
Oklahoma-based Carson & Barnes Circus returned to Toyota Park on Monday for a weeklong stop on its 80th tour.
Advertisement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited the traveling circus for violations that include dangerous and abusive practices in how trainers handle elephants, said Rachel Mathews, spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"Their training techniques have not changed," Mathews said.
Advertisement
According to USDA records, Carson & Barnes agreed to a settlement of $3,714 after being issued 10 citations for violating the Animal Welfare Act from Aug. 27, 2011, to April 27, 2012, according to a 2013 Chicago Tribune story.
Most recently, circus owners agreed to pay a $16,000 fine last month to the USDA for a 2014 incident in St. Charles, Mo., where elephants became frightened and ran into a parking lot during a show where audience members were encouraged to stomp their feet on metal bleachers, Mathews said. The elephants were allowed to run around for 45 minutes, suffering cuts and abrasions, she said.
Video footage posted to PETA's website reportedly shows a Carson & Barnes elephant being disciplined using a tool with a hook as the circus trainer yells, "Make 'em scream!"
"As long as bull hooks are being used, these animal are being trained through violence and the threat of violence," Mathews said.
Messages seeking comment from Carson & Barnes were not returned.
In the 2013 Tribune report, Carson & Barnes business manager Kristin Parra said the circus has nothing to hide, and the public can see for itself how the animals are treated.
"I am tired of PETA making the assumption for the general public and saying that we abuse our animals," Parra said. "I don't condone animal abuse, and I want people to come out and see first-hand how our animals are treated. We love our animals, and they are part of our family."
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
The USDA has cited Carson & Barnes for failing to provide elephants with adequate veterinary care, proper shelter from the elements and clean water, among others, according to PETA.
Advertisement
Carson & Barnes is a family-run circus that started in 1937. The tour features about 30 animal performers and 30 human performers, including acrobats and flying trapeze artists.
This isn't the first time a Carson & Barnes appearance in the south suburbs has drawn criticism from PETA. Activists regularly objected when the same circus visited Palos Hills in recent years.
Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett told the Tribune in 2013: "We've had the circus here every year for six years, and PETA has probably objected every year. As far as our understanding of that particular circus and the history we've had with them, we have not observed that (animal abuse) or seen that to the best of our knowledge."
Shows are scheduled to start at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. through Thursday. Toyota Park is at 7000 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview.
Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
.
Animal shelters see a spike in drop offs around the Fourth of July. In their attempt to escape fireworks, scared dogs often run away. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
Ed Kostro still has Lupita, the runaway Chihuahua he rescued days after 2012's Fourth of July festivities.
He also has Momma Socks, a cat it took weeks for him to catch following last summer's Independence Day revelry.
Advertisement
Lupita and Momma Socks are examples of the effects fireworks can have on animals during what animal rescuers call a not-so-pet-friendly holiday. In their panicked, misguided attempt to get away from kabooms and crackles, pets often make a run for it, scaling fences, bolting through screens and digging beneath gates.
Others deal with the sudden rash of loud noises by crying, running in circles, refusing to eat or hiding, Kostro said.
Advertisement
"This is the worst time of year for animals," Kostro said. "The next few weeks are going to be brutal."
The problem, he said, is that Independence Day now lasts weeks and people are upgrading the level of explosives.
"There are mortar bombs and sticks of dynamite going off," he said. "In my area, near Midway Airport, it's like a war zone. People launch things from the park and they explode over your house. The animals just go nuts. It keeps getting worse because they don't enforce the law."
Kostro, who has been rescuing street dogs on Chicago's South Side for more than five years, had already rounded up two runaway dogs last weekend.
He and others who work in the profession say the Fourth of July brings an increase in pet disappearances and rescues.
Terri Sparks, spokesperson for the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, said, "We absolutely see a spike in drop offs at the shelter this time of year."
More dogs escape from backyard parties or are driven to run by fear of fireworks, she said.
If they're lucky, lost animals get picked up by local animal control or caring onlookers and are brought to a shelter.
Advertisement
"We expect to be full this whole weekend," she said.
Some, however, get hurt running into traffic or are never found again, said Susan Taney, director of Lost Dogs Illinois.
Taney said there is 30 percent jump in the number of runaway dogs in the days leading up to and following Independence Day.
"A lot of dogs are not prepared for the sound. Maybe they were used to it last year, so your guard is lower, but this year they might react differently," she said.
"Dogs have been known to climb up a six-foot fence to get away from loud sounds," Taney said.
Donna Alexander, administrator at Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control, said this is going to be an especially bad year because of the weekend leading into the holiday.
Advertisement
She advises pet owners to prepare a safe, cool, quiet place for their animals ahead of time.
"Acclimate your animal to an area of solitude," she said. And make sure guests understand that the haven is the animal's space.
The challenge, she said, will come from doing that for three days.
"Fireworks are frightening for animals, sometimes worse than thunder and lightning because they occur so sporadically, and they are at such a high pitch. Most animals cannot take that," she said.
The swaddling technique that has been developed for animals works better with thunder and lightning, she said.
Sedatives can be helpful, but need to be gotten ahead of time from the pet's veterinarian.
Advertisement
"Don't wait till the last minute. An emergency vet cannot give you prescriptions," she said. And be aware that most sedatives need to be administered hours before fireworks and festivities begin.
The fear and loathing is not limited to domesticated animals, Alexander said.
"Very few people know this, but most of the wildlife will do exactly what we're telling you to do with your home pet: They'll find a cool, dark, quiet space to hunker down and hide. They'll recede into dens, covens, areas where they feel protected. Wildlife, like pets, don't understand what all this noise is about," she said.
Emily Klehm, chief executive officer at South Suburban Humane Society in Chicago Heights, said, "Typically the weeks around the Fourth of July are the busiest for stray dogs. We do believe that it's at least partially attributed to fireworks."
The problem can easily be exasperated when doors and gates are left open by barbecue revelers, giving frightened animals an easy escape route.
Making things more difficult for animal control officers is the fact that many of the boarding sites they rely on to temporarily house found pets fill up over the holidays.
Advertisement
Sheila Buffano, animal control supervisor for New Lenox, said, "Often they're full when we arrive with a stray because of vacations and because people want to keep them safe over the holiday."
Judi Schnur, owner at Pawsitively Heaven Pet Resort in Chicago Ridge, said she has a 25-page waiting list for this weekend.
"Some people are having parties, some don't want to deal with the dog being stressed out," Schnur said.
"I hate it. This is the worst time of the year for anybody who works with animals," she said. "It's so sad. I don't get it. Fireworks are illegal."
Schnur said that at the resort, they play loud music to muffle the sound of the explosions.
"But the dogs can still hear it," she said. "It's hard. It breaks your heart."
Advertisement
Taney said if your dog gets away, expect that it will hide for a time.
"It will come out when it's hungry," she said.
She recommends people put out fliers as well as toys and other familiar items right away.
"And if you spot him, don't chase," she said. "Every time a dog is chased, that reinforces the behavior of your dog being afraid of a human."
Instead, she said, sit or lay down, get to their level and then pretend you're looking at something.
"A lot of times they get curious about what you're doing. Kind of ignore them and they may come to you," Taney said.
Advertisement
Or, lure them toward you with treats, she said.
Some runaways, particularly shy dogs, stay close to home. Food, water and something familiar a bed, a toy or an article of the owner's clothing might draw it in.
It took Kostro three days to get Lupita, who was found collarless and pregnant, to calm down after her Independence Day ordeal. He tried to find her owner, but had no success. So she now lives with him. Even though Kostro tries to keep her in a quiet place, where he plays music, she relives the nightmare every Fourth of July.
"She has post-traumatic stress," Kostro said. "She's terrified of storms, loud noises and fireworks."
Kostro found Momma Socks with a litter of kittens. The babies were taken in by Catnap for the Heart and given new homes.
"Momma Socks lives with us," he said. "She has already been hiding in a deep dark closet because of all the window-rattling booms and bangs occurring right outside our home."
Advertisement
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
Kostro advises pet owners to make sure their animals are microchipped and are wearing a collar with current tags
"If we find them in the neighborhood we can get them back home. But once they run a few blocks, it's hard, especially if they don't have tags or microchips," he said.
Taney said pet owners should be aware of other summer hazards, as well. Check fencing, especially on windy days, make sure gates are secure during and after parties, and if your pet is strong enough to push through a screen, make sure windows are closed.
"Most people who find a lost dog want to get it back to its home, so please make it easy on them," she said.
If you do lose your pet, she said, "Don't give up. We've had dogs reunited with their owners after two and three years."
dvickroy@tribpub.com
Advertisement
Twitter @dvickroy
Glad some mayors stepped up
Thanks to southwest suburban mayors for sending a strong message to our Illinois governor and legislature. But why didn't Mayor Sandra Bury of Oak Lawn, who has two elementary school districts and two high school districts, sign this message.
Advertisement
I live in Hometown and raised my four children in the Oak Lawn 122 School District, and also worked in that district as a school social worker from 1991 until 2006, so I feel this is so very important.
Why, too, didn't the mayor of Hometown sign this message? Our students are our future and what is happening to schools, and funding, and children is shameful in this state.
Advertisement
We all have to express our opinion to these leaders, and I use that term in a hopeful manner because I don't see much positive leadership in many areas, but especially education.
Prudence Yontez, Hometown
Two problems, one solution
I've been thinking about my elected representatives being busy making new laws while failing to enforce the laws on the books. A glaring example is our immigration laws, and assuring illegals due process as they disappear among the populace, encouraging more and more to come over.
Of course these same politicians (from both parties) argue that illegals do the work Americans won't do. I say that today's politicians lack the courage of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who put their lives and treasures on the line.
Politically correct politicians should apply common sense by putting to work the millions of welfare recipients to do these "hard to fill" jobs, or would that be politically incorrect?
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
Mary Cvack, Palos Park
Polarized politics would continue under Clinton
Advertisement
We recently saw a vivid example of what will happen if Hillary Clinton wins office: Almost immediately after a horrible gun tragedy, Congress is deadlocked on gun control after nearly 50 Americans were murdered.
This will happen with everything Clinton puts forth, just as it sadly has happened with President Barack Obama. This cannot continue. Maybe Donald Trump isn't the candidate for everyone, but he might be able to end this congressional nonsense that is hurting Americans, whether they are Democrats or Republicans. It has to change.
Sue Atkenson, Palos Park
What's on your mind?
The Daily Southtown welcomes letters to the editor. Email them to letters@southtownstar.com and include your name, address and phone number. Only your name and the town you reside in will appear with the letter. Please keep a letter to no more than about 200 words. The Southtown is not responsible for the accuracy of the opinions expressed in letters to the editor.
Disgusted by politicians across the board
Analyzing this election, my opinion is that voters like myself are just plain disgusted with those holding office in both political parties.
Advertisement
Seeing members of the administration and Congress campaigning for office for the next election the day after being elected for the first time, creating career politicians. Doing favors for friends, family and corporations looking to get the edge on the competition at the expense of the voters. Claiming campaign contributions never influences their actions. I can tell when they are telling a lie simply because their lips are moving.
Those abusing power get very rich at the expense of the citizens, and they show no shame whatsoever. Just one term in Congress guarantees a lifetime pension. We are stuck with Obamacare, while they are afforded the best healthcare free of charge.
Advertisement
Both candidates for president spew slogans when we are desperate for solutions. America is crying out for leadership, and we desperately require a strong statesman at our helm. Not those acting like movers and shakers, but in reality they are makers and takers.
Be careful who you vote for as they just might be your next president.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
Bob Pritchard, Homer Glen
The upside to Brexit
Switzerland has done very well not being a member of the EU, and now the British will join the Swiss. Brexit has not even begun, and no terms have been specified, negotiated or settled. The resulting terms may not be much different than the current status. Also the British never used the euro like the Swiss and the weaker pound will boost British exports and improve tourism.
The obvious case for Brexit would be British control of their own affairs, immigration and culture, less bureaucracy, rules and regulations specifically tailored for their own economy and culture, closer ties with America and the commonwealth, more distance from EU troubles and its mismanaged budgets and economies, and the ability create their own trade pacts on their own terms. Oh, and something that is hard to put a price on: greater freedom by getting rid of Brussels.
Thomas Cechner, Lockport
What's on your mind?
Advertisement
The Daily Southtown welcomes letters to the editor. Email them to letters@southtownstar.com and include your name, address and phone number. Only your name and the town you reside in will appear with the letter. Please keep a letter to no more than about 200 words. The Southtown is not responsible for the accuracy of the opinions expressed in letters to the editor.
Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St Peter's Square during his Angelus prayer in Vatican City on March 13, 2016. (Andreas Solaro, AFP/Getty Images)
I wonder what south suburban Roman Catholics think about the recent remarks by Pope Francis, that the church owes an apology to gays for having marginalized them.
The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics told reporters on Sunday some politicized behaviors of the homosexual community may offend others, but that gays should be treated with respect and must not be discriminated against, the Associated Press reported.
Advertisement
"I think the church must not only apologize to a gay person it offended, but we must apologize to the poor, to women who have been exploited, to children forced into labor, apologize for having blessed so many weapons," the AP quoted Francis as saying.
As with his famous "Who am I to judge?" response three years ago, the pope's point is that treating others with love and compassion is more important than condemning those who oppose church doctrine.
Advertisement
That message seems more important than ever.
The pope was asked whether he agreed with one of his top advisors, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx. Speaking at Trinity College in Dublin shortly after the killings of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Marx said the treatment of homosexuals has historically been "very bad."
"As church and society, we have to say, 'Sorry, sorry,'" The Irish Times quoted Marx as saying. Marx said that both church and society had been "very negative" about gay people, and described that attitude as "scandalous and terrible."
Patty Sheehan, an openly lesbian city commissioner in Orlando, said in a radio interview that political leaders like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Rick Scott were responsible for inciting violence against gays.
"You loaded those bullets with hatred, as far as I'm concerned," Sheehan told Michelangelo Signorile, a SiriusXM Progress host and Huffington Post Queer Voices editor-at-large.
Do words and attitudes that marginalize others contribute to violence? It's a fair question, especially in light of incendiary rhetoric associated with Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
For all his compassionate words, some critics say Francis isn't doing enough to offer actual pastoral opportunities for members of the LGBT community.
Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, a leading organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, told The New York Times the pope's remarks were a powerful statement, but that actions are more important.
Advertisement
"For a pope to acknowledge that the church has done so much damage to gay people, and that we deserve an apology, is an unprecedented act of humility," the Times quoted her as saying. "But a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows."
Francis is obviously pained by human suffering in the world. (A reporter said he visibly winced the other day when asked about the Orlando shootings.) Still, he has to balance his personal desire for compassion with official church doctrine.
Francis on April 8 released "The Joy of Love," a 325-paragraph apostolic exhortation on family life. In it, he upholds traditional church teachings that rule out the possibility of same-sex marriage.
While he said local priests should consider Communion for divorced Catholics, he reinforces church teachings against such practices as abortion, sex outside marriage and using birth control.
By many accounts, the vast majority of Catholics ignore the Vatican's policy on using artificial birth control. (A 2011 study said 98 percent of Catholic women use birth control at some time in their lives; another survey placed the rate at 86 percent).
The Catholic Church does not like to admit its mistakes. This is an institution, after all, that condemned Galileo as a heretic for saying the sun was the center of the solar system and sentenced him to house arrest until his death.
Advertisement
Centuries more would pass before the church finally admitted the 1543 heliocentric theory of Polish astronomer Copernicus was right all along.
Maybe the church is also on the wrong side of history on matters such as birth control, ordination of women as clergy and celibacy for priests.
Several observers have noted that while Francis may sound pastoral and welcoming toward people who are gay, the official church position on the topic still amounts to, "Love the sinner, hate the sin."
"Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered," states the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
The Catechism uses the word "intrinsically" several times. It says, "masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." Birth control, other than the rhythm method, is "intrinsically evil."
Conflict arises when the desire for compassionate ministry contradicts official church doctrine. Many Catholic ministries offer formally sanctioned outreach to gays, though the spiritual communities would appear to conflict with the church's official position.
Advertisement
The Chicago Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO) was established in 1988. In 2000, a south suburban chapter was founded at St. Emeric Catholic Church in Country Club Hills.
"For over 25 years, AGLO Chicago has labored to reflect the light of Christ's love, offering its dazzling promise to people long forced to live in shadows, not wholly unlike the first Christians," the group's website says.
I think it's difficult to fully embrace the pope's call for apologies and compassion toward people who are gay so long as church doctrine continues to condemn homosexual behavior.
tslowik@tribpub.com
Twitter @tedslowik
I do not take a back seat to anyone when it comes to celebrating our national holiday on July 4.
There will be food and drink on our table most of the day, a parade in the late afternoon, fireworks in the evening and should the weather be bad, we can watch all those patriotic movies on television.
Advertisement
The vast majority of us had ancestors who came from someplace else. Humorist Will Rogers once boasted his Native American forebears did not come over on the Mayflower, "but they were there to meet the boat." Some of our forefathers came for a better life. Some came to escape persecution. Many came in chains.
So, this is my Independence Day story.
Advertisement
More than 100 years ago, a young man in Tsarist Russia became involved in the growing revolutionary movement and became a courier for various factions. In 1909, he along with 150 others were arrested and put on trial for crimes against the state. He was asked by fellow prisoners to speak on their behalf before sentencing. The belief was that the judges would take pity on the youth. If he escaped the death penalty, perhaps others would also survive.
He was 18 and full of passion.
"Rivers of blood and oceans of tears will avail you nothing," he defiantly told the court. "A new generation will fight against you. I am proud to stand before you without fear."
He was 18 and given an indefinite sentence and shipped to a prison camp in Central Siberia. Fifty others were sentenced to death.
At the camp he worked in a coal mine. He wore a ball and chain on his right leg at night until it was removed by the government in 1913 in a token of amnesty in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the imperial family rule. He learned English by reading Charles Dickens. He took part in hunger strikes. He kept a diary. He survived.
In 1918, the revolution freed the prisoners. He left Russia and traveled ever eastward seeking passage to Canada where he knew one of his six brothers was living. Along the way he worked on archaeological digs and once helped save the life of an emissary working for Chinese President Sun Yat-Sen. China afforded him a place to rest, but Canada was always on the horizon.
Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >
He came to Japan, but without money he lived off the banana trees growing in public parks in Tokyo. In 1922, he boarded a freighter for Vancouver and from there contacted his brother, a businessman in Prince Albert.
Eight years later he entered the United States, and spent the rest of his life as a teacher. Later that year, he attended a concert given by the Milwaukee chapter of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union where he met the woman who soon became his wife.
Advertisement
He wanted to fight Franco in the late 1930s but they said he was too old. During World War II he donated so many pints of blood to the American Red Cross he was told that because of his age, he was over 50, he was no longer needed. He never made much money and soon his health began to fail. Those terrible years in prison weakened his body. In 1946, doctors and clinics told him they could do nothing for a man with rheumatoid arthritis, weakened lungs and a bad heart. He died in 1960 at age 69, three months before his first grandson was born.
He came to America trying to make the lives of others better. He probably never waved a flag at an Independence Day parade or sang a patriotic song. All men are created equal was his refrain and he sang it every day of his life. He never wavered in that belief. He never gave up on his dreams and never gave in to fear and despair.
If he was alive 240 years ago at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I think he would have shoved John Hancock out of the way.
He was my father, Boris Shnay.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance journalist and can be reached at jerryshnay@gmail.com
As far as holiday traditions go, nothing quite matches the spectacle of celebrating the countrys independence with fireworks on the Fourth of July. No holiday quite matches the danger, either.
Watching fireworks shoot into the sky with friends and family at a big display is easy. However, a backyard full of people expecting a show out of a box of fireworks recently purchased from a local parking lot, can sometimes lead to trouble.
Captain Gerald Lamkin of the Beatrice Police Department emphasized common sense when dealing with fireworks.
Over time they have changed and have gotten a lot safer, but there are many individuals who carry battle wounds from fireworks, Lamkin said. Know the wind direction before releasing.
Throughout the state people have been buying fireworks since Saturday, June 25, but in Beatrice the laws are slightly more restrictive.
Nebraska permits the purchase and discharge of most types of consumer fireworks to be bought, sold and released between the dates of June 24 and July 4, according to the State Fire Marshal's website.
However, the Beatrice City Code states, the sale, possession, and discharge of permissible fireworks within the city shall be permitted only on the days of July 1, 2, 3, and 4 each year.
Just because Cortland may be selling fireworks now, doesnt make them legal in Beatrice. You cant set off fireworks in the city until July 1, Lamkin said.
With few large firework displays planned throughout town on the Fourth, Beatrice residents may need to take matters into their own hands to celebrate the summer holiday with midair explosions.
In the United States revenues from firework sales continue to grow each year, with $340 million in sales from display fireworks in 2015 (up from $332 million in 2014) and $755 million in sales from consumer fireworks (up from $695 in 2014), according tothe American Pyrotechnics Association.
Consumption of fireworks rose over 25 percent last year, with the U.S consuming 285.3 million pounds in 2015 (24.6 million pounds for display fireworks and 260.7 million pounds for consumer fireworks), up from 225.3 million pounds in 2014.
Without supervision for the individual displays that will inevitably take place this weekend, both the Beatrice Police Department and Beatrice Fire and Rescue stress firework safety to avoid unnecessary injury.
Its the same as always: Dont allow young kids to handle fireworks; anytime you have fireworks make sure you have a bucket of water handy, Fire Chief Brian Daake said. Never hold fireworks when lighting them. Never throw them; brush and grass can catch on fire very easily, especially with how dry it has been lately.
Flying lanterns, also known as sky lanterns, have been banned completely from the state of Nebraska, Daake added. The ban went into effect earlier this year.
Another risk to look out for when lighting fireworks is protecting the eyes.
Firework eye injuries in the U.S. have more than doubled in the last few years, increasing from 600 in 2012 to 1,300 in 2014, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
In the event of an eye injury the organization advises seeking medical attention immediately, do not rub eyes, do not rinse eyes, do not apply pressure, do not remove any objects that are stuck in the eye, and do not apply ointments or take any blood-thinning pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen.
In addition to safety concerns, Beatrice residents getting ready to set off a few cherry bombs in their backyard should be conscious of laws regarding fireworks being strictly enforced over the coming weeks.
City noise ordinances state that fireworks cannot be shot off after 10 p.m., even on the night of the Fourth.
On the Fourth of July we ask people to be more respectful of neighbors, Lamkin said. Anytime after 10 p.m. were not allowed to shoot off fireworks. It all depends on being a good neighbor.
The night of the Fourth we try to be a little more lenient. Any fireworks after midnight, however, is illegal to possess. We try to give leeway from 10 to 11. Talk to your neighbors beforehand.
Keeping all of that in mind, Beatrice residents can look forward to fair conditions for celebrating outside that evening.
Weather is going to be really nice and it will be a good Fourth, Lamkin said. Get with your neighbors and celebrate the country that we have.
Board members of both Community Unit School District 300 and the Northern Kane Educational Corp., the management firm of Cambridge Lakes Learning Center in Pingree Grove, met with parents and teachers on Monday afternoon to talk about what needs to be done before the charter school's application for renewal is due on Friday.
The charter school serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade along with preschool students. It was founded on 15 acres and teaches students from communities across the district.
Advertisement
According to the district, outstanding concerns and violations include: ongoing and systemic failure to serve special education students, failure to provide a legally compliant English Language Learners program, and failure to implement a legally compliant Response to Intervention Plan.
Other concerns are: ongoing errors in invoices presented to the district, ongoing failure to comply with state vaccination requirements, contracting with Illinois Central College in violation of state law, and contracting by Northern Kane Educational Corp. board members with the charter school and other Northern Kane Educational Corp. entities, creating possible conflicts of interest.
Advertisement
District 300 board member Suzy Kopacz pointed out that the school's original charter application did not include preschool. One matter under discussion is the allocation of $500,000 for the preschool.
Many attendees at the meeting expressed their condolences on the recent death of Linda Fuhrer, the wife of Larry Fuhrer, Northern Kane Educational Corp. executive director. They also asked him to consider resigning his post.
Danielle Kamp has been a teacher at the charter school for the past two years.
"As an employee, I have serious concerns," Kamp said. "I have a letter from a teacher who does not want to speak because she is afraid of losing her job. I have come under personal attack from Mr. Fuhrer and the NKEC board. I personally do not regret standing up for the staff. However, when my personal character is called into place, I have problems with that."
One parent noted that the school had 40 less students this year than it had in the previous year. He also said that the school has lost 10 administrators in the last nine years, which is five times higher than what the average school experiences.
Gilberts resident Katie Van Gheem has two children, Ella and Joshua, who are students at the school. She has worked at the school as a secretary, librarian, substitute teacher, traffic person and photographer.
"The teachers are the best," Van Gheem said. "My son has been in attendance since first grade. The school has helped him to grow academically over the past six years. He has built great relationships with his peers and teachers. In my mind, the best case scenario would be for new management to come in and replace the current school management. The school board would not be made up of friends, business associates and employees of Larry Fuhrer. No doubt Mr. Fuhrer is a smart businessman who has a knack for financing, but we need someone who has a knack for kids as well. Children's education should be a priority."
Van Gheem said that teachers and Fuhrer do not have a good relationship. She has watched a teacher and a principal who she said were "near and dear to my heart" leave the school.
Advertisement
"Courtney Kuzynowski was such a good teacher and a good influence on my daughter," Van Gheem said. "She left after eight years. My daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in August, 2010, right before she began preschool. She did not come back to school until kindergarten. Courtney was a fantastic kindergarten teacher. When Ella lost her hair due to chemotherapy before kindergarten graduation, Courtney rallied all the teachers and kids to wear bandanas in support of my daughter. In her years since kindergarten, Ella's teachers have been very caring and willing to work with her."
Van Gheem said that Thomas Newton, who had been a principal at the junior high Green School at Cambridge Lakes, was told in January that he would not be welcomed back to the school because he did not have a good business rapport.
"He had great rapport with the students," Van Gheem said. "On a typical morning, he would stand at the door and give high fives to each student entering the school. When we learned that he was leaving the school, we planned a special surprise. Children from each grade presented a card made for him. Everyone signed them."
Leslie LaMarca is both a Northern Kane Educational Corp. board member and a parent of students at the charter school.
"It breaks my heart that we are at this place," LaMarca said. "District 300 Superintendent (Fred) Heid said we can stay loyal to one man or loyal to his vision for this school. Do what is right for the students, teachers and parents."
"We have heard what you said today," said Julie Mahaffey, Northern Kane Educational Corp. chairman. "We want this school to be successful. If changes need to be made, this is something that the board needs to look at."
Advertisement
The District 300 board will hold a public meeting regarding the charter school at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, at the district's administration office, 2550 Harnish Drive in Algonquin.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Fired up about emission testing: Two- and three-hour waits during the deadline for emission testing in June on North Aurora Road. Talk about air pollution and global warming. Personally, I think emission testing is a waste with improved gasoline. I had an old Chevy van 30 years ago when the testing station was off Sullivan Road. The tester put the back wheels on the roller and raced the engine. The place filled up with smoke like a forest fire, yet the van passed.
Seating needed to watch swimmers: I recently took my granddaughter to Wing Park to go swimming. I quickly learned there is no place to sit outside the pool to watch the swimmers. There isn't even a walkway around the pool. There are loads of weeds in the park area. At least when I've taken her to Lords Park, there are places to sit and watch the swimmers. There are lots of grandparents who take care of grandchildren but don't go swimming. Wing Park needs lots of improvement.
Advertisement
Report telephone scams: For people who think they are being scammed by the Internal Revenue Service, the IRS will never contact you by phone. Simply hang up on them and report it. The IRS will never call you.
Remembering Ali: Muhammad Ali touched my heart as he touched the hearts of millions of others around the world. He was larger than life. He was a Muslim, and that's what a Muslim is supposed to look like and act like. The terrorists you see out there killing people are not Muslims. They are terrorists who have an evil agenda. I'm glad that Muhammad Ali showed us what a real Muslim should be like.
Advertisement
Rallies ruined by thugs: Thugs at Donald Trump rallies shout that he is a racist and he hates Hispanics. Not true. Trump thinks we should have a wall on our southern border like a lot of other Americans do. I just saw a picture of the wall in Mexico that keeps out their southern neighbors. Do you see any of these thugs calling the Mexicans racists? They throw eggs on Trump supporters and ruin police cars. The American people are smart and know who the haters are.
People will remember to vote: This is in response to the Speak Out saying don't forget to vote. I don't think people will forget. We're stuck in Chicago. In Chicago, we have Madigan, who made a lifelong political career that shouldn't be and has a daughter following right behind him. That's like Hillary Clinton following behind President Obama. People keep doing the same thing over and over. No matter who we want, the city of Chicago and other villages all want sanctions for the people who are stealing from us and breaking our laws. Aurora is getting larger with all these illegal immigrants.
Waited too long: The trouble now with stopping illegal immigration after allowing it for over 50 years is we will have hate-filled enemies the size of the Mideast attacking America with terrorism.
Wage increase justified: Why do minimum wage workers demand $15 an hour? It's because they cannot keep up with the cost of living. An apartment that cost $30 a month in 1959 costs $1,000 a month today. The only change in the apartment is about 15 coats of off-white paint on the walls.
Look at their records: I cannot understand why some people call in about comments made by Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Their records speak for themselves. The Obama administration took over in 2008 amid a heavy real estate crash. The administration kept the banks from going under. We remember what caused the Depression in 1929. The unemployment rate when President Bush was in office was 12 percent. The unemployment rate now is 5 percent. Trump says that Obama is the worst we've ever had, but look at the records.
Turned off by Trump: I would like to make a comment about Donald Trump running for president. This man is the most reckless candidate I ever heard of. He wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and make Mexico pay for it. They would have to put armed guards on that wall. Trump is dangerous. Voting for him would be a mistake.
Beware of radical change: Donald Trump is touted as a new age Hitler. Why? Many Americans today feel like losers in their own country just like the Germans felt after World War I. Hitler at that time did not offer genocide. He offered a radical change from the defeatism that pervaded the German spirit. It was only later that the world learned he was nuts. What world leader is not power mad?
Hoping for better years ahead: We had our wagon hooked to a star during the eight years that Bill Clinton was our president. He lived a charmed life. Nothing too bad happened. I'm not too surprised 9/11 happened the year he was out of office. We may get to see if Bill's stardust has rubbed off on Hillary.
Advertisement
Upset with Obama administration: So President Obama is now urging compromise. The evidence of facts and judgment. He is such a hypocrite because he has done the exact opposite. He never called out Trump protesters for their endless, physical attacks on Trump supporters. Obamacare had no compromise. It was done without Republicans behind closed doors. Half of this country is sick of the new transgender bill. January, 2017, come quickly.
Turn old college into homeless shelter: I've always thought housing the homeless in the building where Aurora once burned its garbage is insulting. Since Aurora is the Illinois mecca for the homeless and street people, why not make the old Waubonsee College downtown a new Hesed House?
Sad about gorilla death: I'm calling about the toddler who climbed over the barrier at the Cincinnati zoo. He wouldn't have climbed over the barrier if the mother had been watching him. She was probably texting and not paying attention to her kid. That gorilla died because the mother was not doing her job.
Cities are not banks: Who in the world are these people behind the Shared Harvest group that wants to open up in downtown Elgin while seeking $500,000 in assistance from the city of Elgin? Why would Elgin even consider this? Cities should not be in the business of lending money to businesses. I have two small businesses. I can't even get a loan from a bank let alone asking the city for money. Cities should not be in the business of loaning money to anyone.
All laws should be enforced: I don't know when this whole transgender stuff started. It seems like it came out of nowhere. We now have a federal government that threatens to sue cities and states that do not abide by their rules regarding this situation. At the same time, we have hundreds of sanctuary cities that defy federal law regarding illegal immigration. There is no threat from the government to withhold federal funds if they don't abide by the law. What a crock.
Homeless living in former shopping center: Please let us know what can be done about the homeless people living among the remnants of what used to be Northgate Shopping Center. They live in the empty dumpster enclosures behind the stores of the 800 block of North Lake Street. The aldermen have been called numerous times. The police have been called numerous times. They remove them, but they are back the next day. For those of us who live in the neighborhood, this is unacceptable. What can be done about it?
Advertisement
Food co-op should fund itself: Hey, Elgin, I say if that Shared Harvest food co-op business is so grand of an idea, they should be able to raise the money for it by themselves. There is no reason why Elgin should have to kick in $500,000. Absolutely ridiculous.
Riled about Realtors: I agree with the Speak Out that Realtors are pushing certain ethnic groups to the east side of Elgin. Ethnic groups are fine, but they should be mixed. That's how Chicago ran into trouble. Before you know it, you have ghettos that people are afraid to go into. Why should Realtors have the right to do this?
Kudos to Sears Centre Arena: This is about all the high school graduations. My grandson graduated from St. Charles East High School. The ceremony was at the Sears Centre. Several high schools do their graduation ceremonies there. It was a wonderful event. The kids' names in a band of light went around the building continuously until the ceremony was over. It was a cool place to have a graduation.
Black-box planes: We've heard about so many airplane crashes lately and how they look afterward for the black boxes. They usually find the boxes still intact. How about this? Why don't they make the entire plane out of the black box material which seems indestructible? I think that is a good idea.
Poor planning: There was a headline in The Beacon-News about the library looking at layoffs and service cuts. Before they built that library, they said they had plenty of money. They really didn't. They should have put their money in the old library. They didn't need this big monstrosity. It's too bad that people are going to lose their jobs because they didn't plan right.
Just doing his job: I can't believe the Kane County judge who overruled the policeman who was only doing his job. The people from Minnesota who were pulled over had heroin, guns and cash. The officer asked them for their license, insurance and registration. He didn't detain them. Look what was found. This judge used to be a lawyer for a firm in Carpentersville. Now he's a judge. What do you mean the Fourth Amendment violation? I believe the officer was violated. This judge let off drug dealers, and now they are suing Kane County and the officer. I never heard of anything like this. I feel so bad for that officer who was just doing his job.
Advertisement
Abide by the laws: For the Speak Out caller who said some Realtors are steering people to certain communities and there should be rules against this, I have news for you. Illinois license laws already has those rules. Anyone with an Illinois real estate license guilty of doing that is in serious trouble. They could lose their license. If you know of anyone guilty of that infringement, you might want to call the state of Illinois and turn that person in. Otherwise, rest assured there are rules against it.
Crazy ideas should not become law: Our society is so vulnerable to change that some things have backfired. First, the gun law. A few people pushed to pass gun control into law, and now look at all the innocent people being killed. Second, public washrooms. Same scenario. This is totally nuts. Our lawmakers need to put on their sensible thinking caps. Our society is becoming unsafe with all these crazy ideas being put into law.
Stop the freebies: Illinois needs financial reform. All our money is blown on unnecessary social programs while highways, bridges and infrastructure suffer. These spoiled people that the state supports will always get their booze, cigarettes, lottery tickets, free medical and cellphones. Deadbeats always survive.
Editor's note
Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-2460 or email couriernews@tribpub.com. Please include "speak out" in the subject line.
Although questions remain about process, cost and timing of a city plan to purchase land from the Elmhurst Park District for stormwater detention, aldermen on the Public Works Committee plan to send a revised draft agreement to the City Council Tuesday.
The draft intergovernmental agreement calls for the city to buy what is now the west lobe of Golden Meadows Park. City officials say the site, near the south end of Caroline Avenue, will hold about 12 acre-feet of temporary stormwater storage, enough to provide protection from a 100-year storm event for 20 homes on Pine Street, Avon Road and East Court.
Advertisement
Before that can happen, though, several other agencies have to weigh in on the deal. The property was originally acquired with grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the involvement of the National Park Service, so both agencies must sign off on any plan to sell or repurpose the land.
City manager James Grabowski told committee members that he and park district executive director James Rogers spoke recently with an official of the state department, who was receptive to the plan.
Advertisement
"I believe if the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is OK with it, the National Park Service will be OK with it," Grabowski said.
Grabowski also said that a preliminary environmental review of the site had not turned up any large problems.
If the City Council approves the draft agreement, that would set the stage for park district action, pending approval from the regulatory agencies.
Once that happens, the agreement provides for appraisal of the property by three specially qualified appraisers. Terms of the agreement call for the highest and lowest appraisals to be discarded, leaving the middle number as the fair market value of the land.
That number is to be certified by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, after which the city has 30 days to back out of the agreement.
If the city and park district agree to go forward, the city will escrow the full amount of the fair market value of the land, for park district use in acquiring replacement land. If the park district finds suitable replacement land that costs more than the full market value of the Golden Meadows site, the city is liable to escrow up to an additional 50 percent of market value, but not more than the cost of the replacement land.
That additional escrow amount was a concern for Ald. Michael Bram, who would have preferred to see some deadline on the park district purchase. But Grabowski said the time needed to find and negotiate a land purchase is hard to predict. Since the money for any additional cost is already in hand from stormwater bond proceeds, the potential additional expense won't be hanging over city or taxpayer heads, no matter when it is incurred.
The draft agreement also calls for the park district to grant the city an easement over the east portion of Golden Meadows for stormwater drainage.
Advertisement
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Divvy bicyclists renting bikes on Kinzie St. just east of State St.. Wednesday April 13, 2016. There have been zero fatalities nationwide in 10 years of the bike share programs with a low overall number of crashes. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)
Evanston will receive 100 Divvy bikes at 10 stations in the bike-share operation's first foray into Chicago's northern suburbs this week.
Divvy is officially expected to start installing stations on Wednesday and then again on Friday, weather depending, said Katherine Knapp, the city's transportation and mobility coordinator, in a report to the Evanston City Council on Monday night.
Advertisement
The stations will go "live," as they are installed, she said, allowing riders registered with the service to immediately begin using the system.
Divvy stations will be scattered throughout the city, located near train stops, Evanston Township High School, Northwestern University's campus and downtown.
Advertisement
Information on station locations can be found at DivvyBikes.com/Evanston.
Divvy bikes will allow short trips within Evanston or across Chicago's network of more than 580 stations, officials said.
In addition to its expansion into Evanston, Divvy is also opening 13 new stations in Oak Park as well as more than 85 new locations in Chicago this summer, officials said.
Evanston officials have championed "multi-modal" transportation options for residents beyond car travel. The city has already built more than 50 miles of bike facilities, including protected bike lanes in the downtown and along Dodge Avenue, as well as signed bike routes, officials said.
"I'm excited to welcome the Divvy Bike Share program to Evanston," said Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl in a statement Friday. "Divvy provides community members and visitors access to an easy, healthy, affordable and environmentally friendly way to complete their last mile of travel or an option for quick trips around town."
Because of the costs of installing and operating the city nearly $600,000 for the city by year's end officials are hoping that private sponsors will emerge to support the system's future expansion.
Knapp said Monday that Northwestern, NorthShore University HealthSytem, Valli Produce and Presence Saint Francis are all sponsors of the program.
In connection with Divvy's arrival, the city is hosting a two-mile free community Divvy ride, leaving at noon from Fountain Square, Davis Street and Sherman Avenue, on Friday, Knapp said.
Advertisement
The tour is limited to 20 people, so the city is encouraging interested riders to reserve their Divvy bike at downtownevanston.org to secure their Divvy bike for the ride, Knapp said.
She said the city will be offering special discounts to community on memberships to Divvy, Knapp said, which normally run $99 a year.
Staff will announce through its Bike Evanston twitter page, @bikeevanston, when the summer discount codes will be available, she said.
bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter @evanstonscribe
Following a community meeting held last week to address criminal activity in the area surrounding Evanston's Smith Park, the Evanston Police Department conducted a roll call Monday night at the park to address residents' concerns about crime and provide face to face time between neighbors and members of the city's police force. (Lee V. Gaines / Pioneer Press)
Moving forward with violence reduction in his ward and the city of Evanston as a whole, two things need to happen, says Evanston Ald. Peter Braithwaite, 2nd. He said neighbors must get to know and interact with one another and the same goes for the police officers assigned to patrol their neighborhoods.
Braithwaite and Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl met with residents from the Smith Park neighborhoodan area that straddles both the city's 2nd and 5th Wardslast week in response to recent criminal activity in the area. Following the neighborhood meeting, EPD conducted a roll call at the park Monday night, after which officers assigned to patrol the area introduced themselves to the dozen or so residents who attended the event.
Advertisement
Braithwaite said residents in the area have voiced concerns over criminal activities occurring in and around Smith Park, which sits at the corner of Ashland Avenue and Lyons Street, in addition to a lack of communication between neighbors and the police officers assigned to patrol the neighborhood. Braithwaite said residents were particularly upset by a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of June 20 in which three teens, all boys, were wounded in the 1700 block of Dodge Avenueroughly a block and a half away from Smith Park.
Putting neighbors face to face with officers "is what today is all about," Braithwaite said in an interview during the roll call event.
Advertisement
Evanston police Chief Richard Eddington, who attended Monday's roll call, said the event was held to assuage residents' concerns about crime in the area and to allow neighbors the opportunity to mingle with police officers.
He said the department and the city are taking steps to combat violence throughout Evanston. Eddington touted the mayor's summer youth employment program and the department's gun buy-back program, which allows residents the opportunity to sell guns they no longer want, and EPD's "violence reduction strategy," which has resulted in the recovery of dozens of guns illegally possessed and used for criminal purposes, as useful tools in the fight to mitigate violence and crime in the city.
Since the department implemented its violence reduction strategy, Dugan said in an email Tuesday, the department has recovered 71 guns from the streets of Evanston.
Mayor Tisdahl, who also attended the roll call, said the city also plans to implement a program that would provide "wraparound services" for the "20 or 30 most gang-involved young people." Job training will encompass a major component of the services, she said, adding that she hopes economic opportunities will disincentivize participation in gang activity.
"My hope is jobs will be a solution," Tisdahl said.
Anna Renee Ross, editor of the 5th Ward WEST newsletter, said the burden to reduce crime in the city doesn't solely lay with EPD or city government, but that residents must also step up to the plate if they want their voices to be heard.
Ross attended last week's Smith Park neighbors meeting at the Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center and said she was surprised to see residents from other parts of the city at the gathering. She said in total about 50 people showed up to the meeting.
The Smith Park neighbors who attended the community gathering agreed to regularly meet for coffee in the park every Sunday, Ross said, with the first meet-up held earlier this week. The purpose of the weekly activity is to send a message to would-be criminals in the area that Smith Park belongs to the residents and their families, Ross said.
Advertisement
Head of the Smith Park Neighbors Group, Robert Lomb, said shootings, robberies, bicycle thefts and other criminal activity negatively impacts the neighborhood. He said coffee in the park is a way for residents "to take the park back."
Ross said residents must take the initiative when it comes to reducing crime in the area.
"Sundays in the park is about that. We want to be the defining force behind what happens next," she said.
Braithwaite said EPD personnel will meet with Smith Park residents again within the next month to discuss ongoing public safety concerns and the efforts being made to address them.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The Beatrice City Council discussed implementing a new residential rental inspection program at Mondays work session, as improving housing remains an objective of the councils strategic plan.
We found two communities in Nebraska that have such a program: La Vista and south Sioux City, City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer told the council. The way it works is that if you want to have a residential property in the city and you want to lease it or rent it out, you must acquire a license from the city. Its an annual license.
The license divides rental dwellings into one of three categories: Class A, Class B and Class N.
Class A is a rental property with minor or no code violations. Class A properties would be inspected every two years after the initial registration.
Class B is a rental property with major code violations. Class B properties would be inspected every year.
Class N is a new construction, to be inspected every three years.
If a violation is found, the property owner would get a notice. For a minor violation, the property owner would have to correct it before the next inspection. A major violation would need to be corrected before the property is leased out.
I think its a really good thing that you are trying to do because there are a lot of properties that dont meet these safe and sanitary conditions -- the windows dont open, theres no smoke detectors, etc., said Lynn Remmers, executive director of the Beatrice Housing Authority. I probably get three calls a week complaining about a landlord. Its been as bad as My landlord wont fix my furnace, he told me to use my stove.
Remmers wasnt the only Beatrice official to praise the council on Monday night.
I want to commend the council for looking at this. I know its not an easy subject to broach and I know that with anything that is worthwhile, there will be some controversy with that, said Pat Nauroth, superintendent of Beatrice Public Schools. To me when I look at children and families, one of the first things I look at is quality of life and their housing.... Personally I think it is something that we need to be doing as a community.
The new program's intention is to improve housing for residents in Beatrice who dont often have a voice at City Council meetings.
We are trying to find a way to raise that minimum standard for life and safety, and make sure that people have good, safe housing, Tempelmeyer said. Well make contact with the Rental Association and get feedback from them.
The next step will be for members of the council to meet with the Beatrice Rental Association to hash out any potential objections to the proposal.
I think its a good start, concluded Mayor Stan Wirth.
The vast majority of people boarding the Metra Train Sunday morning in Libertyville are heading the the Pride Parade in Chicago on June 26, 2016. (Michael Schmidt / Lake County News-Sun)
Pride in the gay community was evident in Lake County Sunday morning as dozens waited at the Libertyville Metra station to go to the annual Chicago Pride Parade.
Samantha Bone, 22, of Libertyville, said she was going to the parade for the first time.
Advertisement
"I just want to support that community," she said, "I'm pretty excited to see all the people."
Bone went to the parade with her mother, Terri Bone, who said she was not concerned about safety after recent attacks and threats to the gay community around the country.
Advertisement
On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others were injured during a shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. That same day authorities arrested an Indiana man with alleged plans to bring a cache of weapons to the L.A. Pride festival.
"We were planning to go, but considering the shooting makes it a little more poignant," Terri Bone said.
Samantha Bone's cousin, 28-year-old Lindsey Lewis of Rock Hill, S.C., also went to the parade. Lewis said she has been to pride parades in New York, Atlanta and Charlottesville, Va.
"And Chicago is considered the second biggest to go to," Lewis said.
A.J. Milunas, Nell McGuan and Alyssa Stokovich, all 18-year-olds from Libertyville, also said they were not concerned about safety.
"Personally, I knew I was going to go anyway," Milunas said. "But some people were scared of going."
Stokovich added: "Security is going to be amped up ... so it's safer this year. My parents said just be aware of your surroundings."
Getting interviewed before hopping on the Metra Train in Libertyville to go to the Pride Parade in Chicago (from left) Sunday morning are Jillian Filler, Becca Smrz, Matthew Price, Becky DeAcetas and Alo Garcia Escober, all 17 of Libertyville on June 26, 2016. (Michael Schmidt / Lake County News-Sun)
Friends Eric Perez, Baylie Mabbett, Brianna Feltner and Liliana Zavala, all 17-year-olds from Gurnee, said they were concerned, but decided to go anyway.
Advertisement
"Our parents didn't want us to go, but I feel it will be more secure (since the Orlando shooting)," Mabbett said.
Zavala added: "We are showing support for the movement."
Alo Garcia Escober, 17, of Libertyville, said his parents were worried about him going to the parade.
"I just told them we'd be fine and text them every so often," he said.
Escobar and his friends said they felt it was important to support the gay community.
Mikayla Rozhon, 18, of Mundelein, said she too was going to support the community.
Advertisement
"Everyone loves everyone now," she said of the attitude young people have toward the LGBT community.
Kayla Norris, 18, of Mundelein, added: "Everyone has someone (who is gay) in the family now."
fabderholden@tribpub.com
Twitter @abderholden
A sign warning the public not to swim in a channel south of Waukegan Municipal Beach is posted west of the spot where a local teenage boy jumped in and drowned June 24, 2016, in what police say was an attempt to swim the channel with his brother. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)
The city of Waukegan has been trying to keep people away from the channel where a teenager drowned Friday, the second drowning in that location in the past five years, a police official said.
The boy's body was found after a search that lasted more than four hours in waters up to 20 feet deep, Fire Chief George Bridges Jr. said. The boy went missing when swimming with relatives in the channel south of Waukegan Municipal Beach.
Advertisement
The Lake County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy Monday and confirmed the cause of death was drowning, Chief Deputy Coroner Orlando Portillo said. A toxicology report takes 10 days.
The boy's name is being withheld, Portillo said.
Advertisement
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a call that three males had been swimming in the Waukegan channel when one went under and did not resurface, Coast Guard Ensign Zachary Hall said. The other two were rescued from the water by "a good Samaritan" boater.
Waukegan officers, who were dispatched to the beach at 3:20 p.m. after receiving a 911 call, spoke with a boy who said the missing person was his brother, Waukegan police Cmdr. Joe Florip said.
Florip said the boy told police his brother began to struggle in the water and he tried but was unable to assist him, then called or asked someone to call 911 immediately afterward.
The drowning took place in the same area as a June 2010 drowning in which a 21-year-old man attempted to swim across the channel, which runs between two break walls one on the north end of Waukegan Harbor and the other bordering south beach and Stiner Pavilion.
Also in June 2010, Waukegan police rescued a woman after she struggled while trying to swim in the same area.
Florip said the city is working to keep people away from the channel to avoid more drownings.
"We can't have anyone swimming in that channel, period," Florip said.
The city has put "a lot of money and effort" in improvements to the public beach, which is "literally steps away from the channel," he said.
Advertisement
While the channel is unpredictable and has dangerous undercurrents, Florip said, the beach area is much more safe and now features new beach equipment and beach rangers to make the public beach an attractive and safe place.
A sign warning the public not to swim in a channel south of Waukegan Municipal Beach is posted west of the spot where a local teen jumped in and drowned June 24, 2016, in what police say was an attempt to swim the channel with his brother. (Yadira Sanchez Olson / Lake County News-Sun)
"No swimming" signs are posted along the breakwater, and signs warning "No Lifeguard on Duty. Swim at Your Own Risk" are along the route to the beach and on the shore, city spokesman David Motley said, adding that he wasn't sure if additional signs would be posted.
The city has not provided lifeguards at the beach since 2009, when budget cuts forced their elimination.
The new beach rangers are responsible for keeping the beach, parking lots and picnic areas clean by picking up litter and emptying garbage cans, Motley said.
The rangers were the first to call 911 to report the emergency Friday, he said.
According to Motley, the city doesn't have jurisdiction in the water beyond the beach or in the nearby commercial harbor, which is controlled by the Waukegan Port District.
Advertisement
The Lake County sheriff's office has a boat dedicated to supplemental safety patrols along the Lake Michigan coastline, department spokesman Chris Covelli said. Patrols also are conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police.
The sheriff's office has four boats and two personal watercraft to patrol the Chain O'Lakes, and another boat that can be deployed at some of the other inland lakes as needed, Covelli said.
emcoleman@tribpub.com
jrnewton@tribpub.com
Twitter @mekcoleman
Twitter @JimNewton5
Like a number of private residents and public bodies, officials at Lincolnshire-Prairie View Elementary District 103 recently decided to test the quality of their own water supply following the water crisis in Flint, Mich.
The results from the district's testing were reassuring, Scott Guanky, district director of facilities, recently told district board members.
Advertisement
"Everything that was tested was below the EPA standard," he said.
In some of the water fountains at the district's three buildings, the amount of lead is so low it cannot be traced, he said. Following guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, District 103 officials took samples April 12 from 45 fountains and five sinks used for cooking or medical needs, according to the district.
Advertisement
The EPA guidelines considers water acceptable with 15 parts per billion of lead or less, while the agency's tests cannot measure anything lower than two parts per billion, according to the EPA's website. At District 103, water testing results showed all five sinks and 40 of the 45 drinking fountains with less than two parts per billion of lead, Guanky said.
The other five fountains tested between five and 10 ppb. District administrators would replace those five fountains this summer with filtered ones to help improve quality, they said in a letter recently sent to parents
Superintendent Scott Warren said he was satisfied with the overall testing results at the district.
"I was very pleased and proud that our drinking water is safe for our kids," he said.
Many public bodies and even private individuals have done independent tests to check lead levels in drinking water supplies after a residential water supply in Flint became contaminated with dangerously high levels of lead. Chicago Public Schools has found so far from its own testing that some water fixtures in 23 of 78 buildings have lead levels higher than a federal threshold.
The water that students drink out of fountains in District 103 comes from Lake Michigan through the Highland Park municipal system, which sells some of its supply to Lincolnshire officials.
Lincolnshire then routes some water to the schools. The District 103 letter sent to parents said Lincolnshire tests for lead in its residential water supply every three years.
rwachter@pioneerlocal.com
Advertisement
Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer
As part of a merger with Loaves & Fishes, Janet Derrick, executive director of Naperville CARES,will become vice president of Loaves & Fishes CARES Programs. (Mike Mantucca / Naperville Sun)
Two Naperville-based nonprofit organizations will combine forces to fight hunger and fortify support services to help households achieve self-sufficiency.
At its End Hunger fundraiser Saturday night, Loaves & Fishes Community Services interim CEO and board Chairman Mike Havala announced it will merge with Naperville CARES effective July 1.
Advertisement
The union will provide significant benefits to the clients who use the services of Loaves & Fishes and Naperville CARES, which in turn benefits the entire community, Havala said.
"Our combined entity will be better positioned as a key leader in the nonprofit community because we will be able to leverage the expertise of both organizations in addressing local hunger and poverty and benefiting our neighbors," Havala said.
Advertisement
Janet Derrick, executive director of Naperville CARES, said clients will benefit from the new streamlined effort because resource referrals will be in one location.
"Naperville CARES and Loaves & Fishes are well-aligned in mission, culture and values, plus we will be able to optimize the level of care offered in the community," she said.
Organizationally, Naperville CARES will fall under the umbrella of Loaves & Fishes Community Services, which provides groceries and essential support services to more than 2,800 suburban Chicago families each month to both assist and empower clients to achieve self-sufficiency.
The emergency assistance and car program provided through Naperville CARES will be integrated with all nonfood services offered by the larger agency and renamed Loaves & Fishes CARES Programs.
Havala will continue to lead the expanded organization as chairman of the board and will serve as interim chief executive officer until a permanent CEO is named. The four directors on the Naperville CARES board will join Loaves & Fishes' board.
Also in the agreement, Derrick will become the vice president of Loaves & Fishes CARES Programs. Naperville CARES employees will join the staff of Loaves & Fishes, and volunteers will assimilate into the Loaves & Fishes environment.
Naperville CARES workers eventually will relocate from their Fifth Avenue home south of Naperville North High School to the Loaves & Fishes facility at 1871 High Grove Lane in Naperville. Derrick said the time of the move still is being discussed.
In the meantime, operations at both organizations will continue as usual, and changes will be gradual over the next six months as the two integrate.
Advertisement
The big benefits for clients, according to Derrick, will be more immediate access to resources and less time filling out applications.
Derrick said time can be a commodity for a client who already is juggling a job and family.
"It really will be great for clients to have one place to go for referrals," she said. "It certainly will cut down on the time between referrals."
Havala said the union also will make for greater efficiencies so more dollars can be applied to people in the community rather than on overhead such as rent.
Havala said one of the catalysts for the pairing was Loaves & Fishes' work developing its 2015 strategic plan in areas that will help households become self-sufficient.
"The philosophy is getting people on the other side of the line and how to break the cycle of poverty," he said.
Advertisement
Since Loaves & Fishes and Naperville CARES have referred clients both ways for years, the idea of joining efforts in order to achieve that long-range goal made sense, Havala said. The two organizations began efforts to galvanize means to combine in the spring.
"I'm so impressed by the collaborative efforts of the boards and staff of both Loaves & Fishes Community Services and Naperville CARES for making this merger appear so seamless, even though I know it has taken a great deal of work to get to this point," said David McGowan, president of the DuPage Foundation. "I've watched both agencies grow their programs exponentially over the years, and this is an opportunity to expand their efforts even further. This is a fantastic possibility for clients who will be able to access multiple services from the same location. I have a feeling this will serve as a model of success as others consider this path."
subaker@tribpub.com
Twitter @SBakerSun1
State Sen. Julie Morrison, D-29, talks Monday to Nate Ruben of Ruben Digital Media about trying to drive down the cost of opening new businesses, after a Northbrook Chamber of Commerce legislative forum. (Irv Leavitt / Pioneer Press)
Traffic has done it.
State Sen. Julie Morrison, D-29, said Monday that news that road construction projects could be suspended soon seems to have applied the pressure on General Assembly leadership behind at least a partial, temporary compromise that could be passed this week, a year into the state budget impasse.
Advertisement
"I can't go into Walgreens without somebody saying, 'What's going on, and what are you going to do about it?'" she said.
She said if the Deerfield Road reconstruction project were to be stopped where it was, she feared for drivers unfamiliar with the territory, who would have to deal "with trenches and impassible" areas.
Advertisement
Morrison was one of three area legislators along with Laura Fine, D-17, and Robyn Gabel, D-18 at the dais of the annual Northbrook Chamber of Commerce annual legislative lunch on June 27.
Charles Feinstein told Democratic legislators at a Northbrook Chamber of Commerce function that they aren't doing a good job keeping Illinois expenses in check. (Irv Leavitt / Pioneer Press)
The three Democratic Illinois state legislators told the gathering of Northbrook-area business people that the budget impasse wasn't their fault, but they didn't get out of the room without being accused by a few people of being a big part of the problem.
Charles Feinstein, a Northbrook surgeon, said the Democrats blame the budget stalemate on Gov. Bruce Rauner, though their own draft budget was in the red.
Gabel said the draft budgets are subject to give-and-take, and that process has been missing for a year.
Morrison said that after she and the other legislators return to work on June 29, they hope to vote on at least part of a compromise, one that might that allow some of the state's pressing bills to be paid over the next half-year, for road construction and for schools.
Fine said her party had not fought for an extension of the extra income tax in exchange for working on a budget solution, but hadn't gotten far with that tactic.
Fine said that Illinois' big pension debt needs an influx of cash, probably from income taxes, after years of prior budget cuts. More legislation to cut back on future pensions won't help, she said.
"The big problem," Fine said, "is not what's coming, but paying for what's been promised already. And we can't change that."
Advertisement
Some in Monday's crowd of about 100 wanted to solve that problem by changing the state constitution, but the legislators said that can't be done again until 2030, according to the constitution. Constitutional conventions can only be scheduled every 20 years, Gabel said.
The basic premise of state employees negotiating for benefits didn't sit well with some of the business people in the room at the Crowne Plaza in Prospect Heights.
"I just don't understand why people who work for the state can belong to unions," Ira Holtzman of Northbrook's Lower Electric said.
ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @IrvLeavitt
Spilt Milk Pastry is headed to103 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park.Sisters Meg and Molly Svec are hoping for a late July or mid-August opening. (Caitlin Mullen / Pioneer Press)
As they prepare to open a bakery in the Hemingway District of Oak Park, sisters Meg and Molly Svec said they're lucky their skills complement each other.
"We are constantly talking to each other, to the point that it annoys those around us," Molly Svec said with a laugh.
Advertisement
The sisters, owners of Spilt Milk Pastry, are setting up shop at 103 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park. They're hoping for a late July or mid-August opening.
The former salon space approximately 800 square feet will undergo mostly cosmetic renovations and feature seating for about 10 people, Meg Svec said.
Advertisement
"We're not doing too much to it. It's actually in pretty good shape," she said.
The sisters started the business in fall 2015. Molly Svec, a pastry chef whose resume includes time at popular Chicago spots Blackbird and Hoosier Mama Pie Company in Chicago, and Bouchon in New York City, returned from working in Nantucket and felt the time was right to start her own bakery.
"This has always been a dream of Molly's," Meg Svec said.
After exploring several different areas, the Hemingway District of Oak Park, with its proximity to the CTA's Green Line train, seemed like the right fit. Meg Svec recently moved to Oak Park; Molly Svec lives in Chicago.
"Everyone is so friendly, so receptive. It just felt like home," Molly Svec said. "It just seemed like everyone was wanting to help us."
The sisters plan to offer pies, cakes, cookies, savory pot pies and more. Grab-and-go items like muffins, scones and breakfast sandwiches made with cheddar biscuits likely will be popular options for commuters, they said.
"We love being so close to the train, and we're really pumped about offering breakfast sandwiches," Molly Svec said. Also for sale: packaged granola and chocolate candies.
While Molly Svec brings the culinary expertise, Meg Svec a product manager at a software company and the older sister by 18 months helps with prep and will handle front-of-house type tasks.
Advertisement
"I feel like I tend to be a perfectionist and Meg is my voice of reason," Molly Svec said. "I think we end up having a really, really good time in the kitchen together."
Molly Svec said they focus on local and organic ingredients, so prices may be a bit higher than traditional bakeries. Small pastries start at $2, and breakfast sandwiches start at $6. Six-inch pies start at $9, and 9-inch pies start at $28.
Viktor Schrader, economic development manager for the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, said the location chosen requires a relatively straightforward build-out, which is a benefit. Jim Solnes, managing broker of the space, thinks the bakery will complement the existing businesses within the district.
"Ownership is thrilled and excited to have Spilt Milk and the opportunity that it brings to the street and the Hemingway District," he said.
Once open, Molly Svec said they're hoping to partner with other businesses in the local food scene.
"It's such a vibrant little strip to be starting out on," Meg Svec said. "We really hope when people come into our bakery, they think of us as friends and neighbors."
Advertisement
Spilt Milk Pastry, 103 S. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park, will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, although hours may change. For more information, visit www.spiltmilkpastry.com.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Officials gathered at the Indian Creek Mall in Beatrice Tuesday to break ground on a new coffee shop in Gage County.
Construction is now underway on Scooters Coffee, which will be located near the intersection of Sixth Street and Industrial Row, directly north of Security First Bank.
Katie Kieffer, who will run the Scooters Coffee franchise in Beatrice, said she was excited to break ground on the new location, and is eager to open the shop.
Im just ready to hit the ground running, get this thing open and start meeting people, she said. Thats my favorite part of the whole thing, building relationships with the community, and its more fun in a smaller community.
Permits for the location were issued in April, and Kieffer expects Scooters to be operational before the end of the year.
Plans to launch a Scooters in Beatrice were announced last October, after the Kieffer family was announced as a new Nebraska franchisee with Scooters Coffee last August.
Walker Zulkoski, director of the NGage economic development group, commended Kieffer for seeing the process through, despite several delays as officials worked with the city.
These projects dont happen overnight, Zulkoski said. Theres a lot of going back and forth and a lot of negotiations and things you have to jump through. We really appreciate Katie sticking through it.
Kieffer is currently a manager at one of the Scooter's locations in Lincoln and will own and operate the store in Beatrice. She intends to relocate to Beatrice and work from the Scooters full time.
We are so excited to open the store and finally be able to serve the community of Beatrice, Kieffer said. Its taken quite a while, but its finally here and I cant wait.
The Scooters store will be a walk-in building with a drive-thru window.
In March, the Beatrice City Council vacated and replatted a lot into two smaller lots for the location.
Scooters Coffee is originally based out of Omaha, and has been serving coffee for around 17 years.
When in operation, the Beatrice location is expected to employ 10-12 people.
Let there be pizza! The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board on June 27 found a palatable solution to the elementary school hot lunch program put it on the back burner.
Board members approved a plan moved by board member Tom Sotos to have schools maintain a modified status quo for at least a year.
Advertisement
"What we're voting is temporary so we're going to have to vote again [in a year]," Sotos said.
As far as parents and kids and parent-teacher groups are concerned, officials said nothing will change except that the district will be in compliance with the city of Park Ridge's food safety concerns.
Advertisement
"This is better for food safety and better for the district in terms of liability," District 64 spokeswoman Bernadette Tramm said.
Pizza one day a week won't change, either. The district will hire a part-time food service certified employee to train and oversee parent-teacher group volunteers and make sure food is handled properly, check food temperatures and maintain cleanliness, Chief School Business Official Luann Kolstad said.
Currently, parent-teacher groups contract with outside food vendors to run their own hot lunch program, plus pizza, several days a week. Parent-teacher groups would have to provide proof of liability insurance and be in compliance with the city's food service regulations.
"Parents won't see any change this year unless a school changes a vendor," Kolstad said.
The administration estimates the employee will cost about $7,500 a year.
"If the [staff recommended] alternative passes [next year] to have a full-blown hot lunch, the cost is built in to get recouped," Sotos said. "If that alternative fails, I propose we eat that cost for the first year. If we move on [and maintain the status quo], that burden gets passed on to the [parent-teacher groups]. It wouldn't be fair to pass it on to them now and expect them to come up with the money over the summer."
The staff proposal the board explored Monday recommended selecting Arbor, the company that currently provides hot food service to District 64's two middle schools, to expand its operations to include elementary schools four days a week with one day reserved for parent-teacher groups fundraisers. The rationale, Superintendent Laurie Heinz and Kolstad said, was to provide efficiency, oversight for food safety and standardized, healthy and tasty food.
Board members took that recommendation off the menu for this year to take the time to digest the proposal over the next year.
Advertisement
"I feel, as many of [the other board members] said, a little rushed," Sotos said. "This is very, very well presented. The administration did an amazing job this second go-round to get us to understand why this is happening and why the district needs it. And some time in the future, I will vote yes for (and elementary) hot lunch program."
But the district isn't ready for it, Sotos said.
"Now is a great opportunity to say to Arbor: 'We like you, but we're going to take the opportunity to make this district-wide so we need to know we're in the right place with the right (vendor) at the right time with the right price and the right quality,' " Sotos said. "So we should use the next [year] to do that."
And again, there will be pizza!
Mario Bartoletti is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The case of a Chicago-area man who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after being accused of rape at Indiana University is drawing comparisons to a California case that reinvigorated a national debate over sex assaults on college campuses
Former IU student John P. Enochs, 22, of Downers Grove, pleaded guilty Friday in Monroe County, Ind., to a count of battery and was sentenced to one year of probation after rape counts in two separate incidents against him were dismissed.
Advertisement
The conviction on a reduced charge further added to the national discussion taking place this month over what critics called a light sentence for a Stanford student convicted of sexual assaulting a woman who had passed out from drinking.
Indiana prosecutors on Monday released a statement that discussed what they said were evidence problems in both cases involving Enochs. But his attorney, Katharine Liell, of Bloomington, Ind., said a badly flawed investigation conducted by university police led to unfounded charges against her client.
Advertisement
"John Enochs did not rape anyone, and he should never have been charged with these offenses," Liell said Monday.
Prosecutors said the case was "frustrating" because there were two separate allegations made against Enochs, one from 2015 and another from two years before.
"That fact is the reason we continued to pursue accountability on his part, which led to this plea agreement," Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Miller said.
In an interview Monday, Liell acknowledged the case against Enochs was drawing extra scrutiny in national news stories and on social media coming in the wake of the controversial sex assault sentencing of Stanford student Brock Turner.
Turner, 20, drew a six-month sentence this month for sexually assaulting a woman who was unconscious from drinking behind a university fraternity house. The light sentence for Turner, a scholarship swimming athlete, raised questions about male privilege and unequal treatment, especially after the victim made a heartfelt statement in court about how the assault had affected her.
But Liell said the facts in Enochs' case differ from Turner's. Turner, she noted, tried to flee when two witnesses saw him on top of the woman.
"That's a sign of consciousness of guilt," she said.
Enochs, though, cooperated with police throughout, and there was no evidence in his case that either woman named in the incidents was unconscious, Liell said. Both, though, had consumed alcohol, and the woman in the 2013 case reportedly told authorities her drinking had made her "unaware" of sex, authorities said.
Advertisement
Enochs was charged with raping a woman at an IU fraternity party in 2015, and that investigation led to charges for a 2013 incident involving another student at her sorority house.
According to the statement from Monroe prosecutors, both cases presented significant issues.
"(In the 2015 case), there is video evidence of activities of the complaining witness, before and after the alleged assault, which does not support the assertion of a forcible rape," prosecutors said. "There is also DNA evidence that is problematic, and made it impossible for us to prove that the defendant was the cause of her injury."
There was also an evidence issue in the 2013 case, prosecutors said.
"There were photographs that contradicted the assertion that the complaining witness was incapable of engaging in consensual activity shortly before the alleged assault," the statement read. "This is important because the complaint was that she was 'unaware' that the sex was occurring due to her consumption of alcohol."
The woman's decision to press charges two years after the alleged assault also hindered the investigation, prosecutors said.
Advertisement
The woman in the 2015 incident filed a lawsuit this week against IU and Enochs' fraternity. Both failed in their duty to protect her from sexual assault, the suit alleges. The university did not return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment on the suit, which does not name Enochs as a defendant.
Sharmili Majmudar, executive director of Chicago-based Rape Victim Advocates, said cases like Enochs' point out the need for frank talk about sexual violence and consent. Such discussions, she said, should be part of freshman orientation at every college.
But the discussions need to start long before then, she said.
"You can talk about respecting one another. And you can talk about that at an appropriate level with a 3-year-old, and you can build on that," she said. "By the time you get to college, it will feel natural to talk about respect and consent."
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
Doris Stringer is used to people with badges and clipboards looking over her work.
The owner of three "Dori's Food Stuff" trailers, Stringer works about 25 festivals a summer. Two focus on elephant ears, the third offers standard fair fare curly fries and that sort of thing. And with every event, the Valparaiso woman's trailers get a visit from the local county's health department.
Advertisement
"Usually they inspect when you're open because your meat has to be the right temperature," she said, adding she also has to have a food-grade hose for providing water. "We've had to go through ServSafe training through the state of Indiana."
That requires taking and passing a class on food safety, tackling topics from the safe storage and cooking temperatures for hot and cold foods to proper sanitization procedures.
Advertisement
"When I first started out we didn't even deal with the health department. We really didn't have any rules," said Stringer, a 35-year veteran of the festival scene who spent last weekend in Munster at the St. Thomas More Church festival.
The constant inspections are for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the federal agency estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans, or 48 million people, get sick from foodborne illnesses.
Of that number, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
To handle the summer upswing in inspections, the Porter County Health Department hires a part-time employee to do inspections at temporary events, said Mary Evett, program coordinator for that department's food service division.
Those events include everything from food trucks at ongoing farmers markets, like those in Valparaiso, Chesterton and Portage, to the 10-day county fair and weekend festivals. All of the vendors require permits from the health department.
An inspector typically shows up shortly after a vendor opens "to ensure they are set up properly and the food is at the proper temperature, and they have hand washing stations," Evett said, as well making sure counter surfaces and serving utensils are properly sanitized.
Ongoing events like the farmers market require monthly check-ins with vendors, she said, though if a vendor warrants it, the health department will check in on them more frequently.
During the fair, Evett said food vendors get inspected at least twice and one or two inspectors are on-site during the event to make sure that happens. Weekend-long festivals, such as Nativity of Our Savior Parish's annual festival next month in Portage, garner a single inspection.
Advertisement
Once in a while, Evett said, inspectors find something egregious during an inspection but that doesn't happen frequently.
"Quite frankly, if we had a problem with a food vendor at the fair, the fair board wouldn't invite them back," she said. "The fair board wants the public to have a good experience."
Valpo Velvet in Valparaiso added a second mobile truck last year and its employees are well familiar with the inspection process, said Cathy Brown, who owns the ice cream shop with her husband, Mike.
Because the shop's mobile units, a trailer and a truck, don't serve hot food, the inspection process is somewhat simplified but still require that refrigerators and freezers be kept at a certain temperature. The food trucks also require fresh running water, proper sanitation, and for workers to wear hairnets and latex gloves.
"We follow the rules. We have to, and they're for the safety of people," Brown said. "Between the truck and the trailer and the shop, I always feel like we're being inspected."
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
A Skokie day care was cited by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for numerous rule violations after a 23-month-old child in the facility's care managed to slip away unnoticed by staff in late May.
Niles resident Jorina Fontelera Miller said her daughter, Julianne, was able to leave the Mosaic Early Childhood Center at 4023 Dempster St. through an opening between the facility's playground and a recently installed fence surrounding the adjacent First Bank and Trust at Dempster and Crawford Avenue. Both Miller and the owner of Mosaic, Nisha Bhojani, confirmed that the incident occurred about 11 a.m. May 26 while children were being moved from the day care's exterior playground back inside the building.
Advertisement
In an emailed statement to parents, Bhojani said the day care put up new fencing on the evening following Julianne's disappearance near the playground's entrance and exit "so that children are no longer able to access the gap that was created by the bank's fence. This is an extension to the existing fence Mosaic already had around its playground."
Additionally, she wrote, the facility implemented new head count procedures that require children to be counted before leaving the playground and again when they return to the classroom. Staff members will be required to record and sign a new counting log every time children are counted and additional employees will be assigned to assist with the transition between classroom and playground, Bhojani wrote.
Advertisement
Miller said, on the day of the incident, her daughter wandered through the bank's parking lot, down an alley running parallel to and between Keystone and Crawford avenues. A resident on Keystone discovered Julianne in an alley, guided her to the backyard of a residence the little girl said was hers and then realized she required further assistance, Miller said.
The Keystone resident and another neighbor took Julianne door to door, asking whether she belonged to those residents before eventually bringing her to the day care. One of the neighbors reported the incident to Skokie police.
Skokie police Officer Eric Swaback said the report was noncriminal and required no additional investigation by his department. He said the incident was investigated by DCFS.
In total, Miller said, her daughter was missing from the day care for 20 to 30 minutes.
"From my understanding, no one (from the day care) went out to look for her," she said.
According to documents posted on the DCFS website, the day care was cited for numerous rule violations on May 27 a day after Julianne's brief disappearance from the facility. One of the rules violated includes the stipulation that no child should be left unattended at a state-licensed day care. The facility has until the end of June to come into full compliance, according to DCFS documents.
Veronica Resa, deputy director of communications for DCFS, said Mosaic has already remedied the issue by putting up a barrier to make sure no children are able to slip through the same gap Julianne discovered.
"Unfortunately, the child got through a natural barrier that apparently no child has gone through before," Resa said. "It was quickly remedied." She added that DCFS will step up its monitoring of Mosaic.
Advertisement
She said the incident was alarming to the department because "children's safety is paramount to everything we do." Resa added, however, that the department believes Mosaic, which is accredited by the National Advancement of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is working with DCFS investigators "in good faith and coming into compliance."
"They are not a problematic day care," she said. Resa said DCFS did not impose any monetary fines on the day care as a result of the rule violations.
Miller said she was "livid" when she discovered staff at the facility had lost track of her daughter.
"Accidents happen, sure, but you would think if a toddler disappears from your group, you would start looking for the child ... really I'm just in shock or I was in shock that they could be so negligent," she said. Miller said she immediately took her daughter, who had attended Mosaic for about a year prior to the incident, out of the day care and has since found another facility to care for her.
Miller said the incident should not have happened in the first place had Mosaic been following the proper rules and procedures from the start.
"If it takes something bad happening for them to change their ways, is it worth the wait? They should be proactively looking at their staff or their set up to make sure their kids are safe," she said. "Maybe more visits from DCFS will change that."
Advertisement
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A California police practices expert said Friday the lead investigator behind what is arguably one of Nebraska's most infamous criminal cases may have done things differently than he would've, but the police work generally fell within accepted practices for 1989.
"Like I said, his style is not my style," Robert Prevot testified of Gage County Sheriff's Deputy Burdette Searcey.
In interrogations, Searcey may have slammed down papers and spoken harshly to suspects, but Prevot said he didn't see anyone being threatened or bright lights shined in their faces.
"Like I said, it was pretty normal," he said.
Prevot, who has 34 years of experience in law enforcement in California, now works as a consultant for the firm Martinelli & Associates.
By the end of 2014, the firm had billed Gage County $60,000 to review police and sheriff's reports on the case.
In 1989, Searcey and the sheriff's office got credit for solving Beatrice widow Helen Wilson's murder and rape four years earlier and arresting six people: Joseph White, JoAnn Taylor, Tom Winslow, Deb Shelden, James Dean and Kathy Gonzalez.
White fought for DNA testing, and in 2008, results of tests on evidence from the decades-old crime scene showed that drifter Bruce Allen Smith an early suspect in the case had raped and murdered Wilson.
Now Searcey is on trial along with reserve deputy Dr. Wayne Price, former Sheriff Jerry DeWitt, who since has died, and Gage County for what attorneys for the six call a reckless investigation.
On Friday, the end of the third week of testimony, Prevot called it a once-in-a-lifetime case.
"It was extremely difficult to put a coherent story together," he said of what he counted to be 30 interviews of six defendants.
Advertisement
While Prevot found three issues with the 1985 investigation by Beatrice police, he had just one issue with what became a joint investigation with the sheriff's office in 1989. During an interrogation in Alabama, White asked for an attorney, but Searcey, Price and Police Investigator Sam Stevens kept asking questions.
While the procedure was wrong, nothing came of it. White always maintained he knew nothing of the crime.
Prevot acknowledged also that he had only reviewed reports written by the sheriff's office and police, not statements from the six about what happened during unrecorded parts of interrogations or what the sheriff would say when he delivered meals, or transcripts where three of the six talked about getting their memories back in dreams after working with Price.
"I can only talk about what I know," he said.
Prevot said his role was not to determine whether the results were right or wrong, but to determine whether the steps the deputies took followed police procedures.
After the jury left for the day, Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf, talking with the attorneys in open court, took issue with actions by the Nebraska State Patrol, which isn't a party to the case.
He called it a screw-up of "tremendous proportions" for Patrol investigators who went to Oklahoma in 1985 to collect blood, hair and fingerprints from Smith to rely on an Oklahoma officer to collect it, knowing the officer wanted to use Smith as an informant.
Then there was the State Patrol crime lab's 1989 report about forensic evidence that led to confusion about whether Gonzalez could have been the source of the blood at the scene, he said.
Kopf said a cynic might look at the state attorney general's 2008 report which concluded the six weren't involved following an investigation that began after the court-ordered DNA testing as a way to "cover the state."
"In my view, if Gage County gets hit ... the State of Nebraska ought to help Gage County pay your clients," he told attorney Jeff Patterson.
By Alexander Chipman Koty
Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently announced regulations barring foreign investment in the countrys enormous tobacco industry, blocking foreign invested enterprises and individual businesses from participating in tobacco wholesale, retail, and alternative forms of trading. These new restrictions come on the heels of various government efforts to reduce Chinas rampant tobacco use, with middling results to date.
There are over 320 million smokers in China, making it the worlds largest producer and consumer of tobacco products. While the Middle Kingdom comprises about 20 percent of the worlds population, it is responsible for 45 percent of all cigarettes consumed globally. With an ageing population, a shrinking work force, and an increasingly prosperous society with higher quality of life demands, China faces mounting pressure to look after its peoples well-being which comes at a significant price.
Tobacco cessation products and health care services stand to benefit from growing supervision of the tobacco industry. Although China is moving toward regulation, wavering government commitment stemming largely from the industrys huge profitability and deep-seated use within society stand in the way of stamping out tobaccos pervasive presence. The country remains a challenging market for tobacco cessation products and services.
Tobacco Use in China
Tobacco use is firmly entrenched in Chinese society, with applications ranging from day-to-day use to deeper cultural practices. Usage is starkly divided between the sexes 68 percent of Chinese men smoke, compared to only 3.2 percent of women. However, all are exposed to the negative health effects of smoking. Less than effective smoking restrictions in indoor and public places such as restaurants and offices means there are about 740 million Chinese exposed to secondhand smoke. As a result of widespread tobacco use and the countrys well-known issues with pollution, China has the most lung cancer diagnoses and fatalities in the world.
Social pressure for men to smoke is significant, and those who refuse cigarettes are often met with curious looks while making the one who offers lose face. In China, offering cigarettes is a symbolic way of establishing trust and forming relationships, particularly among strangers. Similarly to the deep-rooted drinking culture among business people, expensive cigarettes and tobacco products are commonly presented as gifts, and there is often pressure to smoke with coworkers and business partners. Compounded with these practices are ill-informed myths and misconceptions about tobacco, including beliefs that Asians are less susceptible to tobaccos negative health effects, that it is easy to quit, and that smoking is an ancient part of Chinese culture, according to the Lancet medical journal.
Government Involvement in the Tobacco Industry
The enormous Chinese tobacco market is dominated by the China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC), a state-owned enterprise (SOE) that is responsible for 98 percent of all cigarettes sold in China. The CNTC owns over 900 brands, from large ones such as Hong Shuangxi, Yun Yan, and Zhongnanhai, to smaller regional brands and derivatives. The CNTCs state monopoly has made the penetration of foreign brands largely unsuccessful, and only a small number of them have been historically manufactured in China. Foreign companies are only able to manufacture and sell their tobacco products through a joint venture with the CTNC. For example, Marlboro, one of the worlds largest tobacco brands, only started manufacturing in China in 2008 after coming to an agreement with the CNTC to promote Chinese brands overseas.
Government restriction of foreign competition is largely explained by tobaccos extraordinary profitability. Further, restricting foreign companies access to China increases the CNTCs leverage to access international markets and compete with established brands. An incredible 7-10 percent of all government revenue is through tobacco sales, giving the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) vast amounts of power. Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs younger brother headed the STMA until February 2015, demonstrating its stature. While the long term costs of medical services and premature losses of workers is higher than immediate profits, it is difficult for the government to jettison a steady source of revenue by committing to tobacco dissuasion at a time when other streams are slowing.
The uneven implementation of recent reforms points to this reluctance. The government issued a draft law for public consultation in late 2014 banning smoking in all indoor places and some outdoor ones, as well as restricting advertising, and in 2015 raised taxes on wholesale cigarettes from five to 11 percent. However, the government ultimately backtracked on many of its initial proposals, allowing restaurants, bars, hotels, and airports to have smoking sections and allowing smoking in individual offices. Combined with infrequent enforcement of existing restrictions, the laws do little to dissuade smoking.
The Tobacco Cessation Market
Government efforts to discourage smoking, however halfhearted, combined with Chinas massive smoking population offer immense but difficult to grasp potential for tobacco cessation products.
Tobacco cessation products encounter a variety of challenges attempting to penetrate the Chinese market. Nicotine patches are the most popular cessation product in China; other products with varying degrees of scientific credibility that are also used include e-cigarettes, toothpaste, cigarette holders, and Chinese medicines, among others. Product use is low, however. In 2014, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling its leading Nicorette product due to poor sales. Other companies like Pfizer and Novartis have entered the Chinese market calculating a long timeframe before costs can be recovered. Despite the lack of profits, foreign pharmaceutical companies face relatively little competition, as Venturepharm is the only Chinese company producing tobacco cessation medication.
Although e-cigarettes are often marketed as an anti-smoking product, many dispute this, arguing that they are just as bad, or even worse than regular cigarettes. Regardless, there is little awareness of e-cigarettes in China, and those who use them generally do so as a fashion statement. While about 90 percent of the worlds e-cigarettes are made in the southern city of Shenzhen, almost all are exported to foreign markets. The e-cigarette industry is currently unregulated by the government, though the National Health and Family Planning Commission has stated their intent to regulate production, sale, and use of e-cigarettes.
The disappointing performance of tobacco cessation products is in part explained by high costs. E-cigarettes in China are decidedly more expensive than regular cigarettes, and a full round of medication costs upwards of RMB 2,000. The deeper cause of the tobacco cessation industrys poor performance, however, is the lack of awareness and desire for smokers to quit in the first place. Fewer than 25 percent of Chinese adults understand the specific health hazards of tobacco use. Additionally, fewer than 10 percent of Chinese smokers quit by choice, in comparison to over 50 percent in many high income countries where there are more ex-smokers than smokers.
RELATED:An Overview of Chinas Elderly Care Industry
Observations
China is slowly addressing its entrenched tobacco problem. In 2015, cigarette sales in China declined for the first time in two decades, demonstrating some success in smoking dissuasion. However, this is mostly due to higher taxes curtailing frequent use, rather than actually reducing the number of individual smokers.
As is commonplace for foreign investors doing business in emerging economies, the specter of SOEs such as the CNTC often complicates doing business. Vested interests ranging from pure profits to sprawling bureaucracies and payrolls to corruption in the form of kickbacks from issuing contracts make it difficult for foreign companies to compete with SOEs who benefit from preferential treatment. This phenomenon has tragic consequences in Chinas tobacco industry, where the states lucrative monopoly hinders efforts to curb tobacco use, resulting in exploding cancer rates and premature deaths.
While China presents an enormous opportunity for tobacco cessation products, success will be difficult to achieve without genuine government efforts to spread awareness of tobaccos adverse health effects. With growing healthcare costs and productivity losses, however, China is gradually moving towards tighter control of tobacco use. Although China is not yet primed for tobacco cessation products, it is a question of time before the public comes to grips with the ramifications of its smoking habit, making it essential for producers to create an entry strategy for this vast market.
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 china@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.
Importing and Exporting in China: a Guide for Trading Companies
In this issue of China Briefing, we discuss the latest import and export trends in China, and analyze the ways in which a foreign company in China can properly prepare for the import/export process. With import taxes and duties adding a significant cost burden, we explain how this system works in China, and highlight some of the tax incentives that the Chinese government has put in place to help stimulate trade.
How to Restructure an Underperforming Business in China
In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we explore the options that are available to foreign firms looking to restructure or close their operations in China. We begin with an overview of what restructuring an unprofitable business in China might entail, and then take an in-depth look at the way in which a foreign company can go about the restructuring process. Finally, we highlight some of the key HR concerns associated with restructuring a China business.
Selling, Sourcing and E-Commerce in China 2016 (First Edition)
This guide, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, provides a comprehensive analysis of all these aspects of commerce in China. It discusses how foreign companies can best go about sourcing products from China; how foreign retailers can set up operations on the ground to sell directly to the countrys massive consumer class; and finally details how foreign enterprises can access Chinas lucrative yet ostensibly complex e-commerce market.
Premier Li Keqiang delivers a keynote speech at the opening of the annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin on June 27, 2016. [Photo / Xinhua]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, in Tianjin.
Following is the full text of Li's speech:
Address by Premier Li Keqiang at the Opening Ceremony Of the Tenth Annual Meeting of the New Champions
Tianjin, 27 June 2016
Professor Klaus Schwab,
Distinguished Heads of Government,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's a great pleasure to meet you again in Tianjin. At the outset, I wish to congratulate, on behalf of the Chinese government, the opening of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, and extend sincere welcome to all our guests coming from afar and friends from the press.
This is the tenth Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or the Summer Davos, as it is known. There is a Chinese saying which goes, "It takes ten years to grow a tree." If we could compare the Summer Davos to a tree, after ten years of careful nurturing, it has grown into a luxuriant tree with bountiful fruits. It has showcased to the world the process and achievements of China's reform, opening up and modernization. It has also contributed wisdom and strength to the common development and prosperity of China and the world.
When the international financial crisis broke out eight years ago, countries resorted to various policy tools to grapple with the crisis and stimulate growth. Eight years on, recovery of the world economy has fallen far short of people's expectations: global trade and investment are lackluster; commodities and financial markets have experienced volatility from time to time; growth prospects of developed and emerging economies are diverging; and geopolitical risks and destabilizing factors are both on the rise. Just a few days ago, the UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum. This is already making an impact on the international financial markets and adding to the uncertainties in the world economy. Against such a backdrop, to promote world economic recovery and the growth of all economies, we need to make joint efforts to tackle challenges, strengthen confidence, foster a stable international environment and find solutions to address root causes of the problems we face. European countries are important partners for China. Under the new circumstances, China will continue to maintain and grow its relations with the EU and the UK. We hope to see a united and stable EU and a stable and prosperous UK.
The theme of the forum, "the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its Transformational Impact", offers people a new perspective and is thus forward-looking and relevant. Let me share with you a few thoughts in this connection.
First, to promote steady recovery of the world economy, we must actively carry out structural reform. To address the deep-seated problems in the world economy, we need to both strengthen demand management and advance structural reform to eliminate the root causes that trigger problems. Countries may face different situations, yet they should all move toward addressing economic imbalance by way of promoting fiscal and financial reform, easing regulation, facilitating competition, supporting innovation and expanding opening up, and should all work together to ensure strong, sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy.
The fundamentals of the Chinese economy have remained unchanged, and our macro policies will maintain continuity and stability. In the meantime, we will continue to innovate means of macro control, implement the proactive fiscal policy with greater intensity and efficiency, and carry out the prudent monetary policy in a flexible and appropriate fashion. We will channel more resources into areas that help strengthen weak links, increase the momentum of development and take development to a higher level, as well as into areas of the new economy that serve to promote economic transformation and upgrading. The current debt ratio for the Chinese government is around 40 percent, and is only around 16 percent for the central government, lower than many other major economies. This has given us space for a proactive fiscal policy. A high savings rate in China means huge potential for the development of multi-tiered capital markets. It also means major leeway for improving financial regulation methods and financial resource allocation. We are in a position to create conditions to gradually lower corporate leverage ratio and financing costs in a market-based and law-based manner. We not only have sufficient policy tools to keep economic performance within the reasonable range. We also have strong ability to prevent systemic or regional risks. In the stage of transition, short-term fluctuations of economic growth are hardly avoidable, but the Chinese economy will not head for a "hard landing". And we will be able to achieve the main economic and social development targets set for this year.
Looking ahead, the Chinese economy has huge potential, strong advantage, broad space and bright prospect. China has a 900 million strong workforce, among whom 170 million have received higher education or training in professional skills. Every year we produce over seven million college graduates and over five million graduates from secondary vocational schools. We are No.1 in the world in terms of the number of science professionals and No.2 in R&D input, with an input of over RMB 1 trillion made last year. China is the second biggest economy, the largest manufacturing country, a major trading nation in goods and services, and a major destination and source of foreign investment. It is also the world's second largest consumer market. Its middle-income population is in the hundreds of millions and is still expanding. The number of the rural poor is falling year by year, while that of permanent urban residents is growing by over 10 million each year. All these make China a major emerging market with the biggest growth potential. It makes China a big stage where people from every corner could tap into their intellectual potential and start their business. We are optimistic about the current state and future prospect of the Chinese economy. Optimism is a sign of confidence, and in market economy conditions, confidence guides people's expectations. This in itself generates powerful strength.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Chinese economy is at a crucial stage of transition from old to new growth drivers and a stage of economic transformation and upgrading. We will focus on development as the top priority and promote steady progress as we pursue innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development. We will ensure that the government's macro policies are stable, industrial policies are well-targeted, micro policies are flexible, reform policies are solid and social policies meet people's basic needs. While appropriately expanding aggregate demand, we will steadfastly advance supply-side structural reform, concentrate on cutting overcapacity, reducing inventory, deleveraging, lowering costs and strengthening weak links, so that China's development could be less reliant on natural resources and be more driven by human resources and innovation. This will enable the Chinese economy to maintain medium-high growth rates and move to medium-high development levels.
We will guide economic transformation and upgrading through innovation. Innovation is the primary driver of development and an important part of supply-side structural reform. We need to further implement the innovation-driven development strategy, and step up efforts to build an innovation-driven country and a strong country in science and technology, so as to provide robust support for economic transformation and upgrading.
We will accelerate the development of the new economy and cultivate new growth drivers. We will vigorously advance innovation in science and technology, work for breakthroughs in major, key technologies, and promote the commercialization of innovation results. We will also advocate mass entrepreneurship and innovation, further promote the "Internet+" strategy, extensively apply the new generation of information technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing. We will promote integrated development of different sectors and facilitate the emergence of more new industries, new forms of business and new business models. It is also necessary to roll out new products and services that better meet the needs of the market and build platforms for mass innovation, crowd sourcing, collective support and crowd funding. This way, we could pool strengths to accelerate innovation and cultivate new areas of economic growth.
We need to transform and upgrade traditional drivers of growth at a faster pace. Innovation is not only about developing the new economy. It is also about transforming and upgrading traditional industries to give them new vitality. We will implement the Made in China 2025 initiative to make manufacturing more IT-based and smarter. We will conduct custom-tailored and flexible production to meet consumers' diverse needs. We will accelerate changes in models of production, management and marketing and create new industry chains, supply chains and value chains. This will make Chinese manufacturing more competitive.
The new vision of development that we advocate is also about developing a sharing economy. The sharing economy is one of mass participation. Greater economic globalization and the spread of the Internet have provided a big stage and broad space for entrepreneurship and innovation by the people. Through mass entrepreneurship and innovation, we will combine the innovation activities of the elites with the grassroots, the on-line with the off-line, and companies with research institutes, so that individual efforts of numerous market players will lead to greater synergy for innovation-driven development. If we could make full use of the Internet to efficiently match the massive amounts of information about supply with that about demand, we could then bring about cooperation among and sharing of R&D and professional expertise and skills. The sharing economy is something that everyone can take part in and benefit from. It could unleash everyone's potential, facilitate reasonable income distribution, expand the middle income group, allow more people, in particular the young, to fulfill their dreams through hard work, and promote social equity and justice.
We will enhance economic transformation and upgrading by comprehensively deepening reform. We have relied on reform for the remarkable achievements we made in the past 30-plus years. And fundamentally, we must rely on reform if we are to remove the institutional obstacles hindering development and advance economic transformation and upgrading. We will firmly deepen reform to unlock market vitality and social creativity to a greater extent.
We need to advance structural reform, in particular that on the supply side. The structural problems facing the Chinese economy are about both the supply and demand sides, especially the supply side. We need to advance structural adjustment through reform, reduce inefficient and low-end supply, and expand effective and medium- to high-end supply. This is conducive to economic transformation as well as growth. A major task for us is to phase out outdated production capacity and address overcapacity, especially in steel, coal and other sectors that face difficulty in operation. Initial progress has been made in recent years, as is shown in the lowering production of raw coal and crude steel, but our efforts must well continue. We will adopt a market-based and rules-based approach and apply strict standards in environmental protection, quality and safety. The biggest challenge is how to address possible layoffs in this process. Businesses need to take multiple measures to ensure that their employees will get reemployed. Both the central and local governments should provide necessary support to take care of the affected employees. Overcapacity is a global challenge. The fact that we have taken the initiative to cut overcapacity demonstrates that China is indeed a responsible country. (mo
Second, to promote steady recovery of the world economy, we must speed up economic transformation and upgrading. For the world economy to walk out of the woods, the ultimate solution lies in shifting the growth model and replacing old growth drivers with new ones at a faster pace. The advent of a new round of technological and industrial revolution has provided a historical opportunity for this. The emergence of new technologies, new tools and new materials, which are of pace-setting and transformational significance, has given a strong boost to the growth of the new economy and the upgrading of traditional industries. Countries should follow this prevailing trend by focusing their policies on supporting economic transformation and upgrading, and strengthen the new drivers of economic growth.
Third, to promote steady recovery of the world economy, we will need efficient and orderly global governance. In the face of common challenges, we need to uphold the spirit of solidarity and work for common progress. This is a sure way for us to move forward. Countries need to adopt more growth-friendly policies, strengthen macro policy coordination, steadfastly advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, firmly oppose protectionism and build a fairer, more just and open international economic system. The world's major economies, while making macro-economic policies, should consider not just their own growth needs but also the spillover effects of their policies. This September, the G20 Summit will be held in Hangzhou, China. The ongoing Summer Davos has a special session on "China's G20 Agenda". I find it highly relevant as it will contribute insights and recommendations to China's hosting of the G20 Hangzhou Summit.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Having experienced years of rapid growth, China's economic development has now entered a new normal. In the face of mounting downward economic pressure, we have not resorted to indiscriminate strong stimulus. Instead, we have focused on exploring new models of macro control, vigorously advanced structural reform, and concentrated our efforts on cultivating new drivers of growth while upgrading traditional ones. As a result, we have maintained steady economic development, ranking among top of the world's major economies in terms of growth speed, and made positive progress in structural adjustment. The journey we traveled these years has been fraught with risks and challenges, and we have made painstaking efforts along the way. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see that new drivers in the economy are rapidly growing. Although they cannot yet compare with traditional drivers in size, they do play a bigger role in sustaining development, securing employment, and promoting economic transformation. Given time, the rise of the new drivers will open up new prospects for the Chinese economy.
This year, despite continued slowdown in global growth, the Chinese economy has on the whole maintained stability while making steady progress, and has performed within the appropriate range. This is indeed not easy. China's GDP expanded by 6.7% in the first quarter of the year, and registered steady growth in the second quarter. Summer grain production is expected to be another bumper harvest. Corporate profits in the industrial sector are steadily rising. The service industry is growing rapidly, and market sales are steadily expanding. CPI is basically stable, the drop in PPI has narrowed, and energy intensity and emissions of major pollutants have continued to fall. In particular, the employment situation is stable. In the first five months of this year, 5.77 million new urban jobs were created, completing 58% of the annual employment target. The surveyed unemployment rate of 31 major cities in May was 5.02%.
An important reason the Chinese economy has maintained steady growth in the first half of the year is that reform, innovation, adjustment and transformation have all played an important role. Reform efforts to streamline administration, delegate power and improve government services have given a strong boost to mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and further unleashed development potential. Now every day in China, some 40,000 new market entities are being created, including over 13,000 new enterprises. Such increase is bigger than the previous two years and has given a strong boost to job creation. The leading role of consumption and services is becoming more visible. New areas of consumption such as information and communication, smart phones and new energy vehicles are rapidly expanding. The five "happiness industries" of tourism, culture, sports, health and old-age care are rapidly growing. The service sector has grown into the biggest industry in the national economy, both in terms of its output and the number of jobs it created. An innovation-driven economy is brimming with vitality. High-tech industries, high-end manufacturing, e-commerce and other new business forms are booming. Enterprises, sectors and regions that have made an early start in economic transformation and upgrading and that embrace faster growth of new industries have all taken on a sound momentum of growth. On the whole, the Chinese economy is better structured; its quality is improving and a stronger momentum is being gathered.
We are also aware that given the complex and challenging international environment and the deep-seated domestic problems accumulated over the years, the foundation underpinning stable performance of the Chinese economy is yet to be strengthened. The driving effect of external demand on growth is waning. Private and manufacturing investments are sluggish. Latent risks still exist in the financial and other sectors. In some industries with serious overcapacity and regions with monotonous economic structure, there have been relatively more problems. Downward economic pressure remains and the difficulties are not to be underestimated. However, the fact that we have recognized and stood up to challenges shows that we have the determination and ability to overcome difficulties. For the Chinese economy, there is always more hope than difficulties.
We also need to further streamline administration, delegate power, strengthen regulation and improve services. We need to transform government functions more rapidly, improve efficiency, and ensure a level-playing field for all players and a pro-innovation institutional environment. We need to give priority to "simplicity" by taking away undue government powers and delegating them directly to the market and society wherever possible. At the same time, we need to strengthen and innovate in market oversight, explore inclusive and effective prudential regulation, and guide and support the healthy development of new business forms and models. For those players that follow the right direction but have encountered problems, we need to give them prompt guidance, fix the problems and remove potential risks. We need to give them reasonable space for development instead of rejecting them outright. As for those conducting illegal operations or fraud in the name of innovation, we will punish them to the full extent of the law. We need to strictly protect intellectual property rights. We also need to promote the "Internet plus government services" model, and set up an open platform of government public services, so that government data could be shared as much as possible. This will make it easier for individuals and companies to get things done and start up businesses, and it will enhance government efficiency.
We will promote in a coordinated way reforms in the fiscal, taxation, finance, investment and other key areas. We have put in place a nation-wide reform to replace business tax with value-added tax. This major effort to cut taxes and lower the tax burden will facilitate the innovative development of modern service industry, SMEs and micro businesses. We will deepen the reform of the financial system, accelerate the improvement of the modern financial regulatory regime and increase the efficiency of financial services in supporting the real economy. We will also intensify reforms in SOEs, rural areas, investment and financing, foster a social credit system and unleash even greater vitality for economic development. The private sector is an important force driving economic development. We will do more to remove obstacles for private businesses, lift unreasonable restrictions on market access and strive to stimulate private investment.
We will transform and upgrade the economy through opening-up. Opening-up, being one kind of reform itself, will in turn spur reform efforts. No matter how developed China will become, it will always need mutual-learning with the rest of the world, and it will open still wider to the outside. We will enhance our open economy, open wider the service sector and general manufacturing sector, provide more investment opportunities to foreign businesses and foster a fairer, more transparent and predictable investment environment. All companies registered in China, Chinese-funded, foreign-funded, joint ventures or independently-owned, will be treated as equals. Their legitimate rights and interests will be protected, and they will have access to better public services. Facing the current complexities and fluctuations in the international financial markets, China will adhere to a managed, floating exchange rate regime based on market supply and demand with reference to a basket of currencies. The fundamentals of the Chinese economy determine that there is no basis for persistent depreciation of the RMB. We have the capacity to keep the RMB basically stable at an adaptive and equilibrium level. China is committed to peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening-up. We stand ready to work with all other countries to promote inclusive and balanced growth as well as green and sustainable development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tianjin is a big port in the world, where people could start a voyage to sail to the vast ocean. For a giant ship to sail far, sustained and strong driving force is needed. China will work with other countries to seize the opportunities brought by the new round of technological and industrial revolution. Together, we will build new engines of economic growth, promote steady recovery of the world economy through transformation and upgrading, and jointly usher in a better future for the development of mankind. I wish this forum a full success.
Zhiche Auto displays its first internet car at the auto show in Beijing in April. [Photo / China Daily]
Zhiche Auto, a Beijing-based tech startup, aims to replicate Apple Inc's success with the iPhone, but in China's automobile industry.
Founded at the end of 2014 with a team of 80 people, Zhiche announced a plan to kick off small-scale production of self-driving cars in 2017. And it favors the "asset light" approachinviting original equipment manufacturers to produce cars based on its designs.
"Apple doesn't invent much innovative hardware. But by creatively assembling existing components, the company provides a brand-new user experience. That is the goal we want to achieve with cars," said CEO Shen Haiyin.
Zhiche's ambition may seem like pie in the sky, but it is far from the only pie up there. An increasing number of Chinese tech companies have one after another made moves to "disrupt" the country's automobile manufacturing industry using a big pool of cash and their expertise in big data, artificial intelligence and other internet-enabled technologies.
LeEco Holdings Co, known for its smart TV and smartphone products, in April released its first concept self-driving electronic car28 months after the company decided to to enter the industry.
Jia Yueting, chairman and founder of LeEco, said it is very difficult for an internet company, an outsider when it comes to cars, to lead an industrial revolution in the automobile manufacturing sector. But he is a firm believer that it is important to make cars a part of LeEco's product range.
"We are creating cars connected to the internet to provide more services to drivers and passengers," said Ding Lei, head of LeEco' car development arm. "Cars will be the next platform after smartphones that people use to interact with their world."
LeEco set up a joint venture in mid-February with Aston Martin to develop the British luxury car brand's first electric vehicle. It also teamed up with other Chinese carmakers.
China's top three internet giants, Baidu Inc, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding, have all made moves in the auto industry by teaming up with traditional carmakers. Baidu, which is betting big on autonomous driving, has successfully completed the first road test of a self-driving car at the end of last year.
Beijing-based Baidu has announced an ambitious plan to commercialize its cars in three years and go into mass production in five years.
Despite the exciting future prospects, analysts say the internet-enabled self-driving car industry is still taking shape and the technology remains under development.
A lack of a regulatory and legal framework also represents a hurdle for further development, said industry observers.
Zhang Changqing, a professor at law at Beijing Jiaotong University Law School, said autonomous driving will not be accident-proof, especially when there are other vehicles driven by humans on the same road.
Premier Li Keqiang talks with Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, at the opening plenary of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in the northern port city of Tianjin on June 27. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
The UK's vote to leave the EU has created uncertainty regarding the global economy as the financial market is already being clobbered on suspicion of Brexit fallout, said Premier Li Keqiang on Monday.
"Under the circumstances, the world community should tackle these challenges and seek solutions together for economic growth and recovery," said Li during the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, a World Economic Forum (WEF) event known as the Summer Davos, held in Tianjin between June 26 and 28.
The Brexit decision last week sent shockwaves throughout the world as global stock markets plunged and the sterling' value plummeted.
The premier tried to reassure that China would be able to maintain economic stability this year and in the long-term despite market volatility and uncertainty after the vote.
Li emphasized that the country will continuously commit to maintaining sound relationships with both the EU and the UK, saying that China wants to see a united and stable EU as much as a prosperous UK.
This came after the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterated the government's official line in respect of the choice made by the British people.
Impact on China
The British Prime Minister's decision to resign following the loss of the "Remain" vote in the referendum puts into question the multibillion dollar Sino-UK cooperation agreements during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK last year and the possible loss of Chinese investors who have stakes in the UK.
Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planning body, agreed that Chinese investors in the UK may see their asset values drop in the immediate future as a result of market fluctuations.
While acknowledging the possible impact on China's economy via investment, trade and capital, Xu speculated it to be quite small and relevant government departments have made contingency plans to cushion the blows.
"For Chinese firms that are going to invest or carry out mergers and acquisitions, entrepreneurs are smarter than me, and they will definitely wait and see," he said.
Li Daokui, an economics professor with Tsinghua University, argued that China might be the least-affected economy in the world following the Brexit incident.
"The only short-term impact I can think about is the exchange rate of the renminbi, but I do think within a few trading sessions that situation will very quickly be subdued."
Li also added that the UK's vote to leave the EU will possibly weaken the Euro's status.
"This means a new global currency is needed to compete with the US dollar in international trade and finance," explained the economist who viewed it an opportunity for the internationalization of the Chinese Renminbi.
Zhang Yuyan, director at the Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP), echoed Li's opinion, and added that the Brexit comes as a shock but by no means a crisis for Chinese enterprises which have stake in the UK.
"Britain accounts for less than 1 percent of the world's population, and its GDP takes up no more than 2 percent of the world's total in terms of purchasing power," said Zhang. "A Brexit scenario casts a shadow on market confidence in the short term but the impact will gradually dissipate in the medium and longer term."
During a session at the height of the WEF event, Li Baodong, China's vice foreign minister, said the Brexit decision came as a sudden challenge but that there must not be panic.
He hoped that the EU and the UK will see through a stable transition following the latter's referendum and China is ready to provide help in this respect.
Premier Li Keqiang at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
China's Premier Li Keqiang on Monday reiterated the importance of mass innovation and entrepreneurship in the face of sweeping changes driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution characterized by a range of new technologies that fuse the physical, digital, and biological worlds.
"We will continue to build China into an innovation-driven country by using innovative concepts, growing the new economy and fostering new growth," Li said at the opening plenary of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, a World Economic Forum (WEF) event known as the Summer Davos, held in China's northern port city of Tianjin on June 26.
Convening over 1,700 business leaders, policymakers and experts from 90 countries, the event explores the economic, societal, cultural and ecological impact of the latest shift in human history revolving the theme of "The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Its Transformational Impact".
Recognizing the current tide of this data and intelligence-driven revolution, Li emphasized that the world's second largest economy is embracing mass innovation and entrepreneurship to seize the opportunities of the new development paradigm by nurturing an environment that encourages new ideas, tolerates mistakes, and supports new businesses.
"We are promoting technological and institutional innovation and trying to bring out the potential of everyone, even for those who are intellectually challenged that may also demonstrate genius-like talent," said the premier who added that the government has also rolled out fiscal and taxation incentives to support the transformation of innovative ideas to new businesses.
Landscape for innovation and entrepreneurs
The landscape for entrepreneurs in China has changed significantly over the past 20 years, with scores of innovative companies emerging, confirmed Lei Jun, founder and CEO of tech company Xiaomi, who is a co-chair of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016.
Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi Technology, at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
He asserted that China's environment for starting a business has transformed greatly and the popularity of the mobile internet provides ever more opportunities for startups.
Tianjin, one of China's four municipalities, is an example. The government provides small and micro businesses with both financial guarantees and compensation funds for potential risks, thus giving the financial institutions, angel funds and venture capitalists a full role to play in supporting new industries while boosting the upgrade of traditional sectors.
Innovation and technology in the city have enhanced its growth performance, as Yan Qingmin, the municipality's vice mayor, flaunted its over 9 percent growth rate in the past year and Q1 of this year, thanks largely to new developments in industries such as aerospace.
Western business leaders in the new industry also laud China's attitude toward innovation and entrepreneurship as they venture into the world's second largest economy.
The Chinese government is actively embracing innovation and new businesses, said Travis Kalanick, the CEO of Uber, whose company, in his words, has grown massively in a short period of time since it entered the Chinese market.
Travis Kalanick, co-founder and CEO of Uber, at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
Despite last year's stock market crash which generated fear for global investors, Kalanick said that pessimism regarding China's economy worldwide "has never resonated in me and in our Chinese teams" as they have seen such frenetic economic activities on the ground.
Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloud Flare, was quite shocked by the sheer number of innovative breakthroughs coming out of China.
He confessed that his increasing business cooperation with Chinese firms is partly because of the Chinese pro-innovation environment.
Stronger R&D breeds new economy
While the United States remains the world's largest investor in research and development (R&D), China is picking up speed so rapidly that it is estimated to surpass the United States in this area by about 2019, data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows.
At the same time, with more efforts dedicated to technological R&D, Chinese firms are getting "smarter."
According to recent MIT Technology Review's annual listing of the 50 "smartest" companies, two Chinese firms, Baidu and Huawei, were among the top 10 of the 2016 list, with Baidu ranked second and Huawei ranked tenth.
Both companies have been developing innovative technologies and effective business models to commercialize them.
Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]
Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, recognized the growing dynamism in the country's new technologies, new industries and new business models led by mass innovation and entrepreneurship.
While new industries won't replace traditional drivers of growth in the short term, as Xu admitted, he thinks highly of its potential to champion the new industrial revolution.
Moreover, through better policy and market incentives, the fuse of traditional industries with modern information technologies will provide what it takes to sustain China's stable and dynamic growth.
Vanke. [File photo]
The Vanke drama keeps growing.
In the company's annual shareholders meeting Monday afternoon, Wang Shi, chairman and founder of the company, said some shareholders have "violated minority shareholders' interests and violated Vanke's widely-recognized transparency principles."
This is apparently directed at Baoneng Group, Vanke's current largest shareholder, with whom the charismatic entrepreneur has exchanged spats for several months.
This followed an ousting move late Sunday, when Baoneng filed a statement with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (where both Baoneng and Vanke are listed), calling for an extraordinary general meeting to fire Wang and all the other board directors. Vanke has ten days to respond.
'Hostile takeover'
Vanke has been embroiled in a high-profile takeover battle since last year.
Baoneng, a property and insurance conglomerate comprising Shenzhen Jushenghua Co. and Foresea Life Insurance Co., has been increasing its stake in Vanke since August and became its largest shareholder late last year. China Resource, the previous largest shareholder and Vanke's erstwhile quiet guardian, was edged out to become the second largest shareholder.
Wang Shi reportedly denounced Baoneng as "barbarian," borrowing the name from the famous book "Barbarians at the Gate." He denied saying so at Monday's meeting, but defined Baoneng's move as a "hostile takeover." Baoneng, a name known to few before the takeover, raised some eyebrows as it reportedly has a questionably high leverage and is said to have borrowed heavily to finance its stake in Vanke.
Vanke is indeed prone to hostile takeover due to its long-standing highly dispersed equity structure. China Resources used to be Vanke's largest shareholder with only about a 15% stake, while Wang gave up most of his stake in 1988 when the company reformed its shareholder structure.
The spats over controlling stakes came to an apparent turning point this March, when Vanke signed a cooperation agreement with Shenzhen Metro, indicating a possibility of introducing this stakeholder. Vanke issued a restructuring plan on June 17, announcing it would acquire a unit of the Shenzhen Metro for 45.6 billlon yuan (about US$6.9 billion) by selling shares to the state-owned subway operator. The bid, however, was opposed by both Baoneng and China Resources, as the plan would dilute their shareholdings in Vanke to 19% and 12% respectively, making Shenzhen Metro the largest shareholder.
In a statement issued with Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Baoneng said Vanke "has virtually become an insider-controller company" and accused Wang Shi of collecting 50 million yuan in salary while he was mostly studying in the United States and Britain from 2011 to2014.
Mounting pressure
Following the ousting move on Sunday, Vanke has faced more pressure.
Yu Liang, vice president of Vanke, said at the general meeting Monday that "some of our signed and sold projects face the risk of cancellation, banks are reconsidering their rating of Vanke, our collaborators are adjusting business terms and head hunters are approaching our employees."
Adding to this is the pressure of Vanke's stocks. Vanke is listed in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The Shenzhen shares, which are larger, have been suspended for more than six months due to its pending restructuring plan since late December.
Of the many issues raised at Monday's meeting, one was when the Shenzhen trading will be resumed, as shareholders have not gained anything for more than half a year. Despite pledging "as soon as possible," Vanke admitted that the stocks might face a price tumble when it actually resumes.
Its Hong Kong share, the lesser one, fell to HK$16.06 Monday, down 3.83% from Sunday. About 25% of its value has evaporated since late last year.
Vanke's vice president said on Monday's meeting that there is another "potential counterparty" that may work with Vanke, but "the negotiations will take more time." He did not elaborate.
As to whether or not Wang Shi and his fellow board members will leave, Wang seemed to suggest on Monday he would leave while letting his aide Yu Liang stay, but that is up to the Vanke's shareholders to decide.
China's first self-developed regional passenger jet, the ARJ21, completed its maiden commercial flight on Tuesday morning, carrying more than 70 passengers from Chengdu to Shanghai.
The ARJ21 is China's first medium-to-short range turbofan passenger jet. It holds 78-90 seats and has a range between 2,225-3,700 kilometers. This passenger jet is mainly designed to connect principal airports and those in smaller cities.
The first ARJ21 plane was delivered to Chengdu Airlines in November of last year, and it was granted a license for commercial operation from the Civil Aviation Administration of China after more than 110 hours of test flight without a payload.
Chengdu Airlines now have eight captains who have obtained clearance to fly the ARJ21. The plane will be flying the route between Chengdu and Shanghai, while Beijing, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Guiyang are also possible destinations, according to the airline company.
The aircraft's name ARJ21 is short for "advanced regional jet for the 21st century." ARJ21 features a maximum takeoff weight of 40,500 kilos, a maximum endurance of 60,000 flight hours, or 20 years, and a service ceiling of 11,900 meters. Two GE CF34-10A turbofan engines provide a thrust of 18,000 pounds each.
A top-level reform group headed by President Xi Jinping has likened the country's reform drive to a "revolution" which challenges vested interests, while calling for real action to keep it going.
"Reform is a revolution that aims to rectify the system and challenge vested interests. There is no way to do it other than using real swords and spears," said a statement released after a meeting of the Leading Group for Overall Reform, using the Chinese idiom that underscores the importance of the task.
Xi presided over the meeting on Monday, which was also attended by the group's deputy heads Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli.
In the statement, local committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at all levels are urged to focus on the major obstructions to reform, which are holding back local development and are closely related to the people's immediate interests.
The statement called for precise and innovative measures based on detailed research and careful evaluation, stressing that "officials daring to reform should be promoted and those lacking the reform spirit should be demoted."
The system to award outstanding performance and punish underachievers should be improved, it added.
The mayor of Xiantao, Hubei Province, said construction of a household waste incinerator, which had triggered protests from many residents, would be canceled.
Residents had taken to the streets since Saturday to protest the plant over concerns about hazardous emissions.
Confronting the complaints, Mayor Zhou Wenxia announced the decision to close the incinerator in a video clip uploaded at 2 am on Monday.
Wang Le, an official from the government's publicity department, said on Monday that there have been no more protests since the announcement.
Construction of the plant, located in Zhengrenkou Village, started in June 2014 with completion slated for the end of this year.
However, news on Saturday that the plant was about to pass experts' assessments spread quickly online, triggering complaints from residents, who had not received any information previously.
"I support better ways to deal with the increasing household waste, but I'm strongly against the incineration plant because it is located too close to residential communities," said Luo Liping, who works in Wuhan but frequently returns to her hometown and is considering selling her apartment in Xiantao due to the potential pollution.
"The city cannot hide necessary information about the project before construction is complete. They should listen to the affected residents' opinions," the 35-year-old said. "Without sufficient communication, the project, which is supposed to solve the waste problem, would become a thorny problem for the government and the residents, triggering conflicts."
Liu Xingbing, head of the city's urban management bureau, said in a release on Saturday that the plant was urgently needed to deal with waste, since the area's only landfill will be full within three years.
The city government added that the plant would be equipped with advanced technology that would meet the strictest emissions standards set by the European Union.
Public complaints against incineration plants have not been rare in China in recent years, and many have led to project shutting down, said Xue Tao, deputy head of the Institute of E20, an environment platform, and Environmental Sciences and Engineering College of Peking University.
"It may trigger residents in other cities to follow suit," he said.
The root problems of large public complaints lie in insufficient communication between the government and the public, the lack of monitoring from authorities and access to emission data for the public, he added.
Xue suggested that the government conduct stricter monitoring and allow residents to take part in the supervision from the beginning of projects. An inclusive approach will build public confidence, Xue said.
In addition, the companies running incineration plants should reduce emissions to ease concerns from the public, Xue said.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down Texas' regulation of abortion clinics drew reactions of support and dismay in Nebraska Monday.
The Supreme Court justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that argued the regulations were a veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get abortions in Texas, which is the second-most populous state.
One law required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital no further than 30 miles from where an abortion was being performed. The second held that minimum standards for an abortion clinic be equal to those of a ambulatory surgery center.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said anti-abortion advocates cannot let the setback deter future efforts to defend life.
"I will continue to work with lawmakers to look for new ways to ensure Nebraskas laws support a culture of life in our state that respects unborn life, protects our most vulnerable, and promotes a healthy respect for innocent life at all stages, Ricketts said.
Danielle Conrad, executive director of ACLU of Nebraska, said the high court has spoken and again affirmed women's constitutional rights. The issues decided in the case have been the subject of legislation introduced in Nebraska.
"The ACLU has proudly beaten back these recent attacks on abortion and women's health at the (Nebraska) Legislature," Conrad said.
She called upon state leaders to stop playing doctor and to start supporting women.
"Let's work together to ensure abortion access remains safe and legal, and let's focus on common ground and common sense measures like comprehensive sex education and access to contraception," Conrad said.
Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Julie Schmit-Albin said the Supreme Court decision removed the ability to ensure that the facilities of Dr. LeRoy Carhart, who does abortions in Bellevue and Germantown, Maryland, are meeting minimum medical and safety standards.
Carhart does abortions up to 20 weeks gestation in Bellevue.
The ruling, Schmit-Albin said, further imperils women.
Since 2012, she said, Carhart's clinics have had 14 ambulance calls.
"Justice Clarence Thomas' dissent in this case is very poignant and speaks to a court which is bending over backwards to protect the abortion industry which preys on women and kills over a million unborn babies a year," she said.
In it, Thomas said the decision perpetuates the courts habit of applying different rules to different constitutional rights especially the presumptive right to abortion.
The Supreme Court has simultaneously transformed judicially created rights like the right to abortion into preferred constitutional rights, while disfavoring many of the rights actually enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, he said.
The judiciary has no business creating ad hoc exceptions so others can assert rights that seem especially important to vindicate, Thomas said.
"A law either infringes a constitutional right, or not; there is no room for the judiciary to invent tolerable degrees of encroachment," he wrote.
In the past session, Nebraska's Legislature left three abortion-related bills (LB114, LB767 and LB187) to die in the Judiciary Committee.
LB114, a priority bill of Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy, would have been similar to the Texas law the Supreme Court struck down. It would have required clinics at which five or more abortions or one or more second- or third-trimester abortions were done be defined as ambulatory surgical centers and meet all requirements of such centers.
LB767, introduced by Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue, would have prohibited any abortion procedure that dismembered a living fetus to cause its death. It would have allowed the mother or other affected people to sue to stop the procedure and to seek civil damages against any physician who performed it.
LB187, introduced by Sen. Bill Kintner of Papillion, would have required the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to develop and maintain a dedicated web page to provide Nebraska's required abortion informed consent information. And it would have added signage requirements for health care facilities that provide abortions that said: "It is against the law for any person, regardless of their relationship to you, to force you to have an abortion."
You are here: Home
Former deputy environment minister Zhang Lijun pleaded guilty to graft charges on Monday in Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court and said he would not appeal, no matter what sentence he received.
The court confirmed that prosecutors had accused Zhang of taking 2.4 million yuan (US$361,500) in bribes and of aiding project approvals and appointments. The investigation began in July.
Zhang was allowed to address the court, and his defense team was allowed to participate in cross-examination.
The defense asked for leniency, saying Zhang had cooperated with the corruption probe and had returned all ill-gotten assets, the court confirmed. A verdict will be announced at a later date.
Zhang served in his last position between 2008 and 2013.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's anti-graft watchdog, said last year that Zhang had abused his power.
Environmental protection is a widely watched and sometimes sensitive subject in China, with sporadic protests sparked every year by concerns about pollution, particularly at factories.
The Environment Ministry was reprimanded by the watchdog last year for problems including interference by ministry officials and their relatives in environmental impact assessments.
Chinese seniors without the ability to take care of themselves would be given guardians under a draft of rules governing people' private rights.
The draft, an early step toward a more robust civil code, was submitted to China's top legislature for a first reading on Monday. The National People's Congress Standing Committee will discuss the draft rules at its bimonthly session, which runs until Saturday.
In the draft, seniors will be extended help along the lines of those with mental obstacles or who totally or partially lose their cognitive abilities.
The expansion has been applauded by judicial professionals, including Wang Yi, a law professor at Renmin University of China.
Guardianship, generally speaking, is designed to protect the rights and maintain the social stability of people who do not have the mental or physical capacity to act for themselves, Wang said.
"We have paid more attention to guardianship and civil rights of young people in the past," he said. "As our population ages, a number of practical problems arise. Protecting seniors and their rights has also become urgent."
Senior guardianship will be effective in solving some of the societal problems associated with aging if the draft can be passed, he said.
The China Social Welfare Foundation and CQNews released information on Thursday that the country's aging population - people older than 60 years - was 222 million as of the end of last year.
A report by the International Alzheimer's Association showed that China now has more than 10 million patients with Alzehimer's disease, adding that the effects of the disease can be devastating.
Zhang Wei, a lawyer at Beijing Zhi Zhi Law Firm, welcomed the draft, saying the extension of guardianship will effectively protect personal and property rights of the elderly.
"Compared with minors, adults have more rights that are easier to damage. That is why it is important and necessary to write it into the draft," Zhang said.
"In other words, if a disabled senior, or an adult with a mental illness, has a guardian, the guardian will be blamed or receive punishments when he or she does not take responsibility," he said.
In addition to protecting seniors' rights, protecting unborn fetuses is also suggested in the draft, along with the protection of virtual property and data as private rights.
The draft represents a key step in finishing the Chinese civil code, a collection of laws designed to cover the private sector. Proponents want to see that portion approved by March, Wang said.
He said some other aspects of private rights, including property and marriage, will also be considered under the draft's general rules "because it is the tone of the code".
Li Shishi, head of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said adoption of the final code - which is important for modernizing State governance, safeguarding people's interests and helping the economy - is expected in March 2020 after careful consideration of all the complex societal impacts.
As students apply to universities following the annual college entrance exam, a website has published a new list of 30 fake colleges.
Staff investigated tip-offs from around the country for sdaxue.coms latest list, said Xia Xue, founder of the website which has exposed around 400 fake institutions since 2013.
The fakes on the new list are in 12 provinces and regions including Shanghai, Beijing and Shandong.
In the past, most fake schools used names and websites resembling those of well-known universities, but 22 of the latest 30 fakes assumed the names of private institutions that provide training courses for the national adult education examination, which can also be used to seek a university degree.
"It is easy to see through the trick when they fake the names of well-known universities, but it is more difficult to identify if lesser-known institutions are faked," said Xia.
The fakes send enrolment notices, along with a bank account number, earlier than genuine schools and ask students to send tuition fees to the account before a deadline, Xia said.
Three fakes in Guangdong, Shandong and Hunan provinces shared an IP address scammers operate multiple fake colleges.
China's top legislature on Monday considered a revised draft of the law governing Red Cross societies that would set up a system to monitor their officials and the use of donations.
The societies, which have suffered a credibility crisis over scandals due to a lack of transparency, should have their accounts published on a regular basis and audited by a third-party, according to the draft.
It also calls for supervisory boards to monitor officials.
The draft says anyone who misuses the Red Cross name or emblem, or who spreads rumors defaming Red Cross societies may bear civil or criminal responsibility.
Any Red Cross societies members who misappropriate donations or funds, or deal with money or goods without authorization from donors will have to take legal responsibility, it adds.
The draft was brought up for a first reading at the ongoing bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
The law was enacted in October 1993 but served more as a guide on how to organize charity groups and launch activities. It has never been revised.
However, problems had emerged as Red Cross societies developed, said Wang Longde, deputy head of the NPCs Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee.
He said the societies needed to improve regulation of their financial and personnel management, and specify the legal responsibility of violators. The revision aims to improve supervision and internal governance in response to public concerns, he said.
Chinas Red Cross societies have grappled with trust issues in recent years.
The largest of its kind, the Red Cross Society of China, came under fire in 2011 when Guo Meimei, who claimed to be a manager with the organization, flaunted her lavish lifestyle online.
That led to speculation charity money was funding her extravagance.
Though an investigation found that neither Guo nor her wealth had anything to do with the Red Cross, the story cast a shadow over the charity for quite some time and there was a dramatic drop in donations.
A revised draft of China's Wild Animal Protection Law submitted for a third reading on Monday regulates the release of captive animals to the wild.
Authorities at provincial level and above can organize activities involving the release of state-protected animals to the wild, according to the draft submitted to a bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which runs from Monday to Saturday.
Any organization or individual releasing captive animals should choose indigenous species that are fit to survive in the wild, and the release should have no impact upon local people or harm the ecosystem, the draft said.
Anyone who frees captive animals in a reckless manner and thus causes property damage or physical injury to others, or jeopardizes the ecosystem, will be held accountable.
The draft also provided that agencies involved in this area should, in accordance with law, disclose information regarding the issuance of documents used for the hunting, captive breeding, sale, purchase and use of protected wild animals.
The new draft "has improved the country's wild animal protection and regulation systems, properly managed the relationship between protection and utilization, balanced views of all parties and addressed public concerns," the NPC Law Committee said in a review report, suggesting the draft be put to a vote at this session.
The Wild Animal Protection Law was passed in 1988 and took effect the following year.
The test run of a "straddling bus" that allows cars to drive underneath is likely to be held in Beidaihe District of Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province in August, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.
According to the official website of Beijing-based Transit Explore Bus, the test bus will have a single carriage 22 meters long, 7.8 meters wide and 4.7 meters high.
But the test track will only be about 300 meters long rather than the previously announced 2 kilometers, said the paper, questioning what real results the company could get from a countryside road that is straight, without any turns, intersections or even traffic lights. The company did not explain the adjustment, it was reported.
District publicity officials told the paper they had heard of the project but knew no details.
Running along special tracks, the straddling bus is designed to carry up to 1,400 passengers and travel at up to 60 km per hour.
"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," said Song Youzhou, its chief engineer.
A child weeps as her parents didn't show up on time to meet her in Dongguan city of South China's Guangdong Province on July 30, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]
For the left-behind children surveyed by a non-profit organization named "On the Way to School", 7.7 percent have not got a chance to meet their parents within a year and 2.7 percent even did not have any contact with their parents for an entire year.
In 2013, the All-China Women Federation said that there were 61.03 million left-behind children in China. According to the surveyed result listed above, there should be about 4.7 million left-behind children who do not meet their parents within a year and 1.65 million left-behind children who make no contacts with their parents for a whole year.
A total of 7,432 rural students from 14 provinces are involved in the survey on the psychological conditions of left-behind children.
For this organization, children are defined as left-behind children as long as one or both the parents leave their hometowns and go to other places to live. Thus, they discover that the ratio of left-behind children amounts to 38.8 percent among all those considered in the surveyed as a whole.
Flash
In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24.
In the 1970s, the Philippines successively seized several of the Chinese Nansha islands and started to claim sovereignty of these island and the surrounding waters, which the Chinese government repeatedly denounced as a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Zhai said.
The dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea is in fact about the sovereignty of the islands, Zhai explained.
The arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines are based on certain provisions of The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) adopted in 1982. At the same time, the Convention also allows a member State to declare in writing that it does not accept one or more compulsory dispute settlement procedures of certain categories of disputes.
The Chinese government made such a statement in 2006 rejecting any binding dispute resolution, including the arbitration, for disputes concerning the delimitation of maritime areas, and application of laws, as well as for the disputes that the United Nations are exercising functions to resolve by its Carter, Zhai said.
So, the Philippines have tried to hide its real purpose of its requests. It's obvious that these requests in fact are about the sovereignty of certain islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and they aim to legitimize the claims of the Philippines in this manner, Zhai wrote.
China has all along stood for peacefully settling territorial and maritime delimitation disputes through negotiation with countries directly concerned. Since quite a long time ago, there has been an agreement in this direction for the settlement of disputes in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines through the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines concerning Consultations on the South China Sea and on Other Areas of Cooperation states signed in 1995, the Joint Statement of the China-Philippines Experts Group Meeting on Confidence-Building Measures signed in 1999, the Joint Statement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on the Framework of Bilateral Cooperation in the Twenty-First Century signed in 2000, and several other documents signed by the two governments, Zhai continued.
The consensus of China and the Philippines regarding the settlement of disputes through negotiations has been confirmed in multilateral frameworks. The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which China signed in 2002 with the Philippines and other ASEAN member states, states that "the Parties concerned undertake to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means... through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the Chinese ambassador explained.
These bilateral documents and the provisions of the DOC constitute an agreement between China and the Philippines who have obligation to negotiate to resolve their differences. Negotiation is the only way accepted by both parties to settle their disputes over the South China Sea, including demands introduced by the Philippines to the Arbitral Tribunal.
The arbitration on the South China Sea is undoubtedly the result of the intervention of outside powers and the will of an Arbitration Tribunal which does not hesitate to excessively expand its competence. Similarly, some voices urging China to accept the ruling of the Arbitration Tribunal reflect an international context which is more than complex. With this arbitration, it is not only the right of China but rather the rights of all state parties to UNCLOS that are violated, Zhai stressed.
You are here: Home
Flash
The area surrounding the German parliament in Berlin was cordoned off by police after a suspicious suitcase was found in front of the parliament building on Monday afternoon, local media reported.
Flash
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Monday met here with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang respectively on bilateral relations.
During the meetings, Yang said that last year Chinese and Vietnamese party chiefs conducted exchanges of historic visits, and reached important consensus on consolidating neighborly friendship and deepening mutual beneficial cooperation, thus further pointing out direction for development of bilateral ties.
He said both sides should well implement consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, maintain frequent high level exchange of visits, deepen cooperation between the two parties as well as cooperation in areas of defense, diplomacy, law enforcement and exchanges among localities.
The two sides should accelerate the linking of development strategies, jointly promote the construction of "Belt and Road" initiative and "Two Corridors, One Belt", increase the scale and level of practical cooperation, enhance people-to-people exchanges, consolidate social basis of traditional friendship, as well as effectively control differences and safeguard maritime stability, Yang added.
The Vietnamese party chief said Vietnam-China relations are enjoying good development momentum while exchanges between the two sides have been continuously strengthening. Vietnam is committed to developing the traditional friendship with China and attaches great importance to Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
Vietnam is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges, enhance mutual political trust, expand practical cooperation, promote people-to-people friendship, well control differences, thus further developing bilateral relations.
Tran Dai Quang, for his part, said cooperation between Vietnam and China have recently gained positive results. Both sides should make good use of the mechanism of China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation, and further promote exchanges and cooperation at all levels and in various fields.
Flash
British Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech at 10 Downing Street in London, June 24, 2016. [Xinhua]
British Prime Minister David Cameron told a packed House of Commons Monday that a special unit would be set up to prepare for Britain's exit from the EU following last week's national referendum.
The cabinet met at 10 Downing Street earlier on Monday to agree to the new unit which will bring together officials and policy expertise from the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and Business Department, Cameron said.
"This will be most complex and most important task the British civil service has undertaken in decades. The new unit will sit at the heart of government and be led by and staffed by the best and brightest from across our civil service. It will report to the whole of the cabinet, advising on transitional issues and exploring objectively options for our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world," said Cameron.
He outlined the procedures being put into place for the "divorce" from the EU.
The two-hour session was the first chance MPs have had to discuss the unexpected Brexit decision after supporters of Remain had expected a narrow victory for their side.
"It was not the result I wanted, nor the outcome I believed is best for the country I love. But there can be no doubt about the result. It is going to be difficult. We have already seen that there are going to be adjustments within our economy, complex constitutional issues, and a challenging new negotiation to undertake with Europe. But I am clear that the decision must be accepted and the process of implementing the decision in the best possible way must now begin," said the prime minister.
Cameron reassured European citizens living in Britain, and British people living in European countries, there would be no immediate changes to their circumstances, or any initial change in the way people travel, or in the way goods can move, or services sold.
He said the deal he negotiated in Brussels in February would now be discarded and a new negotiation to leave the EU would begin under a new prime minister, due to take over in the fall.
During the debate that followed, Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson said "we have no intention whatsoever of seeing Scotland taken out of Europe. We are a European country and we will stay a European country, and if that means we have to have an independence referendum to protect Scotland's place, then so be it."
Scotland, along with Northern Ireland and London voted to remain in the bloc, with virtually the whole of England and Wales supporting Brexit.
Flash
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila said on Monday that the coalition government would not prepare any referendum in Finland about whether the country should stay in the EU.
Sipila made the remarks as Sebastian Tynkkynen, the chairman of the True Finns Youth League, launched a civic initiative to demand such a referendum. When such initiatives obtain 50,000 verified signatures or more, the initiative, also known as civic bill, must be considered by Finnish parliament.
After a meeting of the Parliamentary Grand Committee on Monday, Sampo Terho, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the True Finns Party, told national broadcaster Yle that Finland should arrange a referendum sometime.
In line with the program of the current government, Finland will remain in the EU, said Terho, "but after next parliamentary election the situation may be different."
Terho did not predict whether the True Finns would take an EU referendum as an election theme in 2019.
Sipila told the media that it is easy to accuse the EU of many problems that are not caused by it. Meanwhile, he said "the message of the British referendum must be taken seriously, as there is a lot to repair in the EU."
Of the three coalition parties, the Center Party is mainly pro-EU but has an anti-EU minority faction within the party, the populist True Finns Party is critical of the EU, whereas the Conservative Party endorses EU membership.
Sipila undertook the premiership in May last year.
Flash
The death toll from a series of suicide bombing attacks that struck military posts and an intelligence compound in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout rose to 40 deaths on Monday, Yemeni officials told Xinhua.
A source of the Fourth Regional Military Command based in Hadramout province said that a series of suicide bombings that targeted military checkpoints in different places in the city of Mukalla left about 40 soldiers killed and several others injured.
"About 40 were killed and dozens others injured according to the medical information coming from three public hospitals in Hadramout about the latest casualty figures of today's attacks," the source said.
Witnesses told Xinhua that three military checkpoints and an intelligence compound in the coastal city of Mukalla, Hadramout's provincial capital, were struck by huge blasts simultaneously.
The simultaneous explosions took place while the soldiers were gathering minutes before the time of breaking their day-long fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to witnesses.
An intelligence officer told Xinhua that "the bombers disguised as distributors of Iftar meals and delivered bombs wrapped up as food to soldiers in some checkpoints in Mukalla."
Another suicide bomber detonated his explosive-laden motorbike and targeted a military intelligence building in the same city, according to the source.
A medical source confirmed to Xinhua saying that hospitals call for urgent blood donations due to the high number of casualties.
The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) claimed responsibility Monday for the four terrorists attacks on Yemeni military posts in Hadramout just minutes following the incidents.
The claim came in a short statement posted via Twitter by the group's semi-official Amaq news agency, the same channel that claimed the Paris, Brussels and Orlando attacks.
The agency affiliated with ISIS claimed that "the jihadist operations killed more than 54 soldiers of the counter-terrorism units and the elite forces in Hadramout."
The Yemeni government forces launched anti-terror offensives and drived out scores of gunmen linked to the al-Qaida and the Yemen-based affiliate of the Islamic State from key neighborhoods and government compounds in Lahj and Abyan provinces in the last two months.
You are here: Home
Flash
At least 15 people were injured in the suicide bomb attack in Lebanon's northeastern border town al-Qaa Monday night, hours after four suicide bombings had killed five people in the same place, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The two bombers were on a motorcycle and blown themselves up outside Mar Elias Church near the Municipality building, the report said.
Meanwhile, media outlets reported more blasts in the town, but no confirmation is made by far.
The blasts only caused injuries according to preliminary information, said George Ketteneh, the Lebanese Red Cross Director of Operations to LBCI TV.
Reports said the bombers struck during a sit-in organized in the town and amidst funeral preparations at the church for victims of the attack earlier in the day.
Four suicide bombers had detonated their explosive belts in the town about 18 hours earlier, killing five people and wounding 15 others.
Security forces have called on residents to remain indoors and not to gather around the attack site to avoid new attacks.
The Lebanese Army confirmed the attack in a statement, saying several suicide bombers struck Al-Qaa "which led to a number of casualties among citizens."
Flash
Tanzanian aviation experts said on Monday a piece of an aircraft wing found last week on Pemba Island off Tanzania's coast was of a Boeing 777 but were hesitant to confirm that it belonged to the missing Malaysia Airlines'Boeing 777-200 ER Flight MH370.
Reports said last week that a new piece of debris was found on Pemba Island, linking it to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board shortly after taking off from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing.
Hamza Johari, Director General for Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), said investigations by TCAA experts found that it was a piece of wing from a Boeing 777.
"But it is too early to link the piece of wing found on Pemba Island to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which was also a Boeing 777," he told Xinhua by phone.
"We are also puzzled because no such plane has been reported missing in Tanzania and the entire east African region," said Johari.
He said TCAA was getting in touch with Malaysian aviation authorities to send experts to Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam to establish whether the debris was part of the fateful aircraft.
Johari said TCAA was also making arrangement to ferry the piece of wing from Pemba to Dar es Salaam where it will be kept while waiting for the Malaysian experts.
On Saturday, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communication Prof Makame Mbarawa, said Tanzania has contacted the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, to help investigate the wreckage linked to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
He said international experts from ICAO would join local experts from TCAA to investigate the debris.
"This is a very sensitive issue. We need to undertake thorough investigation before moving to another step," said Prof Mbarawa.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said last week the new piece of debris found in Tanzania would be examined for a possible link to the missing Flight MH370.
Flash
An aerial photo taken on Sept. 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in South China Sea. [Xinhua]
A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Some 30 experts from Asia, Africa, the United States and Europe exchanged views at a seminar co-organized by Leiden University's Grotius Center for International Legal Studies and Wuhan University's Institute for Boundary and Ocean Studies.
Around the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, a wide range of issues were brought up at the seminar about the appointment of arbitrators, the arbitral proceedings and the controversial jurisdiction.
Abraham Sofaer, former legal adviser of the U.S. State Department, voiced his support for China's stance.
He said that China has made a clear declaration on exceptions that it does not accept any mandatory procedures, including arbitrations, with respect to disputes over sovereignty and delimitation of sea area, therefore the unilateral arbitration proposed by the Philippines is a particularly unwise litigation.
Also questioning the tribunal, Michael Sheng-ti Gau, a professor of International Law at the Institute for the Law of the Sea of National Taiwan Ocean University, said most of the Philippines' claims in the case could be overthrown by the notes verbally issued by the two countries from 2009 to 2011.
The court failed to see that the Philippines' self-defeating claims were in fact over sovereignty, Gau said. "The court should deal with the real issues of admissibility and jurisdiction existing in all the claims of the Philippines."
According to Sienho Yee, chief expert at the Institute of International Law of Wuhan University, there were previous international arbitration cases that involved territorial and delimitation disputes, but the court somehow ignored the rulings of those cases that could play in China's favor.
He also pointed out that two of the five appointed arbitrators reversed their previous comments in favor of China without further explanation, which violated the consistency principle, an important component in international jurisprudence (that requires people to be consistent with their prior acts and statements).
Sreenivasa Rao Pemmaraju, former chairman of the UN International Law Commission, told Xinhua that no matter what the result of the case might be, it would not help ease tensions in the disputed waters, as the ruling would only be an abstract academic exercise without true value in resolving disputes.
"It's the people who live in the region that are suffering," he added. "And I think China is doing a good job. China is a role model for many countries now in terms of discipline, in terms of direction, in terms of spending more money inside the country for infrastructure and economic development."
Additionally, the experts are concerned about the impacts of the case on international jurisprudence.
"The state consent is indispensable, imperative. So you cannot force a state to appear before an arbitral tribunal or a judicial settlement," said Abdul G. Koroma, a former judge of the International Court of Justice.
Without China's participation, the jurisdiction of the arbitration tribunal, according to Koroma, is questionable. In that case, "you cannot enter the merits of the case."
Sofaer stated that The Hague-based arbitration tribunal's rule of its own jurisdiction over the case "will broadly undermine the potential utility of international adjudication."
The experts also called on the international community to adopt a correct, comprehensive and integral interpretation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, while urging relevant parties to resolve disputes through reasonable and effective dialogues.
Flash
The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar in the Hague.
Pemmaraju Sreenivasa Rao, former chairman of the UN International Law Commission, said the tribunal has put itself in a very difficult position.
"The tribunal said it would not try to settle sovereignty disputes, but only to determine geological features. However, the Philippines' claims will eventually lead to the question of who owns it, and the tribunal has no jurisdiction over this matter," said Rao, who participated in the third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1982 that led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
"I think China is doing a good job," he added. China is a role model for many countries now in terms of discipline, in terms of direction, in terms of spending more money inside the country for infrastructure and economic development."
Flash
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent his apologies to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the death of a Russian pilot of the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November last year, voicing readiness to mend ties, the Kremlin said Monday.
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan expresses his deep regret over the incident and underlines the willingness to do everything possible to restore the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia," the Kremlin said in a statement.
In a message to Putin, Erdogan said Ankara has no desire to worsen its relationship with Moscow, which he sees as Turkey's "friend and strategic partner," and called for joint efforts to solve the crisis in the region and to fight terrorism, according to the statement.
Erdogan said Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the death of the Russian pilot, adding that a Turkish citizen suspected of complicity in the case is under investigation.
The Turkish president also expressed his sympathy and condolences to the family of the deceased Russian pilot, Oleg Peshkov.
Earlier this month, Erdogan sent a letter to Putin, reiterating his wish to restore relations with Russia.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have soured after the latter downed the Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border for alleged airspace violation, which Russia denied and considered as a hostile act.
Putin described the attack as a "stab in the back" and ordered a broad range of economic sanctions against Turkey.
Moscow has repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologizes and provides compensation to Russia for the downed aircraft and to Peshkov's family.
Flash
A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
According to Sienho Yee, chief expert at the Institute of International Law of Wuhan University, there were previous international arbitration cases that involved territorial and delimitation disputes, but the court somehow ignored the rulings of those cases that could play in China's favor.
He also pointed out that two of the five appointed arbitrators reversed their previous comments in favor of China without further explanation, which violated the consistency principle, an important component in international jurisprudence (that requires people to be consistent with their prior acts and statements).
Flash
A group of experts on international law voiced their doubts and concerns on Sunday over the South China Sea arbitration, warning the proceedings of the case are questionable.
Abraham David Sofaer, former legal adviser of the U.S. State Department, voiced his support for China's stance.
He said that China has made a clear declaration on exceptions that it does not accept any mandatory procedures, including arbitrations, with respect to disputes over sovereignty and delimitation of sea area, therefore the unilateral arbitration proposed by the Philippines is a particularly unwise litigation.
Sofaer also stated that The Hague-based arbitration tribunal's rule of its own jurisdiction over the case "will broadly undermine the potential utility of international adjudication."
In light of continued developments, primarily since 2008, there exists in these United States a Legal System which operates on a proved Two Tiered approach to justice rendered, which primarily benefits Democratic Elites and Woke Ideological Virtue Signalers, representing their co-dependent wards, to the expressed exclusion of normal hardworking American citizens: What is your suggestion in remedying this widespread injustice and, if not corrected, its existential outcome for our Constitutional Republic?
Complete overhaul of the Department of Justice and their enforcers - the FBI - to reflect a far more honest justice system to keep patriots remaining calm.
Disband the FBI, and request that congress investigate all unethical and non patriotic practices to partially right the wrongs of a distrusted and politically weaponized "Department of Justice."
You are here: Home
Flash
Abdul G. Koroma, a former judge of the International Court of Justice, was concerned about the impacts of the South China Sea arbitration on international jurisprudence.
"The state consent is indispensable, imperative. So you cannot force a state to appear before an arbitral tribunal or a judicial settlement," Koroma said.
Without China's participation, the jurisdiction of the arbitration tribunal, according to Koroma, is questionable. In that case, "you cannot enter the merits of the case."
Flash
South Korea on Tuesday rejected the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s proposal to hold a meeting of political parties and social organizations from the two Koreas around August 15 marking the 71st anniversary of the Korean peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement that the DPRK's offer was its typical propaganda ploy against South Korea, noting that Pyongyang's dialogue offer lacked sincerity as it came amid the ongoing nuclear test and missile launches.
The statement came a day after the DPRK proposed to South Korea holding a grand meeting of the nations for unification and unity, attended by political parties, social organizations and individual figures, before or after August 15. Pyongyang offered to hold a working-level contact in July to discuss the issue.
The statement said that if Pyongyang has any sincerity in pursuing peaceful unification on the peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations, it should show its commitment to denuclearization with actions.
Following its historic Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) congress in early May, the DPRK has proposed holding a dialogue with South Korea to ease tensions on the peninsula.
Seoul has rejected the dialogue overtures, urging Pyongyang to show its will to denuclearize first before any dialogue is to be held between the two sides.
The DPRK conducted its fourth nuclear test in January, followed in February by a launch of a long-range rocket, which was condemned as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology.
On June 23, Pyongyang test-fired its surface-to-surface strategic ballistic missile Hwasong-10, called in South Korea Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, and said it was successful as the missile flew about 400 km after being propelled as high as 1,413.6 km.
UN Security Council resolutions ban any DPRK test of ballistic missile technology.
Christian surnamed Mou revealed what he believes to be the real motive behindthe officials decision to confiscate Huaqiu Church: They have been always pushingus to register [as a Three-Self church], but we wont. Now, they have no way to deal with [us], andclaim to take away our property. Similarly, authorities pressured other housechurches to join the Three-Self church after a new one was built in 2015.
BEIJING - Draft amendments for six laws were submitted to China's top legislature for review on Monday to ease administrative approval for enterprises.
The six laws include those on energy conservation, water, flood prevention, occupational disease prevention and treatment, environmental impact assessment as well as navigation routes.
According to a statement explaining the rationale for the amendments, eight administrative approval items for the six laws are now prerequisites for companies seeking the green light for investment projects. The administrative approval items must be met prior to project approval procedures.
However, the draft posits that these items may as well proceed in parallel with the approval and verification for investment projects, which will help cut red tape for enterprises, said the statement.
For example, according to the current law on environmental impact assessment, a plan for conserving water and land that has been approved by the central government is a must for enterprises to receive an environmental impact report.
The draft amendment to the law said it will no longer be a prerequisite for the overall environmental impact assessment.
A tourist takes pictures of the financial district Yujiapu of the Binhai New Area CBD, in Tianjin, June 27, 2016. [Dai Tian/chinadaily.com.cn]
Sailing along the Haihe River, you would be amazed at the achievements Binhai New Area made. From merely a construction site just two years ago, it is has now transformed into central business district (CBD), said Zheng Weiming, director of the CBD.
Despite its humble start, Binhai New Area CBD, a key part of the Tianjin Free Trade Zone, aims to become a national hub for financial services, modern business and high-end services.
The region is expected to double its economy in 2016, after growing at the same level last year, according to the district government.
"The Binhai CBD has grown into a full-fledged business center. Not only can you register your company here to enjoy benefits of the Free Trade Zone, we would also like you to set up offices and stay," said Zheng.
First of its kind in North China, the Tianjin Free Trade Zone was established in April last year as a test bed for national replicable reforms.
Here are what you could count on in the Binhai New Area CBD in terms of staying and doing business.
BEIJING - China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the securities watchdog, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Russian central bank on Monday.
The new MOU will replace the one inked on August 8, 2008, between the CSRC and Russia's financial market supervision bureau, which had been revoked in 2014.
The two sides promised to strengthen cooperation in security market supervision, said a CSRC official statement.
The MOU will also help the healthy development of both countries' capital markets, the statement said.
So far the CSRC has signed 63 MOUs on supervision cooperation with 58 countries and regions.
A worker at a steel depot in Qingdao Port, Shandong province. [Photo provided to China Daily]
on Sunday
China's GDP growth rate cannot be lower than 6.5 percent, Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, said
He says the reasonable growth range should be at 6.5 to 7 percent.
"The most urgent task this year is to finish cutting excessive industrial capacity, " Xu said at the ongoing 2016 Tianjin Summer Davos, pointing out that traditional industries such as steel and coal were the key focus.
"The goal last year was to cut 280 million tons in coal industry, 45 million tons in steel industry and to relocate 700,000 and 180,000 employees respectively.
"In the upcoming three to five years, the goal is to cut 100 to 150 million tons of over capacity in steel industry, 500 million tons in coal industry.
Xu says China will improve the market environment to support new industries and business models.
Xu also says Brexit could trigger capital outflows that could add downward pressure on asset value and on the renminbi.
But he says fluctuation in the economy is normal.
Xu said China would continue to push pragmatic cooperation with both Britain and the EU and would like to see a prosperous Europe as a whole.
"China's economy is overall stable and has good prospect, we should be confident in it," he said.
The 4th Industrial Revolution & the Global Internet of Things Innovation Summit of Chinese economic and Trade Cooperation Organization summit was held at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on June 28.
Here's the full text of the "'One Belt and one Road' Global Internet of Things Innovation Union Advocacy initiative":
In this world, people and things are all connected with each other by an unprecedented new technology, the Internet of Things.
On this planet, individuals and nations are being influenced by emerging trend in the new era, "One Belt One Road".
The history of human civilization is also the history of innovation.
Innovation is the motivating power of human civilization progress, of countries' prosperity and of nations' fecundity.
In 6600 B.C., during the Neolithic Period, human's earliest characters, the Jiahu notched symbols in Henan, China, were created;
More than two thousand years ago, during Han Dynasty, the fleet from China established Maritime Silk Road starting from the Chinese Southern Sea;
During a thousand years' period before 1820 A.D., China possessed numerous era-leading technology such as papermaking, typography, compass and powder, and led world civilization.
In 1874, representatives from 22 countries cosigned human's first international postal convention, Berne Convention, published Universal Postal Convention and founded Universal Postal Union. The global information industry born from then had realized the dream of transferring information internationally.
In the past 150 years, human society have developed from the era of Universal Postal, which are carried by carriages, steamships, cars, trains and planes, to the era of Universal Internet of Things, which is supported by internet, satellites, big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things and robots. Humans are entering the field of "Universal Internet of Things Cyber Space", which is an unprecedented field except from land, seas and sky.
China is leading in the era of Internet of Things!
On July 2008, the first International Internet of Things Standardization Conference was held in Shanghai, which initiated the China's possession of the power to speak on international standard of Internet of Things;
On September 2014, International Standardization Organization passed the Internet of Things system structural criteria approval, which is led by China. From there, China starts to lead the trends of development of global Internet of Things. The opportunity for China in the era of Internet of Things has arrived.
With the arrival of a new round of information revolution, countries around the world are finding themselves on the fast track of a new round of technology revolution and industry renovation. Germany has proposed the Industry 4.0, which is supported by Internet of Things. The US is accelerating the process of advancing the information physical system big data strategy. Different from other countries, China has the advantages in exceptional industry demands and market space. Chinese's confidence in innovation will create a new "Chinese Miracle" in the era of Internet of Things.
Along with the implementation of "One Belt One Road" advocacy, the year 2016 is first year under the 13th Five Year Plan. Today, Chinese chambers of commerce, scientists, entrepreneurs and idea banks from various regions are going to create a cooperation platform and together establish an All-Connected World.
Here, we advocate that:
1. With "One belt One Road" as the link, we establish Global Internet of Things Innovation Union to promote the development of Internet of Things industry promotion law and standard system, innovate the internet of things financial services system, co-build the Internet of Things data sharing platform and jointly devote ourselves in the development of global real economy.
2. We propagate the spirit of the Silk Road, innovate "One Belt One Road" internet of things industry's top-level design and the underlying framework and create Global Internet of Things s high-end value chain which benefits all parties.
3. We create "One Belt One Road" Internet of Things industry's multivariant collaborations ecological chain, promote mutual beneficial cooperation which is with multiagent, all-around and cross-domain, fully distribute the bonus from global Internet of Things leading-edge technology revolution and promote the "One Belt One Road" Internet of Things technology to benefit people's livelihood.
4. We lead the general trend of global information revolution, co-create "One Belt One Road" Internet of Things think tank, gather the wisdom from the world's best scientists and entrepreneurs who work in Internet of Things to benefit "One Belt One Road".
Let us together, forge the long spanning historical Silk Road to a new future-oriented, global reaching Silk Road with sustainable wisdom, peace and happiness.
An industrial alliance between intelligent applications companies was established in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, on Tuesday, with the aim to push forward technological innovation within the industry.
The alliance was formed among the China Information Technology Industry Federation and a number of other enterprises and research and development organizations.
"Parties involved in the alliance will jointly set up an industrial standard, push forward integration of smart technology and innovative applications in manufacturing, service and life," said Qu Weizhi, vice director at the China Information Technology Industry Federation.
The alliance was established during an intelligent equipment and robotics industrial conference in Guangzhou, one of the major industrial bases in the Pearl River Delta.
The Guangzhou government plans to allocate 3 billion yuan between 2015 and 2017 to support development of intelligent equipment and robotics, according to local government sources.
At the Guangzhou Development District, the industrial output value of intelligent equipment grew by 16 percent, year-on-year, to 13.25 billion yuan in 2015.
China's sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp has appointed a new general manager at a time of rising turbulence in global financial markets that is challenging the country's management of foreign exchange reserves.
Tu Guangshao, the deputy mayor of Shanghai, will replace Li Keping, who has served as CIC's general manager for two years, Liberation Daily, the official Shanghai Municipality newspaper, reported on Tuesday.
Tu, 57, a promoter of Chinese financial market liberalization, has extensive experience in financial regulation and risk management.
He has served in several key positions, including as deputy chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and general manager of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
An expert said the new CIC head will face a greater challenge in striking a fine balance between ensuring investment returns on its overseas portfolio while guarding against turmoil in global markets.
Wu Qing, a financial researcher at the State Council's Development Research Center, said: "As a big sovereign wealth fund, CIC cannot adopt too radical a strategy. It has to actively adjust its investment approach in a more volatile environment while taking advantage of a weaker yuan to boost the value of its overseas assets."
CIC, which had assets worth $746.7 billion in 2014, has achieved a yearly average investment return of 5.66 percent since being established in 2007. Its total assets rose by 14.3 percent in 2014 from a year earlier, according to its annual report last year.
It was set up by the central government with the goal of diversifying China's foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $3.2 trillion in March.
Tu supports financial innovation and new ideas, Tencent Finance, an online business news outlet, cited people close to him as saying.
He pushed for an international board at the Shanghai Stock Exchange designed to enable foreign companies to float shares on the Chinese capital market.
Li is stepping down as CIC head as he has reached retirement age, the report said.
lixiang@chinadaily.com.cn
Premier assures foreign firms and says more will be done to tackle financial risks
Premier Li Keqiang meets with representatives of business leaders attending Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin on June 28.[Photo/Xinhua]
Premier Li Keqiang promised wider market access for foreign investment and intensified efforts to tackle financial risks when he addressed a roomful of corporate executives in Tianjin on Tuesday.
"The participation of foreign firms is needed in China's efforts to push economic transformation and upgrading through reform and innovation, and to realize healthy and sustainable growth," Li said.
He was taking part in a question-and-answer session on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos.
Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce, a California-based company, asked Li about the biggest challenges facing the Chinese economy.
The premier said these included impeding the county's reform and transition, where foreign businesses can play a role.
He said foreign technology and managerial expertise will help Chinese companies and the country's industrial upgrading.
Li said the country will further ease market access for foreign investment and it is committed to building an environment for fair competition.
He did not specify the areas for more relaxed access, but at the opening of the Summer Davos on Monday, Li said the country would open the service and general manufacturing sectors wider and treat Chinese and foreign companies equally.
"China has the biggest potential for investment and should become the world's most appealing destination for investment," he said.
Li added that despite difficulties or even friction that foreign investors may experience when doing business in China, the vast majority of these companies could earn a high return on investment.
"Vast majority means possibly 99 percent (of them)," Li said.
He thanked KPMG for its support and expertise in improving China's accounting system.
World Brand Lab recently released its annual "China's 500 Most Valuable Brands" list in Beijing, nominating State Grid, Tencent and ICBC in the top three spots.
According to the institution, the brands' values of the top three are 305.6 billion yuan ($46 billion), 287.6 billion yuan, and 274.8 billion yuan respectively.
Based off the announcement the total value of this year's 500 brands reaches nearly 1.33 trillion yuan, up 22.72 percent compared with last year.
Among the 500 brands, 35 of them are valued more than 100 billion yuan, 10 more than last year.
Robert Mundell, chairman of the World Brand Lab and Nobel Prize laureate in economics in 1999, said that it is the thirteenth year for the institution to announce the China brands list.
"In 2004, the entrance volume of the brand's value was only 500 million yuan, and the average value of the top 500 brands was 4.9 billion yuan. The figures have all seen rapid growth this year, with the entrance value increased to 2.3 billion yuan, and the average statistic raise to 26.5 billion yuan, up 436.9 percent," said Mundell.
Chaired by the Nobel Prize laureate in economics, the World Brand Lab ranked the top 500 brands according to their market shares, brand loyalty and global leadership.
Let's take a look at the top ten brands shown on the list:
No 10 China Mobile
Former deputy environment minister Zhang Lijun pleaded guilty to graft charges on Monday in Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court and said he would not appeal, no matter what sentence he received.
The court confirmed that prosecutors had accused Zhang of taking 2.4 million yuan ($361,500) in bribes and of aiding project approvals and appointments. The investigation began in July.
Zhang was allowed to address the court, and his defense team was allowed to participate in cross-examination.
The defense asked for leniency, saying Zhang had cooperated with the corruption probe and had returned all ill-gotten assets, the court confirmed. A verdict will be announced at a later date.
Zhang served in his last position between 2008 and 2013.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's anti-graft watchdog, said last year that Zhang had abused his power.
Environmental protection is a widely watched and sometimes sensitive subject in China, with sporadic protests sparked every year by concerns about pollution, particularly at factories.
The Environment Ministry was reprimanded by the watchdog last year for problems including interference by ministry officials and their relatives in environmental impact assessments.
Image shows a recently unveiled design concept for a "straddling bus," which lets cars drive underneath. The concept was the brainchild of the Beijing-based Transit Explore Bus, who took their design to the just-concluded high-tech expo.[Photo/VCG]
The test run of a "straddling bus" that allows cars to drive underneath is likely to be held in Beidaihe District of Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province in August, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.
According to the official website of Beijing-based Transit Explore Bus, the test bus will have a single carriage 22 meters long, 7.8 meters wide and 4.7 meters high.
But the test track will only be about 300 meters long rather than the previously announced 2 kilometers, said the paper, questioning what real results the company could get from a countryside road that is straight, without any turns, intersections or even traffic lights. The company did not explain the adjustment, it was reported.
District publicity officials told the paper they had heard of the project but knew no details.
Running along special tracks, the straddling bus is designed to carry up to 1,400 passengers and travel at up to 60 km per hour.
"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," said Song Youzhou, its chief engineer.
Departments and ministries under the State Council, China's Cabinet, have responded to a wide range of public concerns in the past week, in areas that include the quality of school running tracks, real estate registration, illegal loans, cross-border capital flows and the cultivation of innovative talent.
In response to the recent "toxic running track" incidents that drew wide public concern nationwide, education ministry officials said they had paid great attention and have taken effective measures. Educational authorities at various levels will inspect and test school running tracks, and any that pose a risk to students' health will be dismantled and rebuilt. Those responsible for the defective tracks will be dealt with according to the law and relevant regulations, the ministry said. Meanwhile, a revised national standard for running tracks will be discussed to guarantee students' health.
The Ministry of Land and Resources said it will launch a special inspection into the real estate unified registration system in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. According to the inspection plan, by the end of this year all concerned cities and counties will issue a new real estate registration certificate. Any local authorities failing to implement the real estate registration system in a timely manner will be reported to the State Council.
After four ministries and departments jointly issued an announcement on illegal loans on university campuses in April, the Education Ministry reminded students last week to be wary of the hidden dangers and risks of illegal internet loans and urged them to enhance their precautionary knowledge of financial risks. The ministry asked students to establish reasonable and scientific views on consumption, learn more about finance and internet security and stay away from illegal internet loan providers.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission and Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly issued an announcement on June 22, naming the first batch of pilot regions for a project that aims to combine medical and elderly support services. According to the announcement, the 50 pilot cities and districts will explore various methods of combining medical and elderly support services, and by the end of the year there will be at least one pilot city or district in each province and region. The two departments will subsequently launch an investigation to research local pilot areas, the announcement said.
In response to cross-border capital flows in May, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said in a statement last week that supply and demand in China's foreign exchange had become more balanced. This indicated an easing of pressure from cross-border capital outflows, with China's economic operations basically meeting expectations, the statement said.
Elsewhere, Deputy-Minister of Education Du Yubo recently said the core mission of higher education should be to serve economic and social development. It should produce high-quality talent and scientific and technological achievements for economic transformation and upgrades, he said, adding that colleges and universities should accelerate transformation and cultivate innovative and skilled talent to meet social demand.
Premier Li Keqiang has emphasized many times that securing energy supplies is essential for China's development, and he has called for the country to promote an Internet Plus energy strategy.
"Internet Plus Smart Energy" aims to integrate the internet, cloud computing, big data and the internet of things with energy production, transmission, storage and consumption.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, places great importance on the innovative development of the energy industry, represented by what is known as the "energy internet".
In February, the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner, published the Internet Plus Smart Energy Action Plan, in which the government outlined key tasks for the development of an energy internet.
It includes making energy infrastructure smart, building a network of multi-energy microgrids and developing big-data services for the energy industry.
Opportunities to industry
Since its announcement, the action plan has attracted many investors who are eager to develop the smart-energy sector, said Li Ye, chief economic manager of the National Energy Administration during a news conference held by the Information Office of the State Council on June 24.
"We expect the energy internet industry will attract investment of at least 40 billion yuan ($6.04 billion) by the end of this year," he said.
"The NDRC plans to invest another 300 million to 400 million yuan in a special fund to support certain key projects."
For instance, based on a green energy internet trading platform, energy producers and consumers will be able to sell and buy electricity generated from wind, solar and hydropower directly in the future.
The increasing cooperation between internet giants and auto manufacturers on developing electronic vehicles is also a demonstration of the energy internet, Li said.
The action plan says the government will encourage the building of charging stations for electric vehicles based on renewable energy in cities and tourist spots, and along expressways.
"It not only brings opportunities to the renewable-energy industry but also the traditional energy sectors of coal, natural gas and oil," Li said.
However, the energy internet industry does not just rely on government policy, said Gao Feng, deputy director of the Energy Internet Research Institute at Tsinghua University.
"Seeing the market potential and possible returns, companies are willing to invest in this sector," he said. For instance, the Power Construction Corp of China is cooperating with the institute on an energy internet project that uses hydropower to make hydrogen for industrial use.
"The marginal cost is near zero while the product is widely-used, which means the market is big," Gao said.
A big part of the money invested in the energy internet will go to applying big data in the energy sector, Gao said.
"In Guangdong province and Chongqing municipality, some companies are investing in smart meters that can collect customer readings," he said. "Analyzing these readings will be valuable for many other businesses."
Public participation
The energy internet will change the relationship between energy providers and users.
The biggest change is that every energy consumer can become an energy seller by trading extra electricity or other forms of energy through the internet.
Li, the chief economic manager, said there's no doubt that distributed energy will see growing investment in the coming years.
"There are countless ways to bring internet thinking into the energy industry," he said.
Besides selling extra electricity to the grid, consumers can also trade individually with each other.
"It will bring convenience to residents and be beneficial to the environment," he said. "Thinking from the consumer side will make a big difference in the energy sector."
Han Xiaoping, chief information officer of China Energy Net Consulting Co, said the fundamental goal of the energy internet is to bring in public participation.
"The flattening of the energy network can promote reform of energy production and consumption, which will be beneficial for raising the utilization efficiency and for cutting pollution," he said.
The next step
According to the plan, the central government plans to launch a number of pilot and demonstration projects from 2016 to 2018 and promote the mature ones between 2019 and 2025.
The energy internet is an important element of "Made in China 2025". It is also beneficial for China's technology standards going global.
At present, the National Energy Administration is working on building a unified and open system of technology standards.
From 2019 to 2025, the country will establish an integrated system of technologies and standards, and promote its internationalization.
TIANJIN - While the Chinese economy is changing gear, its consumption market is experiencing an even bigger shift: Enter the new class of savvy consumers -- the millennials.
"The millennials are a very different generation. They were born and bred at a time when China's economy and wealth were growing rapidly, so most have no memory of the hunger and instability experienced by their parents," said Zhang Lifen, a journalism professor at Shanghai's Fudan University and former editor-in-chief at FTChinese.com, at a meeting at the World Economic Forum, which began Sunday.
These young people born after 1980 now account for 40 percent of China's population aged between 15 - 70. They account for around 45 percent of consumption, and this share is expected to reach 53 percent in five years, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
"The force driving consumption has completely changed. The younger generation will become the biggest spenders, contributing two thirds of consumption growth going forward," said Carol Liao, greater China president at Boston Consulting Group.
Unlike their thrifty parents, who lived through challenging economic and social times and chose to save and limit consumption, the younger generation are spending more generously and demonstrating more individualized preferences.
According to BCG, consumption among the younger generation is expected to grow twice as much as their parents, at 14 percent annually. The upper middle class among millennials spend 40 percent more across a number of consumer goods than the same cohort in their parents' generation.
The generation gap is equally evident in factors shaping respective consumption habits of the millennials and their parents. Twenty-five percent of Chinese millennials hold a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 3 percent for their parents generation. The younger generation can recognize 20 cosmetic brands on average, compared to just 7 for the older generation, a BCG study finds.
"The things they find interesting, and the services they need are drastically different from the previous generation," said Xiao Hong, CEO of Chinese gaming company Perfect World during a panel discussion on Chinese millennials at the WEF meeting in Tianjin on Sunday.
"What you see on the market are hundreds of niche brands in everything from cosmetics to snacks catering to various demands of the Millennials. While none of the smaller players can rival established brands on their own, together they are chipping away at the dominance of big brands, which are reticent to change."
While this is a challenge for established brands, this could give an edge to startups founded by millennials and firms where products design and market are placed in the hands of their peers.
"Many game developers at our company are in their 20s and the stuff they make will eventually be consumed by their peers," said Perfect World's Xiao, who was born in the 1960s.
It also takes a very different approach to managing millennials, Xiao said.
"They are not afraid of challenging authority," he said, "When they don't agree with you, they say it outright. At the end of the day, they are the ones who know what their peers want."
"If consumer-facing companies want to be part of China's consumption growth story in the coming years, they must find a way to better engage with the younger generation," said Carol Liao.
The millennials are not just consumers to be won over, but also a key asset when companies design, innovate and sell products in the market, she said.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding welcomes baby cubs in Southwest China's Sichuan province, June 20, 2016. The two female cubs are the first newborn twins globally in 2016. [Photo by She Yi/For China Daily]
CHENGDU - A giant panda gave birth to twins, a male and a female, in Southwest China's Sichuan province on Monday, four days after another such pigeon pair were born at the same breeding center.
A female adult named Ji Li gave birth to a male cub weighing 186 grams at 6:41 pm and a female cub weighing 68.5 grams at 7:07 pm, said Wu Kongju, an expert with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Although Ji Li is a first-time mother, she did not show any panic. She clutched the male cub in her arms and comforted him. However, giant pandas are unable to hold two cubs at once, so Ji Li had to make a decision on which of her babies to mother. She chose the male.
In the wild, the female cub would be unlikely to survive in this scenario. But the research base can take good care of both cubs. Ji Li and her two cubs are now in good condition, according to the center.
A female panda called Xingya gave birth to the first pigeon pair this year on June 23 in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding said.
Xingya gave birth to a male cub weighing 170 grams at 1:17 pm and a female cub weighing 161 grams at 1:30 pm.
Having given birth to twins in 2013, Xingya appeared to be at more ease in handling her new-born cubs this time. She managed to hold two cubs after they were born one after another.
A giant panda called Ya Li gave birth to twins on June 20 in Chengdu, the first twins this year anywhere in the world, according to the breeding base.
Ya Li delivered the first cub at 5:52 am and the second ten minutes later at the breeding base. The cubs, both female, weigh 144 grams and 113 grams.
The mother started to show reduced appetite on May 22 and became restless days later, before exhibiting prenatal behavior, said Yang Kuixing with the base.
Ya Li was born with her twin sister Wen Li in July 2009. She also has a younger sister and a younger brother.
After undergoing five days of training in the cradle of the Chinese revolution, I realized that the "youth version" of a Party school was completely different from what I had imagined.
The National Youth Education Center for Revolutionary History in Jinggangshan, Jiangxi province, provides education about the Communist Party of China, mostly to domestic students and young people who work for the government.
The wide range of classes on offer in the curriculum caught my eye immediately because there were few lectures, addresses or speeches.
We only had four lectures in the classroom. The rest of our time was spent out of doors, in martyrs' memorial parks, the mountains where the Red Army once walked and in villages inhabited by the descendants of revolutionary elders.
One day, my class - composed of about 40 students - was divided into four groups. Each group was assigned several guns weighing about 8 kg each and a 30-kg ammunition box before we set off on a 4-km forced march.
Using a simple map, we had to complete the march in the remote mountains within a set time, while also undertaking tasks, such as finding hidden items and locating specific herbs along the way. The June sun blazed down and soon everyone was sweating.
As soon as the march was over, a trainer showed us how to carry and use laser guns. So, with no time to rest, we began a laser-gun battle in the forest.
The march was exhausting, and the laser battle was fun, but tiring.
I know that this hardship was nothing compared with what the Red Army faced during the Long March from October 1934 to October 1935, when Mao Zedong led his troops through 9,000 km of tough terrain to avoid the Nationalist army. However, at least we gained a little insight and understanding - far more than if we had simply stayed in an air-conditioned classroom listening to a lecturer telling us how hard life had been for the communist troops.
We went to martyrs' memorial parks and listened to stories about the people buried in them. We visited villages where we met the descendants of Red Army soldiers and listened to their stories about the events of the last century.
History felt closer, and made me feel that we should cherish the lives we have now. That may sound childish, but we sometimes forget to be grateful for what we have.
The school even taught us how to make straw sandals, like the ones Mao Zedong made during his stay in Jinggangshan when the Red Army was short of supplies.
The history and theory of the Communist Party is at the core of the training, but knowing is just one aspect, while feeling and believing is another thing entirely - and more important.
Wu Jiasong, president of the Youth Federation of the Organizations under the CPC's Central Committee and head of training at Jinggangshan, said that despite differences in ages and backgrounds, there is always a group of people who live for the public interest and noble ideals instead of only thinking of themselves.
"These people are always respected," he said.
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page6)
Party schools have played a central role in the intellectual development and political education of officials from both China and overseas, as Tang Yue reports.
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles China Daily will publish in the next few days looking at the structure, history and influence of the Chinese Communist Party as it celebrates the 95th anniversary of its foundation.
There is a group of extremely powerful academies in China, but you won't see them on the lists of university rankings. They have more power to shape the minds of the country's most powerful people and, in turn, its future than any other institutions.
They are the Party schools. There are about 2,900 at all levels, and they are not just the places where rising leaders are trained, but also where economic and social issues are discussed and debated, and where policy trends are set.
"You don't really see this in the West. You don't see Democrats or Republicans going to the Party school. The schools play an important role in Party building in China," said Zhen Xiaoying, a former vice-president of the Central Institute of Socialism in Beijing.
"It is also superficial and biased to think that cadres go to the Party schools just to be obedient to the Party. It is a precious chance for officials from all over the country to exchange ideas on governance," said Zhen, who is a professor of Party building.
At the top of the system is the Party School of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee. Its predecessor, the Marxist-Communist School, was founded in 1933 in Ruijin, Jiangxi province, in the Central Revolutionary Base Area.
Its current headmaster is Liu Yunshan, a member of the country's top authority, the seven-person Standing Committee of the Politbureau of the CPC Central Committee. Former headmasters include leading Party figures such as Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.
In 2005, three national-level Party schools with different specialities were established directly under the CPC Central Committee.
The China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong in Shanghai specializes in international exchange and cooperation, while the schools in Jinggangshan in Jiangxi, and in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, both former revolutionary bases, place greater emphasis on Party history and spirit.
The wider picture shows that there are 34 provincial-level Party schools, plus 15 at sub-provincial level, about 360 at city-level and 2,500 at county-level. The schools, which are scattered across the country, employ about 100,000 people in total, according to President Xi Jinping.
"Quite a few comrades don't realize the significant roles the Party schools have played. Many think their existence doesn't make a difference. These thoughts must be corrected," Xi, who was the headmaster of the Central Party School from 2007 until 2012, told the national Party school conference in December.
Located next to the Summer Palace, an 18th century imperial retreat in the suburbs of northwest Beijing, the Central Party School was once one of the most mysterious places in China.
In recent years, though, it has gradually lifted the veil. On June 30, 2010, the day before the CPC's 89th birthday, the school invited foreign reporters to visit and conduct interviews for the first time in its history.
Meanwhile, the school has become an increasingly popular destination for foreign leaders to visit and deliver speeches.
The past decade has witnessed a growing number of foreign leaders or heads of international organizations visiting the school and addressing the students; from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Herman Van Rompuy, the then-President of the European Council, and then-US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien-Loong.
Gong Li, a professor of international relations with the Central Party School's Institute of International Strategic Studies, revealed that Rumsfeld declined the Chinese government's offer to visit Peking University when he was in China in October 2005. He preferred to call on the Central Party School instead.
"So many foreign leaders want to visit our school. However, I'm sorry to say that the busy schedule means we have to give priority to high-ranking officials and top scholars," he said.
Overseas students
In Shanghai, the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong doesn't just play host to foreign visitors and speakers, but also to trainees from overseas. Thousands of officials from more than 100 countries have attended its courses.
In addition to seminars for students from developing countries as part of China's foreign aid program, and topics such as city planning, development zones and anti-corruption work, many projects attract officials from developed countries interested in China's investment outlook.
Despite the different themes, the curriculum for the foreign students always starts with an overall introduction to China, including courses such as a General Review of China and Relations between Central and Local Government.
According to Liu Genfa, deputy director of the international exchange and training department, nothing is out of bounds during lectures, except displays of arrogance.
"A poker face doesn't work. Plain theory doesn't work. You have to learn to be a storyteller. If you don't do that, Chinese people won't listen, let alone people from overseas," he said.
Contact the writer at tangyue@chinadaily.com.cn
How the system works
Training
Three departments of the Central Party Schools offer training and education.
The Further Training Department provides courses for officials, known as cadres, at the ministerial, provincial and prefectural levels, and for secretaries of county (or city) Party committees on a rotating basis.
The Training Department oversees the training of young and middle-aged reserve cadres and cadres from ethnic groups in the Tibet and Xinjiang autonomous regions.
The Graduate School, which offers masters degrees and doctorates, has been engaged in graduate education since 1981.
Higher education
The Graduate School of the Central Party School recruits about 200 graduate students every year. Majors include the Philosophy of Marxism, Scientific Socialism and the International Communist Movement, and the History of the CPC.
Closure
What was then the Advanced Party School was suspended during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). It reopened in 1977 and was renamed the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.
Turning point
Following the end of the "cultural revolution", Hu Yaobang, the then-headmaster, led a discussion among officials at the school about the criteria for "testing truth". According to the school's website, at that time whatever Mao Zedong said was regarded as the truth or the principle to follow, Hu and his contemporaries debated whether this rule should be maintained.
In May 1978, the debate led to the publication of a commentary, titled "Practice Is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth," in Guangming Daily. It sparked a fierce national debate. It is regarded as a movement to free the minds of the Chinese people from personality cults, and inculcate a solid foundation for the subsequent economic reform and opening-up.
Left: Manmohan Singh, thenprime minister of India, addresses students at the Central Party School in Beijing in October 2013. Center: Mario Monti, thenprime minister of Italy, makes a speech at the Central Party School in March 2012. Right: Donald Rumsfeld speaks during a visit to the Central Party School in October 2005, when he was US defense secretary. Photos Bywang Ye / Xinhua, Liuweibing /Xinhua And Mandel Ngan / Reuters Trainees from Africa listen intently during a class at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong in Shanghai. Wang Yuan / Xinhua
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page6)
As companies are embracing opportunities made possible by China's Belt and Road Initiative, a leading Tianjin firm is not lagging behind.
The China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, whose construction by TEDA Investment Holding Co Ltd began in 2008, is poised to kick off its second phase of expansion, said Zhang Bingjun, chairman of the board of TEDA Holding.
Zhang was speaking on the sidelines of the Summer Davos Forum in Tianjin.
The zone is located at the south end of the Suez Canal and the west coast of the Red Sea, 120 km from Cairo. Both governments have also pointed out that the site is at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative's footprint and the New Suez Canal Economic Corridor. In January, President Xi Jinping and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi unveiled the nameplate of the second stage of the project at the zone.
"After the second-phase expansion, the zone is expected to accommodate 200 enterprises, attract $3 billion in investment, and reach $10 billion in annual revenue," Zhang said.
The construction is expected to finish in 15 years, and the zone will turn into an iconic project for the two countries' long-term economic cooperation. According to China's Ministry of Commerce, upon the zone's completion, it will provide up to 40,000 jobs for locals.
Liu Gang, a professor at Binhai Development Research Institute at Nankai University, Tianjin, said that in pursuing the "Going Global (strategy)", Chinese enterprises like TEDA can reduce production costs by the efficient use of local resources and labor forces. Although "Going Global" is a national strategy, the result of global expansion is profitable and beneficial for enterprises.
According to Zhang, an initial 1.34-square-km area has been developed, and 68 enterprises, including 90 percent Chinese-funded ones, have entered the zone. It has created more than 2,000 job opportunities for local workers, attracted about $1 billion in investments, reached $150 million in annual revenue, and paid 200 million Egyptian pounds ($22.5 million) in taxes.
One firm looking to invest in the area is the Shanxi Dayun Group, which just signed a contract to enter the zone and promised to invest $30 million and produce 500,000 motorcycles annually.
Public transportation and energy supplies to the second stage of the project are already in place.
Ni Yuchen contributed to this story.
Contact the writers at zhangmin@chinadaily.com and wangyu@chinadaily.com
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page16)
Mile Shangsheng Jing dates back to AD 927 and is the second-earliest surviving printed document found in China. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]
Three sacred Buddhist texts are now on display in Beijing as rare early examples of block printing in China around the seventh century.
Called "national treasures" by scholars, the texts are highlights of an exhibition of some 100 ancient and classic books from across the country, being held at the National Library of China.
One of the exhibits is a printed version of Mile Shangsheng Jing, one of the three sutras of Maitreya, the future Buddha. Dating AD 927 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960), it is the second-earliest surviving printed document that has been found in China.
Diamond Sutra, the world's earliest printed book from China, is, however, not on display at the current exhibition. The Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) copy of the Diamond Sutra, found in one of the Dunhuang caves in 1907 by Hungarian-British explorer Aurel Stein, is now part of the British Library.
The Beijing show has a Diamond Sutra copy that is not dated but has been traced back to the early 10th century by researchers at the national library. Among other rare books on display is a mid-10th century copy of Mile Xiasheng Jing, one of the three Maitreya sutras.
A peasant works on a tiger painting in Wanggongzhuang village, Beiguan town, Minquan county of Henan province, June 26, 2016. [Photo/IC]
The painting industry in Wanggongzhuang, a village in Henan, started in 1956, mainly themed on tiger, fish and crane creations. As "tiger" sounds similar to "Fu (good fortune)" in Chinese, and has a good market prospect, the locals flood to the village to paint tigers. The village has become an "art academy" and peasants here become artists.
There are more than 800 people engaged in painting-related industries, among its 1,366 villagers. Their paintings have been exported to Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the US, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The "tiger painting" village attracted more than 400,000 tourists last year and sold around 90,000 paintings, generating a total revenue of 98 million yuan ($14.7 million).
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin issued a Sino-Russia joint statement after their talks in Beijing on Saturday afternoon.
In the statement, China and Russia expressed concern over the "negative" trends in international affairs, and vowed to strengthen global strategic stability.
Strategic stability is a concept that emerged with nuclear weapons. The statement said this nuclear deterrent-oriented concept is outdated and the international community should regard strategic stability from a wider angle.
The joint statement pointed out that some countries and alliances seek a decisive advantage to serve their own interests through the use of, or threat to use, force in international affairs. This has resulted in their out-of-control growth of military power, which is undermining global strategic stability.
The joint statement called on all countries and groups of countries to abide by the UN Charter and international law, respect the legitimate rights and interests of all countries and peoples while handling international and regional hot issues, and oppose interference in other countries' political affairs.
The joint statement also appealed for all countries to keep their military capabilities at the lowest level necessary to maintain their national security, refrain from moves that may be seen by other countries as threat to their national security and may force them to take countermeasures.
Premier Li Keqiang delivers a keynote speech at the opening of the annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin on June 27, 2016. [Photo / Xinhua]
Tianjin, the venue of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, will probably be one of the places where the immediate chill from the United Kingdom leaving the European Union is felt most keenly.
A once-a-year mid-summer event, organized by World Economic Forum and hosted in rotation by Tianjin and Dalian, two northern Chinese port cities, the Summer Davos is a forum for leading figures from around the world to discuss globalization and innovation.
But this year, almost eight years after the 2008 global financial crisis and with all major economies still trying to adapt to the long-term implications of the changes it wrought, the world seems drifting farther away from these goals rather than moving toward them.
Challenges abound. Most economies are not expanding as fast as they did before. Many old industries are on an agonizing but helpless decline, while new industries are still to deliver strong and stable growth.
Jobs in old industries are disappearing while those in new industries are often of a completely different kind requiring different skills and even lifestyles.
Everywhere, existing financial markets and investment instruments seem to have incurred greater risk rather than less. Emerging market economies have seen major ups-and-downs. And governments' financial policies are yet to generate an increasing sense of certainty.
To an extent, last week's Brexit was a reflection of sagging popular confidence in the effects of any joint efforts on the global level.
Confidence is something very real. It comes from neither stalling to take action, nor biased design (worst of all to prioritize self-interest), or a one-shot deal in risk-taking.
Economies are a long-cycle phenomenon rewarding hard work, especially when all the easy achievements are already achieved or still out of reach.
Just as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told his audience in Tianjin, China will be working tenaciously to seek cross-border cooperation and collaboration with its partners around the world despite Brexit and whatever difficult twists may follow this event, spending continuously on education and innovation, and structuring business-friendly policies and regulatory environment whenever possible.
With 67 trillion yuan (more than $10 trillion) in GDP, 170 million college-educated workers, and 40,000 newly registered businesses on an everyday basis, the fact that China is staying on course is in itself an important help to the world to keep up its globalization momentum.
By 2017, more than 30 percent of the entire population, including over 60 percent of the priority groups, will be able to enjoy contractual services from family doctors, according to the guideline.[Photo/Xinhua]
THE GAP BETWEEN THE supply and demand of family doctors in China hasn't been narrowed in the past years. Beijing News commented on Monday:
The current comprehensive promotion of the family doctor system is not mature, and a better approach is needed to make a breakthrough.
According to reports, Beijing has promoted the family doctor service since 2011. But six years later, although the number of families that have signed with doctors in their communities has reached 33 percent, the reality is many of their health records have been gathering dust, which means the family doctor system itself is gathering dust.
In 2009, reforms were introduced that clearly put forward the family doctor system to provide community health services. But while the government's attitude has been clear, the actual effect is less obvious.
First, most people hold the view of only visiting a good doctor in case of a serious illness, leaving little room for a family doctor. Second, there are no incentives for doctors to work as family doctors.
To this end, the country may wish to look at the general practitioners who carry out such work in the United Kingdom, where people must first use their GP at the local clinic unless it is an emergency.
The public hospitals should interact with family doctors, so that family doctors can truly participate in the basic aspects of patient treatment.
This photo, taken on June 25,2016, shows the pastoral scenery at Hongcun village in Yi county, Anhui province. Hongcun village is an ancient village with a history of more than 800 years. It boasts Hui-style buildings and the graceful scenery of lakes, rivers, trees and bridges. The scene is so refreshing it is regarded as one of the most worthy villages to visit in China.[Photo by Shi Guangde/Asianewsphoto]
Eventually, the case will be sorted out as the related parties know more about evidence of China's longtime sovereignty over the South China Sea. I am very delighted that China has started to communicate effectively with the rest of the world to gain their understanding. More confidence- and trust-building efforts should be delivered in the Asian community, and each of us has a long way to go, and we must save energy, put the dispute aside and focus on development.
Sreenivasa Rao Pemmara-ju, chief legal adviser of India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The arbitration, raised up by the Philippines but refused by China, has brought a lot of difficulties and anxiety, which are not good for all parties. And we (the United States) should be more responsible in talking to our ally.
Abraham Sofaer, senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in the US
China could offer mountains of documents, records and historical heritages to prove that, since ancient times, Chinese people have discovered and used the South China Sea islands and reefs. Despite that the Philippines and Vietnam have occupied some islands of the South China Sea, China has kept refraining from raising disputes. But in recent years, since the United States has returned to the region, the Philippines has begun to claim sovereignty over the islands, which are owned by China, and this is the very nature of the dispute.
Hu Dekun, dean of the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University
I am happy that top law experts worldwide have reached a consensus that the arbitration is questionable, since this legal body has no jurisdiction in a sovereignty dispute under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which authorized the establishment of the Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Against such a background, any verdict is invalid and China is doing right in accordance with the spirit of international law.
Sienho Yee, chief expert of China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University
In the arbitration of the Philippines' claim against China, the absence of a disputing party is caused by the lack of the vital element of consent, which is the basis of the tribunal's jurisdiction. This absence is due to a formally declared and widely publicized lack of the consent that the International Court of Justice has declared to be the very basis of the court's jurisdiction in contentious cases.
M.C.W. Pinto, arbitrator in a number of cases and former secretary-general of the Iran-US Claims Tribunal
China has enough legitimate rights under international law to refuse to accept the arbitration, which was unilaterally initiated by the Philippines. So, I think any verdict from the tribunal is invalid and the Philippines should come to the negotiation table with China to solve the dispute, and the US should stop helping escalate tensions in the region right now.
Liu Huawen, assistant director at the Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
(China Daily 06/28/2016 page3)
An aerial photo taken on Sept 25, 2015 from a seaplane of Hainan Maritime Safety Administration shows the Yacheng 13-1 drilling rig during a patrol in South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]
THE HAGUE - The disputes over the South China Sea between China and the Philippines are not appropriate for a judicial settlement or arbitration, experts said Monday.
An arbitral tribunal's decision to allow a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines is also highly questionable, according to a group of leading experts on international law who concluded a seminar here.
"Because there are so many possible choices regarding how to settle the claims, it will be difficult for a court or an arbitral tribunal to make a proper decision," said Sienho Yee, chief expert at the Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University, who presented a conclusion of some 30 experts during a press briefing.
"We also heard the positions by the experts that the tribunal seemed to be manipulating words in its decision (on jurisdiction)," Yee said, noting that the tribunal did not respect China's explicit right to exclude territorial and delimitation disputes written in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Pemmaraju Sreenivasa Rao, former chairman of the UN International Law Commission, said the tribunal has put itself in a very difficult position.
"The tribunal said it would not try to settle sovereignty disputes, but only to determine geological features. However, the Philippines' claims will eventually lead to the question of who owns it, and the tribunal has no jurisdiction over this matter," said Rao, who participated in the third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1982 that led to the adoption of the UNCLOS.
Rao's opinion was echoed by Abdul G. Koroma, a former judge of the International Court of Justice who also took part in the historic conference.
"It is stated in the convention that a tribunal will not be entitled, will not have the right to pass judgment on a territorial and boundary dispute, because it has not been equipped; it has not been given competence to do so," Koroma said. "You cannot use the jurisdiction of one to determine the other."
"It's like someone who has a brain tumor and went to the doctor, and only asked for flu medication. We all know that it is not going to cure his headache," Michael Sheng-ti Gau, a professor of public international law at the Law of the Sea Institute at Taiwan's Ocean University, commented on the Philippines' claims in the case.
The claims of the Philippines only scratch the surface, but do not cover the core dispute, which is a sovereignty issue. As the court cannot rule on something that is not presented in the claims, the result of the arbitration is unlikely to have any effect on the current situation, Gau said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C), French President Francois Hollande (L) and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attend a news conference at the chancellery during discussions on the outcome of the Brexit in Berlin, Germany, June 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
BERLIN - The leaders of Germany, France and Italy urged Britain on Monday not to waste time in starting a divorce procedure with the European Union (EU), warning against uncertainty in a long impasse.
Despite a referendum result of Brexit last week, Britain's divorce procedure with the EU will only start when the country formally notify its intention to leave, activating the Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he will leave the task to his successor when he steps down in October.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said on Monday that Britain would trigger the exit procedure only when there is a clear view about new relations between Britain and the EU.
However, German, French and Italian leaders hold the opposite idea.
"We agreed that there will be no informal or formal discussions on the exit of Britain until the European Council has received an application for withdraw," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks with French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin.
"As long as that has not happened, no further steps can be taken," she said.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an iftar event in Ankara, Turkey, June 27, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
MOSCOW - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent his apologies to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the death of a Russian pilot of the Su-24 bomber downed by Ankara in November last year, voicing readiness to mend ties, the Kremlin said Monday.
"Recep Tayyip Erdogan expresses his deep regret over the incident and underlines the willingness to do everything possible to restore the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia," the Kremlin said in a statement.
In a message to Putin, Erdogan said Ankara has no desire to worsen its relationship with Moscow, which he sees as Turkey's "friend and strategic partner," and called for joint efforts to solve the crisis in the region and to fight terrorism, according to the statement.
Erdogan said Turkish authorities have launched an investigation into the death of the Russian pilot, adding that a Turkish citizen suspected of complicity in the case is under investigation.
The Turkish president also expressed his sympathy and condolences to the family of the deceased Russian pilot, Oleg Peshkov.
Earlier this month, Erdogan sent a letter to Putin, reiterating his wish to restore relations with Russia.
Relations between Russia and Turkey have soured after the latter downed the Russian bomber near the Turkish-Syrian border for alleged airspace violation, which Russia denied and considered as a hostile act.
Putin described the attack as a "stab in the back" and ordered a broad range of economic sanctions against Turkey.
Moscow has repeatedly said relations between the two countries could be restored only after Ankara apologizes and provides compensation to Russia for the downed aircraft and to Peshkov's family.
You'll still be able to get a room at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York for a few years, but they're going to be harder to come by.
The Anbang Insurance Group of China, which purchased the storied Manhattan hotel in October 2014 for $1.95 billion, plans to temporarily close it in 2017 and convert 75 percent of the property into condominiums, according to various reports, which have grown in intensity the past couple of weeks.
"We have not finalized any plans in terms of the scope, nature and details of the renovation project or the exact timing and duration of the hotel's closure," a spokesman for Anbang e-mailed China Daily on Monday evening. "We are currently developing conceptual plans and will share additional details once those plans are finalized."
But the spokesman did say that the plans were essentially outlined in a speech by Anbang CEO Wu Xiaohui at Harvard University on Jan 31, 2015.
"We plan to renovate the two towers into luxury residential apartments with world-class amenities and finishes to reflect its culture and social status," Wu said. "At the same time, we will build the hotel section into a super five-star hotel, delivering unparalleled customer experience inspired by Anbang's customer-orientation culture."
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Anbang's restoration plan would eliminate hundreds of hotel jobs, citing people familiar with the matter.
When the Waldorf reopens, the current hotel, which was built in 1931, will have between 300 and 500 luxury guest rooms, the sources said. The remaining units will be sold as condos.
The renovated structure is expected to reopen in 2020, according to the reports.
TheRealDeal.com reported similar developments on June 14.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc will continue to manage the property and has reached severance agreements with hundreds of the workers at a cost of $100 million or more, wsj.com reported, adding that the gut-level renovation will cost more than $1 billion.
The Real Deal reported that in early 2015, Anbang submitted a filing to the New York City Department of Finance to subdivide the building into different sections for condos, a hotel and retail. Anbang set aside 1.2 million square feet - about three quarters of the building-for residential use, according to the document.
The Waldorf now has two sections: a 1,232-room hotel and a 181-room boutique hotel known as the Towers, which also has some one- and two-bedroom rentals.
The City Council adopted an ordinance last year excluding hotels with more than 150 units from converting more than 20 percent of the property into residences for two years, absent a public review process. The regulation, however, exempted recent transactions, of which the Waldorf was one, according to The Real Deal.
The 85-year-old hotel on Park Avenue is famous for its Presidential Suite, but current US President Barack Obama, who had previously stayed at the Waldorf, did not book the suite last fall during the United Nations General Assembly, opting for another New York hotel. The switch prompted speculation that it had something to do with security concerns over the Chinese ownership.
The Art Deco hotel has provide accommodations over the years for guests such as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor and Cole Porter and was the longtime home of Depression-era US president Herbert Hoover.
Another dowager of the New York hotel landscape and a Waldorf peer The Plaza Hotel also is a hotel/condo hybrid, with about 280 rooms and 150 private residences overlooking Central Park.
A protester shows off a placard reading 'US Marines, withdraw' during a rally against US military bases, following the arrest of an American suspected of murdering a local woman, at a park in the prefectural capital Naha on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, Japan June 19, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
TOKYO - The Okinawa prefecture lodged a fresh protest Monday to the US military over a case of DUI (driving under the influence) committed by a US Base worker a day earlier.
Okinawa Vice Governor Mitsuo Ageda filed the protest Monday to Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Forces Japan, stationed in Okinawa.
A 24-year-old civilian worker at a US base in Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early Sunday morning after his vehicle collided with another car at an intersection.
Though the suspect denied the allegation, a breath test showed that his blood-alcohol level was four times the legal limit, local police said.
The incident happened during a drinking ban imposed by the US military on its service members as part of a "unity and mourning" period following the alleged murder and rape of a 20-year-old Okinawa woman by a US civilian base worker in April.
The ban, originally from May 27 to June 24 and later extended to June 28, prohibited US service members from drinking alcohol off base and outside their houses.
Earlier this month, a US navy sailor was also arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and injuring two people in Okinawa.
"It's futile to express anger and sadness (regarding the issue)," said Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga at a press conference Monday morning.
"Despite their repeated promises of strengthening the discipline and preventing such incidents from happening again, such incidents happened again so easily. I don't know what to say," said Onaga.
Okinawa hosts some 75 percent of US bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land mass. Criminal cases involving US military men repeatedly happened in Okinawa.
Tens of thousands of people rallied a week earlier in Naha, capital city of Okinawa, protesting against crimes committed by US military personnel and demanding removal of the US bases from the island.
PARIS - In an op-ed recently carried by the French daily Le Figaro, Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun has reiterated the country's stance that China does not accept the arbitration on the South China Sea issue.
The sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters belongs to China, Zhai noted in the signed article published on June 24.
In the 1970s, the Philippines successively seized several of the Chinese Nansha islands and started to claim sovereignty of these island and the surrounding waters, which the Chinese government repeatedly denounced as a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Zhai said.
The dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea is in fact about the sovereignty of the islands, Zhai explained.
The arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines are based on certain provisions of The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) adopted in 1982. At the same time, the Convention also allows a member State to declare in writing that it does not accept one or more compulsory dispute settlement procedures of certain categories of disputes.
The Chinese government made such a statement in 2006 rejecting any binding dispute resolution, including the arbitration, for disputes concerning the delimitation of maritime areas, and application of laws, as well as for the disputes that the United Nations are exercising functions to resolve by its Carter, Zhai said.
So, the Philippines have tried to hide its real purpose of its requests. It's obvious that these requests in fact are about the sovereignty of certain islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and they aim to legitimize the claims of the Philippines in this manner, Zhai wrote.
China has all along stood for peacefully settling territorial and maritime delimitation disputes through negotiation with countries directly concerned. Since quite a long time ago, there has been an agreement in this direction for the settlement of disputes in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines through the Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines concerning Consultations on the South China Sea and on Other Areas of Cooperation states signed in 1995, the Joint Statement of the China-Philippines Experts Group Meeting on Confidence-Building Measures signed in 1999, the Joint Statement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on the Framework of Bilateral Cooperation in the Twenty-First Century signed in 2000, and several other documents signed by the two governments, Zhai continued.
The consensus of China and the Philippines regarding the settlement of disputes through negotiations has been confirmed in multilateral frameworks. The Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which China signed in 2002 with the Philippines and other ASEAN member states, states that "the Parties concerned undertake to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means... through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the Chinese ambassador explained.
These bilateral documents and the provisions of the DOC constitute an agreement between China and the Philippines who have obligation to negotiate to resolve their differences. Negotiation is the only way accepted by both parties to settle their disputes over the South China Sea, including demands introduced by the Philippines to the Arbitral Tribunal.
File photo shows ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) President and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen speaks at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2015. [Photo/VCG]
PHNOM PENH - Ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) President and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen announced on Tuesday that the CPP would not back the arbitration court's upcoming decision over the South China Sea issue, saying that the party saw the upcoming decision as "the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics".
In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea. The Chinese government has reiterated its non-acceptance and non-participation stance in the case.
"The CPP does not support, and more so is against, any possible declaration by ASEAN to support decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in relation to the South China Sea disputes, which some countries outside the region have wire-pulled and pressured ASEAN members even before the court reaches a decision," Hun Sen said in a speech during the CPP's 65th founding anniversary in Phnom Penh.
"The CPP foresees this issue, and views it the worst political collusion in the framework of international politics, the result of which would lead to division among ASEAN members themselves and between ASEAN and China," he said.
The prime minister warned that efforts of some countries outside the region to mobilize forces against China would bring negative impacts on ASEAN and peace in the region.
He said the CPP regards the South China Sea issues are matters between countries directly concerned, and not ones between ASEAN and China.
"In this sense, the CPP appeals to every concerned countries to resolve their issues peacefully together," Hun Sen said. "Only countries concerned will be able to resolve this problem. ASEAN is not able to work on behalf of those countries concerned."
He said that there is the ASEAN-China mechanism to resolve issues through the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed in Phnom Penh in 2002.
"The CPP calls on all concerned parties to implement justly the spirit of DOC, while ASEAN and China work together to achieve a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC)," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, he called on countries outside the region to cease their interference on issues of South China Sea.
"The CPP also appeals to concerned countries and those with attention given to South China Sea issues to stop using South China Sea as bargaining tool or hostage in regional and international meetings for the results in recent years have been divisive," he said.
Hun Sen said Cambodia had again, and again, become victim of South China Sea issue because of unjust accusations and expressed hopes that countries unconcerned will not suffer injustice as Cambodia did.
The prime minister also said that ASEAN has so much more works to do besides dealing with the South China Sea issue.
SEOUL - South Korea on Tuesday rejected the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s proposal to hold a meeting of political parties and social organizations from the two Koreas around August 15 marking the 71st anniversary of the Korean peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.
Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement that the DPRK's offer was its typical propaganda ploy against South Korea, noting that Pyongyang's dialogue offer lacked sincerity as it came amid the ongoing nuclear test and missile launches.
The statement came a day after the DPRK proposed to South Korea holding a grand meeting of the nations for unification and unity, attended by political parties, social organizations and individual figures, before or after August 15. Pyongyang offered to hold a working-level contact in July to discuss the issue.
The statement said that if Pyongyang has any sincerity in pursuing peaceful unification on the peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations, it should show its commitment to denuclearization with actions.
Following its historic Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) congress in early May, the DPRK has proposed holding a dialogue with South Korea to ease tensions on the peninsula.
Seoul has rejected the dialogue overtures, urging Pyongyang to show its will to denuclearize first before any dialogue is to be held between the two sides.
The DPRK conducted its fourth nuclear test in January, followed in February by a launch of a long-range rocket, which was condemned as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology.
On June 23, Pyongyang test-fired its surface-to-surface strategic ballistic missile Hwasong-10, called in South Korea Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, and said it was successful as the missile flew about 400 km after being propelled as high as 1,413.6 km.
The poster shows the 16th Art Quadriennale, the only institutional exhibition devoted to contemporary Italian art. It will be held at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome from mid October to next January. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
After eight-year hiatus, the Art Quadriennale, the only institutional exhibition devoted to contemporary Italian art, will return to the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome from mid October to next January. And the Italians have targeted China as the first stop on their world promotional tour.
The promotional event for the upcoming 16th Art Quadriennale, with the theme "Altri tempi, altri miti" (Other times, other myths), was held at the Embassy of Italy in Beijing on Monday. Due to a shortage in government funds, the contemporary art exhibition had been suspended for the past eight years. As such, its revival also marks the start of a new form of public-private partnership based on specific ad hoc projects.
"We choose China because it has long history and profound cultural heritage. Therefore, we believe Chinese people have the capabilities to understand more about Italian contemporary art," said Ettore Francesco Sequi, Ambassador of Italy to China, whilst addressing guests at the promotional event.
"I believe the influence of Chinese contemporary art has now exceeded that of any other countries around the world." said Franco Bernabe, President of Foundation for the Art Quadriennale. "But when talking about Italian art, people usually refers to our ancient art works instead of the modern ones."
Mr Bernabe, who is also serving as PetroChina's non-executive director, says he has witnessed the burgeoning of Chinese contemporary art throughout the decade.
This year's exhibition aims to map out contemporary visual art in Italy, featuring ten exhibition sections developed by 11 curators and 99 artists, and boasting 150 artworks. It is estimated that half a million global tourists will come to enjoy the latest and most influential collection of contemporary visual arts in the Italian capital city.
"In recent years, we have seen a strong movement of Italian art works into China; but there are still not many Chinese counterparts entering Italy. So, I hope to act as a bridge between artists in both countries," Mr Bernabe said, determined to expand the global influence of Italian contemporary art.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told China Daily on Tuesday that the UK referendum vote is a shock for the country, not a problem for the EU. [Photo by Fu Jing/China Daily]
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Tuesday that although the UK referendum vote to leave the European Union is a shock for Britain, and is a sad moment for Europe, it will not affect the process of EU integration.
Renzi is in Brussels attending a two-day meeting of European leaders, which begins this afternoon local time. UK Prime Minister David Cameron is going to attend today's meeting but will be absent from tomorrow's informal discussion among the leaders of the remaining 27 countries.
"Europe is a great family, with great values. So the shock of the leave decisions by the UK don't block and stop incredible history of our integration of Europe," said Renzi when responding to China Daily before the building of European Commission.
"We must invest in our historic values and fight against rising unemployment and inequality of this bloc to push forward integration," he said.
He said that without any preparation for such an outcome, the leave decision has brought immediate shock for UK. "But this is not a problem for the EU."
Contact the reporter on fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
Over a thousand protesters assembled in Londons Trafalgar Square aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum. Photo/Angus McNeice
Over a thousand protesters assembled in London's Trafalgar Square in pouring rain on Tuesday evening to protest Britain's pending exit from the European Union.
A lively crowd of Londoners braved the rain and protested the result of the EU referendum, despite organizers having announced the event was cancelled earlier in the day. An hour into the event several protesters broke the news to the crowd that Labour legislators had passed a motion of no confidence in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, instigated after what many viewed as a lacklustre performance on the Remain campaign trail.
Analysts said in the country, nearly 70 percent of Labour voters had opted for the Leave vote, despite the fact the remaining in the EU was official party policy.
In the ballot, MPs voted 172-40 against Corbyn, following a slew of resignations in his shadow cabinet and calls for him to resign.
Over a thousand protesters assembled in Londons Trafalgar Square aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum. Photo/Angus McNeice
Corbyn said the vote had "no constitutional legitimacy" and did not plan to resign from a post gained in 2015 in a landslide victory. While the vote is not binding, Labour MP Wes Streeting told the BBC that Corbyn's continued leadership was "untenable" following an "unprecedented" vote of no confidence.
Britain may now face the prospect of dual leadership contests in both its main parties, following Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation on Friday.
Many commentators said disruption in what is Britain's official opposition party means the system is malfunctioning.
In Trafalgar, many waved anti-Brexit signs and flew the Flag of Europe while chants of "EU we love you" regularly rang out across the busy square.
"I'm here because on Friday I felt like I woke up in a completely different place from where I'd gone to bed," Tessa Qiu, 21, a British Chinese woman from London, told China Daily. "I think that everyone, whether they voted Leave or Remain, has been lied to. And people are feeling very worried about the future."
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
0108263 License for publishing multimedia online
Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Pio Wennubst, Vice Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (left), says Switzerland wants to share with China its experiences and the lessons the country has gained. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]
A new cooperation under the Sino-Swiss Low Carbon Cities (SSLCC) Project, developed between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Guangzhou, Capital city of Guangdong province, was inaugurated in on June 27 in Guangzhou.
The project's founding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on April 8 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swiss President Johann Schneider-Amman.
The new cooperation between Switzerland and Guangzhou includes the establishment of a Sino-Swiss (Guangzhou) Ecological Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Industrial Park in Conghua District and a Sino-Swiss (Guangzhou) Development and Cooperation Center. The project will be implemented over the next six years.
"You might think that Switzerland is a paradise on earth but it was not always like that. We experienced tough moments before, such as acid rains and polluted dumping sites. Through years of development we've learned how big the cost of inaction is," said Pio Wennubst, Vice Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
He says Switzerland wants to share with China its experiences and the lessons the country has gained.
Under the newly established Innovative Strategic Partnership between Switzerland and China, the SSLCC Project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese urban areas, while sharing Switzerland's long term experience in environmental protection, its extended technological knowledge and high innovation capacity. The project will help increase climate resilience in the Guangzhou economy and improve its environmental standards through technical cooperation and exchange platforms for political leaders, technical experts and representatives of the private sector.
The cooperation will lead to effective policy schemes for the transformation and upgrading of industrial clusters, as well as the improvement of environmental standards.
Apart from Guangzhou, four other Chinese cities Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai and Yantai - signed MoUs and launched their cooperation with Switzerland under the project's framework.
(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) China plans to make HIV self-test kits more accessible.
Advertisement
China's Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention (NCAIDS), a national-level professional agency engaged in STD/AIDS prevention and control, has announced that it plans to make HIV self-test kits easily accessible.
Although China's HIV/AIDS epidemic "maintains a low prevalence trend," the center said it still plans to "reach out to those under the radar, helping to link them to care."
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
According to South China Morning Post, many public health providers have attributed the uptick of HIV cases to the lack of availability of HIV testing. Although around 130 million tests were conducted in 2014, which is nearly twice to that of the in 2013, officials are still calling for more action.
"Current screening practices appear to have lost momentum in detecting patients," Wu Zun-you, NCAIDS' head, told China Daily in April. He, however, did not specify when the plan will be implemented.
In China, there are still doubts over FDA-approved over-the-counter or online sale of HIV self-test kits. That is why only medical professionals so far use these kits.
On the other hand, both the United States and Britain have legalized the use of HIV self-test kit in 2012 and 2014, respectively. In Hong Kong, the plan began in 1995, but it took a decade for it to be finally implemented.
Although the guideline is still currently under discussions, according to Wu, a number of Chinese platforms including Alibaba and Taobao are already selling these self-test kits.
According to Alibaba Group's retail marketplace, the buyers of these kits, who are aged between 18 and 24 years old, have soared by 98 percent year-on-year. Furthermore, 83 percent of buyers with repeat purchases were men, and more than half of those (59 percent) were between the ages of 20 to 29.
Such trend, according to Hank Chen, a 20-year-old public welfare director at an LGBT resource platform who submitted himself for HIV testing, is growing since "it doesn't require contact with medical staff, and people can avoid discrimination."
Catherine Sozi, director of UNAIDS China, said these self-tests kits have been proven "very accurate, specific, and sensitive." However, Liu Shi, a program manager of the China Aids Walk initiative at Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, emphasized that pre-test consultations and health teachings if results turn out positive are equally significant.
"Some people are not ready psychologically for self-detection," he said. "If you're using [a] self-test, you are more likely to find out about the result and little about the knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent it."
Advertisement
Tagschina, HIV, AIDS, HIV self-test kits
(Photo : Getty Images.) China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, on Monday met with Vietnam's top leadership, as China beefed up its public relations to gain support of important countries ahead of the verdict by an international tribunal court over South China Sea case, which was filed by Philippines in 2013.
Advertisement
China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, on Monday met with Vietnam's top leadership, as China beefed up its public relations to gain support of important countries ahead of the verdict by an international tribunal court over South China Sea case, which was filed by Philippines in 2013.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
Yang met Vietnam's deputy premier and foreign minister and is reported to have discussed the impending verdict with both leaders. Yang later met Vietnam's president and chief of Vietnam's communist party.
Vietnam's foreign ministry issued a statement on Yang's visit. The statement expressed a need to implement agreements on preventing rows from getting out of hand. It also stressed "controlling conflicts well, boosting negotiation mechanisms ... and finding basic and long-term solutions that both sides can accept through peaceful exchanges and negotiations."
However, experts claim that Vietnam may not officially support China after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague delivers its verdict, which is expected to go against China. Experts cite that Vietnam is itself involved in a dispute with China over the South China Sea and is unlikely to support China if the verdict goes against it.
China claims that 47 countries support its refusal to recognize the case. However, several powerful western countries like the U.S, the U.K, and Germany have called on China to accept the tribunal court's verdict.
Philippines incoming president, Rodrigo Duterte, has said that he won't issue any statement until the verdict comes out. Duterte has been seen by many in China as far more moderate than outgoing President Benigno Aquino, who was responsible for dragging China to the tribunal court in 2013.
Advertisement
Tagschina, South China Sea, Vietnam, China and Vietnam
(Photo : NASA) Wu Weiren and Charles Bolden
Advertisement
Over the past two months, the heads of NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have jointly and separately called for renewing cooperation in space exploration between the United States and China.
The renewed call for cooperation comes amid separate programs by both NASA and CNSA to land humans on Mars by the 2030s. NASA later this year will see the first launch of its Space Launch System (SLS) heavy rocket that will take a multinational team of astronauts to land on Mars by 2035.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
China plans to land its first robot rover on Mars by 2021 and is currently developing a heavy rocket that can reach the Red Planet. Over the next 15 years, China will develop and launch a heavy lift rocket nearly 10 meters in diameter and with five times the carrying capacity of current rockets for voyages to Mars.
Last April, CNSA head Prof. Wu Weiren affirmed China is ready to again work with the U.S. despite the legal ban on cooperation imposed by the U.S. and the perception among influential members of the U.S. Congress that CNSA remains a military-led organization whose priority is to ensure China's military dominance of space beneath the guise of a civilian space program.
CNSA is an agency of the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), a pseudo-civilian organization apparently led by military officers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
SASTIND and its predecessor have played a key role in developing China's space program since 1956 when China began its ballistic missile program. Today, SASTIND is China's comprehensive administrative office for national defense science; military technology and military industries.
"We would like to cooperate with the US, especially for space and moon exploration. We would welcome this very much," said Wu.
"We have urged the US many times to get rid of restrictions, so scientists from both countries can work together on future exploration.'"
And this May, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden suggested the United States resume cooperation with China in space by having Congress revise U.S. Public Law 112-55, Sec. 539 that bans any cooperative effort among the space programs of both the U.S. and China.
"We were in an incredible Cold War with the Soviets at the time we flew Apollo-Soyuz. It was because leaders in both nations felt it was time," said Bolden.
"That represented a great use of soft power, if you will. Look where we are today. I think we will get there (with China). And I think it is necessary."
Bolden suggested initial steps to unfreeze the thaw such as "working on weather satellite data sharing and things like that. Things that will make critics on China on Capitol Hill a little bit more relaxed about the idea of cooperation."
The 112th U.S. Congress in November 2011 banned NASA from engaging in bilateral agreements and coordination with China, a ban enforced under Public Law 112-55, Sec. 539.
The probability of the U.S. Congress enacting a new law to overturn Public Law 112-55, Sec. 539 is remote considering the animosity between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea and the absence of lawmakers willing to go to bat for China.
The right wing Republican Party remains hostile towards China and its members control the committee in the House of Representatives responsible for NASA appropriations. The man who chairs the House of Representatives appropriations subpanel that oversees NASA, John Culberson (R-TX), in 2010 urged President Barack Obama not to allow further contact between NASA and CNSA.
"I have grave concerns about the nature and goals of China's space program and strongly oppose any cooperation between NASA and CNSA's human space flight programs without Congressional authorization," he said in a letter to Obama.
Bolden said he doesn't not expect the ban to be lifted during his tenure that ends with that of Obama's.
Advertisement
TagsNASA, China National Space Administration, Prof. Wu Weiren, charles bolden, SASTIND
Top Gun no more
Advertisement
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm named ALPHA developed in the United States has beaten all other U.S. Air Force and U.S.Navy air combat simulation AIs and human fighter pilots in the clearest evidence yet that AIs might one day rule air-to-air combats or dogfights.
Goodbye, Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the brash F-14 fighter jock in the 1986 classic hit movie, Top Gun played by Tom Cruise.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
Hello, ALPHA, or whatever call sign U.S. fighter pilots will one day give this new Top Gun.
ALPHA's most famous human "victim" was retired USAF Colonel Gene Lee who has extensive dogfighting experience and is an instructor and Air Battle Manager with a lot of jet fighter aircraft expertise. The AI developed by a University of Cincinnati doctoral graduate beat Lee in a high-fidelity air combat simulator.
Lee, who's been flying in simulators against AI opponents since the early 1980s, described ALPHA as "the most aggressive, responsive, dynamic and credible AI I've seen to date."
"I was surprised at how aware and reactive it was," he said of his first dogfight with ALPHA.
"It seemed to be aware of my intentions and reacting instantly to my changes in flight and my missile deployment. It knew how to defeat the shot I was taking. It moved instantly between defensive and offensive actions as needed."
He noted that with most AIs, "an experienced pilot can beat up on it (the AI) if you know what you're doing. Sure, you might have gotten shot down once in a while by an AI program when you, as a pilot, were trying something new, but, until now, an AI opponent simply could not keep up with anything like the real pressure and pace of combat-like scenarios."
ALPHA, however, was specifically designed for use with Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) in simulated air combat missions. It's viewed as a research tool for manned and unmanned teaming in a simulation environment. In its earliest iterations, ALPHA defeated other AI opponents in simulated dogfights.
"ALPHA is already a deadly opponent to face in these simulated environments," said Nick Ernest who created ALPHA as a doctoral graduate student at UC.
"The goal is to continue developing ALPHA, to push and extend its capabilities, and perform additional testing against other trained pilots. Fidelity also needs to be increased, which will come in the form of even more realistic aerodynamic and sensor models. ALPHA is fully able to accommodate these additions, and we at Psibernetix look forward to continuing development."
Ernest later went on to establish Psibernetix, Inc., of which he's now president and CEO. With him are David Carroll, programming lead; Gene Lee; Kelly Cohen, UC aerospace professor; Tim Arnett, UC aerospace doctoral student and USAF Research Laboratory sponsors.
Lee can attest to ALPHA's deadliness. It was only after early iterations of ALPHA defeated other AIs that Lee then took to manual controls against a more mature version of ALPHA.
Lee wasn't able to score a single kill against ALPHA in numerous simulated dogfights. On the other hand, Lee was shot down every time by the AI.
Lee has trained thousands of U.S. fighter pilots over the decades and graduated from the U.S. Fighter Weapons School that's home to the Top Gun program, and which is where the 1986 Top Gun movie is set.
ALPHA then went on to defeat other human fighter pilots. It even shot down its human opponents despite being deliberately weakened by having its speed reduced; its turn radius constricted and weapons-targeting sensors compromised.
Advertisement
Tagsalpha, U.S. Air Force, Tom Cruise, Top Gun, Colonel Gene Lee
(Photo : Getty Images.) Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen initiated her first first overseas trip in Panama on Saturday with aim to deepen ties with one of its key allies.
Advertisement
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen kick-started her first overseas trip in Panama on Saturday, as Taiwan aims to deepen a bilateral relationship with one of its key allies. Taiwan's effort to shore up its ties with Panama, one of only 22 countries that recognize Taiwan as an autonomous entity, assumes importance in the wake of Beijing's continuous pursuit to enhance its influence in the Latin American region.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
Tsai met Panama's president, Juan Carlos Varela, at the Presidential Palace on Monday. Both leaders are reported to have discussed a host of political and economic issues. After the meeting, both leaders addressed a joint press conference where they promised to work hard to take their bilateral relationship further.
Earlier on Sunday, Tsai attended the inauguration of the expanded Panama Canal, which will allow bigger cargo ships to transit through the canal. The inauguration function was attended by many foreign dignitaries, including Jill Biden, wife of U.S. vice president Joe Biden.
After Panama, Taiwan's president will fly to Paraguay, another one of the island nation's key allies. Analysts say that Taiwan is anxious to maintain its relation with these two South American countries, as it does not want to allow China to poach any more of its allies.
In past, Beijing has stolen many of Taiwan's allies, in a bid to isolate the island nation at the international level. Meanwhile, last week China suspended all diplomatic communication with Taiwan, as it accused Taiwanese leaders of not acknowledging the "One China" principle.
The Taiwanese president conspicuously omitted the mention of "One China" principle during her inaugural speech, infuriating officials in China. Chinese government saw the omission as Taiwan's assertion of its sovereignty.
Cross strait relation experts claim that Tsai is likely to express her pro-independent views through many tough anti-China policies, but at the same time, she will make sure not to infuriate China too much.
Advertisement
TagsTaiwan, Panama, china, China and Taiwan, Cross-Strait relation, Tsai Ing-wen
(Photo : Feng Li/Getty Images) A general view of the Google logo at its China headquarters building on March 23, 2010 in Beijing, China. The controversial cybersecurity law in China is one step closer to being implemented after the parliament has made a second reading of the draft rules on Monday.
Advertisement
The controversial cybersecurity law is one step closer to being implemented after the parliament has made a second reading of the draft rules on Monday.
The controversial cybersecurity law could have significant implications for foreign businesses in the market. The draft rules require companies to comply with China's social and business ethics as well as accept supervision by both the government and the public.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
The law will also require personal information of Chinese citizens to be housed in the country. Other important business data must be stored domestically.
CNBC reported that those who wish to provide such information overseas will face a government security evaluation. The cybersecurity law will also threaten more censorship from the country.
Parliament has not yet made public all of the second draft of rules and it remains unclear when the law will be passed. Laws in China are required to be read many times before they can be passed. The first draft of the cybersecurity law, which was passed a year ago, has strengthened user privacy protection from hackers and data resellers.
The cybersecurity law has been criticized by the United States and the European Union, as they claim that it has proposed rules that are unfair to foreign firms. Human rights activists also oppose the cybersecurity law, worrying that the government could interpret the law in a biased manner.
Chinese officials argued that their internet restrictions, such as blocking popular foreign sites like social media platform Facebook and search engine Google, are needed to ensure security against threats.
Although the cybersecurity law is targeted to restrict foreign companies, local companies are also facing tightened control of the Internet by the Chinese government. Last month, limits were set on the number of healthcare advertisements on Baidu, China's biggest internet search engine, after a student died following an experimental cancer treatment he discovered on the platform.
Advertisement
Tagschina, cybersecurity law, second draft, foreign businesses, Google, Facebook, parliament, abide by China's rules
(Photo : Reuters) Xiaomi has partnered with InnoConn and Just Buy Live to broaden its reach to customers.
Advertisement
Xiaomi plans to open up 200 to 300 retail stores in order to increase sales.
The Chinese smartphone startup Xiaomi is now valued at $45 billion. However, the companys revenues went down and became flat in 2015. Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Xiaomi Corp, stated that the company is no longer at the top of the pillar when it comes to valuation of tech startups, and their smartphone sales seem to have been slightly sluggish during the last quarter.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
American research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said that the first quarter of 2015 for Xiaomi was a bad start, sliding down 26 percent in sales. IDC also said that its ecosystem companies will have a difficult time expanding outside their home country.
Xiaomis solution for dwindling down sales is to open retail stores by hundreds, with the goal of opening 50 to 60 stores by the end of this year.
That is why we are expanding our portfolio of products from smartphones to drones, air purifiers, patch panels to rice cookers. We need about 40 electronic products to attract consumers to both our online shopping platform and offline retailing stores, Lei said, adding that the company has invested in 55 smart-hardware manufacturers in recent years.
The company's new plan is targeted at smaller Chinese cities, where the shoppers still choose physical stores over online retailers. Xiaomi has already partnered with Chinese Best Buy equivalent Suning to distribute its smartphones.
In addition, Xiaomi operates 25 offline outlets across the country, which are fondly referred as Mi homes. These outlets showcase Xiaomis ecosystem of products. Lei said that the company aims to transform the outlets into full-fledged retail stores, broadening its appeal to older Chinese customers and families.
Advertisement
TagsXiaomi, china, Chinese startup, Mi homes, Mi smartphones, Xiaomi retail stores
(Photo : Getty Images) A Chinese university information website has released a list of 30 fake colleges spanning across China's 12 provinces.
Advertisement
A Chinese university has released a list of 30 fake universities in an attempt to warn students against these bogus institutions as they leave school and prepare for college.
The new list, released by a Chinese university information website that has helped blow the whistle on nearly 400 fraudulent institutions since 2013, includes universities and colleges spanning across China's 12 provinces, including Beijing and Shanghai, according to local news outlet Xinhua.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
The list is compiled with the help of netizens across the nation, who submit tips of fake universities to the website through email and social media, based on which the website then conducts an investigation, according to founder, Xia Xue.
"It is easy to see through the trick when they fake the names of well-known universities, but it is more difficult to identify if lesser-known institutions are faked," said Xia.
These fradulent colleges have been known to trick prospective students into sending them tuition fees while pretending to be a legitimate institution of higher education.
There have been cases where students have even attended the bogus universities for years before realizing on the day of their graduation that they had been duped and the college was a complete fake.
Xia added that the fraudsters use misleading names that are similar to reputable universities and also set up official websites that are similar to genuine institutions, using information and content stolen from their websites.
Three of the fake institutions in the Guangdong, Shandong and Hunan provinces of China were found to have the same IP address, which was traced to Hong Kong, suggesting that the same fraudsters are running several bogus colleges.
Advertisement
Tagschina, fake universities, fake colleges, students, education, China Fake Universities, China fake colleges, Fake
(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan is set to test its newest missile system in the United States in what experts said was a move that will highly likely anger China
Advertisement
In a move likely to anger Beijing, Taiwan plans to test its newest missile system in the United States next month, media reports said on Monday.
Reports said Taiwan would test-fire its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC3) missile system for the first time in New Mexico in July, which military experts said would surely infuriate China.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
The plan to test its newest US-made military weapon was in the works during the administration of former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou.
Spying
According to Taiwanese newspaper the Liberty Times, the tests will be conducted in the US in a bid to prevent China from spying on the details of the missile system drills.
Liberty Times added that tests would be conducted in New Mexico due to the lack of space in Taiwan.
Washington D.C. remains a close ally of Taiwan and its largest arms supplier, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between the two sides.
US$ 6.5 billion arms sale
According to the Times, the US greenlighted the missile system test-fire last year
Taiwan purchased the new missile system from the US last 2008. This was part of the $ 6.5 billion arms sale that was approved by President Barack Obama two years ago and which enraged Beijing at the time.
The missile system is capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles fired from enemy targets.
In the drill, Taiwan plans to fire two missiles to intercept an incoming missile fired by the US, simulating a scenario where China attacks Taipei, the Times said.
1,000 Chinese missiles
Taiwan's defense ministry claims that there are more than 1,000 Chinese missiles currently targeted at the island.
China has been vocal in its stance on Taiwan, saying it is a breakaway province of Beijing and that it will take all measures, including force, should the island reject reunification with China.
Newly-installed Taiwanese president and pro-democracy advocate Tsai Lng-wen - who won by a landslide in the recently concluded elections - has made known her pro-independence position but said she would maintain the "status quo" for now.
Advertisement
TagsPAC3, Taiwan, missile tests, Washington, china
(Photo : Getty Images.) China's foreign ministry spokesman on Monday said China is not aware of any special NSG plenary meeting to reconsider Indias NSG membership.
Advertisement
China on Monday denied any knowledge of a special NSG plenary meeting to be held by end of the year to consider inclusion of non-NPT members like India into the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).
In response to the question of a special plenary meeting, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, "we have never heard about any other follow-up steps."
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
Reports in the Indian media claimed that a plenary meeting in Seoul on June 24 ended after agreeing to hold a special plenary meeting by end of the year to hold informal consultation on India's NSG membership. Indian media reports further claimed that Argentine ambassador Rafael Grossi was appointed as facilitator of the special plenary meeting.
Chinese spokesperson also dismissed the perception that China was solely responsible for blocking India's inclusion into NSG.
"As far as we know, in the NSG plenary meeting held in Seoul, many countries have expressed their views on the accession of non-NPT members into the group. They believe that they should forge a consensus and then make a decision based on consultation and thorough discussion regarding the entry of a specific country," Hong said.
Meanwhile, foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters in New Delhi that China's tough stance on NSG could adversely impact the Sino-Indian relationship. He added that India will keep reminding Beijing that accommodation of interests and concerns is important to keep the bilateral relationship in good shape.
Several prominent political parties in India have launched scathing attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failure to secure NSG membership and his failure to convince China, despite diligent efforts.
Advertisement
Tagschina, India, NSG, China and India, Nuclear Supplier Group
(Photo : Lockheed) Lockheed Mach 6 USAF hypersonic fighter (concept drawing)
Advertisement
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has indicated the next generation U.S. fighter aircraft will forego stealth for hypersonic speed with an announcement of its plan to build a Mach 5 hypersonic engine.
In DARPA's own words, "Speed is the new stealth."
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
In 2012, DARPA noted the United States is gradually losing the "strategic advantage" that its stealth warplanes have long provided since competitor countries' stealth and counter-stealth capabilities are improving.
To arrest this decline, DARPA strongly argues the U.S. will need "the new stealth" of hypersonic aircraft.
DARPA said its new endeavor, the Advanced Full Range Engine (AFRE) program, will develop an aircraft propulsion system that can reach hypersonic speeds plus the full breadth of speeds below this range. Hypersonic speed is traditionally meant to mean speeds in excess of Mach 5 or 5,300 km/h at high altitudes.
U.S. Air Force or U.S. Navy jet fighters powered by these powerful hypersonic engines can mount missions at far longer ranges while reaching their targets far faster than current fighters with speeds in excess of Mach 2. Hypersonic U.S. fighters will also counter advances made in hypersonics by strategic competitors such as China and Russia.
Currently, hypersonic engines such as scramjets need to use disposable rockets for one-time boosts to reach their operating speed of Mach 3.5. This disadvantage limits the usefulness of fighters powered by scramjets.
"Instead of designing an entirely new kind of engine, we're envisioning an inventive hybrid system that would combine and improve upon the best of off-the-shelf turbine and ramjet/scramjet technologies," said Christopher Clay, DARPA program manager.
AFRE aims to explore a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine concept. An engine such as this uses a turbine engine for low-speed operations and a dual-mode ramjet for high-speed operations. Unlike traditional ramjets, a dual-mode ramjet works efficiently whether air flowing through it is subsonic (as in a ramjet) or supersonic (as in a scramjet).
AFRE will be a reusable hypersonic engine having a regular turbine engine and a dual combined cycle engine capable of exceeding Mach 5.
It will develop critical hypersonic technologies and culminate in ground-based testing of a full-scale, integrated technology demonstration system. If tests succeed, further development of the AFRE technology will require flight testing in a follow-on demonstration program.
The AFRE program has two phases. Phase I will include AFRE system design and subscale and large scale component development and ground demonstration. Phase II will see large-scale, integrated test series of the integrated low speed and high speed flowpaths.
Advertisement
TagsDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, hypersonic fighters, hypersonic engines, Advanced Full Range Engine
Xiang Yang Hong 01
Advertisement
China plans to deploy its "most advanced marine science ship" to explore the Indian Ocean but questions are being raised in the Indian media if this ship is truly civilian or a spy ship for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said this oceanographic research vessel -- the Xiang Yang Hong 01 -- is fully automated and can be operated by a single sailor. The 100 meter-long ship is classed as an AGOR or Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research vessel that carries out oceanographic research.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
The Xiang Yang Hong 01 displaces 4,980 tonnes and has a range of 15,000 nautical miles. SOA said the ship's "plentiful remote sensing equipment (can) explore as deep as 10,000 meters."
The deepest point in the Indian Ocean lies at 8,047 meters. This spot is found at the Diamantina Deep in the Diamantina Trench.
Xiang Yang Hong 01 will conduct its first task in the Indian Ocean, said Qiao Fangli, Communist Party Secretary of SOA's First Institute of Oceanography.
Reactions in India to the news the ship will survey the Indian Ocean ranged from alarm to outright hostility. Some readers of the Times of India said the Indian Navy should immediately sink the Chinese ship. Another warned of Chinese expansionism being a danger to India and the world while another said the Chinese wanted turn the Indian Ocean into the Chinese Ocean so the Chinese can claim to own it.
The military website "globalsecurity.org," however, classifies the "AGOR Xiang Yang Hong 01" as a warship belonging to the PLAN but also noted this ship and the others in its class are "are used for oceanographic research." It listed 11 ships carrying the name Xiang Yang Hong belonging to the AGOR Oceanographic Research / AGS Survey class.
Also raising questions about the true nature of the mission of Xiang Yang Hong 01 is that SOA's job is the supervision and management of sea areas in China and coastal environmental protection. SOA also protects China's national maritime rights and organizes scientific and technical research of China's territorial waters. It is responsible for regulating the coastal zone of China.
Advertisement
TagsXiang Yang Hong 01, People's Liberation Army Navy, Indian Ocean, state oceanic administration
(Photo : Xinhua) Xian, a Luyang II-class guided-missile destroyer (top) and Hengshui, a Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate
Advertisement
China will send five warships of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to participate in the massive RIMPAC or Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, the world's largest that will involve warships from 27 countries led by the United States.
This is only the second time China has been invited to this exercise. The first was in 2014.
Like Us on Facebook
Advertisement
The bi-annual exercise will take place from June 30 to August 4 and will cover a vast area extending from Hawaii to the West Coast of the U.S. mainland.
In all, RIMPAC 2016 will involve 45 warships; five submarines; over 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel from 27 countries. Of keen interest to foreign navies will be the interaction between the PLAN and the U.S. Navy, which are engaged in a dangerous game of brinkmanship in the South China Sea.
To be deployed to RIMPAC 2016 by the PLAN will be two surface combatants: Xian, a Luyang II-class guided-missile destroyer and Hengshui, a Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigate. PLAN naval support ships at the exercise will be Daishandao (or Peace Ark), an Anwei-class hospital ship; Gaoyao Hu, a Fusu-class replenishment ship and Changdao, a Dalao-class submarine rescue ship.
Daishandao took part in RIMPAC 2014. In addition to the five ships participating this year, China will also send a diving and a marine squad.
PLAN will deploy 1,200 officers and sailors to RIMPAC 2016 compared to the 1,000 personnel it sent to RIMPAC 2014.
Apart from the United States and China, this year's RIMPAC will include ships from Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom.
Denmark, Germany and Italy are taking part for the first time.
RIMPAC 2016, with the theme of "Capable, Adaptive, Partners," will include maritime security operations, sea control and complex war-fighting. The exercise will also see submarine rescue exercises in addition to command and control-focused drills for the first time.
There will also be a Harpoon missile launch from a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship. Two drills will involve sinking a pair of decommissioned U.S. warships with missiles and torpedoes.
Hosted every two years by the United States Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that fosters relationships vital to "ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans."
Advertisement
TagsPeople's Liberation Army Navy, RIMPAC 2016, Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, U.S. Navy
Abortion ruling demonstrates hypocrisy of high court: faith leaders 28 June, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |
NASHVILLE (Christian Examiner) Several Christian leaders have condemned the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a Texas abortion law which required the abortion centers to meet the same clinical standards as ambulatory surgical centers (for outpatient care).
House Bill 2, the subject of controversy since 2013 when it was initially passed, was immediately challenged when the law went into effect in 2014. An Austin, Texas, judge blocked the law but that decision was overturned last year by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
Several weeks later, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the high court's other liberal justices stayed the appellate court's ruling and the case was taken up by the high court.
A 4-4 ruling would have left the decision of the appellate court in place until the case could be retried before a full court (once the vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia is filled). But in the ruling June 27, Justice Anthony Kennedy, normally a swing vote, sided with Justices Ginsburg, Sonja Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer to render the 5-3 verdict against the Texas law.
That is why ultrasound machines, waiting periods, and crisis pregnancy counseling centers are all enemies of the abortion lobby. They each point to the self-evident truth that unborn babies are indeed persons with inalienable human rights.
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, with Thomas writing a scathing dissent of the ruling. Thomas said the court had proven that it was willing to "bend the rules" to protect the "putative right of abortion" it had created years ago.
Thomas also said the plaintiffs had not demonstrated a case yet where a woman was actually harmed by the abortion clinic law. Instead, he said, doctors and abortion providers were allowed to sue on behalf of women potentially unable to obtain an abortion.
Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the Supreme Court was "on the wrong side of justice, the wrong side of human dignity, and the wrong side of the gospel."
"The Court's laissez-faire attitude toward the abortion industry reminds me of the tobacco lobby's work in the legal battles around cigarettes. Nothing but a completely uncontrolled and unaccountable abortion mechanism will suffice. This isn't 'reproductive freedom'; it's the sacrificing of life and human flourishing for the sake of profit," Moore said.
Moore criticized the abortion industry as fiercely resentful of any attempt to control it or make it accountable to the people. It is, he said, content to walk in darkness.
"That is why ultrasound machines, waiting periods, and crisis pregnancy counseling centers are all enemies of the abortion lobby. They each point to the self-evident truth that unborn babies are indeed persons with inalienable human rights."
Evangelist Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, also lamented the ruling on social media, but said it wasn't a surprise.
"In the absence of more conservative justices, rulings are going the other way. This is another example of how critical the positions of Supreme Court Justices are to our country. Remember, the next president we elect will appoint one justice immediately, and then be able to possibly appoint up to five more during his or her term. Those appointments are of paramount importance to the future of this country," Graham said.
Graham pointed out that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had promised to appoint conservative justices to the court and had already released a list of potential nominees. He called on presumptive Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton to do the same.
There is, however, little doubt where Clinton stands. She praised the court for overturning Texas HB 2 and called the guidelines is set in place "medically unnecessary."
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has enormous input into policy at Catholic hospitals nationwide and which filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the law, said the law offered common-sense protections for women.
"The Court has rejected a common-sense law protecting women from abortion facilities that put profits above patient safety," Deirdre McQuade, assistant director for pro-life communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said.
"The law simply required abortion facilities to meet the same health and safety standards as other ambulatory surgical centers standards like adequate staffing, soap dispensers, and basic sanitary conditions. It required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, and that hallways be wide enough to allow emergency personnel through with stretchers, should a life-threatening emergency arise," McQuade also said.
First Baptist Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, who stood with Texas Gov. Rick Perry when Texas HB 2 was signed into law, agreed. He said the nation's highest court has again placed profit over people and created a law which shows the "hypocrisy of liberalism."
"Liberals want to regulate everything including lemonade stands. But when it comes to providing a facility that is same for women, they look the other way," Jeffress said.
Jeffress frequently comments on FOX News on issues where politics and religion intersect.
One of the reasons that the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) left the Presbyterian Church in the United States 40 years ago was because the new denomination opposed women in church leadership.
Last week, the PCA General Assembly voted to form a committee to take up the issue again. The seven-person committee will look at the biblical basis and theology of ordination and of the office of deacon, then report back to the General Assembly any changes to consider.
In the meantime, PCA churches are encouraged to promote the participation of women in appropriate ministries. The denomination currently does not appoint female members as elders or deacons.
Joseph Pipa, president of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, lodged a protest against the committee, according to the PCAs online magazine byFaith.
New Geneva Theological Seminary president Dominic Aquila and PCA pastor Andrew Barnes also opposed it.
What is being overlookedin this recommendation is ...
1
Evangelist Alveda King: Hey SCOTUS -- Serve Women; Save Babies
Contact: Leslie Palma, 347-286-7277ATLANTA, June 28, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Evangelist Alveda King, director of Civil Rights for the Unborn with Priests for Life, citing recent quotes from a seemingly unlikely pair of social justice headliners, Walter Hoye of Issues4Life and BET Award Winner Jessie Williams , notes that SCOTUS is out of touch with the American Dream.In a not so surprising move yesterday, SCOTUS overturned Texas law that sought to protect women from substandard care in Texas abortion mills. "This decision will hurt women and kill babies," King said."Don't be misled you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." (Galatians 6:7 NLT)Citing a report from Walter Hoye at issues4life foundation, King noted abortion is the number one killer of Blacks in America; higher than heart attacks, diabetes, and hypertension. Hoye states that according to Violence Policy Center , there were 6,217 Black American homicides for the year 2013. When compared to Black American abortions, the 429,000 abortions in Black America for 2013 represent 69 times the number of Black American homicides.Hoye also cited a recent analysis by Dennis Howard, President of the Movement for a Better America, who has written extensively on abortion demographics, which shows that out of every 1,680 pregnant Black American women 15-44, 1,000 will give birth to their child and 680 will abort their baby. The analysis was based on data from the U.S. Statistical Abstract for 2013 and the National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 64, No. 1 dated January 15, 2015 King also applauded remarks by Jessie Williams, the actor/activist who accepted the recent BET Humanitarian Award for his work in the black community. After going through his customary thank yous and acknowledgements, Williams said: "A system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do."Connecting the dots, King summed it up pointing that the fight for freedom begins in the womb ; and by quoting her Uncle MLK and colleague Rev. Frank Pavone: "Hey SCOTUS, you and the abortion industry can't serve the public by killing the public. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!"King added: "Break every chain. In the end, natural law, God's law will always trump common law. Do not fear or be confused or deceived. Remain prayerful. Keep looking up. God will have the final word in this matter."
home World Who is Boris Johnson? Leading Brexit campaigner favorite to be Britain's prime minister
Boris Johnson, the American-born poster boy of the Leave campaign, is believed to be the next most likely resident of 10th Downing Street.
The 52-year-old politician with a disheveled blond hair used to be mistaken a lot for U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Donald Trump. Some critics believe the two politicians may be sharing more similarities than just their funny hair. Johnson is also New York-born (in posh Upper East Side) and long held an American passport until he revoked his American citizenship last year after publicly railing against the Internal Revenue Service.
The Guardian describes both politicians as sharing a common goal of rising toward their own "ascendancy."
In an interview with David Letterman four years ago, the Briton joked, "I suppose I could be president of the United States you know, technically speaking."
Before the EU Referendum, the former mayor of London described his chances of becoming Prime Minister as "about as good as the chances of finding Elvis [Presley] on Mars or my being reincarnated as an olive."
The Guardian also cited an opinion poll on Johnson's real motives for siding against long-time friend and former Eton schoolmate Prime Minister David Cameron on the Brexit issue in February, which revealed 41 percent respondents believe Johnson did so because he truly thought it was for the country's best while 39 percent believe he did it as a political move with an eye on No.10 Downing Street.
"It was his way to make his mark by standing out from the crowd," writer Sonia Purnell told The Guardian.
Purnell wrote "Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition" and believes Johnson taking on the opposite side was a political maneuver.
The favorite contender for Britain's next Prime Minister has a colorful history that includes getting fired by The Times for lying in an article, hanging on a zip line during 2012 London Olympics, and apologizing for calling Africans as "piccaninnies" and Papua New Guinea people as cannibals.
"His detractors and critics often say he is not a serious person, that his approach to politics is humorous and freewheeling and perhaps not as thought through as other people," political scientist at the London School of Economics, Tony Travers, told the Associated Press. "I'm not sure that's true. I think deep down he is a serious person, with serious objectives."
home World 'Brexit' EU campaigner Nigel Farage booed in rowdy European parliament debate as anger overspills
Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage was booed and heckled in a raucous special session of the European Parliament on Tuesday as he accused the EU of imposing a superstate on its citizens and predicted other countries would leave the bloc like Britain.
Facing Farage, who sat with a British "Union Jack" flag planted on the table in front of him, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asked: "Why are you here?"
When Farage interrupted Juncker's speech to applaud the results of last week's British vote to leave the EU, the Commission chief shot back: "That is the last time you are applauding here."
The exchanges underscored just how fraught ties between European officials and British politicians have become since the vote on Thursday, which left far-right anti-European parties across the bloc cheering and governments fretting about political and economic aftershocks.
It came hours before Prime Minister David Cameron meets EU leaders for the first time since the referendum. The other 27 leaders will gather on Wednesday without him to plot their next moves.
The parliamentary session began on a friendly note, with Juncker air-kissing Farage, acknowledging sadness at the outcome of the referendum and paying tribute to Jonathan Hill, the British financial services commissioner who resigned on Saturday after campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU.
Hill, a popular figure among EU colleagues during his 18 months in Brussels, appeared overwhelmed by the outpouring.
But the air of somber civility did not last long, as leading lawmakers accused the Leave camp of having lied their way to victory.
"SELFISH MAN"
In a fiery speech, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt accused British politicians of creating a "toxic climate" of uncertainty since the Brexit vote and described former London mayor Boris Johnson, a Brexit advocate and leading candidate to replace Cameron, as a "selfish man" who had put his own political ambitions above the interests of his country.
German Manfred Weber, an ally of Chacellor Angela Merkel and the leader of the biggest group in parliament, took on Farage in the packed house: "If you had an ounce of decency today, you would apologize to the British people. Shame on you."
Many of the speakers appealed for unity and pressed Britain to speed its withdrawal from the EU to end uncertainty that has roiled financial markets and sparked concern about contagion to economically weak continental countries.
But Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front, hailed the Brexit vote as the most momentous event in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"It is a cry of love by a people for their country," she said. "It is a huge victory for democracy and a slap at an EU built on fear, blackmail and lies."
Speaking to reporters earlier, Farage appeared to backtrack on disputed claims by the Leave campaign that an exit would allow London to redirect 350 million pounds ($467.81 million) per week they alleged it sent to Brussels to Britain's National Health Service (NHS).
Farage estimated the savings at 34 million pounds per day, significantly less than promised on a weekly basis. Experts have said the 350 million pound figure is a distortion because it does not take into account either the rebate London receives from the EU nor the EU budget funds spent in Britain.
"If you had said this before the vote I could have congratulated you," Juncker said. "But you lied. You didn't tell the truth."
Although he is a member of the European Parliament, Farage has long used it as a platform for criticizing the EU and promoting his campaign to get Britain out.
By the time he rose to speak, hissing from other members of parliament had grown so loud that parliament president Martin Schulz was forced to admonish members to stop acting like Farage's UKIP.
The gritty anti-immigration politician hit back, calling the Brexit vote a "seismic" result that offered a "beacon of hope" for democrats across Europe.
"I will make one prediction this morning, the United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union," he said.
home World UK Christian leaders respond to Brexit as Britain votes to leave the European Union
Britain stunned the world last week after voting to leave the European Union in a referendum, and since then church leaders across the U.K. have given varied responses to the so-called 'Brexit'.
Bishop Robert Innes of the Church of England said he is concerned about the people in his diocese, who are now faced with various concerns such as health care, pensions and employment. He also pleaded with the EU and British diplomats to consider the situation of those who are living overseas.
"I have particular concerns about the implications for Ireland and for Scotland. There is now a need for a good deal of listening and healing as the UK finds a new future for itself both internally and in its place in the wider world," he wrote in an article for Anglican News, adding that at this time, nobody can tell the specific implications of leaving the EU.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York also released a joint statement regarding Brexit, where they emphasized that the referendum was arrived at through a majority vote by the people and that it is the government's responsibility to consider the referendum's outcome and study the next steps for the nation.
"The vote to withdraw from the European Union means that now we must all reimagine both what it means to be the United Kingdom in an interdependent world and what values and virtues should shape and guide our relationships with others," the bishops said in a statement.
They encouraged the citizens of the U.K. to unite and look forward no matter what their views were during the campaign. They urged the people to "remain hospitable and compassionate" and to build bridges instead of walls.
"Many of those living among us and alongside us as neighbours, friends and work colleagues come from overseas and some will feel a deep sense of insecurity," the archbishops said, adding that the people must offer them reassurance by acknowledging the "unique contribution" of every person in society.
Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, said Britain needs healing and grace at this time.
"Twelve years ago today I was consecrated as a bishop. Called to pray and lead. This remains. Healing and grace needed for all in our nation," Butler said in a tweet.
home World ISIS captives brutally tortured in Fallujah 'terror prison'
Dog cages and torture equipment found in the recaptured city of Fallujah depict unimaginable horror the captives suffered at the hands of the Islamic State.
In a report by Mirror, video and still footages released on the Iranian News Agency revealed dog cages that used to house captives of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) terror group. Beside the dirty cages laid a car battery believed to have been used by the terrorist group to electrocute the prisoners.
The militants seized Fallujah in January 2014 and became the first ISIS-controlled Iraqi city. On June 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the terrorist group after promising to recapture Fallujah.
The offensive to recapture Fallujah began on May 23 and led to tens of thousands escaping the terrorized city but only to join the record-breaking humanitarian crisis. Those who managed to escape earlier told of their lives under the militants' rule.
"ISIL forced us to witness beheadings. We have seen them throw people from the tops of buildings. We have walked through streets where corpses are left to rot and stray dogs would feed on them," 60-year-old Hussein Abdo Nassief told Al Jazeera.
Nassief said ISIL ensured to spread terror among those trapped in Fallujah by showing the public executions on screens and even making copies of them on compact discs and then delivering them to the residents. The terrorists executed people for reasons as simple as shaving their beards or smoking cigarettes. They also killed anyone who opposed them and refused to fight with them.
"Husbands would be forced to hit their wives for not wearing the niqab properly. If our men did not obey the orders of ISIL, they would face punishment," said 57-year-old Safia Jasim Saoud.
They also told tales of having to eat grass and dried dates with barely anything to eat. However, scarcity still came upon them even after their escape.
"They have been eating rotten dates and animal feed - and drinking from the river, which is undrinkable," said Karl Schembri of the Norwegian Refugee Council on the 60,000 displaced people.
"Civilians are the only ones who pay the price of the conflict. What is happening to us is unfair, we have done nothing," Fallujah elderly citizen Sabah Hassan stated.
home Entertainment Matthew McConaughey stars in new movie 'Free State of Jones' as a man of faith
Actor Matthew McConaughey plays Newton Knight, a man of faith who inspired a revolution, in new film "Free State of Jones."
"Free State of Jones," written and directed by Gary Ross and released Friday, June 24, tells the story of Knight, a controversial figure in American history. Knight was best known for his role in the Knight Company, a band of farmers and Confederate deserters who rose up during the historic Civil War.
The 46-year-old Oscar award-winning actor described Knight as one who had a "moral code rooted in the Bible and the Declaration of Independence: love thy neighbor as thyself, and all men are created equal."
The actor also shared his personal belief that "mankind bastardized religion" because it's no longer binding people together as he observed.
"It means exactly the opposite of what and how we are often practicing it these days!" McConaughey told The Daily Beast during a phone interview.
The actor also cited how the Christian movement led the abolition of slavery during the Civil War based solely on their beliefs in the Bible.
McConaughey himself attends a Texas-based nondenominational church that declares Jesus as God and savior.
"As soon as we had children, I was like, 'You know what? That was important to my childhood.' Even if it was just for the ritual of giving an hour and a half on Sunday to yourself, to pray and to think about others, even if you're tired or whatever," he shared in 2014 with GQ Magazine.
He also admitted that he realized how much he missed and needed going to the church and taking the time off to take an inventory of the previous week, reflect on the future and what he can do to improve, as well as show his gratitude.
The actor did not forget to express this gratitude during his acceptance speech at the 2014 Oscar's where he thanked God first and attributed his success to God.
home US Pastor Robert Jeffress: Voting and getting involved in politics is a 'God-given responsibility'
Pastor Robert Jeffress believes it's a "God-given responsibility" to vote and get involved in politics just as pastors have "led the way" in America's history.
The pastor of the 12,000-strong First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas published a video on his "Pathway to Victory" program Thursday, June 23 where he discussed why he, a pastor, and every Christian should get involved in politics.
Jeffress said that contrary to a widely-held belief that a pastor's duty is largely confined within preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he cited instances in America's history where pastors "led the way," such as the American Revolution, the abolition of slavery, and the civil rights movement.
If the pastors back then chose not to get involved in politics, the Evangelical leader said, "We would not have a country today."
He believes America is ripe for a great change but that a lasting change can only be achieved through changing the hearts of Americans which is why he would push on to preach "the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ."
He also quoted what the first Chief Justice of Supreme Court and author of The Federalist Papers, John Jay, said about the Christians' role in politics.
"God is the one who has given us the privilege in this Christian nation of selecting our leaders," quoted Jeffres.
This responsibility, the pastor interprets, is to select leaders who will do "what God has ordained government to do" and to protect religious liberty especially in the face of what he perceived to be "great external threats from radical Islamic terrorism."
Jeffres also said, "There are no perfect politicians, just like there is no perfect pastor either."
What Jeffres said is reminiscent of what another conservative Evangelical leader previously talked about during the recently held closed-door meeting between the conservative Christian leaders and the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Franklin Graham, who denied endorsing any presidential candidate even as he rounded the country on his Decision America tour, talked about how everyone is a sinner and that there will never be a perfect person nor a perfect candidate.
"All of this to say, there is none of us is perfect," said Graham. "There's no perfect person a there's only one, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's not running for president of the United States. This year."
home US Air Force veteran forcibly removed from ceremony for planning to say the word 'God' in his speech
Pentagon has launched an investigation on the alleged assault made on an Air Force veteran to block him from giving a speech that contained the word "God."
According to Stripes, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek announced last week that the Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James ordered the Air Force Inspector General to investigate an incident involving decorated Air Force veteran Oscar Rodriguez, Jr. on April 3.
"Since retirement ceremonies are personal in nature, the script preference for a flag folding ceremony is at the discretion of the individual being honored and represents the member's views, not those of the Air Force," Stefanek said, as quoted by Fox News.
Two days earlier, the conservative non-profit legal advocacy group First Liberty Institute notified the Air Force about the incident and demanded an apology on behalf of their client Rodriguez.
"We took this case because the government has no right to throw a citizen, much less a 33-year military veteran, off a military base because they don't want him to mention 'God,'" director of military affairs for First Liberty, Mike Berry, said in a statement for Fox News. "The military broke the law and abused its power."
Rodriguez considered the incident as "one of the most humiliating experiences" in his life.
The veteran's humiliating incident started when Master Sergeant (MSgt) Charles "Chuck" Roberson, moved by Rodriguez' flag-folding speech at a retirement ceremony, requested Rodriguez to perform the same for him on April 3. Both Rodriguez and Roberson notified the higher authorities at Travis Air Force that the word "God" would be mentioned in a speech during the latter's retirement ceremony but did not get any response from them.
However, when it was time for Rodriguez to deliver the said speech, several Travis Air Force Base officials humiliated the veteran by forcibly removing him from the ceremony.
"To even imagine that I would be removed while the American flag is being unfurled and openathe flag which represents freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press...it's horrifying," the conservative group quoted Rodriguez as saying.
Rodiguez served the country for 33 years dating back from his enlistment to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1980. He trained as Avionics Technician, rose to Section Chief and retired as Senior Master Sergeant.
home US Pharmacists forced to provide emergency contraception to women despite religious objections - Supreme Court gives divided verdict
A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by pharmacists in Washington state who objected on religious grounds to providing emergency contraceptives to women.
The justices, with three conservatives dissenting, left in place a July ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a state regulation that requires pharmacies to deliver all prescribed medicines in a timely manner.
Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas, wrote a dissenting opinion saying the court's decision not to hear the case is "an ominous sign."
In Washington, the state permits a religiously objecting individual pharmacist to deny medicine, as long as another pharmacist working at the location provides timely delivery. The rules require a pharmacy to deliver all medicine, even if the owner objects.
The case is one of several around the United States in which people and businesses have sought to opt out of providing services that conflict with their religious faith.
Alito said there is evidence the regulation was adopted because of "hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the state."
"If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern," Alito added.
Alito's comments seemed to refer to the current vacancy on the court created by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February and the possibility of a successor appointed by a Democratic president. If Scalia's replacement is a liberal, Alito appears to be warning, it would tilt the court to the left, and a majority may be less receptive to claims by conservative religious groups that government is infringing upon their rights.
The Supreme Court in 2014 allowed certain businesses to object on religious grounds to the Obamacare law's requirement that companies provide employees with insurance that pays for women's birth control. The court in May sent a similar dispute brought by nonprofit Christian employers back to lower courts without resolving the main legal issue.
The appeals court said the rules rationally further the state's interest in patient safety. Speed is particularly important considering the time-sensitive nature of emergency contraception, that court said.
The appeals court had overturned a lower court that had said the rules were unconstitutional. The regulation was challenged by family-owned Stormans Inc, which operates a pharmacy in a grocery store in Olympia. Two individual pharmacists who worked elsewhere also joined the lawsuit.
The objectors are Christians who associate so-called "morning after" emergency contraceptives with abortion.
home World Evangelicals acting as Good Samaritans to refugees are asked: Are you helping to care or to convert?
Evangelicals who act as the Good Samaritans to their refugee brethren are questioned whether they're helping out of care or just motivated to convert.
Sociologist Peggy Levitt believes evangelical groups who involve themselves in outreach missions are being wise. She cites several motivations for doing so which include doing the right thing, conversion, and survival.
"If religious institutions want to remain vital, the people inside their doors need to look more like the people outside them," Levitt told Religion News Service.
Rob Boston, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, warns that some of these religious groups are only taking advantage of the "vulnerable population" and calls out to the federal government's responsibility to protect them.
"It can best do that by limiting grants to groups that want to help, not preach," said Boston.
Religious groups that receive government funding are not allowed to use the fund for preaching and conversion. However, some of these groups' leaders say talking to others about their faith is something even government grants can't forbid them from doing.
"If a person says, 'Why are you here and care?' our staff can say, 'We're here because we are Christians. This is what we believe. We're called to love our neighbors as ourselves.' We can do that," said president of World Vision U.S., Rich Stearns.
J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., claims they would still grab the opportunity to help even when they see no chance of sharing the gospel. He said that's exactly the case when he accommodated a non-English speaking Buddhist couple at his home for a couple of weeks.
On the other hand, president of Friends of Refugees Providing Education and Empowerment (F.R.E.E), Kelli Czaykowsky, believes that "doors will open automatically" as long as the motive is right.
"I think when you really are doing it for the right reason, out of love, people see that and they're drawn to you," shared Czaykowsky.
On June 15, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Congregation voted during their annual meeting to accept Muslim refugees amid the rise of Islamophobia. The congregation's resolution upheld that refugees are just as deserving of God's love and mercy. They also acknowledged their long history of ministering to the refugees from 1975 to 1985 that led to 281 ethnic churches.
'Awesome God': Poor kid asked only for doughnuts for carrying groceries but got something more much, much more
White meets Black and it triggered an avalanche of love.
Those were not just their skin colour but their actual namesmusic producer and performing artist Matt White, 30, and "straight A" but underprivileged student Chauncy Jones Black, 16.
In a post on his Facebook page, White recalled a recent encounter he had with Black at a grocery store parking lot in Memphis, Tennessee.
According to White, Chauncy Black approached him and asked to carry his groceries to his car in exchange for a box of glazed doughnuts, a thing he has been doing at the supermarket with other customers to be able to feed himself and his mother.
"He had me at donuts," White wrote.
When he spoke to the "doughnut boy," White realised the teen with the tattered clothes needed more than a box of doughnuts. He bought Chauncy a whole shopping cart full of food and basic goods.
He then drove the teenager to his home. Upon seeing the room where they live, White said he could not help but cry. Chauncy was living with his disabled mom in a single rented room with no beds or other furniture. They were sleeping on the floor. They had a refrigerator and cupboards but they were empty. All they had was a couch and a few lamps.
Chauncy and his mom were overwhelmed with joy at the blessings they received from White, who was equally delighted at seeing two happy faces before him.
"He looked like a kid again," White wrote. "He knew he wasn't going to be hungry."
Chauncy told White that he wanted to become a successful businessman so he can give to the less fortunate like him.
Wrote wrote about their touching goodbye, saying, "As I was leaving, I gave him a hug and told him how much God loved him, and that he was going to grow up to be an incredible man."
"I'll never forget that hug. It meant more to me than any possession I have," he continued. "Our God is an awesome God, and we can never be thankful enough for the blessings we have."
White's Facebook post quickly went viral as his random act of kindness hit a nerve, sparking a global outpouring of sympathy for the struggling teenager.
White decided to create a GoFundMe page for the teen to facilitate donations to the kid and his mother.
The page raised money enough to enable Chauncy and his mom to move into a new home of their own.
"God, I've never known your love like this. I've never witnessed your love unleashed like this. I am in awe," White wrote on the fundraising page.
"It starts small," White said. "A simple act of kindness, but it can ripple out and create an ocean of prosperity in the world."
Christians and Brexit: Did God command the UK to leave the EU?
Christians overwhelmingly voted in favour of leaving the European Union last Thursday.
Polling from Lord Ashcroft showed that nearly six in ten of those who identified as Christian voted for Brexit. This is significantly higher than the 52 per cent who voted for Brexit across the nation. It is particularly stark when compared to Muslim and Hindu voters, seven in 10 of whom voted to remain.
There are a whole host of reasons why this might be.
It may correlate with ethnicity and have little to do with faith. Although numbers have fallen, 93 per cent of Christians in the UK are white. By contrast two-thirds of British Muslims are from an Asian background. And Lord Ashcroft's poll showed that 67 per cent of Asians and 73 per cent of black people voted to remain compared to 47 per cent of white people.
Or it may correlate with age. The 2011 census showed that one in five self-identifying Christians in the UK are over 65. This is far higher than Muslims in the UK, nearly half of whom are under 25. And age has been highlighted as a clear indicator of voting patterns with 73 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds voting to remain but only 40 per cent of over 65s.
But an undercurrent of Christian suspicion of the European Union has grown in the UK and it has nothing to do with immigration, sovereignty, the economy, democracy or any other typical voter concerns identified in the campaign.
A host of blogs, websites and claims of 'prophetic words' have fuelled a fear of the European Union's apparent spiritual side. A minefield of 'prophetic' websites, many of which border on the extreme end of conspiracy theories, warn of a supposed darkness in the EU project.
The influential Ellel ministries blog argued that "for deeply spiritual reasons" Christians should vote Brexit. On the morning after the vote under the title of "God has spoken", Peter Horrobin wrote the result was a "massive answer to prayer" and said: "God has acted to set the UK free from the external spiritual control of the European Union."
Similarly Julie Meyer, a worship leader at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, said God's "eyes were on Europe". In a YouTube video entitled "prophecy over Europe" in 2012 she said:
"He's going to set the captives free and it's going to start in Britain. The Lord says, 'keep your eyes on Britain'.
"There is something greater coming to Britain. It's going to start in Britain...like a wildfire. You're part of the great story line Britain and its not over. It's getting bigger and bigger."
Horribin and Meyer are among a number of influential charismatic Christians to speak out against the EU. The focus of their concern is a belief that the EU has an evil spiritual power.
The central point of this wariness is around the European symbol of a woman riding a bull. The icon was chosen by the EU based on the Greek mythical story of Europa and adorns many EU official residences, buildings and documents.
But for some charismatic Christians the symbol is reminiscent of a biblical apocalyptic warning that spoke of a "woman sitting on a scarlet beast" in Revelation 17. According to Revelation, the woman on the beast is the mother "of the earth's abominations" and will be destroyed by God.
Others point to the EU's building in Strasbourg which they say is based upon Pieter Bruegel's painting of Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Proponents say it symbolises an unfinished Europe but for some charismatic Christians it is symbolic of the EU's supposed rebellion against God. They were further riled when the EU promoted the slogan: "many tongues, one voice".
Much of this Christian suspicion of the EU originates in the United States and leading evangelicals including Franklin Graham, son of famous evangelist Billy Graham, called the result "historic" and a "glorious opportunity".
It is difficult to quantify to what extent these concerns from a small section of the Christian community influenced the 58 per cent of self-proclaimed UK Christians who voted to leave.
But it undoubtedly has played a part for some churches, even if they are fringe groups. Despite the desperate efforts of evangelical Christian Tim Farron, a vague notion that the EU was anti-Christian persisted among Christian communities, much to the horror of some Anglican bishops.
In Lord Ashcroft's poll 54 per cent of respondents identified as Christian. Whatever the reasoning, a majority of these Christians were suspicious of the EU and voted to leave. This failure to convince Christians of either the economic, spiritual or cultural benefits of the EU was disastrous for the Remain campaign and has changed the face of the UK forever.
Church announces review of how George Bell sex abuse case was handled
An independent review of the processes used in the case of Bishop George Bell, accused after his death of abusing a child, was today announced by his former diocese.
The Diocese of Chichester, where Bell served as bishop from 1929 until his death in 1958, said in a statement:"The House of Bishops practice guidance states that once all matters relating to any serious safeguarding situation have been completed, the Core Group should meet again to review the process and to consider what lessons can be learned for the handling of future serious safeguarding situations. A review has always been carried out in any case involving allegations against a bishop.
"The review will be commissioned by the Church of England's National Safeguarding Team, on the recommendation of the Bishop of Chichester, to see what lessons can be learnt from how the case was handled. The case involves the settlement in 2015 of a legal civil claim regarding sexual abuse against George Bell".
In October 2015, the Church of England announced that the current Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner, had issued a formal apology following the settlement of a civil claim regarding sexual abuse against Bishop Bell.
The allegations against Bell concerned sexual offences against an individual who was at the time a young child.
Warner wrote to the survivor formally apologising and expressing his "deep sorrow". He acknowledged that "the abuse of children is a criminal act and a devastating betrayal of trust that should never occur in any situation, particularly the church."
Warner also paid tribute to the survivor's courage in coming forward to report the abuse and said: "along with my colleagues throughout the church, I am committed to ensuring that the past is handled with honesty and transparency."
The diocese was at the time publicly criticised for its revelations about Bell, who was widely revered during his lifetime, without revealing the evidence of the crimes he was alleged to have committed or allowing a defence to be mounted.
However, the diocese defended its actions. A document on its website said: "Any suggestion that those who have done good deeds should be afforded an extra degree of protection from serious allegations cannot be upheld. This is fundamentally wrong."
The statement today added: "The Church has always recognised Bishop Bell's principled stand in the Second World War and his contribution to peace but it also has a duty to listen to survivors. The diocese of Chichester continues to be in touch and offer support to the survivor known as Carol, who brought the allegations in this case.
"The review will look at the processes surrounding the allegations which were first brought in 1995 to the diocese of Chichester with the same allegations brought again, this time to Lambeth Palace, in 2013. It will also consider the processes, including the commissioning of expert independent reports and archival and other investigations, which were used to inform the decision to settle the case. The settlement was based on the balance of probabilities as criminal proceedings cannot be brought in a case where the alleged perpetrator is dead."
Bishop Warner said: "As in any serious safeguarding situation it is always important to learn lessons from the process and this review will ensure this is done.
"I have, however, made it absolutely clear that the survivor in the case be reassured that we will do everything we can to continue to support her as we have done throughout this process.
"Like her, we recognise the gravity of this matter, given its impact on the national and international reputation of Bishop George Bell.
"I hope that the review will provide a constructive way forward for all concerned."
Details of the review including Terms of Reference and name of the independent reviewer will be announced at a later date.
Complementarianism and the Trinity: Is Wayne Grudem a dangerous heretic?
The "complementarianian" view of male-female relations that men and women are prescribed different, heirarchical roles which above all mean that women cannot preach or be church leaders is a growing force in modern evangelicalism. It's espoused by figures including John Piper, who notoriously suggested to a woman that she shouldn't be a police officer because it would mean giving orders to men.
Many who hold this view do so because of passages in Paul's letters, particularly 1 Timothy 2:12, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." Some, however, have gone much, much further. They ground the view that women should be subordinate to men in an account of the doctrine of the Trinity that many orthodox Christian scholars regard as simply heretical.
Who are these people? They should go and read some theology.
They have. Among them are Phoenix Seminary's Prof Wayne Grudem, who co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Prof Bruce Ware, and, in the UK, the principal of Oak Hill Theological College, Dr Michael Ovey. His book Your Will Be Done: Exploring Eternal Subordination, Divine Monarchy and Divine Humility has just been been published by the Latimer Trust.
Ah. But I thought the doctrine of the Trinity was pretty much settled?
It was, and most people would say it is. The idea that God is one, in three persons, is a core Christian belief that was thrashed out in the early centuries of the Church and expressed in the creeds that are accepted across all Christian confessions. A key component of this doctrine, established at the fourth-century Council of Nicea, is that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinguished in their roles and functions (the 'economic Trinity', but equal (as the 'immanent' or 'ontological' Trinity'). Nicea was called in response to the threat to orthodoxy posed by the heretic Arius and his followers (the "Arians"). Arius taught that the Son was subordinate to the Father because he was created by him and homoiousios, "of a similar substance", a view rejected by the Council, which held they were homoousios or "of the same substance". So the difference between heresy and orthodoxy is a single letter, which is rather alarming.
I don't get the connection with male headship and women having to be barefoot and pregnant.
That's a little hard on complementarians. In recent years, the consensus on the Trinity has been challenged by theologians arguing that Jesus is eternally subordinate to God the Father and that this provides a pattern for how men and women should relate to each other that is, women should be subordinate to men. It's a view that has gained ground in Southern Baptist and neo-Calvinist circles (with which The Gospel Coalition is identified) thanks to its influential proponents.
It's also, according to many scholars, a radical departure from what the Church has taught for more than 1500 years, and a serious misunderstanding of a core Christian belief that needs to be flatly rejected by Christians concerned for biblical orthodoxy.
It seems rather radical. What's kicked off the debate?
Most recently, Grudem and his supporters have been trenchantly attacked in pieces by the highly respected pastor-theologian Liam Goligher of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. In his articles on the Mortification of Spin website Goligher, a Scot who serves as pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, takes issue with Grudem's position on the Trinity. He contrasts statements from Grudem and Ware with quotations from the historic creeds, concluding: "It comes down to this; if they are right we have been worshipping an idol since the beginning of the church; and if they are wrong they are constructing a new deity a deity in whom there are degrees of power, differences of will, and diversity of thought. Because, mark this, to have an eternally subordinate Son intrinsic to the Godhead creates the potential of three minds, wills and powers. What they have done is to take the passages referring to the economic Trinity and collapse them into the ontological Trinity."
Nothing trivial, then.
No. Goligher believes that: "What we have is in fact a departure from biblical Christianity as expressed in our creeds and confessions. Out of that redefinition of God their teaching is being used to promote a new way of looking at human relationships which is more like Islam than Christianity; more concerned with control and governance than with understanding the nuances of the relationship of the Son with His Father in eternity on the one hand and how that differs from the roles they adopt in the economy of redemption on the other."
And, in an incendiary charge, he says, such views "should certainly exclude such people from holding office in the church of God".
So Grudem, Ware, Ovey et al should just resign?
Yes. In a second article Goligher is if anything even more direct, saying: "God has revealed Himself as Trinity. To speculate, suggest, or say that there is a real primacy of the Father or subordination of the Son within the eternal Trinity is to have moved out of Christian orthodoxy and to have moved or be moving towards idolatry." He concludes: "What we face in evangelicalism today is at best shoddy thinking and at worst ungodly thinking about the first principle of our religion "Who is God?" The teaching is so wrong at so many levels that we must sound a blast against this insinuation of error into the body of Christ's church."
Goligher's posts set off a flurry of online argument (helpfully indexed at bringthebooks.org). Among the posts was another from Carl Trueman, who warned of a "heavy dogmatic price to pay" if evangelicals departed from orthodoxy for the sake of expediency. Trueman said: "In the long run such a tight pairing of complementarianism with this theology can only do one of two things. It will either turn complementarian evangelicals into Arians or tritheists; or it will cause orthodox believers to abandon complementarianism. The link is being pushed so firmly that it does not seem to offer any other choice."
I thought Southern Baptists and Calvinists prided themselves on being orthodox?
Indeed. Grudem responded with a post on the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood website expressing surprise at Goligher's charges, denying he was teaching a new doctrine, affirming his belief in the full deity of Christ and that he was not an Arian and citing various respected theologians in his defence, from Louis Berkhof to John Calvin. He claimed his views were supported by the Bible and consistent with the historic creeds, concluding of Goligher and Trueman: "Finally, their articles lead me to think that perhaps it is time to forego intemperate accusations of heterodoxy."
Bruce Ware responded too, in a post on the Reformation21 website. He said that "those who affirm the eternal authority of the Father and submission of the Son uniformly and adamantly affirm also the full deity of the Son". Ware denies that an "eternal relation of authority and submission" conflicts with orthodoxy (he denies being an Arian too) and appeals to Scripture in support. He denies he and Grudem are "reformulating" the doctrine of the Trinity to serve their social purposes, as Goligher claimed. Michael Ovey has a post on Credo in which he denies that the eternal subordination of the Son divides the will of God or involves Arianism, concluding: "Hence I am reluctant to accept the suggestion that I am making things up about God and therefore should resign."
Anyone else?
Well, it's not the first time this has been aired. Mike Ovey contributed to a volume of essays mainly by Southern Baptists last year which was heavily critiqued by Kevin Giles, who's written a good deal about this; there's a link through Ian Paul's Psephizo blog. But this time round others pitched in too, on different sides of the argument, notably Scot McKnight (against) and Denny Burk (for). Another theologian, Mike Bird, warns of a coming "miniature civil war" among Calvinist complementarians about Trinity and gender. He suggests calling Grudem, Ware and their disciples "Homoian Complementarians", saying: "Bruce Ware and Wayne Grudem are not Arians, their denials are clear enough on that, but they are perilously close to Homoianism, which is semi-Arianism, or in the very least, they are non-Nicenes." He says this is "a pointless and dangerous position to espouse", concluding: "The root of the problem is that some Complementarians are willing to ditch Nicene christology for Homoian christology if it will give them a bigger stick to use to keep women out of the pulpit!" His post drew a very sharp response from Ovey, who said hadn't ditched Nicene Christology at all and that he and others asserted "both that the Son eternally submits to his Father (as a son at the level of Person) while being of one and the same nature (at the different level of substance/nature)". He also said he wasn't motivated by complementarianism (though he is a complementarian).
Just tell me what to think. Please.
Very few people reading this are systematic theologians, and very few have the leisure or resources to be able to weigh the arguments carefully for themselves. These can seem bafflingly obscure, along the lines of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. So for most thinking Christians, the argument comes down to, "Whom do I trust?"
In this case, we need to recognise three things. First, while the proponents of homoian complementarianism, as Bird calls it, might argue that their views are consistent with historic Christianity, most scholars and theologians haven't expressed their belief in the Trinity like that and many experts in the field are pretty scathing about it. So it is, to that extent, a new way of talking about this doctrine that is, as Goligher says, open to serious criticism. We should be very slow to accept theological novelties.
Second, the Trinity is one thing and complementarianism is another. While some proponents of the new thinking might deny that they're linked in essence, in practice homoian complementarians have a social agenda. We should be very suspicious of any theology that rewrites millennia of tradition to serve the priorities of the moment.
Third, homoian complementarians are part of a very influential movement in modern theology and churchmanship. It's socially right-wing, deeply conservative and neo-Calvinist, with deep pockets, charismatic and successful figureheads and granite certainties. That doesn't make it right.
Is this way of thinking about the Trinity heresy, or can it sit, however uneasily, alongside a more traditional understanding? This is a discussion that will play out over years, if not decades. But in the meantime, if people really feel they must be complementarians, they would be wise not to ground their views on such a very contentious re-interpretation of the Trinity.
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Gay Catholic groups urge Pope Francis to follow apology with action
Gay Catholic groups want the Pope to do more than just apologise for how the Church has treated LGBT people, asking for action to follow his recent comments on the matter.
The Pope addressed reporters on his journey back to Rome from Armenia on Sunday, saying that Christians must seek forgiveness from gay people for the way they had treated them.
"We Christians have to apologise for so many things, not just for this [treatment of gay people], but we must ask for forgiveness, not just apologise! Forgiveness! Lord, it is a word we forget so often!" he said.
"The questions is: if a person who has that condition, who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?"
He also recalled the Church's teaching that gay people "should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally."
The executive director of a leading organisation for LGBT Catholics, DignityUSA, said that the Pope's statement was powerful, but was not enough without subsequent action.
"For a pope to acknowledge that the church has done so much damage to gay people, and that we deserve an apology, is an unprecedented act of humility," Marianne Duddy-Burke told the New York Times.
"But a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows."
Duddy-Burke cited cases of gay employees being fired by Catholic schools in the US after they married in civil ceremonies.
"We need the church to understand the reality of our lives," she said. "And where church teaching and practice has caused so much trouble."
Her sentiment was echoed by Ryan Hoffman, co-executive director of Call to Action, another Catholic activist group. He praised Francis' remarks, but reiterated that Catholic officials must "reform teachings and practices that refer to gay people as 'objectively disordered' and intrinsically evil'.
"It's time Francis' wise words translate into just action," he said.
Justin Welby: Evil-willed people are using Brexit as excuse for hatred
Evil-willed people are using Brexit as an excuse to give vent to hatred and to create division, the Archbishop of Canterbury said last night.
In what became a conscious display of interfaith harmony at a time of unprecedented tension, Justin Welby hosted an iftar last night night at Lambeth Palace - a breaking of the Muslim fast of Ramadan.
He was joined by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, as well as many young people of Christian and other faiths.
"At a time of uncertainty and division, it's a joy and privilege to celebrate this great world city with young faith and other leaders from different backgrounds and religious traditions," he wrote on his Facebook page.
"It is such a privilege to have such a group of young leaders who are so crucial to these troubled times we are going through," he said. "I greatly appreciate that you should have come here this evening."
He said it had been the longest Ramadan in more than 30 years. Addressing the Muslims there, he said: "Your faithfulness in observing Ramadan in this way has been an example of what it means to take faith seriously." The long days, early mornings and late evenings as well as for many, having to cope with exams, made them a particularly good example. "May God give you strength to continue."
He also welcomed having a Muslim mayor in London, the "great city" where he and his wife grew up and said he was in their prayers.
"We are though, as you know, a country that has gone through a bruising electoral campaign. We are to some degree a country divided. Divided demographically between how younger people voted and older people voted. Divided regionally, particularly with London having voted very clearly to remain, and other places having voted to leave.
"We are in a democracy, we accept the result. This is what happens when you have a democracy. People vote, and some people win and some people lose. If you are on the wrong side and you lose, you just have to say, well that's the privilege of democratic government.
"But the privilege of democracy is to vote. To campaign vigorously. To have robust and firm discussion. It is not a privilege of democracy to express hatred, to use division as an excuse for prejudice and for hate-filled attacks. We've seen a sharp increase in those in the last few days." He said he was not blaming the leave campaign. "But people who are of evil will are using this as an excuse, a mere sham for their hatred to be expressed."
He particularly condemned the attack on the Polish Centre in Hammersmith. "That is an outrageous attack on the representatives of a country who have been friends and allies of Britain for decades and who we value very greatly."
He urged all those present to be united against hatred and division, and to work to rebuild the nation with "a new vision of what it means to be outward looking, generous and hospitable." He called on them to be "powerful in doing good, strong in resisting evil."
Christians believe every human being is loved by God, loved by Christ, and has intrinsic dignity, he said. "Let us be those who stand up, speak out and stand especially with the most vulnerable."
Naghmeh Abedini: I found Jesus as a Muslim immigrant to the US
Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of formerly imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini, said that when her family came to America as Muslims immigrants fleeing war, they were converted to Christianity by the love of Christ shown by American people.
"I have parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and my 95 year old grandmother who all came to America as Muslim immigrants and found Jesus here," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"I was a Muslim immigrant. I left a devastating war between Iran and Iraq. America gave me the freedom to choose Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
"When we came to America more than 30 years ago I was treated with love and acceptance by the Christians. I could see the tender heart of Jesus toward foreigners and the lost through the Christians that surrounded us."
Abedini said that she is "not a politician" and that this was "not a political statement", but went on to describe the America she knew and loved as one that welcomed refugees.
Most of her relatives in America have high levels of education and work in competitive jobs.
"Others have their own small businesses, including my uncle and dad who have started small buisnesses here in Boise that now employ close to a 100 people, many of whom are refugees from all over the world," she wrote.
"This is the America I know and love. The America that was founded on Christian values of love, Grace and compassion."
Muslim immigration to the US has been a contentious issue throughout the 2016 presidential election. The presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has repeatedly called for a temporary ban on such immigration; a call he renewed after the Orlando nightclub massacre earlier this month.
"I called for a ban after San Bernardino and was met with great scorn and anger but now, many are saying I was right to do so," Trump said in a speech from New Hampshire following the Florida shooting.
"The ban will be lifted when we as a nation are in a position to properly and perfectly screen those people coming into our country."
Abedini finished her post with a note that she was "simply saying we have a chance to love those who are here and show them the love of Jesus."
Soldiers beheaded, churches destroyed and constant fear: Syrian Christian on life under ISIS in Raqqa
A Syrian Christian who lived in ISIS-stronghold Raqqa has described the horror of living under militant rule.
John (name changed for protection), a student in his early 20s, recalled in an interview with persecution charity Open Doors the day that Raqqa was overrun by Islamic State on 13 January 2014.
"They were coming from Iraq with tanks, military vehicles, and even a big rocket that was at least five metres in length," he said. "It was very intimidating".
ISIS militants gathered together the church leaders in Raqqa and gave them the now infamous ultimatum levelled at Christians all over its self-proclaimed caliphate: flee, convert to Islam, or pay the 'jizya' tax for the right to remain in the city.
At the beginning of 2014 there were around 1,500 Christian families living in Raqqa. After ISIS took over, just 50 remained; the rest having chosen to flee.
John's family, forbidden from selling or renting their property and afraid of losing their business, decided to stay and pay the jizya, which was initially 54,000 Syrian pounds per man. Last year, that figure more than trebled.
Paying the tax meant they were free to live in Raqqa, but life under ISIS militants was brutal.
"I saw a lot of cruelties. Every Friday they execute people. I was there when they beheaded the first man in public. The man suffered, they couldn't behead him with the first cut. The man suffered so much they finally killed him with a gunshot," John said.
"I got really sick because of what they did with all the hundreds of soldiers of the base of the Syrian Army in Raqqa. They killed all the men and beheaded them. They pinned their heads on a long fence alongside a road I had to pass daily on my way to work. Almost all these soldiers were young men. Two of them were Christians. The men of IS hang their crosses on their ears when then put their heads on the fence. What shocked me too was that I saw people taking selfies with the heads of soldiers."
Militants also destroyed churches and Shia mosques. "One church building is now a centre for IS," John added. Without priests or other church leaders, the remaining Christians turned to one another for support. "We visited each other," he recalled.
But after more than a year of living under ISIS, John left Raqqa to continue his studies in another Syrian city.
"I might not have water and electricity every day as I did have in Raqqa, but I feel safer, inside I have peace. Where I am living now I don't have to be afraid of the people I meet in the streets," he said.
"The only thing that would help the people of Raqqa is if IS leaves the city. You could also pray for a solution for those who want to go out but don't want to lose all they have. Pray for the two or three Christian families who said they converted to Islam since IS came. Pray for those who want to stay because they don't want Raqqa to be empty of Christians."
Syrian regime troops mounted an offensive on Raqqa beginning 3 June, but have so far failed to liberate the city. The British-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said at least 18 civilians, including six children, were killed in raids on 21 June.
SOHR said it was not able to verify who had carried out the strikes although another group said Russian warplanes were to blame, according to the BBC.
South Sudan is ruled by 'devils and criminals' says furious priest
A senior Roman Catholic Church leader in South Sudan has condemned the government there for its role in violence last weekend.
Apostolic Administrator Rocco Taban unleashed a furious broadside in a sermon on Sunday, according to the Radio Tamazuj news service.
He spoke after the country's second city Wau descended into violence which culminated in fighting on Saturday between armed opposition and government soldiers. Ethnic tensions in the city, which is inhabited by people from many tribes, are believed to have contributed to the violence, which saw thousands displaced and dozens killed.
In a sermon at St Joseph's Catholic Church in the capital, Juba, Taban alleged government complicity in the violence and criticised it for removing the recently appointed governor.
"More than 100,000 people are in the bush being displaced by their own government. This is the country we have chosen. This is the country we have voted for its independence so that our country displaces us. Our own country. We are ruled really by monkeys. We are ruled by monkeys. We have to be very clear: We are ruled by monkeys," said Rocco.
He continued: "And the governor who was protecting people in Wau, who was loved by the people in Wau, General Elias Waya [was] removed by the presidential decree and being replaced by [a] madman."
The new governor, Andrea Mayar, was impeached as speaker of the legislative assembly in Wau last year. He was appointed governor on Friday hours before serious fighting erupted.
Taban said: "Do we love our country? Do we love this nation? And so far the President of the Republic did not say even a word. In Australia three people were killed three days ago. The Prime Minister came out three times a day to make a statement. Because of three Australians."
He continued: "They are eating and drinking and sleeping. Devils! These are devils! We are ruled by devils. And we are very sorry for them," he said.
The priest concluded, "We don't want to call fire on them, because we will go against Christ. But they have to understand that they are devils. And they are devils. And they are ruling us with evil powers. They are criminals."
South Sudan has been riven with political and inter-communal strife since its independence from Sudan, achieved after a decades-long, bloody struggle involving a fractious coalition of different factions. Most recently conflict broke out between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar. The two-year struggle came to a formal end in April with the formation of a new unity government, but tensions remain.
Government forces the Sudan People's Liberation Army have been accused of atrocities and of acting as a terrorist militia, including in Wau, according to Human Rights Watch.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was deeply concerned about the violence. "The Secretary-General calls on all fighting forces to immediately suspend the hostilities, provide access to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and cooperate with humanitarian partners to facilitate the delivery of assistance," a spokesman said. "He urges all parties to agree to dialogue to resolve their political disputes."
Stephen Crabb to run for Tory leadership alongside Sajid Javid
Stephen Crabb will run for Conservative party leader alongside business secretary Sajid Javid in an effort to overcome the "Bullingdon Club" image of David Cameron's premiership.
The recently appointed work and pensions secretary, who is an evangelical Christian, grew up with his single mum on a council estate in west Wales. Javid is the son of a bus driver from Bristol. The Tory leadership contest was triggered after Cameron announced he would resign in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union, which he campaigned against.
The 43-year-old former Welsh secretary announced his candidacy in an email to Tory MPs on Tuesday, according to POLITICO.
Javid will run as his number two, Christian Today can confirm, and would become Chancellor should Crabb win the race. The "blue-collar dream team" will be supported by MPs Simon Hoare, Maria Caulfield and Craig Williams.
Although the pair mark a stark contrast to old-Etonian Boris Johnson, Crabb and Javid both campaigned for remain which is likely to harm their chances.
The declaration comes after Chancellor George Osborne ruled himself out of the race. The long-term ally of Cameron had been tipped to succeed him as Prime Minister. But after defeat in the EU referendum and plummeting ratings among grassroot Tory activists, Osborne announced in the Times he would not run for the leadership.
Boris Johnson and Theresa May are expected to announce their bid for leadership this week as the Conservative party headed for a summer in turmoil.
Home secretary May is tipped to be favourite for the role after a poll in the Times put her ahead of Johnson with 34 per cent of Tory voters' support to Johnson's 24 per cent. This compared to a separate poll in April that place Johnson on 36 per cent and May on 14 per cent.
The survey announced on Tuesday puts a clear gap between May and Johnson as the clear frontrunners. Gove was a distant third on five per cent with Javid on three per cent and Crabb on two per cent.
Nicky Morgan, another Christian in the cabinet, is poised to announce her bid for leader after she lauded her credentials in an article for the Tory blog site Conservative Home.
Others said to be considering a leadership bid are health secretary Jeremy Hunt, energy minister Andrea Leadsom and former defence secretary Liam Fox.
Speaking on Monday, Crabb said: "We need stability. We need direction.
"And what I want to see in the next few days is a candidate emerge who understands the enormity of the situation that we're in and who has got a clear plan, a clear plan to deliver on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to come out of Europe last week, a clear plan for putting together a team who can lead a tough negotiation in Brussels; [and] a plan for holding this United Kingdom together.
"And that means, yes, going and working with [Scotland's SNP First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon and holding onto the union. Because this isn't just about party unity now; it's about national unity."
Nominations for the next Tory leader, and therefore next Prime Minister, open on Wednesday and close at noon on Thursday. According to Conservative party procedure, if more than two candidates are put forward, Tory MPs will hold an election to reduce the field to a straight choice of two options. That decision will then be handed to the Conservative party leadership with a result expected to be announced by September 2.
Trump's campaign denies claims he is backtracking on Muslim ban
Donald Trump's campaign has denied reports that he is backtracking on his plan to ban all Muslims from entering the US.
CNN reported that Trump was softening his plan for "a total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States".
"His campaign is putting the finishing touches on a policy memo that would change his proposed ban on Muslim immigration to the United States. Instead of focusing the ban on Muslims, Trump would ban immigrants coming from countries with known terrorism links, training and equipment," CNN reported.
A spokesperson for Trump's campaign responded: "This is not accurate. There has been no change from the exchanges over the weekend."
However, Trump's language surrounding immigration has shifted in recent weeks.
When first announced in December, Trump's proposal stated that there would be "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
That the ban would be imposed on Muslims from both Muslim-majority countries and others was at the time reiterated by Trump's senior policy advisor Sam Clovis.
But during his recent visit to Scotland, Trump reportedly said it wouldn't bother him if Scottish Muslims came to the US. Similarly, in a speech following the Orlando shooting, he said: "When I am elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we understand how to end these threats."
When the CNN report first came out, Trump's spokesperson Katrina Pierson did not deny the allegations.
"It's only really a change if you never knew what the ban was to begin with," she said.
"If you are coming into this country and you cannot be vetted, then you should not be allowed in until you can be vetted. This is not rocket science."
Uganda: 9-year-old beaten and burned by father for converting to Christianity
A nine-year-old Ugandan boy was tied to a tree and burned by his father after he converted from Islam to Christianity, according to Morning Star News.
Nassif Malagara decided to become a Christian after visiting a church with a neighbour in Kakira Parish, in the district of Kamuli, on June 5. He received prayer at the end of the service and subsequently refused to participate in Muslim activities, which reportedly angered his father and step-mother.
"At the end of the service, Nassif remained behind and then followed me to the church's pastry room and requested that he wanted to receive Jesus as his personal savior," the pastor of the church told Morning Star News.
"I was a bit hesitant, but after his continuous press, I then prayed with him, and he left."
After his parents learned of his conversion they denied Nassif food. He was given some by his neighbours, but was then caught by his father.
"He started beating me up with sticks, but I managed to escape to a nearby bush," he said.
"My father then followed me and got hold of me back to the homestead, where he tied me up to a banana tree.
"He went into the house and came back with a hot piece of wood. The banana tree had dry leaves, which caught fire and caused serious burns to my body."
Neighbours heard the boy's screams, rescued him and took him to Kamuli hospital.
"Nassif has been recovering, but at a very slow pace," said Walwawo Zubari, who works at the hospital. "He might need to be referred to another hospital for specialised treatment."
Nassif's father has been arrested and is currently released on bail.
US officials affirm special relationship with 'smaller and weaker' UK
The United States looks unlikely to follow through on a threat to relegate Britain to second-class trade status once it leaves the European Union, as it weighs the potential costs of undermining the countries' close diplomatic and military ties.
President Barack Obama had warned ahead of the EU referendum that Britain would move to the back of the queue on US trade priorities if it voted to leave the bloc, well behind a much-larger US-European trade deal now under negotiation.
But in the face of a severe financial market reaction to the vote to leave the EU, US officials are making more supportive statements about the strength of the "special relationship" and stressing that they are still analysing the impact of Brexit on the European trade talks.
Security and trade experts said Washington is wary of adding to Britain's economic pain, which could hamper its ability to maintain its commitments to NATO and US-led efforts to fight terrorism. A poorer Britain may not be able to afford its pledge to spend two per cent of its GDP on defence at a time of increasing threats from Russia, nor a new fleet of nuclear submarines that form a key part of the West's nuclear missile deterrent.
"The UK could become smaller and weaker. If that happens, then you wonder if they can sustain the defence spending and the effort to be globally oriented," Nicholas Burns, a former US ambassador to NATO, told reporters after an Atlantic Council event on Monday.
"That's what we worry about with Britain leaving. Britain was the strongest American partner inside the EU."
Some trade experts also said that a deal on the US-European Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was unlikely for years now without Britain at the table, which could open an opportunity for a separate deal with the UK.
"The 'back of the queue' statement will be forgotten by the next administration, if not sooner," said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics. "In my view, TTIP is either dormant or dead in the wake of Brexit."
It may be easier for Washington to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Britain, a "like-minded" country that is more open to free trade than the 27 remaining EU members, said Miriam Sapiro, a former deputy US Trade Representative.
"A US-UK agreement could create leverage to get TTIP done more quickly, and it's an easier agreement to do," Sapiro said.
Calming words
As US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry sought to contain the damage from Brexit in public appearances on Monday, they both refrained from repeating Obama's trade warning.
Lew told CNBC that a trade deal with the EU remains a priority because it has been under negotiation for several years, but he did not rule out the possibility of separate talks with Britain once Europe and the UK agree on separation terms.
"Any separate negotiation with the UK will have to take a course in part determined by what happens between the UK and EU," Lew said. "So it is, I think, very much in the interest of all parties to maintain open trade relationships. The US and the UK have a special, deep relationship that will continue."
White House spokesman Eric Schultz added that the administration was "working through" how the vote would affect the TTIP talks.
"If we have to start negotiating separately with the United Kingdom, that's going to start from a different vantage point, especially because we've had years of progress."
Schultz said that economic ties "remain strong and vibrant as they have been, and the special relationship had not suffered because of the vote.
The more conciliatory tone "is about stabilising the economic situation", said Heather Conley, European Program Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. She added that since markets were "already punishing" Britain for the vote, there was no need for the Obama administration to pile on.
Recession threatens defence budget
Goldman Sachs' top economists told clients that they expect Britain to enter a recession within the next year as investment plans shrink and credit tightens in the vote's wake..
Both Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings cut their credit ratings for Britain, anticipating damage to its economy from Brexit, while the shares of British homebuilders have tumbled as much as 40 per cent in two days.
The British government is scheduled to make a final decision this year on replacing the four aging submarines that carry its Trident intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles, a program that could cost as much as $167 billion.
British defence secretary Michael Fallon told parliament on Monday that the government maintains its commitment to the BAE Systems programme and hoped a vote on the decision would be held "shortly".
In another twist, Britain's submarine fleet is based at Faslane on Scotland's west coast. Should Brexit prompt Scotland to make a second, successful bid for independence, Britain may be faced with having to spend billions to build a new submarine base.
Britain's departure from the EU which could take several years to negotiate risks undermining Europe's new defence strategy, days before NATO and EU governments sign a landmark pact to confront a range of threats from Russia to the Mediterranean, officials say.
NATO allies will be looking for reassurances on Britain's commitments to the group at a summit in Warsaw in July.
"Things are going to be a lot harder," said a senior Western defence official involved in EU-NATO cooperation. "NATO planned on linking itself up to a stronger European Union, not being the default option for a weakened, divided bloc."
Another US official played down any short-term security concerns, saying: "I don't think the sky is falling here."
GALVESTON A Texas appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to halt the annexation of the La Marque school district by Texas City ISD.
The 3rd Texas Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed the lawsuit, saying that it lacked jurisdiction and that the lower court erred in accepting the case.
"This is the end. It's done," said Terry Pettijohn, a member of the deposed La Marque school board that sued to prevent the Texas Education Agency from dissolving the district.
"It's just hard to understand how a school district that had met TEA standards and was financially solvent could have been closed," Pettijohn said.
Former Education Commissioner Michael Williams, replaced Jan. 1 by former Dallas ISD trustee Mike Morath, last year ordered La Marque ISD to merge with the Texas City Independent School District as of July 1. State officials said the district had failed to meet its financial marks.
Morath issued a statement saying, "Our primary focus at the Texas Education Agency is ensuring that students in La Marque have access to a high quality education. We continue our work as the transition to Texas City ISD moves forward."
After Williams announced La Marque's dissolution, the school board gave attorney Christopher Tritico a $300,000 retainer to fight the annexation. A new board of managers appointed by Williams took over in December and unsuccessfully asked Tritico to halt the lawsuit and refund the retainer.
Members of the elected La Marque school board -- who have been stripped of their powers -- say Williams failed to give the district credit for the improvements, both financial and academic, made since the previous superintendent was fired in 2013.
Members of the deposed board accused the state education agency of changing the rules after the district filed its financial information earlier this year.
A state grant will enable Clear Creek ISD to expand prekindergarten classes in the fall at McWhirter Elementary School, reviving the only full-day pre-K education program in the district.
The $275,862 grant from the Texas Education Agency allows the school, at 300 Pennsylvania in Webster, to hire three additional teachers and a handful of paraprofessionals to essentially double its pre-kindergarten staff and extend its four pre-K classes to full-day sessions.
"Parents are excited to come back and get their kids into the school," Principal Michael Marquez said. "We've gotten numerous phone calls from parents who aren't zoned to our school seeking to attend the extended-day program."
McWhirter has a high percentage of families that would qualify for prekindergarten but had to cut a full-day program to half day after the 2008 recession led to cuts in school funding.
The number of prekindergarten teachers was slashed from 10 to four and scaling back to half-day sessions meant fewer students because many families couldn't juggle picking up children in the middle of the day. The number of prekindergarten students, once 130, dropped by more than half.
Today, the school has about 114.
The grant gives CCISD its first and only full-day prekindergarten program back. The district offers half-day programs at 19 of its 26 elementary campuses.
Under the half-day schedule, the first pre-K session lasted from 8-11 a.m., with a different session beginning at 12:15 p.m. and ending at 3:15 p.m. Now, the full class day will begin at 8:15 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m.
McWhirter was selected to receive funding because the school serves the largest number of economically disadvantaged and English language-learning students in the district, Marquez said.
While funding through the grant only lasts for the upcoming school year, district officials are hopeful state funding will continue to be provided in the following school years.
"Expanded pre-K benefits the whole community," Marquez said. "The earliest intervention that can happen only benefits our kids.
"They come in and learn a lot of social skills, how to be a friend and a partner, how to be patient, but also learning sounds, letters, shapes, objects and colors," he said. "You start to see a ripple effect in the expectations of the children. If they come into kindergarten stronger, teachers can do more with them, then they leave stronger for first grade."
Marnie Glaser, director of early learning at the TEA, said quality pre-K education provides an opportunity to capitalize on a young child's natural curiosity and inclination to learn.
"There has been a considerable amount of research produced over the last 30-plus years demonstrating the benefits of high-quality full-day prekindergarten," she said, adding it "is our greatest opportunity to improve outcomes across our educational system."
The timing of grant funding comes as new classroom spaces will be available at McWhirter - which has more than 800 students - through a 2013 bond package, he said.
To participate in the McWhirter prekindergarten program, students must be 4 years old and live in the school's attendance zone and meet the state eligibility requirements, which include being economically disadvantaged, homeless, an English language learner or children of parents on active military duty.
Children who are English language-learners zoned to Whitcomb Elementary School are also eligible.
Students who don't meet these requirements must follow standard district transfer guidelines and may be admitted as space permits. Parents can contact the district's early childhood education department at 281-284-0330 or at PK@ccisd.net to learn more about prekindergarten options and admission.
Clear Creek's plans for boosting pre-K programs through the grant are similar to other Houston-area districts such as Spring and Pasadena.
In Pasadena ISD, a $783,379 grant provides funding for 20 additional full-day pre-kindergarten classrooms in the fall across the district. That equates to classroom space for more 440 pre-K students, adding to the 2,300 enrolled last year.
"Emphasis on prekindergarten education has been on the rise in the last few years, and we are proud to offer more opportunities to the children of Pasadena," said Karen Hickman, the district's deputy superintendent of campus development.
The funding will also provide teachers and paraprofessionals for each additional classroom, instructional materials and professional development training for all Pre-K teachers.
Marquez wants to develop workshops that help foster parental involvement and teach parents how to better help their children at home.
"It's about helping students get a head start," he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Residents and business leaders in northwest Houston are continuing to wage an unending war on the proliferation of "bandit" signs along areas of FM 1960.
The Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce is taking a proactive approach to dealing with violators of the bandit sign laws by contacting businesses that provide a phone number on their signs.
"We call on those companies and let them know that this is against state law, and they could be fined if they don't remove them," said Barbara Thomason, president of the chamber. "About 30 percent of the time they don't know. Sometimes, they are mean, ugly and will curse you out. Those are the people who are repeat offenders."
In 2007, the state took the issue up in the Legislature enacting House Bill 413 into law, which amended Chapter 393 of the Texas Transportation Code and outlawed the use of bandit signs in rights of way on interstates, county roads and rural roads.
A violation could result in a fine of $500 to $1,000 for each offense.
Between 2008 and 2011, volunteers, known as bandit sign rangers, retrieved hundreds, if not thousands, of bandit signs along rights of way on FM 1960.
Joe Barron, who is among a handful of bandit sign rangers, said although the state statue is effective, it only provides for civil penalties against violators.
"It does have some teeth in it," Barron said. "But the laws are only as good as the enforcement behind it."
The signs have been a problem in Harris County for many years.
Bandit signs are often seen posted along roadways, nailed to a utility pole or in a median, and usually advertise services such as personal training, carpet cleaning, tax preparation or other forms of enterprise.
They also advertise yard sales as well as real estate open houses or political events.
A bandit sign can be small, or a large banner between poles, or a large sign placed in the ground.
Thomason said when chamber officials are notified of bandit signs in the area, they will typically go out and take photos of the signs to contact the businesses, or provided as evidence to the Harris County Attorney's Office.
Typically, if a sign is on public (or Harris County) property and is less than $25 (in value), it can be picked up and discarded, but if the sign value is greater than $25 it may be discarded, but proper notice, usually within 10 days, must be given by the local authorities, such as the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office.
If those signs are not claimed within 10 days, they can be auctioned by the county.
While there is the punitive element to eradicating bandit signs, there are other measures the chamber is using to help keep the areas clear of bandit signs.
Anne Culver, president/ CEO of Scenic Houston, said while the cities can enact and enforce ordinances, counties are limited to state laws, which can be difficult to enforce.
"Bandit signs are a particularly touchy issue," she said. "It is especially painful for urban area counties."
Scenic Houston, which was launched in the 1960s, helped streamline the city of Houston's sign ordinance that went into effect in 1980.
Since then, the organization has expanded to other communities in the region and state to provide diagnostic tools to help remedy bandit signs, graffiti and other forms of urban blight.
"This doesn't find what cities do wrong, it finds what cities do well," Culver said.
In the interim, the Harris County Attorney's Office is working to prosecute bandit sign offenders.
Bethany Dwyer, assistant county attorney for the Harris County Attorney's Office, was recently appointed to manage the mounting bandit sign violations and said lately she has been able to persuade some of the violators to remove their signs or face the possibility of more fines, but that it is a process.
"The problem is that when I get one sign down, three more pop up," she said.
Some of those violators keep coming back, and others are considered repeat offenders, but others have only recently appeared in the aftermath of the April 18 flood.
In the wake of the flood, signs for roof repair services, debris removal and other cleaning services appeared in the areas that were already littered with bandit signs advertising other services, such as home remodeling, massage and nail services, maid services or home sales.
While many of the advertised businesses are considered legitimate, some could simply be looking to gain access to residents' possessions.
"Some of these are using this to get inside your home," Dwyer said. "Some of these are dangerous people and you don't want them in your homes or knowing where you live. These are not people you want walking around in your neighborhood."
To learn more about the bandit sign program, or to become a bandit sign ranger, contact Dwyer at 713-274-5388 or bethany.dwyer@cao.hctx.net.
To learn more about Scenic Houston, log onto http://www.scenichouston.org/
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office responded to more than a dozen calls for help, including three attempted suicides, in four years at the troubled Katy home where a family meeting Friday erupted into violence that ended with a mother and two daughters fatally wounded in the street.
But Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said he didn't know if the mental health calls came from Christy Byrd Sheats, 42, a vocal Second Amendment proponent who shot her two daughters before being gunned down by police.
"She may be dealing with a mental crisis, but we cannot confirm that Christy suffered from mental issues; the only one who knows that is her husband," Nehls said.
"It just seems like an argument a domestic disturbance in a family, that turns into a shooting where a mother went out and shot her two daughters somebody would say she's got mental health issues because who in her right mind would do that," he said.
The girls' father, Jason Sheats, 45, was also targeted in the shooting but escaped unharmed down the cul-de-sac. He is cooperating fully with investigators, Nehls said.
"That will be our job here, that will be the investigators' focus now for the next coming days, to try and pinpoint the motive," he said. "And if she was suffering from some type of mental illness, what type of outreach, what type of help she was getting.
"I think you want to know, did the system fail her? Did we fail her? Did her family fail her? I would want to know. I would want to get to the bottom of it," he said.
READ MORE: Family argument caused mother to shoot, kill daughters
Investigators said Christy Sheats had called a family meeting on Friday, which also happened to be her husband's birthday. An argument ensued, and she lifted a five-shot, .38-caliber handgun and opened fire on Taylor Sheats, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17.
The father and both daughters managed to get out of the front door of their Katy-area home. Madison fell and died after leaving the house.
Taylor ran into the street, where her mother shot her again. A witness said Christy Sheats returned to the home to reload the gun, then came back outside and shot Taylor once more.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office officials arrived at the scene in time to see the final shot. They shot the mother after she refused to drop the gun, officials said.
Taylor Sheats was transported by helicopter to the Texas Medical Center, where she later died.
READ MORE: Police identify woman and two daughters she shot dead
Christy Sheats had posted several times on her Facebook page in support of the Second Amendment and in opposition to gun control efforts.
"It would be horribly tragic if my ability to protect myself or my family were to be taken away, but that's exactly what Democrats are determined to do by banning semi-automatic handguns," she said in a March Facebook post.
The shooting came just days before Taylor Sheats had planned to be married, according to another Facebook post.
The young woman was set to marry her boyfriend of four years, Juan Lugo, at a small wedding on Monday, followed later by a larger celebration, the girls' grandmother, Ann Sheats Wooten, posted on Facebook.
"They were to be married Monday and later again after graduation from college with a big wedding," Wooten posted Sunday evening.
The couple may have obtained a marriage license as late as Friday, the day of the shooting. Texas law requires a 72-hour waiting period after the issuance of a marriage license.
Taylor attended Lone Star College-CyFair and Seven Lakes High School in the Katy Independent School District. Her sister reportedly also attended the school.
Facebook
Taylor had kind words to say about her mother in a May 2013 Facebook post on Mother's Day.
"You're one of the strongest people I know, if not the strongest, and you have had to overcome so much in your life but you still manage to love us and put your everything into being a mom," Taylor said in the post.
Taylor had also stated in an April Facebook post that she supported the Second Amendment, but posted a meme that questioned the refusal of gun activists to accept any limitations.
"Don't punish me because SOME gun owners are nutjobs," the meme stated, with a photo of the Sandy Hook Elementary children escaping a gunman with their teachers.
Taylor had also tried to raise awareness of anxiety and depression among college students on her Facebook page.
"As someone who has dealt with anxiety for the overwhelming majority of my life, I want to create a space for students dealing with generalized anxiety, depression, panic attacks, test anxiety, etc.," she posted on Facebook in March.
The Harris County Medical Examiner's office has not yet completed autopsies of the three, but indicated that Taylor Sheats died at a hospital of gunshot wounds to the head and torso.
Madison Sheats died of a gunshot on the neck that went into her chest, according to the medical examiner.
Christy Sheats died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
When record flooding submerged parts of Houston in April, the Addicks and Barker reservoirs near the Energy Corridor were among the most impacted structures.
Weeks later, that impact can still be felt as long-anticipated renovations to the reservoirs' dams have been pushed back by months.
A $72 million overhaul to the dams, which are more than 70 years old, had begun in April before the flooding. Now, the contractor in charge of construction, Granite Construction Co., won't be able to begin assessing the restoration process again until sometime in July after both the Addicks and Barker reservoirs are finished draining.
The contractor "was doing pretty good before the rain hit," said John Long, resident engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, which oversees the reservoirs. "We won't know for sure how long the delay is until we do an analysis."
In 2009, the district self-labeled the dams as "extremely high risk" for flood control based on technical problems that might cause dire consequences if the dams were to fail during a major storm.
West Houston saw between 12-17 inches of rain during the Tax Day floods, and water from the downpour quickly rose in the reservoirs, eventually spilling into nearby streets and residences.
Despite experiencing record-setting levels of water, both reservoirs held their ground during the flooding, according to Rick Villagomez, the renovations project manager.
"The dams did not experience any damages when rains hit," Villagomez said. "We continue now to monitor the dams, and to our knowledge, there is no issues with the structures themselves."
Even now, the normally dry Addicks reservoir remains approximately 20 percent full while the Barker reservoir is at about an equal percentage of capacity, according to Ralph Steiner, the area engineer at the district.
The dams protect an estimated 1.2 million Houstonians by taking in excess water from Buffalo Bayou.
This isn't the first time the construction project has been delayed. Construction should have begun in September 2015 after the district approved a construction contract with Granite Construction. Delays occurred then as the district awaited notice to proceed from the federal government, which is funding the developments.
The delays will cause construction costs to rise, Long said.
"Yes, (the delays) are frustrating, but we have it within our contract to deal with this situation," Long said. "The contractor is taking great steps to mitigate costs; so we are not expecting large cost increases."
The renovations include developing new intake towers, cutoff walls and downstream filters.
Since 2009, the district has implemented interim measures while it waited to begin renovations. The measures included constructing a granular filter around the ends of the outlet structure, which gives the dams added strength, and installing additional lighting for inspection and monitoring.
As it awaits to see when the major renovations can begin again, Granite Construction has been handling light maintenance throughout the dams, Villagomez said.
The dams were constructed after catastrophic floods in both 1929 and 1935. The more recent large flooding events in 2009, 2015 and this year have tested the aged dams' limits.
The renovations were scheduled to be completed around May 2019 but will now be pushed back to a September 2019 finish, Steiner said.
And that's if the weather plays nice in the unpredictable swamp that is Houston.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
A tattered and faded green yearbook from Elmer Donald "Ed" Christensen's 1943 Air Force cadet class rests bunched together with aged flight school manuals in a filing cabinet in his Katy home.
"I haven't looked at that stuff in some years," said Christensen, 95.
But the memories of that time and the World War II battles that followed when he was a 23-year-old pilot remain fresh.
He flew amidst hordes of fighter planes when allied forces invaded the beaches of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944 - D-Day.
The night before, Christensen and pilots of other Lockheed P-38 Lighting planes took off from a base in England. The crew soared overhead to protect paratroopers who were dropping onto the ground to destroy enemy forces' weaponry and install signaling devices. The fliers made multiple trips from Normandy to the base and back during the night.
Christensen returned at 8 a.m. the next day as thousands of troops landed from Navy ships to face bullets and bombs raining down from the cliffs.
Thousands of feet above, Christensen fired off rounds of .50-caliber machine guns mounted to his plane. He also dropped 1,000-pound bombs that devastated enemy artillery.
Amidst the din, he saw comrades' planes shot down around him.
"Everything imaginable was going on," Christensen said. "It was non-stop action around the clock. I saw people die in every way you can imagine. They paid the price."
Hundreds of thousands of troops died in fighting to push the Nazis back.
"People from everywhere come to America, and some people think they can get things for free, but there's also opportunity here - because we fought for it," Christensen said as he reflected on the coming Fourth of July holiday. "It's a day of thanks and day of apprehension because freedom is not free. You earn it; you pay for it."
Christensen, a Wisconsin native, joined the Air Force soon after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. He knew many men would have to join the military, and he preferred to fight in the air than on the ground.
At cadet school, Christensen's wake-up calls came at 4 a.m., and training would last until 9:30 p.m. The routine lasted every day for two years as the nation raced to train Air Force personnel as quickly as possible.
Christensen flew on more than 70 missions across Europe. He'd wake at 4 a.m., board his aircraft after a cup of coffee and not return to the base until night. He earned numerous medals and honors.
He sometimes returned with fewer men than he left with. But he didn't allow his mind to entertain the idea of death.
"You didn't think about it; you just did what you had to do," he said.
Christensen said that a year of combat felt like 50 to him.
Then everything changed on a summer morning in 1945.
Christensen was at a base in California waiting to be shipped to Japan for battle.
"I went to get breakfast, and they said, 'It's over. The war. It's through,' " Christensen said. "I'm sure it was my commanding officer who told me. He was there to get breakfast, too."
Christensen called his future wife, Margaret, and the two saw each other in St. Louis, Missouri. They married shortly afterward in Madison, Wisconsin, and stayed together until Margaret's death in 2002.
Christensen returned to active duty for four more years after marrying. He was mostly stationed at an Air Force base in Massachusetts.
He entered the reserves after active duty ended, and in 1959, Margaret convinced him to move to Texas. She missed the state's weather. They found a home in Houston, and Christensen flew cargo around the world from out of southeast Houston's Ellington Field.
In 1988, the couple became attracted to the then-tiny town of Katy, where only a few thousand people lived and rice dryers and railroad cabooses still dominated the scene.
They moved to the heart of the city, living a few blocks from Katy's Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Christensen became a member at the post around the same time. The post still counts about 30 World War II veterans as members.
When he joined the Air Force reserves after eight years of active duty, Christensen began studying to become a lawyer.
He practiced law, mostly as a trial lawyer, for about 50 years, retiring in the mid-2000s.
By then, it had been more than two decades since he had been honorably discharged from the reserves after achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Christensen lives with one of his two daughters.
On July 4, he typically relaxes and watches the city's fireworks from his front lawn.
And he remembers.
"I dream about this stuff every night," Christensen said of his war experiences. "You think about it as you go to sleep. It's just there. It never leaves you."
A former Houston man who was shot and tasered by two Houston police officers while in in the midst of a bipolar episode at St. Joseph Medical Center has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
Alan Pean, who now lives in New York, had driven himself to St. Joseph in August 2015 while in the midst of a "mental health crisis," according to the suit filed Tuesday in state district court.
For years, Texas Parks and Wildlife has made some of its more interesting game warden field notes available for public consumption.
The stories range from the strange like a family leaving cremated remains at a state park on accident to semi-tragic, like a hunter shooting himself in the foot while unloading a prized deer.
Houston-area residents are urged to be on high alert as severe weather looms over the metro area.
The National Weather Service issued both severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for Harris County on Tuesday afternoon.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Pride weekend ends with heartbreaking news.
Reports claim that the father of one of the Orlando shooting victims wouldn't claim his son's body from the Orange County Medical Examiner's building.
NATIONAL ATTENTION: Obama embraces Orlando families, appeals for gun controls
The Advocate and Cosmopolitan report that although 48 of the 49 Orlando shooting victims' bodies have been claimed by family members, one father of a gay man who died in the shooting rejected his son's body.
The identities of the victim and his father were not reported to "further victimize the deceased," but The Advocate said the action of the family rejecting their gay child, even when deceased, hearkens back to the not-so-distant past.
CONTROVERSY: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick deletes 'reap what you sow' tweet after mass shooting at LGBT club
"(This) case echoes a reality that was widely seen during the height of the AIDS crisis, in which countless numbers of young gay men died and family members did not claim the bodies of their so-called loved ones," The Advocate wrote.
The family eventually came around, reports say, but with the help of the Orange County medical examiner and the Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System. There haven't been any additional reports of similar rejections.
IN-DEPTH: Univision interviews alleged gay lover of Orlando mass shooter Omar Mateen
Presidential hopeful Donald Trump doubts Texans will want to leave the United States if he's elected to the highest office in America.
In an interview with reporters in Scotland on Saturday, Trump said Texans would stay in the union because of their admiration for him.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
AUSTIN -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appears to be deeply dissatisfied with how Land Commissioner George P. Bush's office handled a recent lawsuit over historical items at the Alamo, according to an internal memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
The June 20 memo, which was written by Abbott chief of staff Daniel Hodge as part of the process of approving the settlement, called the deal "regrettable" and "avoidable."
"Had the General Land Office more vigorously defended the State's interests in this matter, the agency would not have found itself in a position in which the (Daughters of the Republic of Texas) can demand this settlement," Hodge wrote.
RELATED: Man sues Collins, others over Alamo artifacts
"The Governor approves this settlement to take place solely out of deference to the independent constitutional officeholder requesting it," he added.
Abbott's blessing came as the settlement received final approval last week.
The General Land Office agreed in the settlement to relinquish its claim on thousands of artifacts in the Alamo's collection and pay $200,000 to cover the legal fees of the rightful owners, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
NEED TO KNOW: 11 very Texas things to remember about the Alamo
The group sued the agency last year after it was fired as caretaker of the landmark. The suit claimed that Bush tried to claim ownership of the collection and also ordered the group to be locked out of the library.
The General Land Office put a positive spin on the settlement when it was announced last week, releasing a statement saying "we are all pleased to resolve this issue."
The reason for Abbott's unhappiness was not exactly clear. The governor's office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
HISTORY: This photo of the Alamo is the oldest known image of Texas
The General Land Office also did not return messages seeking comment.
It is rare for any high-ranking government worker, let alone the governor's chief of staff, to put harshly negative comments about a statewide elected official in writing.
Attorney General Ken Paxton's office also approved the settlement before it was finalized, records show.
READ MORE: Settlement reached in lawsuit over Alamo library items
Management of the Alamo has been one of Bush's biggest priorities in the year and a half since he was elected land commissioner in 2014. In addition to firing the Daughters as the manager, the Bush, who is the grandson of former President George H. W. Bush, nephew of former President George W. Bush and son of former presidential candidate Jeb Bush, is working on a long-range master plan for the landmark and surrounding area.
He also has promised to save taxpayer money by cutting the General Land Office's budget, although he has drawn criticism for skirting state laws to hire former campaign aides and entice fired employees to agree not to sue him or the agency.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has called on the head of the Veterans Affairs administration to resolve the internal problems that led to manipulations of patient wait-times in the Houston facility and others across the nation.
In a letter sent Tuesday, Cornyn ask VA Secretary Robert McDonald to provide a plan for fixing problems at the Houston VA to help veterans get the services they need.
"Regrettably, Houston is not the only place in which veterans are still experiencing these types of failures," Cornyn said in the letter.
"The manipulation of wait-time data seems to have been standard operating procedure within the VA for years, well before the nationwide VA wait-time scandal two yearsago," the letter states. "Today, the VA's excuses for it include inadequate taff training and complex but outdated scheduling software. Those factors may account for some of the problems, but they should have been addressed long ago...
"No amount of staff training or software upgrades present solutions when the problem is an employee who lacks personal integrity and is deliberately manipulating data out of a desire to hide embarrassing statistics," it notes.
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General revealed last week that staff at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston manipulated patient appointment data, effectively masking the long wait times that some veterans were enduring.
Investigators concluded that two former scheduling supervisors and the current director of two Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Houston had instructed staff to record appointment changes as if the patient had canceled, even when the VA initiated the change, according to a report released last week.
"As a result, VHA's (Veterans Health Administration) recorded wait times understated the actual wait experienced by the veterans," the report found. "Furthermore, we considered the errors identified significant, resulting in unreliable patient wait times."
Local VA officials have acknowledged the shortcomings but claim no veterans here were harmed.
-- SCOTUS abortion ruling reinforces constitutional right to abortion, sends state GOP scrambling, by the ChroniclesBrian Rosenthal. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out the heart of the Legislatures 3-year-old abortion crackdown, saving dozens of clinics from closure, sending state officials scrambling for new ideas and reshaping the nations debate over the procedure for years to come.
Most immediately, the ruling will rescue 10 Texas abortion clinics that could not comply with the regulations and had been preparing to close. Another two dozen clinics that shut down soon after the passage of the rules are likely to try to reopen, although it may take months or years because of startup costs, licensing requirements and uncertainly about the Legislatures next move.
-- Good round-up on whats next after HB2, per the Chronicles Kevin Diaz: The ruling also is likely to head off so-called copy-cat laws in states that otherwise would have sought to follow the Texas model. Abortion rights advocates still expect fresh rounds of litigation over new laws that seek to get around the ruling by formulating different restrictions that have the same effect: making it harder for women to get abortions.
While the high court left open what other kinds of restrictions could pass constitutional muster in the future, the new decision made clear that laws taking aim at legal abortion will face a higher level of scrutiny.
-- What happens here now? Read the Chrons Andrea Zelinski. Texas Right to Life plans to push lawmakers to ban a common second-trimester abortion technique that Seago described as fetal dismemberment, known medically as dilation and evacuation, in which a womans cervix is dilated and the fetus is extracted with tools. Lawmakers in other states have passed or are in the midst of considering similar legislation, including Kansas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
The organization also wants lawmakers to copy Indiana and North Dakota laws blocking women from ending a pregnancy because the fetus has been diagnosed with a disability. As long as Roe vs. Wade exists, lawmakers need to keep finding ways to fight abortion, said Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock, a tea party Republican who wants to rewrite the struck-down portions of House Bill 2 to incorporate the courts ruling.
-- On the ground McAllen clinic has been in eye of political storm over abortion, by the Express-News Aaron Nelson. As she reflected on the tumultuous past several years, Kristeena Banda said she had cried tears of joy when the decision was announced, yet the celebration was tempered by the memory of the many women the clinic has had to turn away.
>> Texas may not restore lost abortion clinics despite ruling, Associated Press
-- REPLACING Rodney Ellis (State Rep. Borris) Miles, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson and former City Controller Ron Green have thrown their hats in the ring as others mull joining the race. The three-week campaign sprint is projected to be as contentious as the commissioner's race was cordial, writes the Chronicles Rebecca Elliott.
>> Trump leads Clinton by only single digits in Texas survey, San Antonio Express-News
- - Trumps Muslim ban: From simple clarity to plain confusion, per the AP From the moment he first declared it, the plan has been a signature of his campaign for president: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
Yet from that first moment, the Republican White House candidate has evaded questions when pressed for details. Now that he's a presumptive nominee with sliding poll numbers, his spokeswoman says he's no longer seeking the ban at all. In its place, he's offering an approach based on a standard of terrorism that he and his campaign refuse to define.
CAPITOL DAYBOOK no meetings scheduled
SPEED READ
Texas Take: Forecasting November in Texas, Houston Chronicle
Cruz slides in poll, leaving Abbott king of Texas GOP, Austin American-Statesman
Houstons economy diversity isnt so diverse, Houston Chronicle
UH sues law school over name change, Houston Chronicle
The weekends dueling 2016 polls, Houston Chronicle
Ethics committee discloses probe of Texas GOP Rep. Williams, Associated Press
House Republicans report faults Obama on Benghazi attacks, Associated Press
EU leaders plot a future without Britain, demand answers, Associated Press
RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
-- Fewer than half Bernie supporters in TX say theyll vote for Hillary, per The Dallas Morning News Bobby Blanchard.The University of Texas / Texas Politics Project poll found that Texas voters who supported Cruz's presidential campaign are more likely to support Trump than Sanders supporters are to support Clinton. Nearly 70 percent of Cruz voters are ready to vote for Trump, but just 40 percent of Sanders supporters are ready to vote for the former secretary of state.
-- Clinton, Warren electrify Ohio crowd, sparking visions of a ticket, by WashPosts Philip Rucker. The two nerdy wonks and feisty grandmothers, who built rival power centers on the political left but this spring gradually became allies, together electrified a crowd of thousands by locking their arms, punching the air and excoriating Donald Trump. Clinton may be the one running for president, but Warren, her new surrogate and possibly future running mate, stole the show with her eviscerating takedown of Trump - and her enthusiastic endorsement of Clinton.
>> Trump lawyer accuses Clinton of murder in tweet, Politico
-- Is Trump softening his tone? Per CNNs Jeremy Diamond: Donald Trump may be finally gearing up to do what many Republican leaders have hoped: soften his rhetoric and pivot to the center. He hasn't done that yet. But there are growing signs that the presumptive Republican nominee is aiming to make his campaign more palatable to a general election audience.
His campaign is putting the finishing touches on a policy memo that would change his proposed ban on Muslim immigration to the United States. Instead of focusing the ban on Muslims, Trump would ban immigrants coming from countries with known terrorism links, training and equipment.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
Last week, House speaker Paul Ryan issued the long-awaited health-care component of the GOPs election-year agenda. Its not a full-blown Obamacare replacement bill, but rather a detailed, consensus-driven roadmap for building a Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act. If you havent been paying attention to conservative or libertarian politics over the last few years, you wont appreciate how big a deal this is.
Post-Obamacare, right-of-center politicians and pundits fought bitterly among themselves on the proper way forward. Supporting a refundable tax credit (which would let the poor buy coverage) instead of a tax deduction (most valuable to high-income earners) meant that you were all-in for Obamacare lite and wealth redistribution. Agreeing to keep any of Obamacares popular insurance reforms (like eliminating risk rating based on health status) meant that you were a closet statist. These bitter debates made it difficult to generate consensus and prevented the emergence of a serious alternative to Obamacare. As Democrats succeeded in pushing the American health-care system in their preferred direction, Republicans seemed to agree only on how much they objected to Obamacareuntil now.
Ryans plan embraces the idea that refundable tax credits can be used to give people universal access to quality, affordable health care. It recognizes that we cant return to the pre-Obamacare status quo, which was too arbitrary, too expensive, and too bureaucratic. It concedes that reforming Medicaidincluding Obamacares Medicaid expansionwill be a gradual process, requiring a new infusion of federal funds to help cajole states into reforming their own health-care markets (which were hardly free and efficient before Obamacare).
These reforms envision portable, affordable coverage. Routine health expenses would be channeled through Health Savings Accounts. Private exchanges would compete to offer affordable insuranceas they already do for employers. Currently, employers spending on health insurance plans is tax-deductible and uncappedmeaning that if organizations want to buy $100,000 health plans and write them off, they can.
Under Ryans plan, the tax-deductible portion would be capped, thus providing incentives for employers (and employees) to ask harder questions about what coverage costs, and why. Anything above the cap would be taxed at ordinary income tax ratesa tax break compared Obamacares 40 percent Cadillac Tax on high cost plans.
Market discipline will ultimately help constrain costs and put more money back into employees pockets. The beauty of the Ryan plan is that discrete pieces can be brought forward, and perhaps even passed, no matter who occupies the White House in 2017. Expanding HSAs, reforming the Cadillac Tax, and instituting per-capita caps for Medicaid and premium support for Medicare have all attracted some bipartisan support.
The health-care system in the United States today offers extraordinary care for those with dire prognoses, but access to care, along with quality and pricing, can vary wildly. Nonprofit hospitals, their boards often packed with CEOs, offer little charity care, poor customer service, and near total opacity on pricing and outcomes. Doctors groups often resist competition from retail clinics, nurse practitioners, and even telemedicine. Obamacare has accelerated hospital and insurer consolidation, reducing competition. Incumbent health-care firms enjoy protection from federal and state firewalls, like certificate-of-need laws. Passed with the goal of lowering costs, these laws actually make services more expensive, by artificially limiting supply.
Until health-care firms have to compete for consumer dollars, theyll keep winning the lobbying war in Washington and state capitals. Ryans plan is a full-throated attack on a bloated, bureaucratic status quo that pays handsomely for well-connected insiders, rewarding powerfully connected unions while keeping families, patients, and employers waiting too long for better options and new cures. It lacks only a standard bearer to champion it, identifying with what most Americans want from their health caresecurity, choice, and affordability. A certain populist candidate on the right might consider picking up that mantra and running with it.
Photo by Allison Shelley/Getty Images
Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate.
Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele
A year ago and far away from his hometown in New Hampshire, Alex Haas was fighting for his life after suffering burns to over 90 percent of his body at a water park party in Taiwan.
A flammable, colored powder was sprayed from a stage onto the audience of college-age people dancing in a drained pool. In an instant, the powder turned into a fireball that scattered burning dust onto Haas and many others. Investigators believe it came into contact with intense heat from the stage lighting and ignited.
Nearly 500 people were hurt on June 27, 2015. Fifteen of them died. Since then, the party organizer was sentenced to nearly five years in jail. Most of the wounded are out of the hospital but need rehabilitation for physical and emotional scars, and a new burn treatment center is opening for them Monday. A memorial concert is also planned Sunday in Taiwan.
Haas, who was in Taiwan teaching English, was believed to be the only American injured. Covered in bandages, he was in a medically induced coma for two weeks in a Taipei hospital. His family flew from the small town of Mont Vernon to be with him and feared for the worst.
Today, his scars are healing, and he has regained most of his mobility. He can drive a car, walk his dog and work on his art projects.
I feel like Im well on my way to being back to me again, Haas, 27, said in a recent interview at his home.
Haas remembers the day of the fire at the Formosa Fun Coast Park vividly: stepping into the dust, which kept re-igniting; his hair and beard catching on fire; running away.
He suffered burns to his hands, underarms, torso, knees, legs and feet. Slowly, he started to improve. After two months, he was able to return to the United States, but he still needed lots of care to help with his wounds and movement.
He has had at least a dozen surgeries, including rounds of laser treatments for scars; he started those in December at Massachusetts General Hospital.
A lot of the pains been going away, he said.
Among those impressed with his recovery is Dr. Henry Lin, director of the new Burn Rehabilitation and Post-Acute Care Center of New Taipei City Hospital, which was built by the city government to help the victims with their recovery.
He can do everything by himself, Lin said in an email. I think the original acute care hospital in Taiwan, the continuous care hospital (in Massachusetts) and the local hospital who provided daily physical therapy all did wonderful jobs! Good family and social support, combined with Haas optimism, also helped, he said.
Lin recently visited Haas while spending time at various burn care centers in the United States, including the Johns Hopkins Burn Center in Maryland. His center and Johns Hopkins have agreed to establish a clinical, academic and educational collaboration. Last year, Johns Hopkins visited 12 hospitals across Taiwan after the fire and returned this year to focus on the patients rehabilitation.
In Taiwan, a judge said party organizer Lu Chung-chi failed to take precautions to prevent the explosion. The National Health Insurance Administration sued him, seeking $14 million in compensation.
Haas family has been following the victims recovery, such as a teenage girl who was in the room next to him in the ICU. They sent her a care package.
Repairing the emotional burden of this tragedy is another task altogether and one that deserves our attention, they posted on Facebook. We have all, victims family and many others been affected deeply by this tragedy and have been down a horrific road.
(Associated Press journalist Johnson Lai in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.)
The Supreme Court on Thursday placed new limits on state laws that make it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse alcohol tests.
The justices ruled that police must obtain a search warrant before requiring drivers to take blood alcohol tests, but not breath tests, which the court considers less intrusive.
The ruling came in three cases in which drivers challenged so-called implied consent laws in Minnesota and North Dakota as violating the Constitutions ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. State supreme courts had upheld the laws.
While drivers in all 50 states can have their licenses revoked for refusing drunken driving tests, the high courts ruling affects laws in 11 states that go farther in imposing criminal penalties for such refusals.
Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito said breath tests do not implicate significant privacy concerns. Unlike blood tests, breathing into a breathalyzer doesnt pierce the skin or leave a biological sample in the governments possession, he said.
Alito compared blowing into a breath test machine to using a straw to drink beverages, which he called a common practice and one to which few object. He noted that the high court has previously declined to require a warrant for collecting DNA samples by rubbing a swab on the inside of a persons cheek or scraping underneath a persons fingernails to find evidence of a crime.
Six justices agreed with Alitos opinion on breath tests, though Justice Clarence Thomas wrote separately to say he would have found both tests valid without a warrant under the Constitution. Thomas called any distinction between breath and blood tests an arbitrary line in the sand.
Other states that have criminalized a drivers refusal to take alcohol blood or breath tests include Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.
In all three cases before the high court, the challengers argued that warrantless searches should be allowed only in extraordinary circumstances. They said routine drunk driving stops count as ordinary law enforcement functions where traditional privacy rights should apply.
State officials called the testing a legitimate condition on the privilege of using state roads. Prosecutors argued that it was too burdensome for police to obtain a warrant every time a driver refused a test because some rural areas have only one judge on call late at night or on weekends.
But during oral argument, some of the justices pointed out that even in rural states police can call a magistrate and get a warrant over the phone in just a few minutes.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wrote a separate opinion saying she would have gone further and required search warrants for both breath and blood alcohol tests. She said said no governmental interest makes it impractical for an officer to get a warrant before measuring a drivers alcohol level.
The Fourth Amendment prohibits such searches without a warrant, unless exigent circumstances exist in a particular case, she said.
The states garnered support from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which argued that public safety is a compelling reason that justified the laws. But civil liberties groups said states cant criminalize the assertion of a constitutional right.
Adam Vanek, national general counsel for MADD, said his group was pleased that the court recognized public safety concerns far outweigh the minimal privacy concerns when it comes to a breath test. Vanek said the group was hopeful that the courts decision would encourage other states to implement similar laws punishing refusal to take a breath test.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Federal investigators on Thursday blamed Union Pacific Railroad for a fiery oil train derailment along the Oregon-Washington border, saying the company failed to properly maintain its track.
Preliminary findings on the June 3 derailment in the Columbia River Gorge raise questions about why the company didnt find the broken bolts that triggered the wreck when it inspected the tracks right before the derailment. Union Pacific faces potential penalties for safety violations, officials said.
The Associated Press obtained the findings ahead of their Thursday release.
Advanced electronic brakes proposed by regulators could have made the derailment less severe, Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg said. The brakes could have reduced the number of cars that went off the tracks and prevented the one that first burst into flames from being punctured, officials said.
Were talking about upgrading a brake system that is from the Civil War era, Feinberg said. Its not too much to ask these companies to improve their braking systems in the event of an accident so fewer cars are derailing.
The railroad industry, through the Association of American Railroads, has lobbied against new braking requirements, saying they would provide minimal safety benefits at a price tag topping $3 billion. Federal officials say putting new brakes just on locomotives hauling large loads of oil and other flammable liquids would cost far less, around $80 million.
The derailment released 42,000 gallons of crude oil and sparked a massive fire that burned for 14 hours.
The mayor of Mosier, the tiny river town where the train derailed, reacted with alarm to the preliminary findings.
Union Pacific said Wednesday that it would resume running oil trains through the gorge sometime later this week despite objections from residents and elected officials.
Where else are there rusty bolts that could fail? said Mayor Arlene Burns. I think its outrageous that theyre telling us its safe.
Union Pacific said its inspections didnt detect the broken bolts that caused the derailment. The company tests for sideways movement in the rails using a machine that puts an amount of pressure equivalent to a locomotive on the rails a stress test that would reveal loose or broken bolts, said Justin Jacobs, a Union Pacific spokesman.
The stress test previously was conducted every 18 months but will now be done every three months, Jacobs said. Union Pacific also has expanded inspections of all its tracks in Oregon and Washington state, particularly in curved portions of track, he said.
The company has said the rails were inspected as recently as May 31, but it wasnt clear if the inspection included the stress test. Jacobs didnt know.
The governments preliminary report said walking inspections along the rails were critical to detect broken bolts and track movement. Feinberg said it was the railroads responsibility to detect those problems.
We feel like it could have been prevented with closer inspections, better maintenance, she said.
At least 27 oil trains have been involved in major derailments, fires or oil spills in the U.S. and Canada during the past decade, according to an AP analysis of accident records. Federal officials have responded with requirements for tougher tank cars, speed restrictions and other actions, but the accidents have continued.
Steven Ditmeyer, a rail consultant who worked in leadership positions at both the Federal Railroad Administration and at Burlington Northern Railroad, said sheared-off bolts like those seen in the Oregon derailment are likely symptoms of a larger problem.
In the 1990s, he said, Burlington Northern had a series of derailments on tracks in Washington state that all involved sheared off railroad spikes, which served the same function as the bolts in question in the recent wreck.
Investigators eventually determined overloaded cars, a lack of lubrication between the wheel assembly and the body of the tanker cars and not enough gravel in the railroad bed combined to put strain on the track when the train was in a curve. That strain loosened the bolts holding the rails to the rail ties and pushed the rails apart, causing derailments, he said.
When they said those sheared lag bolts, that was the hint that said they really need to look in the direction of these other aspects, Ditmeyer told the AP. These are heavy cars when theyre fully loaded, and a treatment to reduce the volatility of the Bakken crude makes the oil heavier, he said.
The Oregon Department of Transportation last week asked federal rail authorities for a moratorium on oil trains in the Columbia River Gorge after also expressing concerns that the weight of the oil trains might be too much for the tracks.
In a presentation last week, department administrator Hal Gard said the lag bolts found at the scene were rusted on both ends, indicating they were sheared off before the derailment. State officials showed a photo of a pile of lag bolts collected at the site.
Feinberg said there are weight limits on tank cars that haul crude oil and other products, but theres been no suggestion Union Pacifics cars exceeded those.
Whether a railroad is moving heavy cars or lighter cars, it is still their responsibility to maintain the track, she said.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Rapides Parish, La., officials are warning a handful of holdouts in south Alexandria subdivisions that they could be isolated if they dont accept federally-financed flood buyouts.
Carrie Robinette, grant administrator for the Rapides Area Planning Commission, said officials have purchased 32 of 60 targeted homes so far. But some owners in the Greenway Park area are refusing the voluntary buyout.
Some of them have been warned that they may be out there on an island by themselves if they dont agree to sell their house, Overton said. Hes been telling eligible property owners, You need to sell because everything else around you is abandoned. So youre going to be out here by yourself.
Overton tells The Town Talk that nearby development along MacArthur Drive has increased flooding in the area after heavy rains. The parish received a $6.1 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to make buyout offers in the area, which is outside the Alexandria city limits.
Thomas Johnson Jr. is one of the two property owners on Linwood Lane rejecting a purchase offer.
His home was flooded 3 feet deep after 2008s Hurricane Gustav, but he has refurbished the house and says he and his wife are comfortable there.
Im staying until they push me out, said Johnson, who has lived in the house for more than 20 years.
Overton said he has also talked to drainage district officials about ways to help the subdivision avoid flooding. The project seeks to purchase and then demolish the most flood prone homes, moving residents out of harms way and creating green space to absorb rainfall, cutting other flooding nearby
It has to go back to grass, Robinette said, although a playground or park might be allowed. Its also possible a retention pond might be built there.
Fifteen houses have already been demolished, and a new round of about 17 demolitions will begin soon. Around $2.4 million has been spent so far, and if money is left over, purchase offers could be made to owners of a more flood prone homes. Robinette said officials hope to wrap up the buyout next year.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage typically involves three classes of insureds. The named insured, including residents of the household, typically qualify for Class I insured status. Class I insured status is a portable type coverage and is not dependent upon vehicle occupancy. Class II insureds are those insureds who are occupying a covered vehicle at the time of the accident. Class III insureds are individuals who take coverage derivatively because of injuries to Class I or Class II insureds. The question of whether a foreign exchange student could qualify for coverage as a Class I insured was recently considered by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in Serra v. Estate of Broughton, 2015 WL 8154964 (Okla., filed Dec. 8, 2015).
In Serra, a foreign exchange student, Sandra Vilarrubias Serra, from Spain was injured while riding as a passenger in a friends vehicle. Serra filed a claim for her injuries against the UM/UIM and medical payments provisions of an automobile policy that was issued to Serras host family. When the claim was denied Serra sued.
Under the facts of the case, Serra was living with a host family as a foreign exchange student from Spain who was attending high school for one year in the Oklahoma. The host family was insured by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm). When Serra was involved in the car accident she presented her claim to State Farm which was denied. State Farm asserted that Serra did not qualify as an insured under the policy definition of resident relative which included a ward or foster child. In order to qualify as a resident relative, Serra needed to be a ward or a foster child of the named insured.
The Court quickly determined that Serra was not a foster child of the named insured. Therefore, the analysis focused on whether Serra could be considered a ward of the named insured. The term ward was undefined in the policy. The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals had held that Serra was not Robertsons ward after reviewing various cases in the country and affirmed the trial courts summary judgment in favor of State Farm. However, the Oklahoma Supreme Court reversed and remanded for further findings.
The Court of Civil Appeals used a definition of ward that involved the individual being under the care and protection of the insured and within the domestic circle of, and [was] economically dependent on the named insured was not applicable to the situation involving Serra. The Supreme Court disagreed. First the Court noted that it was undisputed that Serras parents had the ultimate responsibility for her support, education, and her physical care and well-being. At the time of the accident Serra was 18 years old. Although Serra did not live independently, she was assigned to a host family where she could be integrated into the home life of the host family, and on a larger scale, the culture of the United States. Within the context of the foreign exchange program, the policy insured, the host family, was designated as the person in the United States to whom Serra and her parents looked to provide care and protection while Serra attended high school. Although Serra had not severed her dependent relationship with her parents in any way, for a period of time, Serra had become a member of the named insureds household and, by doing so, received indirect economic benefits from the named insured as well as the intended educational and cultural benefits for which the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Program was enacted.
The Court found that there was no technical definition of ward specified by the policy. Notwithstanding the short time that Serra lived with the named insured, she was under the named insureds care and protection while she lived under their roof. Serra understood that she was to follow the named insureds rules and looked to the named insured for guidance and supervision. Serra did not consider herself to be under her own care and protection as an adult at the time of the accident.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court held that the terms used in the insurance policy were ambiguous as to a definition of ward and, therefore, the Court could not determine, as a matter of law, that summary judgment was properly entered in favor of State Farm. The Court reached its conclusion of ambiguity from the fact that the term ward was not defined in the policy and was found in close proximity to the term foster child. Therefore, reference to ward was ambiguous and needed to be interpreted in favor of insured status. The case was then remanded to the trial court for further proceedings.
Agadi Named Crawford & Company President and CEO
Crawford & Company, a global independent provider of claims management services to insurance companies and self-insured entities, named Harsha V. Agadi president and CEO. He has served as interim president and CEO since August 2015.
Agadi is chairman of GHS Holdings LLC, a family office; and has nearly 30 years experience in various executive management positions for several food service, franchise and Fortune 500 companies. This is the fifth time he has held the title of CEO. He has been a member of the Crawford Board of Directors since 2010 and will continue to serve on the board. He additionally serves on the Boards of Belmond Ltd. and Diversified Foodservice Supply, Inc.
Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. Hires Bryant, Promotes Dodson
Tenn.-based Brentwood Services Administrators recently hired Stephanie Bryant as position of senior claim representative in the Brentwood office, according to Jeff Pettus, president and chief executive officer.
In her new position, Bryants duties include reviewing, processing and handling workers compensation claims as assigned by Bonnie Moser, claims supervisor. Bryant determines the compensability of the claim and extent of liability; and communicates directly with clients, employers, injured workers, physicians and attorneys to manage claims in a timely and economic manner.
Prior to joining BSA, Bryant was a senior workers compensation adjuster for Gallagher Bassett in Nashville, Tenn. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of workers compensation claims.
In a separate announcement, BSA announced that Margie Dodson was recently promoted to the position of claims manager for the Birmingham, Ala., operations.
Dodson joined BSA five years ago as a senior claim representative. She soon was promoted to claim supervisor in 2011, and then to assistant claim manager in 2014, providing account supervision while assisting with operational issues for the branch.
With over 25 years of claims experience, she previously was employed with Avizent in Birmingham as a senior claim adjuster.
MEMIC Hires Yao as Senior Vice President and Chief information Officer
Workers compensation specialist The MEMIC Group announced the appointment of John R. Yao as senior vice president and chief information officer to direct, plan, and oversee the development, implementation and security of MEMICs information systems and technology.
Yao has more than 35 years of information technology experience in the healthcare and insurance industries. Previous to MEMIC, Yao was director of Applications Development at Aetna, vice president of Information Technology at CNA Insurance Companies and chief technology officer at HealthWare Solutions International.
Brecksville Royalton Road.JPG
Brecksville is looking to repair Royalton Road, or state Route 82, near the city's downtown.
(Bob Sandrick, special to cleveland.com)
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio - The city plans to repair Royalton Road from Brecksville Road to the western municipal border, just east of Old Royalton Road.
However, city officials haven't decided whether simply to replace a top layer of pavement - which would cost about $900,000, according to Mayor Jerry Hruby - or completely reconstruct the road. A rebuild is estimated at $3.8 million.
Either way, a $600,000 grant awarded by the Ohio Department of Transportation will help. City Council will decide, perhaps next month, whether to chip in $300,000 for a pavement replacement or $3.2 million for a road reconstruction - although the administration may seek additional funding.
Last week, city Engineer Gerald Wise told City Council he would present a road reconstruction proposal next month.
Hruby said Royalton, also known as state Route 82, needs work between Brecksville and Old Royalton. He said the road is a bumpy ride for drivers. Storm water has been infiltrating the surface, and when the water freezes and thaws, it breaks up the street.
With a "mill-and-fill" project, the city would shave or mill 1-2 inches off the road and fill the top with new pavement, enough to level and smooth the surface.
But Wise suggested a reconstruction might be advisable. A rebuild would involve replacing the road down to the base and stabilizing the base.
Wise said he saw the road's base about two years ago when the city replaced storm sewers and repaired a hillside collapse along 82.
"Every single joint (in the road) was eroded," Wise told council.
Wise said 82 in this area was last built or rebuilt in the 1960's. He said the road base has outlived its lifespan.
A reconstruction project would also include new curbs, and the city would replace the median between the eastbound and westbound lanes. The median would have new grass and plants.
Hruby said if council decides to rebuild this section of 82, the city would likely apply for additional grant money, although the amount has not been determined.
Dollar Bank is acquiring a small Virginia bank, allowing it to break into the Virginia Beach area.
Dollar is merging with Bank @lantec. Both institutions are mutual banks, meaning they're owned by their depositors.
Both banks have the highest financial strength ratings, five stars, from the independent resesearch firm, Bauer Financial.
Dollar has about $7.4 billion in assets; Bank @lantec is a fraction of the size, at about $109 million.
Dollar has more than 60 locations in the Pittsburgh and Cleveland areas and has more than 1,300 employees. Dollar will keep all four of Bank @lantec's Virginia branches and all of its 29 employees.
"We believe independent mutual banks are important financial options for our members and our communities," Jim McQuade, president and CEO of Dollar Bank, said in a statement. "Our hope is that this type of merger between two mutual banks can be a role model for other mergers with mutual banks in the future."
"We are excited to be merging with Dollar Bank," Susan Ralston, president and CEO of Bank @lantec said in a statement. "When we were assessing growth strategies and possible merger partners, it was impossible not to be impressed by Dollar Bank's financial strength and its long history of service to its members, employees and community."
The boards of directors of both banks have approved the deal. It's pending approval from regulators.
Because both companies are mutual banks, they have no stock and no cash is changing hands. Bank @lantec's deposits, assets and capital will simply become part of Dollar Bank.
Following the merger, Dollar Bank's asset size will grow to more than $7.5 billion.
McQuade of Dollar said the bank is proud to be the largest federally chartered mutual bank in the nation. It was founded in 1855.
McQuade hinted that Dollar may acquire other banks in the future.
"Dollar Bank believes in mutuality," McQuade said. "We want to use our significant financial strength to expand our footprint in both markets we currently serve, as well as new markets, when appropriate, to offer customers what we believe is the purest form of community banking."
In a statement, Dollar noted there are many smaller mutual banks that are challenged by "increased compliance costs, reduced profitability and the constant race to stay current with technology . . . Dollar Bank can merge with these like-minded mutual institutions."
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Restoration of a graffiti-strewn former garment factory for a school. An apartment redevelopment of a building where the inventor of the alligator clip expanded his company.
The residential revamp of an Italianate mansion in Cleveland's Ohio City. Housing east of downtown Cleveland, in Lakewood and in Alliance, northeast of Canton. And a Cuyahoga Falls theater earmarked as a future microbrewery and restaurant.
Eight Northeast Ohio properties won nearly $5 million in state tax credits Tuesday from a popular program designed to support historic preservation. In a departure from recent rounds of awards, the list of winners didn't include any high-profile downtown Cleveland projects. Instead, the money will flow to developers working in city neighborhoods, suburbs and outlying counties.
The Ohio Development Services Agency announced $27.8 million in statewide credits for 39 historic buildings. The state allocates credits twice each year, through a competitive process where demand far exceeds supply. Building owners don't actually receive the credits, which can be used to offset a range of liabilities, until their projects are complete.
This time around, 44 applicants sought $64.7 million in credits to renovate 71 buildings.
A rendering shows the Joseph & Feiss Co. garment factory, restored as the new home of Menlo Park Academy.
For Menlo Park Academy, a public charter school focused on gifted children, the third time was the charm. The state awarded $826,668 to the school's planned renovation of the empty Joseph & Feiss Co. clothing factory on West 53rd Street in Cleveland, after Menlo Park missed out in two previous rounds.
The brick structure is perhaps best known, at least to urban explorers and passersby on Interstate 90, as the "Read More Books" building, thanks to an enterprising graffiti artist - or artists - who tagged it years ago. Menlo Park bought the seven-acre Joseph & Feiss property in early 2015 and hopes to move its classrooms and more than 400 students into the building in time for the 2017-18 school year.
"We're really excited about the opportunity to move our school to this more central location and make the school more accessible to low-income families," said Teri Harrison, co-founder and board chairwoman at Menlo Park, which currently leases space on Triskett Road near West 140th Street. "We really needed state historic tax credits to close the financial gap and move forward."
The state's allocation only covers about 40 percent of what Menlo Park needed. Records from the development services agency show that the school actually applied for almost $2 million in credits to assist with its $16.6 million project.
But Harrison said the award should be enough for Menlo Park to close on its financing, which also includes federal preservation tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits and site clean-up money flowing through Cuyahoga County, and to start construction. She hopes that the balance of the credits that Joseph & Feiss needs - based on historic-rehabilitation expenses at the building - will become available if other preservation projects come in under budget or fall through.
"There were certainly times when we thought, gosh, it would certainly be easier - and wouldn't it be cheaper - to just build new somewhere," Harrison said of Menlo Park's struggle to put together financing for the complex project. "But that property can be transformational for that neighborhood. ... We had hoped to be done with it in time for the RNC to come to town, so that people wouldn't have to look at it off the highway."
The complex served as the production facility, warehouse and offices for the Joseph & Feiss Co. from 1900 to 1965 and later housed subsidiaries of men's clothing companies Phillips-Van Heusen and Hugo Boss. The garment factory closed in the mid-1990s, and a series of plans for residential redevelopments never bore fruit. The state rescinded a 2011 preservation tax-credit award for the blighted building after an apartment project failed to materialize.
Harrison is convinced that the school project will happen. But she's not sure about one detail: whether the rather scholarly graffiti will stay put or get scrubbed off.
"The state historic preservation office has left that up to us," she said, noting that the "Read More Books" maxim doesn't clash with the school's mission. "A firm decision hasn't been made on that."
The other local tax-credit winners are:
The Mueller Electric Co. building on East 31st St. in Cleveland's Asiatown neighborhood.
A local development group called Sustainable Community Associates plans to transform the empty brick building into 59 apartments, charging lower rents than what tenants are paying in downtown Cleveland and neighborhoods just west of the center city.
Mueller Electric founder Ralph Mueller invented the alligator clip - think of the copper clamps at the ends of jumper cables - in 1908. The company, now based in Akron, still exists. But its longtime manufacturing facility has been empty for at least a decade.
"It's a large building, but it's only two stories," said Josh Rosen, a member of the development team, which previously won state tax credits for its conversions of the Fairmont Creamery and Wagner Awning buildings into apartments. "It fits really nicely into the residential neighborhood. ... It seems like the residential opportunities in Tremont, where we've been working, and Ohio City have already been capitalized on. There will be folks looking for a different neighborhood to live in."
The former Mueller building won just over $1.7 million in credits, to support a $17.4 million project. The apartments could open by June 2017, Rosen said.
A roughly 64-unit apartment redevelopment of two vacant buildings at 2125 Superior Ave., just east of downtown Cleveland.
Local investors plan to turn the complex into market-rate housing aimed at graduate students, faculty and other renters who want to live close to Cleveland State University, on a corridor that's seeing a flurry of redevelopment activity.
Construction might start in the fall, and the apartments could open a year later. The state awarded $826,667 in tax credits to the $13.6 million project. The century-old buildings were part of Cleveland's once-bustling clothing-manufacturing and textile industry.
Sanford House, an 1860s brick house on Franklin Boulevard in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.
Now vacant, the house has served as a juvenile detention facility, a school for disabled children, a nursing home and, most recently, part of Cuyahoga County's archives.
Welcome House, a nonprofit group, plans to renovate the building for small-business or nonprofit offices and four market-rate apartments, as part of a larger project that might kick off next year. The neighboring Rhodes mansion, which Cuyahoga County is still using as archive space, is slated to become 24 subsidized apartments for adults with developmental disabilities.
Welcome House expects to file a separate preservation tax-credit application for the Rhodes mansion in the next competition for awards, later this year. The nonprofit also is pursuing low-income housing tax credits, another competitive funding source, for that larger project.
Tuesday's award, of $249,999, only applies to the Sanford House renovations.
"We feel good about the announcement," said Tony Thomas, Welcome House's executive director. "We feel good that we've got one piece of the puzzle in, and now we can look forward to filling in the other pieces of the puzzle."
Welcome House acquired the buildings from Cuyahoga County in late 2014.
The Veronika, a small apartment-and-commercial building that is Lakewood's first project to win state historic preservation tax credits.
Developer and contractor Frank Scalish bought the building, at 12301 Madison Ave., early this year and plans to strip off the 1970s storefront and refashion the ground floor. He'll also renovate six apartments in the building, which sits in the Birdtown Historic District.
Slovenian immigrants Michael and Veronika Turza bought the Madison Avenue corner in 1915 and constructed the building. Over the years, the retail tenants included a hardware store, a candy store, tailors and taverns. The most recent occupant was the Corner Pub. The Turzas lived in the building until they died, and their children sold the property in late 1950s.
Scalish stumbled over the building when a more recent owner approached him about new windows. Instead of an installation job, Scalish ended up with a historic-preservation project. He's talking to a restaurant and a coffee shop about the ground-floor space. And he's taking advantage of Lakewood's storefront-renovation program to help with construction costs.
The state awarded $82,402 in credits to support the project, a $500,000 investment. Construction could be finished in early 2017, though the apartments might reopen sooner.
The Falls Theater on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. The long-empty theater is slated to become a microbrewery and restaurant, with revived storefronts and renovated apartments upstairs. The nearly $1.3 million project won almost $250,000 in tax credits.
The Faber Building in Wooster, which is that city's first such tax-credit project and the first award winner in Wayne County. The downtown building on West Liberty Street will accommodate a store called Vertical Runner, with housing upstairs. The $860,000 project won $168,500 in tax credits.
Alliance's City Savings Bank & Trust Co. Building, a former bank building that has been affordable housing for elderly renters since 1991. The state awarded $812,579 in tax credits for an $8.1 million renovation and preservation project. The eight-story building, at 449 East Main St., was constructed in the mid-1920s.
A handful of local applicants didn't make the cut for credits, and the teams behind those projects will have to decide whether to reapply later this year.
The properties that missed out include the Halle Building, the former downtown Cleveland department store where the K&D Group, Inc., is planning a partial conversion of office space to apartments. K&D asked for $5 million in credits, the maximum amount available in a typical round of awards.
Federal courthouse cleveland
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster ordered Akron terrorism suspect Terrence McNeil to undergo a competency exam on Monday.
(Plain Dealer file photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- An Akron man charged with soliciting the killing of members of the military in the name of an Islamic extremist group was ordered by a federal judge to undergo a mental health examination to determine whether he's competent to stand trial.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster made the recommendation Monday after defendant Terrence McNeil appeared to laugh when the judge told him he faced a likely sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
"You find that funny?" Polster asked McNeil, according to a transcript.
"No, I don't find it funny. I just don't understand it. I don't understand why I'm here in the first place," McNeil, 23, responded.
That apparently was enough for Polster to ask the Federal Bureau of Prisons to perform a competency exam. He said he does not believe McNeil fully understands the seriousness of the charges against him and whether he can properly assist in his own defense. Polster said he wants to be confident that McNeil is fit to stand trial before he sets a trial date.
(You can read the transcript here or at the bottom of this story.)
Nathan Ray, McNeil's attorney, said during the hearing that a psychiatrist previously examined McNeil and found him fit to stand trial. Ray did not return a phone call.
The FBI arrested McNeil, an Akron City Hospital employee, in November. Agents said that he posted files on his social-media pages that contained the names and addresses of people believed to be the members of the military. Included in the files are messages encouraging people to kill those people.
McNeil did all this to support of the Islamic State, a terrorist group also known as ISIS or ISIL that has either carried out or claimed responsibility for attacks in California, Paris and in other parts of the world, authorities say.
Monday's hearing was set so Polster could set a date for McNeil to take his case to trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christos Georgalis said that he has reached out to McNeil and his attorney several times to try to negotiate a plea but that "it's my understanding from Mr. Ray that Mr. McNeil has no interest in doing so."
When Polster questioned McNeil about his decision to go to trial, McNeil said that he is innocent.
"If you were accused of something you didn't do, would you fight for it or not? Any sane person would fight for it, especially if they knew down in their heart they're innocent." He later added that "I understand the consequences, but I don't think they're warranted at all."
Polster asks him how he thinks a jury is going to react to the charges against him.
"You can't guess what someone's mindset is going to be," McNeil said.
Polster then says "sir, that's what a lawyer does" and notes that Ray has tried many cases.
"I'm pretty sure not a case like this," McNeil responded.
If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
gavelpromo.jpg
Dominick Palazzo, 42, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for his part in defrauding the Cuyahoga Heights School District out of more than $3.3 million.
(File photo)
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The brother of the former technology director at the Cuyahoga Heights School District was sentenced Tuesday to 2 1/2 years in prison for helping defraud the district out of millions of dollars.
Dominick Palazzo, 42, pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to launder funds. Prosecutors said Palazzo helped his brother Joseph Palazzo bill the school district for technology services that were never provided.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson ordered Dominick Palazzo, of Broadview Heights, to pay toward the more than $3.3 million the district lost in the scheme. Court records say that Dominick Palazzo has forfeited more than $43,000 and that may count towards his restitution.
Dominick Palazzo and others created shell corporations they used to bill the school district, records show. One of the companies that prosecutors say he funneled money through was The Jump Yard, a children's recreation and party center in North Royalton that he co-owned. The company is now under new ownership.
Joseph Palazzo issued more than $3.3 million worth of school district checks to companies owned by his brother and others, prosecutors said. Once the company owners received checks from the district, they would keep half the money and give Joseph Palazzo the other half.
The scheme was uncovered by the Ohio Auditor's Office. Auditor Dave Yost said at the time that the stolen amount was "one of the largest findings for recovery" that his office has ever issued.
Joseph Palazzo resigned from the district in February 2011 as the school board prepared to fire him. He is serving a prison sentence of more than 11 years for his role.
Two others, Dennis Boyles and David Donadeo, faced federal charges. Boyles served a 27-month prison sentence. Donadeo was indicted in 2013 but has not faced his charges because he is a fugitive.
In addition to Cuyahoga Heights, the 900-student district serves Valley View and Brooklyn Heights.
This article was updated to note that Palazzo no longer co-owns The Jump Yard.
If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A melee at a Cleveland Heights bar ended with gunshots after a man who lost the fight returned and fired a gun at the man who bested him, police said.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Brandon A. Jordan, 27, of Maple Heights on attempted murder and felonious assault charges in the April 25 incident.
Jordan and Bernard Delk got into a fight at Helen's Game Time Bar on Mayfield Road, court records say, eventually spilling out into the bar's parking lot.
Delk "got the better of Jordan," according to a prosecutor's report, and customers had to pull Jordan back inside the bar to safety.
As Delk tried to drive away, police say Jordan got a firearm and fired several shots at the car.
Cleveland Heights police issued a warrant for Jordan's arrest after blood found on a vehicle parked near the origin of the shots matched his DNA, according to court documents. He was arrested June 10 and remains in Cuyahoga County Jail.
Jordan will be arraigned on felony charges July 15. He previously served six months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated theft and was sentenced to probation for receiving stolen property in 2012.
Arnail Vines and Hassan Ooten.jpg
Arnail Vines, 39, and his son Hassan Ooten, 23, are accused in connection with a fatal shooting that happened June 18 in East Cleveland.
(East Cleveland police)
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man wanted in connection with an East Cleveland shooting that left one dead and another injured has turned himself in to police.
Hassan Ooten, 23, turned himself in Monday at the East Cleveland Police Department. His court date has not yet been scheduled.
His father -- Arnail Vines, 39, of Cleveland -- is also wanted but remains at large, police said.
Vines has not been seen since Friday when he attacked a relative in Cleveland and stole her car, the University Circle Police Department said. The relative was not seriously harmed in the incident on Euclid Avenue near East 115th Street.
Investigators recovered the car the following day. They did not find Vines.
Vines and Ooten are accused of murder and attempted murder in the June 18 shooting on Strathmore Avenue near Manhattan Avenue, according to warrants obtained Friday by the East Cleveland Police Department.
Sadario Wagner, 24, of Willoughby, suffered a gunshot wound to the head just before 5 a.m. while sitting in the driver's seat of a car.
Wagner remained on life support for several days before Friday when the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office reported his death.
The second victim, who was found outside the car, suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and underwent surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Investigators later found evidence linking Vines and Ooten to the crime scene, East Cleveland Detective Commander Scott Gardner said. He did not offer any additional details.
Vines' criminal history includes convictions for drug possession, trafficking, attempted robbery and attempted felonious assault, according to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records.
Ooten's criminal history does not include any felony charges in Cuyahoga County.
If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
ALEX, JAMES T., LUKE , JOJO FLETCHER, JORDAN, ROBBY
JoJo and the eight remaining men explore the beauty and history of Argentina's exciting capitol, Buenos Aires, on the sixth episode of "The Bachelorette."
(Veronica Gambini, ABC)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This week JoJo and her Floppy Haired Gang traveled to Buenos Aires, where they danced the tango and listened to songs from "Evita," because, apparently, producers got a hold of a Argentina travel guide book, read page one and said, "We got this."
South America is where JoJo's taste in men started to really come into focus, as she said goodbye to two of the anti-meatheads while the beefcakes were permitted to flip their perfectly coiffed hair, wear their scoopneck (the new v-neck?) tees and attempt to piece together two coherent sentences in a row to their hearts' content on the rough and tumble streets of the Argentinian capital.
Here's where things to stand in the race for the roses after one really awkward one-on-one date, a testosterone-fueled group date and an unprecedented second two-on-one date.
Last week's ranking in parenthesis.
Eliminated: Wells (8)
Remember in "Back to the Future" when Marty took his mother out to the fish prom? That's what Wells and JoJo's date was like.
Eliminated: Derek (4)
Derek crying in the limo after being eliminated mashed up with JoJo and Chase dancing to "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was EVERYTHING.
6. Alex (7)
Lil' Pug somehow survived another week.
5. James T. (6)
You're not as cool or handsome as the other guys. WE GET IT. GET OVER IT.
4. Chase (5)
[?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?]
3. Robby (2)
Robby from "The Bachelorette"
If it doesn't work out with JoJo, I'm sure Banana Republic will be calling.
2. Jordan (1)
His "Bachelorette" tombstone will read: at least he was right about that poker game that one time! Eyes on the prize, brah.
1. Luke (2)
His hand's already been stamped for the Fantasy Suite.
MST3K_Souvenir_Poster.jpeg
The complete cast of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 show will reunite for a RiffTrax Live event June 28, and will be simulcast at theaters across the country.
(RiffTrax Live)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- From now until the end of time, there will always be bad, cheesy movies, whether it's because of poor acting, pitiful directing, or miniscule budgets.
But thanks to the rapier wit of the guys and gals of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 team, we have come to love some of these terrible, cinematic gems.
On June 28 at 8pm ET, RiffTrax Live presents a one-night-only live reunion of the "MST3K" cast in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which will be simulcast at select movie theaters across the country.
Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy will welcome MST3K alums Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Bridget Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl and MST Creator Joel Hodgson for a night of their trademark humorous movie commentary, riffing on a variety of short films. Also on hand will be the newest Satellite of Love host, comedian Jonah Ray. The night culminates with a first-ever "Riffapalooza" uniting the entire cast onstage to skewer a new, never-before-riffed short film.
Northeast Ohio theaters include Cinemark Valley View, Cinemark South Park, Regal Cinemas at Richmond Town Center, Cinemark Solon Cinemas, Hudson Cinema 10, Regal Crocker Park, Cuyahoga Falls 10, Cinemark Macedonia and Montrose Movies 12. Presented by Fathom Events.
The Reunion show will be re-broadcast on July 12 at select theaters nationwide.
pere-ubu-david-thomas.jpg
Pere Ubu founder, lead singer and songwriter David Thomas returns to his and the band's Northeast Ohio roots for a show at Beachland Ballroom on Saturday, July 2, that celebrates a pair of box sets that mark the group's output from 1975 to 1982.
(Courtesy of David Thomas)
PREVIEW
Pere Ubu
When:
8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2.
Where:
Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood.
Opener:
Obnox.
Tickets:
$20 in advance, $25 day of show, at the box office, online at
and by phone at 216-383-1124.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A conversation with Pere Ubu founder and former Clevelander David Thomas is kind of like having a conversation with a metaphysical kaleidoscope as it churns out shapes and colors that aren't even IN this universe.
Thomas, in a call to his current home in Brighton on the English coast to talk about the band's return to its hometown for a Saturday show at Beachland Ballroom, is at times incredulous at the longevity of the band he created and, at other times, wholly assured that it's still around because it SHOULD still be around.
"Pere Ubu is a unique band,'' said Thomas, who moved to the United Kingdom a decade or so ago so that his British wife could be closer to her mother. "I hesitate to say things like that, but we are.
"The world changes and Pere Ubu doesn't,'' Thomas said. "We have exactly the same ideas we had then.
"It's like you're on a highway heading west, and you pass an exit sign saying, 'Satisfied City, One Mile,' '' he said. "You think, 'That sounds good, so I'll stop there, and then you see the road disappearing over the hill and you think, 'I gotta know what's there.'
"Eventually, that irresistible urge meets the Pacific Ocean, but I haven't gotten there yet,'' He said. "I'm still in Nevada.''
Throughout the trip that began in the 1970s, Thomas has followed the same road map.
"The goal was tiresomely simple: Record a couple of songs from Rocket From the Tombs [his band before Pere Ubu],'' he said. "I thought we had written some good songs, but that all ended up blowing apart.
"At the end of that summer, I thought, 'Well, OK -- I guess I'm going to go into real life now,' [but] I wanted some way to document some of the songs,'' Thomas said. So he put together the band that became Pere Ubu "to record some of the Rocket stuff.''
The music clicked with fans, catching everybody but Thomas by surprise.
"I'm not a person to get surprised,'' he said matter-of-factly. "Obviously, it was gratifying that all of a sudden we were selling records to Paris, London, Minneapolis and so on.
"More gratifying was the band -- clearly these people belonged together and were doing something unique,'' Thomas said.
Part of David Thomas' personal collection, this clipping of a Jane Scott feature in The Plain Dealer is one of the first press mentions for the band.
One of the first to recognize that the quality of what the band was doing was The Plain Dealer's legendary late rock music writer, Jane Scott. Thomas' affection for Scott easily came through in the trans-Atlantic call.
"Personally, what she meant to me is what she meant to everybody she ever ran into,'' said Thomas. "She was generous and intelligent and kind and open-minded. It didn't matter to her if you were a high school band from Mentor or the Rolling Stones -- it was all the same to her.''
An incurable scrapbooker, Thomas still has a copy of the first story Scott ever wrote about Pere Ubu.
"We were nothing and nobody in 1975, and she did our first interview,'' he said. "We put together this scrapbook from '75 to '82 to go with these box sets, and the only reason there are any band pictures before 1978 is because she would take us down to The Plain Dealer and have the PD photographer take our picture.''
Scott, he said, was the first to "get'' Pere Ubu.
"Pere Ubu is about stories, but very complex stories,'' Thomas said. "I would hope people listen to [the band] and ask themselves, 'What does this mean? Why are they doing that? Why does it sound like that?' Because you know what it SHOULD sound like.''
To Thomas, though the lineup has changed over the years, there is a continuity in the music itself.
"I see a direct connection with a song from [each album] to what I'm doing now,'' he said. "Every album in sequence is a reflection or development of ideas on the previous record. Slow is fast, but I know that is connected in a straight line.''
A straight line, perhaps, but as seen through a kaleidoscope.
gervasi
Gervasi Vineyards will hold "Making Scents of Wine" Sunday, July 17.
(Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Some unique tastings are coming up throughout Greater Cleveland in our weekly wine calendar:
JUNE
Wednesday June 29:
Western Reserve Wines will hold a Robert Mondavi Winery 50th anniversary celebration 7:30-9:30 p.m. Cost is $40. Mike Hillman, a sales manager for Constellation Brands, will be guest speaker for the evening accompanied by Steve Tyree of Heidelberg Distributors. They will be introducing "Maestro," a new Bordeaux blend in honor of the anniversary. Cheeses, breads and other foods will be served. Reservations are required for the sit-down tasting. Call 440-498-9463 or email
. Western Reserve Wines is at 28300 Miles Road, Solon. Here's the lineup:
2014 Napa Fume Blanc, $15.
2013 Napa Chardonnay, $15.
2013 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, $28.
2012 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, $55.
2012 Maestro Bordeaux Blend, $50.
2012 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $145 (limited).
2014 Napa Moscato D'Oro, $18 (375ml).
JULY
Friday, July 1: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature a celebration of bubbles on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday-Saturday, July 1-2: The Olde Wine Cellar's tasting will feature All American wines. Tastings are 6-9 p.m. each night. Cost is $10 and includes six samples, cheese and crackers. The Olde Wine Cellar is at 7990 Columbia Road, Olmsted Falls. Call 440-427-1222.
Saturday, July 2: Kick off the holiday weekend with a New Belgium Brewing Co. tasting at Heinen's noon to 3 p.m. Cost is 25 cents per sample. It's at 35980 Detroit Road.
Tuesday, July 5: Valerio's Ristorante, Vinifera Imports and Icardi Vini are holding a wine tasting and dinner at 7 p.m. Cost is $85. Seating is limited; for reservations and details, email valeriosristorante@gmail.com or ioriom.16@gmail.com, or call 216-421-8049. Valerio's is at 12405 Mayfield Road in Cleveland's Little Italy.
Thursday, July 7: Roxu Fusion will hold a four-course dinner with Pacific Northwest wines from Private Reserve Wine Distributors. It's at 7 p.m. and features live music - acoustic hits of the Seattle grunge-rock era. Cost is $50. Go to roxufusion.com or call 216-920-5060. Wines are Duck Pond Pinot Gris, Duck Pond Chardonnay, Duck Pond Pinot Noir and Pendulum red blend.
Roxu Fusion's last dinner featuring tango dancing:
Thursday, July 7: The Wine Spot is holding a tasting of Mancan wines with Graham Veysey 6-9 p.m. The Wine Spot is at 2271 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.
Friday, July 8: It's Patz & Hall Wine Day at the downtown Heinen's. (We've tasted exceptional wines from Patz & Hall for our annual high-end reviews near the holidays.) You'll taste Pinot Noirs and single-vineyard Chardonnays from California. Cost is $15. It's 5-8 p.m. at 900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
Saturday, July 9: Little Italy Wines is having an Italian wine tasting. Cost is $35, prepaid reservations only ($40 at the door if available). Wines are five Amarones (plus a Ripasso and a Soave): 2011 Bertani, 2010 Il Roverone, 2012 Acinatico, 2007 Le Bessole and 2010 Tinazzi. Note: The shop will take off the cost of valet parking ($7) from any wine purchase over $60 (tastings not included). You can use any valet spot on Mayfield Road and pick up your car at any of the valet spots on Mayfield. Little Italy Wines is at 12414 Mayfield Road, Cleveland. Call 216-231-9463 or 440-292-6985.
Sunday, July 10: Chez Francois will hold a Bastille Day celebration with a six-course French wine dinner with 10 wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Costieres de Nimes, Loire Valley, Languedoc and Rhone Valley. It's at 6 p.m. Cost is $110 plus tax and tip. Chez Francois is at 555 Main St., Vermilion.
Tuesday, July 12: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines from European Wine Imports with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
Friday, July 15: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature sweet European whites on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, July 15: Agostino's Catering & Event Center will hold a Bovin wine tasting featuring wines of the Balkans. Bovin Winery is the first privately built winery in Macedonia. Music will be from Sarena Tamburitza Orchestra. Happy hour starts at 6 p.m. Appetizers and first pour are at 7. Cost is $40. Agostino's - formerly Ridge Manor Banquet Center - is at 4630 Ridge Road, Brooklyn. Cost is $40. Call 216-749-5509 or go to agostinos.events for reservations. Menu:
* Assorted flat breads, dried Hungarian sausage, hummus, pita breads and spreads; Lutenica (grinded red pepper eggplant garlic seasoning with side of chili pepper). Wine: Bovin Chardonnay.
* Burek (Puff pastry Feta-cheese spinach and potatoes). Wine: Bovin Vranec.
* Mixed Greek Salad with fresh cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, Feta cheese. Wine: Bovin Cabernet Sauvignon.
* Chevapi served with Kacamak (polenta topped with Feta cheese and yogurt). Wine: Bovin Alexander.
* Ekleri (flaky Eclair topped with drizzled chocolate and whipped cream). Wine: Bovin Dissan Barrique.
Saturday, July 16: The Wine Spot is holding Guns and Roses - a feast of Rose wines - 4-7 p.m. The folks at the wine store will be playing Guns 'n' Roses. The Wine Spot is at 2271 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights. Go to thewinespotonline.com or call 216-342-3623.
Saturday, July 16: The Culinary Vegetable Institute will hold Uncorked: An Evening with Dan Farley at 6 p.m. The institute is at 12304 Mudbrook Road, Milan. Farley, import director at Kindred Vines Import Co., will present eight wines from his French portfolio to pair with a five-course menu. Farley travels the French countryside seeking out quality winemakers. The dinner will offer a side-by-side tasting of wines from two wine houses of the Loire Valley (Couly-Dutheil) and the Rhone (Pegau). Cost is $120 plus tax and tip. Go to culinaryvegetableinstitute.com or call 419-499-7500.
Sunday, July 17: Gervasi Vineyards will hold "Making Scents of Wine" at 3 p.m. It's a hands-on, educational class that will help you learn to recognize dozens of aromas found in Ohio wines. Includes light snacks, wine tasting and goodie bag. For beginners or experienced wine drinkers. Cost is $35. Gervasi is at 1700 55th St., NE, Canton. For reservations, click here.
Wednesday, July 20: Chez Francois will hold a Winemaker's Dinner at 6:30 p.m. featuring a rare visit from Sarah Quider, executive winemaker from Ferrari Carano Winery in California. Cost is $75 plus tax and tip. Chez Francois is at 555 Main St., Vermilion. Menu:
Course: Peppadew pepper, Montrachet goat cheese.
Wine: Fume Blanc, Sonoma County, California, 2015.
Course: Cream of Ohio corn cappuccino, Parmigiano Reggiano.
Wine: Tre Terre Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, 2014.
Course: Char-Grilled Alaskan King Salmon, smoked baby shiitake Pinot glace de viande.
Wine: Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, 2014.
Course: Roasted Australian lamb chop, Provencale.
Wines: Tresor, Sonoma County, 2012; Grenache/Syrah/Mourvadere UNA, Alexander Valley, 2014.
Course: Roast tenderloin of beef Francois, Madeira wine sauce.
Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon Pre Vail Back Forty, Alexander Valley, 2012.
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Alexander Valley, 2010.
Course: Poached Bartlett pear and chocolate tuile, Semillon coulis.
Wines: Eldorado Gold, Dry Creek Valley, 2010.
Eldorado Noir, Russian River Valley, 2014.
Friday, July 22: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature West Coast Merlots on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, July 22: Summer Uncorked is the wine-tasting component of the annual Akron Arts Expo Weekend. It's 6-8:30 p.m. at Hardesty Park, 1615 West Market St., Akron. Cost is $45 and includes food, wine and beer samples, silent auction, raffle, music. Go to akronartsexpo.org.
Friday, July 29: Heinen's will feature The World of Sauvignon Blanc 5-8 p.m. Try 10 samples and learn about the various representations of Sauvignon Blanc, from its roots in Bordeaux to its newer home in New Zealand's Marlborough region. Cost is $10. It's at the downtown downtown Heinen's, 900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
Saturday, July 30: Heinen's will feature The World of Sauvignon Blanc 1-4 p.m. Try 10 samples and learn about the various representations of Sauvignon Blanc, from its roots in Bordeaux to its newer home in New Zealand's Marlborough region. Cost is $10. It's at the downtown downtown Heinen's, 900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
AUGUST
Friday, Aug. 5: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature Pinot Grigio vs. Pinot Gris on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Tuesday, Aug. 9: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines from Heidelberg Distributors with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
Friday, Aug. 12: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature international whites on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, Aug. 19: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature Old World reds on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, Aug. 26: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature California Cabernets on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, Aug. 26: The fourth annual pARTy with PHriends beer/wine tasting will be 7-10 p.m. Hosted by PHriends Young Professionals Group, the event benefits Providence House and will feature local breweries, wine from Market Avenue Wine Bar, children's art exhibit, food sampling, live music and raffles. It's at 78th Street Studios (smARTspace RAMP Level Gallery), 1305 W. 80th St., Cleveland. Tickets are $30 until Friday, Aug. 5, $35 through Thursday, Aug. 25, and $40 at the door. Go to provhouse.org or call 216-651-5982.
SEPTEMBER
Friday, Sept. 2: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature West Coast whites on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Friday, Sept. 9: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature Italian whites on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Saturday, Sept. 10: Ferrante Winery and Ristorante will hold a Grand River Valley Cask Tasting, a progressive tasting event at several wineries. It's noon to 5 p.m. Cost is $6 at each winery. The cask project began in 2010 to have a continual red blend from the Grand River Valley. Each year a percentage of the wine will be bottled and sold to make room for the next year's harvest. Each winery used a different 500-gallon oak barrel with grapes from their farm. Participating wineries include Debonne Vineyards, Ferrante Winery, Grand River Cellars, Laurello Vineyards and St. Joseph Vineyards. Ferrante is at 5585 Ohio 307, Harpersfield Township. Call 440-466-8466.
Tuesday, Sept. 13: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
Friday, Sept. 23: Provenance at the Cleveland Museum of Art's weekly Tastings on the Terrace will feature interesting reds on the open-air rooftop terrace 5-8 p.m. No reservations are necessary; flights will range from $8 to $10. In case of bad weather, the tastings will move inside. Provenance is at 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland.
Wednesday, Sept. 28: Delmonico's Steakhouse will hold a casual Leap for Happy Hour with Jonah Beer of Frog's Leap Winery of Napa Valley, California. It's 5-7 p.m. at 6001 Quarry Road, Independence. Cost is $35. Call 216-573-1991.
Thursday, Sept. 29: Rosewood Grill Westlake will hold its fourth annual Frog's Leap Wine Dinner with Jonah Beer of Frog's Leap Winery 7-9 p.m. It's four courses paired with six wines. Cost is $95. It's at 2033 Crocker Road, Westlake. Call 440-835-9500.
OCTOBER
Saturday, Oct. 1: The Island Wine Festival will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Put-in-Bay. Cost is $6 and includes a souvenir glass. The annual festival will include samples of more than 200 imported and domestic wines. Sample tickets are $1 and sold at the door and in the tent. Most samples are $1 to $4. Retail bottle sales will be offered. A silent auction will benefit Lake Erie Islands Historical Society. Call 419-285-2832.
Friday, Oct. 7: The 13th annual Uncork a Cure to benefit Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is 7-10 p.m. at Ariel International Center, 1163 East 40th St., Cleveland. Cost: $75 ($125, VIP). VIP reception is 6-8 p.m. General-admission tickets include wine and food tastings, tasting glass and event program. VIP tickets also include a gift and pre-event tasting of high-end wines not available at the main event. Uncork a Cure is part of a national wine-tasting series held across the country. Go to clevelandwine.eventscff.org.
Tuesday, Oct. 11: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines from Vintner Select Wines with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
NOVEMBER
Saturday, Nov. 5: The Grand River Valley Turkey Trot will be held noon to 5 p.m. at assorted wineries in Northeast Ohio. The progressive tasting event costs $5 at each winery. Folks from the wineries will help to pair wines with a Thanksgiving feast. Call Ferrante Winery, 440-466-8466, for details.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines from Purple Feet Distributors with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12: The 20th annual WVIZ/PBS Grand Tastings & Seminars will be held at Progressive Field's Terrace Club. Tickets will go on sale Friday, July 1. For story, click here.
DECEMBER
Tuesday, Dec. 13: Huth & Harris Wine Merchants will hold a tasting of six wines from Traderman Distributors with appetizers 7-9 p.m. It's $40. H2 is at 221 Court St., Medina. Registration required; go to h2winemerchants.com/#!blank/c1zlc.
AKRON, Ohio - The city of Akron now owns Rolling Acres Mall.
The mall, vacant since vacant since 2008, received no interest or bids at a sheriff's sale of delinquent tax properties on June 21.
Summit County assistant arosecutor Regina Van Vorous filed an order of forfeiture on June 22 in Summit County Common Pleas Court.
The order was approved by Common Pleas Judge Scot Stevenson the same day. Stevenson wrote that expedited approval was proper "in light of the lengthy procedural history and in the interest of justice."
The mall on Romig Road was owned by Premier Ventures, a California company that bought the property for $3 million in 2011. The acquisition included the 570,000 square feet inside the mall and nearly 50 acres.
More than $1.3 million was owed in back taxes. In 2014, Summit County foreclosed on the property.
The property received no interest or bids in the first of two sheriff's sales on June 7.
The deed to the city was filed and all back taxes have been cleared, Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a statement on Tuesday.
"This property has been stagnant for far too long," the mayor said in the statement. "The next step is to work with my administration to devise steps for a long-term plan of first most likely demolishing the structure, which will assure the safety of Akron's citizens in the area, and then determining a productive and profitable use for the land."
Horrigan said developers are interested. He hopes a variety of options are presented for the property.
I-90 crash at DMC
Interstate 90 eastbound is closed following a crash on Tuesday afternoon.
(Ohio Department of Transportation)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A truck crashed into a wall Tuesday afternoon, shutting down eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 past the Innerbelt, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The crash happened about 1 p.m. A truck hit the retaining wall at Dead Man's Curve and overturned, spilling fuel onto the highway, police said. A HAZMAT team is cleaning up the spill.
The crash initially closed all lanes of the highway, but officials opened the right lane about an hour later, ODOT said. Drivers should expect delays.
The crash has traffic on I-90 backed up to the Chester Avenue exit. ODOT alerted drivers to use an alternate route around the crash.
Emile Weaver
Muskingum County Common Pleas Judge Mark Fleegle sentenced Emile Weaver, 21, to life in prison without parole on Monday after she disposed of her newborn baby in a trash bin outside a sorority house on campus in April 2015.
(Chris Crook, Times Recorder file photo via AP)
ZANESVILLE, Ohio -- A former Muskingum University student was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole after she gave birth in a sorority bathroom and then placed the newborn child in a garbage can.
Muskingum County Common Pleas Judge Mark Fleegle was not moved by a letter and a verbal apology from Emile Weaver, 21, during her sentencing hearing Monday.
"I ask God for forgiveness, and today, all I can do is ask for all of yours," Weaver wrote in a letter apologizing for her actions, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
"I stand before you a broken-down woman, asking for forgiveness and mercy. Words cannot express how sorry I am to my beautiful daughter Addison."
But Fleegle said evidence presented during the trial demonstrated Weaver was more concerned about herself than the welfare of her child, the Zanesville Times Recorder reports.
Weaver sent text messages to the boy she believed was the child's father that the baby had been "taken care of."
"That was probably the most truthful statement you made that day," Fleegle said. "It was an inconvenience, and you took care of it."
The judge also pointed out that Weaver used "I" in her four-paragraph letter 15 times. He also said members of Weaver's sorority say they've been traumatized by the incident.
Weaver was found guilty in May of aggravated murder, gross abuse of a corpse, and two counts of tampering with evidence.
Police say Weaver gave birth to a girl on April 22, 2015, then placed the baby in a garbage can. She then wrapped the child in a plastic garbage bag and left her outside a sorority house on campus. The child died of asphyxiation, reports say.
Weaver plans to appeal her case, reports say.
If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Attorneys for Jimmy Dimora say they are reviewing closely a U.S. Supreme Court decision Monday that mirrors issues brought up in the former county commissioner's 2012 trial.
The ruling overturned former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's public corruption conviction. It also offered key similarities with Dimora's public corruption trial. The decision limited the way federal prosecutors can bring public corruption cases to trial.
It is unclear whether Dimora can get a legal reprieve based on McDonnell's case, but his attorneys said they will study their options.
The ruling focused on whether an officeholder's typical daily duties, or official acts -- such as setting up meetings for constituents, talking to another official about a friend or making a speech -- can be interpreted as criminal. The court ruled those duties usually are not criminal, even in the case of an official accepting gifts or money from the person seeking the favors.
Chief Justice John Roberts noted that federal law prohibits "quid pro quo,'' a legal term that means a public official receives something of value in exchange for some type of favorable work. But Roberts said that push can be overly broad.
"In the Government's view, nearly anything a public official accepts - from a campaign contribution to lunch - counts as a quid,'' Roberts wrote. "And nearly anything that a public official does - from arranging a meeting to inviting a guest to an event - counts as a quo.''
In McDonnell's case, according to court records, there were five such acts, including hosting events for a key contributor, arranging meetings with other Virginia officials and contacting officials about the contributor. A jury convicted McDonnell, and he was sentenced to two years in prison. He accepted tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from a Virginia businessman.
William Whitaker, who represented Dimora, said the similarities in the cases were clear. They had claimed at trial that Dimora was simply doing his job as a commissioner and that just because Dimora set up a meeting for a contractor or talked with an official from another department about the businessman did not mean those acts were criminal.
"We felt the statute was overbroad, and it sweeps innocent conduct withins its orbit,'' Whitaker said. "The jury was instructed on the overbroad definition of 'official acts,' permitting it to convict based on innocent conduct.''
Christian Grostic, an attorney who handled Dimora's appeals, said the cases of McDonnell and Dimora were quite similar, but he stopped short of saying what the Supreme Court's decision could mean for the former commissioner.
Federal prosecutors in Cleveland said in a statement that they are reviewing the opinion: "If any litigation ensues as a result of the opinion, we will respond.''
Dimora, 61, is serving a 28-year term for racketeering and 30 other corruption-related charges at a medium-security federal prison in Beckley, W.Va.
Prosecutors accused Dimora of accepting more than 100 bribes and attempting to fix eight court cases. They also accused him of employing six contractors at his home in Independence to build a resort-style backyard patio and pool house for free or at greatly discounted prices.
Dimora has exhausted his appeals, as appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have upheld his conviction. But federal law could offer him one last exception, based on the ruling Monday.
Carl Tobias, a constitutional professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said Monday's ruling will make it harder for federal prosecutors to take some public corruption cases to trial. But that doesn't mean bribery cases will come to an end.
"It does narrow federal prosecutors' flexibility, though,'' Tobias said.
Others agreed.
"It will limit the breadth of the authority, but it will not eliminate the Justice Department's capacity to root out federal, state and local corruption,'' said Geoffrey Mearns, the president of Northern Kentucky University and the former dean of the Cleveland Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. He also had worked as a federal prosecutor.
In his ruling, Roberts stressed that the McDonnell case involved limiting that flexibility.
"But our concern is not with the tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes and ball gowns,'' Roberts wrote. "It is instead with the broader legal implications of the Government's boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute.
"A more limited interpretation of the term 'official act' leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption, while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this Court.''
Accidental shooting Cleveland
Cleveland police are investigating after a 10-year-old boy accidentally shot his cousin while playing with a gun.
(Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The three boys involved in an accidental shooting Saturday that injured an 8-year-old boy told police the gun fired while they watched a YouTube video on how to reload the handgun, according to police reports.
The kids, who initially told police different stories of what happened, eventually told investigators the same information about what led up to the shooting after prodding from their parents.
The 8-year-old and his twin brother told police they found the loaded gun in their uncle's car about 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The car, a 2004 Cadillac Seville, was parked in front of the home in the 3700 block of West 120th Street.
The boys and their 10-year-old cousin grabbed the Cobra FS .38-caliber semi-automatic handgun and took it to an upstairs bedroom. The 10-year-old boy took three bullets out of the gun, but didn't know how to put the bullets back, according to police reports.
The 10-year-old watched a YouTube video of how to reload the gun. He thought the safety was on and accidentally fired the gun, police reports say.
The bullet went through the 8-year-old boy's left shoulder and out his arm. Cleveland police arrived and found the boys' 28-year-old babysitter and others on the porch applying pressure to the wound.
The boy, a third grader at The Haley School in Warrensville Heights, was crying and quickly losing blood and was rushed to MetroHealth for treatment, according to police reports.
The boy's brother and cousin initially told police they were watching videos in the bedroom when a bullet came through the wall and hit the other 8-year-old.
Crime scene investigators, however, found that a bullet never went through the house. They did find a bullet hole in the wall that indicated the shot came from inside the room. Investigators also followed a trail of blood from the room to the Cadillac in front of the home.
Officers opened the car door and found the gun wrapped in a hat on the center console, police reports say.
Two hours after police arrived, the boys again gave a different story. They said the injured boy accidentally shot himself after they found the gun in the car.
The boy who was injured initially told police that his cousin shot him as he rode his bike after they found the gun in the car.
The 8-year-old boy's mother later called police and told officers her sons lied to them and that they wanted to tell the truth. Officers went back to MetroHealth and took the boys' statements.
They said they found the gun in the car and that the 10-year-old boy was waiving it around. The 8-year-old told police he alerted their 28-year-old babysitter about the gun.
The 10-year-old then unloaded the gun, reloaded and shot him. The trio ran downstairs and put the gun back, causing the blood trail to the car, according to police reports.
Both 8-year-old boys told police they talked to their uncle -- who they called "Uncle Nutzo" -- after learning the gun was his. They said their uncle told them what to say to police.
Officers were unable to interview the 28-year-old babysitter, police reports say.
Police reported the incident to Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.
The 10-year-old boy's mother told cleveland.com all three kids are traumatized by the incident. The 8-year-old boy's mother said Monday her son "is doing fine" but declined further comment.
No charges have been filed in the case.
To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
LORAIN, Ohio -- Ninety-two years ago, a "monster" tornado spun off Lake Erie and struck the city of Lorain, killing 78 people and injuring hundreds more, making it the deadliest tornado in Ohio history.
Add the seven people killed minutes before when the same tornado touched down in Sandusky, and the death toll rises to 85, making it the 24th deadliest tornado in United States history, a record that holds true today, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Today, a humble plaque at 383 Broadway marks the spot where the State Theater, also known as the Majestic Theater, collapsed from the tornado on June 28, 1924, killing 15 children who were attending the Saturday afternoon matinee. Another 200 patrons, mostly children, were trapped in the wreckage. Many suffered severe injuries.
The Lorain Historical Society records show that in mere minutes, the tornado tore through the downtown district of the thriving lakeside city of 40,000 people. Turning east, it tore through the poorer neighborhoods of the city where it committed further destruction to homes and businesses.
Rescue workers from all over Ohio converged to sift through the rubble. They found hundreds of people, some alive, some injured so badly that they never recovered. Bodies and living victims were found in the lake, up trees, under rubble and hidden in weedy fields.
In all, 681 houses were destroyed by the tornado and thousands more damaged, leaving 7,000 people homeless. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed or badly damaged and needed to close. Many never reopened. More than 250 churches, schools and restaurants were damaged or destroyed.
Violet Nore was 6 years old when the tornado hit. She was one of the last survivors until her death this past March at 98. Her fiance of 28 years, Sam Ristas of Elyria, said she would sometimes talk about the tornado and the catastrophic impact it had on her life.
"She told me she was out picking strawberries one day, just a few blocks from her home on Main Street," Ristas recalled. "She looked up and saw that the sky had turned different colors. It scared her, so she ran home. Just as she got into the house, the tornado hit and tore the house to pieces.
"She was picked up by the tornado, even though she held onto a table leg, and was thrown three blocks away into a ditch," he continued. "She still had scars on her legs and scalp from the wounds she suffered that day."
He said other members of her family were also injured by the tornado.
"Her sister was picked up and thrown up into a tree," Ristas said. "Her mother was torn out of the street car she was riding in and suffered a broken arm. Her father hung onto a horse-drawn milk wagon to avoid being swept up by the tornado, but his clothes were torn right off his back."
Ristas said the National Guard came in to help the survivors. Nore and her family lived in a tent for several months, existing mostly on beans they cooked on a Bunsen burner. She and her family moved into the Longfellow School with other displaced persons for the winter.
"Her father (Dennis Veres) rebuilt their home brick by brick," Ristas said. "He would walk around the city and gather bricks that were laying around. Violet said as a child she helped him and picked up bricks."
Ristas said that Nore never forgot that horrific day and how much it frightened her.
It's no surprise some people thought it was the end of the world.
According to the "Official Souvenir and Memorial Book of the Lorain Tornado," published later in 1924, people "Thought it was the Day of Reckoning. They accepted their fate, kneeled down and prayed, firm in their belief that the end of the world was at hand."
The book, "The 1924 Tornado in Lorain & Sandusky" by Betsy D'Annibale, tells of the day and the tornado that lasted mere minutes but changed the lives of thousands forever.
The tornado first hit the city of Sandusky, about 30 miles west of Lorain, at 4:30 p.m. that Saturday on June 28. It came off the lake and tore up the city's downtown district before it retreated to the lake and headed east toward Lorain. Some reports say the storm merged with a second one in Lake Erie, which produced the giant tornado that hit Lorain.
At 4:55 p.m. that afternoon, a man driving a car just west of Lorain, said he saw a "dense black wall" in the sky above the lake, according to D'Annibale's book. He was so frightened, he stopped and took his family to shelter at the Lorain Country Club.
"(The tornado) was cone shaped, pointing downward, the cloud being 100 to 150 feet at the top and 20 feet wide where it touched the water," D'Annibale wrote. "The air was extremely oppressive, breathing seemed to be difficult, and noise was terrific...making a noise like a fire engine siren."
The tornado hit Lakeview Park Beach in Lorain at 5:05 p.m. and four minutes later tore through the downtown business district, causing more than a billion dollars worth of damage in today's dollars.
It tossed around a 90-car freight train like toys, some of its cars landing in fields 300 feet from the tracks, according to D'Annibale and newspaper reports. The Plain Dealer reported at the time that cows 100 miles away in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, were cut by glass blown there from Lorain. Ashtabula County residents found family photos, letters and cancelled checks from Lorain on their land.
Bill Bird, executive director of the Lorain County Historical Society, said the tornado is an unforgettable event.
"I remember reading one story vividly about two girls who were in a clothing store," he said. "Just before the tornado hit, the store owner told the girls to stand among the heavy clothes on the racks. That protected them from the shards of glass that flew everywhere when the high winds struck. That was fast thinking."
The Lorain-Sandusky tornado was even more devastating than the one that hit Xenia in southern Ohio on April 3, 1974. That tornado destroyed much of the city's downtown and left 32 dead.
Tornadoes occur in Ohio, mostly during May, June and July. Though not part of the nation's "Tornado Alley," Northeast Ohio gets its share of twisters. However, none has been as deadly as the one that hit Lorain and Sandusky in 1924.
The Ohio Tornado Project lists every tornado by county since 1950.
Barbara Piscopo, executive director of the Lorain Historical Society, said even though there will be no ceremony today, the tornado was remembered recently. The society had a float travel down Broadway on Saturday as part of the Lorain International Festival Society that depicted a montage of the history of the city. The float traveled the same path as the tornado.
"There was a lot of debate about whether we should include the tornado in the float," Piscopo said. "We thought it was so long ago that no one would know what it represented. Boy, were we wrong. Kids ran alongside the float looking at it. We heard them talking about the great tornado that their dads told them about."
As devastating as the tornado was for the city, Piscopo said it taught her something about the people of the time.
"They rebuilt the city and they did it in a very short period of time," she said. "It's a testament to the resilience of the people of Lorain. They never gave up."
Joe Biden
Vice President Joe Biden poses for a photo with the Portsmouth High School Cheerleaders during a campaign event at Portsmouth High School, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, in Portsmouth, Ohio.
(Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press)
WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden will visit Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood on Thursday to deliver remarks at the at Langston Hughes Center Cleveland Clinic Community Health and Education Center, according to a notice from his office.
Spokesmen for Cleveland Clinic did not immediately respond to emails seeking more information on the event. A Biden aide wouldn't discuss the Cleveland appearance, but said the vice president will hold a Cancer Moonshot on Wednesday, and highlight new collaborations and partnerships throughout the week.
According to its website, Cleveland Clinic provides programs such as free physicals, flu shots, and exercise classes at the E. 79th Street community center where Biden will speak.
That day, Biden will also headline at fundraisers in Cleveland and Cincinnati for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's campaign for U.S. Senate.
moneywad.jpg
College students would do plenty of crazy stunts to get rid of student loan debt. Including starring in a short porn video.
(File photo)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - College graduates would do crazy things -- including starring in a porn video or contracting Zika -- to erase their student loan debt, according to an unscientific survey.
Studentloans.net surveyed 500 student loan borrowers in June, asking them what "insane things graduates would do to free themselves from their student loans."
Here are the results:
85 percent would give up smoking marijuana for life.
83.8 percent would stop watching Game of Thrones.
83.4 percent would give up bagels for life.
77.4 percent would give up Snapchat.
76 percent would give up lunch meats for life.
62.2 percent would star in a short porn video.
61.4 percent would give up cheese for life.
58.4 percent would wear Crocs for the next 10 years.
57.8 percent would have a one hour conversation with a Comcast customer service representative everyday for the next 5 years.
57.6 percent would vote for Donald Trump.
56.2 percent would vote for Hillary Clinton.
50 percent would jump into a gorilla cage.
42.8 percent would give up toilet paper, and moist wipes, for the next 5 years.
42.6 percent would hookup with Caitlyn Jenner.
30.6 percent would give up sex for the next 10 years
26.8 percent would contract the Zika Virus
8.8 percent would give back their degree.
7.8 percent would move to North Korea for the next 10 years.
The survey was similar to one done in February by LendEDU, an online company that provides information on financial aid, student loans and loan refinancing.
The Class of 2016 graduated with more student loan debt than any class in history, said studentloans.net. About 70 percent of graduates have debt and the average amount owed is around $35,000.
According to the American Student Assistance, student loan debt is causing 43 percent of graduates to delay starting a family, 29 percent of graduates to put off marriage, 73 percent of graduates to put off retirement, and 75 percent of graduates to put off purchasing a home, the website said.
PARMA, Ohio -- A Parma father slapped his 3-month-old son in the face, squeezed his head and threw him onto a mattress, police said.
The baby was taken to MetroHealth after Saturday's assault. He was in stable condition and was released from the hospital Sunday, Parma police Lt. Kevin Riley said Monday.
Brandon Kirby, 22, is charged with attempted felonious assault in the incident. He will be arraigned Tuesday in Parma Municipal Court.
Kirby squeezed the baby's head between both hands and told his son: "I f---ing hate you," and "I wish you were dead," the 19-year-old mother told police.
The mother witnessed the assault in the 5400 block of Chevrolet Boulevard and called police, Riley said.
Kirby pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic violence in April. He was free on a $5,000 bond, Parma Municipal Court records show.
The baby's mother is the victim in that case, Riley said.
If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Like Chanda Neely on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter:
PARMA, Ohio -- A Parma man's blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit when he ran his car head-on into another car, injuring a woman Sunday night, police said.
Ivan Kaminskyy , 31, of Brookdale Avenue was arrested and charged with aggravated vehicular assault and resisting arrest, Parma police Lt. Kevin Riley said.
The 47-year-old woman suffered a broken right wrist.
The accident happened around 7:15 p.m. at the intersection of State and Brookpark roads.
The woman was heading northbound on State Road in a Chrysler 300. She was attempting a left turn onto Brookpark Road when a Toyota Camry driven by Kaminskyy hit her, Riley.
Officers responding to the crash smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Kaminskyy's breath. His blood alcohol level was .28 percent, more than three times the .08 percent legal threshold to drive in Ohio, Riley said.
When officers tried to handcuff Kaminskyy, he refused to put his hands behind his back. An officer subdued him with a Taser.
Kaminskyy remains in the Parma City Jail. He will be arraigned Tuesday in Parma Municipal Court.
If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Like Chanda Neely on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter:
RNC
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 18-21.
(Mary Kilpatrick, cleveland.com)
PARMA, Ohio -- About 275 people gathered in a Parma library on Tuesday afternoon to be trained to serve as volunteers during next month's Republican National convention.
They were given an extensive list of things they should and should not do while wearing the uniform identifying them as volunteers for the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, the nonpartisan group that's helping organize the event.
Do smile, they were told.
"You all really are the first faces our visitors will be seeing," Kelsey Satter, a volunteer coordinator for the Host Committee, told the future volunteers. "Your welcoming attitude and warmth will really end up meaning volumes."
Don't be shy, especially if someone asks for a local recommendation.
"They're really looking for that authentic perspective from a local Clevelander, so don't be afraid to engage them in conversation," Satter said.
Do encourage people to call first before heading over, though -- many sites may be closed for luncheons, cocktail parties or other convention-related events.
Don't talk politics while wearing the uniform provided by the host committee, they are told more than once. And stay away from any public disturbances.
Likewise, be careful if the media asks for an interview. There's no such thing as off the record, they are told. Refer the reporter to a Host Committee PR contact.
"Just know that things you are saying cannot be unsaid, especially if you are having a bad day," said Jennifer Kramer, a host committee spokeswoman who also helped with the session.
And so on.
Most of the people in the auditorium of the Cuyahoga County Public Library branch on Snow Road said they were assigned to help at the roughly 50 hotels where delegates will be staying during the convention.
A few will serve as greeters at Cleveland Hopkins and Akron-Canton airports, and others said they had been assigned to work as "wayfinders," helping people navigate downtown Cleveland.
The Host Committee has recruited 8,000 people to serve as volunteers. Training is ongoing -- volunteers must work at least two, four-hour shifts, attend one mandatory session and pass a background check.
Volunteers were briefed on local neighborhoods, transit options, prominent tourist sites and possible security concerns, among other topics. Tom Catalano, a retired Secret Service agent and former Lakewood police officer who's now a security consultant, walked people through the types of things they should look out for, and advised them to call 911 or inform hotel security if they feel the situation merits it.
Catalano said an estimated 50,000 people are expected, but said he wouldn't be surprised if the number turns out being double that, when taking into account people from the area who might head downtown to check things out.
"Any real bad things you've heard about the thousands of people coming here and things happening -- don't worry. The police are way ahead of the curve," he said.
Laurie Keco Grabowski, of Hinckley, was among those who attended Tuesday. She will work as a hotel greeter in Strongsville during the convention, she said.
She and her husband attended the 2012 Olympics in London, and remembered being impressed by the volunteers there.
"I do think this is an historic event for Cleveland, and to say I have a part in it is very meaningful to me," she said.
Dorene Polensek Miller, of Wooster, will serve as an airport greeter during the convention. She is a teacher, and said the convention is an illustration of the benefits of America's democratic system.
"I think it's an amazing opportunity and learning experience for me to be able to take that back to my classroom," said Miller.
Cheryl Duffield, of Bay Village, said she wants to help Cleveland make a positive impression on the tens of thousands of visitors.
"It's not about the two parties," she said. "It's about Cleveland."
shaker heights police car.jpg
Two teens are charged in an attempted armed robbery that happened Sunday in Shaker Heights, police said.
(File photo)
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Two Cleveland teens are facing juvenile charges in an attempted armed robbery Sunday in Shaker Heights.
The 16- and 14-year-olds tried to take a third teen's cellphone at gunpoint at Thornton Park on Warrensville Center Road, according to a police report.
The victim, whose age was not included in the report, said five teens confronted him just before 7 p.m. Two pulled out handguns and demanded his phone, the victim told police.
Investigators are trying to determine why the teens did not take the phone. It's believed a bystander might have intervened, police said.
Officers found the 16- and 14-year-old boys a short time later near the park. The victim identified them after they were taken into custody, police said.
The two teens are being held at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center.
Investigators are trying to identify the other three teens who confronted the victim. Those teens could face charges if they are identified, police said.
If you'd like to comment on this story, visit our crime and courts comments section.
More than 50,000 visitors will arrive in Cleveland during the next few weeks. What would you like them to know about our city?
We posed that question to a couple dozen Northeast Ohioans, the folks who were selected to be the faces of Cleveland on downtown banners during the Republican National Convention in mid-July.
The Cleveland 2016 Host Committee, the nonpartisan group organizing the RNC, issued a casting call in April to Northeast Ohioans interested in appearing on hundreds of We the People welcome banners now going up throughout town.
Fifty Greater Clevelanders were selected, of all ages, ethnicities, professional and economic backgrounds.
Here's what some of them had to say:
By Susan Glaser/The Plain Dealer
Don't Edit
Photo courtesy Bruce S. Gates
Nicole Tubbs, Cleveland Heights
Years in Greater Cleveland: 41
Occupation: Emergency medical technician
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland? Cleveland and its people are very resilient. There is a "can-do" attitude that is contagious. I love telling others that I am from Cleveland, and how so many good things are happening here. It's one of the best-kept secrets of our nation. There's so much diversity here, and we're diehard sports fans!
Don't Edit
Photographer: Bruce S. Gates
Ernesto A. Gerardo, Downtown Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: On and off since 1966
Occupation: Pediatrician (medical director of practice management, Rainbow Primary Care Institute)
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Right now, Cleveland is the Rocky Balboa of urban America: a scruffy but noble survivor, who got knocked down numerous times but still answered the bell, is rising to the occasion, and will go the distance! Oh, and by the way, Cleveland rocks!
Don't Edit
Photo courtesy of Howard Tucker
Theodore Boughton, South Euclid
Years in Greater Cleveland: 25! All my life, except for 1 years in Las Vegas.
Occupation: I am a volunteer with YouthAbility in Beachwood. Every day we do something different. We get lunches for people at an office building, we have a garden, we bake cookies and sell challah bread on Fridays.
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland? Cleveland is awesome! It is just so beautiful with all the trees and animals that are around. We see rabbits and deer. In Las Vegas, it was very dry and hot and no animals were there. There are so many things to do here, so many nice people that do so many nice things. I play basketball, I play baseball, I have a lot of friends because I grew up here. Everyone knows me. I love empowered sports! I told my mom I don't ever want to leave here again.
Don't Edit
Photo courtesy of Bruce S. Gates
Megan Esposito, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 27 (out of of my 29-year lifetime)
Occupation: Customer service
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want visitors to know about the people we have here. The people of Cleveland are the biggest defining characteristic of this city.
I have lived in Cleveland all of my life except a year each in South Bend, Indiana, and Nashville, Tennessee. Each time I spent away, I could not wait to get back home and be around people with the same values. Cleveland people are passionate. We value hard work. Cleveland people have an East Coast attitude with Midwest hospitality. We look out for each other here.
The focus of Destination Cleveland's campaign hits the nail on the head and being a part of it means a lot to me. Cleveland people have pride and as one of them: I am so proud to be a resident of Cleveland.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
Photo courtesy of Howard Tucker
Crissy Kolarik, Copley
Years in Greater Cleveland: My whole life, 45 years
Occupation: I am a multi-business owner, the executive director of the South Summit County Chamber of Commerce, and professional actor. (On a side note, I just won Mrs. Congeniality 2016 at the Mrs. Ohio America Pageant. So that was exciting!)
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
We are a community rich in arts and culture, boasting some of the finest theaters, museums and festivals. We are unwavering supporters of our many sports teams, we have the beautiful Lake Erie shoreline, and a great nightlife and entertainment district. We have four beautiful seasons and we take great pride in our city.
Regardless of your political views, the RNC will benefit Cleveland in so many ways. Visitors will be exposed to the amazing aspects of Cleveland and bring additional revenue to the local businesses. It is my hope that all visitors receive a warm and respectful welcome.
Don't Edit
Photo by Bruce S. Gates
David Gatian, West Park neighborhood in Cleveland
Number of years in Greater Cleveland: entire life, 55 years (except for college)
Occupation: Roof consultant
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland is my lifelong home and Im proud of it and wanted to be a small part of welcoming people here. Im not a Republican, but that doesnt matter to me, its about welcoming people here. And political affiliation is just one small part of who people are. Ive seen the quote somewhere, Its not a red thing or a blue thing, its a Cleveland thing.
Were a sociable city, able to welcome the Gay Games here one year and the RNC another. We have a lot of world-class experiences without the world-class ego. Weve got the Rock Hall, museums, the sports teams, great beaches and parks, a vibrant downtown and great clubs and fantastic restaurants. You can get a hot dog in Gordon Square or a five-star meal in Tremont and everything in between. Or go down to the renovated Flats. I just wanted to be part of this campaign to help promote the city, especially to those with an outdated understanding of who we are.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Jim DiMarco, Independence
Years in Greater Cleveland: 62 years
Occupation: Retired high school guidance counselor
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Living in Cleveland my entire life, I want visitors to know how proud I am of the city. I have seen Cleveland through thick and thin. I have been around since Cleveland was known as the Mistake on the Lake and comedians made fun of our city because the river caught on fire. Who has the last laugh now? Cleveland was known as a blue-collar city and a rust-belt community. We have had and still have hard-working people who have made the city what it is today. The city welcomed many immigrants from countries near and far to make a new beginning in the USA. My father was one of those immigrants, who came here at the age of 16, by himself to start a new life. Thanks to his hard work and the hard work of many immigrants, the city of Cleveland prospered and did well, but unfortunately, like everything in life, Nothing lasts forever! But did the city of Cleveland roll up its sidewalk and die? Most definitely not. Cleveland is a city of fighters and thanks to these fighters, the city is now experiencing a renaissance, a rebirth. It has been reborn and is opening its doors to the millennials and many others from near and far who once again are flocking into the city proper. I would hope that someday in the future, Cleveland is not known as a rust-belt city, but as a city that has taken its past, retooled it and is now ready for the 21st century.
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Nnabike Okaro, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 12
Occupation: Software developer, musician
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland? Cleveland is a fun-filled, vibrant city. When I first came to Cleveland, I came from New Jersey to visit my relatives and I ended up staying. I have met a lot of good people here and I am not sure I can ever let go. The food, activities, nightlife and living are all extraordinary. There are sports games all year round. Baseball, football, ice hockey and basketball -- always a team to cheer for.
I want visitors to know that they can make friends easily in this city. Mix and mingle, have fun and know that those friends will always be there for you when you need them.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Sherry M. Callahan, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: Born and raised here; lived in Dallas 1981-1988
Occupation: Realtor
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want people to know how great the housing market is in Cleveland. We have several historic areas with mansion-size homes that are very affordable. We have condos, scattered townhomes and investment properties that you can rehab to make your own. There is new residential construction going up throughout Cleveland and we have one of the lowest property tax rates. It is a great place to raise a family and enjoy all of the cultural amenities like the museums and orchestra, the sports teams and Lake Erie.
Best of all we have four distinct seasons and none of them are extreme. The tag line we once used is so true, "The Best Location in the Nation!
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
By Bruce S. Gates
Therese Andjeski, Medina
Years in Greater Cleveland: All my life!
Occupation: Professional home organizer
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want visitors to know that YES.....Cleveland Rocks, but also that we are city with a message that we love our town and we love our visitors. We are on a mission to win the hearts of all those people who are visiting during the RNC with our enthusiasm and smiles.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Edward A. Loomis, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 26
Occupation: Actor/comedian and self-employed entrepreneur in real estate
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want people to know that Cleveland is a city on the rise! We welcome you with open arms, and have something for everyone here. We are leaders in arts and culture, with the second largest theater district and world-class museums.
We are pioneers in medical technologies and advancements, having hosted global citizens on our operating tables for groundbreaking procedures. We have a rapidly growing hospitality industry, and hope you enjoy the amenities, and views of our Great Lake.
Our food scene is pretty awesome -- and it represents many cultures. If you starve while visiting, it's your own fault! We are a city steeped in rich history and historical figures. You'd be surprised. And we are now NBA champions! (But you knew that already.)
We are shedding the old image that people wrongfully had of Cleveland for so many years. Whenever I hear someone say, Oh, you're from Cleveland, I'm sorry, my response is, Well that makes one of us! (God forgive them, for they know not what they say.)
Now we just need to spread the word.
I want our visitors to come away with an unexpected and avid appreciation of Cleveland, and to bring back glowing experiences to their respective corners of the country. There is so much to do and see here, and we're happy to have you be a part of this pivotal moment in Cleveland's history. Call me if you need a tour guide!
Don't Edit
Photo by Bruce S. Gates
Gary Jones, Willoughby Hills
Years in Greater Cleveland: I was born and raised in Cleveland. I have been a resident for 59 years.
Occupation: Actor/model with the Docherty Talent Agency. Credits include: Hair Club for Men, Nike and Samsung commercials, Draft Day, Alex Cross and With This Ring. I am soon to be seen in the upcoming major motion picture, Dog Eat Dog.
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland? Contrary to the negative sentiments that Cleveland has received over the years, it is a beautiful city with a rich history of arts, culture and diversity. The Cleveland Orchestra is world-renowned, Playhouse Square offers entertainment year-round, and the Karamu House is the country's oldest African-American performing arts venue. Cleveland has the most loyal sports fan in the world. The people are friendly, loving and extremely hard-working.
Cleveland can offer vast opportunities for its residents. It provided me with my first professional job working as an actor in the commercial, Good Morning Mr. Sunshine, for the Plain Dealer in 1977. Cleveland has provided many noted actors with the start to their careers including Tom Hanks, Hal Holbrook and Jack Weston. Greater Cleveland Film Commission President Ivan Schwarz and his team have brought major film productions and jobs to Cleveland in the past few years.
I am a proud Clevelander who enjoys the change of seasons in this beautiful location on the lake.
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Megan Vasicek, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 54
Occupation: Client service associate
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
The neighborhoods are great. I was born and raised in the West Park neighborhood. As an adult, I chose to purchase a home there because I wanted my children to attend the Catholic schools. The walkability of the area is great; I can walk to the store, to church, to the RTA station. It's a great place to live and has a wonderful sense of community.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
April E. White, Shaker Heights
Years in Greater Cleveland: I have lived in Cleveland pretty much my whole life except for the four years I went away for college in Wilberforce, Ohio. I also lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., for a few years.
Occupation: Teacher
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland has everything to offer, just as a big city like New York City does. Having lived in both places, I can really attest to this!
From the revitalization of our great neighborhoods, to the great schools and universities and the best healthcare the nation has to offer. Our arts and culture is thriving due to our great museums, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland theater district just to name of few. Sports to watch and activities to do are limitless. Not only our professional teams, but the minor and youth leagues are exceptional.
And the greatest part of it all is that everything is very accessible, manageable and its comfortable living. My son was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the main reason I moved back to Cleveland was because I wanted him to have the same Midwestern values and upbringing I had growing up. Whenever my friends visit me from New York, they never want to go back! Theres truly something here for everyone.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Maureen Huefner, South Russell
Years in Greater Cleveland: All of my 68 years
Occupation: Retired educator
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Sharing the love of my city, I want visitors to know that Clevelanders are genuine, unpretentious and helpful people. Cleveland residents are comprised of a large mosaic of ethnicities and are fiercely loyal to our local institutions of arts and sports. We enjoy an affordable, high quality of life, flavored with most interesting weather patterns! Our city is just the right size with something for everyone. I am happy to see the slogan Best Location in the Nation" making a comeback.
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Dave DeNatale, Strongsville
Years in Greater Cleveland: 35
Occupation: Sportscaster for ESPN Cleveland
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland is a wonderful place to call home. I'm proud to say I was born here, grew up here, and have a dream career covering sports here. This is a melting pot of diversity and culture with a tremendous sense of unity and togetherness.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Kennetha Martin, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 25
Occupation: Actor
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want visitors to know that Cleveland is filled with diversity in people, food and fun. One of the first cities to have electric streetlights, Cleveland was home to John D. Rockefeller -- and Langston Hughes, Terrence Howard and Halle Berry. Its American history and we deserve to be on the map.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Lonnie Bogard, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 26
Profession: Recycle collector
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I would like people to know that Cleveland is a wonderful place with plenty of tourist attractions and great people to enjoy them with. The economic growth is a major positive for the city. There's so much that this city has to offer ranging between the bustling environments of professional sports games (Cavs, Indians, Browns), to the classy yet fun activities of the new downtown casino. Come on down and enjoy some great food from the world renowned Slyman's deli and Superior Deli. There is so much more fun to have, but you won't get the true experience through words alone. I invite everyone to come on down and enjoy a taste of Cleveland!
Don't Edit
Photo by Bruce S. Gates
Ying Pu, Twinsburg
Years in Greater Cleveland: 25
Occupation: Publisher, Erie Chinese Journal
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland is a unique city. Cleveland people are honest and kind. We are not a big city, but we have all things which big cities have.
2016 is the year -- remove from this number the digit that means nothing and you get 216, which is the area code for Cleveland.
Also, the Republicans can bring millions dollars to the city. We have the Cavaliers. We are champions!
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
Photo by Bruce S. Gates
Jennifer DiPiero, downtown Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: I have lived in Greater Cleveland my entire life, except for my college years at Duke University. I am a proud graduate of the Ohio State University College of Dentistry!
Occupation: Dentist
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want visitors to experience just how genuine and well-rounded of a city Cleveland truly is. We literally have something to excite everyone -- there are so many hidden gems in our area to be discovered! We have amazing sports teams (and fans!), the resources of Lake Erie, a rich cultural scene, and are one of the best "foodie towns" in the country!
My personal favorite part of the Greater Cleveland area is our proximity to some of the best park systems in the United States. Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Cleveland Metroparks truly allow us Clevelanders to enjoy our beautiful seasons year-round! We really are so blessed for all that has been bestowed upon our great city and our wonderful people -- and we're only getting better!
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Delphenia W. Gilbert, Bath Township
Years in Greater Cleveland: 40
Occupation: Registered nurse, owner of a home care agency and adult day program, SandiCare.
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I want visitors to the Cleveland area to know that Cleveland has a tremendous amount to offer, from the art museums, the ethnic gardens, a world-class orchestra, five-star cuisine, the Metroparks and of course my favorite place to visit in the Cleveland area, Tremont!
Cleveland has grit because it is gutsy enough to invest in itself. Downtown is growing and looking good. We haven't seen the best of Cleveland, but it is on its way.
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
Dwayne Caldwell, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: 58
Occupation: Special needs teacher
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Our town Cleveland, the city that is situated on the awesome shores of Lake Erie, encompasses an abundance of artistic allure, splendid gormandization (Lola, Red) and traditional eateries, dynamic nighttime diversions, and thrilling high school/college/professional athletic teams. Our town is memorable and a bargain city as a vacation destination.
Whether you're visiting for the RNC or on a pleasure trip, there is a wealth of attractions to visit and activities to participate in "the Best Location in the Nation."
Don't Edit
Photo by Howard Tucker
John "Jake" Rose, Pepper Pike
Years in Greater Cleveland: Almost 22
Occupation: Orange High School graduate, currently job training at the Two Cafe and Boutique in Chagrin/Bainbridge area
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland is a welcoming city.
Don't Edit
Photo by Bruce S. Gates
Deirdre Perry, Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: I have lived in Cleveland for most of my life except for college (Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio).
Occupation: Presently on contract with Cleveland Metropolitan School District's All-City Arts Program. Returning this summer to Cuyahoga Community College's Strings Attached summer music program as the orchestra manager.
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
I have a deep investment in the city where I was born and raised. I would like visitors to know that all are welcome to a city of never-ending potential. I would welcome them to visit the many great K-12 public educational institutions. Visit the many historic arts and culture institutions that celebrate our democratic diversity in the green city on a blue lake.
Don't Edit
Don't Edit
By russellleephoto.com
Laura Kalman-Lumpkin, Broadview Heights
Years in Greater Cleveland: 8
Occupation: Teacher; director for the Goddard School
What would you like visitors to know about Greater Cleveland?
I love living in the Cleveland area for many reasons. I want visitors to know that the Cleveland area has so many fantastic things to do and see. I love being able to hit up an Indians game any time I want because I live only 15 minutes from downtown. I love losing myself in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the art museum. I love trying new restaurants in Tremont and Ohio City. I love that we can walk around downtown, taking in the sights and relaxing on the waterfront.
Don't Edit
russellleephoto.com
Betsy Markey, Beachwood
Years in Greater Cleveland: I grew up in Shaker Heights, lived my adult life and raised my family in South Florida, came "home" to Beachwood nine months ago
Occupation: Communication specialist
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland has always been a well-kept secret and it now is growing into a popular destination. Clevelanders have always been the best! We have always exhibited family and community values and, of course, a loyalty to our town and teams.
Whether it be the arts, our diverse population, our growing foodie atmosphere, our reinvented downtown, our educational systems or our medical community.....I am glad to have returned home!
Don't Edit
russellleephoto.com
Pat Shoda, Cleveland
Years in Greater Cleveland: All my life 58 years
Occupation: Medical photographer
What do you want visitors to know about Cleveland?
Cleveland is a great town and is getting better and better. Weve had our ups and downs, but what town or city hasnt had those moments? The downtown area is experiencing a renewal that is very exciting with so many people now living downtown. So many buildings being remodeled, take a moment to notice the old architecture, its beautiful. All the activities around University Circle connected with the art museum, Severance Hall and other museums located in that area. When we have doctors move to Cleveland from out of state, they cant believe how big of a house they can purchase for the price. Of course we cant forget our sports teams. Even though they break our hearts, not too many cities can say they have a professional baseball, football and basketball team. I was born, raised, went to school, and work here and I am here to stay!
watch now
Legislators in a handful of oil-rich states are struggling to do the seemingly impossible as the 2016 fiscal year draws to a close this week: balancing their budgets, as required by law, despite massive declines in revenues due to falling oil prices. The National Conference of State Legislatures says nearly a dozen states still had not enacted budgets for the new fiscal year as of mid-June. Some including oil states Louisiana and Alaska are facing a full-blown budget crisis. Even after painful cuts, budget gaps in those two states alone total nearly $4 billion. The low oil prices that are roiling state capitals could also shake up CNBC's 10th annual America's Top States for Business rankings, where our Economy category considers factors like economic growth, job growth and state fiscal conditions. (See our methodology here.) These are some of the states that could find their economies and their rankings oil-rigged in 2016.
Alaska: Fiscal frontier
When Sarah Palin was the governor of Alaska and North Slope crude oil was reaching its all-time record price of around $144 in July of 2008 just as she was being named the GOP vice presidential nominee the chant seemed like a no-brainer: "Drill baby, drill!" Back then, Alaska was relying on oil for roughly 90 percent of state revenue. The more the oil companies pumped, the more tax money the state would receive, and the smarter state politicians would look. But in reality, the toughest challenge would belong to Palin's most recent successor, Independent Gov. Bill Walker, who took office at the end of 2014. Oil prices were weeks away from hitting an all-time low back then. They have since rebounded a bit but are still roughly two-thirds below their peak, at around $48 a barrel. Walker began this year's legislative session looking at a $4.1 billion budget deficit. It took five months, including the regular legislative session and a special session called by the governor, but the Alaska legislature finally passed a budget in June. They were able to pare the budget deficit down to $3.2 billion, but even that amount would nearly deplete the state's rainy day fund. So Walker has thus far held off on signing the budget into law and has called the legislature back for a second special session, beginning July 11.
The governor wants legislators to pass his deficit-reduction package, which includes reinstating the state income tax and overhauling the state's $50 billion so-called Permanent Fund, which pays the annual dividends every Alaskan receives, representing their share of the state's cumulative oil wealth. Walker has until June 30 to sign the budget into law. If he does sign it, he can veto portions of the bill for example, eliminating Permanent Fund dividends entirely to force legislators into action when they return in July. So far, Walker is playing his cards close to the vest. But he told CNBC in March that the status quo will no longer do. "What we have done as a state, we've said lets live off one commodity," he said. "So I say let's get off of this." Walker's plan which would be considered an act of political suicide in any other year and may still prove to be one this year involves turning the Permanent Fund into a sort of endowment that could help cushion this crisis and help solve others in the future. Last year those Permanent Fund dividend payments hit a record $2,072, meaning a family of five would collect a check of $10,360 just for living in Alaska. Under Walker's proposal, a portion of the fund's earnings would go toward deficit reduction, cutting dividend payments roughly in half for the foreseeable future. Competing proposals by Republicans, which Walker says do not go far enough, would trim the dividend, but not by as much. Republicans also want to eliminate or delay Walker's proposed income tax. Democrats, meanwhile, say more of the burden should fall on the oil industrysomething the industry naturally opposes.
Texas: Big oil, big challenges
Texas has never finished below second place in our annual Top States for Business rankings, and it took the top spot three times in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Each time, the domestic oil and natural gas boom has been a major factor in Texas' success. , big time. Remarkably, unlike most oil states, the Texas economy is still growing. State GDP rose 3.8 percent in 2015, with gains in construction and information offsetting deep declines in mining and oil drilling. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis says Texas matched the growth rate in 2014. Many economists worried that the state was in for a recession along the lines of the oil shock of the 1980s, when real estate prices plunged and unemployment soared. That oil crisis was longer and deeper than the current oneat least as of now. Still, many analysts say efforts after the oil shock to insulate the economy from future crises may have paid off. Texas now has a booming health care industry, as well as a host of tech companies that didn't even exist 40 years ago. "Texas has more economic diversity than it did in the last oil downturn," said Nick Samuels, a vice president and Senior Credit Officer at Moody's Investor Service. "Areas such as Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, who have very different economies, have mitigated the impact of low oil prices."
Scott Dalton | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Austin and San Antonio, in particular, have held themselves out as welcoming places for entrepreneurs, particularly in high tech. But that is not to say any of this has been easy or is about to get any easier. Texas is in the middle of a two-year budget cycle. It took some painful cuts and some reorganization of state agencies to balance the budget, and Texas is one of only seven states mostly oil-producing ones that saw revenues decline last year, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. Samuels said that while the state has among the largest budget reserves of any state, at a projected $10.4 billion by the middle of next year, continued low oil prices mean legislators will face some tough decisions when they return to Austin in January. "Texas is a growing state. There's demand for education and for transportation and for pension funding. And all of those issues the state will have to grapple with next year," Samuels said.
North Dakota: The boom fizzles
There is perhaps no place where the impact of falling oil prices is as stark as North Dakota. The state's oil production grew tenfold over the past decade as it built a thriving oil shale industry virtually from scratch, driving unemployment to a national low and filling government coffers with surging tax revenue. But the collapse in crude prices has turned the tide. Oil and gas exploration activity has plummeted, out-of-state workers have decamped, and the budget has swung from a surplus of more than $300 million last year to a $1 billion shortfall this year. "Unemployment is still low in the state (at 3.2 percent in May). There are still job opportunities. That's the positive thing going forward," said Allen Knudson, budget analyst and auditor for North Dakota's Legislative Council. But finding those opportunities is a lot more difficult than it was during the boom. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the only sector to show year-over-year job growth as of May was education and health services. "The impact on sales tax from oil prices being down is really what's putting the pressure on the budget situation. Oil would make the biggest impact," Knudson said. "[WTI] oil prices probably need to be from $50 to $60 a barrel before things would turn around."
The number of rigs operating in North Dakota fell from just under 200 at the peak of exploration in 2014 to fewer than 30 today, according to the state's Department of Mineral Resources. The figures don't bode well for a state that depends on oil for more than half its revenues. And the situation is not improving. New estimates suggest revenues in May will have come up short again. Governor Jack Dalrymple had already ordered steep across-the-board cuts at state agencies, from health care to prisons, and tapped into the state's half-billion-dollar rainy day fund. The latest revenue shortfall could drain that fund entirely. The state's economy which grew by a staggering 6 percent in 2014 contracted by more than 2 percent last year. It seems that the North Dakota boom that had captivated the nation is now visible only in the rearview mirror.
Louisiana: Bayou blues
Louisiana is one of the most important oil-producing states in the nation, home to drillers that operate in shallow coastal waters, and to shipbuilders and support companies that contribute to oil operations in the deeper waters offshore. As the 2016 fiscal year comes to a close, first-term Governor John Bel Edwards and the state legislature have been in crisis mode, struggling to close a fiscal 2017 budget gap that could run as high $800 million and that is after $485 million in emergency spending cuts this year. State revenues were down 2.6 percent this fiscal year, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. They are forecast to be flat this year. Louisiana's mining and logging sector, an official category that includes oil and gas extraction, shed more than 12,000 employees last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The manufacturing sector, highly exposed to the energy industry, lost nearly 7,000 jobs.
watch now
As investors digest the implication of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the technology sector is hungrily examining every possible angle. When the dust settles, the fallout should be relatively isolated regarding technology companies, Paul Holland, a general partner at Foundation Capital, told CNBC's "Squawk Alley" on Tuesday. But he still has some key big-picture concerns, he said. "If this is the beginning of a retreat of the postwar compact that we've seen . that hurts the Silicon Valley," Holland said. "I think that hurts American business in general. We thrive in sort of a liberal economy around the world liberal, not in the American political sense, but in the real economic sense."
Here are three of the impacts Holland highlighted and the one silver lining he said no one's mentioning.
1. Shifting locations of operation
Holland said that he thinks companies will take a second look at headquarters in Amsterdam, Brussels and Ireland as they scout locations that are still in the European Union. But in the short-term, a company whose sales force is looking to close deals in Europe might be at the most risk from Brexit. "You're going to see those companies with the highest exposure to Europe and the U.K. the large software companies, the large players in hardware those are going to be the ones that are most at risk," Holland said. "I think that the broad players the internet players, the e-commerce players and so forth their risk is going to be mitigated, often because they have a large U.S. presence."
2. Increased importance of tech lobbyists
The overarching structure of the European Union used to take care of orchestrating the regulatory concerns of various countries, including the policies that impacted technology companies. But if other countries follow the U.K. and become more nationalistic, it could affect the resources technology puts into government relations, Holland said. "If it continues and it's exacerbated from where it is today, over time, the companies are going to have to become stronger and stronger at things like lobbying and how they work with individual governments, wherever it might be," he said.
A commuter shelters herself from the rain beneath her umbrella as she walks under a rainbow into the city of London across Southwark Bridge in Central London on June 27, 2016. Odd Andersen | AFP | Getty Images
3. Another obstacle for venture capitalists exiting start-up investments
The year's biggest technology IPO so far, Twilio , had venture capitalists salivating over the idea they could cash out some of their investments. But Twilio's blockbuster debut was quickly overshadowed by the Brexit stock rout, which could be worrisome in a Valley that's all about entries and exits. "We'd gone through a period over the past nine years of really just halcyon days just a terrific time," Holland said. His firm saw 10 companies go public in 12 quarters, he said. "What we've seen over the last several quarters is a pause," Holland said. There was a slowdown in the exit environment and we were just beginning to see that pick up. . So the question mark for us is, 'What's this going to do to the exit environment?'"
A silver lining
watch now
When looking at the major challenges facing the world, one thing is clear: science can and is changing the world for the better. From addressing climate change to eliminating hunger and malnutrition, science and technology have a key role to play. In my business, the Netherlands-based life and materials sciences company DSM , I am incredibly proud of our more than 2,000 scientists who are working every day to find answers to some of the most important global challenges facing our society. We call it using bright science for brighter living. But while we all recognize that science can drive change, we also know that the great challenges of our age cannot be solved by short-term actions only; they require long-term commitment, vision and resources.
Yet, most likely, the balance of our thinking and action is more focused on the short-term horizon of the (quarterly) earnings cycle, rather than being dedicated to the big issues facing humanity in the long term.
Evolution makes us short-termist
For many, dealing with long-term, disruptive change is not always easy. Perhaps, this is unsurprising. Throughout our evolution, our minds have evolved to handle immediate problems and threats. When, for example, we see something moving in the bushes in front of us, our first instinct is to consider danger instead of opportunity. So short-term thinking is not surprising. But it can be problematic. In his 2004 book "A Short History of Progress," Ronald Wright describes human beings in today's world as running 21st century software on fifty-thousand-year-old hardware. The results can be catastrophic. For example, our inability to properly consider long-term risks or opportunities in combination with our short-term focus explains the four decades of inaction in dealing with climate change. We did not respond to the proverbial hand moving in slow-motion towards our face before it was nearly too late.
It's remarkable that in several European countries in the past few months, concerns regarding climate change were expressed, triggered by flooded cellars and parking lots due to heavy summer rainfall, of which we can expect more.
If you look to the south of Bangladesh, the Horn of Africa, the North Pole icecap and other areas, such warning signals were there already for decades. It's only when it comes close that we really see it and realize the potential impact, with the risk that we are late with much higher costs.
So short-term thinking is not surprising. But it can be problematic. In his 2004 book "A Short History of Progress," Ronald Wright describes human beings in today's world as running 21st century software on fifty-thousand-year-old hardware. The results can be catastrophic. We cannot go on like this. The challenges (and opportunities) we need to address are getting more complicated by the day. Everything from self-driving cars, genetic engineering, block chain technology and robotics require integrated, long-term thinking, investment and action across a range of sectors.
Improving our mental 'software'
What then has to be done? How can we overcome the limitations of our fifty-thousand-year-old hardware, and equip ourselves to tackle the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
First, while we cannot change our hardware, we can try to learn how to use our software differently to better incorporate long-term thinking into our decision-making process. This is vital. In their 1989 book "New World, New Mind," Paul Ehrlich and Robert Ornstein already argued that our "new world" of short-term technological and environmental change requires a "new mind capable of perceiving long-term, slow-motion calamity." They argued that if we learn to think probabilistically, we can recognize misjudgment and cognitive bias.
Daniel Kahneman argued in his 2011 book "Thinking Fast and Slow" that humans fail to take into account complexity and that their understanding of the world consists of a small and necessarily un-representative set of observations. Furthermore, the mind generally does not account for the role of chance and therefore falsely assumes that future events will mirror those in the past.
Second, in addition to becoming more conscious of our preference for short-termism, we need to be adjusting our systems in ways that compensate for our blind spots.
This is crucial: the world is an interconnected system in which many of the challenges we face are anchored in complex ecosystems. No one can solve these challenges alone. There are no silver bullets.
That is why, for example, independent advisory boards, bringing in a range of experiences and perspectives are important. Collaboration is also key which is why our scientists cooperate extensively with external R&D institutions, academic institutions and in broader public-private partnerships. Increasingly we find that a development in one area can have far-reaching consequences in other areas.
For example, our joint venture in the U.S. uses expertise developed originally in food enzyme research to create bioethanol from corn crop residue. We are convinced that on the long run, using new biotechnology techniques will help our society to become better and with that, it will become economically viable as well.
Cut the fear factor
Bernie Sanders questions morality of US economy 7:21 AM ET Tue, 26 May 2015 | 03:31
Of all the cringeworthy insta-narratives framed by horse-race journalists during the presidential campaign, the Bernie-Sanders-needs-to-fall-in-line meme easily takes the top spot.
This predictable, singular focus on electoral politics confirmed pundits and politicians still live in BBRBefore Bernie's Revolution-when a plurality of voters' predominant concern was the upcoming election.
Of course, voters and activists wanted Sanders to win the White House, but that goal never surpassed their burning desire for real change rather than political platitudes presidential candidates have long used to tantalize Americans. This, after all, is one of Sanders' historic campaign's major legacies.
And there's one man who's known this since April 29th, 2015: Bernie Sanders. Unlike most presidential candidates, when the wily Vermont Senator announced his presidential bid, he never thought in the microscopic terms of White House or bust.
Up against the entire national, state, and local Democratic establishment, Sanders knew toppling the Clinton machine would be a Herculean accomplishment that might not be reached.
Now he's ready for the real campaignone that has nothing to do with becoming president.
In an online town hall two weeks ago and a subsequent rally in New York City June 23, Sanders spoke indignantly about the current political moment having to be about more than defeating Donald Trump, vowing to keep fighting for the progressive policies he's championedas well as for state and local candidates who'll do the same.
Whether the Democrats adopt an uber-progressive convention platform or not, if anyone thinks Sanders' truly expects Hillary Clinton or the party to honor such a document, I've got a bridge to sell you.
Look no further than the 2012 Democratic platform, which said, "We believe we must take immediate action to curb the influence of lobbyists and special interests on our political institutions."
Here's the immediate action Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democratic Party took: continuing to bankroll themselves by Wall Street donors and special interest donors and reversing the eight-year ban on donations from lobbyists and Super Pacs to the DNC.
Platform power indeed!
Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party, said market jitters following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union are "rubbish".
"Can we all just grow up, stop this absolute scare-mongering nonsense?" Farage told CNBC on Tuesday, adding that the FTSE 100 is up 3 percent today. "Can we just end this complete rubbish?"
"There is this false perception that somehow since we've left the European Union, the city business is going to decline," Farage said. "There is a declining global economy and indeed in Britain, our growth forecasts are down, not because of Brexit, because government borrowing is running way ahead of expectations."
Shares of Barclays and other European banks fell double digits last week after the United Kingdom stunned global markets by voting to leave the EU. European banks are down 19 percent since the vote, and the pound sterling has fallen 11 percent against the U.S. dollar.
U.K. citizens approved leaving with 51.9 percent of the vote. Markets meanwhile, had priced in a win for the remain camp.
"They were on the wrong side, Barclays certainly was on the wrong side of the markets in a big way," he said. "These banks have been badly run anyway for a decade."
Free of EU regulations, he said, the city has the opportunity to be the "Singapore of the European Union."
"I've felt London's been threatened as a financial center for the last ten years," Farage said. "London cannot be a global financial center if it's kept inside the clawing regulations of a European Union."
One of the more common phrases you hear on social media and in political debates today is "elections have consequences." And that's true for the most part, as candidates and parties that win elections usually get more power and freedom to impose their favored policies. But it would be a lot nicer if elections had more than just consequences. It would be better if elections taught lessons, especially to those who lose the elections. But that's not what's happening right now in Britain as the overwhelming response to the Brexit vote proves the losers aren't learning any lessons; In fact they're doubling down on the mistakes that led them to lose in the first place. Oh and by the way, the same kind of tone deaf clinging to losing strategies and beliefs is very evident in our presidential election right now.
Forget most of what you've read about what motivated the British "Leave" voters to vote the way they did. A definitive post-referendum poll confirms the truth that the #1 issue in the minds of the Leave voters was the right of Great Britain to make its own laws. All the supposed experts told us the only real motivation was fears over immigration, but it turns out concerns about British sovereignty out-polled immigration by a withering 53 percent to 34 percent. That's right, a fundamental concern based in political theory and the enduring issue of liberty and political accountability is what tipped the scales for this historic vote result. The objective numbers are all there for everyone to see, if they want to see them.
Most of the British news media and the leaders of the "Remain" camp clearly don't want to see them. The overwhelming response on their side has been to smear the Leave side as racists, xenophobes, selfish senior citizens, and don't forget the top slur: "uneducated idiots." This crisis level elitist and ageist hypocrisy is astounding. In fact, there isn't even any shame on behalf of most of the British political, financial, and media establishment as these ugly responses are showing no signs of subsiding.
And don't forget the most tragically clueless response of all: the push to have the entire referendum conducted again, you know, when all the "dumb" British voters finally figure out the consequences of their impertinent actions. It's amazing that in response to a result driven mostly by concerns about the right of the people to vote the way they see fit, the primary response from the losing side is to confirm those concerns by moving to negate the results of a democratic election. This is like betting on a losing horse after the trainer has taken it out back and shot it. Who's the "stupid" side now?
But this response isn't just ugly, angry, and politically stupid for stoking the attitudes that motivated the Leave side in the first place. It sadly represents the elitist belief that university-educated younger people were simply better than their less formally educated countrymen, better than their older fellow Britons who supposedly weren't enlightened enough to favor open borders and the stamping out of nationalist culture, and better than factory workers and others who work with their hands instead of the supposedly fabulous sharp minds of the City. It's the classic "establishment vs. the common people" story that played out clearly in the minds of all the British voters, especially when the leaders of the two major political parties suddenly decided to put their sharp differences aside to support the Remain side that most resembled their own personal social and financial class. It sure looked like the "haves" were joining forces, and that understandably makes the "have nots" a bit nervous.
I sure hope this sounds familiar to American readers. Because the small but vocal number of Republican establishment figures still trying to block Donald Trump from the GOP presidential nomination are doubling down on the same bad strategy that fueled Trump's unprecedented success in the primaries. Acting just like the "establishment elites" Trump's supporters believe them to be, they're pushing for some kind of undemocratic coup at the convention next month. Any objective observer can see this will only embolden and mobilize the Trump voters even more. And this foolishness extends beyond the convention. When the ultimate Wall Street and GOP insider in former Goldman Sachs CEO and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson crossed party lines and endorsed Hillary Clinton last week, did anyone not realize how much that helps Trump's anti-establishment and anti-Wall Street campaign? It's not fair to Paulson, but a lot voters will look at his endorsement as if it were from Angelo Mozilo or even Ivan Boesky.
And the elitist anti-Trump sentiment is also running high. Ask anyone who opposes Trump what he or she thinks of his supporters. Their response is very likely to sound a lot like what the sore loser Brexit Remainers are saying about the Leave voters right now. But think about it: does demonizing Trump's supporters as being a bunch of ignorant racists sound like a winning strategy to you? Couldn't it simply backfire and embolden his supporters even more? And might that kind of attitude about the people who don't think like you be something that served as the cause for his campaign in the first place? If you're brushing off all these questions, you need to take a close look at what's just happened in Britain and stop underestimating the Trump movement and/or doing the things that make it stronger.
A better strategy is not to mention or focus on his supporters at all. The Clinton campaign scores better points when it says Trump himself is personally scary or inexperienced, not the Trump voters. And the Clinton campaign and supporters would do itself the most good if it brought a lot more humility to the table and admit that Democrats haven't really done much better than Republicans recently when it comes to improving the lives of America's "have nots." Someone needs to show empathy for the Trump voters, not disdain.
It's probably a stretch to expect our voters to change their attitudes ahead of an election. After all, too many politicians, journalists, and voters in Britain still haven't changed a bit even after the election results. It's those people who refuse to learn and adapt who get hurt the most by a free political process. Because after all, elections have consequences.
watch now
watch now
watch now
watch now
watch now
The U.K.'s Brexit vote has not triggered a "Lehman moment" in financial markets, despite the sharp sell-off, the vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB) told CNBC on Tuesday. Vitor Constancio denied comparisons between the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union (EU) and the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers that triggered the global financial crisis. "The reaction to Lehman, as you may recall, was that several markets froze (with a) big impact all over the world. That was not the case this time," he said. "The second (point) is that the negative effect on prices in markets was more extended in the case of Lehman that indeed triggered a major international crisis. So the reactions of markets so far do not justify the comparison," the Portuguese economist and politician later added.
Odd Andersen | AFP | Getty Images
Constancio spoke to CNBC on Tuesday from the Portuguese resort town of Sintra, where last week's vote by the U.K. public to quit the EU has disrupted the ECB's usually relaxed annual forum. A panel with Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was canceled so ECB President Mario Draghi could attend a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, according to media reports. European and U.S. stocks, the euro and sterling pared some losses on Tuesday after the U.K.'s vote to leave the EU caused market turmoil on Friday and Monday. The remain vote was seen winning, but instead, leave triumphed with a narrow margin of 51.9 percent.
European stock indexes
European markets
"Markets always do (overreact) in such circumstances, in particular, because to many people in the market, the result of the referendum came as a surprise. So, as a result, there was certainly overshooting and we saw today that there was a rebound in the markets already," Constancio told CNBC. "No one knows, of course, how the markets are continuing to evolve, but judging by the reactions and the fundamentals around the problem, hopefully the markets will start to stabilize," he later added. On Thursday, before the results of the referendum were known, the former prime minister of EU member, Finland, compared the consequences of a "leave" vote to the collapse of U.S. investment bank, Lehman Brothers. And on Friday, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan heralded the worst days for markets since "Black Monday" in 1987. On Tuesday, Constancio chose instead to focus on the potential hit to the U.K. and European economy. "The exit of the U.K. will have negative consequences in the coming years for growth in the U.K. in particular also it is to be expected that after the drop in the pound, this means that international terms, the purchasing power of the U.K. economy, will be permanently lower than otherwise," he told CNBC. Constancio added that the impact on the 19-country euro area would be much smaller and denied the region would enter recession as a result.
Traders' poll
A controversial politician in the U.K.'s ruling Conservative Party has become the first senior government figure to hint at a second EU referendum vote, in what may prove a forlorn hope for disappointed "remain" voters.
The triumph of the "leave" vote in Thursday's referendum stunned global financial markets and many of the U.K. public, some of whom are clamoring for a chance to vote again.
A petition posted on the official U.K. government website calling for a second referendum has gained 3.9 million signatures and is under consideration for a debate in parliament, although outgoing U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out the possibility of another vote on Brexit.
However, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt raised the possibility of another vote to endorse the terms of the U.K.'s exit from the EU on Tuesday, in a television interview in which he strongly hinted he would run to succeed Cameron as prime minister.
"I don't think it needs to be another referendum, but there needs to be some democratic endorsement of the terms in which we leave," Hunt, who supported "remain," told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" program.
"We have had nine general elections since we joined the EU and this is such a big thing that I think the terms on which we leave the EU also need to have the support of the British people and I also think that is the way we will get a better deal from our European partners," he later added.
Almost all foreign companies in China got a sweet return on their investment, Premier Li Keqiang told an audience of 180 global and Chinese CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin.
High-profile founders Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com , Travis Kalanick of Uber and Lei Jun of Xiaomi were among the business leaders at the exclusive event, where Li spurned an opening address, saying he wanted to get right down to business and take questions from CEOs attending 2016's "Summer Davos."
Benioff asked Li what he saw as China's most urgent challenges, and how businesses could partner with China to overcome them.
Li said private businesses, both domestic and from abroad, had helped identify barriers to growth and innovation in China, but at the same time, he emphasized that even foreign companies that had encountered problems doing business in China had still done very well.
"Even if you may have encountered a certain kind of difficulty or friction in the process, I believe if you take a look at the several years of your investment or your company, I feel pretty confident to say that for the vast majority of foreign investors, they will feel they have had a pretty high yield for their investment in China," Li said.
The Chinese Premier got a loud laugh from the audience when he added, "It's not just a vast majority - I think it's over 99.9 percent."
Companies are getting a hard lesson in how to tactfully do business in the post-Brexit U.K after British Airways sparked a Twitter backlash for urging overseas travellers to benefit from the drop in sterling sparked by the result of Britain's EU referendum.
Reinhard Krause | Reuters
A tweet from the airline's official account Monday, apparently aimed at U.S. travellers, said "Your dollar has never gone further, and with our amazing 3-day sale, you can see even more of London!"
TWEET The offer received a flurry of replies suggesting the company was inappropriately trying to profit from market turmoil. One user responded to the BA account, saying "your company is attempting to make $ off a tumultuous time & possible UK economic downturn. Your ad says enough. #Greed."
TWEET TWEET Sterling saw significant losses after it was announced that 52 percent of voters opted to leave the EU. The currency dropped 11.94 percent against the U.S. dollar from around 1.36 to 1.32 between Friday, June 24 to Monday, June 27, as investors panicked over the stability of the UK economy outside the European Union.
ComScore 's audit committee and board of directors need more time to review the findings from an internal investigation regarding its accounting, the company said in an SEC regulatory filing Monday.
The company received a message regarding "certain potential accounting matters" in mid-February and postponed filing its quarterly and annual reports because of the investigation.
ComScore executives said in May that the company would provide an "informed update" by Mon., June 27. Shares of ComScore tumbled more than 20 percent Tuesday after the internet analytics company missed its self-imposed deadline.
"The Audit Committee continues to work vigorously to complete its review and to report its findings to the board," the company said, in the SEC filing.
The committee has completed a substantial amount of factual inquiries but require further time to evaluate the information collected and reach a conclusion, the company added.
The company did not offer a deadline this time.
ComScore's stock has plunged this year, falling more than 43 percent.
ComScore 2016 Chart
watch now
watch now
watch now
watch now
watch now
Outgoing U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is attending a European summit in Brussels on Tuesday where pressure is expected to be applied on the U.K. to trigger Article 50 to start the process of leaving the European Union (EU). EU leaders are expected to debate the U.K.'s decision last Thursday to leave the economic and political bloc made up of 28 countries, which has prompted turmoil in global markets and crisis in the political establishment, both in the U.K. and EU. However the U.K. has yet to trigger Article 50 which begins the leaving process despite calls from other EU leaders to do so meaning that the summit could be acrimonious. Cameron said he wanted a "constructive" divorce from the EU on arrival in Brussels. "Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible and I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible," Cameron said.
David Cameron arrives for the European Council meeting in Brussels.
The U.K. has said it wants to know where it stands with the EU before triggering the untested procedure. The prime minister resigned on Friday following the Brexit result and said he would stay on until a new leader is elected to oversee the Brexit process now expected to be in September. Only then, he said, would Article 50 be enacted, triggering a withdrawal process that can take up to two years.
With the exit procedure postponed, EU leaders are in no mood to placate the U.K. or rush to the negotiating table. Many are not happy with the delay in triggering Article 50, fearing that it will prolong uncertainty for the European economy and political establishment that is already facing a rise in populism and anti-EU sentiment. On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with her French and Italian counterparts, Francois Hollande and Matteo Renzi, and European Council President Donald Tusk in Berlin. Presenting a united front, the leaders said the EU now needed to focus on strengthening its economy, jobs and security. They also reiterated that there would be no "formal or informal talks about Britain's exit" until Article 50 (an untested procedure) is enacted. As such, Cameron despite having campaigned to stay in the EU headed to Brussels with few friends to call on for support although Merkel, a leader known for her pragmatism, has called for calm. She said last week that there was "no need to be particularly nasty in any way" in any forthcoming negotiations over an exit.
Awkward dinner date
Whether the atmosphere will be cordial at Tuesday's summit of the European Council is uncertain. Cameron is expected to explain the country's position during a working dinner of the 28 heads of state before an exchange of views, before heading back to London.
On Wednesday, the other 27 member states "will meet informally to discuss the political and practical implications of Brexit," Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said in a statement. "First of all, we will discuss the so called 'divorce process' as described in Article 50 of the Treaty. And secondly, we will start a discussion on the future of the European Union with 27 member states," Tusk said. Carsten Nickel, deputy director of research at risk consultancy Teneo Intelligence, said on Monday that Germany appeared to have aligned itself with France's more "forceful approach" and Cameron shouldn't expect a warm welcome. "Merkel will have to find a middle way that reflects a broad array of European member states' interests, including more hawkish views. Recall that many European leaders find themselves under domestic pressure from Eurosceptic forces, most notably, France. These governments will have a strong interest in negotiating hard with the U.K., to convey to their own voters that any flirtation with anti-EU forces has negative consequences," he said in a note.
watch now
Despite the hard line being taken with Britain EU leaders want to deter other countries from following the U.K.'s lead there is widespread regret at the decision by almost 52 percent of Brits to leave the Union. The result was called a "sad day for Europe" by Germany's foreign minister, a sentiment generally echoed by other leaders and on Monday. European Central Bank President Mario Draghi expressed "sadness" at the result.
Firefighting
European stocks closed sharply higher Tuesday, following continued volatility on global markets as a result of the U.K. vote to leave the European Union.
The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 3.3 percent higher provisionally with all bourses and sectors posting solid gains. London's FTSE 100 index was finished up 2.45 percent while the FTSE 250 which is mainly made of domestic-focused stocks rallied 3.6 percent.
Markets appeared to be cautiously optimistic despite sharp losses on Monday as investors digested the full implications of the U.K.'s vote to leave the EU. Britain's decision to leave the EU has prompted widespread fear that global growth could come under significant pressure, while the actual timeframe of the U.K. departure from the EU remains unclear.
Standard & Poor's announced Monday that it had lowered the United Kingdom's sovereign credit rating from "AAA" to "AA," citing last week's referendum. Meanwhile, Fitch lowered its rating from AA+ to AA with a negative outlook.
A European summit is being held in Brussels on Tuesday which Cameron is attending. Pressure is expected to be applied to the U.K. to trigger Article 50 which sets in motion the process of withdrawing from the EU.
In the U.S. on Tuesday, stocks traded more than 1 percent higher in morning trade. New data showed that consumers were feeling more optimistic than expected in June.
Justin Tallis | AFP | Getty Images
Key tenets of globalization including trade and immigration were among catalysts that pushed the U.K. to exit the EU last week, leading many experts to wonder whether the policy is still welcome in today's world. That debate took center stage at a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel in Tianjin on Tuesday. "This [Brexit] is a key pullback to more trade openness, labor movements and globalization in general. So in a way, globalization is running out of steam," observed Mehmet Simsek, deputy Prime Minister of Turkey. Politicians supporting the U.K.'s Leave camp pointed to the EU's immigration rules, particularly the influx of refugees, diminished job prospects and stagnant salariesfactors widely considered the result of porous bordersas reasons to leave the economic bloc. Thursday's vote was a clear reminder that the bulk of the U.K. public wasn't happy with these policies, which experts at WEF said effectively translated to dissatisfaction with globalization.
watch now
"There is certainly a backlash against globalization There are winners and losers, we saw that in the U.K. vote: The gap between the rich and less rich, young and old, skilled and less skilled, urban and ruralWe have to recognize these gaps are becoming more severe," said Nouriel Roubini, chairman of Roubini Global Economics and a New York University professor. Anti-globalization parties are increasingly gaining mass support in both peripheral and core euro-zone countries as the region's unemployment remains in double digits, Roubini continued. In Austria for example, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, who also takes a hard line on immigration, was a mere percentage point shy from winning the presidency this May. A similar story can be seen across the Atlantic, where Republican candidate Donald Trump has won the support of several blue-collar, predominantly white Americans who complain of job losses, influx of foreigners and loss of competitiveness from free trade. Offering a more sanguine view, Jing Ulrich, Asia-Pacific managing director and vice-chairman of JPMorgan Chase, didn't believe international integration was under threat.
watch now
Pivoting towards the general election, Donald Trump on Tuesday outlined in greater detail his view of America's path towards greater prosperity, especially for workers left out of the global economy.
Speaking in a former steel town south of Pittsburgh, Trump blasted free trade agreements and said his presidential administration would go aggressively after China, linking both issues back to the loss of American manufacturing jobs.
"We allowed foreign countries to subsidize their goods, devalue their currencies, violate their agreements, and cheat in every way imaginable," Trump said, according to a transcript of his remarks distributed by his campaign. "Trillions of our dollars and millions of our jobs flowed overseas as a result."
While experts and economists recognized the manufacturing losses that free trade agreements have spurred, some said Trump's proposed policies would only make matters worse.
"The challenge in responding to Trump is this, which is that the grievances that he identified in a lot of cases are very legitimate ones," Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations said. "The problem is his responses are going to make things much worse."
The plans Trump outlined focused largely on international trade. He lambasted the North American Free Trade Agreement as "the worst trade deal in history" and promised to renegotiate better terms for NAFTA or withdraw from the deal altogether if America's partners do not agree.
He also took time to criticize the recently negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he called the "death blow for American manufacturing." He said that China would enter the TPP through a "backdoor" later on, and that if elected he would withdraw the U.S. from the TPP given the deal has not yet been ratified.
Matthew Slaughter, a professor of international business and dean of Dartmouth's Business School, said that trade agreements have overall generated gains for America and that sitting on the sidelines would lead to missing out on opportunities. He also said many of Trump's statements would not pass standards for academic scholarly research.
"If the United States is not participating in global agreements, the rest of the world isn't going to stop negotiating them among themselves," Slaughter said. "What America needs is a much stronger, smarter, better-funded social safety net so that we don't lose the benefits of trade."
In both criticizing NAFTA and TPP, Trump sought to tie his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to the deals in her former capacities as first lady and secretary of state. Clinton had supported NAFTA as first lady, and served as Obama's top diplomat during TPP negotiations, though she has since backed away from both policies.
During the length of the speech, Trump's most strident remarks were reserved for China. Calling China's entry into the World Trade Organization an enabler of "the greatest jobs theft in history," he said he would instruct his treasury secretary to label China as a currency manipulator, and would have his trade representative bring trade cases against the country both in the U.S. and the World Trade Organization.
However, some experts did not place much stock in his proposals. David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Treasury Department emissary to China, said that it would be difficult to see how any economist would call China a currency manipulator given the country has lately been intervening to keep its currency high. He also noted that President Barack Obama's administration has pursued a high number of trade cases against China.
"I don't believe that taking a protectionist route is going to make Americans more prosperous," Dollar said.
Dollar, along with other economists, said there was no backdoor in the TPP agreement for China to enter through, and praised the proposal as one made among a group of countries with which the U.S. has relatively balanced trade and promotes good jobs.
However, not all experts were in agreement that Trump's proposed policies were wrong-headed.
"Its unfortunate that Donald Trump is Donald Trump but he's really dead right on this issue," said Peter Morici, a business professor at the University of Maryland and former chief economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission. "You might not like his tone but he's got it, he's got it cold."
Morici said the U.S. must renegotiate its current trade agreements, and that doing so would create millions of jobs.
"If we fix trade we fix the economy," Morici added.
Investors should steer clear of Microsoft because of worse-than-expected PC sales, according to a Jefferies analyst, who reiterated an underperform rating on the tech giant. "The [PC] forecasts have trended lower over time and any hope for an expected recovery now comes off a base that is lower than prior forecasted troughs. So while the PC industry may be waiting for 'tomorrow,' we remain skeptical that this will be the final downward revision," Jefferies' John DiFucci wrote in a note to clients Monday. The firm cited Gartner's new forecast which brought down PC unit expectations to a 7.3 percent year-over-year decline in 2016 versus the prior estimate for a 1.5 percent drop. The analyst maintained his price target of $40, representing 17 percent downside from Monday's close. DiFucci reduced his fiscal 2016 and 2017 sales estimates by 0.1 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, as a result of the lower PC sales forecast. His 2017 earnings per share estimate is $2.78 versus the Street consensus of $2.88. "We believe that consensus has largely not taken into account the risk associated with the Windows business. Key risks include the PC cycle and risks related to revenues and margins as MSFT transitions to the Cloud," the note said. CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this story.
Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Some existing cities will get bigger and there's important work being done by smart people to improve them. We also think it's possible to do amazing things given a blank slate. Our goal is to design the best possible city given the constraints of existing laws.
Y Combinator, a startup incubator that likes to incubate ways to rehash well-worn policy knots in January, it launched a research project on universal basic income announced today a research project to solicit ideas for building "new, better cities." Here's their objective from a blog post :
Adora Cheung, the incubator's partner and author of the above post, notes some potential areas for the research: Affordable housing, zoning rules, transit and autonomous cars. If this rings familiar, you are following the movements of Sidewalk Labs, the Google subsidiary now under Alphabet, which has discussed each of these areas. (That and building a city from scratch.)
It even has a product, a software platform called Flow designed for cities. The Guardian uncovered more of the aspirations behind it, surfacing documents between Sidewalk Labs and Columbus, Ohio, winner of a government "Smart City" grant. Therein, the Alphabet unit proposes using data-tracking tools around transportation and parking to save and generate revenue for the city while creating more ways for residents to use private ride-sharing services like Uber.
The tech industry's effort to seed influence and capital from "smart city" initiatives is not new, although these latest projects center on ways novel technology widespread sensors and self-driving cars could alter urban economics.
Y Combinator, an early backer of booming San Francisco startups like Airbnb and Dropbox, is closely linked (in perception, at least) to the city's widening inequality. In its post today, the firm ended with a caveat: "We want to build cities for all humans for tech and non-tech people. We're not interested in building 'crazy libertarian utopias for techies.'"
It may find that the non-tech people, particularly those running city governments, are less willing to glom onto lofty tech ideas. A Columbus official told the Guardian that Sidewalk Labs' platform could be valuable, but stressed that the city hasn't "signed any agreements with them."
People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags, towards the Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and The Houses of Parliament in central London on June 26, 2016.
Britons cast their votes in favor of leaving the European Union, but they haven't departed from the politico-economic coalition just yet. Before that can happen, the U.K. still needs to invoke something called "Article 50."
The Treaty of Lisbon forms a constitutional basis for EU member states, which signed it in 2007. A small section of the treaty is called Article 50, which details what happens when a member leaves the group. It has never been invoked before, but it's about to be.
These are the initial details:
To kick off the exit process, the British government needs to formally declare its intention to withdraw and notify the European Council, the leadership body that makes political moves for the EU. Before that notification, the U.K. can still informally discuss its decision among other members.
The next part of the process can take up to two years:
The council, without involving the U.K., will start making concrete guidelines for negotiations to ensure there's an agreement on withdrawal arrangements. It also will decide what the U.K.'s relationship looks like with the rest of the members in the future.
The European Parliament has to approve the council's agreement. The council concludes the agreement, acting by a qualified majority at least 72 percent of Council members.
The last part of Article 50 states that any member that leaves and subsequently wishes to rejoin can do so through Article 49.
While the affair is ongoing, the U.K. is still affiliated with the EU. The departing state will also still be able to exercise input power on other EU acts during this limbo period, starting from its formal declaration and on to its actual withdrawal.
Because Article 50 has never been invoked, some details of the process have never been firmly established. For example, details are fuzzy on how much the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, will be involved with negotiations. While European Council members who represent the U.K. can't take part in negotiations, it's not written down that the same restrictions are true for those who represent the U.K. in the European Parliament.
Article 50's language is vague because the EU never envisioned anybody leaving, Chris Bickerton, a lecturer at Cambridge University told the Independent last week. It "was drafted with the idea that (Article 50) would not be used, and to make it pretty hard to exit in a smooth way," he told the London newspaper.
Correction: The European Commission is the executive arm of the EU. An earlier version mischaracterized its role.
The announcement early Friday morning that British voters chose to exit the 28-nation European Union by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin defied appeals from every major European economic and political institution. The surprise vote to "leave" was part of a move to sovereignty and a rising rebellion against the political establishment due to slow growth, income inequality and disagreements on immigration reform (similar to the U.S.).
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron stated that he will resign by October, since he staked his reputation on a "remain" vote. The response to the vote was market chaos as risk assets immediately plunged global equities lost roughly $2 trillion in market value (according to S&P), the British pound fell to its lowest level since 1985, and the euro and oil all dropped significantly last Friday, while traditional safe havens, notably U.S. government bonds, gold, the U.S. dollar, Swiss franc and Japanese yen, rallied in a "flight to safety."
The outcome was an unforecastable shock (the U.K. betting markets had put a 79 percent probability on a remain vote even though recent polls suggested a close vote) and surprised the markets. The following helps illustrate the sharp one-day declines in select global equity markets and currencies last Friday:
Health workers fumigate in an attempt to eradicate the mosquito which transmits the Zika virus on January 28, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.
A group of researchers said Tuesday that vaccines for Zika offered protection against both Puerto Rican and Brazilian strains of the virus in mice.
The scientists working on the research came from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Harvard University.
"Our data demonstrate that a single dose of a DNA vaccine or a purified inactivated virus vaccine provides complete protection against the ZIKV-challenge in mice," said study author Dan H. Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in a news release. "Importantly, we showed that vaccine-induced antibodies provided protection, similar to existing vaccines for other flaviviruses."
One of the vaccines was a DNA vaccine an injection made up of genetically engineered cells based on a Brazilian strain of the virus. The other was a purified inactivated virus vaccine a vaccine containing a "dead" or inactive virus from Puerto Rico.
Both vaccines created antibodies in the bodies of mice.
The scientists published the results of their research Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
In a news release, scientists from Walter Reed said they will be ready to begin testing the vaccine on humans by the end of the year.
Flaviviruses are a group of viruses, often carried by mosquitoes and other insects, which are closely related and produce some of the same symptoms. Along with Zika, they include West Nile virus, dengue, yellow fever and others.
The virus has been widespread in several countries, especially in Latin America. Recent reports have confirmed that nearly 2,000 people have been infected with the virus in Puerto Rico, and Brazilian officials have linked 1,400 cases of microcephaly, a condition that stops brain development, in children born to infected mothers.
Other teams have been racing to develop vaccines for the virus.
Earlier in June, another group of researchers from pharmaceutical company Inovio was reportedly the first team to win approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin testing its vaccine on human subjects.
However, some public health experts have expressed skepticism that a vaccine for the drug will be able to pass regulatory tests in the next several years.
Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine told CNBC last week that he believes "we are not going to have a vaccine in time for this epidemic."
Correction: This version corrects the day the researchers announced their findings and the spelling of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The United States is likely to forge closer ties with Germany if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns said Tuesday.
American leaders have long looked to the U.K. to "translate" the EU, said Burns, now a professor at the Kennedy School of Government and an adviser to Hillary Clinton. The two countries share a "tough-minded" view of the world, he added.
Germany is the country most likely to fill the void left by the U.K. if the country's leaders act on last week's referendum to leave the EU.
"If the British leave, then the United States is going to have to have a country with which it works very closely on all these important trade and political and security issues. That country is going to be Germany," Burns told CNBC's "Squawk Box."
That is because Germany is the largest economy in the EU and Chancellor Angela Merkel is the most respected leader on the continent, he said. He acknowledged Merkel's popularity had taken a hit due to her push for European countries to quickly admit Syrian refugees, but said Germany still remains the de facto leader of Europe.
European leaders are gathering in Brussels to discuss Britain's possible exit from the union. On Tuesday, Merkel warned the U.K. it should not expect to reap the benefits of the single European market free of the obligations of membership, The Wall Street Journal reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will not invoke Article 50 to begin the process of leaving, but Burns said European nations do not want to set precedent of allowing members to drag out their exit.
Burns does not expect other EU members to follow suit unless nationalist parties win a controlling majority in those countries, and that outcome is not likely in his view.
"Second, our industry contacts indicate that while the Apple brand remains strong, cheaper alternatives are making inroads with Apple's share potentially declining over time from 50 percent to 30 percent."
"There is some trouble brewing, though, that we believe could affect Apple's growth. First, Japanese carriers are no longer as aggressively using discounts on handsets to lure subscribers from other carriers, which could affect phone sales," Steven Milunovich and Benjamin Wilson, two analysts at UBS, said in a note Tuesday.
While investors focus on Apple's recent struggles in China , UBS suggests that a number of regulatory and competitive factors in Japan which accounts for around 8 percent of the iPhone maker's revenue could be a cause for concern.
Apple could see its market share in Japan fall by around 20 percent over time with "trouble brewing" in its highest margin country, UBS said in a note on Tuesday.
The Japanese government has expressed concerns that mobile carrier charges are too high and is looking into ways to reduce this. Typically, carriers subsidize handsets then claw back the money through high tariffs. If the Japanese government cracks down on the high prices, it could hit Apple, UBS suggested, as Apple charges a 15 to 20 percent premium on iPhones relative to the U.S.
At the same time, UBS noted that the "growing influence" of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) could be a problem. MVNOs are mobile carriers that use other networks' infrastructure. They offer SIM-only services at lower rates. Users tend to buy their own device outright, rather than through a carrier contract. This could hit Apple.
"There appear to be over 5 million MVNO subscribers, and they are likely to hold onto old phones longer. So there is a potential double whammy to Apple of handset share loss and longer upgrade cycles," UBS said.
Japan is a crucial market for Apple. In the U.S. technology giant's fiscal second quarter, it posted a 24 percent year-over-year rise in revenues while every other region saw declines. It is also the market in which it commands the highest margin on its iPhones.
Apple shares are down over 12 percent this year with investors fretting over growth in China as well as whether the upcoming iPhone 7 will be a hit. The company has tried to assuage fears by expanding its presence in other markets such as India and touting the success of its services such as Apple Music which analysts see as key to its future revenue growth.
Wileyfox, a British smartphone maker, has released its latest device an 89.99 ($120) phone it hopes will beat the big players on price and value.
The Wileyfox Spark is a 5 inch Android device with an 8 megapixel front and rear camera that is sold out of contract. Wileyfox is hoping to take advantage of the trend of people wanting to buy low-price high-spec smartphones without being locked into long contracts.
The opportunity we saw was that everywhere we looked devices were all really expensive or really poor. Everything seemed to be connected to carrier propositions. Within that, nothing seemed like particularly good value," Nick Muir, chief executive of Wileyfox, told CNBC by phone on Tuesday.
"What we tried to address is to go to a Chinese manufacturing model and secure bestselling and best in class components and sandwich them together."
Muir said that the phones are making money but would not reveal the margins, saying that it is "resolutely double-digit and strong", helped by the lean organization which has just 27 employees.
The Wileyfox Spark is the third device line after the Swift and Storm were launched last year by the young company.
Wileyfox is hoping that it will be able to push beyond its U.K. home market to other areas of Europe. It is already in major markets such as Germany, France and Spain, with Italy and Poland the next countries to follow.
"My personal view is the traditional carrier model is broken. The growth of the SIM free market and allowing consumers to cherry pick the best deals they can is incredibly useful and brings enormous value," Muir said.
Scaling
Wileyfox is a start-up though and faces big challenges in scaling and disrupting the entire market. It is however growing very quickly, albeit off a low base. Globally, shipments of its devices grew 111 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2016 to 57,000 units, according to data from IDC.
As it expands, Wileyfox will also come up against a number of competitors such as Xiaomi, Vivo or Oppo, all low-cost Chinese brands present in a number of markets where the company is looking to expand.
Still, Muir is confident that Wileyfox can scale and is on the hunt for investors to help make hat happen.
"We are a very cost effective organization, but in order to turbo charge the business and turn growth into triple-digit rather than double, we would welcome some new investment," Muir told CNBC, adding that the start-up would need around 25 million euros ($27.6 million) over the course of the next two years.
Justice never sleeps, even when the Supreme Court is down a member.
After the death of Antonin Scalia in February, commentators predicted that the remaining eight justices would be stymied by deadlock. Yet a review of more than 60 recent decisions shows that only a handful have resulted in ties.
Consider the math: When the Supreme Court has nine members, it hands down close-call votes of 5 to 4 about 20 percent of the time. So if a justice were randomly removed, then a little more than half of those cases would be likely to end in stalemates.
But that's not what is happening now or with previous even-numbered courts. Only about 5 percent of the cases decided by courts with an even number of justices since the 1940s have ended in ties, and today's court is close to that number at about 7 percent, according to CNBC's analysis. That's about half of what would be expected.
The evidence suggests that the remaining justices can adjust to avoid a 4-4 split decision, which can muddy the legal waters and is sometimes considered an embarrassment for the court. Justices can, for example, decide to compromise on narrower decisions that they all agree upon rather than fighting over broader issues.
Today's court is often described as being more ideologically divided than past courts, but in the face of an even number of seats it has still managed to return about the same percentage of tied cases as the earlier Rehnquist court.
The top official at Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE), which operates two locations in Central New York, is applauding the U.S. International Trade Commissions (ITC) decision on some foreign imports of steel.
The ITC has voted to place duties on foreign companies that were exporting unfairly subsidized and artificially cheap steel to the U.S., products that hurt domestic steelmakers, according to a Friday news release that the office of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) released.
The duties are on corrosion-resistant and cold-rolled steel.
The Democrats office called it unfair trade practices, noting the ITC vote places New York steelmakers and their workers on a level playing field.
These final determinations by the International Trade Commission confirm that the U.S. steel industry has suffered harmful effects from imports of dumped and subsidized corrosion-resistant steel, John Ferriola, chairman, president and CEO of Nucor Corporation, said Schumers news release. [The] decision and the [one last] week in two of the cold-rolled steel cases are important steps in returning fair trade to the U.S. flat rolled steel market. Our government is sending a clear message that all countries must play by the rules of international trade and will be held accountable for failure to do so.
Nucor Corporation is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company employs a total of 579 workers in New York, according to Schumers office. The locations include Nucor Steel Auburn Inc. in Auburn and Vulcraft of New York Inc. in Chemung, according to the Nucor website.
Nucors Auburn facility produces a range of carbon steel products including reinforcing bars and employs more than 310 people, the Democrats office said.
The unanimous ruling is great news for Nucor and other steelmakers, Schumer said. We could not afford to let our steel manufacturing base melt away because China refuses to play by the rules, Schumer said in the news release. Thats why I went to bat for our New York steel industry and pushed the ITC and the [U.S.] Department of Commerce to implement new duties to guard against this unfair foreign competition.
Schumers argument
A massive volume of Chinese steel has entered global markets, including the U.S., harming American steel producers and the communities that rely on these manufacturers, like those in Central New York where Nucor has two locations.
Schumers office cited the Washington, D.C.based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) as saying steel facilities averaged roughly 70 percent capacity utilization in 2015, which the AISI considers well below the levels necessary to generate a profit, invest in plant and equipment, or hire new workers.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that employment in the steel industry has declined by more than 12,000 jobs over the last 12 months for which data are available.
In 2015, imports of corrosion-resistant steel from China, India, Italy, Korea, and Taiwan were valued at an estimated $500.3 million, $219.6 million, $110 million, $509.1 million, and $534.4 million, respectively, according to Schumers office.
The duties put in place on this steel are as high as 450 percent for China; 34 percent for India; 92 percent for Italy; 47 percent for Korea; and 3.7 percent for Taiwan, it added.
Schumer explained that Chinas government, especially, is providing massive subsidies to its steel and aluminum sectors, which are primarily state-owned, in order to export high volumes of steel and aluminum.
These steel and aluminum products are sold at artificially low prices in the U.S. markets and foreign market where U.S. producers export, putting jobs at local companies at risk. In addition, Schumer urged the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Commerce to implement and enforce previous laws that he has already supported, like the Level The Playing Field Act, which strengthens Commerces ability to defend American workers and producers against predatory trade practices.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
MVCC President Randall VanWagoner, president of Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), speaks during Mondays announcement of the schools new degree program on small unmanned-aerial systems (sUAS), which are more commonly known as drones. Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente (left) and Lawrence Brinker (right), executive director & general counsel of Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) Alliance, listen to VanWagoners remarks. Photo credit: Mohawk Valley Community College.
UTICA, N.Y. Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) has added a new degree program focused on small unmanned-aerial systems (sUAS), or drones.
The school is offering the associate of applied science degree at its Utica campus beginning this fall.
The New York State Education Department approved the degree program on May 20, MVCC said in a news release issued Monday.
The curriculum offers students the chance to work as pilots, operators, and/or mission-team members of sUAS. It will also provide students to learn the operational and safety environments of the national airspace system.
Upon completion of this degree, graduates can pursue employment in multiple career fields, including real estate, agriculture, forestry and environmental research, photography and videography, law enforcement (search and rescue), disaster assessment, and geographic information systems.
MVCCs sUAS program will have flexible schedules, including day and night classes, online and classroom instruction, hands-on labs, and field experience.
The commercial potential for drones has only just begun to come into focus, MVCC contends. The school cites data from the Arlington, Virginiabased Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International which indicates the industry is expected to generate an additional 100,000 jobs and $82.1 billion in economic impact in the next decade.
The degree-program curriculum will have students learning to design and build sUAS, along with learning mission planning and operations, flight skills, and programming.
The instruction will also emphasize ethics, along with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and regulations, MVCC said.
Coursework will explore modeling and fabrication using MVCCs FABLab, drafting and design using AutoCAD, as well as electronics, mechanics, and software programming, the school added.
MVCC is launching this sUAS degree as it secures an FAA section 333 exemption to fly drones over educational institutions.
Under this exemption, MVCC faculty and staff will be able to fly drones for the purposes of conducting aerial photography, videography, inspections, surveying, closed set, motion-picture filming, and search and rescue operations.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
The $25 palladium bullion coin is mandated to bear on its obverse Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head dime obverse introduced in 1916 and Weinman's eagle reverse rendered for the American Institute of Architects gold medal first presented in 1907.
The U.S. Mint's design development team at the Philadelphia Mint is working hard toward executing a U.S. coin struck in palladium, but it's highly unlikely a coin will be produced dated 2016.
While the U.S. Mint's design development team at the Philadelphia Mint is feverishly working toward producing an American Eagle, High Relief 1-ounce $25 palladium bullion coin, it's highly unlikely the task can be executed for a coin dated 2016, U.S. Mint Acting Quality Manager Ronald J. Harrigal said June 27.
Harrigal was in Colorado Springs, Colo., to brief members of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee on the U.S. Mint's progress in the development of the palladium coin. The CCAC was meeting in Colorado in conjunction with the American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar.
Harrigal says the success of any palladium bullion coin is predicated on the Mint's ability to build a network of multiple vendors to supply sufficient quantities of planchets that meet Mint specifications.
Connect with Coin World:
"The supply chain is key," Harrigal said. The Mint is currently in the process of securing those vendors, he said.
Harrigal said specifications are currently being developed for blanks of sufficient dimensions to successfully render the mandated obverse and reverse designs in high relief. Although it is not yet pinpointed, Harrigal said, the diameter of the palladium coin will be between 32.7 millimeters, the diameter of the American Eagle 1-ounce gold $50 coin, and 38.1 millimeters, the diameter of commemorative silver dollars.
Harrigal disclosed that several years ago, the U.S. Mint secured some palladium blanks from Goldcorp, one of its suppliers for gold blanks for the American Eagle coins. The pieces were used to strike, in quarter dollar size diameter (24.3 millimeters), test pieces using Martha Washington "nonsense dies." The nonsense dies bear an obverse portrait of Martha Washington with nonsense inscriptions and various reverses the Mint uses for test strikes.
While the results looked promising, Harrigal said, the blanks then weren't produced to the Mint specifications currently being developed, Harrigal said.
Harrigal said U.S. Mint officials are consulting with officials at the Royal Canadian Mint who have experience with producing palladium coins. The RCM ceased regular production of a Maple Leaf palladium bullion coin because of the fluctuation in demand.
U.S. Mint officials also talked with potential palladium blank vendors earlier in 2016 at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Harrigal said.
How the palladium Eagle came to be
The palladium coin was originally authorized under provisions of the American Eagle Palladium Bullion Coin Act of 2010 pursuant to the outcome of a feasibility study, which was conducted in 2012. The study determined that a bullion coin would not be economically feasible except for the inaugural year, with more interest shown for a Proof or other collector version.
The palladium coin initiative was put on the back burner until Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., sponsored successful legislation signed into law in December by President Obama that tosses out the feasibility study, but leaves all other provisions of the 2010 act intact.
What will the the coin look like?
The initiative mandates the Mint produce the 1-ounce .9995 fine palladium coin at the West Point Mint, or if needed, at any of the three other U.S. Mint production facilities. The Proof or collector version is mandated to be struck only at the West Point facility with the W Mint mark. Harrigal said the finish on the Proof versions would have to change annually and be different than the previous year's issue, but the law does not preclude a finish being repeated. Finishes could include Reverse Proof finishes and other selective Proof polishing finishes, he said.
The bullion coin would exhibit a "wire brush" finish, Harrigal said.
The obverse design for the American Eagle palladium coin is to replicate sculptor Adolph A. Weinman's Winged Liberty Head introduce on the dime's obverse in 1916. The reverse is mandated to be the eagle design Weinman rendered in 1906 for the reverse of the American Institute of Architects' gold medal first presented in 1907.
Harrigal said the U.S. Mint received AIA approval earlier in 2016 to access the original 14-inch plaster model for the gold medal. Harrigal said the plaster and the reverse of a finished AIA gold medal are being digitally scanned in the development of dies for the palladium issue. The Mint already has digitized obverse details from the original dime models that were used when replicating the obverse for the 2016-W Winged Liberty Head, Centennial gold dime.
Among the difficulties in die and blank development will be the execution of the upsetting process to form a raised rim, as well as incorporating all of the mandated reverse inscriptions, which include the denomination, weight and metal fineness.
The AIA medal reverse design is similar to Weinman's eagle rendered for the Walking Liberty half dollar introduced in 1916.
The U.S. Mint is already conducting some test strikes using palladium blanks, Harrigal said, and is finding the metal not as difficult to strike as platinum. Quality control includes consideration of the metal's grain and surface hardness, among other factors, Harrigal said.
"This could be a fairly efficient program for us," Harrigal said.
Another factor the U.S. Mint will have to keep in mind is the highly reactive nature of palladium. The metal picks up contaminants quickly, Harrigal said, which is why it is often used in emission controls in automobile catalytic converters.
What is palladium?
Palladium is a precious metal that is labeled Pd on the periodic table of elements, where it has the atomic number 46.
While it's in the platinum family of metals, palladium is not in the same ballpark in terms of value.
According to Kitco, one ounce of palladium was valued at $588 at 4:59 p.m. ET on June 29, while platinum's spot price was $1,008 per ounce.
NYINC show must go on, but not at Waldorf after 2017
The New York International Numismatic Convention will have to move from its current home, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, because the hotel is being converted into luxury housing units.
The unofficial motto of Broadway the show must go on rings true for New York Citys premier international coin show.
Kevin Foley, bourse chairman of the New York International Numismatic Convention, confirms that the 2017 show will be held at the regularly scheduled time and place, the historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, from Jan. 6 to 15.
But the future of the hotel investors are closing it for three years beginning in spring 2017 to convert much of the space to private apartments means that show organizers will have to find a new location for the 2018 show.
The recently announced Waldorf renovation plans will have no effect on our 2017 NYINC auctions and bourse, Foley told Coin World in a statement June 27.
Connect with Coin World:
The hotel was sold about a year ago to Anbang Insurance Group Co., a company in China. Plans to gut 1,100 rooms for conversion into a smaller number of luxurious apartments were reported by Yahoo Finance on June 26.
When we learned of the sale of the Waldorf, now somewhat more than a year ago, in my role as NYINC Bourse Chairman I did conduct several site inspections of suitable alternate sites in New York City moving forward for 2018 and beyond, Foley said, in the statement.
We will now be carrying on more specific discussions with those sites and look forward to ensuring the future of the NYINC in Manhattan on a long term basis, the statement said.
The NYINC has had to move before
This is not the first time that show organizers have been forced to move the show location the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks obliterated the previous site, pushing what had been an early December show to the beginning of the new year. The show has been held at the Waldorf-Astoria every year from 2002 to the present, on the first full weekend in January.
The 2017 show is scheduled to be the 45th annual event. The show annually draws hundreds of collectors and dealers from around the world, for about nine days of auctions overlapping with three days of a bourse and educational seminars centered in the Waldorfs famous Starlight Roof ballroom but filling the remainder of the 18th floor.
For more information about the show, visit the show website.
Eli Drinkwitz revealed the condition that's sidelined Chance Luper
Drinkwtz said that Luper is currently on blood thinners and that he will be reevaluated in three months. He will miss the rest of the regular season.
Best of Business 2022: Learn Who Won Our 15th Annual Reader Poll
Local professionals chose their favorite business and professional services, products, healthcare, dining and more. Find out who their top picks are.
June 21, 2016 Machinist Adam Hollingsworth creates a medical device on a five-axis machine on the manufacturing floor at Titan Medical in Bartlett. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)
SHARE June 21, 2016 Robert Kenyon is the CEO of Titan Medical, a multi-million dollar medical device manufacturing company located in Bartlett. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)
By Sydney Neely, sydney.neely@commercialappeal.com
Lots of Memphis entrepreneurs have surpassed $15 million in annual sales, but few have done so as fast as Robert Kenyon.
A machinist by trade, Kenyon has guided medical device maker Titan Medical Manufacturing over the $15 million level and is closing in on $20 million all within seven years
Originally located on Memphis' east side in a 12,000 square-foot facility, the company moved in 2014 to Bartlett, locating in a 51,640-square-foot plant big enough to contain more production machinery
"I believe this was the catalyst which gave us momentum to move forward at a rapid pace," Kenyon said.
During the relocation, three large contracts came in allowing the firm to make use of new Five Axis Mills and Swiss Screw Machines that they were not able to have before due to space restrictions.
Kenyon also credits the success of the company to his employees and customers.
"Our success as a company is because we have the right people at the right places to work together as a team," Kenyon said. "That's how we win."
Titan has seen a rapid growth in staff. In 2014, Titan Medical had 42 employees, compared to 68 this year in areas including machining, finishing, inspection, packaging and shipping. Most employees are hired from local technical schools and provided on-the-job training.
"We want to build a strong company and in doing that you employ more people," Kenyon said. "It's for the betterment of the community."
Before founding Titan, Kenyon joined a group of local business people in 2003 to create Engineered Medical Systems, one of Bartlett's largest medical device manufacturing employers. He sold his part of the business in 2007 and founded Titan Medical Manufacturing in 2009.
Titan, he said, has exceeded what he wanted when he started. His original plan was to open a small shop so that it would be more manageable.
Titan counts about 20 customers including Memphis-area medical device makers Medtronic, NuVasive, Smith & Nephew and Wright Medical. The firm also has an international connection, shipping to a branch of Smith & Nephew in Switzerland.
As a teenager, Kenyon never imagined he would head a multimillion dollar medical device manufacturing company.
He grew up on a farm, eventually went to high school in Jackson, Tennessee, liked math and science and fell in love with machining through the school's six-week vocational program.
"It was just fascinating," Kenyon said.
In 1977, Kenyon began his career as a machinist for a defense contractor near Dallas. Over the years different Texas and Tennessee job shops employed him, but he wasn't introduced to the medical device industry until 1995 when he took a job with Premier Tool in Bartlett. Starting as a machinist he became general manager within three years.
"It's a labor of love," Kenyon said. "I don't think many people get to do what they love for a living, but I do."
Kenyon was recognized by the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce in June as the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year.
His focus now, he said: Growing Titan sales to $25 million.
Screenshot from launchmycareertn.org
SHARE
By Sydney Neely, The Commercial Appeal
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation launched Launch My Career TN to help high school students and adults returning to school find the right college program for in-demand jobs.
Tennessee is among the first states in the country to offer the tool.
The Greater Memphis Chamber is one of six Tennessee chambers to receive a grant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to promote LaunchMyCareerTN.org.
Launch My Career TN is funded by College Value grants totaling $3.5 million from the non-profit USA Funds.
A stained glass window inside Memphis' Mason Temple.
Mason Temple is a national treasure, a monument to the 20th Century's religious, cultural and political history.
Should President Obama or Congress make it official by declaring it a national monument?
Church and city officials are talking to the National Park Service about whether and how to try to make that happen.
My Memphis heart says go for it. My American head says hold on.
I think it would be great for Memphis and for the site itself.
Mason Temple once was the center of the Pentecostal universe, the Holy Sepulchre of the Memphis-based Church of God in Christ.
But since COGIC moved its annual convocation to St. Louis six years ago, the 70-year-old landmark is locked and empty most of the time.
Turning Mason Temple into an official national monument would draw more tourists to town. It also would allow the building to be managed and preserved by the National Park Service.
Those are the people we pay to manage and interpret every national treasure from the Lincoln Memorial to the Grand Canyon. They seem to know what they're doing.
Mason Temple certainly is a national treasure.
It's the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s final "Mountaintop" speech and it gave civil rights leaders space to meet, organize and rally.
It's the final resting place of Bishop C.H. Mason, one of the most important religious figures in American history.
When it opened in the 1940s, it was the largest African-American church building in the world.
It's also a working however infrequently religious institution.
COGIC's presiding bishop lives in Los Angeles, but Mason Temple is still the denomination's official headquarters.
Bishops and General Assembly delegates hold their annual spring meeting there every April. The temple occasionally hosts services and other events.
Should the federal government own or manage an active religious site? It already does.
The San Antonio Missions National Historic Park is owned and managed jointly by the park service and the local Catholic diocese. The four old missions in the park are working parishes staffed by priests.
"It's a complicated relationship, but the fact that there are still worship services and church events on the grounds actually helps the park service interpret the historic significance and continuity of the site," said Dr. Tom Bremer, a religion professor at Rhodes College.
Bremer literally wrote the book on the subject. It's called "Blessed with Tourists: The Borderlands of Religion and Tourism in San Antonio."
"As long as you have clear church-state borders, this would be a real opportunity for COGIC and for the National Park Service to interpret and preserve Pentecostal and African-American religious history."
There might be a less entangling option to help preserve the temple.
The Washington National Cathedral operates as an Episcopal parish. Like Mason Temple, it's on the National Register of Historic Places, but it's not an official national monument.
The cathedral, however, has been a recipient of the Federal Save America's Treasures Grants, administered by the National Park Service. Unfortunately, that grant program is not currently funded.
Creating the Mason Temple National Monument would take an act of Congress or a presidential proclamation.
President Obama hasn't been shy about using his authority to designate national monuments.
Last week, he turned eight acres in New York City into the Stonewall National Monument. That includes the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar and site of the 1969 Stonewall uprising that launched the gay rights movement.
Earlier this year, Obama created the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, a building that has been central to the women's rights movement.
Obama has designated other monuments to recognize Latino, African American and Japanese American history, but none were religious in nature.
"I believe our national parks should reflect the full story of our country," Obama said in his radio address earlier this month, "the richness and diversity and uniquely American spirit that has always defined us."
Mason Temple and its interracial Pentecostal history reflects our rich, diverse and uniquely American spirit.
It's also a church of the Holy Spirit.
Would tourists be allowed to attend church events? Would the church be allowed to close the site during those events? How would the park service keep tax dollars from finding their way into the church service?
It could get monumentally complicated.
Mason Temple clearly is a national monument. Should the government make it official?
Contact columnist David Waters at waters@commercialappeal.com.
Special report: TVA has reduced emissions. So why does it lag on solar?
By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal
Joe Brown, the former TV court and criminal court judge who ran for Shelby County District Attorney General, is unable to practice law in Tennessee after the state Supreme Court placed him on disability inactive status.
Disability inactive status designates that a lawyer is temporarily disabled and incapacitated from practicing law. Lawyers can resume practice when they prove to the state Supreme Court that the disability has been removed.
"Judge Brown is suffering from what hopefully will prove to be a temporary disability as a result of complications following from Type II Diabetes and the effects of prescribed medication for the condition combined with hypertension and stress," according to a statement by production company Celebritunity . "Judge Brown urges others to preserve their health by having regular check-ups, following their doctor's instructions, dieting properly and exercising regularly. He also wishes to thank his friends and fans for their expressions of concern and support."
Brown had a petition for discipline pending against him from October 2015. The petition has been suspended indefinitely until he can be removed from inactive status. The petition stemmed from an outburst in Shelby County Juvenile Court during his run for district attorney general in 2014.
If a lawyer cannot successfully defend himself because of a disability, the proceeding cannot continue, said Sandy Garrett, chief disciplinary counsel of the Board of Professional Responsibility.
"He brought it to our attention," Garrett said.
In an order transferring him to disability status, the court wrote that documentation from Brown's medical care provider was duly considered.
Supreme Court rules keep documents other than the order transferring Brown to disability inactive status confidential.
A confidential assistance program is available for lawyers, judges and law students for help with a range of issues.
"Many times the issues are self-reported by the attorney, who asks for the assistance of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program," said Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft who works with the TLAP in helping lawyers in need. "We want to encourage attorneys who are having a difficulty to self-report and get help."
March 24, 2016 - The Hickory Hill Funeral Home at 5270 Knight Arnold Road had no utilities or licensed personnel present according to Memphis Police Department spokesman Louis Brownlee after police were called to the location. (Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)
By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal
Hickory Hill Funeral Home has been ordered to pay a woman $100,000 for using her embalmer's license without her knowledge or consent, according to a judgement handed down in Shelby County Circuit Court last week.
Ternisha Thompson interviewed with Dwight Crayton for a position at the funeral home in November 2014, according to the judgement. She was told to bring her embalmer's license, and Crayton told her during the interview she got the job and would be contacted later by the funeral home about a start date.
No one from Hickory Hill followed up with Thompson, the judgement said.
When Thompson tried to pursue other opportunities, she learned from a separate employee in the funeral industry that she was already employed by Hickory Hill.
On June 15, 2015, Thompson asked a friend to call the funeral home and ask whoever answered if she was employed there. An employee answered and said yes, the judgement said. When the friend hung up, the funeral home called her back and Crayton said Thompson was no longer employed there.
Thompson called the State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers the next day and filed a complaint.
Thompson also contacted the Shelby County Health Department to request any death certificates with her license number attached to them; the board and health department found 91 certificates, according to the judgement.
In September 2015, Thompson filed a complaint alleging fraud, conversion, unjust enrichment and numerous violations of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. The funeral home never responded, the judgement said.
On June 24, Hickory Hill Funeral Home was found guilty of fraud and unjust enrichment and ordered to pay Thompson $100,000 and $33,333.33 in attorney fees.
Details on who will pay the fee and when are still unclear.
"There are additional steps that have to be taken in order to collect against the judgement," said Laura Bailey, Thompson's attorney with the Crone Law Firm. "The judgement is only against the entity itself."
The funeral home was involved in a separate investigation earlier this year when an inspector found two bodies in the business with no working power. Police were informed in March by two former Hickory Hill employees who said the remains of two people were inside the funeral home for an extended amount of time after the funeral home shut down.
SHARE
By Jody Callahan, callahan@commercialappeal.com
Memphis police have identified a woman shot to death in a car last Friday as Tammara Wright, 36.
Wright was found around 10:50 p.m. at a home in the 600 block of Bonwood in Southwest Memphis. She was the passenger in a Chevrolet Tahoe that was parked in the driveway.
Someone fired multiple shots at the vehicle, striking Wright. She was taken to the Regional Medical Center in critical condition, but did not survive.
Police have made no arrests yet.
SHARE
By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal
Memphis police are searching for a suspect accused of kidnapping a woman who said she escaped after jumping from a van along Interstate 55 over the weekend.
Police responded to the kidnapping/abduction call at 5:46 a.m. Sunday at I-55 and E.H. Crump.
Officer found the victim on the I-55 north ramp surrounded by motorists.
The victim told police that she was walking home and talking on her phone at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Hollywood when a man approached her in a silver van.
She said the man flirted with her, but when she refused his advances the man got out of the van and grabbed her.
The woman told officers that the suspect had a knife and threatened her as he forced her into the van.
The victim said she still had her phone and blue tooth headset that the suspect threw out the van's window.
She told officers that as the van headed onto I-55 near E.H. Crump that she jumped from the van.
She said that the suspect chased her, but when a trucker yelled at him to leave her alone, the suspect fled in the van.
The woman then flagged down motorists for help. She was taken to Methodist University in noncritical condition.
SHARE
By Linda A. Moore of The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Memphis and the International Association of Chiefs of Police based on both entities refusing to provide documents pertaining to the city's search for a new police director.
The newspaper asked the Shelby County Chancery Court to order the city to release the records in question contending the documents are public and to review the actions of the city and the IACP in denying the newspaper access to the records.
"Transparency in government can be inconvenient and uncomfortable sometimes. But it's hard to imagine anyone applying for police director, arguably the most important job in city government, could reasonably expect confidentiality. We believe state law gives us the right to know who has applied. That's all we're asking,"said Louis Graham, the newspaper's editor and a petitioner in the case.
The city's chief legal officer, Bruce McMullen, released a statement Tuesday evening saying the city does not have access to the full list of candidates.
"Although I have not seen a copy of the lawsuit in that the City has not been served, I have been in discussions with the Commercial Appeal's attorney about the request," McMullen wrote. "The City does not have possession of, access to, or control of, the information sought by the Commercial Appeal. We contracted with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to provide the City with a short list of 5 to 6 highly qualified candidates for the position of Police Director. We do not have, nor does our contract entitle us to, IACP's data bank of potential candidates or persons who have shown some interest in the position. Once the list of 5 to 6 potential candidates has been received by the Mayor, those names will be made available to the public and the media."
While the IACP is a third party, it was hired by the city and the documents generated by the search are government records, said Lucian Pera, the newspaper's outside counsel.
"The city would have presumably have done this itself. Frankly, it's hard to think of what is a more governmental function than searching for and hiring a new director for your police department," Pera said.
Interim Police Director Mike Rallings has acknowledged he has applied for the post the only applicant made public so far.
The city hired the Alexandria, Virginia-based IACP for $40,000 to conduct a national search for the new police director, a job which pays $150,000, but could increase, based on experience, to between $190,577 and $247,750 annually.
Ryan Poe, the newspaper's city government reporter, requested from both the city and IACP copies of all applications for the position but was informed by Ursula Madden, the city's chief communications officer, that those documents were not in the city's "possession" and the city would "not be giving them out for media to review."
His request to IACP was ignored.
"These refusals were made in blatant disregard of decades of settled Tennessee law and in disregard for the most basic notions of accountability of public servants," the lawsuit states.
Tennessee's public records act states that "all records, employment applications, credentials and similar documents obtained by any person in conjunction with an employment search for a director of schools or any chief public administrative officer" must be made available for public inspection.
In May, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III issued an opinion that records obtained by a third party in conjunction with the employment search of a director of schools were public records and subject to inspection under state law.
The public has a legitimate interest in who is selected as the next police director and how that selection process occurs, said Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
"I know of no exception that allows the city to keep confidential applications for the police director job. And if they hadn't hired an outside group to do the search, they would be doing the search themselves," Fisher said. "And I do know that you can't get around the public records law by simply outsourcing the function to someone else."
By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal
Tennessee Democratic Party chairwoman Mary Mancini issued an ultimatum Friday to the Shelby County Democratic Party: Forget bringing criminal charges against former chairman Bryan Carson and agree to a settlement with him or else.
At Mancini's direction, SCDP chairman Michael Pope then signed a $6,000 settlement with Carson, who was accused by the SCDP executive committee in a June 2 resolution of embezzling more than $25,000. Carson said Tuesday he already made his first $100 payment.
"Hopefully this directive will settle everything," said Carson, who denies the accusations but acknowledges he should have kept better records of expenses. He said the embezzling accusations were the result of "malicious underlings" within the party.
But signing the settlement was a controversial move that will likely be opposed at the SCDP executive committee meeting July 7, although whether the committee can nullify the settlement is a disputed point between the party's factions.
"They don't have the authority to do that," Del Gill, an executive committee member who supports legal action, said of Mancini's directive.
"So, she can go to hell," he added.
In her letter, Mancini said the party's bylaws and state law gave her authority to issue the ultimatum, but she didn't cite specific provisions.
Mancini wrote that pursuing criminal charges would send the party "down a path of further deterioration" at a time of internal "dysfunction" and following a $10,000 penalty June 8 for a late campaign finance filing. She also implied the state party could take action if a settlement wasn't signed by July 1.
"With a looming election that is shaping up to be of monumental importance for our state and our country, and for the health of your organization and executive committee, it is my responsibility to inform you that you must agree to the arrangement that Mr. Carson pay the amount of $6,000 at $100 per month for five years and be released from any additional claims and that Chairman (Michael) Pope must sign all the necessary paperwork to honor that agreement or you will no longer be in compliance with your charter issued by the Tennessee Democratic Party," Mancini wrote.
Gill said he filed a criminal complaint with the Memphis Police Department on June 16, and doesn't plan to drop the complaint whatever Mancini says. The investigation is still in its infancy, he added.
He also said he thinks there are enough votes on the committee to reverse the settlement.
"They're playing with pure fire, and it won't work," he said. "She's not going to win."
Both Carson and his mother, Gale Jones Carson, are members of the state party's 71-member executive committee, which Gill said makes him question whether they were pulling strings behind the scenes.
"It appears the relationship between the Mancinis and the Carsons is way too close for comfort," he said.
Carson said she didn't ask Mancini to intervene.
"I have not asked anyone to do anything," she said.
The Commercial Appeal files This was the scene as seen from above at the Shelby County International Raceway on June 29, 1969, as Roger McCluskey won the Memphis 200 and the $2,300 first prize before 13,453 fans. A.J. Foyt finished second.
SHARE
June 28
25 years ago: 1991
WASHINGTON Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announced his retirement Thursday after 24 years as a staunch court liberal. The resignation of the 82-year-old justice, the only black to ever serve on the court, will take effect when a successor is confirmed by the Senate. He cited health and age as reasons for retiring. It gives President Bush his second appointment to the court and will leave it with only one member, Justice Byron White, who was named by a Democratic president.
50 years ago: 1966
The movement to improve the form of city government in Memphis received new thrust last night when the membership of Program of Progress voted, 234-5, to approve the draft of a mayor-council charter. Downing Pryor, Progress chairman who has steered the six-month effort to replace the city's 1909 commission charter, said the document will be submitted to the City Commission within a week for placement on the November ballot.
75 years ago: 1941
The volunteer worker of the Memphis chapter of the American Red Cross received her due homage yesterday when the chapter was host at a luncheon at the Peabody to some 250 of these women who devote much time each year to answering the needs of the national organization.
100 years ago: 1916
New orders were received yesterday by Lt. Albert Moore, in charge of recruiting at the Memphis armory, authorizing him to enlist all boys between the ages of 18 and 21 years, regardless of whether or not they have their parents' consent.
125 years ago: 1891
For the first time in the history of this country we are to have a series of naval maneuvers involving the problems of actual warfare as presented in the attack of one of our great maritime ports by a foreign naval force.
June 28, 2016 - Kristy Ford (from left), with Bartlett City Schools, Dr. Jerri Jackson, with Millington Municipal Schools, Dr. Deanna McClendon, with Shelby County Schools, and Katie McPherson, with Achievement School District, participate in a panel discussion during the Shelby County Pre-K Summit at the Kroc Center on Tuesday. Roughly 60 people attended the summit to discuss the state of Pre-K education in Shelby County. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)
SHARE June 28, 2016 Kristy Ford (from left), with Bartlett City Schools, Dr. Jerri Jackson, with Millington Municipal Schools, Dr. Deanna McClendon, with Shelby County Schools, and Katie McPherson, with Achievement School District, participate in a panel discussion during the Shelby County Pre-K Summit at the Kroc Center on Tuesday. Roughly 60 people attended the summit to discuss the state of Pre-K education in Shelby County. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal) June 28, 2016 State senator Lee Harris listens during the Shelby County Pre-K Summit at the Kroc Center on Tuesday. (Mike Brown/The Commercial Appeal)
By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal
A year after the implementation of a federal grant, government and educational leaders from across Shelby County converged at the Kroc Center Tuesday morning to discuss the state of preschool programs in four districts.
"Prekindergarten is vital for students to be prepared for kindergarten and on track for success," Daphanie Swift, early childhood director of PeopleFirst Partnership, said in a statement.
In 2014, Tennessee was awarded funds from the Federal Preschool Development Grant. The roughly $70 million was split between Nashville and Memphis to be dispersed over a four-year period, said Connie Casha, director of early childhood programs with the Tennessee Department of Education.
There are 14,000 4-year-olds in Shelby County and 10,000 qualify for the free preschool programs because their parents cannot not afford to pay for one, said Lora Jobe, executive director of PeopleFirst Partnership. With the expansion grant and help from the Shelby County government, just 2,000 remain unserved, Jobe said.
"So while that's a lot, you can see that we've made progress and it's a number that's doable."
The grant supplied about $8 million to the county for the 2015-16 school year, which allowed for 27 additional pre-K classrooms and hundreds of new seats in four districts: Shelby County Schools, the state-run Achievement School District, Bartlett City Schools, and Millington Municipal Schools.
Those four districts comprise the Shelby County Consortium, which received approximately $32 million of the grant in total, Casha said. Next year the consortium will add 12 more classrooms.
Jerri Jackson, special services supervisor with MMS, said the classrooms allow her district to prepare more students to function in an academic environment.
"If you came into our pre-K classrooms you would see discovery learning. It's beautiful," Jackson said. "The children are introduced to structure starting off, because they're on a schedule."
Consortium leaders also expressed the importance of hearing, speech and vision screenings for preschoolers and their families.
"Comprehensive services really make sure that we build not only an excellent foundation academically and socially and emotionally with the student, but then we're also building that strong foundation with those families," said DeAnna McClendon, SCS executive director of early childhood programs.
In September, the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University released a controversial report that stated students in economically disadvantaged areas in Tennessee see significant gains in prekindergarten classrooms, but quickly lose that growth in the proceeding grades.
"We may need to re-look at the focus of what we're doing in pre-K and be very careful of making it just another grade level below kindergarten, because that may not be appropriate for 4-year-olds," said Dale Farran, senior associate director of the institute. "Children are learning to do school, but that doesn't mean they're learning to learn that sustains them in the long run."
Farran suggested educators engage students in critical thinking and discussion with small group instruction. She added that kids need to spend time outside on the playground for a well-rounded educational experience.
"Early childhood is a time of wonderment and joy, not only for the children but it should be for the adults in their lives as well," Casha said.
SHARE
By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal
Linda Kerley, the first woman mayor of Collierville, died of cancer in 2013 at age 65. Now the town will remember her by renaming the College Street Recreation Center in her honor.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen formally approved the name change Monday evening, and for some people in the room, the emotions were strong. Billy Patton said he wanted to let fellow alderman Maureen Fraser make the motion, because she had been close to Kerley.
As Fraser formally presented the call for the name change, her voice broke. "Linda's the one who got me into this. God love her," she said. The board quickly approved the proposal to rename the recreation center as "The Kerley Center." The small audience at Town Hall applauded.
Kerley, a former PTA mom, was first elected as a town alderman in 1995, having lived in the town about six years. Then in 1999, she ran for mayor and won. She was re-elected in 2003 to a term that would last until 2008.
Kerley announced in 2008 that she wasn't running for re-election, largely for financial reasons. The mayor's job at the time paid only $15,000 per year, and she and her husband, both real estate agents, had been hit by the slowdown in home sales. She said she needed to leave government and try to earn more money.
After leaving office, Kerley also served on the charter commission that considered merging Memphis and Shelby County governments.
Friends were happy to see the building named after her.
"I'm thrilled. I think they did the right thing and I think Linda would be so proud," said Becky Huelsing, who along with her husband Chris had advocated for creating a memorial to Kerley in Collierville.
The Huelsings, both age 56, had been close friends with Linda Kerley and her husband and had worked on all of her campaigns.
Chris Huelsing expressed thanks to all the town officials who had helped with the honor, and echoed one of Kerley's favorite expressions: "It proves a bad day in Collierville is better than a good day anywhere else."
SHARE
By Adam Taylor
Are regretful Brexit voters now saying, "Whoops?"
If you've been reading about Britain's vote to leave the European Union over the past few days, you may be reaching that conclusion. There seem to be plenty of pro-Brexit voters who now feel they've made a terrible mistake.
"I wish we had the opportunity to vote again," one anti-EU. voter told ITV news. "I didn't think my vote was going to matter too much because I thought we were just going to remain," another told the BBC.
One man who spoke to The Washington Post even said he'd signed a petition for a new referendum just a few hours after he voted to leave the EU.
"I was swayed by the rhetorics," Antony Kerin explained of his original vote. "If I had thought this through, I would have voted to stay in. I would certainly do so now."
Such stories have quickly become viral hits among online readers. In the spirit of Brexit, these attitudes even have their own media-friendly nickname: Bregret or Regrexit. They seem to confirm many anguished "remain" voters' belief that the Brexit campaign was based on lies and fear-mongering. It provides hope that perhaps a second referendum would not only set Britain back on track, but also be the morally justifiable thing to do.
Unfortunately for those people, the data we have on Bregretters is not convincing.
Although there is no shortage of "leave" voters expressing regret to journalists, more than 17 million Britons voted to leave the EU. A few dozen heck, even a few thousand regretful "leave" voters are not statistically significant: The difference between the "remain" and "leave" camps was more than 1 million. At best, what we have right now are individual anecdotes. What we'd need to get an accurate picture of Bregret is really representative data from polling companies.
We should soon have that. A number of polling companies are working on post-vote surveys that ask "leave" voters how they feel about the result. At the time of writing, it appears that only one company, Survation, has published anything like this. In a post-referendum poll conducted Thursday and Friday, Survation asked "leave" voters whether they regretted their vote. About 7.1 percent came out as Bregretters. That number isn't totally insignificant, but it isn't a game-changer: 4.4 percent of "remain" voters also said they wished they had changed their vote.
Of course, there will be plenty of hand-wringing about whether such a poll could really be accurate. Britain's pollsters have been notoriously inaccurate over the past few years, and only a few had correctly guessed the scale of Thursday's "leave" vote before the referendum. Polling experts might also take some issue with the fact that the Survation poll was an opt-in one rather than based on a probability sample (Chris Hopkins of Survation says his company could feasibly recontact a large number of people who had indicated prior to the election that they would "leave" for a more vigorous poll, though it has no immediate plans to).
But whatever you think about the limitations of polls, they provide a better snapshot of a country than a random interview with a journalist.
For a long time, many involved in British opinion polls have pointed to the "shy Tory factor" that is, the tendency of right-wing voters to not declare their true voting intentions to pollsters. Some have reasoned that this is because right-wing voters can be slightly ashamed to publicly reveal how they voted. It's not hard to imagine that some "leave" voters, faced with a global media that deems their decision unimaginable and foolish, might tell a reporter that they regret their vote. Some of those people may well mean it, some may not.
Extrapolating any further right now would be foolish and may well betray an "elite" condescension that many Brexit supporters have already complained of.
Adam Taylor is a foreign affairs reporter for the Washington Post.
The recent referendum campaign in the UK reminded me of a familiar refrain thrown at data analysts like myself: lies, damn lies, and statistics.
The modern take, as seen in the campaign, was led by Leave campaigner Michael Gove whose main response to expert economic arguments was people in this country have had enough of experts.
The Leave campaign did not debate maturely with data-driven opinions. Instead of debating the economic opinions of the IMF, the Bank of England, and many other independent organizations, they were dismissed without constructive debate.
The Remain campaign was not guilt-free, either. Treasury predictions focused on the worst-case scenarios as fact, rather than emphasizing the range of possible outcomes.
Many people did engage with and debate the campaigns use of data. The central Leave claim of 350m being sent each week to the EU was roundly debated and dissected by multiple organizations. The data-informed rebuttals came from many areas, such as a UK Commons Committee made up of pro-Remain and pro-Leave politicians, by the UK Statistics Authority and independent fact checking organizations such as FullFact. These level-headed responses were brushed aside.
How can we, in our businesses, rise above the problems of the UKs referendum and instead focus on sharing the multiple truths in data? Are your employees able to communicate multiple opinions, based on the multiple truths in a dataset?
We need to move beyond lies, damn lies and statistics and instead embrace a new refrain. Data is a language, said Kim Rees, co-founder of Periscopic, on the PolicyViz podcast recently. Its a means to convey an opinion, an argument.
Data can tell multiple stories
Lets look at some data and see how easy it is to convey different, valid opinions.
Iraqs Bloody Toll appeared in the South China Morning Post in late 2011, designed by Simon Scarr. It shows the number of deaths per month in Iraq from 2003 until the beginning of the US withdrawal of troops at the end of 2011.
What visual metaphor is this chart creating, and how does that control how you read it?
Simon Scarr, South China Morning Post "Iraq's Bloody Toll," a visualization designed by Simon Scarr appearing in the South China Morning Post in 2011
Three simple choices create the strong emotive message: title, color and orientation of the bars.
The title tells you how to read the chart. Just three words -- Iraqs Bloody Toll -- establish the authors agenda. Second, the bars point downward. Finally, they are red. What do you see? A smear of blood, dripping down the screen or page.
This isnt deception; its design put to great effect. This piece of work rightly won silver at Malofiej, an annual infographics awards conference, in 2012.
How easy, then, is it to control the message of this chart only by changing those three decisions Simon made? Lets point the bars upward and change the color:
Now look again at the pattern of deaths over time. Sure, the total death count is a terrible tragedy, but when the bars point upward, the picture begins to look a little more optimistic.
After the initial combat phase in 2003, deaths dropped. By 2006 and 2007, sectarian violence was ripping Iraq apart. After that, however, deaths again began to drop. In fact, there are fewer monthly deaths at the end of 2011 than at any period since the start. Now, instead of Iraqs Bloody Toll we could legitimately call it Iraq: Deaths on the Decline.
Title, orientation and color -- those are the only three differences between the two versions of the chart, and yet their messages are totally different. Think about the implication for the charts you see and the charts you read.
Neither of those charts is lying. The opinionated nature of charts should be acknowledged and embraced. We should include opinionated charts in our daily discourse.
The drama of climate change
A second example is Bloombergs monthly temperature chart. (While the chart is shown below, you have to go to the actual site to see its powerful animation -- I highly recommend you check it out.) This chart uses animation to create suspense and a sense of anticipation -- or even dread -- as you watch each years average temperatures rise and rise, and rise.
Bloomberg An interpretation of temperatures in the year 2014 from Bloomberg.
The animation enhances the impact. If the line had been drawn as one long line chart over 100 years, the slope would have been seen to be going up, but its the animation that adds drama, and suspense.
The animation creates a narrative. Its not lying.
Both of these examples use valid visualization techniques to convey powerful messages. Any dataset can tell many different legitimate stories. A single truth does not exist in any dataset; there are many truths that can be communicated. These are controlled by the author and by how they use visualization building blocks to create a persuasive and powerful piece.
We dont expect newspaper opinion pieces to be neutral, so why do we expect the same of data? Let our data express opinions and viewpoint. Then lets have mature conversations about the data, not dangerous dismissals.
If you foster a culture of data discussions, you will empower people to find new perspectives instead of relying on the same dead-end dashboards that never change. My interpretation of the data might not agree with yours, and thats ok. This isnt lying with statistics; its having a data-driven conversation.
Apparently our politicians have forgotten this, but you dont need to let this happen in your organization.
The World Economic Forum has put together a list of the top 10 emerging technologies that will change our lives. The list includes nanosensors that will circulate through the human body, a battery that will be able to power an entire town and socially aware artificial intelligence that will track our finances and health.
These are not far-flung visions, according to the forum. They are technologies that are on the cusp of having a meaningful impact.
Horizon scanning for emerging technologies is crucial to staying abreast of developments that can radically transform our world, enabling timely expert analysis in preparation for these disruptors, said Bernard Meyerson, chairman of the World Economic Forum council that compiled the list of the top 10 emerging technologies in 2016. The global community needs to come together and agree on common principles if our society is to reap the benefits and hedge the risks of these technologies," he said.
The World Economic Forum is a Switzerland-based nonprofit that focuses on improving the state of the world through public and private cooperation.
Meyerson, who also is the chief innovation officer at IBM, said in a statement that one of the key criteria for a technology to be picked for the top 10 list for this year is that it must be at a tipping point in its deployment.
Some of the technologies, such as autonomous cars, have been under development for some time and are now at a point where their impact can be meaningfully felt.
Here's the forums top 10 list for 2016:
1. Nanosensors and the Internet of Nanothings
The forum anticipates that with the Internet of Things expected to reach 30 billion connected devices by 2020, IoT will be one of the most exciting areas of technology. The report notes that nanosensors likely will be found working in everything from the human body to walls and furniture, and will be used in industries including architecture, agriculture, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
2. Next-generation batteries
This technology could hold the key to greatly advancing renewable energy, according to the report. By using sodium, aluminum and zinc-based batteries, along with advanced energy storage solutions, could enable mini-grids to provide clean energy for an entire village or small town.
3. Blockchain
This technology serves as a public ledger of all Bitcoin transactions ever carried out. Listed in chronological order, the ledger has the potential to fundamentally change the way markets and governments work, the forum reported. The project received $1 billion in investments last year alone.
4. 2D materials
While 3D printing is receiving a great deal of attention, the forum contends that single-atom layer materials, such as graphene, can be used in products like air and water filters, wearables and batteries.
5. Autonomous vehicles
With Google leading the charge in developing and road-testing driverless vehicles, there has been an increasing level of interest in the technology to one day soon drive the elderly. The forum also cited the technology's potential for saving lives, curbing pollution and improving economies.
Google Google's autonomous car.
6. Organs on chips
Researchers have developed models of human organs "the size of a memory stick," and the work could revolutionize medical research and drug discovery, according to the forum. The miniature organs could be used to study biological behaviors in ways that have not previously been possible.
7. Perovskite solar cells
Perovskite materials -- minerals and ceramics with a specific crystal structure -- have major advantages over traditional silicon solar cells. These materials, according to the report, are easier to produce and generate power more efficiently. Those are all big pluses for an industry trying to produce renewable, clean energy.
8. Open A.I. ecosystem
Huge amounts of available data, combined with the latest algorithms for social awareness and natural language processing, will mean the development of smart digital assistants that can help users track their finances and health.
9. Optogenetics
Optogenetics is the ability to use light to control cells in living tissue. The report notes that scientists have been using light and color to interact with neurons in the brain. However, recent advancements are delivering the communicating light deeper into living brain tissue, which could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.
10. Systems metabolic engineering
With the environmental problems and limited resources of fossil fuels, scientists have been working to create fuels, chemicals and materials from renewable resources, like plants. The forum contends that by using plants, these products can be made less expensively and more easily.
While industry analysts will quibble over specific items on the list, most called it a comprehensive group of leading emerging technologies.
Its anyones guess as to which technologies will prove to be game changers in the future, said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. Plus there are a hell of a lot of significant new technologies that are still under the radar. That said, I think the World Economic Forum did a pretty good job of winnowing their list of top technologies to just 10.
Olds also questioned whether a technology like organs on a chip is close enough to be considered at a tipping point.
I might argue that a couple of their choices, like organs on a chip, are still quite a bit out there, while other technologies like self-driving cars, are a lot closer to providing benefits, he said. The list is also, by necessity, general, because theyre talking about areas of research and advances rather than specific breakthrough products. With this in mind, I cant see anything big that they left off the list.
Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst, called the list interesting, but questioned how soon the technologies could be applied in the real world.
Whether any of these will be leading technologies going forward is the real question, he said. I would say many, if not most of these ideas will continue to be in the developmental stages at best, for the next several years Bottom line, the entire world is in transition.
Artificial intelligence (A.I.) were viewed as one of the most intriguing emerging technologies.
This has the ability to change nearly every factor of our lives, from transportation to education to efficiently running cities to improving healthcare, said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy.
He added that he was surprised that virtual and augmented reality did not make the list.
They should be on the list because they signify an entirely new interaction model for compute devices, Moorhead said. We are at a tipping point with augmented reality and virtual reality, as we now know what needs to be done. What we don't need to do is more research to figure out the next steps in development to take.
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, said hes excited about artificial intelligence, but hes particularly eager to see how autonomous vehicles play out in the next few years.
I'm very pleased with the arrival of autonomous vehicles because I'm 66, he added. If I live longer than I can drive, this would be very important to me. Theyre already on the streets in Palo Alto, [Calif.]. It's looking amazingly soon, like five to 10 years Think of Uber without the drivers.
A move in the Senate to provide enhanced surveillance powers to the FBI through the use of National Security Letters (NSLs) met a hurdle Monday after Senator Ron Wyden placed a hold on the 2017 Intelligence Authorization bill over the controversial provisions.
Wydens hold is a a measure by which a senator or group of senators can prevent a motion from reaching a vote.
Tech companies and industry and civil rights groups are opposed to what is seen as a wider push by the Senate to increase the scope of the NSLs, which would allow the government to collect Internet records such as browsing history, email metadata, and location information through administrative orders and without court approval.
The 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act includes provisions to expand warrantless government surveillance and takes aim at a valuable independent oversight board, according to Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, who last month voted against the bill in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The current version of the intelligence authorization bill contains a provision in section 803 that would allow individual FBI field offices to demand Americans email and Internet records simply by issuing a NSL, without court oversight, Wyden said in a statement announcing the hold in the Senate.
The FBI is currently allowed to issue NSLs to collect phone records and financial records, without the approval of a judge, and in 2013 the Presidents surveillance review group recommended reforming this authority to require court oversight of such requests, Wyden said.
Last week, separate legislation to give the government enhanced powers for NSLs did not pass, though senators have indicated that they would have another shot at it. The amendment was included as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
Wyden said he hoped to be able to work with colleagues to remove the controversial provisions prior to their consideration of the bill by the full Senate. Until then I will object to the proposal to pass this bill by unanimous consent, he added.
The fight over LTE networks sharing channels with Wi-Fi appears to be heating up.
The Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) says that by September there will be a way to test whether an LTE device can get along with Wi-Fi. But Qualcomm, one of the biggest backers of LTE-U (LTE-Unlicensed), is demanding those tests immediately.
The latest disagreement arose after a workshop held last Wednesday, the latest in a series aimed at crafting a test plan for coexistence between the two technologies. That test plan, designed for new products that use LTE in unlicensed bands, will be finished and verified by late September, WFA said.
That's at least a month later than some earlier forecasts. Test development has taken a long time because it's an unprecedented project and the tests still need to be validated, WFA marketing vice president Kevin Robinson said.
But when asked about the latest workshop, Qualcomm tore into the industry group, of which it is a member.
"Qualcomm is disappointed with the continued delays in finalizing a LTE-U/Wi-Fi test plan with the Wi-Fi Alliance, as well as with the substance presented by the WFA staff at last weeks WFA workshop, which lacked technical merit and was a sharp departure from Wi-Fi Alliance staff past presentations and views and from the view of any other standards body or regulator around the world," said Dean Brenner, senior vice president of government affairs, in a written statement on Monday.
None of the companies at the workshop supported the WFA staff's views, Brenner said. The test plan should be ready to go, he said. Qualcomm brought its own LTE-U prototype equipment into the WFA's lab last month and verified the test plan for all the tests that were run, according to Brenner.
"We believe that it is time to end the validation process, and deem the original test plan final so that the public can experience as soon as possible the improved services that LTE-U will provide," Brenner wrote.
WFA did not immediately respond to Brenner's statement.
Wi-Fi Alliance understands the desire of the LTE-U community to get that equipment tested in as timely a manner as possible, Robinson said in an interview earlier on Monday.
LTE-U is a form of cellular that operates in some of the same frequencies that Wi-Fi users rely on. Qualcomm and others have said the new technology should have access to the band.
"This whole process has gone on for more than a year, and no new technology for unlicensed spectrum, which is supposed to be available for permission-less innovation, has gone through vetting this long or this extensive," Brenner wrote.
Unlicensed LTE is designed to give mobile operators more spectrum to work with as they try to serve subscribers in crowded places. Verizon, T-Mobile USA and other carriers have talked about rolling it out as soon as the end of this year.
But some backers of Wi-Fi, including the Alliance, have said LTE-U could make it hard for wireless LAN users to get a packet in edgewise. Fans of the new technology, including Qualcomm, say it wont add any more interference than a new Wi-Fi access point would.
The WFA held its first industry workshop on interoperability last November. There, the group joined cellular and Wi-Fi companies to talk about tests that would determine whether a new product could cause unfair interference. Qualcomm, which participated in that first meeting, forecast at the time that a test plan might be ready in February.
More recently, the WFA had estimated development would take until at least August.
This is the first effort of its kind between two different industries -- Wi-Fi and LTE -- so there is much that has had to be worked out, Robinson of the alliance said. Most of the remaining work will go into verifying that the test plan works reliably, he said. The tests are designed to ensure that introducing an LTE-U product amid Wi-Fi networks wouldnt be any worse than adding one more Wi-Fi acess point.
As soon as the test plan is finished and verified in September, there will be at least one approved third-party lab where vendors can take their products for testing. The process for each will take a couple of weeks or less, Robinson said.
One reason for the growing tension may be a fear that time running out for LTE-U even after big investments in it by Qualcomm and others.
Another form of unlicensed LTE, called LAA (Licensed-Assisted Access), is completed and headed toward commercial release. LAA includes more features to ensure it coexists with Wi-Fi, and its permitted in more parts of the world than LTE-U, such as in Europe. The major makers of LTE-U technology, including Qualcomm, are also pursuing LAA.
WFA expects the tests being developed now to work with LAA too.
Apple has big challenges and some opportunities following the UK Brexit decision to exit EU, Europe accounted for 21.5% of its revenue in FY 2015.
Watching the news
Brexit is a big deal, so much so that web traffic has been unpredictable. The decision has driven more traffic to news sites (and away from other sites) than any other event this year, bar the tragic Orlando shooting, said mobile intelligence platform, Apteligent. The vote drove almost 70 percent more traffic than normal, they said.
Mobile news traffic has been up 18 percent since the beginning of the year, largely due to the US political season, they said. To put this into perspective, the UK decision to exit the EU drove more traffic than any recent US political event, including the naming of the Republican nominee.
UK impacts
A surge in interest around news reporting isnt the only impact the UKs decision will have. With no structured EU exit plan in place and no clear leadership to create one, and with many who voted to exist doing so in response to feelings of alienation with the existing UK political process, industry leaders face an unpredictable business environment.
Matt Hunt, CEO of leading UK app developer, Apadmi Enterprise says: There is now a high level of risk and uncertainty over our future and questions are being asked as to how will we be able to build on our success and further grow without the support of the EU.
Responding to the UKs snub, EU governments are already working to attract UK-based technology companies to their own tech hubs, with Berlin already an up-&-coming star. Given business leaders seek stable, competent government and economic stability its likely they will have some success, given the situation. What are the likely impacts on Apple?
Product pricing
In the short term the company will be looking to currency markets in order to ensure its existing UK pricing is sustainable. With the pound at its lowest level in 31-years and a big chance it will fall beneath its current $1.3:1 support position importers in every category will likely need to price in the risk of further price falls. They will also seek out ways to reduce the cost of doing business in an unstable economy will the UK be forced to implement even deeper cuts to corporation tax while raising the burden of personal taxation? If it does do this then what impact will this have on tech markets and what comfort zone do firms need to price in in response? If we assume a 30 percent sustained decline in the value of the pound then we can assume fairly hefty price increases across Apple products, from apps to Macs and how might this impact product sales? Where is the sweet spot between sustainable pricing and consumer demand? How much impact can the company sustain on its bottom line? Other tech firms are likely to share this pain.
Taxation
There is a chance Apple might profit from the instability. Apple can move its international headquarters from Ireland to the UK, and be assured of being out from under the thumb of EU regulation, said Mark Hibben. While doing so could help the company avoid EU demands for back taxes, it seems highly unlikely given Apples long association and deep connections with Ireland. Apple is also unlikely to want to base its European HQ in a non-European state, so may instead focus operations around new European hubs.
Bonds and debt
A weak pound may also be an opportunity for the company to issue bonds and debt at low, low prices in the UK. Conversely, UK consumers seeking loans may find credit limits negatively impacted by local economic uncertainty, and the UKs financial sector is likely to shed at least some jobs in Europes favor.
Sales
Apple has a strong foothold in the creative industry, where the Brexit impact is already being felt. Ive heard that some film shoots are being cancelled in response to the decision, while creative industry heads are also concerned at loss of EU skills, training and funding as explained here.
These instabilities will likely lead Apples bedrock of creative customers to delay technology purchases while they work out whats happening. Of course, any negative impact on UK consumer wages will impact sales of everything from apps to iPads. With 39 retail stores across the UK, Apple is directly exposed to any softness in consumer demand.
R&D
We dont yet know how the UKs anticipated isolationist immigration rules will make it difficult to attract or retain skilled candidates from across the EU and elsewhere. This is important to many tech firms. Apple has key partners like ARM in the UK. It also has critical r&d hubs based in Cambridge, UK, including for Siri and Maps. Will the company be able to attract or retain key staff for these projects in the context of less open borders, high prices and low value currency?
Developing markets
One direct response to any weakness in UK market will be a redoubling of efforts to generate revenue in the worlds developing markets, China, India, Brazil. Apple is already active in all of these markets, and its likely the company will continue to ramp up activities there as it attempts to maintain growth. This means new opportunities and product design decisions will begin to focus more on the talents and aesthetics of the up-&-coming economies.
Summing up
Like everyone, Apple now faces big UK challenges across the next few years, but with EU leaders clearly better prepared for the decision than their UK counterparts, Europe is likely to recover. In the short term, UK consumers can look forward to price increases and recruitment freezes, and while these economic challenges may stabilize its unclear when, particularly in the irresponsible absence of any clear exit strategy or competent government.
NB: Some of these predictions may not apply to Scotland.
Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic's Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple?
Want Apple TV tips? If you want to learn how to get the very best out of your Apple TV, please visit my Apple TV website.
Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld.
As president, Hillary Clinton would support the automatic granting of green cards, or permanent residency, to foreign students who earn advanced STEM degrees in the U.S.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she wants the U.S. to "staple" green cards to the diplomas of non-citizens who earn master's or Ph.D. degrees in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering or math) "from accredited institutions."
Clinton outlined her plan in a broader tech policy agenda released today.
This agenda is big on improving computer science education and is modeled after some of President Barack Obama's efforts, such as training 50,000 computer science teachers in the next 10 years. But the topic that may get the most focus is immigration.
Clinton's "staple" idea isn't a new. It's what Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, supported. It has had bipartisan support in Congress.
Broadly, a diploma/green card policy would allow new graduates to bypass temporary H-1B work visas and move from student visas to green cards. The graduates will need to have jobs lined up in order to qualify, and the proposals may require a waiting period. Clinton's plan has no specifics.
Even so, the idea is controversial. Critics will say the provision would be hard to control, could foster age discrimination and is likely to put pressure on IT wages.
Ron Hira, a public policy professor at Howard University, testified earlier this year that such a program "will create perverse incentives in both the labor and educational markets." Employers, he said, "will be incentivized to replace their older incumbent workers with cheaper fresh graduates, fueling age discrimination."
If a "staple" policy went into effect, colleges would likely recruit foreign students into advanced degree programs with the promise of green cards.
"Given that master's [programs] are short in duration (as little as 12 months), and have little oversight from outside bodies (no specialized accreditation process for most), this provision will make it inexpensive for foreigners to purchase green cards from a variety of universities," said Hira during Senate testimony delivered earlier this year.
Former U.S. CTO Todd Park argued for a staple provision while at the White House. "Today's advanced STEM graduate could be tomorrow's world-class, world-changing scientist," he wrote in a blog post.
The tech agenda unveiled by Clinton doesn't address the H-1B visa program. Clinton has been silent on what she would do about the temporary work visa; her comprehensive immigration plan doesn't address it either.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has said in his platform that before green cards are issued to foreign workers "there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers."
But Trump, during a GOP presidential debate in Detroit in March, seemed uncertain about how to handle international students who graduate from U.S. schools.
Foreign students will go to Harvard, Stanford and Wharton and "as soon as they're finished they'll get shoved out," Trump said. "They want to stay in this country. They want to stay here desperately, they're not able to stay here. For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country."
Norman Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis and a longtime H-1B critic, said: "It is a shame that both Trump and Clinton have bought into the industry lobbyist line of a STEM labor shortage. There is no data evidence for that, and anyone can see wages have been flat, counter to the claim of a shortage."
Matloff argued that a staple law "would reduce job opportunities and wages for new graduates and especially for older workers."
Robots are no strangers to the legal profession thanks to tools like LawGeex, but one has emerged recently that appears to be a Robin Hood of the modern world.
DoNotPay is the brainchild of 19-year-old Stanford University student Joshua Browder, and it has already successfully contested some 160,000 parking tickets across London and New York. It's free to use and has reportedly saved its users some $4 million in less than two years.
"DoNotPay has launched the UK's first robot lawyer as an experiment," the site explains. "It can talk to you, generate documents and answer questions. It is just like a real lawyer, but is completely free and doesn't charge any commission."
Joshua Browder
On Tuesday, the bot was acknowledged on Twitter by the commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
DoNotPay's artificially intelligent software uses a chat-like interface to interact with its users. It can also be used to help passengers on delayed airplane flights obtain compensation. Reportedly, Browder plans to extend the service to Seattle next. Meanwhile, he's also working on helping HIV-positive people understand their rights and on a service for Syrian refugees.
All in all, Browder sees a bigger future for AI than the mundane tasks it typically handles today. As he said in a recent tweet, the "value in bots is not to order pizzas."
Starting a new business is risky and often requires the company's founders to take on personal debt. Only about half of all startups survive longer than five years, according to government data. It's especially hard for people with student loans.
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, on Tuesday released a proposal to make it easier for recent college graduates to start businesses. The plan, which is part of Clinton's tech policy agenda, tackles one of the impediments to launching a new venture: student loan debt.
Clinton proposes allowing entrepreneurs to defer student loan payments while they try to get a new business up and running. Her plan would defer student loan payments for up to three years, and it would do so with no penalty: zero interest and zero principal growth.
The proposal also calls for exploring a deferral of student loans for up to as many as 20 of a startup's "early joiners" -- its initial crop of employees.
The plan would also provide forgiveness of up to $17,500 in student debt for people who launch businesses in "distressed" areas, or who create businesses that "provide measurable social impact and benefit." How that would work isn't clear. What Clinton proposed is largely an outline of an idea.
But Clinton's proposal did not arrive out of thin air. A study last year by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that the need to pay off student loans can indeed hold back investment in businesses.
Small businesses, which account for approximately 60% of the net employment activity in the U.S., rely on personal debt for startup capital. Student debt thus becomes a barrier, the Federal Reserve Bank paper found.
"Unlike other forms of personal debt, student debt is difficult to discharge via personal bankruptcy and thus limits a person's access to future debt until it is eliminated," the bank's researchers wrote. "As a result, individuals with significant amounts of student debt may find that they are unable to access the capital markets to finance the startup of new business ventures."
Ben Veghte, the spokesman for the National Venture Capital Association, said Clintons proposal is not a new idea, but is "definitely something we would support, assuming the details match the blueprint."
Amidst the national political turbulence on Saturday, hundreds of councils honoured the military by celebrating Armed Forces Day.
Parades and flypasts took place across the country. The national event was in Cleethorpes hosted by North East Lincolnshire Council. More than 200,000 people attended far more than expected. They included the Prime Minister.
In Southend a military vehicle was on display along the seafront as well as a string of other events across the county, such as a special outdoor learning event at Darlinghurst School in Leigh, to mark the occasion:
The annual Armed Forces Parade in Southend included cadets, current members of the Armed Services and veterans.
This parade marched up the High Street and halted outside the Victoria Shopping Centre for an open-air service accompanied by a choir and band.
In Plymouth there were 50,000 attending. Events included the Junior Field Gun Tournament with nine local Primary Schools taking part.
Grove in Oxfordshire saw children making flags, exploring the inside of army trucks, and practising military techniques; later Status Quo drummer John Coghlan also made an appearance at 6pm to perform to crowds.
The Local Government Association has praised the 370 councils that have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant Local Pledge. This ensures service personnel and their families get the support they need in terms of housing, looking for employment and education. Special funding from central Government is distributed to community groups helping veterans.
It is also about ensuring that those who serve are not discriminated against. For example those who spend time abroad in the armed forces should return to be in the front, not the back, of the queue for housing allocation.
Lord Porter, chairman of the LGA, said:
Our members have signed the local covenant pledge as a demonstration of their commitment to promoting the work of the armed forces and ensuring those who selflessly serve their country are able to access the council services they need to help them settle in their communities and make a smooth transition into civilian life.
Amidst all the talk about how the referendum had divided the nation here was a tremendous demonstration of unity and resolve in towns and villages across the land. The role of local government in ensuring it took place is to be celebrated.
Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.,gestures as he speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., last Thursday after House Democrats ended their sit-in protest on the House floor over gun control legislation.Time will tell if the grieving over Orlando can be transformed into an effective movement to curb gun violence. But the tragedy may well motivate LGBQT activists, a group that has proven that it can get things done in the social and political arenas.
SHARE
By Mary Sanchez, Tribune Content Agency
As cries for gun control escalate,
don't underestimate LGBTQ activists
There was a time in American politics when the triad of God, guns and gays turned elections.
The tag line is shorthand for conservatives' anxiety about changing social norms and perceived threats to traditional American liberties. A sure bet to rile up the Republican base was to harp about gay people demanding marriage equality, imagined attacks upon Christianity and a call-to-arms to protect the Second Amendment. Some of that rhetoric still works.
But in the aftermath of the outright slaughter of 49 LGBTQ people in Orlando, Fla., the pairing of gays and guns is beginning to take on a far different meaning. Gays and lesbians saw the murders at the Pulse nightclub as an attack on their community one that was facilitated by easy access to guns by someone who clearly shouldn't have had that right.
The hashtag #DisarmHate began showing up in social media. It was simple step to begin seeing that the country's lax and ineffective gun laws are a part of the problem. A semi-automatic rifle had turned anti-gay sentiment lethal. Gay activism on gun law reforms began to coalesce.
Don't underestimate LGBTQ activists. They battled the scourge of AIDS. They shifted the national conversation on same-sex marriage to widespread public acceptance, culminating in the historic decision a year ago by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down states-level bans on such unions.
Gays get things done.
This isn't just about votes. It's about change. Gay voters already strongly lean Democrat. Their widespread support for Hillary Clinton is assured. Work on firearm violence, that's new.
Less than a week after the Pulse nightclub shooting, the Human Rights Campaign had taken up commonsense gun violence prevention as a new calling. The following week, more alliances were forming. Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action held a press call-in, and included the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
The tone of these interactions was decidedly different from the theatrics Democrats were staging in Congress, filibusters and sit-ins. Not that there would be much disagreement for the push to force a vote on expanded background checks and keeping people on terrorism watch lists from purchasing firearms.
But the House Democrats' demands were just that: cries for a vote on amendments that surely would not pass the Senate. It was clear that bipartisan support didn't exist. And there are still questions about the accuracy of government watch lists in the first place. The groundwork for good legislation, for making substantial change, wasn't complete.
Hardly surprisingly, House Speaker Paul Ryan effectively shut the Democrats' sit-in down, turning off the lights and sending members home for the long Fourth of July break.
What gay activists learned from the AIDS crisis, from the fight for gay marriage, is that changing attitudes is as necessary as changing laws. Without that, efforts fail or constantly face pushback.
In recent talks, many activists in LGBTQ organizations have stressed the need to sign up for a long-haul approach to gun violence. And if gay groups continue on this path, they will find many complicating factors. They will find the NRA a formable foe with deep pockets to leverage lobbying.
For too long, the NRA has owned the messaging on gun legislation. The organization is adept at influencing people to believe that their safety is only protected by weaponry, dismissively sidestepping the easy access to guns by criminals and all but ignoring the thousands of people harmed in gun accidents and those who take their lives in firearm suicides.
It's pitch is black and white, staking out an extremist position that rarely recognizes the common ground that could be cultivated.
It's into this morass that GLBTQ people have found themselves tragically inserted.
Russell Roybal, interim executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, had been to Pulse. He, like so many other gay people, knew it as a place of safety and camaraderie.
"We are no strangers to being the targets of violence," Roybal said during the call-in with Everytown. "Unfortunately, every LGBTQ person knows that our safety is never guaranteed, especially those of us of color."
Indeed, gay people know marginalization, what it is like to have their lives not valued. But they helped write the playbook on fighting dismissive attitudes with proactive patience.
Time will tell if their grieving over Orlando can be transformed into a movement to curb gun violence. It's possible that this relatively small political bloc can show us a way to finally bring some sanity to America's conflicted relationship with guns.
SHARE Robert Yadon (Photo: Photo Provided)
By Douglas Walker, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network
MUNCIE A Ball State University professor arrested Monday told police he had been viewing child pornography online for about three years.
Robert Earl Yadon, 68, of the 8300 block of North Yellowstone Drive, was preliminarily charged with 10 counts of child exploitation. He was released from the Delaware County jail on Monday after posting a $50,000 bond.
According to a police report, campus police on June 13, began their probe of suspicious activity on a computer, in the Ball Communication Building, linked to Yadon.
The investigation determined hundreds of pornographic searches from that computer on June 13, an affidavit said.
Many of the pornographic photos and videos were of males who appeared between the ages of 8 to 16, were completely or semi-nude, and in some cases engaged in sexual acts, an officer wrote.
On the morning of June 21, detectives searched a search arrant at Yadons office, seizing several computers and multiple USB storage devices.
Authorities said they located several digital photographs that depicts sexual conduct by children who appear to be under the age of 18.
Later that morning, Yadon went to the BSU Police Department and voluntarily spoke to detectives, the report said.
The professor was shown a sheet with 14 images from websites he allegedly visited on his campus computer on June 13, and was asked to estimate the ages of the boys shown.
He estimated the ages of several of the boys to be 12 to 16 years of age, the detective wrote. He admitted... that he had been viewing these types of images for approximately the last three years.
A press release issued by Ball State on Monday reflected Yadon who joined the BSU faculty in 1987 was barred from campus on June 21 as a result of the investigation.
The release also referred to Yadon as a former university employee.
Yadon was a professor of information and communication sciences, and had been director of the universitys Applied Research Institute, according to a Ball State website.
He became the third university employee arrested for accessing child porn on campus computers since mid-April. Ball State Police Chief James Duckworth said Monday the cases were not related.
SHARE
By Maureen Groppe, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network
WASHINGTON Indiana is getting $5.8 million in federal grants to help disadvantaged workers land technology-related jobs, the White House announced Monday.
Ivy Tech Community College will use $2.6 million to train 330 disadvantaged youths and young adults for jobs in the information technology and advanced manufacturing fields.
A $3.2 million project led by the AFL-CIO Labor Institute for Training will help 400 Hoosiers with limited English proficiency improve their language and advanced manufacturing technical skills.
Theres a desperate need for these tech jobs, Vice President Joe Biden said.
The Obama administration in March designated Indianapolis a TechHire community through a national initiative to train low-skilled workers for higher-paying technology jobs.
Although the designation didnt come with any funding, it meant the city could compete for federal grants aligned with the program.
The grants announced Monday are expected to benefit workers in Indianapolis and across the state.
Indiana was one of 25 states receiving grants Monday from the Labor Department, which chose 39 winners among 231 applications.
In the announcement, Labor Secretary Tom Perez highlighted the work by Ivy Tech, calling it a remarkable institution.
Advanced manufacturing workers with some experience will get additional training to help them advance.
Those without skills will go through a 16-week training program to earn an industry-recognized certificate.
Many young Americans with barriers to employment simply dont have four years for opportunity to knock, Perez said.
Brian Thomas, executive director of Ivy Techs grant office, said the hope is that some students, after earning the certificate, will continue to work toward some type of degree.
Its really significant for us, Thomas said of the funding. It allows us to provide training and opportunity that we couldnt do without the support of the Department of Labor.
Thomas said the four-year grant will enable Ivy Tech to try some new programs that the school hopes will become sustainable after the grant ends.
Ivy Tech expects to start serving students within six months.
More jobs are open in technology than in any other occupation, and they pay about 50 percent more than the average private-sector job, according to the administration.
The White House estimates that Central Indiana will have 51,500 new technical jobs by 2025, and half could go unfilled if current trends continue. Many dont require a four-year college degree, Biden said.
The TechHire initiative relies on commitments from the public and private sectors to train and hire people for jobs in software development, network administration and cybersecurity.
The 50 participating communities share best practices and data that companies, such as LinkedIn, agreed to provide on the supply and demand of tech skills in specific areas.
Communities also agree to try training programs that take months, instead of years; to hire workers with nontraditional backgrounds; and to help connect people to jobs.
The mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., which is getting $4 million to build an IT career pipeline for young and disadvantaged workers, called the initiative a game-changer.
Unemployment is not our biggest problem, Mayor Richard Berry said. Underemployment is our biggest problem.
The City Council meets on January 4, 2016. (Video capture)
SHARE
By Zach Evans of the Courier and Press
Three buses, three snow trucks, six lawn mowers and a 77-foot long quint firetruck just some of what $2.7 million can buy.
The City Council approved the request from Mayor Lloyd Winnecke's office to buy the vehicles Monday night.
The city will pay for the vehicles out of the $12.5 million of upfront rent money from Tropicana Evansville as part of the casino's move from water to land.
The casino will pay another $12.5 million to the city once its expansion is complete, which is expected in 2018.
The City Council has approved spending roughly $4.5 million of the money so far, which includes Monday's vehicle purchases and $1.8 million to start the city's land bank program.
Stan Wheeler, a member of the Evansville Redevelopment Commission which oversees the city's special tax districts, asked the council to be prudent in spending the cash.
"Please be vigilant about spending the money," Wheeler said.
Councilman Dan Adams, D-At-Large, agreed.
"I hope we be very, very careful to make sure it lasts," Adams said before voting to approve the transfer.
Winnecke Chief of Staff Steve Schaefer told the council their office doesn't anticipate asking the board to approve any other purchases from the Tropicana rent money this year.
However, Schaefer said it's possible Winnecke's administration could request a transfer to help fund "Municipal Moves," the mayor's three-year road infrastructure project the city engineer is outlining now.
Aside from the upfront rent payments, the city should receive an additional $12 million in casino taxes this year, said City Controller Russ Lloyd Jr.
The vehicle purchases will cost: $340,000 for three snow trucks, $1.4 million for three buses, $925,000 for a firetruck and $90,000 for six lawn mowers for park maintenance.
The new quint would go to Evansville Fire Department station 5, which is located at 2413 W. Maryland St.
The station's current quint firetruck is 22 year's old. Once ordered, it will take about a year for the quint to hit Evansville streets, said Fire Chief Mike Connelly.
The average life expectancy of a quint is 15 to 20 years, Connelly said.
The three Metropolitan Evansville Transit System buses will likely be eligible for federal reimbursement, up to 80 percent, or $1.1 million, according to Lloyd.
One of the three new snow trucks will be used specifically for Downtown, according to the filed appropriation ordinance.
The council also approved Monday transferring $781,000 from the Riverboat fund to the general fund to pay for capital purchases in 2015.
SHARE
By Len Wells
A Carmi, Ill. man died Monday evening when the Ford Explorer he was driving ran off the Burnt Prairie blacktop south of Fairfield and overturned.
Gene Desper, 60, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition southbound on the Burnt Prairie Blacktop when he ran off the right side of the roadway.
Illinois State Police say the driver apparently overcorrected, coming back the roadway and overturning. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the wreckage.
The victim was taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital where he subsequently died. Fairfield rural Fire Department volunteers and the Wayne County Ambulance Service assisted at the accident. Wayne County Sheriffs Deputies assisted Illinois State Police at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
SHARE John Enochs (Photo: Provided via Fox59)
By Vic Ryckaert, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network
The case of an Indiana University fraternity member placed on probation after he was charged with two rapes has sparked social media outrage and comparisons to a light sentence handed to a convicted rapist at Stanford University.
John Enochs was sentenced to a year of probation after pleading guilty to battery with moderate bodily injury in a Monroe County court last week. Prosecutors dismissed two rape charges.
Victims' advocates and others were quick to blast Enochs' sentence on social media.
The pressure intensified when the Washington Post and the New York Times drew comparisons between Enochs and the high-profile case of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner in stories posted on their websites. Turner's case has drawn a coast-to-coast outcry after a California judge sentenced him to six months in jail and probation for raping a woman outside of a fraternity in 2015.
In the Enoch case, Monroe County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Robert Miller issued a statement Monday explaining the "frustrating" problems that led to the seemingly light sentence.
"This case presented a very unusual set of circumstances in that we had two unrelated accusations, two years apart," Miller said.
Enochs, who accepted a plea deal last week, was accused of raping one woman in 2015 and another in 2013.
The victim in the 2015 case told police shed been raped at the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house by a man she did not know. Security video showed Enochs entering a room with the victim and showed her leaving the room 24 minutes later.
During the investigation, police found a 2013 rape complaint alleging Enochs attacked a woman at a sorority house. The victim, who initially did not want to press charges, agreed to help when contacted after the second rape allegation. DNA in the 2013 case matched Enochs.
But the evidence against Enochs started breaking down as the trial date moved closer.
"Neither case, standing alone, presented sufficient evidence to prove rape," Miller said.
Enochs' attorney, Katherine Liell, issued a statement that the charges were false and sensationalized.
Enochs, Liell said, has taken responsibility for his actions by admitting to the battery charge.
SHARE FBI wanted poster for John Dillinger, 1934 (Photo: Collection of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites)
Even now, 82 years after his death, the FBI feels compelled to explain that Dillinger was "no champion of the poor."
By Will Higgins, IndyStar / USA TODAY Network
To mark Indiana's bicentennial, the Indiana State Museum is featuring an exhibit called "200 Objects," which consists of widely varying items that represent Hoosierness. IndyStar is joining the celebration by highlighting an object a week during the exhibit's run. This week: A John Dillinger "wanted" poster.
Indiana has produced many good and noble citizens: artists such as Cole Porter and Kurt Vonnegut, war heroes like Sammy Lee Davis and World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, women's rights activist May Wright Sewall, and on and on.
But none of them has captured the public's imagination like John Herbert Dillinger, the good-for-nothing who went through life smirking and employing violence to take things that didn't belong to him.
The bank robber's modest grave continues to draw more visitors than any other in Crown Hill Cemetery, including President Benjamin Harrison's. At least two Indianapolis bars, hoping to generate interest, claim Dillinger was once their patron. Last year, Crown Point, hoping to draw more tourists, opened its second Dillinger museum. Since Dillinger's bloody death in Chicago in 1934 at the hands of FBI agents, a dozen movies have been made about Dillinger (compared to Porter's two, Pyle's one and the others' combined none).
The Indiana State Museum is displaying among its 200 Objects a "wanted" poster for Dillinger. Issued by the FBI on March 12, 1934, it features two photos of the fugitive's face, a smug front-on shot and a somber, jowly profile. The poster also has images his 10 fingerprints as well as some descriptive prose: "scar middle upper lip," "brown mole between eyebrows" and so on. It lists Dillinger's alias as "Frank Sullivan."
Wanted posters were, and are, police tools employed to enlist the public to help catch bad guys. But to a lot of Americans, Dillinger was not a bad guy but a hero. Even now, 82 years after his death, the FBI feels compelled to explain, on its website, that while Dillinger "certainly had charm and charisma," he was "no champion of the poor." He was instead "a hardened and vicious criminal."
"Wanted" posters often offered a reward for a fugitive's capture. An 1881 poster in Missouri offered $5,000 for Frank and Jesse James. But the FBI's The Dillinger poster now on display at the Indiana State Museum makes no mention of a reward.
It's unclear what the document is worth, though people do collect such things. A framed FBI Dillinger poster identical to the museum's can be had online, along with signatures of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and Hoover's ace lieutenant Melvin Purvis, for $1,250. A close-up photo of Dillinger's face, following his death (eyes closed), is available for $595. A package of Dillinger memorabilia containing a death mask, a letter from Purvis and some hairs from Dillinger's mustache is offered for $9,500.
Turkish police block the road Tuesday after a suicide bomb attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. (Photo: Sedat Suna/epa)
SHARE
By Victor Kotsev and Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY
ISTANBUL Almost 50 people were killed and 60 injured Tuesday in an attack at Ataturk International Airport by three suicide bombers who blew themselves up, the Associated Press and Turkish TV reported.
The chaos erupted as three suicide bombers detonated explosives, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin said.
The Associated Press quoted an unnamed senior Turkish official, who verified that nearly 50 had died.
An unnamed Turkish official told the Daily Sabah that police fired at the suspects at the entrance to the international terminal after one of them began shooting an automatic rifle. The attackers then detonated their explosives.
The airport remained on lockdown Tuesday, the subway system was shut down, and roads leading to the airport were closed off by police.
Immediately after the blasts, images shot by bystanders and local media and aired on CNN Turk showed panicked travelers cowering in stores, ambulances wheeling the injured away, and people in tears on their cellphones.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos. Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport to fly home and were shaken by what they witnessed.
We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off, Paul Roos told the Associated Press. There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a hand gun.
Tuesday's bombing is the latest in a wave of terror attacks in Turkey as the country grapples with a spillover from the civil war raging in neighboring Syria.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack at Turkey's largest airport the third busiest in Europe. In the past, the government in Ankara has blamed Islamic State terrorists or Kurdish separatists for recent attacks.
"I'm left speechless," said Ekin Calsir, a filmmaker in Istanbul about news of the attacks on the airport."This hatred keeps killing us and it has to end."
"My loved ones narrowly escaped it," she added, referring to her close friend who arrived at the airport an hour before the attack. "I'm almost sure that there will be more attacks, sadly. I don't know if they will increase but they will be there as long as the war (Syria) goes on. I feel insecure."
Turkey has been a transit point for foreign fighters entering Syria through its borders, though Washington has said the government has been cracking down on the movement recently.
Turkey opposes the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but has also been concerned about the growing prominence of Kurdish fighters in Syria who are fighting Assad. Some of the rebels fighting in Syria have ties to Kurdish groups in Turkey.
Earlier this month a car bomb exploded in central Istanbul, killing at least 11 people. The banned Kurdish Workers Party was suspected of carrying out the attack, according to media reports.
In April a female suicide bomber carried out an attack in Bursa, wounding 13 people.
An explosion in December at another airport in Istanbul left one dead.
President Obama was briefed about the incident by his homeland security adviser, Lisa Monaco, shortly after the news broke, the White House said.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, tweeted: "We must do everything possible to keep this horrible terrorism outside the United States."
Near the airport in Istanbul, taxi driver Abdulrahman Namli said he was worried about terrorists targeting Turkey. "(We have) a big problem," he said.
Nico Rosberg feels Williams will pose a greater threat than Ferrari or Red Bull to Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix as he hunts a hat-trick of victories at Spielberg.
The Mercedes driver re-established a 24-point lead over team-mate Lewis Hamilton with victory in Baku after a run of poor results in Spain, Monaco and Canada and now heads to a circuit he's dominated at in the past two years.
Since the Spielberg circuit returned to the F1 calendar in 2014 after a ten-year hiatus - while being rebranded as the Red Bull Ring - Rosberg has claimed consecutive wins for Mercedes and is duly targeting a hat-trick this weekend.
As well as the threat of his team-mate Hamilton, Rosberg sees the Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas as his main threat rather than Ferrari or Red Bull after the British team's recent record.
Williams claimed a front-row lockout in 2014 with Bottas taking his maiden F1 rostrum result, while Massa also grabbed a podium behind the Mercedes pair last year.
"It'll be tough against the Williams cars in particular, as they've pushed us hard there before," Rosberg said. "But I think our Silver Arrow is still definitely the best package on the grid and I can't wait to see what it can do in Spielberg.
"To have two wins from two races at any track is pretty special, so if I could make it three in three that would be awesome."
Looking to carry his positive momentum from his fifth win of the year from Baku, Rosberg puts has an extra importance on qualifying and the first turn as the foundation for a strong result with overtaking opportunities limited around the relatively short 2.684-mile circuit.
"It's a short run to the first corner there and generally my starts and first corners have been strong this season, so if I can qualify well there's a good chance of a top result," he said. "I'm looking forward to the weekend."
Channel programs News
Dell Promises 'Seamless' Deal Registration For Partners On First Day After EMC Merger
Matt Brown
Share this
Dell is urging channel partners to sign on with EMC's Business Partner Program, and promising that deal registration and sales coverage will be seamless from the first day the two IT giants are merged, but partners' expectations are slightly less optimistic.
In a letter to partners Tuesday, Marius Haas, Dell chief commercial officer and president of enterprise solutions, said the company is "driving to maintain the partner and customer experience you have come to expect today, and at the onset of day one, provide seamless deal registration and intact sales coverage plans."
"I do not think it will be seamless," said a top executive at one large Dell and EMC solution provider, who did not want to be named. "Nothing in life ever is."
[Related: Dell Channel Chief On Taking Share From HP And The Plan To Unify The Dell And EMC Partner Programs]
Likewise, Jason Cherveny, president and CEO of Sanity Solutions, a Dell solution provider based in Denver, said it's obvious Dell and EMC executives have spent a lot of time trying to make the transition go as smoothly as possible for partners, but "seamless" may be an overstatement.
"I expect it to go fairly well," Cherveny said. "Do I expect it to be perfect? Absolutely not. We can hope, and I have no reason to believe that it's going to be bad, and I do know a lot of really smart people have put in a lot of time, but as we all know, things aren't perfect."
Mark McKeever, principal at Tempe, Ariz.-based solution provider MicroAge, said Dell "has earned a lot of goodwill in my book, and they have a lot at stake here in terms of their reputation as a channel partner. I take it on faith that they'll get it right and make adjustments anywhere they're off target."
Still, McKeever said he isn't expecting any miracles. "It's going to be an impossible task for them to merge their channel programs flawlessly," he said. "They're going to need to make choices when they reconcile everything, so it's really just a question of if they get it mostly right on the first pass."
In the letter to partners, Haas said the company expects to establish a single program sometime in 2017. In the meantime, the letter said, Dell partners are encouraged to sign up with EMC.
Dell does about 40 percent of its business through the channel. The channel accounts for about 60 percent of EMC's business.
EMC Channel Chief Gregg Ambulos told CRN in the spring that the combined Dell-EMC channel program would be similar to EMC's. Cheryl Cook, Dell's channel chief, told CRN the program would be made of the best parts of each program with a careful eye toward preventing disruption to either.
Dell has not yet disclosed who will lead the combined company's channel operation.
This year, Dell has made changes to its program to more strongly encourage winning new business and propel partners toward the enterprise data center by doubling rebates for partners that win new business in enterprise networking and storage.
Early in the year, EMC adjusted its channel program to increase incentives for mid-tier partners, simplify deal registration and streamline program policies.
Dell's more than $62 billion acquisition of EMC is expected to close before the end of October. EMC shareholders are scheduled to vote on the proposal July 19.
Slightly higher ticket pricing and onboard spend helped Carnival Corporations 2016 second quarter earnings inch up, but also driving the uptick in net income is fuel expense going from $370 million in 2015 to $193 million in 2016.
Arnold Donald, president and CEO, said it was a record second quarter in the history of Carnival Corporation.
Regions
Donald said China was destined to be the largest cruise market, and earnings growth continues in the market proportionally to the companys capacity increase.
We are very pleased with China, said Donald. Its a volume and return story."
Later in the call, Donald said China occupancy was comparable to prior years.
Donald said the company would re-balance capacity to drive yield in 2017, including a five percent capacity reduction in Europe, and five and three percent increases in Caribbean and Alaska, respectively.
David Bernstein, CFO, noted strong pricing on close-in bookings, and on the onboard revenue side, strong performance at the bar and in the casino. Bernstein said bookings for the remainder of the year were at higher pricing with less inventory available.
Bernstein said: The fact we are well ahead on the booked positioned with less inventory to sell even with our capacity increase, bodes well to pricing."
Bernstein pointed to strong performance in Alaska and the Caribbean, but some softness in Europe due to geopolitical issues.
As far as Europe, Donald said North American brands in the market were seeing challenges.
Numbers
Aided by cheaper fuel pricing and on-going marine optimization efforts, Carnivals fuel expenses for the second quarter of 2016 dropped by $137 million.
Ticket revenue increased from $2,628,000,000 in 2015 to $2,696,000,000, while onboard revenue also edged up to $978,000,000 in 2016 from $927,000,000 in 2015s second quarter. Tour revenue, however, was slightly down. Payroll and food expenses were also up year-over-year.
Work in our procurement area continues, Donald said, adding he expected $75 million cost savings from procurement efforts.
Media buying has also come together across brands, generating significant savings, he noted.
At the same time, Carnival Corp. has announced its third $1 billion stock buy-back program.
Norwegian Air Shuttle announced more flight routes to Guadeloupe in a press release, including new flights from Ft. Lauderdale starting later this year and more departures from New York.
Starting December 17, flights will operate between South Florida and Guadeloupe (PTP) twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Due to high demand, Norwegian will also add a fourth weekly service from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to Guadeloupe as of December 17.
The new route complements Norwegians successful service to the French Caribbean Islands of Guadeloupe that launched with nonstop service from Baltimore/Washington DC, Boston, and New York in December last year. Winter season flights will resume on November 10th and tickets to Guadeloupe are already available for purchase atnorwegian.com/us, with fares as low as $79 one-way, including taxes, said a statement.
We are very excited to add our seventh route from the United States to the French Caribbean, this time from Florida. Norwegian will now be able to offer Floridians a much more affordable and comfortable way to reach the French Caribbean, or if they wish to travel onwards to any of the nearby islands, said Bjrn Kjos, Norwegians CEO and Founder.
We are thrilled about the increase of service from New York and the new nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Guadeloupe. An airline operating nonstop flights to Pointe-a-Pitre from four different cities in the US is just unprecedented. The best kept secret of the Caribbean has been clearly revealed thanks to Norwegian and we are delighted that Americans are falling for our French Caribbean Flair and preserved Nature, said Sandra Venite, USA Director for the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board.
Crystal Cruises today announced in a press release that it will "expand its reach in the Pacific region" with the opening of new dedicated corporate office in Sydney, Australia. The office will represent Crystal Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal River Cruises, and serve as the central nerve for sales, marketing, finance and reservations for the Australia and New Zealand.
Leading the center is cruise industry veteran Karen Christensen, who most recently served as general manager and director of sales and marketing (Asia Pacific) for Silversea Cruises as part of her 10-year tenure with the company. During this time, she was integral in establishing the luxury cruise segment in Australia and New Zealand with the opening of the companys regional office. Karens first official day with Crystal will be August 1.
We are thrilled to further solidify our presence in Australia and New Zealand as our company grows and offers more options for travelers throughout the world, said Edie Rodriguez, Crystals CEO and president. Karens depth of knowledge of the Pacific market and its travelers wishes, habits and preferences will help ensure that our vast portfolio of luxury travel offerings is effectively communicated and expertly sold to the discriminating travelers in the region.
The establishment of a dedicated sales and marketing center in the Pacific region marks the end of Crystals partnership with Wiltrans International Travel. Rodriguez added, I want to thank Diane Patrick and the team at Wiltrans for their support and dedication to Crystals success over the course of 26 years.
Christensens professional history in the cruise industry stretches more than two decades, including nearly 10 years as the general manager of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), having founded and served as chairman and board director of CLIAs Australasia division. Christensen resides in Sydney, where she will lead a sales and marketing team and report directly to Rodriguez.
In the early days of cloud computing, regulators generally placed responsibility on the customer for compliance with data privacy rules. But regulators are getting savvy to the changing nature of the data center and are increasingly holding cloud providers accountable for protecting data, even if they dont own it or even look at it.
Thats good news for you, the customer, but it also requires extra due diligence to make sure your service providers know the rules and stick to them.
Compliance standards for hybrid clouds are still inconsistent, but the trend is heading in the direction of shared accountability between cloud companies and their customers. Two of the largest regulatory bodies have acknowledged the shifting landscape:
Changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 2013 extended compliance rules beyond primary handlers of protected health information to cover business associates of those entities. In fact, the HIPAA Omnibus rule refers specifically to businesses that store protected information on behalf of their clients, whether they view it or not.
The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which essentially governs the entire credit-card industry, published a set of cloud security guidelines in 2013 specifically about cloud security. The 50-page document clearly states that cloud security is a shared responsibility between the cloud service provider (CSP) and its clients.
While these vertically focused regulations may not apply to your organization, theres a good chance other U.S. agencies will follow the leads of HIPAA and PCI. If you operate in Europe, youre no doubt already familiar with the stricter set of data governance rules that apply there.
Hybrid clouds complicate traditional regulatory guidelines because data and processes may move fluidly between on-premise and cloud platforms. In a cloud bursting scenario, in which overcapacity is relieved by automatically shuttling processing loads to the cloud, this procedure may even be automatic.
As you deploy more cloud services, youre on the hook to ensure that all of your partners are compliant with all relevant regulations. Performing the necessary due diligence may not only avert a compliance problem but also buy you some air cover in case a violation occurs. Here are nine items to consider for your cloud compliance policy.
1. Establish clear data governance rules. Your first step should be to specify which data must remain within your internal infrastructure at all times. Describe that data in detail and designate the people who are responsible for ensuring its protection. (This step is important whether you use a cloud provider or not.)
2. Interview prospective vendors. While the biggest infrastructure and SaaS vendors pay close attention to compliance because of its importance to their business, smaller or vertically focused firms may not be as diligent with their compliance policies. Dont just take their word for their claims. Ask about specific standards youre required to meet. Test whether or not a prospective supplier can speak knowledgeably about them. Ask if theres a person on staff who's responsible specifically for compliance. If so, ask to speak to that person. If not, find out how the provider stays on top of changing regulations.
3. Require proof. Does the provider have a section of its website devoted to compliance practices? Have those practices been audited by an independent third party? If they have, ask for copies of those reports. If not, ask the provider to submit to an audit at its own expense. If they refuse, find another provider.
4. Opt for providers that use the platforms you do. This is a good rule of thumb for hybrid clouds in general. Using compatible operating environments ensures that you have optimal visibility into how your data is moved, stored, and processed. But be aware that cloud infrastructure has some unique characteristics.
For example, the multi-tenant architecture that providers typically use has many customers sharing the same physical servers using protected virtual machines. Be sure youre comfortable with the mechanisms to prevent inadvertent crossover between tenants.
5. Review security standards and technologies of your cloud provider. Favor vendors whose published security practices adhere to Cloud Security Alliance or European Network and Information Security Agency guidelines. Compliance with well-established standards such as these can buy you some protection if a compliance issue does occur.
Pay special attention to authentication practices. At minimum, they should meet your own requirements. If they dont, specify in the service level agreement (SLA) a deadline for when they will, as well as penalties for failure to meet your deadlines. Two-factor or biometric authentication is desirable. You might also consider asking the cloud provider to support authentication through your local directory so you have more control.
6. Ensure accountability. Your vendor should maintain detailed information about access controls, including permissions for each user. You may be required in an audit to show which users had access to a system at any given time, and what information they could see. Ask to examine examples of a prospective providers access logs. Many financial regulators give audited companies less than 48 hours to comply with records demands. If your service provider cant meet those deadlines, it will end up being your problem.
7. Know where your data is. Be sure the provider can house your data in a specific location and verify that location in the event of an audit. If the company has data centers in multiple countries, require guarantees in your SLA that data wont cross borders without your permission. This is a particularly important requirement if you do business in Europe.
One technology that is increasingly being used by enterprises to secure data in the cloud across multiple locations is the cloud access service broker (CASB). CASBs allow for the centralized control and enforcement of security policies, ensuring that these policies are applied wherever the data is stored or shared and however it is accessed.
8. Use encryption. Data should never be stored or sent unencrypted. Ensure that you not the provider hold the encryption keys.
9. Revisit these rules annually. Regulations change and practices can become lax. Specify in your SLA that you have the right to perform your own audit of any of the above issues on short notice. Then put an entry in your calendar to test your providers readiness. If they take compliance seriously, theyll be happy to hear from you.
I'm sorry, but when developers create technologies, they have to assume that whatever they name it, the product will inevitably be replaced with an acronym. Yes, a remote access tool sounds appealing, but who in the world would ever want to buy a RAT?
To make matters worse, these tools pose risks to enterprise security. Who didn't see this coming? That a RAT could invite disease or infection really is of no surprise to me, but I (admittedly) have a greater emotional attachment to words than most.
I digress. My point is that in the aftermath of the recent report that GoToMyPC accounts are being targeted with stolen passwords right on the heels of the TeamViewer hack, installing RATs on your computer seems downright risky.
Given that I don't know whether the connotation I have with RATs is fueled by my utter disdain for the long-tailed rodent of the same name, I consulted with Alex Hamerstone, GRC practice lead at TrustedSec, to help me and my readers understand both real and perceived remote access vulnerabilities.
[ ALSO ON CSO: Catching a RAT by the tail ]
"A lot of hacks are the result of people reusing passwords," Hamerstone said. So many compromised accounts are the result of people using the same username and password across multiple sites. If you're secretly thinking, "I know, I know. I have to stop doing that," you might want to avoid using remote access tools until you have broken that bad habit.
Why? Hamerstone explained, "Let's say my email address is alex@aol.com. I go to my banking website and login with the password abc123. I can keep that password as secure as possible on that banking site." By human nature, though, people use the same passwords on almost every site they visit.
"A bad actor can steal a list from an easy target, like an online forum or a newspaper website account. Then they can try that list of usernames and passwords on a credit card or banking websites," said Hamerstone.
Given the problems that passwords create, it seems logical that the best way to mitigate security risks is to stop using passwords. Hamerstone said that in an ideal world, yes, but realistically that is not so easy to pull off.
"From an academic standpoint, its easy to suggest we move away from passwords, but like anything else, implementing that kind of change is much more expensive and technically involved," he said.
Sure for highly technical people to implement more sophisticated technologies, that wouldn't be so tricky, but for the employees and users that are not as tech savvy, that's a greater undertaking.
"If I am managing machines that arent in front of me, I'm perhaps working at a help desk, where I am not always dealing with the most technical people. I can be working with the smartest accountant in the world -- and for most users remote access tools are used for ease of maintenance -- but those on the receiving end of the help line are not highly experienced IT people," said Hamerstone.
Alas, in the greater network ecosystem, RATs do have a purpose just as the rodents are reported to serve a greater purpose in the natural ecosystem. Whether you wish to interact with them is a personal decision.
Hamerstone said, "I cant tell you what to do, but I want you to understand the risk. Security teams need to decide for their organizations what are the risks, and are they outweighed by the advantage of ease of access."
At the end of the day, companies are in business to make money and in order to operate, people need to be able to use their computers, so Hamerstone said, "Try to determine the middle ground of risk management."
A move in the Senate to provide enhanced surveillance powers to the FBI through the use of National Security Letters met a hurdle Monday after Senator Ron Wyden placed a hold on the 2017 Intelligence Authorization bill over the controversial provisions.
Wydens hold is a a measure by which a senator or group of senators can prevent a motion from reaching a vote.
Tech companies and industry and civil rights groups are opposed to what is seen as a wider push by the Senate to increase the scope of the NSLs, which would allow the government to collect Internet records such as browsing history, email metadata, and location information through administrative orders and without court approval.
The 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act includes provisions to expand warrantless government surveillance and takes aim at a valuable independent oversight board, according to Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, who last month voted against the bill in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The current version of the intelligence authorization bill contains a provision in section 803 that would authorize individual FBI field offices to demand Americans email and Internet records simply by issuing a NSL, without court oversight, Wyden said in a statement while announcing the hold in the Senate.
The FBI is currently allowed to issue NSLs to collect phone records and financial records, without the approval of a judge, and in 2013 the Presidents surveillance review group recommended reforming this authority, to require court oversight such requests, Wyden said.
Last week, separate legislation to give the government enhanced powers for NSLs did not pass, though senators have indicated that they would have another shot at it. The amendment was included as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
Wyden said he hoped to be able to work with colleagues to remove the controversial provisions prior to their consideration of the bill by the full Senate. Until then I will object to the proposal to pass this bill by unanimous consent, he added.
On Monday, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas disclosed data breach, after malware was discovered on their card processing system. This is the second time the casino has had to report such an incident.
In a statement, Hard Rock said that on May 13, the resort started an investigation after receiving reports of fraudulent activity on cards used at their Las Vegas location. The investigators discovered unauthorized access to the card-processing network, and later discovered malware on the systems themselves.
The malware targeted card details such as the customer's name, card number, expiration date, and internal verification codes. In other instances, the malware only obtained card data, but no names.
The breach timeline includes cards that were used at some restaurant and retail outlets between October 27, 2015 and March 21, 2016. It's important to note, this incident only impacts the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Last year, in May, Hard Rock disclosed a similar data breach that impacted payment cards.
The compromised cards were used between September 3, 2014 and April 2, 2015, at restaurant, bar and retail locations at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas property, including the Culinary Dropout Restaurant.
Given that this is the second data breach under similar circumstances, it looks as if the clean-up on the first incident didn't catch everything.
Otherwise, the situation is worse from a security standpoint. This week's disclosure could point to the fact that criminals were able to access the payment network a second time using the previous methods, or managed to find another way in.
Either way, the incident shows that the network was clearly left vulnerable to some degree, and criminals exploited this fact in just over five months.
In July, the Montana Family Medicine Residency at RiverStone Health Family Medicine Residency marks 20 years of doctor training celebrates 20 years of training Family Medicine doctors. But many people are still confused about what a residency means to the community and the state. So lets explore.
Residency is usually the last stop on the journey to practicing medicine. Every doctor travels the same general path: college, medical school, and then residency. There are some detours along the way, and some doctors go on to complete a fellowship in a sub-specialty, but those three things are mandatory.
When you graduate from medical school, you earn the title doctor. Residents are doctors. But these real, live doctors need more training. The goal of a residency is to further train new doctors, under supervision, in a specialty like pediatrics, general surgery or family medicine. The first year is traditionally known as the intern year, hence the term intern. After that first year, were no longer known as interns; were just residents. After graduating from the residency, doctors are allowed to practice their specialty on their own. No supervision required.
The Montana Family Medicine Residency, the first residency of any kind in Montana, trains residents in full-spectrum family medicine. The common term is cradle-to-grave, meaning we provide care to everyone from newborns to the elderly. This means training in prenatal care and delivering babies, training in emergency and hospital medicine, and training in clinic-based medicine.
Family medicine is a three-year residency, so MFMRs residents train in Billings for three years. There are 24 residents in total, eight in each of the three classes. The residency was founded to train Family Medicine doctors to work with rural and underserved populations. It allows doctors to finish their training in Montana, so that more doctors will stay in the state, easing the shortage of primary care doctors. So far, Id say weve succeeded. Nearly 70 percent of MFMR graduates over the last 20 years have stayed to practice across the Treasure State.
Locally, you may associate MFMR with RiverStone Health Clinic. MFMR was one of the first residencies in the country to be located in a Community Health Center. The residents provide primary care at RiverStone Health Clinic where we see men, women (including pregnant women), and children in all stages of life. Altogether, the residents and other providers at RiverStone Health see nearly 20,000 patients a year in the clinic. Residents also see patients at many other locations, including: local nursing homes, the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, and at both hospitals, to name a few. Some days it may seem like there is a MFMR resident anywhere you turn.
So there you have it, the basics of residency and specifics of the Montana Family Medicine Residency. Happy 20th anniversary, MFMR, and heres to 20 more years training great family medicine doctors.
STAMFORD The school districts outgoing superintendent has asked the Board of Education to approve a temporary agreement with its embattled facilities contractor a Bridgeport company under local and federal investigation for possible extortion.
Interim Superintendent James Connelly said the four-month contract with AFB Construction Management will allow new Superintendent Earl Kim, who starts next week, time to review the six-figure arrangement and consider restructuring the districts facilities operations.
The deal with AFB Construction, run by CEO Al Barbarotta, would be the companys first short-term contract with the district since it began managing the citys public schools 18 years ago. The agreement would cost taxpayers about $57,000 a month an 8 percent cut from the current agreement, which paid AFB about $62,000 on a monthly basis and cost a total of $742,000 this school year.
My proposal not only allows for the continued smooth operation of all ongoing and planned facilities work, but also allows time for incoming Superintendent Earl Kim, along with staff, and the city of Stamford, to evaluate the current arrangement, the roles and responsibilities of other city departments, and consider a number of viable options, Connelly wrote to the school board.
The panel is expected to vote on the proposal Tuesday night.
Connelly said some of those options include working with AFB in other roles, starting a partnership with the city or implementing in-house facilities management.
The hope is that these options will be studied over the next four months, he said Monday. This protects us in case we dont have a plan.
Connelly said there is no best model of managing school facilities even though most area districts have in-house management. He said he hopes Kim will work with city and district officials to determine the most responsive and cost-effective solution for Stamford.
AFB, and Barbarotta, have been under investigation for nearly three months by Stamford police and the FBI.
The probe began in March after a city official alerted police to a June 9, 2015, email from Barbarotta to another contractor, ConEd Solutions, which the city recently hired to create a plan to improve energy efficiency in public buildings.
The email shows Barbarotta offering to help ConEd land an energy project contract with the city, according to an April 12 court affidavit police obtained in order to seize Barbarottas cellphone.
The message, sent by Barbarotta through a city-issued email address, said if ConEd paid AFB $10,000 a month, AFB would help it obtain state certificates needed to outfit public buildings with energy-saving equipment, the affidavit said.
Stamford police also seized city computers used by Barbarotta and AFBs energy director, Charles Benzyk. The FBI took over the probe in April.
Barbarotta could not be reached for comment Monday, but Connelly said the man was satisfied with the proposed contract.
The agreement can be terminated at any time or renewed on a month-to-month basis after it expires Oct. 31, but no longer than June 2017.
Connelly said the proposal was strongly recommended by the citys legal department.
Documents recently obtained by the Advocate show AFBs contracts with the city included reimbursement for cellphone and car expenses, health and dental coverage, and liability and workers compensation insurance.
The reimbursements have amounted to more than $40,000 a year. Its not clear whether the reimbursements were included in the school boards annual payments to AFB or were paid on top of it.
Connelly said the proposed short-term agreement does not include such perks.
Staff writer Angela Carella contributed to this report
noliveira@hearstmediact.com, 203-964-2265, @olivnelson
The head of one of Connecticuts largest unions said she was blacklisted as a delegate from the upcoming Democratic National Convention because of a union boycott over state employee layoffs.
Lori Pelletier, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said her role organizing a union boycott of a June 2 state Democratic Party fundraising banquet cost her a spot as a delegate to the convention. For three of the last four national conventions, Pelletier said she has been a delegate.
Hundreds of union members picketed outside the Connecticut Democratic Progress Dinner in Hartford to protest more than 1,000 pink slips a number that could double that have been handed out by the administration of Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. The unions traditionally buy tables at the dinner, but the governors deficit-reduction measures kept them away this year.
I wouldnt have done anything different, Pelletier said. Thats how they think theyre gonna get back (at me).
Malloys office referred questions on the matter to the state Democratic Party, which denied that retribution factored into Pelletier being left off the delegate roster.
We are proud a large percentage more than one-third of Connecticuts delegation to the Democratic National Convention consists of our friends in organized labor, said Leigh Appleby, a state party spokesman. We recognize that they are a vital component of our party's broad coalition and we know they will make our delegation and our party stronger.
Democrats will kick off their national convention July 25 in Philadelphia, with Malloy serving as a co-chairman of the platform committee. Malloy has been a loyal surrogate for Hillary Clinton and is a superdelegate for the former secretary of state.
Clinton won 52 percent of the vote over Bernie Sanders in Connecticuts April 26 primary, with the backing of the Democratic establishment.
Pelletier said she was an early supporter of Clinton, who recently earned the endorsement of the national AFL-CIO. But of 18 endorsed Clinton delegates in Connecticuts five congressional districts, Pelletier said,she was the only one snubbed by Democrats during the selection process earlier this month. Pelletier was also passed over for an at-large delegate spot by the state party.
Out of all the caucuses, both for the Sanders campaign and Clinton campaign, all were endorsed except for me, Pelletier said.
Pelletier said she is scheduled to meet this week with national AFL-CIO leaders, who could still decide to send her as a guest to the convention.
If not, then I will not be going, Pelletier said.
neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The Constitution State is getting a bad rap by one website as being one of the most unpatriotic states in America.
WalletHub recently compiled their rankings for most patriotic states in the country in honor of the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend. Surprisingly, one of the oldest states in America was second to last.
Related: Southwest Connecticut fireworks this summer
"It appears that patriotism has been waning in recent years," the website said. "While 38 percent of Americans said the U.S. was the best country in the world in 2011, that number fell to 28 percent in 2014. So one must wonder: What's at the heart of our patriotic pouting, and where is this problem most pronounced?"
The report, based on military engagement and civil engagement, listed Connecticut in 49th place, just ahead of New Jersey. Connecticut was 47th in military engagement and 42nd in civil engagement. Other regional states, including Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts, were also among the least patriotic.
Connecticut sported a 73 percent voter turnout in the 2012 presidential election, and this past April, saw a 47 percent turnout for the Republican presidential primary and 43 percent turnout for the Democratic presidential primary. Many southwestern Connecticut towns showed a 40-50 percent voter turnout for the April primary.
Governing Magazine estimates Connecticut is host to a little more than 7,100 active military personnelmost enlisted in the Navyand almost 2,500 military civilians.
The rankings listed Virginia, Alaska, and South Carolina as the most patriotic states in the country. Virginia outpaced it's closest competition, ranking third in military engagement and sixth in civil engagement, compared to Alaska's first and 36th in the same categories and South Carolina's fourth and 18th.
To see which states were to most and least patriotic in the slideshow above.
Just about every week, Jose Figueroa said he hears from someone interested in becoming a police officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Figueroa is the BIAs chief of police on the Crow Reservation.
The trouble is that it takes the federal BIA a year to clear a new hire for duty, he said Monday in Crow Agency.
That impedes his ability to staff his small department, compounding the challenge of patrolling a sparsely populated reservation that is the size of Connecticut.
Figueroa spoke during a meeting of the Crow Legislature's judicial committee. Judicial Committee Chair Sen. Paul Hill called the meeting following concerns over law enforcement's response to the attack in April of a Crow woman, who was set on fire and left to die. Two suspects were charged last week in connection to that crime. Staff from the offices of U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke also attended the meeting.
Figueroa offered an overview of the problems facing his department, including long response times to calls coming from Pryor and Wyola. He said his department currently employs seven officers. In addition, three other tribal officers from the Department of Crowland Security patrol the reservation.
"Ten people taking care of a reservation that is the same size of Connecticut," Figueroa said. "Were working 14-hour days, five to six days a week."
He added that six officers left the Crow BIA police department in September 2013 and those positions still are not filled.
The number patrolling the reservation should be closer to 26 or 28. That would double the budget of his BIA police force, costing about $4 million, Figueroa estimated.
Henry Rides Horse, cabinet head for the Department of Crowland Security, said the Crow officials need to take control of their own police force and not leave it up to the BIA. The Crow lands need to be protected and the people living there are the ones to do it, he said, but the funding isn't being allocated.
With more funding, Rides Horse said he could have additional officers patrolling in 30 days.
"To me, if you graduate from a law enforcement academy, you have the right to go out and patrol," Rides Horse said. He said his daughter will graduate from a police academy Friday, but will be subjected to the long wait.
"We need to get something done, bottom line. Help me, he said. I can move forward; I can move forward today if Im told."
Figueroa was director of public safety for the Fort Peck Indian reservation before coming to Crow. He said it would help to cross-deputize police officers. After Fort Peck cross-deputized their officers, the community got safer, he said.
The cross deputization agreements between Fort Peck, Wolf Point, Poplar, Roosevelt County and the Montana Highway Patrol, allowed officers from local and state agencies to appoint certain officers to work on and off the reservation. In addition, it also gave tribal law enforcement the ability to act as a police officer off the reservation.
In Fort Peck, police who patrolled from agencies other than tribal law enforcement, were approved by the tribe and attended cultural sensitivity classes, he said.
After the informal Monday meeting in Crow, tribal Sen. Shawn Real Bird submitted a resolution to the July Crow legislature addressing public safety challenges. Real Bird reminded the federal government of its duty to provide adequate law enforcement to the Crow reservation. He called for more funding to build a tribal jail, create better rehabilitation services and increase the number of police on the reservation.
Real Bird also said it was time for a database to be created allowing tribal members to know what crimes are left unsolved on the reservation. He said gathering data will be important when justifying the reservation's need for more police officers.
Juvenile Probation Officer Elishah Reevis Sr. said without more police and more displays of adequate rule of law, the reservation would face a problem with vigilante justice.
Most members of the Crow legislature was not present at Monday's meeting, making it an informal gathering without a quorum. This caused Figureroa and Rides Horse to remark on whether or not the tribe was serious about making public safety a priority.
"We keep talking about it year after year after year," Rides Horse said. "Talk is cheap, people, lets step to the plate and start doing something."
Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Laura Rides Horse said she was disappointed by how few legislators had come to discuss the issues with public safety on the reservation. She said she favored cross deputization if it meant more officers patrolling and shorter police response times.
I dont see the color of the uniform, I just see, help, Laura Rides Horse said.
State Senator Sharon Stewart-Peregoy stated her continued support to call a U.S. Congressional hearing into the number of unsolved crimes on the Crow Indian Reservation. The Crow legislation will meet again in July to gather the legislature together and make an action plan.
Montana's congressional delegation is calling for increased awareness of crimes against American Indian women.
On Tuesday, Steve Daines and Jon Tester introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate to designate May 5, 2017, as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
Rep. Ryan Zinke planned to introduce a companion resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The date was chosen to honor the birthday of Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who was murdered in July 2013. Her body was found near the rodeo grounds on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.
The resolution was introduced to call attention to cases that often go unnoticed by the public, due in part to a lack of information coming from investigating agencies.
Roylynn Rides Horse, 28, died Tuesday after being beaten and set on fire and left in a field on the Crow Reservation on April 17.
I am heartbroken by the recent murder of RoyLynn Rides Horse, Daines said. "We are ringing the alarm to this devastating epidemic."
Tester, who sits on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, this year sponsored a bill to extend tribal criminal jurisdiction over domestic violence committed by people with ties to reservations. The bill was approved by the committee and is waiting to be taken up by the U.S. Senate.
It is critical that we shed more light on the hardships that Native women and their families often face, Tester said. But words must be followed up with actions."
Zinke said there must be more awareness of murdered and missing women and children in Native communities.
"Raising awareness will help save lives and prevent another heartbreaking outcome," Zinke said.
He said the "attack and murder of RoyLynn Rides Horse shook my soul as a husband, father, Montanan," and he offered his deepest condolences to her family and community.
American Indian women are killed at a rate more than 10 times the national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide was the third leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Native women between ages 10 and 24, and the fifth leading cause of death between ages 25 and 34.
Lucy Simpson, executive director of the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, and the National Congress of American Indians both "applauded" the resolution.
When asked about the attack against Rides Horse, BIA press contact with the Department of the Interior, Nedra Darling, directed all questions to the FBI.
The FBI released this statement: "The victim is being treated for her injuries" and added the incident was under investigation.
When Tester contacted the Department of the Interior regarding their perceived lack of response to inquires about public safety threats on Montana Native American reservations, the department said it follows the U.S. attorney for the District of Montana's media policy.
State and Crow legislators have all called for more transparency regarding crimes on Native American reservations.
Halloween activities for 2022
See what all goes bump in the night around Somerset County this Halloween season.
I-75 crash kills three in south Marion County
First responders said multiple vehicles were involved in the crash, which killed three people on I-75 near the Marion County and Sumter County line.
Federal land is tax exempt, which means the federal government doesnt contribute taxes to fund the roads and infrastructure servicing its property. PILT funds are a tax substitute, but those funds have run out. The federal government will pay out roughly $451.6 million in PILT. The amount is roughly $8 million more than what was paid out last year.
About $4.7 million in AmeriCorps funding will bolster that agencys service in Montana, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Tuesday.
We hear a lot of talk about making America great again, but talk is cheap, said Tester, D-Mont., during a conference call along with Wendy Spencer, chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Dan Ritter, executive director of Serve Montana. AmeriCorps is an amazing organization that does great work across Montana and the rest of the country.
The competitive grant program will provide about $2.7 million to support the 389 AmeriCorps members deployed across the state, including the Billings contingent, according to a news release from Gov. Steve Bullock.
Later this summer, more than $600,000 will be provided to the Montana Commission on Community Service to bring additional AmeriCorps members to Montana.
AmeriCorps members serve up to a year and are paid a small wage to help communities work on persistent problems among their residents, including hunger, illiteracy, disaster and veterans' issues.
Spencer said the grants will strengthen existing AmeriCorps programs, which partner with local nonprofits, faith-based groups and community organizations who reach out into the community with deep tentacles. No organization works well on the sidelines.
The grants, she said, will help everyone, who, as the president says, needs a ladder of opportunity.
Five Montana organizations Montana Conservation Corps, FoodCorps Montana, Big Sky Watershed Corps, Montana State Parks/AmeriCorps and Montana Legal Services will receive about $2.7 million from the competitive grant program.
Their representatives and supporters cheered as the allotments were announced during Tuesday's call.
Its great for Montana, said Brenda Beckett, who oversees the AmeriCorps VISTA MVP program in Billings. More people will be able to provide services to people in need.
About $1.3 million will be made available to AmeriCorps participants at the completion of their service to pay off student loans or continue their education.
Since 1994, more than 9,000 Montana residents have served more than 8.8 million hours under the Corporation for National and Community Service.
On Oct. 7, Spencer said AmeriCorps expects to enroll its one millionth member. The program spans five decades.
With a nod to Tester, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Congress boosted AmeriCorps funding by $50 million this year, Spencer said.
Jon has been an amazing champion for national service, Spencer said.
As a result of this funding, we can reach more corners of the state, increasing the impact on the Montanans we serve, Ritter said. National service has had a remarkable impact on our state.
Opinion Wordle
The next day I woke to find myself in a WhatsApp group titled Quordle is Awesome!! A small group of three. There was no getting out of it now.
The Billings City Council ON Monday voted down an $80,000 federally funded feasibility study of the Fifth Avenue North corridor after hearing opposition to the study from Billings Industrial Revitalization District businesses.
The vote to disapprove the study was 8-1, with Councilwoman Angela Cimmino the lone dissenter. She had moved to reduce the scope of the study to the area between North 32nd and North 22nd streets away from the rail spur, the main concern of BIRD business owners who spoke Monday but her motion died for the lack of a second.
Mayor Tom Hanel and Councilman Shaun Brown were not in attendance. As mayor pro tempore, Councilman Brent Cromley ran Mondays meeting.
David Ellis, general manager at Schnitzer Steel, said the rail link is vital to our business and our sustainability. Two or three rail cars carrying up to 100 tons of metal leave the business via rail every other day or every three days, he said.
If the rail spur were eliminated or impaired following the study, that would run counter to the BIRDs master plan, said Tim Goodrich, coordinator of the East Billings Urban Renewal District.
Planning and Community Development Director Candi Millar told the city council that if it chose to deny the study as it did we would like direction so that can re-scope the study. While the city council wasnt forthcoming with any direction during the meeting, members spoke informally afterward about revisiting a scaled-down study area before the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30.
The city council unanimously agreed to put off considering, until its July 11 meeting, the West End Multi-Modal Traffic Modeling Study. The city council was given an update on the study during its June 20 work session, but members decided they want to learn more about the study during the city councils July 5 work session.
The city council voted unanimously to approve special review to allow construction of a Jiffy Lube at 741 S. 24th St. West, the former site of a Valet Today cleaners location. That building will be torn down to make way for a four-bay service station.
Elliott B. Smith, managing partner of TerraForm Companies of Salt Lake City, the preferred developer for Jiffy Lube, said the service station will result in 30-50 additional vehicle trips per day, scattered throughout the day. The company scheduled a meeting for neighbors to voice any concerns, but no one attended, Smith said.
Jeff Essmann, a Republican legislator from Billings and a real estate developer, owns the property. The approaches to the business will both be off Henesta Drive, she said.
Existing trees on the property will be left in place.
Following public hearings, the city council unanimously agreed to adopt amendments to the 2015-16 budget and approve vacating a portion of Montgomery Street near Hansen Lane.
The city council also approved, by a 6-3 count, to study an initiative proposed by Cimmino to allocate $50,000 in council contingency funds to construct a shelter at the High Sierra dog park in the Heights.
Cromley joined council members Ryan Sullivan and Rich McFadden voting against the initiative.
In past years, council contingency funds have been used to construct the gazebo at South Park and help develop the Optimist Park Master Plan, among other projects.
Three days ago, with Westminster engulfed in the greatest political crisis in modern British history, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party went to Glastonbury.
On Saturday evening, as the chancelleries of Europe debated Britains decision to pull out of the EU, Tom Watson was drinking a can of cider in a field.
A barren wasteland of mud, he posted on the photo-sharing app Snapchat. This is not a metaphor.
Actually, it was.
Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, is facing a mutiny from within the Labour party over his leadership
But Mr Corbyn was greeted by more than 1,000 supporters at a rally outside Parliament yesterday
At four oclock on Sunday morning, while Mr Watson was on the dance floor, another barren wasteland of mud, better known as the Labour Party, descended into chaos.
Sacked by his Leader Jeremy Corbyn for disloyalty, the Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn issued a statement calling for new leadership.
Meanwhile, the man who runs the party machine was still at Glastonbury.
A few hours later, with the anti-Corbyn coup well under way, a photographer caught Mr Watson at the railway station: a stout middle-aged man, crammed into a pair of distressingly tight shorts, slumped on a bench and surrounded by carrier bags.
In its way, that image, showing the man who may soon take over as Leader of Her Majestys Opposition, perfectly sums up the state of the Labour Party. It would be comical if it were not so depressing.
On second thoughts, it is comical, but it is also depressing.
Perhaps only Mr Corbyns Labour Party, the most politically extreme and embarrassing Opposition in living memory, could take the Brexit story and make it all about them.
Indeed, perhaps only Labour, faced with a Government in disarray and a Tory Party in virtual civil war, could contrive to make themselves the focus instead.
I dont often agree with Nicola Sturgeon, but the SNP leader was bang on the money on Sunday.
As one Labour shadow minister after another handed in their resignation she described the state of Westminster politics as utter chaos, shambolic and frankly disgraceful.
In this, at least, she spoke for the nation.
Mr Corbyns hard-Left views, stubbornness, inarticulacy and arrogance are now widely known. To call him a clown would be an insult to circus performers the length and breadth of this country.
But this is a crisis that goes well beyond the risible ineptitude of one man. Brexit may have thrown the Tories into confusion, but I think it poses a far deadlier threat to Labour.
Indeed, even if Labour do dump their leader, there is still a decent chance that the party is heading for extinction.
Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson avoided much of the furore this weekend after going to Glastonbury
You may well be wondering why Labour have suddenly found themselves centre stage, given that it was a Tory Prime Minister who called the referendum and a group of Tory politicians who effectively won it.
Yet in some ways this has always been a Labour story. David Cameron called the referendum because of pressure from Ukip.
But what turned Ukip from a Right-wing splinter group into a national phenomenon was the fact that, over the years, it began to take so many votes from Labour, especially in poor working-class areas anxious about uncontrolled immigration.
Indeed, if Labour politics had turned out differently, then we might not have had Brexit at all.
To take an example that will surely fascinate future historians, if the then Labour MP Eric Joyce had not attacked a group of Tories in a House of Commons bar in 2013, then there would never have been a candidate selection-rigging row a few months later in his Falkirk seat.
Ed Miliband would never have revised the rules of the Labour Party to introduce a one-member, one-vote system, as he did to such disastrous effect, and Jeremy Corbyn would never have become Labour leader.
Maybe some other leader would have campaigned more vigorously in Labour areas in the referendum particularly across the North of England.
In that case, maybe more Labour voters would have been tempted to vote Remain, and maybe David Cameron would never have resigned.
Maybe, maybe. But history unfolds as it does for a reason. And the truth is that the European referendum has exposed deep and potentially catastrophic fault lines within the Labour Party.
The fact that Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership at all tells its own story.
Hilary Benn, pictured, issued a statement calling for new leadership and was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet over the weekend
No sane political party would have elected a man whose views are wildly at odds with the vast majority of his own MPs, and who has never shown the slightest political ability, acumen or charisma.
At heart, Labours problem is very simple. It was founded in February 1900 as an alliance between working-class trade unionists and liberal-minded intellectuals.
But over the past century, that alliance has come unstuck.
As a glance at Mr Corbyns shadow cabinet (either pre- or post-coup) will tell you, genuinely working-class voices have become increasingly rare inside the Labour hierarchy.
And as the referendum campaign showed beyond any doubt, the Labour Party has completely lost the ability both to speak and to listen to its core working-class voters, especially in the North and the Midlands.
Perhaps crucially, the self-righteous metropolitan middle-class liberals who now dominate the Labour ranks simply cannot understand the social and cultural concerns of ordinary working-class people.
Im a white working-class Englishman who isnt on benefits; Labour isnt for people like me, one man told Labours candidate in Harlow during last years general election.
This has become a devastatingly familiar refrain.
Voters who are socially conservative are the most likely to have deserted Labour, warned Dagenhams MP Jon Cruddas before the referendum campaign.
They value home, family and their country. They feel their cultural identity is under threat.
Mr Cruddas was right. But his party refused to listen, just as in Scotland. Too many Labour MPs simply cannot understand the power of patriotism, whether English or Scottish.
They just cannot get it into their heads that, outside London, millions of ordinary English voters take their national identity extremely seriously, simply do not feel European and are outraged by successive governments broken promises to control immigration.
And so they just cannot understand it when their own woolly, self-righteous metropolitan pieties fall so devastatingly flat on the doorstep.
Predicting the demise of the Labour Party may sound melodramatic. But just look at Scotland, once the partys unassailable working-class heartland.
In 2015, Labour lost 40 Scottish seats and were left with just one.
A year later, in the Scottish Parliament elections, they actually finished third behind the SNP and the Tories.
Even 20 years ago, such a result would have been inconceivable for the party, which boasted numerous New Labour Scottish Cabinet ministers, an Edinburgh-born PM in Tony Blair, and of course Gordon Brown.
For Labour, the terrifying prospect is that what happened in Scotland was the beginning of the end.
For if, as seems likely, they go into an early general election as a divided party with a weak leader, an incoherent approach to immigration and a dithering, hand-wringing attitude to Brexit, then they could well be annihilated in much of England, too.
That, I think, would be a disaster for British politics. Not only do we need a strong and focused
Opposition, but Britain genuinely needs a sane Labour Party, not the comic-opera shambles of the past few years, with the weak, hopeless Ed Miliband replaced by an even more old-fashioned socialist leader in Corbyn.
At its best, particularly under Clement Attlee in the Forties, Labour spoke with the voice of the nation.
Yes, the Tories have always been the party of the individual and the middle class.
But a healthy democracy also needs a party that will fight for the poor, reflect the values of working-class Britain and assert the moral necessity of the co-operation and community that bind our society together.
That Labour need to get rid of Mr Corbyn goes without saying. But even if his colleagues manage to dump him, reviving the partys fortunes in England may well take a miracle.
My suspicion is that the party is finished. And British politics will be the poorer for it.
For the men at the centre of the storm, however, there may be a silver lining.
When Tom Watson visited Mr Corbyn yesterday to discuss the leadership crisis, they apparently spoke for five minutes about Glastonbury.
Most of us feel like we're not getting enough sleep on a daily basis. It seems there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do, especially if you're a mum.
However there is a way to train your body get less sleep, without requiring copious amounts of caffeine in the long-term.
According to sleep neuroscientist Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University, most people can sleep as little as six hours a night without majorly comprising how they function the next day.
Scroll down for video
No more yawning: Sleep neuroscientist Professor Jim Horne has explained how you can sleep for only six hours a night without feeling the effects the next day
HOW TO SLEEP FOR ONLY SIX HOURS A NIGHT Make sure you wake up at the same time each day
For one week, go to bed 20 minutes later
For the following week, go to bed 40 minutes later
For a third week, go to bed an hour later
Continue going to bed 20 minutes later each week until you are down to six hours sleep Advertisement
And whilst sleeping between seven and eight hours is the ideal amount for most people, genetics do play a part in how much sleep you need.
So some people may try to sleep only six hours and find it much more difficult to function than others.
Getting your sleep down to only six hours in the first place is all about having a plan, Professor Horne told Men's Health.
Firstly, one of the most important things to do is ensure you are waking up at the same time each day, no matter what day of the week.
No more sleep ins: The key is ensuring you wake up at the same time every day, and then gradually going to bed later and later
Then, once you are in a pattern of waking up at the same time each day, you can start training your body to need less sleep.
First, for an entire week, go to bed 20 minutes later than you usually would. Then the second week, up that to 40 minutes later than normal.
Continue going to bed an additional 20 minutes later each week until you are down to only six hours sleep, and there you are.
Switch off devices: Practicing sleep hygiene is also important to getting a good quality sleep so you don't feel tired
Although this method works according to Professor Horne, there are other things that you can do to ensure that your quality of sleep is good, which will help you to feel well-rested on only six hours.
Firstly, practice good sleep hygiene by not using electronic devices for at least an hour before bed, and by cutting down on caffeine and alcohol. This will ensure you can fall asleep quickly and won't be tossing and turning.
Make sure your environment is good for sleep as well. Having a comfortable bed, as well as a room that is at a good temperature and fairly dark is key.
Women are turning their noses up at kale in favour of carbs.
Calorie-laden sweets, slices of pizza and burgers are becoming the new norm on Instagram, as the once popular hashtag #CleanEating is thrown by the wayside.
The movement, ABC News reports, is a way of rebelling against the 'fitspo' stereotype women are expected to fit and the stigma that surrounds eating snack food.
Carbs are in! Social media users are tunring their backs on green smoothies in favour of snack foods
Extremes: It seems there is no in between, with people either posing with healthy snacks or calorie-laden treats
Forget fitspo: Embracing snack food is a way of rebelling against the fitspo stereotype women embrace on Instagram
In recent years, health and fitness has seen a resurgence in the digital world.
Drinking green smoothies and performing squats are seen more as a lifestyle than a way to stay fit, and Instagram stars with their tones abs the inspiration.
More women are opting in favour of snack foods, and Melbourne cookie company Sweet Mickie creator Emma Head told ABC News there is no in between.
The new cool: Some have dubbed gluttony the new cool as women embrace indulgence
No balance: 'I think women are either eating really healthy, or really unhealthy ... there's no middle ground,' Ms Head said
Going green: Health and fitness has seen a resurgence in the digital world, but could be on the way out
'Right now, gluttony is the cool thing [for women]. It's sort of shifted from wellness to indulgence that's now the new "cool",' Ms Head said.
'I think women are either eating really healthy, or really unhealthy ... there's no middle ground.
'So there's a bit of a rebellion with girls [on social media] going, "Hey, I can eat pizza ... I'm a rebel, I'm cool, I'm eating carbs".'
Not going down well: Fitness inspired posts and clean eating mantras appear to be falling on deaf ears
Food fight: By eating snack food, women are shunning the clean eating stereotype others portray on Instagram
Just a bite: Women are chowing down on large slices of pizza and burgers
Ms Head's own business is plays to the shift in eating habits.
Her sweet treats feature slogans such as 'Gluten free LOL', 'Fries before guys' and 'Gluttony is back'.
There have also been entire Instagram pages set up to share photos of #FoodPorn worthy treats, and women tucking in to them.
Not buying it: Rather than healthy lifestyle pages, women are starting pages to share their snack food
Double doughnuts: Sisters Jess and Stef Dadon have embraced the snack food trend
Another duo to jump on the snack-eating bandwagon are sisters Jess and Stef Dadon who run the Instagram page How Two Live.
There the fashionable sisters, who have more than 124,000 followers, are just as likely to share a photo of them tucking in to a sugary treat as they are to pose in a bikini.
A woman who kept her stepfather's sexual abuse a secret for 20 years has revealed how it was her own daughter who made her eventually contact the police.
Helen Dawson-Breen, 32, from Bristol, was abused for six years from the age of 11 by Wayne Burgoyne, now 58, who even used to rape her on the way to school. As an adult, she tried to put the traumatic memories behind her.
But when her own daughter came home from a fishing trip with 'Grandpa' and said he had asked her to keep a secret, she knew it was time to seek justice.
Helen Dawson-Breen was abused for six years during her childhood and, as an adult, she tried to put the traumatic memories behind her
Wayne Burgoyne, 58, who was 38 when he first met 11-year-old Helen, was the father of a boy in her class at school and invited her over to their house to play
Helen, who has decided to waive her right to anonymity, says her childhood was ruined by Burgoyne, a prolific abuser who even married her mother in an attempt to get closer to her.
Burgoyne, who was 38 when he first met 11-year-old Helen, was the father of a boy in her class at school and invited her over to their house to play.
That first visit signalled the beginning of a sustained grooming campaign that ended with him raping her.
Helen's early years growing up in Yorkshire and Scotland were marred by grief and abuse. Incredibly, her father had abused her too, until the age of eight - he then committed suicide three years before she met Burgoyne.
Helen as a teen. She said: 'He turned up at the school gates, he would buy me jewellery and send me mix tapes. The next thing I knew, he was engaged to be married to my mum
Helen was sexually abused by her stepdad, who even attacked her on the way to school
(Wayne) told me to sit on his knee and then he put his hand up my skirt but he told me it was alright and that I would like it. Strangely, it brought back memories of my father so to me, it felt normal.'
Burgoyne would buy 'special presents' for Helen, and told her he was in love with her and wanted to marry her when she was 18.
I was frightened for so long, she recalled. He threatened to kill me if I ever told and I believed him. But the scars would not heal. I was very damaged, very miserable, I self-harmed and I had no life.'
I didnt like it but I didnt know what to do. When I confided in someone, my mum moved us away from the area but he followed me, determined to keep seeing me.
Helen said: I was frightened for so long, she recalled. He threatened to kill me if I ever told and I believed him. But the scars would not heal. I was very damaged, very miserable, I self-harmed and I had no life'
'He turned up at the school gates, he would buy me jewellery and send me mix tapes. The next thing I knew, he was engaged to be married to my mum.
To her horror, Burgoyne seduced Helens mother and the pair wed in August 1997. From that day on, the abuse escalated.
It was every day now before school, after school, when Mum went shopping,' Helen recalled. 'She worked a night job as a chicken catcher and when she went out to work, Wayne would wake me up to have sex with me.
Helen says Burgoyne would also offer to drive her to school in the morning, only to do a 'detour' and abuse her in the car - often making her late for class.
Helen today. I didnt like it but I didnt know what to do,' she said. 'When I confided in someone, my mum moved us away from the area but he followed me, determined to keep seeing me'
Mum-of-two Helen is now happily settled in the south of England with her new partner Granville Hoyle, 47, a mature student
Helen couldnt contemplate going to the police until one day in January 2014 when her then five-year-old daughter came home from a fishing trip with 'Grandpa'
The family relocated to Scotland and Helen moved out of home at 15, but even that didnt stop Burgoyne, and he would go round to her flat to have sex with her.
It was only two years later, when Helens first boyfriend threatened to go to the police, that Burgoyne was finally stopped in his tracks.
Mum-of-two Helen is now happily settled in the south of England with her new partner Granville Hoyle, 47, a mature student.
But Helen was unable contemplate going to the police until one day in January 2014 when her then five-year-old daughter came home from a fishing trip with Grandpa.
During the trial Helens mum gave evidence confirming she knew about the abuse but says she believed that marrying the man would end things
Mum-of-two Helen (pictured with partner Granville) is now determined to move on and help others
Her innocent words -Grandpa told me not to tell you but he killed a fish and sent it to Jesus - rang alarm bells in Helens mind. She had never imagined he would abuse again but now he had asked her daughter to keep a secret and now she had no choice but to report falconer Burgoyne.
Last month in Sheffield Crown Court Burgoyne, 58, was found guilty of 10 counts of abuse against Helen as a child and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
During the trial Helens mum gave evidence confirming she knew about the abuse but says she believed that marrying the man would end things.
The guilt she feels is overwhelming, says Helen. Her marriage was a sham, completely toxic and dishonest. Now she lives with me and my family and I feel Ive got my mum back for the first time in years.
'But her health is very poor and she is very depressed about everything. I dont feel anger to her. I forgive her.
'I have found strength in God and I have made a vow to myself never to live with dishonesty again. I just want to help others to turn their lives around now.
Now Helen is determined to show others that it is possible to fight back even years after the abuse has stopped.
He's been living in England for less than three months, but it seems Matt Le Blanc is settling in just fine after rumours emerged this week that he has been embroiled in a secret relationship with Top Gear producer Aurora Mulligan.
While the former Friends actor, who is heading up the new-look BBC Two series alongside Chris Evans, has insisted they have a 'strictly working relationship', the pair have been spotted out together on a number of occasions in the past few weeks with onlookers reporting they look 'besotted' with each other.
Indeed, some took their latest joint appearance, at the Hickstead Derby on Saturday, as a sign that the pair had finally made their relationship official.
Scroll down for video
Some onlookers took Matt and Aurora's latest joint appearance, at the Hickstead Derby on Saturday, as a sign the pair had made their relationship official
Born in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, Aurora studied politics, political science and government at Liverpool University before launching a successful career in TV production
A Top Gear source told the Sun: 'This has become a romance. Matt spends more time with Aurora than anyone else in the crew and theres definitely a blossoming relationship there.'
But just who is the producer who, at 17 years younger than Matt, is rumoured to have stolen his heart?
Born in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, the pretty brunette studied politics, political science and government at Liverpool University before launching a successful career in TV production.
After stints at ITV and Channel 5, she eventually settled at BBC in July last year as assistant producer on Top Gear, shortly after former host Jeremy Clarkson left.
The 31-year-old is believed to have met Matt in early 2016, shortly before he was announced as one of the show's new producers in February.
Aurora's job takes her all over the world, and in recent years she has flown to Tibet, India and Africa
Matt tweeted tweet a snap back in March from Aurora's cameo appearance in the show, when she played the part of a bride whose St Paul's Cathedral wedding is crashed by Matt in a For Mustang (pictured)
However despite working closely alongside A-list stars, Aurora appears to be fiercely private, keeping her Facebook and Instagram accounts closed except to friends.
She has a modest 550 Twitter followers, and uses the social network to tweet about issues such as animal rights, retweeting articles on badger culls, animal testing, fox hunting and the fur trade.
Her job takes her all over the world, and in recent years she has flown to Tibet, India and Africa, and she has shared snaps of her partying with friends at Essex nightspot Sugarhut.
And she is clearly just as enamoured with motors as her rumoured boyfriend, recently sharing a photo of herself beaming next to a Subaru with the caption: 'Just done a hot lap of the TT circuit in this thing. Very fast, very bumpy.. think I'm in love #carcrush #subarulove.'
Matt was married to model Melissa McKnight for three years, with whom he has a daughter, Marina
While Aurora and Matt rarely interact publlicy on social media, the former actor did tweet a snap back in March from Aurora's cameo appearance in the show, when she played the part of a bride whose St Paul's wedding is crashed by Matt in a For Mustang.
She retweeted this post, along with one of Matt's snaps from a recent trip to Lesotho, South Africa - although there has been less public interaction between the pair since rumours of a romance emerged.
Aurora would not be the first European woman to have caught his eye; he was married to British model Melissa McKnight for three years, with whom he has a daughter, Marina.
However it seems rumours of their new romance have angered some fans, with some taking to Twitter to hurl abuse at Aurora.
One user posted an expletive-filled rant, commenting: 'I hope you get hurt and realized that you made a huge mistake (sic.).'
Meanwhile, Andrew Powell wrote: 'Aurora Mulligan looks stunning! Go Matt LeBlanc! #Tribbani #PIFFness #HowYouDoin?'
It all got a bit too much for Twitter user Cavanelli, who commented: '@auroramulligan Hello, please Can stop you this rumor and we say if you're in couple or not with Matt LeBlanc? Thank u !'
Imagine being told by not one, but two women to cover up while breastfeeding your baby.
The partner of the Australian actor Brenton Thwaites has taken to social media to vent her frustrations after being told to 'put it away' after while breastfeeding from two other women.
Chloe Pacey, based in the Gold Coast, posted the selfie of herself breastfeeding her three-month old baby Birdie on Instagram account sharing it with her 3,000 followers.
Scroll down for video
Naturalise: The partner of Australian actor Brenton Thwaites vented frustration on Instagram post (above) over being told to cover up while breastfeeding
Motherhood: Ms Pacey said in her post that she was told by two women to cover up
Pregnant: In her post she said that mothers ' should be able to get a boob out anywhere at anytime to feed our babe', pictured with Brenton Thwaites before their baby Birdie was born
Her caption read: 'NORMALISE BREASTFEEDING!!! It's mid 2016 and I've been told twice from WOMEN to put it away and cover up. For who? The men? The children? Who?' [sic]
'We should be able to get a boob out anywhere at anytime to feed our babe. We should be applauded because #breastfeeding is the best thing we can do for our babes and it's freakin hard work.' [sic]
'The last thing we are thinking about is sex so it should be the last thing any man or women thinks of when they see it!' [sic]
Baby Birdie: Mother to three-month-old Birdie said in her post, 'we should be able to get a boob out anywhere at anytime to feed our babe'
Spending time together: The former Home and Away heartthrob by with beach with newborn Birdie
Many of Ms Pacey's followers commented on the picture agreeing with her.
One wrote: 'Some people seem to forget that breasts were solely made to feed babies.'
Another said: 'I still don't get why people find it so offensive? Next time someone gives you a spray, whip it out and spray them back.'
Some else added: 'Who are this people?! We have a choice to look and look away, so look away if you can't handle it!'
The naturopath student, originally from Perth, and Thwaites made their first appearance together at the Sydney premier of The Heart of the Sea in November 2015 where it she proudly showed off her baby bump.
The former Home and Away hunk recently spent a lot of time on the Gold Coast filming alongside Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush for the new installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise to be released in 2017.
Mother's right to feed: Ms Pacey has received a lot of support from her Instagram followers who agree that mothers
According to the Australian Breastfeeding Association a mother has the right to breastfeed her baby where she happens to be and is legally supported by the the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.
'The requirements of a baby are different to those of an adult, and all mothers have the right to meet their baby's needs.'
She said she totally needed to take a break and time away from modelling
Ms Ward confesses that she was told her looks were fading aged 20
She speaks about this in a revealing new interview with ELLE Australia
But she took a mysterious hiatus following the death of Heath Ledger
Australian model Gemma Ward was at the height of her game in 2008
Australian model Gemma Ward has called out the modelling industry and the pressure it puts on young girls, after confessing she was told her looks were fading at the tender age of 20.
Speaking to ELLE Australia magazine in their new 'lift-and-flip' July cover, the Perth-born beauty was at the top of her fashion game, before she mysteriously disappeared from the scene in 2008 upon the death of her close friend, Heath Ledger.
Ms Ward has now returned to the work in which she first made her name some eight years later, and at 28, she clearly has a slightly different perspective.
Making a statement: Australian model Gemma Ward, 28, has called out the modelling industry and the pressure it puts on young girls in the new issue of ELLE Australia magazine
Shot to fame: Ms Ward initially became famous as a teenager (pictured at 20) - however in her new interview, she said: 'It wasn't a choice to stop, it was like I needed to stop, I actually couldn't go on'
Innovative: Speaking to the magazine in their new 'lift-and-flip' July cover, the Perth-born beauty was at the top of her fashion game, before she mysteriously disappeared from the scene in 2008
'It wasn't a choice to stop, it was like I needed to stop, I actually couldn't go on,' she said in the new interview with ELLE.
It wasn't a choice to stop, it was like I needed to stop, I actually couldn't go on. But I was also very sure of what I needed to do
'But I was also very sure of what I needed to do...
'I didn't feel like I could keep working. There was no way in the beginning, but then as time went on there were other things I felt like I needed to address.
'There was a time when I stopped auditioning, I stopped doing anything, and I just wrote, and practised music, because I felt like I needed to have a focus on my voice rather than my image - that was actually really healing.
'For me, it helped. And I wanted to focus on things I could develop and get better at because for a period of time I had people telling me, "You've got to do this when you're young", "Your looks are going to fade", "You're not going to get better".
'Like, you hit your teenage years and everything goes downhill - it's kind of horrible to think.'
Changing face: Ms Ward has now returned to the work in which she first made her name some eight years later, and at 28, she clearly has a slightly different perspective
Fading beauty: She confesses that she had people telling her her looks were fading when she was just 20 years old - and that is was all downhill from her teenage years
Sudden hiatus: Ms Ward took a sudden hiatus from the spotlight in 2008 - when she focussed on other things, including acting, music and having a baby with her husband, the photographer David Letts
Ms Ward took her time away from the spotlight to enjoy various other things life could offer, including having a baby with her photographer husband, David Letts, doing some acting and dabbling in music.
She and her family currently reside in Byron Bay, Australia.
However, Ms Ward returned to the catwalks last year, when she sent social media into hysterics modelling in the Prada SS15 show.
Second debut: She made a return to the catwalks in 2015, however, when she walked in the Prada show
Star: Ms Ward was initially singled out in the fashion industry, thanks to her striking, unusual image and trademark doe eyes - at her peak, she commanded up to $25,000 a show
Happy life: She currently lives in Byron Bay, and hasn't written out the prospect of having a second child in the not-too-distant future
Ms Ward was initially singled out in the fashion industry, thanks to her striking, unusual image and trademark doe eyes.
At her peak, she was the most in-demand model on the scene, and commanded up to $25,000 a show, with 24 Vogue covers across the globe.
Gemma Ward has spoken about her sudden hiatus from modelling in the past, confessing that she fell into a deep depression in 2008:
'If you feel trapped, you don't realise you can do something about it,' Ms Ward said last year.
'I went through depression. I had to slow down, take a step back and look at my life.'
However, Ms Ward is now focussing on getting back into the swing of things, and this innovative ELLE cover is a great start.
Ms Ward did however admit that her second child might be on its way at some point:
and their other halves have stepped it up with their fashion
The Federal Election is fast approaching after a lengthy campaign trail
Over the past few months, Australian politicians and their significant others have been stepping up their fashion game as the competitive campaign trail gets underway.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's wife, Lucy Turnbull, has been donning her signature bold prints and chic frames while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's other half, Chloe Shorten, has surprised many by rocking a more vibrant and adventurous wardrobe.
As the July 2nd election fast approaches, FEMAIL takes a look at the campaign trail styles to date and who has made a memorable mark in the fierce world of political fashion.
First lady fashion: As the July 2nd election fast approaches, FEMAIL takes a look at the campaign trail styles to date (pictured is Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy Turnbull)
LUCY TURNBULL
A sartorial risk-taker, Australia's first lady Lucy Turnbull, 58, is all about pushing the boundaries of fashion and regularly opts for bold clashing prints, statement necklaces and playful pops of colour.
Often stepping out in fiery colours, Mrs Turnbull is also known for her retro high-end specs.
And in the past few months, Mrs Turnbull appears to have stepped it up even more in preparation for the inevitable spotlight that comes with the campaign trail - from stepping out in sparkling blazers to attending events in bright pattern-heavy evening dresses.
Although Mrs Turnbull has stuck with her signature style, she has appeared to rock a corporate look more often that she has in the past.
Bold: Lucy Turnbull wore a eye-popping sparkling blazer as she arrived with her husband Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the opening night of Handa Opera's Turandot in March
All about colour: Mrs Turnbull also rocked a silk, floral print evening gown with pops of pink and navy as she attended a charity event in Beijing in April
Despite appearing in blazers and suit jackets more often, the stylish businesswoman has worked on her accessories and rarely seen without a statement necklace or designer watch to accompany her looks.
Speaking to Vogue Australia in September, Mrs Turnbull said when it comes to style, it's 'intangible.'
'It may have as much to do with what you do as how you look. Often confident achievers shine without trying, while others whove spent a fortune on clothes look like fashion victims,' she said.
'Im not at all obsessed with how I look, but I have a couple of basic rules I try to look my best in well-designed, appropriate clothes. I dress my age and have an absurdity meter that stops me looking like mutton dressed as lamb.'
All about accessories: Despite appearing in blazers and suit jackets more often, the stylish businesswoman is rarely seen without a statement necklace or designer watch to accompany her looks
Matter of opinion: Speaking to Vogue Australia in September, Mrs Turnbull said when it comes to style, it's 'intangible'
CHLOE SHORTEN
Chloe Shorten, the wife of the federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, has traditionally had a more conservative approach to fashion.
Where Mrs Turnbull favoured the limelight, Mrs Shorten has, in the past, been seen as camera-shy and simplistic when it comes to her style.
But the mother-of-three appears to have shaken up her wardrobe and has been seen stepping out in far more playful and vibrant pieces - though she is still most often seen in block colours and conservative cuts.
From hot pink fitted dresses and bright red two-piece suits to pastel blue dresses and bold make up looks, Mrs Shorten has certainly stopped blending into the background.
Chic: Chloe Shorten rocked a pair of designer sunglasses and a fitted blue shirt during a visit to the Gladstone Ports Corporation's Auckland Point Terminal on Sunday
Standing out: Mrs Shorten wore a stylish fitted blue dress (left) at an event in June and earlier, arrived at the Australian Labor Party 2016 Federal Campaign Launch in a vibrant red suit (right) with a floral embellishment
Vibrant look: Mrs Shorten attended the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival at Tumbalong Park in February wearing a figure-hugging bright pink dress and a pair of silver pumps
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Mrs Shorten said she quit her job as head of corporate affairs and stakeholder relations at engineering firm Calibre three months ago to look after her family and join the campaign trail.
She also added that she thinks of herself as 'slightly dishevelled' despite her put together appearance.
'My wardrobe is full of business suits and park clothes... I did grow up playing in my mothers [former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce] closet and I do think fashion is an art,' she said, adding that she is a big fan of Australian designers.
All eyes on Mrs Shorten: At the Auckland Point Terminal, Mrs Shorten's glam look and bold red lip ensured she stood out - despite wearing cropped pants and safety equipment
Life of the party: Mrs Shorten is pictured chatting to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in February
JULIE BISHOP
Foreign Minister and Deputy Liberal Party Leader, Julie Bishop, is known for her high-end designer taste, sharply cut suits and of course, her extensive brooch collection.
The 59-year-old has been bringing some sparkle to Question Time for the past few years with her chic outfits and sparkling brooches, but over the past few months she has taken a break from her famed embellishments.
The politician has long been a fan of investment pieces such as Armani suits coupled with Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin heels and Balenciaga get-ups - the politician recently rocking an Armani suit at the AFC anniversary celebrations.
Chic: Foreign Minister and Deputy Liberal Party Leader, Julie Bishop is known for her high-end designer taste, sharply cut suits and of course, her extensive brooch collection (pictured in Washington in March)
Since the campaign trail got underway, Ms Bishop has donned an array of stunning looks and has stepped out in a selection of brightly coloured scarves (pictured at the Port Arthur 20th Anniversary Service in April)
Give a girl the right shoes and she can take on the world, she told News Corp in 2015 when speaking about her her passion for bright red stilettos.
Since the campaign trail got underway, Ms Bishop has donned an array of stunning looks and has stepped out in a selection of elegant yet very stylish suits and brightly coloured scarves.
She has also been showing off her new season style and, true to form, has welcomed the transition from autumn to winter with high-end jackets, eye-catching overcoats and outfits by designers including Dion Lee, Bianca Spender, Giorgio Armani and Carla Zampatti.
Tailored: She has welcomed the transition from autumn to winter with high-end jackets and eye-catching overcoats (pictured in Sydney in May at the InStyle and Audi Women of Style Awards)
Not over the brooch: While the brooches have taken more of a back seat of late, Ms Bishop was seen wearing one of her favourites in May during a meeting at Parliament House
TANYA PLIBERSEK
Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tanya Plibersek, 46, plays it safe when it comes to her wardrobe choices.
Appearing to avoid the fashion spotlight as much as possible, Ms Plibersek is all about simple tailored suits, block colours, pastels and black and white combinations.
Since the campaign trail got underway, Ms Plibersek has stepped out in a similar look for each occasion and is usually snapped in a simple black suit with a pastel blouse or white shirt and understated, natural make up.
At the launch of the Labour party's election campaign in Sydney however, Ms Plibersek switched it up and arrived in a blue fitted dress and silver blazer.
Simple and safe: Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek, 46, plays it safe when it comes to her wardrobe choices (pictured at Opposition leader Bill Shorten's budget reply speech on May 5)
Natural: Since the campaign trail got underway, Ms Plibersek has stepped out in a similar look for each occasion and is usually snapped in a simple black suit with a pastel blouse or white shirt
Shaking it up: At the launch of the Labour party's election campaign in Sydney however, Ms Plibersek changed it up and arrived in a blue fitted dress and silver blazer
MICHAELIA CASH
Senator Michaelia Cash, the Minister for Women, has rocked a fantastic sense of style since the start of the campaign trail.
The 45-year-old's youthful, on trend style has captured the attention of many over the past few months - be it for her playful patterned skirts, tailored crop blazers or stylish accessories.
Always one to play with unique necklines and layering, Ms Cash rarely disappoints with her creative wardrobe and colourful statement pieces.
On June 24, Ms Cash arrived at the Trucking Australia 2016 conference in a chic black and white checked jacket and black trousers and earlier in the month, arrived at a frontline services event wearing a navy and white striped skirt and matching navy blazer.
She says you can't say McGuire's words were hurtful and hurl more hurt
Corrine Barraclough says this is wrong and that men are not the enemy
A new piece has been written that says the source of violence is men
Today, Libby Davies, CEO of White Ribbon Australia has written a shocking article entitled, 'We stop violence at the source. And the source is men.'
It begins, 'Over the last couple of weeks there has been an extraordinary debate in the media and online about the power of words to influence violence against women, following comments made by Collingwood President Eddie McGuire about Fairfax journalist Caroline Wilson.'
Wait. We are in dangerous water if we are going to start making assertions about 'the power of words to influence violence' under such a sickening headline that blames men for all violence.
Outrage: Eddie McGuire has been under fire for making a joke about veteran journalist Caroline Wilson 'drowning' - however a new article has been published which says the source of violence is men
Controversial: Libby Davies, CEO of White Ribbon Australia has written a shocking article entitled, 'We stop violence at the source. And the source is men'
So, are we saying that McGuires words were indefensible on live radio but this headline is acceptable in black and white because it comes from an organization campaigning against violence? Flawed.
Or are a womans words deemed less hurtful than a mans? Also flawed.
In light of the McGuire furor, shouldnt all words from the mouths of campaigners be more carefully considered than blatantly slinging mud at the feet of an entire gender?
Shocked: Caroline Wilson (left), The Age's chief football writer, was the target of the joke that writer Corrine Barraclough (right) argues isn't about sexism at all - she says the latest article pushes its own sexist agenda
She continues, 'This discussion highlighted the fact that words indeed have the power to perpetuate a culture of disrespect.'
May I ask what words that pump steroids into a gender divide achieve? Are they not also perpetuating a culture of disrespect?
This relentless campaign against men, and even young boys in TV ads, at a time when feminism is attempting to achieve equality, is incongruous. You can't be furious about Eddie McGuire's comments in a bid for fair treatment and then push a sexist agenda.
You cant say words are hurtful and then hurl more hurtful words. You cant say regardless of sex, every person should be treated with respect and then lay the blame of vile, abhorrent abuse at an entire gender.
Ms Barraclough writes that while she has personally been a victim of domestic violence, 'I don't hate men; they aren't the enemy'
If McGuires comments werent offensive on the basis of sex, rather that no one should use aggressive language towards another human being, I might suggest you read this appalling headline once again.
I am not disputing the figures; men, commit the majority of abusive behavior that occurs in peoples homes, against women.
I'm a woman, I've been in destructive relationships. I have scars both physical and emotional from the experiences of DV I have lived. I don't hate men; they aren't the enemy
Australias National Research Organisation for Womens Safety (ANROWS) Violence Against Women in Australia Report found that one in four women have experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15.
Extensive statistics are published by law enforcement and campaign organisations; for example NSW police statistics for 2014-15 showed that 69 per cent of domestic violence assault victims were female. In Victoria, 77 per cent of perpetrators were male, according to Victoria Royal Commission.
Hot water: Eddie McGuire refused to apologise for his comment on the Today show, and Ms Barraclough argues: 'I strongly believe that pushing a gender agenda on the topic of domestic violence wont get results
Some women arent angels either. The source of domestic violence is individuals. Sometimes abusers are found at the bottom of a bottle and we are fools to ignore the role that alcohol plays in domestic violence, too.
The problem is rife. The million dollar question is, What are we going to do with that data? Are we going to preach hate - or attempt to coax down the gender divide with love and compassion? Shall we use our public platform to blame men - or spread the message that we can make things better if we all work together?
I'm a woman, I've been in destructive relationships. I have scars both physical and emotional from the experiences of domestic violence I have lived. I dont hate men; they arent the enemy.
I strongly believe that pushing a gender agenda on the topic of domestic violence wont get results. What can it achieve? We are simply fuelling hatred.
Rather than aggressively saying, 'We stop violence at the source. And the source is men', how about we try, 'We start tackling violence with our hearts. And together, we can make a difference.' Lets not cut men out of our solution and put them all in the pen labeled cause.
The Gold Coast will open its first Cat Cafe in the city centre this August
The cat cafe craze is spreading like wildfire all across the world with another soon to open its doors in sunny Queensland.
Jackie Moreau, a self-confessed crazy cat lady, is turning her fantasy into a reality by opening up the first cat cafe on the Gold Coast.
Ms Moreau told Daily Mail Australia that she and her business partner Neil McIntosh looked into opening one up for the Gold Coast after seeing the trend rise in Scotland, Japan and around Australia.
Feline good: Jackie Moreau, a self-confessed crazy cat lady, is setting up the first cat cafe in sunny Queensland (pictured) this August
Global empire: Ms Moreau told Daily Mail Australia that she and her business partner Neil McIntosh looked into opening one up for the Gold Coast after seeing the trend rise in Scotland, Japan and around Australia
'We just said, one day, why dont we look at one on the Gold Coast,' she said.
And the pair haven't looked back since.
Crazy Cat Cafe will open its doors in the city centre in August and will be home to between ten and twelve cats.
It will feature a space for people who want to have a coffee and relax with the cats, and another area, separated by glass, for those who want to have their coffee and read the paper away from any feline action.
Second home: Crazy Cat Cafe will open its doors in the city centre in August and will be home to between ten and twelve cats
Everyone welcome: It will feature a space for people who want to have a coffee and relax with the cats, and another area for those who want to have their coffee and read the paper away from any feline action
Ms Moreau said that she and Mr McIntosh have worked alongside the Gold Coast local council to get approval.
'It's been really exciting to bring something like this to the Gold Coast because there's nothing like that here,' she added.
Particularly as there's been a push to make the area more 'family-friendly'.
Since setting up their Facebook page, Ms Moreau has received plenty of message support and offers of help to fit the shop.
'Weve had good feedback so it's been exciting,' she said.
Ms Moreau also added that they have worked closely with her mother-in-law, a veterinarian, to assist with taking care of quarantining the cats and their welfare.
Local help: Since setting up their Facebook page, Ms Moreau has received plenty of message support and offers of help to fit the shop
Big trend: Crazy Cat Cafe is one a few niche cafes that have popped up around Australia - Melbourne and Sydney have made names for themselves with such pop-ups
Crazy Cat Cafe is one a few niche cafes that have popped up around Australia.
Melbourne and Sydney have opened up cat cafes in recent years.
But if you're more of dog person, canine cafes have popped up in Melbourne (Dog House) and Sydney (Cafe Bones) too.
KALISPELL The Flathead Lake Lodge shipwright paced the sailboat's familiar 51-foot deck to check if it was taking on water.
For seven years, Jon Derry had worked to restore the 1920s ship the Questa so it could set sail once again on Flathead Lake.
"I went below and didn't have water to my ankles," Derry said to a small crowd that gathered for the event. "So that's a good sign."
Sailboat owner Doug Averill said it had been a decade since the Questa had joined its sister ship, the Nor'Easter V.
"At the time they were designed, these sailboats were made to be the fastest in the world," Averill said. "There's none like them in Montana. In the world there's about a dozen and only a fraction of those are still sailing."
Most of the people who watched the 22,000-pound ship lowered into the lake were Montana timber and metal workers who never expected to help restore a historic sailboat.
Derry said he has been the caretaker for the sister ships for more than 20 years. After finishing a three-year-long apprenticeship repairing sailboats in Maine, he left the East Coast to return to his life in Montana.
"I work and think best when using my hands and have loved that the most on boats" Derry said. "I knew I needed to be back in Montana, but I had no idea I'd find a ship like this here one day."
Since 2009, his workplace guide has been the Questa's blueprint from 1929. The map marked the ship's every inch of metal and curve of wood.
Dressed in Carhartts and with his graying ponytail tucked under a faded blue hat, Derry knelt on the dock and pointed to a line four boards below the ship's deck.
"Everything beyond that line is new, and below that took some time and effort too," he said. "Now, she's stronger than the day she was built. It's amazing to see a boat like this here."
Averill said he never expected to buy a ship, let alone two.
He first heard about the Questa at a yacht club in Minnesota 28 years ago. He was taking a break from building up flight time for his pilot's license.
"I got to talking with a guy who said he wanted to come to Montana to hunt, but said he had to sell his 'old boat' first. I told him, 'I've got an idea,'" Averill said. "I figured it would be good for the lodge, but I soon realized I had something pretty amazing."
The Questa and the Nor'Easter V can travel up to 12 knots or 13 miles per hour.
He said with an electric charge, the boats can travel more than four hours on the lake, with their sails down and the hum of an engine hardly heard over waves.
The wooden boats were drawn by L. Francis Herreshoffa, a naval architect who followed a formula crafted by his father, Nathanael Herreshoff. His father had been known for creating narrow boats with long overhangs his designs produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893 and 1920.
Soon after Averill had the Questa sailing on the Flathead, he heard she had a sister ship that had been designed to race.
After two years of searching, a train ride and several stressful land journeys, the Nor'Easter V joined its sister at the lodge.
"These boats naturally suck you in," Averill said as he watched a crane lift a 62-foot mast into place on the Questa. "This restoration took about six years longer than I planned, but we decided to do it right. And even though it's unique to Montana, they both make sense here on the Flathead Lake."
This isn't the first 'Prince George Effect' piece of clothing to sell out
The website reads 'low stock' so savvy shoppers will have to be fast
The robe is now on sale in Australia, and retails for $66 - it is selling quick
He's a fashion idol in his own right, much like his mother.
And so when Prince George wore a bespoke dressing gown and melted hearts when he met the President of the United States, Barack Obama, everyone was quick to ask: 'But where's it from?'.
The answer was a British retailer, My1stYears.com, which promptly sold out within minutes of stocking up on the UK site.
Now, savvy shoppers can get their hands on the little Prince's $66 AUD robe (27 GBP; $32.50 USD) in Australia, via the website Gifts Less Ordinary.
Royal occasion: Prince George wore a white monogrammed dressing gown when he met the President, Barack Obama and his wife in April - promptly the robe sold out online
In stock: However, the dressing gown has just come to Australian website 'Gifts Less Ordinary', and is selling out fast - already reading 'low stock' online
The site has already experienced a flood of orders, and is proclaiming low stock, however, so you'll have to get in fast if you want to steal a bit of (mini) regal style.
Prince George received the mongrammed white robe as a gift when his sister Princess Charlotte was born last May.
He looked simply adorable in it when he stole the show meeting Barack and Michelle Obama at home in Kensington Palace in April.
Gift: Prince George received the mongrammed white robe as a gift when his sister Princess Charlotte was born last May
Stole the show: And while the experts say that Prince George's clothing is deliberately traditional and understated, so as not to draw attention, this isn't the first time George has caused a retail stir
And while, according to the experts, the traditional, understated clothing on Prince George and Princess Charlotte is deliberately chosen by the Duchess of Cambridge to avoid creating an inappropriate frenzy around their outfits, this isn't the first time that the little Prince's dress sense has caused a retail stir.
In fact, the so-called 'Kate effect' - which means that whatever Kate Middleton wears sells out instantly - has been subsumed by the 'Prince George effect'.
When George wore a quilted jacket for his first day of school, for example, the retailer experienced a 447 per cent increase in enquiries for similar items.
Sold like hotcakes: When the cute Royal toddler wore a pale blue jumper in the famous photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posing through the window, also by My1stYears.com, it too sold out in minutes
Personalised: The dressing gown currently on sale on the Australian site currently comes in white, as Prince George wore it - you can get it monogrammed with your own child's name
Similarly, when the cute Royal toddler wore a pale blue jumper in the famous photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posing through the window of Kensington Palace, also by My1stYears.com, it too sold out in minutes.
The dressing gown currently on sale on the Australian site currently comes in white, as Prince George wore it.
Parents can choose between two shades of pink and blue, as well as red, yellow and grey lettering.
You can get the robe before it's gown here.
Holly Willoughby has defended breastfeeding mothers on This Morning telling critics that she 'doesn't understand' what choice they have.
The mum-of-three, who herself breastfed, took the tough stance after a guest on the show criticised a bride, whose photo of her nursing her baby during the wedding ceremony went viral.
The newlywed Christina Torino-Benton, 30, from Montreal, Quebec, whose image has been shared over 750,000 on social media, also appeared on the show via satellite.
Scroll down for video
Holly Willoughby stood up for breastfeeding mothers. When a guest on the show, former lads mag editor Martin Daubney, said he had been made to feel uncomfortable by breastfeeding mothers in the past, Holly hit back. 'What's the option? Should mums just let their babies scream cry and be hungry? I don't understand,' she said
Christina Torino-Benton, from Montreal, Quebec, married her now husband Danny Benton on June 18 and decided to breastfeed baby, Gemma, during the ceremony. The image has been shared over 750,000 times
Explaining why she was breastfeeding her baby, Gemma, in the middle of her wedding last week Mrs Torino-Benton said: 'She was hot, she had missed her nap and she is teething now - so it just happened that way.'
When a guest on the show, former lads mag editor Martin Daubney, said he had been made to feel uncomfortable by breastfeeding mothers in the past, Holly hit back.
'What's the option? Should mums just let their babies scream cry and be hungry? I don't understand,' she said.
When his disdain moved onto mothers who post images of breastfeeding on social media, Holly responded: 'I don't think that's wrong. What's wrong with that? It's just promoting how easy that is and how it fits into somebody's life.'
When the guests disdain moved onto mothers who post images of breastfeeding on social media, Holly responded: 'I don't think that's wrong. What's wrong with that? It's just promoting how easy that is and how it fits into somebodies life'
When a guest on the show, former lads mag editor Martin Daubney, said he had been made to feel uncomfortable by breastfeeding mothers in the past, Holly hit back
Martin replied: 'What I'm saying is we should listen to both sides of the story. There is a feeling that mother's rights trump everything and if you don't like it [breastfeeding in public] you're a bigot.'
Another guest on the show writer Hilary Freeman, was quick to add: 'It's not about mother's rights, it's baby's rights. And its the most natural thing in the world.'
Giving her own views on the debate, Mrs Torino-Benton said: I think that women can cover themselves if they choose to, but I dont think it should be a a womans choice. It was my wedding and Im not putting a pashmina on.
'Also it was 40 degrees. Are you going to put a pashmina over your baby not to offend someone else? You do what feels right for your baby.'
Simple as that: 'When she started crying I couldn't focus on my wedding. All I was thinking about was taking her and nursing because I knew that was the only solution,' Mrs Torino-Benton told Daily Mail
She also said no one at the ceremony expressed any surprise.
It was mainly close friends and family and they know this is how I feed Gemma so they are very supportive,' she said.
But after she posted the image online, Mrs Torino-Benton said she was surprised at the response.
I have never experienced any negative in regards to breastfeeding before now.
'There are supportive people in the public and negative people as well,' she said.
Earlier this week, Mrs Torino-Benton told the Daily Mail: 'At the church it was 40 degrees, Gemma was hot, she missed her nap and was overall really crabby,'
'I don't pump or bottle feed and I'm all about secure attachment parenting. She's never left to cry so when she started crying I couldn't focus on my wedding. All I was thinking about was taking her and nursing because I knew that was the only solution.
Proud mother: 'Once I got her in my arms, I was able to calm down and focus. A lot of people think that my feeding her mid ceremony was a bother but actually it was nice having her up there with us,' she said
'Fighting that good fight': The mother-of-two later shared the snap on a breastfeeding support group she is part of where it received over 7,000 likes
'Once I got her in my arms, I was able to calm down and focus. A lot of people think that my feeding her mid ceremony was a bother but actually it was nice having her up there with us. She is always a joy to have around.'
The mother-of-two later shared the snap on a breastfeeding support group she is part of and it has been shared over a 750,000 times.
'Talk about feeding any time & anywhere. That moment when you're getting married and your baby gets hungry. F eeling SO proud of myself! Fighting that good fight!' She captioned the photo.
Mrs Torino-Benton said she shared the picture because she thought it was 'really awesome' and knew they would appreciate it.
'I never expected it to go viral like this. I thought I'd get a few likes from my breastfeeding peers and that's that,' she said.
'I think sharing photos like this is important. Things like this do happen. I'm not the first and I won't be the last and hopefully people will be more accepting and understanding.'
Spreading her message: 'I think sharing photos like this is important. Things like this do happen. I'm not the first and I won't be the last and hopefully people will be more accepting and understanding,' she said
The proud mother said the response has been 'mixed' on social media.
'A lot of people are asking why I didn't pump and have someone give her a bottle... I just don't respond well to a pump so I never got into that,' Mrs Torino-Benton said.
'Some people are just plain rude. Some people compare breastfeeding to all sorts of ridiculous things and have really weird points of view on the topic.
'I'm a bit surprised to be honest. Before I posted this I had never felt negativity or judgement towards breastfeeding at all!'
Mrs Torino-Benton said she's happy her 'supportive and kind' fellow breastfeeders 'have her back' and that she's lucky to have such a positive online community.
Surprisingly, it is, in fact, possible for identical twins to not be visually identical.
That was the case for Gabriel Cooper and his identical twin brother Hadin, who live in Alabama. Though they share the same DNA, Gabriel was born with Pierre Robin Syndrome, a condition that meant his jaw not being fully formed in the womb and he was born with a facial disfigurement.
But after 19 years of being non-identical identical twins, the brothers are on track to look alike thanks to groundbreaking surgery.
Not-so-identical: Gabriel Cooper (left) grew up looking different from his identical twin brother Hadin (right)
History: The 19-year-old was born with Pierre Robin Syndrome, which disfigured his face
Concerns: His mom, Ramona, was worried he wouldn't have a good relationship with his brother
Gabriel's condition was first discovered while he and Hadin were still in their mother's womb. Presented with the fact that one of her twins had Pierre Robin Syndrome, Ramona was given the chance to terminate Gabriel.
'I had to think for two months about keeping him,' she said, adding that she worried the twins' difference would hurt their relationship. 'It wasnt that I had a problem with him being disabled but I feared that one twin could grow to despise the other.'
But though things haven't always been perfect, Ramona is glad she made the decision to keep both her babies.
'The boys have had their problems but Ive never regretted keeping Gabriel he is a wonderful son,' she said.
And recently, things have improved for Gabriel, who traveled to New York City to go under the knife with leading plastic surgeon Dr. Stephen Warren.
Doctor visits: In May and June, Gabriel underwent surgery to fix his jaw
Expanders were put in his face to correct his jaw, which will eventually help him look more like his twin
Medical expertise: Dr. Stephen Warren (right) from New York City performed the surgery
A bit more time: It will take eight weeks for the effects of the surgery to settle
Dr. Warren inserted expanders in Gabriel's face in May, and the two held their final visit in June, completing the procedure.
'We had to make little cuts in his jaw bone and attach a metal device which was closed by 1mm each day for 30 days,' the doctor explained. 'This opened up and helped to lengthen his lower jaw bringing it in line with his upper jaw.'
'But this is more of a treatment period than a simple surgery Gabriels jaw will now have to heal much like any broken bone,' he went on, adding that the full effects of the procedure will be visibble in about eight weeks.
Even though he's not quite done yet, Gabriel's quickly begun to experience the effects.
'Im already a very happy person but I guess it will help to make me more outgoing I already feel more confident and its still eight weeks until Im fully healed,' he said. 'I always thought I was happy as I was but this has already had a huge impact on my life.'
Changes: Gabriel said he already feels more confident but added that it's strange looking in the mirror
Twinning: His mom Ramona says her sons already look more alike than they did before
Jokes: Gabriel said he doesn't look more like Hadin (pictured), but Hadin looks more like him
Of course, it's still an adjustment, as the face Gabriel has had his whole life is changing before his eyes.
'Seeing myself in the mirror feels strange. It makes everything real but its hard for me to believe that I am now this way,' he said.
And his mother Ramona has already noticed a big difference in his confidence.
She said: 'He just seems more outgoing and is having conversations with people where he would normally just say hi and walk away.
'He has also lost a lot of his mannerisms, he doesnt look uncomfortable when he is in public and is embracing the change really well.'
'I didnt know how this was going to work but I do actually see Hadin and Gabriel looking more alike.'
Her antics at a friend's wedding last weekend set tongues wagging, and today reality TV star Charlotte Dawson was the subject of discussion on a heated Loose Women debate.
The 23-year-old, who is the daughter of comedian Les Dawson, went all out to celebrate her friends Lesley Hutt and John Howard's special day at the The De Vere Hotel in Blackpool, but this afternoon she was accused of 'upstaging the bride in quite a spectacular fashion'.
Looking at pictures from the big day, panellist Jane Moore called her behaviour a 'shocker,' while June Sarpong blasted: 'It's just wrong!'
All eyes on me please! Charlotte Dawson went all out to celebrate her friends Lesley Hutt and John Howard's special day at The De Vere Hotel in Blackpool on Saturday
She added: 'I think the bride needs to lose her as a friend. You do not want that woman anywhere near your husband.'
Coleen Nolan, who admitted she was a family friend of the Dawsons, said it was 'really awkward' and added that her saucy behaviour was typical of the Ex on the Beach star.
However Charlotte was clearly unimpressed at being accused, taking to Twitter to blast: 'Absolute joke!! It was a family wedding we were having a laugh !!!!!!!!!!
'Sick of people saying I tried to upstage the bride!!! Like I would do that!!!'
Charlotte is known for her outrageous behavior and provocative outfits, but on Saturday she put on a particularly racy display in a pale pink halterneck gown, slashed up to the top of her thigh.
Showing off as much leg as she could, Charlotte ensured all eyes were on her by putting much of her cleavage on display- at one point barely avoiding a major nip slip.
Looking at pictures from the big day, panellist Jane Moore called her behaviour a 'shocker,' while June Sarpong blasted: 'It's just wrong!'
Jun said: 'I think the bride needs to lose her as a friend. You do not want that woman anywhere near your husband'
Flashing the full length of her bronzed legs at every opportunity, Les Dawson's daughter showed off her silver crystal-encrusted killer heels.
And going for some coverage- albeit in a perhaps unnecessary place, she wore a matching pink fascinator with a lace net covering some of her carefully made-up face.
Ensuring she was Blackpool-appropriate, the preened reality star went heavy on the lashes and eye makeup, taking a leaf out of Kim Kardashian's contouring book.
Loose Women panellists discussed Charlotte's antics on the programme today
Glamming up to the max, she wore her brunette hair in long tumbling waves, matching her silver clutch bag to her shoes.
As she posed with the bride and her kilt-clad husband, Charlotte threw up her leg in excitement- much to the newlywed couple's delight.
At one point, perhaps overwhelmed with happiness for her married pals, Charlotte grabbed Lesley's chest.
Despite the circumstances, the bride appeared unfazed by the model's overzealous displays, continuing to pose for what will surely be memorable wedding photos.
Charlotte recently returned from Thailand where she has been filming the fifth series of the Ex On The Beach alongside Geordie Shore's Gaz Beadle, Jemma Lucy and Olivia Walsh.
A woman with unsightly butt plants has to decide if she is willing to have them removed after she learned that her doctor can actually fit his entire hand underneath one of them.
On Tuesday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched, Los Angeles-based surgeons Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif meet with Misty, who reveals that her butt implants are causing her severe pain.
And while Misty believes it is her left butt implant that is the disaster, Dr. Dubrow shows her that the right side is even more problematic because the implant is moving underneath her skin.
Scroll down for video
Unexpected: Misty reveals that her butt implants are causing her severe pain on Tuesday night's episode of the E! reality series Botched
'This is wrong': Los Angeles based surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow is shocked that he is able to fit his hand underneath her right butt implant
'Can you flip this around?' he asks her during their consultation. 'I won't do it, but you could flip this around.'
While he continues to inspect her behind, Dr. Dubrow learns that implant is essentially just hanging underneath the skin of her buttock.
'Wow, you can get your hand entirely under the implant,' he notes. 'This implant was just put in like a breast implant on top muscle. This is wrong.'
Misty tells the cameras that she never realized the 'severity' of her right implant because she always thought it was her left buttock that was the issue.
Dr. Dubrow goes on to note that the left side is 'completely scarred in and pushed up'.
Damage: Dr. Dubrow (left) and Dr. Paul Nassif (right) explain that her butt implant was put in on top of the muscle like a breast implant, which is wrong
Terrible outcome: Dr. Dubrow goes on to note that the left side is 'completely scarred in and pushed up'
'Buttock implants is not a very common operation, therefore, there's no text book,' he explains to the camera. 'There's no journal article. There's really very little information about how to deal with buttock implant problems.'
Dr. Dubrow tells Misty that the implants absolutely have to come out, but he notes that it isn't an option for her to have a new pair of implants properly put in under the muscle because her muscle and buttock are no longer attached.
'They've been separated and your buttock skin has now been stretched out, so if we put an implant in the muscle, your buttock skin will sort of do its own independent thing,' he tells Misty.
Dr. Dubrow says another option is for her to have her butt implants removed, 'knowing that the skin is going to hang, and do a butt lift'. However, he warns that there will be a 'big scar across a really good looking buttock'.
'I fought hard for these implants, and I was willing to keep them as long as possible,' Misty says. 'But I know that the best decision would be to eliminate the pain, and if the implants have to go, then I have to say goodbye.'
Trying to fix: Dr. Dubrow tells Misty that one option is for her to have the implants removed before she has a butt lift
Touch choices: Although she says she 'fought hard' for her implants, she is willing to have them removed because of the pain they are causing her
On Tuesday's episode, the doctors also meet with Trevor, a man that has keloids, an overgrowth of scar tissue, that formed into large balls on his ears.
Trevor, who jokes that his 'ears hang low and wobble to and fro', explains that he was in middle school when he decided to get his ear pierced for the first time.
'My mom was actually the one who took me to do it. I loved my piercing,' he recalls. A few months into having my piercing, I started to notice and feel this small bump forming on the back of my ear where the piercing was.'
Trevor admits that he really didn't pay much attention to it until it got so large that he could no longer ignore it.
'My earrings wouldn't fit in my ear anymore because it was the size of a pencil eraser, I couldn't get the needle in,' he says.
Needing surgery: The doctors also meet with Trevor, a man that has keloids, an overgrowth of scar tissue, that formed into large balls on his ears
Coping mechanism: Trevor jokes that his his 'ears hang low and wobble to and fro'
Trevor had the keloid surgically removed, but a year later he noticed it was coming back, and before he knew it, the scar tissue was the size of his thumb.
'The second time I got my keloid removed, it was at an oral surgeon's office. The reason why we did is because my mom knew the guy and he promised her a discount,' he explains.
Trevor goes on to say that after he had the keloid removed for the second time, 'everything was great'.
'There was no signs of it coming back,' he adds. 'That's when my killer decision making skills kicked in and I said, "Oh, I am going to pierce my right ear now".
Teenage behavior: Trevor explains that his first keloid grew after he got his ear pierced for the first time in middle school
Bad decision: Trevor had the keloid removed twice, however, he later chose to get his right ear pierced, which caused two large keloids to grow on his ears
'That's when I realized the keloids were coming back except this time substantially larger.'
Dr. Dubrow and Dr. Nassif's final consultation is with Pixee, a woman who wants an impossibly tiny waist.
When Dr. Dubrow asks her what she is trying to achieve with more surgery, she admits her goal is to 'look like a living cartoon'.
Dr. Nassif then jumps in to ask Pixee how she came up with such an unusual goal, and she explains that it all started when she had her first nose job in 2010.
True confession: Pixee tells the doctors that her goal is to look like a 'living cartoon' when she asks to surgery on her waistline
Surgery addict: Pixe admits that she has already had four breast augmentations, three rhinoplasties, her eyes done, a brow lift, fillers in her cheeks and lips, and a Brazilian butt lift
'That's when I really felt like, "Wow, this is my thing, this is what I wanna do,"' she explains. 'I really liked it, like right away I felt like I want to create my life around this.'
Pixe goes on to say that has had four breast augmentations, three rhinoplasties, her eyes done, a brow lift, fillers in her cheeks and lips, and a Brazilian butt lift.
'Where did they get the fat?' the doctors asked simultaneously about the butt lift.
'I can eat!' Pixee insists. 'I gained 35lbs in a bit more than a month.'
Dr. Dubrow, who is clearly in shock, simply says, 'Wow.'
While we're used to seeing Orange Is The New Black star, Jessica Pimentel, in an ill-fitting prison uniform, off camera, the New York native (who plays inmate Maria Ruiz) favors figure-flattering fashions.
Upon visiting the DailyMail.com offices, Jess donned her favored label, Brooklyn based designer Nadia Tarr. 'This dress fits like a glove,' says Jess. 'It's comfortable and stretchy Nadia is one of my favorites.'
Check out our interview with the 34 year old actress, shop pieces from Nadia's collection and watch Jess's dramatic exit out of the building. Lets just say, she knows how to make a lasting impression!
Sitting pretty in our NY offices: Off camera, the Orange Is The New Black star and New York native favors figure-flattering fashions by Nadia Tarr
She's a bodycon babe: 'This dress fits like a glove.' says Jess. 'It's comfortable and stretchy Nadia is one of my favorites'
THE FULL INTERVIEW:
While Nadia Tarr is known for designing fashionable and functional pieces (hello dresses with pockets!) that appeal to the contemporary woman, Jess's loyalty to the brand goes deeper.
With all the events and red carpet appearances that come with the launch of a new show, Jess reached out to the designer to borrow a dress.
'She got right back to me and let me pick out whatever I wanted from her warehouse she was so kind about it,' says Jess. 'She had nothing to gain by helping me out. I'll always thank her for that.'
Seems Nadia's kindness has paid off, 'Now she's everywhere, I saw Khloe Kardashian wearing her line the other day,' Jess says proudly.
JESS MAKES A GRAND EXIT:
Brand of choice: Jess has been spotted at many events wearing Nadia Tarr garments
The Orange Is The New Black star took the plunge in a grey Nadia Tarr number at the official launch party for PINOT by Tituss Burgess at the Box NYC.
A longtime fan of the designer, Jess wore the brand's black and white mini to the Annual Benefit by the Women's Prison Association in 2014.
Hands in pockets, she looked super chic in a floor-length gown by the Brooklyn brand at the Bibhu Mohapatra fashion show in New York.
The collection featuring nautical prints in sexy silhouettes with breathable fabrics is perfect for this time of year. So cop Jess's style and shop one of the below garments:
As the Queen's granddaughters, they are better suited to wearing fascinators and designer dresses.
But on Tuesday night, Beatrice and Eugenie donned rather unglamorous macs and ponchos for a rain-soaked concert at Kensington Palace.
The princesses were supporting their cousin Harry, who organised the star-studded event to raise money for his charity Sentebale which he set up in 2006.
Scroll down for video
But on Tuesday night, Beatrice and Eugenie (pictured) donned macs and ponchos for a rain-soaked concert at Kensington Palace
The princesses braved the rain to support their cousin Prince Harry who helped organise the charity concert
Eugenie looks solemn as she snaps a selfie with James Blunt and his wife Sofia
The pair, who arrived separately, were seen greeting each other with a warm embrace as they arrived with friends to watch stars like Joss Stone, Coldplay and Laura Mvula perform.
Beatrice, 27, stood out in a double-breasted, raspberry-covered rain mac and a black leather shoulder bag.
Meanwhile her sister Eugenie, who is a year younger, opted for comfort over style by throwing a clear plastic poncho over her dark duffle coat.
The 26-year-old royal was seen chatting to her friend James Blunt and his wife Sofia as she made her way into the venue, and sipping a drink from a plastic cup. She even took a moment to pose for a selfie with the pair on her pink iPhone.
The princess shares a joke with her friend James Blunt while sipping a drink from a plastic cup
Beatrice, 27, stood out in a double-breasted, raspberry-covered rain mac and a black leather shoulder bag
Eugenie opted for comfort over style by throwing a clear plastic poncho over her duffle coat
Beatrice seemed keen to show off her tan, having just returned from a sun-kissed holiday with boyfriend Dave Clark in Monaco.
The outing is the latest in a long line of social events for Beatrice who has been enjoying something of an extended holiday of late.
She is based in New York where she works for a prestigious New York-based fashion investment company.
However, she has been in the UK for just over a month, taking part in a variety of royal and social events.
Mike Tindall was the life and soul of the party, singing along to the performance with his in-laws
There was no sign of Zara but Mike Tindall was clearly having fun with his brother-in-law Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn, who entertained themselves by taking photos and selfies
The fun-loving former rugby pro makes funny faces as Autumn Phillips brandishes her camera phone
Peter and Autumn Phillips share a tender moment at the charity concert held by their cousin Prince Harry
Autumn and Mike mug for the camera to Peter Phillips amusement as he watches the pair
Man of the moment: Harry, who organised the charity concert, looks on as performers take to the stage
Harry shares a joke with his companion as she rain finally cleared and allowed them to enjoy the music
The pair, who arrived separately, were seen greeting each other with a warm embrace as they arrived with friends
It has been a busy month for the royal pair, with Beatrice recently returning from a sun-kissed holiday in Monaco
Joss Stone, who is a close friend of Harry, took to the stage alongside Laura Mvula and headliners Coldplay
The Sentebale Concert will raise funds to support the charity's work helping vulnerable young people in Lesotho, including funding Sentebale's monthly Saturday Clubs and residential weekl-ong camps at the newly-opened Mamohato Children's Centre, which delivers psychosocial support to children living with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
The concert will also shine a spotlight on the current scale of the challenge facing charities like Sentebale, trying to support young people living with HIV.
Stigma, discrimination and a lack of education surrounding the infection means that HIV is still the number one cause of death in 10 19 year olds in Africa.
Advertisement
Shrapnel rained from the sky, mines exploded into the air and charred remains of bodies seeped into the brown mud.
On July 1 1916 - the first day of the Battle of the Somme - the British forces endured 57,000 casualties. By the end of the war 700,000 men had died.
For every soldier killed during the war, a further two were wounded; left disabled, disfigured or traumatised by their experiences.
Now, a new exhibition at the Science Museum looks at the little-known medical story of those who lived, and the medical devices and innovations that helped ensure their survival.
Opening on June 29 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this battle, it features stretchers adapted for use in narrow trenches, made-to-measure artificial arms and the hundreds of glass eyes given to blinded soldiers.
Also on show are examples of the then new medical equipment, including a contraption called Haldane's oxygen apparatus which was used to blow air into poisoned lungs, iron splints that saved thousands from death and blood transfusion equipment that could be used on the front line.
By the end of 1918, over 30,000 war pensions had been awarded for shell shock, a figure that rose dramatically in the years to come as the authorities began to recognise the huge psychological cost of the war.
Visitors will discover the new medical and welfare institutes and organisations that were created to care for veterans as well as improvements in specialist forms of care and rehabilitation.
Stewart Emmens, the exhibition's curator, said: 'The Science Museums First World War medical collections provide a fascinating insight into the way medical practices and technologies were adapted and developed to cope with the unprecedented scale and severity of wounding between 1914 and 1918.
'Visitors to Wounded will also have a rare opportunity to see important art works from the period that help us understand the experience of the soldiers, including famous pastel drawings of facial injuries by Henry Tonks, from the Royal College of Surgeons, and a painting by John Lavery in 1914 that captures the arrival of the first British wounded soldiers at the London Hospital.'
Glass eyes (c. 1920s): Artificial eyes were much in demand by those whose wounds involved sight loss. Unfortunately, glass eyes became in short supply during the war as most were produced in Germany
All existing stock of glass eyes in Britain was put under the control of the Army Spectacle Depot. Between December 1916 and August 1919, it supplied over 22,000 eyes to medical centres across the country. Pictured is a set of 50 glass eyes
The officers arm (1915): A century ago, both limb-makers and orthopaedic surgeons experimented with various ways to replace the lost function of a limb. These Carnes arms were made in the USA then shipped back across the wartime Atlantic, and were highly coveted. However, only officers could generally afford them. Eventually, the matter was raised in parliament so lower-ranked personnel could buy the arm. In practice, wearers found the Carnes arm difficult to master and many ended up in the backs of cupboards
'Splatter' mask (1917 - 1918): Tanks were introduced in World War I for the first time. Although tanks were encased in thick armour plate, the impact from high explosives could cause a deadly spray of ricocheting hot metal fragments within the vehicles. Pictured is a protective mask made of leather and chain mail which would have been worn by the crews operating the tanks
Haldanes oxygen apparatus (1917 - 1918): Poisonous gases such as phosgene and chlorine could take hours to kill as a soldier's damaged lungs struggled to take in air. The most effective treatment for such casualties was to artificially increase the oxygen concentration of the blood. Scientists John Scott Haldane created an apparatus to administer oxygen to lungs, and this device was modified by medics to be used in the war. Attached to oxygen cylinders, it allowed four people at a time to receive pure oxygen. Life-saving equipment similar to this was supplied to special gas treatment units that became stationed near the front lines
Calming tonic (1915-1925): The market for medicines that claimed to heal shattered nerves found a new market among war veterans. There is little clinical evidence of their effectiveness, but these tonics, sedatives and supplements were popular among shell-shocked men
'Alclad' above knee prothesis (1924): Amputee servicemen were entitled to free artificial limbs, but as the war went on existing supplies were soon depleted. In response, a centre for treatment, provision and rehabilitation was established at Queen Marys hospital, Roehampton, in southwest London primarily through the campaigning efforts of Mary Eleanor Gwynne Holford. With the British limb-making industry failing to keep up with escalating demands, American manufacturers were shipped over in 1915 to set up workshops at Queen Marys hospital. As a range of manufacturers battled to meet requirements, amputees could find themselves with limbs made to varying standards. The majority of amputees were leg amputees. Most first issue legs were wooden; In their efforts to compete for lucrative government contracts in the post-war period, limb-making companies experimented with new designs and new materials. One of the fundamental shifts for amputees came with the move from wood to metal limbs. Having been issued with wooden limbs during the wartime rush, amputees clamoured for the lighter metal designs. Pictured is an 'Alclad' leg with a metal shin
Robertsons blood transfusion apparatus: This apparatus was a major advance in the history of blood transfusion. It was designed so that blood was taken via one needle and pumped out through the adjacent one. The bottle itself was pre-dosed with sodium citrate - which prevents clotting and allows the blood to be stored for several hours - the first blood banks. This became the preferred method in the final months of the war. Medics were increasingly keen to bring transfusion nearer to the front, and thanks to this invention, they had a means of doing so
Left: Thomas Splint /1850 - 1920): Early in the war, around 80 per cent of British soldiers with fractured thighbones were dying. During the slow evacuations over bumpy terrain, their unstable broken bones caused further, often fatal, bleeding. In such conditions, standard-issue splints or improvised supports such as rifles were of limited value. A simple Victorian medical device the Thomas splint was re-discovered and used widely. This dramatically reduced the death rate and the degree of long-term disability. Right: A British soldier wearing artificial legs, c.1915-1918
A stretcher designed for narrow trenches (1916): British surgeon George Herbert Colt designed this bendable stretcher as a way to move wounded men through the twists and turns of narrow, muddy trenches. Carried on the bearers shoulders, the wounded soldier lay semi-upright in the canvas sling suspended underneath
Left: Folding operating table (1914 - 1918): These tables would have been used at a casualty clearing stations which were several miles from the front line. RIGHT: British field surgical pannier (1914 - 1916): Resembling like a wickerwork picnic basket, surgical panniers like this one were supplied to various British medical units near to the front lines. They contained an extensive array of surgical instruments and equipment for wound care, anaesthetising and sterilising. The 1905 pattern label indicates the contents were based on what was needed in earlier wars. As the scale and severity of wounding on the Western Front became clear, what was inside the basket was modified
Wounded: Conflict, Casualties and Care is free to visit and open from Wednesday 29 June 2016 until early 2018.
The exhibition has been made possible by a 100,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with additional support from The Eranda Rothschild Foundation.
More than 200,000 patients stopped taking statins because of fears over side-effects, experts said last night.
They estimate that as a result at least 500 lives will be lost by 2024.
Campaigning medical journals with an axe to grind were blamed for having misled both patients and their doctors.
Taken by up to ten million Britons a year to cut cholesterol and ward off heart disease, statins are said to save around 7,000 lives annually.
However there is controversy over side-effects that include muscle pain, nosebleeds, headaches and higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
The experts from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine logged a 219,000 drop-off in statin usage from October 2013. That was at the peak of the row about the potential problems with the drugs.
Campaigning medical journals with an axe to grind were blamed for having misled both patients and their doctors
The blip lasted around six months after which most patients resumed their treatment.
The research team said however even this short period could be responsible for at least 2,200 extra strokes and heart attacks in the decade up to 2024, killing more than 500 people.
They blame papers published by the British Medical Journal in late 2013 that claimed the risks of taking statins were far more serious than thought.
Liam Smeeth, the professor heading the London School team, said media coverage of misleading claims on statins had affected patient behaviour.
He added: Widespread reporting of the debate may have given disproportionate weight to a minority view about possible side-effects, denting public confidence in a drug which most scientists and health professionals believe to be a safe and effective option against heart disease for the vast majority of patients.
However the BMJ insisted the benefits and harms of treatments should be debated.
Its both appropriate and necessary to question the growing tendency to medicalise healthy people, said Dr Fiona Godlee, the journals editor in chief. The BMJ strives at all times to do this in line with the evidence.
Patients may now be better aware of several things. First that we have far less good information on the side-effects of statins than on their benefits. Secondly, that for some people, especially those at lower risk of heart disease, the survival benefit from statins may not outweigh the negatives of taking a drug every day with all that this entails.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, who is the author of one of the papers criticised by the new research, said: The public debate on statins through media has clearly had a very positive impact on many levels.
The research team said however even this short period could be responsible for at least 2,200 extra strokes and heart attacks in the decade up to 2024, killing more than 500 people
Doctors and patients can now better weigh up benefit and risk and make prescribing decisions based upon individual patient preferences and values.
Many cardiologists notably those in the British Heart Foundation take a different view, arguing statins are a cheap and effective way of saving lives.
Professor Peter Weissberg, who is the foundations medical director, said reporters and doctors should ask themselves whether a journal on a campaign was liable to bias particularly in its opinion pieces toward the story it is trying to build up.
He added: Evidence from numerous objective clinical trials shows that statins are a safe and effective way of reducing the risk of someone suffering a heart attack or stroke in the first place. It is absolutely vital that medical practice is guided by evidence, rather than strongly held personal opinions.
Sir Rory Collins, who is co-director of Oxford Universitys clinical trial service unit and professor of medicine and epidemiology, accused the BMJ of hiding behind a spurious argument that debate is warranted despite shortfalls in evidence.
He said the 2,200 heart attacks may be an underestimate. The impact worldwide, given the international readership of the BMJ, may well be far greater, he added.
Scientists are divided about how common the side-effects of statins are and how often they are caused by the drugs themselves rather than by an outside factor.
A woman in Rajasthan has filed a police complaint, saying her husband tattooed my father is a thief on her forehead when her family failed to provide a Rs 51,000 dowry.
Expletives were also inked on her arms and thighs, she told the police.
The woman has also alleged that her father-in-law and brother-in-law raped her while she was living with her abusive husband.
Vile: The woman's husband tattooed 'my father is a thief' on her forehead, as an insult over her dowry
According to the victim's complaint, the torture began six months after her wedding in January last year. It continued until her father met her at her in-laws house in Alwar. He saw her misery, and brought her back to her parental home at Amer in Jaipur, where she filed a case against her husband and in-laws.
Shockingly, the woman says her family erased the words my father is a thief from her forehead using a mix of acid and limestone powder.
They then used tattoos to distort the offensive markings on other parts of her body, she said.
Police said the victims husband and in-laws have gone on the run.
A medical examination has been performed on the victim, and two of the defendants she named have been charged with rape.
Others face prosecution for alleged assault and dowry torture, police confirmed.
CASPER, Wyo. When Johnny Stassinos proposed, his future wife thought he was joking. There he was, on his knee, with a tinfoil ring hed quickly fashioned in the kitchen. Hed taken a bottle of wine from his older brother Jimmy, who, he told her, might be mad if they drank it without a reason. And so she laughed and said yes and he handed her a coffee mug of wine. When Jimmy appeared 15 minutes later, she flashed the ring. Jimmy just shook his head and walked away. It all seemed like a joke. Except it wasnt.
Two months later, Johnny and Mary Stassinos were married. Mary is legally blind. So Johnny was her eyes. He was her fishing companion. Her never-ending source of laughter. Then, on June 18, it all came to an end.
Johnny was on a workover rig in North Dakota, working for Jimmys company, Most Wanted Well Service, when a fire broke out. Two were critically injured in the ensuing blaze. Johnny Stassinos husband, father of four, eternal prankster was killed. He was 52.
Mary used one word to describe a future without Johnny. She called it boring, and the description hung there for a moment, dominating the ensuing silence.
Johnny is one of 10 Stassinos children. Together, they have known their share of tragedy in recent years, explained his sister Jan Levitt. A sister, Debbie, died in April; Chris, a nephew, passed in January; brother Chris died two years ago in a heavy equipment accident at the Bridger Coal Mine.
Weve been through a lot, but we always have our family, Jan said.
Johnny Harry Stassinos was born in Rock Springs in 1964 to Harry and Evelyn Stassinos. He graduated from Rock Springs High School in 1983 and was a plumber by trade.
His family described him as sometimes ornery, inappropriate and protective. But he also was the type to give his shirt off his back to someone in need, the type who put on four pig roasts, a family specialty, last year to benefit friends and local causes.
For a time Johnny ran his own plumbing business, and he was fond of bringing his daughter, Ryann, to work with him. She was a little more than 5-years-old then, but she knew all the tools, the nozzles, the different pieces of equipment. Ryann, in Johnnys estimation, was the best assistant he ever had.
Some of his other children floated away with their mothers to different states. But Ryann was his rock. Shes 18 now, graduated from high school and headed for her future. Still, Johnny was protective. He would have wrapped her in bubble wrap if he could, family members said.
Johnny ultimately left plumbing for the oil field. It paid better, and he had a family to look after. So he quit his job and went to work for Jimmy. He spent 11 years in the oil patch, often in North Dakota.
It is a dangerous occupation. North Dakota has recorded 108 workplace fatalities since 2010. Of those, 48 were oil field-related.
The cause of the fire that claimed Johnnys life is still under investigation by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The crew was snubbing at the time of the accident, or removing pipe from the well.
They had a blowout of product, said Eric Brooks, OSHAs area director in Bismark. There had to be an ignition source nearby.
A preliminary investigation found a split gas line nearby, though it remains to be determined if that ignited the blaze. OSHA is also investigating potential safety violations at the site, which is owned by an ExxonMobile subsidiary, XTO Energy Inc.
Most Wanted Well Service, an oil field service company, is a family operation. Richard Chad Maheau, who remained in critical condition Friday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., was like a son to Johnny and Mary.
Joe, Johnnys nephew, was also on the crew that day. He was uninjured and helped extinguish the blaze. Later, he sat by his uncles hospital bed in Minot, comforting him as Ryann and Mary dashed across Wyoming in an attempt to get there in time. They didnt.
He was a hard worker, said Jimmy, who was in North Dakota this week sorting through the wreckage of the accident. It is a big blow to me. Im up here dealing with all the crap. I havent even had a chance to mourn. I havent even seen my family.
The Stassinos are Greek. Comparisons to their fictional counterparts portrayed in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding are (Windex aside) not unwarranted, Jan said. Often times, more than 50 people will gather in a large garage at the Stassinos Ranch north of Rock Springs for a family get-together.
There is a growing hole in those gatherings now. But if there is any consolation, Jan said, it is that their departed love-ones are together somewhere else.
Were getting sick of them having a party up there without us, she said.
In its two years in power, the Narendra Modi government has impressed the public with its pro-active foreign policies and the impressive turnaround of the infrastructure sector - including railways and roads.
However, a large number of people believe that the governments efforts in tackling black money and its thrust on generating employment through flagship schemes like Mudra Yojna and Startup India have not been effective.
These are the findings of a survey by MyGov, which was conducted to get an insight into the mood of the nation as the Modi government completed two years in office.
Visits by President Barack Obama - the first US president to visit India twice during his tenure - and other pro-active foreign policy initiatives won praise from the Indian public
Officials claim that this survey has seen the largest mass participation so far in India.
While over 64 lakh people have shown interest in the comprehensive survey - both online and by phone - a total of 2.68 lakh people have completed it, replying to 30 questions about the government's initiatives and flagship schemes.
The survey started on May 26 as the government completed two years in power, and the exercise continued till June 23.
The government is currently on the Oppositions radar over its failed attempt to secure Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership. However, successful visits by President Barack Obama - the first US president to visit India twice during his tenure, and that too as the chief guest on Republic Day - and other pro-active foreign policy initiatives have grabbed the most limelight, with a 76 per cent rating from people who participated in the survey.
Similarly, continuous efforts by the ministry of Railways to make common peoples journeys hassle-free secured impressive marks.
Initiatives from Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu to modernise the rail infrastructure have also garnered an approval rating above 75 per cent.
The public gave a thumbs-up to the Make in India initiative, which comes under several Ministries
The government has boosted the roads and highways sector by constructing 25 kms of road every day throughout the year, and those surveyed gave a score of over 75 per cent to the efforts of Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari in bringing about this transformation.
Similarly, the governments Make in India initiatives, under which foreign companies have been offered an Indian platform, has been well received by the public with a thumbs-up score of 74 per cent.
Make in India initiatives comes under different ministries, including finance led by Arun Jaitley, commerce led by Nirmala Sitharaman, and others.
On the negative side, the government's efforts at tackling black money, both foreign and domestic, attracted the lowest score, at around 62 per cent.
The government has unearthed as much as Rs 50,000 crore of indirect tax evasion and another Rs 21,000 crore of undisclosed income in the last two years.
Finance ministry data also said that the crackdown on black money has led to the seizure of Rs 3,963 crore of smuggled goods in two years - a 32 per cent jump over the previous two years.
However, people feel that much needs to be done in regards to black money both inside and outside the country.
Similarly, flagship schemes including Mudra Yojna and Startup India aimed at creating entrepreneurship and generating employment have not received too much appreciation with a score of around 65 per cent.
While a total of 3.5 crore beneficiaries made use of Rs 1.22 lakh crore loans under Mudra yojna during the last fiscal, the government aims to disburse more in the current year - around Rs 1.80 lakh crore.
Similarly, under the Startup India scheme, the government platform provides tax facilities to the new and innovative start-ups.
Officials said that as the government completed two years in power, MyGov became the principal online engagement platform for citizens.
A senior MyGov official said: A specially designed micro-site - https://twoyears.mygov.in/ - was created where the impact of various governance initiatives in the last two years was reported back to the citizens in real time, keeping in tune with the true essence of Jan Bhagidari. For the period May 26 to June 23, 2016, this website became the default landing page of MyGov.
The survey was divided into two sections to seek comprehensive feedback from the citizens.
Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) is a case of the remedy being worse than the disease.
If British complaints against Brussels - several justified and shared by some other EU countries too - are weighed against the manifold tangible and intangible advantages that Britain derives from its EU membership, the Leave vote appears ill-advised.
What makes it even more quixotic is that its roots lie in domestic politics, in the challenge posed to David Camerons leadership by right-wing Eurosceptics within his party.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (right) and Chancellor George Osborne campaigned for the country to remain in the EU. Their defeat saw the PM resign on the day of the referendum result.
Legacy
When, 43 years ago, Britain joined Europe and turned its back on the Commonwealth - its imperial legacy - it acknowledged that its future lay with the continent.
Notwithstanding its special relationship with the US, Britain realised that it could not pursue its national interests alone and had to join the European block to remain influential in global affairs.
It is baffling that today, when the Western hegemony over world affairs is diminishing with the rise of new powers, and Europe itself is facing internal and external difficulties, Britain is confident about coping with emerging challenges by delinking itself from Europe.
In reality, despite its current malaise, Europe has become a bigger and more powerful entity since Britain joined it 43 years ago. The EU now has 28 members, including countries from the former Soviet block as well as those that were once part of the Soviet Union itself. The political, economic and security frontiers of the EU have thus been vastly extended.
The initial goal of forming what has progressively become the EU was not only to establish permanent peace in Europe, but for Europe to affirm itself in the Cold War world dominated by the US and the Soviet Union, besides meeting Japans economic challenge that loomed large till the 1980s, replaced today by Chinas phenomenal rise.
Given the closeness of the vote, pro-EU protesters have been keen to make their dismay felt
That goal of ensuring a strong European voice in world affairs, of a conflict-free continent, of ensuring Europes continuing prosperity in the face of globalisation pressures, remains. Added are entirely new threats and challenges emanating from religious extremism, international terrorism, climate change and environmental concerns.
Europes periphery across the Mediterranean has been profoundly destabilised, and European countries are now faced with a massive refugee crisis that has begun to roil domestic politics, with the resurgence of intolerance and racism.
Contributions
With mounting tensions with Russia, the shadow of a renewed Cold War is falling on Europe. Britain has greatly contributed to this, carrying it to the absurd extent of claiming during the Brexit debate that a Leave vote would delight Vladimir Putin.
Why Britain would think it is better placed to confront these challenges and problems as a sovereign state untrammelled by the Brussels bureaucracy is difficult to comprehend.
This argument of sovereignty is ironic in the context of the prevailing Western discourse (to justify interventionist, regime-change policies) that notions of sovereignty are today outdated, and that non-Western regimes use sovereignty as a cover to violate universal values and curb democratic and human freedoms within their boundaries.
Attempts even by democratic countries like India to underline the need to respect the principle of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries have been viewed as attachment to outworn ideas.
The EU has been offering itself as a role model for countries to cohabit peacefully by ceding part of their sovereignty to a collective organisation. Britain has not joined the Euro, is not part of Schengen, its legal system based on common law preserves its unique character, as does its parliamentary system. It still drives on the left, and uses non-metric systems for weight and measures, and so on.
Sovereignty
Faced with the immigration problem, Britain has invoked the principle of sovereignty to exit the EU, forgetting all the rhetoric about diversity, open societies, freedom of movement (used effectively against the Soviet Union), etc.
At a time of moves to create new economic blocks like the Trans-Pacific Partnership led by the US, or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) led by the US and the EU, Britain is, surprisingly, walking out of the largest existing economic block.
If Britain was relying on its special relationship with the US to cushion its exit from the EU, President Obama has warned that it will be in the back of the queue for a bilateral trade agreement.
The TTIP will, of course, be derailed by the British decision.
Whether the UK itself will implode with a fresh referendum in Scotland, which voted heavily in favour of remaining in the EU, and growing pressures in Northern Ireland, points to the potentially grave consequences of the Leave vote.
Some believe that Brussels not being particularly friendly to India, we could do more business with Britain outside the EU. This remains to be seen.
With the pound at its lowest in 31 years, the likely job losses and the terms of the EU divorce unclear, the Leave supporters may be sanguine about the future - but outsiders may think differently.
Its international repercussions apart, Brexit is of little direct significance for India, politically or economically.
The sight of vigilante groups mounting violent attacks in the name of faith is becoming unpleasantly routine across India. Deadly riots are sparked by hate speech, delivered at rallies or spread on social media.
But a rare investigation carried out by Indian Today TV has established that not all the bloodshed that happens over religion is spontaneous.
In a series of sting operations spread over 10 days, India Today TV unravelled how several leaders cutting across political lines are ready to stage religious violence for money.
A riot in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur in 2014 (file picture). Such scenes have become horribly prevalent across India in recent years.
An undercover reporter posing as a filmmaker criss-crossed parts of Uttar Pradesh to meet them, with a proposal to attack the screening of a fictitious "blasphemous" documentary.
In a shocking demonstration of double-standards, none of them took offence to the theme of the film that supposedly challenged the core of their religious beliefs. Rather, all of them displayed a devastating ease in agreeing to orchestrate violent protests over the documentary as part of a deal to give it publicity.
Whatever youll say, well do, said Parminder Arya, sitting on a bed in a Noida hospital.
Arya leads the hardline Hindu Swabhiman Sangathan, and its Dharma Sena unit. He also claims links with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Arya recently shot to fame after he gave anti-jihad training to young Hindu men in Uttar Pradesh against potential threats from the Islamic State (ISIS). But his Hindu pride was anything but hurt when he heard the subject of the fake film disputing India as the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Parminder Arya, head of the hardline Hindu Swabhiman Sangathan, suggested sending 50 men to create a ruckus at a fake film screening
He expressed his readiness to participate in a plan to garner publicity for the so-called documentary by ordering an attack on its screening in the state.
Some 50 (men) will reach there (to the screening for the protests). Fifty are enough, Arya remarked, when asked how many people he could send in to disrupt the public show.
Nonchalantly, the Hindutva leader also dropped a few battle-cries that he said would be used by his rioters.
They will shout slogans that it is an anti-Ram film, slogans such as Jo Ram Ka Nahin, Woh Kisi Kaam Ka Nahin, Ram Ka Apmaan, Nahin Sahega Hindustan. They will break all your banners and posters, he said, explaining how his men would create chaos at the proposed screening.
Arya also promised manhandling during the protests.
Let us know whose clothes are to be torn. Well do that. Sometime, boys go berserk. There are chances of people getting seriously injured in such situations, he said.
Besides, the man said he would issue angry statements in the media designed to give publicity to the documentary.
Its not a big deal. It will appear in the media. You should then give your statements to print and broadcast media... and Ill give my interviews, Arya said.
He sought 10 days to organise his band of thugs to bring about the sponsored mayhem.
Arya claimed he would seal the contract for the anti-film riot discretely.
Kapil Dev Agarwal, a BJP MLA from Muzaffarnagar, wanted to know how he would 'benefit' from engineering violent disorder
It should definitely be done. You see we dont know each other very well. But if I say something, I keep my word. Thats a habit. I also had to suffer because of that but I dont step back. I dont lie. I dont throw estimates. Whatever is there is fixed, brother. Well meet in the next one or two days or talk about it on the phone in coded words, he said.
Next, the undercover journalist travelled to Muzaffarnagar, the scene of tragic Hindu-Muslim riots in 2013, to visit its BJP MLA, Kapil Dev Agarwal. In their first meeting, the legislator lost no composure as he heard about the purportedly anti-Hindu subject of the bogus documentary. Instead, he sounded keen to know what was there for him to gain from it.
How do I benefit from it? How do you benefit from it? Agarwal asked.
However, he was quick to understand that the proposal centred around a lucrative publicity stunt.
So, its about marketing your film... Whats on offer?" he asked.
Before he drove off, Agarwal advised a second meeting.
India Today TVs undercover journalist visited him again at his Muzaffarnagar home. This time, Agarwal explained how he would manipulate unrest. But the price, the legislator maintained, had to be right.
If you want to do, do something big, the MLA suggested. Ill tell my boys. Theyll create a ruckus, will tear your screen. Theyll create chaos. I will also issue a press statement to demand your film be banned.
He too claimed his angry reaction to the documentary would give it adequate publicity.
We will make an issue out of your film. But your offer should strike me... Tell me the amount. What about the amount? What would you do about it? he asked.
Those prepared to cause trouble over religion are not all exponents of Hindutva. Parties espousing socialism, with a wider base in minority communities, are also apparently infected.
At Roorkee, India Today TVs journalist, disguised as a documentary-maker, met Hafiz Mohammed Irfan, president of the Samajwadi Partys Haridwar unit.
Their conversation revolved around the same subject, except for a change that the fictitious film was anti-Muslim.
SP leader Hafiz Mohammed Irfan quoted a price of Rs 5 lakh to organise 50 to 60 men
Irfan agreed to organise a fracas.
You want protests, slogans and what else? he asked. Some shoving, replied the reporter.
Everything will be arranged, the SP leader answered back.
He then quoted the price - Rs 5 lakh - for the ruckus.
Ill have to prepare 50 to 60 men... Five lakh (rupees), Irfan said.
The SP leader then pledged full media publicity for the controversial documentary.
Interestingly, when India Today TV later called Irfan, he denied involvement in outsourcing communal trouble to goons for money.
When told about the sting, SP leader Juhi Singh called it a conspiracy by Opposition parties. However, she said the party will probe footage and take action, if required.
As for the BJP, party spokesperson Anila Singh, who hails from Muzaffarnagar, said it is the responsibility of the state government to maintain law and order in the state.
We will examine the footage and then order any probe, she said.
But the BSP and the Congress have found a stick to beat the SP and the BJP with.
BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria said: The sting has exposed the two parties. Their agenda has always been to polarise people along religious lines.
Similar sentiments were shared by the Congresss Ajoy Kumar.
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued a fresh alert over the suspected jihadi links of the youngest Nirbhaya rapist, who was released in December because he was a minor at the time of the fatal Delhi gang-rape.
Authorities in Uttar Pradesh have been advised to keep a close watch on his movements as the man, now 21, hails from the states Badaun district.
He ended his three-year term in a reform home six months ago, after being found guilty along with five others of the brutal attack on a 23-year-old woman, dubbed Nirbhaya, in a case that prompted nationwide revulsion and turned the global spotlight on crimes against women in India.
The youngest convict in the Nirbhaya case was released in December last year, after serving a three-year sentence in a juvenile reform home. Now intelligence sources fear he was radicalised by his cellmate.
Recently some activity was noticed and we informed the local authorities, said an intelligence official, without saying anything about the mans present whereabouts.
Before his release in December 2015, the IB raised fears about his closeness to a Kashmiri inmate at the juvenile home, who was involved in the 2011 Delhi high court bombing.
The two shared the same room for over a year, and it is alleged that the rapist's cellmate indoctrinated him and prompted him to take up the cause of Kashmiris.
There is no specific input but whatever assistance is required will be provided by us, said Sunil Saxena, senior superintendent of police, Badaun.
Hundreds of people, including Nirbhayas parents, had staged protests in the Capital against the convicts release, with the campaign spurring Parliament to pass legislation lowering to 16 the age at which someone can be tried for serious crimes.
The youth's radicalisation was also pitched as one of the reasons to stop his release. The convict himself expressed fears that he might be lynched once he was set free.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also approached the Delhi high court, but the judges rejected his plea saying the sentence complied with existing law.
"Having regard to the fact that the maximum stay that can be directed in the Special Home under Section 15(1) of the Juvenile Justice Act is three years and that the convict would be completing the period of three years by December 20, 2015, there cannot be any direction to continue his stay in the special home beyond December 20. Hence, we decline to issue any direction as prayed by the petitioner," the bench said while allowing the convict to walk free.
In its report prior to his release last year, the Intelligence Bureau said the Kashmiri youth had brainwashed his cellmate and motivated him to join jihad in Kashmir.
As per the instructions of the union home ministry, the rape convict went through counselling sessions for de-radicalisation.
A trial court awarded the death penalty to the four adult accused in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case for the gruesome act.
The woman was sexually assaulted on a moving bus and horrific serious internal injuries after being penetrated with an iron bar during the attack.
Unimpressed: the MRM made its feelings plain to Abdul Basit, Pakistani High Commissioner in India
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an organisation for and by the Muslims which works under the aegis of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Tuesday withdrew its iftar invitation to Pakistani High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit.
The group cited the ambush and consequent death of eight CRPF jawans in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan has not spoken about.
Mail Today had been first to report on June 19 that Pakistan had been invited to the event.
The Muslim body has been planning an international iftar party on July 2 at the Parliament House Annexe, where it started the tradition last year. This year representatives from 140 countries, especially Muslim nations, were invited to the party.
Earlier, Manchs national convener Mohd Afzal had told Mail Today that through the iftar party they wanted to dispel the propaganda that Muslims are not happy or at peace in India - but on Tuesday he said the invite to Basit had been withdrawn as Pakistan had failed to condemn the Pampore attack.
The Muslim community body and the RSS were miffed after an ostensibly off-hand but insensitive comment by Basit, when he told mediapersons that while the issue of J&K was a contentious one, they should enjoy the iftar party which was underway at the Pakistani High Commmission.
It's the month of Ramzan, 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 on the issue and find a solution. Let's have the iftar party and enjoy ourselves, Basit said.
Elsewhere, the RSS and BJP have come under attack from their ally the Shiv Sena, which has alleged that the two have lost track of the Hindutva agenda and termed the iftar pure hypocrisy.
Meanwhile, an RSS source told Mail Today that MRM is not an RSS affiliate and was an independent body. The source said the RSS appointed a liaison person as the MRM wanted to co-operate with the Sangh.
Spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah Zainul Abedin Ali Khan also condemned the Pampore attack and demanded that the Armed Forces be given a free hand to take action against terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The attack by Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba is an act of cowardice, he said in a statement.
Pakistan is waging a proxy war with India through terror groups, and the Indian Air Force should be given the nod to enter and destroy terrorist camps set up by the Pakistani army in PoK, he added.
The Ajmer Dargah Deewan also criticised Basit for shrugging off a question on the attack.
Union minister Venkaiah Naidu is angry with the national carrier Air India after he had to cancel his visit to Hyderabad following a lengthy delay to his flight.
Naidu, who intended to fly with Air India to Hyderabad for an official engagement, had to miss his flight because the pilot of the flight AI544 was late.
In a series of tweets, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister slammed Air Indias unprofessional work culture.
Union minister Venkaiah Naidu took to Twitter to lambast national carrier Air India after he had to cancel his visit to Hyderabad after a lengthy delay to his flight
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition, Naidu said.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 hrs... was told on time... reached airport by 1230 hrs.
"I was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as the pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 hrs, boarding didn't start. Returned to home.
"Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment, a furious Naidu said.
Moments after Naidus tweets, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju responded, saying he has ordered a probe into the incident.
According to a statement issued by Air India, the pilot was late because he was stuck in a traffic jam
Raju has asked Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani to order an inquiry and take action on a priority basis.
Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI (Air India) to enquire and take action on priority, Raju said.
Sources in Air India told India Today that the formalities of who will head the inquiry committee are being worked upon and a report will be submitted at the earliest.
According to a statement issued by Air India, the pilot was stuck in a traffic jam.
We deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flight delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered, Air India said.
The Hyderabad-bound flight finally took off from Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport at 2.28pm, a little more than an hour after its scheduled departure.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) 28 June 2016
was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) 28 June 2016
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) 28 June 2016
Almost three-fifths of British shoppers have paid a visit to Aldi or Lidl over the past 12 weeks, claims a new study highlighting how the discounters continue to hit the big supermarkets.
The pair continue to make inroads in the supermarket wars with a rolling study showing a record 10.5 per cent joint share of the grocery market in the three months to June 19.
Kantar Worldpanel said 58 per cent of Britons visited one of the two German discounters in the past 12 weeks, with Lidl sales increasing by 13.8 per cent and Aldi by 11.5 per cent on a year ago.
Aldi and Lidl: Kantar Worldpanel data today revealed that 6 in 10 Britons has visited one of the German discounters in the last three months
The data also shows supermarket sales collectively fell 0.2 per cent over the same period as like-for-like grocery prices declined 1.4 per cent on last year.
And the performance of the 'big four' supermarkets was again disappointing, according to the figures.
Overall sales at Britain's biggest supermarket Tesco dropped 1.3 per cent in the latest period compared to a 1.0 per cent decline in the 12 weeks to May 24
Meanwhile at Morrisons sales fell 2.4 per cent, from 2.1 per cent in the previous period. Kantar said the drop at both reflects the ongoing impact of store disposals.
At Sainsbury's sales fell 1.4 per cent (versus 1.2 per cent previously) and at Asda they were down 5.9 per cent (versus 5.1 per cent previously).
It means each of the big four is losing market share on last year.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: 'The decline is a continuation of the slow supermarket sector growth dating back to summer 2014, primarily a result of cheaper everyday groceries brought about by a retailer price war.
'While these latest figures predate the EU referendum result, the immediate economic uncertainty is unlikely to cause a substantial fall in grocery volumes, as demonstrated by the 2008 financial crisis when basic food, drinks and household sales proved resilient.
'Historically, higher prices have led to consumers looking for less expensive alternatives such as own-label products, seeking out brands on promotion or visiting cheaper retailers.'
Latest data: Tesco still has the biggest supermarket share by some way - but sales were down 1.3%
Kantar Worldpanel said it has been a better period for smaller retailers. Co-op which has recently had a retro rebrand saw annual growth of two per cent after a full year of increasing sales.
Iceland saw yearly growth of 3.5 per cent.
Poll Have you shopped in Aldi or Lidl in last three months? Yes No Have you shopped in Aldi or Lidl in last three months? Yes 229 votes
No 57 votes Now share your opinion
Meanwhile, at Waitrose, small but rapidly increasing sales of its premium Waitrose 1 brand have helped the retailer grow by 1.3 per cent.
Waitrose has now had an unbroken period of growth dating back to 2009 the best run of any retailer outside of the discounters.
Thinking of Brexit, Kantar said that an estimated 40 per cent of the food Britons consume is sourced from overseas.
It added that any long-term change in exchange rates may threaten the current period of cheaper groceries.
Jon Copestake, chief retail and consumer goods analyst at Economist Intelligence Unit, said: 'One impact of the EU referendum may be that polarisation in spending becomes less prominent.
'The likes of Waitrose and M&S food have seen growth supported by high end spending as incomes have recovered.
'What may follow is simply a case of people trading down rather than squeezing the middle.'
Landlords have admitted they may pull the plug on renting to those in retirement just as lenders have begun to make it easier for older borrowers to get a mortgage.
The National Landlords Association has warned pensioners renting in expensive parts of the country that landlords may start to give notice to retired tenants as a result of Government-imposed tax hikes on buy-to-let.
Figures from the organisation suggest the number of people living in private rented accommodation in retirement has soared by more than 220,000 over the past four years but, worryingly, the number of landlords willing to rent to retired tenants has halved during the same time frame.
Penny pinching: The number of landlords willing to rent to retired tenants has halved in four years
Just 9 per cent of landlords say they currently let to retirees compared to 19 per cent in 2012 - and it's only likely to get worse.
Landlords are under pressure from the Government which has cracked down on buy-to-let over the past 12 months, cutting tax relief for landlords and hiking stamp duty on purchases.
Coupled with this, tougher rules from mortgage lenders mean landlords applying for a mortgage or who need to remortgage have to prove that rental income will cover their mortgage payments by 145 per cent - a big jump from 125 per cent which has been the standard in the past.
Now landlords admit it's likely they'll be forced to raise rents, hitting retired tenants hardest because usually their incomes are static.
BUY-TO-LET HEADWINDS Tax relief on mortgage payments Currently landlords can claim tax relief on their mortgage interest at the rate they pay income tax. From 2017 this rate will reduce annually over a four year period to a maximum of 20 per cent - down from the maximum of 45 per cent for higher rate tax payers now Wear and tear Until April this year landlords could deduct 10 per cent of their rental income when calculating taxable profit to allow for general 'wear and tear'. Now landlords can only deduct the actual costs incurred by replacing furnishings in the tax year Stamp duty surcharge Anyone purchasing a buy-to-let property or second home after 1 April this year has to pay a 3 per cent surcharge over the standard rate of stamp duty adding tens of thousands of pounds to the cost of purchase Bank of England crackdown Prudential regulators in the Bank of England have expressed worry the buy-to-let market is overheating and are due to publish further measures to keep a lid on landlord investment fuelled by buy-to-let mortgages at the end of June. This is likely to include a cap on the rental income ratio stress test
Even without taking into account the growing pressure on landlords, rents are rising at a steady rate across Britain with figures from HomeLet showing the average rent across the country excluding London is now 764 a month.
Carolyn Uphill, chairman of the National Landlords Association, said: 'Successive cuts to the welfare budget, uncertainty about pension provisions and the devastating impact of the Governments tax changes are likely to mean that private landlords will soon be unable provide homes in high cost areas like central London for anyone without a well-paying job.
'As the proportion of retired renters continues to grow theres a real worry that homes wont be available in the private sector, forcing people to look further afield leaving communities they have known and contributed to for decades.'
She claimed landlords appreciate the stability and assurances often provided by older households but added: 'They are finding it increasingly difficult to build businesses around the needs of potentially vulnerable tenants.'
Advisers worry that retired renters won't be able to find suitable homes to move to in their existing location.
Dean Mirfin, of retirement adviser Key Retirement, said: 'The rental situation for retirees is not dissimilar to the challenge faced by older homeowners, that of finding a suitable property be that to rent or buy without the need to relocate either due to affordability or availability. With an ageing population this challenge will only become more compounded.'
Nationwide will now lend to new and existing borrowers up to the age of 85 providing they meet criteria
Homeowners face happier changes
In an ironic twist for retired renters, the tides are finally starting to turn for retired homeowners who have found it nigh on impossible to get a mortgage in the past two years.
This was because of stricter rules imposed on mortgage lenders in 2014 under the Mortgage Market Review, which meant lenders had to assess a borrower's income for the life of the loan on all new deals.
As a result, those looking to retire mid-mortgage or who needed to remortgage after retirement but didn't have a guaranteed income were turned away by lenders in their droves. But lenders have recently started to offer more flexible terms, reversing (in a limited way) the crackdown on lending into and in retirement.
BUILDING SOCIETY SUPPORT Building societies with no age limits Bath, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Chorley, Cumberland, Dudley, Harpenden, Leek United, Loughborough, Monmouthshire, National Counties, Vernon Societies that will lend up to 85 Beverley, Darlington, Earl Shilton, Ipswich, Mansfield, Market Harborough, Marsden, Nationwide, Penrith, Stafford Railway Societies that will lend up to 80 Ecology, Furness, Hanley Economic, Holmesdale, Melton Mowbray, Teachers
In a further move to support older borrowers Nationwide confirmed it will now lend to new borrowers up to the age of 85 providing they meet criteria. Up until now,only existing Nationwide borrowers were eligible.
To qualify customers will need a 'stable and ongoing' retirement income and for joint borrowers, affordability will be assessed on the proportion of income which will continue should part of that joint income be lost during the mortgage term.
Paul Broadhead, from the Building Societies Association, said: 'Over the past 18 months the building society sector has led the way in lending to older borrowers either approaching or in retirement.
'This is coupled with a better understanding and management of the different risks that apply to this type of lending. With the proportion of people needing to borrow into their retirement increasing, this challenge must now be faced by all lenders.'
Government forecasts estimate that between 2015 and 2020, over a period when the general population is expected to rise 3 per cent, the numbers aged over 65 are expected to increase by 12 per cent over a million people and the numbers aged over 85 by 18 per cent or 300,000.
Research from Citizens Advice meanwhile estimates that 934,000 people have an interest-only mortgage without a plan for how to pay it off when reaches the end of the term. That is much higher than a previous estimate issued by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2013, which put the number at around 260,000.
Mirfin added: 'Nationwide is seen as an important barometer in the mortgage market and we would expect more lenders to feel the pressure to widen their scope for lending into and in retirement now.'
The option will be available across Nationwide's product range with a limit for any new borrowing of 150,000. Loan-to-value will be limited to a maximum of 60 per cent and the maximum age at application is 80.
Jonathan Harris, director of mortgage broker Anderson Harris, said his firm is increasingly seeing older borrowers looking to take out a new mortgage or refinance their existing arrangements.
But he warned: 'The problems we see are based upon the issues around income in retirement and not simply the age of the borrower.
'For example Nationwide may lend up to age 85 but can't accept earned income past 75, which means that the borrower must demonstrate their income via other sources. This can cause many problems for older, asset-wealthy, borrowers.'
A week ago George Osborne was desperately ringing and texting FTSE 100 chief executives demanding support for a doom-laden anti-Brexit letter.
Then, after a weekend of silence, the Chancellor was back at the Treasury reassuring us all that the economy is strong and, by the way, there will be no emergency budget for the time being.
The trouble is that the Chancellors credibility is shot.
Plain daft: Lord King, one of the UKs most distinguished economic thinkers, was baffled by George Osborne's emergency budget plan
The dodgy dossier of dire forecasts that appeared in the Treasurys name, together with the austerity budget unveiled with the support of his Labour predecessor Alistair Darling, were an abuse of one of the great offices of state.
Chancellors may be politicians but their credibility depends on placing the nations interests above personal ambition.
Just how badly Osborne comes out of all of this has been underlined by Lord King. The former governor of the Bank of England, out of respect to the office he once held, refused to be drawn into the referendum debate.
But in a BBC interview he has revealed he was appalled by a dispiriting campaign. He argues that the Treasury damaged itself by making exaggerated forecasts which led people to believe some certainty could be attached to them. Moreover, as we now know, the so-called emergency budget was a chimera.
As King, one of the UKs most distinguished economic thinkers, notes, he was baffled by the emergency budget idea because to raise taxes and cut spending in the short term, when you dont know what is going to happen in the longer term, would be plain daft. It is more the pity we didnt hear more from him during the campaign.
As he made clear in his book The End Of Alchemy, and in his interview with this paper just as the referendum campaign was getting under way, he regarded the eurozone, constituting 19 of the 28 countries, as badly flawed because of the scale of the German trade surpluses and the failure to put in place mechanisms to ease the pain in Europes poorer ClubMed tier.
In the end the unconvincing economic arguments made by the Chancellor and Remain were largely ignored by the electorate because they were so extreme and unbelievable.
As King says, there is a lot of uncertainty post the referendum but no one should be particularly worried: Markets move up, markets move down. Perhaps not, but the savaging of bank shares across Europe, and most notably Barclays here in Britain, does point to serious fissures eight years on from the great financial crisis.
Capital idea
Remember Too Big To Fail? The idea that in the post financial crisis it would be bondholders and investors (and in the case of the Cypriot banks, rich clients) who would be the first line of defence.
This is precisely how the Bank of England dealt with the problems of Co-op Bank. But what if some of Europes injured larger banks, such as those in Italy and Portugal, should run into difficulty?
Do we really believe that national governments and the eurozone would not come to the rescue?
Here in Britain, governor Mark Carney has pre-announced what is effectively a Government salvage operation should the financial system seize up.
It includes the promise of 250bn of emergency loan agreements and a promise to keep its lending windows wide open. So the taxpayer is already involved.
Oddly enough, despite a sharp 44 per cent cratering of Barclays share price since the country voted Brexit, the Royal Bank of Scotland is probably the safest of lenders.
Thats because the Government owns 72 per cent and wouldnt dream of allowing such a central institution to the economy to fall over.
Shares in Barclays also tumbled 44 per cent over two days with the market worrying whether it has sufficient capital to be a fully operating UK consumer bank as well as a global investment bank. The ring-fencing of Barclays retail and consumer operations means that both parts of the bank need to be separately capitalised.
It would not be surprising if Barclays were asking for a longer timetable to achieve separation while it seeks to make further divestments such as its African holdings.
In 2008-09 Barclays chose to head to the Gulf and seek emergency capital, fearing falling under Whitehall control. I doubt chief executive Jes Staley will choose the same route.
KPMG probe
Governance watchdog the Financial Reporting Council has discovered its mojo with investigations launched into PwCs audit of retailer BHS and KPMGs work on the 2007 HBOS accounts.
The latter is another embarrassment for the Teflon-coated chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority John Griffith-Jones, a former KPMG senior partner.
How long can he hang on?
Can-do Sorrell
Nervous ninnies in the boardrooms should take a leaf out of the book of Sir Martin Sorrell of WPP, a leading Remainer.
The UK might be on its way out of the European Union, but even after Brexit it could still be possible for us to access the single market and the benefits that come with being part of it.
Access isn't solely reserved for members of the EU. Members of the European Economic Area can also join in the single market that the EC has dubbed 'one of the EU's greatest achievements', while Switzerland accesses it through its own agreements.
But yesterday morning a senior member of Angela Merkel's German political party warned that like the other non-EU members who enjoy the free-trade perks of a market home to 500million consumers, the UK will have to pay a price to be part of the club.
So what would the price of admission be?
The HM Revenue & Customs chart shows the top five countries that the UK exported goods to in April 2016
The HM Revenue & Customs chart shows the top five countries that the UK imported goods from in April 2016
What is the free trade option open to Britain?
One option open to Britain to keep free trade after Brexit would be to leave the EU but remain a member of the EEA.
However, this would cost the UK in terms of both a membership fee and concessions on the free movement of people - a key factor in Europe's single market.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme yesterday morning, Michael Fuchs, vice chairman of Angela Merkel's CDU party said that staying in the single market was possible for Britain but would cost it - in both monetary terms and having to agree to a level of freedom of movement.
He said: 'It will be possible, of course, but this is not for free. As you can see very easily with Norway, with Switzerland, you have to pay a certain fee. And the per capita fee of Norway is actually exactly the same like what Britain is now paying into the EU, so there won't be any savings.'
Questioned by presenter Sarah Montague on whether this could come with controls on immigration, he said: 'Immigration is part of the deal we have to negotiate it.'
He added: 'It will not be free movement but it will definitely be different from what somebody is expecting with no movement. But there will definitely be some movement.'
Asked whether that would give Britain more control on movement than currently, he said: 'Most probably, yes, but again this is part of the negotiation.'
What is the single market?
According to the European Commission, the single market 'refers to the EU as one territory without any internal borders or other regulatory obstacles to the free movement of goods and services', as well as people and capital. These are known as the 'four freedoms' of the single market.'
The single market 'stimulates competition and trade, improves efficiency, raises quality, and helps cut prices' and is 'one of the EUs greatest achievements', the commission adds.
Participating in the single market is seen as crucial by many but it comes with a cost
It is made up of 500 million consumers and contains 21 million small and medium-sized businesses.
As things currently stand, 32 European countries are part of the single market.
Among them are the 28 EU member states of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
There are also four non-EU members, who collectively make up the European Free Trade Association. The EFTA countries are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
EFTA explains on its website that it was founded by the following seven countries: Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Finland joined in 1961, Iceland in 1970 and Liechtenstein in 1991.
In 1973, the United Kingdom and Denmark left EFTA to join the EC. They were followed by Portugal in 1986 and by Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995.
To join the single market, countries must agree to the four freedoms of goods, persons, services and capital
What is the EEA?
The European Economic Area is sometimes referred to as the single market, as it encompasses all the countries that are part of Europe's free trade area, with the exception of Switzerland.
All members of the EU automatically become members of the European Economic Area, giving them access to the single market.
Three EFTA members, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, are part of the EEA too. Switzerland, has forged separate bilateral trade agreements with the EU to allow it to participate in the single market in some areas.
The European Parliament explains: 'The EEA was formed in 1994 in order to extend the European Unions provisions on its internal market to countries in the European Free Trade Area.
'The purpose of the European Economic Area is to extend the EUs internal market to countries in the European Free Trade Area. These countries either do not wish to join the EU or have not yet done so.
'While Switzerland is not part of the EEA, it remains a member of EFTA. More than 120 sectoral bilateral treaties linking the country with the EU incorporate largely the same provisions as those adopted by the other EEA countries in the fields of the free movement of people, goods, services and capital.'
Law firm Slaughter and May explains that the EEA agreement 'covers the adoption of EU legislation in the agreed policy areas including the four freedoms, but not areas including policies such as those relating to agriculture, social and employment law, justice and home affairs'.
What are the benefits of joining the EEA?
Britain could seek to become a member of the EEA but not the EU and keep hold of access to the single market.
This could retain British citizens' right to live and work across the countries operating in the single market.
The nation's businesses would also be able to trade freely with those countries and access the market's more than 500 million consumers.
We wouldn't be part of the EU and have to commit to ever closer political union, as most of its members do. We could also potentially impose some controls on immigration to the UK, a cornerstone of the winning Leave campaign, although this would be subject to fierce negotiation.
Cut adrift? If the UK follows Switzerland's lead and stays out of the EU and the EEA we will have little say in shaping the rules for the single market
What are the drawbacks?
Slaughter and May says that while it comes with being bound by the bulk of EU legislation, being part of the EEA does not enable non-EU members to vote when decisions are made and laws are passed about how the single market operates.
EEA membership comes with the right to sit on certain committees and comment on some areas of EU policy only - members have no formal say on what gets decided.
A central part of the Leave campaign ahead of the Brexit vote was concern over the scale of immigration from EU countries to the UK.
As joining the EEA and single market involves the requirement to accept the freedom of movement of workers and citizens, the UK would theoretically gain no more control of immigration of EU nationals than it currently has.
However, as referred to by Mr Fuchs in the Radio 4 interview, it might be possible as part of the negotiation process to get some form of controls put in place - although this is likely to be a major bone of contention.
Our financial services sector could also be hampered by the lack of cohesion regarding regulation across the single market that sees members unable to sell their services across all single market members.
The concern is that being unable to shape legislation in this area, the UK will not be able to bring about favourable trading conditions for its financial sector, which accounts for 8 per cent of GDP and 3.5 per cent of employment.
How much will it cost us to stay in the single market?
This depends on which model we follow but will still be in the billions of pounds a year.
If we were do as the Norwegians do and participate through membership of the EEA, the UK will have to pay to access the single market by contributing to the EU through an EEA grant - and the cost is significant.
Indeed, despite not having a say in its legislation, we'd still be one of the biggest funders of the EU.
Slaughter and May analysis referred to data from the House of Commons Library that said in 2011, Norway was the tenth biggest backer of the EU through its per capita contribution of 106, while the UK's was 128.
Once money received from the EU is factored into consideration, further number crunching by InFacts, a journalist-led campaign group backing a remain vote ahead of the EU referendum, found that for 2016, Norway's and the UK's net contributions to the EU were likely to be the same at 96 per head.
Shortly before the Brexit vote, the House of Commons Library estimated leaving the EU would reduce our contributions by 17 per cent.
However, if we were to operate the Swiss model, and participate in some areas of the single market by membership of the EFTA, then the House of Commons Library said UK contributions to the EU could fall by as much as 57 per cent.
It is worth noting here that Switzerland has far less scope to comment informally on legislation that affects the single market than the other three existing EFTA members and its participation in the single market excludes financial services.
MISSOULA Jack Stearns, who was arrested Sunday with a blood-alcohol content more than two times the legal limit, told officers his car had weaved in and out of its lane because he was letting his 4-year-old daughter drive.
Stearns, 46, made his initial appearance in Missoula County Justice Court on Monday after being charged with felony child criminal endangerment.
This is not the first time Stearns has faced the charge. He was arrested in April 2015 for the same felony after he drove drunk while his daughter sat unbuckled on the lap of a passenger. During that arrest, Stearns had provided a portable breathalyzer sample of 0.16 percent blood-alcohol at the scene. In October, after entering a plea agreement with prosecutors, Stearns was given a three-year deferral of sentence by District Court Judge Leslie Halligan.
In his new case, Stearns was arrested Sunday evening after an officer responded to a report of a driver with a child on his lap having difficulty staying in his lane. Stearns, whose speech was slurred, allegedly told one of the officers he had consumed a six-pack of beer. When asked about the way he had been driving, Stearns said he had been letting his 4-year-old daughter drive.
Stearns scored one indicator short of the maximum possible evidence of impairment on field sobriety tests, and after being transported to the jail, provided a breath sample of 0.179 percent blood-alcohol content.
During his appearance on Monday, deputy county attorney Brittany Santorno requested bail be set at $20,000 and that if released, Stearns be on alcohol monitoring. Public defense attorney Brian Yowell asked that he be released on his own recognizance with monitoring.
Acting Justice of the Peace Colin Stephens set Stearns bail at $8,000 and added alcohol monitoring as a condition of his release.
Im also going to strongly suggest that you not let your daughter drive, he said.
In Italy's southern city of Naples, if you want to buy or sell bread, there's only one supplier to go to - and you'd better not refuse.
So claim Italian police who on Monday said they arrested 24 people suspected of belonging to a mafia group which has controlled the market for bread in the city for years.
From supermarkets to street vendors, all bread suppliers in the northern neighbourhoods of Naples have been forced to buy their products from bakeries controlled by the Camorra mafia - or else face the consequences.
All bread suppliers in the northern neighbourhoods of Naples (pictured) have been forced to buy their products from bakeries controlled by the Camorra mafia, police claim
Mondays arrests came after Camorra boss Carlo Lo Russo was detained in Nice in April. This picture shows Vincenzo Lo Russo, son of Domenico Lo Russo, being escorted out of a police station in Naples
The mobsters forced stores to buy their bakeries' bread, with prices considerably higher than market prices, said Lt. Col. Giuseppe Furciniti, commander of the organized crime unit in Naples of the national financial police corps.
Most merchants bought the Camorra-linked bread, Furciniti said. 'Only a few dared not to,' knowing if they spurned the Camorra, they risked seeing their shops burned or suffer other damage, he said.
With wholesale prices hiked by as much as 30 euro cents a kilogram, the profits went to clan coffers, authorities said. Since most of the neighborhood shops sold the Camorra-linked bread, consumers also saw bread prices rise.
Extortion is one mainstay of the Naples-based syndicate. Besides demanding 'protection money' the Camorra often demands that businesses buy wares from certain suppliers.
'This time it was bread, other times it has been buffalo mozzarella,' the prized, creamy cheese, Furciniti said.
Since the arrest of Camorra boss Carlo Lo Russo in April in the French Riviera city of Nice, investigators have been looking into his family and relatives.
Surveillance and wire taps led to Monday's arrests on alleged charges ranging from mafia association, drug trafficking and racketeering to weapons possession and murder.
The Italian mafia consists of three main groups: the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the Camorra in Naples and the 'Ndrangheta in southwest Calabria.
Vincenzo Lo Russo, son of Carlo Lo Russo, is escorted by police in Naples. The Italian mafia consists of three main groups: the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the Camorra in Naples and the 'Ndrangheta in southwest Calabria
Ciro Perfetto is escorted out of the Naples police station after a police operation on the Lo Russo crime clan
Clinton herself blasted the panel during testimony last year
Democrats on the House Benghazi panel said in a report Monday that security at the Libya facility the night of Sept. 11, 2012 was 'woefully inadequate,' but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional protection.
The panel's five Democrats said after a two-year investigation that the military could not have done anything differently on the night of the attacks to save the lives of four Americans killed in Libya. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens died in one of the two assaults that night at the U.S. outpost and CIA annex.
'We hope our report will put to rest the conspiracy theories about Benghazi once and for all and return the focus to where it belongs on the goal of improving the security of Americans serving abroad,' according to the Democrats-only report.
The Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on the U.S. compound in Benghazi have been a hotly debated issue in Congress and in the presidential campaign
Democrats' release of their own report heightened the partisanship of the inquiry, which has been marked by accusations of Obama administration stonewalling and finger-pointing. Republicans on the panel missed a self-imposed deadline to issue a report 'before summer,' but the Democrats' move in issuing their report could spur the GOP's final product.
The report comes just days after Republican Donald Trump bean to fault Clinton for the deaths of the four Americans, and Trump's campaign began focusing on Benghazi with a new attack website called 'LyingCrookedHillarycom.'
Clinton's 'decisions spread death, destruction and terrorism everywhere she touched,' charged Trump.
He said Clinton was 'asleep' when she got the 3 am call about the attacks, but later said he meant Clinton was 'asleep at the wheel.'
The panel members blasted Republicans for their own $7 million investigation.
Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about Benghazi in 2013
Republican Donald Trump highlighted Benghazi in his anti-Clinton speech in New York last week, saying she spread 'death and destruction' as secretary of state
U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was among the four Americans killed in the attacks
Whatever the timing, the Republican report is certain to have repercussions for Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
The Democrats said they regretted that their 344-page report was not bipartisan, but said Republicans left them little choice after conducting 'one of the longest and most partisan congressional investigations in history.'
While the GOP-led panel's two-year inquiry obtained additional details about the twin attacks in Benghazi, it did not fundamentally alter conclusions of previous investigations, the Democrats said.
Democrats blamed inadequate security in Benghazi on decisions made by mid-level officials at the State Department and said that, contrary to repeated claims by Republicans, neither Clinton nor anyone else intentionally delayed the military's response or ordered a 'stand down.' The Democrats called GOP claims of a stand-down order baseless 'and offensive to our men and women in uniform.'
Republicans on the panel blasted the Democratic response as partisan and premature.
'As Chairman Gowdy has said, this is not about one person,' said Republican panel spokesman Matt Wolking. 'This investigation is about the four brave Americans we lost in Libya: [U.S. Ambassador] Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty. That is how the majority has conducted its thorough investigation, and we look forward to revealing the new information we have uncovered to the families and the American people,' he said.
The report also disputes a Republican charge that the White House intentionally misled the American public by casting the Benghazi assault as one of the many protests over an offensive, anti-Muslim video, instead of a calculated terrorist attack that occurred on President Barack Obama's watch.
The Democrats said that the 'assessments and information' that the CIA and other intelligence agencies provided to U.S. government officials 'evolved' after the attacks but were not influenced by the upcoming 2012 presidential election or any other political factors.
Republicans on the panel have harshly criticized initial assessments, including public statements by Clinton, that an anti-American video was the source of protests that grew violent.
Later analysis concluded it was a preplanned terror attack.
Obama's critics have zeroed in on the talking points, a reference to a memo prepared for lawmakers and then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to help her get ready for appearances on Sunday news shows to discuss the attack less than a week after it occurred.
An additional 165 pages of emails from Hillary Clinton's time at the State Department surfaced Monday, including nearly three dozen that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee failed to hand over last year that were sent through her private server.
The latest emails were released under court order by the State Department to the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch. The batch includes 34 new emails Clinton exchanged through her private account with her deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin. The aide, who also had a private email account on Clinton's home server, later gave her copies to the government.
The emails were not among the 55,000 pages of work-related messages that Clinton turned over to the agency in response to public records lawsuits seeking copies of her official correspondence. They include a March 2009 message where the then-secretary of state discusses how her official records would be kept.
'I have just realized I have no idea how my papers are treated at State,' Clinton wrote to Abedin and a second aide. 'Who manages both my personal and official files? ... I think we need to get on this asap to be sure we know and design the system we want.'
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton campaigned in Ohio Monday, as more emails from her private email server came to light
In a blistering audit released last month, the State Department's inspector general concluded Clinton and her team ignored clear internal guidance that her email setup violated federal records-keeping standards and could have left sensitive material vulnerable to hackers.
The audit also cited a then-unreleased copy of a November 2010 email Clinton sent Abedin in which the secretary discussed using a government email account, expressing concern that she didn't want 'any risk of the personal being accessible.'
Clinton never used a government account that was set up for her, instead continuing to rely on her private server until leaving office in 2013. Though Clinton's work-related emails were government records, she didn't turn over copies until more than 30 lawsuits were filed, including one by The Associated Press.
Before providing her correspondence, Clinton and her lawyers withheld and subsequently deleted tens of thousands of messages that she claimed were personal, such as emails about her daughter's wedding plans, family vacations, yoga routines and condolence notes.
Donald Trump's presidential campaign emails around an AP report on the emails, under the heading, 'LATEST BAD NEWS FOR CLINTON EMAIL SERVER.'
With the new release Monday, more than 50 work-related emails sent or received by Clinton have since surfaced that were not among those she provided.
Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon on Monday repeated past statements that Clinton had provided 'all potentially work-related emails' that were still in her possession when she received the 2014 request from the State Department.
Fallon has declined to say whether Clinton deleted any work-related emails before they were reviewed by her legal team.
Dozens of the emails sent or received by Clinton through her private server were later determined to contain classified material. The FBI has been investigating for months whether Clinton's use of the private email server imperiled government secrets. Agents recently interviewed several of Clinton's top aides, including Abedin.
As part of the probe, Clinton turned over the hard drive from her email server to the FBI. It had been wiped clean, and Clinton has said she did not keep copies of the emails she choose to withhold.
In a report released Monday by Democrats on the House select panel probing the 2012 attacks on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, Republican congressional investigators asked questions about Clinton's use of the private email server in interviews with her close aides.
Abedin told interviewers that she was aware of Clinton's heavy use of private emails from the start and that Clinton continued a practice that she had developed as a U.S. senator for New York and as a 2008 presidential candidate. 'It was a natural progression from what she was doing previously, and she continued to do so.'
Asked repeatedly who serviced Clinton's private server in the basement of her New York home, Abedin identified Justin Cooper, a technology staffer at that time for former President Bill Clinton, and Bryan Pagliano, a State Department technology official who is cooperating with an FBI investigation of Clinton's private server under an immunity deal with prosecutors. Abedin was hazy about Pagliano's role at the agency and his private work overseeing Clinton's server in New York.
Pagliano, who previously worked for Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination and declined to answer the committee's questions. In a sworn deposition last week, Pagliano also refused to answer questions posed by lawyers from Judicial Watch, including who paid for the system and who else at the State Department used email accounts on it. Pagliano also would not answer whether he discussed setting up a home server with Clinton prior to her tenure as secretary of state, according to a transcript.
The White House accused Republicans of peddling 'wild conspiracy theories' about the Benghazi terrorist attack on Monday.
A House committee charged with investigating the 2012 assault on the U.S. consulate in Libya asked President Barack Obama to answer a list of questions testing his knowledge about the onslaught.
The president's chief counsel refused, saying in a letter to the committee's chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, that Republicans raised 'serious questions about the legitimacy' of their investigation with the inquiry.
The White House accused Republicans of peddling 'wild conspiracy theories' about the Benghazi terrorist attack on Monday. A House committee charged with investigating the 2012 assault on the U.S. consulate in Libya asked President Barack Obama to answer a list of questions testing his knowledge about the onslaught
Gowdy's committee responded negatively, setting off a spokesman for the president in a briefing with reporters today.
'Republicans have been investigating this exhaustively, and with each turn of the crank, they are unable to prove to the wild conspiracy theories they have been proffering for years,' said White House official Eric Schultz said.
'So its not surprising to me that Republicans want to look at every possible crevice for a new conspiracy,' he stated. 'Unfortunately, when they do so, they come up with nothing.'
White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in the letter to the committee that Obama would not answer their questions, some of which the White House says legislators asked already knew the answer to.
Eggleston posited in the letter, first reported by Politico, 'If the president were to answer your questions, his response would suggest that Congress has the unilateral power to demand answers from the president about his official acts.'
Eggleston advised the president not to talk to lawmakers for their probe, having already submitted a detailed readout of the president's movements the night of the September 12, 2012 assault.
His staff also answered availed itself to the committee and answered specific questions themselves.
White House lawyers asserted there was no evidence that Obama ordered the National Security Council 'to delay taking action' the night of the battle.
The president told his secretary of defense to 'immediately ordered the military to deploy all available assets,' a May 11 letter to the committee said.
'Any claim that the president was not fully engaged and informed the night of the attacks and any doubt about his direction that any and all action be taken to assist our people under attack are unfounded and belied by the facts,' the letter read.
Gowdy, who had told the White House all along that he planned to send the president a series of written questions, was not satisfied and continued to pursue a response directly from Obama.
The president's lawyer declined the request, upsetting House Republicans. They're accusing Obama of stonewalling their probe.
A spokesman for the committee in chastised Obama in a statement sent to Politico for taking time last week to talk to New York Yankee Derek Jeter but not lawmakers.
'It's no surprise President Obama would rather take questions from Derek Jeter than answer questions for the American people about the Benghazi terrorist attacks,' Jamal Ware said, 'which followed what he himself has called his worst mistake failing to plan for what happened after the State Department pushed U.S. intervention in Libya.'
Ware said the White House's 'fictional narrative' about the reasons it would not submit answers to the House committee's questions is just 'the latest chapter of the story it has been spinning since 2012.'
Four Americans died in the assault, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.
The special committee on Benghazi has been looking into the terrorist attack for more than two years, since May of 2014.
'I know Republicans dont want to believe that photo,' he said, referencing a picture the White House released four months after the attack of Obama being briefing in the Oval. 'Maybe they think its photoshopped, maybe they think it was faked. But it is 100 percent authentic'
Republicans on the committee say they questions they tried to ask Obama are not duplicate and have not received a definite response.
For instance, the White House said Obama was briefed on the attack at 5 pm Eastern. It did not say when he first became aware of the violence, which began at approximately 3:42 pm.
It's due to issue it's final report soon, possibly before the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in July.
House Democrats on the committee today released a minority report to counter the official review, which they expect to be critical of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
'We have been hampered in our work by the ongoing Republican obsession with conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality,' the committee's Democrats said in their document. 'Rather than reject these conspiracy theories in the absence of evidence - or in the face of hard facts --Select Committee Republicans embraced them and turned them into a political crusade.'
Democrats said they wanted to put those 'conspiracy theories' to bed 'once and for all and return the focus to where it belongson the goal of improving the security of Americans serving abroad.'
The president's spokesman made a similar argument today.
'I know Republicans dont want to believe that photo,' he said, referencing a picture the White House released four months after the attack of Obama being briefing in the Oval.
'Maybe they think its photoshopped, maybe they think it was faked. But it is 100 percent authentic.'
The Tory peer who quit as an EU commissioner in the wake of the Brexit vote is set to pocket a pay-off that could top 250,000.
Lord Hill said he was doing the 'right thing' by standing down after campaigning unsuccessfully during the referendum for us to stay in.
But despite voluntarily resigning from the 200,000 a year post, Lord Hill is in line for an extraordinary package that means he will still be getting paid even after the UK leaves the bloc.
MEPs took the rare step of rising to their feet to give the peer a standing ovation when he made his last appearance at the European Parliament today.
As a clearly emotional Lord Hill fought back tears during the emergency session, President Martin Schulz said: 'You were involved in the campaign for the UK to Remain in the EU and on behalf of the European Parliament and for the work you have done I would like to express our thanks to you.'
Lord Hill, seen in the European Parliament today, announced his resignation as the UK's EU commissioner over the weekend after campaigning unsuccessfully for a Remain vote
European commissioners are entitled to a 'transitional allowance' equivalent to around 40 per cent of their basic salary for three years after leaving.
The sum - roughly 240,000 over the period - is said to be justified because otherwise former Eurocrats would be under 'financial pressure' to look for a new job and there could be conflicts of interest.
Lord Hill - a former Tory leader of the House of Lords - is also due a lump sum 'resettlement allowance' of a month's pay, as well as travel expenses and moving costs.
In total, he can expect to receive well over 250,000.
The scale of the severance package will cause particular fury as Lord Hill took up the role less than two years ago.
The former lobbyist was heavily criticised at the time as when he was appointed by David Cameron, doubling his salary, he was also handed a ministerial pay-off of more than 25,000.
Lord Hill will now be able to resume his seat in the House of Lords, where he will be able to claim 300 tax-free for every day he attends. Those earnings will not reduce his payments from the EU - although other income will be offset.
Lord Hill appeared close to tears today as he was applauded by MEPs in the European Parliament.
Announcing his resignation on Saturday, 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.
'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 that I will work with him to make sure that happens in the weeks ahead.
EU commissioner president Jean-Claude Juncker (pictured right greeting Ukip leader Nigel Farage in the European Parliament today) said he tried to convince Lord Hill to stay on
Lord Hill appeared close to tears as he was applauded by MEPs in Brussels this morning
The European Parliament met in Brussels this morning in the wake of the referendum result to leave the EU
'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 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.'
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 Prime Minister David 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.'
Aides to Lord Hill, who formally leaves his job next month, confirmed he is in line for the exit package.
An EU source said one of the purposes of the transitional allowance was to 'allow former Commissioners to look for a new job without financial pressure, thus minimising the risk of future conflicts of interest'.
Harry Davis, Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will find it hard to stomach yet another pay off for Lord Hill. Of course anyone leaving their post will incur costs but officials have a duty to keep expenditure to a minimum. And when governments all over Europe are looking for savings, officials really need to justify to taxpayers why someone leaving of their own volition is entitled to such a huge golden goodbye.'
The settlement still requires a judge's approval before it can go into effect
nearly $5 billion for environmental mitigation and research on zero-emissions technology
will receive up to $10,000 in compensation and estimated value of the vehicle as of September 2015
Volkswagen is to pay every US owner of one of its polluting cars up to $10,000 each under a $15 billion settlement deal.
The German car manufacturer will also either buy back or repair the offending diesel vehicles as part of the deal following the emissions cheating scandal, a source close to the matter said.
The $15 billion settlement will be the largest auto scandal settlement in US history and a huge step in Volkswagen's efforts to address the legal fallout from its admission that its vehicles were designed to fool emissions tests.
Volkswagen is to pay every US owner of one of its polluting cars up to $10,000 eachunder a $15 billion settlement deal (stock image)
The deal sets aside $10 billion to repair or buy back roughly 475,000 polluting Volkswagen vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines, and to compensate each owner with an additional payment of between $5,100 and $10,000.
Owners would also receive the same compensation if they choose to have the vehicles repaired, assuming U.S. regulators approve a fix at a later date.
How VW would repair the vehicles to bring them into compliance with clean air laws has not yet been finalized, the person said.
It also includes $2.7 billion for environmental mitigation and another $2 billion for research on zero-emissions technology, the person said. The diesel offset fund could rise if VW has not fixed or bought back 85 percent of the vehicles by mid-2019, the source said.
The settlement still requires a judge's approval before it can go into effect. The proposed settlement is due to go to court in July.
Others can choose to decline Volkswagen's offer and sue the company on their own.
Owners who choose to have VW buy back their cars would get the clean trade-in value from before the scandal became public on September 18, 2015.
The average value of a VW diesel has dropped 19 percent since just before the scandal began. In August of 2015, the average was $13,196, and this May it was $10,674, according to Kelley Blue Book
The German car manufacturer will also either buy back or repair the offending diesel vehicles as part of the deal following the emissions cheating scandal, sources say (pictured is Matthias Mueller, Volkswagen CEO, at Volkswagen AG's annual general meeting in Hannover, Germany)
Prior owners will get half of current owners, while people who leased cars will also get compensation, said the original source.
Spokeswomen for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Volkswagen declined to comment.
The settlement, the largest ever automotive buyback offer in U.S. history and most expensive auto industry scandal, stems from the German automaker's admission in September 2015 that it intentionally misled regulators by installing secret software that allowed U.S. vehicles to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.
VW still must reach agreement with regulators on whether it will offer to buyback 85,000 larger 3.0 liter Porsche, Audi and VW cars and SUVs that emitted up to nine times legally allowable pollution and how much it may face in civil fines for admitting to violating the Clean Air Act.
Reuters reported earlier the initial VW settlement would not include civil penalties under the U.S. Clean Air Act or address about 80,000 larger 3.0 litre Audi, Porsche and VW vehicles that emitted less pollution than 2.0 litre vehicles. A deal covering the 3.0 litre vehicles may still be months away.
The settlement does not address lawsuits from investors or a criminal investigation by the Justice Department.
Regulators will not immediately approve fixes for the 2.0 litre vehicles - and may not approve fixes for all three generations of the polluting 2009-2015 vehicles, sources previously told Reuters.
The actual amount VW will spend will depend on how many vehicles are repurchased.
Owners will have two years to decide whether to sell back vehicles - and it is not clear when EPA and California will decide whether to approve fixes, which may not eliminate all excess emissions.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will hold a hearing on July 26 to decide on whether to grant preliminary approval to the settlements. If granted he would hold a later hearing to give final approval. Buybacks are likely to start no earlier than October, the first source said.
The $15 billion settlement will be the largest auto scandal settlement in US history and a huge step in Volkswagen's efforts to address the legal fallout from its admission that its vehicles were designed to fool emissions tests (stock image)
In April, VW set aside $18.2 billion to account for the emissions scandal.
The company has admitted developing sophisticated software that determined when the cars were being tested by the EPA on a treadmill-like device called a dynamometer and turned on the pollution controls. Once all wheels began spinning and the steering wheel was turned, the controls were turned off.
Volkswagen, which knew the EPA's testing routine, got away with the scam for seven years before being caught by the International Council on Clean Transportation, which hired West Virginia University to test a VW in real roads conditions.
VW had said the scandal impacted 11 million vehicles worldwide and lead to the departure of CEO Martin Winterkorn.
Last week, Germany's financial watchdog called on prosecutors to investigate VW's entire former management board over the time it took to disclose the carmaker's emissions test cheating, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Physicist Brian Cox has slammed the obsession with 'safe spaces' at universities.
The BBC presenter said he 'disagrees very profoundly' with banning controversial speakers from having a platform as he has seen first-hand how it raises intolerance among students.
Whilst he accepts that the premise of such restriction is to 'build a less aggressive space', he says that university is the most appropriate place to encourage debate on difficult questions.
Speaking to the Radio Times, the 48-year-old said: 'Because I'm a professor at Manchester, I do watch the way this intolerance is growing. Which is a word that they would object toI suppose they're trying to build a less aggressive space, which I understand modern discourse is polarised.
The BBC presenter said he 'disagrees very profoundly' with banning controversial speakers from having a platform as he has seen first-hand how it raises intolerance among students
'But university is supposed to be a place where civilised debate takes place. If not in the university, then where do you debate the most difficult questions?
'So, I disagree very profoundly with the idea that there's such a thing as a safe space intellectually at a university.'
Several university campuses have been labelled 'no platform' areas or 'safe spaces', where speakers who hold racist or fascist views are not given a platform to speak at student unions.
Earlier this year the London School of Economics (LSE) was found to be one of the most ban-heavy universities, prompting revolt from students who said they did not want to be kept in a 'safe-space bubble'.
The National Union of Students (NUS) has encouraged the uptake of such policies to restrict controversial speakers, though last week leading gay rights activist Peter Tatchell accused the body of 'dangerous, regressive politics'.
Cox added: 'It's nonsensical to me. The point of university is to build an intellectual armoury. You should expect that you're not going to be abused by a shouting loudmouth you wouldn't want modern political discourse to be brought off Twitter and into the student union.
'I understand why they don't want that and they're right not to want that. But it's not difficult to build a debate. That's the basis of liberal democracy. We understand that.
'That's why there are lines in the House of Commons greater than two swords' length apart, right? We've worked that out.'
The father-of-one, who lectures at Manchester University, also called for school exams to be phased out because he believes they damage education.
London School of Economics was found to be one of the most ban-heavy universities, prompting revolt from students who said they did not want to be kept in a 'safe-space bubble'
He said that children being 'conditioned to obsess about exams' from a young age means that in adulthood students lack real-world understanding.
Although he did not remove his seven-year-old son, George, from the SATs test last month, he shares parents' concern about the impact of testing on their wider learning.
He added: 'One of the things that annoys me most, and I think is an unfortunate reflection on the way that schools are conditioning students to obsess about exams, is that I will be teaching my first years about relativity and they'll keep asking, 'Is this in the end-of-year exams?'
'I say, 'I'm not telling you. I'm teaching you to be a physicist, not pass exams.' They are supposed to be learning about nature. If they go to work for BAE Systems on the ejector seat of a Eurofighter, at some point someone's going to say, 'Is that safe, that ejector seat?' They can't ask anyone to mark their work. The measure of success is understanding and taking charge.'
Justin Webb also raised similar concerns about exams in a separate piece for the Radio Times, saying that they lead to the 'controlled spewing of temporarily mastered facts'.
The Today programme presenter said he has seen in his own children how the rigid mark scheme means that pupils shut out wider context and detail on what they are taught.
Advertisement
With one last check for $2.5million last week, Bill Gates completed the land puzzle he's been assembling in the small Florida village of Wellington.
The richest man in the world is now the proud owner of an entire street in the exclusive equestrian enclave.
Ever so quietly since March, the Microsoft founder spent a total $28million to buy the properties of his five neighbors on the horse-crazy Mallet Hill Court.
That's in addition to the $8.7million he spent on a five-acre horse farm he bought on the street in 2013, according to Palm Beach County records. The Gates first rented the home in 2012 when the couple's teenage daughter Jennifer was training to become a world-class show jumping rider.
The land puzzle Bill Gates has been assembling is now complete. 1. Bill's original property in red, bought April, 2013 for $8.7 million, 4.5 acres, 3155 Mallet Hill Court 2. Purchased March, 2016 for $13.5 million, 4.51 acres, 3060 Mallet Hill Court 3. Purchaed June, 2016 for $2.5 million, 1.3 acres, 3094 Mallet Hill Court 4. and 5. Purchased together April, 2016 for total $4.95 million, total 2.6 acres, 3128 and 3162 Mallet Hill Court 6. Purchased May, 2016 for $8.7 million, 5.2 acres at 13715 Quarter Horse Trail
Bill Gates first bought the $8.7million five-acre horse farm (pictured) at 3155 Mallet Hill Court in Wellington, Florida, in 2013
Following the 2013 purchase of 3155 Mallet Hill Court, Gates' Seattle-based Watermark Estate Management Services, negotiated the purchase of neighbor Stuart Roffman's property at 3060 Mallet Hill Court (pictured) for $13.5million
In May he obtained 5.2 acres owned by equestrian entrepreneurs Constance Grasso and Stephanie and James Kelley at 13715 Quarter Horse Trail (pictured) for $8.7million
Gates is getting all the privacy he craved for after he settled down in a 4.5-acre ranch at 3155 Mallet Hill Court, pictured outlined above
And as he gobbled up acre up acre this year, generous Gates - who's worth about $75billion - paid two to three times what some properties were appraised for.
The Gates gobbled up the parcels so he and wife Melinda would have maximum privacy and minimal noise
Two of his new properties have houses and horse barns on them, including one mansion re-built just last year, and three are empty lots.
Gates now owns a total 18 acres and he's getting all the privacy he craved for after he settled down in a 4.5-acre ranch at 3155 Mallet Hill Court in April 2013.
'He is all about privacy,' said Stuart Roffman, the former owner of 3060 Mallet Hill Court. The 70-year-old's property was adjacent to Gates' original purchase and he was the first to be approached by Gates' real estate specialists.
Roffman eventually sold his land for $13.5million, records show.
He said: 'Despite the fact it had very few residents and a gate, there was some traffic on the street. Between trucks transporting horses, stable hands, grooms and house staff, that's a lot of people on a small street.
'At times, you could see half a dozen vehicles parked by the barn on Bill's property and it felt a little tight.
'Now, he can level his barn and use the property he bought from me to board his horses.'
Roffman, a developer, says Gates may have overpaid for his purchases.
'He paid $2million per acre of raw land. That's nearly twice the going rate,' he said. 'But thanks to Bill, all the other properties around here have increased in value this year.'
Roffman described the negotiation with Gates' staff as 'professional' even if there was some back and forth 'as in any negotiation'.
At one point after taking possession of Roffman's property, Gates' staff noticed Roffman took his artsy mailbox when he left and threatened to file a criminal complaint. There's been no complaint filed at this point.
When the Gates first rented the home in 2012, the couple's teenage daughter Jennifer was training to become a world-class show jumping rider
Since March, the Microsoft founder spent a total $28million to buy the properties of his five neighbors on the horse-crazy street
The richest man in the world is now the proud owner of an entire street in the exclusive equestrian enclave, and use the 2013 property as the main home on the property
Gates became interested in Wellington when he and wife Melinda first rented the property at 3155 Mallet Hill Court (interior pictured) for $500,000 for four months in 2012
'It's obvious that having Bill Gates move next door is great if you're trying to sell, and it's great if you want to stay. There's a certain prestige to having the world's richest man as your neighbor,' Roffman said.
'He gobbled up properties like Pac-Man,' said one observer. Here is how he did it:
In March 2016: Robert Buote, manager of Gates' Seattle-based Watermark Estate Management Services, negotiated the purchase of Roffman's property at 3060 Mallet Hill Court for $13.5million.
In April 2016: Buote negotiated the $5million purchase of two vacant lots at 3128 Mallet Hill Court owned by PBP Investments LLC, a Miami-based company.
In May 2016: Buote obtained 5.2 acres owned by equestrian entrepreneurs Constance Grasso and Stephanie and James Kelley at 13715 Quarter Horse Trail for $8.7million.
In June 2016: Buote gets the deed for 3094 Mallet Hill Court from Palm Beach resident Sandra Brady for $2.5million, completing the purchase of the entire street.
Gates became interested in Wellington, where the horse population is nearly triple the 60,000 human residents in winter, when he and wife Melinda first rented the property at 3155 Mallet Hill Court for $500,000 for four months in 2012.
The mega-loaded couple's teenage daughter Jennifer was training to become a world-class show jumping rider.
Wellington is known for his mass horse population, which is nearly triple the 60,000 human population during the winter
Gates completed his purchase of the entire street after getting the dead for 3094 Mallet Hill Court from Palm Beach resident Sandra Brady for $2.5million, completing the purchase of the entire street
Roffman described the negotiation with Gates' staff as 'professional' even if there was some back and forth 'as in any negotiation'
The Gates' home in Wellington features an outdoor pool and patio area, tiled floors, and a sprawling kitchen
The home features four bedrooms and four bathrooms as well as two air conditioned barns that can hold up to 20 horses
And in addition to a 7,230-square-foot main house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, the property boasted a show jumping rink as well as two air conditioned barns for up to 20 horses.
What's more, the property is minutes away from the Winter Equestrian Festival, a world-class show jumping competition held yearly in January through April.
With the Gates appearing in local restaurants and attending numerous equestrian events relatively unscathed by gawkers, the couple then decided to buy the house for $8.7million a year later.
Changes on the gated street came swiftly. Live security guards suddenly appeared at the originally-unmanned gate.
And Gates hired half a dozen off-duty Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies who patrolled his property clad in blue blazers and riding boots.
Gates' arrival, however, wasn't without controversy.
The family's property is minutes away from the Winter Equestrian Festival, a world-class show jumping competition held yearly in January through April. Pictured above, Jennifer Gates performs at the Second Annual Longines Masters of Los Angeles in 2015
Months after he bought his first ranch in 2013, he was cited by Wellington authorities for his use of an illegally-built in-ground horse manure tank. Village code inspectors claimed it was built without a permit and too close to a canal that drains heavy rain water.
It took Gates more than a year to fix it, and his daily fines totaled $150,000.
Village officials reduced the fines to $30,600 after the manure tank was rebuilt farther away from the canal.
The Gates, meanwhile, aren't the only business celebs in the immediate vicinity. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt own ranch homes a few hundred feet away.
William McCaughan, Gates' Miami lawyer, didn't respond to several requests for comment about Gates' future plan for the properties he just bought.
Months after he bought the first ranch in 2013 (a room inside pictured above), he was cited by Wellington authorities for his use of an illegally-built in-ground horse manure tank
Village code inspectors claimed a manure tank on the property (the home's pool pictured above) was built without a permit and too close to a canal that drains heavy rain water
Foreign nurses will be given a second chance to pass English tests after the watchdog announced it is relaxing the rules.
Previously, all nurses from abroad including the EU had to score at least level seven in speaking, listening, reading and writing exams.
But from today, the Nursing and Midwifery Council will allow them to take the tests a second time within six months if they do not achieve this standard straight away.
Foreign nurses will be given a second chance to pass English tests after the watchdog announced it is relaxing the rules
However any nurse who scores less than 6.5 in any of the areas will be immediately failed and banned from registering. The highest possible score is nine.
The NMC is worried nurses are being turned away at a time when the National Health Service is desperately understaffed.
It said the change would increase flexibility for foreign nurses but there are concerns that the required standards will be too low.
Many patients already complain that they struggle to communicate with overseas nurses and claim they have a particularly poor grasp of medical terms or regional dialects.
But the NHS is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign staff as the number of training places has been slashed leading to a lack of home grown employees.
Figures show that as many as two thirds of hospitals and trusts recruit from abroad and up to one in ten nursing posts are vacant. Foreign nurses most commonly come from Spain and Portugal, where economic crises have fuelled high unemployment rates, as well as India and the Philippines.
Jackie Smith, chief executive of the the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Jackie Smith, chief executive of the NMC, said: We are mindful of the staffing pressures in the health service and, after listening to feedback, we have introduced changes to our process.
We will continue to listen to feedback from nurses and their employers and assess any opportunities to introduce further flexibility.
She added that attaining level seven regardless of whether it takes two attempts provides assurance that foreign nurses meet the appropriate standard of English.
But Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the NMC must ensure all nurses are fully competent. It is essential that the public have confidence that their nursing care is safe and effective, she said.
We hear from patients that there are real issues with nurses from other countries, including problems with communication and a lack of understanding of procedures.
If the NHS does employ nurses from other countries, it must ensure that they are fully qualified and competent and that they are competent enough in English to communicate with patients.
We are concerned that poor English skills may lead to mistakes and misunderstandings between colleagues or when patients are trying to explain their problems.
Figures show that around 8,000 overseas nurses were recruited by the NHS and private sector in 2014/15 almost twice as many as two years ago.
A Daily Mail investigation in 2014 revealed how hospitals were hiring nurses at Portuguese recruitment events and helping them fill in the forms as their English was so poor.
The parliamentary ant-hill has been comprehensively kicked over isnt it glorious? and its occupants were indignant, agitato, scuttling around in search of a ruse.
How dare the unwashed tell them what to do? Didnt they understand democracy meant voters doing as told by those of us in authority?
On the Commons two front benches, two dramas: Denial and schmaltz on the Tory side as David Cameron made his first goodbyes at the despatch box.
He firmly declared that the result of the EU referendum should be respected.
When Mr Cameron entered at 3.26pm there were hysterical cheers from the Tory side, led by Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet & Rothwell), lungs like bagpipes
Relief: Mr Cameron showed humour and a hint of relief that he will soon be shot of high office
When Mr Cameron entered at 3.26pm there were hysterical cheers from the Tory side, led by Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet & Rothwell), lungs like bagpipes. A minute later George Osborne beat the same path to the front bench. Silence.
Mr Cameron showed humour and a hint of relief that he will soon be shot of high office. There was a hint of husky emotion in his voice as he delivered his opening speech but on the whole he kept things sunny.
It will be some time before we have someone so seamlessly amicable at the helm.
I remember watching Margaret Thatcher make her first post-resignation appearance. That was the occasion when she monstered Neil Kinnock, threw her elbow in the air and declared, Im enjoying this!
Mr Cameron was not quite so handbaggish, but there was the same air of release.
'Seamlessly amicable': Referring to Labour's woes yesterday, David Cameron joked: 'And I thought I was having a bad day!' Meanwhile, of Boris Johnson, there was no sign
Before the Statement, Labours newest MP, Rosena Allin-Khan (Tooting) swore the oath.
Mr Cameron advised her to keep her mobile telephone on, because at the rate Jeremy Corbyns top team members were resigning, she might find herself on the front bench ere the day was out.
And I thought I was having a bad day! cried Cameron.
This won laughter, both from the Labour side (happy to deride Mr Corbyn) and from Tory MPs eager to buoy their stricken leader.
When Mr Corbyn arrived, Labour MPs were sullen. Dennis Skinner (Lab, Bolsover) was having no part in this peevishness. He walked over to Mr Corbyn, shook him by the hand and slapped him on the back. Labour MPs grumbled. Working class Mr Skinner flicked the mutineers a V sign. Attaboy!
Of Boris Johnson or indeed Lisa Household Name Nandy, who is spoken of as a rival to Mr Corbyn there was no sign.
Theresa May was sitting just down from Mr Cameron, her face a mask of distant dispassion. Gromyko on the Kremlin balcony.
Michael Gove loitered briefly behind the Speakers Chair but soon disappeared. He perhaps saw that this was a day for Europhile hand-wringing. Mr Corbyn is scruffy. He is useless at TV soundbites and Commons dialectics.
But you have to give this to the old billy goat: Hes gritty.
Mr Cameron advised Rosena Allin-Khan to keep her mobile telephone on, because at the rate Jeremy Corbyns top team members were resigning, she might find herself on the front bench ere the day was out
He boldly attacked his party critics yesterday when he said that our country would not thank them, at this time, for internal factional manoeuvering. Resign! shouted a couple of Labour voices. Little Wes Streeting (Lab, Ilford N) pouted.
Other Labour MPs Dugher, Benn, Gapes, Leslie shook their heads in anger at their leader. For many MPs, the most important thing was a racist incident which followed the Brexit vote. A bad thing, indeed.
But was this anxiety to emote about racism not slightly to miss the vastness of the referendum?
Ken Clarke (Con, Rushcliffe) was again first of the backbenchers to be called. Only in the reputation-worshipping Commons could an inveterate Europhile be called so early to discuss this spanking the voters have just given the EU and our own elite.
Mr Clarke airily advised Mr Cameron not to take broad guidance from a plebiscite. Mr Clarke somehow injected disdain into his pronunciation of plebiscite. The referendum campaign had been bad-tempered and ill-informed.
Pah, they know nothing, those voters.
Nick Clegg wanted an early general election. Desperate to escape the Commons, perhaps.
A Helena man has been charged with two felonies after a violent incident early Friday that caused more than $1,500 in damage to a Jefferson Lines bus on its route near Glendive. The disturbance forced the driver to return to Billings and caused at least a 12-hour delay for passengers.
Todd Andrew Bennett, 38, of Helena, was charged in Dawson County Justice Court with felony criminal mischief and criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Bennett also is charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the complaint filed in the case.
His bond was set at $20,000, and he's being held in the Dawson County Correctional Facility.
Bennett was a passenger on the bus while it was approaching Glendive on Highway 16 near mile marker 12 just after midnight Friday. He began arguing with other passengers, challenging people to fight and making loud or unusual noises, the complaint said.
Bennett is accused of cracking the vehicle's windshield and damaging its wipers. Police discovered a used needle and a substance that appeared to be methamphetamine in his possession.
Markeith Wheeler frequently takes the Jefferson Lines bus from Billings to North Dakota and was a passenger that night. Wheeler said he was one of two men who physically removed Bennett from the bus after he kicked a woman and hit another man.
He said Bennett attacked the windshield after he was kicked off the bus. He yanked on the wipers first before head-butting the glass.
He was pulling the wipers all the way back and letting them fly back to the glass, thats what cracked it at first, Wheeler said.
The driver decided the bus was too damaged to continue to the routes end in Minneapolis. He returned to Billings to have the windshield fixed.
Wheeler said he spent the next day waiting at the bus station in Billings while the first bus was repaired. He also sought medical attention for bruising on his head that resulted from the confrontation. The bus returned to the road at about 5 p.m. Friday.
Kevin Pursey, director of marketing for Jefferson Lines, said the driver followed protocol when he stopped the bus to remove the unruly passenger and called 911.
The Glendive incident follows three marijuana busts on the Jefferson Lines buses as they passed through Billings. Pursey said luggage isnt screened but drivers are trained to report suspicious activity.
Bennett was sentenced to 29 months with the Montana Department of Corrections in July 2014 in Yellowstone County on a criminal possession of dangerous drugs conviction dating from a 2005 offense, according to the DOC website.
Criticized over his astonishing dealings with a Kazakh oligarch, Prince Andrew is nevertheless still being allowed to act as an official foreign trade envoy.
Airmiles Andy, as he became known because of his fondness for overseas travel, is on a taxpayer-funded visit for the Government to Malaysia, where he is trying to encourage its businessmen to forge links with British entrepreneurs.
His Royal Highness is determined to carry on his work for UK business, a courtier tells me.
Airmiles Andy, as he became known because of his fondness for overseas travel, is on a taxpayer-funded visit for the Government to Malaysia
There were calls for an inquiry into Andrews business dealings last month after this newspaper disclosed that he had helped a Greek sewage company and a Swiss finance house pursue a 385 million contract in Kazakhstan.
Leaked emails also showed the Princes private office was far more involved in the 15 million sale of his marital home, Sunninghill Park, to a Kazakh oligarch, Timur Kulibayev, than previously admitted.
In addition, the emails revealed an extraordinary attempt by Andrew to arrange for Coutts, the Queens bank, to take Kulibayev on as a client.Andrew stepped down from his government role in 2011 after a string of controversies.
For much of his ten-year career as the UKs official foreign trade envoy, critics accused the Prince of developing close links with disreputable foreign dictators and wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers money on private jets and helicopters.
He was finally forced to resign after details emerged of his friendship with a convicted paedophile, American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said that while in Malaysia, the Duke would also be undertaking an engagement in support of Huddersfield University, of which he is Chancellor.
BBC and Bake Off in stand-off over cash
Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry want The Great British Bake Off to remain on the BBC, despite rumours that ITV is interested in taking the hit show.
However, negotiations between the BBC and producer Love Productions are looking wobbly according to insiders. Neither side can agree terms for the new series, with Love said to be asking for more cash.
Under the current terms, a rival would have to wait until 2018 to air the eighth series of Bake Off, as the Beeb has a one-year cooling-off clause an appropriate term for a show about baking.
Hugh's caught in the act as he nabs a Downton knick-knack
Despite playing the morally upright Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville doesnt always play by the rules off-screen.
The actor has shared this picture from the set of the final series in which he appears to steal a silver mustard pot.
Despite playing the morally upright Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, Hugh Bonneville doesnt always play by the rules off-screen.
With a cheeky expression on his face, the 52-year-old pretends to disregard the shows strict rules prohibiting the cast from pocketing memorabilia.
Nobodys going to notice one little mustard pot, surely . . . he writes in jest.
To clarify that he is not, in fact, coming out as a kleptomaniac, he adds the hashtag #gaveitback.
Toddler Moko Rangitoheriri was covered in injuries from head-to-toe when he died after suffering multiple blunt force traumas during his final days.
The three-year-old New Zealand boy had been subjected to a 'campaign of violence' leading up to his death in August 2015 at the hands of Tania Shailer, 26, and David William Haerewa, 43, a couple who were supposed to be caring for him.
Moko's mother, Nicola Dally-Paki met Shailer at a childcare centre when the killer-to-be was 16 and working as a caregiver, according to the New Zealand Herald.
They became friends and eventually Shailer took care of Moko and his older sister while their mother was away in Auckland, with another of her children who was sick and in hospital, and she left Moko in their care in Taupo, south of Auckland, in June last year.
Scroll down for video
Moko's mother, Nicola Dally-Paki, who had left her son in the care of Shailer and Haerewa while she looked after another of her children who was in hospital in another city
Moko's father, Jordon Tawa Rangitoheriri, who said after his son's killers were sentenced: 'at the end of the day, justice will prevail'
Moko (pictured) was subjected to a 'campaign of violence' by his killers before it eventually led to his death
Tania Shailer, 26, (left) and David William Haerewa, 43, (right) were supposed to be caring for Moko
According to Stuff.co.nz, Haerewa had a history of domestic violence.
Shailer had sought the help of a women's refuge to escape a 'violent life' in 2013, the NZ Herald reported.
During the two months they were supposed to be looking after Moko, Shailer and Haerewa tortured him, kicking, stamping on and hitting him, rubbing his faeces in his face.
He had injuries everywhere - from his eyes, gums and testes to his ribs and arms, according to reports.
Shailer and Haerewa's dislike for the boy had intensified while caring from him and they were routinely abusing him.
Two weeks before Moko died on August 10, Shailer stopped answering Ms Dally-Paki's calls.
She said later she should have known something was wrong.
Ms Dally-Paki reads her victim impact statement in court on Monday, where Moko's killers were sentenced. She said they reminded her of evil
Shailer and Haerewa's dislike for Moko (pictured) had intensified while caring from him and they were routinely abusing him
Ms Dally-Paki pictured earlier in 2016, as she recalled how her daughter told her about the abuse Moko suffered
About five days before his death, on August 5, they began to kill him, the NZ Herald reported.
Shailer repeatedly stamped on his stomach and he lost control of his bowels - it was later revealed his bowel had ruptured, causing septic shock.
His face was swelling, he had internal bleeding and a swollen brain, and was left like that for days.
There was evidence Moko had been smothered, it was reported.
He had bite marks, bruises, cuts and other injuries to his face, torso, arms and testes.
There were even injuries to his eyes, gums and ears and blood clots under his scalp.
He received a fatal head injury which caused facial bruising and began vomiting.
Shailer (pictured) repeatedly stamped on Moko's stomach, one of the many acts of abuse she committed against him
Moko Rangitoheriri, who died in 2015 aged three
The couple locked him in his room and ignored his repeated pleas for water. When given a shower he could hardly stand.
It wasn't until the August 10 and a raft of other instances of abuse that emergency services were called and told Moko had fallen from a wood pile.
He was taken to hospital and died about 10pm that day.
Afterwards, Moko's seven-year-old sister, who'd also been staying with Shailer and Haerewa, revealed she'd tried to stop the abuse, but was subjected to it as well.
On Monday, Shailer and Haerewa were sentenced to 17 years in jail each for the manslaughter of Moko.
When they were sentenced for Moko's manslaughter, Ms Dally-Paki said they reminded her of 'evil', and outside the courthouse, his father, Jordon Tawa Rangitoheriri, said: 'at the end of the day, justice will prevail'.
The same day, thousands of people took to the streets of New Zealand cities, protesting high child abuse rates in the country, a decision to not try the couple for murder, and to call for stricter sentencing.
Signs outside the Rotorua High Court where Moko's killers Tania Shailer and David Haerewa were sentenced on Monday
A speaker addresses a crowd gathered in the rain protesting the lack of justice in the NZ courts for victims of child abuse
Protestors march down the street in Rotorua to the courthouse on Monday, the same day Moko's killers were sentenced
Protestors displaying their signs outside the courthouse as the await the sentencing of Shailer and Haerewa
One of the rapes happened at the Grand Hyatt hotel on East 42nd Street and another took place near Gramercy Park, police said
One woman was forced onto the roof of the building and two others were sprayed in the face with a debilitating substance, according to authorities
All three were arrested in August 2015 and accused of gang raping women
Three men appeared in Manhattan court Monday after being charged with gang-raping three different women on three separate occasions in a horrific strings of attacks.
Isaiah Rivera, Joey Cruz and Fernando Sandel were arrested in August 2015 for raping the women and stealing their money, phones or other valuables, police said at the time.
One of the women was forced onto the roof of the building and the other two were sprayed in the face with a debilitating substance such as Mace, the New York Times reported.
All three attacks happened between June and August last year across Manhattan and the Bronx, with one of them located at the Grand Hyatt hotel on East 42nd Street and another near Gramercy Park, according to authorities.
Fernando Sandel was one of three men who appeared in Manhattan criminal court Monday (pictured) to face accusations of gang raping three women. He was arrested in August last year at 26 years old
Isaiah Rivera (pictured in court Monday) was arrested a day after Sandel and was then aged 31 years old. Police say he and two other men gang raped three different women on three separate occasions
Joey Cruz (pictured in court Monday) was also arrested in August last year and was then aged 26 years old. The three gang rapes happened in Manhattan and in the South Bronx according to authorities
Police first arrested Sandel, then 26, in August last year while officers kept searching for Rivera, then 31, and Cruz, then 26.
They found the remaining two suspects and detained them two days later, authorities said at the time.
Sandel was charged with five counts of rape and several counts of burglary, robbery and other crimes, the New York Times wrote.
A judge set Sandel's bail at $200,000 following his arrest.
Rivera (left), Cruz (right) and Sandel are accused of raping three women who had posted online ads offering sex in exchange for money and had made plans to meet with an interested party
Sandel, Rivera and Cruz all appeared at Manhattan criminal court Monday.
The three women had posted ads online offering sex in exchange for money and had planned to meet with an interested party, the New York Times reported.
The first attack happened on June 28, 2015, police said, when a 20-year-old woman made arrangements to meet up in the South Bronx with a man who had responded to her online ad.
Three men showed up and forced her to the roof of the building before raping her and stealing her money, according to authorities.
The woman was treated at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center and released, CBS reported at the time.
The second rape occurred on August 3, police said, after another woman, who was 34 years old, arranged to meet up with a man at the Grand Hyatt hotel.
There, authorities said, the man sprayed her in the face with an unidentified substance before throwing her on the bed.
Two other men entered the room, tied her up, raped her and stole her handbag and her cellphone, police said.
The woman also received treatment at St Lukes Hospital before being released, CBS wrote.
The third attack happened the next day, after a 32-year-old woman planned to met up with a man at her apartment near Gramercy Park, according to authorities.
The man arrived and sprayed her with Mace, then two men entered and all three tied her up, raped her and stole her laptop, her cellphone and her bracelet, police said.
The woman was treated at a local hospital.
Police would not specify which man was accused of arranging the dates and which were accused of showing up later on, the New York Post wrote after the arrests last year.
New research has discovered a startling link between stress and cancer for sufferers of the disease - with stress causing cancer to spread through the body six times faster.
The study revealed the link can cause the body to turn into a 'super highway' which carries the cancer around it.
'The key finding is that stress can drive the spread of cancer,' Dr Erica Sloan, a cancer biologist at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, told Daily Mail Australia.
New research from Monash University has revealed that stress can cause cancer to spread faster
'Stress creates physical routes out of the tumor that provide a physical pathway for the cancer to spread,' she added.
Tests were undertaken on mice to track the spread breast cancer - 'to investigate how stress signaling affects the progression of cancer and its response to therapy'.
'You see six times more spread of cancer in stressed mice compared to control mice', Dr Caroline Lee told the ABC.
Cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and surgeries can take both a mental and physical toll on the body.
Dr Sloan said off the back of the research they were now testing a drug called Propranolol to see if it could work as a 'buffer' for this stress and allow treatments to work more effectively.
Propranolol is a beta-blocker, usually used to treat high blood pressure, prevent heart attacks, or reduce the frequency of migraine headaches.
'Stress might make treatments work not as well,' Dr Sloan told Daily Mail Australia.
She said as well as the emotional toll of battling the disease, a physical stress such as undergoing operations also needed to be taken into account.
'Cancer is a stressful experience... It's not so much "should I be stressing less?" It's actually acknowledging that it is stressful and to treat the patient accordingly.'
Clinical trials will soon be undertaken to see if the medication helps stop the spread in patients.
A Centrelink and a charity shop have been destroyed in a ferocious blaze in south-east NSW.
Two men have been arrested after investigations into two building fires in Goulburn on Monday night.
Firefighters were called to two-storey government building that housed a Centrelink on Auburn Street about 8pm.
Scroll down for video
A Centrelink and a charity shop have been destroyed in a ferocious blaze in Goulburn in south-east NSW
A fire had broken out on the second floor and it took about 100 firefighters to battle the blaze that 'totally destroyed' the Centrelink and spread to a neighbouring St Vincent De Paul shop.
Some firefighters were still at the scene about 8am on Tuesday.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Andrew Ticehurst said additional resources were called in to fight the fire from surrounding towns as well as from Sydney's south-west suburbs and the ACT.
'Some of these specialist resources were ladder trucks to fight the fire at a distance and from above,' he told Daily Mail Australia.
A fire had broken out on the second floor and it took about 100 firefighters to battle the blaze that 'totally destroyed' the Centrelink and spread to a neighbouring St Vincent De Paul shop
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Andrew Ticehurst said additional resources were called in to fight the fire from surrounding towns as well as from Sydney's south-west suburbs and the ACT
'That was due to the severity of the fire with concerns about a building collapsing and the walls.'
The flames were so fierce firefighters were battling the fire from an exclusion zone about 10 to 15 metres back.
A second blaze also broke out nearby at an abandoned building about 200 metres away on Verner Street and caused only minor damage.
NSW Police are treating both fires as suspicious and have arrested a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man.
The pair were taken to Goulburn Police Station for questioning.
The flames were so fierce firefighters were battling the fire from an exclusion zone about 10 to 15 metres back
NSW Police are treating this fire and a second nearby fire as suspicious and have arrested a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man
A disgraced Liberal MP has repeatedly refused to answer questions put to him by a journalist who reported on alleged sexual harassment, sending her on a chase down the campaign trail.
Jamie Briggs snubbed ABC political reporter Anna Henderson on Monday when she asked him about his prospects ahead of Election Day this Saturday.
'I have not a thing to say to you, Anna. I have not a thing to say to you,' Mr Briggs, the member for Mayo in Adelaide's south, said.
When Ms Henderson asked why, he responded: 'You know very well why I don't want to talk to you.'
Scroll down for video
Jamie Briggs snubbed ABC political reporter Anna Henderson, who reported on alleged sexual harassment, on Monday when she asked him about his prospects ahead of Election Day this Saturday
'The ABC's @annajhenderson getting the steps up on her FitBit while trying to speak to @BriggsJamie,' another journalist joked on Twitter
The journalist then told him she was looking for a simple answer about how he feels his fortunes will be on Election Day.
'You'll find out Saturday, Anna,' he said, after sending her on a chase down the road.
An embarrassing typo in a newspaper advertisement this week said he was 'devliering' for Mayo.
Mr Briggs would not say why he avoided Ms Henderson when asked by Daily Mail Australia.
'In this uncertain world, our nation needs political stability and a strong economic plan that creates local jobs and helps families in our community,' he said in a statement on Tuesday.
'Locally, I am delivering Our Plan for a strong new economy and as a member of a future Turnbull Coalition Government, will continue to work with the Mayo community to ensure we see the best results.'
Mr Briggs, married father-of-three, resigned from Malcolm Turnbull's frontbench late last year when Ms Henderson reported he had allegedly sexually harassed a public servant during an official visit in Hong Kong.
'I hear Jamie Briggs is good at "Devliering",' a voter wrote after spotting an embarrassing typo in an election advertisement for the federal Liberal member for Mayo
Malcolm Turnbull visited Mr Briggs in the south Adelaide seat of Mayo on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day on Saturday
The woman, who worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alleged Mr Briggs had tried to kiss her neck and had complimented her 'piercing eyes'.
Mr Turnbull condemned Mr Briggs's behaviour and asked him to 'consider his position' when the bar incident came to light in December last year.
Mr Briggs resigned, apologised, and assured he would not identify the woman, but he later admitted to sending 'a few people' a photograph of the woman which was later published in a major national newspaper.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Briggs for comment.
His seat of Mayo is being contested at the election by his own former staffer, Rebekha Sharkie, who is running for Nick Xenaphon Team.
A recent poll commissioned by GetUp! found Mr Briggs is sitting on about 40 per cent of the primary vote in the once safe Liberal seat, with Ms Sharkie on 23.5 per cent and Labor candidate sitting on 18 per cent.
Ms Sharkie claimed she quit his office after overhearing a spate of 'sexist' comments.
Mr Briggs famously arrived at Parliament on crutches and in a wheelchair the morning after a late-night party in Mr Abbott's office after he was ousted by Mr Turnbull.
Mr Briggs denied he was responsible for a shattered marble table found in Mr Abbott's office. It was later revealed he had attempted to crash tackle Mr Abbott. The former-Prime Minister said he would pay for repairs after public outrage it might be paid for with the public purse.
He has held the seat of Mayo since 2008.
His seat of Mayo is being contested at the election by his own former staffer, Rebekha Sharkie (left), who is running for Nick Xenaphon Team
Mr Briggs' wife posted a picture of their family on social media in a show of support after his resignation in late December last year
Mr Briggs famously arrived at Parliament on crutches and in a wheelchair the morning after a late-night party in Mr Abbott's office after he was ousted by Mr Turnbull
Idea met with anger as it would overturn democratic will of Leave voters
Urged 'sensible compromise' to restrict the free movement of EU migrants
He called for the next PM to be allowed to 'negotiate a deal' with Brussels
Britain should negotiate a deal to control its borders and then hold a second referendum, Jeremy Hunt suggested last night.
The Health Secretary called for whoever becomes Prime Minister to be allowed to 'negotiate a deal' with Brussels. He urged a 'sensible compromise' to restrict the free movement of EU migrants to the UK.
'We must not invoke Article 50 straight away because that puts a time limit of two years on negotiations after which we could be thrown out with no deal at all,' he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
Jeremy Hunt, pictured on today's Good Morning Britain, called for whoever becomes Prime Minister to be allowed to 'negotiate a deal' with Brussels
'So before setting the clock ticking we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people either in the referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh general election.'
Mr Hunt is one of eight leading Tory MPs preparing to stand as a candidate to succeed David Cameron.
His idea was met with anger as it would overturn the democratic will of the majority of Britons who voted to leave the bloc last week.
Ukip MP Douglas Carswell said it was a plot by the Westminster elite, posting on Twitter: 'And so it begins. The SW1 set manoeuvring to disregard the views of the people.'
He added: 'It has now taken a minister less than 100 hours since polls closed to demand a new referendum. Dangerous territory.'
Hunt's idea was met with anger as it would overturn the democratic will of the majority of Britons who voted to leave the bloc last week. Ukip MP Douglas Carswell (pictured) said it was a plot by the Westminster elite
The row came as David Cameron claimed the results of the referendum could not be overturned as he set up a Whitehall unit to put Brexit into effect.
The Prime Minister told MPs he had established a team of civil servants to prepare the way for negotiations on withdrawal a task he called the most 'complex and important' for decades.
Pro-Remain campaigners have suggested a second referendum to allow the public to think again, even though Leave won by four percentage points.
But in his first statement to the Commons since last week's historic decision, the PM pointedly warned MPs not to seek to overturn the decision, saying: 'There can be no doubt about the result.'
Mr Cameron said he was pressing ahead with the creation of a 'Brexit unit', with the Tories' policy chief Oliver Letwin in charge of taking views from all sides on the next steps.
Jackson Baker's body was found almost a week after he disappeared
The laptop also contains a eulogy for the 20-year-old's funeral on Tuesday
The stolen laptop contains irreplaceable images of their deceased son
Parents are desperately pleading with thieves to return their belongings after they stole irreplaceable photos of their dead son two days before his funeral.
Jackson Baker's body was found washed up on the shore of a busy harbour near Stockton in Newcastle, north of Sydney last Wednesday almost a week after he disappeared while walking home from a club on June 16.
The 20-year-old's family have since offered the thieves a reward for the return of an Apple laptop which contained photographs and a eulogy for his funeral on Tuesday, reported Newcastle Herald.
The family of Jackson Baker (left) is pleading with thieves to return their belonging which contain irreplacable photos of their lost son which are needed for his funeral on Tuesday
The dead man's mother, Fran Baker, said the laptop which was on a table at their home was stolen on Sunday night along with the family's Canon Power Shot S110 camera.
'We have got what we have and it will still be beautiful and everything, but we still want our memories back, especially for Lachie,' Mrs Baker said.
'If it can come back in time for tomorrow then good, but anytime will do.'
An Apple laptop filled with photos and a eulogy of the 20-year-old was stolen from his family's home on Sunday night - two days before his funeral
Mrs Baker and her family have been overwhelmed by the support of family and friends following their loss but were left feeling 'bad' after the robbery.
'I just couldn't believe it last night, we had felt so supported and so loved and then we just felt so bad,' she said.
Mrs Baker has urged the thieves to drop off their belongings at a local police station.
A search of the harbour began the following morning after Mr Baker failed to return to his girlfriend's home, Mia Lowe.
Tug boat workers reportedly saw a man swimming on the morning Mr Baker was last seen.
Mr Baker had been at Argyle House nightclub the night he went missing. He was there with his girlfriend but left the club without her at about 1.30am.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Newcastle police on 4929 0999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A shirt stained with John Lennon's blood from the night he was murdered has sold for a whopping 31,000.
Concierge Jay Hastings was wearing the white shirt as part of his uniform at the Dakota building in New York when Lennon was shot by deranged fan Mark Chapman.
As the former Beatle stumbled through the door and collapsed Mr Hastings rushed to help him.
While he tried to give him aid some of Lennon's blood soaked into his shirt which is still visible today on the chest and sleeves.
The shirt worn by concierge Jay Hastings, stained with John Lennon's blood from the night he was murdered, has sold for a whopping 31,000
The day John Lennon died: John Lennon with Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building
Mr Hastings covered Lennon's chest with his uniform jacket, took off the star's glasses and called the police.
The macabre piece of memorabilia which was sold on Saturday by the former porter smashed its 7,000 estimate.
Mr Hastings had a good working relationship with the Lennon and Yoko Ono and also included in the sale is a copy of the album Double Fantasy signed 'To Jay, Love John Lennon Yoko Ono'.
There is also a Thanksgiving card from the family dated 1978 with a printed message, doodle and signatures from John, Yoko and Sean, and a typed letter from Yoko Ono two weeks after her husband's death thanking the staff for their support, in its original envelope with 'Jay Hastings' written on the front.
Garry Shrum, from Heritage Auctions, said: 'Jay Hastings kept this shirt all these years and never really spoke about it.
'It has just been sitting in a drawer for years and now he is getting older he felt it was time to sell it.
'There are remnants of blood on the shirt. Some people might be appalled but it's a piece of history.
'We did ask ourselves 'is this too dark or wrong to sell' but I don't think it is.
'He is not exploiting John Lennon's death. He is telling the story of how he tried to help John Lennon in the last few minutes of his life.'
Chapman had been loitering outside the Dakota building all day. As Lennon made his way into the building from his limo at 10.50pm, Chapman shot him twice in the back and twice in the shoulder
As a concierge at the posh apartment building where the Lennons lived, Mr Hastings saw the singing legend, his wife Yoko Ono and their son Sean on a daily basis.
He was on duty on December 8, 1980 when the couple returned home from a busy day which included a photo shoot for Rolling Stone magazine, a radio interview and several hours in the studio recording.
Chapman had been loitering outside the Dakota building all day.
As Lennon made his way into the building from his limo at 10.50pm, Chapman shot him twice in the back and twice in the shoulder.
Lennon stumbled into the building mumbling 'I'm shot' before falling face down.
Mr Hastings rushed to him and started making a tourniquet, but when he ripped open Lennon's shirt and realised the severity of his injuries he placed his jacket over him instead.
Two police officers carried Lennon to the back of their squad car and rushed him to hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Roosevelt Hospital at 11.15pm.
Iain Duncan Smith said the public would not tolerate Britain retaining its open border with Europe
Ending free movement of EU migrants must be a 'red line' in the UK's Brexit negotiations with Brussels, Iain Duncan Smith warned last night.
The ex-Cabinet minister was one of a number of senior figures on the leave side who said the public would not tolerate Britain retaining its open border with Europe.
Eurocrats are insisting that, if we want to access the single market post-Brexit, free movement of people must continue.
At the weekend, the defeated Remain campaign argued the Brexiteers were in disarray on the issue.
The claim was based on comments by the Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, who said the UK would have to accept the free movement of people in order to remain in the common market.
But Mr Duncan Smith yesterday said the issue was not up for discussion.
The former work and pensions secretary told the Daily Mail: 'It is an absolute red line. We want to have open markets with them and continue with what we've got.
'Freedom of movement if you are a member of the EU is of huge importance but we won't be members of the European Union.'
He added: 'Leave means you get back control you get back control of your laws, your Government. And that means you control your borders.
'What the British public voted for was for us to take back a whole range of things, and that included our borders. Thereafter it becomes domestic policy as to what kind of criteria you place on people who wish to enter the UK.
'We have talked about a points-based system but there is also issues surrounding work permits. We are not going to stop people coming to the UK that's fine.
'But what we don't want is to come to the UK on permanent settlement and work without permission. People will be able to travel everywhere. We're very happy to have visa free travel.
'All we're concerned about is controlling the numbers who come here to work and what kind of jobs they do.
'What is the most important thing for the EU? Right now there markets have been damaged and industry has said we must have a deal with the UK. The most important thing is to trade with us. Everything else is secondary to that with them.'
Leader of the Commons Chris Grayling backed this stance. He said: 'I am clear: we need a free trade agreement with European Union which allows us to control the flow of people into and out of the country.
'We have got a very clear mandate from the British government to put in place controls on the flow of people into this country, and that will have to happen - it's something that the government will be expected to deliver.'
Boris Johnson had said that, under the plans he envisaged for Brexit, British people would still be able to live, travel, study and buy homes on the continent
Ex-Cabinet Minister Liam Fox told the BBC's Daily Politics: 'I do not think the public would buy [unfettered immigration] as the price we pay. We have got to know what we are negotiating.'
Earlier yesterday, leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson had said that, under the plans he envisaged for Brexit, British people would still be able to live, travel, study and buy homes on the continent but the same rights wouldn't be automatically extended to EU citizens in the UK.
He said Britain would also be freed from sending 'a substantial sum of money' to the EU budget, which he said 'could' be used for the NHS.
Johnson insisted the only change 'and it will not come in any great rush is that the UK will extricate itself from the EU's extraordinary and opaque system of legislation'.
Yesterday, however, Eurocrats lined up to insist that free movement was a pre-requisite for gaining access to the single market.
France's foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Britain will not automatically gain Swiss-style access to the single market outside the EU without the free movement elements.
BOZEMAN Law-enforcement authorities have arrested an armed man who fled probation on a 1996 attempted murder conviction and then holed up inside a Bozeman home.
Chad Earl Williams, 38, surrendered Tuesday morning.
Williams, who witnesses said was armed with a 9-mm. pistol, had been speaking with negotiators from inside the home since 6:30 a.m.
Gallatin County sheriff's officials said in an earlier statement that a special response team removed five other people from the home.
The Missoulian reported that Williams was convicted in 1996 of shooting a man three times while trying to rob him. Williams was sentence to 50 years in Montana State Prison with 25 years suspended.
The newspaper reported he absconded from probation, leading to a warrant to be issued for his arrest.
Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James has made more than 52 million from her steamy S&M novel, new figures reveal.
The author's company Fifty Shades Limited earned 30 million last year after selling the rights of the book to be made into a Hollywood blockbuster.
After paying herself 4.8 million, a tax bill 5 million, and making charity donations of 1 million James was still left with a profit for the year to September 30, 2015 of 19 million.
The author's company Fifty Shades Limited earned 30 million last year after selling the rights of the book to be made into a Hollywood blockbuster (pictured, stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan)
After paying herself 4.8 million, a tax bill 5 million, and making charity donations of 1 million James was still left with a profit for the year to September 30, 2015 of 19 million
Coupled with money in the company from previous years, the company balance sheet now shows and overall profit of 52 million
Coupled with money in the company from previous years, the company balance sheet now shows and overall profit of 52 million. Adding money she has taken out including 4.8 million this year and 2.6 million last year in dividends, and El James's fortune is closer to 60 million.
The writer - real name Erika Mitchell, 53, - lives with husband Niall and children in mansion in west London bought for 2.65 million four years ago when the money from her novel first began rolling in.
She still owns the modest 350,000 terraced house nearby where she and her family lived when she wrote the multi million selling book and has also bought a 1 million Cornish getaway.
The company's earnings were propelled by the film of the book which was released last year, starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan and Rita Ora.
Jamie Dornan and Amelia Warner attend the UK Premiere of "Fifty Shades Of Grey" at Odeon Leicester Square, London
It had mixed reviews but still grossed 125 million worldwide.
James and husband Niall both predict the company will continue large sums in the future.
Niall Leonard signs off the documents writing: 'The company had a very successful year during which it secured further royalty licensing agreements.
'The company continues to be profitable with income streams contracted to continue for a number of years.'
This is the moment a man narrowly escapes a car crash with his life after an out-of-control truck smashes into the back of a vehicle seconds after he gets out of it.
Security camera footage of the incident shows Muhammet Ali Biskin slowly exiting the vehicle, which was parked by the side of the road.
The driver, Enis Gurel Yildirim, is still behind the wheel of the car when suddenly a heavy truck comes out of nowhere and slams into the back of it.
Muhammet Ali Biskin gets out of the vehicle, which was parked by the side of the road, seconds before the truck slams into the back of it
Muhammet stands inches away from the out-of-control vehicle, which just misses wiping him out.
The force of the crash sends the car hurtling into a nearby sign and bits of its chassis can be seen strewn across the road.
The high-speed crash occurred in the town of Erdemli in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Speaking after the incident, Muhammet said: 'I heard a huge explosion from the back and I can only remember that, I guess the man who hit the car was driving too fast.'
Muhammet stands inches away from the out-of-control vehicle, which just misses wiping him out
Both of the men were taken to hospital to be treated for shock following the incident.
Ahmet Faruk Yildirim, the son of the driver, was also in a state of shock after he saw the wreckage and thought his dad had been killed.
Ahmet said: 'When I saw the wreckage, I started crying after I spoke to people and they said my father had been taken to hospital. When I realised he was okay I was so happy.'
Paramedics at the hospital said Enis was only slightly injured in the collision as he still had his seat belt on. Muhammet was unharmed.
She escaped with two black eyes, head trauma and a gash on her face
Repine fell on the ground and the two women and a man kept punching her
Another female customer beat up Repine, who is three months pregnant with her second child, at the same time, according to her mother
A woman said Repine had forgotten to give them straws and before Repine could reply, pulled her out of the drive-thru window
Victoria Repine, 19, was working in Independence, Missouri, when three people attacked her, her mother said
A pregnant Wendy's worker was pulled out of the drive-thru window and relentlessly beaten up by three attackers who accused her of forgetting their straws.
Victoria Repine, 19, was working in Independence, Missouri, when two women and a man attacked her around 3pm on Sunday, her mother Heather Salcedo told Fox 4.
One of the two female customers said Repine, who is three months pregnant with her second child, had forgotten their straws.
Repine tried to tell her the straws were inside the customer's bag but before she could reply completely, one of the women pulled her out of the window while the other beat her up, Salcedo said.
Scroll down for video
Victoria Repine (pictured left after the attack and right with her daughter) was pulled out of the drive-thru window and beaten up while working at Wendy's in Independence, Missouri, her mother said
Repine (pictured), who is three-month pregnant with her second child, came out of the attack with two black eyes, a gash on her face and severe head trauma
Repine fell back inside the restaurant through the window, hitting a tray, and tried to get back up - but the attackers pulled her outside again, her mother told Fox 4.
'As soon as she fell on the ground, they started kicking her and punching her, and there was a third person in the back, that was a male, and he came around and started punching and kicking her as well,' Salcedo told the station.
Repine, who has a one-year-old daughter, escaped with severe head trauma, two black eyes and a gash on her face.
Doctors were able to hear her baby's heartbeat the last time they checked.
Her mother Heather Salcedo (pictured) said a woman accused Repine of forgetting to include straws in the order, before pulling her out of the window while another female customer beat her up
Repine fell back inside the Wendy's (pictured) but her attackers, who also included a man, pulled her back out and kept punching her, Salcedo said
One of Repine's co-workers tried to defend her during the attack, telling the attackers she was pregnant, but one of them said they didn't care, Salcedo said.
'That tells me that they didn't care about my daughter`s life, or my unborn grandchild's life,' she added.
The store is working to give surveillance footage to the police, Repine told Fox 4.
Wendy's said in a statement to the station they were 'shocked and saddened' by the attack and were cooperating fully with authorities for their investigation.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with our restaurant team member,' Wendy's added in the statement.
While her husband and convicted insider trader Oliver Curtis was adjusting to his first weekend in jail, PR Queen Roxy Jacenko checked into a five star resort with her two young children.
Jacenko spent the weekend at the luxurious Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley resort in the NSW Blue Mountains with the couple's two children, Pixie and Hunter Curtis, A Current Affair claims.
With the most expensive villa costing about $7,000 a night, the retreat is a far cry from the cell her husband would have been hauled up in at Silverwater Jail in Sydney after he was jailed for insider trading last Friday.
Scroll down for video
PR Queen Roxy Jacenko reportedly spent the weekend at a luxurious Wolgan Valley resort in the NSW Blue Mountains while her husband Oliver Curtis was adjusting to life at Silverwater Jail
The retreat is a far cry from the cell Oliver Curtis would have been hauled up in at Silverwater Jail in Sydney after he was jailed for two years for insider trading last Friday
A typical narrow cell in the minimum security prison has rudimentary bunk beds for two inmates with just a curtain for privacy around a toilet and shower.
On the other hand, the plush Wolgan Valley resort where Jacenko reportedly stayed has private villas with private spas, fireplaces and five-star chefs.
A two bedroom villa rate for the weekend at the resort is about $4,450 per night with a minimum two night stay, according to the Channel Nine program. Villas range from $2,400 and $7,000 a night.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jacenko for comment.
The Sweaty Betty PR founder slapped down A Current Affair's claims on Monday when they aired a story with the tagline 'Resort Roxy' claiming she had gone on a getaway when her husband was jailed.
The mother-of-two took to social media minutes before show aired, sharing a photograph of herself at work to prove she was not in hiding.
The plush Wolgan Valley resort where Jacenko reportedly stayed has private villas with private spas, fireplaces and five-star chefs. Villas range from $2,400 and $7,000 a night
A two bedroom villa rate for the weekend at the resort is about $4,450 per night with a minimum two night stay, according to the Channel Nine program
The expensive resort has a number of villas with private pools, spas, fireplaces and five-star chefs
'Really A Current Affair 'Resort Roxy' .... On tonight's show? Looks like my bum and feet are firmly placed at my desk in my office,' she wrote alongside the photograph.
She was wearing the same clothes as earlier in the day when she posted a photo with her children, Pixie, four, and Hunter, two, in her first post since Curtis was jailed on Friday.
A Current Affair claimed the photograph was taken at the One&Only Wolgan Valley resort.
'He's behind bars so she's gone six stars,' a commercial for the show said. 'PR Queen Roxy Jacenko and her secret hideaway while husband Oliver Curtis does hard time,' it continued.
The brief segment said the media-savvy mother wanted 'everyone to know' she was visiting the hotel while Curtis settled in to prison life.
'It's supposed to be a celebrity hideaway but the publicity loving publicist Roxy Jacenko wants everyone to know she's spending the weekend in 5-star luxury while her husband gets used to a very different life,' a voice-over said in accompaniment to a slideshow of photographs of the pair.
The Sweaty Betty PR founder slapped down A Current Affair's claims on Monday when they aired a story with the tagline 'Resort Roxy' claiming she had gone on a getaway when her husband was jailed
Oliver Curtis was jailed last week for insider trading. His wife Roxy Jacenko was by his side throughout court proceedings, arriving at court on her husband's arm dressed in a parade of designer outfits
A typical narrow cell in the minimum security Silverwater Jail has rudimentary bunk beds for two inmates with just a curtain for privacy around a toilet and shower
It continued to describe what Curtis could expect during his first few days at Sydney's Silverwater Prison, namely targeted attacks by other inmates because he is 'so high profile and so rich'.
'He's now locked up behind razor wire inside Sydney's Silverwater prison... because he's so high profile and because he's so rich he'll be the target of fellow inmates so he's almost certainly in protective custody,' the program said.
Silverwater is where most of Australia's high-profile white-collar criminals end up doing their time.
It's the same prison where former best mate and fellow insider trader John Hartman served his 15-months behind bars. Curtis will serve at least 365 long days there now.
Curtis was jailed for two years on Friday after a lengthy trial in Sydney where he was found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading in 2007 and 2008.
Jacenko was by his side throughout court proceedings, arriving at court on her husband's arm dressed in a parade of designer outfits.
Roxy Jacenko shared a photograph with her two children, Pixie, four, and Hunter, two, on social media on Monday, which A Current Affair claimed had been taken at the One&Only resort in Wolgan Valley, NSW
The mother-of-two took to social media minutes before show aired, sharing a photograph of herself at work in her Double Bay office to prove she was not in hiding
An 84-year-old Cooma man has been charged with dangerous overtaking
Driver was almost hit by an oncoming truck when trying to overtake
An elderly man has been charged after he was filmed veering into the path of an oncoming semi-trailer, before narrowly avoiding a head on collision.
Dashcam footage shows the harrowing moment a white station wagon overtakes a B-Double truck and veers into the path of another oncoming truck, before swerving with centimetres to spare on Monaro Highway, near Cooma in New South Wales southeast on Friday morning.
After reviewing the footage, police said they had charged an 84-year-old Cooma man with dangerous overtaking on Monday.
Scroll down for video
An 84-year-old driver of a white station wagon has been charged after narrowly avoiding being killed after overtaking into the path of an oncoming truck, near Cooma in NSW southeast
'Police from Monaro Highway Patrol viewed the video and made a number of inquiries before speaking with an 84-year-old Cooma man today,' a police statement read.
The man is due to appear at Cooma Local Court on Thursday, August 18.
Truck driver Richie, who's last name was not provided, was behind the wheel of the semi-trailer that filmed the white station wagon overtake him despite there being another truck driver coming from the other direction.
The opposing truck driver also posted an image of the driver coming straight at him as he attempted to overtake
The video posted to Dash Cam Australia shows the small vehicle coming within inches of being obliterated and narrowly missing truck.
'Can't cut it much closer than that,' Richie said after posting the video online.
After the opposing truck driver saw the video posted online, he shared an image of the small car coming straight towards his truck.
'That happens all too often on that road,' Matt Clark wrote.
'Once I realised he was going I slowed and went left as much as I could without locking up the trailer as I was empty.'
Luckily, Mr Clarke managed to slow down and avoid what could have been a fatal crash.
The driver missed the truck driver by inches which was also the result of the divers quick thinking to slightly move his heavy vehicle to the left as slow down as much as possible
An embarrassing typo in a campaign advertisement for a Liberal MP has said he is 'devliering' for his electorate.
An error in a Liberal Party print advertisement says Jamie Briggs is 'devliering' for his south Adelaide electorate of Mayo.
The typo was spotted by a keen-eyed voter and has since been shared widely on Twitter ahead of the federal election on Saturday.
Scroll down for video
'I hear Jamie Briggs is good at 'Devliering',' a voter wrote after spotting an embarrassing typo in an election advertisement for the federal Liberal member for Mayo
His seat of Mayo is being contested at the election by his own former staffer, Rebekha Sharkie (right), who is running for Nick Xenaphon Team
Others mocked the Liberal federal member, joking 'maybe that 'lie' is correct?'
A resident said the advertisement was printed in Adelaide Hills Magazine.
Daily Mail Australia has asked Mr Briggs and the Coalition campaign to confirm whether the typo was printed in any further magazines or newspapers.
Mr Briggs has held the once safe Liberal seat since 2008.
It is being contested by his own former staffer, Rebekha Sharkie, who is running for the Nick Xenaphon Team.
Ms Sharkie quit his office after claiming to have overheared a spate of 'sexist' comments.
Jamie Briggs snubbed ABC political reporter Anna Henderson, who reported on alleged sexual harassment, on Monday
A recent poll commissioned by GetUp! found Mr Briggs was sitting on about 40 per cent of the primary vote, with Ms Sharkie on 23.5 per cent and the Labor candidate on 18 per cent.
When asked how he was feeling about the election, Mr Briggs told Daily Mail Australia he was 'working hard to deliver on jobs and growth for Mayo and the nation'.
'As part of this team, I am working hard to deliver on jobs and growth for Mayo and the nation. The Coalition's plan is carefully structured to provide jobs and growth and a secure future for Australian families,' he said in the statement on Tuesday.
'Locally, I am delivering Our Plan for a strong new economy and as a member of a future Turnbull Coalition Government, will continue to work with the Mayo community to ensure we see the best results.
'On the contrary, every single vote for the Independents or Greens or Labor brings us closer to Bill Shorten and the Greens running Australia.
'Only a local Liberal vote ensures a stable majority Government,' Mr Briggs said.
Mr Briggs on Monday repeatedly refused to answer questions put to him by ABC journalist Anna Henderson, who reported on alleged sexual harassment late last year.
A recent poll commissioned by GetUp! found Mr Briggs (pictured) was sitting on about 40 per cent of the primary vote, with Ms Sharkie on 23.5 per cent and the Labor candidate on 18 per cent
Mr Briggs' wife posted a picture of their family on social media in a show of support after his resignation in late December last year
'I have not a thing to say to you, Anna. I have not a thing to say to you,' Mr Briggs, the member for Mayo in Adelaide's south, told her.
When Ms Henderson asked why, he responded: 'You know very well why I don't want to talk to you.'
Mr Briggs would not say why he avoided Ms Henderson when asked by Daily Mail Australia.
The married father-of-three resigned from Malcolm Turnbull's frontbench late last year when Ms Henderson reported he had allegedly sexually harassed a public servant during an official visit in Hong Kong.
The woman, who worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alleged Mr Briggs had tried to kiss her neck and complimented her 'piercing eyes'.
Mr Briggs resigned, apologised, and assured he would not identify the woman. But he later admitted to sending 'a few people' a photograph of the woman which was then published in a major national newspaper.
Mr Briggs famously arrived at Parliament on crutches and in a wheelchair the morning after a late-night party after Mr Abbott was ousted by Mr Turnbull.
A marble table was famously shattered at the party in Mr Abbott's office, which Mr Briggs eventually claimed responsibility for.
Malcolm Turnbull visited Mr Briggs in the south Adelaide seat of Mayo on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day on Saturday
Tony Windsor has called in the lawyers over a 'gutter journalism' article accusing him of being a school yard bully almost half a century ago.
But the former independent MP, who's taking on Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce in the seat of New England, is refusing to dignify The Australian newspaper's front page story with a comment.
Mr Windsor has referred the article to his lawyers.
'I will not be responding to the gutter journalism in The Australian newspaper story today,' he said in a statement.
Scroll down for video
Tony Windsor has called in the lawyers over a 'gutter journalism' article accusing him of being a school yard bully almost half a century ago
The former independent MP, who's taking on Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce in the seat of New England, is refusing to dignify The Australian newspaper's front page story with a comment
Mr Windsor (pictured with his wife Lyn and daughter Kate) attended Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in northwest New South Wales in the 1960s and allegedly terrorised peers with knives and riding crops
He says the story it should be viewed in the context of a very close race in the northern NSW seat.
The story details the accounts of four former Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School students in Tamworth, who allege Mr Windsor intimidated younger students as part of the school's culture known as 'SACK'.
Barnaby Joyce said he wants nothing to do with the story.
'To be honest I don't even need the story, I don't want the story, I don't want anything to do with it,' the Nationals leader said.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull refused to buy into the row, saying he wouldn't engage in personality politics.
But he believes New England has 'every reason' to question Mr Windsor's record.
At the 2010 election he convinced voters he was an independent conservative but then backed a Labor minority government led by Julia Gillard supported by the Greens.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the article shows the Nationals are worried about Mr Joyce's chances.
'To be honest I don't even need the story' - Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (pictured) said on Tuesday he wants nothing to do with the story
Mr Windsor (pictured with his wife Lyn in 2013) says its the second time he has hit back at 'gutter campaigning' after a Nationals ad that implies philandering and has deeply upset his wife
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) refused to buy into the row, saying he wouldn't engage in personality politics
'It sounds like the National Party is threatened by Tony Windsor,' he told reporters near Canberra.
It's the second time in two days Mr Windsor has hit back at 'gutter' campaigning, having taken issue with a Nationals' advertisement which shows him texting a woman called 'New England' and asking her to take him back - a play on his return to politics after three years.
'It was ok for a time I guess, but then he ran off with Julia,' the woman says, before noting the relationship ended badly.
Mr Windsor says the ad implies philandering and has deeply upset his wife Lyn.
The Nationals hit back, accusing Mr Windsor of faux outrage.
The former MP is locked in a tight race with a recent Newspoll showing Mr Joyce edging ahead 51-49 per cent.
Tamworth horse breeder Richard Bull, 61, said he was 'terrorised' by Mr Windsor (pictured) and still has scars on his hands from when he was attacked with a knife
Mr Windsor is currently locked in a tight battle with Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce
Tamworth horse breeder Richard Bull, 61, was one of four peers who accused the former MP of making his life hell during his time at the Tamworth school.
Mr Bull said he was 'terrorised' by Mr Windsor and still has scars on his hands from when he was attacked with a knife, according to The Australian.
Mr Windsor attended Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in northwest New South Wales in the 1960s.
'He made my life hell that first year at school,' Mr Bull told the newspaper.
The horse and cattle breeder alleges his fingers were slashed with a knife by Mr Windsor when he was just 11 years of age. Mr Windsor was four years older.
'He hit me pretty hard. It just opened me up on both hands,' he said.
Mr Bull said he was often reduced to tears following the alleged abuse from Mr Windsor (pictured), leaving him open to bullying from other students
Another student interviewed by the newspaper, Tim Williams, 60, said he broke out in welts after being 'walloped' with a riding crop by Mr Windsor and ended up sleeping on the verandah to avoid his beatings.
Mr Windsor, now 65, was given the nickname 'Hood Windsor,' according to his alleged victims.
A third former schoolmate Peter Young said he witnessed Mr Windsor smack other students with riding whips and claims the abuse was part of a 'SACK system' where older boys would pick on younger students.
Two other men came forward and told The Australian how they too were beaten with riding crops.
In 2009, bullying at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School was brought to light with one former student successfully suing the school for $500,000 after he was abused by fellow students.
The court heard there were three types of bullying by 'SACK' students, including younger boys being hit on the buttocks with a broom and hit over the head with a ruler.
An 18-month-old girl who was at a significant risk after she was taken from a home by her mother has been found.
The baby was found in a vehicle near Grafton, north-east of NSW after she was taken from Rosewood, a small town in the Bremer Valley, south-west of Brisbane, around 8am on Tuesday.
The infant's mother was intercepted by NSW police after she reportedly escaped with two men.
Police have found an 18-month-old girl (pictured) who was taken from a home in Rosewood, south-west of Brisbane on Tuesday morning in NSW
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Williams said the child was found unharmed in the vehicle.
The child has been located safe and well this afternoon with her mother,' he said.
'The incident has essentially been a custody related matter.'
The mother had escaped from Queensland in a white 2008 Hyundai Tucson wagon with New South Wales registration number CTL 30D.
Advertisement
Sydney's second casino is on the way with James Packer's $2 billion Crown complex getting the final thumbs up from the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC).
Crown Resorts' proposed six-star hotel and VIP-only casino at Barangaroo will be built with substantial changes to the original plan, including more public green space at Hickson Park.
It comes as new images of the proposed building have been released, revealing more details about the spectacular building.
James Packer's VIP-only casino at Barangaroo received its final approval from NSW planning commission
It will be built with substantial changes to the original plan, including more public green space at Hickson Park
Mr Packer's casino had to alter his original plans after the commission heard serious concerns from the community
Following the PAC's assessment, the western foreshore on the edge of the resort will also be widened by 30 metres to allow for more pedestrian access
The modifications, which were accepted by the state government on Tuesday, comes after the commission heard serious concerns from the community, design professionals and local councils about the project.
The independent three-panel group concluded that with the design changes made, the 'proposed scale and form of Crown Sydney will be a sculptural and elegant signature building on the foreshore'.
'These changes combine to provide for a significant increase in the area of public domain - of some 4500 square metres compared to the original proposals,' the PAC's determination statement said.
The public good has also been given a more equal status with the private good, it said.
New artists impressions show what appears to be a rooftop pool and bar in the six-star facility.
New artists impressions show what appears to be a rooftop pool and bar in the six-star facility
An independent three-panel group made the recommendation for the design changes
They said with the changes made, the 'proposed scale and form of Crown Sydney will be a sculptural and elegant signature building on the foreshore'
The approval comes after Crown this month announced plans to spin off its investment in troubled joint-venture casinos in Macau in an effort to realise the value of its casinos in Melbourne and Perth, and its Barangaroo development.
The Melbourne-based company is 53 per cent owned by Mr Packer.
The billionaire's controversial project has been revised several times since it won support from the O'Farrell government in 2013.
The billionaire's controversial project has been revised several times since it won support from the O'Farrell government in 2013
Ikea has recalled at least 27 million chests and dressers that can easily tip over after three children were crushed to death by the furniture over the past two years.
The Swedish retailer has stopped selling most of its Malm collection in the United States, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.
The Malm line has been blamed in the 2014 deaths of two-year-old Curren Collas and Camden Ellis, and again this year in the death of 22-month-old Ted McGee.
Curren's mother told NBC News Monday she didn't know the dresser was supposed to be anchored to the wall for safety.
Scroll down for video
The Malm line of furniture was blamed in the deaths of two-year-old Camden Ellis (left) in 2014 and Curren Collas (center) as well as that of Ted McGee (right) in February this year
More details about the recall were expected to be released Tuesday. As of Monday night, a message on Ikea's website read: 'Please visit us again tomorrow for information regarding a product recall.'
Some of the dressers included in the recall were sold more than 10 years ago.
Some customers will be able to get a refund and others will receive store credit depending on when their furniture was made, ABC News reported Monday.
Malm chests with more than two drawers had disappeared from Ikea's website as of Monday night when accessed from the US.
'Please take them out of the room,' Ikea USA president Lars Peterson told NBC News, adding the items 'could be a danger'.
The chests and drawers being recalled do not meet the voluntary standards for stability in the US industry, called the ASTM standards, an Ikea spokesperson told the DailyMail.com.
The items are being recalled in the US and in Canada.
'Today, Ikea US and Ikea Canada will launch a local recall of chests of drawers in North America only. The recall is based on the local voluntary ASTM standard, which is applicable in North America,' the spokesperson added in a statement.
'Ikea chests of drawers meet all mandatory stability requirements on all markets where sold.
'Ikea chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall per the assembly instruction, using the tip over restraint provided with the product.'
Jackie Collas, Curren's mother (pictured with her son) said she didn't know the dresser was supposed to be anchored to the wall to prevent it from tipping over
Ikea began offering free anchoring kits for Malm chests and dressers with three, four and six drawers in July 2015.
An advisory currently displayed on the retailer's website warns parents to secure their furniture by anchoring it to a wall.
When clicked, the advisory takes customers to a page where they can order safety kits.
Another page on the website contains instructions to anchor furniture and prevent it from tipping over.
Two-year-old Curren, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, died in February 2014 after a six-drawer Malm chest tipped over, pinning him against his bed, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported.
Camden, also two years old, of Snohomish, Washington, died four months later after a three-drawer Malm chest also tipped over.
Neither chest had been anchored to the wall according to the CPSC and Ikea.
Ted, 22 months old, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, died crushed by a Malm dresser in his bedroom in February this year, the family's attorneys told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
His parents didn't know about the tip-over risk, the attorneys added.
Jackie Collas, Curren's mother, found a dresser on the ground after going into her son's bedroom to get him dressed.
'I didn't see him anywhere, so I went over and kind of pulled everything apart,' she told NBC News. 'I saw the little top of his head trapped between the dresser' and the bed.
She had never heard of anchoring furniture to the walls before, she added.
'I didn't know to anchor my furniture and, in my mind, I feel that we really shouldn't have to,' Collas, who has filed a lawsuit against Ikea, told ABC News.
'Get rid of it, it's dangerous, it's a really dangerous product.'
A cyclist who tried to trap a driver in a Zipcar before smashing her car window with a bike lock is facing prison time for the assault.
Ian Hespelt, 39, pleaded guilty to felony assault and vandalism on Friday after the incident during a Critical Mass ride on August 28 last year, the LA Times reports.
Footage of the incident, near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, was posted on YouTube and went viral.
Hespelt, of San Francisco, was arrested after authorities identified him from the video because of his distinctive mustache.
Scroll down for video
Ian Hespelt (pictured) is facing jail pleaded guilty to felony assault and vandalism in connection with the incident in August last year
The four-minute clip showed a group of cyclists surrounding a womans Zipcar in the Marina District.
A dozen or so cyclists are seen crossing Marina Boulevard before riding toward oncoming traffic.
One cyclist stops in front of the Zipcar, which is seen moving forward slowly and then stopping in front of the cyclist, appearing to slightly brush against one of the riders.
He yells stop that! and you f***ing hit my bike' before dropping his bike in front of the car and approaching the drivers window.
Then, other cyclists in the group join in and start hassling the female driver.
Someone is heard shouting: You aint going nowhere! Put it in park!
Her car is surrounded and some cyclists are seen beating on the hood, yelling that she has nowhere to go.
As the driver backs up the vehicle and tries to drive around the group, the move to trap her again.
Footage of the incident, near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, was posted on YouTube and went viral
Before she is able to drive off, Hespelt is seen hitting the driver side window with a U-lock multiple times.
Days after the incident, Hespelt was arrested when police recognized him based on a description.
He is facing a potential jail sentence or probation when he appears in court on July 25, the Times reports.
In the wake of his arrest, his mother Randi Hespelt insisted that her son was a pretty mild-mannered man.
The whole thing is from one perspective saying hes to blame, she told SFGate in September last year.
This would never have happened if the driver didnt do what she did.
The clip showed Hespelt and other cyclists surrounding a woman's Zipcar and harassing her
The incident was sparked after a group of cyclists drove across the street into slow oncoming traffic and the Zipcar apparently brushed Hespelt's bike
Police believe the group was part of the California citys monthly Critical Mass ride but had broken off from the rest of the riders and headed toward the bridge, according to The Times.
Riders usually go through the downtown area on the last Friday of every month.
Critical Mass originated in San Francisco in 1992 but is now held in more than 300 cities across the globe.
Its purpose is celebrating a shared sense of rediscovering urban spaces, according to its website.
It has also been described as a monthly protest by cyclists intent on reclaiming the streets.
Advertisement
Michelle Obama and her daughters touched down in Morocco on the next leg of their six-day trip to promote education in Africa on Monday evening, where they were welcomed by King Mohammed VI's wife Princess Lalla Selma at the airport.
The first lady and her family landed at Menara Airport in Marrakesh after spending the day at a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, where she urged the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.
With her own teenage daughters Malia and Sasha joining her, Obama told the girls she was 'just so thrilled to be here with you.'
'I'm here to shine a big bright light on you,' she said.
Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady's six-day trip, which also includes a stop in Spain after Morocco.
Mrs Obama, who is traveling with her mother Marian Robinson and her daughters Malia, 17, who recently graduated from high school, and Sasha, 15, was welcomed on her arrival in Liberia with a red carpet and traditional dancers.
Scroll down for video
Malia (left) and Sasha Obama touched down in Marrakesh with their mother and met Princess Lalla Selma (right) on Monday
The Obamas were welcomed by King Mohammed VI's wife Princess Lalla Selma (center right) at Menara Airport in Marrakesh
Michelle Obama and her daughters touched down in Morocco for the second stop of her six-day trip to promote education
In connection with the first lady's visit, USAID announced up to $27 million in funding in Liberia programming for Let Girls Learn, an initiative launched by Mrs. Obama and President Barack Obama last year.
She has since traveled the globe to call for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.
Liberia was battered by civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Ebola swept the country in 2014, killing more than 4,800. Schools were closed for months.
The country was founded as part of an effort to resettle freed American slaves and has deep ties to the United States. The country's oldest vocational high school, located in Kakata, is named for African-American civil rights activist Booker T. Washington.
The school suspended mid-term exams scheduled to start Monday 'to allow the students to give Mrs. Obama a rousing welcome to appreciate what the United States has done for us,' principal Harris Tarnue said.
'She will be a real inspiration to the young girls around here,' he said.
Mrs. Obama met girls and young women at a project named GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) aimed at boosting active citizenship, run by the US Peace Corps in Kakata, east of the coastal capital.
Dirst lady Michelle Obama is welcomed by the Moroccan Princess Lalla Salma at the Marrakech International Airport
Mrs Obama is on a two-day visit to Morocco to promote education for girls as part of Let Girls Learn, an initiative launched by Mrs. Obama and President Barack Obama last year
Morocco's King Mohammed VI wife Princess Lalla Selma donned a bright orange dress while Mrs Obama wore simple florals
Speaking about the value of women's leadership and access to education, the Harvard-trained lawyer told the girls: 'I want you to keep fighting and stay in school.'
Her venture has particular poignance in Liberia, where just 37 percent of 15 to 24-year-old girls are literate, according to UN figures, and enrolment at the secondary level hovers close to 40 percent, with real participation much lower.
She was also due to visit a school in Unification Town, further inland.
The school stop would see the First Lady hold a discussion with adolescent girls 'who have faced serious obstacles in attaining an education,' according to a White House statement.
Earlier, she was welcomed to Liberia's capital with a red carpet and traditional dancers wearing the red, white and blue colors of both countries' flags.
After meeting Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mrs. Obama traveled 70 kilometers (43 miles) along a heavily potholed road to Kakata.
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama walks with her daughters Sasha and Malia, together with Michelle's mother Marian Robinson (right), as she arrives at the Robert International airport near Harbel, Liberia
The first lady is traveling with her mother and daughters Malia, 18, who recently graduated from high school, and Sasha, 15. Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady's trip, which also includes stops in Morocco and Spain
Michelle Obama (left) listens to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (right) after arriving at the airport in Monrovia, Liberia
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 aren't enrolled in school, a global report by UNESCO said earlier this year.
Actress Meryl Streep will accompany Mrs. Obama in Marrakech, Morocco, on Tuesday for another conversation with adolescent girls.
The North African country's 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 62million girls worldwide who don't attend school.
President Obama is also scheduled to visit Spain shortly after the first lady. His trip will focus on security cooperation, deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters Friday.
Mrs. Obama's previous visits to Africa as first lady have included Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Senegal and Tanzania.
She was also welcomed by Peace Corp teachers and students at a project 43 miles from the capital city Monrovia in Kakata, Liberia
The visit to the school was the first stop on her trip to the country that was ravaged by the Ebola crisis
Grayden Denham, 24, was charged with murdering four relatives, including his three-month-old nephew, after shooting them in the head and setting their bodies on fire in February
A 24-year-old Missouri man was charged with murdering four relatives, including his three-month-old nephew, after shooting them in the head and setting their bodies on fire in February.
Grayden Denham was charged Monday with four counts of first-degree murder of his family members, whose bodies were found outside a home he shared with them.
Each of the bodies were burning when firefighters arrived, Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen said at a press conference on Monday. A dog was also killed and burned.
'Upon further examination of the scene, the following details were revealed: Every victim had sustained one or more gunshot wounds,' Owen said.
'The canine had sustained gunshot wounds and every victim had been set on fire,' he added.
Authorities found the body of Russell Denham, 82, near a small shed, while the bodies of Shirley Denham, 81; Heather Ager, 32; and her son, Mason Schiavoni, were found near the home, which had also been set on fire.
All four victims had been shot in the head, and a gas container was found near a body.
Denham is also charged with four counts of armed criminal action, and one count each of animal abuse, second-degree arson, tampering with evidence and stealing a motor vehicle.
He is being held on $4 million cash-only bond.
Authorities found the body of Russell Denham (left), 82, near a small shed and the body of Shirley Denham, 81, near the home. Each of the bodies were burning when firefighters arrived, Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen said at a press conference on Monday
Denaham's sister, Heather Ager (left), 32, and her three-month-old son, Mason Schiavoni (left), were found near the home, which also had been set on fire. Denham (right) was found walking naked in northern Arizona on February 21, two days after their bodies were found
Denham was found walking naked in northern Arizona on February 21, two days after the bodies of his grandparents, sister and her infant son were found near Edgerton, 30 miles north of Kansas City.
He was returned to Missouri earlier this month after being held in Arizona on suspicion of theft and displaying a fictitious license plate.
Zahnd said it would be at least a month before he decides whether to seek the death penalty against Denham.
'This is a devastating thing to happen to a family and happen to a community. Our goal has been and will continue to be to do justice for everyone involved in this case,' he said.
Missouri investigators had considered him a 'person of interest' in the quadruple homicide but had been held only on a theft charge accusing him of stealing his grandparents' car to drive to Arizona.
Denham's attorney, John P O'Connor, declined to comment Monday other than to say his client would plead not guilty.
Denham is also charged with four counts of armed criminal action, and one count each of animal abuse, second-degree arson, tampering with evidence and stealing a motor vehicle. He is being held on $4 million cash-only bond. A fence surrounding the home where the bodies were found is pictured
In February, Denham gave the wrong date of birth when Arizona law enforcement initially approached him near Seligman, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn has said.
He was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Flagstaff due to concern about his medical condition.
A motel manager reported a suspicious parked car that didn't belong to its guests later that morning, D'Evelyn said.
The car was unlocked, had a key in the ignition and its license plate had been reported stolen. Denham's Missouri identification, which has his real date of birth, was found in a wallet in a pile of clothes next to the car, D'Evelyn said.
Court records show that Denham was sentenced January 29 in Johnson County, Missouri, to two years of probation and 20 hours of community service on a misdemeanor assault charge.
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has lost an estimated 40 per cent of her body weight ahead of her daughter's luxurious wedding after becoming upset an actor had to wear a fat suit to portray her in the House of Hancock mini-series.
The 62-year-old has shed between 35 to 40 per cent of her weight, most of which has vanished over the last eight months, a doctor told Woman's Day.
Dr Andrew Clark, cosmetic physician from Rejuva Cosmetics, estimated she weighed more than 100kg at her heaviest.
And the magazine claimed friends of Rinehart said she'd been 'losing weight for nearly two years'.
'But it's only recently that it's become so noticeable,' the friend told Woman's Day.
Scroll down for video
A slimmer Gina Rinehart is pictured in November 2015 out for dinner in Double Bay, a harbour-side suburb in Sydney's east. She has reportedly lost even more weight since
Gina Rinehart is pictured with her daughter Ginia in October 2011. She has lost about 40 per cent of her body weight since she was her heaviest of more than 100kg, Dr Andrew Clark estimated according to Woman's Day
Friends said she first began her weight loss in 2014, but ramped up efforts after she reportedly took offence to Nine Network's depiction of her in mini-series House of Hancock, which Mandy McElhinney played wearing a fat suit.
The 62-year-old is suing the television network and production company Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder for damages after it aired last February, Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The dramatic weight loss comes with news her daughter Ginia married Simon Robinson at Hamilton Island's Qualia Resort on the Great Barrier Reef at the weekend.
Friends said Rinehart was motivated to lose weight after seeing her portrayal in Nine's mini-series, ahead of her daughter Ginia's wedding to Jamie Robinson (pictured together in November), according to Woman's Day
Luxury Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island, off the Queensland coast, where Ginia Rinehart and beau Simon Robinson were married over the weekend
It was earlier reported he was Ginia's former bodyguard, but the couple told Whitsunday Times this was untrue.
He said his mother-in-law had made his family 'very welcome'.
Rinehart was not invited to the weddings of her eldest children Bianca Rinehart or John Hancock after a long-running feud over her fortunes.
Ginia went against her siblings Bianca, John and Hope and sided with their mother.
It is not clear whether Ginia's three siblings were invited to, or attended, her wedding.
The Qualia website boasts that it's 'one of the most idyllic locations in Australia for your wedding ceremony.'
Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio and Oprah Winfrey are among the stars to have stayed at the Hamilton Island resort.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Dr Clark to confirm his estimations.
The Qualia website boasts that it's 'one of the most idyllic locations in Australia for your wedding ceremony'
Mining magnate Rinehart and her youngest child Ginia are pictured in October 2011
Rinehart is pictured in October, 2011, before she began losing weight, friends told Woman's Day
RInehart is pictured in November, 2011, before she began losing weight years later
Rinehart is pictured in November, 2014. According to friends, it was in 2014 when the now 62-year-old began losing weight, Woman's Day reported
A picture of Gina Rinehart shows her about the age Nine Network's House of Hancock was set
Rinehart's daughter Ginia is pictured attending the Official Welcome Home Celebration for 2014 Sochi Olympians And Paralympians at MCA in Sydney's Circular Quay
Explained Westminster would be able to override any move by Scotland
But Alex Salmond said Miss Sturgeon knew 'full well' that it wasn't a veto
Alex Salmond admitted last night that the Scottish Parliament cannot block Brexit.
The former First Minister and veteran MP, said Westminster would be able to override any move by Holyrood to veto the UK leaving the European Union.
Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, suggested over the weekend that the Edinburgh Parliament would withhold approval by using an obscure legal mechanism.
Nicola Sturgeon, left, suggested over the weekend that Holyrood would withhold approval by using an obscure legal mechanism. But Alex Salmond, right, said Westminster would be able to override any move
She said she would instruct MSPs to reject approving the legislative consent motion.
But Mr Salmond said Miss Sturgeon knew 'full well' that it was not the same as a veto, adding: 'The word veto never passed her lips, because Westminster has an override. So the Scottish Parliament can block but Westminster can then override.'
He told BBC Radio Scotland: 'It is not a veto but Nicola was correct to say it can withhold legislative consent.'
The only way that Scotland could be a member of the EU is if it was to decide to become independent from the UK in another referendum. But it would then have to apply from scratch to become a member of the EU.
Mr Salmond said many Conservatives and Labour activists would now choose the EU over the UK and back quitting Britain in order to remain part of the bloc.
In a dramatic intervention yesterday, Angus Roberton, the SNP's Westminster leader, insisted that that Scotland has 'no intention whatsoever' of leaving the EU.
Alex Salmond, pictured on Good Morning Britain yesterday, said many Conservatives and Labour activists would now choose the EU over the UK and back quitting Britain in order to remain part of the bloc
The senior MP attacked David Cameron over last week's victory for withdrawing from the EU. He told MPs that: 'Project fear has turned to project farce.'
Scotland would not be part of a 'diminished little Britain' and would hold another independence referendum, he said.
'In Scotland we are now being told from Westminster that despite the majority against Leave, we're going to have to do as we're told, we're going to be taken out of Europe against our will, he said, adding, 'Let me tell this House and our friends across Europe - we have no intention whatsoever of seeing Scotland taken out of Europe.
'That would be totally, totally democratically unacceptable.
'We are a European country and we will stay a European country and if that means we have to have an independence referendum to protect Scotland's place then so be it.'
Mr Robertson made no mention of the more than 1 million Scots who voted to leave the EU, including almost 50 per cent of his Moray constituents. But overall, Scots voted to stay in, with 62 per cent backing Remain.
Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said yesterday MON: 'I will talk to the Scottish First Minister in the following days'.
A commission spokesman said Mr Juncker had a 'very open door' and added that he had met Miss Sturgeon earlier this month.
Miss Sturgeon will today TUES receive backing from Labour, the Greens and Lib Dems to explore 'every avenue' to stay in the EU.
Ahead of today's debate, the SNP leader said it is 'one of the most important debates that parliament has had possibly in the history of devolution'.
George Osborne has today bowed to the inevitable and ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race.
The Chancellor, who was a driving force behind the Remain campaign and the alleged architect of Project Fear, has said he 'can't provide the unity my party needs'.
Mr Osborne's reputation has been damaged by the referendum campaign having once been the favourite to succeed David Cameron.
Scroll down for video
Out: The Chancellor (pictured today leaving No 11 Downing Street), who was a driving force behind the Remain campaign and the alleged architect of Project Fear, has ruled himself out of the Tory leadership race
Writing in The Times he said: 'It isn't in my nature to do things by half-measure, and I fought the referendum campaign with everything I've got. I believed in this cause and fought hard for it.
'So it is clear that while I completely accept the result, I am not the person to provide the unity my party needs."
He added: 'Instead, as Chancellor, I will be 100 per cent focused on providing the economic stability and reassurance Britain needs.
'And I will do all I can to support the new prime minister in bringing our party back together and tackling the countrys challenges'.
Speaking at a Time event in London this lunchtime, Mr Osborne added: 'I love this country, I love this country right or wrong and I am going to give 100 per cent to making this work for Britain.'
Boris Johnson is desperate to be the next Prime Minister and his team is focused on signing up as many Cameron supporters as possible.
His joint campaign manager, Michael Gove, is desperate to secure the backing of Chancellor George Osborne, who he is trying to woo with the offer of a major job like foreign secretary.
At least eight leading Tory MPs were scrambling to cut backroom deals to succeed David Cameron last night after his departure from No10 was dramatically brought forward.
Amid an announcement that Mr Cameron will be out of office by the start of September, the battle for the premiership exploded into life.
Attempts to crown Boris Johnson fell flat when supporters of Home Secretary Theresa May made it clear she is determined to fight her old rival to the bitter end.
The shortened timetable favours established politicians like Mr Johnson and Mrs May as it deprives lesser known candidates of the time to build momentum. Either could be Prime Minister in just nine weeks.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is also preparing to stand, while two other Cabinet ministers Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb are canvassing support for a potential dream ticket.
Rivals: A YouGov poll for The Times put Theresa May as favourite to win the race, with 31 per cent backing the Home Secretary and 24 per cent for Boris Johnson, both pictured yesterday
Leading figures in the Out camp were also being targeted as former London mayor Mr Johnson presented himself as the unity candidate. However, Remain campaigners are determined to sabotage his leadership bid even setting up a special Stop Boris group on the messaging service WhatsApp to secretly plot against him.
Last night, Tory MP Heidi Allen launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson, saying he lacked the skills and qualities to be a leader.
She told BBC2s Newsnight: Even as recently as February I think he was saying that a Brexit vote would cause uncertainty for business and government shouldnt be distracted with these things. So it seemed very obvious to me that this was about his desire to be leader rather than putting the country first.
The backbench 1922 Committee of Tory MPs yesterday accelerated the process for replacing Mr Cameron. The PM had wanted to stand down in October, but, amid the huge uncertainty over how to implement Brexit, nominations will take place tomorrow and Thursday.
MPs will whittle down the list of candidates to two by the middle of next month. A ballot of the partys 150,000 members will then follow, with a new Tory leader named by September 2.
Those who let it be known they were interested in the top job included Mr Hunt, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, former Cabinet minister Liam Fox and energy minister Angela Leadsom.
Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb is canvassing support for a potential 'dream ticket', and also interested in the job is energy minister Angela Leadsom
Mr Javid and Mr Crabb were sounding out MPs about running on a dream ticket to rival that of Mr Johnson and Mr Gove.
Mr Crabb would be leader and Mr Javid his Chancellor. Other possible contenders include Energy Secretary Amber Rudd and defence minister Penny Mordaunt.
Westminster insiders cast doubt over whether many of those currently declaring their leadership ambitions will actually stand rather than trying to secure offers of a major job in a new Tory administration. Bookmakers and most MPs remain convinced that the final battle will be fought between Mrs May and Mr Johnson.
In early skirmishes, both camps yesterday unveiled senior figures close to Mr Cameron as key supporters.
In a coup, Gavin Williamson, who is the Prime Ministers senior parliamentary aide, is to take a leading position running Mrs Mays campaign. Meanwhile, business minister Nick Boles one of a small group of friends who first persuaded Mr Cameron to run for party leader is backing Mr Johnson. Pro-Remain Mr Boles said: I cannot escape the conclusion that our next Prime Minister needs to be someone who supported the idea of leaving the EU.
Mr Gove, an old friend of the Chancellors, is determined to secure his support for Mr Johnson. Mr Gove is said to have offered Mr Osborne the post of Foreign Secretary though allies of Mr Johnson rubbished the idea, saying it could be toxic.
Mrs May is expected to focus on her national security credentials, having spent six years in charge at the Home Office combating the threat from Islamist terror groups.
Those who let it be known they were interested in the top job included Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and former Cabinet minister Liam Fox
REMAINERS' WHATSAPP PLOT Embittered MPs who campaigned for Remain are sending group texts using WhatsApp in a plot to block Boris Johnson. The encrypted mobile phone app can only be accessed by the users themselves, and messages are not kept on official records. The Tories are using it to arrange secret meetings where they discuss the best strategy to stop the former London mayor seizing the leadership. The Anyone But Boris cabal are determined to keep him off the final ballot to be sent to party members with whom he is hugely popular after leading the Brexit campaign. The group, which met last night, wants to divide it votes tactically. One insider said: Theyre not happy with the result. Simple as that. If ministers used official email addresses or mobile phones to hatch their plot, the correspondence might be subject to freedom of information laws. The use of WhatsApp a favourite among criminals due to its super-safe encryption ensures this cannot happen. Ministers known to be furious about Mr Johnsons role in the Leave campaign include Anna Soubry, from the business department. Advertisement
JAMIE: 'I'LL LEAVE IF BORIS IS PM' Jamie Oliver has threatened to quit Britain if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister. The TV chef and Remain supporter, pictured, said he would make the best of a bad situation after voters backed Brexit. But he warned he could not live with Boris f****** Johnson seizing control of No 10. In a post on Instagram, he said the vote had fractured Europe, divided families and split the country but vowed to roll up my sleeves and work harder than ever to make this work. But he added: I beg you one thing Great Britain... Give me Boris f****** Johnson as our Prime Minister and Im done. Im out. My faith in us will be broken forever. He signed off the post with #B*****OffBoris. The two men have clashed before. Mr Johnson lashed out at Mr Olivers campaign to make school dinners healthier in 2006, saying the pressure on children to eat healthy food was too much. Advertisement
She will also stress her long track-record of negotiating with Brussels and reassure MPs that if she wins there will be less clamour for a General Election later this year.
Opposition MPs are expected to argue that Mr Johnson has no mandate if he is successful and demand that he go to the country.
However, Mrs May will reassure MPs that she can carry on the mandate since she was a senior figure at the 2015 General Election.
In a sign of the bitterness already creeping in to the contest, it was last night claimed the Tory whips office was running an operation to support Mrs May over Mr Johnson. Complaints are understood to have been lodged with Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee.
A YouGov poll for The Times put Mrs May as favourite to win the race, with 31 per cent backing the Home Secretary and 24 per cent for Mr Johnson.
Hinting at his own leadership ambitions yesterday, Mr Crabb said: This is a really serious moment for our country. We need stability, we need direction and what I want to see over the next few days is a candidate emerge who understands the enormity of the situation that we are in.
Mr Cameron will today travel to a summit in Brussels but will be sent home a day early so EU leaders can discuss the implications of Brexit.
A three-day-old baby girl has been mauled to death by a pair of cross breed pit bulls after her mother opened the door of her Frenso home thinking the dogs were safely locked up.
The 33-year-old mother, who has not yet been named, opened the door of her home in Fresno, Central California because it was hot.
The dogs, who are owned by the mother's 30-year-old brother, were both a mix of Shar-pei and pitbulls.
The dog attacked the three-day-old baby on North Glenn Avenue, in Fresno, central California, pictured
According to police, the two dogs were a cross between a shari pei and an american pitbull, file photograph
The infant was rushed to hospital where she later died.
Fresno Police Sergeant Dan Macias told the Frenso Bee, the incident is under investigation.
According to Macias, the woman 'walked away' for a few seconds when the dogs attacked.
'She left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up.
'At this point, we believe it was an unfortunate accident.'
Both dogs have been taken to the Central California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals where they have been placed in quarantine.
The dogs were handed over the the woman's brother.
Rescuers will try again Tuesday to free a blue whale entangled in hundreds of feet of fishing line off the coast of Southern California.
The 70-foot-long mammal was caught in about 200 feet of rope from crab pots when it was spotted Monday off Dana Point.
Experts got close enough to cut away some dangling rope but they couldn't reach the line wound around a flipper, according to Michael Milstein of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Rescuers will try again Tuesday to free a blue whale entangled in hundreds of feet of fishing line off the coast of Southern California (pictured)
The 70-foot-long mammal was caught in about 200 feet of rope from crab pots when it was spotted Monday off Dana Point
A disentanglement team went out at about 12.30pm Monday to assess the whale
The operation was suspended at nightfall.
The whale was spotted on Sunday off San Diego but it was too far away for rescuers to reach. On Monday, it was only a few miles offshore.
It's the first blue whale entangled this year off California. The ocean giants rarely swim close to shore.
Captain Franks Brennan told ABC 7: 'It seemed really tired, it was able to get high enough out of the water to take a breath. It's just swimming really slow.'
The NOAA said they believed the whale was entangled in crab trap lines or shrimp gear, and stated it was unusual to have blue whales entangled in fishing equipment since they usually do not come close to the shoreline.
Captain Franks Brennan (pictured) told ABC 7: 'It seemed really tired, it was able to get high enough out of the water to take a breath. It's just swimming really slow.'
Brennan said that since the water was murky it was difficult to see how tightyly the line was wrapped around the whale.
A disentanglement team went out at about 12.30pm Monday to assess the whale.
NOAA believes it is the same blue whale that was spotted over the weekend about 30 miles off the coast of San Diego.
Rescuers tried to untangle from the line but its unclear how long it has been suffering.
None had been secured to the wall before they tipped over
Three toddlers have died overseas after being crushed beneath furniture
It says it provides clear safety instructions and wall anchors for customers
Ikea Australia will not recall a popular range of furniture which has killed three children overseas because it says it provides adequate safety instructions to customers who buy it.
The Malm chest of drawers, which is sold worldwide by the Swedish manufacturer, was linked to the deaths of three toddlers in the US who all died after being crushed by the furniture.
While the American branch of the company has recalled the line, Australian stores will not follow suit, insisting that the product is safe when customers use the supplied wall anchors provided.
'Ikea chest of drawers are safe when attached to the wall as directed in the assembly instructions,' a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Scroll down for video
IKEA Australia will not remove the Malm chest of drawers (above) from shelves despite the deaths of three toddlers in the US who all died after being crushed when it toppled over
They added that the chest of drawers come with 'anti tip restraints' and adequate instructions for wall anchoring so there was no need to remove it from shelves.
'We spread awareness of the importance of securing furniture on our products and product instructions, on the website and in-stores.
'IKEA Australia is not undertaking the recall,' they said.
The Swedish manufacturer recalled at least 27 million chests and dressers from it's American stores after the deaths of Curren Collas, Camden Ellis and Ted McGee.
Curren's mother told NBC News on Monday she didn't know the dresser was supposed to be anchored to the wall for safety.
More details about the recall were expected to be released on Tuesday. As of Monday night, a message on Ikea's American website read: 'Please visit us again tomorrow for information regarding a product recall.'
Some of the dressers included in the recall were sold more than 10 years ago according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Some customers will be able to get a refund and others will receive store credit depending on when their furniture was made, ABC News reported Monday.
Malm chests with more than two drawers had disappeared from Ikea's website as of Monday night.
'Please take them out of the room,' IKEA USA president Lars Peterson told NBC News, adding the items 'could be a danger'.
The Malm line of furniture was blamed in the deaths of two-year-old Camden Ellis (left) in 2014 and Curren Collas (center) as well as that of Ted McGee (right) in February this year
Jackie Collas, Curren's mother (pictured with her son) said she didn't know the dresser was supposed to be anchored to the wall to prevent it from tipping over
The company began offering free anchoring kits for Malm chests and dressers with three, four and six drawers in July 2015.
An advisory currently displayed on its website warns parents to secure their furniture by anchoring it to a wall.
When clicked, the advisory takes customers to a page where they can order safety kits.
Another page on the website contains instructions to anchor furniture and prevent it from tipping over.
Two-year-old Curren, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, died in February 2014 after a six-drawer Malm chest tipped over, pinning him against his bed, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported.
Camden, also two years old, of Snohomish, Washington, died four months later after a three-drawer Malm chest also tipped over.
Neither chest had been anchored to the wall.
Ted, 22 months old, of Apple Valley, Minnesota, died crushed by a Malm dresser in his bedroom in February this year, the family's attorneys told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
His parents didn't know about the tip-over risk, the attorneys added.
Jackie Collas, Curren's mother, found a dresser on the ground after going into her son's bedroom to get him dressed.
'I didn't see him anywhere, so I went over and kind of pulled everything apart,' she told NBC News. 'I saw the little top of his head trapped between the dresser' and the bed.
She had never heard of anchoring furniture to the walls before, she added.
'I didn't know to anchor my furniture and, in my mind, I feel that we really shouldn't have to,' Collas, who has filed a lawsuit against Ikea, told ABC News.
'Get rid of it, it's dangerous, it's a really dangerous product.'
Plans to build a new power station at Hinkley Point are likely to crumble in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to leading energy expert Paul Dorfman
The UK's Brexit vote is the 'final nail in the coffin' for an 18billion project to build a new power station at Hinkley Point, a leading energy expert says.
Dr Paul Dorfman, an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Energy Institute, University College London, said EDF, a majority French-owned company, is 'extremely unlikely' to invest given the current economic climate.
The long-delayed project was due to have Hinkley Point power station producing 7 per cent of the UK's electricity by 2017. But, if built, the earliest date it could now start doing so is 2025.
Even that looks a remote possibility according to Dr Dorfman, who told MailOnline Brexit was 'the final nail in the coffin' for Hinkley Point.
He said: 'It gives everybody the chance to slip out without losing any more face.
'How is France going to invest in the UK if the UK is no longer part of the union?
'Not only that but the French nuclear industry has huge financial problems and unions are screaming that they don't want it [Hinkley Point].'
Dr Dorfman, a member of the European Nuclear Energy Forum, also believes the knock-on effect would see plans for a third reactor at Sizewell power station in Suffolk ditched too.
'If Hinkley fails, which it will do, then Sizewell will go the same way.' he said. 'That will have serious implications for the UK energy industry.'
Dr Dorfman told The Times political uncertainties generated by the EU referendum vote and the 10 per cent devaluation of sterling are likely to present insurmountable obstacles for EDF.
The energy expert said: 'My view is that it seems extremely unlikely now. It's probably all over bar the shouting. How can EDF invest millions when there is so much uncertainty?'
EDF, which is 85 per cent owned by the French government, insisted that Brexit will have no impact on its plans to construct the power station.
It said in a statement: 'EDF confirms its commitment to the Hinkley Point project, which continues.'
Wait: The long-delayed 18billion project was due to have Hinkley Point power station (pictured) producing 7 per cent of the UK's electricity by 2017. But, if built, the earliest date it could now start doing so is 2025
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy and Climate Change said: 'We are fully confident that Hinkley Point C will go ahead'.
But other independent analysts have their doubts, with one suggesting the UK's referendum vote has given EDF 'the perfect occasion to pull the plug on Hinkley Point without losing face'.
The project in southern England is one of the largest French investments in Britain and a final decision has been repeatedly delayed since it was first announced in October 2013.
EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Levy told reporters in France that the Brexit vote had no impact on the strategy of EDF and its UK subsidiary.
He said the company's business strategy was not linked to Britain's political affiliation with the European Union, and therefore EDF has no reason to change it.
Mr Levy said that British Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom and Leave campaigner had come out in favour of maintaining the UK's decarbonisation policy, of maintaining the nuclear option, and of maintaining the Hinkley Point project.
'Therefore, there are no consequences from this vote today,' Mr Levy was quoted as saying.
He also played down any negative impact from the fall in sterling after the referendum result.
Even that looks unlikely according to Dr Dorfman, who said political uncertainties generated by the Brexit vote were likely to present insurmountable obstacles for EDF. An artist's impression of how it could look is pictured
'We operate in the markets like any large company, and we made sure that we did not take a position one way or the other... we are in a neutral position,' Mr Levy said.
EDF's unions have argued for months that the state-owned firm should delay its decision on the project in Britain until a similar Areva-designed reactor under construction in France is in operation and until EDF has boosted its balance sheet.
GT union energy spokeswoman Marie-Claire Cailletaud said: 'Brexit brings another element of uncertainty which reinforces our position that the project should be delayed.'
A source close to the company said Levy was eager to give the go-ahead for the project soon after the required consultation with EDF's unions in the works council, scheduled for July 4.
'Levy wants a decision soon. That will be difficult, as the Hinkley Point project is now literally in a different kind of country, outside the European Union,' the source close to the company told Reuters.
Authorities say a man was found dead on the steps outside St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bismarck early Tuesday.
Police identified the man as Zeller Schmid, 31, of Bismarck.
There is no obvious cause of death, said Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena.
A passerby called 911 at 6:13 a.m. to report a man laying just east of the door, police said. He was already deceased when police arrived.
An autopsy will be performed Wednesday, but results from any drug screenings may take six to eight weeks, Buschena said.
Deacon Rex McDowell declined to comment on the incident.
Britain has been thrown into political and economic turmoil in the wake of the vote to quit the EU.
And it appears that not even the Queen can escape the tumultuous week.
When Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness asked how she was yesterday, the monarch jokingly said: 'I'm still alive, anyway'.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are on a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. It is the Queen's first official engagement since the historic Brexit vote last Friday.
The royal couple were welcomed by Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy Minister Mr McGuinness at Hillsborough Castle, in Belfast, yesterday.
During the 20-minute audience with Mr McGuinness, the Queen seemed in good spirits despite a whirlwind few weeks of public appearances and political upheaval.
When Mr McGuinness asked whether she was well, the Queen responded: 'Thank you very much. I'm still alive, anyway'.
She noted that she had been 'quite busy', telling the minister: 'There's been a lot going on'.
Laughingly, she later added: 'I've had two birthdays so we've been quite busy.'
Good spirits: When asked by Northern Ireland Deputy Minister Martin McGuinness how she was, the Queen jokingly replied: 'I'm still alive, anyway'. The visit is the monarch's first engagement since the referendum
Whirlwind month: The Queen and Prince Philip arrived at Hillsborough Castle, in Belfast yesterday
Action packed: The Queen talked to First Minister Arlene Foster at the beginning of the two-day tour
The exchange was captured by ITV News in a short video clip which was later posted on Twitter.
The Queen and Prince Philip will today head to Northern Ireland's scenic north coast for a series of engagements.
They will tour the famous Giant's Causeway stones and also visit the nearby village of Bushmills, where they will unveil a statue to local VC winner Robert Quigg.
The Co Antrim born soldier was awarded the highest military honour for bravery shown during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
The Queen and Philip will also attend a reception at Royal Portrush Golf Club. The seaside course is due to host the Open Championship in 2019.
The father-of-three children allegedly murdered when their mother drove into a Melbourne lake says he believes she didn't mean to harm them.
In court Joseph Manyang says he spoke to mother Akon Guode after the incident in April last year and continues to visit her in prison, while she is on remand.
The pair's one-year-old son, Bol, and four-year-old twins, Hanger, and her brother Madit, were killed when Ms Guode's car plunged into Lake Gladman, in Wyndham Vale, southwest of Melbourne.
Joseph Tito Manyang (centre), the father of the three children killed in a Wyndam Vale lake, and family members arrive at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, August last year
Four year old twins Hanger and Madit pcitured before their death in a car crash in 2015
In court, Prosecutors say they began an affair after Guode immigrated to Australia from Sudan in 2006.
The day the children died, there was a rumour circulating that Mr Manyang was moving back with his wife, according to prosecution documents released to media.
'She said: `I felt dizzy when I was driving',' Mr Manyang told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
'That's what she told me...When you talk about the kids, she cries.'
'I'm still believing Akon, she didn't do it.'
Guode and her six-year-old daughter Alual survived after being pulled from the water.
Akon Guode's one-year-old son, Bol (left) , and four-year-old twins, Hanger (centre), and her brother Madit
Akon Guode, 36, is charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder
Joseph Manyang says he spoke to mother Akon Guode after the incident in April last year and continues to visit her in prison, while she is on remand
Akon Guode faced court on Monday faced with allegedly murdering three of her children in a car crash. Here, she is pictured during a funeral service for the children in Werribee, south-west of Melbourne
The 37-year-old has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder over the incident in Wyndham Vale.
Mr Manyang is the father of the three dead children, and Alual.
He says mother-of-seven Guode was lovely to the children and nothing ever suggested she could hurt them.
'She was a loving mother,' Mr Manyang told the court.
Abook Kon, has also told the court Guode was prone to headaches and dizziness, which had affected her driving in the year before the incident
'She loved her children.
'We loved each other, we loved the kids.'
Mr Manyang is Guode's dead husband's cousin.
Guode is fronting a committal hearing, which is expected to run for up to four weeks.
By striking down tough abortion restrictions in Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court has emboldened abortion-rights activists nationwide and imperiled a range of anti-abortion laws in numerous states.
Many anti-abortion leaders were openly disappointed, bracing for the demise of restrictions that they had worked vigorously to enact over the past few years.
The Supreme Court has decided 'the abortion industry will continue to reign unchecked as mothers are subjected to subpar conditions,' said Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Pro-choice activists awaited the ruling outside the Supreme Court Monday
Unaffected: The death of Anton Scalia (front, second from left) would not have affected the Monday ruling. The five-strong majority was written by Stephen Breyer (rear, second from left) and supported by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (front, right), Elena Kagan (rear, right) Sonia Sotomayor (rear, left) and and Anthony Kennedy (second from right). The dissent was by Clarence Thomas (left), John Roberts (center, the Chief Justice) and Samuel Alito (rear, second from right)
On the other side of the debate, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards hailed the ruling as 'an enormous victory for women,' and joined her abortion-rights allies in vowing to quickly seek gains beyond Texas.
'Far too many women still face insurmountable barriers, which is why we are taking this fight state by state,' she said.
'Victory': Hillary Clinton spoke up for the ruling while campaigning in the mid-west
'It's time to pass state laws to protect a woman's constitutional right to abortion, and repeal ones that block it.'
The Texas rules struck down Monday by the Supreme Court required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery.
Supporters of the Texas law, and similar laws enacted in other states, said both provisions were necessary to ensure safe, high-quality care for women.
Opponents of the laws said abortion already is a very safe procedure, and contended the real motive of the laws was to reduce women's access to abortion.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which led the legal challenge, similar admitting-privilege requirements are in effect in Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee, and are on hold in Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
The hospital-like outpatient surgery standards are in place in Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and are on hold in Tennessee, according to the center.
Monday's ruling is likely to remove an ongoing threat to the only abortion clinic still operating in Mississippi.
A Texas-style law there would have shut down the Jackson Women's Health Organization clinic, but enforcement of that law had been blocked pending resolution of the Texas case.
The sponsor of the Mississippi law, state Rep, Sam Mims, said he now expects that the law is doomed.
It requires doctors who perform abortions to be able to admit patients to a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics; providers at the Jackson clinic had been unable to obtain such privileges.
'It's very disappointing that ... it seems like these five justices are more concerned about access to abortion than health care to the women,' Mims said in a phone interview.
In Alabama, Attorney General Luther Strange said his office is ending the legal fight over its law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital-admitting privileges.
The state had been appealing a judge's 2014 decision finding Alabama's law unconstitutional.
If the admitting privilege requirement was enforced, as many as four of the state's five abortion clinics could close.
The legislative director of Louisiana Right to Life, Deanna Wallace, said the Supreme Court decision doesn't automatically invalidate Louisiana's Texas-style law, but it 'does not predict a favorable forecast for its future.'
In several states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan and Missouri, state officials said they were reviewing the status of their abortion restrictions in light of the high court ruling
In Pennsylvania, a Democratic state senator, Daylin Leach, said he would introduce legislation seeking to repeal a 2011 law that tightened requirements at abortion clinics.
The law requires such clinics to comply with the same safety standards as outpatient surgery centers, including requirements for wider hallways and doorways, bigger operating rooms, and full-time nurses.
The Supreme Court completed its term Monday with a ruling on a major Texas abortion case - an outcome which was hailed by Planned Parenthood and by Hillary Clinton but condemned by pro-life Republicans
The law was signed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, in the aftermath of a Philadelphia criminal case in which an abortion provider, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, was convicted of killing newborn babies during illegal, late-term abortion procedures performed in filthy surroundings.
An abortion-rights lawyer, Sue Frietsche, said the law inflicted heavy financial burdens on abortion clinics throughout Pennsylvania and contributed to the closure of several of them.
Looking ahead, a key question for both sides in the abortion debate is to what extent Monday's ruling will affect other types of abortion restrictions, beyond the two provisions at stake in the Texas law.
For example, more than a dozen states have passed laws banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage. Several states have recently banned dilation-and-extraction, a common second-trimester abortion technique which opponents have depicted as 'dismemberment abortion.' Some states now require a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion.
Nancy Northup, CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said her legal team will be reviewing these and other laws to determine if they are now vulnerable in the aftermath of Monday's high court ruling.
In the ruling, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that the Texas requirements provided few, if any, health benefits for women, while placing 'an undue burden' on their constitutional right to seek an abortion.
The question ahead, Northup said, is whether other types of state restrictions also pose such a burden.
'It's going to be interesting to see if responsible lawmakers realize they need to start upholding women's rights or continue with this game of Whack-a-Mole that's been going on,' said Northup, referring to states that launched new anti-abortion legislation even as earlier measures were blocked by litigation .
___
Egypt has deported a former BBC reporter after she hosted a talk show criticising authorities in Cairo.
British-Lebanese journalist Lilian Daoud was briefly detained in Egypt before being deported to Beirut in Lebanon today, her lawyer revealed.
It comes after she hosted a programme that is said to have been critical of the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
British-Lebanese journalist Lilian Daoud was briefly detained in Egypt before being deported to Beirut in Lebanon today, her lawyer revealed
Her lawyer, Zyad el-Elaimy, wrote on his Twitter account that her first comment after landing in Beirut was that she will challenge the decision to deport her. Daoud could not immediately be reached for comment.
There was no formal explanation for Daoud's deportation from Egypt.
An Egyptian security official said Daoud's residency permit expired after her contract with the private ONTV station in Egypt was terminated.
'It's the first time someone is deported in this fashion in Egypt,' el-Elaimy told The Associated Press, speaking by telephone from Cairo.
He said even criminals are asked to leave, not taken from their homes.
Late on Monday, eight men in plain-clothes escorted Daoud from her home in an upscale Cairo suburb where she has lived for five years, after she announced on her social media account that the network had ended her contract.
Her 10-year old Egyptian daughter was there when the men took Daoud away, allowing her no time to pick up luggage.
It comes after she hosted a programme that is said to have been critical of the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi
She only called her family from the plane before it headed to Beirut, el-Elaimy said.
El-Elaimy said her deportation is a new high in the government's crackdown on dissenting voices.
He said authorities 'are not prepared to hear any diverse voices or to hear anyone who is supportive' of the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak and ushered in a period of political instability in Egypt.
Since the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has shown little tolerance for criticism, banning protests and taking programmes off the air.
The decision to abruptly deport Douad shocked her colleagues and other public figures.
Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the Egyptian uprising's spiritual fathers who now lives in self-imposed exile, applauded Daoud for her professional reporting.
'One day we may have enough self-confidence to understand the value of having different opinions,' he said in a subtle jab at authorities.
Daoud formerly worked for the BBC, and lived in London before moving to Egypt with her daughter following the outbreak of the 2011 protests
Daoud formerly worked for the BBC, and lived in London before moving to Egypt with her daughter following the outbreak of the 2011 protests.
Her talk show aired critical views of el-Sissi's government. In her programme, 'The Full Picture' on ONTV, she hosted protesters, youth leaders as well as government officials.
During the brief rule of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, she also hosted critics of the Islamist group.
El-Elaimy said she had applied to renew her residency nearly a year ago but that authorities did not respond, leaving her in limbo.
He said Daoud has a right to return to Cairo because she has custody of her daughter.
Satirical TV host Bassem Youssef - once described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt and whose programme was taken off the air for his criticism of the government- said her arrest is 'just the beginning.'
Chancellor George Osborne has ruled himself out of the leadership race
Poll suggests May could be more popular than Boris among Tory voters
Former London mayor is said to be racking up support from scores of MPs
Boris Johnson has met with the Tories' election guru amid signs the former London mayor is racking up support from scores of MPs.
Mr Johnson and Michael Gove, his joint campaign manager, were spotted heading into the offices of Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded David Cameron's surprise victory last May.
Senior members of Sir Lynton's campaign strategy firm were reportedly later seen in the Commons.
Mr Johnson spent yesterday pressing the flesh at Westminster and is said to have gathered around 100 backers.
Scroll down for video
Tory campaign strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, left, who masterminded David Cameron's surprise victory last May, reportedly had breakfast with Boris Johnson, right, yesterday
The other bookies' favourite for the top job, Home Secretary Theresa May, is also expected comfortably to make the 50 MP threshold to make the first ballot.
Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb will today announce he will stand as a candidate after forming a 'blue collar' alliance with Cabinet colleague Sajid Javid.
Mr Crabb is many people's tip as a dark horse - but may struggle to achieve the nominations needed to make the formal race. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and former defence secretary Liam Fox are also thinking about throwing their hats into the ring.
Chancellor George Osborne yesterday ruled out a bid admitting that his strong endorsement of EU membership in the referendum meant he could not bring the party together.
Mr Johnson's allies have complained about a coordinated drive by government whips to get Theresa May installed as Tory leader.
The claims of a secret 'stop Boris' campaign emerged as the battle to succeed David Cameron ramped up ahead of nominations opening today.
Theresa May is more popular than Boris Johnson among Tory voters, according to a poll today
The Conservative Party has announced that the winner will be declare on September 9 - a week later than the backbench 1922 committee recommended. David Cameron had suggested he could stay on until October.
The timetable favours established politicians like Mr Johnson and the Home Secretary as it deprives lesser known candidates of the time to build momentum. Either could be Prime Minister in just nine weeks.
Mr Hunt has suggested that a second referendum or a snap general election would be needed to rubber-stamp a new deal negotiated with the EU.
Supporters of Home Secretary Theresa May, right, made it clear she is determined to fight her old rival Boris Johnson to the bitter end
But sources close to Mr Johnson told MailOnline he had ruled out holding a snap election if he ends up in Downing Street. He believes it would destabilise the country further as it moves towards Brexit.
Mr Johnson and Michael Gove, his joint campaign manager, were spotted heading into the offices of Tory election guru Sir Lynton Crosby this morning.
Team Johnson has been focused on signing up as many Cameron supporters as possible.
Mr Gove is desperate to secure the backing of Mr Osborne, who he is trying to woo with the offer of a major job.
Leading figures in the Out camp are also being targeted as Mr Johnson seeks to present himself as the unity candidate.
Sir Nicholas Soames - a vocal critic of Mr Johnson during the referendum - has declared his support, as has Environment Secretary Liz Truss.
However, Remain campaigners are determined to sabotage his leadership bid even setting up a special Stop Boris group on the messaging service WhatsApp to secretly plot against him.
MPs have told MailOnline there is some concern that Mr Johnson lacks the experience of being leader of the Opposition or holding a ministerial brief.
The backbench 1922 Committee of Tory MPs yesterday accelerated the process for replacing Mr Cameron. The PM had wanted to stand down in October, but, amid the huge uncertainty over how to implement Brexit, nominations will take place today and Thursday.
MPs will whittle down the list of candidates to two by the middle of next month. A ballot of the partys 150,000 members will then follow, with a new Tory leader named by September 2.
Westminster insiders cast doubt over whether many of those currently declaring their leadership ambitions will actually stand rather than trying to secure offers of a major job in a new Tory administration. Bookmakers and most MPs remain convinced that the final battle will be fought between Mrs May and Mr Johnson.
Mr Gove, an old friend of the Chancellors, is determined to secure his support for Mr Johnson. Mr Gove is said to have offered Mr Osborne the post of Foreign Secretary though allies of Mr Johnson rubbished the idea, saying it could be toxic.
Mrs May is expected to focus on her national security credentials, having spent six years in charge at the Home Office combating the threat from Islamist terror groups. She will also stress her long track-record of negotiating with Brussels and reassure MPs that if she wins there will be less clamour for a General Election later this year.
Opposition MPs are expected to argue that Mr Johnson has no mandate if he is successful and demand that he go to the country. However, Mrs May will reassure MPs that she can carry on the mandate since she was a senior figure at the 2015 General Election.
Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb will unveil his bid alongside Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary
Advertisement
Meryl Streep joined Michelle Obama in Morocco today, where they met with a group of teenagers to promote education in a country where only 36per cent of girls continue school beyond the primary level.
The first lady's meeting heralded an announcement that the 'Let Girls Learn' initiative would be extended in Morocco on Tuesday with more than $100million of foreign aid to transform secondary education in the country.
Obama, who is traveling with daughters Sasha and Malia on her six-day trip with stops in Liberia, Morocco and Spain, was greeted at the airport on Monday by King Mohammed VI's wife, Princess Lalla Selma.
US first lady Michelle Obama (pictured) speaks during a meeting with teenage girls in Marrakech, Morocco, on Tuesday
She enlisted the help of actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto in a conversation about the challenges Moroccan girls face when it comes to continuing their schooling
Both Streep (far right) and Pinto (far left) are advocates for empowering girls through education. They added star power to the event, which kick started the Let Girls Learn initiative in Morocco
Wearing a stylish high-neck dress, Obama initiated a conversation with two dozen girls about the social, financial and cultural challenges they face when it comes to continuing their schooling.
Actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto, both advocates for empowering girls through education, added star power to the event.
The meeting kick started Morocco's 'Let Girls Learn' initiative, which was launched in March 2015 by President Barack Obama and the first lady.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government foreign aid agency slated to partner with the Moroccan government, will invest more than $100million to revamp the curriculum.
The money will also go towards mentoring programs, internships, after school clubs, renovated bathrooms and gender-focused training for teachers, according to White House aides.
The initiative will also enlist the help of Peace Corp volunteers to promote girls' education through grassroots programs, according to the Chicago Tribune.
USAID is contributing $400,000 to create five new dormitories that will improve educational opportunities for girls from rural areas.
Obama, who is traveling with daughters Sasha and Malia (pictured) on her six-day trip to promote education with stops in Liberia, Morocco and Spain, was greeted at the airport on Monday by King Mohammed VI's wife Princess Lalla Selma (right in orange)
The first lady and her family landed at Menara Airport in Marrakesh (pictured) after spending the day at a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, where she urged the teens in one of the world's poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school
In the courtyard of Dar Diafa, a historic riad converted into a restaurant, Obama told the young women: 'I'm looking forward to adding more voices to this conversation.'
'We need every one of our citizens, boys and girls, to be empowered,' Obama said.
She said that 62 million girls worldwide do not have access to education for an array of reasons, from lack of resources to cultural norms.
According to a 2014 report from the Education Policy Data Center, nearly 46per cent of girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are not in school, compared to 36per cent of boys of the same age.
The female literacy rate among Moroccans 15 and older falls 20 points cent behind literacy rates among males, who clock in at 79per cent, according to the CIA's World Factbook.
One young woman taking part in Tuesday's meeting identified herself as Karima from Ouarzazate, in south-central Morocco.
She said her parents ensured she had a primary school education but discouraged her from focusing her secondary education in science technology, a field dominated by men.
'Every single person's story is different,' said Streep, who told the young women she was the first in her family with a university education.
Obama is scheduled to attend a traditional Moroccan iftar the sumptuous dinner to break the fast during Ramadan on Tuesday night with Princess Lalla Salma, the wife of King Mohammed VI, then travel to Spain on Wednesday.
The first lady's meeting heralded an announcement that the Let Girls Learn initiative, created March 2015, would bring more than $100million of foreign aid going towards transforming secondary education in the country
The money will go towards mentoring programs, internships, after school clubs, renovated bathrooms and gender-focused training for teachers, according to White House aides
One young woman taking part, who identified herself only as Karima from Ouarzazate, in south-central Morocco, said her parents ensured she had a primary school education but discouraged her from focusing her secondary education in science technology
Wearing a stylish high-neck dress, Obama (left) initiated a conversation alongside Streep (right) and Freida Pinto, who are both advocates for empowering girls through education
The first lady and her family landed at Menara Airport in Marrakesh after spending the day at a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, where USAID announced up to $27 million in funding.
With her own teenage daughters Malia and Sasha joining her, Obama urged the teens in Liberia to keep fighting to stay in school.
She said she was 'just so thrilled to be here with you,' before adding: 'I'm here to shine a big bright light on you.'
Education for girls is the central theme of the first lady's six-day trip, which also includes a stop in Spain after Morocco.
Although Sasha and Malia flew to Marrakesh with their mother, they did not take part in the event on Tuesday.
A flight recorder recovered from the doomed EgyptAir jet, which killed 66 people when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in May, has been repaired.
Flight MS804 - carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members from Paris to Cairo - went down about halfway between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt's coastline, or around 175 miles offshore, after take-off from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Before it disappeared from radar screens around 2.45am Cairo time (12.45am GMT), the plane spun all the way around and suddenly lost altitude.
Investigation: An official holds the flight recorder from MS804 in Cairo, Egypt, on June 17
The Airbus went down in the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 and all 66 people on board were killed. File image
Captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair was among the 66 passengers and crew who died on MS804
Tragic loss: Joumana, four months, and her two-and-a-half-year-old brother Mohamed (right) were two of the youngest casualities of the EgyptAir disaster
Pictured: Faycal Bettiche (left) and his wife Nouha were taking their young children on holiday when travelling on the doomed flight. Right, air stewardess Samar Ezz Eldin who also lost her life in the disaster
Family man: British geologist Richard Osman was among the 66 victims on board the jet. His brother has described his 'delirious happiness' after the birth of his second daughter just three weeks ago. Mr Osman is pictured here with his French-born wife Aureilie and his first daughter Victios
Search teams have since recovered the damaged cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
The damaged electronic boards arrived in Paris on Monday. The flight data recorder has since been fully repaired according to a statement released by the Egyptian investigation committee.
The cause of the crash is yet to be established, but prosecutors in Paris have opened a manslaughter inquiry, saying there is not yet any evidence to link the crash to terrorism.
Some of the passengers' belongings and parts of the wreck of EgyptAir flight MS804
The pilots made no distress call and no group has claimed to have brought down the aircraft.
On Monday a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said the inquiry was launched as an accident investigation and not a terrorism probe.
The leader of the National Front in France has hailed Britain's decision to leave the EU - and has called for France to hold a similar referendum.
Britons went to the polls to vote on the country's future relationship with the union on Thursday, with 51.9 per cent of more than 33 million votes going to the Leave camp.
Speaking during a press conference with a backdrop saying 'Brexit - and now France', Marine Le Pen said the choice for Britain to leave was a 'historic moment'.
The leader of the National Front in France, Marine Le Pen, has hailed Britain's decision to leave the EU - and has called for France to hold a similar referendum
She said: 'That which no-one dared to dream about a few months back is now a reality which is clear to everyone: yes, it's possible to leave the EU.
'The British people have given to the Europeans, and also the world, a dazzling lesson in democracy.'
She added the European question would be 'at the heart of the next French presidential elections' which are due to take place in April and May next year.
She said: 'I've been calling for a referendum of the same kind (in France) since 2013', and repeated her desire to hold a poll after six months of negotiations with Brussels.
Meanwhile, French president Francois Hollande described the result as 'painful' and added that the EU needed 'profound change' to address its issues.
He said: 'This was their choice and we must respect it.
Speaking during a press conference with a backdrop saying 'Brexit - and now France', Marine Le Pen said the choice for Britain to leave was a 'historic moment'
'The decision from Britain requires Europe to become aware of shortcomings in the way it works as well as the loss of confidence in the project.
'A jolt is needed. The people are expecting the EU to reaffirm its values, values of liberty, tolerance and peace.
'I will do everything to secure profound change rather than decline.'
She pulled it in while her rod almost broke and said 'I'm very proud'
She felt a tug and on the end was a 3ft catfish
A 10-year-old girl reeled in a giant catfish after a battle with the beast that almost broke her rod.
Sasha Wheeler was fishing with her father at the waterfront in Grand Haven, Michigan, when she felt a big tug.
As she reeled in her line she realized that something very large was on the other end - a 3ft catfish.
Enormous: Sasha Wheeler (pictured with her father), 10, reeled in a giant catfish after a battle with the beast that almost broke her rod
'Oh there it is a big flat head just hold on,' cried her father Brooks.
Sasha struggled to bring the beast in as it thrashed around in the water and bent her rod so much it almost broke.
She had to use all of her strength to pull the enormous fish from the water.
'Oh my god my arm is killing me,' she said as she wrestled with the beast.
Eventually she pulled the 3.5 stone (49lb) monster in - it was so big that she couldn't pick it up and had to drag it along the floor.
'The catfish is giant, it was hard to reel it up all the way. Im pretty proud,' Sasha told Fox News.
As she reeled in her line she realised that something very big was on the other end - a 3ft catfish
Sasha struggled to bring the beast in as it thrashed around in the water and bent her rod so much it almost broke
She took plenty of photos and videos of her catch before tossing it back into the water.
Sasha did not weigh the fish but her father believes it was around 3.5 stone.
'The one she's just caught was a 41 inch flat head catfish. Her biggest fish ever,' he said.
Sasha used the catch and release method to reel the fish in. She holds 14 Master angler awards and her father holds more than 40.
Matthew Heimbach formed the Traditionalist Worker Party to fight against what the group describes as an 'anti-Christian degeneracy'
The leader of a neo-Nazi group whose violent clashes with counter-demonstrators during a rally in Sacramento left 10 people in hospital has been described as 'charming and polite' but someone 'who has read all the wrong books'.
Matthew Heimbach formed the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) to fight against what the group describes as an 'anti-Christian degeneracy'.
But the 25-year-old father-of-one says he is not racist, and only seeks to gain more support and attention for poor and working class white people in America.
He claims his political leanings were moulded by his reading of Samuel P. Huntington's 'Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity', which attributes Hispanic immigration and multiculturalism to the problems now facing white people.
Heimbach, of Indiana, has previously been quoted as saying he does not 'hate anyone' - adding: 'I just love white people more.'
While studying at Towson University, he led a 'White Student Union' on patrols targeting black people.
However, Ryan Lenz, who has spent years tracking and interviewing Heimbach for the Southern Law Poverty Center's Hatewatch blog, insists he is actually quite a warm person.
He told NBC News: 'He's charming and garrulous and a polite, nice guy, but holds some very dark ideas.
'He actually believes he's right, actually believes in everything he says and welcomes the opportunity to debate the issues.'
Ten people were stabbed and rushed to the hospital on Sunday when the right-wing group's rally outside the California state Capitol building clashed with counter-protesters.
California Highway Patrol Officer George Granada said about 30 members of the TWP were gathering around noon when they were met by about 400 counter-protesters and a fight broke out.
'I don't think there was any verbal exchange, just full on fight,' Granada said according to the Los Angeles Times.
Scroll down for video
The 25-year-old (third from right) says he is not racist. He claims his political leanings were moulded by his reading of Samuel P. Huntington's 'Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity', which attributes Hispanic immigration and multiculturalism to the problems now facing white people
The chairman of the TWP uploaded this photograph to Twitter ahead of Sunday's rally, describing those with him as 'just some of our brave comrades'
Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey said emergency crews transported those who were stabbed, two of them with life-threatening injuries, and that many other people had cuts, scrapes and bruises.
Nine men and one woman, aged 19 to 58, were injured during the fight and taken to UC Davis Medical Center.
He said the Capitol remained on lockdown three hours after the large fight broke out, but that things had calmed down and only about 70 'anti-fascists' remained in the area.
California Assemblyman Jim Cooper, who is a former sheriff's captain, said that employees at the Capitol were sheltered inside the building's basement level during the incident.
Some staff and tourists were still inside the Capitol when an email was sent to legislative staffers about 3.30pm saying that the building remained on lockdown.
At least seven people have been rushed to the hospital, some in critical condition, after clashes between members of a neo-Nazi political party and counter-demonstrators in Sacramento (pictured, injured neo-Nazis)
California Highway Patrol Officer George Granada said about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party were gathering for a rally around noon Sunday when they were met by about 400 counter-protesters
Two of the men (above) injured in the violent clash were apart of the right-wing extremist group who was holding the rally at the Capitol
Emergency crews responded to the scene of the attacks at around 11.45am, with local stations reporting that tear gas and pepper spray were used to break up the demonstrations after people were stabbed
It is not yet known which group the wounded belong to, though one neo-Nazi member discussing the events online bragged 'they got one of ours but we got six of theirs'
Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey said emergency crews transported at least six people who were stabbed, some critically wounded, and that many other people had cuts and scrapes
KCRA reporter Mike Luery (center) was attacked by members of the group called Anti-Fascism Action Sacramento as they staged a counter-protest against the Traditionalist Worker's Party
Members of the group called 'anti-fascism' group tried to light a flag on fire as they staged the counter-protest against the Traditionalist Worker's Party and the Golden State Skinheads at State Capitol on Sunday
'They came ready to fight,' Cooper said, referencing how some of the protesters came dressed as if they planned to battle it out.
Harvey said: 'There was a large number of people carrying sticks and rushing to either get into the melee or see what was going on.'
While it is not yet known which group the wounded belonged to, one neo-Nazi broadcasting the march online bragged that 'they got one of ours but we got six of theirs'.
Emergency crews were called to the area at 11.45am and found victims strewn across the grounds outside of the Capitol building.
Around an hour later police had cordoned off parts of the area and most of the demonstrators had left, according to the LA Times.
Dozens of police tried to separate the Hitler-inspired activists and counter demonstrators, but clashes broke out in a park opposite California's state Capitol building
California Highway Patrol Officer George Granada said about 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party showed up for the rally. Above anti-fascist counter-protestors parade through Sacramento
Demonstrations by the TWP had been planned for several weeks. Above Sophie (no last name given) protests after multiple people were stabbed during a clash between neo-Nazis holding a permitted rally and counter-protestors
At least three individuals were stabbed at the State Capitol while the others were injured in a neighboring park.
Police were forced to use tear gas and pepper spray in order to disperse the demonstrators, according to local reports.
Harvey said that the group of 'right-wing extremists' were met by a huge number of counter-protesters.
'It's unclear at this time how much of this was planned and how much of it was sort of a sudden reaction to what was going on here,' Harvey said.
Demonstrations by the TWP had been planned for several weeks, while posts on social media suggest counter-demonstrations were also well-organized.
The TWP had scheduled and received a permit to protest at noon Sunday in front of the Capitol.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has described the TWP as a group formed in 2015 as the political wing of the Traditionalist Youth Network, which aims to 'indoctrinate high school and college students into white nationalism.'
Heimbach told the LA Times that his group and the Golden State Skinheads organized the Sunday rally.
Vice chairman Matt Parrott, who was not present at the Sacramento rally, said it was a peaceful march and blamed 'leftist radicals' for instigating the violence.
Insane video. Crowd sees any signs of "Nazis" and they run&attack. A lot of people bleeding/getting maced. @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/PoFhILfZ95 Frances Wang (@ABC10Frances) June 26, 2016
Matthew Heimbach, chairman of the Traditionalist Worker Party, said that in the clash, one of their marchers had been stabbed in an artery and six of the 'anti-fascists' had also been stabbed. Above an 'anti-fascist' protester (center) confronts a man antagonizing them
About 30 members of the Traditionalist Worker Party showed up for the rally and were met by about 400 counter-protesters before the violence erupted. Above Sacramento Police officers gather after multiple people were stabbed during the clash
Heimbach said that in the clash, one of their marchers had been stabbed in an artery and six of the 'anti-fascists' had also been stabbed.
Images from the scene showed dozens of counter demonstrators lined up in front of the Capitol building, vastly outnumbering the neo-Nazis protesters gathered in the park opposite.
Video from the scene suggests the clashes took place in the park, with footage showing people being dragged, kicked and punched as violence broke out.
In one particularly disturbing piece of footage, a man with long hair can be see getting up off the grass before being hit in the head with a bat by another man wearing a mask across his face.
Of the violence, a local ABC10 reporter, Frances Wang, wrote on Twitter that there were 'blood spatters all over the ground. Police trying to control crowds.'
She recorded video of the rally showing people running towards each other from the two groups before they start attacking each other with sticks, flag poles and punches.
Some people at the rally hid their faces with masks and scarves to conceal their identity.
On it's website, the Hitler-inspired group says it 'is America's first political party created by and for working families.
'Our mission is defending faith, family, and folk against the politicians and oligarchs who are running America into the ground.
'We intend to achieve that goal by building a nationwide network of grassroots local leaders who will lead Americans toward a peaceful and prosperous future free from economic exploitation, federal tyranny, and anti-Christian degeneracy.'
A post recently uploaded to site of the Traditionalist Youth Network said TWP members planned to march in Sacramento to protest against globalization and in defense of their right to free expression. They said they expected to be outnumbered 10-to-1 by counter-protesters.
'We concluded that it was time to use this rally to make a statement about the precarious situation our race is in,' the Traditionalist Youth Network statement said.
The vice chairman of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents has apologized for questioning whether declining enrollment at one college is due to its diversity. Steve Sviggum said in a statement issued late Tuesday that hes willing to learn and must do better, referring to his comment about falling student numbers at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Sviggum said during a board meeting last week that he has received a couple letters from friends who decided not to attend Morris because it is too diverse. He said the prospective students just didnt feel comfortable there. Sviggum wrote that he was truly sorry too those he offended. He added that his question was meant to encourage discussion about enrollment, which is down 50% from its peak.
A woman whose daughters signet ring floated away on a helium balloon has taken to social media to relocate the beloved ornament.
Jackie de Pont, 16, decided 'it would be fun' to tie a gold signet ring to the helium balloon at her birthday party on Monday, in Aucklands Mt Roskill, New Zealand.
But after the girls went for a late night swim in the spa, they returned to find the balloon had floated away, leaving Jackie heartbroken.
Jackie de Pont, 16, tied a gold signet ring to the helium balloon at her birthday party on Monday, only for the ring to float away
I heard the girls screaming and I came down to see what had happened, Sarah de Pont told Daily Mail Australia.
Jackie was devastated because she had only received the ring as a present last Christmas.
It had a strong sentimental value because I got a signet ring for my 15th birthday, and I wanted to do something similar for my daughter.
The ring was melted down with similar gold jewellery as hers and had her initials engraved onto it.
Ms de Pont has made a plea on community website Neighbourly in a bid to track down the ring.
If anyone in the neighbourhood come across a balloon in trees or backyards in the area we would love to know.
The balloon took flight from John Davis Rd, Mt Roskill, on Monday evening.
Mrs de Pont said she is willing to pay a reward anyone who locates the ring.
Sarah de Pont (right) has launched an online campaign to help Jackie (left) track down the beloved ring
The ring had 'strong sentimental value' because Sarah got a signet ring for her 15th birthday, and wanted to do something similar fo rher daughter
Firefighters were called to rescue an 8ft boa constrictor after it slithered into a gas fire.
Owner Jane Boor, 56, phoned the fire crew after her beloved pet snake Billy found a new home in the living room heater.
The team from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue had to isolate the gas supply and carefully take the fire apart to free the hissing snake.
Tight squeeze: Firefighters rescue Billy the 8ft boa constrictor after it slithered into a gas heater, pictured
Careful operation: The fire crew had to isolate the gas supply and dismantle the heater to free the snake
Ms Boor said she was playing a game on her iPad and didn't notice Billy had slipped out of the blanket she had wrapped him in.
By the time she looked up he was already making his way behind the fire and she feared he was going to go up the chimney.
She said: 'There was no way I could pull him out. I was desperately trying to coax him out but to no avail.
'Eventually about two thirds of him was inside the fire and I was terrified he was going to go up the chimney.'
Ms Moor said the 'fantastic' firefighters removed the fire from the wall and freed her pet.
The mother-of-three, who lives in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, said Billy had previously tangled himself around a swivel chair and got his head stuck on a cast iron bench.
She added: 'He's a lovely snake. He is quite calm but he prefers to be left alone. He loves basking under his heat lamp. When I get him out and put him around my shoulders he chills out and relaxes.'
Reunited: The owner, pictured right, was said to be 'extremely pleased' to have her pet snake back
A Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'Just before 3am this morning we were called to rescue Billy, an 8ft boa constrictor that had got trapped under the owner's gas fire in the living room.
'Upon arrival it turned out Billy was actually IN the gas fire, which luckily for him wasn't switched on.
'We had to isolate the gas and remove the fire before carefully dismantling it to free Billy.
'None of the crew would admit they were scared but there weren't many volunteers to free his head or hold him!'
Gainsborough Fire Station also tweeted: 'Not everyday you go to a snake rescue! But Billy the boa constrictor needed some help to get out of this tight spot.'
Boa constrictors are often kept as household pets though they are native to tropical Central and South America, and use their muscular bodies to wrap around and suffocate their prey.
They were still undergoing medical checks in a secret location on Tuesday
Rescued on Sunday alongside seven others also being held hostage
The group were kidnapped last week in Nigeria and held for five days
Three Australian citizens and a New Zealander who were held hostage in Nigeria for five days are not yet well enough to return home two days after being rescued.
Australians Peter Zoutenbier, Jack Couranz and Mark Gabbedy, along with New Zealander Jamal Khan were driving on the outskirts of the city of Calabar when their convoy was attacked by gunmen at about 5.30am last Wednesday.
They were released on Sunday night alongside seven others who worked for the same Perth-based mining company.
They are expected to return to Australia and New Zealand imminently but are still being checked over by medics in Africa.
Jack Couranz (left) and Peter Zoutenbier (right) have been released four days after they were kidnapped
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on Tuesday they were still undergoing health checks but were due to return home 'soon'.
'I understand they are going through health checks at present. They are being looked after and I hope they can come home as soon as possible,' she said.
Ms Bishop refused to disclose their location, but insisted the men were in 'safe hands'.
'I'm relieved that they are (safe) and we've kept in touch with their families.
'It was obviously a very traumatic situation,' she said.
The workers were being escorted by a security truck with four armed policemen whey they were ambushed last week by a group of militants who shot their driver, Matthew Odok.
The kidnappers fled with the hostages in a waiting boat hidden under the nearby Idundu Bridge, however former Australian army reserve soldier Tim Croot managed to escape at first light.
Jack Couranz is a reliability engineer, Mark Gabbedy is a project manager, Tim Croot is a heavy diesel mechanic and Peter Zoutenbier is a senior maintenance planner.
Macmahon Holdings said it has made arrangements to have the men returned to their families once doctors clear them to travel.
CEO Sy van Dyk commended the men for their courage during the traumatic ordeal.
'Our men have been through a traumatic experience, and we have mobilised medical and other support teams in Nigeria to provide immediate support,' he said on Sunday night.
One of the cars believed to be involved in the ambush on Wednesday outside the city of Calabar in the Akpabuyo district
Australian Mark Gabbedy (left) was kidnapped along with Tim Croot (right) who managed to escape with a Nigerian driver at first light
'I also thank the men's families for working so closely with the company during what has been an extremely difficult time for them as well. They too have endured an incredibly stressful experience,' he said.
He said that while everyone was glad to welcome the men back, staff were still mourning the death of the driver killed in the initial attack.
'We are deeply saddened by the loss of the local driver Matthew Odok, who was fatally injured during the initial incident.'
Mr Croot, 24, from Perth, phoned his parents on Wednesday night after his brazen escape to tell them not to worry and that he was okay, The Australian reported.
They were attacked on the outskirts of the city of Calabar at around 5.30am local time on Wednesday
It is believed the group was on their way to work when they were ambushed near a bridge crossing.
A witness told Vanguard: 'One of the expatriates hid under the vehicle and they didn't see him because it was still a bit dark,' the unnamed witness said.
'They also took one of the drivers ... then one supervisor and three white guys and it was like they had a boat by the beach already waiting for them.'
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for comment.
He announced his resignation as Britain's commissioner to the Europe in the wake of the refereundum vote to leave the EU.
And after appearing in the the European Parliament for the last time today, MEPs took the rare step of rising to their feet to give an emotional Lord Hill a long round of applause and standing ovation for his work.
The European Parliament in Brussels was called to session today for a debate on Britain's decision to quit the bloc.
The European Parliament met in Brussels this morning in the wake of the referendum result to leave the EU
MEPs gave a long round of applause and a standing ovation to Britain's outgoing European commissioner Lord Hill
Parliament president Martin Schulz began the meeting by saying the Brexit result must be respected and said the question would now turn to how the Article 50 exit clause should be triggered.
But before the debate began, Schulz said he wanted to express his thanks to Lord Hill, for all of the work he had done for the European Union.
He said: 'Maybe I can express a vote of thanks to one person in this room.
'A person who finds himself in a very difficult situation but has done an excellent job of work. And has taken a great step in the cause of humanity.
'Lord Hill has decided to lay down his office so this will be the last occasion he will be here with us.
Lord Hill appeared taken aback by the reaction and looked to be emotional as MEPs rallied around him
EU Parliament president Martin Schulz said: ''Lord Hill, you were involved in the campaign for the UK to Remain in the EU and on behalf of the European Parliament and for the work you have done I would like to express our thanks to you'
'Lord Hill, you were involved in the campaign for the UK to Remain in the EU and on behalf of the European Parliament and for the work you have done I would like to express our thanks to you.'
And after expressing his gratitude, MEPs began a spontaneous round of applause as one by one they rose to their feet.
Lord Hill then appeared emotional as the members of the European Parliament rallied around praising the outgoing commissioner.
It comes after Lord Hill said he was 'very disappointed' by the outcome of the Thursday's vote and was convinced UK membership was 'good for our place in the world and good for our economy'.
Lord Hill said he was 'very disappointed' by the outcome of the Thursday's vote and was convinced UK membership was 'good for our place in the world and good for our economy'
He said he would 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.
Former PR lobbyist and Conservative minister Jonathan Hill, 55, was appointed by David Cameron in 2014 to take over the UK's seat on the commission from Baroness Ashton, who had served under Jean-Claude Juncker's predecessor Jose Manuel Barroso.
He said: '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.
Humiliated England fans appear to have clashed with each other as the Three Lions crashed out of the Euros.
Bad tempered scuffles broke out in a fan zone in Paris following Englands disappointing 2-1 defeat to Iceland, a country with a population the size of Leicester.
Men wearing England shirts and carrying England flags can be seen pushing and shoving other supporters - also believed to be English - in front of a big screen.
Scroll down for video
England fans were filmed fighting with each other after the Three Lions lost to Iceland on Monday night
A woman can be heard screaming in the background as the men push and shove each other
Twitter user Lawrence Tanner, who shared the footage, tweeted: 'Classic England on and off the pitch as it kicks off in Paris. Hate our fans at times.'
Stewards stepped in quickly to break up the altercations in the French capital.
Lawrence Tanner, who shared the video on Twitter, tweeted: 'Classic England on and off the pitch as it kicks off in Paris. Hate our fans at times.'
Other English fans tried to make amends, however.
'At the exit of the fan zone this evening, the English fans repeated to each policeman, sorry for the trouble. Touching,' revealed French journalist Cedric Ferreira.
Meanwhile, in Nice England fans praised their Icelandic rivals for their teams brave performance without a hint of bitterness.
Three Lions supporters chanted for Iceland.
Others poured scorn on the England team singing; Were s*** and we know we are.
French police had cleared bars and cafes in the centre of Nice tonight as part of a plan to prevent any hooligan behaviour.
Squadrons of heavily armed riot officers took up positions around night spots where England fans had partied the night before.
Police dog units were also on the streets to discourage unruly behaviour as Supporters returned from the stadium.
England were truly awful against Iceland, a country with a total population equivalent to the city of Leicester
Joe Hart and the rest of the England team reflect on the defeat which has ultimately cost Hodgson his job
This morning, fans were coming to turns with a performance they described as rubbish.
Dave Phillips, 55, from Lumpstone, Devon, told MailOnline: Were both really sad that England got knocked out but we didnt deserve to win England were rubbish.
Every England fan could see that we needed to make changes to the team but Roy Hodgson did nothing until it was too late.
Son Ben, 28, said: This was my first international England game and I watched them lose so Im gutted.
It has been fun to come to France but I just wish there had been a better outcome.
Dad Dave added: I had bought tickets for Paris thinking England would be playing there but I sold them when we were drawn to Nice.
I should have kept those tickets and watched Wales. At least they won.
Dedicated fan Jez Fletcher had flown from Toronto, Canada, to cheer on the Three Lions.
Roy Hodgson has announced his resignation with the England boss quitting after his team's Euro 2016 exit
IT worker Jez, 46, said: I travelled from Toronto to watch England and they lost. Ive spent a fortune on getting here and on tickets to the matches.
How is it that every England fan watching the game knew that we had to change the side apart from the manager Roy Hodgson?
If I were to bump into Roy Hodgson today I would ignore him. I really dont want to hear whatever excuses he is going to make for our terrible performance.
Hugo Wastnage, 45, from Brighton, said: We the advantage of an early goal but we threw the advantage away by the way we played.
With Roy Hodgson in charge it was like playing with a handicap.
Justin Warren, 46, from Hastings, added: I have been following England to tournaments around the world for 20 years and this is the lowest point.
Her devastated father has criticised the care she received before her death
She was found hanged less than a month after she moved to a new centre
But she had been battling anorexia since she was 13 and went to clinic
A teenager praised as an excellent student hanged herself following a long battle with anorexia, an inquest has heard.
Former air cadet Jodie Turton, 19, got 12 GCSEs - two at Grade A* and ten at A - but she had been fighting the eating disorder since she was 13.
The youngster was initially treated in a unit in London which specialised in eating disorders but was transferred to the Cygnet Hospital in Bury, Greater Manchester.
Less than a month later in December last year, she was found hanged in her en-suite bathroom at the clinic.
Jodie Turton hanged herself a month after she was moved into a new clinic during a long battle with anorexia
Her father Paul, from Stockport, told an inquest into her death how his daughter had battled the condition from a young age.
He said: 'She was a lovely, thoughtful, caring, creative, adventurous and highly intelligent young lady. She loved her years at primary school and joined in the school activities especially those involving maths and art.
'It was during the secondary years that we became aware of the cruel illness that would change her life and our lives for ever.
'Although she managed to see her way through secondary school, her health deteriorated rapidly... we also found suicide notes.
'Her eating disorder was really taking hold and everything was revolving around calories, everything she ate she would eat and be sick, she tried everything to lose calories, it was her whole focus in life. She was a very clever person but she was ill - very ill.
'Her intelligence did shine through and she left school with two A* and ten A's and she was one of the most naturally talented mathematicians they had ever taught. But although she wanted to continue her academic studies and went to college her illness gave her no choice but to leave.
The teenager was a star student who excelled at maths but struggled with the eating disorder
Her father said: 'She tried everything to lose calories, it was her whole focus in life. She was a very clever person but she was ill - very ill'
Jodie went to an eating disorder clinic in London when her condition improved and last November, she wrote on Facebook 'this is the best I have felt for seven years'.
But just three days later her mood deteriorated and she set fire to her hospital bed. She was then moved to the clinic in Bury.
Mr Turnton, 52, criticised the care she received at the second clinic she was treated at.
He said: 'We were expecting her to go and someone to be there to say 'these are the problems and this is the sort of thing we can look to do' - some sort of table or structure. But there was no clinical psychologist.
'We didn't feel reassured and wondered how things were going to improve. On the Monday leading up to her death I spoke to a doctor and he said we were looking to implement a programme and someone would speak to her.
'But to my knowledge those never happened and Jodie did what she did. We're not medical experts but we always felt something was missing for her treatment.'
The hearing continues.
For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK, call the Samaritans free on 116 123, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here
Angela Merkel says she will use 'all her strength' to prevent the European Union from drifting apart in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the bloc.
Ahead of talks in Brussels, the German Chancellor warned Britain would not be able to 'cherry pick' in any future negotiations with the EU.
Merkel said she expected Britain would want to maintain 'close relations' with Europe once it leaves, but also signalled that it could not expect a business as usual approach.
Angela Merkel says she will use 'all her strength' to prevent the European Union from drifting apart in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the bloc
Ahead of talks in Brussels, the German Chancellor warned Britain would not be able to 'cherry pick' in any future negotiations with the EU
In an address Tuesday to Parliament before heading to the Belgian capital, she said: 'Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges,' she said.
'We will ensure there are no negotiations based on the principle of cherry-picking,' she told the German parliament to applause.
'There must be and will be a noticeable difference between whether a country wants to be a member of the European Union family or not.'
Merkel reiterated that there can be no talks with Britain on leaving the EU until Britain starts formal procedure to leave.
She added that the European Union could survive a British exit and would continue to guarantee 'peace, prosperity and stability'.
David Cameron (left) shook hands with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as they arrived at the EU Summit in Brussels today
Merkel said she expected Britain would want to maintain 'close relations' with Europe once it leaves, but also signalled that it could not expect a business as usual approach
'The EU is strong enough to withstand Britain's withdrawal,' she told parliament. 'It is also strong enough to successfully defend its interests in the world in future.'
During her speech she said that Germany senses 'how critical it is that all the remaining 27 countries in the European Union demonstrate that we are willing and capable of taking the right steps forward.
She welcomed all proposals that helped strengthen the EU, but said it crucial to avoid any measures that could encourage other countries to leave.
Merkel said it was up to Britain to initiate next steps to leave the EU before any informal or formal negotiations about its future ties with the bloc could begin.
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has said he is banning any informal and secretive negotiations on Brexit before the UK invokes Article 50 of the EU treaty.
He told a special session of the European Parliament that 'I want the UK to clarify its position, not today, not tomorrow at 9am, but soon. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty.'
A non-EU country can join the common market if its accepts the freedoms of people, goods, services and capital, she added, mentioning the example of Norway.
Merkel, who had met with the leaders of France and Italy yesterday in the aftermath of the shock referendum, said the three biggest economies on the continent had agreed on a 'common position' on the approach to the Brexit vote.
A three-year-old girl needed 20 stitches for serious head injuries after a set of IKEA drawers toppled over and crushed her while she was playing.
Evie-Mai McKenzie was in a bedroom at the family home in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, when the furniture - which weighs more than eight stone - is said to have toppled over and trapped her beneath.
Her mother Kellie Curtis, 25, said she heard a deafening bang and rushed into the room to find little Evie-Mae crying hysterically and covered in blood.
Evie-Mai McKenzie needed 20 stitches (right) for serious head injuries (left) after a set of IKEA drawers toppled over and crushed her while she was playing
Her mother Kellie Curtis (pictured with Evia-Mae and her son Mason), 25, heard a deafening bang and rushed into the room when she found little Evie-Mae crying hysterically and covered in blood
At hospital Evie-Mai had 20 stitches, including eight internally, to treat the huge gash on her head.
The drawers were from IKEA's Malm collection, which has come under scrutiny several times in the past few years. Three toddlers have died in separate incidents in the US after allegedly being crushed by the furniture.
The chest of drawers comes with brackets to secure it to the wall but some buyers fail to do this.
She then rushed her to hospital where Evie-Mai had 20 stitches to treat the huge gash on her head
Ms Curtis is now calling on the company to recall the drawers and is urging parents to ensure the furniture is installed correctly. It is unclear how exactly the drawers fell over.
Ms Curtis said: 'As soon as I heard the bang, I instantly knew exactly what must have happened. When I came in, the drawers were on top of her and I just saw the blood on the side of her face.
'She was in hysterics and crying her eyes out - I just thought she was going to die.'
She added: 'I have said it quite a few times this week that someone has been watching out for Evie up there because she has been unbelievably lucky to still be here.'
The dramatic incident took place when Ms Curtis was changing Evie-Mai's two-year-old brother Mason's nappy in the living room.
When she heard the bang, she raced upstairs and found her daughter underneath the wooden drawers, which had split in the fall.
She has now thrown away the drawers - which she has had since 2014 - but wants to warn other parents about the dangers of the drawers.
Last summer, both Ikea and the American Consumer Product Safety Commission made announcements about the dangers of not securing Malm furniture to the wall.
It came after the death of Ted McGee, from Philadelphia, who was apparently crushed by a falling Malm chest.
His mother, Janet, said she had put the 22-month-old down for a nap and was checking on him every 20 minutes until she found his bed empty and assumed he was hiding. To her horror, he was beneath the drawers.
In another tragic case, two-year-old Curren Collas died when a six-drawer Malm chest fell on him and pinned him to a bed in February 2014.
Ms Curtis is now calling on the company to recall the drawers and is urging parents to ensure the furniture is installed correctly. Evie-Mae is pictured after her accident
Three months later, a 23-month-old child from Snohomish, Washington, was killed when a three-drawer chest also crushed him.
Ms Curtis said: 'It has upset me that they were not fixed to the wall and I have been blaming myself so it is really important now that I can spread the word that they need to be fixed to the wall.
WHY THE IKEA DRAWERS ARE BEING RECALLED IN AMERICA BUT NOT THE UK The Malm drawers (right) are being recalled in the US and Canada but not in the UK or Ireland. IKEA said the recall - which involves 27m chests drawers - is based on the product not meeting the voluntary ASTM standard, which is applicable in North America. The ASTM is a local consumer authority which publishes voluntary technical standards for products. An IKEA UK spokesman said the drawers would not be removed from shelves in the UK because it meets all the mandatory 'stability' requirements. She said: 'Today, IKEA US and IKEA Canada will launch a local recall of chests of drawers in North America only. The recall is based on the local voluntary ASTM standard, which is applicable in North America. 'We cannot comment further on any details about the action in North America until IKEA US and IKEA Canada. 'IKEA chests of drawers meet all mandatory stability requirements on all markets where sold. IKEA chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall per the assembly instruction, using the tip over restraint provided with the product.' The products will also stay on the shelves in Australia. Advertisement
'I didn't know about the other boy who had been crushed by the drawers before this happened but I don't like the fact that the drawers are still on sale.
'This has put me off IKEA for good and I think that they need to make the drawers safer and I really want to stress that they really do need to be fixed to the wall to avoid something like this happening.'
IKEA have offered Kellie a full refund for the drawers as well as a gift for Evie-Mae and have opened an investigation into the incident.
Today, they also announced that the draws were being recalled across North America. The company has no plans to recall the items in the UK.
Ms Curtis said she is pleased to see IKEA take action but would like to see the same response across the globe.
Kellie said: 'I am pleased to see the US recall the drawers and to be fair to IKEA, they have been quite helpful in offering brackets to people who have been affected and have been quite good to me since it happened.
'It's not like they haven't done anything but, at the end of the day, the drawers are poorly made and it is not made clear that they are required to be fixed to the wall to be safe.
'It would be nice to see a ban or a recall brought in over here too but until then it is important to raise awareness for people who have the drawers in their homes that they need to be screwed into the wall.'
Donna Moore, country customer relations manager for IKEA UK & Ireland, said: 'We are saddened that an incident occurred whereby a young child sustained an injury and we have been in direct contact with the customer to investigate the incident.
'IKEA chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall, as per the assembly instructions using the tip over restraint provided with the product. We are committed to raising awareness of the tip over risks of all furniture and how to prevent accidents from happening through our 'Secure it!' campaign.
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
Earlier in the session he clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
But there was a moment of respite in the hostilities before the debate today when Mr Juncker embraced Mr Farge, but the Ukip leader looked uncomfortable as the European Commission president went in for a kiss.
There were intense clashes today in the European Parliament as Nigel Farage (pictured centre) faced furious MEPs after last week's referendum result
Nigel Farage greeted European Commission President Juncker in the European Parliament this morning. Mr Juncker told the Ukip leader he was surprised to see him in Brussels after last week's Brexit vote
As lawmakers applauded the EU chief as they met for crisis talks about the future of the EU following Britain's decision to exit last week, the animated European Commission chief interrupted his address to hit out at Mr Farage.
Breaking off from his speech - delivered in French - Mr Juncker switched to English as he told Mr Farage: 'That's the last time you are applauding here...and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here.
'You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?' he asked.
Mr Farage provoked jeers from opposing MEPs as he tore into them in his short but punchy speech.
He appealed for a 'grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship' but added: 'I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
BRITAIN MUST TRIGGER ARTICLE 50 IMMEDIATELY, SAYS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Britain must trigger the formal process of withdrawing from the EU immediately, a resolution by the European Parliament demanded this morning. MEPs voted on their preferred timing of Britain triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets out the procedure for a member state cutting ties with Brussels. The 'will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50,' a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session said this morning. It was voted by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstensions. But it is up to the British government to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit. The negotiation will have to negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas. The UK can leave earlier than that if terms are easily found. But if there is no deal by the end of the time we will be outside without any special provisions - meaning much higher trade tariffs. Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly. But leaders will have to navigate the whole process as they go because quitting the EU is an unprecedented move. Only semi-independent Greenland has quit the EU before, and that was 30 years ago when the island had a population of just 56,000. It can be argued that Algeria left too - when it stopped being part of France in the 1960s. But having been a member for 43 years, the process of untangling Britain from the complex network of institutions in Brussels is likely to take the maximum two years. If a new deal fails to be agreed in the time period, Britain's trading relationship with the EU will revert to World Trade Organisation terms - seen as the most basic and the ones used for Russia's trading relationship with Brussels. Advertisement
As MEPs broke out in uproar, European president Martin Schulz was forced to step in to appeal for calm.
He condemned Mr Farage for antagonising his long-standing opponents but told the heckling MEP to stop 'behaving like Ukip'.
The embattled Mr Juncker has been heavily criticised throughout Europe for his part in Britain's decision to cut ties with Brussels but used his address to a special session of the European Parliament to fight back.
Hitting back at calls for him to resign, he told MEPs he was going nowhere and pledged to continue fighting towards his goal of a federal Europe.
In a rare personal note, the 61-year-old former Luxembourg prime minister struck out at critics, notably in the German press but also among east European governments, who have called on him to stand down following the Brexit vote.
'I am neither tired or sick, as the German papers say,' he said. 'I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe.'
But he admitted the EU must accept the result of Britain's referendum.
'We must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view,' Mr Juncker said, drawing applause from the Ukip MEPs present.
Mr Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him.
Before the session began, Mr Farage had gone over to speak to Juncker. Both men appeared relaxed and as Farage made to leave, Juncker pulled him close and gave him an air-kiss on the cheek.
Mr Juncker said he would make no apology for being 'sad' at the result of the British vote - 'I am not a robot,' he said, 'I am not a grey bureaucrat.'
He urged Britain to explain quickly what it wanted from the EU in terms of a new relationship but insisted he had told his staff to engage in no preliminary talks with British officials until London engages the two-year mechanism for leaving the EU.
'No notification, no negotiation,' he said.
In an extraordinary day in the normally dull European Parliament, Mr Farage was also accused of using 'Nazi propaganda' to win the referendum - a reference to the controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border last October.
The pro-Brexit poster told voters the 'EU has failed us all,' adding below: 'We must break free of the EU and take back control of our borders.'
It drew comparisons to an original poster shown in a BBC documentary showing refugees fleeing Nazi Germany with the words: 'parasites undermining their host countries'.
Former Belgium prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who now heads up the Liberals and Democrats for Europe group of MEPs in the Brussels Parliament, claimed the Brexit campaign had only succeeded because it was based on negativity and 'lies' on immigration.
Nigel Farage's union flag was upside down (pictured) as he gloated about Britain's decision to leave the EU in the European Parliament today
Nigel Farage (right) sits next to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (left) in a special session of the European Parliament today where leading European politicians discussed last week's historic decision by British voters to quit the EU
In a bitter attack on Mr Farage today, he told him: 'It's my feeling that it's not so much the choice they have made that is hard what makes it so hard is the way it succeeded.
'The absolutely negative campaign, the posters of Mr Farage showing refugees like in Nazi propaganda.
'I was never told that it was possible that somebody in this house should do a thing like that.
'The lies also on migration. The lies on 'oh Turkey will join the union next week'. Or the lies on the 350m that should return immediately to the National Health Service. And now don't go back to the National Health Service.
'It's that climate of fear that has been created, of negativism that has been created that is the most shocking thing that has happened in Britain not the choice of the people, because the choice of the people is democracy.'
Mr Verhofstadt also joked: 'Finally we will be getting rid of the biggest waste in the EU budget that we have paid for 17 years of your salary.'
Nigel Farage (pictured with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Parliament today) told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'
Earlier in the session Nigel Farage (pictured right) clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (left), who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
Following Mr Juncker shortly afterwards, Mr Farage taunted MEPs by saying: 'Isn't it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me well I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you?
'The reason you're so upset, you're so angry, has been perfectly clear, from all the angry exchanges this morning.
'You as a political project are in denial. You're in denial that your currency is failing. Just look at the Mediterranean! As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the Mediterranean you've done very well.'
He added: 'You're in denial over Mrs. Merkel's call for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean which has led to massive divisions between within countries and between countries.
'The biggest problem you've got and the main reason the UK voted the way it did is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union.'
Jean-Claude Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage (right), who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him
'You only won because of lies and Nazi propaganda!' Farage attacked by furious MEPs - but they also rejoice at saving the 'biggest waste of EU money' (the Ukip leader's salary)
Nigel Farage was attacked by furious European politicians today and was accused of winning the EU referendum by using 'lies' and 'Nazi propoganda'.
Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgium prime minister and now an MEP, compared Ukip's controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border to a Nazi campaign poster.
He also joked that Brussels would be saving money thanks to Brexit, telling MEPs: 'Finally we will be getting rid of the biggest waste in the EU budget that we have paid for 17 years of your salary.'
It came during an extraordinary day in the normally dull European Parliament, where Mr Farage was booed and heckled as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
Guy Verhofstadt, pictured standing up, the former Belgium prime minister and now an MEP, compared Ukip's controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border to a Nazi campaign poster as he delivered a bitter attack on Nigel Farage, sat second from right in front of a Union flag, which was ironically upside down. The Ukip leader sat next to EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, right
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
But minutes later Mr Verhofstadt launched a bitter attack on Mr Farage over his poster - launched in the final days before the EU referendum - that told voters: 'The EU has failed us all' alongside a line of predominantly male Syrian refugees on the Slovenian border last October.
It added below: 'We must break free of the EU and take back control of our borders.'
The poster, which caused widespread condemnation from both the Remain and Leave campaigns, drew comparisons to an original poster shown in a BBC documentary showing refugees fleeing Nazi Germany with the words: 'parasites undermining their host countries'.
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, launched a bitter attack on Mr Farage over his poster (pictured) that told voters: 'The EU has failed us all' alongside a line of predominantly male Syrian refugees on the Slovenian border last October
Mr Verhofstadt, who now heads up the Liberals and Democrats for Europe group of MEPs in the Brussels Parliament, claimed the Brexit campaign had only succeeded because it was based on negativity and 'lies' on immigration.
He told Mr Farage: 'It's my feeling that it's not so much the choice they have made that is hard what makes it so hard is the way it succeeded.
'The absolutely negative campaign, the posters of Mr Farage showing refugees like in Nazi propaganda.
'I was never told that it was possible that somebody in this house should do a thing like that.
'The lies also on migration. The lies on 'oh Turkey will join the union next week'. Or the lies on the 350m that should return immediately to the National Health Service. And now don't go back to the National Health Service.
'It's that climate of fear that has been created, of negativism that has been created that is the most shocking thing that has happened in Britain not the choice of the people, because the choice of the people is democracy.'
'You're not laughing now, are you!' Nigel Farage taunts fellow MEPs after finally realising his dream of leaving the EU
Read Nigel Farage's full speech to the European Parliament:
Isn't it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me well I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you? The reason you're so upset, you're so angry, has been perfectly clear, from all the angry exchanges this morning.
You as a political project are in denial. You're in denial that your currency is failing. Just look at the Mediterranean! As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the Mediterranean you've done very well.
You're in denial over Mrs. Merkel's call for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean which has led to massive divisions between within countries and between countries.
The biggest problem you've got and the main reason the UK voted the way it did is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union.
When the people in 2005 in the Netherlands and France voted against that political union and rejected the constitution you simply ignored them and brought the Lisbon treaty in through the back door.
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
What happened last Thursday was a remarkable result it was a seismic result. Not just for British politics, for European politics, but perhaps even for global politics too.
Because what the little people did, what the ordinary people did what the people who'd been oppressed over the last few years who'd seen their living standards go down did was they rejected the multinationals, they rejected the merchant banks, they rejected big politics and they said actually, we want our country back, we want our fishing waters back, we want our borders back.
We want to be an independent, self-governing, normal nation. That is what we have done and that is what must happen. In doing so we now offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the rest of the European continent. I'll make one prediction this morning: the United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
The question is what do we do next? It is up to the British government to invoke article 50 and I don't think we should spend too long in doing it. I totally agree that the British people have voted, we need to make sure that it happens.
What I'd like to see is a grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship. I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
Nigel Farage was mobbed by Europe's media after giving a gloating speech to the European Parliament today
You're quite right Mr Schultz Ukip used to protest against the establishment and now the establishment protests against Ukip. Something has happened here. Let us listen to some simple pragmatic economics my country and your country, between us we do an enormous amount of business in goods and services.
That trade is mutually beneficial to both of us, that trade matters. If you were to cut off your noses to spite your faces and reject any idea of a sensible trade deal the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us.
Even no deal is better for the United Kingdom is better than the current rotten deal that we've got. But if we were to move to a position where tariffs were reintroduced on products like motorcars then hundreds of thousands of German works would risk losing their jobs.
Why don't we be grown up, pragmatic, sensible, realistic and let's cut between us a sensible tariff-free deal and thereafter recognise that the United Kingdom will be your friend, that we will trade with you, cooperate with you, we will be your best friends in the world.
Billionaire Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has annoyed locals on the Hawaiian holiday island of Kauai after he began construction a large stone wall around his $100million 750-acre retreat.
Zuckerberg bought the property in 2014 and later added two further parcels of land, including 393 acres at Pila'a Beach on the north shore of the island.
However, the Facebook founder is facing criticism locally over the controversial plans.
Scroll down for video
Paradise: Mark Zuckerberg bought the property and land for $100million in 2014 on on the holiday island of Kauai (pictured is the north shore which is where Zuckerberg's land is situated)
Remote: An aerial shot of the 750 acres of the Kahu'aina plantation, as well as the 393 acres of Pila'a Beach, which Zuckerberg snapped up to add to his property empire
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla head back onto the sand after enjoying an afternoon of surfing in Kauai, Hawaii in 2013
The wall is believed to be made from locally-sourced stone, but according to neighbors it is an eyesore.
Gy Hall told West Hawaii Today: 'The feeling of it is really oppressive. Its immense. Its really sad that somebody would come in, and buy a huge piece of land and the first thing they do is cut off this view thats been available and appreciative by the community here for years.'
He added: '(The crew) put some boards up, so you can see the future projection of the wall and what it will cut off. Its quite dramatic because you can see all the pasture land and ocean underneath the boards.'
Donna Mcmillen, also criticized the wall: 'Im super unhappy about that. I know that land belongs to Zuckerberg. Money is no option for him. Im 58 and when Im walking, I see nothing but wall. It just doesnt fit in with the natural beauty that we have here. There are people on the island who money can pay for anything. These kind of things that they do take away what Kauai is all about.'
Mail Online has attempted to contact Facebook for a comment about the controversy.
Locals near his $10-million Dolores Park mansion in San Francisco complained about the disruption caused by construction crews redeveloping the historic 1920s property with the inclusion of a mud room
Security conscious: Zuckerberg posed in this photograph last week, which showed the camera and audio jack on his Macbook were covered up with pieces of tape
Neighbors of Zuckerberg's San Francisco mansion have also complained about the disruption caused by the billionaire's attempt to redevelop the building.
Some complained that construction crews working on the property were causing disruption and taking up parking spaces outside the $10 million property.
The house, which is in the Dolores Park area of the city, was built in the 1920s.
According to planning documents, Zuckerberg wanted to include an office, media room, wine room, laundry room, mud room and a wet bar added to the house.
Zuckerberg had previously paid approximately $28 million on buying four homes near his Silicon Valley mansion in order to protect his privacy.
Security-conscious Zuckerberg, who is worth in excess of $30 billion, has a gaggle of security guards who work round the clock to protect him. In five years, Facebook has spent more than $16million protecting him and his family.
Ellie-Mae Holmes (left) burst into tears when her school threatened to remove her from class and bar her from trips because her single hair braid was 'extreme'. Her sister Lucy (right) also has one
A schoolgirl burst into tears after teachers threatened to remove her from class and bar her from trips because her single hair braid was deemed to be 'extreme'.
Ellie-Mae Holmes was celebrating her 15th birthday when she was told she had broken rules laid out by Our Lady and St John Catholic College, in Blackburn, Lancashire.
The teenager and her sisters Lucy, 11, and Katie, six, had each had their hair braided on a family holiday to Greece three weeks ago.
But Ellie-Me's mother, Becky Gemmell, said it wasn't until yesterday that the school took exception.
The sisters are now set to reluctantly remove the blue and white braids.
Ms Gemmell, 33, said: 'I was heartbroken. Ellie was crying when she called me to say the school were threatening to punish her.
'It was her birthday as well. She had never been told about the braid previously so I didn't think there was a problem.
'Her sister Lucy who goes to the same school has the braids and she's not been told to remove them, so I feel as if Ellie is being picked on.
'I was told it was against school policy to have extreme hair, I don't see how it's extreme.'
The school's uniform policy states that 'extreme hairstyles are not allowed', but does not describe what constitutes the definition.
The Department for Education's School uniform September 2013 guidelines said governors should be willing to consider reasonable requests for flexibility in the uniform policy for an individual pupil, to accommodate particular social and cultural circumstances.
However, it does not mention banned hairstyles.
Ms Gemmell said: 'We went on holiday and got the braids done as a treat, they even match the colours of the school.
'Both of my daughters at the school went in and not one word was said about them, I didn't have any letters home either.
'It's upsetting because I don't understand why she is suddenly being targeted for her hair.'
The mother-of-three claimed that her eldest daughter was also threatened with withdrawal from taking her GCSE's at the school after 'disrupting' a mock exam last week.
Dispute: The teenager (left) and her sisters Lucy (right), 11, and Katie, six, had their hair braided on holiday three weeks ago. But their mother, Becky Gemmell (centre), said the school only complained yesterday
Telling off: Ellie-Mae Holmes was celebrating her 15th birthday when she was told she had broken rules laid out by Our Lady and St John Catholic College, in Blackburn, Lancashire (pictured)
Ms Gemmell said: 'When I asked the head of year what happened, I was told she sat upright in her chair and looked around the room to try and engage with other students.
'I asked if she had spoke or made any noise and was told she wasn't making any noise.
'It's absolutely ridiculous and I'm so angry, she doesn't deserve this treatment.'
Last year, a boy from Hoddlesden St Paul CE Primary School in Darwen was banned from going to school after his hair breached school rules.
An Our Lady and St John Catholic College spokesman said: 'At Our Lady and St John we set high aspirations and expectations of our pupils, including uniform and personal presentation.
'This is in-keeping with the types of first-class professional organisations we expect our students to aspire to and our experiences of other outstanding schools.
North Korea is suspected of restarting its counterfeit currency business after an agent from the secretive nation was arrested over the discovery of fake $100 bills paid in to Chinese banks.
The agent was held in Dandong, a city in eastern China bordering North Korea, amid claims he had exchanged $5million into Chinese currency before depositing the cash.
Fake notes were detected counting machines at the banks before the unnamed man was arrested and his accounts frozen, it has been reported.
North Korea is suspected of restarting its counterfeit currency business after an agent from the secretive nation was arrested over the discovery of fake $100 bills paid in to Chinese banks. Dictator Kim Jong-Un is pictured
The Telegraph reports South Korean newspaper JoongAng as saying the man admitted being part of the North's dictatorship under Kim Jong-UN.
A source reportedly said that the man had confessed to spying in the South.
The cash was due to have been spent on luxury house hold items - much sought after in the impoverished North - before being handed out by the dictator to some of his key backers.
The agent was held in Dandong, a city in eastern China bordering North Korea, amid claims he had exchanged $5million into Chinese currency before depositing the cash
The U.S. Secret Service estimates that North Korea has produced $45million in fake $100 bills since 1989.
It is thought the nation started manufacturing the notes - dubbed superdollars because of the quality of reproduction - in the 1970s.
A ten-year-old girl was killed by a nurse who botched the insertion of a feeding tube and then ignored danger signs that her life was in danger, a court has heard.
Phoebe Willis screamed in pain and started bleeding when Carrie Anne Nash pushed the tube in despite feeling something blocking its way at Weston General Hospital, a jury was told.
Nash, 34, a paediatric specialist, then ignored a series of 'red flag' indicators and sent the youngster home, it is alleged.
But when Phoebe's mum, Heather Willis, fed her milk before putting her to bed that night it seeped into the cavity between her vital organs which eventually resulted in blood poisoning.
On trial: Nurse Carrie-Anne Nash, 33, left, denies the manslaughter of Phoebe Willis, right, who died after problems with her feeding tube, a court heard
The next morning Heather dialled 999 after finding Phoebe 'looking grey' but by the time the ambulance arrived her lips were blue and she had gone into cardiac arrest.
Phoebe died the following evening after further cardiac arrests and brain injury and Nash was charged with her manslaughter three years later.
Allegations: Carrie-Anne Nash 33, is accused of killing the ten-year-old on the grounds of gross negligence
Bristol Crown Court heard that the youngster needed a feeding tube because she suffered from cystinosis, a rare genetic condition.
Since her diagnosis as a baby the tube was changed every three months - a simple procedure which her parents Julian and Heather had been used to carrying out.
But they decided to take Phoebe to Weston General Hospital, North Somerset, after they found it unusually difficult to push a new tube in, in August 2012, it was heard.
None of the medics on shift were qualified to deal with the situation so Nash, a community nurse employed by Nutricia Ltd., was called in to help.
Prosecuting, Sarah Whitehouse QC, said Nash 'repeatedly attempted' to insert the device, known as a mini balloon button.
She said: 'When she finally succeeded, she didn't make sure the tube attached to the button was where it should be - extending from the abdominal wall and into the stomach.
'She ignored what are called 'red flag' indicators which would have warned her that the tube was not in Phoebe's stomach.
'Tragically, the tube wasn't properly placed and so when Phoebe was fed through the tube, milk did not enter her stomach but rested in the cavity between her organs.'
This caused infection, sepsis and, ultimately, the little girl's death, the court heard.
Ms Whitehouse added: 'This is how Ms Nash came to be charged with manslaughter.
'Not because she intended to kill Phoebe, or wanted Phoebe to die or be harmed in any way.
'But because she acted contrary to national guidance, contrary to her employer's safety protocols and contrary to her training.
'Critically, she failed to recognise or act on 'red flag' indicators that suggested there was a serious problem with the tube placement.
'She provided a level of care to Phoebe that was so very far below the standard to be expected of a nurse with her specialist training that it can properly be described as criminal.'
The jury was told that after inserting an button, there was a two-hour window in which replacement tubes can be fitted before the tract closes up.
Phoebe's mum removed the existing tube at around 11.05am and Nash arrived at the hospital at 1.05pm - just inside the time frame, the court heard.
After inserting the tube - which Heather said Nash did with some force - Phoebe started bleeding and was in pain - both 'red flags' indicating a problem, it was heard.
The nurse then took a liquid sample through the tube to check it was acidic, as it would be if it was properly inserted into the stomach, and found the pH was six.
Tragedy: Phoebe was sent home from Weston General Hospital despite being in pain and died the following day
That should also have caused concern, as national guidelines suggest that any pH above five and a half is not acidic enough and indicates that the tube isn't in properly.
Nash claimed she told a hospital doctor who didn't seem worried but he said 'if he had known about this factor it would have caused him concern', the court heard.
The nurse, who qualified in 2003, then flushed the tube with water - causing Phoebe to cry out and complain of chest pain - before discharging her from hospital.
In doing so, she ignored important 'red flags' including persistent pain and fresh bleeding around the site, which should have seen Phoebe admitted to hospital.
That night, the poorly youngster was fed some milk through her tube and watched a DVD before going to sleep at home in Locking, North Somerset.
She was rushed to hospital the following morning, where medics battled to save her, the court heard.
Sadly, Phoebe died the next day, at 9.55pm on Sunday, August 26 2012, after she stopped breathing for 40 minutes and her intensive care was eventually terminated.
A post-mortem showed she died of brain injury as a result of 'overwhelming' sepsis - blood poisoning - caused by milk peritonitis, which was triggered by the tube change.
Zoo has 4,000 animals including predators such as lions and tiger sharks
Police dogs and security officers searched for hours but with no luck
Police were chasing man in a car when he got out and jumped into zoo
A man wanted in a police chase in Pittsburgh has evaded capture by fleeing into the city's zoo.
Officers were chasing the man in a stolen car after spotting it at 12am last night in Highland Park.
The runner ditched his Nissan Altima and jumped the fence at the Pittsburgh Zoo around 1am.
A man wanted in a police chase in Pittsburgh has evaded capture by fleeing into the city's zoo (stock image)
Police dogs and zoo security officers searched the grounds and nearby woodlands for about two hours but the man was nowhere to be found.
They recovered his mobile phone that was still ringing in the car.
Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh Zoo is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the U.S.
It has 4,000 animals representing 475 species, including several ferocious predators such as lions and tiger sharks.
It writes on its website: 'The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium strives to foster positive, lifelong connections between animals and people.
'Whether through our exhibits, educational programs, or our many conservation projects, our goal is to make certain the Earth remains a suitable home for all life by our discovery of the interconnectedness of the natural world.'
Portland police said McCrary did not have had any serious convictions
Officers believe McCrary may have been suffering from a mental illness
David Daniel McCrary, pictured, was shot dead after he broke into a 10-year-old girl's bedroom on Sunday morning by the youngster's woman
A mom of two shot dead a home intruder she discovered waiting in her children's bedroom after returning home on Sunday night.
Tara-Alexis Ford, 33, shot intruder David Daniel McCrary, 59, who had clambered into her 10-year-old daughter's bedroom.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office ruled McCrary, who had a history of mental illness, died of a single gunshot wound.
Officers confirmed McCrary, who had no connection with Ford, did not have any significant criminal history.
Detectives believe McCrary made his way into the house through a back window into her daughter's bedroom.
Fortunately her daughter, aged 10, and five-year-old son, were in a different room at the time of the break-in.
Ford has not been arrested following the shooting. Detectives are considering whether the shooting was in self-defense.
She has been assisting officers with the investigation which will be reviewed by Mulnomah County District Attorney's Office.
Police received the emergency call at 1.47am on Sunday morning after Ford contacted them claiming she had shot dead an intruder.
Officers arrived to find McCrary's body in the bedroom.
McCrary was originally from the City of Gresham, to the east of Portland.
Advertisement
Standing proudly side by side, their long hair blowing elegantly in the wind, this stunning photograph of two Afghan hounds is just one of the winning entries in a competition celebrating the very best of man's best friend
Puppies are pictured snuggling, swimming and snoozing in some of the other winning images, which were among an incredible 13,000 entries from 90 different countries in the annual Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year contest, now in its tenth year.
Dogs can also be seen playing in the snow, rafting in the sea and cuddling up to their masters.
Elegant: Jamie Morgan, of Maidstone, Kent, won the Dog Portrait category with a stunning shot of two Afghan Hounds in the countryside
Cute: Jasmine Ottley, from the UK, won 3rd place in the I Love Dogs Because... (under 18) category with her photograph of sirsidneythepug (left), who has almost 12,000 Instagram followers. Rogerio Araujo, from Brazil, came 3rd in the Portrait category with his image (right)
Smile! Advait Huggahalli, from the US, took this adorable photo. It picked up 3rd place in the I Love Dogs Because.. (under 18) category
Heart-warming: Linda Storm, from the US, won 1st place in the Puppy category in the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year competition after entering her image of a rescue puppy enjoying a bowl of milk (left) Colombian Adriana Bernal came 2nd in the Oldies catergory with her image of a 10-year-old Irish Setter resting in an arm chair (right)
Tranquil: This year's overall winner was Anastasia Vetkoyskaya, from Russia, for her atmospheric photo of Sheldon the English Springer Spaniel taking an early morning Autumn dip. Anastasia lives in Moscow with her husband, two children, three dogs, two cats and a horse
The competition has eight categories: Portrait, Man's Best Friend; Dogs At Play; Dogs At Work; Puppy, Oldies, and I Love Dogs Because - a category specifically for those aged 18 and under and Assistance Dogs and Dog Charities.
This year's overall winner was Anastasia Vetkoyskaya, from Russia, for her atmospheric photo of Sheldon the English Springer Spaniel taking an early morning Autumn dip.
Anastasia, who lives in Moscow with her husband, two children, three dogs, two cats and a horse, said: 'I have loved animals from an early age, which is why I went to Moscow Veterinary Academy and became a veterinary surgeon in 2007.
'Around this time my husband gave me my first SLR camera and since then I have devoted all of my free time to photography. My speciality is pets and I am inspired most by horses and dogs.'
Tom Lowe, from North Tyneside, won the Dogs at Play category with a photo of his cute pet Westie, Baxter, emerging from Loch Lomond.
Lending a helping hand: Diana Andersen, from Australia, submitted this image of a lady with her assistance dog. The photo won 2nd place in the Assistance Dogs and Dog Charities category in the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year competition
Daniel Nygaard's photo of a dog playing in the snow (left) was handed a 3rd place in the Dogs at Play category while Polina Ulyanova, from the US, also placed in the same position in the Man's Best Friend category of the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year competition
Taking a break: A service dog from the West Midland Fire Brigade was photographed by Robert James Dray from the UK. The image was selected in 2nd place in the Dogs at Work category by Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year judges
Lou, formerly a working dog, was caught on camera by Kristi Oikawa from Canada. The photo won 3rd place in the Dogs at Work category
Tail in tail: Elouise Leland captured this image of two puppies huddled together. It was handed 2nd place in the Dogs at Play category
Having fun: Britain's Monika Madi saw her puppy chewing a hat and felt compelled to take a photo. It won 3rd place in the Puppy category
Jamie Morgan, from Maidstone, won the Dog Portrait category with a stunning shot of two Afghan Hounds in the countryside.
A picture of a man and his dog travelling by train and reading a book together won Fiona Sami, from Bristol, top place in the Man's Best Friend category, whilst Jade Hudson, 16, from Lincolnshire came top in the under 18s section for a cute close-up photo of a dog sleeping.
The winner of the Assistance Dogs and Dog Charities category was Michael Higginson, from Preston, Lancashire, who took a photo of his brother Dale in a wheelchair with family pet, Esta.
Mr Higginson said: 'I was pretty surprised when I got the call. I'm not one for expressing myself emotionally but I had the largest, longest lasting smile and my partner Cat - who came 2nd in the Puppy category - was enthusiastically star jumping around the room.
'Winning the Assistance Dog category has made it even more special. It's an honour to be able to show the world what a difference a dog can make to someone else's life.'
Jonathan Yearsley from the UK submitted an image of two old labrador brothers sitting on a hill in Wales (left), which won 3rd place in the Oldies category. Another British entrant, Cat Race, took a picture of a solemn dog waiting for its owner to return (right). It came second
Andrey Ershov from Russia won 2nd place in the Portrait category in the Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year contest with this photo
Let sleeping dogs lie: Jade Hudson, 16, from Lincolnshire, won 1st place in the I Love Dogs Because.. (under 18) category with this image of Hugo the Labrador Retriever
Going for a paddle: US entrant Bruce Lehman was awarded 2nd place in the Man's Best Friend category after he submitted this photograph
Looking mischievous: This image sent in by Kevin Smith from the UK was chosen as the winner of the Oldies category in the competition
Rosemary Smart, chief executive of the Kennel Club, said: 'The entries for this year's Dog Photographer of the Year competition were some of the best we have ever seen.
'Choosing the winners was an incredibly challenging task and we commend every photographer who entered.
'Each of the winning photographers beautifully captured the essence of their canine subjects on camera, demonstrating how important dogs are to us in every walk of life. The winners showed great technical skill and we look forward to seeing more work from them in the future.'
The winning images plus the photos that placed second and third for each category will be on display at the Kennel Club in Mayfair, London, from today until September 12. The exhibition is open to the public and free to visit by appointment by contacting artgallery@thekennelclub.org.uk.
Loyalty: Michael Higginson, from Preston, Lancashire, took a photo of his brother Dale with family pet Esta. It won the Assistance Dogs and Dog Charities category. Mr Higginson said: 'I'm not one for expressing myself emotionally but I had the largest, longest lasting smile'
Tom Lowe, from North Tyneside, won the Dogs at Play category with a photo of his cute pet Westie, Baxter, emerging from Loch Lomond
Read me a story: This image taken by Fiona Sami, from Bristol, of a man and his dog travelling by train won the Man's Best Friend category
A former soldier travelled 459 miles after discovering his friend's step-daughter, who has Down's Syndrome, did not have a date for her college prom.
Andrew Duffy made the journey from Berwick-Upon-Tweed in the Scottish borders to north Devon to take 18-year-old Emily Wheeler to the end-of-year party.
Mr Duffy first met Emily at the wedding of his old friend David Findlay and the teenager's mother Vikki Findlay.
He has since been inspired by her determination to live as independent a life as possible and was determined to take her to the prom.
Andrew Duffy took Emily Wheeler, his friend's step-daughter who has Down's syndrome, to her college prom after hearing she didn't have a date. She later won prom queen
Mr Duffy says he has been inspired by the teenager's determination to live an independent life
He said: 'When I heard she had no one to take her to prom I was really upset for her - who wouldn't want to take her?
'There was no doubt in my mind, I had to come down to Devon and help out. I didn't do it for any form of recognition, I just wanted to dance with her and have a good time.'
Earlier this month, he drove to Edinburgh Airport from Berwick, before flying to Bristol then driving to Barnstaple, north Devon.
He presented Emily with a bunch of pink roses and asked her to be his date before accompanying the teenager to her Grease-themed prom at mainstream Petroc College in Barnstable
Emily wore a blue dress with white polka dots and had older sister Alex, 22, do her hair and makeup.
She was even voted prom queen by staff from JBlock, the college's supported learning section.
Mr Duffy is a friend of Emily's parents, David and Vikki Findlay (right) and has known her for years
He credits her with helping his battle against post traumatic stress disorder he got since leaving the army
Mr Duffy suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq during his time in The King's Own Scottish Borderers infantry regiment.
He says spending time with Emily has helped him deal with the anxiety, panic attacks and night terrors he suffers due to the condition.
Mr Duffy added: 'I don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for her. I can honestly say that girl saved my life.
'When I spend time with her she just absorbs every bit of negativity, it is really quite amazing.
'I think the way forward is for PTSD sufferers to spend time working with people with special needs.
Boris, the bookies' favourite: By noon on Thursday we will know who is in the running to be our next PM
By noon on Thursday we will know who is in the running to be our next Prime Minister.
Boris is the bookies' favourite. Theresa thinks she may still stand a chance, despite lecturing our police on their behaviour and singularly failing to get a grip on immigration. And the rest are just meat in the room, like a sandwich filling.
But in the interim we cant sit here wiggling our thumbs whilst sore losers click on fraudulent petitions and the media spread doom and gloom.
And I am not prepared to listen to talk of a second referendum following negotiations with the European Union. We already did that.
Dave went. He came back empty-handed. We didnt like his deal. We voted Leave.
And for the record, Leave voters are not stupid racists. Outside the toxic bubble of London, we voted leave because we wanted our country back. We voted for our national identity to be restored, laws of our own making and neighbours of our choosing.
We voted for our grandchildren to know the Britain we once knew. Not to be at the back of the queue in this Ghetto Kingdom where no one belongs.
You can focus on a piece of graffiti on a Polish community centre and talk about it all you want. It doesnt make Leave voters racist.
Just as blaming old people for voting leave doesnt make you ageist does it? It just makes you very bloody ungrateful to the generations who fought twice for the peace that even makes the EU possible.
Someone has got to step up and fill the void - and here I am!
History is Boris's for the making. And he must grab it, or forever have his critics crow that they were right all along and he's just a clownish Winston Lite
Im backing Boris (who is pictured leaving his home in London this morning), to make Britain great again
As the self-appointed interim Prime Minister, Im laying out my road map for Boris to follow when he finally wakes up, stops feeling bad about winning and realises it is his time to Serve to Lead, as the Sandhurst motto goes.
This is his moment. This is Thatchers Falklands, Churchills fighting on the beaches and Farages Friday morning.
History is his for the making. And he must grab it, or forever have his critics crow that they were right all along and he's just a clownish Winston Lite (and I'm not talking low-tar cigarettes).
So get to it, Boris.
Firstly, give us some certainty that you actually meant all those things you said during the campaign.
People want certainty.
The markets crave it and there is no better medicine for nerves than a cast-iron guarantee.
The people are out. We backed leave and we need a Prime Minister who will do so too.
On Day One invoke Article 50 and kick-start the process to leave the EU.
Out: David Cameron went to the EU. He came back empty-handed. We didnt like his deal. We voted Leave
Merkel reassures we are not under time pressure while Juncker is demanding we act fast. Either way, they are STILL trying to tell us what to do. They obviously didnt get the memo from the 52 per cent just yet.
Theresa thinks she may still stand a chance at being PM, despite lecturing our police on their behaviour and singularly failing to get a grip on immigration
We have to demonstrate we really are leaving. We are not just having a lovers tiff and moving into the spare room for a few days.
We need to hand-deliver divorce papers and rock up in court with a very expensive and devastatingly good-looking barrister at our side.
Out means out. We are free and single. And we are already fishing for new trading partners and global allies.
Now, committed to the cause, we can sort the fundamentals; markets and migration.
Certainty will do the leg work for us.
Be clear. We are no longer going to accept the free movement of people.
Now it is in the interest of the EU to try to find a way we can still make a relationship work.
Maybe we need a relationship counsellor, maybe we become friends with benefits. Or Tinder side swipes. There when we fancy it.
Fifty two per cent of the country voted to end the free movement of people from the EU into our country. It is a political inevitability this will happen. Lets get it done.
We need a points-based immigration system to honour the votes of the majority and their commitment to this country.
Yes we still want migrants, but people move globally.
Our new migrant plan is about attracting top talent, hard workers and productive people - WHEREVER they are from.
If we need the skills or services you supply the entrepreneurialism or dynamism you have to offer. You are in.
If you ever travelled to Syria to commit jihad or work for a charity located in ISIS territory, you, my friend, are out.
One thing is certain, we need to stop asking for a Norway-style deal. We are not Norway.
This is Boris's moment. This is Thatchers Falklands. (She is pictured visiting British forces on a visit in 1983)
They may have better hair. But Norway has accepted free movement of people in return for access to the single market.
Britain is breaking new frontiers for relations with Europe.
The people have spoken. We voted leave. Its time to go
We will campaign hard for access to the Economic Area, or for a free trade area in goods.
With certainty, and market confidence in our corner, we also have two years to step up our trade ties with the Rest of the World.
Id task a workforce of compliance dullards to work through the 80,000 page contract that binds the UK to EU bureaucrats. Anyone with aspirations to work for a regulator theyd be perfect.
We need to send our brightest and best to the fastest growing economies on this planet to seal new trade deals and secure our joint wealth.
You know, Ive never had a death in the family. But Ive watched those mourning through grief. They say time doesnt heal, but you learn to live alongside it.
Angela Merkel reassures we are not under time pressure while Jean-Claude Juncker is demanding we act fast
And so it will prove for the Remain camp. They are acting like someone died.
Right now they are angry, mostly at themselves for not bothering to turn up and vote. But in time they will learn to live alongside the decisions made by those who have watched this country morph into something unrecognisable.
Like all good families, we will fall out. There will be some we dont speak to because they married an idiot, or left their kids for a man with money. We may never get a wedding invite from Scotland, but to be honest, I wont be going to their funeral if they try for a second referendum.
And thats OK. We dont all love each other all the time. Thats life.
But we do share a family name. And we agree to live under the same laws, to tolerate our differences and respect our democracy.
The people have spoken. We voted leave. Its time to go.
Businessman told A Current Affair his neighbours are 'just jealous'
He also blasts Tom Jones songs from his vehicle and house at night
They say he drives his $500,000 car up and down their quiet street
A businessman dubbed 'Lamborghini Joe' by his furious neighbours has been terrorising them for months by speeding up and down their street in his $500,000 car while blasting '70s music.
Jozef Lewandowski, the director of a Welding company in Brisbane, has faced a string of complaints from neighbours who say he drives recklessly along their street and speeds in his Aventador.
They told Channel 9's A Current Affair they had reported him to police several times but that the man had ignored their warnings.
Mr Lewandowski, 61, dismissed their grievances and said they were merely 'jealous' of his extravagant lifestyle.
Scroll down for video
Brisbane businessman Jozef Lewandowski has been dubbed 'Lamborghini Joe' by his neighbours who have grown tired of his loud car and music
According to the neighbours who appeared on the programme, the businessman speeds on the street in his white Lamborghini at all hours.
Some shared video footage of loud music being blasted late at night, with Tom Jones song Mr Lewandowski's favourites.
They said he had turned their quiet neighbourhood into a living 'hell' with his antics.
'You're dealing with a pig, an absolute grub,' said one while another likened the sound of the car to 'a F1 fighter'.
But Mr Lewandowski shrugged off any wrongdoing, insisting he was the victim of aggressive neighbours and not the other way around.
The businessman drives his $500,000 car up and down the street with no regard for neighbours, they said
Mr Lewandowski dismissed neighbours' criticisms and said they were just 'jealous' about his car
The welding-business owner lives in this house (above) in a Brisbane suburb, according to the programme
While others live in modest houses on the street, Mr Lewandowski's house has a water slide and poolside cabana
'Probably they're jealous, I have a Lamborghini,' he said casually, adding that he 'could be' intentionally irritating his neighbours.
Queensland Police Service could not confirm whether he had been approached by officers over the alleged behaviour on Tuesday evening.
It's not clear how long he has lived on the house which is worth a reported $3million.
Photographs of the property showed a large outdoor swimming pool with a water slide and cabana and a sweeping drive way at its front.
Mr Lewandowski was seen on camera opening large electronic gates before entering the property.
He was not available for comment on Tuesday.
Quindarius Love, of Brownsville, Tennessee, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder for allegedly firing ten bullets into a crowd, which killed one and injured two
An 18-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl after he allegedly fired shots into a crowd at a party on Sunday night.
In addition to a first-degree murder charge, Quindarius Love, of Brownsville, Tennessee, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and felony reckless endangerment for the alleged act.
The teen was arrested after Elia Hernandez, 17, was killed by one of the ten bullets Love allegedly fired.
Love and Hernandez were both outside at a house party when a fight broke out.
Hernandez hid inside the house as Love allegedly began firing into the crowd with a .40-caliber handgun.
Haywood County Sheriff Melvin Bond told The Jackson Sun that while Hernandez was hiding, a shot punctured her abdomen.
Hernandez died from her injuries and two others were wounded.
Hernandez had just graduated high school and her friends said she had a bright future ahead of her.
Jonathan Davis, 22, was shot in the back after he attempted to break up the fight.
Two friends attempted to drive Davis to the hospital, but were involved in a car accident and all three had to be transported to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
Love is charged with the attempted murder of Davis.
Carlos Savage, 19, was also shot in the leg as he hid in the house.
Victim: Elia Hernandez, 17, a recent high school graduate, was killed by one of the bullets Love allegedly fired
Officers say that at least three shots fired by love went into the house.
Another teen, Juan Navarrete, 19, was badly beaten in the fight and was flown to Regional One Health in Memphis.
All those who were injured have been released from the hospital.
Love is being held without bond, according to The Jackson Sun, and his next court date is scheduled for July 12.
He has been assigned a public defender.
Love also has a previous arrest record, which includes a car jacking charge, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
Police are investigating the shooting and the events that led up to it and there is still a possibility for more arrests to take place.
Heartview Foundation in Bismarck will begin offering methadone to recovering opiate addicts in October, likely becoming the first provider in the state to do so.
"Medication-assisted treatment has much better outcomes than abstinence-only treatments," Kurt Snyder said, executive director of the organization, said.
Sixty percent of recovering addicts are drug-free after a year with the help of medicine, Snyder said. Only 10 percent succeed without it.
North Dakota and Wyoming are the only states without methadone treatment programs.
The new program is part of a larger effort being made by law enforcement and health care providers to help addicts and stop the influx of opiates into the community.
At a press conference Tuesday, officials announced that opiate use has increased in Bismarck. People of all ages and backgrounds are using heroin and fentanyl, a potent opiate often mixed with heroin to make it stronger.
In the past few weeks, police said they received three reports of suspected overdoses, including one death.
Snynder said the new methadone program will be regulated by the federal government. The drug will be one of three offered by Heartview.
When used in conjunction with counseling, drug testing and mental health treatment, methadone can help addicts live normal lives, Snyder said. If prescribed, people would get a daily dose from the center.
The facility already prescribes naltrexone and buprenorphine, two drugs that help addicts avoid relapse. Both have drawbacks: One only works for people who have gone through complete withdrawal. The other does not work for some long-term users.
Bismarck Police Det. Jerry Stein attributed the increase in heroin and fentanyl usage to the dropping price of the drugs in the area.
For years, the cost of heroin was prohibitively high for most people, Stein said. One-tenth of a gram, known as a point, cost $100. In most big cities, a point costs $10 to $20.
Recently, the price dropped to $40 to $60 a point in Bismarck, Stein said. By mixing heroin with fentanyl, dealers are able to lower prices further.
As the cost of prescription pills has risen, many opiate users have turned to heroin, Stein said.
Heroin is trafficked into Bismarck from bigger cities, such as Chicago and Minneapolis. Some dealers may order fentanyl online and pay for it in anonymous bitcoins.
Police are targeting dealers and users in an approach Stein compares to cutting down a tree by pulling leaves and sawing off branches.
Stein said he encourages patrol officers to catch addicts who may commit small crimes to feed their habits, with the hope of getting them into treatment. Meanwhile, he works on building larger cases against dealers.
Patrol officers are being trained on naloxone, known as Narcan, a drug that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose. It works by blocking the effects of opioids on a person and buys them time to get to a hospital.
Recently, all pharmacies in North Dakota have been authorized to prescribe naloxone. The goal is to increase access to the drug for users, their families and friends or any one in the position to assist in the event of an overdose.
A small amount of training is required for any pharmacist looking to prescribe the antidote.
Pharmacists at Thrifty White Pharmacy in Bismarck and Mandan are in training to start prescribing it.
Were building up the number of pharmacists that are able to prescribe it," said Mark Hardy, executive director of the North Dakota Board of Pharmacy.
"It's a fairly new initiative," said Hardy, adding that, as the public becomes more aware of naloxone, he thinks theyll ask their pharmacists to offer it.
Some people have questioned whether naloxone enables addicts to push the limits.
But Dr. Melissa Henke, medical director at Heartview, said it will not encourage that kind of behavior. The drug forces people into immediate and very uncomfortable withdrawal, often making them puke or lash out.
"We can handle all that. They're alive," Henke said.
An earlier version of this story misdefined a point of heroin. A point refers to one-tenth of a gram.
The Project co-host Peter Helliar has called out employers for having 'double standards' after research revealed women who show off a little cleavage are more likely to be offered a job interview.
The panel discussed French research on Tuesday night that suggested women applying for sales and accounting jobs were 19 times more likely to secure an interview if they wore a revealing outfit in their resume photo.
But Helliar said men would not enjoy the same treatment if they gave a 'teasing glimpse of nut'.
If I was to apply for a job with a high cut pair of shorts, just showing a teasing glimpse of nut, then there would be an outcry even in France,' comedian Peter Helliar said on Tuesday
'Double standards here from the French. If I was to apply for a job with a high cut pair of shorts, just showing a teasing glimpse of nut, then there would be an outcry even in France,' he said.
'Why don't you try it and see, get back to me?' Waleed Aly quipped before Helliar offered to take a revealing photo during the next commercial break.
Co-host Natarsha Belling questioned why someone would choose to spend three years on this particular field of research.
Political journalist Samantha Maiden suggested the study could be the work of a 'really disturbing PHD candidate'.
'Why don't you try it and see, get back to me?' Waleed Aly (left) quipped before Helliar offered to take a revealing photo during the next commercial break while Natarsha Belling(right) had a giggle
Political journalist Samantha Maiden suggested the study could be the work of a 'really disturbing PHD candidate'
The study, carried out by Dr Sevag Kertechian, was conducted in Paris and was intended to discover just what impact clothing could have on the recruitment process.
Using two similar looking women with near identical experience on their CVs, they each applied for 100 roles wearing conservative clothing and another 100 roles pictured in a more revealing outfit.
From the 200 accountancy applications, there were 68 more interview offers for the more provocatively dressed woman.
Our results showed interesting trends as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters, even for accounting positions,' said researcher Dr Sevag Kertechian
Dr Kertechian said: Our results showed interesting trends as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters, even for accounting positions.
Regardless of the job, whether customer-facing saleswoman or office-based accountant, the candidate with the low cut clothing received more positive answers.
The results were quite shocking and negative but not necessarily surprising they show we need to conduct more research.
The findings will be discussed at the Appearance Matters Conference - the worlds largest event on body image and disfigurement - in London on Tuesday.
But no national referendum has been held since Hitler manipulated results
Leading figures in the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party are calling for a 'Dexit' - Deutschland out of the EU - vote in the wake of the Brexit victory in the UK.
Branding Brussels a 'bureaucracy monster' the party which trounced Angela Merkel's conservatives in vital regional polls in the spring, AfD heavyweights say it will have bigger fish to fry after the general election in the autumn of next year.
'Next year the AfD will enter the German parliament and Dexit will be top on our agenda', said Franz Wiese, European policy spokesman for the party and an MP in the regional parliament in Brandenburg near Berlin.
Glum: Angela Merkel's conservatives were trounced in vital regional polls in the spring, and now AfD heavyweights are calling for a 'Dexit' from the EU - an exit of Deutschland
Demand: Georg Pazderski of Alternative fuer Deutschland said 'Germans must decide on staying in the EU. The AfD is the only party which speaks out clearly in favour of them deciding'
Tense: David Cameron arrived in Brussels today for a summit meeting - but will not be allowed to attend tomorrow. Meanwhile German far-right parties called for a referendum on an EU exit by Germany
He was joined by the Thuringian AfD Group Chairman Bjorn Hocke also demanding a free vote for all Germans on the issue saying: 'I know the German people want to be free of EU slavery.'
And Georg Pazderski of the Berlin AfD, said: 'Germans must decide on staying in the EU. The AfD is the only party which speaks out clearly in favour of them deciding.'
Frauke Petry, the firebrand party leader who caused a storm earlier this year when she called for German police to be authorised to open fire on illegal immigrants trying to come to Germany, has not entered the referendum debate.
But she was nevertheless delighted at Brexit, stating through a spokesman : 'This is the chance for a new Europe, one which maintains partnerships and respected national sovereignties.
'The Great Britain decision to leave the EU is a signal to the Brussels Politburo and its bureaucratic attachments. If the EU does not finally leave its wrong path, and the quasi-socialist experiment of deeper political integration, more European Nations will reclaim their sovereignty the way British are.
Brexit joy: Frauke Petry, the firebrand party leader who caused a storm earlier this year when she called for German police to be authorised to open fire on illegal immigrants trying to come to Germany, said: 'This is the chance for a new Europe, one which maintains partnerships and respected national sovereignties.'
Ms Petry added: 'The Great Britain decision to leave the EU is a signal to the Brussels Politburo and its bureaucratic attachments'
Bjorn Hoecke is demanding a free vote for all Germans on the issue saying: 'I know the German people want to be free of EU slavery' while Franz Wiese, right, is supporting calls for a referendum in Germany, saying 'Dexit will be top on our agenda'
NATIONALISTS IN GREECE ALSO DEMAND EU REFERENDUM A year ago the Greek people voted against the austerity measures that the Greek government did not want to pass, but the result was ignored by ruling party Syriza. A recent opinion poll found 71 per cent of those who took part had an unfavourable view of the EU - far higher than in the UK. Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party is calling for a second referendum. Spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris said: 'Finally, the European countries have realised that the EU and the way it works right now is our destruction, both financially and socially. 'The EU, at least when it comes to Greece, causes a bunch of problems. They don't allow us to develop our agricultural production, they don't allow any trade links between us and Russia, they don't allow our economy to get better, and, of course, via the memorandums, there is a clearance sale going on in Greece. 'So, we should re-examine the terms the agreement with the EU follows. Golden Dawn has officially asked for a second referendum about us remaining in the Eurozone or not. After all, Euro is one of the main reasons we have reached to this point. 'If we come to power, we will definitely apply the 'NO' vote and we will indict the arrangements that the government passed as laws without keeping its voters' opinion in mind. 'Also, we will call for a second referendum about our stay in the Eurozone.' Advertisement
'The result would be more exits. At the very least the Brussels bureaucracy must be radically reduced and the centralist regulation craze ended.
'The time is ripe for a new Europe, a Europe of fatherlands, where we peacefully trade with each other, maintain partnerships and respect the will of the national sovereignties.
'One can only warn the German government not to fill the missing British net contribution with German tax money and thus continue the political fallacy.'
Germany's postwar constitution allows for referendums in only two circumstances - if the constitution itself, or if the territories of the states making up the republic, are to be changed.
There was a succesful one in 1951 combining Baden and Wurttemberg into a single state, and one in 1996 seeking to link Berlin and Brandenburg into a similar entity, which was rejected.
On average there are 200 local referendums each year on matters of policing, enviornment, sanitation, building projects and education.
But the experience of the Nazi manipulation of plebiscites made the postwar constitution writers shy away from them being used at the national level.
'Germany is one of the few EU countries with no experience of national referendums,' said Ralph Kampwirth of the Initiative & Referendum Institute Europe.
'In the Weimar Republic there were two national referendums (in 1926 and 1929); during the Nazi reign, three plebiscites were held, with biased questions and blatant manipulation of results.
Prisoners look out from behind a barbed wire enclosure at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany in this 1945 file photo. The Nazis abused plebiscites to claim prisoners supported the camps
Concentration camp prisoners march through a village while on a death march from the German towns of Dachau to Wolfratshausen, April 1945. Hitler abused referendums by claimed that prisoners at Dachau supported them
'A referendum does not mandate an organized political opposition it simply requires a yes or no answer - one reason why both Napoleon and Hitler were enamored of them.'
Hitler used them to ratify withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Nazis falsely claimed 2,154 of 2,242 inmates at the hideous Dachau concentration camp were for it.
In 1934 came his illegal melding of the offices of President and Chancellor. He received a thumping majority, but of course had no political opposition by then.
The wording was extremely leading. 'The office of the President of the Reich is unified with the office of the Chancellor. Consequently all former powers of the President of the Reich are demised to the Fuhrer and Chancellor of the Reich Adolf Hitler. He himself nominates his substitute. Do you, German man and German woman, approve of this regulation provided by this Law?'
Against this backdrop others believe the party, if it does achieve more than five percent of the vote next year and enters the Bundestag, may settle instead for far-reaching reforms in Brussels.
Swansong: David Cameron arrived in Brussels today for a summit and evening dinner, but will be required to leave before tomorrow when leaders discuss Brexit
The leadership under Frau Petry says it wants an end to the political aspect of the European project, to turn it back to essentially the trading bloc it started out as, and to achieve a 'common European policy' on refugees which will mean Germany takes no more in.
But referendum or not, the political elites in Germany are horrified at what happened in the UK - and equally horrified by a poll by the respected Emnid research group on Friday whic h showed 29 percent of Germans - one in three- wanting a Dexit vote to take place, if only to find out the 'EU's whereabouts.'
And while one-in-three maybe manageable, a full 67 percent of respondents called for 'radical reforms' of the organization.
Alexander Gauland, deputy leader of the party, did not blame Britain for quitting the EU club, but Mrs. Merkel, stating; 'Mrs Merkel has expelled the British with her open borders in Europe.' His AfD colleague Beatrix von Storch said she cried with joy' at the Brexit vote.
Gauland rejected an immediate AfD campaign to pull Germany out of the EU because of infighting at the top of the party, a recent one percent plunge in its popularity ratings triggered by one of the leadership's anti-semitic views and the fact that the constitution itself would need to be changed in order to allow a vote to go ahead.
But that doesn't mean it will not become an election issue next year; akll political commentators say it most definitely will.
Advertisement
David Cameron laughed and joked with Angela Merkel and other European leaders in Brussels today as he attended what is likely to be his last EU summit before handing over to his successor in September.
The Prime Minister urged whoever takes over in Downing Street should forge the 'closest possible relationship' with the EU and urged his European counterparts today to pursue a 'constructive' approach to negotiations.
At a dinner with the heads of states tonight he faces the awkward task of explaining how he oversaw Britain's shock decision to leave the EU last week but he signalled his conciliatory approach as he declared: 'We mustn't be turning our backs on Europe'.
Mr Cameron, who will only serve as Prime Minister until September 9 at the latest, said Britain and the EU had a mutual interest in agreeing the best possible deal on trade, cooperation and security.
Scroll down for video
David Cameron laughed and joked with Charles Michel, opposite, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, second left, and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, left, as he attended what is likely to be his last EU summit in Brussels today before he hands over to his successor in September
David Cameron kisses German Chancellor Angela as he arrives for talks in Brussels today. It is the UK Prime Minister's last scheduled EU summit of his premiership after he announced last week he was resigning following his failure to stop Brexit
David Cameron, center, speaks with Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, right, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, while Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite speaks to Federica Mogherini, left, speaks to the EU Commissioner for foreign affairs, in the orange suit
David Cameron chats to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels today. She has appealed for calm following last week's Brexit vote but warned Britain it will not be able to 'cherry-pick' EU privileges during negotiations
On arrival in the Belgium capital he met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, posing for pictures in front of the hastily erected Union and EU flags.
The Prime Minister held meetings with individual leaders before addressing them all at what promises to be an awkward and frosty dinner tonight to discuss last week's dramatic Brexit vote.
But he has been frozen out of official meetings among EU leaders tomorrow, when they will start to discuss their approach of forging a new relationship with Britain outside the bloc.
The meeting of EU heads of state is a routine summit but European Council President Donald Tusk chose only to include Mr Cameron in official proceedings for today's itinerary.
In a sign of the hard-line approach being taken by Brussels, Mr Juncker ordered Brussels chiefs not to enter into any 'secret negotiations' with the UK over the terms of Brexit.
He and other leaders today underlined their position that they will not start negotiatoins over a new relationship until the UK gives formal notifications of its intention to withdraw by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
David Cameron is pictured in what is likely to be his last EU summit today. Clockwise from top left: Luxembourg's Prime minister Xavier Bettel, Latvia's Prime minister Maris Kucinskis, Italy's Prime minister Matteo Renzi, Greece's Prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Ireland's Prime minister Enda Kenny, Croatia's Prime minister Tihomir Oreekovic, Denmark's Prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Poland's Prime minister Beata Szyd?o, Hungary's Prime minister Viktor Orban, Belgium's Prime minister Charles Michel, Spain's Prime minister Mariano Rajoy, Sweden's Prime minister Stefan Lofven, Czech Republic's Prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Slovenia's Prime minister Miro Cerar, Portugal's Prime minister Antonio Costa, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Finland's Prime minister Juha Sipila, EU's High representative for foreign affairs and security policy Federica Mogherini, Austrian chancellor Christian Kern, Estonia's Prime minister Taavi Roivas, Malta's Prime minister Joseph Musca, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite
Francois Hollande (left) chats to David Cameron as EU leaders gathered for their family photo. The French President faces pressure from far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen for their own 'Frexit' referendum on EU membership
David Cameron arrived for tense discussions with angry European leaders in Brussels today, where he will be forced to explain how he oversaw Britain's shock decision to leave the EU last week but he signalled his conciliatory approach as he declared: 'We mustn't be turning our backs on Europe'
Speaking ahead of an afternoon of meetings, Mr Cameron told reporters: 'I'll be explaining that Britain will be leaving the European Union, but I want that process to be as constructive as possible and I hope the outcome will be as constructive as possible.
'While we're leaving the European Union we mustn't be turning our backs on Europe.
'These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners and I very much hope we'll seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security because that is good for us and good for them and that' the spirit in which the discussions will be held today.'
Mr Cameron will not be involved in the official negotiations over Britain's future relationship with the EU after announcing his resignation minutes after he learned of his crushing defeat in last week's referendum.
He reportedly asked his aides 'why should I do the hard s***' as he prepared his resignation speech and it will instead be the job of the next Prime Minister to oversee the negotiations with Brussels.
His successor is expected to be in place by September 2 at the latest, with Brexit champion Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May the current favourites to win the upcoming Conservative leadership contest.
Mr Juncker met Mr Cameron after facing a dramatic showdown with Ukip leader Nigel Farage in the European Parliament this morning.
Mr Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
Earlier in the session he clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
But there was a moment of respite in the hostilities before the debate today when Mr Juncker embraced Mr Farge, but the Ukip leader looked uncomfortable as the European Commission president went in for a kiss.
As lawmakers applauded the EU chief as they met for crisis talks about the future of the EU following Britain's decision to exit last week, the animated European Commission chief interrupted his address to hit out at Mr Farage.
Breaking off from his speech - delivered in French - Mr Juncker switched to English as he told Mr Farage: 'That's the last time you are applauding here...and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here.
'You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?' he asked.
At a dinner with the heads of states tonight David Cameron faces the awkward task of explaining how he oversaw Britain's shock decision to leave the EU last week but he signalled his conciliatory approach as he declared: 'We mustn't be turning our backs on Europe'. Before the dinner he chatted to EU leaders, including French President Francois Hollande (left) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (right)
Francois Hollande (right) chats to David Cameron as EU leaders gathered for their family photo. The French President faces pressure from far-right Front National leader Marine Le Pen for their own 'Frexit' referendum on EU membership
The embattled Mr Juncker has been heavily criticised throughout Europe for his part in Britain's decision to cut ties with Brussels but used his address to a special session of the European Parliament to fight back.
Hitting back at calls for him to resign, he told MEPs he was going nowhere and pledged to continue fighting towards his goal of a federal Europe.
In a rare personal note, the 61-year-old former Luxembourg prime minister struck out at critics, notably in the German press but also among east European governments, who have called on him to stand down following the Brexit vote.
'The British vote has cut off one of our wings but we are still flying... now is not the time to turn inwards, Mr Juncker told MEPs today. 'I am neither tired or sick, as the German papers say. I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe.'
But he admitted the EU must accept the result of Britain's referendum. 'We must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view,' Mr Juncker said, drawing applause from the Ukip MEPs present.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? THE TWO YEAR PROCESS OF LEAVING THE EU STARTS ONCE BRITAIN TRIGGERS ARTICLE 50 To leave the EU Britain must trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the legal process for quitting the 28 nation bloc.That starts the clock on a two-year period during which we negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas. The UK can leave earlier than that if terms are easily found. But if there is no deal by the end of the time we will be outside without any special provisions - meaning much higher trade tariffs. Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly. But leaders will have to navigate the whole process as they go because quitting the EU is an unprecedented move. Only semi-independent Greenland has quit the EU before, and that was 30 years ago when the island had a population of just 56,000. It can be argued that Algeria left too - when it stopped being part of France in the 1960s. But having been a member for 43 years, the process of untangling Britain from the complex network of institutions in Brussels is likely to take the maximum two years. If a new deal fails to be agreed in the time period, Britain's trading relationship with the EU will revert to World Trade Organisation terms - seen as the most basic and the ones used for Russia's trading relationship with Brussels. Advertisement
Mr Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him.
Before the session began, Mr Farage had gone over to speak to Juncker. Both men appeared relaxed and as Farage made to leave, Juncker pulled him close and gave him an air-kiss on the cheek.
Mr Juncker said he would make no apology for being 'sad' at the result of the British vote - 'I am not a robot,' he said, 'I am not a grey bureaucrat.'
He urged Britain to explain quickly what it wanted from the EU in terms of a new relationship but insisted he had told his staff to engage in no preliminary talks with British officials until London engages the two-year mechanism for leaving the EU. No notification, no negotiation,' he said.
David Cameron (left) faced his latest humiliation today as he arrived in Brussels to meet Jean-Claude Juncker (right) and other angry European leaders to explain how he allowed Britain to leave the EU
The Union and EU flags were hastily erected before David Cameron arrived this morning. The flag won't be used for too much longer after Britain's dramatic decision last week to cut ties with Brussels
David Cameron faced a huge pack of photographers ad reporters as he arrived in Brussels today ahead of what are set to be awkward and frosty meetings with EU leaders
David Cameron (pictured facing the media on arrival at the EU in Brussels today) said Britain and the EU had a mutual interest in agreeing the best possible deal on trade, cooperation and security
David Cameron (looking tired as he arrived in Brussels this morning) met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, posing for pictures in front of the hastily erected Union and EU flags
David Cameron (pictured facing a huge scrum of media cameras and reporters as he arrived in Brussels today) urged his successor to forge the 'closest possible relationship' with the EU as he arrived in Brussels today to face his latest humiliation
French President Francois Hollande (right) chats to David Cameron at the Brussels summit today as Europe comes to terms with the shock of last week's EU referendum campaign
Nigel Farage greeted European Commission President Juncker in the European Parliament this morning. Mr Juncker told the Ukip leader he was surprised to see him in Brussels after last week's Brexit vote
Nigel Farage (pictured with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Parliament today) told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'
Back home in the UK Chancellor George Osborne warned that tax rises and spending cuts will be needed within months to deal with the 'prolonged period of economic adjustment' caused by last week's vote in favour of Britain leaving the EU.
Mr Johnson - who is tipped as Mr Cameron's most likely successor as PM - has called for informal discussions ahead of notification, while Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggests a deal on a new treaty should be agreed and approved in a second referendum before Article 50 is even deployed, setting in train a two-year departure process.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid and Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb are said to be canvassing support for a potential dream ticket. But this morning Mrs May overtook Mr Johnson in the race to become the next prime minister, according to polling.
A surge in support for has the home secretary leap ahead of the bookies' favourite to win the contest to replace Mr Cameron, research for The Times found.
The Cabinet minister is favoured by 31 per cent of Conservative voters against 24 per cent for Mr Johnson, according to the YouGov poll.
WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS IN EUROPE WHO'LL DECIDE BRITAIN'S FUTURE? GERMANY, FRANCE AND HOLLAND ARE THE KEY NATIONS BUT BRUSSELS CHIEFS WILL PLAY EQUALLY CRUCIAL ROLE David Cameron is in Brussels for what is likely to be his last European Council summit as UK Prime Minister. Here are the key players at the summit: Angela Merkel, German chancellor. As leader of the EU's biggest and richest member state, Mrs Merkel is used to getting her way in Brussels. Bitterly disappointed at the prospect of losing the UK, which Berlin sees as a free-market counterweight to France and the Mediterranean states. She has said there is no need to be 'particularly nasty' to the UK in Brexit negotiations. She has appealed for calm following last week's Brexit vote but warned Britain it will not be able to 'cherry-pick' EU privileges during negotiations. Francois Hollande, president of France. Facing a challenge in upcoming elections from populist National Front leader Marine le Pen, who was one of the few European politicians to acclaim the outcome of Thursday's vote. Fearful of the consequences of prolonged political and economic instability, he has called for a swift conclusion to Brexit talks, saying: 'Being responsible means not wasting time in engaging with the question of Britain's departure and setting this new impulse we want to lend the new European Union.' Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, the current holder of the European Council's six-month rotating presidency. Facing calls at home for a 'Nexit' vote in the Netherlands. He has described the Leave vote in Britain as 'disappointing' and said it is important that a solution for the crisis is found 'calmly and step by step'. Mr Rutte has publicly warned about rising Euroscepticism across the continent and has urged fellow leaders not to push Mr Cameron to trigger Article 50 before Britain is ready. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council. Former prime minister of Poland, now chairs meetings of the 28 - soon to be 27 - national heads of government of member states. Facing calls for his resignation from Polish political rivals, who accuse him of playing a 'dark role' in blocking meaningful reforms in Mr Cameron's renegotiation. Before the referendum he warned Brexit might lead to the end of Western civilisation, although afterwards, he said the vote was a 'historic moment' but 'not a moment for hysterical reactions'. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission and arch-federalist. Former Luxembourg prime minister and now the European Union's top bureaucrat. David Cameron tried to block him from getting the job and then forced him to go through months renegotiating the UK's membership, so some may forgive him for relishing the PM's current discomfort. Wants talks on UK exit to begin immediately, saying: 'It's not an amicable divorce, but it was not exactly an intimate affair anyway.' Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, is a fierce opponent to David Cameron and fought his demands for reforms. He will play a key role when it comes to the European Parliament having to approve the final deal with Britain, so British negotiators will have to tread carefully with the German politician - one of the biggest supporters of European federalism. Mr Schulz is devastated by Britain's decision to quit but has appealed for 'cool heads' in the upcoming negotiation process. But he has helped cause division by leading demands for Britain to trigger Article 50 immediately. Advertisement
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week
Earlier in the session Nigel Farage (pictured right) clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (left), who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
The Ukip leader Nigel Farage (pictured bottom right in front of a union flag) told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'
Jean-Claude Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage (right), who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him
Gloating Nigel Farage tells MEPs 'you've never done a proper job in your lives' as he declares the EU is a 'political project in denial' - but Brussels chief Juncker hits back: 'Why are you here?'
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
Nigel Farage (left) clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (right), who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
Earlier in the session he clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
But there was a moment of respite in the hostilities before the debate today when Mr Juncker embraced Mr Farge, but the Ukip leader looked uncomfortable as the European Commission president went in for a kiss.
As lawmakers applauded the EU chief as they met for crisis talks about the future of the EU following Britain's decision to exit last week, the animated European Commission chief interrupted his address to hit out at Mr Farage.
Breaking off from his speech - delivered in French - Mr Juncker switched to English as he told Mr Farage: 'That's the last time you are applauding here...and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here.
'You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?' he asked.
BRITAIN MUST TRIGGER ARTICLE 50 IMMEDIATELY, SAYS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Britain must trigger the formal process of withdrawing from the EU immediately, a resolution by the European Parliament demanded this morning. MEPs voted on their preferred timing of Britain triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets out the procedure for a member state cutting ties with Brussels. The 'will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50,' a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session said this morning. It was voted by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstensions. But it is up to the British government to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit. The negotiation will have to negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas. The UK can leave earlier than that if terms are easily found. But if there is no deal by the end of the time we will be outside without any special provisions - meaning much higher trade tariffs. Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly. But leaders will have to navigate the whole process as they go because quitting the EU is an unprecedented move. Only semi-independent Greenland has quit the EU before, and that was 30 years ago when the island had a population of just 56,000. It can be argued that Algeria left too - when it stopped being part of France in the 1960s. But having been a member for 43 years, the process of untangling Britain from the complex network of institutions in Brussels is likely to take the maximum two years. If a new deal fails to be agreed in the time period, Britain's trading relationship with the EU will revert to World Trade Organisation terms - seen as the most basic and the ones used for Russia's trading relationship with Brussels. Advertisement
Let battle commence! Boris makes formal complaint about Theresa Mays campaign as Tory leadership fight ramps up but Osborne rules himself out
Boris Johnson's allies have complained about a coordinated drive by government whips to get Theresa May installed as Tory leader. The claims emerged as the battle to succeed David Cameron ramped up ahead of nominations opening tomorrow.
More than half-a-dozen senior figures are considering a run at the top job, with Cabinet minister Stephen Crabb, Sajid Javid, Nicky Morgan and Jeremy Hunt thought to be in the frame.
However, Chancellor George Osborne today ruled out a bid admitting that his strong endorsement of EU membership in the referendum meant he could not bring the party together.
Attempts to about a coronation of Brexit champion Mr Johnson have fallen flat after supporters of Mrs May made it clear she is determined to fight her old rival to the bitter end.
The shortened timetable favours established politicians like Mr Johnson and the Home Secretary as it deprives lesser known candidates of the time to build momentum. Either could be Prime Minister in just nine weeks.
Mr Hunt is also preparing to stand, and today suggested that a second referendum or a snap general election would be needed to rubber-stamp a new deal negotiated with the EU. Mr Javid and Mr Crabb are said to be canvassing support for a potential dream ticket.
Theresa May is more popular than Boris Johnson among Tory voters, according to a poll today
Team Johnson focused on signing up as many Cameron supporters as possible. His joint campaign manager, Michael Gove, is desperate to secure the backing of Mr Osborne, who he is trying to woo with the offer of a major job.
Leading figures in the Out camp were also being targeted as former London mayor Mr Johnson presented himself as the unity candidate. However, Remain campaigners are determined to sabotage his leadership bid even setting up a special Stop Boris group on the messaging service WhatsApp to secretly plot against him.
Last night, Tory MP Heidi Allen launched a scathing attack on Mr Johnson, saying he lacked the skills and qualities to be a leader.
She told BBC2s Newsnight: Even as recently as February I think he was saying that a Brexit vote would cause uncertainty for business and government shouldnt be distracted with these things. So it seemed very obvious to me that this was about his desire to be leader rather than putting the country first.
The backbench 1922 Committee of Tory MPs yesterday accelerated the process for replacing Mr Cameron. The PM had wanted to stand down in October, but, amid the huge uncertainty over how to implement Brexit, nominations will take place tomorrow and Thursday.
MPs will whittle down the list of candidates to two by the middle of next month. A ballot of the partys 150,000 members will then follow, with a new Tory leader named by September 2.
Those who let it be known they were interested in the top job included Mr Hunt, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, former Cabinet minister Liam Fox and energy minister Angela Leadsom. Mr Javid and Mr Crabb were sounding out MPs about running on a dream ticket to rival that of Mr Johnson and Mr Gove.
Mr Crabb would be leader and Mr Javid his Chancellor. Other possible contenders include Energy Secretary Amber Rudd and defence minister Penny Mordaunt.
Westminster insiders cast doubt over whether many of those currently declaring their leadership ambitions will actually stand rather than trying to secure offers of a major job in a new Tory administration. Bookmakers and most MPs remain convinced that the final battle will be fought between Mrs May and Mr Johnson.
Supporters of Home Secretary Theresa May, right, made it clear she is determined to fight her old rival Boris Johnson to the bitter end
Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb is canvassing support for a potential 'dream ticket', and also interested in the job is energy minister Angela Leadsom
In early skirmishes, both camps yesterday unveiled senior figures close to Mr Cameron as key supporters. In a coup, Gavin Williamson, who is the Prime Ministers senior parliamentary aide, is to take a leading position running Mrs Mays campaign. Meanwhile, business minister Nick Boles one of a small group of friends who first persuaded Mr Cameron to run for party leader is backing Mr Johnson. Pro-Remain Mr Boles said: I cannot escape the conclusion that our next Prime Minister needs to be someone who supported the idea of leaving the EU.
Mr Gove, an old friend of the Chancellors, is determined to secure his support for Mr Johnson. Mr Gove is said to have offered Mr Osborne the post of Foreign Secretary though allies of Mr Johnson rubbished the idea, saying it could be toxic.
Mrs May is expected to focus on her national security credentials, having spent six years in charge at the Home Office combating the threat from Islamist terror groups. She will also stress her long track-record of negotiating with Brussels and reassure MPs that if she wins there will be less clamour for a General Election later this year. Opposition MPs are expected to argue that Mr Johnson has no mandate if he is successful and demand that he go to the country. However, Mrs May will reassure MPs that she can carry on the mandate since she was a senior figure at the 2015 General Election.
In a sign of the bitterness already creeping in to the contest, it was last night claimed the Tory whips office was running an operation to support Mrs May over Mr Johnson. Complaints are understood to have been lodged with Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee.
Mrs May has overtaken Mr Johnson in the race to become the next prime minister, according to polling.
A surge in support for has the home secretary leap ahead of the bookies' favourite to win the contest to replace Mr Cameron, research for The Times found.
The Cabinet minister is favoured by 31 per cent of Conservative voters against 24 per cent for Mr Johnson, according to the YouGov poll.
Hinting at his own leadership ambitions yesterday, Mr Crabb said: This is a really serious moment for our country. We need stability, we need direction and what I want to see over the next few days is a candidate emerge who understands the enormity of the situation that we are in.
Mr Cameron will today travel to a summit in Brussels but will be sent home a day early so EU leaders can discuss the implications of Brexit.
Home sharing site Airbnb is suing the city of San Francisco over a new law requiring that anyone who offers their home through the rental site to first register the dwelling with the city.
Under the new rule, Airbnb would be fined $1,000 a day for each listing on its site that has not been registered in advance.
Airbnb contends that the new rule - which mandates that registrants submit the requisite paper work in person, along with a $50 fee - violates the federal Communications Decency Act and the Stored Communications Act.
The ordinance, which goes into effect next month, 'will harm thousands of everyday San Francisco residents who depend on Airbnb', the company wrote in a blog post on its website.
Airbnb is suing the city of San Francisco over a new law requiring that anyone who offers their home through the rental site first register the dwelling with the city (file photo)
The new law would see Airbnb fined $1,000 a day for each listing on its site that has not been registered in advance (file photo)
Airbnb said that its suit, filed in court on June 27, is 'the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests'.
The short-term rentals startup, which is valued at $25.5billion, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California.
'For over five years, we have worked with City government to create fair rules for home sharing,' the company said.
'Unfortunately, the rules do not work. There is broad agreement that the current registration process in the City is broken.'
Officials in San Francisco and other cities worry that rental apartments are being removed from the market by owners who place them on Airbnb, leading to a shortage of available properties for prospective buyers.
According to the city's Budget and Legislative Analyst, out of 7,046 active hosts, only 1,647 were registered in March.
The new registration law was unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors, and was sponsored earlier this month by supervisors David Campos and Aaron Peskin.
Airbnb contends that the new rule violates the federal Communications Decency Act and the Stored Communications Act (file photo)
The new registration law was unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors, and was sponsored earlier this month by supervisors David Campos (left) and Aaron Peskin (right)
Airbnb, which is based in San Francisco, insists that it helps visitors find affordable temporary lodging while allowing homeowners to supplement their income.
'There is a need for policies that protect San Francisco's housing stock and ensure the collection of hotel taxes but also enable residents who depend on Airbnb to make ends meet,' Airbnb wrote.
'While we have attempted to work with the city on sensible, lawful alternatives to this flawed new ordinance, we regret that we are forced to now ask a federal court to intervene in this matter.'
In addition, the company claims that the new law will hurt hosts financially because the registration system is 'ever-changing and confusing'.
Airbnb wants the city of San Francisco to offer a grace period for new hosts and provide flexibility for hosts who rent out their properties for fewer than 14 days a year.
A spokesman for the city attorney's office, Matt Dorsey, said internet privacy laws were not applicable because the city is regulating the business activity of hosting rather than content posted online.
'Nothing in San Francisco's pending ordinance punishes hosting platforms for their users' content. In fact, it's not regulating user content at all it's regulating the business activity of the hosting platform itself,' Dorsey said.
'San Francisco requires hosting platforms to facilitate tax collection, and to verify that tourist rental hosts are properly licensed.
'It's simply a duty to verify information that's already required of a regulated business activity.'
A 19-year-old driver had his car seized after doing a burnout in front of an off duty Traffic Superintendent.
Superintendent Bob Rennie was off duty as he drove down a Palmerston road in the Northern Territory on Sunday afternoon when a driver did a burnout just ahead of him.
The drivers silver Commodore truck was seized by Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services who posted a picture of the vehicle with a sign reading 'seized by police for hooning'.
The nineteen year old drivers Commodore ute was seized after he did a burnout in front of an off duty Traffic Superintendent
After performing the burnout the 'hoon' was taken to a nearby service station along from Chung Wah Terrace in Palmerston.
A traffic apprehension was conducted and the 19-year-old spoken to about hooning offences.
This is when police discovered that this was the second time the young driver had been caught for driving recklessly.
The driver's car was impounded where it made an appearance on the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page with the caption:
'Hooning at any time is a foolish thing to do but it is even more foolish when you do it in front of the Traffic Superintendent.'
The nineteen year old driver will appear in court at a later date in relation to the incident.
Advertisement
This is the amazing moment a juvenile seal was able to avoid the attentions of a hungry Great White shark off the South African coast.
The life-or-death chase was captured on film by photographer Brandon Kilbride from Stockport, Greater Manchester who was on a boat near Seal Island, False Bay near Cape Town.
He was looking out over the ocean when he saw the young seal swimming on the surface.
Brandon Kilbride was working on a powerboat when he spotted the Great White shark following a baby seal off the South African coast
The shark appeared to be gaining on the seal which jumped clear mere moments before it was going to be bitten by the predator
Kilbride said after jumping clear of the shark, the seal re entered the water and turned around toward's the predator's tale
Suddenly, a Great White shark approached, leaping out of the water in an effort to swallow the seal in one bite.
According to Kilbride, the chase lasted about five minutes until the shark gave up its pursuit and the Cape fur seal was able to reach dry land.
He said: 'I was working as a deck hand on a powerboat and we had gone out early in the morning when I saw this.
'A juvenile seal was being chased by a Great White shark which was maybe ten or fifteen years old.
'The baby seal was swimming on the surface of the water, whereas adult seals normally stay on the bottom to protect themselves.
'The shark took a liking to the seal and came at him full speed.
'He missed the seal and then chased him - but the seal got away.
'The seal had been cruising on the surface of the water and when he saw the shark he jumped half a metre.
The dramatic chase lasted for more than five minutes until the seal was able to make its way to safety on dry land
The seal used its ability to turn quicker than the shark to avoid being turned into the massive predator's latest dinner
Eventually the shark gave up on its seal hunt and went searching for a less challenging lunchtime snack
'He kept jumping towards the shark's tail to get away from its teeth. The baby seal was just centimetres from the shark's teeth.
'But the longer it goes on, the more tired the shark gets. The seal managed to get onto Seal Island, where there are 60,000 seals. '
He added: 'I always cheer for the seal when I see a chase like this because the seal weighs less than 60 pounds whereas the shark is a thousand pounds.'
The photographer watched the whole scene unfold from about 25 metres away.
He added: 'Sharks have a majestic-ness about them - I believe they are the most misunderstood animals.
'I am very passionate about Great Whites and I would love for them to be perceived in a loving manner.
But one of Cuomo's friends said the anchor was only goofing around
A source today claims he was drinking at a party before the accident
Was drag racing when he 'lost control' and crashed into a parked Mercedes belonging to a friend, a source told the website
Chris Cuomo was drinking at a party hosted by his wife hours before he crashed his cherished 1969 Pontiac while 'drag racing' in Southampton, New York, it has been claimed.
The CNN anchor 'lost control' and crashed into a parked Mercedes, which belonged to one of his friends, during a bizarre incident on May 28 over Memorial Day weekend.
Cuomo's friends have since insisted the anchor was only goofing around and had never actually raced his convertible.
However, PageSix have today published photographs that appear to show the 45-year-old side-by-side with another Pontiac convertible - sitting behind a woman with her arms outstretched, as if starting a race.
Scroll down for video
Chris Cuomo (pictured in an Instagram video earlier this year) crashed his cherished 1969 Pontiac Firebird while 'drag racing' in Southampton, New York, Page Six reported
Soiree: Cuomo had just left a gathering hosted by his wife Cristina (pictured center posing with guests at the event) for Beach magazine at Jue Lan Club when he got behind the wheel
Cuomo was seen drinking at a party shortly before the accident, according to an anonymous source speaking to the website.
They allege the 45-year-old had just left a gathering hosted by his wife, Cristina, for Beach magazine at Jue Lan Club when he got behind the wheel.
'He was drinking, and I believe thats why he was sent home,' a source said.
'Everyone saw the state he was in. When he crashed, it got really quiet.'
Friends of Cuomo have claimed that he was merely posing for photos when he accidentally bumped into his friend's Mercedes.
But one of Cuomo's friends gave Page Six a different version of the event.
Cuomo actually pulled up next to another one of his friends, who was inside a 1967 Pontiac LeMans, according to the second source.
Cuomo (pictured in August 2015) 'lost control' and crashed into a parked Mercedes, which belonged to one of his friends, a source told the website
But one of Cuomo's friends said the anchor was only goofing around when he crashed his Pontiac Firebird (pictured in an Instagram shot) and never actually raced it
There, 'a woman stood between them, pretending it was starting line, and people were taking a bunch of pictures', the friend said.
The two cars never even moved, according to this source, but Cuomo accidentally bumped into a Mercedes SUV as he turned around to leave.
The Mercedes belonged to another one of Cuomo's friends.
Cuomo broke his own radiator in the crash, the second source told Page Six, and ended up driving home in case the engine failed.
The Mercedes was left with a dent and Cuomo knew who it belonged to, the friend said.
A rep for Cuomo contacted by Page Six didn't comment.
Cuomo, the younger brother of Governor Andrew Cuomo, posted a video of himself inside the car earlier this year on his Instagram account.
He can be seen making the wheels squeal in an attempt to tease his colleague, CNN host Don Lemmon.
Names of women and children have not yet been released by authorities
Men had to be restrained by police who described situation as 'horrific'
Husbands Aaron Hon Wing Ng and Wei Xiong Li were hysterical and suffered burns trying to save their families from the crash
Two moms and their four children died when the vehicle went up in flames
The families were killed after their minivan crashed on LA's I5 on Tuesday
Two mothers and their four children have been killed in a fiery crash on an LA interstate as their hysterical husbands had to been held back from the blaze.
The minivan had been stopped along the Interstate 5 near the town of Gorman, California after a previous minor accident with another vehicle when a semi-truck travelling 55mph slammed into the back of them.
The vehicle was send spinning off the road and down an embankment where it burst into flames.
Aaron Hon Wing Ng, 34, of San Francisco and 45-year-old Wei Xiong Li of Daly City, California, survived the crash and were seen desperately trying to save their wives and children, ABC 7 reports.
Scroll down for video
Two mothers and their four children have been killed in a fiery crash on an LA interstate as their hysterical husbands had to been held back from the blaze
Emergency services were already on the way to the scene after a previous minor accident when they spotted the van burst into flames
The minivan had been stopped along the Interstate 5 near the town of Gorman, California after a previous minor accident with another vehicle when a semi-truck travelling 55mph slammed into the back of them
Both suffered severe burns to the face and hands as they attempted to pull their loved ones from the burning wreckage. The names and ages of their wives and children weren't released.
Police officers who had already been on the way to the scene after the initial crash had to restrain the men from running back into the blaze.
'Words can't describe it,' said CHP Officer Dan Williams, who held the fathers back with his partner. 'It was very horrific seeing them try to get their families out, us trying to help get their families out.'
He said his partner tried to get through a door, but 'the flames came at him, he had to back out.'
His partner, Jeff Burdick, said it was hard to pull Li and Ng away from the fire.
'We just held them,' Burdick said. 'That's all we could do.'
The vehicle was send spinning off the road and down an embankment where it burst into flames (pictured is the burnt-out car)
Aaron Hon Wing Ng, 34, of San Francisco and 45-year-old Wei Xiong Li of Daly City, California, survived the crash and were seen desperately trying to save their wives and children
The semi driver and officers at the scene also scrambled to help save the families and were left with singed on their arms and heads (the minivan is lifted out of the ravine)
Li and Ng were flown to a hospital and were being treated for moderate injuries. The accident was under investigation.
The semi driver and officers at the scene also scrambled to help save the families and were left with singed on their arms and heads, according to CHP.
The fire was burning far too fast and hot for fire extinguishers or life-saving efforts to work, said CHP Officer Frank Romero said.
'It's absolutely horrible,' Romero said. 'I can't imagine.'
The incident started around 3.30am near Gorman School Road, north of LA, California, when the minivan carrying the two families collided with a black BMW.
They had pulled up on the side of the road when the truck rear ended the vehicle which sent it down into a ravine where it caught fire.
A SigAlert was issued for Frazier Mountain Park Road, and several lanes were closed for the investigation.
Police lifeguards in France will be allowed to carry guns in specially-adapted 'trunks holsters' to combat terror attacks on beaches this summer.
The unprecedented move comes after the murder of a policeman and his girlfriend at their home by a French jihadi earlier this month.
As well as armed lifeguards, off-duty officers will also be permitted to take their guns home with them as the terrorist threat heightens in France.
The riot squad officers provide additional security for ordinary civilian French lifeguards, pictured
Members of France's CRS riot squad, file photograph, often work during the summer protecting beaches
This year the officers, who have been providing security for Euro 2016 as well as dealing with the situation in the Calais jungle camp, pictured, will be allowed to carry handguns in specially-designed holsters
Police unions which demanded the extra protection for their members described the decision to allow armed lifeguards as a 'win-win' for tourists and officers.
Union spokesman Nicolas Comte said: 'This is the first time that these officers will be armed. Normally throughout July and August they are in their swim suits and unarmed.
'Their weapons will be kept in special cases that are adapted specially for the swimwear worn by officers.
'Tourists should not be alarmed. They will not see police in heavy armour, they will see lifeguards.
'We can see these days that the police are the target of terrorists, but this is also to ensure the police are ready to respond in the event of an armed attack.
'This is a win-win situation for everyone. It means that there are people to provide security for everyone when they are on the beach.'
French police have increased the level of security in popular areas because of the current jihadi menace
Officers will now be allowed to bring their personal service weapons home to protect themselves off duty
Police officers Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, left and Jessica Schneider, right were murdered by an ISIS fanatic
There would be 297 CRS police lifeguards patrolling the busiest beaches across the country this summer, he added.
Their presence comes after a police commander and his partner were stabbed to death at their home in Magnanville, north of Paris, on June 13 by home-grown jihadi Larossi Abballa.
He murdered officers Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and his partner Jessica Schneider.
The 25-year-old, who proclaimed loyalty to ISIS, was shot dead when police stormed the house, saving the couple's three-year-old son.
The Gold Coast boardriding community is in mourning after champion bodyboarder Steve Lloyd passed away unexpectedly.
The father-of-one, believed to be in his early 30's, died suddenly on Sunday morning and more than 100 boardriders will paddle out over the weekend at Burleigh Heads to remember the 'well-loved' dropknee surfer.
'He was well-loved and helped so many young kids who were into bodyboarding,' Mr Lloyd's friend, Tony De Costa, told The Gold Coast Bulletin.
The Gold Coast boardriding community is in mourning after champion bodyboarder Steve Lloyd (pictured) passed away
The father-of-one, believed to be in his early 30's, died suddenly on Sunday morning
100 boardriders will paddle out over the weekend at Burleigh Heads to remember the 'well-loved' dropknee surfer, pictured with son Spencer
Mr Lloyd was a team rider for Flux Bodyboarding and won numerous competitions at a national level.
He donated his time to the North Burleigh Bodyboard Club and locals said he was passionate about having children aged 12 to 15 participate in bodyboarding.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for a foundation to be started in Mr Lloyd's name.
Mr Lloyd was a team rider for Flux Bodyboarding and won numerous competitions at a national level
The father-of-one, believed to be in his early 30's, died suddenly on Sunday morning
He donated his time to the North Burleigh Bodyboard Club and locals said he was passionate about having children aged 12 to 15 participate in bodyboarding
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for a foundation to be started in Mr Lloyd's name
'Stevie was loved by so many people including friends, colleagues and his family, and most of all his son Spencer,' the crowd funding page read
'Stevie was loved by so many people including friends, colleagues and his family, and most of all his son Spencer,' the crowd funding page read.
The organiser, Mr Lloyd's friend, hopes to raise more than $5,000 to support his family, including his young son Spencer.
More than $2,000 has already been raised.
More than $2,000 has already been raised on GoFundMe to go toward a foundation in his name
The organiser, Mr Lloyd's friend, hopes to raise more than $5,000 on GoFundMe to support his family, including his young son Spencer
Attendees at a monthly Republican luncheon Tuesday in Bismarck said gubernatorial candidate Doug Burgum is off to a strong start in uniting the party prior to the general election and in lending his support to down-ticket candidates.
Burgums message was primarily of unity before a crowd of about 75 at the Bismarck Municipal Country Club. He went on to say, if elected, he intends on ensuring that government agencies see improvement in the data available to them in order to craft better budgets.
I want to see results, not budgets, said Burgum, explaining that, in his mind, larger budgets dont equal better government but coming up with solutions to problems that create a more efficient government is whats needed.
Burgum said if the state can get through this bump of a revenue shortfall, then work can begin on further diversifying the economy and improving services. He said the long-term opportunities to create a thriving state are limitless.
He thanked supporters in attendance and pledged that he and his running mate, Watford City Mayor Brent Sanford, would be campaigning with GOP statewide candidates whenever possible. In addition, the ticket would be throwing its weight behind legislative candidates locked in potentially tight battles against Democratic-NPL opponents.
Brent and I wont be taking anything for granted, Burgum said of their race and others.
Burgum called the primary campaign an energetic one that requires everyone to come together for the common goal of maintaining the partys dominance in state government.
He said hes been making a point of calling, meeting, texting and emailing GOP lawmakers and making plans to meet with every one of them who has the chance to do so.
On Monday, he met with Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, which he said was a productive meeting on the budget and a number of other topics. He also spoke with several lawmakers in the Senate chamber prior to and during breaks in the Budget Section meeting the same day.
He plans on meeting with House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, shortly after the holiday weekend.
I have a lot to learn from these guys, Burgum said.
North Dakota Republican Party Chairman Kelly Armstrong said the attendance at Tuesdays luncheon was the largest during his chairmanship. He said the attendance was matched by the positive response.
"Hes doing everything he should be doing. Its been good, and itll get better, Armstrong said.
Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston, said he was pleased by Burgums pledge to be a team player, especially with legislative candidates.
I think his support of those candidates will send a profound message of unity to the party, Bekkedahl said.
Bismarck Mayor Mike Seminary said he was impressed by Burgums talk about improved government and information, which can help local government entities as well.
Seminary liked the talk about bringing people together. He said negative campaigning like what was seen during the primary is relatively new to North Dakota campaigns. He called it unfortunate regardless of which party or candidate engages in it.
Building bridges versus walls (is) critically important. We need to do more of that, Seminary said.
The Republicans have held the governors office since 1992.
Burgum and Sanford face a Dem-NPL Party ticket of Rolla Rep. Marvin Nelson and New Rockford Sen. Joan Heckaman in November as well as a Libertarian Party ticket of Marty Riske and Joshua Voytek, both of Fargo.
Two men and a boy were arrested today after a video showed a group of teenagers racially abusing a tram passenger who confronted them for swearing, before fellow travellers kicked them off.
Video footage shows three youths - who appear to be drinking from beer bottles - shouting at the man to Get back to Africa as the tram travelled through Manchester city centre this morning.
Moments earlier the man, who spoke with a foreign accent, had asked them to stop swearing because there were women and children on the tram between Shudehill to Market Street.
Two men aged 20 and 18 and a 16-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of affray by Greater Manchester Police following the incident at 7.40am and they remain in custody for questioning.
Scroll down for video
Tense scene: As the tram pulled into Market Street the teenagers flicked a drink, believed to be beer, in the direction of the man they were abusing which covered several passengers and a child in a pram
The teenagers in the video responded to the mans request to stop swearing by unleashing abuse, with one heard shouting F***ing get off the tram now and Dont chat s*** or get deported.
The man responds by saying How old are you, 18 or 19? I have been here longer than you. You are extremely ignorant and unintelligent.'
In the clip fellow commuters can be heard shouting back at the teenagers, calling them disgusting and a disgrace. Others can be seen shaking their heads in disgust.
Other tram passengers said the group were heard chanting Salford, Salford, Salford on the Rochdale via Oldham tram as it reached Manchester city centre.
Astonishing: The teenagers unleashed horrific abuse, with one of them heard shouting F***ing get off the tram now and Dont chat s*** or get deported
Angered: The man, who spoke with a foreign accent, had asked them to stop swearing because there were women and children on the tram between Shudehill to Market Street
FEARS OVER RACIST ABUSE RISE Prime Minister David Cameron warned yesterday that hate crime must be stamped out after police revealed a spike in racist abuse following the Brexit vote. He said racist graffiti at a Polish community centre was despicable and that verbal abuse had been hurled at ethnic minorities. The National Police Chiefs Council said told of 85 reports to a website recording hate crime, from Thursday to Sunday a 57 per cent rise on the same four days four weeks ago. London mayor Sadiq Khan said he had asked Scotland Yard to be extra vigilant for hate crime, while Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe pledged officers would vigorously investigate any incidents. BBC news presenter Sima Kotecha, 36, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, wrote on Twitter: In utter shock, just been called p*** in my home town! Havent heard that word here since the 80s! Maria Miller MP, who has condemned the racist abuse suffered by Miss Kotecha in her constituency, said today: There has been widespread coverage of an increase in reports of race hate crime in the past few days following the referendum vote.' Meanwhile Cambridgeshire Police is investigating after cards reading Leave the EU no more Polish vermin were discovered. Elsewhere officers are also investigating after online images appeared to show F*** you painted on the Polish Social and Cultural Association in Hammersmith, west London. Advertisement
As the tram pulled into Market Street the teenagers flicked a drink, believed to be beer, in the direction of the man they were abusing which covered several passengers and a child in a pram.
Under pressure from other passengers, the youngsters got off the tram at Market Street, with the other tram travellers applauding the man for sticking up for himself.
A woman who was on the tram, who wished to remain anonymous, said: When I was there I knew it was going to get serious. This kind of incident is really happening.
It needs to be noticed we dont want these kind of incidents happening. The three men got off the tram at Market Street and it stopped there.'
Another tram passenger said: The only good part of the whole thing was the guy on the tram then being congratulated for sticking up for himself and getting a round of applause.
Chief Inspector Gareth Parkin of Greater Manchester Police said: I would like to thank the public for their help and support in this investigation, which has led to the swift arrest of these three people.
All hate incidents are treated with the upmost severity and this behaviour will not be tolerated in Greater Manchester.
The area's mayor and police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd added: There is no room in Greater Manchester for hatred and division. We have worked hard, together, to build strong, cohesive, and welcoming communities.
'I encourage anyone who has been a victim of hate crime to come forward and report it.
Hate crime has no place in our society. The overwhelming majority of British people stand together against hatred and prejudice. These acts of racism are not in our name and will not be tolerated.
Yvette Cooper today used a major speech to warn of a snap election and demand Labour get access to civil service resources to plan for the poll
Yvette Cooper today demanded Labour be given access to the Civil Service so it can prepare for a general election.
The former leadership contender said the poll could be as little as four months away and used a major speech to announce she would write to the Cabinet Secretary to demand access.
Ahead of general election, leading opposition parties are generally given help by civil servants to work up policies and prepare for government.
But it is unheard of for a backbench MP to make such a plea.
Ms Cooper today refused to rule out running for the Labour leadership for a second time in two years if the party's MPs manage to dislodge a determined Jeremy Corbyn.
The former shadow home secretary today joined calls for Mr Corbyn to quit as a no confidence vote was underway in Parliament today.
In her speech, Ms Cooper said: 'There needs to be direct access for the Opposition to civil servants now too. The leading Tory party contender has said he is considering an General Election.
'The Prime Minister has accepted there may be a case for an early General Election, that may be only 4 months away.
'I am therefore writing to Jeremy Heywood the Cabinet Secretary to ask him to trigger the process for access talks for opposition parties.'
Ms Cooper said Labour was tearing itself apart as it wrestled with Mr Corbyn's future.
She said: Labour votes in the cities who voted in must not push away the Labour voters in the town who voted out. They are not right wing. And they are waiting for us to stand up for them.
'I got to know Jeremy last year and I always found him a kind, friendly man. He won well and he has brought more people into the party.
'He did not lose the referendum the Prime Minister lost the referendum he called. But Jeremy did not show he had any of the campaigning zeal our Party needs in a tough fight.
'But he is losing us Labour support across the country and particularly in the towns and coalfields that built the labour movement in the first place.'
Ms Cooper said Labour had a crucial role to play in the Brexit negotiations because the current set up is 'laughably inadequate'.
She said: The Prime Minister should establish a cross party joint committee of both houses of Parliament to oversee the options and negotiating strategy that is drawn up.
'It should include those who supported Leave and those who supported Remain.'
Add to the litany of failures during the Benghazi attack a serious wardrobe malfunction.
As the Sept. 11th, 2012 attack raged, government officials debated whether U.S. Marines being dispatched should don their military uniforms or wear civilian clothing, according to a new report being released by Republicans on the select Benghazi committee.
The report cites one commander who said as forces got ready to deploy, 'during the course of three hours, he and his Marines changed in and out of their uniforms four times,' NBC reported.
State officials apparently were concerned about the optics of sending in heavily armed and easily identifiable Marines.
Scroll down for video
Marines changed in and out of their uniforms four times as officials debated the best response, according to the new GOP Benghazi report
A House Republican report on Benghazi catalogues delays and missed signals
The back and forth over attire occurred on a conference call headed by President Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough, according to the report.
Patrick Kennedy, the under secretary or Management at State, told the panel in an interview that the agency raised the dress code concerns out of political sensitivity.
He said the agency wanted to 'make sure that the steps we were taking would enhance the security of our personnel, not potentially diminish the security of our personnel.'
Also contributed to the delay was confusion about where forces were to be inserted.
According to the report, witnesses said the plan wasn't to send forces to Benghazi, in Libya's east, but rather to Tripoli, site of the official U.S. embassy.
The late U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens died in the attack, along with three other Americans
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified about the attacks in 2012, but the issue is still dogging her presidential campaign
It's not easy being green: State Department officials debated whether to have Marines wear their battle uniforms or civilian clothes. Marine recruits are pictured at Paris Island, SC
'Their understanding was that the assets needed to be sent to Tripoli to augment security at the Embassy, and that the State Department was working to move the State Department personnel from Benghazi to Tripoli,' according to the report.
"What was disturbing from the evidence the Committee found was that at the time of the final lethal attack at the Annex, no asset ordered deployed by the Secretary had even left the ground," the report found.
The U.S. military support didn't arrive until the following afternoon, when the attack was over, despite Defense Secretary Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's order to dispatch forces.
The attack resulted in the death of four Americans, including U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.
A Colorado man flying an American flag from his apartment's balcony could face eviction after refusing to comply with an order to remove it.
Samuel Adams draped the flag over his balcony railings ahead of Independence Day but managers at his apartment building have demanded he take it down.
Authorities at the Sterling Heights apartment complex in Greeley, Colorado, say the flag breaches the terms of Mr Adams' tenancy agreement.
Scroll down for video
Samuel Adams has refused to take down his American flag from his balcony after his apartment building manager said it breached their rules
Mr Adams, whose father served as a surgeon in the Army and whose grandfather was a Navy dentist, said the order breached his freedom of speech and he would rather be evicted than take down the flag.
'I wanted to be a patriotic American and give tribute to our founding fathers and our veterans, and to have them say the flag is inappropriate or comparable to trash is reprehensible to me,' he told the Greeley Tribune.
The proud patriot received a letter from apartment building managers earlier this week saying the flag was not allowed on the balcony.
The list of rules Mr Adams agreed to when he signed his tenancy agreement states: 'The use of balconies and patios for the purpose of storage and/or laundry drying is prohibited.
THE LETTER SENT TO MR ADAMS BY APARTMENT BUILDING MANAGER 'Dear Samuel, Please be advised that it has come to management's attention that you have an American flag on the balcony/patio area. Your signed Community Policies states, "The use of balconies and patios for the purpose of storage and/or laundry drying is prohibited. Breezeways are not to be used as a patio or storage. Please do not clutter with personal belongings. Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition. Outdoor and/or patio furniture is welcomed on your patio or balcony only. Gasoline and other hazardous materials are not to be stored in your apartment or storage area. Refrain from having dead plants, boxes or garbage on balcony/patios at any time." We appreciate your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact myself or the office. Thank you.' Advertisement
'Balconies and patios must be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition. Refrain from having dead plants, boxes or garbage on balcony/patios at any time.'
Apartment building official Amie Robertshaw told the Tribune that American flags were allowed on July 4 but must be taken down immediately afterwards.
'We really try hard to keep a nice, neat community and are diligent about our efforts to keep uniformity in appearance in the areas visible to others,' she said.
But Mr Adams plans to continue flying the Stars and Stripes after Independence Day, even if it means he is evicted.
A video of the resident on his balcony with his flag has been shared by more than 1,000 people and has been viewed more than 42,000 times.
'I'm the kind of guy that when I see a man or woman in a uniform, I go up to them and say, "thank you for your service",' Mr Adams said.
'I gladly accept the responsibility given to me of standing up for the veterans and families that have reached out to me.'
A man has been arrested after a shooting at a pot farm in Woodburn, Oregon, left three dead and one critically injured Monday.
Police were alerted to the shooting at 11.05am and on arrival 15 minutes later, found the wounded victims: two men were pronounced dead at the scene, while a woman died in hospital later and another man is in critical condition - none of the victims have yet been named.
The suspected shooter, Bonifacio Oseguera-Gonzalez, 29, was stopped and arrested on the I-84 east of Portland, KOIN 6 reported. He's been charged on three murder counts.
Shooting: Three people died and one was critically injured at this licensed marijuana and blueberry farm outside Portland, Oregon. A neighbor said they heard shouting followed by gunfire
Suspect: Bonifacio Oseguera-Gonzalez was arrested after fleeing the scene, police said. He's been charged with three counts of aggravated murder and one of attempted aggravated murder
'He definitely was trying to make a getaway,' Marion County Lt Chris Baldridge, told the channel. 'Luckily we were able to stop him and take him into custody without incident.'
As the shooting took place a terrified witness, 19-year-old Ricardo Bajonero, kept in contact with his brother Carlos, 26, The Portland Tribune reported.
'Brother, help Im afraid. I heard many gunshots outside and many men,' the teen, who lives next door to the farm texted.
He told his brother that he heard men arguing, followed by gunshots. 'He kept saying he didn't know what to do,' Carlos told the site.
Carlos told his brother to alert police, who arrived around 15 minutes later.
They questioned Ricardo before reuniting him with his brother.
Another neighbor, Doug Mosely, said that he only heard one gunshot, which he thought was due to hunters that are common in the area, before he saw police cars converging on the location.
Police found one of the men dead outside a farmhouse on the farm, which is located at 13436 Killiam Road Northeast. Another was found dead inside.
The woman was taken to Emanuel Legacy Medical Center, but died there. The injured man was taken to Oregon Health & Science University.
It's not clear at present how the victims are connected to each other or the shooter, police said.
Oseguera-Gonzalez has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder.
Police said they had been called out to the farm on a number of occasions to deal with complaints about large parties there.
The farm primarily grows blueberries, but also has a legal marijuana growing operation. However, police say they believe that is not connected to the shootings.
Inquest hears checks were not routinely carried out when he arrived
But his background was not checked and he went on to kill Alice
He had come to UK in 2007 and was arrested in 2009 over attack claims
Foreigners entering Britain were not subject to routine conviction checks when the Latvian murderer of Alice Gross came to the UK, it emerged today.
Arnis Zalkalns killed 14-year-old Alice in a 'sexually motivated' attack in Hanwell, West London in 2014. An inquest is now being held into her death.
The hearing was told today that - despite Zalkalns having been convicted in Latvia of murdering his wife - no real checks were carried out on his background when he came to the UK in 2007 after his release from prison.
Latvian Arnis Zalkalns murdered Alice Gross in 2014. Despite him having a previous conviction for murder, checks were not carried out on his history, an inquest heard today
Dr Fiona Wilcox, chief coroner for Westminster, asked: 'There were no processes essentially to check Mr Zalkalns when he came in in relation to any convictions?'
Detective Superintendent Mick Forteath replied: 'There was the ability to conduct the check but it was not widely known and there was no policy in place to ensure and make officers conduct those checks. There was no routine checking of individuals entering the country at that time.'
DCS Forteath said that even when Zalkalns' convictions were checked after Alice's death in 2014, they came back negative because his conviction for murdering his wife was considered 'spent'.
Zalkalns was convicted in Latvia in 1998 of murdering and burying his wife and of firearms offences.
He moved to Britain in 2007 after being freed from a seven-year prison sentence and was arrested two years later when a girl the same age as Alice said he indecently assaulted her.
DCS Forteath was questioned about what checks were carried out when Zalkalns was arrested in the UK in 2009.
He said: 'There was no policy in place to check historical convictions at that time.
'However, there was the ability if you knew how and knew where to access the information to request the check from an overseas authority.'
Zalkhans killed his wife (pictured together, left), but was free to travel to Britain and murder Alice (right)
Alice's parents Jose Gross and Rosalind Hodgkiss have attended the hearings. Ms Hodgkiss has said she is 'stunned' the murderer was not being monitored in the UK
The officer said in 2009 the Met performed 100 checks a month on foreign nationals using the Association of Criminal Records Office (ACRO) despite there being 200 arrests of foreign nationals in the capital every day.
He said that this has improved and in 2014, 2,000 checks were performed a month.
But, even if Zalkalns' conviction had been spotted, he may have remained in the country, the inquest heard.
The officer said: 'It's difficult to say. It would be a case Nexus would review. It would look at circumstances. It may or may not ask immigration to consider the power to remove.'
Zalkalns walked free from a police station in 2009 after his accuser refused to give evidence.
Alice's family, including her 21-year-old sister Nina Gross, father Jose Gross and mother Rosalind Hodgkiss, were at the hearing today.
Alice's body was found bound, wrapped in bin bags and weighed down by bricks and bicycle wheels in the River Brent on September 30, 2014, around a month after her parents reported her missing.
Police divers searched Grand Union Canal in west London during the search for Alive after she went missing
Alice's body was found bound, wrapped in bin bags and weighed down in the River Brent
Zalkalns only became a suspect when his partner, Katerina Laiblova, reported him missing while the Met Police were searching for Alice.
He was found hanged in Boston Manor Park days after her body was discovered having taken his life.
Ms Hodgkiss previously told the court that she is 'stunned' the murderer was not being monitored in the UK. She added: 'This has destroyed much of our faith in our country's ability to protect its citizens.'
A brigade of barnyard animals who escaped the confines of their paddock decided to celebrate their new found freedom by taking a break at an iconic Australian pub.
Owners of the Humpty Doo Hotel, south-east of Darwin, called police just before 3am on Monday after finding a small donkey, pony and cow on the grounds.
Some detective work revealed the pony had led its two companions astray, with police posting a humorous account of their adventures to Facebook on Tuesday.
Scroll down for video
A brigade of barnyard animals who escaped the confines of their paddock decided to celebrate their new found freedom by taking a break at an iconic Australian pub
Owners of the Humpty Doo Hotel, south-east of Darwin, called police just before 3am on Monday after finding a small donkey, pony and cow on the grounds
The owner was able to 'corral' the unlikely bar flies into a yard at the rear of the pub before they were taken home.
Neighbour Mary Walshe went to check things out after her jack russell started barking and she noticed a 'white flash' move across the rear of the pub.
'I got out and investigated a little further and found these little treasures - a tiny little pony, a tiny little donkey and a nice heifer cow in pursuit,' Ms Walshe told Nine News.
Ms Walshe said she 'couldn't quite believe' what she was seeing and decided to notify the authorities as she was concerned the animals could have wandered on to the Arnhem Highway.
Neighbour Mary Walshe (pictured) said she 'couldn't quite believe' what she was seeing and decided to notify the authorities as she was concerned the animals could have wandered on to the Arnhem Highway
Some detective work revealed the pony (left) was the instigator and had led its two companions astray
They said it would have been impossible to convince a jury it was rape
But prosecutors have said there was 'evidentiary' issues with each case
Decision caused outrage, with many comparing it to case of Brock
Former Indiana University student John P. Enochs, of Downers Grove, Illinois, allegedly raped one girl in April 2015 and another in 2013, but was sentenced to a year of probation after accepting a plea deal
Prosecutors have explained why they gave no prison time to a former frat boy accused of raping two women.
Former Indiana University student John P. Enochs, of Downers Grove, Illinois, allegedly attacked one girl in April 2015 and another in 2013.
But the 22-year old had both felony charges against him dropped after he accepted a plea deal to a lesser charge of battery.
He was sentenced to one year probation and spent only one day in jail.
The decision was met with outrage, with many comparing it to the lenient sentenced given to the rapist Stanford swimmer Brock Turner.
In response, the Monroe County Prosecutor's office said they couldn't prove rape as there were issues with DNA evidence.
They also said witnesses couldn't recall some events because they had been drinking.
Defense attorney Jeff Herman says one of the victims is 'frustrated' by the lack of time behind bars and announced that she is now planning to file a civil suit.
'This obviously has been devastating for her,' said Herman. 'It has forced her to have to leave school. For her, it's a life sentence.'
Prosecutors said on Monday that the case presented a 'very unusual' set of circumstances.
The jury in either case from learning about the other allegation if the cases went to trial.
Prosecutors also said there were 'evidentiary' problems with both cases, according to the Indianapolis Star.
In the investigation from 2013, witnesses couldn't recall some important details because so much time had passed and they'd been drinking.
An affidavit describes the incident that allegedly occurred in April, saying a woman was at a party at Enochs' frat house (pictured), drinking with friends, when she went to find a bathroom. The next thing she remembers is a man having sex with her, who she did not know
FULL STATEMENT FROM THE MONROE COUNTY PROSECUTORS OFFICE This case presented a very unusual set of circumstances in that we had two unrelated accusations, two years apart. That was an important consideration in our initial decision to charge. However, under the law, a jury considering one case would not be allowed to know about the other. After the case(s) was filed, evidence continued to be developed that lead us to the conclusion that neither case, standing alone, presented sufficient evidence to prove rape. In the older case, the complaining witness had no specific recollection of the events; the few witnesses could not recall important details due to the passage of time and the consumption of alcohol; and the complaining witness's decision to prosecute came two years after the event which severely hindered the investigation. There were also photographs that contradicted the assertion that the complaining witness was incapable of engaging in consensual activity shortly before the alleged assault. This is important because the complaint was that she was 'unaware' that the sex was occurring due to her consumption of alcohol. Indiana law has a provision in the rape statute that makes this charge available to prosecutors. The more recent case had similar evidentiary problems. In that case there is video evidence of activities of the complaining witness, before and after the alleged assault, which does not support the assertion of a forcible rape, which was the charge in this instance. There is also DNA evidence that is problematic, and made it impossible for us to prove that the defendant was the cause of her injury. This turn of events was frustrating for us as prosecutors, due to the fact that there were two complaints against the defendant. That fact is the reason we continued to pursue accountability on his part which led to this plea agreement. It should be noted that he entered a plea of guilty to Battery as a Level 6 Felony. The decision to enter it as a misdemeanor was within the Court's discretion. Advertisement
There were also photographs that are believed to have contradicted 'the assertion that the complaining witness was incapable of engaging in consensual activity shortly before the alleged assault'.
In the more recent case, prosecutors said DNA evidence was problematic; prosecutors also said video before and after the alleged assault did 'not support the assertion of a forcible rape'.
Therefore they said it was impossible for them to prove to a jury that Enochs had caused the victim's injuries by sexual assault.
Enochs, formerly a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, firmly denies both charges.
The 22-year-old was facing two counts of felony rape, but instead will only be convicted of a misdemeanor battery with moderate bodily injury charge.
An affidavit describes the incident that allegedly occurred in April, saying a woman was at a party at Enochs' frat house, drinking with friends, when she went to find a bathroom.
She says the next thing she remembers is being in a private room with an unknown man who was having sex with her, the affidavit alleges.
The unidentified woman said when she realized what was happening she pushed the man off her, said 'no' and, after the act finished, ran to a bathroom to hide until her friends found her.
The police were called and the woman was given a rape kit test if she had been assaulted.
Security footage showed Enochs entering a room with the woman and his DNA was found on her, the affidavit says.
She later identified him in a line up, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Enochs' attorney, Katharine C. Liell vigorously denies this allegation and the one from 2013.
'I totally believe John has been caught up in a whirlwind of emotion surrounding any allegation involving sexual assault on campus,' Liell said.
She called the incidents 'histrionics' caused by other college rape cases.
The 2013 accusation of rape came from a woman who said Enochs was seen having sex with her, although the woman herself doesn't recall the incident.
Enochs is alleged to have assaulted this woman before attending a Greek function on the college campus.
The woman was passed out during the incident, it is alleged. A friend claims she rushed upstairs to stop the rape, but the door was locked, the affidavit reads.
Twitter lit into Enochs, likening his case to that of Brock Turner, who was found guilty on three sexual assault charges for raping a woman on the campus of Stanford University and later was sentenced to only six months
Initially the woman did not want to press charges until she heard of the case from 2015, and then decided to report the assault.
Following the plea deal, Twitter lit into Enochs, likening his case to that of Brock Turner, who was found guilty on three sexual assault charges for raping a woman on the campus of Stanford University and later was sentenced to only six months in jail.
One Twitter user, Kimberly Turner wrote: 'White male privilege must be nice #johnenochs #rapeculture.'
Clifford Wares, 43 (pictured), was sentenced to life in prison on Monday
A man found guilty of sex crimes against underage girls bit his cheek and spat a mouthful of blood at one of his victims in court yesterday before he was sentenced to life in prison.
Clifford W. Wares, 43, of Warwick, New York, was tackled and escorted out of the courtroom with a hooded net over his head after he spat at one of his victims who was just 13 when they first met online.
A prosecutor described how he tried to force another victim, aged 14, to have sex with a dog and threatened to kill her when she refused, NJ.com reported.
US District Judge Esther Salas said Wares was 'probably pure evil' and called him 'every parent's worst nightmare come to life'.
The 13-year-old victim is now 18. On Monday, she told the court Wares groomed her online and convinced her to send him nude pictures of herself.
When she refused to engage in bestiality, he contacted her friends and destroyed her reputation, leading her to contemplate suicide.
Wares spat blood on her when she passed between the defense and prosecution tables after giving her victim impact statement.
US marshals tackled Wares and he watched the rest of his sentencing hearing from a holding cell.
When given the chance to address the judge, he vowed to appeal his conviction, insisting that he was innocent.
He also pointed his middle finger at the camera inside the cell and said: 'It's not hard to get out, and when I do, oh, there's going to be problems.'
Judge Salas called his crimes 'heinous and deplorable' before sentencing him to life in prison. She also said she would recommend he carry out his life term in a supermax facility.
The judge also found Wares guilty of obstruction of justice after determining that he sent anonymous letters threatening his victims and their families.
Wares staged a similar blood-spitting outburst during his trial in May, and elected to stay in a holding cell because he feared he wouldn't be able to control himself.
He was convicted last month of one count of producing child pornography, one count of traveling to another state to engage in illicit sexual conduct, two counts of enticing a minor online to engage in criminal sexual conduct and two counts of interstate extortionate threat.
Judge Salas called his crimes 'heinous and deplorable' before sentencing him to life in prison in the Newark District Court (pictured) on Monday. She would also recommend he carry out life term in a supermax facility
In June 2011, Wares targeted two teenage girls in Passaic County, New Jersey.
He spoke to the 13-year-old both online and over the phone, pretending to be another minor while the communication became sexually explicit.
Wares sent her pornographic images and requested that she send him pictures and videos of herself either naked or engaging in sexual activity.
When she resisted additional requests of bestiality, Wares destroyed her reputation by contacting her friends online, she told the court on Monday.
Wares also sent pornographic images to a 14-year-old girl he met through social media and told her he was interested in 'hanging out'.
He picked her up at school and forced her to perform oral sex on him at a local park.
He also gave her a dog and tried to force her to have sex with it. When she refused, he threatened to kill both her and the animal, according to Salas.
When she refused to meet him again, he carried out additional threats to both her reputation and property.
Wares was arrested after a land and helicopter search in Orange County, New York.
He was living in a tent inside a park, where authorities recovered handcuffs, a roll of duct tape, a knife and a handwritten list of other children who were friends with both victims.
Turkey has refused to pay compensation to Russia for downing one of its fighter jets last year despite the Kremlin claiming the country has apologised.
The Russian fighter jet was shot at in Novermber last year, with Turkey saying it entered their airspace close to the Syrian border, an allegation Moscow denies.
The pilot ejected from the aircraft but was killed by gunfire from the rebels on the ground in Syria as he parachuted back down to Earth.
Turkey has refused to pay compensation to Russia for downing one of its fighter jets last year over the Turkey/Syria border, pictured
The pilot ejected from the aircraft but was killed by gunfire from the rebels on the ground in Syria as he parachuted back down to Earth
Yesterday Russia announced that Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan had wrote to Vladimir Putin expressing his regret over the incident.
But Turkish prime minister Binali Yildrim today said that Turkey will not pay any compensation over the crash.
He also confirmed that legal proceedings were underway against an individual allegedly responsible for the killing of the Russian pilot.
It comes after the Kremlin said it would take more than a few days to mend Russia's relations with Ankara.
Yesterday Russia announced that Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, left, had wrote to Vladimir Putin, right, expressing his regret over the incident
After writing to Putin to voice his regret over the incident, Erdogan said he now believed that Ankara would normalise relations with Moscow 'rapidly'.
But the Kremlin was more cautious today.
'One should not think it possible to normalise everything within a few days, but work in this direction will continue,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Legal proceedings are now underway against an individual allegedly responsible for the killing of the Russian pilot
'President Putin has expressed more than once his willingness to uphold good relations with Turkey and the Turkish people,' Peskov added.
'Now a very important step has been made in this respect.'
Wyomings financial situation didnt need to be this difficult.
Certainly, the news from Gov. Matt Meads office last week was bleak: The governor has proposed cutting $248 million from the two-year state budget that goes into effect July 1 as well as laying off almost 700 private-sector workers whose jobs depend on state-funded work.
The state Department of Health will bear the brunt of these cuts, with a $90 million reduction thats made worse by the loss of federal matching funds. Twenty-three programs within the department are being cut. For instance, the department will eliminate an oral health program for low-income people, primarily children. It also will reduce spending on substance abuse and suicide prevention programs, which is particularly troubling given Wyomings historically high suicide rate.
Mead also discussed the possibility of $86.2 million in cuts to Wyoming Medicaid. In the wake of major layoffs at Wyoming Medical Center earlier this month, the governor warned that the same specter might loom at other hospitals around the state.
Its fair to say that much of the economic challenge stems from factors outside Wyomings control, from changing energy markets to geopolitical uncertainty. Those are real problems that we as a state must contend with.
But we cant blame all of the cuts on these variables. Some of the responsibility rests squarely with our leaders in Cheyenne.
Wyoming legislators have missed opportunity after opportunity to accept federal money to expand Medicaid to 20,000 low-income adults in the state. Approving expansion a key component of the Affordable Care Act would unleash the flow of $268 million to hospitals, clinics and doctors around Wyoming. It would help provide treatment for people who cant pay and for whom the medical facility ends up picking up the tab. Since Wyoming hospitals tally more than $100 million in uncompensated care each year, thats significant. Its money that matters now, in our current financial situation, more than ever.
Even before the Medicaid expansion debate, lawmakers missed a chance to address the persistent challenge of caring for the uninsured at a time when the state was still flush with cash from an energy boom. Some critics, mostly Democrats, say the Legislature put a spending priority on projects, rather than people. More could have been done to diversify our economy when times were good. Now, we must make those efforts while money is scarce.
Unfortunately, lawmakers have again and again allowed ideology to shape the state. They have had chance after chance to take advantage of the federal funding that comes with expanding Medicaid, and each time, they have refused. They had a chance to attract more industries to the state, but they focused too much on preserving the status quo.
Today, we see the effects of those decisions. Our state budget has taken a huge hit. Our people will have fewer health care options during a bust, when they would need help most.
If this is Wyoming legislators idea of a system that works, voters should explore other options.
Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune
The owners of a Boxer in California that was shot in the chest in the middle of the day in a random attack say it is a 'miracle' the dog survived.
Doja, who is three years old, was shot last Thursday in the front yard of her home in Perris, in Riverside County.
The bullet punctured the dog's lung, and also sent shrapnel into her legs and chest.
'The amount of blood she lost, there is no reason why she should be here right now, but she is. It's a miracle,' dog owner Andrew Grant told KTLA 5 News.
Lucky to be alive: Doja, who is three years old, was shot last Thursday in the front yard of her home in Perris, in Riverside County, in a seemingly random attack. Police say they have no leads
Recovering: Doja had to undergo surgery for a punctured lung. She still has shrapnel in her chest and legs
Painful: The family has already spent more than $5,000 on vet bills and fear there will be more expensive surgeries ahead
Police have appealed for information from the public in the shooting. No witnesses have come forward, and investigators have no leads.
'It punctured her lung, she has shrapnel in her legs still and her chest,' Grant said.
'This neighborhood is full of children and animals and something like this should not happen.'
Grant was at work at the time of the shooting. However his grandmother, who he lives with, was at home and in the shower.
'When I got out of the shower, my little dog was raising heck at the front door,' said Sharon Wood.
'So I opened the door, and she was right there just covered with blood.'
'The amount of blood she lost, there is no reason why she should be here right now,' Andrew Grant said
The scars of Doja's chest show where the bullet entered her. The vet said it's a miracle that she is alive
Andrew Grant was at work at the time of the shooting. However his grandmother, Sharon Wood, who he lives with, was at home
Scene: Doja was in this front yard in Perris when someone came and shot her. Police do not know if the attacker was in a vehicle or on foot
Wood put a compression bandage of the dog and rushed her to the vet, where she underwent surgery.
Doja still has a long way to go in terms of her recovery.
The family has already spent more than $5,000 on vet bills and fear there will be more expensive surgeries ahead that they won't be able to pay for.
Avery Jackson, eight, is a transgender girl who teamed up with Equality House to create a center for transgender people in Topeka, Kansas
Avery Jackson may be small, but she's making big changes to empower the transgender community in the Westboro Baptist Church's neighborhood.
Avery, eight, is a transgender girl who teamed up with Equality House, a rainbow home that promotes LGBT visibility and is owned by non-profit Planting Peace, to make sure trans people have a spot just for them.
Once a year Equality House repaints itself with the colors of the transgender flag; blue, pink and white.
It was during this time that Avery made a visit to the location.
Seeing the home so openly support trans people gave Avery a sense of pride.
After that she began showing herself in pictures, feeling that she would be accepted as she is.
'I loved the Rainbow House when it was painted like the transgender flag.
'I felt so happy and proud to be transgender,' she said.
Moved by how affected Avery was by Equality House's temporary make over, Planting Peace decided to start the process of purchasing the house next to them - directly across from the Westboro Baptist Church - and permanently painting it the colors of the trans flag.
Not only did Planting Peace plan for the house to bear the colors of the trans flag, but they also wanted the home to become a safe center for trans people in the Topeka, Kansas, community.
Planting Peace, a non-profit that owns Equality House, bought the home next door to them to turn into the new center
Avery got the idea for the center after visiting Equality House, which is across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church
Equality House is a rainbow home that promotes visibility, and once a year the facility is repainted the colors of the transgender flag
But first the non-profit needed to raise the money to purchase the neighboring house.
A fundraiser on Planting Peace's site raised just over $11,000 - about $60,000 short of buying the house.
That's where Martin Dunn stepped in.
Dunn, a New York City developer, fund the $70,000 project after reading about Avery's fight for a transgender center.
'The idea was to create something that was a very visible symbol of acceptance and pride.
'The idea that it would be across from a hate group was also really appealing.
When Avery visited the home during its stint with the blue, pink and white colors, she was overjoyed that there was such support for people like her
She began showing her face in pictures after the visit. Equality House was so moved by this that they decided to make Avery's dream of a place for people just like her a reality
Planting Peace began working toward purchasing the house next door to them (pictured, right) so they could paint it
Martin Dunn, a New York City developer, gave Planting Peace $70,000 to build Avery's dream center next to Equality House
'I have three children and if I had a kid that was transgender I would want a place that would celebrate them and accept them.
'That's just not available in this country and it should be,' Dunn told the New York Daily News.
Avery said Dunn has made her dream come true.
'I was worried that having a transgender house was just a dream, but now it's finally real.
'I love the transgender flag. It's beautiful and makes me smile.
'I'm happy that we will have a house painted like the flag to show that transgender people are beautiful and will make them smile,' she said.
Equality House and the new transgender center (pictured, prior to painting) are right across the street and in plane view of the Westboro Baptist Chruch
Aaron Jackson, the president of Planting Peace, said if the Westboro Baptist Church (pictured) responds to the new facility with hate, they will be met with even louder love
So far the Westboro Baptist Church, notorious for inflammatory protests of soldiers' funerals and picketing with signs that boast hateful messages, hasn't reacted publicly to the house.
Aaron Jackson, the president of Planting Peace, told the Daily News the transgender community will meet every sign and every negative statement with louder love.
President Barack Obama says 'hysteria' over Britain's leaving the European Union is unwarranted.
'The average person is not going to notice a big change,' said Obama - if the United Kingdom emulates Norway.
Norway is not in the EU, and yet it is one of America's closest allies, the U.S. president told NPR as part of a long interview, a section of which was released today.
'I think that the best way to think about this is, a pause button has been pressed on the project of full European integration,' he said.
President Barack Obama says 'hysteria' over Britain's leaving the European Union is unwarranted. 'I think that the best way to think about this is, a pause button has been pressed on the project of full European integration,' he told NPR
The project was 'probably moving faster and without as much consensus as it should have,' he said.
'I think this will be a moment when all of Europe says, "Let's take a breath and let's figure out how do we maintain some of our national identities, how do we preserve the benefits of integration, and how do we deal with some of the frustrations that our own voters are feeling,' " Obama stated.
In the long term, Obama said he does not 'anticipate that there is going to be major cataclysmic changes as a consequence of this.'
'I would not overstate it,' Obama said. 'There's been a little bit of hysteria post-Brexit vote, as if somehow NATO's gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. That's not what's happening.'
Pointing to Norway, Obama said, 'They align themselves on almost every issue with Europe and us.
'They are a place that is continually supporting the kinds of initiatives internationally that we support, and, if over the course of what is going to be at least a two-year negotiation between England and Europe, Great Britain ends up being affiliated to Europe like Norway is, the average person is not going to notice a big change.'
Obama came up on the losing side of the internal battle after he aligned himself with Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, who is resigning in defeat.
He said Britons would find themselves at the 'back of the queue' if they followed through, and they did it any way, putting their long-term trade relationship with the United States in jeopardy.
'It's too early to say' how long it will be before the UK is able to strike a deal with the US, the president's spokesman said today. 'We're four or five days out of this decision being made.'
The UK would not, however, 'benefit from the years of progress we've made in negotiating a trade agreement with the EU,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
The top US negotiator, Trade Representative Michael Froman, has said set the end of 2016, a month before Obama's exit from office, as the target date to ink an agreement with the EU.
Britain cannot leave the aggregate group until after a two-year time period has passed, ensuring that trade will not immediately be halted.
Earnest said today that it was still unclear whether the UK would be allowed to negotiate new deals until that window has been passed.
'If and when those negotiations were to start, they would start in a different place,' he said.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton came in behind Obama and advised Britain to stay in the EU, while Republican Donald Trump joined the 'Leave' campaign.
Trump is framing the referendum's results as a harbinger of things to come in the United States.
Britons who voted to leave the EU were enraged that their country had been flooded by immigrants since joining the intercontinental alliance that has an open door policy among member nations.
The Republican White House contender believes he can ride the same populist wave to victory in November is the U.S. presidential election.
Obama said in the interview with NPR that there are parallels between the two countries' plights.
However, Europe is also recovering at a slower rate from the 2008 global financial crisis than the United States, he said, crediting his own policies for the positive adjustment west of the Atlantic.
'Overall I think the differences are greater than the similarities,' he said.
What is the same is 'the ability to tap into a fear that people may have about losing control, to offer some sort of vague nostalgic feelings about how we'll make Britain great again or how we'll make America great again.
'And the subtext for that is somehow that a bunch of foreigners and funny-looking people are coming in here and changing the basic character of the nation,' Obama told NPR's Steve Inskeep. 'I think that some of that is out there, both in Europe and the United States.'
Obama came up on the losing side of the internal battle after he aligned himself with Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, who is resigning in defeat. Cameron arrived today at the first day of an EU summit meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels
Those beliefs are not unique to either the United States or Britain, he said, offering up other 'far-right' movements in France and other countries as evidence.
Obama said it's important to keep in mind with Trump that he 'embodies global elites and has taken full advantage of it his entire life.'
'So, he's hardly a spokesperson a legitimate spokesperson for a populist surge of working-class people on either side of the Atlantic,' Obama said, laughing at the idea of the billionaire as the leader of a Bernie Sanders type movement.
Obama's preferred successor Hillary Clinton has avoided public comment on results of the Brexit campaign.
It was not until Sunday, at the annual Conference of U.S. Mayors, that she spoke about it at all, telling her audience, 'the United States and the United Kingdom are different countries in many important ways economically, politically, demographically.
'But we still have a lot of common interests and values. Just as we have seen there are many frustrated people in Britain, we know there are frustrated people here at home too,' she said. 'Ive seen it, Ive heard it, I know it. Thats why Ive worked hard to find solutions to the economic challenges we face.'
In America, 'political dysfunction' in Congress is what's holding the economy back, the Democratic presidential candidate said.
She told LinkedIn executive editor Daniel Roth in an forthcoming interview previewed by Politico Tuesday morning that she was 'disappointed, but not surprised' by the outcome of the referendum.
A heartless son spent his elderly father's fortune on holidays with his wife while he was still alive, robbing his teenage nephew of his only inheritance when he died.
Ashley and Beverley Vernon from Tawa, near Wellington, spent almost $300,000 of his father Kenneth's estate after being given control of it when he was still alive.
The 91-year-old war veteran died in 2011 with just $1400 to his name, leaving little in the way of inheritance for his teenage grandson.
Dante Pauwels-Vernon, 19, was due to inherit half of his grandfather's estate. His own father, Mr Vernon's brother, died when he was a child.
Ashley and Beverley Vernon (above) spent his father's fortune on holidays, plundering his $300,000 estate before his death in 2011
But his uncle and aunt spent the money before the elder Mr Vernon's death, The Dominion Post reported.
The couple from Tawa, near Wellington, lost their appeal against the High Court this week after being ordered to repay $286,354 last year.
The High Court heard at the time how the elderly Mr Vernon moved in with them after the death of his wife Naomi and his son Kenneth, Dante's father, in 2006.
He was depressed after their deaths and required help getting dressed and showering, the court heard.
The veteran, who ran hotels after his military service, spent the final two years of his life in a nursing home but had been 'utterly reliant' on his son and daughter-in-law beforehand, prosecutors said.
Kenneth Vernon (right) planned to leave half of his estate to his grandson Dante Pauwels-Vernon (middle). Dante's father, Mr Vernon's brother, died when he was a child within months of the death of his grandmother Naomi (left)
Mr Vernon signed power of his finances over to his son and daughter-in-law after moving in with them. They are seen above during a holiday in July 2011, weeks before his death
The elderly man moved in with the couple 2006 after the death of his wife and son. He spent the last two years of his life in a nursing home while they holidayed (above in 2010, a year before his death)
'The elderly Kenneth Vernon ... was not well, not emotionally well either, totally reliant.
'You couldn't get someone more dependent or vulnerable,' Hamish McIntosh, lawyer for the Public Trust which executed his will, said.
While his father lay in the care of nurses, Mr Vernon, who is in his early sixties, was going on cruises with his wife.
He spent $16,000 on a car, paid off a $5,000 credit card bill and also transferred $46,000 from his father's bank account to his own.
When the elderly Mr Vernon died in September 2011, most of his fortune had been plundered. The Public Trust sued his son and his wife, claiming they had spent it unethically.
The couple argued that because they had been given power over his father's estate, they had done nothing wrong.
The couple used his father's money to go on cruises (above in August 2011). They also paid off credit card debt and bought a car
Mr and Mrs Vernon argued that they had done nothing wrong because his father willingly signed over his finances to them
They claimed he willingly told them the PIN for his bank card despite rarely using it himself before moving in with them.
Despite their protests the High Court upheld a decision to force them to repay the money on Tuesday.
Justice Stephen Kos rejected that the elder Mr Vernon had led himself voluntarily into 'pauperdom' and said the couple should not have spent his savings in such frivolous ways.
Mr Pauwels-Vernon, their newphew who was due to inherit half of his grandfather's estate, described their actions as 'deplorable and despicable' last year.
The teenager's father Chris died of cancer when he was nine.
The family of a 22-year-old student nurse who was tragically killed in a horror car crash have sued a funeral home, claiming it switched her casket filled with heirlooms without telling them.
Jaimie Witcraft died after a huge truck plowed into her car as she waited in traffic on a highway in Mobile, Alabama, in July last year.
The student - who aspired to be a nurse in the Air Force - was buried in her hometown in Texas, but even at that stage her heartbroken parents knew something was not right.
Jaimie's father, Joe Witcraft, believes his daughter was not embalmed properly and said he noticed flies after her body was placed in a mausoleum at Forest Park The Woodlands funeral home.
Scroll down for video
Jaimie Witcraft's family are suing a funeral home, claiming they switched her remains to a different casket without telling her
Jaimie's mother, Tari Witcraft (left, with her daughter), said she was told by an official at the funeral home that the caskets were switched. Jaimie's father, Joe Witcraft (right, with his daughter), believes Jaimie was not properly embalmed
'I would sit in there about an hour everyday, and as I'm sitting in there, these gnats would be flying around,' Mr Witcraft told KHOU.
His daughter was moved to a cemetery and buried in a casket that was blessed by a Catholic priest and filled with her favorite possessions.
Jaimie's mother, Tari Witcraft, said she complained to Forest Park in January after her grave was flooded.
During a meeting with officials from the funeral home, one of them revealed that Jaimie had been moved into a different casket, Mrs Witcraft said.
It is not clear when the casket was switched, or why.
'I immediately went into shock. I was flabbergasted at what she was telling me,' Mrs Witcraft said.
'It was tragic enough what happened to her, and now all of this added to it, it's completely inexcusable. I question everything that has been done. I wonder if she's in here,' she added.
Mrs Witcraft said the funeral home had ruined and prolonged her grieving process and made it hard for her family to move on with their lives.
Mrs Witcraft said the Forest Park The Woodlands funeral home had ruined and prolonged her grieving process
Tragedy: Jaimie, 22, was buried in a casket blessed by a Catholic priest and filled with family heirlooms
Jaimie died after a huge truck plowed into her car as she waited in traffic on a highway in Mobile, Alabama, in July last year. The wreckage of her vehicle is pictured
The Witcraft family have filed a lawsuit against Forest Park and its owner SCI Texas Funeral Services.
The family's attorney, Joe Jones, told KHOU the funeral home have been 'covering their tracks the entire time'.
The Witcrafts filed a lawsuit against Forest Park and its owner SCI Texas Funeral Services.
'When you peel back the onion, you see they were just covering their tracks the entire time,' said Joe Jones, the family's attorney.
The funeral home did not comment.
The Witcraft family home already feel they have suffered great injustice. The driver of the 18-wheeler who crashed into Jaimie and injured several other people was not prosecuted.
Mrs Witcraft was on the phone to her daughter when she was crushed by the sheer impact of the truck.
'It was quick. She didnt know. All my wife heard was her breathing. So we knew as soon as the impact hit. that was it. At least she didnt feel any pain,' Mr Witcraft told WKRG at the time.
'My daughter didnt even know what happened, what hit her,' he added.
A lesbian couple who conceived their twin sons through IVF have been able to connect with the sperm donor after his picture randomly popped up in their Facebook news feed.
Brooke Creemers and Jocelyn Baayens, from Western Australia, were travelling the world on sabatical in 2014 when they decided to travel to an IVF clinic in Cancun, Mexico and start a family.
The couple trawled through numerous sperm donor profiles until they found a man they 'liked the sound of' who supplied a photo and a brief bio. Ms Baayens fell pregnant with twins Lachlan and Sebastian in November 2014.
In March 2015, halfway through the pregnancy, Ms Creemers was scrolling through her Facebook page when she came across a picture she recognised, the biological father of her twin boys.
Brooke Creemers and Jocelyn Baayens (pictured) were left shocked after the sperm donor for their twin boys randomly popped up on their Facebook news feed
Ms Baayens fell pregnant with twins Lachlan (right) and Sebastian (left) in November 2014
The couple had kept in touch with the Mexican sperm donor clinic through social media. The clinic coordinator explained one of their donors was a friend and coincidentally featured in one of their pictures.
The pair debated whether to contact the man, named Joel, but decided they would regret not reaching out to the biological father of their sons.
Ms Creemers drafted the message to Joel and nervously waited for a response.
'He was shocked! Very shocked! but he was also incredibly happy [to receive the message],' the couple wrote on their GoFundMe page.
Joel said under Mexican law he is only told when the donations are a success and is otherwise not provided any other information about the births.
'He told his friend that it occurred to him, he may have children out there who would want to know something about him one day but never be able to,' Ms Creemers and Ms Baayens said.
In March 2015, halfway through the pregnancy, Ms Creemers was scrolling through her Facebook page when she came across a picture she recognised, the biological father of her twin boys, Joel (pictured)
Lachlan and Sebastian (pictured) were born seven weeks premature on June 26, 2015 and weighed just 1.8 and 1.9 kilograms
The pair debated whether to contact the biological father of the twins (pictured at six months) but decided they would regret not reaching out to the biological father of their sons
'While he'd been very happy to donate and help a couple, he thought that was a sad side effect.'
Lachlan and Sebastian were born seven weeks premature on June 26, 2015 and the trio have kept in contact by sending emails and photographs.
'Joel has shared photos of him as a baby and told them lots about his family and their history,' the post read.
'He speaks Spanish but his English is really good too. Sebastian looks just like Joel.'
The mums are now hoping their baby boys can meet their biological father in person and are trying to raise $3,500 to cover passport fees, return flights to Mexico and travel insurance.
They have launched a GoFundMe page and hope to be financial enough to travel by the end of the year to spend Christmas together.
The mums are now hoping Lachlan and Sebastian (pictured) can meet Joel in person and are trying to raise $3,500 to cover passport fees, return flights to Mexico and travel insurance in time for Christmas
Huma Abedin, vice chair of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, is testifying today about her knowledge of her boss's private email system while at the State Department.
Abedin is just the latest aide to testify as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit launched by the conservative group Judicial Watch, which has been trying to get access to Clinton's emails during the presidential candidate's tenure as secretary of state.
The group is interested in finding material about Abedin's 'controversial employment status,' in which the longtime Clinton aide was able to maintain a job at the State Department as a 'special government employee,' while simultaneously working for outside consulting firm Teneo.
Patrick Kennedy, another top State Department staffer under Clinton, is slated to testify tomorrow.
Scroll down for video
Top Clinton aide Huma Abedin testified today in the Freedom of Information Act case brought by conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch
Huma Abedin's 'controversial employment status' is central to the Freedom of Information Act case, with the group Judicial Watch asking a judge to reopen it after Hillary Clinton's secret server was discovered
In March 2015, Judicial Watch asked that a previous Freedom of Information Act lawsuit be reopened in light of the discovery that Clinton and other aides used private email accounts.
'Hillary Clinton's misconduct and the resulting fraud by the State Department disrupted and ended our federal FOIA lawsuit about Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton's closest political associations,' Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said at the time.
'Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration concealed records and lied to obstruct a federal court and Judicial Watch from finding out about the secret emails,' Fitton continued.
'Time is of the essence. Immediate court action is imperative to retrieve, recover and secure these public records from Mrs. Clinton.'
The following February U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan granted the conservative watchdog group the right to question under oath the former secretary of state's closest aides, including Abedin, who's central t the case.
He also opened the door to Clinton being interrogated herself.
'There's been a constant drip, drip, drip of declarations. When does it stop?' Sullivan said. 'This case is about the public's right to know,' added the judge, who was appointed by Clinton's husband President Bill Clinton.
By mid-May Judicial Watch and the Department of State had agreed upon a discovery plan with a number of high-level Clinton aides to be questioned under oath.
Huma Abedin, a longtime Hillary Clinton aide, will take questions today from Judicial Watch attorneys, following in the footsteps of IT staffer Bryan Pagliano and Clinton's former chief of staff Cheryl Mills
Huma Abedin (left) had a special employment arrangement at the State Department, as she was allowed to work at outside firm Teneo, while also retaining her State gig with Hillary Clinton (right)
Most recently, IT staffer Bryan Pagliano declined to answer questions posed by the group's lawyers.
He invoked the Fifth Amendment 125 different, consecutive times, according to CNN.
Pagliano is the staffer that the Justice Department gave immunity to in order to get information about the email system in a separate federal probe.
Clinton's former chief of staff Cheryl Mills also testified, but because she acted as Clinton's counsel after her State Department role, Mills lawyer could use attorney-client privilege to get the aide out of answering some of the questions.
'I know I spoke with Mr. Pagliano about the setup of the server during the period in which I was representing Secretary Clinton, which would have been two thousand which would have been post her departure from the State Department,' Mills offered during her testimony.
'At least that's my best recollection,' she added.
When Judicial Watch's attorney Ramona Cotca followed up and asked Mills if Pagliano was working for the Clintons at the time that they spoke, Mills' attorney Beth Wilkinson cut in with an objection.
'I'm representing Ms. Mills, as we know, and she represents Hillary Clinton as her personal lawyer,' Wilkinson argued. 'And you are now asking about work she has done for Hillary Clinton as her lawyer.'
'And it is beyond the scope of permissible discovery, and so I am instructing her not to answer,' Wilkinson said.
As the court case has moved slowly along, some of the Clinton emails have shed light on Abedin's unique employment set-up.
In September, in emails dredged up by Judicial Watch's suit, Abedin is shown having months-long exchanges with State Department employees as she seemingly dragged her feet on providing additional information about her husband's job and wealth.
Abedin is married to disgraced Democratic ex-congressman Anthony Weiner, whose two sexting scandals derailed his time in Congress and then his underdog attempt to run for New York City mayor.
The emails showed that there was 'a rush,' according to Judicial Watch, to appoint Abedin to this special position, which allowed her to work as both a State Department employee and as an outside consultant.
The company for which she would be working, Teneo, had a cozy relationship with the Clintons.
Abedin was also working for the Clinton Foundation as well.
When she was approved for 'special government employee' status she still hasn't disclosed Weiner's financial information, despite repeated requests by State Department employees at the time..
'These documents show the Huma Abedin received special treatment contrary to law and that Hillary Clinton personally approved a corrupt patronage position,' said Fitton.
Max Clifford's alleged teenage victim thought he was 'going to kill her' when he forced her to perform a sex act on him and told her 'It's only a little bit of fun', a court has been told.
The PR guru, 73, is accused of locking the 17-year-old girl in his London office before exposing himself. He is then said to have forced her to touch him intimately during the alleged assault 35 years ago.
The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told jurors: 'I actually thought he was going to kill me. I had no experience and really didn't know what was going to happen next.'
An alleged teenage victim of PR guru Max Clifford (pictured in the dock) thought he was 'going to kill her' when he forced her to perform a sex act on him and told her 'It's only a little bit of fun', a court has been told
She wept as she described the alleged attack at Clifford's PR firm office in Mayfair, central London between October 26 1981 and May 4 1982, when he was at the peak of his powers.
But under cross examination, the defence accused her of just being out for compensation from the celebrity publicist.
The alleged victim said: 'I have not given it a great deal of thought. That is not what this is all about.'
Clifford was arrested by Operation Yewtree detectives in 2012 and jailed for eight years in May 2014, Southwark Crown Court in London heard.
Sarah Forshaw QC, for Clifford, asked the alleged victim if she had made up the sex claim against the PR guru in order to try and get compensation.
Ms Forshaw said: 'I suggest you used your short period of employment with Mr Clifford's company to make up an allegation of indecent assault.
'You have done that to try and make money out of him because you know he is wealthy.
Disgraced: Clifford was arrested by Operation Yewtree detectives in 2012 and jailed for eight years in May 2014, Southwark Crown Court heard
'Max Clifford became the go to person for gold diggers hoping to sell their stories, kiss and tell stories, and enjoy their 15 minutes of fame.'
The witness denied the claims and said what she told the court was 'exactly what happened'.
Describing the alleged assault in the 1980s, she had earlier said she had 'no experience' and was 'scared' of Clifford.
'He unzipped his trousers and came towards me,' she told jurors.
'He said "let's have some fun" or something along those lines, "let's have a bit of fun".
'He was right next to me ... he was completely blocking the way (out).
'I said "I don't want to". He took my hand and put it on him.'
She wept as she continued: 'He started moving my hand because his hand was on top of mine and he started moving it around.'
She added: 'It felt like it was going on for ages ... I said several times "I really don't want to do this and really don't want to miss my train".
'I actually thought he was going to kill me. I had no experience and really didn't know what was going to happen next.'
She said he also made 'smutty' jokes about her with late comedian and television host Lennie Bennett.
'They were like schoolboys,' she told the jury. 'It was quite smutty ... he would say things like "we will get you to take your top off by the end of the day". It was probably banter for them but it wasn't for me.'
Clifford is accused of assaulting the girl at his Mayfair offices in New Bond Street between October 1981 and May 1982, which he denies.
The alleged encounter ended when a delivery person knocked on the door, the jury was told.
The woman said she did not tell anyone about what had happened because she was 'ashamed'.
'It wasn't the sort of thing nice girls talked about,' she added.
'I never told anybody the details up until several years ago.
'I used to say when he was on television (that) he's really not a very nice man.'
She added: 'I didn't think I would be believed or that anyone would do anything. He was so powerful ... I'm nobody.'
Theory: Sarah Forshaw QC, for Clifford, asked the alleged victim if she had made up the sex claim against the PR guru in order to try and get compensation. She denied the accusation at Southwark Crown Court (pictured)
The woman said Clifford asked her what she wore when she went out at the weekend and told her to wear a skirt to his office.
'If my skirt had ridden up a bit I would try to pull it down and he would say "leave it there, I like that" and it would make me feel really uncomfortable,' she said.
She told the jury that he also left photographs of naked women on his desk for her to see.
'(They were) mostly naked and mostly with their legs apart," she added.
'There was sometimes a hand on a leg or in that area.'
On the allegations of compensation, Ms Forshaw, for Clifford, asked whether the woman had told her daughter that they would be 'alright financially' after the trial.
The woman denied this and said: 'I would rather have good friends and a nice family.'
I actually thought he was going to kill me. I had no experience and really didn't know what was going to happen next Max Clifford's alleged teenage victim
Large TV screens in court were used to show an online headline which read 'Max Clifford Victims Could Receive Payments Of Up To 200,000 In Compensation'.
The alleged victim told jurors she would not say she had 'taken an interest' in Clifford's previous trial.
'To be honest I didn't really enjoy seeing him on television or hearing him because I knew he was not a very nice person to me,' she said.
Ms Forshaw suggested that the woman knew Clifford had been arrested in 2012 under Operation Yewtree.
'You knew, just like everyone else, that he went to trial in March 2014 and was convicted of some, not all, of allegations made against him then.
'You knew that he was convicted on 28 April of some of those offences.
'You knew that on the 2 May he was sentenced to eight years in prison, didn't you?'
The witness said she had not followed the trial closely but 'looked to see whether it had finished or not'.
Ms Forshaw added that it was 'front page news' that 'anybody who was a victim or could say they were a victim of Mr Clifford was in line for damages'.
But the woman added: 'I wanted to know if he was going to be punished for what he did.'
Claim: Describing the alleged assault in the 1980s, Clifford's alleged victim said she had 'no experience' and was 'scared' of him. He is pictured in 1989
The court heard that the alleged victim phoned police to report the incident days after learning of Clifford's jail sentence.
She denied a question from Ms Forshaw as to whether it was about 'the money'.
'I am not expecting to come into any money from him and I am not expecting to come into any money from anybody else.'
The alleged victim was also quizzed about whether Clifford's penis was 'micro' or 'absolutely massive'.
'If you had ever seen Mr Clifford's penis, far less held it, you might remember the size of his penis,' Ms Forshaw said.
'In inches?' the victim replied.
Ms Forshaw continued: 'In the last trial the size of Mr Clifford's penis became the source of much hilarity because of conflicting accounts - it was called a micro penis and absolutely massive.
'It was reported on the news.'
She added: 'It was measured and was actually an average-sized penis.
'What size are you going to tell the jury his penis was?'
The alleged victim answered: 'I'm not aware - I wasn't looking and didn't have anything to compare it to.
'I saw it when he came towards me... it was just... not big but it wasn't erect.'
She added: 'I didn't know what was big and what was small and I was trying not to look.'
When asked if she really feared for her life during the alleged assault the woman replied: 'I was worried he was either going to rape me or kill me.
'I didn't know what would happen next. It was something I had never experienced before and was worried what was coming next.'
In her statement to the police, she said: 'What Max Clifford did to me has affected my life - the decisions I have made and relationships I have had.'
Clifford, formerly of Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, denies one count of indecent assault.
Chilling audio of the 911 calls placed by Madison and Taylor Sheats pleading for their lives as their mother gunned them down has been released.
The sisters, shot dead by their mother on Friday, made two 911 calls in their dying moments.
In the audio released by Fort Bend County Sheriff Madison, 17, can be heard begging her mother, 'Please dont shoot the gun,' amid chaos and screaming as the household exploded in violence.
Her father Jason Cheats, 45, who narrowly escaped becoming his wife Christys third victim can be heard shouting, 'I promise you whatever you want I will do.'
In the second call placed by Taylor, 22, she appears unable to speak or convey information to the dispatcher. Taylor was shot twice by her mother who delivered the fatal shot as her daughter lay dying on the ground outside the family home.
According to a neighbor's panicked 911 call Jason and Christy were yelling' and 'talking about divorce'.
He described watching as Christy shot her daughter Taylor in the back as she tried to run away. Moments earlier she had tried to shoot her as she lay on the ground but ran out of bullets and had to return to the house to reload.
Watching from the safety of his home he described how Christy hunted her daughter down and shot her in the back. He said: Shes coming back again apparently she has bullets now. Shes shot her again from the back. Shes trying to run. She shot her in the back.'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Madison Sheats (left) told her friend that she was arguing with her mom, Christy Byrd Sheats (right), just hours before her mother shot her and her sister dead
Killer: Christy Sheats (left) murdered both her daughters and was intent on murdering her husband Jason (right) at the family's home in Katy, Texas. She was shot and killed by police
Just hours before she and her sister were gunned down by their own mother in an horrific attack last Friday, Madison confided to her closest friend that she was fighting with her mother in a final phone call during which she sounded upset and anxious.
The high school friend who asked not to be named told Daily Mail Online of her last conversation with Madison, 17. The girls spoke around 9 or 10am on Friday, and even at the time, Madison's demeanor seemed 'weird' to her friend.
The heartbreaking development comes as new details have emerged of the horrific events that took place in a quiet family neighborhood in Katy, Texas, last week when Christy Byrd Sheats, 42, killed her daughters, shooting them down in the street outside the family home when an argument spilled over into violence.
Madison's friend said: 'I called her around 9 or 10 that morning to ask her a favor and I could tell something was wrong with her.
'I could just tell in her voice she was upset about something. I asked her what was going on and she wouldn't tell me.
He told Christy, 'Just shoot yourself. Make it easy on all of us, just shoot yourself,' and she said, 'No, that's not what this is about, this is about punishing you.' Family friend tells how Jason tried to stop his wife killing their daughters
'She just said that she was arguing with her mom. I found that really weird because she would always tell me what was wrong with her but that day she just didn't tell me.'
The friend, who had known Madison since both were freshmen at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas, said that she spent most weekends at the Sheats's house.
She said: 'I was over there almost every weekend and we did stuff together. I never noticed anything with the family. I mean they argued but there was nothing really big.
'Her mom was a good person. I just don't know what happened that day.'
Friends of Madison and her sister Taylor, 22, had planned to stage a memorial of some sort for the girls but, the friend said, their plans were scrapped after her father, Jason Sheats, 45, asked them not to.
Instead friends laid flowers by the tree at the front of the Sheats's house in a quiet, family friendly neighborhood.
Sources close to the investigation have told Daily Mail Online that three of the 14 calls made to law enforcement from the Sheats's residence across four years were suicide attempts by Christy.
The disclosure comes as family friend Madison Davey described Christy as 'toxic for the family.'
Speaking to ABC13 Davey said: 'I always knew something would happen but I never thought she would do this.'
Davey described Christy as 'mentally unstable' and said she was 'out to kill that day.'
Davey has spoken to husband Jason in the aftermath of the tragedy. He told of tension in the family home on his birthday and said that a conflict between him and his wife saw their daughters caught in the middle.
She said: 'He told Christy, "Just shoot yourself. Make it easy on all of us, just shoot yourself," and she said, "No, that's not what this is about, this is about punishing you."'
Madison (left) worked as a babysitter while still in high school, while Taylor (right) was a student at Lone Star College
Jason Sheats (center) escaped unscathed but was taken to hospital because he was distraught
The gun that Christy used was a family heirloom passed down by her great-grandfather in order to protect the family. It was legally owned.
According to Davey, Jason was, 'the best dad ever.' She added: 'He would do anything to protect them and he tried to.'
Harris County Medical Examiner today gave the cause of death for Christy and her two daughters. Christy died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, delivered by a Fulshears police officer.
Madison died from a gunshot wound of the neck into the chest and her sister Taylor died in from gunshot wounds of the head and torso.
Both Taylor and Madison's bodies have already been transported and the girls will be buried in Alabama. Christy's body has yet to be claimed.
And as a fuller image of Christy's mental turmoil has emerged Daily Mail Online has learned that she did not at work Clear Canvas Laser, a tattoo removal clinic in Houston, as a business manager, as had previously been thought.
In fact she was fired in June 2014 after just five months in the role of receptionist.
Clinic owner John Hollis described Christy as a fantasist and explained: 'Christy was terminated because of inconsistencies in attendance and I never felt like I was getting the straight story out of her.
'She would say things that just didn't add up. I knew she was having marital issues and at one point she told me she was getting divorced but that turned out to not be true. There were never divorce papers filed they were only separated.'
He said that his relationship with Christy was 'purely professional' and added that he was 'sickened and shaken to the core' on hearing what she had done.
Madison's sister, Taylor, would have been married on Monday. She had planned to marry her fiance, her boyfriend of four years, Juan Sebastian Lugo in a small ceremony.
Madison's friend, who asked not to be named, said that when they last spoke on Friday morning Madison's demeanor seemed 'weird'. Madison (left) told her friend she was having an argument with her mom (right)
Taylor Sheats and her fiance Juan Sebastian Lugo had been due to marry in a small ceremony and celebrate after they graduated college
Celebration: Christy Sheats (rear, center) celebrating a birthday with her fiance Juan Sebastian Lugo (front) and his sister Maria (right). She paid tribute to Christy and her sister today
The couple then planned to have a larger wedding ceremony after her graduation from college.
Instead, her grieving fiance's sister, Maria, was left to post a tribute to the dead girl on what should have been the start of her married life.
Writing on Facebook Maria Lugo said: 'Yall were part of our family, and that will never change. The greatest in laws any one could ever have, and the sweetest, most wholesome and caring girls in my life.
'I look up to yall so much. Y'all were a light in the midst of this crazy world. We will love you two until the end of time.'
Juan Sebastian, 23, and Taylor exchanged promise rings as sweethearts two years ago and posts on social media show a young couple, in love and looking forward to starting their new life together.
Daily Mail Online has also learned that the Taylor and Madison's father Jason only narrowly escaped becoming his wife's third victim when a neighbor opened her door to him allowing him to run to safety.
The neighbor, who asked not to be named, told of how she opened her door on hearing gunshots only to be confronted with the image of Christy pointing her gun directly at her husband, Jason.
Police arrived to find the two daughters lying outside the home in the 6000 block of Remson Hollow Lane
Scene of crime: The Sheat family home in Katy, Texas, where friends have left a ribbon on a tree in mourning for Madison and Taylor
In mourning: Madison Sheats' friend (from left) Erica Noriega, 17, Natalie Cata, 18, and Gabriella Rodriguez, 18, went to pay their respects at her home on Monday
Christy Sheats (pictured) was killed by a responding police officer after she refused to drop her pistol
She revealed: 'She went to shoot but had run out of bullets. When she went to reload Jason ran into our house and said "Call 911".'
'I looked out and I saw her standing over one of the girls with the gun pointed at her and she shot her as she lay on the ground.'
Visibly distressed by what she had witnessed the woman described Madison, 17, and Taylor, 22, as 'good girls' but said that there had been 'issues' with Christy for a long time.
She said: 'She should never have had a gun Jason is a nice man but there were issues with her.'
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office on Monday released further details about the events of Friday afternoon and the circumstances leading up to the fatal shootings.
A deputy from Ford Bend County Sheriff's Office and an officer from nearby Fulshear responded to the shooting at about 5pm to be confronted with the horrendous scene of both Madison and Taylor lying, dead and dying, in the road Christy Sheats was still holding the gun a .38 caliber handgun - and refused to put it down.
The Fulshear police officer fired a single shot and killed her.
A delivery driver's assistant beat a sex worker to death and stole her money to by drugs and a kebab, a court heard today.
Lewis Pierre, 24, is accused of murdering Daria Pionko, whose battered body was found near Leeds city centre three days before Christmas last year.
Leeds Crown Court heard Polish national Miss Pionko, 21, was killed in a 'managed red light area' of the city, where prostitutes and their clients can operated without being arrested.
Lewis Pierre, 24, is accused of murdering Polish sex worker Daria Pionko, pictured, whose battered body was found in a 'managed red light area' near Leeds city centre three days before Christmas last year
Prosecutor Kama Melly QC said it was likely Pierre had used his steel-toe-capped work boots to inflict some of the injuries.
The jury heard that Pierre stopped off to buy a kebab and chips on his way home from the attack. He also returned to work the following day with money, cigarettes and cannabis.
The prosecution alleges he took money from Miss Pionko to pay for these items.
Pierre has previously admitted manslaughter and robbery but denies murder.
Opening the trial, Ms Melly said Miss Pionko had moved to Britain just 10 months before she was killed and had told her family in Poland that she worked in a bar in Leeds.
On December 22 last year, Miss Pionko had gone out to work with her friend in the 'managed red light area' in Holbeck, Leeds.
Ms Melly explained to the jury how this did not mean that prostitutes and their customers were 'in some way checked in and out'.
Instead it was an area away from schools and housing for which the council and police had drawn up an agreement so prostitutes and clients could operate without being arrested, she said.
The prosecutor said it was a 'sustained and forceful attack upon' Miss Pionko. Pictured, the scene
She explained this also allowed sex workers to access local services aimed at helping them.
Ms Melly said CCTV footage showed Pierre heading off with Miss Pionko into an area of wasteland in Holbeck at around 10.40pm.
Ms Melly continued: 'Less than five minutes later Lewis Pierre moves and leaves the scene. He makes no attempt to help the woman he had attacked.
'Within a few minutes he is seen at a taxi on Wellington Street. He had a 20 note that he had successfully robbed from the woman he had killed.'
Ms Melly said Pierre, who was penniless, had spent the money on donner meat and chips, four cans of drink before stopping at a petrol station for cigarettes.
Pierres colleagues said when he turned up for work the next day he bought himself a takeaway lunch and had cigarettes and cannabis on him.
Ms Melly said: 'The prosecution suggest that the money the defendant had spent on these things was clearly the money he had taken from Daria the night before.'
The court heard that Miss Pionko was discovered seriously injured by her friend. Pictured, the scene
The court heard that Miss Pionko was discovered seriously injured by her friend, who had become concerned when she did not return to their meeting point.
The friend described Miss Pionko's face as 'massacred'. Ms Melly said: 'Her shorts were down to her ankles and her knickers were around her knees. She had no pulse.
'Daria had become unconscious and had inhaled her own vomit. The money she earned had been taken from her and she had been left in that secluded spot.'
Police and paramedics were called but Miss Pionko was pronounced dead in hospital that night.
A post-mortem examination found that Miss Pionko suffered injuries to her face, neck and body, including bruising to her brain and fractures to her face.
Ms Melly said it was likely that Pierre had used his feet in the attack and the victim's blood was found on his steel-toe-capped boots.
She said there had been at least seven blows and the injuries suggested some were inflicted when Ms Pionko was already on the ground.
The prosecutor said it was a 'sustained and forceful attack upon' Miss Pionko. She said she was left 'beaten, bruised and fractured'.
Pierre, from Meanwood, Leeds, has admitted robbery and manslaughter. He denies murder.
FARGO In what was mostly a positive performance review of North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani, his boss called him out for cutting millions of dollars in state funding from a research initiative.
North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott wrote that he has some concern over Brescianis decision to slash $3.2 million from the budget of the Grand Challenge Initiative. NDSU made the cut by delaying the launch of the initiative, which will focus on interdisciplinary research into food systems, healthy populations and sustainable energy.
The $3.2 million cut accounted for half of the $6.4 million the university recently trimmed from its overall budget. Like other state entities, NDSU had to cut 4.05 percent from their budgets to help cover the states overall $1 billion revenue shortfall.
Both Hagerott and Bresciani declined to comment Monday on the review because they felt it was inappropriate to do so before the State Board of Higher Education discusses it at its meeting on Wednesday. The board is also expected to talk about the contracts of the state university presidents. Brescianis contract is set to expire in June 2017.
Hagerotts annual review of Bresciani, issued this month, was largely filled with praise, including congratulations for the NDSU Foundations record-setting fundraising. Your dedication to the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan region is unsurpassed, he wrote.
However, Hagerotts criticism went beyond the funding cut. He also took issue with the closure of NDSUs Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering. And he expressed concern about Brescianis communications and teamwork with him, senior NDUS staff and leaders of the State Board of Higher Education, though he did not elaborate on this point.
The review of Bresciani wasnt as thorough as some lawmakers were hoping when they pushed a provision to a higher-ed bill last year that would have required comprehensive reviews for state university presidents, vice presidents and vice chancellors.
The North Dakota House approved the bill with the "360-degree" review requirement, which would have sought input from subordinates, peers and supervisors. The final version of the bill didnt include it.
Hagerott encouraged Bresciani to find ways to restore funding to NDSUs Grand Challenge Initiative, which the chancellor called a well-conceived program.
The initiative has been delayed until NDSUs next budget is set by the Legislature next year, according to a June 6 memo from the office of Bruce Bollinger, NDSUs vice president for finance and administration. Next bienniums budgets are expected to be proposed at 90 percent of 2015-17 levels. Two research teams have received small amounts of funding to work on more detailed plans, according to the memo.
Asked about his budget cut decisions in a recent interview with Forum News Service columnist Mike McFeely, Bresciani said the funding for the Grand Challenge Initiative was kept very flexible in anticipation of potential budget cuts.
Kuzan had threatened mass murder at a daycare center the week before
She was shot through the chest and died in hospital; Kuzan was arrested
He claimed his wife was the devil as she collapsed in their home, they said
The Philadelphia man arrested Sunday for killing his wife with a crossbow stood naked and ranting in their doorway as she collapsed, then went back inside 'like nothing had happened', a witness said.
The shocking event came one week after shooter Paul Kuzan, 40, had been involved in another bizarre and terrifying incident on his northeast Philadelphia road, Philly.com reported.
Just a week before he allegedly shot and killed Pamela Nightlinger, 42, Kuzan had walked naked into a daycare and threatened to kill everyone inside - including children - locals said.
Death: Paul Kuzan (left and right), 40, allegedly shot wife of nine days Pauline Nightlinger (left) with a high-powered crossbow Sunday. Locals said Kuzan called her 'the devil' as he stood naked in their front doorway
Naked: Kuzan, shown here in security footage from Anointed Hands Child Development Center, had walked naked into both a mixed martial arts gym and Anointed Hands just one week before the shooting
Threats: Kuzan had threatened to kill those in the center, including the children, but was taken away by Nightlinger before police arrived, Anointed Hands' owner said
Shot: The crossbow arrow went straight through Nightlinger (pictured with her two daughters), who then fled to a neighbor's home before dying. Police said the couple had fallen out in an argument prior to her death
Kuzan allegedly shot Nightlinger, whom he had married just nine days before, with a high-powered crossbow in their home on the 3100 block of Willits Road at around 9.20pm on Sunday.
'She was sitting in a chair; the (arrow) actually went through her body, through the chair, and got stuck into the wall,' Homicide Captain James Clark told Philly.com. 'It was a very high-velocity bow.'
Nightlinger then stumbled out of the front door and to the home of neighbor, Margie Maldonado.
She was met at the door by Maldonado's 24-year-old son, who caught her as she collapsed, gasping for air.
Outside, Maldonado saw Kuzan standing in the doorway of his home, naked.
'He was saying crazy things, things that didn't make any sense,' Maldonado said.
She added: 'He started saying that "She's evil! She's the devil!"' But she's a good person. She's a very nice, humble person. She was a nice, humble person, I mean.'
Two other neighbors said they heard Kuzan shouting 'I killed her!' and 'I'm a criminal, I'm going to kill you!'
'And then he went back in his house like nothing happened,' Maldonado said.
Police said he surrendered to them as soon as they arrived and no other weapons were found on the premises.
'He just said they were having a fight - an argument. He was fed up, got his weapon of choice and unfortunately shot and killed her,' Police Homicide Unit Captain James Clark told Fox News.
But this wasn't the first time Kurzan been seen naked in public - or made terrifying threats.
Just one week before, he had walked naked into the business plaza opposite his home and caused a 'disturbance' in a mixed martial arts gym before threatening a daycare center nearby.
'He said he was going to kill everyone and not even the kids would be safe,' said Christina Humphrey, owner of Anointed Hands Child Development Center, ''I was horrified.'
Dangerous: Anointed Hands' owner said that she thought something would happen if Kuzan was not arrested
Odd: In the weeks before the killing at the couple's home (pictured), locals said that Kuzan had gone from an occasionally grouchy man into someone who acted 'oddly'
Nightlinger had ushered away Kuzan before police arrived, but that didn't reassure Humphrey, who added: 'When that happened, I thought, "If they don't get this guy, something will happen."'
An officer at the Philadelphia Police Department told Dailymail.com that if the scene was cleared by civilians before officers arrived, then a complaint would not have been filed, as 'there was nobody to report on'.
She could not immediately confirm whether officers had responded, and if so whether they had filed a note on the event.
Kuzan was as an occasionally grouchy man who hated people parking in his driveway until a few weeks ago, neighbors said, after which he began to act oddly.
Nightlinger's ex-husband, Jim Nightlinger, 58, said that Kuzan would text him pretending to be his ex-wife and had threatened him if he used Kuzan's drive to pick up his kids.
'This guy was a pot ready to boil over,' he said.
Kuzan and Pamela Nightlinger had married just nine days before her death - so recently, in fact, that she hadn't had time to change her legal name.
She had two daughters, while Kuzan has two children from a previous marriage.
A relative who did not wish to be named said: 'On behalf of Pam's daughters, they are grieving the loss of their mother and they are surrounded by the love and support of their family.'
Concerned: Nightlinger's ex-husband Jim (pictured with one of their daughters) said that Kuzan had threatened him if he picked up their kids from Kuzan's driveway, and had texted him pretending to be Pamela
Advertisement
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris today under a heavy police presence as French unions launched strike action over controversial new lab our laws.
At one point riot police, who had been told to arrest anyone trying to hide their face, used tear gas to disperse a group of youths who tried to vandalise a bus shelter in the French capital.
Huge crowds had gathered to campaign over laws that will make hiring and firing easier and give employers more say in work and pay negotiations.
Flash point: French anti-riot police officers holds a man during a demonstration in the French capital against controversial labour reforms
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris today under a heavy police presence as French unions launched strike action over controversial new lab our laws
Huge crowds had gathered to campaign over laws that will make hiring and firing easier and give employers more say in work and pay negotiations
The protest was the latest in President Francois Hollande's four-month confrontation with the unions, which has divided the governing Socialists and dragged the unpopular leader's ratings to new lows 10 months before a presidential election.
It took place a day before Prime Minister Manuel Valls meets leaders of the hardline CGT and Force Ouvriere (FO) unions, which want the government to scrap parts of a labour bill that Valls and Hollande say is needed to tackle a 10 percent unemployment rate.
'If the government is not going to give ground it will be a meeting for nothing,' said FO chief Jean-Claude Mailly.
'I hope we're not just being invited for coffee,' CGT leader Philippe Martinez told reporters.
French police carrying batons and shields are seen taking position during clashes at the demonstration in Paris today
The protest was the latest in President Francois Hollande's four-month confrontation with the unions, which has divided the governing Socialists and dragged the unpopular leader's ratings to new lows 10 months before a presidential election
Police had orders to arrest anyone attempting to hide their faces in clothing or to bring in weapons. In a bid to prevent a repeat of the intense violence of earlier protests, metal fences were erected along Tuesday's route.
Crowds of protesters marched in Marseille, Rennes and other cities but the Paris march took place under additional security with 2,500 riot police deployed with instructions to search bags for weapons and arrest would-be troublemakers on the spot.
Police fired tear gas early in the march to disperse a small number of masked youths who tried to vandalise a bus shelter.
Valls has accused the CGT of ignoring violence at previous protests where hundred of black-clad youths hurled stones and smashed shopfronts in running battles with police who have responded with water cannon and teargas.
The government banned a march last Thursday, citing security risks, but backed down to let it go ahead on a revised route.
In a bid to prevent a repeat of the intense violence of earlier protests, metal fences were erected along Tuesday's route. Police had orders to arrest anyone attempting to hide their faces in clothing or to bring in weapons.
Taking a stand: Protesters stand in front of anti-riot police officers during a demonstration against controversial labour reforms today
The government appears keen to lower tension with the unions leading protests that appear to be losing steam even if French voters still broadly oppose the reforms
The government appears keen to lower tension with the unions leading protests that appear to be losing steam even if French voters still broadly oppose the reforms.
One of the most contentious issues is Article 2 of the bill. This would give firms more freedom to negotiate working conditions without referring upwards to branch-level agreements. Unions say that will weaken worker leverage but the government argues that it will actually help build better grassroots representation.
Advertisement
Lebanese Christian women have launched armed patrols carry machine guns after their village was attacked by a jihadi suicide bombers.
The women from the Christian village Qaa, which is a few hundred metres from Syria, was attacked by several suicide bombers on Monday.
The attacks have prompted the government to round up 103 Syrian migrants who are accused of sneaking into the country illegally.
Lebanese Christian women living yards from the Syrian border have launched armed patrols to protect their homes from Jihadi attacks
Five people were killed and more than 30 were wounded during a wave of bombings to hit the village yesterday morning
Qaa is one of the last remaining villages with a strong Christian presence on the Syrian border and is being targeted by suspected ISIS
Lebanese troops have detained a 103 Syrians accused of entering the country illegally following a string of suicide attacks along the border.
Lebanon shares a 250-mile land border with Syria to the north and the east.
The strikes on Qaa killed five people, with suicide bombers even attacking ambulances ferrying victims from earlier attacks.
A government statement said: 'The attack on the Lebanese national security and the unfamiliar manner in which it was executed usher in a new kind of phase in the state's confrontation with the dark forces of terrorism.'
The bombings triggered fear and panic among Qaa's residents and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from Syria's civil war.
Tuesday was declared a national day of mourning and authorities postponed funerals for the five killed in Monday's bombings, citing security reasons. A major religious event scheduled in the capital, Beirut, by the militant Hezbollah group was also postponed.
While the women patrolled the streets with machine guns, several men sat down and drank coffee on the side of the street
The women were asked to return to their homes and 'not to shoot any strangers' by the army who said they would protect the area
Suspected ISIS terrorists tried to blow up an ambulance, pictured, during a wave of suicide attacks in Qaa, Lebanon yesterday
Qaa is only a short distance from the Syrian border and is been targeted by ISIS jihadis prompting locals to go out on armed patrols
Also citing security concerns, the ministry of culture postponed the opening of the Bacchus Temple, part of the famed ruins of Baalbek. A troupe of Syrian actors roaming the Bekaa Valley with a performance about refugee woes postponed its tour. A limited curfew was imposed in Qaa and the surrounding area.
The army said it carried out security raids in six areas in the Baalbek region, which has many informal Syrian refugee settlements. It said nine motorcycles and two vehicles were confiscated and two Lebanese were arrested with illegal weapons.
Monday's explosions, four in the early morning and five at night, also wounded nearly 30 in Qaa. Later in the day, two bombers blew themselves up outside the village church as people gathered for funerals of those killed earlier Monday.
The army said one of the suicide bombers detonated his explosives as he was chased by troops, while the other blew himself up near a military post when guards fired at him. No one was killed but the two blasts wounded 13 people. Minister of Interior Nouhad Machnouk said initial investigations indicate most of the bombers were from inside Syria and not refugees. He didn't elaborate.
Private Lebanese OTV aired what it said was footage from security cameras in Qaa, purporting to show a young man involved in the attack. The footage shows the young man with a backpack heading to a gathering outside the church, apparently to blow himself up.
Qaa and the nearby Ras Baalbek are the only two villages with a Christian majority in the predominantly Shiite Hermel region, where the Shiite Hezbollah group holds sway.
ISIS tried to kill worshipers attending this church in Qaa, which is only a few hundred yards from the Syrian border
Lebanese army soldiers, pictured, have rounded up 103 Syrian migrants who they suspect of entering the country illegally
Lebanon has faced increased violence with eight suspected suicide bombings and one further blast in the Qaa area yesterday
Lebanon has launched a day of mourning for those who have been killed and wounded in the suspected terror attack
The group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad's forces against the predominantly Sunni rebels trying to topple him.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV blamed Monday's attack on ISIS, Al-Mustaqbal daily, which is owned by Hezbollah's rival group, suggested the army was the target of the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Sunni extremists have carried out several attacks in the border area since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, leading the Christians of Qaa to set up self-defense units for their village.
Officials believe ISIS was responsible for the attacks, but there has not been a claim of responsibility.
Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk, speaking from Qaa, said most of the attackers had come from inside Syria, and not refugee camps hosting Syrian refugees who number more than 1 million in Lebanon according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
Local authorities imposed curfews on Syrian refugees in the area following the attacks. The Lebanese army said it had mounted dawn raids on Syrian refugee camps, detaining 103 people for being illegally present in the country.
The majority of Syrian refugees have no legal status in Lebanon due to the complications and costs of obtaining or renewing residency rights under rules imposed by the Lebanese government, aid agencies say.
In Qaa, residents armed with assault rifles fanned out in the streets for several hours on Tuesday, citing the need to protect the area. They later dispersed when the army asked them to go home. The head of the Qaa local council had on Monday night urged residents to shoot anyone suspicious.
Security sources said Hezbollah deployed dozens of armed men in nearby villages to help secure the area.
'We are not leaving for sure, we are staying here ... we are not afraid. We are not leaving our land,' Maher Rizk, a cafe owner, said.
ISIS is targeting Lebanon because the Shiite Hezbollah is sending its troops into Syria to support Bashar al-Assad against the Sunni ISIS
The suicide bombers attempted to target large groups of people before detonating their vests to cause maximum casualties
A British teenager has admitted launching cyber attacks on websites across the world - including Florida's SeaWorld theme park - but denies sending bomb threats to two major US airlines.
The 16-year-old bombarded around a dozen websites in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, bringing them down for around 45 minutes.
His targets included SeaWorld in Florida and his local Devon and Cornwall Police force.
But the teenager - described in court as 'very intelligent' - denies using Twitter to send bomb hoaxes to American Airlines and Delta Airlines.
A British teenager has admitted launching cyber attacks on websites across the world including Florida's SeaWorld theme park but denies sending bomb threats to two major US airlines (stock image)
The youngster is alleged to have used an account called @smashingbros to warn of a 'tick, tick, ticking' sound on their planes.
In the message - which was also sent to the White House official account - he allegedly wrote: 'Hurry gentleman the clock is ticking.'
Within minutes, the FBI had been alerted and the case was handed to UK authorities as it was not deemed a 'credible threat'.
Investigators from the Zephyr Regional Cyber Crime Unit then traced the threats to the Twitter account of the boy and seized his computer from his home in Plymouth, the court heard.
District Judge Diane Baker said the teen, who cannot be named because of his age, was charged with five offences and has now admitted three charges relating to cyber attacks.
But at the opening of his trial at Plymouth Youth Court today, he denied sending the bomb hoaxes, claiming someone else was responsible.
Prosecuting, Ben Sample said: 'This case concerns two tweets that were sent to American airlines.
The 16-year-old bombarded around a dozen websites in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America in a move which temporarily brought them down for around 45 minutes. The SeaWorld park in Florida was affected
'The first was sent to American Airlines twitter that was received by them at 6.36pm on 13 February (2015) their time.
'The tweet read "One of those lovely Boeing planes has a nice tick, tick ticking in it. Sorry gentlemen. The clock is ticking".
'The White House twitter account was also tagged. It was brought to the attention of senior management and the FBI was also notified.
Four minutes later the same tweet was sent to Delta Airlines twitter account, the court was told.
Mr Sample added: 'As a result of the authority's investigation that led them to (the defendant's) address.
'The prosecution case is that what was extracted from the computer provide evidence of planning and setting up of the account that was ultimately used to send these two bomb hoaxes.'
He added that the defendant had gone to some effort to hide the tweets.
He said: 'What is clear during the process some care was taken by this individual to hide their identity.
'Any suggestion that someone other than (him) is farcical and we are sure he was involved in sending those tweets.'
A Twitter account used by the boy later tweeted the Zephyr Regional Cyber Crime Unit, saying 'to be fair they caught me red handed' and 'I still maintain the utmost respect for Zephyr', Mr Samples said.
No further details about the cyber attacks were heard by the court but the charges show they relate to denial of service attacks on websites at locations in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia.
The first charge relates to a series of sites between 12 October 2014 and 27 January 2015 and is understood to be related to around 10 websites across the world - including dolphin parks in Japan and safari sites.
The second charge relates to carrying out acts that led to shutting down the Sea World website between 29 October 2014 and 24 November 2014 in Plymouth.
The third charge relates to 26 January 2015 when the defendant brought down the Devon and Cornwall Police site. It is understood the site was down for around 45 minutes.
The boy is being represented by legal representative, Kenneth Papenfus, who said someone else was responsible for sending the tweets.
Referring to the bomb threats he said: 'It is possible to log in and out of another computer without the IP address.'
Cormac McCarthy is alive and well, his publicist confirmed after a tweet claimed the Pulitzer Prize-winning author had died of a stroke.
The literary world rushed to eulogize the 82-year-old novelist, playwright and screenwriter on Tuesday morning.
In a tweet that was later deleted, Joyce Carol Oates wrote: 'A great loss. Very sad. Profound writer & American (dark & intransigent) visionary.'
And a news organization even confirmed his death.
But a few minutes later, McCarthy's publicist and agent Anna Dobben said in an email to Daily Mail Online: 'Cormac McCarthy is alive and well.'
Cormac McCarthy (center) is alive and well, his publicist confirmed after a tweet claimed the author had died
Hoax: This was the tweet that sparked rumors on Twitter with people rushing to eulogize the author
Revealed: The account later tweeted to say it was cooked up by renowned hoaxer Tommasso Debendetti
McCarthy is famed for his delicate descriptions of violence, post-apocalyptic subject matters, and lack of punctuation.
Two of his novels became hit movies: The Road, directed by John Hillcoat in 2009, and No Country For Old Men, directed by the Coen brothers in 2007.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, McCarthy has two sons, 54-year-old Cullen McCarthy and 18-year-old John Francis McCarthy.
The claim of McCarthy's death was posted by a Twitter account called AKnopfNews, a parody of the publishing firm Alfred A Knopf.
The tweet read: 'URGENT. Author Cormac McCarthy dies for stroke at 82.'
AA Knopf immediately tweeted alerting followers that the account was a parody.
McCarthy's agent later confirmed it was a hoax.
And eventually, the parody account posted a tweet that read: 'This account is hoax created by Italian journalist Tommasso Debenedetti. McCarthy is alive and well.'
Tommasso Debenedetti is a renowned hoaxer, who has been publishing fake news to dupe media organizations since the early 2000s.
His claims have made their way into some of the most revered publications.
It is not the first time McCarthy has been the subject of a Twitter hoax.
Last year a parody account with the name @cormacmccarthyw emerged, posting: 'First time on Twitter. Lets see how this goes.'
Knopf subsequently confirmed the account was fake and it was disabled.
On Tuesday, Penguin Random House tweeted: 'Cormac McCarthy is alive and well and still doesn't care about Twitter.'
Photographer Tom Fowlks has spent four years documenting the feat, which doubles the capacity of the canal
Advertisement
The Panama Canal expansion project was formally opened on Sunday and these pictures show what an incredible engineering feat it was.
Photographer Tom Fowlks has spent four years documenting the ambitious scheme, which doubles the capacity of the canal by adding a new lane of traffic and increases the width and depth of the lanes and locks to enable larger ships to pass.
The expansion includes two new sets of lock complexes, one on the Pacific coast on the outskirts of Panama City and one on the northern coast at Colon, that were built using 4.4million cubic meters of concrete. And some of the gates weigh as much as 4,200 tonnes.
This picture, released by the Panama Canal Authority, shows an aerial view of the new Agua Clara locks in the expanded Panama Canal
Photographer Tom Fowlks has spent four years documenting the ambitious feat, which doubles the capacity of the canal by adding a new lane of traffic and increases the width and depth of the lanes and locks to enable larger ships to pass
An amazing aerial view of the Panama Canal expansion in progress on the Pacific side. The old canal is on the right
A new tugboat guides the Baroque Valetta through the new Agua Clara lock. The expansion work started in 2007 and finished two years late at a cost of at least $5.5 billion
President Juan Carlos Varela, who has hailed the renovated canal as 'the route that unites the world', led the celebrations when the expansion was declared open on Sunday
The United States - builder of the original canal, which opened in 1914 and is still in operation alongside the additions - was represented at the opening ceremony by Jill Biden, the wife of the US vice president
The first ship to pass through the new locks was a giant Chinese-chartered freighter.
The freighter's horn bellowed out triumphantly several times over a pyrotechnic inauguration ceremony attended by VIPs and thousands of ordinary Panamanians, triggering applause and cheers.
President Juan Carlos Varela, who has hailed the renovated canal as 'the route that unites the world,' led the celebrations, set up alongside new locks near where the canal exits into the Pacific.
He stood on stage with dignitaries including Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, all wearing white, while the ship nearby towered over them, as Panama's national theme played.
Labor disputes and friction between the government and the European consortium that carried out the project dogged the work
The expansion will allow Panama to lure gargantuan liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers
Sunday's celebrations concentrated on the achievement, rather than the disputes, which promises to double the volume of cargo passing through the Panama Canal, and allows it to take 98 percent of ships on the oceans
Varela, in a speech to the crowd, admitted he had not backed the canal's expansion initially, before becoming president.
But as leader, he said, he recognized it would deliver 'a better future' for the country.
The United States - builder of the original canal, which opened in 1914 and is still in operation alongside the additions - was represented at the ceremony by Jill Biden, the wife of the US vice president.
The United States and China are the two most frequent canal users.
The expansion work started in 2007 and finished two years late at a cost of at least $5.5 billion.
Labor disputes and friction between the government and the European consortium that carried out the project dogged the work. Still outstanding are demands by the consortium for costs overruns of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Sunday's celebrations concentrated on the achievement though, which promises to double the volume of cargo passing through the Panama Canal, and allows it to take 98 percent of ships on the oceans.
Neopanamax freighters can carry up to three times the cargo of older and smaller Panamax ships. Cruise ships built to the same dimensions typically double the number of passengers of the previous iteration.
The expansion will also allow Panama to lure gargantuan liquified natural gas (LNG) tankers.
For the canal, they represent a lucrative and untapped segment of the shipping market whose importance has grown with the development of US exports of natural gas from shale, most of which head to Japan and South Korea.
Opened on August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was constructed by the United States between 1904 and 1913 at a cost of $375 million. Pictured are workers on the Atlantic side in 2013
The canal was under US control until a 1977 agreement between Presidents Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos paved the way for its transfer to Panama on December 31, 1999. Pictured are workers on the Atlantic side during a cement pouring phase
Panama Canal authorities say it generated $10 billion in direct income for the Panamanian state through 2015
Panama's plan is to triple the $1 billion in revenue it currently gets from canal shipping fees.
However, that goal might still be a decade away, according to officials from the Panama Canal Authority, the autonomous government agency that runs the waterway.
For some, Panama might have been overly ambitious in calculating how fast it will see its investment pay off, particularly amid world shipping prices that have dropped due to capacity oversupply.
'Everybody is always overly optimistic,' said Peter Shaerf, deputy chairman of Seaspan Corporation, a container ship group with a fleet of 100 vessels, more than half of which are Neopanamaxes.
On average, 35 to 40 ships transit the waterway each day, and the canal is estimated to handle six percent of world maritime commerce. Here a construction worker surveys progress at the site of the new Agua Clara Locks
The new locks are 180 feet wide and 1,400 feet long, big enough to accommodate New Panamax-class vessels that are seen as the future of global shipping. Here a guard walks in front of a set of new doors on the Atlantic side
A new canal lock door staged in the Agua Clara locks of the canal expansion while awaiting installation
Originally called the Andronikos, the ship making the inaugural voyage through the new locks was renamed the Cosco Shipping Panama by its Chinese owner in honor of Panama and the ceremonial passage
An estimated 20,000 workers died during French control of the building of the original canal, many due to tropical diseases such as malaria. Pictured are new doors on the Atlantic side
The government hopes the glitz and historical nature of the broadened canal will help overshadow the blow the country took to its reputation this year with the 'Panama Papers' scandal
Inside a culvert for the Agua Clara locks of the expansion project. The canal, and the work to develop it for modern trade, is 'the real face of Panama', Jorge Quijano, the Panama Canal Authority chief, told AFP
One of 16 new Canal doors on a barge heads through the Gatun Locks towards the Pacific side
But, he told AFP on Saturday, the canal itself is 'one of the engineering wonders of the world' and it 'will have a huge impact on trade.'
For Panama, the feat is a source of national pride, symbolizing the country's enviable modernity compared to neighbors, and its consistently high economic growth.
The government hopes the glitz and historical nature of the broadened canal will help overshadow the blow the country took to its reputation this year with the 'Panama Papers' scandal.
Revelations of offshore companies started by a Panama law firm, and used by the world's rich and influential to dodge taxes and stash assets, have become the first thing many people think of when the Central American nation is mentioned.
But the canal, and the work to develop it for modern trade, is 'the real face of Panama,' Jorge Quijano, the Panama Canal Authority chief, told AFP this week.
Inside the control room of a dredger used in the building of the gargantuan Panama expansion project
The Chinese-owned Cosco Shipping Panama passed through the Atlantic locks at Agua Clara Sunday morning and in the afternoon completed the inaugural 50-mile journey to the Pacific at the Cocoli locks (pictured)
Fireworks exploded as the huge container ship made its inaugural passage in front of thousands of people (pictured), who began gathering before dawn and lined both sides of the canal waving flags
The Cosco Shipping Panama (pictured) carried more than 9,000 containers on Sunday as it entered the newly expanded locks that will double the canal's capacity
A LOOK AT THE PANAMA CANAL AND ITS NEW EXPANDED LOCKS The canal: Opened on August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was constructed by the United States between 1904 and 1913 at a cost of $375 million, building on an earlier, French-led effort that fizzled. An estimated 20,000 workers died during French control of the project, many due to tropical diseases such as malaria, and 5,600 more perished during U.S. construction. The canal revolutionized global sea traffic by replacing long voyages around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. The operations: The canal was under US control until a 1977 agreement between Presidents Jimmy Carter and Omar Torrijos paved the way for its transfer to Panama on December 31, 1999. Canal authorities say it generated $10 billion in direct income for the Panamanian state through 2015. With related economic activity, the canal is responsible for about 40 percent of Panama's GDP. On average, 35 to 40 ships transit the waterway each day, and the canal is estimated to handle 6 percent of world maritime commerce. The new locks: The $5.25 billion project was initially scheduled for completion in October 2014, roughly coinciding with the canal's 100th anniversary, but was delayed by slow approvals for concrete to use in the locks, labor strikes and leaks detected late last year. The expansion includes two new sets of lock complexes, one on the Pacific coast on the outskirts of Panama City and one on the northern coast at Colon. The new ships: The new locks are 180 feet wide and 1,400 feet long, big enough to accommodate New Panamax-class vessels that are seen as the future of global shipping. Those ships can reach 1,200 feet long more than three football fields and are up to 160 feet wide. They can carry 13,000 to 14,000 cargo containers, about 2.5 to three times as many as on vessels that could fit in the previous locks. The International Monetary Fund estimates the canal expansion will reduce global maritime shipping costs by $8 billion a year. The first ship: Originally called the Andronikos, the ship making the inaugural voyage through the new locks was renamed the Cosco Shipping Panama by its Chinese owner in honor of Panama and the ceremonial passage. It's a Marshall Islands-flagged container vessel with a capacity of 9,472 shipping containers and is 158 feet wide and 984 feet long. It entered the Atlantic locks Sunday morning for an approximately eight-hour transit to the Pacific locks. Source: Associated Press Advertisement
The canal's capacity doubled with the new locks. Canal authorities hope to compete with the Suez Canal in Egypt. Pictured, fireworks light up the sky as the Cosco Shipping Panama crosses the new Cocoli locks
The 50-mile canal has generated about $10 billion in direct income for Panama since it was handed over from US control at the end of 1999. Pictured, people cheer during the inauguration Sunday
'Today marks a historic moment for Panama, for our hemisphere and the world,' President Juan Carlos Varela (pictured) said at the inaugural ceremony on the outskirts of Panama City
The 158-foot-wide, 984-foot-long Cosco Shipping Panama (pictured on Sunday) is one of the modern mega-vessels that will now be able to use the canal and form the New Panamax class
The crowd partied to salsa music and watched videos on giant screens during the inauguration of the new canal Sunday. Pictured, men in traditional attire wait at the new Agua Clara locks
The Cosco Shipping Panama (pictured with a tugboat) has a capacity of 9,472 shipping containers and is 158 feet wide and 984 feet long. It travelled for about eight hours on Sunday
Panamanians at the ceremony expressed hope that the expansion will help the country's economy. Pictured, spectators cheer as the Cosco Shipping Panama, begins to cross the new new Agua Clara locks
The $5.25 billion project was initially scheduled for completion in October 2014 but was delayed by two years. Pictured, the Cosco Shipping Panama heads towards the new Cocoli locks
Americans discovered on an ISIS kill list obtained by the FBI were not told about the potential risk facing them, a probe has discovered.
The names of more than 15,000 U.S citizens - including teachers, members of the military and art dealers - were found by security officials on encrypted Islamic State websites.
They were and potentially still are targets for lone wolf extremists and sleeper cells looking to bring terror to American shores.
However, at no point were many made aware of the threat they faced - only finding out when contacted by a team of investigative journalists.
Americans discovered on an ISIS kill list obtained by the FBI were not told about the potential risk facing them, a probe has discovered. The names of more than 15,000 U.S citizens - including teachers, members of the military and art dealers - were found by security officials on encrypted Islamic State websites
Circa News obtained the details of targets in New York, Texas, Florida and California.
After phoning them, they were stunned to learn that the high majority had no idea about ISIS vendetta against them.
Former FBI counter-terrorism agent Chad Jenkins was astonished by the lack of information those people had been given.
He said: 'If we aren't notifying private citizens that is a disservice.
'If we're not then we need to be asking those questions as fellow Americans why that's not being done right now, especially with the evolving threat that we have seen so recently from ISIS-inspired and ISIS themselves here in America.'
Between March 2 and the end of May, hacked ISIS accounts exposed eight kill lists.
They included the names and addresses of 70 plus military personnel or family members, 56 New Jersey state police officers, 36 Minnesota state police officers, 11 county board members in Tennessee, 50 federal employees, and dozens of New York residents.
In Texas, just two of the 24 people contacted whose names were on the hit lists were aware of the threat against them.
The people on the list were and potentially still are targets for lone wolf extremists and sleeper cells looking to bring terror to American shores. However, at no point were many made aware of the threat they faced - only finding out when contacted by a team of investigative journalists
One Austin woman who was told she and her friends were on the list told the site: 'I was terrified. We live in a different world and the Jewish community is a number one target of these radicals.
'I'm very upset that I was not notified by the FBI or local law enforcement.'
When Circa asked the local police forces if they knew anything about their residents on the hit list, they too admitted that they had been left in the dark.
'We were not contacted by the Army or the FBI referencing the threat to our citizen,' Corpus Christi, Police spokesman Chris Hooper said.
The FBI officials have said they planned on notifying every person on the kill list.
A spokesperson said: 'The FBI routinely notifies individuals and organizations of potential threat information.
'We perform these notifications so potential victims are aware of possible threats and take appropriate steps.
A man accused of recruiting jihadists to fight in Syria told four young men to stay in a five-star hotel and take a taxi to the border from Turkey, it has been claimed.
Hamdi Alqudsi, 44, is accused of orchestrating the men's travel in 2013 and sending others to their deaths in the war-torn country.
He allegedly orchestrated the movements of Tyler Casey, Caner Temel, Mehmet Biber and Muhammad Abdul-Karim Musleh, some of whom died in the conflict.
Phone calls intercepted by police allegedly show him trying to arrange their movements in Turkey. In one he instructed them to take a taxi to the Syrian border no matter the cost.
Hamdi Alqudsi told four terror recruits to take a taxi to the Syrian border in 2013 as he masterminded their entry into Syria from Turkey, a court has heard
According to The Daily Telegraph, Alqudsi told the men to check-in to a luxurious resort after being picked up by police in Turkey in July 2013.
He then instructed them to take a cab to the Syrian border, allegedly saying: 'We will pay $10,000 (for the taxi) because I dont care it is safety bro.'
It was earlier reported the group had stayed in the Ottoman Palace in Antakya less than 100km from the border.
Casey, who had changed his name to Yusef Ali, was killed alongside his wife Amira Karroum in an airstrike in Aleppo in January 2014 while Temel died in the same year.
Tyler Casey and his wife Amira Karroum (above) died in January 2014 in Aleppo. Casey is one of the men Alqudsi is accused of helping enter Syria
Alqudsi denies helping the jihadists leave Australia to enter the conflict. His trial at Sydney's Supreme Court continues
Musleh and Biber both returned to Australia.
Alqudsi is accused of masterminding their travel into the country and helping three others join fanatics in Syria.
He denies seven counts of recruiting and assisting people with the intention of facilitating their entry into Syria for hostile activity.
Last year he a judge allowed him to move in to a mosque to observe Ramadan.
He was able to reside at the Minto Mosque in south west Sydney for between July 7 and 17 to fast and pray.
His trial at Sydney's Supreme Court continues.
A woman went in to hospital with stomach cramps - only to discover she was seven months pregnant.
Emily Sanders, of Chicago, lost 10 pounds this year, and even went hiking with her fiance two weeks ago.
All the while, she's had what she thought was a normal menstrual cycle.
But on Monday, she was hit with a searing pain in her stomach.
Rushed to the emergency room, she went in for an ultrasound - and doctors discovered a 27-week-old fetus.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Surprise! Emily Sanders beams as she clutches her newborn - and unexpected - little girl Nicole on Thursday
Tiny: Nicole Lynn Bartelstein was born weighing just 2 pounds 3.3 ounces via cesarean section last week
She was transferred to the city's Loyola Hospital for treatment and bed rest.
However, at 4.35am on Thursday her waters broke, and little Nicole Lynn Bartelstein was born by cesarean section minutes later, weighing just 2 pounds 3.3 ounces.
'I was in complete shock,' she told CBS News. 'I called my fiance, and it was silence over the other end.'
It is just 14 months since Emily and her fiance Ben welcomed their first child, a son.
But they had no idea they would be having another before getting married.
The ultrasound revealed Emily's fetus was in a standing position, which goes some way to explaining why Emily did not have a bump.
Such a condition occurs in around 1 per cent of pregnancies.
Astonishnig: The ultrasound revealed Emily's fetus was in a standing position, which goes some way to explaining why Emily did not have a bump. Such a condition occurs in around 1 per cent of pregnancies
Emily said fiance Ben (left) was stunned into silence when she called him with the news last Monday. The couple, who went hiking just days before discovering the pregnancy, have a 14-month-old son (center)
Her doctor also detected a condition called placenta previa, when the placenta is misplaced, causing bleeding and blood-clotting.
It means a pregnant woman can experience painless bleeding that seems no different to a normal period.
Emily and her fiance Ben are now raising money with a GoFundMe to support them through the wildly unexpected healthcare costs.
Baby Nicole is expected to be in hospital until September.
Writing on the GoFundMe page, Emily said Nicole is 'unexpected but unconditionally loved'.
An Alabama mother of two was run over and killed by her husband, who already has 49 arrests to his name, a Shelby County court heard Sunday.
Cops found the body of Christen Nichole 'Nicki' Young, nee Carr, 31, in her home in Calera on Sunday afternoon. She had succumbed to injuries caused in a hit-and-run collision, court documents said.
Later that day husband Kenneth Young, 36, appeared in court charged with her murder, where he was given $1million bond due to a litany of previous offenses, al.com reported.
Dead: Christen Nichole 'Nicki' Young (left), 31, was found dead in her home Sunday, having sustained injuries after being hit by a vehicle. Kenneth Young (right), 36, was arrested and charged with her murder
Mom: Nicki Young was the mother of two children (pictured). It's not known where the fatal incident took place. As well as her murder, Kenneth Young was charged with 'leaving the scene of an accident with death'
The body of Nicki Young, who had two daughters - one an infant - was found in the home on the 400 block of East Milgray.
She had sustained the fatal injuries in what appears to be a hit-and-run incident elsewhere in unincorporated Shelby County.
Kenneth Young was named as a suspect based on 'witness statements, physical evidence and probable cause', court records said, and charged with murder and 'leaving the scene of an accident with death'.
Exactly where the incident occurred is unknown, but the murder warrant said that Young killed her 'under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life', by 'driving a vehicle recklessly and (striking) the victim'.
And the warrant for fleeing said he 'did not immediately stop such vehicle and remain at the scene of such accidents and did not render to the victim reasonable assistance'.
In court on Sunday, he was given $1million bail based on a criminal history that includes 49 previous arrests in the state of Alabama since September 1998.
Among the offenses that he has been arrested and/or charged with are four charges of domestic violence, several charges of reckless endangerment, theft of property, drug possession, and smuggling contraband into a jail or prison.
At the time that Nicki Young died, Kenneth Young had been made the subject of a protection from abuse order that was pending in Montgomery County.
Criminal record: Kenneth Young had 49 arrests or charges in Alabama to his name, including theft, drug possession and smuggling contraband into a jail or prison
'Every death is tragic but one that could have been avoided and at such a young age is especially difficult,' Sheriff John Samaniego said in a prepared statement.
'I hope her friends and family find peace as they grieve her loss and we will do everything we can to assist the Shelby County District Attorney's Office with this prosecution.'
Kenneth Young is currently on probation for theft and on bond for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
And he was arrested for a probation violation on May 30 and let out on bond on June 8. He has been arrested five times for failure to appear for current pending court cases.
Nicki Young was described as an 'amazing woman' by best friend Heather Henderson.
She told al.com: 'She once got upset because we couldn't find time to put together a soup kitchen for the homeless.'
Murder is a Class A felony in Alabama state law, and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Leaving the scene of an accident with death is a Class C felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Kenneth Young is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail.
The Treasurer claimed he had faced 'hatred and bigotry'
Last week Morrison said he had been vilified because of his beliefs
Morrison simple said he would 'respect the outcome of the plebiscite'
Morrison refused to answer if he would vote in favour of gay marriage
Leigh Sales and Scott Morrison got in a heated debate on Tuesday night
Treasurer Scott Morrison repeatedly dodged questions about whether or not he would vote in favour of same-sex marriage when confronted by ABC journalist Leigh Sales on Tuesday.
Morrison's interview with the 7.30 host became heated when Sales asked him if a plebiscite supporting same-sex marriage would influence his vote in Parliament, according to ABC.
'I will respect the outcome of the plebiscite. If it passes then the legislation will pass,' Morrison said.
Scroll down for video
Treasurer Scott Morrison (pictured) dodged questions about whether or not he would vote in favour of same-sex marriage during a heated interview on Tuesday with ABC's 7.30 host Leigh Sales
Sales (pictured) asked the Liberal MP if a plebiscite supporting same-sex marriage would influence him to vote for gay marriage in Parliament, to which he responded that he would 'respect the outcome of the plebiscite'
Sales asked if the legislation would pass with a vote from Morrison to which he retorted again that he would respect the outcome of the public's feedback.
'I'm not sure why you can't answer if it will be with your vote,' Sales said.
'I get to choose the words I use as a politician, you get to use the words you use to put questions, that's how it works,' Morrison said.
'I'm not sure why you can't answer if it will be with your vote,' Sales asked Morrison (pictured)
The debate comes just a week after Morrison landed in hot water for claiming he has been subjected to 'hatred and bigotry' because of his stance against same-sex marriage.
Mr Morrison, 48, told the ABC he has been personally vilified because of his beliefs on marriage.
'I have been exposed to that sort of hatred and bigotry for the views I have taken, from others who have a different view to me,' the Liberal Party MP said.
The debate comes just a week after Morrison landed in hot water for claiming he has been subjected to 'hatred and bigotry' because of his stance against same-sex marriage
He was responding to Labor Senator Penny Wong's (right) fears that a plebiscite on the subject of gay marriage could lead to hate speeches
'But I think the best way is for all of us to have a say on this, deal with it and move on.'
He was responding to Labor Senator Penny Wong's fears that a plebiscite on the subject of gay marriage could lead to hate speeches.
'I respect Penny's fears that she has raised. Equally, there are many who have a different view to Penny and to others over what should happen to same sex marriage,' Morrison said.
'I have a different view to that and people of strong religious views, they have also been subject to quite dreadful hate speech and bigotry as well. It is not confined to one side of this debate.'
Morrison argued a plebiscite was a sensible process because MPs on either side of the debate could not represent the views of everyone in their electorates, so it was best to give all voters a say.
Senator Wong, who is in a same-sex relationship and has a young family, declared she was not immune from the abuse thrown her way but was resilient enough to withstand it
Labor frontbencher Penny Wong insists straight politicians pushing for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage don't understand what it's like to be the target of hate.
Senator Wong, who is in a same-sex relationship and has a young family, declared she was not immune from the abuse thrown her way but was resilient enough to withstand it.
But many were not.
Senator Wong said she is opposed to a plebiscite because she doubts the good sense of the Australian people.
'I oppose a plebiscite because I don't want my relationship, my family to be the subject of inquiry, of censure, of condemnation, by others,' she said in a speech at the Australian National University overnight.
'I don't want other relationships and other families, to be targeted either.'
Morrison received little sympathy from some sections of social media after his comments last week
A Muslim halal butchers has been gutted by fire after thugs threw a petrol bomb into the shop just days after Britain voted to leave the EU.
It is the UK's latest suspected racist attack and follows the vandalising of a Polish community centre in west London and a BBC news presenter being called a 'P***' in her home town of Basingstoke.
Vandals are also said to have targeted every German-made car parked on one London street, scratching Swastikas and other offensive drawings into the bodywork.
Gutted: A Muslim halal butchers in Walsall, West Midlands, has been destroyed after thugs threw a petrol bomb into the store just days after Britain voted to leave the EU
The attack on Kashmir Meat & Poultry butchers in Walsall, West Midlands, happened at 5.25pm yesterday
Victim: Jamil Hussain, 38, the owner of Kashmir Meat & Poultry in Walsall, West Midlands, is pictured
It follows a 57 per cent rise in race-hate crime since last Thursday's EU referendum. In particular, police have been investigating a number of attacks on Poles and Muslims.
The horrific attack on Kashmir Meat & Poultry butchers in Walsall, West Midlands, happened at 5.25pm yesterday.
Police say a 6ft tall white man, who was wearing a blue jacket, walked into the halal butchers and threw a lit bottle of accelerant.
Luckily, a worker in the store managed to escape with just bruises after the attack.
But dramatic pictures show how the butchers was left completely gutted, with the front windows blown out and the walls covered in soot.
West Midlands Police said it was keeping an open mind over the motive of the attack.
However, locals living in the area said they were in no doubt it was related to Brexit, saying tensions are 'running high in the community'.
Police say a 6ft tall white man, who was wearing a blue jacket, walked into the halal butchers and threw a lit bottle of accelerant. Luckily, a worker in the store managed to escape with just bruises after the attack
Destroyed: Dramatic pictures show how the butchers was left completely gutted, with the front windows blown out and the walls covered in soot
West Midlands Police said it was keeping an open mind over the motive of the attack. But locals living in the area said they were in no doubt it was related to Brexit, saying tensions are 'running high in the community'
Clean-up: Mary Walker, 67, from Pleck in Walsall, said tensions in the community had heightened since Britain voted to leave the EU. The scene at Kashmir Meat and Poultry shop is pictured today
Probe: A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the incident is being investigated by officers, who are currently making inquiries and examining CCTV
A spokesman for the force said the incident is being investigated by officers, who are currently making inquiries and examining CCTV footage.
Detective Inspector Greg Evans said: 'The inquiry is at an early stage and I am keeping an open mind as to the motive.
'The man was not seriously injured but it could have been much more serious.'
Mary Walker, 67, from Pleck in Walsall, said tensions in the community had heightened since Britain voted to leave the EU.
INCREASE OF INCIDENTS OF HATE CRIME REPORTED IN THE WAKE OF THE BREXIT VOTE The UK has seen a 57 per cent rise in race-hate crime following the referendum decision to leave the EU last week. Among the dozens of reported incidents are: Muslim halal butchers, Kashmir Meat & Poultry butchers in Walsall, West Midlands, left gutted after thugs threw a petrol bomb into the shop. The vandalising of Polish community centre in West London. A BBC news presenter called a 'P***' in her home town of Basingstoke. BMWs and Audis scratched by vandals in Hammersmith, west London, targeting German-made cars. Polish student Agata Brzezniak, 25, told by a woman on a bus in Manchester to be 'scared' and 'prepared to have to get a visa to be able to stay in her country'. Nanny Kimberley Roberts, 31, was called a 'C****' in London and told she would have to 'go back home soon' on the Tube in London. Graduate Natasha Bandlish, 21, from Dulwich, London, was 'flabbergasted' after a group of construction workers on the train stared and laughed at her while shouting about British independence. Advertisement
She added: 'It isnt the nicest area around here and it does attract people with far right views.
'I have overheard people making comments to Eastern European residents and Muslims that they should go home now.
'It is a disgrace that these thugs are trying to intimidate people like this and think it is the best way to get what they want.
'Just because we voted to leave the EU it doesnt mean we should only be a country of white Brits.
'Im positive the man who runs it isnt even European, its just mindless racism which people think is OK now just because we voted out.
'I am sure it will be related to the referendum result, I have no doubt.
'This poor butcher works hard for a living, which I bet is more than you can say for the idiot who did this.'
A Muslim grandfather, who didnt want to be name for fear of reprisals, added: 'I was horrified when I saw the damage.
'We are thankful that no one was seriously hurt but we could easily have been looking at a death.
'My family uses the butchers and I know this will have shaken them up.
'Being a multi-cultural society is part of what makes Britain great and it should stay that way.
'The Muslim community around here is very much on edge at the moment.'
Meanwhile, in Dalling Road, Hammersmith, west London, residents say BMWs and Audis were scratched by vandals when only German-made cars were targeted last Friday night.
Police were unable to say at this stage whether the incident is being treated as race-related.
Elsewhere, a Polish student says he was abused on a bus on his way to university several hours after the referendum result.
Agata Brzezniak, 25, who is completing a PhD in chemistry at Manchester University, claims a woman told him to be 'scared' and to be 'prepared to have to get a visa to be able to stay in her country'.
Racist attack? Meanwhile, in Dalling Road, Hammersmith, west London, residents say BMWs and Audis were scratched by vandals when only German-made cars were targeted last Friday night (pictured)
Damaged: Vandals are also said to have targeted every German-made car parked on one London street, scratching Swastikas and other offensive drawings into the bodywork (pictured)
Targeted: Police were unable to say at this stage whether the incident is being treated as race-related. One of the Audis damaged is pictured
He said: 'As many Polish people in the country I feared the EU referendum result would cause an increase in intolerance, discrimination and racism, but I didnt think it would become so aggressive and be so immediate.
'The vicious smile and the way she looked at me brought me to tears. I always thought I would be able to stand up for myself and respond to discrimination but this situation left me feeling scared, sad and hopeless. I got off the bus and decided to walk the rest of the way to university.'
Mr Brzezniak added: 'Sadly, I think the result of the referendum has almost empowered the people who already had racist views to openly express them.'
Kimberley Roberts, 31, originally from Chester, who works as a nanny in London, says she was called a 'C****' and told she would have to 'go back home soon' when travelling on the Tube over the weekend
Meanwhile, graduate Natasha Bandlish, 21, from Dulwich, south-east London, said she was 'flabbergasted' after a group of construction workers stared at her on the train whilst shouting about British independence.
Ms Bandlish said: '(Ive) never really experienced blatant racism. When I was a kid I had a few children refer to me as P***', meant as a racial slur.
'I was born and brought up in London before moving to India when I was 10. I moved back to London at the age of 18 to go to the University of Westminster.
'On the day of the referendum result I was on a train in south-east London when a group of construction workers all started drinking in my carriage.
'They all looked at me and laughed whilst jeering and talking about how that day would be known as British Independence Day, and that next year it would be a bank holiday. One of them shouted it out and made direct eye contact with me and laughed.'
She added: 'I was just flabbergasted... Its such a backward attitude to have, I was especially surprised that I experienced it in London.'
And Kimberley Roberts, 31, originally from Chester, who works as a nanny in London, says she was called a 'C****' and told she would have to 'go back home soon' when travelling on the Tube over the weekend.
She said: 'I felt hurt and confused at first. I wasnt sure why he was saying this to me. Im English. My parents are English and my grandparents are English. All born and raised in this country.
'When I got off the Tube I felt sick and anxious. I was concerned as to how many more people he had spoken to like this.'
The abuse comes amid a background of 'hate crimes' being probed by police across the UK with an increase in reports of attacks on ethnic minorities in the wake of last week's Brexit vote.
Politicians have now apologised for the embarrassing blunder
Women called by men's surname regardless of whether they were married
A Liberal party member has been blasted after sending women election campaign material addressing them with their surnames of the men they live with.
Some of the women, who are not married, have taken to social media to brand the letters from MP Nickolas Varvaris as 'backwards and sexist'.
The Liberal Party has apologised for the embarrassing blunder, noting 'human error' caused residents in the same home to be grouped together.
Liberal party member has been blasted after sending women election campaign material (pictured) addressing them with their surnames of the men they live with - even if they weren't married
'Just because I live at the same address as my boyfriend does not mean I take his last name' wrote one Twitter user.
'Might want to check your calendars: 1950 ended a while ago' wrote another.
'I just received your letter from the 1950s. FYI: I didn't trade in my name when I met a man,' said another member.
Kelly Tall, who was married but never changed her surname, said she was outraged to see letter the incorrectly addressed letter, reports ABC.
'It's so 1950s that the assumption would be that a man and woman living together would share the same surname it felt very presumptive.'
Melissa Ran said she was shocked to see the incorrectly addressed letter from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Liberal candidate Geoffrey Winters.
Some women, who are not married, took to social media to brand the letters from MP Nickolas Varvaris as 'backwards and sexist'
Another Twitter user expressed her disbelief after she received the letter through the post
The letters were signed off by Liberal MP Nickolas Varvaris, who is pictured here delivering his maiden speech at the chamber of the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra
'I think it's quite antique and quite sexist, because it is really important to me as I enter marriage that I retain my own autonomy.'
A spokesperson for the Liberal Party issued a statement apologising for the slip-up and explaining how it happened.
'Human error inadvertently meant some people living at the same address were grouped together. This was unintentional. No discourtesy was intended and we apologise.'
Advertisement
Most of the time, mosquitoes are a hated summer pest. But in a tropical city in China, these deadly insects are carefully raised and petted by scientists.
Welcome to the mosquitoes factory inside the Sun Yat-sen University in the city of Guangzhou, where a team of experts produce 20 million sterilised male insects every week before releasing them to islands to mate with the females.
These male mosquitoes, which are infected with a type of bacteria called wolbachia pipientis, are used as a means for scientists to try and stop the spreading of deadly diseases, such as Zika and Dengue.
Raising bugs with care: Scientists in a laboratory inside the Sun Yat-sen University, China, are raising up to 20 million mosquitoes a week
Friends or foes? Here, the hated summer pests are infected with a special bacterium to help human combat deadly diseases, such as Zika
Cutting-edge technology: A Lab technician looks at cages of adult male mosquitoes used in research at the laboratory on June 20
See the insect like never before: Mosquito larvae is seen as male and female are separated in the lab at the Sun Yat-Sen University
As one of the the most deadly animals on the planet, mosquitoes are thought to be responsible for millions of deaths every year, according to WHO.
At the larva laboratory of Sun Yat-sen University, billed as the world's largest mosquito factory, scientists are cultivating a special type of bugs which don't bite and don't carry dangerous viruses.
By releasing the millions of insects they produce to the different islands in Guangzhou, the team hope their sterilised insects could mate with the female mosquitoes and gradually replace the local mosquitoes population with the disease-free kind.
Helmed by Xi Zhiyong, director of the Sun Yat-sen University-Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases, the laboratory spreads over 37,700 square feet and has four workshops, each producing up to five million male insects a week, according to Sun Yat-sen University.
First put to use last summer, the laboratory was officially established in April this year with the aim of being the international front-runner in combating mosquitoes-borne diseases.
The lab's mosquitoes are infected with a strain of wolbachia pipientis, a common bacterium shown to inhibit Zika and related viruses including dengue fever.
For the health of mankind: Lab technicians and researchers look at trays of mosquito larvae in the 'world's largest mosquito factory'
Take good care of the little ones: A lab technician holds plastic containers of sterile adult male mosquitos that are ready to be released
Look at them! Chinese PhD student and researcher Zhang Dongjing displays a container of sterile adult male mosquitos
Thorough inspection: Researcher Zhang carefully checks trays of mosquito larvae in the mass production facility in the lab on June 20
Back to the nature: Chinese researcher Gan Renxian rides in a cart as he releases adult mosquitos on Shazai Island in Guangzhou
On way to find their partners: The infected male mosquitoes are set to mate with wild females who then inherit the antibody
Researchers are reported to have released the infected mosquitoes on Shazai island to mate with wild females who then inherit the solbachia bacterium which prevents the proper fertilisation of her eggs.
The team also planned to release their mosquitoes on the Dadaosha Island in Panyu district, according to the university.
Xi Zhiyong, the head of the researchers, said: 'The male mosquitoes we set free don't bite, so the local residents support it.'
He then added: 'This technology will face a high demand in the world.'
After a year of research and field trials on Shazai island, the lab claims there is 99 per cent suppression of the population of Asia tiger mosquito, the type known to carry Zika virus.
Peoples Daily Online previously reported that one million sterilised insects were being released in the region each week.
Battle against deadly diseases: Chinese technicians put pupa into dishes in the lab at the mosquitoes factory in Sun Yat-Sen University
Looking for alternatives: Chinese researcher Gan Renxian examines mosquito eggs caught in a trap in the village on Shazai Island
Not going to miss one! A Chinese lab engineer uses an electric racquet used to kill stray mosquitos in the mass production facility
Close examination: A researcher uses a dropper to put mosquito larvae under a microscope at the field lab on June 21
Deadly animal that kills millions a year: Adult female mosquitos are seen uder a microscope at the Sun Yat-Sen University lab
Feeding time: A lab technician pours animal blood onto a hot plate to feed to mosquitoes at the pioneering mosquito factory
Under the microscope: Chinese PhD student and researcher Zhang Dongjing looks at adult mosquitos under a microscope in the lab
In addition to Zika, the centre is also hoping to halt the spread of Dengue fever, a viral infection that is often spread by mosquitoes and kills 25,000 people across the globe every year.
The southern part of China is regularly troubled by the outbreak of Dengue.
The summer of 2014, China saw the worst outbreak of dengue fever in two decades, with more than 47,000 cases.
Almost all of those affected were from Guangdong province, where the factory is based.
Look, here come the mosquitoes: Local fisherman Chen Shourongon paddles her boat on Shazai Island where the insects are released
Innovation takes place, but life remains the same: A local villager stands near her fields of melon and bananas on Shazai Island
The island where infect bugs are released: A local farmer walks in her fields on the island where mosquito experiment was carried out
What's that buzzing sound? An woman carries her grandson on Shazai Island as researchers set the infected insects into the wild
Hope they don't bite! Xi Zhiyong, the head of the lab, said: 'The male mosquitoes we set free don't bite, so the local residents support it.'
It's our challenge to eliminate Dengue: A local villager holds a bag with the determined slogan on Shazai Island on June 22
Scientific test field: A Chinese man stands in an alleyway of a village as researchers pass by releasing mosquitoes
In February, Brazil announced it's planning to fight the Zika virus by zapping millions of male mosquitoes with gamma rays to sterilise them using a device called an irradiator and stop the spread of the virus linked to thousands of birth defects.
Brazil is trying to eradicate the Aedes mosquito thats behind the outbreak, which has been linked to babies with abnormally small heads.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it will ship an irradiator to the state of Bahia so that a non-profit organisation called Moscamed can breed up to 12 million male mosquitoes a week, sterilise them and release them in 12 towns to test the outcome.
If successful, the Brazilian government could scale up the operation, potentially releasing millions of mosquitoes in densely-populated areas of the vast country, using drones.
Like with Dengue, there is no cure for Zika, which has spread to 49 countries in North America, South America, Oceania and Asia.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIKA WHAT IS ZIKA? The Zika (ZEE'-ka) virus was first discovered in monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the Zika forest where it was first discovered. It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. It appeared in Brazil in 2014 and has since been reported in many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands. HOW IS IT SPREAD? It is typically transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes - Aedes aegypti - that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. It is not known to spread from person to person. Though rare, scientists have found Zika can be transmitted sexually. The World Health Organisation recently warned the mode of transmission is 'more common than previously assumed'. And, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued first-time guidance, saying couples trying to conceive should abstain or wear condoms for six months if the male has confirmed or suspected Zika. Additionally, the CDC said couples should abstain or wear condoms for eight weeks if the female has confirmed or suspected Zika, or if the male traveled to a country with a Zika outbreak but has no symptoms. ARE THERE SYMPTOMS? The majority of people infected with Zika virus will not experience symptoms. Those that do, usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week. There is no specific treatment for the virus and there is currently no vaccine to protect against infection, though several are in the developmental stages. WHY IS IT A CONCERN NOW? Zika infection in pregnant women to a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn's head is smaller than normal and the brain may not have developed properly. Brazilian health officials last October noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the Zika outbreak. The country said it has confirmed more than 860 cases of microcephaly - and that it considers them to be related to Zika infections in the mother. The WHO also stated that researchers are now convinced that Zika is responsible for increased reports of a nerve condition called Guillain-Barre that can cause paralysis. A team of Purdue University scientists recently revealed a molecular map of the Zika virus, which shows important structural features that may help scientists craft the first treatments to tackle the disease. The map details vital differences on a key protein that may explain why Zika attacks nerve cells - while other viruses in the same family, such as dengue, Yellow Fever and West Nile, do not. CAN THE SPREAD BE STOPPED? Individuals can protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents, and wearing long sleeves and long pants - especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say. Eliminating breeding spots and controlling mosquito populations can help prevent the spread of the virus. Advertisement
It's our grand mission: Experts produce 20 million sterilised male insects a week before releasing them to islands to mate with the females
Not all bugs are welcome: A Chinese lab technician uses an electric racquet to kill a stray mosquito at the centre
Working towards a healthier future: The laboratory spreads over 37,700 square feet and has a total of four workshops in Guangzhou, China
Dedication is the key: The lab claims there is 99 per cent suppression of the population of Asia tiger mosquito, known to carry Zika virus
No effort spared: A researcher uses a dropper to put mosquito larvae under a microscope at the field lab situated in tropical China
A hidden hole on an Indiana sand dune swallowed up then-six-year-old Nathan Woessner in 2013.
Now, researchers fear Michigan dunes could be hiding similar deadly traps.
After three-and-a-half hours of rescue teams digging the near-lifeless boy was pulled from the winding tube-like cavity below the sand's surface.
When little Nathan disappeared from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, geologists were baffled.
Researchers fear that holes could be open beneath the surface of dunes in Michigan, after a cavern swallowed up a six-year-old in 2013
Nathan Woessner (center with his parents Faith, left and Greg, behind) spent three hours beneath the surface of Indiana's Dunes National Lakeshore and was nearly dead when he was finally rescued
Erin Argyilan, head of the Indiana University Northwest's department of geosciences, was on the beach that day and was sure the boy had run off and wasn't petrified beneath the sand.
Three years later, she has published a study that blames buried trees as the cause of Nathan's near-fatal accident.
The trees were buried beneath the sand's surface and as they decayed, open, hollow tubes were left behind.
Argyilan found that fungi that grew on the buried trees created a cement-like substance, which allowed the sand to keep the tube-like shapes below the surface.
As the tree trunk decayed, these caverns remained.
It has been determined that trees caused the holes. As trees decayed, open, hollow tubes were left behind. A fungi on the trees created a cement-like substance, which caused the holes to keep their shape long after the trees had gone
Most of these holes are shallow, according to Argyilan's report, but some reach depths of up to ten feet.
Now, geologists believe the dunes of Lake Michigan's Silver Lake State Park in West Michigan could be hiding the same dangerous openings below the surface.
Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in Florence, Oregon, and Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Michigan, could face the same threats.
The dunes in Silver Lake State Park are a major attraction to the area and a 'hot-spot' for off-road driving.
The holes could be simply a nuisance, but could also pose a bigger threat like the one Nathan experienced years ago.
After Nathan's accident, the Indiana dune has been closed except for small ranger-led tours.
The leaders of North America will hold talks Wednesday at the seat of power in Canada as their countries weigh a response to Britain's shocking decision to pull out of the European Union.
The presidents of Mexico and the United States, Enrique Pena Nieto and Barack Obama, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will put into operation a North American caucus at the summit 'to make a more formal effort' to coordinate on regional and global issues.
'I think what people will see as a result of this meeting is the value of our relationship, the very special relationship we have with both countries,' ' a senior administration official told reporters Monday during a call previewing the North American Leader Summit.
The leaders of North America will hold talks Wednesday at the seat of power in Canada as their countries weigh a response to Britain's shocking decision to pull out of the European Union. President Barack Obama will leave and return in the same day
The presidents of Mexico and the United States, Enrique Pena Nieto, pictured, left, and Barack Obama, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, will put into operation a North American caucus at the summit 'to make a more formal effort' to coordinate on regional and global issues. Nieto and Trudeau are pictured today
The three leaders are also set to announce a continent wide commitment to reaching a goal of 50 percent clean power by 2025 at the fourth annual meeting of its kind.
The chaos in Europe is now expected to overshadow the energy aspect of the summit during a trilateral news conference and a speech Obama will deliver to the Canadian parliament at the conclusion of the meetings.
The White House insisted today that the situation abroad will not overpower or derail talks at the North American summit, however.
'I don't anticipate that it will be the focus of their conversations, but I'm confident that it will come up,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said today.
The White House's official position on the Britain's exit is that it's an issue it must work out with the EU.
'Of course it has global implications,' said Mark Feierstein, a senior director with the National Security Council.
'Certainly we anticipate that they'll have an opportunity to discuss Brexit and what it means for our economies and how we can best coordinate our efforts,' Feierstein told reporters Monday.
Obama will discuss with Nieto and Trudeau 'how we may be able to coordinate our efforts to insulate ourselves to the extent possible,' the NSC official added.
Obama was last in Ottawa his first year in office, in 2009. It was his maiden trip to a foreign country. Trudeau was not in charge of Canada at the time. He was elected in October of 2015 and made his first visit to the White House as a head of state in March, as seen above
The chaos in Europe is now expected to overpower the energy aspect of the summit during a trilateral news conference and a speech Obama will deliver to the Canadian parliament at the conclusion of the meetings
The White House has made the stabilization of the United States' relationships with the EU and separately the United Kingdom the focus of its diplomatic efforts this week following last Thursday's jolting vote.
Now more than ever, the administration is emphasizing the importance of both countries' participation in the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Sunday at a conference that brings together government officials and business leaders that pressure on the security organization to 'stay latched up will be even greater.'
Rice insisted there will be 'relatively few' security concerns with Britain leaving the EU given its continued participation in NATO.
'We will do all we can to ensure that the areas in which we are cooperating -- counter-terrorism, you name it, will remain solid,' Rice said.
France, Germany and Spain are members of NATO, which has its annual meeting on July 8 in Poland, in addition to the UK, US and Canada.
'The UK will remain a key leader with the NATO Alliance,' Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the president, said Monday. 'Obviously this will be an item on the agenda,' he said.
They three leaders are also set to announce a continent wide commitment to reaching a goal of 50 percent clean power by 2025 at the fourth annual meeting of its kind
The White House official said the US would 'continue to work bilaterally and through NATO to ensure our collective security cooperation' and the US and UK Defense secretaries had already been in contact.
OBAMA'S SCHEDULE IN CANADA 10:15AM The president arrives in Ottawa, Canada 10:50AM Obama greets Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada at the National Gallery of Canada 10:55AM President Obama participates in a bilateral meeting with President Nieto of Mexic at the Canadian Galleries 11:40AM The president participates in a North American Leaders Summit working session 1:40PM North American leaders take a family photo 1:55PM Group engages in a working lunch 3:00PM Leaders participate in a trilateral press conference 4:20PM Obama participates in an arrival ceremony with Trudeau at Parliament Hill 4:35PM The president holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau in the Cabinet Room 5:25PM The President of the United States addresses the Canadian Parliament in the House of Commons Chamber 6:45PM Obama participates in an Embassy meet and greet on Parliament Hill 7:35PM President Obama departs Ottawa, Canada en route Washington, DC Advertisement
'The U.S. and the UK have close ties. A lot of those ties are in the security arena. So you look at intelligence-sharing, you look at our efforts to combat ISIL, you look at defense spending. So those are ties that are not going to change in light of the UK's decision,' he said.
Feierstein, the senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at NSC, said on the press call detailing the president's trip to Canada 'certainly Brexit will be on the agenda' tomorrow, as well, when he meets with his fellow North American leaders, Nieto and Trudeau.
'The president will be looking to consult with a range of partners on this issue,' Feierstein said. 'This is an issue that affects not just the United State and Mexico and Canada but other countries as well, so we'll be eager to talk about what it means for us and how we can coordinate and adjust our efforts.'
Obama sent Secretary of State John Kerry to the EU's headquarters in Brussels this week to meet with President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU High Representative Federica Mogherini along with NATO Secretary General ens Stoltenberg.
Yesterday he was in London for meeting with Cameron and his British counterpart Philip Hammond.
Kerry will join Obama in Canada on Wednesday for the one-day summit at which Obama will hold both joint and one-on-one talks with Nieto and Trudeau and a trilateral press conference.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will also accompany Obama on the trip as will Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
Obama was last in Ottawa his first year in office, in 2009. It was his maiden trip to a foreign country.
Kerry will join Obama in Canada on Wednesday for the one-day summit at which Obama will hold both joint and one-on-one talks with Nieto and Trudeau before their trilateral press conference.Yesterday he was in London for meeting with Cameron and his British counterpart Philip Hammond, pictured, left
Trudeau was not in charge of Canada at the time. He was elected in October of 2015 and made his first visit to the White House as a head of state in March.
Nieto came to the White House to speak with Obama in 2015 at the height of the border crisis that saw thousands of Latin American minors pouring into the United States through Mexico.
The two leaders are likely to speak privately about border security in their meeting tomorrow and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to build a wall between the two countries.
He says if Mexico refuses to pay for it - it says it won't - he'll come up with the money through fees at the border, tariffs and cuts to foreign aid.
Nieto has compared Trump's tactics and tone to Italian fascist Benito Mussolini and Hitler.
'That's not on the president's agenda tomorrow,' the White House press secretary, Earnest, said today to a reporter who asked if Obama would offer reassurances to Nieto. 'I'm not denying that it's going to come up.'
The United States does 1.2 trillion dollars in trade with Canada and Mexico.
Canada is its largest trade partner. It's trade relationship with Mexico is more lucrative than the business it does with India, Canada, Russia and China combined, the White House said Monday.
North America is an 'economic powerhouse,' it said as it previewed the summit.
'It really matters when these three leaders get together and when North America is able to coordinate a whole range of issues,' Feierstein said.
Of the North America caucus, he stated, 'It will be evident to Americans and people beyond that when North America speaks and act as a single unit, it's really for the good of our citizens and the good of citizens around the world.'
Nieto came to the White House to speak with Obama in 2015. The two leaders are likely to speak privately about border security in their meeting tomorrow and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to build a wall between the two countries
The UK was listed as the United States' seventh biggest business partner as of the 2013 census and accounted for $100 billion in imports and exports.
Its exit from the EU will complicate its trade partnership with the United States. Obama warned during his April visit to the UK that Britain would have to get in the 'back of the queue' if it followed through on Brexit.
The US has been in trade negotiations with the EU for years, and the White House said Monday those talks would resume 'as soon as feasible.'
The agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, was supposed to be finished by the end of 2016.
'I don't have a new time frame to work out with you right now. But I can say that concluding these negotiations remains a priority for this President,' Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the president, said Monday.
Schulz noted that the U.S. is 'quite far along in that process with the EU.'
European judges have ruled that prosecutors violated the human rights of two murderous paedophiles because the trial took so long to reach court.
Charles O'Neil, 54, and William Lauchlan, 40, are serving life sentences for the murder of Allison McGarrigle, whose body was never found.
Both have racked up a shocking catalogue of sex crimes against children and were found guilty of the murder in 2010.
The UK government will have to pay nearly 4,000 in legal costs for violating the human rights of murderers Charles O'Neil (left) 54, and William Lauchlan, 40 (right) because their trials took too long
But judges at the European Court of Human Rights have now ruled that delays in bringing them to justice - which in total took nearly nine years - breached their right to a fair hearing.
The UK is bound by the court's ruling and the government must now pay nearly 4,000 towards O'Neil's legal costs over the 'excessive' time delay.
The pair were accused of murdering Ms McGarrigle to stop her reporting their abuse of a young boy.
She was 39 when she was last seen alive in 1997 and prosecutors said they had put her body in a bin before disposing of it at sea.
Ms McGarrigle was 39 when she was last seen alive in 1997 and prosecutors said the duo put her body in a bin before disposing of it at sea
O'Neil and Lauchlan were in and out of prison for sex crimes while the mystery surrounding Ms McGarrigle's disappearance continued.
It was only in 2005 that her death was officially recognised and Scottish police launched 'Operation Aspen' to investigate the pair's involvement.
After new evidence came to light O'Neil and Lauchlan were finally charged with the murder in 2008.
They were convicted and jailed for a raft of sex crimes in May 2010 and their murder trial did not start until after that.
But, on June 10 2010 - 13 years after Ms McGarrigle went missing - they were finally convicted of her murder at Glasgow High Court.
O'Neil was ordered to serve at least 30 years behind bars and Lauchlan received a minimum of 26 years. Their appeals were dismissed in 2014.
Ruling on their compensation bids, the European Court ruled there had been no 'outright dilatoriness' in prosecutors' pursuit of the pair.
But the criminal process had taken nine years from start to finish and that was 'excessive'.
The seven-member court found the pair's right to a fair trial within a reasonable time - enshrined in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Right - had been breached by the UK government.
Refusing to award compensation, the court ruled that the two killers would have to be 'satisfied' with a finding that their human rights were breached.
Police in Sacramento are currently investigating a bizarre robbery involving a burglar sneaking into a city restaurant and showering himself in powdered sugar.
The owners of the popular vegetarian restaurant called Mother - on the K Street Mall in downtown Sacramento - caught the thief on their surveillance cameras and called police.
The thief had managed to get into the kitchen undetected, before covering himself in the sugar and then leaving.
Sweet robbery: This is the moment suspect, who made his way into the kitchen of the Sacramento restaurant, showered himself in powdered sugar, before fleeing
Police were quick to arrest the man nearby. The suspect, Shannon Berry, 38, is known to police, and has been arrested multiple times this year
Police later and found and arrested 38-year-old Shannon Berry, who they identified using the CCTV footage from the restaurant.
Berry has an extensive criminal history and has been arrested nine times since February.
He has been convicted four times of crimes such as petty theft, burglary and arson.
Police said they didn't consider it 'unusual' that Berry doused himself in sugar, however admitted they did not know why he was doing it, Fox 40 reported.
He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and trespassing.
In custody: Shannon Berry, who was identified by the CCTV, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and trespassing
On the prowl: The surveillance footage shows the man sneaking in and making his way to the kitchen
Authorities said that downtown Sacramento has an increased homeless population and has become an epicenter of petty crime.
Berry's latest arrest resulted in a $20,000 bail.He will be arraigned on Tuesday.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's uncle has been charged with corruption, it emerged today.
Rifaat al-Assad was investigated on suspicion of tax fraud and money-laundering.
He reportedly amassed a 100million fortune including several luxury properties despite leaving Syria with 'nothing' thirty years ago.
The 78-year-old was placed under investigation after an interrogation with a French financial judge, a source close to the case said.
Rifaat al-Assad was investigated on suspicion of tax fraud and money-laundering after amassing 100million
Former Syria Vice-President Rifaat al-Assad has lived in exile since the 1980s after he sought to oust his older brother, the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, who was Bashar's father.
The judge banned him from leaving France apart from trips to London for health reasons.
Anti-corruption associations first filed complaints against Rifaat in 2013.
The following year, French authorities began looking into whether there was evidence of corruption, bribery and money-laundering.
At time the complaint was filed, people close to him said his wealth, which includes numerous apartments and buildings in Paris, did not come from Syria.
Anti-corruption campaign group Sherpa said that the case was part of a broader crackdown by French authorities on people who used ties to foreign governments to enrich themselves illegally in France.
French prosecutors requested in May that the son of Equatorial Guinea's president be tried for suspected money-laundering.
Rifaat's lawyer declined to comment.
No cause for the crash has yet been given by federal authorities and no fatalities yet confirmed
Locals have been told the turn off sprinklers as the battle against the blaze is draining the local water supply
The trains were hauling a variety of commercial goods on the track, which runs parallel to US Route 60
Eyewitnesses said that the crash resulted in a fireball, and firefighters are struggling to put out the blaze
Each train had two crew. The injured man jumped from his train before the two collided
One person has been injured and three more are reported missing in the collision; all are BNSF Railway train crew
Crash occurred at 8:40am Tuesday between two trains near the town of Panhandle, near Amarillo, Texas
Advertisement
One person was injured and three people left missing after two BNSF Railway trains suffered a head-on train collision near Amarillo, Texas, leading to a massive pile-up of box cars and a huge inferno that has cloaked the sky in black smoke.
The collision, which occurred Tuesday morning near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo, resulted in at least two dozen box cars being crumpled and derailed, as well as the reported casualties, all of whom were train crew.
BNSF Railway spokesman Joe Faust said the collision happened at about 8:40 am Tuesday. State, railroad and federal authorities have not provided details on the cause of the crash.
Scroll down for video
Inferno: Two BNSF Railway trains collided head-on near Panhandle, Texas, around 25 miles northeast of Amarillo. One person was injured and three left missing in the collision. No reason for the crash has yet been announced and no fatalities have been confirmed
Crash: The train crashed near Panhandle, a town around 25 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas
Wrecked: At least two dozen cars were involved in the collision. It's not known how fast the trains were moving at the time of the crash, but the speed limit for tracks there was 70mph
Fire hazard: Eastern Panhandle was evacuated due to worries about fire spreading quickly across the grass
Crews: All four of the people linked to the crash were train crew - two on each train - authorities said. The injured man had leaped from his train prior to the crash
Both of the trains involved in the accident had two crew members, Faust confirmed, and the injured man had leaped from his train before the collision. The extent of the hospitalized person's injures are unknown.
It's not known how fast the trains were going at the time of the crash, but the speed limit on tracks in that area is 70mph.
BNSF said the trains were hauling a variety of commercial products down the track, which runs parallel to US Route 60, at the time of the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation and is sending a team, while investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration arrived at the scene before noon. The FAA has closed down airspace above the crash site.
Witness Billy Brown, a farmer from the area, told ABC News that the shocking collision led to a fireball erupting from the crash site, leading to the blaze that consumed a number of the box cars.
'I don't know how anyone survived,' he said. 'It's terrible. I've seen a number of train wrecks but I've never seen one like this.'
DPS Sergeant Dan Buesing said collisions between trains and trucks occurred occasionally in the area, but that the scale of the this accident was 'startling'.
Drained: Locals were told to turn off sprinklers and conserve water as the Panhandle Fire Department was draining reserves to combat the fearsome blaze
Commercial goods: The cars were carrying a variety of commercial goods when the trains collided
Concern over the fire spreading quickly across grass led to the eastern side of Panhandle being evacuated, WFAA said. Residents east of Highway 207 were told to go to the War Memorial or the Court House if they had nowhere else to go.
They were later allowed to return and told to monitor wind conditions and shelter in place.
Meanwhile, all locals were asked to reduce their water use - especially to turn off sprinklers - as firefighters depleted the nearby water supply to quench the flames.
Hospitals in the area are reportedly on high alert, and anyone with water or other donations for first responders has been told to drop them off at the Methodist Church.
BNSF has been a pioneer in using technology to avoid collisions like this one, The Washington Post reported. The company intends to have electronic Positive Train Control (PTC) technology on all its tracks by 2018.
That technology automatically detects and brakes trains that are approaching each other on the same track. It's not known whether PTC, which is being turned on bit-by-bit on tracks around America, was in use on this line.
Authorities: The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the scene, as did the Federal Railroad Administration. The FAA has closed down airspace above the crash site
By just one vote, state lawmakers on Monday denied a request for $75,000 to pay private attorneys hired by the State Historical Society to fight a lawsuit brought by the general contractor who oversaw the North Dakota Heritage Center expansion.
Historical Society Director Claudia Berg said she was very surprised that the Budget Section voted 18-19 to withhold the funds, after the state Emergency Commission voted 4-2 last week to recommend moving the $75,000 from its $700,000 contingency fund to the historical society.
Berg said she doesnt know where the agency will find the money in its budget, which already was cut by 4.05 percent, or $875,000, in February to help balance a projected $1.07 billion revenue shortfall. The agencys total budget is about $28.4 million, though Berg said much of that is for projects.
Its going to be very difficult, she said. If we could have covered it, we would have been doing that to begin with.
Wahpeton-based Comstock Construction Inc. sued the historical society for breach of contract in March, claiming the agency improperly withheld payment for work done on the $51.7 million Heritage Center expansion. The 97,000-square-foot project began in 2011 and was completed in 2014, roughly doubling the size of the original museum that opened in 1981.
The historical society is withholding more than $387,000 from Comstock for what it says is unfinished work, including repairs to concrete thats already cracking. In April, the agency hired Serkland Law Firm of Fargo, which already was representing the North Dakota Veterans Home in a similar ongoing lawsuit filed by Comstock in May 2013. The funds requested Monday were to pay Serklands anticipated legal fees through the end of the 2015-17 biennium next June.
Budget Section members opposed the transfer for different reasons.
Rep. Jeff Delzer, R-Underwood, who also voted against it on the Emergency Commission, reiterated his belief that the legal fees should come from the agencys operating budget.
Senate Minority Leader Mac Schneider, an attorney and Democrat from Grand Forks, said after voting no that he was disappointed that the attorney generals office which normally represents state agencies in lawsuits wasnt there to explain the situation. He said his concern is what type of legal work should be done in-house versus hiring outside counsel.
The State Historical Society should not have to come up with this money from their budget, he said, adding, I do not feel good about (voting no).
Historical society officials and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem have said outside counsel was needed because his office is short-staffed and lacks an in-house expert on construction litigation. Schneider said the office should have adequate staff to handle such cases and try to head them off before they reach court.
Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, who voted for the transfer, noted an amendment would have required any unspent money or legal fees recouped through the states counterclaim to be deposited back into the contingency fund.
Berg said the agency will try to correct some information thats out there and may return with a similar request at the Budget Section meeting in September. In the meantime, agency officials will look for places to pull the funds from the budget, while also planning cuts to meet Gov. Jack Dalrymples request for 90-percent budget proposals for 2017-19.
It means programs. It means staff, she said.
France's coastguard have intercepted six Iranian migrants who were trying to make their way across the Channel to Britain on a rubber dinghy, maritime authorities said today.
The vessel was first spotted by a British pleasure boat fourteen miles off the French coastal town of Boulogne-sur-mer, 'making its way towards the English coast,' the French maritime authority said in a statement.
The French coastguard rushed to the scene yesterday while a British helicopter buzzed ahead to spot the boat.
The six Iranian occupants of the four-metre (13-foot) dinghy were handed over to border police, said the statement.
France's coastguard has intercepted six Iranian migrants trying to cross into the UK. The vessel was first spotted by a British pleasure boat fourteen miles off the French coastal town of Boulogne-sur-mer, 'making its way towards the English coast,' the French maritime authority said
It comes after two British men yesterday admitted people smuggling after they were caught in a sinking dinghy with 18 illegal immigrants off the Kent coast
It comes after two British men yesterday admitted people smuggling after they were caught in a sinking dinghy with 18 illegal immigrants off the Kent coast.
Mark Stribling, 35, from Farningham, and Robert Stilwell, 33, a former Judo champion from Dartford, pleaded guilty to conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.
The pair were arrested last month after they were caught attempting to smuggle 18 Albanians - including one woman and two children - into the country near the small coastal town of Dymchurch, near Folkestone.
The pair were arrested last month after they were caught attempting to smuggle 18 Albanians - including one woman and two children - into the country near the small coastal town of Dymchurch, near Folkestone
'These crossings are illegal and, moreover, extremely dangerous,' due to high traffic, strong currents and winds, it added.
French authorities have reported about a dozen rescue operations to rescue migrants drifting in inflatable dinghies in the Channel since the start of the year. In 2015, there were none.
The most recent rescue took place on June 11, when three Iranian migrants were saved from their sinking vessel. Four days earlier, three other migrants were rescued in similar circumstances.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees have crossed from Turkey to Greece in overloaded boats, while thousands of others have made the perilous journey from Libya to Italy.
More than 2,800 people have drowned in the Mediterranean this year alone as they made their desperate bid to reach Europe's shores.
While France's migrant crisis is tiny compared to that faced by Greece or Germany, the slum-like Calais camp of about 4,000 migrants who want to reach Britain is a political hot potato on both sides of the Channel.
Many of the migrants have relatives in Britain, or believe they will have a better chance of finding employment there.
Under a 2003 agreement, British border checks were moved onto the French side of the Channel to stop people arriving in London without adequate documentation.
The June 23 Brexit vote to leave the EU has left a question mark hanging over the agreement, and what it will mean for the Calais migrant crisis.
Twin brothers butchered their mother to death and stabbed their father and brother because they tried to stop them joining ISIS, it is alleged.
Khalid and Saleh Al Areeni, 20, attacked the family and stabbed their 67-year-old mother, named as Haila Al Areen, to death, the Saudi Arabian government said.
They lured their mother into a store room and stabbed her several times in the capital Riyadh.
The pair chased their brother on to a rooftop where they stabbed him after they attacked their father, 73, using a 'cleaver and sharp knives'. They were rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Scroll down for video
Blood was found in this room of the house in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh
Khalid and Saleh Al Areeni, 20, attacked the family and stabbed their 67-year-old mother, named as Haila Al Areen, to death, the Saudi Arabian government said
The men are alleged to have used this knife and others in the attack against their family
A spokesperson for the Saudi Arabian interior ministry told The Mirror: 'The security authorities received a call at 1:12am on Friday about an utterly heinous crime committed by Khalid and Saleh Al Areeni.
'The twins stabbed their mother, 67, father, 73, and their brother Sulaiman, 22, in their home.
'Investigations revealed that they lured their mother to the storeroom and stabbed her several times.'
The spokesman said the twins 'used a cleaver and sharp knives' in the attack.
The twins then stole a car and fled before they were found and arrested about 60 miles from the capital.
Haila had pleaded with the men not to sign up to ISIS and warned she would report them to the police if they did.
Hundreds of people attended her funeral at the weekend and were shocked by the brutality of the attack.
They lured their mother into a store room and stabbed her several times in the capital Riyadh
Was in a relationship with Madonna Badger, the girls' mother, at the time
He was accused of turning the Victorian home into a 'firetrap'
The contractor who was charged in connection with a fire that left his girlfriend's three children and her parents dead has gone missing.
A judge has scheduled an emergency meeting for Thursday to try and figure out Michael Borcina's whereabouts.
He was working on the $1.7million mansion in Stamford, Connecticut, owned by his girlfriend Madonna Badger when it burst into flames on December 25, 2011
The blaze killed seven-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, nine-year-old Lily Badger, and their maternal grandparents, Lomar and Pauline Johnson.
Borcina is supposed to have handed over three documents in the last year as part of the lawsuit into the fire.
Michael Borcina (right) has gone missing. The contractor was charged after a Stamford, Connecticut, house owned by his then-girlfriend Madonna Badger (left) burst into flames on Christmas Day, 2011, and left her three children and two parents dead
The blaze killed seven-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, nine-year-old Lily Badger, and their maternal grandparents, Lomar and Pauline Johnson
City attorneys want to examine Borcinas records and interview him about his work on the home but no one, including his own lawyer, knows where he is, the Stamford Advocate reported
Authorities said the fire began after Borcina left a cardboard box of fireplace ashes, which were still smoldering, in the property's mudroom. The building was torn down a day after the blaze ripped through it.
Borcina, who was renovating the Victorian home, was accused in the lawsuit of contributing with other defendants to make the house a 'firetrap.
It included allegations he failed to install a smoke detection system during the construction.
Ms Badger and Borcina parted ways in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Borcina had taken responsibility for the deadly blaze, but in May he changed his story and insisted it was Ms Badger who started it.
He said in the deposition he hadn't spoken to Badger since six months after the fire.
According to the filings, seen by the Hartford Courant, he said he fabricated the tale as he wanted to 'spare her from carrying the burden that maybe she had done something to hurt her family.'
He told attorneys during a lawsuit deposition that he lied to police about how the deadly blaze was sparked because he wanted to protect his then-lover.
Borcina has already settled a separate lawsuit with the victims' father for $5million.
Richard Emery, a New York lawyer representing Matthew Badger, said the settlement is the first in the lawsuit, which remains pending against several other defendants.
Borcina, who was renovating the Victorian home, was accused in the lawsuit of contributing with other defendants to make the house a 'firetrap'
'It is nowhere near reflective of the ultimate value of this case: three little girls' lives,' Emery said. 'No money could compensate for that.'
Matthew Badger filed the lawsuit in July 2012 against Borcina, his company Tiberias Construction of New York City, the city of Stamford and others. Claims against the city and other defendants remain unresolved.
A state prosecutor concluded in 2012 that no criminal charges should be filed.
Madonna Badger has said that Borcina ran his hands over the ashes to make sure they were out before putting the bag in the bin in the mudroom, just before they went to sleep after wrapping presents early on Christmas morning.
The advertising executive in New York, is also suing the city.
She claims Stamford officials intentionally destroyed evidence when they demolished Badger's home without notice shortly after the fire.
City officials have denied that.
Borcina has already settled a separate lawsuit with the victims' father, Michael Badger (pictured center with his children) for $5million
Video courtesy of WVIT
In the aftermath, the parents struggled with their incomprehensible loss.
Matthew Badger set up a charity named the Lily Sarah Grace Fund to raise money for arts projects in schools, as his three girls had been dyslexic and loved art.
In an interview in October 2014 with Oprah Winfrey, the then 50-year-old Madonna Badger described her horror on Christmas morning three years ago when she woke up to thick smoke in the house and despite her desperate attempts, was not able to save any of her children.
This is the awkward moment a couple of tourists are caught having sex on the top of a monastery tower while on holiday in Russia.
The couple, who have yet to be identified, were spotted by a drone operator who was capturing footage of the Borisogleb Monastery bell tower in Torzhok.
It is unclear how long the pair had been on top of the house of worship prior to being caught out by the snooping drone.
Caught in the act: The couple were spotted by a drone operator who was capturing footage of the bell tower
In the moment: The amorous couple are completely unaware of the presence of the snooping quadcopter
The bizarre footage shows the duo are completely unaware of the presence of the quadcopter while having sex in broad daylight.
Later in the video a third tourists emerges from the stairs leading up to the bell tower.
Up until that point the amorous pair appeared completely oblivious to the world around them but are seen scrambling to their feet.
They try and hide what they are doing and split up while attempting to cover their modesty.
Repercussion? The couple have not been identified and it is unclear whether police are aware of the incident
It is unclear whether the third tourist realises what the couple had been doing or whether he is simply too polite to say anything.
The video concludes with some awkward footage of the trio standing at the top of the monastery.
According to local reports the passionate couple have not been identified and it is unclear whether police are aware of the incident.
They could be illegible to face a fine for hooliganism or even criminal charges for offending the Orthodox Church and their believers, however.
A 14-year-old Muslim boy who was arrested after a homemade clock he made for school was mistaken for a bomb has returned home for the summer.
Ahmed Mohamed moved to Qatar from Texas with his family after his brush with the law at Irving MacArthur High School made headlines around the world.
The teenager says he's happy to be back home and seeing his friends and family is his first priority.
He will stay in Irving, the Dallas suburb where he used to live, before traveling around the U.S.
Scroll down for video
Muslim teenager Ahmed Mohamed smiles as he arrives back in Dallas, Texas, nine months after he fled to Qatar following his arrest at Irving MacArthur High School
He was taken to a juvenile detention center after teachers mistook his homemade digital clock for a bomb
Ahmed told FOX 4 that Facebook, MIT and NASA have contacted him through social media, asking him to visit while he's in the U.S. during the summer.
He also hinted that there is a chance he will be finishing school in the United States.
'I've matured more. It's normal to mature but I've matured way more since I got a little bit of publicity, and I'm happy for it, ' he said.
Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, his father, told the station: 'It's beautiful to be here in USA.
'It is our home and it is our country and we love it. As you see, if there is something wrong, America will stand for it and that is what happened.
He now plans to travel around the country. Facebook, MIT and NASA have contacted him through social media, asking him to visit while he's in the country
Ahmed (pictured after his September arrest) also hinted that there is a chance he will be finishing school in the United States
'Something was happening to my son. Everybody has a heart, has children, Something is wrong, so they stood for it.'
Mohamed was arrested in September after a teacher mistook his homemade digital clock for a bomb.
He was taken to a juvenile detention center but was quickly released.
His family questioned whether he was mistreated due to his religion and eventually left Irving after reporting threats.
Ahmed has said he built the clock in his bedroom in about 20 minutes, using a circuit board, a digital display and several wires.
He enclosed the device into a pencil case with a tiger hologram on the front.
Ahmed said he first showed his invention to his engineering teacher, who gave him some advice.
'He was like, 'That's really nice. I would advise you not to show that to other teachers.''
He kept the clock in his bag, but it started to beep later in the day during an English class. He showed his clock to the teacher who said it looked like a bomb.
He said he made the clock using a circuit board, a digital display and put it into a metal 'pencil box'.
The teenager said he did not lock the box as he 'did not want it to look suspicious'. Instead he secured it with a cable.
A married television couple in Arizona who had their wedding featured in a local newscast is facing drug charges after cocaine was found in their four-month-old baby's system.
Som Lisaius, 42, and Krystin Sorich Lisaius, 26, were arraigned on three criminal felony charges each in Tucson after police said their daughter ingested cocaine through her mother's breast milk.
Krystin Lisaius, a former reporter at KGUN-TV two years ago, allegedly had taken the drug before breast-feeding the baby girl.
The couple's daughter became unresponsive and lethargic after breast-feeding on May 15, so they took her to Oro Valley Hospital.
Scroll down for video
Arrested: Krystin Sorich Lisaius, 26, and Som Lisaius (right), 42, were arraigned on three criminal felony charges each in Tucson after police said their daughter ingested cocaine through her mother's breast milk
Krystin Lisaius, a former reporter at KGUN, allegedly snorted the drug the day before breast-feeding the baby girl. The couple is pictured above moments after she gave birth to their first child together in December
The baby was taken to a local hospital and both Som Lisaius and Krystin Lisaius (above) refused to allow a toxicology test be done her. Eventually, tests were done and cocaine was found in the baby's system
The television personalities said the child was 'wabbly,' 'became limp' and that her 'eyes were rolling into the back of her head,' according to The Tucson Weekly.
The pair did not want to allow the hospital to draw the baby's blood, so they left against the hospital's recommendation, but agreed to have her transferred to another facility.
Officials transported the baby girl via ambulance to Diamond Children's Hospital, and once there, the couple was still uncooperative and refused a toxicology test for the child.
Eventually, a urinalysis and a toxicology screen that was conducted in the presence of hospital staff along with officials with child welfare.
The tests showed that the baby girl had cocaine in her system.
According to the Arizona Daily Star, one detective wrote in a report: 'It should be noted that at no time according to the report did either parent tell the hospital staff about the mother's cocaine use the night before and Krystin continued to breast feed while at the hospital.'
The 26-year-old mother first denied using cocaine and said she didn't know how the baby was exposed to it.
The 26-year-old mother admitted to police that she snorted cocaine with her husband, Som Lisaius (pictured) on May 14 while hosting friends in their home. He first denied that he used cocaine, but later admitted it to cops
Som Lisaius reportedly told cops that he used the drug about 'every six weeks or so.' Police obtained a search warrant and found 1.59 grams of cocaine and a scale inside their home
She then admitted to police that she snorted cocaine with her husband on May 14 while hosting friends in their Oro Valley home, according to a police report obtained by the Arizona Daily Star.
However, she didn't think that her daughter would be harmed if 12 hours had passed before breast-feeding the baby, the Tucson Weekly reported.
A friend who was at the party named Thomas, admitted to police that he saw her 'do one line tops,' The Tucson Weekly reported.
In 2013, Krystin Sorich Lisaius competed in the Miss Arizona USA competition
Thomas, who is also the child's godfather, told authorities that he ingested cocaine with Som Lisaius 'through a rolled-up receipt from a bathroom counter-top.'
An Oro Valley Police Department officer conducted a blood test on Krystin Lisaius that found cocaine in her system.
Som Lisaius, who was a veteran crime reporter at KOLD in Tucson, first denied that he used cocaine, but admitted to it later after his wife's admission.
He reportedly told cops that he used the drug about 'every six weeks or so,' and that he has watched his wife use cocaine since giving birth to their daughter four months ago.
Police obtained a search warrant and found 1.59 grams of cocaine and a scale inside their home on May 16.
Detectives also located 'one clear baggie' containing a white powdery substance along with a Hilton Hotel Honor's card that had a white residue on it.
In addition, they found another container that had .1 grams of cocaine, a Tiffany and Co. jewelry box with a rolled-up dollar bill with reside inside of it and another bag with .21 grams of cocaine.
Both hair and urine tests came back positive for cocaine in Som Lisaius's system on June 1, according to reports.
Further tests conducted on the baby's hair also tested positive for cocaine.
On Monday, the couple was arraigned on several charges, including child abuse, possession of a dangerous drug and drug paraphernalia. They both plead not guilty in court.
Recovery: The baby girl is currently in the care of state officials and is expected recover fully
On Monday, the couple (above) walked hand-in-hand together to court where they were arraigned on several felongy charges, including child abuse and possession of a dangerous drug
They both pleaded not guilty to the felony charges in court and were released on their own recognizance. Krystin Lisaius was a former reporter for KGUN-TV
The baby girl who as born in December was placed by the state's Department of Child Safety (DCS) with her maternal grandmother once she is released from the hospital, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Pima County Superior Court before Judge Lee Ann Roads said that the couple is allowed to have contact with their baby only by what's allowed with DCS.
Their attorney, Michael Piccarreta, told the newspaper that the mother 'has 24-hour contact with her child in her mother's house, and Som Lisaius is allowed to see the baby for 12 hours a day.'
After their court appearance, Piccarreta said that the couple is 'emotionally distraught and very, very upset. They have learned some lessons.'
He added that 'this act is not really' who the couple is.
'We all make mistakes. We all have done things we regret,' Piccarreta said.
'The facts are that these are excellent parents, the child was well taken care of, the child was never harmed and is responding beautifully,' Piccarreta told KVOA.
'They're going through the process to demonstrate to everybody that they're fit, excellent parents and this incident will never be repeated.'
Som Lisaius attended Alma College and earned a bachelor's degree in English before earning a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University
Som Lisaius has been terminated from employment with KOLD-TV. He was a veteran crime reporter at the station
In 2014, the couple's wedding was featured during a local newscast.
The father attended Alma College and earned a bachelor's degree in English before earning a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
He worked in Michigan prior to moving to Arizona to work as a reporter in 2000.
Krystin Lisaius attended Pima Community College before transferring to the University of Arizona where she earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.
She met her husband while she was an intern in the KOLD newsroom in 2012.
In 2013, she competed in the Miss Arizona USA competition, as the Miss Southern Arizona USA.
According to the Tucson Weekly, Som Lisaius has been terminated from employment with KOLD-TV.
The couple is scheduled to appear in court on July 28. They were released on their own recognizance.
Despite Donald Trump's tough talk on international terrorism and his blunt response to this month's terror mass-shooting in Orlando, Florida, more Americans believe Hillary Clinton is handling those issues better.
But Trump is still considered the more honest and trustworthy of the two presumptive presidential nominees, another new poll shows.
In a new ABC News/Washington Post survey, Clinton edged out Trump on a number of questions including showing better temperament during the aftermath of the Orlando terror attack.
Scroll down for video
Donald Trump (left) may talk tough when it comes to terror, but a new ABC News/Washington Post survey shows that Hillary Clinton (right) got higher grades for her Orlando response
When Americans were asked a number of questions about the handling of the Orlando mass shooting terror attack they rated Hillary Clinton higher than Donald Trump
On the topic of terror generally, Hillary Clinton saw her numbers strengthen in the past six weeks, with the Orlando attack occurring in early June
There she beat him 59 percent to 25 percent.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said they were confident that Clinton could handle the attack if president, while 34 percent showed confidence in the presumptive Republican nominee.
Clinton bested Trump in the category of having the best proposals to prevent future attacks, 44-to-35 percent.
And she was rated higher in her response overall. Forty-six percent of Americans said Clinton had the better response, compared to 28 percent who believed Trump handled the situation right.
More broadly, when looking at who voters trust to handle terrorism, Clinton has an 11-point edge, which mirrors the 12-point lead over Trump she has in ABC News' general election survey, which was released Sunday.
In mid-May Clinton only had a three point advantage over Trump, 47 percent to 44 percent, that now stands at 50 percent to 39 percent.
According to the ABC analysis, Clinton made some gains in key groups when asked who's better at tackling terror, including those who supported her rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, in the primary, along with white men, white Catholics and Democrats generally.
Trump, on the other hand, lost ground with these groups. He also performed slightly worse with men. Liberals and individuals without a college degree also were less supportive of The Donald on the topic of terror.
However, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey shows Donald Trump getting higher numbers when registered voters are asked about 'being honest and straightforward'
However, the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey actually shows Trump outperforming Clinton on the terror issue and beating her on trust.
When registered voters were asked about the handling of terrorism and homeland security, 44 percent said Trump would handle those issues better, while 39 percent said Clinton would do a better job.
When asked which candidate is honest and straightforward, 41 percent of registered voters said Trump, while just one-in-four 25 percent selected Clinton.
The NBC News poll also shows a high level of buyer's remorse when it comes to the two parties' presumptive nominees.
When Republican voters were asked about Donald Trump, 48 percent said they were satisfied with their party's nominee.
Another 52 percent would have preferred someone else.
The Republican primary ended in mid-May, with Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich the last two candidates to drop out, but Trump detractors have blamed the crowded field of 17 people for there not being a viable anti-Trump candidate to emerge.
On the Democratic side the numbers are flipped, though, again, nearly half of the Democratic voters surveyed were not that into Clinton.
Fifty-two percent of Democrats' surveyed said they were happy with Clinton as the nominee.
Another 48 percent of Democrats would have preferred somebody else.
Clinton's chief rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, still has yet to officially exit the race, nor has he endorsed Clinton for the White House.
Masked police officers dragged him off the plane and fined him 187
Aircraft was heading to Latvia - but was made to touch down in Poland
Man said to have been drunk and acting aggressive towards cabin crew
A 46-year-old forced a plane from London to make an emergency landing
A drunk and aggressive passenger on board a London flight forced a plane to make an emergency landing after he refused to do as he was told.
The plane flying from London to Latvias capital Riga had to touch down in Gdansk, Poland, when the unidentified 46-year-old refused to follow cabin crews instructions.
Armed and masked police were seen carrying the Latvian man off the plane.
Masked police bundled the man off the plane after it was forced to make an emergency landing in Poland
Eyewitnesses said the man was vulgar throughout the flight and was often disturbing other passengers.
When he was told to calm down or face the consequences, he reportedly started to get aggressive.
After being dragged off the jet, he was put in a room at Gdansks Emergency Centre for Intoxicated People to sober up.
Polish police officers march the man - who was said to have been drunk and acting aggressive - off the aircraft
Despite the mans aggressive behaviour, a fight did not break out and he was reportedly only charged for his drunkenness.
Taking blood would require them to be
The Yale medical professor whose bulldogs mauled a woman so badly that she died a week later has been charged with possession of crack cocaine, but won't face charges related to the attack.
Jocelyn Winfrey, 53, was visiting friend Hamilton Hicks, a professor at Yale School of Medicine. at his New Haven, Connecticut home on June 20 when his dogs unexpectedly attacked.
Hicks and other building residents couldn't stop Winfrey from losing her eyes, one leg and much of her face. Cops say when they arrived, they found Hicks in possession of three bags of crack cocaine.
Mauled: Bulldogs owned by Hamilton Hicks (left), a Yale professor, mauled Jocelyn Winfrey (right, playing with another dog in 2015) on June 20. She died Monday. Hicks was in possession of three bags of crack, cops said
Put down: The dogs (pictured) will be terminated on July 6 when their quarantine ends, and Hicks charged with possession of crack cocaine. But he won't face other charges in the attack
While she was still hospitalized, police said that if Winfrey succumbed to her wounds they would consider charging Hicks with her death.
But on Tuesday it was confirmed that the dogs were properly registered and vaccinated and there were no prior complaints against them.
And since the police didn't believe Hicks had been negligent with regard to the attack, he would not be charged.
'There was not an issue of animal abuse. The dogs were not roaming. From our understanding, of the circumstances, he didnt use the dogs as a weapon,' Assistant Chief Campbell said, according to Fox 61.
Tests: Police said they couldn't test the dogs - one seen here in a Fox 61 image being led away from Hicks' home - to see if they'd been affected by drugs as the anesthetic needed to take their blood would affect results
He added that investigating officers had been told 'those dogs wouldnt even bark' and that 'they were not these super aggressive, jumping at the fence, barking at people, type of dogs.'
Whether Hicks and Winfrey had used the crack cocaine prior to the attack, and whether that might have affected the dogs - or whether the dogs had separately got into the drugs - remains unknown.
Police had considered testing the animals, but as they were aggressive that would have required anesthesia that would have then interfered with the results.
Home: The 53-year-old was fatally injured by the two dogs after visiting their owner, Hicks, at his home on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard (pictured)
On the topic of the dogs' termination, New Haven Animal Control Officer Joseph Manganiello previously told Fox 61: 'Usually on regular dog bites we give the animals every opportunity.
'But because of the seriousness of this injury, we have to do what we have to do,'
During the attack on June 20, Hicks tried to pull the dogs off of Winfrey, but he also was bitten. He sustained no life-threatening injuries.
According to News8, police said a neighbor heard the commotion and tried to intervene, striking the dogs with a broom.
Children were also trying to stop the attack by throwing rocks at the two animals, confirmed by an animal control officer as being American bulldog mixes.
Shelter: New Haven Animal Shelter is pictured above. Both dogs have been quarantined here and will be put down on June 6
Trayzon Sherman, who ran to help, said: 'I seen two dogs just biting on people.'
Witness Peter Pervis added: 'Chunks of her skin were missing and everything.'
Ms Winfrey was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Over the course of the last week, she lost both of her eyes and had a leg amputated as doctors battled to save her life.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by a friend of the Winfrey family to help pay for funeral expenses and had raised $800 as of Tuesday morning.
It is believed Ms Winfrey leaves behind one son, aged 26-years-old.
A former student who went on a drunken tirade about jalapeno bacon macaroni and cheese has been arrested for allegedly hitting a female police officer while trying to escape rehab.
Luke Gatti, 20, was caught on camera demanding mac and cheese in a University of Connecticut cafeteria before assaulting its manager, who had refused to serve him because he was intoxicated.
Gatti was ordered to undergo rehab after the bizarre drunken rant last October, but it does not appear to be going well.
Scroll down for video
Luke Gatti (right), infamous for his drunken tirade about jalapeno bacon macaroni and cheese, has been arrested for allegedly hitting a female police officer while trying to escape rehab
He fled the Wellness Resource Center in Boca Raton, Florida, barefoot on May 27, just hours after arriving from a detox center in Fort Lauderdale, the New York Daily News reported.
Gatti was furious after doctors refused to give him pain relief to help with his withdrawal symptoms, according to a police report.
He later returned to the clinic, where a police officer was waiting for him.
The former UConn student said he 'did not care if he got hurt or if he hurt himself and wanted to be left alone', the report said.
He tried to flee again, so the cop tried to take him into custody, but he hit her.
Another police officer grabbed Gatti, causing them to fall into a door and knock it off of its hinges.
After being threatened with a Taser, he was eventually persuaded to give himself up and was booked into jail, the police report said.
Gatti later told cops: 'I just want to die.'
Gatti was arrested last October after his nine-minute stand-off with the cafeteria's manager over bacon jalapeno mac and cheese ended in a scuffle
When the police eventually arrived and handcuffed Gatti, he started crying, adding: F***! Im absolutely f*****
He was later released on a $5,000 bond and is due back in court next month.
Gatti was arrested last October after his nine-minute stand-off with the cafeteria's manager over bacon jalapeno mac and cheese ended in a scuffle.
In a recording of the incident, the manager is seen calmly telling Gatti that he will not be served because he brought alcohol into the building, which is prohibited, and also because they are out of the dish Gatti is so desperate for.
'Try Subway,' the manager tells him.
But Gatti refused to comply and instead repeatedly hurled abuse at the manager.
When the manager asked his age, Gatti admitted he was 19 and was therefore drinking underage.
This is getting posted somewhere and youre gonna look like a f****** tool,' Gatti said after noticing the incident was being filmed,
Gatti was ordered to undergo rehab after the bizarre drunken rant last October, but it does not appear to be going well
'Just let me get some mac and cheese,' he added.
The manager stood firm and told him: 'You are not welcome here. You have booze on your breath, you told me you're underage.'
Despite various employees and fellow students trying to calm Gatti down, he continued to berate the manager and even shoved him.
Then, after Gatti shoved the manager again, the footage shows a cook pulling the student into a wrestling hold and forcing him to the ground, shouting: 'I told you, you don't touch my boss.'
I was just trying to get f****** food, Gatti shouted.
You don't do it by assaulting people, he was told.
When the police eventually arrived and handcuffed Gatti, he started crying, adding: F***! Im absolutely f*****.
In a final insult to the manager, Gatti tried to spit at him before being taken out of the building.
Gatti later apologized. He issued a grovelling video acknowledging that he was intoxicated and said he was ashamed of his behavior.
He is no longer enrolled at UConn. School officials won't say if he left on his own or was expelled, but he was banned from all school property.
He was previously a student at the University of Massachusetts and was arrested twice last year on disorderly conduct charges.
During one of those arrests, Gatti was accused of using a racial slur against a police officer, according to court filings.
In December last year, Gatti was sentenced to a year of probation, a course of substance abuse treatment and community service.
A judge spared him jail time because of the 'excruciating and humiliating publicity' the case attracted, the Hartford Courant reported.
This resource is no longer available
This resource is no longer available. Return to previous page.
Nigel Farage was attacked by furious European politicians today and was accused of winning the EU referendum by using 'lies' and 'Nazi propoganda'.
Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgium prime minister and now an MEP, compared Ukip's controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border to a Nazi campaign poster.
He also joked that Brussels would be saving money thanks to Brexit, telling MEPs: 'Finally we will be getting rid of the biggest waste in the EU budget that we have paid for 17 years of your salary.'
It came during an extraordinary day in the normally dull European Parliament, where Mr Farage was booed and heckled as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
Guy Verhofstadt, pictured standing up, the former Belgium prime minister and now an MEP, compared Ukip's controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border to a Nazi campaign poster as he delivered a bitter attack on Nigel Farage, sat second from right in front of a Union flag, which was ironically upside down. The Ukip leader sat next to EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, right
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, launched a bitter attack on Mr Farage over his poster (pictured) that told voters: 'The EU has failed us all' alongside a line of predominantly male Syrian refugees on the Slovenian border last October
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
But minutes later Mr Verhofstadt launched a bitter attack on Mr Farage over his poster - launched in the final days before the EU referendum - that told voters: 'The EU has failed us all' alongside a line of predominantly male Syrian refugees on the Slovenian border last October.
It added below: 'We must break free of the EU and take back control of our borders.'
The poster, which caused widespread condemnation from both the Remain and Leave campaigns, drew comparisons to an original poster shown in a BBC documentary showing refugees fleeing Nazi Germany with the words: 'parasites undermining their host countries'.
Mr Verhofstadt, who now heads up the Liberals and Democrats for Europe group of MEPs in the Brussels Parliament, claimed the Brexit campaign had only succeeded because it was based on negativity and 'lies' on immigration.
BRITAIN MUST TRIGGER ARTICLE 50 IMMEDIATELY, SAYS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Britain must trigger the formal process of withdrawing from the EU immediately, a resolution by the European Parliament demanded this morning. MEPs voted on their preferred timing of Britain triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets out the procedure for a member state cutting ties with Brussels. The 'will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50,' a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session said this morning. It was voted by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstensions. But it is up to the British government to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit. The negotiation will have to negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas. The UK can leave earlier than that if terms are easily found. But if there is no deal by the end of the time we will be outside without any special provisions - meaning much higher trade tariffs. Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly. But leaders will have to navigate the whole process as they go because quitting the EU is an unprecedented move. Only semi-independent Greenland has quit the EU before, and that was 30 years ago when the island had a population of just 56,000. It can be argued that Algeria left too - when it stopped being part of France in the 1960s. But having been a member for 43 years, the process of untangling Britain from the complex network of institutions in Brussels is likely to take the maximum two years. If a new deal fails to be agreed in the time period, Britain's trading relationship with the EU will revert to World Trade Organisation terms - seen as the most basic and the ones used for Russia's trading relationship with Brussels. Advertisement
He told Mr Farage: 'It's my feeling that it's not so much the choice they have made that is hard what makes it so hard is the way it succeeded.
'The absolutely negative campaign, the posters of Mr Farage showing refugees like in Nazi propaganda.
'I was never told that it was possible that somebody in this house should do a thing like that.
'The lies also on migration. The lies on 'oh Turkey will join the union next week'. Or the lies on the 350m that should return immediately to the National Health Service. And now don't go back to the National Health Service.
'It's that climate of fear that has been created, of negativism that has been created that is the most shocking thing that has happened in Britain not the choice of the people, because the choice of the people is democracy.'
Mr Farage provoked jeers from opposing MEPs as he tore into them in his short but punchy speech.
He appealed for a 'grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship' but added: 'I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
As MEPs broke out in uproar, European president Martin Schulz was forced to step in to appeal for calm.
He condemned Mr Farage for antagonising his long-standing opponents but told the heckling MEP to stop 'behaving like Ukip'.
Before the hostilities began the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker embraced Mr Farge, but the Ukip leader looked uncomfortable as the European Commission president went in for a kiss.
But it soon became fractious as lawmakers applauded the EU chief during the session of crisis talks about the future of the EU following Britain's decision to exit last week, with the animated European Commission chief interrupting his address to hit out at Mr Farage.
Breaking off from his speech - delivered in French - Mr Juncker switched to English as he told Mr Farage: 'That's the last time you are applauding here...and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here.
'You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?' he asked.
The embattled Mr Juncker has been heavily criticised throughout Europe for his part in Britain's decision to cut ties with Brussels but used his address to a special session of the European Parliament to fight back.
Hitting back at calls for him to resign, he told MEPs he was going nowhere and pledged to continue fighting towards his goal of a federal Europe.
In a rare personal note, the 61-year-old former Luxembourg prime minister struck out at critics, notably in the German press but also among east European governments, who have called on him to stand down following the Brexit vote.
Nigel Farage (right) sits next to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (left) in a special session of the European Parliament today where leading European politicians discussed last week's historic decision by British voters to quit the EU
Nigel Farage's union flag was upside down (pictured) as he gloated about Britain's decision to leave the EU in the European Parliament today
Nigel Farage (right) sits next to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (left) in a special session of the European Parliament today where leading European politicians discussed last week's historic decision by British voters to quit the EU
'I am neither tired or sick, as the German papers say,' he said. 'I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe.'
But he admitted the EU must accept the result of Britain's referendum.
'We must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view,' Mr Juncker said, drawing applause from the Ukip MEPs present.
Mr Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him.
Mr Juncker said he would make no apology for being 'sad' at the result of the British vote - 'I am not a robot,' he said, 'I am not a grey bureaucrat.'
He urged Britain to explain quickly what it wanted from the EU in terms of a new relationship but insisted he had told his staff to engage in no preliminary talks with British officials until London engages the two-year mechanism for leaving the EU.
'No notification, no negotiation,' he said.
Nigel Farage (pictured with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Parliament today) told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'
Earlier in the session Nigel Farage (pictured right) clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (left), who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
Jean-Claude Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage (right), who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him
'You're not laughing now, are you!' Nigel Farage taunts fellow MEPs after finally realising his dream of leaving the EU
Read Nigel Farage's full speech to the European Parliament:
Isn't it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me well I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you? The reason you're so upset, you're so angry, has been perfectly clear, from all the angry exchanges this morning.
You as a political project are in denial. You're in denial that your currency is failing. Just look at the Mediterranean! As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the Mediterranean you've done very well.
You're in denial over Mrs. Merkel's call for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean which has led to massive divisions between within countries and between countries.
The biggest problem you've got and the main reason the UK voted the way it did is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union.
When the people in 2005 in the Netherlands and France voted against that political union and rejected the constitution you simply ignored them and brought the Lisbon treaty in through the back door.
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
What happened last Thursday was a remarkable result it was a seismic result. Not just for British politics, for European politics, but perhaps even for global politics too.
Because what the little people did, what the ordinary people did what the people who'd been oppressed over the last few years who'd seen their living standards go down did was they rejected the multinationals, they rejected the merchant banks, they rejected big politics and they said actually, we want our country back, we want our fishing waters back, we want our borders back.
We want to be an independent, self-governing, normal nation. That is what we have done and that is what must happen. In doing so we now offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the rest of the European continent. I'll make one prediction this morning: the United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
The question is what do we do next? It is up to the British government to invoke article 50 and I don't think we should spend too long in doing it. I totally agree that the British people have voted, we need to make sure that it happens.
What I'd like to see is a grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship. I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
Nigel Farage was mobbed by Europe's media after giving a gloating speech to the European Parliament today
You're quite right Mr Schultz Ukip used to protest against the establishment and now the establishment protests against Ukip. Something has happened here. Let us listen to some simple pragmatic economics my country and your country, between us we do an enormous amount of business in goods and services.
That trade is mutually beneficial to both of us, that trade matters. If you were to cut off your noses to spite your faces and reject any idea of a sensible trade deal the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us.
Even no deal is better for the United Kingdom is better than the current rotten deal that we've got. But if we were to move to a position where tariffs were reintroduced on products like motorcars then hundreds of thousands of German works would risk losing their jobs.
Why don't we be grown up, pragmatic, sensible, realistic and let's cut between us a sensible tariff-free deal and thereafter recognise that the United Kingdom will be your friend, that we will trade with you, cooperate with you, we will be your best friends in the world.
Nicola Sturgeon tonight claimed she had received a 'sympathetic' hearing from EU chiefs for her plea over Scottish EU membership after the Brexit vote.
But the First Minister leaves Brussels tonight with a declaration from Spain that they will veto any deal - a statement driven by fears Catalonia would use Scottish membership to further its own claim for independence.
Ms Sturgeon was greeted by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his typically tactile fashion tonight after the pairs talks at the European Union headquarters.
The SNP leader was snubbed by EU Council president Donald Tusk during today's talks after his officials said it was the wrong moment for the the pair to meet.
Mr Juncker had earlier insisted while he was content to listen to Scotland's case, he would not interfere with the Brexit process.
Ms Sturgeon has admitted there are 'challenges' to preserving Scottish membership of the EU after Scotland voted to Remain but Britain overall voted to Leave last week.
Nicola Sturgeon tonight claimed she had received a 'sympathetic' hearing from Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker at talks in Brussels today
Mr Juncker makes a habit of grappling with foreign leaders as he greets them in Brussels and Ms Sturgeon was no exception today
Speaking at the end of her talks tonight, Ms Sturgeon said: 'I feel my job here today has been effective and I look forward to continuing these discussions in the weeks and months to come.'
At a press conference marking the end of a meeting of the 27 EU member states left after Brexit, Mr Junker addressed his imminent meeting with Ms Sturgeon.
Standing alongside council president Donald Tusk, Mr Juncker said: 'I will listen carefully to what the First Minister will tell me, but we don't have the intention - neither Donald nor myself - to interfere in the British process.
'That is not our duty and not my job.'
Mr Rajoy said: 'Scotland does not have the competence to negotiate with the European Union. Spain opposes any negotiation by anyone other than the government of the United Kingdom.
'I am extremely against it, the treaties are extremely against it and I everyone is against it. If the United Kingdom leaves....Scotland leaves.'
Nicola Sturgeon was greeted by European Parliament President Martin Schulz as she arrived in Brussels for meetings on Scotland's place in the EU today before admitting to 'challenges' in her mission
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Schulz discussed the referendum result a day after Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Brussels to explain his referendum defeat
Ms Sturgeon went on to meet with MEP Guy Verhofstadt in further talks at the European Parliament in Brussels today
Ms Sturgeon is due to meet Mr Juncker at 4pm but will not sit down with Mr Tusk after his officials made it plain that he had no time to meet her. A source close to council president Mr Tusk said: 'This is not the right, appropriate moment to meet.'
After her first meeting with Mr Schulz, the First Minister said: 'It is for me to set out Scotland's position and Scotland's desire to remain in the European Union and to protect our relationship with the European Union.
'It was very much an introductory meeting and I was very grateful for the president's time this morning.'
Ms Sturgeon added: 'We are at a very early stage of this process. I set out very clearly Scotland's desire to protect our relationship with the European Union - I don't underestimate the challenges that lie ahead.
'This is very much an initial series of meetings in Brussels today so that people understand Scotland unlike other parts of the United Kingdom.'
JP Morgan analyst Malcolm Barr today said there were 'myriad uncertainties' over the Brexit vote.
Turning to Scotland, he said: 'Intersecting the UK's EU exit process is likely to be pressure to hold a new referendum on Scottish independence, which we expect will ultimately produce a vote shortly before the UK leaves the EU in 2019.
'Our base case is that Scotland will vote for independence and institute a new currency at that point.'
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy, pictured arriving in Brussels yesterday, today vowed to block talks with Scotland amid domestic fears about the independence of Catalonia
Ms Sturgeon has planned a charm offensive in Brussels today to make the case that Scotland should remain in the bloc after 62 per cent of Scots voted to stay.
The snub from Mr Tusk come as a setback for Ms Sturgeon because the European Council is made up of all the heads of member states who will have to unanimously agree any deal for Scotland.
Several member states, notably Spain, would oppose Scotland joining the EU for fear that it would stoke up separatism.
Commission president Mr Juncker will meet with Ms Sturgeon at 4pm after earlier also turning her down.
Before the visit, Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament today that Scotland's voice 'will be heard' after the UK voted for Brexit.
She secured cross-party backing from MSPs to pursue talks aimed at protecting Scotland's place in the EU.
During an emergency debate at Holyrood, she said: 'Scotland spoke clearly for Remain and I am determined that Scotland's voice will be heard.'
Ms Sturgeon, seen during yesterday's statement on Brexit in the Scottish Parliament, has been snubbed by Donald Tusk today
Removing Scotland from the EU against the will of its citizens would be 'democratically unacceptable', she said.
She insisted there cannot be 'three months of drift' while both the Tories and Labour hold leadership contests at Westminster.
She will ask the parliament to rubber stamp a second independence referendum if she walks away from Brussels with no support for staying in the EU.
This would happen if a second referendum is 'the best or only way to protect Scotland's place in the EU,' she said.
She also received a boost from Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian Prime Minister who leads the liberal group in the European Parliament.
Asked if an independent Scotland could join the European Union before the United Kingdom formally leaves the organisation, he told the Scottish TV channel, STV: 'I think this possibility has to exist, yeah.
Because if Scotland decides to leave the UK, to be an independent state, and they decide to be part of the European Union I think there is no big obstacle to do that.'
The leading EU politician said it would be 'suicide' for the organisation to not be 'sympathetic' to countries that wanted to join the European Union.
He said: 'The European Union is so big, such a good and fantastic project that is suicide not to be sympathetic to those who want to join the European Union.'
Donald Tusk (pictured today), the president of the European Council, will snub Nicola Sturgeon tomorrow as she heads to Brussels to fight for Scotland to stay in the EU
We'll miss EU, Dave! Cameron shares a laugh with his Brussels pals as he says farewell to fellow European leaders at his final summit following humiliating Brexit defeat
David Cameron laughed and joked with Angela Merkel and other European leaders in Brussels today as he attended what is likely to be his last EU summit before handing over to his successor in September.
The Prime Minister urged whoever takes over in Downing Street should forge the 'closest possible relationship' with the EU and urged his European counterparts today to pursue a 'constructive' approach to negotiations.
At a dinner with the heads of states tonight he faces the awkward task of explaining how he oversaw Britain's shock decision to leave the EU last week but he signalled his conciliatory approach as he declared: 'We mustn't be turning our backs on Europe'.
David Cameron laughed and joked with Charles Michel, opposite, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, second left, and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, left, as he attended what is likely to be his last EU summit in Brussels today before he hands over to his successor in September
David Cameron chats to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels today. She has appealed for calm following last week's Brexit vote but warned Britain it will not be able to 'cherry-pick' EU privileges during negotiations
Mr Cameron, who will only serve as Prime Minister until September 9 at the latest, said Britain and the EU had a mutual interest in agreeing the best possible deal on trade, cooperation and security.
Scroll down for video
On arrival in the Belgium capital he met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, posing for pictures in front of the hastily erected Union and EU flags.
The Prime Minister held meetings with individual leaders before addressing them all at what promises to be an awkward and frosty dinner tonight to discuss last week's dramatic Brexit vote.
But he has been frozen out of official meetings among EU leaders tomorrow, when they will start to discuss their approach of forging a new relationship with Britain outside the bloc.
The meeting of EU heads of state is a routine summit but European Council President Donald Tusk chose only to include Mr Cameron in official proceedings for today's itinerary.
In a sign of the hard-line approach being taken by Brussels, Mr Juncker ordered Brussels chiefs not to enter into any 'secret negotiations' with the UK over the terms of Brexit.
He and other leaders today underlined their position that they will not start negotiatoins over a new relationship until the UK gives formal notifications of its intention to withdraw by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Speaking ahead of an afternoon of meetings, Mr Cameron told reporters: 'I'll be explaining that Britain will be leaving the European Union, but I want that process to be as constructive as possible and I hope the outcome will be as constructive as possible.
'While we're leaving the European Union we mustn't be turning our backs on Europe.
'These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners and I very much hope we'll seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security because that is good for us and good for them and that' the spirit in which the discussions will be held today.'
Mr Cameron will not be involved in the official negotiations over Britain's future relationship with the EU after announcing his resignation minutes after he learned of his crushing defeat in last week's referendum.
He reportedly asked his aides 'why should I do the hard s***' as he prepared his resignation speech and it will instead be the job of the next Prime Minister to oversee the negotiations with Brussels.
His successor is expected to be in place by September 2 at the latest, with Brexit champion Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May the current favourites to win the upcoming Conservative leadership contest.
TIME TO SHED SOME POUNDS, DAVE? CAMERON PATS HIS STOMACH AFTER MERKEL POINTS TO HIS MIDRIFF - AND WITH ONLY WEEKS TO GO UNTIL HE'S OUT OF A JOB, THE PM WILL SOON HAVE PLENTY OF TIME ON HIS HANDS As David Cameron chatted with Angela Merkel at his last EU summit in Brussels today, the German Chancellor pointed to his midriff as if to give advice on what to do once he no longer has to attend endless gourmet dinners in Brussels He's only got a few more weeks to serve as Prime Minister and as he patted down his stomach today it appears David Cameron is looking forward to shedding the pounds accumulated in office. As he chatted with Angela Merkel at his last EU summit in Brussels today, the German Chancellor pointed to his midriff as if to give advice on what to do once he no longer has to attend endless gourmet dinners in Brussels. Ms Merkel has experience herself having struck sausage sandwiches and biscuits off her daily snack menu two years ago as part of a strict new dieting scheme. She replaced the snacks with sticks of raw carrot and red and green pepper and the results soon showed as her figure slimmed significantly. The Prime Minister will enjoy what is likely to be his last dinner with EU leaders tonight after announcing he is resigning. He will only serve as Prime Minister until September 9 at the latest, when his successor will be named. Boris Johnson is the favourite to take over in Number 10 and it will be him who travels to Brussels for the monthly summit of the European Council. Ms Merkel may have some tips for Mr Johnson too, who, as BBC broadcaster Andrew Marr remarked at the weekend, 'needs to lose a little weight'. The drawn-out, dinners - which usually consists of at least three courses - are rarely cater for leaders on a diet. For example, at a recent summit leaders sat down for a filet de biche, a fillet of doe deer in a Szechuan pepper jus with a parsnip mousse - and that was only the main course. At a dinner tonight he faces the awkward task of explaining how he oversaw Britain's shock decision to leave the EU last week but earlier he signalled his conciliatory approach as he declared: 'We mustn't be turning our backs on Europe'. Mr Cameron, who will only serve as Prime Minister until September 9 at the latest, said Britain and the EU had a mutual interest in agreeing the best possible deal on trade, cooperation and security. Advertisement
Gloating Fararge tells MEPs 'you've never done a proper job in your lives' - but EU chief Juncker hits back: 'Why are you here?'
Nigel Farage was booed and heckled by EU lawmakers in Brussels this morning as he gloated about Britain's historic vote to leave the EU last week.
The Ukip leader told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'.
As he stood up to speak to a hostile reception in the European Parliament building this morning, he joked: 'Thank you for the warm welcome' before telling them they were also 'in denial' about the euro crisis and immigration.
Earlier in the session he clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
But there was a moment of respite in the hostilities before the debate today when Mr Juncker embraced Mr Farge, but the Ukip leader looked uncomfortable as the European Commission president went in for a kiss.
There were intense clashes today in the European Parliament as Nigel Farage (pictured centre) faced furious MEPs after last week's referendum result
Nigel Farage greeted European Commission President Juncker in the European Parliament this morning. Mr Juncker told the Ukip leader he was surprised to see him in Brussels after last week's Brexit vote
As lawmakers applauded the EU chief as they met for crisis talks about the future of the EU following Britain's decision to exit last week, the animated European Commission chief interrupted his address to hit out at Mr Farage.
Breaking off from his speech - delivered in French - Mr Juncker switched to English as he told Mr Farage: 'That's the last time you are applauding here...and to some extent I'm really surprised you are here.
'You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?' he asked.
Mr Farage provoked jeers from opposing MEPs as he tore into them in his short but punchy speech.
BRITAIN MUST TRIGGER ARTICLE 50 IMMEDIATELY, SAYS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Britain must trigger the formal process of withdrawing from the EU immediately, a resolution by the European Parliament demanded this morning. MEPs voted on their preferred timing of Britain triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets out the procedure for a member state cutting ties with Brussels. The 'will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50,' a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session said this morning. It was voted by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstensions. But it is up to the British government to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit. The negotiation will have to negotiate a new set of arrangements in areas such as trade, justice and reciprocal visas. The UK can leave earlier than that if terms are easily found. But if there is no deal by the end of the time we will be outside without any special provisions - meaning much higher trade tariffs. Instead we could try to force the EU to strike a deal without imposing a time limit - but that may depend on whether other states are willing to play ball. European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has already warned that 'deserters' will not be treated kindly. But leaders will have to navigate the whole process as they go because quitting the EU is an unprecedented move. Only semi-independent Greenland has quit the EU before, and that was 30 years ago when the island had a population of just 56,000. It can be argued that Algeria left too - when it stopped being part of France in the 1960s. But having been a member for 43 years, the process of untangling Britain from the complex network of institutions in Brussels is likely to take the maximum two years. If a new deal fails to be agreed in the time period, Britain's trading relationship with the EU will revert to World Trade Organisation terms - seen as the most basic and the ones used for Russia's trading relationship with Brussels. Advertisement
He appealed for a 'grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship' but added: 'I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
As MEPs broke out in uproar, European president Martin Schulz was forced to step in to appeal for calm.
He condemned Mr Farage for antagonising his long-standing opponents but told the heckling MEP to stop 'behaving like Ukip'.
The embattled Mr Juncker has been heavily criticised throughout Europe for his part in Britain's decision to cut ties with Brussels but used his address to a special session of the European Parliament to fight back.
Hitting back at calls for him to resign, he told MEPs he was going nowhere and pledged to continue fighting towards his goal of a federal Europe.
In a rare personal note, the 61-year-old former Luxembourg prime minister struck out at critics, notably in the German press but also among east European governments, who have called on him to stand down following the Brexit vote.
'I am neither tired or sick, as the German papers say,' he said. 'I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe.'
But he admitted the EU must accept the result of Britain's referendum.
'We must respect British democracy and the way it has expressed its view,' Mr Juncker said, drawing applause from the Ukip MEPs present.
Mr Juncker spoke from a desk next to that of UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who followed the largely French and German speech with headphones and with a British flag planted in front of him.
Before the session began, Mr Farage had gone over to speak to Juncker. Both men appeared relaxed and as Farage made to leave, Juncker pulled him close and gave him an air-kiss on the cheek.
Mr Juncker said he would make no apology for being 'sad' at the result of the British vote - 'I am not a robot,' he said, 'I am not a grey bureaucrat.'
He urged Britain to explain quickly what it wanted from the EU in terms of a new relationship but insisted he had told his staff to engage in no preliminary talks with British officials until London engages the two-year mechanism for leaving the EU.
'No notification, no negotiation,' he said.
In an extraordinary day in the normally dull European Parliament, Mr Farage was also accused of using 'Nazi propaganda' to win the referendum - a reference to the controversial poster showing a line of Syrian refugees along the Slovenian border last October.
The pro-Brexit poster told voters the 'EU has failed us all,' adding below: 'We must break free of the EU and take back control of our borders.'
It drew comparisons to an original poster shown in a BBC documentary showing refugees fleeing Nazi Germany with the words: 'parasites undermining their host countries'.
Former Belgium prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who now heads up the Liberals and Democrats for Europe group of MEPs in the Brussels Parliament, claimed the Brexit campaign had only succeeded because it was based on negativity and 'lies' on immigration.
Nigel Farage's union flag was upside down (pictured) as he gloated about Britain's decision to leave the EU in the European Parliament today
Nigel Farage (right) sits next to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (left) in a special session of the European Parliament today where leading European politicians discussed last week's historic decision by British voters to quit the EU
In a bitter attack on Mr Farage today, he told him: 'It's my feeling that it's not so much the choice they have made that is hard what makes it so hard is the way it succeeded.
'The absolutely negative campaign, the posters of Mr Farage showing refugees like in Nazi propaganda.
'I was never told that it was possible that somebody in this house should do a thing like that.
'The lies also on migration. The lies on 'oh Turkey will join the union next week'. Or the lies on the 350m that should return immediately to the National Health Service. And now don't go back to the National Health Service.
'It's that climate of fear that has been created, of negativism that has been created that is the most shocking thing that has happened in Britain not the choice of the people, because the choice of the people is democracy.'
Mr Verhofstadt also joked: 'Finally we will be getting rid of the biggest waste in the EU budget that we have paid for 17 years of your salary.'
Nigel Farage (pictured with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in the European Parliament today) told fellow MEPs 'you're not laughing now' and accused the EU of being 'a political project in denial'
Earlier in the session Nigel Farage (pictured right) clashed with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (left), who asked the Ukip leader: 'Why are you here?'
Following Mr Juncker shortly afterwards, Mr Farage taunted MEPs by saying: 'Isn't it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me well I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you?
'The reason you're so upset, you're so angry, has been perfectly clear, from all the angry exchanges this morning.
'You as a political project are in denial. You're in denial that your currency is failing. Just look at the Mediterranean! As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the Mediterranean you've done very well.'
He added: 'You're in denial over Mrs. Merkel's call for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean which has led to massive divisions between within countries and between countries.
'The biggest problem you've got and the main reason the UK voted the way it did is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union.'
Danielle Duperreault, 18, said she was fired from a clothes store after having an allergic reaction that left her 10 minutes from death
An 18-year-old girl was fired from a clothes store after having a near-fatal allergic reaction.
Danielle Duperreault was working at the Urban Planet in Saskatoon, Canada, last week when she accidentally ate a bell pepper and went into anaphylactic shock.
A colleague took her to hospital, where doctors told her if she would have died if she'd waited another 10 minutes.
Then, as she lay in an ambulance, she got a text message from her boss saying she was no longer needed at the store and her shifts had been given away.
The co-worker who helped her was also shown the door from the Centre Mall store, even though he was forced to carry her to his car.
Urban Planet's CEO has apologized to the teen, but she now wants her boss to say sorry.
Duperreault, who was employed at Urban Planet for two months, has an anaphylactic allergy to peppers, including all bell peppers and hot peppers.
She's also allergic to the touch and smell of mangoes.
'If someone is cooking pepper, my throat will close and if I touch a mango my hand will blister, she told CBC News.
After Duperreault ate the bell pepper, her neck started to close up, so she called a manager and told her it was an emergency.
She tried to find her EpiPen, but it wasn't in her handbag.
When her manager arrived, she didn't react in the way Duperreault predicted.
She claims her boss didn't call 911 and showed her 'attitude' while she was vomiting and struggling to breath.
In a lengthy Facebook post about the incident, she wrote: 'She proceeded to show a tremendous amount of attitude.
'I did not have an epi pen on me at the time because mine was expired and I needed to get a prescription for a new one.
'So she told me to go look in my car then proceeded to of wander off, meanwhile I'm getting fainty and I'm vomiting, I went out to my car and searched for one but no luck.
'So I go back into the store, gurgling and clutching my throat while customers and a few staff around me were freaking out and that same manager stood calmly at the computer typing away,' she wrote.
The teenager was working at the Urban Planet in Saskatoon, Canada, on Monday when she accidentally ate a bell pepper and went into anaphylactic shock
A colleague from her store at Centre Mall (pictured) took her to hospital. But as she lay in an ambulance, she got a text message from her boss saying she was no longer needed at the store
'I proceed to the back room where a male staff member basically had to carry me up the stairs and get my stuff for me, because was so lightheaded I could barley stand up, and I couldn't feel my extremities.
'I go to clock out when I hear a colleague of mine yell 'should I call an ambulance' the manager ignores her.
When she arrived at Lakeside Medical Clinic, they gave her a dose of epinephrine and Benadryl.
She then got into an ambulance and she says that's when she received a text from her manager saying she no longer had shifts at the store.
Duperreault said the parent company for Urban Planet, Y.M. Inc., contacted her on Thursday and she spoke to the CEO who personally apologized for how the situation was handled.
'IF SHE HAD SEEN A CUSTOMER IN PERIL, SHE'D JUMP IN TO HELP': DANIELLE'S SCATHING FACEBOOK POST IN FULL Duperreault said the CEO of Urban Planet called her up and personally apologized for what happened. But she insists she wants her boss to say sorry I got fired today, from Urban Planet. And you all would probably think it would be over tardiness or not doing my job and so on and forth. But today I came into contact with bell peppers, something I am severely allergic to. I called a manager upstairs and one came up asking me what was wrong, at that point my airway was already closing. She proceeded to show a tremendous amount of attitude, I did not have an epi pen on me at the time because mine was expired and I needed to get a prescription for a new one. So she told me to go look in my car then proceeded to of wander off, Meanwhile I'm getting fainty and I'm vomiting, I went out to my car and searched for one but no luck. So I go back into the store, gurgling and clutching my throat while customers and a few staff around me were freaking out and that same manager stood calmly at the computer typing away. I proceed to the back room where a male staff member basically had to carry me up the stairs and get my stuff for me, because was so lightheaded I could barley stand up, and I couldn't feel my extremities. I go to clock out when I hear a colleague of mine yell 'should I call an ambulance' the manager ignores her. I clock out and she calmly says 'text me when you get to the hospital.' (I'm clearly not able to drive.) Where my friend meets me in the parking lot (another employee on her way into work) I motion her to come over and without hesitation she takes the keys and rushes me to a medical clinic. I go back into the store, gurgling and clutching my throat while customers and a few staff around me were freaking out and that same manager stood calmly at the computer typing away We didn't even have time to get to the hospital, we had to go to a medical clinic and have epinephrine there where I was then sent by ambulance to RUH. My throat had almost completely closed and I nearly passed out due to lack of oxygen. The manager then fires both of us via text message. I firmly believe that there should always be an epi pen on hand in every store. Who knows if a customer needs one in an emergency, or someone who doesn't know they have allergies and doesn't own an epi pen. And frankly everyone I talked to about this believes that if she seen a customer in peril, she'd jump in to help. The doctors said if I would have waited another ten minutes I would be dead. So please like and share this post to raise awareness about allergies in the workplace. There should be training on how to administer an epi pen, how to handle a situation like that, and how to deal with the after math. The text she sent me is pasted below. Advertisement
She also said Y.M. Inc., has agreed to work something out so she's financially covered until she finds another job. But she says Y.M. Inc. did not say much about how the manager at Urban Planet acted.
'That's more than I could've asked for,' she said.
Urban Planet posted a statement on Facebook that read: 'We have thoroughly investigated this. Simply put, the actions were unacceptable.
'While we have a duty to respect confidentiality in Human Resource matters, we can state the following: Our CEO apologized to the employee personally, as will the manager
'We are also moving quickly to ensure all of our store management clearly understands our expectations in a situation like this. That direction is simple: the safety of our employees comes first.'
Despite the apology from the company CEO, Duperreault said she's still waiting to hear from someone else.
The attempted murder case against Halina Kwiatkowski (pictured) was dropped
A 21-year-old woman accused of stabbing her father and slashing her mother's hand will not face charges because her parents refused to appear in court.
Halina Kwiatkowski's attempted murder case was thrown out after her parents Anna and Mariusz Kwiatkowski ignored subpoenas for a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Prosecutors placed the blame on deputy public defender, Tegan Machnich, and claimed it was unethical for her to advise the parents not to show up.
In phone calls from jail played in court, Anna told her daughter: 'You need to go to the doctor. You don't need to be locked up in prison,' the Review Journal reported.
Police found Halina and her father at their family home covered in blood after she stabbed him more than a dozen times. Anna's hand was also slashed.
The 21-year-old was held and put through a series of mental health evaluations as her parents ignored warrants ordering them to testify.
According to Nevada law, a preliminary hearing should be held within 15 days of the initial court appearance unless there is 'good cause' or the defendant waives the deadline.
Prosecutors said it was unethical for public defender Machnich to advise the parents not to appear in court.
On May 3, Anna called her daughter to tell her about a possible plea deal that included probation and mental health treatment.
But the next day, the mother told her daughter the case would be dropped if they refused to show up.
She told Halina: 'The public defender called, and she told me theres no way youre accepting that [plea deal] because its a bunch of baloney. Your court date is tomorrow. Me and dad are not coming.'
Anna said in another audio clip: 'After I told [Tegan Machnich] I'm not coming, she said: "You made the right decision."'
Kwiatkowski was accused of stabbing her father Mariusz more than a dozen times and slashing her mother Anna's hand at their family home in Las Vegas (pictured, the 1700 block of Alta Drive). But the parents refused to appear in court to testify against their daughter and the charges were dropped
The phone calls were played in court on May 19, and Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman pulled Machnich from the case.
The victims reportedly refused to answer the door, and the judge threw out the case this month after prosecutors asked to postpone the preliminary hearing for the third time.
It is unclear whether charges against Halina will be pursued, or whether the case could be presented before a grand jury without a testimony from the victims.
Machnich denied claims that she had advised the victims not to appear in court, saying: 'I would never say that,' the Review Journal reported.
Attorneys for an Air Force officer charged with rape, adultery and other crimes are making the novel argument that the military ban on extramarital sex discriminates against heterosexuals because it doesn't specifically include same-sex couples.
Lawyers for Air Force Col. Eugene Caughey challenged the adultery provision Monday in a military court at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
The lawyers argue that the half-dozen adultery charges against Caughey should be thrown out because they violate the colonel's constitutional rights.
Attorneys for Air Force Col. Eugene Caughey (pictured), who is charged with rape, adultery and other crimes, are making the novel argument that the military ban on extramarital sex discriminates against heterosexuals because it doesn't specifically include same-sex couples
Caughey's attorneys said the military defines adultery as sex between a man and a woman and therefore doesn't hold same-sex couples to the same standards, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
Caughey is charged with raping a woman at Schriever Air Force Base, also in Colorado, in late 2014 or early 2015.
He's also accused of committing adultery several times, photographing his exposed genitals while in uniform and groping women. His court-martial is scheduled in August.
Caughey is a 24-year Air Force veteran and was formerly second in charge of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever. The unit oversees navigation and communication satellites.
Military prosecutors argued the adultery ban does apply to same-sex couples. The judge hasn't ruled on the argument.
Eugene R. Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School, said Tuesday this is the first time he's heard anyone try to make the discrimination argument in a military court.
Caughey is charged with raping a woman at Schriever Air Force Base (pictured), also in Colorado, in late 2014 or early 2015
He declined to say whether he thought the argument would succeed.
'That's the way the law grows, creative lawyering,' Fidell said.
Fidell said the military needs to update its court-martial manuals now that same-sex marriage is legal.
'This is the brave new world that we live in,' he said. 'The teachers of family law and teachers of gender in law schools are going to have to discuss this case.'
Few other jurisdictions punish adultery as a crime, but the military still outlaws it on the grounds that it weakens discipline.
Fidell said it could be handled administratively, without resorting to criminal charges.
Killed: Pedestrian Victoria Nicodemus, 31, was hit and killed in December when unlicensed driver Marlon Sewell, 39, mounted a curb and hit her and two other pedestrians. The other victims survived
A Brooklyn man who hit and killed a woman in the borough's Fort Greene area in December has been indicted in her death.
A grand jury at Brooklyn Criminal Court voted to charge Marlon Sewell, 39, with second-degree manslaughter Monday morning.
Sewell had been driving without a license on December 6, 2015, when he swerved to avoid traffic and hit several pedestrians, including Nicodemus, who was killed, DNA Info said.
The driver, whose license had been suspended at the time for failing to pay child support, told police that the accident occurred when he swerved to avoid an oncoming car.
He said he then swerved again to avoid a bus, mounting the curb and hitting three pedestrians, one of whom was Nicodemus, a 31-year-old art curator.
He also said a carbon monoxide leak in his car had made him light-headed.
Police originally charged Sewell, who was driving within the 25mph limit when the accident happened, with misdemeanor charges of driving without a license or insurance.
But prosecutors repeatedly put off his trial so they could continue their investigation.
In January a judge turned down their request to cancel Sewel's license, since they had not claimed he was driving recklessly.
Scroll down for video
Scene: Sewell's license had been suspended due to unpaid child support when he claims to have swerved to avoid a car and bus before mounting the curb. He was indicted on second-degree manslaughter Monday
The news was received warmly by Nicodemus's brother, Hank Miller, who said Monday: 'Anybody who knew Victoria knew that she would fight for her family and her friends and would not let justice go unserved, and as her family and friends, we have to fight for her and for justice.
'Personally Im pleased that the Brooklyn District Attorneys office moved forward with the grand jury investigation and I look forward to a vigorous prosecution of this case.'
Nicodemus was walking with her boyfriend when she was hit by the car. The two were rushed to Brooklyn Hospital Center, where Nicodemus died. The boyfriend was treated and released.
Her accident was particularly notorious because security footage of the crash showed a bystander watch the crash then walk away eating a slice of pizza while others rushed to help.
An NYPD spokesman told PIX11 News the mystery witness was not legally obligated to render aid.
But many at the time were outraged.'I don't know how you could keep eating your pizza and keep walking,' Lerima Guadelupe, 32, who works at a nearby bakery, told DNA Info.
'There's no reason. At least try. Make it your business to help. Not OK. Wouldn't you want to help?'
Others were less damning.
One local worker, Xiomara Morgan, who saw one of the other victims crawl through blood to try and help Nicodemus, said she cannot judge the woman who walked away.
'Honestly, I can't judge her,' Morgan told DNA.
A police yard used to hold impounded cars was sprayed with bullets on Tuesday evening with officers inside the building narrowly escaping injury.
Just before midnight police staff inside the building called Triple-0 after hearing shots outside the building in Preston, in Melbourne's north.
'Detectives located several shots that had hit windows and penetrated the building exterior,' Victoria Police said in a statement.
Scroll down for video
A police impound yard in Preston in Melbourne's north has been sprayed with bullets overnight
According to Today at least six bullets penetrated the outside of the building - four hit the glass window and two more were lodged in the brickwork.
No police staff at the impound yard were injured and officers will be looking at CCTV footage in an attempt to find the offenders.
No arrests have been made at this stage and the investigation continues.
Police staff were inside the building at the time of the shooting but escaped uninjured
Advertisement
Tory cabinet minister Anna Soubry was accused of being drunk by fellow Tory MP Nadine Dorries after she almost broke down at an anti-Brexit rally last night.
Despite organisers attempting to cancel the event amid safety fears after tens of thousands of people clicked 'attending' on Facebook, the rally caused chaos outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday evening.
Crowds gathered at Trafalgar Square in central London shortly after 5pm holding placards which read 'Reunited kingdom', 'Everyone is welcome here' and 'let's hug it out.'
Small business minister Ms Soubry struggled to hold back tears as she addressed anti-Brexit campaigners about the 'terrible mistake' of leaving the European Union - but was accused of being 'inebriated' by her fellow Conservative MP.
The minister's voice broke as she told the mainly young crowd: 'My mother is 84 and she wept on Friday, just like my 24 and 25-year-old daughters shed tears because we made a terrible mistake on Friday by voting to leave the European Union.'
Emotional: This is the moment cabinet minister Anna Soubry almost broke down as she described her 84-year-old mother's tears after the Brexit vote
Tory minister Ms Soubry (pictured left) struggled to hold back tears as she addressed anti-Brexit campaigners about the 'terrible mistake' of leaving the European Union - but was accused of being 'inebriated' by fellow Conservative MP Nadine Dorries (right)
But Tory MP Ms Dorries, who backed Brexit, claimed business minister Ms Soubry had been in a bar before addressing the rally in Westminster. Ms Soubry responded by warning her that her comment was 'defamatory'
Ms Dorries said she had been 'terrified' by the demonstration, claimed the minister had 'played to the gallery' and added: 'I saw Anna Soubry leave the bar before she went outside. She was inebriated, not emotional'
An emotional Ms Soubry, who campaigned for the country to remain in the European Union, told demonstrators protesting outside Parliament that members of her family wept at the result of the referendum.
But Tory MP Ms Dorries, who backed Brexit, claimed business minister Ms Soubry had been in a bar before addressing the rally in Westminster.
Ms Soubry responded by warning her that her comment was 'defamatory'.
Ms Dorries said she had been 'terrified' by the demonstration, claimed the minister had 'played to the gallery' and added: 'I saw Anna Soubry leave the bar before she went outside. She was inebriated, not emotional.'
Ms Soubry shot back on Twitter: 'I suggest you delete this which is defamatory.'
The rally in Trafalgar Square had officially been abandoned after 50,000 people declared an interest in attending - but many turned out regardless before moving down Whitehall to continue their protest outside the Houses of Parliament.
Demonstrators chanted 'Down with Boris' and 'F*** Farage' in protest at two of the leading figures in the Brexit movement, senior Tory Boris Johnson and Ukip leader Nigel Farage. The Metropolitan Police said no arrests have been made, despite pictures showing them restraining a protestor.
The rally in Trafalgar Square had been cancelled - but many turned out regardless before moving down Whitehall to continue their protest outside the Houses of Parliament
Crowds demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament during a protest aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union
Police officers try to move a demonstrator outside the Houses of Parliament during a protest aimed at showing solidarity with the EU
Thousands of people were expected to attend events in cities across the UK as dissatisfaction with the decision to leave the bloc manifested itself in plans for public demonstrations.
But organisers have been forced to abandon several gatherings over fears about crowd sizes.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron addressed the crowd in Trafalgar Square insisting that the Brexit vote 'is reversible'.
The Lib Dems have vowed to campaign to take the UK back into the EU.
Mr Farron said: 'In politics, as in life, two things are always the case for me: One, if you lose, you have the grace to accept the defeat, but you never, ever, ever give up.
'We as a community must stand together, this is reversible. The people of Britain are decent, outward-looking people. We will carry on direct campaigning.'
An anti-Brexit rally organisers tried to cancel amid safety fears after tens of thousands of people clicked 'attending' on Facebook caused chaos outside the Houses of Parliament this evening after it went ahead anyway. Pictured: Protestors with their placards
Crowds gathered this evening holding placards which read 'Reunited kingdom', 'Everyone is welcome here' and 'let's hug it out'
Greeted by cheers, he said: 'This is Britain - the weather, the unity.
'We respect people who choose to vote leave, but we want to say to the people from Poland and France who are here, to the people who have been victims of attacks: You are welcome here.
'The Leave campaign wanted to take back control but look who is in control, the bankers, the markets.
'Look what is happening to ordinary, decent people who find them selves out of control and under the control of people more powerful.
'We have been betrayed. The people of Britain are proud to be European, we must stand together. This is reversible.'
Demonstrators chanted 'Down with Boris' and 'F*** Farage' in protest at two of the leading figures in the Brexit movement
Thousands of people were expected to attend events in cities across the UK as dissatisfaction with the decision to leave the bloc manifested itself in plans for public demonstrations
Heather Gordon, 31, and her friend Jenny Myatt, 32, painted their faces with the EU's gold stars on a blue background and wrapped themselves in flags for the protest.
Speaking outside Parliament Ms Gordon said: 'We are here because we have to be here. We are here because our country hasn't really spoken for us.'
She joked: 'If we had another referendum, it would work in everyone's favour, including my own - because I love tapas.'
Ms Myatt said: 'I think if you had a referendum today the outcome would be very different.'
The Metropolitan Police said no arrests have been made, despite these pictures showing them restraining a protestor at the rally
Protesters of all ages chanted 'EU we love you' during the rally and they booed whenever Nigel Farage's name was mentioned
People of all ages and all nationalities braved the weather to attend the event, including many college students who found themselves just months too young to vote in the referendum which they said would have a huge impact on their future
The event took place shortly after 81 per cent of Labour Party MPs voted against Jeremy Corbyn in a motion of no-confidence
More than 2,000 people were planning to attend the Stay Together: Manchester rally in Albert Square on Tuesday evening but organisers cancelled the event, saying the 'safety of all individuals cannot be guaranteed'
The event took place shortly after 81 per cent of Labour Party MPs voted against Jeremy Corbyn in a motion of no-confidence.
Protesters of all ages chanted 'EU we love you' and booed whenever Nigel Farage's name was mentioned, refusing to let the pouring rain dampen their spirits.
People of all ages and all nationalities braved the weather to attend the event, including many college students who found themselves just months too young to vote in the referendum which they said would have a huge impact on their future.
Seventeen-year-olds Alex Eales and Alex Went had headed into central London from Watford to attend the rally after seeing a new event set up in Facebook to replace the cancelled one.
Alex Eales said: 'The EU really important to our lives. The college we both go to has been funded massively by the EU, it's really helped us, so leaving is a disaster.
'People don't realise how much this country relies on the EU. Cornwall voted to leave, but still wants its EU funding and Nigel Farage has gone back on his word that 350 million will go to the NHS.
'It's the fact people believe the lies they have been told and now are realising the trouble they are in.'
The pair said that they were now expecting to struggle financially as they grew up thanks to the decision to leave the EU and were hoping it wouldn't go ahead.
Alex Went added: 'I hope today makes a difference. But whether it does or not, we are here, we showing what we think and that is important.
'It's also showing other EU countries that it's not everyone in the country who wants to leave.'
More than 2,000 people were planning to attend the Stay Together: Manchester rally in Albert Square on Tuesday evening but organisers cancelled the event, saying the 'safety of all individuals cannot be guaranteed'.
Pro-Remain rallies in London and Oxford were also abandoned and a protest in Liverpool was postponed until next week.
Seven refugees rehomed in Idaho have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, a report claims.
The claim comes just months after health officials warned cases of the bacteria disease have increased for the first time in 23 years.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the refugees in question arrived in the state alongside 4,650 others between 2011 and 2015, according to the report published by Breitbart.
Fears: Idaho officials have allegedly confirmed diagnoses of TB, pictured, in seven resettled refugees
Six other states have reported refugees diagnosed with active TB, Breitbart claims including Louisiana, Florida, Colorado, Indiana, Kentucky and North Dakota.
It does not elaborate on which countries the refugees came from, and when they were allegedly diagnosed in Idaho.
Since, Idaho has pulled out of the federal voluntary refugee resettlement program, VOLAG.
Daily Mail Online has contacted the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for a comment.
Last year, 9,563 new TB illnesses were diagnosed, up from 9,406 the year before, according to preliminary CDC data released in March.
The claim comes just months after health officials warned cases of the disease, pictured, have increased for the first time in 23 years
That translates to about three cases per 100,000 people.
The rate was nearly three times higher 20 years ago, but it has been stalled at three since 2013.
Officials said they're not sure why TB cases are leveling off.
Philip LoBue, director of the CDC's division of tuberculosis elimination, told The Wall Street Journal: 'Right now it looks like progress has stalled in moving toward elimination.'
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs, and is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes. If not treated properly, TB can be fatal.
It once was a major cause of death and illness, and in the late 1800s killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe.
But the development of antibiotics and public health efforts succeeded in treating infections and tracking down those infected.
However, health officials have warned growing resistance to antibiotics could leave Americans - an the world - open to infection.
Democrats on the House's special Benghazi committee accidentally revealed that an unofficial adviser to Hillary Clinton when she worked at State has a lucrative contact with another one of their Democratic cronies.
House Democrats did not properly redact a transcript they released yesterday between the committee and Sidney Blumenthal, an informal adviser to Clinton who was never paid by State.
The LA Times was able to copy and paste the blacked out portions and fill in the blanks.
The news organization discovered that Blumenthal was making $200,000 a year to offer advice and consultation to Media Matters founder David Brock's various organizations.
Democrats on the House's special Benghazi committee accidentally revealed that an unofficial adviser to Hillary Clinton when she worked at State - Sidney Blumenthal - has a lucrative contact with another one of their Democratic cronies. Blumenthal is seen here a year ago on Capitol Hill after a deposition in the Benghazi case
Brock, an enemy-turned-friend of the Clintons, is also behind the formation of liberal dirt-digging group American Bridge and rapid response spin-off Correct the Record.
Correct the Record's initial focus was on countering attacks on Democrats in the media. After Clinton joined the 2016 race it broke off from American Bridge and became a Super PAC that's legally allowed to coordinate with her campaign.
The organization spends much of its time these days taking fact-checking Donald Trump and countering his claims about Clinton.
Blumenthal met Brock when Bill Clinton was in the White House.
Brock was working as a conservative journalist back then but was undergoing a change of heart and began acting as a mole in the movement for Blumenthal who was working in the White House as an adviser to President Clinton.
Both men are still on close terms with the Clintons.
As Hillary Clinton came under investigation by the House and the federal government over her secret server, her correspondence with Blumenthal when she was served as secretary of state came up numerous times.
She said he only offered her his unsolicited opinions and suggested she did not take them seriously despite evidence in those same emails batches that she often asked her team to track down and vet the information Blumenthal was sending her.
Blumenthal was never on State's staff. After irking Barack Obama's team so much during the primary that reportedly had him banned him from serving in an official capacity.
His testimony in front of the House Benghazi committee indicates that he found other, more financially fulfilling work.
At the end of 2012, a few months before Clinton left government service, Brock hired him on as a consultant, Blumenthal told lawmakers.
'I have had a very long friendship with the chairman of Media Matters, whose name is David Brock, from before he founded this organization, and I have sustained that friendship. And he asked me to help provide ideas and advice to him and his organizations,' Blumenthal stated.
Blumenthal was making $200,000 a year to offer advice and consultation to Media Matters founder David Brock's various organizations. Brock is seen above in 2010 at the Media Matters office
Blumenthal said he was paid 'about $200,000 a year' by Brock for his advising his organizations.
Their financial relationship was ongoing when he was subpoenaed by lawmakers to give testimony in June of 2015. 'I think its increased a little bit. Its increased some,' he said.
Correct the Record has as part of its mission to defend Democrats, specifically Clinton, admonished the Republican-run Benghazi committee for what it says it a blatant attempt to undercut Democrats' top presidential candidate.
Blumenthal told investigators that he was not involved directly in the writing of any materials accusing the committee of telling lies, though.
'So you havent made any comments as part of your role in Correct the Record related to this committees work? You havent written any, ' Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo was asking him before Blumenthal interjected.
A couple who isolated their adopted son in a basement for years and made him so lonely he created a new family out of stuffed animals have been found guilty of child abuse.
Eric and Angela Corcoran, from Livingston County, Michigan, forced the teenager to sleep in a cold basement with a bed but no sheets, blankets or pillows for three years.
The boy was isolated in the room from the age of 13 to 16 and was only allowed upstairs to sit in the corner of one room in the house.
Eric and Angela Corcoran isolated their adopted son in a basement for years and made him so lonely he created a new family out of stuffed animals
His meals were left at the top of the basement's stairs and he had just a camper toilet to use when no one else was home, with a locked door preventing him from accessing the rest of the house.
The parents, who are both 44, made their adopted son eat different meals to their biological children.
He became so lonely that he created a family for himself using stuffed toys, a court was told.
The boy's mother was accused of slapping his legs while he slept and hitting him with a coat hanger, which snapped.
The teenager, who is now in foster care, told protective services his brother punched him and his sister threatened him with a gun, according to court documents.
The boy - who suffers from ADHD and borderline personality disorder - told the court that he wanted a 'family' but was confined to the basement because he made 'lots of noise' while playing with toys early in the morning, the Detroit Free Press reported.
A sheriff's deputy found the dirty camper toilet outside the family's home in February 2015 and feces spread around the outside of the property.
A social worker said the child was 'treated very differently' to the other children, who had their own bedrooms.
The boy's father told the authorities that the adopted boy lashed out at people and stole things throughout the house, court records show.
Both of the Corcorans were convicted of second-degree child abuse and will face up to 10 years in prison following their sentencing next month.
'I am very pleased with the guilty verdicts handed down by the jury,' prosecutor William Vailliencourt told the Free Press.
'The acts that these two defendants committed against this child were both cruel and outrageous.
A Florida woman is accused of threatening a man with a hatchet for refusing to have sex with her.
Leslie Mills, 26, was arrested on Thursday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery, according to police.
The victim told officers Mills left his Ocala home the night before the alleged attack to go out drinking, while he stayed home.
After he returned from work the next day and went to sleep in the bedroom, he was woken up by Mills who 'repeatedly asked him to engage in sexual activity with her,' according to a police report obtained by the Smoking Gun.
Leslie Mills, 26, pictured left in a mugshot and right in a social media pic, allegedly threatened a man with a hatchet after he refused to sleep with her
The man said he denied Mills' advances several times, and then went to sleep on the living room couch. He said Mills followed him out there, sat on top of him, and continued to ask him for sex.
He then went into the bathroom and locked the door, according to the police report. He said Mills began beating on the door, and eventually managed to open it.
When she entered the bathroom, he realized she was wielding a hatchet, the police report alleges.
The two began fighting, and Mills allegedly raised the hatchet in the air and appeared to prepare to strike him, the victim told police.
Mills, 26, was arrested on Thursday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery, according to police
Mills was booked in the Marion County jail on Thursday and was released the following day after posting $5,500 bail. A judge issued a no contact order, prohibiting Mills from making physical or verbal contact with the victim
The man managed to snatch the hatchet out of Mills' hand, slid it across the ground, and ran outside the house, police wrote.
The arresting officer noted that the victim 'stated several times' that he feared for his life during the altercation.
When police arrived, they found Mills outside, dressed only in a bathrobe and seemingly drunk.
The victim had a large bite mark on his bicep, according to the police report.
Mills was booked in the Marion County jail on Thursday and was released the following day after posting $5,500 bail.
Police spies will be allowed to have sex with their targets if their lives are on the line.
Senior officers have drawn up rules insisting that intimate relationships are unacceptable.
But limited sexual activity could be allowed where an officer faces an immediate threat to themselves or others.
The guidance follows the exposure of a promiscuous eco-activist as a long-term undercover police agent.
The bed-hopping activities of Mark Kennedy provoked a tidal wave of legal action and a multi-million pound compensation bill.
Mark Kennedy, pictured, claimed he was the victim of a smear campaign and denied being promiscuous. He said: 'I had two relationships while I was undercover, one of which was serious. I am the first one to hold up my hands and say, yes, that was wrong'
A human rights lawyer involved in the resulting cases against Scotland Yard said it was difficult to imagine what life or death situation could lead to sexual activity.
This sounds like the Austin Powers code of conduct to me, he said. Just without the international man of mystery.
Its clear some undercover officers abused their position and took advantage of young women. I cant see how someone could justify this by saying a city was about to explode.
A number of women have come forward to claim they too had relationships with undercover officers, in some cases even bearing children.
An independent inquiry, led by Lord Justice Pitchford, will investigate how police covertly infiltrated hundreds of political groups from 1968 onward.
The new rules on authorised professional practice were brought together by the College of Policing in response to the Kennedy furore.
They have been sent to every force in the UK, the security services and other agencies as part of a final consultation.
John Dines, a police sergeant, went undercover in the early 1980s as John Barker, an anti-capitalism protester (pictured). He vanished in 1992 while in a relationship with Helen Steel, who only discovered his true identity in 2010. Earlier this year she tracked him down to Australia and confronted him about his deception
Senior officers want to end the outlaw culture of discredited units such as Scotland Yards Special Demonstration Squad. The rules make clear that commanding officers can never authorise agents to form intimate contact with those they are attempting to target or infiltrate.
However, they are unable to ban sex because criminal groups could use this as a test to work out whether someone was a police officer.
Police will also not be authorised to take illegal drugs unless they perceive a threat to themselves or others.
It is never acceptable for an undercover officer to form an intimate sexual relationship with those they are employed to infiltrate and target or may encounter during their deployment College of Policing
Undercover agents are allowed to participate in low-level offending as long as they play only a minor role and do not actively engage in planning or committing crime.
Addressing sexual relationships, the guidance says any encounter could lead to misconduct proceedings if it cannot be justified in retrospect.
Conduct may be authorised that involves communications of a sexual nature, for example in online paedophile inquiries.
It is never acceptable for an undercover officer to form an intimate sexual relationship with those they are employed to infiltrate and target or may encounter during their deployment, it says.
This conduct will never be authorised, nor must it ever be used as a tactic.
Alex Marshall, who leads the College of Policing, said: It cant be authorised. Its wrong, it shouldnt happen. If in some extreme circumstance something happens where the operative has gone outside this guidance then you have to report it and it will be investigated.
Mr Marshall said undercover policing was an essential tactic used to protect the public, save lives and bring serious criminals to justice.
The guidance also warns undercover staff to be aware of the dangers of exposure of their identity on social media networks.
Tony Blair misrepresented the facts when he told the Commons that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), says a former UN weapons inspector.
The ex-Prime Minister is also accused by a former Cabinet Minister of being dishonest and deceitful when he insisted the Iraqi tyrant possessed chemical and biological missiles.
And military chiefs said the British Army was inadequately prepared to rebuild Iraq after fighting finished while soldiers were forced to use vulnerable vehicles which were not up to protecting them from roadside bombs.
Tony Blair is pictured, right, greeting chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix at Chequers in January, 2003, two months before British and American troops invaded Iraq, based on erroneous reports that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction
The claims are made in Iraq: The Final Judgement, a BBC Panorama programme to be aired tonight.
The current affairs show, broadcast exactly a week before the publication of the long-awaited Chilcot Inquiry report into the controversial conflict, heaps fresh pressure on Mr Blair over the conflict.
The Labour leader took the country into a disastrous war which cost the lives of 179 UK troops after wrongly claiming the Iraqi dictator had stockpiles of warheads.
Dr Hans Blix was head of the UNs Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission which failed to find WMDs despite carrying out 700 inspections in Iraq between November 2002 and March 2003.
He said that Mr Blair did not represent reality when he told MPs that Saddam could launch devastating strikes.
Dr Blix added: Many people bring themselves to believe something that they want to believe. Asked if the ex-PM misrepresented the facts, he said: Yes.
Dr Blix (left) and his team carried out 700 inspections in Iraq between November 2002 and March 2003 and found little evidence that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (right) possessed WMDs
It is not the first time Dr Blix has criticised Mr Blair.
In 2010, the former UN weapons inspector told the Chilcott Inquiry that a month before the war he had warned Mr Blair that he was unlikely to ever find WMDs. Mr Blair ignored him, he added.
In 2010, Mr Blair told Sir John Chilcots inquiry into the run-up to and aftermath of the war that he had been convinced by intelligence reports that the dictator had WMD but he later apologised that it had been incorrect.
He also strongly defended claims in the Governments Iraq dossier, published in September 2002, that spies had established beyond doubt that Iraq had warheads.
Claire Short, who quit as International Development Secretary in protest at the war in 2003, told Panorama that Mr Blair had lied to guarantee support for the invasion.
The former Labour minister said: What was known, which was very little indeed, was then exaggerated way beyond to give this imminent threat to Britain. I mean thats just dishonest. Theres no question about it.
We were massaged and deceived to get us there when it was a manipulation of us, that is us, the Parliament, the Cabinet, British public opinion by people who were determined to take military action from the beginning.
Major General Graham Binns, who led British troops into Basra in 2003 and handed it back to the Iraqis four years later, said there were too few British troops on the ground to stop southern Iraq spiralling into violence and anarchy.
He said: I dont think we had a coherent plan in the longer term and we hadn t really as a coalition thought through how we were going to operate in the aftermath.We were inadequately prepared both physically and mentally for the aftermath of the war fighting.
Maj Gen Binns also said the thinly-armoured Snatch Land Rovers were not up to the job on the IED-strewn battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the Chilcot hearings, it emerged ministers knew in 2006 the vehicles were vulnerable to roadside bombs but did nothing for two years.
People walk past a mural showing Iraq's military prowess, shortly before the Allied military invasion in 2003
But another 20 servicemen and women died and scores more were injured travelling in the vehicles dubbed mobile coffins because of their vulnerability to blasts before ministers finally agreed to replace them in 2008.
The commander added: They didnt have adequate levels of protection and we were slow to replace them and provide adequate protection to our people.
Roger Bacon, whose son Matthew, 34, died in a roadside blast in Basra in 2005, said: I would like to think that he lost his life in a worthwhile cause but I cant do that.
If we look at Iraq today its a failed state. If we look at Syria its a failed state. And a lot of this derives from the fact that on the basis of faulty intelligence the US and the UK went to war in 2003 Sir Christopher Meyer
As a country as a people we would have no wish to have invaded Iraq; and we were carried into it; and I cant emphasise enough how much I feel this was entirely wrong this was a complete deception.
Sir Christoper Meyer, the former British Ambassador in Washington, said he believed Mr Blair and President Bush had secretly agreed to invade Iraq as far back as 2002. He said: Those two men alone I suspect what Blair actually said to Bush was: Whatever you decide to do, George, Im with you.
If we look at Iraq today its a failed state. If we look at Syria its a failed state. And a lot of this derives from the fact that on the basis of faulty intelligence the US and the UK went to war in 2003.
The 2.6million-word Chilcot Inquiry report - more than four times the length of Leo Tolstoys epic novel War And Peace - will be published next Wednesday (July 6).
Bereaved families desperate to learn the truth about why Tony Blair sent their sons and daughters to die in the disastrous war. The inquiry has lasted seven years and cost 10million.
The inquiry is looking at the UKs decision to take part in the 2003-2009 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, whether troops were properly prepared, how the conflict was conducted and any planning for its aftermath.
Mr Blair is expected to be heavily criticised by Sir John. He declined to speak to Panorama.
The number of titan primary schools rose by 25 per cent last year amid rocketing birth rates among migrant families, official statistics revealed yesterday.
More than 100,000 youngsters are being taught in supersized schools with 800-plus pupils as councils struggle to cope with the surge in demand for places.
Ethnic minority children made up almost three-quarters of the rise in pupils in English primary schools between January last year and January this year.
The Department for Education data shows how an increase in migrant families, combined with a baby boom, is putting unprecedented pressure on schools.
More than 100,000 youngsters are being taught in supersized schools with 800-plus pupils as councils struggle to cope with the surge in demand for places (file photo)
Some 109 primary schools cater for 800 pupils or more compared with 87 last year. This means 100,315 children are squeezed into titan primaries up from 79,003 in January 2015. Most of the extra titan primaries are not new schools, they are existing schools that have expanded.
In 2010, there were 16 schools of 800-plus pupils, educating about 13,700 youngsters.
A DfE briefing document says schools are larger on average across England this year because of an increase in pupil numbers and fewer schools overall.
There was a net increase of 12 state primaries and 20 state secondaries last year, but pupil referral units and independent schools have closed.
An average state funded primary has 275 pupils, up from 269 in January 2015. Since 2011, the average primary has increased by 30 pupils the equivalent of one extra class per school. Overall, there are 8.56 million pupils in schools in England a rise of more than 121,000 pupils, or 1.4 per cent, since 2015.
Most of this increase was in primary schools, with 104,860 more pupils in January 2016 than 2015. Children from ethnic minorities make up 71 per cent of the rise in primary pupils.
The DfE document says the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic origins have been rising steadily since 2006. Some 31.4 per cent of primary school pupils are from ethnic minorities, up from 30.4 per cent in January 2015.
Ethnic minority children made up almost three-quarters of the rise in pupils in English primary schools between January last year and January this year (file photo)
The document also reveals that a record 1.23million children across primary and secondary schools do not speak English as a first language. In primary schools, it is 20.1 per cent while in secondaries it is 15.7 per cent.
The document says: The increase in pupil numbers is largely driven by an increase in birth rate (rather than direct current immigration), which is driven in turn by an increase in the number of children born to non-UK born women (compared to those born to UK-born women). The number of children born to non-UK born women more than doubled between 1999 and 2010 (the years in which most children currently in schools were born) and the numbers of non-UK born women also increased.
Education researcher Professor Alan Smithers, of Buckingham University, said: The Government and local authorities have been struggling with the increase in birth rates among minority ethnic families. This is changing not only the character of society, but also of schools.
He added: Titan schools do provide room to take the pupils, but there has to be concerns about little children getting lost among the enormous number of pupils that they take.
A Department for Education spokesman said delivering good quality school places was a 'top priority' for government at that the system 'continues to work'.
'Todays figures reveal thousands fewer children are being taught in large infant classes. The data also shows that primary school class sizes remain stable at 27.1 pupils,' they added.
The government has already committed 7 billion for school places, which along with our investment in 500 new free schools we expect to deliver 600,000 new places by 2021.
Britain will refuse to sign a free trade deal with the EU unless it includes curbs on free movement David Cameron told leaders as he admitted it was immigration fears which led to the Brexit.
In his final Brussels summit, Mr Cameron warned his EU counterparts that nothing less would be acceptable to the British public after a decisive referendum result.
He told them it was clear that the UK had voted for Brexit because the public thought immigration was out of control.
In his final Brussels summit, David Cameron warned his EU counterparts that nothing less would be acceptable to the British public after a decisive referendum result
The Prime Ministers intervention less than a week after the historic vote to Leave blamed Britains departure on Angela Merkel and other foreign leaders who refused to give him any worthwhile reforms on immigration.
But it also had huge ramifications for the Tory leadership battle.
The field of candidates many of whom voted to remain in the EU, and preserve unfettered free movement will now come under pressure to follow Mr Camerons belated lead that Britain must take back control of its borders.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson made clear to the Tory right that he would end EU free movement. He had been accused of backsliding after suggesting that immigration was not the main reason why people voted Leave.
Theresa May is also expected to confirm her commitment to curbing free movement. The Home Secretary has argued in the past that migrants from the EU should have secured jobs before moving to Britain and should not be allowed to come here to hunt for work.
Yesterday, Boris Johnson made clear to the Tory right that he would end EU free movement. He had been accused of backsliding after suggesting that immigration was not the main reason why people voted Leave
However, Angela Merkel set the stage for a major battle over the issue yesterday by saying Britain could not cherry pick what it wanted during negotiations to quit the EU. Mr Cameron delivered his warning to the 27 other EU leaders over dinner last night, as he explained the events that led to Brexit.
A senior Government source said: He believes that one of the key issues in the referendum campaign, and therefore why a lot of people voted to leave, was this sense that there was no control on the scale of immigration or free movement.
It is going to have to be worked out as part of any new relationship between Britain and the EU. His comments were a recognition, months too late, that his renegotiation with Brussels went nowhere near far enough.
European leaders have reacted with a mixture of fury and sorrow one accusing the UK electorate of ripping off one of the EUs wings.
Last night, an insider said Mr Cameron told the 27 leaders that, if they are to secure a trade deal with the UK, free movement will have to be restricted.
A No10 source said: In his view it is in the interests of the UK and the EU that we have as close an economic relationship as possible. The key to staying close is to look at free movement and how do you address that issue. If we want a close relationship we cannot shy away from that issue.
Mr Cameron had originally wanted curbs on free movement as part of his renegotiation with Brussels, but caved in the face of opposition from Germany.
Mr Cameron had originally wanted curbs on free movement as part of his renegotiation with Brussels, but caved in the face of opposition from Germany
In the end, he ended up with a watered down deal which limited the access which EU migrants have to in-work benefits, plus a complex regime of curbs on child benefit.
The deal, secured in February, was widely derided as thin gruel by Tory MPs. The new terms ceased to exist when Britain voted to Leave.
During the referendum campaign, ex-Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith claimed that Germany had a secret veto over Mr Camerons EU renegotiations and used it to kill plans for an emergency brake on migrants.
Yesterday, ahead of dinner with the PM, Europes leaders continued to insist there is no prospect of any changes to free movement.
Mrs Merkel said she expects that Britain will want to maintain close relations with the EU once it leaves, but warned it cannot expect a business-as-usual approach.
She added: Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges.
However, she is under pressure from German manufacturers the car industry in particular to strike a trade deal with the UK.
Xavier Bettel, the Luxembourg prime minister, said Britain and the EU could be married or divorced but not something in between.
There has been an outcry across China after a sex education textbook was accused of branding premarital sex as cheap.
Many people say it highlights gender inequality in the country, reports the People's Daily Online.
The 21st Century Publishing Group who created the book, which is used by pupils aged between 15 and 18, say that the book is not insulting to women.
Odd: The sex-education textbook in China has caused outrage among internet users in the country
Old fashioned: Textbook tells students that 'premarital sex has a psychological and physical impact on girls'
'Degrading': A total of 2,000 copies of the books have been sent to schools in Jiangxi over 12 years (File photo)
The book is titled 'Scientific Sex Education for Senior High Student'.
In one of the chapters, it tells its readers that 'premarital sex has a psychological and physical impact on girls.'
It goes on to say: 'Girls do not increase the love they receive from boys by handing over their bodies but are seen as degraded by their conquerors.'
The book then continues: 'As a result, sexual relations can cause women to lose love.'
According to state-run Global Times, a total of 2,000 copies of the books have been sent out to schools in Jiangxi province over the past 12 years.
People have shared their outrage on China's social media site Weibo.
One user commented: 'Terrible. What is this book? It's called old-fashioned ethics course right?'
While another said: 'Sex is between two people. Why is only one person degraded?'
And one user said: 'These books are the values of grandparents. I do not know why we still have them.'
Even teachers have shared their outrage at the book.
Global Times says that one person claiming to be a teacher, wrote on Weibo under the name Xiao Chuwu: 'Sex education is supposed to protect teenagers, not intimidate or insult them'.
Sex education in China is typically taught by informing students of the basic anatomical difference between the sexes and nothing else.
found her inside a suitcase unclothed and helped her get out
A woman has been raped and stripped naked by her flatmate before being stuffed into a suitcase in central China.
The victim was rescued after passersby heard her crying 'help' inside the bag on a college campus in Xiangtan city, Hunan Province, on the night of June 27, reported the People's Daily Online.
The perpetrator, who was dragging the suitcase, jumped into a nearby lake in a bid to escape, but he was caught an hour later.
Helping hands: Female onlookers helped dressing the victim after she was found stuffed in a suitcase naked on a college campus in China
Stuffed in a bag: The travelling bag (pictured) was found by passersby who heard cries of help from inside it
A video, taken by one of the eyewitnesses, showed a man trying to open the suitcase and saving the victim at the Hunan Institute of Engineering.
The man was heard saying 'don't move' towards the victim inside the suitcase while telling the crowds to call the police.
He also asked other female onlookers to help cover up the woman.
Eyewitnesses could be heard saying that a man had abandoned the suitcase after being caught and jumped into the nearby Muyu Lake.
Another male bystander was seen taking off his own shirt before giving it to the trapped victim.
Several female bystanders also went up and helped her get out of the suitcase.
Statements released today by the Xiangtan Public Security Bureau on their official social media account on Weibo confirmed the incident.
Attempted escape: The perpetrator, who was dragging the suitcase, jumped into a nearby lake to escape
Captured: The man, surnamed Pan, was captured by the police after swimming in the lake for about an hour
A first statement said the 23-year-old perpetrator, surnamed Pan, had threatened and beaten the victim before raping her.
It said Pan had put the naked victim in a suitcase and had been attempted to dispose of the evidence when passersby spotted him.
Armed police and SWAT team arrived at the scene within five minutes after receiving a call from the public and successfully captured the suspect at 11:20pm in Muyu Lake.
A second statement said Pan and the victim shared the same rented flat.
At 7:20pm on June 27, Pan sexually assaulted the victim after finding her alone at home, the statement said.
The victim suffered no major injuries. The suspect is currently under control of Xiangtan police.
Tests have confirmed that a wooden boat found buried in a dry riverbed near Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex is from the early 13th century.
Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said tests by a research institute in New Zealand confirmed the age of the 12.8-meter (42-foot) -long boat, which was carved from a single tree trunk.
He said it is the oldest boat ever found in Cambodia, and its discovery will be useful for scholars of the Angkor era, when the Khmer empire dominated the region from the 9th to 15th centuries.
Scroll down for video
Tests have confirmed that a wooden boat found buried in a dry riverbed near Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex is from the early 13th century.
A farmer discovered the boat in April while digging mud from the riverbed, several miles from the temple complex.
The boat has been sunk in a pond in front of the temple to keep it preserved pending restoration for public viewing.
The Khmer empire was a powerful state in South East Asia, formed by people of the same name, lasting from 802 CE to 1431 CE.
One of the the empire's main strengths was its infantry and a self-developed navy that used boats such as this to attack enemies.
Temple carvings show large open boats that were propelled by oarsmen. The latest discovery could provide more details about this form of travel used by the Khmer people.
Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal said tests by a research institute in New Zealand confirmed the age of the 12.8-meter (42-foot) -long boat
A farmer discovered the boat in April while digging mud from the riverbed, several miles from the temple complex. The boat has been sunk in a pond in front of the temple to keep it preserved pending restoration for public viewing.
In 2012, the airborne Lidar system revealed a long-forgotten urban landscape in the jungle of Cambodia. The new research now reveals the sheer size of the ancient cities
It follows news by an Australian archaeologist who announced earlier this month that he and colleagues found evidence of previously undiscovered medieval urban and agricultural networks surrounding the ancient city of Angkor Wat.
Using high-tech lasers to scan the Cambodian jungle, Damian Evans and colleagues said they found traces of extensive networks surrounding the monumental stone temple complex at Angkor Wat.
Evans said their findings could further our understanding of Khmer culture and throw into question traditional assumptions about the decline of the empire.
For years, experts have proposed a variety of reasons for the collapse of the Khmer civilization in the 15th century, including invasions by Thai armies, social and religious change, internal power struggles, and overpopulation and prolonged drought which forced populations to relocate to southern Cambodia.
THE KHMER EMPIRE The Khmer empire was a powerful state in South East Asia, formed by people of the same name, lasting from 802 CE to 1431 CE. At its peak, the empire covered much of what today is Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam. By the 7th century CE, Khmer people inhabited territories along the Mekong river - the world's seventh longest river - from the delta to roughly the modern Cambodia-Laos border, plus the region between that river and the great Tonle Sap lake to the west. There were several kingdoms at constant war against each other, with art and culture heavily influenced by India due to long established sea trade routes with that subcontinent. Hinduism mostly, but Buddhism as well, were important religions in the region, mixed with animist and traditional cults. Important cities from that time include Angkor Borei, Sambor Prei Kuk, Banteay Prei Nokor and Wat Phu. Advertisement
The Angkor-period temple of Banteay Top, within the Banteay Chhmar acquisition block. Lidar revealed details of a large earthen enclosure and additional temple sites and occupation areas in the vicinity of this large stone temple
New images from the survey show ancient cities near Angkor Wat were much bigger than previously thought. Above, a shaded relief map of the terrain around the central monuments of Sambor Prei Kuk
While the research has been underway for several years, the new findings uncover the sheer scale of the Khmer Empire's urban sprawl and temple complexes to be significantly bigger than was previously thought.
Evans said a laser technology known as lidar was used to create precise maps of ancient networks that left only vague traces - invisible to the naked eye - in the landscape surrounding the temples.
'You could be standing in the middle of the forest looking at what appear to be some random lumps and bumps,' Evans said.
'But they might actually be evidence of old excavated ponds or built-up roadways,' he explained. 'All of these things left traces,
Holidaymakers seeking sunshine in Mediterranean waters are at risk of venomous lionfish, scientists warn.
Rising sea temperatures are encouraging poisonous species of alien lionfish to invade and breed near popular tourist destinations.
Having almost colonised an entire coast of Cyprus in just one year, the fearsome predators reduce the biodiversity of many aquatic environments.
Lionfish possess venom in their fin rays, which makes them excellent predators and a threat to fishermen
VENOMOUS LIONFISH Two species of lionfish - Pterois volitans, which is the most common, and Pterois miles - have officially become the first outsider finfish to establish a sizeable population in the waters off the United States. They can now be found in an area covering more than 1.5 million square miles (four million square kilometers) in the western Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. With 18 venomous spikes that can cause intense pain, and no natural enemies besides humans, these members of the scorpionfish family scare off any would-be predators. Even sharks will not eat them. But lionfish will eat almost anything smaller than them, including valuable species like red porgy Having almost colonised an entire coast of Cyprus in just one year, the fearsome predators reduce the biodiversity of many aquatic environments. If you're stung by a lionfish, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends immersing the wound in hot water for about 30 minutes. You should also remove any spines still in the wound. Although the stings are rarely fatal, in extreme cases they can cause nausea, vomiting, and allergic reactions as well as severe pain. Advertisement
And the widening and deepening of the Suez Canal has put the entire region at risk of invasion, according to research published in Marine Biodiversity Records.
Lionfish, which are beautiful but deadly, possess venom in their fin rays, which makes them excellent predators and a threat to fishermen and divers.
Although the stings are rarely fatal, in extreme cases they can cause nausea, vomiting, and allergic reactions as well as severe pain.
Native to the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the Pterois miles - otherwise known as the 'Devil Firefish' - has rapidly invaded the south eastern coast of Cyprus.
Demetris Kletou, of the Environmental Research Lab in Limassol, Cyprus, said: 'Until now, few sightings of the alien lionfish Pterois miles have been reported in the Mediterranean.
'It was questionable whether the species could invade this region like it has in the western Atlantic.
'But we've found that lionfish have recently increased in abundance, and within a year have colonised almost the entire south eastern coast of Cyprus, assisted by sea surface warming.'
Lionfish are carnivores and feed on a variety of fish and crustaceans, with larger species preying almost exclusively on fish.
They spawn every four days producing almost two million eggs a year, with their venomous spines deterring predators from hunting them.
Their buoyant eggs ride ocean currents and can cover large distances before eventually settling.
Researchers collated information on reported encounters in coastal waters from divers and fishermen.
Professor Jason Hall Spencer, of the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University, said: 'Groups of lionfish exhibiting mating behaviour have been noted for the first time in the Mediterranean.
'By publishing this information, we can help stakeholders plan mitigating action, such as offering incentives for divers and fishermen to run lionfish removal programmes, which have worked well at shallow depths in the Caribbean, and restoring populations of potential predators, such as the dusky grouper.
Having almost colonised an entire coast of Cyprus in just one year, the fearsome predators reduce the biodiversity of many aquatic environments, according to environmentalists
'Given that the Suez Canal has recently been widened and deepened, measures will need to be put in place to help prevent further invasion.'
The voracious fish caused environmental havoc after it was introduced to the Caribbean.
Lionfish were first recorded in Cuba in 2007, and within two years, they were common in waters around the island.
The Association of Caribbean States organised a summit to discuss ways of combating the fish's spread.
Cuba, Colombia and the Bahamas have encouraged their populations to start eating the fish to keep down numbers.
Cuba now holds an annual fishing tournament for the species. Restaurants have begun serving its white, juicy flesh, long enjoyed as a delicacy in Japan.
The first sightings of the fish in Mediterranean waters were off Israel in 1991. More recently, they have been seen in Lebanese and Tunisian waters, according to the UICN.
Most of us hope that each US voter conducts detailed due diligence on each nominee and dives deep into the issues before deciding on their future president.
But new research suggests that the results of a presidential election are 'well determined by powerful forces' such as weather, the economy and even shark attacks.
And since this isn't a secret to those running, many of the nominees do not feel the need to respond to a specific policy agenda they just implement policies they believe are good for the country.
Scroll down for video
New research suggests that the results of a presidential election are 'well determined by powerful forces' such as weather, the economy and even shark attacks. And since this isn't a secret to those running, many of the nominees do not feel the need to respond to a specific policy agenda
WHAT RANDOM EVENTS CAN SHAPE OUTCOMES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? In 1916, a random event occurred that cost President Woodrow Wilson votes in New Jersey there were numerous reporters of shark attacks along the Jersey shoreline. Bartels and Achen, Roger Williams Straus Professor of Social Sciences and professor of politics at Princeton, studied how other natural events impacted elections. 'We looked at droughts and floods for the whole course of the 20th century and found there's a pretty consistent pattern of people voting against the incumbent party when their states are too wet or too dry,' Bartels said. Advertisement
A new book, 'Democracy for Realists: Why Elections do not Produce Responsive Governments', discusses how there are numerous factors that can change the outcome of a presidential election.
'Election outcomes are mostly random events shaped by things like whether the economy happened to grow in the few months before the election,' Larry Bartels of Vanderbilt University and co-author of the book,said.
'So there really isn't a very strong incentive for politicians to respond to any particular policy agenda, and what they end up doing is implementing the set of policies they believe are good for the country.'
Bartels and his co-author Christopher Achen of Princeton University explain that it is possible to figure out what 'random events' will affect the current election, but asking the right questions is the only way to crack the case.
In 1916, a random event occurred that cost President Woodrow Wilson votes in New Jersey there were numerous reporters of shark attacks along the Jersey shoreline.
Bartels and Achen, Roger Williams Straus Professor of Social Sciences and professor of politics at Princeton, studied how weather can change the way citizens vote.
'We looked at droughts and floods for the whole course of the 20th century and found there's a pretty consistent pattern of people voting against the incumbent party when their states are too wet or too dry,' Bartels said.
In 1916, a random event occurred that cost President Woodrow Wilson votes in New Jersey there were numerous reporters of shark attacks along the Jersey shoreline. Researchers explain that this type of disaster can ruin a campaign for anyone- even Hillary Clinton
'When collective misfortune strikes a society, someone must be blamed.'
The standard, idealistic notion of how and why a candidate gets elected is familiar from civics classes, but doesn't hold up under scrutiny, Bartels said.
'The basic idea is that people have preferences about policy that they somehow convey to the people who are running things and those people should respond and produce those policies,' Bartels said.
'That's the version you hear in Fourth of July speeches.'
'We looked at droughts and floods for the whole course of the 20th century and found there's a pretty consistent pattern of people voting against the incumbent party when their states are too wet or too dry,' Bartels said. Bernie Sanderis is slowly moving out of the race, but no one knows if it is because of the weather
'Political scientists for the last 70 years have generated a lot of evidence suggesting that's not what's happening.'
The other assumption is that elections are referendums on the performance of incumbents --this is still considered a popular theory today.
'People have studied that for a long time, and I have studied that, but it doesn't work as well as people like to think,' Bartels said.
'We've looked at people's ability to assess an incumbent's responsibility and found that they are not very good at that.'
DEMOCRAT VS. REPUBLICAN: WHERE THEY STAND ON ISSUES Economic Ideas Democrats: Minimum wages and progressive taxation. Born out of anti-federalist ideals but evolved over time to favor more government regulation. Republicans: Believe taxes shouldn't be increased for anyone and that wages should be set by the free market. Social and human ideas Democrats: Based on community and social responsibility Republicans: Based on individual rights and justice Stance on Military issues Democrats: Decreased spending Republicans: Increased spending Stance on Gay Marriage Democrats: Support (some Democrats disagree) Republicans: Oppose (some Republicans disagree) Stance on Abortion Democrats: Should not be made illegal; support Roe v. Wade (some Democrats disagree) Republicans: Should not be legal; oppose Roe v. Wade (some Republicans disagree) Stance on Death Penalty Democrats: While support for the death penalty is strong among Democrats, opponents of the death penalty are a substantial fraction of the Democratic base. Republicans: A large majority of Republicans support the death penalty. Stance on Immigration Democrats: A greater support overall for a moratorium on deporting - or offering a pathway to citizenship to - certain undocumented immigrants. e.g. those with no criminal record, who have lived in the U.S. for 5+ years. Republicans: Generally against amnesty for any undocumented immigrants and oppose order to put a moratorium on deporting certain workers and fund enforcement actions at the border. Advertisement
This new book looks at how outside factors can affect the results of a presidential election, but another book earlier this year revealed that the opposing parties have 'never been more negative in the history of survey research.'
They says this has left Congress deadlocked.
A new book, 'Why Washington Won't Work' discusses how politicians' and citizens' feelings towards the opposing party has become extremely negative over the years.
'Deeply negative feelings cause more trouble than deep ideological differences would,' Marc J. Hetherington, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University and co-author of 'Why Washington Won't Work', told Vanderbilt University.
'When you disagree with the other side on the issues, you can often find a middle ground.
'When you don't like the other side, you don't even talk to them.'
This new book looks at how outside factors can affect the results of a presidential election, whether Trump wins or loses, but another book earlier this year revealed that the opposing parties have 'never been more negative in the history of survey research
'Although citizens have it in their capacity to nudge officeholders toward compromise, they don't trust their opponents enough to push their side's representatives to compromise with those they increasingly view as the devil.'
A drink containing liquid aspirin could extend the lives of thousands of brain cancer patients
A drink containing liquid aspirin could extend the lives of thousands of brain cancer patients, according to breakthrough research.
British experts have found that the simple drug can cross the blood-brain barrier - a hurdle which has so far stopped cancer drugs attacking brain tumours.
Scientists will today announce the results of early tests which show liquid aspirin is ten times more effective than any existing chemotherapy at killing brain cancer cells.
And the team is confident that even more powerful combinations could be created if liquid aspirin is combined with cancer drugs, enabling strong drugs to properly attack brain tumours for the first time.
The research, carried out by Portsmouth University and a three-man start-up company in Manchester, was last night welcomed by experts as a game-changer.
More than 16,000 people each year in Britain are diagnosed with a brain tumour, yet campaigners have long warned that patients are left behind by a system which allocates them just 1 per cent of the national cancer research spending.
Less than 20 per cent of brain cancer patients survive more than five years, compared to 87 per cent for breast cancer and 98 per cent for testicular cancer.
The standard treatment involves surgery, where possible, to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy and then chemotherapy.
But chemotherapy is rarely effective because the drug, which is delivered into the blood supply via a drip, cannot properly reach the tumour.
This is because brain cells are separated from the blood supply via the blood-brain barrier - a membrane which divides blood cells from cerebral fluid.
Most drug molecules are too large to get through this barrier, but the new research - to be presented today at the Brain Tumours 2016 conference in Warsaw, Poland - reveals that specially-formulated aspirin acts as a Trojan horse to carry drugs through the barrier.
The breakthrough was made possible by a small company, working out of a family kitchen in Manchester, which has managed to make true liquid aspirin for the first time.
Soluble aspirins currently on the market are not completely soluble - contain grains that are too big to get through the membrane.
But Manchester-based Innovate Pharmaceuticals - comprised of brothers Simon and Jan Cohen with local A&E consultant Dr James Stuart - found that combining aspirin with a solubiliser and a stabiliser resulted in a truly liquid state.
The Portsmouth University team, whose research was funded by the Brain Tumour Research charity, found in lab tests that the solution showed huge promise.
More than 16,000 people each year in Britain are diagnosed with a brain tumour, yet campaigners have long warned that patients are left behind by a system which allocates them just 1 per cent of the national cancer research spending
They tested the liquid aspirin solution - known for now as IP1867B - on cancer cells from adults and children with a common and aggressive form of brain tumour called a glioblastoma.
And they found it was ten times more effective than any combination of other currently used drugs.
This is because aspirin itself has an ability to kill cancer cells. But if they add cancer drugs to the solution - which they have already started testing - they expect power of the treatment to substantially improve.
Sue Farrington Smith, chief executive of Brain Tumour Research, said: This is a potential game-changer for research into brain tumours and clearly shows what sustainable research is able to achieve.
It is science like this that will enable us to eventually find a cure for this devastating disease which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
Chemotherapy is rarely effective because the drug, which is delivered into the blood supply via a drip, cannot properly reach the tumour
All three ingredients are already approved for human use, meaning that trials should be quicker than otherwise for a new drug.
Experts expect the first human trials to start within two to three years.
Dr James Stuart, chief medical officer at Innovate Pharmaceuticals, said: IP1867B represents a major step forward in therapeutics.
We are excited by the studies to date and hope that our future studies will prove this to be the breakthrough that patients have been waiting for.
Aspirin has been used as a pain killer for thousands of years, since the Ancient Egyptians found that an extract of willow bark helped mothers cope with the pain of child birth.
But in recent years scientists have found that the cheap drug has many more applications.
Advertisement
Google is giving its maps a high definition refresh thanks to new satellite imagery data.
The Californian web giant first released its cloud-free map of the world in 2013, made up of a patchwork of high resolution photos taken by the Landsat 7 satellite.
But combining fresh images from a more modern satellite with new processing techniques has meant the view of Earth has been refreshed and sharpened.
Google hopes its updated global mosaic will provide users with the crispest cloud-free aerial views of the Earth to date.
Google has given its view of Earth's surface a high definition refresh, combining fresh satellite images with new processing techniques to sharpen the view of the planet from above. It hopes the updated global mosaic will provide users with the crispest cloud-free aerial views of the Earth to date. Pictured is an updated region over the Columbia Glacier in Alaska
Slide me The update has seen the existing mosaic of cloud-free images updated with sharper imagery captured by a more modern satellite. Slide the image above to see a satellite shot of New York from the previous data (left) and the crisper images taken by Landsat 8 (right)
LANDSAT 8 IMAGES The 8th in the line of Landsat satellites captures images with greater detail and truer colours, as well as capturing more images each day than its predecessor. Combining the fresh images with new processing techniques has meant Google's view of Earth has been refreshed and sharpened. Advertisement
The latest maps add 700 trillion pixels of new data to the service, and the changes will automatically be shown for all users of Google Maps and Google Earth this week.
According to an official blog post, Google last updated its Earth mosaic in 2013, using millions of images to stitch together the clearest pixels.
This new rendition of Earth uses the most recent data available mostly from Landsat 8 making it our freshest global mosaic to date, said Google.
Landsat 8, which launched in 2013, is a more advanced version of the previous satellites and is able to capture a greater array of light including deep blue and infrared.
As multiple pictures are snapped by the satellite each day, it can capture areas free from cloud cover. Stitching these new images together provides the sharpest global mosaic yet.
The Landsat programme is operated by the US Geological Service and Nasa, since launching in 1972 it has provided accurate measurements of Earths surface
A shot of the Swiss Alps shows the mountain range in stunning detail with the snow-capped mountains branching out. The Landsat 8 imagery captures the peaks and valleys in greater detail than ever before
An updated shot of Detroit, Michigan shows the sprawling grid system of the city radiating out from the Detroit River - emptying into Lake St Clair - with Canada on the Southern bank and the US on the Northern bank
The blue turquoise water of Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan is now even crisper in the latest satellite imagery (pictured)
Google explained that the 8th in the line of satellites captures images with greater detail and truer colours, as well as capturing more images each day than its predecessor.
Work has reportedly already begun on Landsat 9, which plans to launch in 2023.
Google explains that in order to stitch the pixels together, it mined more than one petabyte of imagery data - sorting through 700 trillion individual pixels to find the best cloud free shots.
It adds that the new imagery has been rolled out, so users can get sharper shots of the surface on Google Earth, or by flicking on the satellite layer in Google Maps.
Brasilia, the federal capital of Brazil can be picked apart in detail from the highland region of the South American country
An artist's impression of the Landsat 8 satellite orbiting Earth. Google explained that the 8th in the line of satellites captures images with greater detail and truer colours, as well as capturing more images each day than its predecessor
With coats of corkscrew curls and ears that flop at the tips, the latest recognised breed of dog could well be the cutest.
Breeders have been working tirelessly in the US over the past two decades in a quest to get the pumi officially noticed and their hard work paid off.
To become officially recognised by the American Kennel Club (AKC), the fluffy canine had to meet a population quota among a host of other criteria.
Scroll down fro video
The fluffy canine had to meet a population quota among a host of other criteria to become officially recognised
MEET THE PUMI The pumi (pronounced POOM-ee) has become the 190th breed to join the roster of the nations oldest purebred registry. Considered quick learners, the high-energy dogs are still used in the US to chase chickens, rabbits and goats. They are related to the puli, a breed already recognised by the AKC and known for its coat of long cords. Like many herding dogs, pumis, are alert and active, but if provided with enough exercise and stimulation they can rest. Advertisement
Now the adorable high-energy breed can compete for awards at the Westminster Kennel Club in February, a leading competition noticing the best breeds.
Originally from Hungary where they were used to herd cattle, sheep and pigs, experts warn the little balls of energy arent for the lazy.
Chris Levy, president of the Hungarian Pumi Club of America, said: They're not for somebody who's going to sit and watch TV all day long.
The pumi (pronounced POOM-ee) has become the 190th breed to join the roster of the US's oldest purebred registry
Considered quick learners, the high-energy dogs are still used in the US to chase chickens, rabbits and goats.
Experts warn that the little balls of energy, originally used as herding dogs in Hungary, arent for the lazy
With coats of corkscrew curls and ears that flop at the tips, the latest recognised breed of dog could well be the cutest. Breeders have been working tirelessly in the US over the past two decades in a quest to get the pumi officially noticed and their hard work paid off
They are related to the puli, a breed already recognised by the AKC and known for its coat of long cords.
Like many herding dogs, pumis, are alert and active, but if provided with enough exercise and stimulation they can rest.
Two other new breeds, the American hairless terrier and an ancient North African hound called the sloughi, were recognised this past January and will also be eligible for Westminster for the first time next year.
While a shaggy-haired sheepdog and an Italian hunting hound were among new dog breeds unveiled by the AKC in November.
Seven breeds were showcased in front of 20 million Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day who tuned in for the annual National Dog Show.
Some animal-rights advocates say dog breeding is too appearance-focused and irresponsible when many mixed-breed animals need adoption.
The AKC says conscientious breeding helps people and pets make happy matches by making the animals' characteristics somewhat more predictable.
It is one of those dreary tasks we would all prefer to avoid.
Sitting on the worktop in most kitchens is the pan being soaked that no one wants to tackle.
But that lingering chore of scouring away at burnt-on grease and food remnants may finally be a thing of the past.
Sitting on the worktop in most kitchens is the pan being soaked that no one wants to tackle. But that lingering chore of scouring away at burnt-on grease and food remnants may finally be a thing of the past. Scientists have created a new material (left) that is self-cleaning
HOW DOES IT WORK? The material repels water through a detailed criss-cross pattern on the surface produced by lasers. The idea was inspired by the leaves of a lotus flower. Water droplets simply drip off the leaves, rather than being absorbed - washing any dirt away in the process. The state of the art designs behind the new pans also take inspiration from the wings of insects. These have nano-tubules and nanoedges that break the exterior cellular membrane of the bacteria. Advertisement
A group of Italian scientists have invented a self-cleaning, antibacterial metal surface that could put an end to tedious scouring.
The material repels water through a detailed criss-cross pattern on the surface produced by lasers.
The idea was inspired by the leaves of a lotus flower.
Water droplets simply drip off the leaves, rather than being absorbed - washing any dirt away in the process.
Luca Romoli, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Parma, who led the project, said: We were looking in detail at biometrics.
It is a way to study nature and try to understand how you can improve things by trying to mimic what is already available.
The lotus leaf is one of the most well known in nature, but there are others that work more or less in the same way.
Rather than developing existing smooth designs, the new technology features intricate ridges carved into the surface.
The process of manufacturing the pans is still in the early stages.
The material repels water through a detailed criss-cross pattern on the surface produced by lasers
The idea was inspired by the leaves of a lotus flower. Water droplets simply drip off the leaves, rather than being absorbed - washing any dirt away in the process
It is likely to be used in industrial kitchens at first. But the hope is the pans will feature in household kitchens of the future.
The state of the art designs behind the new pans also take inspiration from the wings of insects.
The wings of some beetles in the Sahara desert are shaped by evolution to be antibacterial, Professor Romoli told The Times.
They have nano-tubules and nanoedges that break the exterior cellular membrane of the bacteria.
The changes you can see on the wings of butterflies are also achieved through nano-patterns that exchange heat by convection.
Recently this type of architecture was applied to microprocessors to increase the heat exchange.
A number of non-stick pans made out of Teflon already exist on the market, but once the pan is scratched, it usually needs to be replaced.
He said greed and stupidity have only become worse over last six years
A sinister threat is brewing deep inside the technology laboratories of Silicon Valley, according to Professor Stephen Hawking.
Artificial Intelligence, disguised as helpful digital assistants and self-driving vehicles, is gaining a foothold, and it could one day spell the end for mankind.
The world-renowned professor has warned robots could evolve faster than humans and their goals will be unpredictable.
Professor Stephen Hawking (pictured) claimed AI would be difficult to stop if the appropriate safeguards are not in place. The world-renowned professor has warned robots could evolve faster than humans and their goals will be unpredictable
ROBOTS WILL NOT TAKE OVER During a talk in Cannes, Google's chairman Eric Schmidt said AI will be developed for the benefit of humanity and there will be systems in place in case anything goes awry. 'We've all seen those movies,' he said. But he said in reality, people would always know how to turn the AI systems off, should it ever get to a dangerous point. He said the company will soon be launching an AI that can automatically respond to IM messages. Advertisement
On the Larry King Now show, Professor Hawking spoke of his fears about the future of the human race.
'I don't think advances in artificial intelligence will necessarily be benign,' Professor Hawking said. The physicists has previously been outspoken on his believes.
Professor Hawking was interviewed from the Canary Islands, where he was being honored at the 'Starmus' Festival, aimed at making science accessible to the public.
'Once machines reach a critical stage of being able to evolve themselves we cannot predict whether their goals will be the same as ours.'
'Artificial intelligence has the potential to evolve faster than the human race.'
As artificial intelligence advances, the possibility that machines could independently select and fire on targets is fast approaching. Fully autonomous weapons, also known as 'killer robots,' are quickly moving from the realm of science fiction (like the plot of Terminator, pictured) toward reality
This is not the first time the Professor of physics has warned of the dangers of a robot uprising. Last year he warned that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment
REPORT CALLS FOR BAN ON KILLER ROBOTS The report by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic was released as the United Nations kicked off a week-long meeting on such weapons in Geneva. The report calls for humans to remain in control over all weapons systems at a time of rapid technological advances. It says that requiring humans to remain in control of critical functions during combat, including the selection of targets, saves lives and ensures that fighters comply with international law. 'Machines have long served as instruments of war, but historically humans have directed how they are used,' said Bonnie Docherty, senior arms division researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. 'Now there is a real threat that humans would relinquish their control and delegate life-and-death decisions to machines.' Some have argued in favor of robots on the battlefield, saying their use could save lives. But last year, more than 1,000 technology and robotics experts including scientist Stephen Hawking, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak warned that such weapons could be developed within years, not decades. n an open letter, they argued that if any major military power pushes ahead with development of autonomous weapons, 'a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow.' According to the London-based organization Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, the United States, China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, and Britain are moving toward systems that would give machines greater combat autonomy. Advertisement
'We need to ensure AI is designed ethically, with safeguards in place.'
This is not the first time the Professor of physics has warned of the dangers of a robot uprising.
Last year he warned humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment.
Speaking at an event in London, the physicist told the BBC: 'The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.'
This echoed claims he had made earlier in the year when he said success in creating AI 'would be the biggest event in human history, [but] unfortunately, it might also be the last.'
He argued that developments in digital personal assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana are merely symptoms of an IT arms race which 'pale against what the coming decades will bring.'
And he is not alone. Last year, Elon Musk likened artificial intelligence to 'summoning the demon'.
The Tesla and founder previously warned that the technology could someday be more harmful than nuclear weapons.
But Professor Hawking, when speaking to the BBC, noted other potential benefits of this technology could also be significant, with the potential to eradicate, war, disease and poverty.
In his recent interview with Larry King, Professor Hawking said the biggest threats to mankind are our own weaknesses.
During an interview with King in 2010, Professor Hawking said two of mankind's biggest dangers were greed and stupidity, and he said in the latest interview that little has changed since then.
'We certainly have not become less greedy or less stupid,' Professor Hawking said. 'Six years ago, I was warning about pollution and overcrowding. They haven gotten worse since then.'
'At this rate, it will be 11 billion by 2100. Air pollution has increased over the past five years.'
But the biggest problem facing humanity, he says, is 'the increase in air pollution... and increasing levels of carbon dioxide.'
Last year Professor Hawking discussed Jonny Depp's latest film Transcendence, which delves into a world where computers can surpass the abilities of humans. Professor Hawking said dismissing the film as science fiction could be the 'worst mistake in history'
Often stereotyped as tattooed barbarians, the Picts had a talent for war.
But it turns out these 'lost' ancient people of Scotland also a talent for carving stone and shaping silver.
Archaeologists have surveyed a field in Northern Scotland and uncovered a hoard of 100 more silver items, including coins, and pieces of brooches and bracelets, all dating to late Roman times.
A team led by Dr Gordon Noble, senior lecturer in the department of archaeology at Aberdeen University, reported the findings in a study published in the journal Antiquity. The researchers were surprised when they discovered more than 100 silver items (shown)
WHO WERE THE PICTS? The Picts were a group of tribes who lived north of the Forth and Clyde during the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval period. By the late 200s AD the Picts had overrun the northern frontier of the Roman empire more than once. Mel Gibson's blue face paint in Braveheart is a nod to the Pictish tradition of body-paint - but the real Picts fought stark naked, and there are records of them doing so up until the 5th Century. The habit of fighting naked, especially in the cold Scottish climate, didn't harm the tribe's reputation for ferocity. Picts were one of the reasons even heavily armoured Roman legions could not conquer the area. Advertisement
A team led by Dr Gordon Noble, senior lecturer in the department of archaeology at Aberdeen University, reported the findings in a study published in the journal Antiquity.
'We set out, not really thinking we would find more silver,' Dr Noble said.
'We just wanted to learn more about the context' of the original find.
The researchers were surprised when they discovered more than 100 silver items.
The finds included late Roman coins and military equipment, personal ornaments including brooch and bracelet fragments, ingots and Hacksilber parcels - pieces of cut, bent and broken silver.
Originally, there were also two man-made stone circles, one dating to the Neolithic and the other the Bronze Age (B.C. 1670 to B.C. 1500), the researchers said.
Gaulcross is now an intensively-farmed field in rural Aberdeenshire, and there is no evidence left showing the stone circles.
The finds included late Roman coins and military equipment, personal ornaments including brooch and bracelet fragments, ingots and Hacksilber parcels - pieces of cut, bent and broken silver. The items belonged to a group of people called the Picts
A lunate/crescent-shaped pendant with two double-loops, shown left, and silver hemispheres shown right. Some of the objects in the Gaulcross hoard were themselves almost certainly connected to elites
THE GAULCROSS HOARD Gaulcross is now an intensively farmed arable field in rural Aberdeenshire. In spring 2013, two projects in Scotland came together to investigate the site. The Northern Picts project (established 2012) at the Universityof Aberdeen, a field-based initiative targeting key Pictish sites in northern Scotland was one of the projects. The second was the National Museums Scotland Glenmorangie Research Project (established 2008), which has been promoting material culture approaches to the study of early medieval Scotland. Advertisement
Three silver objects were first unearthed at the stone circle site over 170 years ago, before it was turned into a field.
The silver dates back to the sixth or seventh century AD, according to the paper, after the Romans decamped and before the Vikings stormed onshore.
In spring 2013, two projects in Scotland came together to revisit the site, and began to find more and more silver objects.
The items belonged to a group of people called the Picts.
The Picts were a group of tribes who lived north of the Forth and Clyde during the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval period.
'It's a real melting pot of different objects and different cultural origins,' Dr Noble said. 'It's a really fascinating hoard.'
'The new fieldwork has revealed that the Gaulcross hoard was much larger than previously thought and is now the northernmost (pre-Viking Age) Hacksilber hoard in Europe and one of only two comparable hoards known in Scotland,' the authors said.
'This hoard shows that the Picts had access to quantities of silver and were, not surprisingly, carefully managing what was a precious resource,' Dr Alice Blackwell, Glenmorangie Research Fellow at National Museums Scotland, who was involved in the study, told MailOnline.
'Many of the objects have been cut up ready to be melted down and made into new things. Until now, weve had only one other hoard, from Fife, that could shed light on this process of making and remaking, and many of the objects within that hoard were unique.
'Now we have an additional 100 objects with which to ask questions about the range of contacts the Picts had, about how they acquired Roman silver in the first place, about the sorts of new power symbols they made from it.
'The theme of recycling is so important to understanding the Gaulcross hoard. It explains why so many of the objects are rare most other examples would have been melted down, but luckily for us, for some reason, this hoard was buried until now.'
A small, zoomorphic penannular brooch, shown left and one of the bracelet fragments with a Late Roman siliquae pinched inside, shown right
At a prehistoric stone circle in Scotland, three silver objects were discovered over 170 years ago. But instead of looking for more treasures after finding these three, they were ordered to turn the field into farmland, keeping the buried artefacts hidden. Gaulcross is now an intensively farmed field in rural Aberdeenshire, pictured on map
By the late 200s AD the Picts had overrun the northern frontier of the Roman empire more than once.
Like other hoards, the Gaulcross treasure has 'preserved fashions (from) what we think of as the darkest bits of the dark age after the fall of the Roman Empire,' says study co-author Martin Goldberg of National Museums Scotland. 'It's like a little snapshot in time.'
The Roman name for the people - Picti - means 'painted people'. It is not known what they called themselves.
NEW METHODS ON OLD FINDS The authors said the study shows the importance of using modern techniques to investigate old finds. 'During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lots of antiquities were both discovered and destroyed through processes of agricultural improvement and expansion, and their discovery was often inadequately reported,' the authors wrote. 'Here, we highlight the potential of reinvestigating antiquarian finds for research purposes, using modern investigative techniques to provide information otherwise lacking for so many old finds.' Advertisement
The habit of fighting naked, especially in the cold Scottish climate, didn't harm the tribe's reputation for ferocity.
Picts were one of the reasons even heavily armoured Roman legions could not conquer the area.
These included small fragments of sheet silver, hacked fragments of objects and some intact objects that might have belonged to important members of society at the time.
'Some of the objects in the Gaulcross hoard were themselves almost certainly connected to elites,' the authors wrote in the study.
'Items such as silver hand-pins and silver bracelets...are uncommon finds.'
'I think one of the most exciting objects is a piece of a bangle that has been folded into a parcel, and a late Roman coin (late 4th early 5th century AD) sandwiched between the folds,' Dr Blackwell told MailOnline.
'This type of bangle is, like most of the hoard, extremely rare but what makes it particularly exciting is that in this parcel we have the meeting of Roman and local objects, both more valued for their silver bullion by the time they were buried than as a coin or bangle.
'Some of the research were doing at the moment is looking at the weights of the parcels to see if there are any uniform sizes of parcels, perhaps conforming to the Roman ounce weight system this is one of the parcels that might have been deliberately made to weigh 1/3 of a Roman ounce.'
The authors said the study shows the importance of using modern techniques to investigate old finds.
'During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lots of antiquities were both discovered and destroyed through processes of agricultural improvement and expansion, and their discovery was often inadequately reported,' the authors wrote.
In London, it's won 160,000 cases since it was released last fall
Robot has been used over 9,000 times in New York City since March launch
Just three months ago, a ticket-fighting bot was launched in New York City to help drivers challenge parking fines and its already been used more than 9,000 times.
The DoNotPay bot was first released in London last fall, where it has since successfully disputed 160,000 tickets.
The robot lawyer generates documents and answers legal questions, but wont charge you hundreds of dollars in fees.
Just three months ago, a ticket-fighting bot was launched in New York City to help drivers challenge parking fines and its already been used more than 9,000 times. The DoNotPay bot was first released in London last fall, where it has since successfully disputed 160,000 tickets
HOW DOES IT WORK? The first step to fighting against a parking ticket is to sign into the website and a chat screen will appear. The bot will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs? After it analyses your answers, the robot will then decide if you qualify for an appeal, if yes, it will generate an appeal letter that can be brought to the court. The robot uses a scripting language, AMK, which combines word choices and similarity of phrases to find what users are saying, explains Browder. Once it knows what youre saying, it will begin asking questions, pick out the variables and place them in the correct fields. Advertisement
Joshua Browder, a Stanford University freshman, initially created the robot to appeal parking tickets in the UK.
Since its launch, it's saved drivers more than $3 million dollars.
The parking bot has fought 250,000 tickets in London, and won more than half of these cases, Browder told VentureBeat.
In New York City, about 7,000 parking tickets are given out every day, and last year, and the city issued a record-breaking $1.9 billion in traffic fines.
But, DoNotPay aims to change this, already helping almost 10,000 people since March.
Browder also has plans to extend the service to Seattle this fall.
When I first started the site, I sent it around to half a dozen family and friends and it is heart-warming that some many people have since used the site to overcome basic legal issues, Browder told Dailymail.com in Februrary.
Browder created this technology when he was 18 years old, after receiving a parking ticket on a Saturday and experienced how time consuming the appeals process is.
I realized there is a formulated process for appealing tickets, so I wrote a script that does the same thing and I started winning, says Browder.
I created this robot to help people with legal issues and make it a free service.
The first step to fighting a parking ticket is to sign into DoNotPay.co.uk, where a chat screen will appear.
In New York City, about 7,000 parking tickets are given out every day, and last year, and the city issued a record-breaking $1.9 billion in traffic fines. But, DoNotPay aims to change this, already helping almost 10,000 people since March
The bot will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs?
After it analyzes your answers, the robot will decide if you qualify for an appeal, if yes, it will generate an appeal letter that can be brought to the courts.
The robot uses a scripting language, AMK, which combines word choices and similarity of phrases to find what users are saying, explains Browder.
Once it knows what youre saying, it will begin asking questions, pick out the variables and place them in the correct fields.
The site has shown a 47 percent success rate, and Browder notes, many parking lawyers have a much lower rate than 47 percent.
Joshua Browder, a Stanford University freshman, initially created the robot to appeal parking tickets in the UK. Since its launch, it's saved drivers more than $3 million dollars
Joshua Browder (pictured) taught himself to code by the age of eight and at 12 years old, he created an unofficial iPhone app for Pret A that was adopted by the firm. And the lawyer robot isnt the only and last thing Browder is working on to help the public
I feel that parking tickets are already hurting the elderly and disabled, the most vulnerable in society, the most, says Browder.
From my experience, parking lawyers are making millions appealing tickets from these groups, a task that can be easily automated for free.
The challenge will be getting people to trust a robot over a human, but in light of the high fees parking lawyers are charging, and the higher success rate of my free website.
I hope to convince everyone to give it a try and one day replace these exploitative lawyers completely.
The first step to fighting against a parking ticket is to sign into the website and a chat screen will appear. It will then proceed with questions in order to learn the details of your case such as were you or someone you know driving? or was it hard to understand that parking signs?
The robot has also learned the laws about cancelled and delay flights and payment protection insurance.
And even though the program is based around UK law, Browder says it can help those in the US as well, such as if a flight is delayed going from New York to London the users can claim compensation using the robot.
Browder taught himself to code by the age of eight and at 12 years old, he created an unofficial iPhone app for Pret A that was adopted by the firm.
The robot has also learned the laws about cancelled and delay flights and payment protection insurance. And even though the program is based around UK law, Browder says it can help those in the US as well, such as if a flight is delayed going from New York to London the users can claim compensation using the robot
And the lawyer robot isnt the only and last thing Browder is working on to help the public.
He is developing technology for driver-less cars that will automatically appeal speeding tickets, as Browder explains, it can help those who get into a car accident and find themselves in the hospital its just one less thing to worry about.'
Along with this, Browder is developing a bot to help people with HIV understand their legal rights, and a bot to help refugees apply for asylum, VentureBeat reports.
I also want to help refugees, in the US and UK, he says.
Technique could also be used to develop superfast swimsuits
This allows it to reach
As swimmers know, moving cleanly through the water can be a problem due o the huge amounts of drag created - and for submarines, this is even more of a problem.
However, US Navy funded researchers say they have a simple solution - a bubble.
Researchers at Penn State Applied Research Laboratory are developing a new system using a technique called supercavitation.
The new sub envelops a submerged vessel inside an air bubble to avoid problems caused by water drag
SUPERCAVITATION The new sub is based on Soviet technology developed during the cold war. Called supercavitation, it envelopes a submerged vessel inside an air bubble to avoid problems caused by water drag. A Soviet supercavitation torpedo called Shakval was able to reach a speed of 370km/h or more - much faster than any other conventional torpedoes. In theory, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h, which would reduce the journey time for a transatlantic underwater cruise to less than an hour, and for a transpacific journey to about 100 minutes, according to a report by California Institute of Technology in 2001. Advertisement
The new idea is based on Soviet technology developed during the cold war.
Called supercavitation, it envelopes a submerged vessel inside an air bubble to avoid problems caused by water drag.
A Soviet supercavitation torpedo called Shakval was able to reach a speed of 370km/h or more - much faster than any other conventional torpedoes.
In theory, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h.
This would reduce the journey time for a transatlantic underwater cruise to less than an hour, and for a transpacific journey to about 100 minutes, according to a report by California Institute of Technology in 2001.
However, the technique also results in a bumpy ride - something the new team has solved.
'Basically supercavitation is used to significantly reduce drag and increase the speed of bodies in water,' said Grant M. Skidmore, recent Penn State Ph.D. recipient in aerospace engineering.
'However, sometimes these bodies can get locked into a pulsating mode.'
To create the bubble around a vehicle, air is introduced in the front and expands back to encase the entire object.
However, sometimes the bubble will contract, allowing part of the vehicle to get wet.
The periodic expansion and contraction of the bubble is known as pulsation and might cause instability.
Photograph of a second order pulsating supercavity in the Penn State ARL Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel facility's 12-inch diameter water tunnel. The circular object is a window mounted hydrophone.
'Shrinking and expanding is not good,' said Timothy A. Brungart, senior research associate at ARL and associate professor of acoustics.
'We looked at the problem on paper first and then experimentally.'
The researchers first explored the problem analytically, which suggested a solution, but then verifying with an experiment was not simple.
The ideal outcome for supercavitation is that the gas bubble forms, encompasses the entire vehicle and exits behind, dissipating the bubble without pulsation.
The researchers report the results of their analytic analysis and experimentation online in the International journal of Multiphase Flow.
In theory, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h.. Pictured, a BAE Systems artists impression of next generation submarine.
The ARL researchers decided to use the Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel facility's 12-inch diameter water tunnel to test their numerical calculations.
'The water tunnel was the easiest way to observe the experiment,' said Brungart. 'But not the easiest place to create the pulsation.'
Creating a supercavitation bubble and getting it to pulsate in order to stop the pulsations inside a rigid-walled water tunnel tube had not been done.
'Eventually we ramped up the gas really high and then way down to get pulsation,' said Jules W. Lindau, senior research associate at ARL and associate professor of aerospace engineering.
They found that once they had supercavitation with pulsation, they could moderate the air flow and, in some cases, stop pulsation.
'Supercavitation technology might eventually allow high speed underwater supercavitation transportation,' said Moeney.
China is also developing a'supersonic' submarine that could travel from Shanghai to San Francisco in less than two hours.
Researchers say their new craft uses a radical new technique to create a 'bubble' to surround itself, cutting down drag dramatically.
In theory, the researchers say, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h.
The technology was developed by a team of scientists at Harbin Institute of Technology's Complex Flow and Heat Transfer Lab.
Li Fengchen, professor of fluid machinery and engineering, told the South China Morning Post he was 'very excited by its potential'.
The new sub is based on Soviet technology developed during the cold war.
Called supercavitation, it envelopes a submerged vessel inside an air bubble to avoid problems caused by water drag.
A Soviet supercavitation torpedo called Shakval was able to reach a speed of 370km/h or more - much faster than any other conventional torpedoes.
In theory, the researchers say, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h. It envelopes a submerged vessel inside an air bubble to avoid problems caused by water drag.
In theory, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h, which would reduce the journey time for a transatlantic underwater cruise to less than an hour, and for a transpacific journey to about 100 minutes, according to a report by California Institute of Technology in 2001.
The Chinese system constantly 'showers' a special liquid membrane on its own surface.
Although this membrane would be worn off by water, in the meantime it could significantly reduce the water drag on the vessel at low speed.
After its speed had reached 75km/h or more the vessel would enter the supercavitation state, Li said.
However, Li admitted problems still needed to be solved before supersonic submarine travel became feasible.
A powerful underwater rocket engine still needs to be developed.
The technique could even be used to aid swimmers, he believes.
Advertisement
Fireworks shows are not just confined to Earth's skies.
Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular fireworks display in a small, nearby galaxy, which the space agency says resembles a July 4th skyrocket.
A firestorm of star birth is lighting up one end of the diminutive galaxy Kiso 5639, and the dwarf galaxy is shaped like a flattened pancake, but because it is tilted edge-on, it resembles a skyrocket, with a brilliant blazing head and a long, star-studded tail.
The image shows a star birth lighting up one end of the diminutive galaxy Kiso 5639. The dwarf galaxy is shaped like a flattened pancake, but because it is tilted edge-on, it resembles a skyrocket, with a brilliant blazing head and a long, star-studded tail.
WHY THE WEIRD SHAPE? The bright gas in the galaxy's head contains fewer heavier elements (collectively called 'metals'), such as carbon and oxygen, than the rest of the galaxy. Stars consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, but cook up other 'heavier' elements. When the stars die, they release their heavy elements and enrich the surrounding gas. Advertisement
Kiso 5639 is a rare, nearby example of elongated galaxies that occur in abundance at larger distances, where we observe the universe during earlier epochs, Nasa said.
Astronomers suggest that the frenzied star birth is sparked by intergalactic gas raining on one end of the galaxy as it drifts through space.
'I think Kiso 5639 is a beautiful, up-close example of what must have been common long ago,' said lead researcher Debra Elmegreen of Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, New York.
'The current thinking is that galaxies in the early universe grow from accreting gas from the surrounding neighborhood. It's a stage that galaxies, including our Milky Way, must go through as they are growing up.'
Observations of the early universe, such as Hubble's Ultra-Deep Field, reveal that about 10 percent of all galaxies have these elongated shapes, and are collectively called 'tadpoles.'
But studies of the nearby universe have turned up only a few of these unusual galaxies, including Kiso 5639.
The development of the nearby star-making tadpole galaxies, however, has lagged behind that of their peers, which have spent billions of years building themselves up into many of the spiral galaxies seen today.
Elmegreen used Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 to conduct a detailed imaging study of Kiso 5639.
The images in different filters reveal information about an object by dissecting its light into its component colors.
Hubble's crisp resolution helped Elmegreen and her team analyze the giant star-forming clumps in Kiso 5639 and determine the masses and ages of the star clusters.
The international team of researchers selected Kiso 5639 from a spectroscopic survey of 10 nearby tadpole galaxies, observed with the Grand Canary Telescope in La Palma, Spain, by Jorge Sanchez Almeida and collaborators at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.
The observations revealed that in most of those galaxies, including Kiso 5639, the gas composition is not uniform.
The bright gas in the galaxy's head contains fewer heavier elements (collectively called 'metals'), such as carbon and oxygen, than the rest of the galaxy.
Stars consist mainly of hydrogen and helium, but cook up other 'heavier' elements. When the stars die, they release their heavy elements and enrich the surrounding gas.
'The metallicity suggests that there has to be rather pure gas, composed mostly of hydrogen, coming into the star-forming part of the galaxy, because intergalactic space contains more pristine hydrogen-rich gas,' Elmegreen explained. 'Otherwise, the starburst region should be as rich in heavy elements as the rest of the galaxy.'
Using an infrared telescope astronomers have imaged more than 250,000 galaxies in an area of the sky four times the size of the full moon. Most of the galaxies are over nine billion years old and some date back to the first billion years of the universe (section of the Ultra Deep Survey pictured)
OLDEST GALAXY EVER OBSERVED While the Ultra-Deep Survey has been able to image more than 250,000 galaxies across a large patch of sky, with many being up to nine billion years old, astronomers have been able to pinpoint objects that are far older. Earlier this year scientists announced that the Hubble Space Telescope had managed to image a galaxy that is 13.4 billion light years away. It means the space telescope was seeing a galaxy that existed just 400 million years after the Big Bang. GN-z11 is 25 times smaller than our own galaxy, the Milky Way but appears to be suprisingly bright with stars. Advertisement
Hubble offers a detailed view of the galaxy's star-making frenzy.
The telescope uncovered several dozen clusters of stars in the galaxy's star-forming head, which spans 2,700 light-years across.
These clusters have an average age of less than 1 million years and masses that are three to six times larger than those in the rest of the galaxy.
Other star formation is taking place throughout the galaxy but on a much smaller scale.
Star clusters in the rest of the galaxy are between several million to a few billion years old.
'There is much more star formation going on in the head than what you would expect in such a tiny galaxy,' said team member Bruce Elmegreen of IBM's Thomas J. Watson's Research Center, in Yorktown Heights, New York.
'And we think the star formation is triggered by the ongoing accretion of metal-poor gas onto a part of an otherwise quiescent dwarf galaxy.'
Hubble also revealed giant holes peppered throughout the galaxy's starburst head.
These cavities give the galaxy's head a Swiss-cheese appearance because numerous supernova detonations like firework aerial bursts have carved out holes of rarified superheated gas.
The galaxy, located 82 million light-years away, has taken billions of years to develop because it has been drifting through an isolated 'desert' in the universe, devoid of much gas.
What triggered the starburst in such a backwater galaxy? Based on simulations by Daniel Ceverino of the Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University in Germany, and other team members, the observations suggest that less than 1 million years ago, Kiso 5639's leading edge encountered a filament of gas.
The filament dropped a large clump of matter onto the galaxy, stoking the vigorous star birth.
Debra Elmegreen expects that in the future other parts of the galaxy will join in the star-making fireworks show.
'Galaxies rotate, and as Kiso 5639 continues to spin, another part of the galaxy may receive an infusion of new gas from this filament, instigating another round of star birth,' she said.
The team's results have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
Earlier this week, astronomers used infrared telescopes to build up one of the most detailed maps of some of the most distant galaxies in our universe.
In a patch of the sky four times bigger than a full moon they detected more than 250,000 galaxies, many of which formed billions of years before the Earth was formed.
The survey has obtained one of the largest deep space views ever achieved, revealing thousands of galaxies from some of the universe's earliest days (large bright galaxy surrounded by many more distant ones)
They hope the images from project, known as the Ultra-Deep Survey, will provide astronomers with a new abilities to study the early stages of galaxy formation and evolution.
Professor Omar Almaini, an astronomer at the University of Nottingham who led the project, said: 'With the UDS we can study distant galaxies in large numbers, and observe how they evolved at different stages in the history of the Universe.
'We see most of the galaxies in our image as they were billions of years before the Earth was formed.'
The universe is estimated to be around 13.8 billion years old and due to the way it has constantly expanded since the Big Bang, light from the most parts is also some of the oldest.
This means the further astronomers peer into space, the further back in time they are looking.
Light from some of the most distant galaxies is billions of years old and was emitted while the universe was still in its infancy, taking all that time to travel across space to reach us here on Earth. In this way light from these distant galaxies provide us with a glimpse of the past.
The Ultra-Deep Survey has been able to give one of the deepest views of a large area of sky ever obtained, with many of the galaxies spotted being more than nine billion light years away.
Until now scientist have mainly focused on single objects far back in the universe's history.
Several hundred of the galaxies it observed were giving off their light in the first billion years after the Big Bang.
To obtain their images, the scientists used the UK Infrared Telescope on Hawaii to repeatedly observe the same patch of sky.
The researchers focused the UK Infrared Telescope on Hawaii for more than 1,000 hours so that even some of the most distant and faintest objects became visible (pictured)
The built up more than 1,000 hours of exposure time, meaning even the faintest objects started to become visible.
Looking for infrared light also helped them see further back as ordinary starlight is 'redshifted' to longer wavelengths due to the expansion of the universe.
The researchers are presenting their findings at the National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Nottingham.
Dr William Hartley, a researcher at University College London who was also involved in the project, said: 'We are particularly keen to understand the dramatic transformation that many massive galaxies underwent around 10 billion years ago.
Scientists hope the new images will allow them to look at the birth and evolution of galaxies in the early universe (another image accounting for must 0.5 per cent of the survey pictured)
'At that time many galaxies appear to have abruptly stopped forming stars, and they also changed shape to form spheroidal-looking galaxies.
'We still don't fully understand why this happens.
Father Benjamin Fiiriter traveled over 20 hours from Ghana to attend Acton University earlier this month. He works in the Diocese of Wa in various capacities at the Finance Office, Estates Office and Procuration, Pontifical Mission Societies and the General Correspondence of the Bishop and the Curia. In his extensive work with Church documents, he felt a formal academic and spiritual refresher was necessary. He was not disappointed. Among his favorite courses were Christian Anthropology, which has a wide and deep pertinence to [Ghanaian] culture, as well as Islam 101, which is also extremely relevant in [Ghanaian] society.
Fr. Fiiriter is eager to take what he learned at Acton University back to the Diocese of Wa, where he believes it will be beneficial to the entire Church.
Advertisement
Monarch butterflies have been in serious decline over recent years, but thanks to conservation efforts by the Mexican government, the insects have been making a big comeback.
The orange and back creatures travel down from the US and Canada to spend their winters in the mountains west of Mexico City, where they are counted by biologists.
Their habit of congregating in thick clumps there means that they are counted by the surface area they cover instead of individually.
The number of monarchs making the 3,400-mile journey started to increase in 2014 from a serious drop in levels over the previous decade and last winter's population had increased further still. This December, the butterflies covered 10 acres, compared to 2.8 acres in 2014 and a record low of 1.66 acres in 2013.
Omar Vidal, director of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico, said: 'Now more than ever, Mexico, the United States, and Canada should increase their conservation efforts to protect and restore the habitat of this butterfly along its migratory route.'
The United States is working to reintroduce milkweed, a plant key to the butterflies' migration, on about 1,160 square miles within five years, both by planting and by designating pesticide-free areas. It is also cracking down on illegal logging in the area the butterflies call home, as the trees are crucial protection for the fragile animals against the weather.
Monarch Butterflies take to the skies in the Sierra Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary, Angangueo, Mexico
The Monarch butterflies flock to the milkweed plant, which they use to feed on and to lay their eggs on
Monarch butterflies rest on pine trees in the Rosario Butterfly Reserve, Michoacan. The butterflies are counted by the surface area they cover
Butterflies rest on a pine tree in Mexico. The forest canopy acts as a blanket against the cold for butterflies forming huge clumps on branches during their winter stay
Colorful Monarch Butterflies migrate south for the winter from the USA and Canada and all three countries are working to conserve the animals
Monarch butterflies feeding on milkweed, a plant key to the butterflies' migration
The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find their way back to the same patches of pine forest in Mexico each year.
A tourist watches monarch butterflies flying in Cerro Pelon Sanctuary/ People travel thousands of miles to witness the insects return to their winter home
In Mexico,illegal logging has remained a problem. It more than tripled in the monarch butterflies' wintering grounds in 2014, reversing several years of steady improvement in the insects' numbers
A tourist photographing Monarch butterflies, which have partly increased in number over the last couple of years thanks to more favorable weather conditions along the monarch's migratory routes
Monarch Butterflies mass along the path in the Sierra Pellon mountain at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
This December, the butterflies covered 10 acres (about 4 hectares), compared to 2.8 acres (1.13 hectares) in 2014 and a record low of 1.66 acres (0.67 hectares) in 2013
Three bunches of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) hang from tree branches at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Mexico
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Biological Diversity, which is pushing for endangered species status for the monarchs, noted that even with the rebound, the butterflies are still only at 68 percent of their 22-year average
The number of monarchs making the 3,400-mile (5,500-kilometer) migration from the United States and Canada declined steadily in recent years before recovering in 2014
Clusters of Monarch butterflies on the pine tree. According to experts, Monarchs must reach a much larger population size to be resilient to ever-increasing threats
Monarch Butterflies mass along a dry stream bed in the Sierra Pellon mountain at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Sierra Pellon, Michoacan State
Advertisement
Uyuni in southern Bolivia is perhaps best known for its mesmerising salt flats.
But just a couple of miles outside of the city lies another, lesser known attraction - Cementerio de Trenes, or the train cemetery.
The sizable collection of locomotives date back to the 19th century, to the heyday of the transport in Bolivia, when Uyuni had been the home of a rail-car factory.
They've been abandoned over time, as the country moved away from train travel, and have been later joined by engines imported from Britain.
Today, they've become an unusual tourist spot, usually for those who are travelling to or from the salt flats.
And as these images, taken by photographer Chris Staring, shows, the stark emptiness of the graveyard gives the engines and rail cars an haunting feel - just like the salt flats.
This locomotive looks as though it's ready to make another journey sometime soon, despite being full of holes and partly buried
This empty, rusted shell of an old rail car is just a couple of miles outside of the city of Uyuni and forms part of the Cementerio de Trenes, or the train cemetery
Many of the engines and rail cars date back to the 19th century. Above, inside one of the wrecked rail cars that's partially covered by sand
The locomotives are at different stages of decay. Above, a rail car that's been stripped back to its skeletal frame
There are dozens of complete trains, all scattered over the site. You can see many of them when looking straight down the rail track
Some of the eerie rail cars are stripped of their paneling, leaving behind just a skeleton that tourists love to explore
Looking out from inside one of the disused steam engines, which has been perforated with holes
The rear end of a locomotive, which would have once carried the coals to fuel the steam engines, is now in its final resting place outside
Well over 100 rail cars and locomotives can be found in the graveyard in different states of decay, some joined to form complete trains
An old industrial tanker lies unbalanced in the train graveyard, as if it's ready to be picked up any time
A part of an old steam engine is now nothing but a scrap piece of metal rusting away among the weeds
The altitude of Uyuni produces some amazing sunset of vivid pinks and purples, which creates a surreal backdrop in the train graveyard
The moon hovering over a pile of rusted rail cars at sunset. Many of these are now covered with graffiti
The view of the horizon from on board one of the old locomotives, from which you can see more trains in the distance
Several rusting locomotives lined up end to end in their final resting place on disused rail tracks leading to nowhere
Tourists usually visit the site on their way to or from the salt flats. Above, the sun begins to set in the train graveyard
Two industrial tankers rusting away, surrounded by discarded train parts that litter the unusual tourist site
Some of the locomotives and rail cars have become victim to vandalisation and looting while others have become a canvas for art
Heavy train parts lay scattered around the graveyard, where they've succumbed to rust and to discoloration from the environment
One of several swings someone has installed inside the shell of of some of the old locomotives
The moon hovers above several locomotives and rail cars as the sunset produces vivid colours in the background
A few oddly shaped rail cars block the intense sun as it sets on the horizon, creating something resembling a monster
Above, a close up shot of one of the rusted rail cars, which has been used to frame the landscape in the background
A dented industrial tanker dumped beside the disused tracks now covered in 'horor' graffiti
The moon hovering over one of the rusted rail car, which sits alone on the disused train track
The view towards the Chilean coastline, as seen from this rail track, looks very, very far away
Advertisement
An Italian photographer has captured the beauty of the Irish coastline in a stunning series of landscape shots.
From the towering Cliffs of Moher to the hexagonal columns of the Giant's Causeway, Marco Bottigelli, 35, photographed the beautiful coastal scenery of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
To create the inspiring collection, he drove more than 1,200 miles around the Irish coastline while admiring the scenery and waiting for picture-perfect weather conditions.
Italian photographer Marco Bottigelli covered 1,200 miles on a road trip along the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland's breathtaking coast, visiting Geokaun Mountain and Fogher Cliffs on Valentia Island (above), County Kerry, along the way
Bottigelli said: 'Ireland has always been one of the most fascinating lands in Europe.' Pictured above is Fanad Head in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
Thrilling drive: The winding roads near Coumeenoole Bay in Slea Head in County Kerry have steep cliffs with sheer falls to the crashing waves (above)
Using a drone the photographer clicked away to capture the white lighthouse of Fanad (above), County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
The scraggy rocks and soft rolling light proved inspiring to Bottigelli as he captured The Mussenden Temple in County Londonderry (above), Northern Ireland
Photographer Bottigelli, of Castellanza, Italy said: 'Ireland has always been one of the most fascinating lands in Europe.
'The country is wild and welcoming all at the same time. I love the beautiful, natural landscapes, but I also admire the picturesque lighthouses and castles.'
He added: The landscape is truly unique and a dreamland for photographers.'
The photographs show the sheer magnitude of the towering cliffs, winding roads and crashing waves of the coast in places like the cliffs at Crohy Head in County Donegal (above), Republic of Ireland
Wild flowers and blankets of grass cover the coastline in spring, like here on the hills at Crohy Head (above), County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
By car, Bottigelli visited Dublin, County Antrim, County Mayo, County Claire, Coleraine, Donegal (above), County Cork, Waterford, County Kerry and Valentia Island
The drama and history of County Mayo's (above), Republic of Ireland, landscape becomes fine art in this Northern Italian photographer's lens
As the sun sets and the light softens to a warm glow, the picture shows the tranquillity Fanad Head Lighthouse (above) in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
For Bottigelli, a lot of hard work and dedication goes into every image and he often sleeps in his car while waiting for the right lighting.
During this trip, Marco visited Dublin, County Antrim, County Mayo, County Claire, Coleraine, Donegal, County Cork, Waterford, County Kerry and Valentia Island.
He said: 'Before I travelled to Ireland, I made a list of the best spots to visit.'
The richness of the Republic of Ireland's history is wrapped up in it's many castles, like the preserved Donnagore Castle (above)
As the sunsets over the towering Cliffs of Moher in County Clare (above), Republic of Ireland, the pink light warms the craggy strata of the rockface
Sometimes sleeping in his car, photographer Bottigelli was patient in getting the perfect shot. Above he captures the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Republic of Ireland
Bottigelli said: 'Before I travelled to Ireland, I made a list of the best spots to visit. Sometimes I can be waiting for hours on end for the right lighting and when it finally comes I get a huge feeling of joy.' Above he shot Dunquin Pier in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland (left) and Ballydowane Cove, Waterford (right)
'It's almost as if there is a sense of adrenaline in landscape photography with the ever changing weather. It is always my goal to create emotions through my landscape photography and to encourage others to appreciate our precious environment,' said the photographer. Above is Baily Lighthouse in Howth, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Sometimes the roadways wind around the coast and out to the sea, like in Dunquin Pier (above), County Kerry, Republic of Ireland
Explaining the process for this collection of images, he said: 'Sometimes I can be waiting for hours on end for the right lighting and when it finally comes I get a huge feeling of joy.
'But sometimes, the gloomy skies never clear which can leave a feeling of disappointment.
'It's almost as if there is a sense of adrenaline in landscape photography with the ever changing weather.
Bottigelli concludes: 'It is always my goal to create emotions through my landscape photography and to encourage others to appreciate our precious environment.'
Forget sandy beaches, the pebbled and rock formations of the Giant's Causeway (above) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland are dramatic and world famous for their eerie beauty
The changing nature and climate of the Irish landscape was rich inspiration for Bottigelli who was taken with the blooming flowers on the grassy hills at Slea Head (left), County Kerry, Republic of Ireland and the forgotten landscape of Barnatra beach in County Mayo (right)
Those that make it to the top of Geokaun Mountain and Fogher Cliffs on Valentia Island (above), County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, are afforded a spectacular view
The long exposure on this picture gives the sea splashes against the rocks a magical quality at Fanad Head in County Donegal (above), Republic of Ireland
'The country is wild and welcoming all at the same time.' Said Bottigelli, 'I love the beautiful, natural landscapes, but I also admire the picturesque lighthouses and castles. The landscape is truly unique and a dreamland for photographers.' Dunquin Pier, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, is shown above
As the evening hours close in the light softens and the shadows of The Mussenden Temple in County Londonderry (above), Northern Ireland, lengthen
Tufts of long, untouched grass grow out of the rock face underneath the Mussenden Temple (above) in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
If youre one of the many people heading to the airport this summer, its time to get prepped.
And, who would know better than seasoned travellers and airport employees?
British Airways' The Club has enlisted their help and shared how to make your journey smoother and more rewarding from where to grab a speedy bite to how to entertain restless children while travelling.
Fast food
Did you know that every restaurant at Heathrow airport can prepare speedy meals in 15 minutes for those in a rush
Says who? Ben Crowley, head of food and beverage, Heathrow
Expert tip: Need to grab a quick bite at the airport? Every restaurant at Heathrow has a special menu of dishes that are ready within 15 minutes. Just look for the symbol.
Club bonus tip: Prefer to grab and go? Every restaurant at Terminal 5 (including Fortnum & Mason and Gordon Ramsays Plane Food) offers a takeaway picnic option for you to enjoy on board.
A speedy shortcut
There is a little known shortcut around Heathrow, which takes you from the London Underground or Heathrow Express exits to the Fast Track security lanes
Says who? Martin Thomas, BAs product brands and customer experience
Expert tip: If youre arriving at Heathrow from the London Underground or Heathrow Express theres a quicker way to the Fast Track security lanes, accessible behind the B bank of desks at the northern end of Terminal 5.
Club bonus tip: Find the quickest way around Heathrow with these interactive maps. They cover everything from roads and car parks to shops and departure gates.
Doing it for the kids
Keep the kids entertained in an airport terminal with well-packed hand luggage filled with magazines and games
Says who? Janine Clements, mummy blogger
Expert tip: Keep your children occupied with cleverly packed hand luggage featuring kids magazines, activity books, magnetic games and even mini Play-Doh sets.
Buy yourself some quiet time by wrapping up their existing toys so they have something to open. If you dont have access to a lounge, consider buying a pass in advance. Some have soft-play facilities as well as games, films and food included in the price.
Club bonus tip: Flying from Terminal 5? Theres a soft-play climbing area (open 8.30am-7pm) near Gate A7.
Spaced out
De-stress before a flight by heading to the gate early and taking a few moments to stretch before a long-haul journey
Says who? Squash Falconer, adventurer
Expert tip: If Im about to get on a long-haul flight I avoid sitting still at the airport. I find a small space and do exercises, including yoga and stretching. Theyre simple, dont create a sweat, and keep my body and mind feeling great.
Club bonus tip: If your flight at Heathrow leaves from T5B or 5C, take the transit shuttle to the satellite buildings as soon as you can. Youll find fewer crowds and more space to stretch out.
Pass go
Pushed for time? Save the planet and a few moments by downloading your boarding pass in advance
Says who? James Godfrey, manager of ba.com and mobile development
Expert tip: If youre travelling with your family on a single booking, you can now check in and download everyones mobile boarding pass to a single device on an iOS or Android phone. Its a great time and paper saver when travelling through the airport.
Club bonus tip: Free Wi-Fi is available throughout Heathrow. Choose _Heathrow Wi-Fi and follow the on-screen instructions.
All in good time
It can be a slow-process for a wheelchair user to get from accessible parking, through security and on to the plane, so consider staying the night at a nearby hotel in advance if you have an early flight
Says who? Cory Lee, blogger
Expert tip: As a wheelchair user, it can take time to find an accessible parking space, get a private pat-down from security and locate a wheelchair-friendly restroom before your flight, so my advice to anyone with accessibility issues is to arrive early.
Club bonus tip: Why not stay at the airport the night before an early-morning flight.
Train hard
You can save yourself some money and get 5.50 each way tickets on the Heathrow Express if you book in advance
Says who? Fraser Brown, director, Heathrow
Express Expert tip: For the quickest journey between central London and Heathrow, take the Heathrow Express. The non-stop service takes 15 minutes from Paddington to Terminals 2 and 3, and 21 minutes to Terminal 5. Theres complimentary Wi-Fi, plus power sockets by the seats and you can book in advance from 5.50 each way.
Club bonus tip: You can also collect Avios with each Heathrow Express journey.
Do your duty
Complimentary personal shoppers are available to help guide you through duty-free revealed Jonathan Coen, retail director at Heathrow
Says who? Jonathan Coen, retail director at Heathrow
Expert tip: Make the most of duty-free by booking a complimentary personal shopper in advance via our website. Then, save your baggage allowance by opting for home delivery with Terminal 5s Shop & Collect service, and pick up your purchases when you arrive back at Heathrow after your trip.
Club bonus tip: Sign up to Heathrow Rewards to find out about exclusive products and special offers while earning points on your shopping.
Pack it in
Packing light may not be an easy task but it can be a timesaver and help take the stress out of travel
Says who? Kenton Cool, climber
Expert tip: Pack light. This applies to everything from a mountaineering trip to a family holiday. Travelling with the bare minimum has saved me a lot of time when going through airports, especially if I find myself in a rush not to miss a flight.
Club bonus tip: If youre flying from Gatwick before 15:15, you can check in your bags the day before you fly. Visit the Gatwick website.
Feel secure
If you remove your shoes, liquids, laptops and iPads in advance of security checks the whole process will be faster
Says who? Rob Johnson, pilot and author of the Plane Characters book series
Expert tip: You already know that you have to remove liquids, laptops and iPads from your hand luggage for the security checks, so make sure theyre easily accessible before you get to the front of the queue.
Many mens shoes have a metal support rod running through them, so you can save time by taking these off and putting them through the scanner with your belt and loose change.
Camila Alves looked the epitome of summer style as she stepped out in New York on Monday.
The Brazilian beauty wore a white lace detailed plunging blouse, which she teamed with a pair of flared jeans.
She styled her raven locks into tight braids as she accessorized with a brown strap bag and boots.
Scroll down for video
Breath of fresh air: Camila Alves looked the epitome of summer as she stepped out in New York on Monday
Camila looked happy and relaxed as she sipped on her coffee while exiting her hotel.
Earlier that day Camila and husband Matthew McConaughey sported a much more laid back style.
The Dallas Buyers Club actor looked laid back in a pair of dark sweatpants, a matching sweater and a pair of black trainers.
He teamed his casual ensemble with a pair of aviator shades as he carried a blue backpack.
All white! The Brazilian beauty wore a white lace detailed plunging blouse, which she teamed with a pair of flared jeans
The 46-year-old actor and Camila were also accompanied by their two eldest children, seven-year-old son Levi and six-year-old daughter Vida.
Their youngest, three-year-old Livingston, was also with the family as Camilla walked the streets holding her baby boy's hand who wore People Footwear Phillips Kids in Skyline Grey Picket White.
The Wolf Of Wall Street actor looked casual and relaxed as he walked around with his daughter on his piggyback.
On their way: Matthew and his look-a-like son Levi were spotted leaving the Greenwich hotel in NY
In the zone: The Free State of Jones actor was focused as he exited the building, drink in hand
All together: The handsome actor was joined by wife Camila and his three children
Happiness: They painted a picture of the perfect, All-American family
Camilla complimented her husband's look as she too was laid back in a pair of grey sweatpants and an oversized grey cardigan.
The family have just recently returned from Cape Town where Matthew was shooting a series.
Clearly they're enjoying some down time and a little break as Matthew just started filming for the first big screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.
Daddy duty! Matthew McConaughey was seen out and about in New York City with his beloved family on Monday
Casual ensemble: The Brazilian beauty styled her raven locks into tight braids as she accessorized with a brown strap bag and trainers
Playing the nefarious Man In Black, Matthew stars opposite Idris Elba's Roland Deschain, AKA The Gunslinger.
The first film sees Gunslinger Roland Deschain roaming an Old West-like landscape in search of the dark tower, in the hopes that reaching it will preserve his dying world, whilst also chasing the Man In Black for some answers.
The supernatural fantasy is due to hit cinemas in February 2017, and also features Abbey Lee and Jackie Earle Haley.
Rich Kids of Beverly Hills' Dorothy Wang recently bemoaned her weight on last season of the E! show.
But on Sunday, the reality TV star proudly showed off her svelte swimsuit body in a black one-piece while she enjoyed a beach trip in East Hampton, New York.
The 28-year-old took to Snapchat and Instagram as she flaunted her ample cleavage and teeny waistline in the simple onesie for all of her social media followers to see.
Scroll down for video
Swimsuit selfie: Dorothy Wang proudly showed off her svelte swimsuit body on Snapchat in a black one-piece while she enjoyed a beach trip in East Hampton, New York on Sunday
Beach day! The Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills star also took to Instagram as she flaunted her ample cleavage and teeny waistline in the chic suit for all of her social media followers to see on Sunday
Dorothy's chic swimwear featured an evil eye on her obviously toned midsection.
The one piece suit also showcased her lean legs with the high-cut silhouette.
The brunette beauty wore her long tresses down to cascade well past her shoulders.
Dorothy protected her flawless complexion from the harsh rays with a chic pair of over-sized sunglasses.
Fun in the sun! Dorothy protected her flawless complexion from the harsh rays with a chic pair of over-sized sunglasses
The Beverly Hills native documented the Long Island vacation with multiple snaps and Instagram photos.
In one Instagram photo, Dorothy appeared to be holding on to her shades and her suit as the big blue waves crashed behind her on Georgica Beach.
With her bare feet in the sand, she captioned the shot, 'Dramatic.'
In the social media posts Dorothy showed off the beautiful beachfront views she and her friends enjoyed.
The privileged pals stayed at a swanky beach house which featured a pool to cool off in.
'Just trying to stay afloat': Dorothy appeared to wear a different one piece as she hopped into the pool on a large pink flamingo float. The new suit flashed some skin as it featured a side cut-out which laced up by a black string
Swanky! In the social media posts Dorothy showed off the beautiful beachfront views she and her friends enjoyed. The privileged pals stayed at a beach house which featured a pool to cool off in
It's summer! Dorothy and a friend wore shades and smiles as they enjoyed their day at Georgica Beach in East Hampton, New York
In another shot, Dorothy appeared to wear a different one piece suit as she hopped into the pool on a large pink flamingo float.
In the wardrobe change she flashed some skin as the suit featured a side cut-out which laced up by a black string.
During her East Coast trip, the trim E! star took in all The Hamptons had to offer by eating out and indulging on 'the best fries.'
This comes nearly two months after Dorothy complained about her weight while out at dinner with her castmates during the reality show's fourth season.
Toes in the sand: The Beverly Hills native documented the Long Island vacation with multiple Snapchat videos and Instagram photos
Perfection: Dorothy and her friends didn't have a far walk to the beach from their nearby beachfront digs
'I'm so fat right now I don't know what to do!' she exclaimed.
Clearly, Dorothy is no longer having body weight issues.
Meanwhile, she recently told DailyMail.com exclusively that her fight with Rich Kids of Beverly Hills costar Morgan Stewart over a racial slur turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
'Its almost like it was a blessing that that happened, because were so much stronger now than weve ever been,' she told DailyMail.com's US Showbiz editor Natalie Trombetta on Wednesday.
The RKOBH star, who has launched her own line of rose called Rich and Bubbly, also said she eventually hopes to expand her growing line of businesses with a nail line, shawls, and a possible cookbook.
Yum! During her East Coast trip, the trim E! star took in all The Hamptons had to offer by eating out and indulging on 'the best fries'
It's widely been hinted that the seventh season of Pretty Little Liars - which kicked off last week - will be its last.
But Shay Mitchell recently insisted there is a chance that the hit Freeform show will continue beyond that.
The 29-year-old slipped into ripped Daisy Dukes and an off-the-shoulder crop top on Sunday for a shopping trip in Los Angeles, after speaking to Time magazine about the future of PLL.
Scroll down for video
Blue jeans, white shirt: Shay Mitchell slipped into her ripped Daisy Dukes for a bit of shopping on Sunday in LA
The publication asked the actress if season seven would be the last, to which she responded: 'It's not official - I don't think anything is ever official, especially in Rosewood.'
After teasing fans about the show, the starlet was seen grabbing lunch at Terrine restaurant before heading to Revolve to do some shopping.
Shay sported her light wash denim shorts with a slightly sheer white off-the-shoulder crop top, revealing her legs, decolletage and a hint of her flat midriff.
The Freeform star cinched the tiny bottoms with a thin black and gold belt while hitting the pavement in gladiator sandals.
Star quality: The 29-year-old Pretty Little Liars actress paired her barely there shorts with an off-the-shoulder blouse and red lipstick for the perfect summer ensemble
Summertime style: Shay sported her light wash denim shorts with a slightly sheer off-the-shoulder crop top, revealing her legs, decolletage and a hint of her flat midriff
The pretty brunette donned tortoise shell sunglasses with a black and gold chain link Chanel purse slung over one shoulder.
She added delicate earrings, a ring and a bracelet to add a touch of sparkle to her summery look.
Shay pulled her dark brunette tresses back into a low bun for lunch but later put her locks into a top knot for her retail outing.
Casual: The Freeform star cinched the tiny bottoms with a thin black and gold belt while hitting the pavement in gladiator sandals
Focused: The pretty brunette donned tortoise shell sunglasses with a black and gold chain link Chanel purse slung over one shoulder
The Canadian-born actress wore bright coral lipstick with a touch of pink blush and defined brows to complete her look.
Season seven of Pretty Little Liars kicked off on June 21, with a mid-season break scheduled in the end of August.
During her Time Magazine interview, Shay also touched on what to expect in season seven: 'This season, more so than the others, is the beginning of the end. It's tying up all of the other seasons, questions and storylines in a neat bow.'
Shopping day: Shay pulled her dark brunette tresses back into a low bun for lunch but later put her locks into a top knot for her retail outing
A bite to eat before the fun: The starlet, who wore coral lipstick, was seen grabbing lunch at Terrine restaurant before heading to Revolve to do some shopping
The show's creator I. Marlene King told TheWrap.com last week that no decision on a season eight has been made and that there are 'lots of ideas floating around.'
The stunner recently played the love interest in Nick Jonas' latest single - Under You - where the twosome had a steamy makeout session in the shower.
Shay has also had two movies released so far this year. She starred in Mother's Day with Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts and the comedy Dreamland.
She's been enjoying a seemingly endless holiday in Italy with her handsome boyfriend.
And Natasha Oakley celebrated the final day of her romantic trip with Gilles Souteyrand in typically stylish fashion on Monday.
The 25-year-old bikini blogger shared an Instagram snap of herself in a plunging black dress as they enjoyed their 'last dinner' on the Amalfi Coast.
Scroll down for video
Last days of summer: Natasha Oakley (pictured) celebrated the final day of her three-week holiday in Italy on Monday by enjoying a romantic dinner in a plunging black and white dress
She flaunted her bronzed cleavage in the dangerously low-cut frock by Revolve as she posed for a holiday snap.
Natasha, who hails from Sydney, also showed off her sun-kissed legs in the black and white striped ensemble.
'Last dinner in Italy, I'll be crying whilst I eat my pasta,' she wrote in the caption.
Living the dream: The 25-year-old bikini blogger has been enjoying a romantic getaway with her boyfriend
Natasha has spent the last three weeks travelling through Italy with her French model boyfriend Gilles.
Meanwhile, she has been updating her 1.8million Instagram followers by posting daily photos from the idyllic getaway.
The genetically-blessed couple recently travelled along the stunning Amalfi Coast. They previously enjoyed trips to Capri and Rome.
Road trip! Natasha was joined for her stylish holiday by French model Gilles Souteyrand (right), who she has been dating since mid-2015
Meanwhile, Natasha wrote in her blog that she was planning to return to Italy in 2017.
'I am so sad to think that my three weeks in this beautiful country is coming to an end but there's one thing that makes me feel better, knowing that I will be back next year,' she wrote.
'I dont think I can live without a little bit of Italy in my life every year.'
It's not exactly Girls Gone Wild.
But actresses Jamie Chung, Ashley Madekwe and Cara Santana left their husbands and boyfriends at home when they jetted out to the Dominican Republic for a long weekend break.
The trio joined three other gal pals at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana on Thursday evening for four days of fun.
Scroll down for video
Cabana break: Cara Santana styled Salem co-star Ashley Madekwe's hair as Jamie Chung looked on while they sat in a beach cabana at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Friday
And by Friday morning they were all in bikinis enjoying the sun on the white sand beach at the resort.
Real World: San Diego star Jamie, 33, wore a blue wrap over her skimpy swimsuit as she shared a cabana with Salem co-stars and off-screen best friends, Ashley, 32, and Cara, also 32.
Ashley, who hails from the U.K. sported a pink crocheted crop top and teeny shorts and she sat transfixed while Cara, in a black bikini top and denim Daisy Dukes, did her hair.
Later they wandered down to the beach for a walk along the warm waters of the Caribbean with their friends.
Life's a beach: The trio were joined by three more pals for their relaxing long weekend
Paddling in the Caribbean: Cara led the way as the group dipped their toes in the water
What's so funny?: The girls were seen laughing as they checked out something on their phones
Having a splashing time: On Friday Jamie posted this Instagram captioned, 'The most beautiful shades of blue' presumably referring to the ocean and the sky not her pals' bikinis
Rear-lly great view: Ashley and Cara both posted this shot with jokey captions. Cara quipped, 'Bunch Of Beach Bums' while Ashley went for 'Bae Watch, Peace out DR' flashing the symbolic salute
They also shared Instagram snaps of themselves horse riding along the shore.
The resort also boasts the Rock Spa and the trio took a break from the heat to enjoy massages and other treatments.
And no girls weekend would be complete without a trip to a nightclub, so the pals hit up the Hard Rock's ORO, which features a two-story LED wall consisting of more than 300 screens.
Fun in the sun: It looked like the group were having a fantastic girls' weekend away together
Tanning time: Cara, Ashley, Jamie and their friends stripped to their bikinis before hitting the beach
In the saddle: The friends also tried their hands at riding on the beach. A smiling Jamie shared this shot
Pony ride: Cara couldn't resist another quip when she posted this equestrian snap, saying, 'Horsing Around'
The actresses posted a slew snaps from the resort so their significant others had a fair idea what they were doing.
Jamie is married to Friends With Benefits actor Bryan Greenberg, 38; Ashley's husband is actor Iddo Golderg, 40; and Cara's boyfriend is actor Jesse Metcalfe, 37.
Meanwhile, it was back to regular life on Monday. But Jamie posted a snap of the hammocks on the beach, captioned, longingly: 'Back in the City but dreaming of...'
Party night: Jamie shared this mirror selfie as she, Cara and Ashley prettied up, saying, 'Last night in paradise'
Blissed out: Cara showed off her slender figure in a blue bikini as she stretched out, captioned, 'Bye, Bye, Vacay (P.S. That's The Ocean, Not A Pool) So Gorg'
Beach babe: Ashley wore a white swimsuit with the message 'Do Nothing Club' on the front, which is what she captioned this snap she shared on Instagram on Sunday
She is known for being quite the style queen whenever she takes to the spotlight.
And Monday night was no exception for Cate Blanchett as she exuded heaps of glamour at the Old Vic Summer party, which was held at The Brewery in London.
Accompanied by her beloved husband Andrew Upton, the 47-year-old looked ready for Wimbledon in her pristine white trouser suit.
Scroll down for video
Date night delight! Cate Blanchett exuded heaps of glamour as she attended the Old Vic Summer party with husband Andrew Upton on Monday night
She styled her sleek getup further with a crisp white shirt and stood tall in pair of black pointed heels, while toting her belongings in a designer handbag.
Her short blonde locks were worn loose in tousled waves and her striking facial features were preened with flawlessly applied makeup.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood beautys screenwriter partner put on a dapper display in a green suit which was teamed with brown leather shoes and a pale blue shirt.
The lovebirds - who have been married for almost two decades - appeared to be in fantastic spirits as they mingled with the likes of Joely Richardson, Stanley Tucci, his wife Felicity Blunt, Guy Ritchie and David Schwimmer.
City chic: The 47-year-old looked ready for Wimbledon in her pristine white trouser suit, teamed with black pointed heels
Classy as ever! She styled her sleek getup further with a crisp white shirt, while toting her belongings in a designer handbag
Elsewhere, it was recently reported that Cate is set to join fellow Australian actor Chris Hemsworth in the next Thor blockbuster.
According to the International Business Times, the acclaimed actress will play super villainess, Hela, in Thor: Ragnarok.
But the Sydney native wouldn't confirm or deny a part in the third instalment when she spoke on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show earlier this year
'Yes, Chris Hemsworth is busy and so I've been working out, she joked, before adding: 'They are just substituting one Australian for the other. You know, gender equality. Why can't you have a female Thor!'
Style star: Her short blonde locks were worn loose in tousled waves and her striking facial features were preened with flawlessly applied makeup
Not alone: The Hollywood star was joined Sally Greene, Chief Executive of the Old Vic, for a picture
It was also announced earlier this year that Cate would be making her return to the stage to make her debut on Broadway.
Dates and venue have now been set for her playwright husband's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's first and long-forgotten play, The Present, beginning previews on December 17.
The mother-of-four will star opposite Richard Roxburgh, and the pair have previously appeared together off-Broadway in 2012 in Upton's adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya.
The show will open on Sunday January 8, 2017 and will play a limited engagement through to Sunday March 19.
New venture: It was also announced earlier this year that Cate would be making her return to the stage to make her debut on Broadway
In the wake of the British vote to leave the European Union, many are wondering what led the majority of voters to affirm the Brexit. In his commentary Brexit: Against the Political Class, Samuel Gregg points out a common element in all of the motivations behind the Leave decision: a frustration with established career politicians. Gregg writes:
The reasons why a majority of British voters decided that their nation was better off outside the European Union were many and not always in sync. They range from those angry at successive British governments failure to maintain sovereign-borders, free-marketers who like immigration but regard bloc-economies like the EU as passe in a global economy, to those unhappy with British laws being supplanted by top-down directives mandated from Brussels. But if there is one theme that united the Leave forces, it was animus against the political class. Perhaps one of President Barack Obamas biggest mistakes (and an error of those Remainers who wanted him to speak against Brexit) was to imagine that his urging Britain to stay in the EU would somehow boost the Remain case. If anything, the Presidents interventionalong with those of people like Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commissionprobably helped the Leave campaign. For people like Obama, Schulz, and Juncker (not to mention David Cameron) are increasingly viewed as part of the problem: as individuals who have done nothing with their lives except be career politicians and who have difficulty hiding their disdain for anyone whos even mildly critical of the EU and, by extension, any number of transnational organizations and their largely unaccountable bureaucracies that happen to be populated by individuals who fit the same profile as people like Cameron, Obama, Schulz and Juncker. I am skeptical that the European political class (a group that transcends Europes center-right/center-left party-political divide) will learn many lessons from Brexit. Any creative thinking that challenges the left-liberal consensus prevailing in such circles is generally unwelcome. The joint press-release issued by Juncker, Schulz, European Council President Donald Tusk and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in response to Britains decision will remind some of Talleyrands alleged quip about the Bourbons: They have learned nothing, and forgotten nothing.
Gregg also considers the direction Britain will take as the process of leaving the EU unfolds and the importance of the next decisions the leaders of the Leave movement will make.
The more significant question will be the direction taken by those who have lead the UK out of the EU. It is one thing to know what you are against, quite another to articulate what you are for. In that regard, splendid isolation for Britain isnt an option. Nor did the Leave side ever propose it. Thats partly because of the City of Londons unique place in the worlds financial architecture but also because (1) economic nationalism isnt in the UKs public interest and (2) Britain remains an important part of the West in general and Europe in particulara Europe which shouldnt be casually conflated with the EU. Yes, all these points may be hard to make in a populist age. But they must be made, robustly and intelligently, if Britains choice to exit the EU is to become a true exercise in what that great Irish parliamentarian Edmund Burke called ordered liberty.
Read the full commentary and other commentaries from Everything Will Chance, Everything Has Changed: A Brexit Symposium here.
He was once accused of drugging and abducting Britney Spears.
And now the pop star's controversial former manager Sam Lufti has been accused of kidnapping and robbing the musician estranged husband of Frances Bean Cobain.
The 41-year-old and an accomplice are said to have grabbed Isaiah Silva then 'carried him to his car at around 12:45 am on June 3'.
Scroll down for video
Again Sam? Britney Spears controversial ex manager Sam Lufti has been accused of kidnapping Frances Bean Cobain's ex husband
According to Los Angeles Police Department documents uncovered by Radar, The Eeries guitarist '(was) in fear for [his] life. He did not want to go with suspects.'
The alleged incident is said to have turned even nastier, with Silvas mobile phone said to have been stolen and a glass door being smashed, causing almost $4,000 of damage.
The musician waited five days before reporting the scary encounter with the police.
Lufti is something of a family associate of Frances' as he is the former manager of her mother Courtney Love, and he still retweets her messages on Twitter.
The 23-year-old daughter of Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain filed for divorce from Silva in March after less than two years of marriage.
Messy: Frances Bean Cobain. seen here with estranged husband Silva, filed for divorce in March
'Under his control': Britney Spears, seen here with Lufti in 2008, was accused of controlling and manipulating the then troubled popstrel by her mother
Toxic star Britney, who first met Lufti in October 2007, and her family filed a restraining order against Lutfi eight years ago.
Her mother Lynne Spears claimed he 'essentially moved into Britney's home and has purported to take control of her life, home and finances.'
He was accused of tightly controlling and manipulating the then troubled popstrel, making decisions about her medications, cutting her phone lines, and even supposedly deciding who was allowed to meet with the Lucky star.
Britney has since undergone a career renaissance, and is raking in vast sums headlining her own show at the Planet Hollywood Casino in Las Vegas.
It was reported in New Idea earlier this week that she was devastated after her ex-boyfriend, Joel Walkenhorst, announced his engagement to a new woman seven months after their split.
But Lisa Curry, 54, has taken to her social media to dispel the alleged report, branding it 'ridiculous'.
'See how devastated I am?' she wrote alongside a picture of herself posing happily alongside her new man Mark Tabone.
Scroll down for video
Taking a swipe: Lisa Curry has taken to social media to dispel rumours she is upset over her ex-boyfriend Joel Walkenhorst's engagement announcement by posting a picture of her and her new man, Mark Tabone
Taking aim at the publication, she wrote 'Shame on you for continually misleading the Australian public.'
'For once it would be nice if you reported on all the positive work I do... Like motivating and inspiring people to change their lives, lose weight and get fit. Maybe one day.'
The post comes one day after the publication reported the former Olympian was 'floored when Joel shared the happy news on social media recently'.
'Upset': Lisa's post comes one day after the publication reported the Olympian was 'floored when Joel shared the happy news on social media recently'
Former and current flame: The 54-year-old once shared a picture of her past flame Josh and new boyfriend Mark posing together for a snap
'Lisa is trying to hide her feelings but those closest to her know that she is really hurt,' an insider told the publication.
Joel is now engaged to Russian Ekaterina Oleynik, with the publication reporting they met in Bali last year before he proposed in Russia.
'It's all he ever wanted,' the magazine reports a source said.
The source added that Lisa not divorcing her ex and father of her three children, Grant Kenny, played a part in the demise of her relationship with the 34-year-old.
Smitten: Joel announced his engagement on Facebook on June 16
Beach snap: Joel has been sharing plenty of loved-up snaps of his fiancee Ekaterina Oleynik
According to the glossy, Joel was never invited to Lisa and Grant's Christmas celebrations and Joel also saw her growing close to new lover Mark.
It came after the pair reportedly wanted to start a family together.
Meanwhile, Joel announced his engagement on Facebook on June 16 and shared a shot of the pair in a room with candles and flowers, appearing to be from the night he proposed.
Lisa has since moved on with Mark Tabone and has enjoyed a holiday to Fiji with him as she promotes her fitness course - KiSS 10 Week Weightloss Program.
Before and after: Lisa revealed on The Morning Show earlier this year she'd lost 13-kilos after her father told her she 'looked a bit fat on TV'
The program includes healthy recipes, instructional videos, exercise plans and access to an online club.
Apart from her high profile relationships, Lisa represented Australia 16 times, picking up 30 international medals in the process.
She was married to Iron Man Grant Kenny before they divorced in 2009.
The former couple share three children together - daughters Jaimi, 28, and Morgan, 25, as well as son Jett, 21.
Their on-off relationship is apparently back on again.
And Kylie Jenner and Tyga are taking it up a level - he's reported to be moving in with the reality television star.
The 18-year-old has invited the rapper to move into her new $6 million Hidden Hills home, reports People on Monday.
Playful: Kylie Jenner was seen wearing a tiger sweatshirt on a grocery run in Hollywood on Sunday amid reports she is letting Tyga move in with her
'He still has money problems,' says the source of Tyga quoted in the publication.
'Her family isn't too upset about Kylie and Tyga being back together', the source told People, adding: 'They don't think it's permanent.'
A second source told them: 'They don't know what will happen but they care about each other and weren't ready to walk away'.
Tyga, 26, has reported tax debts, and landlord chasing him for back payments in rent.
No pressure: A source has said that the two (pictured leaving the Forum on Friday after Kanye West's visual premiere event for single Famous) are feeling less pressure now because 'they both have had some space over the past few weeks apart'
He also does not have much luck with cars - with at least one repossessed and he reportedly owes thousands in back payments on another.
None of this has deterred Kylie's sometime boyfriend from splashing out on a very expensive new diamond encrusted grill.
Designer and hip hop jewellery legend Ben 'Baller' Yang confirmed on Sunday he created top and bottom teeth grills for the Rack City star calling his creations the 'hardest diamond grills in the world'.
Moving up: Kylie bought this Hidden Hills home, which is closer to mum Kris Jenner, for $6 million in May
While Ben did not mention the price tag, TMZ reports the set cost a staggering $45,000.
Tyga has previously given Kylie a set of her own diamond grills so perhaps the reality star returned the favour now that it appears their relationship may be back on.
She has been spotted stepping out on multiple occasions recently with ex Tyga, despite having been linked to rapper PartyNextDoor.
Here we go again: Kylie and Tyga were spotted leaving 1OAK in Kylie's car on Saturday night
And on Sunday Kylie Jenner seemed to have made a cheeky nod to her rekindled relationship as she sported a tiger sweatshirt while out in Hollywood.
The 18-year-old cut a low-key figure, pairing the eye-catching sweatshirt with leggings as she hit Gelson's with her pal, aspiring model Jordyn Woods.
The loose-fitting sweatshirt, which featured multiple large photos of the big cat, covered up the star's taut figure, and she coupled it with a pair of leggings.
Reunited: Fans began speculating about a reunion between Kylie and Tyga this past week as the rapper posted - and then deleted - this picture of the star, with the caption 'They always come back...'
Putting in the leg work! The 18-year-old showed off her toned pins in a pair of skintight, black leggings
The skintight, black trousers highlighted Kylie's toned pins, and she teamed them with low-top, white sneakers.
She kept her make-up simple, wearing her raven tresses in soft waves, and carrying a stylish, black leather handbag.
The outing comes after Kylie was spotted hitting 1Oak nightclub with Tyga on Saturday, as well as the visual premiere event of brother-in-law Kanye West's single Famous the day before.
On Friday a source had confirmed to E! News that while they were not yet officially back together, Kylie and Tyga have been 'hanging out' again.
'It's not as much pressure this time around because they both have had some space over the past few weeks apart,' the source said.
They added: 'Tyga wants to get back with Kylie though. Tyga says that [she is] his wifey, in good or bad.'
Rumors of their reunion had started as the rapper posted - and then deleted - a photo of Kylie sitting on his bed, which he captioned: 'They always come back.'
Kylie was wearing a figure-hugging, tan dress that she also sported in photos shared to her Instagram and Snapchat accounts that same day.
The reunion follows a radio interview that Tyga gave after the split, in which he alleged that Kylie's fame had gotten in the way of his work.
'Being in a very public relationship like that, it's hard for other people to see you differently,' he shared, adding: 'It overshadowed a lot of my talents and a lot of things I worked hard for.'
However, the father-of-one had said that getting back together wasn't off the table for him and the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star.
'Later on in life, maybe we might come back, but right now I want to focus on what I need to do,' Tyga had said during the interview with Big Boy TV.
She's used to strutting down the world's biggest runways.
So it was no surprise to see Megan Gale pounding the pavement in Milan on Monday like the supermodel that she is.
The 40-year-old, who is currently in Italy, showcased her enviable legs in a flirty little print dress that cut off above her knee.
Scroll down for video
Stunning: Megan Gale looked amazing as she walked around Milan on Monday
The stylish garment featured flowing sleeves, adding a casually chic edge to Megan's look.
She paired the dress with strappy nude heels and a matching designer handbag.
Perhaps in a bid to avoid being recognized by her many Italian fans, Megan kept her face hidden behind a pair of stylish black sunglasses.
Leggy lady: The 40-year-old showed off her enviable legs in a flirty little dress
Picture perfect: The brunette beauty adjusted her luscious locks as she walked
The model-turned-actress was set to star as Wonder Woman in George Miller's Justice League movie, but was left disappointed when the film was scrapped.
Megan, who has a two-year-old son River with AFL player boyfriend Shaun Hampson, recently opened up about how she is not still hung up on losing the role of a lifetime.
'As long as my son thinks I'm Wonder Woman [I'm fine],' she told Ninemsn. 'If that means I'm 'super-mum', I'm fine.'
Friends of yours? The Mad Max actress was flanked by a few people
Magnetic: The Italian locals couldn't resist coming up to the stunner for a chat
The hotly-anticipated film was set for a 2009 release, but it was shelved indefinitely following the Writers Guild strike and other production obstacles.
At the time, Miller promised Megan he would work with her on another movie and he stayed true to his word.
The Australian director penned the role of desert warrior Valkyrie in Mad Max: Fury Road solely for the 40-year-old model.
'It was unfortunate that it didn't happen, but it was great because I got to meet George Miller and he then wanted to work with me again and he created a role for me in Mad Max: Fury Road,' she said.
Superfoods: The Real Story
Rating:
Sometimes the lot of a TV reporter can be a tough and gruelling one. And sometimes it can be one big, long holiday.
After watching Superfoods: The Real Story (C4) I think I can safely say Kate Quilton falls into the latter category.
At the beginning of the episode first of a six-part series Kate tells us she is on a global quest for the truth, as she investigates whether some foods have super qualities.
Kate Quilton, pictured on Superfoods: The Real Story, is on a 'global quest for the truth' but only delivered disappointment, said Claudia Connell
By the end of the programme Kate had journeyed to Paris, Tokyo and Naples to bring us nothing particularly groundbreaking or revelatory whatsoever.
In Paris, we learned that red wine is potentially good for you because it contains a compound called resveratrol that can boost cells in the part of the brain that deals with memory.
The bad news was that youd need to drink 13 bottles a day to get the levels needed to make any difference. So while you may die of liver disease, at least youd have a good memory.
Over in Italy, Kate told us of the cancer fighting properties of tomatoes. She also helpfully listed food that contains tomatoes: tomato soup, for example, and tomato ketchup. Whod have thought?
Finally she visited an area of Tokyo where they eat large quantities of natto beans fermented soya beans that appear to ward off the bone-weakening condition osteoporosis.
For absolutely no reason Kate then underwent a bone scan which revealed that her 30-something skeleton was perfectly healthy. If I ever did get osteoporosis these bones could break easily, she said.
Goodness knows how theyre going to fill another five weeks of this, but I suspect anybody hoping to learn anything new is going to be bitterly disappointed.
Judge Rinder's Crime Stories
Rating:
Bitter disappointment was a theme of another programme earlier in the day as well.
How many times have we read about women being taken in by conmen theyve met while online dating and wondered how they could have fallen for such obvious scams?
Would the extraordinary case of Mary Turner Thompson in Judge Rinders Crime Stories (ITV) be any different? The short answer was no.
Robert Rinder is a criminal barrister who has swapped real court rooms for pretend TV ones.
His first series, in which he presided over everyday disputes in a mock court, was based on the successful U.S. show Judge Judy.
Now he is back on daytime TV looking at old cases and re-interviewing the victims.
In one case, Mary, a highly intelligent, articulate, middle-class lady from Edinburgh met, married and had two children with an American-born man called William Jordan.
When Jordan started disappearing for months on end he told Mary he was working undercover for the CIA.
Judge Rinder, pictured, has returned to daytime television looking at old cases and re-interviewing victims
When a mission in the Middle East had gone wrong he claimed to have quit the intelligence services but now had a terrorist cell blackmailing him.
He couldnt go to the police because that would blow the cover of all his spy colleagues. Mary was persuaded to sell everything she owned to raise 200,000 to pay off the terrorists.
When she discovered Jordan had married her bigamously and had another wife in America, he insisted that the other woman was also a CIA agent and it was their cover story.
Of course, she was nothing of the sort. She was his legitimate wife and the mother of his five children. Later it transpired that Jordan had fathered 13 children by various women.
Listening to poor Mary say: He was so convincing, anybody would have fallen for his story, was a little hard to agree with.
Dressed in his barristers robes Judge Rinder, there as the stern voice of justice, said it was a case that defied imagination and belief. You can say that again.
There are some situations so awkward that not even the most glamorous of models can pull them off elegantly.
This was the case for glamazon Montana Cox, who momentarily lost her model poise when she became hopelessly entangled in a wetsuit on Monday.
The 22-year-old became ensnared by her neoprene ensemble during a otherwise leisurely trip to the beach in The Hamptons.
Scroll down for video
She's beached! Montana Cox, 22, momentarily lost her model poise when she became hopelessly entangled in a wetsuit on Monday
Surrounded by a gaggle of cackling girlfriends, Montana grimaced as she attempted to pull both arms out of the wet-suit at the same time.
After breaking free from her fabric bonds, the David Jones model stripped down to a white bikini set which revealed a small crucifix tattoo underneath her right arm.
She completed her look with a thin gold necklace, while slicking her wet hair into a tight up-do.
Help needed! She became ensnared by her neoprene ensemble during a otherwise leisurely trip to the beach in The Hamptons
All tied up! Montana grimaced as she attempted to pull both arms out of the wetsuit at the same time
Helping hands: Her cackling girlfriends attempted to help her overcome the embarrassing predicament
Earlier in the day, she was seen enjoying a surfing session with a male pal, who appeared to be taking a photo of her as she mounted a wave.
Montana rose to fame in 2011 after she was crowned the winner of Australia's Next Top Model in 2011.
As the champion, she received a modelling contract with Chic Model Management, twenty thousand dollars in cash, a Ford Fiesta and an overseas trip to New York to meet with Next Model Management.
Freedom at last! After breaking free from her fabric bonds, the David Jones model stripped down to a white bikini set, which revealed a small crucifix tattoo underneath her right arm
Hope that's waterproof! Earlier in the day, she was seen enjoying a surfing session with a male pal, who appeared to be taking a photo of her as she mounted a wave
Drying off: The brunette beauty dried herself off with a giant green towel
Rise to fame: Montana rose to fame after winning Australia's Next Top Model in 2011
During her time on the show, Montana won a national campaign with Blackmores as well as a spread in Sunday Style.
She has since enjoyed a burgeoning modelling career, signing with international agency IMG and appearing on the catwalk for some of the most highly-regarded fashion houses in the world including Chanel and Christian Dior.
Montana has also appeared on the David Jones catwalk several times, starred in campaigns for Australian label Witchery, and taken part in Australian Fashion week - walking for Manning Cartell and Toni Maticevski.
Runway regular: She has since enjoyed a burgeoning modelling career, signing with international agency IMG and appearing on the catwalk for some of the most highly-regarded fashion houses
Local talent: Montana has also appeared on the David Jones catwalk several times, starred in campaigns for Australian label Witchery
Lily Collins was hard to miss with her bright red hair on Monday while out and about in Beverly Hills, California.
The 27-year-old actress kept it casual in a pair of denim skinny jeans with the ankle zippers undone.
The daughter of music legend Phil Collins also donned a loose grey T-shirt and completed her look with sandals.
Casual style: Lily Collins kept it casual on Monday while out and about in jeans and a T-shirt in Beverly Hills, California
The Blind Side star accessorised with large sunglasses and a silver watch.
Lily dyed her hair in the distinctive red shade earlier this month.
The actress has a lead role in the currently filming sci-fi horror movie Okja portraying a character named Red.
Okja is a South Korean-American film that stars South Korean actress Ahn Seo-hyun, 12, as the heroine Mija and is due out in 2017.
Red hair: The actress is portraying a character named Red in the upcoming sci-fi movie Okja
Busy star: Lily has lead roles in three upcoming movies including Warren Beatty's Rules Don't Apply
Lily can next be seen in the Warren Beatty written and directed film Rules Don't Apply.
She stars in the romantic comedy as ingenue Marla Mabrey whom Howard Hughes had an affair with later in his life.
Warren portrays Hughes in the film that features a star-studded cast including Matthew Broderick, Martin Sheen, Candice Bergen, Chace Crawford, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, and Alec Baldwin.
Famous father: The actress is the daughter of music legend Phil Collins
Rule Don't Apply is due out in cinemas on November 11.
Lily also has a starring role in To The Bone in which she portrays a girl battling anorexia.
The film also starring Keanu Reeves started filming earlier this year in Los Angeles and is due out in 2017.
Chanel Iman showed off her sartorial style on Monday as she stepped out in New York with a friend.
The Victoria's Secret Angel stunned in a plunging floaty black mini dress and Raye gladiator sandals as she took to the streets of the Big Apple with friend and fellow model, Heidy De la Rosa.
The 5 10 model tied her long raven locks back into a ponytail as she accessorized with a stylish backpack and designer sunglasses.
So stylish: Chanel Iman showed off her sartorial style on Monday as she stepped out in New York with a friend
Her tall strap sandals and short dress showed off her model legs.
The Georgian-born beauty was accompanied by her good friend Heidy for the day who looked equally stylish in her casual ensemble.
Heidy, who is represented by WME/IMG models, wore a pair of cropped, ripped boyfriend jeans and a white vest.
Showing off her face: The 5 10 model tied her long raven locks back into a ponytail
Models! The Victoria's Secret Angel stunned in a plunging floaty black mini dress and gladiator style strap sandals as she took to the streets of the Big Apple with friend and fellow model, Heidy De la Rosa
Legs for days! Her tall strap sandals and short dress showed off her model legs
She teamed her simple but chic outfit with an oversized multi-coloured cardigan and a pair of unique and colourful sandals.
Chanel started modeling at the mere age of 12 with Ford Models.
The talanted beauty has since gone on to model for Ralph Lauren. DKNY and of course Victoria's Secret.
In sync: The Georgian-born beauty was accompanied by her good friend Heidy for the day who looked equally stylish in her casual ensemble
Unique style: Chanel's friend Heidy teamed her simple but chic outfit with an oversized multi-coloured cardigan and a pair of unique and colourful sandals
In 2010 she officially became a Victoria's Secret Angel.
The model jumped ship and tried her hand at acting as she appeared in the 2015 comedy drama Dope, directed by Rick Famuyiwa.
Since then Chanel has not done any other acting projects but is focusing on her modeling.
They have openly spoken of their strong chemistry in the upcoming The Legend of Tarzan film.
And Margot Robbie, 25, and her hunky co-star Alexander Skarsgard, 39, once again talked about passionate scenes in an interview with the Today show on Tuesday.
The Australian beauty cheekily revealed that 'things got a bit racy in the tree' during one particular take where her dressed was ripped.
Scroll down for video
'Things got racy': Margot Robbie, 25, and her hunky co-star Alexander Skarsgard, 39, opened up about their on screen chemistry in an interview with the Today show on Tuesday
'David [The films director] said "can we get a bit more passion,"' Alexander went on to explain.
'Yeah we did a couple of takes and they said "we need more passion in it this time" and we were like oh okay,' Margot added.
The hunky actor then pointed to a rip on the chest of the white bustier frock Margot was wearing on set, saying: 'Well, they got it... This is what passion looks like.'
Passionate: The 25-year-old Australian beauty cheekily said 'Things got a bit racy in the tree' as the pair talked about one scene in the film where Margot's dress got ripped
Connection: The pair have openly spoken of their strong chemistry in the upcoming The Legend of Tarzan film
The former Neighbours star then went on to gush about the pair's close bond, saying: 'We met up and instantly got along, he is the nicest guy in the world.'
She went on to explain that while she knew Alexander was tall, she didn't quite expect his towering six foot three stature to greet her.
'I set my eye line to tall people height and then he answered the door and I was like "hi there" and he swooped down to give me a hug and I'm like my god he is so tall!'
The actress, who hails from the Gold Coast, found her big break in 2013 opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street as the feisty and seductive Naomi.
Bonding: The former Neighbours star gushed about their close bond saying: 'We met up and instantly got along, he is the nicest guy in the world'
Not what she expected: Margot said while she knew Alexander was tall, she didn't quite expect his towering 6'3 stature to greet her when they first met
He has had a tough week hitting back at critics after he spoke against the recent EU referendum debate.
But Tim Minchin, 40, found time to kick back and relax as he enjoyed a night out with fellow Australian performer Cate Blanchett at a theatre gala in London on Sunday.
The talented duo were spotted arm-in-arm at the star-studded event, which was held at The Brewery, a swanky creative events venue.
Scroll down for video
In good company: Tim Minchin, 40, found time to kick back and relax as he enjoyed a night out with fellow Australian performer Cate Blanchett at a theatre gala in London on Sunday
Tim let his hair down for the night, opting to leave his shirt untucked with his black tie slightly loosened.
He paired his crisp white shirt with a pair of black skintight jeans and accessorised the ensemble with a knit bracelet.
Meanwhile, Cate looked typically stylish, clad in a white button-up shirt with puffed sleeves and a gold and emerald cocktail ring.
Kicking back! The talented duo were spotted arm-in-arm at the star-studded event, which was held at The Brewery, a swanky creative events venue
Letting loose! Tim let his hair down for the night, opting to leave his shirt untucked with his tie slightly loosened.
Theatre elite: Social butterfly Tim was also seen buddying up with fellow Australian playwright Andrew Upton (right) who is married to Cate Blanchett
Social butterfly Tim was then seen buddying up with fellow Australian playwright and Cate's husband, Andrew Upton.
The 50-year-old screenwriter took a sartorial risk by donning a moss green suit jacket and matching trousers, which was paired with a sky-blue shirt and a brown leather belt.
Tim was also joined by British comedian Eddie Izzard - who was dressed in drag - and American theater director Rob Marshall.
Famous pals: Tim was also joined by British comedian Eddie Izzard (left), who was dressed in drag, and Rob Marshall (centre)
Making a statement: Eddie (left), an outspoken political activist, took the opportunity to campaign against the recent Brexit decision by wearing pink beret pinned with brooches baring the UK and EU flags
Chummy: Tim also posed for a happy snap with the CEO of the Old Vic theatre, Sally Greene (right)
Man of the moment! Tim delighted guests when he took to the stage during the gala to perform some of his hit tunes
Eddie, an outspoken political activist, took the opportunity to campaign against the recent Brexit decision by wearing a pink beret pinned with brooches which bared the UK and EU flags.
The cross-dressing funnyman made headlines recently after his controversial Question Time appearance, during which he wore the same pink headgear.
Like Eddie, Tim was staunchly against the recent Brexit during the lead-up to the EU referendum.
Outspoken: Like Eddie, Tim was staunchly against the recent Brexit during the lead-up to the EU referendum
Culture clash: The Matilda The Musical composer was forced to hit back at critics after some fans claimed that he was 'too Australian' to weigh in on the UK debate
The Matilda The Musical composer was forced to hit back at critics after some fans claimed that he was 'too Australian' to weigh in on the UK debate.
'For the d*******: I am a UK born UK citizen, pay huge UK tax, my work helps employ hundreds of Brits & pumps millions into your economy', he tweeted on Saturday.
He also tweeted about the notion of reversing the Brexit decision on Sunday, writing: 'I know I don't need to say this. But Brexit vote was non-binding. A passionate majority post-referendum reaction would make govt reassess'.
Setting the record straight: 'For the d*******: I am a UK born UK citizen, pay huge UK tax, my work helps employ hundreds of Brits & pumps millions into your economy', he Tweeted on Saturday
Imagine this:
You work for a big company. Your job is pretty boring. Frankly, your talents are wasted writing boilerplate code for an application whose only users are three people in accounting who cant stand the sight of you.
Your real passion is security. You read r/netsec every day and participate in bug bounties after work. For the past three months, youve been playing a baroque stock trading game that youre winning because you found a heap-based buffer overflow and wrote some AVR shellcode to help you pick stocks.
Everything changes when you discover that what you had thought was a video game was actually a cleverly disguised recruitment tool. Mont Piper, the best security consultancy in the world, is hiring and you just landed an interview!
A plane ride and an Uber later, youre sitting across from your potential future boss: a slightly sweaty hacker named Gary in a Norwegian metal band t-shirt and sunglasses he refuses to take off indoors.
You blast through the first part of the interview. You give a great explanation of the difference between privacy and anonymity. You describe the same origin policy in great detail, and give three ways an attacker can get around it. You even whiteboard the intricacies of __fastcall vs __stdcall . Finally, youre at the penultimate section, protocol security.
Gary looks you in the eyes and says: Youre designing a network protocol. Do you compress the data and then encrypt it, or do you encrypt and then compress? And then he clasps his hands together and smiles to himself.
A classic security interview question!
Take a second and think about it.
At a high level, compression tries to use patterns in data in order to reduce its size. Encryption tries to shuffle data in such a way that without the key, you cant find any patterns in the data at all.
Encryption produces output that appears random: a jumble of bits with a lot of entropy. Compression doesnt really work on data that appears random entropy can actually be thought of as a measure of how compressable some data is.
So if you encrypt first, your compression will be useless. The answer must be to compress first! Even StackOverflow thinks so.
You start to say this to Gary, but you stop mid-sentence. An attacker sniffing encrypted traffic doesnt get much information, but they do get to learn the length of messages. If they can somehow use that to learn more information about the message, maybe they can foil the encryption.
You start explaining this to Gary, and he interrupts you Oh you mean like the CRIME attack?
Yes! you reply. You start to recall the details of it. All the SSL attacks with catchy names are mixed together in your mind, but youre pretty sure thats the one. They controlled some information that was being returned by the server, and used that to generate guesses for a secret token present in the response. The response was compressed in such a way that you could validate guesses for the secret by seeing how you affected the length of the compressed message. If the secret was AAAA and you guessed AAAA , the compressed-then-encrypted response will be shorter than if you guessed BBBB .
Gary looks impressed. But what if the attacker cant control any of the plaintext in any way? Is this kind of attack still possible? he asks.
CRIME was a very cool demonstration of how compress-then-encrypt isnt always the right decision, but my favorite compress-then-encrypt attack was published a year earlier by Andrew M. White, Austin R. Matthews, Kevin Z. Snow, and Fabian Monrose. The paper Phonotactic Reconstruction of Encrypted VoIP Conversations gives a technique for reconstructing speech from an encrypted VoIP call.
Basically, the idea is this: VoIP compression isnt going to be a generic audio compression algorithm, because we can rely on some assumptions about human speech in order to compress more efficiently. From the paper:
Many modern speech codecs are based on variants of a well-known speech coding scheme known as code-excited linear prediction (CELP) [49], which is in turn based on the source-filter model of speech prediction. The source-filter model separates the audio into two signals: the excitation or source signal, as produced by the vocal cords, and the shape or filter signal, which models the shaping of the sound performed by the vocal tract. This allows for differentiation of phonemes; for instance, vowels have a periodic excitation signal while fricatives (such as the [sh] and [f] sounds) have an excitation signal similar to white noise [53]. In basic CELP, the excitation signal is modeled as an entry from a fixed codebook (hence code-excited). In some CELP variants, such as Speexs VBR (variable bit rate) mode, the codewords can be chosen from different codebooks depending on the complexity of the input frame; each codebook contains entries of a different size. The filter signal is modeled using linear prediction, i.e., as a so-called adaptive codebook where the codebook entries are linear combinations of past excitation signals. The best entries from each codebook are chosen by searching the space of possible codewords in order to perceptually optimize the output signal in a process known as analysis-by-synthesis [53]. Thus an encoded frame consists of a fixed codebook entry and gain (coefficient) for the excitation signal and the linear prediction coefficients for the filter signal. Lastly, many VoIP providers (including Skype) use VBR codecs to minimize bandwidth usage while maintaining call quality. Under VBR, the size of the codebook entry, and thus the size of the encoded frame, can vary based on the complexity of the input frame. The specification for Secure RTP (SRTP) [3] does not alter the size of the original payload; thus encoded frame sizes are preserved across the cryptographic layer. The size of the encrypted packet therefore reflects properties of the input signal; it is exactly this correlation that our approach leverages to model phonemes as sequences of lengths of encrypted packets.
That pretty much summarizes the paper. CELP + VBR means that message length is going to depend on complexity. Due to how linear prediction works, more information is needed to encode a drastic change in sound like the pause between phonemes! This allows the authors to build a model that can break an encrypted audio signal into phonemes: that is, deciding which audio frames belong to which unit of speech.
They then built a classifier that, still only using the packet length information they started with, decides which segmented units of encrypted audio represent which actual phonemes. They then use a language model to correct the previous steps output and segment the phoneme stream into words and then phrases.
The crazy thing is that this whole rigmarole works! They used a metric called METEOR and got scores of around .6. This is on a scale where <.5 is considered interpretable by a human. Considering that the threat vector here is a human using this technique to listen in on your encrypted VoIP calls thats pretty amazing!
Epilogue
After passing the rigorous all-night culture fit screening, you end up getting the job. Six months later, Mont Piper is sold to a large conglomerate. Gary refuses to trade in his Norwegian metal t-shirts for a button-down and is summarily fired. You now spend your days going on-site to a big bank, advising a team that hates your guts.
But recently, youve picked up machine learning and found this really cool online game where you try to make a 6-legged robot walk in a 3d physics simulation
P.S.
Paying the Bills
Vulnerabilities come out every day, and most dont get blog posts like this written about them.
Our product, Appcanary, monitors your apps and servers, and notifies you whenever a new vulnerability is discovered in a package you rely on.
Sign up today!
She is often seen in stylish ensembles that combine her classic taste with trendy pieces.
And on Monday, Jessica Alba put on another display of fashionable beauty as she arrived in Toronto.
The actress had jetted into Canada to promote her billion-dollar Honest Company.
Great taste: On Monday, Jessica Alba, 35, put on another display of fashionable taste in Toronto
Jessica, 35, layered a loose-fitting, white blouse underneath a long, striped coat.
The mother-of-two added a pair of boyfriend jeans, which she rolled at the cuff.
For both style and comfort, the Dear Eleanor actress wore a pair of pointed toe, sued flats.
Jessica, who's known for her natural beauty, proved the statement true when she appeared to be make-up free.
Clean look: Jessica layered a loose-fitting, white blouse underneath a long, striped coat
Jessica kept her eyes hidden behind an oversize pair of shades, while her brunette locks were tucked beneath a navy, wide brim hat.
For jewellery, the wife of Cash Warren wore a pair of Octavia Elizabeth dangle earrings and her wedding ring.
Although she was in Canada to promote her natural product company, Jessica claim-to-fame is her acting work.
Picture perfect: Jessica, who's known for her natural beauty, proved the statement true when she appeared to be make-up free
This year alone, Jessica has been a part of three projects. Two are set to premiere later this year.
The beauty stars alongside Josh Lucas and Luke Wilson in Dear Eleanor and Jason Statham and Tommy Lee Jones in Mechanic: Resurrection.
The first film opens in July, while the latter, in August.
It's only halfway through the year and Australian actor Joel Edgerton has already found success in three major Hollywood films.
So it comes as no surprise to see the 42-year-old enjoying some well-deserved downtime in Sydney.
The Great Gatsby star was spotted showing off his surfing skills as he took to the waves during an active outing last week.
Scroll down for video
Riding the waves: Joel Edgerton was spotted showing off his surfing skills as he took to the waves during an active outing in Syndey last week
The A-lister appeared extremely comfortable on his blue and red surfboard while putting on an impressive display.
Wearing a tight black neoprene wetsuit that accentuated his sculpted physique, he also sported a scruffy beard.
After riding the waves, the star was then seen looking idle in the wintry waters with a male friend.
In his element: The A-lister, 42, appeared extremely comfortable on his blue and red surfboard while putting on an impressive display
Fine form: Wearing a tight black neoprene wetsuit, the Blacktown-born star showed off his sculpted physique
Joel is currently on top of the world as his new civil rights film Loving is getting serious Oscar buzz.
The film doesnt hit cinemas until November but critics, who attended the Cannes festival screening, are almost unanimous in their praise, and have been bowled over by Joel's acting.
The Australian star plays lead character Richard Loving sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for entering into an interracial marriage with partner Mildred, played by Ruth Negga.
The civil rights drama comes not long after Joel's success with Midnight Special with both movies directed by Jeff Nichols.
Joel made headlines earlier this week when he compared the old American state laws against mixed-race marriages featured in Loving to the continued block of gay marriage in Australia.
Company: The Blacktown-born actor was seen relaxing in the water with a male friend (R)
Success: The former Secret Life of Us Star is currently on top of the world as his new civil rights film Loving is getting serious Oscar buzz
Award nominations: Loving doesnt hit cinemas until November, but critics, who attended the Cannes festival screening, are almost unanimous in their praise and have been bowled over by Edgertons acting
One of the things that struck me while working on this film is what happens between two individuals is nobody else's business, he said after Mondays screening.
There was a definite resonance with my own country, particularly with the rights of gay marriage and the latency of under-the surface racism, which is something I think we really need to talk about.
The Hollywood A-lister also reaped praise earlier this year for true-crime gangster drama Black Mass.
The film follows the career of infamous Irish-American mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger, played by Johnny Depp.
Edgerton stars opposite Depp as corrupt FBI agent John Connelly in the film.
Australian model Jessica Gomes is the proud godmother to her close friend Nicole Trunfio's one-year-old son Zion.
And on Tuesday, the 30-year-old shared an adorable throwback photo of herself doting over Zion when she first met him in Byron Bay in April last year.
Jessica can be seen holding his hand and brushing his cheek, and captioned the Instagram snap saying she: 'Fell in love forever!'
Scroll down for video
Sweet: Jessica Gomes is the proud godmother to her close friend Nicole Trunfio's son Zion, now one, and she took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a throwback snap from when she met him for the first time last year
'Last time I was in Byron was when I first laid eyes on my godson Zion. Fell in love forever! @nictrunfio I miss you guys so much! My little lion! We all miss you here!'
Zion would have been around 2-3 months old in the black and white image, having been born on January 11 last year.
In the snap, Jessica wears a long sleeve striped top and appears to be makeup free.
Doting: Jessica can be seen holding his hand and brushing his cheek, and captioned part of the snap saying she: 'Fell in love forever!' (seen at an event in LA earlier this month)
Friends: She is seen here with Nicole Trunfio when she was pregnant
At the time, she also shared online a snap of herself holding him as he sleeps at a local cafe.
Jessica is currently in Byron Bay and recently shared a snap of herself in a long maxi dress on a grassy knoll in northern NSW's Federal.
She has also stopped in to Mullumbimby and shared images of crystals online.
Last week, Jessica jetted into Sydney, having arrived from the US.
Family: Zion is seen here with his mum and father Gary Clark Jr. this week
Adorable: Last year, she also shared online a snap of herself holding him as he sleeps at a local cafe
She is close to Nicole, with the girls both having international careers and both hailing from Western Australia.
Jessica recently served as a bridesmaid at Nicole's Palm Springs wedding when she married musician husband Gary Clark Jr. earlier this year.
In March last year, Jessica made headlines when she let slip that Nicole and Gary had had a boy, after the couple kept Zion's gender and name a secret for a while.
Jessica told Daily Mail Australia at an event in Sydney at the time: 'I can't wait to meet him.'
About her godmother duties and meeting for the first time, she said: 'I am so excited about the experience, I cant wait'.
'I will love that child with all my heart.'
They've only been dating for two weeks, but to say things have been moving quickly for Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston would be a huge understatement.
The happy couple have already met each other's families, and are enjoying quite the jet set romance.
After spending time in Rhode Island, New York, Nashville and the UK together, 26-year-old Taylor and Tom, 35, have now travelled to Rome.
When in Rome!: Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston have been spotted on a romantic Italian getaway together
The inseparable pair have been getting around via the pop star's private jet, but they were spotted by cunning fans during a day of sightseeing on Monday.
Several social media users shared snapshots of Taylor and Tom looking giddy while visiting the Colosseum together.
The pair were piling on the PDA as they strolled around hand-in-hand, before another fan captured them tucking into a romantic meal.
Taylor looked gorgeous for the occasion in a pretty yellow sundress, which left her long legs on show.
Dinner date: The happy couple were seen enjoying a romantic meal after exploring the Colosseum
Meanwhile Bond hopeful Tom cut a dapper figure in a white shirt and smart black trousers.
Taylor apparently introduced the hunky actor to her parents during their trip to Nashville, and she in turn got to meet his mother while in Suffolk last week.
Taylor and Tom sent fans into overdrive when they were spotted kissing on the beach near her Rhode Island home on July 14.
Dressed to impress: Leggy Taylor wore a yellow sundress while Tom sported a white shirt and smart black trousers
The Shake It Off hit-maker had split from boyfriend of one year Calvin Harris just two weeks earlier.
And it seems that Taylor is already very serious about her new man.
A source told E! that the blonde beauty has 'texted her close friends and said, "I think I am in love and I never felt this way before!"'
The insider added: 'She is having a blast traveling with him. He is very romantic and attentive towards her. He is extremely charming.
Jet set couple: The pop star and the actor are in Italy after trips to Rhode Island, New York, Nashville and the UK over the past two weeks
'He also makes sure she feels safe wherever they go together. She is on cloud nine and really enjoying this quality time they are spending.'
Before dating Calvin, Taylor enjoyed romances with stars including Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayer.
Tom was last linked to close pal Elizabeth Olsen last year, but the pair denied anything was going on between them, and was previously in a relationship with Susannah Fielding.
Moving fast: Taylor and Tom, pictured in Suffolk on Sunday, have already met each other's families
The weather has been heating up in Los Angeles.
And Minka Kelly showed off her sizzling hot figure on Monday as she stepped out for a hearty lunch.
The 36-year-old Charlie's Angels favourite looked like she could hardly wait to get tucked in as she as she made her way to the eatery from the busy car park.
In the mood for food: Minka Kelly wore a wide smile as she headed in for lunch in Los Angeles on Monday
She certainly gave her fellow diners food for thought as she showcased her pleasingly proportioned posterior in a pair of tight jeans.
The saucy starlet, the only child of former Aerosmith guitarist Rick Dufay, completed her look with a casual white top and sandals.
Of course Minka's generous curves are partly down to the fact she is a real-life gourmand, a passion that led to her spending half a year as a student at a California culinary school last year.
She admitted: 'I grew up on junk food. Thats why learning about food and where it comes from and how its grown and sustainably farmed is important to me.'
Rearly impressive: She showcased her pleasingly proportioned posterior in a pair of tight jeans
No wonder she's curvy: Minka has said her favourite meal is roast chicken and vegetables
Minka also said that her favourite meal is roast chicken and vegetables, a hearty choice indeed.
The actress, who shot to fame cheerleader Lyla Garrity in Friday Night Lights, recently reunited with some former castmates at the Spartan Race in Chicago.
But, agonisingly, she said the show is unlikely to ever return to the screen, saying, 'I think some things are better left (with people) wanting more.'
And off she goes: No doubt the connoisseur would be exploring the restaurant's menu
She's the Hollywood actress known for her open and honest approach to pregnancy.
And Teresa Palmer posted yet another Instagram snap of her growing 17-week baby bump this week.
The 30-year-old shared a photo of her blossoming tummy at the beach while on holiday in Hamilton Island on Tuesday.
Scroll down for video
She's glowing! Actress Teresa Palmer (pictured) shared an Instagram photo of her 17-week baby bump while on holiday in Hamilton Island, Queensland on Tuesday
Teresa, who hails from Adelaide but lives with her family in Los Angeles, has returned Down Under for a holiday.
And during her Whitsundays trip, the Point Break star gave her 248,000 social media followers a quick pregnancy update.
In the photo, Teresa poses lying down on the beach in a bikini with her burgeoning baby belly clearly visible in the midday sun.
Candid: Teresa is known for her open and honest approach to pregnancy, and keeps her fans updated with her progress via her blog, online videos and social meda
'Hey big baby!' she wrote as the caption. 'Chilling with the bump on the beautiful @hamiltonisland beach.'
Teresa then added the hash tags, '17 weeks' and 'boy mama', a reference to the fact she is expecting a male baby.
Meanwhile, she paid tribute to her husband Mark Webber on Instagram on Father's Day last week.
'Thanks so much for being such a gentle, loving, attuned, patient and fun Daddy to our boy (and the sweet kisses to the next boy in the belly),' she wrote.
Growing brood: The Point Break actress, who hails from Adelaide, is married to actor Mark Webber (left)
Teresa and Mark, who is also an actor, began dating in September 2012 after meeting on Twitter.
They married a year later in Mexico, just three months after announcing their engagement and that they were expecting a child together.
Their first son Bodhi Rain was born on 17 February 2014. Mark also has a young son, Isaac Love, from a previous relationship.
Fiona Falkiner has kept up her gruelling exercise schedule throughout her global vacation.
And even in Thailand with the idyllic beaches on her doorstep, the 33-year-old made sure to squeeze in a gym session.
The blonde, who famously shed 30 kgs on The Biggest Loser in 2006, flaunted her ample cleavage and stunning curves in a crop top and leggings in the gym on Tuesday.
Scroll down for video
Pumping iron: Fiona Falkiner has kept up her grueling exercise schedule throughout her global vacation, sharing a snap to Instagram of her Thailand workout
Sharing a shot to her more than 45,000 Instagram followers, the TV presenter and model can be seen sitting on a piece of gym equipment, holding a weight in one hand and her phone in the other.
She wears all-black exercise gear and Nike trainers and has her hair pulled back off her face into a tight bun.
Appearing to be makeup free, she snaps a selfie in the mirror as she works, captioning part of the post: 'Time to get sweaty.';
She added: 'I don't focus on perfection I focus on being strong and healthy, no one is perfect! Just be the best you you can be.'
'Morning wheatgrass shot:' Fiona enjoyed a healthy wheatgrass shot in Thailand on Sunday
Feeling zen: She also enjoyed a meditation class in Thailand
On Sunday, she uploaded a selfie showing herself makeup free and enjoying a wheatgrass shot after waking up in Phuket.
Fiona hasn't been shy about sharing her travels on social media, taking to Instagram last week to post a bikini-clad selfie while relaxing on the beach.
The blonde bombshell looked sensational in the simple black number as she soaked up the sun on the island of Kefalonia in Greece.
Life's a beach: The 33-year-old looked sensational as she took to Instagram on Thursday to share a bikini-clad selfie while relaxing on a beach in Kefalonia, Greece
Goddess in Greece: The Biggest Loser host appeared content in an earlier snap on Monday wearing what appears to be the exact same bikini
She captioned the shot: 'Work hard, play hard, relax even harder!'
The Biggest Loser host has also enjoyed time in London, Italy and America.
In America, she spent time in New York where she made sure to keep up her exercise regime.
In one snap, she can be seen squatting wearing black leggings and a pink singlet and holding weights.
She captioned part of the shot: 'Watching the world go by....#feeltheburn #squatsfordays #healthyisastateofmind.'
In New York, she also completed a photoshoot.
It appears she has been enjoying her extensive trip with some friends and recently revealed she was off the market and in a blossoming relationship with a mystery Sydney restaurateur, who she's been spotted with in recent months.
On vacation: Fiona has been enjoying the European summer, with trips to Greece, Italy and the UK
Curves ahead: The curvaceous blonde showed off her enviable physique while cooling down in the pool
Kelly Dodd dropped a bombshell on The Real Housewives Of Orange County on Monday night and confessed that her husband has 'narcissistic personality disorder'.
The Latin beauty also compared her partner, former tech CEO Michael J. Dodd, to 'Hitler'.
'Before I got married Michael was perfect, and when we got married he became like Hitler,' she complained.
Major revelation: Kelly Dodd revealed on Monday's episode of The Real Housewives Of Orange County that her husband Michael has 'narcissistic personality disorder'
'He was a control freak, I felt like he was controlling every aspect of my life,' she said, noting that he withheld funds from her when she attempted to divorce him.
'He would rather give the money to lawyers than to me and my daughter,' she recalled of their two-year separation.
'It made me realise that being with him, and having my family together, was easier than getting divorced,' she added.
'I'm going to suck it up,' she confessed as the other women gawped.
Father and husband: Michael was shown caring for their sick daughter Jolie
'He has narcissistic personality disorder,' she said, harking to a 730 psychiatric evaluation he took at the time of their split.
'And she stays with him? What?' spluttered Tamra Judge.
When Shannon asked Kelly if she was in love with her husband, she only replied, 'He's a really nice person.'
Hard to believe: Tamra Judge wondered aloud why Kelly was staying with Michael
The show had opened with Vicki Gunvalson and Heather Dubrow discussing Vicki's scandal-plagued ex, Brooks Ayers.
Vicki maintained that she was not complicit in his lies about his cancer treatment.
'I couldn't in my wildest dreams that he would do this to me,' said the 54-year-old show veteran.
'I think the women lost respect and compassion for me,' she sobbed in the car ride home.
Getting emotional: Vicki Gunvalson at the start of the show was crying about losing the respect and compassion of her friends
Kelly, a stay at home mother, is still married to the former tech businessman.
'He now leads a life of leisure,' she said, as she argued with him over their daughter's welfare.
'He's not CEO of me,' she insisted.
Mother of one: Kelly said her husband leaves a life of leisure after running a tech company
Under the weather: Jolie wasn't feeling well but Kelly insisted she go to school
Kelly later met Vicki for lunch.
'You like to whoop it up?' Vicki asked her, as they discussed astrology and past relationships.
'I haven't been happy for the last seven months,' Vicki moaned.
Lunch together: Vicki complained to Kelly that she hasn't been happy for months
Whooping it: Kelly and Vicki talked about astrology and whooping it up
Tamra then met with her son Ryan.
She encouraged him to make peace with his partner Sarah, with whom he has a little daughter, Ava.
'It's constant badgeringI feel like I'm dying, decaying inside,' Ryan complained.
Decaying inside: Ryan complained to his mom Tamra that he was dying inside thanks to his partner Sarah
Her husband Eddie was irritated that Ryan had not paid them back the $8,000 he owes them.
'I don't understand you,' he told Tamra.
Shannon Beador and her husband David discussed their bowel movements over a Valentine's Day dinner.
Money owed: Eddie remained irritated that Ryan had not paid them back $8,000 that Tamra loaned him
She wasn't keen on the necklace he'd bought her.
'It's going to take a long time for this one to grow on me,' winged the 52-year-old.
Vicki hosted a soiree for her business associates.
Thoughtful gesture: David bought wife Shannon a necklace as a gift
Hid excitement: Shannon was not a big fan of the piece of jewelry but played it off
Good night: Vicki was mostly ignored by Shannon when she said goodbye at Heather's boat party
'I'm building a legacy for my kids to have,' said the insurance boss.
Heather and her celebrity surgeon husband Terry took their kids to Turks and Caicos for a much needed vacation.
'Terry refuses to say no to work and that is hurting us as a family,' said the attractive 47-year-old.
Family time: Heather Dubrow took husband Terry and their kids on vacation
Alone time: Terry and Heather enjoyed a meal together while on vacation in Turks and Caicos
Butler service: Heather noted the room came with butler service
Plate level: A view from plate level of the delicacies served to Heather and Terry
'I'm having the absolute time of my life, but I'm not seeing my kids that much but honestly I don't feel very guilty about it,' he admitted.
'I feel guilty that I don't feel as guilty as I shouldand that's weird,' he continued.
Former model Meghan King Edmonds was refitting her kitchen, so the women came over to pop champagne and knock a wall down.
Lady at work: Shannon was ready to take down a wall for Meghan King Edmonds
After their pitiful demolition attempt Kelly talked about Vicki.
'I felt like you guys were kind of mean to her,' she said.
'She's really hurt,' she added.
Lunch story: Kelly told Tamra and Shannon that she went to lunch with Vicki and felt they were mean to her
Say what? Tamra and Shannon could not hide their shock at Kelly's remark
'Kelly has no idea what happened,' Tamra scoffed.
'I've been ganged up on by girls many times in my life and it's awful,' said Kelly in justification.
'When I see someone doing that to someone else I want to protect that person,' she said.
Kelly also accused Shannon of being 'aloof' and 'stand offish'.
Stand offish: Shannon appeared to be taken aback when Kelly said she was aloff
Not aloof: The aloof comment did not sit well with Shannon
To top things off she made Tamra cry by discussing her estranged daughter.
'You haven't seen her in two years, are you kidding?' she gawped as Tamra sobbed.
RHOC continues next week on Bravo.
Went there: Kelly steered the direction toward Tamra's estranged daughter
Wrong remark: Tamra started crying after Kelly gawped about her not seeing her daughter for two years
Showing support: Shannon wrapped an arm around Tamra in support
She has undergone a slew of dramatic hair changes in her career as a model.
But Montana Cox showcased a more permanent change when she unveiled a small crucifix tattoo underneath her arm as she frolicked in a skimpy white bikini in The Hamptons, east of New York.
The brunette, 22, accessorised her look with a delicate gold necklace and a pair of simple stud earrings during the beach trip on Monday.
Inked! Montana Cox, 22, unveiled a small crucifix tattoo underneath her right arm as she frolicked in a skimpy white bikini in The Hamptons, east of New York
Her hair was also slicked back into a tight up-do at the crown of her head.
Montana is no stranger to making rather dramatic changes to her look.
In early 2015, she chopped her long mane into a pixie-cut 'do after she was told by her modelling agent that her hair was so damaged from bleach that she wouldn't be able to find a job without getting it cut.
A touch of glitz: The brunette beauty, 22, accessorised her look with a delicate gold necklace and a pair of simple stud earrings
Wet and wild! Her hair was also slicked back into a tight up-do at the crown of her head
'My agent was there with me for the cut and was like, Its going to be OK. But when it was over, I started bawling. Everyone in the salon was like, 'Is she OK? Is she being forced to do this?' Montana told Into The Gloss.
She soon embraced her shorter hair and earned herself a flutter of positive headlines for her bold new look.
Montana rose to fame in 2011 after she was crowned the winner of Australia's Next Top Model in 2011.
Evolving style: Montana is no stranger to making rather dramatic changes to her look
As the champion, she received a modelling contract with Chic Model Management, twenty thousand dollars in cash, a Ford Fiesta and an overseas trip to New York to meet with Next Model Management.
During her time on the show, Montana won a national campaign with Blackmores as well as a spread in Sunday Style.
She has since enjoyed a burgeoning modelling career, signing with international agency IMG and appearing on the catwalk for some of the most highly-regarded fashion houses in the world including Chanel and Christian Dior.
Montana has also appeared on the David Jones catwalk several times, starred in campaigns for Australian label Witchery, and taken part in Australian Fashion week - walking for Manning Cartell and Toni Maticevski.
The funeral service for Anton Yelchin was held on Friday at an undisclosed location.
Friends and family of the 27-year-old gathered at a private ceremony for the late actor, according to E! News.
The Star Trek actor was tragically killed on June 19 after his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled downhill and pinned him against a stone mailbox.
Remembered: The funeral service for Anton Yelchin was held on Friday at an undisclosed location, according to E! News
The L.A. county coroner confirmed that Yelchin's death was ruled an accident by 'blunt traumatic asphyxia from the force of the car against his body,' as reported by the news source.
His service was held less than one week after his body was found by friends at his Los Angeles home.
Yelchin had arranged to meet up with the group for a rehearsal and when he failed to show, they became concerned and went to check on him.
It was recently learned that the actor's car model may have been part of a massive recall for a gear-shifting problem.
'Your sudden and unexpected departure has left us all broken hearted': Zoe Saldana, 38, was heartbroken over the news and paid her respects on social media (pictured April 2009)
While drivers may have thought their cars were left in park, Jeep found problems where the cars were, in fact, still left in the neutral position.
According to Autoweek.com reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that the Monostable shifter which is found in Yelchin's model is 'not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection.'
The Russian-born actor played Chekov in the Star Trek films, including the upcoming Star Trek Beyond, which is set for release in July.
Good company: Eric Bana, Yelchin, Saldana and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams at the Moscow premiere of Star Trek in April 2009
His co-star, Hollywood A-lister Zoe Saldana, 38, was heartbroken over the news and paid her respects on social media, which she wrote: 'Your sudden and unexpected departure has left us all broken hearted.'
'I woke up today feeling absolute gratitude that I had you as a friend and colleague. Your life has been cut short, but I will always tell everyone about you.'
Those sharing their distress included the rising star's colleagues from the Star Trek franchise, with Zachary Quinto and J.J. Abrams wasting no time in sharing memories of their friend.
All-star lineup! Yelchin starred in the sci-fi hit alongside (L-R) Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho and Saldana in the 2009 Star Trek film
'You weren't here nearly long enough,' the Star Trek director shared in a handwritten note posted to Twitter. 'You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented... Missing you...'
Zachary, 39, who plays Spock in the films, also posted a heartfelt message, writing: 'our dear friend. our comrade. our anton. one of the most open and intellectually curious people i have ever had the pleasure to know.'
And on Monday Rihanna released her hotly-anticipated single for the forthcoming film, an intense piano ballad called Sledgehammer.
Zoe thanked Rihanna, 'for a beautiful song during one of the most difficult times for our StarTrek family,' adding: 'We know Anton would be proud.'
It's been a challenging few weeks for PR maven Roxy Jacenko and her two children, Hunter and Pixie Curtis.
But on Tuesday, the insta-famous four-year-old and her two-year-old younger brother were back to their old tricks and had Instagram fans swooning over their adorable rendition of Justin Bieber's song, Love Yourself.
In the short video, uploaded to Pixie's Instagram account, the siblings were seen singing into their ice blocks.
Catchy: Roxy Jacenko's Instagram star daughter Pixie Curtis made entertaining return to social media with her younger brother Hunter after their father was sentenced to two years in prison
Pixie who is often casually snapped wearing the latest designer dresses and carrying her mother's $12,000 Hermes Birkin handbags took the lead and sung Justin Bieber's catchy pop song word-for-word.
She added her own dance moves which consisted of gliding, sidestepping and bopping along to her own self-made beat.
Meanwhile, Hunter attempted to copy his sister's jives and dips while sucking on his sweet treat.
Makeshift microphones: In the short video, uploaded to Pixie's Instagram account, the siblings were seen singing in what appears to be their ice blocks
Natural performer: Pixie took the lead and sung Justin Bieber's catchy pop song, Love Yourself, word-for-word
'I've told him, follow my lead, stomp and don't stop - until I give you word.@huntercurtis14,' the video was captioned, presumably by Pixie's mother who manages her own account which boasts a huge fan following of 110,000 people.
The post comes after their father, Oliver Curtis, was jailed for two years on Friday after a lengthy trial in Sydney where he was found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading in 2007 and 2008.
Roxy was by his side throughout court proceedings, arriving at court on her husband's arm dressed in a parade of designer outfits.
Before his sentence was handed down last week, she pleaded with the court not to jail him, giving an emotional character reference in which she described him as their children's 'primary carer'.
Past week: The post comes after their father, Oliver Curtis, was jailed for two years on Friday after a lengthy trial in Sydney where he was found guilty of conspiring to commit insider trading in 2007 and 2008
Loving wife: Roxy was by his side throughout court proceedings, arriving at court on her husband's arm dressed in a parade of designer outfits
'Pixie and Hunter adore their dad. He's fun, tolerant, uncomplaining and loving. They screech with excitement as soon as they see him and no one else matters to them not even me.
'Because of my work hours, I would describe Oli as the primary carer of Pixie and Hunter.
'Oli is a kind, considerate and reliable man. I have no doubt that he will never be involved in anything like this again,' she said.
On Friday, Roxy returned to work after her husband's sentence was handed down.
Oliver handed her his wedding ring, watch and a wad of $50 notes before being led away from the dock.
They've famously clashed on screen in countless explosive arguments and confrontations.
But it looks like Gina Liano has patched things up with Lydia Schiavello and Pettifleur Berenger, with the Real Housewives of Melbourne star telling The Sydney Morning Herald that she speaks to the controversial twosome the most out of her fellow cast mates.
The 49-year-old also confirmed that the popular reality TV series will 'definitely' be back for a fourth season, despite production company Matchbox Pictures putting filming on hold so they can get a Sydney spin-off up and running first.
Scroll down for video
Huh?! Gina Liano shocked Real Housewives of Melbourne fans over the weekend by revealing that she talks to Lydia Schiavello and Pettifleur Berenger the most out of the current cast
When asked which of her castmates she's in contact with when RHOM isn't filming, Gina said: 'I probably speak to Lydia the most, and that's for a whole variety of reasons.'
She continued: 'I think we've come out, this season, probably the closest and in terms of contact; we've probably spent the most time together.'
The tanned barrister added: 'I speak to Pettifleur a lot.'
'I probably speak to Lydia the most, and that's for a whole variety of reasons,' said the 49-year-old
'I speak to Pettifleur a lot:' Gina also revealed that she's close to Pettifleur, who just so happens to be best friends with Lydia
The brunette bombshell noticeably failed to mention Gamble Breaux, who was considered her closest friend on RHOM.
However, the pair had a falling out in season three after Gina left Gamble's pre-wedding party early to watch herself on The Celebrity Apprentice, which was airing at the same time.
The pair tried to work out their differences at the reunion, but Gina appeared unwilling to repair the friendship despite fan favourite Gamble extending an olive branch.
What about Gamble? Gina noticeably failed to mention Gamble Breaux, who was depicted as being her best friend on The Real Housewives of Melbourne
Daily Mail Australia is told that the Housewives have yet to receive notice of when filming for a fourth season will begin.
Nobody has been fired from the series yet, with multiple sources confirming to Daily Mail Australia that reports of Lydia being let go were untrue.
Longtime cast member Chyka Keebaugh recently announced that she has declined to continue on with the show after her three-season contract came to an end this year.
'Definitely there will be a season four:' The barrister assures fans that RHOM will be back for another season
Who will be back? The Housewives have yet to sign new contracts for the show, but Chyka Keebaugh has voluntarily left the series after three seasons
Filming for The Real Housewives of Sydney is now underway, while a New Zealand-based spin-off, The Real Housewives of Auckland, is set to premiere on Bravo New Zealand in August.
Meanwhile, the third season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne will finally premiere in the U.S. on July 22.
In other news, Gina just released her signature fragrance in the U.K, and plans to follow up with a second fragrance in Australia before Christmas.
Hollyoaks actor Ayden Callaghan has spoken out on his decision to ask to be written out of the soap's emotional stillbirth scenes.
The soap star and his fiancee Sarah-Jane Honeywell have told OK! Magazine that Ayden was willing to put his job on the line for the sake of his family, after the couple found out his Hollyoaks character would be going through a stillbirth at the same time the pair were expecting in real life.
Ayden admits his 'heart sank' as soon as producers of the Channel 4 soap told him of his storyline.
Emotional decision: Hollyoaks actor Ayden Callaghan and fiancee Sarah-Jane Honeywell have spoken out on his decision to ask to be written out of the soap's emotional stillbirth scenes, which came as the same time they were expecting their son Phoenix
Sarah-Jane, who experienced a miscarriage with Ayden in their first pregnancy, admitted the stress had a big impact on their relationship.
Ayden feared losing his job as Joe Roscoe when he asked to be removed from scenes in which Jennifer Metcalfe's character Mercedes McQueen lost her child in November.
Fans of the show will know that it was Jennifer's brother John-Paul who was filmed at Mercedes' bedside when she lost the child she was expecting with Joe.
But thanks to Ayden's screen sacrifice, he and fellow actress partner Sarah-Jane went on to welcome a healthy boy, Phoenix, in August 2015.
Close to home: Ayden feared losing his job as Joe Roscoe when he asked to be removed from scenes in which Jennifer Metcalfe's character Mercedes McQueen lost her child in November
'Sarah had a weird feeling that I might have a storyline coming up involving a baby, so she asked me to speak to the writers about what they had planned. When they told me, my heart sank,' Ayden has told OK!
He adds: 'I knew the emotional impact it would have on Sarah. During the time of our miscarriage, my Hollyoaks character was becoming a dad and I knew how upsetting that was for her.'
Sarah added that she felt 'totally overwhelmed', explaining: 'Ayden told me that he'd be filming the stillbirth scenes around the same time as my due date. At that point I ran out of the house in tears.'
In his place: Fans of the show will know that it was Jennifer's brother John-Paul who was filmed at Mercedes' bedside when she lost the child she was expecting with Joe
Interview: Ayden and Sarah-Jane's full interview appears in this week's OK! Magazine, on sale now
'I'd never even considered the fact we could have a stillbirth, but after that it was all I could think about.'
Ayden's fiancee added that the stress of the storyline had a major impact on her pregnancy: 'I was so stressed out that I stopped putting on weight. When I'm stressed I lose weight from week 20 of the pregnancy I only put on 2lb. At points I couldn't even look at Ayden.'
Worried about what to do for the best, Ayden explained: 'As an actor it was a wonderful opportunity for me to be involved in such a big storyline, but it became obvious that Sarah wouldn't cope if I went ahead with it.'
'I'd give up an Oscar-winning role if it meant keeping Sarah and Phoenix safe.'
Jennifer Metcalfe admitted that even without previous experience, the script had devastated her, too.
She told This Morning in May: 'It has been both challenging and rewarding as an actress. I've been there for ten years and I was wondering what else they could put her through.'
'Mercedes loses her baby and the lady who wrote the script had been through a similar experience herself.
'I spent three hours reading the script and blubbering on the sofa. I just kept thinking about how many women have been through this.'
Holly asked Jennifer if she would like to stay on the show for another decade and she replied: 'I don't know. I've had the whole of my twenties doing a job I love which has been a dream.'
She's The Real Housewives of Melbourne star who's known for her quirky sense of humour.
And on Tuesday, Gamble Breaux gave her fans a reason to chuckle after sharing a photo of her Pomeranian, Cash, captioned: 'This is a throwback photo of me before cosmetic surgery and Botox.'
The hilarious post comes just one day after co-star Janet Roach shared a throwback photo of herself, pre-surgery, to social media, indicating that Gamble may have been taking a playful dig at her former nemesis.
Scroll down for video
PLayful: Gamble Breaux gave her fans a reason to chuckle after sharing a photo of her Pomeranian, Cash, captioned: 'This is a throwback photo of me before cosmetic surgery and Botox'
Cash: She shared a snap of her fluffy pet pooch to Instagram
The pair famously clashed on The Real Housewives of Melbourne, particularly on season two, when Janet was accused of spreading scandalous rumours about Gamble's past.
However, the pair seemed to get along better in season three, when Janet went after Gina Liano for skipping out of Gamble's pre-wedding party early to go watch herself on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Gamble has also shared photos on social media over the past month of herself and Janet spending time together at events and dinners, indicating that they've well and truly patched things up.
Glamour: The TV personality showcases her youthful looks at the Red Ball 2015 at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne in 2015
Trip down memory lane! Janet Roach took to Instagram to share a vintage photo of herself (left)
The stunning Janet, who is known for her signature taut visage, decided to take a trip down memory lane on Sunday by sharing a throwback photo of herself on Instagram.
'My skin looks just as good now as it did back then!' boasted the 57-year-old, who credited her Raw Essentials line of natural teas for her ageless appearance.
The blonde beauty explained that she was on day 26 of her 'Raw Essentials Teatox Challenge,' which is a month-long challenge that promises to 'rid our bodies of toxicity and restore inner health and balance.'
As expected, the throwback photo shows off Janet's softer, plumper skin, and appears to have been taken when she was considerably younger.
The svelte property developer has been open about her love of plastic surgery, openly confessing that she's undergone a temporal lift and breast implants.
'My skin looks just as good now as it did back then!' The 57-year-old boasted that her Raw Essentials tea range has keep her skin in the same condition as it was in her youth
Take the challenge: The Real Housewives of Melbourne star recommends taking her Raw Essentials Teatox Challenge to 'rid our bodies of toxicity and restore inner health and balance'
She's also admitted to using Botox and fillers.
Janet launched her Raw Essentials tea line last year with her entrepreneurial son Jake, who tragically suffered burns to 70% of his body when he was just 22.
A portion of the profits from Raw Essentials go directly to The Roach Foundation, a charity started by Janet and Jake to assist burns victims.
Plastic fantastic: The blonde beauty has admitted to Botox, fillers, a temporal lift and breast implants
Finally: Season three of The Real Housewives of Melbourne will finally make its way to U.S. screens in July
Filming for season four of The Real Housewives of Melbourne has yet to begin as production company Matchbox Pictures puts its energy into launching installments of the popular franchise in Sydney and New Zealand.
Daily Mail Australia is told that the current Melbourne cast haven't been given notice to begin filming yet, and that Matchbox Pictures is currently hiring new producers to handle the company's growing workload.
While Australian fans await another season Real Housewives of Melbourne, the show will finally return to U.S. screens in July when it airs on the Bravo network.
She has made a name for herself in the modelling industry thanks to her sensational body.
Now model Natalie Roser has put her super toned figure on display as she slipped into a number of stunning bikini sets for Baku Swimwear's latest summer beachwear campaign.
In one of the many images taken for the brand, the 25-year-old flaunted her ample cleavage and rock hard abs as she dressed in a purple two-piece swimsuit.
Scroll down for video
All eyes on her: Natalie Roser put her toned figure on display as she slipped into a number of stunning bikini sets for the latest summer campaign for Baku Swimwear
The patterned halterneck garment accentuated her chest while her bikini bottoms hugged tightly around her hips.
For the shot, Natalie showed off a broad toothy smile as she stood knee-deep in the crystal blue ocean waters.
While opting for a nude-base makeup, she wore her golden locks out and styled with a curl.
True beauty: For the campaign the 25-year-old wore a vibrant orange two-piece which featured cut outs around her rib cage
Loving it: She was later pictured laying across the sandy beachside while dressed in a stunning purple patterned one-piece which featured a V-neck front
Flawless: For the shoot the beauty wore her golden hair out and curled
The Australian beauty accessorised her beach-wear look with a beige straw hat.
In another frame, Natalie slipped into a vibrant orange two-piece which featured cut-outs around her rib cage.
As she rested up against a straw fence, she flaunted her long toned legs as she bent her left limb outwards while accessorising with a pair of tanned gladiator sandals.
She let her long hair to fall over her shoulders as she styled them straight with thin braids throughout.
Simple but stunning: Natalie also showed off her true beauty as she opted for a nude-base makeup look
That's cheeky! In a behind-the-scenes video from the photoshoot, she displayed her cheeky side as she placed her toned derriere on show while posing with her back to the camera
Showing off: In one frame the camera zoomed out to focus on her full frame while she dressed in a black and pink bikini set
Natalie later switched up her style and opted for a pink and black one-piece swimsuit.
As she laid across the sandy beachside, she showed off her sun-kissed tan and busty chest through the swimwear's low-cut front and large cut-outs across the back and sides.
In the picture the beauty arched her back off the wet ground while angling her left leg at 90 degrees,
In a behind-the-scenes video from the photoshoot, Natalie showed off her cheeky side as she placed her toned derriere on show while posing with her back to the camera.
Into motion: Natalie later positioned herself across the ground while dressed in the bikini
Revealing her secrets: Earlier in the year she explained to the Daily Telegraph that she used to be thinner before increasing her food intake and working out in the gym
Details: She told explained 'getting toned and healthy' changed her life because she 'started training and healthy eating and taking care of myself'
In one frame the camera zoomed in closely to her rear before moving out to focus on her full frame while she dressed in a black and pink bikini set.
Earlier in the year she explained to the Daily Telegraph that she used to be stick thin before increasing her food intake and working out in the gym.
'Getting toned and getting healthy has completely changed my career,' she said.
'I'm modelling pretty much every day, which never happened before I started training and healthy eating and taking care of myself.'
That's how she does it: Earlier in the year she explained to the Daily Telegraph that she used to be stick thin before increasing her food intake and working out in the gym
Flashback to the past: The blonde model has been showcasing her body since the age of 13, and once acted as a body double for Jennifer Hawkins in a Mount Franklin commercial
Talented past: The beauty, who was a contender in Miss Universe Australia last year, is currently one of the models of self-tanning brand ModelCo
Natalie has been modelling since the age of 13 and once acted as a body double for Jennifer Hawkins in a Mount Franklin commercial.
The blonde beauty, who was a contender in Miss Universe Australia last year, is currently one of the models of self-tanning brand ModelCo.
She's currently dating Sydney-based personal trailer Dan Adair.
Almost every moment in the lives of the Geordie Shore stars is caught on camera.
And on Monday, the litany of buxom stars who appear on the hit MTV reality show made sure they looked their very best as they continued filming in Kavos, Greece on Monday.
Leading the charge was the very busty Holly Hagan, who stepped out at yet another pool party - the latest of many in recent weeks - with her castmates in a skimpy blue bikini.
Scroll down for video
Matching! Chloe Ferry (left) and Holly Hagan sported near identical looks on Monday as they arrived at a pool party to film Geordie Shore in Kavos, Greece
She and her colleague Chloe Ferry perhaps forgot to check in with each other before arriving at the daytime party as the curvy brunette rocked a swimsuit and sarong almost identical to Holly's.
The jury was out on which of the reality TV starlets looked the best in their nearly matching bikinis, but they both rocked the look and made sure to flaunt their ample curves.
Holly, 23, looked sensational as she made the most of her generous cleavage in the pale blue printed bikini top, complete with a scant triangle-shaped cup and halterneck strap.
Beach babe: Holly, 23, looked sensational as she made the most of her generous cleavage in the pale blue printed bikini top, complete with a scant triangle-shaped cup and halterneck strap
She must have a wardrobe's worth: The pretty two-piece appeared to have a marble-like print across her bosom, as well as some dainty jewels, and the bottoms included a flattering tie-side detail
Battle of the buxom babes: Chloe and Holly each flaunted their ample chests, tiny waistlines and curvy hips in their complementing attire
Daring to bare: She showed off her flat stomach and shapely legs once at the pool for the party with her co-stars
The pretty two-piece appeared to have a marble-like print across her bosom, as well as some dainty jewels, and the bottoms included a flattering tie-side detail.
Adding a touch of daytime glamour to her sunshine-appropriate ensemble, Holly donned a very sheer white lace mesh sarong, tied up high across her whittled waistline to accentuate her slimmed-down curves.
The blonde beauty finished her look with her long tresses worn in a half-up 'hun' style, and for much of the day she covered her eyes with a pair of silver-tinted aviator shades.
Didn't check ahead? Chloe, 21, sported a look incredibly similar to her co-star
What's up? Marnie Simpson appeared to pull a face at Chloe as she stepped out to the pool
Careful! As the pretty starlet continued to dance, she jiggled out of her minuscule swimwear top
Wahey! Despite having been partying for weeks on end, day in, day out, Chloe was still in the mood to boogie
Pole party? At one point, Chloe seemed to need a bit of extra help standing as she clasped a pole
She later revealed herself to be almost make-up free, apart from a strong arched brow, and she showed off her pretty sunkissed face for all while at the pool.
Chloe, 21, meanwhile sported a bikini to mirror Holly's. The buxom raven-haired personality also made the most of her own bosom in the halterneck top in a shade of aquatic blue.
And, like Holly, she also donned a white sheer skirt-sarong item around her waist, although a plainer number.
Fresh: Looking slightly tired after partying hard in recent weeks, Geordie Shore star Holly opted to go make-up free but flaunted her tanned face
Happy: She flashed a huge smile as she chatted to members of the crew and Aaron Chalmers
Feeling it? Sophie Kasaei (left) arrived in a black bikini top and sarong as she was followed by a sleepy-looking Holly
She wore her dark mane loose, ignoring the hot sunshine beating down on them on the Greek island of Corfu, and sported a smoky eye for the day of filming at the pool party.
It all got a bit raucous as she filmed, though, as her ample chest almost spilled out of the bottom of her tiny bikini top.
Joining them were the likes of their co-stars Marnie Simpson and Sophie Kasaei, and their male colleagues Gaz Beadle, Nathan Henry and Aaron Chalmers.
Love to party hard: Make-up free Marnie Simpson, 24, revealed her slight frame in a black two-piece, which including a barely-there bikini top in an almost upside down style, and waist-cinching briefs
The effects aren't showing yet: Despite partying hard across Europe in recent weeks, Marnie's slim figure doesn't appear to have changed
Sticking to water: Marnie appeared to be drinking water on Monday as she took time away from her boozy lifestyle
Chilling: Marnie wore her black hair tied up into a high pony tail to keep herself cool
Whip your hair back! While flicking her excessive mane back, Marnie revealed she was also wearing a dainty body chain
Make-up free Marnie, 24, revealed her slight frame in a black two-piece, which including a barely-there bikini top in an almost upside down style, and waist-cinching briefs.
The high-waisted bottoms clung to her neat curves and exposed her slim pins for all to see as she stood up on the poolside at one point, seemingly to address her fellow Geordies.
After weeks of partying hard, she appeared to be tucking into some water for her day of filming in the sunshine, perhaps feeling a bit tender.
Ugh: Holly could barely keep herself awake as she continued to film the pool party with what appeared to be a soft drink in her hand
Having a stretch? Sophie appeared to be doing some exercises to loosen up
Relaxing: Sophie and Marnie took themselves away from the beating sunshine to hide away in the shade
All in black: Earlier in the day, Sophie and Marnie happily arrived in their skimpy swimwear, showing off their matching tans
As ever, the Geordie Shore stars have been getting typically 'mortal', putting on very boozy displays and dancing till dawn in an array of minuscule outfits.
Before hitting Kavos, the TV stars filmed episodes for the show in Majorca and Ibiza.
They've also faced drama over the weekend as their co-star Chantelle Connelly sensationally quit the show and was pictured leaving the island on Friday.
Lads lads lads: Joining them were the likes of their male colleagues (L-R) Aaron Chalmers, Nathan Henry and Gaz Beadle
Showing off his muscles: Gary 'Gaz' made sure to display his ripped body in a pair of tiny trunks
The party continues: Before hitting Kavos, the TV stars filmed episodes for the show in Majorca and Ibiza
Ice me up: Aaron seemingly attempted to cool Marnie down as he rubbed ice around her lips
They have been dating for 12 months while living in different continents.
And on Monday Australian model Kate Peck couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she reunited with her beau James White during a European holiday.
While posing for a picture together, the 28-year-old glowed with happiness as she wrapped her arm tightly around the Englishman's neck.
Scroll down for video
The look of love: Model Kate Peck couldn't wipe the smile off her face on Monday as she reunited with her long distance beau James White during a holiday in Spain
The loved-up duo happily posed for the self-taken image as they enjoyed some quality downtime together in Spain.
Kate struggled to contain her excitement about the reunion, captioning the photo: 'Say [cheese] with my ultimate squeeze.'
Over the weekend the lovable couple made sure to document their Spanish travels on social media as they explored the picture-perfect scenery.
Up-to-date: Over the weekend the lovable couple documented their Spanish travels on social media as they explored the picture-perfect scenery
In one of the many uploaded shots, Kate posed at the edge of a balcony which overlooked the never-ending city.
She showed off her long model legs as she dressed in a black mini-skirt and a green button-up shirt.
Last month the former Myer ambassador told Daily Mail Australia her long distance romance with her England-based boyfriend works because it 'keeps things exciting'.
The pair have been dating for over a year, with Kate previously revealing they met in Shoreditch in London's east end.
'I met him at a restaurant in Shoreditch through mutual friends,' she explained at the time.
Tourist behaviour: In one of the many uploaded shows, Kate posed at the edge of a balcony which overlooked the city, while showing off her long model legs in a black mini-skirt
'He works in finance so it's nice that he's not in the industry.'
When asked if she thought he could be 'the one' she replied: 'It's been seven months and its serious, it's going really well.
'We'll need to make a decision about that (moving) at some point but for now long distance is working,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Kate went on to explain that she has planned to stay in Australia for the next year but a move overseas could be in the works in the future.
In love: Last month the beauty revealed to Daily Mail Australia her long distance romance with her England-based beau works because the distance 'keeps things exciting'. They have been dating for one year
She's been busy on the promotional trail as she plugs her newly-released movie The Neon Demon.
And on Monday, Elle Fanning's efforts took her to Beverly Hills, California, where she made an appearance at a press conference for the film - and it was her dress that proved to be the star.
The 18-year-old actress arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel in a high-neckline red dress, which featured images of an assortment of playful tabby cats in a series of poses.
Scroll down for video
Working girl: Elle Fanning attended a press conference for her new movie The Neon Demon on Monday
The pretty blonde complemented her long-sleeved gown with a black headband, which was tied into a bow at the front, while her golden tresses rested on her shoulders.
Her psychological thriller - which also stars Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves - was released in the US on June 24, after having its big premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Her busy schedule in France forced her to miss her senior high school prom, which she decided to recreate the night in the glamorous setting of the Cannes Film Festival.
Claw-some! The pretty actress turned heads as she arrived in a red dress decorated with playful tabby cats
Luckily, the young man who was going to be her prom date flew out to the French Riviera to ensure she wouldn't be left out on the big day.
A delighted Elle - younger sister of Dakota Fanning - shared a cute snap on Instagram last month, which shows the actress and her male friend in traditional prom pose on a sweeping staircase.
Meanwhile, the busy starlet has multiple projects in the works which are currently in post and pre-production.
Busy schedule: The 18-year-old actress has been busy on the promotional trail for the psychological thriller
She has a starring role in the Prohibition Era crime drama Live By Night, and the upcoming Western The Beguiled which are both due out in 2017.
Elle otherwise has filmed A Storm In The Stars directed by Saudi Arabia's first female filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour, 41.
She also has a leading role in 20th Century Women directed by music video and indie director Mike Mills who previously directed Thumbsucker and Beginners.
She's been sunning herself in Cannes for the new summer spin-off of Made In Chelsea.
And Binky Felstead packed quite the wardrobe for her sunshine trip, wowing in a tiny coral bikini as she enjoyed a dip in the pool.
The reality star, who is newly single since her emotional onscreen break up with Josh 'JP' Patterson, looked stunning as she showed off her svelte figure.
Scroll down for video
Catching some rays: Binky Felstead looked stunning as she showed off her svelte figure in a coral-coloured bikini as she enjoyed the sunshine in Cannes
The 26-year-old looked sensational in her skimpy swimwear as she basked in the South of France sunshine and paddled in the pool.
Her toned figure was on show in the coral-coloured two piece, which featured pretty fringe detail and a halter-neck cut.
Binky added a chic white manicure to her poolside look, while keeping cool in designer shades.
Poolside posing: The 26-year-old looked sensational in her skimpy swimwear as she basked in the South of France sunshine and paddled in the pool
The reality star posed up a storm as she enjoyed her luxurious surroundings, reclining by the pool before topping up her suncream.
Binky has headed to Cannes with her castmates. The French Made In Chelsea spin-off follows last year's Los Angeles-based show and the New York trip made by the cast in 2014.
In a recent interview with OK! magazine Binky divulged that she does eats an 'awful lot', however maintains her slim figure by working out with a personal trainer four times a week.
Bikini beauty: Her toned figure was on show in the coral-coloured two piece, which featured pretty fringe detail and a halter-neck cut
Getting her tan on: The reality star posed up a storm as she enjoyed her luxurious surroundings, reclining by the pool before topping up her suncream
Finishing touches:inky added a chic white manicure to her poolside look, while keeping cool in designer shades
'Im either too fat or too thin, I cant win. I dont think Im too slim, I eat an awful lot.
I train four times a week with my personal trainer. We do an hour of high-intensity training together and Ill be introducing weights soon.'
It has been a rough few weeks for Binky, who filmed some emotional scenes with her ex JP who was convinced she was too much of a 'party girl' to be in a committed relationship.
Viewers of MIC saw a devastated Binky doing her best to convince him it was a one-off mistake, however it only cemented JP's decision with him telling her to 'move on' in a recent episode.
Work hard, play hard: Binky has headed to Cannes with her castmates. The French Made In Chelsea spin-off follows last year's Los Angeles-based show and the New York trip made by the cast in 2014
Safety first: Binky made sure she was well protected in the scorching temperatures
Nice do: Binky rocked beachy waves in her long brunette locks
Gym honed: In a recent interview with OK! magazine Binky divulged that she does eats an 'awful lot', however maintains her slim figure by working out with a personal trainer four times a week
She revealed just days ago that she is expecting her second baby.
And Kimberley Walsh has now stepped out for the first time since her happy reveal, along with husband Justin Scott.
The 34-year-old star covered her figure as she emerged on a rainy day in London on Sunday, but revealed a slight bump underneath her stylish coat.
Scroll down for video
Bumping along: Kimberley Walsh showed off her growing baby bump as she stepped out in rainy London on Sunday, the same day she revealed her happy news
The beauty sported a black jacket with a cool white grid print and, as she placed her hand on her middle, she exposed the burgeoning baby bump.
She finished her casual look with a pair of black skinny jeans and chunky white trainers, and she added a pair of chic sunglasses to her look despite the inclement weather.
Her blonde hair was swept back into a ponytail to reveal a pair of hoop earrings and she added the tiniest pop of colour to her monochrome look with a pink manicure.
Covering up: The 34-year-old beauty kept her bump covered but it was still visible under her chic black and white coat, while her husband Justin remained hidden under a hoodie
It was a rare outing for Kimberley and her husband Justin, who kept off the wet weather with a hoodie and loose jeans.
The happy couple - who tied the knot in January in an idyllic ceremony in Barbados - revealed at the weekend that they are welcoming another child into their family.
The couple, who share a 21-month-old son, Bobby, spilled the beans in an interview with Hello! magazine.
Kimberley revealed that she and Justin found out about their new arrival just weeks after their wedding.
The happy couple: The Girls Aloud starlet walked down the aisle in Barbados in January with Justin, and revealed they found out about their new arrival just weeks after the wedding
'We knew soon after we got married that we'd be very happy for baby number two to come along,' she gushed.
'When I first met Justin 14 years ago, I told him I wanted four children. We're both over the moon.'
She went on to discuss the discovery: 'Before I had even taken a test, I knew it instinctively. I wasn't suffering from morning sickness but telltale changes in my body made me certain I was expecting.
'When I took a home test early one morning to make sure, it confirmed what I'd already sensed. I was thrilled. The first thing I did was to wake up Justin and tell him, "You're going to be a daddy again!"'
Joyous: Kimberley (pictured in June 2014) was glowing when she was expecting Bobby
Kimberley soared to fame in 2002 when Girls Aloud formed on pioneering ITV talent show Popstars: The Rival and she remains firm friends with bandmates Nicola Roberts and Cheryl.
The blonde beauty revealed she could not contain her baby news any longer when the Fight For This Love hitmaker came to her house: 'When Cheryl came over to visit, I couldn't keep my pregnancy a secret any longer.
'She was so happy for us and thinks it's great to keep our family growing and that there will be a small age gap between Bobby and the new baby.'
The stunning star revealed she and Justin have opted not to find out the sex of the tot following the 12 week scan.
Kimberley spoke shortly after her wedding about her desire to have more kids, saying: 'I definitely want more children. Bobby is so sociable, he loves other kids so he'd definitely enjoy it.
'For him to grow up with a sibling close in age to him would be lovely, so, yes fingers crossed.'
Loved-up: The stunning star revealed she and Justin have opted not to find out the sex of the tot following the 12 week scan
This year's Strictly Come Dancing is set to heat up as three new professionals are joining the line-up.
However, as the newcomers have been revealed, there is some sad news among the Strictly camp as beloved dancer Gleb Savchenko has joined Aliona Vilani, Kristina Rihanoff, Ola Jordan and Tristan MacManus in quitting the show, citing family commitments.
The BBC revealed in a press release: 'Strictly extends its thanks to those who announced at the end of last series that they wouldn't be returning to the show, and to Gleb Savchenko, who has decided that due to family commitments he will not be appearing in the next series.'
Scroll down for video
It's over: Gleb Savchenko - who danced with Anita Rani in 2015 - has confirmed he is quitting Strictly Come Dancing
Gleb, 32, said: 'I thoroughly enjoyed taking part on the last series of Strictly Come Dancing and especially the way that the UK gave me such a warm welcome but due to family commitments I won't be returning to the show for the next series.
The handsome Russian star - who is currently appearing on Celebrity Masterchef - added: 'I'll definitely be tuning in though.'
The good-looking gent, who reached the semi-finals of Strictly in 2015 with Countryfile presenter Anita Rani,is married to fellow dancer Elena Samodanova and has a young daughter.
Former The Wanted singer Jay McGuiness was eventually crowned the winner alongside his partner Aliona Vilani.
He'll be missed: Gleb - who sometimes went shirtless while on the show, treating his fans to his amazing muscular physique - only appeared on Strictly for one series
Hello there, handsome: Speaking about his departure from the show, Gleb revealed it's down to 'family commitments'
Aliona and fellow professional dancers Ola and Kristina announced at the end of the last series that they would not be returning to the show, which recently won a National Television Award and its first TV Bafta, while Tristan MacManus quit earlier this year.
However, Pasha Kovalevsky, Aljaz Skorjanec, Giovanni Pernice, Natalie Lowe, Joanne Clifton, Janette Manrara and Oti Mabuse will all join Anton Du Beke, Brendan Cole and the Cliftons as returning dancers.
Unsurprisingly, there has been an outpouring of grief on Twitter following Gleb's reveal, with many of his fans clearly saddened by his exit after just one series.
Oh no! Fans took to Twitter upon hearing the news of Gleb's exit from Strictly, with many saying he hadn't been on it enough yet... while another made a opportunistic Jeremy Corbyn joke
Strictly fan @hazel_rhodes1 wrote: '@Gleb_Savchenko sad to see you go Gleb, you definitely brought something new to Strictly. All the best to you and your family!'
While a distraught @charbean1 commented: @Gleb_Savchenko @BBCOne @MasterChefUK i was hoping it wasn't true.'
Several Twitter users directed their messages to author and Strictly fan Marian Keyes, with @tracyf1971 writing: '@MarianKeyes have you heard the news?? No @Gleb_Savchenko on #SCD this year :-('
And @Mags_Peach added: '@MarianKeyes did you see @Gleb_Savchenko is leaving @bbcstrictly.'
Sharing her upset, @JudgeNatalie shared her disbelief on the social networking site: '@Gleb_Savchenko AND @TristanMacManus are gone!?'
New face: Oksana Platero is one of the new stars joining the professional dancers in the Strictly line-up for 2016
Addition to the team: World Champion dancer Katya Jones looks to be a hot new face on the Strictly pro team
Hunk: Top Spanish dance professional Gorka Marquez will no doubt be a favourite among fans of the BBC show
@ThunderbirdWPC revealed she didn't think there had been enough of the handsome Gleb on the show, writing: 'What no @Gleb_Savchenko or @TristanMacManus boo hoo. We haven't seen enough of them .'
And one opportunistic tweeter saw a chance to make a topical joke, and referred to the current state of the flailing Labour party following the EU Referendum.
'Today is not a good day for the slim cross-section of the Venn diagram that covers fans of Jeremy Corbyn and Gleb Savchenko,' @lukeeharman joked.
Meanwhile, World Champion Katya Jones, Ukrainian Champion Oksana Platero and top Spanish dance professional Gorka Marquez will help to guide this year's celebrity contestants on the BBC dance show which features judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell.
The three new professionals are thrilled to be joining the long-running show and can't wait to get rehearsing.
Stunning brunette Katya said: 'I am so privileged to be joining Strictly Come Dancing. I know it is extremely intense, but so am I! I am fierce, fabulous, and would love to win!'
Gorka, a handsome replacement for Gleb, added: 'I feel very excited and grateful to be joining Strictly, and to be one of the professional dancers for the new series.
'It's something that every dancer dreams of and something that I always wanted to have the opportunity to do.'
And Oksana gushed: 'Words cannot describe how extremely excited I am to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing family this year.
Other jobs in the pipeline: Gleb, 32, is currently appearing in this year's Celebrity Masterchef
'I am so fortunate to be given the opportunity. It feels so surreal and I cannot wait to get started.'
Louise Rainbow, executive producer of Strictly Come Dancing, said: 'We are delighted with our professional dancer line-up this year and we welcome three new stunning dancers to our Strictly family.
'Our most recent series was a terrific one for Strictly, winning both an NTA and Bafta Television Award, and we are all so excited to build on that and look forward to yet another brilliant and entertaining series.'
Other professional dancers joining the line-up will be announced before the show returns and the celebrity competitors are revealed.
Bye: Other professional quitters from Strictly this year include Ola Jordan (left, dancing with Steve Backshall) and Kristina Rihanoff (right, dancing with Daniel O'Donnell)
Things may be moving at breakneck speed for new couple Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston.
But that's most likely because they have barely spent a moment apart in two weeks, once again proving inseparable on Tuesday as they took a stroll around Rome, Italy.
The lovebirds interlaced their fingers, dressing in matching outfits while they enjoyed the romantic city by helicopter just days after she was introduced to the family.
Scroll down for video
That was Tiddleswift! Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift appeared to have moved their romance to Rome, Italy on Tuesday
Dressed in 'his and hers' Ray-Ban shades, Taylor and Tom looked effortlessly in sync with light shirts and cream-coloured bottoms.
While she tackled the ancient cobbles in FL&L X RAYE heels, he kept a supportive hand inside hers at all times to walk side by side.
It's been two weeks since the international popstar and the British actor were confirmed as the latest high profile power couple.
Holding hands: They could barely keep their hands from being interlaced
Another mode of transport: The couple were seen buckling up for a helicopter ride
Pounding the pavements: The stunner wore her heels to negotiate the cobbles
Cute couple: The duo only went official with their romance two weeks ago
Arm-in-arm: The blonde wrapped an arm around her beau during a sunshine stroll
And their high profiles have afforded them quite a lavish fortnight, since the duo were spotted taking to the skies in a helicopter on their latest day out.
Keen to keep their love going places, the new item have already spent time in Rhode Island, New York, Nashville and the UK together.
For 26-year-old Taylor, a visit to England meant something more significant too, because she was invited to meet 35-year-old Tom's mother.
Taylor apparently introduced the hunky actor to her parents during their trip to Nashville, and she in turn got to meet his mother while in Suffolk last week.
Soaking up the sights: It was a beautiful day for a summer's stroll in Rome
Moving on: Taylor certainly didn't seem to be dealing with heartbreak when she was led through the streets
I want to hold you hand: Tom seemed to be taking the lead on their outings
Stopping for food: In the backstreets of Italy, the duo seemed to stop to eat
Just the two of us: The pair seemed to be acting like no-one was watching
Romantic: They seem to be unable to separate themselves from one another
Holding hands: They've barely been seen anywhere without being joined
Joined at the hip: Their outfits were also complementing each other in muted shades
Strolling along: They didn't seem to need to speak to each other
The inseparable pair have been getting around via the pop star's private jet but they haven't escaped the glare of several social media users who shared snapshots of them visiting the Colosseum on Monday.
Not acting so discrete, the pair were piling on the PDA as they strolled hand-in-hand, before another fan captured them tucking into a romantic meal.
Taylor looked gorgeous for the occasion in a pretty yellow sundress, which left her long legs on show.
Meanwhile James Bond hopeful Tom cut a dapper figure in a white shirt and smart black trousers.
Taylor and Tom sent fans into overdrive when they were spotted kissing on the beach near her Rhode Island home on July 14.
Romantic getaway: They sported matching black Ray-Ban shades
New couple alert: Their high profiles have afforded them very lavish outings
Keeping busy: Taking trips to New York, Rhode Island and England has kept them busy
First holiday: Though it's not their first trip together, it's their first romantic break
Jet set: Their trips have taken them all over the globe in such a short space of time
Happy flight: They ditched their private jet in favour of a helicopter, this time
On they go: It seemed to have been only a fleeting visit to the Italian city
The Shake It Off hit-maker had split from boyfriend of one year Calvin Harris just two weeks earlier.
And it seems that Taylor is already very serious about her new man.
A source told E! that the blonde beauty has 'texted her close friends and said, "I think I am in love and I never felt this way before!"'
The insider added: 'She is having a blast traveling with him. He is very romantic and attentive towards her. He is extremely charming.
Glorious: The sunshine trip seemed to have been a glorious one
Just a short stay: They'd been to visit the Colosseum and out for an Italian dinner
Buckle up: Their romance has been set on autopilot, it seems
Full speed ahead: They looked like the perfect couple in matching shades
Here we go again: They flew out, seemingly having put an end to their Rome holiday
'He also makes sure she feels safe wherever they go together. She is on cloud nine and really enjoying this quality time they are spending.'
Before dating Calvin, Taylor enjoyed romances with stars including Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayer.
Tom was last linked to close pal Elizabeth Olsen last year, but the pair denied anything was going on between them, and was previously in a relationship with Susannah Fielding.
When in Rome!: Taylor and Tom have been spotted by eagle-eyed social media users during their romantic Italian getaway together
Dinner date: The happy couple were seen enjoying a romantic meal after exploring the Colosseum
Dressed to impress: Leggy Taylor wore a yellow sundress while Tom sported a white shirt and smart black trousers
Jet set couple: The pop star and the actor are in Italy after trips to Rhode Island, New York, Nashville and the UK over the past two weeks
Moving fast: Taylor and Tom, pictured in Suffolk on Sunday, have already met each other's families
She enjoyed a leisurely afternoon of sightseeing in Berlin with her fiance Jamie Mazur earlier in the day.
And Alessandra Ambrosio performed a quick change before hitting the town with her lookalike daughter Anja, seven, on Tuesday evening, attending the Marc Cain fashion show.
The 35-year-old Brazilian bombshell was the picture of elegance in a pastel pink dress with pretty ruffle detailing.
Scroll down for video
Family outing: Alessandra Ambrosio was joined by her cute daughter Anja, seven, on Tuesday evening as she stepped out in Berlin to attend the Marc Cain fashion show
Alessandra showcased her slim legs in the knee-length shirt dress, worn belted at the waist.
She set off her ultra feminine ensemble with a pair of covetable strappy sandals, and opted for a bronzed beauty look.
The Victoria's Secret favourite was joined by her cute daughter, who was clad in a flared white sundress.
Flirty and feminine: Alessandra looked the picture of elegance in her pink ruffled shirtdress
Dressed to impress: Little Anja looked adorable in a white sundress, with a diamante embellished bow setting off her outfit
Metallic touches: The Victoria's Secret beauty carried a silver handbag and finished off her look with strappy sandals
Seeing double: Anja was playing on her phone as she followed behind her mother
The little girl's sweet look was set off with a diamante embellished bow clip and a pair of silver strappy sandals.
At the fashion show, Alessandra took pride of place in the front row with fellow brunette beauty Milla Jovovitch.
The Fifth Element actress was also joined by her daughter, eight-year-old Ever, and the pair were seen chatting and snapping selfies together.
Centre of attention: All eyes were on the supermodel as she left her hotel ahead of the runway show
Glamorous: Alessandra ensured she was looking her best for the fashion event
The pair were in high spirits as they snapped away on their phones.
Earlier in the day, Alessandra was seen enjoying a low-key family outing with her husband and daughter in Berlin earlier in the day.
The leggy supermodel put on a striking display as she and beau Jamie and aughter Anja took in the sights while visiting the Mauerpark in the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood of the German capital.
Fashionable friends: Alessandra took pride of place in the front row with Milla and her daughter Ever
Nice to meet you! The Fifth Element actress' daughter looked delighted to meet the Brazilian beauty
Belle of the ball: Alessandra was the toast of the event in her pretty pastel dress
Cosying up: The two brunette beauties were gossiping and taking selfies on the FROW
Social media savvy: Alessandra was checking in on social media in the midst of the event
Clearly not a fan of plain jeans, a t-shirt and comfortable walking shoes, Alessandra revealed her tourist style to be something worthy of a catwalk.
She revealed her enviably long legs and slim figure in a thigh-grazing nude mini dress with short sleeves and a high neckline.
The flattering fit skimmed over her trim physique and the warm pink shade was almost identical to her tanned, toned limbs.
A stunning sight(seer)! Alessandra was a beautiful tourist as she stepped at Mauerpark in the Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood earlier in the day
Family day: The Brazilian beauty, 35, was joined by husband Jamie Mazur and their seven-year-old daughter Anja for the day in the German capital
A lovely day: Alessandra looked smitten as she spent time with husband Jamie in the historic park
Chic comfort: Clearly not a fan of plain jeans, a t-shirt and comfortable walking shoes, Alessandra revealed her tourist style to be something worthy of a catwalk
Supermodel vibes: The Victoria's Secret beauty revealed her enviably long legs and slim figure in a thigh-grazing nude mini dress with short sleeves and a high neckline
No wonder he can't stop looking! The flattering fit skimmed over her trim physique and the warm pink shade was almost identical to her tanned, toned limbs
The Brazilian beauty wore her brunette mane slicked up into the chicest of high ponytails, combining a utilitarian style with a fashion-forward look, and she donned a pair of cool shades on her face despite the overcast weather.
Opting for elegance and comfort at the same time, she finished her effortless daytime look with a pair of strappy gold flat sandals, a white satchel slung over her shoulder.
The catwalk beauty oozed style and sophistication as she was joined by her handsome husband and their adorable little girl for a day of sightseeing in Berlin, the three of them gladly taking in the historic sights.
Get ready! Alessandra appeared to go from model to photographer as she got her phone out to snap a picture of her little girl and husband
Cute! Little Anja looked cute in a pretty floral summer dress and a white fedora, and she appeared content to hold onto her mother's hand for much of their excursion
Her mini-me! Anja looked the spitting image of her famous mother as they left their hotel for the day
Hair's the thing: The Brazilian beauty wore her brunette mane slicked up into the chicest of high ponytails, combining a utilitarian style with a fashion-forward look
Little Anja looked cute in a pretty floral summer dress and a white fedora, and she appeared content to hold onto her mother's hand for much of their excursion.
Handsome Jamie sported his salt and pepper beard, and the businessman kept it casual in a pair of grey jeans and a long-sleeved black top.
The day no doubt provided a welcome break for Alessandra, who appeared on the catwalk for Balmain in Paris at the weekend, as part of Men's Paris Fashion Week.
Check it out! Jamie and Alessandra perused the photos on their phone
Long-term loves: The couple have been together for eleven years, having begun dating in 2005
The model was the star of the catwalk, wowing in a series of gorgeous designs, including a rainbow stripe mini dress.
Alessandra and her fiance Jamie are parents to Anja and their son, Noah Phoenix Ambrosio Mazur, three.
The couple have been together for eleven years, having begun dating in 2005.
Liam Hemsworth cut a casual figure in a tracksuit top and jeans when he arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday to promote his new film Independence Day: Resurgence.
The Australian actor, who is believed to have rekindled his romance with Miley Cyrus earlier this year, was seen strolling out of Narita Airport on the outskirts of Japan's capital.
He also sported a bulky black backpack which was fastened tightly across his chest with a strap.
Scroll down for video
Casual look: Liam Hemsworth arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday to promote his new film Independence Day: Resurgence
Liam opted for a relaxed outfit for the flight, wearing a bright blue Adidas jacket with red and white stripes over a white T-shirt.
The 26-year-old paired his stone-washed denim jeans with beige trainers.
His Independence Day: Resurgence co-star Jeff Goldblum was also seen arriving at the same airport on Tuesday.
Bulky: He sported a black backpack which was fastened tightly across his chest with a strap
Relaxed: Liam opted for a relaxed outfit for the flight, wearing a bright blue Adidas jacket with red and white stripes over a white T-shirt
Talent: His Independence Day: Resurgence co-star Jeff Goldblum was also seen arriving at the same airport on Tuesday
Liam recently defended his short-lived 2012 engagement to pop star Miley, claiming it was not an 'impulsive' decision.
He told News Corp that he thought carefully about proposing, despite the couple splitting up after 15 months.
'I dont think that was impulsive. That was a well thought-out idea,' Liam said.
It has been speculated that the couple have 'resumed' their engagement amid reports they are now dating.
Miley has even been spotted wearing the same engagement ring Liam gave her four years ago.
Cutting a casual figure: The 26-year-old paired his stone-washed denim jeans with beige trainers
Speaking out: Liam recently defended his short-lived 2012 engagement to pop star Miley, claiming it was not an 'impulsive' decision
He appeared to confirm reports to GQ magazine last month by saying that fans and the press had 'already' figured it out.
Last week Miley shared an Instagram photo of herself wearing a T-shirt with the word 'Hemsworth' written on the back.
Miley and Liam began their relationship while filming romantic drama The Last Song in 2009, and dated on and off for three years.
In June 2012, the pair got engaged after Liam proposed with a 3.5-carat diamond ring.
However, they ended their relationship in September 2013.
Rumours of a reunion began in January after they were pictured celebrating New Year's Eve together in Byron Bay, on Australia's east coast.
She's in Canada promoting her cosmetics brand.
And on Tuesday, Jessica Alba brought a little sunshine to a morning television appearance.
The 35-year-old added bright yellow heels to her business-like attire as she arrived at the Global Morning Show studios in Toronto.
Scroll down for video
Yellow shoes: Jessica Alba brought a little sunshine to a morning television appearance on Tuesday
She drew attention to her toned and tanned legs with the vibrant footwear, teamed with a figure-hugging white dress.
The Honest Company founder added a stylish dark blue boyfriend blazer, and carried a studded grey bag over one shoulder.
The Dear Eleanor actress juggles her acting career, billion-dollar business and motherhood, so it was no surprise to see her supping on a coffee.
Walking on sunshine: The 35-year-old added bright yellow heels to her business-like attire as she arrived at the Global Morning Show studios in Toronto
However, she looked fresh and radiant as she covered her eyes with dark glasses to make her way from the car to studios.
The natural beauty had on make-up for her appearance, and showcased her flawless skin and pretty features.
Looking the picture of health, she wore her brunette tresses in loose beachy waves.
Stylish: She drew attention to her toned and tanned legs with the vibrant footwear, teamed with a figure-hugging white dress
Pretty: Looking the picture of health, she wore her brunette tresses in loose beachy waves
For jewellery, the wife of Cash Warren wore a pair of hooped earrings and her wedding ring.
Keeping her sense of fun, the mother-of-two joked about on Snapchat on her way to the show.
She posted a clip using a filter which added a cartoon dog's nose and ears to her beautiful features.
The star captioned the chat: 'Good morning Canada'.
Good morning! Keeping her sense of fun, the mother-of-two joked about on Snapchat on her way to the show
Joking around: She posted a clip using a filter which added a cartoon dog's nose and ears to her beautiful features
Although she is in the country to promote her natural product company, Jessica claim-to-fame is her acting work.
This year alone, Jessica has been a part of three projects, of which two are set to premiere later this year.
She will appear on the big screen in The Mechanic: Resurrection, opposite action star Jason Statham.
The sequel to Statham's 2011 action thriller is set to be released on August 26th.
The beauty also stars alongside Josh Lucas and Luke Wilson in Dear Eleanor which opens next month.
You can't keep a song and dance man down... not even when he's 90 years old.
Dick Van Dyke was out on Sunday doing what he's done best for eight decades - entertaining a crowd.
The star appeared at Chicago's Creativity Days family festival on Sunday where he visited the childhood home of Walt Disney, the man behind one of Dick's most beloved films, Mary Poppins.
Scroll down for video
Song and dance man: Dick Van Dyke, 90, appeared at Chicago's Creativity Days family festival on Sunday where he visited the childhood home of Walt Disney, the man behind one of his most beloved films, Mary Poppins
And it wasn't long before the veteran was leading the massive crowd in a sing-along of Let's Go Fly A Kite, one of the songs from the 1964 musical blockbuster.
With his 44-year-old wife Arlene at his side, he merrily belted out the fan favourite.
The moment was shared on Facebook by a fan, Nicolas DeGrazia, who wrote: 'He marches out on the steps of Walt Disney's birthplace on N. Tripp in Chicago and says "Hi! I'm what's left of Dick Van Dyke!"
'Then he busts out laughing. The guy is 90 years old and running around and skipping with a huge smile on his face.'
Always on show: It wasn't long before the legendary entertainer burst into song, inviting the crowd to sing along on Let's Go Fly A Kite from Mary Poppins, as his 44-year-old wife Arlene stood next to him
On stage: The moment was shared on Facebook by Nicolas DeGrazia, who wrote: 'He marches out on the steps of Walt Disney's birthplace on N. Tripp in Chicago and says "Hi! I'm what's left of Dick Van Dyke!" '
Dick looked dapper in a smart dark suit, crisp white shirt and a grey tie.
With his thick, snow white hair he was easy for the crowd to spot.
The entertainer's appearance marked the soon-to-be completed restoration of the Disney residence and he took a tour of the inside.
Having a look see: Dick toured the house, which is being renovated before its opened to the public
Drawing a crowd: Hundreds turned up to see the beloved entertainer
Dick also performed later that evening in a one-night-only show at the Tivoli Theatre that featured more fan-favorite songs.
The star, who was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998, is also a legend of the stage, big screen and small screen with a Tony award, a Grammy and five Emmys to his name.
He received the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013.
He is preparing to shoot Blade Runner's sequel, reprising his role as an aged Rick Deckard several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.
And it looked like Harrison Ford was already in character as he was seen sporting a long white beard and much longer hair during a summer vacation in Spain.
The 73-year old actor was enjoying a well deserved break with his wife, Calista Flockhart, 51. But is seemed as if fans got out of hand as they clamored for selfies and appeared to follow him through the streets of Cordoba.
Scroll down for video
Unrecognizible: Harrison Ford was seen sporting a long white beard and much longer hair while on vacation in Cordoba, Spain, on Tuesday. At one point it seems as if he was mobbed by fans
Where's Chewbacca when you need him? The Star Wars vet was surrounded by fans eager for a photo
Rough day: The legend looked serious as he carried his backpack through the historical town
Harrison and Calista met at The Golden Globes in 2002. They married in 2010 and have one adopted son together, Liam, aged 15.
The smitten duo seems to have a sweet appreciation for fine dining, as they spent Friday evening on a date at Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid, an exquisite restaurant located in the city's town hall.
The Indiana Jones star looked dapper in a light blue Oxford button down shirt and matching navy trousers.
In step: The 73-year old actor was enjoying a well deserved break with his wife, Calista Flockhart, 51 in Spain
She got the back of his head: A pretty woman in a floral dress pointed her camera at the action star
Not that kind of tourist: The Indiana Jones star looked dapper in a light blue Oxford button down shirt and matching navy trousers; here he shook a stranger's hand
Looks loco: At one point it seemed as if Harrison was followed by a few ladies; several paces back is Calista
He rounded off his casual chic ensemble with a set of brown suede Derby shoes.
Calista kept things simple and matched her husband's style with a grey long-sleeve top over a green floral flare skirt.
The pair also went to check some art at Madrid's Museo del Prado and later filled their hungry tummies at La Castela where they also mingled with the restaurant's staff.
The Star Wars actor and the the Ally McBeal star were also spotted walking the streets of Toledo.
Big time foodies: The 73-year old actor has enjoyed a well deserved break with his wife, Calista Flockhart, 51, visiting the historical cities of Madrid, Toledo and Segovia and eating out at fancy restaurants
Fill my tummy! The Star Wars legend enjoyed plenty of fine dining while stopping by at some of Spain's best restaurants
Need some kitchen help? The actor felt the urge to stop for a long bite at chef Adolfo Munoz's famous restaurant. He is pictured here with chef Adolfo Munoz
After gazing at one of Spain's most impressive Gothic cathedrals, they felt the urge to stop for a long bite at Restaurante Adolfo, chef Adolfo Munoz's famous restaurant.
Harrison and Calista later on found some time to pop by the beautiful town of Segovia for more sightseeing and fine dining.
Harrison has a busy schedule ahead.
The actor is making his video-game debut in the upcoming LEGO, Star Wars: The Force Awakens game, reprising his role as Han Solo but this time in minifigure form.
He is also set to reprise his renowned role for Indiana Jones 5, the fifth installment of the movie.
Checking out the place: Ford and Flockhart visited the Great Mosque with friends
In a rush Han? The multimillionaire seemed in a hurry at one point as Calista looked on in the background
A long hall: The veteran of the big school blended in with the pillars as he made his way through the Mosque
Sight-seeing: They took a look around The Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba
Pointing: A guide seemed to explain what they were looking at
Steven Spielberg will once again direct the movie which also stars Ryan Gosling and Robin Wright.
In a recent report from The Daily News the director rejected the prophets of doom who say septuagenarian Ford is too old to play the titular hero.
Spielberg said: 'He keeps himself in such brilliant physical shape that I dont believe when 2018 comes around, which is when Im slated to direct the fifth installment coming out in 2019, I think Harrison is going to be able do a lot of what the script is asking him to do.'
Nicolas Cage has been pictured with a mystery woman following his separation from wife Alice Kim.
In new photos obtained by Dailymail.com, the 52-year-old actor kisses his pretty female companion, seemingly very comfortable in the brunette's company.
The duo were spotted in the Studio City neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Friday, shortly after the the actor's separation from Alice, 32, was announced.
Scroll down for video
New romance: Nicolas Cage is pictured with a mystery brunette on Friday shortly after it was announced he has separated from his wife of 11 years, Alice Kim
Colourful garb: The 52-year-old star's female companion wore a beautiful kimono for the date which took place in Studio City, California
Nicolas's new love interest wore a traditional Japanese kimono with her dark locks pinned up for the date night.
The duo were pictured gazing at each other and leaning in for a kiss as they sat at a sushi bar inside Asanebo restaurant.
The Face/Off star also tenderly caressed the brunette's cheek during the meeting.
Intimate: The actor caressed the pretty brunette's face as the duo sat at a sushi bar inside of Asanebo restaurant
Pals: Nicolas' date chatted to one of the sushi chefs
Tender: The actor's lady friend was just as affectionate as she placed her hand on his shoulder
On Friday a spokesman for Nicolas confirmed to People magazine that he and his wife have been living separate lives for six months.
The couple have been married for 11 years and have one son together, ten-year-old Kal-el Coppola Cage.
Nicolas and his third wife met in 2004, when she was just 19 and working as a waitress at a Los Angeles restaurant.
Helping hand: Nicolas must have had a smudge on his glasses
Just the two of us: The couple appeared deep in conversation
Loving gesture: As the sushi chef worked away the woman placed a tender hand on the actor's back
All smiles: The duo left the restaurant together after their cozy meeting
The pair got engaged two months later. They would have celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in August.
The Con Air actor was previously married to Lisa Marie Presley for almost four months in 2002 and to Patricia Arquette from 1995 to 2001.
He also has a 25-year-old son, Weston, from a previous relationship with model Christina Fulton.
There is a 20-year age-gap between Nicolas and Alice, and the star previously revealed his Korean mother-in-law was unimpressed when she first met him.
All dressed up! The actor's lady love wore her brunette locks up in a pretty updo
Colourful look: The woman's beautiful robe featured big blue and purple flowers
Pilfering the glassware? The Con Air star carried a small drink with him into the parking lot of the restaurant
He said: 'When my mother-in-law came to the house for the first time, before even hello or nice to meet you, all I got was, "She's too young!" And so I knew this was going to be an uphill battle.'
Nicolas added that he 'made a clear decision' to marry into another culture, saying: 'I made a very clear decision to marry out of my own zip code.
'I mean, way out of my own zip code. I married into another culture, and it's interesting because in Korea they call me the Son-in-Law.'
He revealed the couple's wedding was pushed forward so that Alice could travel with him to South Africa while he was making Lord Of War, explaining: 'You can connect the dots... and we did it because we loved each other.'
Craving one! It was time for a smoke break for the actor's date as she stepped outside
He was looking forward to his a second gig at Glastonbury as DJ Driss.
But Idris Elba was forced to cancel his slot at the iconic festival last weekend after filming for The Dark Tower in Cape Town overran.
The 43-year-old actor is starring as gunslinger Roland Deschain in the film adapted from Stephen King's popular science fiction book series.
Scroll down for video
Commitments: Idris Elba was forced to cancel his DJ slot at Glastonbury after filming for The Dark Tower in Cape Town overran last week
Pictured late last week, the Luther star cut a handsome figure in a simple grey shirt and a pair of dark jeans as he left a trailer on location in the South African coastal city.
In a video to his fans, the star said: 'Glastonbury, it is with a very heavy heart that I let you know that I can't make it this year. I have to cancel my gig at the very last minute. It's not my fault. My film schedule changed at the last minute.'
Billed as a science-fiction fantasy horror, The Dark Tower - directed by Nikolaj Arcel and set for release in 2017 - tells the story of Roland, a frontiersman knight who goes head-to-head with the villainous Walter Padick, played by Matthew McConaughey.
The movie will be based on the first in legendary writer King's eight-book series, entitled The Gunslinger: there will also reportedly be a TV spin-off series based on the saga.
Busy: The 43-year-old actor is starring as gunslinger Roland Deschain in the film adapted from Stephen King's popular sci-fiction book series
The first book is set in a parallel universe to the Old West and while Roland is travelling across the desert on a mule he meets Jack Chambers, who died in his own universe.
The pair then continue journeying together before finding the Man in Black, who tells them their fate, before sending Roland back to another universe to show him insignificance.
Last month Idris put on a loved up display with Naiyana Garth - the mother of his 24-month-old son Winston - at the BAFTA TV Awards ceremony, after it had been claimed they had called time on their three-year-relationship in February.
Idris and Naiyana began dating in early 2013, with the pretty brunette soon falling pregnant.
Music career on hold: In a video to his fans, the star said: 'Glastonbury, it is with a very heavy heart that I let you know that I can't make it this year.'
Speaking on the red carpet, Idris revealed that making a thank you speech would be tricky if he did win an award explaining: 'Unfortunately I have lost my voice over the last two days so I'm a bit nervous if I did win, I won't have much to say.'
And when he presented the award for best comedy performance by a female actress he stated: 'I've lost my voice so bear with me, I'm not drunk I promise.'
Idris lost out to fellow nominee Mark Rylance who took home the Best Actor award for his role in Wolf Hall.
Looking good: On set the Luther star cut a handsome figure in a simple grey shirt and a pair of dark jeans as he left a trailer in the South African coastal city
She broke her silence about her new boyfriend Hugo Taylor earlier this week.
And Millie Mackintosh was glowing with happiness as she attended the Live! clothing store launch bash at London's Soho Hotel on Tuesday evening.
The former Made In Chelsea star, who rekindled her romance with her former flame Hugo shortly in the wake of her divorce from ex-husband Professor Green, was dressed to impress in a funky black and white dress.
Scroll down for video
Dressed to impress: Millie Mackintosh turned heads in a black and white ensemble as she attended the Live! clothing store launch bash at London's Soho Hotel on Tuesday evening
Millie looked the picture of elegance in her white dress, featuring beaded embellishment and a classic cut.
The 26-year-old's ensemble was set off by thick black crossover straps and a matching ribbon running around the waist.
Millie ensured her look was coordinated from head-to-toe by adding a pair of strappy heels.
Simple touches: The 26-year-old's ensemble was set off by thick black crossover straps and a matching ribbon running around the waist
Fashionista: Millie ensured her look was coordinated from head-to-toe by adding a pair of strappy heels
She wore her brunette locks down loose and opted for a bronzed beauty look.
The reality star-turned-fashionista's solo outing comes after she confessed she was smitten with fellow ex-MIC star Hugo.
Rumours of Millie and Hugo's romance surfaced shortly after Millie's split, with the renewed relationship finally being confirmed when the duo were seen enjoying a trip to Monaco earlier this month.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the blonde beauty coyly answered questions about the sunglasses designer: 'Im great. Hes great. Im very happy, thats all I can say.'
Natural beauty: Millie sported barely-there make-up and wore her sun-kissed locks loose
Glowing: Millie looked radiant, clearly blissfully happy with new beau Hugo Taylor
In her element: The former reality star was celebrating the launch of Brazillian clothing company Live! in London
The article reveals Millie's phone screensaver is an image of the inseparable couple, who spent the weekend enjoying the festivities at Glastonbury festival.
Millie saw her two and a half year marriage to rapper Professor Green, 32, dissolved in just 30 seconds at the end of May.
They were granted a decree nisi at Central London Family Court with Millie citing 'unreasonable behaviour' as the reason for their split.
The divorce came just three months after the couple announced they were separating after living separate lives.
Fresh-faced: Millie was looking sprightly following her trip to Glastonbury festival this weekend
Happiness is... Millie has now spoken about her former Made In Chelsea co-star Hugo Taylor, who she admits is 'great' and making her 'very happy'
She's been a regular on the London party scene in recent weeks.
And Demi Moore was looking lovely as ever as she attended the Sabine Getty Showroom event in Berkeley Square in London on Tuesday evening.
The 53-year-old actress was showcasing her quirky sartorial sense in a smart checked coat as she mingled with fellow guests at the jewellery party.
Scroll down for video
Check her out! Demi Moore looked lovely as ever in a stylish checked coat and smart black flares as she attended the Sabine Getty Showroom event in Berkeley Square in London on Tuesday
Demi looked seriously chic in her funky coat and black rimmed spectacles, adding an edge to her otherwise formal attire.
She sported a mauve shirt tucked into a pair of smart, high-waisted trousers, and wore a simple choker around her neck.
The Hollywood beauty cosied up to jewellery designer Sabine at the event, who was dressed to impress in a white silk slip.
The Ghost favourite has two projects hitting cinemas later this year.
Party pals: The Hollywood beauty cosied up to jewellery designer Sabine at the event, who was dressed to impress in a white silk slip
The actress will star alongside acting titan Alec Baldwin and Dylan McDermott in Blind, a film about a vison-impaired writer who re-discovers his desire for life and eventually falls for a married woman.
In Wild Oats, Demi joins Jessica Lange and Shirley MacLaine in the comedy that tells of Eva, a woman who spends her social security check of an accidental $900,000 with her best friend.
Demi previously opened up about the difficulty of raising her three daughters - who she raises with her ex Bruce Willis - in the public eye.
She told Us Weekly: 'No child should be subjected to that type of judgment or criticism, especially based on their looks...
'As a parent, all you can do is love them and keep loving them until they love themselves.'
The Ghost actress also confessed how proud she is of her eldest daughter Rumer Willis, 27, who has found her feet since winning Dancing With The Stars.
Demi enthused: 'She is incredibly talented, and I love seeing her light shine!'
Dear Deirdre,
Please, can you help me? Ive met this amazing girl called Taylor, and were crazy about each other. However, Im worried that its all going too fast and that shes taking over my life.
A few weeks ago, I was just another 35-year-old English actor trying to make it big in Hollywood. Back then, everyone loved me; I was on a roll. I was the villain Loki in the Thor films, and then Jonathan Pine in hit television series The Night Manager. That made me a huge star on both sides of the Atlantic.
Then I went to a dinner party in New York, and this blonde girl across the table started staring at me.
Scroll down for video
Tom leaves American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintours dinner party, chatting animatedly with another British actor, Idris Elba, who has also been mentioned as a future James Bond. But uh oh! who can that be lurking in the background, watching his every move?
Sporting white tie and tails, Tom sure is puttin on the Ritz at the Met Ball in New York. When he and Taylor take to the dancefloor, its Fred Despair and Chancer Rogers all over again. They were simply meant to be together only he just doesnt know it yet . . .
Their new relationship is on the rocks - and the world is about to discover that they are in love. Is Taylor taking a selfie or readying their timetables for the next eight years?
Hey, are you the guy whos meant to be the new James Bond? she said. I clinked together my cufflinks to show her how English and suave I am, and she seemed smitten.
At first, I was flattered. Shes beautiful, nine years younger than me, has a really interesting career and is financially independent. And her legs are nearly as lovely as mine.
We had one dance together at a ball one! and then she dumped the poor bloke she had been dating for 15 months. Over the telephone, if you please. Before you could say joint Louis Vuitton ad campaign, we were in a lovely relationship, but there are moments when it feels more like a lovely abduction.
Tom looks a little weary as he plods onto Taylors private jet to return to her New York base. Shes already on board the plane, scribbling into a big notepad with NEW LYRICS emblazoned on the front.
In Manhattan, Tom leaves Taylors $20 million Tribeca penthouse apartment. Her bodyguard opens the door of her car to take the new suitor to the gym. Already, Hiddleston looks like a kept man and its not a good look . . .
We travel everywhere on her private jet. From Rhode Island to New York to Nashville to Suffolk to Rome. I dont know where I am going to wake up next, only that when I do, she will be lying awake, staring at me.
She has texted her friends to say: Hes the one! I think I am in love.
Weve had our first mini-break to Italy, weve even done the meet-the-parents thing, prompting one of my mates to send me a pair of handcuffs. He said it was a gag gift, but I am not sure that I havent become a laughing stock. Especially when Taylors so keen on romantic beach strolls just me, her and half-a-dozen paparazzi.
Oh dear, what have we got here? Tom seems keen to cement his new sex god status, posing in his pants for an arty magazine. He appears to have been sprayed with fake tan - and a light coating of embarrassment
The lovebirds have headed to Nashville - Taylor's home town - and are picture hand in hand leaving a Selena Gomez concert, having bopped like a pair of kids. Next stop Claire's Accessories to pick out gonk keyrings together
On Aldeburgh beach in Suffolk, with Mother Hiddleston. Yes the rules of celebrity engagement are different than in the real world - but honestly what kind of couple, who have only been dating for a matter of weeks, go on a romantic beach walk with mum in tow?
Another thing Im worried about is that my girl is well-known for writing songs about her boyfriends. Im a private guy or, at least, I used to be. What do I do if she starts to write about me?
And where is this all going, anyway?
Help me, Deidre! Is this just a summer romance or the love of my life?
Love Tom
Dear Tom,
Thank goodness you got in touch. Weve all been so worried about you.
First, I can see why Taylor has fallen so hard. You are romantic, attentive, charming and sophisticated. All that posh stuff works a dream on girls like her, especially when one considers who she has dated before. DJ Calvin Harris, pop stars Harry Styles and John Mayer, actor Jake Gyllenhaal all of them the kind of adolescent dimwits who think they are being gentlemanly if they let her squeeze the ketchup first during their hot dog dinners.
First Taylor was on Aldeburgh beach in sandals that showed off her pedicure - the next minute she's acclimatised to our typical British summer and donned 255 wellies and a waxed jacket. And Tom has changed out of those hideous grey desert boots - at last!
Now she has you, darling! You wear white tie, recite Shakespeare and you know how to treat a girl like a princess. No wonder she is keen!
A word of warning, though. Taylor is a lovely girl, but she seeks publicity the way a prize bloom seeks the sun.
Make sure you are not a mere pawn in some greater game that shes orchestrating to add lustre to her own image. Dont be another scalp in her collection of hot but useful men.
And youre worried that this romance is going too fast? Ive got news for you, Tom its broken world records for celebrity shenanigans, compacting a years worth of dating milestones into only a few days. Beach walks, meeting the parents, a mini-break in Rome? It must be exhausting.
The Italian leg of the Tom 'n' Taylor tour is over and it is time to say Ciao Roma
The love birds climb aboard a helicopter to whisk them away. He looks exhausted, she looks straight at the camera, triumphant.
Slow down, Mister Smoocher. Get off the love merry-go-round, even if just for a breather. Stop being so available. And impress upon Taylor that love is long-haul, not a supersonic sprint.
It was lovely of you to introduce your new girlfriend to Mother Hiddleston, but you and I both know that when mums come into the equation, everyone immediately starts thinking of three things: vows, wedding bells, buffet or sit-down. Is that really what you want?
If it is, then I am happy for you even though you barely know this girl. But my advice is to enjoy your summer of love with your pop star poppet and dont do anything hasty.
Mission accomplished. What happens next is anyone's guess...
Play it cool and brutal, just like James Bond would. And about those songs? Taylor is a serial songwriter who has chronicled every broken-hearted split to date. Expect yourself to be top of the charts soon . . . in a way you never expected.
Finally, you are a man of the world, Tom, but I do worry that your head is being turned by this glamorous fling.
I have enclosed a leaflet for a support group called TITS (Totally Into Taylor Swift) which should help you cope with some of the overwhelming emotions you are experiencing.
Call me any time I am always here for you.
Philippines' President Duterte looking to destroy 'Imperial Manila'
Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte takes office this week looking to end the domination of "Imperial Manila" with a radical shift to federalism that he says is vital to fighting poverty and ending a deadly Muslim separatist insurgency.
Duterte, who won last month's elections in a landslide, has vowed to have the constitution rewritten to achieve his bold plans -- which would see power devolved from the central government in the capital to newly created states governing the current 81 provinces.
"It (the current system) is an excuse for them to hang onto power in Imperial Manila. They have always been there in one single office, running the Philippines," Duterte said in a speech during the election campaign.
Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte speaks to the city hall employees in Davao City, on southern island of Mindanao on June 27, 2016 Manman Dejeto (AFP)
Such comments are typical fare for Duterte, an anti-establishment figure who relentlessly rails against the elites who have mostly ruled the Philippines since independence from the United States after World War II.
Duterte will on Thursday take over from Benigno Aquino, who remains a generally popular figure but nevertheless comes from one of the remarkably small number of wealthy clans that have long dominated national politics and overseen one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.
Duterte will become the first president from the vast southern region of Mindanao, which is one of the nation's poorest areas and home to decades-old communist and Muslim insurgencies that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Highlighting his antipathy for Manila rule, Duterte snubbed his proclamation by Congress as the winner of the elections -- an event normally rich in tradition and ceremony.
Duterte has also travelled to the capital just once since winning the election, and vowed to spend the bulk of his six years as president based in Davao, which has less than two percent of the nation's population and is 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from Manila.
- Peace, poverty hopes -
Under Duterte's federal set-up, the states will be largely autonomous and allowed to retain most of their income, rather than remitting it to the central government, which he believes will be a key driver of economic growth in the impoverished countryside.
He has said the central government would retain essential national functions, such as defence, foreign policy and customs.
Duterte has repeatedly said one of the main benefits of federalism would be to end separatist rebellions waged by the country's impoverished Muslim minority because they would in effect have autonomy in the new states.
"Nothing short of a federal structure will give Mindanao peace," Duterte said on the campaign trail, and broadly supportive comments from Muslim rebel leaders in recent weeks have indicated they are receptive to the plans.
Amending the constitution is a highly sensitive subject in the Philippines.
Lawmakers have not touched it since it was rewritten in 1987 following the "People Power" revolution that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos the previous year.
The constitution was redrawn to put in place safeguards to avoid another dictatorship, including limiting presidents to a single term of six years.
Tentative attempts by previous presidents to revise the constitution failed amid strong opposition from groups that feared the leaders were merely seeking to extend their reigns.
- Riding high -
However Duterte, flush with his election success that has seen political opponents swiftly shift allegiances to him, is confident of enjoying big majorities in both houses of congress, as well as broad popular support, to propel his push.
With Duterte due to turn 77 at the end of his presidential term, many voters do not see him as someone who will want to extend his rule.
Seeking to capitalise on his early-term popularity, Duterte is aiming to lay the framework for a referendum to change the constitution in the first half of his presidency, according to his allies.
Still, what would be the biggest shake-up to Philippines' democracy since 1987 is by no means assured, and political analysts say opposition could build.
Critics have accused Duterte of being very vague about his plans, questioned whether federalism is indeed the panacea to the nation's woes, and warned that it could cause more problems than it solved.
In a nation which already has issues with weak governance like the Philippines, federalism might result at worst in the break up of the country, according to Temario Rivera, chairman of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance think-tank.
He said federalism could strengthen the hold of political dynasties or clans that already monopolise power in local governments, often through the use of private armies, with a weakened central authority unable to respond.
"Shifting to a federal system will have uncertain and unpredictable results," Rivera told AFP.
Map of the Philippines showing regional and provincial borders -, - (AFP Graphic)
Philippines' president-elect Rodrigo Duterte (C) arrives for the flag raising ceremonmy at the city hall grounds in Davao City, On the southern island of Mindanao, on June 27, 2016 Manman Dejeto (AFP)
When her five-year-old son asked her to kill him because he was too hungry, Umm Issam knew she would never return to Fallujah if she was able to leave.
Iraqi forces may have wrapped up operations in the city and declared the area free of jihadists from ISIS after a month-long operation.
The government said the destruction caused by the fighting was limited and vowed to do its utmost to allow the tens of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.
An Iraqi woman displaced from the city of Fallujah carries a child at a newly opened camp where hundreds of Iraqis are taking shelter
But despite more than two years under the tyrannic rule of ISIS and months of a siege that starved the population, mother-of-nine Umm, 42, said she could never be happy in Fallujah again.
She explained: 'My son asked me to kill him because he was so hungry he couldn't take it anymore... By God that's what he said. He's five.'
Months earlier, she had a miscarriage in Fallujah hospital when an air strike hit a nearby building and caused panic.
She added: 'I was so scared, it was chaos, I miscarried. I was expecting twins. I lost my twins... I had gone to hospital because I had no food,' she said, holding one of her nine other children.
Behind her, in one of the ever-expanding displacement camps in Amriyat al-Fallujah, the Norwegian Refugee Council was conducting a delivery of basic goods for new arrivals.
The basic package, meant for a family housed in a single tent, consisted of six mattresses, a cooking kit, a camping lamp, a sheet of tarpaulin, an empty water container and brown tape.
Iraqi displaced from the city of Fallujah queue up to collect aid distributed by the Norwegian Refugee Council at a newly opened camp
'It's hot and dusty here, there isn't enough water or food, but we can survive,' said Umm.
'I don't want to go back. It has been through so much -- the Americans, Al-Qaeda, Daesh (ISIS), starvation... And I don't know what's next but this city is cursed, I'm not going back.'
Her husband has been detained for screening since they reached the camp on June 16.
And while military operations in the area are all but over, the humanitarian crisis is peaking and the number of displaced is continuing to grow.
Temperatures topping 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) combined with a lack of basic goods and even shelter for some of the displaced families have prompted aid groups to warn of an impending disaster.
Kefieh Saleh has been in the same camp 10 days and her family still does not have a tent to sleep under.
'My husband, as we speak, is working for the camp to help set up tents but we don't have one of our own. Can you imagine?,' she said.
She and her children share the grounds of the camp's prefab mosque and have been sleeping outside, sitting on a dirty black blanket with their backs propped up against the wall.
'Our area is not safe, and I don't believe it'll get better,' said the woman, from the Saqlawiya area northwest of Fallujah.
Members of the Iraqi police force celebrate on a street in western Fallujah after driving ISIS out of the city
While military operations in the area are all but over, the humanitarian crisis is peaking and the number of displaced is continuing to grow
In his victory speech from central Fallujah Sunday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said a demining effort was needed before civilians could return.
'God willing, we will bring them back to their areas after we guarantee that the houses are safe and not booby-trapped,' he said.
Sectarian dynamics are also an obstacle to the return of displaced residents filling overwhelmed camps around Fallujah.
'Many of the men have disappeared, some of our neighbours were slaughtered by the Hashed al-Shaabi,' she said.
She was referring to a paramilitary umbrella dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militia that have been accused of being driven by the desire for revenge against Fallujah's Sunni population.
Witnesses, local officials and rights groups have reported sectarian-tainted abuses by Hashed forces that were in charge of clearing Fallujah's outlying areas in the early stages of the operation.
'I'm not sure what happened to our house yet but in any case it's like living in a military area out there, I'm afraid of what can happen,' she said.
Kabul to investigate child sex slavery fuelling insider attacks
Afghanistan's president has ordered a "thorough investigation" into institutionalised sexual abuse of children by police, after AFP revealed the Taliban are using child sex slaves to launch deadly insider attacks.
There has been international condemnation of paedophilic "bacha bazi" -- literally "boy play" -- which AFP found has been exploited by the Taliban to mount a series of Trojan Horse attacks over two years that have killed hundreds of policemen in the remote southern province of Uruzgan.
"The president has ordered a thorough investigation (in Uruzgan) and immediate action based on findings of the investigation," the presidential palace said of Ashraf Ghani in a statement.
The sexual abuse of children by police in Afghanistan has been exploited by the Taliban to mount a series of Trojan Horse attacks over two years that have killed hundreds of officers Manan Vatsyayana (AFP/File)
"Anyone, regardless of rank within the forces, found guilty will be prosecuted and punished in accordance and in full compliance of the Afghan laws and our international obligations," the English language statement said.
The ancient custom of bacha bazi, one of the country's worst human rights violations, sees young boys -- sometimes dressed as women -- recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship and to bear arms.
It is deeply entrenched in Uruzgan, where police commanders, judges, government officials and survivors of such attacks told AFP that the Taliban are recruiting bacha bazi victims to attack their abusers.
The claims -- strongly denied by the Taliban -- expose child abuse by both parties in Afghanistan's worsening conflict.
The presidential statement said there was "no place" in the Afghan establishment for abusers, adding it will do "whatever it takes" to punish them.
- 'Horrific' -
The announcement follows a flurry of international reaction to AFP's report.
"We strongly condemn any abuses of the horrific nature described in the article," the US embassy in Kabul said.
"We urge the Afghan government... to protect and support victims and their families, while also strongly encouraging justice and accountability under Afghan law for offenders."
In a letter last week to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Congressman Duncan Hunter demanded a proactive American role to end bacha bazi in Afghan forces.
"I remain concerned... that the Taliban is increasing its use of children to access security positions and mount insider attacks against... Afghan police," Hunter said in the letter seen by AFP.
"It is my belief that we can begin taking immediate steps to stop child rape from occurring in the presence of US forces and reduce any risk of coinciding insider attacks. This includes imposing a zero-tolerance policy."
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said bacha bazi is of "high concern" for the international community.
"UNAMA continues to receive anecdotal reports of bachi bazi, including within Afghan security forces, and continues its engagement with government to ensure the criminalisation and prevention of all forms of exploitation and abuse of children," Mark Bowden, the UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan, told AFP.
The Afghan government announcement, which did not specify a timeframe for the investigation, comes ahead of two crucial donor conferences on Afghanistan in Warsaw and Brussels this year.
The war-battered country remains heavily dependent on international financial and military assistance, which helps sustain security forces -- including police.
- 'Morally reprehensible' -
Any perception of apathy about bacha bazi risks jeopardising that assistance, said Michael Kugelman, an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
"No donor in good conscience can justify funding police forces that engage in such reprehensible practices," Kugelman told AFP.
"There's already much talk of donor fatigue, but as donors hear more about bacha bazi, there's bound to be donor fear as well fear of bankrolling institutions that do morally reprehensible things."
The Afghan interior ministry has said it is committed to institutional reforms, while acknowledging that bacha bazi within police ranks is a "serious crime".
The government last year launched a probe into sexual abuse and the illegal recruitment of child conscripts around Afghanistan.
But the country has yet to pass legislation criminalising bacha bazi and no initiatives have been publicly announced to rescue any children enslaved by police.
"The absence of any initiatives to release and recover children from their abusers is a serious failure on the part of Afghan authorities," Charu Lata Hogg, an associate fellow at London-based Chatham House think tank, told AFP, adding that donors must pressure Kabul for change.
"Abuse of children cannot be passed off as cultural practice."
An Afghan security checkpoint on the outskirts of Tarin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province, where boys recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship are being used by the Taliban to attack their abusers Rateb Noori (AFP/File)
Missing boat found off Tonga, all survive
A boat that sparked a major search when it went missing off Tonga with 11 people aboard had been found with all passengers safe and well, authorities said Wednesday.
Tonga's navy and the New Zealand air force were called in when the boat disappeared after setting off from Nuku'alofa Monday on a 90-kilometre (55-mile) voyage.
Maritime New Zealand said the 11-metre (36-foot) vessel had broken down but those aboard managed to send a text message late Tuesday providing its position.
Small private boats have been providing inter-island ferry services in Tonga since the beginning of June 2016, with the regular ferry out of service with a broken rudder Neil Sands (AFP/File)
France charges Assad's uncle with graft
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's uncle, suspected of using ill-gotten gains to build a real estate empire in France, has been charged with corruption, a judicial source said Tuesday.
Rifaat al-Assad, 78, who commanded Syria's notorious internal security forces in the 1970s and early 1980s, was charged on June 9 with receiving embezzled funds and tax fraud, the source told AFP.
In the probe, headed by prominent political graft buster Renaud van Ruymbeke, investigators estimated that Rifaat and his family amassed 90 million euros ($100 million) worth of real estate in France, mainly through companies registered in Luxembourg, between 1984 and 1988.
TV grab shows a photo of Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled brother of Syria's late Preisdent Hafez al-Assad
The properties include a chateau and stud farm north of Paris, two mansions, two apartment blocks and a plot of land in the French capital as well as offices in southern Lyon.
Rifaat, who has four wives, told investigators he "had nothing" when he left Syria, having always given his wages away to the poor, according to a source close to the investigation.
His lawyers declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Rifaat has been ordered to remain in France except for travel to Britain for medical treatment, according to Sherpa, an activist group that represents victims of financial crime and lodged complaints against him in 2013 and 2014.
Rifaat headed Syria's notorious internal security forces at the time of the 1982 Hama massacre, which crushed a Muslim Brotherhood-led uprising, and killed between 10,000 and 25,000 civilians, according to Amnesty International.
He denies responsibility for the massacre.
He was forced into exile in 1984 for trying to overthrow his older brother, the late Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad.
Then French president Francois Mitterrand invited Rifaat to France, awarding him the Legion d'Honneur two years later.
French investigators have told AFP that Rifaat has since divided his time between homes in Paris, London and the southern Spanish resort city of Marbella.
Sherpa claims Rifaat's fortune was stolen during his time at the heart of the Syrian regime.
Syrian foreign minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, who also resides in France, told investigators that Hafez al-Assad gave his brother some $300 million in 1984 to get rid of him.
Of that, $100 million was in the form of a loan from the Libyan government, a source close to the probe told AFP.
- Saudi interest questioned -
The Assad family claims the fortune was the result of gifts from wealthy Saudi supporters, including former king Abdullah, with whom he shared a love of horse-racing.
Van Ruymbeke, whose high-profile cases have included the tax fraud trial of France's former budget minister Jerome Cahuzac, has said Rifaat has provided proof only of a $10 million gift from Abdullah in 1984, the source told AFP.
Rifaat's 43-year-old son, Soumar al-Assad, told investigators last year that the stud farm was a gift from the late Abdullah.
Rifaat claims he invested these gifts in property, but did not keep a close eye on the details.
"I only occupy myself with politics," he was quoted as saying. "They bring me papers to sign... I don't know how to pay, even in restaurants."
Other members of the family have given evidence that Saudi backers have supported them ever since their exile.
However, Syria expert Fabrice Balanche told the probe he is highly sceptical of the explanations.
Lebanon army raids Syrian refugee camps after suicide blasts
Lebanese troops raided makeshift refugee camps near a predominantly Christian village on the border with Syria on Tuesday a day after two waves of suicide attacks.
But Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq said the attackers who carried out Monday's violence had come from inside Syria, not refugee settlements nearby.
"We are worried that there are more terrorists, so the Lebanese army is searching the area," said Bashir Matar, mayor of Al-Qaa, which lies in a hilly border area shaken by violence since the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011.
Lebanese soldiers patrol the Christian village of Al-Qaa, near the country's border with Syria, on June 28, 2016
Five people were killed and 15 wounded when four suicide bombers attacked the village before dawn on Monday.
A second wave of attacks hit Al-Qaa on Monday night. Another four suicide bombers wounded 13 people.
Al-Qaa lies on a main road linking the Syrian town of Al-Qusayr to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley.
Its 3,000 residents are predominantly Christian, but the Masharia Al-Qaa district is home to Sunni Muslims and some 30,000 Syrian refugees live in a makeshift camp on the edge of the village.
"The army has deployed a large force to Masharia Al-Qaa and is carrying out widespread searches in the displacement camps, looking for weapons or wanted people," the state National News Agency reported.
In televised comments from Al-Qaa on Tuesday, the interior minister said a preliminary investigation indicated that "the suicide attackers came from Syria, not from the (refugee) tents."
- Show of force -
Residents also took to the streets with their own weapons in an apparent show of force, an AFP journalist reported.
"The whole village is mobilising. Everyone -- men and women -- are sitting in front of their homes to protect them after the terror that we lived yesterday," said local official Mansur Saad.
One man with silver-grey hair and clad in a black vest poured himself a small cup of coffee, his assault rifle lying in his lap.
Several women strolled through the street and posed in front of cameras, smiling and gingerly carrying weapons.
"We haven't been scared or terrified like that in our whole lives," said resident Yola Saad.
"All the guys from the village came out with their guns to protect their neighbourhoods," she added.
Prime Minister Tamam Salam urged residents not to take up arms and to leave the military work to the security forces.
In Baalbek, an eastern city known for its ancient ruins, soldiers "carried out raids in the refugee camp... and arrested 103 Syrians who were on Lebanese territory illegally," an army statement said.
Lebanon is host to more than one million Syrian refugees, roughly a quarter of the small Mediterranean country's population.
Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to back President Bashar al-Assad, has set up informal checkpoints along the road to Baalbek area "to search cars," a Hezbollah official told AFP.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks which bore the hallmarks of jihadist organisations like the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda.
Suicide blasts in the area have typically targeted checkpoints or military installations and rarely included more than one attacker.
In August 2014, the army clashed with the IS and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, in the border town of Arsal.
Lebanese soldiers stand guard in front of a church where a suicide bomber blew himself up the previous day in the Christian village of Al-Qaa, on June 28, 2016
Last words: language of China's emperors in peril
It was the language of China's last imperial dynasty which ruled a vast kingdom for nearly three centuries. But 71-year-old Ji Jinlu is among only a handful of native Manchu speakers left.
Traders and farmers from what are now the borders of China and Korea, the Manchus took advantage of a crumbling Ming state and swept south in the 1600s to establish their own Qing Dynasty.
Manchu became the court language, its angular, alphabetic script used in millions of documents produced by one of the world's preeminent powers.
School teacher Shi Junguang points at characters that read "Welcome to the Sanjiazi Manchu school" during a class Nicolas Asfouri (AFP)
Now after centuries of decline followed by decades of repression, septuagenarian Ji is the youngest of some nine mother-tongue speakers left in Sanjiazi village, one of only two places in China where they can be found.
"We mostly speak Chinese these days -- otherwise young people don't understand," he said, in his sparsely-furnished hut beside cornfields, before launching into a self-composed Manchu lullaby.
Manchu is classed as "critically endangered" by the United Nations' cultural organisation UNESCO, which says that half of the more than 6,000 languages spoken worldwide are threatened with extinction, a major loss of knowledge and diversity for humanity.
But schemes to save Manchu are spreading as ethnic conciousness grows among the 10-million-strong minority.
The sign for the village primary school in Sanjiazi, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, is in Manchu's vertical script, with posters in the language written by pupils lining its corridors.
Staring intently at an electronic display, a class shouted the Manchu alphabet, followed by words for "umbrella" and "cow".
But instruction was in Chinese, the everyday language of school life, as were the bellowed lyrics of a song titled: "We are the good Manchu children".
Teacher Shi Junguang, who painstakingly learnt Manchu from older residents and records native speakers before they pass away, wore a red and turquoise robe with gold sleeves reminiscent of the group's traditional apparel.
But, now, he said, the Manchu "don't really have any special ethnic characteristics in food or dress."
"The main thing we have here is the language."
- Barbarian Manchus -
Under the Qing -- or "pure" - dynasty, China saw massive territorial expansion before it weakened in the 19th century, assailed by corruption and pressure from European and other foreign powers.
Discrimination against non-Manchu Chinese remained rife and helped fuel a series of rebellions which finally saw the dynasty overthrown in 1911.
Republican leader Sun Yat-sen declared: "To restore the Chinese nation, we must drive the barbarian Manchus back to the Changbai Mountains," their ancestral homeland.
Many remaining Manchus hid their language, a trend which intensified under Communist leader Mao Zedong, who launched campaigns to eradicate foreign and traditional culture.
At the height of Maoism, "No one spoke the language," recalled Ji. "It was a time of destroying old culture. Who would dare?"
Political controls relaxed in the 1980s following Mao's death, and Yang Yuan, an ethnic Manchu historian in Beijing, said: "Manchu consciousness has started re-emerging, and now it's getting stronger and stronger."
Several universities currently offer Manchu courses, and enthusiasts in major cities have formed clubs to study it.
China has launched a massive project to translate Qing documents into modern Chinese, an effort aimed at promoting a view of the dynasty as essentially Chinese.
But the language is also studied by academics abroad, including many in Japan and the US.
Last year overseas historians were branded "splittists" whose work "endangers Chinese unity" in the official journal of the state-run Chinese Academy for Social Sciences, in a sign of official fears over Qing history.
But Harvard University professor Mark Elliott said that teaching Manchu was considered less of a threat by the ruling party than Tibetan or the language of the mainly Muslim Uighur minority, as China's northeastern provinces were now "so firmly welded" into the country that accusations of separatism were implausible.
"That makes Manchu a little bit safer," he added.
- 'Our English is better' -
Sanjiazi is "more of symbolic value as the last bastion of Manchu speakers," Elliot said. "If the effort is to revive Manchu in a way that it would be used in everyday life, I don't see much chance of success."
Teacher Shi admitted that his charges only have "some understanding" of the language. Internet savvy young people have little use for it and dream of leaving the remote settlement.
Outside school, a group of blue-uniformed children struggled to remember the Manchu word for "goodbye", one adding in Chinese: "To be honest, our English is better."
One of the few mother-tongue speakers, Meng Xianren, 85, recalled a poverty-stricken youth punctuated by traditional Manchu pursuits, such as rabbit hunting using trained eagles.
He repeated a Manchu phrase meaning "where are you from?" to 14-year-old Li Kechao, who hovered in his doorway.
She did her best to parrot the question back to the village elder, before admitting: "I don't understand."
Spitting on a stone floor, Meng declared: "Manchus once ruled over the Han people. But that time is over".
"We've become like them," he added with resignation. "There's no difference."
Meng Xianren (L), 84, and Ji Jinlu, 71, are among only nine native Manchu speakers left in China's Sanjiazi village Nicolas Asfouri (AFP)
Students read out Manchu words during a class at the Sanjiazi Manchu school in Heilongjiang province Nicolas Asfouri (AFP)
A student writes down Manchu characters on a workbook during class at the Sanjiazi Manchu school Nicolas Asfouri (AFP)
Flare-up in Yemen violence kills 80
A flare-up in violence across Yemen on Tuesday killed 80 people, nearly half of them civilians, officials said, as lengthy peace talks in Kuwait made no headway.
The escalation came after a wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops killed at least 42 people on Monday in the southeastern city of Mukalla, in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.
It also comes as UN-brokered talks between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi stuttered despite a visit by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to push the negotiations.
Around 6,400 people have been killed in the Yemen conflict since March 2015, according to the United Nations Mohammed Huwais (AFP)
In the deadliest violence, warplanes from the Saudi-led pro-government coalition killed 34 people, including 19 civilians when they targeted the Shiite rebels in the southwestern region of Taez, a Yemeni military official said.
The pre-dawn strike hit a lorry transporting weapons for the Huthis as it crossed a busy road, a provincial official said, adding four women were among the dead, as well as 15 rebels.
In the flashpoint city of Taez, 11 civilians and a soldier were killed when rebels bombed a residential area, a military official said.
Meanwhile, 12 rebels and three loyalist soldiers were killed in clashes in Nahm, northeast of Sanaa, while six other rebels and two soldiers died in fighting in Marib, east of the capital, the official said.
In the same province, a coalition warplane hit a vehicle carrying pro-government forces "by mistake", killing four soldiers and wounding four others, another military official said.
The Huthis overran the capital in late 2014 before moving into other parts of Yemen, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March last year.
The United Nations says more than 6,400 people have been killed in Yemen since then, mostly civilians.
The fighting has also driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 percent of the population in need of humanitarian aid.
- Talks fail to advance -
Clashes have continued despite a UN-brokered ceasefire that entered into effect on April 11 and paved the way for the peace talks in Kuwait.
In the Gulf emirate, Ban appealed on Sunday to warring parties to accept a roadmap for peace and quickly reach a comprehensive settlement to the 15-month-old conflict.
The peace roadmap proposed by UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed calls for the formation of a unity government and the withdrawal and disarmament of the rebels.
Meanwhile, at least seven civilians including two children were killed in air strikes "probably by drones" on jihadists which mistakenly hit a nearby house in Mahfed, between the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa in Yemen's south, an official told AFP.
US strikes have taken out a number of senior Al-Qaeda commanders in Yemen over the past year.
Washington considers the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as the network's deadliest franchise and has vowed no let-up in its war against the jihadists.
The US military said this month that it had killed six Al-Qaeda fighters in three separate strikes in central Yemen.
Mukalla was under AQAP's control for one year until pro-Hadi troops, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, drove the jihadists out in April.
Both AQAP and IS have exploited the power vacuum created by the conflict in the impoverished country to expand their presence in the south and southeast.
Turkey, Israel set to start process of exchanging ambassadors
Turkey and Israel will this week start the process of exchanging ambassadors after they signed a deal to restore ties following a bitter row in 2010, Ankara said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also said Turkey and Russia's foreign ministers would meet after months of acrimony, as Ankara launches major efforts to repair damaged friendships in the region.
"New steps will definitely be taken to restore ties with Israel in the areas of the economy, trade and energy," Kalin told reporters in the capital.
A meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (pictured) and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will take place on the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting in Sochi on July 1 Cyril Ndegeya (AFP/File)
He added that Ankara wants to "open a new chapter in Turkish-Russian relations" which were severed when Turkey shot down one of Moscow's warplanes on its border with Syria last November.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are due to speak by phone Wednesday for the first time since the incident prompted an unprecedented crisis in Moscow-Ankara ties.
"We expect relations to be normalised in areas of politics, trade and energy," Kalin said, indicating that the pair would likely discuss the lifting of punishing sanctions Russia has slapped on Turkey.
Erdogan had on Monday reached out a conciliatory hand to fellow strongman Putin.
The Kremlin said Erdogan apologised over the plane incident, but Kalin denied this, saying the Turkish leader's letter had "expressed deep regrets" rather than offering an outright apology.
Kalin added that there were no plans to offer compensation, but suggested Ankara may make a "gesture" to the family of the plane's slain pilot to "ease their sorrow".
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will meet Friday in the Russian resort of Sochi, on the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting.
- 'Zero problems with neighbours' -
The breakthroughs with Russia and Israel come as Turkey moves back towards an approach dubbed "zero problems with neighbours" following several diplomatic rows and with its foe President Bashar al-Assad still in power in Syria.
Israel was formerly a close regional ally, but ties plunged into deep freeze in 2010 following an Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy that left 10 Turkish activists dead.
Israel had already offered compensation and an apology over the raid, leaving Turkey's third condition for restored ties -- the Jewish state's naval blockade on Gaza -- as the main obstacle.
In a compromise, the deal signed Tuesday will see Turkey invest in Palestinian infrastructure and deliver aid to Gaza residents via Israel's Ashdod port rather than directly to Gaza.
The blockade itself will remain in place.
Nevertheless, Kalin said Friday's departure of a Turkish ship, carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid, would be "the first test to see if Israel will play a facilitator role" in easing the blockade.
A new hospital for Gaza, to be opened as part of the deal, will be operational in two or three months, Kalin said.
Erdogan's Islamic-rooted AKP party has maintained friendly ties with the Islamist Hamas movement which runs Gaza, and Erdogan has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.
Under the deal, Ankara has committed to keeping Hamas from carrying out military activities against Israel from Turkish territory, "including fundraising for such purposes," according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But Kalin denied Israeli media reports that Hamas would be able to carry out diplomatic operations from Turkey, saying: "Hamas does not have a bureau in Turkey."
Vaccines block Zika in mice, boosting hopes for human jab
New research in lab animals, including Zika vaccines successfully tested on mice, boosted hopes Tuesday for a jab to shield humans against the brain-damaging virus.
Two prototype vaccines tested on lab mice "provided complete protection against the Zika virus" with just a single shot, reported the first team.
"These findings certainly raise optimism that the development of a safe and effective vaccine against Zika virus for humans may be successful," said Dan Barouch, director of the Harvard Medical School's Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, who co-authored a paper in Nature.
The Zika virus is mainly spread via the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito Marvin Recinos (AFP/File)
His optimism was echoed in a separate study into Zika infection in rhesus macaques -- close genetic relatives of humans and well-matched animal models for medical testing.
In a study in sister journal Nature Communications, a US-based team said they managed for the first time to infect lab monkeys with the Zika virus.
And they found that a single infection, mostly symptom-free as in humans, provided "complete protection" against later Zika exposure.
"This is a key finding because it means that a vaccine could be quite effective against the virus," said study co-author Dawn Dudley of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"It also indicates that people who are already infected with Zika virus are not susceptible to future infection, for example during a future pregnancy."
- Pregnancy fears deepen -
Benign in most people, Zika has been linked to a form of severe brain damage called microcephaly in babies, and to rare adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can result in paralysis and death.
In an outbreak that started last year, about 1.5 million people have been infected with Zika in Brazil, and more than 1,600 babies born with abnormally small heads and brains.
On the downside, Dudley's team found that the virus persisted as much as two months longer in pregnant monkeys as non-pregnant ones, who were generally virus-free within 10 days after infection.
One hypothesis was that the foetuses themselves are infected, and remain so for much longer than adults.
"(M)y concern for Zika virus in pregnancy is much higher now than it was six months ago," Dudley said of the discovery.
The macaque babies have yet to be born.
There is no cure or vaccine for Zika, but the World Health Organization said in April that more than 60 companies and research institutions were working on drug candidates -- including 18 vaccines targeting women of childbearing age.
Barouch said the two vaccines his team tested worked against two strains of the Zika virus, including one from the Brazil outbreak.
This was the first report of complete Zika protection in an animal model, he claimed, and "a step forward in the development of a Zika virus vaccine." It was unclear, though, how long the immunity lasts.
At least one other vaccine, developed by US biotech firm Inovio Pharmaceuticals, prompts animals to produce virus-attacking Zika antibodies, but this was not necessarily the same as full protection, Barouch explained.
Inovio recently received approval to conduct a Phase I safety trial in humans.
Outside experts welcomed the studies but highlighted a number of unknowns.
"DNA vaccines that work in mice have a sorry history of not working in humans," Peter Openshaw, president of the British Society for Immunology, cautioned via the Science Media Centre.
Crucially, it was not clear if the vaccines also produced antibodies against other viruses in the Zika family, such as dengue, which could cross-react with the Zika antibodies to dangerously enhance infection, commentators said.
Dengue is endemic in Brazil. It usually causes flu-like symptoms, but about one percent of patients develop a haemorrhagic fever which claims some 22,000 lives every year.
Before human trials can begin, the vaccines will have to be tested on other Zika strains in mice, and then in monkeys, said the experts.
Zika has been linked to a form of severe brain damage called microcephaly in babies Christophe Simon (AFP/File)
The Zika virus
UN chief urges Netanyahu to make tough choices in farewell visit
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take "courageous steps" toward peace on a farewell visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Ban visited the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, met Netanyahu and later held talks in the occupied West Bank with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
He condemned a recent wave of Palestinian attacks, which he called "terrorism", and said the Gaza blockade was "collective punishment".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) with UN chief Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem on June 28, 2016 Ronen Zvulun (Pool/AFP)
Speaking alongside Netanyahu at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Ban called for efforts to keep the possibility of a two-state solution alive.
While acknowledging the threats facing Israel, Ban said "we must not allow difficulties to become excuses for inaction".
"I encourage you to take the courageous steps necessary to prevent a one-state reality or perpetual conflict that is incompatible with realising the national aspirations of the Israelis and Palestinian people," he said.
"We cannot ignore key underlying causes of violence: growing Palestinian anger, the paralysis of the peace process, the nearly a half-century of occupation."
Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank along with the lack of any progress in peace efforts have helped feed a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since October, many analysts say.
"Stabbings, vehicle rammings and shootings have only one name: terrorism," said Ban.
"Incitement to such acts and glorification of their perpetrators are unacceptable and must be stopped," he added.
Violence has declined in recent weeks, though attacks continue to occur, including a gun attack at a Tel Aviv cafe on June 8 that killed four Israelis.
- 'Political horizon' needed -
Ban specifically mentioned the Tel Aviv, but said security measures would not be enough.
"You need a political horizon," he said. "You need a leadership that is committed to peace and a just and a lasting solution."
Netanyahu called for an end to what he referred to as bias at the United Nations against Israel, citing repeated condemnations of his country.
Israel "does more to promote and protect human rights and liberal values than any other in the blood-soaked Middle East," said Netanyahu.
In Gaza, Ban said the blockade of the Palestinian enclave "suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts."
"It is a collective punishment for which there must be accountability," he said.
Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008, and Israel says the blockade is needed to keep out materials that could be used for military purposes.
Later in the evening Ban met Abbas at the Palestinian leader's Ramallah headquarters and again spoke of the need for peace and the difficulties Palestinians face.
"I'm aware that many Palestinians question the feasibility of reaching a just and lasting peace with Israel. They hear talk of peace but they see violence," he said.
"They still live a life of checkpoints, permits, blockade, demolitions and profound economic hardships faced with growing indignities and the humiliating occupation that will soon enter its 50th year."
Mitsubishi joins EDF in bid to save reactor builder Areva
France may have found a long-awaited Asian partner to help rescue its nuclear industry as its energy giant EDF signed a partnership deal with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
Under the memorandum of understanding, MHI said it could take a minority stake alongside EDF in Areva NP, the reactor unit which is to be split off from other parts of France's troubled state-owned Areva nuclear behemoth.
MHI boss Shunichi Miyanaga and EDF chief Jean-Bernard Levy said in a statement that the planned deal would strengthen ties between the two countries' nuclear industries and allow them to pursue new nuclear projects across the globe.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said it could take a minority stake alongside EDF in Areva NP, the reactor unit which is to be split off from other parts of France's troubled state-owned Areva nuclear behemoth Eric Piermont (AFP/File)
The joint statement also calls for EDF to take part in Atmea, a MHI-Areva joint venture that offers a reactor with design elements from both Areva and MHI.
EDF will provide engineering, operations, and safety know-how -- but no capital -- to the project of constructing four Atmea reactors at Sinop in northern Turkey.
The Sinop project is estimated to be worth more than 15 billion euros ($16.6 billion).
"We look forward to cooperating with EDF in the civil nuclear fields comprising the development of the first ATMEA project, ATMEA 1, which will become one of the most advanced nuclear power plants in the world," said Miyanaga.
- Year-long search -
Splitting the reactor business off Areva and selling it to EDF, the world's largest operator of nuclear power plants, is a main element of the French government's plan to rescue the majority state-owned company.
Areva is also involved in the mining of uranium and its processing into nuclear fuel.
Areva has faced severe difficulties since 2011, when the Fukushima disaster in Japan called nuclear power generation into question across the world.
Confidence in the technology's future was further shaken when Germany announced that it would shutter all of its nuclear power plants over the decade following the calamity, reversing a decision to keep the reactors running.
Areva's woes were compounded by construction problems affecting its first EPR reactor in Finland -- now expected to open nine years late in 2018 -- putting company finances deep into the red.
EDF, also majority owned by the French state, agreed in June 2015 to purchase between 51 and 75 percent of Areva NP at a valuation of around 2.7 billion euros ($2.99 billion), with the deal expected to be finalised in 2017.
The rump of Areva would retain a stake of between 15 and 25 percent in the affiliate.
But company chiefs and the French government have been hunting since October for an Asian minority partner to join the takeover with up to a third of shares, with MHI the longstanding favourite.
The French state holds an 87 percent stake in Areva and 84 percent of EDF shares.
France sees nuclear energy as a key national industry and the government has been closely involved in talks to restructure the sector.
Case of Gilad Shalit, captured in Gaza, led to public debate about the policy
Amnesty says the directive led to 135 Palestinian civilian deaths in 2014
The directive allows enemy to be fired upon even if it risks life of colleague
Israel's army chief has revoked a decades-old directive that allowed troops to use massive firepower to prevent soldiers being captured alive, the army said on Tuesday.
The so-called Hannibal Directive allowed soldiers to fire at enemy forces attempting to abduct their colleagues, even if that risked killing the Israeli soldier.
'The chief of staff has ordered to cancel the procedure,' an army spokeswoman told AFP.
Israeli soldiers take part in a military exercise, which includes infantry, tanks and artillery units, in the northern part of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on June 23
Amnesty International last year accused Israel of activating the directive, with 'strong evidence' of war crimes, after the capture of a soldier in Rafah during its 2014 war in the Gaza Strip - charges Israel denies.
Amnesty said heavy Israeli bombing in 'retaliation' for the capture of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin had killed at least 135 Palestinian civilians, including 75 children. Goldin was later declared dead.
The case of Gilad Shalit, who was captured in Gaza by militant group Hamas in 2006 and released in 2011 in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, triggered intense public debate about the policy.
Asa Kasher, an Israeli expert on military ethics, welcomed the 'long due' decision to re-write the directive, formulated during Israel's 1980s war with Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
He said soldiers and commanders had for decades misunderstood the directive as ordering the execution of a soldier to prevent his abduction.
Amnesty International last year accused Israel of activating the Hannibal Directive and killing 135 Palestinian civilians during bombing carried out in 'retaliation' for the capture of Hadar Goldin. Pictured is an Israeli tank on maneuvers in open fields
Hannibal instructs soldiers to prevent a comrade falling into enemy hands, 'even at a certain risk to the soldier's life,' said Kasher, who headed the committee that formulates the Israeli army's code of ethics.
But they cannot use arms in such a way that would certainly kill the soldier, or even most probably kill him, he said.
'The value of a soldier's life is greater than that of preventing an abduction.'
Kasher said he was not aware of a case in which Israeli soldiers killed others to prevent their abduction.
Newspaper Haaretz reported in 2011 that Israeli commanders were telling combat units to 'do their utmost' to avoid 'becoming another Gilad Shalit' -- although it said the policy had been out of use for a decade.
Detained Bahraini activist hospitalised
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, a vocal critic of the Gulf island's monarchy, was taken to hospital Tuesday with heart problems, his Twitter account said.
The activist, 51, has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to the Gulf kingdom's authorities.
He was released last year after King Hamad issued a royal pardon "for health reasons", but was rearrested two weeks ago.
Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab (C) is greeted by relatives at his home in the village of Bani Jamrah, west of Manama, earlier on July 14, 2015 Mohammed al-Shaikh (AFP/File)
"#NabeelRajab transferred by ambulance to Coronary Care Unit after suffering from heart problems in solitary confinement," his Twitter account said on Tuesday.
Rajab was apprehended earlier this month at his home in the mainly Shiite village of Bani Jamra, near the capital Manama.
His lawyer Jalila al-Sayed said on Tuesday that Rajab will face trial on July 12 on charges "probably related to tweets" which he is said to have either posted or retweeted.
The defence team has not seen the list of charges yet, she told AFP, adding that the tweets were allegedly made in March 2015 and were about unrest at Jaw prison and the war in Yemen.
The head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Rajab had previously served two years in jail for taking part in unauthorised protests.
Human rights groups condemned Rajab's detention earlier this month.
It "appears to be another alarming example of Bahrain's zero-tolerance stance toward peaceful dissent and activism, which it enforces through arbitrary measures including revolving-doors detention," Amnesty International's James Lynch said.
Home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since security forces crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011 demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Bahraini authorities have escalated their crackdown on activists in recent weeks.
In May a court more than doubled a jail sentence passed against opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman.
Authorities also prevented activists from travelling to Geneva to attend a UN Human Rights Council session in June, Amnesty said.
The US State Department said it had complained directly to Manama following Rajab's re-arrest.
NASA tests deep space rocket booster ahead of 2018 mission
NASA on Tuesday performed its second and last test-fire of a rocket booster for the Space Launch System (SLS), a powerful engine that may one day launch astronauts to Mars, the US space agency said.
Fire and gray smoke billowed from the booster, which lay on the ground during the two-minute test fire in the remote hills of Utah at 11:05 am (1605 GMT).
NASA has described the SLS as the "world's most powerful rocket," and said the test aimed to see how the booster's propellant performed at the colder end of its temperature range.
The second and final qualification motor test for the Space Launch System's booster on June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah Bill Ingalls (NASA/AFP)
"This final qualification test of the booster system shows real progress in the development of the Space Launch System," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA.
The test took place at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems' test facilities in Promontory, Utah, and marked the last firing of the booster before an actual test flight, set for late 2018.
That flight, known as Exploration Mission-1, will use SLS to send the unmanned NASA Orion spacecraft in the vicinity of the moon.
The first manned flight of Orion is planned for 2021, but may take place as late as 2023, NASA has said. The first trips to Mars are tentatively scheduled for the 2030s.
NASA said Tuesday's test will provide "critical data to support booster qualification for flight."
During the test, engineers evaluated how the motor performed when the propellant was chilled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius).
The first full-scale test in March 2015 showed the booster performed adequately at 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 C) -- the highest end of its accepted propellant temperature range.
The SLS stands about 54 meters (yards) tall and burns 5.5 tons of propellant per second.
It is designed to be powerful enough to hoist 77 tons (70 metric tons) into space.
France sends fixed EgyptAir black box to Cairo
France's BEA air safety agency sent to Cairo on Tuesday the data file from one of the black boxes from the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, authorities said.
Terrorism has not been ruled out as a cause of the crash on May 19, when the Airbus A320 operating Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo went down killing all 66 people on board.
The two black boxes from the aircraft were retrieved damaged from the bottom of the Mediterranean and sent to Paris, where the electronic board from the flight recorder was repaired on Monday.
The flight recorder (L) from the EgyptAir plane, that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, after it was recovered from the bottom of the Mediterranean by search teams and ne of the two black boxes HO (MEDIA CENTER OF THE EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION/AFP)
The file was "transferred to Cairo for decoding, validating and studying" at the civil aviation ministry, said the Egyptian Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee.
The process "might take several days to ensure the accuracy of reading the data recorded," it said in a statement.
The repair work of the cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, had also begun.
"A meeting was also held today between the investigation committee members and the accredited French and American representatives to evaluate the work accomplished up till today," said the commission.
Fifteen of the passengers on board the doomed aircraft were from France.
It was also carrying 40 Egyptians, two Iraqis, two Canadians and one passenger each from Algeria, Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.
Investigators in France said the plane transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the cabin and a fault in the flight control unit minutes before it disappeared.
Their counterparts in Egypt confirmed the aircraft had made a 90-degree left turn followed by a 360-degree turn to the right before hitting the sea.
French judges are also investigating the crash.
Florida reports first baby born with Zika virus defects
Florida on Tuesday reported its first case of a baby born with the birth defect microcephaly after the child's mother, a Haitian citizen, was infected with the Zika virus while pregnant, officials said.
The mother contracted Zika in Haiti and came to Florida to deliver the baby, said a statement from Governor Rick Scott's office.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed the case.
Zika has been linked to a form of severe brain damage called microcephaly in babies Christophe Simon (AFP/File)
Zika is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes but can also be spread by sexual contact.
"It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child," Scott said in a statement.
The Florida governor said he has allocated $26.2 million in state funds for Zika preparedness, prevention and response, as federal funding has stalled in Washington.
"The Olympics will begin in less than 40 days and millions of Americans will travel through our state to and from Brazil, a country where the Zika virus is rapidly spreading, and we must be prepared," said Scott.
Zika can cause microcephaly, an irreversible condition in which babies are born with unusually small heads and deformed brains.
Four infants have been born with birth defects related to the Zika virus in the United States, including in Hawaii and New Jersey, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, the CDC declined to give a state-by-state breakdown.
There have been four US pregnancy losses involving Zika, and one in the US territory of Puerto Rico, the agency said, without offering details on whether the cases involved miscarriage or abortion.
So far this year, Florida has reported 223 cases of Zika infection, including 40 involving pregnant women.
Phelps cruises into 200m butterfly semi-finals
Superstar Michael Phelps got his bid to make a fifth Olympic team off to a smooth start on Tuesday with the top qualifying time in the 200m butterfly at the US swimming trials.
"I just wanted to swim," said the 18-time Olympic gold medallist, whose reduced program at this year's trials left him kicking his heels on the first two days of competition.
As usual, Phelps was his own worst critic after winning his heat 1min 56.68sec.
Michael Phelps of the United States competes in a preliminary heat of the men's 200m butterfly on June 28, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska Stacy Revere (Getty/AFP)
"Third turn was bad, lost all the momentum," Phelps said. "I felt like I didn't really use much legs, kind of dragged them along.
"So," he added, looking ahead to the evening's semi-finals, "something to build off of tonight."
Two days shy of his 31st birthday, Phelps is vying to become the first man to make a fifth US Olympic swimming team, and finish off his remarkable career with a last blaze of glory in Rio.
The 200m fly was the event in which a teenaged Phelps set his first world record, and his world mark of 1:51.51 -- set at the tail end of the bodysuit era in 2009 -- still stands.
Regaining the Olympic title he surrendered to Chad le Clos in London in an event he long considered his baby figures to be a strong motivator for Phelps in Rio, but he was taking things one step at a time.
"I'm happy to get the first (event) underway," said Phelps, whose time put him 22-hundredths of a second ahead of his nearest challenger, Pace Clark, going into the semis.
- Ledecky rolls on -
Katie Ledecky bounced back nicely the morning after her impressive triumph in the 400m freestyle, leading the 200m free heats in 1:55.60.
"It's a pretty tough race coming off last night," said the freestyle phenomenon, who has been inexorably expanding her dominance to include shorter races in addition to her world record events the 400m, 800m and 1,500m free.
"I've gained a lot of confidence, especially going 1:54 (in the 200m) a few times this year," she said. "I know what I need to do in that race."
Meanwhile, London Games darling Missy Franklin posted just the seventh-fastest time of the 200m free heats, three-seconds slower than Ledecky's.
Franklin was already facing an uphill battle to book a Rio berth in the 100m backstroke on Tuesday night, having qualified just seventh-fastest for the final in an event that she won in London.
"I was not happy with that at all," Franklin conceded, but said she hoped the challenge of swimming both the 100m back final and 200m free semi on Tuesday night.
"I think I do my best when I'm given a greater challenge," Franklin said.
Other finals on tap Tuesday include the men's 200m free and the men's 100m backstroke -- in which David Plummer (52.12) and Ryan Murphy (52.28) notched the fastest times in the world this year to lead reigning Olympic champion Matt Grevers (52.64) into the final.
Katie Ledecky of the United States competes in a preliminary heat of the women's 200m freestyle on June 28, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska Eric Francis (Getty/AFP)
If passed, the Massachusetts ballot measure would make it illegal to sell eggs, veal, or pork from facilities that confine animals in cages. Photo by The HSUS
1.2K shares
Voters in Massachusetts just took the Bay State one giant step closer to delivering a powerful punch to agribusiness interests that want to keep locking farm animals in cramped, overcrowded cages. Fueled by more than a thousand volunteer signature gatherers, The HSUS and other members of the coalition backing the farm animal protection ballot measure in Massachusetts finished our second and final phase of signature collection and ran through the tape at full gallop. In fact, volunteers gathered more than three times the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot.
While The HSUS is working hard on this, we are by no means alone. This has been a fabulous collaboration with dozens of organizations, including the ASPCA, the Massachusetts SPCA, the Animal Rescue League of Boston, Zoo New England, Humane League, Mercy for Animals, Compassion Over Killing, Farm Forward, Compassion in World Farming, Animal Equality, Farm Sanctuary, and now the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club, which recently endorsed the ballot measure.
As I travel around the country, people ask me, why dont animal groups pull together? Why dont we work more closely with environmental organizations, especially on agriculture issues?
Well thats exactly what we are doing.
I want to send special thanks to the Sierra Club, which is a powerful force for good in our society. The Sierra Club just devoted valuable real estate on its home page to an extended discussion with me on The Humane Economy, the key elements of animal protection, and the intersection of our organizational interests. In the extended interview, I devoted considerable attention to food and agriculture issues and didnt pull punches on the importance of tackling these issues and asking all people of conscience to look at the true costs of factory farms environmental, personal health, public health, and animal cruelty.
The Massachusetts ballot measure pulls together so many groups with varying concerns about the consequences of factory farming. Generally speaking, if passed, the measure would make it illegal in Massachusetts to sell eggs, veal, or pork from facilities that confine animals in cages. It would help codify into law the corporate cage-free pledges weve secured from so many of the biggest food retailers in the nation. And it would make one thing very clear: theres simply no future in caging animals. That era is officially ending.
The factory farming lobby sees the momentum we have on this campaign, and it knows that voters overwhelmingly favor the reform were seeking. As such, theyve filed a lawsuit to try to boot us from the November ballot altogether, denying voters the ability to decide such an important issue. We expect that court case to be resolved in early July.
Already, the Big Ag industry is calling Massachusetts the next battleground and is gearing up for a fight, should their lawsuit fail. Their desperate attempt to defeat this ballot measure is a sort of last stand against the wave of action to end extreme confinement. But theyll be hard pressed to withstand the influence and reach of our coalition and devoted advocates who toiled to gather the signatures to put this measure before voters.
When the factory farmers bring their fight to Massachusetts, our coalition so diverse and so strong will be ready.
US-backed Syrians bid to cut IS route
US-backed rebel fighters in eastern Syria said they launched an offensive on Tuesday to sever a vital supply route of the Islamic State group to neighbouring Iraq.
The New Syrian Army's fighters are first aiming to cut the route before targeting Albu Kamal, a town in the oil-rich eastern Deir Ezzor province mostly held by the jihadists.
IS militants seized the town and nearby border crossing in mid-2014, just as the Sunni extremist group declared a self-styled "caliphate" in territory it controlled across both Syria and Iraq.
US-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters advance into the Islamic State (IS) jihadist's group bastion of Manbij, in northern Syria, on June 23, 2016 Delil Souleiman (AFP/File)
If the NSA's fighters manage to seize Albu Kamal, it would be the second border point they have captured from the jihadists this year after overrunning Al-Tanaf.
The operation launched on Tuesday is backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition.
Its aim was to "cut Daesh's military supply lines between Syria and Iraq," said NSA spokesman Muzahem al-Sallum, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
"We began our attack in full coordination with the Iraqi side, specifically tribal fighters in Anbar and the counter-terrorism service of the Iraqi government," he told AFP.
Iraqi fighters had launched a parallel operation at noon towards Albu Kamal, which is known as Al-Qaim across the border.
Within hours, units of the NSA were pushing northeast from the Al-Tanaf border crossing and hundreds of its fighters were now locked in clashes with the jihadists, said Sallum.
An online statement published by the NSA asked residents of Albu Kamal to move away from IS positions in the town ahead of coalition air strikes there.
Fighters of the NSA were trained by the British and Americans in Jordan and is backed by the US-led air coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic State group is now facing growing pressure from US-backed offensives on its bastion cities in both Syria and Iraq.
In northern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters have edged into the IS stronghold of Raqa with air cover by coalition warplanes.
In neighbouring Iraq, authorities declared at the weekend that they were fully in control of the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
Fallujah, in Anbar province, was one of the last two cities held by IS in Iraq.
Michelle Obama in Morocco to launch girls' fund
US First Lady Michelle Obama launched a $100 million aid package in Morocco Tuesday to promote the education of girls in a country where half of females over 15 are illiterate.
Visiting Marakech with actresses Meryl Streep and Frieda Pinto of the "Slumdog Millionaire" film, she told girls in attendance she wanted them to be part of a global conversation on female education.
"We want to share this conversation with young girls around the world, particularly in the United States," she said.
US first lady Michelle Obama (C) and US actress Meryl Streep (R) meet with Moroccan young women following the "Let Girls Learn" Program on June 28, 2016 in Marrakesh Fadel Senna (AFP)
Obama, who was accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, arrived on Monday evening in Marakech and was welcomed by King Mohamed VI.
The first lady launched her "Let Girls Learn" education initiative in March 2015 to help adolescent girls across the world access a quality education.
She has since travelled the globe to call for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.
"She shared lots of things with us that will help us to work hard and focus on our education," Rihab Boutadghart, a beneficiary of the initiative, said after attending the launch in Marakech.
Morocco has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world, according to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government aid agency.
The MCC used Obama's visit to announce a nearly $100-million (90 million euros) fund to tackle high drop-out rates among girls and make schools more "girl-friendly".
The money, which will fund internships, girl-friendly bathrooms and training for teachers, is expected to benefit about 100,000 students, said the MCC.
The Peace Corps said it would work with its volunteers and community leaders to advance girls' education and improve their employment prospects.
USAID pledged to spend $400,000 through an NGO to establish five new dorms for girls across the country.
Obama said she hoped the funds would "help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise".
Over half of Moroccan girls aged over 15 are illiterate, despite efforts by the government and NGOs to promote their education, according to a 2014 study by the High Commission for Planning, a government body.
But the same study said the rate of school attendance among girls of 7-12 years old had risen from 78 percent in 2004 to 94 percent in 2014.
Obama says girls around the world face challenges that prevent more than 62 million from getting an education.
The first lady spent Monday in Liberia, where she told girls to fight to stay in school despite financial pressures that cause the vast majority to drop out.
She will continue her trip with a visit to Spain on Thursday, where she will deliver a speech on the education initiative before meeting Queen Letizia.
EU should sanction Russia over Syria: Syrian opposition
The European Union should consider slapping sanctions on Russia for violating the ceasefire in Syria, a high-ranking member of the war-ravaged country's main opposition coalition said Tuesday.
"Russia should be paying a price for violating the cessation of hostilities," Basma Kodmani, a negotiator for the opposition High Negotiations Committee, told AFP by phone from Brussels.
She was part of an HNC delegation which met with the EU's top diplomat Frederica Mogherini and other top EU officials to discuss how the bloc could help get Syrian peace talks back on track.
A Syrian man stands in the courtyard of his farm as smoke billows in the background following reported air strikes near the rebel-held village of al-Chifouniya, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on March 4, 2016 Amer Almohibany (AFP/File)
Kodmani said the delegation had demanded "accountability" and "consequences" for breaches of a tattered truce agreed in February, "including speaking about sanctions for the Russians."
She pointed out that the EU had already slapped sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, insisting that "Ukraine has not shown itself to be more important to the Europeans than Syria."
International efforts to reach a political solution to Syria's five-year war, which has killed more than 280,000 people, have faltered and the February 27 ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia has all but collapsed.
And the last round of peace talks in Geneva reached a deadlock in April when the HNC suspended its participation over escalating fighting on the ground.
Kodmani blamed Russia especially for the breakdown in the talks, slamming Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main ally for carrying out "massive airstrikes" as the negotiations were underway.
- Losing hope -
"When we talk to the Russians and they decide to bomb we lose hope that there is anything that will happen in Geneva," she said.
The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has said he hopes a new round of talks can start in July, but has warned they cannot proceed "while hostilities are escalating and civilians are starving".
Kodmani insisted that the HNC "can't go back to Geneva until there is some progress... We need positive messages on the ground."
For the group to go back to the negotiating table, it will need to see moves towards a true ceasefire, and sustained access for humanitarian aid, she said, maintaining that Russia held the key to making this happen.
"It is time for Russia to answer this question: Does Russia still want Geneva?" she asked, adding that "if so, I think it's worth trying again."
Kodmani meanwhile said she would like to the European Union play a larger role in the negotiations.
Pointing out that Washington will be increasingly distracted by its upcoming presidential elections, she stressed that "this is a time for the Europeans to play that political role."
She acknowledged the EU too was going through tumultuous times after Britain last week voted to leave the bloc.
But after visiting Brussels she said she was convinced "it is all the more important for the EU to show that it still has the will and the capacity to be a political player, ... and disprove predictions that Europe is weakened."
US official wants anti-IS fight to wrap up within 14 months
The US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria could be completed within 14 months, a senior US official told skeptical lawmakers Tuesday.
Some 65 countries are engaged at varying levels in trying to defeat the IS group in its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, under a campaign that began in August 2014 and was initially devised to take three years.
US lawmakers, especially Republicans, have frequently blasted President Barack Obama for what they call an overly cautious approach that only takes incremental steps in ramping up the fight.
Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, DC on June 28, 2016 Mandel Ngan (AFP)
"We're not going to defeat them within 14 months, are we?" Senator Ron Johnson asked Brett McGurk, who is Obama's special envoy for the coalition.
McGurk, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, pointed to progress in the 22-month-old operation and said he wanted it finished even before it hits the three-year mark.
"I want it to go a lot faster than that," he told senators.
"We are moving at a tempo that I believe will lead to the ultimate defeat" of IS, he added.
Within the past week, Iraqi security forces have recaptured Fallujah from the violent extremists, and are looking to eventually seize Mosul.
In northern Syria, US-backed local fighters are focusing on the city of Manbij before an eventual battle for Raqa, the IS group's de facto capital.
The Obama administration is struggling with how best to characterize the fight.
On the one hand, the IS group has lost large portions of land and thousands of its fighters have been killed.
But CIA Director John Brennan last week warned the jihadists' "terrorism capability and global reach" had not been reduced and the number of terror attacks claimed or inspired by the group overseas keeps rising.
His comments came days after a gunman who pledged allegiance to the IS group slaughtered 49 people in a Florida gay nightclub.
Still, McGurk told lawmakers that external financing for IS had been severed, and said the jihadists' online propaganda was now being successfully countered by a global network of people, groups and companies.
He also said IS leaders were being killed at a rate of one every three days.
"And ISIL's territory is shrinking, losing nearly 50 percent of territory it once controlled in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria over the last 18 months," McGurk added.
Much of the counter-IS fight has been conducted through air strikes, though coalition forces are also training and equipping local troops in both Iraq and Syria.
Pentagon officials this week said that in northern Syria, a program to instruct leaders of anti-IS units had trained less than 100 men -- but each has a "force multiplier" effect reaching about 10,000 anti-IS fighters.
Short-term budget fix for Illinois close, but not schools
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said Monday he's close to a compromise with Democratic lawmakers on a partial-year budget plan with just three days left in the fiscal year, but the gap between the two sides on a second measure to open public schools on time became apparent late in the day.
Senate Democrats released to The Associated Press a school-funding plan that would outspend Rauner's by more than $500 million.
Rauner told reporters he wants the General Assembly, which returns to session on Wednesday for the first time in a month, to OK the two plans he favors and keep government operating past the close of the budget year on June 30.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters about the state budget and education funding, in his office at the Illinois State Capitol, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Springfield, Ill. Rauner said there's general agreement on a partial-year budget to keep Illinois state government going past Thursday's end of the fiscal year. The House and Senate return to session Wednesday in Springfield. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
The first-term Republican governor, who for the second year has been unable to negotiate a full-year blueprint with Democrats who control the General Assembly, claims Democrats won't ensure the school bell rings in August unless Rauner capitulates to a "bailout" for the financially troubled Chicago Public Schools. Rauner proposed a $235 million increase in school spending in his plan.
"Let's pass the stopgap budget which is pretty well baked, and pretty well agreed to, and let's make sure our schools open," said Rauner, who was accompanied by the mayors of several Illinois cities. "Don't do blackmail on the people of Illinois, holding up the schools' opening to bail out CPS."
Democrats want to change the formula used to distribute state money to schools to make it fairer and maintain that Chicago needs a significant funding boost because its schools have been shortchanged by that formula.
There's no formula adjustment in the latest Senate plan, which would provide $200 million less in education funding than the Senate approved in May but the House rejected.
The new plan would send $286 million more to Chicago schools. That's a 30 percent increase that puts it in the top 5 percent of districts getting the biggest percentage increases, but not at the top of the list.
"This is nothing more than a backdoor bailout of the severely mismanaged Chicago public school system," Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said in a statement.
Illinois is the only state without a budget agreement for this fiscal year, and is on the brink of starting its second. Rauner and Democrats have been squabbling for more than a year. The governor has insisted on cost-cutting changes in law to boost business, freeze property taxes, curb union influence, and adopt political term limits and fairer ways to draw legislative districts. Democrats contend the priority should be spending cuts and a tax increase to get control of a multibillion-dollar deficit.
Rauner has put aside his so-called "turnaround agenda" in the interest of partial fixes. But the measures introduced by Republican legislative leaders in late May for a short-term budget and school spending were inadequate, Democrats said. Rank-and-file lawmakers have negotiated behind the scenes during June.
Steve Brown, spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, reported "good progress" on the stopgap measure because Democrats insisted on "the improvement in what was a meager amount for higher education." Brown said if the mayors who backed up Rauner Monday are pushing for the legislation the GOP introduced last month, they're shorting colleges and universities by $400 million.
Both chambers approved education funding bills last month that significantly boosted spending the House by $700 million, the Senate by $950 million. The House plan was part of an overall $40 billion annual budget at least $7 billion more than the state expects to get in revenue.
___
Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-oconnor .
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters about the state budget and education funding, in his office at the Illinois State Capitol Monday, June 27, 2016, in Springfield, Ill. Rauner said there's general agreement on a partial-year budget to keep Illinois state government going past Thursday's end of the fiscal year. The House and Senate return to session Wednesday in Springfield. Looking on is City of Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters about the state budget and education funding, in his office at the Illinois State Capitol Monday, June 27, 2016, in Springfield, Ill. Rauner said there's general agreement on a partial-year budget to keep Illinois state government going past Thursday's end of the fiscal year. The House and Senate return to session Wednesday in Springfield. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to reporters about the state budget and education funding, in his office at the Illinois State Capitol Monday, June 27, 2016, in Springfield, Ill. Rauner said there's general agreement on a partial-year budget to keep Illinois state government going past Thursday's end of the fiscal year. The House and Senate return to session Wednesday in Springfield. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Trial begins in lawsuit over spinal bone cement
SEATTLE (AP) The physician who used a non-FDA-approved bone cement during a woman's spinal surgery and the company that ran an illegal test market to promote the dangerous product should be held accountable for her death, a lawyer for the woman's daughter told a jury Monday.
Reba Golden was vibrant and healthy when she agreed to let Dr. Jens Chapman operate on her back in 2007, but the surgeon never told Golden or her family that he planned to use a bone cement associated with blood clotting and patient deaths, said attorney Rick Friedman, who represents Cynthia Wilson in a lawsuit against the surgeon, the University of Washington and Synthes Inc.
Chapman and Jansjoerg Wyss, former CEO of Synthes, knew the product's risks but continued to use it on patients in a scheme that one doctor called "human experimentation," Friedman said in opening statements of the trial.
Cynthia Wilson, second left, looks on as Dr. Jens Chapman, right, waits with his attorney Michael Madden for opening statements to begin in the lawsuit trial against Chapman by Wilson, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Seattle. Lawyers for Wilson, whose mother died after Chapman used a bone cement not approved by the Food and Drug Administration during her back surgery, said that the doctor was reckless and committed malpractice. The lawyers also say Chapman and the bone cement company Synthes conspired to commit a criminal act by using the bone cement without FDA approval. Reba Golden hurt her back in a fall while working on her house and died on the operating table in 2007. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
This case is about "two men who could not admit they made a mistake," Friedman.
Michael Madden, a lawyer representing Chapman and the university, said Friedman distorted and ignored the facts by claiming Chapman "put the interests of Synthes and Mr. Wyss ahead of the best interest of his patient."
"This is a case about a 67-year-old woman who fell and broke her back," Madden told the jury. The injury caused her extreme pain, and Chapman used a safe procedure to try to help her, Madden said. He added Chapman did not use the Norian bone cement in a way that put Golden at risk.
The trial before King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers is expected to last up to eight weeks.
Wyss recognized in the 1990s that as baby boomers aged, they were more susceptible to spinal injuries and if he could get a bone cement on the market to use in surgeries, the product would be worth about $500 million, Friedman said. Synthes bought a California-based company called Norian and altered one of its products to be used on the spine, the lawyer said.
Taking the product through the normal regulatory process would be time-consuming and costly. Instead, Wyss and other company executives wanted to send the bone cement to surgeons across the county, who would use it and publish articles that could be used to secure Food and Drug Administration approval, Friedman said.
But Dr. Michael Sharp, a Synthes manager of regulatory affairs, objected and began "writing to people in the company saying, 'We can't do this,'" Friedman said.
Another doctor, Kenneth Lambert, also warned against the idea, saying while the Norian bone cement had great potential, it needed testing before being used on patients.
Chapman used it on a pig in 2002, and it died. A week later, the company went forward with the test market. Lambert again voiced concerns about the product's safety and said sending it to untrained surgeons "amounts to human experimentation," Friedman said.
In June 2002, Chapman submitted a proposal that laid out questions and concerns about the cement. Most disturbing, he said, was how only a small amount could cause severe clotting. He suggested a two-year timeline at the cost of about $400,000, Friedman said. But three months later, and before any studies were done, Chapman put it in a patient's spine, Friedman said.
"Over the next five years, things did not go well for Synthes," Friedman said.
By July 2003, there were three adverse events and one patient death. Two more patients died in 2003 and 2004, and by January 2007, the FDA demanded that Synthes put a label on the product saying it can't be used on the spine, Friedman said.
But when Reba Golden went to Chapman and he agreed to operate on her spine, he used the Norian bone cement and she bled to death on the table, Friedman said.
"For elective spinal surgery, no one bleeds to death," Friedman said. "It's like getting struck by lightning."
In 2010, Synthes, Norian and company executives pleaded guilty to federal charges that they promoted the product for unauthorized use, Madden said.
But Chapman was not involved in the "criminal enterprise that led to the federal prosecution of Synthes," he said. Chapman did not take part in the test market, and he never used Norian to treat compression fractures, Madden said.
Chapman, a world-renown spinal surgeon, did 300-plus surgeries and used Norian less than 1 percent of the time, Madden said.
"He was not part of any plan to profit from using Norian in the spine," Madden said.
___
Follow Martha Bellisle at https://twitter.com/marthabellisle
Dr. Jens Chapman waits for opening statements to begin in the lawsuit trial against him Monday, June 27, 2016, in Seattle. Lawyers for the family of a woman who died after Chapman used a bone cement not approved by the Food and Drug Administration during her back surgery said that the doctor was reckless and committed malpractice. The lawyers also say Chapman and the bone cement company Synthes conspired to commit a criminal act by using the bone cement without FDA approval. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Lawyer Rick Friedman prepares a display before making opening statements in the lawsuit trial against Dr. Jens Chapman, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Seattle. Lawyers for the family of a woman who died after Chapman used a bone cement not approved by the Food and Drug Administration during her back surgery said that the doctor was reckless and committed malpractice. The lawyers also say Chapman and the bone cement company Synthes conspired to commit a criminal act by using the bone cement without FDA approval. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Lawyers James T. Smith, second from left, and Chris Tompkins, both representing Synthes, a company that makes bone cement, roll their chairs back to talk with two women seated behind them in the courtroom, who declined to be identified, before opening statements in the lawsuit trial against Synthes and several others, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Seattle. Lawyers for the family of a woman who died after Dr. Jens Chapman used a bone cement not approved by the Food and Drug Administration during her back surgery said that the doctor was reckless and committed malpractice. The lawyers also say Chapman and the bone cement company Synthes conspired to commit a criminal act by using the bone cement without FDA approval. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Appeals court: Washington must fix salmon-blocking culverts
SEATTLE (AP) In a case that could have big implications for dams and other development in the Northwest, a federal appeals court panel said Monday that Native American tribes have a right not only to fish for salmon, but for there to be salmon to catch a ruling that affirms the duty of the United States to protect the habitat of the prized fish under treaties dating back more than 150 years.
Three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reached their unanimous decision in a case involving culverts, large pipes that allow streams to flow under roads but which also can block migrating fish. They upheld a lower court's 2013 ruling ordering Washington state to replace hundreds of the pipes with more fish-friendly structures, such as bridges that allow streams to flow naturally underneath them.
"The Indians did not understand the Treaties to promise that they would have access to their usual and accustomed fishing places, but with a qualification that would allow the government to diminish or destroy the fish runs," Judge William Fletcher wrote for the panel, adding that territorial Gov. Isaac Stevens "did not make ... such a cynical and disingenuous promise."
FILE - In this June 22, 2015, file photo, Julie Henning, right, division manager of the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife ecosystem services division habitat program, and Melissa Erkel, left, a fish passage biologist, look at a wide passageway for the north fork of Newaukum Creek near Enumclaw, Wash. Federal appeals judges say the state of Washington has violated the treaty rights of tribes to fish by building and maintaining large pipes that allow streams to pass beneath roads but also block migrating salmon. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
The ruling, praised by the tribes, was the second major court decision in as many months concerning salmon habitat in the Northwest. In May, a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, ruled that a massive habitat restoration effort by the U.S. government doesn't do nearly enough to improve Northwest salmon runs and that federal law may require federal authorities to consider removing four huge dams on the lower Snake River in Eastern Washington.
"These are significant rulings from courts that are saying this business about protecting salmon is serious," said Todd True, a lawyer with the environmental law firm Earthjustice, which is involved in both cases. "It's going to require some real effort."
Twenty-one Washington tribes sued the state over the culverts in 2001. The pipes can block fish in several ways, typically because the downstream end is elevated above the level of the stream, the angle is too steep for them to navigate, or because they become clogged with debris.
Seattle U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez ruled that culverts diminished salmon runs by blocking access to about 1,000 linear miles of suitable streams, and in 2013 he ordered the state to replace hundreds of the highest-priority culverts within 17 years.
The state appealed, arguing that its treaties with the tribes created no obligation to restore salmon habitat. During oral arguments last fall, a judge asked Washington Solicitor General Noah Purcell if the state had the right to dam every salmon-bearing stream that flows into Puget Sound. Purcell responded that while the state would never do that, nothing in the treaties would prevent it an interpretation the appeals court rejected.
Washington agrees that replacing old culverts is one important part of restoring salmon runs and notes that is has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to fix fish habitat. But the state called Martinez's 2013 order too sweeping and expensive, and said it would force the state to focus on fixing culverts even when salmon-restoration dollars could be spent more effectively elsewhere.
The state is reviewing the decision and did not have any immediate comment, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said in an email.
Officials argued during the case that if the tribes had a right to habitat restoration, they could conceivably sue the state for virtually anything that impairs salmon, such as state or utility district-owned dams that block salmon passage.
Fawn Sharp, president of Quinault Indian Nation on the Olympic Peninsula, agreed that the court's logic could apply to dams or other development that diminishes fish runs. She said she expected the ruling to bolster the tribe's arguments against a state proposal to dam the Chehalis River to help with flood control.
Mexico warns its citizens in Nicaragua after arrests
MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexico is advising its citizens in Nicaragua to stay in touch with the embassy in case they are detained following the arrest of four young Mexicans over the weekend.
Mexico's foreign affairs ministry said Monday through its website that Mexicans who suspect they are under investigation and could be arrested should immediately call the embassy's emergency number.
Four Mexicans were among six foreigners arrested in Nicaragua this weekend on allegations of having unauthorized explosives.
Mexican Julieta Gimenez Cacho says her son Daniel Espinosa Gimenez Cacho is one of those arrested. He was part of a caravan conducting workshops in the region about ecological projects in poor communities.
3 bodies found in home in wealthy San Diego-area community
SAN DIEGO (AP) Authorities in Southern California responding to a report of child abuse found two women and a teenage girl dead inside a home Monday in one of the nation's wealthiest communities.
San Diego County deputies answering the 911 call went to the home in Rancho Santa Fe at midday and spotted one woman's body through a window, sheriff's Lt. Kenn Nelson said.
The deputies went in and found the other bodies. All three had "obvious signs of trauma," Nelson said. He declined to say whether they were shot, stabbed or beaten.
Authorities didn't immediately label the case a murder-suicide but said they weren't searching for any suspects.
The identities of the women and the teenager were not immediately released. Nelson said investigators were trying to determine their relationship and motive for the deaths.
The Latest: Oakland council bans coal shipments
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Latest on a plan to ship coal through Oakland (all times local):
9:25 p.m.
Oakland city officials unanimously voted to ban the shipment of coal, sidelining a plan to transport Utah coal to Asia through a proposed marine terminal on an old army base.
Stevie Johnson holds up a pair of signs during a protest outside City Hall before a scheduled vote, Monday, June 27, 2016, to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard in Oakland, Calif. A yes vote Monday by the Oakland City Council could scuttle the plan to build a marine terminal that would serve as a gateway for Utah coal heading to Asia. (AP Photo/Janie Har)
The proposed terminal is in West Oakland, a historically black neighborhood that's among the poorest and most polluted in the region.
Detractors highlight the environmental dangers of bringing millions of tons of coal through the area while supporters tout the economic benefits of good-paying union jobs.
The terminal is part of a larger makeover of an army base that closed in 1999, eliminating thousands of jobs. City leaders approved the project before the coal proposal was made.
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Councilmember Dan Kalb introduced a proposal Monday to ban the shipping of coal, in advance of a hearing to determine whether coal presents a safety and health hazard.
---
5:15 p.m.
An Oakland city council hearing to determine whether rail shipments of coal would pose a public health hazard is underway.
The chamber for the Oakland City Council's Monday meeting is packed with supporters and opponents of a plan to ship Utah coal to Asia through a proposed marine terminal.
Outside, more than 150 people on both sides held boisterous rallies full of song and chants.
Supporters of the proposed terminal say it will bring badly needed jobs to a historically African-American neighborhood that suffers from high unemployment. Opponents say the number of estimated jobs is paltry compared with the health and safety risks that come from transporting millions of tons of coal through the city.
City officials approved the project before learning about the coal proposal.
___
4:45 p.m.
A scheduled vote in Northern California is expected to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard.
A yes vote Monday by the Oakland City Council could scuttle the plan to build a marine terminal that would serve as a gateway for Utah coal heading to Asia.
Detractors highlight the environmental dangers of bringing millions of tons of coal through the area while supporters tout the economic benefits.
Jerry Bridges, chief executive of the potential marine terminal operator, says jobs are the biggest issue and any environmental impact will be mitigated by transporting coal in covered rail cars that are unloaded underground.
On the other side is the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which opposes the shipment of coal.
People hold up signs and demonstrate outside City Hall, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. A scheduled vote in Northern California is expected to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard. (AP Photo/Janie Har)
The Latest: Police leaders look for improvements after clash
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The Latest on the police response to violence between two groups during a confrontation at California's state Capitol (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow and Sacramento Police Chief Sam Somers are looking for ways their agencies can improve following a violent clash by demonstrators at the state Capitol.
Paramedics rush a stabbing victim away on a gurney Sunday, June 26, 2016, after members of right-wing extremists groups holding a rally outside the California state Capitol building in Sacramento clashed with counter-protesters, authorities said. Sacramento Police spokesman Matt McPhail said the Traditionalist Workers Party had scheduled and received a permit to protest at noon Sunday in front of the Capitol. McPhail said a group showed up to demonstrate against them. (AP Photo/Steven Styles)
CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader says the pair met for about two hours Monday to discuss lessons they can learn from the violence that sent 10 people to area hospitals.
More than 100 officers from the two agencies were patrolling Sunday because authorities anticipated violence during a white nationalist group's planned demonstration at the California Capitol.
But police faced criticism Monday about whether they were properly prepared or too slow to get involved when the demonstration quickly turned violent in a clash with a larger group of counter-protesters.
A National Lawyers Guild observer says police mostly stood by during the confrontation.
___
3 p.m.
Authorities were anticipating violence as a white nationalist group planned a demonstration at the California Capitol, and they brought in more than 100 officers to patrol the grounds.
But after 10 people were injured Sunday, they're now facing criticism about whether they were properly prepared. The demonstration quickly turned violent in a clash with a larger group of counter-protesters.
Cres Vellucci, an observer with the National Lawyers Guild, said Monday that the California Highway Patrol and Sacramento city police failed to separate the two groups before the violence began.
He says they were slow to protect victims being assaulted and slow to get medical help.
Members of the Traditionalist Worker Party were confronted as they approached the rally site, and violence erupted.
CHP spokesman Officer George Granada says police had no obligation to make sure the group's members made it safely to the rally.
Police escort wounded man away from in front of the Cpitol in Scramento, Sunday, June 26, 2016, after members of right-wing extremists groups holding a rally outside the California state Capitol building clashed with counter-protesters, authorities said. Sacramento Police spokesman Matt McPhail said the Traditionalist Workers Party had scheduled and received a permit to protest at noon Sunday in front of the Capitol. McPhail said a group showed up to demonstrate against them. (AP Photo/Steven Styles)
Sacramento police mounted officers prepare for crowd control after a scuffle broke out at a protest near the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday, June 26, 2016. Officials said several were stabbed when members of right-wing extremists groups holding a rally clashed with counter-protesters. (Jerry H. Yamashita via AP)
A wounded man stands by another wounded man sitting on the steps of the California state Capitol after members of right-wing extremists groups holding a rally outside the state Capitol building clashed with counter-protesters in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, June 26, 2016. Several people were stabbed Sunday when counter-protesters clashed with members of right-wing extremists groups that planned to hold a rally outside the Capitol building, authorities said. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
John Glenn hopes airport being named for him inspires kids
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) The airport where astronaut John Glenn ogled planes as a kid, came and went to two wars, boarded his first commercial jet and piloted a private aircraft until age 90 has now been named in his honor.
The former U.S. senator, 94, said during a ceremony Tuesday that he hopes changing Port Columbus' name to John Glenn Columbus International Airport will inspire youngsters to pursue science, engineering and their own round of innovation.
"It is a great honor to me to have this field with my name on it. It's not just that, though," he said. "One of the things that I think is most important about something like this, other than just honoring me, is the fact that it may draw attention for some of our young people and develop their interest in knowing that they, in their time, can do as many new things as have been done in aviation and in flying in the past."
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn speaks during a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Glenn was joined at the event by his wife of 73 years, Annie, their children and a host of dignitaries.
Susan Tomasky, the board chairwoman of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, said the airport has a rich history.
"So it's completely fitting that our airport's name and its future will be associated with someone whose life achievements span one of the greatest moments in human flight and an enduring lifetime of contributions to improving the lives and the future of the people in our community, our state and our nation," she said.
She called Glenn "an example of what unwavering Midwestern determination and dogged hard work can lead to."
Glenn, raised in New Concord, Ohio, was the first American to orbit the earth. He was part of NASA's historic Mercury Seven crew and became its last surviving member with the death of Scott Carpenter in 2013. Glenn returned to space in 1998, at age 77.
Earlier in his life, Glenn flew a combined 122 missions during World War II and the Korean War and set the transcontinental speed record. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, serving until 1999.
Glenn recalled Tuesday begging his parents to take him by the Columbus airport to look at planes whenever they passed through the city. "It was something I was fascinated with," he said.
He also recalled many "tearful departures or homecomings" during wartime at the airport's old terminal. He remembered traveling from Columbus to Los Angeles on a DC-3 when there was only one airline, TWA. The trip required interim stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, El Paso and Albuquerque. "It took 24 hours to get there, something we find almost ridiculous these days when we have direct service," Glenn said.
Glenn apologized Tuesday for not recognizing some old friends in the crowd. He said he's lost a quarter to a third of his eyesight as a result of a small stroke and macular degeneration. The aging hero then poked fun at the situation with a couple of jokes.
The airport's new name was unveiled at the end of the event. It stretches across a video board that featured a scrolling multimedia presentation of Glenn's life and legacy.
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn waits for the start of a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn speaks during a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn speaks during a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn speaks during a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Family members of former U.S. Sen. John Glenn, left to right, son David Glenn, wife Annie Glenn, and daughter Lyn Glenn react to Glenn's speech during a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Former U.S. Sen. John Glenn, right, shakes hands with eight-year-old Josh Schick before the start of a celebration for the renaming of Port Columbus International Airport to John Glenn Columbus International Airport Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. Senate Bill 159, which changes the name of the airport, goes into effect in September. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Oakland council bans coal shipments, citing health risks
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Monday night to kill a plan to use a proposed marine terminal to transport Utah coal to Asia, calling such shipments public health and safety hazards. Backers argued the project would bring needed jobs to an impoverished part of town.
The vote which prompted environmental activists still in council chambers after four hours to break into applause approved an ordinance that bans the transport, handling and storage of coal and petroleum coke at bulk material facilities or terminals in Oakland.
"We want jobs that people can have, and have a long life and they don't have to rely upon a job of desperation," said Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney after the vote. "I just believe that we can do better in Oakland." The ordinance requires a second vote.
Stevie Johnson holds up a pair of signs during a protest outside City Hall before a scheduled vote, Monday, June 27, 2016, to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard in Oakland, Calif. A yes vote Monday by the Oakland City Council could scuttle the plan to build a marine terminal that would serve as a gateway for Utah coal heading to Asia. (AP Photo/Janie Har)
City leaders have wrestled with the issue for more than a year, as detractors and supporters of the proposed marine terminal argued over the environmental dangers of bringing millions of tons of coal through the area and the economic benefits of good-paying union jobs.
The terminal is part of a larger makeover of an army base that closed in 1999, eliminating thousands of jobs. The proposed terminal is in West Oakland, a historically black neighborhood that's among the poorest and most polluted in the region. The council approved the project before the coal proposal was made.
It's uncertain whether the terminal will continue without shipping coal. A lawyer for the Oregon Bulk and Oversized Terminal on Monday sent the council a letter detailing potential legal consequences.
"Politically, no quantity of handling coal or petcoke under whatever extraordinary standard will be tolerated," said David Smith. "While that may accomplish a political outcome, it is only the first steps towards an unfortunate legal outcome."
City leaders said they were confident they could overcome a legal challenge.
More than 150 people on both sides rallied outside the building Monday before the evening meeting. They packed the council's chamber, cheering and booing as speakers testified. At times, it was so hard to hear speakers that the council president had to ask security to remove some people from the room.
Coal proponents railed at the council for what they saw as a pre-ordained vote. They argued that any environmental impact would be mitigated by transporting coal in covered rail cars that are unloaded underground.
"We agree 1,000 percent that West Oakland is polluted," said Ron Muhammad, a fourth-generation resident of West Oakland. "But the project has a plan to mitigate it, to address it, so since the public health portion is taken out of the picture, then it goes back to the jobs."
On the other side, coal opponents argued there was no way to keep coal dust from escaping into the air, and that rail shipment would worsen the health of children already disadvantaged by poverty and bad air.
"This whole notion of coal-covered cars is rather ridiculous to say the least because it's never been done before," said Derrick Muhammad of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which opposes the shipment of coal.
Among the speakers were residents of Utah who were furious that their state lawmakers had pumped more than $50 million in public money to build the facility, hoping to spur investment in the state's rural counties.
People hold up signs and demonstrate outside City Hall, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. A scheduled vote in Northern California is expected to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard. (AP Photo/Janie Har)
People hold up signs and demonstrate outside City Hall, Monday, June 27, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. A scheduled vote in Northern California is expected to decide whether to ban rail shipments of coal over concerns it would pose a public health or safety hazard. (AP Photo/Janie Har)
US medical schools expand training to curb painkiller abuse
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) At first, the woman tried to hide her painkiller problem. She told the doctor that she still had pain from her past pregnancy, and that she just wanted a refill on her pain medication.
After a few questions, though, she admitted that a friend had sold her some OxyContin, and that she'd stolen pills from another friend.
The interaction was all staged, with the patient played by an actor and the doctor played by a medical student last month. The exercise was part of a daylong boot camp at the University of Massachusetts Medical School designed to help physicians in training identify and fight opioid abuse.
In this May 11, 2016 photo, University of Massachusetts Medical School nursing student Morgan Brescia, right, and others attend a simulation of treatment for a patient coping with addiction during class at the medical school in Worcester, Mass. Many U.S. medical schools are expanding their training to help students fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate all patients for signs of drug abuse. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
"There's a lot at stake here. We have a public health epidemic, and it's not getting better, and the health care profession is part of the problem," said Michele Pugnaire, the medical school's senior associate dean for educational affairs.
Medical schools nationwide are rethinking their training on opioids amid rising overdose deaths. Schools are taking action after critics said they had inadvertently contributed to addiction problems. Federal health experts say that physicians have been prescribing addictive opioid painkillers too often, and that poor training is frequently to blame.
According to federal data, opioid painkillers were responsible for nearly 19,000 deaths across the U.S. in 2014, an increase of more than 400 percent since 2000. Heroin, by comparison, killed 10,000 people in 2014.
"We are over 10 years into this epidemic, and I don't think we've seen a robust enough response from the medical community," Michael Botticelli, the White House's drug czar, told reporters in Boston last month.
Studies have found that medical students at American schools spend far less time learning to treat pain than their peers in other countries, or even veterinary students in the U.S.
Even at top schools like Harvard, students say they aren't trained enough. A group of students there organized their own clinic on addiction treatment this year to fill gaps in the curriculum.
"There's a sense of urgency to tackle this issue from all fronts, and I think medical schools and teaching hospitals are really committed to doing their part," said Tannaz Rasouli, senior director of public policy and strategic outreach for the American Association of Medical Colleges.
Under pressure from the White House, more than 60 U.S. medical schools pledged in April to teach new federal guidelines for prescribing opioid painkillers.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker rallied the state's four medical schools to develop a uniform curriculum on opioids and addiction that's being unrolled this year. Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are pushing for a similar effort there.
Dozens of schools, including Brown and Columbia universities, have received federal grants to teach a standard interviewing method that helps screen patients for drug abuse.
"Students are expected to be able to identify and address that as well as they would someone's diabetes or hypertension ," said Dr. Frances Levin, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia's medical center.
The goal is partly to cut down on opioid prescribing. At Boston University, for example, students learn alternative ways to treat pain such as relaxation therapy and breathing exercises.
But students are also being taught that some populations have been turned away from painkillers too often because of stereotypes.
Black men, for example, have likely been under prescribed opioids "because clinicians fear that they're maybe going to abuse those drugs," said Dr. Douglas Hughes, the associate dean for academic affairs at the Boston University School of Medicine.
Many schools are also adding more training simulations like the one at the University of Massachusetts, using trained actors known as "standardized patients." The idea is to put students through complex cases that they'll face in practice, and to help gauge whether students are asking patients the right questions in the right way.
At the end of those exercises, students learn whether they made the right decision.
Duke University's medical school plans to increase its use of standardized patients, too. But some professors there stress to students that, in the real world, there's often no way to know if they made the right choice.
"I talk to medical students about my own uncertainty and my own doubts," said Dr. Nancy Weigle, who teaches about community and family medicine at Duke University. "In medicine, we operate in a lot of gray areas. And this is an area that can be really tricky, and there's not always one right answer."
___
Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Boston contributed to this report.
In this May 11, 2016 photo, University of Massachusetts Medical School instructor Dr. Kavita Babu holds up a syringe of nasal Naloxone for emergency treatment of opioid overdose, during a class about the biology of addiction at the medical school in Worcester, Mass. Many U.S. medical schools are expanding their training to help students fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate all patients for signs of drug abuse. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this May 11, 2016 photo, University of Massachusetts Medical School medical student Melanie Dubois, standing, speaks with an actor-patient coping with addiction during a simulation at the medical school in Worcester, Mass. Many U.S. medical schools are expanding their training to help students fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate all patients for signs of drug abuse. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this May 11, 2016 photo, University of Massachusetts Medical School's Dr. Michele Pugnaire, right, senior associate dean for educational affairs, confers with Dr. James Ledwith Jr. as they observe students via laptops during class simulations of treating patients coping with addiction at the medical school in Worcester, Mass. Many U.S. medical schools are expanding their training to help students fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate all patients for signs of drug abuse. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this May 11, 2016 photo, University of Massachusetts Medical School student Sean Maloney receives feedback after participating in a simulation of treatment for a patient coping with addiction at the medical school in Worcester, Mass. Many U.S. medical schools are expanding their training to help students fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate all patients for signs of drug abuse. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
UK business in limbo in face of years of Brexit uncertainty
LONDON (AP) The impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union was swift and painful for Ed Bussey's small tech firm in London.
The founder and CEO of Quill, an online content company, had been looking to fill a software development job paying 70,000 pounds ($95,000) a year that's been open for six months. He had a job interview set up with a promising candidate from EU member Italy on Friday the day after the vote.
"Because of what had happened on Thursday, he was not prepared to up sticks and move to London," Bussey said with chagrin. "He was saying: 'Look, I'm not sure I'm not going to get booted out in two years.'"
Artisan perfume maker Sarah McCartney, 54, uses a dropper to put perfume into bottles at her business "4160 Tuesdays" in London, Monday, June 27, 2016. Faced with the prospect of years of uncertainty, businesses in Britain are already feeling the impact of last week's vote to leave the European Union. (AP Photo/Leonora Beck)
Businesses in Britain already are seeing the impact of the seismic vote to have the country leave the other 27-nations in the trading bloc and strike out on its own. Companies large and small are feeling the shockwave which left Britain in uncharted waters, unclear of what the future will hold.
Being part of the EU guarantees no tariffs on trade on goods and services and the free movement of workers, without the hassle of visas or work permits. Now that it is leaving, Britain will have to first negotiate its exit, which could take years, and then renegotiate new relations with Europe, which could take even longer.
With so much uncertainty looming for so long and financial markets crashing, a lot of business is suddenly in limbo. Some companies are even looking to pull back.
In the first direct reflection of the uncertainty hitting business confidence, a leading business group said 20 percent of its members plan to move some of their operations outside of the U.K. to be closer to clients on the mainland.
The Institute of Directors said Monday that a survey of its 1,000 members showed that three out of four believe that Britain's exit from the EU, known as Brexit, will be bad for business. About a quarter said they would freeze hiring and 5 percent said they would cut jobs.
"Ultimately we think that our members are very resilient, we think that British business is tough and will adapt but certainly at the moment there is a lot of nervousness out there in the business community," IoD spokesman Edwin Morgan told The Associated Press.
Companies are already issuing profit warnings. Real estate agency Foxtons has said it is no longer confident that business will improve in the second half of the year. The parent company of British Airways, IAG, warned that profits would take a hit this year, as did budget airline easyJet, saying it anticipates economic and consumer uncertainty this summer.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, told ITV on Tuesday that he pulled the plug on a deal involving 3,000 jobs over the uncertainty that Britain now faces. He suspects that the group, which owns shares in various companies including Virgin Media and Virgin Trains, lost a third of its value since the country voted to leave the EU.
Multinationals that have chosen the U.K. as a base for operations across the EU are expected to reconsider some of their operations in Britain. Global banks like JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and HSBC have said thousands could move to the mainland.
So worrisome is the overall picture that Treasury chief George Osborne offered a statement before markets even opened in hopes of calming the jittery nerves. Success on that score was decidedly mixed.
The pound hit a new 31-year record low, dropping another 3.6 percent to $1.3187. Stock markets also declined across Europe. Bank shares were particularly hard hit, as they are considered a mirror on the larger economy. Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland, once the world's largest bank and now mostly state-owned, fell some 15 percent. Adding to Friday's losses, that alone has cost the U.K. taxpayer some 7.3 billion pounds ($9.6 billion) in two days.
But the turmoil is perhaps tougher for small business owners like Bussey, whose 25-person firm doesn't have a phalanx of lawyers and a human resources department never mind facing the expense to seek out software developers outside of the single market.
"In effect, it is closing the door on fast-growth businesses like mine in terms of hiring the best talent in Europe," Bussey said.
And he's not alone. Artisan London perfume maker Sarah McCartney has found Britain's choice to leave the EU has already bruised her small business, called 4160Tuesdays.
"The future doesn't smell so sweet at the moment," she said. "I buy raw material from Europe, and I sell to Europe. I just think it is going to become a heck of a lot more complicated, and it has already gotten more expensive."
Italy was supposed to be Sarah McCartney's next export market, but the uncertainty of whether she soon will be buried in tariffs, duty and paperwork has left her doubting if she should enter Italy at all. Now, she may not participate in Italian perfume trade fair next week that was meant to be her way in.
The plane ticket alone is expensive never mind the uncertainty of why she should go in the first place.
"I completely understand people feeling cut off from decision-making and voting 'leave,'" she said, citing many "leave" voters' desire to protest against the establishment. "But I don't think they got at all what will happen day by day for people running little businesses, trying their best to earn a living and pay taxes."
Artisan perfume maker Sarah McCartney, 54, uses a dropper to put perfume into bottles at her business "4160 Tuesdays" in London, Monday, June 27, 2016. Faced with the prospect of years of uncertainty, businesses in Britain are already feeling the impact of last week's vote to leave the European Union. (AP Photo/Leonora Beck)
Two police officers stand in front of EU flags prior to an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, the Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi, centre, and the President of France Francois Hollande, right, leave a news conference during a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Monday, June 27, 2016. The three leaders said they agreed there will be no formal or informal talks, until the British government formally declares its intention to quit the EU. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Airport security fix: better training _ for humans and dogs
GLYNCO, Ga. (AP) Covering their ears, 192 future airport security officers watched from a grandstand as Larry Colburn detonates a plastic-explosives device like the one carried by the underwear bomber in a failed attempt to blow up a plane on Christmas Day 2009.
A tremendous boom was accompanied by a plume of black and gray smoke. A wave of blast pressure ripples through the air, hitting the spectators.
Colburn, a former Memphis police bomb squad commander, tells his audience that a very small amount of the explosive, PTEN, can do tremendous damage.
In this Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration instructor Larry Colburn covers his ears as he prepares to set off an explosive device during a lecture to airport security officer candidates at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
"That is an eye-opener," says Betsy Bueno. "That makes you want to do the job."
Bueno is joining the Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for protecting the traveling public from terrorists. Many travelers associate the TSA with long lines and uncomfortable pat-downs. Critics say the agency gives the appearance of airport security without doing much to make air travel safe.
Screeners performed dismally in tests last year involving mock weapons and bombs being smuggled through checkpoints. The TSA suffers from understaffing, low morale and high turnover. Peter Neffenger, the agency's sixth and current administrator, wants to hire more enthusiastic agents like Bueno and train them better, and also make greater use of bomb-sniffing dogs as ways to improve TSA performance.
Since January, almost all new hires have gone through a two-week course at a sprawling federal installation in Georgia. And TSA recently opened a new facility in Texas to train more dogs in bomb detection. The Associated Press took a look behind the scenes at both operations.
___
TSA was built on the fly after the September 2001 terror attacks. Since the agency's inception, screeners have been trained piecemeal at airports around the country. Neffenger decided to centralize and standardize training at a former naval air station in Glynco that is used by more than 90 other law enforcement agencies. TSA said it spends $2,400 per trainee on travel and lodging for their nine-day course at Glynco.
"By bringing them here to the academy, we're sure that all of the officers are getting the exact same training, the exact same procedures," says Douglas Yates, who worked at Palm Beach (Florida) International Airport and is now an instructor at the Georgia center. Under the airport-based approach, he says, "there is always the possibility that some of the local things might creep in that are not proper or not according to the program."
There is classroom instruction on reading X-ray images, detecting explosives and other weapons, methods that terrorists use to conceal weapons, and handling hostile travelers. The heart of the academy is a fully equipped TSA checkpoint.
On a recent morning, two dozen candidates practiced screening people and bags. Classmates played the role of travelers carrying infants, using wheelchairs, requesting to bypass the millimeter-wave screening machines or presenting other challenges.
Instructors say the hardest part for trainees is interpreting X-ray images. That could explain screeners' poor performance in audits according to published reports, screeners working at airports across the country missed banned objects 67 out of 70 times in one test, a 96 percent failure rate.
New hires take up to 20 hours of classroom instruction with the screening machines and are drilled to ask for a supervisor's opinion if something looks suspicious.
Some threats are obvious on screens in the mock checkpoint a handgun left in a bag. Others are ambiguous a jumble of wires that could be part of a bomb or just the accoutrements of modern, connected life.
Trainees must pass written and hands-on tests during the course to be hired. The washout rate is remarkably low, just 1 percent. An instructor, Elaine Wilson Harrison, says that is partly because trainees get remedial help if they fail part of the course.
Anthony Roman, an aviation-security expert who runs an investigative consulting firm, says recent audits like the one with a 96 percent failure rate prove that TSA training has been poor. He says the creation of a central academy was a good first step.
"I don't think nine days is long enough, but we need many, many more TSA officers and we need them now," he says.
Roman says he already sees signs that better training is paying off. He says TSA's pat-downs are better and more military-like, more bags are being rescreened, and screeners are quicker to call a supervisor over to take a second look at an X-ray image.
___
At the academy, new hires are taught about TSA's history an effort to make them feel special and less likely to quit. The work of airport screeners is often boring, adding to the agency's retention problem.
In figures provided to The Associated Press, TSA disclosed that more than 18,000 full-time and 16,000 part-time screeners have quit or been fired since October 2010.
In that time TSA hired only 2,534 full-time replacements but added more than 34,000 part-timers. The agency converted 26,371 part-time officers including ones hired before 2010 to full-time jobs.
The agency is authorized to have the equivalent of 42,525 full-time screeners.
TSA veterans say that they do important work and that it's not a dead-end career.
"I myself started out part-time and I worked my way up the ranks," said Wilson Harrison, who began at Memphis International Airport and moved up to Miami International before become an academy instructor. "Some of them do use it as a stepping stone to go to other agencies, but the majority of the students say that they would like to stay with TSA and make it a career."
Crystal Champagne, a 28-year from Minneapolis who worked for TSA in 2013 and is returning after a stint as a caregiver, says retention is tied to respect.
"We're all working together to keep our country safe," she says. "If we continue to show officers that's what this is about and it is truly necessary and not to listen to media I think we'll do well and we'll stay."
A TSA spokesman says full-time screeners start at $25,000 to $30,000 a year. On the federal government's jobs website, slightly higher salaries are listed in some high-cost areas. The vast majority of listings, however, are for part-time jobs paying $15 to $22 an hour.
Screeners must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school degree or the equivalent or have one year of full-time experience in a related field such as airport security or reading X-rays. Some new hires are in their 50s. The average new hire is 32, and 17 percent of screeners are veterans, according to TSA.
___
Halfway across the country, at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, TSA handlers at a new $14 million facility are training more dogs to sniff out explosives.
Ford Rinewalt keeps Sylvia, a 2-year-old German shorthaired pointer, on a short leash while they moved briskly up and down aisles in a cargo-filled warehouse. As they turn a corner, Sylvia suddenly stops and focuses on a large box inside which trainers had hidden explosives-dusted bait.
"Good dog! Good dog!" Rinewalt exclaims as he rewards the dog with belly rubs and a toy.
"There is no way you can trick the dog if it is trained well," says Rinewalt's supervisor, Robert Grauel, who keeps a close eye on the handler and the dog from a few paces away. Drug smugglers have tried everything from ground coffee to layers of plastic, but the canine sense of smell is too keen, he says.
Dogs speed up the checkpoints because travelers who pass the canine smell test can be moved to expedited-screening lanes where they don't have to remove shoes, belts and jackets or take laptops out of their bags.
The dogs' usefulness goes beyond convenience. TSA officials believe that dogs, along with uniformed police officers, are a deterrent. And if dogs help move passengers through checkpoints faster, that could eliminate long lines that are themselves a target for terrorists.
Part of the cabin of a widebody airliner has been reassembled so the dogs can be trained to search a plane. There is also a mock airport gate, complete with "passengers" hired for the day from a temp agency.
Once the dogs are taught to find explosives they are paired with a trainer who must learn to lead the dog on methodical searches so that no area is missed, and to interpret the animal's behavior.
The training costs $30,000 to $55,000 per dog and, officials said, is constantly tweaked to keep up with changes in the materials and methods used by terrorists.
TSA has about 320 dogs to sniff cargo at airports and train stations; about 140 are also trained to work on people. Neffenger said recently that his agency could use 500 dogs if it had the money, and before Memorial Day he moved more dog teams to the busiest airports to help reduce lines.
___
Follow David Koenig at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration dog trainer Ford Rinewalt works with Sylvia, a bomb-sniffing dog, in a makeshift warehouse during a drill at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration dog trainer Mitchell Brown works with Atilla, a bomb-sniffing dog, in a makeshift luggage area at Lackland Air Force Base training facility in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In this Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration airport security officer candidates listen during an explosives lecture at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo, an explosive device is detonated on a bomb range during an explosives demonstration for Transportation Security Administration candidates at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Anthony Martinez works with Bella, a bomb-sniffing dog, during drills in a makeshift airport at a Lackland Air Force Base training facility in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
This Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo, shows an explosive trigger on display for Transportation Security Administration candidates during an explosives lecture at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Wednesday, June 8, 2016, photo, a Transportation Security Administration officer candidate passes through a body scanner as she plays the part of an air traveler during a training session in an airport security checkpoint simulator at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration instructor Larry Colburn gives an explosives lecture to airport security officer candidates at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration dog trainer Hans Phifer works with Rufus, a bomb-sniffing dog, in a makeshift luggage area during a drill at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Tref, a bomb-sniffing dog, goes through drills in a makeshift airport at a Transportation Security Administration training facility at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In this Wednesday, June 8, 2016, photo, a Transportation Security Administration candidate learns to operate a body scanner during a training session at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Sylvia, a bomb-sniffing dog, searches a mail cart in a makeshift warehouse during a Transportation Security Administration training drill at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
This Tuesday, June 7, 2016, photo shows explosive compounds on display for Transportation Security Administration candidates during an explosives lecture at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Transportation Security Administration dog trainer Hans Phifer works with Rufus, a bomb-sniffing dog, in a makeshift luggage area during a drill at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Short-staffed and often criticized, the TSA aims to improve training for airport screeners. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
UN chief criticizes Gaza blockade after Israel-Turkey deal
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) The U.N. chief on Tuesday criticized Israel's blockade of Gaza, a day after Israel and Turkey reached a broad reconciliation pact that looked to ease, but not eliminate, the isolation of the coastal strip.
In a visit to the region, which included a stop at a Gaza school, Ban Ki-moon said "the closure of Gaza suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts."
"It's a collective punishment for which there must be accountability," he added.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon makes a statement to the press at a UNWRA school during his visit to the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Israel and Turkey meanwhile formalized their agreement to restore full diplomatic relations after six years of animosity between the once-close allies.
In Ankara, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu signed the deal, paving the way for its approval in parliament. The largely procedural signing was closed to the media. In a similar, parallel ceremony, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold signed the pact in Jerusalem.
The agreement with Israel will include an exchange of ambassadors and Israeli compensation for the deaths of 10 Turkish citizens from a 2010 Israeli naval raid on an activist flotilla that aimed to breach the Gaza blockade.
Turkey will also be allowed to bring relief supplies into Gaza and carry out new development projects here, but the deal did not fully lift the blockade imposed on the Hamas-ruled territory to prevent the Palestinian militant group from importing arms.
A Turkish aid ship bearing 10,000 tons of aid for Gaza is scheduled to depart Friday for the Israeli port of Ashdod, according to a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Gaza's Hamas rulers thanked Erdogan for his support in alleviating the strip's hardship but stopped short of endorsing the pact.
Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, seized power.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, said the Israeli-Turkey deal amounts to Turkish recognition of the Gaza blockade.
"From the moment you signed it, you are making this blockade legal," Kilicdaroglu said, addressing the authorities. "You are accepting Israel's control over Gaza."
Relations between Israel and Turkey began to decline after Erdogan, whose party has Islamist roots, became prime minister in 2003. Relations took a sharp turn downward during Israel's three-week war against Hamas in Gaza from late December 2008 into January 2009 when Erdogan criticized Israel over the high Palestinian death toll.
Israel said the operation was needed to halt Hamas rocket fire and that the heavy civilian death toll resulted from Hamas using residential areas for cover.
The relations reached their nadir in 2010 when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish ship aiming to breech the blockade of Gaza. Nine Turks, including a dual American citizen, were killed. One later died of his wounds. On the Israeli side, seven soldiers were wounded by activists who attacked them with clubs, knives and pipes.
Following the incident, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel and scaled back military and economic ties. Relations were never broken completely. The reconciliation deal, long in the making, was officially announced on Monday.
In Israel, there has been broad criticism of the pact, in part because it did not secure the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers, and possibly two living Israeli civilians, believed to be held by Hamas.
Three Israeli Cabinet ministers, including the new defense minister, Avigdor Lieberman, have said they will vote against the pact. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should still have enough votes to pass the measure in his government.
___
Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon makes a statement to the press at an UNWRA school during his visit to the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon surrounded by bodyguards leaves an armored vehicle to make a statement to the press at an UNWRA school, during his visit to the Gaza Strip, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)
Texas may not restore lost abortion clinics despite ruling
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Long wait times for abortions and lengthy drives to clinics are likely to continue in Texas for months and maybe years despite the U.S. Supreme Court striking down restrictions that since 2013 have drastically reduced the number of providers statewide.
Texas lost more than half of its 41 abortion clinics in the three years since former Republican Gov. Rick Perry signed a sweeping anti-abortion law that justices largely dismantled in a 5-3 ruling Monday. The decision amounted to the Supreme Court's strongest defense of abortion rights in a generation and could imperil similar restrictions in other states.
The Texas laws required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery. But even with those mandates now gone, Planned Parenthood and others providers are not yet making promises about breaking ground on new facilities in Texas.
Lucy Ceballos, center, and Isabella Soto, left, members of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against Texas' abortion restrictions in front of Whole Woman's Health Monday, June 27, 2016, in McAllen, Texas. Whole Woman's Health is a abortion provider that stayed open despite the restrictions as many other providers closed over the past two years. (Nathan Lambrecht/The Monitor via AP)
And any openings, they cautioned, could take years, meaning that women in rural Texas counties are still likely to face hours-long drives to abortion clinics for the foreseeable future.
Buildings need to be leased. Staffs need to be hired. Clinics must still obtain state licenses and funds for medical equipment must be raised. Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled Legislature is all but certain to remain hostile to abortion providers that try to expand.
"We really have a daunting task to determine whether and how we can reopen our health centers," said Whole Woman's Health founder Amy Hagstrom Miller, whose chain of abortion clinics in Texas includes the state's only provider on the southern border with Mexico.
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards also would not immediately commit to the nation's largest abortion provider opening more Texas clinics, but she expressed hope.
"Just to re-establish services in a community and get the licensures is just not something that is going to happen overnight," said Richards, who is the daughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.
For now, providers are celebrating because it could have been far worse: Had the law that former Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis once temporarily blocked with an 11-hour filibuster been found constitutional, only 10 would have remained open in a state of 27 million people.
The bill propelled Davis, at the time a state senator who ran for governor in 2014, to national stardom when her filibuster packed the Texas Capitol with raucous protesters whose shouts deafened the Senate floor as time ran out on the measure.
More than 40 abortion clinics in Texas were open at the time, but neither Richards nor abortion rights groups would predict whether Texas would ever reach that number again. Davis said the expectation for now is that areas without a nearby clinic will at least see one reopen within the next six months, and that the goal may not necessarily be getting back above 40 facilities.
"The benchmark is more closely aligned with geographic proximity," Davis said. "If women are able to geographically access that care without tremendous costs or burdensome travel then we'll be back to where we need to be."
Monday's ruling now gives Texas abortion providers the go-ahead to continue offering abortions in smaller facilities that are akin to doctor's offices. Many clinics had faced multimillion-dollar renovations to comply with the law, such as upgrades to air ventilation systems and hallways wide enough to accommodate hospital beds.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott rebuked the justices for taking away rules that he says protect the health and safety of women, and Republican leaders in states including Michigan, Missouri and Pennsylvania have used similar arguments while enacting nearly identical laws. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing in a concurring opinion, said it was "beyond rational belief" that the Texas law looks after women.
The landscape of abortion in Texas changed drastically over the last three years: Most remaining clinics are concentrated around the major cities of Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, leaving many women in vast rural swaths of the state facing long drives to the nearest provider. The result was that wait times at some Texas abortion clinics started exceeding 20 days, Davis said, while opponents of the law also warned about women seeking out abortions in Mexico instead
___
Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pauljweber
Traffic passes a Planned Parenthood sign in Dallas, Monday, June 27, 2016. The Supreme Court struck down Texas' widely replicated regulation of abortion clinics in the court's biggest abortion case in nearly a quarter century. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were only a veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get abortions in the nation's second-most populous state. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Amy Hagstrom Miller, second from right, founder of Whole Woman's Health, a Texas women's health clinic that provides abortions, leaves the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 27, 2016, with Center for Reproductive Rights President Nancy Northup, far right, as the justices struck down the strict Texas anti-abortion restriction law known as HB2. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion in the nation's second-most populous state. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder of Whole Woman's Health, a Texas women's health clinic that provides abortions, rejoices as she leaves the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 27, 2016, as the justices struck down the strict Texas anti-abortion restriction law known as HB2. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion in the nation's second-most populous state. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Justice quest goes on after 'Freedom Summer' court cases end
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) The search for courtroom justice has ended in the 1964 "Freedom Summer" killings of three civil rights workers in Mississippi's Neshoba County, but more than a half century after they died some Mississippians and the relatives of the slain men say the search for another kind of justice continues.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced last week there's no longer any way to gather enough evidence to charge any remaining suspects in the slayings of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner.
His announcement marks a turning point. The three men, barely adults when a group of Ku Klux Klansmen killed them June 21, 1964, would be past retirement age today. Those who knew them or who lived then in Neshoba County are aging. For many, the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning" may be their only knowledge of the case.
FILE - In this June 15, 2014 file photograph, flowers top the memorial marker for Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman, civil rights workers who were killed in the "Mississippi Burning" case of 1964, outside the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Miss., following a commemorative service in their honor. With additional criminal charges ruled out in the 1964 killings of the three civil rights workers, the community and state are left with harder ways to pursue justice in the case. Relatives of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner said their deaths should prompt reflection about racism across Mississippi and the United States. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Few close to the case say they were surprised that Hood said no more prosecutions were possible, citing elderly and uncooperative witnesses and lost records.
"With knowledge of the case and knowledge of those who were involved, I think it was a reasonable choice to do so," said Philadelphia Mayor James Young, the Neshoba County seat's first African-American mayor. "The grave can only give so much information."
But relatives of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner, as well as Mississippians who have sought further prosecutions for more than 25 years, say the search for a justice that brings social healing still goes on.
"The whole issue of reconciliation and redemption is a battle that will go on for decades," said Dick Molpus, a Philadelphia native and former Mississippi Secretary of State. In a watershed speech at the 25th anniversary of the deaths in 1989, Molpus apologized on behalf of the community.
Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner disappeared after venturing into Neshoba County to investigate the burning of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church and the beating of its African-American members. The three men's bodies were found weeks later in an earthen dam. After an FBI investigation, eight people were convicted in 1967 of federal civil rights violations related to the killings.
The final prosecution came in 2005, when Hood and the Neshoba County district attorney won three manslaughter convictions against white supremacist Edgar Ray Killen. He remains in prison.
David Goodman, Andrew Goodman's brother, said it's still important to recognize what happened and analyze it, even if that leads to uncomfortable conclusions. Goodman says the tension between civic ideals and the racism that led to his brother's murder remains present in American life.
"It's like life in general," said Goodman, who lives in New Jersey. "You have these great ideals and then everyday practices that arguably could be viewed as the exact opposite."
Goodman and Rita Bender, Schwerner's widow and a Seattle resident, say it's wrong to focus only on the Klansmen involved in the killings, or even on Neshoba County. They say a society-wide reckoning with racism is still needed.
Mississippi, by some measures, has made significant progress. A state where blacks once faced violence for trying to vote now has hundreds of black elected officials. Yet its electorate remains racially polarized.
Prominent groups are trying to promote racial reconciliation. One is Mission Mississippi, a faith-based effort that encourages people to build deeper relationships across racial lines.
"Let's deal with it in a way that will turn it into a positive for the whole society," said Mission Mississippi President Neddie Winters. "How do we learn how to trust each other? How can we move past the issues that divide us?"
Susan Glisson is executive director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi. The group has worked with people in Philadelphia and elsewhere to examine histories of anti-black violence. While legal punishment may no longer be possible, Glisson said restorative justice still is. That approach tries to repair harm through a cooperative process involving victims, offenders and community members.
"I do think there's a different culture now, of reaching out to create relationships, instead of not talking about those issues or actively avoiding those issues," Glisson said.
A 2006 Mississippi law required schools to teach about civil rights. And a museum devoted to the civil rights struggle is supposed to open next year, adjacent to a broader state history museum.
In Neshoba County, some energy from the Philadelphia Coalition, the group of residents who publicly sought prosecutions, has shifted to the next generation. Leroy Clemons, an original coalition member, now leads the Neshoba Youth Coalition.
"Today, if you come into Philadelphia, the children can tell you the story," he said.
Clemons, like others, says he thinks some of the work building relationships has borne fruit in Philadelphia.
"The progress in our community was never tied to whether that case was open or not," he said.
___
Follow Jeff Amy at: http://twitter.com/jeffamy . Read his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/jeff-amy
FILE - In this June 15, 2014 file photo, David Goodman, the brother of Andrew Goodman, one of three civil rights workers killed in the "Mississippi Burning" case of 1964, laughs during a commemorative service for the three men at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Miss. Recently, Goodman said it's wrong to only focus on the Klansmen involved in the killings, or even on Neshoba County. He said a society-wide reckoning with racism is still needed. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
FILE - In this June 15, 2014 file photo, Rita Schwerner Bender is photographed outside the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Miss., following a commemorative service for her late husband, Michael Schwerner, and the two other civil rights workers killed in the Mississippi Burning case. Recently, Bender, said it's wrong to only focus on the Klansmen involved in the killings, or even on Neshoba County. She says a society-wide reckoning with racism is still needed. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
benallen.photo.jpg
Ben Allen, a Springfield native, is shown working at WITF radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His story on a Lancaster family losing a son to heroin addiction, was honored with a national Edward R. Murrow award.
(Submitted photo)
A news article written by Springfield native Ben Allen, 27, a reporter with radio station WITF in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was recently selected by a national digital news association for the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award.
The Radio Television Digital News Association honored WITF and Allen for a story he wrote about a Lancaster family that had lost a son to heroin addiction. The award was in the "hard news" category in that division of radio stations. The association honors outstanding achievement in electronic journalism through the Murrow award, named after a national radio and television broadcaster who gained fame in coverage of World War II and an expose on the late Sen. Joe McCarthy.
Allen, who graduated from Cathedral High School in Springfield in 2007 and Fordham University in New York City in 2011, is the son of Richard Allen and Kathy Sheehan of Springfield.
Ben Allen
Richard Allen works as Board of Assessors chairman in Springfield and his wife Kathy is a local lawyer. The whole family, including Ben's brother Chris, are proud of Ben's achievement, Richard Allen said. Ben Allen had initially won a regional Murrow award for the story, as well as for another story about the Pennsylvania state government's health statistics related to the heroin issue.
He will receive the national award at a gala event in New York City on Oct. 10.
Allen was active with Cathedral High School's newspaper and with Fordham's WFUV's local radio station.
Lebanese army detains 103 Syrians in wake of border bombings
BEIRUT (AP) Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for illegal entry into the country in a security sweep Tuesday, a day after a series of deadly bombings struck a village near the Syrian border, the military said.
The government warned of a mounting challenge in tiny Lebanon, which abuts the war-torn Syria, underlining the magnitude of Monday's attack that saw nine bombings, eight of them from suicide attackers, strike in the small Christian village of Qaa, killing five people.
"The attack on the Lebanese national security and the unfamiliar manner in which it was executed usher in a new kind of phase in the state's confrontation with the dark forces of terrorism," a Cabinet statement said.
Lebanese army soldiers from the special forces unit patrol Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village near the Syrian border were suicide bombers blow themselves among civilians on Monday, eastern Lebanon, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for illegal entry into the country, in a security sweep on Tuesday, a day after a series of deadly bombings struck a village near the border with Syria, the military said. The unprecedented attacks nine explosions in all, eight of them suicide bombings triggered fear and panic among residents of Qaa village and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from neighboring Syria's civil war. (AP Photo)
The bombings triggered fear and panic among Qaa's residents and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from Syria's civil war.
Tuesday was declared a national day of mourning and authorities postponed funerals for the five killed in Monday's bombings, citing security reasons. A major religious event scheduled in the capital, Beirut, by the militant Hezbollah group was also postponed.
Also citing security concerns, the ministry of culture postponed the opening of the Bacchus Temple, part of the famed ruins of Baalbek. A troupe of Syrian actors roaming the Bekaa Valley with a performance about refugee woes postponed its tour. A limited curfew was imposed in Qaa and the surrounding area.
The army said it carried out security raids in six areas in the Baalbek region, which has many informal Syrian refugee settlements. It said nine motorcycles and two vehicles were confiscated and two Lebanese were arrested with illegal weapons.
Monday's explosions, four in the early morning and five at night, also wounded nearly 30 in Qaa. Later in the day, two bombers blew themselves up outside the village church as people gathered for funerals of those killed earlier Monday.
The army said one of the suicide bombers detonated his explosives as he was chased by troops, while the other blew himself up near a military post when guards fired at him. No one was killed but the two blasts wounded 13 people. Minister of Interior Nouhad Machnouk said initial investigations indicate most of the bombers were from inside Syria and not refugees. He didn't elaborate.
Private Lebanese OTV aired what it said was footage from security cameras in Qaa, purporting to show a young man involved in the attack. The footage shows the young man with a backpack heading to a gathering outside the church, apparently to blow himself up.
Qaa and the nearby Ras Baalbek are the only two villages with a Christian majority in the predominantly Shiite Hermel region, where the Shiite Hezbollah group holds sway. The group has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad's forces against the predominantly Sunni rebels trying to topple him.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV blamed Monday's attack on the Islamic State group. Al-Mustaqbal daily, which is owned by Hezbollah's rival group, suggested the army was the target of the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings.
Sunni extremists have carried out several attacks in the border area since Syria's conflict began in March 2011, leading the Christians of Qaa to set up self-defense units for their village.
Lebanese army soldiers from the special forces unit stand on their APC during a patrol in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village near the Syrian border were suicide bombers blow themselves among civilians on Monday, in eastern Lebanon, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for illegal entry into the country, in a security sweep on Tuesday, a day after a series of deadly bombings struck a village near the border with Syria, the military said. The unprecedented attacks nine explosions in all, eight of them suicide bombings triggered fear and panic among residents of Qaa village and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from neighboring Syria's civil war. (AP Photo)
Lebanese army patrol in front a church in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village only few hundred meters (yards) away from the Syrian border, eastern Lebanon, Monday, June 27, 2016. A group of suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the Lebanese village near the border with Syria on Monday, killing and wounded several people, Lebanon's state-run news agency said. (AP Photo)
The Lebanese flag flies on top of the Government House to pay respect for victims killed in the village of Qaa attacks early Monday morning in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. A series of suicide bombings and other attacks, including one outside a church, rocked a mainly Christian Lebanese village near the Syrian border, killing many people and wounding tens, officials and witnesses said. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard next to a damaged ambulance that was attacked by one of the suicide bombers, in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village only few hundred meters (yards) away from the Syrian border, eastern Lebanon, Monday, June 27, 2016. A group of suicide bombers detonated their explosives in the Lebanese village near the border with Syria on Monday, killing and wounded several people, a Lebanese military official and paramedics said. (AP Photo)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard, foreground, as investigators, background, inspect the scene next to a damaged ambulance that was attacked by one of the suicide bombers, in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village only few hundred meters (yards) away from the Syrian border, eastern Lebanon, Monday, June 27, 2016. A group of suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a Lebanese village near the border with Syria on Monday, killing and wounding several people, a Lebanese military official and paramedic said. (AP Photo)
Lebanese injured people lie on their hospital beds after they were wounded by suicide bombers, in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village only few hundred meters (yards) away from the Syrian border, eastern Lebanon, Monday, June 27, 2016. A group of suicide bombers detonated their explosives in a Lebanese village near the border with Syria on Monday, killing and wounded several people, Lebanon's state-run news agency said. (AP Photo)
Lebanese army soldiers from the special forces unit patrol in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village near the Syrian border were suicide bombers blow themselves among civilians on Monday, eastern Lebanon, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for illegal entry into the country, in a security sweep on Tuesday, a day after a series of deadly bombings struck a village near the border with Syria, the military said. The unprecedented attacks nine explosions in all, eight of them suicide bombings triggered fear and panic among residents of Qaa village and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from neighboring Syria's civil war. (AP Photo)
A Lebanese army soldier from the special forces unit stands on a APC during a patrol in front a church in Qaa, a predominantly Lebanese Christian village near the Syrian border were suicide bombers blow themselves among civilians on Monday, eastern Lebanon, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Lebanese troops detained 103 Syrians for illegal entry into the country, in a security sweep on Tuesday, a day after a series of deadly bombings struck a village near the border with Syria, the military said. The unprecedented attacks nine explosions in all, eight of them suicide bombings triggered fear and panic among residents of Qaa village and a deepening sense of foreboding in Lebanon, which has grappled for over five years with spillovers from neighboring Syria's civil war. (AP Photo)
In rain-soaked West Virginia, flood victim planning funerals
RAINELLE, W.Va. (AP) Like other business operators along Main Street in the West Virginia town of Rainelle, Pamela Wallace Arnold is slowly cleaning up from state's worst flooding in decades. As a funeral planner, she's also helping to bury the dead.
She runs Wallace and Wallace, one of two funeral chapels in this town of 1,500 residents. Wallace is doing double duty drying out her rain-soaked business launched by her great-great-grandfather in 1926 while planning the funerals of some of the flood victims.
Rainelle is in Greenbrier County, where 15 of the state's 23 deaths from last week's devastating floods occurred. Where the visitations will be held, not even Wallace knows. She's also not sure whether she can ever reopen at the same location.
Volunteer Kelsi Shawver hands a cupcake to a young girl at a food line set up for flood victims, emergency responders and other volunteers Monday, June 27, 2016, in Rainelle, West Virginia. (AP Photo/John Raby)
She just understands that the community needs her.
"Obviously, our very first concern is taking care of the families," she said Monday. "We have to get somewhere quickly so we can take care of things."
Wallace is looking for another place where she can relocate temporarily. If not, her business has locations in other towns.
Thousands of homes and businesses across this mountainous state were damaged or destroyed when up to 9 inches of rain fell in a short span, causing perhaps the worst flooding West Virginia has seen in three decades. More than 400 people were living in shelters statewide.
Because of the widespread devastation, the Democratic nominee for governor, Jim Justice, announced Tuesday that he will pause his campaign for at least two weeks so he can concentrate on helping flood victims.
Justice said he started a relief fund called Neighbors Loving Neighbors to help those who lost their homes or other possessions. He said "politicking is the last thing that's on my mind," and though his headquarters will remain open, he won't personally campaign.
Rainelle is surrounded by hills, the Meadow River and several tributaries. Once home to the largest hardwood lumber mill in the world, the town's motto displayed on its website reads: "A town built to carry on ... building great things since 1906."
Now rebuilding will have to be done.
Further up Main Street, Smathers Funeral Chapel has not received inquiries about handling flood-related funerals for local residents. But owner Monica Smathers Venable said her phone system has not been working properly since the floods.
Storm damage prohibited Venable from holding a funeral Saturday unrelated to the floods. She hoped to conduct it Tuesday but isn't sure yet due to uncertainty about ongoing storms and road conditions.
Venable, too, is worried about damage at her site.
"If the building is not structurally sound, that changes everything," she said. "If it's just cosmetic, I think we'll have a go at it."
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin defended the state's preparation and response, but conceded they were caught off guard by an uncertain forecast and by how much rain fell so quickly.
"We didn't anticipate, I don't think, being as bad as it was with as heavy amounts as we had," Tomblin said. "I think that it just came up so fast."
Rainelle resident George Wagner, who lost all his possessions when his apartment flooded, said he was aware of warnings about potential floods the night before the storms.
"I'm going to be paying more attention to the warnings and watches until I find another place," he said. "It's not going to be around water, that's for sure."
___
Mattise reported from Clendenin, West Virginia.
Donations of bottled water for flood victims pile up at a distribution center Monday June 27, 2016, in Rainelle, West Virginia. The National Weather Service warned downpours Monday could bring a half-inch of rain or more in some areas ravaged by flooding, including Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties. (AP Photo/John Raby)
Signs on a West Virginia state police vehicle direct flood victims to donated items at a shopping plaza Monday, June 27, 2016 in Rainelle, West Virginia. The National Weather Service warned downpours Monday could bring a half-inch of rain or more in some areas ravaged by flooding, including Greenbrier, Kanawha and Nicholas counties. (AP Photo/John Raby)
Constance Reynolds walks through the flood damaged kitchen of her home in Rainelle, W.Va., Sunday, June 26, 2016. (Christian Tyler Randolph/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
An uprighted storage shed leans against a home in Rupert, W.Va., Sunday, June 26, 2016. (Christian Tyler Randolph/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Supporters say detained Bahrain activist taken to hospital
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) An activist detained in Bahrain in an intensifying crackdown on dissent was taken to a military hospital Tuesday after suffering an irregular heartbeat following 15 days of being held in isolation, his supporters said.
Authorities took Nabeel Rajab to the cardiac care clinic of the Bahrain Defense Force Hospital, said Sayed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.
Specifics about Rajab's condition weren't immediately known Tuesday night. In a statement to The Associated Press, Bahraini officials said that Rajab "has gone through medical checkup in hospital today."
"Results show his health condition is normal," the statement said, without elaborating. Supporters say Rajab had never previously suffered from heart problems.
Police arrested Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, in an early morning raid on June 13. He faces a charge of spreading "false news."
Rajab helped lead protests during Bahrain's 2011 demonstrations as the island's majority Shiites and others demanded more political freedom from its Sunni rulers. The government quashed the protests with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though low-level unrest and attacks on police have continued.
Bahrain, a tiny island that is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, has launched a new crackdown on activists since April. Late Monday, the Interior Ministry announced a series of arrests of people who were "misusing social media" to "incite people or instigate people to abuse others." It offered no further details on the number or identifies of those arrested.
Authorities have also suspended the country's largest Shiite opposition group, Al-Wefaq, and doubled a prison sentence for its secretary-general, Sheikh Ali Salman. Authorities now seek to dissolve the political party in court.
On Tuesday, lawyers representing Al-Wefaq in those hearings issued a statement saying they would withdraw from the case as authorities had blocked them from entering the group's shuttered headquarters to obtain documents and prepare their defense.
Bahrain, just off Saudi Arabia's coast, faces mounting economic pressure as its oil-dependent economy suffers from depressed global crude prices. The agency Fitch Ratings on Tuesday downgraded Bahrain's credit rating by a notch below investment grade, putting it into junk territory. It said that "lower oil prices are causing a marked deterioration in Bahrain's fiscal position."
The decision by Fitch follows a similar move in February by Standards & Poor's to put Bahrain in junk territory.
___
Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy and Adam Schreck contributed to this report.
___
Church, community focus of family killed in train crash
TRINIDAD, Colo. (AP) Church and community were central to the lives of the Colorado family hit by an Amtrak train on their way to Sunday services according to relatives and pastors who knew them.
The collision killed all but one member of the Miller family, a 4-year-old girl seated the farthest from where the Los Angeles-bound Southwest Chief hit their 2005 Chrysler Town & Country as it crossed a marked but ungated railroad crossing outside Trinidad, possibly running late for services at Faith Christian Fellowship, Trooper Art Gumke of the Colorado State Patrol said Tuesday.
Thirty-two-year-old Stephen Miller, who was driving, and his wife, Christina Miller, 33, were killed along with their three other daughters, aged 6, 2 and 8 months. Gumke said the minivan was moving at the time of the crash and was not stuck.
Workers from BNSF Railway and the Fisher's Peak Fire Department stand by an Amtrak train after it collided with a minivan at a crossing east of Trinidad, Colo., Monday, June 27, 2016. A 4-year-old girl was the only member of her family to survive after their minivan was hit by the Amtrak train at the crossing with a history of problems in southern Colorado, authorities said. (Eric John Monson/The Trinidad Chronicle News via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Amtrak is investigating whether the train sounded its horn before the collision at the crossing which was slated to get flashing lights and a gate because of previous crashes.
The pastor of Faith Christian, Alvin Yoder, said the Miller family moved to the area near Trinidad, about 15 miles from the New Mexico border, about five years ago to join other relatives who lived there and join the predominantly Mennonite church. Stephen Miller, who worked on a farm run by Yoder's sons, served as the church's treasurer, volunteered as an usher and sometimes led worship services. Yoder said he was not set to serve on Sunday morning but had been scheduled to lead the evening service later that day.
Yoder said Stephen Miller was someone who would stop to help anyone in trouble and had made a lot of friends because of his openness and his wife and daughters were also loveable and giving. Yoder credited their faith in God for their actions and outlook on life.
"It's going to leave a very, very big hole in our congregation," he said.
Stephen Miller's father, Andrew Miller, a farmer in Ovid, Michigan, said his son enjoyed being a part of the community in and around the former coal mining town and he is grateful for all those residents who are now supporting his family after their loss.
"We know this is hard but we know that God is in it," he said.
Volunteers are already busily cooking meals to feed the estimated 300 relatives expected for the family's funeral, which will be held Friday, at another church where Stephen Miller attended a monthly men's Bible study.
Pastor Cary Nelson said people in the community are used to hard times because of the boom-and-bust cycles came with being dependent on coal and then oil and gas.
"Trinidad has a lot of problems. Generosity is not one of its problems," he said.
Sluggish economy casts shadow over Mongolia's elections
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) Mongolians voted in parliamentary elections Wednesday against the background of a sharp downturn in the mining sector, vital to the landlocked nation's economy.
Rising unemployment and disillusionment with the political system are also factors weighing on the vote for the 76 members of the national parliament, the State Great Khural. The result could see the ruling Democratic Party lose its majority to the opposition Mongolian People's Party, a year ahead of the 2017 presidential election.
President Elbegdorj Tsakhia urged Mongolians to participate in the lively democratic system that remains a rarity in a region characterized by one-party states and authoritarian leaders.
An election official explains the process of casting votes for residents at a polling station in Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Mongolians vote in parliamentary elections Wednesday with sentiment weighed by a sharp downturn in the landlocked Asian nation's crucial mining sector, rising unemployment and political disillusionment. (AP Photo/Ganbat Namjilsangarav)
"I encourage young people to come to the polling stations to exercise their right to vote. This is what democracy is all about," Elbegdorj said after casting his ballot in the Sukhbaatar district of the capital Ulaanbaatar.
Official results were not expected until Thursday morning, reflecting the vast distance and poor communications in the nation of just 3 million sandwiched between China and Russia.
The parliamentary elections are the seventh since the country peacefully transitioned to democracy in 1990. Yet disillusionment is growing among younger voters, whose turnout has steadily declined in the country recently dubbed "an oasis of democracy" by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Sodnomtseren Choinzon, chairman of the General Election Commission of Mongolia, said 498 candidates were running for parliament and 2,288 candidates for local councils. More than 400 observers from foreign countries and non-governmental organizations were on hand to oversee the polls.
Mongolia's mining- and animal herding-dependent economy has been dragged down by weak domestic demand and a sharp decline in exports, impoverishing thousands of former herders who had moved to its few cities looking for jobs.
Economic growth has slipped from 17.5 percent in 2011 to just 2.3 percent last year, leaving one-fifth of the population in poverty. Billions of dollars in foreign loans begin coming due next year, posing another potential crisis.
Coal, copper and other mineral resources make up 94 percent of Mongolia's exports. But with demand in key market China weakening as its economy cools, Mongolia's own growth is forecast to fall below 1 percent this year.
While both main parties have campaigned on the promise of more jobs, it's unclear what measures are available to stimulate the flagging economy.
"The main issue is, No. 1, to revive the economy," said Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar, secretary of the opposition Mongolian People's Party. She said the party aims to build 100 factories in 21 provinces that would create about 40,000 jobs, though she didn't say how.
With the decline in resource prices, foreign investment has slowed to a trickle, although mining giant Rio Tinto in May announced the launch of the next stage of a multibillion-dollar gold and copper mine.
Still, critics of government agreements with mining companies complain that too little of Mongolia's mineral wealth benefits the general public.
Some observers see recent changes to the electoral process as handicapping smaller parties and female candidates.
"They have closed some space for smaller political parties, as majoritarian systems do tend to benefit two main political parties," said Ashleigh Whelan, country director for the International Republican Institute, a U.S.-based group that aims to promote democracy.
"This can reduce the opportunity for lesser-known candidates, new candidates, youth, women and those candidates who may not be a guarantee in terms of winning," Whelan said. Her organization does not expect either party to secure an overwhelming majority.
In its latest National Human Development Report, the United Nations Development Program found that about only 45 percent of Mongolians aged 18-34 have voted in recent elections, compared to an overall turnout of 65 percent in 2012.
Skepticism grew after the ruling party recently offered citizens 300,000 tugriks ($155) each to buy back 30 percent of their promised shares in the state-owned coal mine, Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi. So far 1.2 million of 1.65 million shareholders have applied to sell their shares to the government.
A resident registers with an election staff member prior to casting his vote at a polling station in Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Mongolians vote in parliamentary elections Wednesday with sentiment weighed by a sharp downturn in the landlocked Asian nation's crucial mining sector, rising unemployment and political disillusionment. (AP Photo/Ganbat Namjilsangarav)
FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 30, 2015 file photo, Mongolian children play near a statue of a Mongolian warrior on horseback in front of the Mongolian Parliament House in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Mongolians vote in parliamentary elections Wednesday, June 29, 2016, with sentiment weighed by a sharp downturn in the landlocked Asian nations crucial mining sector, rising unemployment and political disillusionment. (AP Photo/Ganbat Namjilsangarav, File)
FILE- In this Sunday, June 5, 2016, file photo, a mongolian archer shoots a bow and arrow as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attends a Naadam ceremony, a competition which traditionally includes horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Mongolians vote in parliamentary elections Wednesday, June 29, 2016, with sentiment weighed by a sharp downturn in the landlocked Asian nations crucial mining sector, rising unemployment and political disillusionment. Mongolias mining- and animal herding-dependent economy has been dragged down by weak domestic demand and a sharp decline in exports, impoverishing thousands of former herders who had moved to its few cities looking for jobs. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Yemeni officials say Saudi-led airstrike has killed 25
SANAA, Yemen (AP) An airstrike early on Tuesday by a Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen's southern province of Taiz killed 25 people 15 fighters and 10 civilians, security officials said.
The airstrike also wounded eight civilians, the officials said. Most of the victims were shoppers or storekeepers in the area that was hit, a commercial road that lies between two villages.
The Taiz attack came amid an uptick in coalition airstrikes Monday night and early Tuesday, the officials said, adding that the fighting also raged east of the capital, Sanaa. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to reporters.
In this Sunday, June 26, 2016 photo released by the Kuwait Ministry of Information and made available Monday, June 27, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, center right, talks with a member of the Yemeni delegation during the Yemeni Peace Talks in Kuwait. Ban urged Yemen's warring factions to keep working toward a comprehensive agreement, warning that "time is not on the side of the Yemeni people," in remarks Sunday to delegates taking part in peace talks that began in Kuwait two months ago. (Kuwait Ministry of Information via AP)
Yemen's conflict pits rebels known as Houthis and their allies against the internationally recognized government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition of mainly Arab states. The conflict has killed an estimated 9,000 people and pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine.
Meanwhile, senior military commander Maj. Gen. Farag al-Bohsony said the death toll from a series of attacks Monday night in the southern city of Mukalla rose to 48. He said the attacks, blamed on Yemen's Islamic State affiliate, also wounded 30 people.
The attacks targeted intelligence offices, army barracks and checkpoints. In one of the attacks, a bomb was concealed in a box of food brought to soldiers at a checkpoint to break their dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast. In another, a group of militants stormed a police station. Al-Bohsony said the victims included two colonels and three civilians, one of them a child.
The violence came as the government and the Houthis were said to be planning to suspend talks on ending the conflict after failing to reach a breakthrough in two months of negotiations in Kuwait.
Two negotiators representing the Houthis and their allies, and one from the government, said the two sides were drafting a joint statement to announce the talks' suspension until mid-July.
The announcement came a day after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon visited Kuwait, where the two sides have been meeting since April, to encourage them to reach a peace deal.
He also called for the release of prisoners, including journalists and other political detainees, as a goodwill gesture ahead of the holiday.
The government has demanded the implementation of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on the rebels to withdraw from all cities, including Sanaa, and hand over their heavy weapons. The Houthis want to form a unity government prior to any changes on the ground, according to the negotiators.
Car bomb attack targeting Turkish police vehicle wounds 8
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey's state-run news agency says eight people have been injured in a car bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in southeast Turkey.
The Anadolu Agency said Tuesday's attack was carried out by militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who detonated the bomb as the armored police vehicle was passing on a street in the town of Dicle.
The agency said two police officers were among the wounded and one of them was in serious condition.
The PKK, which has led a three-decade-long insurgency in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast region, is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its allies.
EU leaders push Britain to leave amid post-vote turmoil
BRUSSELS (AP) European leaders pushed Britain toward the exit door Tuesday, warning Prime Minister David Cameron that there's no turning back after his country's unprecedented vote to leave the EU and pressing for a quick and clear British departure plan to quell worldwide anxiety about the continent's future.
Leader after leader rejected Cameron's pleas for favorable conditions for Britain once it leaves, insisting there would be no cherry-picking of advantageous trade conditions. Yet Cameron frustrated them by refusing to initiate the divorce proceedings immediately, saying he would leave the departure negotiations to his successor.
"Everyone wants to see a clear model appear" for Britain's future relations with the bloc, he said after what was probably his last dinner with EU counterparts, adding that he "can't put a timeframe on that."
British Prime Minister David Cameron, center, waits for the start of a group photo at an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geoffroy Van der Hasselt)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed suggestions that Cameron's successor might not start the formal EU withdrawal process because of the financial turmoil prompted by the vote and wide confusion about how to extract a country from the EU.
"I see no way to reverse it," Merkel said after Tuesday's meetings. She said this is not the time for "wishful thinking."
EU Council President Donald Tusk agreed: "Europe is ready to start the divorce process, even today."
Last week's vote unleashed financial and political turmoil not only in Britain but across the EU, the world's biggest economic power and home to half a billion people. The unexpected exit vote will rob the EU of its richest financial market, biggest military power and a diplomatic giant.
During the summit, Cameron sat at one end of the oval summit table in blue shirt sleeves, arguing for the best possible exit conditions for his island nation. Other EU leaders refused to negotiate, seemingly eager to kick Britain out as soon as possible to avoid further political and economic turmoil after the shock and emotion of the British vote to leave last week.
"We are not on Facebook, where things are complicated. We are married or divorced, but not something in between," Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said.
In a special session of the EU parliament hours earlier, there had been cries of campaign "lies" from legislators regretting the loss of Britain, and taunting by "leave" campaigner Nigel Farage.
"You as a political project are in denial," declared Farage, leader of the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party. "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, you're not laughing now, are you?"
When the traditional family photo of the leaders at the summit was taken, few were smiling. The common refrain at this unusual meeting was sadness.
Realizing the threat of a rift further tearing at European unity, Tusk said he was planning a special meeting of the EU leaders in Slovakia in September to chart a way ahead. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to use "all her strength" to prevent the EU from drifting apart.
The leaders of Britain's "leave" campaign hope the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to the U.K. to address Britons' concerns about unlimited EU immigration.
The leaders of Germany and France, the bloc's biggest economies, made clear that isn't an option.
French President Francois Hollande said Britain will have to meet strict conditions if it wants to continue to be part of the single market. "The four freedoms. You cannot have the freedom of capital movement, the freedom of goods, freedom of services and then say, 'When it comes to people, stay put!' Well no, it doesn't work that way," Hollande said.
Merkel said "Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations, but to keep privileges."
Unshackled from Britain, the other EU members need to plot a common way ahead. Yet differences between founding nations in the west and newer members in the east are increasingly tough to reconcile.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban railed against EU migration policies, which played a major role in the British referendum.
"If the EU cannot solve the migration situation, then the challenges we experienced now in the case of the United Kingdom will grow," he said.
Central European nations led by Hungary refuse to accept the imposition of EU refugee quotas. Further north, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Denmark have all tightened border controls in response to the arrival of more than 1 million migrants last year. Their entry overwhelmed Greece and Italy.
First, though, the EU needs to get rid of Britain.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and other European leaders insist they won't begin any talks until Britain invokes Article 50 of the EU's Treaty of Lisbon, which sets in motion a two-year process to split from the group designed to unify Europe after the horrors of World War II.
Juncker said he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggers the exit clause.
"No notification, no negotiation," he said to resounding applause.
The EU won't wait, however, to rethink its own future without Britain. With Cameron gone, the other 27 leaders are to meet Wednesday to focus on what they can do to prevent further fracture.
___
Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Angela Charlton in Brussels and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, right, speaks with French President Francois Hollande, left, during a group photo at an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geoffroy Van der Hasselt)
British Prime Minister David Cameron, right, speaks with French President Francois Hollande during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives for an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geoffroy Van der Hasselt)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the German parliament Bundestag with a so-called Government Declaration about the British vote to leave the EU, in Berlin, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Members of protocol adjust the British and EU flags prior to the arrival of British Prime Minister David Cameron at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, greets British Prime Minister David Cameron at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, speaks with British Prime Minister David Cameron prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, speaks during a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. At front second left is UKIP leader Nigel Farage. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, greets UKIP leader Nigel Farage during a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Leader of the UKIP Nigel Farage, front right, attends a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
French far-right 'Front National' (FN) party leader Marine Le Pen, left, attends a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Singapore website founder jailed for anti-foreign content
SINGAPORE (AP) A court in Singapore on Tuesday sentenced the founder of a website that published anti-foreign content to eight months in jail after he pleaded guilty to sedition.
Yang Kaiheng, 27, set up "The Real Singapore" website together with his Australian wife, Ai Takagi, and helped distribute accounts from visitors, some of which contained inaccuracies, the court said.
One post alleged that foreigners in a multinational corporation were favoring their countrymen for jobs over Singaporeans. Another contribution detailed how a husband's affair with a Chinese citizen broke up a family.
Yang Kaiheng, 27, co-founder of "The Real Singapore" website, right, arrives with his lawyer Choo Zheng Xi, center, at the State Court on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Singapore. Yang has pleaded guilty to six counts of sedition for provoking hatred of foreigners in the city-state by publishing accounts of obnoxious visitors. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Although these posts were not viewed as inaccurate, the court said they violated the Sedition Act, used to deter inhabitants from promoting hostility in the multicultural city-state.
Takagi was convicted of similar charges and started serving a 10-month sentence from April, the harshest ever imposed under the act. She admitted to the role of editor and using a false male identity to post fictitious stories of obnoxious foreigners.
Yang distanced himself from the website's content during much of the trial, saying he was not involved in editing or approving it before abruptly pleading guilty to six counts of sedition last Friday.
District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said the website was the "exploitation of such (nationalistic) feelings, purely for financial gain and not for noble ideologies, misguided or otherwise."
It was "the brainchild of the accused" and he encouraged Takagi to "kick up a storm on the internet so as to generate more revenue," the judge said.
The website had close to 13 million views a month and its readership reacted with anger, with some calling for harsh curbs on foreigners, court documents said. From December 2013 to April 2015, the website reportedly had revenue, mostly from advertising, of close to 474,600 Australian dollars ($351,750).
Yang, who owns two ramen shops with Takagi, was expressionless and looked straight ahead as the sentence was dealt. He is expected to start serving his jail term next month.
Yang Kaiheng, 27, co-founder of "The Real Singapore" website, arrives at the State Court on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Singapore. Yang has pleaded guilty to six counts of sedition for provoking hatred of foreigners in the city-state by publishing accounts of obnoxious visitors. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Indonesian court to proceed with trial in cyanide murder
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) An Indonesian court decided Tuesday to proceed with the trial of a former resident of Australia accused of murdering a friend by lacing her coffee with cyanide.
The 27-year-old defendant, Jessica Kumala Wongso, was charged with plotting the Jan. 6 poisoning of Wayan Mirna Salihin because of the victim's advice that she sever her relationship with her troublesome boyfriend. The two were former classmates in Australia.
"The indictment submitted by the state prosecutors has clearly, accurately and comprehensively explained the murder," said presiding judge Kisworo. "Therefore the objections of the defense lawyers could not be accepted."
Jessica Kumala Wongso, center, who is accused of murdering her friend by lacing her coffee with cyanide, enters the courtroom prior to the start of her trial hearing at Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June, 28, 2016. An Indonesian court has decided to proceed with the trial of the woman. The 27-year-old defendant, Wongso was charged with planning the Jan. 6 poisoning of Wayan Mirna Salihin because of the victim's advice that she sever her relationship with her troublesome boyfriend. The two were former classmates in Australia. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Wongso's lawyers have ridiculed the prosecution's contention that Salihin's advice that Wongso end her relationship led to the murder. They said the explanation "could not be accepted by common sense."
Salihin collapsed and died after drinking coffee at a Jakarta cafe where the two met along with another friend. Police say laboratory tests showed the drink contained cyanide.
The case has riveted Indonesia for months and attracted attention in Australia because Wongso was a permanent resident and studied in Sydney.
Police have struggled to bring the case to trial as prosecutors deferred it several times due to insufficient evidence. It was accepted after Indonesian investigators gained additional information from the Australian Federal Police.
Wongso is charged with premeditated murder, a capital crime in Indonesia, but Indonesia has promised not impose the death penalty in exchange for the help from Australia, which opposes the death penalty.
The trial is to resume July 12 with the testimony of witnesses presented by prosecutors.
Jessica Kumala Wongso who is accused of murdering her friend by poisoning her with cyanide enters the courtroom prior to the start of her trial hearing at Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, June, 28, 2016. An Indonesian court has decided to proceed with the trial of the woman. The 27-year-old defendant, Wongso was charged with planning the Jan. 6 poisoning of Wayan Mirna Salihin because of the victim's advice that she sever her relationship with her troublesome boyfriend. The two were former classmates in Australia.(AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Clinton proposes debt forgiveness to young entrepreneurs
DENVER (AP) Hillary Clinton on Tuesday proposed letting entrepreneurs defer making student loan payments in order to create jobs and stimulate growth.
"We need more job creators and we need more young people starting businesses," the presumptive Democratic nominee told a crowd of coders inside a Denver tech training facility and workspace that houses several start-ups. She was on a brief campaign swing through the battleground state of Colorado.
Clinton was looking to showcase her economic chops and woo young voters who flocked to the candidacy of her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks while visiting Galvanize, a work space for technology companies, in Denver, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. While there Clinton said the House Benghazi committee found nothing different than previous investigations into Benghazi. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
She proposed permitting start-up founders and early employees to forgo payments on their federal student loans for up to three years. Those who launch businesses that provide social benefits would also be permitted to apply for forgiveness of up to $17,500 of their debt after five years.
Speaking later in Los Angeles, at a town-hall style meeting with digital content creators, Clinton called student debt a "huge burden" that could hobble young people into their 40s and 50s, blocking them from buying homes or starting businesses.
Along with refinancing, she said repayment plans should be based on a percentage of a person's income, not a fixed amount set on an interest rate.
"It boils down to something that I really disapprove of," Clinton said, "and that is the federal government making money off of lending money to young people" who want an education.
At the earlier event, Clinton also called for connecting every household to high-speed internet by 2020 and training 50,000 new computer science teachers.
She spent time chatting with one startup that created an internet platform for commodity sellers in East Africa, talking about how hard it is for subsistence farmers to survive when they don't know what price they can fetch for their crops.
Clinton also took a swipe at her likely Republican opponent, Donald Trump, by quoting his slogan "Make American Great Again." She called it "code for saying you want to go back to what it used to be....That is not who we are as Americans. We don't want to go back we go forward."
___
Associated Press writer Michael Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
___
Follow Nicholas Riccardi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NickRiccardi
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton visits Galvanize, a work space for technology companies, in Denver, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. While there Clinton said the House Benghazi committee found nothing different than previous investigations into Benghazi. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Kremlin says it will take time to mend ties with Turkey
MOSCOW (AP) It will take time for Russia to mend ties with Turkey after the November downing of a Russian military jet, the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of formal apology to Putin on Monday, seven months after Turkey shot down the Russian jet on a mission in Syria, triggering a slew of Russian sanctions that have dealt a blow to the Turkish economy.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday called the apology "a very important" step but added that the ties between the two countries would not go back to where they were overnight.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses people gathered for a traditional "Iftar" feast at his palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, June 27, 2016. Erdogan has apologized to Russia, expressing his "sympathy and deep condolences" to the family of the killed pilot for the downing of a Russian military jet at the Syrian border, Dmitry Peskov spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Presidential Press Service, Pool via AP)
"Together we will have to take more than one step to meet each other," Peskov said. "One shouldn't think that everything will be mended overnight. We will keep up our work in that direction."
Putin will talk to Erdogan by telephone on Wednesday, which will be their first one-to-one chat since the jet was shot down, Peskov said. Erdogan's spokesman said the Turkish and Russian foreign ministers were expected to meet on the sidelines of a Black Sea regional cooperation meeting in Sochi this week.
Putin denounced the downing of the Russian warplane at the Syrian border on Nov. 24 as a "treacherous stab in the back." Russia rejected the Turkish claim that the plane had violated its airspace, and responded by deploying long-range air defense missiles to its base in Syria, warning that they would destroy any target posing a threat to Russian aircraft.
The plane's downing came amid a rift between Moscow and Ankara over Syria, where they backed the opposing sides in the conflict.
Moscow moved swiftly to ban the sale of package tours to Turkey, which had depended heavily on Russian tourists; banned most of Turkey's food exports; and introduced restrictions against Turkish construction companies, which had won a sizable niche of the Russian market.
In contrast to Peskov, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that the ties are already improved: "We can say that the ice has melted and that the process of normalization has started."
Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, said Turkey expected relations to return to where they were before the plane shooting incident, when the sides did not agree on a number of foreign policy issues including on Ukraine, Syria and Crimea but still maintained close economic relations.
Along with the formal apology, Moscow said it expected Ankara to pay compensation to the family of the killed pilot.
Asked about the possible compensation, Yildirim said in comments carried by the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday that Turkey was prepared to help the family of the slain pilot, but rejected the term "compensation."
"If the family accepts, we can offer to help, we are prepared to make a gesture," Kalin said.
He added that Turkey will go ahead with the prosecution of the men responsible for the pilot's death.
___
Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.
Mane latest player to join Liverpool from Southampton
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) Senegal forward Sadio Mane has become the latest player to leave Southampton for Liverpool, moving to Anfield for a reported fee of 34 million pounds ($45 million).
Liverpool announced the signing of Mane on Tuesday on what the club said was a "long-term contract," without disclosing financial details. He has scored 25 goals in 75 games in two seasons with Southampton, and has played 36 times for Senegal.
Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne have all moved to Liverpool from Southampton in the last two years.
Bosnian authorities arrest key suspect in major bank fraud
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) Bosnian authorities have arrested a key suspect in a banking scam in which nearly 140 million euros ($155.4 million) were embezzled through a now-defunct private bank.
The prosecutor's office said Tuesday that Darko Jeremic was caught at the border with Serbia after hiding since the end of March, when 10 other suspects were arrested for the Bobar Bank scam.
The 11 are suspects in Bosnia's most complex organized financial crime case ever involving reckless lending and the illegal issuance of bank guarantees to companies founded by the late Bobar Bank's owner and other legal entities related to the bank.
Police: Trooper shoots, kills man waving gun during stop
FREDERICA, Del. (AP) Delaware State Police say a trooper fatally shot a man who waved a gun toward troopers during a traffic stop.
The shooting occurred Monday night after police say Caroline County, Maryland, sheriff's deputies pursued a stolen pickup truck into Delaware driven by a man wanted in burglaries in both states.
Police say the 25-year-old Greensboro, Maryland, man displayed a gun as he drove into oncoming traffic, then stopped on the shoulder of Route 1 near Frederica. Police say after he ignored commands to drop the gun and waved it toward troopers, one trooper fired, fatally shooting him.
The trooper, who has been with state police for four years, was placed on routine administrative leave.
Judge dismisses charges in woman's bite-mark conviction
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) A judge has dismissed all charges against a Pennsylvania woman who spent nearly 11 years incarcerated on discredited bite mark evidence and other since-discredited evidence that she helped beat a man to death in 2001.
Fayette County Judge John Wagner had overturned 39-year-old Crystal Weimer's conviction and sentence in October. Monday's decision means the charges against her cannot be retried by District Attorney Rich Bower, who told the judge he didn't have enough evidence to move forward with the case.
"I'm just really happy to be alive and free and have my freedom back," Weimer told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "It's been a long, hard journey going through all this, honey. I don't wish this on anybody."
Wagner overturned the Connellsville woman's third-degree murder conviction and resulting 15- to 30-year sentence after the bite mark expert, Dr. Constantine Karazulas, testified at a brief hearing last fall that his testimony at trial was based on "junk science."
But Weimer remained on an electronic ankle bracelet and faced the prospect of another possible trial before Monday's ruling.
Weimer has repeatedly insisted she's innocent in the 2001 beating death of 21-year-old Curtis Haith, but was convicted in 2006 after another man imprisoned in the case testified that Weimer helped lure Haith to the scene. Karazulas also testified at trial that a bite on Haith's hand matched Weimer.
But Karazulas reviewed his findings after the National Academy of Science in 2009 issued a report discrediting bite mark evidence as an inexact way to match defendants to bite wounds. In short, Karazulas concluded that bite marks can be used to eliminate someone as a suspect, not to conclusively match them.
Bower's predecessor, Jack Heneks, was district attorney when the conviction was overturned last fall and consented to that outcome. Weimer was prosecuted by Nancy Vernon who has since become a Fayette County Common Pleas judge. Vernon didn't immediately comment Tuesday.
Weimer was first charged when an ex-boyfriend told authorities she had confessed her role in Haith's beating to him, but the charges were dropped when he recanted only to have the man now serving nine to 18 years in prison in Haith's death implicate her, too.
That man, Joseph Stenger, of Everson, pleaded guilty in 2004 to criminal conspiracy to commit criminal homicide and had more serious charges dropped in exchange for testimony against Weimer. Stenger claimed Weimer and two black men went to Haith's Connellsville home before she lured him outside to be beaten with a baseball bat and crowbar; but he's since given a sworn statement claiming that was all false.
"Ms. Weimer should never have been arrested for this murder," said Jeffrey Bresch, a Pittsburgh attorney who volunteered his time to the case. "There is no competent evidence she was involved, and there never was."
Weimer and another of her attorneys, Nilam Sanghvi, said Tuesday they're not sure whether Weimer will sue or pursue other legal action over her conviction.
Weimer had been licensed as an optician before her conviction and hopes to work in that field or return to college for more education or both.
She's also trying to make up for lost time with three daughters who are now 22, 19 and 17 and two grandsons born while she was in prison.
DC police fatally shoot man who raised BB gun at officers
WASHINGTON (AP) Police say officers in the District of Columbia fatally shot a man who raised a weapon toward them that turned out to be a BB gun.
Authorities announced in a statement Tuesday that officers responded to a call about a man with a gun in northeast Washington on Monday night. They found a man holding a weapon, but police say he ignored numerous demands to drop it, instead raising it toward the officers. That's when police say the officers fired, striking him.
The man was taken to a hospital and police say he later died. Police identified the man as 63-year-old Sherman Evans of Washington.
Individual gays living in partnership allowed to adopt kids
PRAGUE (AP) The Czech Constitutional Court has overturned a law which banned individual gays and lesbians living in a registered partnership from adopting children.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the country's highest legal authority said that such a ban is discriminatory because individual gays and lesbians who don't live in the official partnership were allowed to do so.
However, the ruling still does not allow lesbian and gay pairs to adopt children as a couple.
NATO chief urges unity after British vote to leave the EU
BRUSSELS (AP) With Europe thrown into turmoil by the British vote to quit the European Union, cooperation between the EU and the U.S.-led NATO alliance is more vital than ever, NATO's chief said Tuesday as he arrived for a meeting with EU leaders.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's secretary-general, said "we have to send a clear message that the vote of the U.K. to leave the European Union doesn't mean that we are not able to cooperate, to work together."
Stoltenberg spoke to journalists as he arrived at an EU summit dominated by the consequences of British voters' decision last Thursday to end their country's EU membership.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, speaks with European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Like 22 other EU member states, Britain also belongs to NATO and there are widespread fears its exit from the EU could hamper collective security efforts. They include actions to fight Islamic extremist violence and moves to forge a united front in confronting what NATO nations see as Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Last week, Stoltenberg said the British electorate's decision leaves Europe more fragmented. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, one of his predecessors as NATO's top civilian official, said in a commentary published Tuesday that the British exit from the EU is "bad news for NATO."
It will "negatively affect the close relationship between the EU and NATO which the U.K. had been a key part of," he said.
Stoltenberg said Tuesday it is too early to grasp all the consequences of the British decision, but that government officials in London have assured him their country's allegiance to NATO is unwavering.
"My message today is about cooperation and about unity," he said as he headed into the meeting with EU heads of state and government. "Unity and cooperation was of course important also before the U.K. vote. It has become even more important now."
Next week, NATO and the EU are planning on signing a joint statement at the alliance's summit meeting in Warsaw that will pledge unprecedented coordination in the security field. Stoltenberg said Tuesday he wanted to discuss even greater cooperation with the EU.
"I would like to see even more progress," he said, specifically mentioning the areas of cyberdefense, countermeasures against the blend of military and non-military tactics commonly known as hybrid warfare, and efforts to shut down human trafficking operations in the central Mediterranean.
At the two-day EU summit, the bloc's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, will also present leaders with her blueprint for a new EU global strategy.
"In challenging times, a strong union is one that thinks strategically, shares a vision and acts together," she wrote in an introduction to the 56-page document. "This is even more true after the British referendum."
An analyst with the German Marshall Fund, a Brussels think tank, said the new EU policy may be undermined by British voters' decision to leave.
Russia: US destroyer got too close to its ships in Europe
MOSCOW (AP) The Russian defense ministry has accused a U.S. Navy ship of sailing dangerously close to its vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.
The ministry says Tuesday in comments carried by the Interfax news agency that the destroyer USS Gravely passed a Russian combat ship dangerously close earlier this month in the eastern section of the Mediterranean and cut in front of a Russian frigate. The ministry insisted the Russian vessels were in international waters and did not perform any dangerous maneuvers regarding the American ship.
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
One of the upsides of covering former Gov. Ed Rendell is that you could never tell exactly what was going to come tumbling out of his mouth.
But what made the Philadelphian endlessly quotable also made him a nightmare for his staff.
Thus did the former Pennsylvania Guv book a one-way ticket to Gaffesville on Monday, telling MSNBC that, while the prospect of a joint Democratic presidential ticket featuring Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was an exciting one, might have "drawbacks."
"It certainly drove home the point that Elizabeth Warren can excite crowds. There's no question about it, and excite progressives. Some of the Sanders camp, I heard during the campaign, were a little annoyed at Senator Warren because she didn't endorse Bernie Sanders.
But still, she didn't endorse Hillary Clinton either. She stayed neutral, which I think was the proper stance for her to take under those circumstances, so she does have that as a significant plus. The drawbacks, obviously, are two women on the ticket. Does it make a difference? I don't think so, but some people might. Does Elizabeth Warren have the experience to be commander in chief? I think Tim Kaine, I'm not sure he was taking a dig at Elizabeth Warren.
I think Tim Kaine was answering that question honestly. Ot's very difficult, unless you've been in the military or you were secretary of state and are privy to military decisions, it's very hard to say 'yes, I have had the experience that qualifies me for commander in chief.'
So, look, I think Elizabeth Warren is on a very short list and I think today did nothing to hurt her chances."
More astute readers will recall that this isn't the first time that Rendell has misspoken when it comes to Warren.
Earlier this month, Rendell took heat for saying he didn't think Warren was ready in "any way, shape, or form ready to be commander-in-chief."
It came just about a day before Warren offered her endorsement to Clinton, pretty much putting a cap on the Democratic primary race.
Countdown to the inevitable Rendell clarification in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...
The rest of the day's news starts now.
Meanwhile, in more ex-Pa. Guv news, Republican Tom Ridge tells The Hill that more gun-control would have done nothing to stop the Orlando nightclub shooter.
A 'first-draft' state budget has survived a critical committee vote, our Capitol colleague, Charlie Thompson, reports.
Monday's landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion has an unclear impact on Pa's own 2011-vintage clinics law, The Tribune-Review reports.
Which has not kept state Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, from announcing a bill seeking that controversial law's repeal, of course.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., is seeking military equipment for the police, The Post-Gazette reports.
PhillyMag has its own analysis of the Pa. implications of the SCOTUS abortion ruling on Monday.
The Waldorf-Astoria will be renovated in 2017, so it looks like the Pennsylvania Society is going to need a new home, PoliticsPA reports.
Pa. advocates are concerned about lawmakers' state budget priorities, WITF-FM reports.
After a year of funding fixes, the struggling Chester-Upland Schools are still in the red, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.
New Jersey is looking at a gas tax hike, The Morning Call reports (via The Associated Press).
In some states, there's resistance to new opioid limits, Stateline.org reports. Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf is seeking $34 million this year for heroin/opioid addiction and treatment, by the way.
Congress' Zika fail could end up coming back to bite Republicans in the fall campaign, Politico reports.
Sure ... they're BFFs now, but Elizabeth Warren has a long run of snubbing Hillary Clinton, Roll Call reports.
What Goes On.
10 a.m., East Rotunda: "Advance our Common Human Dignity" rally by LGBTQ citizens.
11:30 a.m., Media Center: PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards and Harrisburg chamber CEO Dave Black talk about new infrastructure projects.
12 p.m., Main Rotunda: Children's Advocacy Day event
12:30 p.m., Farm Show: Ag. Secretary Russell Redding on healthy eating and stuff
What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
7:30 a.m.: Breakfast for Sen. Sean Wiley
8 a.m.: Breakfast for state Seate candidate Wayne Langerholc
8 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Pam Snyder
Ride the circuit, give at the max, and you'll blow $2,000 before you even get to the office.
Heavy Rotation.
Here's something seriously dancey to get your Tuesday morning going:
Tuesday's Gratuitous Soccer Link.
We were wrong - turns out England managed to find an even more embarrassing way to leave Europe. Whaddya know ...
And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.
Judge urges trial for ex-Catalan leader over secession vote
MADRID (AP) A judge has recommended the former Catalan regional president and two others stand trial for staging a vote on Catalonia's secession from Spain and ignoring a suspension order by the Constitutional Court.
Catalan regional court magistrate Juan Manuel Abril said Tuesday that investigations showed there is enough evidence to charge regional President Artur Mas and two ex-regional officials with grave disobedience and prevarication for staging the Nov. 9, 2014 non-binding ballot.
He said state prosecutors, who originally filed the suit, now have 10 days to formally seek an order for the trial.
Catalonia held the poll after plans to stage a proper referendum were suspended when the Spanish government challenged its legality.
1 taken to hospital after Metro station track fire
WASHINGTON (AP) A fire official says one person was taken to a hospital after a subway track fire at a Metro station in the nation's capital.
Fire Department spokesman Doug Buchanan said the person complained of possible smoke inhalation after the incident at the Gallery Place station Monday night. He says the injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
Metro spokeswoman Morgan Dye says a "smoldering stud bolt" was reported on tracks at Gallery Place around 6 p.m. Monday.
A Metro employee put out the fire with an extinguisher.
Supreme Court denies Mississippi, Wisconsin abortion appeals
WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court has rejected appeals from Mississippi and Wisconsin seeking to put in place restrictions on abortion clinics that were struck down by lower courts.
The justices on Tuesday refused to hear appeals involving laws that would have forced doctors who perform abortions at clinics in the two states to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
The orders follow Monday's decision in which the court struck down a similar provision in Texas.
Federal appeals courts in Chicago and New Orleans earlier ruled against the states.
Mississippi's law would have closed the lone abortion clinic in the state, in Jackson.
High court will hear appeal over high ATM fees
WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from Visa and MasterCard seeking to throw out a lawsuit accusing the credit card companies of illegally fixing ATM prices.
The justices on Tuesday agreed to review an appeals court ruling that said the antitrust case against the companies and three major banks could go forward.
A group of consumers and independent ATM operators argue that payment processors illegally coordinated with Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. to adopt anticompetitive fees.
A federal judge dismissed the case in 2013, but a federal appeals court revived the claims last year.
German Cabinet agrees upon new controls for spy agency
BERLIN (AP) Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has agreed upon new measures that would tighten controls on Germany's spy agency.
The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that the Cabinet had agreed upon a 60-page proposal setting new parameters for the Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, including tighter controls of its surveillance activities.
The BND came under fire last year over allegations it spied on officials from the European Union and other allied nations and failed to vet lists of eavesdropping targets it received from the U.S. National Security Agency.
The new measures would allow such surveillance only if certain categories are fulfilled, like suspicion of a danger to Germany's security. They would also establish a new independent oversight panel to keep tabs on surveillance targets.
The Latest: State Dept: Benghazi outpost was no mistake
WASHINGTON (AP) The latest on the House GOP Benghazi report, released Tuesday (all times local):
2:15 p.m.
The State Department says it was not a mistake to have the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi and that it hopes to be back in Libya.
House Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., speaks during a TV news interview with MSNBC, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to discuss the release of his final report on the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Department spokesman Mark Toner says Benghazi was an important outpost during the civil war and nobody believed in the importance of being there more than Chris Stevens did. Toner says Stevens was not alone in thinking that it was important for the U.S. to have representation there.
Toner also disputed one of the report's claims that a security team sat on a plane in Rota, Spain, for three hours and that team members changed in and out of their uniforms four times. He says the implication that there was a delay in responding because of debate over whether they should go in wearing uniforms or not.
He says that at no point did that consideration caused any delay in the deployment of military assets.
The U.S. left Benghazi after the attack. It pulled out of Libya altogether in July 2014.
___
2:10 p.m.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says a House committee's assertion that the military was too slow to respond to the attack on the consulate in Benghazi has already been "debunked."
Earnest says a separate investigation led by the House Intelligence committee has concluded those charges are not true. He says: "There's just no there there."
After Republicans unveiled their findings Tuesday, Earnest derided the House probe as an expensive stunt aimed solely at damaging former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's presidential prospects.
He says the investigation is so politically motivated that the Republican party should disclose it as an "in-kind contribution."
He says this is a Republican attempt to seek "political advantage out of a terribly tragedy."
__
1:50 p.m.
Hillary Rodham Clinton says the House Benghazi committee found nothing different than previous investigations into the 2012 attack that killed four Americans.
Clinton says no one has lost more sleep than she has over the attack which occurred while she was secretary of State
She said at a campaign stop in Denver that after more than two years, the committee "found nothing, nothing, to contradict the conclusions of the independent accountability board," that previously investigated the attack.
The committee faulted the Obama administration Tuesday for lax security and a slow response to the attacks, but it produced no new allegations about Clinton.
Clinton's campaign has slammed the report as partisan. She said, "I'll leave it to others to characterize this report, but I think it's pretty clear it's time to move on,"
___
10:45 a.m.
Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee are divided over whether to directly blame then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the events that killed four Americans in Libya in 2012.
One committee member, Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, calls Clinton's actions "morally reprehensible" and says "you have every right to be disgusted" by the response from her and others. Republicans have accused Clinton of deliberately misleading the public about the reasons for the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.
But the panel's chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, says he's not "in the business of apportioning culpability."
Pressed on whether he endorses the GOP bumper-sticker slogan that "Hillary Lied, People Died" Gowdy says: "You don't see that T-shirt on me, you haven't seen that bumper sticker on any of my vehicles."
And Gowdy demurred when asked directly whether Clinton lied. "That's a word you couldn't use in a courtroom" the former prosecutor says.
___
10:15 a.m.
House Benghazi committee Republicans are imploring Americans to read their report as they unveil it at a news conference at the Capitol.
Chairman Trey Gowdy insists the report contains new information that should reshape views of the attacks in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 that killed four Americans. He says reading it "pillar to post" would take less time than Americans spent fighting for their lives that night.
The 800-page report faults the military for its slow response sending resources to Benghazi despite clear orders from the president on down.
But Democrats, who released their own report on Monday to pre-empt the GOP version, say Republicans have been on a political witch hunt against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton without uncovering anything new.
___
10:10 a.m.
Hillary Clinton's campaign is slamming Republicans in Congress over the final report of their investigation of the deadly 2012 attacks on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya.
Spokesman Brian Fallon says in a statement the report has "not found anything to contradict the conclusions of the multiple, earlier investigations."
Fallon says that's evidence the House Benghazi Committee's chief goal was to politicize the deaths of four people killed in the attack "in order to try to attack the Obama administration and hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign."
Fallon says the way in which the committee released the report shows the GOP members of the committee "are clearly seeking to avoid any fact-checking of their discredited conspiracy theories."
Republicans on the panel released the report a day after Democrats presented their own version, highlighting the deeply partisan nature of the inquiry.
___
10 a.m.
A report by the House Benghazi panel is faulting the military for its slow response sending resources to Benghazi, Libya, during deadly 2012 attacks on a U.S. outpost despite clear orders from President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Republicans on the Benghazi committee released the 800-page report Tuesday on the attacks that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
The panel's chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, says "nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost eight hours after the attacks began."
Gowdy says the Libyan forces that evacuated Americans from the CIA annex in Benghazi were not affiliated with any of the militias the CIA or State Department had developed a relationship with during the previous 18 months.
House Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., gestures during a TV news interview with MSNBC, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, to discuss the release of his final report on the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, glass, debris and overturned furniture are strewn inside a room in the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Democrats on the House Benghazi panel said in a report Monday, June 27, 2016, that security at the Libya facility the night of Sept. 11, 2012 was woefully inadequate, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional protection. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File)
US consumer confidence rises to highest level since October
WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. consumer confidence rose this month to the highest level since October.
The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 98 in June from 92.4 in May, snapping a two-month losing streak. The survey measures how consumers assess current conditions as well as their outlook for the next six months.
Americans view of current conditions was the most positive since September. Their expectations for the future also grew sunnier as did their outlook for the strength of the job market.
FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, file photo, Alana Fusco, left, an employee at Gerald Peters, a jewelry store owned by Jerry Amerosi at the Staten Island Mall in New York, helps a customer choose a bracelet for her niece. On Tuesday, June 28, 2016, the Conference Board releases its June index on U.S. consumer confidence. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
The survey was conducted before Britain voted last Thursday to leave the European Union in a move that has shaken global financial markets and raised uncertainty about the prospects for the global economy.
Economists monitor confidence surveys because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.
"The underlying fundamentals for the consumer have been quite positive in recent months, as unemployment is low, incomes are rising at a solid pace, energy costs are below recent-year norms, borrowing costs are miniscule, and balance sheets are generally clean," Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Amherst Pierpont Securities wrote in a research note.
Still, other measures of consumer spirits have been mixed. The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment slipped this month. And the Commerce Department reported Tuesday that consumer spending rose at a 1.5 percent annual pace from January through March, the slowest in two years.
Supreme Court ruling imperils abortion laws in many states
NEW YORK (AP) By striking down tough abortion restrictions in Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court has emboldened abortion-rights activists nationwide and imperiled a range of anti-abortion laws in numerous states.
Many anti-abortion leaders were openly disappointed, bracing for the demise of restrictions that they had worked vigorously to enact over the past few years.
The Supreme Court has decided "the abortion industry will continue to reign unchecked as mothers are subjected to subpar conditions," said Heather Weininger, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life.
Bethany Van Kampen, left, hugs Alejandra Pablus as thet celebrate during a rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 27, 2016, after the court struck down Texas' widely replicated regulation of abortion clinics. The justices voted 5-3 in favor of Texas clinics that had argued the regulations were a thinly veiled attempt to make it harder for women to get an abortion in the nation's second-most populous state. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
On the other side of the debate, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards hailed the ruling as "an enormous victory for women," and joined her abortion-rights allies in vowing to quickly seek gains beyond Texas.
"Far too many women still face insurmountable barriers, which is why we are taking this fight state by state," she said. "It's time to pass state laws to protect a woman's constitutional right to abortion, and repeal ones that block it."
The Texas rules struck down Monday by the Supreme Court required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and forced clinics to meet hospital-like standards for outpatient surgery. Supporters of the Texas law, and similar laws enacted in other states, said both provisions were necessary to ensure safe, high-quality care for women. Opponents of the laws said abortion already is a very safe procedure, and contended the real motive of the laws was to reduce women's access to abortion.
According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, which led the legal challenge, similar admitting-privilege requirements are in effect in Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee, and are on hold in Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The hospital-like outpatient surgery standards are in place in Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and are on hold in Tennessee, according to the center.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court followed up its Texas ruling by rejecting appeals from Mississippi and Wisconsin seeking to put in place admitting-privilege restrictions that were struck down by lower courts.
Mississippi's law would have closed the lone abortion clinic in the state. It required doctors who perform abortions to be able to admit patients to a hospital within 30 miles of their clinics; providers at the clinic in Jackson had been unable to obtain such privileges.
"It's very disappointing, said the sponsor of the Mississippi law, state Rep, Sam Mims. "It seems like these five justices are more concerned about access to abortion than health care to the women."
In Alabama, Attorney General Luther Strange said his office is ending the legal fight over its law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital-admitting privileges. The state had been appealing a judge's 2014 decision finding Alabama's law unconstitutional.
If the admitting privilege requirement was enforced, as many as four of the state's five abortion clinics could close.
The legislative director of Louisiana Right to Life, Deanna Wallace, said the Supreme Court decision doesn't automatically invalidate Louisiana's Texas-style law, but it "does not predict a favorable forecast for its future."
In several states, including Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan and Missouri, state officials said they were reviewing the status of their abortion restrictions in light of the high court ruling
In Pennsylvania, a Democratic state senator, Daylin Leach, said he would introduce legislation seeking to repeal a 2011 law that tightened requirements at abortion clinics. The law requires such clinics to comply with the same safety standards as outpatient surgery centers, including requirements for wider hallways and doorways, bigger operating rooms, and full-time nurses.
The law was signed by then-Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, in the aftermath of a Philadelphia criminal case in which an abortion provider, Dr. Kermit Gosnell, was convicted of killing newborn babies during illegal, late-term abortion procedures performed in filthy surroundings.
An abortion-rights lawyer, Sue Frietsche, said the law inflicted heavy financial burdens on abortion clinics throughout Pennsylvania and contributed to the closure of several of them.
Looking ahead, a key question for both sides in the abortion debate is to what extent Monday's ruling will affect other types of abortion restrictions, beyond the two provisions at stake in the Texas law.
For example, more than a dozen states have passed laws banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage. Several states have recently banned dilation-and-extraction, a common second-trimester abortion technique which opponents have depicted as "dismemberment abortion." Some states now require a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion.
Nancy Northup, CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said her legal team will be reviewing these and other laws to determine if they are now vulnerable in the aftermath of Monday's high court ruling.
In the ruling, Justice Stephen Breyer wrote that the Texas requirements provided few, if any, health benefits for women, while placing "an undue burden" on their constitutional right to seek an abortion.
The question ahead, Northup said, is whether other types of state restrictions also pose such a burden.
"It's going to be interesting to see if responsible lawmakers realize they need to start upholding women's rights or continue with this game of Whack-a-Mole that's been going on," said Northup, referring to states that launched new anti-abortion legislation even as earlier measures were blocked by litigation .
___
Mexican drug lord extradition on hold pending appeal
MEXICO CITY (AP) A judge in Mexico granted a temporary stay of extradition for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Tuesday until arguments can be heard on two appeals filed by his lawyers.
Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said one of the appeals argues that the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of in the United States. The defense also argues that some of the accusations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.
Rodriguez said the appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City.
A judge ruled that arguments should be heard on the appeals, a step that is almost automatic in extradition cases.
Rodriguez predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve the appeals.
In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled in May that the extradition can go forward, in part because the United States has guaranteed that Guzman would not face the death penalty. Mexico has abolished capital punishment and does not extradite its citizens if they face possible execution.
Guzman faces an extradition request from a Texas federal court related to charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money-laundering, arms possession and murder, and another extradition request from a federal court in California related to drug trafficking.
Guzman was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.
Developers of fortified food staple awarded World Food Prize
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Four scientists credited with creating food that's fortified with essential nutrients and vitamins and has helped an estimated 10 million people avoid starvation and disease were awarded this year's World Food Prize on Tuesday.
Drs. Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, Jan Low and Howarth Bouis were announced as the 2016 laureates during a ceremony at the U.S. State Department in Washington.
The $250,000 prize rewards their work to reduce world hunger and malnutrition through biofortification, the process of breeding critical vitamins and micronutrients into staple crops.
Andrade, Mwanga and Low are being honored for developing the orange-fleshed sweet potato, considered to be the single most successful example of biofortification. It has helped reduce Vitamin A deficiency, which is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization. The vitamin deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and it increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections due to a weakened immune system.
Andrade, who was born in Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa, focused her work in Mozambique, developing high-yielding sweet potato varieties and distributing them to more than 100,000 households. The challenges included finding a variety that could withstand drought conditions and training the population how to cook the potato without losing its nutritional value, she said.
The prize came as a surprise, Andrade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
"I was driving and got very emotional," she said. "I had to stop the car. I was not expecting the phone call."
For decades, Mwanga has worked primarily in his native Uganda developing vitamin A-rich potato varieties that are disease-resistant and have higher yields. He also has helped his potato gain acceptance among a population that traditionally preferred white or yellow sweet potato varieties with little vitamin A content. By 2014, more than 30 percent of the farmers in Uganda were growing varieties he developed.
"You realize this is saving lives," he said. "It's preventing children from becoming blind and helping children stay health and spending more time in school and not missing classes because they are sick."
Low, who was born in Denver but now lives in Nairobi, Kenya, structured nutrition studies and programs that convinced almost two million households in 10 African countries to plant, purchase and consume the vitamin-fortified sweet potato.
Bouis, a native of Berkeley, California, is the founder of HarvestPlus at the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute. Over a 25-year period, he pioneered the effort to make biofortification a global plant breeding strategy, leading to iron-and zinc-fortified beans, rice, wheat and pearl millet, as well as Vitamin A-enriched cassava, maize and sweet potatoes. The crops have been tested or released in over 40 countries.
The World Food Prize was created by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. The foundation that awards the prize is based in Des Moines, Iowa, and Andrade, Mwanga, Low and Bouis will receive the prize at an Oct. 13 award ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol.
___
Comparison of congressional reports on 2012 Benghazi attack
WASHINGTON (AP) A comparison of key findings in investigations into the 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya that killed U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans:
PREVENTING THE ATTACKS:
House Benghazi Committee Republicans, June 28, 2016: Faults the Obama administration for loose security at the post. There were rarely more than a handful of security personnel there, and the facility's design did not meet security requirements.
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, glass, debris and overturned furniture are strewn inside a room in the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Democrats on the House Benghazi panel said in a report Monday, June 27, 2016, that security at the Libya facility the night of Sept. 11, 2012 was woefully inadequate, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton never personally denied any requests from diplomats for additional protection. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File)
House Benghazi Committee Democrats, June 27, 2016: State Department security measures in Benghazi were inadequate as a result of decisions made by mid-level officials. U.S. intelligence received no advance warning of attacks.
Senate Intelligence Committee, bipartisan, January 2014: Attacks could have been prevented. U.S. intelligence didn't send enough warnings about the potential threat. The State Department could have closed the Benghazi facility until security was improved.
House Intelligence Committee, bipartisan, November 2014: U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi was insufficiently protected. State Department security agents knew they could not defend it from a well-armed attack.
___
MILITARY RESPONSE:
House Benghazi Committee Republicans: Faults the Obama administration for indecision and inadequate reaction during the attack. U.S. military responded too slowly to the ongoing attack.
House Benghazi Committee Democrats: Military could have done nothing differently that would have prevented the attack.
Senate Intelligence Committee: U.S. military had no resources in position to quickly respond to attacks. Stevens twice declined the military's offer to keep a special operations team there, was trying to organize a local Libyan security team.
___
On whether the military was ordered to stand down and not respond to the attacks:
House Benghazi Committee Republicans: President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta issued "clear orders" to deploy military assets to Benghazi, but nothing was sent.
House Benghazi Committee Democrats: No one issued a stand-down order.
Senate Intelligence Committee: Allegations of stand-down order not substantiated.
House Armed Services Committee Republicans, February 2014: No stand-down order issued, but there was confusion.
House Intelligence Committee: No stand-down orders issued to military or CIA response teams.
___
HILLARY CLINTON:
House Benghazi Committee Republicans: No new evidence that Clinton, secretary of state at the time of the attack, is to blame for the facility's vulnerability or the U.S. response to the attacks.
House Benghazi Committee Democrats: Clinton never personally denied U.S. diplomats' requests for more security in Benghazi.
Taunts, threats surge in days following British referendum
LONDON (AP) Turkish tourists are heckled in the heart of London. An Eastern European family in Rugby finds dog excrement shoved through its mailbox. A Polish teenager in Gloucestershire is taunted with threats of deportation at her high school.
In the aftermath of the June 23 vote to leave the European Union, Britain has seen a surge in xenophobia expressed in taunts, threats and worse. For many, foreign- and native-born, the U.K. has suddenly become a much scarier place.
"Before Friday we lived in a tolerant society," said Oana Gorcea, a 32-year-old Romanian who has been in Britain since she was a teenager. "I've been here 13 years, but I've never felt like I had to hide where I came from. But from Friday, things completely changed."
In this photo made available by Diamond Geezer, a man wearing an anti immigration T-shirt walks during Armed Forces Day Parade in Romford, England, Saturday 25 June 2016. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned Monday June 27, 2016 that abuse directed at immigrants wouldn't be tolerated, after a series of incidents were reported following the country's decision to leave the European Union. ( Diamond Geezer via AP)
Gorcea, who works for a multinational company in Rugby, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of London, told The Associated Press that her street was being patrolled by "English commandos who walk around and try to intimidate non-white, non-English people." The talk of the neighborhood was the dog feces shoved through a local immigrant family's mailbox.
Gorcea's story and others like it have been echoing across social media. Eastern Europeans, Muslims even Americans and Germans have reported acts of intimidation and harassment. Victims describe an emboldened, angry fringe emerging to crow over the vote; a T-shirt sported by a man at an Armed Forces Day parade in the working class London borough of Havering over the weekend seemed to sum up the new attitude:
"YES! WE WON! NOW SEND THEM BACK."
British reporters have seen the resurgence. Adam Boulton, an anchor for Sky News, said on Twitter that he and his family had witnessed three separate incidents of abuse aimed at Europeans over the weekend. Channel Four's Ciaran Jenkins said that within a five-minute span in the northern England town of Barnsley, three people had shouted "Send them home!" BBC reporter Sima Kotecha said she was in "utter shock" after having returned home to the southern town of Basingstoke and been abused with a racial slur she hadn't heard "since the '80s."
The incidents continued Tuesday a few blocks from Parliament, where a group of white British men wearing shirts calling for the "repatriation" of immigrants started shouting at a Turkish family visiting the capital's landmarks.
"We came to see family and to show our children some of the tourist sites," Adalet Abdullatif, 28, from Istanbul, told The Associated Press. "All of a sudden, these men come out of nowhere, shouting at us and telling us to go home. We thought they were going to attack us. It's frightening for us and for our children."
Police said there had been several cases of vandalism and xenophobic graffiti scrawled on London buildings overnight. Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said "hundreds of hate crimes" had been reported across the country. On Monday, the National Police Chiefs' Council said there had been a 57 percent rise in hate-crime complaints in the past four days, compared with the same period last month.
Those who championed the campaign to pull Britain from the EU have condemned the attacks.
"I've never, ever, ever encouraged or condoned behavior like that, and I never, ever would," said United Kingdom Independence Party head Nigel Farage, a leader in the campaign for a British exit from the EU, popularly known as Brexit.
He added that "the real prejudice is the prejudice that's been there for a decade or more against anybody that dares stand up against the establishment, anybody that dares to say that we shouldn't be part of the EU."
Other politicians didn't buy it.
"The leaders of the Brexit campaign have engendered an atmosphere where some people believe it is open season now for racism and xenophobia," said lawmaker Harriet Harman, a former leader of the opposition Labour Party.
For the victims, the link between the referendum and the abuse is clear. Immigration was a key issue in the campaign, with Farage posing in front of a massive, truck-drawn poster carrying a photograph of hundreds of swarthy migrants under the words "Breaking Point." Many "leave" voters cited the influx of foreigners as a top concern.
"Just because of one referendum ... it's coming out like woodworms," said Julie Sauter Daoud, a French-German national who has lived in Britain most of her life. On Sunday, she said two men overtook her car shouting, "Go home, you (expletive) German."
She said the verbal attack, which happened while she was driving on a residential street in the northern city of Sheffield, left her so shaken that she was scared to speak French to her youngest child at the supermarket.
"It's terribly sickening," she said in a telephone interview. "The first time ever in my life. Ever." She paused for a second. "Probably not the last time now."
The 44-year-old's story is one of hundreds on a Facebook group called "Worrying Signs," which is gathering examples of the recent surge in intolerance. By Tuesday, the site contained stories and photos of sinister graffiti and broken windows. Although the AP could not independently confirm the stories, it did speak with several of those behind them.
Polish-British national Natalia Nicholls told AP her 14-year-old sister was taunted by boys at her high school in the Cotswolds region of England who boasted that "now we can get rid of the Polish and the blacks." Corinne Abrahams, 24, said she was returning from a music festival when she nearly got into a fight with an inebriated man yelling anti-foreigner epithets on the London subway. An American said she was recently accosted by people calling her a "Yankee (expletive)" in a parking lot.
Prime Minister David Cameron, in his first appearance before lawmakers since the vote, sought to reassure Europeans and other ethnic minorities living in Britain that they would be protected."
"Let's remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country," he said. "We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks. They must be stamped out."
___
Associated Press writers Paisley Dodds and Jonathan Shenfield in London contributed to this report.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, greets UKIP leader Nigel Farage during a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. EU heads of state and government meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, throwing British and European politics into disarray. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Michigan attorney general wants $3.4M more for Flint probe
LANSING, Mich. (AP) Michigan's attorney general on Tuesday asked to spend $3.4 million more on a criminal and civil probe into Flint's water crisis, which would more than triple the funding for his team of nearly two dozen outside lawyers and investigators.
For nearly 18 months, the impoverished, predominantly black city of nearly 100,000 residents used the Flint River as a way to save money, a decision that was made while under state emergency management. But lead was released from aging pipes and fixtures as improperly treated river water flowed into homes and businesses, and elevated levels of the toxin were discovered in children in Flint, which is about 55 miles north of Detroit
Independent experts have also suggested a link between the river and a deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette speaks with reporters Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in his office in Lansing, Mich. Schuette is asking for $3.4 million more to investigate the water crisis in Flint. (AP Photo/David Eggert)
The State Administrative Board's Finance and Claims Committee on Tuesday endorsed the $4.9 million contract on a 3-0 vote, with no debate in a quick meeting. The full seven-member board, which also typically automatically OKs contracts before it, on July 12 will consider Attorney General Bill Schuette's request, which also would extend the no-bid contract's length by two months through September 2017.
In March, the board authorized $1.25 million in spending for special counsel Todd Flood, 11 other lawyers, 10 investigators and a separate computer system. Schuette did not need approval of an initial $249,000 contract because it was below the threshold requiring board approval.
The funding endorsed Tuesday is more than triple that original $1.5 million contract.
Schuette, who has filed criminal charges against three government employees and sued two water engineering companies for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars over the crisis, has guaranteed the filing of additional charges.
"You're not going to do justice on the cheap," he told reporters. "The amount of money that we are expending to provide justice and truth and accountability is very small compared to the harm ... that people have experienced."
Gov. Rick Snyder, who has apologized for his administration's role in the public health emergency, is expected to soon sign budget legislation that includes $3.9 million for Schuette's Flint-related expenses.
The measure also has $11 million more this fiscal year for Snyder and the attorney general to defend lawsuits filed against them in their official capacity and to secure outside legal advice or $16 million altogether, triple the $5 million normally allocated.
The state was assessed most of the blame for the crisis by the Republican governor's own task force and is facing numerous suits.
Schuette said the fact that residents were complaining about the water's color, smell and taste should have been a "red alert" and "DEFCON 1" for "anyone with direct, specific authority."
"Whether it's negligence or criminal conduct, we'll hold them accountable," said Schuette, who opened the probe in January after initially declining to investigate. He said Tuesday that he reversed course after receiving more information from media reports.
Once Snyder signs the budget bill, Michigan will have directed at least $240 million toward resolving the emergency.
Experts say filtered tap water is safe for everyone in Flint. Efforts to replace thousands of lead or galvanized services lines have been slow.
___
Follow David Eggert on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DavidEggert00 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/author/david-eggert
My'angel Beard, 7, of Flint, center right, laughs as Precious McCovery, 12, a former Flint resident who moved with her family, holds her breath underwater in an inflatable pool filled with bottled water on Monday, June 27, 2016, in front of City Hall in Flint, Mich. It took approximately 80 cases of water to fill the pool, said Lisia Williams, Flint resident and event organizer. (Rachel Woolf/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Cassidy Baker, 5, of Flint, reclines in an inflatable pool filled with bottled water on Monday, June 27, 2016, in front of City Hall in Flint, Mich. It took approximately 80 cases of water to fill the pool, said Lisia Williams, Flint resident and event organizer. (Rachel Woolf/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Netherlands and Italy agree to split Security Council term
UNITED NATIONS (AP) Sweden and Kazakhstan won contested elections for coveted seats on the Security Council on Tuesday and the Netherlands and Italy ended a battle for another seat by agreeing to split the two-year term on the U.N.'s most powerful body.
The U.N. General Assembly met to choose five new council members and it overwhelmingly elected Ethiopia and Bolivia, who faced no opposition for seats earmarked for Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
But after five rounds of voting, the Netherlands and Italy who belong to the Western group of countries were deadlocked with each receiving 95 votes and needing 127 votes to win.
After two recesses called by General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft, the Netherlands and Italian foreign ministers announced the deal, saying Italy will hold the Security Council seat in 2017 and the Netherlands in 2018.
The agreement needs to be endorsed by the group of Western nations who will meet Wednesday morning and are virtually certain to approve it. Once that happens, Lykketoft is expected to resume the suspended assembly meeting to give its approval to the deal.
Splitting a two-year council term is not unprecedented. It happened on at least five occasions between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s when, for example, Czechoslovakia held the seat in 1964 and Malaysia in 1965.
Winning a seat on the Security Council is a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice in matters dealing with international peace and security from conflicts in Syria to South Sudan to actions that threaten global stability such as North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State.
The council also gets to authorize and oversee the U.N.'s far-flung peacekeeping missions.
The 15-member council includes five permanent members with veto power the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. Seats are allocated by region, and regional groups nominate candidates. Five countries are elected every year by secret ballot.
Heading into Tuesday's voting, a close race was expected in the Western group with Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy competing for two seats. Sweden won on the first ballot with 134 votes but the Netherlands and Italy remained neck and neck.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders announced the deal to split the term to the assembly to loud applause saying the 95-95 vote was "a clear signal that you appreciate both countries." Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni then said both countries "wanted also to give a message of unity between two European countries."
In the other contested race for an Asian seat, Kazakhstan defeated Thailand in the second round by a vote of 138 to 55. Human Rights Watch had criticized the human rights record of both countries.
Canada to lift visa for Mexican visitors
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada will lift visa requirements for Mexican visitors as of December 2016, removing a major irritant in relations between the two countries.
Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto made the announcement in Ottawa ahead of Wednesday's North American leaders' summit with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Pena Nieto also announced Mexico has agreed to open its markets to Canadian beef.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto clasp hands at a joint news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
"We are here to renew the relationship," Pena Nieto said. "There were some rocks on the way and one was the visa."
Canada's previous Conservative government imposed the visa requirement in 2009, claiming it was needed to stop thousands of asylum claims being made by Mexican citizens. The requirement caught the Mexican government off guard, and it marred relations.
The Liberal Party promised during last year's election campaign that the visa requirement would be lifted, but the process has been fraught with delays.
"This move will make it easier for Mexicans friends to visit Canada while growing our local economy," Trudeau said. Trudeau also said the opening of Mexico to Canadian beef will help Canadian farmers.
Pena Nieto will attend a state dinner in his honor on Tuesday night.
Trudeau also hosted a banquet for the Mexican president Monday in Toronto, where the prime minister said the two leaders would continue discussions touching on the flow of people and goods between their countries.
A White House adviser said Monday that Wednesday's summit will focus on a North American-wide commitment to cut methane emissions and release what the adviser said will be a comprehensive North American climate, clean energy and environment partnership.
A North American leaders' summit was scheduled to be held last year but was cancelled amid the Canada-U.S. dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline and the dispute over the visa requirement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, welcomes Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, welcomes Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, meets with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Tuesday June 28, 2016. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks as Canadian Governor General David Johnston, left, looks on in Quebec City, Monday, June 27, 2016. Pena Nieto has made a stop in Quebec City to discuss trade with Premier Philippe Couillard before he heads to Toronto for an official dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Clement Allard/The Canadian Press via AP)
South Sudan says new rebel group has formed; 43 said killed
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) A new rebel group has formed against the South Sudanese government months after a peace deal was signed with another band of rebels to end a deadly civil war, a senior official said Tuesday.
The new group, led by veteran politician Ali Tamim Fartak, has fought with government troops in the remote Wau region in the past few days, leading to the reported deaths of about 39 civilians and four police, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters.
The government has not yet confirmed the deaths in Wau, which is located about 650 kilometers northwest of the capital, Juba, the minister said.
Fartak could not be reached for comment.
Lueth said the new rebel group has an Islamic fundamentalist agenda and includes former government troops, fighters from the Ugandan-led rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army and a Sudanese militia called the janjaweed.
Relief agencies are providing emergency assistance to displaced people in Wau following intense fighting on Friday and Saturday, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Since Friday, an estimated 12,000 people have fled to the U.N. peacekeeping mission's base in Wau and are sheltering in an adjacent area adjacent, the group said in a statement Tuesday.
The fresh fighting is a blow to efforts to pacify South Sudan, which descended into deadly violence in December 2013 as government forces battled rebels led by a former vice president.
Hikers rescued on trip to 'Into the Wild' bus
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Officials say two hikers rescued after failing to return on time from a trip into the Alaska wilderness are the latest to be saved after trying to reach an abandoned bus made famous by the book and film "Into the Wild."
Search and rescue crews located Michael Trigg of South Carolina and Theodore Aslund of Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. Officials say they were uninjured and in good condition, KTUU-TV in Anchorage reported (http://bit.ly/292F8q3).
The two hikers, who started their trip June 20, had made it to the bus but tried taking a shortcut in Denali National Park on their way back when they realized they were running late.
Trigg and Aslund had instructed friends in a post on Facebook before their trip to alert rescuers if they had not returned by Friday. Concerned friends reached out to National Park Service rangers that day.
A group of more than 20 people and one helicopter had joined in the search for the hikers.
"Each year, multiple people who attempt to visit the bus under-prepared are rescued by professional search and rescue personnel," according to the National Park Service.
The book by Jon Krakauer and movie directed by Sean Penn chronicled the life and death of Chris McCandless, 24, who hiked into the Alaska wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment and spent the summer living in the bus. McCandless was found starved to death in the bus almost four months later.
___
Israeli university cancels prize to veterans group
JERUSALEM (AP) An Israeli university has canceled an award for a group of military veterans who criticize Israeli actions toward Palestinians.
Ben-Gurion University's department of Middle Eastern studies had announced it would award a prize worth about $5,000 for Jewish-Arab understanding to the group Breaking the Silence.
University President Rivka Carmi overturned the decision, saying it would have likely been seen as a "semblance of political bias."
Breaking the Silence accused the university of "buckling before the campaign of incitement being conducted against opponents of the occupation."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have attacked the group, saying it works to delegitimize Israel.
Israel's security figures take aim at hard-line Netanyahu
JERUSALEM (AP) Long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a potentially formidable challenge to his hard-line rule not from Israel's civilian politicians but instead from its revered security establishment.
An extraordinary array of former top commanders are criticizing Netanyahu in increasingly urgent terms, accusing him of mishandling the Palestinian issue and allying with extremists bent on dismantling Israel's democracy.
On Tuesday, a group representing more than 200 retired leaders in Israel's military, police, Mossad spy service and Shin Bet security agency presented a plan to help end the half-century occupation of the Palestinians through unilateral steps, including disavowing claims to over 90 percent of the West Bank and freezing Jewish settlement construction in such areas.
File - In this Friday, May 20, 2016 file photo, Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, speaks during a press conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel's defense minister announced his resignation on Friday, citing a lack of "trust" in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after reports in recent days that he is soon to be replaced. Israels long-serving Benjamin Netanyahu faces a potentially formidable challenge to his hardline rule _ not from civilian politicians but instead from the countrys revered security establishment. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)
The movement, called Commanders for Israel's Security, reflects an increasingly widespread assessment that Israel is drifting catastrophically toward permanent entanglement with the Palestinians and conflict with the world community.
"Things are getting worse and worse," said retired Maj. Gen. Amnon Reshef, the group's founder and a former commander of Israel's armored corps. "What kind of future do we have here? What are we going to leave for our kids and young children?"
Although a peace deal may not be possible at present, "still something can and should be done right now," he said
The driving narrative is that the Holy Land's 6 million Jews must find a way of detaching themselves from the roughly equivalent number of Arabs, most of whom live in the West Bank and Gaza and do not have voting rights in Israel.
Without the establishment of a Palestinian state, the argument goes, Israel will either eventually have to extend voting rights, formally absorbing the Palestinians in the occupied territories and destroying itself as a Jewish-majority country, or else be branded a non-democracy destined to suffer comparisons to South African apartheid and risking a similar fate.
Surveys among youth around the world, even in the U.S., suggest that cliff is coming.
Netanyahu and his Cabinet have shown little interest in changing course.
He does profess a theoretical desire for a two-state solution. But in practice, his government busies itself with the Palestinian leadership's shortcomings publicizing incidents of "incitement" against Jews is a frequent theme while continuing to settle territory, occupied in the 1967 Mideast war, where the Palestinians hope to establish a state.
Following years of failed peace efforts and occasional violence, Israel pulled troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. But in the West Bank, hundreds of thousands of settlers receive an array of subsidies and privileges in what is in effect an Israeli colony. The Palestinian majority there does not have Israeli citizenship and lives under a mix of limited autonomy and Israeli military rule.
The view that this is corrosive is becoming overwhelming across the country's established classes: Beyond the security figures, leaders in academia, the legal system, the media, business and the arts also seem increasingly agitated by the prospect of permanent attachment to millions of restive, politically disenfranchised Palestinians.
The feeling of urgency comes from repeated failures to dislodge Netanyahu, who last year won a third straight election with strong support from the country's poor, working-class and religious sectors. With over a half-million settlers already in place, critics fear, a partition will soon be impossible.
Netanyahu and his supporters have had a fairly easy time fending off opponents, however prominent, dismissing them as "leftists" naive about the security imperative of territory in a tough Middle East.
His base, if anything, shares the distrust of experts and elites increasingly visible in the developed world, as evidenced by the rise of Donald Trump in the United States and last week's passage of Britain's proposal to leave the European Union.
David Bitan, the chairman of Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition, tried to use this tactic last weekend. "Something happens to people when they become Mossad and Shin Bet directors. They turn into leftists," he said. Opposition politicians countered that the security heads are hard-headed realists who base their assessments on facts.
One of the first signs of the trend was a 2012 documentary called "The Gatekeepers," in which all six then-living heads of the Shin Bet internal security agency appeared to agree that the occupation of the West Bank is not sustainable.
In last year's election, one of the most compelling voices against Netanyahu's approach to the Palestinians came from now-deceased former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, famed for his tough-guy credentials. Earlier this year, the deputy military chief, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, kicked up a fuss by appearing to compare the nationalist stirrings in Israel to 1930s Germany.
More recently, former military chief Moshe Yaalon, who was ousted as Netanyahu's defense minister weeks ago, has placed the prime minister in his crosshairs.
Yaalon, one of the few top security figures associated with Netanyahu's Likud Party, has declared his intention to challenge him. He travels the country lambasting what he calls the government's anti-liberal policies a reference to efforts to undermine Israeli-Arab lawmakers, curb critical NGOs, compel artists to toe the line through funding, and limit the power of the relatively liberal Supreme Court.
In a striking one-two punch, Yaalon was joined at a major security conference recently by ex-Premier Ehud Barak, who attacked Netanyahu for blundering toward a binational state "which will be an apartheid state" with an eventual Jewish minority and "a high likelihood of drawn-out civil war." Barak, himself a former military chief, said the government was planting "seeds of fascism" and should be toppled "via popular protest and via the ballot box before it's too late."
Two other former army chiefs, Gabi Ashkenazi and Benny Gantz, have formed a movement that plans to criticize Netanyahu on social issues.
Uri Savir, a dovish former peace negotiator, wrote in a column this week that former security chiefs overwhelmingly support the two-state solution. With the civilian Israeli opposition so weak, an ex-military man is the best hope for replacing Netanyahu, he said.
He called the situation "an unprecedented emergency" in which "there probably is no choice ... but to allow retired generals to save democracy."
The criticism of Netanyahu is not necessarily driven by the idea he is missing an opportunity for peace. After years of failed negotiations, there is little hope left among Israelis that they can come to an amicable divorce by agreement. The Palestinians' demands including a division of Jerusalem and the "right of return" to Israel of Palestinian refugees and their descendants are too much for Israel and not about to change.
That realization has shifted the discourse in Israel away from peace and instead to finding another way to impose a partition.
Complicating the picture is that the Gaza pullout ended badly from Israel's perspective: Hamas militants took it over, leading to three wars between the sides.
Former top Mossad official Rolly Gueron said at Tuesday's launch that past failures did not give Israel the "luxury" of standing still: "Time is of the essence," he said.
___
Perry reported from Cairo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Jerusalem, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP)
Iran's Guard clashes with Kurds, 14 dead
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says the Revolutionary Guard has killed 11 Kurdish insurgents and lost three of its own in two days of fighting.
Fars, which is close to the Guard, said Tuesday that the battle erupted the day before after a two-day pursuit. It says Iranian forces had been monitoring the group for the past week near the town of Sarvabad in Iran's Kurdistan province.
The report did not identify the insurgent group, calling them "counter-revolutionary bandits."
Iranian forces have clashed with Kurdish separatists on a number of occasions this month. The Guard says it killed five insurgents on Saturday and 12 earlier this month in the West Azerbaijan province.
Medicare weighs changes to controversial plan on cancer meds
WASHINGTON (AP) Trying to salvage a controversial experiment to confront rising drug costs, the Obama administration Tuesday hinted at modifications to an ambitious plan that would revamp Medicare payments.
Affected are those medications administered in a doctor's office. That includes most chemotherapy drugs, as well as injected and infused drugs for macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, some immune diseases and other conditions. Cancer doctors want the administration to tear up its proposal.
Choosing his words carefully, Medicare Deputy Administrator Patrick Conway told the Senate Finance Committee his agency is looking closely at comments it has received, and officials will determine if any adjustments are needed before the plan is finalized. He said the areas Medicare is reviewing include the nationwide scope of the experiment, and its impact on rural areas and small medical practices.
FILE - In this April 11, 2016 file photo, Medicare deputy administrator Patrick Conway speaks in Washington. The Obama administration suggests that its weighing changes to a controversial Medicare proposal for testing new ways of paying for chemotherapy and other drugs given in a doctors office. Cancer doctors are demanding that the plan be scrapped, but Conway tells a Senate panel that the administration is trying to find a balance between addressing some concerns and allowing a potentially useful experiment to proceed. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
At Tuesday's hearing Conway faced a solid wall of criticism from Republican senators who want Medicare to withdraw the proposal. He got no help from Democrats, who have raised their own concerns, while stopping short of demanding that the administration pull the plug.
"One of the most difficult things to do in Congress is unite Republicans and Democrats on a topic ... and this demonstration project has done a very good job," observed Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
Committee chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called the experiment "ill-conceived and likely to harm beneficiaries."
Medicare now pays doctors and hospital outpatient clinics the average sales price of a drug, plus a 6 percent add-on. Since 6 percent of a $15,000 drug is more than 6 percent of a $3,000 drug, some experts believe the formula influences doctors' prescribing decisions.
The new formula would combine a 2.5 percent add-on with a flat fee for each day the drug is administered. A control group of doctors and hospitals would continue to be paid under the current system.
Opponents say smaller, doctor-owned clinics may no longer be able to afford the upfront costs of cutting-edge medications. If that happens, cancer patients will be forced to go to outpatient hospital clinics instead of their local specialist for the latest drugs. In rural areas, patients may have to travel long distances to get to a hospital clinic.
Supporters of the proposal, including consumer groups and primary care doctors, say critics are trying to scare beneficiaries.
Medicare's spending on doctor-administered "Part B" drugs has been growing by more than 8 percent a year, reaching an estimated $22 billion last year.
The experiment could become permanent policy if it lowers costs while maintaining quality. A second wave of experimentation would try to link what Medicare pays for a given drug to how well it works.
But Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware questioned why Medicare wants up to 75 percent of the country to be involved. "Why such a large, expansive demonstration?" he asked.
"I am concerned the scope of the current proposal seems broader than is typical of a demonstration project," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
Republican senators said Medicare is trying to disguise a policy change as an experiment.
UN official: Lake Chad Basin poverty must be addressed
UNITED NATIONS (AP) The international community must not view the problem of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin as solely a military one but must remedy the underlying causes of extreme poverty that have allowed the extremist group to thrive there, a senior U.N. official said Tuesday.
Toby Lanzer, the U.N.'s regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel region, told reporters in an update that 4.4 million people in the area around Lake Chad that includes northern Nigeria and parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger are severely "food insecure" or lack reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.
In a region that has suffered from both military conflict and environmental degradation, more government and private investment in development and infrastructure not just humanitarian relief are needed to prevent the likelihood of groups similar to Boko Haram from arising in the future.
"People have recognized that they need to scratch well below the surface and understand how this happened and why it happened," Lanzer said. "A lot more needs to be done to tackle things such as the disenfranchised and marginalized communities" in the region.
Lanzer's comments came a day after the Islamic State-allied group was suspected of staging two suicide bombings in Nigeria's Maiduguri city in which the bombers but no one else were killed. Earlier this month, authorities said the group killed seven military police in an attack on a barracks in southeast Niger. The group's 7-year uprising has left some 20,000 people dead.
Lanzer said the city of Maiduguri in the center of Borno state normally has about 1 million residents but its population has swelled to 2.6 million because of the many people in the region displaced by the fighting.
Judge: Lighthouse migrants must return to Cuba
MIAMI (AP) A group of 21 Cuban migrants who reached a lighthouse off the Florida Keys last month should be returned to the island nation because the structure does not count as U.S. soil, a Miami federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Darrin Gayles' ruling said the 136-year-old American Shoal lighthouse does not count as dry land under the U.S.'s "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy.
Lawyers for the migrants had argued the lighthouse is U.S. territory, and their clients should get to stay. They had previously asked for an injunction to keep the U.S. Coast Guard from repatriating the migrants, but Tuesday's order denied that request.
Attorneys for the federal government acknowledged the lighthouse is U.S. property but argued it was not equal to dry land.
The lighthouse is located about 7 miles from Sugarloaf Key. At issue was whether the lighthouse, a historic 109-foot iron structure that was in use from 1880 until 2015, qualified as U.S. territory under the "wet foot, dry foot" policy. Under that policy, Cubans who reach U.S. shores are usually allowed to stay, while those intercepted at sea are generally returned home.
The ruling comes amid a surge of migration from the communist island to the U.S., partly out of fear the favorable policy might change as relations warm between the two Cold War foes. The Coast Guard has said attempts by Cubans to reach the U.S. by sea increased 155 percent in May compared to the same month last year.
The 21 Cuban migrants who reached the lighthouse May 20 stayed there for several hours before they agreed to board a Coast Guard cutter, where they have remained since. The lighthouse has a large, eight-room living area once occupied by a keeper and other workers and sits on a submerged reef that was deeded to the U.S. by the state of Florida in the 1870s, according to testimony at a hearing earlier this month.
US first lady promotes learning to empower Moroccan girls
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) Michelle Obama told Moroccan teenage girls that her parents knew the value of education, her brother set an example "and I thought if he can do it, then I can do it, because I know I am smarter than him!"
Actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto joined the U.S. first lady's encounter Tuesday with two dozen young women in Marrakech to discuss the challenges girls around the world face in getting educated. In the North African kingdom of Morocco, only 36 percent of girls continue school beyond the primary level.
"We have to change those notions that girls are only valuable for their reproductive capacity or their ability to do manual labor," Obama said, adding that 62 million girls worldwide do not have access to education for an array of reasons, from a lack of resources to cultural norms.
U.S first lady Michelle Obama speaks during a conversation with teenage girls in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama was visiting Morocco to promote for the Let Girls Learn in the North African kingdom, where only 36 percent of girls continue school beyond the primary level. (AP Photo/ Abdeljalil Bounhar)
The first lady's daughters, Sasha and Malia, joined their mother in Marrakech but did not take part in the event.
The "Let Girls Learn" initiative, launched in March 2015 by President Barack Obama and the first lady, is to be extended to Morocco, the White House announced Tuesday. It said the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government foreign aid agency working in partnership with the Moroccan government, is investing nearly $100 million to transform secondary education in the country. USAID is also giving $400,000 to create five new girls' dormitories to improve educational opportunities for girls from rural areas.
"The investment in an education now will reap benefits (in) years to come and that is what my family knew instinctively," the first lady said. "My parents didn't go to university. We didn't have a lot of money. But one of the things ... was that my parents understood the value of an education. And they fought for me, they sacrificed, they saved."
The group met in the courtyard of Dar Diafa, a historic riad that has been converted into a restaurant.
One young woman taking part, who identified herself only as Karima from Ouarzazate, in south-central Morocco, said her parents ensured she had a primary school education but discouraged her from focusing her secondary education on science technology, a field dominated by men.
A school bus helped 16-year-old Hannan Amin, from Ifrane, get to school and avoid a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) trudge on foot.
"Every single person's story is different," said Streep, who advised the young women never to give up and said she was the first in her family to get a university education.
"In my own life I know that losing heart is the most dangerous thing. You can put any obstacle in front of me and I will jump over it, but when I lose heart, you lose everything," she said.
Obama was to attend a traditional Moroccan iftar the sumptuous dinner to break the fast during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan on Tuesday night with Princess Lalla Salma, the wife of King Mohammed VI. She travels to Spain on Wednesday.
___
This version has been corrected to show that the Millennium Challenge Corporation is a U.S. government foreign aid agency.
___
Andrew Drake in Marrakech contributed to this report.
Actress and advocate for girls education Meryl Streep, right, and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama laugh during a conversation with teenage girls in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama was visiting Morocco to promote for the Let Girls Learn in the North African kingdom, where only 36 percent of girls continue school beyond the primary level. (AP Photo/Abdeljalil Bounhar)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI wife Princess Lalla Selma, front right, welcomes U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, front left, and daughters Malia, rear right, and Sasha at Menara Airport in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, June 27, 2016. The first lady is on a visit to Morocco to promote eduction for girls. (AP Photo/ Abdeljalil Bounhar)
U.S first lady Michelle Obama listens during a conversation with teenage girls in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama was visiting Morocco to promote for the Let Girls Learn in the North African kingdom, where only 36 percent of girls continue school beyond the primary level. (AP Photo/ Abdeljalil Bounhar)
U.S first lady Michelle Obama, center, actress and advocate for girls education Meryl Streep, second right, and Indian actress Freida Pinto, left, participate in a conversation with adolescent girls in Marrakech, Morocco, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama was visiting Morocco to promote for the Let Girls Learn in the North African kingdom, where only 36 percent of girls continue school beyond the primary level. (AP Photo/ Abdeljalil Bounhar)
Walton foundation launches $250M charter school initiative
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) A foundation run by the heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton has announced a $250 million initiative to support charter schools in 17 cities across the U.S.
The Walton Family Foundation on Tuesday announced its Building Equity Initiative aimed at helping charter schools establish and expand facilities. The foundation says it will initially focus on urban areas but will expand to help public charter schools serve at least 250,000 more students by 2027.
The initiative will help charter schools get financing for facilities by providing low-interest loans through not-for-profit lenders.
Woman dies after being beaten, burned on Crow Reservation
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) A woman who was beaten, choked and set on fire on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation has died more than two months after the violent attack spurred calls for more effective policing on the sprawling reservation.
RoyLynn Rides Horse died early Tuesday, FBI spokeswoman Sandra Barker said.
The 28-year-old woman had under treatment at a Salt Lake City hospital since the April 17 attack left her with burns over 45 percent of her body and severe frostbite on her legs, according to court documents.
This undated booking photo provided by Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office shows Angelica Jo Whiteman. Whiteman, and Dimarzio Swade Sanchez face federal charges for allegedly beating, choking and setting on fire 28-year-old RoyLynn Rides Horse, in an April 17 attack on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation.Rides Horse died Tuesday, June 28, 2016, said FBI spokeswoman Sandra Barker. (Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office via AP) (Yellowstone County Detention Facility/Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office via AP)
Her death was confirmed by Jackie Blacksmith, the sister-in-law of the victim's mother. Blacksmith said no additional details were being released by the family.
Two people arrested in the case were charged last week in U.S. District Court with assault with intent to commit murder. Whether additional charges are filed will be up to prosecutors, Barker said.
On the night of the attack, Rides Horse got a ride home from a bar with Dimarzio Swade Sanchez, 18, of Busby, and Angelica Jo Whiteman, 23, of Lame Deer, according to authorities.
Investigators say that following an argument between Whiteman and Rides Horse, Sanchez and Whiteman beat and tried to strangle the victim before dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire in a field east of Crow Agency, near the border of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.
Attorneys for Whiteman and Sanchez did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Prosecutors can add additional charges in pending criminal cases by presenting a superseding indictment to a grand jury, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hornbein. She declined to comment directly on the Red Horse case.
The assault attracted widespread attention from tribal leaders and state lawmakers and highlighted the difficulties of patrolling a reservation that covers more than 3,100 square miles along the Montana-Wyoming border.
It also stirred frustration among family members and others over the sparse details federal authorities were willing to release in the weeks after the attack.
During a Monday meeting, Crow tribal leaders and federal law enforcement officials discussed ways to increase police patrols across the sparsely-populated reservation. Among the options being considered is cross-deputizing officers from other law enforcement agencies to allow them to patrol on the reservation.
Supreme Court leans left in term unsettled by Scalia's death
WASHINGTON (AP) Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death transformed the Supreme Court's term, shifted power to its liberal wing and started a transition that will be greatly affected by who wins the presidency.
It was a term unusual in other ways, too. Justice Clarence Thomas broke a 10-year silence following his good friend's death to ask questions during an oral argument. Senate Republicans shunned any action on President Barack Obama's nominee to restore the court to its full nine-member strength. And four cases ended in 4-4 ties.
Major decisions underscoring abortion rights and constraining corruption prosecutions of public officials would have come out the same way had Scalia remained on the court. But his death led directly to an unexpected majority to uphold race-conscious college admissions policies. Another major goal of conservatives, to rein in the power of labor unions, was unattainable at the court without Scalia.
FILE - In this June 20, 2016 file photo, a Supreme Court police officer stands in front of the Supreme Court in Washington as the court announced several decisions. Justice Antonin Scalias sudden death transformed the Supreme Courts term, shifted power to its liberal wing and started a transition that will be greatly affected by who wins the presidency. It was a term unusual in other ways, too. Justice Clarence Thomas broke a 10-year silence following his good friends death to ask questions during an oral argument. Senate Republicans shunned any action on President Barack Obamas nominee to restore the court to its full nine-member strength. And four cases ended in 4-4 ties. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Chief Justice John Roberts was among several justices who said they spent more time searching for common ground after the loss of their larger-than-life colleague. The court produced a raft of decisions with little or no dissent that also did not result in major changes to the law. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remarked that eight was not a good number for a group that is used to being nine.
"The Supreme Court term that ended yesterday was more liberal than many had predicted and stranger than anyone could have anticipated," Steven Shapiro, the American Civil Liberties Union's national legal director, said Tuesday.
Scalia's empty chair remained in the courtroom for a month beyond his death, through ceremonies at the court and the pageantry and solemnity of his funeral Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. When the court eventually removed the chair from the bench, it symbolized the loss of a fifth, majority-making vote for conservatives on cases that split the court along ideological lines.
Before late June, Justice Samuel Alito had only once in a decade on the court read his dissent from the bench, a practice generally reserved for important cases about which a justice feels strongly.
Alito announced his dissents in the affirmative action and abortion cases on the last two days the justices met to issue decisions. Both times, Justice Anthony Kennedy joined with the more liberal justices to form a majority.
Alito's upset with the outcome of cases continued even as the court issued a final set of orders on Tuesday. He wrote a stinging 15-page dissent to an order denying a religious liberty claim from pharmacists in Washington state who object to having to dispense emergency contraception.
"If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern," he wrote.
Operating with eight justices, the court was unable to decide four cases at all, including a test of Obama's plan to help millions of people living in the United States illegally and a challenge to the finances of public-sector labor unions. Both cases would have been decisive conservative victories, even as the tie over immigration effectively killed the president's plan.
In one other case, involving the Obama health care law, the justices produced a unanimous opinion that decided nothing. The case dealt with religious objections to the law's requirement that women covered by employer health plans have access to cost-free birth control. The justices ordered lower courts around the country to search for a compromise that would address the objections without impeding access to contraception.
"However you feel about the merits of a particular case, you should want the court to be able to do its job and declare what the law is, especially in cases of such profound national importance," said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center.
Barring the unexpected, the court still will be short-handed when the justices re-convene for the start of their new term on the first Monday in October. Depending on the election results, a new justice may not be confirmed until sometime next year.
The Senate's refusal to act on Obama's nomination of Judge Merrick Garland only heightens the role the presidential and congressional elections will play in determining the composition of the court. Scalia's seat is the first of several that probably will come open in the next few years. Ginsburg is 83, Kennedy will turn 80 next month and Justice Stephen Breyer's 78th birthday is in August. Thomas, who was 43 when he joined the court, will turn 70 during the next president's term.
Shapiro said the just-ended term might have marked "the end of an era." But at least until a ninth justice is confirmed, and as the term's biggest cases showed, Kennedy remains the court's pivotal vote. His majority opinion for a divided court in the University of Texas admissions case was the first time he'd voted to uphold an affirmative action plan in 28 years on the court.
Roberts announced the term's final case Monday, a unanimous decision overturning former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's corruption conviction.
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's vision improbably resembles past
WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trump laid out an economic future Tuesday that improbably resembles the past, declaring "it will be American steel" that once again builds gleaming skyscrapers and fortifies the bridges and American factories that broadly revive a manufacturing economy long gone.
In Trump's nostalgia-tinted vision, the complex and diverse U.S. economy can be fixed by tariffs, factory jobs and forcing foreign partners back to the bargaining table.
But to achieve it, he would have to reverse not only globalization, but automation, a changing workforce and other seismic shifts of a U.S. economy that has become more dependent on educated workers and the low prices made possible by international trade.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Alumisource, a metals recycling facility in Monessen, Pa. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
A look at his arguments and how they compare with the facts:
TRUMP: "Our Founding Fathers understood trade much better than our current politicians, believe me."
THE FACTS: Global trade looks radically different now compared with the 18th century. Goods are transported by tankers and jets, instead of frigates and clippers. Money flows electronically over computer connections, instead of the barter-heavy system common in colonial America.
Tariffs were used in America's early years to protect an emerging industrial economy, instead of the mature one that exists today, where automation is as much a threat to factory jobs as foreign trade. Tariffs raised the price of goods for the middle class while enabling robber barons and tycoons to live with few tax burdens, prompting U.S. voters in 1912 to back a more equitable tax structure while relying less on protecting the nation's industries. Their fix: the income tax.
The federal government collects just $35 billion in tariffs a sum that would need to increase roughly a hundredfold if Trump aims to finance the government in a manner similar to the Founding Fathers.
___
TRUMP: "When subsidized foreign steel is dumped into our markets, threatening our factories, the politicians have proven, folks, have proven they do nothing."
THE FACTS: Not exactly nothing.
The Obama administration slapped Chinese steelmakers with a combined 522 percent penalty this year.
Buttressed by government subsidies, Chinese mills churned out too much of the cold-rolled steel used for autos and other products. So the Chinese firms slashed steel prices and dumped their steel on U.S. shores. This prompted a complaint by five U.S. steelmakers in 2015, which the Commerce Department investigated as required before announcing the first of the new duties in March.
If Trump has any bone to pick, it might be that the required investigation took too long to protect U.S. mills fully from the Chinese dumping.
___
TRUMP: "This wave of globalization has wiped out our middle class."
THE FACTS: He's right that some of the blame for setbacks suffered by the blue-collar middle class belongs with outsourcing and offshoring to countries with cheaper wages. But the global economy does not deserve all of the blame.
Trump's explanation ignores other fundamental changes in the U.S. economy.
Millions of routine jobs have disappeared due to automation, among them assembly line work and office jobs, such as executive secretaries replaced by email and voicemail. Research by economists Henry Siu and Nir Jaimovich found that jobs have been prone to elimination because of automation since recessions in the 1990s.
Employers have also placed a greater value on higher education, leaving in the lurch those who have only high school degrees. The unemployment rate for college graduates is a low 2.4 percent, while 5.1 percent for high school graduates and 7.1 percent for high school dropouts.
___
TRUMP: "We tax and regulate and restrict our companies to death, then we allow foreign countries that cheat to export their goods to us tax-free. As a result, we have become more dependent on foreign countries than ever before."
THE FACTS: Dependence cuts both ways.
Those same foreign factories depend on U.S. customers for their products. So the same argument could be made that China has grown more dependent on the United States.
This includes Wal-Mart shoppers who prefer lower prices, rather than products made domestically. The Associated Press confirmed this preference in a survey this year that found roughly two-thirds of Americans would rather buy $50 pants sewn in Asia than $85 pants sewn in the United States. If prices rise too high, Americans will spend less and economic growth will slow.
Nor are foreign and U.S. factories necessarily in direct competition. Roughly half of imported goods are used by U.S. companies to put together finished products, according to the American Action Forum, a center-right advocacy organization.
___
TRUMP: "Today, we import nearly $800 billion more in goods than we export. This is not some natural disaster. It is a politician-made disaster."
THE FACTS: That's in the ballpark, but not the whole trade story.
The trade deficit on goods was $762.6 billion in 2015. But he neglects to include the valuable services that foreigners buy from U.S. firms. Those services reduced the total trade deficit to roughly $500 billion, according to the Census Bureau.
It's hard to see the problem as the sole fault of politicians. Many businesses chose to relocate their factories abroad in order to increase their profits, while others kept their production in the United States. Trump himself outsourced the stitching of his neckties and branded clothing to China, among other countries.
___
TRUMP: "We are one of the highest taxed nations in the world."
THE FACTS: This repeated claim by Trump is wrong. The U.S. tax burden is actually one of the lowest among the 34 developed and large emerging-market economies that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Taxes made up 26 percent of the total U.S. economy in 2014, according to the OECD. That's far below Sweden's tax burden of 42.7 percent, Britain's 32.6 percent or Germany's 36.1 percent. Only three OECD members had a lower figure: Chile, South Korea and Mexico.
Nicaragua expels 6 detained foreign environmental activists
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) Nicaragua has expelled six foreign environmental activists after they were detained on allegations of handling explosive substances without authorization, a lawyer and the Mexican government said Tuesday.
Monica Lopez Baltodano, an environmental attorney who has been in contact with authorities since the activists were taken into custody, said four Mexican nationals were deported to Honduras on Monday night and an Argentine and a Costa Rican were sent to Costa Rica.
Mexican Foreign Relations Department official Jacobo Prado also confirmed the deportation of the four Mexicans in comments to MVS Radio, saying they had been contacted and were in good health.
Nicaraguan authorities have not commented on the reason for the expulsions, but had announced that they would not file charges against the foreigners.
"They were released and deported without any official explanation," said Lopez Baltodano, the attorney.
The six activists were part of a caravan that has been holding workshops on ecological projects in poor Central American communities in recent months.
They were detained Saturday after there was an explosion during a workshop on making low-fuel-consumption ovens in a town in Nueva Guinea, in southern Nicaragua.
About two weeks ago, Nicaragua expelled three recently arrived U.S. government officials whom it accused of conducting anti-terrorism and -drug work without local authorization.
Earlier in June, Nicaraguan authorities detained and expelled a Mexican citizen who they alleged had faked his own disappearance to hurt the image of the Nicaraguan government.
Attorney: Woman who said senator raped her was sorry for lie
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) The prosecutor in the aborted trial of a suspended Vermont state senator says the woman accusing him of rape lied just once in her testimony and expressed remorse immediately afterward.
In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Deputy State's Attorney Diane Wheeler provided the clearest details yet on why she dropped two felony sexual assault charges against Sen. Norman McAllister, a Franklin County Republican.
Wheeler says the 21-year-old woman told a state's attorney's office staff member just after the first day of testimony ended that she had lied when she denied in testimony that she had befriended and kissed a man she worked with on McAllister's farm.
FILE - In a Wednesday, June 15, 2016 file photo, Vermont state Sen. Norman McAllister sits in court during the first day of his trial on two counts of sexual assault, in St. Albans, Vt. The lawyer for the accuser in McAllister's rape trial says the state decided to drop the charges after the accuser admitted outside the courtroom that she had lied on the witness stand about something not central to the case. That admitted lie came on top of numerous inconsistencies in five sworn statements the accuser gave in the case against McAllister.(Gregory J. Lamoureux/County Courier via AP, Pool, File)
The Latest: Dad, son could face death in rail worker slaying
KEMMERER, Wyo. (AP) The Latest on two men accused of kidnapping and killing a Utah train worker after tying up five women in a basement (all times local):
2:10 p.m.
A father and son could face the death penalty if convicted of abducting and killing a Utah rail-line worker while on the run from police after allegedly tying up five women in a basement.
FILE - This image provided by the Davis County Sheriff shows Flint Wayne Harrison. Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement, abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday, June 28, 2016. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Kay Porter Ricks. (Davis County Sheriff via AP, File)
Wyoming prosecutor Spencer Allred declined to say whether he'll seek capital punishment in the murder and kidnapping case filed against Flint and Dereck Harrison on Tuesday.
Authorities say the men were hiding out near where 63-year-old victim Kay Ricks was working on Salt Lake City's light-rail system. Prosecutors say they grabbed him during his May 12 shift and drove him in his transit authority truck to Wyoming, where they pulled off the road and beat him to death.
Two men were arrested after a dayslong manhunt and are being held on kidnapping and other charges in Utah.
___
12:45 p.m.
Wyoming prosecutors say a father and son on the run from police after tying up five women in a basement abducted and killed a Utah rail worker.
The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping Tuesday.
A police statement says an autopsy determined that 63-year-old Kay Porter Ricks died of blows to the head.
Ricks vanished during his May 12 shift maintaining Salt Lake City's light rail system. Police say the Harrisons were hiding out close to where Ricks was working after restraining a woman and her four teenage daughters.
Authorities say they later found Ricks' body along the route the Harrisons likely took to flee to Wyoming. His truck was found near their remote campsite.
FILE - This May 23, 2016, file photo, Dereck "DJ" Harrison leaves the courtroom at the Farmington, Utah, Courthouse. Harrison and his father on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday, June 28. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and Dereck James Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Kay Porter Ricks. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - In this May 18, 2016, file photo, a yellow ribbon is tied below a photo of Utah Transit Authority employee Kay Porter Ricks at the UTA Trax Ballpark station in Salt Lake City. A father and son on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday, June 28. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Ricks. (Jeffrey D. Allred/The Deseret News via AP) SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; TV OUT
FILE - This May 23, 2016, file photo, Flint Wayne Harrison enters the courtroom in Farmington, Utah. Harrison and his son on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday, June 28. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Kay Porter Ricks. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - In this May 19, 2016 file photo, searchers investigate the Utah Transit Authority pick-up truck of Kay Ricks of American Fork, in a wooded area about two miles north of Half Moon Lake near Pinedale, Wyo. A father and son on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Kay Porter Ricks, 63. (Stuart Johnson/The Deseret News via AP, File) SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; TV OUT /The Deseret News via AP) SALT LAKE TRIBUNE OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; TV OUT
FILE - This image provided by the Davis County Sheriff shows Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, 22. Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, on the run from police after tying up five women in a Utah basement, abducted and killed a rail line worker, Wyoming prosecutors said Tuesday, June 28, 2016. The Lincoln County Attorney's Office charged Flint Wayne Harrison and his son, Dereck James "DJ" Harrison, with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Kay Porter Ricks. (Davis County Sheriff via AP, File) (Davis County Sheriff via AP, File)
More abortion restrictions coming for La. women, doctors
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) While Louisiana's law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges may be jeopardized by this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, more limitations on the procedure are planned in the state.
Lawmakers enacted a half-dozen new abortion restrictions in the regular legislative session that ended earlier this month, lengthening waits for the procedure, toughening criteria for doctors who perform abortions and limiting second-trimester abortion options.
The new laws take effect Aug. 1.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, supported the provisions, describing himself in a statement as a "pro-life governor who wants to do everything we can to provide women with quality health care and reduce the number of abortions performed in Louisiana."
On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Louisiana has had a similar regulation since 2014 that has been on hold by a federal judge and appears threatened by the Supreme Court ruling.
Abortion rights groups have said they expect the latest regulations passed by Louisiana lawmakers to prompt court challenges. No lawsuits were immediately filed as the governor signed the bills, but they might be more likely after the provisions begin later this summer.
"Legal strategy is still being weighed about how and when to challenge the new restrictions, but no official decisions have been made," lawyer Ellie Schilling, who represents several of Louisiana's abortion clinics, said Tuesday in an email.
Lawmakers who sponsored the new laws and anti-abortion groups expressed confidence they could withstand court challenges.
Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, said officials with his organization "keep in mind that there is a court process" as they work with legislators on crafting abortion restrictions.
"It doesn't end in the Legislature. When the governor signs a bill, that's not the end of the day. You've got to have something that will withstand the judicial process," Clapper said.
Among the latest regulations, women in Louisiana will have to wait 72 hours after consulting with a doctor and get a mandatory ultrasound, joining at least five other states with the longest wait time in the country. The current 24-hour wait will stay in place for women who live 150 miles or more from the nearest abortion clinic.
Second-trimester abortion options will decrease, because Louisiana is banning the procedure called dilation and evacuation unless it's deemed necessary to prevent "serious health risk" to the mother.
Also starting in August, doctors who perform abortions will be required to be either board certified or certifiable in obstetrics and gynecology, or family medicine. Abortion providers will have to bury or cremate fetal remains.
And Planned Parenthood is threatened with loss of its Medicaid financing if the organization starts performing abortions in Louisiana.
Federal health officials have warned such defunding efforts may violate the law, and a federal judge has blocked previous Louisiana efforts to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood clinics. Organization leaders say they still will seek a license from Louisiana's health department to offer abortions at Planned Parenthood's new clinic in New Orleans.
"While the climate for Planned Parenthood in Louisiana is a hostile one, we refuse to allow politicians to take us back. We will keep advancing," Melaney Linton, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.
___
Puerto Rico oil firm owner arrested in $11M corruption case
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) A judge in Puerto Rico says there is sufficient evidence to arrest the owner of the U.S. territory's biggest oil supplier accused of misappropriating $11 million in public funds.
Jose Gonzalez Amador was held Tuesday on $110,000 bond. His attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
He and his company, PetroWest, are accused of charging the heavily indebted Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority a 0.5 percent municipal tax even though some municipalities granted them a lower rate or waived the tax altogether.
Justice officials say the charge was then passed on to consumers in recent years.
Lawmakers promise to complete rescue package for Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republican and Democratic leaders on Tuesday promised to complete a rescue package for debt-stricken Puerto Rico before a $2 billion debt payment comes due on Friday.
"Failure is really not an option," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters after meeting with his GOP caucus. Separately, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew lobbied Democrats to back the package in a last-minute bid to secure the votes and help the U.S. territory with its crippling $70 billion debt.
The package, backed by the White House, Democrats and Republicans, was passed by the House earlier this month and would create a control board that could oversee restructuring of some of the island's debt. A vote on the measure is scheduled on Wednesday.
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, joined by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, left, speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, warning of widespread consequences if the Senate fails to act before Friday on a rescue package for debt-stricken Puerto Rico. The U.S. territory is in a decade-long recession and owes a $2 billion debt payment to creditors on July 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Lew met with reluctant Democrats and urged them to vote for it, even though he said it isn't perfect.
"The fact that this works and it gives Puerto Rico the ability to move forward is just an overwhelming reason to pass this in a timeframe that prevents the descent into chaos," Lew said.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would vote for the legislation, though he opposes some parts of it, including a provision that would allow the island's government to lower the minimum wage for some younger workers.
Other Democrats said they would also back the bill.
"I'm not going to let the adequate be the enemy of the barely sufficient," said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee.
But others remained staunchly opposed. Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey monopolized the Senate floor for more than four hours Tuesday evening to protest the legislation that he warned adopts a colonial approach to the territory.
Menendez said ordinary Puerto Ricans get little say and the package favors hedge-fund creditors over island pensioners.
"I think the 3.5 million United States citizens who call Puerto Rico home deserve more than being jammed in a legislative process where their lives and their futures are going to be dictated by some time by a control board," Menendez said at the opening of his speech.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also spoke out against the legislation, calling it "disastrous" and arguing that it turns the United States into a colonial power.
The House is out of session until July 5, so the Senate will have to pass the House bill unchanged for it to head to the president's desk for his signature before the Friday deadline.
Some Republicans said they planned to vote against it as well.
"I'm just not sure we have enough in this bill to ensure they will make the difficult decisions they need to," North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said of the Puerto Rican government.
And a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Ohio and West Virginia threatened to vote against proceeding to the bill in an effort to force action on unrelated legislation that would help coal miners' pensions.
"If we're going to help Puerto Rico escape bankruptcy, we should also be helping the 90,000 coal miners in Ohio, West Virginia and elsewhere who are also suffering the effects of the coal bankruptcies," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said.
As several senators remained uncommitted, some bondholder groups worked to turn lawmakers against the bill, arguing that the measure doesn't protect bondholders and is tantamount to a bailout for the territory. Several labor unions also lobbied against the measure, arguing in a letter sent to senators that the minimum wage provision could take money out of the Puerto Rican economy.
Like Lew, Puerto Rican Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla made a last-minute visit to Capitol Hill to lobby for votes.
Investigators: Atlanta officer shot kidnap suspect in leg
ATLANTA (AP) An Atlanta police officer shot a kidnapping suspect in the leg following a chase early Tuesday, authorities said.
A woman was kidnapped Monday night in East Point and her sons got cellphone messages demanding a $100,000 ransom, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. Atlanta police spotted the suspects' vehicle with the woman inside early Tuesday and gave chase, police told WSB-TV.
The vehicle driven by a suspect crashed in southeast Atlanta, and an officer shot one suspect, 23-year-old Terenzio McCurty, when he emerged from the vehicle with a handgun, the GBI said.
Five suspects fled on foot. McCurty and another suspect, John Penceil, 50, were quickly caught. Another suspect, Joshua Fowler, 25, was found hiding in a nearby dumpster, and 43-year-old Demetrius Sims was found and taken into custody several hours later, the GBI said. Local news media outlets report that a fifth suspect is still at large.
McCurty was treated at the scene for his gunshot wound and then was taken to a hospital where he was in stable condition, the GBI said.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether any of the suspects had a lawyer who could comment.
The woman had been pistol whipped and was taken to a hospital for treatment, local media reported.
Can you hear them now? New buoy listens for singing whales
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) Scientists have deployed a buoy 22 miles off the coast of New York's Fire Island to monitor several species of great whales in "near real-time." The high-tech acoustic device will eavesdrop on the songs of the whales to better understand and safeguard their movements near two busy shipping lanes entering New York Harbor.
"We know they're there, but we know very little about them," said Dr. Howard Rosenbaum, director of Wildlife Conservation Society's Ocean Giants Program. His New York-based organization, in collaboration with the New York Aquarium, has teamed with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts on the research project.
Scientists last week deployed the buoy, which is four feet in diameter with a mast standing six feet above the sea surface south of Long Island. The buoy is connected by "stretch hoses" to a weighted frame that sits 125 feet below on the sea floor. The frame features high-tech listening devices connected to an underwater microphone.
In this Sept. 28, 2014 photo provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, two humpback whales dive inside what is called the New York Bight, with the New York City skyline in the background. Scientists have deployed a high-tech acoustic buoy in the Bight 22 miles off the coast of New York's Fire Island to monitor several species of great whales in "near real-time. The high-tech acoustic device will eavesdrop on the songs of the whales to better understand and safeguard their movements near two busy shipping lanes entering New York Harbor. (Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society via AP)
The devices will focus on obtaining data on the sounds of several species of baleen whales because they are endangered, said Dr. Mark Baumgartner of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The data will be transmitted back to scientists in near real-time, for analysis within about two hours, Rosenbaum said.
The buoy also will collect the sounds of other whales, but that information will be archived in the listening devices at the bottom of the sea and analyzed when the buoy is retrieved after a year, Baumgartner said.
The scientists noted that all whales rely on their acoustic environment to socialize and navigate, and they are vulnerable to underwater noise, ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements.
The research collected could help prevent ship strikes, and may be helpful as the federal government and New York state consider placing a massive wind energy farm offshore in the coming years.
The buoy has been placed inside what is called the New York Bight, which features busy shipping lanes and lucrative fishing grounds. The Bight is home to seven species of great whales, including the humpback whale known for its acrobatics and long, haunting songs and the blue whale. The highly endangered North Atlantic right whale one of the world's rarest whale species migrates through New York waters, and fin, sei, minke and sperm whales also have been seen or heard, the scientists said.
Similar buoys were deployed off the coasts of Massachusetts and Maine earlier this year, and a Cornell University project has deployed near real-time buoys in shipping lanes near Boston to help protect the animals from ship strikes in that area, Baumgartner said.
Scientists around the world deploy listening devices to study whales, but the projects off New York and New England are the only known projects that relay information in near real-time, he added.
---
Follow Eltman on Twitter at @feltman41.
Stephen Hawking: Greed, stupidity greatest threats to Earth
LOS ANGELES (AP) Physicist Stephen Hawking says pollution, greed and stupidity are the greatest threats to Earth.
Hawking told Larry King Now on Saturday that he's worried by overcrowding.
"We certainly have not become less greedy or less stupid," Hawking said. "Six years ago I was worrying about pollution and overcrowding. They have gotten worse since then."
Hawking and King also discussed artificial intelligence. Hawking says governments seem to be engaged in "an AI arms race."
"A rogue AI could be difficult to stop," the physicist said. "We need to ensure that AI is designed ethically with safeguards in place."
He also asked King whether his eight marriages are "a triumph of hope over experience."
Mothers, 4 children killed in fiery wreck near Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (AP) A fiery minivan wreck in northern Los Angeles County killed two mothers and their four children early Tuesday, while the two hysterical fathers of the families were held back from the fast-moving flames.
The minivan had come to rest partially in the right-hand lane after it was involved in a minor wreck on Interstate 5 near the community of Gorman, about 65 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. A semi-truck going about 55 mph slammed into the van from behind, sending it off the road and down an embankment, where it quickly caught fire, CHP Officer Frank Romero said.
The two fathers, who were in the driver's and passenger seats at the time of the crash, suffered burns trying to save their wives and four children, Romero said.
A heavy tow truck lifts a vehicle to the side of the 5 freeway as investigators look over the scene of an accident on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 in Gorman, Calif. A minivan got in a minor collision and stopped on the shoulder. It was still partially in a lane when a semitrailer hit it and it burst into flames with two women and children inside, California Highway Patrol Officer Monica Posada said. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP) NO FORNS; NO SALES; MAGS OUT; ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER OUT; LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS OUT; INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT, TV OUT
They were identified as 34-year-old Aaron Hon Wing Ng of San Francisco and 45-year-old Wei Xiong Li of Daly City. The names and ages of their wives and children weren't released.
Though the accident was under investigation, Romero said the impact of the crash would have been most severe in the back of the van and could have killed some of the passengers before the fire.
The impact in the back also is likely the reason the men were able to escape from the front, he said.
He said the sliding door on the driver's side of the van was jammed, but Li and Ng were able to open the sliding door on the passenger side.
"By the time they were able to open that door the flames were already overtaking the vehicle," Romero said.
The semi driver and two CHP officers who already had been on their way to the scene also scrambled to help save the families. The officers were singed on their arms and heads, according to CHP.
The fire was burning far too fast and hot for fire extinguishers or life-saving efforts to work, Romero said.
The CHP officers had to hold Li and Ng back from the van, he said.
"It's absolutely horrible," Romero said. "I can't imagine."
CHP Officer Dan Williams, who held the fathers back with his partner, told reporters at the scene that they arrived to see the van catch fire.
He said his partner tried to get through a door, but "the flames came at him, he had to back out."
"Words can't describe it," Williams said. "It was very horrific seeing them try to get their families out, us trying to help get their families out."
His partner, Jeff Burdick, said it was hard to pull Li and Ng away from the fire.
"We just held them," Burdick said. "That's all we could do."
Li and Ng were flown to a hospital and were listed in serious condition by Tuesday evening.
___
Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/amanda-lee-myers.
In this image made from video, a minivan burned on the side of Interstate 5, near the community of Gorman in Tejon Pass, about 65 miles north of downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, June 28, 2016. A fiery minivan wreck killed two mothers and their four children on a highway in northern Los Angeles County. The minivan got in a minor collision and stopped on the shoulder. It was still partially in a lane when a semitrailer hit it and it burst into flames with the women and children inside. KABC-7 via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
British-Lebanese TV host deported from Egypt to Beirut
BEIRUT (AP) A prominent dual British-Lebanese journalist who hosted a talk show critical of the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi arrived in Beirut on Tuesday after authorities in Cairo briefly detained her and then deported her, her lawyer said.
Lilian Daoud, a former BBC reporter, could not immediately be reached for comment. Her lawyer, Zyad el-Elaimy, wrote on his Twitter account that her first comment after landing in Beirut was that she will challenge the decision to deport her.
There was no formal explanation for Daoud's deportation from Egypt. An Egyptian security official, speaking Monday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said Daoud's residency permit expired after her contract with the private ONTV station in Egypt was terminated.
"It's the first time someone is deported in this fashion in Egypt," el-Elaimy told The Associated Press, speaking by telephone from Cairo. He said even criminals are asked to leave, not taken from their homes.
In a series of tweets which were her first public comment on the deportation, the Daoud recounted the details of how eight men, who showed no official documentation, came to her house half an hour after her contract with the private TV station was terminated.
The men demanded to see and seized her British passport and telephone, she said, treating her in a "boorish" manner in front of her 11-year old daughter, and her ex-husband, and declining to allow her to call a lawyer or her embassy.
After demanding her rights, the situation became tense, she said. One of the men threatened her to take her against her will, leaving her daughter in tears and her ex-husband tense.
"When I realized the situation is heading toward violence, I agreed to go down with them to a yet undisclosed location," she recounted.
At the airport, Daoud's requests to speak to her embassy or lawyer were again ignored, although apologies for the tension at home were offered, she said. She was also told that her deportation is based on "orders from sovereign authorities," a vague reference to the country's highest offices.
"I waited in the airport for what seemed like a life time," she said, adding that the officials took her visa card and pin number to pay for her deportation ticket. Her passport and phone were only returned once she was on the plane.
"I commit to fighting all legal and diplomatic avenues available to me to be able to return to Cairo as soon as possible, to be reunited with my daughter and be able to continue the life I have built for her there, close to her family and friends," she wrote, adding that she is proud of her work in Egypt.
El-Elaimy said her deportation is a new high in the government's crackdown on dissenting voices. He said authorities "are not prepared to hear any diverse voices or to hear anyone who is supportive" of the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak and ushered in a period of political instability in Egypt. Since the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has shown little tolerance for criticism, banning protests and taking programs off the air.
The decision to abruptly deport Douad shocked her colleagues and other public figures.
Mohammed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the Egyptian uprising's spiritual fathers who now lives in self-imposed exile, applauded Daoud for her professional reporting. "One day we may have enough self-confidence to understand the value of having different opinions," he said in a subtle jab at authorities.
Daoud formerly worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation, and lived in London before moving to Egypt with her daughter following the outbreak of the 2011 protests.
Her talk show aired critical views of el-Sissi's government. In her program, "The Full Picture" on ONTV, she hosted protesters, youth leaders as well as government officials. During the brief rule of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, she also hosted critics of the Islamist group.
El-Elaimy said she had applied to renew her residency nearly a year ago but that authorities did not respond, leaving her in limbo. He said Daoud has a right to return to Cairo because she has custody of her daughter.
Satirical TV host Bassem Youssef once described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt and whose program was taken off the air for his criticism of the government- said her arrest is "just the beginning."
Prosecutor urges governor to deny parole for Manson follower
LOS ANGELES (AP) The Los Angeles district attorney is urging Gov. Jerry Brown to reject parole for a follower of mass murderer Charles Manson.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey released a letter Tuesday she sent to Brown saying that Leslie Van Houten should stay in prison for her role in the brutal 1969 killings.
Van Houten is serving life for the first-degree murders of wealthy grocer Leno La Bianca and his wife, Rosemary.
The couple were fatally stabbed a day after other "Manson family" members killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others.
A parole board recommended in April that Van Houten be freed. Brown has until mid-September to block her release.
Experts repair flight recorder from crashed EgyptAir jet
A flight recorder recovered from the doomed EgyptAir jet, which claimed the life of a Briton when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, has been repaired.
Richard Osman, a 40-year-old father of two, originally from Carmarthen, Wales, was on board the the Airbus A320 when it crashed in May.
Flight MS804 - carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members from Paris to Cairo - went down about halfway between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt's coastline, or around 175 miles offshore, after take-off from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Richard Osman was killed when EgyptAir flight MS804 crashed (Centamin/PA)
Before it disappeared from radar screens around 2.45am Cairo time (12.45am GMT), the plane spun all the way around and suddenly lost altitude.
Search teams have since recovered the damaged cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
The damaged electronic boards arrived in Paris on Monday - the flight data recorder has since been fully repaired according to a statement released by the Egyptian investigation committee.
The cause of the crash is yet to be established, but prosecutors in Paris have opened a manslaughter inquiry, saying there is not yet any evidence to link the crash to terrorism.
Queen jokingly tells Martin McGuinness 'I'm still alive'
The Queen has made light of her advancing years during a meeting with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, telling the politician - "I'm still alive".
With her 90th birthday celebrations dominating the monarch's year, she joked with Mr McGuinness telling him the milestone anniversary had been marked twice.
The pair met yesterday at Hillsborough Castle as the Queen began a two-day visit to Northern Ireland with the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen meets Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Hillsborough Castle
In footage, Mr McGuinness can be overheard greeting the monarch with the words "Are you Well?" and the Queen replied with a smile "Thank you very much - I'm still alive".
The meeting between the former IRA commander was in contrast to the first time they shook hands at a cultural event in Belfast's Lyric theatre in 2012.
That first greeting was away from the media spotlight behind closed doors - but later at the same event the historic handshake was repeated in public, with Mr McGuinness offering the Queen parting words in Irish, which meant "Goodbye and God's speed."
At Hillsborough Castle, a few more moments of the meeting were captured on camera, and the Queen told the politician "Been quite busy, there's quite a lot going on."
US Army veteran blames Brexit vote for tram race hate incident
A US Army veteran racially abused on a tram says Brexit "maybe has pushed people to somehow justify that they think it's OK now to act out in this way".
Juan Jasso was targeted by three youths as shocked commuters looked on during the incident on a tram in Manchester city centre on Tuesday morning.
The sport lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and rugby league coach has spoken of how he decided to confront the rowdy passengers for using bad language.
Police made three arrests after the incident
Footage taken by a fellow commuter shows one youth telling Mr Jasso: "Don't chat s*** when you're not even from England, you little f****** immigrant. Get off the f****** tram now. Get back to Africa."
One of the youths, who all appear to be holding bottles of beer, then approaches and flicks alcohol from the bottle at his victim.
As the youths get off, Mr Jasso says "seven years in the military", as other commuters tell the three: "You are an absolute disgrace. A disgrace to England."
The youths walk away shouting: "Salford! F****** immigrant!"
Mr Jasso, from Todmorden, Yorkshire, who was a signals intelligence analyst for the US Army, told Channel 4 News: "It was a bit of a surreal moment because initially it was just me asking those individuals just to watch their language.
"Obviously it was really early in the morning, there was children about and I could tell from other people's faces on the tram they didn't really appreciate the language which they were using. So I thought I would step up and say something, and I didn't really appreciate it either."
Mr Jasso, who has worked with the London Broncos rugby league team, said he did not feel threatened by the youths but said it was up to individuals to decide what they would do in a similar situation.
He said: "Obviously you don't know what can happen from a situation whenever you challenge anyone because you don't know who they are, their background or anything, and how they are going to react."
Asked if the thought the political atmosphere surrounding Brexit had contributed to the situation, Mr Jasso said: "I think there was an undertone there before this Brexit and the voting within the referendum but I think the result maybe has pushed people to somehow justify that they think it's OK now to act out in this way which obviously it's not.
"It's not acceptable in any terms, in any way, shape or form because obviously people feel threatened by it and, you know, people are coming here to contribute.
"And no matter what anybody says they have that right to come here and choose to live here and they should not be discriminated for that."
Mr Jasso said it was only the second incident of its type he had experienced in his 18 years in the UK.
He said: "It hasn't affected me in any way, shape or form because I have a little girl here now and I consider this my home, and I have got many many friends here, friends who I consider my family. I know a lot of people here and this place for me is now my home."
Within hours of the footage emerging, Greater Manchester Police arrested two men, aged 20 and 18, and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of affray.
Sex worker's killer 'stole her money to buy food and cannabis'
A lorry driver's assistant who beat a sex worker to death in a managed red light area stole her money to buy takeaway food, cigarettes and cannabis, a jury has been told.
Lewis Pierre, 24, has admitted the manslaughter of Daria Pionko, whose battered body was found near Leeds city centre three days before Christmas last year.
But a jury was told that Pierre denied murdering the 21-year-old - a Polish national who came to the UK 10 months before she was killed.
Sex worker Daria Pionko was killed just ten months after coming to Britain from Poland
Prosecutor Kama Melly QC said the victim's friend and fellow prostitute, who found Ms Pionko's badly injured body, described her face as "massacred".
Opening the case at Leeds Crown Court, Ms Melly said it was likely Pierre had used his steel-toe-capped work boots to inflict some of the injuries.
The prosecutor explained how Ms Pionko had gone out to work with her friend on December 22 last year in the Holbeck area of Leeds.
She said this was in a "managed red light area", which was a term, she said, that could cause confusion.
Ms Melly explained to the jury how this did not mean that prostitutes and their customers were "in some way checked in and out".
Instead, she said, it was an area away from schools and housing for which Leeds City Council and the police had drawn up an agreement so prostitutes and clients could operate without being arrested.
This also allowed sex workers to access local services aimed at helping them, she said.
Ms Melly said that Pierre had worked a day-long shift helping a delivery driver who told police the defendant had no money with him and had eaten no food all day.
The prosecutor told the jury that, after attacking Ms Pionko and leaving her in a secluded spot in the red light area, he got a lift from a friend, stopping to buy kebab meat and chips with four cans of drink at a takeaway.
She said the defendant also stopped to buy cigarettes at a garage on his way to his home in the Meanwood area of Leeds.
The following day, Ms Melly said, Pierre turned up at work with money, cigarettes and some cannabis.
"The prosecution suggest that the money the defendant had spent on these things was clearly the money he had taken from Daria the night before," she said.
Ms Melly said the victim was found seriously injured by her friend who had become concerned when she did not return to their meeting point.
She said this woman, also a sex worker, turned her friend over and "described her face as massacred".
The woman then flagged down a passing Leeds City Council security officer. Police and paramedics were called but Ms Pionko was pronounced dead in hospital later that night.
A post-mortem examination found that Ms Pionko suffered injuries to her face, neck and body, including bruising to her brain and fractures to her face.
Ms Melly said it was likely that Pierre had used his feet in the attack and the victim's blood was found on his steel-toe-capped boots.
She said there had been at least seven blows and the injuries suggested some were inflicted when Ms Pionko was already on the ground.
The prosecutor said it was a "sustained and forceful attack upon her".
She said she was left "beaten, bruised and fractured".
Ms Melly said that Ms Pionko's family in Poland did not realise she was a sex worker, thinking that she worked in a bar in Leeds.
Pierre, from Meanwood, Leeds, has admitted robbery and manslaughter.
He denies murder.
Serena Williams shrugs off pressure of Steffi Graf's record
Defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has insisted she is not burdened by the pressure of chasing a 22nd grand slam title to emulate Steffi Graf.
Williams swept past Amra Sadikovic 6-2 6-4 at Wimbledon on Tuesday, to book a second-round clash with fellow American Christina McHale.
The 34-year-old has stalled on 21 major titles since claiming her sixth crown at SW19 last year, but remains bullish about her chances of drawing level with Graf's open-era record.
Serena Williams eased through round one of Wimbledon
"I think more or less about winning Australia, I think about winning the French Open; didn't happen," said Williams.
"I think about winning Wimbledon. I don't necessarily think about winning 22.
"Mentally I've been further down than anyone can be. Well, maybe not anyone, but I've been pretty low.
"There's nothing that's mentally too hard for me."
Williams eased to her 80th career victory at Wimbledon to open Tuesday's Centre Court programme, in a straight-sets win where she was rarely troubled by the world number 148.
The top seed then rejected any notion of struggling under the weight of expectation or grand slam pressure in that continued bid to catch Graf.
"Obviously it means a lot to me, probably means more to me than to anyone, anyone," said Williams, talking about her determination to continue winning major titles.
"It's definitely something you just have to deal with.
"It's coming to a way that you deal with it. It's 'how are you going to deal with it'?
"For me it's dealing with it the best that I can."
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki will drop out of the top 50 after her straight-sets, first-round defeat to Svetlana Kuznetsova at Wimbledon.
World number 14 Kuznetsova dispatched Denmark's Wozniacki 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court on Tuesday, to book a second-round clash with British wild-card entry Tara Moore.
Wozniacki rose to number one in the world in 2010, managing to hold the top spot for 67 weeks.
Nearly 50 dead in Istanbul airport terror attack
Foreign Office officials have said they are "urgently seeking further information" following explosions at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, in which nearly 50 people are believed to have been killed and dozens of others injured .
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond described himself as "shocked" and said "we stand ready to help" after r eports from Turkey suggested up to three attackers detonated the explosives at the entrance of the international terminal before breaching the X-ray security check and opening fire.
Police are believed to have returned fire in an attempt to minimise the number of casualties. The attack is thought to have been carried out by Islamic State (IS) radicals.
Nearly 50 are said to have died in the attack (AP)
Prime Minister David Cameron described the terrorist attack as "hideous".
Mr Cameron, in Brussels for what is likely to be his final EU summit meeting with fellow leaders, said the UK would continue to work with the other countries after Brexit on "keeping our countries safe, keeping our people safe - and it's particularly important to say that tonight again when there has been another hideous terrorist attack in Turkey".
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in close contact with authorities in Istanbul and urgently seeking further information following an incident at Ataturk Airport.
"Our staff in Istanbul and London stand ready to support any British nationals affected."
A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said: "Following an incident at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, travellers to Istanbul are advised to follow the advice of the local authorities and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
"The Foreign Office currently advises that British tourists visiting Turkey should avoid demonstrations or large gatherings and remain vigilant."
British Airways passengers on flight BA680 from London Heathrow to Ataturk were returned to the UK in the wake of the blasts.
The flight had been due to land at around 11.40pm local time (9.40pm BST), shortly after the explosions.
A BA spokesman said: "We had one flight to Ataturk airport that has turned around and is coming back to London Gatwick.
"We don't have any other services scheduled today and we will keep the situation under review."
BBC correspondent Mark Lowen, speaking from a grounded plane on the Ataturk runway, told the corporation: "We are being kept on board the plane and not being allowed to disembark because of what's happening inside the airport.
"We are not being told when we will be allowed to leave the aircraft, of course.
"I have lived here for two years and often thought coming into this airport it is a potentially vulnerable place and an attack could take place here because cars are not searched very often coming into the airport area.
"That said, as you come into the terminal building there are X-ray machines and scanners."
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport, which has several daily flights to Istanbul, said: "The safety and security of our passengers and colleagues is our highest priority.
"We are closely monitoring the ongoing situation at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport and are working with our airline partners to determine what effect this may have on flights.
"We ask passengers travelling to Istanbul to first check their flight status with their airline."
Turkey has suffered several deadly attacks in recent months which have been blamed on Kurdish separatists or IS.
Several of the bombings targeted areas popular with tourists while another attack on a military barracks in Ankara killed 28 people.
The latest attack comes just months after Brussels was hit by suicide bombings at the airport and on the Metro.
Harry 'hooked on Lesotho' as he urges help in fight against HIV/Aids
Prince Harry has called for more to be done to combat HIV/Aids as he kicked off an energetic Coldplay set during his charity concert.
He said the disease "thrives off silence and feeds on stigma".
In his speech to the 3,000 strong crowd at Kensington Palace, Harry said: "Tonight you've been learning a little bit about Lesotho, a beautiful mountain kingdom I first travelled to when I was 19.
Prince Harry speaks during a concert hosted by his charity Sentebale in Kensington Palace Gardens, London, to raise awareness and funds for adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
"What I saw there was a country with significant challenges; some of the world's most vulnerable young people, robbed of their childhoods."
He said: "In some cases the 'lady of the house' was a 12-year-old girl looking after her brothers and sisters.
"But what I remember most from that first visit was learning that this was a country with joy in its heart - a country that faced its challenges with warmth, optimism, and courage.
"It didn't take me long to be hooked on the country and to the irresistible smiles of its children."
Headlined by Coldplay, the Sentebale concert raised funds for children with HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa.
The charity provides psychosocial care for young people with the disease to help educate them and give them support.
Harry continued: "Sentebale has helped tens of thousands of children in just over a decade.
"This is a topic that has drifted from the headlines, but remains an urgent challenge.
"What we know is that HIV is a virus that thrives off silence and feeds on stigma.
"Every single one of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves.
"To do what we can to speak out and stamp out the silence, ignorance, and fear that the virus needs to win."
Harry set up the charity after his gap year to Lesotho in 2004.
The country's Prince Seeiso, younger brother of King Letsie III, and Harry established Sentebale in memory of their mothers.
Sentebale means forget me not, which Harry later found out was his mother Diana, Princess of Wales's favourite flower growing up.
Other performers who entertained the crowds included Joss Stone and spoken work artist George the Poet.
The event was hosted by ITV's Tom Bradby.
The band performed fresh from Glastonbury, pleasing the crowd with favourites Paradise, Clocks and Fix You.
Harry joined Coldplay on stage for the finale of the concert, clapping along with the crowd.
Prince Seeiso and the Basotho youth choir also took to the stage for Coldplay's final song of the night Up&Up.
Harry to take on mother's cause by making fight against HIV a priority
Prince Harry is to follow in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales and make the fight against HIV a major part of his public work.
Harry is to speak at an international Aids conference in South Africa next month and will carry out other high profile events including meeting doctors and nurses caring for HIV-positive patients in South London and visit an innovative sexual health service.
His decision has been welcomed by HIV charities and organisations who have said his involvement with the issue will help shine a spotlight on the "epidemic" of people contracting the virus.
Prince Harry and Joss Stone (left) watch members of the Basotho Youth Choir during their rehearsals at the Brit School ahead of a performance at the Sentebale Concert.
Diana was the first member of the royal family to have contact with a person suffering from HIV/Aids.
In the late 1980s when many still believed the disease could be contracted through casual contact, she sat on the sickbed of a man with Aids and held his hand.
Both publicly and privately she supported the work of those helping patients, with late-night trips to east London's Mildmay HIV hospice, and serving as patron of the NAT (National Aids Trust).
Harry's charity Sentebale already focuses on supporting HIV positive young people in the African nation of Lesotho but the prince now aims to spread the message to his generation that the fight against HIV/Aids has not yet been won, Kensington Palace has said.
The Prince hopes to convene leading figures in this sector and support their vital work in ensuring that everyone - and young people in particular - get the help they deserve, his office added.
Diana was the NAT's patron from 1991 until her death in 1997, supporting the policy and campaigning organisation which attempts to inform opinion.
Deborah Gold, the organisation's chief executive, said: "I think the focus on HIV in the UK has moved but it continues to be an issue with rising numbers every year - getting attention on that gets more and more difficult.
"I think Prince Harry really focuses on that and will help to draw attention to that. It's something he genuinely cares about and his charity Sentebale has been work with this for 10 years."
She described the numbers of people contracting the virus as an epidemic, with the latest figures from Public Health England showing in 2014 there were an estimated 103,700 people living with the disease in the UK, with 17% of these not aware of their infection.
In 2014 almost 85,500 people were accessing HIV treatment and care, more than double the number (41,157) in 2004, and a 5% increase on 2013.
Ian Green, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "We warmly welcome Prince Harry's commitment to helping tackle the HIV epidemic here in the UK, and look forward to working with His Royal Highness to tackle stigma, increase testing and prevent HIV transmission."
He added: "Incredible medical progress has been made in HIV treatment over the last 20 years, but attitudes and awareness of HIV haven't kept up with these advances.
Railway sex attacker as young as 11 - police
A boy thought to be as young as 11 has sexually assaulted a woman in a railway station booking hall.
The assailant laughed as he left the scene at Stockport and later returned and spat at rail staff.
British Transport Police is appealing for witnesses to the incidents which happened at about 3.45pm on Friday June 24.
Police are examining a saliva sample from the child suspect
Pc Rebecca Swift said: "The victim was waiting with her boyfriend in the booking hall of the station when she was inappropriately touched by a young boy who then left the station laughing.
"He returned a short while later and began messing around by the ticket barriers at the Edgeley side of the station. Station staff asked him to leave and he responded by spitting at them.
"The victim of the sexual assault was left feeling humiliated and shocked by what happened. A saliva sample was collected following the incident, and officers are now working to try to identify the boy.
"If you witnessed what happened it is vital we hear from you as any information could be crucial to our investigation.
"We take all reports of this nature very seriously and our Report It to Stop It campaign, which aims to combat unwanted sexual behaviour on the railway by encouraging members of the public to report it, is proving very successful in supporting victims and bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice."
The boy is described as white, about 11, with short dark hair, and was wearing a black bubble jacket with a hood, black trousers and black trainers.
By Evie Blad. Cross-posted from Rules for Engagement .
U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. urged charter school leaders Tuesday to use the same innovative approach theyve applied to issues like coursework and school design to rethink their approaches to school discipline and to cut back on student suspensions.
Discipline is a nuanced and complicated issue, King said in a prepared speech at the National Charter School Conference in Nashville. Yet the public discussion of these issues is often binary -- pitting one extreme against another. Its zero tolerance or chaos. Authoritarian control or no discipline at all. So, Ill say up front: I am not here to offer any hard-and-fast rules or directives; but I believe the goal for all schools should be to create a school culture that motivates students to want to do their best, to support their classmates and to give back to their community, and to communicate to our students and educators in ways big and small that their potential is unlimited.
Charter school critics have often criticized the independently run public schools, saying they rely too heavily on punitive discipline practices to push out unsuccessful students. And civil rights advocates have complained that charter schools are often left out of state- and school-level policy changes and monitoring that have led to fewer suspensions in some school systems.
Charter School Suspension Data
In an analysis of federal data collected during the 2011-12 school year, researchers from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California Los Angeles found in March that, like district-run schools, charter schools suspend students of color and students with disabilities at higher rates than their peers who are white and without disabilities.
The authors found suspension rates at about 5,000 charter schools were slightly higher than those at traditional public schools in most categories, I wrote in a blog post at the time. On the whole, charter schools suspended about 7.8 percent of students that year at least once, compared to 6.7 percent of students at traditional public schools.
Recently released data from the 2013-14 school year shows suspensions have dropped in all public school sectors , King said, but disparities between different student groups remain.
So my challenge to you is this: dont get caught up in battles about whether charters are a little better or a little worse than average on discipline, King said. Instead, focus on innovating to lead the way for the sake of our students.
King challenged charter schools to explore how issues like staff training, awareness of implicit bias, and the wording of discipline policies affect suspension rates. And he singled out some charter schools in his remarks, applauding their work on the issue: The Camino Nuevo Charter Academies in Los Angeles, which have weekly meetings of student success teams to discuss how to support struggling students; and the Mastery Charter Schools in Philadelphia and Camden, where new teachers complete summer training on restorative practices, student trauma, and culturally responsive teaching.
As part of its efforts on school discipline, the Education Department has supported the creation of school discipline resources for charter school s by the National Charter Schools Resource Center that include professional development tools, examples of best practices and a tool kit for educators.
A group of national charter school partners is collaborating with the department to support charter schools adoption of guiding principles and best practices for school climate and approaches to discipline that strengthen the school community, the federal agency said in a news release. Organizations on the steering committee include NewSchools Venture Fund , the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools , the Charter School Growth Fund , the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Democrats for Education Reform .
School Discipline Has Been a Major Focus for the Obama Administration
The Obama administration has made school discipline a major focus of its civil rights agenda.
In 2014, the Education Department teamed with the U.S. Department of Justice to release first-of-its kind guidance to inform public schools that school discipline policies that lead to higher suspension rates for some groups of students may run afoul of federal civil rights laws, even if they were written without discriminatory intent.
The guidance resulted from the work of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, a collaboration that the two federal agencies launched in 2011 to address whats known as the school-to-prison pipeline, the term critics use for policies that they say result in unnecessary and inappropriate referrals from schools to the criminal justice system. Advocates for school-discipline reform have argued that such policies disproportionately impact minority racial and ethnic groups.
Photo: U.S. Secretary of Education John King chatted with Education Week earlier this month. --Swikar Patel/Education Week.
Related reading on school discipline and charter schools:
Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.
Contact Sarah Tully at stully@epe.org .
Follow @ParentAndPublic for the latest news on schools and parental involvement.
Dont miss another K-12 Parents and the Public post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox.
Blair 'misrepresented facts' over Iraq chemical weapons, claims Hans Blix
Tony Blair "misrepresented the facts" when he told MPs about Iraq's chemical weapon capabilities, former UN inspector Hans Blix has claimed.
The former prime minister is also accused of being "dishonest" in the lead up to the invasion in 2003, in a BBC Panorama programme to be aired on Wednesday night.
Iraq: The Final Judgement interviewed former weapons inspector Mr Blix and former Labour minister Claire Short - who stepped down as international development secretary in protest at the war in 2003.
Tony Blair 'misrepresented the facts' about Iraq's chemical weapons, Hans Blix has claimed
The programme comes a week before the Chilcot Inquiry into the war, and the lead up to it, is due to release its findings.
Mr Blix told the programme that what Mr Blair told MPs "did not represent the reality", but that did not suggest he acted in bad faith, adding: "Many people bring themselves to believe something that they want to believe."
The Swedish diplomat and politician added: "I think Blair had a feeling that this was an evil regime and that it was a moral thing to do away with it.
"And I don't think that's an evil thought, but I think it was a presumptuous thought that the UK and the US alone should do that."
Sir John Chilcot's inquiry was set up in 2009 by then prime minister Gordon Brown after the withdrawal of the main body of British troops earlier that year.
The British presence in Iraq, named Operation Telic, resulted in the deaths of 179 service personnel.
The inquiry examined the lead up to the 2003 invasion, and the years up to the 2009 withdrawal.
The report's long-awaited publication follows 130 sessions of oral evidence, and the testimony of more than 150 witnesses.
The inquiry has analysed more than 150,000 government documents, as well as other material related to the invasion.
Giving evidence in 2010, Mr Blair said he was convinced by the intelligence reports he was receiving that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein did have weapons of mass destruction.
He acknowledged some of the reports he was given warned some of the intelligence was "sporadic and patchy", but said throughout the build-up to the invasion, advice from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) - the UK's most senior intelligence body - was that Saddam was continuing his WMD programmes.
"It is hard to come to any other conclusion than that this person is continuing WMD programmes," he said at the time.
"When you are the prime minister and the Joint Intelligence Committee is giving you this information, you have got to rely on the people doing it, with the experience and with the commitment and integrity as they do.
"Of course now, with the benefit of hindsight, we look back on the situation differently.
He also strongly defended his claim in the Government's Iraq dossier, published in September 2002, that the intelligence had established "beyond doubt" that Iraq had WMD.
Ms Short, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 to 2010, told Panorama that the invasion would be Mr Blair's "legacy".
She told the programme "what was known, which was very little indeed, was then exaggerated way beyond to give this imminent threat", adding; "I mean that's just dishonest. There's no question about it."
She went on: "I think he'd [Tony Blair] made up his mind to be with [George] Bush. And we were massaged and deceived to get us there when it was a manipulation of us - that is us, the parliament, the cabinet, British public opinion, American public opinion by people who were determined to take military action from the beginning."
Hungary committed to hold planned migrant quota referendum
BUDAPEST, June 27 (Reuters) - Hungary will go ahead with a planned referendum on future European Union quotas for resettling migrants, a Hungarian government spokesman said on Monday.
"The government is determined, and has no reason not to hold (the vote)," spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told Reuters. "It has never been more relevant to ask what the people think."
Poland wants Europe to go slow with Britain
By Marcin Goettig and Jan Lopatka
WARSAW/PRAGUE, June 27 (Reuters) - Poland joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday in saying Britain should be allowed time to prepare for its negotiations on leaving the European Union.
Britons stunned global financial markets and world leaders by voting in last Thursday's referendum to leave the EU.
Some European politicians have called for a quick divorce. But British Prime Minister David Cameron, who plans to quit in the autumn, has said it will be his successor who starts the formal exit process by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
"We need a longer period of reflection (on Brexit)," Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told state broadcaster TVP Info before leaving for Prague to meet his counterparts from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany and France.
"This cannot be a hasty action consisting of forcing Britain out as fast as possible," he said.
Earlier Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, said she did not want to pressure London to slow or accelerate its exit. A German government spokesman said Merkel was pursuing a "calm and reasoned" approach to relations with Britain.
After the Prague meeting, Slovakia -- which takes over the rotating EU presidency for six months in July -- and the Czech Republic said there was some room to wait but Britain should start the process soon nevertheless.
"It is not necessary to rush ... We don't have a legal vacuum but the legal situation does not correspond to the political situation. And that is not right," said Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak.
EU REFORM
Poland's Waszczykowski also called for reforms to limit the EU's impact on member states' national political agendas, saying Europeans did not want "to hand the European Union into the hands of technocrats".
Poland's eurosceptic government is currently at loggerheads with Brussels over a range of issues including its reform of the constitutional court.
The east Europeans - net beneficiaries of the EU budget - have been quick to reaffirm their allegiance to the bloc after the Brexit vote, while also arguing that European integration should not come at the detriment of national interests.
"We agreed that the debate on the future of the EU must take place on the platform of 27 states and that the key ones who should lead it are leaders of the individual member states, the member states themselves, the European Council," Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said.
ECB's Draghi expresses sadness at Brexit vote as markets plunge
SINTRA, Portugal, June 27 (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Mario Draghi expressed "sadness" on Monday at Britain's vote to leave the European Union, which has roiled global markets and raised questions about the future of the EU.
The Brexit vote has pummelled the pound and hammered banking shares, leaving investors waiting for a response from major central banks.
In his first comments on the result of last Thursday's referendum, Draghi said: "Sadness is the best word for what we feel when we witness changes of this magnitude."
Draghi, who was opening the ECB's annual forum on central banking in Sintra, Portugal, will fly to Brussels on Tuesday, where he is expected to brief European leaders about the impact of the UK vote on the euro zone at a two-day European Council meeting.
A panel discussion with the heads of the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve, scheduled for Wednesday in Sintra, has since been cancelled.
U.S. troubled by trial of Bahraini activist for critical tweets
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - Bahrain's plan to try an activist for tweets condemning the Gulf Arab kingdom's prison system and involvement in the war in Yemen is worrisome to the United States, the U.S. State Department said on Monday.
Rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was arrested earlier this month on unspecified charges in what appears to be an escalating crackdown on dissent by the Sunni-led government, could face up to 13 years in prison, his lawyer said on Sunday.
"We are concerned that Nabeel Rajab will face trial for a series of tweets he published last year," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters at a briefing in Washington.
"The United States believes no one should be prosecuted or imprisoned for engaging in peaceful expression or assembly, even if considered controversial," she added.
Bahrain, which hosts the United States' Fifth Fleet and is seen by Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdoms as a strategic bulwark against Iranian influence, drew U.S. and United Nations criticism earlier this month when it moved to strip its top Shi'ite cleric of his citizenship and closed the main Shi'ite opposition group al-Wefaq.
It had accused both of being linked to Iran and of fomenting sectarian tensions in the island kingdom, charges they have denied.
Jalila Sayed, Rajab's lawyer, told supporters on Sunday that Rajab faces a prison term for tweets he made last year accusing security forces of torturing detainees in a main prison and of killing civilians in a war led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Bahraini officials deny systematic human rights abuses and have accused the opposition of stirring sectarian hatred in the kingdom and serving the interests of their rival, Shi'ite Iran.
FDA places Regulus' Hep C drug on clinical hold; shares dive
June 27 (Reuters) - Regulus Therapeutics Inc said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed on clinical hold the company's drug to treat chronic hepatitis C virus infection, sending its shares plunging 60 percent in extended trading.
The FDA initiated the clinical hold on the drug, RG-101, after Regulus reported a second serious adverse event of jaundice, the company said on Monday.
However, Carlsbad, California-based Regulus said timelines for three on-going studies of RG-101 are not expected to be impacted and that the company remains on track to deliver follow-up results from the studies. ]
Cuban hotel becomes first to operate under U.S. brand
By Sarah Marsh
HAVANA, June 27 (Reuters) - A large "Four Points by Sheraton" sign has gone up outside the Havana hotel that this week becomes the first in Cuba to operate under a U.S. brand since the 1959 revolution.
The military-owned Gaviota 5th Avenue Hotel, close to the Caribbean seafront, is one of two hotels that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide agreed to manage in a multimillion-dollar deal with Cuba in March.
For decades, such arrangements have been prohibited under the U.S. economic embargo of the Communist-ruled island. But while the embargo remains in place, the Obama administration has loosened restrictions on trade and investment since it announced a detente with Cuba in December 2014.
"This is a historic moment," said Nancy Sarabia, public relations manager for the hotel, adding that the official inauguration would take place on Tuesday. She called the hotel "a symbol of brotherhood and collaboration."
Starwood is the first U.S. company to commit major money to Cuba since Fidel Castro and his bearded rebels overthrew a pro-American government on Jan. 1, 1959.
The company said it would not close the 5th Avenue Hotel while it refurbished it, a process that would take several months. Workers were re-painting the lobby on Monday.
According to Starwood's website, it will start operating state-owned Gran Caribe Inglaterra Hotel under its Luxury Collection brand on Aug. 31.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called the embargo a failure and Washington is increasingly issuing special permissions to companies to do business with Cuba.
Florida-based Stonegate Bank has received permission to issue credit cards for use in Cuba. On Monday, Cuba confirmed these could be used to withdraw cash in the country.
These examples remain exceptions to the rule. Only the U.S. Congress can completely remove the Cuba embargo, and the Republican majority leadership wants it in place as long as Cuba's one-party state represses domestic political opponents and holds a media monopoly.
Many U.S. business executives see Cuba as a missed opportunity and have stepped up interest since the detente. Among those are U.S. hotel chain executives, keen to get in on Cuba's recent tourism boom.
Cuba had 1.5 million tourists visit in the first four months of 2016, up 13.5 percent from a year earlier, partly due to relaxed U.S. travel restrictions.
Those numbers are expected to balloon if the United States lifts its travel ban altogether.
At Gaviota 5th Avenue Hotel, bookings are already unavailable for several future dates, with rooms going for nearly $200 a night.
Most holders of Brazil's Estacio back Kroton bid -source
By Juliana Schincariol
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 27 (Reuters) - At least 52 percent of shareholders in Brazilian for-profit college operator Estacio Participacoes SA have voiced their support for rival Kroton Educacional SA's unsolicited, all-stock bid, which could become hostile "if necessary," a source with direct knowledge of the situation said on Monday.
The source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the offer, which values each share of Estacio at the equivalent of 1.25 share of Kroton, is final. The source did not identify the shareholders who have endorsed Kroton's proposal.
The companies declined to comment. Kroton, the world's biggest for-profit education company by market value, announced the plan to take over Estacio on June 2.
Going hostile would depend on how Estacio's board responds to the Kroton bid, the source added, without elaborating. Some of Estacio's larger holders, such as OppenheimerFunds Inc, could demand a shareholder assembly to discuss the proposal without consent from the board, the source said.
OppenheimerFunds, which owns about 5 percent of Kroton, did not have an immediate comment.
The fight for Estacio, a company with about 588,000 students and annual revenue of 4.3 billion reais ($1.3 billion), is rapidly becoming the fiercest unsolicited takeover battle yet in one of Brazil's fastest-growing industries. Estacio is also the subject of a cash and stock merger proposal by smaller competitor Ser Educacional SA.
Earlier on Monday, Estacio said No. 2 shareholder, the Zaher family, will submit a buyout proposal that would give them a majority stake in the company. The Zahers want at least 50 percent of Estacio plus one share and no more than 75 percent of the company - a key requisite to keep it listed on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange.
The price and terms of Zaher's proposal were not disclosed. The Zahers decided to vote against Kroton's bid. Estacio named Chaim Zaher, the family's patriarch, as chief executive officer on June 17.
Estacio's board plans to meet on Thursday, the day Kroton's offer expires, to discuss the bids, a second source with knowledge of the matter said.
Shares of Estacio closed 1 percent down at 16.30 reais, while Kroton shed 1.3 percent to 13.74 reais on Monday.
Warning of instability, Dutch PM calls for gradual British departure from EU
AMSTERDAM, June 27 (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called on Monday for Britain to make a gradual transition out of the European Union after its vote for Brexit, which he said had triggered a political and economic crisis that threatens the rest of the bloc.
Rutte's comments to parliament in the Netherlands, which holds the rotating European Union presidency, came on the eve of a European Council meeting in Brussels.
"It would be unwise to force a rapid departure. It would be prudent to give Britain time," he told parliament. "There is a serious economic problem that could hurt the financial position of Britain and have consequences for the rest of Europe."
He said he preferred the process to happen "as soon as possible" but did not give a time frame.
British companies have stopped investing and London risks losing its strong financial position, with banks considering relocating to other European cities, he said.
Britain's vote to leave the European Union sent new shockwaves through financial markets on Monday, with the pound falling despite government attempts to ease political and economic turmoil that has been unleashed.
Italian Actor Bud Spencer dies at age 86
MILAN, June 27 (Reuters) - Italian actor and filmmaker Bud Spencer died on Monday at age 86, national media reported.
"My father died peacefully at 18:15 and did not suffer from pain, he had all of us next to him and his last words were 'Thank you'," his son and film producer Giuseppe Pedersoli said in a note to media. Pedersoli could not be immediately reached for additional comment.
A post on his official Facebook page read, "With our deepest regrets, we have to tell you that Bud is flying to his next journey".
Born Carlo Pedersoli in the southern city of Naples, he was known to his public as the "big friendly giant" of the screen due to his height and weight.
He played in action and comedy films in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly working at the side of his friend Terence Hill.
Often cast as a cowboy or policeman, his biggest successes included "They Call Me Trinity", a parody of Spaghetti Western movies, the "Flatfoot" films and "A friend is a Treasure."
He had many fans abroad, especially in South America where he lived at various times in his life, and in Germany.
Speaking to channel SKY TG24, Osvaldo De Santis, president of 20th Century Fox in Italy, said, "He was an actor whom Italian cinema needs to thank because he brought Italian movies around the world."
Before turning to acting, Spencer was a professional swimmer and the first Italian to swim the 100 metres freestyle in less than one minute. He twice participated in Olympic games.
U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. will urge charter school leaders Tuesday to use the same innovative approach theyve applied to issues like coursework and school design to rethink their approaches to school discipline and to cut back on student suspensions.
Discipline is a nuanced and complicated issue, King is expected to say in a speech at the National Charter School Conference in Nashville, according to his prepared remarks. Yet the public discussion of these issues is often binarypitting one extreme against another. Its zero tolerance or chaos. Authoritarian control or no discipline at all. So, Ill say up front: I am not here to offer any hard-and-fast rules or directives; but I believe the goal for all schools should be to create a school culture that motivates students to want to do their best, to support their classmates and to give back to their community, and to communicate to our students and educators in ways big and small that their potential is unlimited.
Charter school critics have often criticized the independently run public schools, saying they rely too heavily on punitive discipline practices to push out unsuccessful students. And civil rights advocates have complained that charter schools are often left out of state- and school-level policy changes and monitoring that have led to fewer suspensions in some school systems.
Charter School Suspension Data
In an analysis of federal data collected during the 2011-12 school year, researchers from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California Los Angeles found in March that, like district-run schools, charter schools suspend students of color and students with disabilities at higher rates than their peers who are white and without disabilities.
The authors found suspension rates at about 5,000 charter schools were slightly higher than those at traditional public schools in most categories, I wrote in a blog post at the time. On the whole, charter schools suspended about 7.8 percent of students that year at least once, compared to 6.7 percent of students at traditional public schools.
Recently released data from the 2013-14 school year shows suspensions have dropped in all public school sectors , Kings remarks say, but disparities between different student groups remain.
So my challenge to you is this: dont get caught up in battles about whether charters are a little better or a little worse than average on discipline, King will say, according to his remarks. Instead, focus on innovating to lead the way for the sake of our students.
King will challenge charter schools to explore how issues like staff training, awareness of implicit bias, and the wording of discipline policies affect suspension rates. And he will single out some charter schools in his remarks, applauding their work on the issue: The Camino Nuevo Charter Academies in Los Angeles, which have weekly meetings of student success teams to discuss how to support struggling students; and the Mastery Charter Schools in Philadelphia and Camden, where new teachers complete summer training on restorative practices, student trauma, and culturally responsive teaching.
As part of its efforts on school discipline, the Education Department has supported the creation of school discipline resources for charter school s by the National Charter Schools Resource Center that include professional development tools, examples of best practices and a tool kit for educators.
A group of national charter school partners is collaborating with the department to support charter schools adoption of guiding principles and best practices for school climate and approaches to discipline that strengthen the school community, the federal agency said in a news release. Organizations on the steering committee include NewSchools Venture Fund , the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools , the Charter School Growth Fund , the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Democrats for Education Reform .
School Discipline Has Been a Major Focus for the Obama Administration
The Obama administration has made school discipline a major focus of its civil rights agenda.
In 2014, the Education Department teamed with the U.S. Department of Justice to release first-of-its kind guidance to inform public schools that school discipline policies that lead to higher suspension rates for some groups of students may run afoul of federal civil rights laws, even if they were written without discriminatory intent.
The guidance resulted from the work of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, a collaboration that the two federal agencies launched in 2011 to address whats known as the school-to-prison pipeline, the term critics use for policies that they say result in unnecessary and inappropriate referrals from schools to the criminal justice system. Advocates for school-discipline reform have argued that such policies disproportionately impact minority racial and ethnic groups.
Photo: U.S. Secretary of Education John King chatted with Education Week earlier this month. --Swikar Patel/Education Week.
Related reading on school discipline and charter schools:
Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.
Aurelius unit seeks bankruptcy of Netherlands-based Oi subsidiary
By Ana Mano
SAO PAULO, June 27 (Reuters) - A unit of distressed debt firm Aurelius Capital Management LP asked a Dutch court on Monday to start bankruptcy proceedings against a Netherlands subsidiary of phone company Oi SA, which last week filed Brazil's largest-ever bankruptcy protection request.
Aurelius unit Syzygy Capital Management Ltd owns bonds sold by Oi Brasil Holdings Cooperatief UA, a Netherlands subsidiary of the Brazilian phone company, Aurelius said in a statement on Monday.
Oi confirmed the "involuntary bankruptcy" filing by Syzygy in the Dutch court in a statement later on Monday. Oi added that Syzygy's filing relates to $800,000 of Oi Brazil Holdings bonds.
"The aggressive action by a minority owner of the bonds was not unexpected," Oi said, adding that it is ready to defend itself in the Netherlands from such actions.
"We don't expect it will have impacts on our bankruptcy protection filing under way in Brazil," Oi said.
The Syzygy petition was filed in an Amsterdam district court, which is expected to schedule hearings on the process shortly.
Neither Aurelius nor Syzygy gave a timetable for the hearings. Under Dutch law, if the court approves the petition, a bankruptcy trustee will be appointed to defend the interests of creditors in Oi Brasil Holdings.
Apart from participating in the proceedings, the trustee will investigate Oi Brasil Holdings' prior and current management teams and enforce the company's claims against parent Oi and other affiliates, the statement said.
The leaders of the US, Canada and Mexico will meet this week for their final 'Three Amigos' summit.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto arrived in Toronto Monday on his first official visit to Canada for a star-studded diner in his honor ahead of the trilateral meeting on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama will fly up to join Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss trade at a time of rising protectionist sentiment, particularly in the light of last week's 'Brexit.'
They are also expected to announce a pledge to create half of North American power from renewable energy.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he arrived in Toronto on Monday
The Ottawa summit comes on the heels of Britain voting to leave the European Union after more than 40 years.
It also falls ahead of a U.S. presidential election on November 8 where presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has made stagnant wages and U.S. manufacturing job losses focal points of his insurgent campaign.
The so-called Brexit vote is bound to be an important theme. Canada had negotiated a trade deal with the EU that is slated to take effect next year but the Brexit may delay its ratification and hurt Canada's commodity-driven economy.
The referendum results are also seen as a setback to talks on a U.S.-EU trade deal. Mexico, which already has a trade deal with the EU, has prepared a draft proposal for a pact with the United Kingdom.
At the summit, leaders will also look at how best to foster trade with each other, said Mexico's Finance Minister Luis Videgaray.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto arrived in Toronto on Monday for a star-studded diner in his honor ahead of the trilateral meeting on Wednesday
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto (C-L) spoke with Governor General of Canada David Johnston (C-R) during a meeting in Quebec, Canada, on his first official visit to Canada
Nieto spoke at ceremony in Quebec City before heading up to Toronto for an official dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A member of the guard of honor faintied just before Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto's inspection at the Citadelle in Quebec City, Canada
'One of the important issues, without doubt, is how to give a fresh impulse and greater value to North American integration,' Videgaray said.
All three are part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade deal that Obama had cast as an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He wants to finalize the TPP as part of his economic legacy in Asia.
The TPP has become a target of both the left and the right in the U.S. election, and Congress has so far been unenthusiastic about ratifying the deal.
Given all the controversy over trade, the leaders may decide to try to focus their summit talking points on other topics.
'I expect them to try and stay away from it,' said Carlo Dade, director of the Canada West Foundation's Center for Trade and Investment Policy.
At a joint press conference, the leaders are likely to field questions about the upcoming U.S. election and its implications for both Canada and Mexico.
It will also be Obama's first chance on an international stage to promote his recent endorsement of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state.
In March, Pena Nieto roundly condemned Trump, who has promised to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants and drugs, and has complained about what he calls unfair trade. Mexico also named a new ambassador to aggressively promote its contributions to the U.S. economy.
On Canada, Trump has so far been mostly silent.
'That doesn't mean Canadians don't feel the sting' of his protectionist ideas, said Chris Sands, director of the Center for Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.
President Barack Obama will fly up to join Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured together) to discuss trade at a time of rising protectionist sentiment, particularly in the light of last week's 'Brexit'
Trudeau, along with Nieto and Obama, is expected to announce a pledge to create half of North American power from renewable energy
Trudeau is likely to tread carefully so as to not endanger relations with a potential president.
'It's unlikely there will be any formal discussion of Trump, who of course is the elephant in the room. In some ways, it's better if there isn't,' said one official involved in the summit.
'The message the leaders will be sending is eloquent enough - the three nations are closely integrated and cooperate well and that's how the relationship should work,' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The North American partners will also discuss plans to generate 50 per cent of electrical power by 2025, White House officials said Monday.
That's a big jump from last year's 37 percent level. But it's doable through greater efficiency and reliance on solar, wind and other clean energy sources, Brian Deese, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said.
'The transformation of the American energy sector that's underway is going to continue,' Deese said.
'That has been driven by some of the policy choices this president has made, but it's also being driven by market forces that are bringing down the cost of clean energy at rates that even the smartest analysts weren't predicting only a couple of years ago.'
Deese said the administration's effort to reduce power-plant emissions, dubbed the 'Clean Power Plan,' is a central component of the effort to get to 50 percent renewable energy. But the Supreme Court earlier this year blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing the plan until certain legal challenges were resolved.
Obama, who joins the other leaders on Wednesday, will be keen to discuss trade in the wake of the Brexit
Pop singer Nelly Furtado was one of scores of celebrities at a Toronto dinner thrown for the Mexican president
Efforts to curb global warming will be a big part of the agenda.
Mexico will also join the United States and Canada in tackling methane emissions.
Earlier this year, Obama and Trudeau committed to reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors by at least 40 percent over the next decade from 2012 levels. Mexico is also making that commitment this week, Deese said.
Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas emitted in the United States from human activities. While methane's lifeline in the atmosphere is much shorter than carbon dioxide, it's much more efficient at trapping heat from the sun.
Canada is already far ahead in reliance on renewable energy at 81 percent. The United States is at 33 percent, most of that coming from nuclear plants, while Mexico is at 18 percent, according to Cameron Ahmad, a spokesman for Trudeau.
The three countries also plan to unveil a plan to fight heroin production.
Ahead of the Wednesday meeting, Trudeau welcomed Nieto with a celebrity-filled dinner at the historic Casa Loma in midtown Toronto, which included singer Nelly Furtado, Ben and Jessica Mulroney and photographer Edward Burtynsky.
Guests also include Canada's Ambassador to the United States, David MacNaughton, IBM president Dino Trevisani, and Jeffrey Remedios, president and CEO of Universal Music Canada.
The President and fellow guests Guests dined on Nova Scotia scallops, B.C. prawn and West Coast Dungeness crab panna cotta, as well as Alberta short ribs and mini Beavertails in a truly Canadian feast.
Child marriage to HIV, hardships facing children in West and Central Africa
DAKAR, June 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Although millions of children worldwide have been lifted out of poverty, progress has been uneven, with children in sub-Saharan Africa facing the highest levels of mortality, poor nutrition, child marriage and illiteracy, UNICEF said in its flagship "State of the World's Children" report released on Tuesday.
By 2030, nearly half of children, 69 million, who are predicted to die before reaching the age of five would live in the region, according to the report.
Sub-Saharan Africa is also expected to be home to 9 out of 10 of the 167 million children living in extreme poverty by 2030, living under $1.90 per person a day, the U.N.'s children's agency said.
Here are some facts about children in West and Central Africa:
* Nearly six million children died before the age of five in 2015 - almost a third of these deaths were in West and Central Africa.
* Just over half of births in West and Central Africa are attended by a medical professional, such as a doctor, midwife or nurse.
* One in seven children are married by the age of 15. Nigeria has the largest number of child brides across Africa, with 23 million girls and women who were married as children.
* Less than half of births across West and Central Africa are registered, leaving children without citizenship and in danger of being trafficked or illegally adopted.
* Nearly three in 10 children are engaged in child labour.
* More than a dozen countries in West and Central Africa - including Central African Republic, Mauritania and Sierra Leone - do not meet the minimum threshold of doctors, nurses and midwives for their populations - 23 per 10,000 people.
* A quarter of primary-school aged children in West and Central Africa are out of school - some 18 million.
* Around four in 10 girls and a quarter of boys are illiterate.
* Seven in 10 children have access to quality drinking water, but only a quarter have use of good sanitation facilities.
U.S.-UK alliance seen outweighing Brexit trade concerns
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The United States looks unlikely to follow through on a threat to relegate Britain to second-class trade status once its ally leaves the European Union, as it weighs the potential costs of undermining the countries' close diplomatic and military ties.
President Barack Obama had warned ahead of Thursday's "Brexit" referendum that Britain would move to the back of the queue on U.S. trade priorities if it voted to leave the bloc, well behind a much-larger U.S.-European trade deal now under negotiation.
But in the face of a severe financial market reaction to the vote to leave the EU, U.S. officials are making more supportive statements about the strength of the U.S.-U.K. "special relationship" and stressing that they are still analyzing the impact of "Brexit" on the European trade talks.
Security and trade experts said Washington is wary of adding to Britain's economic pain, which could hamper its ability to maintain its commitments to NATO and U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism. A poorer Britain may not be able to afford its pledge to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense at a time of increasing threats from Russia, nor a new fleet of nuclear submarines that form a key part of the West's nuclear missile deterrent.
"The U.K. could become smaller and weaker. If that happens, then you wonder if they can sustain the defense spending and the effort to be globally oriented," Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told reporters after an Atlantic Council event on Monday.
"That's what we worry about with Britain leaving. Britain was the strongest American partner inside the EU."
Some trade experts also said that a deal on the U.S.-European Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was unlikely for years now without Britain at the table, which could open an opportunity for a separate deal with the U.K.
"The 'back of the queue' statement will be forgotten by the next administration, if not sooner," said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics. "In my view, TTIP is either dormant or dead in the wake of Brexit."
It may be easier for Washington to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Britain, a "like-minded" country that is more open to free trade than the 27 remaining EU members, said Miriam Sapiro, a former deputy U.S. Trade Representative.
"A U.S.-UK agreement could create leverage to get TTIP done more quickly, and it's an easier agreement to do," Sapiro said.
CALMING WORDS
As U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Secretary of State John Kerry sought to contain the damage from Brexit in public appearances on Monday, they both refrained from repeating Obama's trade warning.
Lew told CNBC that a trade deal with the EU remains a priority because it has been under negotiation for several years, but he did not rule out the possibility of separate talks with Britain once Europe and the UK agree on separation terms.
"Any separate negotiation with the U.K. will have to take a course in part determined by what happens between the U.K. and EU," Lew said. "So it is, I think, very much in the interest of all parties to maintain open trade relationships. The U.S. and the UK have a special, deep relationship that will continue."
White House spokesman Eric Schultz added that the administration was "working through" how the "Brexit" vote would affect the TTIP talks.
"If we have to start negotiating separately with the United Kingdom, that's going to start from a different vantage point, especially because we've had years of progress."
Schultz said that U.S.-U.K. economic ties "remain strong and vibrant as they have been, and the special relationship had not suffered because of the vote.
The more conciliatory tone "is about stabilizing the economic situation," said Heather Conley, European Program Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. She added that since markets were "already punishing" Britain for the vote, there was no need for the Obama administration to pile on.
RECESSION THREATENS DEFENSE BUDGET
Goldman Sachs' top economists told clients that they expect Britain to enter a recession within the next year as investment plans shrink and credit tightens in the vote's wake. .
Both Standard and Poor's and Fitch Ratings cut their credit ratings for Britain, anticipating damage to its economy from Brexit , while the shares of British homebuilders have tumbled as much as 40 percent in two days .
The British government is scheduled to make a final decision this year on replacing the four aging submarines that carry its Trident intercontinental nuclear ballistic missiles, a program that could cost as much as $167 billion.
British Defense Minister Michael Fallon told parliament on Monday that the government maintains its commitment to the BAE Systems program and hoped a vote on the decision would be held "shortly." nS8N14Q024)
In another twist, Britain's submarine fleet is based at Faslane on Scotland's west coast. Should Brexit prompt Scotland to make a second, successful bid for independence, Britain may be faced with having to spend billions to build a new submarine base.
Britain's departure from the EU -- which could take several years to negotiate -- risks undermining Europe's new defense strategy, days before NATO and EU governments sign a landmark pact to confront a range of threats from Russia to the Mediterranean, officials say.
NATO allies will be looking for reassurances on Britain's commitments to the group at a summit in Warsaw in July.
"Things are going to be a lot harder," said a senior Western defense official involved in EU-NATO cooperation. "NATO planned on linking itself up to a stronger European Union, not being the default option for a weakened, divided bloc."
Shenzhen bourse queries Vanke shareholders' stance on Shenzhen Metro deal
HONG KONG, June 28 (Reuters) - The Shenzhen Stock Exchange said it is seeking clarification from China Vanke's two largest shareholders as to whether they are acting in concert to block the company's $6.9 billion deal with Shenzhen Metro.
Fearing a hostile takeover bid by financial conglomerate Baoneng, Vanke's management has announced a deal with Shenzhen Metro Group that would make the subway operator its largest shareholder while the stakes held by Baoneng and state-owned China Resources would be diluted.
Striking back, Baoneng has called for the ouster of Vanke's board while China Resources has separately said that it opposes the deal and would vote against it.
Baoneng currently holds around 24 percent of Vanke while China Resources holds about 15 percent. Together, the two have sufficient votes to block the deal, the bourse said.
If a deal with Shenzhen Metro went through, those stakes would be reduced to around 19 percent and 12 percent.
In a letter to one of Baoneng's firms that holds shares in Vanke, the bourse also asked whether the firm had considered the impact of calling for an ouster of the board without proposing replacements.
The exchange has also queried if Baoneng broke an earlier promise to not change the make-up of the board or the senior management.
Vanke executives told shareholders on Monday that the newly unveiled plans by Baoneng to get rid of the board were already threatening the health of the company.
Credit ratings agency Moody's also said late on Monday that it viewed the proposed removal of Vanke's directors as potentially damaging its rating or outlook.
Romania - Factors to watch on June 28
Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.
DEBT TENDER
Romania sold a planned 500 million lei ($122.16 million) worth of April 2019 treasury bonds on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 1.90 percent, central bank data showed.
Debt managers last tendered the issue in May at an average yield of 1.81 percent.
BUDGET
Romania recorded a consolidated budget deficit of 780 million lei ($190.52 million) or 0.1 percent of gross domestic product in January-May against a 0.02 percent surplus in the first four months, the finance ministry said.
CEE MARKETS
Emerging European currencies firmed a touch and the slide in stocks slowed on Monday as markets took a step back after Friday's negative reaction to Britain's vote to leave the EU, with any future impact on the region's markets expected to be less dramatic.
BREXIT
Britain's exit from the European Union will mean a worrying 15 percent drop in the bloc's annual budget from 2020, EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu said on Monday.
For the long-term Romanian diary, click on
For emerging markets economic events, click on
For an index of all diaries, click on
Fire under control at BP Pascagoula, Mississippi gas plant - police
HOUSTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Firefighters in Pascagoula, Mississippi were battling a blaze at a giant BP Plc natural gas processing plant early on Tuesday morning, the Pascagoula Police Deparment said.
The fire was under control, the police department said. The plant that processes 1.5 billion cubic feet per day in natural gas gathered from offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
A BP spokesman was not immediately available to discuss operations at the Pascagoula plant, which a company website described as among the 10 largest such facilities in the United States.
The Pascagoula plant handles half of BP's natural gas production from the Gulf.
Rolls-Royce committed to UK, on track to meet forecast
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - British engineering company Rolls-Royce confirmed its commitment to the UK in the wake of the country's vote to leave the EU, as it said it was comfortable with its outlook for the year.
Rolls-Royce, in the middle of a turnaround plan to reverse an expected halving of its profit in 2016, said on Tuesday that its cost-cutting plan was on track and it continued to expect a stronger profit performance in the second half of the year.
The company said that Britain's decision to quit the EU would have no immediate impact on its day-to-day business, but the medium and long-term impact would depend on the relationships struck by Britain with the EU and elsewhere.
The Brexit vote has sent shockwaves through British companies, hammering shares in airlines, housebuilders and banks, and threatening at least two years of uncertainty as the country renegotiates trading relationships.
Rolls-Royce had written to employees before the vote to tell them the company would be better off in the EU.
"Although this is not the outcome the company would have chosen, Rolls-Royce remains committed to the United Kingdom where we are headquartered, directly employ over 23,000 talented and committed workers and where we carry out a significant majority of our research and development," the company said in its statement on Tuesday.
Not all of Britain's blue chip companies have been prepared to state their commitment to the UK. Vodafone said on Friday it was too soon to form a view on where the UK-based company would be domiciled after Britain voted to leave the European Union.
For this year, Rolls-Royce said its profit forecast, which excludes the year-on-year effect of foreign exchange translation, was unchanged. Analysts expect Rolls-Royce's 2016 pretax profit to slump to 633 million pounds ($841.45 million), according to Thomson Reuters data, from 1.36 billion in 2015.
The company had warned in May that it expected to report a result close to breakeven for the first half of the year, before profit rises in the second six months from increased large engine deliveries, higher demand for servicing engines and cost-cutting benefits.
The company will report its first-half results on July 28 and give an update on its cost-saving plan.
No injuries in Mississippi BP gas plant fire -police
HOUSTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Firefighters in Pascagoula, Mississippi were battling a blaze after an explosion at a BP Plc natural gas processing plant early on Tuesday, police said.
No injuries were reported and no evacuations were under way, the Pascagoula Police Department said.
The fire, which erupted after an explosion at about 11:30 p.m. local time, was under control, police said.
The plant processes 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day gathered from offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
A BP spokesman was not immediately available to comment on operations at the plant, which a company website describes as among the 10 largest such facilities in the United States.
It handles half of BP's natural gas production from the Gulf.
Uber, Lyft settle litigation involving top executives
By Dan Levine
SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 (Reuters) - Rival ride services Uber and Lyft have settled high stakes litigation involving two of their top executives, court filings show, in advance of a trial that could have aired sensitive details about both companies.
Lyft and its former chief operating officer Travis VanderZanden ended litigation in a California state court in which Lyft accused VanderZanden of breaking his confidentiality pledges when he went to work for Uber.
Uber also withdrew a subpoena on Monday in separate litigation over a data breach at Uber, which had targeted an Internet address assigned to Lyft's chief technology officer (CTO), according to a court filing.
Last year Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was pursuing a criminal investigation of a May 2014 data breach at Uber, including an examination of whether any employees at competitor Lyft were involved.
Lyft has said it found no evidence that any employee was involved in the breach. It is unclear what impact the civil settlements will have on that probe.
A Lyft spokesman confirmed the settlement with VanderZanden on Monday but declined to disclose the terms. An Uber representative could not immediately be reached for comment.
VanderZanden served as Lyft's chief operating office until August 2014, when he expressed disagreement with the company's leadership and approached two board members about taking over as chief executive, according to court filings.
Lyft accepted VanderZanden's resignation instead, and he eventually became vice president of international growth at rival Uber.
Lyft sued him in November 2014. In a sworn affidavit submitted in court earlier this year, VanderZanden said Lyft sued him in bad faith.
According to VanderZanden's filing, Lyft surmised he had told Uber that Lyft's CTO, Chris Lambert, had discovered a method to "hack into Uber's computer systems and gain access to Uber confidential information."
Uber revealed last year that as many as 50,000 of its drivers' names and their license numbers had been improperly downloaded, and filed a lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court in an attempt to unmask the hacker.
As part of its investigation, Uber determined that an Internet address potentially associated with the breach could be traced to Lambert. However, Lambert's attorney told Reuters Lambert "had nothing to do" with the breach, which was launched from a different Internet address.
More and more educators are recognizing that one way to engage students is by creatively incorporating currently popular works of literature, songs, or theatrical performances into their lessons.
U.S. history teachers, for example, recently received a goldmine of materialand inspirationwith the success of Broadways latest hit performance Hamilton, which tells the story of U.S. Founding Father Alexander Hamilton in rap and hip-hop songs. The musical, which won 11 Tony awards, has quickly gained an enormous fan base, including among children and teens.
According to Newsweek , Jim Cullen, a history teacher at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in the Bronx of New York City, got wind of the performances popularity from excited exchanges among his students. He told Newsweek that his students were singing these songs the way they might sing the latest release from Drake or Adele.
Inspired by his students reactions, Cullen has created a course for the upcoming fall semester called Hamilton: A Musical Inquiry. Newsweek reported that Cullens students will actively engage in research methods as they analyze and write about famous historical speeches, as well as songs straight out of Hamilton.
Hamiltons creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda foresaw the applicability of his work for history teachers on the hallmarks of U.S. history. According to Scholastic , the musical has joined with nonprofits, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and the Rockefeller Foundation, to give 20,000 11th graders in New York City the opportunity to perform their own interpretations of the founding of America. They will also be able to see the musicalwhich has been sold out for months and has ticket prices reaching the four figuresfor $10.
The incorporation of the theater into history-education programs is not a new idea, of course. Scholastic reported that Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller created a previous educational program in collaboration with the musical Rent. Miranda plans to open up similar education programs in other cities as the musical starts to tour, starting with Chicago later this year .
Meanwhile, Saint Bonaventures College in Newfoundland, Canada, recently gave its 3rd grade students a truly magical school day, through the creative incorporation of another literary blockbuster. According to CBC News , the K-12 Catholic school celebrated its annual Harry Potter Day this month.
Parents and teachers came together to transform St. Bons into the fantastical world of Harry Potters own schoolHogwarts.
According to CBC, in the morning, the students were greeted with a rideable model of the Hogwarts Express. They boarded the train and soon entered the Great Hallwhich, yes, included the ceiling of floating candles. Ollivanders Wand Shop wasnt far offwhere each student became fitted with a wand fated to be rightfully theirs. One parent even created a pop-up Honeydukes Sweets Shop lined with eye-catching goodies for the new wizards.
Students were dressed in robesbased on the houses of their choosingas they made their way through their Potions lessons and broom-flying lessons. The annual event has been around for the past 15 years for 3rd graders, CBC reported.
Harry Potter Day is simply magical costumes, flying lessons, Hogwarts express, the great hall... @StBonaventures pic.twitter.com/tWIftl4i6q -- Heather Carroll (@heathercurrll) June 10, 2016
Teacher Heather Carroll, who was the designated Potions instructor, is an alumna of St. Bons and recalled her very first Harry Potter Day in 2002 as a 4th grade student in an email to Education Week Teacher:
Back when I was a student, we played board games, watched the Harry Potter movie, and practiced spells. We wore homemade costumes and mostly used our imaginationbut now our imaginations have come to life!
Thanks @LauraHowellsNL for the pic!By the looks on their faces, I think its safe to say my students had fun today! pic.twitter.com/Nsm2SJGJL3 -- Heather Carroll (@heathercurrll) June 11, 2016
To prepare for the big day, she explained, students read Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (the Canadian version of Sorcerers Stone) and completed an in-depth analysis of the story.
The Harry Potter-themed lessons go beyond the one day and extend into classroom management: They sit in their houses in the classroom and are rewarded for participation, respecting other, and working hard, she said.
Carroll described the event as a totally immersive curricular experience. It was truly spectacular! The students were so excited and really engaged with all the activities.
Source: Image of Lin Manuel Miranda and cast of Hamilton performing at the Tony Awards earlier this month in New York by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP.
More on Using Pop Culture in the Classroom:
Five wounded in bomb attack on police in Turkey's southeast - sources
DIYARBAKIR, June 28 (Reuters) - Five people including two police officers were wounded in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakir on Tuesday when a bomb exploded as an armoured police vehicle was passing, security sources said.
The blast occurred near a state hospital in the district of Dicle, north of the region's largest city Diyarbakir.
Bomb attacks on the security forces have surged since a two-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) collapsed last July.
The PKK, considered a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, took up arms to fight for Kurdish autonomy three decades ago. The violence has been at its most intense in recent months since the peak of the conflict in the 1990s.
UK health secretary considering bid to replace Cameron as PM
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday he was seriously considering entering the race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister.
Hunt, who backed the campaign to stay in the European Union, told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme he was weighing up whether to put his name forward before nominations for the next Conservative party leader close on Thursday.
"I am seriously considering it," he said "What I want to do is to make the argument as to the kind of Britain that we need to be outside the EU. This is a big, big change and if we get it right we can succeed."
Cameron announced he would resign after Britons voted to leave the EU. Boris Johnson, who was the most high-profile figure in the Leave camp, is favourite to replace him, but a number of other prominent Conservatives are also thought to be considering a leadership bid.
Hunt said Britain must remain part of the single market, and writing in the Daily Telegraph he said Britain could hold a second referendum on EU membership if it could broker a deal with the bloc to allow full control of its borders.
"I'm not saying we have a second referendum on whether we remain in the EU," he told the BBC. "We are leaving the EU...but what I am saying is that when we have negotiated the terms of our departure....I do think people should have a chance to have their say on those terms."
Hunt said the prime minister who succeeded Cameron should be given a chance to negotiate with Brussels before Britain hands in its two-year notice to quit the EU, so they can put any deal on migration to the British public.
No Syrian government attacks on Aleppo, Raqqa seen soon - Ifax cites Russian envoy
MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) - Russia's air force has helped Syrian government troops to escape encirclement near Aleppo, Interfax news agency on Tuesday quoted Russia's ambassador to Syria as saying, adding he did not expect Syria's army to assault the city in the nearest time.
"I am not confident than an offensive on Aleppo will take place in the foreseeable future," Alexander Kinshchak told Interfax. "As for Raqqa, in this case I would also like to refrain from any certain forecasts regarding its liberation," he added, referring to Islamic State's bulwark.
"Frankly speaking, I am not certain at all that this may happen in the nearest time."
Balkans fear Brexit will delay EU dream
By Giles Elgood
BELGRADE, June 28 (Reuters) - Balkan countries hoping to join the European Union fear their journey to membership of a club they see as offering prosperity and stability will face delays and uncertainty now that Britain has voted to leave.
Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, which endured war and upheaval in the 1990s, are all at different stages in joining the 28-nation EU.
The immediate reaction in Balkan capitals to Britain's referendum decision last Thursday was that EU membership efforts would continue undiminished.
Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia would stick to its "European path", aiming to complete accession talks by 2019.
Bosnia should not be discouraged by the British vote and must press on with EU integration, said Denis Zvizdic, chairman of Bosnia's council of ministers.
But there is now acceptance that the Brexit upheaval, which came with the EU already showing less enthusiasm about enlargement, is likely to delay accession for the Balkan hopefuls. Some felt they had lost a champion in London.
"Our fear is that following Brexit the enlargement process could be slowed down," said Maja Bobic, secretary-general of the European Movement in Serbia, a group that promotes EU values.
She said that as the EU negotiates Britain's departure, Brussels will be focused on how the bloc can be consolidated rather than enlarged.
DIFFICULTIES EMERGE
Difficulties for Serbia emerged as early as Monday when it failed to gain the support it needed from Britain for the next stage in accession negotiations. Serbian officials said technical reasons related to Brexit were the cause.
Bosnian Serb Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said aspiring members must accept that joining the EU will be delayed by Brexit "because it will take several years for the EU to consolidate and carry out the reforms it should have done years ago to prevent such things from happening".
Analyst Igor Gavran said Bosnia could expect political fallout from Brexit "because Britain was one of the countries that most openly supported the integration of Bosnia into the EU".
In Kosovo, European Integration Minister Bekim Collaku said that his country, which seceded from Serbia in 2008, had also lost a strong supporter of its EU bid.
"We know the big contribution Great Britain made towards building Kosovo's statehood and it will be difficult for another country to fill this vacuum," he told local media.
An Albanian official said his country had learnt that big crises such as the migrant issue, the euro and Greece distracted EU leaders from paying attention to the Balkans.
Montenegro's EU negotiator, Andrija Pejovic, was optimistic that membership negotiations could move forward as planned, but acknowledged matters were unclear.
"In the coming days we will see what position the EU bodies will take regarding this issue," he said.
UN urges Sri Lanka to rein in military, prosecute war crimes
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, June 28 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka must rein in its military forces, prosecute war crimes committed during the long civil war with Tamil rebels and win the confidence of the Tamil minority, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Witnesses must be protected under an effective transitional justice mechanism that should include international judges, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in an annual report.
The military and Tamil Tiger rebels - who were fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the Indian Ocean island - are both likely to have committed war crimes during the 26-year conflict that ended in 2009, the U.N. said last year.
President Maithripala Sirisena's government, formed in March 2015, has "consolidated its position, creating a political environment conducive to reforms", but governance reform and transitional justice had lagged, the report said.
"The early momentum established in investigating emblematic cases must be sustained, as early successful prosecutions would mark a turning point from the impunity of the past," it said.
"Continuing allegations of arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual violence, as well as more general military surveillance and harassment, must be swiftly addressed, and the structures and institutional culture that promoted those practices be dismantled."
A spokesman for the government in Colombo was not immediately available for comment.
Sirisena has said that foreign participation is not needed for an impartial inquiry. Many Sri Lankans oppose foreign involvement and supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa believe that U.N. efforts aim to punish the military unfairly.
The U.N. Human Rights Council will debate Zeid's report on Wednesday when the government is expected to come under fresh pressure to commit to prosecuting perpetrators.
Sri Lanka acknowledged this month for the first time that some 65,000 people were missing from the war.
The United Nations and activists have long urged justice for the families of those who disappeared, including those alleged to have been secretly abducted by state-backed groups and paramilitary outfits.
At least 250 security detainees were still being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the U.N. report said, noting that Zeid had urged the government during a visit last September to quickly charge or release them.
London Mayor Khan demands more autonomy after Brexit vote
By Kylie MacLellan
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - London should swiftly be granted more autonomy to help it ride out the economic uncertainty unleashed by Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday.
While the United Kingdom voted 52 to 48 percent to leave the bloc, London voted to remain, unlike most of the rest of England. Since then, more than 175,000 people have signed an online petition calling for London to become an independent city-state.
"On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now," Khan, who last month became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, said in a speech to business leaders.
"London has to take back control too. Londoners, who voted for a different path to the rest of England, need more self-determination," he said. "We need to control our own destiny."
Khan, who campaigned for Britain to remain a member of the EU, said he was not talking about making London independent, but that the city needed to be able to determine its own future after the vote triggered turmoil on global markets.
"You will be pleased to know I am not planning to blockade the M25," he quipped, referring to London's orbital motorway. "Greater devolution is the best path towards reuniting our country."
Thursday's Brexit vote has sent shockwaves through the EU, wiped more than $3 trillion off global stockmarkets and increased the risk that the United Kingdom will divide after Scotland said it was highly likely to hold a new referendum on independence.
Khan, a former opposition Labour lawmaker, is seeking devolution of tax-raising powers, as well as more control over areas including business, transport, housing and planning, health and policing, his office said.
"More autonomy in order to protect London's economy from the uncertainty ahead," said Khan, 45, who grew up in public housing in inner-city London.
CITY STATE OF LONDON?
Khan said there was no way to reverse the result of the referendum and that Britain would leave the EU, though he expressed concern about the uncertainty that the vote had created for businesses in the capital.
"The speed of our exit from the EU looks likely to be decided in Brussels, Paris and Berlin rather than in London," Khan said.
He added that London, which is ranked as the EU's largest and richest city, must have a seat in the negotiations with the EU over Britain's future relationship with the bloc.
"Britain must remain part of the European single market," he said. "Remaining in the single market needs to be priority one, two and three of our negotiation with the EU."
London, which offers by far the deepest pool of capital in the time zone between Asia and the United States, accounts for 41 percent of global foreign exchange turnover. That is more than double the nearest competitor, New York, and well above the 3 percent of its closest EU competitors, France and Switzerland.
Banks based in London rely on a so-called EU "passporting" system which allows them to operate across the 28-country bloc's capital market unhindered. Some banks have said they would shift operations to the euro zone if Britain left the EU.
Khan, who succeeded Conservative lawmaker and leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson as mayor, said he had the support of local authorities and the City of London financial centre and called on business leaders to back his plan to get more control.
"Your voice matters ... so that we can ensure that London thrives over the years ahead. So that we can ensure London remains the best place in the world to do business," he said.
Britain's FTSE bounces after post-Brexit slump
By Alistair Smout
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - British shares rebounded on Tuesday following two straight sessions of substantial falls, led higher by banks and travel stocks which were the hardest hit in the aftermath of Britain's decision to leave the EU.
The FTSE 100 rose 2.1 percent to 6,106.53 by 0837 GMT, with all but four stocks in positive territory.
The index fell more than 5 percent in the two sessions after Thursday's Brexit vote, wiping nearly 100 billion pounds ($130 billion) off the value of the UK's blue-chip companies.
Sterling has also fallen sharply and expectations are rising of a recession.
Britain suffered further blows to its economic standing on Monday as ratings agencies cut its sovereign credit score.
Bank stocks, which had fallen 16.4 percent in two days, rallied 3 percent. Travel and leisure stocks rose 2 percent after a 12-percent slump.
Top FTSE 100 riser was Legal & General, up 9 percent after it said its balance sheet had proven resilient in the vote's aftermath and that it had trimmed its exposure to riskier assets beforehand.
It remains well below its pre-referendum levels, however, having dropped 30 percent to a three-year low in the days following the referendum.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 rose 3 percent, with the domestically focussed index having slumped 13.7 percent since Thursday.
"The FTSE 250 has declined quite sharply over the past couple of days, and you can't sugarcoat that ... and what's happened now will affect the UK economy more than it will affect the global outlook," CMC Markets' chief market analyst, Michael Hewson, said.
"But we're still above 2014 lows for the index, and so there will be good buying opportunities around these levels.
The FTSE was buoyed by housebuilder Redrow.
Redrow shares were down 30 percent on concerns about the impact that leaving the EU would have on the housing market.
UBS said it was a strong trading update but that it was too early to assess that impact. It has a "buy" rating on the stock.
Shares in Ocado were up 10.7 percent after the food retailer reported a profit rise.
"Online supermarket Ocado continues to prosper with the group gaining market share on the seemingly inexorable rise of the armchair shopper," AJ Bell's Investment Director, Russ Mould, said.
"Ocado is benefiting from its tie-up with Morrisons and pre-tax profits are increasing, albeit at a slower rate, despite price deflation," he said.
Turkey, Israel sign deal to normalise ties after six years
ANKARA/JERUSALEM, June 28 (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel signed a deal on Tuesday to restore ties after a six-year rift, formalising an agreement which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said sent a "hopeful signal" for regional stability.
The accord, announced on Monday by the two countries' prime ministers, was a rare rapprochement in the divided Middle East, driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over growing security risks.
It was formally signed on Tuesday by Turkey's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu in Ankara and Israel's Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold in Jerusalem, officials said.
Relations between Israel and what was once its principal Muslim ally crumbled after Israeli marines stormed an activist ship in May 2010 to enforce a naval blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and killed 10 Turks on board.
Under the deal, the naval blockade of Gaza, which Ankara had wanted lifted, remains in force, although humanitarian aid can continue to be transferred to Gaza via Israeli ports.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said late on Monday the two countries might appoint ambassadors "in a week or two."
Israel, which had already offered its apologies for the 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara activist ship, agreed to pay out $20 million to the bereaved and injured. The deal requires Turkey pass legislation indemnifying Israeli soldiers.
"This is an important and hopeful signal for the stability of the region," Ban said at a meeting with Israel's president in Jerusalem on Monday.
Visiting a U.N.-run school and a Qatari-built rehabilitation hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, he also called for an end to the Israeli blockade.
"The closure of Gaza suffocates its people, stifles its economy and impedes reconstruction efforts. It is a collective punishment for which there must accountability," Ban said.
Zimbabwe's wildlife agency suspends boss over missing rhino horns
HARARE, June 28 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's wildlife authority has suspended its director general and is investigating the disappearance of 228 kg (500 pounds) of the agency's stored rhino horn, it said on Tuesday.
The southern African nation keeps in storage 70 tonnes of ivory from elephants and rhinos - worth at least $35 million - and is seeking support from neighbouring countries to engage in international trade in ivory.
Namibia is also bidding to open international ivory trade but Kenya is leading initiatives for a complete global ban.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZPWA) said in a statement that it had sent Edson Chidziya on leave with full pay to facilitate the investigation.
"The move has been taken to allow for an audit. This follows anomalies in the rhino horn stock piles amounting to 228 kilogrammes," the ZPWA said. It gave no further details.
"Don't let Scotland down," SNP urges EU parliament
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Scotland voted to remain in the European Union last week and is counting on help from the EU to protect it from Brexit, a pro-independence Scottish lawmaker said on Tuesday, winning a standing ovation in the European Parliament.
"Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, chers collegues, do not let Scotland down now," said Alyn Smith of the Scottish National Party, which runs the devolved government in Edinburgh that has pledged to try and keep Scotland in the EU.
Risks and Returns of Litigation Finance as an Investment
You're in business so you find investment opportunities interesting and are curious about this thing called litigation finance. What exactly is it and how risky is this investment?
Litigation finance is investing in lawsuits and, depending on the outcome, collecting a portion of judgments or settlements. Like any investment opportunity, it comes with risks and the better you understand litigation finance the better equipped you'll be to determine if it's for you.
Crowdfunding Everything
Today we can crowdfund almost anything, seeking investment from interested individuals and entities who sponsor projects, everything from tech startups to artistic endeavors to lawsuits. Litigation finance is a kind of legal crowdfunding, although the crowd may be as little as a single investor.
The most prominent recent example of this is Hulk Hogan's defamation case against Gawker in Florida, which led to the media company defendant's bankruptcy. Peter Thiel, a Silicon Valley billionaire, sponsored Hulk Hogan's defamation case against Gawker. He paid for the expenses, about $10 million reportedly, and when a Florida jury awarded Hulk Hogan over a hundred million dollars, Thiel's investment paid off. Gawker soon after went bankrupt and the litigation financier was probably thrilled.
But Thiel was atypical as litigation financiers go because he had a personal stake in the fight and that is what inspired him financing the lawsuit. He was making the media company pay for outing him in the past. Assuming revenge is not your motivation, why would you invest in litigation?
Risks and Returns
Litigation is a risky investment because you could get nothing. But plenty of lawyers have built careers on this kind of gamble, and made fortunes. Many lawyers take cases on contingency, paying expenses for litigations that they can only collect on if they win money for clients. Even then, lawyers are limited by state law on what percentage of client settlements or judgments they can collect.
The same is not true for a non-lawyer investing in a litigation, which means that theoretically an investment might yield a very high return on investment, not limited by the law. The risk of course is that, as a non-lawyer, you may be unable to assess the merits of case or the investment itself. You won't find much guidance on litigation finance but plaintiffs' lawyers have been in this business a while, long enough that some have gotten in trouble.
Talk to a Lawyer
If you are approached with an investment opportunity of any kind, take your time, do the research, and get guidance from a lawyer. Attorneys are even better at preventing problems before they happen than resolving them once they have occurred.
Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Google+.
Related Resources:
Trump, AFL-CIO's Trumka to give dueling trade speeches Tuesday
By Emily Stephenson and Amanda Becker
June 28 (Reuters) - Both Republican Donald Trump and the head of the biggest U.S. union federation, a top ally of Democrat Hillary Clinton, will double down on the trade issue in dueling speeches on Tuesday in the battle for blue-collar voters in the November presidential election.
In a visit to the Rust Belt states of Ohio and Pennsylvania, Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, plans to attack Clinton's record on trade, questioning her commitment to fight for American workers, a campaign aide said.
Trump has seized on Britain's vote to leave the European Union to bolster his argument that voters are rising up against establishment leaders, saying Americans would reject the "global elite" and support his presidential candidacy.
In a trade speech in southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump will tie Clinton to trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which unions oppose, and will discuss his own trade agenda, including his plans to label China a currency manipulator, the aide told Reuters. Trump will visit Ohio later in the day.
Clinton's campaign called Trump's remarks an attempt to distract from "his dangerous economic policies."
In a speech promoting Clinton, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka plans to deliver a counterattack on Trump over the trade issue at a Washington conference on Tuesday.
"Donald Trump talks a good game on trade, but his first and only loyalty is to himself," Trumka will say, according to prepared remarks released by the AFL-CIO, a federation of 56 unions that collectively represent more than 12 million workers.
When the AFL-CIO formally endorsed Clinton's presidential campaign earlier this month, Trumka warned of "dire consequences" posed by Trump's candidacy.
Trump has broken with the Republican Party to criticize U.S. trade deals and threatened to slap tariffs on imports from Mexico and China. While his rhetoric has drawn criticism from many economists, who say such practices could spark trade wars, Trumka has said it could appeal to some rank-and-file union members.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, struggled with these voters in her primary race against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who criticized her for supporting trade deals and said she was too close to Wall Street.
Trump, a real estate mogul, has made similar arguments against Clinton, making blue-collar voters a potential weakness for the former U.S. secretary of state, particularly in the Rust Belt. Democratic President Barack Obama won Pennsylvania and Ohio twice, but each state has been hard hit by manufacturing job losses and could be at the center of the Nov. 8 election fight.
Matt Grossmann, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University, said union members tend to be more conservative than their solidly Democratic leadership.
"The long-running Democratic strategy has been to say, 'We empathize with people like you and the Republicans are out for the rich.' I don't see any reason why you would change strategies," Grossmann said. "The unions may enjoy running against a developer."
Trumka will acknowledge on Tuesday that Clinton was pushed to reject the pending 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership during her primary campaign after pressure from progressives within her party, including Sanders, who now says he will vote for Clinton in November although he has not withdrawn from the race.
Clinton has said she will evaluate each trade deal on its merits. At a rally in Ohio on Monday with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a leading critic of trade deals, Clinton said if elected to the White House she would appoint a trade prosecutor to "end the abuse" of U.S. workers.
Young Turks: e-commerce start-ups bet on enviable demographics
By Asli Kandemir
ISTANBUL, June 28 (Reuters) - When Demet Mutlu dropped out of Harvard six years ago to found an online fashion retailer in her native Turkey, friends thought she was crazy to leave the world's top business school for a leap into the unknown.
But more than her chutzpah, it is the 34-year-old's unshakeable faith in the young Turkish consumer that seems to be paying off: her company, Trendyol, is now one of Turkey's best known online fashion retailers and has drawn backing from foreign investors.
Last year, Trendyol had sales of 550 million lira ($188 million). While that represents just 2 percent of Turkey's fragmented e-commerce market, Trendyol is growing fast and Mutlu expects sales to almost double to 1 billion lira this year and grow another 50 percent in 2017.
"News about Turkey is very negative recently, but if you set up the right business model and target young people, there is tremendous growth potential in e-commerce, even more so than in the U.S. or Europe," Mutlu said. "I believe in Turkey's young population and its vibrant economy."
Global investor enthusiasm for Turkey has cooled in recent years due to rising security concerns and worries about President Tayyip Erdogan's growing authoritarianism.
This year Turkey has been hit by a string of suicide bombings and it is battling a renewed Kurdish insurgency in the southeast. Consumer confidence has been rising from a six and a half year low last September but there are still more pessimists than optimists.
But despite those worries, Turkey's demographics and growth potential are the envy of Europe. The country is home to 79 million people with a median age of just over 30, younger than anywhere else in Europe. By 2050, the population is expected to swell to 93 million, while much of the rest of Europe ages.
Young Turks are tech savvy and early adopters of technology. The country boasts a wealth of home-grown phone apps and mobile penetration is nearly 94 percent.
"Our website averages 35 million visitors a month, which is 20 times more than the busiest shopping mall in the country," Mutlu said.
At 24.7 billion lira last year, Turkey's e-commerce market is small, accounting for only 2 percent of total retail revenue, according to Turkey's Informatics Industry Association. Growth, however, was an impressive 31 percent.
Travel sites account for a big chunk of that revenue with nearly 36 percent, online retailers account for another 34 percent, marketplaces 15 percent and the rest is split among niche players, the data showed.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
In 2002, Turkey's per capita gross domestic product averaged $3,600, just ahead of Equatorial Guinea, an African oil producer. By 2015 it was $9,261, not far behind Malaysia. Today, Turkey sits comfortably among the world's top 20 economies.
In developed markets, e-commerce accounts for about 7.1 percent of total retail revenue, and 5.1 percent in emerging markets, or more than twice Turkey's current level.
"Looking at the share of e-commerce in the rest of the world, Turkey's market is not saturated. Therefore, there is a lot of space to expand the sector," said Hakan Orhun, the head of the Electronic Trade Operators Association.
Turkey's e-commerce market has grown about 22 percent annually over the last five years, said Burak Tansan, senior managing partner at Boston Consulting Group in Istanbul.
"For the growth to continue, consumer confidence in online shopping needs to increase. Around 40 percent of consumers are receptive to online shopping but they have not tried it at all," he said, adding that Boston Consulting studies show consumers still prefer to do research online and then buy at stores.
The potential for online retail growth has, nevertheless, attracted overseas players and investors.
Tiger Global Management LLC, a fund known for its early bet on Facebook, has invested in Trendyol - which sells more than 2,000 local and global brands including luxury labels such as Prada and Versace.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have also invested in Trendyol. Together with Tiger Global, they own 80 percent of the company, having invested $60 million over the last four years.
Naspers, the South Africa-based, emerging markets-focused e-commerce and media giant, bought Trendyol rival Markafoni from its founder in 2014.
Private equity firm Abraaj took a minority stake last year in online retailer Hepsiburada.com, one of Turkey's best known e-commerce sites. Auction site eBay has invested in GittiGidiyor, another online retailer, and Amazon.com has an investment in Ciceksepeti.com, a flower delivery site.
The investor interest is helping to create a vibrant start-up culture, said Cem Sertoglu, a partner with European venture firm Earlybird Venture Capital.
Earlybird raised $150 million 2-1/2-years ago and has invested in several Turkish firms, including online furniture seller vivense.com and real-estate marketplace tapu.com.
"We are supporting early stage startups that aim to meet local demands through high technology solutions and run by first-class teams," Sertoglu said.
"The growth potential in such companies is less reliant on the country's macroeconomic outlook than bigger firms."
Singapore's sovereign fund in talks to buy Yes Communities - WSJ
June 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's sovereign-wealth fund GIC is in talks to buy Denver-based Yes Communities, an owner of manufactured-housing communities, in a $2 billion deal, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The talks with private equity firm Stockbridge Capital Group could still break down, the WSJ said. (http://on.wsj.com/294WiDc)
Yes owns or operates 178 communities in 17 American states.
Assad's uncle under investigation in France - source
PARIS, June 28 (Reuters) - A French judge has placed an uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad under formal investigation on suspicion of tax fraud and money-laundering, a source close to the case said on Tuesday.
Suspected of having acquired his wealth in France illegally, Rifaat al-Assad, a political opponent of his nephew, was placed under investigation on June 9 after an interrogation with a French financial judge, the source said.
Rifaat al-Assad has lived in exile since the 1980s after he sought to oust his older brother, the late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, who was Bashar's father. The judge banned him from leaving France apart from trips to London for health reasons.
Anti-corruption associations filed complaints against Rifaat in 2013. The following year, French authorities began looking into whether there was evidence of corruption, bribery and money-laundering.
Rifaat's lawyer declined to comment. At time the complaint was filed, people close to him said his wealth, which includes numerous apartments and buildings in Paris, did not come from Syria.
Anti-corruption campaign group Sherpa said that the case was part of a broader crackdown by French authorities on people who used ties to foreign governments to enrich themselves illegally in France.
UN rights boss calls on Britain to prevent xenophobic abuse after Brexit vote
GENEVA, June 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday urged Britain to act to prevent incidents of xenophobic abuse in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union and to prosecute perpetrators.
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement he was deeply concerned by reports of abuse targeting minority communities and foreigners in Britain.
"Racism and xenophobia are completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances," Zeid said.
Turkey allows more patrol flights on Syria border by NATO allies - official
ANKARA, June 28 (Reuters) - Turkey has adjusted its military rules of engagement to allow NATO allies to carry out more patrol flights along its border with northern Syria, a Turkish official said on Tuesday.
"Some NATO countries, especially Britain, complained that they could not perform enough patrol flights on Turkey's Syrian border as the engagement rules were too strict," the official told Reuters.
"After talks ... Turkey eased these engagement rules to bring them in line with NATO policies," he said. NATO was told about the move around three weeks ago, the official said, but coalition countries had not yet carried out additional flights.
Post-Brexit, Czech PM urges EU to respect states' rights
By Gabriela Baczynska
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka joined calls on Tuesday from central and eastern Europe to rein in the powers of the EU's executive Commission in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the bloc.
Last week's 'Brexit' vote has alarmed governments in the former communist region who saw Britain as a eurosceptic ally in their efforts to reduce centralised control from Brussels.
"We need to change the overall functioning of the EU and I think it is needed to change the functioning of the European Commission," Sobotka said in Brussels, where he was to attend an EU summit to discuss the Brexit shock later in the day.
"Member states should be the engine of positive changes in the EU ... I would be very glad if the Commission were more helpful in finding compromises within the EU."
Tension between the Brussels executive, which drafts and enforces EU legislation, and the currently 28 member states, which exercise supreme authority collectively in the EU Council, has been a permanent feature of the bloc over six decades.
But the Commission led by Luxembourger Jean-Claude Juncker, has particularly irritated some member states, notably in the east, with its efforts to impose fixed quotas on them to take in more of the mass of refugees who have reached Europe from countries like Syria.
The Czech Republic currently holds the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group, which also brings together Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
However, Sobotka did not go as far as his foreign minister in saying Juncker was the wrong man for the job, or Poland's foreign minister, who suggested leading figures in Brussels should quit after the British rejection of the EU.
"I would like the Commission to respect more decisions of the European Council," Sobotka said, referring to summits of EU leaders. "If we agreed that there is no consensus on, for example, a compulsory permanent mechanism of (sharing) refugees, it is impossible for the Commision to ignore that."
The former communist, eastern EU members joined the bloc in 2004 and are net beneficiaries of the bloc's budget but have grown increasingly eurosceptic in recent years.
Speaking at an emergency session of the European Parliament on Tuesday, Juncker insisted he was not going to quit, despite the Brexit vote and a recent flurry of media speculation about his health. Some German papers have called on him to go.
"I am neither tired or sick," he said. "I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe."
EU officials argue that Juncker had advised British Prime Minister David Cameron against holding the referendum and so, while it was right for Cameron to accept his responsibility and resign after the result, Juncker bore no such obligation.
Officials in Poland -- the biggest eastern EU state -- said the bloc needs a new treaty and are even mulling proposing such changes to limit Brussels' powers and return more authority to national capitals.
The Visegrad four see Brexit as a strategic blow to their eurosceptic camp in the EU. Poland in particular sees London as its key ally in the bloc.
Qatar oil contract loss raises questions over Maersk Oil's future
By Teis Jensen
COPENHAGEN, June 28 (Reuters) - Maersk Oil's loss of a major oil production contract in Qatar this week raises questions about the future of the company's oil business at a time when parent A.P. Moller-Maersk has said it is considering a break-up.
Maersk Oil has lost the contract to operate Al-Shaheen, Qatar's largest oilfield, which made up 40 percent of Maersk Oil's output last year.
The loss of the contract, which Maersk has had since 1992, follows comments last week from chairman of the Danish shipping and oil group about a possible split of the conglomerate into separate companies.
Jakob Thomasen, head of Maersk Oil, told Reuters in a telephone interview that the oil company would focus now on building on its business in the North Sea, in Kenya and other areas.
Analysts said that without the Qatar contract Maersk Oil would probably be too small to be listed as a stand-alone company, and that the business could therefore become a takeover target for larger oil companies.
"After this Maersk Oil looks like a more obvious divestment candidate," analyst Morten Imsgard from Sydbank said.
He said the price tag for Maersk Oil could be between 50 billion and 90 billion Danish crowns ($7.5-13.4 billion).
He also said that investors with a short-term view on Maersk Oil shares probably would have liked it to pay out the money from the Qatar contract to shareholders rather than reinvesting it in other parts of the oil business.
Total won a 30 percent stake in a new 25-year contract to operate the field on Monday.
When asked about the future of Maersk Oil, Thomasen referred to the strategy review process at the group which should result in an announcement before the end of third quarter.
Maersk shares fell almost 9 percent on Monday, partly on media rumours of the contract loss. By 1152 GMT on Tuesday, the stock was up 1.4 percent, in line with the European stock market .
The Danish company had provided a "very competitive" bid, but also one that would have generated a profit for the company, Thomasen said.
Rebel, army clashes kill 43 near South Sudan's Wau - government
By Denis Dumo
JUBA, June 28 (Reuters) - At least 43 people were killed in fighting between armed groups and government forces around the northwest South Sudanese town of Wau last week, a government official said on Tuesday.
Thousands fled the clashes in the world's newest country, still hit by violence almost five years after securing its independence from former civil war foe Sudan, and months after a peace deal with rebels inside its own borders.
Government forces had battled fighters loyal to Ali Tamin Fatan, a militia leader trying to control territory further west near the border with Central African Republic, government spokesman Makuei Lueth told reporters.
"So far up to this morning the report which I got is that there are 39 (civilian) bodies and another four belong to police," Lueth said. Numbers could rise, he added, as there were currently no casualty figures from the army.
Lueth said Fatan was trying to carve out an Islamist state but added that his force included members of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army, a nominally Christian group that fought a violent insurgency in neighbouring Uganda and has launched attacks across the region. He was not immediately available to give further details.
Impoverished South Sudan has been plagued by fighting between a range of armed groups, often along ethnic lines, vying for control over grazing land and oil reserves.
Lueth accused Sudan of backing the rebels, a charge often levelled at the Khartoum government which regularly dismisses such allegations and accuses South Sudan of supporting insurgents in its territory.
Yemen counter-terrorism mission shows UAE military ambition
By William Maclean, Noah Browning and Yara Bayoumy
ABU DHABI/WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, is deploying its military against al Qaeda in Yemen, and in the process providing what some see as a badly-needed new template for counter-terrorism in Arab lands.
UAE special forces are orchestrating the hunt for al Qaeda in remote deserts and mountains, adding the capability of Arab troops seasoned in war zones like Afghanistan and Somalia to a campaign long the preserve of the U.S. and Yemeni militaries.
Suicide attacks killing 38 in Mukalla on Monday show the challenge. While the UAE helped to eject al Qaeda from the southern coastal city in April, militant threats persist - the latest attack was claimed by Islamic State, in Yemen a lesser force than al Qaeda.
The Emiratis deployed initially against a different foe - Yemen's Houthi group, joining a Saudi-led campaign last year to try to reverse a bid for national power by a group seen by many Gulf Arabs as a proxy for regional arch-rival Iran.
The war weakened the Houthis, but in the resulting turmoil al Qaeda swept across the eastern side of the country, seizing more land than it had ever held and raising tens of millions of dollars from running Mukalla, the country's third largest port.
The UAE's al Qaeda push meets a demand made repeatedly by Washington that Gulf Arabs do more to ensure their own security.
But a so-called "Obama Doctrine" of relying on local allies instead of big U.S. military deployments abroad to fight militant jihadis has been seen as stumbling in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, despite funding and training of local partners.
Yemen may prove a happier example, its supporters hope.
STAMINA TO ENDURE
The UAE response is to use special forces to try to sharpen a long-running push against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), seen as one of the jihadi network's most capable.
The Emiratis are working with the United States to train, manage and equip Yemeni fighters in that effort, signalling they have the stamina to stick with a campaign that could last long after the separate confrontation with the Houthis is resolved.
The ability to run combined air, sea and land operations, deploy forces clandestinely and endure scores of troop losses has won acknowledgement from Western states long despairing of the fractured Yemeni army's ability to tackle al Qaeda.
Retired General Anthony Zinni, former chief of U.S. Central Command, told Reuters the UAE was "a top military" in the region and "exponentially more capable than its size might indicate".
"It has also shown the ability to hang in there despite casualties ... (The UAE) has proven its willingness to fight alongside the U.S. and coalitions."
After months of preparation the UAE orchestrated the ousting of al Qaeda from Mukalla by Yemeni allies in a complex operation backed by U.S. intelligence support and aerial refuelling.
While al Qaeda said it staged a tactical retreat without losses, it in fact took a beating, coalition sources said. Coalition forces estimate al Qaeda lost 450 fighters, while the coalition lost 54 Yemeni fighters. Al Qaeda fled inland.
"The focus is on not allowing al Qaeda to recover. Our intent is to keep them on the back foot," said a senior coalition military official, who declined to be named.
RISKS INVOLVED
"They are the most capable counter-terrorism force on the ground in Yemen," said a U.S. counter-terrorism official familiar with Yemen, who requested anonymity.
Some in the U.S. government initially doubted the UAE's sincerity in attacking AQAP, he said, but the Mukalla operation showed that "that's not the case".
The UAE's counter-terrorism gambit comes with risks.
By taking such a central role in Yemen the UAE places itself in the middle of its turbulent politics: In particular its presence mainly in the south risks entanglement in possible unrest arising from a re-energised separatist movement, whose demands for independence for the south are growing louder.
Despite their cultural affinities, UAE officers must take care not to get on the wrong side of tribes for whom short-term alliances with jihadis are a survival tactic. Militants continue to assassinate coalition-backed military officers and stage suicide bombings of Yemeni army and police compounds.
And while the UAE has poured in more than $400 million in humanitarian aid, Yemenis remain impatient for reconstruction.
"Most people still think that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are angels because they saved us from the Houthis," said Nisma al-Ozebi, a 21-year-old civil engineering student in Aden. "But some people are coming to think they came to Yemen not because they love us and want to help us, but because they have their own interests here."
For now, Abu Dhabi is undaunted by the challenge and insists its campaign protects the whole region. It suggests it has the Gulf Arab heritage to help navigate complex tribal networks.
"As non-Westerners we're able to operate with Yemeni fighters and gain their trust," the coalition official said.
Washington is paying attention. U.S. action against al Qaeda was at first disrupted by the war with the Houthis, which forced the evacuation in early 2015 of the programme's U.S. personnel.
But after the Mukalla operation, the Pentagon said a small number of military personnel were deployed to help UAE counter-terrorism efforts, in a possible sign of increasing U.S. willingness to re-engage on the ground..
The Pentagon said last week that this support mission, initially seen as short term, is being extended.
"TEXTBOOK SOLUTION"
Michael Morrell, former deputy director of the CIA, wrote in Politico that the UAE's Mukalla assault was a "textbook solution of dealing with terrorist groups that hold territory".
From the Yemen war's outset, the UAE took on a big role.
Days after hostilities began, an eight-person special forces team of forward air controllers landed discreetly in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on Aden's Little Aden peninsula on April 13-15, 2015, the senior coalition military official said.
The team linked up with a Yemeni agent on the ground, part of the anti-Houthi southern resistance, the official said.
Within 10 days there was an amphibious landing to insert more troops. In ensuing weeks, 4-to-6 man teams of UAE special forces trained groups of 50 Yemenis and provided leadership, building a 2,000-strong team of resistance fighters in Aden.
In July 2015, after months of preparation and liaison with Saudi-led partners, the force drove the Houthis from Aden and from a big air base nearby. The UAE went on to train 4,000 Yemeni fighters in Assab, Eritrea, as a force to help prevent lawlessness in the sprawling city.
In the autumn the UAE smoothly rotated thousands of its troops in-theatre, while planning for the Mukalla operation.
"The Emirates has played an exceptional role," Mahmoud al-Salmi, a professor at Aden University, said of the UAE's rebuilding of hospitals and schools. The coalition initially seemed to tolerate jihadis in the south, as they shared its anti-Houthi agenda, but later cracked down on them, he said.
Southern Yemenis were grateful to the coalition because now, "whether there's secession or not, the south is in the hands of its sons and that was made possible by the coalition countries".
Back in 1971, we were introduced to Al Pacino in a film called 'The Panic in Needle Park', which was his first main role in a feature film. The year after, Pacino appeared in 'The Godfather', and the rest is basically history, as he became one of the greatest actors to ever grace the big screen. This first film though, 'The Panic in Needle Park' was ahead of its time on its own accord and was overlooked by the Oscars that year, most likely due to its graphic nature. In fact, this is perhaps the first film that showed characters shooting up heroin and the awful effects it has on the human body and mind. Even though this is not a horror film in the traditional sense as far as monsters and gore are concerned, there are certainly some gruesome scenes that would even have veteran gore-hounds looking away.
'The Panic in Needle Park' was even banned in a country or two for a few years for its unconventional content for the time, which is still difficult to watch. Director Jerry Schatzberg (Honeysuckle Rose) wanted to show an unflinching look into the life of drug addicts in New York. He drew his inspiration from a a few articles in the newspaper about the people who shot up heroin on a constant basis in Sherman Square in the heart of Manhattan. Due to the majority of people shooting up in the park, it became known as 'Needle Park'. The title itself refers to when the heroin supply goes to zero, thus causing a "panic" amongst the users who then start to rat and turn in others to the police in lieu of more drugs.
That being said, that's not the real story or case here with the film. Instead, Schatzberg focuses on a romantic relationship between two people who use and all of the horrors that come with it. The film really centers on a beautiful young woman named Helen (Kitty Winn from 'The Exorcist), who has a beautiful smile and charming way about her. We are introduced to her as she has just had a back alley abortion and back at her boyfriend's (Raul Julia) apartment, where a guy named Bobby (Pacino) is doing a drug deal with her boyfriend. Helen starts to bleed more from the abortion and she takes herself to the hospital where Bobby visits her and not the boyfriend.
Helen starts to fall for Bobby and instead of moving back to Indiana to be with her family, she moves in to a crumby apartment with Bobby and she soon sees his addiction to heroine. For a while, Helen seems to just observe his drug induced states as she watches him shoot up and even overdose, but his charm and wit always seem to win her over. Soon enough, Helen starts using heroin and her relationship with Bobby begins to deteriorate with abuse, drugs, and betrayal. Meanwhile, there is a man named Hotch, who is a police detective who is trying to stop the drug use in the park and find the supplier. He has his eyes on Helen to help him out by turning in Bobby.
This seems like a realistic portrayal of what a drug like heroin can do to someone and those around them. There really isn't an explanation as to why Helen starts her drug addiction, but I think it's to show just how two people can really be in love no matter what the consequences or actions that take place. This is the case with Bobby and Helen as they should not be together by any means. They bring out the worst in each other, but they also have flashes of happiness. At one point, Schatzberg hired the famous composer by the name of Ned Rorem to score this film, but he ultimately decided against using Rorem's score and instead used nothing at all to make the film more realistic and play out more like a documentary. It had a sobering effect on the audience for sure.
Pacino turns in an amazing performance here as fast-talking debilitating drug user who you can scare you just as easily as he can melt you in his hands. It's no wonder that Pacino became one of the finest actors around after this. Kitty Winn has a very small resume in film, and I'm sure she could have won an Oscar or two in the following years, but she stuck the theatre work instead, only rarely coming back for movies. She actually won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival back in the 70's for this film and proved that she still is one of the greats, even though she doesn't work a lot anymore. 'The Panic in Needle Park' is a brilliant film and also a hard movie to watch. You want these characters to succeed, but they are their own worst enemy. Only a couple films have had a lasting effect as this movie had over the last forty years, making this one a rare gem to still see.
The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats
'The Panic in Needle Park' comes with a 50GB Blu-ray Disc from Twilight Time and is Region A Locked. There were only 3,000 copies made. The disc is housed in a clear, hard plastic case with an insert that consists of an essay by Julie Kirgo on the film.
Fastjet investors vote to keep chairman, shares drop on funds woes
June 28 (Reuters) - Fastjet Plc investors voted to retain Chairman Colin Child, defeating a move by the African budget carrier's second-largest shareholder to force out a second top executive within three months.
The airline's London-listed shares fell to a record low earlier when the company said it would have to raise funds to ensure that it had sufficient working capital.
EasyGroup Holdings Ltd, which owns 12.6 percent of Fastjet shares, had sought to oust Child saying he failed to relocate the airline's head office and criticised him for a high cost base, arguments similar to those it used to push for the exit of former CEO Ed Winter in March.
But Fastjet's other shareholders vetoed the move to remove Child.
About 33 million votes were cast against the removal of Child as executive officer and director, while roughly 9.6 million were cast in favour, Fastjet said in a statement. The company did not disclose corresponding percentage figures.
EasyGroup, controlled by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said it would wait and see whether Fastjet could raise the additional funds it needed and whether the management could reduce costs.
Launched in 2012, Fastjet offers "no frills" flights to undercut larger carriers, seeking to copy the model pioneered by Stelios-founded easyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc .
However, the airline has struggled in the face of tough conditions in its home market of Tanzania. The company warned in March that full-year results would be well below market estimates and it no longer expected to be cash flow positive in 2016.
The carrier said on Tuesday that trading environment had remained challenged and forecast passenger numbers of 390,000 for the first half ending June 30, compared with 363,726 a year earlier.
"...Passenger numbers remain lower than expected. Whilst domestic routes within Tanzania are showing signs of recovery international services remain difficult," Fastjet said.
Fastjet had remained cash flow negative, despite seeing some benefits from its reduction of routes and fleet size, it added.
Fastjet's shares fell as much as 34 percent to 18.8 pence after the airline said it had started the fundraising process and expected to complete it in July. They later recovered some losses to trade down 17.5 percent.
UN urges Sri Lanka to rein in military, prosecute war crimes
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, June 28 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka must rein in its military forces, prosecute war crimes committed during the long civil war with Tamil rebels and win the confidence of the Tamil minority, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Witnesses must be protected under an effective transitional justice mechanism that should include international judges, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in an annual report.
The military and Tamil Tiger rebels - who were fighting for an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the Indian Ocean island - are both likely to have committed war crimes during the 26-year conflict that ended in 2009, the U.N. said last year.
President Maithripala Sirisena's government, formed in March 2015, has "consolidated its position, creating a political environment conducive to reforms", but governance reform and transitional justice had lagged, the report said.
"The early momentum established in investigating emblematic cases must be sustained, as early successful prosecutions would mark a turning point from the impunity of the past," it said.
"Continuing allegations of arbitrary arrest, torture and sexual violence, as well as more general military surveillance and harassment, must be swiftly addressed, and the structures and institutional culture that promoted those practices be dismantled."
Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said the foreign minister would respond on Wednesday.
"But overall, Zeid's report is positive," he said.
Sirisena has said that foreign participation is not needed for an impartial inquiry. Many Sri Lankans oppose foreign involvement and supporters of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa believe that U.N. efforts aim to punish the military unfairly.
The U.N. Human Rights Council will debate Zeid's report on Wednesday when the government is expected to come under fresh pressure to commit to prosecuting perpetrators.
Sri Lanka acknowledged this month for the first time that some 65,000 people were missing from the war.
The United Nations and activists have long urged justice for the families of those who disappeared, including those alleged to have been secretly abducted by state-backed groups and paramilitary outfits.
At least 250 security detainees were still being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the U.N. report said, noting that Zeid had urged the government during a visit last September to quickly charge or release them.
Zambian police detain newspaper editors in tax row
LUSAKA, June 28 (Reuters) - Zambian police detained three people including two editors of a newspaper critical of the government that was shut down last week, as tensions rose in the run up to elections in August.
The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) shut down the Post newspaper last week, demanding $6 million in unpaid taxes but the newspaper accused the authorities of trying to silence it, and claimed the outstanding bill was part of a court dispute.
Tax officials have not commented on the matter, but Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Monday defended the ZRA's action, saying it did so to recoup unpaid taxes.
On Tuesday, the Post's managing editor Joan Chirwa said police arrested its editor-in-chief Fred Mmembe, his wife Mutinta and deputy managing editor Joseph Mwenda late on Monday.
"This was after the trio gained entry into the Post newspaper's head office in Rhodespark following a stay granted by the court restraining ZRA from seizing the newspaper's property," Chirwa told Reuters.
She said the Post - which has continued publishing from an unknown location - obtained a court order to resume operations but the police said it had not been signed by ZRA.
Police spokesman Rae Hamoonga said the three had been detained but had not yet been formally charged, and that police officers were still consulting with the tax authorities.
The opposition says the government was using repressive laws to restrict its campaigns and that there was a media clamp down. The presidency has denied the claims, saying the opposition was campaigning freely.
Saudi-led air strike kills 10 Yemeni civilians, wounds 15 more - residents
ADEN, June 28 (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition air strike killed 10 Yemeni civilians and wounded at least another 15 in the southern province of Lahj on Tuesday, residents said, a day after bombing attacks by Islamic State that killed 45 others.
Yemen is more than 15 months into a war in which the Saudi-led coalition has intervened to prevent Iran-allied Houthis, who control the capital, from completing a takeover of the country and overthrowing the government. The fighting has enabled Islamist militants to gain territory and carry out attacks of their own, further destabilising the country.
The air strike hit a village market for smuggled fuel in the Hayfan district, which lies near a frontline combat area for the pro-government forces fighting the Iran-allied Houthis.
A spokesman for the Saudi-led alliance, which intervened in the fighting in March 2015 against the Houthis, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The attack comes a day after three Islamic State bombing attacks in the southern city of Mukalla targeted security forces who wrested the city from Al Qaeda control in April.
A local security official on Tuesday that the death toll from the explosions had climbed to 45 people.
Islamist militants have gained territory and freedom to operate thanks to the war, which has split Yemen's army and led U.S. counter-terrorism personnel to quit the country last year, although pilotless drone strikes continue.
Residents in the Al Qaeda-held town of Mahfad in southern Abyan province said a drone missile killed five militants when it hit the home of a local leader of the group late on Monday.
Lebanon fears more attacks after multiple suicide bombings
BEIRUT/QAA, Lebanon, June 28 (Reuters) - The Lebanese government warned on Tuesday of a heightened terrorist threat after eight suicide bombers targeted a Christian village at the border with Syria, the latest spillover of that country's conflict into Lebanon.
The village of Qaa was targeted on Monday in two waves of suicide attacks that killed five people. The first group of bombers attacked before dawn and the second later at night, two of them blowing themselves up near a church.
Security officials believe Islamic State militants were behind the attack. There has been no claim of responsibility.
In reference to the number of attackers, the Lebanese government said the attack and the "unfamiliar way" it was carried out represented a new phase of "confrontation between the Lebanese state and evil terrorism".
Prime Minister Tammam Salam "expressed his fear that what happened in Qaa is the start of a new wave of terrorist operations in different areas of Lebanon", Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said in televised comments after a cabinet meeting.
Sunni Muslim militants have repeatedly struck in Lebanon since the eruption of the war in neighbouring Syria, where the powerful Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said the attackers had come from inside Syria, and not refugee camps hosting Syrian refugees who number more than 1 million in Lebanon, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.
Army commander General Jean Kahwaji said militants had started a new phase "but it is not certain that they have a new plan". Speaking in Beirut ahead of a meeting with Salam and other security chiefs, he said the bombers included a woman.
Local authorities imposed curfews on Syrian refugees in the area following the attacks. The Lebanese army said it had mounted dawn raids on Syrian refugee camps, detaining 103 people for being illegally present in Lebanon.
The majority of Syrian refugees have no legal status in Lebanon due to the complications and costs of obtaining or renewing residency rights under rules imposed by the Lebanese government, aid agencies say.
In Qaa, residents armed with assault rifles fanned out in the streets for several hours on Tuesday, citing the need to protect the area. They later dispersed when the army asked them to go home. The head of the Qaa local council had on Monday night urged residents to shoot anyone suspicious.
Security sources said Hezbollah deployed dozens of armed men in nearby villages to help secure the area.
"We are not leaving for sure, we are staying here ... we are not afraid. We are not leaving our land," Maher Rizk, a cafe owner, said.
The UNHCR said the northern region of Lebanon's Bekaa Valley hosts a significant population of vulnerable people, both Lebanese and refugees.
Iran reappoints Hedayatzadeh as boss of Swiss-based oil trading firm
DUBAI, June 28 (Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday reappointed a former managing director of its Swiss-based trading company as part of a broader reshuffle aimed at bolstering its oil exploration and exports.
The appointment follows the naming this month of a new boss for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as Tehran looks to spur exports and long-awaited deals with international oil firms ahead of its 2017 presidential election.
Majid Hedayatzadeh will return as managing director of Swiss-based Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), the oil ministry's Shana news agency reported.
The former diplomat held the job from 2001 until 2008.
"The assignment follows a decree issued by Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zanganeh," Shana said. "The decree orders Hedayatzadeh to embark on a reshuffle in, and revival of, the role of NICO internationally."
The NIOC, of which NICO is a part, is looking to better compete with regional state-run rivals such as Saudi Aramco, said Reza Mostafavi Tabtabaei, a London-based oil consultant who has worked on projects in Iran.
"NIOC wants to get back its share in Europe. The plan for the next Iranian year is to focus more on marketing and to get more organised," Tabtabaei said.
Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zanganeh this month named ally Ali Kardor as managing director of the NIOC.
On Tuesday, Kardor appointed Mohsen Paknejad as his deputy for production affairs, Shana reported.
The oil ministry is working on rewording a contract aimed at attracting investment from international oil firms following January's lifting of sanctions on Tehran imposed over its nuclear programme.
However, hardline rivals of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani opposed to the proposed wording of the new Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) have forced the postponement of its launch several times.
They oppose the fact the IPC would end a buy-back system dating back more than 20 years under which foreign firms have been banned from booking reserves or taking equity stakes in Iranian companies.
Hedayatzadeh since March has served as NIOC's deputy for international affairs. In his new role, he will eventually oversee all of NIOC's international marketing and sales.
Tehran's oil sales have nearly doubled since December, and energy firms such as Royal Dutch Shell and Total have resumed purchases.
Iran names new armed forces chief
DUBAI, June 28 (Reuters) - Iran named Major General Mohammad Baqeri as head of the armed forces, state media reported on Tuesday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, issued the decree naming Baqeri.
It said he has been working in Khatam al Anbia Headquarters (KAA), the engineering arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that serves to help the IRGC generate income and fund its operations.
Singapore Exchange, Baltic Exchange extend exclusive sales talks
By Jonathan Saul and Saeed Azhar
LONDON/SINGAPORE, June 28 (Reuters) - Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) and London's Baltic Exchange have extended by two months exclusive talks which may lead to a sale of the British company at the heart of global shipping, the two firms said on Tuesday.
Founded in 1744, the privately-owned Baltic Exchange is no longer a forum for chartering vessels but owns benchmark indexes for global shipping rates and provides a trading platform for the multi-billion dollar freight derivatives market.
On May 25, the two sides said SGX was in exclusive talks to buy the Baltic, which were due to expire on June 30. They said on Tuesday the exclusivity period had been extended to Aug. 31.
"Over the past weeks the Baltic Exchange and SGX have together met with Baltic Exchange shareholders, members and panellists as well as the wider stakeholder community to discuss the potential transaction and have made good progress in consultations," the Baltic said.
"The extension to the period of exclusivity allows this dialogue to continue."
SGX reiterated on Tuesday there was no assurance of a deal.
Sources have previously valued the sale at $100 million.
A Baltic spokesman said Britain's vote to leave the European Union had no bearing on the extension of the talks.
The Baltic's daily benchmark rates and indices are used to trade and settle freight contracts as well as data used in the freight derivatives or FFA market, which allow investors to take positions on freight rates in the future. The data is collected each day from market players known as panellists.
Competitive Ship Brokers Limited (CSBL), a recently-founded association of smaller players in sector, said it objected to signing exclusivity for the data they contributed as panellists, which is seen as a key requirement for a deal.
CSBL chairman Gary Weston said the extension by the Baltic was "buying them some time to see if they can improve the terms to the panellists".
"If we don't sign it, the Baltic will need to make a decision can they go without us," he added.
The Baltic spokesman declined to comment when asked if extending talks was also due to resolving issues with the panellists.
In February, the Baltic confirmed it had received a number of "exploratory approaches" after SGX said it was seeking to buy it.
French unions lead labour law protest before meeting PM
By Brian Love
PARIS, June 28 (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris under heavy police presence on Tuesday to demonstrate their discontent over changes to labour law that will make hiring and firing easier and give employers more say in work and pay negotiations.
The protest was the latest in President Francois Hollande's four-month confrontation with the unions, which has divided the governing Socialists and dragged the unpopular leader's ratings to new lows 10 months before a presidential election.
It took place a day before Prime Minister Manuel Valls meets leaders of the hardline CGT and Force Ouvriere (FO) unions, which want the government to scrap parts of a labour bill that Valls and Hollande say is needed to tackle a 10 percent unemployment rate.
"If the government is not going to give ground it will be a meeting for nothing," said FO chief Jean-Claude Mailly.
"I hope we're not just being invited for coffee," CGT leader Philippe Martinez told reporters.
Crowds of protesters marched in Marseille, Rennes and other cities but the Paris march took place under additional security with 2,500 riot police deployed with instructions to search bags for weapons and arrest would-be troublemakers on the spot.
Police fired tear gas early in the march to disperse a small number of masked youths who tried to vandalise a bus shelter.
Valls has accused the CGT of ignoring violence at previous protests where hundred of black-clad youths hurled stones and smashed shopfronts in running battles with police who have responded with water cannon and teargas.
The government banned a march last Thursday, citing security risks, but backed down to let it go ahead on a revised route.
In a bid to prevent a repeat of the intense violence of earlier protests, metal fences were erected along Tuesday's route. Police had orders to arrest anyone attempting to hide their faces in clothing or to bring in weapons.
The government appears keen to lower tension with the unions leading protests that appear to be losing steam even if French voters still broadly oppose the reforms.
One of the most contentious issues is Article 2 of the bill. This would give firms more freedom to negotiate working conditions without referring upwards to branch-level agreements. Unions say that will weaken worker leverage but the government argues that it will actually help build better grassroots representation.
Officials at Valls' office said the government's refusal to rewrite the bill had not changed ahead of this week's meeting.
Top German regulator says no to London HQ for Deutsche Boerse-LSE
By Jonathan Gould, John O'Donnell and Huw Jones
FRANKFURT/LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Germany's financial market regulator delivered a double blow to London on Tuesday, saying it could not host the headquarters of a planned European stock exchange giant after Britain leaves the EU, and nor could it remain a centre for trading in euros.
Felix Hufeld, who heads the Bafin regulator, is the most senior official to rule out London publicly as the head office of the merged Deutsche Boerse-London Stock Exchange group after Britons voted last week to leave the European Union.
Adding to uncertainty over the City of London's future, an EU official said the European Central Bank would push for the clearing of euro transactions to move to the common currency area within a couple of years.
Hufeld's remarks underline the vulnerability of what is currently Europe's dominant financial centre, with London's mayor trying to limit the damage while rival Paris wants to capitalise on the fallout from Thursday's referendum.
"Without doubt ... it is hard to imagine that the most important exchange venue in the euro zone would be steered from a headquarters outside the EU," Hufeld told reporters. "There certainly has to be an adjustment here."
Hardening positions in Germany, where politicians have made similar remarks, have created an additional hurdle to the planned $25 billion merger, which is now in danger of unravelling after Britain opted from Brexit.
Deutsche Boerse declined to comment. An LSE spokesman said shareholders would vote on the deal - which was first announced in February - on July 4 and the offer terms were unchanged.
As Germany's top supervisor, Hufeld's comments hold considerable weight and jar with recent statements from the LSE and Deutsche Boerse that the deal to create a European trading powerhouse will go ahead as is.
Bafin answers to Germany's finance ministry, led by minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. A spokeswoman for the ministry said supervisory authorities continued to examine the merger.
A special committee created by the exchanges to deal with the referendum fallout will meet in the coming weeks to discuss the implications, including for the merged company's base.
The British government has signalled that it won't formally inform the EU of the country's intention to leave until after the summer. Without this step, a two-year period to negotiate the divorce under the EU's Lisbon Treaty cannot begin.
EURO LOSS
Hufeld, who also sits on the ECB's supervisory decision-making board, also said that London could no longer expect to be the centre of euro-denominated trading.
Such trading should move to the EU and could take place in Frankfurt, he said.
"I would see this as a significant political goal to think about steps to encourage this. It cannot be politically smart for a significant amount or a majority of euro-denominated trading ... to take place outside the European Union."
The loss of trading of euros in derivatives would be a heavy blow to London.
Before the vote, euro zone officials had told Reuters that the ECB was determined to tackle an anomaly dating from 1999 when Britain opted out of the euro's launch - that a dominant share of trading in the currency the ECB issues happens outside its jurisdiction in London.
When Britain leaves the EU, there is little incentive to keep this business there. Trading of euro-based securities spans trillions of euros of derivatives as well as the "repo" market providing short-term funding for banks - 2 trillion euros of which experts say is based in London.
In addition to this, there is foreign exchange trading in the currency itself. The Frankfurt-based ECB wants oversight for practical reasons: if any disaster were to hit these markets, it would be responsible for clearing up the mess.
The exit vote prompted Mayor Sadiq Khan to call for more autonomy for London such as tax-raising powers and control over areas including business and policing.
He also wants London - Europe's richest city which against the national trend voted strongly to remain in the EU - to have a seat in negotiations with Brussels over Britain's future relations with the bloc.
Khan, who backed the Remain campaign, borrowed language from Brexit supporters who said Britain should leave the EU to regain control of policies such as immigration.
"London has to take back control too. Londoners, who voted for a different path to the rest of England, need more self-determination," he said. "We need to control our own destiny."
Rival Paris is gearing up to attract London bankers.
SocGen's chief executive, Frederic Oudea, said the French capital could benefit as financial institutions based in Britain would no longer have access to European markets as they had before.
Swiss Bankers Association Chairman Patrick Odier also said the uncertainty from Brexit could benefit his members.
"It will ... probably make the value of the Swiss proposition - stability, predictability, state of law, strong currency - even more forceful than it was in the past," he said.
Heinz Geyer, an executive recruiter at Temple Associates, said some thousands of jobs could leave London over time.
But he added: "England has a strong dealing oriented tradition," he said. "It is hard to see how there would be such a large exodus of people from London."
Genres : Drama
Starring : James Foley, Brian Oakes, Ben Chase, Magnus Tonning Riise, John Foley
Director : Brian Oakes
Plot Synopsis
A look at the life of journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 and became the first American citizen to be killed by the terrorist group ISIS. Friends, family and professional colleagues share their recollections of him in this documentary. Directed by Brian Oakes who was a childhood friend of Foley's, this award-winning documentary provides an in-depth look into the life and work of American journalist James Foley, who was captured and beheaded by ISIS terrorists in 2014.
France's Hollande says Brexit should start as soon as possible
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Britain should trigger the process for leaving the European Union as soon as possible, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday in Brussels, where he is attending a European Council summit.
Hollande said he was confident the British government would respect last week's referendum vote in favour of the country's exit from the EU.
British students enrolled at European universities may be granted EU citizenship, Italy's prime minister has revealed.
Matteo Renzi said EU leaders had discussed moves to hand students European passports if they are spending up to four years learning on the continent.
The plan, which emerged after Britain voted to leave the EU last week, was examined at a meeting of European socialist leaders in Brussels yesterday.
Scroll down for video
Matteo Renzi said EU leaders had discussed moves to hand students European passports if they are spending up to four years learning on the continent
He said: 'If a British student decides to spend two, three, four years in a European university, we are studying now if it is possible to give him a European passport (..).
Renzi said the plan was also on the table at a meeting he attended on Monday in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.
The move could be welcomed by British students on the continent who are uncertain about their future rights in EU countries after Britain's June 23 EU referendum.
An opinion poll taken shortly before the referendum found 73 per cent of eligible voters under 25 in favour of remaining in the EU.
The eventual national margin on June 23 was 52 to 48 percent in favour of leaving.
Renzi said that no decision has been made yet on whether the plan can be carried out.
Renzi said the plan was under discussion because Brexit could disadvantage Britain's younger generation (file picture)
'For the moment nothing is sure,' he said on his way to a European summit in Brussels where the leaders of all EU countries will discuss on Tuesday and Wednesday the implications of the Brexit referendum.
Legal hurdles might make the plan impossible, though. Granting EU citizenship to British students may force EU countries to do the same with students from other non-EU countries to avoid illegal discrimination.
Renzi said the plan was under discussion because Brexit could disadvantage Britain's younger generation.
Divided U.S. top court rejects family pharmacy's religious claim
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an appeal by a family-owned pharmacy that cited Christian beliefs in objecting to providing emergency contraceptives to women under a Washington state rule, prompting a searing dissent by conservative Justice Samuel Alito.
The justices left in place a July 2015 ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld a state regulation that requires pharmacies to deliver all prescribed drugs, including contraceptives, in a timely manner.
Three conservatives among the eight justices argued that the court should have agreed to hear the appeal by the Stormans family, which owns Ralph's Thriftway grocery story and pharmacy in Olympia.
Alito, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas, said the court's decision not to hear it is "an ominous sign" for the future of religious liberty claims.
"If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern," Alito added.
The court may be less likely to rule in favor of people making such claims following February's death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, especially if he is replaced by a liberal appointee.
The American Civil Liberties Union praised the court's action.
"When a woman walks into a pharmacy, she should not fear being turned away because of the religious beliefs of the owner or the person behind the counter," said Louise Melling, the group's deputy legal director.
Evolving American social attitudes and changes in the law relating to issues such as gay marriage and birth control coverage in health insurance have spurred numerous court challenges by individuals, businesses and nonprofit employers who say their religious liberty has been violated. The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protects freedom of religion.
Washington state permits a religiously objecting individual pharmacist to deny medicine, as long as another pharmacist working at the location provides timely delivery. The rules require a pharmacy to deliver all medicine, even if the owner objects.
The Supreme Court in 2014 allowed certain businesses to object on religious grounds to the Obamacare law's requirement that companies provide employees with insurance that pays for women's contraceptives. The court in May sent a similar dispute brought by nonprofit Christian employers back to lower courts without resolving the main legal issue.
The Stormans family is made up of devout Christians who associate "morning after" emergency contraceptives with abortion. Two individual pharmacists who worked elsewhere also joined the lawsuit.
"The dilemma this creates for the Stormans family and others like them is plain: Violate your sincerely held religious beliefs or get out of the pharmacy business," Alito said.
Thirty-eight state and national pharmacy associations had urged the court to take up the case, saying pharmacies generally get to choose what products they stock.
Alito said there is evidence the state's regulation was adopted because of "hostility to pharmacists whose religious beliefs regarding abortion and contraception are out of step with prevailing opinion in the state" and designed "to stamp out religious objectors."
The appeals court said the rules rationally further the state's interest in patient safety. Speed is particularly important considering the time-sensitive nature of emergency contraception, that court said.
U.S. Supreme Court to hear Venezuela oil rig dispute
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to weigh Venezuela's bid to block a lawsuit filed by an American oil drilling company that claims the South American country unlawfully seized 11 drilling rigs six years ago.
The high court will review a May 2015 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that allowed one of the claims made by Oklahoma-based Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Company to move forward.
The company sued both the Venezuelan government and state-owned oil companies under a U.S. law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, saying among other things that the property seizure violated international law.
Helmerich had long provided drilling services for the Venezuelan government. The company disassembled its rigs in 2009 after Venezuela had failed to pay $100 million in bills. In response, Venezuela's government seized the properties, which were still in the country. Then-President Hugo Chavez ordered the seizure, saying the rigs could be used by the government-owned companies.
The appeals court blocked the company's breach of contract claim, which was not at issue in the appeal. In court papers, Venezuela questioned whether the company could sue in U.S. courts in part because the property in question was owned by a Venezuela-based subsidiary.
Cuba reports no Zika transmission since March; Dengue all but eliminated
By Marc Frank
HAVANA, June 28 (Reuters) - Cuba has successfully held off the Zika epidemic and in the process all but eliminated Dengue fever and other mosquito-carried illnesses, state-run media reported on Tuesday.
Public Health Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda told a Council of Ministers meeting that a series of measures taken this year to eliminate the Aedes strain of mosquito that carries Zika and other viruses had drastically reduced infestations. There had been no infections, he said, since one locally transmitted case, the country's 14th, was reported on March 15.
Cuba has called out the military to help fumigate, activated neighborhood watch groups to check there is no standing water, where the insects breed, instituted health checks at airports and other entry points to the Caribbean island, among other measures.
A source in the health ministry, with access to epidemiological data, told Reuters last week that there was no Zika transmission.
"We are all over it. Every time someone enters the country from Brazil or Venezuela or wherever and comes down with Zika, more than 20 cases so far, we isolate them and check their neighborhoods," the source said, asking not to be identified as the information is considered classified.
The source has contradicted official reports in the past due to the individual's concern for public health.
U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,300 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in mothers.
The United States and Cuba signed an historic agreement last week to collaborate on health issues, including Zika, as part of detente begun in December 2014.
Media quoted Health Minister Morales as stating that due to efforts to date, there were no reported cases of Chikungunya, another mosquito-spread virus, and that Dengue, endemic to the region, had been all but eliminated.
Michelle Obama, daughters and mom promote girls' education in Morocco
By Aziz El Yaakoubi
MARRAKESH, Morocco, June 28 (Reuters) - U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, her mother and daughters Sasha and Malia were joined by Meryl Streep in Morocco's Marrakesh on Tuesday on a six-day tour to try to promote girls' education.
More than a third of Morocco's population of 34 million is illiterate - one of the highest rates in North Africa, and the rate is higher for women at 41 percent, official data shows.
"I am sitting here now as the U.S. first lady, talking to you, because of my education," Michelle Obama told a dozen girls from different towns.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government foreign aid agency, announced during her visit the allocation of $100 million to be spent on 100,000 Moroccan students, half of whom will be teenage girls.
The funds come from $450 million given by the MCC last year to boost education and employablity in Morocco.
Michelle Obama stepped up her campaign for girls' education after Islamist group Boko Haram seized 276 girls from their school in Nigeria in 2014 and she highlighted their plight through a Twitter hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls.
Kenya says major power line to remote north will be ready by December
By George Obulutsa
NAIROBI, June 28 (Reuters) - A major new power line that will connect the remote northern region of Kenya to the national grid, and will be used to transmit wind power, should be completed by the end of this year, a senior government official told Reuters on Tuesday.
The East African nation is ramping up electricity production and investing in its grid to keep up with growing demand for power and to reduce frequent blackouts.
It relies heavily on renewables such as geothermal and hydro power. Private company Lake Turkana Wind is building Kenya's biggest wind power scheme at Lake Turkana which is expected to start producing some power in September and will be able to start sending power to the grid once the power line is ready in December.
Construction on the 428 km, 400-kilovolt power line, which will run from Loiyangalani in northern Kenya to Suswa in the centre of the country, started in November and had been due to be completed by October but has been delayed by demands for compensation from landowners along the route and other issues.
Once the Lake Turkana Wind Power scheme starts operation it will initially supply up to 90 MW of electricity but will eventually have the capacity to supply 310 MW.
"The transmission line is now being accelerated," Fernandes Barasa, managing director of the state-run Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, said in an interview.
"Earlier it was supposed to be completed by October, but because of some delays - issues along the route - we have pushed it back by two months so that we complete it by December 2016," Barasa said.
He said some land values along the route had been inflated and the issue took longer than expected to resolve, requiring the help of the state-run National Land Commission and political leaders.
Kenya plans to add 5,000 km of power lines to its existing 3,800-km network by 2017. Only a third of the country's 44 million people are connected to the grid, according to its energy ministry.
Barasa said another power line between Kenya and Ethiopia should be completed in early 2018.
UK Pensions Secretary Crabb says he will stand to replace Cameron -politico website
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb, widely regarded as a rising star in the government, has declared he will stand as a candidate to replace Prime Minister David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party, the Politico website said on Tuesday.
Cameron said he would resign last Friday after Britons ignored his pleas to stay in the EU in last week's referendum and Crabb, who was in favour of staying in the bloc, would be the first candidate to announce his intention to stand.
Ex-London mayor Boris Johnson, the most high-profile Brexit campaigner, and Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May are the current favourites for the job with bookmakers.
Nominations must be submitted by Thursday and the leadership battle could be concluded by early September.
Politico said Crabb had announced his decision in an email to fellow Conservative lawmakers.
Among other possible candidates are Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, although finance minister George Osborne has ruled himself out.
Crabb, 43, who has been a lawmaker for a constituency in Wales since 2005, became a Cabinet minister in 2014 when he was made Welsh Secretary and moved up to his current job earlier this year.
As a former state school pupil who once worked as a building site labourer, his background contrasts to Cameron and Johnson, who attended the elite Eton College.
Fire under control at Pascagoula, Mississippi gas plant
HOUSTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Firefighters in Pascagoula, Mississippi were monitoring a dwindling fire at an Enterprise Products Partners natural gas processing plant on Tuesday morning, the company said.
Residual product vapors were being burned off, Enterprise said.
Several social media messages from Pascagoula residents had said the blaze erupted shortly before midnight at Chevron Corp's 330,000 barrels per day refinery in Pascagoula. The Pascagoula Police Department said the fire was not at the Chevron refinery.
Enterprise took ownership of the plant from BP Plc on June 1.
Hungarian PM Orban calls for EU migration overhaul after Brexit vote
BUDAPEST, June 28 (Reuters) - The European Union will face more big challenges in the wake of Britain's decision to leave if it fails to get to grips with the migration crisis, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday.
Orban, a staunch EU critic, told state television m1 that in his view migration was the decisive issue in last week's British referendum.
"The important question is what lessons to draw from what happened, for us Europeans who are still members of the European Union and want to stay in," Orban said.
"If the EU cannot solve the migration situation then such challenges as we saw in the case of the United Kingdom will increase."
Orban's ruling Fidesz party has initiated a referendum of its own, to be held in September or October, on whether Hungary should reject any future mandatory quotas from Brussels to resettle migrants arriving en masse from countries such as Syria.
Hungary, which built a fence on its southern border to keep out migrants, has repeatedly accused the EU of weakness in the face of the crisis, calling for tough policies like fortified borders and strict immigration procedures.
Politicians in several other countries have proposed referendums of their own on EU membership, largely on the grounds of what they see as a failed immigration policy.
"Plebiscites are raised in more and more places because the European Union is seen as unable to tackle the situation," Orban said. "And it criticises countries that remedy the situation on their own, instead of honouring and supporting them. That is bad politics."
He said Hungary's referendum was about winning a political mandate for an impending European debate in which member states will have to thrash out a robust new migration policy.
The European Union is in the final stage of deciding on net neutrality, and as it stands their proposal contains major loopholes that threaten the open Internet in Europe and around the world. BEREC, the EU regulator, is holding a final public comment period that will end on July 18.
We're rallying the Internet to inundate BEREC with comments from people demanding that they close the loopholes.
If we lose, lax EU net neutrality guidelines could soon let EU ISPs effectively slow anyone's content.
The biggest problem is that the EU guidelines right now allow class-based traffic management, which lets ISPs throttle video, BitTorrent, or VPNs at will. Right now, tons of ISPs worldwide, and many in Europe, throttle BitTorrent. In the US, thanks to the rules we won, ISPs aren't allowed to do this. Not your home connection. Not on mobile. If you can prove they're doing it, you can complain to the FCC and make them stop. But in Europe it's another storytons of ISPs do it, and only a few countries have rules against it.
Under the proposal, ISPs are instructed to discriminate against and throttle whole classes of traffic when managing their networks. That means, for example, peer-to-peer traffic could be throttled before traffic from streaming video services, even if the peer-to-peer traffic is in fact using less bandwidth. VPN traffic could be throttled simply because ISPs wouldn't be able to determine what category it is.
And this mass throttling could be done as a standard operating procedure, not just for times when there is excessive congestion on a network. Under the rules, ISPs can engage in class-based throttling whenever they believe congestion is 'impending,' which, if you consider the chaotic nature of the Internet, could really be whenever.
It would also allow zero rating, a practice whereby ISPs exempt their own apps and services, and those of their partners, from monthly data caps. These arrangements incentivize ISPs to reduce data allowances (EU ISPs that engage in zero rating give, on average, 50% less data each month for the same price) and they give ISPs more control over what we do online.
These loopholes allow ISPs to violate net neutrality's basic principles, and they will ensure that Europe's Internet continues to lag behind the rest of the developed world. Innovation will stall, freedom of expression will be limited, and ISPs will cement their gatekeeper status on the Internet. Europe is the world's largest economy. What happens to the Internet in Europe profoundly affects Internet freedom around the world.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Up to this point, the dominant voices in shaping these rules have been the telecom lobbyists. Companies like Deutsche Telekom, Orange, and Vodafone lobbied hard to get the EU Parliament to punt many of the most important decisions to BEREC, and now the loophole-filled guidelines that BEREC has released make it clear that their strategy has worked. They got more out of BEREC than they ever would have been able to get if these decisions were made in the original legislation.
Now it's our turn. We've made it super simple to submit a comment to BEREC in support of net neutrality. Click here to file your comment now.
If you run a website, blog, or Tumblr, you can be even more effective at fighting these bad net neutrality guidelines in the EU by running our banner widget on your site. Simply embed this one line of code on your page. You can customize look and feel, or the text, if you want.
GRAINS-Soybean, corn futures rise with U.S. Midwest temperatures
By Mark Weinraub
CHICAGO, June 28 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures rose 1.5 percent to a one-week high on Tuesday on concerns about crop development in the U.S. Midwest and signs of good export demand, traders said.
The weather concerns also boosted corn futures, which gained 1.2 percent amid forecasts for scorching heat in the U.S. Midwest as some of the crop enters its critical pollination phase.
Wheat futures edged higher, following the gains in corn, but harvest pressure kept buying in check.
At 10:30 a.m. CDT (1530 GMT), CBOT November soybean futures , the most actively traded contract, were up 17 cents at $11.21-3/4 a bushel. The front-month July contract was 18 cents higher at $11.51 a bushel.
"Both supply and demand support are in play helping both old and new crop contracts break out of their three-week declines," said Bryce Knorr, senior grain market analyst at Farm Futures.
The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday afternoon said the soybean crop was rated 72 percent good to excellent, down 1 percentage point from a week earlier. USDA also reported that exporters sold 150,000 tonnes of U.S soybeans for delivery to unknown destinations.
CBOT December corn was up 5 cents at $3.99-1/4 a bushel. The July contract was 5-1/4 cents higher at $3.90-1/2 a bushel.
The European forecast model predicted highs for parts of the Midwest near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) late next week as the crop begins pollinating. Corn pollinating under the stress of high temperatures often shows severe yield reductions at harvest.
CBOT September soft red winter wheat futures were 1-1/4 cents higher at $4.59-1/2 a bushel. CBOT July wheat was unchanged at $4.46-3/4 a bushel.
'Brexiteer' Farage booed in rowdy EU parliament debate
By Francesco Guarascio and Alissa de Carbonnel
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage was booed and heckled in a raucous special session of the European Parliament on Tuesday as he accused the EU of imposing a superstate on its citizens and predicted other countries would leave the bloc like Britain.
Facing Farage, who sat with a British "Union Jack" flag planted on the table in front of him, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asked: "Why are you here?"
When Farage interrupted Juncker's speech to applaud the results of last week's British vote to leave the EU, the Commission chief shot back: "That is the last time you are applauding here."
The exchanges underscored just how fraught ties between European officials and British politicians have become since the vote on Thursday, which left far-right anti-European parties across the bloc cheering and governments fretting about political and economic aftershocks.
It came hours before Prime Minister David Cameron met EU leaders for the first time since the referendum. The other 27 leaders will gather on Wednesday.
The parliamentary session began on a friendly note, with Juncker air-kissing Farage, acknowledging sadness at the outcome of the referendum and paying tribute to Jonathan Hill, the British financial services commissioner who resigned on Saturday after campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU.
Hill, a popular figure among EU colleagues during his 18 months in Brussels, appeared overwhelmed by the outpouring.
But the air of sombre civility did not last long, as leading lawmakers accused the Leave camp of having lied their way to victory.
"SELFISH MAN"
In a fiery speech, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt accused British politicians of creating a "toxic climate" of uncertainty since the Brexit vote and described former London mayor Boris Johnson, a Brexit advocate and leading candidate to replace Cameron, as a "selfish man" who had put his own political ambitions above the interests of his country.
German Manfred Weber, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leader of the biggest group in parliament, took on Farage in the packed house: "If you had an ounce of decency today, you would apologise to the British people. Shame on you."
Many of the speakers appealed for unity and pressed Britain to speed its withdrawal from the EU to end uncertainty that has roiled financial markets and sparked concern about contagion to economically weak continental countries.
But Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front, hailed the Brexit vote as the most momentous event in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"It is a cry of love by a people for their country," she said. "It is a huge victory for democracy and a slap at an EU built on fear, blackmail and lies."
Speaking to reporters earlier, Farage appeared to backtrack on disputed claims by the Leave campaign that an exit would allow London to redirect 350 million pounds ($467.81 million) per week they alleged it sent to Brussels to Britain's National Health Service (NHS).
Farage estimated the savings at 34 million pounds per day, significantly less than promised on a weekly basis. Experts have said the 350 million pound figure is a distortion.
"If you had said this before the vote I could have congratulated you," Juncker said. "But you lied."
Farage has long used the Parliament, where UKIP has won seats much more easily than under Britain's voting system, as a platform for his campaign to get Britain out of the EU.
By the time he rose to speak, hissing from other members of parliament had grown so loud that parliament president Martin Schulz was forced to admonish members. Recalling he was laughed at when he arrived in the chamber 17 years and spoke of Britain leaving the EU, Farage taunted MEPs: "You're not laughing now."
He called Brexit vote a "seismic" result that offered a "beacon of hope" for democrats across Europe: "I will make one prediction this morning," said the former commodities trader.
"The United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union."
U.S. backed Syrian rebels launch attack on IS-held town near Iraqi border
By Tom Perry and Suleiman Al-Khalidi
BEIRUT/AMMAN, June 28 (Reuters) - Syrian rebels launched an attack on a town held by Islamic State near the Iraqi border on Tuesday, senior commanders said, opening a new front against militants also facing an offensive from U.S.-backed forces in the north.
If the rebel New Syria Army succeeds in capturing the town of Al-Bukamal from Islamic State (IS), it would hamper the jihadists' ability to move between the Iraqi and Syrian territories of their self-declared caliphate.
Armed and equipped by the U.S.-led coalition, the New Syria Army was formed 18 months ago from Arab rebels driven out of eastern Syria by Islamic State as it expanded its territories in mid-2014 following the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul.
A commander said the rebels had secured the desert approaches to Al-Bukamal. Another senior rebel source said they were now inside the town's administrative boundaries after a rapid advance across sparsely inhabited desert from their main base further southwest in al Tanf.
The rebels had advanced close to a railway station nearly five km from the outskirts of the Euphrates River town, approaching mine-laden trenches dug by IS as a line of fortified defence, two rebel sources said.
The militants also cut internet and electricity services in the town, which IS has controlled since 2014, they added.
U.S.-led coalition jets fired missiles at the town's Aisha hospital used by Islamic State but intense aerial bombing had not begun yet, Abdul Salam Muzil, a senior member of the New Syria Army in touch with commanders on the front, told Reuters.
But another New Syria Army commander said the rebels would be relying on heavier air strikes in coming days to help them encircle the town, believed to have around 50,000 people.
"This is a major gamble but we have been preparing for it for a long time. U.S. logistical support and aerial support is key to the success of this operation," said the commander, who like others requested anonymity.
In a video posted by the rebels, a commander is seen driving in a military vehicle through an undisclosed desert area and saying his troops were heading to "liberate the town".
The New Syria Army's base in al Tanf was hit twice earlier this month by Russian air strikes, even after the U.S. military used emergency channels to ask Moscow to stop after the first strike, according to U.S. officials.
Russia is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally in his more than five-year-long war with rebels trying to overthrow him.
A U.S. Defence Department spokesman, Major Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway declined to comment on the latest campaign but said Washington was assisting unnamed Syrian rebel groups.
"Coalition-partnered forces will isolate, degrade, disrupt, destroy the Da'esh organization and seize their terrain and functional capabilities," the Pentagon spokesman said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
Russia, United States blame each other for maritime incident
By Dmitry Solovyov and Idrees Ali
MOSCOW, June 28 (Reuters) - Russia and the United States gave contradictory accounts on Tuesday of an incident involving the two countries' navies in the Mediterranean Sea on June 17, each blaming the other for what they said were unsafe manoeuvres.
The Russian Defence Ministry said a U.S. destroyer had approached dangerously close to a Russian warship, and protested at what it said was a flagrant U.S. violation of rules to avoid collisions at sea.
However, a U.S. Defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Russian warship had carried out "unsafe and unprofessional" operations near two U.S. Navy ships.
Recent months have seen a number of similar Cold War-style incidents at sea and in the air, with each country's military accusing the other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace.
In one such case, the U.S. military said in April that Russian SU-24 bombers had simulated attack passes near the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, with one official describing them as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the time that the behaviour of the Russian pilots was provocative and dangerous, adding that "under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down".
Russia's Defence Ministry, uneasy about increased NATO activity close to Russia's borders, said the latest incident "shows that it is U.S. sailors who allow themselves to forget the basic principles of safe seafaring and not to think about the eventual consequences of this dangerous manoeuvring in regions with intense navigation".
The incident involved the USS Gravely and the Russian Navy frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Gravely approached the Russian vessel at a distance of 60-70 metres (65-75 yards) from the port side and crossed in front of it, it said.
At the time of the incident, the Russian ship was in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean, cruising steadily and without making any dangerous manoeuvres, the Russian statement said.
But the U.S. Defense official said the Russian frigate had "repeatedly crossed the stern of USS Gravely at close proximity" and had "repeatedly asked Gravely to maintain a safe distance, yet continued to manoeuvre in close proximity to Gravely."
The Russian ship came within 315 yards (290 metres) of Gravely and five nautical miles of the USS Harry S. Truman, the U.S. official said.
"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries and could result in a miscalculation or accident that results in serious injury or death," the official said.
The Defense official added that the Truman and Gravely were conducting routine operations in support of the campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
Trump vows to reopen, or toss, NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico
By Emily Stephenson and Amanda Becker
MONESSEN, Pennsylvania/WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - R epublican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement with the United States if elected, as part of an effort to protect and restore American jobs.
Trump criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement as a U.S. job killer, saying he would be willing to scrap the pact if Canada and Mexico were unwilling to budge. He also tried to link Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to the deal on the eve of a meeting in Ottawa of the "three amigos," the leaders of the three NAFTA signatories: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
In his most detailed speech on trade, the presumptive Republican nominee said he would pull the United States out of negotiations for a deal among 12 Pacific Rim nations and promised to use executive power to resolve trade disputes with China.
Trump also pledged to revive the U.S. steel and aluminum industry, speaking at an aluminum scrap company in Monessen, Pennsylvania, nearly 30 miles (50 km) south of Pittsburgh, the one-time American steelmaking capital.
Trump has identified Pennsylvania as a state he believes he can wrest from the Democrats in the Nov. 8 election. He also campaigned on Tuesday in Ohio, which like Pennsylvania is a Rust Belt state.
Democratic President Barack Obama won both states in 2008 and 2012, but manufacturing job losses have led to voter anxiety in the region.
"I'm going tell our NAFTA partners that I intend to immediately renegotiate the terms of that agreement to get a better deal for our workers. And I don't mean just a little bit better, I mean a lot better," Trump said in Pennsylvania.
If Canada and Mexico do not agree to renegotiate the pact, Trump said he would notify them under the agreement's terms "that America intends to withdraw from the deal."
He tried to tie his Democratic rival to the pact, approved in 1993 during the administration of her husband, President Bill Clinton, as he called NAFTA one of the "worst legacies" of the Clinton years.
On MSNBC after Trump's speech, Clinton spokeswoman Kristina Schake called the wealthy New York businessman the "king of outsourcing," in an apparent reference to Trump-branded products such as suits and ties made overseas.
"It was full of hypocrisy and misstatements and outright lies," Schake said.
Trade has been a vulnerability for Clinton, who struggled for white, blue-collar votes in her Democratic primary race against U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who criticized her for supporting trade deals and said she was too close to Wall Street.
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
Trump echoed Sanders' criticism on Tuesday, saying Clinton supported the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, while she was secretary of state and only opposed it once she was running for president. Clinton's campaign said she opposed the agreement because it was not strong enough on currency manipulation and other areas.
Clinton has said she will evaluate each trade deal on its merits but does not believe the TPP is good for U.S. workers.
Sanders now says he will vote for Clinton in November, although he has not formally withdrawn from the race.
Trump said he saw no way to fix the TPP, calling it a "death blow" for American manufacturing. Although China is not part of the agreement, Trump said Beijing might try to enter it "through the back door" later on.
Later, during a rally in St. Clairsville, Ohio, Trump said the deal was "just a continuing rape of our country."
Just hours before Trump spoke, Clinton allies sought to pre-empt the planned trade speech by saying Trump's policies amounted to empty promises.
Earlier, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told a trade conference in Washington that "Trump embodies everything that is wrong with our current trade policy. He has consistently sent American jobs overseas to line his own pockets."
The AFL-CIO, which collectively represents more than 12 million workers, making it the largest U.S. labor federation, endorsed Clinton this month.
POPULIST ANGER
Both Clinton and Trump have acknowledged that Britain's vote to leave the European Union signaled a global economic frustration among working-class voters that could reverberate in the U.S. election.
"There is a lot of legitimate anxiety, fear and even anger in many parts of our country because people feel like the economy has failed them," Clinton said in Denver on Tuesday. "I think this is going to be one of the defining issues in this election."
Trump has seized on the historic Brexit vote to bolster his argument that voters are rising up against establishment leaders, saying Americans would reject the "global elite" and support his presidential candidacy.
But Trump has broken with Republican Party orthodoxy in criticizing trade deals, and has threatened to slap tariffs on Mexican and Chinese imports. His rhetoric has drawn criticism from many economists, who say such practices could spark trade wars.
As Trump spoke, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is usually in sync with prominent Republicans on trade policy, said on Twitter: "Under Trump's trade plans, we would see higher prices, fewer jobs, and a weaker economy."
France's Macron demands quick EDF decision on UK's Hinkley Point
By Bate Felix and Nina Chestney
PARIS/LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron called for a swift decision by state-controlled utility EDF on investing in its Hinkley Point nuclear project in Britain, despite last weeks' British vote to leave the European Union.
Any delay could add further uncertainty to the project, which is expected to produce 7 percent of Britain's electricity, Macron told a nuclear sector meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
"Britain remains an important economic partner and its energy needs are still the same and this is why I still consider that a timely EDF investment decision on Hinkley Point is needed," he said.
Macron said that France will take a majority subscription in EDF's planned 4 billion Euro ($4.4 billion) capital increase, which the heavily indebted utility needs to refurbish its nuclear plants and new projects such as Hinkley Point, which is expected to cost at least 18 billion pounds ($26 billion).
A final investment decision on Hinkley Point has been delayed as EDF tries to secure partners and financing and concerns have been raised that Britain's decision last week to leave the EU could put the project even further behind.
EDF's chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy declined to answer questions on the impact of a British EU exit on Hinkley Point on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris.
However, the French company said on Friday it was committed to Hinkley Point, despite the UK's vote to leave.
Richard Slark, Director at Poyry Management Consulting in London, said EDF's decision will be complicated by the vote.
"It will be very difficult for investors to commit to new projects given the currency volatility, policy risks and growth uncertainties that Brexit has introduced," Slark said.
Jonathan Robinson, Principal Consultant, Energy & Environment at Frost & Sullivan, said Britain leaving the EU bloc could make EDF re-examine the feasibility of the project.
Sweden, Ethiopia, Bolivia elected to U.N. council for 2017-18
UNITED NATIONS, June 28 (Reuters) - Sweden, Ethiopia and Bolivia were elected to the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday for 2017-18, with further voting taking place to decide another two seats with Kazakhstan competing against Thailand and the Netherlands against Italy.
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly elected Sweden with 134 votes in favor, Ethiopia with 185 and Bolivia with 183. Countries need more than two-thirds of the vote to win a seat.
Netherlands raises 895 million euros from Propertize sale
AMSTERDAM, June 28 (Reuters) - The Dutch government said on Tuesday it had agreed to sell the real estate portfolio of collapsed and nationalised bank SNS Reaal to a consortium of U.S. bank JP Morgan and private equity firm Lone Star for 895.3 million euros ($989.04 million).
The state bailed out SNS Reaal two years ago after its real estate portfolio was hit by a fall in the Dutch property market following the financial crisis. Propertize was spun off from the bank to wind down the portfolio, which is worth some 5.5 billion euros.
EU regulators readying third Google antitrust charge - sources
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, June 28 - Alphabet's Google may face a third EU antitrust charge as soon as next month, this time focusing on its revenue mainstay AdWords ad placement service, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The world's most popular Internet search engine is already under fire from the European Commission for promoting its shopping service at the expense of rivals and for using its Android mobile operating system for smartphones to squeeze out competitors.
The Commission has asked Google rivals to share information related to search advertising with the tech giant, a step suggesting the EU competition enforcer could be poised to hit Google with a fresh charge, the sources said.
Such a move usually comes before the Commission issues charges.
The Commission declined to comment. Google in Brussels did not respond to a request for comment.
The company's terms and conditions for its AdWords and AdSense services have been on the Commission's radar since 2010, after rivals complained about unfair advertising exclusivity clauses and undue restrictions on advertisers.
AdWords places ads next to Google search results both on Google-owned sites and other website publishers who rely on Google advertising to support their businesses.
It forms the core of Google's advertising business which posted about $75 billion in revenue last year, accounting for 90 percent of Alphabet's total annual revenue.
Separately, a ruling in the Commission's case against Google over its shopping service, which had been expected this year, appears to have been delayed after the Commission asked rivals for more documents in a bid to reinforce its legal arguments, the sources said.
Data files from crashed EgyptAir plane sent back to Egypt
CAIRO, June 28 (Reuters) - Data files from crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 were sent to Egypt on Tuesday after one of the plane's black box flight recorders was repaired in France, bringing investigators closer to explaining the doomed jet's fate.
The Airbus A320 plunged into the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 and all 66 people on board were killed. The cause of the crash remains unknown.
The plane's Flight Data Recorder was repaired in laboratories belonging to France's BEA aircraft accident investigation agency late on Monday and the data files transferred to Egypt on Tuesday, Egyptian investigators said.
"The data file was transferred to Cairo today for decoding, validating and studying of data at the laboratories of the central department for aircraft accidents at the Ministry of Civil Aviation," Egypt's Aircraft Accident Investigation committee said in a statement.
The process would take several days, the committee said, and repairs on the plane's second black box, the Cockpit Voice Recorder, started on Tuesday.
Damaged memory chips from the black boxes were flown to France on Monday after Egyptian investigators had tried without success to repair them. The chips should allow investigators to begin transcribing and analysing the recordings and data which may hold key insights into what caused the crash.
The plane is believed to have crashed in the deepest part of the Mediterranean and the black boxes, recovered last week, were badly damaged.
Debris from the jet was brought to Cairo airport on Monday, where investigators will try to reassemble part of the aircraft's frame in search of additional clues.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing Breitling Energy Corporation of Dallas, Texas, and its CEO, "Frack Master" Chris Faulkner, for fraudulently spending $80 million dollars of investors' money on fancy dining, luxury cars, strippers, sex workers, and all the other fixins of a jet-setting sociopath's lifestyle.
Faulkner's "debauched" crimes include using Breitling Energy funds to pay off an American Express card the CEO lovingly described as his "whore card," the federal agency wrote in a complaint filed Friday.
"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."
Breitling Oil and Gas and co-owners Parker Hallam and Michael Miller are among those also charged by the SEC with having assisted Faulkner in fraud. The federal agency has halted Breitling Energy securities trading for 10 business days.
Larry Friedman, an attorney in Dallas who represents Breitling and Faulkner, says his clients "emphatically" deny all charges.
"This reads more like a Grisham novel and less like an SEC complaint," Friedman told a reporter. "It reads like a vendetta. Lots of personal attacks that are uncalled for."
Faulkner paid a public relations firm to carefully manage his public image and book him for TV news guest spots. He appeared regularly on CNBC, CNN, Fox Business News, and hosted a weekly radio show in Dallas, the SEC complaint says.
From the Houston Chronicle:
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.
In June 2014, Faulkner published a book called "The Fracking Truth," despite having very little experience in the oil-and-gas industry.
More at Bloomberg News. Bloomberg TV had Faulkner on as a guest at least once, by the way.
Reuters: "Texas 'Frack Master' bilked investors out of millions, SEC says"
Confederation of British Industry says UK "a long way off" any EU plan
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Britain appears a long way from developing a clear plan on the country's future trading relationship with the European Union, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said on Tuesday after a meeting with government.
CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn said some firms were putting investment on hold after Britain's vote to leave the EU last week, and that they needed a clearer sense of what the government intended to do.
"It's incredibly early days. I don't think anybody's coming out of these meetings feeling great, but they are coming out with a sense of resolve," she told reporters.
"We're a long way off having a plan and leadership and that is still where we will be continuing to make (the point) that this is what businesses need," she added.
Mexico to lift restrictions on Canadian beef in October
June 28 (Reuters) - Mexico will allow expanded imports of Canadian beef starting in October, leaders of the two countries said on Tuesday, ending 13 years of restrictions related to mad cow disease.
Mexico currently imports Canadian beef only from cattle under 30 months old, since Canada in 2003 reported its first case of mad cow, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
Mexico's decision to lift restrictions was announced in Ottawa by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Trudeau told reporters that Mexico would open its market to all Canadian beef.
Canada is the world's sixth-largest beef and veal exporter, and currently sells on average C$136 million ($103.96 million)worth of beef annually to Mexico, the eighth-biggest global beef consumer, according to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Prior to Mexico's restrictions in 2003, Canada sold about C$270 million to C$290 million worth of beef to the country.
"Set up shop in Belgium!": PM's appeal to British companies
By Robert-Jan Bartunek and Alastair Macdonald
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Belgium's prime minister on Tuesday urged British companies wanting to continue trading with the European Union to move to his country after the British vote to quit the bloc.
"They are thinking it is time, today, to go to Belgium and work in Belgium," Charles Michel told Reuters, citing a poll which he said found one British business in five was thinking of moving out in the wake of last week's Brexit referendum.
"We are in the heart of Europe," he added. "We have a business-friendly government. We want to develop the attractivity of our country and there are many opportunities in Belgium to invest and Belgium's a good hub."
Belgian officials stress that the government would have much preferred Britain to stay in a bloc in which Belgium is a strong supporter of closer European integration. But if British business was on the move to the continent, they wanted a share.
"If they do, I would prefer if they came to Belgium, Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels and not, for example, the Netherlands," Michel told Belgian public radio.
By contrast, the president of Belgium's northern region of Flanders, which exports some 27 billion euros ($30 billion) of goods per year to Britain, called for caution after the Brexit vote.
"We should not antagonise the British," said Geert Bourgeois, who has pleaded for a soft Brexit in order to limit damage to Flemish exporters.
Belgium is the euro zone's sixth-largest economy, and one of the world's most open, with Flemish exports to Britain ranging from textiles to food including fruit and chocolate. The region regularly goes on joint trade missions with the Dutch.
Germany girds for potential spike in Islamic State attacks in Europe
BERLIN, June 28 (Reuters) - The German government voiced concern on Tuesday that Islamic State could step up attacks in Europe as it loses territory in Iraq and Syria, and said its domestic intelligence agency is training to respond to a large-scale assault.
Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere welcomed gains made by a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, but said they were not diminishing the risk of attacks in Europe.
"On the contrary, we fear that Islamic State will externalise, transfer its activities to Europe, especially because of military losses in the region," the minister, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic party, told reporters.
Germany has been on high alert for possible large-scale militant incidents - potentially including military-style weapons - since the IS attacks in Paris last November and Brussels in March, Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, told the same news conference.
He said the agency had carried out several exercises to prepare for such events, and several attacks had already been thwarted. Three Syrian men were earlier this month suspected of planning large-scale attacks in Duesseldorf.
Maassen said the agency was also vigilant for potential lone-wolf attacks, self-radicalised individuals, and possible militants smuggled in under the cover of over one million mostly Muslim refugees that have entered Germany over the past year.
He said authorities had identified clear evidence against 17 individuals who had entered Germany disguised as refugees, and most were either dead or had been arrested. "We must keep a particularly close eye on this group of people," he said.
Authorities were checking tips about a total of 400 potential Islamists among the refugees, but most of those had turned out to be false claims made by other refugees, he said.
De Maiziere said the rate of Islamists leaving Germany to join Islamic State in Iraq and Syria had slowed, but remained troubling. A total of 820 such people were now believed to have departed Germany for the region, up from 780 at the end of December, with about one-third estimated to have returned.
About 60 of those who had tried to reach the region were under the age of 18, and 20 of those that actually succeeded were girls, Maasen said.
At the same time, Germany has seen sharp increases in the number of ultra-conservative Islamists known as Salafists in recent years, with the total number of sympathisers now seen at 8,900, up from 7,000 at the end of 2014, German officials said.
Fire at Mississippi gas plant halts two U.S. Gulf Coast platforms
By Catherine Ngai and Liz Hampton
CALGARY, Alberta/HOUSTON, June 28 (Reuters) - At least two offshore oil platforms halted operations on Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after a fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mississippi shut a crucial pipeline that brings output onshore, several companies said.
The fire at the Enterprise Products Partners LP plant in Pascagoula was brought under control, but officials were forced to close the 225-mile (362 km) Destin gas pipeline system that can carry 1.2 billion cubic feet per day from offshore fields to Pascagoula.
There were no injuries from the blaze, Enterprise said, adding the cause was under investigation. Enterprise took ownership of the plant from BP Plc on June 1.
Destin, majority-owned by BP with Enbridge Inc a minority partner, said it was declaring force majeure, a legal clause that allows it to scrap commitments, as a result of the fire.
By Tuesday afternoon, the plant had not yet resumed operations. In a notice, Destin said that Enterprise had not yet indicated a timeline for the restart, and was looking at offering shippers options for alternate offshore transportation.
Southern Green Canyon crude , an offshore, medium grade delivered into Nederland, Texas, traded at $3.25 a barrel discount to the U.S. crude benchmark on Tuesday compared with a midpoint of $3.80 below WTI on supply concerns.
Destin's pipeline is connected to over 10 oil and gas platforms with capacity to produce hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil and millions of cubic feet of gas a day.
Murphy Oil Corp said it shut its Thunder Hawk platform, which has capacity to handle 60,000 bpd of oil and 70 mmcfd of natural gas.
Murphy added it plans to flow gas to an alternate processing facility and expects minimal disruptions to its operations. Producers in some cases have several different routes to bring output ashore.
Offshore company LLOG, a partner of investment group Blackstone, said it was shutting its Delta House floating production system, which has 100,000 bpd of oil and 240 mmcfd of gas capacity.
Oil major BP declined to comment on the status of its Thunder Horse and Na Kika platforms, both of which tie into the Destin pipeline and together produce close to 400,000 bpd of oil and more than 700 mmcfd of natural gas.
Royal Dutch Shell said it was not impacted.
Williams Partners LP said the Gulfstream Pipeline, a joint venture with Spectra Energy Partners LP, appeared to be unaffected.
Other Gulf of Mexico producers, including Stone Energy and Freeport McMoRan, operate facilities that connect to the Destin pipeline, according to a company map. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. crude benchmark settled up $1.52 to $47.85 following a two-day rout as traders bid up the benchmark on expected inventory draws.
Gas futures rose more than 20 cents to $2.93 per million BTU. Traders attributed the spike to hot weather instead of the fire. About 137 million cubic feet of gas was due to flow through the meter outside the plant on Tuesday, according to Thomson Reuters Analytics flow data.
East EU states want powers returned to capitals after Brexit vote
By Gabriela Baczynska
BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic called on Tuesday for the powers of the European Commission to be reined in after Britain voted to leave the EU, with Warsaw calling for the dismissal of Jean-Claude Juncker, the executive's head.
Last week's referendum alarmed governments in the former communist eastern region of the EU who had seen London as their main eurosceptic ally in efforts to reduce centralised control from Brussels.
"We are asking if this ... leadership of the European Commission... has... a right to continue functioning, fixing Europe," Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said.
"In our opinion, it does not... New politicians, new commissioners should undertake this task, and first of all we should give new prerogatives to the European Council, because it consists of politicians who have a democratic mandate."
Warsaw has clashed with the Commission over its controversial attempt to curb the powers of the constitutional court, which led Brussels to launch an investigation into the rule of law in Poland.
Tension between the Brussels executive, which drafts and enforces EU legislation, and member states, which exercise their authority collectively in the EU Council, has been a permanent feature of the bloc over six decades.
But the Commission led by Luxemburger Juncker has particularly irritated the eastern states with its efforts to impose fixed quotas on taking in some the 1.3 million refugees and migrants who reached Europe last year.
"We need to change the overall functioning of the EU and I think it is needed to change the functioning of the European Commission," said Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
"Member states should be the engine of positive changes in the EU ... I would be very glad if the Commission were more helpful in finding compromises within the EU. I would like the Commission to respect more decisions of the European Council."
His foreign minister, Lubomir Zaoralek, said over the weekend Juncker was the wrong man for the job.
The eastern countries, known together as the Visegrad group, see Brexit as a strategic blow also because the bloc's common budget -- of which all four are net beneficiaries - would shrink should the UK stop paying its contributions.
Sobotka said Brexit could take several years and urged no rush to kick UK out. Poland's Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who heads the ruling party and is the main powerbroker, went even further.
"Our idea today envisages efforts to have the United Kingdom return to the EU," Polish media quoted Kaczynski as saying on Monday. "But the EU must change radically."
He said the EU needed a new treaty to return more power to national capitals. Poland in particular sees London as its key ally in the bloc.
Both are outside the EU's single currency zone and Warsaw - fearful of Russia - benefits from having a powerful ally who is hawkish on sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine and enjoys very close ties with Washington.
About 800,000 Poles live in Britain, the country's second-largest overseas-born population, and there has been a spate of racially motivated hate crimes against them following the Brexit vote in which immigration was a key factor.
JUNCKER STAYS
The Visegrad four joined the EU in 2004 but have grown increasingly eurosceptic in recent years. In a joint statement on Tuesday, they said that the voice of national parliaments must be heard more in the EU.
"The institutions of the European Union need to stick to their missions and mandates... The European Union will necessarily have to focus on topics that unite us," their statement read.
"Topics pulling the European Union institutions, its Member States or even individual societies apart are contrary to the goals of Union of trust and action."
Canada, Mexico move to improve ties as U.S. election looms
By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, June 28 (Reuters) - Canada and Mexico agreed to settle a pair of protracted bilateral disputes on Tuesday in the run-up to a U.S. presidential election in November that could shake ties between the three North American nations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said starting Dec. 1, Canada would scrap rules obliging Mexican visitors to obtain visas. The former Conservative government imposed the restrictions in 2009 to stop what it said were bogus asylum claims.
In return, President Enrique Pena Nieto said Mexico would allow expanded imports of Canadian beef starting in October, ending 13 years of restrictions imposed after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in Canada.
The men stressed their desire to deepen ties between the two nations, which along with the United States are members of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Both countries send the vast majority of their exports to their powerful neighbor.
But the future of NAFTA could be uncertain after the U.S. election, which looks set to pit Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump says he wants to tear up or renegotiate the deal while Clinton has taken a populist tack on free trade during her campaign.
Trudeau said the importance of ties between Canada and Mexico could not be overstated.
"It is my hope that through meetings like this one, we will be able to further strengthen that relationship in the years ahead," Trudeau said after talks with Pena Nieto.
Canadian officials say privately that the two nations have not done enough to develop commercial and political ties or explain the benefits of free trade to their citizens.
Pena Nieto, making the first state visit by a Mexican President to Canada for 15 years, said the two nations had created a working group to study how to deepen relations.
The two leaders, as well as U.S. President Barack Obama, will meet in Ottawa on Wednesday for a one-day summit.
Trudeau, speaking to reporters, said he and Pena Nieto had talked briefly about the U.S. election and agreed on the need to work with the new president.
UK minister says EU single market access is top goal, businesses decry lack of plan
By Kylie MacLellan and David Milliken
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Securing access to the European Union's single market is the top goal in Brexit negotiations, Britain's business minister said on Tuesday, as a business group warned the government was a long way from having a clear plan for its future ties with the bloc.
Sajid Javid hosted a meeting of business organisations and representatives from Britain's largest trade sectors to seek to reassure them after last week's shock referendum vote to leave the EU sparked a meltdown in financial markets.
"The biggest issue raised was the need to secure continued access to the single market. While I am not in any position to make promises, I assured everyone that my number one priority will be just that in the negotiations to come," he told a news conference after the meeting.
Javid, who had campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, is seen as a candidate to become the next finance minister in a new government after Prime Minister David Cameron announced he would step down by October.
Business groups have urged the government to explain how the world's fifth largest economy will extricate itself from a bloc it joined in 1973. Economists have already warned Britain could tip into recession, hitting the stock prices of sectors such as housebuilders, holiday groups and airlines.
Javid said businesses had told him they wanted to see more political leadership, citing both the contest to replace Cameron and also turmoil in the opposition Labour Party, whose lawmakers backed a motion of no-confidence in their leader on Tuesday.
After the meeting, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which represents Britain's largest employers, said the government was "a long way off" having a plan.
"There are very high levels of real and genuine concern in the business community," CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn told reporters.
"What businesses want to happen now is, first of all, very visible political leadership around the UK being an open trading, successful, outward-facing market ... Secondly the commitment to developing a plan very quickly around the deal that we would have."
UNCERTAINTIES
The CBI, which had argued there was a strong economic case for staying in the EU, said a number of its members had put plans on hold but others wanted to go ahead with investments.
"Businesses want to invest, they want to grow, they're looking for the opportunity. As some of these huge uncertainties at the moment begin to diminish, many of our members said they still have plans they want to go ahead with," said Fairbairn.
Javid said Chinese technology company Huawei told the government on Tuesday it planned to go ahead with a 1.3 billion pound investment in Britain despite the vote.
The government invited representatives from some of Britain's largest sectors, including aerospace, defence, automotive, oil and gas, steel, rail, tourism and food and drink to the meeting, which it said would be the first in a series.
Cameron is also due to meet business leaders later in the week to discuss the impact of the referendum result.
Britain's top share index, the FTSE 100, bounced back on Tuesday after a fall of more than 5 percent in the two sessions following the vote wiped nearly 100 billion pounds ($132 billion) off the value of blue-chip firms.
Javid said businesses could see some of the opportunities of Brexit, such as the chance to forge new trade deals.
He said he would lead a series of trade missions this year and the government, which has few trade negotiators as its deals have been conducted for decades through the EU, had already begun the process of boosting resources to negotiate deals.
Asked whether access to the EU's single market would mean accepting free movement of people as countries such as Norway do, Javid said Britain's agreement could be different.
"Access can come in many forms ... I don't think we can stand here and say if that is how it works for other countries it has to work like that for the UK," he said. "We will see over time what actually materialises."
Brazil's fiscal shortfall in May in line with 2016 forecast
BRASILIA, June 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's new Treasury chief Ana Paula Vescovi said on Tuesday that a steep primary shortfall in May is in line with the government's forecast for a primary budget deficit of 170.5 billion reais ($51.48 billion) for 2016.
No sentiment as Murray beats fellow Brit Broady
By Martyn Herman
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - Second seed Andy Murray showed no mercy to fellow Britain Liam Broady as he launched his Wimbledon challenge with a straightforward 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory on Tuesday.
The day after British qualifier Marcus Willis, the world number 772, made the front and back pages by reaching the second round, 235th-ranked Broady was given the Centre Court spotlight but played a subservient role as Murray gave a masterclass.
Murray, the 2013 champion, had not faced a fellow Britain in 56 previous Wimbledon matches while two home players had not squared off at the All England Club for 15 years.
The 29-year-old admitted beforehand that it had felt "weird" but it was business as usual once play began as he broke twice to pocket the opening set in 25 minutes.
Broady, still sporting the beard that caused a stir when he won a round last year, contributed to some eye-catching rallies but landed few telling blows as Murray raced away.
Murray did not have things all his own way in the third set but as dark clouds closed in, he was clearly keen to finish the match off and he did so with a cute dropshot.
"I hit the ball pretty clean today. I think offensively I was good. Felt like I could have moved a little bit better. I didn't defend as well as usual," Murray, who has never lost to a player ranked lower than Broady, told reporters.
"For a first match, to get it done in three sets is good."
Murray's next opponent, Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan, might be a little tougher, according to the Scot.
At "Share the Safety," you can buy one of three Smith & Wesson guns, and the good folks at the NRA will send another one just like it to a lucky person in a low income, inner-city neighborhood, "law-abiding urbanites who will for the first time be able to defend themselves against those who prey on the urban poor." It's just like Tom's shoes!
If you're an open-carry advocate worried about "government overreach," you're going to feel a natural allegiance to the primary victims of police violence, after all.
Chicago's Lamar Roberts was lucky enough to get a gun thanks to Sam Stevenson, who wanted to "help a good guy defend himself." Now Roberts can defend himself against "security guards, cops, and vigilantes."
With Share the Safety, the Yes Men NRA are finally realizing that they need to hitch their wagons to the social movements who know how to effect real change.
The press conference at the Reagan Library, given by a man with a genuinely excellent and in no way fake beard, really says it all: if the NRA can enlist "the gays" they can harness the political clout that won marriage equality "in the face of almost universal revulsion."
Share the Safety
Former Nigerian ministers charged with laundering 4.9 bln naira
LAGOS, June 28 (Reuters) - Two former Nigerian ministers have been charged with theft of over 4.9 billion naira ($17.4 million) of government funds and money laundering, the financial crimes agency said on Tuesday.
Nenadi Usman and Femi Fani-Kayode served as finance and aviation ministers in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) administration led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, whose tenure ended in 2007.
The defendants, who appeared before a federal high court in the commercial capital, Lagos, pleaded not guilty.
The PDP was in power for 16 years prior to President Muhammadu Buhari taking office last year. Buhari won an election mainly on his vow to crackdown on corruption.
Usman was in charge of the PDP's finances during the election campaign and Kayode was the party's head of publicity.
The EFCC said the pair, along with a company, faced a "17-count charge" in which they were accused of conspiracy, stealing and corruption.
"The accused were alleged to have stolen and illegally disbursed about 4.9 billion naira belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria for political and personal uses," said EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren.
An EFCC source said the defendants were accused of using defence money, that would have been used in the fight against militant group Boko Haram, to help fund the election campaign of the then president Goodluck Jonathan.
The source, who did not want to be named, also said they were accused of diverting a large part of the money into personal bank accounts.
The offences were allegedly carried out in January last year, two months before the election.
A number of former government officials have faced criminal charges, which they have all denied. The PDP has previously accused Buhari, a 73-year-old former military ruler, of mounting a witch-hunt against its members.
U.S. to downgrade Myanmar in annual human trafficking report -sources
By Matt Spetalnick, Jason Szep and Antoni Slodkowski
WASHINGTON/YANGON, June 28 (Reuters) - The United States has decided to place Myanmar on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking, officials said, a move aimed at prodding the country's new democratically elected government and its still-powerful military to do more to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labor.
The reprimand of Myanmar comes despite U.S. efforts to court the strategically important country to help counteract China's rise in the region and build a Southeast Asian bulwark against Beijing's territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Myanmar's demotion, part of the State Department's closely watched annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report due to be released on Thursday, also appears intended to send a message of U.S. concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation.
The country's new leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticized internationally for neglecting the Rohingya issue since her administration took office this year.
Washington has faced a complex balancing act over Myanmar, a former military dictatorship that has emerged from decades of international isolation since launching sweeping political changes in 2011.
President Barack Obama's diplomatic opening to Myanmar is widely seen as a key foreign policy achievement as he enters his final seven months in office, but even as he has eased some sanctions he has kept others in place to maintain leverage for further reforms.
At the same time, Washington wants to keep Myanmar from slipping back into China's orbit at a time when U.S. officials are trying to forge a unified regional front.
The U.S. decision to drop Myanmar to "Tier 3," the lowest grade, putting it alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, was confirmed by a U.S. official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organization informed of the move. Another person familiar with the matter said: "I'm not going to turn you away from this conclusion." All spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Tier 3 rating can trigger sanctions limiting access to U.S. and international aid. But U.S. presidents frequently waive such action.
The decision on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was one of the most hotly contested in this year's report, and followed concerns that some assessments in last year's human trafficking report were watered down for political reasons.
There was intense internal debate between senior U.S. diplomats who wanted to reward Myanmar for progress on political reforms and U.S. human rights experts who argued that not enough was being done to curb human trafficking, the U.S. official said.
A Reuters investigation published last August found that senior diplomats repeatedly overruled the State Department's anti-trafficking unit and inflated the grades of 14 strategically important countries. The State Department denied any political considerations but U.S. lawmakers called for reforms in the decision-making process.
This year's decision on Myanmar marked a win for the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was set up to independently grade countries' efforts to prevent modern slavery, such as the illegal trade in humans for forced labor or prostitution.
Because Myanmar had been on the so-called "Tier 2 Watch List" for the maximum four years permitted by law, the State Department either had to justify an upgrade or else automatically downgrade it. A Tier 3 ranking means that anti-trafficking efforts do not meet "minimum standards" and it is "not making significant efforts to do so."
State Department spokesman John Kirby said: "We will not comment on the contents of this year's report until after the report is released."
Republican U.S. Representative Chris Smith, a leading lawmaker on human rights, said "Burma's downgrade, if true, is justified and long overdue -- the government was warned for the past four years that such an action was possible."
CHILD SOLDIERS
Deliberations on Myanmar's record focused heavily on efforts to halt the military's recruitment and use of child soldiers as well as forced labor, especially the coercion of local villagers to perform some work. Such practices have been documented by international human rights groups and are also outlined in last year's State Department report.
A key issue that the U.S. administration considered before Myanmar's downgrade was alleged government complicity in human trafficking, including its failure to prosecute any civilian officials for their involvement in it, according to the person familiar with the situation.
While the Myanmar military is credited with significant progress toward curbing the use of child soldiers, such as allowing international inspections of military bases, there was no indication the problem had been completely eradicated as the U.S. anti-trafficking office had urged, the source said.
Human rights groups had lobbied U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry against upgrading Myanmar, saying it would be unearned.
The diplomatic blow to Myanmar's government could be softened by the fact that the TIP report covered efforts during the year ending in March, under the previous administration of former junta general Thein Sein.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, assumed her government role in April, after her party won the country's first democratic elections in five decades.
But with the generals still controlling three security ministries and holding a lock on 25 percent of seats in parliament, U.S. officials grappled with whether a downgrade could undermine cooperation from the military against human trafficking.
For her part, Suu Kyi has recently unsettled U.S. officials by calling on them not to use the term "Rohingya" to refer to the Muslim minority in the country's north. Many in Myanmar refer to them as "Bengalis," insinuating that they are stateless illegal immigrants.
The United States has urged Myanmar to treat them as citizens.
The 2015 TIP report highlighted that the government's denial of citizenship to an estimated 800,000 men, women and children in Myanmar -- the majority of them ethnic Rohingya -- "significantly increased this population's vulnerability to trafficking".
Norway investigators blame Airbus helicopter crash on gearbox failure
OSLO, June 28 (Reuters) - The fatal crash of an Airbus helicopter in Norway in April was probably the result of metal fatigue in the aircraft's gearbox, the country's Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) said in a preliminary report on Tuesday, backing earlier findings.
All 13 people on board were killed when the Super Puma's main rotor blades separated from the aircraft as it was ferrying passengers from a Norwegian offshore oil platform operated by Statoil.
The European Aviation Safety Authority on June 2 grounded H225 LP and AS332 L2 Super Pumas following the discovery of metal fatigue in the gearbox of the crashed helicopter.
The AIBN said metallurgical examinations through x-ray scans had strengthened its belief that the failure took place in the gearbox.
"At this stage of the investigation, the AIBN finds that the accident most likely was the result of a fatigue fracture in one of the second stage planet gears," the report said. "What initiated the fatigue fracture has not yet been determined."
Two other scenarios had also been investigated, but neither appeared to have caused the crash, the AIBN added.
"It is considered unlikely that (the) fatigue crack propagated as a consequence of a structural break-up of another component," it said.
The helicopter that crashed was operated by Canada-based group CHC Helicopter. Investigators have previously ruled out human error, saying the crash was caused by a technical fault.
U.S. to upgrade Thailand in annual human trafficking report - sources
By Jason Szep, Matt Spetalnick and Andrew R.C. Marshall
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK, June 28 (Reuters) - The United States has decided to remove Thailand from its list of worst human trafficking offenders, officials said, a move that could help smooth relations with Bangkok's military-run government.
The upgrade, confirmed to Reuters by a U.S. official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organization with direct knowledge of the rankings, would mark a rare boost for U.S.-Thai relations. Ties between the countries have flat-lined since the Thai military seized power in a 2014 coup that Washington strongly condemned.
It also comes as President Barack Obama works to forge a united front among wavering Southeast Asian countries against China's pursuit of its territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Bangkok has protested publicly to Washington that it should be removed from the lowest ranking on the State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which is due to be released on Thursday.
The report is expected to cite improvements in Thailand's efforts to combat human trafficking, especially in its vital multibillion-dollar seafood industry, the U.S. official said.
The upgrade would put Thailand on a so-called "Tier 2 Watch List" and remove it from the rating for countries with the worst human-trafficking records, known as Tier 3.
The report organizes countries into tiers based on trafficking records: Tier 1 for nations that meet minimum U.S. standards; Tier 2 for those making significant efforts to meet those standards; Tier 2 "Watch List" for those that deserve special scrutiny; and Tier 3 for countries that are not making significant efforts.
Thailand was downgraded to the lowest ranking in June 2014 just weeks after the military seized power.
Thai officials were incensed last year when Malaysia was upgraded from Tier 3 but Thailand was not, and even human rights advocates agreed that Bangkok had made a greater effort to curb human trafficking than Kuala Lumpur had.
In this year's report, the State Department has opted to keep Malaysia at the higher ranking it received last year, according to the U.S. official.
State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on the tier rankings: "We will not comment on the contents of this year's report until after the report is released," he said.
The junta has repeatedly vowed to crack down on human trafficking, particularly in its multi-billion-dollar seafood industry.
Thailand is the world's third-largest seafood exporter, and much of the labor the fishing industry employs comes from neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Thailand recently reformed its anti-trafficking laws and introduced a system to track fishing vessels, part of what it called "comprehensive and irreversible" measures to clean up its supply chain and curb illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.
But rights groups say millions of migrant workers remain vulnerable to abuse in the fishing sector and other Thai industries. Investigations by news organizations and rights groups have exposed widespread trafficking and abuse, sparking fears of a consumer backlash in the West against Thai-sourced seafood.
The Obama administration has been unsettled by China's warming ties with the Thai junta, which has sought to counterbalance the cooling of its traditionally strong U.S. relationship, U.S. officials say.
A Reuters investigation published last August found that senior diplomats repeatedly overruled the State Department's anti-trafficking unit and inflated the grades of 14 strategically important countries, including Malaysia. The State Department denied any political considerations but U.S. lawmakers raised questions about the report's credibility and called for reforms.
Canada presses China over reports of Hong Kong visa clampdown
By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, June 28 (Reuters) - Canada is pressing Beijing over media reports that Chinese authorities are no longer allowing some Canadian citizens born in Hong Kong to visit China on 10-year visas, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Chinese-language media say that since early June, first-generation Hong Kong-born Canadians are being told they can only apply to travel to China as Chinese nationals. Previously, they could choose to travel either as Canadian or as Chinese citizens.
If true, the changes could be seen as an encroachment on Hong Kong's autonomy. Hong Kong has been governed as a special administrative region since its return to China from British rule in 1997, a policy known as "one country, two systems."
"Canada is aware of the recent reports of challenges for Canadians of Chinese descent in Hong Kong obtaining visas to visit China. The Consulate General has sought clarification from local authorities," said a Canadian foreign ministry spokeswoman.
The issue is sensitive in Canada, where more than a million of the 36 million population are of Chinese descent. Many Hong Kong residents emigrated to Canada and took up citizenship both before and after the city's return to China.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa has not received any notification of changes to the visa policy, a spokesman said in an emailed statement.
Canadian Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, told reporters on Tuesday that she wrote to Foreign Minister Stephane Dion urging him to look into the visa situation. Kwan is a member of the opposition New Democrats.
"The change in practice should be of grave concern to Canadians, after all, a Canadian is a Canadian. As such, should all Canadians not be treated the same?" she said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, due to visit China for a week in late August to boost trade ties, has previously said Beijing must do more to protect human rights.
Brazil's Zaher to place joint Estacio bid with funds, source says
SAO PAULO, June 28 (Reuters) - The Zaher family, the No. 2 shareholder in Estacio Participacoes SA, has secured bank loans and teamed up with an Asian sovereign wealth fund for a plan to win control of Brazil's second-largest college operator and thwart two rival bids, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
According to the source, who asked for anonymity since the plan is subject to changes, Banco Bradesco SA and Banco Santander Brasil SA have offered the family's investment vehicle TCA Investimentos Ltda with the necessary financing for the bid.
Libya wealth fund boss screamed, cursed at Goldman bankers -witness
By Sujata Rao
LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - The Libyan wealth fund's former deputy chief screamed and cursed at Goldman Sachs bankers in a stormy meeting over derivatives trades made on the bank's advice that ultimately turned out to be worthless, a witness told a court on Tuesday.
In a trial at London's High Court, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) is trying to claw back $1.2 billion from Goldman Sachs related to nine disputed trades carried out in 2008.
The LIA argues Goldman took advantage of its financial naivety by first gaining its trust, then encouraging it to make risky and ultimately worthless investments.
Goldman Sachs denies the allegations and says the trades in question "were not difficult to understand".
The LIA called as its final witness Catherine McDougall, a former Allen & Overy lawyer who was seconded to the LIA in July 2008 by Allen & Overy to assist and provide training to the LIA's legal team.
McDougall said that from her conversations with LIA staff, specifically members of the Equities team, she found they had no idea what they had actually purchased. They were under the impression they had bought shares or "quasi shares" whereas the products they had were "completely synthetic".
She said she brought this up with the LIA, with Allen and Overy and eventually with Goldman Sachs.
McDougall told the court she had little experience of derivatives at the time but said LIA executives seemed to have even less. She said they did not understand how derivatives worked or what were call and put options.
She said that in response to her question in July 2008 about what kind of due diligence had been done before the trades, one of the LIA officials had asked: "Due what?" However, she said the exchange took place in a meeting and she didn't recall the name of the official.
In her statement, she said she felt "Goldman Sachs had unfairly taken advantage of the LIA's lack of sophistication ... and sold the LIA $1 billion worth of derivatives products the LIA could not understand".
Robert Miles, a lawyer acting for Goldman, stated to McDougall that the LIA officials had understated their understanding of the trades "in order to shift the blame".
The LIA equity team had also seemed to implicitly trust Youssef Kabbaj, the banker who was Goldman's main contact with the LIA, and relied completely on his advice, McDougall said.
"I think they didn't understand how much Mr Kabbaj stood to gain personally from his relationship with them. They were ... very effusive and very welcoming and they trusted people. They thought he was their friend," she told the court.
Kabbaj no longer works for Goldman and has signed a confidentiality agreement with the bank. He has commented once to the media but has declined to speak further, citing the agreement.
Goldman says its relationship with the LIA was at all "material times an arm's length one" between banker and client.
In a witness statement seen by Reuters, McDougall said she told Mustapha Zarti, the LIA's then deputy chief, that she could not see "one redeeming feature" in the trades.
Following this, she said, she was present at a meeting between Zarti, Kabbaj and Kabbaj's colleague Nick Pentreath at which Zarti lost his temper, swore at the men and threatened to "come after their families."
"His face ... it went red in this, like, flash of anger and he darts in front of me ... and then just starts screaming at Mr Kabbaj and Mr Pentreath and telling them a lot of cursing," she told the court.
Zarti is no longer connected with the LIA. Reuters has been unable to reach him for comment.
Miles cited documents provided by Goldman to the LIA which he said showed the nature of the deals and clearly explained the conditions under which the trades could lose money.
Stiff U.S. corn export competition redrawing global grain flows
By Karl Plume
CHICAGO, June 28 (Reuters) - U.S. corn export sales have outpaced last year as steady buying by Mexico helped to offset sluggish early-season purchases by traditional Asian customers like South Korea and Japan.
Now, Mexico is primed to overtake Japan as the single largest U.S. corn importer, knocking Tokyo from the perch it has occupied since the mid-1980s and taking the top spot for the first time ever.
The shift illustrates how the United States, once the world's lone grain trading superpower, is now relying on its southern neighbor to absorb more of its ever-growing corn stockpile, analysts said, as rising suppliers like Ukraine and Brazil have disrupted global grain trade flows.
It is also the product of a multiyear commodities boom that began in 2007 which bolstered farming in South America and Eastern Europe and grain shipping investments by local governments and large grain traders such as Cargill Inc and Archer Daniels Midland Co.
At risk is the long-standing dominance of U.S. corn exports, valued at $8.3 billion last year and a crucial outlet for about a third of every U.S. corn crop.
"There's been a shuffling of the top of the deck," said Dan Basse, president of Chicago-based consultancy AgResource Co. "It's a very competitive world out there."
The change in export patterns highlights how quickly the fortunes in the farm economy can turn, and how little time companies have to respond to those changes, said traders. U.S. corn exports account for a 6.2-percent share of the agricultural products export total, according to the USDA.
Despite a three-month buying flurry, Japan remains on pace to buy its second-smallest U.S. corn volume since at least 1999, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture data. South Korea's haul through mid-June is the second-lowest in a decade.
STALLING RALLY
But the recent rise in demand by Asia's largest importers could soon stall, thanks in part to Brexit which has riled currency markets.
The U.S. dollar has rallied to a three-month high against a basket of currencies after Britain's vote last week to split from the European Union, making dollar-denominated commodities costlier for those holding other currencies. Meanwhile, Brazilian and Argentine corn prices are easing as their late-season corn harvests accelerate.
"Buyers respond to price. If you're not able to offer grain cheaper than the next guy, you're not going to get that business," said a U.S. corn exporter who asked not to be named.
When Asian buyers started shunning U.S. corn last fall, some of the largest American grain exporters and sellers scouted markets closer to home to offset the losses, said traders.
In particular, they turned to markets that industry-funded groups, such as the U.S. Grains Council, had been wooing for years and regularly hosted at U.S. grain elevators and farms.
Mexico, traders said, was an obvious place to pitch due to proximity and favorable trade status. For Colombia and Peru, free trade agreements also made buying corn from Brazil and Argentina less appealing than American grain.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Latin American demand for corn is rising with growing livestock and corn processing industries. But as U.S. farmers look to harvest another massive corn crop this fall, questions remain about whether these markets can absorb the surplus.
Mexico's import appetite can vary significantly depending on the size of its own grain crop and the availability of alternative feed grains like sorghum, analysts cautioned.
The USDA's attache in Mexico this month cut the country's corn import outlook by 1 million tonnes, or 7.4 percent, from the official USDA forecast due to higher-than-previously-estimated domestic production.
And, globally, competition from South America is only going to grow.
Brazil's agriculture minister last week proposed raising the minimum corn price, a move that could shift more of the country's soybean area into corn production. Corn plantings in Argentina could jump 20 percent after changes to the country's export policies.
Brazil says can pass pension reform in 2016 despite headwinds
BRASILIA, June 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's government aims to pass an overhaul of the costly public pension system in 2016 despite a delay in drafting a proposal and municipal elections looming in October, Presidential Chief of Staff Eliseu Padilha said on Tuesday.
Padilha gave the outlook after three senior government officials told Reuters on Monday they believed the complex reform was unlikely to be approved before next year as lawmakers are reluctant to endorse the unpopular legislation before municipal elections in October.
Interim President Michel Temer's plans for pension reform - including the introduction of a minimum retirement age to cut costs - have drawn harsh criticism from unions in a nation that has lost nearly 2 million jobs in over a year amid a crippling recession.
The interim government said shortly after taking office in mid-May that a working group including union leaders and government officials would present a draft proposal of the pension reform within a month.
A meeting on Tuesday of government officials, business heads and union chiefs had been expected to unveil the initial blueprint.
However, Padilha instead announced a new working group would meet to discuss the reform next week. He said there was no fixed date for it to present a proposal.
Brazil's generous pension system makes up around 40 percent of public expenditures and a constitutional reform to lower costs was due to be the centrepiece of Temer's efforts to regain investor confidence.
Temer, the former vice president, took over when President Dilma Rousseff was placed on trial in the Senate last month on charges of breaking budget laws. He inherited a fiscal deficit running at 10 percent of gross domestic product last year and the deepest recession since the 1930s.
Around 100 lawmakers are planning to run for mayoral seats in elections on Oct. 2 and are unwilling to publicly support the pension reform ahead of the vote, the sources said.
Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) is a case of the remedy being worse than the disease.
If British complains against Brussels - several justified and shared by some other EU countries too - are weighed against the manifold tangible and intangible advantages that Britain derives from its EU membership, the "Leave" vote appears ill-advised.
What makes it even more Quixotic is that its roots lie in domestic politics, in the challenge posed to David Cameron's leadership by right wing Eurosceptics within his party.
Legacy
When, 43 years ago, Britain joined Europe and turned its back on the Commonwealth - its imperial legacy - it acknowledged that its future lay with the continent.
Notwithstanding its special relationship with the US, Britain realised that it could not pursue its national interests alone and had to join the European block to remain influential in global affairs.
It is baffling why today when the Western hegemony over world affairs is diminishing with the rise of new powers, and Europe itself is facing internal and external difficulties, Britain is confident about coping with emerging challenges by delinking itself from Europe.
In reality, despite its current malaise, Europe has become a bigger and more powerful entity since Britain joined it 43 years ago.
The EU now has 28 members, including countries from the former Soviet Bloc as well as those that were once part of the Soviet Union itself.
The political, economic and security frontiers of the EU have thus been vastly extended.
The initial goal of forming what has progressively become the EU was not only to establish permanent peace in Europe, but for Europe to affirm itself in the Cold War world dominated by the US and the Soviet Union, besides meeting Japan's economic challenge that loomed large till the 1980s, replaced today by China's phenomenal rise.
That goal of ensuring a strong European voice in world affairs, of a conflict-free continent, of ensuring Europe's continuing prosperity in the face of globalisation pressures remains.
Added are entirely new threats and challenges emanating from religious extremism, international terrorism, climate change and environmental concerns.
Europe's periphery across the Mediterranean has been profoundly destabilised and European countries are now faced with a massive refugee crisis that has begun to roil domestic politics, with resurgence of intolerance and racism.
Contributions
With mounting tensions with Russia, the shadow of a renewed Cold War is falling on Europe, to which Britain has greatly contributed, carrying it to the absurd extent of claiming during the Brexit debate that a "Leave" vote would delight Vladimir Putin.
Why Britain would think it is better placed to confront these challenges and problems as a sovereign state untrammelled by the "Brussels bureaucracy" is difficult to comprehend.
Europe has become a bigger and more powerful entity since Britain joined it 43 years ago.
This argument of "sovereignty" is ironical in the context of the prevailing western discourse to justify interventionist, regime change policies that notions of sovereignty are today outdated, that non-Western regimes use "sovereignty" as a cover to violate "universal values" and curb democratic and human freedoms within their boundaries.
Attempts even by democratic countries like India to underline the need to respect the principle of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries have been viewed as attachment to outworn ideas.
The EU has been offering itself as a role model for countries to cohabit peacefully by ceding part of their sovereignty to a collective organisation.
Britain has not joined the euro, is not part of Schengen Area, its legal system based on common law preserves its unique character as does its parliamentary system, it still drives to the left and uses non-metric systems for weight and measures and so on.
Sovereignty
Faced with the immigration problem, Britain has invoked the principle of "sovereignty" to exit the EU, forgetting all the rhetoric about diversity, open societies, freedom of movement (used effectively against the Soviet Union), etc.
At a time of moves to create new economic blocks like the Trans-Pacific Partnership led by the US or the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) led by the US and the EU, Britain is, surprisingly, walking out of the largest existing economic block.
If Britain was relying on its special relationship with the US to cushion its exit from the EU, President Obama has warned that it will be "in the back of the queue" for a bilateral trade agreement. The TTIP will of course get derailed by the British decision.
Whether the UK itself will implode with a fresh referendum in Scotland, which voted heavily in favour of remaining in the EU, and growing pressures in Northern Ireland, points to the potentially grave consequences of the "Leave" vote.
Some believe that Brussels not being particularly friendly to India, we could do more business with Britain outside the EU.
This remains to be seen.
With the pound at its lowest in 31 years, the likely job losses and the terms of the EU divorce unclear, the "Leave" supporters may be sanguine about the future but outsiders may think differently.
Its international repercussions apart, Brexit is of little direct significance for India politically or economically.
Last July, McKinney, Texas police officer Eric Casebolt made headlines when video surfaced of him pulling his gun on a group of black children in their bathing suits at a pool party, tackling a young girl in her bikini.
Though the McKinney police initially stonewalled, Casebolt eventually resigned.
Now, a Texas grand jury has found that there are no grounds for charging Casebolt with any crime. Grand juries are notoriously susceptible to prosecutors, and when they fail to return an indictment, it is often read as a lack of prosecutorial will in the case. As former New York State chief justice Sol Wachtler once remarked, DA's have so much influence over grand juries that they could get them to "indict a ham sandwich."
The decision to no bill Eric Casebolt ends the investigation into his handling of the pool party melee. Casebolt (who's white) was widely criticized for his treatment of the young, black teenager. But the grand jury determined there wasn't enough evidence to bring criminal charges against Casebolt.
Grand Jury No Bills Former McKinney Pool Party Cop
[CBS DFW]
The Narendra Modi government issued "strong" statements warning Pakistan of "befitting reply" after terror-group Lashkar-e-Taiba ambushed a bus ferrying 40 CRPF personnel on the Srinagar-Jammu highway on Saturday, killing eight and seriously injuring 22 of them. But have we not been hearing such "strong" statements for too long now? Unfortunately, the people are still awaiting any "befitting reply".
The bus full of CRPF soldiers was returning to Srinagar after a routine firing exercise when it was laid siege by two terrorists armed with hand grenades and AK 47s. Defence minister said he "doubted if the SOP (standard operating procedure) was followed properly". On his part, Union home minister Rajnath Singh sent a committee to Pampore to look into any lapses in the handling of the terror attack.
The two senior ministers of the Narendra Modi government, who also are part of the key Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), once again issued stern warnings which we have been hearing for a long time but without any matching action.
Singh said, "We won't fire first but if Pakistan fires then we won't keep an account of our bullets," and added that the neighbouring country was trying to destabilise India.
Parrikar called the attack "as an act of frustration on the part of the terrorists and reiterated that the government would strongly deal with such cases. "In the last one month, over 25 terrorists have been killed by security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. It is an act of frustration on their (terrorists') part to show that they still hold power," he said.
The defence minister made another statement which may court controversy. He said, "I told jawans that I respect martyrdom but you are trained to kill the enemy, not to die."
I told jawans that I respect martyrdom but you are trained to kill the enemy, not to die:Manohar Parrikar in Cuttack pic.twitter.com/6xcIH5TQV1 ANI (@ANI_news) June 26, 2016
The statement gives the impression that the jawans so far had been asked not to kill but to die - the opposite of the famous patriotic song "Sur kataa sakte hain lekin, sur jhukaa sakte nahin, apni azaadi ko hum hargiz mita sakte nahin" from the 1964 Hindi film Leader.
Anyways, after these statements, will we see a tactical change in the position of our security forces vis-a-vis the terrorists? Will we see the security forces adopt an aggressive posture, killing more terrorists instead of proving to be sitting ducks for them?
We would have been very happy if this happens. However, this unfortunately is unlikely to happen. Because we have been hearing this even before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were held.
It seems the BJP government speaks in two voices - one when it is in the opposition and the other when it is in power.
As Gujarat chief minister then, Modi would slam then prime minister Manmohan Singh for having a soft corner for Pakistan. He spoke of giving a befitting reply to Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. He had also claimed that he would bring back underworld don Dawood Ibrahim from Pakistan if he became prime minister.
Narendra Modi with Nawaz Sharif. (PTI)
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, as the then leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, had made the famous statement on the occasion of severing of head of soldier Hemraj by Pakistani security forces. "If his (Hemraj's) head could not be brought back (from Pakistan), we should get at least ten heads from there side," she had said after visiting Hemraj's family in January 2013. Rajnath Singh and Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, who was the then BJP president, had accompanied her.
Incumbent BJP president Amit Shah has also been warning Pakistan of a "befitting reply" to the repeated ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan. "Home minister Rajnath Singh has clearly said that if Pakistan resorts to firing, we will definitely give a befitting reply to them," Shah said in August 2014 soon after taking the chair.
However, when it comes to corresponding action either against terror or Pakistan, the BJP-led NDA government's moves leave much to be desired. Several incidents of terror have taken place in the Kashmir Valley itself since Modi came to power.
In May, terrorists shot dead three Indian policemen at point-blank range. In February, they attacked a bus carrying a police party near Srinagar, before breaking into a training institute.
On January 2, Pakistani terrorists attacked Pathankot Air Force base killing six Indian Air Force personnel, injuring eight. National Security Guard's Lt Col Niranjan was also martyred in the deadly attack.
Since the Tony Blair years, the Labour Party has really been two parties: the dominant one was neoliberal, surveillance-happy, banker-worshipping, and it held the other party working people, unions, progressives, students ransom, with a pitch that went, "Well, you're hardly going to vote for the Tories, are you?"
But after the Blairite wing failed spectacularly in the last national election, the party membership elected a new leader, Jeremy Corbyn, a dyed-in-the-wool, uncompromising socialist who won by the largest margin in party history.
It was as though Labour's members had suddenly awakened to discover that the Blairites were nothing like the majority they'd always insisted they were, and that the rest of the party hated them just as much as you did. The Blairites had taken a page out of Thatcher's book, declaring that "there was no alternative," but Corbyn awoke a sense that something different was possible.
Since then, the Blairite wing has been sharpening their knives for Corbyn, rubbishing him in the press and sabotaging him in the party. With the Brexit disaster, there's been a coordinated effort to get the Labour party's most popular leader in history to resign, which would allow the Parliamentary caucus to select another establishment leader for the party.
But a firm of lawyers who reviewed Labour's Rule Book concluded that a coup that kicked out Corbyn would trigger another party-wide race, with Corbyn's name automatically on the ballot. A petition to support Corbyn racked up over 200,000 signatures over the weekend, with more pouring in (I signed it) suggesting that if the party get to vote again, they'll reaffirm Corbyn for leader. (Labour's right wing have received contradictory advice from their own lawyers, raising the possibility of a courtroom drama in the near future)
In response, the party's right wing are contemplating a split, forming a new party socially progressive, politically neoliberal, not vastly different from the Tories, but with less hereditary wealth in its parliamentary caucus.
After leaving the packed private meeting, where a motion of no confidence against him was formally moved, the Labour leader headed straight to a protest on Parliament Square which had been quickly arranged by Momentum, the pressure group set up to defend his leadership. Up to 3,000 hard-line supporters gathered, chanting "Tories out, Corbyn in," booing Tony Blair and the Labour MPs who had moved against their leader. John McDonnell, Corbyn's closest ally and shadow chancellor, addressed the crowd first, announcing that the Labour leader would not resign and would stand again if there was another leadership election. "We're not going anywhere," he declared to huge cheers. Corbyn took to the stage next, equally defiant.
A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN JEREMY CORBYN AFTER BREXIT
[Dakota Rose/38 Degress]
Exclusive: Jeremy Corbyn Automatically On Ballot In Leadership Challenge, Legal Advice Shows
[Paul Waugh/Huffington Post]
Inside account of Labour MPs' attacks on Jeremy Corbyn
[Tom McTague/Politico]
(Image: Jeremy Corbyn Take Back Our World!, Global Justice Now, CC-BY)
(via Naked Capitalism)
Peter Diamandis, founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, presents 10 charts that show progress in absolute poverty, child labor, income spent on food, infant mortality rate, guinea worm infections, teen births, homicide rates, violent crime, education, and literacy.
He says, "this is not to say that there aren't major issues we still face, like climate crisis, religious radicalism, terrorism, and so on. It's just that we forget and romanticize the world in centuries past and life back then was short and brutal."
An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more.
But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be and shouldnt be bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre.
Have an interest in what youre writing about
Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show.
If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating.
Include fascinating details
Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to.
Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting
When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read.
Borrow some creative writing techniques
Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting.
consider your own opinion
Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others.
Cut the waffle
Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem.
Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose.
employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing
Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them.
You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect.
Avoid repetitive phrasing
Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable.
Use some figurative language
Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know.
As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy.
Employ rhetorical questions
Anticipate the questions your reader might ask.
One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration.
Proofread
Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them.
BRUSSELS - Belgium - Brexit has given the EU an opportunity to fast track member states being forced into a Superstate erasing all national borders.
The EU is fast tracking an EU Superstate document ruling which will change Europe forever.
The proposals mean individual members of a superstate would have no right to their own army; to a separate criminal code or a separate tax system, and would not have their own currency.
In addition, member states will lose control over their own borders and procedures for admitting and relocating refugees.
If Britain had voted to stay in the EU on June 23, the UK would have probably been forced to do the same no doubt.
The document signed last September in Rome by the speakers of the national parliaments in Germany, France, Italy and Luxembourg says that concrete proposals to deepen EU integration towards a federal union of states will be implemented next month.
This would mean there will be no individual nation states in the EU after the ruling is brought into effect and all member states will be forced into it.
LONDON - England - Bad losers are usually very calculating nasty vipers who will do anything to stitch up a fair and square win. The EU referendum witnessed these sore losers in the Remain campaign exercising their destabilising powers to the full.
The Remain camp fall into this category, and not only will they stoop to any indignity to mess with Brexit, but they will cheat, lie and moan constantly about their self-inflicted misfortune.
The EU referendum was cross-party, and this means that political parties have been split. It is true to say now that the Conservative party itself is now a party divided between those who respect democracy and those who do not. The Remain side want to be part of an EU that is undemocratic and will ruin Britain forever, and the Leave side are predominantly against the undemocratic EU.
Within this political mire lies some who are supposedly Brexiteers but are actually a Remainer, and the Remainer who is actually a Brexiteer. To name one of these people, we could easily suppose that the Home Secretary, Theresa May is actually a Brexiteer, as her lacklustre support for the Remain campaign proved. We could also suppose that the belaboured Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a Brexiteer at heart, although none of it may matter in a few days any way.
The stalling of the commencement of Brexit proceedings is a direct result of further treachery from David Cameron. Any decent PM would have held on and respected the peoples decision and implemented it, but Cameron, in a fit of rage simply announced his resignation and had a tantrum propelling the UK into further turmoil and costly leadership contests.
Article 50 Must Be Triggered NOW
The man for the job of PM can only be Boris Johnson. Yes, he swings about with his ideology a bit, but at the end of the day, we want someone who respects the Brexit decision, and has a solid foundation in logic, something only an academically sound educated in ancient history politician can do. Jeremy Hunts plan to hold another referendum is a serious watering down of Brexit, and should be thwarted with extreme prejudice.
Remainers are essentially traitors. Pure and simple. They cannot be trusted in any circumstance and they know full well that they have betrayed Britain. They know full well what the EU is about and how they were willing to condemn Britain to another undemocratic legislative governing body. This is why we must treat those who were willing to betray this country with great caution in the future, in similar vein to the post-ww2 traitors. The worst thing that could happen now is that the traitors gain the upper hand of the British people. This would be a terrible time for the country.
We must move forward now, at great pace, as this is now a war footing. There has to be an isolation of those who supported Remain. They must be quarantined as their poisonous ideology is a direct threat to Britains stability and democracy.
Baidu has already completed its first road test of automatic driving in mixed road conditions.
Beijing: Chinese tech giant Baidu today saidit plans to begin mass-production of driverless cars in five years as part of its efforts to get ahead of its US rivals Google and Tesla Motors in the autonomous vehicle technology.
President Zhang Yaqin said Baidu will carry out road tests of driverless cars in 10 Chinese cities, with the aim to commercialise the technology in three years and realise mass production in five years.
The move is a significant step for the Beijing-based tech company trying to get ahead of Google in building autonomous cars, and is marshalling the resources to advance the effort.
During the ongoing Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016, or Summer Davos, in Tianjin, Zang told state-run Xinhua news agency that the core technology of Baidu's driverless cars, was the "Baidu car brain," which includes high-precision electronic mapping, positioning, sensing and decision-making and control systems. Baidu has already completed its first road test of automatic driving in mixed road conditions. The company has plans for more road tests in various weather, road and traffic conditions in ten Chinese cities.
After it launched its autonomous car project in 2013, Baidu joined the race with Internet giants such as Google and Tesla Motors.
Baidu is now leading the world in terms of the cutting-edge technology of driverless vehicles, Zhang said.
The company is looking at opportunities in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, among others.
Mumbai: State-run National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is planning to invest around Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years to set up solar and wind projects across the country. The company is looking at opportunities in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, among others.
"After expanding our presence in the hydro sector, we now want to diversify into solar and wind sectors as well. We are looking at opportunities and plan to invest around Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years to set up solar and wind projects across the country," NHPC Director (Technical) Balraj Joshi told PTI over phone. Joshi said the company is already developing a few projects in the said states.
"We are also exploring the possibility to develop 400 MW Koyna stage-IV pumped storage project in Maharashtra. We are carrying out feasibility and technical studies on this project and will soon come out with the report," he said.
Joshi further said the company had not planned to set up 600 MW floating solar project at the Koyna complex project, as reported earlier, but has proposed to develop 400 MW pumped storage project, which will be developed on solar hybrid model.
Pumped storage projects store and generate energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations. On the solar front, the company has signed an MoU with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to set up projects to the tune of 250 MW. In Kerala, NHPC will be setting up a 72 MW solar project, while in Maharashtra it has planned a 50 MW one.
In Uttar Pradesh, NHPC already has an agreement with Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) to jointly develop a 50 MW plant. NHPC had in 2014 signed a pact with the Kerala government to develop wind projects in the state. Last year, the company had also approved setting up of a 50 MW wind project in Rajasthan.
New Delhi: Tata Communications is selling its majority stake in South African internet-service provider Neotel Pty to telecommunications firm Econet Wireless Global for $293 million (about Rs 1,992 crore). Liquid Telecom, majority owned by Econet Wireless Global, entered into an agreement to acquire Neotel. It will pay Tata Communications and minority shareholders led Nexus Connexion 6.55 billion rand ($428 million) to create the continents largest broadband network and business-to-business telecommunications service.
Tata Communications had bought 68.5 per cent controlling stake in Neotel in 2009. Liquid Telecom is partnering with Royal Bafokeng Holdings, a South African empowerment investment group, which has committed to take a 30 per cent equity stake in Neotel.
Mumbai: Investors ditch TCS, Infy, Wipro, HCL Tech, Tech M for second day Information technology (IT) stocks faced heavy selling pressure for the second day on worries over the impact of Brexit, with investors citing uncertainty about the $30 billion exports to European Union, of which around $17 billion are to the UK alone.
The top five IT software companies lost Rs 24,757.26 crore in market capitalisation in Mondays trading. Indias top company by market cap TCS alone lost Rs 14,847.17 crore on BSE at Rs 4,91,690.74 crore, down from Fridays closing valuation of Rs 5,06,537 crore.
Infosys Technologies market cap too fell by Rs 7,145.99 crore to Rs 2,67,881.17 crore on Monday from Rs 2,74,027 crore last weekend. The BSE IT index fell the most on Monday, down 1.86 per cent, even as the broader market showed resilience and closed flat, absorbing the shock triggered by Brexit.
Europe is the second largest market for the Indian IT industry and constitutes almost 30 per cent of the industry's export revenue. Pankaj Pandey, head of research at ICICI Securities said, In the IT sector, 10 per cent to 13 per cent dollar revenue growth was expected.
But with the currency volatility having increased, the IT sector is going to get impacted in the near term, as is evident in the knee-jerk reaction seen so far post Bruit.
The sharp fall in British pound and the need to reorganise Europes mainland business led to more losses for the frontline Indian IT companies that have been managing their European operations from London.
Among the top losers were TCS (-2.93 per cent), Infosys (-2.37 per cent), Wipro (-1.23 per cent), HCL Technologies (-0.96 per cent) and Tech Mahindra (-0.49 per cent).
Rumit Dugar and Saumya Shrivastava, analysts at Religare Instituional Research said, While volatility of the Great Britain pound and the euro is an immediate risk, we see bigger concerns on the demand front, as clients are likely to go slow on decision-making and defer new projects. This combined with an ongoing slowdown in the sector will weigh heavily on P/E multiples of the IT companies.
At the currency level, largecap companies have 7-13 per cent per cent exposure to the GBP, Dugar and Shrivastava said.
Among top destinations for Indias software exports, UK is the second largest destination after the US in terms of percentage of total software exports, accounting for 17 per cent of Indias total IT export in FY 2014-15. The UK and European Union together constitute 30 per cent of the Indias exports.
Indian IT companies may need to establish separate headquarters/ operations for EU, which may lead to some disinvestments from the UK. Sara Anand and Anubhuti Sahay, analysts at Standard Chartered Bank said, Indian companies invested $11.3 billion in the UK between January 2003 and August 2015.
These businesses are likely to be impacted, as the UK slows further, the attractiveness of the UK as a gateway to the EU declines, and companies rework their strategies and business models to trade with the EU, while factoring in higher compliance costs. These companies/manufacturers have set up offices in the UK and have benefitted from tariff protection for sales of goods to the EU.
Modis admonition of Swamy came during an interview with private television channel Times Now that was broadcast last night.
Prime minister Narendra Modi finally came to the defence of outgoing Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan, calling him no less patriotic and reprimanding party motor mouth Subramanian Swamy for being inappropriate and publicity hungry.
Modis admonition of Swamy came during an interview with private television channel Times Now that was broadcast last night. Critics, however, contend that his measured reaction had come a day too late, and might have been forced by finance minister Arun Jaitely cutting short an official visit to China last night.
Jaitley and his A team, comprising economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das and chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, have been the latest victims of Swamys acerbic tongue, soon after Rajan publicly called its quits as the countrys chief central banker.
Whether it is in my party or not, still I think such things are inappropriate. This fondness for publicity is never going to do any good to the nation. People should conduct themselves with utmost responsibility.
If anybody considers himself above the system, it is wrong, Modi said, without naming Swamy. Modi was asked about the comments of your Rajya Sabha MP in the context of Raghuram Rajan and queried whether it was appropriate.
My message is very clear. I have no confusion about it, Modi said when he was asked whether his message on the issue is clear. Praising Rajan, Modi said he was sure that he (Rajan) would continue to serve India irrespective of whether he was in some position or not.
My experience with him has been good and I appreciate the work that he has done. He is no less patriotic. He loves India. Wherever he will work, he will work for India and he is patriotic, he said in an apparent riposte to Swamy's attack that Rajan was not mentally fully Indian.
Referring to apprehensions whether Rajan would be allowed to complete his term, the prime minister said though the previous UPA government appointed him, Rajan would be completing his term.
The public condemnation of Swamys tweets by Modi has come amidst reports of Jaitley taking up the issue with BJPs top brass. The finance minister cut short his visit to China by a day and returned home on Sunday.
Jaitley had left on a five-day visit to China on June 24 to attend the first meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). He was originally scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Lou Jiwei on Monday, besides the chairman of national development and reform commission Xu Shaosi and governor of People's Bank of China Zhou Xiaochuan. These appointments were, however, advanced to allow him return home early.
Officials did not give any reason for Jaitley cutting short his visit by a day. But Press Trust of India said it came amid reports that he was unhappy with Swamy's attacks and was keen that the party act to rein him.
Ostensibly taking a dig at Jaitleys sartorial choices during his China trip, Swamy had tweeted, BJP should direct our ministers to wear traditional and modernised Indian clothes while abroad. In coat and tie, they look like waiters.
This attack on Jaitley and earlier his officials by the maverick BJP leader, who was recently nominated to the Rajya Sabha, followed his tirade against Rajan.
New Delhi: Power Minister Piyush Goyal on June 28 said he will seek low-cost and long-term finance for clean energy projects in his meeting with World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim tomorrow.
The meeting is significant against the backdrop of USD 250 billion funding requirements towards India's ambitious target of 175 GW power capacity addition from renewable sources by 2022.
"I am meeting the World Bank chief tomorrow... With the World Bank, I am sure would be talking about how we can engage particularly for renewable energy to get low-cost long tenure funding... there could be many other issues that can come up. Cost of funds could be an issue," he told reporters here.
"World Bank funding these days is quite expensive relative to other funding available, so I will probably flag off cost of funds also," he said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of signing of a tripartite MoU between CSIR-CIMFR (Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research), NTPC and Coal India.
"A committee that has been constituted between NTPC, Coal India and other members has drawn up a complete mechanism on how coal sampling will be done, the procedure for testing the sample, reporting the findings and the necessary impact it will have on the billing, particularly at the loading end," he said.
He further said that in the last two years, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of coal being supplied to consumers. State-owned NTPC has reported reduction of nearly 20 per cent in the cost of coal, largely by reducing imports of fossil fuel, the minister said, adding that there is an annual savings of around Rs 8,000 crore by the power PSU only in consumption of coal.
Goyal gave some firm assurances on the power availability front, saying there is enough electricity for the next 10 years.
"Even if we have no hydro power projects, India will have sufficient power," he added.
Among public sector banks, SBI will be financing the largest capacities of 15,000 mw with an outlay of Rs 75,000 crore followed by IDBI Bank (3,000 mw). Speaking on the occasion, Science and Technology minister Harsh Vardhan said energy has always been a top priority for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this MoU marks "a historic moment".
Goyal also said Coal Controller of India has started the process of revisiting coal grades of each coal mine, and 22 mines have been verified till date. As a part of this MoU, CSIR-CIMFR will make use of its knowledge based support in maintaining quality of coal at national level for the entire power sector. It is estimated that about 300 mt of coal samples will be analysed for quality per year.
The contract value of the project is around Rs 250 crore per annum at minimum. This project is expected to result in improvement in performance of power plants, besides providing benefits to consumers.
Mumbai: We all know that Deepika Padukone wrapped up her Hollywood debut 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' shoot long ago but seems like her co-star Vin Diesel is missing them good old days.
The actor recently took to his official Facebook account and shared a picture where we see Deepika in a candid moment with the star and his daughter.
The actress, who was last seen in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie 'Bajirao Mastani', trained religiously hard for her Hollywood debut.
Deepika will be essaying the role Serena, a fierce huntress in the film. The 'Bajirao Mastani' actress will mark her Hollywood debut with 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage,' which also stars Diesel, Nina Dobrev, Samuel L. Jackson, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa.
The film is set to release on January 17, next year. During the movie's shoot, the actress had chronicled her experiences on social media and going by the photographs it seemed she had a great time working in the film, which also stars Vin Diesel, Ruby Rose and Nina Dobrev.
New Delhi: After a work-cum-leisure trip to Madrid with Hrehaan and Hridaan over the weekend, daddy Hrithik Roshan has extended the vacation and took off to Africa with his children.
The 42-year-old actor took to his Twitter handle yesterday to share the snap of the trio and wrote, "AFRICA!!! Flying 18 hours straight since stage. Last leg to #kilimanjaro #thefunbegins #travellersNOTtourists."
The 'Bang Bang' actor further posted a snap from the flight and wrote, "U see what I see? . Little plane imprint on big sky? #wild Africa #wildplane #wildboys."
On work front, after a very hectic schedule for a year, Hrithik has wrapped up the shoot of Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Mohenjo Daro' with Pooja Hedge, which is slated to release in August. He has also been shooting for Sanjay Gupta's 'Kaabil' alongside Yami Gautam.
Directed by Sam Bombay, the music video is beautifully shot in Paris.
Mumbai: On Tuesday, T-Series head Bhushan Kumar released a new song Befikra starring Tiger Shroff and his alleged girlfriend Disha Patani. Packed with peppy beats and catchy hook, the song features Tiger and Dishas adorable yet sizzling chemistry.
Apart from matching steps and goofing around, Disha and Tiger are also seen locking lips every now and then in Befikra. Composed by Meet Bros, the duo has also sung the song. Befikra is also crooned by Aditi Singh Sharma.
Directed by Sam Bombay, the music video is beautifully shot in Paris.
Watch the song below:
Curtis James Jackson, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, was taken into custody after his concert in Saint Kitts, Caribbean. The 40-year-old rapper was arrested for swearing in public, which is considered illegal, reports TMZ.com.
His representative said in a statement, Mr. Jackson was only booked to host the show, when he arrived at the festival organizers asked him to perform, he obliged and used the DJ they had there. Unfortunately, they didnt have the clean version to his tracks, so there were profanities used during his performance. The show was a great success and he will make sure for future trips to St. Kitts that he leaves the motherf-ckers in the United States, the rep told PEOPLE.
The rapper was warned before his performance to not use profanity, but he disobeyed. Police then showed up and took him to the station. Its a minor offense, but he will have to appear in the court and pay a fine.
Tamil actor Vijay Antony has become the talk of the Tollywood industry, thanks to the tamil film Pichaikkaran, which was dubbed in Telugu as Bichagadu. The film has become a huge hit in Tollywood and has collected nearly Rs 16 crore.
Following the films success, another of Vijays films is being released in Telugu. Titled Saitham, the films rights has been brought by S. Venugopal, who is currently producing the film Nakshatram directed by Krishna Vamsi.
Venugopal said, I am very happy to have gotten the rights of Saitham and I hope that it does well. Both Telugu and Tamil versions are releasing at the same time as the shooting has been completed.
The psychological thriller will be released in August. Pradeep Kumar is the director while Arundathi Nair plays the female lead.
Hyderabad: Confirmation of dengue is possible only with ELISA test and not the NSI antigen tests conducted by private hospitals, which typically scare patients and result in commencement of blood platelet treatment for those having symptoms of dengue virus.
Platelet treatment is costly. It also means that the patient has to stay in hospital for a long period of time leading to increased hospital bills.
Blood transfusion according to experts must be carried out only when the platelet count is less than 10,000.
Government health officers claim that platelet treatment is often started without confirming dengue and only recording that it is falling. A senior health officer of the district medical and health department explained, ELISA test is important to confirm dengue but it is not done. Once test is done, officers visit the patient and their family members. They also visit their home for fumigation process. They check the treatment protocols and in many cases it has been found that the platelet treatment is carried out first and information shared later.
As the disease scares relatives, the issue of whether the platelet treatment is actually required is not understood. But general physician Dr Anish Anand of Apollo Hospitals said, It would be wrong to recommend waiting till dengue is confirmed. Once a patient comes with symptoms mimicking dengue, treatment begins. If the blood platelets are falling one cant wait for the health officer to certify. Also, there is no specific drug or treatment of dengue. It is symptomatic and differs from patient to patient.
Private hospitals in turn claim that the government has not come up with any system to notify dengue cases. Health officials on the other hand say that when high numbers are present panic is being created in society.
A medical journal has reported that two women have experienced transient smartphone blindness after checking their phones in the dark. For several months, the women reportedly experienced vision loss for up to 15 minutes at a time, and a group of London eye specialists have attributed it to their habit of checking their smartphones with only one eye open in the dark.
I simply asked them, What exactly were you doing when this happened? Gordon Plant of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London told Maria Cheng from the Associated Press. The women, aged 22 and 40, had undergone a series of inconclusive medical tests, including MRI scans and cardiovascular examinations, before Plant determined that theyd both regularly checked their smartphones in the exact same way.
Before going to sleep and just after waking up, the women would lie on their side and open the eye closest to the ceiling to check their smartphones. The eye closest to the mattress remained closed on the pillow. Several minutes after they did this, theyd experience temporary vision loss in the eye they used to check their smartphones. At first, this would happen two or three times a week, but it soon progressed to being a daily occurrence. Plant and his colleagues hypothesise that the temporary blindness in the phone eye was being caused by the uneven adjustment to light between it and the pillow eye.
The retina is pretty amazing because it can adapt to lots of different light levels, probably better than any camera, he told Rae Ellen Bichel at NPR. It can reduce its sensitivity, so that when youre on the beach or in the bright snow you can still see relatively well. When light hits the retina, it causes the rod-shaped photoreceptor cells inside to change shape. This allows the light signal to be converted into electrical impulses, and these are transmitted to the brain for processing via nerve fibres.
This whole process can take 40 minutes to reset after exposure to bright light,says Bichel, after which our eyes can let us see in the dark again. So what happens when one eye has adapted to light a lot of it by looking at a smartphone screen, and the other is still adapted to darkness? A little thing called differential bleaching of photopigment, say the researchers, which basically tricks the phone eye into thinking its actually gone blind. We hypothesised that the symptoms were due to differential bleaching of photopigment, with the viewing eye becoming light-adapted while the eye blocked by the pillow was becoming dark-adapted, Plant and colleagues report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Subsequently, with both eyes uncovered in the dark, the light-adapted eye was perceived to be blind. The discrepancy lasted several minutes, reflecting the time course of scotopic recovery after a bleach. The thinking is that when one eye is exposed to a lot of smartphone brightness and another to darkness, it could mess with their ability to calibrate once theyre both open at the same time.
Source: www.scincealert.com
Chennai: A day after the probe into the murder of a 24 year-old IT professional was transferred to the city police, the family on Tuesday expressed confidence that the culprit will be brought to justice soon.
"We have much confidence in Chennai Police. I think they will find the culprit and produce him before a court of law," father of the victim Swathi, Santhanagopalakrishnan, said.
He rued that his daughter's body remained at the Nungambakkam station, where she was found murdered with cut injuries on Friday last, for two and a half hours and "passengers remained mute witnesses."
Read: Techies body lay like exhibition for 2 hrs, where were cops, asks Madras HC
Meanwhile, the BJP's state unit staged a protest here demanding justice in the case. Party's state unit President Tamilisai Sounderrajan and other senior leaders participated in the protest held at Valluvar Kottam here.
Congress National Spokesperson Khushbu Sundar called on the family of the victim and consoled them. The actor-politician visited Swathi's residence at Choolaimedu here.
She later told reporters that the issue should not be politicised "although there are some lapses on part of the government" like absence of CCTV camera in the station, and regretted that no passengers had come forward to help the victim. They could have even called an ambulance, she said.
Read: HC seeks reply on non-coordination between police in Chennai techie murder
Even if one of them had taken a picture or video of the alleged attacker on mobile phone, it would have helped in identifying him, she said, adding, people should come forward in such incidents to help the victim or overpower the attacker.
She also expressed concern over what she termed as "speculation" on social media and platforms over the motive behind the killing.
Swathi (24) was found murdered at Nungambakkam railway station here, triggering an outrage in civil society and among political parties.
Read: CCTV images of suspect in Chennai Infosys techie's murder released
The police had come under criticism as no headway has been made in the case so far although cops had released CCTV images of a suspect.
The Madras High Court had also come down on the state government, warning it of suo motu intervention if there was any slackness in the probe.
The state government had subsequently transferred the investigation of the case from the Government Railway Police to the City Police yesterday.
Read: Relationship issue led to murder of Chennai Infosys techie in 6 minutes?
Meanwhile, the city police said the investigation was on the right track and appealed for information from the public. Police released the mobile phone numbers of six officials probing the case, including K Shankar, Additional Commissioner of Police, who could be reached by people for sharing any information in connection with the incident.
As many as eight special teams have been formed to crack the case, they added.
Security forces inspecting the CRPF bus which was attacked by militants on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Pampore on the outskirts of Sringar. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: Hardly had the guns fallen silent after fierce fighting during Saturday's ambush of a CRPF contingent by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore when a row erupted between the paramilitary force and the army over whose personnel killed the terrorists.
While the army claimed to have killed the two militants in retaliatory fire, the CRPF lodged a protest against it for "wrongly claiming credit".
The CRPF, which has been involved in counter-militancy operations in the Kashmir Valley, alleged some army troopers arrived at the scene after the encounter was over and started clicking selfies with the bodies of the slain militants.
Within no time, the army's Northern Command tweeted," Army kills two terrorists who fired upon CRPF convoy at Pampore, Kashmir Ops in prog. Injured CRPF personnel being attended to".
Fuming, the CRPF men and officers took up the matter with the Army's top brass.
Soon thereafter, the official twitter account of Northern Command posted a revised message, saying "Update on Pampore ops. Injured CRPF personnel evacuated to hospital. Two terrorists killed in joint op by security forces."
Unrelenting CRPF officers informed their top brass as well as that of the army that there was no joint operation. They said the army personnel arrived on the scene after the encounter was over and walked away with weapons and dates carried by the militants, besides clicking selfies with their bodies.
"They were wrongly claiming credit for an operation of which they had no clue," said an officer who was associated with the developments on Saturday when two militants attacked a CRPF bus at Pampore, on the outskirts of Srinagar, killing eight personnel and wounding 21 before being felled in the counteroffensive by the paramilitary force.
The army was shown videos of its men busy clicking selfies after which an embarrassed Northern Command tweeted: "Update on Pampore Ops. Two terrorists killed by CRPF in retaliatory action. Earlier tweet stands corrected."
Director General of CRPF K Durga Prasad, who was today asked at a press conference about whether the army had played any role in the encounter, said "Army's 51 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) unit reached the spot after the incident got over."
When contacted spokesperson for Srinagar-based 15 Corps Col N N Joshi refused to comment.
The highest number of such violations took place in 2002 when 8376 incidents were reported while 2045 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported in 2003. (Photo: Representational Image)
Srinagar: There have been 11,270 ceasefire violations and border firing incidents by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir since 2002 which have resulted in the killing of 313 people, including 144 security forces personnel, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti told the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
She said these violations and incidents have taken place between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2015. The highest number of such violations took place in 2002 when 8376 incidents were reported while 2045 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported in 2003, she said in written reply to a question.
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control and international border in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003. For three years, 2004, 2005 and 2007 there was not a single such violation on the border, Mehbooba said.
The Chief Minister said 169 civilians and 144 security men were killed in the shelling from across the border in J&K since 2002. The highest number of 76 civilians were killed in such violations in 2002 while in 2003, 59 civilians were killed in the border shelling. Over the next 10 years, four people died in the ceasefire violation, she said.
In 2014 and 2015, 14 and 16 civilians were killed respectively in ceasefire violations from across the border, she said.
A total of 735 civilians and 311 security forces personnel were injured in these violations in these years, Mehbooba said. She said a maximum of 58 security men were killed and other 157 injured in the year 2002.
New Delhi: Out of 74 million children, in the group of 3-6 years in India, around 20 million did not attend pre-school and most of them belonged to disadvantaged and marginalised sections of the society, a UNICEF report said on Tuesday.
According to "State of the World Children Report-2016", released globally by UNICEF, around 34 per cent children from Muslim families, 25.9 per cent from Hindu families and 25.6 per cent from Christian families did not attend pre-school.
"Lack of access to pre-school education has a long-term impact on learning capabilities of a child. It is a continuum. When children enter primary school without going to pre-school they are likely to drop early and will not be able to fulfil their potential," UNICEF India representative Louis-Georges Arsenault said while releasing the report.
According to the government's National Survey for Estimation of Out-of-School Children conducted in 2014, more than 60 per cent of children dropped out before completing grade 3, he added.
The study also found that implementation of Right To Education (RTE) Act has led to a drop in the number of out-of-school children, aged 6-13 years, to six million in 2014 from eight million in 2009.
However, 36 per cent of children drop out before completing elementary education and about half of them are from marginalised and deprived groups, it said.
Highlighting lack of quality education, the report citing the National Achievement Survey (2014), said "less than half of Class V students correctly answered reading comprehension and mathematics question posed to them."
Expressing the hope that the new education policy will address these lacunae, Arsenault said "New Education policy with its vision for India as a knowledge superpower really calls for building the goal of Right To Education Act and moving beyond elementary education and extending it to include pre-schooling and also competition in secondary education."
Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, HRD Ministry, S C Khuntia said "we are formulating a new education policy and have formed a committee in the ministry to look into these issues."
Apart from education, the UNICEF study also pointed at rise in numbers of neo-natal deaths (probability of dying during the first 28 days of life) in 2015 in India, which accounted for 45 per cent of total child mortality.
The report suggests that this can be addressed by ensuring maternal educational, which contributes to a child's chances of survival.
"Across much of south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children with mothers who received no education are almost three times as likely to die before age of 5 as children of mothers with secondary education.
"Education enables women to delay and space births, secure access to maternal and child health care and seek treatment for children when they fall ill. If all mothers achieved secondary education, there would be 1.3 million fewer annual deaths of children under age 5 in South Asia," it said.
The report also stressed that poverty was a huge obstacle in ensuring literacy among women as marriage often cuts short their pursuit for education.
"Girls from the poorest households-and those living in rural areas-face twice the risk of being married before turning 18 as girls from the richest households or those living in urban areas.
"With no progress, almost 950 million women will have been married as children by 2030, up from more than 700 million today. And by 2050, almost half of the world's child brides will be African," it said.
New Delhi: Livid over having to miss an "important" appointment after the pilot of an Air India flight to Hyderabad did not turn up, Union Minister M Vankaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the state-run carrier needed to explain how such things were happening.
"I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 hrs. Was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 hrs, boarding didn't start. returned 2 home," Naidu said in a series of tweets.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016 was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016 Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016 Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment.4 M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Asserting that Air India should explain how such things are happening, he added that transparency and accountability are the need of the hour.
He further stated that the airline must take note that this is the age of competition and such mistakes could not be made.
Sources said Naidu was going to Hyderabad to attend a meeting on the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
Soon after Naidu's tweets, the public carrier expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, while Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he had asked Air India to conduct an inquiry and take action.
"Sir, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flt delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered," Air India tweeted.
Raju said,"Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to enquire and take action on priority."
"Cognizance taken, CMD @airindia to enquire into the incident. Thanks for the feedback," said Raju's deputy Mahesh Sharma.
AP government and LEPL delegates exchange MoU in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in China on Monday.
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Huanquiu Contracting and Engineering Corporation (HQCEC), Isomeric Holdings and LEPL Ventures to establish a gas-based fertiliser plant in Krishnapatnam with an investment of Rs 10,183 crore.
Officials of both sides took part in a meeting and exchanged the agreement under the supervision of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu at the World Economic Forum meeting in Tianjin, China, on Monday.
The government said nearly 5,000 jobs would come up from this industry and project works would begin during 2017-2018. The government also said the HQCEC has 50 years track record, it being a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, and has expertise in construction and commissioning of industries.
Besides, Isomeric Hold-ings Company has experience and track record in gas-based industries. The government said LEPL Ventures is also an experienced company in commercial projects and renewable energy. Chandrababu Naidu said AP is the best destination for investment.
Interacting with various industrialists and officials at the World Economic Forum meeting on the second day of his China tour, the CM said AP is geographically suitable for Asian and Japanese companies to set up industries.
In a meeting with Jetro company president Yas-ushi Akahoshi, the CM requested them to set up industries in the state as his government is very supportive to such initiatives. The government would clear all the permissions in 21 days and further progress would be monitored through the CMs dashboard.
Mr Naidu said the state has a 10.99-growth rate and is aiming at a 15 per cent growth rate. AP has 974km of sea coast with various deep water sea ports, he said.
In another interaction with the United Parcel Services group corpora-te strategy president Jh-on Willem Brean, the CM said the Visakhapatnam-Krishnapatnam stretch is a major cargo hub.
Mr Naidu also explained the implementation of GPS system in RTC buses. On this occasion, Willem Brean said his group expanded its services to most countries.
AP finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishunudu, government adviser Parakala Prabhakar and several officials were also present.
Royal priests guide scion Yaduveer and his bride Trishikha during the wedding rituals at Mysore Palace on Monday. (Right) The royal couple with their relatives (Photo KPN)
Mysuru: The 27th scion of the 600-year-old Wadiyar dynasty, Yaduvamshi Sri Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, tied the knot with Trishikha Kumari of the Rajkot royal family at a simple yet elaborate ceremony of 28 rituals conducted by 25 priests led by the Dharmadikari of the Mysore Palace, Sri Janardhan Iyengar in the Smartha and Srivyshnava traditions at the auspicious hour of 10.25 am on Monday.
Dressed in a magenta pink brocade sherwani and gold trousers an outfit designed by his mother, Pramodadevi Wadiyar - and wearing the traditional jewellery of the maharajas, the young scion was a perfect foil for his bride, Trishikha decked in an orange saree lined with a magenta pink border and traditional south Indian jewellery.
The couple wed in a mantapa specially decorated with jasmine flowers and lotus buds at the palace kalyanamantapa to the strains of the nadaswara and the Mysuru palace band in the presence of around 500 guests, who included members of the royal families of Punjab, Auwa, Siroy, Dungarkar, Rajkot, Jodpur, Udaipur, Vijaynagar, and Kishan Gat, and family and friends from the USA and Germany.
Arriving at the palace at 6.30 am, Mr Yaduveer was received with an arathi at the Savar Thotti before leaving for the kalyanamantapa where he performed a series of rituals. Trishikha meanwhile performed the Gowri pooja at her private pooja room in the palace before arriving at the kalyanamantapa at 9.05am for the Kanyanireekshnane.
Read: Royal recount: Not so grand as earlier but the Queen did a great job
A few other rituals later, the kanya daana was performed by her parents at 10.09am. As the clock struck 10.23am other rituals followed and the couple was fed prasada from the Chamundeswari, Chaluvanarayanaswamy and Srikanteswara temples among others.
The Parakal Math swamiji offered the royal bride a silk saree and the young royal groom a silk valli and panche. The rituals concluded at around 1pm and was followed by a Raja boga prepared by 25 cooks for over 800 guests.
Naidu was impressed with the bullet train and wanted a similar service introduced between AP's new capital city Amaravati and port city Visakhapatnam. (Photo: Twitter)
Amaravati: To study the functioning of the high-speed trains in China, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday travelled from Tianjin to Beijing on a bullet train.
The Chief Minister covered the 140-km distance in 31 minutes, with the train cruising at a speed of 295 kmph, a release from his office here said.
On the third-day of his current China tour, Naidu was "impressed" with the bullet train and wanted a similar service introduced between AP's new capital city Amaravati and port city Visakhapatnam.
Chandrababu wanted his team to explore the possibility of introducing bullet or high-speed train services between Amaravati and Hyderabad as well, it said.
The Chief Minister had also raised this issue last week with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, during the inauguration of a superfast train between Vijayawada and Secunderabad.
"You call it bullet train or anything else, we want such trains from Amaravati to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam to cover the distances in two to three hours," he had told Prabhu.
This facility can be availed only by NE employees in any private companies/shops and NE students studying in Delhi, not for CGHS beneficiaries. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)
Itanagar: Thirty-two Delhi hospitals have agreed to provide subsidised treatment to the people of the northeastern region living in the national capital under a reach-out programme.
Delhi IGP Robin Hibu, who is also a nodal officer for the people from the northeast, told PTI over phone that he has been pursuing it with top hospitals including Fortis, Medanta, Apollo, Max Health Care and many others to provide subsidised treatment to the people of the northeast.
More than 11 lakh people from the northeast are either working in private sectors or studying in Delhi and the National Capital Region and most of them do not have any medical insurance or facilities, nor they can avail the central government health scheme (CGHS) like government servants.
"The NE people working in Delhi or NCR have to pay for their medical treatments from their meagre salaries, leaving no scope for them to save money or send money to their old parents back home," Hibu said.
On modalities for availing the concession, he said the people have to have a referral letter from his office to be sent with attested ID card to particular hospital as per the patient's choice with his/her original identity card, to avoid any impersonation.
"This facility can be availed only by NE employees in any private companies/shops and NE students studying in Delhi, not for CGHS beneficiaries," he added.
Hibu also informed that a thanksgiving function would be soon organised by Northeast people of Delhi in July, wherein all CEOs, CMD and MDs of 32 hospitals would be honoured with mementos and letter of appreciation by the central ministers hailing from the northeast region.
Hyderabad: Alleging that the Centre was insensitive in not bifurcating the High Court here following division of Andhra Pradesh, TRS MP K Kavitha on Tuesday said her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed to hold a protest in New Delhi.
She, however, said the Telangana government did not want things to escalate to that level and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the issue.
Read: IB probes reason behind delay in Hyderabad HC bifurcation
"Our Chief Minister is very disheartened by the insensitivity of the Central government. We propose to go ahead and express our protest in Delhi. But, we do not want things to escalate to that level. We once again sincerely appeal to honourable Prime Minister to intervene at this juncture and bifurcate the High Court," Kavitha told reporters here.
It would not be good if the Chief Minister holds a dharna in Delhi as it will become an international news, she said, urging the Centre to act to prevent such a protest from happening.
TRS MPs raised the issue in Parliament and Rao appealed to Modi "10 times" for bifurcation of the High Court, she said.
Prime Minister has not responded on the demand for bifurcation of the High Court so far and Congress president Sonia Gandhi also never spoke on the issue in Parliament though she talked about the interests of Andhra Pradesh, she alleged.
Read: Relocation of AP govt departments to Amaravati region begins
Kavitha claimed that the Centre was not bifurcating the High Court under the political pressure by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The ruling TRS' stance came against the backdrop of agitation by lawyers and judges against provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad yesterday suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds following the agitation.
Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association on Sunday took out a procession here in protest against the provisional allocation.
Kavitha alleged that a "conspiracy" has been hatched by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" are giving Andhra Judges the option to work in Telangana.
Although BJP supported the protest by Telangana judges, the party alleged that the Chief Minister's "protest now is purely political".
"BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with CJH (Chief Justice of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad) and CM appoint district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya would meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda along with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi today in this regard, a BJP release said.
After the collegium rejected many clauses in the MoP, the government is set to take the stand that most of these clauses reflect the spirit of past judgments of the Supreme Court. (Photo: PTI)
New Delhi: The Modi government and the Supreme Court are set to be on a collision course over the recommendations and observations made by the apex courts collegium regarding the draft memorandum of procedure (MoP) for appointments to higher judiciary. The government is said to have rejected many crucial recommendations.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the transparency in the manner in which the appointments should be carried out is a major point of contention between the government and the Supreme Court collegium.
The government is of the opinion that the fear of the collegium that a clause in the draft Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), which will allow the government to reject any recommended name on grounds of national security, is unfounded.
The government is planning to refer to the judgement in the Second Judges case of 1993 to emphasise its stand on rejecting recommended names.
The Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had last month conveyed the collegiums views to the government. He had stated that many of the clauses of the draft MoP finalised by a committee of ministers headed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj were unacceptable to the collegium.
In 2014, a 5-judge bench of the Supreme Court had declared the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act passed by Parliament as null and void. The bench later directed that a new MoP be finalised by the government in consultation with the CJI, and the work soon began on the same.
The government sent the draft of the MoP to the CJI on March 22 while the CJI returned the same with the views of the collegium on May 23, says the report.
After the collegium rejected many clauses in the MoP, the government is set to take the stand that most of these clauses reflect the spirit of judgments of the Supreme Court in the second, third and fourth (NJAC case) Judges cases.
There are differences between the government and the apex court collegium on the experience and performance of lawyers and judges appointed to the High Courts and apex court. In the case of selection of HC judges, the government wants to focus on 15 years record of each sessions judge while considering his case, whereas the Supreme Court feels seniority is more important. For lawyers too, the Centre favours quality of past work as a criterion, whereas the Supreme Court collegium is more in favour of looking at the number of cases he or she has handled.
The other disagreement is about the age bracket for those considered for elevation. While the collegium feels that persons between the age of 44/45 years and 58 years can be considered for elevation, the law ministry is keen that the upper age limit should be pegged at 55 years.
The government is also planning to cite the existing MoP to buttress its case for a more prominent role for the executive in appointing judges. Under the existing MoP, in case the Chief Minister desires to recommend the name of any person, he can forward the same to the Chief Justice for consideration by the collegium. But the Centre is of the view that this provision is currently being ignored.
The government is also going to push the CJI and other members of the collegium to establish a workable and transparent complaint mechanism to deal with complaints against sitting judges. It feels that the current mechanism is shrouded in too much secrecy.
The collegium has returned the governments draft, taking the view that it is an attempt by the government to circumvent judicial pronouncements and settled law on appointments in the higher judiciary. After extensive deliberations, CJI Thakur and four senior-most judges of the highest court think the draft is unacceptable in its present form.
Kolkata: Kerala has backed out of its commitment to support the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers Amit Mitra said on Tuesday.
"Finance Minister of Kerala Thomas Issac had supported the bill in the recent meeting held in the city, but now they said they were trying to arrive at a consensus," Mitra, who is also the West Bengal's finance minister told the State Assembly.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, he said that looking for consensus meant things were in 'doldrums'. He alleged that there was a state of complete contradiction and confusion in the Left Front on the issue.
In the June 14 meeting of the empowered committee of the state finance ministers, all states except Tamil Nadu had agreed to support the GST Bill. The BJP government was confident of clearing the bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the draft GST bill had also been circulated for public comments.
The accused was arrested on the charge of killing the law student, 50 days after the gruesome incident, that had become a major issue in the recent Kerala Assembly polls. (Photo: DC/ file)
Kochi: A migrant labourer, prime accused in the rape and murder of a 30-year-old Dalit woman in Perumbavoor, was on Tuesday taken to the victim's residence by police to recreate the crime scene as part of their probe into the matter.
Ameerul Islam, an Assam native, was brought to the small wayside home of the law student in Vattolippady area earlier on the day amid tight security with his face covered with black clothes.
On hearing that the police is recreating the crime scene at the victim's residence, a large number of people gathered around the place.
The accused was seen explaining to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) the way he entered into the house and committed the rape and murder of the woman on April 28.
He was taken to the road through which he escaped after committing the rape and murder.
The SIT probing the case also took Islam to a beverages outlet from where he brought liquor before committing the crime. He was also taken to a couple of other shops including a hotel.
Anticipating a mob fury, police, however, did not take him to the lodge where he had been staying, for collecting evidence.
Meanwhile, later in the day, an identification parade was held at Aluva police club and the victim's mother and sister was brought to identify the culprit.
After completing the process, the mother and the sister told reporters that they had no acquaintance with Islam.
They had earlier informed the investigating officers that they had not seen the accused.
The victim's sister said, on the request of her mother, the police brought the accused before them.
Seeing him, the mother asked Islam why he murdered her daughter, the sister said.
The accused was arrested on the charge of killing the law student, 50 days after the gruesome incident, that had become a major issue in the recent Kerala Assembly polls.
The woman who hailed from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted using sharp-edged weapons before being murdered at her house on April 28.
Intelligence agencies believe that the attack bore all the markings of an LeT plot, and the articles carried by terrorists prove a direct Pakistan hand. (Photo: HU Naqash)
Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeeds son-in-law Khalid Waleed is suspected to be the mastermind behind Saturdays attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Pampore that killed eight jawans and injured 22.
According to a report, Waleed masterminded the June 25 attack, while two of his deputies Hanzla Adnan and Sajid Jat played handlers to two terrorists who killed the Indian troops. Meanwhile, LeT commander for South Kashmir Abu Dujana arranged the local logistics.
Interestingly, Hanzla and Sajid were also handlers of Mohammad Naveed, the LeT terrorist caught alive during an attack on a BSF convoy on August 5 last year in Udhampur.
Read: We killed Pampore terrorists, says Army; CRPF hits out for 'claiming credit'
According to the report, Khalid Waleed is being groomed by Hafiz Saeed to oversee anti-India operations of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Waleed was associated with Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) for a long time.
Abu Qital, who oversees the terror camps of LeT in PoK, looked after the training of the two fidayeen who killed 8 CRPF jawans on June 25. Dujana on the other hand arranged for the stay of the two terrorists and their travel to the attack site.
Read: Pampore attack: Rs 20 lakh ex gratia for kin of five UP jawans
The two fidayeens carried articles like seven grenades with 'Pakistan Ordnance Factory" markings, medicines, track suits and shoes made in Pakistan, packets of dates not available in India, 11 magazines of AK-47 rifles and used/live rounds procured in Pakistan.
Read: Terrorists in J&K's Pampore fired 200 shots at security personnel: CRPF
This, in the opinion of intelligence agencies, proves that Pakistan had a direct hand in the attack. Jammu and Kashmir police also contend that the modus operandi and the investigation so far also point to a clear LeT involvement in the attack.
These developments come about even as the CRPF and the Indian army are reportedly in disagreement over who should claim credit for repelling the attack. The CRPF has also rebuffed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikars claim that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were not followed.
New Delhi: A special NIA court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of 2008 Malegaon blasts accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who had been given a clean chit by the probe agency last month.
Special Judge S D Tekale rejected the bail plea in an in-camera hearing. Rejecting the bail plea, the court said that prima facie evidence and MCOCA could not be dropped against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.
The Sadhvis family said that will approach High Court against Special NIA Court order.
Pragya's lawyer Prashant Maggu filed the bail plea earlier on May 30 after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) decided to drop her name from the list of accused in its chargesheet.
Read: Malegaon blasts: NIA gives clean chit to Sadhvi Pragya
The NIA, in its charge sheet filed on May 13, had dropped all the charges against Pragya and five others -- Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Shyam Sahu, Shiv Narayan Kalsangra and Praveen Takkalki-- citing lack of evidence.
The agency also dropped charges against her under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In her bail application, Pragya had contended that there is no evidence against her. Though the motor-cycle used in the blast was owned by her, she cited a witness statement which claimed that it was in the possession of Ramchandra Kalsangra, an absconding accused.
Some of the witnesses whose statements were used to implicate her later recanted and filed complaints of torture by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, the application adds.
Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, who was among those injured in the blast, had filed an intervention application and opposed her plea.
Seven people were killed and another 101 injured in a blast at Malegaon, a predominantly Muslim town in north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008. The NIA took over the case in 2011.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh on Muneer, who was absconding in the murder case of Tanzil Ahmed. (Photo: ANI)
Noida: In a major breakthrough in the murder case of Deputy Superintendent of Police of National Investigation Agency (NIA), Tanzil Ahmed, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Tuesday arrested Muneer, the prime accused in the case.
Muneer has been arrested from Noida and has been taken to an undisclosed location for questioning.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh on Muneer, who was absconding in the murder case of Tanzil Ahmed.
Read: 2 more arrested for NIA officer's killing, key accused elusive
The police had earlier said Muneer, who is the main accused of murder case, formed a gang along with his two associates and attacked Tanzil Ahmed, when he was driving back home with his family from a wedding near his village Sahaspur in Bijnor.
According to reports, different investigative agencies along with the NIA are questioning Muneer.
Ahmed, an assistant commandant with the Border Security Force (BSF) on deputation to the NIA, was killed by two motorcycle-borne assailants in April this year, when he was driving back home with his family from a wedding near his village Sahaspur in Bijnor.
Read: Member of Munir gang, wanted in NIA officer's murder arrested
Hyderabad: Union Law Minister D V Sadandanda Gowda on Tuesday said the Centre has no role in creation of a new High Court for Telangana, rubbishing the ruling TRS' charge that Narendra Modi dispensation is being "insensitive" on the issue and dragging the matter under political pressure.
Holding that the state government's stand on the issue is "unacceptable and intolerable," Gowda said creation of a new High Court is in the hands of the Chief Minister and Chief Justice of the common high court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
"Creation of new High Court for Telangana is not in our hands, its in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that High Court (which is common for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and has not been bifurcated after the erstwhile state's division in June 2014)," Law Minister D V Sadandanda Gowda said.
TRS MP Kavitha said that her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would not even hesitate to hold a protest in Delhi. She also alleged that the matter is being dragged by the Centre under political pressure from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
Countering the TRS on the issue, Gowda said, If the Chief Minister provides the infrastructure and other things, High Court will take care of rest of the things. Simply putting the blame on Centre is not fair. Its quite unacceptable and intolerable to say that this delay is because of the Central government.
Asked about Kavitha's charge, Gowda said, "If he holds a dharna for no reason, people will evaluate the dharna."
"Judiciary is independent. We give maximum respect to Judiciary. Their independence cannot be encroached upon by the Executive at any point of time," he said.
TRS has upped the ante on the issue in the backdrop of agitation by lawyers and judges against provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana. The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad has suspended eleven judges following the agitation against provisional allocation.
Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association on Sunday took out a procession here in protest.
Speaking on the issue, Kavitha told reporters that "Our Chief Minister is also very disheartened by the insensitivity of the central government. We do propose to go and express our protest in Delhi, but we do not want things to escalate to that level. Once again, we sincerely appeal to honourable Prime Minister to intervene at this juncture and bifurcate the high court."
She said TRS MPs had raised the issue in Parliament and Rao himself represented to Modi "10 times" for bifurcation of the high court, but the latter has not responded so far, claiming that the Centre is under pressure from Andhra Pradesh CM.
She said Congress President Sonia Gandhi also did not speak on the issue in Parliament, though she spoke about Andhra Pradesh's interests.
Kavitha alleged that there is a "conspiracy" hatched by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" in "Andhra Judges" giving option to work in Telangana.
Meanwhile, the BJP state unit supported the protest by Telangana judges but alleged that the Chief Minister's "protest now is purely political". "BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with CJH (Chief Justice of High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad) and CM appoint district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya is expected to meet Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and Law minister Sadananda Gowda along with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi today in this regard, a BJP release said.
New Delhi: Responding to the fresh PIL seeking decriminalisation of Section 377, Union Minister for Law and Justice DV Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said the decision in this regard will be taken by the Supreme Court on what stand the Central Government needs to take as the matter is subjudice.
"Government has already discussed the issue of 377 with Attorney General. We will place our arguments in front of the Supreme Court and the decision will be taken today on what stand the Central Government needs to take. Cannot say more on the issue as the matter is subjudice," he told media in Delhi .
When asked on filing of a fresh PIL seeking decriminalisation of Section 377 of IPC, he said the Government is working on to reduce the interdepartmental litigation.
"It is said that government is the biggest litigant and therefore we must reduce the numbers of such cases through arbitration," he added.
Read: LGBT activists move SC against Section 377, hearing tomorrow
On the question of shortages of judges, the Law Minister said, "We have cleared 51 appointment of judges and 87 ad-hoc judges had been made permanent within a short period of 4 months only. We have cleared names of 4 judges within a short period of 6 days which were sent by the Supreme Court collegiums."
On February 3, the Supreme Court had referred a batch of petitions against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial-era provision criminalising consensual sexual acts of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) adults in private, to a five-judge Constitution Bench for a possible back-to-roots, in-depth hearing.
Admitting appeals filed by Naz Foundation against re-criminalising of homosexual acts by a two judge bench of the apex court in December 2013, a three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justices Anil R Dave and JS Khehar gave credence to arguments that the threat imposed by the provision amounts to denial of the rights to privacy and dignity and results in gross miscarriage of justice.
Chief Justice Thakur said the petitions pose several questions with "constitutional dimensions of importance" while dictating the order of reference to a Constitution Bench he would be setting up shortly. This Bench neither admitted the petitions nor issued notice to the government, leaving it to the future Constitution Bench to do so, if found necessary.
Chennai: A new and scary dimension is now added to the long-standing problem of the trafficking of Sri Lankan Tamils to Australia by rickety boats, as the Tamil Nadu police on Monday arrested nine such 'dollar-hunters' from a lodge at Tiruchendur. The scary aspect is that these were not the usual Lankan refugees from the 110 camps scattered across the state lured by the unscrupulous agents promising safe voyage to the dreamland but were from Sri Lanka.
They had arrived from Colombo on tourist visa as part of a larger group, claiming to be pilgrims visiting shrines of Tamil Nadu but with the actual intent of sailing to Australia, a senior official of the Q branch police, which deals with the issues related to the foreigners, refugees and extremists, told DC. He said following a tip-off, his men nabbed the nine Lankans Gopinath, (32), his wife Shobana, (26), Dhayabaran, (45), Guruvintham, (25), Dharshan, (25), Sathyaseelan, (32), Dhayananthan, (35), Shantha Rooban, (35) and Robin
Prasad, (25), in their rooms at a lodge at about 2.30 a.m.
They told the police they had arrived from Colombo by air on June 2 and after completing the pilgrimage lap of Velankanni-Palani-Madurai, landed in Tiruchendur on June 25 (Saturday) for worshiping at the Murugan temple and getting ready for the Australian voyage. Their trafficker had arranged for a boat from Muttam (Kanyakumari district) for their escape from a secret beach near Kollam (Kerala). They also revealed that 19 more Lankan Tamils were waiting at Chinnamuttom and Colachel in Kanyakumari district to join them on the trip. The Q police immediately rushed to Colachel, along with the nine arrested Lankan Tamils, to get the rest of the hiding group.
Ultimately, 13 persons were taken into custody, including three Lankan Tamil refugees from camps in Tamil Nadu and one local human trafficking agent. These people are being taken for a ride by unscrupulous agents promising to reach them to Australia as refugees. They can never pass off refugees as the situation in Sri Lanka is no longer the same as it used to be before the Eelam war ended. The Tamils who came from Colombo, arrived with passports and tourist visas, and want to sneak off to Australia as refugees, said another senior police officer, sounding bitter.
Already, we are facing huge problem keeping close watch on the 110 refugee camps in Tamil Nadu and the long coastline we have to ensure that the unscrupulous agents do not take off from secret locations with their human traffic to Australia. You have seen we have been making arrests every now and then, he said. The government must promulgate an ordinance to make this trafficking severely punishable, if we must stop this scourge that has already seen over 600 people perish in high seas on such perilous journeys, said S.C.
Chandrahasan of the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation (OfERR), a long campaigner against the human traffickers. This crime has been one thing, so far, where the concerned get caught a number of times and yet walk out free, get back to their camps. This must stop. According to Chandrahasan, many of these agents they are unscrupulous criminal people, mostly Sri Lankan Tamils are able to hook their victims telling them they could also lead comfortable dollar-happy lives in Australia where their kin had found shelter before 2012.
Though Australia has now firmly closed its shores to boat people, these agents are able to convince their prey that the upcoming elections in that country would throw up a government sympathetic to the Lankan Tamil refugees.
We have been trying for long to counsel these refugees in the camps here not to trust these liars. The government and the officials here also are doing their best to prevent our people from losing their money to the agents and losing their lives to the sea. This new trend of the (Lankan) Tamil people coming here disguised as pilgrims and actually planning to head for Australia is truly disturbing, said the noted Lankan human rights activist.
Patna: The fake Class 12 'topper' Ruby Rai, who was arrested in Patna for bribing officials to get highest marks, told the investigators that she had asked her father to arrange for her to secure passing marks.
According to a report in The Indian Express, she said, Maine to Papa se kaha tha pass karwa dijiye, unhone ne to top hi karwa diya. (I had only asked Papa to get me passed, but he went ahead and made me topper).
The Bihar State Examination Board Class XII Arts topper was taken into custody by Patna Police's Special Investigation Team soon after she failed the re-test.
Rai a student of Vishnu Rai College, who had achieved infamy after describing political science as "prodikal science" soon after the declaration of the Class XII results, was asked about a dozen questions from the syllabus by a seven-member expert committee of the board.
Re-exams were ordered after she in a TV interview had said political science, a subject she virtually aced, teaches cooking.
Rai appeared before the expert committee constituted by the board to answer questions. The panel cancelled her result after the review.
In the re-test, Ruby Rai reportedly wrote only one line Tulsidasji, Pranam (salutations Tulsidasji) when asked to write an essay on the Hindi saint poet, claiming that she forgot what she studied.
BSEB chairman Anand Kishore said that she was not even able to reply to a sample question.
Patna special SP Manu Maharaj said, The arts topper was very forthright in accepting that she did not deserve to be a topper. She had expected second division at best. She now blamed her guardians and Vishun Roy College principal Bachcha Rai for making her topper.
Rai had secured 444 marks out of 500 in the Arts stream. However, on camera she did not even appear to know the number of subjects in her course.
The BSEB earlier on June 4 cancelled the results of two toppers, including Sourabh Shrestha, of the Intermediate (Science) examinations after they failed to prove their merits in a re-test.
Meanwhile, during questioning the private assistant (PA) of former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Singh revealed that Rs 15 lakh was charged for declaring toppers through dubious means.
The PA, Vikash Chandra, further revealed that a sum of Rs 10 lakh was charged from a failed student to give them pass certificates, he said.
Singh, his former JD(U) MLA wife Usha Sinha, Vishun Roy college secretary-cum principal Bachha Rai and nearly a dozen others have been arrested in the degree racket case.
Warangal: Police arrested eight Bar Association members here on Tuesday following the alleged manhandling of first additional district judge from AP K.V. Narsimhulu. They were produced before the first munsif magistrate P. Anitha late on Tuesday who remanded them for 14 days judicial custody.
The bar association members, demanding scrapping of the provisional list allocating judges to TS and AP, said they would intensify their agitation from Wednesday.
They conducted a dharna in front of the Subedari police station, where the eight arrested lawyers were lodged. Heavy police forces were deployed at the district court complex as a precautionary measure.
Earlier in the day, boycotted court proceedings demanding withdrawal of suspension imposed on few judges by High Court and release of advocates who were arrested in Hyderabad on Monday.
They staged a protest at the district court complex in Hanamkonda during which they demanded a judge from AP to quit the bench. This led to a heated argument between the judge and the lawyers. Some of the agitating lawyers destroyed furniture and computers in the judges office and later blocked his car while he was leaving the court complex.
AP lawyers to boycott court today in protest
The Bezawada Bar Association has decided to boycott district courts on Wednesday alleging ill-treatment by T-advocates of Andhra native judicial officers working in TS.
The BBA, which met here on Tuesday, took the decision to boycott courts on Wednesday in the city and also made an appeal to the state-wide Bar Associations to respond positively to their call.
The decision of BBA is a reaction to the ongoing stir in Hyderabad over the bifurcation of the High Court. Former BBA president Ch. Jagadeesh said that they have no objection over judicial officer of any region working in Anhdra Pradesh, as the Constitution gave them the right to work anywhere.
Unfortunately, judicial officer Justice Narasimhulu of Nellore was obstructed from discharging his duties in Warangal, Mr Jagadeesh saidm adding that the district judge was subjected to discrimination in TS.
When asked about the reported verbal duel between BBA members and Justice Srikantachary in Vijayawada on Tuesday, Mr Jagadeesh clarified that no confrontation took place.
However, we asked him as to why he has submitted an affidavit to High Court Chief Justice stating that he was not comfortable enough here to discharge duties in Vijayawada, he said. He also clarified that they would not create any problems for judicial officers of any other regions working in AP. It is unfortunate that Justice Srikantachary went on leave, he said.
TS advocates on Tuesday protest in front of the Hyderabad High Court against the suspension of two judges for taking out a rally over what they called injustice done to Telangana state in splitting of judges. (Photo DC)
Hyderabad: Upset with the open defiance of subordinate judicial officers, the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday suspended nine more judicial officers of magistrate/sub-judge levels.
Protesting the alleged illegal suspensions and also the allocation of judges between both states, the TS Subordinate Judicial Officers Association has resolved that all its members will go on mass leave till their earned leaves are exhausted.
There are around 150 judicial officers in subordinate courts in the state. The High Court has stated that participating in the rally taken out by the Telangana Judicial Officers Association on Sunday amounted to judicial indiscipline.
Advocate attempts suicide, takes pills
Upset with the open defiance of subordinate judicial officers, the Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday suspended nine more judicial officers of magistrate/sub-judge levels. The HC had earlier suspended two district judge-ranked officers on the same ground.
Judicial officers, meanwhile, said that they were expecting some more suspensions in the coming days as the High Court was examining the video footage available with it pertaining to their silent rally.
They said that the suspensions were illegal as they were not even served show-cause notices before their suspension, which is mandatory in judicial service rules.
Meanwhile, T-advocates continued their stir across the state against the suspension of the judicial officers. Several advocates were taken into custody when they tried to take out rallies and processions.
On June 6, lawyers and judicial employees across TS had launched an agitation against the provisional allocation of judicial officers. The executive committee of the TS High Court Advocates Association, in an emergency meeting, unanimously resolved to abstain from court work on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, one more advocate, Gampa Venkateswarlu, attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills in front of the chambers of the Nampally Metropolitan Session Judges Court on Tuesday. He was rushed to Medwin Hospital in Abids where his condition is stable.
On Monday, advocate Tirumala Rao had tried to immolate himself in front of the court protesting against the suspension of judicial officers. Heavy police forces were deployed at the High Court on Tuesday in view of Mondays call given by the THCAA to boycott proceedings of the Bench headed by the acting Chief Justice.
Despite the call, proceedings were carried out by the bench amid heavy security.
Only lawyers whose cases were listed in the cause list were allowed inside.
In Warangal, lawyers vandalised a local court and tried to assault additional district and sessions judge K.V. Narsimhulu.
The lawyers of Warangal Bar Association shouted slogans, asking the sessions judge to shift out of TS. As per the call given by the Telangana Bar Association, Warangal Bar Association boycotted the courts.
Police arrested eight Bar association members following the alleged manhandling of first addition district judge from Ap K.V. Narsimhulu. Late on Tuesday evening they were produced before the first munsif magistrate P. Anitha who remanded them for 14 days judicial custody.
Hyderabad: Putting the onus of bifurcation of the Hyderabad High Court on AP Chief Minister and High Court Chief Justice, Union law minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday said once the infrastructure was ready and the judges are separated, afterwards the CJI has to concur and the paper has to be processed by the ministry of law and justice.
The Chief Justice should take care of TS as well as AP as per the Reorganisation Act, he said. Mr Gowda refused to comment further since the matter is subjudice, as a review petition of a dismissed PIL is pending before the High Court.
He admitted that the number of judges in the High Court from TS was very less compared to AP. We did a study and we got statistics. AP High Courts approved strength is 37 and TS is 24. The working strength at present in AP is 18 and TS three. I dont dispute that, he said.
An upset Mr Gowda added, ...let him (Mr Rao) sit on a dharna. He should not behave like Kejriwal who doesnt do anything but lash out at the Central government every day. If the TS Chief Minister too follows him, people will give a fitting reply.
Mr Gowda said the criteria for appointments to subordinate judiciaries of the concerned state was where they hailed from. The Chief Justice of the High Court and the CM have to consult each other to appoint judges in district courts and lower judiciary, he added.
He was speaking to the media after meeting a BJP delegation led by Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya. TRS MPs had earlier met Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Jitender Singh to apprise them of the situation in Hyderabad.
Telangana advocates on Tuesday protest in front of Hyderabad High Court against the suspension of two judges for taking out a rally over what they called injustice done to Telangana state in splitting of judges. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: Union law minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on Tuesday made it clear that the Centre has no role in bifurcation of the High Court and that it is the responsibility of the AP Chief Minister and the Chief Justice of the High Court.
He criticised TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for making false allegations against the Centre while sarcastically welcoming him to stage a dharna like Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Read: KCR should not act like Kejriwal, says Sadananda Gowda
The Centre has no role in the bifurcation of a High Court. The AP Reorganisation Act clearly states that for another 10 years, shifting of the capital and other things are the options of the AP government; it is the responsibility of the AP Chief Minister to provide infrastructure and the Chief Justice of the High Court has to bifurcate the judges, he said.
Read: Expedite Hyderabad High Court split, K Chandrasekhar Rao tells Centre
Gowda on Tuesday said once the infrastructure was ready and the judges are separated, afterwards the CJI has to concur and the paper has to be processed by the ministry of law and justice.
Read: Plot behind Hyderabad HC split delay, says TRS MP Kavitha
The Chief Justice should take care of TS as well as AP as per the Reorganisation Act, he said. Mr Gowda refused to comment further since the matter is subjudice, as a review petition of a dismissed PIL is pending before the High Court.
Read: Hyderabad HC suspends nine more judicial officers of magistrate level
He admitted that the number of judges in the High Court from TS was very less compared to AP. We did a study and we got statistics. AP High Courts approved strength is 37 and TS is 24. The working strength at present in AP is 18 and TS three. I dont dispute that, he said.
NEW DELHI: Furious at having to miss an important appointment after the pilot of an Air India flight to Hyderabad did not turn up, Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday took to social media platform Twitter to slam the national carrier, following which civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju ordered an enquiry into the incident after terming service disruptions as unacceptable.
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour, Mr Naidu tweeted. I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... Was told on time.. Reached airport by 1230 Hrs, the minister said in another tweet.
Furious Venkaiah was to attend meeting in Delhi
(I)was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as the pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start. Returned home, he said in a series of tweets.
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment, he added. According to news agency reports, Mr Naidu was going to Hyderabad to attend a meeting on the Swachchh Bharat campaign.
Bengaluru: Bengalurus first woman cab driver is no more.
Bharathi Veerath created history two years ago by becoming the first woman cab driver in Bengaluru, when she joined Uber. But according to a report, the 33-year-old Veerath was found hanging in her rented home in Bengaluru on Monday.
Veerath lived alone and her death is being treated as a suicide case by the police, though no suicide note was found.
Veerath's taxi -- a Ford Fiesta that she had reportedly saved up to buy -- was found abandoned near her house.
According to the report, Veerath moved to Bengaluru from Andhra Pradesh ten years ago. She worked as a tailor and then with an NGO where she learnt how to drive. She then joined private taxi aggregator Uber cabs.
Her body was found by her landlord, who told the police that Veerath had informed him that she planned to move back to Andhra soon.
The landlord went to the third floor of his house where Bharathi was staying, to check her whereabouts after not seeing her since Sunday. Through the window, he saw her body hanging and alerted the police.
The man is in judicial custody and is booked under IPC's 354 and 336 (Photo: Pixabay)
Gujarat: A man, travelling from Damam, Saudi Arabia to Mumbai, was arrested for molesting a Jet Airways air hostess and taking a selfie against her will, according to a report. He further violated aircraft rules by smoking in the toilet.
Mohammed Abubakar (29) was arrested after the Damam-Mumbai flight landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) on Monday.
The matter began once the flight from Damam took off. The air hostess in her complaint claimed that Abubakar caught her hand while boarding, and forced her to take a selfie. He kept misbehaving throughout the journey, she told the police.
The air hostess raised her voice when he misbehaved with her following which four cabin crew members came to her rescue. On seeing the crew there, Abubakar walked away to the toilet where he had a smoke, violating safety rules. The crew then asked him to hand over his cigarettes and lighter to them.
He was arrested after the Damam-Mumbai flight landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). Abubakar, who claims to be employed with a hotel at Damam told the police he clicked the selfie "for fun".
The man is in judicial custody and is booked under IPC's 354 outraging modesty of women), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and under Aircraft Rules section 25 (safety violations). His mobile phone has been seized and will be sent to the forensic sciences laboratory (FSL).
Madurai: The Centre on Tuesday told the Madras High Court Bench here that it was holding talks with officials of Oman for rescuing 14 Tamil women employed as domestic help in that country and allegedly tortured by their employers.
Assistant Solicitor General G.R.Swaminathan told a bench comprising Justice K.K.Sasidharan and B.Gokuldass that talks were on with Oman Embassy officials to rescue the women and bring them back home.
The submission was made during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition by Kalvathi whose daughter Meghala had gone to Oman to work as a domestic help for a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 but is facing "horrible" working conditions.
She also said that like her daughter, thirteen other women were "suffering" in Oman.
The petitioner submitted that when her daughter reached Oman with the help of brokers, she found the working condition "horrible" and she had to work for 22 hours a day and not given proper food. She was being treated like bonded labour, Kalavathi claimed.
The petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to produce her daughter in the court as she feared that she would be killed.
Directing the Centre to file a detailed counter, the court posted the petition to July 12 for further hearing.
Bengaluru: If anyone is cheering the UKs decision to pull out of the European Union and the resulting fall in the pound, it has to be engineering students from India.
Britain could now become a more popular destination for undergraduate engineering studies, says Dr Radhakrishna Aithal, Director, International Centre for Applied Sciences (ICAS), Manipal University.
Pointing out that Australia and USA are currently more popular destinations for higher education, he believes things could change now. "Brexit may reverse this trend to some extent considering the fall in the British pound, which will make UK a cheaper destination compared to Australia or US, especially for students interested in pursuing a part of their Twinning Engineering Programme in its universities," he said.
Many universities in the state currently have collaborations with UK universities like the City University London, Lancaster University, University of Leicester, Queen Mary University of London, University of Strathclyde, Swansea University, Sheffield Hallam University, Liverpool Hope University and others.
But on the other hand students are afraid the referendum and its verdict could have a downside to it. Those already pursuing higher education in Europe feel Brexit could spell the end to European collaboration, which made British universities so attractive and also unleash Xenophobia and racism in the UK.
Said Mr Pranav Kohli from Bengaluru, who is pursuing his PhD in anthropology in Dublin, Ireland, The main impact of Brexit will be on Indian travellers and students as there could be more incidents of racism in Britain now. I think there is already a lot of it happening because the Brexit campaign was racist. It was about keeping outsiders out. It has unleashed a kind of Xenophobia and racism that was not seen before in Britain."
Students might want to reconsider their options especially for research oriented programmes. It might also mean fewer scholarships in British Universities, he added.
Perhaps the only real point of interest in Prime Minister Narendra Modis interview to a friendly English language television news channel last Monday is his disapproval of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamys scarcely concealed attack on Union finance minister Arun Jaitley. Dr Swamy had earlier gone hell for leather many thought at the behest of the rulers demanding the ouster of RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. The PM or the finance minister did not come to the governors defence, prompting Dr Rajan to draw the appropriate inference and announce that he was not available for a second term.
In his interview, the PM called Dr Rajan a patriot in a rebuttal of Dr Swamy, but this has come late. Dr Rajan is returning to his university in the US. Besides, someone of his stature is not in need of a certificate from political leaders. The PMs intervention was not prompted by an urge to set the record straight on the Rajan matter but to protect his finance minister, who Dr Swamy was seeking to traduce in the guise of baying for the blood of the finance ministrys top economic adviser as well as a senior bureaucrat.
Finding that neither the PM nor BJP chief Amit Shah had risen in his defence in the face of Dr Swamys full-force backhand, Mr Jaitley cut short his visit to Beijing, apparently as a sign of protest. Mr Modi keeping his own counsel even in the face of this may have caused a visible fissure at the highest level of government and the power structure. At a time when the home minister, the external affairs minister and the defence minister have had their political heft whittled, it would have been singularly bad advertisement for the government if the finance minister too had been sent to their corner.
Therefore, the PM can be said to have acted wisely, and in the interest of governmental stability. Any other course could possibly have led to the factionalising of the ruling hierarchy which could conceivably impact cohesion at the higher levels of the BJP. As for the rest of what the PM said in what seemed a commissioned interview, which lacked evidence of close questioning, there cant be said to be too great a public interest, although the following inferences can be drawn: that not much relief should be expected on the jobs or prices front; that in spite of Mr Modis best efforts, ties with Pakistan are bad and we should be vigilant and expect anything from that side; that the area of disagreements with China has expanded; and that the government wont rein in its communal diehards but the media is urged not to play up their infamy.
In one of the most significant developments since the dawn of the new millennium, a majority of the electorate in the United Kingdom told their government they no longer wish to remain a part of the European Union. This wish, when implemented, will end the four-decade-old relationship the UK has had with the EU, that was based on terms different from those of all other 27 members on four counts. The UK didnt accept the euro as its currency when it was adopted as the EUs common currency, it was granted an opt-out clause under the Maastricht Treaty adopted for Europes integration in 1992, and later it opted out of the Schengen Agreement that removed all border controls between EU member states. The UK had two further opt-outs from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and area of freedom, security and justice.
Despite having a special status, why did people in the UK vote in favour of leaving the EU? The answers are provided in the Leave campaign manifesto: the most potent of the planks the Leave campaign used against the UKs continuation in the EU was that more than half of UKs laws were made in Brussels and Strasbourg. Recapturing this ceded space and empowering Westminster to enact laws and regulations for its people, and also to do trade deals, was really the essence of the Leave campaigners. This is one aspect of the Brexit narrative that Brussels should be extremely wary about, for the sovereignty question had raised its head during the Greek crisis too less than two years ago. If Brussels is unable to prevent the spread of such sentiments by using the strengths of EU heavyweights, the Common Market project that began nearly six decades back can quickly become history. It is difficult to imagine the enormity of the uncertainties the global economy would have to bear should the unravelling of the EU ever happen.
But the sobering thought is that the UKs divorce will not begin immediately, though voices have been raised from within Europe seeking an early initiation of the Brexit process. The UK will have to notify EU invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and will then have to negotiate and strike an agreement setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, and also the framework for its future relationship with EU. Thus, a period of two years may still be available before the UK formally leaves the EU. This period will be critical for the global community to work out its strategies to deal separately with the EU and UK in the years ahead. India has been engaged with the EU for the past decade to deepen bilateral economic relations. At the heart of the India-EU engagement is the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), which has been at a virtual standstill as differences between the two partners on critical issues continue to rankle. India will therefore have to engage in some strategic thinking on the terms of its future engagements with the EU.
In the wake of Brexit, the prospects for struggling economies in the EU look fairly dim. The British economy, too, will suffer the pangs of adjustment that may lower its growth prospects, so say the projections that have been made so far. These uncertainties will certainly affect the Indian economy given its trade links with Europe. Brexit happened at a most inopportune moment for India-EU relations. In the recent past, both partners were warming up once again to get BTIA on track and to work for its early conclusion. Both sides expected the agreement to improve market access opportunities since over the past decade India-EU trade has been declining. Until the middle of the previous decade, the EU was by far Indias largest trade partner. Nearly a quarter of Indias exports were absorbed by the 25-member EU in 2005, but a decade later, India was exporting less than 17 per cent of total exports to the 28-member EU.
On the import side, India imported nearly 17 per cent of total imports from the EU in 2005, which fell to just 11 per cent in 2015. This declining importance of the EU as a trade partner was due to the steady diversification of Indias exports, which corresponds with the considerable rise in Asias importance as Indias trade partner. With Indias engagement with Asia expected to go a few notches higher as a result of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a mega-regional trade agreement that India is negotiating with 15 East Asian countries, the EUs importance as a trade partner could decline further in relative terms. It can therefore be argued that the impending crisis in the Eurozone after Brexit would not adversely affect Indias trade by a big margin. The UKs importance as Indias trade partner had decreased steadily over the past decades.
The share of Indias total exports to UK fell below 10 per cent in the late 1970s and by the turn of the millennium it had fallen below five per cent. After plunging to below three per cent in the wake of the post-2008 economic recession, there has been a slight recovery in later years. Although the EUs importance as a market for Indian products has fallen, for a number of industries the EU continues to be a major destination. On top of this list are the textiles and clothing industries, which in 2015 exported a quarter of its total exports to EU member states. Within this broad sector, the dependence of the clothing sub-sector is much higher currently, more than a third of its total exports are accounted for by the Eurozone. The exports of several other sectors, including automobiles and non-electrical machinery, have been rising in recent years, and these sectors could be hit by the uncertainties that the EU could experience shortly.
Arvind Kejriwal is at it again, demanding a Brexit-style referendum on full statehood for Delhi. He is once again enacting the kind of diversionary and destructionist drama he has become an expert at. The issue was once raised in June-July 2015. June last year was not a happy month for the AAP: one of its ministers, Jitender Tomar, was arrested for allegedly presenting forged degrees; AAP MLA Somnath Bhartis wife filed a domestic violence case against him; and the AAP government passed the controversial bill to shield 21 parliamentary secretaries from disqualification by keeping them out of the purview of office-of profit with retrospective effect. However, all these controversies effectively died with the call for a referendum on the statehood issue and the focus of the media and the public completely diverted.
This time too, before it sought professional help for an image makeover, with a reported Rs 200-crore budget, the Delhi government raised the referendum demand. One has to admire Mr Kejriwals skill in causing a diversion whenever his governments failures get exposed. There are two issues here, and must be considered apart: one, the referendum, and second, full statehood. Its also necessary to understand the difference between a public opinion poll and a referendum. A referendum has legal and constitutional implications that give validity to public opinion on full statehood for Delhi.
To be meaningful, a referendum should involve the state machinery and institutions like the Election Commission. A referendum derives its validity from the Constitution, but there is no provision for a referendum in the Indian Constitution. The AAPs supporters refer to Sikkim and Goa. Its important to note that the referendum in Sikkim was held before it became a part of the Indian Union and, therefore, was then outside Indias constitutional jurisdiction. It was held on April 14, 1975, following which Sikkim became a part of India on May 15, 1975 after President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed ratified the constitutional amendment making Sikkim Indias 22nd state.
A public opinion exercise was held in Goa in January 1967 on whether it should remain a Union territory or merge with Maharashtra. But this was done only after a special law was enacted by Parliament: the Goa, Daman and Diu (Opinion Poll) Act on December 16, 1966. Thus, whether a formal referendum can be held on any issue or not can only be decided by Parliament, not by any state government or state legislature. The death knell for the idea of a referendum came with the Supreme Courts landmark Kesvananda Bharti ruling in 1973 which clearly stated: The procedure prescribed in Article 368 is the exclusive procedure for amendment of the Constitution. The word only in Article 368 rules out all other procedures for amendment. So no law can be made for a referendum or a constituent assembly. A referendum or a constituent assembly will make Article 368 redundant.
A referendum was not accepted by the framers of the Constitution. B.R. Ambedkar said: The draft Constitution has eliminated the elaborate and difficult procedure such as a decision by a convention or referendum. The powers of amendment are left with the legislatures, central and provincial. The 44th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 1978 proposed the possibility of referendum in very specific situations where changes in the Constitution may impact Indias secular and democratic character, abridge or take away fundamental rights, obstruct free elections and adult suffrage, and compromise the judiciarys independence. This was, however, struck down and the referendum idea was rejected by Parliament in the context of the ruling mentioned above, and on the ground that it will not stand judicial scrutiny.
A referendum demand is not only unconstitutional, it is also extremely irresponsible, specially coming from an elected representative. Does Mr Kejriwal support a plebiscite in Kashmir? Time and again secessionist forces have called for a referendum. By raising an unconstitutional demand, Mr Kejriwal is treading a dangerous path that will only strengthen the hand of the forces of disintegration. He is also pitching Delhi against the rest of the country. Delhi being the nations capital, every citizen of India has a stake and a right over it. Mr Kejriwal should clearly spell out to Delhis citizens the implications, particularly the financial ones, of full statehood. Delhi being Indias capital has many facilities that other states dont.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has said that if granted full statehood, Delhi would get an extra Rs 5,000 crores per annum as its share of taxes. But he chose not to reveal that the entire expenditure on the Delhi police, which is over Rs 5,000 crores a year, is borne by the Centre. This year the Centre has allocated Rs 5,913.74 crores for the Delhi police in the Union Budget. By virtue of being Indias capital and a Union terrirory, Delhi has five super-specialty hospitals fully funded by the Centre. This years budget for these hospitals is around Rs 3,200 crores. Delhi also boasts of three Central universities funded by the Government of India. Delhi University is funded 100 per cent by the UGC, whereas other state universities are not. Full statehood may boost Mr Kejriwals powers, but the people of Delhi will have to bear a much bigger financial burden.
This should be clearly communicated to Delhis people for informed decision-making. The self-proclaimed anarchist CM seems to have no respect for the Constitution or no thought for the people of his city-state. To fulfil his own ambitions, he could go to any extent, even to create a situation of constitutional anarchy. While the AAP was given a staggering mandate by Delhi voters, this does not authorise Mr Kejriwal to ignore or undermine the Constitution and constitutional procedures.
While political parties hire PR agencies during elections, all governments have information and public relations departments to handle their publicity needs as does the directorate of information & publicity of the NCT of Delhi, that employs around 80 people, who are paid well. Mr Kejriwal will do well to answer to the people of Delhi why he needs a private PR firm hired at great cost to the public exchequer before creating headlines over a referendum that can never happen.
Two college students have opened a regular porn site but with a noble motive of contributing to charity. (Representational image)
In a rather bizarre incident, two college students have opened a regular porn site but with a noble motive of contributing to charity.
The porn website ijustcame.org will donate money to charity each time a visitor on the website masturbates! As crazy as it sounds, it has been done earlier as well, as per a report by Complex.com.
The interface, though NSFW, clearly mentioned that a charitable donation can only be made by after users click on the IJUSTCAME! button available under every video. However, one user is only entitled to two orgasmic donations per day, with a gap of 15 minutes separating both the acts of charity.
While no institutions receiving this charity are listed down by the adult website, it is written on the website that the charities received will be donated to treat people dealing with prostrate and ovarian cancer, supporting rape victims, and ending hate porn.
During a conversation with The Huffington Post, the duo behind Happiest porn site on Earth revealed numerous details about the unique website, including the fate of the charities and donations.
Although their identities were undisclosed, both the students, allegedly from Stanford University told that each donation is worth one cent and is shared between three organisationsThe Movember Foundation (research for prostate and testicular cancer), The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund; and The Joyful Heart Foundation helping survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse.
They had also launched a private version earlier and raised $1,000 for charity in no time, according to one of them. They also pointed out that they plan to contribute the money annually. Currently, the duo is looking for brands as sponsors to raise the amount of charity.
While one would doubt about the duos method of collecting charity, adult sites have a lot of visitors on a daily basis and it does sum up to be a good ploy for collecting money for charity.
Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Windows phone users have a chance to rejoice as they might soon have a chance to use prominent image-messaging app Snapchat again.
Windows phone users have a chance to rejoice as they might soon have a chance to use prominent image-messaging app Snapchat again on Windows 10 Mobile, after Microsoft banned third-party clients for accessing the app.
According to a new report, the Spanish Twitter account of Lumia support pointed out that Microsoft and Snapchat are in talks over building a new app that could be released soon. However, no further detail regarding the launch was announced.
While there has been no official confirmation, and this cannot confirmed entirely, as there have been past incidents where Microsofts support accounts have posted inaccurate information.
The translated tweet said that the company are already working with friends from Snapchat at the earliest. However, Snapchat has had its issue with Microsoft in the past, so its a bit difficult to believe the developments that come from a untrustworthy source.
A of now, if you are a Windows phone user, its better to cross your fingers and hope that the news is not false.
Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The boy was sleeping alone in a separate compartment of his family's tent when the hyena set on him early Sunday. (Photo: YouTube Video Grab)
Johannesburg: A 15-year-old was in a serious condition on Monday after he was attacked in his tent by a hyena at South Africa's world famous Kruger National Park, officials said.
The boy was sleeping alone in a separate compartment of his family's tent when the hyena set on him early Sunday, South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesman William Mabasa said.
"The animal attacked him on his face," Mabasa said "He screamed and his parents woke up.
"Fortunately a nurse was there, as well as one of our guides."
According to local news website Netwerk24, the hyena locked its jaws onto the boy's face, breaking facial bones and dragging him out of the tent in his pyjamas.
After being treated at a local hospital, he was flown to Johannesburg for emergency plastic and reconstructive surgery to his mouth and jaw. Local media described his condition as serious.
The hyena, which escaped, is thought to have entered the campsite through a hole in the fence.
Mabasa said the animal was likely looking for food.
"People must be aware at all times that there are wild animals around them and they must make sure that their tents are properly closed," he said.
In July last year, a safari guide survived a leopard attack while viewing wildlife with tourists in Kruger Park.
Just a month earlier, a 22-year-old American tourist died after she was mauled by a lion which leapt through an open car window in a park outside Johannesburg.
Washington: Al-Qaeda has praised Orlando gunman Omar Mateen but criticised him for targeting gays, saying lone wolf jihadists should attack white Americans and avoid minorities so that no one mistakes their terror assaults for hate crimes.
In an article in the latest edition of its online magazine Inspire, Al-Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), called for more "self-directed" Muslim terrorists to kill in America.
In the article, titled 'Inspire guide: Orlando operation', the terror group tells terrorists to "avoid targeting places and crowds where minorities are generally found" because if gays or Latinos appear to be the targets, "the federal government will be the one taking full responsibility."
The online magazine, praises the Orlando attack but instructs terrorists to target "Anglo-Saxons", Fox News reported.
In the June 12 attack in Orlando, Omar Mateen massacred 49 people and injured 53 inside a gay nightclub in Orlando. Although Mateen, who was later killed by police, told hostage negotiators he pledged allegiance to ISIS, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has characterised the attack as a hate crime against gays.
"I cannot tell you definitively that we will ever narrow it down to one motivation," Lynch told reporters last week.
"People often act out of more than one motivation. This was clearly an act of terror and an act of hate," she had said.
Although Al-Qaeda does not take credit for Mateen's attack in the online article, it urges more "lone wolves" to take up arms. Jihadists should target "areas where the Anglo-Saxon community is generally concentrated," it states.
"This class of the American community is the majority and it is the one that is in the American leadership," it says.
Al Qaeda is "very carefully threading a needle" by endorsing the attack while criticising Mateen's target selection, said Ryan Mauro, national security analyst for Clarion Project, a Washington-based nonprofit that tracks the international terror threat.
"This is Al Qaeda's way of asserting itself above ISIS in the wake of its competitor's success," Mauro was quoted as saying.
Inspire magazine often exploits terror attacks in the West and makes threats against Europe and the United States. While the terror group responsible for 9/11 has been overshadowed by rival ISIS in recent years, it praised Mateen for his monstrous act.
Washington: India's entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) "substantially bolsters" its effectiveness and would strengthen global non-proliferation efforts, the US has said, citing the country's "excellent" export control credentials.
"India demonstrated to all MTCR partners a sustained commitment to non-proliferation, and has a legally-based, effective export control system that puts into effect the MTCR guidelines and procedures, and administers and enforces such controls effectively," State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said on Monday after India became a full member of MTCR.
"All 34 current members, including the United States, agreed India met the standard, and that India's membership would strengthen international nonproliferation," Trudeau told reporters at her daily news conference.
In a separate statement issued by the State Department, the US welcomed India's accession as the newest MTCR member.
"India possesses substantial missile-relevant technology and has excellent non-proliferation and export control credentials. Its accession bolsters substantially the regime's effectiveness and objectives," the state department said.
"India is a valued non-proliferation partner. We look forward to working with India in the MTCR in support of our shared non-proliferation goals," it said.
The MTCR is an informal and voluntary association of countries that seeks to reduce the global missile proliferation threat, primarily by controlling exports of rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and related equipment and technology.
Mexico City: Lawyers for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have filed two appeals against his extradition to the United States.
Lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez says the appeals argue the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of in the United States.
Rodriguez says the defence also argues that the accusations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.
Rodriguez said Tuesday the appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City. Rodriguez predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve the appeals.
In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.
Washington: Another 165 pages of emails from Hillary Clintons time at the State Department surfaced Monday, including nearly three dozen that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee failed to hand over last year that were sent through her private server.
The latest emails were released under court order by the State Department to the conservative legal advocacy group Judicial Watch. The batch includes 34 new emails Clinton exchanged through her private account with her deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin. The aide, who also had a private email account on Clintons home server, later gave her copies to the government.
The emails were not among the 55,000 pages of work-related messages that Clinton turned over to the agency in response to public records lawsuits seeking copies of her official correspondence. They include a March 22, 2009, message where the then-secretary of state discusses how her official records would be kept.
I have just realized I have no idea how my papers are treated at State, Clinton wrote to Abedin and a second aide. Who manages both my personal and official files? I think we need to get on this asap to be sure we know and design the system we want.
In a blistering audit released last month, the State Departments inspector general that concluded Clinton and her team ignored clear internal guidance that her email setup violated federal records-keeping standards and could have left sensitive material vulnerable to hackers.
The audit also cited a then-unreleased copy of a November 2010 email Clinton sent Abedin in which the secretary discussed using a government email account, expressing concern that she didnt want any risk of the personal being accessible.
Clinton never used a government account that was set up for her, instead continuing to rely on her private server until leaving office in 2013. Though Clintons work-related emails were government records, she didnt turn over copies until more than 30 lawsuits were filed, including one by The Associated Press.
Before providing her correspondence, Clinton and her lawyers withheld and subsequently deleted tens of thousands of messages that she claimed were personal, such as emails about her daughters wedding plans, family vacations, yoga routines and condolence notes.
With the new release Monday, more than 50 work-related emails sent or received by Clinton have since surfaced that were not among those she provided.
Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon did not immediately respond Monday to a message seeking comment. Last week, Fallon told AP that Clinton had provided all potentially work-related emails that were still in her possession when she received the 2014 request from the State Department.
Secretary Clinton had some emails with Huma that Huma did not have, and Huma had some emails with Secretary Clinton that Secretary Clinton did not have, Fallon said.
Fallon declined to say whether Clinton deleted any work-related emails before they were reviewed by her legal team.
Dozens of the emails sent or received by Clinton through her private server were later determined to contain classified material. The FBI has been investigating for months whether Clintons use of the private email server imperiled government secrets. Agents recently interviewed several of Clintons top aides, including Abedin.
As part of the probe, Clinton turned over the hard drive from her email server to the FBI. It had been wiped clean, and Clinton has said she did not keep copies of the emails she choose to withhold.
The accused was arrested after the locals filed a police complaint against him. (Photo: YouTube Video Grab)
Asuncion, Paraguay: A three-year-old toddler has been admitted to the hospital as he suffered serious burns and injuries after his stepfather held him over fire as a punishment for wetting his bed.
The abuse came to light after a video footage appeared online, in which the naked toddler can be seen screaming in pain as his father holds him above the flames. The incident is said to have been taken place in Limpio city in the central department of Paraguay.
Shot by a neighbour, the video shows a man dangling a naked child over fire. After some time, the man lowers the child as he cries in pain.
The child suffered first-degree burns to his bottoms as well as genitals and was rushed to the Children's Paediatric Hospital of Acosta Nu. The accused was arrested after the locals filed a police complaint against him.
Washington: Republican lawmakers on Tuesday released a long-awaited report on the deadly assault on the US mission in Benghazi, accusing then secretary of state Hillary Clinton of underestimating then misrepresenting the extremist threat. It blamed politically motivated bureaucratic delays for failing to prevent or stop the deadly attacks that claimed four American lives. Besides this fact, there are no other major bombshells in the report which could threaten Clintons race to the White House.
But the report, without placing direct blame, says the Obama administration was slow to react to the situation. The report said Clinton, the then secretary of state when Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed on September 11, 2012, was planning to visit Libya later that year, which pressured diplomats to stay at the poorly guarded, temporary outpost despite deteriorating security in the region, USA Today reported.
The Republicans said despite President Obama and Secretary of Defense Leon Panettas clear orders to deploy military assets, nothing was sent to Benghazi, and nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost 8 hours after the attacks began.
Clintons Democratic supporters on the Congressional panel probing the attack and its political aftermath denounced their colleagues response, and the State Department said it provides few new facts about the September 2012 tragedy. But there is some material in the report that will feed the narrative of those who believe the US administration was too slow to react to mounting danger in Libya and quick to blame unconnected protests about a US-made video.
Beijing: Defending China's opposition to India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as "morally legitimate", a state-run daily today hit out at India saying the West has "spoiled" the country making it a "bit smug" in international affairs.
In a hard hitting editorial, Global Times said it was rules not China that prevented India's entry into the 48-nation elite nuclear trading body.
Read: China stonewalls India bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group
It said at least 10 countries, including China, have opposed the accession of non-signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) into the NSG.
"India is not a signatory to the NPT, but is the most active applicant to join the NSG. Before the Seoul meeting, the Indian media played up the prospects of its bid. Some even claim that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 have given it a green light, except China," said the editorial titled 'Delhi's NSG bid upset by rules, not Beijing'.
"...India wants to be the first exception to join the NSG without signing the NPT. It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defence of principles," said the tabloid, part of the ruling Communist Party of China's publications.
The daily known for its nationalistic postures said India is emerging as the "golden boy" of the West.
"Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled. Although the South Asian country's GDP accounts for only 20 per cent of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international 'adulation' of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs," it said.
Read: 'Many countries' aired views on non-NPT states' NSG bid: China
Criticising Indian media and public reaction on India's failed NSG bid, it, however, said the Indian government has behaved "decently".
"Some Indians are too self-centered and self-righteous. On the contrary, the Indian government behaves decently and is willing to communicate. Throwing a tantrum won't be an option for New Delhi," it said.
"India's nationalists should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games," the daily said.
Taking exception to the US' support to India for NSG entry, the editorial said, "US backing adds the biggest impetus to India's ambition. By cosying up to India, Washington's India policy actually serves the purpose of containing China."
"The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India," it said.
In this image taken from the Parliamentary Recording Unit Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, addresses the House of Commons in London. (Photo: AP)
London: UK's outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday hailed "important partner" India in his first Parliament statement since the country voted for leaving the EU and said Britain must not turn its back on Europe or the rest of the world.
In his official statement on the 'Outcome of the EU Referendum' in the House of Commons, Mr Cameron laid out the future course to be undertaken under a new Prime Minister after Brexit last week.
Mr Cameron said he will go to Brussels for a summit on Tuesday but will not invoke Article 50 immediately.
"The nature of the relationship we secure with the EU will be determined by the next government but I think everyone is agreed that we all want the strongest possible economic link with our European neighbours as well as with our close friends in North America, the Commonwealth and important partners like India and China," Mr Cameron, 49, said, to cheers from MPs.
"Britain is leaving the EU but we must not turn our backs on Europe or the rest of the world," he said, adding, "We have to determine the kind of relationship we want with the EU".
Mr Cameron said the result of the referendum is not the one he wanted, but he and the cabinet have agreed it must be respected.
He said hate crimes and attacks on foreigners must be stamped out.
"These people have come here and made a wonderful contribution," he said.
There will be no immediate changes to people's rights, Mr Cameron said, adding the withdrawal negotiations will start under a new prime minister.
Earlier his Conservative party said Mr Cameron's successor will be in place by September 2.
Mr Cameron said Britain's economy is well placed to face the challenges ahead.
He said a new civil service unit has been set up to prepare for the withdrawal negotiations.
"It will be staffed by the brightest and best from Westminster. It will prepare options for the new prime minister," he said.
Government has vowed no let-up in a relentless campaign to wipe the militants from urban centres of Kurdish-dominated southeastern Turkey. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)
Istanbul: Eight people were injured on Tuesday in a car bombing in southeast Turkey blamed on outlawed Kurdish rebels, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Two policemen and six civilians were wounded in the attack, which targeted a police vehicle in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakir. Anadolu said the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was to blame for the attack, which damaged buildings in Dicle district.
Hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in PKK attacks since a truce between the government and the militants collapsed a year ago. But the government has vowed no let-up in a relentless campaign to wipe the militants from urban centres of Kurdish-dominated southeastern Turkey.
Regarded as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK took up arms in 1984 demanding an independent state for Kurds in a conflict that has left more than 40,000 people dead. Since then the group has narrowed its demands to greater autonomy and cultural rights.
Putin will talk to Erdogan by telephone on Wednesday, which will be their first one-to-one chat since the jet was shot down. (Photo: AFP)
Moscow: The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday it will take time to mend ties with Turkey after the November downing of a Russian military jet.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter of formal apology to Putin on Monday, seven months after Turkey shot down the Russian jet on a mission in Syria, triggering a slew of Russian sanctions that have dealt a severe blow to the Turkish economy.
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday called the apology "a very important" step but added that the ties between the two countries would not go back to where they were overnight.
"Together we will have to take more than one step to meet each other," Peskov said. "One shouldn't think that everything will be mended overnight. We will keep up our work in that direction."
Putin will talk to Erdogan by telephone on Wednesday, which will be their first one-to-one chat since the jet was shot down, Peskov said.
Putin denounced the downing of the Russian warplane at the Syrian border on Nov. 24 as a "treacherous stab in the back." Russia rejected the Turkish claim that the plane had violated its airspace, and responded by deploying long-range air defense missiles to its base in Syria, warning that they would destroy any target posing a threat to Russian aircraft.
The plane's downing came amid a rift between Moscow and Ankara over Syria, where they backed the opposing sides in the conflict.
Moscow moved swiftly to ban the sales of package tours to Turkey, which had depended heavily on the Russian tourist flow; banned most of Turkey's food exports; and introduced restrictions against Turkish construction companies, which had won a sizable niche of the Russian market.
In contrast to Peskov Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday that the ties are already getting better: "We can say that the ice has melted and that the process of normalization has started."
Along with the formal apology Moscow said it expected Ankara to pay compensation to the family of the killed pilot.
Asked about the possible compensation, Yildirim said in comments carried by the Anadolu news agency on Tuesday that "there is no such thing. We only expressed our regrets, we shared their grief." He added that Turkey will go ahead with the prosecution of the men responsible for the pilot's death.
Moscow: Russia's defence ministry on Tuesday accused an American destroyer of coming dangerously close to a Russian frigate in the Mediterranean Sea, calling the incident a "gross violation" of international agreements.
"On June 17, in the east of the Mediterranean Sea, the American destroyer USS Gravely came dangerously close to a Russian warship, 60 to 70 metres from the left side, and crossed the path of frigate Yaroslav Mudry at the dangerous distance of 180 metres from the bow," the ministry said in a statement.
At the time of the incident, the Russian frigate was in international waters and was not "conducting dangerous manoeuvres" in respect to the American destroyer, the statement said.
The ministry added that the crew abroad the USS Gravely had committed a "gross violation of international rules on the prevention of collisions at sea" and violated a maritime agreement signed in 1972 by US and then Soviet authorities.
The Pentagon has reported a number of recent cases of Russian jets buzzing US planes and ships in the Baltic Sea in recent months with tensions between the two side at their highest point since the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis.
In April, the US Navy released video footage of Russian aircraft flying very close to the USS Donald Cook, including in a "simulated attack profile."
Russia's defence ministry on Wednesday used the alleged incident in the Mediterranean Sea to hit back at the US. The Pentagon "has recently accused with great perseverance Russian pilots and marines of lacking professionalism," it said.
"But this incident shows that US marines allow themselves to forget basic rules of maritime safety."
Relations between Russia and the West have nosedived over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Kremlin insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Brussels: Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, was jeered and booed by the European Parliament after he told MEPs they were in denial about Brexit and that they had never had a proper job before. In his speech at the Brussels chamber Mr Farage declared that Brexit was a beacon of hope to other member states. Farage told the European Parliament that he had had the last laugh after Britain defied their warnings and voted to quit the EU.
Isnt it funny. When I came here 17 years ago and I said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the EU, you all laughed at me but you are not laughing now, Farage told MEPs. You have imposed on them a political union and when the people in 2005 in the Netherlands and in France voted against you, you simply ignored them and brought the Lisbon Treaty in by the back door! he told MEPs in an emergency debate on Britains Brexit vote.
Farage would not be denied his moment, saying Thursdays vote was seismic with far-reaching implications beyond Britains immediate future. The United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union!, he said.
Brussels: The European Parliament on Tuesday urged Britain to trigger the divorce process from the European Union as soon as possible after the shock referendum vote by British voters to leave the bloc. In an emergency session of the EU on Tuesday the Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker demanded that Britain clarify its future. I want the UK to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9 am, but soon, he told MEPs in Brussels.
The will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an activation of Article 50 as soon as possible, said a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session, by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstentions. The angry members of the European Parliament pressed Britain to end the uncertainty that has gripped the world markets after last weeks Brexit vote. They said if it intends to leave the bloc it should start the process immediately
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday said he wants the closest possible relations with the EU after Britain voted to leave the bloc, adding the split should be as constructive as possible. As he arrived at a Brussels summit, Cameron, who is to step down within weeks, told reporters that, while Britain was leaving the EU, we mustn't be turning our backs on Europe.
Internally displaced civilians from Fallujah, who fled their homes during fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State group, receive humanitarian aids at a camp in Amariyat Fallujah, Iraq. (Photo: AP)
Amriyat Al-Fallujah, Iraq: When her five-year-old son asked her to kill him because he was too hungry, Umm Issam knew she would never come back to Fallujah if she was able to leave.
Iraqi forces on Sunday wrapped up operations in Fallujah and declared the area free of jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group after a month-long operation.
The government said the destruction caused by the fighting was limited and vowed to do its utmost to allow the tens of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.
After more than two years under the tyrannic rule of IS and months of a siege that starved the population, Umm Issa, 42, said she thought she could never be happy in Fallujah again.
"My son asked me to kill him because he was so hungry he couldn't take it anymore... By God that's what he said. He's five," she said, shaking her head.
Months earlier, she had a miscarriage in Fallujah hospital when an air strike hit a nearby building and caused panic.
"I was so scared, it was chaos, I miscarried. I was expecting twins. I lost my twins... I had gone to hospital because I had no food," she said, holding one of her nine other children.
Behind her, in one of the ever-expanding displacement camps in Amriyat al-Fallujah, the Norwegian Refugee Council was conducting a delivery of basic goods for new arrivals.
The basic package, meant for a family housed in a single tent, consisted of six mattresses, a cooking kit, a camping lamp, a sheet of tarpaulin, an empty water container and brown tape.
"It's hot and dusty here, there isn't enough water or food, but we can survive," said Umm Issa.
"I don't want to go back. It has been through so much -- the Americans, Al-Qaeda, Daesh (IS), starvation... And I don't know what's next but this city is cursed, I'm not going back."
Her husband has been detained for screening since they reached the camp on June 16.
'I won't go back'
While military operations in the area are all but over, the humanitarian crisis is peaking and the number of displaced is continuing to grow.
Temperatures topping 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) combined with a lack of basic goods and even shelter for some of the displaced families have prompted aid groups to warn of an impending disaster.
Kefieh Saleh has been in the same camp 10 days and her family still does not have a tent to sleep under.
"My husband, as we speak, is working for the camp to help set up tents but we don't have one of our own. Can you imagine?," she said.
She and her children share the grounds of the camp's prefab mosque and have been sleeping outside, sitting on a dirty black blanket with their backs propped up against the wall.
"Our area is not safe, and I don't believe it'll get better," said the woman, from the Saqlawiya area northwest of Fallujah.
In his victory speech from central Fallujah Sunday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said a demining effort was needed before civilians could return.
"God willing, we will bring them back to their areas after we guarantee that the houses are safe and not booby-trapped," he said.
Sectarian dynamics are also an obstacle to the return of displaced residents filling overwhelmed camps around Fallujah.
"Many of the men have disappeared, some of our neighbours were slaughtered by the Hashed al-Shaabi," she said.
She was referring to a paramilitary umbrella dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militia that have been accused of being driven by the desire for revenge against Fallujah's Sunni population.
Witnesses, local officials and rights groups have reported sectarian-tainted abuses by Hashed forces that were in charge of clearing Fallujah's outlying areas in the early stages of the operation.
"I'm not sure what happened to our house yet but in any case it's like living in a military area out there, I'm afraid of what can happen," she said.
"In God's name I won't go back, I'll look for another place that's safe. Maybe Arbil or Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan."
Jerusalem: Israeli police on Tuesday banned non-Muslims from a contentious Jerusalem holy site until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following two days of clashes with Palestinian rioters at the site.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said rocks and other objects were hurled toward police forces and Jewish worshippers in a nearby plaza. A 73-year-old woman was lightly wounded and police arrested 16 suspects in the disturbances that have been going on for three days, Rosenfeld said.
As a result, police decided to close access to Jewish worshippers and other visitors for the remainder of the week to prevent tensions with Muslim worshippers until Ramadan is over.
Since Sunday, Palestinians had holed up in the Al-Aqsa Mosque atop the mount and attacked officers with fireworks and other objects they had stockpiled inside.
The mosque is part of a compound sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, where they believe the Prophet Muhammad embarked on a night journey to heaven, while Jews refer to it the Temple Mount, where the two Jewish temples stood in biblical times.
Violence had erupted at the site in mid-September before spreading elsewhere. Since then Palestinians have carried out dozens of attacks, including stabbings, shootings and car ramming assaults, killing 32 Israelis and two visiting Americans. About 200 Palestinians have been killed during that time, most identified by Israel as attackers.
The unrest has led to renewed calls for peace talks, which last broke down more than two years ago.
Also Tuesday, visiting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that while he understood Israel's security concerns, any measures it took would not "solve the underlying causes of the cycles of violence" that have plagued the region.
"I encourage you to take the courageous steps necessary to prevent a one-state reality of perpetual conflict that is incompatible with realizing the national aspirations of Israeli and Palestinian people," Ban said, speaking in Jerusalem alongside Netanyahu.
Netanyahu asked Ban to use his final six months in office to rectify what he called the United Nations' unfair treatment of Israel. He singled out the U.N. Human Rights Council, which he said always condemns Israel, the "country that does more to promote and protect human rights and liberal values than any other in the blood-soaked Middle East."
"Our progressive democracy has faced more country specific resolutions more country specific condemnation at the UN Human Rights Council than all the other countries combined," Netanyahu said. "And I believe that this is a profound betrayal of the United Nation's noble mandate."
In the flashpoint city of Taez, 11 civilians and a soldier were killed when rebels bombed a residential area, a military official said. (Photo: AP)
Aden: Intensified fighting and air strikes over the past 24 hours in Yemen have left 80 people dead, including 37 civilians, as lengthy peace talks in Kuwait made no headway, officials said.
In the largest toll, warplanes from the pro-government Saudi-led coalition killed 34 people, including 19 civilians when they targeted Shiite rebels in the southwestern region of Taez, a Yemeni military official said.
The pre-dawn air strike hit a lorry transporting weapons for the Huthi rebels as it crossed a busy road, a provincial official said, adding that four women were among the dead, as well as 15 rebels.
In the flashpoint city of Taez, 11 civilians and a soldier were killed when rebels bombed a residential area, a military official said.
Meanwhile, 12 rebels and three loyalist soldiers were killed in clashes in Nahm, northeast of Sanaa, while six other rebels were killed in fighting in Marib, east of the capital, the official said.
In the same province, a coalition warplane hit a vehicle carrying pro-government forces "by mistake", killing four soldiers and wounding four others, another military official said.
In the south, at least seven civilians including two children were killed in air strikes "probably by drones" on jihadists which mistakenly hit a nearby house in Mahfed, between the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa in Yemen's south, a local official told AFP.
The Huthis overran the capital in late 2014 before moving into other parts of Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March last year.
The United Nations says more than 6,400 people have been killed in Yemen since then, mostly civilians. The fighting has also driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 percent of the population in need of humanitarian aid.
Official said the attackers blew themselves up before entering the x-ray security check (Photo : AP)
Istanbul: Three suicide bombers opened fire then blew themselves up in Istanbul's main international airport on Wednesday, killing 41people and wounding close to 239 in what Turkey's prime minister said appeared to have been an attack by Islamic State militants.
The officials added that of the 41 dead, 23 were Turkish citizens, and 13 were foreign nationals.
One attacker opened fire in the departures hall with an automatic rifle, sending passengers diving for cover and trying to flee, before all three blew themselves up in or around the arrivals hall a floor below, witnesses and officials said.
Turkey also declared Wednesday a day of national mourning over the terrorist attack, and ordered flags at half-staff.
Read: No Indian casualties in Istanbul attack, confirms MEA
The attack on Europe's third-busiest airport was one of the deadliest in a series of suicide bombings in Turkey, which is part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State and is struggling to contain the spillover from neighbouring Syria's civil war. It is also battling an insurgency by Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.
Police fired shots to try to stop two of the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall, but they detonated their explosives, a Turkish official said.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said: "This attack, targeting innocent people is a vile, planned terrorist act."
"There is initial evidence that each of the three suicide bombers blew themselves up after opening fire," he told reporters at the airport. Yildirim said the attackers had come to the airport by taxi and that preliminary findings pointed to Islamic State responsibility.
Read: World leaders react to Istanbul terror attack
Two U.S. counterterrorism officials familiar with the early stages of investigations said Islamic State was at the top of the list of suspects even though there was no evidence yet.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the use of suicide bombers against "soft" targets was more typical of Islamic State than the other obvious suspect, Kurdish PKK militants who generally attack official government targets.
One of the officials also said that, while Islamic State had recently stepped up attacks in Turkey, the group rarely claims responsibility because Turkey remains one of the main corridors for its fighters travelling from Europe to Syria and Iraq.
No group had claimed responsibility more than nine hours after the attack, which started around 9:50 pm local time (1850 GMT).
The attack bore similarities to a suicide bombing by Islamic State militants at Brussels airport in March that killed 16 people. A coordinated attack also targeted a rush-hour metro train, killing a further 16 people in the Belgian capital.
"The roof came down"
Most of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead, a Turkish official said.
Ali Tekin, who was at the arrivals hall waiting for a guest, said the roof came down after an "extremely loud" explosion. "Inside the airport it is terrible, you can't recognise it, the damage is big," Tekin said.
Passengers wait outside Istanbul's Ataturk airport, early Wednesday following their evacuation after a blast. (Photo: AP)
A woman named Duygu, who was at passport control after arriving from Germany, said she threw herself to the floor after the explosion. "Everyone started running away. Everywhere was covered with blood and body parts. I saw bullet holes on the doors," she said.
Paul Roos, 77, said he saw one of the attackers "randomly shooting" in the departures hall from about 50 metres (55 yards) away. "He was wearing all black. His face was not masked," said Roos, a South African on his way home after a holiday in southern Turkey.
"We ducked behind a counter but I stood up and watched him. Two explosions went off shortly after one another. By that time he had stopped shooting," Roos told Reuters.
"He turned around and started coming towards us. He was holding his gun inside his jacket. He looked around anxiously to see if anyone was going to stop him and then went down the escalator ... We heard some more gunfire and then another explosion, and then it was over."
Read: Turkish PM says first signs in Istanbul attack point to ISIS
President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.
"The attack, which took place during the holy month of Ramadan, shows that terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values," he said in a statement.
The United States said it stood in solidarity with Turkey, its NATO ally, and that such attacks would only reinforce their joint determination. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to intensify global efforts to combat extremism.
Flights resume
Ataturk is Turkey's largest airport and a major transport hub for travellers from around the world. A helicopter buzzed overhead as police evacuated the building. Dozens of passengers walked back down access roads with their luggage, trying to hail cabs. The U.S. embassy urged U.S citizens to avoid the area.
Authorities initially halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and some flights to the airport were diverted. Yildirim said later air traffic had resumed.
Passengers embrace each other at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, early Wednesday following their evacuation after a blast. (Photo: AP)
Turkish Airlines said it had suspended its flights until 8 am (0500 GMT) on Wednesday and that any bookings on flights to or from Ataturk airport could be changed or refunded without cost for the next week.
Read: Attacker 'randomly opened fire' before Istanbul airport blasts: witness
In the United States, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reacted to the explosions by putting armed, high-visibility patrols at the three main airports in the New York metropolitan region. The U.S. Federal Aviation authority also lifted an earlier order grounding U.S. flights to Ataturk.
Turkey has suffered a spate of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
A passenger sleeps on the pavement outside Istanbul's Ataturk airport, early Wednesday, following an evacuation after a blast. (Photo: PTI)
In the most recent attack, a car bomb ripped through a police bus in central Istanbul during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36 near the main tourist district, a major university and the mayor's office.
One person was killed on December 23, 2015, when an explosion hit Istanbul's second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, located on the Asian side of the city. That attack was claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
The ancient custom of bacha bazi, one of the country's worst human rights violations, sees young boys -- sometimes dressed as women -- recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship and to bear arms. (Representational Image)
Kabul: Afghanistan's president has ordered a "thorough investigation" into institutionalised sexual abuse of children by police, after AFP revealed the Taliban are using child sex slaves to launch deadly insider attacks.
There has been international condemnation of paedophilic "bacha bazi" -- literally "boy play" -- which AFP found has been exploited by the Taliban to mount a series of Trojan Horse attacks over two years that have killed hundreds of policemen in the remote southern province of Uruzgan.
"The president has ordered a thorough investigation (in Uruzgan) and immediate action based on findings of the investigation," the presidential palace said of Ashraf Ghani in a statement.
"Anyone, regardless of rank within the forces, found guilty will be prosecuted and punished in accordance and in full compliance of the Afghan laws and our international obligations," the English language statement said.
The ancient custom of bacha bazi, one of the country's worst human rights violations, sees young boys -- sometimes dressed as women -- recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship and to bear arms.
It is deeply entrenched in Uruzgan, where police commanders, judges, government officials and survivors of such attacks said that the Taliban are recruiting bacha bazi victims to attack their abusers.
The claims -- strongly denied by the Taliban -- expose child abuse by both parties in Afghanistan's worsening conflict.
The presidential statement said there was "no place" in the Afghan establishment for abusers, adding it will do "whatever it takes" to punish them.
'Horrific'
The announcement follows a flurry of international reaction to AFP's report.
"We strongly condemn any abuses of the horrific nature described in the article," the US embassy in Kabul said.
"We urge the Afghan government... to protect and support victims and their families, while also strongly encouraging justice and accountability under Afghan law for offenders."
In a letter last week to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Congressman Duncan Hunter demanded a proactive American role to end bacha bazi in Afghan forces.
"I remain concerned... that the Taliban is increasing its use of children to access security positions and mount insider attacks against... Afghan police," Hunter said in the letter seen by AFP.
"It is my belief that we can begin taking immediate steps to stop child rape from occurring in the presence of US forces and reduce any risk of coinciding insider attacks. This includes imposing a zero-tolerance policy."
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said bacha bazi is of "high concern" for the international community.
"UNAMA continues to receive anecdotal reports of bachi bazi, including within Afghan security forces, and continues its engagement with government to ensure the criminalisation and prevention of all forms of exploitation and abuse of children," Mark Bowden, the UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan, said.
The Afghan government announcement, which did not specify a timeframe for the investigation, comes ahead of two crucial donor conferences on Afghanistan in Warsaw and Brussels this year.
The war-battered country remains heavily dependent on international financial and military assistance, which helps sustain security forces -- including police.
'Morally reprehensible'
Any perception of apathy about bacha bazi risks jeopardising that assistance, said Michael Kugelman, an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
"No donor in good conscience can justify funding police forces that engage in such reprehensible practices," Kugelman said.
"There's already much talk of donor fatigue, but as donors hear more about bacha bazi, there's bound to be donor fear as well - fear of bankrolling institutions that do morally reprehensible things."
The Afghan interior ministry has said it is committed to institutional reforms, while acknowledging that bacha bazi within police ranks is a "serious crime".
The government last year launched a probe into sexual abuse and the illegal recruitment of child conscripts around Afghanistan.
But the country has yet to pass legislation criminalising bacha bazi and no initiatives have been publicly announced to rescue any children enslaved by police.
"The absence of any initiatives to release and recover children from their abusers is a serious failure on the part of Afghan authorities," Charu Lata Hogg, an associate fellow at London-based Chatham House think tank, told AFP, adding that donors must pressure Kabul for change.
"Abuse of children cannot be passed off as cultural practice."
Italian national Ceasre Tavella was shot thrice from a close proximity in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic zone while he was jogging, police said. (Photo: AP)
Dhaka: Bangladesh police have charged seven persons including a senior leader of the main opposition BNP for their alleged involvement in the murder of an Italian aid worker last year, an official said on Tuesday.
The chargesheet was submitted to a Dhaka magistrate court on Monday against seven persons including former Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ward commissioner MA Kayum in the murder of Italian national Ceasre Tavella, Dhaka metro police Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman said.
Rahman said that except two, all the accused including Kayum are in police custody, bdnews24 reported. Four suspects were arrested in October and all of them had confessed to the killing. The fifth suspect, Kayum's brother Matin, was arrested in November.
Tavella, 50, was shot dead in a high security diplomatic area in Dhaka on September 28, the first attack in Bangladesh claimed by the dreaded Islamic State terror group that had prompted many embassies of Western countries to restrict the movements of their diplomats.
Tavella, who was working for the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation as manager of its Profitable Opportunities for Food Security project, was shot thrice from a close proximity in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic zone while he was jogging, police said.
In a statement issued in Arabic, the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) claimed that it killed Tavella, SITE Intelligence Group said. In its claim, ISIS had warned that citizens of the crusader coalition would not be safe in Muslim nations.
Karachi: Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday expressed unhappiness over performance of his party-led government in Sindh as he dodged questions about security measures in the province.
Bilawal, who visited the home of slain qawwal Amjad Sabri in the densely-populated area in the city under strong and elaborate security arrangements, stayed with Sabri's family for about 30 minutes.
When a reporter asked: "What is Sindh government doing after Amjad Sabri's killing and abduction of Sindh Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah's son Owais Shah?"
Bilawal asked Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal to respond to the question.
"Jawab dou Sindh government Jawab dou (give answer Sindh government, give answer)," the PPP chairman said. Later, senior PPP minister Nisar Khuro hold a press conference in which he stressed that the chairman was not unhappy with the performance of the Sindh government.
The PPP-led government's performance has come under the scanner after the two high-profile incidents in the city. Sabri was shot dead while driving in his car in the citys Liaqatabad area, while Awais Shah was abducted outside a supermarket in the city.
Karachi, a teeming metropolis of more than 20 million people, has long been plagued by political, ethnic and religious violence, although crime has dropped sharply since the launch of a paramilitary operation in September 2013.
Kathmandu: Indo-Nepal relations are back on track after bilateral ties were strained following the promulgation of a new Constitution that sparked violent protests by Madhesis, foreign policy experts said on Tuesday.
Nepal and India both should maintain smooth and cordial relations as there are no other options available for both the neighbours, said Rajan Bhattarai, foreign policy expert and CPN-UML lawmaker.
"We must establish a good and working relations with India for ensuring smooth supply of essential goods as well for moving towards economic prosperity," Bhattarai said talking to reporters at an interaction programme here.
Bhattarai is also one of the members of the Nepal-India Eminent Persons Group (EPG) from the Nepalese side. The first meeting of the EPG is scheduled to take place on July 4-5 in Kathmandu.
There are four members from each side in the group. The meeting will review the entire gamut of Nepal-India relations, discuss ways to improve relations and also find out ways to expedite the works of various bilateral mechanisms formed between the two countries.
"Nepalese people had suffered a lot due to the economic blockade and the devastating earthquake last year and now I think that the relations have returned to the normal and it has also started showing improvements in the new context," Bhattarai said.
"The regular meetings of various bilateral mechanisms are taking place and the gap in the relations have been narrowing down," he added.
Officials of both the countries are working on preparing ground for exchange of high level visits between the two countries, he pointed out.
India's ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae recently said that exchange of visits by presidents of the two countries are on the card, though dates are not yet fixed.
Former Nepalese ambassador to India Dip Kumar Upadhyaya said that China cannot be an alternative to India for Nepal, so far as the supply of essentials commodities and economic cooperation are concerned.
Nepal turned to China for the supply of essentials as an immediate relief during the border obstructions, but China cannot solve our problem in the long run, he said.
Upadhyaya said the officials in New Delhi need not to panic and think that Nepal might turn to China for help, which is just impossible.
"We cannot change history and change our neighbour, he pointed out. We must establish good relations with India for the supply of essentials as well as attaining economic prosperity," Upadhyaya said.
India has accorded high importance to her relations with Nepal, said Upadhyaya, recalling his experience as the Nepalese ambassador to India.
"We should not complicate our relations with India by talking irresponsible things and Indian authorities should also trust their norther neighbour," he said, underlining the need to move forward by maintaining a balanced relations between the two neighbours.
He also praised India for providing immediate help to Nepal during the earthquake and providing huge support for Nepal's reconstruction efforts.
"There was a breakthrough in the relations between the two countries after the visits paid by Prime minister Narendra Modi to Nepal, though unfortunately we had to face blockade for some time due to the misunderstandings surfaced in both sides of the bilateral relations," he said.
Over 50 people lost their lives during months-long agitation by the Madhesis which also saw blockade of Nepal's all trading points with India, resulting in huge shortage of essential commodities and souring Indo-Nepal ties.
The major demands of Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.
Since the start of Ramazan, Oad is not allowed to sit at the same dining table at the time of Iftar. (Photo: Representational Image)
Karachi: A Hindu reporter in Pakistan's state-run news agency here was forced to drink water from a separate glass and barred from sharing utensils with other Muslim staff at his workplace after his colleagues found out his caste.
Sahib Khan Oad, a senior reporter with Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), has been barred from drinking water in the same glass and sharing utensils with other Muslim staff at the office, the Express Tribune reported.
Oad, who hails from Dadu district, was initially appointed as a reporter in APP Islamabad and was transferred to Hyderabad and then Karachi in April this year.
The discriminatory attitude started soon after Oad's younger son Raj Kumar visited his office and everyone found out that he was Hindu.
"Actually my name contains the word 'Khan' so everyone in the office initially thought I was Muslim," the paper quoted him as saying.
"The bureau chief asked me to separate my drinking water glass in the office because some colleagues had reservations," he claimed.
Since the start of Ramazan, Oad is not allowed to sit at the same dining table at the time of Iftar and senior colleagues have suggested he bring his own plates and glasses if he wants to eat in the office, the paper said.
"I have now bought a separate glass and plate for the office," he said.
APP Karachi bureau chief Parvez Aslam denied making any such request. "He was suffering from flu so we suggested he arrange a separate glass," he said.
Aslam pointed out that he supported Oad when he was transferred from Hyderabad and called the discrimination charges 'total propaganda'.
"You can come to my office and see how he eats Iftar with us," he said.
Meanwhile, APP managing director Masood Malik said that they have started inquiry into the matter. Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), an organisation that works for labour rights, has written a letter to federal information minister Pervaiz Rashid against the discriminatory attitude.
"We are really shocked to know that a bureau chief of a government news agency has pressurised a reporter to drink in a separate glass because he is Hindu," wrote Piler executive director Karmat Ali.
The Delhi government is likely to pull up 15 more hospitals for denying treatment to the poor under the economically weaker section (EWS) category.
The government had recently asked five hospitals to deposit over Rs 600 crore for refusing treatment to the poor even though these hospitals were given land at concessional rates.
The Health Department is now planning to take out a notification against 15 more hospitals.
However, the notification will first be put before the EWS special committee formed by the High Court. The final decision will be reviewed by the special committee. The department is likely to take out a notification against 15 more hospitals which have not fulfilled the quota of providing 10 per cent IPD (indoor patient department) and 25 per cent OPD (outdoor patient department) to poor patients under the EWS category, said Dr Hem Prakash, Additional Director, EWS at Health Department.
Concessional rates
These hospitals were also given lands at concessional rates and are supposed to fulfil this condition. The hospitals were earlier sent notices to tell the department why they were not fulfilling the conditions, said Dr Prakash.
The hospitals will be fined depending on the decision of the committee, said Dr Prakash.
The 15 hospitals include Batra Hospital, Amar Jyoti Hospital, National Heart Institute, Jaipur Golden Hospital, VIMHANS, Jeevan Anmol Hospital, Delhi ENT Hospital, Bimla Devi Hospital, Deepak Memorial Hospital and Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Primus Hospital, Guru Harkishan Hospital, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, said Dr Prakash.
He said the hospitals were making profit by not treating the poor. The hospitals which were sent notices earlier this month are Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Shanti Mukund Hospital, Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.
Hospitals which have been given land at low rates are bound by law to provide treatment to poor patients. However, several of these are not fulfilling even 50 per cent of the total quota for the EWS patients, said Ashok Agarwal, member, EWS monitoring committee.
Turning away the poor is an offence and the hospitals which are not treating the poor should be sent out a strong message, Agarwal added.
India, one of the largest exporters of beef, is unlikely to pose a challenge to the export of American beef due to the poor quality of its buffalo meat and lack of animal health regulations, an official report has said.
"So far, it appears that Indian water buffalo meat exports, although relatively low cost, are mostly non- competitive with US beef exports, primarily due to quality preferences and animal health regulations in the major markets that import US beef," the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report on Indian beef exports.
The report 'From Where the Buffalo Roam: India's Beef Exports', said that Indian exports of buffalo meat do not comply with health standards, including foot and mouth disease-free status, required by most high-income markets served by the US.
Even in markets shared by the two countries, the products are likely to serve different customer segments, it said, adding that about 90 per cent of US beef exports go to markets closed to Indian beef.
"However, India's water buffalo meat exports are competing effectively in developing-country markets with a demand profile that favours India's relatively low-cost product, and where import demand is substantially out pacing that in traditional US markets," the report said.
Although US beef suppliers may be able to compete for "high-end" consumer segments in India's developing-country.
The USDA said the rapid growth in India's exports of water buffalo meat is predicated by three factors.
First by rising demand for relatively low-cost meat by consumers in low- and middle-income developing-country markets.
Second by India's large water buffalo herd, which has been mostly untapped for meat production, and finally the emergence of private sector, export-oriented processors that have been effective in meeting the requirements of their developing-country markets.
Growth in demand for water buffalo meat in India's export markets, largely in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, has been strong relative to that in developed-country markets and is expected to remain so over the next decade, it said. In addition, India may benefit from the opening of important new markets, particularly Russia and China, USDA said.
According to the report, despite India's large and underutilised buffalo herd, there appear to be concerns about the sustainability of recent growth in meat exports from a supply perspective. USDA projected a decline in the female buffalo herd by the end of 2015-25 projection period, creating the potential for a trade off between milk and meat production.
The analysis indicates that export growth might be sustained if producers begin to respond to rising export demand by retaining and rearing male calves and/or feeding animals to higher weights, but there is not yet any evidence that this is happening, it observed.
Defending China's opposition to India's entry into the NSG as "morally legitimate", a state- run daily today hit out at India saying the West has "spoiled" the country making it a "bit smug" in international affairs.
In a hard hitting editorial, Global Times said it was rules not China that prevented India's entry into the 48-nation elite nuclear trading body.
It said at least 10 countries, including China, have opposed the accession of non-signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) into the NSG.
"India is not a signatory to the NPT, but is the most active applicant to join the NSG. Before the Seoul meeting, the Indian media played up the prospects of its bid. Some even claim that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 have given it a green light, except China," said the editorial titled 'Delhi's NSG bid upset by rules, not Beijing'.
"...India wants to be the first exception to join the NSG without signing the NPT. It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defence of principles," said the tabloid, part of the ruling Communist Party of China's publications.
The daily known for its nationalistic postures said India is emerging as the "golden boy" of the West.
"Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled. Although the South Asian country's GDP accounts for only 20 per cent of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international 'adulation' of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs," it said.
Criticising Indian media and public reaction on India's failed NSG bid, it, however, said the Indian government has behaved "decently". "Some Indians are too self-centered and self-righteous. On the contrary, the Indian government behaves decently and is willing to communicate. Throwing a tantrum won't be an option for New Delhi," it said.
"India's nationalists should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games," the daily said.
Taking exception to the US' support to India for NSG entry, the editorial said, "US backing adds the biggest impetus to India's ambition. By cosying up to India, Washington's India policy actually serves the purpose of containing China."
"The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India," it said.
It underlined that China's action is based on "international norms, but India's reaction seems to indicate that their national interests can override principles recognised by the world."
On India gaining entry into the the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), it said MTCR has absorbed India as a new member, and denied China's access.
"But the news didn't even make a ripple among the Chinese public. The Chinese have become more mature in dealing with these setbacks caused by international relations," the daily said.
N S Vishwanathan has been appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, replacing H R Khan who will retire next week.
Vishwanathan, currently Executive Director at the central bank, was chosen by a search committee headed by Cabinet Secretary - the first appointment to be done through this panel.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved of Vishwanathan's appointment, an official source said.
A formal order of his appointment will be issued soon, he said. When contacted, Vishwanathan said he has not got any formal appointment letter yet and has only heard of the news through media.
He will replace Harun R Khan, who will superannuate on July 7 on turning 62. All appointments of Deputy Governors to RBI were previously done by a panel headed by RBI Governor. But for the first time, a Deputy Governor's appointment has been made through recommendations of the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha. This panel included RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Rajan had headed the panel as early as this January that gave 3-year extension to Urjit Patel.
Khan, who is in-charge of the financial markets, internal debt management departments, foreign management among others at the central bank, was appointed as a deputy governor in July 2011 and reappointed in 2014 for two more years.
The central bank has four deputy governors - two from within the ranks (the other being R Gandhi) and one commercial banker (S S Mundra) and an economist to head the monetary policy department (Urjit Patel).
Prior to his being appointed as Executive Director in April 2014, Vishwanathan was Principal Chief General Manager in the Department of non-banking supervision at Reserve Bank of India.
He has also served as Chief General Manager of Vigilance at IFCI Ltd, Delhi-based government owned finance company. Executive directors, 11 in all, are the third rung in the RBI hierarchy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that the EU could survive a Brexit and warned Britain the union would not tolerate "cherry-picking' in upcoming negotiations on their future relations.
"The EU is strong enough to withstand Britain's withdrawal," she told parliament ahead of a crisis summit of the 28 member states in Brussels. "It is also strong enough to successfully defend its interests in the world in future."
Expressing strong confidence in the union as it confronts the first defection since its founding, Merkel said the EU would continue to be a guarantor of "peace, prosperity and stability" in Europe.
She again expressed her regret that Britain had voted in a referendum last week to quit the bloc but underlined that it would not be able to dictate the terms of its ties to the EU.
"We will ensure there are no negotiations based on the principle of cherry-picking," she said to applause.
"There must be and will be a noticeable difference between whether a country wants to be a member of the European Union family or not."
She added: "Anyone wishing to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations but keep the privileges."
Merkel also said access to Europe's common market depends on "accepting Europe's fundamental freedoms and the other rules and commitments that go with it".
"This applies to Britain as it does to everyone else," she said.
A non-EU country can join the common market if its accepts the freedoms of people, goods, services and capital, she added, mentioning the example of Norway.
Merkel, who had huddled with the leaders of France and Italy yesterday in the aftermath of the shock referendum, said the three biggest economies on the continent had agreed on a "common position" on the approach to the Brexit vote.
She said she hoped the Brussels summit would take place in that spirit of unity, and said the EU's goal should aim to complete reforms of the bloc in time for the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaty laying its foundations in March 2017
In a guarded response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments that India has a "whole lot of problems" with China, Beijing today said it will be in dialogue with New Delhi to find a "fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution" to the contentious issues.
"We have noted the relevant report. China-India relationship is in a generally good state," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told PTI here in response to questions on Modi's interview to a private TV news channel.
"Common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences. The Chinese side will work with the Indian side to steer the bilateral relations, and deepen cooperation in different fields," Hong said.
"As for problems in the bilateral relations, the Chinese side will stay in communication and dialogue with the Indian side to find a fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution," he said, referring to Modi's remarks.
Modi had said that "We have an ongoing dialogue with China and it should continue to happen. We don't have one problem with China, we have a whole lot of problems pending with China. There are so many issues."
On India getting the membership of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) ahead of China, Hong said, "we have noted that some of the multilateral export control regimes have changed in one way or another. With that in mind, China is assessing the effectiveness of the MTCR in safeguarding the international non-proliferation regime."
China is yet to be inducted into the 34-member MTCR regime. India became 35th member yesterday.
Reports say China, which blocked India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), is lobbying to become member of the MTCR group.
The MTCR restricts the proliferation of missiles, rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, or drones, and the technology for systems capable of carrying a payload of 500 kilograms for at least 300 kms.
The seventh edition of Jagran Film Festival (JFF), commencing July 1 in the capital, received 3,000 film entries in different categories from 104 countries. However, of these only 400 Indian and international films will be screened in 17 cities, over a period of three months.
Manoj Srivastava, strategic consultant, JFF, says, For us, the films come in two categories only the good and the bad. A preview committee comprising film professionals and film critics delved deep into submissions for over a month, reviewed and debated the shortlisted films and then made the final selection.
This year the festival invited tremendous domestic and international participation. Likewise, the film selection is far broader in terms of countries, languages and styles, adds Srivastava.
The selection also includes films that have been screened in major film festivals like Cannes 2016, Berlinale 2016. Also, for the first time, several Indian and international films will be premiered at the festival under the banner, Jagran Discovery.
Actress Sarika and veteran film director Jahnu Barua will head the two film juries this year. Sarika will head a five-member Indian feature film jury for the section,
Indian Showcase which will decide on 16 awards in the feature film category.
The 63-year-old National Award-winning filmmaker Barua will head a three-member jury that will watch 50 short films to decide on three international awards in the category.
The inaugural day of the festival will pay a tribute to V Shantaram by showcasing his classics like Geet Gaaya Pattharon Ne (1964), Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani (1946), Shakuntala (1943), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955) and Do Aankhen Barah Hath (1957).
Indian movies like Talvar, Sarbjit, Airlift, Nil Battey Sannata, Neerja and Sairat will also be showcased.
To be screened under the section World Panorama, the festival lineup has Chato-The King of Brazil (Brazil) directed by Guilhermo Fontes, Sievanevada (Romania) directed by Criti Puiu, Road to Istanbul (Algeria) directed by Rachid Bouchareb, The Patriarch (New Zealand) by Lee Tamahori, The First, The Last (France- Belgium) by Bouli Lanners, The Plants (Chile) by Roberto Doveris, Discordia (Romania) by Ion Indolean, The Market ( Canada) by Bobby Del Rio, among others.
Highlighting other aspects of the event this year, Srivastava says, Zeal for Unity, a package of 12 films, six each by Indian and Pakistani film directors, will be a unique feature. The Indian directors are Nikhil Advani, Ketan Mehta, Aparna Sen, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Bejoy Nambiar and Tanuja Chandra. Another attraction is the introduction of Cubas Imperfect Cinema exposition as part of the country focus section and a few new sections like the secret section which seeks to pull out unreleased and lost films from history.
Peeved over the "insensitive" remarks of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit on militant attack in Pampore in which 8 CRPF jawans were killed, an RSS affiliate has decided not to invite Pakistan to the 'Iftar' to be hosted by it on July 2 to promote goodwill among Muslims.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an affiliate of RSS, which had initially invited the Pakistan High Commissioner in Delhi to the event has now decided not to extend the formal invite to Basit, after he showed "insensitivity" to the killing of Indian jawans.
"We had initially sent an email invite to the Pakistan High Commission, inviting its High Commissioner to the July 2 'Iftar'. But after he displayed "insensitivity" to killing of Indian jawans in a militant attack in Pampore in Kashmir, we have decided not to extend a formal invite to him," national convener of the Manch Mohammad Afzal told PTI.
He said "we had thought of inviting Pakistan as a goodwill gesture and send across a message to open a new route of communication with them. But, it seems they are not ready to listen to any sane voices. Their High Commissioner displayed complete insensitivity on the killing of jawans and did not condemn the attacks."
Seeking to shed its 'anti-Muslim' tag, the Manch is hosting a grand 'Iftar' on July 2 in Parliament annexe where it has invited ambassadors of many countries including Muslim nations to spread the message of unity and harmony and of making India "riots-free".
"We have cancelled the invite of Pakistan High Commissioner. We can't have Iftar with them when our soldiers are being killed. We want to send a strong message that India will not tolerate this," MRM functionary Mohammad Afzal said.
In what the Manch terms as a 'callous' remark, Afzal said when questioned about Pampore attack, Basit insisted that people should focus on the Iftar party during Ramzan and 'not talk politics'.
When asked about the Pampore attacks during an 'Iftar' hosted by Pakistan High Commission last Saturday, he is reported to have asked for focusing on the Iftar party and enjoy it instead.
Basit's statement left the Sangh fuming, leading its affiliate to take the bold step of cancelling its invite for the Iftar.
"We wanted to make a fresh start and forge better cultural and social ties. But we are disappointed with Basit's reaction," Afzal said, adding that Pakistan does not reciprocate gestures of friendship and would not change.
He cited the Kargil war that followed former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Lahore and the Pathankot terror attack after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore.
RSS leader Indresh, who is the patron of the Manch, earlier said, "The aim is to tell the world about Indian-ness, helping people from all communities live in peace and harmony..."
"India is a ray of hope and peace for the Muslim world. Rashtriya Muslim Manch has urged members to host small iftar parties by inviting people from all communities and spreading the message of brotherhood," he said.
Russia's defence ministry today accused an American destroyer of coming dangerously close to a Russian frigate in the Mediterranean Sea, calling the incident a "gross violation" of international agreements.
"On June 17, in the east of the Mediterranean Sea, the American destroyer USS Gravely came dangerously close to a Russian warship, 60 to 70 metres from the left side, and crossed the path of frigate Yaroslav Mudry at the dangerous distance of 180 metres from the bow," the ministry said in a statement.
At the time of the incident, the Russian frigate was in international waters and was not "conducting dangerous manoeuvres" in respect to the American destroyer, the statement said.
The ministry added that the crew abroad the USS Gravely had committed a "gross violation of international rules on the prevention of collisions at sea" and violated a maritime agreement signed in 1972 by US and then Soviet authorities.
The Pentagon has reported a number of recent cases of Russian jets buzzing US planes and ships in the Baltic Sea in recent months with tensions between the two side at their highest point since the Cold War over the Ukraine crisis.
In April, the US Navy released video footage of Russian aircraft flying very close to the USS Donald Cook, including in a "simulated attack profile."
Russia's defence ministry on Wednesday used the alleged incident in the Mediterranean Sea to hit back at the US.
The Pentagon "has recently accused with great perseverance Russian pilots and marines of lacking professionalism," it said.
"But this incident shows that US marines allow themselves to forget basic rules of maritime safety."
Relations between Russia and the West have nosedived over Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Kiev in March 2014 and its support for a pro-Kremlin insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
Intensified fighting and air strikes over the past 24 hours in Yemen have left 80 people dead, including 37 civilians, as lengthy peace talks in Kuwait made no headway, officials said.
In the largest toll, warplanes from the pro-government Saudi-led coalition killed 34 people, including 19 civilians when they targeted Shiite rebels in the southwestern region of Taez, a Yemeni military official said.
The pre-dawn air strike hit a lorry transporting weapons for the Huthi rebels as it crossed a busy road, a provincial official said, adding that four women were among the dead, as well as 15 rebels.
In the flashpoint city of Taez, 11 civilians and a soldier were killed when rebels bombed a residential area, a military official said.
Meanwhile, 12 rebels and three loyalist soldiers were killed in clashes in Nahm, northeast of Sanaa, while six other rebels were killed in fighting in Marib, east of the capital, the official said.
In the same province, a coalition warplane hit a vehicle carrying pro-government forces "by mistake", killing four soldiers and wounding four others, another military official said.
In the south, at least seven civilians including two children were killed in air strikes "probably by drones" on jihadists which mistakenly hit a nearby house in Mahfed, between the provinces of Abyan and Shabwa in Yemen's south, a local official told AFP.
The Huthis overran the capital in late 2014 before moving into other parts of Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March last year.
The United Nations says more than 6,400 people have been killed in Yemen since then, mostly civilians.
The fighting has also driven 2.8 million people from their homes and left more than 80 per cent of the population in need of humanitarian aid.
The 19th International Oral History Conference started off in full swing at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram.
The first day of the week-long bilingual conference, Speaking, Listening, Interpreting The Critical Engagements of Oral History, saw oral historian Meghna Guha Thakurta from Bangladesh, enlightening a packed auditorium on oral history as a catalyst for social transformation, the persistence of memories and the radicalisation of action through oral history in Bangladesh.
The conference opened up a discussion about individual memories and dealt with negotiating the space between oral history and the larger meta-narrative. Indira Chowdhury, the president of International Oral History Association, addressed the gathering by talking about the transformation of oral history from memory to action.
She said, The conference deals with critical perspectives in oral history and looks at how language, emotion and thought contributes to and co-creates knowledge. It will look at how oral traditions shaped ones lives and cultures and why memory needs to be brought to the fore.
She narrated an incident from her memory set in Chambal and distorted the larger narrative of a bandit-ridden area with an incident from personal experience.
The highlights of Meghnas speech included the importance of oral history, evolution of society and how individual memories act as catalysts of this evolution.
She said, I belong to an organisation in Bangladesh which works with marginalised communities. Some aspects havent touched marginalised societies yet and these communities and their memories are endangered. Oral history is a good way to address and unearth those memories.
As an oral historian, she said that the most important thing to understand is to hear the right voice.
Most people talk about authenticity in oral history but we have to understand that even if someone is making up a story, they fictionalise it for a reason. Individual history is of immense value as it creates knowledge of a certain era but is forgotten because it is not part of the grand narrative. What better way other than memory of pain and anguish to bring out personal stories?
As a researcher who works with family history, Meghna also discussed her personal experiences of interactions with endangered women and how they survived the war that Bangladesh went through and the way they coped with it.
The performance for the evening was a shadow puppet performance by the Shinde Anjaneyulu family from Dharmavaram.
It was presented by Shinde Hanumanth Rao and his family troupe and curated by the Antara Arts Collective. It was a vibrant performance that straddled between the folk and the classical and the rural and the urban.
The show opened with a narrative about the puppet and the puppeteer which is not from a traditional repertoire but an improvised tale of everyday activity.
Voice was an important aspect as puppets are not just brought to life through action but also the voice drawn from memory.
This is the voice that shapes the relationship between the performer, the object and the spectator.
The event was organised by the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, International Oral History Association and the Oral History Association of India. This is the first conference to be held in Asia. Delegates from 32 countries came over to participate in the event.
These events will be held at the Indian Institute of Science, National Gallery of Modern Art and other public venues in the city.
The UN, the US and Iraq have, once again, failed civilians driven from their homes by West Asian wars. The current scandal involves 85,000 residents from the Iraqi city of Falluja which pro-government forces are trying to wrest from the clutches of the Islamic State (IS).
The world organisation had months to prepare as Falluja has long been on the priority list of cities Baghdad has to recapture from the Islamic State before tackling Mosul, Iraq's second largest city which is the most valuable piece of real estate acquired by the jihadi cult.
The US can be blamed because Washington is the great power behind the Iraqi government of Haidar al-Abadi and the trainer and armourer of the Iraqi armed forces. The US diplomats and military officers serving in Iraq are well aware of the lack of care accorded to displaced civilians from Tikrit, Ramadi and Rutba, previously seized from Islamic State.
The US has offered $20 million in assistance for Falluja and is set to host on July 20 a conference to raise funds for displaced Iraqis as well at the seven million in dire need. By then, scores of displaced Fallujans could be dead due to harsh conditions in the camps where they are being confined in the desert.
The cash-strapped, mismanaged and corrupt Shia sectarian regime in Baghdad has done little or nothing for the 3.3 million Iraqis already driven from their homes, most being Sunnis. Instead, the government has relied on the UN and international donors which simply have not raised the funds to do the job properly anywhere in West Asia where warfare has generated the worst refugee crisis since World War II.
During the first half of 2016, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees received only $127.7 million of the $584 million required for displaced persons and refugees in Iraq, Syria and neighbouring countries for this year.
Ultimately, the Iraqi government is responsible for the plight of civilians from Falluja. But they are Sunnis who resisted the 2003 US occupation, the installation of a sectarian system of government, and communal marginalisation, persecution and detentions.
More than 60,000 civilians left Falluja in the space of a few days last week, overwhelming UN agencies and the Norwegian Refugee Council which are trying to cope with a mass of people who have suffered abuse, starvation, and untreated illness during the two and a half years they have lived under Islamic State and many months of siege by the Iraqi army and affiliated militias.
At the camps where they are confined, fortunate families dwell three to a tent, others have to fashion makeshift shelters or brave the sun. The water ration is three litres a day when it should be 10 litres at a time temperatures soar to 40-50 degrees Celsius.
Washing and toilet facilities are inadequate. Few men and youths are found as many have been detained by the army and Shia militias for interrogation which includes beatings and torture. Early this month, 49 men fleeing Falluja were executed and 643 disappeared.
How Baghdad deals with Falluja and its people are meant to serve as a model for the
government's handling of the far greater problem of Mosul, once Iraq's second largest city captured by Islamic State two years ago.
Some 20,000 civilians from Mosul have already fled the city and surrounding villages and a million could become displaced once the Iraqi army and allied militias begin their campaign to retake Mosul.
The November 2015-February 2016 battle of Ramadi, inhabited by 4,50,000 before Islamic State seized the city, precipitated the displacement of the overwhelming majority of residents. They fled by car and lorry or on foot. Some went to relatives who live elsewhere in the Sunni-majority Anbar province.
Displaced Sunnis
Few were allowed into Baghdad where the authorities have excluded displaced Sunnis, citing security grounds. Shias now constitute a solid majority in the capital. Before the 2003 US war, Sunnis counted for 30% of the population. Mixed districts have been rendered mono-sectarian and tens of thousands of Sunnis expelled or driven into exile.
Some 700 families from Falluja have camped out near a bridge over the Euphrates demanding to cross and dwell with relatives in the capital. Security forces refuse permission.
By contrast, Syrian civilians displaced by conflict have flooded into government-held Damascus, Homs, Hama and coastal cities as well as areas controlled by insurgent groups, the prime example being the north western Idlib province held by al-Qaeda's Jabhat al-Nusra and its jihadi partners.
Sectarianism has produced different approaches to the displaced. Iraq is a country devastated by sectarianism while Syria, in spite of five years of war, remains, at least in government-held areas where 65% of Syrians live, staunchly secular.
Transport Minister R Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday said the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will provide city bus service in all cities and towns with a population of more than a lakh from August.
Speaking after inaugurating the KSRTC bus stand in the town on Tuesday, he said the model of city bus services in district headquarters will be extended to taluk headquarters as well.
A total of 498 KSRTC buses will be deployed to provide city bus service. The service will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 1 in Bengaluru, he added.
He said new KSRTC buses will be deployed to KSRTC depots in Malnad. The complaint on leakage of bus roofs has been taken seriously. All the old buses will be replaced with new ones. KSRTC has not suspended service on some routes though it is incurring loss, he added.
MLA B B Ningaiah said that there is a need to construct bus stands at Aldoor and Kalasa. The bus stand in Chikkamagaluru is congested. There is a need to construct a huge bus stand like the one in Hassan, he observed.
MLC Motamma said special concession should be provided to students from BPL families in the bus pass. Bus service from Mudigere to Madikeri should be introduced.
MLC M K Pranesh said KSRTC should introduce Volvo and Rajahamsa buses as the taluk is a religious centre.
Former MLA M P Kumaraswamy, KSRTC Director B N S Reddy and others were present.
The relatives of a student, who allegedly died due to the negligence of a doctor at the district hospital, staged a protest in front of the hospital here on Tuesday seeking the doctors suspension.
The protesters raised slogans against the doctor and maintained that the doctor, who conducted the surgery, should come to the spot. The efforts of the police to pacify the protestors went futile.
MLC Sunil Subramani, SP P Rajendra Prasad and Additional Deputy Commissioner M Sathish Kumar arrived at the spot and assured of initiating the needful measure. Later, the autopsy of the body was done.
The deceased has been identified as Mamatha (16), a daughter of Mohan and Lalitha, residents of Kanive village near Kushalnagar in Somwarpet taluk. The girl was admitted to the hospital on June 1 after she complained of stomach ache. The doctor diagnosed the patient with appendicitis. Though surgery was conducted twice, Mamatha did not recover.
She was not able to move and hence, her parents admitted her to a private hospital in Mangaluru on June 18. But, the girl did not respond to the treatment and died on Monday.
The girls relativesbrought the body to the district hospital on Tuesday morning and staged a demonstration alleging that the doctor, who performed the surgery, was responsible for the death. The police prevented them from entering the hospital. More than 50 villagers, who arrived from Kanive village, gathered in front of the hospital and raised slogans against the doctor and sough the doctors dismissal.
The claimed that the doctor had told the parents to purchase medicines worth Rs 75,000. He has charged Rs 5,000 for the surgery.
The girls relatives also said that her parents had to avail loan to pay the bills. In Mangaluru, they have incurred an expense of Rs 2 lakh and they are in a very difficult situation now, they claimed.
MLC Sunil Subramani, SP Rajendra Prasad and ADC Sathish Kumar visited the spot and conducted a meeting in the chamber of Surgeon Dr Muttappa.
The MLC pacified the protesters and told the SP to register a case. The ADC provided a compensation of Rs 5,000 to her family members. The postmortem of the body was conducted later.
Action sought
The protesters charged that the doctors of the district hospital are practising in their private clinic during duty hours and sought the closure of these private clinics.
Assistant Deputy Commissioner Sathish Kumar said the doctors should be present in the hospital from 9 am to 4 pm compulsorily.
He said they may run their private clinics only after the duty hours. Action will be initiated against the doctors who give prescriptions to purchase medicine from outside drug stores.
MLC Sunil Subramani told the authorities concerned to convene a meeting of doctors within two days and provide information on the availability of medicines in the hospital.
The Nigerian embassy staff are learnt to have strongly objected to the way in which a woman from their country was tied with ropes to control her after she went on a rampage, at KC General Hospital on Monday.
The embassy staff spoke to Bengaluru police on Tuesday and admitted that the woman - Namplima Marian - created ruckus, but condemned the way in which she was detained by the police.
The police clarified that Marian and her companion Yesudas Puthambara were heavily drunk. She bit the hands of a policeman and an auto driver when they tried to control her. Hence, the public were forced to tie her hands and legs to calm her down, the police told the embassy staff, sources said. However, the top police brass claimed that there was no such conversation.
Marian became normal after treatment at Nimhans. She was shifted to Sanjay Gandhi hospital as she had injured her hand after she banged her hand against a glass counter at the National Market. Her companion Puthambara is with her. The police have decided to search their house and seize their visa and passport, police said.
There was only one woman constable when she created ruckus at the National Market. The woman constable and a male constable were sent to control her, but their attempts failed. Hence, the police summoned eight woman constables from other stations to control her, said the police.
The KC General hospital authorities are yet to submit a report to ascertain if they were just drunk or had consumed drugs, said DCP (West) Ajay Hilori.
The police on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the blocking of an ambulance to allow easy passage of the chief ministers convoy at Hoskote on June 25.
A video footage which was uploaded by a few locals on Facebook, went viral and caught the attention of the police. Police had blocked traffic at Hoskote, including an ambulance carrying a woman patient to a nearby hospital, and facilitated smooth passage for the CM and his convoy.
The video shows the police exchanging heated words with a man pleading with them to make way as his ailing mother was inside the ambulance. Even locals are seen urging the police to ensure way for the ambulance, but the police threaten them with canes and let the vehicles pass only after the CMs convoy passes. The police are seen chasing them away when the man says his mother would die if she is not taken to the hospital.
I have ordered an inquiry by the local police and will take action accordingly, Bengaluru Rural SP Amith Singh said.
Normally, police block the road for five to seven minutes before the arrival of the CMs convoy. There was heavy traffic around 8.30 pm on June 25. A lot of other vehicles would have passed through had the road been cleared for the ambulance creating traffic problems. Hence, the road was blocked for a while, he said, and added that the patient was shifted to hospital and her life was saved.
In a significant move towards giving Metro link to the Outer Ring Road (ORR), the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has decided to modify the design of Phase 2 and make KR Puram and Central Silk Board junction interchange stations.
The changes are intended to accommodate the proposed 18-km new line between KR Puram and Silk Board, which was not earlier part of Phase 2 or Phase 3. A senior BMRCL official confirmed the new development.
In Phase 2, KR Puram is part of the extension of the 15.5-km line between Baiyappanahalli and Whitefield. Silk Board is part of the 18.82-km line between RV Road and Bommasandra. Neither was proposed to be an interchange station in the earlier scheme of things.
The BMRCL has proposed to build additional platforms and portals at the two stations. The commuters would be able to get down at these stations and travel on another line of their choice, a senior official said.
That means, people can get down at Silk Board and travel on the RV Road-Bommasandra line. Similarly, they can alight at KR Puram and travel up to Whitefield or Kengeri.
The Karnataka government had announced the new line at Invest Karnataka this year following demand from local elected representatives and corporate firms. The new line is expected to help IT professionals working in technology parks on the Outer Ring Road. The BMRCL recently floated a tender for topographic, land and property survey for the new line.
Estimated to cost Rs 3,600 crore, the line will have all elevated stations passing through traffic-prone areas such as HSR layout, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur, Kadubeesanahalli and Marathahalli.
R K Mishra, a member of Bengaluru Vision group, who is pushing the project at the government level, expressed confidence that the new line on the ORR would be a reality. It is possible to complete the work quickly as this particular line does not involve land acquisition. It does not have to follow the schedule of Phase 2 either, except the completion of two connecting stations, he told Deccan Herald.
The BMRCL will, however, have to provide enough space and infrastructure for Metro trains moving towards KR Puram from Silk Board and vice versa to cross through at the intersecting stations during the construction period.
Public response to the proposed 6.9-km steel flyover between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal has been mixed, according to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
The BDA, which has sought peoples suggestions/objections to the Rs 1,350-crore flyover project, said that many were wondering why the flyover was being built, instead of a Metro line.
Shivashankar, Engineer Officer, BDA, said he had attended to at least 40 calls, besides a number of e-mails and letters. Its a mixed bag. Some favour the project saying it is needed to decongest roads in northern Bengaluru, while others want trying the alternatives.
On the Metro option, Shivashankar said there would not be any link even in Phase 3. On the other hand, the steel flyover will be built quickly. The decision to build the flyover wasnt taken all of a sudden. We decided on it after a year-long research, and discussions with experts and traffic police, Shivashankar said.
BDA Commissioner Rajkumar Khatri told Deccan Herald that peoples responses were being sought as the BDAs technical advisory committee and the government were keen. The public opinion will be placed before the ministers concerned at a meeting on Thursday and alterations, if any, can be incorporated, he said. People can send opinions and suggestions to the BDA before June 30, call 9845630131 or write to eolta2@gmail.com
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has taken up a slew of measures to make its functioning more transparent where all the information will be made available online.
A survey report by Janaagraha, an NGO, had mentioned about the discrepancies in the functioning of three civic bodies including BDA. The major charges were lack of transparency and huge mismatch in its estimated budget and actual expenditure. In a detailed press release, the BDA said it has entrusted the work of developing a comprehensive e-platform to Municipal Reform Cell as part of the e-governance process.
Once this work is completed, which is likely in a month's time, all the disclosures highlighted by Janaagraha will be highlighted. Additionally, online payment of bills will also form part of this comprehensive package under development and contractors and suppliers will be able to view the status of their bills by logging on to BDAs website, the BDA said.
Regarding the mismatch in its estimated and actual budget, the BDA said the budgetary allocations, both for revenue and expenditure, were higher because the development of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout and Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout and construction of Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) were in the pipeline.
While NKG Layout did not accelerate as planned due to problems and litigation related to land acquisition, the development of Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout was shelved because of a court verdict. The PRR did not take off as planned in view of the difficulty to find a lending agency, internal and external, to finance the huge cost of land acquisition, the BDA said in a press release.
It asked the critics to look into these variations from the perspective of the compelling unavoidable reasons hampering the achievement of the goals. The development authority has set aside the suggestion for auditing by the empanelled chartered accountants saying that the CAG does the work for it.
Grievance meet on July 2
Bangalore Development Authority will organise a public grievance meeting on July 2 at 11am at BDA Divisional Office, BDA Commercial Complex, HSR Layout Sector 4. Rajkumar Khatri, BDA Commissioner will hear the grievances of people.
Citizens can send their grievances to eeeasthsr@gmail.com, eo3bda@gmail.com or pro@bdabangalore.org. For details, call 96630 67674 / 98456 30128. Citizens can also file their grievances during the meeting.
For Bengaluru's wine lovers, it could be a sour weekend as the Bangalore Blue Grape Growers Association has threatened to stop production by 50% from Thursday (June, 30).
P L Venkata Rama Reddy, president of Karnataka State Wine Producers Association told reporters on Tuesday that growers will be forced to take this step if the government levies 177% excise duty and additional excise on wine. The new duty will come into effect from Friday (July 1).
Reddy said the sudden increase in taxation will have a bearing on production cost and farmers will suffer. He, however, did not explain how an increase in excise duty will affect farmers. The state government issued a gazette notification on the revised excise duty on June 22, and gave seven days to file objections. The notification omits imposition of tax on manufacture of fortified wine from grapes.
``The government, through its wine policy, is encouraging people to drink wine citing health benefits while it is has omitted fortified wine from high taxation. This is double standards. Blue grape has natural spirit. But now, the government is indirectly encouraging increase of spirit content. It looks like the government is promoting French wine makers, rather than locals, Reddy said. The wine growers association and farmers have submitted a memorandum to the excise commissioner and the government to reconsider the notification.
They will meet the district commissioner on Wednesday and have threatened to stage a dharna and even move court if there is no positive outcome. Grape cultivation and wine production will also be cut down by 50% from July 1, if the notification is not modified, added Rajesh Sathyanarayana, vice-president-Marketing, Rico Winery Pvt Ltd.
Childrens journey to school and back in Bengaluru remains as unsafe as before, with few institutions setting up cab safety committees, which are mandated by a rule framed by the state government in 2013.
In a notification issued in January that year, the government mandated the formation of a committee for the safety of children in every school. The committee should have representatives from the school management, parents and a local Regional Transport Officer (RTO). However, when Deccan Herald interacted with schools and parents across Bengaluru, most of them were not even aware that such a committee needs to be formed.
I see these private vans. They are packed with children. Most of them are speeding. Some vehicles are so crowded that children have their heads popping out and there is nobody to keep a watch, said Kumaran S, whose six-year-old daughter studies at a private school in Rajajinagar. Having seen all this, I choose to drive my daughter to school. My wife picks her up in the afternoon.
He is among many parents who are concerned about their childrens safety en route the school. Ruing the lack of safety measures in schools, Purushottam, parent of a five-year-old who slipped into coma after injuring his finger, said he was not aware of the existence of such a safety committee in the institution either.
However, D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said the rules were applicable only to schools which had management-run cabs.
If the service provider is not the school but a private player, the school will have no say in it. It is a mutual understanding between the private service provider and the parents, he said. Narendra Holkar, Joint Commissioner of Transport (Bengaluru Urban and Rural), said schools were not coming forward to take the initiative. The Transport Department has issued guidelines. But schools are not coming forward to implement them, especially the formation of school cab safety committee.
Shiv Sainiks attempted to disrupt an event of the Mumbai-Karachi Friendship Forum chaired by Sudheendra Kulkarni, which aimed at bringing photographers of the two cities together with the larger goal of promoting goodwill between India and Pakistan.
When the function and media interaction with visiting Pakistani journalists was to begin at the Mumbai Press Club, Shiv Sainiks shouted slogans. However, they were promptly removed from the venue by the Mumbai police. Shiv Sainiks later attempted to target the car of Kulkarni.
Kulkarni, the chairman of Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Mumbai, has been on the radar of the Shiv Sena ever since he invited former Pakistani diplomat Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in October 2015 for the launch of the latters book, 'Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove: An Insider's Account Of Pakistan's Foreign Policy,' and his face was also blackened with paint.
Kulkarni was a director in the PMO when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and also a former aide of former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani.
As far as Tuesdays event goes, it was to welcome the delegation of five Pakistani photographers who had come here as part of ORFs Tasveer-e-Mumbai and Tasveer-e-Karachi.
Under the project, five photographers from Karachi would come to Mumbai and five from Mumbai would go to Pakistan and their work would culminate in exhibition. The Pakistani delegation arrived here on June 20 and would leave on June 30. The Indian contingent would visit sometime in July.
They are photographers who are peace ambassadors. In fact, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray himself is a photographer and he must understand this, Kulkarni said.
Demolition of the historic Ambedkar Bhavan in Mumbais Dadar neighbourhood is snowballing into a controversy with the iconic leaders grandsons alleging procedural lapses by Peoples Improvement Trust that controlled the building.
Dr B R Ambedkars followers on Tuesday smashed some cars while agitating over the buildings demolition on Saturday in the Dadar-Boiwada-Parel area. The situation is normal now, a Mumbai police spokesperson said.
Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar, a former MP and the founder-president of the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangha, a splinter group of the Republican Party of India, accused PIT of not following procedures while razing the building. He said that the Trust did not get permission from Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. What happened was illegal. The building is of emotional value, said Dr Anandraj Ambedkar, another grandson.
The grandsons claimed that Maharashtras information commissioner and former chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad were responsible for razing the building to give way for a 17-storeyed structure.
The Centre is all set to roll out an automated system for real-time monitoring of the midday meal programme, with about 76% of the schools ready to come under its ambit.
The automated system, developed in coordination with the states, will facilitate collection of real-time data from schools on the implementation of the scheme and its instant transfer to a central server to be maintained by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) here.
Teachers will get a call over their mobile phones at a particular time every day. Calls will be made through an interactive voice response system which will ask the teachers if the meal was served or not. If the meal is not served, then why? As a teacher submits his/her response, it will be instantly uploaded onto the central server, sources said.
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, which has been working on the initiative for the last few years, is hoping to launch the system in July.
Once launched, the automated system will bring a paradigm shift in monitoring the programme which is fraught with various anomalies at the ground level. There is a mechanism already in place for collection of data online, but this is not real time, sources added.
Mobile numbers of teachers and headmasters of nearly 9 lakh schools have already been fed into the system, while the process to collect mobile numbers is on in rest of the schools.
Of the about 11.55 lakh schools to be brought under the automated monitoring mechanism, nearly 96% of the schools in Uttar Pradesh is ready to be brought under its ambit.
While Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh have managed to collect the mobile numbers of all its teachers and headmasters, the mobile numbers of 99% of the teachers in Kerala, 93% in Karnataka, 88% in Maharashtra and 58% in Andhra Pradesh have so far been collected.
Work in the high court here and almost all subordinate courts in Telangana, including criminal courts, came to a grinding halt on Tuesday with judges and advocates of Telangana origin protesting against the suspension of judges who took part in Chalo Raj Bhavan rally.
The Telangana judiciary is opposing the provisional allocation of judges of Andhra Pradesh origin to different courts of Telangana state.
With the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad, which suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds on Monday, extending the suspension to nine more judges on Tuesday, including Industrial Tribunal Chairman Muralidhar, the Telangana advocates boycotted work and organised protests in all the 10 districts of Telangana. Telangana judges decided to go on mass leave for 15 days and organise a Chalo Hyderabad rally on Wednesday. They are also planning to submit a memorandum to state Governor E S L Narasimhan.
Addressing media here, Nizamabad MP K Kavitha alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched by the Andhra Pradesh government to perpetuate its presence by giving options to AP judges to stay back in Telangana. She said that her father and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is planning to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 2 demanding bifurcation of high court.
Chief Minister KCR is deeply hurt by the insensitivity of the central government. Our protest in Delhi is to highlight the injustice meted out towards Telangana judges. But we never wanted the situation to escalate. We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and bifurcate the high court, Kavitha said.
Union minister from Telangana, Bandaru Dattatreya, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and conveyed the sentiments of the legal fraternity of Telangana. However, the Union law minister is said to have expressed his inability to write to Hyderabad Court to speed up the bifurcation process.
The city police arrested two top technocrats of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) on Tuesday evening for their role in the March 31 flyover collapse in north Kolkata.
Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police filed the chargesheet in the case, which claimed 27 lives and injured around 100.
Both Priyatosh Bhattacharya and Santanu Mondal worked with KMDA, which is the state government's nodal agency for all urban infrastructure projects. While Bhattacharya is the chief engineer of KMDA's administration and development department, Mondal is the executive engineer and both of them were responsible for monitoring the progress of the flyover.
Sources said that the two top executives have been arrested for negligence in their duties, which included overseeing the project, including the quality of material used to construct the flyover. The chargesheet claimed that the incident occurred as the construction company IVRCL used inferior quality raw material.
The European Parliament on Tuesday urged Britain to immediately trigger the divorce process from the European Union after the shock referendum vote by British voters to leave the bloc.
The will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50, said a resolution approved by members of the European Parliament at an emergency session, by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstentions.
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit. It is up to the British government to invoke the treaty.
British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived for a grim EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, where angry European leaders tightened the screws to hurry Britains exit from Europe.
Key European leaders bluntly told Britain to leave quickly and not to expect special treatment. European Council president Donald Tusk said the bloc was ready to start divorce proceedings even today.
No cherry-picking
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Cameron could not cherry-pick in the exit negotiations and there would be a price for Britain to pay.
Anyone wishing to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations but keep the privileges, Merkel told the German parliament.
Cameron has said he will not yet start the two-year countdown on leaving the EU. His successor, expected to trigger Article 50, may not be appointed until September.
But European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking in a stormy session of the European Parliament, told Cameron to waste no time, adding: No notification (of Article 50), no negotiation.
It is we who must decide what happens, not just those who wish to leave the European Union, Juncker said, echoing comments on Monday from Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin.
Britains decision has also put the remaining 27 members of the EU who will meet without Cameron on Wednesday under pressure to come up with an adequate response to stop other countries following Britain out of the door.
Germany, France and Italy have urged steps among the rest of the EU jointly to boost cooperation on security as well as programmes to boost economic growth and youth employment. The European president on Tuesday proposed holding a meeting in September to discuss the blocs future.
Investors, meanwhile, remain deeply unsettled at the prospect of one of the EUs biggest economies leaving the bloc, wiping billions off stocks worldwide since the shock referendum result last Friday.
Late on Monday, Standard & Poors slashed Britains cherished triple-A credit rating by two notches with a long-term negative outlook, while Fitch cut its rating from AA+ to AA, with a negative outlook.
Both ratings agencies listed a possible second referendum on Scottish independence as a significant risk. Britain as a whole voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the EU but 62 percent of Scots voted to stay.
British Finance Minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets had fallen on deaf ears on Monday, said the country would have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilise the economy after a third credit ratings agency downgraded its debt.
Firms have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, against voters hopes that the economy would thrive outside the EU.
By Robert Scribbler
24 June 2016 (robertscribbler.com) In Kyushu, Japan on Friday, government officials urged 700,000 residents to evacuate as record heavy rains and severe flooding inundated the city for the fifth day in a row. Half a world away in West Virginia, another unpredicted record deluge dumped 8.2 inches of rain, washed out roads, cut off shopping malls, flushed burning homes down raging rivers, and left more than 14 people dead and hundreds more stranded. Individually, these events would be odd. But taken together with what are now scores of other extreme flooding events happening around the world in the space of just a few months and the context begins to look a lot like what scientists expected to happen due to human-forced climate change. In Kyushu, the skies opened up on Monday. An extension of a seasonal front draped across China and feeding on moisture bleeding off of record hot ocean surfaces edged out over Japan. Mountainous cloud banks unloaded. Record rains in the range of five inches an hour then began to inundate the southern Japanese island. This mass dumping of water eventually accumulated to half a meter (or 1.6 feet) over some sections of the island over the course of just one 24 hour period. The rains set loose raging rivers of water through Kyushu streets and saturated hillsides already weakened by an April earthquake. The flooding and resulting landslides killed 6 people on Monday alone and resulted in calls for tens of thousands of people to evacuate the hardest hit areas. Over the week, hourly rainfall totals of 1-3 inches and daily rainfall rates of 4-8 inches continued as more and more of the region succumbed to flooding. By Friday, bridges and roads had been washed out, an elderly man, a university student, and a child had gone missing, trains had been blocked by mudslides and the evacuation calls extended to include 700,000 people. [more]
By David Abel
22 June 2016 (Boston Globe) The consequences of climate change on Boston are expected to be far more calamitous than previous studies have suggested, a new report commissioned by the city says. In the worst-case scenario, sea levels could rise more than 10 feet by the end of the century nearly twice what was previously predicted plunging about 30 percent of Boston under water. Temperatures in 2070 could exceed 90 degrees for 90 days a year, compared with an average of 11 days now. And changes in precipitation could mean a 50 percent decline in annual snowfall, punctuated by more frequent heavy storms such as noreasters. The report [pdf], by scientists from the University of Massachusetts and other local universities, has raised concerns in City Hall just two weeks after Mayor Martin J. Walsh attended a climate summit in Beijing.
Orange has agreed to acquire Airtels mobile operation in Burkina Faso, expanding its footprint in Africa & the Middle East to twenty countries.
The agreement was initially announced in January, with Orange now having attained the official approval required to close the deal. No sum has been revealed but analysts have valued the deal at around 652 million.
When the agreement was originally announced in January, the operator also announced that it would acquire Airtels operations in Sierra Leone, but it has not offered any further news on this. This is significant as Oranges negotiations with Airtel over the acquisition of the latters units in Chad and Congo Brazzaville have fallen through.
This new acquisition will further strengthen the groups position on the African continent, said Bruno Mettling, deputy CEO and chairman and CEO of Orange MEA. A company statement praised Airtels successful MFS offering which is compatible with Orange Money, as well as its 3.75G network covering 100 towns.
Airtel is the number two operator in Burkina Faso with around 4.6 million customers. The country has a population of around 18 million and can claim a mobile penetration rate of approximately 80%.
Intracom Telecom has signed an agreement with Lintasarta to supply its latest Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) wireless system in Indonesia.
The deal will see Intracom Telecom partner with Indonesian system integrator & solution provider netWAVE to supply base stations and terminals to Lintasarta. The ICT firm selected Intracom Telecom's WiBAS-OSDR after an international tender, technical evaluation and extensive field testing of the offered systems, in order to offer superior broadband connectivity services to its growing number of corporate customers in Indonesia.
The WiBAS-OSDR will be used in Lintasartas network upgrade in the licensed 10.5GHz band and completion of the project is expected by the end of the year. By utilizing WiBAS-OSDR, Lintasarta will exploit its unrivalled capabilities, such as the highest capacity in the industry, the competitive cost per Mbit, and the 1024-QAM modulation to decrease its annual spending on fees for operating frequencies, reduce the expenses for site rental and better utilise radio resources.
New mobile towers are to be operational by the end of July.
The Department of Telecom(DoT) has taken a lot of initiative over the past few months to address the issue of call drops. In a new development, DoT has made a few announcements through their Twitter page to introduce the same.
In a meeting chaired by Telecom Secretary JS Deepak, security has been cleared for 81 sites across New Delhi, and the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council) is to give permission for the installation of mobile towers by the first week of July. A total of 33 Government Buildings in New Delhi and 32 Post offices throughout the capital have been chosen as sites for new towers. The cell towers will be installed and operational by the end of July. The DoT also stated that the addition of these towers will certainly bring relief to mobile phone users in Delhi.
Call drops is something that has pestered a majority of mobile users these days. Although there has been a lot of work done by mobile carriers, there are still places where call drop persist and there is room for improvement. Airtel launched its Open Network initiative that lets users check the quality of a network online and see how the coverage is in various areas. According to reports a few months back, Call drops were as high as 18% for some carriers in parts of the country. TRAI also suggested harsh fines and even imprisonment for violation of Telecom Guidelines.
Secretary (Telecom) chaired a meeting with municipal and law enforcement agencies of Delhi to address the issue of #CallDrop 1/4
DoT India (@DoT_India) June 28, 2016
Ola to invest Rs 350 cr over a period of 5 years to train men and women in entrepreneurial skills.
Ola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the government of Haryana, to create over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state. Ola will be investing Rs.350 crores over the next 5 years to train men and women and help them take their first steps towards becoming entrepreneurs. Ola will further help increase mobility in the state by introducing solutions such as Ola Auto, Ola Shuttle and Ola Bike and serve citizens across the state.
Pranav Jivrajka, COO of Ola said We are proud to partner with the Government of Haryana to create more than 10,000 entrepreneurship opportunities across the state. To this end, we are planning to invest over Rs. 350 crore in Haryana over the next 5 years. We will work with the government to train and provide the right skill set to thousands of men and women across Haryana and help them take their first step towards entrepreneurship
Sudhir Rajpal Managing Director, Haryana State Industrial Infrastructural Development Corporation stated Haryana is developing at a rapid pace. Our government recently introduced the enterprise promotion policy for ease of doing business here. Ola's commitment to building mobility for citizens by using cutting edge mobile technology and by enabling entrepreneurship and skilling will be invaluable for the states growth. We are confident that our partnership with Ola will further accelerate governments efforts of pumping the economic development of the state with a focus on skilling and creating entrepreneurial opportunities for tens of thousands of men and women across the state
Recently, Ola introduced a new Operators App that made it lot easier for fleet owners to keep track and get real time information of all their cabs. It also launched a service to facilitate e-Richshaws in Delhi. Earlier this year they also launched free WiFi services to their cabs which offered users connectivity on-the-go.
Do you use your smartphones at night with all the lights switched off, just before going to bed? Who doesnt, right? Well, theres bad news for all of us because temporary smartphone blindness is apparently a thing now. Two separate women in the UK made panicked trips to the doctor, fearing a stroke and reporting other symptoms. The diagnosis - one-eyed use of smartphones in the night. The issue, as described in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), is termed Transient Smartphone Blindness. The article states, When the patients were seen in our neuro-ophthalmic clinic, detailed history taking revealed that symptoms occurred only after several minutes of viewing a smartphone screen, in the dark, while lying in bed (before going to sleep in the first case and after waking in the second). Both patients were asked to experiment and record their symptoms. They reported that the symptoms were always in the eye contralateral to the side on which the patient was lying.
A lot of people look at their smartphones at night, using only one eye, with the other usually buried into a pillow. This results in one eye becoming attuned to the light emitted from the smartphone, whereas the other eye is mostly shut and gets accustomed to darkness, causing the temporary loss of sight.
One of the women who reported the said symptoms experienced visual impairment, lasting upto 15 minutes! Thats time enough to think, panic and lose control after realising youve suddenely lost your eyesight!
As per the NEJM report, In a study approved by a research ethics committee, two of the authors monocularly viewed a smartphone screen at arms length and quantified the time course of recovery of sensitivity in the dark both psychophysically and electrophysiologically Diminished Retinal Sensitivity after Smartphone Viewing.). Visual sensitivity was appreciably reduced after smartphone viewing, taking several minutes to recover.
Courtesy: NEJM
The group of doctors who conducted the study also predict that such cases are bound to increase in number because smartphones are now used nearly around the clock, and manufacturers are producing screens with increased brightness to offset background ambient luminance and thereby allow easy reading.
Time to keep that smartphone away before sleeping?
English is one of three official languages in the organisation alongside German and French
But French politicians have suggested that they may now have a chance to push French as the main language used by the bloc.
The language of Shakespeare is one of the three official languages in the European body's repertoire, and it is used widely as a working language as it is the second language of the majority of those working within any European institution.
English could be on its way out as an official and working language of the European Union in the fallout from Britain's vote to leave the bloc last Thursday.
English can no longer be the third working language of the European Parliament, tweeted Jean-Luc Melenchon, a leftwing MEP and French presidential candidate. The English language has no legitimacy in Brussels, said Robert Menard, mayor of the town of Beziers in southern France.
French politicians have suggested that they may now have a chance to push French as the main language
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, is expected to give a speech on Monday in which he shuns English, speaking only in French and German as opposed to the trilingual manner to which he is accustomed.
English has gradually established itself as the main medium of communication between Eurocrats who dont share a common language. That process accelerated after the EUs eastward expansion in 2004. Citizens of newly joined member states who took up jobs as civil servants in Brussels were far more likely to speak English than French.
If the result of the Brexit referendum were to follow through however, English would only be an official language in two EU countries - Ireland and Malta - and neither of these would opt for it as their nominated language.
It would be difficult to envisage the disappearance of English from the committee rooms and corridors of Brussels
The prospect of Britain leaving the EU could potentially increase pressure on EPSO, the EUs recruitment agency, to drop English as one of the three required languages.
It would be difficult to envisage the disappearance of English from the committee rooms and corridors of Brussels however. The likelihood of a Polish MEP and a Greek MEP speaking French together is very low.
Whatever language high-level EU officers decide to use for press conferences, English will be the working language of the rest of the organization.
A 2012 survey from Eurobarometer found that 38% of Europeans spoke English well enough to be able to hold a conversation, compared to just 12% and 11% for French and German, respectively.
Prime minister Fabian Picardo says that his region wants to stay in the EU
Gibraltar's prime minister has affirmed that on Monday he will look for a way to protect the status of his region as being within the European Union , following Brtain's vote to leave the bloc last Thursday.
The small community at the southernly tip of Spain voted with a 96% majority to stay in the European bloc last week, but due to an overall victory for the Leave campaign, will exit the EU against their will.
PM Fabian Picardo also said that only England and Wales should be made to leave Europe, as they were the only areas of the country that voted to Leave.
Fabian Picardo also said that only England and Wales should be made to leave Europe
"It would be better to differentiate those Britons who wanted to leave their status as a member state from those who wanted to remain, England and Wales that is."
"Our position has been expressed in a clear way by 96% of the population. We want to continue having access to the single market, and we want to continue having the the advantages of freedom of movement," Picardo said to the Press Association.
Picardo identified with the stance of Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has called for a second indpendence referendum for the northernly province. He also said that regardless of the situation, the Rock "will never be Spanish".
"Anyone that suggests to the Gibraltar people that the price of having access to the market, or anything else, is to accept sovereignty with Spain, they are very much mistaken."
Virgin owners business partners will not invest money in Britain after Brexit vote
While speaking to the Guardian, Branson said that he met with a group of Chinese businessmen on Monday morning who were unhappy about Brtain's exit from the bloc.
British tycoon Sir Richard Branson has warned that Chinese investors are already pulling out of the United Kingdom after the result of the EU referendum last week.
"They have invested heavily in England and they are now going to stop investing and withdraw investments theyve already made," Branson confirmed.
Im afraid that based on misinformation, people voted for Brexit, which is basically voting for a way of shooting themselves in the foot. The last 2 days has been absolute pandemonium worldwide in the markets, the pound crashing, the stock markets crashing, and we are heading rapidly towards a recession again."
"Im afraid that based on misinformation, people voted for Brexit" Richard Branson
The Virgin owner described it as a very sad situation for the nation which he owes a lot. He lambasted those politicians who misled the voting public in the days and weeks leading up to the crucial vote.
Businesspeople do not want politicians to completely and utterly wreck the hard work theyve done for years and years and that is effectively what happened. The sad thing is I really think Brexiters were misled and did not realise. People said it was scaremongering. It wasnt scaremongering and the last 48 hours have proved that.
This morning Branson confirmed to the paper that he is supporting calls for a second referendum, after his challenger bank Virgin Money's shares faced a significant loss of 40% since Friday morning.
The planned new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point was in doubt on Tuesday, with one expert saying majority French-owned company EDF is highly unlikely to invest given the post-Brexit economic climate.
Dr Paul Dorfman, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Energy Institute, University College London, told the Daily Mail that Brexit was the final nail in the coffin for the long-delayed and much-maligned project.
The project initially would have seen Hinkley Point producing 7% of the UKs electricity needs by 2017, but years of lengthy delays - including questions over EDFs finances in its native France - have pushed that back to 2025 at the earliest.
It gives everybody the chance to slip out without losing any more face, Dorfman said.
How is France going to invest in the UK if the UK is no longer part of the union?
Not only that but the French nuclear industry has huge financial problems and unions are screaming that they don't want it, he added.
Dorfman also said that the shuttering of plans at Hinkley Point would have a knock-on effect, with plans for Sizewells third reactor being torn up too.
Dr Dorfman is currently a member of the European Nuclear Energy Forum, and has previously been a nuclear issues advisor to the UK government.
Legal & General announced the appointment of a new group chairman on Tuesday, confirming former Second Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury Sir John Kingman as taking the up the post.
The 47-year-old comes with no previous experience in operating an insurance firm, but he did play a major role in the bailout of RBS, Lloyds and Northern Rock during the 2008 financial crisis.
Its board said the appointment follows a thorough and exhaustive process conducted by the nominations committee, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm.
Kingman is succeeding Rudy Markham, who began the search and appointment process for the new chairman whilst senior independent director, and has served as interim chairman since John Stewarts retirement from the board on 1 June.
It was concluded by Julia Wilson, who became senior independent director at the companys AGM on 26 May.
Sir John Kingman has had an extensive Whitehall career, culminating as Second Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury, where his responsibilities variously included serving as managing director of the Finance and Industry Directorate, and managing director of the Public Services and Growth Directorate the board said in a statement.
It added that he was also the CEO of UK Financial Investments, with responsibility for managing the state shareholding in Lloyds Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and Northern Rock.
The board said he has also spent time as a managing director in the private sector, at NM Rothschild, where he was global co-head of the Financial Institutions Group.
John's grasp of complex financial markets was a hallmark of the UK government's successful handling of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, said Legal & General interim chairman Rudy Markham.
This, plus his commitment to growth in the UK economy, will stand him in good stead at Legal & General as the UK navigates Brexit and as we continue to support economic growth which benefits our 10 million customers.
Julia Wilson added that Kingmans experience and leadership expertise operating at some of the most senior levels in finance complement the broader financial and operational skills of our board.
Legal & General is a great company, Kingman himself commented.
I am delighted to serve as its next chairman, helping to generate value as part of a strong team and applying our collective skills on behalf of our shareholders and customers.
The FTSE 100 firm said the appointment has been approved by both the financial regulators, and is subject to the advice of the Cabinet Office Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
Company talks up strength in wake of referendum
The insurance giant released a separate statement on Tuesday morning, in the wake of Fridays shock vote by the UK to leave the European Union.
Legal & Generals board said that in light of the significant market volatility, it felt the need to update the market on its balance sheet strength - specifically its Solvency II ratio, credit portfolio, derisking actions and providing cash generation guidance for the half year.
Our Solvency II surplus is 4.9bn, we expect our net cash for half year 2016 to be up 15% and we run an 'A minus' rated credit portfolio of 44.8bn, the board said in a statement.
Legal & General's central planning scenario, ahead of the Referendum, was for a 50-50 probability of a vote for the UK to leave, it added.
The board said it positioned the balance sheet accordingly to reduce risk for customers and shareholders, and undertook a number of derisking actions in respect of its asset portfolios, including the traded equities held with its shareholder funds, before the referendum to mitigate the balance sheet against the downside risk of a leave vote.
Online grocer Ocado saw revenue and earning grow in the first half of the year, reporting gross sales of 582.9m for the 24 weeks to 15 May on Tuesday, a 13.9% rise on 511.9m in the comparative period last year.
EBITDA hit 40.4m, a 5.7% increase from 38.2m, off the back of revenue of 584.2m, a 14.1% rise of 2014s 507.7m.
The FTSE 250 firm saw profit before tax hit 8.5m, up from 7.2m, although cash and cash equivalents dropped to 52.7m from 70.4m by the end of the 24 week period.
Ocados statutory net debt widened to 136.2m from 105m, with external debt reaching 14.6m, compared with external cash of 24.9m last May.
I am encouraged by the steady progress in our business, with volumes through our operations, including the throughput for Morrisons, growing by 30%, said Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner.
The market remains competitive with ongoing price deflation but our increasing scale and operational efficiencies meant that we still grew profits, albeit at a slower rate.
Steiner said the company has been gaining share in the online grocery market, and expects this to continue.
The last few years have shown beyond doubt that British shoppers are choosing the benefits of grocery shopping online and we believe that the momentum of channel shift away from bricks and mortar stores will continue."
Light commercial vehicle hire company Northgates annual profits were boosted by an increase in demand in Spain against a mixed trading backdrop but cautioned on the potential effect of Brexit on the business.
Northgates underlying profits before tax fell 2.47% to 82.9m for the year ended 30 April 2016. This included 3.7m in adverse impact from previous changes in vehicle depreciation rates and 1.7m in adverse effect of the weakened Euro across the year. But adjusting for these factors, the companys underlying profit before tax increased by 3.3m.
The Darlington headquartered companys underlying basic earnings per share fell 4% to 51p.
There was reduction in net debt by 8% to 309.9m, which included 42.8m net cash generation post dividends and 161m from the adverse effect of the strengthened euro at the balance sheet date.
Northgate declared a 10% decrease in dividend per share to 16p.
The Spain division of the company outperformed the UK division with demand, as the unit reported an underlying operating profit of 41.3m, up from 33.3m in 2015, which includes a 2.3m benefit from previous changes in vehicle depreciation rates.
Customer numbers in Spain increased by 16% during the year and the average hire revenue per vehicle increased by 1% compared to the previous year.
There was lower demand in the UK than in Spain as the average number of vehicles on hire in the UK was 47,200, a 3% decrease compared to the previous year.
During the past six months the company recruited a new UK senior management team and structured it in a similar way to the Spanish team. A group executive committee was also formed which included senior management from both the UK and Spain.
Chief executive Bob Contreras said: "We are pleased to be delivering results in line with expectations, against a mixed trading backdrop with a reduction in the number of UK vehicles on hire being offset by a more encouraging result in Spain where we have seen an increase in our core flexible hire business and an improvement in the residual values of used vehicles sold.
However, the group warned that the UK's decision to leave the EU could "potentially cause a downturn in the economies in which we operate". The company said an adverse change in macro-economic conditions could also hurt its customers and increase bad debts.
"In the short term, foreign exchange volatility, credit risk and availability of capital may be affected by the decision for the UK to leave the EU. In the longer term, demand for our products and the cost of our supplies may be impacted."
Yet Northgate said that its current hedging arrangements protect it from material foreign exchange risks and it has sufficient borrowing facilities in place to fund its activities with maturities up to seven years.
Contreras added: We have confidence in the steps we have taken to strengthen our management team in the UK and, whilst it will take some time to translate into results, we have put in place a range of operational and commercial initiatives which will improve both the quality of the business and our financial performance over the medium term. Therefore we expect that the current financial year will be more heavily weighted towards strength in the second half.
Save my User ID and Password
Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.
Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs
Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs are powered by the company's Ampere architecture. The GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 GPUs offer up to 2x the performance and 1.9x the power efficiency over the previous Turing-based generation. The GPUs take advantage of the second-generation Nvidia RTX PC gaming platform to provide real-time ray tracing and AI gaming. The RTX 30 series was unveiled during a virtual launch event by Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang, who also announced that Fortnite is turning on RTX real-time ray tracing, adding four ray-traced features for a more immersive gaming experience, including reflections, shadows, global illumination and ambient occlusion.
Trump to return to Ohio one final time before November election
Trump will speak at the Dayton International Airport in Vandalia on Nov. 7, his second trip to Ohio in as many months.
Subscriber content preview
Many U.S. tech companies now count on Europe for a quarter or more of their business.
By BRANDON BAILEY
AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO Silicon Valley's biggest businesses could face tougher regulations following Britain's decision to withdraw from the European Union, and some might have to leave London to attract the best employees.
Many U.S. tech companies now count on Europe for a quarter or more of their business. Beyond facing a financial downturn as the pound's value erodes, these companies might find Europe a more challenging environment in which to do business.
. . .
Subscriber content preview
By PHUONG LE
Associated Press
SEATTLE Two companies proposing to build what would be the nation's largest oil-by-rail marine terminal along the Columbia River in Washington see it as an opportunity to link domestic crude oil from the Midwest to a West Coast port.
Critics, however, see an environmental and safety catastrophe waiting to happen, especially after a train carrying volatile Bakken crude oil derailed and burned on June 3 in Mosier, Oregon, just 70 miles upriver from the project site in Vancouver, Washington.
. . .
Subscriber content preview
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) The University of Alaska Board of Regents is considering the next steps for the partially completed engineering building at the Fairbanks campus.
The board was scheduled to hold a special meeting Monday to vote on $37.5 million in bonds to resume construction and complete the building, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
. . .
Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman put the disappointment of the defeat to France to one side on Monday night when he returned to a hero's welcome in Killybegs.
The defender, accompanied by his wife Rachel and their baby daughter Lilly, was met by hundreds of supporters who gathered in the town for a night of celebration.
The people of Killybegs are unbelievable, Coleman said.
Wherever I go, whatever I do, Killybegs people are on my mind.
You are always trying to make them proud and when you come back home, its always nice to meet them.
Tonight was a special night. You went from massive disappointment yesterday to really enjoying tonight.
Seamus happily mingled with supporters at a special 'meet and greet' event in the Bayview Hotel and even after 1am, he ws still signing autographs and posing for photos with supporters.
See Thursday's Democrat for more.
Halloween creatures owls, crows and bats all live at Crossroads, and that makes us very happy, for these scary animals make a positive contribution to the habitats of the preserve. We don't even mind black cats, IF they are kept indoors. Feral and outdoor cats are exceedingly harmful to wildlife ... and that's not a superstition! But to tamp down superstitions, we at Crossroads will spend the week demystifying Halloween creatures.
On October 28, 2022, at 6 p.m. will be our Evening with Owls. The Open Door Bird Sanctuary will be at Crossroads, offering a one-hour presentation followed by the opportunity to meet and greet live birds. Learn all about owls and the other incredible birds in the care of the Sanctuary!
Down through the centuries, in many cultures throughout the world, owls have been associated with evil and death. Truth is, owls probably are not smart enough to be evil. But researchers agree that owls are about as dim as the nighttime forests in which they hunt.
Owls don't need to be smart. They have everything else going for them. They are muscular. They fly silently. Their huge eyes enable them to see in the dark. Their beaks and talons are strong and wickedly sharp. But their sensitive ears are what make owls extraordinary hunters.
Most people assume that the plumicorns (a.k.a. "horns) of an owl are its ears. Not so.
The actual ears lie under feathers on the sides of the head, and they aren't symmetrical. Because one ear is higher than the other and the ears are unequal in size, sound is different from different directions, helping owls locate prey, which they do almost unfailingly, even in total darkness.
Owls do not smell their prey. As with most birds, the sense of smell is insignificant, if it exists are all. Great Horned Owls frequently prey on skunks. Enough said.
But well-developed intelligence? Researchers have observed owls beating their wings on bushes to try to flush out little birds. Is this learned behavior? Is it problem-solving?
Maybe.
For the most part, owls do not have a lot of problems to solve. They appropriate abandoned nests of other birds, so they don't need building skills. They are stealthy by nature, and they pounce on and usually catch anything they hear, so they don't need hunting techniques.
In spite of ghost stories, legends of American First People, and superstitions from Europe and India, hooting owls do not foretell impending death, although their nocturnal calls are spooky. We hear them now and then this time of year, but we will regularly hear those eerie calls at Crossroads in January or February.
In contrast to owls, crows are noisy all year round and they are amazingly intelligent. They can learn. They can remember. They can solve problems. They can even identify individual humans. And they detest owls, though whether this is innate or learned behavior is not clear.
Those curious about crows will want to attend the Crossroads Book Club on Wednesday, October 26, at 10:00 a.m. This month, the book Crow Planet, Essential Wisdom for the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt will explore the fascinating world of these remarkable birds. The program is free and open to all, whether or not they have read the book.
So bring the family to our program on owls, learn about crows at the Crossroads Book Club, or learn about bats at our pre-school Junior Nature Club on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. or our Family Science Saturday program at 2:00 p.m. Costumes are encouraged but not required at Junior Nature Club and Science Saturday, and adult visitors are welcome.
dpa ElectionsData
With dpa ElectionsData you get access to a unique collection of data. Via a programming interface (Rest-API), your developers can access detailed information, candidate profiles and live results for all national elections in the European Union and important international elections, like the US Midterm elections etc.
The data pool also includes all heads of state and government as well as about 20,000 elected members of parliament throughout the EU. In addition to their data (name, party, constituency or list position), we collect social media profiles and official websites of individuals and parties.
A friend of mine mentioned to me recently that he believed that there was a bicycle riding revival happening in Dundalk this very summer.
He based this belief on a recent visit to a bicycle shop in town where, he said, that he was amazed by the number and variety of bicycles on offer and, he maintained, the owner was doing a brisk trade.
How correct my friend was, I have no way of verifying but I know that Dundalk was once known throughout Ireland as 'The Bicycle Town'. Everybody from eight to eighty rode bicycles in the 1940s and there was a belief that Dundalk had more bicycles per head of the population than any other part of the world outside the 'Low Countries', as Belgium and Holland were then collectively known.
Whether everybody who rode a bicycle in those days owned one is another matter because it was common practice in those days to borrow 'a mount', either from another member of the family or from a friend. I once had a fellow student at secondary school borrow my bike at lunchtime because he came to school on a bus and wanted to do a message in the centre of town. When he returned I was shocked to find that it not my bicycle he had with him.
Now, bicycle theft was a serious offence in those days and told him that he better get up to the Crescent Garda Barrack as quickly as possible and sort the matter out!
When my friend returned a considerable time later he was quite shaken and confessed that he had taken a bicycle belonging to a sergeant of the gardai who had left it parked outside a local hotel. It appears that the sergeant had raised a 'hue and cry' among his fellow officers, thinking that somebody had taken his fairly new machine and replaced it with an 'old wreck'. My friend was stopped by another uniformed officer only half way to the barracks and he had some difficulty in explaining why he was riding 'the Sergeant's bike'.
I once had a bicycle stolen myself when at the 'first house' of a cinema. I eventually got it back but it was 'a horse of a different colour'. The machine was made up of several different stolen bicycles but the frame had my serial number on it, so I took it and said nothing.
It appears that the bicycle thief had the parts of a number of machines in his back yard shed when he was raided by the gardai. It had been his practice to dismantle the stolen bikes and to file off the frame number before reassembling them to look different.
His mistake was that he hadn't gotten round to 'doctoring' my frame before he was caught.
At one time there would be 'waves' of cyclists going to and coming from work and converging at the Market Square where a Garda Pat O'Brien did a great job in directing the traffic, one lot coming up from the Quay area from the footwear factories and the other coming down from the Railway Works.
I was caught in one of those 'tsunami' myself when going back to school after lunch on day when trying to turn into Chapel Street from Jocelyn Street. It seemed that half-a-dozen cyclists had rode over my front wheel which was left bent at right angles.
I was quite dazed but unhurt, apart from a few scratches! However, nobody stopped to see if I was injured and only Matt Sloan, a son of the licencee, came out of the Century Bar to help me to my feet. He gave me a glass of water, for which I was very grateful and dragged my battered machine up to George Elliott at the side of the Town Hall.
George worked wonders and did not charge me a lot far a replacement wheel but I had a lot of explaining to do as to why I was so late for classes.
Sussex News
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.
Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has been on a four-year crusade to protect corporate profits from the tyranny of keeping our citizens from being exposed to the highly toxic heavy metal mercury. It all started when he joined other tea party extremists in suing the USEPA over new regulations on air emissions that lead to utilities having to do upgrades to coal-powered power plants to reduce the amount of mercury and other contaminants they spew into the environment.
Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed that the USEPA needed to take the costs of regulations into consideration when promulgating new rules. However, they didnt put a halt to the new power plant regulations while the agency revaluated the proposed new law to take costs into account and, in April of this year, the new pollution regulations went into effect. Then, two weeks ago, the SCOTUS declined to hear Schuettes appeal to reject the new rules, essentially killing his efforts to prioritize corporate profits over public health and safety.
But, Schuette being Schuette, felt he had the duty to file yet another lawsuit file yet another lawsuit, this one in the U.S. Court of Appeals, to force the USEPA to review the new regulations again. This time, hes doing it without the consent or approval of Gov. Rick Snyder.
Despite apparently losing support from Gov. Rick Snyder some time ago, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is continuing his opposition to the mercury pollution rules set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. On behalf of 15 other states, Schuette on Friday filed a petition for review of the EPAs final mercury and air toxics standards rule with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by Schuette to hear the case again. The EPA published final rules April 25 on mercury in the Federal Register. [F]or some reason Schuette believes the Supreme Court, the D.C. Circuit Court along with Consumers Energy Co. and DTE Energy Co. utilities that have gone on record saying they are prepared to meet the EPAs new rules are wrong. In the case filing, Schuette named the petition, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, on behalf of the people of Michigan and the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas . Notice the wording is on behalf of the people of Michigan, not on behalf of the state of Michigan, as is the usual phrasing. Ari Adler, Snyders press secretary, said Snyder never has supported any of the appeals of the mercury rules.
These court cases cost enormous amounts of money and resources, all paid for by you and me when we pay our state taxes. Our state, already struggling under tremendous budget pressure thanks to corporate tax giveaways that carved a huge hole in our state revenues, now has to fund Schuettes personal vendetta against the USEPA, a vendetta hes pursuing to appease his corporate benefactors and to garner more tea party votes when he runs for governor in 2018.
Lets be clear about the real and present danger of mercury. This is from a Detroit Free Press op-ed all but begging Schuette to stop his crusade:
Mercury, like lead, is a neurotoxin. Also like lead, mercury is most harmful to children and can impact fetal development leading to a lifetime of harmful effects on language, memory, visual-motor skills, and attention. Most mercury exposure comes from the consumption of fish. In short, mercury emissions from industrial sources like power plants are deposited on land and water where some is converted to methylmercury. This highly toxic form of mercury enters food chains and bio-accumulates in fish. When people eat contaminated fish they ingest and accumulate methylmercury in their bodies. Pregnant women share that mercury with highly vulnerable fetuses.
By now, of course, all of these warnings about heavy metal neurotoxins and their impacts on vulnerable children are far too familiar to Michiganders.
Considering Michigans current issues with the poisoning of its citizens with another toxic heavy metal and powerful neurotoxin (i.e., lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan), you would think that Schuette would finally just let this go. Youd be wrong. It doesnt matter that the major utilities have already taken steps to comply with the new regulations. It doesnt matter that over 50 Michigan scientists recently asked Schuette to drop his crusade. In fact, it doesnt matter that the new regulations are expected to have a profound impact on the healthy and safety of our citizens and are cost effective in the long term:
These practical and achievable standards cut harmful pollution from power plants, saving thousands of lives each year and preventing heart and asthma attacks, said EPA spokeswoman Melissa J. Harrison. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can damage childrens developing nervous systems, reducing their ability to think and learn. All told, for every dollar spent to make these cuts, the public is receiving up to $9 in health benefits.
None of this matters to a tea party darling who has no problem spending precious tax dollars to promote his own corporatist ideology to win votes from those who hate the government. Bill Schuette is willing to shovel as much horse manure as he needs to to get himself elected in 2018 and his actions on this issue prove it.
Microsoft on Monday announced an agreement to buy LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional social media network, for US$26.2 billion in cash. The acquisition furthers Microsofts effort to extend the breadth of its content portfolio and to integrate its offerings into its platform of cloud services.
The companies jointly announced the deal: Microsoft will pay $196 a share in cash for LinkedIn, which will retain its brand, culture and independence under the new structure. CEO Jeff Weiner will remain at the helm, reporting to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Both Weiner and Reid Hoffman LinkedIn chairman and controlling shareholder fully support the deal, and the both companies boards have agreed to the acquisition. Microsoft will report LinkedIn as part of its Productivity and Business Process segment.
The companies share a mission to empower the global workforce, Nadella said in a Monday morning conference call.
When we talk about Microsofts mission, we talk about empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, he remarked. There is no better way to really realize that mission than to connect the worlds professionals to make them more productive and successful.
Professional Network
LinkedIn has grown its membership about 19 percent year-over-year to 433 million members worldwide. The network has 105 million unique members on the site per month, and 45 billion quarterly page views.
However, the company has seen its stock price falter in recent months in response to its warnings of shortfalls in projected revenue.
By combining professional social media with their Web-based business offerings, they have the potential to develop an extremely powerful collaborative environment that crosses business lines, said Mike Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.
Microsoft can benefit by adding new business features to LinkedIn, but it could alienate LinkedIn members if it should push too hard to leverage their data for marketing and sales opportunities, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Many professionals use LinkedIn as their homepage similar to the way hardcore Facebook users begin and end their days, noted Jeff Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies.
Salespeople often use LinkedIn as the default application for pursuing new business even more than they use CRM or other sales or marketing automation tools, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Creating tighter linkages between LinkedIns capabilities and Microsofts Office 365 productivity/collaboration and its Dynamics CRM will [demonstrate] immediate benefits of the acquisition, Kaplan said. In addition, it will encourage more developers to build applications on Azure PaaS that leverage the LinkedIn and Microsoft functionality, and store the data in the Azure IaaS.
Despite the potential benefits of combining LinkedIns social network with Microsofts cloud infrastructure, its questionable whether Microsoft can pull off a successful integration. The company has fallen short with some recent acquisitions.
Poor Track Record
Im usually skeptical of big deals like this, said Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research.
The last huge acquisition by Microsoft was Nokia, he told the E-Commerce Times, and that didnt end well, with Microsoft eventually writing down most of the value of the deal.
However, Nadella may avoid some of the mistakes of previous executives, Krewell suggested, adding that there are synergies between the Office 365 cloud base and LinkedIn that can be exploited.
In addition, Linkedin has in-app messaging capabilities that could be integrated into Microsofts Skype video, phone and messaging application, Tirias Principal Analyst Paul Teich told the E-Commerce Times. The deal also provides Microsoft with a network of business influencers to analyze with its deep learning tools.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a new Windows 10 upgrade policy weeks after losing a US$10,000 case in a small claims court.
The owner of TG Travel Group in Sausalito, California, last month won a final judgment after she alleged that her computer was upgraded to the new operating system without prior authorization, according to court documents.
The case was a high-profile example of customer dissatisfaction with the Windows 10 upgrade process. Many felt Windows 10 had been thrust upon them without their consent, and they complained that the uninstall process was nearly impossible to execute.
Get It While Its Free
The new experience has clearer options to upgrade now, choose a time or decline the free offer, said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the Windows and Devices Group.
If the red X is selected, it will dismiss the dialog box, and the company will notify the device again in a few days, he said.
Microsoft will continue to recommend Windows 10 installation until the free upgrade period expires on July 29, Myerson added.
Thousands of engineers have been working on making Windows 10 the most secure version of Windows, helping to protect people from viruses, phishing, identity theft and more, he said. Wed like our customers to upgrade and improve their experience with Windows and Microsoft.
System Failure
Teri Goldstein, CEO of TG Travel, alleged in her January filing that she had been using Windows 7 on her computer in August 2015 when it was chosen at random as a beta user for a Windows 10 upgrade. The update froze her system, and she spent months trying to get it fixed through Microsoft technical support.
The MS Task Force began to remotely uninstall and reinstall her operating system on a daily basis, Goldstein said, and she later got error messages saying she was an unrecognizable user. At the time, Microsoft did not have the ability to remove Windows 10 upgrades from systems that previously were running Windows 7, according to court documents.
During a seven-month period of attempting to fix the problem, Goldstein repeatedly was passed along to different Microsoft reps, some of whom were extremely rude, she said. One of the reps tried to offer her $150 to go away. By that time she had lost so much business that she resorted to legal action.
She filed suit in Marin County Superior Court citing the California Uniform Commercial Code, which holds that all products and services sold in the state have an implied warranty to be fit for purpose.
Microsoft needed to be held accountable for its negligence regarding the forced Windows 10 upgrade, which rendered many users computers useless, Goldstein told the E-Commerce Times.
Sensitive Timing
Microsoft filed notice to appeal the ruling in April, but abandoned the appeal on May 12. The satisfaction of judgment was filed on May 24.
Microsoft dropped its appeal to avoid the expense of further litigation, said company spokesperson Sophia Brockman.
News of the suits outcome came in the midst of Microsofts aggressive promotion of free Windows 10 upgrades through July 29.
Perceived consumer reluctance to upgrade might be tied to a trend toward using tablets or mobile phones for email and watching video, and using cloud-based systems to handle word processing, spreadsheets and more complex applications.
However, Microsoft early last month announced that Windows 10 was running on 300 million active devices, and noted that the free upgrade period would be coming to an end. After July 29, the upgrade will cost $119.00.
Loss of Trust
Microsofts upgrade policy not only was wrong from an ethical standpoint, but also risked creating long-term damage with its customers, according to technology analyst Jeff Kagan.
Microsoft is burning their relationship with so many customers its hard to see any value, he told the E-Commerce Times. The big question to me has always been why is Microsoft cutting its nose off to spite its face?
Many customers have grown tired of dealing with Microsoft and have defected to Apple or Linux, he said.
Microsofts aggressive stance on Windows 10 upgrades was due to the resistance it experienced around XP, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.
A large number of XP users refused to upgrade to Windows Vista for years, in part due to the new OS abysmal performance, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Microsoft obviously wants to avoid similar situations this time around and believes that Windows 10 offers superior performance and security than other versions of Windows, King said. Its initial approach to upgrading older systems was opaque and underhanded, but things have improved considerably over the past six to eight months.
The United States Senate last week rejected a Republican-backed amendment that would have given the FBI expanded authority to access the browser histories and other electronic records of targets of terrorism and other national security investigations without first obtaining a warrant.
The Senate voted 58-38 for the amendment, cosponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-NC, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The amendment would have granted the FBI the power to obtain suspected terrorists electronic records, including browser histories and email information, without a court order. The amendment fell short of the 60 votes required for passage.
Electronic Records Exception
It is disappointing that my colleagues in the Senate voted down our amendment to give law enforcement a counterterrorism authority that the FBI considers its No. 1 priority, McCain said.
The amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act would not have allowed the FBI to gain access to the private content of messages, he pointed out. It applied only to non-content transactional records.
The FBI is allowed under existing law to obtain phone and financial records of suspected terrorists without a warrant, but not electronic records. The proposed amendment also would have made permanent under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act the authority to monitor suspected non-U.S. citizen lone wolf terrorists, including ISIS-inspired who might have no direction from overseas terrorist organizations.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the legislation, as the bill is expected to be reintroduced and thus is regarded as pending.
Opponents of the amendment praised the vote, as they considered the bill an attempt to take advantage of the Orlando terror attack to push forward legislative overreach.
Privacy Win
Good news, tweeted Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a long-time critic of increased government surveillance authority, after the failed vote. Proponents of this fake, knee jerk solution failed to get support. That means we gained crucial ground.
The measure threatened the privacy of millions of Americans, open technology and privacy advocates argued, pointing out that any legitimate investigation can be accomplished by obtaining a court-ordered search warrant to get permission to search the browser history of a terrorism suspect.
The Senate should not respond to the massacre in Orlando by voting to gut Americans privacy protections and expand provisions of the Patriot Act that have been consistently abused by the government, said Karin Johanson, national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union. The McCain amendment would allow the FBI to collect Americans most sensitive information including the websites they visit and addresses they email without a court order. We urge the Senate to abandon this misguided effort.
The ACLU led a number of privacy and open technology advocates in rallying opposition to the amendment.
I think you saw a strong showing from grassroots advocates about the vote and its privacy implications, but it was an incredibly close vote and some members were missing, said Mark Jaycox, the civil liberties legislative lead at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The biggest question will be if Sen. [Mitch] McConnell (R-Ky.) brings this up for another vote, Jaycox told the E-Commerce Times. Its a key vote for privacy and technology advocates.
See You Later
In fact, McConnell, the Senate majority leader, switched his yes vote to no in a procedural move that allows him to bring back the bill for a second vote.
Missing members included Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Following the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, she joined Burr in cosponsoring a bill that would have required technology companies to cooperate with federal law enforcement on terrorism-related cases.
Volkswagen on Tuesday announced that it has reached an agreement to settle claims arising from the emissions scandal that has plagued the company since its discovery two years ago.
The company has agreed to set up a US$10 billion funding pool to buy back or terminate leases of diesel vehicles sold in the United States. Volkswagen had used software to cheat on emissions tests in labs for its turbocharged direct injection diesel engines.
Planned Pollution
The vehicles emitted up to 40 times more nitrogen oxides in real-world driving than the company registered in lab tests using the deceptive software. Volkswagen had put the software in about 11 million cars worldwide, of which about 500,000 were in the United States.
The vehicles in question were from the model years 2009 through 2015.
Volkswagen also agreed to establish a $2.7 billion environmental remediation fund, and to invest $2 billion to promote adoption of zero-emissions cars in the U.S.
The Department of Justice, the State of California, the Federal Trade Commission and certain private plaintiffs have agreed to the deal, which also must be approved by Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Actions Against VW
The DoJ early this year filed suit against Volkswagen and associated companies over the emissions scandal, and the FTC in March filed its complaint in federal court.
German prosecutors earlier this month began investigating former VW employees, including former CEO Martin Winterkorn, over allegations of fraud and market manipulation in relation to the emissions scandal.
Other countries regulators also are examining VW closely.
The companys next course of action is to tackle the international problem, said Praveen Chandrasekar, a research manager at Frost & Sullivan.
VW is rumored to have set aside almost 16 billion euros (US$18.2) for the scandal at the worldwide level, he told the E-Commerce Times.
Crime and Punishment
A penalty should be large enough so that not only doesnt the offending firm repeat its crime, but also no other firm even thinks of doing something like this, commented Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
The emissions scandal was brought to light by pure chance, which means the government wants to use fear as its primary method for compliance, he told the E-Commerce Times.
The scandal showcases the importance of governance and internal audit to catch things like this, Enderle suggested. This is a huge reminder that strong compliance and internal audit programs can literally save companies billions.
Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)
(Photo: Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News)Tight security at the Damascus Gate into Jerusalem's old city on Feb 8, 2016.
The World Council of Churches has called for the convening of an international ecumenical conference in 2017 "to reaffirm and strengthen ecumenical witness for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians."
The decision was made by the main governing body of the council, its central committee, meeting in Trondheim, Norway, from June 22 through 28.
The statement comes at a time when Israeli authorities and pro-Israeli groups have engaged in some strong criticism against WCC peace and justice campaigns in the Holy Land.
It also comes when tensions are rising in the region with increasing encroachment of illegal Israeli settlements into Palestinian areas and floundered peace talks along with flaring violence.
"We are called during this year to reflect together on the situation of the churches and societies of this region, the threatened presence and witness of Christians throughout the Middle East," said the WCC committee.
It noted the "long and unfulfilled search for peace with justice for Israelis and Palestinians, noting that next year 2017 will mark a painful anniversary: 50 years since Israel began its occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights."
The church grouping said it has had a deep involvement in efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace since 1948 when the State of Israel was created and the WCC formally established.
It said that even before 1948, the emerging WCC sought to help European Jews immigrate to safe havens, away from Nazi-occupied territories in Europe and assisted Palestinian refugees forced to leave their ancestral lands.
"The WCC has consistently denounced the use of violence and acts of terror, whether by the State of Israel or by Palestinian groups and individuals.
'JUST AND SUSTAINABLE PEACE'
"A just and sustainable peace cannot be secured by violence, which only begets more violence. In word and action, the WCC has consistently promoted dialogue and negotiation as providing the only viable path for a shared pilgrimage of justice and peace, in Israel-Palestine and throughout the world."
The "Statement on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Peace Process" called on its churches and ecumenical partners to "listen and respond to the voices of Palestinian Christians."
The central committee said the WCC should take active steps to encourage a continued robust indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land.
Further it should promote and support "all nonviolent efforts to end the occupation" of Palestinian territories.
It must also intensify "dialogue and cooperation with Jewish and Muslim partners on the pilgrimage of justice and peace."
The world church body called on its churches to support leaders and members of the churches in the area, "strengthening their presence in the cradle of Christianity."
It also highlighted the recent increasing attempts to pressure the WCC on some of its work in the Holy which includes a program to monitor checkpoints between Israel and Palestine by Christian, Jewish or Muslim volunteers on short-term assignments
"The WCC itself has encountered aggressive attitudes and actions by the authorities of the State of Israel, with several WCC staff and representatives of member churches and partners seeking to enter Israel having recently been subjected to exceptionally aggressive, intimidating and abusive interrogation and treatment, including detention for up to three days and deportation," the statement said.
Considered to be the Ten Best UFO Photos Ever Taken I am sure that we could add more pictures to this list but these are considered ten o...
I wish to pursue a career in the aerospace industry and wanted to become a pilot. However, my parents were not happy with my decision and insisted that I pursue a degree in the field before getting a pilots licence. That is when I decided to apply for courses in aerospace engineering abroad. I chose to opt for the University of Sheffield because the programme not only helps me get a Masters degree but also a years work experience in the aerospace industry. While applying to the programme I also decided to apply for the India Merit Undergraduate Scholarship which was available to five Indian students with a good academic and extracurricular record. The scholarship included a 9,000 tuition fee waiver. For the scholarship application, I was required to submit an essay on why I deserved to win the scholarship and information on my academic and extracurricular background. The process included several refinements of my application. The programme is challenging and involves modules from different engineering fields. It trains students in modules like mechanical engineering, automatic control system engineering, materials engineering and electronic and electrical engineering. The course is divided into two parts aeromechanics and avionics. The aeromechanics field is divided into aerospace materials, structures and manufacturing and aerodynamics and propulsion. The avionics stream is divided into aircraft power and actuation systems and flight control systems. A typical week in the course includes at least two to three hours of lab sessions which give students practical exposure to the theory discussed in class. Students who opt for the programme are required to meet submission deadlines and must focus on delivering quality course work along with group work and extracurricular activities. This calls for good time management and organisation skills. My aim is to attain my pilot licence and pursue a degree in business management in order to secure a good position in the aerospace industry.
With new academic standards ratcheting up literacy expectations, many teachers are looking for ways to engage students more deeply in writing and reading assignments.
Lauren Leigh Kelly, an English teacher at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, N.Y., and an adjunct English instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, has found that incorporating rap and hip-hop culture into the literacy curriculum can help connect instruction to students individual backgrounds and foster their interest in writing.
In 2011, Kelly designed a Hip-Hop Literature and Culture class at her school to engage students in the study of hip-hop texts, including songs, films, and music videos, as a means to develop media literacy and critical-analysis skills.
On the basis of the course, Kelly published an article this spring in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , published by the International Literacy Association, arguing that engaging with hip-hop texts in class can help studentsand especially female studentsreflect on their identities and hone their literacy skills.
I wanted the students to walk away from this class with [literacy] skills that they can apply to anything beyond texts, Kelly said in an interview. Theres something about using hip-hop specifically because of the role that it plays in the world right now that leads to more developed understanding.
Kellys Long Island school has a student body of approximately 1,50040 percent of whom are students of color. In its initial iteration, her hip-hop class was taken by a small group of 11th and 12th graders, including both white and black students. The course focused on four thematic units: hip-hop and its roots, hip-hop history and culture, gender and hip-hop, and hip-hop and the world. Kellys curriculum aims to get students to look critically at texts with multiple lenses as a way of better understanding the cultural implications and social context of texts and their own lives.
Textual Analysis
The course encompassed class discussions, written reflections, critical reading, and analytical writing.
So [I was] having them relook at the texts that they loved already or were curious about and ask really deep questions of them, Kelly explained. They were pulling out more questions, more evidencethey were looking at the voices that werent heard, like who are we not seeing or hearing and what would they be saying if we could.
Writing was a key vehicle for students responses to the texts. Kelly assigned multiple composition projects over the semester to assess students understanding and analytical skills.
One assignment was a literary essay in which students looked at a text, read literary critiques, and then wrote their own critiques on the text based on their reading and reflections. Another required students to choose a topic related to the class unitssuch as race, socioeconomic class, or genderand write a lesson for a class presentation to explore that topic and facilitate a dialogue with the rest of the students.
For the midterm assignment, students created a mixtape of at least 10 songs and wrote reflections for each track based on how it connected to the concepts, topics, and questions explored in class conversations. For the final project, students produced a hip-hop autobiography in the form of an essay, film, music album, or graphic representation. Most of the students chose to write the two-page-minimum essay.
Emily Chiariello, an independent education consultant who designed Teaching Tolerances Perspectives for a Diverse America curriculum, said culturally relevant instruction of the sort used in Kellys hip-hop course can work well with the expectations set forth in the Common Core State Standards.
The standards provide a huge amount of autonomy and flexibility in terms of the content that students are reading, and I see that as a good entry point to insert relevant and engaging texts and content that mean something to the students and thats relevant to their culture and their communities, she said. Theres no better way to teach literary devices than through hip-hop. Personification, metaphors, similes, rhyme schemes, and moretheres so much richness in hip-hop.
Over the course of the semester, Kelly found that students written pieces became longer, more developed, and more critical. They went from writing brief responses and answering only the question they were asked, she said, to bringing in more questions, specific evidence, and other things that they noticed.
The quality of the students writing varied, but overall, their work became more detailed with clearer explanations of the significance of the students ideas, Kelly said.
In their writing, they were able to really reflect on where they saw themselves in the music and where this music comes in their lives, she said.
Cultural Connections
Kelly said that bringing hip-hop into instruction not only helped shape students writing, but it also helped them become more socially aware and engaged in the classroom. She believes that was partly the result of the class becoming more student-driven as the students began to bring in their own notes from home and to take a greater role in guiding the discussions.
All I really provided was the opportunity by having the actual class where it happened and inviting them to bring in their lives and their full selves, Kelly said. Really, the students on their own introduced their histories, their experiences, some of the questions they were grappling with, and that became a part of the class texts and curriculum. It was tense at some moments, and difficult, but at the same time, very powerful for them to further explore those identities and for them to do it together.
Ideally, Kelly said, high school students should be in the drivers seat in their courses, leading and facilitating classroom instruction, but they can never do that if they feel like what theyre learning about isnt connected to them.
Students need to see themselves in what theyre reading and what theyre writing and what theyre doing in school ... otherwise it feels so pointless to them, she said. They need to feel like experts sometimes, they need to be able to teach each other about things, and its really hard to do when what theyre learning about has no bearingor at least they dont see it having any bearingon their lives and they dont see it as connecting to them.
One of Kellys intellectual influences, David Stovall , a professor of educational policy studies and African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said that there are various ways to make such connections with students.
I dont put too much emphasis on the hip-hop but the relevance, he said. It could be Coolios music or rock metal. Its looking at ways in which to engage young folks in ways that they find relevant, while also building skills and critical analysis. And that could be hip-hop and it could not be hip-hop.
Kellys hip-hop course is currently offered only one semester every other year at her school. In the meantime, she has been contacted by professors, special education teachers, and elementary school teachers who want to know how her class can be transformed for different audiences. Shes also planning a hip-hop and poetry summit for New York City students in the winter as a way to help share experiences and engage in creative wordplay.
Its great to see how this is [showing] the power of hip-hop literacy to go across geographically and even across communities language wise, racially, and economically, she said.
Description
The European Investment Bank is active in around 50 equity funds in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Pacific, with a total value of nearly EUR 5bn. These funds represent another way for our financing to reach thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that need investment to grow, create jobs and meet the demands of evolving populations.
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- The 41 Canadian Brigade Group was one of four foreign nations that participated in the South Dakota National Guards 2016 Golden Coyote exercise June 11 through 23.
Aiding a smooth transition into the U.S., Ellsworth AFB and Airmen from the 28th Logistics Readiness and Operations Support Squadrons supported the arrival and departure of approximately 240 personnel from the 41 CBG, providing the runway for landing and take-off and in and out-processing through customs.
During their time here, Canadian personnel provided mission command for engineering units supporting Golden Coyote, and assisted National Guard units during timber hauls and bridge repairs.
Task Force 41 engineers assisted the National Guard during timber hauls by de-limbing the logs for transport, said Canada Capt. Brad Young, 41 CBG Headquarters public affairs officer. The engineers also conducted bridge repairs at French Creek in Custer State Park by replacing the bridge deck and improving the pedestrian bridge in Custer.
The engineers also renovated buildings on Camp Rapid and participated in lanes training at West Camp Rapid with base personnel and units participating in Golden Coyote. While there, units took part in specialty-specific training such as convoy escorts, dismounted battle movements and urban terrain operations.
These joint exercises allow allied nations to work together and see how other nations operate, Young said. It gives us an opportunity to work with our counterparts to see what procedures are similar and what other units do a little bit differently, and allows us to incorporate and build on those procedures to make ours better. Exercises also help raise the level of understanding between our nations.
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. - "Quite simply, David Thatcher was the best of us."
That is how Col. John Martin, 28th Operations Group commander, characterized one of the last two Doolittle Raiders -- U.S. Army Air Corps Staff Sgt. David Thatcher -- who was laid to rest June 27 during a special ceremony in Missoula, Montana.
"I had the profound pleasure of meeting him in April 2013 at the Final Raider Reunion at Eglin (Air Force Base, Florida), and then again at the Final Toast in November 2013 at Wright Patterson (Air Force Base, Ohio)," said Martin, a B-1 squadron commander at Ellsworth at the time, who was among a handful of people invited to attend the event. "He and two Doolittle Raiders were also there -- Dick Cole and Ed Saylor. We swapped stories and they seemed to enjoy the time with us. As for me, my head was swimming -- I had merely hoped to be able to shake their hands. I still remember that initial meeting with great fondness."
Ellsworth has a strong tie to the Doolittle Raiders. It is home to three of the four original squadrons that participated in the historic raid: the 34th Bomb Squadron "Thunderbirds," 37th Bomb Squadron "Tigers," and 89th Attack Squadron "Marauders."
A B-1 bomber from Ellsworth conducted a flyover as part of funeral services to honor Thatcher, an engineer gunner on The Ruptured Duck, number seven of the 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers that launched off the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet and headed to the coast of Japan to wreak havoc on the Japanese empire April 18, 1942.
It is an incredible privilege to honor SSgt Thatcher for the remarkable service he rendered to this nation, said Col. Gentry Boswell, 28th Bomb Wing commander. He and his contemporaries are the core of our heritage as Airmen and warriors.
After dropping its payload, the Ruptured Duck crashed into the China Sea. Thatcher helped save his other four crew members who were seriously hurt and protected them on a beach. He was one of the only recipients of the Silver Star given to a member of the Doolittle Raid.
"He, like the rest of the Raiders, embodied service before self," Martin said. "They exemplified bravery and audacity to be sure. But, I think SSgt Thatcher and the Raiders over time became the model of humility often saying they were just doing their job -- perhaps that's one of the greatest takeaways these members of the Greatest Generation provide."
Martin remarked he often reminds today's aviators at Ellsworth that the Doolittle Raid is nothing short of the cornerstone -- the very foundation -- of their heritage.
We at the 28th Bomb Wing have a birthright like no other, Boswell said. Our heritage starts with the Doolittle Raiders. Their courage and perseverance in war and in their lives that followed as great citizens of their nation leave a challenge for all of us to live up to.
Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London.
13:33, 25 OCT 2022
Bell dismisses calls for independence as 'opportunistic politics'
Encouraging the Isle of Man to seek independence following the fallout from 'Brexit' wouldn't result in a "single positive".
That's the view of the Chief Minister who's responded to calls for the Island to explore the potential of breaking away from the UK.
Residents and politicians have been vocal about their feelings - Rushen MHK Phil Gawne says we have to start "thinking the unthinkable" and consider all the options.
However Allan Bell says despite holding a "passionate belief" that the Island should have greater independence now is not the right time:
Media
Allan Bell MHK
Microsoft's tactic of aggressively pushing its Windows 10 update to its user base has somewhat backfired, as the company ended up paying a relatively small fine to a California woman, whose work computer became unusable due to an unauthorized Windows 10 update. What's particularly ironic was the fact that the unauthorized update happened even before the tech giant became far too aggressive in pushing its new operating system to the public.
The woman, Teri Goldstein, runs a travel agency business. Just a few days after Microsoft released the new operating system to the public last year, her work computer, which she had been using for a while began to download and install the Windows 10 update. According to Goldstein, the Windows 10 update was not authorized.
What's worse, her computer was not compatible with the new OS at all. Eventually, the Windows 10 installation failed, and her computer reverted back to its old operating system. After this, however, her computer did not behave the same, as it would constantly crash and be unusable for days at a time.
"I had never heard of Windows 10. Nobody ever asked me if I wanted to update," she said.
Goldstein immediately contacted Microsoft's customer service, but they were ultimately unable to help her. Such aggravation proved enough for the travel agency owner to take the tech giant to court. In her lawsuit, Goldstein demanded compensation for lost income as well as the cost of a new computer.
The judge presiding over the case ultimately decided in her favor, fining Microsoft $10,000 for the woman's troubles. Though the amount is notably minuscule for the tech giant, it was nonetheless a significant victory for Goldstein, who, to this day, asserts that the case was founded on the simple notion of Microsoft tampering with her computer without her permission.
Microsoft, however, still denies any wrongdoing. According to a spokesperson, the tech firm paid the fine simply to avoid more expenses if the case had continued.
Younited Italia, Nicola Manzari e il nuovo Coo, Luca Faccini e Head of Growth e Domenico Petraroli e General Counsel
WASHINGTON -- Contrary to the opinions of some courts, it is easier to determine the truthfulness of a woman wearing a headscarf or even a veil that leaves only her eyes exposed than a woman wearing no head covering at all, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
"The presence of a veil may compel observers to pay attention to more 'diagnostic' cues, such as listening for verbal indicators of deception," said Amy-May Leach, PhD, of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The study was published in the APA journal Law and Human Behavior.
Judges in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have ruled that witnesses may not wear the niqab, which covers everything but the eyes, when testifying, in part because they believe that it is necessary to see a person's face to detect deception.
In the study, believed to be the first to look into the effects of religious garments on lie detection, researchers conducted two experiments with a total of 523 participants. They examined participants' lie detection accuracy, response biases and decision strategies when evaluating the testimony of eyewitnesses in three veiling conditions: women wearing a niqab, which covers everything but the eyes; women wearing a hijab, which covers only the head and neck; and those wearing no veil.
"We hypothesized that lie detection accuracy would be higher in the niqab condition than in the hijab or no-veil conditions because it would minimize the availability of misleading cues to deception," Leach said. "It was only when witnesses wore veils (i.e., hijabs or niqabs) that observers performed above chance levels. Thus, veiling actually improved lie detection."
In the first experiment, 232 students at a university in Canada were divided into groups. In one, 80 female "witnesses" were shown a video of a woman watching a stranger's bag. Half the witnesses saw the woman steal something from the bag. All the witnesses were told the woman was accused of theft and that they were being called upon to testify about what they saw. All were instructed to say the woman stole nothing - meaning half would be lying. Then they were randomly assigned to wear a niqab, a hijab or no veil. All wore black shawls over their clothing.
The witnesses were interviewed by trained experimenters and videotaped. The researchers then selected 10 videos of liars and 10 videos of truth-tellers in each veiling condition. The other participants watched the videos and indicated whether the women were lying or not. The result: Participants' judgments were more accurate when they watched the women in the niqabs and hijabs than when they watched those who were not veiled.
The second experiment was similar to the first but, in addition to Canada, it was also conducted in the Netherlands, where the government had recently nearly banned the niqab, and the United Kingdom, because a ruling on the permissibility of wearing a niqab in British courts was then imminent.
"Contrary to the assumptions underlying the court decisions cited earlier, lie detection was not hampered by veiling across two studies." the researchers wrote. "In fact, observers were more accurate at detecting deception in witnesses who wore niqabs or hijabs than those who did not veil. Discrimination between lie- and truth-tellers was no better than guessing in the latter group, replicating previous findings."
###
Article: "Less Is More? Detecting Lies in Veiled Witnesses," by Amy-May Leach, PhD; Nawal Ammar, PhD; D. Nicole England, BA; and Laura M. Remigio, BA, University of Ontario Institute of Technology; and Bennett Kleinberg, MSc, and Bruno J. Verschuere, PhD, University of Amsterdam; Law and Human Behavior, published online June 27, 2016.
Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/lhb-lhb0000189.pdf.
Contact: Amy-May Leach at amy.leach@uoit.ca or 905-721-8668 ext. 3706.
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes more than 117,500 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.
http://www.apa.org
If you do not want to receive APA news releases, please let us know at public.affairs@apa.org or 202-336-5700.
A period of controversy over the risks and benefits of statins, covered widely in the UK media, was followed by a temporary increase in the number of people stopping their statin treatment, finds a study in The BMJ today.
The increase in stopping was seen among patients taking statins for existing heart disease (known as secondary prevention) as well as patients at high risk of developing disease in the next 10 years (known as primary prevention).
The researchers found no evidence that widespread media coverage was linked to changes in the proportion of newly eligible patients starting statins.
The results are observational, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. Nevertheless, the authors say they highlight "the potential for widely covered health stories in the lay media to impact on healthcare related behaviour."
But a linked editorial argues that uncertainty over the benefits and harms of statins still exists and journalism that exposes the public to ongoing controversies in science should be nurtured.
Statins are widely recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In October 2013, two articles were published in The BMJ that questioned the value of extending the use of statins to healthy people at low risk of heart disease, and these were heavily criticised by some statins researchers, prompting widespread media debate about their potential risks and benefits.
Anthony Matthews at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and colleagues decided to measure how this period of intense public debate (from October 2013 to March 2014) affected the likelihood of patients starting and stopping statins for both primary and secondary prevention of CVD.
Using prescribing data from UK primary care records, they calculated the number of people aged 40 and over starting and stopping statins each month from January 2011 to March 2015.
Patients already taking statins were more likely to stop taking them for both primary and secondary prevention after the high media coverage period, particularly older patients and those with a longer continuous prescription.
The authors estimate that more than 200,000 patients across the UK may have stopped statin therapy in the six months after the media coverage - and that this could lead to over 2,000 extra cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, if continued over the next 10 years. But they stress that these calculations are based on several assumptions and should be interpreted with caution.
Study author Professor Liam Smeeth from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said: "Our findings suggest that widespread coverage of health stories in the mainstream media can have an important, real world impact on the behaviour of patients and doctors. This may have significant consequences for people's health.
"It's undoubtedly important that these debates are reflected in the media, who play a key role in communicating public health advice, but there is a concern that in the case of statins, widespread reporting of the debate may have given disproportionate weight to a minority view about possible side effects, denting public confidence in a drug which most scientists and health professionals believe to be a safe and effective option against heart disease for the vast majority of patients."
In a linked editorial Gary Schwitzer, Publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, says "we should not rush to judgement on the media's role in this episode."
He asks, what if news coverage did have an effect, by alerting people to the debate and uncertainty that still exist about the extent of potential benefits and harms of statin use? Is that such a bad thing?
He points out that the authors provide no patient data to support the belief that people stopped because of news reports, nor did they explore the possibility of reduced side effects, such as muscle pain and diabetes, as a result of stopping. "If news stories generate new questions from patients, or more complete conversations between patients and clinicians including better discussions on trade-offs, personal preferences, and values, that is an outcome to embrace," he concludes.
A second paper, also published today, estimates discontinuation rates of statins for over half a million UK patients and finds that, although more than 40% of statin users discontinue their therapy at some point, more than 70% of these restart. Because of the lack of data on reasons for discontinuations, however, the study cannot directly address why some patients discontinue statins.
Dr Fiona Godlee, Editor in chief, The BMJ said: "It seems to me absolutely right that there is public debate about the benefits and harms of treatments. Patients may now be better aware of several things. First that we have far less good information on the side effects of statins than on their benefits. Secondly, that for some people, especially those at lower risk of heart disease, the survival benefit from statins may not outweigh the negatives of taking a drug every day with all that this entails. And finally that the complete trial data on statins are not available for independent scrutiny. This should shock people. It continues to shock me."
###
BOSTON - A research team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Seoul National University has developed a new electric mesh device that can be wrapped around the heart to deliver electrical impulses and thereby improve cardiac function in experimental models of heart failure, a major public health concern and leading cause of mortality and disability.
The study, published in the June 22, 2016 issue of Science Translational Medicine, points to a potential new way of improving heart function and treating dangerous arrhythmias by compensating for damaged cardiac muscle and enabling living heart muscle to work more efficiently.
Under normal conditions, the heart pumps blood throughout the body through a series of coordinated contractions maintained by a carefully synchronized electrical conduction system. With the development of heart failure - when weakened heart muscle damages the heart's pumping mechanism -- this electrical conduction system can also be damaged.
"Some patients with heart failure are treated with resynchronization therapy, in which three small electrodes are implanted through a pacemaker to keep the heart contracting coordinately," explained corresponding author Hye Jin Hwang, MD, PhD, a researcher in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine in BIDMC's CardioVascular Institute. "But pacemakers deliver electrical stimulation only at specific places in the heart and do not provide comprehensive coverage of the entire organ, as the heart's own cardiac electrical conduction system does."
"We knew that an integrated strategic approach that directly suppresses ventricular tachyarrhythmia in addition to improving cardiac function would be a promising strategy for the treatment of heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death," said coauthor Mark E. Josephson, MD, Chairman Emeritus of Cardiovascular Medicine at BIDMC, Distinguished Herman Dana Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and an international leader in the field of electrophysiology.
Made up of nanowires embedded in a rubber polymer that can conform to the unique three-dimensional anatomy of each individual heart, the new mesh is designed to wrap around and "hug" the heart and thereby deliver electrical impulses to the whole ventricular myocardium, or heart muscle. In developing the novel material for this new device, Hwang collaborated with Seoul National University researchers Taeghwan Hyeon, PhD, a specialist in nanomaterials and Dae-Hyeong Kim, PhD, a specialist in stretchable devices. "We wanted to closely imitate cardiac tissue, which is very elastic, and also imitate its unique functions, which are highly conductive," said Hwang.
Working with multidisciplinary research teams spanning seven institutes in the U.S., China and Republic of Korea, Hwang and her colleagues developed the novel nanomaterial, created an elastic electrical device, tailored the device through 3D printing, conducted pre-assessment of mechanics through computer simulation and conducted functional assessment of the device in an in vivo heart failure model.
In studies of rats, the mesh integrated structurally and electrically with the myocardium following heart attack, acting as a substructure of the heart during cardiac movement and improving cardiac contractile function without disturbing relaxation.
"The big advance here has been finding a way to create a device that more accurately mimics normal physiology," explained Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD, Associate Chief and Director of Clinical Cardiology at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "The concept of wrapping the heart is not new, but doing it with this attention to a more physiologic approach makes the device exceptionally smart. This is not just another mechanical assist device. It's an innovative physiologic approach and provides an opportunity to bridge sophisticated engineering and medicine."
This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in Korea, as well as support from the National Science Foundation and the Institute of Computer Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas, Austin.
###
About Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks as a national leader among independent hospitals in National Institutes of Health funding.
BIDMC is in the community with Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth, Anna Jaques Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Lawrence General Hospital, Signature Healthcare, Beth Israel Deaconess HealthCare, Community Care Alliance and Atrius Health. BIDMC is also clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Center and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Jackson Laboratory. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit http://www.bidmc.org.
BINGHAMTON, NY - Government agencies are having difficulty tracking potential terrorist attacks, since terrorists have developed new ways to communicate besides social media. A new framework developed by researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York is able to predict future terrorist attacks by recognizing patterns in past attacks.
Using data on more than 140,000 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2014, Binghamton University PhD candidate Salih Tutun developed a framework that calculates the relationship between select features of terrorist attacks (e.g. attack time, weapon type). Mohammad Khasawneh, professor and head of the Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) department at Binghamton University, assisted and advised Tutun with his research. The framework identifies the characteristics of future terrorist attacks by analyzing the relationship between past attacks. Comparing the results with existing data shows that the proposed method was able to successfully predict most of the characteristics of attacks with more than 90% accuracy. These results support the previous findings that terrorists tend to emulate the behavior of other terrorist groups and learn from their mistakes and successes.
"They are learning, but they don't know they are learning. If we don't have social media or other technologies, we need to understand the patterns. Our framework works to define which metrics are important," said Tutun. "Based on this feature, we propose a new similarity (interaction) function. Then we use the similarity (interaction) function to understand the difference (how they interact with each other) between two attacks. For example, what is the relationship between the Paris and the 9/11 attacks? When we look at that, if there's a relationship, we're making a network. Maybe one attack in the past and another attack have a big relationship, but nobody knows. We tried to extract this information."
Previous studies have focused on understanding the behavior of individual terrorists (as people) rather than studying the different attacks by modeling their relationship with each other. And terrorist activity detection focuses on either individual incidents, which does not take into account the dynamic interactions among them; or network analysis, which gives a general idea about networks but sets aside functional roles of individuals and their interactions.
"Predicting terrorist events is a dream, but protecting some area by using patterns is a reality. If you know the patterns, you can reduce the risks. It's not about predicting, it's about understanding," said Tutun.
Tutun believes that policymakers can use these approaches for time-sensitive understanding and detection of terrorist activity, which can enable precautions to avoid against future attacks.
"When you solve the problem in Baghdad, you solve the problem in Iraq. When you solve the problem in Iraq, you solve the problem in the Middle East. When you solve the problem in the Middle East, you solve the problem in the world," said Tutun. "Because when we look at Iraq, these patterns are happening in the USA, too."
Tutun presented his work at the 2016 Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference (ISERC).
###
A sensor in development at Clemson University could help search for some of the globe's most potentially destructive weapons to keep them out of the hands of terrorists and rogue nations.
Mark Blenner and Sapna Sarupria, both assistant professors in the College of Engineering and Science, are working to create a sensor that would pick up signatures of tributyl phosphate, a solvent used to enrich uranium, including for use in a nuclear weapon.
Enzymes can detect tributyl phosphate signatures, but researchers must find a way to lengthen the enzymes' lifespans to make them more practical for sensors. Blenner and Sarupria are aiming to do so over the next three years with $487,000 from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
"The technology is there to do this in the near term," Blenner said. "What's missing is what our proposal addresses. It's understanding how to make these devices work reliably for long periods of time. The thing that goes bad most frequently is the biological component- the enzyme that's responsible for the detection."
Blenner and Sarupria, who are both faculty members in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, are coming at the enzyme challenge from two different angles.
While Blenner does experimental work in a lab, Sarupria is using her expertise to create complex computer simulations of how the enzymes will react in various situations.
"It allows us to get a very detailed picture," Sarupria said. "Because of the simulations, we can look at a single atom at a time and begin to observe the behavior. It allows us a very high resolution, which then allows us to find those underlying principles."
Researchers envision a small, discreet sensor that could rapidly and accurately detect tributyl phosphate signatures at distances sufficient for investigators to make crucial decisions. They hope to create a sensor that could be deployed remotely, possibly disguised as a leaf, or attached to a uniform.
For researchers, the key challenge will be coming up with a strategy to immobilize enzymes on a polymer-coated surface, where the chemical signal gets turned into an electric signal and goes to a computer.
"We're really trying to understand the underlying molecular-level properties of the enzyme and the characteristics that lead to this behavior so that we can look at it more generally rather than having to find a solution each time we use a different enzyme," said Blenner, who is the principal investigator.
"We want to find general principles that allow us to make smarter decisions about how to develop these systems to begin with."
The research could also lead to a better fundamental understanding of enzymes that would be useful in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries and biotechnology.
Douglas E. Hirt, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said the collaboration can lead to new discoveries.
"Bringing together experimental and simulation techniques lays the groundwork for innovative solutions," said Hirt, who is also serving as associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Engineering and Science.
"Drs. Blenner and Sarupria are to be commended for this collaboration."
Blenner and Sarupria have both recently won significant awards.
Blenner received the NASA Early Career Faculty Award and an award through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program.
Sarupria received an American Chemical Society OpenEye Outstanding Junior Faculty Award. She also received the Doctoral New Investigator Award from ACS Petroleum Research Fund.
###
Many uncultured microbes play unknown roles in regulating Earth's biogeochemical processes; everything from regulating plant health to driving nutrient cycles in both terrestrial and marine environments, processes that can impact global climate. While researchers are harnessing multiple approaches to identify these microbes, referred to as "microbial dark matter," and determine what they're doing, most techniques don't allow them to do both at once.
In a study published online June 28, 2016 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, utilized a recently refined technique to identify both individual active cells, and single clusters of active bacteria and archaea within microbial communities. Understanding the true scope of the planet's microbial diversity is of interest to the DOE in order to learn how they can be harnessed for a wide range of energy and environmental challenges.
"One of the biggest problems in the exploration of microbial dark matter is that so far, it is very complicated to determine when uncultured microbes are metabolically active and what their ecological function in a system is," said study first author Roland Hatzenpichler, a postdoctoral researcher working in the Caltech lab of microbial ecologist Victoria Orphan. As part of the DOE Biological & Environmental Research (BER) program, Orphan's lab has been studying the ecology and physiology of uncultured microorganisms catalyzing the anaerobic oxidation of methane in the environment. "When we deal with environmental or host-associated organisms that live within complex communities - typically thousands of species or more co-occur at the same time - it is very hard to determine what an individual species or cell is up to. Historically, this has been accomplished using single cell resolved isotope labeling. This is a comparatively tedious and expensive approach that is, however, very specific and sensitive. However, if we want to better understand microbiome functioning we need new, complementary approaches that are more high-throughput, that can be parallelized, and that are cheap. BONCAT [the new technique] is such a method."
BONCAT: A High-Throughput Technique to Understand Microbiome Functions
Short for BioOrthogonal Non-Canonical Amino acid Tagging, BONCAT is a technique developed at Caltech for bioengineering studies, but was adapted by Hatzenpichler and Orphan for use in microbial ecology investigations. BONCAT uses synthetic amino acids to label protein-making cells. These amino acids can then be stained with a fluorescent tag, lighting up active cells in their habitat. For this study, Hatzenpichler and his colleagues used sediment samples collected from deep-sea methane seep sediments off the coasts of Oregon and California for a series of incubation experiments, tracking the slow growth of methane-metabolizing bacterial and archaeal populations. The microbial communities in these sediments include aggregates of methane-oxidizing archaea called ANME (for ANaerobic MEthanotrophs) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) that live together symbiotically and help to remove some 80 percent of the methane released from ocean sediments.
The Caltech researchers combined BONCAT with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to analyze active microbes within these simulated environments and identify under which conditions they were active. "Typically, every methane seep site hosts several different groups of archaeal methane-oxidizers," Hatzenpichler said. "A long-standing hypotheses has been that different members from these groups are differently active at different times. By exploiting the capability to do BONCAT analyses in comparatively high-throughput mode, we found members of all groups of methane-oxidizing archaea were anabolically active during the incubation. Now we can start asking why."
Applying the BONCAT Technique to Flow Cytometry
DOE JGI researchers then helped develop a process that allowed the team to apply BONCAT to flow cytometry. "It's the same process as for single cell genomics, but for aggregates of symbiotic bacteria and archaea," said DOE JGI Microscale Applications Group head Rex Malmstrom of the technique called BONCAT-FACS (BONCAT - Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting). "We're sorting individual aggregates full of cells that are active in a simulated environment and with the cell sorter we can grab active cells to study them. We had to figure out how to adapt the process for the flow cytometer. After the sorting, we performed whole genome amplification on individual aggregates then sequenced the 16S rRNA marker genes to identify cells comprising the aggregate. We're now doing whole genome sequencing on these samples." Sequencing could then provide researchers the genetic information explaining why some microbes were active under certain conditions, and why some others were not.
Through BONCAT-FACS, the team found that the methane-oxidizing archaea weren't interacting with just the known sulfate-reducing bacteria, as had been expected, but were also sometimes associating with members of the less well-studied Verrucomicrobia phylum. These interactions had not been seen previously, and the finding suggests to researchers that methane-oxidizing archaea have a broader range of symbiotic relationships than had been thought. Whether these interactions are beneficial to both cell types or not is currently being addressed.
"JGI's main power lies in the ability to decipher the genetic code of microorganisms," noted Hatzenpichler. "By teaming up, we were able to isolate individual cell clusters involved in the degradation of the greenhouse gas methane from our samples, identify the cellular partners involved in this process, and gain insights into their genetic code." Orphan and her team plan to use the genomic information from the paired methane-oxidizing archaeal and bacterial partners to develop deeper insights into the physiology and mechanisms of interaction and energetic exchange between different methanotrophic consortia coexisting in the environment.
In the fall, Hatzenpichler will be starting his own lab at Montana State University-Bozeman. He will continue to work closely with DOE JGI researchers to uncover the biogeochemical impact and biotechnological potential of uncultured microbes.
###
The work was supported by the NSF Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Austrian Science Fund and the DOE's Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is committed to advancing genomics in support of DOE missions related to clean energy generation and environmental characterization and cleanup. DOE JGI, headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., provides integrated high-throughput sequencing and computational analysis that enable systems-based scientific approaches to these challenges. Follow @doe_jgi on Twitter.
DOE's Office of Science is the largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
DURHAM, N.C. -- As oil palm production expands from Southeast Asia into Central Africa, a new Duke University-led study warns that converting Africa's tropical forests into monoculture palm plantations will cause a significant spike in climate-warming carbon emissions. The authors urge regional governments to enact mandatory policies regulating which forests can be cleared and how much remaining forest must be set aside for conservation.
"Our case study, which focuses on oil palm farming in the nation of Gabon, finds that converting even previously logged forest into oil palm plantations will lead to high carbon emissions," said John R. Poulsen, assistant professor of tropical ecology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
"Clearing just 11,500 hectares of forest -- or roughly 28,400 acres -- would release about 1.5 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere," Poulsen said. "That's equivalent to the annual emissions of some small developing countries."
However, the new study finds that these emissions could be completely offset over 25 years if development were centered on forests that store less carbon and if a portion of every development had conservation set-asides.
Poulsen and his colleagues published their peer-reviewed study June 24 in the journal Conservation Letters.
They used field measurements and LiDAR satellite data to calculate forest carbon stocks -- the amount of carbon stored in trees -- and potential carbon emissions at the site of a 50,000-hectare palm oil plantation in Gabon. The plantation is being developed jointly by the Gabonese government and the agribusiness firm Olam International Ltd., to test if low-emissions palm oil development is feasible in the equatorial country on the Atlantic Ocean.
"While Gabon has ambitions of becoming a leading producer of palm oil, it also has made pledges to protect its environment and biodiversity," Poulsen said. "If this site is successful, it could open the door to development at other sites, so it's imperative that our work helps the government strike the right balance between economic development and environmental conservation."
In Southeast Asia, large-scale palm oil development has led to persistent, region-wide emissions problems and widespread deforestation and biodiversity loss, he noted. To prevent the same scenario from playing out in Gabon, the new study proposes a two-phase approach to plantation siting and development.
"First, we recommend establishing a nationwide carbon threshold of 108 to 118 metric tons per hectare. Only forests that store less than this density of carbon will be considered suitable for development," Poulsen said. "Second, palm oil companies will also have to set aside enough land within a plantation -- roughly one acre for every 2.6 acres developed -- to offset emissions.
"The precise set-aside ratio may vary by site, but 2.6 to 1 is generally the point at which carbon storage in the conserved forest will offset carbon loss in the rest of the plantation and achieve net-zero emissions over time," Poulsen explained.
"Although our study considers only forest carbon, and not biodiversity or other ecosystem services, we estimate there is enough low-carbon forest in Gabon to achieve net-zero emissions while still permitting the nation to meet its palm oil production goals," he said.
Allowing industry to voluntarily adhere to these new guidelines or opt out of them is not an option, he stressed. "To succeed, this approach needs to be mandatory and implemented by the government with careful land-use planning and strict enforcement."
###
Support for this research came from Olam Palm Gabon and Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.
Poulsen conducted the study with Mark E.H. Burton, a 2014 Master of Environmental Management graduate of Duke's Nicholas School. Other co-authors were Michelle E. Lee, Vincent P. Medjibe and Lee J.T. White of Gabon's Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, and Christopher G. Stewart and Arun Venkataraman of OLAM International Ltd.
CITATION: "Reducing Carbon Emissions from Forest Conversion for Oil Palm Agriculture in Gabon," Mark E.H. Burton, John R. Poulsen, Michelle E. Lee, Vincent P. Medjibe, Christopher G. Stewart, Arun Venkataraman, Lee J.T. White. Conservation Letters, June 24, 2016. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12265
The 2014 experimental controlled pulse of water to the Colorado River Delta has revealed an interesting twist on how large dry watercourses may respond to short-term flooding events: the release of stored greenhouse gases. This work is reported at the Goldschmidt conference in Yokohama, Japan.
As presenter Dr Thomas Bianchi said:
"We saw a rapid release of greenhouse gases (CH4 and CO2) from the riverbed sediments to the floodwaters. These gases were largely derived from carbon which had been stored in the dry riverbed, perhaps for decades".
Radiocarbon measurements indicate a resuspension and dissolution of trapped carbon in the riverbed that was released into the flood waters. The dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC, e.g., carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, bicarbonate, and carbonate) was found to be aged (often more than 800 years old) which would suggest that trapped CO2/IC would have been dissolved and released rapidly into the river water when flooded.
Thomas Bianchi continued, "This shows that more work is needed to better understand the more unpredictable consequences of floods and droughts on aquatic ecosystems, particularly in the face of global climate change".
The Colorado River - which carved out the Grand Canyon - is now contained by the Hoover and other dams. It is perhaps North America's most iconic waterway. Increasing use of water from the Colorado in both the US and Mexico has meant that the Colorado Delta in Mexico, where the river runs into the Gulf of California has largely dried up. The Delta wetlands of the Colorado are now only around 1/20th of their size prior to the Hoover Dam construction.
In 2014, a major 8-week experiment* released 130 million cubic metres of water from the Morelos dam (on the border with Mexico and the USA) causing a rise in river levels as far down as the delta. The pulse of water, concentrated around 27-29 March 2014, was aimed at bringing water to delta, which has been starved of water for decades. Scientists were able to look at the before and after conditions, to evaluate how future water releases might affect agricultural crops and natural plant and animal life of the lower delta.
The results of this very brief controlled flooding event showed that some of the carbon stored in the riverbed was rapidly released into the floodwaters, which although not directly measured, also likely allowed for the release of these greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. This indicates the need for a long-term approach, not just for the Colorado, but many other areas in the world that are currently experiencing human-induced changes in water flow.
According to Dr Bianchi (University of Florida):
"Based on our findings, we suggest that stored carbon in riverbeds (e.g., greenhouse gases) is more likely to be released in a more variable climate, with floods and drought, than under more stable conditions in arid and semi-arid regions. As human needs for water resources continues to increase, the drying and rewetting of once natural river deltas may fundamentally alter the processing and storage of carbon.
There is a lot still to understand. For example, we don't know how the duration of the wet and dry periods might affect the gas release, or whether maintaining minimum water flow levels might help.
Another factor we need to consider is whether the restored water supply would promote the growth of native plant species in the lower delta. These marsh-like plant communities capture atmospheric carbon and have the potential to store such greenhouse gases in their soils for long periods of time. There are other potential benefits too, for example the restoration of an eroding delta which would lead to coastal stability that should lead to benefits to local fisheries. Resolving these uncertainties is critical for assessing the role of inland waterways on global carbon budgets, identifying potential feedback loops under a changing climate, and planning future flow restoration events.
In practical terms, this means that restoring the river delta is not just a case of opening a tap every now and then: both the US and Mexico need to make a long-term commitment to maintain this complex delicate ecosystem, particularly in a region with such low rainfall. But we think that aiming for restoration is clearly the right thing to do".
Commenting, Professor Elizabeth A. Canuel (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), said:
"This presentation reports an unexpected finding that a short-term controlled flooding event on the Colorado River resulted in the release of greenhouse gases (CH4 and CO2) from the newly wetted riverbed sediments. Generally, production of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated from aerobic and anaerobic respiration of organic matter is thought to be higher in dry soils, rather than wet soils. However, as this preliminary study shows, dry river sections can become "hot spots" of biogeochemical transfer and transformation when organic matter and nutrients accumulated in the sediments are "activated" during rewetting phases and first-pulse events such as this controlled flooding event.
Overall, this study provides new insights about biogeochemical responses to flood events. It also has management implications because it shows that release of GHG could be a potential unintended consequence of controlled flood events that will need to be considered against the benefits of these events in terms of restoration and/or other ecological services". (NOTE: a longer comment is available from the press officer).
###
This work is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Hydrological Sciences Program.
*For background see: http://www.nature.com/news/water-returns-to-arid-colorado-river-delta-1.14897
Boulder, Colorado, USA - Although most people do not regularly appreciate it, geologic maps have been and remain a critical foundation of industrial society. They are used for myriad purposes, from locating and developing natural resources, to identifying and preparing for natural hazards, to building and maintaining infrastructure.
Many people who are familiar with introductory geology, via courses or reading, know that William Smith presented the first good geological map in 1815, a large map covering much of Great Britain. But beyond being the first such map, why was it so revolutionary and why is it still revered?
In the July issue of GSA Today, Peter Wigley addresses these very questions. Through digitization of "The 1815 Map" and poring through contemporary documents, Wigley describes how original map features were produced and presented, and compares these to those used in the generation of modern geologic maps for the same region.
Two hundred years later, the original map remains astonishingly accurate. The reasons lie in the combination of a brilliantly creative individual, a crucial collaborator, some timely technology, and an intriguing taxation law. While Wigley does not draw parallels to developments over the last few decades, one could certainly suggest a recurring theme and perhaps a future Hollywood movie.
###
ARTICLE
The Development and Evolution of the William Smith 1815 Geological Map from a Digital Perspective Peter Wigley, Lynx Geographic Information Systems Ltd., 93-99 Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London SW15 2TG, UK. Pages 4-10; doi: 10.1130/GSATG279A.1.
GSA Today articles are open access online; for a print copy, please contact Kea Giles. Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to GSA Today in articles published.
http://www.geosociety.org/
For about two decades, astronomers have known about an object called VLA J213002.08+120904 (VLA J2130+12 for short). Although it is close to the line of sight to the globular cluster M15, most astronomers had thought that this source of bright radio waves was probably a distant galaxy.
Thanks to recent distance measurements with an international network of radio telescopes, including the EVN (European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network) telescopes, the NSF's Green Bank Telescope and Arecibo Observatory, astronomers realized that VLA J2130+12 is at a distance of 7,200 light years, showing that it is well within our own Milky Way galaxy and about five times closer than M15. A deep image from Chandra reveals it can only be giving off a very small amount of X-rays, while recent VLA data indicates the source remains bright in radio waves.
This new study indicates that VLA J2130+12 is a black hole a few times the mass of our Sun that is very slowly pulling in material from a companion star. At this paltry feeding rate, VLA J2130+12 was not previously flagged as a black hole since it lacks some of the telltale signs that black holes in binaries typically display.
"Usually, we find black holes when they are pulling in lots of material. Before falling into the black hole this material gets very hot and emits brightly in X-rays," said Bailey Tetarenko of the University of Alberta, Canada, who led the study. "This one is so quiet that it's practically a stealth black hole."
This is the first time a black hole binary system outside of a globular cluster has been initially discovered while it is in such a quiet state.
Hubble observations identified VLA J2130+12 with a star having only about one-tenth to one-fifth the mass of the Sun. The observed radio brightness and the limit on the X-ray brightness from Chandra allowed the researchers to rule out other possible interpretations, such as an ultra-cool dwarf star, a neutron star, or a white dwarf pulling material away from a companion star.
Because this study only covered a very small patch of sky, the implication is that there should be many of these quiet black holes around the Milky Way. The estimates are that tens of thousands to millions of these black holes could exist within our Galaxy, about three to thousands of times as many as previous studies have suggested.
"Unless we were incredibly lucky to find one source like this in a small patch of the sky, there must be many more of these black hole binaries in our Galaxy than we used to think," said co-author Arash Bahramian, also of the University of Alberta.
There are other implications of finding that VLA J2130+12 is relatively near to us.
"Some of these undiscovered black holes could be closer to the Earth than we previously thought," said Robin Arnason, a co-author from Western University, Canada "However there's no need to worry as even these black holes would still be many light years away from Earth."
Sensitive radio and X-ray surveys covering large regions of the sky will need to be performed to uncover more of this missing population.
If, like many others, this black hole was formed in the plane of the Milky Way's disk, it would have needed a large kick at birth to launch it to its current position about 3,000 light years above the plane of the Galaxy.
###
These results appear in a paper in The Astrophysical Journal. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, controls Chandra's science and flight operations.
Contact
Dr James Miller-Jones
ICRAR-Curtin University, research co-author
61-8-9266-9141
james.miller-jones@icrar.org
Kirsten Gottschalk
ICRAR media contact
61-438-361-876
kirsten.gottschalk@icrar.org
Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center, Cambridge, Mass.
1-617-496-7998
mwatzke@cfa.harvard.edu
In a sample study, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have found an association between the makeup of an individual's microbiome and head and neck cancer, a finding that potentially advances the quest for faster and more accurate cancer diagnosis and therapy.
In a report on the research published on May 30, 2016 in Oncotarget, the scientists say that populations of the human microbiome -- the collection of normal bacteria inhabiting peoples' bodies -- can help discriminate between patients with head and neck cancer and healthy individuals.
"One of the goals of our research is to better understand how the microbiome may influence the immune response to cancer and how the immune response affects the microbiome in turn," says Rafael Guerrero-Preston, Dr. P.H., M.P.H., assistant professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of its Kimmel Cancer Center. "Our findings suggest that we may one day use the composition of the microbiome to test for disease."
Trillions of microbes colonize the adult body. Changes in this community have already been tied to the risk and presence of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer. With more information on how these microbes are connected with cancer and cancer risk factors, such as genetic predispositions, smoking and other environmental factors, researchers hope to create individualized screening and treatment plans for cancer patients and for those at an increased cancer risk.
For this study, Guerrero-Preston and his colleagues extracted bacterial DNA from the saliva of 42 patients. Seventeen samples were drawn from people with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, seven of which were positive for HPV and 10 of which were HPV-negative. Twenty-five noncancerous samples were used as a control.
The bacterial DNA found in the saliva was sequenced and sorted into groups of highly related populations. Through further DNA analysis, researchers were then able to determine the category, or genus, of bacteria to which each group belonged.
The researchers found differences in the bacterial populations present in cancerous versus noncancerous samples. Samples from patients with tumors, for example, showed increased populations of Streptococcus, Dialister and Veillonella genera, as well as decreased populations of Neisseria, Aggregatibacter, Haemophilus and Leptotrichia genera with respect to controls. Tumor samples also showed an increased prevalence of the Lactobacillus genus, which was present in 9.1 percent of tumor samples and in only 0.1 percent of the healthy controls. In addition, the researchers found correlations between the types of bacteria present and the patients' HPV statuses. HPV-positive samples had increased abundances of Gemellaceae, Leuconostoc and Veillonella genera when compared to HPV-negative samples. Veillonella, for example, was present in 15 percent of HPV-positive tumor samples but was only present in 9.4 percent of HPV-negative tumor samples.
"We see some specific bacterial populations that are increased or lost in the presence of cancer when compared to healthy controls," says Guerrero-Preston. This may mean that either the tumor is affecting the environment in the mouth by killing bacteria that would fight cancer or that the patients may be predisposed to cancer because they originally lacked bacteria that prevent tumor development.
Guerrero-Preston cautions that these findings do not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between any of the bacteria and head and neck cancer, stressing the preliminary nature of these assays. In particular, he says that future research needs to distinguish between the detection of bacterial DNA and the effects of the bacteria themselves. In order to determine how bacteria affect the oral environment, Guerrero-Preston's team intends to look at which genes bacteria have turned on in saliva samples.
If the differences in the microbiome between cancerous and noncancerous/HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors are confirmed in further studies with more patients, doctors may be able to use the same sequencing tools as Guerrero-Preston to quickly and accurately screen and diagnose patients based on the bacteria present in their mouths.
Guerrero-Preston says other research on the human microbiome has found that bacteria only present in the gut influence immunotherapies that utilize the body's immune system to combat cancer in other tissues. With a greater understanding of how bacteria interact with a patient's immune system, doctors may be better able to determine if immunotherapy will be effective and what side effects the patient may experience as a result of the treatment.
###
Other scientists who contributed to the study include Jessica Bondy, Fahcina Lawson, Oluwasina Folawiyo, Christina Michailidi, Tal Hadar, Maartje G. Noordhuis, Wayne Koch and David Sidransky of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Arnold Rodriguez and Herminio Gonzalez of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico; Anne Jedlicka and Amanda Dziedzic of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Rajagowthamee Thangavel of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Funding for the study was provided by National Cancer Institute grants (U01CA84986, K01CA164092, CA121113), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research grants (P50DE019032, RC2DE20957).
Researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have gleaned two important new clues in the fight against Parkinson's disease: that blocking an enzyme called c-Abl prevents the disease in specially bred mice, and that a chemical tag on a second protein may signal the disorder's presence and progression. Their work, described online June 27 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests both a promising target for drug research and a tool that could speed Parkinson's disease research more broadly, they say.
"There were indications that c-Abl activity leads to Parkinson's disease, and our experiments show there is indeed a connection," says Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "There is already a Food and Drug Administration-approved c-Abl inhibiting drug in use for leukemia," he adds, "so we're interested in whether it could be used safely against Parkinson's disease or as a starting point to develop other treatments."
Autopsies have revealed that c-Abl is especially active in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. Additionally, studies in mice bred to be prone to the disease found drugs that block c-Abl may prevent or slow it. But, says Han Seok Ko, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins, "the drugs used in those studies could also have been blocking similar proteins, so it wasn't clear that blocking c-Abl was what benefited the animals by either preventing symptoms or influencing disease progression."
The researchers' new experiments started with mice genetically engineered to develop the disease and "knocked out" the gene for c-Abl, a move that reduced their disease symptoms. Conversely, genetically dialing up the amount of c-Abl the mice produced worsened symptoms and hastened the disease's progression. Increasing c-Abl production also caused normal mice to develop Parkinson's disease, the researchers say.
To learn more about how that happened, the team took a look at how c-Abl interacts with another protein, -synuclein. It's long been known that clumps of -synuclein in the brain are a hallmark of Parkinson's. The Johns Hopkins researchers found that c-Abl adds a molecule called a phosphate group to a specific place on -synuclein, and that increasing levels of c-Abl drove more -synuclein clumping along with worsening symptoms, says Dawson.
"We plan to look into whether -synuclein with a phosphate group on the spot c-Abl targets could serve as a measure of Parkinson's disease severity," he says. No such objective, biochemical measurement exists now, he notes, which hampers studies of potential therapies for the disease.
Dawson and Ko caution that the use of the anti-leukemia drug nilotinib is not yet indicated for Parkinson's disease patients and that further studies are needed before their results can be applied to clinical care.
About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and up to 10 million people worldwide are living with the disease, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. People with the disease commonly experience tremors; slow, stiff movement; mood disorders; sleep disorders; and other symptoms. Certain gene variants and environmental exposures have been linked to Parkinson's disease, though its causes are still under investigation.
###
Other authors on the paper are Saurav Brahmachari, Preston Ge, Su Hyun Lee, Donghoon Kim, Senthilkumar S. Karuppagounder, Manoj Kumar, Xiaobo Mao, Yunjong Lee, Olga Pletnikova, Juan C. Troncoso and Valina L. Dawson, all of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (grant numbers NS38377 and NS082205), the JPB Foundation, and a Parkinson's Disease Foundation Summer Student Fellowship (number PDF-SFW-1572). Dawson is the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Professor of Neurodegenerative Diseases. The authors acknowledge the joint participation by the Adrienne Helis Malvin Medical Research Foundation and the Diana Helis Henry Medical Research Foundation through their direct engagement in the continuous active conduct of medical research in conjunction with The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The smallest building blocks of matter were the focus of a panel discussion held yesterday at the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.
In particular, laureates Steven Chu, David J. Gross, Takaaki Kajita and Carlo Rubia together with three young scientists working at the European nuclear research centre CERN in Geneva spoke about recent experiments designed to detect hitherto unknown particles. The Director General of CERN, Fabiola Gianotti, was also present via live video stream.
The standard model incorporates the current state of knowledge about matter particles and force particles, including the Higgs boson, which was not experimentally detected until 2012. However, it fails to explain numerous phenomena; for example, the theory does not include gravitation. Moreover, knowledge is lacking about the composition of dark matter and dark energy, which make up a large part of the universe. Supersymmetric particles, which may provide an explanation, do not figure in the standard model. Also, the standard model is at odds with the finding that neutrinos have mass, as explained during the panel discussion in Lindau by Takaaki Kajita, who was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for this observation.
ATLAS and CMS, the two large detectors of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator at CERN, presented data in December last year that might suggest the existence of another massive particle. Both experiments measured a small surplus of photon pairs -- tandem light particles -- with a combined mass of around 750 giga-electron volts in the debris of particle collisions. Now that the power of the LHC has been significantly boosted once again, researchers hope that new measurements will shed light on this phenomenon. They have already collected more data than during the whole of last year.
"We're analysing these data very carefully at the moment, but we do not yet have any official findings to announce," reported Fabiola Gianotti. There was some speculation as to whether news of the discovery of the suspected new elementary particle might be expected at the beginning of August, when the 38th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) is held in Chicago. Four years ago, the discovery of the Higgs boson was presented at this same conference series.
Besides particle physics, quantum physics and cosmology are focal topics within the programme of the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. It was inaugurated on Sunday and runs until Friday, 1 July. 29 Nobel Laureates and 400 undergraduates, PhD students and postdocs from approximately 80 countries take part.
###
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have been held every year at Lake Constance since 1951. The meetings focus alternately on physiology and medicine, physics or chemistry - the three natural science Nobel Prize disciplines. An interdisciplinary meeting encompassing all three natural sciences is held every five years. In addition, the Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences is held every three years.
A period of intense debate about statins, covered widely in the mainstream media, was followed by a substantial rise in the proportion of people in the UK stopping taking the drug, according to a new study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study by Anthony Matthews and colleagues is the first to attempt to quantify how the controversy questioning the risk-benefit balance for statins, reflected by the UK media, may have affected the use of the drug in primary care.
The researchers found no evidence that widespread media coverage of the debate was linked to changes in the proportion of newly eligible patients starting statins, but there was an increase of existing users stopping statin therapy.
Statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and are widely recommended as part of the prevention strategy for patients with a high recorded 10-year CVD risk score (primary prevention) and patients who have experienced a recent cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke (secondary prevention).
Severe side effects associated with statins are extremely rare, but questions over the frequency with which the drugs cause problematic symptoms, such as muscle pain and weakness, have been raised in the academic press and reported in the national media.
Using data from UK primary care records, the researchers calculated the proportion of patients initiating and stopping statins for primary and secondary CVD prevention each month from January 2011 - March 2015. They analysed the data to investigate changes in statin use following a period of intense media coverage of the public debate around statins from October 2013 to March 2014.[1]
The researchers found an 11% and 12% increase of existing users stopping statins given for primary and secondary prevention respectively following the period of intense coverage. The increase appeared to be temporary, with the overall proportion stopping the drug returning to expected levels six months after the coverage. Older patients and those who had been taking statins for longer were more likely to stop therapy.
The analysis also revealed a marked decrease in the proportion of patients receiving a 10-year CVD risk score from their GP after the period of media coverage, which the researchers say suggests other important impacts on conversations between GPs and patients regarding general cardiovascular health.
Study author Dr Liam Smeeth from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said: "Our findings suggest that widespread coverage of health stories in the mainstream media can have an important, real world impact on the behaviour of patients and doctors. This may have significant consequences for people's health.
"It's undoubtedly important that debates around health issues are reflected in the media, who play a key role in communicating public health advice. We have seen many other instances where health-related media coverage has had an impact on patient behaviour, sometimes in a positive way, such as increases in attendance for cancer screening after coverage of celebrities developing cancer.
"However, in the case of statins, we are concerned that widespread reporting of the debate has given disproportionate weight to a minority view about possible side effects. This has dented public confidence in a drug which most scientists and health professionals believe to be a safe and effective option against heart disease for the vast majority of patients."
Scaling their findings up to the UK population, the researchers estimated that, assuming the intense media coverage was the cause of the observed changes, it could have resulted in more than 200,000 patients across the UK stopping statin therapy in the six months following the exposure period.
Previous research suggests that up to two-thirds of patients who stop statins will restart within 12 months, but the remainder may have stopped permanently, losing any protection their statins conferred against cardiovascular disease.
The researchers then modelled the number of cardiovascular events (such as heart attack and stroke), that may have resulted from the changes, by combining the number of people thought to be affected with established estimates for the effectiveness of statins. Based on a number of assumptions, they estimated there would be at least 2,000 cardiovascular events over the next 10 years, which would not have occurred if these patients had continued taking statins.[2] The British Heart Foundation estimate that 188,000 hospital stays are attributable to heart attacks per year.
Dr Smeeth said: "Journalists are faced with the difficult task of reporting claims and counter claims when it comes to health research. While they are accountable for accurate, balanced and responsible reporting, scientists, journals and press offices are accountable for the accurate dissemination of research.
"Patients should have the most accurate information possible that reflects the balance of scientific evidence to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. People with concerns about statins, or who are thinking about making any important health decision, should always discuss this with their doctor."
Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "There is no debate that patients who have suffered a heart attack or stroke should be taking statins to reduce their risk of another cardiovascular event. Evidence from numerous objective clinical trials also shows that statins are a safe and effective way of reducing risk of someone suffering a heart attack or stroke in the first place.
"It is absolutely vital that medical practice is guided by evidence, rather than strongly held personal opinions. This study shows that confidence in the evidence can be shaken by opinions published in the mainstream media and medical press and points to an important and complex relationship between doctors, patients and the media.
"No one should stop taking their statin without first discussing it with their GP."
The authors acknowledge that their study cannot confirm that media coverage of the statins debate was the cause of the observed changes in the likelihood of stopping statins. If other external factors affecting prescribing rates coincided with the media coverage, this may have affected the study estimates. To try to rule this out they carried out two additional analyses, one using the same methods to look for changes in the use of drugs prescribed for glaucoma, and another looking at changes in statin prescribing exactly a year earlier when there was no notable media coverage. As expected, neither analyses showed associations, strengthening the researchers' confidence in their methods and their main findings.
###
For more information please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine press office on press@lshtm.ac.uk or +44(0)2079272802.
Notes to Editors:
Anthony Matthews, Emily Herrett, Antonio Gasparrini, Antonio, Tjeerd van Staa, Ben Goldacre, Liam Smeeth, Krishnan Bhaskaran, Impact of statin media coverage on the use of statins in the UK: an interrupted time series analysis using primary care data, BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.i3283
For an embargoed copy of the paper see: http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/june/statins.pdf
NOTE: THE ABOVE LINK IS FOR JOURNALISTS ONLY; IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A LINK TO THIS PAPER FOR YOUR READERS, PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING, WHICH WILL GO LIVE AT THE TIME THE EMBARGO LIFTS:
http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i3283
[1] In October 2013, two articles published in the British Medical Journal were perceived as critical of statins, with one suggesting that side effects of statins may outweigh their overall health benefits in patients at low and intermediate risk of CVD. Although the published articles were based on evidence from non-blinded observational data and were focussed on the benefit:risk ratio in those with low CVD risk, they generated extensive and broader discussion in the media about statins. The debate peaked in March 2014 when most UK national media outlets covered the subject. Media coverage of these articles was likely intensified due to the impending changes in the guidelines proposed by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, July 2014), which broadened eligibility for statins from patients with high (?20%) ten year CVD risk to those with intermediate (?10%) ten year CVD risk. The researchers determined the end date of March 2014 by carrying out a Google trend analytics search for the term 'statin side effects' in the UK, which peaked at this time.
[2] The authors note limitations in their estimates of resulting CVD events, as these calculations are based on a number of assumptions and approximations, and could not take into account any future changes in statin use or CVD prevention.
Funding: The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation. Krishnan Bhaskaran holds a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (grant number 107731/Z/15/Z). Liam Smeeth is funded by a Wellcome Trust senior fellowship in clinical science. The funders had no role in the design, analysis or writing up of this study.
Competing interests AG reports grants from Medical Research Council during the conduct of the study and personal fees from University of Umea, unrelated to the submitted work. TVS reports personal fees from GSK, Roche, and Sanofi for presenting on methods for pragmatic trials, and grant funding from GSK unrelated to the submitted work. BG reports grants from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Wellcome Trust, the Health Foundation, and receives additional income from speaking, writing, and broadcasting on problems in science and medicine. LS reports grants from Wellcome Trust and British Heart Foundation during the conduct of the study; grants from Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research and the European Union outside the submitted work, personal fees from GSK for advisory work unrelated to the submitted work, grant funding from GSK for academic research unrelated to the submitted work, acts as an unpaid steering committee chair for AstraZeneca for a randomised trial unrelated to the submitted work, and is a Trustee of the British Heart Foundation. KB reports grants from British Heart Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Royal Society during the conduct of the study, and grant funding from Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research unrelated to the submitted work.
About the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health, with more than 4,000 students and 1,000 staff working in over 100 countries. The School is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, and among the world's leading schools in public and global health. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice. http://www.lshtm.ac.uk
Toronto (June 28, 2016) - Researchers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, along with researchers at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, have created protein signatures that accurately diagnose prostate cancer and can distinguish between patients with aggressive versus non-aggressive disease using a simple urine sample. The findings could be developed into a non-invasive "liquid biopsy" that could provide a faster, cheaper and easier method to detect prostate cancer with fewer complications for patients. The findings were published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Researchers performed an initial discovery screen on urine samples from men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and those who were not to look for all proteins that might be different between them. They also screened for all proteins in the urine that might be different between patients with aggressive and non-aggressive disease. From these initial discoveries, they identified a subset of proteins unique to each grouping and developed two signatures: one that could be used to accurately indicate whether a patient has prostate cancer or not and a separate signature to indicate outcome.
"The amazing thing about these signatures is that their rate of accuracy is as good or better than the invasive tests that are used today, with far fewer drawbacks," said Dr. Paul Boutros, a Principal Investigator at OICR and a lead author on the paper. "They can replace invasive, expensive, uncomfortable tests with something much easier and simpler. This type of cheap, non-invasive testing could allow patients to be screened much more frequently, allowing for more accurate monitoring of patients' non-aggressive cancer over time, sparing patients biopsies, imaging tests and even unnecessary surgeries."
Current methods to diagnose prostate cancer usually include a combination of digital rectal exams, prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests and biopsy, all of which have drawbacks, including their invasiveness for patients, potential complications and false-positive results (tests finding evidence of cancer when none is there). Finding new ways to accurately diagnose prostate cancer is considered a priority for many research institutions, including OICR, because the result of these tests' shortcomings is in many cases over-diagnosis and over-treatment.
There were three sites involved in the discovery and each brought their own unique expertise to the project. The Eastern Virginia Medical School developed clinical resources, while UHN researchers were generating large amounts of proteomic data and were developing new techniques to test proteins in blood. All of the proteomic and clinical data flowed to OICR where it was pieced together using computational biology, and where the proteins in the discovery screen were identified.
"Computational biology can help to identify the most probable protein biomarkers that show significant change of expression between two clinical or pathological conditions and could be involved in cancer development and progression," said Dr. Clare Jeon, a bioinformatician at OICR who led the computational biology portion of the study. "Initial proteomics work in this study generated expression information from 624 proteins. Computational analyses performed here at OICR reduced the number of proteins by identifying significantly differentially expressed proteins and finally characterized a set of six protein biomarkers for diagnosis and a set of seven protein biomarkers for prognosis of prostate cancer."
"Congratulations to all researchers who worked hard to make this important discovery," said Reza Moridi, Ontario's Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "Your collaboration demonstrates the kind of world-class research taking place in Ontario that will soon pave the way for future advancements in the fight against prostate cancer."
The study has to date gone through development and initial validation and it is now ready for a large retrospective validation study, which the collaborators are now designing. After validation is successfully completed it would then move into clinical trials.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men. Over 24,000 Canadian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, representing almost a quarter of all new male cancer cases. Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among men in Canada.
###
About the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)
OICR is an innovative cancer research and development institute dedicated to prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Institute is an independent, not-for-profit corporation, supported by the Government of Ontario. OICR's research supports more than 1,700 investigators, clinician scientists, research staff and trainees located at its headquarters and in research institutes and academia across the Province of Ontario. OICR has key research efforts underway in small molecules, biologics, stem cells, imaging, genomics, informatics and bio-computing. For more information, please visit the website at http://www.oicr.on.ca.
Progress in reducing malaria burden in Africa may have had the paradoxical effect of increasing transmission among older children in recent years, according to research published this week in PLOS Medicine. The 25-year observational study, by Polycarp Mogeni, of the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya, and colleagues, analyzed malaria screening data from pediatric emergency admissions to Kilifi County Hospital between 1990 and 2014. Over this time, 69,104 children aged from 3 months to 13 years old who were admitted had malaria screening data available. The proportion of admissions found positive for malaria decreased from a high of 56% in 1998 to a low of 7% in 2009, but then rose again to 24% in 2014. The recent increases in infections coincided with a shift in burden from younger to older children, and the researchers found children that lived in areas with high usage of insecticide treated bednets (ITNs) were less likely to present with malaria than children who lived in areas with low usage of ITNs. The researchers suggest that the upswing of malaria transmission among older children following a period of low malaria transmission may be due to decreased acquired immunity due to the fact that these children were less likely to have been exposed to malaria early in life.
The authors note that varying levels of access to care and bednet use may have introduced bias, and that the data were taken from a single geographic setting. However, the authors say the findings suggest that malaria elimination will require continued-- and increasing-- vigilance: "As countries and regions make progress in malaria control, maintaining control measures will be essential: in fact, further progress will be required to offset the increasing rates of malaria in older children."
In an accompanying Perspective, Lorenz von Seidlein and Jakob Knudsen discuss the hurdle that decreased immunity presents for malaria elimination strategies, and potential strategies for improving ITN usage in high-transmission settings.
###
Research Article
Funding:
The work was supported by core funding from the Wellcome Trust. RWS, AN, and TNW are supported by the Wellcome Trust as Principal Research Fellow (#079080/#103602),Intermediate Fellow (#095127) and Senior Fellow (#091758), respectively, and PB is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under the MRC/DFID Concordat agreement. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests:
AN serves on the PLOS Medicine Editorial Board.
Citation:
Mogeni P, Williams TN, Fegan G, Nyundo C, Bauni E, Mwai K, et al. (2016) Age, Spatial, and Temporal Variations in Hospital Admissions with Malaria in Kilifi County, Kenya: A 25-Year Longitudinal Observational Study. PLoS Med 13(6): e1002047. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002047
Author Affiliations:
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, CCVTM, Oxford, United Kingdom
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
Spatial Health Metrics Group, Kenya Medical Research Institute/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002047
Contact:
Polycarp Mogeni Centre for Geographic Medicine Research Coast Bioscience Bofa-Opposite Kilifi County Hospital Kilifi, Coast 80108 KENYA +254710792334 PMogeni@kemri-wellcome.org
Perspective Article
Funding: No funding was obtained for this work.
Competing Interests:
LvS receives a stipend as a specialty consulting editor for PLOS Medicine and serves on the journal's editorial board. The authors have declared that no other competing interests exist.
Citation:
von Seidlein L, Knudsen J (2016) Malaria Epidemiology in Kilifi, Kenya during the 21st Century: What Next? PLoS Med 13(6): e1002048. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002048
Author Affiliations:
Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Mahidol, Thailand
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation, Copenhagen, Denmark
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1002048
Listeners can hear a difference between standard audio and better than CD quality, known as high resolution audio, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
The study compared data from over 12,000 different trials from 18 studies where participants were asked to discriminate between samples of music in different formats.
Dr Joshua Reiss from QMUL's Centre for Digital Music in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science said: "Audio purists and industry should welcome these findings -- our study finds high resolution audio has a small but important advantage in its quality of reproduction over standard audio content."
Many in the music industry have been split as to whether people can really hear a difference between CD quality music and high resolution audio -- even celebrity musicians have entered the fray with new music streaming services: Tidal launched by Jay-Z and Pono players and music service spearheaded by Neil Young and crowd funded through a Kickstarter campaign.
Both streaming services launched in the last two years have been met with scepticism. However, this new study found that listeners can tell the difference between low and high resolution audio formats, and the effect is dramatically increased with training: trained test subjects could distinguish between the formats around sixty per cent of the time.
Writing in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, the research suggested that careful selection of stimuli, such as using long samples of more than 30 seconds, may play an important role in the ability to discriminate between the formats.
Dr Reiss explained: "One motivation for this research was that people in the audio community endlessly discuss whether the use of high resolution formats and equipment really make a difference. Conventional wisdom states that CD quality should be sufficient to capture everything we hear, yet anecdotes abound where individuals claim that hi-res content sounds crisper, or more intense. And people often cherry-pick their favourite study to support whichever side they're on.
"Our study is the first attempt to have a thorough and impartial look at whether high res audio can be heard. We gathered 80 publications, and analysed all available data, even asking authors of earlier studies for their original reports from old filing cabinets. We subjected the data to many forms of analysis. The effect was clear, and there were some indicators as to what conditions demonstrate it most effectively. Hopefully, we can now move forward towards identifying how and why we perceive these differences."
The samples analysed were mainly classical and jazz music, though it's not clear for which type of music high resolution recording and playback made the biggest difference.
###
Alcohol consumption in Australia has declined steadily during the past decade, with per capita consumption in 2013-14 reaching its lowest level since the early 1960s. A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction shows that the overall decline in drinking is due mainly to less drinking among people in their teens and early twenties.
A study led by Dr Michael Livingston of Australia's Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University analysed the drinking habits of 124,440 Australians aged 14 to 79 years, surveyed over 18 years. The results show that recent declines in per-capita consumption appear to be driven by two major changes: (1) the ageing of heavier drinking cohorts into lighter drinking stages of the life-course and (2) sharp reductions in drinking among recently born cohorts.
Alcohol consumption among Australians peaks in middle-age, between 40 and 60 years. As drinkers move into their 60s and 70s, they tend to ease up, a trend that helps to explain the recent decline in drinking.
But the main driver of reduced drinking in Australia is the markedly less drinking among Australians born in the 1990s, suggesting that a significant generational shift is underway.
This shift has the potential to create long-term public health gains, given the body of research showing that the drinking patterns established while people are young are strong predictors of drinking problems later in life.
###
For editors:
Livingston M, Raninen J, Slade T, Swift W, Lloyd B, and Deitze P (2016) Understanding trends in Australian alcohol consumption: An age-period-cohort model. Addiction 111: doi: 10.1111/add.13396
This paper is free to download for one month after publication from the Wiley Online Library or by contacting Jean O'Reilly, Editorial Manager, Addiction, jean@addictionjournal.org, tel +44 (0)20 7848 0853.
Media seeking interviews with Dr Michael Livingston should contact Catherine Garrett, Media and Communications Unit, La Trobe University: (03) 94796565 / 0418 964 325 / c.garrett@latrobe.edu.au
Addiction is a monthly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco, and gambling as well as editorials and other debate pieces. Owned by the Society for the Study of Addiction, it has been in continuous publication since 1884. Addiction is the number one journal in the 2016 ISI Journal Citation Reports ranking in the substance abuse category for both science and social science editions.
La Jolla, Calif., June XX, 2016 (embargoed until 11:00 A.M. EST) -- A new study led by scientists at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) describes a technology that could lead to new therapeutics for traumatic brain injuries. The discovery, published today in Nature Communications, provides a means of homing drugs or nanoparticles to injured areas of the brain.
"We have found a peptide sequence of four amino acids, cysteine, alanine, glutamine, and lysine (CAQK), that recognizes injured brain tissue," said Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished professor in SBP's NCI-Designated Cancer Center and senior author of the study. "This peptide could be used to deliver treatments that limit the extent of damage."
About 2.5 million people in the US sustain traumatic brain injuries each year, usually resulting from car crashes, falls, and violence. While the initial injury cannot be repaired, the damaging effects of breaking open brain cells and blood vessels that ensue over the following hours and days can be minimized.
"Current interventions for acute brain injury are aimed at stabilizing the patient by reducing intracranial pressure and maintaining blood flow, but there are no approved drugs to stop the cascade of events that cause secondary injury," said Aman Mann, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher in Ruoslahtis lab and co-first author of the study with Pablo Scodeller, Ph.D., another postdoc in the lab.
More than one hundred compounds are currently in preclinical tests to lessen brain damage following injury. These candidate drugs block the events that cause secondary damage, including inflammation, high levels of free radicals, over-excitation of neurons, and signaling that leads to cell death.
"Our goal was to find an alternative to directly injecting therapeutics into the brain, which is invasive and can add complications," explained Ruoslahti. "Using this peptide to deliver drugs means they could be administered intravenously, but still reach the site of injury in sufficient quantities to have an effect."
The CAQK peptide binds to components of the meshwork surrounding brain cells called chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. Amounts of these large, sugar-decorated proteins increase following brain injury.
"Not only did we show that CAQK carries drug-sized molecules and nanoparticles to damaged areas in mouse models of acute brain injury, we also tested peptide binding to injured human brain samples and found the same selectivity," added Mann.
"This peptide could also be used to create tools to identify brain injuries, particularly mild ones, by attaching the peptide to materials that can be detected by medical imaging devices," Ruoslahti commented. "And, because the peptide can deliver nanoparticles that can be loaded with large molecules, it could enable enzyme or gene-silencing therapies."
This platform technology has been licensed by a startup company, AivoCode, which was recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation for further development and commercialization.
Ruoslahti's team and their collaborators are currently testing the applications of these findings using animal models of other central nervous system (CNS) injuries such as spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.
###
This work was done in collaboration with the laboratories of Dr. Tambet Teesalu, the University of Tartu, Estonia, Prof. Michael Sailor, the University of California, San Diego, and Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. The work was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under Cooperative Agreement HR0011-13-2-0017, as well as grants from the European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. The findings and views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
About SBP
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is an independent nonprofit medical research organization that conducts world-class, collaborative, biological research and translates its discoveries for the benefit of patients. SBP focuses its research on cancer, immunity, neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders and rare children's diseases. The Institute invests in talent, technology and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, SBP employs about 1,100 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at SBPdiscovery.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/SBPdiscovery and on Twitter @SBPdiscovery.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) celebrated with Panama the completion of the Panama Canal expansion project on June 26, 2016. The $5.6 billion engineering effort allows ships with triple the carrying-capacity of current vessels to transit the canal. The enterprise gave Smithsonian scientists unique opportunities to study two global-scale experiments: a natural, intercontinental land bridge bisected by a man-made, inter-oceanic pathway. They studied fossils, invasive species, whale migration routes, environmental services and changing climate.
STRI staff scientist Carlos Jaramillo along with Bruce McFadden, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, led the five-year Panama Canal Paleontology Project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to salvage fossils uncovered by the earthmovers. The fossils reveal ancient migrations of flora and fauna between North and South America and include new species such as Panamacebus transitus, the earliest monkey found in North America. Excavations expose an unusually complete view of the geology of the isthmus' formation--this record of global transformation of ocean currents, weather patterns and ecosystems would otherwise have remained buried under rock and rainforest.
The canal expansion reopens questions about whether exotic species will cross the freshwater corridor to establish themselves on the other side, potentially disrupting the existing ocean ecosystems. Former STRI director Ira Rubinoff argued in the 1960s that maintaining a freshwater bridge between oceans sharply reduced the risk of invasions likely with a sea-level canal, since most marine organisms cannot withstand abrupt changes in salinity. Staff scientist Mark Torchin asks if exotic species--and their parasites -- will be helped or hindered by increased ship traffic arriving daily from around the world.
Nearly 17,000 commercial vessels cross the Gulf of Panama each year. Staff scientist Hector Guzman's studies of humpback whale migration led the government of Panama to propose a "traffic separation scheme" to the International Maritime Organization. Ships in the Bay of Panama now reduce their speed and come into the Pacific entrance to the Canal through a narrow shipping lane. Researchers expect this to reduce the probability of collisions between ships and whales by 95 percent.
To study the Canal's freshwater heartbeat scientists turn to its source -- the surrounding forests. The Republic of Panama established Soberania National Park and additional protected areas to conserve the forested watersheds that supply the canal with its lifeblood. At the Agua Salud project located near Soberania, staff scientist Jefferson Hall and colleagues ask how native tree species in lowland tropical forests regulate water flow through soil, help maintain biodiversity and store carbon. The project recently collaborated with the BIO Program of the Inter-American Development Bank to produce the free, online publication, Managing Watersheds for Ecosystem Services in the Steepland Neotropics.
"Climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather, such as intense storms and droughts," said Matthew Larsen, director of STRI. "We don't fully understand how the hydrologic and other natural systems in the Panama watershed will respond. STRI's ongoing scientific investigations help the Panama Canal Authority and land-use managers to better understand the range of future conditions."
Last year's El Nino put the risk of water shortages in the canal into sharp relief. STRI monitoring stations throughout the region contribute to understanding such events. STRI maintains more than a dozen research facilities throughout Panama, including the Punta Galeta Marine Education Center near the Caribbean entrance to the canal and the Pacific-side Punta Culebra Nature Center. Both are open to the public, offering exhibits and educational tours.
STRI's presence in Panama has always been intertwined with the canal. From 1910 to 1912, the Smithsonian's Panama Biological Survey resulted in the first inventory of species and assessment of environmental conditions across the canal watershed. Panama's President Pablo Arosemena encouraged scientists to extend their survey throughout the country, creating an important baseline for understanding the wealth and diversity of the region's natural resources. The Barro Colorado Island research station was established in Lake Gatun, then newly flooded, in 1923. In 2016, along with Panama and the world, STRI looks forward to the fresh pulse that marks the completion of the canal expansion project.
###
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical nature and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. STRI website.
Forget mousetraps -- today's scientists will get the cheese if they manage to build a better battery.
An international team led by Texas A&M University chemist Sarbajit Banerjee is one step closer, thanks to new research published today (June 28) in the journal Nature Communications that has the potential to create more efficient batteries by shedding light on the cause of one of their biggest problems -- a "traffic jam" of ions that slows down their charging and discharging process.
All batteries have three main components: two electrodes and an intervening electrolyte. Lithium ion batteries work under the so-called rocking-chair model. Imagine discharging and charging a battery as similar to the back-and-forth motion of a rocking chair. As the chair rocks one way, using its stored energy, lithium ions flow out of one electrode through the electrolyte and into the other electrode. Then as the chair rocks the other way, charging the battery after a day's use, the reverse happens, emptying the second electrode of lithium ions.
"Fundamentally, when you have a battery, every time you use it, it starts to die a little bit," Banerjee said. "The more you use it, the more it dies. Eventually, it becomes unusable. Theoretically speaking, you expect a certain performance from a battery, and you rarely ever get there. People have been at a loss to understand all the factors that contribute to this lack of full capacity. This study points us in that direction."
Using one of the world's most powerful soft X-ray microscopes -- the Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope (STXM) -- at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) in tandem with decades of combined experience in materials science, Banerjee and collaborators from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Binghamton University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were able to image a traffic jam of lithium ions chemically driven through the nanowire-based channels of a simulated battery.
"For a battery to function properly, you need to get lithium ions in, and you need to be able to pull them out," Banerjee said. "Once our lithium ions got in, we were seeing that they sort of stop at some point along the way."
Banerjee points to this interruption as a veritable ghost in the machine that not only slows everything down but also sometimes prevents the device -- be it a cell phone or a laptop computer -- from exploiting its full battery potential. He says the devil is in the details, which in this case clearly show that the electrons, once coupled with the lithium ions, appear content to sit instead of moving freely, thereby distorting the electronic structure and, in essence, trapping or stranding the flow of energy.
Two of Banerjee's graduate students, Luis De Jesus and Gregory Horrocks, are joint first authors on the Nature paper detailing the team's National Science Foundation-funded research, which also features a third Texas A&M graduate student, Abhishek Parija. Berkeley Lab staff scientist David Prendergast and postdoctoral fellow Yufeng Liang at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, a U.S. Department of Energy National User Facility for Nanoscale Science Research, helped the Texas A&M team design and implement their calculations, which were experimentally verified by colleagues at Binghamton and using NIST National Synchrotron Light Source beamlines at Brookhaven National Laboratory supervised by Daniel Fischer. Calculations were conducted using Molecular Foundry as well as Texas A&M computing resources.
Berkeley Lab's Prendergast notes that the team's work demonstrates how X-rays can "see" small polarons -- the combination of a charged particle (electron) and an associated structural distortion -- through their impact on electronic structure around the oxygen atoms in the cathode. Small polarons previously have been proposed to be present in transport within Li-ion cathodes but have not been "seen" directly until now.
In order to make way for additional lithium to enter the structure, Prendergast says, the lithium ions need to diffuse, bringing their electrons in tow. But as a small polaron, it also has to carry along the structural distortion -- a real drag for transport of charge in a material.
"Imagine wanting to move a house to a different site," Prendergast said. "A wooden house can be transported in one piece, but a brick or stone house might have to be dismantled or demolished first."
The team also was able to identify the specific site where the electron sits within the particle, down to the orbital. Interestingly enough, De Jesus says, the holdup always occurs at the same material-dependent point.
Once the lithium gets in, Banerjee notes there's a very slight distortion that causes the electrons to get trapped in a plane, where they form what he describes as "puddles of charge" that are unable to link up and move as they should through the material.
"You can always draw an analogy between water and electrons," Banerjee said. "They are making these little puddles, but until the puddles are connected, they can't flow. Once you have enough electrons coming in, they can all link up and start flowing. But until that happens, they're all stranded, and they can't move to charge or discharge something. And so they go out and hang in different areas of the particle. They're all sort of sitting, defining different regions, and they aren't able to move easily."
Banerjee, who joined the Texas A&M Department of Chemistry in 2014 and is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been working for a number of years to understand ion intercalation, the process by which ions like lithium move in and out of other materials. He says the resulting analysis can be applied in many different areas, including one of his group's specialties -- design of better logic circuitry.
"One of the things we look at is, why do devices like cell phones and computers use up so much energy?" Banerjee said. "We're trying to develop new materials to make better circuits that are less energy guzzling. This work hones in on the problem, and it's a really good measurement. In the end, we were able to get to the bottom of the problem."
For Banerjee, it's a result driven by the most basic of energies: curiosity. A couple of years ago, he and Horrocks realized while using conventional laboratory techniques to study the lithiation process in cathode materials that lithium ions would enter nanostructures much faster than they would larger structures. Right then and there, they made it their mission to figure out why smaller was faster -- a quest that eventually led them to the Canadian Light Source and an expanded research team featuring, among other top-caliber colleagues, CLS Spectromicroscopy beamline scientist Jian Wang.
"Jian Wang was greatly instrumental, because the reviewers pushed us really hard on making 100 percent sure that what we were seeing was real," Banerjee said. "The Binghamton group helped us verify some of the predictions in theory. We had an observation; we calculated and matched that in models and then from there the models predicted some other things. They basically said, 'Well, if you're filling an electron into these certain states and they're no longer visible to you by X-ray imaging in a particular region of the spectrum, that means they're already full, so you should be looking for them somewhere else.' So the Binghamton group helped us look elsewhere, and we saw that, too. Once again, that really brings home the entire story."
Binghamton physicist Louis Piper adds that his group has been studying polaron formation and migration in other Li-ion battery cathodes using X-ray spectroscopy methodology. For this particular project, he says, their role was to confirm that the team's calculations were predicting the polaron well by making direct comparisons using another observation method, spatially-averaging hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES), which is able to probe occupied energy states.
"The STXM is spatially-resolving but looks at empty states," Piper said. "In my opinion, the STXM shows the spatial effects of the polarons, which is very exciting, while the HAXPES confirmed the energies. The combination meant that we could use the calculations to artificially 'zoom in' with the model.
"I consider our role at Binghamton as keeping the calculations honest. It was nice to see all the approaches converge in this study."
Ultimately, Horrocks and Banerjee agree that building a better battery boils down to figuring out a better way to move electrons -- a feat in which size matters and everything points to material.
"There are two ways to solve the problem of moving electrons through cathode material better," Banerjee says. "One, you can make the stuff smaller or design architectures. Two, you can come up with entirely new materials, which is what we're trying to do. Basically, you prevent the electron from getting stranded because you design the material in such a way that it doesn't have orbitals where they would get stranded. You force them to always be de-localized. We have several materials in mind and are trying to get that research published."
###
To learn more about the study, see the team's complete paper, Mapping Polaronic States and Lithiation Gradients in Individual V2O5 Nanowires.
For additional information on Banerjee and his research, visit http://www.chem.tamu.edu/rgroup/banerjee/.
About Research at Texas A&M University: As one of the world's leading research institutions, Texas A&M is at the forefront in making significant contributions to scholarship and discovery, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $866.6 million in fiscal year 2015. Texas A&M ranked in the top 20 of the National Science Foundation's Higher Education Research and Development survey (2014), based on expenditures of more than $854 million in fiscal year 2014. Texas A&M's research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting in many cases in economic benefits to the state, nation and world. To learn more, visit http://research.tamu.edu.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) -- the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging -- has formed an innovative partnership with the world's leading pet nutrition and pet health business Mars Petcare to advance research in the area of human-animal interaction (HAI) among older adults.
Life expectancy has vastly increased in many parts of the world, and while pet ownership and other types of HAI have demonstrated benefits to human health, very little is known about the potential role that pets may play in healthy aging.
In April, GSA convened a workshop in Washington, DC attended by international experts in the fields of human-animal interaction research and aging research who began to develop a roadmap for this emerging field of study. The participants addressed the roles of companion animals in the lives of older adults, such as mitigating loneliness, social isolation, and depression; and enhancing mobility and cognitive function.
"Recent research and education has concentrated on the role of pets in childhood and adolescence," said GSA Executive Director and CEO James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH. "However, there is a growing need for dedicated research on the aging adult and the impact of pets on overall quality of life. Thanks to GSA's new partnership with Mars Petcare, we will establish a multidisciplinary, expert workgroup to advance our knowledge of HAI."
This new GSA-led workgroup will help guide the organization in developing valuable, credible, and trusted resources to provide awareness of all aspects of HAI as it relates to aging, including a report from the April workshop outlining the event's major insights and conclusions to help in advancing scientific research endeavors.
To maintain this initial momentum, GSA has formed an interest group on HAI, which will provide an important forum for interested scholars to discuss -- online and in-person -- the potential for companion animals to contribute to quality of life for older adults. Its inaugural meeting is scheduled at GSA's Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, this November.
"The special bond between people and their companion animals deserves exploration as a means of improving human health in a rapidly aging world," said Nancy Gee, PhD, a GSA member and the HAI research manager at Mars Petcare's WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition. "The field of HAI research is a ripe one, ready for development and expansion, for gerontologists and other researchers interested in older populations."
###
WALTHAM is currently calling for applications for a funding opportunity that will support research into the role of companion animals in facilitating healthy human aging (http://www.waltham.com/grants-awards/hai).
GSA's other planned activities related to HAI include additional publications, symposia, and grants that will advance this important field of scientific endeavor.
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The principal mission of the Society -- and its 5,500+ members -- is to advance the study of aging and disseminate information among scientists, decision makers, and the general public. GSA's structure also includes a policy institute, the National Academy on an Aging Society, and an educational branch, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.
Mars Petcare is the world's leading pet nutrition and health care business that strives to make A Better World for Pets every day. Mars Petcare believes that pets make our lives better and that pet ownership brings joy and benefits which should be accessible to everyone. Mars Petcare has around 40 brands in our portfolio, including billion dollar brands PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, ROYAL CANIN, BANFIELD, and IAMS. Other leading brands include: CESAR, NUTRO, SHEBA, DREAMIES, KITEKAT, CHAPPI, CATSAN, FROLIC, PERFECT FIT, GREENIES, EUKANUBA and NATURA. Key specialty brands include: Mars Fishcare: API, Aquarian, Rena, Pondcare; Mars Horsecare: Winergy, Spillers, Buckeye Equivite; the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, a leading scientific authority on pet nutrition and wellbeing. Mars Petcare has more than 40,000 Associates worldwide.
Celebrating over 50 years of innovative science, the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority in advancing the frontiers of research into the nutrition and health of companion animals. Located in Leicestershire, England, the renowned state-of-the-art science institute for Mars, Incorporated generates knowledge that enables the development of innovative products that meet pets' needs in a practical way. Since the publication of its first original research in 1963, WALTHAM has pioneered many important breakthroughs in the field of pet nutrition and human-animal interaction, resulting in more than 1,700 publications, including over 600 peer-review scientific papers. Today, WALTHAM continues to collaborate with the world's foremost scientific institutes, driving Mars Petcare's vision to create a better world for pets and providing the science and expertise that underpins leading Mars brands such as PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, ROYAL CANIN, Banfield Pet Hospital, and IAMS, CESAR, NUTRO, SHEBA, DREAMIES and EUKANUBA.
In a study appearing in the June 28 issue of JAMA, Christiane E. Angermann, M.D., of University Hospital Wurzburg, Germany, and colleagues examined whether 24 months of treatment with the antidepressant escitalopram would improve mortality, illness, and mood in patients with chronic heart failure and depression.
Previous meta-analysis indicates that depression prevalence in patients with heart failure is 10 percent to 40 percent, depending on disease severity. Depression has been shown to be an independent predictor of mortality and rehospitalization in patients with heart failure, with incidence rates increasing in parallel with depression severity. Long-term efficacy and safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are widely used to treat depression, is unknown for patients with heart failure and depression.
For this study, 372 patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (a measure of heart function) and depression were randomly assigned to receive escitalopram or matching placebo in addition to optimal heart failure therapy. During a median participation time of 18.4 months (n = 185) for the escitalopram group and 18.7 months (n = 187) for the placebo group, the primary outcome of death or hospitalization occurred in 116 (63 percent) patients and 119 (64 percent) patients, respectively. There was no significant improvement on a measure of depression for patients in the escitalopram group.
"These findings do not support the use of escitalopram in patients with chronic systolic heart failure and depression," the authors write.
###
(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.7207; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
In a study appearing in the June 28 issue of JAMA, Isabelle Boutron, M.D., Ph.D., of Paris Descartes University, Paris, and colleagues investigated the proportion of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) registered at ClinicalTrials.gov that were listed at the Clinical Study Data Request website, where companies voluntarily list studies for which data can be requested.
Access to individual patient-level data from clinical trials could be an important step forward in clinical research. Some pharmaceutical companies have committed to share such data. The largest repository is the Clinical Study Data Request (CSDR) website. To evaluate the completeness of data sharing on CSDR, the researchers studied all drugs other than vaccines listed on CSDR by all sponsors actively involved in data sharing, defined as listing at least 100 studies in June 2014.
For the 61 targeted drugs from 4 sponsors (drugs: Roche, 13; Lilly, 3; Boehringer Ingelheim, 5; GlaxoSmithKline [GSK], 40), 966 RCTs (462,751 participants) registered at ClinicalTrials.gov were identified; 512 RCTs (53 percent) (342,271 participants; i.e., 74 percent of the participants involved in these studies) were listed at CSDR. Records for 385 RCTs (40 percent) reported that all documents were available. The proportion of registered trials listed on CSDR varied from 33 percent for Roche to 66 percent for GSK and trials with all information available from 24 percent for Boehringer Ingelheim to 58 percent for GSK.
"Despite a delay of 18 months since the completion of drug trials by the company sponsor, only 53 percent of the RCTs from the 4 sponsors registered at ClinicalTrials.gov were listed at CSDR, with differences between sponsors. Data were available for a large number of participants, but an equally large amount of data was not available," the authors write.
###
(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.6310; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
In a study appearing in the June 28 issue of JAMA, Peter E. Morris, M.D., of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and colleagues compared outcomes for standardized rehabilitation therapy to usual intensive care unit (ICU) care for acute respiratory failure.
Acute respiratory failure is associated with high mortality and prolonged illness, with impaired physical function for many survivors. Interventions directed at lessening the profound muscle wasting in patients with acute respiratory failure are patient-centered. Such therapies designed to improve patient-reported weakness and impaired physical function could reduce recovery time in patients. Reports have suggested that a rehabilitation program, delivered by an ICU rehabilitation team, may be associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) and improved physical function, although findings to the contrary exist as well.
In this study, 300 patients admitted to an ICU with acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation were randomly assigned to standardized rehabilitation therapy (SRT; n=150) or usual care (n=150) with 6-month follow-up. Patients in the SRT group received daily therapy until hospital discharge, consisting of passive range of motion, physical therapy, and progressive resistance exercise. The usual care group received weekday physical therapy when ordered by the clinical team.
The researchers found that the median hospital LOS was 10 days for the SRT group and 10 days for the usual care group. There was no difference in duration of ventilation or ICU care. Functional-related and health-related quality-of-life outcomes were similar for the 2 study groups at hospital discharge.
###
(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.7201; the study is available pre-embargo to the media at the For the Media website)
Editor's Note: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research, and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.
Note: Available pre-embargo at the For The Media website is an accompanying editorial, "The Challenging Task of Improving the Recovery of ICU Survivors," by Shannon L. Goddard, M.D., and Neill K. J. Adhikari, M.D.C.M., M.Sc., of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
BOSTON (June 28, 2016)--Researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts, led by Jonathan Garlick, have established for the first time that skin cells from diabetic foot ulcers can be reprogrammed to acquire properties of embryonic-like cells. These induced pluripotent stem cells might someday be used to treat chronic wounds. The study is published online in advance of print in Cellular Reprogramming.
A second study from the research team published in Wound Repair and Regeneration found that a protein called fibronectin is linked to a break-down in the wound-healing process in cells from diabetic foot ulcers.
"The results are encouraging. Unlike cells taken from healthy human skin, cells taken from wounds that don't heal - like diabetic foot ulcers - are difficult to grow and do not restore normal tissue function," said senior author on both studies, Jonathan Garlick, Ph.D., D.D.S., stem cell researcher at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston. "By pushing these diabetic wound cells back to this earliest, embryonic stage of development, we have "rebooted" them to a new starting point to hopefully make them into specific cell types that can heal wounds in patients suffering from non-healing wounds."
The research team successfully reprogramed cells from diabetic wounds to an embryonic-like state and turned them into cell types that are important for wound healing. Using three independent criteria, they confirmed that the cells had been reprogrammed to a pluripotent state, which means that they can be turned into a variety of different cell types, including those that can stimulate wound repair.
As a next step, the research team created 3D engineered tissues that they had previously found to mimic many features of chronic wounds. They used these 3D tissues to test the properties of cells from diabetic foot ulcers and found that cells from diabetic ulcers get stuck making an immature scaffold made up predominantly of a protein called fibronectin that is likely to prevent proper closure of wounds. Fibronectin has been shown to be abnormal in other diabetic complications, such as kidney disease, but this is the first study that directly connects it to cells taken from diabetic foot ulcers.
"The development of more effective therapies for foot ulcers has been hampered by the lack of realistic wound-healing models that closely mimic the function of the extracellular matrix, which is the scaffold critical for wound repair in skin," said Anna Maione, Ph.D., first author on the Wound Repair and Regeneration study who did this work as part of her Ph.D. studies in Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology at the Sackler School and her post-doctoral work at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. "This work builds on our paper published in 2015 that showed that cells from diabetic ulcers have fundamental defects which we can simulate using our 3D tissue models grown in the lab. These models will be a great way to test new therapeutics that could improve wound healing and prevent limb amputation which can result when treatments fail."
"The 3D model is critical because it will allow us to take these studies further. Now that we have confirmed that it's possible to reprogram wound cells to a very early stage of development we need to study if they can turn into more mature cell types and then study them in our 3D models to see if they will improve healing of chronic wounds," said Behzad Gerami-Naini, Ph.D., first author on the study in Cellular Reprogramming and an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
"The findings advance commonly-held assumptions about how diabetic foot ulcers develop. Most importantly, our ability to reprogram these cells gives us new treatment avenues to pursue. The big question is - since we have created induced pluripotent stem cells which we can now make into many cells types important for wound healing -- will they be better for wound healing than cells originally taken from the non-healing wound?" asked Garlick, who is also a member of the Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology program faculty at the Sackler School.
More than 29 million Americans have diabetes. Diabetic foot ulcers, often resistant to treatment, are a major complication. The National Diabetes Statistics Report of 2014 stated that about 73,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in 2010 were performed in adults aged 20 years or older with diagnosed diabetes, and approximately 60 percent of all non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.
Garlick's lab at Tufts Dental School performs research at the intersection of tissue engineering and stem cell biology. Dr. Garlick and his colleagues work to grow tissues that mimic diabetic wounds from induced pluripotent stem cells by reprogramming adult cells to grown skin that mimics a range of skin diseases, including cancer and scleroderma. Their goal is to develop experimental approaches for precision therapies that may regenerate and repair diseased or damaged tissues and organs.
###
Additional authors on the study in Cellular Reprogramming are Avi Smith, Anna G. Maione, Olga Kashpur, and Gianpaolo Carpinito, all of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; Aristides Veves of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and David J. Mooney of Harvard University and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.
Additional authors on the study in Wound Repair and Regeneration are Liang Liang and Olivera Stojadinovic of University of Miami Miller Medical School; Avi Smith and Elana Knight of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine; Vanessa Yanez, a student in the Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology program at the Sackler School; David J. Mooney of Harvard University and the Wyss Institute; Aristidis Veves of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Marjana Tomic-Canic of the University of Miami Miller Medical School. Yanez did this work as a Post-Baccalaureate Research Program (PREP) scholar at the Sackler School and Tufts University School of Medicine. PREP is funded by an award (GM066567) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. The program is designed to increase the number of people entering research careers from groups currently under-represented in biomedical science research.
Research reported in this news release was supported by the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number DK098055 to Dr. Garlick.
Gerami-Naini, B.; Smith, A.; Maione, A.G.; Kashpur, O.; Carpinito, G.; Veves, A.; Mooney, D.J.; and Garlick, J.A. (2016). Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from diabetic foot ulcer fibroblasts using nonintegrative Sendai virus. Cellular Reprogramming. Accepted manuscript published online, DOI: 10.1089/cell.2015.0087.
Maione, A.G.; Smith, A.; Kashpur, O.; Yanez, V.; Knight, E.; Mooney, D.J.; Veves, A.; Tomic-Canic, M.; and Garlick, J.A. (2016). Altered ECM deposition by diabetic foot ulcer-derived fibroblasts implicates fibronectin in chronic wound repair. Wound Repair and Regeneration. Accepted manuscript published online, DOI: 10.1111/wrr.12437. Published online April 22, 2016.
About Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Founded in 1868, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) is committed to leadership in education, patient care, research, and community service. Students obtain an interdisciplinary education, integrated with medicine, with access to training in dental specialties. Clinics managed at TUSDM provide quality comprehensive care to more than 18,000 diverse individuals annually, including those with special needs. Nationally and internationally, the School promotes health and educational programs and researches new procedures, materials and technologies to improve oral health.
About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in medical and population health education and advanced research. Tufts University School of Medicine emphasizes rigorous fundamentals in a dynamic learning environment to educate physicians, scientists, and public health professionals to become leaders in their fields. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, the biomedical sciences, and public health, as well as for innovative research at the cellular, molecular, and population health level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical and prevention science.
SILVER SPRING, Md. - The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and collaborators at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have completed a promising preclinical study of two Zika vaccine candidates that suggests that an effective human vaccine will be achievable. Findings from the study were published today in the journal Nature.
In the preclinical study, WRAIR and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center tested two Zika virus vaccine candidates: a DNA vaccine developed at Harvard based on a Zika virus strain isolated in Brazil, and a purified inactivated virus vaccine developed at WRAIR based on a Zika virus strain isolated in Puerto Rico.
The study showed that single shots of either vaccine candidate protected mice against subsequent Zika challenge. Both candidates were found to be safe and elicited an antibody response to Zika virus that correlated with protection. Further work with the DNA vaccine demonstrated that protection was solely due to antibodies raised by vaccination.
WRAIR is moving forward with the purified inactivated virus (PIV) vaccine, called ZPIV, because it builds on "a type of vaccine that has been licensed before," said Col. Stephen Thomas, an infectious disease Army physician and a vaccinologist specializing in flaviviruses, and the WRAIR Zika program lead. "It's the same technology WRAIR has used to successfully develop other flavivirus vaccines." Researchers are trying to mitigate risk by avoiding unproven technologies that could cause a licensing delay, he noted.
Col. Nelson Michael, the WRAIR Zika program co-lead, said, "This critical first step has informed our ongoing work in non-human primates and gives us early confidence that development of a protective Zika virus vaccine for humans is feasible."
WRAIR scientists are moving rapidly to develop and test the ZPIV vaccine, and they plan to start human testing at their clinic in Silver Spring before the end of the year. Additional human trials are planned in the United States, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), through its Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units.
WRAIR has been researching flaviviruses, a family of viruses that includes Japanese encephalitis, dengue, West Nile and Zika viruses, for over half a century. "Our laboratory in Thailand has been conducting biosurveillance for Zika for the past three years, since we started to observe dengue-like illnesses in Thailand and the Philippines that were not dengue and did not test positive for other likely causes," said Thomas. "These efforts gave us a head-start for our vaccine development efforts."
WRAIR also has in-house capabilities that have enabled them to quickly develop a vaccine candidate. The Pilot Bioproduction Facility headed by Dr. Kenneth H. Eckels, produced small batches of vaccine candidates that were used for the preclinical studies and is currently manufacturing a vaccine lot for use in initial human clinical studies.
Infectious diseases have long been a threat to U.S. Service Members, and the military has extensive expertise and capabilities to develop countermeasures. WRAIR is working on the vaccine in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, including the NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It is also exploring collaborations with pharmaceutical companies.
###
Support for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (AI095985, AI096040, AI00663 and AI124377), the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation.
About the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) dates back to 1893 and is the largest, most diverse biomedical research laboratory in the Department of Defense. WRAIR provides unique research capabilities and innovative solutions to a range of Force Health and Readiness challenges currently facing U.S. Service Members, along with threats anticipated during future operations. With comprehensive research units in Africa, Asia, and the Caucasus region, WRAIR is comprised of two Centers of Excellence, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience.
A new UK study has identified a gene signature that predicts poor survival from ovarian cancer. The study also identified genes which help the cancer develop resistance to chemotherapy - offering a new route to help tackle the disease.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, examined the role of HOX genes in ovarian cancer resistance and whether a drug known as HXR9 which targets HOX, could help prevent the resistance from developing.
The HOX gene family enables the remarkably rapid cell division seen in growing embryos. Most of these genes are switched off in adults, but previous research has shown that in several cancers, including ovarian cancer, HOX genes are switched back on, helping the cancer cells to proliferate and survive.
Led by Professor Richard Morgan, Director of the University of Bradford's Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, researchers analysed tissue samples from 99 women with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) - the most common form - and compared these with healthy ovarian and fallopian tube tissue samples.
Little to no HOX expression was found in normal ovarian tissue whereas 36 of the 39 HOX genes were found at high levels in tissue samples of the EOC subtype known as 'high grade serous', which accounts for approximately 80% of epithelial ovarian cancers. A strong five-gene signature was found in all patients who succumbed to the disease, irrespective of their length of survival.
The team also conducted extensive tests on cells and preliminary tests on mice using HXR9 - a peptide drug developed by Professor Morgan which blocks the function of the proteins expressed by HOX genes, forcing cancer cells to close down and die.
The team tested both HXR9 and cisplatin, the most common drug currently used to treat ovarian cancer, and a combination of the two. They found that combining the two drugs significantly increased the number of cancer cells which were killed compared to either drug used alone.
Co-author Dr Zoe Kelly, who carried out this research at the University of Surrey, said: "We've identified a set of genes which play a contributing role in resistance to chemotherapy, which is a major problem in the treatment of ovarian cancer. We also have strong and extensive cell line data which shows that using HXR9 can overcome this drug resistance, making the cell more susceptible to chemotherapy treatment.
She added: "The results in mice were encouraging, but more muted: treated mice survived for longer, but the cell killing of the combination approach was only marginally better than HXR9 used on its own. However, these tests were carried out over a very short timeframe, and I believe that more extensive tests in the mouse model would show clearer results. This needs to be the next step for this research."
Professor Morgan said: "This is the first comprehensive analysis of HOX gene expression in ovarian cancer and the first study to analyse changes in HOX expression in resistant cancer cells. The results strongly suggest that targeting these genes as a new treatment approach warrants further investigation. It also supports our belief that HXR9 should be further developed and tested in clinical trials."
###
This research was supported by GRACE, a gynaecological charity based in Surrey.
The paper, "The prognostic significance of specific HOX gene expression patterns in ovarian cancer" is published in International Journal of Cancer (doi: 10.1002/ijc.30204) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27225067
To interview Professor Morgan or for photos, please contact: Jenny Watkinson, Media Relations Officer, University of Bradford: Tel +44 (0)1274 236030 E-mail J.Watkinson2@bradford.ac.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of the gynaecological cancers. Initially most women respond to platinum-based therapy, but the majority see the cancer return due to drug resistance. Ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women in the western world.
In the UK, some 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. The UK five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 46 per cent. Overall survival rates are among the lowest in Europe.
About the University of Bradford
Founded in 1966, the University of Bradford is one of the UK's 'traditional' universities. It is a research-intensive institution, ranked in the top 50 in the UK for the quality of its research, with three quarters being classed as either world-leading or internationally excellent in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). The University was ranked No 1 in Yorkshire for employed graduates obtaining professional & managerial level jobs.
Known for its strong emphasis on employability skills and knowledge transfer work with businesses, the University has a truly global make up with over 20 per cent of its student population being international. The University is also a leader in sustainable development and education, and is 8th greenest in the world according to UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2015.
June 27, 2016 - LGBT rights and protections are scarce in constitutions around the world, UCLA study finds FSPH WORLD's study provides global analysis of constitutional rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity
Only five countries in the world have constitutions that explicitly guarantee equality for citizens on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
In the most comprehensive global study of constitutional protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity to date, the WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health reveals that while LGBT rights and protections have increased in some countries, a troubling trend has occurred in many others.
Twenty-two of the world's 193 United Nations-recognized countries have introduced case law or legislation in support of marriage equality. Yet, between 1990 and 2014, 13 countries added to their constitutions prohibitions of same-sex marriage or provisions that allow legislation prohibiting same-sex marriage. It has been one year since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 landmark ruling that extended marriage equality to millions of LGBT people across the country, but the U.S. Constitution still does not explicitly guarantee equality on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. A legal grey area has allowed for the state governments to react in the form of discriminatory bills.
"Constitutional rights are a promise of fundamentally fair and equal treatment, and provide a critical path to recourse when a violation occurs," said Dr. Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD, dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and author of the study. "While marriage equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life. It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee equal rights and protection from discrimination to LGBT individuals in all spheres."
Where does the world stand on fulfilling constitutional equal rights for all LGBT people?
SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY
Only five countries' constitutions explicitly guarantee equal rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity -- Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta and the United Kingdom.
Five countries' constitutions provide protections solely based on sexual orientation -- Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.
Globally, constitutional protections of LGBT rights remain rare, particularly in comparison to provisions against discrimination based on sex (153 countries), race or ethnicity (147 countries), and religion (146 countries).
The increase in the number of constitutional protections does not signal consistent progress in the rights of LGBT individuals, as evidenced by the increase in the number of countries that expressly ban gay marriage.
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Of the 193 national constitutions studied, none explicitly protected the right to same-sex marriage, but 22 countries introduced case law or legislation in support of marriage equality.
Thirteen countries enacted constitutional bans on same-sex marriage or constitutionally permitted legislation to do so.
The U.N. Human Rights Committee has ruled repeatedly that states have an obligation under international law to protect people from differential treatment based on sexual orientation. In 2011, the Human Rights Council reaffirmed the protection of equal rights for LGBT individuals in all spheres of life in a statement that was signed by 85 countries representing every region of the world.
"The majority of the world's countries guarantee equal rights on the basis of gender, ethnicity, and religion in their constitutions," said Amy Raub, principal research analyst at WORLD and lead author of the study. "Extending the same protection to LGBT persons is a critical first step for ensuring fundamental human rights are respected."
WORLD's study was published in the Yale Journal of Law & Feminism. The study, interactive maps, fact sheets and other materials are part of WORLD's online resource bank which has materials that address equal rights in national constitutions based on sexual orientation, gender identity and other statuses such as sex, ethnicity, religion and disability across the spheres of general equality and discrimination, employment, marriage and other rights.
###
The WORLD Policy Analysis Center is the first and largest data center to provide quantitatively analyzable data on policies in all 193 UN member states in a range of critical areas, including equal rights and discrimination, adult labor, education, health, environment, poverty, families, childhood, child labor, aging, disability, and gender.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $69.6 million to the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute, a research partnership of UCLA, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute.
The new five-year grant follows the consortium's initial $83.1 million Clinical and Translational Science Award in 2011, bringing the total NIH support for the project to more than $152.7 million.
Both grants support the continued development of the prestigious consortium, one of more than 60 such research partnerships established by the NIH to enhance biomedical research. The consortiums accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries into more effective treatments for patients; actively engage communities in clinical research; and train future generations of researchers to work across scientific disciplines to improve health. The mission of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is to bring biomedical innovations to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles, the largest county in the country, and one of the most diverse.
"The NIH's generous investment is further enabling UCLA and its consortium partners to improve the health of Los Angeles in a meaningful way and to enhance the quality of life in our community," said Dr. John C. Mazziotta, vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and chief executive officer of UCLA Health. "As we go forward and make continued improvements in translating research into better treatments for those diseases that cause the most disability and early deaths in Los Angeles County, our experiences and successes will provide a model for health improvement nationwide."
To date, the CTSI has supported the work of more than 1,600 investigators, including basic scientists, clinicians and population researchers. CTSI infrastructure has supported 40,000 clinical research visits in outpatient, inpatient and community settings.
CTSI-supported researchers have published more than 1,600 scientific articles and been awarded 370 pilot grants, enabling them to generate data that they leveraged into $58 million in additional outside funding. The CTSI itself also has:
Supported the training of more than 950 junior faculty members, professional students and pre- and post-doctoral scholars through fellowships in clinical informatics, a master's degree program in biomedical informatics and fellowships in population research.
Spearheaded the creation of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and Computational Medicine at UCLA.
Created the Los Angeles Data Repository, a federation of clinical data warehouses from six Los Angeles institutions: UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, Charles Drew, USC, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope.
Launched a partnership with Los Angeles County to evaluate approaches for improving care for the nearly 700,000 people treated annually in the county health system. Going forward, the CTSI has five goals:
Prepare staff, students, scholars and faculty to conduct high-quality, multidisciplinary team science.
Engage stakeholder communities in research.
Ensure research includes children, older adults and groups that experience health disparities because of race, ethnicity, gender, poverty, disability and other factors.
Improve research methods, streamline research processes and support multisite studies
Use informatics to process and understand scientific and medical information to increase the impact of our research.
"This award supports our comprehensive translational research programs dedicated to advancing scientific discoveries for the direct benefit our patients and the community," said Dr. Shlomo Melmed, executive vice president and dean of the medical faculty at Cedars-Sinai. "As the largest academic medical center in California, Cedars-Sinai is pleased to partner with our UCLA-wide colleagues in this multidisciplinary endeavor to improve the health of our community and enhance our diagnosis and treatment of disease."
David Meyer, president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, said that with the renewal of this grant, crucial funding will flow to accelerate the development the next generation of devices, diagnostics and therapies, and to advance the field of precision medicine.
"For more than six decades, innovations at LA BioMed have placed tools in the hands of physicians and healthcare workers," Meyer said. "Through the CTSI partnership and the benefits that it brings to LA BioMed, we will be able to ensure that future discoveries will move out of the laboratory and even beyond the bedside to improve the health of our diverse community and worldwide."
Dr. Steven M. Dubinett, director of the CTSI, Senior Associate Dean for Translational Research and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said the CTSI grants allow for the creation of "a borderless clinical and translational research institute that brings UCLA CTSI innovations and resources to bear on the greatest health needs of Los Angeles."
"This funding is helping us develop new means to retain, recruit and empower scientists to work together across disciplines, departments, institutions and geography," Dubinett said.
Said Dr. David M. Carlisle, president and chief executive officer of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science: "The continuation of the Clinical and Translational Science Award will further the work that has progressed by the consortium of institutions for the next five years. The NIH's significant investment in Los Angeles will help to facilitate the our mission and help to improve the capacity of universities, academic medical centers, clinicians and researchers to collaborate with each other and with the community to advance health science research in ways that will reduce health disparities while advancing individual, community and population health."
###
For more information on the UCLA CTSI, visit http://www.ctsi.ucla.edu.
Honesty is a fundamental building block for cooperation in human societies, and hence also for their economic prosperity. But people do not always behave honestly. Markets for so called credence goods such as repair costs or medical therapies give sellers strong incentives for dishonesty. Since the buyer often cannot assess the quality of the rendered services, the seller can cheat more easily than in the case of other goods.
Prof. Matthias Sutter holds the Chair for "Economics: Design and Behavior" at the University of Cologne. Together with his colleagues Prof. Rudolf Kerschbamer and Dr. Daniel Neururer from the University of Innsbruck (Austria), he investigated the role of insurances in these processes. The research team found out that the price for a computer repair rose by more than 80 percent when the repair shop was provided with the information that the service would be covered by an insurance policy. In some cases, parts of the computer that were in good working order were replaced or the number of hours required for the repair was exaggerated. Customers with insurance, the study showed, were less critical regarding the costs than customers without insurance because a third party was covering the costs. Prof. Sutter and his colleagues refer to the behavior of customers and service providers as "second degree moral hazard."
The study is being published in the current edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1518015113.
The scientists researched the behavior of 61 of a total of 251 computer repair shops in Austria selected randomly along the country's east-west axis. They brought identical computers with identical damages to the computer shops: the Random Access Memory (RAM) had been destroyed, which normally would not require more than half an hour of repair time. Moreover, they made sure that besides the intentionally inflicted damages, the computer did not have any other malfunctions. The economists now pretended to be two types of customers: in the first group, they said that they would pay for the repair themselves and added that they needed a receipt. In the second group, they said that they needed a receipt because they had insurance that would cover the costs. In all other aspects, the two groups behaved identically.
In all, 58 of the 61 computer shops successfully repaired the damage. The average price for the repair in the group that said they do not have insurance was 70.17. The average repair price in the group that said that they have insurance was 128.68 - a difference of 58. In the group of those with insurance, the scientists counted five cases in which the repair shops simply conducted useless additional repairs. In these cases, the total costs averaged 200.58. This oversupply of services is accountable for part of the increased average costs in the group with insurance. A further aspect is exaggerated repair time. Twenty-seven providers indicated the total hours on the invoice. The computers in the control group took an average of 0.55 hours (33 min.) to repair. The ones in the group with insurance took 1.02 hours (61 min.), on average. This difference in time of 28 minutes accounts for 41.11 higher costs, or 70 percent of the total additional costs.
In order to find out more about why service providers behaved this way, Sutter, Kerschbamer and Neururer conducted a survey among 15 computer repair shops. They provided five possible reasons to choose from explaining why customers with insurance paid more than customers without insurance. "From the offered motives, the majority of computer stores selected the option, 'customers with insurance are less concerned with cost minimization because a third party is paying'," says Sutter. He concludes: "In markets for credence goods, insurance coverage can cause high additional costs for insurance policies and for the economy as a whole."
###
New research by Sarah Horton, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado Denver, reveals that employers in agricultural industries often take advantage of migrants' inability to work legally by making their employment contingent upon working under the false or borrowed identity documents provided by employers.
Horton's study, published this month in the Anthropology of Work Review, shows that many employers provide employees who do not have legal status with the valid work authorization documents of their friends or family.
Farm workers call this practice, which essentially renders them invisible to the state and federal governments, "working as a ghost."
Horton shows that by providing workers with borrowed documents, many agribusiness companies disguise their employment of undocumented immigrants from authorities, hide the use of child labor, and suppress worker's compensation claims.
This kind of "identity theft" among migrant workers made news recently when a federal appeals court ruled that law enforcement can continue to prosecute undocumented immigrants for working with forged, loaned, or stolen documents. Horton's research highlights the role of employers in this process, as they engage in what she calls "identity masking."
Based on over 10 years of interviews and fieldwork with migrant farm workers in California's Central Valley, Horton has identified three main instances in which identity masking occurs.
Employers often use identity masking to avoid a federal immigration raid or audit. In order to evade federal scrutiny, some labor supervisors furnish undocumented workers with the valid documents of friends and family.
Horton's research shows that labor supervisors also use identity masking to mask the hire of a second group of unauthorized employees - minors. In California, children under 18 are legally ineligible to work more than eight hours a day or 48 hours a week, yet during the summer harvest season, workers routinely work up to 70 hours a week. In order to disguise the violation of state child labor laws, labor supervisors often require that minors work under the valid documents of adults.
Finally, identity masking allows labor supervisors to violate wage and hour laws. In California, farm workers are legally entitled to overtime once they work in excess of 10 hours a day, 60 hours a week. To avoid paying their workers overtime, some company supervisors require that all employees work under the identity documents of others on Sunday or lose that day of work.
In her research, Horton has found that the process of lending documents is also financially lucrative. Document lenders benefit because the wages earned by document recipients augment their Social Security and unemployment payments. In exchange for loaning their documents to workers, the friends and family members of labor supervisors often give them a kick-back.
Horton's study helps reveal the complicated social dynamics on the ground that lead employees to work with the documents of legal residents and citizens.
"Even as undocumented migrants may continue to be arrested for 'identity theft' in states like Arizona, my research illustrates the role of employers in providing workers with invented and loaned documents," Horton said. "It suggests that judges must carefully scrutinize any charges levied against undocumented migrants for working loaned documents, as employers may have more to gain from this practice than workers do."
###
Pipelines carrying crude oil to ports in British Columbia may spell bad news for salmon, according to a new University of Guelph-led study.
Exposure to an oil sands product - diluted bitumen - impairs the swimming ability and changes the heart structures of young salmon.
The research will be published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and is available online now.
It's a timely finding, says U of G post-doctoral researcher and lead author Sarah Alderman.
The National Energy Board (NEB) recently approved the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project; the federal government is expected to make a final decision by December.
The pipeline stretches from Edmonton to Burnaby B.C. The expansion would double the volume of oil sands products reaching the Pacific coast. It's just one of several trans-Canada pipelines on the NEB's review list.
"The Trans Mountain pipeline already carries diluted bitumen through the Fraser River Watershed and this is prime salmon habitat," Alderman said.
Working with colleagues at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, Alderman exposed fish to small amounts of diluted bitumen for up to four weeks.
She found that salmon exposed to the highest concentration of diluted bitumen suffered a 10 per cent reduction in swimming performance.
"This may not seem like much, but to a young salmon about to head out to the ocean, it's huge," Alderman said.
"These fish are swimming all-out for hours each day, traveling up to 1,000 kilometres to reach the Pacific, and they need a strong heart to do this."
The pipeline stretches from Edmonton to Burnaby B.C. The expansion would double the volume of oil sands products reaching the Pacific coast. It's just one of several trans-Canada pipelines on the NEB's review list.
"The Trans Mountain pipeline already carries diluted bitumen through the Fraser River Watershed and this is prime salmon habitat," Alderman said.
Working with colleagues at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, Alderman exposed fish to small amounts of diluted bitumen for up to four weeks.
She found that salmon exposed to the highest concentration of diluted bitumen suffered a 10 per cent reduction in swimming performance.
"This may not seem like much, but to a young salmon about to head out to the ocean, it's huge," Alderman said.
"These fish are swimming all-out for hours each day, traveling up to 1,000 kilometres to reach the Pacific, and they need a strong heart to do this."
The more diluted bitumen fish encounter, and the longer they are exposed to it, the greater the impact on their health and fitness, Alderman said.
"What our study really says is before you build any more pipelines through salmon habitat, you need to make sure that you're building pipelines to the highest possible standard, that you can quickly detect any leaks in the system, and that you have rapid and thorough spill response procedures."
###
LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 28, 2016) -- In a surprising reversal, researchers have determined that a particular protocol providing physical therapy to ICU patients with acute respiratory failure did not shorten hospital length of stay.
Secondary measures of physical function and health-related quality of life were split.
The study, which is the largest to-date on this topic, was not able to confirm the findings from earlier pilot and quality improvement studies.
"This results are astonishing and somewhat controversial. We all expected the results to be positive," said Peter Morris, MD, corresponding author for the study, which was published in the current issue of JAMA. "This doesn't sound the death knell for the concept of early rehabilitation in the ICU, but we need to explore new delivery methods and timing."
The study randomized 300 ICU patients to receive either standardized rehabilitation therapy or routine care. Outcomes were measured by hospital length of stay (LOS) and other secondary outcomes, such as physical function and health-related quality of life, which were assessed at hospital discharge and again at two, four and six months post-discharge.
The researchers found no difference in median hospital LOS between the group that received therapy and the control group that received routine care. Some of the strength measures were the same in both groups at each interval; however objective measures of function and self-reported quality of life were improved in the test group at six months post-discharge.
According to Morris, it's been a long-accepted point of view among medical professionals that early intervention with ICU patients could have a positive effect on outcomes, and the findings from this study signal a need for reexamination of established views in the field of early ICU rehabilitation.
"We've known for a long time that spending even short periods on life support can elicit long-term physical and psychological effects, and pilot studies on smaller cohorts implied that physical therapy could help alleviate that," he said. "But the protocol we tested didn't bear this out."
Morris cautions against abandoning all exploration of the concept, however.
"I'm optimistic that some form of therapy can provide some long-term benefit to patients on life support."
###
Morris is the Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Kentucky. His research was funded by grants from the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute and the National Institute of Nursing Research.
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue
In a first-of-its-kind study, UM researchers created a mathematical model in an attempt to determine how much of a role sexual transmission plays in the spread and control of Zika
A University of Miami math professor has developed a scientific model to address the various ways the Zika virus proliferates. The study, published June 17, 2016 in Scientific Reports, reveals that mosquito control should remain the most important mitigation method to control the virus. However, the study reveals that Zika is a complicated virus and sexual transmission increases the risk of infection and prolongs the outbreak.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (June 28, 2016) - Before British long jumper Greg Rutherford departs for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer, he'll leave an important part of himself behind: a sample of his frozen sperm.
Rutherford, whose wife has expressed the desire to have more children, is preserving his sperm as a precautionary measure against Zika, which has swept across more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries, with Brazil being hardest hit. Transmitted primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the virus can also be spread from an infected man to a woman during sex and can cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and damaged brains.
Few would probably criticize Rutherford for his actions, but what remains unclear is how much of a role sexual transmission plays on the spread and control of Zika.
Now, in a first-of-its-kind study, a University of Miami researcher and others have created a mathematical model in an attempt to answer that very question.
By itself, Shigui Ruan's model is not intended to measure the rates of Zika transmission but to delineate the virus's possible pathways and to help determine which of those transmission routes -- either mosquito-borne or sexual transmission--is most important in investigating the spread and control of the virus.
"Zika is a complicated virus," said Ruan, a professor of mathematics in UM's College of Arts and Sciences. "It's not as simple as passing a cold back and forth."
To build his model, he and his team combined the two modes of transmission into a set of equations, and then calibrated their model to Zika epidemic rates -- obtained through the Pan American Health Organization -- in Brazil, Colombia, and El Salvador. Using factors such as the biting and mortality rates of the Aedes aegypti and how partners protect themselves during a sexual encounter, the researchers then produced what is called a "basic reproduction number," essentially the number of infections resulting from one initial infection in a population.
The team found that the average number of new infections that can be traced directly back to a single case of Zika comes out to 2, and that sexual transmission accounts for only 3 percent of new cases.
"Our analyses indicate that the basic reproduction number of Zika is most sensitive to the biting rate and mortality rate of mosquitoes," said Ruan, "while sexual transmission increases the risk of infection and epidemic size and prolongs the outbreak."
Their results are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The model can give epidemiologists and others a good idea of where they should target management efforts, and in this case, mosquito-control measures should remain the most important mitigation strategy to control the virus, said Ruan.
Not that safe sex isn't important. "It's a reason to be concerned because on top of mosquito transmission, we now have sexual transmission of the virus," he explained, noting cases of sexually transmitted Zika in Argentina, Chile, France, Peru, the United States, and other countries.
Zika can stay in semen longer than in blood, though it is not known for how long, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on its website.
"You could conceivably have somebody who was infected, and didn't even necessarily know they were infected, carrying the disease around for a while, have some sexual encounter, and infect somebody else," said Chris Cosner, a University of Miami mathematics professor who has collaborated with Ruan on other studies. "I don't think it's been documented. But possibly, in theory, that could result in a source for an outbreak that seems to come from nowhere. So for this particular disease, because of the complexity of the transmission routes and the fact that some people can stay in the infected phase for a long time, it's more complicated than your average disease."
###
The University of Miami's mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. http://www.miami.edu
UM researcher's mathematical model helps delineate pathways for transmission of the Zika virus. To learn more about this scientific model go to: https://youtu.be/GOB60J8lkEY
MIAMI--As Louisiana's wetlands continue to disappear at an alarming rate, a new study has pinpointed the man-made structures that disrupt the natural water flow and threaten these important ecosystems. The findings have important implications for New Orleans and other coastal cities that rely on coastal wetlands to serve as buffer from destructive extreme weather events.
Scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science found that man-made canals limit the natural tidal inundation process in roughly 45 percent of the state's coastline, and disruptions from levees accounted for 15 percent.
"This study demonstrates that human infrastructure development along coastal areas have long-term consequences on the ability of coastal wetlands to adapt to sea-level rise and other processes that reduce the size of coastal wetlands," said Talib Oliver-Cabrera, the study's first author and a UM Rosenstiel School Ph.D. student.
Coastal wetlands in Louisiana are economically and esthetically important by providing storm protection, flood control, and essential habitats for a myriad of wildlife. They support economically important commercial and recreational fishing industries, tourism, and oil and gas industries.
Man-made structures, such as levees and canals, have changed the regular patterns of tidal inundation in coastal wetlands and have become a main element in determining coastal wetland distribution.
Using a remote sensing technique, called Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), the researchers analyzed water-level changes in Louisiana's coastal wetlands that occurred due to tidal inundation. Based on the detected changes observed, they were able to determine the extent of tidal inundations along the Louisiana coast.
"Our analysis showed that tidal inundation along Louisiana's coastline is restricted to narrow areas due to the presence of man-made canals and levees that disrupt the regular tidal flow through the coastal wetlands," said study co-author Shimon Wdowinski, a research professor of marine geosciences at the UM Rosenstiel School. "To protect these valuable resources, it is important to study them and quantify what is causing wetland loss in coastal Louisiana," said Wdowinski.
###
The study, titled "InSAR-based mapping of tidal inundation extent and amplitude in Louisiana Coastal Wetlands," was published in the May 7 special issue of the journal Remote Sensing. The study's authors include: Shimon Wdowinski and Talib Oliver-Cabrera of the UM Rosenstiel School.
The National Science Foundation (grant #DEB-1237517) funded the study. Oliver-Cabrera work was also supported by a Fulbright scholarship and a grant from The National Council for Science and Technology, Mexico (CONACyT).
About the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School
The University of Miami is one of the largest private research institutions in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. Founded in the 1940's, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, visit: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu and Twitter. Visit the University of Miami's report on climate change http://www.climate.miami.edu
PHILADELPHIA - High triglycerides -- a type of fat, or lipid, in the blood -- increase the risk of heart disease and perhaps type 2 diabetes. For the first time, it has been shown that profoundly lowering triglycerides in diabetics improves their insulin sensitivity over time, which helps them maintain healthy glucose - blood sugar -- levels. Volanesorsen, an experimental lipid-lowering medication, improved insulin sensitivity and glucose control by significantly decreasing patients' overall hemoglobin A1c -- the standard clinical measurement of blood glucose levels for diabetics -- in a new study reported by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results are published online this month in Diabetes Care.
Researchers enrolled 15 adult patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia who had been taking metformin - an oral medication that helps control blood sugar levels - for their diabetes. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: one to receive volanesorsen and the other a placebo. After taking the medication for 12 weeks, researchers found that patients on volanesorsen experienced a 69 percent reduction in triglycerides, and a 57 percent improvement in whole-body insulin sensitivity. Several tests of glucose control, including hemoglobin A1c, were also significantly improved. Researchers concluded that the drop in triglycerides was strongly related to improved insulin sensitivity and improved hemoglobin A1c.
"These results prove volanesorsen to be an effective treatment method for improving insulin sensitivity, but what's most interesting, and perhaps most encouraging, is that this drug also significantly improved patients' hemoglobin A1c levels," said the study's lead co-author, Richard Dunbar, MD, an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Penn. "In most cases, it takes many months of therapy to improve the hemoglobin A1c, so to move the needle so significantly in a fairly short time is very promising. Scientifically, these results provide important proof that profoundly lowering triglycerides improves insulin sensitivity. And clinically, the results go a step further and show that doing so improves the underlying metabolic problems enough to actually improve diabetes."
To quantify the effects of the drug, researchers used a very sophisticated test of insulin sensitivity, the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp or "the clamp," which is largely regarded as the gold standard in insulin sensitivity measurement. This technique infuses insulin at fixed rates, and infuses glucose at a varying rate to keep blood glucose constant, in order to determine how well a patient responds to insulin.
For many years, researchers had suspected that high triglycerides worsened diabetes, but there had not been powerful tool to prove this concept.
"While we were able to determine the effectiveness of this medication in a very specific group of diabetic patients, it will be important to evaluate this drug in a broader diabetic population," Dunbar said. "The next phase will be to determine clinical success in patients with type 2 diabetes on the whole range of diabetic medications or perhaps with less severe lipid problems. It will also be important to conduct longer studies, as glucose control may improve even further with longer exposures to the drug."
Several other classes of medications that profoundly lower triglycerides are also in development. If improved insulin sensitivity and improved glucose control are truly the result of lowering triglycerides, researchers suggest these other novel drugs should show the same effect.
Dunbar added, "after a long dry spell, there is a lot of activity right now for triglyceride-lowering therapies. Penn Medicine has been conducting several clinical trials evaluating this and other novel triglyceride-lowering drugs. Not only do we have a variety of very potent options emerging, we may be able to help improve glucose at the same time. Both of these developments would be great news for our patients with high triglycerides, including diabetics."
###
Funding for this study was provided by Akcea Therapeutics and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., makers of volanesorsen.
Editor's Note: Dunbar has served as a consultant for Ionis Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community.
Sheffield engineers make major breakthrough in developing silk 'micro-rockets' that can be used safely in biological environments
Sheffield engineers make major breakthrough in developing silk 'micro-rockets' that can be used safely in biological environments.
By using an innovative 3D inkjet printing method, researchers from Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield have taken the biggest step yet in producing microscopic silk swimming devices that are biodegradable and harmless to a biological system.
This means that these devices have the potential to be used in the human body in the future in applications such as drug delivery and locating cancer cells.
This new technique allows the researchers to use safer, non-toxic materials, meaning the micro-rockets will not cause harm or injure any living tissue or biological environment. This is a significant development as previous devices have been expensive to produce, complicated to manufacture and made from polystyrene beads, carbon nanotubes or metals which have to be covered in a catalyst layer (such as platinum) to be able to swim successfully, these devices are usually less friendly to the biological environment they are placed in.
The rockets are just 300 microns in length and 100 microns in diameter, the thickness of a single human hair, and create their own thrust, allowing them to 'swim' through any bio fluid containing the fuel.
This is the first time these micro-rockets have been produced using a new reactive inkjet printing method, using a solution of dissolved silk mixed with an enzyme. This solution is then placed into a 3D inkjet printer, which, similar to normal inkjet printing, builds up layers of ink to create a column of the rocket.
By printing methanol on top of the printed solution it triggers a reaction which forms rigid rocket shape which traps the enzyme within a silk lattice structure. This enzyme acts as a catalyst, reacting with fuel molecules to produce bubbles that propel the rocket forward.
Using an enzyme as a catalyst and silk to form the rocket, produces a much safer device that is biodegradable, cheaper and simpler to makeway, removing a major barrier to micro-rockets becoming a reality outside of the lab.
Dr Xiubo Zhao, from The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Sheffield states: "By using a natural enzyme like catalase and silk which are fully biodegradable, our devices are far more biocompatible than earlier swimming devices."
"The inkjet printing technique also allows us to digitally define the shape of a rocket before it's produced. This makes it a lot easier to optimise the shape in order to control the way the device swims."
The research was funded by grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The paper 'Reactive inkjet printing of biocompatible enzyme powered silk micro-rockets' was published in SMALL today.
###
Videos of the micro-rockets are available upon request
For further information contact:
Sophie Hylands, Communications Officer, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield: s.hylands@sheffield.ac.uk 0114 222 2166
Notes to editors:
Engineering at Sheffield
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield is one of the biggest in the UK. With seven departments and two interdisciplinary programmes covering all the engineering disciplines, over 5,000 students, 950 staff and 77m annual research-related income from government, industry and charity, it is one of the best institutions in the world to study or do research in engineering.
MADISON, Wis. -- University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers studying monkeys have shown that one infection with Zika virus protects against future infection, though pregnancy may drastically prolong the time the virus stays in the body.
The researchers, led by UW-Madison pathology Professor David O'Connor, published a study today (June 28, 2016) in the journal Nature Communications describing their work establishing rhesus macaque monkeys at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center as a model for studying the way Zika virus infections may progress in people.
The team of UW and Duke University scientists -- which includes specialists in emergent and insect-borne diseases, genetics and immunology, pediatrics and pregnancy -- have been working with infected monkeys for months.
"What we've shown in the monkey model matches a lot of what people have observed in epidemiological studies of humans," says Emma Mohr, a pediatric infectious disease fellow at UW-Madison and first author on the study with Matthew Aliota and Dawn Dudley, research scientists in UW-Madison's schools of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine and Public Health, respectively.
"It's important for us to show in a lab setting what people have expected in humans -- that you clear viremia (infection by the Zika virus) within a week, and you are protected from future infections by the same virus."
The researchers infected monkeys with the type of Zika virus causing an epidemic that first became apparent in South America in 2015, and found that those monkeys resisted infection by the same Zika strain 10 weeks later.
"This is good news for vaccine design," says O'Connor, whose work is funded by the National Institutes of Health. "It suggests the sort of immunity that occurs naturally is sufficient. If you can mimic that in a vaccine, you'll likely have a very successful vaccine."
But their findings also uncovered a stark contrast in the length of infection of pregnant monkeys versus males and non-pregnant females. Though non-pregnant animals in the study were found to be free of Zika virus within 10 days of infection, the virus persisted in the blood of pregnant monkeys for 30 days to 70 days.
The prolonged infection has implications for the severe impacts of Zika virus during pregnancy. Zika has been tied to neurological problems in babies such as microcephaly, a particularly grim birth defect that results in underdeveloped brains and small heads.
"We have good news for most people: If you are not pregnant and not at risk of becoming pregnant, you probably don't need to be worried about Zika," O'Connor says. "But my concern for Zika virus in pregnancy is much higher now than it was six months ago."
One possible explanation for the persistence of the virus in pregnancy is that the immune systems of mothers-to-be are too compromised, and they simply aren't able to clear the virus as fast.
"The other, more provocative hypothesis is that it's indicative of infection of the fetus, and what we're observing in the maternal bloodstream is the shedding of virus by the fetus back into the mother's bloodstream," says O'Connor. "If that happens to be the case, it would suggest that there is a prolonged infection of the fetus that lasts much longer than the infection of the mother."
If the mother-fetus infection loop -- first proposed earlier this year by Johns Hopkins University obstetrician Rita W. Driggers in an analysis of Zika infection in a pregnant woman -- proves true, it could provide an opportunity to track the risks to a developing fetus without resorting to invasive (and also inherently risky) tests.
"If this is the case, measuring the viral load on a Zika-infected pregnant woman on a weekly or biweekly basis could provide an indication for the likely degree of damage to the fetus," O'Connor says. "If a pregnant woman comes into a clinic with Zika virus, but a week later shows no more evidence of infection, that could be a good indication that the fetus is unlikely to be affected."
Using the amount of virus in the blood of pregnant monkeys or women as a proxy for fetal infection might also provide researchers working on treatments to protect babies from neurological damage a way to assess their progress.
However, nobody really understands the range of outcomes for children that are affected by Zika virus infections during pregnancy.
"In Brazil, where the oldest children born to women who were infected with Zika are only about one year old right now, we don't have any idea whether some of the children who are apparently normal are going to have issues that only manifest later in life," O'Connor says.
According to the researchers, rhesus monkeys are often employed in brain research as models for humans.
"You may have to follow children for five years or longer to tell whether there is cognitive impairment in their development," says Aliota, whose research has focused on Zika's spread in Colombia. "But it's something you can answer with macaques relatively quickly, and that speed is very important in the context of an epidemic."
Though the researchers have been performing ultrasounds on Zika-infected pregnant monkeys and collecting fluid from their wombs, they can't yet say whether the still-growing fetuses themselves are infected or whether any of them are developing microcephaly.
"For human pregnancies, we have very refined growth charts, lots of historical information, lots of high-end diagnostic technologies that can be used to ask what's happening," O'Connor says. "While some of those things are in development in macaques, they are far less mature and far less detailed. So we can't draw conclusions yet."
But their results showing that one infection primes the immune system to protect against future infection could provide some peace of mind for millions left in the wake of the Zika epidemic.
"In Africa, where the virus has been circulating for an extended period of time, they haven't seen these adverse outcomes in pregnancy," Aliota says. "That seems to be because people are primarily exposed early in life, develop immunity, and then are protected later in life when they have children."
###
CONTACT: David O'Connor, 608-301-5710, dhoconno@wisc.edu; Matthew Aliota, 608-890-0480, mtaliota@wisc.edu; Emma Mohr, 608-265-6050, emohr@uwhealth.org; Chris Barncard, 608-890-0465, barncard@wisc.edu
DOWNLOAD PHOTOS: https://uwmadison.box.com/v/zika-june-2016
Written by ACM
*Brussels/EPP Summit/Angelo Marscopolo/- From the Winner to the Latest Election in Spain, Rajoy's "Partido Popular", the Experienced Secretary General of the European People's Party (ChristianDemocrats), and mainstream MEP, Antonio Lopez-Isturez, speaking to "Eurofora" on the Results of a Crucial EPP Summit of Heads of State/Government, earlier Today in Brussels, Focused on the Topical Issue of EU Countries' prepared Response to the recent UK Referendum on "BREXIT" :
- "We must Act (vis a viss BREXIT) in a European Way" ("a l' Europeen"), he stressed from the outset, in Reply to relevant "Eurofora"s Question, with a profound Smile...
- That means, f.ex. with Calm, by Thinking well, and with Certainties, in an Atmosphere of great Concentration", EPP's Secretary General, and meinstream MEP added, (almost in line with Fresh Winner, Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy's earlier statements).
- Because "Some seek to Provoke Uncertainties", he enigmatically, but Firmly, Denounced in fine.
--------------------
Significant of the Exceptional Importance of the Crucial, forthcoming EU Heads of State/Government Summit, Later Today in Brussels, is also that the Head of France's Main Opposition Party, Experienced former President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy of the "Republicans", was Now Present in this EPP Summit, Together with his Old Friend the German Chancelor Angie Merkel, in Brussels.
Unusualy, Merkel arrived Earlier than in the Past, marking a Natural Wish to Exchange Views with all Participants to this EPP Summit, while Sarkozy left quite Late, apparently having a Lot to Say, including with his Compatriot, the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party's President, Experienced former Long-time MEP, Joseph Daul from Strasbourg, particularly in view also of the Forthcoming, Crucial Elections in France, in Less than a Year (April 2017)i
Sarkozy appeared very Thoughtful, Stopping, Looking Around and Approaching "Eurofora", when we Reminded him his Historic Appeal for the Need of a "ReNaissance of Europe", that he had Launched, in a Landmark Speech in Strasbourg, back on 2 of July, 2007, after his Brillant Election at the Presidncy of the Country and a Succesful then EU Brussels Summit, (Comp. also "Eurofora" Co-Founder's NewsReport from Berlin, (Published in "TCWeekly" then)s, when we had been Invited to Follow Sarkozy's Airplane to his 1st Official Meeting with the German Chancelor, with whom they were already Familiar in the Past, precisely thanks to such previous EPP Summits).
But, Finaly, after apparently Giving a Thougt, he didn't yet give a specific Reply on that, too "Hot" point, at least for the Time being, and prefered to leave, without even Saying anything Today, not even to a mainstream French Journalist from one of the Biggest Media of the Establishment in Paris : that of TV "LCI", who vainly Waited to Film him at the entrance...
--------------------------
But New President of the main Opposition Party in Greece, former Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking to Journalists in Brussels, including "Eurofora", was Adamant :
+ "We are absolutely Determined to Safeguard the Unity of EU's 27 Member States", and "we shall do it by realizing that the great European Dream has not more the same Appeal it used to have before : Middle Classes are Feeling Marginalized, they feel Exposed ? to the Winds of Globalisation, to Big Challenges", he told us from the outset.
- "So that the EU,s with the EPP at the Forefront, has, precisely, to Respond to these Topical Issues. We have to Combine the Necessary Calm (Flegm), with the Analysis of the Situation, and the required Resolve, able to Lead us to concrete, applicable Policies which meet EU Citizens' concerns. The First moves should be for Employement, as well as for the Security of Citizens".
=> - And, "precisely,the Creation of a European CoastGuard is a First Step in this Direction, that we Salute and Supporty, which must be Adopted (by the forthcoming EU Heads of State/Government Summit, later Tonight in Brussels, as well as EU Parliament), the Soonest possible", he concluded.
+ In this regard, Moreover, "we've alreadu said", some "week s ago, in Mytilini" (Lesbos Island), that the Unprecedented Mass Asylum Seeker/ Irregular Migrants' Influx through Turkey "could have been largely Prevented, if the Greek Authorities, (with EU's Help), had kept a Similar Policy in Protecting what is both National and EU's External Borders as we (i.e. a Previous EPP-led Coalition Governments) had already done during the previous years, Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed with "Eurofora" in substance, as far as it concerns a Key Denonciation that he has Recently done at a Meeting with All concerned Mayors at the Aegean Sea Frontline.
(../..)
----------------------------------------
This should win Jerry Coyne a prize not our Censor of the Year award, because Professor Coyne has already won that but some type of recognition for sheer lack of self-awareness. Writing at Why Evolution Is True, Coyne fulminates in favor offree speech.
Free speech? Jerry Coyne?
Theres hardly anything to disagree with in what he says, but surely the hero who succeeded in suppressing free speech at Ball State University can find other topics to comment on.
The outspoken evolutionary biologist doesnt write much about evolution anymore, but instead seems increasingly to want to fashion himself into more of an all-purpose pundit on current events, with the predictable views on gun control, Brexit, etc. I suppose he must see the free speech question as part of thatbut give me a break.
Coyne begins:
Professors hounded by their university for encouraging debate We all know that some universities, when they espouse an allegiance to free speech and open debate, really mean they want only speech that doesnt offend anyone, and only want debate about issues that arent controversial (but then why have a debate?). Fortunately, thats not true of all universities my own is a welcome exception. But the lip service to free speech combined with hand service slapping down offensive free speech is going on in an invidious way at one school, the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley. Reports at Heat Street, as well as at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), detail how two UNC professors were investigatedsimply for asking students to discuss and debate controversial topics. In both cases, student complaints triggered (sorry for the pun) inquires by the schools bias response team, a group devoted to sniffing out and punishing incidents of offensive speech. Heat Street obtained the records of these investigations simply by using the Colorado version of the Freedom of Information Act.
How can Coyne Coyne of all people protest professors being houndedsimply for asking students to discuss and debate controversial topics? He writes:
I really feel sorry for that professor, who has Big Brother looking over his shoulder and is apparently expected to grovel.
Groveling is exactly what Coyne and his friends at the Freedom From Religion Foundation sought to make a Ball State University physicist do. For background, in case you need it, Sarah Chaffee offered an update here last month.
Has Coyne, perhaps, reconsidered his own recent campaign against academic freedom? Theres no indication of it.
This I didnt know about his teaching work outside of the University of Chicago. Dr. Coyne writes:
Ill take the professors word, as reported by FIRE, that he was simply inciting debate (I did that all the time when lecturing as a creationist in my Creation vs. Evolution course at the University of Maryland) When I taught my course in Maryland, the last assignment was such a debate, but I put all the evolution-accepting students on the pro-creationist side, and the creationists on the pro-evolution side.
Theres no telling what he means there by creation or creationist. At issue at Ball State, it should be noted, was information about intelligent design, not creationism. Maybe Coynes view is that, on college campuses, you can teach about alternatives to Darwinism only with a view to mocking them.
Perhaps in the evolutionary context free speech means the freedom to instruct students as to the correctness of politically correct biology, using clever means to do so, but otherwise strictly prohibiting the serious exploration of alternative scientific understandings.
Image of Jerry Coyne adapted from photo by Emma Rodewald/Wikipedia user Fuzheado under Creative Commons license CC-BY-SA-3.0. Usage not intended to imply endorsement.
If there was ever a prime hunting ground for evolutionary evidence in the genes, it should be in the relationship between land mammals and marine mammals. Think of the obvious differences between a four-footed ancestor and a whale: the scope of the genetic changes necessary to transform one into the other in a relatively short time would be staggering.
According to Darwins theory, furthermore, it happened three times! Cetaceans (dolphins and whales), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions and walruses), and sirens (manatees and dugongs) are believed to have evolved their seagoing lifestyles independently within the last 60 million years.
Three scientists from the University of Pittsburgh looked into the genes for insight into this great transformation undertaken by the three groups of marine mammals. In a paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution, they announce the discovery that Hundreds of genes experienced convergent shifts in selective pressure in marine mammals [emphasis added].
A look at the details, though, gives a critical reader cause to think celebrations might be a tad premature. Why? Well, for one thing, shouldnt there be thousands? In the film Living Waters, Richard Sternberg considers the number of adaptations required to be unfathomably complicated to allow a land animal to live entirely in an aquatic environment. The film lists just a few categories of adaptations for humpback whales:
Respiratory system
Locomotive structures
Musculoskeletal system
Dentition
Urinary system
Cardiopulmonary system
Thermoregulation
Sensory organs
Reproductive organs
You can imagine any of these outward changes requiring thousands of genetic changes. Just think of all the parameters that would have to be modified, Sternberg says, and then multiply that by, I dont know a thousandfold, or more than that. Thats the scale of the problem that youre dealing with. In the Q&A feature of the film Icons of Evolution, David Berlinski tried to quantify the number of morphological changes necessary to turn a cow into a whale (like turning a car into a submarine), and stopped counting at 50,000.
Its hard, therefore, to get excited about hundreds of genes announced by the Pittsburgh crew. Do these genes deal with the major modifications in whales? You decide:
We present evidence of widespread convergence at the gene level by identifying parallel shifts in evolutionary rate during three independent episodes of mammalian adaptation to the marine environment. Hundreds of genes accelerated their evolutionary rates in all three marine mammal lineages during their transition to aquatic life. These marine-accelerated genes are highly enriched for pathways that control recognized functional adaptations in marine mammals, including muscle physiology, lipid-metabolism, sensory systems, and skin and connective tissue. The accelerations resulted from both adaptive evolution as seen in skin and lung genes, and loss of function as in gustatory and olfactory genes. In regard to sensory systems, this finding provides further evidence that reduced senses of taste and smell are ubiquitous in marine mammals.
Lets grant that adaptations to skin, muscles, lungs, and sensory systems are important. Its a little odd that they get excited about loss of function in taste and smell that has been suggested to result from change in prey, swallowing food whole, and the masking of tastes by seawater. That sounds Lamarckian. Youd hope to hear about how Darwinian natural selection produced one of the real innovations, like the origin of dolphin sonar, the blowhole, the tail fluke, or the cooling system for the internalized male testes described in Living Waters. But score a few points for Darwin. Not quite 50,000, but four or five.
But wait! When you look into the details of the paper, you find reasons to doubt even the examples they offer as evidence of positive selection in the genes.
First of all, they didnt really witness genetic evolution as much as convergence in the rate of change in genes that they assume occurred by evolution. Isnt that circular? Dont you have to believe the animals evolved in the standard evolutionary timeline before accepting this as evidence?
While past studies have searched for convergent changes at specific amino acid sites, we propose an alternative strategy to identify those genes that experienced convergent changes in their selective pressures, visible as changes in evolutionary rate specifically in the marine lineages. We present evidence of widespread convergence at the gene level by identifying parallel shifts in evolutionary rate during three independent episodes of mammalian adaptation to the marine environment.
In other words, they looked at the endpoint differences and merely assumed natural selection brought them about. Design advocates would expect the differences were planned for the aquatic lifestyle of these mammals.
Second, cases of positive selection appear strained. They observed strong evidence of positive selection and a marine-acceleration in a large number of skin-associated proteins. They claim further positive selection for some lung surfactant proteins. But those are only building-block changes; they say nothing about how hairy cowhide turned into tightly-knit, waterproof armor over blubber arranged into a long, sleek form suitable for gliding in water. They didnt say how the skin took form in fins and a powerful tail fluke. They couldnt even rule out that the rate increases were due to selective pressure from pathogens on the skin and lungs in seawater.
A third problem is that the genetic changes do not appear specific to marine mammals.
All of the marine-accelerated genes under positive selection also showed significant evidence of positive selection across the mammalian tree (Supplemental Table S1), so their positive selection is not specific to marine branches. However, they did nevertheless show increased evolutionary rates on marine branches, suggesting these genes experienced a greater pressure to adapt in the marine environment (Supplemental Table S3).
Anyone see a strong genetic case for cow-to-whale evolution? Fourthly, the researchers in many cases could not rule out neutral evolution. (Heres where the camel trots in.) Its hard to know whether to laugh or cry at the imploding story:
Convergent changes on marine branches could have resulted from neutral processes or alternatively due to positive selection for the same amino acid variant. For the latter case, we would expect there to be more convergent amino acid changes in these genes for marine species compared to negative control species. We tallied convergent changes within a control set of species not expected to show convergence and chosen to match the topology and branch lengths of the marine species (Supplemental Fig. S3C) (alpaca, camel and their ancestral branch, bushbaby, human, and aardvark). As an additional control, we tallied the convergent changes between the marine and control branches (Supplemental Fig. S3D). The marine branch dataset did not show an excess of convergent amino acid sites (mean proportion = 0.086) compared to the control datasets (0.088 and 0.052, for control branches and marine-versus control branches, respectively) (Supplemental Fig. S3). Furthermore, the proportion of convergent changes on marine branches is small compared to the amount of excess changes that led to the acceleration in relative rate (mean proportion = 0.549; Supplemental Fig. S3B). Overall, we found no evidence for adaptively driven site- and amino acid-specific convergence in marine-accelerated genes.
This is sad. There was far greater evidence for relaxation of constraint than for positive selection (thats the kind of evolution that turns cave fish blind). There was NO evidence for adaptively driven change to the genes they decided had accelerated their evolution. Heres where the gnat flies into the picture:
On the other hand, marine-accelerated genes participating in olfaction, gustation, and muscle function exhibited overwhelming evidence of relaxation of constraint. These observations included greatly accelerated rates consistent with neutral evolution and even obvious genetic lesions and pseudogenization (e.g. GNAT3).
Obviously, genetic lesions (deleterious mutations) and pseudogenization are not going to help a cow swim. In Living Waters, Sternberg showed mathematically that it would take longer to expect just two cooperative mutations to occur than the maximum time expected for the entire evolution of a whale (100 million years vs 9 million years).
If this is the best evidence for the story of a Darwinian transformation of a land animal into a successful full-time marine creature, they should watch Living Waters and consider the explanatory power of Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth. Its not enough to point to possible amino acid differences here or there (not specific to marine mammals, and not clearly tied to innovative complex structures like echolocation) and announce Q.E.D. by saying they might have evolved faster in whales than they did with camels.
A good scientific explanation needs to account for the whole animal, with all its parts. A designing intelligence knows how to integrate multiple complex systems for function. Unguided natural processes are incapable of that, as Granville Sewell illustrated here with tornadoes and iPhones recently.
Once the materialistic bias against intelligence is lifted from the causal toolkit, science is liberated from an unnecessary restriction against knowledge. Sternberg says in the film:
Darwinism provided an explanation for the appearance of design, and argued that there is no Designer or, if you will, the designer is natural selection. If thats out of the way if that just does not explain the evidence then the flip side of that is, well, things appear designed because they are designed.
Whales illustrate a global architecture that only a mind can bring about, Paul Nelson adds.
The data from genetics and molecular biology and a host of other fields have proven impossible to reconcile with undirected material causes. And, if science is an open-ended search for the truth, regardless of where the evidence leads, then what difference should it make if it leads to an intelligent cause?
Straining at irrelevant details to support a predetermined narrative because of some arbitrary rule that disallows non-material causes blinds science to the obvious. It strains at gnats while swallowing camels.
Photo credit: Marshmallow [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Thoughtful reader Steve noticed this on the website of the Center for Inquiry (CFI), which recently merged with the Richard Dawkins Foundation. Steve asks, Im curious. Do ID [intelligent design] conferences ever have to post something like this?
Hes referring to the Policy of the Center for Inquiry on Hostile Conduct/Harassment at Conferences. Now Im aware, obviously, that every community of likeminded individuals is subject to the familiar human frailties. But we also know, as noted here a while back, that The New Atheism Has a Problem with Women, having been plagued of late by rampant accusations of sexual harassment.
With that in mind, the policy on hostile behavior and harassment sounds like the CFI is reading its followers the Riot Act. The warning runs to 812 words, and I can only assume it was composed with the assistance of attorneys.
There are sections on the Purpose and Scope of Policy, Prohibited Conduct, Consequences of Hostile or Harassing Conduct, Reporting Hostile or Harassing Conduct; Investigations, and Record-Keeping.
Prohibited conduct extends from formal conferences to informal social events:
In general, prohibited conduct includes any abusive conduct that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with another persons ability to enjoy and participate in the conference, including social events related to the conference.
It includes non-sexual behavior:
Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to, yelling at or threatening speakers or attendees, or any significantly disruptive conduct. By way of example, repeated interruption of a speaker by an attendee is prohibited.
And sexual behavior:
Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment. By way of example, unwelcome sexual attention, stalking, and physical contact such as pinching, grabbing, or groping are prohibited.
Well, good for them. If a policy like this werent needed, they would not have published this one and in such detail, including the reference to pinching, grabbing, or groping. Notice that they couldnt leave it at pinching and trust fellow skeptics to extrapolate the rest, or even merely pinching or grabbing. They had to specify all three! This is a sociologically revealing document.
Behavior and belief walk hand in hand. You would have to be naive to assume theres no sociology that goes along with knowledge and opinion.
CFI has some interesting events coming up, including CSICon 2016 in Las Vegas featuring skeptic stars like evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, science education champion Eugenie Scott, SETI astronomer Jill Tarter. Cosmologist Lawrence Krauss will be a headline attraction. Theres also Women in Secularism, to be held in Arlington, VA, with a focus on fight[ing] back against the intrusion of religious dogma on womens lives.
Religious dogma? It sounds like the behavior of skeptics themselves poses the more immediate threat of intruding on womens privacy, including that of CFI fans themselves. Before Id sign up for one of these events, Id want to think carefully about it.
Photo: CFI Lecture Hall, by Sgerbic (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
Starbucks Reserve Tata Nullore Estates is the first single-origin coffee from India available to customers in the U.S., joint-venture extends the reach of Starbucks coffee and expands coffee roasting capabilities
In a meeting at the iconic Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, Washington, Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Starbucks Coffee Company, Howard Schultz, and chairman, Tata Sons Limited, Cyrus Mistry, announced multiple new joint initiatives last week which expand the existing Tata and Starbucks relationship and strengthen the companies commitment to developing the Tata-Starbucks brand and building a different kind of company in India.
For the first time, Starbucks will offer a single-origin coffee from India in the U.S., giving customers from outside the country a unique opportunity to experience a rare, small-lot coffee from the Tata Nullore Estates located in the beautiful Coorg coffee growing area of India. Starbucks Reserve Tata Nullore Estates will be the first coffee from India to be roasted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room and will only be available at this Seattle location later this year.
These announcements build upon the incredible success and shared values between Starbucks and Tata in our partnership in India, said Schultz. We are humbled by the way in which customers in India have embraced Starbucks elevated coffeehouse experience, which now spans to more than 80 stores across six cities. As we continue on our journey with Tata, we are delighted to introduce the finest coffee from India to a new audience. Starbucks Reserve Tata Nullore Estates, the first ever Starbucks Reserve coffee sourced exclusively from India, highlights the deep coffee heritage and expertise of both companies to source, roast and distribute the finest-quality arabica coffees and elevates the story of India coffee for our customers."
Starbucks also announced plans to increase its coffee roasting capacity for supplying its stores in India and, over time, select markets around the globe. Since Tata Coffee Limited opened its doors to a roasting and packaging plant in Kushalnagar in Coorg, Karnataka, in 2013, this facility has steadily increased its roasting capabilities. Today, it roasts Starbucks India Estates Blend and Espresso Roast coffees and will soon expand to include both Kenyan and Sumatran coffees for Starbucks stores throughout India. This builds upon Tata and Starbucks commitment to cultivate a future supply of high-quality, sustainable green coffee from existing and potential sources in India through world-class agronomy practices.
"We are proud to work with Starbucks, a company which shares our commitment to both the coffee growing regions and the coffee farmers to ensure we meet the global demand for high-quality coffee over the long-term," said Mistry. Our journey with Starbucks since 2012 has been gratifying and we are pleased to build on the strong relationship between Starbucks and the Tata group as we continue to further advance Indian coffee around the globe. We are honoured to be sourcing the finest Indian coffee and introducing Starbucks customers outside India to its quality for the first time.
Building on the sustained success of the tea category in Starbucks U.S. retail stores, Starbucks will extend its Teavana specialty tea brand to India this December with unique bold and customized flavour combinations. Like its industry-leading green coffee sourcing practices, Starbucks and Tata are committed to promoting sustainable tea practices and are collaborating on the development of a signature Indian tea blend that will be available across all Starbucks stores in India.
Starbucks also plans to expand the availability of Himalayan Mineral Water, bottled by Tata Global Beverages, beyond Starbucks stores in India to Singapore later this year, as the companies explore opportunities to introduce the bottled water brand to stores across Starbucks China and Asia Pacific region. Himalayan Mineral Water is bottled at the source from a pure and pristine underground moving stream aquifer at the foothills of the Shivalik range in the Himalayas. This aquifer is one of the largest and purest sources in the world, providing a perennial source of natural mineral water.
Watch the video here:
https://we.tl/ZQpEteQeCr
Read more news about (marketing news, latest marketing news,internet marketing, marketing India, digital marketing India, media marketing India, advertising news)
The GBP to AUD exchange rate extends slight recovery as sterling extends its bullish post-Brexit recovery.
BoEs Carney to speak on Thursday as UK reels from Brexit vote. The pound to Australian dollar exchange rate today: +0.35 per at 1.80821.
The GBP/AUD spot rate remains favourable despite growing headwinds.
"It was announced late yesterday that Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will give a public speech at 16:00BST today. No further details were forthcoming, but he is likely to provide further reassurance to markets and the country. In politics, nominations for the new Conservative party leader (and therefore prospective Prime Minister) will close today, with the eventual victor now expected to be announced by 9 September." say Lloyds in today's briefing to clients.
The Pound exchange rates have been highly desirable to investors for two days in a row this week, thanks in part to optimism regarding the UKs future relationship with the EU.
How long this unusual support is due to last, however, remains to be seen, with a drop off forecast to come in the next few days.
Ratings agency Fitch has predicted, among other things, that the Bank of England (BoE) will cut interest rates from 0.5% to 0.25% before the year is out, although the GBP/AUD has so far ignored the dovish warning.
The future of BoE monetary policy is another unknown; hiking rates will help to control inflation, which is likely to swell on the back of a weaker Pound, but higher borrowing costs will damage GDP, which is already going to be weakened by the Brexit.
The Pound has given its best performance of the past four days today, having risen against the Euro, Australian Dollar and US Dollar.
In spite of this apparent recovery, however, Sterling remains greatly weakened after the EU Referendum result, with its rate against the Euro in particular being a whole ten cents down compared to June 20th.
It remains uncertain whether Sterling will be able to maintain this rally across the course of the day, given that a number of events are scheduled that have the potential to cripple the Pounds appeal.
Find the days GBP fx rates below
On Thursday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1
FX markets see the pound vs pound exchange rate converting at 1.
The GBP to EUR exchange rate converts at 1.154 today.
Today finds the pound to us dollar spot exchange rate priced at 1.162.
The pound conversion rate (against new zealand dollar) is quoted at 1.991 NZD/GBP.
NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 27th Oct 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.
Treasury Session, EU Summit and Scottish First Minister due to Contribute Today
Today will see the occurrence of a number of UK and EU events, all of which have the potential to drop the Pound back down in its appeal against peers.
First off will be a Treasury Committee meeting, which is designed to evaluate the immediate and long-term impacts of Brexit.
Following on from this in the early afternoon will be a meeting of EU leaders to discuss the UKs exit from the EU, while at the same time, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to give further comments and perhaps fuel to the theory that a second Scottish Independence Referendum is on the cards.
Australian Dollar Strong Overall despite Dip in Confidence Index
The Aussie has managed to advance against most of its peers so far today, with declines against the Pound and the New Zealand Dollar being notable exceptions.
Domestic data out of Australia has been limited of late, with the only weekly contribution so far being a drop from 118.8 to 116.8 for the ANZ Roy Morgan weekly consumer confidence index.
In spite of this outcome, however, ANZ have pointed out that confidence still remains close to a monthly high.
Australian Home Sales Stats due Tomorrow, Credit Results Out on Thursday
The near-future will bring only a single piece of Australian domestic data, in the form of tomorrow mornings HIA new homes sales result for May. This is expected to rise significantly from -4.7% to 5.1%.
Looking further ahead, Thursday morning will bring with it the monthly and yearly private sector credit results for May; at present, forecasts have been for a minor rise on the month.
In other news, the Australian election continues towards a belated voting day on July 2nd, but ahead of this, any particularly decisive opinion polls may serve to further influence the Aussie.
Chancellor Osborne Remains Committed to Maintaining Economy
Although the Remain side of the conservative party has been dealt a major blow of late, Chancellor George Osborne remains in place at the controls of the economy, and has recently issued a statement to this effect.
Speaking earlier on in response to the Brexit vote, as well as what it could mean for the future, Osborne said:
I've made my argument. The British people have chosen a different course, but I love this country. As I say, 'My country - right or wrong'. I will do everything I can to make it work for Britain in the difficult weeks and months ahead.
GBP News: Merkel Claims no Access to Single Market without Free Movement
Angela Merkel has become the latest EU politician to lambast the claim put forward by many prominent figures in the Leave camp that the UK could have access to the single market without accepting free movement, although GBP remains on the uptrend.
The type of trade deal the UK will have with the EU once exit negotiations are completed continues to cause significant market uncertainty.
The GBP to CAD exchange rate edged higher today but Sterling continues to hold a comparatively weak position on Brexit uncertainty.
The Canadian dollar exchange rates failed to capitalise on commodity movements on Wednesday.
Both crude oil and gold have climbed in cost, though the pound to Canadian dollar exchange rate managed to stay strong.
The 2016 Social Progress Index, compiled by Social Progress Imperative, a non-profit organisation based in the US, has placed Canada second in the world, although the Canadian dollar exchange rates have failed to react positively to this news.
With top scores in freedom of speech, access to advanced education and low levels of violent crime, Canada lost out the top spot to Finland after a weak cell phone access score dragged down the overall measure.
After several days of massive depreciation, the British Pound rebounded from multi-year lows.
The Sterling uptrend, albeit fractional, can be linked to traders taking advantage of its comparatively low trade weighting.
Meanwhile the Canadian Dollar edged lower despite improved market sentiment as gold prices weaken and crude prices remain well below $50 a barrel.
Here are the latest live FX rates for your reference:
On Thursday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1
At time of writing the pound to pound exchange rate is quoted at 1.
The live inter-bank GBP-USD spot rate is quoted as 1.162 today.
FX markets see the pound vs australian dollar exchange rate converting at 1.792.
Please note: the FX rates above, updated 27th Oct 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.
UK Pound Ticks Higher despite Standard & Poors Downgrading British Credit Rating
Traders are staring to take advantage of Sterlings low trade weighting after the Pound dropped to a 31-year low against the US Dollar.
This pushed the Pound higher versus most of its major peers, but the uncertainty surrounding the UKs economic and political future will limit gains.
Standard & Poors, Moodys and Fitch have all cut the UKs credit rating but this wasnt enough to offset Sterling gains.
Most analysts do not expect sustained Sterling appreciation, however, given so much uncertainty as to how the UK will secure a positive exit from the EU.
Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Soften despite Improved Risk Appetite
Although risk-on trade has returned in line with rising global stock prices and commodity prices, the Canadian Dollar softened versus most of its peers.
This is thanks to a massive fall in the price of gold prices in addition to crude oil prices remaining well below $50 a barrel.
Analysts at Scotiabank predict that the Loonie (CAD) will decline as risk appetite withdraws thanks to Brexit uncertainty.
CAD is steady trading around Fridays close at the lower end of its two month range, having recovered from a renewed attempt at the June 24 low early in the Asian session. Near-term CAD risk lies to the downside as we consider the fragile market tone and CADs vulnerability to weakness in periods of risk aversion. CAD appears to be trading in tandem with oil prices in a manner that underscores the dominance of broader market sentiment as we note its complete disconnect to the 2Y U.S.-Canada yield spread. Domestically, this weeks risks center on Thursdays release of monthly GDP for April, one of the last major releases ahead of the BoCs July 13 policy decision and MPR forecast update.
Live Brexit historical events as-they-happen with foreign exchange market reaction for the British pound to euro, US dollar exchange rates.
14th July 2016
Theresa May has now revealed all positions in her cabinet. Only four positions have remained in the same hands; defence secretary Michael Fallon, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns and Scottish Secretary David Mundell. May was described as ruthless however she said it was a strong leadership team with a strategic vision. Theresa May has not given George Osborne a job in government at all.
Theresa Announces New Cabinet
13th July 2016
Theresa May has announced many of her new appointments this evening. The cabinet is so far balanced between Remainers and Brexiters;
Remainers: Phillip Hammond will be her chancellor, Amber Rudd is home secretary and Michael Fallon the defence secretary.
Brexiters: Boris Johnson is foreign secretary, Liam Fox the international trade secretary and David Davis will be in the newly formed role of Brexit secretary, this department will lead Negotiations for Britains departure from the EU.
The Handover, David Cameron Stands down
Today David Cameron made his last ever appearance as the Prime Minister in the House Commons. After numerous tributes and mockery of Labour leadership he received a standing ovation as he departed.
David Cameron visited Buckingham Palace to formally resign in front of Her Majesty The Queen, and shortly after Theresa May knelt before her as she was formally appointed Prime Minister.
Leads Pulls Out of The Conservative Leadership Race
11th July 2016
Andrea Leadsom has dropped out of the leadership election allowing Theresa May to be named Prime Minister. This comes after she felt she was under attack following her comments on Mays childishness. She also gave the reason that in such a critical time the country needed a leader sooner than the nine weeks it would have taken if the race had gone ahead.
The pound jumped against the dollar as there were reports of Leadsom pulling out of the race. Once the news was confirmed it jumped more than a cent and a half to $1.3017.
The pound also shot up by more than 1 cent against the euro to 1.177.
10th July 2016
There has been controversy over Leadsoms statement that she would make a better Prime Minister because she is a mother, saying she had a very real stake in Britains future. The papers headlines stated Being a mother gives me edge on May - Leadsom She said the newspapers have taken her words out of context and she meant the exact opposite of what the papers are saying.
9th July 2016
Angela Eagle has said she intends to challenge Jeremy Corbyn and she will be making an official announcement on Monday.
8th July 2016
Support for Theresa May to become Prime Minister was voiced by senior Tories today. They believe she has the experience needed to keep the country safe.
The vote could be a lot closer than Mrs May would have liked, however she is still seen as the favourite in the race.
Three Candidates Remain in the Leadership Race
7th July 2016
Theresa May stays in first place after the second round received 199 votes, she believes Brexit means Brexit and we will be leaving the EU. Andrea Leadsom received 84 votes and so remains in second place. She says the referendum was a huge opportunity for our great country. After abandoning his support for Boris Johnson and standing for leadership himself, Michael Gove has been eliminated being placed third on 48 votes.
First Round of Voting For The New Conservative Leader Closes
5th July 2016
Theresa May won in the first round of voting with the support of 165 MPs. Andrea Leadsom came second securing 66 votes beating Michael Gove into third place on 48 votes. Stephen Crabb received 34 votes, putting him in fourth place, dropped out as he wanted the race to be as short as possible. Liam Fox finished in last place having received 16 votes and was eliminated from the leadership race.
1st July 2016
Chancellor George Osborne has abandoned his 2020 Fiscal Surplus Target. The news has seen the GBP/EUR and GBP/USD exchange rates fall for a second day.
Monitoring Brexit vote impact on UK science: The Brexit vote has already caused disruption to career plans, investments, and roles in new consortia that are forming. Please submit it feedback if it affects you.
30th June 2016
Carney Tanks the Pound to Euro, Dollar Exchange Rates
The British pound has fallen sharply against the euro, US dollar exchange rates today after Mark Carney hinted at interest rate cuts.
Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney has warned that the UK could be in for several interest rate cuts.
"Mr. Carney said it was his personal view that the central bank would need to cut its key interest rate, currently 0.5%, over the summer, adding that an initial assessment of the economic damage caused by the vote to leave the EU would be made at the Monetary Policy Committees July meeting, and a full assessment, alongside new forecasts for growth and inflation, would take place in August. That suggests he favors an August move, while leaving the door open to an earlier decision." Wall Street Journal
In a shock move Boris Johnson announced that he would not be running for the Conservative leadership, just minutes before nominations were due to close, in spite of previously being considered the frontrunner.
However, current favourite and Remain campaigner Teresa May also commented that Brexit is Brexit, cementing the belief that the referendum result will not be overturned following Camerons departure.
29th June 2016
The British pound exchange rates have continued to recover as just under half of the nation reels from the Brexit vote and the two major parties remain under dubious leadership. The Conservative nominations for Prime Minister are still coming in over the week, while the expected challenge has not yet been issued for the contested Labour leadership position.
Economist Intelligence Unit Forecasts Recession
The UK economy will fall into recession in 2017, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit; GBP remains on the uptrend despite the prediction, however.
According to the EIU, UK growth will slow significantly compared to previous forecasts, bringing its outlook closer to that of the EU28 aggregate forecast, against which the UK was previously forecasts to outperform.
Forecast sees Scotland Leave UK and Get New Currency - Scottish Pound or Euro?
Scotland is likely to break away from the UK and adopt a new currency, rejecting Pound Sterling, according to a note from JP Morgan.
The note also predicts that the UK will end up with curtailed single market access due to the struggle to get the concessions it is currently intending to seek.
David Cameron has not been allowed to attend the EU meeting this morning as they discuss the implications of Brexit.
Hopes of Bremain Cause British Pound Exchange Rates to Rise?
Yesterday saw sterling rise, with the British pound to dollar exchange rate advancing 1.44% at one stage of the session.
Today the GBP/EUR, GBP/USD exchange rates have continued to climb along with the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250.
Will a Brexit actually happen? Nordea see a 70% chance of a Brexit and free trade agreement:
"Following last weeks shocking Brexit vote it is still impossible to find a single leading member of the ruling Conservative Party who is ready to notify the EU about the UKs intention to leave. In turn, a key question currently intensively discussed is whether the next prime minister will simply decide to ignore the non-binding Brexit vote."
Vote of No Confidence
28th June 2016
Results from the Vote of no confidence revealed 172-40 call upon to quit. However Corbyn doesnt believe the ballot had any constitutional legitimacy and so will not resign. The Labour party hoped Mr Corbyn would step down voluntarily.
Poll For Next Prime Minister
Nominations for the Tory parter leadership open on Wednesday and close on Thursday. According to a YouGov poll Theresa May has beaten Boris Johnson by 1% as the politician the public think would make the best Prime Minister.
at 12:46pm Stephen Crabb, the Work and Pensions Secretary, declared his plans to enter the Tory leadership race. It is believed that he will pair up with Sajid Javid who would become his Chancellor.
Nicola Sturgeon will head to Brussels on Wednesday to meet with Martin Shulz.
Merkel Rejects Johnsons Claim Over Single Market and EU Migration
Angela Merkel rejected suggestions by Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt to retain Britains access to the single market. Access is conditional and only if a country accepts all of the EUs rules will be be eligible for the single market. Negotiations can not begin until article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty has been initiated.
David Cameron Talks With EU Leaders
During the talks Cameron highlighted that although the economic benefits of staying in the EU was known, the strong opinions about freedom of movement was the main reason so many voted Brexit. He believed Britain should keep close relations to the rest of Europe.
The European Parliament want Britain to immediately trigger the divorce process from the EU. This can not happen until Britain invokes the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Once this has been initiated the 2 year countdown to negotiate the terms of exit begins.
Latest Pound/Euro Exchange Rates
On Thursday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1 FX markets see the pound vs pound exchange rate converting at 1. At time of writing the pound to us dollar exchange rate is quoted at 1.162. The pound conversion rate (against canadian dollar) is quoted at 1.576 CAD/GBP. FX markets see the pound vs swiss franc exchange rate converting at 1.146. The pound conversion rate (against australian dollar) is quoted at 1.792 AUD/GBP. NB: the forex rates mentioned above, revised as of 27th Oct 2022, are inter-bank prices that will require a margin from your bank. Foreign exchange brokers can save up to 5% on international payments in comparison to the banks.
Pressure Eases in UK Financial Markets
Pound showing signs of recovery, rising back above $1.33.
The FTSE 100 is rallying and the pound is moving higher.
Asian stocks rose for the first time in three days
12:00pm European stock markets maintained their gains by lunchtime after suffering a torrid two-day sell-off in the Brexit aftermath.
At midday the FTSE 100 is up 2.5%
27th June 2016
With both Gibraltar and Scotland backing remaining part of the EU they are now discussing the potential options for the countries. Nicola Sturgeon and Fabian Picardo are in talks about the options for the countries. Both counties voted strongly to remain, 62% of Scotland and 95% of Gibraltar.
UK Stripped of AAA Rating
The UK has been downgraded by two notches from AAA to AA by the rating agency. This is due to uncertainty following the Brexit result potentially harming growth. "The UK is now deemed less credit worthy than the US and EU by S&P" (Source)
Hilary Benn Sacked, Whos Left in the Shadow Cabinet?
26th June 2016
"Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn has been sacked from the shadow cabinet amid claims he was encouraging ministers to resign should Jeremy Corbyn ignore a vote of no confidence. He told Corbyn in a phone call that he had lost Confidence in his leadership and he dismissed me.
If Jeremy Corbyn ignores the vote of no confidence a high number of shadow cabinet members are likely to stand down
Shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander resigned. She didnt believe Jeremy Corbyn would be able to shape the answers our country is demanding and she believes a change of leadership is essential.
The Guardian states "Angela Eagle, Lucy Powell, Jonathan Ashworth, Lisa Nandy, Chris Bryant, Luciana Berger, Gloria De Piero, Charlie Falconer, Ian Murray, Rosie Winterton and Andy Burnham are among those to resign from the Labour frontbench on Sunday" provoked by the leave result of the referendum and Jeremy sacking Hilary Benn (Source )
Jonathan Hill Stands Down after Brexit Vote
25th June 2016
Lord Hill has been Britains commissioner since 2014. He believes he can not continue in his role like nothing has happened and will stand down.
Scotland leaving the EU is "Democratically Unacceptable" says Sturgeon
24th June 2016
Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "highly likely" there will be a second Scottish independence referendum. She wants to look into all opportunities to stay in the EU.
Nigel Farage denies claims to spend 350 million of European Union cash on the NHS after Brexit. He states he was ostracised by the leave campaign and "did his own thing"
"The figure does not take into account Britains rebate or money paid to the UK from the EU budget under grants for policy areas like agriculture and regional development." (Source)
Spain now want control over Gibraltars borders. Garcia-Margallo believes there is now a possibility to fly the Spanish flag in Gibraltar following the vote to leave.
Almost 99 per cent of Gibraltarians voted no to co-sovereignty.
David Lidington strongly states that The United Kingdom will keep on standing beside Gibraltar.
This was further solidified by a well placed Gibraltar source stating he was sure Gibraltars government would not allow co-sovereignty.
Pound Crashes on Brexit Result
24th June 2016
Gibraltars result was the first to come in, 96 per cent voted to remain in the EU. Over 19,300 people voted for Remain compared to just over 800 for leave.
Newcastle upon Tyne was the first mainland vote to be announced, the remain vote narrowly won (50.7 percent). Experts had predicted a much stronger win for remain. This result unsettled the Remain party as a bigger victory was expected.
Sunderlands vote was announced at 00:28, 61 per cent voted to leave, a larger margin than expected. Sterling dropped sharply by 3 percent in reaction to this result. Leave won by 22 points instead of the predicted 6.
At 07:00 the final vote showed that 51.9 per cent of the UK wanted to leave the EU. From this sterling exchange rates crash by largest falls in history.
Mark Carney issued a statement to reassure the markets that if necessary the Bank is will provide an extra 250 billion.
Pound Rallies as Opinion polls show remain likely outcome
23rd June 2016
Pound rallies on referendum day due to opinion polls favourable to remain in the EU. The FTSE closed at "the highest level since 21 April, at 6,338.1."
The pound rose above$1.48, the first time in 2016.
Sterling is also up against the euro at 1.3030. (Source)
Pound Surges as Opinion Polls Show Remain leading
22nd June 2016
Opinion polls showed the remain camp leading this lead to sterling seeing the biggest one-day gain in eight years, up 0.22 percent against the dollar to $1.4684. The pound to euro hit 1.3056.
If you have one of those packaging and mailing stores anywhere around, pay them a visit. (One chain is called The Packaging Store, but there are others.) These shops deal with all the various shippers, from the USPS to DHL, FedEX and UPS. They'll know what shipper is the best for your purposes, given the stuff you're shipping, the weight and how quickly you need or want it.
Cheers,
Bev
Hi everyone.
I'm from Northern Ireland, have received a job offer from Memorial University of NL, and have received a positive LMIA. So onto the next stage...
I'm currently completing a temporary work permit application. While it is reasonably straightforward, there is one question that I am unsure of:
Have you previously applied to enter or remain in Canada? Yes/no
While I have been to Canada six times before, it has always been for a vacation and lastly for job interview so I entered as a visitor. However I think this question seems to be referring to circumstances of live/ work/ study, but I cannot be sure.
I have checked the CIC associated guidance and goggled it, but I cannot find any explicit explanation for this. Perhaps I'm over complicating it, but just want to ensure it is completely accurate!
If anyone could advise me, it would be much appreciated
Many thanks
Shirley
Hi guys,
I am a newbie here and I apologize if this is not the right place for my question.
Here it goes - I'm a Bulgarian and I currently live in Sofia (Bulgaria). However, I've had my heart set on living in Italy for quite some time now and I was wondering which languages might make me stand out among the other people looking for jobs there (or which languages offer more options in general).
I was thinking about Spanish/French but I guess quite a lot of people in Italy speak those languages as they are sort of easy ones for an Italian. Then again, an exotic one like Indonesian, let's say, probably won't be too useful if one tries to find a job in Florence. So I am kinda at a loss here.
The thing is that right now I have a great job in Bulgaria and I am happy with what I do (I actually love my job). However, in a few years time - let's say 6-8 - I might decide to go for it and follow my dream of living in Florence and I would like to be as prepared as possible so I might actually stand a chance. Besides that, we live in a rapidly changing environment so I would like to be prepared in case my current job no longer satisfies me.
I speak Bulgarian and English, I have studied Italian and right now I have dedicated my free time to improving it (the goal is to reach level C2 within one year from now). The question is what is the next language I should take up in order to be competitive at the Italian job market? I hold 2 bachelor's degrees (in journalism and sociology) and a master's in an unrelated field. However, right now I work as a support and copywriter for a few international online casinos (if that information is of any help).
Thanks for the help, I would appreciate any thoughts on the matter. :juggle:
From: Michelle Dim-St. Pierre For Immediate Release: Dateline: Atlanta , GA Tuesday, June 28, 2016
?Summer is in full swing here in the South, ready for thousands of visitors to hit the Gulf beaches but wait! This year you may not want to step into the water. Unfortunately, the Gulf of Mexico is challenging us with some health scares.
Also, right in my own backyard, Panama City Beach, Florida, theres been an outbreak of sea lice. Id never heard about these monsters beforeand all I could imagine was something like scabiesyuck! But they are not. Sea lice are tiny jellyfish larvae that sting your skinthe rash comes later. The larvae are so microscopic that they are impossible to see with the naked eye. They tend to migrate through the mesh of bathing suits, where they become trapped and begin to sting. However, most swimmers dont realize theyve been stung until the next day, when they experience fever, chills, nausea, and bumpy or blistered skin. The flesh-eating bacteria that have contaminated the waters of the Gulf of Mexico during the last few years have now been found in seafood. Swimmers with open wounds have been discouraged from entering the water for some time now. But now news reports advise people to avoid eating raw seafood as wellparticularly raw oystersas this has been linked to people contracting the bacteria. The number of deaths this year has reached into the hundreds.Also, right in my own backyard, Panama City Beach, Florida, theres been an outbreak of sea lice. Id never heard about these monsters beforeand all I could imagine was something like scabiesyuck! But they are not. Sea lice are tiny jellyfish larvae that sting your skinthe rash comes later. The larvae are so microscopic that they are impossible to see with the naked eye. They tend to migrate through the mesh of bathing suits, where they become trapped and begin to sting. However, most swimmers dont realize theyve been stung until the next day, when they experience fever, chills, nausea, and bumpy or blistered skin. ?I sit here on my porch, just 25 feet from the water. The powdery beaches are crowded with touristsdown here we call them renters. I think to myself, as long as there is water and sun in the Gulf, nothing will keep people from Canada and the Southeastern United States from heading down here. As I look around, I already sense the swarm of people arriving for the upcoming Fourth of July weekendand thats a good thing. ?It seems theres always something going on with the oceans of the worldfrom shark sightings to contamination to the now-current sea lice and Vibrio outbreak. But people have always flocked to the ocean waters for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Put the recent scares out of your mind and remember all the wonderful things to see at the Gulf of Mexico. Come to enjoy the long stretches of white, powdery sand between your toesthe amazing orange and purple sunsets over the gulf watersthe unique Sundog Bookstore in Seaside, rated a full 5 stars on TripAdvisorthe famous Margaritaville in Pier Park in Panama City Beach. Take long, leisurely bike rides along the beach. Instead of raw seafood, take advantage of the various mouthwatering options for dinner in the coastal towns, and cool down in the refreshing pools that dot the coastlines many hotels and communities. Its a great opportunity to try something new during your getaway to the Gulf of Mexico.
Come to the long, white beaches of Florida, to celebrate the 4th of July.
If you see me sitting on my porch, stop by Michelle
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
The original Star Trek spaceship Enterprise is now enshrined in the Smithsonians Air and Space Museums main Hall of Flight. The 11-foot long model of the ship from the original TV series, last remodeled in 1967, was rescued from deterioration in the museums gift shop by museum conservator Malcolm Collum.
This article in the Washington Post detailed the changes made in the restoration. From the story:
When Paramount donated the ship to the Smithsonian in 1974, Star Trek was just a single short-lived TV series. As the franchise expanded, the Enterprise model fell into disrepair. Sagging nacelles (the ships torpedo-shaped engine housings) and flaking paint spurred Collum to take the ship out of the gift shop and into the conservation lab in 2014.
Heres whats new:
A green-gray paint job. Using the original paint on the top of the saucer as a reference, conservators returned the ship to its proper color by removing paint applied during previous restorations and adding new paint where needed. People are going to say it looks too green now, but it looked more gray on TV because of the powerful incandescent studio lights, Collum says.
Space tarnish. Artists from visual-effects studio Industrial Light and Magic applied bronze-colored streaks and specks, lost during past restorations, to the exterior. It looks like the ship was speeding through space and ran through a cloud of something that splattered across its hull, Collum says.
Old-school decals. With historic photos as a reference, ILM artists added lettering to the sides of the starship using the waterslide method (the same technology that underlies temporary tattoos) used by the original model makers.
A more authentic deflector dish. Before coming to the Smithsonian, the Enterprise lost its deflector dish the saucer at the front that projects a force field to protect the ship from space debris. During an earlier restoration, the museum made a not-very-accurate replacement we referred to it as the salad bowl, Collum says. The new dish is a perfect replica, re-created using the original specs.
Lights that wont cause fires. In addition to blinking lights throughout the ship, the Enterprises nacelles appeared to have spinning lights inside, an effect created with motors, mirrors and Christmas lights. The old incandescent bulbs ran hot and actually scorched the inside of the wooden model, which is why they were removed long ago, Collum says. The restored version uses LED lights to replicate the original effects. When you turn on the lights, it just brings the ship to life, Collum says. Its an incredible transformation.
Want to know the origin of the Live Long and Prosper hand gesture? Read this Family Plot Blog Post with the story by Leonard Nimoy.
And you might get a chuckle out of this cartoon the opposite of Live Long and Prosper.
For those who want a Star Trek themed funeral, check out this post about Undertaking Betty.
Hail to the newly restored Enterprise! And to all of you, Live Long and Prosper!
Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.
Instant News Wire
Texas factory activity in June declined for the second month in a row, according to a monthly survey of business executives by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, was -7.0, according to the survey. The index, however, rose about six points from the -13.1 index in May, suggesting a slowing down in the pace of contraction.
Labor market measures indicated a sixth consecutive month of contraction, with the employment index falling to -11.5, its lowest reading since November 2009. According to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey of 114 manufactures, the decline in the employment index was largely due to a falloff of firms hiring new workers. Only 6 percent of firms said they were hiring last month, down from 16 percent last month and below the 18 percent of firms that indicated net layoffs.
The oil industrys woes continue to weigh on the manufacturing sector. It was one of the top three concerns affecting company outlook. The others were increased government regulation and the U.S. economy.
Weve got a lot of Texas manufacturers and fabricated metals and machinery, and a lot of those companies directly support the energy sector with equipment, said Emily Kerr, a Dallas Fed business economist. As oil prices fell and the rig count plummeted, so too did the demand for those manufacturers.
Comments from manufacturers, who anonymously fill out the survey, pointed to the oil industry as a major contributor to slowed growth.
This is a recession, one machinery manufacturer wrote. There is a continued significant negative impact due to the downturn in the energy industry as a result of weak commodity prices. Recent slight improvement in commodity prices is having no positive impact on business conditions, although it may be slowing the pace of deceleration in business activity.
Another wrote that the outlook for the industry is pessimistic.
Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.
There are some prospects for improvements in land drilling, but our business deep water drilling looks to be in deep trouble. The number of rigs that are being stacked and the long lead time to bring those rigs back into service makes the outlook very pessimistic. We'll have to find an alternative or face a shell of a company.
Forty-one percent of respondents said lower energy prices have decreased demand from their customers, an 11 percent increase from this time last year.
Wages and benefits remained unchanged at 21.6, suggesting a continued rise in compensation. The expectations of future business improved in June, with the general business activity index returning to a positive 2.6 after dropping below zero last month.
Mpetersen@express-news.net
Twitter: Malachi_93
CARRIZO SPRINGS In the latest blow to federal officials efforts to open a new immigrant family holding center in South Texas, Dimmit County Commissioners voted Monday against a contract to open a facility here.
Dan Stratton, whose South Carolina company would have operated the 1,000-bed center, billed it as a first-of-its kind facility that would have been operated by a licensed child care provider. Immigrant families would not be allowed to leave the grounds, Stratton said, but he insisted it should not be called a detention center.
In response to a federal judges ruling last year that family detention centers in Karnes County and Dilley, 40 miles away, violate a court settlement governing the rights of immigrant children, federal officials are trying to build what he called a family residential center that mollifies immigrants rights groups, Stratton said.
The immigrants held in Carrizo Springs, about 120 miles southwest of San Antonio, would have been kept in a more family friendly environment, Stratton said, and unlike Dilley and Karnes County, some fathers would have been held there.
The existing facilities, with a combined capacity to hold more than 3,000 people, opened in 2014 when the Obama administration implemented large-scale family detention in response to large numbers of Central American women and children illegally crossing the border in South Texas.
Since then, the centers have been a flash point for protests and lawsuits, in part because theyre closed facilities that families are not allowed to leave. The Dilley center is not licensed as a child care facility. The center in Karnes County is, but the license is being challenged in a lawsuit.
There are still guards. There are still guns, Stratton said. But the idea is they dont want a 5-year-old seeing a guard walking around with a gun on their back and bars on windows.
Stratton pitched the facility as an answer to Dimmit Countys economic downturn in recent years, a result of the oil bust in the Eagle Ford Shale. It would also be a way for his company, modular construction financing firm Stratton Securities Inc., to find a use for an unoccupied 27-acre defunct man camp for oilfield workers.
The facility would create about 400 jobs in the area, Stratton said.
Laredo attorney Donato Ramos Jr., who the county hired last week to consult on the proposal, warned commissioners that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could ink a deal with another governmental entity on paper the Dilley facility is operated by a town in Arizona and leave Dimmit County without a voice in the matter.
In the end, concerns about lawsuits, infrastructure strain and, most of all, security, won out. Residents packed the county courtroom to tell commissioners how worried they were about having large numbers of immigrants in their community.
Before the public comment period began, enough attendees had shouted out their concerns about Middle Eastern immigrants that Stratton said hed ask ICE not to house Syrian refugees at the proposed facility.
Dorealia Gonzalez, 69, said her property abuts the man camp off U.S. 83, southeast of town.
I live right next to it so Im not going to feel safe, Gonzalez said. Theyre just trying to get their money back at our expense.
With a line of attendees waiting to speak, County Judge Francisco Ponce asked if any commissioners had a motion to reject the contract with ICE. One was made, and the court unanimously voted to call off the deal.
Ponce said hed seen rumblings on social media, but Mondays meeting made it clear the center did not have support in the community.
If theyre concerned more about the security than the jobs, Im with them, he said afterward.
Manoj Govindaiah, the director of family detention services for the San Antonio-based nonprofit Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, said he wasnt buying Strattons contention that the facility would not be a detention center.
Theyre not allowing people to leave, Govindaiah said. He clearly said people stuck in the family residential center are not free to leave.
Govindaiah said he supports the commissioners decision, with a caveat about the opposition he heard Monday.
Im concerned about their reason for making this decision since it definitely seems like the community was concerned about fear and security rather than the humanitarian reasons to be opposed to the detention center, he said.
jbuch@express-news.net
Twitter: @jlbuch
The Prairie Doc: We need to be more intentional with antibiotics
British pig producers have a 'bright future' outside the European Union, says the National Pig Association.
"British pork has made considerable inroads to world markets over the past two years and we are confident this will continue, as a result of British pork's premium characteristics," the NPA said.
According to an industry poll this weekend, pig producers voted roughly in line with the rest of the country, with around 54 percent wanting Brexit.
"As an association, we may be sceptical about a bonfire of regulations, but we share our Brexit members' belief in the resilience of our industry and the specialness of its product," said NPA chief executive Dr Zoe Davies today.
Key among British pork's sales assets in global markets, particularly China, are its rigorous safety and regulatory credentials, its high welfare characteristics, and its ability to provide different genetics for different price points ranging from modern indoor production to straw-barns to outdoor-reared and outdoor free-range.
"British pork's safety and regulatory credentials are underpinned by regular Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured audits.
"And its unique welfare proposition includes no castration, no gestation stalls, and independent Real Welfare audits where vets score pigs for welfare indicators," the NPA said.
The British pig industry has also introduced an antibiotic stewardship programme which is expected when data is available to show producers are in the process of significantly reducing their use of antibiotics.
The government's Defra secretary Elizabeth Truss has re-assured farmers that current policies for agricultural will remain in place until the UK leaves the EU.
Truss said there would be no immediate changes to agricultural policy, giving the current turbulent scenario a much needed levelling.
"There will be no immediate changes until we leave the EU current arrangements for farming and our environment remain in place."
Meanwhile, NFU President Meurig Raymond has written to EU Commissioner Phil Hogan today calling for reassurance that schemes currently available to UK farmers remain open and in place until 2020.
Mr Raymond and Mr Hogan spoke on Friday directly after the UK voted to leave membership of the European Union.
Todays letter follows up on immediate issues of concern for NFU members including reassurance that promises made during the referendum campaign are delivered.
Period of 'extreme uncertainty'
"We are in a period of extreme uncertainty," said Mr Raymond, "but one thing remains absolutely clear; the role of the NFU in lobbying government to ensure that the policies developed in the coming weeks and months will focus on securing a profitable, productive and competitive farming industry.
"Speaking with Commissioner Hogan, I outlined the need to secure the best possible access to markets in the rest of Europe.
"Although we will not be a member of the EU, it will still be our major trading partner for the foreseeable future.
"During the referendum period these schemes were assured until 2020 allowing for farm businesses to plan ahead.
"I have stressed the need for schemes, such as the Rural Development Scheme and the Basic Payment Scheme, to remain in place with the promised safeguards being made in the forthcoming period of negotiation.
'Adopting British farming to our own needs'
"Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity to build a new British agricultural policy which is adapted to our needs - one thats easy to understand and simple to administer.
"We have a golden opportunity to ensure our arrangements in the future are proportionate and decisions are based on sound science.
"We will be looking for guarantees from government that the support given to our farmers is equal to that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be our principal competitors.
"To move forwards with this strategy we are holding an Extraordinary NFU Council meeting in London on July 1 where we will draft and agree core principles needed for farming in England and Wales.
"This will be an early opportunity to work with NFU members and start to put some flesh on the bones of we want and need from a future agriculture policy - one which will secure and deliver nations home grown food.
"Now, more than ever, it is important we work together to create a bright future for home grown farming."
The Farmers Union of Wales has written to all political party leaders outlining key priorities for Welsh agriculture and family farms.
President Glyn Roberts penned the letter seeking for assurances these will be taken into account in drafting policies and negotiating positions over the coming weeks, months and years.
Mr Roberts highlights the Unions view that those on both sides of the debate must now look forward and ensure a positive outcome for Wales and the UK, including in terms of agricultural sectors and rural communities.
UK political party support for cheap food imports from countries where environmental and animal health standards fall well short of those required in the UK was a key focus of debate within the farming community ahead of Thursdays referendum vote.
Also, the concern that some parties had advocated reductions in agricultural support without commensurate moves to raise farm incomes was a concern raised.
Highlighting the importance of agriculture to rural economies, Mr Roberts writes: "It is widely acknowledged by rural economists that vast numbers of secondary and tertiary businesses not directly involved in farming are reliant upon the sector, and that falls in farm incomes have significant and sometimes catastrophic consequences for the wider rural economy.
"Such impacts naturally extend to employees in a wide range of sectors, in addition to the circa 60,000 people employed on farm holdings in Wales.
"Given the central place the Common Agricultural Policy has occupied in terms of European Union policies for many decades, over the coming months and years key decisions will have to be made in relation to UK and Welsh agriculture, and the prosperity of our rural communities will hinge upon those decisions."
Critical issues highlighted by Mr Roberts
In the absence of moves which ensure markets provide sufficient income for farm businesses, support is maintained for sectors at levels which do not compromise either family farms or rural economies
Agriculture and domestic food production is given priority during all trade negotiations with other countries and trading blocks
Bureaucracy and restrictions do not adversely impact or hamper Welsh and UK agriculture
The procurement of Welsh and British produce is the default position for all public sector bodies
In line with public opinion, the family farm is recognised as the powerhouse of our rural economies and the most appropriate source of UK agricultural produce
In summarising the FUWs position, Mr Roberts states: "Welsh family farms have a critical role to play in terms of producing food to the highest standards while addressing the key challenges of our times in terms of climate change.
"We therefore seek your partys assurances that our ability to fulfill that role will be recognised and enhanced through acceptance of the key issues identified above."
In the wake of the Brexit vote, farmers are urging Parliament to deliver a system of financial support that will equal the Common Agricultural Policy provided by the EU.
Farming minister George Eustice and former Defra minister Owen Paterson, both of whom campaigned to leave, said CAP negotiations were at best 'deeply unsatisfactory'.
During the campaign, Mr Eustice himself said the UK government will be able to give more to farmers than they do now.
He drew attention to non-EU nations like Switzerland and Norway and how their governments gave more to farmers than the UK does.
"Farmers want to earn their profit from the market but they need a helping hand when things go wrong," he said.
"I want us to explore the potential for government backed insurance schemes like they have in Canada and futures markets like they have in the US to help mitigate risk."
But EU agricultural commissioner Phil Hogan said there was no guarantee British farmers would be able to get money elsewhere.
National Farmers Union President Meurig Raymond said the Brexit vote would need to usher in a new British agricultural policy.
"We will be looking for guarantees that the support given to our farmers is equal to that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be our principal competitors."
'Mad not to continue supporting farmers'
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was established more than fifty years ago to increase agricultural productivity, thereby ensuring that farmers received a fair level of income and that consumers had access to safe and secure sources of food at reasonable prices.
Former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, when appearing on the BBC programme Countryfile, said the government would be 'mad' not to continue supporting farmers if the UK voted to leave.
However he stopped short in saying whether that post-Brexit support would be the same or greater than what is currently available.
Former NFU President Peter Kendall said it was "typical bluff and bluster from Boris, who failed to answer and key questions that are vital to the British farming industry.
"He was unable to guarantee that farmers would receive the same support as their key competitors in the European Union.
Post-Brexit proposals
The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) issued a draft of potential agricultural policies which could be implemented by the government post-Brexit.
One of the proposals was allocating 1 billion to a new Farm Business Development Scheme to provide an annual grant of up to 25,000 per farm per year to assist with the implementation of approved five-year plans for farm development.
And maintenance of the current budget of 3 billion allocated to agricultural support.
Food prices are set to rise as a result of the UK voting for Brexit, the National Farmers Union President Meurig Raymond has warned.
Mr Raymond said the EU referendum result had been a "political car crash" and that UK farmers who receive up to 3bn in subsidies from the EU each year were entering uncharted waters.
Due to Britain's reliance on food imports and the pound plunging to a 31-year low after the vote, the NFU President said food prices will be rising and the UK's export sector, in particular sheep, will be taking a big hit.
NFU President Meurig Raymond
"Sadly, we only produce 60% of the food we consume weve seen our self-sufficiency fall dramatically so we are very dependent on imported food," he said in an interview with The Guardian.
"So a weaker pound will mean higher imported food value the government could easily be held to ransom by other parts of the world if there is a climatic disaster or if currency is weak."
Raymond said the UK exports 38% of the lamb it produces to the European Union, saying that the UK economy was 'very dependent' and there was a huge demand for it.
The same went for wheat, barley, beef and dairy products.
Each sector was vulnerable if they lost the export opportunities, Raymond predicted that the sheep sector will be hit the most.
The government 'could easily be held to ransom by other parts of the world if there is a climatic disaster or if currency is weak,' he stated.
'Frustration and regulation'
Raymond has listed 'frustration with European Union regulation and product approvals' as one of the main reasons farmers have voted for the UK to leave the EU.
According to EU agricultural co-operative Copa and Cogeca's confidence survey, farmers confidence in the United Kingdom is at its lowest level in 6 years due to over-regulation.
Regarding agricultural trade deals, Meurig Raymond continued: "We must get the best possible access to markets in the rest of Europe.
"Although we will not be a member of the EU, it will still be our major trading partner for the foreseeable future.
"Currently we benefit from more than 50 trade agreements with countries in the rest of the world.
"We will continue to need these kind of arrangements in future, whether this means negotiating new deals or not.
"A key question we asked the Leave camp, and on which we never received a clear answer, was what kind of access would an independent UK give to imports from the rest of the world?
"Our requirement is that we are not open to imports which are produced to lower standards.
"Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity to build a new British agricultural policy which is adapted to our needs, easy to understand and simple to administer.
"We will be looking for guarantees that the support given to our farmers is equal to that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be our principal competitors."
Leading Leave campaigner Ian Duncan Smith has publicly stated his commitment to financial support for agriculture, following the shock referendum vote to quit the European Union.
Although the final opinion polls leading into the referendum on June 23 gave the Remain camp a significant lead and betting markets had pretty much discounted the possibility of an exit result, British voters overturned all expectations by deciding by 52 per cent to 48 per cent to end the UKs 40-year membership of the EU.
It left leaders of British business, including farming, scrambling to try to understand what an exit from the European bloc might look like.
Ian Duncan Smith, the former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and a former leader of the Conservative Party, moved quickly to assure farmers that, on agricultural subsidies at least, it would be business as usual.
During an interview with Andrew Marr, whilst being pressed on a promise to spend EU savings on the NHS, he said that financial commitments to agriculture would continue.
"We hand over 19.1 billion, half of which is gone into the European Union and other bits come back directed by the European Union," he said.
"We said throughout that we would stand by some critical areas. Those areas that are being funded in structural regional funds will be funded, we would have more money to spend on the NHS because we wouldnt be losing half of that sum of money and we would stand by commitments that have been made to things like agriculture.
"The rest were all just a series of possibilities of what you could do beyond those commitments," he said.
Political landscape has changed
The National Farmers Union of Scotland, where the Brexit vote has raised the possibility of another independence referendum, said that the result had 'changed the political landscape.'
Scotlands First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, says she has already started planning for another vote on Scottish independence.
She says she has also contacted European Union officials to explore the possibility of Scotland remaining a member of the EU without the rest of the United Kingdom.
NFU Scotlands president Allan Bowie said: "The political implications of the vote are huge.
"The political landscape across the UK is now in a period of flux and speculation is likely to be unhelpful.
"What is clear, is that there was strong support to remain in the EU across every part of Scotland and that was in stark contrast to the majority of the UK.
"There is considerable debate already as to what the EU referendum means with regards to any potential future vote on Scottish independence.
"It is also apparent that the UK vote to leave has wider ramifications for the future structure of the EU.
"We need to avoid knee-jerk reactions at this time," he said. "We need a period of stability not least to allow our financial markets and economy to stabilise - before further major decisions should be made."
He said: "The dramatic events of the past few hours will mark a period of great uncertainty for Scotlands farmers and crofters.
"What is also clear is that the role of the union in representing our members views and protecting their interests will rarely have been more important in our 103-year history."
Will likely take 'at least two years' for a Brexit
He said that farming and crofting were at the core of rural Scotland and the rural economy.
The NFUS would be seeking to ensure that the negotiated exit from Europe and the Common Agricultural Policy and the domestic arrangements that were to replace them would see a profitable and competitive industry in Scotland.
He said a negotiated exit from the EU was likely to take at least two years.
"NFU Scotland will be at the centre of any discussions on new arrangements for our food and farming sector.
"There is a need for these discussions to commence quickly so that the many businesses who benefit from support from the CAP and value the markets we have established for our produce in Europe and further afield can plan for the future.
"Significant sectors of our industry are also very reliant on a workforce sourced from other parts of the EU and we need to establish any implications for their businesses.
"What will be key for Scottish agriculture will be delivery on the commitments made in the campaign about support levels for agriculture in the event of a Brexit vote and to seek reassurances on terms of trade with rest of Europe and worldwide in the future."
'Best possible access to markets' in the rest of Europe
Ian Duncan Smith seems to have committed to continued funding for agriculture, although the terms of the UKs trade with the European Union will now be the subject of negotiations on the terms of the UKs exit from the bloc.
Trade was one of the main issues raised by NFU president Meurig Raymond following the Brexit vote.
He said: "We must get the best possible access to markets in the rest of Europe. Although we will not be a member of the EU, it will still be our major trading partner for the foreseeable future."
He said the UK benefited from more than 50 trade agreements with countries in the rest of the world. "We will continue to need these kind of arrangements in future, whether this means negotiating new deals or not."
He is concerned about what access would be given to imports from other parts of the world and he has stressed the importance of UK agriculture being able to obtain foreign labour, both seasonal and full-time.
"Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity to build a new British agricultural policy which is adapted to our needs, easy to understand and simple to administer.
"We will be looking for guarantees that the support given to our farmers is equal to that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be our principal competitors.
"We will want to see a rural development policy which focuses on enhancing our competitiveness.
"Britain has been a pioneer in agri-environmental schemes, but these are currently running out of steam - in part because of over prescriptive EU rules.We must take this opportunity to devise better schemes.
"If there was one message which came over loud and clear in all our farmer meetings it was frustration with European regulation and its handling of product approvals, due to an over-politicised approach and excessive use of the precautionary principle.
"We now have a golden opportunity to ensure our arrangements are in future proportionate and decisions are based on sound science."
Changes on the use of common good land, business rates for shooting and deerstalking, and deer management have come into force today (June 28).
The first parts of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act begin today [Tuesday, June 28].Other parts of the act including those on agricultural holdings and on landowners engaging with communities will begin later in the parliamentary session.
The provisions will:
End the exemption from business rates for shooting and deerstalking. This means these businesses will be subject to the same arrangements as others in Scotland from April 2017
Give local authorities the power to change the use of some types of common good land if they apply for court consent
Award new powers on the management of deer populations
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham said: "I am pleased to note the first parts of this act come into force.
"The Land Reform Act builds on the foundations of this Governments wider programme of reform across urban and rural Scotland.
"The act will enable communities and individuals to own and use land to realise their full potential.
"These first provisions mean that we will tax shooting and deer stalking businesses in the same way as other businesses in Scotland.
"They also modernise the law on common good land so councils can better use this resource. Finally, they create new powers to manage wild deer populations.
"Today marks a vital next step in a wider and on-going programme of reform across Scotland. A land rights and responsibilities statement and a Scottish Land Commission will follow.
"We will also support landowners to better engage with communities and will shortly begin to implement the acts agricultural holdings provisions.
"Implementing the act is not the end of our land reform journey but an important step in ensuring that land in Scotland delivers benefit for everyone."
Scotland is open for business and will continue working with colleagues across Europe in the best interests of farmers, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said today.
Mr Ewing was attending the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg today where he met counterparts from Germany, France and Ireland as well as Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan.
He stressed that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she will work to protect Scotland's place in Europe and that Scotland will continue regular engagement with the EU.
Mr Ewing also met with UK Government representative Lord Gardiner to call for immediate action on a stalled monkfish swap to the west of Scotland and the catch for Western herring for this year to be at the upper limit of the sustainable level to incentivise scientific research.
Mr Ewing said: "The European Union provides significant support to Scottish rural communities and is a key market for the food and drink we produce.
"At Council today, I had the opportunity to stress that we are open for business and working to protect Scotland's role in the EU.
"It is vital that other nations understand Scotland's position and just as vital for our farming and food industry that we work quickly to safeguard the links and relationships that benefit them when it comes to trade.
"I also took the opportunity to speak to the UK Government to press for action on monkfish swaps into Scotland and a higher sustainable catch for herring - which would benefit our fishing industry."
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is joining with the 70-strong coalition of organisations from the industry to eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) from England ahead of the 2016 BVDFree campaign launch on Friday (1 July).
BVDFree is the first national scheme in England to work towards eliminating the BVD virus from all cattle herds.
The BVD virus is transmitted in a number of ways, either through a congenital infection during pregnancy to the foetus giving rise to a persistently infected animal, or between cattle within the herd, often spread from nose-to-mouth, and giving rise to a wide variety of clinical signs.
It is estimated that more than 90% of UK herds have had exposure to BVD.
The Royal Veterinary College has estimated the impact of BVD on the English dairy and beef sectors to be 11.36 million per year with the impact doubling to over 22 million in a worst case scenario
BVA President Sean Wensley said: "BVA is very pleased to join the BVDFree coalition, helping to build on and strengthen the excellent work already taking place to eradicate this persistent disease.
"The launch of BVDFree offers farmers and vets an opportunity to work together to improve animal welfare and farm efficiency, working towards the goal of a BVD free England."
The 2016 campaign aims to raise awareness of BVD through a social media campaign and easy-to-remember techniques such as the ADAM process:
Assess the level of biosecurity and disease risk on farm
Define the BVD status of your herd
Action plan for control of BVD on farm put in place
Monitor progress - annual status check
Cost of living crisis could trigger 'winter crime epidemic' on farms
By Madeline Schultz
Women are taking on new roles in agriculture from managing complex farm businesses to mastering innovative land conservation practices, and teaching the next generation of farmers.
Beginning farmers are a minority, and being a woman doing the work myself is even more unique. Im growing corn and soybeans and doing the daily management and decision making for my cattle, said Sara Shepherd, a central Iowa farmer. The decision to be self-employed in late 2012 was a huge leap of faith for her. The scariest part was not knowing if she would be able to pay her bills.
Increasingly, women are juggling farming and non-farming careers. In Iowa, the number of women principle farm operators grew to 7,108 in 2012; a 14.6 percent increase from 2002. During this same time, the number of women principal farm operators who also worked off the farm increased by 37.6 percent. More than two-thirds of all women farm operators hold part-time or full-time off-farm jobs in agriculture or other industries.
Shepherds move into farming included signing up for an ISU Extension and Outreach course. I signed up for an Annies Project farm management class for women not knowing what my future in farming was going to be, but I wanted to learn as much as I could, she said. The course, along with weekly farming lessons from her father, gave Sara her start. He told me how he did things and I took tons of notes and tried to ask questions. I was very grateful for my Annies Project class because it gave me the opportunity to figure out some of the missing pieces and ask more questions as I continued to learn.
Now, the 35-year-old has grown her independent marketing consultant business and runs 77-head of Charolais cattle. A former chamber of commerce director, Sara believes she is living out a long term challenge that impacts all of rural Iowa. The backbone of rural communities is agriculture, but going forward most farm households will need farm and non-farm income, she said. I have some of both, without this rural America will cease to exist.
More young women like Sara are pursuing careers in agriculture. In 2001-2002, women were 42.2 percent of undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State. Today, the 2,339 women enrolled in the college make up 50.7 percent of undergraduate students.
Extenson field agronomists add programs for women
Rebecca Vittetoe graduated from Iowa State in 2014 with an agronomy major and journalism minor. After working in the seed industry, she joined the ISU Extension and Outreach staff as a field agronomist for southeast Iowa. As a woman in the agriculture industry, she recognizes and lives out the distinctive needs of woman farmers.
One of her greatest challenges is being able to balance her career with her farming family. She appreciates how supportive her husband Jordan, a hog and crop farmer, is of her off-farm career. Still, like many young women, in the back of her mind she worries about how she will someday balance having kids and being the mom she wants to be while still being successful in her agricultural career.
Among the educational programs she offers, Rebecca is partnering with a colleague, Meaghan Anderson also a young extension field agronomist to teach Agronomy in the Field, a class for women. Rebecca strives to understand the learning needs of her extension clients. I may not always know the answer, but caring enough and taking the time to find the correct answer means a lot to people, she said.
ISU Extension and Outreach is responding to womens changing roles in agriculture and recognizing opportunities to better serve extension clients. Women now comprise 39 percent of the 254-member Agriculture and Natural Resources extension staff. Multi-session farm management courses including Annies Project have reached more than 2,100 women since they were first offered in 2004.
In 2015, ISU Extension and Outreach added the Women in Agriculture program to provide research-based educational programs that expand agricultural enterprise, improve natural resource management and support the community of women in agriculture.
Everything I do directly impacts my own family and friends and all the other women in my broader agricultural network. Thats pretty cool! said Madeline Schultz, ISU Extension and Outreach Women in Agriculture program manager. It is truly rewarding to develop new programs for women interested in agriculture.
Women impacting the land at Farm Progress Show
One new program, Women Impacting the Land, is recognizing eight women for their agricultural achievements during the Farm Progress Show, Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, 2016 in Boone, Iowa. Visitors to the Iowa State University exhibit at the Farm Progress Show can meet these amazing women and learn how they are impacting their land and the states agriculture industry, said Schultz. Women should come, share their stories and learn from each other.
Source:iastate.edu
"(I want) to have better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within the electorate and ultimately, my vision is for vibrant and sustainable communities regardless of whether they are in Ellenbrook, Gingin, the Swan Valley or Lancelin," she said.
"The Labor Party has admitted their $57 billion hospital promise was never funded and they are in fact only committing $2b towards hospitals over four years, like many of Labor's promises and backflips, they have no credible way to deliver, or pay for, any of their policies," he said.
Fort Bragg to be known as Fort Liberty. Here's what to know.
When will Fort Bragg be renamed? Why will it be renamed Fort Liberty? How much will it cost?
China has historically been considered a high risk location for multi-national companies. An analysis of publicly available information determined that in the past five years alone, there have been 29 actions by U.S. enforcement agencies alleging FCPA violations involving China.
These enforcement actions have ensnared 19 companies nearly three quarters of which are in the pharma/life sciences, industrial products and technology sectors resulting in nearly $470 million in fines.
Most recently, 50 percent of company settlements during the first quarter of 2016 included alleged improper activity in China.
Chinas prevalence in named FCPA actions is not limited to the previous five years: there has been at least one settlement involving misconduct in China per year since 2004. Looking forward, the country is mentioned in nearly 30 percent (24) of the 83 currently open FCPA investigations as disclosed in public filings.
These numbers, which were based on an analysis of publicly available information, signal continued FCPA enforcement activity addressing companies operating in China over the coming years.
When it comes to local anti-corruption enforcement, China is no longer dormant a fact that could trip up many U.S. executives doing business there. In fact, the Chinese government, as part of a new five-year plan, has dramatically strengthened its anti-corruption laws and enforcement measures. This turn of events could arguably be even more critical, since many U.S. executives are doing business in China either directly or indirectly through intermediaries such as joint venture partners, distributors and agents.
On the legislative end, China has either strengthened or introduced new anti-corruption laws, including harsher penalties, new sentencing standards for embezzlement, and measures providing for prosecution of executives found to be responsible for market swings.
On the enforcement side, the transformation has been even more dramatic. Today, China employs a far more sophisticated model for anti-corruption enforcement, including the use of an app-based whistleblower program, a series of extradition programs focused on capturing corruption suspects overseas and recovering assets, and a well-publicized crackdown on corruption.
The app-based whistleblower program from the Central Discipline Inspection Commission was launched on June 18, 2015, and enables users to report corruption from their cell phones. As of December 2015, over 41,000 tips were reported through the app.
In 2015, approximately 5,500 Chinese officials accepted gifts or cash, thereby breaking applicable party rules. Between 2013 and 2015, there have been eight rounds of inspections of 69 state-owned entities by the Central Inspection Group of the Communist Party.
Not unexpectedly, according to PwCs 2016 Global Economic Crime Surveys China Supplement, theres unprecedented demand for experienced compliance personnel in China. Compliance-themed conferences and events are usually packed, and organizations are trying to invest in larger and more sophisticated compliance departments, despite a chronic shortage of qualified talent.
As these compliance risks are growing, so are the opportunities (and appetite) for foreign companies to enter or expand their existing operations in this market. For the second year running, PwCs CEO Survey respondents pointed to China as one of their top two overall growth prospects in the next 12 months.
And recently China has been encouraging such growth, with measures including a new incentive plan, called Made in China 2025, focused on improving efficiency, increasing international competitiveness and driving more foreign investment. Under the plan, China is actively encouraging inbound transactions in the form of cross-border partnerships with newly reorganized state-owned entities some in industries which were never before open to foreign investment.
While such openness is encouraging, incoming companies should intensify their focus and proceed with caution. Since contact with government parties triggers potential corruption risk, they should weigh carefully the threats, risks and benefits of these kinds of cross-border transactions and interactions.
The two most important questions that all executives in China, or those contemplating China, should ask are:
Are we up to speed with the latest local anti-corruption developments in this market?
Are we ready for a significantly heightened degree of scrutiny?
The growing opportunity to invest in China, coupled with increased and strengthened enforcement, translates into significantly more risk for market entrants. Whether youve been doing business in China for decades, or are just contemplating entering this dynamic market, here are some critical points to keep in mind:
It is no longer appropriate (or safe) to view compliance from a U.S.-law-only perspective.
Chinas anti-corruption enforcement regimen and the laws that underpin it are becoming increasingly sophisticated and robust.
Settlements are on the rise; and while there is still no treaty between the US and China, weve seen a clear increase in international cooperation among global enforcement agencies a trend thats been communicated by U.S. regulators.
With the combined growth of activity and enforcement in this market, it is essential that your compliance programs keep pace, and remain at the highest standards.
* * *
In this post, PwC refers to the U.S. member firm or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.
This post is for general information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.
________
Manny Alas is a partner with PwCs U.S. Forensic Services. He serves as the firms U.S. FCPA Practice Leader and Chair of its Global Forensic Anti-bribery and Anti-corruption Working Group.
Janine Kovats is a Director in PwCs U.S. Forensic Services who advises clients on FCPA issues.
The authors thank Elena Allen, Irina Fateycheva, and Madeline Schatzman for their contributions to this post.
Calvin Harris thinks it's "f***ing laughable" that Taylor Swift has already met Tom Hiddleston's mother.
Calvin Harris
Taylor, 26 and 35-year-old Tom - who have only been dating for a matter of weeks - jetted to the UK over the weekend so that she could meet Tom's family after he was introduced to her parents in Nashville last week and Calvin, 35, is annoyed that Taylor never made the effort to meet his parents during 15 months of dating.
According to TMZ, Scottish DJ Calvin wanted Taylor to meet his mother and father in the UK but she told him it was too far away and he is now "bewildered and astonished" by Taylor's recent jaunt to Suffolk to spend time with Tom's family.
Meanwhile, Taylor and Tom are continuing their jet-setting romance by taking a trip to Rome.
The pair, who have been spotted together in New York, Nashville and Suffolk since they started dating a few weeks ago, were seen holding hands during a private tour of the Colosseum, after spending the weekend in the UK.
They later enjoyed a romantic dinner together.
Taylor started dating Tom - who she met at the Met Gala in New York in May - immediately after she split from Calvin and friends say she is throwing herself into the relationship because the 'Thor' actor is exactly her type.
A source previously said: "Tom checks off a lot of boxes for Taylor. He's hot, smart, talented, British, everything she's into. What's not to like? She's going with it and why shouldn't she? They have been bonding over the industry, their childhoods, where they are from. It's the getting-to-know-you phase. Taylor is just happy to have the time to meet someone new and move on from Calvin."
Ewan McGregor is set to make his feature film directorial debut later this year with American Pastoral.
American Pastoral
Yes, McGregor is the latest actor to make the leap into the director's chair and I cannot wait to see what he is set to deliver in the autumn.
American Pastoral is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Philip Roth and John Romano has turned the book into a screenplay.
As well as being in the director's chair, McGregor is also set to star in the film as he takes on the central role of Seymour 'Swede' Levov, a successful Jewish American businessman.
The brand new trailer for the film has arrived and we have it for you to take a look at. Check it out:
The actor turned director has brought together a fantastic cast list as Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Uzo Aduba, Molly Parker, David Strathairn, and Rupert Evans are all on board.
American Pastoral follows a family whose seemingly idyllic existence is shattered by the social and political turmoil of the 1960s. Seymour 'Swede' Levov (McGregor), a once legendary high school athlete who is now a successful businessman married to Dawn (Connelly), a former beauty queen, but turmoil brews beneath the polished veneer of Swede's life.
When his beloved teenage daughter, Merry (Fanning), disappears after being accused of committing a violent act, Swede dedicates himself to finding her and reuniting his family. What he discovers shakes him to the core, forcing him to look beneath the surface and confront the chaos that is shaping the world around him.
McGregor has always been an exciting actor and it will be interesting to see what kind of filmmaker he is going to be.
American Pastoral is released later this year.
by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk
find me on and follow me on
Britain's Queen Elizabeth joked she was "still alive" during a two-day visit to Northern Ireland yesterday (27.06.16).
Queen Elizabeth: I'm still alive
The 90-year-old monarch met Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Hillsborough Castle and after an eventful few weeks in Great Britain, which has seen the country vote to leave the European Union as well as her recent birthday celebrations, she showed she still has a sense of humour.
When asked if she was well, the queen quipped: "Well I'm still alive... quite busy."
It was not clear what the queen was referring to and she is yet to make an official comment on the Brexit.
After their meeting, McGuinness told reporters: "We discussed many things, none of which I will tell you."
The queen has been joined by husband Prince Philip on the visit and yesterday she also had meetings with Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Hillsborough Castle on Monday evening.
Today (28.06.16) they will make their way to the Giant's Causeway to be given a guided tour and meet volunteers, before heading to Bushmills Village to unveil a statue of Robert Quigg - a soldier who fought at the Battle of the Somme and was awarded the Victoria Cross.
They will wrap up their trip with a final stop off at Bellarena Railway Station to unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the premises.
The latest actor to comment on Salman Khans callous statement on rape is Priyanka Chopra. The actor who recently attended an awards gala along with Salman Khan in Madrid said, It is very important for the media, and for we as women, to use our power and talk about the real problem, which is happening in India every single day to so many women. There is so much happening like a brutal rape case in Bihar took place why is no one talking about the issue? A lot has been said about the Salman issue, I dont want to add to the noise. I would rather bring notice on real issues and talk about how to treat our women better in India.
Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts
The 55edition of Dornbirn Manmade Fibres Congress (Dornbirn-MFC), to be held from 20-22 September, 2016 in Austria, will have more than 100 expert lectures on topics like fibres and textiles used in automotive, fibres used in nonwovens, fibre innovations, finishing and functional additives and textiles.
An innovation and communication platform, the event will see participation from approximately 800 researchers and technicians from 30 nations. Sustainability will be the guiding principle for the event, which will be evident from its lectures.
In order to facilitate interaction, panel discussions will be held during the course of the event. The Congress will see a panel discussion led by the owner of Gherzi, a global consulting company, on the opening day. It will be concluded with yet another panel discussion by a well-known marketing professor at the University Niederrhein.
The 55th edition of Dornbirn-MFC, to be held from 20-22 September, 2016 in Austria, will have more than 100 expert lectures on topics like fibres and textiles used in automotive, fibres used in nonwovens, fibre innovations, finishing and functional additives and textiles. It will see close co-operation from prominent institutions & organisations.#
The Congress will see close co-operation from prominent institutions and organisations as well.
Before the actual event, a workshop on 'Future Design of Innovation Process Challenges & Opportunities' will be organised by approximately 15 young research talents. (MCJ)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India
Dazzling eyes, flawless skin and perfectly moulded features-Kareena Kapoor Khan is one celebrity whose charm cannot be defined in words. She is a royal beauty with an enviable career record!
Here are some jaw-droppingly beautiful pictures of Kareena Kapoor and we bet, after seeing them even her husband Saif Ali Khan will fall in love with her again.
Click on the slider to go through all the images.
Kareena Kapoor is considered as one of the most attractive actresses of Bollywood and that is the reason why the lady is never sacred of getting clicked without the make-up. Over the years she's grown from a baby-faced girl-next-door to the most stylish heroine of the industry.
Also Read: Two Hotties! Bipasha Basu Posts Some Gorgeous Pictures With Karan Singh Grover From Barcelona
Before ruling Bollywood, Kareena Kapoor joined Mumbai's Mithibai College to pursue a degree in commerce. She discontinued this course and switched to law. Later, she also enrolled into Harvard University for a three-month summer course in microcomputers.
She was supposed to make her debut with Hrithik Roshan in the blockbuster Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000). But she opted out when J.P Dutta approached her for Refugee, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Refugee didn't too well at the box-office but her first failure didn't really hamper her career.
And in one of her interviews, she herself mentioned that even after giving so many flops, she is one of the most successful actresses of the b-town! (We agree!)
Now, Kareena is happily married to Nawab Saif Ali Khan and we must say that the royal beauty was born to fit into the shoes of a Begum.
Deepika Padukone, had a wonderful time catching up with Vin Diesel and even had a memorable time meeting his little daughter Pauline Diesel at their house.
The picture, shows Deepika Padukone carrying little Pauline in her arms and is about to peck a kiss on her cheeks! Daddy Vin Diesel has captured the image on his camera and it looks really sweet.
Deepika Padukone, during the IIFA Awards 2016, had revealed that she calls her xXx co-star as a teddy bear, and now we wonder what pet name would Deepika give to his little daughter Pauline.
The award winning actress, has shared a very good bond with all her Hollywood co-stars and people respect her for her work and dedication that she has poured into the movie. Deepika, has completed her shoot for xXx: The Return of The Xander Cage and the film would hit the theatres worldwide in 2017.
This Is What Anushka Sharma Has To Say About Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra's IIFA Success!
Recently, actor Saif Ali Khan injured his thumb on the sets of his next home production, and underwent minor surgery. The actor is fine now and look who arrived at the hospital to take the actor home!
Well, none other than his darling wife Kareena Kapoor Khan. Dressed in a casual white tracksuit, Kareena was spotted outside the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital as his hubby was discharged from the hospital.
Click On The Collage Below To Check Out Their Pictures:
Saif Ali Khan has recently wrapped up the shoot for Rangoon and is currently working on his home production directed by Akshat Verma.
Don't Miss: From Ranveer-Deepika's PDA Moments At IIFA 2016 (New Inside Pics)
Whereas, Kareena, who is a Unicef ambassador is currently more concerned about girls education more rather than anything else.
"Spreading the word about causes is nice but talking about my personal charity is something I don't like to do. But of course, I am a celebrity advocate for Unicef and we have worked closely over the last four years for the education of the girl child in India."
"That is something I am passionate about because education is something I believe in completely."
The actress shared that she still regrets ditching college for showbiz.
"I couldn't complete my education. I kind of rushed into films, so I think that's a sensitive part of my life and I always regret I never got to go to college," she said.
Later, Kareena also went on to tell where she see herself a decade down the line and here's what she told:
"Hopefully giving another interview, making some sense, working all my life. I think we are in the habit of aping the West a lot. And the West has amazing actors who are married and with children. It has never stopped them. I think we are getting there."
Nargis Fakhri has taken some time off to explore Madrid with her friends, and she is making us jealous by uploading her travel pictures on Instagram. Also, she looks gorgeous in all the pictures.
The diva went to Madrid to attend the recently held IIFA Awards 2016. Check out her stunning pictures by clicking on the slider.
Not so long ago, Nargis Fakhri was in news because of her alleged break-up with Uday Chopra. Many insiders claimed that she has left Bollywood and moved back to New York.
Also Read: Every Actor's Delight! Katrina Kaif's Wow Pictures With Co-stars Shahrukh, Akshay, Hrithik & Others
Later, it was revealed that she was absent from all the promotions of her film (Housefull 3) because of her illness.
And now she has revealed to a leading daily, that she also wants to focus on Hollywood films, ''My Hollywood career happened by accident. I get a film (Spy) with one of the best directors in Hollywood and lovely character to start off with, it was a blockbuster summer hit. For Spy, Paul told me it was a small role and I was busy, but I was like 'Hello, you are Paul Fieg and duhhh! I would be honoured to work with you'.''
''I would like to pursue my Hollywood career further. I have got some offers for audition opportunities but unfortunately, there were four Bollywood films to complete at that time. I don't know let's see... I don't want to leave Bollywood forever as I enjoy it too much but if I can do half-and-half, it would be a blessing."
So, dear fans you may relax now, because Nargis Fakhri has no plans to leave Bollywood!
In Bollywood, relationships are made and broken before you even blink! Ranbir Kapoor & Katrina Kaif's relationship is one of them. We were surprised when we got to know about their affair and when the duo chose to part their ways, they again left us surprised and heartbroken!
However, we see hardly any possibility of their patch-up but at least we are getting to see their pictures together from the past few months and all credit goes to Anurag Basu's upcoming film, Jagga Jasoos.
Don't Miss: From Ranveer-Deepika's PDA Moments At IIFA 2016 (New Inside Pics)
Recently, the duo was spotted together on the sets of Jagga Jasoos and to our surprise, Ranbir & Katrina were seen much comfortable in each other's company! Can't believe us? Well check it out yourself!
Click On The Collage Below To See All The Pictures:
Pictures Courtesy : RanbirKapoorFC
Katrina, who has been shooting for two films (Jagga Jasoos & Baar Baar Dekho) simultaneously from past three to four months is also pre-occupied with her world-tour commitment i.e., Dream Team.
In the upcoming month, the gorgeous diva will leave for a world tour along with other celebs- Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Roy Kapur and Baadshah.
Pictures: Kareena Spotted At The Hospital To Take Saif Ali Khan Home After The Surgery!
Recently, a source close to the actress revealed the hectic schedule of Katrina to a leading daily and here's what we came to know:
"Katrina has been busy since April. She was first shooting for her film with Sidharth in Thailand, and returned to Mumbai in early June. Since then, she has been working on director Anurag Basu's next with ex-beau Ranbir Kapoor. Simultaneously, she is rehearsing for her tour as well."
We just hope the the upcoming films of Katrina turn lucky for her & may the actress shine on the silver screen like never before!
We just hope the the upcoming films of Katrina turn lucky for her & may the actress shine on the silver screen like never before!
According to the latest buzz, a Malaysian producer wants to rope in Rajinikanth, Jackie Chan and Sonam Kapoor in a fantasy flick titled, The Chini Saga.
"I am not just making this up. The matter of making contact with popular actors like Jackie Chan, Rajinikanth and Sonam Kapoor has all been done. As this film is planned to be screened in the actors' home countries, we would need their appearance in the film," producer Mohd Rafeezi Mohd Zin aka Pveezi Zain was quoted as saying.
The film, which will reportedly narrate the story of the legend of a dragon from the Chini lake, will be shot in places like India, Thailand, China, Norway and Indonesia.
It is said that Pveezi Zain had announced this biggie 4 years ago, but had to delay the shooting due to the excessive budget of the film.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth's Kabali may not release on July 15th as speculated earlier. Much to the disappointment of fans and movie goers, the film is now said to release on July 22.
Also Read: Simbu Records A 'Kuthu' Number For GV Prakash's 'Bruce Lee'!
Samuthirakani says he wants to remake his upcoming film Appa in 11 other Indian languages, as he feels that the story has the potential to travel to each and every part of the country.
"It's a subject that should reach everyone. It addresses several important issues and I wish it gets made in 12 languages. In Kannada, I'm already in talks with actor Shiva Rajkumar.
For the Telugu remake, I'm in touch with actor Venkatesh and Nagarjuna. Director Priyadarshan will be watching the film soon and if he likes it, he said he will produce the Hindi version," Samuthirakani told IANS.
Samuthirakani wrote the story of Appa while shooting for director Anbazhagan's Saattai.
"I wanted Anbu (Anbazhagan) to direct 'Appa' too, and I had paid him advance even before the release of 'Saattai'. However, when everything had fallen in place and we were set to start working on 'Appa', Anbu had to assist his mentor Prabhu Solomon on another project unfortunately around the same time," he said.
Samuthirakani then decided to direct and produce the film himself.
"When I told Anbu that I'll direct the film, he was happy with my decision. Instead of hunting for a producer, I decided to fund the film. It was easy to pen the story; however, it took me eleven drafts to lock the final script," he said.
Samuthirakani says he had to face many difficulties while shooting the film.
"When we landed in Neyveli to shoot, we learnt about the storm which had just started in the state. My friends and well-wishers asked me to return to Chennai, but I didn't want to leave without completing the project. Despite initial hindrances, we managed to complete the film in 34 days," the Visaaranai actor said.
Samuthirakani's Appa has been inspired from his real-life incidents, involving his own son.
"The story is about these three fathers and their sons. The first father is the kind of man who identifies his son's hidden talent and nurtures it. The second father chalks out the life of his son even before he is born. The third father tells his son to always lay low and live life without expectations and complications," he said.
"Several scenes are inspired from moments with my son. Since I play one of the fathers, I wrote scenes that have been part of my life. I have also addressed issues we face with our education system and how parents feel high scores are the be all and end all of a successful career," he added.
About working with children, the National Award-winning actor-filmmaker has said, shooting with kids can be easy as well as challenging.
"Working with children was very easy. They understood what I really want. The challenge was to act alongside them because most of them are so natural, they can give a seasoned actor a tough time in front of the camera," he said.
Appa hits the screen this Friday (July 1st).
Also Read: IN PICS: 'Kavalai Vendam' Team Resumes Shoot, Fun On The Sets Is Very Much Apparent!
Superstar Mahesh Babu, who is back from a month-long vacation, is not wasting much time and is quickly moving on to his project with A R Murugadoss. According to the latest tattle doing rounds in the industry circles, the film might be titled as Vasco Da Gama.
Though several titles are in circulation as the tentative titles for the movie, nothing has been officially locked. However, the latest one doing rounds is grabbing the utmost attention for an interesting reason.
Apparently, some of the enthusiasts have also come up with an imaginary storyline of the movie, based on the rumoured title.
Since Vasco Da Gama is a popular portuguese explorer, who first travelled to India from Europe, linking the Europe and Asia for the first time by an ocean route, social networking sites and gossip columns are ablaze that, this could be the outline of the Mahesh Babu and A R M's film.
This certain someone, who came up with this rumour is surely a strong believer of the popular quote "Imagination is the place where answers live". AHEM! We have nothing more to say.
Pawan Kalyan will be taking off to London on July 9 to attend the closing ceremony of Jayate Kuchipudi festival. The month-long dance festival is being organised by United Kingdom Telugu Association.
Also, Pawan is expected to interact with the NRIs there and discuss the future action plan of his political party. Recently, Mahesh Babu spent more than a month in London and toured around Britain with his kids and wife.
On the other hand Lakshmi Manchu and Vishnu Manchu are making frequent visits to London on an undisclosed work, while we know Trisha has shot for her upcoming film, Mohini in London for a month, until a few days ago.
Looks like the Tollywood's new favourite destination is London, be it for work or holiday.
Surprisingly, the Telugu land's political giant YS Jagan had also preferred to holiday in London, recently. Well! Is the 'love for London' a Telugu thing now? Jokes apart, we just felt the whole London coincidence is something note-worthy.
Wood Group awarded multimillion dollar engineering and procurement services contract for Statoil's Peregrino field
HOUSTON, June 28, 2016-Wood Group has been awarded a multimillion dollar contract to provide detailed engineering and design, and procurement services to South Atlantic Holding (owned by Statoil and partner Sinochem) for the development of the Peregrino field wellhead platform C, offshore Brazil. Wood Group Mustang will perform the work for Kiewit Offshore Services (KOS), a leading fabricator for the oil & gas industry. Wood Group Mustang completed the front-end engineering and design for wellhead platform C in 2015 and previously designed wellhead platforms A and B.
Michele McNichol, CEO of Wood Group Mustang, said: "Wood Group Mustang's proven ability to deliver cost-effective and efficient solutions was a key enabler to obtaining the contract."
This contract adds to Wood Group's portfolio of services provided to Statoil. The two companies recently signed a master services agreement for Wood Group to support the lifecycles of Statoil's onshore and offshore facilities. Wood Group Mustang is currently delivering maintenance and modification services to four Statoil installations on the Norwegian continental Shelf (NCS). Wood Group PSN is also supporting the Peregrino field, providing operations, maintenance and modification services for the existing wellhead platforms, and modification services for the floating production storage and offloading facility.
-ends-
Notes to editors:
Wood Group is an international energy services company with around $6bn sales and operating in more than 50 countries. The Group is built on Core Values and has three businesses - Wood Group PSN, Wood Group Kenny and Wood Group Mustang - providing a range of engineering, production support and maintenance management services to the oil & gas, and power generation industries worldwide. Visit Wood Group at www.woodgroup.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Wood Group Mustang provides award-winning services to the global energy industry. From concept to completion, Wood Group Mustang delivers project management, construction management, engineering and procurement services to the offshore, onshore, oil sands, pipeline, refining, chemicals, industrial and automation sectors, operating in countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America. For more information, visit www.woodgroup.com/mustang
Wood Group PSN is a global provider of pre-operations, hook up & commissioning, operations & maintenance, engineering, construction, project management, training and decommissioning services to the energy industry. Operating in more than 40 countries, Wood Group PSN offers high integrity, brownfield services that support customers to optimise performance, maintain production, reduce operating costs and provide integrity assurance. www.woodgroup-psn.com
For further information contact:
Wood Group Press Office
email: press.office@woodgroup.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Destatis releases German import price figures for May in the pre-European session on Tuesday at 2:00 am ET. Prices are forecast to decline 5.8 percent annually in May versus a 6.6 percent drop in April. Ahead of the data, the euro showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the euro rose against the U.S. dollar, the yen and the Swiss franc, it held steady against the pound. As of 1:55 am ET, the euro was trading at 0.8316 against the pound, 1.0809 against the Swiss franc, 1.1061 against the U.S. dollar and 112.77 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The company identified growth avenues for its customers by leveraging fleet usage data and detecting optimisation gaps
LONDON, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Based on its recent analysis of the vehicle sharing market, Frost & Sullivan recognises Miveo with the 2016 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Growth Excellence Leadership. As a pioneer in carsharing technology in Europe, Miveo has entrenched itself in the market and achieved success through constant technological advancements, effective services, flexible pricing models, and strategic partnerships. Today Miveo has connected more than 800 cars across 7 countries via 1.3 million bookings.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160627/383738
Miveo serves a wide customer base of carsharing operators, corporates, leasing companies, and car rental businesses. It has made available comprehensive solutions for launching new vehicle sharing services or leveraging current under-utilised vehicles for carsharing. In addition to smartcards and smartphones, the company offers front- and back-end solutions. It has set itself apart from the competition by providing real-time mobility platforms to fleet managers and tools for analysing usage patterns and vehicle availability.
Miveo's constant efforts to expand its services have resulted in the rollout of fleet management services. These fleet management services improve fleet allocation planning as well as support the company's environmental conservation goals.
"Acknowledging that effective fleet management is the key to revenue generation, Miveo presents clients with a customised vehicle allocation algorithm that greatly facilitates the interpretation of market data," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Ankita Mukherji. "In 2014, Miveo launched a partner network for the fleet managers that are seeking a flexible mobility service for their fleets."
Apart from innovating its product line, Miveo has also focused on collaborating with companies that align with its vision. Its emphasis on environmental friendliness has prompted partnerships that accelerate the addition of electric cars to carsharing fleets. For instance, in 2015, Miveo signed a deal with Chargestorm to deliver efficient corporate fleet mobility solutions to its corporate customers. This partnership is expected to expand electro-mobility solutions.
One of Miveo's key innovations has been the conversion and integration of its software with the vehicle manufacturers' existing onboard systems, eliminating the need for aftersales equipment that help connect with carsharing fleets. The long shelf life of the technologies makes the hardware fit for use on a second car.
Miveo has displayed remarkable foresight in undertaking research and development in back-end technologies and integration with business models. It also offers flexible payment options and training to customers so that they can perform the installations themselves, a smart decision considering it is impossible for Miveo technicians to be onsite for each installation request from its global clientele.
"With Europe mandating all new cars to install telematics equipment by 2018, Miveo's vision of enabling basic carsharing services to complement telematics has proved a winning move," noted Mukherji. "The company has partnered with major original equipment manufacturers and board equipment providers to ensure a strong and diversified customer base."
Each year, Frost & Sullivan bestows this award upon the company that demonstrates excellence in growth and customer value. It recognises the superiority of the product/service as well as the overall customer, purchase, ownership, and service experience offered, which has resulted in the recipient company seeing above-market growth and greater share of wallet. The award lauds the growth, diversification, and sustainability strategies of the company.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About Miveo
Miveo is a leading supplier of end-to-end solutions for car sharing including in vehicle equipment or on-board software, driver and operator interfaces, and a solid cloud-based backbone with booking, fleet management and reporting.
Miveo has more than 900 cars connected at customers in Europe and North America. Market leading commercial car-sharing operators, car rental, leasing and manufacturers, as well as large enterprises and municipalities use our products daily to run their car-sharing operations.
For more information, see www.miveo.se
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.
Our "Growth Partnership" supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation. The Partnership Infrastructure is entirely unique as it constructs the foundation upon which visionary innovation becomes possible. This includes our 360 degree research, comprehensive industry coverage, career best practices as well as our global footprint of more than 40 offices.
For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organisation prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
Contact Us: Start the discussion
Join Us: Join our community
Subscribe: Newsletter on "the next big thing"
Register: Gain access to visionary innovation
Contact:
Chiara Carella
P: +44 (0) 207.343.8314
F: 210.348.1003
E: chiara.carella@frost.com
Mikael Jagelid
P: +46 (0)70 257 4472
E: mikael.jagelid@miveo.se
LONDON and MILAN, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Secure-K Personal Edition is a mobile device with double encryption: everything you need to protect your network data like a security expert
Mon-K Data Protection Ltd. presents Secure-K Personal Edition, an encrypted operating system in a USB key with military level security, which comes from an Enterprise Edition. It includes Secure-Mail, Secure-Chat and Secure-Web to encrypted email, chats, on-line calls and anonymous Internet navigation.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160601/374317LOGO )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160623/382763 )
In case of theft or loss, after 10 tries to insert your PIN, the data on your Secure-K become unreadable.
In order to keep all your saved data secure and recover it, Mon-K has inserted a "Backup and Recovery" encryption system: DigitalArx, a Cloud Computing solution with high security standards and data encryption that not even the administrators are able to unlock. DigitalArx also allows information to be shared and synchronized.
"We all have grown up knowing that the data on the Internet are not secure. Where and in whose hands they end up remains a mystery. It is certain, however, that for some entities they are worth a lot," declares Paolo Ferrari, Co-founder of Mon-K. "Secure-K has been designed to make our lives easier and to transform us into security experts. Having a Secure-K Personal Edition means having direct control of your data, also those transmitted via the Internet, and to protect your privacy like a real security expert would".
Secure-K Personal is multi-platformed, equipped with Secure-K OS, requires no software installation and functions on almost any PC, also if it is obsolete. The two levels of encryption, hardware and software, provides the maximum level of security.
Secure-K Personal Edition will be available in October 2016 directly on the Mon-K Data Protection Ltd. site: http://www.secure-k.com/personal
Mon-K Data Protection Ltd, http://www.mon-k.com is a technological scale up focused on IT security and data protection. We offer two principle products directly to businesses and individual consumers to protect and encrypt sensitive data, photo and documents. Mon-K Data Protection Ltd. has offices in 8 countries, has come in contact with 300 companies during the last year and has 50 employees. Mon-K: English heart, Italian creativity, security in everyone's pocket.
LONDON, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --China leads the global machine-to-machine (M2M) market and will continue to see explosive growth over the next five years, according to the EY report: M2M in China: Opportunities to build on global leadership. M2M - which means direct communication between connected devices - is an essential component to enabling the Internet of Things (IoT). Several advantages unique to China will aid in extending its global leadership in M2M, most notably, its large smartphone base and ambitious government plans for IoT.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160620/381362LOGO
Steve Lo, Greater China Technology, Media & Telecommunications Market Segment Leader, Ernst & Young, says:
"Support from the Chinese Government and its mandate for China to become a nation of smart cities has been crucial to building the necessary critical mass for M2M to drive the country's future mobile internet era. Together, Chinese operators and the Chinese Government have enabled the market to grow dramatically in a relatively short time, laying the foundation for further expansion and accelerated development of the IoT."
Smart-city pilots accelerate growth across industries
Deployment of smart-city pilots has accelerated adoption of M2M solutions in several key industries. China's telecoms operators, in particular, are set to capitalize on the IoT opportunity by leading the development of services related to IoT and engaging with the smart-city projects initiated by many Chinese city authorities to expand their M2M and IoT businesses.
Energy and transport also stand to benefit with new network technologies supporting future market growth. At the same time, logistics, securities and health care are increasingly using M2M technology to deliver services, such as fleet management, asset tracking, surveillance and smart health. Going forward, the wearables and connected-car markets also will see significant growth potential.
Collaboration and partnerships form path to growth
The report identifies third-party collaboration, alliances with competitors and cross-sector partnerships as critical success factors for telecoms operators to develop and deliver targeted M2M solutions effectively across industries.
While partnership provides a fast route to market, bold acquisition strategies can bring a mixture of customers, vertical expertise and development capabilities to operators and service providers. Utilities and transport are two priority sectors where, according to the report, operators may need to consider investment.
Holger Forst, Global Telecommunications Assurance Leader, Ernst & Young says: "To succeed in the long term, operators must also look at revamping their organizational model to increase agility. Engaging in partnerships and alliances is vital to delivering robust and innovative solutions. Pursuing acquisitions can also position service providers for a greater share of M2M industry revenues. Meanwhile, sharper focus on big data analytics also provides opportunities for further differentiation by delivering greater insights for customers."
For a full copy of M2M in China: Opportunities to build on global leadership, visit ey.com/GL/en/Industries/Telecommunications/EY-M2M-in-China.
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.
About EY's Global Telecommunications Sector
Telecommunications operators are facing a rapidly transforming business model. Competition from technology companies is creating challenges around customer ownership. Service innovation, pricing pressures and network capacity are intensifying scrutiny of the return on investments. In addition, regulatory pressures and shareholder expectations require agility and cost efficiency. If you are facing these challenges, we can provide a sector-based perspective on addressing your assurance, advisory, transaction and tax needs. Our Global Telecommunications Sector is a virtual hub that brings together people, cultures and leading ideas from across the world. Whatever your need, we can help you improve the performance of your business. Visit us at ey.com/telecommunications and follow us on Twitter @EY_Telecoms.
About the M2M in China: Opportunities to build on global leadershipreport
M2M in China: Opportunities to build on global leadership has been developed with the help of first-hand market perspective from industry practitioners, input from EY's subject matter professionals and supporting insights from EY's sector professionals and secondary research. It attempts to assess the evolving landscape of China's machine-to-machine and Internet of Things industry, with a focus on opportunities and challenges facing both telecommunications providers and the extended value chain, and provides a view on the critical factors that will determine success in the Internet of Things.
Virginia Milazzo
EY Global Media Relations
+1 212 360 9261
virginia.milazzo@ey.com
SICHUAN, China, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sichuan Cuisine - More Than Just Taste" campaign, hosted by Sichuan Tourism Development Committee and Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce,is now searching for indigenous and quality Sichuan dishes with an aim to promote food tours in Sichuan, as well as todemonstrate the charm of Sichuan cuisines to tourists from around the world. Joiningthe network of Sichuan restaurants worldwide,applicantswill gain achanceto occupy a page in Sichuan Gourmet Tour Guide published by the organizer and TimeOut which will be published this year in 8 countries and regions including the US, Australia, Poland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Russia, and Malaysia. So what are you waiting for? You may be one of the 30 to lead the trend of the city's gourmet food!
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160624/383109
How to Apply
Go to the registration section on www.tsichuan.com to download the application form. Fill in the form and send it to restaurant@sichuancuisine.org together with pictures of your restaurant and your dishes by July 15.
REDMOND (dpa-AFX) - A business woman in California has won $10,000 in settlement with Microsoft, after she filed a lawsuit for automatically updating her business computer to Windows 10, making it slow and hard to use, The Seattle Times reported. Teri Goldstein of Sausalito, a travel agent, had filed a suit, stating that the computer at her travel agency business tried to download the upgrade without her consent few days after Microsoft launched it back in July 2015. The update failed, but her computer slowed to a crawl, crashing at times and becoming unusable for days at a time. Goldstein then tried to reach Microsoft's customer support department, but couldn't fix the problem, that prompted her to take the software giant to court. She fought for compensation for lost wages and to cover the cost of a new computer. The judge decided to favor Goldstein, a earned a $10,000 judgment, after Microsoft decided not to appeal, despite denying any wrongdoing. A Microsoft representative reportedly stated that the company didn't want to take the legal battle any further to avoid the expense of further litigation. Users have been complaining about forced upgrade tactics since the very first day of its launch. People were also concerned about several privacy concerns as well, following which Canada and Russia decided to launch an investigation whether Windows 10 was stealing user data. Despite despite controversies, Windows 10 is one of the most used OS. As of May 2016, Windows 10 had reached 300 million installs across all devices, including PC, Xbox One, and phones. Windows 10 is free right now, until July 29. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2016) - Hello Pal International Inc. (CSE: HP) (OTC Pink: HLLPF) (FSE: 27H) ("Hello Pal" or the "Company") provider of a rapidly growing international social messaging application is pleased to announce it has appointed Michael Tat Lee Koh as a director.
Mr. Koh previously served as Chairman to Pan Asia Mining Ltd. (HK: 8173), and its subsidiary, Blacksand Enterprise Ltd. In addition, he has held director and/or officer positions at several other publicly-traded companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange including Chairman of China Railway Logistics Limited (HK: 8089), CEO and Executive Director of M Dream Inworld Limited (HK: 8100), and Vice President of First Pacific Company Limited (HKEx: 142, ADRs: FPAFY).
From 1991 to 2000, Mr. Koh worked at Bell South and AT&T, including a position as technical director at AT&T. Prior to this, through his role as Vice President at First Pacific Company, Mr. Koh founded Tuntex Telecom and assumed the role of President between the years of 1995 and 1997.
Mr. Koh was educated in the United States, where he obtained a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from Rutgers University.
"We are delighted to have Michael Koh join our board. Not only does he bring with him a wealth of experience in the I.T. industry and the corporate world, his international background and connections in the East and West will be of tremendous value to our international aspirations," said KL Wong, CEO of Hello Pal.
Separately Hello Pal wishes to announce that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority of the United States has cleared Hello Pal's Form 211 application for a quotation on OTC Link. As such, the common shares of Hello Pal now trade under the U.S. symbol "HLLPF".
This quotation is part of the Company's recently launched investor outreach and awareness program in North America, Europe and Asia. It is intended to provide easy access to trading of the Company's shares to residents of the United States and is the third global trading venue of Hello Pal's shares that also includes the Canadian Securities Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The Company plans to expand its marketing and investor relations activities to the United States to improve visibility and maximize domestic and international investor exposure.
U.S. based shareholders and interested parties can obtain quotes and follow the market through this link: OTC Markets HLLPF.
For information with respect to the Company or the contents of this news release, please contact Ryan Johnson, Corporate Development at (604) 683-0911 or visit the website at www.hellopal.com. Email inquiries can be directed to: investors@hellopal.com
To view the Company's investor presentation please follow this link: Investor Presentation
To view a demonstration of the Hello Pal app please follow this link: Hello Pal Demonstration
About Hello Pal International
The Hello Pal Platform is a proprietary and open social exchange, language and learning mobile application and network for use in a number of applications including language learning and socialization. Hello Pal has been designed from the ground up to be easy to use and enables users' the freedom to speak in their own language regardless of the other person's language they are speaking to. Hello Pal's overriding mission is to bring the world closer together through social interaction, language learning and travel.
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Hello Pal cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Hello Pal's control. Such factors include, among other things: Hello Pal's limited operating history, obtaining regulatory approvals and those risks and uncertainties described in Hello Pal's Listing Statement dated May 10, 2016 available on www.cnsx.ca. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Hello Pal undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
THE CSE HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) -
Press Release Highlights:
Other significant results include: 2.69 g/t gold ("Au") over 46.0 metres ("m"), 1.67 g/t Au over 41.3 m, 4.15 g/t Au (2.39 g/t capped) over 14.0 m, 5.08 g/t Au (4.94 g/t capped) over 14.3 m, and 6.95 g/t Au (5.95 g/t capped) over 12.6 m
Results announced today are from 5,415 m in 6 holes of a 12,035 m program completed at No. 4 Plug
4 drill rigs active on the Lamaque South Gold Project, approximately 66,550 m in assay results pending
Resource estimate at No. 4 Plug to commence upon receipt of final assays and is expected to be completed in late Q3, with future studies to focus on the amenability of No. 4 Plug to low-cost bulk underground mining methods
2016 drill program expanded to an estimated 120,000 m of diamond drilling as Company aims to demonstrate multiple sources of gold occurrences are potentially achievable for future mining
Integra Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: ICG) (OTCQX: ICGQF), ("Integra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the second tranche of assay results from its 2015/2016 infill drill program on the No. 4 Plug Deposit ("No. 4 Plug") situated at the Lamaque South Gold Project ("Lamaque") located in Val-d'Or, Quebec.
"Today's results further validate the Company's growth strategy of assessing the potential of satellite deposits in close proximity to the Triangle deposit with the objective of creating multiple draw points for future mill feed and utilizing excess milling capacity to increase the project's overall annual production profile," commented Company President and CEO, Stephen de Jong. "The No. 4 Plug has become a high priority as the deposit is only 500 metres from the Triangle deposit, would share underground infrastructure and is located on mining concessions, which have been converted recently to mining leases, as per the new Quebec legislation."
"Exploration and potential resource growth in proximity to the Triangle deposit continues to exceed our expectations and the Company's aggressive exploration program on other targets is our way of leveraging off that success to investigate the potential to expand the production profile. Included within this growth strategy is drill testing of the Lamaque Deep target, which will commence in July, and testing of other targets from the Integra Gold Rush Challenge, which is set to commence in August."
Drill Results Continue to Show Potential for Bulk Mineable Resource
The results disclosed today are from the Company's late 2015 and 2016 infill drilling program completed at No. 4 Plug. These results are significant given that high grade gold mineralization is still being identified associated with high-angle shear structures, similar to those found at Triangle, while wider zones forming vein clusters continue to be recognized. The results are enhancing the Company's modelling efforts and resource estimation approach which in turn will help future optimization on the deposit.
As the gold distribution in the thick clusters of brittle, shallow dipping tension veins have the tendency to portray a higher nugget effect relative to the high angle C-type structures, the selection of disclosed intervals is partially controlled by the visual occurrence of veins in drill core along with grade distribution, providing a further layer of control for the spatial constraining of these thick vein clusters. The reported intervals are clearly visually identifiable in terms of vein densities present in drill core.
Infill drill holes disclosed today are located on the eastern side of the No. 4 Plug along a 100 m long east-west trend demonstrating lateral continuity of the gold mineralized clusters. The table below highlights the selected results from this second tranche of the No. 4 Plug drilling program. The summary results are presented uncapped and, when applicable, with high grade individual values capped at 34.3 g/t Au (results are also available with high grade values capped at 20.0 g/t Au in the full assay table available at the link below). We note that even a rigorous capping of high grade assays within these expanded intervals continues to maintain average grades significantly above the 1 g/t cut-off range.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drill Hole From To Interval Gold Number (m) (m) (m)(1) Assay (g/t)(2) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 432.50 435.10 2.60 70.58 capped 8.60 P4-15-027 including 0.60 302.90 488.50 529.80 41.30 1.67 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 368.00 391.25 23.25 2.30 capped 1.39 including 0.60 69.49 437.00 451.00 14.00 4.15 capped 2.39 including 0.50 83.59 466.40 477.30 10.90 10.26 P4-15-030 capped 6.34 including 0.90 81.85 497.00 543.00 46.00 2.69 capped 2.69 552.00 566.30 14.30 5.08 capped 4.94 including 0.75 36.95 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 312.50 327.70 15.20 3.78 capped 2.72 including 0.50 66.60 348.20 360.80 12.60 6.95 P4-15-033 capped 5.95 including 0.90 48.36 497.30 501.00 3.70 25.29 capped 12.52 including 0.90 107.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- P4-16-034 886.00 899.00 13.00 6.05 capped 6.05 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29.90 31.40 1.50 23.96 capped 21.95 314.50 324.50 10.00 4.81 capped 4.73 including 0.50 35.64 337.00 356.00 19.00 5.57 capped 3.60 P4-16-035 including 0.50 108.98 413.00 419.70 6.70 5.78 capped 4.11 including 0.50 56.38 482.50 499.10 16.60 9.92 capped 6.58 including 0.70 112.86 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Down-hole thickness; true width varies depending on drill hole dip and on general orientation of the vein clusters; most 2015-2016 drill holes were aimed at intersecting the generally flat lying vein clusters close to perpendicular therefore true width are close to down-hole width.
(2) Minimum 1 g/t Au cut off over 5-10 m interval, allowing up to 5 m of below cut off material internally -- individual assays cut to 34.3 g/t and 20.0 g/t gold when applicable; no minimum thickness considered
Links to No. 4 Plug Assay Table, Section and Location Map
Click on the following link to view a complete table of available composited results for the 2015/2016 drilling at No. 4 Plug (results disclosed today are identified in red colored font):
http://www.integragold.com/i/pdf/Composites_Compilation_Fall2015-Winter2016.pdf
Click on the following link to view a set of two idealized and schematic composite sections showing the spatial relationship between the Triangle and Plug 4 gold deposits and illustrating selected results from the 2015/2016 drilling program.
http://www.integragold.com/i/pdf/20160627_P4250E_Schemsect.pdf
Click on the following link to view a location map of the different gold deposits present at Lamaque South:
http://www.integragold.com/i/pdf/Zones_Loc_Infrastructure_Targets_2015-03.pdf
Abundance of Vein Arrays/Clusters Differentiate No. 4 Plug Mineralization from Triangle
Gold mineralization at No. 4 Plug, located 500 m north of Triangle is, in part, hosted within a series of steeply-dipping stacked shear zones similar to C-type structures found at Triangle. What makes No. 4 Plug different is the abundance and frequency of flat lying to gently dipping tension veins which form large clusters that could potentially be amenable to bulk mining methods. These large gold bearing vein clusters have striking similarities to bulk zones mined historically at the Lamaque Mine, where historical records have recorded mining in panels in excess of 50 m wide. The style of mineralization at No. 4 Plug also closely resembles the nearby Agnico-Eagle Goldex Deposit, situated just west of Val-d'Or in the same gold district.
The Company intends to complete a new resource estimate this year on No. 4 Plug to be completed during Q3 of 2016, and will be included in the end of year property-wide resource estimate on the Lamaque-South Property. Following this new resource estimate, Integra also intends to conduct a study aimed at the potential amenability of No. 4 Plug to low-cost, underground bulk mining methods. Given the ample milling capacity and scalability of the Sigma Mill Complex (2,400 tons per day ("tpd"), expandable to 5,000 tpd), the Company believes that a combined scenario of more selective high-grade mining at Triangle, in parallel with low-cost bulk-mining at No. 4 Plug situated 500 m next-door to Triangle, has the potential to ramp up production profiles beyond previous expectations and estimates.
Geological Setting at the No. 4 Plug
The No. 4 Plug is a sub-vertical dioritic/gabbroic intrusive, similar to the Lamaque Mine Plug (located 2 kilometres ("km") to the northwest), which produced over 4.5 million gold ounces from surface to a depth of 1,100 m vertical. The No. 4 Plug intrusive is located 500 m north of Triangle and can be traced on surface for 200 m east-west by 150 m north-south, extending to a depth of over 1,000 m vertical. Gold mineralization is found within the intrusion hosted by quartz-carbonates-tourmaline shear veins associated with sub-vertical shear zones (similar to Triangle C-type structures) and flat lying quartz-carbonate-tourmaline veins that are present as dense vein clusters.
Preliminary interpretation of the reported gold bearing zones at No. 4 Plug indicate that these dense vein clusters can be tens of metres thick vertically, are geometrically stacked within the intrusion in the down-dip direction, and can also extend roughly 150 m to 200 m laterally. The mineralized vein clusters is more abundant below a vertical depth of approximately 200 m, and is confined to the intrusion. The intrusive host and the vein clusters remain open at depth. The mineralogy and alteration assemblages associated with these vein clusters consist of carbonate, sericite, albite alteration, with varying intensity and distribution, being more pronounced near the high-angle shear zones. Where these sub-vertical shear zones cross-cut the intrusion, brittle and shallower dipping tension veins are more prominent.
2016 Drill Program Expanded to an Estimated 120,000 m to include Lamaque Deep and Gold Rush Challenge Targets
The Company now anticipates drilling approximately 120,000 m in 2016 with the majority of this drilling aimed at defining and expanding the gold resource at the Triangle and No. 4 Plug Deposits. The bulk of the drill program, approximately 80,000 m, was completed during the winter and spring months, from January to June 2016. Following the construction of surface access roads, the Company expects to be able to continue drilling throughout the summer and fall with 4 drill rigs in operation. Integra's planned 2016 drill campaign remains one of the largest drill programs underway in the entire gold exploration industry.
The ongoing drill program includes exploration, extensional, and definition type drilling on key targets such as Triangle and the No. 4 Plug gold deposits. The program also include exploration drilling, to be initiated in August 2016, of promising new targets generated from its Gold Rush Challenge.
In July 2016 the Company will also be starting a 2 km long pilot hole to test the extensions, below the lowest mined and explored level of 1,100m vertical, of the Lamaque Mine. The Lamaque Mine, which produced over 4.5 million ounces production over its 50 years mine life, was the largest gold mine in Quebec for 30 years. Its neighbour, the Sigma Mine, which is located only 400 m north, also produced over 4.5 million ounces but to a depth of 1,850 m vertical.
Additional information on these new targets will be provided by the Company in follow-up news releases once drilling begins.
2016 Exploration Drilling Summary
To date in 2016, a total of 76,500 m in 130 holes have been completed at the Lamaque South project. Results announced today are from 6 holes drilled at No. 4 Plug representing 5,415 m of the 12,035 m 2015/2016 program. Including the fall 2015 drilling, as of June 15, drill results are still pending for approximately 66,550 m of core from Triangle, No. 4 Plug and other exploration targets; results will continue to be disclosed during the year as they become available.
Project and Company Profile
Integra Gold is a junior gold exploration company exploring advanced stage projects in Val-d'Or, Quebec, one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. The Company's primary focus is its high-grade Lamaque South project. In 2014, Integra completed the accretive acquisition of the Sigma Mill and Mine Complex, a fully permitted 2,200-2,400 tpd mill and tailings facility. With major federal and provincial permits in place, existing infrastructure and significant exploration potential, this acquisition removed major costs and shortened timelines typically associated with developing mine projects. With a current market capitalization of approximately $300 million, Integra has raised over $100 million since 2013, at successively higher share prices, despite depressed gold prices. In August 2015, Eldorado Gold Corporation completed a strategic investment in Integra, acquiring 15% of the outstanding common shares. Integra was recently named to the TSX Venture top 50 performers in 2015 and the OTCQX Best 50 award for 2015.
Qualified Person
The Lamaque project is under the direct supervision of Herve Thiboutot, Eng., Senior Vice-President of the Company, and Jacques Simoneau, P. Geo., Exploration Manager of the Company. Mr. Thiboutot and Mr. Simoneau are Qualified Persons ("QPs") as defined by the National Instrument 43-101. The Company's QPs have reviewed the technical content of this release.
Quality Assurance - Quality Control ("QA/QC")
Thorough QA/QC protocols are followed on the project including insertion of duplicate, blank and standard samples in all drill holes. The core samples are submitted directly to the Bourlamaque Laboratory in Val-d'Or for preparation and analysis. Analysis is conducted on 1 assay-ton aliquots. Analysis of Au is performed using fire assay method with atomic absorption (AA) finish, with a gravimetric finish completed for samples exceeding 5 g/t Au. Metallic sieve assay is conducted, additional to the regular fire assay methods, for all samples containing visible gold. Results published are from the metallic sieve assay results is available, if not they are from the gravimetric finish if above 5 g/t and from the AA finish if lower than 5 g/t.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stephen de Jong
CEO & President
Follow Integra Gold On:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/integragoldcorp
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking statements, including timing of completion of an updated resource estimate, timing of completion of an updated PEA and completion of the Sigma-Lamaque transaction. In making the forward-looking statements in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company, including that the Company is able to obtain any government or other regulatory approvals, that the Company is able to procure personnel, equipment and supplies required for its exploration and development activities in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis and that actual results are consistent with management's expectations. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, those matters identified in its continuous disclosure filings, including its most recently filed MD&A. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Corporate Inquiries:
Chris Gordon
chris@integragold.com
Or visit the company website: www.integragold.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Empire Industries Ltd. ("Empire") (TSX VENTURE: EIL) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release of May 18, 2016 it has successfully completed its previously announced plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") pursuant to which Empire spun out Empire's hydrovac business including all of the tangible and intangible assets, employees and operations of Tornado Trucks, a division of Empire (the "Hydrovac Business"), to Tornado Global Hydrovacs Ltd. ("Tornado").
In connection with the Arrangement, common shares of Empire will be exchanged for one quarter (1/4) of a new Empire common share and one eighth (1/8) of a new Tornado common share for every common shares of Empire currently owned. Empire has delivered a letter of transmittal to all registered shareholders to facilitate the exchange of the common shares of Empire.
With the completion of the Arrangement, the new Empire common shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") under the symbol "EIL". On June 27, 2016 the TSXV conditionally approved the listing of the common shares of Tornado. Upon satisfaction of the conditions of the TSXV it is expected that the common shares of Tornado will commence trading on the TSXV under the symbol "TGH". As a result of the Arrangement, Tornado is a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
On June 21, 2016, Empire held a special meeting of the holders of Empire common shares and options to acquire Empire common shares to consider the Arrangement. At the meeting, the Arrangement was approved by 99.81% of the holders of Empire common shares and 100% of the holders of options to acquire Empire common shares. Subsequently, on June 24, 2016, the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta issued a final order approving the Arrangement.
"The creation of a new public company called Tornado Global Hydrovacs Ltd. (TGH: TSX-V ) was three years in the making. Empire studied the Chinese excavation market extensively, developed an aggressive plan and found a strategic partner that committed to fund $10 million ($7.5 million of equity and $2.5 million of subordinate debt) towards leveraging Tornado's proprietary knowledge and hydrovac truck design in China as well as continuing to manufacture and sell its unique hydrovac truck in North America. Empire determined that this opportunity was best pursued by a separate company, allowing Empire to focus its attention on its media-based attractions business. Therefore we found a strategic investor to fund this exciting initiative while allowing Empire shareholders to participate directly through their 54.5% ownership of Tornado."
Upon listing of the Tornado common shares, it is expected that the escrow release conditions of the previously announced private placement of subscription receipts of Tornado for aggregate proceeds of approximately US $3,521,127 on January 25, 2016 and RMB 11,946,110 on February 29, 2016 will be satisfied.
Empire and Tornado will provide a further update on the application to have the Tornado common shares listed for trading on the TSXV as well as the exchange of the Tornado subscription receipts for Tornado common shares and the release of the aggregate subscription funds, when such transactions are completed.
About Empire Industries Ltd.
Empire Industries Ltd. manufactures specialized engineered products and sells these products domestically and in select international export markets. The company develops; designs and engineers products for the rapidly growing, global, media based attractions market and also uses these globally competitive competencies in the optical telescope market. The company also provides steel fabrication & installation services, primarily to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure market in Western Canada. The company has two key strategic equity partnerships; a 49% ownership of ACE Industrial Services that operates in the oil sands industrial maintenance services market, and a 45% ownership of a Chinese joint venture company in the steel fabrication market in Asia. Empire's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol EIL.
About Tornado Global Hydrovacs Ltd.
The company designs, manufactures and sells Hydrovac trucks for excavation service providers to the oil and gas industry and the municipal markets. Hydrovac trucks use high pressure water to pulverize soil and turn it into mud, and then vacuum up the resulting mud into its tank. Tornado currently operates in North America and intends to expand its hydrovac business into China.
For more information about Empire, visit www.empind.com.
Advisory
The Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of the words "may", "expected", "believes", "anticipates" and other words of a similar nature are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Although Empire believes these statements to be reasonable, no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements include statements with respect to the anticipated benefits of the Arrangement, the satisfaction of the Escrow Release Conditions or the release of the proceeds of the Private Placement. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of prevailing economic conditions, receipt of requisite regulatory approvals, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Empire. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent Empire's expectations as of the date hereof, and are subject to change after such date. Empire disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities regulations.
Contacts:
Guy Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
(416) 366-7977
gnelson@empind.com
Allan Franics
Vice President - Corporate Affairs and Administration
(204) 589-9301
afrancis@empind.com
www.empind.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSX VENTURE: CDB)(OTCQX: CDBMF) ("Cordoba" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's common shares will begin trading today on the OTCQX International in the United States under the symbol "CDBMF". Cordoba's common shares also will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "CDB".
OTCQX is the top tier of the OTC market, reserved for established, investor-focused U.S. and global companies. Mario Stifano, CEO of Cordoba stated: "We are very pleased to have our Company's securities commence trading on the OTCQX as we work to increase our appeal to U.S. and institutional investors and broaden our shareholder base."
U.S. Investors can find current financial disclosure and real-time, level two quotes for the Company at www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CDBMF/quote.
Burns Figa & Will PC will serve as the Company's Principal American Liaison ("PAL") on OTCQX, responsible for providing guidance on OTCQX requirements.
About Cordoba Minerals
Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of copper and gold projects in Colombia. Cordoba has a joint venture with High Power Exploration on the highly prospective, district-scale San Matias Copper-Gold Project located at sea level with excellent infrastructure and near operating open-pit mines in the Department of Cordoba. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY
Mario Stifano, President and CEO
Cordoba Minerals Corp.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential of the Company's properties are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts:
Cordoba Minerals Corp.
Mario Stifano
President and CEO
info@cordobamineralscorp.com
www.cordobaminerals.com
HKTDC Communication and Public Affairs Department Joe Kainz Tel: +852 2584 4216 Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
HONG KONG, June 28, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - An annual cultural highlight, the Hong Kong Book Fair will run from 20-26 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In its 27th edition, the fair is organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with more than 600 exhibitors from some 30 countries and regions expected to take part, including newcomers from Chile, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Portugal and Russia. More than 380 cultural activities are arranged during the week-long event including seminars, readings, new book parades, storytelling sessions and performances with the aim of cultivating the public's cultural awareness and interest in reading.Theme of the Year - Chinese Martial Arts LiteratureThis year, the Hong Kong Book Fair adopts the theme of Chinese Martial Arts Literature. "Hong Kong has produced many renowned martial arts novelists over the years who have created timeless classics," said HKTDC Acting Executive Director Benjamin Chau. "Many of these works have been translated into different languages and adapted into movies, TV series, computer games and comics that are popular not only in the Greater China region but also around the world. The martial arts world portrayed in these novels embodies the essence of Chinese culture and is an important conduit for sharing and promoting Chinese culture."A Chinese Martial Arts Literature exhibition will be set up at the Art Gallery, introducing readers to eight esteemed Hong Kong martial arts novelists from different eras. These include Liang Yu Sheng, Jin Yong (Louis Cha), Gu Long, Ni Kuang, Woon Swee Oan, Huang Yi, Jozev Lau and Zheng Feng. The zone will also display other precious exhibits, such as early serialised comic clippings, first editions, adapted screenplays and comic books.The HKTDC will also partner with the Hong Kong Heritage Museum to organise a Jin Yong exhibition, spotlighting his achievements as one of the most influential Chinese martial arts novelists. Meanwhile, renowned martial arts novelists Woon Swee Oan, Jozev Lau and Zheng Feng will be on hand to meet readers.A gathering of authors from around the worldThe Book Fair will also feature well-known overseas authors and works in different languages. Respected entrepreneur and arts enthusiast Sir David Tang has invited three leading writers to take part in the Open Public Forum (22 July). They include writer, philanthropist and documentary director Hannah Rothschild, author and journalist Simon Winchester and best-selling historical fiction author Wilbur Smith. The British Council, meanwhile, is bringing award-winning Hong Kong-born British poet Sarah Howe to take part in the Book Fair for the first time. The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau has arranged for children's and young adult book author Elisabeth Brami, journalist and author Florence de Changy and Christine Cappio, a French national living in Hong Kong, to introduce their works. With the support from the Consuls General of Mexico, Peru and the Argentine Republic, Rodrigo Cacho, an expert in Renaissance and Baroque cultures, will join the fair to speak about Spanish-American colonial literature.In addition to the French and Mexican writers, the World of Knowledge Seminar Series will also feature a number of local celebrities such as artisan jeweller Wallace Chan, renowned author and host Chua Lam, designer and artist Kan Tai Keung and Cantonese opera master Franco Yuen.This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of several master playwrights, including Tang Xian Zu, a Chinese playwright from the Ming Dynasty; peerless English playwright and poet William Shakespeare; and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the creator of Don Quixote. A number of related talks will be held to commemorate these great playwrights.Other seminar series at the Book Fair include: the Lifestyle Seminar Series, featuring healthy living expert Yim Ho, travel writer James Hong, media personality Cheuk Wan-chi and Hong Kong's Wandering Photography, which is a group that focusses on nature photography; the Personal Development and Spiritual Growth Seminar Series, with commentator Lee Yee, Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Joseph Sung and author Black; and the Hong Kong Cultural and Historical Seminar Series, where creator Keith Ho, lyricist Jolland Chan, well-known talent agent Joe Chan, internationally renowned chef Martin Yan and Hong Kong Baptist University history professor Ricardo Mak will talk about the transformation of Hong Kong society.A Journey to "Silk Road": Shaanxi and IndiaAmong the exhibitions at the Art Gallery will be A Journey to "Silk Road": Shaanxi and India. Visitors will be able to appreciate precious artefacts from the Chinese province of Shaanxi and India, which is regarded as one of the four great ancient civilisations. Western Zhou Dynasty bronze works, Qin brick, Han tile, Tang sancai and Silk Road coins from Xian; and, from India, paintings, ethnic clothing, agar wood, tea and decorations will be displayed. The HKTDC will also arrange traditional Shaanxi and Indian performances to broaden the cultural horizons of visitors.Insights from renowned authorsThis year's Book Fair continues to bring together renowned authors from the mainland and overseas to share their insights in storytelling. The HKTDC will collaborate with Ming Pao and Yazhou Zhoukan to co-organise the Renowned Writers Seminar Series. Heavyweight speakers will include Ye Yong Lie (journalism and biography), Cao Wen Xuan (children's literature and 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award winner), Lung Ying Tai and Jan Hung Tze (renowned Taiwanese authors), Professor Way Kuo (President of the City University of Hong Kong), Ma Ka Fai, Jin Ren Shun (Chunshen Original Literary Award winning author) and Jiang Sheng Nan (creator of the Chinese mainland hit TV series The Legend of Mi Yue).Cultivating children's love of readingFor children and parents, the Children and Youth Reading Series will feature award-winning Taiwanese illustrator Huang Chih Ming and Hong Kong's Joyce Choi to spotlight the joy of children's picture books. Occupational therapist Silvia Mak, mother of Miss Hong Kong Louisa Mak, and Agnes Chan will speak about parenting while seasoned media personality Lawrence Cheng, artist Louisa So and Principal Derek Yeung will share selected stories with children.The fair will be divided into various product zones, with Children's Paradise returning to showcase reading material for children of all ages. There will also be a new Talent Hub zone, where parents and children can browse information of extracurricular activities. At the International Cultural Village, foreign consulates and associations from 23 countries and regions will showcase cultural highlights to stimulate interest among children and adults alike. English Avenue returns to the fair with more than 30 exhibitors.Cultural JulyOnce again this year, the HKTDC is collaborating with other cultural institutions, schools, government departments and companies to co-organise Cultural July. The citywide festival aims to arouse the public's interest and participation in cultural activities, which include more than 250 events, from sharing sessions, storytelling, theatre workshops, cultural tours and photography exhibitions. For details, please visit the Cultural July website.Tickets on sale todayTickets to the Book Fair are now available at Hong Kong Ticketing and designated 7-11 and Circle K convenience stores. Electronic ticketing is introduced to the Book Fair for the first time this year. The public can purchase tickets via the "TNG e-Wallet" App. There will also be Morning Admission Tickets and a Special Re-entry Promotion (details below). The seminars are also open for online registration starting today.27th Hong Kong Book FairDate: 20-26 July 2016 (Wednesday to Tuesday)Opening Hours:- 20, 21, 24, 25 July; 10am-10pm- 22, 23 July; 10am-midnight (Hall 3 open till 11pm)- 26 July; 9am-5pmVenue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreAdmission- Adult Ticket: HK$25- Child Ticket: HK$10 (for primary school students / children under 1.22m tall)* Children under 3 and elderly over 65 will be admitted free of chargeConcessionary Tickets:- Morning Admission Ticket (entry before noon): HK$10 (available for sale at the fairground only each day)- Special Re-entry Promotion: Visitors who purchase a regular adult ticket (HK$25) or child ticket (HK$10) dated 20 or 21 July can enjoy free admission on 22, 23 or 24 July (Fri, Sat, Sun) after 7pm by presenting the whole stub attached to the admission ticket. The offer is not applicable to other admission tickets including morning admission ticket, concessionary ticket, VIP ticket and complimentary ticket.Book Fair Website http://www.hkbookfair.com (For activity details and registration to seminars)Cultural July Website http://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/CulturalJulyVideo https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBrAaPzPW6Up_Nt0TsnoToP-iI1Daev7OPhoto Download: http://bit.ly/28ZnkaMedia Registration: Media representatives wishing to cover the event may register on-site with their business cards and/or media identification.To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tcAbout HKTDCThe Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and services providers. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdcTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdcLinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-councilSource: HKTDCContact:Copyright 2016 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
DUBLIN, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Personal Emergency Response System Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.
The global PERS market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% during the period 2016-2020.
Commenting on the report, an analyst from the research team said: The consolidation of PERS with wireless phones is one of the most noteworthy trends in the market. This has been achieved by the vendors with the use of session initiation protocol and voice over internet protocol technologies. It will allow caregivers to send text messages and to speak directly with patients, providing added benefits such as saving time and resulting in faster communication among patients, hospital staff, and doctors.
According to the report, the increase in the older population and associated chronic diseases is expected to drive the global PERS market during the forecast period. The older population requires care in their homes, irrespective of the care they receive in hospitals. However, staying at home carries potential risks of accidents like falls, sudden trauma, and strokes. Due to the independent lifestyles led by the older population, particularly in developed countries, they are not willing to be dependent on their families.
Further, the report states that one of the major challenges faced by the market is lack of awareness about use and maintenance of PERS devices.
Companies Mentioned:
ADT LLC
Bay Alarm Medical
Life Alert Emergency Response Inc.
Phillips Lifeline
Valued Relationships Inc. (VRI)
Alert One Services
Appello
Age UK
AT&T
Buddi Ltd
Connect America
Critical Signal Technologies
Galaxy Medical Alert Systems
GreatCall Splash
Medical Alarm Concepts Holding
Medical Guardian
MobileHelp
Tunstall Americas
Vector Security
VESAG
VNA Homecare
Voicecare
Report Structure:
PART 01: Executive summary
PART 02: Scope of the report
PART 03: Market research methodology
PART 04: Introduction
PART 05: Market landscape
PART 06: Market segmentation by type
PART 07: Geographical segmentation
PART 08: Buying criteria
PART 09: Market drivers
PART 10: Impact of drivers
PART 11: Market challenges
PART 12: Impact of drivers and challenges
PART 13: Market trends
PART 14: Vendor landscape
PART 15: Key vendor analysis
PART 16: Appendix
PART 17: About the Author
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/r28nk3/global_personal
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - Balmoral Resources Ltd. (TSX: BAR) (OTCQX: BALMF) ("Balmoral" or the "Company") announces the voting results from its 2016 Annual General Meeting of shareholders held in Vancouver, B.C. on Friday, June 24, 2016 ("the Meeting").
At the Meeting, the Company's shareholders re-elected the following nominees as directors of the Company, with all receiving a majority of the votes cast. Balmoral's shareholders also re-appointed the Company's current auditors, Smythe LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditors of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 and authorized the directors to fix the auditors remuneration. The shareholders also re-approved the Company's Stock Option Plan and unallocated options, rights and other entitlements. Results of the vote for the election of directors held at the Meeting are set out below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nominee Total Votes Cast Votes For Votes Withheld ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darin Wagner 24,807,951 24,755,651 (99.79%) 52,300 (0.21%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lawrence Talbot 24,807,951 19,229,080 (77.51%) 5,578,871 (22.49%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graeme Currie 24,807,951 24,780,751 (99.89%) 27,200 (0.11%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel MacInnis 24,807,951 22,986,121 (92.66%) 1,821,830 (7.34%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bryan Disher 24,807,951 24,753,051 (99.78%) 54,900 (0.22%) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A detailed "Report of Voting Results" for the Meeting is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR and on the Company's website.
About Balmoral Resources Ltd. - www.balmoralresources.com
Balmoral is a well-funded, Canadian-based exploration company focussed on the continued expansion and delineation of the high-grade Martiniere Gold System and the exploration on its wholly owned, 700 square kilometre Detour Trend Project in Quebec, Canada. Employing an award winning exploration team, Balmoral has a philosophy of creating value through the drill bit. By focusing our efforts in proven productive precious/base metal belts in one of the world's preeminent mining jurisdictions, Balmoral is following an established formula with a goal of maximizing shareholder value through discovery and definition of high-grade, Canadian gold and base metal assets.
On behalf of the board of directors of
BALMORAL RESOURCES LTD.
"Darin Wagner"
President and CEO
Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties and the Company's latest financial statements.
This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.
John Foulkes
Vice-President, Corporate Development
Tel: (604) 638-5815 / Toll Free: (877) 838-3664
E-mail: jfoulkes@balmoralresources.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sought clarity from the U.K. on its exit plan as soon as possible. At the extraordinary plenary session of the European parliament on Tuesday, Juncker said, 'We cannot get into a period of extended uncertainty.' There should not be any secret negotiations on Brexit, he added. He asked UKIP leader Nigel Farage, 'Why you are here?' 'That's the last time you are applauding here. And to some extent I'm really surprised that you are here. You were fighting for the exit,' said Juncker. 'The British people voted in favour of the exit; why are you here?' Juncker said. Addressing the the Bundestag, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said members cannot exit and retain their privileges. She said the negotiations will not be a cherry-picking exercise. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is set to meet EU leaders in Brussels today, his first meeting after Britons voted to leave the EU. EU27 countries are set to hold a meeting later Tuesday. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Goldrea Resources Corp. (CSE: GOR)(FRANKFURT: GOJ)(OTC PINK: GORAF) announces that it has signed an LOI to acquire the Gaspe Lithium property located on the Gaspe peninsula in eastern Quebec.
The property is located approximately 75 kilometers northwest of the city of Gaspe, Quebec, in NTS map sheet 22H03 and covers historically reported elevated lithium values obtained from stream sediment samples. The highest recorded stream sediment sample from the Gaspe Lithium property returned a value of 159 ppm Li (1). For reference, the SIGEOM sediment sample database contains only five samples that exceed 150 ppm for the entire province of Quebec. Additionally, the highest assaying lake sediment sample near Nemaska Lithium's (NMX.V) proposed Whabouchi lithium open-pit resource returned a maximum of 10.9 ppm Li (2).
In addition to the 159 ppm sample taken from the property, another three stream sediment samples within the property boundaries include, using the first sample as a reference point for location: 105 ppm Li located 200 metres to the west (3), 24 ppm Li located 400 metres to the west (4), and 26 ppm Li located 700 metres to the north (5).
The general geology of the area of sampling is interpreted to be associated with lithium-bearing pegmatite intrusions and the high concentration of lithium in stream sediment samples may be related to a close source of lithium. However, a prospecting and sampling campaign will be required to confirm the source of the elevated lithium values.
LCT (lithium-cesium-tantalum) pegmatites, such as the pegmatite hosting Nemaska Lithium's Whabouchi deposit, typically occur in groups, which consist of tens to hundreds of individuals and cover areas up to a few tens of square kilometres. Highly mobile elements such as lithium, rubidium, and cesium, and volatile components like boron and fluorine tend to alter the adjacent country rocks during LCT pegmatite emplacement. (6)
Goldrea shall pay $10,000 in a non-refundable deposit at signing and issue 600,000 shares within 10 business days to the vendors for 100% of the Gaspe Lithium property. No work commitment is required and the property is in good standing through May 22, 2018. The property is easily accessible with infrastructure in proximity.
"With extensive staking and work programs beginning in the Nemaska area recently, Goldrea is exploring the opportunities presented in this promising region. We look forward to working in the mining-friendly jurisdiction of Quebec, reviewing data received on the Gaspe property, as well as exploring further prospective sites for development," states Jim Elbert, President/CEO of Goldrea Resources.
The technical contents of this release were approved by Mr. Case Lewis, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not yet been the subject of a National Instrument 43-101 report.
References
1. SIGEOM sample 1992011379 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. 2. SIGEOM sample 1957012628 - lake sediment sample. 3. SIGEOM sample 1992012530 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. 4. SIGEOM sample 1992012528 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample. 5. SIGEOM sample 1992012531 - stream sediment / heavy mineral sample.
"A preliminary deposit model for lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites", USGS Open File Report 2013-1008.
Forward-Looking Statements
The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain "forward-looking statements", which are statements about the future based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate or true. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law.
Contacts:
Goldrea Resources Corp.
James Elbert
President and CEO
(604) 559-7230
info@goldrea.com
www.goldrea.com
CANNES, FRANCE -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon opened up the afternoon on Friday to a full auditorium, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where the brightest and most creative minds from the advertising, marketing and innovative communications in the world convene in one place for an entire week.
Mr. Ban came to the event on a mission to unite a community that is known for their competitive nature. "I have never been more convinced, that when we work together we are stronger, that's the key to a better world," said the UN Chief. This message being delivered less than an hour after flying in from Cuba, where he witnessed a historic peace deals between Colombia and FARC.
Mr. Ban gave the packed room a quick overview of what is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and what it took to get 193 countries to agree on one agenda. He pointed out that if the United Nations is able to bring the world's leaders together under a defined set of goals, then the advertising industry can also come together to help use the power of advertising, marketing and innovative communications and find the best way to tell the stories about some of the world's biggest humanitarian issues.
"This is Cannes -- so I have come with a pitch," Mr. Ban said. "I know all of you have tremendous power to shape opinions. You are master storytellers. And I want you to help us create the biggest campaign ever for humanity."
After his introduction speech and pitch, Mr. Ban welcomed up to the stage a panel made up of, what they have coined, the "Big six." The Chief Executives of the ad industry holding groups that united on stage were, Yannick Bollore, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Havas; Michael Roth, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IPG; John Wren, President and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom; Maurice Levy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Groupe; Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and Chief Executive Officer of WPP and by live stream Chief Executive Officer and President of Dentsu, the "mad men" as Mr. Ban called them, to discuss the new initiative they are working on called Common Ground.
In a joint statement released by the six companies, "The Common Ground initiative recognizes that the global issues the UN has identified transcend commercial rivalry. By working in partnership to support the Sustainable Development Goals, we want to demonstrate that even fierce competitors can set aside their differences in order to serve a wider common interest. We hope others in and beyond our own business decide to do the same."
Also announced within the Common Ground initiative, is a fund that will be developed to exclusively support the winning ideas from the Cannes Young Lions competition. The funds will be used to give the winning ideas that support the Sustainable Development Goals the greatest chance for success.
Mr. Ban's attendance to the Cannes Lions is an important recognition of the power and impact of advertising & media for social impact, and the role the advertising industry plays in shaping the views of the public on important issues. There is no other group of people who are better positioned to have the largest impact in the shortest amount of time in educating and activating the public on a global scale than the advertising industry, whose job it is every day to seduce and entice consumers to purchase goods and services. It is these same set of skills that make the advertising, marketing and innovative communications professional leaders the perfect partners for the United Nations to educate and activate the global community to address what are the biggest issues facing our world today.
Mr. Ban made it clear to the audience that this is about getting everyone involved, asking for other agency groups to step up to the challenge using the power of advertising, marketing and innovative communications -- to help make sure the SDGs are the business of all businesses -- and the business of all people, inspire all, especially young people and women, and find the best ways to tell the story.
"We are the first generation that can end global poverty, we are the last generation that cannot risk climate change before it is too late" was the tag line used by Mr. Ban in his pitch, adding that "In the short term, we want the 2030 Agenda to be known by 2 billion people. We want to mobilize one million people as change agents. Help us reach far and wide."
If you are interested in additional information on the Sustainable Development Goals, please visit the links below:
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
In September 2015, UN Member States unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, focused on the three interconnected elements of: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. With 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core, the Agenda is universal, integrated and transformative and aims to spur actions that will end poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change between now and 2030.
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
About PVBLIC Foundation
PVBLIC Foundation is an in-kind grant-making organization that harnesses the power of media assets to drive social change. Through partnerships with leading media companies, PVBLIC works strategically to pair media assets with key non-profits. We utilize existing and emerging technologies to increase issue awareness around important causes and to help non-profits amplify their message. @PVBLICF
http://www.pvblic.org
** News, Media, PR and Content distribution provided by 1-800-PublicRelations, Inc.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3027300
Media Contact:
Karolina Piotrowska
Communications and Media Relations
PVBLIC Foundation
press@pvblic.org
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - CBRE Group, Inc. (CBG), a commercial real estate services provider, Tuesday noted that the United Kingdom accounted for approximately 10% of CBRE's global normalized EBITDA in fiscal 2015. The company's statement was in light of the trading activity in its shares following the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union. On Monday, CBRE shares were down 8.9 percent and settled at $24.88. The company did not comment on its second-quarter 2016 earnings or updated its adjusted earnings-per-share guidance for 2016. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- PhytoPain Pharma Inc. ("PhytoPain Pharma" or "PPP"), a subsidiary of GrowPros Cannabis Ventures Inc. ("GrowPros" or the "Company") (CSE: GCI), is pleased to announce a successful pre-CTA (Clinical Trial Application) consultation with the Therapeutic Products Directorate ("TPD") of Health Canada regarding its proposed Phase I clinical study of smoked cannabis. PhytoPain Pharma submitted for review by the regulators, a pre-CTA information package to brief TPD on the planned clinical study and the investigational drug and its comparator (placebo). Health Canada provided feedback and guidance on the Phase I trial's study population, placebo material, and neurological and cognitive assessment measures.
PhytoPain Pharma is on track to finalize the clinical protocol and submit the CTA application to TPD. PPP will meet with its Clinical Advisory Board to discuss the guidance from Health Canada and work with a Phase I Clinical Research Organization to implement the recommendations. In addition, PhytoPain Pharma will submit an application for exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for its planned research on healthy subjects.
"This is the first step in establishing a key clinical research program aimed at developing the use of inhaled Cannabis as a prescription drug and will provide physicians with evidence on the safety and efficacy of inhaled Cannabis which remains the most commonly preferred form of ingestion by Medical Cannabis Patients," stated Dr. Chamberland, Chief Scientific Officer and Regulatory Affairs.
"I am encouraged at the speed and efficiency displayed by our team in achieving this measurable milestone in the development of our cannabis inhalation drug product. This further validates our belief that, as the regulatory environment surrounding cannabis prohibition continues to evolve, the need for standardised pharmaceutical style products will become the standard in Medicinal Cannabis for physicians, insurers, and regulators. This will position PhytoPain Pharma and GrowPros very favourably as the consumer market continues to develop."
The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy.
Forward-looking statements
Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., to obtain a licence for the production of medical marijuana; failure to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.
Contacts:
GrowPros Cannabis Ventures Inc.
Ryan Brown
Chief Executive Officer
(613) 421-8402
GrowPros Cannabis Ventures Inc.
Andre Audet
Executive Chairman
(613) 421-8402
GrowPros Cannabis Ventures Inc.
Dr. Guy Chamberland
Chief Scientific Officer and Regulatory Affairs
(514) 220-9225
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Image recognition leader Slyce Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SLC)(FRANKFURT: 06O1) ("Slyce") today announced a signed contract with global apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters, to power mobile visual search within its mobile app. The retailer will utilize Slyce's Universal Scanner product, which enables image recognition of clothing and products, as well as catalog and barcode scanning.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, American Eagle Outfitters operates more than 1,000 stores, and ships to 81 countries worldwide.
Slyce will derive revenues from the contract through monthly recurring software licensing and service fees, in line with its current pricing model, over the term of the contract.
Slyce's business model features multiple revenue streams arising from its visual search platform, consumer apps and corresponding data services. The revenue streams include, fees for software licensing, integration, purchase transactions, program promotions and data analytics.
About Slyce Inc.
Slyce delivers image recognition technologies and is currently focused on enabling a powerful sales channel for major retailers and their customers. Consumers, wherever they are, can conveniently engage with retailers by taking pictures of desired products using their mobile devices, thereby initiating the visual search service with near-instant product recognition capability. The Company delivers its technology both as a white-label visual search platform and as a suite of consumer mobile apps. Slyce's technology is used by large retail brands such as Neiman Marcus, Best Buy, JCPenney and Home Depot.
Slyce's business model features multiple revenue streams arising from its visual search platform, consumer apps and corresponding data services. The revenue streams include fees for software licensing, integration, purchase transactions, program promotions and data analytics.
Slyce is also listed on the Frankfurt exchange trading under (FRANKFURT: 06O1).
For image download and further company information, please click for the Slyce Media Kit.
READER ADVISORY
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information including, without limitation, Slyce's business plan, strategy and related milestones, Slyce's suggestions of future outcomes, the future use and development of its technology, future customers and business partners. The words "will," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intent," "may," "project," "should," and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by Slyce.
Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Slyce.
Slyce does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as expressly required by applicable securities laws.
None of the information contained on, or connected to, Slyce's website is incorporated by reference herein.
Contacts:
Slyce
Ted Mann
President
Ted@Slyce.it
Slyce
Roy Roman
(647) 464-6200
Roy@slyce.it
Westinghouse Electric Company today applauded Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for their startup of the Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor, the seventh operating reactor in its nuclear fleet.
"We congratulate TVA on their two recent Unit 2 milestones-initial criticality and grid sync-as they progress to full-power operations to serve the people of the Tennessee Valley. In support of the nuclear unit's startup, Westinghouse leveraged its diverse capabilities including engineering, licensing, fuel, construction and plant services," said Mark Marano, Westinghouse president, Americas and EMEA Regions.
Westinghouse teamed with Watts Bar employees to help move the project forward by involving more than 600 people across multiple disciplines and specialties in support of the new unit.
"Westinghouse is committed to supporting the operating fleet and the entire plant lifecycle," added Marano. "The new Watts Bar unit will provide safe, clean, reliable electricity to the Tennessee Valley for decades to come, and like the plant itself, Westinghouse will be there for the long run."
TVA's Watts Bar Unit 2, a Westinghouse PWR 1,150 MW reactor located near Spring City, Tenn., is the first new nuclear unit to come online in the U.S. in more than two decades.
To learn more about Westinghouse Electric Company and our vision to be the first to innovate the next technology, practice or solution that helps our customers generate safer, cleaner, more reliable energy visit www.westinghousenuclear.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160628005817/en/
Contacts:
Westinghouse Electric Company
Courtney Boone, +1 412-374-2707
Director, Press Relations and Public Affairs
booneca@westinghouse.com
28 June 2016Company announcement no 07-16North Media Aviser is giving notice of the cutting of 25-30 jobs that are related primarily to the main product, Sndagsavisen. The restructuring will reduce costs by approx DKK 20 million. At the same time, Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser A/S, Arne Ullum, resign and will be replaced by Gorm Wesing Flyvholm, who is the former Executive Officer of Berlingske Media's local newspaper business, among others.In May 2016, North Media Aviser divested six local editions of Sndagsavisen and its equity interest in A/S Vestsjllandske Distriktsblade to Sjllandske Medier. This way, North Media Aviser actively assisted in the consolidation that is intended to increase scale economies, synergies and profitability of the newspaper industry.To further improve the basis for value creation at North Media Aviser, the activities of Sndagsavisen will be restructured. The key steps in the restructuring process are to intensify focus on sales activities and reduce the newspaper's cost base. The other newspaper activities, including the eight local Copenhagen newspapers and Ugeavisen Nordsjlland and Helsingr Dagblad, will not be directly affected by the changes.Reduction in costsAs part of the restructuring of Sndagsavisen, expectations are that 25-30 jobs will be cut. The jobs are widely spread over most functions of Sndagsavisen, in staff functions and to a great extent in management. Overall, this restructuring will result in special cost items of approx DKK 8 million in 2016 and a reduction in annual capacity costs by approx DKK 20 million.New Chief Executive Officer of North Media AviserAs part of the restructuring process, Arne Ullum will resign as Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser A/S and as member of the Executive Board of North Media A/S and be replaced by Gorm Wesing Flyvholm. Gorm Wesing Flyvholm will take up his position on 1 September 2016. Also, Sales and Marketing Executive Michael Garver Burgaard will be appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sndagsavisen A/S. Until Gorm Wesing Flyvholm takes up his position, Michael Garver Burgaard will serve as acting Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser A/S."We have to acknowledge that our current strategy of focussing on growth in readership and resulting advertisement sales no longer works - the past two years' decline seen in the print market has led to a dramatic change in the conditions for free newspapers. In future, the strategy needs to be of a more directly commercial nature, and in that context I have recommended to the Board of Directors to appoint an executive officer whose focus is more commercial than mine," says Arne Ullum.Arne Ullum will resign as Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser A/S and as member of the Executive Board of North Media A/S effective from 1 July 2016, and he will for some time after that perform strategic tasks for North Media's Board of Directors."Arne has since 2009 been a valued member of the Group's Executive Board and a valued Chief Executive Officer of the newspaper business. He has headed the efforts of establishing the new structure for Sndagsavisen that we present today. Of course, we are sorry that Arne has informed us that he thinks new people should be called in to take the next step, but we respect his decision. At the same time, we are pleased that Gorm Wesing Flyvholm will join us as new Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser. With his strong management and sales competencies, we have the management team to restore Sndagsavisen's earnings capacity determinedly and efficiently," says Richard Bunck, Chairman of the Board of Directors.Intensified focus on salesBesides cost savings, Sndagsavisen will launch a string of commercial activities to boost sales. The intention is to capitalise on the unique market position in Northern Zealand, among other areas, and offers to that area's large local retailers, chains and shopping centres are to be tailored more to customer needs. One of the means to do this is by thinking all of the newspaper business' media platforms into one package. This will create the basis for Sndagsavisen once more beating the market."I believe there is an under-penetrated local and regional market that the Group's newspapers may tap into. This requires innovation, but also going back to the cornerstones that Sndagsavisen has being relying on for many years. I firmly believe that, with a serious and targeted effort based more on the advertisers' need to attract customers, there is a good chance of providing fresh impetus and generating profitable operations in spite of difficult markets," says Gorm Wesing Flyvholm.Sndagsavisen will still have 23 regional editions, eight of which are published by Sjllandske Medier."This puts Sndagsavisen in a unique position with regional advertisers who, with our newspaper, will be able to reach all of their customers better and cheaper," says Gorm Wesing Flyvholm, who also intends to strengthen the commercial cooperation between Sndagsavisen and the Group's local newspapers which cover, for example, the Greater Copenhagen area, including Frederiksberg and Northern Zealand.Unchanged earnings expectations for the financial year 2016Revenue of North Media Aviser is expected to continue to range from DKK 185 million to DKK 195 million. Expectations are that North Media Aviser's EBIT before special items will remain unchanged at a loss between DKK 30 million and DKK 35 million. The restructuring of Sndagsavisen will also result in special cost items in the region of DKK 8 million in 2016.The original expectations of group revenue between DKK 865 million and DKK 915 million and EBIT before special items between a negative DKK 25 million and a negative DKK 55 million are maintained as well.For further information, please contact Chief Executive Officer of North Media Aviser A/S Arne Ullum at +45 21 63 22 27, Group Executive Director & CFO Kare Wigh at +45 25 65 21 45 or Gorm Wesing Flyvholm at +45 25 45 67 74.Yours faithfullyNorth Media A/SKare WighGroup Executive Director & CFOThis Company announcement no 07/16 has been prepared in Danish and English. The Danish text shall be the governing text for all purposes and in case of any discrepancy the Danish wording shall be applicable.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Commerce Department is due to release its final estimate of first quarter GDP at 8:30 am ET Tuesday. Economists expect GDP growth to be upwardly revised to 1 percent from 0.8 percent. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against the other major currencies. While the greenback held steady against the franc and the euro, it rose against the yen. Against the pound, it dipped. The greenback was worth 1.1081 against the euro, 1.3397 against the pound, 0.9779 against the franc and 102.41 against the yen as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Fitch Ratings said the Brexit will weigh on the economies of other EU member states, mainly due to lower exports, and it will increase political risk in Europe. Fitch had downgraded the U.K. ratings to 'AA' with a Negative outlook on Monday. The agency noted that the impact on other EU economies will be smaller and it does not expect any other immediate negative sovereign rating actions. 'Downgrades or Outlook revisions will become more likely in the medium term if the impact on other economies proves severe or political tail risks materialize,' Fitch said. The main driver of economic pressure will be lower exports to the U.K. A sustained significant fall in sterling would also contribute to weaker exports. Fitch observed that the most exposed countries are Ireland, Malta, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Luxembourg, all of whose exports of goods and services to the UK are at least 8 percent of GDP. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - McKesson Corp. (MCK) and Change Healthcare Holdings Inc., a provider of software and analytics, network solutions and technology-enabled services, announced the creation of a new healthcare information technology company. Separately, McKesson said that it is exploring strategic alternatives for its Enterprise Information Solutions or EIS business, a division of McKesson that provides core hospital information systems.
McKesson noted that the new entity will combine substantially all of Change Healthcare's business and the majority of McKesson Technology Solutions or MTS into a new company with fiscal year end March 31, 2016 pro forma combined total annual revenues of $3.4 billion.
McKesson noted that the new company will be able to offer health plans and providers a comprehensive suite of end-to-end financial and payment solutions and technologies. In addition, customers will benefit from solutions that help them manage administrative and clinical complexity as they navigate the transition to value-based care.
Under the terms of our agreement, McKesson will contribute the majority of its McKesson Technology Solutions businesses to the new company, with the exception of RelayHealth Pharmacy and its Enterprise Information Solutions (EIS) division, which will be retained by McKesson.
Change Healthcare will contribute all of its businesses to the new company, with the exception of its pharmacy switch and prescription routing business, which will be owned separately by the current Change Healthcare stockholders. Change Healthcare is currently majority-owned by Blackstone.
McKesson will own approximately 70% of the new company, with the remaining equity stake held by Change Healthcare stockholders, which includes Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman. McKesson and Change Healthcare stockholders will jointly govern the new company and John Hammergren will serve as chairman. Neil de Crescenzo will serve as chief executive officer, joined by an experienced management team comprised of leaders from both McKesson and Change Healthcare.
The transaction unlocks value for McKesson and Change Healthcare stockholders by creating a new company with a singular focus on healthcare technology and technology-enabled services, and is expected to generate in excess of $150 million in annual synergies by the second year following the close of the transaction.
The new company has received commitments for $6.1 billion of funded debt related to this transaction, with proceeds to be used to repay approximately $2.7 billion of existing Change Healthcare debt, make $1.25 billion in cash payments to McKesson and make $1.75 billion in cash payments to Change Healthcare's stockholders, with the remainder to be used for transaction-related expenses.
The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including antitrust clearance and the completion of audited financial statements of the MTS businesses being contributed to the new company, and is expected to close in the first half of calendar year 2017.
The agreement provides that McKesson and Change Healthcare will take steps to launch an initial public offering in the months following the close of the transaction, subject to market conditions. Thereafter, McKesson expects to exit its investment in the new company in a tax-efficient manner.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Superior Plus Corp. ("Superior") (TSX: SPB) announced today that the Canadian Competition Bureau approved its proposed acquisition of Canexus (the "Transaction") and issued a no-action letter under the Competition Act.
As stated by Luc Desjardins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Superior, "We are pleased with the decision of the Canadian Competition Bureau and its recognition of the very significant efficiencies from the Transaction. Completion of the Transaction would allow us to become more efficient in order to better invest in Canexus' facilities and better serve our customers. We are obviously disappointed with the decision of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC") to challenge the Transaction especially given the approval by the Canadian authorities and the significant remedies we offered."
The parties have now received approvals for the Transaction from shareholders, the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, and the Canadian Competition Bureau. As previously announced, the FTC filed an administrative complaint challenging the Transaction. Superior is confident that it has a strong case and remains prepared to present a vigorous defense to the FTC challenge if the parties agree to extend the June 29, 2016 outside date in the Arrangement Agreement.
Further information about the Arrangement is set out in Superior's management proxy circular dated February 26, 2016, which is available under Superior's profile on www.sedar.com.
About the Corporation
Superior consists of three primary operating businesses: Energy Distribution includes the distribution of propane and distillates, and supply portfolio management; Specialty Chemicals includes the manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals; and Construction Products Distribution includes the distribution of specialty construction products.
For further information about Superior, please visit our website at: www.superiorplus.com.
Forward Looking Information
This press release may contain forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs as well as assumptions based on information available at the time the assumption was made and on management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors deemed appropriate in the circumstances. No assurance can be given that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are not facts, but only predications and can generally be identified by the use of statements that include phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "foresee", "expect", "plan", "intend", "forecast", "future", "guidance", "may", "predict", "project", "should", "strategy", "target", "will" or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes. Forward-looking information in this Press Release includes but is not limited to the strength of Superior's case. Superior believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon.
Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties some of which are described herein. Such forward-looking information necessarily involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause Superior's actual results to differ materially from any projections of future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to the uncertainty and number of variables inherent in any complex litigation and the other risks identified in the Corporation's 2015 Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors", which is available on the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). Any forward-looking information is made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, Superior does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise such information to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise.
Contacts:
Superior Plus Corp.
Beth Summers
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(416) 340-6015
(416) 340-6030 (FAX)
bsummers@superiorplus.com
Superior Plus Corp.
Rob Dorran
Vice President, Investor Relations and Treasurer
(416) 340-6003 / Toll Free: 1-866-490-PLUS (7587)
(416) 340-6030 (FAX)
rdorran@superiorplus.com
www.superiorplus.com
28 June 2016 AIM: AAU
RESULT OF AGM
Ariana Resources plc ('Ariana' or 'the Company'), the gold exploration and development company operating in Turkey, confirms that all of the resolutions put to shareholders at the Company's Annual General Meeting held today were duly passed.
The Chairman, Michael de Villiers, provided the following comments after today's meeting:
'This has been a transformational year for your Company. We have been able to make the challenging transition from an exploration and resource development company into the construction of our first mine at Kiziltepe in western Turkey. This is a pivotal moment in the evolution of our Company and it is the result of the hard-work and dedication of our team and our JV partners, Proccea Construction.
In recent months we have been pleased to report on the rapid developments of construction at the Kiziltepe mine site. We will be updating on our progress more frequently in the months ahead. We are aiming to provide detailed guidance on the start of commissioning and production in due course, though we remain on track for first gold pour in Q4 2016. We will also provide updates on the progress of further exploration at the Kiziltepe Sector during the third and fourth quarters of this year, particularly once the latest drilling programme starts this summer. Exploration work to date has reinforced our understanding that considerable additional resource potential exists across the Kiziltepe Sector. In time, this may provide an enhanced and longer-term mining operation.
We are also excited to highlight our investment in Dakota Minerals Limited (ASX: DKO). During the last quarter, Dakota completed an initial drilling programme on the Lynas Find lithium project in Western Australia and demonstrated potential for a high-grade lithium deposit at that location. Dakota has recently completed a second drilling programme on the project. We look forward to seeing further results in due course, including a resource statement in the third quarter of this year. Expanding on our interests in the lithium sector, we also entered an arrangement to sell several exploration-stage licences in the Northern Territory and Western Australia to Kingston Resources Limited (ASX: KSN). Meanwhile, we are continuing to scout for new lithium project opportunities globally.
Your Company has always adopted a pragmatic approach to changing circumstances. In recent years this has involved navigating the Company carefully through a severe market down-cycle and a changing regulatory environment in Turkey. The Company is in the process of realigning itself to take advantage of its evolving position as an exploration junior backed by cash-flow from its JV operation at Kiziltepe, in addition to several significant investments in listed junior companies. This provides the Company with a platform on which to expand its strategy both within and outside of Turkey. We have a proven track record of identifying new opportunities very cost-effectively. We are also in a position to catalyse significant further growth during a period of consolidation for the wider industry.'
Contacts:
Ariana Resources plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7407 3616
Michael de Villiers, Chairman
Kerim Sener, Managing Director
Beaumont Cornish Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7628 3396
Roland Cornish / Felicity Geidt
Beaufort Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7382 8300
Jon Belliss
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500
Adam James / Tom Salvesen
Editors' Notes:
About Ariana Resources:
Ariana is an exploration and development company focused on epithermal gold- silver and porphyry copper-gold deposits in Turkey. The Company is developing a portfolio of prospective licences selected on the basis of its in-house geological and remote-sensing database, on its own in western Turkey and in Joint Venture with Eldorado Gold Corporation in north-eastern Turkey. Eldorado owns 51% of this joint venture and are fully funding all exploration work on the JV properties, while Ariana owns 49%. The total resource inventory within this JV is 1.09 million ounces of gold.
The Company's flagship assets are its Kiziltepe and Tavsan gold projects which form the Red Rabbit Gold Project. Both contain a series of prospects, within two prolific mineralised districts in the Western Anatolian Volcanic and Extensional (WAVE) Province in western Turkey. This Province hosts the largest operating gold mines in Turkey and remains highly prospective for new porphyry and epithermal deposits. These core projects, which are separated by a distance of 75km, are being assessed as to their economic merits and now form part of a Joint Venture with Proccea Construction Co. The Kiziltepe Sector of the Red Rabbit Project is fully-permitted and is currently in construction. The total resource inventory at the Red Rabbit Project and wider project area stands at c. 525,000 ounces of gold equivalent.
Beaufort Securities Limited and Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited are joint brokers to the Company and Beaumont Cornish Limited is the Company's Nominated Adviser.
For further information on Ariana you are invited to visit the Company's website at www.arianaresources.com.
Ends
This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of GlobeNewswire clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Ariana Resources plc via GlobeNewswire [HUG#2023600]
B085SD5R31
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - S&P/Case-Shiller is set to release its house price index for April at 9 am ET Tuesday. The 20-city composite house price index is expected to increase by a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent month-over-month following a 0.9 percent increase in March. Ahead of the data, the greenback showed mixed trading against the other major currencies. While the greenback held steady against the franc and the euro, it rose against the yen. Against the pound, it dipped. The greenback was worth 1.1072 against the euro, 1.3399 against the pound, 0.9796 against the franc and 102.39 against the yen as of 8:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- CFN Media Group, the leading creative agency and digital media network dedicated to legal cannabis, today announced that it entered into a 3-month investor awareness program for Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCQB: MJNA) beginning on June 24, 2016.
"We are excited to be working with one of the industry's pioneers in medical marijuana," said CFN Media President Frank Lane. "Medical Marijuana Inc.'s progress in bringing its Real Scientific Hemp Oil -- or RSHO -- to market across Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Paraguay highlights the management team's strong ability to execute and dedication to helping patients around the world access the medicine they need."
Medical Marijuana Inc. is a premier cannabis and hemp innovator that leverages a team of professionals to source, evaluate and purchase value-added companies and products, while allowing them to keep their integrity and entrepreneurial spirit. They strive to create awareness within the industry, develop environmentally-friendly, economically sustainable businesses that drive shareholder value higher over time.
"We look forward to our new association with Cannabis Financial Network who will help us better relate our story to investors," said MJNA CEO Stuart Titus. "Although we are publicly traded and have a significant shareholder base, our focus has been on products and the development of international markets. To this point we have not engaged the investing public to any great degree, but this new relationship should put us more in the eyes of the investing public. This is a great time in history for the legal cannabis and hemp industry, and with an increasing investment interest in the space now is an excellent time to clearly articulate our story to the investment community."
CFN Media will leverage its extensive reach and presence within the public markets of the North American legal cannabis industry together with its award winning content platform to drive investor interest and interaction for Medical Marijuana Inc.
Learn how to become a CFN Media featured company, brand or entrepreneur:
http://www.cannabisfn.com/become-featured-company/
Download the CFN Media iOS mobile app to access the world of cannabis from your smart phone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cannabisfn/id988009247?ls=1&mt=8
Or visit our homepage and enter your mobile number under the Apple App Store logo to receive a download link text on your iPhone: http://www.cannabisfn.com
About CFN Media
CFN Media (CannabisFN) is the leading creative agency and media network dedicated to legal cannabis. We help marijuana businesses attract investors, customers (B2B, B2C), capital, and media visibility. Private and public marijuana companies and brands in the US and Canada rely on CFN Media to grow and succeed.
About Medical Marijuana Inc.
Our mission is to be the premier cannabis and hemp industry innovators, leveraging our team of professionals to source, evaluate and purchase value-added companies and products, while allowing them to keep their integrity and entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to create awareness within our industry, develop environmentally-friendly, economically sustainable businesses, while increasing shareholder value. For details on Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s portfolio and investment companies, visit http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com.
The Company is committed to consistently providing the highest-quality CBD hemp oil products on the market. To see Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s video statement, click here. Shareholders are also encouraged to visit the Medical Marijuana, Inc. Shop for discounted products.
Paul Archie
406 862 2242
parchie@cannabisfn.com
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC REPORTS RECORD SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS AND ADDITIONAL $1 BILLION SHARE REPURCHASE AUTHORIZATION
Carnival Corporation & plc today reported its results for the second quarter ended May 31, 2016. The results of Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc have been consolidated and include results on a U.S. GAAP and adjusted basis.
2Q Highlights
2Q net revenue yields increased 3.6% in constant currency compared to prior year, better than March guidance, up 1.5% to 2.5%
2Q net cruise costs excluding fuel per available lower berth day ("ALBD") decreased 1.9% in constant currency compared to prior year, better than March guidance, up 0.5% to 1.5%
2Q adjusted net income was $370 million , or earnings per share (diluted) of $0.49 , before U.S. GAAP unrealized gains on fuel derivatives of $242 million and $7 million of other expenses
Outlook
At this time, cumulative advance bookings for the remainder of 2016 are well ahead of the prior year at slightly higher prices
FY 2016 net revenue yields are expected to increase approximately 3.5% in constant currency compared to the prior year, better than March guidance of 3.0%
FY 2016 net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD are expected to be up approximately 1.5% in constant currency compared to the prior year, better than March guidance of 2.0%
FY 2016 adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $3.25 to $3.35 , compared to March guidance of $3.20 to $3.40 and $2.70 per share in FY 2015
, compared to March guidance of and per share in FY 2015 3Q 2016 adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $1.83 to $1.87 , compared to $1.75 in 3Q 2015
President and Chief Executive Officer Arnold Donald commenting on these results:
"Our strong second quarter demonstrates continued momentum as we again achieved a near doubling of adjusted earnings per share. Our ongoing effort to drive demand for our brands in excess of our measured capacity growth has led to increased revenues and helped maintain the mid-point of our full year earnings guidance despite the recent currency movements and rises in fuel prices that combined represent a negative $0.17 per share."
"Several major milestones will contribute to the future of the company including the re-mastering of Queen Mary 2, the opening of Holland America's Denali square complex in Alaska and the introduction of AIDA Cruises' AIDAprima, Holland America Line's Koningsdam, and Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Vista. In addition, building on a legacy of pioneering achievements, Carnival Corporation became the first cruise company to begin voyages from the US to Cuba in more than four decades through its Fathom brand -- a historic moment that captured worldwide media coverage."
"This is shaping up to be another strong year for our company as we expect over 20 percent earnings growth and are approaching a nine percent return on invested capital. We have accelerated progress toward our stated goal of achieving the double digit return threshold and have accelerated distributions to shareholders. We recently raised our dividend by 17 percent to over $1 billion per year. Since October, we have repurchased nearly $1.9 billion in shares under our stock repurchase program. Yesterday, our Board of Directors approved our third $1 billion share repurchase authorization demonstrating confidence in our outlook and reinforcing our commitment to return value to shareholders."
MEDIA CONTACT INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Roger Frizzell Beth Roberts
001 305 406 7862 001 305 406 4832
Conference Call
The company has scheduled a conference call with analysts at 3:00 p.m. BST (10:00 a.m. EDT) today to discuss its 2016 first quarter results. This call can be listened to live, and additional information can be obtained, via Carnival Corporation & plc's Web site at http://www.carnivalcorp.com/ and http://www.carnivalplc.com/.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 101 ships totaling 225,000 lower berths with 15 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. Additional information can be found onhttp://www.carnival.com/,http://www.fathom.org/, http://www.hollandamerica.com/, http://www.princess.com/, http://www.seabourn.com/, http://www.aida.de/, http://www.costacruise.com/, http://www.cunard.com/, http://www.pocruises.com.au/, andhttp://www.pocruises.com/.
Carnival Corporation & plc Reports Record Second Quarter Earnings And Additional $1 Billion Share Repurchase Authorization
MIAMI, June 28, 2016 -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced adjusted net income of $370 million, or $0.49 diluted EPS for the second quarter of 2016 compared to adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2015 of $193 million, or $0.25 diluted EPS. For the second quarter of 2016, U.S. GAAP net income, which included unrealized gains on fuel derivatives of $242 million and $7 million of other expenses, was $605 million, or $0.80 diluted EPS. For the second quarter of 2015, U.S. GAAP net income was $222 million, or $0.29 diluted EPS. Revenues for the second quarter of 2016 were $3.7 billion compared to $3.6 billion for the prior year.
Carnival Corporation & plc President and CEO Arnold Donald stated, "Our strong second quarter demonstrates continued momentum as we again achieved a near doubling of adjusted earnings per share. Our ongoing effort to drive demand for our brands in excess of our measured capacity growth has led to increased revenues and helped maintain the mid-point of our full year earnings guidance despite the recent currency movements and rises in fuel prices that combined represent a negative $0.17 per share."
Donald also noted several major milestones that will contribute to the future of the company including the re-mastering of Queen Mary 2, the opening of Holland America's Denali square complex in Alaska and the introduction of AIDA Cruises' AIDAprima, Holland America Line's Koningsdam, and Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Vista. In addition, building on a legacy of pioneering achievements, Carnival Corporation became the first cruise company to begin operating voyages from the US to Cuba in more than four decades through its Fathom brand -- a historic moment that captured worldwide media coverage.
Key metrics for the second quarter 2016 compared to the prior year were as follows:
On a constant currency basis, net revenue yields (net revenue per available lower berth day or "ALBD") increased 3.6 percent for the 2Q 2016, which was better than the company's guidance of up 1.5 to 2.5 percent. Gross revenue yields increased 1.3 percent.
Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD decreased 1.9 percent in constant currency, compared to March guidance, up 0.5 to 1.5 percent due to the timing of expenses between quarters. Gross cruise costs including fuel per ALBD in current dollars decreased 5.4 percent.
Changes in fuel prices (including fuel derivatives) and currency exchange rates contributed $0.04 per share to second quarter earnings.
201 6 Outlook
At this time, cumulative advance bookings for the remainder of the year are well ahead of the prior year at slightly higher prices. Since March, bookings for the remainder of the year are at higher prices with volumes running lower than last year because there is less inventory remaining for sale than at this time in 2015.
The company expects full year 2016 net revenue yields on a constant currency basis to be up approximately 3.5 percent versus the prior year, compared to March guidance of approximately 3 percent. The company now expects full year 2016 net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD to be up approximately 1.5 percent compared to the prior year on a constant currency basis, better than March guidance of approximately 2.0 percent. Changes in fuel prices (including fuel derivatives) and currency exchange rates are expected to reduce full year earnings by $0.17 per share compared to March guidance.
Taking the above factors into consideration, the company expects full year 2016 adjusted earnings per share guidance to be in the range of $3.25 to $3.35, compared to March guidance of $3.20 to $3.40 and 2015 adjusted earnings of $2.70 per share.
Donald noted, "This is shaping up to be another strong year for our company as we expect over 20 percent earnings growth and are approaching a nine percent return on invested capital. We have accelerated progress toward our stated goal of achieving the double digit return threshold and have accelerated distributions to shareholders. We recently raised our dividend by 17 percent to over $1 billion per year. Since October, we have repurchased nearly $1.9 billion in shares under our stock repurchase program. Yesterday, our Board of Directors approved our third $1 billion share repurchase authorization demonstrating confidence in our outlook and reinforcing our commitment to return value to shareholders."
Third Quarter 201 6 Outlook
Third quarter constant currency net revenue yields are expected to be up 2 to 3 percent compared to the prior year. Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD for the third quarter are expected to be 6 to 7 percent higher on a constant currency basis compared to the prior year driven by the timing of advertising expense and the re-mastering of Queen Mary 2 in dry-dock. Changes in fuel prices (including fuel derivatives) and currency exchange rates are expected to increase third quarter earnings by $0.01 per share compared to the prior year.
Based on the above factors, the company expects adjusted earnings for the third quarter 2016 to be in the range of $1.83 to $1.87 per share versus 2015 adjusted earnings of $1.75 per share.
Selected Key Forecast Metrics
Full Year 2016 Third Quarter 2016
Year over year change: Current
Dollars Constant Currency Current
Dollars Constant Currency Net revenue yields Up slightly Approx 3.5% (1.0) to 0.0% 2.0 to 3.0% Net cruise costs excl. fuel / ALBD Up slightly Approx 1.5% 4.0 to 5.0% 6.0 to 7.0%
Full Year 2016 Third Quarter 2016 Fuel price per metric ton $280 $339 Fuel consumption (metric tons in thousands) 3,270 810 Currency: Euro $1.10 to 1 $1.10 to 1 Sterling $1.38 to 1 $1.32 to 1 Australian dollar $0.74 to A$1 $0.74 to A$1 Canadian dollar $0.76 to C$1 $0.77 to C$1
Conference Call
The company has scheduled a conference call with analysts at 10:00 a.m. EDT (3:00 p.m. BST) today to discuss its 2016 second quarter results. This call can be listened to live, and additional information can be obtained, via Carnival Corporation & plc's Web site at http://www.carnivalcorp.com/ and http://www.carnivalplc.com/.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure travel company in the world, and among the most profitable and financially strong in the industry. With a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 15 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information can be found on http://www.carnival.com/, http://www.fathom.org/, http://www.hollandamerica.com/, http://www.princess.com/, http://www.seabourn.com/, http://www.aida.de/, http://www.costacruise.com/, http://www.cunard.com/, http://www.pocruises.com.au/ and http://www.pocruises.com/.
Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results
Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc and their respective subsidiaries are referred to collectively in this release as "Carnival Corporation & plc," "our," "us" and "we." Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this release are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to us, including some statements concerning future results, outlooks, plans, goals and other events which have not yet occurred. These statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these statements by using words like "will," "may," "could," "should," "would," "believe," "depends," "expect," "goal," "anticipate," "forecast," "project," "future," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "target," "indicate" and similar expressions of future intent or the negative of such terms.
Forward-looking statements include those statements that may impact our outlook including, among other things, the forecasting of our net revenue yields; booking levels; pricing; occupancy; operating, financing and tax costs, including fuel expenses; currency exchange rates; net cruise costs excluding fuel per available lower berth day; estimates of ship depreciable lives and residual values; liquidity; goodwill, ship and trademark fair values and adjusted earnings per share. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are many factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this release. This note contains important cautionary statements of the known factors that we consider could materially affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial position. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
Incidents, such as ship incidents, security incidents, the spread of contagious diseases and threats thereof, adverse weather conditions or other natural disasters and the related adverse publicity affecting our reputation and the health, safety, security and satisfaction of guests and crew;
Economic conditions and adverse world events affecting the safety and security of travel, such as civil unrest, armed conflicts and terrorist attacks;
Changes in and compliance with laws and regulations relating to environment, health, safety, security, tax and anti-corruption under which we operate;
Disruptions and other damages to our information technology and other networks and operations, and breaches in data security;
Ability to recruit, develop and retain qualified personnel;
Increases in fuel prices;
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
Misallocation of capital among our ship, joint venture and other strategic investments;
Future operating cash flow may not be sufficient to fund future obligations and we may be unable to obtain financing;
Deterioration of our cruise brands' strengths and our inability to implement our strategies;
Continuing financial viability of our travel agent distribution system, air service providers and other key vendors in our supply chain and reductions in the availability of, and increases in the prices for, the services and products provided by these vendors;
Inability to implement our shipbuilding programs and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments on terms that are favorable or consistent with our expectations and increases to our repairs and maintenance expenses and refurbishment costs as our fleet ages;
Failure to keep pace with developments in technology;
Geographic regions in which we try to expand our business may be slow to develop and ultimately not develop how we expect and our international operations are subject to additional risks not generally applicable to our U.S. operations;
Competition from and overcapacity in the cruise ship and land-based vacation industry;
Economic, market and political factors that are beyond our control, which could increase our operating, financing and other costs;
Changes in global consumer confidence and impacts to various foreign currency exchange rates as a result of the vote in the UK to withdraw from the European Union ("EU");
Friction in travel, changes to international tax treaties and changes to laws and regulations that could result from the exit of the UK from the EU;
Litigation, enforcement actions, fines or penalties;
Lack of continuing availability of attractive, convenient and safe port destinations on terms that are favorable or consistent with our expectations;
Union disputes and other employee relationship issues;
Decisions to self-insure against various risks or the inability to obtain insurance for certain risks at reasonable rates;
Reliance on third-party providers of various services integral to the operations of our business;
Business activities that involve our co-investment with third parties;
Disruptions in the global financial markets or other events that may negatively affect the ability of our counterparties and others to perform their obligations to us;
Our shareholders may be subject to the uncertainties of a foreign legal system since Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc are not U.S. corporations;
Small group of shareholders may be able to effectively control the outcome of shareholder voting;
Provisions in Carnival Corporation's and Carnival plc's constitutional documents may prevent or discourage takeovers and business combinations that our shareholders might consider to be in their best interests and
The DLC arrangement involves risks not associated with the more common ways of combining the operations of two companies.
Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this release, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(UNAUDITED)
(in millions, except per share data) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended May 31, May 31, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Revenues Cruise Passenger tickets $ 2,696 $ 2,628 $ 5,414 $ 5,260 Onboard and other 978 927 1,901 1,816 Tour and other 31 35 42 44 3,705 3,590 7,357 7,120 Operating Costs and Expenses Cruise Commissions, transportation and other 495 481 1,077 1,067 Onboard and other 123 114 240 225 Payroll and related 502 469 994 936 Fuel 196 333 383 650 Food 248 242 495 482 Other ship operating 667 734 1,271 1,332 Tour and other 27 31 41 47 2,258 2,404 4,501 4,739 Selling and administrative 532 491 1,083 1,020 Depreciation and amortization 437 406 861 807 3,227 3,301 6,445 6,566 Operating Income 478 289 912 554 Nonoperating (Expense) Income Interest income 2 2 3 4 Interest expense, net of capitalized interest (57) (57) (108) (114) Gains (losses) on fuel derivatives, net (a) 171 (13) (65) (181) Other income, net 13 5 8 15 129 (63) (162) (276) Income Before Income Taxes 607 226 750 278 Income Tax Expense, Net (2) (4) (3) (7) Net Income $ 605 $ 222 $ 747 $ 271 Earnings Per Share Basic $ 0.81 $ 0.29 $ 0.99 $ 0.35 Diluted $ 0.80 $ 0.29 $ 0.98 $ 0.35 Adjusted Earnings Per Share-Diluted (b) $ 0.49 $ 0.25 $ 0.88 $ 0.45 Dividends Declared Per Share $ 0.35 $ 0.25 $ 0.65 $ 0.50 Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Basic 751 778 758 777 Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding - Diluted 753 780 761 780 (a) During the three months ended May 31, 2016 and 2015, our gains (losses) on fuel derivatives, net include net unrealized gains of $242 million and $34 million and realized (losses) of $(71) million and $(47) million, respectively. During the six months ended May 31, 2016 and 2015, our (losses) on fuel derivatives, net include net unrealized gains (losses) of $96 million and $(78) million and realized (losses) of $(161) million and $(103) million, respectively. (b) See the U.S. GAAP net income to adjusted net income reconciliations in the Non-GAAP Financial Measures included herein.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(in millions, except par values) May 31, November 30, 2016 2015 ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 519 $ 1,395 Trade and other receivables, net 334 303 Insurance recoverables 108 109 Inventories 315 330 Prepaid expenses and other 324 314 Total current assets 1,600 2,451 Property and Equipment, Net 33,244 31,818 (a) Goodwill 3,019 3,010 Other Intangibles 1,305 1,308 (a) Other Assets 683 650 $ 39,851 $ 39,237 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities Short-term borrowings $ 410 $ 30 Current portion of long-term debt 836 1,344 Accounts payable 667 627 Accrued liabilities and other 1,653 1,683 Customer deposits 4,275 3,272 Total current liabilities 7,841 6,956 Long-Term Debt 8,183 7,413 Other Long-Term Liabilities 1,036 1,097 Shareholders' Equity Common stock of Carnival Corporation, $0.01 par value; 1,960 shares authorized; 654 shares at 2016 and 653 shares at 2015 issued 7 7 Ordinary shares of Carnival plc, $1.66 par value; 216 shares at 2016 and 2015 issued 358 358 Additional paid-in capital 8,605 8,562 Retained earnings 20,320 20,060 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,648) (1,741) Treasury stock, 99 shares at 2016 and 70 shares at 2015 of Carnival Corporation and 26 shares at 2016 and 27 shares at 2015 of Carnival plc, at cost (4,851) (3,475) Total shareholders' equity 22,791 23,771 $ 39,851 $ 39,237 (a) On December 1, 2015, we adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board's Service Concession Arrangements amended
guidance and, accordingly, reclassified $70 million from Property and Equipment, Net to Other Intangibles on our November 30,
2015 Consolidated Balance Sheet.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
OTHER INFORMATION Three Months Ended Six Months Ended May 31, May 31, 2016 2015 2016 2015 STATISTICAL INFORMATION ALBDs (in thousands) (a) 19,693 19,307 38,983 37,891 Occupancy percentage (b) 104.1% 102.8% 104.1% 102.9% Passengers carried (in thousands) 2,781 2,608 5,340 5,071 Fuel consumption in metric tons (in thousands) 808 810 1,623 1,593 Fuel consumption in metric tons per thousand ALBDs 41.0 41.9 41.6 42.0 Fuel cost per metric ton consumed $ 243 $ 411 $ 236 $ 408 Currencies U.S. dollar to euro $ 1.13 $ 1.10 $ 1.11 $ 1.13 U.S. dollar to sterling $ 1.44 $ 1.52 $ 1.44 $ 1.53 U.S. dollar to Australian dollar $ 0.75 $ 0.78 $ 0.73 $ 0.79 U.S. dollar to Canadian dollar $ 0.78 $ 0.81 $ 0.75 $ 0.81 CASH FLOW INFORMATION (in millions) Cash from operations $ 1,883 $ 1,515 $ 2,681 $ 2,286 Capital expenditures $ 1,636 $ 439 $ 1,966 $ 1,381 Dividends paid $ 227 $ 194 $ 459 $ 388
Notes to Statistical Information (a) ALBD is a standard measure of passenger capacity for the period that we use to approximate rate and capacity variances, based on consistently applied formulas that we use to perform analyses to determine the main non-capacity driven factors that cause our cruise revenues and expenses to vary. ALBDs assume that each cabin we offer for sale accommodates two passengers and is computed by multiplying passenger capacity by revenue-producing ship operating days in the period. (b) In accordance with cruise industry practice, occupancy is calculated using a denominator of ALBDs, which assumes two passengers per cabin even though some cabins can accommodate three or more passengers. Percentages in excess of 100% indicate that on average more than two passengers occupied some cabins.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES Consolidated gross and net revenue yields were computed by dividing the gross and net cruise revenues by ALBDs as follows (dollars in millions, except yields) (a) (b): Three Months Ended May 31, Six Months Ended May 31, 2016 2016 Constant Constant 2016 Dollar 2015 2016 Dollar 2015 Passenger ticket revenues $ 2,696 $ 2,699 $ 2,628 $ 5,414 $ 5,496 $ 5,260 Onboard and other revenues 978 979 927 1,901 1,921 1,816 Gross cruise revenues 3,674 3,678 3,555 7,315 7,417 7,076 Less cruise costs Commissions, transportation and other (495) (493) (481) (1,077) (1,097) (1,067) Onboard and other (123) (123) (114) (240) (243) (225) (618) (616) (595) (1,317) (1,340) (1,292) Net passenger ticket revenues 2,201 2,206 2,147 4,337 4,399 4,193 Net onboard and other revenues 855 856 813 1,661 1,678 1,591 Net cruise revenues $ 3,056 $ 3,062 $ 2,960 $ 5,998 $ 6,077 $ 5,784 ALBDs 19,693,362 19,693,362 19,306,832 38,983,272 38,983,272 37,890,712 Gross revenue yields $ 186.55 $ 186.78 $ 184.15 $ 187.65 $ 190.27 $ 186.76 % increase vs. 2015 1.3% 1.4% 0.5% 1.9% Net revenue yields $ 155.21 $ 155.50 $ 153.29 $ 153.87 $ 155.90 $ 152.65 % increase vs. 2015 1.2% 1.4% 0.8% 2.1% Net passenger ticket revenue yields $ 111.78 $ 112.03 $ 111.20 $ 111.25 $ 112.85 $ 110.66 % increase vs. 2015 0.5% 0.7% 0.5% 2.0% Net onboard and other revenue yields $ 43.43 $ 43.48 $ 42.09 $ 42.61 $ 43.05 $ 41.99 % increase vs. 2015 3.2% 3.3% 1.5% 2.5% Three Months Ended May 31, Six Months Ended May 31, 2016 2016 Constant Constant 2016 Currency 2015 2016 Currency 2015 Net passenger ticket revenues $ 2,201 $ 2,267 $ 2,147 $ 4,337 $ 4,532 $ 4,193 Net onboard and other revenues 855 860 813 1,661 1,691 1,591 Net cruise revenues 3,056 3,127 2,960 5,998 6,223 5,784
ALBDs 19,693,362 19,693,362 19,306,832 38,983,272 38,983,272 37,890,712 Net revenue yields $ 155.21 $ 158.80 $ 153.29 $ 153.87 $ 159.63 $ 152.65 % increase vs. 2015 1.2% 3.6% 0.8% 4.6% Net passenger ticket revenue yields $ 111.78 $ 115.12 $ 111.20 $ 111.25 $ 116.26 $ 110.66 % increase vs. 2015 0.5% 3.5% 0.5% 5.1% Net onboard and other revenue yields $ 43.43 $ 43.68 $ 42.09 $ 42.61 $ 43.37 $ 41.99 % increase vs. 2015 3.2% 3.8% 1.5% 3.3% (See Notes to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.)
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (CONTINUED) Consolidated gross and net cruise costs and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD were computed by dividing the gross and net cruise costs and net cruise costs excluding fuel by ALBDs as follows (dollars in millions, except costs per ALBD) (a) (b): Three Months Ended May 31, Six Months Ended May 31, 2016 2016 Constant Constant 2016 Dollar 2015 2016 Dollar 2015 Cruise operating expenses $ 2,231 $ 2,232 $ 2,373 $ 4,460 $ 4,522 $ 4,692 Cruise selling and administrative expenses 530 530 489 1,079 1,092 1,016 Gross cruise costs 2,761 2,762 2,862 5,539 5,614 5,708 Less cruise costs included above Commissions, transportation and other (495) (493) (481) (1,077) (1,097) (1,067) Onboard and other (123) (123) (114) (240) (243) (225) Gain on ship sale - - 2 2 2 4 Restructuring expenses (2) (2) (7) (2) (2) (7) Other (c) (5) (5) - (21) (21) - Net cruise costs 2,136 2,139 2,262 4,201 4,253 4,413 Less fuel (196) (196) (333) (383) (383) (650) Net cruise costs excluding fuel $ 1,940 $ 1,943 $ 1,929 $ 3,818 $ 3,870 $ 3,763 ALBDs 19,693,362 19,693,362 19,306,832 38,983,272 38,983,272 37,890,712 Gross cruise costs per ALBD $ 140.18 $ 140.28 $ 148.22 $ 142.08 $ 144.01 $ 150.64 % decrease vs. 2015 (5.4)% (5.4)% (5.7)% (4.4)% Net cruise costs per ALBD $ 108.46 $ 108.63 $ 117.11 $ 107.75 $ 109.10 $ 116.45 % decrease vs. 2015 (7.4)% (7.2)% (7.5)% (6.3)% Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD $ 98.49 $ 98.67 $ 99.88 $ 97.93 $ 99.27 $ 99.28 % decrease vs. 2015 (1.4)% (1.2)% (1.4)% 0.0% Three Months Ended May 31, Six Months Ended May 31, 2016 2016 Constant Constant 2016 Currency 2015 2016 Currency 2015 Net cruise costs excluding fuel $ 1,940 $ 1,930 $ 1,929 $ 3,818 $ 3,864 $ 3,763
ALBDs 19,693,362 19,693,362 19,306,832 38,983,272 38,983,272 37,890,712 Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD $ 98.49 $ 98.01 $ 99.88 $ 97.93 $ 99.12 $ 99.28 % decrease vs. 2015 (1.4)% (1.9)% (1.4)% (0.2)% (See next page for Notes to Non-GAAP Financial Measures.)
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (CONTINUED) Adjusted fully diluted earnings per share was computed as follows (in millions, except per share data) (b): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended May 31, May 31, Net income 2016 2015 2016 2015 U.S. GAAP net income $ 605 $ 222 $ 747 $ 271 Unrealized (gains) losses on fuel derivatives, net (d) (242) (34) (96) 78 Gain on ship sale (e) - (2) (2) (4) Restructuring expenses (e) 2 7 2 7 Other (c) (e) 5 - 21 - Adjusted net income $ 370 $ 193 $ 672 $ 352 Weighted-average shares outstanding 753 780 761 780 Earnings per share U.S. GAAP earnings per share $ 0.80 $ 0.29 $ 0.98 $ 0.35 Unrealized (gains) losses on fuel derivatives, net (d) (0.32) (0.05) (0.13) 0.10 Gain on ship sale (e) - - - (0.01) Restructuring expenses (e) - 0.01 - 0.01 Other (c) (e) 0.01 - 0.03 - Adjusted earnings per share $ 0.49 $ 0.25 $ 0.88 $ 0.45
Notes to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (a) We use net cruise revenues per ALBD ("net revenue yields"), net cruise costs per ALBD and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD as significant non-GAAP financial measures of our cruise segments' financial performance. These measures enable us to separate the impact of predictable capacity changes from the more unpredictable rate changes that affect our business; gains and losses on ship sales and ship impairments, net; and restructuring and other expenses that are not part of our core operating business. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors and expanded insight to measure our revenue and cost performance as a supplement to our U.S. GAAP consolidated financial statements. Net revenue yields are commonly used in the cruise industry to measure a company's cruise segment revenue performance and for revenue management purposes. We use "net cruise revenues" rather than "gross cruise revenues" to calculate net revenue yields. We believe that net cruise revenues is a more meaningful measure in determining revenue yield than gross cruise revenues because it reflects the cruise revenues earned net of our most significant variable costs, which are travel agent commissions, cost of air and other transportation, certain other costs that are directly associated with onboard and other revenues and credit and debit card fees. Substantially all of our remaining cruise costs are largely fixed, except for the impact of changing prices and food expenses, once our ship capacity levels have been determined. Net passenger ticket revenues reflect gross passenger ticket revenues, net of commissions, transportation and other costs. Net onboard and other revenues reflect gross onboard and other revenues, net of onboard and other cruise costs. Net passenger ticket revenue yields and net onboard and other revenue yields are computed by dividing net passenger ticket revenues and net onboard and other revenues by ALBDs. Net cruise costs per ALBD and net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD are the most significant measures we use to monitor our ability to control our cruise segments' costs rather than gross cruise costs per ALBD. We exclude the same variable costs that are included in the calculation of net cruise revenues to calculate net cruise costs with and without fuel to avoid duplicating these variable costs in our non-GAAP financial measures. In addition, we exclude gains and losses on ship sales and ship impairments, net and restructuring and other expenses from our calculation of net cruise costs with and without fuel as they are not considered part of our core operating business. We have not provided a reconciliation of forecasted gross cruise revenues to forecasted net cruise revenues or forecasted gross cruise costs to forecasted net cruise costs because it would be too difficult to prepare reliable U.S. GAAP forecasts of gross cruise revenues and gross cruise costs without unreasonable effort. In addition, our Europe, Australia & Asia ("EAA") segment and Cruise Support segment operations utilize the euro, sterling and Australian dollar as their functional currencies to measure their results and financial condition. This subjects us to foreign currency translational risk. All of our North America, EAA and Cruise Support segments' operations also have revenues and expenses that are in a currency other than their functional currency. This subjects us to foreign currency transactional risk.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (CONTINUED)
We report non-GAAP financial measures on a "constant dollar" and "constant currency" basis assuming the 2016 period currency exchange rates have remained constant with the 2015 period rates. These metrics facilitate a comparative view for the changes in our business in an environment with fluctuating exchange rates. Constant dollar reporting is a Non-GAAP financial measure that removes only the impact of changes in exchange rates on the translation of our EAA segment and Cruise Support segment operations. Constant currency reporting is a Non-GAAP financial measure that removes the impact of changes in exchange rates on the translation of our EAA segment and Cruise Support segment operations (as in constant dollar) plus the transactional impact of changes in exchange rates from revenues and expenses that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency for our North America, EAA and Cruise Support segments. Examples: The translation of our EAA segment operations to our U.S. dollar reporting currency results in decreases in reported U.S. dollar revenues and expenses if the U.S. dollar strengthens against these foreign currencies and increases in reported U.S. dollar revenues and expenses if the U.S. dollar weakens against these foreign currencies.
Our North America segment operations have a U.S. dollar functional currency but also have revenue and expense transactions in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. If the U.S. dollar strengthens against these other currencies it reduces the U.S. dollar revenues and expenses. If the U.S. dollar weakens against these other currencies it increases the U.S. dollar revenues and expenses.
Our EAA segment operations have a euro, sterling and Australian dollar functional currencies but also have revenue and expense transactions in currencies other than their functional currency. If their functional currency strengthens against these other currencies it reduces the functional currency revenues and expenses. If the functional currency weakens against these other currencies it increases the functional currency revenues and expenses. (b) Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We have not provided a reconciliation between forecasted adjusted earnings per share guidance and forecasted U.S. GAAP earnings per share guidance because it would be too difficult to prepare reliable U.S. GAAP guidance without unreasonable effort. The presentation of our non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation from, as substitute for, or superior to the financial information prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. It is possible that our non-GAAP financial measures may not be exactly comparable to the like-kind information presented by other companies, which is a potential risk associated with using these measures to compare us to other companies. (c) Insignificant costs were included in the income statement in previous periods. (d) Under U.S. GAAP, the realized and unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives not qualifying as fuel hedges are recognized currently in earnings. We believe that unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives are not an indication of our earnings performance since they relate to future periods and may not ultimately be realized in our future earnings. Therefore, we believe it is more meaningful for the unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives to be excluded from our net income and earnings per share and, accordingly, we present adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share excluding these unrealized gains and losses. (e) We believe that the gain on ship sale and restructuring expenses recognized in the three and six months ended May 31, 2016 and 2015 and the other expenses recognized in the three and six months ended May 31, 2016 are not part of our core operating business and, therefore, are not an indication of our future earnings performance. As such, we believe it is more meaningful for the gain on ship sale and the restructuring and other expenses to be excluded from our net income and earnings per share and, accordingly, we present adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share excluding these items. While we forecast realized gains and losses on fuel derivatives by applying current Brent prices to the derivatives that settle in the forecast period, we do not forecast the impact of unrealized gains and losses on fuel derivatives because we do not believe they are an indication of our future earnings performance. Accordingly, our earnings guidance is presented on an adjusted basis only.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT - Roger Frizzell, 1 305 406 7862; INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT - Beth Roberts, 1 305 406 4832
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- The Employment Law Alliance (ELA), the world's largest network of labor, employment and immigration lawyers, with member firms in all 50 U.S. states, is encouraged by the decision by Judge Sam Cummings of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in National Federation of Independent Business et al. v. Perez et al., granting a preliminary injunction that puts enactment of the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) "Persuader Rule" on hold.
The "Persuader Rule" is a regulation requiring employers and legal consultants to publicly disclose any arrangement to persuade employees, either directly or indirectly, regarding the right to organize or bargain collectively. It was set to go into effect July 1.
The Texas decision follows an opinion issued on June 24 by Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in Labnet Inc., et al. v. U.S. Department of Labor, et al. upholding the "Persuader Rule," but noting that the regulation, over time and with new challenges, was unlikely to survive given that portions likely conflict with its governing law, the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). ELA member firm Shawe Rosenthal LLP was a lead plaintiff in this matter.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas has yet to issue a decision in its "Persuader" lawsuit, Associated Builders and Contractors of Arkansas v. Perez. ELA member firm Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon and Galchus, P.C. (CGWG) represents the suit's lead plaintiff. In support and in solidarity against the "Persuader Rule," eleven ELA member firms filed an amicus curiae brief supporting CGWG.
Despite disagreement between circuit courts, Texas' injunction effectively blocks enactment of the "Persuader Rule" and leaves the future of the regulation in doubt. Given this latest development, the DOL's next step may be to file an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
J. Bruce Cross, director at Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon and Galchus, P.C. commented, "This injunction allows employers to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that their rights of freedom of speech and freedom of association have been preserved, for now."
About the Employment Law Alliance:
The Employment Law Alliance is the world's largest network of labor, employment and immigration lawyers. With specialists in more than 135 countries, all 50 states and each Canadian province, the ELA provides multi-state and multi-national companies with seamless and cost-effective services worldwide.
Contacts:
Traci Stuart/Michael Bond
Blattel Communications
traci@blattel.com / michael@blattel.com
415.413.4522/415.413.4524
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2016) - Far Resources Ltd. (CSE: FAT) ("Far" or "the Company") has further amended its option agreement (the "Amended Option Agreement") with Redline Minerals Inc. ("Redline"), Redline Mining Corporation ("RMC"), and Southwest Land & Exploration Inc. ("SWLE") (collectively, the "Optionors") to acquire up to an 80% interest in and to 20 unpatented and 2 patented mineral claims located in Sierra County, New Mexico, U.S.A. known as the LG/Ivan and Little Granite unpatented mineral claims and the Ivanhoe/Emporia patented mineral claims known as the Winston Property (collectively the "Property"). See Far Resources' news release dated February 1, 2016 for details.
Under the terms of the Amended Option Agreement, upon Far Resources having earned an initial 50% interest, it may elect to earn a further 30% interest by paying the Optionor an additional $180,000 cash, (reduced from $240,000 in the original agreement); issuing an additional 1,500,000 shares; and incurring an additional $900,000 (reduced from $1,500,000 in the original agreement) in Exploration Expenditures within three years of the election date.
Further to the update provided in the news release dated February 1, 2016, the Company has initiated permitting for an exploration program on the Little Granite claims to verify the results from work carried out in the 1980s in the Little Granite mine area. Sampling carried out by Far Resources in late 2013 confirmed the presence of abundant strongly mineralised epithermal vein material on the mine dumps, assumed to have been excavated during the decline development in the early 1980s. Two samples thought to be representative of the main style of quartz veining returned values of 179 g/t silver and 2.9 g/t gold and 170 g/t silver and 6.7 g/t gold respectively, while a third sample of grey, finer-grained quartz material returned values of 1,439 g/t silver and 25.2 g/t gold.
Limited drilling in 1984 returned several high grade vein intercepts (see news release dated February 1, 2016 for details). These results pre-date the implementation of NI 43-101, and since the work was not conducted under the supervision of a QP, cannot be relied upon and are presented as historical information only. However, the sampling conducted by Far suggests the results are credible and that further work using modern techniques and supervision is warranted.
Keith Anderson, President and CEO of Far Resources commented, "We are pleased that, together with Redline, we have been able to amend the agreement and create an environment that allows us to move this project forward."
To date, the Company has made cash payments to Redline totaling $120,000 and has issued an aggregate total of 1,400,000 Common shares in the equity of the Company to satisfy its obligations, which are currently up to date. All other terms remain the same and are described in the Company's disclosure documents available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Lindsay Bottomer, P.Geo., an independent director of Far Resources Ltd. and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
Option Grant
The Company also wishes to announce that it has granted 500,000 stock options to certain officers, directors and consultants of the Company (the "Options"). The Options are exercisable into common shares (the "Shares") of the Company at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of five years from the date of grant.
About the Company
Far Resources Ltd. is an exploration company, publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol FAT, focused on the identification and development of high potential mineral opportunities in stable jurisdictions.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
FAR RESOURCES LTD.
Keith C. Anderson, President
President & CEO
604-805-5035
The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward -looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected. Specifically, the Option Agreement is subject to numerous conditions and there are no assurances that all conditions will be satisfied or waived or that the acquisition of the Property will be successfully completed on the terms and conditions contemplated herein or at all. All of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation.
CHICAGO, IL and LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- JLL (NYSE: JLL) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MSCI's global corporate occupiers benchmarking (Global Occupiers) business. This acquisition will add a powerful further dimension to JLL's comprehensive Corporate Solutions service range and is the latest example of the firm's ongoing investments into leading-edge technology and data analytics capabilities. MSCI's Global Occupiers business has built a substantial international client roster collectively encompassing more than 25,000 properties in 48 countries around the world. The addition of this well-established and highly regarded global benchmarking business will further enhance JLL's Corporate Solutions offer, complementing existing services including portfolio management, transactions management, workplace strategy, occupancy planning, project management and integrated facility management.
Vincent Lottefier, JLL's CEO EMEA Corporate Solutions, said: "By bringing on board this very well-respected global benchmarking capability, we can augment our vision of leading the technology and data agenda for corporate occupiers. MSCI's Global Occupiers business is a global leader in performance analytics of commercial buildings and holds the largest independent database of occupier performance spanning 48 countries. This is a ground-breaking addition to our Corporate Solutions business."
Samit Chopra, International Director, EMEA Integrated Portfolio Services at JLL, said: "There is a really good fit here, not just in terms of how this excellent occupier benchmarking service complements our broader property portfolio services offer, but also in the talented team we are bringing across from MSCI who share our culture and commitment to teamwork, ethics and excellence. We have really enjoyed working with Victoria Mejevitch and her team in planning for this acquisition and the integration process."
Victoria Mejevitch, Executive Director, MSCI's Global Occupiers business, who will become JLL's Head of Global Benchmarking Services, commented: "JLL has an exceptional reputation for global real estate services and advice. We are excited by the opportunity to add our suite of benchmarking services and analysis to JLL's broader Corporate Solutions capabilities and the chance to introduce our services to a whole new roster of clients."
MSCI's Global Occupiers business, which will now be known as JLL Global Benchmarking Services, is based in London, Paris, New York and Mumbai. Its service scope includes detailed benchmarking and analysis of key portfolio performance indicators including space and cost efficiency, quality and environmental monitoring and impact of commercial assets. The acquisition, which is expected to close in August, is a further illustration of JLL's disciplined acquisition strategy which, since the start of 2015, has seen the company announce or close 40 margin-accretive transactions with a combined value of more than US$1.2bn.
About JLL
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying and investing in real estate. A Fortune 500 company with annual fee revenue of $5.2 billion and gross revenue of $6.0 billion, JLL has more than 280 corporate offices, operates in more than 80 countries and has a global workforce of more than 60,000. On behalf of its clients, the firm provides management and real estate outsourcing services for a property portfolio of 4.0 billion square feet, or 372 million square meters, and completed $138 billion in sales, acquisitions and finance transactions in 2015. Its investment management business, LaSalle Investment Management, has $58.3 billion of real estate assets under management. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit www.jll.com.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3026919
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3027340
Contact:
Sara Murshed
Phone: +44 (0) 207 852 4430
Email: Sara.Murshed@eu.jll.com
Emily Hodson
Phone: +44 (0) 207 087 5481
Email: Emily.hodson@eu.jll.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- This Saturday, July 2nd, a record number of participants will lace up for the largest fundraising event held during Toronto Pride Month, the 21st annual Pride and Remembrance Run, presented by BMO Financial Group.
The run, a long-standing tradition held during the Toronto Pride festival to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community, is the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the most popular running events in the Greater Toronto Area. This year, participants will raise money to benefit four Toronto Organizations: The 519, AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), Rainbow Railroad and the Pride and Remembrance Foundation.
WHO: Chuck Coolen, President, Pride and Remembrance Association Tony Tintinalli, Regional Vice President, Toronto Downtown, BMO Bank of Montreal Paul Noble, Vice-President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary, BMO Capital Markets WHAT: The 2016 Pride and Remembrance Run, BMO Financial Group (title sponsor) WHEN: Saturday, July 2nd, 2016 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon ET Race begins at 10:00 a.m. ET Awards Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. ET WHERE: Start/Finish Line: Corner of Church and Wellesley Streets Awards Ceremony: Barbara Hall Park (519 Church St., Toronto, ON
"BMO is committed to creating a workplace that values and encourages diversity and inclusion to better serve our customers, who are from all walks of life," said Paul Noble, Vice-President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary, BMO Capital Markets. "We are honoured to be the title sponsor of the Pride and Remembrance Run again this year and to participate through our employee fundraising team, Team BMO. This event is important to the LGBTQ+ community and we look forward to being a part of it."
"For more than 20 years, the Pride and Remembrance Run and the LGBTQ+ community have rallied together with spirit and sportsmanship to show our pride and give back," said Chuck Coolen, President of the Pride and Remembrance Association. "Now more than ever, it is important we continue to foster the community spirit that unites us."
The five-kilometre run/three-kilometre walk kicks off at the start line with warm-ups led by James Braithwaite, founder of Braithwaite Physiotherapy/Yorkville Physiotherapy, and a stretching and yoga session led by Michael DeCorte and his Jock Yoga team.
About the Pride and Remembrance Run
In 1996, three gay athletes founded the Pride and Remembrance Run, an annual five-kilometre run / three-kilometre walk coinciding with Toronto's Pride Week. It was dedicated to partnering the themes of PRIDE and REMEMBRANCE with community celebration and personal achievement.
The Pride and Remembrance Run has become an annual tradition promoting and fostering community spirit, goodwill, volunteerism and sportsmanship in the LGBTQ+ community. For more information, visit priderun.org.
About BMO and Diversity
From the development of the first Registered Disability Savings Plan to sponsorship of the Pride and Remembrance Run, BMO is committed to promoting accessibility, inclusivity and equality. This commitment extends to initiatives outside the workplace into all communities where BMO operates.
Contacts:
Media Contacts:
Jessica Leroux, Toronto
416-867-3996
jessica.leroux@bmo.com
Michelle Agnelo, Toronto
416-867-3996
michelle.agnelo@bmo.com
Web: www.bmo.com
Twitter: @BMO
Instagram: @BMOCanada
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- ProGreen Properties, Inc. (PROGREEN) (OTC PINK: PGEI) has entered into a $5,000,000 equity line financing agreement with the Tangiers Global, LLC (Tangiers) investment fund.
The financing is in form of an Equity Line of Credit over a maximum of 36 months. An S-1 Registration Statement will be filed with the SEC for up to one hundred million (100,000,000) shares as part of this financing.
A further $22,000 is also being financed by Tangiers to cover the costs of the Registration Statement. This funding is in the form of a Note, convertible into restricted common stock at a fixed price of $0.03. The Note can also be repaid in cash by the Company at its option.
Tangiers has been issued 4,000,000 five year warrants with a strike price of $0.02 as a commitment fee.
For more details on the funding, please refer to 8-K filed yesterday.
"This funding gives the Company the platform to be able to speed up its business activities both in Mexico as well as here in the U.S. It also creates a financial base for the Company to seriously be able to look into solar projects," says Jan Telander, CEO & President.
"Tangiers is very pleased to have entered into this funding agreement with ProGreen. We believe in the company's business plan and can see realistic growth potential with the addition of our fixed funding commitment," says Michael Sobeck, Managing Member.
About ProGreen Properties, Inc.
PROGREEN PROPERTIES, INC. (PROGREEN) (OTC PINK: PGEI) based in Bloomfield, Michigan, is engaged in the business of acquiring, refurbishing and upgrading residential real estate into modern affordable homes, offered for sale with Land Contracts to buyers unable to obtain conventional credit. The company has also recently entered into property investments in Baja California, Mexico and will be intensifying this activity, with the aim of creating a sustainable income stream for many years to come.
This press release might contain information, which may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 'Forward-looking statements' are based upon expectations, estimates and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated.
For further Information, please contact:
Jan Telander
President and CEO
jan@progreenproperties.com
Phone: 1 (248) 805-3652
EMERYVILLE, CA--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - Berkeley Research Group announced today that Jeffrey H. Cramer has joined as a Managing Director in the firm's Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence practice, based in Chicago.
"We are delighted to welcome Jeff to BRG," said BRG Chairman and Principal Executive Officer David J. Teece. "He is a highly regarded investigations expert who will be a tremendous asset to the global investigations team."
Cramer has more than 20 years of experience in corporate investigations, fraud detection, due diligence and regulatory issues. His consulting practice spans matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, embezzlement, fraud, cyber breaches, proxy fights, security, corporate governance and background investigations.
Cramer was previously a senior managing director and head of the Chicago office of a large international investigative company, at which he oversaw multijurisdictional cases. In connection with his management of investigations and business intelligence assignments, Cramer built multidisciplinary teams comprising former prosecutors, investigators, technology experts, financial and data analytics experts, and forensic accountants. He routinely serves as a trusted advisor to corporations, including financial institutions, as well as audit committees, boards of directors, government agencies and outside counsel. He has been appointed as a special prosecutor and assisted a special prosecutor on several high-profile investigations.
"I am excited to have Jeff Cramer, one of the most respected investigative professionals in the industry, as an integral part of our practice. Jeff has an outstanding reputation with clients and the government and our exceptional platform will enable him to continue solving his clients' most important business issues," said Allen D. Applbaum, the global leader of BRG's Global Investigations + Strategic Intelligence practice. "Jeff's expertise in investigations and governance will be an asset to our clients around the world."
Previously, Cramer was an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois, where he served as Senior Litigation Counsel and was responsible for trial strategy and jury arguments in all criminal trials. He led sensitive and high-profile law enforcement investigations of international money laundering, securities fraud, bank fraud, racketeering, extortion, organized crime, public and police corruption, drug trafficking, identity theft and credit card fraud, foreign terrorist organizations and regulatory export violations. His investigative work earned him the Department of Justice Director's Award for Superior Performance, as well as awards and honors from law enforcement and citizen organizations. As an AUSA, Cramer taught U.S. federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice training center. He has also lectured to foreign judges, prosecutors and lawyers on topics including fraud, money laundering, corruptions and trial tactics in Moscow, Budapest, Mexico City, Jakarta, Beijing and other foreign jurisdictions.
"BRG offers a unique opportunity to conduct multidisciplinary investigations that are tailored and efficient, and that deliver significant value to clients," said Cramer. "The firm has the depth and agility to assemble seasoned professionals with a wide array of specific skills to tackle investigations in any region."
Cramer has a J.D. from Temple University Law School and an MBA from Northeastern University. He regularly comments on fraud, corruption, security and related matters across a variety of media, including MSNBC, Fox, CNN, NBC, ABC, Bloomberg, The Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times and other outlets.
About Berkeley Research Group, LLC
Berkeley Research Group, LLC (www.thinkbrg.com) is a leading global strategic advisory and expert consulting firm that provides independent advice, data analytics, authoritative studies, expert testimony, investigations, transaction advisory, restructuring services, regulatory and dispute consulting to Fortune 500 corporations, financial institutions, major law firms and regulatory bodies around the world. BRG experts and consultants combine intellectual rigor with practical, real-world experience and an in-depth understanding of industries and markets. Their expertise spans economics and finance, data analytics and statistics, and public policy in many of the major sectors of our economy, including healthcare, banking, information technology, energy, construction and real estate. BRG is headquartered in Emeryville, California, with offices across the United States and in Asia, Australia, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.
Contact:
Laura Miller
lmiller@greentarget.com
312.252.4104
ROCKVILLE, Maryland, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Media Cybernetics (www.mediacy.com), global image analysis leader, announces the introduction of its latest release of Image-Pro Premier 3D, version 9.2. As the newest addition of Media Cybernetics' family of image analysis products, Image-Pro Premier 3D 9.2 delivers customers a simplified platform for next level 2D and 3D image analysis.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160628/384095LOGO
"There has been a lot of effort put into making the product easier to use, load and analyze bigger, more complex and more diverse data sets while also introducing state of the art presentation tools targeted at a global audience with the release of the first localized versions for China and Japan," stated Pierre Duchene, Engineering Manager at Media Cybernetics.
Media Cybernetics has worked directly with customers in the Life Science and Materials Research fields over the past year to develop the most meaningful new features necessary for sophisticated 2D or 3D image analysis. The focus for the latest release was on improving the analysis for multi-channel fluorescent image sets and electron microscopy samples. By working more closely with customers, Media Cybernetics has been able to transform the way users extract valuable data from these samples and address market needs at large in a way that has rarely been seen with other products.
"In today's world of instant communication it was important for Media Cybernetics to build a system capable of sending customer feedback directly from the software to Media Cybernetics developers," stated Anthony Santerelli, Director of Global Marketing. "Therefore we engineered useful new tools that allow customers to request new features or report issues effortlessly while sitting at the system, removing the cumbersome transfer of information to another computer for sending emails to your local support rep."
For further information on Image-Pro Premier 3D 9.2 and other Media Cybernetics products please go to www.mediacy.com and register to join the Media Cybernetics community.
Media Cybernetics develops image analysis software products that simplify and enhance image-based data collection and analysis for those who wish to increase accuracy and automate research, development, and quality processes. Customer applications include cell biology and neuroscience research in the life sciences, quality inspection of metals, ceramics and semiconductors in manufacturing, and materials research on particles, coatings, and fibers. Further applications include the research of natural resources such as oil and gas, aquaculture samples, and minerals, in addition to the analysis of fingerprints, ballistics, and trace evidence for security applications. While founded and based in their Maryland headquarters, the company maintains regional offices in the United Kingdom, Singapore, China and Japan to service the needs of the global imaging community.
Media Cybernetics is a subsidiary of Roper Technologies, a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 1000, and the Russell 1000 indices valued at over $20 billion.
Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A United Nations report published Tuesday notes that significant progress has been made in saving children's lives, getting children into school and lifting people out of poverty. Global under-five mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990, boys and girls attend primary school in equal numbers in 129 countries, and the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide is almost half what it was in the 1990s, says the UNICEF report titled The State of the World's Children, the agency's annual flagship report. But this progress has been neither even nor fair, the report says. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest. Some 69 million children under five years of age will die from mostly preventable causes, 167 million children will live in poverty, and 750 million women will have been married as children by 2030, unless the world focuses more on the plight of its most disadvantaged children, the report warns. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A lawyer of Donald Trump has accused Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton of murdering an ambassador and selling uranium to Russia through her 'faux charity.'
The accusations were made by Michael Cohen, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and special counsel to the billionaire businessman, in a Twitter post Tuesday.
An image of Clinton making a plea with her hands outstretched is titled 'Elect Me!' under which she is quoted as saying: 'I presided over $6 billion lost at the State Department, sold uranium to the Russians through my faux charity, illegally deleted public records and murdered an ambassador.'
Cohen's meme does not specify any instance involving an ambassador, but has apparent reference to the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens in the Libyan city of Benghazi in 2012. He and three other Americans were killed when the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked by Islamic militants.
In the aftermath of the attack, State Department officials were criticized for denying requests for additional security at the consulate prior to the attack. In her role as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton subsequently took responsibility for the security lapses.
The tweet comes on the same day that Republicans from the House Select Committee on Benghazi release their report detailing what it says are the failings of the Obama administration and Clinton's State Department in particular in handling the 2012 attacks.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Vincitore Will Head Advisory in North America
Credit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank -- the corporate and investment banking arm of the Credit Agricole Group, the world's ninth largest bank by total assets announced today the appointment of Gerard R. Vincitore as a Managing Director in its Structured Finance Advisory Group for Americas, where he will head up advisory activities in the North American Power Utilities Sector and in addition be involved in specific energy related transactions in the Americas. He will be based in New York City.
Credit Agricole CIB is a long-standing market leader in project finance both globally and in the US Canada providing structured finance solutions through its Energy Infrastructure business line. Regionally, the bank has been an innovative financier for a broad range of energy projects, including renewable and conventional power, distributed generation, gas transportation infrastructure, LNG export, petrochemicals, and other infrastructure projects.
Prior to joining Credit Agricole CIB, Mr. Vincitore was a financial executive with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the nation's largest public utility, most recently as Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance. His responsibilities, in addition to corporate financial management, included identifying, evaluating, structuring, and supporting the implementation of Authority initiatives including new generation and transmission projects (both as owner or off-taker), customer financial offerings, energy policy projects, and mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. He has successfully structured over 1500 MW ($2.0 billion) of new generation projects and 1100 MW ($1.0 billion) of transmission projects, including the negotiation of two major transmission development partnerships and advised on several key Authority energy policy initiatives (New York Energy Highway, k-Solar, etc.).
"The Power and Utilities sector is a key vertical within the Global Energy Infrastructure Practice and a dominant part of our activity for more than 15 years. With Jerry's appointment we will expand into advising on debt and equity capital raising and other strategic advisory services in this sector in North America, reflecting the evolution of our advisory practice globally. With over 18 years of experience, Jerry brings an extraordinarily deep understanding of the power sector with differentiating perspectives of the various stakeholders that will enrich our client engagement," said Jaya Viswanadha, who heads the Structured Finance Advisory Group in Americas and to whom Mr. Vincitore will report.
Upon graduating college in 1998, Mr. Vincitore joined ABB Lummus Global, Inc. (now part of Chicago Bridge Iron Company) as a Process Engineer in the Refining Technology Business Group, where he spent four years before moving to his first stint with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) as a Senior Investment Analyst and Portfolio Manager. He left the utility after two years for Natixis, an investment bank, before rejoining NYPA in 2009, rising successively in responsibility to his most recent position.
Mr. Vincitore holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College, a MBA from Fordham University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Credit Agricole CIB, a Global Player in Energy and Infrastructure Financing
Credit Agricole CIB, a leading global player in Energy and Infrastructure financing, has the distinction of being the only bank to receive Project Finance Bond House of the Year, Global Bank of the Year and Global Adviser of the Year awards from Project Finance International, in addition to being named its 2015 Americas Bank of the Year for Project Financing. Credit Agricole CIB ranked in the top 5 financial Mandated Lead Arrangers for North America in 2015 (Source: Dealogic)
As a leading advisor globally, Credit Agricole CIB has been actively involved in several recent transactions, including, among others, a $20 billion debt financing for the Ichthys LNG project offshore Australia, the world's largest project financing; refinancing of the $1.1 billion Singapore SportsHub, the largest public private partnership to date in South East Asia; and the 765 million Euro refinancing of Copenhagen Airport in the U.S. and Euro private placement and bank markets, together with associated cross currency swaps. In the Americas, Credit Agricole CIB has high profile diverse mandates to its credit such as a debt advisory for 5bn Cobre Panama Copper Mine for FQM (Ongoing), the Covioriente Toll Road financing in Colombia (Ongoing), 500kV Charrua Ancoa 196.5km transmission line financing, owned by Grupo Elecnor S.A. and APG (Closed); and on the debt and equity financing of the Tres Mesas' 148.5 MW wind farm in Mexico (Closed).
About Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
Credit Agricole CIB is the Corporate and Investment Banking arm of the Credit Agricole Group, the world's 9th largest bank by total assets (The Banker, July 2015). The Bank offers its clients a comprehensive range of products and services structured around six major divisions:
Client Coverage International Network
Global Investment Banking
Structured Finance
Global Markets
Debt Optimization Distribution
International Trade and Transaction Banking.
The Bank provides support to clients in large international markets through its network with a presence in major countries in Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East North Africa.
For more information, please visit its website at www.ca-cib.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160628006054/en/
Contacts:
Media Inquiries:
Credit Agricole CIB Americas
Ms. Mary Guzman, +1 212 261-7129
mary.guzman@ca-cib.com
or
Anreder & Company
Steven S. Anreder
Michael Wichman
Tel: +1-212-532-3232
steven.anreder@anreder.com
michael.wichman@anreder.com
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - European Parliament was the venue for heated and emotional exchanges over the 'Brexit' on Tuesday as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker questioned the presence of the U.K. 'Leave' campaigners, led by Nigel Farage, who was booed by members as he accused them of being 'in denial'.
Addressing a special plenary session of the European Parliament, Juncker said he was saddened by the U.K.'s decision to leave the EU but added, 'We must respect the will of the British people.'
Juncker's comment was welcomed with applause from the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage.
Turning to Farage, Juncker said, 'To some extent I am really surprised that you are here.' He also said that it would be the last time that the UKIP leader was applauding in the European Parliament.
'You are fighting for the exit, the British people voted for the exit, so why are you here?', Juncker asked.
He also accused Farage of lying, saying he 'fabricated reality.'
The top EU leader also urged the U.K. government 'to clarify as quickly as possible the situation.'
The EU leaders are holding talks with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron in Brussels on Tuesday. Cameron announced that he will step down in October and the talks over the U.K. should take place under a new PM.
The EU cannot settle for prolonged uncertainty over the 'Brexit,' Juncker said.
He also reiterated that there will not be any formal or informal, or secret, talks with the U.K. over the matter until the country invokes Article 50 of the Treaty of the EU that governs the exit process. He said EU officials are forbidden from discussing the 'Brexit' with British government officials.
'No notification, no negotiations,' Juncker said.
Commenting on the reports in German press, Juncker said, 'I am neither tired nor sick.'
'I will fight to my last breath for a united Europe,' he said, adding that 'this is not the time to break up again this continent.'
Since the 'Brexit' vote, some European political parties have called for Juncker's resignation, citing his role in the event.
In his speech, Farage, wearing an evidently triumphant look, said that the members of parliament were no longer laughing at the U.K.'s exit from the EU, something he proposed 17 years ago in the European Parliament.
Farage generated a lot of noise from the members of parliament when he said, 'You as a political project are in denial. You're in denial that your currency is failing.'
He accused the EU of imposing a 'political union' on the U.K. and the rest of Europe through lying.
'We now offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the rest of the European continent,' Farage said. 'The United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.'
The fiercely anti-EU Farage said the U.K. must not delay exiting the EU. He also attracted boos for saying that the members of parliament 'have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job.'
He said he is seeking 'a sensible, tariff-free deal' between the U.K. and the EU.
In contrast to the booing received by Farage, Scottish member of parliament Alyn Smith was welcomed with a standing ovation by the European Parliament for his passionate speech. Scotland had voted to 'Remain' in the EU and is seeking a second referendum on independence following the 'Brexit'.
'We are proudly Scottish, and I am proudly European. I want my country to be internationalists, cooperative, ecological, fair - European,' Smith said.
'And the people of Scotland, along with the people of Northern Ireland and people of London and lots of people from Wales and England, voted to remain within our family of nations.'
He urged the EU not to 'let Scotland down now!'
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to meet European Parliament President Martin Schulz on Wednesday to discuss the matter of remaining part of the EU.
Northern Ireland politician Martina Anderson also pleaded to remain in the EU, saying, 'The last thing the people of Northern Ireland need is a new border with 27 member states!'
In his speech, Belgian politician and liberals' leader Guy Verhofstadt accused the 'Leave' campaigners of using 'Nazi propaganda' to win the referendum and urged that the Article 50 must be invoked immediately.
France's far-right politician Marine Le Pen said the 'Brexit' was the most important historic event since the fall of the Berlin wall and called it 'a slap in the face for 'EU tenants' and showed that the EU project is not irreversible.'
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel took a tough stance on the EU trade deal with the U.K, urging British politicians not to delude themselves with unrealistic expectations.
Speaking at the Bundestag on Tuesday, Merkel said Germany will not allow any 'cherry-picking' in trade negotiations with the U.K.
'There must be and will be a palpable difference whether a country wants to be part of the European Union or not,' she said.
Merkel warned the U.K. that it cannot expect to keep only its privileges and shun obligations. She said she will do everything in her power to preserve the unity of the EU.
The EU leaders are set to begin a summit later on Tuesday.
However, the 'Leave' campaigners, including possible Cameron-successor Boris Johnson, continue to claim that the U.K. will retain its access to the single market despite leaving the EU.
While others top leaders such as Juncker are putting pressure on the U.K. to hurry with the divorce process, the most powerful and influential Merkel is widely expected to tread a middle-ground, allowing more time to the British side to come to terms with the reality of life outside the EU.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Glassdoor, a jobs and recruiting marketplace, today announced it has opened a new office in the heart of San Francisco's Historic Union Square District. Located at 77 Geary St, the TechSpace office will initially accommodate nearly 40 employees and be home to Glassdoor's growing and talented team of search engineers, product managers and data scientists.
Glassdoor currently employs 600 employees in its Mill Valley, Calif. headquarters, Ohio, London, Dublin, Ireland, Chicago, and now San Francisco. Glassdoor plans to hire more than 150 people by the end of the year around the globe and more than half of these employees in its Bay Area offices. In addition to search engineer jobs in the San Francisco office, Glassdoor is looking to hire other technical roles including: data scientists, product managers, software engineers, and machine learning architects as well as hire a host of positions across sales, marketing, finance and more.
"San Francisco is one of the world's most vibrant cities full of great people, world-class businesses, exceptional public transportation and culture," said Robert Hohman, co-founder and CEO of Glassdoor, Inc. "I've been looking forward to expanding to San Francisco for a long time now, and it's exciting to be adding to our stellar team of engineers here. We're growing incredibly fast and this new office is a natural progression from our new Mill Valley headquarters."
As of early July, there will be 30 team members working in the new location with room to grow in this attractive area in the city. Union Square offers the growing Glassdoor team easy access to public transportation, including nearby BART and CalTrain stations. The historic neighborhood has great dining, shopping and a dynamic business community.
Visit Glassdoor to view all open jobs and learn more about what it's like to work for the company.
About Glassdoor
Glassdoor is the most transparent jobs and recruiting marketplace that is changing how people search for jobs and how companies recruit top talent. Glassdoor combines free and anonymous reviews, ratings and salary content with job listings to help job seekers find the best jobs and address critical questions that come up during the job search, application, interview and negotiation phases of employment. For employers, Glassdoor offers job posting, recruiting and employer branding solutions to help attract high-quality candidates at a fraction of the cost of other channels. In addition, Glassdoor operates one of the most popular job apps on iOS and Android platforms.
Launched in 2008, Glassdoor has raised approximately $200 million from Google Capital, Tiger Global, Benchmark, Battery Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures, DAG Ventures, Dragoneer Investment Group, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. and others.
Glassdoor is a registered trademark of Glassdoor, Inc.
The Decisions of Annual General MeetingThe Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Skano Group AS (registry code 11421437, address 48 Suur-Joe, Parnu 80042) was held in Skano Group AS head office at 48 Suur-Joe, Parnu, Estonia, on 28 June 2016.The general meeting started at 11.00 and ended at 11.30. The shares of the shareholders who attended the general meeting represented 2 734 295 votes, constituting 60,77 % of the share capital. Therefore, the general meeting was competent to pass resolutions regarding the items on the agenda.Resolutions of general meeting:1. Approval of the Annual Report for 2015It was decided to approve the Annual Report of the Company for 2015 prepared by the Management, which exposes the consolidated balance sheet value of 13 262 thousand euros and the net loss in the amount of 411 thousand euros as at 31.12.2015.2. Covering the loss in 2015It was decided to approve to cover the loss from the financial year 2015 of 411 thousand euros from the account of retained earnings of previous periods.3. Changes in the Supervisory BoardIt was decided to recall Pekka Armas Soikkeli from the position of Supervisory Board Member as of 28.06.2016 and elect Martin Mets to the position of Supervisory Board Member with the term of office of 5 (five) years as of 28.06.2016.4. Appointment and remuneration principles of auditor for the financial year 2016It was decided to appoint AS PricewaterhouseCoopers (registry code: 10142876, address: Parnu mnt 15, 10141 Tallinn) as the auditor of the Company for the financial year 2016. Public accounting services will be paid for in accordance with the contract to be drawn up with the auditor.Gregory Devine GraceCEO+372 447 8338greg.grace@skanogroup.comwww.skano.com
Barrington community in the highly desirable town of Brentwood.
"It was such a great time seeing so many families out there enjoying the day, mingling with their neighbors and enjoying some great food as part of our homeowner appreciation event," said Susan Cleary, Marketing Manager for TRI Pointe Homes. "It was a great example of how TRI Pointe Homes is about much more than just building homes; we build communities that foster life-long relationships."
More than 250 residents joined in the celebration with their neighbors. Kids played Frisbee, shimmied with hula hoops, tossed water balloons and participated in a bike parade with their go carts, bikes and scooters decorated with neighborhood brochures.
The backdrop of the event was the elegantly decorated one- and two-story model homes that showcase Barrington's three impressive neighborhoods: Berkshire, Hawthorne and Marquette.
With only a few homes remaining, Berkshire makes a Barrington address uniquely attainable with prices starting in the low $500,000s. One and two-story designs range from approximately 2,105 to 2,961 square feet, including three to four bedrooms and two and one-half to three and one-half baths plus a two- or three-car garage. Every home is also SunPower Solar ready, offering homeowners the opportunity to save on their electric bills.
Only one phase release left at Hawthorne, our one- and two-story spacious residences measuring approximately 2,491 to 3,577 square feet and featuring four to five bedrooms and two and one-half to four and one-half baths. Utility costs are reduced by each home's included SunPower Solar panel system. A three-car garage is offered in every plan, and prices start in the high $500,000s.
Marquette is Barrington's crowning achievement, with living spaces spanning approximately 2,844 to 3,965 square feet on one- and two-story plans with such upscale amenities as Bertazzoni kitchen appliances, Bosch dishwasher and SunPower Solar panel system. One- and two-story designs encompass four to five bedrooms, three and one-half to four and one-half baths, and a two-car garage. The homes are priced in the mid $600,000s.
Impressive residences that are half the price of comparable homes in the Tri Valley area are just the beginning of the attractions that make Barrington the sweet spot of Brentwood. Making Barrington even more attainable as possible for today's families, the community has no homeowners' association dues, and TRI Pointe Connect, our in-house mortgage company, offers competitive rates, and a wide portfolio of mortgage products to TRI Pointe Homes homebuyers -- all intended to make the home buying process simple and smooth.
To discover Brentwood's Barrington community, exit John Marsh Heritage Hwy / Vasco Rd. and travel east. Turn left on Brentwood Blvd., right on Sand Creek Rd., left on Garin Pkwy, left again on Auburn St. and follow the signs to the sales center. From 580 take Vasco Road, turn right on Walnut Blvd., right on Balfour, left on Brentwood Blvd. and right on Sand Creek, left on Garin Parkway and right on Portsmouth Drive. The Sales Center for all three neighborhoods is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (925) 420-0088 or visit www.TRIPointeHomes.com/Brentwood.
With a growing number of new home communities throughout Northern California, TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. is a member of TRI Pointe Group (NYSE: TPH), headquartered in Irvine, California. The company is one of the top 10 largest public homebuilders by equity market capitalization in the United States, supported by the significant resources, economies of scale and thoughtful leadership of a national foundation. Additional information is available at http://www.tripointehomes.com/norcal.
Contact:
Fran Bangert
Kovach Marketing
714-335-9646
Email Contact
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 28, 2016) - MagIndustries Corp. (OTC Pink: MAAFF) ("MagIndustries" or the "Company") announced today that Eucalyptus Fibre Congo ("EFC"), the operating subsidiary of the MagForestry division of MagIndustries, received a notice from Ministry of Forestry and Sustainable Development of Republic of Congo (the "Ministry") (le Ministere de l'Economie Forestiere et du Developpement Durable de la Republique du Congo), which requested an early termination of the long term leasing agreement dated October 1, 2004 under which EFC operates. Discussions between the Company and Congolese authorities continue on this matter and the Company will report further developments as they occur which developments may include a definitive termination of the forestry lease and any liabilities remaining with the Company or compensation due to the Company.
The Company also announced today the resignation of Mr. Jiang Qiang as a director of the Company.
About MagIndustries Corp.
MagIndustries is a Canadian company focused on the development of its potash assets in the Republic of Congo. More information on the Company is available on its website, www.magindustries.com
Forward Looking Information
Except for historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, country policy and political risks, currency exchange risk, changing market conditions, force majeure events, and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings. Specifically with respect to this press release, the Company does not know at this time how the discussions with the Congolese authorities will impact the Company. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under the Company's continuous disclosure obligations.
For further information contact:
Simon Liang, Chief Executive Officer
MagIndustries Corp.
Email: simon@sinopacific.com.cn
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. (the "Company" or "Solegear") (TSX VENTURE: SGB) is pleased to announce that the Company has completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of special warrants (the "Special Warrants") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$395,939.60. The Special Warrants are equity securities that entitle the holder to a future issuance of either common shares or units of the Company on the terms described below. No commissions or finder's fees were paid in connection with the Private Placement. The funds will be used for working capital and ongoing commercial activities.
"This latest Private Placement provides Solegear with additional working capital to execute on its growing sales pipeline and welcomes new investors who support our objective to reformulate, rebrand and relaunch everyday consumer products using plant-based plastics," said Paul Antoniadis, CEO of Solegear.
The Private Placement has received final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX-V"). All Special Warrants issued pursuant to this Private Placement are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on October 29, 2016 in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.
Terms of the Special Warrants
Each Special Warrant will be deemed to be exercised by the holder upon the earliest to occur of the following (the "Triggering Event"): (a) the date of the Company's next offering of common shares or units; (b) the date Solegear elects to cause a deemed exercise by providing notice to the holder of the Special Warrant; and (c) if neither of the foregoing have occurred, June 28, 2019. Promptly following the Triggering Event, the Company will issue either common shares or units to each holder of a Special Warrant, as determined by dividing the subscription price paid by the holder to the Company for such Special Warrant, plus 10% simple interest, by the applicable conversion price. If the Triggering Event is an offering of common shares or units, the applicable conversion price will be the greater of $0.155 and a 20% discount to the price of the common shares or units issued by the Company in such offering, and the securities to be issued will either be common shares or units, on consistent terms with the terms of the Company's next offering of common shares or units, as applicable. Otherwise, the applicable conversion price will simply be $0.155 and the securities to be issued will be common shares.
Other than the deemed exercise provisions outlined above, the Special Warrants do not provide the holders thereof with any ability to exercise the Special Warrants.
Related Party Participation in the Private Placement
Four insiders of Solegear participated in the Private Placement, thereby making the Private Placement a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101-Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Michel Labonte, Chief Technology Officer of the Company, and his spouse, each subscribed for a Special Warrant having a subscription price of $10,000; Noel Harvey, VP of Business Development of the Company, subscribed for a Special Warrant having a subscription price of $6,410; Paul Antoniadis, Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company, subscribed (through Scenario Ventures VCC Inc.) for a Special Warrant having a subscription price of $75,000; and Jim Zadra, a director of the Company, subscribed for a Special Warrant having a subscription price of $15,000.
Following the closing of the Private Placement, and taking into account the effect of a deemed exercise of the Special Warrants for common shares at the minimum conversion price of $0.155, Michel Labonte and his spouse will beneficially own and control 191,532 common shares, representing approximately 0.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares on an undiluted basis; Noel Harvey will beneficially own and control 41,355 common shares, representing approximately 0.1% of the issued and outstanding Shares on an undiluted basis; Paul Antoniadis will beneficially own and control 2,920,989 common shares, representing approximately 5.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares on an undiluted basis; and Jim Zadra will beneficially own and control 231,774 common shares, representing approximately 0.4% of the issued and outstanding common shares on an undiluted basis.
Each common share of the Company provides the holder with the right to one vote per common share. The Special Warrants do not entitle the holders to any voting rights. Therefore, all Special Warrants subscribed for pursuant to the Private Placement provide the subscriber, including Mr. Labonte and his spouse, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Antoniadis and Mr. Zadra, with no additional votes at present but the holders thereof will have one vote per common share when issued upon the deemed exercise pf the Special Warrants. The Private Placement was unanimously approved by the directors of the Company.
Other than the subscription agreements between Mr. Labonte, Mr. Harvey, Mr. Antoniadis, Mr. Zadra and the Company relating to the Private Placement, the Company has not entered into any agreement with an interested party or a joint actor with an interested party in connection with the Private Placement. Neither the Company, nor to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, a related party, has knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed.
The Private Placement is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 (pursuant to subsections 5.5(c) and 5.7(1)(b)) as it was a distribution of securities for cash and neither the fair market value of the Special Warrants distributed to, nor the consideration received from, interested parties exceeded $2,500,000. The material change report in connection with the Private Placement was not filed 21 days in advance of the closing of the Private Placement for the purposes of Section 5.2(2) of MI 61-101 on the basis that the subscriptions under the Private Placement were not available to the Company until shortly before the closing.
About Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc.
Solegear Bioplastic Technologies Inc. (TSX VENTURE: SGB) is an innovator in the field of next generation bioplastics made from annually renewable plant-based sources. Committed to the principles of Green Chemistry, Solegear is driven by its mission to create healthier, safer and stronger communities by fundamentally changing the way plastics are made.
Solegear's proprietary bioplastic formulations, Polysole and Traverse, are designed to meet today's social and corporate requirements to lower carbon emissions, reduce waste and remove toxicity typically associated with traditional petroleum-based plastics. Together with its partners, Solegear custom engineers, produces and distributes its high-performance bioplastics as resin, sheets and finished goods with some of the highest percentages of renewable, plant-based materials currently available in the industry.
For more information: www.solegear.ca and www.mygoodnatured.com
On behalf of the Company:
Paul Antoniadis, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibilities for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S. registration requirements.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Information in this news release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Such factors include, among others, the risk that: (i) the bioplastics market may not grow as anticipated by the Company, and (ii) the economic circumstances of Solegear may change and result in the proceeds of the Private Placement being used other in the manner described above.
When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.
Other than as required under securities laws, we do not undertake to update this information at any particular time.
Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on our current estimates, expectations and projections, which we believe are reasonable as of the current date. The reader should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.
Contacts:
Paul Antoniadis
Chief Executive Officer and Director
604-998-4058
Investor Contact:
Caleb Jeffries
Kin Communications
1-866-684-6730
SGB@kincommunications.com
Media Contact:
Elisha McCallum
FleishmanHillard Vancouver
778-668-0185
Elisha.McCallum@fleishman.ca
NEWARK, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Kateeva today announced two executive promotions: Conor Madigan, Ph.D. adds Chief Operating Officer (COO) to his current role of President, and Eli Vronsky becomes Chief Product Officer.
Kateeva Chairman and CEO Alain Harrus called Madigan and Vronsky highly accomplished technology experts with strong leadership authority. "Their independent skillsets are extraordinary; together, they're a powerhouse," he said. "Nurturing Kateeva from its earliest days, they relentlessly executed on a vision to enable unimaginable display technology innovation. Yet while they disrupted the display industry with a breakthrough production equipment solution, they applied practical business skills along the way, building solid teams, creating best practices, and fostering a corporate culture that guided Kateeva from startup to today's strong technology company. The Board and I are thrilled to expand their roles."
Madigan adds global customer satisfaction to his new responsibilities as President and COO. This includes field operations in Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. He will continue to manage global marketing and manufacturing, as well as Kateeva's research and development organization, which incorporates new product development and technology innovations. Also, he'll lead Kateeva's expanding Intellectual Property (IP) department -- a role he's held since the company's inception. This core unit safeguards the ongoing innovations that are empowering Kateeva's YIELDjet products for highest performance in flexible OLED mass-production fabs, and contributing to the development of next-generation products. Madigan co-founded Kateeva in 2008. He reports to Harrus.
As Chief Product Officer, Vronsky owns Kateeva's product development organization, and leads the company's high-powered engineering team. An expert in printer technology, Vronsky is chief architect of the fundamental YIELDjet printing system architecture, including the revolutionary process monitoring systems and printing algorithms that helped make Kateeva's YIELDjet platform the world's first mass-production-worthy inkjet printer for flexible OLEDs. When it debuted in 2013, the technology provided the breakthrough that liberated display manufacturers from the rigid constraints of glass substrates, to spark the flexible OLED revolution. Much of Kateeva's highest-value customer-enabling IP surrounds Vronsky's inventions. Today, he's applying the same innovation to Kateeva's new product initiatives. He joined Kateeva in 2008. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Product Development. He reports to Madigan.
YIELDjet is trademarked by Kateeva, Inc.
About Kateeva, Inc.
Kateeva makes breakthrough production equipment for manufacturers of advanced electronics technologies. The company has pioneered a precision deposition technology platform that uses innovative inkjet printing to deposit coatings on complex applications with blinding speed and superb accuracy. Technology leaders use Kateeva's solution to enable cost-effective mass production of flexible and large-size OLED displays, among other products. Kateeva is headquartered in Newark, Calif., maintains operations in Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan, and is backed by leading Venture Capital firms and other investors. www.kateeva.com.
Contact
Jane Evans-Ryan
Genuity PR for Kateeva
m. +1-408-489-6391
email: Email Contact
WALTHAM, MA--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - eXp Realty World Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: EXPI) announced today that Sally and Stephen Koss, founders of the venerable Landmark brand in Greater Boston have joined eXp Realty, the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage' after 31 years as franchisees within the RE/MAX system.
"We're extremely grateful for the opportunities that RE/MAX has afforded us over the course of the last three decades," said Sally Koss. "We care very much about the agents who have been a part of our family during that time and recognize that they have had the greatest impact on our success in the industry. We are now able to move away from the bricks and mortar infrastructure. With eXp we have access to ground-breaking real estate technology to better serve our agents and clients. Most importantly though, we are able to thank our agents by providing them with the very same opportunities that we have -- ownership as fellow shareholders able to build organizations within and across markets. While there are other companies in the industry that are publicly held, the driving force behind eXp's public company status is to give direct ownership to its agents and brokers. That's a game-changer for us."
Since 1985 Sally and Stephen Koss have built and developed the Landmark brand, one of the strongest in Southern New England under the RE/MAX umbrella, opening or acquiring numerous offices along the way in the Massachusetts communities of Boston; Stoughton; Sharon; Taunton; Westwood; Milton; Wayland; Wellesley; Bedford; Concord; Acton; Lexington; and, Lincoln.
"When the industry's most credible, most respected and shrewdest brokerage owners look closely at our high-engagement, low overhead, agent-ownership model the choice becomes clear," said eXp Realty CEO, Jason Gesing while at a kick-off event on Monday in Waltham, Massachusetts. "New Englanders are very progressive and also very thorough in their examination of new concepts, new technologies and new opportunities. The decision of Sally and Steve to join eXp Realty, particularly when presented with countless proposals for the next phase of their careers, speaks to the power of the eXp opportunity, but also to the degree to which they view and value their agents as true partners in their success. Since 2009, eXp Realty has been committed to providing agents, teams of agents, and brokerage-owners with the systems, support, culture and community needed to thrive in an evolving industry and in unpredictable economic conditions, allowing professionals to build scalable teams of agents in any of the markets that the company serves without additional capital requirements."
Sally Koss can be reached at 781-589-5626 and at sally.koss@exprealty.com
Stephen Koss can be reached at 781-589-5616 and at steve.koss@exprealty.com
About eXp World Holdings, Inc.
eXp World Holdings, Inc. is the holding company for a number of companies most notably eXp Realty LLC, the Agent-Owned Cloud Brokerage' as a full-service real estate brokerage providing 24/7 access to collaborative tools, training, and socialization for real estate brokers and agents through its 3-D, fully-immersive, cloud office environment. eXp Realty, LLC and eXp Realty of Canada, Inc. also feature an aggressive revenue sharing program that pays agents a percentage of gross commission income earned by fellow real estate professionals who they attract into the Company.
eXp World Holdings, Inc. also owns 89.4% of First Cloud Mortgage, Inc. a Delaware corporation launched in 2015 and now licensed to originate mortgages in Arizona, California, and New Mexico. First Cloud Mortgage has positioned itself as a Planet Friendly Mortgage Company via the purchase of carbon offsets for homeowners offsetting the first year of the Carbon Footprint of the typical home on each mortgage originated through First Cloud Mortgage, Inc.
As a publicly-traded company, eXp World Holdings, Inc. uniquely offers professionals within its ranks opportunities to earn equity awards for production and contributions to overall company growth.
For more information you can follow eXp World Holdings, Inc. on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, or visit eXpWorldHoldings.com. For eXp Realty please visit: eXpRealty.com and for First Cloud Mortgage, Inc. check out FirstCloudMortgage.com.
The statements contained herein may include statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements that are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update them. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company's expansion, revenue growth, operating results, financial performance and net income changes. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in forward-looking statements include changes in business or other market conditions; the difficulty of keeping expense growth at modest levels while increasing revenues; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Investor Relations Contact Information:
Glenn Sanford
Chairman & CEO
eXp World Holdings, Inc.
glenn@expworldholdings.com
360-389-2426
Trade and Media Contact Information:
Jason Gesing
CEO
eXp Realty
jason@exprealty.com
617-970-8518
Corrected series in table (RIKB 22 1026) In connection with the foreign currency auction held by the Central Bank of Iceland on 16 June 2016, in accordance with the Terms of Tender for the purchase of foreign currency at the Central Bank auction exchange rate published on 22. June 2016 and following the announcement from 21. June 2016 of the results of the foreign currency auction, the Central Bank has decided to purchase the following Treasury bill and Treasury bond series and State-guaranteed bonds offered as financing for foreign currency purchases in the auction. Series Nominal Amount Price -------------------------------------- HFF150434 2,000,000 1.445123 HFF150644 9,261 1.713563 RIKB 16 1013 1,099,051,058 1.041573 RIKB 22 1026 40,395,000 1.095128 RIKB 31 0124 13,000,000 1.043413 RIKV 16 0815 1,700,000,000 0.997640 RIKV 16 0915 4,074,400,000 0.996090 RIKV 16 1115 1,155,000,000 0.993060 In connection with settlement of the transactions, the State-guaranteed securities must be received by the Central Bank no later than 10:00 hrs. on 29 June 2016. The foreign currency will be deposited to the intermediary's euro account following delivery of the securities, and no later than at 16:00 hrs. that same day. Queries relating to any of the foregoing may be sent by e-mail to fxauction2016@cb.is.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Viridity Energy, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded it a patent for systems and methods used to generate an operating schedule for energy storage assets, such as batteries, used in connection with transportation systems, such as rail operations, and with electric vehicles. The patent reflects the value stacking capabilities of Viridity software, which maximizes the value of flexible load, energy assets and energy storage. It is the latest in a series of patents awarded to Viridity, including patents related to data center operations and battery/solar asset-combined operations.
The new patent addresses a variety of functions, including optimizing use of the storage asset to maximize the combined market revenue derived from integration of storage into regional markets, with cost savings associated with the capture of regenerative braking power from rail systems or electric vehicles.
Viridity President Raj Chudgar commented: "Since 2012, Viridity has operated two award-winning energy storage systems in partnership with the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. The intellectual property inherent in our systems relates to the parallel functions for savings and market revenue and system support for voltage management and power assist. It's a unique combination of regenerative braking capture and reuse, coupled with revenue-generating, market-based services. Indeed, the value is so compelling that the project has expanded from a single battery installation to a fleet of nine batteries that will be operational in the coming months."
Chudgar continued: "We are in discussions with several U.S. and international transportation agencies regarding the opportunity to take a similar approach. Our patented and market-proven solutions can help large metropolitan transit system operators better manage the power dynamics on their third rail systems, and reduce the cost of operations."
About Viridity Energy
Viridity Energy is a leading demand response, demand management, and battery storage solutions provider. Through its flexible and turnkey VPower software and services platform, Viridity maximizes energy revenue and savings for customers. Viridity empowers customers to cut their electricity prices through best-in-class proprietary peak-shaving algorithms, and maximize cash revenue per unit of load through proactive, automated real-time sales of load flexibility across a comprehensive interface with the wholesale electric power markets. Viridity's efficient channel partner distribution model facilitates a cooperative relationship among Viridity, electricity service providers, and customers, enabling the company to focus its resources on maintaining technology leadership, rather than sales. Viridity recently announced an $8.5 million round of financing from AltEnergy, the initial investor in Viridity. For more information, please visit www.viridityenergy.com
About AltEnergy
AltEnergy is an investment firm that focuses on identifying and developing early-stage opportunities in the power and energy sectors. In addition to Viridity Energy, AltEnergy's portfolio includes Eos Energy Storage, Tres Amigas, and several renewable energy projects.
Viridity Energy Contact:
Tyler Breiner
Email Contact
phone: (267) 331-4540
Regulatory News:
On June 28, 2016, Mercialys (Paris:MERY) and the OPPCI investment fund SEREIT France (subsidiary of a fund managed by Schroder REIM) signed an agreement under which Mercialys has sold 70% of the premises of the transformed hypermarkets in Rennes and Anglet, as well as the premises of the shopping mall and the mid-size unit let to Boulanger in Anglet.
This transaction is based on a 100% valuation of these assets for Euro 61.8 million (including transfer taxes), delivering an exit rate of 5.0%, with Euro 3.1 million of full-year rent generated by these assets. The overall IRR on this operation represents 9.0%.
This operation has enabled Mercialys to realize the value created on these assets, particularly following the extensive redevelopment of the hypermarkets, reflected in the mid-size store units set up for the home appliance firm Boulanger (Anglet) and the DIY retailer Brico Depot (Rennes).
In addition, this sale will contribute towards financing Mercialys' development pipeline and investments.
This press release is available on www.mercialys.com
About Mercialys
Mercialys is one of France's leading real estate companies, focused exclusively on retail property. At December 31, 2015, Mercialys had a portfolio of 2,251 leases, representing a rental value of Euro 175.8 million on an annualized basis.
At December 31, 2015, it owned properties with an estimated value of Euro 3.5 billion (including transfer taxes). Mercialys has had "SIIC" real estate investment trust (REIT) tax status since November 1, 2005 and has been listed on Euronext Paris Compartment A (ticker: MERY) since its initial public offering on October 12, 2005. At December 31, 2015, there were 92,049,169 shares outstanding.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about future events, trends, projects or targets.
These forward-looking statements are subject to identified and unidentified risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the Mercialys shelf registration document available at www.mercialys.com for the year ended December 31, 2015 for more details regarding certain factors, risks and uncertainties that could affect Mercialys' business.
Mercialys makes no undertaking in any form to publish updates or adjustments to these forward-looking statements, nor to report new information, new future events or any other circumstances that might cause these statements to be revised.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160628006224/en/
Contacts:
Mercialys
Analysts investors:
Elizabeth Blaise
Tel: +33(0)1 53 65 64 44
or
Press contact:
Communications
Tel: +33(0)1 53 65 24 78
NEWARK, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Hot dogs, parades and fireworks are traditional ways Americans choose to celebrate the Fourth of July, but unfortunately the holiday has also become one of the busiest nights of the year for illegal urban gunfire. SST, Inc., the maker of ShotSpotter Flex, reported that last year the period from the evening of July 3 to the morning of July 5 showed a spike in gunfire incidents. Celebratory gunfire is a problem in many cities, particularly on July 4th, but with advance planning, law enforcement can prepare better and ultimately prevent gunfire in their cities. To help communities and law enforcement curb celebratory shooting, SST -- the global leader in acoustic gunfire detection -- today shared these strategies to help combat illegal urban gunfire on Independence Day.
Celebratory gunfire, a very serious issue, has wounded hundreds and killed dozens in recent years in the U.S. alone. Deaths and injuries are reported and investigated every year, across the country, when people are struck, often fatally, by gunfire falling back to the ground. SST, Inc. 2015 data shows that there is increased gunfire activity on July, 3, 4th and 5th in ShotSpotter coverage areas. Over the three days, July 3, 4th and 5th, the average daily amount of gunfire is five times the amount it is for the beginning of the 2015 up to the July 4th holiday.
What can be done to address Celebratory Gunfire
Enforcement Strategies
Identify hot spot areas and address where celebratory gunfire was detected in previous years.
Enlist uniformed agency personnel to visit each address on the list and informally talk with residents about illegal gunfire.
Explain the dangers of celebratory gunfire and tell of first-hand tragedies the local agency might have experienced.
Remind residents of the criminal consequences of celebratory gunfire including the enforcement of a strict "no tolerance" policy and aggressive prosecution of these cases.
Assign special police units, or overtime cars, to hot spot areas for quick response to gunfire alerts.
Leverage social media and local celebrities to get the word out to the community and to educate them on the dangers of celebratory gunfire and your police department's zero tolerance policy.
Community Engagement Strategies
Engage community and community leaders to be aware of the dangers of celebratory gunfire and encourage them to report all incidents.
Increase police and special unit presence showing community that law enforcement is serious about curbing gunfire, which in turn helps alert the community to proactive enforcing.
Encourage media to report about the dangers of celebratory gunfire and educate their audiences that this year law enforcement will take an active role to catch and prosecute offenders.
Consider working with respected community leaders to publicly talk about the dangers of illegal gunfire, with the media, before July 4th.
SST/ShotSpotter has found that when law enforcement agencies implement steps to curtail celebratory gunfire, they have been effective in reducing incidents. Using ShotSpotter as part of a comprehensive plan to combat this dangerous trend in cities, law enforcement teams in Baton Rouge, La; East Palo Alto, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. have all reported significant reductions of celebratory gunfire from 2014 to 2015. Baton Rouge reduced celebratory gunfire incidents by nearly 34 percent, from 59 incidents to 42; East Palo Alto saw a 35 percent decrease from 14 to 10; and Kansas City dropped 35 percent from 42 to 30. Effective actions that they implemented included innovative policing strategies, community engagement and the deployment of ShotSpotter.
"Fourth of July fireworks can be an exciting part of the holiday celebration, but events can quickly deteriorate when celebratory gunfire is involved. Every year these "stray" bullets injure and sometimes kill innocent people," said Ralph Clark, CEO of SST. "We have worked with numerous law enforcement agencies and local communities to help implement gunfire reduction strategies specifically around the holidays and we hope sharing that information can help make cities across the U.S. safer this year."
Celebratory Gunfire Prevention Resources
SST encourages agencies to leverage the online Celebratory Gunfire resource kit to help prepare law enforcement for, and reduce celebratory gunfire on July 4th. This kit includes templates, tips and resources on how to increase community awareness, engagement, identify hotspots and areas of high gunfire to better manage resources, and implement proactive policing policies. And, highlights of the recent Celebratory Gunfire Prevention webinar are available here: http://www.shotspotter.com/system/content-uploads/SST-PPT-Webinar_FieldProvenTips_07-06-16_.pdf
About SST, Inc.
SST, Inc. is the global leader in gunfire detection solutions. SST's ShotSpotter Flex is the leading gunfire alert and analysis solution for detecting gunshots and providing critical intelligence to give law enforcement agencies the detailed real-time data needed to investigate, analyze and prosecute gun related crimes. SST's ShotSpotter SiteSecure provides critical indoor/outdoor infrastructure protection against active shooter events. The company's deep domain experience, intellectual property including 33 issued patents, along with cumulative agency best practice experience, enables measurable outcomes that contribute to reducing gun violence. SST is a proven solution provider with more than 90 installations across the United States and the world. Privately held, the company has two decades of innovation in the area of acoustic gunshot location technology. Details can be found at www.ShotSpotter.com. Details about our U.S. and foreign patents can be found at http://www.ShotSpotter.com/patents.
Media Contact:
Lisa Hendrickson
For ShotSpotter
(516) 767-8390
Email Contact
DUBLIN, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Online Fashion Retail Market in US 2016-2020" report to their offering.
The online fashion retail market in the US is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 14.21% during the period 2016-2020.
Commenting on the report, an analyst from the research team said: Social networks are expected to form an essential part of the online retail evolution in the future, as users spend more than 25% of their total time online on social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter. Social media will soon be a key marketing channel for online retailers to connect with current customers as well as attract new customers to their sites.
According to the report, the rise in smartphone use has contributed to online retail growth in the fashion segment. This smartphone penetration presents significant growth opportunities for e-retailers in the US. With the increase in popularity of shopping through mobile devices, retail sales through these devices are likely to grow.
Further, the report states that the majority of the population is still reluctant to purchase merchandise online without physically examining it. This lack of the touch element has been one of the factors working against online retail, and continues to inhibit the growth of the market.
Companies Mentioned:
ATG Stores.com
Academy Sports + Outdoors
Amazon
Backcountry.com
Best Buy
Costco
CustomInk
Eastern Mountain Sports
Factory Green
Gap
IKEA
Ideel
J.C. Penney
L Brands
Macy's
Target
Walmart
Report Structure:
PART 01: Executive summary
PART 02: Scope of the report
PART 03: Market research methodology
PART 04: Introduction
PART 05: US profile
PART 06: Market landscape
PART 07: Market segmentation by product
PART 08: Market drivers
PART 09: Impact of drivers
PART 10: Market challenges
PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges
PART 12: Market trends
PART 13: Vendor landscape
PART 14: About the Author
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9zbktf/online_fashion
Media Contact:
Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
press@researchandmarkets.com
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
NEW YORK, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Deteriorating Water Quality, Increasing Discretionary Spending Coupled With Growing Health Concerns to Fuel Demand for Water Purifiers in Vietnam Through 2021
According to TechSci Research report, "Vietnam Water Purifiers Market By Technology, By Sales Channel, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2021", the Vietnam market for water purifiers is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% during 2016-2021 on account of deteriorating water quality and increasing consumer awareness about health risks posed by the presence of dissolved solids and other harmful contaminants including viruses and bacteria in drinking water. Over the next five years, growing urban population coupled with rising per capita income is expected to result in augmented demand for water purifiers across the country. Further, rising adoption of advanced water purification technologies is forecast to steer the Vietnam water purifiers market through 2021. On the back of increased water pollution, major demand for water purifiers in Vietnam emanates from the cities of Hanoi and Ho Minh Chi in North and South Vietnam, respectively.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140117/663730 )
Browse 9 market data Tables and 34 Figures spread through100 Pages and an in-depth TOC on
"Vietnam Water Purifiers Market "
https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/vietnam-water-purifier-market-by-technology-membrane-media-and-uv-by-sales-channel-direct-and-indirect-competition-forecast-opportunities-2011-2021/712.html
On the basis of technology, market for water purifiers is categorized into three segments, namely, membrane based, media based and UV based, with membrane based water purifiers market accounting for the largest share in Vietnam water purifiers sales in 2015, due to their ability to significantly reduce the content of total dissolved impurities in drinking water. Over last five years, the market for combination water purifier systems, which utilize more than one purification technology, has exhibited strong growth across the country owing to high efficiency of these water purifiers to provide clean & safe consumable water. The Vietnam water purifiers market is highly competitive with presence of various domestic as well as global players such as Kangaroo, Karofi Vietnam, Sunhouse, and A.O. Smith. Few other leading water purifier manufacturing companies operating in Vietnam include 3M Purification, Best Water Technology, Myota Vietnam, etc.
Download Sample Report
@ https://www.techsciresearch.com/sample-report.aspx?cid=712
Customers can also request for 10% free customization on this report.
"Membrane based water purifiers are exhibiting strong demand growth on account of their higher efficiency to reduce arsenic content from drinking water. Membrane based water purifiers, particularly RO (Reverse Osmosis) based, are highly efficient due to small pore size of the membranes, which enables the purifying unit to remove smallest of the impurities from drinking water. Though the market for membrane based water purifiers is import driven in Vietnam due to lack of raw material availability, demand for membrane based water purifiers in the country is expected to remain strong through 2021.", said Mr. Karan Chechi, Research Director with TechSci Research, a research based global management consulting firm.
"Vietnam Water Purifiers Market By Technology, By Sales Channel, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2011-2021" has evaluated the future growth potential of Vietnam water purifiers market and provides statistics and information on market structure, consumer behavior and trends. The report intends to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the report also identifies and analyzes emerging trends along with essential drivers, challenges and opportunities in the Vietnam water purifiers market.
Browse Related Reports
Global Media Based Water Filters Market Forecast & Opportunities 2020
http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/global-media-based-water-filters-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/551.html
China Water Purifiers Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020
http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/china-water-purifiers-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/529.html
India Water Purifiers Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020
http://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-water-purifiers-market-forecast-and-opportunities-2020/558.html
About TechSci Research
TechSci Research is a leading global market research firm publishing premium market research reports. Serving 700 global clients with more than 600 premium market research studies, TechSci Research is serving clients across 11 different industrial verticals. TechSci Research specializes in research based consulting assignments in high growth and emerging markets, leading technologies and niche applications. Our workforce of more than 100 fulltime Analysts and Consultants employing innovative research solutions and tracking global and country specific high growth markets helps TechSci clients to lead rather than follow market trends.
Contact
Mr. Ken Mathews
708 Third Avenue,
Manhattan, NY,
New York - 10017
Tel: +1-646-360-1656
Email: sales@techsciresearch.com
Connect with us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/TechSciResearch
Connect with us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsci-research
PUNE, India, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The report "Bioherbicides Market by source (Microbials, Biochemicals & Others), Application Mode (Seed, Soil, Foliar, Post-harvest), Formulation (Granular, Liquid & Others), Application, & by Region - Global Trends & Forecast to 2021", The market is projected to reach a value of USD 1,573.7 Million by 2021, at a CAGR of 14.5% from 2016.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )
Browse 73 market data Tables and 48 Figures spread through 100 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Bioherbicides Market"
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/bioherbicides-market-175213366.html
Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.
The market is driven by factors such as increasing demand for organic products, reduced chemical hazards and easier residue management, improved results in yield, quality, and productivity, and support from the government. The high growth potential in emerging markets and untapped regions provides new growth opportunities for the market players.
Microbials segment is projected to be the fastest-growing market on the basis of source from 2016 to 2021
The microbials segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021. It provides a wide range of health benefits to the agricultural industry as it provides sustainable and cost-effective solutions to increase plant yield. They preserve and protect the environment and are thus beneficial to the farmers.
Foliar segment, by application mode, depicts high potential in the Bioherbicides Market
The foliar segment is one of the major segments in the Bioherbicides Market. Bioherbicides applied through the foliar application are generally absorbed at a faster rate than when applied to the soil. The global demand in the foliar segment is expected to increase in the future, especially in developing regions such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=175213366
Significant growth for bioherbicides is observed in the Asia-Pacific region
Asia-Pacific has a high growth potential for bioherbicides. This region has many emerging countries, such as China, India, and Japan. Moreover, factors such as adoption of organic farming practices, growing demand for food safety & quality, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are driving the growth in the Bioherbicides Market in this region.
This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolio of leading companies, such as Emery Oleochemicals (Malaysia), Deer Creek Holdings (U.S.), Verdesian Life Sciences, LLC (U.S.), Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (U.S.), Certified Organics Australia Pty Ltd (Australia), EcoPesticides International, Inc. (U.S.), MycoLogic Inc. Innovative Biologicals (Canada), Bioherbicides Australia Pty Ltd. (Australia), Hindustan Bio-tech (India), and Special Biochem Pvt. Ltd. (India).
Browse related reports:
Biopesticides Market by Type (Bioinsecticides, Biofungicides, Bioherbicides, and Bionematicides), Origin (Beneficial insects, Microbials, and Biochemical), Mode of application, Formulation, Crop type & Region - Global forecast to 2020
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/biopesticides-267.html
Biostimulants Market by Active Ingredient (Humic acids, Fulvic Acids, Seaweed, Microbials, Trace Minerals, Vitamins, and Amino acids), Application Method (Foliar, Soil, and Seed), Crop Type, & by Region - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2021
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/biostimulant-market-1081.html
Know More About our Knowledge Store @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp
About MarketsandMarkets
MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.
M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.
We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.
Contact:
Mr.Rohan
Markets and Markets
UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ
Magarpatta city, Hadapsar
Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India
+1-888-600-6441
Email:sales@marketsandmarkets.com
Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/agriculture-industry
Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- As federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers gather in Victoria, BC for the Ministers' Forum On Housing, they will be doing so in the shadow of a housing and homelessness crisis.
Super Intent City, a community occupied by over 100 homeless individuals from Victoria and the surrounding areas, is a visible sign that current government housing programs aren't working. The community represents the broader rights abuses that homeless people face on a daily basis including discrimination and a lack of adequate housing. Each year over 235,000 people are homeless across Canada, while an estimated 3 million households are precariously housed.
Canada Without Poverty (CWP) joins local and national partners in calling on all levels of governments to uphold and respect Canada's international human rights obligations and protect the right to housing.
Recent announcements by the federal government indicate that a national housing strategy is in the pipeline, but no further details have been given. It is essential that those impacted by inadequate housing and homelessness are consulted, and that a human rights approach guides the process. With the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development on the horizon in October, Canada has the opportunity to show the international community that it is the human rights leader it claims to be.
In the most recent review of Canada by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Canada was criticized for its lack of rights-based measures to address homelessness. A key recommendation by the Committee was for Canada, "to develop and effectively implement a human-rights based national strategy on housing and ensure that all provincial and territorial housing strategies are aligned with the national strategy."
Leilani Farha, CWP's Executive Director and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing stated, "Minister Dulcos and his provincial/territorial counterparts have a choice to make: uphold Canada's international human rights obligations and address the structural causes of homelessness or risk creating a strategy that does little to fix the problem. Super InTent City is a blatant reminder that government failure to protect human rights causes homelessness. "
Contacts:
James Armbruster
Communication and Development Coordinator
613-986-7761
james@cwp-csp.ca
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - First Lady Michelle Obama is in Morocco today and Wednesday to promote her Let Girls Learn initiative. Launched in March 2015, the initiative brings together the Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and other agencies and programs to help adolescent girls worldwide attain a quality education.
"It just makes sense for boys and girls to be educated and involved and empowered," said the First Lady during a panel discussion held in Marrakesh, where she was joined by actresses and fellow women's education activists Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto.
The visit -- the first in North Africa for the Let Girls Learn initiative -- brings new energy to several existing US-Morocco programs focused on girls' education. Signed in November 2015, the second US-Morocco MCC compact includes the Education and Training Project, which prioritizes "delivering quality secondary education focused on the employability skills needed for the modern workforce," and which will make a concerted effort "to ensure that the project results in equitable outcomes for both girls and boys and reduces social, gender, and regional inequalities." Today, and in conjunction with the First Lady's travels, the White House provided additional details on MCC's $100 million investment in what it referred to as "a new model for secondary education in Morocco," citing activities like "mentoring programs, internships, after-school clubs, upgrading bathrooms and changing rooms for girls," and more.
In its 2013-2017 Country Development Cooperation Strategy for Morocco, USAID pledged to work with Morocco's Ministry of Education "to develop gender-sensitive reading materials," and "ensure gender equity in the delivery of training programs." Today, USAID announced a "new $400,000 investment to establish five new girls' dormitories... which will be ready by the next school year," and will allow girls living in rural areas to attend school.
The White House also announced that in the coming months, Morocco will become the Peace Corps' 36 th Let Girls Learn country, wherein "the Peace Corps will train incoming volunteers and community leaders to advance girls' education and empowerment, and will work with local leaders to focus on girls' development through a renewed focus on building critical skills for leadership and employment."
"I am so proud that the US is working with the Moroccan Government to make these transformative new investments to educate and empower girls across Morocco -- investments that will help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise," said Mrs. Obama in a statement.
These programs build on decades of work that the Moroccan government and civil society groups have done on their own to improve the status and strengthen the rights of women in the country. In February 2004, Morocco officially adopted a new family code, one of the most progressive laws on women's and family rights in the Arab world, that raised the age of marriage for girls from 15 to 18, provided women new rights in divorce, and gave wives joint responsibility for the family with their husbands. Article 31 of Morocco's Constitution, adopted by referendum in 2011, requires the government to "facilitate the equal access of [female and male] citizens to conditions that permit their enjoyment of the right... to a modern, accessible education of quality."
"The King has made women's rights and education top priorities since day one, and significant progress has been made," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel. "With the US joining Morocco's leadership in this regard -- two longtime allies working together -- progress on women's education will accelerate all the more."
The First Lady is accompanied in Morocco by her mother, Marian Robinson, as well as her daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama. Prior to Marrakesh, Mrs. Obama was in Liberia; she will next be traveling to Spain, the third and final destination of her Let Girls Learn tour.
The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/6/28/11G104644/Images/arrival_at_airport-daaf0a0117afb25d8cac3e6ce81d1f02.jpg
CONTACT:
Jordana Merran
202.470.2049
jmerran@moroccanamericancenter.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A Republican bill to provide $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday.
In a largely party-line vote, the Senate voted 52 to 48 to move forward with the legislation, falling well short of the 60 votes needed.
Democrats largely opposed the bill due to the inclusion of so-called 'poison pills' related to Planned Parenthood and environmental regulations.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of providing a goody bag for the fringes of the GOP despite the threat posed by the Zika virus.
'This conference report is disgraceful,' Reid said. 'It's shameful to use a real-life public health crisis to push the radical Republican agenda.'
Reid also noted that the funding provided by the bill is well below the $1.9 billion requested by President Barack Obama in February.
Meanwhile, Republicans argued that it is Democrats that are playing politics with a mounting public health crisis.
Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., described the vote as the latest example of Democrats choosing to coarsen political divisions rather than pass meaningful solutions to serious challenges.
'The American people are demanding their elected representatives address this public health crisis now - not whenever it seems politically convenient,' McCain said.
He added, 'I urge Senate Democrats to change course and give our medical community the resources they need to stop the spread of this dangerous disease.'
The Zika virus, which is mainly spread by a tropical mosquito, has been linked to serious birth defects in babies of pregnant women who are infected with the virus.
The partisan gridlock over the bill has raised concerns regarding whether lawmakers will manage to provide funding to combat the virus before the summer recess.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- Department of Canadian Heritage
The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the names of the Expert Advisory Group members who will support her as she seeks input from Canadians on how to strengthen the creation, discovery and export of Canadian content in a digital world.
The members, selected on the basis of their personal experience, expertise and ability to generate and inspire innovative ideas, represent a cross-section of the Canadian arts and culture sectors. The multidisciplinary group will provide advice and ongoing feedback as the Minister consults Canadians and examines the government's current cultural policy toolkit.
More information about the broader Canadian Content in a Digital World consultation will be released during summer 2016. Canadians will have opportunities in the fall to express their views on how to ensure that Canada's cultural and creative industries remain drivers of innovation and a vibrant part of the Canadian economy.
Quick Facts
-- During the pre-consultation phase, close to 10,000 questionnaires were completed. -- Feedback received during this initial phase is being analysed and will help Canadian Heritage develop the framework that will guide the consultations. -- The Expert Advisory Group's mandate will be carried out from June 2016 to January 2017. The group will meet with the Minister in person or by video conference approximately five times. -- The consultation plan that will be announced in summer 2016 will provide an opportunity to listen and learn from Canadians.
Quotes
"Given the importance and the breadth of these consultations, I am pleased that I can count on a group of creative and innovative experts with a diversity of skills to provide me with key feedback throughout the process. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their participation and the interest and enthusiasm they've shown so far in this exercise. Stay tuned for the next steps-the conversation is just getting started."
- The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage
Associated Links
Consultations - Canadian Content in a Digital World
Expert Advisory Group
Terms of reference for the Expert Advisory Group
Stay Connected
Follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr.
Contacts:
Pierre-Olivier Herbert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
819-997-7788
Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca
VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- For Immediate Release
2016MNGD0037-001172
June 28, 2016
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers' Forum on Housing
NEWS RELEASE COMMUNIQUE
Ministers committed to improving housing outcomes for Canadians
VICTORIA - Federal, Provincial and Territorial Housing Ministers
Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing met today to discuss key priorities for housing in Canada.
Ministers agreed to move forward with a renewed federal, provincial and territorial collaboration in housing based on integrity, openness and respect. Ministers discussed the development of a National Housing Strategy and agreed that a long term vision is essential for meeting the housing needs of Canadians.
(i) All Canadians have access to housing that meets their needs and that they can afford. Housing is the cornerstone of building sustainable, inclusive communities and a strong Canadian economy where we can prosper and thrive.
A National Housing Strategy to achieve positive outcomes for Canadians requires collaboration among many partners. Federal, provincial and territorial collaboration will:
(i) recognize and respect each other's specific roles and responsibilities;
(i) build upon and complement provincial and territorial strategies; and
(i) recognize that flexibility and sustainability are required to address the varied housing challenges, including those facing Indigenous people and Canada's North.
Canadians will be able to have their say online and through other consultations on a National Housing Strategy. Roundtable discussions with Indigenous and other communities, key stakeholders and housing experts will be convened by CMHC in the summer and early fall. Feedback from the consultations will be brought back to ministers when they meet again in the fall.
Quotes
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation -
"The National Housing Strategy will build on existing collaboration between federal, provincial and territorial governments and seek to achieve better housing outcomes for Canadians. We are eager to start consulting Canadians on a long-term strategy for housing in Canada."
The Honourable Rich Coleman, Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for Housing, Government of British Columbia -
"We are pleased that the federal government recognizes the provinces and territories as primary partners in housing. Our renewed collaboration will strengthen and support the work provinces and territories are already doing to achieve positive housing outcomes for our citizens. Working together to develop a National Housing Strategy will help reach our shared goal of making sure all Canadians have access to housing that is safe and affordable."
(i)While it shares a number of objectives with the other governments in the area of housing, the province of Quebec indicated that it did not intend at this stage to sign on to a National Housing Strategy, but would participate in working toward the development of such a strategy with a view to sharing information.
Related links:
(i) Let's Talk Housing: https://letstalkhousing.ca
Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect
Contacts:
Mathieu Filion
Director of Communications
Office of the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
819 654-5546
mathieu.filion@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Charles Sauriol
Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
613 748-2734
csauriol@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
Paul Woolley
Communications Director
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Natural Gas Development Communications Office
250 952-0621
Paul.woolley@gov.bc.ca
Lithium Australia NLand Pilbara Mineralshave teamed up to progress the development of Sileach.Sileach is potentially a new process of recovering lithium carbonate, and is owned by Lithium Australia.The company says Sileach will be more energy efficient, compared to conventional ways of mining lithium because it will not require the additional step of roasting.Both companies may enter a 50/50 JV to commercialise Sileach, and develop a lithium conversion facility depending on the results of the Sileach tests.Lithium Australia reported a net loss of $1.76 million at 31 December 2015.
Owlstone Medical, Ltd, a Cambridge, UK-based diagnostics company, raised $7m (4.9m) in funding.
The round was led by Medtekwiz Advisory Ltd.
The company intends to use the funds for ongoing clinical trials of the breathalyzer in lung and colon cancer screening.
Founded by Billy Boyle, CEO as a spin out of parent company Owlstone Inc.*, Owlstone Medical leverages proprietary and proven Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) technology to develop and commercialize a breathalyzer for use in clinical diagnostics and precision medicine with applications in cancer, inflammatory and infectious disease.
FAIMS measures volatile organic compound (VOCs) metabolites in patients breath or bodily fluids which are specific to disease.
*Owlstone was spun out of Cambridge University in 2004 and has raised $28m in funding.
FinSMEs
28/06/2016
ValChoice, a Bedford, N.H.-based analytics company that lets consumers of insurance know which companies offer the best price, protection (claims payment) and service, received a $120k Microsoft BizSpark Plus Award.
The award is part of a global program that gives access to Microsoft Azure cloud services, software and support.
In the last six months has received grants totalling approx. $500k from University of New Hampshires Social Venture Innovation Challenge, Live Free and Start, Alpha Loft, Manchester Young Professional Network (MYPN) and now Microsoft BizSpark Plus Award.
Led by Dan Karr, CEO, ValChoice provides consumers, agents and advisors with information on which home and auto insurance companies offer the best value in terms of price, protection and service.
The companys analytics platform collects and analyzes millions of financial and complaint data points and delivers the results in a single dashboard, allowing consumers to shop for insurance based on value rather than making decisions based on price or advertising campaigns.
FinSMEs
28/06/2016
Affiris AG, a Vienna, Austria-based developer of therapeutic peptide vaccines against chronic diseases, raised an additional 10m in funding.
Backers included Santo Holding the family office of the Strungmann family ,the MIG Funds advised by MIG Verwaltungs AG and new investor FCPG Affi GmbH.
Led by Oliver Siegel, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and newly appointed Gunther Staffler, Chief Technology Officer, Affiris develops therapeutic peptide vaccines against chronic diseases. Its clinical pipeline consists of 3 drug candidates against Parkinsons, MSA and Hypercholesterolemia. Further vaccine candidates against diabetes, allergies, asthma as well as Huntingtons disease are in preclinical development.
Affiris started Phase 1 clinical development of its Hypercholesterolemia and Atherosclerosis prevention vaccine candidates AT04A and AT06A and expects data from this study in Q1 2017. They target PCSK9, an enzyme which plays a role in the lipid metabolism of the liver. If PCSK9 is blocked, more LDL receptors will be present on the surface of the liver and will remove more LDL cholesterol from the blood.
The company has raised funding of approx. 130m to date, half of which comes from license income and government grants. It currently employs 60 staff at the Campus Vienna Biocenter in Vienna, Austria.
FinSMEs
28/06/2016
Chandigarh: A young woman who was gang-raped by 10 men in Haryana has sent a legal notice to actor Salman Khan asking him to apologize over his rape remark. She has sought Rs 10 crore in damages from Salman for belittling rape victims.
The gang-rape victim, from Hisar district, sent the notice to the Bollywood superstar at his Galaxy Apartments address in Mumbai's upscale Bandra area on Saturday. The notice was sent through her counsel.
The victim pointed out that Salman Khan had tried to joke about the plight of rape victims by comparing a tough action sequence to the status of a gang-raped woman.
The victim was kidnapped by 10 people and gang-raped in Hisar four years ago. The court sentenced the assaulters to life imprisonment. The victim is seeking death penalty for the accused.
The father of the rape victim committed suicide following the incident.
Asked how he felt doing the strenuous shooting of Sultan, where he plays a wrestler, Salman responded that he "felt like a raped woman... he could barely stand straight after the shoot".
The statement invited sharp rebuke on social media. His father and writer Salim Khan apologized on behalf of his son and admitted the statement was in bad taste.
A case was registered in Kanpur and Lucknow courts on Thursday against the actor.
New Delhi: The government is likely to soon announce the implementation of Seventh Pay Commission that would hike the salaries and allowances for over 1 crore government employees and pensioners by at least 23.5 per cent.
A Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha has submitted its report on the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission which may be accepted, a financial ministry official said.
Based on the panels report, the Finance Ministry is preparing a Cabinet note and the issue may come up for approval by the Cabinet as early as June 29.
Committee of Secretaries (CoS) has finalised its report on Pay Commission recommendations... We will soon (file) draft Cabinet note based on the report, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said on Monday.
The government had in January set up a high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission which will have bearing on the remuneration of nearly 50 lakh central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.
The Pay Commission had recommended 23.55 per cent overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore or nearly 0.7 per cent of the GDP.
The panel recommended a 14.27 per cent increase in basic pay, the lowest in 70 years. The previous 6th Pay Commission had recommended a 20 per cent hike which the government doubled while implementing it in 2008.
The 23.55 per cent increase includes hike in allowances.
The entry level pay has been recommended to be raised to Rs 18,000 per month from current Rs 7,000 while the maximum pay, drawn by the Cabinet Secretary, has been fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh per month from current Rs 90,000.
Sources said the secretaries panel may have recommended higher pay increase, with minimum entry level pay at Rs 23,500 a month and maximum salary of Rs 3.25 lakh.
While the Budget for 2016-17 fiscal did not provide an explicit provision for implementation of the 7th Pay Commission, the government had said the once-in-a-decade pay hike for government employees has been built in as interim allocation for different ministries.
Around Rs 70,000 crore has been provisioned for it, officials said.
Lavasa said the Seventh Pay Commission report will be effective from January 1.
New Delhi: Food regulator FSSAI has asked state authorities to crack down on mineral water packaging
units that are operating without its licence.
As many as 75 per cent of the packaging units, owned by various firms, including Pepsico and Bisleri, are said to be operating without an FSSAI licence. These units are operating under a BIS certification.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), however, feels there is no safety or quality concern over the bottled water supplied by these units.
Out of total 5,842 registered water packaging units, 1,495 units have both BIS and FSSAI licences, while 4,347 units have only BIS certification.
"FSSAI regulations require mandatory BIS certification on packaged water. However there is a need for such businesses to obtain FSSAI certification. For which we have already written to the state food commissioners," FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said.
When asked about the quality of the bottled water which are sold without FSSAI licence, he said: "BIS has robust system of ensuring quality of packaged water. There is no issue of safety of packaged water at all, if the packaged water businesses have obtained BIS certification."
Most of the companies have no issues in obtaining FSSAI licence as per the feedback received by the regulator, he added.
Stating that many of the bottlers are not abiding by the law, Agarwal said: "Out of close to 6,000 registered packaged water units in the country, more than 4,300 don't have FSSAI licence, which also include some reputed names, where some of their units may not have food regulator's approval."
According to the regulator data, the units which do not have FSSAI licence include units of Hindustan Coca-cola, Pepsico and Bisleri, among others.
Pepsico sells its packaged water under the brand name Aquafina, Coca-cola sells under the name Kinley, while Bisleri sells under its own name.
When contacted, Pepsico India and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said that they manufacture packaged drinking water under valid licences.
PepsiCo India spokesperson said: "We at PepsiCo strictly adhere to all quality and regulatory norms and all our packaged drinking water is manufactured under valid licences issued by relevant authorities. We have not received any communication from authorities in this regard."
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said that it has all the approvals and permissions, including BIS and FSSAI, to manufacture packaged drinking water for all its 26 factories.
"Our factories are fully compliant with all local regulations and have all the approvals and permissions
required to operate these factories," Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages said.
"This list of permissions include the BIS and FSSAI approvals for manufacturing packaged drinking water," it said. "Quality and safety of our products is paramount to us. Kinley is a brand built on consumer trust and love and we will never do anything that contravenes the faith and trust that consumers repose in our products," it added.
Sarkari airline Air India had yet another flight delay this afternoon. Only this time, an important Union Minister was among the passengers and chose to fume about his experience on social media. Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu lashed out at Air India after his Delhi-Hyderabad flight got delayed, saying he missed an "important" meeting because of the delay.
Delays are part and parcel of flying, should the minister have made such a big deal about it? It turns out that in a peer-to-peer comparison, Air India is decidedly the least reliable in terms of on-time performance. Whether it be domestic flights or international ones.
Air India tweeted its apology to the minister while clarifying that the commander of the said aircraft was held up in a traffic jam. Commanders are required to report at least an hour before the flight so this seems to be a curious case of indiscipline.
Will some heads roll now, after the public rebuke by a Union minister and an equally public assertion by the Minister of Civil Aviation A Gajapathi Raju and his deputy that a thorough inquiry would be conducted into this instance of delay?
Any strict action seems unlikely against errant Air India staff, as previous such promises of inquiries show. Which would be a pity, since this instance could serve as an opportunity for concerned officials to pull up their socks.
An Air India official said he knew nothing about the pilot getting delayed but the incoming aircraft was delayed due to bad weather at Delhi - which was delaying flights of other airlines too. He said the flight anyway departed after an hour's delay from the scheduled time at 2.15 pm. And what's an hour's delay, never mind if your all-important meeting is missed because of a fictional traffic jam holding up the commander.
Whether this was a case of rostering mismanagement, staff indiscipline or engineering/ATC issues, the fact remains that hundreds of passengers booked on Air India flights face delays which are far more frequent than those seen on private airlines.
So perhaps now, at least one union minister will be favourable to the long-disputed idea of privatisaing Air India?
It is clear that till sarkari babus manage its affairs, Air India's performance parameters will remain below par. It is time airline industry professionals take command at Air India if it is to survive tough competition from private airlines. Specially, since the government has already pumped in over Rs 22,000 crore of taxpayers' money into the mismanaged airline!
Air India has been harping lately on the first operational profit of Rs 8 crore in a decade in 2015-16 --- it is high time the airline also sets for itself some performance parameters.
Sample this: Yesterday, a Monday, there were at least 12 delays of beyond two hours on the Air India network which were largely attributed to technical faults in the aircraft. At least one flight was delayed because the commander did not reach in time.
The domestic network was anyway crippled since as many as 12 of Air India's A320 family aircraft were grounded due to engineering issues, allowing the airline to meet its schedule with just 54 aircraft.
Another four of the Boeing 777 family and two Dreamliners were also in ground due to engineering issues.
It seems there are increasing cases where aircraft ready to takeoff returns from the ramp due to technical issues.
Last year, $300 million which Air India raised through ECBs was earmarked for the engineering department but sources say not all the money has still been given to the department. Non-availability of aircraft remains a big reason for poor OTP of Air India.
How are private airlines able to manage better operational parameters when Air India constantly battles delays? The airline continues to languish at the bottom of the OTP charts month after month.
According to the latest data for May put out by DGCA, only 74.3 per cent of AIs domestic flights arrived and departed on time in May at metro airports. This means roughly every fourth flight was delayed last month. Compare this to 90.2 percent on time performance (OTP) by AirAsia, 85.1 percent by Vistara, 83.1 percent by IndiGo and 82.3 percent by Jet Airways at the same airports and it is clear that private airlines are managing their OTPs far better.
Almost 44,000 passengers faced delays beyond two hours on Air India's domestic network last month the highest among all domestic airlines. The stats look even scarier in the last five days.
Air India's international OTP was 78 percent, 72 percent, 65 percent and 68 percent on June 27, 26, 25 and 24 respectively. Put simply, this means last Saturday, every third Air India international flight was delayed. For the domestic network, the stats are 79 percent, 74 percent, 76 percent, 78 percent for June 27, 26, 25 and 24. Clearly, at least two in 10 domestic flights are being delayed every day.
Naidu said in his tweets that Air India should explain how such things are happening. "Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment."
Accountability is surely needed, Earlier, senior officials in the ministry of civil aviation was monitoring Air India's OTP regularly and the airline had set up a war room at Delhi airport to strictly monitor delays. Though daily OTP reports are generated, little followup action over causes for delay is seen. Now is the time to professionalise Air India if the government finds it difficult to take the privatisaton route.
The airline is in the midst of appointing new independent directors as the sitting members have finished their terms. If not in the management, perhaps professional representation should be increased through directors on the airline's board? News reports suggest that Chairman and MD Ashwani Lohani may be in the race for the post of Chairman, Railway Board.If this is true, perhaps his successor should be able to improve things at India's national airline.
FRANKFURT Volkswagen has agreed a $603 million settlement with dozens of U.S. states to resolve state consumer protection claims over the German carmaker's diesel emissions scandal, it said on Tuesday.
Volkswagen in a statement said it had agreed with the attorneys general of 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
"Today's announcement is within the scope of our provisions and other financial liabilities that we have already disclosed, and we are in a position to manage the consequences," Volkswagen's Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Hyderabad: Expecting to attract investments worth $6.4 billion, Andhra Pradesh will soon be setting up an international industrial park.
An MoU in this regard was signed by the state government on Monday with China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and China Small and Medium Investment Group Limited, Beijing during the current visit by 13-member delegation led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to China.
The project to come at Donakonda in Prakasam district will comprise a Building Materials Industrial Park and Modern Building Materials Logistics Park.
The industrial park, the first of its kind in India, will give a major boost to make in Andhra Pradesh, said a statement from the chief minister's office.
The Building Material Industrial park will come up in an area of 20 square km with an investment of $0.9 billion and will manufacture all categories of building materials and low- carbon energy-saving new materials.
This park will provide direct employment to 10,000 people.
The Modern Building Materials Logistics Park will also be set up in 20 square km with an investment of $5.5 billion and will take care of the distribution and be a logistics centre of all categories of building materials. As many as 35,000 people will be directly employed.
The proposed total investment is $6.4 billion and the facility will be completed in three phases.
The park will attract manufacturing industries and logistics companies from China and other countries to invest and set up units. The products manufactured will be supplied to local markets, other areas of India and the export market.
The park will manufacture structured materials like wood, bamboos, stones, cement, concrete, metals, bricks, tiles, ceramics, glass, engineering plastics and composite materials etc.
Decoration materials like coatings, paint, cladding materials, veneering, ceramic tiles in all colors and glass with special effects will also be manufactured.
The Bihar State Education Board's former chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad took answer sheets of 'toppers' out of the evaluation centre's strongroom and got at least two of them to write fresh answers, the officer investigating the case has said in an interview to The Indian Express.
Manu Maharaj, senior SP, Patna, said that investigation showed that some stacks of the answer sheets were found without mandatory serial numbers. Further, some answer sheets were found with manually written serial numbers, as per the report in The Indian Express.
In the interview to The Indian Express, the senior SP has also alleged that the interrogation of other accused also revealed that Prasad granted affiliation to more than 200 colleges, although they did not have the required infrastructure.
The scandal surfaced following a video featuring the toppers that went viral, in which arts and science toppers Ruby Rai and Saurabh Shrestha were seen giving ridiculous answers to questions on their subjects.
Embarrassed by the irregularities, the state government had ordered a SIT probe in the matter during which Bachcha Rai, the principal of Vishun Roy College, was arrested besides some other accused.
The SIT subsequently booked Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife Usha Sinha, a former principal of the Ganga Devi women's college in Patna.
On 21 June, Lalkeshwar, his wife and five others were remanded to 14 days judicial custody in connection with the controversy.
Interestingly, it appears that Vishun Roy College, which faces allegations of being in a nexus with the Bihar education board, has been under the official scanner earlier as well. In 2015, an inquiry commission had conducted investigations on the college, according to a report in The Indian Express. This was after it produced toppers year after year, arousing suspicion. However, the report of the committee has not been made public.
With inputs from PTI
Patna: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Tuesday arrested Bihar School Examination Board clerk Ram Bujhawan Jha in connection with the Std 12 toppers' scam, police said.
Earlier, Jha was detained and interrogated by the SIT.
"SIT has arrested Jha on the basis of revelations made by others who have been arrested in connection with the toppers scam," a police official said.
Jha was produced in a local court that sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.
SIT on Monday had arrested former Board secretary Hariharnath Jha in connection with the scam.
Last week, SIT had arrested the Board's former chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad and his wife Usha Sinha from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
So far, 20 persons have been arrested in the case, police said.
One of the major claims of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa before the recent assembly elections that people seem to have believed was that the law and order situation in the state had improved during her time compared to the previous regime of the DMK. But, the shocking murder of a girl at a train station on Friday and the preceding spate of murders of some lawyers in Chennai have dented her claim and long-standing reputation.
The general impression among Chennaities has always been that Jayalalithaa is good for law and order. Although the statewide NCRB statistics may not be consistent with this trust, there is something visible during Jayas rule. Some attribute it to visible policing, as described by a former city police commissioner, while some assume that it is because of the freehand the Police enjoy under Jaya. Earlier this year, Jaya herself had told the assembly that Tamil Nadu is a haven of peace. because the police was given full freedom.
Taking pride in improved law and order, she had said: Public order and incidence of crime are two different things. Though steps to maintain public order are taken, it is not possible to attain a stage where there are no incidences of crime. She also said that the number of crimes had reduced in her regime.
But the murder of the girl, Swathi, one of the thousands of young middle class IT professionals that commute to the citys suburbs for work every day, at a train station in front of several people has breached that apparent calm. The same week also saw the murder of four other women elsewhere in the city. Strangely four lawyers were also murdered before these crimes in separate incidents. According to media reports, the city witnessed 13 murders last month. Its murder galore in a city that had been peaceful till a few days ago.
Among all the murders, Swathis death probably created the maximum impact because the incident provoked the latent fear that middle class families in the city harbour. Her profile was what middle class families in Indian cities aspire for. And that some criminal could just hack her to death and run away without getting caught makes them scared. Jaya has to act tough again and do something really drastic.
The spate of murders certainly shows a lull in the strict policing that the city had witnessed over the last few years. Jaya always spoke about law and order as a priority and the people did believe that she was better than anybody else for a peaceful life. In 2011, law and order was one of her poll-planks and every now and then, she had repeated her claims of improving the situation. For instance, during her last tenure, she took pride in how she busted the land-grabbing syndicates that allegedly operated during the DMK-regime and how she restored lakhs of acres of usurped land to thousands of people.
Interestingly in the recent assembly elections, the DMK also attacked Jaya on her land and order performance. MK Stalin, the number two in DMK, quoted crime statistics to prove that the situation worsened during her period.
Swathis case certainly shows that something is amiss.
Even after four days after the crime, the police hasnt been able to find a breakthrough. All that the media has reported so far has been about the jurisdictional details - that the incident occurred at a train station and hence investigation is the responsibility of the railway police. Reportedly, the city police didnt take up investigation because of this question of jurisdiction.
What the police, in its cold bureaucratic attitude, overlooked was a total lack of investigative capacity of the railway police and the price of inaction. It should have sou moto taken action and investigated. Reportedly, the police didnt even reach the crime spot for two hours after the incident although it was right in the middle of the city because it thought the Railways would handle it.
Finally, it took a High Court division bench to intervene. The Court asked the city police to take over and told them that it would monitor the case for a few days. What reportedly prompted the court to take action was the city police commissioners statement that railway stations were out of the jurisdiction of the city police.
The inertia of the city police shows that either it has lost its vigil or hasn't read Jayas mind in terms of law and order. Its a matter of her reputation. Its also strange that she hasnt pulled up people responsible for this negligence.
The city needs a crackdown, something drastic. In a knee-jerk reaction to the recent murders, the police has rounded up 150 rowdies. Many of them will be kept in jail under the Goondas Act, but would that help? Its hard to crack the deep and time-tested politician-criminal-police nexus, but it has to be at least kept under check.
In 2012, shortly after Jaya came to power, five suspects of a bank robbery were shot dead in Chennai. Human rights activists flayed the incident and some even went to court asking for action against the police. However, both the people and the court sided with the police.
Thats what the fear of crime does to people. With Swatis death, it seems to have returned.
Raipur: Three Naxals were on Tuesday killed in a gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.
The encounter took place after the forces launched an operation to capture a Maoist commander who was said to be in the area.
"The operation was launched collectively by state's District Reserve Group (DRG), CRPF's Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and district force under Gadiras Police Station limits," Sukma Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela said.
The exercise was carried out on the basis of information about presence of Bhime, a Maoist commander of Badesatti LOS (local organisation squad), in the area.
"We received inputs that Bhime was camping along with 15-20 armed cadres near Bandem since last night. We mobilised our composite force towards the region to nab him," the officer said.
When the security forces reached the forests of Badesatti village a Maoist hotbed located around 450km from Raipur, armed insurgents opened indiscriminate fire on them, triggering a gun fight between the two sides, the SP said.
"So far, bodies of three Maoists, besides tiffin bombs and other Naxal-related items, have been found," he said.
It was not known if Bhime was present at the encounter spot.
Further details will be known once the security personnel return to their camp, Elesela added.
Hyderabad: Nine more lower court judges were on Tuesday suspended by the High Court on disciplinary grounds as the agitation against provisional allocation of judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana intensified with 200 judicial officers in Telangana going on mass leave for 15 days.
The Telangana Judges Association also called for a 'High Court Bandh' on Wednesday.
The development also escalated the row between Telangana Government and the Centre, with the TRS blaming the Centre for not bifurcating the HC following carving out of Telangana from undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
Protesting the action taken by the High Court on Tuesday, about 200 judicial officers working across the state decided to go on mass leave for 15 days beginning Tuesday.
The HC had yesterday suspended two lower court judges after over 100 of them took out a procession and submitted a representation on their demands to the Governor on Sunday under the banner of the Telangana Judges Association.
The ruling TRS on Tuesday alleged that the Centre was being "insensitive" in not bifurcating the High Court so far.
TRS Lok Sabha member K Kavitha said her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao even proposed to hold a protest dharna in Delhi over the issue.
However, Union Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said the Centre had no role in the bifurcation of a high court. The state government blaming the Centre on the issue was "unacceptable and intolerable", Gowda said.
He also rubbished the TRS charge that the Centre was under political pressure from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
"Creation of new high court for Telangana... it's in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that high court (which is common for two states at present)," Gowda told PTI.
"If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, rest of the things high court will take care. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, its not fair on anybody," Gowda said.
"Central government has no role to play. It's not in our hands. But unnecessarily blaming the Central government, it's not fair on the part of the Chief Minister or any persons of Telangana government," the Union Minister said.
On the CM's proposed dharna, Gowda said, "For no reason if he holds a dharna, people will evaluate the dharna."
Kavitha had, however, hastened to add earlier that the Telangana government did not want things to "escalate to that level" (CM holding dharna) and appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene on the issue of bifurcation.
She said TRS MPs had raised the issue in Parliament and Rao had approached the PM "10 times" for bifurcation of the high court, but the Centre refused to respond under pressure from Chandrababu Naidu.
There was a "conspiracy" by the Andhra Pradesh government and some "Andhra elders at the Centre" in "Andhra Judges" getting the option to work in Telangana, she said.
Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation on 6 June protesting the provisional allocation. They objected to the judges from Andhra Pradesh getting appointments in Telangana courts.
Some 125 judicial officers of Telangana had on Sunday tendered their resignations to the Telangana Judges Association President, authorising him to hand them over to the Governor, if the demands were not met.
After the suspension of nine more judges Tuesday, Telangana Judges Association held an emergency meeting where they decided to proceed on a fortnight-long mass casual leave.
"...nearly 200 judges under the aegis of Telangana Judges Association attended the meeting and passed a resolution to proceed on mass leave for 15 days," a judicial officer told PTI, adding it also passed a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of the list of allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
All India Judicial Employees Association's general secretary B Lakshma Reddy had on Monday said non-bifurcation of the High Court was the root cause of the problem.
Lawyers affiliated to Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee held demonstrations outside courts across the state.
Telangana Judges Association also gave a call for `Chalo High Court' and a `High Court Bandh' on Wednesday.
Police took several protesting advocates into preventive custody.
Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao had earlier said the allocation of judges was done by the High Court without taking into consideration the guidelines framed by the HC itself in February this year.
"We have been seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.
Telangana BJP blamed the Chief Minister for the row.
"BJP supports Telangana judges' protest and (is against) the injustice being meted out to them. CM KCR is equally responsible for not acting on time, while the provisional list was in process.
"Governor in consultation with Chief Justice of High Court and the CM appoints district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this five to six month process? Why did not he protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by HC? His protest now is purely political," BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya would meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana in Delhi on Tuesday over the issue, a BJP release said.
Meanwhile in Waragal, lawyers allegedly vandalised a local court and tried to assault a sessions judge, demanding that he shift outside Telangana.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is on a 13-day visit to cities such as Goa, Punjab and Gujarat to prepare the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for polls scheduled in these states next year, on Tuesday had an interaction with the family members of fishermen community in Panaji (Goa). What was so amusing?
This.
Goans, known for their bohemian way of life, welcomed Kejriwal with this flowery crown, which the Delhi chief minister seemed to enjoy. As we know by now that the Twitter community leaves no stone unturned when it comes to trolling anyone, we compiled these hilarious tweets for you. Although, sporting this floral headgear was a nice gesture on Kejriwal's part, there is no harm in having a good laugh, is there?
When you have dharna at 6, but you gotta attend Coachella at 8 pic.twitter.com/qTMHRzgEpK Anuradha (@anuradha_kush) June 28, 2016
And Arvind Kejriwal dresses for the occasion: pic.twitter.com/6KSUuvmyBE https://t.co/0QsaeGo43q Nakul Shenoy (@NakulShenoy) June 28, 2016
Ummm why is Kejriwal wearing a snapchat filter while talking to the press In Goa? pic.twitter.com/h2gd1OiFkB Gerard (@TheSpear_) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal looks so fetching with flowers in his hair. https://t.co/ud3D8Dfd7D Tavleen Singh (@tavleen_singh) June 28, 2016
When you don't have Snapchat, but want to use that filter anyway pic.twitter.com/BWUQxzZsei Aditya Nagarajan (@aditya_n) June 28, 2016
NDTV came prepared to protect their microphone in case someone waters those plants mid-interview pic.twitter.com/IoxMVsHuzV St_Hill (@St_Hill) June 28, 2016
Yet another case of old people trying to figure out Snapchat filters pic.twitter.com/ZKDxI59Fs2 Abhishek Upadhya (@_logik) June 28, 2016
AAP members declared Kejriwal as
'PM in the North' pic.twitter.com/hkHWA61SZN Muft Fizool Mechanic (@Me81somesh) June 28, 2016
Looks like #Kejriwal ji ka dil garden-garden ho gaya pic.twitter.com/0dCfZbjlJP Paloma Sharma (@PalomaSharma) June 28, 2016
They said I could be anything, so I became a bouquet. #NotASnapchatFilter #Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/aXzONpYguE Divya Bhandari Kamra (@foodie_woman_) June 28, 2016
Reporter: you're a fool
Kejriwal: thank you pic.twitter.com/tUewmr7GEN Booze Wayne (@TheApocalypZe) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal is the brand ambassador of Snapchat or what. Brownfried. (@thebhokalibong) June 28, 2016
Pakistan ~ We Have Taher Shah, What Do You Have ?? Arvind Kejriwal ~ Say No More.... *Boom* pic.twitter.com/IKRCWgOWue Babu Bhaiya (@Shahrcasm) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal's Dp after applying Tiara filter! pic.twitter.com/b8dYHNDstc Mojo (@Singhlicious) June 28, 2016
PSA: @ArvindKejriwal HAS JOINED SNAPCHAT. I REPEAT, ARVIND KEJRIWAL HAS JOINED SNAPCHAT! pic.twitter.com/P5LjvSiL14 Pathikrit Sanyal (@BucketheadCase) June 28, 2016
Looks like Arvind Kejriwal is preparing for Game of Thrones #NotASnapChatFilter pic.twitter.com/gi6n7wjn1M Funjabi Munda (@ifunjabimunda) June 28, 2016
Tahir Shah's reaction to Angel Kejriwal.
. pic.twitter.com/bXVCU1ijG1 PhD in Bak*****! (@Atheist_Krishna) June 28, 2016
Ahmedabad: Overturning a trial court judgement, the Gujarat High Court has convicted seven people for murder in a 2002 post-Godhra riots case in Viramgam town in the district.
The court has asked the seven who have been convicted for murder to appear before it on 25 July, when it will pronounce the quantum of sentence to them. There were total 10 accused in the Viramgam town riot
case, of which the trial court had in 2011 convicted two for murder, four of lesser offences while four others were acquitted.
The High Court also upheld the trial court order convicting two on charges of murder and acquitted another
accused Devabhai Samatbhai Bharwad. With this ruling, a division bench of Justice Harsh Devani and Justice Biren Vaishnav, in a judgement on Monday, has convicted a total of nine persons for murder and acquitted one in the riot case where three people were killed in Viramgam.
The court will pass order on their quantum of sentence on 25 July. The seven who were found guilty of murder by the high court are: Satabhai alias Haider Gela Bharwad, Naranbhai Samantbhai Bharwad, Udaji Ranchhodbhai Thakor, Valabhai Gelabhai Bharwad, Viththal alias Kuchiyo Moti Bharwad, Mulabhai Gelabhai Bharwad and Merabhai Gelabhai Bharwad.
They were convicted for offences under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 325 and 326 (causing grevious hurt) of the IPC.
The case dates back to 28 February, 2002, a day after Sabarmati Express train was burnt in Godhra killing 59 karsevaks, triggering state-wide riots.
A mob of around 40 people had attacked a Muslim locality in Viramgam armed with sharp weapons and tried to demolish a dargah. When Muslim residents tried to prevent them from doing so, they were attacked, leading to the death of three persons.
Dostmmohammad Bhatti, an eyewitness, had sought further investigation in the matter from the High Court before conviction, which in 2010 had directed the then Ahmedabad SP (rural) Sandeep Singh to re-investigate the case.
Prominent members of the LGBT community in the country have moved the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the colonial-era law of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, reported Hindustan Times.
The petition that was put forward by chef Ritu Dalmia, dancer NS Johar, hotelier Aman Nath, journalist Sunil Mehra and business executive Ayesha Kapur, reported The Times of India, will be heard before a bench of Justice SA Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan on 29 June, Wednesday. The Supreme Court resumes work on Wednesday after a 45-day vacation, and lawyers Arvind Datar and Kapil Sibal will represent the petitioners, the report added.
In 2009, the Delhi High Court had ruled that the Section 377 of the IPC which criminalises consensual sex between LGBTQI partners was unconstitutional. In 2013, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India quashed the Delhi High Court judgment saying that the ruling was a matter of judicial overreach and it was up to the Parliament to make laws.
Following that, Congress MP and former UN undersecretary-general Shashi Tharoor had tried introducing a bill in December 2015 that sought an amendment to the IPC by seeking to substitute a new section for section 377 of the IPC but was shot down in the Lok Sabha. Tharoor then asserted that he will introduce the bill again.
On 2 February this year, the SC had referred the issue of Section 377 to a five-judge constitutional bench. A SC bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur referred the curative petition to the five-judge bench as senior counsel Kapil Sibal said that the issue involved a question of far-reaching constitutional importance and must be heard by a five-judge bench.
Sibal had argued for decriminalising Section 377 of IPC, and submitted that the issue concerned the "most private and the most precious" part of life, the right to sexuality within the four corners of your domain, which has been held as unconstitutional.
The petition, which will be heard on Wednesday, makes a declaration that the LGBT citizens in India have a right to determine their sexuality, sexual autonomy, choice of sexual partner, life, privacy, dignity and equality, along with the other fundamental rights guaranteed under Part-III of Constitution, which are currently are violated by Section 377, reported Deccan Chronicle.
The Hindustan Times report added that the 716-page petition has been drafted by a team of lawyers including Arundhati Katju, Himanshu Suman, Menaka Guruswamy and Saurabha Kripal.
The activists, in their petition, said that their lives have been "inexorably constricted and their rights infringed" by the penal provision. "Despite their achievements and contributions to India in various fields, they are being denied the right to sexuality, the most basic and inherent of fundamental rights. Section 377 renders them criminals in their own country," the petition said.
With inputs from PTI
A special NIA court on Tuesday rejected the bail application of 2008 Malegoan blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who had been given a clean chit by the probe agency last month. Even as the court pulled up NIA for dropping MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) charges against Thakur, victim's lawyer said that it was an independent decision taken by the court.
"The court has taken an independent view. The NIA's no-objection certificate has been discarded," Advocate Wahab Khan told the reporters. Khan, who appeared for the intervener in the case who was among the injured, said the court pulled up the NIA for conducting a fresh investigation under the pretext of carrying out further probe.
"The court has said that prima facie and MCOCA cannot be dropped against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur," Khan said.
Special Judge SD Tekale rejected the bail plea in an in-camera hearing, after families of the blast victims objected to Pragya's plea.
In her application, Pragya had contended that there was no evidence against her.
Though the motorcycle used in the blast was owned by her, according to one of the witnesses, it was in the possession of Ramchandra Kalsangra, an absconding accused, she had said.
Some of the witnesses, whose statements were used to implicate her, later retracted and filed complaints of torture by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), her plea said.
Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, who was among those injured in the blast, had filed an intervention application and opposed her plea.
Reacting to the court's order, family of Sadhvi Pragya Singh said that they will approach the high court challenging the order.
Court has said that prima facie and MCOCA cannot be dropped against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur: Wahab Khan, victims relative lawyer ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
On the motorcycle used in the blast (that was owned by Sadhvi Pragya Singh), the court said that "at this prima facie stage she can't avoid her connection with it being registered in her name and she being the owner of the same".
The judge also said that safe conclusion can be drawn on the basis of witnesses' statement that during the Bhopal meeting (held to plot the Malegaon blasts), Pragya was present and there was discussion about jihadi activities in Aurangabad and Malegaon and (she along with others) discussed preventing it.
The court also observed that the participants in the meeting want to establish 'Hindu Rashtra' and their discussion shows that they want to establish government in exile.
"Prima Facie there was a Bhopal meeting and she (Singh) was there," the court observed. In her application, Pragya had contended that there was no evidence against her.
Though the motorcycle used in the blast was owned by her, according to one of the witnesses, it was in the possession of Ramchandra Kalsangra, an absconding accused, she had said.
Some of the witnesses, whose statements were used to implicate her, later retracted and filed complaints of torture
by the ATS, her plea said.
Earlier in June, a special NIA court had rejected the bail plea of four other accused in the case, who had sought liberty after eight accused Muslim men were discharged in April.
On 13 May, the NIA had dropped the names of Sadhvi Pragya and four others as 'accused' in the blast case in its chargesheet filed before the special court here, citing lack of evidence, and revoked provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
The National Investigation Agency had given its no-objection to the bail application filed by Sadhvi stating that no case was made out against her as per evidence collected by the agency.
Seven people were killed in the twin blasts on 29 September, 2008. The Malegaon blasts was described as a handiwork of people associated with Hindu right wing groups.
The case was initially investigated by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai's ATS Hemant Karkare, who was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Before the NIA took over the case in 2011, ATS had booked 16 people, but filed chargesheet on 20 January, 2009 and 21 April, 2011 against 14 accused in a Mumbai court.
With inputs from agencies
Hyderabad: Amid a raging row over appointment of Andhra origin judges in Telangana, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao plans to stage a protest in Delhi to demand immediate bifurcation of the high court.
His daughter and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP K Kavitha told reporters on Tuesday that the chief minister proposes to stage 'dharna' (sit-in) in the national capital but the state government did not want to escalate things.
Alleging that the central government is "insensitive" over the issue, she appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene in the issue.
The Lok Sabha member from Nizamabad said it would not be good if the chief minister holds a 'dharna' in Delhi as it will become an international news. "The Centre should intervene to prevent such a protest from happening," she said.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad is serving both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Kavitha recalled that TRS MPs raised the issue in Parliament and the chief minister appealed to Modi "10 times" for bifurcation of the high court.
She alleged that Modi never responded on the demand. She also targeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi for not raising the issue.
The TRS leader alleged that the central government was not bifurcating the high court under the political pressure by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a partner in the BJP-led NDA central government.
She also claimed that there is a conspiracy to allot Andhra origin judges in Telangana.
Her comments come against the backdrop of ongoing agitation by Telangana lawyers and judges against provisional allocation of judicial officers of Andhra origin to the subordinate courts in Telangana.
Hyderabad: The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on Monday suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds following an agitation against provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association on Sunday took out a procession in Hyderabad in protest against the provisional allocation.
The court on Monday suspended Telangana Judges Association president K Ravinder Reddy, who is the 4th additional metropolitan sessions judge, and its secretary V Vara Prasad, a special sessions judge of Rangareddy district.
All India Judicial Employees Association's general secretary B Lakshma Reddy said non-bifurcation of the High Court (after the creation of Telangana) was the root cause of the problem. "We have already issued a strike notice on various issues from 1 July," Reddy told PTI.
A member of Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee said they may boycott the court duties at Court No 1 court of the Acting Chief Justice to protest the suspension.
Some 125 judicial officers of Telangana yesterday gave their resignations to the Telangana Judges Association President, authorising him to hand them to the Governor (not immediately) as and when he felt right if the demands are not met.
Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation on 6 June protesting the provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana.
They are opposing allocation of judicial officers hailing from (post-bifurcation) Andhra Pradesh to Telangana courts.
Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao had said yesterday that the allocation was done by the High Court without taking into consideration the guidelines framed by the HC itself in February this year.
"We have been seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.
Agartala: Veteran Tripura CPI-M leader and former deputy speaker of the assembly Subal Rudra was suspended from the party for allegedly grabbing land, a party leader said on Tuesday.
"After an internal inquiry of the party about allegation of grabbing land against Rudra, he was suspended from the party for a year," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar told IANS.
Dhar, also a CPI-M central committee member, said that party probe found that the accusation of land grabbing against Rudra was correct.
The 66-year-old leader refused to comment on his suspension.
"I have received the suspension letter. I have not yet made up my mind about my future course of action. I would not make any comment at this moment," Rudra, a CPI-M Tripura state committee member, told IANS over phone.
The Tripura government had allotted 3.2 hectares to the bidi workers in 1993 in Melaghar in Sipahijala district. Half of the land was allowed for housing 45 families while rest was kept for construction of a school and other civic amenities.
Rudra is alleged to have grabbed a portion of this land.
Rudra was elected to the assembly five times since 1978, when the CPI-M led Left Front government first came to power in Tripura
A 40-year-old woman cab driver, V Bharathi, was found dead in her unlocked rented house, in Bengalurus Nagashetty Halli area, police said on Tuesday. Bharathi was one of Uber's first female driver in India in 2013.
"It appears to be a case of suicide, as the victim's body was found hanging by a cloth-like rope from the ceiling of a room by her landlord on Monday night," Sanjay Nagar police inspector Prakash told IANS here.
No suicide note was found in her house. The police registered a case of unnatural death and shifted the body to a state-run hospital for autopsy to ascertain the cause of Bharathi's death.
"The landlord went to the third floor of his house where Bharathi was staying in the rented portion to check her whereabouts as he had not seen her since Sunday night. He found her body hanging through the room's window and alerted us," Prakash recalled.
While the police are convinced that Bharathi's death is a suicide, the fact that her door was unlocked is creating some mystery.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, her landlord Shankar Singh hinted at depression and said that she told him that she was frustrated as she was single. He was reported to have denied that she had any financial problems.
Hailing from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Bharathi was staying alone in the house as she was single and orphaned. Her cab was found parked in front of the house in the northwest suburb.
A News18 report quotes police officials saying that Bharathi wanted to return to her hometown and had informed her landlord about shifting her gas connection to Andhra Pradesh.
"As per our records, Bharathi was one of the first women taxi drivers in the city and joined the all-women cab service, Angel City Cabs two years ago and later registered her vehicle with aggregator Uber, the online personal transportation firm," Prakash added.
Bharathi had come into the spotlight last year after she drove Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Founder & CEO of Biocon, to her workplace on Women's Day.
Speaking about her future plans, she recently told The News Minute, "I'll do this job as long as I can. Jitne din taakat rahti hai. (Till I have the energy to do so)."
With inputs from agencies
Some years ago, the editor of an English daily got a public roasting for allowing Subramanian Swamy to write a column in his newspaper that, among other things, advocated disenfranchisement of Indian Muslims.
A few months later, when the editor quit the newspaper, it was widely believed the decision to allow Swamy to write his venomous drivel contributed to the exit.
So, in principle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is right: There is a price to be paid for making Swamy a hero. In the end, as history tells us, Swamy has the Bhasmasura touch. Anybody who gets too close to him ultimately gets scorched.
Speaking to Arnab Goswami, who seemed to have been given a shot of some tranquilizer before the interaction, the PM advised the media to not make them heroes. "They will stop," he told to a version of Times Now that looked like Doordarshan on a whole pharmacy of sedatives.
The problem with Modi's suggestion is this: Just like Lord Shiva gave Bhasmasura the power to scorch with his touch, the PM has created an entire battalion of hotheads in his government by putting them in positions of power where they simply can't be ignored.
Who nominated Swamy to the Rajya Sabha? Now, doesn't irony die a million deaths when, after putting him on the centre stage, giving his politics of inneundoes, insults and vengeance parliamentary legitimacy, the PM advises the media to ignore Swamy?
Notice the fact that while apparently admonishing Swamy, Modi treated his party MP like he-who-should-not-be-named. A strong, unequivocal warning to Swamy to lay off or just shut up would have been a signal to the media that he is putting the maverick MP in his place. But Modi let him off with a general warning to everyone, including those in his own party and outside. Frankly, that's like warning a whole class of schoolboys when there is just one bully to be tamed.
And how many Swamys should the media ignore? The BJP has a whole house full of hotheads, who, instead of being under behavioral therapy, are working out of high offices.
Remember Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and her classification of Delhi voters as Ramzaade and haramzaade? It has been 18 months since she made that appalling remark. Yet she continues to be a minister in the Modi government. So, next time when she speaks, should the media ignore the honorable minister?
Remember Nathuram Godse fan Sakshi Maharaj? Who made this man, who is accused of several heinous crimes including rape and murder, a member of Parliament? Is the media expected to ignore a man Modi chose to represent lakhs of people?
The short point is this: The media lives on circuses and the BJP has spiced up the show by contributing jokers. Sorry, but nobody can ignore people who create so much of a tamasha.
If the PM is really serious about putting the hotheadsthe poster boys of the lunatic fringe in his teamin political Siberia, the message will have to come from the top.
He will have to do whatever is needed to shut them up: castigate, warn, sack. And the process begins by naming and shaming you-know-who publicly.
He will have to call a Bhasmasura a Bhasmusara.
In his book Half-Lion: How PV Narasimha Rao Transformed India, author Vinay Sitapati, talks about the evening of 19 June, 1991 two days before Rao took charge as Prime Minister of India. The economy was in the midst of a crisis and Rao was trying to gauge its depth. Sitapati narrates a phone conversation between Rao and Harvard-trained economist and 'commerce minister in the previous government' Subramanian Swamy.
I know about the reforms you were working on (as commerce minister). Send me the documents, Rao asked Swamy.
I have one cabinet note. The rest are typewritten sheets which I will get through to you, Swamy replied.
Swamy then told the prime minister designate: Focus on Economy.
Under Rao, India kicked off its biggest-ever economic liberalisation exercise in the following days and reaped its result in the later years by way of high growth. Swamy indeed had a role in the reform era.
Thats in the past.
Nearly two-and-a-half decades later, Swamy, who in the 1990s had his notable contribution to Indias economic reforms process, is more like a trouble-maker both within and outside his current political party and his expertise in economic matters and his contributions to the economy are hardly discussed anywhere.
Swamy is in news for all wrong reasons.
The prime minister under whom he currently works Narendra Modi didnt mince any words while publicly disowning Swamy on Monday.
If anyone believes he is above the system that is wrong. Publicity stunts wont benefit the nation, Modi said in an obvious reference to Swamy after his recent tirades against the RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and finance minister, Arun Jaitley. Swamy also attacked the chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian and the economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das with largely unsubstantiated allegations.
Isnt it an irony that one of the best experienced, economic minds that is available to the NDA-government is on the wrong side of his own government at a time when the country badly needs yet another round of big-bang economic reforms?
The government could have used Swamy's experience and expertise in the subject at such a crucial time. Perhaps yes, if Swamy chose not to proceed on a self-destructive mode with his off the cuff comments and below-the-belt attacks on almost everyone who cross his path.
In a way, Swamy carried a bag full of landmines when he took over as a BJP MP a few months back to plant it on those roads he intends to take a while later. And without fail all of them did the job but did more harm to their originator than the targets.
Even his enemies wouldnt question Sways economic wisdom. Swamy, who handled commerce, law and justice in Chandra Shekhar government, had played a role in aiding the economy during the phase of economic turmoil at that point.
$2 billion IMF loan
In January 2013, delivering a speech on, reasonable capitalism, Swamy recalled his days in 1991 when he had an encounter with the US Ambassador to secure its support for a loan worth $2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for India in exchange of facilitating US war jets to refuel on Indian soil during the first Iraq war.
Swamy is someone who appreciates former prime minister Rajiv Gandhis role in economic reforms but was critical of Gandhis decision in letting companies avail short-term loans, which resulted in a financial crisis.
Heres how Swamy put his crucial conversation with US Ambassador who asked Swamy what India needed in exchange of refueling facility.
"He (the US ambassador) asked... what do you want? I said we want $2 billion because we are on the verge of becoming bankrupt. He asked 'you want it from the United States?' I said no... from the IMF and without conditions.
"He said 'how can I get you money from IMF'. I said, you have 87 percent voting right in IMF. So, if you want landing rights, then on Monday I want $2 billion," Swamy said.
"He (the ambassador) said today is already Friday... I said in Washington it is still Thursday night.
"So, they gave us $2 billion... and they were given landing rights... we changed our landing policy," Swamy said.
Not in agreement with Modis economic policies
But, Swamy has never in total agreement with Modi-governments economic policies including in matters pertaining to the readiness of the government to face an economic crisis and even the crucial nature of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in economy, which might have acted as a turn off to Modi-government prompting it to keep Swamy at a safe distance.
In an article written for The Hindu titled The way out of the economic tailspin, Swamy said the Modi-government may be lacking readiness to face a crisis situation, possibly making a case for why the government should use him in finance ministry.
As it stands at present, the Indian economy is headed for a crisis and a crash. The likely date is by early 2016 in my estimation. Can a course correction today rectify and rescue the economy from a crash? Yes, of course, but only if there are short-term and long-term prescriptions to be followed. Does the Narendra Modi government have such contingency prescriptions ready? Not as of now, Swamy said.
Swamy listed a host of reasons then why Indian economy may not be in good shape. These include high bank Non-performing Assets (NPAs), falling household savings rate, huge gap in infrastructure funding and issues of inefficient agricultural production. As a matter of fact, most of these issues remain critical even now. Similalry, on GST, Swamy has opined that the legislation, which is highlighted as a landmark reform, isnt that crucial. "I don't think GST is going to be a game-changer. If it comes, it is okay. If it doesn't come also it is okay," Swamy has said.
What went wrong
Swamy is being seen as a persistent pain in the BJP government's side if one was to go by the comments of the party leadership including those made by Modi last evening.
His image is far from an economic minds and more of a trouble-maker and a double-edged sword that can sway either ways warranting caution not just to his opponents but even to his colleagues on the same side. Swamys tweets on bloodbath and hotel waiter targeting Jaitley have boomeranged to his own disadvantage.
Even his perceived closeness with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) BJPs ideological parent doesnt seem to be helping the septuagenarian garner support in his latest fights against North Block. This wasnt the case in the Rajan episode, where the anti-Rajan lobby kept deliberate silence to give Swamy the go-ahead.
Swamys reaffirmed loose-cannon status in the BJP somewhat tells an observer that his chances to get into the core decision making process in the NDA government are next to nil, unless the pressure centre from Nagpur plays a big role.
Over the last two-and-a-half decades, Swamy has transformed himself from someone who played a notable role during the Narasimha Rao-era of 1991 economic reforms to being Narendra Modis constant pain in 2016.
Swamy is a lost opportunity for India.
New Delhi: Opposition parties on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not having a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan, saying diplomacy requires seriousness, gravitas and not "threatrics."
The government's foreign policy lacks coherence, clarity and consistency, they said.
The remarks by Congress and CPM came a day after Modi said that India's efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as the supreme objective but the forces have "full freedom to answer back" in whatever manner they have to.
"Nobody is against engaging with Pakistan but what we have questioned him (Modi) is about not taking the opposition into confidence," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.
He said diplomacy does not require theatrics and needs seriousness, gravitas.
CPM leader Brinda Karat targeted the Centre, saying it does not have a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan.
She said it is really a "show-based" policy rather than a serious diplomatic initiative to deal with a neighbour which undoubtedly has been encouraging terrorists groups against India.
"One day you say you are going to bomb Pakistan. The other day your Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) said you are not going to count the bullets that are going to be used against Pakistan," Karat said, adding that the prime minister had gone to Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday.
Brussels: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived for a grim EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, where angry European leaders tightened the screws to hurry Britain's exit from Europe.
Five days after Britons stunned the European Union by voting to quit the 28-nation bloc, key European leaders bluntly told Britain they wanted it to leave quickly and not expect special treatment.
European President Donald Tusk said the bloc was ready to start divorce proceedings with Britain "even today" and the European Parliament called on Britain to initiate the departure process "as soon as possible."
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Cameron could not "cherry-pick" in the exit negotiations and there would be a price for Britain to pay.
"Anyone wishing to leave this family cannot expect to lose all the obligations but keep the privileges," Merkel told the German Parliament.
The summit, starting mid-afternoon, takes place amid deep anger among the 27 other European leaders over Cameron's decision firstly to call the 'Brexit' referendum and secondly his handling of the campaign itself.
That resentment has been compounded by fury over suspicions that Britain will now drag its feet over leaving, which would boost rising Euro-sceptic forces within the EU.
Cameron, who had fought to remain in the EU and has said he will step down, told his parliament on Monday that he will not yet start the two-year countdown on leaving the EU. It begins when Britain formally invokes Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. His successor is not expected to be appointed until September.
But European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, speaking in a stormy session of the European Parliament where he was heckled by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, told Cameron to waste no time, adding: "No notification (of Article 50), no negotiation".
"It is we who must decide what happens, not just those who wish to leave the European Union," Juncker said, echoing comments yesterday from Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin.
Juncker said he had banned officials from holding "secret" talks with Britain. "There will be no informal or formal talks on the exit of Britain until an application has been filed to leave the European Union," Merkel has said.
Ankara: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Tuesday went back on an earlier offer of compensation to Russia for shooting down one of Moscow's military jets in November, media reported.
"Compensating Russia is not on the table, we have only expressed our regrets," CNN-Turk cited Yildirim as saying, hours after he said Ankara was ready to offer compensation for the incident that shattered ties between the two countries.
Speaking on public TV network TRT late Monday, Yildirim had said: "We have said that if necessary we are ready to pay compensation."
The confusion came a day after a major breakthrough in the diplomatic crisis between the two countries which back opposing sides in the Syrian war with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaching out a hand of conciliation.
The Kremlin said Erdogan had apologised for the incident, which took place along the Turkish-Syrian border.
But Turkish officials said Erdogan had written to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to "express his regrets" over the incident rather than issue an outright apology.
Despite the retraction of the compensation offer, Erdogan and Putin are due to speak by phone on Wednesday for the first time since the plane was shot down, the Kremlin said.
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday received a letter in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apologised for the death of the Russian pilot who was killed when a Russian jet was downed over the Syrian-Turkish border last November, the Kremlin said. Erdogan expressed readiness to restore relations with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The incident involving the downing of the Russian Su-24 bomber led to the worst deterioration of Turkish-Russian relations in recent history, with Russia describing it as a stab in the back.
The head of the Turkish state expressed his deep sympathy and condolences to the relatives of the deceased Russian pilot and said sorry, Peskov said.
In his letter, Erdogan called Russia a friend and a strategic partner of Ankara, with whom the Turkish authorities would not want to spoil relations.
"We never had a desire or a deliberate intention to down an aircraft belonging to Russia, the letter read, according to a statement published on the Kremlin website.
According to the statement, Erdogans letter stressed that the Turkish side undertook all the risks and made a great effort to recover the body of the Russian pilot from the Syrian opposition, bringing it to Turkey. The organization of the pre-burial procedures was conducted in accordance with all religious and military procedures.
Ankara has treated the family of the dead Russian pilot as if it were a Turkish family and is ready for any initiatives to relieve the pain and severity of the damage done, the letter said.
The address by the Turkish leader also informed that a criminal investigation has been launched against the person suspected of killing the Russian pilot, the Kremlin said.
In addition, Erdogan expressed readiness to tackle security challenges in the region and fight terrorism together with Moscow, it added.
Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported that sources close to Erdogan have confirmed that the letter with the apology was sent to Moscow.
On 24 November, 2015, a Russian Su-24 bomber, taking part in an anti-terrorist mission in Syria, was brought down by the Turkish Air Force.
The plane crashed in a rebel-held territory in Syria near the Turkish border. The pilots ejected, but one was killed by machine gun fire from the militants on the ground.
Turkish nationalist Alparslan Celik has claimed responsibility for the death of Russian Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov.
Ankara claimed that it attacked the Russian bomber for violating its airspace, but was never able to provide proof that any wrongdoing took place.
Moscow vigorously denied the Turkish claims, calling the downing of the plane a stab in the back" from a state which it had considered an ally.
Britain: Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would travel to Brussels on Wednesday for talks to defend Scotland's place in the EU following a vote by Britain to leave the bloc.
"Tomorrow I will make an initial visit to Brussels to set out Scotland's position and interests" with European Parliament leaders, Sturgeon told an emergency session of Scotland's parliament on Tuesday.
"Through all of this I am determined, utterly determined to preserve Scotland's relationship and place within the EU," said Sturgeon, head of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP).
She said she was asking the regional parliament to give her a formal mandate to conduct direct talks with the European Union institutions in Brussels.
Sturgeon also said that she was drawing up legislation for a new independence referendum to ensure it could be held within the timeframe of Britain's expected negotiations on departing from the European Union.
"We will prepare the legislation now," she said.
But she emphasised that Scotland was examining different options and was in "uncharted territory".
Scotland voted against independence in a 2014 referendum but Sturgeon on Tuesday said there had been "a very real and material change to Scotland's circumstances" since then.
As she spoke, hundreds of pro-EU campaigners rallied outside the parliament building.
"We want to give a message to Brussels that we want to stay," said Joana Barrett, a 33-year-old children's charity worker.
Richard Taylor, 48, a computer technician, said: "I feel very strongly about the issue of Scotland staying in the EU."
On Scotland's possible independence, he said the "chances have increased".
Puducherry: The French government was interested in cooperating with Puducherry administration for infrastructural development and academic programmes, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters after holding discussions with the Ambassador designate to France in Indaia Alexandre Ziegler, Narayanasamy said he had highlighted various sectors where collaborative initiatives between France and Puducherry government could be taken.
The French connection that Puducherry has was of help for strengthening the bonds with France, he said adding France was keenly interested in promoting developmental activities.
A proposal to set up smart city in Puducherry was already discussed with the Centre and this would be a specific area where French help might be available, he said.
Already the Union Territory Administration has decided to integrate Oulgaret and Puducherry municipalities so that the smart city project could be effectively implemented in Puducherry.
"We have also sought the cooperation of France in this significant project. We would soon prepare a detailed project report which would be forwarded to the Centre for its nod", he said.
Narayanasamy said during his recent visit to New Delhi he had requested Urban Development Minister M Venkiah Naidu to bring Puducherry under smart city programme.
He said that the French Ambassador designate had also expressed interest in promoting academic activities by propagating French language among school children in Puducherry.
The French financial institution-Agence Francaise de Developpement-had already expressed its readiness to provide Rs 2100 crore for Puducherry to augment drinking water supply round the clock, promote sanitation programmes and other infrastructures.
This amount would be released to the Centre as loan and the Central government would make it available to Puducherry as grants, he said.
"Necessary agreement would be inked soon between France and the Centre to implement the project", he said.
External Affairs Minister of France would visit Puducherry in August for discussions with the Puducherry government on raming of various developmental programmes for Puducherry in collaboration with France.
Berlin: Political extremism rose sharply in Germany last year among far-right but also far-left and Islamist radical groups the domestic intelligence agency said on Tuesday.
"Extremist groups, whatever their orientation, are gaining ground in Germany," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, presenting the 2015 report.
The security agency had "observed not just a rise in membership but also an increase in violence and brutality," he said in a statement.
Some 1,408 acts of far-right violence were recorded last year against 990 the previous year, said the service called the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The sharp rise in racist hate crimes came as Germany took in a record number of more than one million refugees and migrants asking for political asylum, and as jihadist attacks in Paris and Brussels stoke terrorism fears in Europe.
"The intensity of right-wing extremist militancy started in early 2015 and increased steadily from threats against politicians and journalists to arson attacks on asylum seeker shelters and attempted killings," said the report.
There were 75 arson attacks against refugee shelters in Germany, five times more than 2014.
The report said that online "social networks play an important role in agitation and radicalisation", as uninhibited hate speech dehumanises minorities and fuels real-world violent crime.
Far-left acts of violence often targeting far-right activists or police also rose sharply, to 1,608 violent offences from 995 the previous year, said the report.
The worst spate of attacks came during mass protests in March against the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, when rioters rampaged through streets and set ablaze police cars.
The service also pointed to the rising threat posed by Islamists, estimating their number at about 10,000.
The report said it assumed that some jihadists and war criminals had entered the country with the massive refugee influx.
Other potential threats were posed by "self-radicalised" individuals, jihadist fighters returned from Syria and Iraq, and possible sleeper cells from militant groups, it said.
By late last year, more than 780 people from Germany had travelled to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq, although the number of departures was thought to have gradually declined.
Aden: A wave of suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops killed at least 42 people in the southeastern
city of Mukalla, officials said, in attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.
The capital of Hadramawt province, Mukalla had been under the control of Al-Qaeda for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.
But IS claimed responsibility for the attacks on Monday, saying in a statement that eight of its suicide bombers killed 50 members of Yemen's security forces, according to US-based monitor SITE Intelligence Group.
The governor of the vast province, Ahmed Saeed bin Breyk, told AFP previously that Mukalla had "witnessed five suicide attacks in four areas".
Three simultaneous bombings hit security checkpoints in the coastal city at sunset, just as troops fasting during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan were breaking their fast, a security official said.
In the first attack, a suicide bomber on a motorbike asked soldiers if he could eat with them before blowing himself up, the official said.
Two other bombers approached soldiers on foot elsewhere in the city before detonating their explosives.
Shortly afterwards, two suicide bombers launched a fourth attack and blew themselves up at the entrance of an army camp, the official said.
In all, the attacks killed 40 soldiers as well as a woman and child who were passing by and wounded 37 other people, said Hadramawt's health chief Riad al-Jalili.
Al-Qaeda retains a strong presence in Mukalla, and the jihadists still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Last month, the Pentagon said a "very small number" of US military personnel had been deployed around Mukalla in support of pro-government forces.
The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, and two destroyers.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been based in Yemen since 2009.
Both, it and the IS group, have exploited the power vacuum created by the conflict in the impoverished country to expand their presence in the south and southeast.
In May, a suicide bombing claimed by IS and a second blast killed 47 police in Mukalla- a city of 2,00,000 people.
Washington: The Democrats on the House Select Committee released their own report to refute accusations against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her role in the 2012 terror attack on Libya's capital Benghazi.
The House Democrats on Monday said they issued the 339-page report because it is "long past time" for the Republican-led select committee investigating the terror attack on the US consulate in Benghazi to conclude its work, Xinhua news agency reported.
Four Americans including US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens were killed on 11 September, 2012 when the consulate was attacked by armed militants. Clinton, now presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been accused by the Republicans for being responsible for the terror attack as she had denied numerous requests for increased security protection from the US diplomats in Libya.
The Republicans also questioned Clinton's characterisation of the attack, as she initially said that the attack was only inspired by a controversial anti-Islamic YouTube video rather than a planned terror attack. The horrid attack triggered several investigations by Congress and the State Department, which faulted some State Department officials for ignoring requests for more guards and safety upgrade for US diplomatic facilities in Libya.
In May 2014, then House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, announced to form a House select committee to conduct further investigation into the Benghazi attack.
But the Democrats have decried the formation of the Republican-led committee as an attempt by the Republicans to conduct a political witch hunt for Clinton, who was then slated to enter the 2016 presidential race.
In the Monday report, the Democrats said nothing uncovered by the select committee will change the underlying narrative about the 2012 attack. The report revealed transcripts of interviews with dozens of officials from the White House, State Department, Pentagon, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
It also denied reports that Clinton never personally denied requests for additional security from the US diplomats in Libya ahead of the attack. The Republicans in the House select committee are prepared to release very soon the formal report on the committee's investigation, which is expected to be very critical of Clinton's role in the Benghazi attack.
By releasing the report on Monday, the Democrats aimed to counteract the Republicans' attack as the presidential race kicks into high gear ahead of the national conventions by the two parties in July.
TOKYO A baby lies in a metal-bar cot drinking from a bottle perched on his pillow in a Tokyo orphanage. There's no one to hold and feed him or offer words of comfort.
The director of the institution, nurses scurrying busily around him, says he would like extra time and staff to pay more attention to the 70 babies and toddlers under his care, but it's not going to happen.
"I wish we could hold them in our arms, one by one," says Yoshio Imada. "Some people call this abuse. It's a difficult situation."
Japan last month passed a bill overhauling its 70-year-old Child Welfare Law, recognizing a child's right to grow up in a family setting. It is short on specific, immediate measures, but experts say it's a first step to making institutions a last resort, rather than the default position.
A staggering 85 percent of the 40,000 children who can't live with their parents in Japan are institutionalized, by far the highest ratio among rich countries and prompting repeated warnings from the United Nations. Even with the revised law, Japan's goal isn't lofty: family-based care for a third of those children by 2029.
The statistics raise the question: where can foster parents be found for tens of thousands of children in need?
"We do the best we can but it's obvious that a one-on-one relationship that foster parents provide is better," says Kazumitsu Tsuru, who heads another infant institution in Tokyo.
"All children need someone who is dedicated only to them."
A major hindrance is a lack of awareness about the fostering system - there are just 10,200 registered foster families, while adoptions are even rarer, at 544 last year. And in a society that treasures uniformity and blood ties, fostered or adopted children are often stigmatized.
A rise in reports of child abuse has also proved a stumbling block. Welfare workers are too busy taking children out of immediate harm. Placing them in institutions is faster than finding a foster family.
Too busy with the next victim, welfare workers also have little time to follow up with those children, leaving them to languish for years.
STARVED OF ATTENTION
One foster mother knows all too well how harmful institutionalization can be.
Now 16, her foster son lulls himself to sleep by pounding his head against his pillow for several minutes. It's a habit he picked up as an attention-starved child growing up in institutions until he turned six. He is a charming boy, his foster mother says, but erratic.
"When I call him out on something he does wrong, he lashes out at me as if he can do whatever he wants," she says.
"He'll do hateful things and at other times he'll say, 'Mummy, I love you,' in a childish voice that's not normal for a teenage boy. The emotional ups-and-downs wear you out."
Another mother describes a child she took in from an institution at age five, just when he was beginning to realize he had no family. He flew into fits of rage at school and was afraid to leave the house. Needing to test his new family's affection, he would ask: "Mummy, what would you do if I died?" At other times, he would beg to be fed milk out of a bottle in his foster mother's lap.
The warehousing of Japan's most vulnerable highlights the paradox in a country struggling with a stalled birthrate and ballooning social welfare costs as the population ages. Experts say institutionalization costs three times as much as fostering, and that Japan's tight job market would be better-served by shifting those caregivers to daycare services to allow more women to work.
"I think the role of infant institutions will change," says Tsuru, adding that, as the primary caregivers, institutions like his could help find babies a match in a foster or adoptive home.
"None of us wants to see a child stay longer here than they need to be."
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Malaysia: Eight people were injured after a hand grenade was thrown at a restaurant in Malaysia's central Selangor state, police said Tuesday, citing business rivalry rather than terrorism as the likely motive.
Abdul Rahim Jaafar, state deputy police chief, told AFP that the attack on the Movida restaurant in busy Puchong district was probably the result of a business conflict or revenge.
"Eight people were injured in the hand grenade attack early Tuesday. One of them, a man, is in serious condition," he said.
Jaafar said initial investigations revealed that the assailant threw the explosive at a particular couple in the outlet.
"I rule out terror attack. The blast is likely motivated by business rivalry among the local gangsters or a revenge attack," he said.
News reports said the blast occurred when some 20 patrons in the restaurant were watching Italy play Spain in the Euro 2016.
In a similar attack in 2014, a Malaysian man was killed and 13 people, including Singaporean, Thai and Chinese tourists were injured, after a bomb exploded in front of a pub in Kuala Lumpur.
BRUSSELS Outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron told European Union leaders on Tuesday that Britain's future relations with the bloc it voted last week to leave would depend on the EU's willingness to allow it to curb free movement of workers.
Cameron, who resigned after losing a referendum on remaining in the EU last week, told what may be his last summit of the 28-nation bloc he hoped the United Kingdom would maintain as close as possible an economic and political relationship with them.
"The prime minister's message tonight is that the key to staying close will be the need to address the issue of free movement," a British government source said.
Other EU officials have made clear that continued access to the European single market, including crucially for Britain's large financial services sector, will depend on its acceptance of the so-called four freedoms of movement of goods, capital, services and people.
After three hours of talks over dinner in Brussels, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, a close British ally, tweeted that it had been a "constructive" summit: "Clear U.K. needs some breathing space to decide relationship it wants to negotiate.
"It will be an inferior settlement," the Maltese added.
Given a polite hearing by his peers, Cameron had earlier faced public displays of irritation, pity and scorn from some EU leaders and lawmakers who pressed him to give early notice of Britain's intention to leave the bloc after the lost referendum.
Before he arrived in Brussels for a summit dominated by Brexit, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution demanding that London activate the EU treaty's voluntary exit clause as fast as possible.
That would launch negotiations on withdrawal terms with a two-year countdown to departure.
"Waiting for several months, as has been announced by you, Prime Minister Cameron, and taking the destiny of our entire continent hostage purely for internal party political reasons would be totally unacceptable," European Parliament President Martin Schulz told the British leader in the summit session.
"That would not mean stability - on the contrary it would mean prolonged uncertainty," the German Social Democrat said, summing up the fears of many EU partners.
Amid the calls for speed, several EU leaders followed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in saying London should be allowed time to recover its balance after the political shockwave before formally notifying its partners of its plans.
For the first time, the other 27 leaders will hold their own meeting on Wednesday to have a discussion about how to deal with Britain on its way out of the bloc it joined in 1973, and how to take the Union forward without it.
"CONSTRUCTIVE" DIVORCE
On his arrival, Cameron called for a "constructive" divorce.
"Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible and I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible," he told reporters.
"These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners. And I very much hope we'll seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security, because that is good for us and that is good for them," he added without taking questions.
Despite some tough talk, other EU leaders greeted the departing British leader warmly when he entered what is likely to be the last EU summit before he steps down. In pictures broadcast from the room without sound, Cameron chatted amiably with Merkel and Sweden's prime minister and there was no visible sign of leaders' frustration at his failed referendum gamble.
Cameron has refused to trigger the Article 50 withdrawal procedure, saying it will be up to his successor, who will be chosen by the Conservative Party at the earliest in September, to take that decision.
EU diplomats say Britain has no interest in putting itself under time pressure by handing in its notice, and the EU cannot compel London to do so. But one EU official sought to up the pressure by telling reporters the European Banking Authority, based in London, could be moved soon to Frankfurt or Paris.
Underlining the political upheaval that the Brexit vote set in motion, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to visit Brussels on Wednesday - after Cameron has left and while the 27 other leaders are still meeting - for talks with the president of the European Parliament and European Commission officials.
Sturgeon has said Scotland, where nearly two in three voters backed staying in the EU, does not want to leave the bloc and may hold a new referendum on independence.
European Council President Donald Tusk, who chairs EU summits, turned down a request from Sturgeon for a meeting, his spokesman said.
NO CHERRY-PICKING
Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, said she would continue to regard the UK as "a friend and a partner" but stressed that there could be no formal or informal talks until Britain made the formal request to leave.
She also made clear that Britain could not retain access to the single market after Brexit unless it accepted certain EU principles and obligations, including freedom of movement of workers - the main bugbear of the "out" campaign.
"We'll ensure that negotiations don't take place according to the principle of cherry-picking," she said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said Britain was in chaos after the stunning vote and should be given time to recover its footing.
"England has collapsed politically, monetarily, constitutionally and economically. It is not reasonable to demand from them to trigger Article 50," Rutte told reporters.
Illustrating his point, opposition Labour Party lawmakers passed a vote of no-confidence in their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, accused of failing to campaign effectively for the Remain camp. Corbyn defiantly said he would not stand down and would contest a grassroots party leadership election if challenged.
DRAMA IN PARLIAMENT
There was drama in the EU assembly when European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker rounded on hecklers from the UK Independence Party, saying: "You are fighting for the exit. The British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?"
Juncker, a lightning rod for critics of the Brussels bureaucracy, rejected German media speculation that he was tired and unwell and considering resignation, saying he would stay on and fight till his last breath for Europe.
The Czech and Polish foreign ministers said this week that Juncker should take responsibility for the British referendum fiasco and quit.
Leaders of four ex-communist central European member states, meeting just before the summit, said the EU must hand back some powers to capitals and change the way it does business.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage was jeered by many lawmakers when he made a plea for "a sensible, tariff-free deal" between Britain and the remaining 27 EU countries.
"If you were to cut off your noses to spite your faces and to reject any idea of a sensible trade deal, the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us," he warned.
While Cameron was explaining to EU leaders over dinner what line his successor was likely to take in negotiations on future relations, his nemesis, Farage, was wallowing in media attention downstairs in the press room, mobbed by reporters and cameramen.
(Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Noah Barkin and Alastair Macdonald)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Brussels: Nigel Farage of Britain on Tuesday was booed in the European Parliament after he insulted fellow members in an extraordinary exchange in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Any hopes of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader adopting a more conciliatory tone before the difficult negotiations that lie ahead were dashed by his belligerent speech to a highly charged emergency session of the European Parliament in Brussels, the Guardian reported.
After an initially "on the face of it" warm embrace between Farage and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, things rapidly deteriorated into open hostility, as the former Luxembourg Prime Minister demanded of the UKIP leader: "You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?"
Farage laughed off the comments before launching an astonishing attack on his colleagues that drew boos and heckles.
Rising to his feet, Farage began by sarcastically thanking his fellow Members of European Parliament (MEPs) "for the warm welcome" before landing his first blow: "When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well I have to say, youre not laughing now, are you?"
"And the reason youre so upset, the reason youre so angry, has been perfectly clear from all the angry exchanges this morning. You, as a political project, are in denial. You are in denial that your currency is failing."
Despite urging a "grown-up" conversation between the EU and Britain, Farage continued in a similarly mocking vein throughout his monologue, at one point telling MEPs: "Virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives."
Amid uproar, European Parliament President Martin Schulz tried to restore order while himself taking a dig at Farage. He told MEPs: "I understand that you are emotional, but youre acting like UKIP normally acts in the chamber. So please dont imitate them."
His efforts did little to calm the atmosphere as Farage went on to tell MEPs that any attempt to impose trade barriers on the UK would backfire, pointing out German car assembly workers as being among those who would suffer.
He said Britain could be "your greatest friend", provided the EU did not thwart its global ambition.
The UK should invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty soon to begin its withdrawal from the EU, Farage said. "I dont think we should spend too long doing it."
The former broker said people were sick of "merchant bankers, multinationals and big politics" controlling them and gleefully predicted that more EU countries would follow Britain in leaving the bloc.
He was booed as he sat down and a number of MEPs turned their backs on him.
The first person to speak after Farage was Marine Le Pen, the leader of Frances Front National party, who hailed Britains decision as the beginning of a "peoples spring".
But a number of MEPs who followed were not so complimentary.
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said: "I am shocked, Mr. Farage. You are presenting yourself as the defender of the little man, while you have an offshore financial construction."
As Farage laughed, Verhofstadt added: "OK, lets be positive, we are getting rid of the biggest waste of EU budget: your salary."
EDINBURGH Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will meet European Parliament leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to seek a way for Scotland to remain in the European Union.
Scotland voted decisively to stay in the EU in last week's referendum, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted in favour of Brexit.
Sturgeon has called the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU "democratically unacceptable" and said she would take all necessary steps to prevent it, including revisiting the issue of independence from the United Kingdom.
In an initial visit to Brussels on Wednesday she would set out Scotland's position to the speaker of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and to representatives of the major groups of European lawmakers, she said.
However Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council which defines the EU's overall political direction and priorities, will not be meeting Sturgeon, his spokesman said, because he did not think it was an appropriate time.
Sturgeon said she also intended to discuss the Scottish issue directly with the European Commission, the EU's executive body.
"Our early priority has been to ensure that there is a widespread awareness across Europe of Scotland's different choice in the referendum and of our aspiration to stay in the EU," she told the Scottish parliament.
She said she had already discussed the fallout from the Brexit vote with the president and prime minister of Ireland, and that the Scottish government was directly in touch with the governments of other EU member states.
Earlier a European lawmaker for Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP) called on European Union colleagues to respect that the Scottish vote had diverged from the British one.
"Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, 'chers collegues,' do not let Scotland down now," said Alyn Smith, winning a standing ovation from his counterparts.
INDEPENDENCE?
Sturgeon has said the results of the EU referendum showed a split between Scotland and the rest of the UK and that a second independence referendum was now "highly likely".
Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum in which EU membership was presented as one of the key advantages of remaining part of the UK.
Sturgeon argues that the Brexit vote has changed the context so profoundly that Scots should be able to vote again on the issue, should independence turn out to be the best way for Scotland to remain an EU member.
Polls show some indication that support for independence has risen since the Brexit vote, though there are also doubts on how long such support may be sustained.
The Scottish arm of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, which is the main opposition to the SNP in the Scottish parliament, attacked Sturgeon for linking the EU issue to the possibility of a second independence referendum.
"You do not dampen the shockwaves caused by one referendum by lighting the fuse for another," Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson told the parliament in Edinburgh.
"(The Brexit vote) does not break the continuing logic of our sharing power with the UK, not splitting from it."
(Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London, Philip Blenkinsop and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; writing by Estelle Shirbon and Elisabeth O'Leary; editing by Stephen Addison)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BAGHDAD At least 12 people were killed and 32 wounded early on Tuesday when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives attacked a mosque in Abu Ghraib, about 25 km (15 miles) west of the Iraqi capital, police and medics said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, the first in or around Baghdad since the government declared victory over Islamic State militants in Falluja, further west, which was seen as a launchpad for such attacks.
Worshippers were gathered at the mosque, in a predominantly Sunni Muslim area, for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan during which the ultra-hardline militants have called on supporters to step up attacks.
(Reporting by Kareem Raheem; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
London: MPs from Britain's opposition Labour Party were on Tuesday voting on a motion of no confidence against leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The secret ballot comes after Corbyn told supporters at a rally outside Parliament to not "let those people who wish us ill to divide us."
Shadow Justice Minister Andy Slaughter was the latest to leave his post, after a series of shadow cabinet departures since Sunday.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, however, said Corbyn was "not going anywhere."
He accused Corbyn's opponents of trying to "subvert democracy," and said the party leader would stand in any election if a challenger came forward.
The no-confidence vote is not binding.
Corbyn faced calls to resign at a meeting in the House of Commons on Monday after more than 20 members of his shadow cabinet and a like number of junior ministers walked out, questioning his performance during the European Union (EU) referendum and ability to lead the party.
Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who tabled the no confidence motion, said the Parliament Labour Party meeting had been "extraordinary".
"I couldn't believe the strength of feeling, the overwhelming rejection of Jeremy as our leader, and the pleading with him that he should consider his position and go with dignity," she said.
Corbyn's deputy Tom Watson told him he had "no authority" among MPs and faced the prospect of a leadership challenge.
Several Labour MPs have cited the possibility of a general election in the next six months -- following on from the election of a new Conservative leader -- as the reason why Corbyn must now consider his position.
Washington: The US has welcomed India joining as the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), saying New Delhi has demonstrated "a sustained commitment to non proliferation".
Elizabeth Trudeau, director, Press Office, at the US State Department, to a question also said that all the MTCR members, including the US, agreed that India's membership "would strengthen international nonproliferation".
She said: "India has demonstrated to all MTCR partners a sustained commitment to nonproliferation and it has a legally based effective export control system that puts into effect the MTCR guidelines and procedures and administers and enforces such controls effectively.
"All 34 current members, including the United States, agreed India met the standard and that India's membership would strengthen international nonproliferation," she said.
On Monday, India became the 35th member of the global anti-proliferation bloc which would not only ensure transfer of high-end missile technology to the country but also give it a license to export arms.
The embassies of France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg conveyed news of India's accession to the Indian government.
The MTCR membership is seen as a step forward in India's recognition as a legitimate nuclear power after New Delhi conducted its atomic tests in 1998.
India had applied in 2008 for the membership of the elite club that controls exports in missile technology and unmanned delivery systems of atomic or other weapons of mass destruction. The group was set up in 1987 to limit the spread of unmanned systems for delivering weapons of mass destruction.
India's long wait to join the MTCR actually ended in Washington earlier in June during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US trip when a deadline for members of the grouping to object to India's admission expired on 6 June.
None of the group's 34 members raised any objections, paving the way for India's smooth entry into the bloc of which China is still not a member.
China along with other nations like South Africa, Norway, Brazil, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland and Turkey last week blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) -- one of the four multilateral export control regimes.
India will now also be able to acquire from the US armed Predator drones -- America's hot favourite in its war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Washington: Thousands of women celebrated the verdict of the US Supreme Court against a controversial Texas abortion law as the greatest victory in the past three decades.
"Today (Monday), women across the nation have had their constitutional rights vindicated," said Nancy Northup, president of the Centre for Reproductive Rights, a lawyer representing the clinics affected by restricted abortion law in Texas.
The waiting before the doors of the Supreme Court turned into a party on Monday for abortion-rights advocates who sang Madonna's "Like a virgin" and Queen's "We are the champions".
The Texas law, which became unconstitutional, demanded abortion clinics to meet hospital-like surgical standards and that their patients have admitting privileges to be transferred to hospitals within 48 km away if necessary.
As a result, women had to travel to another state where abortion is permitted, which involves incurring expenses and absence from work, something that working class women could not afford.
"Every day, our team at Whole Woman's Health treats our patients with compassion, respect, and dignity - and today the Supreme Court did the same," acknowledged Miller, CEO of Whole Woman's Health.
However, in front of the Supreme Court, there was another group of abortion opponents dressed in black, who considered the decision a defeat.
"Today the Supreme Court put politics over the health and safety of women in our country. They told our states that they don't have the right to protect half of their citizens," according to Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins who believes that the requirements of the law are "common sense".
In the US, the society is divided over abortion, an issue that continues to stir controversy in conservative sectors.
digital and print publisher.
digital and print publisher.
We are Americas largest
We are Americas largest
The brands you love.
The experiences you want.
Scope: This project includes the furnishing of all services, labor, equipment and certain materials for the complete removal and installation of residential gas and water meters (all removed meters shall be returned to owner). All disturbed areas shall be restored to like or better conditions that existed prior to beginning any work. This may include re-sodding or grassing the area around the meter box, replacing sidewalk or other hardscape if damaged, landscape restoration and all such related tasks.
Rising up fast and strong, LeEco erstwhile known as LeTV is quickly becoming a brand to reckon with. Well known in their home market of China for being a huge player in the content industry, the company has been pretty successful with their phones so far. With the 2nd generation of devices, were seeing LeEco trying to emulate its content first model in India as well. Moreover the company is pushing the envelope forward with some very interesting design choices. Want to read more about the Le 2? Carry on for the full review.
LeEco Le 2 specifications
5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS in-cell display, 500nits brightness, 80% NTSC color gamut
Octa-Core Snapdragon 652 processor (Quad 1.8GHz ARM Cortex A72 + Quad 1.2GHz A53 CPUs) with Adreno 510 GPU
3GB LPDDR3 RAM, 32GB (eMMC5.1) internal storage
Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with EUI 5.8
Dual SIM (nano + nano)
16MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF
8MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.4m pixel size, 76.5-degree wide-angle lens
Dimensions: 151.1 74.2 7.5mm; Weight: 153g
CDLA loss-less audio, Dolby Atmos. Fingerprint sensor, infrared sensor
4G LTE with VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz),Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type C
3,000mAh battery with fast charging
Design
Like the Le 1 and its myriad variants, the Le 2 is quite generic to look at. Thats not to say that it is an ugly phone but the Le 2 could pass off for almost any other phone in the market.
Over on the front is a 5.5 inch screen with small bezels on either side. Above is a front facing camera as well as a proximity sensor. Below the screen, youll notice that there are no capacitive buttons. Instead, the phone opts for on-screen controls. The Le 2s software stack is very heavily customized and makes important use of these onscreen controls.
The right side of the phone has the volume rocker as usual. The tactile feedback isnt quite amazing but does the trick. We felt that the buttons were a bit mushy which might not cope up all that well after a couple of months of use. The left side is where the Dual Nano SIM card slots lie. The phone lacks a micro SD card slot so youll have to make do with the built in 32GB of storage. The phone also lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, something well talk about shortly, so the USB Type C connector placed at the bottom becomes even more important.
Flip the phone over and you see a familiar design. Antenna lines cut across the top and bottom half of the phone with a camera module up at the top and an LED flash placed next to it. The module protrudes out from the body so is definitely vulnerable to scratches. A glossy fingerprint module sits under the camera that could almost pass off as mirror for shooting selfies. The LeEco brand logo is displayed at the bottom giving it a minor design flourish.
Overall the LeEco Le 2 isnt a device that will turn heads but its not a bad looking device by any means either. The phone measures a slim 7.5mm and weighs 153 grams making the device very pocketable indeed. The curved edges of the phone further helps in this regard and makes it comfortable to hold in the hand and it simply slips into any pocket.
Software
Running what the company calls as EUI, The LeEco or LeTV Le 2 is a very heavily customized device. It is a complete departure from stock Android and there is a fair bit of learning curve here for non-savvy users. For a large part, the interface has been designed to promote LeEcos services which isnt all that surprising given their software and content provider legacy.
While the lockscreen is pretty generic, the homescreen is where the differences lie. Yes, the phone follows the iOS style single level hierarchy. All the apps lie on the homescreen itself and are divided into pages.
A button proclaiming LIVE sits in the center of the shortcuts tray at the bottom. The button lets you jump into LeEcos live TV viewing offering. Partnering with Yupp TV, LeEco is offering a vast variety of regional channels for streaming over the internet. This software package comes free for the first year so avid content consumers will be quite happy.
Another modification is the Blinkfeed like display that sits as the leftmost panel on the homescreen. This is where you get recommended content pieces that are being promoted by the company. You can filter these to specific interest areas.
There are other apps that have been bundled in LeEco that add all sorts of basic functionality including an app to control the build in iR blaster. The bloated interface does take a toll on free RAM as just about 1.3GB of the 3GB RAM onboard is available to users. We tested out the phone on EUI version 5.6.012S with the May 1st Android security patch. This is based on Android 6.0.1.
Performance
The Le 2 is powered by a 1.8Ghz Snapdragon 652 processor which offers an excellent balance between performance and frugality. A slightly better variant of the much lauded Snapdragon 650, the performance punches above its weight. Theres 3GB of RAM onboard and while were starting to see phones packing 4GB of RAM even in this category, the amount of RAM certainly isnt detrimental to the multitasking performance. The heavily customized skin does take bite out of the onboard RAM but for the most part youll never face a problem even when doing heavy multitasking on the Le 2. Weve added some synthetic benchmarks below to get a better idea of comparative performance against its contemporaries.
In the Geekbench 3 Single Core benchmark, the phone scores 1522 points.
In the multicore version of the Geekbench benchmark, the phone manages 4789 points placing it in the upper end of the segment.
The AnTuTu benchmark score of 82855 places the phone right at the top of the segment.
In the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark, the phone manages 11938 points. Overall synthetic benchmarks only give an idea of performance and this may not correlate to real world usage. From a usability perspective though, the LeTV Le 2 performs admirably well leaving nothing to complain about.
Display
The display on the LeEco Le 2 is a 5.5 inch 1080p panel. Commoditization of hardware has worked wonders for the smartphone industry and this is certainly true in the display department as well. The screen shows good contrast levels and the viewing angles fall just short of AMOLED level. Further, it is possible to tweak the saturation and warmth of the display so there is some leeway here towards making the screen perfect for you.
The backlighting goes up to 500nits which is sufficient to enable outdoor visibility but the reflective nature of the screen counteracts this. All in all, the screen is visible outdoors but we wish that the brightness levels could go a notch higher.
Camera
The Le 2 has a 16MP rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture. The phone is also equipped with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) for faster focus locks. In practice, this works well enough and unless the lighting conditions were particularly inclement, the phone managed to lock onto the subject very quickly.
Thats only one part of the story though. The camera has the potential to take some great shots but proves to be quiet inconsistent. Striking the right white balance in particular is something that the phone often struggles with. More often than not, the photos end up with a much cooler color profile than what it actually is. Noise levels are fairly in control but here too, the phone struggles once the light levels dip down low. Another issue we faced occasionally was that while the phone would appear to have captured the image, it really hadnt. This resulted in a slight blur on a couple of shots when reviewing later. We cant really call the camera on the Le 2 bad but youll have to be fairly patient and might need a couple of tries before getting the perfect shot out of it.
Audio Playback
Much has been said about the missing the 3.5mm audio jack on the Le 2. Yes, this is a very forward looking move but then again it is a move towards a future that nobody asked for. The audio jack is a standard for a reason, it works universally across any kind of headphone or earphone irrespective of brand or price band. Keeping that in mind, the lack of the adapter becomes an annoyance more than just a curious omission.
With audio over USB Type C, the aim is to take the DAC out of the phone. The DAC ie the Digital to Analog Converter is the part of the phone that converts your audio from the bits and bytes stored on the device to analog audio that plays back on your earphones or headphones. Theres not much that you can do here as the audio tuning is usually a part of the phones firmware but you can usually tweak it marginally using an equalizer. Moving the DAC from the phone to the headphone means that your headphone manufacturer can create a sound profile that is perfect for your headphone and will work universally across phones. Since the earphones or headphones now interface over the USB standard, they talk to the phone digitally. This also means that there is no loss of signal, something that does happen over a 3.5mm jack. The bigger question though is that does this make a difference at all?
Technically, it is quite similar to using an external DAC which can potentially improve audio multi-fold. With the DAC build into headphones, you lose a bit of control but technically should get better audio quality but youve also got to factor in the intrinsic quality of the earphone itself. A highend headphone is simply better than a lower end headphone and USB audio with a budget headphone isnt going to solve that problem. Theres also the fact that LeEcos Type C earphones are pretty much the only ones readily available at the moment so that is an additional 2000 rupee expenditure tacked on. The phone does come with a Type C to 3.5mm audio adaptor in the box. Using the Le 2 as source, the CDLA earphones sold by LeEco sound pretty good, perhaps even better than entry level earbuds bundled with phones. Compare them with quality headphones or earphones from the same price category though and the difference isnt all that stark.
Connectivity & Battery Life
In terms of connectivity, the phone is capable of 4G LTE and has VoLTE support. Theres WiFi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz),Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and USB Type C onboard as well.
The battery is rated for 3000 mAh and supports fast charging which is good to have because the phone isnt the most frugal with battery life. The Le2 lasts about a work day if you are careful with it but extensive usage rapidly drains the battery and youll be searching for a charger by evening. The likes of the Redmi Note 3 perform much better on that front by delivering full day autonomy.
Conclusion
The LeEco Le2 is an interesting device that is trying to take the first mover advantage by being the first to adopt audio over USB Type C exclusively. As a full package too, the phone has all the makings of a good competitor to devices like the Redmi Note 3 or the Yu Yunicorn. The phone is priced at Rs. 11,999 and is definitely worth a consideration if you are looking an experience that is slightly different from that offered by the now conventional Xiaomi, Coolpad or Micromax devices.
Pros
Performance
Display
Content Package
Cons
Google has launched Android Pay in Singapore, which becomes the first country in Asia and the third country in the world to get the service after the U.S. and UK.
In Singapore, Android Pay works with MasterCard and Visa cards from DBS, OCBC Bank, POSB, Standard Chartered Bank and UOB.
Singaporeans can also use Android Pay across several retail stores including 7-11, BreadTalk, Cold Storage, McDonalds, NTUC FairPrice, StarHub, Toast Box, Uniqlo, and Watsons.
Android Pay stores your gift cards, loyalty cards and special offers on your phone. Google said that it is working closely with leading loyalty programmes such as NTUC Links Plus! Rewards Programme and CapitaLands CAPITASTAR that will allow users earn reward points and enjoy special offers across multiple retail outlets soon.
Android Pay purchase button that launches later this year will let you checkout easily when you shop in your favorite mobile apps like Deliveroo, Grab, Shopee, Singapore Airlines, Uber, Zalora and more.
Google is also working closely with payment processors such as Braintree, Stripe and FirstData. Google said that it plans to roll out Android Pay in other Asian countries soon.
Shares of Wells Fargo (WFC 0.73%) have fallen sharply since a majority of voters in the United Kingdom cast ballots last week in favor of separating from the European Union -- the so-called Brexit. They're now approaching their 52-week low of $44.50 a share. Should investors take advantage by buying shares of the nation's third biggest bank by assets?
Assuming you were thinking about investing in Wells Fargo in the first place, the answer may very well be yes. The objective of investing, after all, is to buy low and sell high. You can't do that when things are going great -- that's when stocks are expensive. "You pay a high price for a cheery consensus," says Warren Buffett.
The 85-year-old chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.17%) (BRK.B -0.25%) would know. Berkshire is Wells Fargo's largest shareholder, holding 9.9% of the bank's outstanding common stock. Buffett bought the stake in 1989 and 1990, just as analysts and commentators began to question whether the California-based bank would survive a severe downturn in commercial real estate.
How has the investment performed? Berkshire paid $290 million for its shares. Today, they're worth $23 billion. The dividends on the holding alone add up to more than $700 million a year.
To be clear, even though Wells Fargo's shares have dropped over the past week, they are by no means as cheap as they were when Buffett bought into the bank 26 years ago. Its shares were trading for only five times earnings at the time. Today, by contrast, they trade for more than twice that -- or 11 times earnings.
But even though that's a higher valuation than Buffett paid, I believe that Wells Fargo's shares are reasonably priced. I say that for two reasons. First, the average stock on the S&P 500 trades for 24 times earnings, or more than double Wells Fargo's valuation. Second, its shares yield 3.3%, which similarly exceeds the S&P 500. The average yield on the large cap index is 2.2%.
Now, there are reasons that Wells Fargo's shares trade at a lower multiple to its earnings compared to other large cap stocks. Increased regulations in the bank industry are clamping down on it profitability. Its return on average common equity last year was 12.7%. That was down from 13.4% in 2014, which was lower than the 13.9% it returned in 2013.
Wells Fargo has reduced its profitability guidance for the current year as well. At its 2016 investors day last month, CFO John Shewsberry said that the bank expects to generate a return on equity of between 11% to 14% this year. That's down from its previous range of 12% to 15%.
Wells Fargo is also a larger company than most of the other companies on the S&P 500. It's the 11th largest based on market capitalization, and the largest U.S. bank by this measure. Its sheer size alone thus makes it harder for Wells Fargo to grow as quickly as smaller companies.
But what you give up in terms of growth potential, you gain in stability. Wells Fargo proved during the financial crisis that it's one of the most conservatively run banks in the country -- never once reporting an annual loss through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Since then, moreover, while many of its peers have struggled to generate consistent and respectable profitability, Wells Fargo's bottom line has consistently grown in absolute terms (i.e., not relative to its equity) thanks to a combination of bolt-on acquisitions and organic growth.
The net result is that Wells Fargo has one of the lowest betas in the bank industry, at 0.92, according to YCharts.com. This means that its shares are 8% less volatile than the broader market on a typical day. By comparison, Bank of America's beta is 1.76, JPMorgan Chase's is 1.63, and Citigroup's is 1.97 -- meaning that they're 76%, 63%, and 97% more volatile, respectively, than the average stock on an ordinary day.
Wells Fargo is likely to continue increasing its dividend, too. It already pays out more than a third of its earnings to shareholders each year, which will limit the size of a dividend raise, but it has demonstrated over the years that raising its payout annually is a priority. We'll find out this week, in fact, if this is the case. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will announce the results of the comprehensive capital analysis and review, in which the central bank has veto power over bank capital plans.
Taken together, then, if you were thinking about buying Wells Fargo's stock before the Brexit vote caused its shares to fall, then the case for doing so seems stronger today. This isn't to say the Brexit won't affect Wells Fargo, because it will. But rather, the impact is likely to be short term, just as it was in 1989 and 1990, when Buffett staked his claim in the now $1.85 trillion bank.
The past several years have given us cause for optimism regarding our ability to respond to climate change. We've closed the Paris Climate deal (even if it's more symbolic than actionable), many have observed hints that global economic growth may be decoupling from carbon-dioxide emissions, we've continued to drive down the cost of wind and solar, and made record investments in renewable energy. Yet even as the need for carbon-free power grows, the United States continues to turn its back on the largest source of it: nuclear energy.
In early June, the nation's largest provider of nuclear power, Exelon (EXC -0.40%), announced that it will close two nuclear power plants in Illinois by 2018, after the state failed to provide the same subsidies to atomic energy as it does for renewable energy. A few weeks later, PG&E Corporation (PCG 0.26%) announced that it would be closing the last nuclear power plant operating in California by 2025.
While those supporting the closure of nuclear power plants say the lost carbon-free power can be replaced by renewables, it's much more difficult to do in the real world. Moreover, the numbers suggest we need to prioritize all forms of carbon-free power -- not just wind and solar -- to meet our climate goals.
It's not easy being green? Try being nuclear
Last year the United States relied on 99 nuclear reactors for 19.5% of its electricity, which also represented about 63% of the nation's carbon-free power generation. Despite this obvious merit, the industry's future is uncertain. As Brad Plummer, senior editor at Vox, wrote, "Since 2013, five reactors have been retired early and at least seven more are scheduled to close -- all victims of cheap natural gas, unfavorable economics, and local opposition." That simple statement highlights multiple factors are at work here.
While Illinois generates 48% of its electricity from clean nuclear reactors, it hasn't valued the emissions-free power quite the same way it values wind and solar. Artificially cheap wind and natural gas have forced Exelon's nuclear power plants in the state to swallow losses in recent years, which forced the company to schedule its Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants to close by June 2018. The decision came after Exelon failed to have the state recognize nuclear's importance in responding to climate change with monetary compensation equivalent to an additional $0.25 per monthly electric bill. Now realizing what that means, politicians and environmental groups are scrambling to work out a new subsidy for nuclear power, but at the moment the facilities are preparing to close.
Economic pressure has also forced PG&E Corporation to announce the scheduled closure of Diablo Canyon in California, although opposition to the state's last nuclear power plant certainly didn't help. Looking to avoid emissions increases that have accompanied recent nuclear reactor shutdowns in other states, the company has drafted a plan to replace the lost carbon-free generation with renewable energy, energy storage, and increased efficiency.
Whether or not that's realistically possible in the timeline provided, we're tripping over ourselves in the race against climate change. Even in a best-case scenario, shutting nuclear power plants forces us to replace one source of carbon-free generation with another. If the primary goal is to reduce emissions, then this strategy makes little sense, especially considering that renewable energy will have a difficult enough time replacing fossil fuels.
Carbon-free energy needs a miracle
Transitioning to a carbon-free energy future by 2100 -- in time to limit global temperature increases to the internationally agreed upon 2 degrees Celsius -- will require us to overhaul our energy grids, transportation systems, and manufacturing processes. It's a daunting task to complete in just 80 years. Here, energy includes electricity and liquid fuels.
Roger Pielke Jr., professor of environmental studies at the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research at the University of Colorado, estimates that to stabilize global carbon dioxide emissions with the Earth's natural carbon sinks, "the proportion of global energy that comes from carbon-free sources needs to exceed 90%" by the second half of this century.
To help put that into perspective, consider that carbon-free energy -- everything from solar to biofuels to nuclear -- represented roughly 14% of the world's total energy consumption in 2014. Aside from biomass, nuclear provided the largest single chunk, representing nearly 5% of the world's carbon-free energy.
Pielke used historical global energy data from BP to illustrate where we are today and where he estimates we need to be in 2100:
Significant investments are needed to grow carbon-free energy sources from 14% of consumption today to 90% or more by the back half of the 21st century. Not only do we have to supplant existing energy sources, but we'll also have to outpace increases in energy consumption driven by industrializing economies and quickly growing fleets of power-hungry electric vehicles.
Plummer summarized the preceding chart and the task in front of us, writing: "That means (roughly) deploying 1 gigawatt of carbon-free power every single day for the next century -- the equivalent of opening a large nuclear power plant around the world every day, or raising 1,500 wind turbines every day."
Rather than shuttering nuclear reactors, we should, at the very least, invest in keeping existing nuclear facilities in operation. And while continuing to build traditional nuclear reactors may not make much economic sense, next-generation reactors that are smaller, cheaper, and meltdown-proof (and can consume nuclear wastes) may play an important role in helping us achieve 90% carbon-free energy.
What does it mean for investors?
Investors understand that economics always wins - eventually. It may appear that the markets have spoken and nuclear is non-competitive. But it's not quite fair to subsidize wind and solar while leaving nuclear power out to dry, especially if we have decided that there's tremendous value in energy sources that reduce or eliminate emissions. If you think we can do without nuclear energy, perhaps the preceding chart will have nudged you to reconsider.
If you had to pick an adjective to describe chemical companies' relationships with the Environmental Protection Agency, I'm betting "collegial" wouldn't be at the top of the list. Indeed, most industries have rocky relationships with the government agencies that oversee them.
So you can only imagine what kind of reaction the big chemical companies had to new legislation that strengthened the EPA's powers over regulation of chemicals. Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, an industry group that includes heavy hitters DuPont (DD), Dow Chemical (DOW), and 3M (MMM 3.54%), summed up the industry feeling nicely: "We applaud President Obama for signing this legislation into law."
Wait, what?
Surprising as it may seem, this new regulatory authority isn't bad for the industry and might actually be to its benefit. Here's why.
Time for a change
It's been 40 years since the last major overhaul of the country's chemical regulations. Back in 1976, Gerald Ford signed the Toxic Substances Control Act into law. The TSCA gave the EPA the authority to regulate all chemicals manufactured in or shipped to the U.S. -- well, almost all. Some 60,000 chemicals that were already in use were grandfathered in and assumed to be safe.
This presumption of safety even applied to new chemicals until evidence emerged that a chemical was hazardous. Moreover, the TSCA required the EPA to perform cost-benefit analyses to industry before proposing regulations, and to prove that a substance was an "unreasonable risk" before taking any action. Chemical companies could also withhold information from the EPA, citing trade secrets. And there was no requirement for a chemical company to test the safety of its products before beginning to sell them.
Because of these and other restrictions, numerous hazardous chemicals still found their way into commercial products and the environment. These included the known carcinogen asbestos, which kills 15,000 people each year yet is still not banned outright in the U.S. -- in 1991, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a 1989 EPA ban under the TSCA.
However you might feel about this situation, it can't be denied that it generally benefited chemical companies such as DuPont. Being forced to test every chemical for safety before using or introducing it would have been costly, and the lack of a grandfather clause could have forced companies to scramble to come up with new alternatives to standard products, or take a huge hit if such an alternative couldn't be found.
Taking matters into their own hands
Gradually, however, individual states began to step in with legislation of their own. Currently, 28 states have enacted or are considering bans on some chemicals in consumer products. This situation has created a patchwork of different laws, which are difficult for manufacturers and retailers to navigate.
Regulation of the chemical BPA, for example, varies greatly state by state. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have banned BPA in baby bottles or sippy cups. But New York has also banned its use in pacifiers. Massachusetts and Minnesota have banned it in any reusable children's food containers. Connecticut has banned its use in thermal receipt paper. And Vermont and Washington ban it in any type of reusable plastic bottle, whether manufactured for children or not.
For large chemical companies such as 3M or Dow, situations like this are problematic. Essentially, a ban on a chemical in any state has the practical effect of banning it in every state for a manufacturer or retailer serving a national market. And that's the situation the new law will change.
Good for business
The law's unwieldy title is the "Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act," named after the late U.S. Senator who championed its passage. One of its most important provisions -- at least from an investor's standpoint -- is that it dictates that EPA rulings about chemicals will pre-empt individual states' regulations. States will still be able to regulate a chemical before an EPA review is completed, but ultimately, they must conform to the agency's final decision. That will end the current problem of patchworks of differing regulations.
But some of the features of the new law will require additional costs to chemical manufacturers. For example, the EPA will now be able to collect fees from the industry to pay for its evaluations. It will also be able to require a manufacturer to perform additional safety testing on chemicals regardless of whether it can prove a substance is hazardous.
Time will tell
Another major facet of the law is that it requires the EPA to evaluate all chemicals -- even those previously grandfathered in. New chemicals must be evaluated before coming to market, and health and environmental concerns are the only factors that can be considered when evaluating risk.
You might think this situation poses a substantial risk to chemical companies. After all, if an existing chemical is now deemed hazardous, it can be regulated or even banned. This kind of environment could seriously disrupt a chemical company's operations and affect the bottom line.
But in fact, the risk is small. Congress didn't allocate any more money toward the EPA's enforcement efforts, so there will be a limit to how many chemicals it can evaluate at any given time. The law specifies that it must evaluate a minimum of 20 chemicals at a time, but each evaluation can take up to seven years, and once a decision is issued, industry has up to five years to comply. And with 80,000 chemicals on the market -- only a few hundred of which have already been evaluated -- it could literally take centuries for the EPA to evaluate them all. So the immediate risk to any given chemical company is very, very small.
Foolish takeaway
Investors tend to get nervous when they find out about additional regulations on companies in which they have a stake. And often, they have good reason to worry. However, the Lautenberg Act presents a lot of upside for chemical companies such as DuPont, Dow, and 3M and very little downside.
The major chemical companies were all supportive of the new law, and it passed with broad bipartisan support. Essentially, everyone found something to like in it. Don't let the word "regulation" fool you: This development isn't a loss for investors in chemical companies.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a local Wisconsin interview that he supports a free trade deal with the United Kingdom after it has separated from the European Union.
By putting the UK at the front of the queue in trade talks, that would be the exact opposite of moving one of Americaas oldest and most important allies to athe back of the queuea -- as President Barack Obama warned would happen this past spring if the UK voted to leave.
To do that, add the UK to the North American Free Trade Agreement struck in 1994. Top officials with the aThree Amigos,a the U.S., Canada and Mexico, are already meeting in Ottawa to discuss NAFTA starting June 29; President Obama is scheduled to speak. In fact, members of Congress back in the 1990s had initially wanted to include the UK. To the point where the Senate Finance Committee in 1999 commissioned a study by the U.S. International Trade Commission on the UK joining NAFTA. That study found that UK exports to NAFTA members would increase by about $5.3 billion, while UK exports to European Union (EU) countries would drop by about $17 billion.
The U.S. is the UK's most significant trading partner. The U.S. exported $56.1 billion in goods to the UK alone last year, while UK exports to the U.S. total about $50 billion annually. The UK enjoys a record $587.9 billion in U.S. foreign direct investment as of two years ago. UK foreign direct investment in the U.S. totals about $448.5 billion. U.S. companies employed over 1.2 million UK workers in the U.S., and UK companies employ about 1.1 million Americans, as of 2014. The U.S. exported $218 billion in goods to the EU last year, says Wells Fargo.
Lost in the handwringing is perspective. Trade deals with European democracies were vital to calming potential conflicts after World War II and stopping the Cold War. But instead of true free markets and trade, the EU opted for the policy of a ballooning European supranational that challenged NATO, hyper-managed markets, stressed aharmonizationa over encouraging the next Google or Apple, and flat-lined EU growth while adding to the euracracy in Brussels and its suffocating couch cushion of regulatory powers.
Expanding NAFTA to include the UK could be done alongside U.S. talks with the European Union on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
However, the White House would be expected to drag its feet on updating NAFTA to include the UK, since it didnat support a Brexit. Yet, given that so much about NAFTA needs to be updated anyway--it was enacted before the Internet took off and trade online burgeonedaisnat it common sense to strike some kind of direct trade deal with the U.K. within the existing structure?
A U.S.-UK trade deal would help stabilize the Brexit crisis, House Speaker Ryan said.
aWe need to emphasize that [the U.K. is] our indispensable ally," Rep. Ryan told Milwaukeeas WISN radio. "We have a special relationship, and I think that does mean we should have a trade agreement witha the UK.
Speaker Ryan added: aWe need to show our solidarity. Obviously it takes time to do something like this, but I think it is something we should be working on.a
Other members of Congress support a U.S.-UK trade deal. "They've been a great trading partner to the United States for decades and decades, and I wouldn't stop trading with them 'cause they got out of the EU," Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said before the aLeavea vote.
"I'd be happy to negotiate a bilateral agreement,a the senator said, adding, "it might even be easier" than hammering out the larger EU trade deal involving 27 countries, given how simpatico the U.S. and the UK are in areas such as financial services, and given how senators, including Senator Mitch McConnell, are worried about potential EU intransigence on agriculture in TTIP.
"We should now begin to discuss a modern, new trade agreement with the UK that not only continues but expands the level of trade between our two nations," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said last Friday.
The presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump might also back a U.S.-UK trade deal.
aI want one-on-one" trade, Trump said at a rally last month in Indiana. "I don't want to be tied up: If 'Country A' does this and if 'Country C' does that, then 'Country D' will be able to come to a nobody knows what the hell is going on.a
And despite the hyperventilation, there are plenty of trade mechanisms the UK could model itself after once it fully departs the EU. Just take a look at the much-ignored European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Its four country members--Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland-- are not in the EU, but they enjoy robust free trade agreements with an estimated 35 nations, reaching an estimated 440 million consumers outside the EU, with potentially dozens more countries on the way to being involved.
Roboadvising has seen major growth in recent years. The automated financial advising service is popular among millennial investors and those who want low cost advice. Consulting firm A.T. Kearney predicts that by 2020 two trillion dollars will be managed under robo advisors.
In 2015, BlackRock (NYSE:BLK), the worlds largest asset manager, purchased roboadvising platform FutureAdvisor,sending a message to skeptics that roboadvising is here to stay.
FOXBusiness.com sat down with Future Advisors CEO Bo Lu to talk about roboadvising.
FOXBusiness.com: So tell us what is a roboadvisor?
BL: Its a software platform first and foremost that allows you to get an overall view of how your existing investments are doing and get some insights into how you might do better. And then it can take those over for you and actually implement those changes and manage your assets on a day to day, week to week, month to month basis as time rolls on so you can continue to stay on track with your goals.
FOXBusiness.com: Whats the benefit to using a roboadvisor?
BL: The first one is oftentimes they either have no or little minimums and you can get started right away without having had to build up a large nest egg of wealth first before you can get the attention of some of the more experienced and higher minimum asset management firms but the other thing to think about is its always there. You can do it in your pajamas, on your iPad at home, you can do it on your phone while walking the streets of New York, so its always there.
FOXBusiness.com: Now for someone who does want to start roboadvising, what should they think about in this process, how should they go about selecting the right roboadvisor for them?
BL: First and foremost you want to go with a firm that youve heard of and that you trust. Its still the very early days of the evolution of this software platform and so its not necessary to jump in there to find the most advanced or one that has the shiniest website because over time we believe that all of the firms we work with today, the banks and broker dealers, that we already have relationships with will offer one if they havent offered one already.
Then look for a roboadvisory platform that combines both humans and machine because you always want someone there to call if you have questions and look to make sure that the platform takes into account as whole a sense of your life and as whole a sense of your financial picture as possible.
Image source: iStock/Thinkstock.
Shares of Wells Fargo have fallen sharply since a majority of voters in the United Kingdom cast ballots last week in favor of separating from the European Union -- the so-called Brexit. They're now approaching their 52-week low of $44.50 a share. Should investors take advantage by buying shares of the nation's third biggest bank by assets?
Assuming you were thinking about investing in Wells Fargo in the first place, the answer may very well be yes. The objective of investing, after all, is to buy low and sell high. You can't do that when things are going great -- that's when stocks are expensive. "You pay a high price for a cheery consensus," says Warren Buffett.
The 85-year-old chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway would know. Berkshire is Wells Fargo's largest shareholder, holding 9.9% of the bank's outstanding common stock. Buffett bought the stake in 1989 and 1990, just as analysts and commentators began to question whether the California-based bank would survive a severe downturn in commercial real estate.
How has the investment performed? Berkshire paid $290 million for its shares. Today, they're worth $23 billion. The dividends on the holding alone add up to more than $700 million a year.
To be clear, even though Wells Fargo's shares have dropped over the past week, they are by no means as cheap as they were when Buffett bought into the bank 26 years ago. Its shares were trading for only five times earnings at the time. Today, by contrast, they trade for more than twice that -- or 11 times earnings.
But even though that's a higher valuation than Buffett paid, I believe that Wells Fargo's shares are reasonably priced. I say that for two reasons. First, the average stock on the S&P 500 trades for 24 times earnings, or more than double Wells Fargo's valuation. Second, its shares yield 3.3%, which similarly exceeds the S&P 500. The average yield on the large cap index is 2.2%.
Now, there are reasons that Wells Fargo's shares trade at a lower multiple to its earnings compared to other large cap stocks. Increased regulations in the bank industry are clamping down on it profitability. Its return on average common equity last year was 12.7%. That was down from 13.4% in 2014, which was lower than the 13.9% it returned in 2013.
Wells Fargo has reduced its profitability guidance for the current year as well. At its 2016 investors day last month, CFO John Shewsberry said that the bank expects to generate a return on equity of between 11% to 14% this year. That's down from its previous range of 12% to 15%.
Wells Fargo is also a larger company than most of the other companies on the S&P 500. It's the 11th largest based on market capitalization, and the largest U.S. bank by this measure. Its sheer size alone thus makes it harder for Wells Fargo to grow as quickly as smaller companies.
But what you give up in terms of growth potential, you gain in stability. Wells Fargo proved during the financial crisis that it's one of the most conservatively run banks in the country -- never once reporting an annual loss through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Since then, moreover, while many of its peers have struggled to generate consistent and respectable profitability, Wells Fargo's bottom line has consistently grown in absolute terms (i.e., not relative to its equity) thanks to a combination of bolt-on acquisitions and organic growth.
The net result is that Wells Fargo has one of the lowest betas in the bank industry, at 0.92, according to YCharts.com. This means that its shares are 8% less volatile than the broader market on a typical day. By comparison, Bank of America's beta is 1.76, JPMorgan Chase's is 1.63, and Citigroup's is 1.97 -- meaning that they're 76%, 63%, and 97% more volatile, respectively, than the average stock on an ordinary day.
Wells Fargo is likely to continue increasing its dividend, too. It already pays out more than a third of its earnings to shareholders each year, which will limit the size of a dividend raise, but it has demonstrated over the years that raising its payout annually is a priority. We'll find out this week, in fact, if this is the case. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will announce the results of the comprehensive capital analysis and review, in which the central bank has veto power over bank capital plans.
Taken together, then, if you were thinking about buying Wells Fargo's stock before the Brexit vote caused its shares to fall, then the case for doing so seems stronger today. This isn't to say the Brexit won't affect Wells Fargo, because it will. But rather, the impact is likely to be short term, just as it was in 1989 and 1990, when Buffett staked his claim in the now $1.85 trillion bank.
The article Brexit: Is It Time to Buy Wells Fargo Stock? originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Maxfield owns shares of Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool recommends Bank of America. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Could Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC become the next Apple ? Goldman Sachs analyst Wei Chen, who claims that the stock has over 40% upside from current levels, believes that it could happen.
Chen attributes HTC's "short-lived success in the smartphone business" to "operational issues" and its lack of a "proprietary platform in the smartphone era." Since most HTC devices run on Android, they couldn't stand out against higher-end Android devices from Samsung and lower-end ones from Xiaomi.
HTC's Vive. Image source: HTC.
Chen believes that HTC won't have the same problem with Vive, the VR headset it co-developed with Valve. By building a VR software ecosystem, HTC's VR headsets could generate sales from both hardware and software, similar to Apple's approach with iOS devices and the App Store. Chen estimates that software sales at Viveport, HTC's VR app store, will have a 70% to 100% gross margin, while the headsets could have a gross margin of 20% to 25%.
Chen believes that Vive's hardware and software sales could generate 60% of HTC's top line by 2020, offsetting its softness in smartphones and making it a major force in the VR market. Unfortunately, some major headwinds could prevent that from ever happening.
What about other ecosystem rivals?
The biggest problem with Chen's thesis is that it assumes HTC's Viveport will become a major proprietary ecosystem like Apple's App Store. However, Facebook's Oculus Home has already emerged as a major app ecosystem for the Oculus Rift and Samsung's Gear VR headsets.
Alphabet's recently unveiled Daydream, a next-gen mobile headset and software push to evolve the Google Play Store into a VR storefront. Several major smartphone makers -- including Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, LG, and even HTC -- already signed up to create "Daydream-ready" mobile devices for that effort. Daydream and Viveport address two different markets, but tethering its mobile devices to Daydream could hurt HTC's ability to straddle PCs and smartphones with a single VR ecosystem.
HTC's relationship with Valve also isn't exclusive, since the latter's Steam VR Store offers both Vive and Oculus titles. HTC previously stated that Viveport is an "option for people who can't use Steam," like Chinese gamers. Therefore, HTC will likely share the 30% cut of software sales on Steam with Valve in most countries, with Viveport simply being a backup option.
Image source: HTC.
Many VR developers and customers also believe that exclusive platforms could fragment the fledgling VR market and prevent apps from reaching a wider audience of cross-platform gamers. That's probably why Oculus recently removed a controversial DRM feature which blocked its "exclusive" titles from being played on rival devices like the Vive.
Winning the hardware battle could be tough
Since borders between VR ecosystems will likely remain permeable for now, the near-term battle will be fought over hardware and platforms. On PCs, HTC and Oculus VR will clash. On mobile devices, Facebook and Google will respectively expand their Oculus Home and Daydream platforms to more OEMs. On consoles, Sony's PlayStation VR should enjoy a comfortable first-mover's advantage as Microsoftand Nintendo try to catch up.
Piper Jaffray believes thatHTC will sell 2.1 million Vives this year. That's less than 5 million Gear VRs from Samsung and 3.6 million Rifts from Facebook, and only slightly more than 1.4 million PSVRs from Sony. The Vive's $799 price tag makes it much pricier than the $599 Oculus Rift, and both devices require a $1,000 PC. That's why the $99 Gear VR, which is paired with Samsung's high-end smartphones ($400 to $500), could reach the most mainstream users this year.
Winning the hardware battle could be especially tough for HTC, which has been bleeding market share and branding power over the past few years. Between 2011 and 2015, HTC's market share in smartphones plunged from 11% to less than 2%. HTC will likely struggle to challenge the brand strength of Oculus -- which is mentioned in nearly every VR discussion -- with a higher-priced headset. Without sufficient hardware sales, HTC can't build a revenue generating software ecosystem on the Vive.
The key takeaway
Chen's thesis depends on HTC selling lots of headsets and locking in users with a first party software ecosystem. But that won't work if HTC is selling the priciest headset on the market, its software partner isn't offering an exclusive relationship, and developers are frowning on platform-exclusive titles. Therefore, the Vive will likely remain a niche device that will attract hardcore gamers, but it won't overtake smartphones as the company's primary source of revenue anytime soon.
The article Nope, This Company Isn't the "Next Apple" originally appeared on Fool.com.
Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Leo Sun has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Apple, and Facebook. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft and has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images
A stock is said to underperform if it produces a worse return than an index or the overall stock market, and analysts can give stocks an "underperform" rating if inferior performance is expected. For example, if a stock's total return is 5% and the S&P 500's total return is 8%, it underperformed the index by three percentage points.
Reasons a stock could underperform
There are a variety of reasons a stock could underperform the market, or could be expected to do so by an analyst.
For example, if growth has slowed more than expected during the previous quarter, an analyst may believe this trend will continue in the future. Or, if a company carries a higher debt load than peers, a downturn in the market could hit its profits particularly hard. There are many other potential reasons for underperformance, and each stock's situation is unique.
Examples of underperformance
Keep in mind that underperformance doesn't necessarily imply a negative return. For example, ExxonMobil had a strong year in 2013 with a total return of 17.2%. However, the S&P 500 produced a total return of 29.1% for the year, so even though ExxonMobil delivered a strong return, it underperformed the S&P 500 by nearly 12 percentage points.
Also, underperformance doesn't have to be relative to the entire market -- rather, it can be useful to look at a stock's performance relative to its peers, or even to another individual stock. As one example, the banking sector hasn't performed too well this year, as can be seen in the performance of the SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF, which is down 4%. Some banks have performed better than this, while others have underperformed, such as Bank of America, which is down nearly 19% for the year.
Underperform as an analyst rating
When analysts assign ratings to stocks, a rating of "underperform" means that the analyst expects the stock to perform worse than the overall market, therefore they are recommending that investors stay away.
Keep in mind that different brokerages use different ratings scales. Some analysts use "market underperform," while others will rate a stock a "sell" or even as a "strong sell" depending on how great the underperformance is expected to be.
This article is part of The Motley Fool's Knowledge Center, which was created based on the collected wisdom of a fantastic community of investors. We'd love to hear your questions, thoughts, and opinions on the Knowledge Center in general or this page in particular. Your input will help us help the world invest, better! Email us atknowledgecenter@fool.com. Thanks -- and Fool on!
The article What Does It Mean for a Stock to Underperform? originally appeared on Fool.com.
The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. The Motley Fool recommends Bank of America. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.
What: Shares of RigNet are surging on Tuesday, up 15% by 11:00 a.m. EDT.
So what: Crude oil prices are climbing as investors start bargain-hunting, after a steep two-day sell-off following Britain's decision to exit the EU. The market seems to think that crude sold off too steeply, given the improving market fundamentals, and the expectation that demand in both Asia and the U.S. would be high this summer. That prospect for robust demand comes as supplies are tightening, after two years of underinvestment caused a drop-off in output across the globe. Supplies could tighten even further due to a looming strike across several Norwegian oil and gas fields.
Basically, after selling in a panic, investors are starting to turn their attention back to market fundamentals. Those fundamentals seem to be pointing to atighter oil market, which could cause oil producers to increase spending and start putting some offshore rigs back to work.
This potential for more work is fueling not only RigNet's rally, but also a rebound in other offshore drillers. For example, Transocean and Atwood Oceanics are also higher today, up about 4% and 6%, respectively. What the market anticipates is that Transocean might be able to put some of its idle rigs back to work before the end of the year, while Atwood Oceanics might not have to idle all the rigs which arecoming off contract over the next year. Because more offshore rigs could be going back to work, RigNetwill have additional opportunities to supply its communications services.
Now what: While the Brexit vote threw the market for a loop, it has yet to change the underlying fundamentals of the oil market, which are improving. Because of this improvement, RigNet's financial results could beginto recover later this year. It is that viewpoint that the market is buying into today, after selling in a panic over the past couple of days.
The article Abating Brexit Fears Send RigNet Inc.'s Stock Soaring originally appeared on Fool.com.
Matt DiLallo owns shares of RigNet. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Atwood Oceanics. The Motley Fool recommends RigNet. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
GM president Dan Amman (center) with Lyft co-founders Logan Green (left) and John Zimmer (right). GM invested $500 million in Lyft in January. Image source:General Motors.
Is ride-hailing start-up Lyft looking for a buyer? Could that buyer turn out to be General Motors ?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Lyft has retained Qatalyst Partners, a "boutique" investment bank known for helping technology companies find buyers -- and the bankers are talking to automakers, including GM.
What's going on, here?
Lyft may be hungry for capital to keep up with giant Uber
A little background: Lyft, like much larger rival Uber Technologies, needs a lot of cash. Both companies are spending millions to expand their services, offering bonuses to new drivers and subsidizing rides in new territories until they become profitable.
So far, Lyft has raised about $2 billion, including a $500 million investment from GM. Lyft's most recent round of fundraising reportedly valued the company at $5.5 billion.
In comparison, Uber has raised about $15 billion and was recently valued at an eye-popping $68 billion. Uber is spending a fortune in an effort to get established in China, while Lyft has yet to make a major move outside of the U.S., but still: Given Uber's big war chest, it's not surprising Lyft's management team might be seeking more capital as the company tries to keep pace.
I suspect that's all that is going on, here. Lyft hasn't exactly had trouble raising money so far. There's no obvious reason to think it has concluded that a sale is its best option.
However, whether it's looking for new investments or a buyer, it's clear why GM is high on Lyft's list.
GM already has a substantial relationship with Lyft
GM's relationship with Lyft goes well beyond a passive investment. For starters, GM is setting up a program to rent vehicles to Lyft drivers at an affordable weekly rate. For GM, which has struggled versus import-brand rivals in areas around American cities, the deal with Lyft is a way to expose young urban folks to its (much-improved) products.
The idea is that those folks will get a favorable impression of GM that will linger when they get a little older, move out to the suburbs, and think about buying cars. (The same thinking is behind GM's new car-sharing unit, Maven, aZipcar rival.)
There's more. GM is also looking to Lyft to provide its first real-world test of self-driving technology. Lyft executives have said it will test a self-driving taxi service in a (so far unspecified) U.S. city within a year -- and those self-driving taxis will be electric Chevrolet Bolts. GM has been openly testing self-driving Bolts on San Francisco streets recently, presumably gearing up for the larger test with Lyft.
A self-driving Chevrolet Bolt EV in San Francisco. Image source: Cruise Automation/General Motors.
While some in the media have characterized the Bolt as a Tesla Motors rival, the truth is that the little electric Chevy was designed with a ride-hailing and car-sharing service in mind from the start, with a slew of features intended to make it easier to drop off and pick up passengers in an urban environment.
Bottom line: It's possible GM's business case for the Bolt might depend (at least in part) on a partnership with a company like Lyft.
If Lyft is for sale, might GM be a buyer?
That's less clear. On one hand, GM could certainly afford to spend the $5 billion or so it would presumably take to acquire Lyft outright.
But on the other hand, why would GM want to buy Lyft outright? It already has a sizable stake, a seat on the board, and presumably a buy-in from Lyft's management to work on the initiatives that are part of CEO Mary Barra's future-tech strategy.
Having complete control of Lyft would ensure GM has a captive market for the Bolt, but it may already have enough access to Lyft to meet its business goals without the investment and commitment that would come with outright ownership.
More to the point, given Lyft's capital needs, a $5 billion or so investment to buy it could be just the beginning. GM has plenty of capital and a strong credit rating should it decide to raise more, but would it want so many of its eggs in one basket?
The upshot: Don't hold your breath waiting for GM to buy out Lyft
Long story short: I think it's very unlikely Lyft is actually putting itself up for sale. I think it's far more likely that it's looking for additional investors, that Qatalyst Partners made some calls to automakers to gauge interest, and that somebody in that chain talked to The Wall Street Journal.
It's possible GM will be willing to increase its investment in Lyft. It's also possible GM would try to block an investment from a rival automaker. But I think it's unlikely GM would be interested in buying Lyft outright -- and I think it's unlikely that Lyft is actually for sale.
The article Is Lyft Looking for a Buyer -- and Will It Be General Motors? originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Rosevear owns shares of General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.
At Facebook's F8 conference in April, CEO Mark Zuckerberg touched on the company's interest in augmented reality, noting that 10 years from now, we may all have glasses that project both virtual and augmented reality (AR) displays with cheap apps that allow us to display anything we want. And, of course, we'll be able to share the content with friends.
"[This] is the vision, and this is what we're trying to get to over the next 10 years," Zuckerberg said.
Facebook's vision for augmented reality (AR) is still years away, but a recent investor note put out by SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's Robert Peck (republished on Barron's) suggests that Facebook could face some stiff AR competition from rising social media company Snapchat.
Peck says Snapchat's popularity among younger users and its current use of AR could eventually threaten -- to some extent -- Facebook's plans.
Let's take a look at a few of Peck's points.
Snapchat's rise
Here's what Peck said in part of the note: "We think that Snapchat is evolving beyond just 'another social media platform' and could be headed to be the first 'social augmented reality platform' (SARP)."
Why? Peck believes the images people are seeing on Facebook and Instagram are too perfect and are starting to all blur together. And he thinks that means Snapchat's photos and videos could become more socially shareable than some on Facebook or Instagram.
"The fun and unique nature of the content therefore becomes more shareable, vs some of the more repetitive & common photos on other platforms," he wrote.
However, he thinks the real socially shareable factor comes from live, augmented reality videos. It won't just be augmented reality selfies people will share, but rather objects that can be interacted with through a Snapchat augmented reality filter, Peck said.
This is a bit of speculation, of course, because there's currently no data to show that Snapchat's AR would be more shareable then a Facebook Live video. Still, Peck points to Snapchat'sascension of daily active users (DAU) as a growing augmented reality threat.
The company already has 150 million DAUs, surpassing Twitter's 136 million. It falls far short of Facebook's 1 billion DAUs, of course, but Snapchat is growing fast among younger social media users in the U.S.
Snapchat's engagement is higher than both Facebook and Instagram's among 13- to 24-year-olds, with 73% using it daily, compared to 70% for Facebook and 65% for Instagram. Peck also notes that monthly and daily active users continue to climb on Snapchat, and that augmented reality will drive further growth because of its uniqueness.
Facebook will be fine
While Peck could be right about augmented reality being more socially sharable than photos or traditional videos, that doesn't mean Facebook will miss the AR boat. The company has already proved its platform can pivot toward rising trends -- and succeed.Facebook's recentfocus on video is a prime example of this.
Facebook now has about 8 billion video views per day and has boosted the length of time users watch videos by three times, after implementing its Facebook Live videos. As a result, the company says organic reach is 135% higher with videos than with the average photo. Additionally, a 2015 study by Advertiser Perceptions showed that Facebook was second, only behind Google and YouTube, as the platform that marketers want to spend money on for video advertising.
If Snapchat continues to grow its user base and AR becomes even more important to younger social media users, it could possibly force Facebook to speed up its AR plans.
Facebook is already planning for an AR future and could, if it really wanted to, add new AR features into its Messenger app. There's nothing stopping Facebook from doing so, or simply snatching up Snapchat if the company proved to be a real threat.
So no, I don't think Snapchat is a true AR threat for Facebook. If anything, Snapchat may just be an example for helping Facebook understand what younger users are looking for from a future Messenger update.
The article Is This Facebook's Biggest Augmented Reality Threat? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.
The solar industry has seen disruptions like changing government subsidies, oversupply in the market, and financial market meltdown. But tornado damage to one of Canadian Solar's manufacturing plants is a new one.
Late last week, a tornado tore through the company's Funing, China solar cell manufacturing plant, which represents 15%-20% of its solar cell capacity this upcoming quarter. And the impact could be felt by Canadian Solar and a number of major players in the industry.
The impact on Canadian Solar
Canadian Solar downplayed the impact the tornado could have on the company's future. Management said insurance would cover "substantially all of its financial losses," both for equipment damage and business interruption. But it's hard not to think there will be some negative impact in the next year. At the very least, investors should keep an eye on when insurance money comes in and whether there are one-time charges related to the facility later this year.
The greater impact could be from the cost to acquire solar cells from competitors. The company has already agreed to buy cells from other suppliers, which will likely lead to lower margins near term given Canadian Solar's industry leading cost structure. It'll also help competitors.
An unexpected boost for competitors
As the Chinese solar manufacturing industry has gone through its own shakeout over the past five years there are relatively few top tier manufacturers left to fill the gap Canadian Solar will have. A majority of Canadian Solar's cell suppliers aren't traded in the U.S., companies like Motech Industries, Neo Solar, and Tongwei, but other cell suppliers may get a marginal boost from increased demand in the market. JA Solar , Hanwha Q-Cells seem likely to see higher utilization in the cell business, which could boost their margins this year.
One of the challenges these suppliers have faced over the past five years is general oversupply in the solar industry, but module manufacturers have also been pushing downstream into making their own cells. That has squeezed margins and even pushed some suppliers into insolvency. Ironically, this disaster may help alleviate some of that oversupply, in the short-term, given Canadian Solar's scale. The company expected to have 3.9 gigawatts of cell capacity, or over half of all of the solar capacity installed in the U.S. last year, by the end of the year, so globally this is a big deal.
Canadian Solar doesn't have much room for error
One of the challenges for Canadian Solar after this disaster is dealing with its razor thin margins. Even a small uptick in costs or one-time charges to fix the plant or writedown assets would be a huge negative. First quarter 2016 gross margin was just 15.6% and net margin was just 3.1%. Now, 15%-20% of solar cell capacity is offline and doesn't sound like it will be up and running soon? That's a big deal.
I wouldn't panic-sell Canadian Solar on this one event alone, but it's worth keeping an eye on how it can handle such a large manufacturing disruption. Profits and strong cash flow are hard to come by for commodity solar manufacturers right now, so this could be a big impact to the bottom line in an already rough year for solar stocks.
The article Storm Damage Could Impact on Canadian Solar's Bottom Line originally appeared on Fool.com.
Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Hackers heed the call: Uncle Sam wants YOU! Image source: Getty Images.
Ever since Matthew Broderick broke into the Department of Defense in 1983's WarGames ("Shall we play a game?"), hacking the Pentagon has been a hacker's dream.
This year, the hackers got paid to do it.
As explained in a press release from HackerOne, from April 18 to May 12, the Department of Defense ran a "Hack the Pentagon" pilot program inviting a select group of hackers to attempt to break into DoD websites. Anyone who succeeded had the chance to win a "bounty" for reporting previously unknown vulnerabilities in Pentagon computers.
And a lot of them succeeded.
Survey says ...
According to the final tally, a total of 1,410 hackers attempted to hack the Pentagon during the exercise, and on average they found nearly one bug per participant.
A total of 1,189 "reports" of vulnerabilities were submitted over the course of the exercise. Of these, 138 vulnerabilities were determined to be both "valid" and "unique" (i.e., multiple hackers identified some vulnerabilitie). The top three most common vulnerabilities found:
Cross-site scripting (XSS), a vulnerability that allows a hacker to inject malicious code into a website.
Information disclosure (of the unauthorized kind).
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF), whereby a trusted user is able to issue unauthorized commandsto a website.
According to HackerOne, "the most severe vulnerability submitted and the highest awarded was a SQL Injection," which can permit a hacker to change or destroy data in a database, disclose it publicly, or even take over as the administrator of the database.
Money well spent
In exchange for this wealth of information on its vulnerabilities, the Pentagon paid out a mere $71,200 in bounties.
Just $71,200.
That total cost of the program was approximately 100 times below the standard for materiality of $7 million that triggers a Pentagon obligation to report contract awards on its own contract website. That makes "Hack the Pentagon" one of the most cost-effective government programs in recorded history.
What it means to investors
Now contrast the effectiveness -- and the cost -- of Hack the Pentagon with the government's current business practice. In his recent book @War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex, Foreign Policy magazine writer Shane Harris explains the complicated web of hacking, sale to defense contractors including Harris Corporation and Raytheon , and resale to the Pentagon, of so-called "zero day" exploits (i.e., not widely known computer vulnerabilities).
Hackers such as privately held Endgame compile and sell such hacks for up to $100,000 per vulnerability. Defense contractors such as Raytheon and Harris, who hold lucrative cybersecurity contracts with the Pentagon, then resell these vulnerabilities to the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon's own National Security Agency (NSA) -- presumably at a nice profit margin. (According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, Raytheon's Forcepoint cybersecurity division earns operating profit margins of 9.1%, while Harris' Government Communications Systems division earns 15.7%).
Uncovering, selling, and reselling computer hacks turns out to be big business. Smith's research reveals that while an ordinary zero-day exploit might start out at as low as $50,000 or as high as $100,000 (before mark-up), particularly valuable hacks can cost "half a million dollars."
According to Smith, the NSA alone spends $25 million annually buying hacks. What's more, while Hack the Pentagon's vulnerabilities were revealed directly to the Pentagon, Smith notes that in the hacking-for-profit world, commercially marketed hacks are routinely sold "to multiple clients, including government agencies in different countries" -- so the Pentagon is paying through the nose for these hacks, and not even getting exclusive access to the knowledge.
The Hack the Pentagon results suggest there may be a better way -- cut out the middleman, and buy direct from the hacker.
The article Top 3 Ways to Hack the Pentagon originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributorRich Smithowns shares of Raytheon. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 288 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.
In the music industry, and perhaps all of tech, there may not be a better example of divergent paths than those of Pandora and Spotify.
Spotify's ascent as the most used digital-music service in the world has paralleled a similar increase in its private market valuation. As of its most recent round of fundraising, Spotify's valuation now sits at an impressive $8.5 billion.
Then there's Pandora. The online music pioneer's market cap peaked at slightly more than $7.5 billion in early 2014, only to see its stock plummet since then by roughly 75%. Today, Pandora's market capitalization stands as a mere fraction of Spotify's most recent private market valuation. So why is Spotify more valuable than Pandora?
Pandora's business model as a hurdle
Though they perform similar services, the differences between business models and geographic markets are the two most significant factors driving the multibillion-dollar valuation gap between Pandora and Spotify that exists today. These differences, as you'll see, are incredibly important.
Pandora operates as what's called a "passive" radio service. Like terrestrial AM and FM radio stations, Pandora users select a station, and its music-selection algorithms handle the business of selecting the rest of the songs. Since it largely operates like a radio station, Pandora is able to have its rights set by the same government entity that determines the royalty rate for the entire industry -- the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB).
This status has benefited Pandora by allowing it to pay lower rates than those the music industry has sought. However, relying on CRB rates in the U.S. has historically hampered Pandora's ability to secure international streaming rights from most major labels. This strategy is the reason Pandora operates in only four markets globally -- the U.S, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada -- while Apple Music and Spotify, which negotiate their streaming rights directly with music publishers, are largely available worldwide.
Pandora has made efforts to mend its relationship with publishers ahead of the planned debut of its on-demand streaming service. However, with Apple Music and Spotify so far ahead of Pandora, not to mention Pandora's stagnant user growth, the odds of success in this uphill battle seem increasingly remote.
It isn't necessarily all bad news for Pandora, though.
Subscriptions > Ads
At the same time, Pandora's assumed shift toward the on-demand, subscription-based model Apple and Spotify favor at least gives the company a fighting shot at eventual profitability. Look at the difference in average revenue per user (ARPU) between Spotify's two subscriber tiers and Pandora for the calendar year 2015.
Metric Spotify Free Pandora Spotify Premium 2015 ARPU $3.01 $14.66 $67.99
Sources: author's calculation from Pandora investor relations and Music Business Worldwide.
Though it offers both subscription and ad-supported tiers, 80% of Pandora's revenue comes from its free, ad-supported product. Especially when taken in content with Spotify's APRU from its free business, the takeaway is clear -- subscription streaming products are more lucrative than their ad-based brethren.
As such, Pandora's virtually given move to add its own subscription-based, on-demand product from the remnants of Rdio it bought last year should help significantly bolster its top-line growth.
The downside is that Pandora is late to the party in doing so. Apple Music has 13 million paying users, and Spotify has some over 30 million paid subs. What's more, Amazon.com will also reportedly launch its own on-demand streaming service in the coming months, adding another highly capable competitor to an increasingly saturated market for streaming services.
Pandora will assuredly convert some portion of its 89 million total users when it launches its eventual on-demand streaming product, most likely later this year. However, given the first-mover and scale advantages Spotify is carving out for itself, the valuation gap between Pandora and Spotify appears relatively justified.
The article Why Is Spotify More Valuable Than Pandora? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Andrew Tonner owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com, Apple, and Pandora Media. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
VW has agreed to settle claims related to 2009-2015 vehicles sold in the U.S.with its 2.0 liter four-cylinder TDI engine, shown. It's a big step, but it doesn't end VW's diesel woes. Image source: Volkswagen.
Volkswagen has reached a deal to settle a slew of claims related to its diesel-emissions scandal. Here's what investors need to know.
How much will this cost VW?
It could cost VW as much as $15.3 billion. Here's how that breaks down:
VW will set up a settlement fund with a maximum value of $10.033 billion to compensate owners of 2009-2015 vehicles with the 2.0 liter TDI engine. All owners will get a cash payment of between $5,100 and roughly $10,000. In addition, VW will offer to buy back the vehicles at the cars' values as of September 2015, before the scandal broke. Those with current leases can opt to terminate the leases without penalty. Alternatively, customers can choose to keep their vehicles and have them repaired to comply with the Clean Air Act.
VW will pay $2.7 billion over the next three years into an "environmental trust" that will make grants to clean-air projects in U.S. states. The idea is that this fund will offset the impact of the excess emissions from the offending engines over the last several years.
VW agrees to invest $2 billion over 10 years in zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, access, and awareness initiatives in the U.S.
VW will pay $603 million to settle claims filed by a slew of U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.
If all owners opt for the buyback, it'll cost VW the full $15.3 billion, but it's possible the final bill will be considerably less.
What does this settlement settle?
It settles civil claims specific to vehicles powered by the the 2.0 liter TDI engine that were brought by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resource Board (CARB), the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and owners of the affected cars (via a class action lawsuit).
What claims are still outstanding in the U.S.?
This settlement doesn't cover potential civil and criminal actions instituted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Nor does it cover any claims related to the other cheating diesels, the VW, Audi, and Porsche models equipped with 3.0 liter TDI V6 engines. That's separate set of civil claims filed by the EPA and state environmental regulators, the FTC, and owners via a class action suit.
Is this good news or bad news for VW?
On one hand, it's good news: It's a lot of money, but it settles the worst of the charges in the U.S. in a way that should satisfy owners of the affected cars. For VW, it's a big step toward putting the scandal in the rearview mirror.
On the other hand, the settlement has the potential to open a huge can of worms.
VW is still facing civil and criminal charges related to the diesel scandal in many other countries. If some of those countries decide to use the U.S. settlement as a template for their own settlements, forcing VW to buy back thousands or millions of vehicles at September 2015 values, this will get really expensive in a hurry.
VW is unlikely to go out of business entirely. It's a hugely important employer in Germany, and I can't imagine the German government would allow it. But it's not hard to see how expenses related to the scandal could swamp VW to the point where it needs a government bailout of some kind.
Is it time for investors to think about buying beaten-up VW shares?
I'm still advising against it.
Even setting aside the potential for a Brexit-related recession in Europe, and concerns about VW's shareholder-unfriendly corporate governance, VW still isn't looking like a buy to me because there's still a lot of uncertainty around the final cost of the scandal.
If other jurisdictions decide to force VW to offer buybacks, that could add billions to the price tag, potentially crippling VW to the point where the German government might have to step in. Even in the U.S., there's still another big shoe to drop: The Justice Department hasn't yet had its say.
It's still possible the expenses related to this mess could set back VW's effort to develop the advanced technology it will need to be competitive in a few years. That, in turn, would raise big doubts about the company's long-term prospects for growth. Until we have more clarity, I'd advise steering clear.
The article Why Volkswagen's Settlement Won't End Its Uncertainty originally appeared on Fool.com.
John Rosevear has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Getty Images.
What: Shares of Xencor , a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical focused primarily on autoimmune diseases and cancer, are up more than 35% as of 3:20 p.m. EDT after news broke that the company has signed a lucrative collaboration agreement with Swiss pharma giant Novartis .
So what: Novartis has agreed to pay a $150 million upfront fee to get its hands on two of Xencor's pipeline candidates. These two drugs --XmAb14045 and XmAb13676 -- are being developed as potential treatments for acute myeloid leukemia and B-cell malignancies. Both drugs are expected to enter clinical development later in the year.
Importantly, this deal only grants Novartis the rights to these two drugs outside of the U.S., so Xencor is still free to commercialize these drugs on its own, or with another partner in the states if it chooses to do so. Assuming the two drugs find their way to market overseas, then Xencor is also entitled to receivetiered, double-digit royalties on any future sales.
The two companies have also agreed toshare future development costs related to XmAb14045 and XmAb13676.In total, if all clinical, regulatory, and sales milestones are reached, this deal is valued at more than $2.4 billion.
Novartis gains a lot of future optionality from this deal as well.Xencor has granted Novartis the right to develop and commercialize four additional targets based on the company'sbiospecific technology platform. In addition, Novartis is eligible to receive a worldwide non-exclusive license to use Xencor'sXmAb Fctechnologies in up to 10 molecules of its choosing.
Now what: Even including today's pop, Xencor's market is only about $650 million, so this deal holds massive potential compared to the company's current size. What's even more important for long-term investors is that this agreement represents a huge vote of confidence from a deep-pocketed industry veteran. That lends a large amount of creditability to the company's innovative drug development platform.
This deal also should put Xencor in a fantastic financial position. Prior to this announcement, the company believed it had enough capital on hand to keep its doors open until 2019. Including this $150 million cash injection, the company's runway is likely to be extended by at least a few more years. That should give investors confidence that Xencor won't be picking their pockets for funding anytime soon.
All in all, this looks like a home-run deal for Xencor, so it's easy to see why the markets are bidding up shares so sharply today.
The article Why Xencor Inc's Shares Are Skyrocketing Today originally appeared on Fool.com.
Brian Feroldi has no position in any stocks mentioned.Like this article? Follow him onTwitter where he goes by the handle@Longtermmindsetor connect with him on LinkedIn to see more articles like this.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
European leaders told Britain on Tuesday to act quickly to resolve the political and economic chaos unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union, a move the IMF said could put pressure on global growth.
Financial markets recovered slightly after the result of Thursday's referendum wiped a record $3 trillion off global shares and sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years, but trading was volatile and policymakers said they would take all necessary measures to protect their economies.
British Finance Minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets had fallen on deaf ears on Monday, said the country would have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilize the economy after a third credit ratings agency downgraded its debt.
Firms have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, despite voters' hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU.
European countries are concerned about the impact of the uncertainty created by Britain's vote to leave on the 27 other EU member states. There is little idea of when, or even if, the country will formally declare it is quitting.
"The process for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union must start as soon as possible," French President Francois Hollande said. "I can't imagine any British government would not respect the choice of its own people."
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sent a similar message as he prepared for talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron before an EU summit in Brussels, although he did not anticipate an immediate move.
"We cannot be embroiled in lasting uncertainty," Juncker said in a speech to the European Parliament, which he interrupted to ask British members of the assembly who campaigned to leave the EU why they were there.
Cameron, who called the referendum and tendered his resignation when it became clear he had failed to persuade Britain to stay in the EU, says he will leave it to his successor to formally declare the country's exit.
Arriving for the EU summit, he said: "I'll be explaining that Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible, and I hope the outcome can be as constructive as possible.
Holding out hope of maintaining good relations with other European countries, he said Britain wanted "the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security. Because that is good for us and that is good for them."
His party says it aims to choose a new leader by early September. But those who campaigned for Britain's leave vote have made clear they hope to negotiate a new deal for the country with the EU before triggering the formal exit process. European leaders have said that is not an option.
"No notification, no negotiation," Juncker said.
NO CHERRY-PICKING
After Cameron has addressed EU leaders on Tuesday evening, they will meet the next day to discuss Brexit without him.
Leave campaigners in Britain including Boris Johnson, a likely contender to replace Cameron, suggest the country can retain access to the European single market and curb immigration -- but those goals are mutually incompatible under EU rules.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain would not be able to "cherry-pick" parts of theEU, such as access to the single market, without accepting principles such as freedom of movement when it negotiates its exit from the bloc.
"I can only advise our British friends not to fool themselves ... in terms of the necessary decisions that need to be made in Britain," she told German parliament in Berlin.
Cameron will meet other European counterparts one-on-one before addressing them all at what promises to be a frosty dinner to discuss what has become known as Brexit.
EU lawmakers say they want him to trigger the exit process at the dinner, but an EU official said that was unrealistic given the political chaos in London, where both Cameron's party and opposition Labour lawmakers are deeply divided.
The ruling Conservative Party is split into pro- and anti-EU camps and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was facing a no confidence vote on Tuesday from parliamentarians who accuse him of lukewarm support for the EU.
The European Parliament jeered when Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain's euroskeptic UKIP party, said in a scathing speech that Europe had deceived its population and Britain would be its "best friend" if it agreed to extend a tariff-free trade deal.
But the vote has caused new friction in the EU at a time of crises over a mass influx of refugees, economic weakness and tensions on its borders with Russia.
Poland's foreign minister demanded Juncker and other leaders of the executive European Commission quit for not preserving the Union. The prime minister of Greece, enduring austerity measures in return for aid, said Europe must change direction.
Germany's financial market regulator delivered a double blow to London, saying it could not host the headquarters of a planned European stock exchange giant after Britain leaves theEU, and could not remain a center for trading in euros.
Fitch joined other credit ratings agencies in downgrading its sovereign debt on Monday, and Osborne said Britain faces tax rises and spending cuts.
"We are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means," Osborne, who campaigned to stay in the EU, told BBC radio.
MAYOR SEEKS MORE AUTONOMY FOR LONDON
The 52-48 percent vote to leave has deepened multiple geographical as well as political and social divisions in the United Kingdom.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, where a majority voted to stay and people fear job losses if the city loses its status as a global financial center, said access to Europe's market was key. "On behalf of all Londoners, I am demanding more autonomy for the capital - right now," he said.
Scotland, where people voted strongly to remain in Europe, is weighing a possible second referendum on leaving the United Kingdom given the vote to leave the EU.
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon denounced what she called a vacuum of leadership in London and said three months of political drift until a successor to Cameron is in place would further damage Britain's economy. She said she would meet EU leaders on Wednesday to discuss how Scotland could remain.
The impact looked likely to spread far beyond Britain's borders although European shares rose after a heavy sell-off, partly due to hopes of a more co-ordinated central bank response to financial market losses. Sterling also rose and Wall Street opened higher as investors hunted for bargains.
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate "destabilizing spillovers" between economies.
Shares in European banks have come under particular pressure, especially those based in Britain, over doubts about future market access, and Italy, with high levels of bad loans.
Brexit creates huge political uncertainty and will put pressure on global growth, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s Deputy Managing Director Zhu Min said on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in northern China.
Asian stocks rose and Chinese stocks, protected by capital controls, hit a three-week closing high. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sought to reassure investors by saying the country would not allow "roller-coaster" rides in capital markets.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said England had collapsed "politically, monetarily, constitutionally and economically".
U.S. President Barack Obama told National Public Radio there had been some hysteria "as if somehow NATO's gone, the trans-Atlantic alliance is dissolving, and every country is rushing off to its own corner. That's not what's happening."
In view of the disarray in Britain, some people questioned whether Brexit would happen at all. Nordea bank analysts gave it a likelihood of 70 percent and a senior EU official involved in the process said he thought the country may find a way never to announce its formal departure to the bloc.
(By Michael Holden and Elizabeth Piper; Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Paul Taylor, Gabriela Baczynska, Phil Blenkinsop and Jan-Robert Bartunek in BRUSSELS, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Guy Faulconbridge in LONDON and Alistair Scrutton in STOCKHOLM, writing by Philippa Fletcher, editing by Anna Willard and Timothy Heritage)
Matt Damon and Ben Afflecks 16-year-old reality TV concept, The Runner, will finally see the light of day on Friday.
Come July 1st, The Runner will premiere on Verzion's Go90. The show was originally set for a 2001 debut on ABC, but it was pulled due to security concerns following 9/11.
The competition series centers on a runner who is attempting to make it across the U.S. undetected in 30 days while being tracked by chasers. The show promises a $1 million prize for the runner should he succeed, and it will include an interactive component for viewers through Verizons free mobile platform.
Damon and Affleck produced the series through Project Greenlight, Adaptive Studios and Pilgrim Media Group.
"This is an excellent format for a brand new platform," Marc Joubert, a founding partner at Adaptive Studios, said in a statement to Mashable back in March. "The Runner is our way of meeting a Millennial audience where they live on their smartphones and on social media.
According to Deadline, Yahoo nearly revived The Runner in 2006 with the help of Mark Burnett, but the show didnt make it to air due to financial concerns.
Diagnosing cancer is about to get more accurate, with the help of artificial intelligence.
Pathologists have diagnosed diseases in more or less the same way for the past 100 years, by laboring over a microscope reviewing biopsy samples on little glass slides. Working almost robotically, they sift through millions of normal cells to identify just a few diseased ones. The task is tedious and prone to human error.
But now, scientists and engineers have created a technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and can differentiate cancer cells from normal cells almost as well as a top-notch pathologist. A Harvard-based team demonstrated the AI method as part of a competition at the 2016 International Symposium of Biomedical Imaging in Prague, showing how it could pinpoint, with 92 percent accuracy,cancer cells among samples of breast tissue cells. That accuracy was far better than the other AI methods in the competition, landing the team first place.
Humans + AI
Humans still have the edge: Pathologists beat the robots in this competition with their ability to identify 96 percent of the biopsy samples with cancer cells. [Super-Intelligent Machines: 7 Robotic Futures]
But the real surprise came when pathologists were teamed up with the Harvard team's AI. Together, the artificial intelligence and good, ole human intelligence identified 99.5 percent of the cancerous biopsies.
While the thought of trusting Dr. Robot with your medical analysis may seem a bit scary, some scientists see great promise in AI-assisted doctor services.
"Our guiding hypothesis is that 'AI plus pathologist' will be superior to pathologist alone," said Dr. Andrew Beck, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the creation of the winning AI design. "If we and the larger research community are able to demonstrate that the use of AI tools significantly reduces diagnostic errors, I believe patients, physicians, health care payers and health systems will be supportive of the addition of AI tools in the clinical workflow," he told Live Science.
Why breast cancer cells?
The contest, held in April, invited AI designs from around the world created by private companies and academic research organizations. The goal was to spur interest in creating more accurate AI methods of disease diagnosis.
"The fact that computers [in the April competition] had almost comparable performance to humans is way beyond what I had anticipated," said Jeroen van der Laak of Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, who organized the contest. "It is a clear indication that artificial intelligence is going to shape the way we deal with histopathological images in years to come." [Infographic: The History of Artificial Intelligence (AI)]
The contest organizers chose the topic of breast cancer detection more specifically, metastatic cancer cells in sentinel lymph node biopsies as a real-world test of an important public health issue. Among U.S. women, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer (after skin cancer) and the second deadliest type of cancer (after lung cancer), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A sentinel lymph node biopsy is a surgical procedure in which a sample of tissue is removed from a sentinel node, the first in a group of lymph nodes, or glands, where cancer cells might spread after leaving the original site. A multicenter study published in 2003 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that these biopsies, using traditional human analysis, were 96-percent accurate, with a false-negative rate of 8 percent.
Because cancer surgeons rely on the biopsies to decide what tissue to remove or leave in place, often at the very moment a cancer is beginning to spread, accuracy in the biopsy analysis is crucial.
Machines that learn
Beck's group used a process called "deep learning" to essentially teach a computer to better recognize what cancer cells look like. This process is a machine-learning algorithm used in applications such as speech recognition; it makes the system more and more accurate with each use. In preparation for the contest, Beck's group fed the computer thousands of images of cancer cells.
The team identified examples for which the computer was prone to make a mistake in cancer identification and retrained the computer using greater numbers of more difficult examples.
The development of such automated diagnostics has been a goal for the AI field for the past 30 years, as computers became more commonplace in labs, Beck said. But only recently has the field seen the improvements in scanning, storage, computational power and algorithms necessary to make this possible.
Don't worry, pathologists won't be fading away. Beck said the field will evolve to adopt new skill sets. For example, pitfalls to avoid with AI include a system that routinely misses a particular rare form of cancer the AI hasn't seen before or that is routinely thrown off by an artifact in the biopsy image, he said. Humans will be needed to continuously teach the robots.
Beck's team includes postdocs in his Harvard lab, Dayong Wang and Humayun Irshad, along with Harvard graduate student Rishab Gargya and MIT researcher Aditya Khosla. A technical report describing this work was posted June 20 on the open-access e-print archive arXiv.org.
Editor's Recommendations
Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A Haitian woman in Florida has delivered the first baby in the state born with the birth defect microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, Florida's health department said on Tuesday.
The mother contracted the mosquito-borne virus in her home country and traveled to Florida to give birth, state officials said in statements.
If confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the child will be the fifth in the United States to be born with a birth defect linked with travel to a country in which Zika is circulating.
Another four pregnant women lost their babies as a result of travel-related Zika infections, according to the latest CDC report as of June 16. So far, there have not been any cases of Zika in the United States arising from local mosquito transmission.
The CDC's U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry does not specify the states where those cases occurred. Cases of babies with microcephaly previously were reported in Hawaii and New Jersey.
U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by unusually small head size and potentially severe developmental problems.
The U.S. cases so far involve women who contracted the virus outside the United States in areas with active Zika outbreaks, or were infected through unprotected sex with an infected partner.
Health experts expect local transmission to occur in the United States as mosquito season gets underway, particularly in states such as Florida and Texas.
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed an executive order last week that allocated about $26 million for Zika preparation and response in the state. But in Washington on Tuesday, funding to battle the virus failed to advance in the U.S. Senate.
The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,400 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika also can cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Bernard Orr)
A Michigan woman who was told she was unable to conceive is suing her doctor for wrongful conception.
Lori Cichewiczs doctor told her that if she was to get pregnant, shed have a child with Down syndrome, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
In 2008, the now-50-year-old claims she went to undergo a permanent birth control procedure, but her doctor told her that her fallopian tubes were blocked and she had no chance of becoming pregnant. In fact, Cichewicz claims, the doctor told her she didn't even need to use birth control. But just three years later, she became pregnant.
In April 2011, she gave birth her daughter, Reagan, who has Down syndrome. She told WXYZ that once she found out she was pregnant, there was never a question of whether she would give birth to her special needs child.
"Shes full of life, loving, kind, sweet, everything you could ever imagine," Cichewicz told the news channel.
The problem, Cichewicz said, is that she never wanted to be pregnant.
Now, Cichewicz is seeking damages for emotional distress caused by the unplanned pregnancy.
Im older, I dont know, will I see her graduate college? Will I see her go to college? Will I see her get married? Will I see her graduate high school? All this is going through my mind," Cichewicz told WXYZ.
The lawsuit seeks to keep Cichewiczs doctor accountable for his alleged misguidance.
Health officials in Minnesota are warning about Lyme-infected tick bites that attack the heart and cause sudden cardiac death. The state recorded the first fatal case of what is called Lyme carditis last year, and another man recently reported the illness, Fox 9 reported.
Steve Stolz told the news site that he noticed his heart was beating at a slower pace while walking up a hill. He went to the emergency room where doctors determined a tick bite disturbed the electrical system of his heart.
Sixty-five percent of patients with Lyme carditis are men and typically younger, ages 15 to 40, Dr. Alex Campbell of the Minneapolis Heart Institute, told Fox 9. Nobody understands why, but thats what we see.
The bacteria from the bite burrows into the heart muscle, which causes the electrical signals that keep the heart beating to short circuit. This can cause the heart to slow to a stop or develop a potentially fatal fast rhythm, Fox 9 reported.
The heart will stop pumping blood and you pass out and thats a sudden death, Campbell told Fox 9.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one percent of patients with Lyme disease will develop Lyme carditis. The condition can be treated with antibiotics or a temporary pace maker.
Average out-of-pocket costs for hospitalization went up for people in the U.S. with insurance between 2009 and 2013, due largely to increasing deductibles and coinsurance, according to a new study.
"These people have pretty good health insurance and we wanted to see how much they'd been spending in out of pocket costs," said lead author Emily R. Adrion of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
Surprisingly, even people with high quality health insurance plans were still spending a lot out-of-pocket for hospitalization in 2013, she told Reuters Health by phone.
Although the health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act were not implemented until 2014, previous trends in employer sponsored insurance plans haven't changed a lot since then, Adrion said.
The researchers used commercial claims data from 2009 to 2013 for 7.3 million hospitalizations of adults ages 18 to 64. The study subjects were covered by Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana under employer sponsored or individually purchased plans.
Average out-of-pocket costs per hospitalization went from $738 in 2009 to $1,013 in 2013.
Deductibles - the amount an individual must pay for care before an insurer will pay any expenses - rose from an average of $145 in 2009 to $270 in 2013. After paying the deductible, a patient often still has to pay for some percentage of the cost of care, and the employer or insurance company pays the remainder. Coinsurance grew from $518 in 2009 to $688 in 2013, as reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
More than 80 percent of commercial health insurance benefit packages require coinsurance for inpatient hospitalization in addition to annual deductibles, the authors write.
Coinsurance accounts for a percentage of care expenses, whereas a copayment is a fixed amount. The increase in out-of-pocket costs through 2013 nay have been due to a move from fixed copayments to coinsurance, which can range to much higher amounts for more expensive services, the authors write.
"Insurance provides a lot of protection," and coverage is better than no coverage, Adrion said. If you are injured, your insurer will cover it, "but maybe not quite as much as you might think."
She and her coauthors only had data on patients' age and gender, not on socioeconomic status, so they couldn't say how difficult it was for the patients to pay out-of-pocket costs.
"Definitely this needs to be more a part of policy discussions," Adrion said. "We tend to focus on the uninsured and underinsured and sort of ignore the burden on people with good coverage."
Extending some of the protections available through the ACA to employer sponsored plans could be helpful, she said.
People don't have a good understanding of what coinsurance is, she said. She advises people to educating themselves about the details of their plans.
In a comment published with the study Dr. Mitchell H. Katz, deputy editor of the journal, notes that in 2013, average out-of-pocket costs were $1,509 for patients hospitalized with appendicitis. People can't do anything to prevent appendicitis and are not in a position to shop for the best price of care when they have that kind of acute condition, he points out.
"There are no easy answers for how to deal with the rising cost of medical care, but increasing out-of-pocket spending for unavoidable, necessary care is counter to the goals of a health insurance system," he writes.
My first memories of celebrating the Fourth of July with any sense of history are from 1960. I was only eight at the time, but I had already acquired an unquenchable thirst for the Civil War, nurtured in part by a visit to Gettysburg and a doting third-grade teacher.
We did the day up right. With American flags flying from the handlebars, my brother and I rode our bicycles around the house and into the backyard as if we were Phil Sheridans cavalry charging into action.
My grandfather, at my direction, climbed onto the sandbox cover and read Lincolns hallowed words to the assembled crowdall six of us.
What I remember as well from that day is a clipping I cut from the local newspaper about the 15th anniversary of the end of World War II.
To an eight-year-old whose main connection to that conflict was a fading uniform that hung in the back of his fathers closet, it seemed almost as remote as the Civil War.
In the years afterward, my fathers generation observed many more World War II anniversaries. This Independence Day marks the beginning of the 75th round of them.
While the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor was still five months away in the summer of 1941, war clouds were in the air and that Fourth of July 75 years ago marked the last peace that would be known for five long years. Europe was already at war and, truth be told, America was also involved: drafting young men, sending Lend-lease convoys to Great Britain, ratcheting up American industry, and imposing an oil embargo against Japan. Yet, there was also a lingering innocence.
At Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, 60,000 fans planned to watch the New York Yankees take on the Washington Senators as Joe DiMaggio sought to extend his record-breaking hitting streak to forty-six games. When a heavy rain forced a postponement of the much-anticipated holiday doubleheader, DiMaggio had to wait until the next day to belt a two-run homer over the left-field fence his first time up to continue the streak.
If the Yankees had played their rained-out games that Fourth of July, umpires intended to pause play at 5:00 pm to hear President Franklin Roosevelts holiday broadcast from his study at Hyde Park. We know, Roosevelt told millions of listeners, that we cannot save freedom in our own midst, in our own land, if all around usour neighbor nationshave lost their freedom.
Following the presidents remarks, Chief Justice Harlan F. Stone led everyone within earshot of a radio or public address system in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. In a world aflame with war and conquest, the New York Times subsequently reported, Americans paused to celebrate the Fourth of July in the most solemn mood with which they had observed the day in many years. The ensuing four years would deeply affect every man, woman, and child in the country.
That Fourth of July of 1941, Robert B. Brunson worked a summer job before starting his junior year at Kansas State University. Short and wiry, Brunson wanted to fly and figured he could improve his chances for pilot training by changing his major from agriculture to engineering. By December 1942, he was in the US Navy, eventually flying F4U Corsairs in an elite night-fighter squadron off the deck of the aircraft carrier Enterprise. Brunson saw action off Kwajalein, Truk, and the Marianas and flew cover for amphibious flying boats assigned to rescue downed flyers.
Robert H. Krear was another recent graduate working hard that summer of 1941. From Emlenton, Pennsylvania, Krear was headed to Penn State to study forestry. All the forestry majors joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps and after the spring semester in 1943 most went into the armed forces.
An accomplished skier, Krear volunteered for the storied 10th Mountain Infantry Division, taking his training high in the Colorado Rockies at Camp Hale. By the time the war was over, Krear had fought with the 10th Mountain Division as it spearheaded the advance of the US Fifth Army into the mountains of northern Italy.
After his return stateside, Brunson flew as a night-fighter instructor and engineering test pilot before going back to Kansas State and getting his engineering degree. His long career in engineering included a stint as senior managing director for Stearns-Roger. Krear earned a doctorate in ecology and animal behavior from the University of Colorado and had a long teaching career. His notable field experiences included Olaus and Mardie Muries 1956 Brooks Range Expedition.
Krear swam daily until he was past ninety. Brunson just celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday. Both men remain venerated heroes in the little mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado where the three of us live.
As we begin the march through the anniversaries of their selfless service three-quarters of a century ago, they and all surviving veterans of World War II stand poised to receive one last round of salutes.
The accolades will not signal a final farewell, of course. Our thanks, our gratitude, and our resolve to emulate their example will reverberate long after their presence among us. But this is indeed the beginning of their last hurrah.
In the next few years from this Fourth of July onward, we will honor them on the 75th anniversaries of the names their actions and shared experiences made famous: Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal; Kasserine Pass, Anzio and Normandy; Bastogne, Okinawa and more.
This Fourth of July, as I think of the World War II veterans I am proud to call my friends, I dont know what became of my fathers uniform. Like so many of his comrades, he has received his final salute. But if I could, I would reach into that darkened closet, bring his uniform into the light, and once again hang it the way he did when it was first issued, with unquestioned pride.
I dont have any plans to climb onto the backyard sandbox and recite Lincolns Gettysburg Address, but perhaps I should do that, too.
People (I will politely call them that, when referring to celebrities and media on Twitter) are acting like the Brexit vote is the end of humanity.
Its an online spectacle, this manic hissy fit orchestrated by A, B and C listers who seemingly have ignored the scandalous depravity unfolding in Venezuela, the horrors of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the murderous homophobia of ISIS and assorted other Islamist terror outfits, the barrel bombing of Syrians (which helped foster the Brexit vote).
Yes, the Chicken Littles pleading for a re-vote are the same ones who CAUSED the vote, through selective outrage, shallow taunts and cowardly ambivalence.
Brexit could have been avoided if its critics could have been honest about the present day world.
Brexit could have been avoided if its critics could have been honest about the present day world.
But they werent.
And so, on that note, heres why Brexit happened, from a Yanks eye.
The Remainders remained home; the silent ones didnt If you want to know who didnt go out and vote its the people hilariously demanding a second chance. The people who were sure Brexit wasnt going to happen, were so sure it wasnt going to happen, that they didnt bother to get off their arses and vote. Now they want a do-over, a redo, calling this election a mulligan. I dont think it works that way. If you didnt take it seriously the first time, and everyone else who voted did thats on you. You were caught out in your arrogance and ignorance, assuming everyone who was for the exit was a frail, white angry pensioner. Turns out they were people you know they just never told you so!
While you ragged on and on about the bigotry of the leavers at a cocktail party in Chelsea or a pub in Islington, those who disagreed just silently nodded, hoping youd shut up at some point.
The Remainders offended anyone who felt discomfort over mass migration. Fact is, Great Britain has been under siege by the Islamophobia-phobia the same disease that also grips the American media and body politic. If you express any fears over the rise of Islamism and its assorted toxic doctrines (whose consequences are recently visible in horrific splendor), you are the bad guy the racist. You are actually worse than the perpetrator of such misdeeds. The sense that control over your own country was now in the hands of impotent bureaucrats in Brussels, and that a vote to leave could wrest your country away from such toadies who are putting your country at risk is not a symptom of racism or xenophobia. Its actually a sensible outlook given the state of affairs all over the globe.
True , the mass migration is not the refugees fault: the west shares blame in its ineffectual response. And many dont wish to flee they simply have no choice. But given that over a million who might stream into Germany could then now come to Glasgow or Glastonbury and within these numbers might sneak a lone ISIS fiend why shouldnt you, a British citizen, be concerned? Youd be an ostrich with your head not just in the sand, but up your own butt.
The modern human lacks sense of priority. I dont know whether its hilarious or sad that Lindsay Lohan, James Corden and others are expressing outrage over Brexit, as Venezuela descends into an abysmal amalgam of Soylent Green and Lord of the Flies. Bold-faced names are expressing elitist outrage over a vote, while people down south are assaulting each other over toilet paper. Venezuela represents real-time suffering, not the hypothetical hysterias put forth over Brexit. The actual policies of a government one lauded by Sean Penn and Oliver Stone are creating a living hell, against the wishes of the suffering people. And yet, the stars in our celebrity skies prefer to wring their soft, precious mitts over Brexit.
Heres why: Venezuelas demise is caused by an ideology romanticized by the same people fretting over Brexit: socialism.
Its just easier to call a British man who fought in World War II a racist, than it is to condemn an inhuman ideology that he fought and beat.
Fact is Venezuela would LOVE to have a referendum like Brexit to be able to exercise some autonomy over and away from the tyrannical ideologues whove destroyed their once rich country. Instead they starve and/or die, while the media denigrates grannies drinking tea.
How did this lead to Brexit? I have a theory. Philosophers who are way smarter than me have studied this perplexing priority -- that despite leading moral lives we tend to care more about a small problem in our vicinity (my roof is leaking), than a larger problem far away (a mudslide kills hundreds).
Even more, research shows that the larger the suffering, the less we react. Meaning our heartstrings will be pulled harder by the photo of one starving child than many children equally in pain. Its weird but true. We care less when there is more.
What we are seeing with Brexit is a play on this weird reflex. Because a starlet once lived in London, this compels her to express an oh-so-brave stance against Brexit (even though a week ago she might have thought Brexit was a laxative). Yet, has she said anything about Venezuela, or Syria, or Afghanistan, or the Taliban? I must have missed it.
My point: its no longer a comparison between one starving child and many, its a choice between exercising ones moral superiority in a risk-free environment (lets go on Twitter and call pro-Brexit people racist or dumb) and calling out real horror (islamists chucking gays off bridges and buildings).
This moral cowardice as expressed by the most well-known of earthlings is what led to Brexit. Brexit wasnt just evidence of a natural concern over ones well being in the face of rising Islamism amidst the European Unions lax immigration policy, its also a big middle finger (or two middle fingers, if youre British) to those who cannot prioritize injustice, or evil.
So call those who voted for Brexit bigots or idiots -- youll only encourage them. And by selectively ignoring greater evils around you -- youll be making the case for leaving better than the leavers ever could. And you make the world less safe, too.
Maybe its good you stick to Twitter.
Senator Bernie Sanders certainly cant seriously complain that there was anything rigged about the Democratic nomination delegate selection procedures. Clinton won by a margin of almost 4 million popular votes and a substantial majority of all elected pledged delegates in the primaries and caucuses and in DC.
Sanders and many of his supporters appear to want to change the rules at the July Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. I believe that is the wrong place to enact new rules governing the 2020 process. Instead, we should follow past precedent and the convention should endorse the appointment of a broad-based reform commission, composed of grassroots Democrats and party and elected officials to evaluate and recommend future rules changes.
For example, in 1982, the party reform commission headed by then Democratic Governor James Hunt of North Carolina recommended the establishment of unpledged super delegates, comprised of all Democratic governors, members of congress, and DNC members and other party notables. Those recommendations were adopted by the Democratic National Committee and thus began the use of super delegates beginning at the 1984 convention and since.
I was a member of the Democratic National Committee in 1982 and voted in favor of establishing super delegates. My major reason was recognizing that our national convention needed more governors and members of congress as delegates at the national convention, since they represent hundreds of thousands, even millions, of diverse voters. But I also favored, as did most other DNC members, limiting their numbers. At the 2016 convention, Super delegates presently constitute only 15 percent of the total number of delegates at the 2016 convention. And at no convention since they were established in 1982 have most super delegates failed to support the candidate with the highest popular vote and majority of elected pledged delegates; and at none did they provide the margin of difference.
But Senator Sanders and many of his supporters sees super delegates as undemocratic, since they can ignore the will of the voters of their states or congressional districts if they wish. Perhaps a new reform commission will decide to reduce the numbers of super delegates or increase the numbers of elected pledged delegates, or both, as a compromise.
Sanders and many of his supporters also want future primaries and caucuses to be open i.e., non- Democrats, such as Independents or even Republicans who register on Election Day, to be able to vote. They argue that would encourage independents to support the party nominee.
But many Democrats (myself included) believe the party system needs to be strengthened, not weakened, and registered Democrats should be the only ones who vote for the partys nominee. Perhaps a new reform commission would find a compromise to allow registration as Democrats closer to the actual primary or caucus day than is currently the case in many states.
A third rule change under discussion is to ban caucuses and require all states to use primary elections to select delegates. The argument in favor of this is that caucuses tend to favor party activists who have the time to sit for hours and then declare their vote openly without a secret ballot. Thus they tend to disadvantage the elderly, minority voters, and working people who arent able to spend that much time in the evening to vote and who dont like the idea of giving up their preference for a secret ballot.
I would hope, however, that the special place of Iowa and Nevada as the first two caucus states be preserved. These first two caucuses require all presidential candidates in the early months to do retail, one-on-one personal campaigning. They have become an important part of our democratic process.
The main point: Trying to make decisions on new rules for the 2020 nomination elections and beyond at the 2016 convention would be unwise. It could produce a divisive floor fight on procedural issues not of major concern to most Americans.
Far better would be to follow precedent going back more than 50 years and pass a resolution establishing another reform commission. That way a united convention can focus its attention on what Democrats consider to be most important: electing Hillary Clinton as our next and first female president in U.S. history and uniting around the need to defeat Donald Trump.
After more than nine weeks of trying to reconcile their story line with that of the State Department and the CIA, the Pentagon finally released its timeline of the Libya terror attack during a Friday afternoon, off-camera briefing with an official who could only be quoted anonymously.
The news was overtaken almost immediately by the announcement that Gen. David Petraeus had resigned, due to an extramarital affair. He was slated to testify in closed-door hearings on Capitol Hill this coming week before the Senate and House intelligence committees. Petraeus no longer plans to testify.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told "Fox News Sunday" that she "absolutely" thinks Petraeus' resignation has no connection to the Libya matter but he could be called to testify before Congress at a later date.
"We may well ask," the California senator told Fox.
However, while the Petraeus resignation has since dominated attention in Washington, an examination of the militarys version of events reveals a number of discrepancies and gaps worth closer scrutiny.
THE FIRST DISCREPANCY
The Defense Department timeline on the night of Sept. 11 begins at 9:42 p.m. local time and states, The incident starts at the facility in Benghazi.
Right from the start, the Pentagon and the CIA timelines do not match. (The CIA timeline, which was released on Nov. 1, states that at 9:40 p.m., A senior State Department security officer at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi called the CIA annex and requested assistance.)
A source at the CIA annex that night told Fox News that when they first asked to go and help, they were told to wait.
Within 17 minutes of the start of the attack, AFRICOM commander Gen. Carter Ham, who happens to be visiting Washington and was in the Pentagon that day, redirects an unarmed, unmanned drone to Benghazi.
PANETTA AND DEMPSEY ARE ALERTED 50 MINUTES AFTER ATTACK
At 10:32 p.m. (4:32 p.m. in Washington), 50 minutes after the incident began, the National Military Command Center, which is the operations center at the Pentagon where Ham is overseeing the operation, notifies Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey.
That means for nearly an hour, no one told the defense secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman that a U.S. ambassador is in peril and his personal security officer has pressed his personal distress button which sends an SMS signal back to the command authority in the U.S. and a U.S. embassy has been overrun by attackers.
A CIA team left for the consulate at 10:04 p.m. -- 28 minutes before the Pentagon says Panetta and Dempsey were told the attack had occurred.
Sources at the CIA annex in Benghazi told Fox News in an interview on Oct. 25 that they asked permission to leave for the consulate immediately and twice were told to wait. The CIA says the base chief was trying to arrange Libyan help.
PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED MEETING WITH PRESIDENT: 78 MINUTES AFTER ATTACK
At 5 p.m. in Washington, D.C. (11 p.m. in Libya), nearly an hour and a half after the attack began, according to the Pentagons timeline, Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey attend a previously scheduled meeting with the President at the White House.
The attack has already been under way for 78 minutes, but no rescue forces from outside Libya have yet been mobilized.
By 5:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. in Libya), all surviving American personnel are rescued by the CIA annex team and leave the consulate for the CIA annex. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Pentagon, Panetta, Dempsey and Ham meet to discuss additional response options.
MORE CALLS FOR HELP
Upon returning to the annex, the CIA team and those that were rescued immediately begin taking fire and at midnight, according to sources on the ground that night, begin making radio calls for help and air support. Almost immediately, they begin taking fire from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.
According to a senior U.S. defense official, This was not one long continuous fight, but two separate incidents at two separate facilities with some separation of time.
However, British sources who were near the consulate and annex that night tell a different story, saying there was almost continuous fire on the annex after the team fled from the consulate.
Sometime over the next two hours, according to the official Pentagon timeline, Panetta gives the go code for two Marine FAST (Fleet Anti-terrorism Security) teams to prepare to leave Rota, Spain. A Special Operations force which is training in Central Europe is told to prepare to deploy to an intermediate staging base in southern Europe (Sigonella, Sicily), and a Special Operations team in the U.S. is told to prepare to deploy to Sigonella as well.
It isnt until 2:53 a.m. (about five hours after the incident began) that those orders are formalized by Panetta and the teams are told they can leave.
TEAM LANDS AT SIGONELLA 20 HOURS LATER
The Pentagon says that the European-based team of rescuers landed at Sigonella air base at 7:57 p.m. on Sept. 12, more than 20 hours after the attack began and 40 minutes after the last survivor was flown out of Tripoli on a U.S. C-17 transport plane.
Fox News has learned more details about the European rescue team. More than 30 Special Operations Forces, part of a Commanders In Extremis Force, or CIF, which is normally on a short tether, are deployed in the event of a terror attack. They are a counterterror SWAT team.
The group ordered toward Libya was from the Charlie 110 Company, based in Stuttgart, Germany, but had been training in Croatia on an exercise known as Jackal Stone. The training involved counterterrorism exercises.
NO PERMISSION TO LAND
Military sources familiar with the orders given to the CIF team tell Fox News the CIF plane headed to Libya -- not to first stage at Sigonella as the Pentagon timeline suggests. The Pentagon denies this, saying simply that they were ordered to an intermediate staging base.
What cannot be confirmed is what time that team could have been outside Libyan air space. The Pentagon wont say when they took off from Croatia.
Multiple defense sources say that the plane did not have permission to enter Libya. That permission would have to be secured from the Libyans by the State Department.
FEET DRY OVER LIBYA
Survivors of the attack at the annex say that they heard over the radio net that night that U.S. military assets were, feet dry over Libya," which would refer to assets crossing from sea to land and hovering. The Pentagon denies this.
The original story board that shows the CIF movement that night is difficult to find, according to those who saw the original timeline. The official brief, according to those familiar with it, simply says that the plane landed at Sigonella at 7:57 p.m. on Sept. 12 -- 20 hours after the start of the attack, even though they were just a few hours away in Croatia.
This raises the question: what time did they get their orders and how long did it take the CIF to scramble?
The team was most likely flying on a modified MC-130 P Talon 2. A modified C-130 flying from Croatia about 900 miles from the Libyan coast could have been there under three hours from take-off. Croatia to Libya is the same distance approximately as Washington, D.C., to Miami.
Furthermore, the modified C-130 plane used by Special Operations teams can be refueled in flight, allowing them to extend their range and hover time, if an air refueling plane is available. It can fly for nine hours without being refueled.
Its not like you dial up the U.S. military and service members go down a fire pole, hop on a fire engine and go. Thats not how our forces work, especially from a cold start, according to the senior U.S. defense official who briefed the Pentagon timeline. We are an excellent military, finest in the world, always prepared, but we are neither omniscient nor omnipresent.
The CIF, which included dozens of Special Operators, was never utilized to help rescue 30 Americans who had fought off attackers on the ground in Benghazi until 5:26 a.m. on Sept. 12. Pentagon officials say it did not arrive in time to help.
In the days following the attack in Benghazi, the CIF team was sent by Ham to Tunisia to remain on standby in case they were needed for other contingencies, such as a retaliatory strike, according to senior U.S. military commanders with knowledge of the operation.
We were posturing forces to be ready for possible responses, according to a senior U.S. defense official. We were looking at the possibility of a potential hostage rescue.
To date no retaliatory strikes have taken place, and questions remain about what could have been done to help those who were in peril on the ground.
According to the Pentagon timeline, the first conference call to AFRICOM, EUCOM, CENTCOM, TRANSCOM, SOCOM and the four military branches occurred nearly five hours after the attack began.
THE CIA RESCUE TEAM FROM TRIPOLI
Meanwhile in Libya, two hours and 48 minutes after the attack on the consulate began, a six-man rescue team organized by the CIA in Tripoli that included two Tier One Army Special Operators already in Tripoli on another assignment leave the capital to help.
However, they do not have a plane and end up chartering one too small to rescue the entire group in Benghazi and are required to make a round trip. They do not depart Benghazi with the last survivors and Ambassador Chris Stevens body until 10 a.m. the next day.
The CIA says that the Tripoli rescue team landed in Benghazi at 1:15 a.m. on Sept 12. The Pentagon says it landed at 1:30 a.m. Another official discrepancy.
More than four hours later, just before 5:26 a.m., former SEAL Glen Doherty, who arrived from Tripoli with the rescue team, and former SEAL Tyrone Woods are killed on the CIA annex roof by a mortar.
THE AMBASSADOR IS STILL MISSING
Security personnel at Blue Mountain Group receive a photograph of the ambassadors body in a morgue at 7:15 a.m. At that point, Stevens body had still not been recovered from the hospital where Ansar Al Sharia, the presumed attackers, had surrounded it.
By 8:30 a.m., all KIA are accounted for, including the ambassador. The Pentagons critics say the president and defense secretary could have ordered more assets into Libya to help sooner.
Even by Wednesday morning, several challenges remained. Thirty Americans did not have a plane big enough to get them out of Benghazi; the U.S. consulate and CIA annex needed to be secured because sensitive documents remained at the consulate and annex; and an FBI team would eventually be held up in Tripoli and not be given access to the Benghazi sites for 24 days.
The two Marine FAST teams were not ordered to Libya until five hours after the attack was underway. The first FAST team didnt arrive in Tripoli to secure the embassy until 8:56 p.m. on Sept. 12, nearly two hours after the rescued Americans had left Libya on a C-17 sent from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The second FAST team of Marines slated to go to Benghazi was never sent to Libya. Libyan looters and journalists spent the next 24 days rifling through papers and potential evidence at the compounds.
According to the senior U.S. defense official who briefed reporters on the timeline, There has been a great deal of speculation about the use of or desirability of military responses. Some have indicated manned and unmanned aircraft options would have changed the course of events. Unfortunately, no aircraft options were available to be used or effective.
According to a source who debriefed those who were at the CIA annex that night, When they asked for air support, they were told they could have an unarmed drone.
The long-awaited House committee report on the 2012 Benghazi attacks revealed a striking irony: In the end, the forces that came to evacuate State Department and CIA officers that night were not fellow Americans, but a secret unit of former military officers from the Qaddafi regime that Washington and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had helped overthrow.
Their intervention, according to the report, likely saved over two dozen lives.
In other words, some of the very individuals the United States had helped remove from power during the Libyan revolution were the only Libyans that came to the assistance of the United States on the night of the Benghazi attacks, the report said.
The detail was one of numerous revelations in the expansive report released Tuesday by the Republican-led committee. While Democrats and Republicans on and off the committee sparred over the groups work and the political implications for Clintons presidential bid, one detail seemed indisputable: U.S. forces from outside Libya did not deploy to Benghazi that night.
Not only that, the report said, but neither the sitting Libyan government the State Department had worked tirelessly to appease nor the militia contracted to provide security was able to evacuate Americans under fire at the annex.
Instead, the massive convoy that came to rescue Americans the morning after the attack began was sent by a group called Libyan Military Intelligence.
CLICK TO READ THE REPORT.
The CIA did not know that unit existed, but it apparently was made up of former Qaddafi military officers who had gone into hiding for fear of assassination.
The report described how one unnamed CIA officer helped arrange for the evacuation, after being put in touch with the secret group by a Libyan official. The group sent a heavily armed convoy to take the American personnel to the airport, and to safety.
The report stated: This group, ironically, had close ties to the former Qadhafi regimethe very regime the United States had helped remove from power. It was also this group, not groups previously given credit by previous investigations, that came to the rescue of the Americans in those early morning hours likely saving dozens of lives as a result.
Committee member Rep. Martha Roby, R-Ala., highlighted this detail, during a press conference Tuesday morning with other Republican members.
At the end of the day, no military assets were ever moving toward Benghazi, she said. But for the bravery of a few Americans and the unexpected response of Qaddafis underground militia there would have been an even greater loss of life that night.
The report, more broadly, described a disconnect between the bureaucratic response at upper levels and in Washington, and the urgent response on the ground that night.
The report said despite orders from President Obama and then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to deploy, the first military force did not do so until more than 13 hours after the attack started.
The report said one anti-terrorism security team known as the FAST unit sat waiting for three hours in Rota, Spain, as Marines changed in and out of their uniforms four times, and even debated whether they should carry personal weapons, according to one witness. All together, the report said, it would take nearly 18 hours for that team to move.
In the end, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans -- foreign service officer Sean Smith and former Navy Seals Ty Woods and Glen Doherty -- were killed in the attacks.
Democrats have long slammed the committees work as partisan, and Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon repeated that charge Tuesday.
Far from honoring the four brave Americans who died, the Benghazi Committee has been a partisan sham since its start, he tweeted.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner defended the department in a written statement issued shortly before the reports formal release, while saying the essential facts surrounding the attacks have been known for some time.
We have made great progress towards making our posts safer since 2012, Toner said. Our implementation efforts include work to expand the corps of Diplomatic Security personnel, enhance interagency coordination to address threat information, expand the Marine Security Guard program, and accelerate projects to build and upgrade secure facilities.
He said the department cooperated extensively with the Select Committee, providing over 50 current and former employees for interviews and over 100,000 pages of documents.
EXCLUSIVE: In 2014, a single U.S. government agency was hit with a blizzard of more than 1,370 external attacks on its most vital computer systems, with three out of every eight incidents resulting in a loss of data, according to a new report by the watchdog Government Accountability Office, suggesting hackers have been far more successful at getting at sensitive government information than previously disclosed.
The highly besieged agency was not named in the report, which was given to government officials in May and made public last week. GAO officials declined to provide the name of the agency in response to an additional query from Fox News.
The eye-opening number of data leaks that resulted from the attacks -- 516 incidents in all -- is barely mentioned in the 94-page GAO report.
It is mostly buried in the fine print of an information diagram on page 24 of the wordy and technical document.
The fact that the data losses all came from one agency is mentioned only in a footnote to the diagram, and the extraordinary success rate of the attacks has to be calculated from figures speckled on the previous page.
Fox News calculations of the success rate and number of attacks were subsequently affirmed by GAO officials.
The specific nature and importance of the torrent of data losses was not revealed.
A one-page executive summary of the GAO report that is the most likely portion to be read by policymakers or the general public makes no mention of data losses, or of the high success rate of attacks that caused them, or of the focus of the attacks on a single agency.
CLICK HERE FOR THE REPORT
The high rate of attacks and successes in 2014 has particular significance for U.S. cybersecurity, however.
It was 2014 when the Obama administration revealed one of the worst losses of cyber-information in history had taken place, with the theft of 4.2 million personnel files of past and former U.S. federal civil servants from its Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by China-based intruders.
That loss was subsequently expanded in revelations a month later by 21.5 million sensitive background files on federal civil servants and contractors, after another hack that year, also believed to come from China, removed the huge quantities of sensitive personal information from a private background-checking firm.
On its website, OPM customarily refers to the losses as coming from only two separate but related incidents -- a far cry from the triple-digit data loss numbers stashed away in the GAO report.
A Fox News query to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the effectiveness of cybersecurity across the federal system, yielded no additional information about the figures in the carefully-groomed GAO report.
The computer assault information, along with much of the other information in the GAO document, came from the self-reporting of a swarm of 24 U.S. federal agencies that responded to a survey asking, among other things, about their high-impact federal information systems and cyberattacks.
The GAO audit, which took place between February 2015 and May 2016, came at the request of a trio of U.S. senators: Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee; Thomas Carper, D-Del., the committee ranking member; and Susan Collins, R-Maine.
According to the report, 18 federal agencies have such high-impact systems, defined dramatically but opaquely as those where the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability can have a severe or catastrophic adverse effect on organizational operations, assets or individuals.
During 2014, only 11 of the 18 reported 2,267 cyberattacks on their high-impact facilities; another three failed to provide any specific numbers of such assaults.
Virtually all of the agencies designated nations -- meaning foreign ones -- as the most serious and frequently-occurring source of the threat.
The GAO report may be highly circumspect about the success of high-impact attacks, but it is far more forthright in noting that cross-government authorities it included in the audit -- including the Office of Personnel Management -- had lots of guidance on how to protect themselves, but even now are still not doing enough to make sure the guidance was followed.
It noted, among other things, that OPM and other agencies had not done well in tracking whether special security training for employees in sensitive roles had been carried out, and none of them had fully completed remedial plans to correct identified weaknesses in their high-impact systems security.
For its part, OPM pushed back in a rebuttal that other means than directly tracking the completion of training were more effective and appropriate, especially for contractors, a conclusion that the GAO report did not accept.
OPM also argued that it had made further improvements to its security controls after the GAO audit was done that were not included in the report. GAOs answer: The document reflects the state of information security at the time of our review.
The fact is that the entire Obama administration is still in the throes of carrying out a sweeping revamp of cybersecurity strategy that, according to some critics, is still far from a coherent answer to the active and still growing cyber-threat.
The senators who sparked the latest report may soon be focusing on some of those shortcomings. They are preparing to look further into the issues raised in the GAO document, which include the muffled and unsettling question of those hundreds of data losses.
George Russell is editor-at-large of Fox News and can be found on Twitter: @GeorgeRussell or on Facebook.com/George Russell
Scott Stump had the idea for a Persian Gulf War memorial years ago. But it wasnt until the 25th anniversary of the 1991 cease-fire arrived and the Pentagon chose not to hold a single official event marking the day that he truly realized how important it was.
Their war, it seemed, was at risk of being forgotten.
This was one of the pivotal events in the nations history. While the war ended very quickly, we cannot forget the nearly 400 servicemen who did not come home, Stump, president and founder of the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association, told FoxNews.com. We owe it to their families and to all of those who fought to remember.
Stumps group recently obtained congressional approval for the project, and is now working to make that idea a memorial nestled in the heart of Washington near the iconic memorials for Vietnam, World War II and other wars a reality.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PROUD AMERICAN STORIES
Designers and planners still have a long road ahead, and the process could take years. The group estimates they need to raise between $25 million and $40 million before the memorial can be built. The funds are being raised entirely from private sources.
Stump, a Marine infantryman who deployed to the Gulf on Dec. 31, 1990, understands that the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominate the national consciousness.
Those wars lasted far longer and involved significantly more casualties, and in a sense still have not ended. But Stump and fellow veterans of Desert Shield and Desert Storm worry about their contribution fading into a historical footnote and they see this memorial as a way to preserve that in the solemn stretch of enduring monuments across the nations capital.
There is a tendency to downplay the war because it only lasted about 100 hours, he said. We had a mission to liberate Kuwait. We completed that mission. But it certainly was not easy. The relatively low casualty rate should not determine the worth of this memorial.
By post-9/11 standards, the Gulf War was a paragon of efficiency and overwhelming force.
In August 1990, more than 120,000 Iraqi troops led the invasion of Kuwait and within a week President George H.W. Bush launched Desert Shield. Over the next four months, more than 600,000 U.S. service members were deployed to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf region. It was the largest overseas deployment of American forces since the Vietnam War.
After Saddam Hussein refused to comply with multiple United Nations resolutions to leave Kuwait, a declaration of war was made on Jan. 17, 1991; weeks later, seven Army divisions, two Marine divisions, and units from allied forces crossed the border into Kuwait to eject Iraqi forces from the tiny country.
Stump said the swift victory helped reestablish a positive relationship between the American public and the military.
In a sign that the bond remains strong, Rep. Steven Palazzo, one of three members of Congress who served in Desert Storm, said those working on the memorial are getting very positive feedback.
I believe people recognize that we faced a determined enemy and tough terrain. We were asked to liberate Kuwait and we did just that. It was a historic victory that involved an unprecedented coalition. The men and women who fought in the Gulf deserve recognition and thanks for their sacrifice, Palazzo told FoxNews.com.
A 20-year old lance corporal at the time, the Mississippi Republican spent six months in the Gulf with the Third Force Reconnaissance Company providing support for the 1st and 2nd Marine divisions as they liberated Kuwait. Mike Coffman of Colorado and Jeff Denham of California, both Republicans, are the other two Persian Gulf veterans.
Tennessee Republican Rep. Phil Roe had introduced the memorial bill itself in 2013, after an earlier failed attempt. Language approving the memorial was included in a broad 2014 defense budget measure.
The memorial will honor all Gulf War veterans and their families, and the members of the 34-nation coalition. A total of 383 U.S. service members were killed in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The memorial's proposed design incorporates that coalition and the maneuver credited with breaking the back of the Iraqi forces.
The primary focus is a curved, massive, Kuwaiti limestone wall, which both encloses and envelopes an inner memorial space. The curved wall is reflective of the left hook maneuver that was critical to ending the war and also serves the purpose, according to the foundation, of shielding visitors both visually and acoustically from the noise of the city.
The memorial space will include a 150-foot long sculpture that will feature the flags of the 34 nations in the coalition. The names of the fallen will be etched on the inner sanctum of the memorial.
There are several locations under consideration, including a site directly adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery.
Planners are coming up on a busy next phase for the project. This includes site selection, conducting environmental impact studies, and, most importantly, raising awareness and funds. Fred Wellman, chairman of the group's Public Relations Committee, said the goal is to raise $25 million. The group has several fundraising events planned for this summer.
Wellman said they took a somewhat unconventional approach, by focusing first on getting congressional approval, seeking feedback on the design and ensuring it would be built near the other major war memorials on the National Mall.
As a start, the group received a much-needed $300,000 grant over five years from the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Organization in August 2015.
We went about this with the same efficiency as we fought the war itself, Wellman said.
The funding would be the next step.
But they received the biggest endorsement they could hope for in January, when former President George H.W. Bush joined the organization as honorary chairman of the Board of Directors.
During Operation Desert Storm, our troops served with valor and honor to defend what was right and just. Some lost their lives; others still live today with the wounds suffered in battle. Their sacrifices must not be forgotten, Bush said in a statement.
More than 2,000 illegal immigrants were turned loose on American streets after serving prison sentences last year - often because their home countries refused to take them back - and many subsequently committed crimes including rape and murder, a key lawmaker charged Monday.
The claim, by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, comes a week after a federal audit blamed the Department of Homeland Security and an uncooperative Haiti for an illegal immigrant being freed to kill a Connecticut woman.
Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the Obama administration to put renewed pressure on countries that wont take back their own criminals after they have been ticketed for deportation.
Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back, Grassley wrote in a June 27 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
Many times, these individuals have criminal histories in addition to entering the country illegally or overstaying their visa.
Illegal immigrants convicted of crimes typically must serve all or part of their prison sentences in the U.S., and then are sent home under diplomatic agreements between the U.S. and other countries.
In 2015, said Grassley, some 2,166 individuals were released in the United States and not deported either because their countries would not readmit them or the U.S. government did not even try. In the two preceding years, more than 6,100 inmates slated for deportation were released within the U.S., Grassley said.
Some 23 countries are labeled as uncooperative, with the five worst being Cuba, China, Somalia, India, and Ghana, and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is monitoring another 62 nations where cooperation is strained, Grassley said.
This is a serious problem that has been festering for years, but is getting worse as countries realize that they can get away with just refusing to accept back their citizens who are criminals, said Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies for the Washington-based Center for Immigration Studies.
What is equally frustrating is that the Obama administration has continuously refused to use the tools that Congress has provided and the leverage that we have with many of the recalcitrant countries, even as the roster of victims from these criminal aliens grows longer every month.
There are a number of horrific cases involving victims of criminal aliens, Vaughan noted, including one highlighted by The Department of Homeland Securitys Inspector General last week. That report examined the circumstances that led to the murder of 25-year-old Casey Chadwick by Haitian national Jean Jacques, and found the agencys overwhelmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau should have booted Jacques from the U.S. prior to the killing.
In Jacques case, Haiti denied his entry three times when Immigration and Customs Enforcement tried to deport him, claiming there was no proof he was a Haitian citizen.
Haiti refused to allow U.S. officials to obtain his birth certificate, and a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision limits how long immigration officials can detain people without deporting them. Jacques, who was held for a total of 205 days, was released.
A second high-profile case highlighted by both Grassley and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., demonstrates the Obama administrations failure to deport criminal illegal immigrants to cooperative nations. It occurred June 13, when Johnny Josue Sanchez allegedly murdered five people in Los Angeles by intentionally setting fire to the building where they were sleeping.
Border Patrol agents had apprehended Sanchez, a Honduras citizen in the U.S. illegally, in November 2012, and transferred him to the custody of ICE, but he was released a week later after ICE noted Sanchez did not have a criminal history or previous immigration violation.
Since entering the country, Sanchez has been arrested on multiple charges, including in January 2016 for domestic violence, and again in May and June 2016 just days before the murders, but ICE did not detain him or place him in removal proceedings, Grassley and Goodlatte said. Sanchez has been charged with five counts of murder and could be sentenced to the death penalty.
Asked for comment by FoxNews.com, ICE Western Regional Communications Director/Spokesperson Virginia Kice said, Following his arrest by local authorities earlier this week, ICE conducted a follow-up review of Mr. Sanchezs case. The review showed that, for unknown reasons, Mr. Sanchez was never placed in immigration proceedings, although the others arrested with him were. ICEs inquiry into to matter is continuing.
These are preventable, needless crimes that American communities should not have to put up with, Vaughan said.
One of the worst offending countries is Cuba. More than 35,000 Cubans, including 28,000 who are convicted criminals, have been ordered deported but remain on U.S. soil, a higher number of non-departed criminals than any other country except for Mexico, according to Vaughan.
She suggested that DHA could work with the State Department, which could withhold visas for offending countries until they cooperated.
Keeping illegal immigrants who have already committed violent crimes puts Americans at unnecessary risk, said Claude Arnold, retired special agent in charge for ICE's Los Angeles bureau of Homeland Security Investigations, who also was a deportation officer handling a high volume of criminal alien cases involving countries that did not want to take back their citizens.
We have enough problems with our own criminals. We should not have to hold on to criminals from other countries indefinitely, Arnold said.
Grassley said Congress addressed this problem when it amended the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary of State to discontinue granting visas to a country upon receiving notice from the Department of Homeland Security that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country.
This tool has been used only once, in the case of Guyana in 2001, where it had an immediate effect, resulting in obtaining cooperation from Guyana within two months, Grassley said.
Grassley told Johnson he wants answers as to why the DHS is not using the sanctions authority to get full cooperation, saying he is frustrated with the inadequacy of the Department of Homeland Securitys efforts to persuade recalcitrant countries to cooperate.
Lives are being lost, the publics safety is at risk, and American families are suffering, Grassley said. It cannot continue.
Although the majority of the countries in the world adhere to their international obligation to accept the timely return of their citizens, ICE has confronted unique challenges with those countries that systematically refuse or delay the repatriation of their nationals, ICE spokesperson Jennifer Elzea told FoxNews.com.
Despite ICEs continued efforts, a number of factors constrain ICEs ability to improve the level of repatriations to those nations. Such factors include: limited diplomatic relations with some countries; the countries own internal bureaucratic processes, which foreign governments at times rely upon in order to delay the repatriation process; and foreign governments that simply do not view repatriation as a priority.
The U.S. government funnels millions of taxpayer dollars into groups that promote anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views, according to a forthcoming report from a watchdog for non-governmental organizations.
Determining the exact dollar amount is impossible to total due to a lack of transparency and widespread discrepancies in federal spending databases, the group NGO Monitor found in a new study that will be published later this month.
U.S. grants have gone to organizations that have called for the international community to divest from Israel, rationalized terrorist attacks against the Jewish state, and compared Israelis to Nazis.
Naftali Balanson, the chief of staff at NGO Monitor, said groups that promote policies that directly contradict U.S. government support for peace efforts should be disqualified from receiving funding.
We encourage the end of all funding, both directly and indirectly, for NGOs that participate in the demonization and delegitimization campaigns, Balanson said during a meeting last week on Capitol Hill.
When you have organizations that are receiving money ostensibly for peace, human rights, and democracy but they refuse to work with Israeli partners, they refuse to meet with Israelis, and push for boycotts, those are in direct contradiction and seems to be a complete waste of taxpayer money, he added.
Click for more from The Washington Free Beacon.
If House Speaker Paul Ryan was British, he might have been celebrating on June 23.
The Republican leader implied Monday that he would have supported the campaign to leave the European Union because their argument for leaving embodied American values.
I cant say Im surprised because people want self-government, they want sovereignty, they want self-determination, and I cant say that I would feel differently if I were a citizen of Great Britain when you have people from other countries regulating your country, writing your laws, Ryan told Wisconsins WGTD radio station. I can clearly relate to the thinking behind the Brexit vote.
The WGTD interview was consistent with his initial statement the day after British voters shocked the world by voting to leave the EU. Ryan said he respected and understood the UKs decision to leave because it aligned with the very important American principles of sovereignty, self-determination, and government by consent.
He also reaffirmed Monday that what is important for us as Americans is to show solidarity with the people of Great Britain, to demonstrate that theyre still our ally Our special relationship is intact.
President Obama and Hillary Clinton have been vocal about their opposition to the Brexit movement in the past.
Ryan joins his partys presumptive nominee Donald Trump in supporting the majority of British voters on their move toward autonomy.
FoxNews.com's Liz Torrey contributed to this report.
Below is a timeline of responses by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton following the Benghazi attacks on Sept. 11, 2012.
Sept. 12, 2012 -- Remarks in Washington: "We are working to determine the precise motivations and methods of those who carried out this assault. Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear -- there is no justification for this, none."
Sept. 14, 2012 -- At the Transfer of Remains Ceremony: "This has been a difficult week for the State Department and for our country. We've seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of those brave men. We've seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with. It is hard for the American people to make sense of that because it is senseless, and it is totally unacceptable,"
Sept. 21, 2012 -- Remarks before meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister: "What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, and we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice the terrorists who murdered four Americans."
Sept. 26, 2012 -- Remarks at a U.N. Secretary General Meeting: What is happening inside Mali is augmented by the rising threat from violent extremism across the region. For some time, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and other groups have launched attacks and kidnappings from northern Mali into neighboring countries. Now, with a larger safe haven and increased freedom to maneuver, terrorists are seeking to extend their reach and their networks in multiple directions. And they are working with other violent extremists to undermine the democratic transitions underway in North Africa, as we tragically saw in Benghazi.
Oct. 3, 2012 --Remarks with Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan: "There are continuing questions about what exactly happened in Benghazi on that night three weeks ago. And we will not rest until we answer those questions and until we track down the terrorists who killed our people."
Oct. 15, 2012 -- Interview with Fox News: "Everyone had the same intelligence. But I've been around long enough to know that it takes time to assess all the information that you have. And as the intelligence community has now said, their assessment over the last now more than a month changed, but everyone in the Administration was trying to give information to the best of their ability at the time, with the caveat that more was likely to be learned and that there would be most likely changes.
So the fog of war, the confusion that you get in any kind of combat situation -- and remember, this was an attack that went on for hours. Our post was overrun by a significant number of armed men. Our annex was attacked. There had to be a lot of sorting out.
The Federal Aviation Administration has published its regulations for small drones, a key move toward integrating commercial use of the technology into Americas airspace.
The Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule (Part 107) was finalized by the FAA and Department of Transportation on June 21 and published in the Federal Register Tuesday. The rule comes into effect Aug. 29 2016.
Development of drones, also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), has ramped up dramatically in recent years. The new rule could have a major impact on commercial drone use in areas such as crop and pipeline inspection and aerial photography, as well as research, education and rescue operations.
The rule limits the unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds to daylight or civil twilight (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset, local time) flight, provided appropriate anti-collision lighting is used. The drone must stay within the remote pilot or operators visual line-of-sight at a maximum altitude of 400 feet. If the drone is higher than 400 feet, it must remain within 400 feet of a structure, according to the FAA.
The rule also requires that an individual operating a small UAS must either hold a remote pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct supervision of someone who holds the certificate (the remote pilot in command). To qualify for the remote pilot airman certificate the person must pass an aeronautical knowledge test. However, individuals who hold a part 61 pilot certificate other than student pilot can also qualify for the certificate by completing a flight review and an FAA training course. Remote pilot certificate candidates will also be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and must be more than 16 years old.
The FAA estimates that the out-of-pocket cost for an individual to become certificated as a remote pilot with a small UAS rating is $150.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which represents the drone industry, welcomed the FAAs small UAS rule.
AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne described the new rule as a critical milestone in the drone integration process and a victory for American businesses and innovators in a statement released last week.
It establishes a clear regulatory framework and helps to reduce many barriers to civil and commercial operations, allowing anyone who follows the rules to fly in the national airspace, he said. Accelerating civil and commercial UAS operations will not only help businesses harness tremendous potential of UAS, it will also help unlock the economic impact and job creation potential of the technology.
A report released by AUVSI in 2013 estimated that the expansion of UAS technology will create more than 100,000 jobs and have an economic impact of around $82 billion in the first decade following integration.
Drone maker DJI also welcomed the new regulations. This is a watershed moment in how advanced technology can improve lives, as the Small UAS Rule allows companies, farmers, researchers and rescue services alike to explore how drones can let them do more at a lower cost and a lower risk, said Brendan Schulman, DJIs vice president of policy and legal affairs, in a statement released last week.
DJI notes that the new regulations replace the current FAA scheme that requires commercial drone operators to spend months waiting for an FAA exemption and to employ a pilot with a manned aircraft license from the FAA. Those high barriers to entry have prevented many companies from exploring the benefits of drones in their industry, and have been a source of frustration for business owners for years, it said, in its statement.
Critics, however, say that businesses will get maximum benefit from drones when operators are allowed to fly the technology beyond their visual line-of-sight.
Logan Harris, CEO of perimeter protection specialist SpotterRF, described the regulations as a step in the right direction, but said much more needs to be done. "The FAA must provide security personnel options to respond to the threat of dangerous activity by drones in and around vulnerable critical infrastructure, including power plants, dams, substations, and airports and around wild fires and law enforcement," he said, in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com. "A large number of organizations are expressing similar concerns."
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with a revised death toll and injury count.
Facebook activated its Safety Check service after three suicide bombers attacked Istanbul's main international airport Tuesday night.
The attack at Istanbul Ataturk airport killed at least 41 and injured hundreds, with the body county expected to keep rising. The suicide bombers opened fire with AK-47s before blowing themselves up.
Designed for times of disaster or crisis, Safety Check lets users in a specific area notify friends and family that they are safe. Users can also check on others in the affected area and mark friends as safe.
Facebook activated the Safety Check service after the Orlando nightclub shooting earlier this month. The social network also activated the feature following the Brussels terror attacks and the bombing in Ankara, Turkey earlier this year, as well as the attacks that rocked Paris last year
Earlier this year Facebook apologized for a glitch in its Safety Check service that sent out misdirected notifications after the Easter Sunday bombing that killed 70 people in Lahore, Pakistan.
The bombing dominated social media Tuesday, with #Istanbul trending worldwide on Twitter, along with #terorelanetolsun (a cursing condemnation of terrorism in Turkish) and Ataturk Havaliman'nda (at Ataturk airport in Turkish). #PrayforTurkey was also trending.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Looking to enjoy The Big Apple but dont have wads of cash to shell out on swanky accommodations?
Airbnb has a creative listing for travelers looking to enjoy the City that Never Sleeps on the cheap.
Host Jonathan is offering a $39-per-night deal that lets Airbnb users spend the night in the backseat of tricked out yellow taxi minivan parked in Long Island City, Queens.
Dont worrythe meter doesnt run overnight.
Taxi comes complete with a comfortable bed, soft pillows, sheets, and a portable wireless air-conditioner. The taxi must stay stationary. Super safe, and fun place to stay of a night to two! reads the listing.
The taxi is reportedly located close to a subway stop just three minutes into Manhattan and only 10 minutes to bustling Times Square.
Yes, its cozy, but according to the listing, this decommissioned cab was in service since 2002 driving New Yorkers up and down the busy manhattan [sic] streets! From actors to real estate tycoons, the cab drove thousands of people around the bustling streets.
Just thinkyou can sleep where a real life businessman sat.
Worried about spending the night in a parked vehicles close quarters?
User Jolana wrote, Great experience!! We had a great stay in the unique NYC Cap! Definitely do it again. Plus you have the view of the Skyline.
But not everyone was a fan of the van.
In September 2015, user Selena reviewed her stay as problematic and overpriced.
Did not enjoy this stay at all. The portable ac provided stopped working after only an hour so we had to leave the door slight ajar (which is not safe). However, the van was parked next some to trees and a lot of bushes so at night the van was filled with mosquitos.
Still, for less than $40, the taxi Airbnb beats the sky-high prices of many New York City hotel rooms that can go upwards of $300.
It's summertime and you're so excited for that vacation you've been planning. You've been working hard and it's time for a nice break in paradise. But your dream of becoming an entrepreneur isn't going to be put on pause while you head out for a relaxing vacation. It will still be there when you get back -- and you'll be behind on your goals. But the good news is there are some ways you can continue your path to entrepreneurship while relaxing on vacation, and they aren't very hard to do. With a few additions to your vacation plan, you'll be making progress even as you're sinking your toes in the sand.
Related: 6 Signs You Are Not Ready for Entrepreneurship
1. Get reading.
Read up on franchising and entrepreneurship as you relax by the pool or on the beach. You were planning on reading anyway -- why not make it educational. This is a great, relaxing way to continue working towards your goal while making sure you get as much relaxation as possible from your vacation. Don't know where to start? Take a pick from my list of recommended readings for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Related: The Most Difficult Aspect of Franchising
2. Scope out the landscape.
If you think you may want to buy a franchise in or near the same place you are taking your vacation, this is the perfect opportunity to do some research. Check out the area to determine if you would enjoy owning a business in this location -- and if there is potential for business growth. Are there lots of empty storefronts or is business booming? If you witness the former, it may be time to reconsider your franchise location. You even can visit some already established franchises in the area as a "secret shopper" to get a feel for what your franchise location might actually be like.
3. Network.
If you have a particular franchise in mind for your business ownership goals, find out if any current owner in your vacation area wants to meet you for drinks or dinner to discuss what it's actually like being a business owner in that franchise. You can network and do your research, while also having fun with a new friend in the franchising business. Just make sure you reach out to make plans at least a few days before you take your vacation -- franchisees are busy people.
Related: The 9 Advantages of Franchising
4. Relax and unwind.
Take some time to think about where you are in life and where you want to be 10, 15 or even 20 years from now. Build a vision of your future where you describe where you are living, what you are doing each day and what is giving you personal satisfaction. Clearly understanding your long-term objectives will help you make better short-term tactical decisions. If you need help, go to www.educatedfranchisee.com and check out my free download: "Step 1" from "The Franchisee Workbook -- Define Your Vision".
Hiring people is a lot of work -- and a huge financial investment. In fact, the Center for American Progress says it costs roughly 20 percent of a new hires salary just to get them signed on. So once theyre hired, Secunda says, youll want a lineup of great tech that gets them excited and keeps them engaged.
Before theyre hired
When an employee quits early, its often because they had very different expectations about the job -- which means you didnt hire the right person. Use social media to provide transparency into your company. Create Day in the Life videos on YouTube to profile employees, special events and other insider views of the business. Be honest about all positions -- even those parts that arent glamorous.
Once theyre hired
Use onboarding programs like WorkBright or Red Carpet by Silk Road to collect info on the new employee, and pair them with a like-minded mentor. Create a series of email messages, delivered on a set schedule using a tool like Constant Contact, to orient them to what makes your company special. And immediately plug them into your employee-only social media platforms, then ask them to post a photo and share a bit about their history and why theyre excited to join the team.
Employee orientation
Document tools like Google Forms can collect nonsensitive paperwork immediately. Many incoming staffers today prefer completing their onboarding from their smartphone, which is quick and comfortable, and increases their commitment.
Keep it going
Use a tool like SurveyMonkey to ask questions: Does someone at work encourage your development? If you need help, are there people you can turn to for support? Do you have the equipment to do your work correctly? Once you start tracking engagement, you can design solutions to address your weaknesses.
Digital PR and link-building is an evolving industry, so what worked a few years back may not necessarily work today. Last year, I wrote a piece, " 7 Creative Link-Building Techniques To Improve Your Website SEO" where I detailed techniques such as building helpful tools for your industry, targeting journalists through Facebook ads and turning copyright violations into linking opportunities.
Related: 5 Strategies for Better 'Link Building' and Improving Your SEO
Although many of these techniques remain applicable today, I recently queried entrepreneurs about the other strategies they've been using to build high-authority links to their websites. Here are their takeaways -- and several updates to my previous post on this topic:
1. Employ the 'scholarship' effect.
One of the most popular trends in recent times has been scholarships. This is a variation of the "local sponsorships" strategy I mentioned in my earlier piece -- only much more effective. The scholarship angle basically works like this: Each year, your business announces an amount ranging between $500 and $1,000 in scholarship funding for students in your local community.
This announcement gets posted on the "External Scholarship Opportunities" pages of all your local university websites; and, as a result, you earn valuable .edu links to your website. Brian Stumbaugh from the Startup Garage says that his company routinely secures as many as 40-to-50 links to each of its client websites through this technique.
2. Do journalists' legwork for them.
This is one of the most legitimate ways to earn coverage from high-authority websites. The technique involves studying the types of "interesting" stories that get covered by specific media outlets and then creating your own unique studies and research work that journalists from these outlets find interesting.
Marcus Roberts, owner of Mirador Wealth, a financial advisor firm, recounts a recent study his team members worked on where they asked 100 random people from each of the 50 American states how they would spend $1 million. The results from the study were interesting enough to earn media coverage from the likes of Huffington Post, Investopedia and MarketWatch.
3. Correct any misinformation.
As a bootstrapped entrepreneur, you may not have sufficient resources to get quoted on large media outlets. But you could, however, use your expertise to correct misinformation on those publications and win credit for it. Eric Brantner from CutCableToday told me he recently discovered a few discrepancies in a GeekWire post and wrote a blog post with the corrected information. He subsequently shared that blog with the writer at GeekWire.
This promptly earned him a link from the original article that pointed to his article on the same topic. To standardize this process, Brantner recommends creating a Google Alert for all your standard industry terms so that you'll be notified of the latest industry articles. This way, each time you come across an article that contains incorrect information, you can write a blog post with the correct information on your website. Next: Notify the original authors about the errors on their page.
Related: How to Promote a Website Through Link Building in 10 Easy Ways
4. Target the 'media mentions' page.
A number of product startups have a press or "media mentions" page, where they proudly share links to all the rave reviews that their product has received from different users. According to digital marketing strategist Kevin O' Brien, a great way to build links is to review such products on your website and notify the target company of the new review. O'Brien points out to a review of Quuu, a social-media enhancement tool, which earned his company a mention on the Quuu Press page.
5. Don't forget HARO.
Unlike the other ideas mentioned above, the Help a Reporter Out service to earn links is a pretty widely known strategy. But how effective is HARO? Last year, Kari DePhillips, the owner of The Content Factory, ran an experiment where she "went hard at HARO"; the result was that out of 21 pitches, she was able to get quoted and linked 11 times in all (not to mention the link from this very article that happened after she responded to my HARO query).
Related: 5 Reasons You Aren't Earning Enough Links
DePhillips points out that while it is difficult to put a dollar value on the effort, the 100-plus links she has acquired through HARO over six years has significantly contributed to the success of her company's online content strategy.
Google+ is five years old today, but you could be forgiven for neither knowing nor caring. Chances are (unless you punch the clock at the Googleplex) you dont use Google+, and even if you do work there, you probably sneak looks at Facebook in the same way kids used to hide Playboys under their beds.
Truth is, Google+ is a nonentity in the social world. Sure, when it launched five years ago, Mark Zuckerberg feared it would be the biggest threat to his Facebook empire, but, in the annals of tech, Google+ turned out to be a false alarm, a niche product that just never found its way in the world. Though only five today, it exists with a kind of preteen awkwardness, alone in a crowd, without even the benefit of acne to help it stand out.
Yes, people do use it. Google+, according to DMR, apparently has 300 million users, which is a nice healthy number for sure. But when was the last time you used Google+ to communicate or run your business? With all those users, many of whom are simply signed up through other Google apps, you would think Google+ would have the mindshare that Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or any other social platform has. But it doesnt. Even its own users dont really use it. The average monthly time spent on Google+ is just seven minutes, according to DMR. Most Americans spend more than 20 minutes on Facebook per day. You probably spend more time reading an actual printed newspaper in America each month than you do using Google+.
Related: Use Google+ to Build Your Brand's Reputation
If youre a business, it is a nonentity, as well. While Google+ claims to have 13 percent of the small business market, and every so often marketing gurus trot out reasons you should use it, it really isnt a useful business tool for most entrepreneurs or most business leaders. It exists, which in an entrepreneurial world is indeed an accomplishment, but it neither thrives nor shines.
So, on this birthday, its important to show a positive, and its this: Google+ is a physical sign that even the big boys get it wrong sometime. Google, for all its success in search and some other areas, falls flat in many of the attempts it makes. (I assume, for instance, that youre not reading this story through Google Glass.)
But that doesnt mean it stops trying. The Google parent, Alphabet, is indeed a laboratory for crazy ideas, some of which, like in life sciences, could save your life someday. Most of what it tries will fail, but Google has enough of a culture of failure that the virtue is in the attempt not the outcome. Many products, Google+ among them, fail to reach their potential. But I have no doubt that the folks at Google view every product or service the way Nelson Mandela used to look at failure: You never really fail. You either succeed or you learn.
Related: Why You Should Be on Google+
Theres a little bit of Google+ in everyones business, the big initiative that seemed so right in engineering, that seemed like enough of a game-changer that it made our competitors lose sleep, but never got the real brass ring of business: customer adoption. That Google+ exists today, and made it to half a decade, isnt a testament to its strength as a product, but rather as a symbol of the tremendous life-support infrastructure that a company with the size, scale and cash of Alphabet can bring to bear. Google+ never had to hit a home run because Google paid to have it start on third base. If this service launched at any other company, Id bet we would be sitting shiva for the concept, or, more likely, commemorating the third anniversary of its demise.
But thats another plus for Google. Most companies would have shuttered this product a long time ago, but Google, for all its size, likes to remain loyal to the communities that show loyalty to the company. Thats a good lesson, too, for business leaders. Google+ is a gift to the few people who are truly committed to it, a loss leader to create a halo for all the other products the Alphabet/Google industrial complex wants to belch out. What it lacks in value as a product, it more than makes up for in its potential for a marketing vehicle.
Related: 4 Ideas for Hosting Google+ Hangouts 'On Air'
Whether a sign that its Ok to stumble or a symbol of the value in keeping existing communities happy, Google+ lives, as improbable as that might sound. So blow out five candles and wonder what might have been (or even just try to figure out what Google+ is). Birthdays are milestones to be remembered, even for a product worth forgetting.
Attorneys for a high-ranking Air Force officer are seeking to have the adultery charges against him dismissed based on claims that the military's law banning extramarital sex discriminates against heterosexuals.
Colonel wants adultery case tossed, claims law discriminates against heterosexuals: https://t.co/8uCDhhNQ6M pic.twitter.com/mOMjPgeRuW The Gazette (@csgazette) June 28, 2016
The Gazette reports Col. Eugene Caughey will face an August court-martial on charges of rape, assault and adultery.
His attorneys argued Monday that the military's adultery law violates Caughey's equal-protection rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. They say the military defines adultery as sex between a man and a woman, excluding same-sex couples from being held to the same standards.
Caughey is accused of raping a woman in 2014 at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.
Prosecutors have said he also committed adultery several times, photographed his exposed genitals while in uniform and groped women on two occasions.
A prisoner at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York was charged Monday with murder in the cold case death of his wife 16 years ago, in what one of her relatives called "the first step toward justice."
Investigators said 50-year-old Casey Callahan ran over his wife, Elizabeth, with a tractor trailer in a central Pennsylvania parking lot in 2000, the Oneonta Daily Star reported.
Investigators initially ruled her death an accident, but relatives soon said they suspected her husband murdered her. The case was finally reopened in March.
The wife, 34, reportedly was working for a non-profit group at the time. She and her husband had been married for less than two years and had a son.
Casey Callahan already was serving a sentence of roughly 12 years for a sex crime conviction in 2013. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
If a court convicts him of murder, he could face a sentence of 25 years to life.
"This is a long time coming," Elizabeth Callahan's sister Marie Welsh Valentine told the newspaper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The boyfriend of a pregnant teenager who disappeared in 2012 has been indicted in her murder, Florida police announced Monday.
Morgan Martin, 17, was four months pregnant with a baby girl named "Jaliyah" when she disappeared from her home on July 25, 2012, wearing only pajamas and slippers.
Martin, of St. Petersburg, told her family she was going meet with the baby's father, then 24-year-old Jacobee Flowers. That was the last time anyone heard from Martin, and her body has never been found.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway announced Monday that Flowers has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in Martin's disappearance, Fox affiliate WTVT reported.
Martin had previously identified Flowers as the father of her unborn child, but after her disappearance, he downplayed their relationship and denied being the father, according to the station.
"He duped her into coming out to meet him, he killed her and then dumped the body," Holloway told reporters during a press conference Monday.
Holloway said detectives had pursued leads through the years, but "everything continued to point to Flowers."
Click for more from Fox 13
Five years ago last month, 19-year old Calvin Cross was walking with his cousin a few blocks from his South Side home in Chicago when they were confronted by three police officers.
IPRA re-opens 2011 case of teen killed by Chicago police: https://t.co/NDrfwGcu6Q pic.twitter.com/lvj3VH1TIK ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 27, 2016
His cousin stopped, but Calvin fled.
He was shot and killed as he ran from them. Police claimed he had fired three times before they returned fire, with 40 shots. Five of them hit Cross, including one in the teenager's forehead.
His mother was shocked, she said he'd never been in trouble before and would not have had a gun.
"I knew it wasn't true, I knew it wasn't true. Me being his mother and knowing my child, I knew it wasn't true. Because he didn't Even hang with rowdy people" Dana Cross, Calvin's mother, said.
An Independent Police Review Authority investigation seemed to back up her beliefs. The gun police claimed to have found 1,000 feet from her son's body was from the early 1900s, rusty, inoperable, and all six bullets were still in the chambers.
The city eventually settled the family's civil lawsuit for $2 million, but the officers involved were cleared by IPRA and have never been disciplined
"The officers didn't miss a day of work," said the family's attorney Tony Thedford. "They were in fact on the street within 48 hours and a year after the shootings received commendations for bravery in the line of duty."
The Laquan McDonald case and recent word that IPRA was reviewing previous police shootings prompted Dana Cross to contact IPRA last week.
She's now been informed, they're taking a fresh look at police conduct surrounding her son's death.
Click for more from Fox 32.
A 53-year-old woman in Connecticut has died one week after two dogs viciously attacked her outside a home, officials confirmed Monday.
ICYMI: Jocelyn Winfrey succumbed to her injuries after being treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital. https://t.co/1MW1FI6gwG WTNH News 8 (@WTNH) June 28, 2016
Chunks of her skin were missing and everything, witness Peter Pervis told WTNH.
The woman, identified as Jocelyn Winfrey, was visiting the dogs' owner, Hamilton Hicks, in New Haven on June 20, officials said. After the American bulldog mixes attacked, a neighbor said kids in the area tossed rocks and a trash can at the dogs to try getting them off her.
Paramedics rushed Winfrey to Yale-New Haven Hospital where she later died.
Crews took the dogs to be quarantined at a shelter. The city confirmed the animals were properly registered, vaccinated and never had any prior complaints.
Hicks also was bitten, investigators said. His injuries were considered non-life-threatening.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Three crew members were missing Tuesday and a fourth was injured Tuesday after a head-on train collision in the Texas Panhandle ignited a massive fireball, and forced the evacuation of the surrounding area.
The two BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track when they collided about five miles east of the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo. Each train carried two crew members; one man jumped before the collision, according to BNSF spokesman Joe Faust.
The crew member who jumped was in stable condition at an Amarillo hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, said Sgt. Dan Buesing of the Texas Department of Public Safety. His identity wasn't available. Because the fire was still burning Tuesday night, crews had not been able to search the wreckage for the three missing crew members, Buesing said, adding that crews are still pouring water on the fire.
Freight cars and containers were derailed and strewn for about 400 yards from the collision site, Buesing said. As nightfall approached, floodlights were being brought in as efforts to quell the flames and search for the missing crew members was expected to continue well into the night, he said.
It's not clear how fast the trains were traveling when they collided, but the speed limit in that area is 70 mph, Faust said. It also wasn't clear why the trains were on the same track. The rail cars were holding a variety of consumer goods, Faust said.
"I don't know how anyone survived," said Billy Brown, a farmer in the area who saw a fireball after the collision. "It's terrible. I've seen a number of train wrecks but I've never seen one like this."
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site.
BNSF has pledged to meet a 2018 federal deadline to adopt technology, called positive train control or PTC, that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits. At least three freight railroads have said they'll need an extension to 2020.
Faust said in a statement later Tuesday that the West Texas collision is the type of accident PTC can prevent and that BNSF is "aggressively" pursuing it "across our network."
"While sections of the track operated by the eastbound train involved in this accident have PTC installed and are being tested, the section of track where the incident occurred will be installed later this year," he said in the statement.
It's not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck that's struck by a freight train, Buesing said, but the magnitude of Tuesday's accident was startling.
Officials in Panhandle ordered an evacuation of some nearby areas out of concern the flames would cause a fast-moving grass fire, the Amarillo Globe-News reported, but Buesing said that residents later returned to their homes and were told to shelter in place and monitor wind conditions. Officials also asked residents to curtail water use because the water supply is being depleted by firefighters at the scene, according to KVII-TV in Amarillo.
Tuesday's accident is at least the second in recent years involving BNSF trains striking one another. In September 2013, three were involved in a wreck near Amarillo that injured five crew members, according to an NTSB report. The federal agency in that incident faulted the crew in one train for improperly proceeding past a signal and striking the rear of a stationary train, and cars that derailed were then struck by a train passing in the opposite direction.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
There are some essential programs that your business must have, or it breaks down when you try to do without it. These pay for themselves in terms of efficiency and time savings, and they dont cost an arm and a leg.
Cost-control is all very well if your funds are as limited as those of most bootstrap entrepreneurs are. You think 10 times before you spend a penny, and you only buy what is absolutely essential to run your business, but there are a few programs that count as essential, even for a penny-pinching start-up entrepreneur.
Related: Nine Tools for Building Your Own Mobile App
1. Brainstorming software
Scapple is a freeform brainstorming program that you download. It gives you an unlimited number of whiteboards to plan out everything from website design to new product launches and social-media posts.
Scapple costs $14.99 as a once-off payment but is infinitely more intuitive and customizable than any free, cloud-based brainstorming tools you can find. Everything can be changed, including: background and text colors, text size, fonts and borders for each point. Notes can be linked together and moved anywhere on the page. You can use images and web links as notes in your Scapple storm. Scapple also allow you to export your notes as jpg files, or as .scap files for anyone else with the software to work with.
2. Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software
You will need to write documents, prepare spreadsheets and presentations. The Softmaker Office Suite is an affordable alternative to Microsoft Office that is available for download on Windows, Linux or Android.
The price of the software suite (word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software) is $69.95. If you download FreeOffice, then you qualify for an upgrade price of $29.95. There is even a 30-day free trial to give you time to get used to the software before you pay! Try asking Microsoft for a free trial and give their sales team a laugh. When you compare that $29.95 to a monthly subscription for Microsofts Office 365 or the exorbitant price of Office 2016, Softmaker Office looks irresistible.
Related: How This Company Is Driving Down Energy Bills
3. Project management
As a bootstrap entrepreneur, your money is tight, but you still need help. An office assistant would be ideal, but that means wages and other costs. WorkflowMax allows you to do more and still keep on top of everything.
WorkflowMax is an all-in-one project management tool that you can afford. A single user license is $15 per month, and a 5-user license is $50, which works out at rather less than even employing a virtual assistant from the Philippines. Having a tool like this is the difference between getting paid and going bust. The included time-tracking, quoting and invoicing components in WorkflowMax will save you the costs of separate subscriptions to other services that provide those.
4. Lead generator
Who are you going to sell to? You need leads and ideally an automatic way of finding leads so you are not spending every minute of the day on Twitter.
Socedo lets you search for people on Twitter according to their roles, social media activity and needs. Once you have found your prospects Socedo has an automated system that allows you to interact with them, so you can prioritize who you want to talk to first. This lead qualification process is automatic, but you appear human: Looking like a robot would be a big turn-off after all. Socedo pulls data from Twitter and LinkedIn, which are the two networks where professionals are most likely to be active.
Pricing is on an individual basis, so you will need to talk to someone from Socedo to find out how much your campaign will cost.
5. Business dashboard
You need to stay on top of your business data without burning a hole in your bank account. Cyfe offers a dashboard that you can customize to your hearts content.
Cyfe has a free option with a limited number of dashboard widgets which allows you to try out the program without any commitment. Even a premium Cyfe account is very reasonable at $14 per month (paid annually in advance).
With a premium Cyfe account, you can have an unlimited number of dashboard widgets, data export and the historical data analysis any business needs to establish trends. There are ready-made widgets for Intuit Quickbooks, Stripe, Alexa, Google Trends, Get Response and many more. Your premium Cyfe dashboard allows you to check all of these at a glance rather than 20 different websites.
Related: Need Help Understanding Help-Desk Software? Read This.
The nations oldest public school and the alma mater of five signers of the Declaration of Independence is embroiled in a racial controversy that may be its biggest test in nearly 400 years.
Boston Latin School, founded in 1635 and still one of Americas most prestigious high schools, has undergone an administrative shakeup, faces growing demands from community leaders and is the subject of a federal investigation. The controversy arose after two black students claimed on YouTube that racism courses through hallways and classrooms, and the administration turns a blind eye.
The fact that our administration failed to publicly denounce this behavior, or even say something to the students making the comments that was effective, has created an unsafe and racially hostile learning environment for students of color at B.L.S., recent graduates Meggie Noel and Kylie Webster-Cazeau, members of a group called Black Leaders Aspiring for Change and Knowledge, said on the video.
The video sparked investigations by the school district and the U.S. Attorneys Office, as well as an ever-louder chorus of demands for resignations and reforms from civil rights groups. Faculty members have blamed Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for refusing to defend the administration.
Last week, Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta and Assistant Headmaster Michael Flynn, who worked at the school for more than half a century, resigned.
This has been a very difficult decision, but one which I believe is in the best interest of our students, faculty and our historic institution, Teta, who served as headmaster for nine years, said in a statement. I believe that it is time for a new headmaster to lead the school and carry on the tradition of excellence.
Their ousters were seen in some quarters as a cowardly sacrifice to an angry mob and in others as a necessary first step toward reclaiming the vaunted reputation of a school that has long purported to be a color-blind escalator of upward mobility for Bostons poor and middle-class kids. Incidents involving alleged racism have occurred, but hard evidence that it is systemic or tolerated by the administration is elusive.
The school district investigation prompted by the video probed seven alleged incidents involving students or faculty and found all but one were handled appropriately by Tetas staff. That case involved a boy who allegedly called a black girl a racial slur and threatened to lynch her while holding up an electrical cord. Investigators say Teta failed to inform the parents of both students. Teta says the white student was disciplined but details are kept confidential.
The president of the NAACP's Boston chapter, Michael Curry, said Teta should have called the police and should have been fired for not doing so.
Another black student says during a class discussion of racism in "Huckleberry Finn," her white teacher came up to her and asked, "what's up, my n----r?" The girl's mother says Teta called in district investigators who found the teacher's language "inappropriate," but not grounds for discipline.
Curry says the same girl was mistreated a second time, when the school called police to the building, after she wrote online she felt like "shooting" a teacher. The student was suspended for 10 days, a penalty Curry likened to "criminalizing" black student misconduct.
Many Boston Latin faculty members and students -- including some minorities -- backed Teta and accused civil rights activists of fanning the flames of community anger.
African-American math teacher Trevour Smith, 29, said he didnt want Teta to quit, but added that racial tension in the school is real. Now, he sees his colleagues circling the wagons around the administration, instead of trying to learn from the criticism. If administrators suddenly feel "unsupported," Smith said, "now they know how a minority person feels."
This week, Chang named Michael Contompasis, a Boston Latin graduate who served as headmaster for 21 years, the interim headmaster.
"I understand firsthand that we all have a duty to preserve Boston Latin's mission of providing the very best quality of public education, Contompasis said in a statement. That includes making sure all of our students, faculty and staff feel safe and supported."
Flynn, the assistant headmaster who wrote an angry letter to Chang in which he blasted the superintendent for allowing the schools reputation to be assailed, said the administration's response wasn't perfect, but "we did good things."
In the end, Flynn said, he couldn't fight "lies."
A gunman walked into a busy downtown Denver office building and shot a person multiple times Tuesday before turning the gun on himself, officials said.
Denver Police spokesman Doug Schepman said the gunman, whose name has not been released, was found dead when SWAT officers arrived.
The female victim was taken to a hospital, but her condition has not been released.
Schepman told reporters the gunman targeted the victim, and detectives are trying to determine the connection between the two.
Officers went floor-by-floor to clear the Alliance Center, a building that houses several environmental organizations and provides shared workspaces.
ALERT: #DPD in the 1500 block of Wynkoop on report of male with a gun. Heavy police presence. Streets closed, please avoid the area. #Denver Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 28, 2016
Other buildings were locked down, and people were asked to stay away from the area, Fox 31 reported.
Nicole Arnone, who works for the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute on the third floor of the building, told the Associated Press she was listening to a conference call with earbuds when a co-worker tapped her on the shoulder and said, "We just heard a few loud bangs and some screaming, and I think we need to go."
"We debated whether to hide in the corner or run," Arnone said, and they decided to flee. She smelled smoke and thought it was either a fire or gunpowder, she said. Arnone spotted a shell casing in the stairwell as she fled.
Once outside the building, she ran away and flagged down an officer, who took her to a bus where witnesses were being held.
Jordan Peters, who works nearby and was having coffee next door at the time of the shooting, told the AP she saw a swarm of people running from the area.
"They were yelling that there was a man with a gun, that there was a shooter," she said. "I got my stuff and ran in the opposite direction."
Office workers in the Alliance Center streamed out of a door with their hands in the air as armed officers secured the scene.
The Alliance Center is steps from the 16th Street pedestrian mall in the trendy LoDo neighborhood near a major transit hub and about four blocks from Coors Field.
Click for more from Fox 31.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Green Beret credited with fighting off Taliban attackers in Afghanistan spoke out Monday in his first interview since the Army denied his commanders' recommendation for a Medal of Honor, awarding him a Silver Star instead.
"I kind of have a lot of trust in the system, but if somebody says its broken, maybe it is," Staff Sgt. Earl D. Plumlee told The Washington Post. "But I'm always leery of decisions like this getting reversed."
He said senior commanders in Afghanistan -- including Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, now Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- wrote that he deserved the Medal of Honor, but the Army's Senior Decorations Board recommended the Silver Star, an award considered two levels lower. Army Secretary John McHugh approved the Silver Star.
Plumlee rushed to the site of a car bombing outside a coalition military base in central Afghanistan in the summer of 2013, the Post reported. As many as 10 armed Taliban attackers reportedly tried storming Forward Operating Base Ghazni through a damaged wall. At least one attacker detonated a suicide vest.
Troops including Plumlee returned fire. One soldier died and other troops were injured, the newspaper added. Plumlee said he later helped the wounded receive medical aid.
Other troops received Silver Stars, including a posthumous award for Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died in the attack.
Plumlee said some of his friends had a "bitter" reaction to hearing that the Army opted to give him the Silver Star instead of the Medal of Honor. I think there are plenty of Medal of Honor recipients out there whose actions surpassed mine. But I think a downgrade to the Distinguished Service Cross wouldnt have got everyone stirred up."
The Distinguished Service Cross is one level below the Medal of Honor. It was unclear why the Army's leadership did not select that award for Plumlee, the Post added.
The Supreme Court is allowing Washington state to require pharmacies to dispense Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, rejecting an appeal from pharmacists who said they have religious objections to providing the drugs.
The justices' order on Tuesday leaves in place rules first adopted in 2007 following reports that some women had been denied access to emergency contraceptives that are effective when taken within a few days of unprotected sex. Pharmacies must fill lawful prescriptions, but individual pharmacists with moral objections can refer patients to another pharmacist at the same store.
A Ralph's Thriftway pharmacy in Olympia, Washington, and two pharmacists sued, saying the rules required them to violate their religious beliefs.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have heard the appeal.
Authorities in Texas said Monday the woman who killed her daughters called a family meeting before the shooting began.
Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said a family argument led to the shooting Friday evening at a home outside the Houston suburb of Fulshear. Christy Sheats, 42, convened the meeting in the living room of the home that was attended by her husband Jason Sheats, and her daughters, Taylor Sheats, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17, according to the sheriff's office.
"During that meeting, Christy Sheats held up a gun and shot both girls," the sheriff's office said.
Jason Sheats and the daughters ran outside where Madison Sheats collapsed and died. Jason Sheats ran to the end of the cul-de-sac.
Christy Sheats shot Taylor Sheats one more time on the street. A witness told investigators Christy Sheats then went back into the home, reloaded her gun and shot Taylor once more.
When officers arrived, they saw Christy Sheats shooting one of her daughters in the street, the sheriff's office said.
An officer fatally shot Christy Sheats after she refused to obey commands to drop her handgun. Taylor Sheats was taken to a Houston hospital, where she died.
A Facebook profile consistent with Sheats' biographical details included a pro-gun post, alongside posts about how much she loved members of her family.
Madison Davey, a friend of the Sheats daughters, told KTRK-TV that the two girls were caught up in the troubled marriage of their parents. She said that Jason Sheats told her that Christy Sheats shot her daughters because she wanted him to suffer.
Davey also said that the weapon used in the murders was passed down from Christy Sheats great-grandfather to protect the family.
The sheriffs office also revealed Monday that officers had been called out 14 times since 2012 to the Sheats home.
Some of the calls were related to alarm issues. Officials said due to the legal constraints by the country attorney, they couldnt describe the other calls for service.
Sheriff's office spokeswoman Caitilin Espinosa had told People magazine that prior calls had involved a "mental crisis" related to Sheats.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two women and a teenage girl were found inside a Southern California home Monday in one of the nations wealthiest communities after authorities responded to a report of child abuse.
San Diego County deputies answering the 911 call went to the Rancho Santa Fe home at around noon and spotted one womans body through a window, sheriffs Lt. Kenn Nelson said.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Nelson said a friend of one of the victims called police about a possible child abuse incident. Upon seeing the womans body in the window, deputies forced their way inside through a side door and found the bodies of another woman and the teen.
All three had "obvious signs of trauma," Nelson said. He declined to say whether they were shot, stabbed or beaten.
UPDATE: Two women in the 40s, and a teenager found dead in a Rancho Santa Fe home. pic.twitter.com/C7b5NOG37n FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) June 27, 2016
Any time you have a person who dies at the hands of another, it's a tragic situation, Nelson said. Now you have three individuals inside this house, and one of them is a juvenile. It makes it that much more worse than is anticipated. Its burdensome for family and first responders who have to see this.
Nelson said at least one of the victims lived in the house. The identities of the women and the teenager were not immediately released. Nelson said investigators were trying to determine their relationship and motive for the deaths.
Authorities stopped short of labeling the case a murder-suicide, but said they werent searching for any suspects.
Rancho Santa Fe is an unincorporated county area about 25 miles north of San Diego, in the mountains east of Pacific beach communities. The home is near a country club and the center of the community, which is known for its palatial homes, sprawling lawns and horse pastures.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Christian student group is suing North Carolina State University over a policy they say requires members to get a permit to talk to their classmates about Jesus.
Grace Christian Life, a religious student group long recognized by the 35,000-student school in Raleigh, claimed in a federal suit that school officials barred members last September from evangelizing to people on campus. The officials cited the schools Speech Permit Policy, which the lawsuit, filed by Alliance Defending Freedom, claims is unconstitutional.
We believe that the only permit a student needs to speak on college campuses is the First Amendment, ADF attorney Tyson Langhofer told FoxNews.com.
Earlier this month, Chief U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III issued a preliminary injunction blocking the school from imposing the policy. School officials have until Friday to respond to ADFs request for a permanent injunction that would bar the school from stopping Graces activities until a ruling on the merits of the case.
The ADF, a nonprofit legal foundation that advocates for religious liberty, filed the complaint in April - as reported by FoxNews.com - after university officials refused to revise the permit policy. Langhofer argued that the schools policy of requiring permission before allowing students to discuss a particular subject amounts to a prior restraint violation of the First Amendment.
The policy states that groups and individuals engaging in "non-commercial solicitation" on university premises must obtain the written permission of Student Involvement in advance or risk facing school sanctions and even criminal prosecution. The policy provides no timeline for granting or denying permission, Langhofer said, meaning an indefinite delay could be tantamount to denial.
The dispute arose last year when a student member of the group and a pastor were admonished by Director of University Student Centers TJ Willis for asking people in the student union if they needed prayers, Langhofer claimed. Willis allegedly told them they were prohibited from engaging in religious conversations with other students without a permit.
The student union on campus is essentially a public forum, said Langhofer.
Willis was correct in citing the policy, which places further limitations on students, granting administrators the right to disapprove permits if solicitation isnt in alignment with values consistent with the Universitys mission. But the ADF argued in its complaint that objective criteria is missing from the code, leaving it to school administrators discretion as to when to invoke the policy. The result, he claims, is discrimination based on the content of speech.
A school spokesman declined to comment, but in a statement, NCSU Chancellor Randy Woodson insisted the university considers time, place and manner when reviewing permit requests for logistical reasons to ensure its primary mission of teaching [its] students.
This lawsuit is without merit; the implication that an organization has been treated differently on our campus because they are a religious group is false, Woodson said.
The families of two girls who were killed in a DUI crash involving a former NASA astronaut in rural west Alabama have filed wrongful-death lawsuits in state and federal courts.
Authorities have said 11-year-old Niomi James and 13-year-old Jayla Parler were killed in a crash that left two others injured on June 6 in rural west Alabama.
Former NASA astronaut 59-year-old James Halsell has been charged with reckless murder in the crash and now faces wrongful-death lawsuits in Tuscaloosa County and in federal court.
Latrice Parler identifies herself in court documents as the girls' custodial parent. Parler is suing in federal court, while injured passenger Pernell James filed a lawsuit in Tuscaloosa County. Attorney James Sturdivant is representing Halsell in the criminal case. He has declined to comment.
The coordinated massacre at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport came into clearer focus Wednesday as officials revealed a more detailed timeline of the terror attack that killed 42 and wounded 238.
After the three attackers arrived at the Turkish transit hub via taxi on Tuesday, one of the assailants entered the terminal, began shooting people and then blew himself up near X-ray machines, officials said. During the chaos, a second attacker rushed to the departures level and detonated his explosives. The third attacker waited outside during the entire episode, blowing himself up as scared travelers frantically flooded out of the airport.
"When the terrorists couldn't pass the regular security system, when they couldn't pass the scanners, police and security controls, they returned and took out their weapons out of their suitcases and opened fire at random at the security check," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday.
Several U.S. airports strengthened security measures due to the carnage in Istanbul, and, adding to the tension, a terminal at JFK Airport in New York was evacuated for a brief period Wednesday when a suspicious bag was spotted. It was later determined the unattended bag posed no threat and travelers were allowed back in the terminal.
Authorities viewed ISIS as the most likely culprit in the Istanbul attack, as the Turkey assault bore hallmarks similar to the March 22 coordinated terror attacks in Brussels, in which ISIS operatives killed 32 in coordinated bombings at Zaventem airport and a nearby metro station. But ISIS had not taken credit for Tuesday's attacks, and Ankara has battled Kurdish militants as well as ISIS.
Turkish officials told The Associated Press and Reuters that ISIS was the primary suspect, however, and the Islamic State released an infographic Wednesday in which it claimed to have "covert" units in Turkey. The infographic, sent out via ISIS' Amaq news agency, was made to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the militants establishing their so-called caliphate in areas of Syria and Iraq.
A U.S. government official told Fox News that the attack fits the profile of ISIS, which has stepped up its targeting of Turkey. The official said ISIS tends to attack internationally known targets with an economic impact, such as an airport, while the Kurdish terror group PKK generally targets Turkish military and law enforcement.
"If this Islamic State is indeed behind this attack, this would be a declaration of war," Analyst Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute, told AFP. "Turkey's vengeance will come down like rain from hell on the Islamic State."
Of the 238 people injured in the carnage, 109 had already been discharged from the hospital Wednesday morning, The Istanbul Governor's Office said. The Turkish Health Minister said 40 people remained in intensive care.
Most of those killed were Turkish, officials said. The 14 foreign travelers killed included six Saudis, two Iraqis and citizens from China, Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, Reuters reported.
The assault began when one attacker blew himself up outside the Ataturk terminal, the Haber Turk newspaper reported. Two other terrorists then opened fire at a point where X-ray machines are located.
"He's shooting up, two times, and he's beginning to shoot people like that, like he was walking like a prophet," Otfah Mohamed Abdullah, who witnessed one of the attackers, told AFPTV.
One attacker was shot at while running amid fleeing passengers, then blew himself up at an exit. The third attacker went up one level to where the international departures terminal is, was shot by police and blew himself up.
A Turkish official told The Associated Press that authorities were going through CCTV footage and eyewitness statements to establish a more detailed timeline of the attack. "It is a jigsaw puzzle" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
Airport surveillance video posted on social media showed the moment of one blast, a huge ball of fire, and passengers fleeing in terror. Another appeared to show an attacker, felled by a gunshot from a security officer, blowing himself up seconds later.
The recent attacks on Turkey, a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and a NATO member, have increased in scale and frequency. They have scared away tourists and hurt the Turkish economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
Hundreds of passengers who fled the airport in fear were left sitting on the grass outside. Several ambulances drove back and forth, and security vehicles surrounded the scene.
As if to underscore Turkey's determination to carry on in the face of a growing threat, the airport reopened Wednesday, just hours after the dead were carried away and glass and debris were cleared.
Adam Keally, from Boston, said he heard gunfire followed by several explosions, then saw people "very badly injured."
Hevin Zini, 12, had just arrived from Duesseldorf, Germany, with her family and was in tears.
"There was blood on the ground," she told the AP. "Everything was blown up to bits... if we had arrived two minutes earlier, it could have been us."
Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos told the AP. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."
Veysel Allay, who was waiting for a friend in the arrivals terminal, told the Daily Telegraph, "A man ran up and ripped open his jacket, showing a bomb vest. I ran before he did anything."
Jim Hyong Lee of South Korea told the Telegraph he and his family were checking in for a flight home when "we heard gunshots."
"I grabbed my family and ran," Lee said. "Someone waved us into the prayer room and hid us there until the police came."
A State Department spokesman told Fox News late Tuesday that Americans in Turkey were being urged to contact family members immediately.
Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all were in stable condition.
U.S. and world leaders immediately offered condolences following the attack.
In the U.S., President Obama was briefed about the attack by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. A statement from the White House on Tuesday condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the statement said.
Turkey has stepped up controls at airports and land borders and deported thousands of foreign fighters, but has struggled to tackle the threat of ISIS militants while also conducting vast security operations against Kurdish rebels, who have also been blamed for recent deadly attacks.
Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
Fox News' Catherine Herridge, Matt Dean and Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Britain's embattled Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Tuesday he would not resign despite a vote of no confidence from his party's lawmakers.
The vote is non-binding. Corbin said he would not "betray" his supporters by resigning.
The main opposition party's lawmakers earlier passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence and many called for him to step down as party leader. He has been criticized severely for what was seen as a his weak performance during the European Union referendum campaign, which ended with Britain voting to leave the EU.
Some 40 members of Corbyn's inner circle have resigned in recent days. Corbyn's supporters say he will remain leader because of his strong standing with the party's grass roots.
The Labor Party backed staying in the bloc but many said Corbyn campaigned poorly. He may now face a formal leadership contest.
British media reported 172 lawmakers voted against Corbyn while 40 voted in his favor.
"I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning,'' Corbyn responded. "Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy."
Click for more from Sky News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Although the Great Wall has become Chinas pre-eminent national symbol of pride and strength, the construction of its soaring watchtowers and crenelated parapets actually reflected a moment of dynastic weakness.
And it was, of course, a colossal failure. The present structure (popularly thought to track a wall erected by Chinas first emperor, Qin Shi Huang) was mostly built during the later Ming dynasty in the 16th century to keep out fierce nomad tribes to the north.
Early Ming emperors had found other ways to pacify these groups: royal marriages, barter trade and other inducements. But as the dynasty crumbled, hard-line factions at courtthe ideologues of their daypushed for an impregnable barrier. It was necessary, they argued, to protect Chinese civilization against the barbarian hordes.
Echoes of this history reverberate today in the South China Sea, where China is building massive fortificationsartificial islands dredged from the seabedto help defend a nine-dash line claim that encircles almost the entire waterway and reaches almost 1,000 miles from Chinas coastline.
U.S. Adm. Harry Harris rails against the man-made islands as a Great Wall of Sand. Defense Secretary Ash Carter warns that China risks building a Great Wall of self-isolation through actions that have alarmed its neighbors.
In a matter of days, a United Nations-backed court in The Hague is expected to rule on a challenge to Chinas claim brought by the Philippines. The decision will address an issue that has preoccupied Chinese dynasties since antiquity: Where does China end?
This has infuriated Chinese leaders; the presumptuousness of foreign jurists sitting in judgment upon what China regards as a matter of Chinese sovereignty is intolerable. Beijing has boycotted the proceedings.
Yet theres an even more fundamental issue at play, one that dominated the debate in the old Ming court and that has rumbled on ever since: How should China conduct its relations with the world?
Now, as then, the question is inextricably wrapped up with Chinas perceptions of itself. The way China responds to the ruling in The Hague will tell us a lot about the mind-set of a country that has alternated between bouts of isolation and pragmatic engagement.
Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
The U.K.s departure from the European Union will erode the status of the English language in EU institutions to the benefit of French and German, with the blocs executive arm already moving to ditch English from some of its official communications.
Even before the British government has officially lodged its intention to leave, the European Commission has made a symbolic decision to focus on French and German in statements to the press and speeches, according to two EU officials.
Although the EU has 24 official languages, only English, German and French are recognized working languages in the blocs executive arm. We will use more French and German, said one of the officials.
In his speech to the European Parliament Tuesday, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to address lawmakers in just French and German, the two officials said. That breaks with a long tradition of trilingual speeches by Mr. Juncker.
English will remain a working language, but of course there is a symbolic move there, said the first official.
Click for more from WSJ.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin's security agencies allegedly have ramped up their intimidation of American diplomats across Europe in ways that would be illegal in the United States: harassment, breaking and entering, and in at least one case, killing a man's dog.
Numerous diplomats said Russian intruders would rearrange furniture or turn on lights and televisions in their homes before leaving, according to a series of memos reviewed by Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin. One diplomat accused an intruder of defecating on his carpet.
Russia stepped up its intimidation campaign in 2014, after the U.S. hit Moscow with sanctions in response to Russia's takeover of Ukraine, State Dept. spokesman John Kirby told the columnist. Most of the incidents unfolded in Moscow, but others reportedly took place in cities outside Russia.
"Harassment and surveillance of our diplomatic personnel in Moscow by security personnel and traffic police have increased significantly," State Dept. spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters Monday. She said other U.S. allies reported similar findings, and that Secretary of State John Kerry has raised the issue with Putin.
An intruder broke into the home of a U.S. defense official in Moscow and killed his dog during President Obama's first term, officials told Rogin.
Diplomats also accused Russian security workers of slashing tires and following the children of former U.S. ambassador Michael McFaul as they went to school.
"Since the return of Putin, Russia has been engaged in an increasingly aggressive gray war across Europe. Now its in retaliation for Western sanctions because of Ukraine," former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisen said. "They are hitting American diplomats literally where they live."
Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Click for more from The Washington Post.
Yocale Announces The Winners Of The Book Local Community Choice Awards For 2016
The North Vancouver based company proudly celebrates the winners of this years awards.
--
Yocale is proud to be announcing the 2016 winners in their new annual Book Local Community Choice Awards. Yocale's mission is to embody the Book Local community initiative, bringing people the perfect way to discover and book appointments with the best premiere local businesses right in their community.
The new annual Yocale Book Local Community Choice Awards highlights and promotes local businesses that are the leaders in their respected industries, who continually provide exceptional customer service to their clients on a regular basis and are the frontrunners in their communities.
The winners receiving this award were decided based on a number of factors which are compiled after thorough research, using numerous statistical and review based sources, such as: company reviews on Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, YellowPages, Foursquare, Better Business Bureau, Yocale's own repository of customer reviews, as well as social media and online presence.
Arash Asli, CEO and Co-founder of Yocale said, "We look for winners that have raised the bar and set new standards for commitment within their community. This award is a testament to the professionalism given, while striving to continually exceed their client's expectations."
ABOUT THE BOOK LOCAL COMMUNITY CHOICE AWARDS
In 2013, Yocale launched the community Book Local initiative, which brings people the best way to find and book appointments with top local businesses right in their community.
The Book Local Community Choice Award is an independent annual review conducted by Yocale to identify, celebrate, and promote the top industry leaders in communities across the country who continuously provide exceptional customer service to their clients on a regular basis.
ABOUT YOCALE
Yocale's simple yet powerful concept works within local communities to help businesses who provide appointment based services, and people looking for these types of businesses, to join together on one integrated platform.
Not only is Yocale simplifying the process for people to find open appointments in their locale, they can now discover, book, review, and refer these local services too, all while managing their appointments and spending online.
Yocale is enriching communities by bringing them all together on one amazing platform using social, mobile, and local technologies to help local businesses and people connect in new ways where it matters the most - in their locale!
For more information on Yocale, individuals are encouraged to visit their website directly.
Contact: Arash Asli
Phone: 1-778-986-2253
Email: info@yocale.com
Website: https://www.yocale.com
For more information, please visit https://www.yocale.com
Contact Info:
Name: Arash Asli
Email: info@yocale.com
Organization: Yocale
Address: 130 - 889 Harbourside Drive, North Vancouver, BC, V7P 3S1
Phone: 7789862253
Video URL: https://youtu.be/8NBmlmm1myo
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/yocale-announces-the-winners-of-the-book-local-community-choice-awards-for-2016/121332
Release ID: 121332
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Diamond Ballroom to Prove Diamonds are Forever at First Ever In-House Event
Diamond Ballroom and Catering is excited to announce that they will be hosting their first Diamond Event, produced in house by Diamond Ballroom staff, with a James Bond theme.
--
Diamond Ballroom and Catering is a specialist events venue in Vancouver that offers the ultimate wedding and party packages for up to four hundred guests. They are now seeking to showcase their space and their potential as a venue by showing people exactly what it is capable of, with a unique series in-house produced Diamond Events. The kick-off event will take place September 9th, 2016 at 1495 W. 8th Ave.
The theme of this Diamond Event will be James Bond - Diamonds are Forever. 2 Scoops Productions will be sponsoring the event and providing DJ services. This party will also feature casino tables, Vegas style dancers, photo booth and red carpet. There will be a complimentary cocktail and canapes upon arrival. Prizes will be given for best costumes and highest winners on the casino tables. Doors will open at 7:00 pm and the party will run until 1:00 am.
This event is designed to herald the beginning of a new era for the company, and Diamond Ballroom hopes to host and produce regular monthly events at this location in future. To establish the events as a force for good in the community, partial proceed will be donated to Children's Hospital. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/diamonds-are-forever-tickets-25962699132 and alternatively print tickets are available upon request.
Office manager and lead planner on this project Alicia McDonald has stated, "This event is an opportunity to give back and celebrate with the people that have partied with us over the years. Diamond Ballroom is an excellent venue with many customizable options for parties of all kinds and I'm excited to showcase all that we can do with the first Diamond Event- Diamonds are Forever. This will be a great opportunity for people to cut loose and enjoy a night of the high life."
About Diamond Ballroom and Catering: Diamond Ballroom and Catering is a wedding and special event venue located in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Their facility offers Vancouver's most breath-taking views, delicious local food, friendly staff and elegant spaces for up to 400+ guests. They offer wedding receptions and many all-inclusive amenity packages with customizable menu options.
For more information, please visit http://www.diamondballroom.ca/
Contact Info:
Name: Alicia McDonald
Email: office@diamondballroom.ca
Organization: Diamond Ballroom & Catering
Phone: (604) 568-7377
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/diamond-ballroom-to-prove-diamonds-are-forever-at-first-ever-in-house-event/121346
Release ID: 121346
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Fusion Machine Consumption Industry 2016 : Market Growth And Forecast Report By Radiant Insights,Inc
RadiantInsights.com has announced the addition of "Global Fusion Machine Consumption Industry Trends, Growth And Forecast Report Up To 2016 : Radiant Insights, Inc" Market Research Report to their Database.
--
Fusion machines are used to join plastic pipes and fittings. They work by heating up the ends of pipes and fittings first and then forcing them together to form a bond. Fusion machines can join pipes of various materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, MDPE (medium-density polyethylene), PP-R (polypropylene-random), ECTFE (Ethylene ChloroTriFluoroEthylene), and PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride). The sizes of these pipes could range from half a centimeter to 20 centimeters.
Complete Report Available @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-fusion-machine-consumption-industry-2016
Fusion welding is advantageous in several ways. It offers fast setting times and ease of fabrication. It is safe and eliminates the need to incorporate additional cements or adhesives. Moreover, certain models possess the ability to make angle welds. However, the biggest strength of fusion welding lies in its ability to work well will air-pro piping, polypropylene, and PVDF.
The global fusion machine consumption industry is expected to witness lucrative growth in 2016. Demand will be buoyed by economic growth, rising industrialization and mechanization. Accelerated infrastructural development in the emergent economies of the world would be an important driver of consumption of fusion machines.
Several types of machines exist in the worldwide fusion machine consumption industry. Field welding machines, workshop welding machines, saddle fusion machines, extrusion welding, workshop welding machines, electrofusion workshop pipe saws, wedge welders, and hot air hand tools are some of the products that constitute the market. It also covers accessories like polysling, polyroller, debeader, data logger, buttwipes, etc.
Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-fusion-machine-consumption-industry-2016/request-sample
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America are the main market segments on the basis of geography. Chief countries consuming fusion machines are the United States of America (USA), Japan, China, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), India, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, and France.
Chemtrol/Nibco, Duolin, Fluxana, and Asahi are a few of the established players in the global fusion machine consumption industry. Spectris, XRF Scientific, SPEX SamplePrep, Foshan City Fuyin Welding Equipment Co. Ltd., Beijing ZX, and LGC are the other well-known vendors.
Chemtrol offers a range of portable socket fusion equipment which could be used by PVDF and polypropylene pipes. This includes bench and handheld machines. Asahi markets a variety of butt and socket fusion machines that comprise trench, bench, and hand held equipment. Development of superior quality and technologically-advanced products is likely to be a critical success factor for the industry.
Browse All Reports of This Category at: https://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/equipment
About Radiant Insights,Inc
Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.
For more information, please visit https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-fusion-machine-consumption-industry-2016
Contact Info:
Name: Michelle Thoras
Email: sales@radiantinsights.com
Organization: Radiant Insights, Inc.
Address: 28 2nd Street, Suite 3036 San Francisco
Phone: 4153490054
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/fusion-machine-consumption-industry-2016-market-growth-and-forecast-report-by-radiant-insightsinc/121373
Release ID: 121373
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
China's Blood Products Market Growth And Forecast Report : Radiant Insights,Inc
RadiantInsights.com has announced the addition of "China's Blood Products Market Trends, Growth And Forecast Report : Radiant Insights, Inc" Market Research Report to their Database.
--
China's plasma collection was 5,800 tons in 2015. The overall demand needed by the country is predicted to be at 12,000 tons. The blood products market in China is primarily driven by the geriatric populace in need of blood transfusions. Other factors include surgeries involving chronic diseases such as cancer.
Browse Full Research Report With TOC on http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/blood-products-markets-in-china
A major factor thwarting progress of the market is the lack of blood centers. Red blood cells have a lifespan of 42 days, while platelets have 5 day lifetime. This factor could also be the panic related to 1980s when one of the blood samples provided was found to be HIV-positive. Since then blood drives are done more cautiously at colleges, healthcare centers, and donations. The market is expected to display growth over the forecast period (2018-2023).
Products encompassed in the market are human albumin, Tetanus immunoglobulin, Human rabies immunoglobulin, Human Immunoglobulin (pH4) for Intravenous Injection, Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin, Human Prothrombin Complex, Blood Coagulation Factor VIII, and human immunoglobulin.
Out of these, human blood coagulation factor VIII sold almost 530,000 bottles in 2013. It has garnered nearly 45% market shares by growing annually. Human albumin had a demand of 14.3 million bottles in the same year. Fibrinogen and human blood coagulation factor VIII grew over 50% on a yearly basis. Government initiatives encouraging market growth are currently involved in constructing blood plasma stations.
Browse All Reports of This Category at: http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/healthcare
Prominent vendors in China's blood products market are Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd., Shanghai RAAS (Rare Antibody Antigen Supply Inc.) Blood Products Co., Ltd., Sichuan Yuanda Shuyang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and Beijing Tiantan Biological Products, Ltd.
Mergers & acquisitions are a key strategy adopted by market players to expand their reach. Companies with less than 6 types of blood related products are not allowed to set up plasmapheresis centers. Thus, these companies have resorted to buying stake in smaller startups. For instance, Shanghai RAAS bought Zhengzhou Banghe Pharmaceutical in 2013.
Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/blood-products-markets-in-china/request-sample
About Radiant Insights,Inc
Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.
For more information, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/blood-products-markets-in-china
Contact Info:
Name: Michelle Thoras
Email: sales@radiantinsights.com
Organization: Radiant Insights, Inc.
Address: 28 2nd Street, Suite 3036 San Francisco
Phone: 4153490054
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/chinas-blood-products-market-growth-and-forecast-report-radiant-insightsinc/121377
Release ID: 121377
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
NECA Education Announces New Electrical Training Courses
In an effort to improve the electrical industry, NECA Education is now offering courses for electrical apprentices and licensed electricians, according to necaeducation.com.au.
--
To meet the growing demand for qualified electricians in Australia's construction and telecommunications industries, NECA Education and Careers has announced new courses to support their electrical apprenticeship programs as well as providing professional development for licensed electricians. One of the most popular new courses is Structured and Coaxial Cabling for students who are seeking an open cabling licence, according to spokesperson Kelly Burns.
"We've seen a lot of growth in the area of data and communications," noted Burns, "and there is a high demand right now for qualified cablers. Businesses can't survive without the internet nowadays, and many rely on complex systems involving servers, work stations, telephones, and security systems. All of that cable has to be installed by a licensed cabler. We were already offering an Open Registration course that prepares students to install phone and security system cabling, but in order to install data cables, they needed more specialized coursework. So that's why we opened the additional course on structured and coaxial cabling."
The course will cover the fundamentals of coaxial cable for radio frequency transmission, integrated voice and data systems, connecting and terminating cables, and testing coaxial cables, among other topics. The course is designed for students who have already completed the Open Registration course. Thus, in order to register for the course, students should have their Open Cabler registration card or have completed a series of courses specified on NECA Educations's website.
Students who are interested in ramsden training or getting an austel licence can sign up for the 40-hour course offered evenings and weekends beginning in July. "Since many of our students are working full days in apprenticeships," explained Burns, "the majority of our class schedules accommodate regular daytime working hours."
Other new offerings from NECA Education include a range of short safety courses specific to the electrical industry, such as CPR and Low Voltage Rescue and Occupational Health and Safety Management. "Our safety courses are updated regularly," said Burns, "in order to keep up with industry standards." The CPR/LVR course, a one-day class, is aimed at anyone who is working in an environment where there is a risk of electrical shock.
Students can learn emergency measures to take if a coworker receives a low-voltage shock. The two-day OHS course is designed for managers or supervisors in the electrotechnology industry who have the responsibility for ensuring that their workplace is safe and in compliance with OHS regulations.
About NECA Education
Established in 1992, NECA Education and Careers assists job seekers, employers, and students in fulfilling their needs and aspirations. The organization offers apprenticeships and traineeships in Victoria and/or Tasmania in a range of vocational fields including electrical, business administration, information technology, manufacturing, and horticulture. As a Registered Training Organization for the electrical industry, NECA works with pre-apprentices, apprentices, trainees and qualified electricians who need to develop or update their skills. In addition, the organization works with employers to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities for their students and to support their students throughout the training period.
For more information, please visit http://necaeducation.com.au/
Contact Info:
Name: Kelly Burns
Organization: Neca Education
Phone: 0061 3 9381 1920
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/neca-education-announces-new-electrical-training-courses/121387
Release ID: 121387
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
PCS Bail Bonds Weighs in on Reduced Bail and Release of Fort Worth Police Shooting Suspect
PCS Bail Bonds comments on the release of the suspected Fort Worth police shooter.
--
PCS Bail Bonds (www.PCSBailBonds.com), Fort Worth, Texas' most trusted bail bond service, is weighing in on the reduced bail and release of the Fort Worth police shooting suspect.
Initially facing a bail of $2.0 million, Ed McIver Jr. was released from jail on June 14 after his bail was reduced to $17,000. This comes after McIver Jr. was not indicted by a grand jury the previous week on charges of shooting Fort Worth police officer Matt Pearce.
(Source: "Fort worth officer shooting suspect released from jail," FOX4 News, June 15, 2016; http://www.fox4news.com/news/159773236-story.)
"This is within the law," says Paul Schuder, owner of PCS Bail Bonds. "After not being indicted within 90 days, McIver Jr. was entitled to a more reasonable bail amount, which the court decided was $17,000. It's the way the system works."
New attempted murder and drug charges were filed by the Tarrant County District Attorney immediately after the verdict. McIver Jr.'s attorney says they are happy with the decision and that their client will be out of jail for the duration of this round of court proceedings, though he was fitted with an ankle monitor upon his release.
After the bail was reduced, the Tarrant County District Attorney re-filed charges that included a charge for capital murder, a gun charge, and a drug charge. The suspect's father, McIver Sr., was also allegedly involved in the incident in which Officer Pearce wounded, but was killed in the shootout.
"Everyone is entitled to a fair case," Schuder concludes. "No matter the nature of the charges, everyone is treated with the fairness representative of the legal system. This case is no different."
PCS Bail Bonds understands the structure of bail proceedings, having built a strong relationship with the courts, and can offer advice on the topic.
For more information, please visit http://www.pcsbailbonds.com
Contact Info:
Name: Paul Schuder
Organization: PCS Bail Bonds
Address: 111 E. Rosedale St. Fort Worth, Texas 76104
Phone: (817) 335-1655
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/pcs-bail-bonds-weighs-in-on-reduced-bail-and-release-of-fort-worth-police-shooting-suspect/121354
Release ID: 121354
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Apogee Solutions Limited Announces Free IT Assessment Offer
The company wants to help business owners improve their network and learn to reduce risks and vulnerabilities, reports http://www.apogeesolutions.co.uk/.
--
Apogee Solutions Limited, a premier IT services firm serving businesses across the UK, has recently announced their free IT assessment offer for business owners. The no-obligation assessment is designed to test the health of a company's network and help them identify issues and vulnerabilities that may currently be putting the business at risk of an interruption. With network assessments of this type valued at more than 250 pounds, this limited-time free offer has the potential to save business owners a great deal of money and frustration.
Mark Miller, a spokesperson for Apogee Solutions Limited, commented "Statistics show that 9 out of 10 computer networks have potentially serious IT problems, many of which continually go undetected. Unfortunately, this can be a danger to the company, as even one data breach or network shutdown can lead to costly business interruptions. As a leading provider of Managed IT Services in Basingstoke, we want to help uncover these problems and give business owners the tools and information they need to solve them. For many businesses, our free assessment will be a step in the right direction as they learn how to protect themselves against potential threats."
The free IT assessment offer from Apogee Solutions Limited includes thorough testing and network analysis without the use of installed software. The testing is usually completed in the span of 30 minutes, which means the network won't be impacted for days or weeks on end. Once the testing is completed, an Apogee IT professional will identify areas in need of improvement and make suggestions about network security, flexibility, and infrastructure. Their team will produce a 6 - 8 page executive summary to review with the business owner or IT manager.
As Miller goes on to say, "Whether we are installing Business VoIP Solutions in Hampshire or consulting with business owners about their network infrastructure, we put our all into what we do. Both our team and the business owners we work with know that a fast and secure network plays a key role in their ability to thrive. With our free, no-obligation assessment, business owners will learn how to solve their IT problems so they can finally find time to focus on what truly matters - taking their company to the next level."
Those who are interested in speaking with an Apogee Solutions Limited representative about a free network assessment should visit www.apogeesolutions.co.uk.
About Apogee Solutions Limited:
Founded in 2000, Apogee Solutions began with a mission to help small and medium-sized businesses get a real return on their technology investments. Since then, the company has remained dedicated to providing state-of-the-art IT support, service, and products that allow their clients to get ahead of the competition and achieve greater success.
For more information, please visit http://www.apogeesolutions.co.uk
Contact Info:
Name: Mark Miller
Organization: Apogee Solutions Limited
Address: Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 4HG
Phone: 0345 369 0101
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/apogee-solutions-limited-announces-free-it-assessment-offer/121379
Release ID: 121379
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Medical Stapler Market Forecast and Analysis Report From 2016 To 2021 : Radiant Insights,Inc
RadiantInsights.com has announced the addition of "Global Medical Stapler Market Trends, Growth And Forecast Report Up To 2021 : Radiant Insights, Inc" Market Research Report to their Database.
--
This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Medical Stapler from 2011-2016, and provides extensive market forecasts (2016-2021) by region/country and subsectors. It covers the key technological and market trends in the Medical Stapler market and further lays out an analysis of the factors influencing the supply/demand for Medical Stapler, and the opportunities/challenges faced by industry participants. It also acts as an essential tool to companies active across the value chain and to the new entrants by enabling them to capitalize the opportunities and develop business strategies.
Browse Full Research Report With TOC on http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-stapler-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021
A surgical stapler is a medical device which is used to place surgical staples.Surgical staplers were developed in response to concerns about the healing of traditional sutures. Evidence seemed to suggest that sutures were more prone to leaks and separation, although further study indicates that when placed properly, conventional sutures are perfectly safe. However, the development of the surgical stapler also created a number of advantages, including speed, accuracy, and evenness of wound closure, which made the stapler a useful operating room tool. Both stapling and suturing are taught to surgeons, and training about the appropriate settings for each technique is also provided.
Global Medical Stapler Market Forecast and Analysis 2016-2021, has been prepared based on the synthesis, analysis, and interpretation of information about the global Medical Stapler market collected from specialized sources. The report covers key technological developments in the recent times and profiles leading players in the market and analyzes their key strategies. The competitive landscape section of the report provides a clear insight into the market share analysis of key industry players. The major players in the global Medical Stapler market areJohnson & Johnson, Covidien, Cardica, ConMed, B.Braun, Evomed, Welfaremedical, Purple Surgical, Reach Surgical.
Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at: http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-stapler-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021/request-sample
The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Rest of World. In this sector, global competitive landscape and supply/demand pattern of Medical Stapler industry has been provided.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Scope of Report
1.1 Research Methodology
1.2 Geographic Scope
1.3 Years Considered
Part 2. Introduction
2.1 Key Findings
2.2 Value Chain Analysis
2.2.2 Upstream
2.2.3 Downstream
See More Reports of This Category by Radiant Insights: http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/medical-devices
About Radiant Insights,Inc
Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. We assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. We have a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, our experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.
For more information, please visit http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-medical-stapler-market-forecast-and-analysis-2016-2021
Contact Info:
Name: Michelle Thoras
Email: sales@radiantinsights.com
Organization: Radiant Insights, Inc.
Address: 28 2nd Street, Suite 3036 San Francisco
Phone: 4153490054
Source: http://marketersmedia.com/medical-stapler-market-forecast-and-analysis-report-from-2016-to-2021-radiant-insightsinc/121383
Release ID: 121383
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Wedding Cars Worksop A New Wedding Hire Car Service Starts End Of June 2016
Sherwood Wedding Cars announced the availability of their new Wedding car hire Service beginning end of June 2016. More information can be found at http://www.sherwoodweddingcars.co.uk.
--
Customers looking for the latest Wedding car hire Service will soon be able to get involved with Sherwood Wedding Cars. Today, Kerry Pickering, owner at Sherwood Wedding Cars releases details of the new car hire Service's development.
The Wedding car hire Service is designed to appeal specifically to couples that are planning their wedding and includes:
Vintage car hire - This feature was included because it will allow brides planning a vintage wedding themed event to arrive for their ceremony in a wedding car that compliments the look and feel that the couple desire.. This is great news for the consumer as When the Bride is chauffeured to the wedding ceremony the car, the dress and all the extra decoration will match seamlessly and the happy couple should get some amazing photos and videos.
Modern car hire - This was made part of the service, since at Sherwood wedding cars the main goal is to help Brides and Grooms get exactly what they want. And for those who are looking for sleek and sophisticated cars, then Sherwood Wedding Cars will oblige. Customers who invest in the service should enjoy this feature because, the couple who have a modern outlook on life and have also themed their wedding day to be modern and luxurious, the staff at Sherwood Wedding Cars, will help make their day go just as they planned..
Well trained chauffeurs are provided to make sure Brides or Grooms get their on time. - Sherwood Wedding Cars made sure to make this an important part of the Wedding car hire Service's development as Bride and Grooms' need to know that their chauffeur is a professional driver who knows the area. Customers of the Wedding car hire Service will likely appreciate this because Having a chauffeur trained in wedding etiquette and an ability to drive with a good safety perspective and with a back up plan in case of a breakdown will add a level of trust and make the couple feel at ease on an already stressful day..
Kerry Pickering, when asked about the Wedding car hire Service said:
"Providing wedding car hire for our customers is a joy and we make every effort to make sure our car hire goes exactly according to plan. We want our brides to remember how they felt making their big entry to the ceremony. I know they will love the pictures in the car especially the ones with their dad or who ever is giving the Bride away."
This is the latest offering from Sherwood Wedding Cars and Kerry Pickering is particularly excited about this launch because, with each wedding the company gets lovely heartfelt reviews about how they felt arriving in one of the cars provided and looking back they know they made the right decision.
Those interested in learning more about Sherwood Wedding Cars and their Wedding car hire Service can do so on the website at www.sherwoodweddingcars.co.uk
For more information, please visit http://www.sherwoodweddingcars.co.uk
Contact Info:
Name: Kerry Pickering
Organization: Sherwood Wedding Cars
Address: At The Rear, 30 High Street, Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG20 0AB
Phone: 01623 272155
Release ID: 121326
For more information visit r
Recent Press Releases By The Same User
Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17)
Free Freightnet Membership
List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
Openwork made an operating profit of 4.8m in 2015, the fourth consecutive year it has found itself in the black.
The company grew its revenue by 30 per cent last year, marking four years since the network posted its first-ever profit in 2012 as a standalone trading company.
Profits at Openwork were actually down compared to 2014, when the company made 5.5m, but up on the 1.7m profit achieved in 2013.
Chief executive Mark Duckworth said it was extremely gratifying to see results broadly consistent with 2014s strong performance, particularly given the significant challenges associated with the Mortgage Market Review, aimed at raising standards in the mortgage broking industry.
For that we owe a debt of gratitude to our advisers, who continue to work tirelessly to ensure their clients always receive high quality advice and great outcomes.
In recent months we have signed a significant shareholder agreement that will result in our advisers owning the network, and welcomed major advice businesses like Just Mortgages into the fold, he stated.
We have a fantastic base from which to develop the business further and we look forward to enhancing our proposition and infrastructure over the coming months and years while growing our revenue and profits.
Earlier this year, Openwork signed an agreement that will see Zurich divest its 25 per cent shareholding in the network within four years.
By March 2020, Zurich will transfer its shares to Openworks other main shareholder, Openwork Partnership LLP, which represents more than 600 adviser firms and 3,000 advisers.
Last July, Openwork announced a radical restructure of its distribution business, dividing it into three business units wealth, mortgage and protection.
More recently, in April the network made Just Mortgages Direct its largest mortgage-focused appointed representative.
Mr Duckworth said that since joining Openwork, Just Mortgages has submitted more than 1,000 cases and is already on a run-rate to deliver in excess of 1bn in mortgage lending annually.
Overall, he added, Openwork is on course to surpass 10bn of mortgage lending this year.
Stockbroker WH Ireland has made two senior appointments as part of plans to restructure its business to focus on wealth management.
Roddy Buchanan has been promoted to head of the wealth management division, reporting to chief executive Richard Killingbeck.
The firm has also appointed Rupert Yeoward, who will report to Roddy Buchanan as deputy head of wealth management.
Mr Killingbeck said the moves continue the programme of change across the division. Their extensive combined experience will be instrumental in the strengthening and development of our wealth management proposition.
Mr Yeoward added: I look forward to helping build upon the history of the group as it continues to grow its wealth management business and further establish the company as a modern, dynamic and innovative wealth manager.
Earlier this month Mr Killingbeck said he plans to grow the business both organically and through acquisitions, saying the minimum level of funds under management needed to be an independent wealth management business is 5bn.
According to its annual report for 2015, WH Ireland has more than 2.5bn of assets under management.
However, in February the firm reported a full-year loss of 300,000 after being hit by a 1.2m fine from the Financial Conduct Authority.
Leeds Building Society has invested in people and processes to improve its technological functionality and make it easier for consumers and advisers to do business with the society.
According to Richard Fearon, chief commercial officer at Leeds Building Society, board members meeting on 25 May said the friendly society needed to focus on its long-term sustainable future.
To do this would necessitate a move to better, more streamlined technology, he explained.
Mr Fearon said: At the board conference last month, the main focus was on our customer centricity strategy, as we aim to guarantee the long-term sustainable future of the society for current and future members by ensuring we remain attractive, relevant and accessible at a time and in a way that suits them.
Technology is integral to this. But we need a rich understanding of customer needs and behaviours and to achieve this, we have invested significantly in our customer and digital experience teams, and our customer insight capability. We need a rich understanding of customer needs and behaviours so we have invested significantly in our customer and digital experience teams
Speeding up the process with technology will affect some Isa accounts, for example, as some consumers who wish to invest regularly into an Isa have had to write a cheque and submit this by post to Leeds Building Society for updating.
Last year, Peter Hill, chief executive of Leeds Building Society, told sister newspaper Financial Adviser that the mutual had spent a significant amount of money upgrading its IT systems over the first half of 2015.
Headcount has also increased, with 120 new roles created in 2015 as Leeds Building Society aimed to increase its capacity and improve its services and processes.
One improvement was to reduce the time it takes for mortgage cases to get through from application to offer.
Mr Fearon added: Last year, during our 140th year, we provided more mortgages than ever before and increased savings balances to the highest level in our history.
The friendly society also upgraded its core IT systems into the cloud, which Mr Fearon added has created a platform for future improvements to our service.
More emergency EU cash could be on its way to help milk producers and others cope with the market downturn.
A package of measures is being worked on and is expected to be put forward by farm commissioner Phil Hogan on 18 July.
However the new milk market terms could be linked to supply controls, he warned.
Milk collections had risen 5.6% in the first four months of 2016 compared with the same period last year, he told Mondays (27 June) council of agriculture ministers meeting.
See also: EU dairy support package worth just 1,820 to UK farmers
Martijn van Dam, Dutch minister for agriculture and president of the agriculture council, said that despite the September and March packages of measures, the crisis in the dairy, pigmeat and fruit and vegetables sectors continued, due to a persistent imbalance between supply and demand.
The difficult situation is calling for additional measures as soon as possible, and we urged the commission to present an additional financial package in July 2016, said Mr Van Dam after the council had met.
An earlier plan running for six months from 13 April allows voluntary supply management incentives by farmer co-ops and other groups but has attracted little interest.
New financial package
The NFU does not support measures linked to supply.
We understand that commissioner Hogan will announce a new financial package at July council. We believe the way this is spent should be decided nationally rather than at an EU level and would not support it being linked to supply management at an EU scale, said chief dairy adviser Sian Davies.
Milk volumes have been falling in the UK since February with current daily deliveries down 6.1% on this time last year and 1.3% down on the three-year average.
We believe there are more constructive ways of spending this funding and will discuss these with Defra and the commission.
This includes support for more efficient, competitive dairy farming or support for the setting up of producer groups and producer organisations.
We also understand that many EU member states are yet to pay out the EU support package allocated last autumn which is completely unacceptable when dairy farmers across the EU are suffering the impact of the market downturn.
This money needs to be paid out quickly, simply and in a way that best supports farmers in the individual member states.
Mr Hogan also called on the eight member states who have not done so to pay out their share of the earlier package of 420m (350m) targeted aid before the 30 June deadline.
By the end of May, only 60% of the fund had been distributed 222m (185m) for the milk sector, 24m (20m) for pigmeat and 4.6m (3.8m) in beef aid.
At the council, agriculture ministers also agreed a further increase in the tonnage of skimmed milk powder which can be bought into intervention. The ceiling will be increased to 350,000t at a fixed price.
Defra secretary Liz Truss says existing policies for food and farming will remain in place until the UK leaves the EU.
In a move to reassure farmers following the UK referendum vote to leave the EU, Ms Truss said there would be no immediate changes to agricultural policy.
On Friday we heard a clear message from the British people, she said.
We must now put our shoulder to the wheel so we leave the European Union in the best way for Britain.
See also: Brexit what happens next for UK farmers?
Ms Truss said prime minister David Cameron had made its clear there would be no triggering of Article 50 which starts the exit process until his successor was in place.
Negotiations on exit
She added: There will be no immediate changes until we leave the EU current arrangements for farming and our environment remain in place.
Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity to build a new British agricultural policy which is adapted to our needs one thats easy to understand and simple to administer Meurig Raymond, NFU
Ms Truss said the government was now preparing to negotiate the UKs exit from the EU.
Defra officials will be working with a dedicated unit in government to look at a future package for farmers and the environment, she said.
There clearly needs to be a system of agricultural support and British farming must remain profitable and competitive.
Equally, Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment.
The government would work with farming industry to develop new arrangements. This would take time and it would be for the next prime minister to make decisions about future policy.
Ms Trusss comments came as NFU president Meurig Raymond called for reassurance schemes available to UK farmers would remain open and in place until 2020.
NFU: Extreme uncertainty
Mr Raymond has written to EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan, asking for reassurance that promises made during the referendum campaign are delivered.
We are in a period of extreme uncertainty, said Mr Raymond.
The NFU would lobby government to ensure policies developed in the coming weeks and months would focus on securing a profitable, productive and competitive farming industry.
Mr Raymond said he had already spoken to Mr Hogan, outlining the need to secure the best possible access to markets in the rest of Europe.
Although we will not be a member of the EU, it will still be our major trading partner for the foreseeable future, Mr Raymond said.
BPS and Rural Development Scheme
During the referendum period, schemes such as the Rural Development Scheme and the Basic Payment Scheme were assured until 2020 allowing farm businesses to plan ahead.
Mr Raymond said it was vital these schemes should remain in place during the forthcoming period of negotiations as the UK prepared to leave the EU.
Leaving the EU gives us the opportunity to build a new British agricultural policy which is adapted to our needs one thats easy to understand and simple to administer.
We have a golden opportunity to ensure our arrangements in the future are proportionate and decisions are based on sound science.
We will be looking for guarantees from government that the support given to our farmers is equal to that given to farmers in the EU, who will still be our principal competitors.
Google Wants To Create The Apple iPhone Killer: Here's What We Know So Far
Google is said to be developing its own smartphone in 2016, which will compete with the Apple iPhone. The search engine giant is reportedly discussing with mobile operators to release a Google-branded handset that will help the company enter the hardware market.
At present, Google operates the Android operating system, which powers about 80 percent of all smartphones worldwide. Google has been working with smartphones for years, partnering with brands like Samsung and LG to provide the hardware. The company focuses on creating the free software that runs on current Android mobile devices. Google is said to continue working with other companies for smartphones under its Nexus banner.
GameSpot noted that the planned Google phone will be the first which will not be made in director collaboration with Android phone groups like LG, Huawei and HTC. The rumored phone project will be different from Google's modular smartphone project, called Project Ara, which is set to launch in 2017.
The Telegraph reported that the upcoming Google device is scheduled to release by the end of 2016. Google will be more involved in the manufacturing process, taking care of the software, design and hardware. Having its own smartphone will allow the company to manage the software and secure the future of various Google services like the search engine and Google Play app store.
Currently, Apple is still at the top of the high-end sector of the mobile phone market. Google has been trying to meet the various demands of different Android phone makers, which apply its software in different ways. Consistency has become an issue and some smartphone owners have to wait for months to receive updates and fixes.
Having its own device will provide Google the opportunity to maximize its software according to how it sees fit. Potential users can expect a more streamlined approach to using Google services and the Android OS, which will be effective in luring iPhone users to transfer sides.
CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood agrees that Google's move to make its own smartphone will help put Android under control. Google is allegedly concerned that Android is fragmenting, thereby requiring more control to guarantee the consistency of its platform. Apple has managed to control its platform by being the maker of both the hardware and software. Google may accomplish the same by building its own unit.
More updates and details on Google's upcoming smartphone are expected soon.
Sons of Anarchy Prequel Latest News, Release Date, Spoilers & Update: Fans Forcing Kurt Sutter And Charlie Hunnam To Work Together
There is a chance that Kurt Sutter and Charlie Hunnam will be working again on a Sons of Anarchy prequel. With SOA fans demanding for one, Jax Teller could return though it will be interesting if it will be Hunnam, the same person had issues with.
Much of the problems both Hunnam and Sutter had were covered in depth in a previous article though it never went as far as a fistfight. Based on the recount of Hunnam, both had heated moments though they found a way to get along.
According to CSN, Sutter could find himself working on a spin-off and a prequel. The spin-off will reportedly be titled Mayans MC per The Hollywood Reporter, setting itself apart from the Sons of Anarchy.
Mayans MC is described as a dark, visceral family drama that takes a new look at the most American of icons with the 1% outlaw reflected through a Latino lens. The spin-off will be taken care of by Sutter and Elgin James.
As far as the prequel is concerned, show producers have kept a tight lid on their plans. Rumors believe however that it could narrate the story of a young Jax Teller which may not necessarily call of Hunnam to portray it.
Sutter could opt to find a younger version to play the role and possibly inserting Hunnam (if he agrees) at the latter stages or even the finale. Seeing how the two have had a heated history, resorting to that could be better if all parties (including fans) are amenable to such a situation.
Of the prequel and the spinoff, it looks like the latter is experiencing some breakthrough. Sutter could be holding back on the prequel for now despite constant rants from the Sons of Anarchy fanbase. All that could die down (a bit) once the spinoff comes out.
CSULB alum wins gold at the 38th Long Beach Marathon which was his first
A new bike share program hits the streets of Corvallis on Thursday.
Called Pedal Corvallis, the two-year pilot program will distribute 35 bicycles to six locations around town and charge a $25 annual fee to participate. Officials also plan to add locations if more sponsorship dollars come in.
The six locations are: the downtown transit center, the Oregon State Credit Union (1980 N.W. Ninth St.), Lincoln Heath Center (121 S.E. Viewmont Ave.), the Benton County Health Department (530 N.W. 27th St.), Osborn Aquatic Center (1940 N.W. Highland Drive) and SamFit at Samaritan Square (777 N.W. Ninth St.).
The program is a joint effort of the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments and the InterCommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization. Also involved are the city of Corvallis, Benton County, the Corvallis School District, the Oregon State Credit Union, Samaritan Health Services and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition.
Were excited to partner with the (health network) and the city to bring bike share to Corvallis, said Fred Abousleman, executive director of Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, which serves Benton, Linn and Linn counties.
Pedal Corvallis is a healthy and affordable way to meet the transportation needs of our Medicaid members and community in general.
And the health needs as well, said Phil Warnock, community and economic director of Cascades West.
The partnership with InterCommunity Health Network Coordinated Care Organization is unique in that it really gets to making health a part of everyday life, not just about going to the doctor, Warnock said.
Medicaid members will be eligible for free bicycle helmets, said Tarah Campi, community and economic development planner for Cascades West.
Campi gave the Gazette-Times a sneak preview of the bicycles that will be used in the program. Leased to the program by Zagster, a Massachusetts company that operates bike-share programs in 130 other locations, the bikes have all of the expected safety features, including lights that go on automatically.
Attached to each bike is a lock box that can only opened by a member. The lock box carries the key to the bikes locking unit.
The program is available to those 18 and over and the inventory includes two tricycles with large baskets and oversized saddles.
The trikes, Campi said, are targeted toward users who need more cargo space and who might have balance issues.
The trikes will be available at the Lincoln Health Center and Benton County Health Department locations and must be returned there. The other bikes can be returned to any location.
Corvallis will be the second town in Oregon to offer such a program, Campi said. The Medford-Ashland region was the first to take the plunge, although Eugene and Portland are considering programs.
Im delighted to welcome bike share to Corvallis, said Mayor Biff Traber, who will participate in a ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m. Thursday at the downtown transit center (see information box).
In a community that already values biking, this will only enhance our communitys commitment to a healthy lifestyle and environment for everyone.
Drone Defender Two teens from Colorado turned their senior high school project into a force for good, donating a homemade drone to a Rwandan national park as a way to hopefully protect wildlife from poachers. The drone made its way to Akagera National Park, where park rangers have turned to helicopters to scan the park's 300,000 acres. But a drone? Far more affordable. Animals that live in the park include elephants, roan antelope, leopards and yes, lions. The teens traveled to Rwanda to train the rangers how to use the drone. (Via 9NEWS)
Playing With Bloks Google has launched a new coding toy, Project Bloks. The goal? To teach kids the basics around coding with physical blocks that when stacked together will tell other devices what to do, such as turning on a light or controlling a robot. No, you can't pop down to your local toy store and pick up Bloks, yet. Google says it's in "active research," with the projectworking over the summer to see how the Bloks platform could potentially be put to work. Interested? Google wants to hear from you.
Hacks For Sale A hacker is selling millions of health details on the dark web, reports ZDNet, with bids of close to $1 million in bitcoin. Sound like you've heard this before? That's because our connected world is pretty much the wild westwith data available easily to eager, and motivated, hackers. This batch reportedly comes from a number of sources including Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare, and includes Social Security numbers, birthdates, names and other details.
Snoring Robot Anki, best known for its race cars, Anki OVERDRIVE, is now in the robot business. Named Cosmos, the tiny robot (not much bigger than the race cars actually) is designed to play games, but also apparently develops a personality as it get to knows its users. The eyes are particularly livelyand yes, when he sleeps, he snores. The $159.99 bot is in pre-orders now.
Smart Shades Wonder if your home could benefit from some smart touches? In our latest review, we look at Lutron Serena smart shades, walking you through our experience with the entire process from ordering to installation. Trust us: You'll want to read our take before buying.
Niklas P. Case: suspect remains jailed : New investigations underway - detention review ends without result
Bonn A review of the detention of the suspect in the case of Niklas P. ended yesterday without result.
Teilen
Teilen Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Tweeten
Tweeten Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Drucken
Walid S., a main suspect who was present at the review, will therefore stay in custody, according to the Bonn prosecutors office. The reason: There are new investigations, which could also be relevant for the question of a continued detention, said state prosecutor Karen Essig yesterday.
The lawyer of 20-year-old Walid S., Martin Kretschmer, told GA that he was surprised by, what he calls, the new approaches of the investigation. Even the judge in the case was informed only on short notice about new investigations and possibly new evidence. It was not released by the state attorney nor the defense lawyer what these could be. But in light of that new turn, the lawyer asked for another postponement of a decision about the further detention of Walid S., who is suspected of having brutally attacked 17-year-old Niklas P. in the early morning hours of May 7 in Bad Godesberg, leading to his death a week later.
Already last week, the suspects lawyer had asked for a delay in the decision, asking for more time to study information that was collected by the state attorneys office. A new date for a decision on the detention has not been set. If the Bonn court rules that not enough evidence has been gathered by the police and the prosecution, Walid S. could be released.
Viktoria Bridge : Slowed traffic and four accidents since May
Bonn Traffic is tight on the Viktoria Bridge due to narrow lanes imposed by construction work. Police report four accidents but dont see a significant climb.
Teilen
Teilen Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Tweeten
Tweeten Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Drucken
Police spokesperson Frank Piontek says there have been four accidents on the Viktoriabrucke (Viktoria Bridge) since a construction zone was erected there at the end of May. The bridge is being renewed and replaced in steps. The most serious accident was on Sunday evening when two Mercedes vehicles collided in a head-on crash, leaving a 32-year-old driver hospitalized, and a 21-year-old driver and his two passengers with minor injuries. Damage was estimated at 20,000 euros. Police believe the younger driver entered the construction zone at too high a speed.
At the beginning of June, there was another accident involving a scooter, and a week ago there was a rear end collision at the end of the construction zone. Police say there was also an accident a short time ago at the junction of the bridge and Bornheimer Strae. Still, Piontek says there is not a significant climb in accidents due to the construction zone.
Undisputed is that crossing the bridge for bicyclists is dangerous as they ride side by side with cars in very narrow lanes. There has not yet been an accident involving a cyclist, however. This is a sign that drivers are very respectful of the bicyclists, noted Piontek. Because the bridge goes uphill, bikers are normally going slowly and this causes traffic to back up in Bornheimer Strae. A solution to the problem is difficult due to the complexity of the construction.
Axel Morer-Funk of the German Cycle Club, ADFC said he recommended to the City of Bonn that they use the sidewalk for bikes during the construction period. He also suggests bikers use alternative routes, for example the underpass at the end of Endenicher Strae. The underpass is the safest option, he says. But he also believes that the City should clean the underpass with a steam cleaner and enlarge the wheel rail along the steps. The bridge is in poor condition and needs to be replaced. That means everyone who uses it for transportation has to live with compromises, comments Morer-Funk.
After the floods : Victims feel left on their own by the city
Bad Godesberg Beethovenallee homeowners were hit hard by the recent flooding and they feel a lack of communication and support from the city.
Teilen
Teilen Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Tweeten
Tweeten Weiterleiten
Weiterleiten Drucken
Residents of Bad Godesberg who were affected by the floods have written an open letter to Mayor Ashok Sridharan and political representatives of the district. On Beethovenallee, where recent flooding was especially bad, residents feel let down by the city and this caused them to write the letter.
One point of contention raised by the affected residents concerns warning sirens. They criticize that no siren was sounded on June 4 to warn residents of the impending danger of flooding to their properties. The press office of the city indicated that the rain gauge data from the Fire Department was limited only to the city area of Bonn and because of that, a warning was only possible at very short notice. The residents didnt find this explanation to make sense because an alarm had been sounded in Fritzdorf three hours in advance. Spokesperson for the group, Wolfram Kuster criticized, The information flow between the community of Wachtberg and the City of Bonn did not work.
Another big failure Kuster sees is lack of information from the administration. In November of 2013, the area at Beethovenallee was flagged by Cologne district officials as a potential flooding area. Residents were not adequately informed. The City rejects this accusation and stressed that public notices - also posted in the General Anzeiger - pointed out the determined flood plain. It was not possible to notify each citizen separately.
The homeowner group also calls for the city to make structural changes to the bridge at Hohenzollernstrae. Water built up there and cause a tidal wave over the properties at Beethovenallee. Already in 2013, Cologne district officials determined that the bridge had insufficient hydraulic capacity.
Burgerbund Bonn (BBB), an activist group, has already responded to the open letter of the homeowner group and requested that the issue be on the agenda of the city council in Bad Godesberg on July 6. The consequences of the floods should be politically assessed and discussed.
Article
Protecting the worlds oceans an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy
The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
5 Alternative Screen Capture Tools Apple Mac users Must Check Features oi -Harshita
It happens often when you feel the need of taking a screen shot of your system to save it for later. Most bloggers use the screen capture feature to get screen shots and use them in their blogs and stories. Similarly, students do the same for taking a screen shot of an interesting or useful read.
Apple Mac users can also take free screen capture using the default way of doing so, however you can also choose other ways to capture screen. Considering that the inbuilt screen shot function is limited in features as compared to the third party apps, you may want to ditch it for a third party app that gives you more features to explore.
For those who want to avoid using the inbuilt screen capture function, there are several other third party screen capture tools for Mac available online. Here we list five alternative Mac screen capture apps:
SEE ALSO: WhatsApp on iOS to Get Better: 4 Cool Features Coming Soon!
The service called Capture Me works as a translucent window that floats on top of other windows. It can be moved and resized, and lets a user take screenshot. All you have to do is drag and resize the floating window to cover the area you want to take shot of, and click anywhere on it for a screen shot. It allows resizing of image and let you save an image in various formats.
2. Backdrop it for clean background!
For those who don't like to clean up the desktop everytime they want to capture screen, Backdrop works well, for it is more of a screen capture enhancement tool rather than a screen capture app. The service doesn't capture screen, but puts a plain background or a background of your choice of color. You can use it to take neat and clean screen shots of different screens, with a plain background.
SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone 7 rumor round up: Top 10 Things to Know!
3. Skitch lets you edit!
If you want to capture as well as edit screenshot in the same app, then Skitch is useful for you. It is screen capture tool that also comes with image editing tool. With this app, you can take screenshots, resize, crop, draw, annotate and sketch. Also, it has a frame capture mode that turns the Skitch window transparent and let you resize it over the image. You can then capture the image using snap button. Another highlight of the app is that it can save images in various formats.
4. Jing can record video shots!
Screen shots are just to capture one shot at a time, however if you want to capture a video shot, then Jing is the app for you. Jing can let you take screenshots, record videos and share it online. When you load t up, Jing docks itself as a yellow circle in the top right corner of the desktop screen. You can navigate your mouse to the yellow circle, if you want to take screenshot or screencast.
SEE ALSO: Reliance LYF Earth 2 Launched at Rs 20,999: 8 Feature Highlights You Need to Know
5. InstantShot! for multiple screen shots at a time!
InstantShot is one good app that allows users to change the screenshot setting even before taking a screenshot. It is good when you are in a rush and don't want to spend time in editing screenshots. Moreover, the app captures multiple shots with one click on the hotkey Shift + Cmd + T. On doing so, the app will take multiple shots at 5 seconds interval.
Best Mobiles in India
Panama Canal Expansion - Third Locks 2006-2015
On 26 June 26, 2016 the Expanded Panama Canal was officially open for business. During the official inauguration ceremony, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and Panama Canal Administrator and CEO Jorge L. Quijano spoke to a crowd of more than 25,000 jubilant Panamanians, Canal employees, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world, Canal customers, shipping and trade executives, and nearly 1,000 journalists. This is the first expansion of the waterway since its original construction. The inaugural transit began with the passage of Neopanamax vessel COSCO Shipping Panama through the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side of the country and concluded with its transit through the Cocoli Locks on the Pacific side. The ship was en route to Asia. Considered and analyzed with more than 100 studies, the Expansion provided greater economies of scale to global commerce. It will introduce new routes, liner services, and segments such as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
On 24 April 2006 the Chairman of the Panama Canal Authority's (ACP) Board of Directors announced its recommendation to build a new lane along the Panama Canal that will double capacity and allow more traffic. This is the result of comprehensive analyses and studies by the ACP. The project is estimated to cost $5.25 billion and would be paid entirely by users of the Canal through a graduated toll system.
The third set of locks project was a plan to expand the Canal's capacity composed of three integrated components: (1) the construction of two lock facilities - one on the Atlantic side and another on the Pacific side - each with three chambers, each which include three water reutilization basins; (2) the excavation of new access channels to the new locks and the widening of existing navigational channels; and, (3) the deepening of the navigation channels and the elevation of Gatun Lake's maximum operating level.
The objectives of the Canal expansion were to: (1) achieve long-term sustainability and growth for the Canal's contributions to Panamanian society through the payments it makes to the National Treasury; (2) maintain the Canal's competitiveness as well as the value added by Panama's maritime route to the national economy; (3) increase the Canal's capacity to capture the growing tonnage demand with the appropriate levels of service for each market segment; and, (4) make the Canal more productive, safe and efficient.
The proponed canal expansion was justified by the cargo volume that would be able to transit through the Canal, and not just by the vessels sizes it will be able to handle. Given the intention to build new locks, it was advantageous for Panama that they be able to handle the most appropriate vessel size for the routes that the Canal will serve. Moreover, a larger lock would allow the Canal to handle more tonnage while using less water at lower costs.
The Canal, expanded with larger locks, besides allowing post-Panamax containerships to transit, would facilitate the transit of post- Panamax liquid bulk vessels (Suezmax), dry bulk vessels (Capesize), vessels for transporting liquefied natural gas and passenger vessels. Typical Capesize and Suezmax vessels have a deadweight of 130,000 - 140,000 tons; a 270 - 280 m length, and a 40 - 45 m width. Consequently, it would open the Panama route to new markets that, due to the present size of Canal locks, had not been able to develop. Among these new markets is the transport of coal from the US and Colombia to East Asia, oil from Venezuela to East Asia, natural gas from Peru to the US East and South Coasts, as well as post-Panamax cruise ships.
The Canal initially had two lock lanes. Each of these two lanes uses three chambers or steps to allow the transit of vessels between sea level and Gatun Lake's level. The locks on the Pacific end of the Canal are separated in two complexes: one is located in Miraflores, with two steps, and the other is in Pedro Miguel, with a single step. The locks on the Atlantic end consist of a single complex in Gatun, which has three steps. The existing locks will continue to operate after the third set of locks is incorporated in the Canal. With the appropriate maintenance, the existing locks would continue to operate indefinitely.
The project consisted of adding a third lane, through the construction of two lock facilities, one at each end of the Canal. Each of the new lock facilities had three consecutive chambers, designed to move vessels from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake and back down again. Each chamber had 3 lateral water reutilization basins, for a total of 9 basins per lock and 18 basins in total. Just like in the existing locks, the new locks and their basins are filled and emptied by gravity, without the use of pumps. Both lock facilities are located within the patrimonial area of the ACP, adjacent to the existing locks. The new locks and their channels form a navigation system integrated into the existing locks and channels system. A lock facility is located at the Atlantic end of the Canal, on the east side of Gatun locks. The other facility is located at the Pacific end of the Canal, to the southwest of Miraflores Locks.
The location of the new locks used a significant portion of the excavations of the third set of locks project started by the US in 1939 and suspended in 1942 when the US entered World War II. The new locks are connected to the existing channel system through new navigational channels.
The new lock's chambers are 427 m (1,400') long, by 55 m (180') wide, and 18.3 m (60') deep. They use rolling gates instead of the miter gates used by the existing locks. Rolling gates are used in almost all existing locks with dimensions similar to those being proposed and are a well-proven technology. The new locks use tugboats to position the vessels instead of locomotives. As in the case of the rolling gates, tugs are successfully and widely utilized for these purposes in locks of similar dimensions.
The construction of the third set of locks project will take between seven to eight years. The new locks were to begin operations between fiscal years 2014 and 2015, assuming the project was approved in the required national referendum during calendar year 2006. In a national referendum 22 October 2006, Panamanians voted to expand the Canal. A ceremony celebrated the groundbreaking for the beginning of the expansion of the nearly 100-year-old waterway on 03 September 2007.
The construction cost of the third set of locks was estimated at approximately $5,250 million. This estimate included design, administrative, construction, testing, environmental mitigation and commissioning costs. Additionally, this cost included contingencies to cover risks and unforeseen events such as those that might be caused by accidents, design changes, price increases, and possible delays, among others.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
U.S. Department of Defense
Press Operations
News Transcript
Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook June 24, 2016
Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room
JUNE 24
PETER COOK: Good Friday afternoon, everybody. I have a couple of announcements here at the top before I take your questions.
I'd like to start with a readout of a phone call Secretary Carter made earlier today with his U.K. counterpart, State Secretary for Defense Michael Fallon. Secretary Carter emphasized that the United States and the United Kingdom will always enjoy a special relationship, one reflected in our close defense ties which remain a bedrock of U.S. security and foreign policy.
The secretary reaffirmed that those bonds endure after yesterday's vote by the United Kingdom to exit the European Union. He also emphasized the United States' unshakeable commitment to NATO, of which the United Kingdom is a vital member and to the vision we share with our allies in the United Kingdom and other European nations.
Secretary Carter welcomed Minister Fallon's commitment to continuing the United Kingdom's active and enduring role in global security issues. In particular, its work within NATO and efforts to accelerate the lasting defeat of ISIL.
The two leaders committed to work together to strengthen international partnerships that have helped ensure security for the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and the world. And you will see that close work together continue in next month's NATO summit in Warsaw, and it's on display every day in the fight against ISIL.
Also wanted to make you aware of a video conference that took place earlier today between department of defense officials and counterparts from South Korea and Japan. The DOD team was led by Kelly Magsamen who is performing the duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.
The video conference was held to share information among the three countries regarding the recent North Korean missile launches conducted on June 21. 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.
All three countries reiterated their strong condemnation of these launches 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 three noted that North Korea's provocations would only strengthen the resolve of the international community.
The United States reaffirms it's ironclad alliance commitments to defend the Republic of Korea and Japan. The United States will continue to work closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan as well as the international community to address North Korea's provocative actions.
And finally, a quick update on the counter-ISIL fight. In Syria, as you know, Arab-led forces are fighting to defeat ISIL fighters holding the city of Manbij. Despite continued ISIL resistance, those forces have begun their push into the city which is surrounded on all sides now and they have begun clearing ISIL defenses in the city's outskirts.
In the past 24 hours near Manbij, eight coalition airstrikes have struck seven ISIL tactical units, destroyed six ISIL fighting positions and two ISIL vehicles. In the last four weeks since the beginning of the ground operation to assault the city of Manbij began, coalition forces have conducted 246 strikes in support of local ground forces.
And cutting off ISIL's access through Manbij means taking away a major foreign fighter hub for ISIL. It's also an important step in our coalition's push towards ultimately targeting ISIL's self-proclaimed capital in Raqqah.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, government forces have cleared more than 70 percent of the city of Fallujah. In the last five weeks since the ground operation to assault the city of Fallujah began, coalition forces have now conducted 100 strikes in support of local ground forces under the command of the government of Iraq.
The loss of Fallujah will further deny Daesh access to a province critically important to its overall goals. It will also reduce their ability to threaten civilians in Baghdad. And of course, all of these operations are being enabled by a global coalition of nations united in the fight against ISIL. The U.K. among the integral members of that coalition and a stalwart ally of the United States.
So on that note, on this Friday, I'll be happy to take your questions. Phil?
Q: Quick question first on Afghanistan, then I wanted to ask you something about Syria. But on Afghanistan, what can you tell us about a strike that was carried out. Any new actions carried out under these authorities approved by President Obama?
And since those were the -- any actions were meant to have a strategic impact when employed under these new authorities, what was the strategic intent and what was the impact here?
MR. COOK: Phil, I can confirm, as I think the folks in Resolute Support have, that there have been operations carried out with these new authorities. But I can be -- I've got to be limited in what I can say at this point because of operational security.
What I can tell you is that the first use of these authorities involved airstrikes and they were in the southern portion of Afghanistan. But Phil, I can't get into much more beyond that in part because, again, these are ongoing operations and they reflect an ongoing nature of -- of the operation and we just want to be very careful in terms of telegraphing what's to come to the enemy.
So I can give you that big picture at this point. That's my understanding, airstrikes in the southern portion of Afghanistan.
Q: Province -- (off mike)
MR. COOK: I'm not going to be more specific at the specific request of the commanders in Afghanistan.
Q: And can you assure that these are actually designed to have some sort of major strategic intent?
MR. COOK: As you know, the -- the strategic effect is sort of the appropriate test here for the use of these authorities, and that certainly is the -- the goal, and we're assessing -- they did hit -- these airstrikes, my understanding, did hit their intended targets.
It's part of an ongoing operation that, again, the goal of which would be a strategic effect on behalf of the -- the Afghan forces that we are enabling, and that's exactly what they were intended to be used for and that's what the commanders on the ground are -- are doing and that's why they called in airstrikes in this way.
Q: Could you give us an update on the composition of the forces that are carrying out this operation? When it started off, you -- you told us that these forces were led by Syrian Arabs, there were Kurdish elements in there. Is that still the case? What can you -- can you tell us about the composition of these --
MR. COOK: My understanding is that the -- the makeup of the forces have -- has remained the same. This has been an Arab-led force from the start and continues to be, and they are the leading effort, again, pushing into the city at this time.
Q: And do you believe that the YPG elements will stay in the city when the operation is complete?
MR. COOK: My understanding -- again, this is an Arab-led force that's in there, and -- and specifically, these -- in part because this is an area that is -- this is home territory to some of the fighters who are fighting in there, that -- that the plan for these forces was they would hold this territory afterwards.
Lucas?
Q: A few months ago, the head of U.S. Army Europe said that an outvote for the U.K. would mean that NATO could be weakened. Does the secretary agree with his general?
MR. COOK: The secretary is confident that Britain remains a stalwart ally, a NATO ally, of course, and that the -- the NATO alliance itself will be able to address this particular situation. The secretary spoke to this topic when he was at NATO recently.
But we remain very confident that -- that the alliance -- that the core interests of the alliance will continue to be served, that Great Britain -- the U.K. will be a -- continue to be a strong ally within the alliance, a vital ally within the alliance and NATO will continue to perform its very important function.
Q: What kind of message does the U.K.'s withdraw of the E.U. send to Russia? Does the secretary believe that this sends any kind of adverse messages over there?
MR. COOK: This was a -- a vote of the -- the British people, as the secretary noted previously. This reflects a decision made by the British people and you'd have to ask the Russians if there's -- sends any particular message to them.
Tony?
Q: Follow-up on -- focused on the specific system, the F-35. You followed this when you were at Bloomberg doing international economic issues. The British are buying 138. That was a commitment reaffirmed in November. Was there concern in the building today among officials who follow this, that given the -- plunging there may be an affordability issue, that the British can't commit to buying all 138 of these airplanes at this point?
MR. COOK: Tony, you're -- you're looking to the future. We remain -- you know, the United Kingdom is a -- is a key partner in the F-35, has been for some time, the biggest partner, as you know. You know this program quite well. And we have every confidence that -- that they will continue to be a key partner in the F-35 program. We're not aware of any change in the relationship.
This is a bilateral arrangement, of course, with the United Kingdom. Has no bearing on their status within the European Union, and so we would expect their participation in the F-35 program to continue.
Q: (inaudible) -- but will we be watching for signs that they're going to -- they would slow down their buy for affordability reasons?
MR. COOK: We -- we feel confident that they will remain a key partner in the F-35 program. We'll leave it to the -- the British government to explain their own purchases in the future.
Q: I want to shoot -- shoot back to North Korea for one second.
MR. COOK: Sure.
Q: Could you clear up for the public that this was not a KN-08 that they've test fired, the intermediate -- the road mobile missile that would -- could hit the United States? This was one of their intermediate missiles. I want you to clarify which type of missile it was.
MR. COOK: My understanding, Tony, is we believe this is one of their Musudan missiles. And again, that's an assessment that we've made at this time.
Q: KN-08, the one that's most concerning, the road mobile that could hit the United States?
MR. COOK: From my understanding, based on the information we have, was that this was a Musudan missile. But again, I believe that -- the North Koreans, if you want to ask what they were testing firing. Our concern here is that they were test firing anything at all. This was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and does nothing to promote stability in the Korean Peninsula.
Carla.
Q: On Afghanistan, the new authorities came after some recommendations from General Nicholson. Going further from that, has he mentioned anything about troop numbers?
MR. COOK: So, as -- as you know, Carla, the -- General Nicholson continues to have conversations with his chain of command about the situation in Afghanistan, and those remain private conversations. And they're talking about what's going on in Afghanistan on a regular basis with the secretary, with the chairman, with, obviously, General Votel, and ultimately, the commander-in-chief himself.
Q: Has the Pentagon heard from the White House on any sort of final deadline on when any troop changes or -- or no changes in the troop withdrawal, when that's going to happen?
MR. COOK: There's -- there's no deadline. We know the current policy in place, that remains in place right now.
Yes, Gordon.
Q: Peter, the missile launches, nonetheless showed increasing capability by the North Koreans, that they launch these kinds of missiles.
I wonder if you can just kind of speak to what that means, if it has changed the thinking or accelerated the thinking? And also, could you update us on the THAAD -- the talks to get THAAD to South Korea? And if the -- this has also enhanced or accelerated the push for that?
MR. COOK: I would say that the -- the launches, as you know, and you've heard me just describe our concerns about the launches, and we remain concerned about any effort by the North Koreans to further advance a program that, again, is in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Our approach to it has been consistent. We continue to work extremely closely with the South Koreans and the Japanese, as reflected by our video conference today. Our partnership with those allies is critical to our -- our posture with regard to North Korea. And we will continue to consult very, very closely with them.
Now, with regard specifically to the -- to the THAAD system, these are conversations that, as you know, have been going on for -- for several days now, several weeks. And they are progressing well, is my understanding. They still have some details to work out. But again, those conversations with the Republic of South Korea, this is an alliance decision to -- to move forward with the THAAD -- with the THAAD system.
And again, those conversations continue. There are some logistical things that need to be worked out. But those conversations have progressed well.
Q: Is there any indication that they've accelerated because of this last round of launches?
MR. COOK: I can just tell you that the conversations -- obviously, the reason that we are having this discussion about the THAAD system is because of North Korea's most recent actions, and I think consistent with that, we'd like to see the conversations as, I think, the South Koreans would, wrap up in as -- in as efficient and timely a fashion as possible.
Q: Very quick clarification on the Afghanistan strike.
After these current operations are concluded, are you going to be able to provide us like, the number of strikes and some of the information in the aftermath of those as you -- I think as Afghanistan now is doing with the Islamic State strikes, once that authority was provided?
MR. COOK: Gordon, I can tell you that we're in conversation with Resolute Support about being as transparent as we can be about those strikes. So I can't make you a commitment here as to each and every one in part because of operational security. But we're going to make every effort to be as transparent as we can be about those strikes within those limits.
Barbara?
Q: A couple of things. On Brexit, you've talked about what the secretary said when he was in Brussels, but please, leaving aside the -- what you've said about the NATO alliance, I think what the secretary clearly was talking about at the time was the administration's desire for Britain to remain in the E.U.
So related to the E.U. in particular, not NATO, what are the secretary's concerns right now about the national security implications of Britain leaving the E.U.?
MR. COOK: This is a decision, Barbara, as you know, that the British people have made. It is the reality -- this vote is reality and the secretary feels, I think, encouraged by what he heard from Minister Fallon today, the recommitment that Britain, despite its departure from the E.U., will remain engaged on the global stage, will certainly remain engaged as a global security partner of the United States.
We never had any doubt about that and that was reaffirmed by the secretary's call with Secretary Fallon. So --
Q: But Secretary Fallon will be most likely leaving when a new British government is formed.
MR. COOK: We feel confident that this special relationship, including the special defense relationship we have, will certainly continue and that Britain will play its very important role, not only in NATO, but on the European stage and on the global stage as well. Its been a key partner of ours, as you know, in Afghanistan for example, and a whole host of things in addition to the counter-ISIL fight.
Q: topic...
Since we're discussing these new airstrikes in Afghanistan, can we go back on an issue here, which is you -- the department, you guys, you tell us about airstrikes in Afghanistan. You tell us about airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria and ground artillery, if you will, strikes.
Leaving aside the issue of, you know, time, date, place, what units are involved, operational security, we get absolutely no information about when U.S. ground troops in Syria and Iraq are engaged in combat, combat on the ground being defined as firing your weapon against enemy forces.
So what can you help facilitate -- can you help facilitate getting us basic information about the -- no time date and place, no operational security concerns for you, but how can we find out when U.S. troops are in ground combat in Iraq and Afghanistan? We now know there have been over two instances when they've been fighting against 100 ISIS each time.
I'm sorry -- thank you, Courtney -- I meant Syria and Iraq. We have no visibility into this.
MR. COOK: You know that there -- many of these forces are special operations forces. We will continue to provide information on the American forces, they're -- by their support mission both in Syria and Iraq to the extent appropriate.
But you know that with regard, especially to special operations forces, whether they're in Iraq or Syria or elsewhere, that we're very reticent to share much information for a variety of reasons, including operational security. So we will provide information --
Q: Will you even consider providing, I'm just asking --
MR. COOK: Sure.
Q: Consider providing any information at all about troops in ground combat against ISIS other than when sadly an American is killed in action? That's the only time we ever are told about it. I think there are broader news - interests amongst the American public to know what the troops are up to.
MR. COOK: We will always be prepared to respond to queries that you all have with regard to U.S. operations. We have to weigh very carefully operational security, as I mentioned, for those forces, the location of those forces. But we're happy to take those questions on a case-by-case basis and respond as best we can to each and every instance, Barbara, that we can.
Q: But we need to ask -- I mean no disrespect, Peter --
MR. COOK: I know --
Q: We need to ask --
MR. COOK: This is -- this is -- we have a -- we have an important balancing act here. Of course provide information to you all, to the American public, and at the same time balance our needs to maintain operational security, to maintain the appropriate protections for our forces at risk right now. And we absolutely understand your need and your desire to have more information and we'll be prepared to provide it as best we can.
Q: So --
MR. COOK: We may not be able to provide you all the information you want each and every time. But we'll do our best.
Q: I mean this not flippantly, consider it a standing question every day. Is there -- to the best of your knowledge, have there been any other major 100-plus ISIS is what we've seen twice now, ground engagements with ISIS on that level or close to that level?
MR. COOK: Barbara, I cannot give you a hard and fast answer here because I just don't know full well. We will continue to try and provide you, as best we can, the information you're looking for with regard to the operations of -- the actions of U.S. forces.
But what has not changed with U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq is, again, the support role, the enabling role that they are playing, and that if they find themselves in a combat situation, Barbara, it's as we've described previously, that was not the intent of that role and they are there in a support role.
But we know, and we've seen evidence, you've reported on it, there are certain circumstances where they might come under fire and we will as appropriately as we can provide information in those circumstances. But I cannot give you a hard and fast commitment to each and every case. And that's just the reality.
Q: Super-fast third question, on THAAD. You indicated that you are down to talking about the logistics of it. So just to make sure I understand, just to make sure, there is now a U.S. decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea despite the ongoing objections by China? That seems to be what you're saying. I want to make sure I --
MR. COOK: There's already been an agreement to begin these conversations, an alliance decision to begin these conversations. We've said all along that there are specific steps that they need to move through, which are not insignificant, to reach a final agreement. They are proceeding through those steps and I think it's fair to say that they are making progress. We do not have something to announce at this time.
Q: Thank you.
MR. COOK: Yes?
Q: Thank you, Peter.
North Korean -- missile launch is whether it was intended to target United States military base in Guam. Would the United States have any military action to North Korea?
MR. COOK: Well, you've -- you've seen our reaction to what they've done, our concerns about what they've done. We've condemned what they've done, so have our allies in the region. We will continue to do -- to take the steps that we need to take in order to protect the United States, to further protect our allies in the region.
And so -- and the video conference today is just one more piece of evidence in terms of the coordination -- the careful coordination we're making with our allies in the region in light of the actions of the North Koreans. And we'll continue to do that.
Q: (inaudible) -- take these actions, but the --
MR. COOK: I'm sorry. I missed the beginning of that.
Q: (inaudible) -- take these issues, but what is it -- Excuse me. is the view of these reactions on this?
MR. COOK: On the U.N. Security Council actions?
Yes, well of course, we have our own U.S. -- U.N. ambassador there representing our interests at the U.N. And again, the U.N. resolutions that North Korea continues to -- to violate remain the most obvious concern we have about their -- their actions. They are out of step with the international community and I think the U.N. votes -- the U.N. actions represent that.
And we will continue to do -- take the steps that we need to take with our allies and partners, including the conversations we had today, to try and bolster again our own defense against North Korean provocations and to bolster our allies at the same time.
Yes, Andrew?
Q: Peter, I'd like to ask you about the -- the Russian attacks on the border town in Al Tanf on June 16 and the communications that the DOD and the Russian military have had since then. Is the secretary satisfied with the response that the Russians have provided? And is he concerned at all about the -- there -- this incident weakening the MOU as it stands?
MR. COOK: I think you can tell, Andrew, from our reaction thus far, the -- the video conference that took place already, that we clearly have concerns with what happened and we still -- I don't believe the secretary is satisfied with the answers we've received up to this point from the Russians.
They -- this was a target that -- again, this was a location that contained fighters fighting against ISIL and there was no reason to target that location. And so yes, we continue to have concerns, but we continue our conversations with the -- with the Russians about trying to strengthen the MOU and -- and try and prevent that kind of situation, the breakdown in communication, improve that line of communication if we can to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future.
Q: Just -- just to follow up, does this situation suggest that the Russian activity in Syria is -- is putting the U.S. troops that are operating in Syria at risk in any way?
MR. COOK: We are -- the MOU itself, as you know, Andrew, is an attempt to try and make sure that our air crews are as safe as possible, and -- so there's always a risk there, but we're trying to minimize that risk. That's the whole point of the MOU.
And so we would hope that this dialogue, this conversation that's happening to strengthen the MOU will bolster the protections for U.S. forces further, and that would be the -- that's the goal of those conversations. So yes, they remain at risk, but we're trying to minimize that risk, to try and reduce that risk, and that's been the point of the MOU all along.
Yes?
Q: Thank you, Peter.
MR. COOK: Sure.
Q: With respect to -- (inaudible) -- referendum, how do you evaluate the impact on the security environment in Europe? I mean, do you think there is no negative impact on its environment?
MR. COOK: Well, obviously we're -- the NATO alliance, we believe, remains strong. The U.K. remains a strong and vital ally within NATO. This is something that we've been reassured by the United Kingdom, by the state secretary of defense, Michael Fallon, of Britain's continued role in terms of his role not only in Europe, but on the global stage.
This is a key security partner, not just for the United States but for -- but for other countries as well. And we see the United Kingdom continue to play that -- that role. Their exit from the European Union is something that they need to work out with the European Union over the next two years. This is going to take time.
And obviously, we'll be working very carefully not just with the United Kingdom, but with our allies and partners in Europe to make sure that there is no suffering in terms of the defense posture in that part of the world.
These are defense relationships that we'll continue to maintain and to bolster, and obviously, this is something we have to adjust to as well and we'll continue to do that working, again, not just with the United Kingdom, but our -- our allies and partners in the European Union as well.
Yes, Phil?
Q: Quick follow-up on that, though. When we were in Brussels with the secretary last week, he spoke of his concerns about a strategic impact from a Brexit. So how do I reconcile -- how do we reconcile those comments then with what you're saying now?
MR. COOK: I think the secretary made clear that he thought, I think as the president has, that the -- that a European Union with the U.K. in it would give the U.K. a stronger voice. That was how the secretary phrased it, something along those lines. And the reality is the British people have spoke and we have to respect that decision.
And now, as a key ally of the United Kingdom, the United States is going to do everything it can to make sure that the defense relationship, the security relationship not only with the United Kingdom, but our relationship as well with the European Union and European Union members, adjusts to this new reality. And we will.
Q: And did the secretary express -- I know he -- he had good words with Secretary Fallon, but did he express any disappointment with the vote?
MR. COOK: Listen, the -- the secretary respects the -- the will and the vote of the -- the British people. We've seen the outcome and I think his -- his conversation with Secretary Fallon reflected the outcome. And everything we can do to work closely with the United Kingdom to make this transition in terms of the security relationship, the security issues to minimize whatever, if any, impacts there may be.
And we're going to do that -- we're going to work just as closely with the European Union as well.
Yes, Louis?
Q: Who initiated the request for the call? Did it come from Secretary Carter or did it come from Secretary Fallon?
MR. COOK: Secretary Carter initiated the call today.
Q: Getting back to your previous comment, what did it? -- actually the practical impacts in the short-term of the Brexit decision? I mean, is there any practical impact at all? And -- or what is the potential long-range impact?
MR. COOK: You're talking from a security standpoint?
Q: I imagine your mil-to-mil is not -- there's not going to be an effect whatsoever.
MR. COOK: No. We have a very strong, as you know, bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. That will not change in any way. Likewise, we have a very strong relationship with the European Union, with European Union members.
And as for -- this will play out over time, but there are issues, obviously, the European Union and the United Kingdom will have to resolve in terms of commitments that are -- that are current right now. But those are issues that they need to resolve, not necessarily items for the united -- for the Department of Defense to be involved in directly.
We'll work with both, we'll try and do what we can to make sure that the security relationship does not suffer and that's what allies do, that's what we'll do. We'll do whatever we need to try and make sure that that relationship, both with the United Kingdom and with the European Union, remains as strong as possible.
But there are clearly issues that they need to resolve themselves in terms of commitments that the United Kingdom has to the European Union and to defense in that part of the world.
Q: Specifically, like the refugee mission or what other missions are --
MR. COOK: Yes, I mean there are specific roles that the United Kingdom has in terms of security missions right now. You mentioned one of them. But my understand is there's no immediate change right now. This will play out over a period of time and these are issues that the United Kingdom and the European Union will have to resolve and I'll -- it's best for them to speak to exactly how that's going to happen.
Lucas.
Q: On those Afghanistan strikes, can you give us any color around them? Were these guys in a car? Was it a group of armed Taliban fighters?
MR. COOK: I can tell you -- I've shared about as much as I can, Lucas. Again, there's a specific request of commanders who consider this an ongoing operation and would prefer not to provide any additional message to the enemy as to what might be coming.
Q: (inaudible) -- Taliban fighter, armed fighters?
MR. COOK: I think it's fair to say that these strikes did target Taliban positions. I'll just leave it at the Taliban writ large, so.
Q: Also on a lighter note, the Army is --
MR. COOK: A lighter note?
Q: A lighter note. The Army is testing a new uniform policy down in Fort Hood about allowing soldiers to roll up their sleeves. I was wondering if the secretary had an opinion about that.
MR. COOK: I will ask and check, but I'm not sure he does. But I'm sure he thinks that the commanders that have allowed that are doing the right thing, but I'll ask to see if he has any particular opinion.
I haven't seen him roll up his sleeves very often, recently.
Q: Because the Marines have been doing it for years. It gets pretty hot down in Fort Hood.
MR. COOK: Apparently it does, yes. So, I will -- I'll take that one for action. How about that?
Q: (off mic.)
MR. COOK: I'm happy to ask. So, one more for Louis.
Q: Following-up on the airstrikes. I think when the announcement came down about these expanded authorities, it was that airstrikes -- (inaudible) -- support of when American personnel were partnered -- conventional forces were partnered were the Afghan conventional forces.
Is that what occurred in this incident? And has that partnering of conventional forces already begun?
MR. COOK: The airstrikes, as I understand it, Louis, my understanding is they did not have to happen simultaneously with U.S. forces being with Afghan forces. They could -- they could be separate. I'm not going -- I can't -- and my understanding is in this instance, that they were -- there were no U.S. forces in that -- in that position at that time, so.
Q: (Inaudible) -- already since the authorities began?
MR. COOK: My understanding at this point is that that partnering has not begun.
All right. Thanks, everybody. I'm off for a few days next week, so I'll see you in a few.
Have a good weekend.
-END-
http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/812662/
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Counter-ISIL Strikes Target Terrorists in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, June 27, 2016 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Strikes in Syria
Seven strikes conducted near Manbij in Syria by bomber, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tunnels, damaged an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.
Strikes in Iraq
Bomber, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 23 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:
-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance and damaged an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL training facility.
-- Near Rutbah, a strike struck an ISIL improvised weapons facility.
-- Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun and an ISIL bunker.
-- Near Mosul, six strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles.
-- Near Qayyarah, nine strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL boat, two ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL vehicles, three ISIL excavators, four ISIL oil tankers, an ISIL tactical vehicle, an ISIL tunnel entrance and an ISIL front-end loader and denied ISIL access to terrain.
-- Near Ramadi, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL vehicle bomb and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tal Afar, two strikes destroyed an ISIL tunnel, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.
Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
U.S. Department of Defense
Press Operations
News Release
No. NR-240-16 June 27, 2016
Statement from Secretary Carter on Fallujah
I congratulate Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and the Iraqi people for their progress in freeing the city of Fallujah from the grip of ISIL. The United States military and our coalition partners are proud to have supported the Iraqi Security Forces under the prime minister's command in this important operation, which is another milestone in our joint efforts to accelerate ISIL's defeat, and to continue supporting our Iraqi partners moving forward.
The operation in Fallujah has been a significant challenge for the ISF and for the coalition. It will not be the last. Hard fighting remains ahead, as does the vital task of caring for the residents of Fallujah displaced by ISIL's violence and beginning to rebuild the city so that its people may safely return. It is also essential to complete the investigations the government of Iraq has launched to address alleged abuses of civilians. Despite the hard work still to do, the clearing of Fallujah will make the people of Iraq safer and bring us all one step closer to dealing ISIL a lasting defeat.
http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/814822/
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
NATO Secretary General meets Secretary Kerry for talks on Warsaw Summit, UK referendum
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
27 Jun. 2016
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry at NATO headquarters on Monday (27 June 2016) on next week's Warsaw Summit, and the implications of the UK's vote on membership in the European Union.
They welcomed the British government's restatement of its steadfast commitment to the Alliance. They agreed that the EU remains a vital pillar for security cooperation in Europe. Secretary General said that "NATO has become even more important as a platform for cooperation between Europe and North America, but also defence and security cooperation between European NATO Allies. Cooperation between NATO and the EU has always been important, but it's even more important now after the decision of the United Kingdom."
At the landmark Warsaw Summit on 8 and 9 July, NATO leaders will take important decisions to enhance collective defence and deterrence, including an enhanced military presence in the east of the Alliance. They will also step up efforts to project stability beyond NATO's borders, working hand-in-hand with partners to the south and to the east. Leaders will also take practical cooperation with the European Union to the next level in areas including maritime security and countering hybrid threats.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Pacific Partnership 2016 Arrives in Philippines
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160627-13
Release Date: 6/27/2016 10:14:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Kohlrus, Pacific Partnership Public Affairs
LEGAZPI, Philippines (NNS) -- Pacific Partnership 2016 arrived in Legazpi, Philippines June 27 aboard USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), marking the seventh year Pacific Partnership has visited the Philippines since 2006.
While in Legazpi, Pacific Partnership will work with civilian and military leadership to conduct a five-day humanitarian and disaster relief seminar, cooperative health engagements throughout the province, engineering construction and renovation projects at local schools, and community relations events such as band concerts led by the Pacific Fleet Band.
"This is my first time being an officer-in-charge for a country while on a humanitarian mission," said Lt. Rebecca Wolf, country officer-in-charge of the Philippines. "Serving on USNS Mercy is a unique experience for surface warfare officers, and having the opportunity to support Pacific Partnership 2016 as an OIC is unparalleled and rewarding. I'm very lucky I have such a great team to work with."
The humanitarian assistance and disaster relief workshop is co-hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Pacific Partnership 2016. Filipino civilian and military personnel will work with Pacific Partnership personnel to step through response procedures on disasters, such as a category-five typhoon striking the city or a volcanic eruption.
"This area is prone to disasters of various types," said Capt. Tony Han, disaster symposium event coordinator. "It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when a disaster will occur."
The last disasters to strike the area were Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and Super Typhoon Hagupit in 2014.
"On our side we have technology, but on their side they have real world experience," said Han. "So it will be a two-way exchange where we'll learn from them as far as what they've experienced, and hopefully they'll learn from us in terms of what we offer. It should be a very rich educational experience for everybody."
"We will be conducting three engineering projects and numerous medical projects centered around community health engagements and health education fairs," said Wolf. "We'll also be holding a Women, Peace and Security seminar focused on enhancing collaboration with gender awareness and development efforts."
In October 2000, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was unanimously agreed upon by all members. It recognized the role of women in engendering and maintaining peace. It's also been expanded to recognize the role of women in disasters as leaders and not victims.
"It's really looking at the objectives and principles of what it means to have peace and security for women, and we're really trying to contextualize that for Pacific Partnership as a focus for this mission," said Cmdr. Karen Ward, New Zealand navy; Women, Peace and Security lead. "Predominately, it's about protection and participation of women, so in a peacekeeping context a lot of it is about getting women around the table as peacemakers -- involving women as decision makers rather than women just being seen as victims of a conflict situation."
An overview of the initiatives of Women, Peace and Security and The United Nations directive will be presented at the seminar.
"This is very much a side-by-side exchange and we get to learn from each other," said Ward. "Pacific Partnership gives us an opportunity -- an opportunity to share what we've done, what we're doing, and to have an appreciation of what other people have done and are doing."
In addition to these two workshops, medical personnel embarked aboard Mercy will conduct subject matter expert exchanges with their Philippine counterparts on topics like nursing, blood banking, preventative medicine and engineering. Cooperative health engagements, designed to provide side-by-side primary medical care are scheduled in Ligao City, Tabaco City and Duraga. A contingent of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band is also scheduled to perform at various locations throughout the city.
Mercy will depart Legazpi July 11 and transit to Da Nang, Vietnam, to continue the mission. Pacific Partnership 2016 will also conduct mission stops in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Pacific Partnership 2016 is focused on enhancing relationships and multinational-interoperability through knowledge exchange and cooperative training, ensuring partner nations are prepared to collectively and effectively respond when disaster strikes
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
USS Frank Cable Continues on Deployment After Successful Port Visits in Philippines
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160627-12
Release Date: 6/27/2016 10:12:00 AM
From USS Frank Cable Public Affairs
CEBU, Republic of the Philippines (NNS) -- Forward-deployed submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) departed Cebu, June 25, its second port call in the Republic of the Philippines.
The port visits to Puerto Princesa and Cebu allowed Frank Cable Sailors and Military Sealift Command mariners to enjoy some rest and relaxation, experience Filipino culture and conduct community relations projects.
The Frank Cable team, consisting of more than 500 Sailors and civilian mariners, is currently on deployment to provide vital flexibility to the fleet commanders, extending the range and impact of U.S. naval forces.
"This was a very successful visit to the Philippines," said Capt. Drew St. John, commanding officer of Frank Cable. "I'm extremely grateful to our gracious hosts in both Puerto Princesa and Cebu. Our Sailors and civilian mariners were great ambassadors while they were on liberty or participating in community relations projects. With the assistance of our hosts, we were able to provide a small amount of support for the needs of the SOS Children's Village in Cebu and the San Pedro Central School in Puerto Princesa."
At the San Pedro Central School, Sailors mentored and played games with around 500 5th and 6th graders; while at the SOS Children's Village, Sailors also played games with children and learned how one organization is making a difference in Cebu one child at a time.
"I get to share a different perspective with these children and expand their knowledge of life's opportunity," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Wilfredo Rivera Jr, a native of Baltimore, who volunteered in Puerto Princesa. "As a parent, I value sharing new experiences with youth. I value spending time with these kids because they remind me to compete with myself and to bring others with me when I experience success."
The visits also allowed Sailors to rest and relax while enjoying the local culture. Frank Cable's Morale, Welfare and Recreation department offered various tours, ranging from visiting the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, one of the great natural wonders of the world, to diving with whale sharks in the waters near Cebu.
Frank Cable is one of two forward-deployed submarine tenders and is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to conduct maintenance and support deployed U.S. naval force submarines and surface vessels in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Conducts Exercise with Turkish Naval Forces
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160627-11
Release Date: 6/27/2016 9:59:00 AM
From Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) Public Affairs
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (NNS) -- Units from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) and Turkish Naval Forces participated in a combined exercise, June 25.
The training evolutions were comprised of two phases, an anti-submarine warfare exercise (ASWEX) and an air defense exercise (ADEX).
The ASWEX was designed to leverage the unique capabilities and strengths of the U.S. and Turkish navies, while defending multiple units from possible sub-surface threats.
"Anti-submarine warfare is a major component in protecting the U.S. homeland and reassuring our commitment to our NATO partners," said Capt. Scott Switzer, commander of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, and sea combat commander for Ike CSG. "Working with our counterparts in the Turkish navy helps hone our skills and amplifies our interoperability for future missions."
The ASWEX, Ike CSG's second since departing homeport June 1, focused on communication, maneuvering and surveillance and was executed from guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94).
"This is a great opportunity to work with Turkey and to practice all components of anti-submarine warfare," said Lt. Alex Coker, submarine operations officer for DESRON 26. "The exercise execution was safe and professional for all units involved."
Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)(Ike) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, along with multiple U.S. and Turkish Naval Forces ships participated in an ADEX.
"Routinely conducting exercises, like today's air defense exercise, strengthens the operational relationship between NATO partners and enhances interoperability between coalition forces in today's complex military environment," said Capt. Dennis Velez, commanding officer of San Jacinto, and air and missile defense commander for Ike CSG. "Additionally, working alongside the Turkish Naval Forces demonstrates our commitment to the region and our NATO allies."
The ADEX portion required communication between participating ships and aircraft in order to share tactical data and carry out a safe exercise.
"All units in the carrier strike group must work together to maintain the recognized air picture," said Lt. Mathew Rechkemmer, air and missile defense commander's liaison officer to Ike CSG. "Our mission is to ensure all ships and aircraft are ready to defend themselves and protect the aircraft carrier at all times."
Throughout the exercise, each unit was responsible for its share of a collaborative effort, strengthening the interoperability between each nation's military. The ships involved in the exercises included Ike CSG ships guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and guided-missile destroyers Nitze and USS Mason (DDG 87); other U.S. ships operating in the area USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Porter (DDG 78), and Turkish G-class frigates TCG Gemlik (F-492), TCG Gaziantep (F-490).
Ike CSG, the centerpiece of the Great Green Fleet initiative, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Preparing the Crew to Deliver Global Comfort
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160627-25
Release Date: 6/27/2016 3:23:00 PM
By Bill Mesta, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs
NORFOLK (NNS) -- U.S. Navy Sailors and civil service mariners (CIVMARs) attached to USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) conducted a Comfort Exercise (COMFEX) at Naval Station Norfolk, June 20-24.
COMFEX is a quarterly training exercise designed to keep Comfort's crew prepared to rapidly respond to an emergency.
"The COMFEX is a quarterly training regimen designed to keep the medical personnel, support staff and CIVMARs who serve aboard Comfort sharp and ready to deploy in response to a crisis," said Capt. Lanny Boswell, commanding officer of Comfort's medical treatment facility. "The ship must be ready to get underway and fully operational in five days. These training exercises ensure Comfort is ready to go whenever we are needed."
"The coordination and practice the crew receives during the COMFEX keeps our skills and mindset sharp," said Boswell. "So we do a Comfort Exercise every quarter where we go through various drills. We also check all of the equipment, ship's systems, supplies, and work on future planning. This particular COMFEX was focused on the logistical skillset requirements for the ship to become fully operational."
Capt. William Thomas, Comfort's master said, "COMFEX flexes the ship's capabilities and helps prepare the crew for a potential, short-fused activation of Comfort to respond to an emergency or a humanitarian mission."
"The CIVMARs played a very important role in the COMFEX," said Thomas. "The CIVMARs partnered with Ashore Training Team representatives to facilitate fork truck and life raft training for Sailors attached to the Comfort's medical treatment facility."
The COMFEX also focused on activation competencies training in medical drills and chemical, biological and radiological preparation.
"The Comfort is a giant, turn-key, mobile trauma unit," said Boswell. "When the ship is fully manned and operational, we are the seventh largest trauma center in the world."
"Comfort's primary mission is to provide critical medical support to military personnel on the battlefield," said Boswell. "Secondly, we provide humanitarian aid in response to a crisis such as an earthquake or hurricane."
The third mission set for Comfort is to spread goodwill by participating in overseas deployments such as Continuing Promise 2015.
"The ship is known primarily for deployments like the Continuing Promise missions," added Boswell. "It is important to remember Comfort responded to real world crisis including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake which devastated Haiti."
Comfort is outfitted with 12 fully equipped operating rooms, a 1,000-bed hospital facility, digital radiological services, medical laboratory, pharmacy, optometry and lens laboratory, CT scanner and two oxygen producing plants.
"Comfort cannot do what we do without military operations, highly-skilled civilian mariners and medical professionals," said Boswell. "Our mission is one of the most relevant ever in deterring extremist hatred. When a country suffers a disaster such as an earthquake, which would take many years or decades to recover from, this is when the population of such a country is most vulnerable to extremist influence."
Medicine is considered one of the most stabilizing factors to counter extremist thought, added Boswell. "To know one's family is taken care of medically helps to counter the urge to turn to extremism in the throes of a crisis. This is one of the reasons it is important to keep Comfort and our crew ready."
When fully operational, Comfort's crew is made up of military support staff, medical professionals and civilian mariners.
"As the master aboard Comfort, I am responsible for the overall operation and safety of the ship and the safety of everyone on board," said Thomas. "There are three manning scales which determine the number of CIVMARs serving on the Comfort. During reduced operational status, there are 20 CIVMARs who man Comfort. Then the ship has a transit manning scale where manning is increased to 46 CIVMARs. When the ship transitions into a fully operational status, the number of CIVMARS assigned to Comfort is 71."
"The CIVMARs are responsible for the ship's main propulsion, auxiliaries, safety, security, ship's navigation, food service and reduced operating status habitability," said Thomas. "The engineering department is responsible for habitability throughout the entire ship to include ventilation, heating and water. We provide support for the hospital."
"When Comfort is fully operational, the ship has approximately 1,200 crew members, most of whom are medical professionals who spend much of their time at other medical facilities," said Boswell.
"When I work with Capt. Thomas, we understand there is no way Comfort's mission can succeed without integration between the various professional cultures aboard the ship," said Boswell. "The success of our crew involves an incredibly complex coordination and cooperation between our various cultures. We cannot meet Comfort's mission without teamwork."
"We put egos aside aboard the Comfort," said Thomas. "The MTF commanding officer and the ship's master are partners with a common goal. Our common goal is to ensure the hospital ship is ready to activate and ready to get underway in five days. To these ends, we work together as team to ensure all members of the crew, both on the MTF side and CIVMAR side, understand the importance of this partnership. My motto is we are nothing without the hospital."
There are critical responsibilities aboard Comfort, which are shared by the CIVMARs and the military crew.
"A good example of the crew's shared responsibilities is damage control and firefighting," said Thomas. "The ship has joint damage control firefighting parties, so the MTF Sailors stand alongside the CIVMARs when we hold our damage control and firefighting drills."
Abandon ship drills are another example of an event undertaken by Sailors teamed with CIVMARs.
"We are all very proud of Comfort and we are proud of the job we do aboard this ship," concluded Thomas. "We are also proud of the relationship between the ship's Sailors and CIVMARs and the way we have come together as a team."
Hospital ships of various types have been part of the U.S. Navy's inventory since 1798.
Comfort is the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Comfort. Comfort was built as a San Clemente-class oil tanker in 1976 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. Her original name was S.S. Rose City and the ship was launched from San Diego.
The ship's career as an oil tanker ended when it was delivered to the U.S. Navy as USNS Comfort Dec. 1, 1987.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Panama Canal Expansion Completed
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160627-23
Release Date: 6/27/2016 3:01:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Desmond Parks, Navy Public Affairs Support Element
BALBOA, Panama (NNS) -- Leadership aboard Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), alongside Commander, United States Southern Command Adm. Kurt Tidd and U.S. ambassador to Panama John D. Feeley, hosted a Panama Canal Expansion ceremony while in port Balboa, Panama, June 25.
The ceremony marked the opening of a $5.4 billion expansion of the Panama Canal that spanned over the course of a decade, allowing larger ships to pass through the canal and significantly improving long-term global trade.
"The Panama Canal is the most important economic feature of this region," said Tidd. "It connects the economic livelihood of nations all around the world."
In preparation for the expansion, ports on the East Coast of the U.S. and in the Gulf of Mexico have invested over $30 billion in deepening channels and building new loading docks to prepare for greater traffic and increased trade, according to the American Association of Port Authorities. Although there isn't an expectation for immediate improvement in global trade, the expansion is expected to directly benefit both security and trade within the region.
In addition to guest speakers Tidd and Feeley, U.S. Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden also attended the ceremony and met with Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and U.S. embassy officials to celebrate the Panama Canal expansion.
"Oak Hill is extremely proud to be able to participate in this historic event," said Cmdr. Orlando Bowman, commanding officer aboard Oak Hill. "The ability to represent the U.S., as well as continuing to strengthen our partnership with Panama is an incredible experience for the crew."
"U.S. Southern Command is the organizer for one of the largest multinational exercises involving over 21 nations this year engaged in the security of the Panama Canal," said Tidd. "All of the countries of the region and beyond have a shared responsibility working hand-in-hand with the government of Panama to secure this important economic item."
The Panama Exercise brings together partner nations to participate in training scenarios from various U.S. locations to increase interoperability among participating nations. The main focus of the exercise is to guarantee safe passage through the Panama Canal, ensure Panama's neutrality and respect its sovereignty.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Multiple bombings hit Yemen's Mukalla, leave 19 people dead
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:54PM
At least 19 people have been killed and 15 others sustained injuries after multiple coordinated bomb attacks rocked the southeastern Yemeni port of Mukalla.
The casualties were caused after three simultaneous bombings hit security checkpoints in the coastal city, a former al-Qaeda stronghold in the Arab country, on Monday.
The triple bombings were followed by a fourth which struck the entrance of an army camp in the troubled region.
Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which is mainly wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq, has claimed responsibility for the fatal attacks via online Amaq news agency, which is affiliated to the terror group.
In mid-May, at least 47 Yemeni police recruits loyal to the former Saudi-backed government were killed in a bomb attack in Mukalla, the capital of the vast desert province of Hadhramaut. The attacker set off his explosives as the recruits were lining up at a military base in Mukalla's Foua suburb on May 15.
Sixty people were also wounded in the attack, which was claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
On April 24, forces loyal to the resigned Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, retook Mukalla, from the al-Qaeda militants, who had occupied the city for a year.
The alleged recapture of Mukalla came after the UN-brokered peace talks started in Kuwait City between Houthi Ansarullah fighters and their allies in one side and loyalists to Hadi on the other side.
Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen on March 26, 2015, in a bid to bring Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, back to power and defeat the Ansarullah movement.
More than 9,400 people have been killed and at least 16,000 others injured since the onset of the aggression.
The Saudi strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools and factories.
Many say al-Qaeda militants and Daesh enjoy support from Riyadh as there have been numerous reports of airdrop by Saudi jets of ammunition to areas under the control of the militants, especially in areas where they could launch attacks against the Houthis.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Hezbollah condemns Lebanon's terrorist attacks
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:49PM
The Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has denounced Monday terrorist blasts in eastern Lebanon, saying that some countries and entities in the Middle East and across the world are providing terrorists with covert and overt support.
The condemnation came after at least six civilians were killed and 19 others injured when four terrorists detonated their explosives in a crowded area in al-Qaa village, a few kilometers from the border with Syria.
In a statement on Monday, Hezbollah said this crime was the outcome of a terrorist ideology which has been spreading across the region like cholera and has turned into a serious threat to regional nations.
Such a Takfiri ideology, which poses a threat to all areas in Lebanon and its people from all sects and with any affiliation, is the result of secret and overt support by countries and entities in the region and elsewhere in the world for criminal and murderous terrorists, it added.
The statement noted that these countries are providing terrorist groups with arms, equipment, and media support as well as psychological and political protection.
Hezbollah stressed the importance of a forceful campaign against Takfiri ideology, calling for the identification of the perpetrators of the terrorist explosions in al-Qaa Village and their plots in order to prevent the recurrence and spread of acts of terror in the country.
It said some politicians and their supporters in Lebanon seek to mislead others in a bid to conceal and cover the malevolent ideology of terrorists and justify their atrocities.
Following the Monday terrorist explosions, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam declared Tuesday as a day of national mourning, reports say.
Lebanon has often seen the infiltration of Takfiri elements from neighboring Syria into its territory, where they attack the civilian population or security forces with bombings.
On June 12, a bomb explosion rocked the western part of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, but did not cause any casualties.
Last November, however, more than 40 people were killed and dozens of others wounded after two bombings, claimed by the Takfiri Daesh militants, targeted a security post in the Bourj el-Barajneh area in the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Fresh US drone strike kills nearly two dozen people in Afghanistan
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 2:39PM
Nearly two dozen people have been killed in a fresh US drone strike in a restive district in northern Afghanistan, local sources say.
Provincial Afghan officials said on Monday that the strike in northern Kunduz province killed seven civilians who were being held by the Taliban militant group.
Sources say the victims, along with dozens of others, were abducted by the group on June 8, from a bus en route from Kabul to the northeastern province of Takhar.
Meanwhile, some reports said that the latest US aerial attack also claimed the lives of 14 Taliban militants.
Taliban militants are yet to comment on the fatal airstrike.
Abductions of people, including civilians and police forces, by Taliban regularly happen in Afghanistan.
US drone strikes
The US spy agency, CIA, has used hundreds of unmanned aircraft to conduct surveillance flights and airstrikes since the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. The CIA regularly uses drones for airstrikes and spying missions in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border.
Washington has also been conducting targeted killings through remotely-controlled armed drones in Somalia and Yemen.
The US claims the airstrikes target members of al-Qaeda and other militants, but according to local officials and witnesses, civilians have been the victims of the attacks in most cases.
The airstrikes, initiated by former US President George W. Bush, have been escalated since Barack Obama took office in 2009.
Obama has defended the use of the controversial drone attacks as "self-defense."
International organizations and human rights groups say the strikes flout international law.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Israeli premier vows to continue Gaza blockade after Turkey deal
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 1:1PM
Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu says the existing maritime blockade on the Palestinian Gaza Strip will remain in place following a deal with Turkey on the normalization of Ankara-Tel Aviv ties.
Netanyahu told a news briefing in the Italian capital of Rome on Monday that Israel-Turkey agreement will end a six-year rift between the two sides.
"The second thing the agreement gives is continuation of the maritime security blockade off the Gaza Strip coast," Netanyahu added, noting, "This is a supreme security interest for us. I was not prepared to compromise on it."
On Sunday, officials from both sides reached the accord to normalize their diplomatic ties which were severed six years ago in the wake of a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Israeli commandos attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish citizens and injuring about 50 other people. A tenth Turkish national later succumbed to the injuries sustained in the raid.
Ankara reacted with fury, suspending its military ties with Israel and expelling the Israeli envoy from Ankara in September 2010 over Tel Aviv's refusal to apologize for the killings.
However, Turkey gradually engaged in not-so-public talks with the Israeli regime to mend ties. Since last December, the two sides have held several rounds of talks aimed at restoring the tense bilateral ties.
The United States was reportedly pushing the two sides to resolve the dispute. Netanyahu traveled to the Italian capital, Rome, where negotiations are said to have been held, to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Among Turkey's key conditions for the reconciliation accord with Israel were an apology and compensations, which are said to have been largely met. However, the main hurdle to the agreement is reported to be the lifting of Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The deal is set to go before Israel's so-called security cabinet for approval on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a Turkish official said Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is scheduled to talk about the deal in Ankara on Monday.
Yildirim has confirmed that the two sides will exchange ambassadors after the agreement is formally signed on Tuesday.
According to Yildirim, Israel will pay USD 20 million in compensation to the families of the victims of the raid on the Turkish aid ship.
Netanyahu has hailed the rapprochement with Turkey, describing it as an important step.
He said the normalization of ties will have a positive impact on Israel's economy, adding, "It (the deal) has also immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly."
Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.8 million people in Gaza their basic rights, including freedom of movement, proper job, and adequate healthcare and education.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
NATO starts massive war games in Ukraine
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:57AM
Member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including forces from the US, have launched a large-scale military exercise in westerns Ukraine.
The war games, dubbed Rapid Trident, kicked off at 9:00 am local time on Monday at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC) in Yavoriv in western Ukraine, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said.
At least 2,000 troops from more than 14 NATO member states and their partners in eastern Europe attend the exercises, according to the ministry.
The maneuvers will involve military equipment, including armored vehicles, military helicopters and aircraft.
The first part of the annual military exercise will come to an end on July 8.
Conducted annually, Rapid Trident this year involves Ukraine, the United States, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Georgia, The United Kingdom, Moldova, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Turkey.
Earlier this month, NATO held another 10-day military drill, involving some 31,000 troops from Poland, the US, and 17 other nations in Poland.
Russia, wary of the increased presence of NATO troops close to its borders, threatened to take unspecified measures to respond to the increased activities by the Western military bloc.
NATO has stepped up its military buildup near Russia's borders since it suspended all ties with Moscow in April 2014 after Crimea re-integrated into the Russian Federation following a referendum.
Ukraine's eastern provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April 2014 to crush pro-Moscow protests there.
The United States and its European allies accuse Moscow of destabilizing Ukraine. Moscow rejects having a hand in the crisis and blames the West for the bloodshed that has so far claimed the lives of more than 9,200 people and left over 21,000 others injured.
A US army commander warned earlier this week that NATO was unable to resist against Russian power in the Baltics.
The commander of US ground forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, said that Russian forces could capture Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania "quicker than we could get there to defend them."
On Saturday, a former Russian commander, Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, said Russia is capable of responding to the increasing NATO military presence by deploying missile systems in the region.
The former commander told Interfax that Kaliningrad is the region where Russia plans deploy its Iskander-M tactical missile systems.
The missile system, which consists of two types of missiles-- ballistic and cruise-- is capable of destroying targets within a range of up to 500 kilometers.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Negotiating sides close to comprehensive solution in Yemen peace talks: Houthis
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 4:39AM
A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is involved in peace talks with Saudi-backed former regime officials in Kuwait, says the two sides are close to reaching a comprehensive solution to the conflict in the country.
"We have full desire for peace and stability in Yemen and all what we ask for is peace, which is the demand of our people who suffered a lot," said Mohammed Abdulsalam at a meeting chaired by the United Nations (UN)'s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday.
Ban Ki-moon held a joint meeting with representatives of both the Houthis and Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi who has resigned as Yemen's president in Kuwait, where peace talks have been going on since April.
Abdulsalam said his movement believes that the talks are the only way to find a solution to the crisis in Yemen.
"We have been here in Kuwait for over two months and had attended previous rounds of peace talks in Muscat, Geneva, and [the Swiss city of] Biel to meet with half-way with the other side and continue our journey together to build a Yemen for all," he said.
He also urged the UN to intensify its humanitarian efforts in Yemen in accordance with the UN Charter and humanitarian principles.
The Ansarullah spokesman further said that his delegation has engaged in constructive negotiations with UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to end the Yemeni conflict and lift the siege and all the economic sanctions imposed on Yemen in order to start a political process.
He also stressed the importance of a consensus presidency, a national unity government and a joint military and security committee for a potential transitional period.
Abdulsalam highlighted the right of Yemenis to have a fully sovereign and independent state, which can restore security and stability and have good ties with all regional nations.
The main bone of contention in the talks is reportedly a demand by the Hadi delegation for the Houthis to start disarming and withdrawing from the areas they have captured before any political settlement. The Houthis took over state matters when Hadi resigned back in January 2015.
Houthis have rejected the call, saying they will only accept a deal on military and security issues after a consensus is reached on the next president and a unity government in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia launched military attacks on Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to bring its ally Hadi back to power. More than 10,000 people have been killed since then.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Tunisia's Five-Year Itch
June 27, 2016
by Daniella Cheslow
TUNIS -- Tunisia's first president, Habib Bourguiba, has made a triumphant return to the tree-lined grand boulevard bearing his name in the capital.
A towering equestrian statue honoring the late leader had been exiled to a suburb of Tunis by Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the dictator who ousted Bourguiba in 1987. But hundreds of thousands of Tunisians gathered on this boulevard to demand Ben Ali's ouster in 2011, setting in motion the restoration of the monument to its rightful place this May.
Tunisians revere Bourguiba, who led the country to independence from France in 1956 and instituted universal education, health care, women's rights, and law and order. His legacy of modernization, unity, and stability through gradual change is looked upon fondly by a nation that has seen eight governments in the past five years and a spate of terrorist attacks that have hobbled a lucrative tourism industry.
Five years after the so-called Jasmine Revolution, Tunisians are trying to restore the economic prosperity and security of Bourguiba's time, while cultivating the citizens' rights and democracy that his three-decade rule lacked, and facing a population that is getting impatient waiting for results.
Restoring Prosperity
Dhouha Hamada sits in a sunny courtyard of a downtown Tunis cafe where students laugh and drink lemonade and coffee.
The 28-year-old holds a master's degree in engineering, but says she has applied for hundreds of jobs and received only three interviews. "I wake up in the morning. I drink coffee with my friends. Then I go home and I read some books," she says. "I want to do something more important."
Nearly a third of young Tunisians are unemployed, and they are losing patience with the glacial progress of the new government. In late 2010, a frustrated young street vendor ignited the revolution by immolating himself in the central city of Sidi Bouzid. In January of this year, college graduate Ridha Yahyaoui died after he climbed an electricity pole while protesting his joblessness in the city of Kasserine. His death inspired renewed protests and strikes across Tunisia.
Political analyst Youssef Cherif says that not only has the economy stalled, it has lost vital pillars. Neighboring Libya, formerly Tunisia's strongest trading partner, has collapsed, and tourism arrivals are down by 35 percent following high-profile attacks carried out by Islamic extremists.
"In most young Tunisians there is this perception that the state is there to offer you jobs," he says. "During the Ben Ali era, the state was always making people hope they can get jobs. Now the state leaders, political leaders, openly say that they cannot offer jobs anymore."
Tunisia's government is trying to look forward. Last year it laid out an ambitious development plan that set a goal of 5 percent annual growth, based on increased investment and trade. The current rate stands at 1 percent, but there is reason for optimism. The International Monetary Fund has approved a $2.9 billion loan to Tunisia, tied to market reforms outlined in the government plan, including reducing the bloated public sector and developing private enterprise. The World Bank, the EU, and the United States have together pledged another $6 billion in loans and loan guarantees.
The envisioned high growth rate would seem unfeasible -- except that Tunisia saw a similar rate of expansion in the 1990s under the rule of Ben Ali, largely driven by government investment.
Political Recalibration
One of the central challenges to implementing economic reforms since the revolution is Tunisia's inability to establish a lasting government. Still, Tunisia has survived the rocky transition far better than other Arab Spring countries like Egypt, which saw a military coup, or Syria and Libya, which are consumed by war. Coalition government has been key to this political pendulum swinging.
President Beji Caid Essebsi, Tunisia's current president, is a technocrat and founder of the secular Nidaa Tounes party who served under both Bourguiba and Ben Ali. In May, Essebsi appeared at the 10th annual convention of his chief political rival, the moderate Islamist Ennahda (Renaissance) party. It was a milestone for the party inspired and influenced by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Outlawed under Ben Ali, Ennahda swept Tunisia's first free elections in 2011 but was forced out after the assassination of two opposition leaders and its perceived soft management of hard-line Salafist groups. That 2013 crisis threatened to destabilize Tunisia's democracy.
Essebsi's Nidaa Tounes party had been founded the year earlier to oust Ennahda, and Essebsi himself was a strident critic of the party. But rather than descend into chaos, Tunisia managed a peaceful transition to new leadership.
Since then, Ennahda has been an advocate of compromise. At the party's convention, held in the coastal city of Hammamet, lawmaker Sayida Ounissi explained that her party would be splitting from its Islamist roots and pursuing a program of economic goals for all Tunisians.
"The way Ennahda was for the last 30 years was good enough for the context we were in," she said. "But we need today to anticipate the demands in terms of the economy, social justice, social cohesion, and employment."
President Essebsi appeared at the convention to roaring applause and blessed the change.
In January, several members of Nidaa Tounes splintered into a new party, claiming that Essebsi was trying to ensure his son would succeed him. Today, Ennahda holds the most seats in parliament, but has not demanded leadership. Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, a Yale doctoral student researching Tunisian democracy, explains that "the wounds of the 2013 crisis are still fresh, and Ennahda sees no interest in rocking the boat."
Bolstering Security
The problem of terrorism that emerged under Ennahda has continued under the secular Nidaa Tounes. Tunisian members of the Islamic State group killed nearly 60 tourists in 2015, the majority in a mass shooting targeting a seaside resort one year ago this week. Holidaymakers have since ditched Tunisia, and arrivals last year fell to 5.5 million, the lowest figure in decades.
To stanch the bleeding, the government has doubled down on security. Police are concentrated heavily in the capital, Tunis. There's a new barrier under construction on the border with Libya, which has proven a training ground for Tunisian extremists. President Essebsi says countering terrorism costs some $4 billion annually, which represents 8 percent of the country's GDP.
It's not only a domestic problem; as many as 7,000 Tunisian jihadis are thought to have traveled to Syria and Iraq, and the government has imposed a travel restriction that requires men and women under age 35 to get parental consent before traveling to countries deemed high-risk for terrorist activities.
Human Rights Watch charges that Tunisian authorities have passed a broad antiterrorism law that violates civil rights by granting the state sweeping surveillance powers.
Safeguarding Rights
A key to protecting civil rights in the new Tunisia is the country's constitution, approved in 2014 after a tumultuous public debate. It recognizes freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, fair trial, and gender equality. It also guarantees freedom of worship, but sets Islam as a state religion. The National Dialogue Quartet that shepherded the constitution into being as part of Ennahda's peaceful stepping down won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
But the new constitution has not done away with all the holdovers from Ben Ali's time.
Rim Temimi, a photographer whose pictures of the 2011 demonstrations in Tunis were exhibited worldwide, says Tunisia's new leaders continue to use draconian Ben Ali-era laws, like one that criminalizes homosexuality or another that penalizes marijuana smokers with jail.
She speaks while drinking local Celtia beer on a terrace overlooking the sunset in Sidi Bou Said, an upscale neighborhood in the capital. Temimi, 43, says that at first she found the Jasmine Revolution exhilarating, but her confidence eroded after the assassinations of secular leaders.
"People stole the country," Temimi says. She claims the current government, headed by the octogenarian Essebsi, is out of touch with the needs of the people. "It's supposed to be a revolution of the youth, but it has been taken over by dinosaurs!"
Other Tunisians say the abstract promises of a constitution ignore their needs.
"The politicians are occupied with the new constitution," says Hamada, the unemployed engineering graduate. "I have to work." She plans to take English lessons in hopes of finding a job in Sweden.
A Few Steps From Bourguiba
Journalist Zouheir Latif says he returned to Tunisia after the revolution following nearly two decades of forced exile for his political activism. He founded a new private TV station, Telvza, in 2013, and today employs about 100 people through its various companies. His work has taken him around the region, including to war-torn Syria, and given him a sense that Tunisia is perhaps on the right path.
No political party could possibly deliver on all the promises of the revolution at once, he says. "We are so sentimental, our people. We fall in love [with a party] in five minutes and we fall out of love in three minutes," Latif says. "To build trust and democracy, you need time."
He speaks a few steps from the statue of Bourguiba, still wrapped in plastic in the days before its June 1 unveiling. Under Ben Ali he would not have been able to give an interview freely on the boulevard, Latif notes.
When Ben Ali removed Bourguiba's statue, he replaced it with an imposing clock tower. Now, although Bourguiba retains his grand legacy, his statue has not returned to its exact position, but rather, a few steps away.
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/tunisia- fiver-year-itch/27824079.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Six F-16 Jets Depart Belgium to Assist Anti-Daesh Coalition in Syria, Iraq
Sputnik News
18:22 27.06.2016
Six F-16 fighter aircraft, which departed from Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium, will be based in Jordan and will perform reconnaissance and surveillance tasks for six months in Syria and Iraq, according to local media.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik) Six F-16 fighter aircraft left Belgium on Monday for Jordan to help the US-led international coalition in its fight against Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militants in Syria and Iraq, media reported.
The planes, which departed from Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium, will be based in Jordan and will perform reconnaissance and surveillance tasks for six months in Syria and Iraq, according to the RTL broadcaster.
The Belgian fighters are due to replace Dutch planes at the air base in Jordan used by the coalition.
The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq since 2014. IS is designated as a terrorist organization and is outlawed in numerous countries, including Russia.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Georgia Has No Financial Means to Create Naval Forces
Sputnik News
16:21 27.06.2016(updated 16:32 27.06.2016)
Georgia lacks financial resources to establish its naval forces, Georgian Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli said Monday.
TBILISI (Sputnik) Georgia does not have enough money to establish its naval forces, Georgian Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli said Monday.
"We don't have naval forces, and I can say that we won't have it for a long time. Establishing naval forces requires such opportunities that we don't have and that cost hundreds of millions, and Georgia doesn't have such amount of money," Khidasheli said during the presentation of the annual report.
The defense minister stressed that NATO was elaborating the Black Sea security concept, and Georgia was a full-fledged participant of the entire process.
"Any concept, which will be adopted at the Warsaw summit, will be adopted together with Georgia, no matter whether we are a NATO member state or not," Khidasheli added.
She explained that NATO concept included joint exercises with NATO countries in the Black Sea and NATO warships' regular visits to the Georgian ports.
In 2008, Georgia applied for membership in NATO. Since then, a NATO commission has monitored Tbilisi's progress in matching the standards of the bloc. Georgia's membership of the alliance is expected to be addressed at the NATO June summit in Warsaw.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Canadian Frigate Sails in Support of NATO Operations in the Baltic Sea
Sputnik News
21:37 27.06.2016(updated 21:38 27.06.2016)
The Canadian frigate Charlottetown will participate in Operation Reassurance 2016, a US-led multinational effort to conduct constant air, land and sea operations in Eastern and Central Europe.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) The Canadian frigate Charlottetown set sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia in support of NATO maritime operations in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic, the Royal Canadian Navy said in a statement on Monday.
"Our modernized Halifax-class frigates are equipped with state-of-the-art capabilities that will integrate seamlessly with their NATO counterparts to ensure mission success with every challenge they face," Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy said in the statement.
The Charlottetown will participate in Operation Reassurance 2016, a US-led multinational effort to conduct constant air, land and sea operations in Eastern and Central Europe.
The Charlottetown is the fifth ship of its type and the third modernized Halifax-class frigate retrofitted with upgraded radars, communications systems and missiles.
Russia has warned that amassing troops and equipment on its borders and conducting exercise constitute provocative acts that can destabilize the region and potentially cause global destabilization.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Update: air strikes against Daesh
27 June 2016
British forces have continued to conduct air operations in the fight against Daesh
Latest update
- Wednesday 22 June Tornados and a Reaper conducted attacks on six Daesh positions north of Bayji, while Typhoons provided close air support over Fallujah.
- Thursday 23 June A Reaper struck a further target north of Bayji, Typhoons attacked terrorist positions in northern Syria and Fallujah.
- Friday 24 June Tornados and a Reaper attacked Daesh equipment in northern Iraq, while Typhoons conducted further air support over Fallujah.
- Saturday 25 June A Reaper destroyed three terrorist targets in northern Iraq.
- Sunday 26 June Tornados used Stormshadow missiles against a very large concrete bunker in western Iraq, Typhoons destroyed a smaller bunker, and a Reaper struck targets in the north.
Detail
Typhoon FGR4s, based at RAF Akrotiri and supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker, flew close air support missions over Fallujah on Wednesday 22 June. They successfully attacked three Daesh strongpoints with Paveway IV guided bombs, the targets had been identified by Iraqi ground forces as being manned by machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade teams.
North of Bayji, Tornado GR4s and a Reaper supported an Iraqi offensive operation. The Tornados employed one Paveway IV and three Brimstone missiles to destroy four Daesh fighting positions along a defensive embankment, whilst the Reaper used a single GBU-12 guided bomb to destroy two more positions.
A second Reaper continued support in the area into Thursday 23 June and used a Hellfire missile to eliminate a terrorist spotted with a man portable surface-to-air missile. Typhoons continued their support over Fallujah as well, conducting a Paveway IV attack on a machine-gun team. Another Typhoon flight operated over northern Syria, close to the Turkish border and destroyed two Daesh-held buildings several miles east of Azaz.
On Friday 24 June, a Reaper supported an Iraqi offensive near Sharqat, west of Kirkuk. Its crew used a Hellfire missile to destroy an engineering vehicle which was being used to create defences ahead of the Iraqi advance. Tornados patrolled further north and employed a Paveway IV against a mortar position north-west of Mosul.
Typhoons conducted further operations over Fallujah and were called in by the Iraqi army to destroy two machine-gun positions on the northern outskirts of the city. A total of 101 targets have been successfully prosecuted by the RAF in Fallujah and neighbouring areas since the start of the Iraqi operation to liberate the city.
The following day saw a Reaper again on patrol near Sharqat, and this aircraft delivered three successful attacks with Hellfire missiles against a truck, a group of terrorists, and a van which Daesh had been seen loading with weapons and ammunition.
Intelligence had determined that Daesh were using a large concrete bunker in western Iraq as a weapons facility. Due to the massive construction, built during the Saddam era, it was decided to use four Stormshadow missiles against it, as the weapon has particularly good capabilities against such a challenging target. The missiles were launched on Sunday 26 June by two Tornados, all four Stormshadows scored direct hits and penetrated deep within the bunker. Also in western Iraq, south-east of Hit, a Typhoon flight used a single Paveway IV to destroy a much smaller bunker built by Daesh south-east of Hit. In northern Iraq, a Reaper provided close air support near Sharqat for the third successive day, using its Hellfires to attack a vehicle, a group of terrorists on foot, and a team planting improvised explosive devices.
Previous air strikes
1 June: Reapers were in action again, one patrolled the skies above Qayyarah, where a camouflaged set of loaded rocket launch rails were spotted and destroyed with a Hellfire missile. A second Reaper patrolled over eastern Syria and western Iraq, and located a terrorist check-point on the Iraqi side of the border, west of Al Qa'im, which was stopping the free movement of traffic. Again, a Hellfire missile was employed and the check-point successfully attacked.
Two Tornado missions provided reconnaissance and close air support to Iraqi forces around Fallujah. One pair of Tornados used Paveway IVs to conduct simultaneous attacks on two Daesh-held buildings close to a canal to the south of the city; one building housed a terrorist sniper team, the other a recoilless anti-tank artillery piece. Both targets were destroyed by direct hits. The second Tornado flight successfully silenced a heavy-machine-gun positioned in a third Daesh strongpoint after it opened fire on the advancing Iraqi troops.
2 June: Three successive flights of Tornado GR4s and Typhoon FGR4s provided close air support to Iraqi units on the southern outskirts of the city. One Tornado flight conducted four attacks with Paveway IV guided bombs, striking a bunker and three teams of terrorists armed with an anti-tank gun, rocket-propelled grenades and a heavy machine-gun. A second Tornado mission delivered simultaneous attacks on two Daesh-held buildings, then a third bombing attack on a heavy machine-gun position that had opened fire on Iraqi troops. The Typhoon flight dealt with a further artillery piece, using a Paveway IV.
In northern Iraq, another pair of Typhoons struck a group of terrorists spotted advancing towards peshmerga positions near Kisik, then headed to an area south-east of Mosul where they used three Paveways to attack more extremists mustering in and around a large warehouse.
3 June: Operations over southern Fallujah continued when a pair of Typhoons conducted Paveway attacks on two Daesh strongpoints which had opened fire on Iraqi forces with machine-guns and other weapons. Two Reaper remotely piloted aircraft patrolled over the city the following day, exploiting their long endurance and excellent surveillance capabilities to provide persistent overwatch for the Iraqi troops on the ground.
During the course of Saturday, the Reapers delivered five attacks, using two GBU-12 guided bombs and three Hellfire missiles, against two machine-gun teams, two Daesh firing positions and a tunnel network. They also provided assistance to five other air strikes conducted by coalition fast jets on terrorist positions.
5 June: Tornados were again in action over southern Fallujah. A factory producing improvised truck-bombs was struck with a pair of Paveway IVs, destroying two vehicles that were being prepared for use, and two further attacks with Paveways accounted for two anti-tank weapons.
6 June: Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s continued to provide close air support to the Iraqi operation to liberate Fallujah. A coalition surveillance aircraft spotted a group of Daesh terrorists taking up position in a building to the west of the city, allowing them to be quickly targeted by the Typhoons using a Paveway IV guided bomb. In northern Iraq, intelligence had located a large truck-bomb factory near Mosul and two RAF Tornado GR4s armed with 1000lb Enhanced Paveway II guided bombs were tasked with its destruction. A single EPW II destroyed the factory.
7 June: Operations around Fallujah continued when Tornados successfully attacked a weapons and ammunition stockpile hidden to the south-east of the city.
8 June: Tornados conducted three attacks to support Iraqi ground forces engaged in firefights with terrorists inside Fallujah. Despite the close proximity of the Iraqi forces, the GR4s were able to deliver simultaneous attacks with Paveway IVs against two strongpoints housing Daesh machine-gun and artillery teams. They then struck a further machine-gun position when it also opened fire on the Iraqis.
Typhoons also contributed to the Fallujah operations, using Paveway IVs against two groups of Daesh extremists armed with a light machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenades. In northern Iraq, another Typhoon mission successfully attacked a Daesh-held building east of Mosul, whilst a Reaper used a GBU-12 bomb to demolish a building where another coalition surveillance aircraft had observed terrorists unloading supplies. A second Reaper patrolled over Syria and employed a Hellfire missile to destroy a Daesh truck travelling at speed on the open road south of Raqqa.
9 June: Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s continued to provide close air support to Iraqi ground forces fighting to liberate Fallujah. One Tornado flight conducted successful attacks using Paveway IV guided bombs against four Daesh-held buildings from which terrorists were directing machine-gun fire at the Iraqi forces. A second Tornado mission used a Paveway IV to destroy a building west of the city, within which a terrorist armed vehicle was reported by nearby Iraqi troops to be concealed.
10 June: A Reaper worked in close conjunction with other coalition aircraft to engage Daesh rocket and mortar teams operating near Qayyarah. The Reaper provided support to two coalition strikes on rocket positions, then used its own Hellfire missiles and a GBU-12 guided bomb against a further set of rocket launchers and a mortar. A Typhoon FGR4 flight was also operating near Qayyarah, and they conducted attacks against five targets: three buildings where Daesh extremists had been spotted gathering and two more rocket launcher positions. North-east of Mosul, another pair of Typhoons destroyed a heavy machine-gun team with a Paveway IV. To the south, Tornados again provided close air support over Fallujah, using their Paveways against three strongpoints which housed two machine-gun teams and a group of terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades.
11 June: An RAF Reaper continued to hunt terrorist rocket and mortar teams around Qayyarah, conducting three attacks with Hellfire missiles.
12 June: Another Reaper patrolled over Qayyarah, and also fired three Hellfires, its targets were two terrorist vehicles and a group of Daesh fighters. Typhoons were also active nearby, and used Paveway IVs to attack two groups of terrorists caught in the open and two Daesh-held buildings. A Typhoon mission also joined Tornados operating over Fallujah; the Typhoons used one Paveway IV against a machine-gun position, whilst the Tornados delivered five very precise attacks in very demanding circumstances, with Iraqi troops extremely close to the terrorist targets. Paveway IVs were used to destroy a rocket team, an anti-tank gun, a heavily armed pick-up truck and a heavy machine-gun team, whilst a Brimstone missile silenced a light machine-gun.
During Sunday night, a pair of Tornados armed with 1000lb Enhanced Paveway II guided bombs conducted a carefully planned strike on a factory to the south-west of Qayyarah where truck-bombs were being built by Daesh. Four EPW IIs hit their targets accurately and initial reports suggest the mission was a success.
13 June: A pair of Typhoons assisted Iraqi troops as they engaged in very close combat inside Fallujah. Our aircraft delivered four precision attacks, all with Paveway IV guided bombs, that destroyed five strongpoints defended by Daesh terrorists armed with machine-guns, rocket-propelled grenades and an anti-tank gun.
14 June: The Typhoons continued operations over Fallujah, and again worked very closely with the Iraqi units hitting five terrorist positions including sniper and machine-gun teams. In northern Iraq, around Qayyarah, a second Typhoon flight and a Reaper supported Iraqi and Kurdish units. The Typhoons attacked a Daesh-held building with a Paveway IV, while the Reaper conducted four attacks: a GBU-12 guided bomb was used against a group of terrorists gathered at a weapons stockpile, and three mortars were attacked in turn with Hellfire missiles. The Reaper also tracked the arrival of a truck-bomb and observed it being concealed inside a garage this surveillance enabled a successful attack to then be delivered by a coalition aircraft which destroyed the vehicle.
15 June: Two Typhoon flights saw action over Fallujah on Wednesday, and between them they conducted seven successful attacks with Paveway IVs. Again all were in very close support of Iraqi ground forces, accounting for terrorist teams armed with heavy weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, and a 23mm anti-aircraft gun.
16 June: With Iraqi forces making steady progress pushing into Fallujah, two flights of Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s contributed to the coalition's air support. Our aircraft successfully attacked four Daesh machine-gun positions that were identified by the Iraqi ground forces, using Paveway IV guided bombs.
17 June: An RAF Reaper patrolling over northern Iraq, north of Bayji. The Reaper's crew identified a large mortar and a Daesh truck, both were destroyed by Hellfire missiles.
18 June: A second Reaper operated in the same area, supporting an offensive by Iraqi forces. It used four Hellfires and a GBU-12 guided bomb to successfully engage three armed pick-up trucks which were firing at the Iraqi troops, a fourth vehicle and a trench position. In north-west Iraq, in Harunah, two pairs of Tornado GR4s, armed with eight 1000lb Enhanced Paveway IIs conducted a pre-planned strike on a complex of buildings which had been identified by intelligence as a headquarters, accommodation and weapons facility for Daesh foreign fighters. All four target buildings were destroyed. Another Reaper patrolled over Syria and attacked a Daesh vehicle south-west of Manbij, destroying it with a Hellfire missile.
19 June: Typhoons were in action over Fallujah, providing close air support to Iraqi troops who had penetrated to the city centre. Six terrorist strongpoints housing machine-gun, artillery and rocket-propelled grenade teams were struck in a series of precision Paveway attacks. In northern Iraq, a Reaper used a pair of Hellfires to engage two groups of Daesh extremists north of Bayji, while Tornados used a Brimstone missile against a third group in the same area, and a Paveway IV against a rocket-launcher north of Mosul.
20 June: An armed reconnaissance patrol by Tornados over eastern Syria used a Brimstone missile to attack a truck-bomb hidden under a tarpaulin between two ruined buildings north of Dayr az Zawr. The Brimstone scored a direct hit; a massive explosion followed, which confirmed how heavily the vehicle had been laden with explosives. Further west, near Raqqah, a Reaper conducted three attacks with Hellfire missiles against a Daesh vehicle and extremists on foot. Typhoons and Tornados were again active over Fallujah, and used Paveway IV bombs to destroy four Daesh machine-gun posts engaged in very close combat with the Iraqi security forces. Since the start of the operation to liberate Fallujah, RAF aircraft have prosecuted some 96 targets in and around the city and neighbouring areas in the Euphrates valley.
21 June: Reaper patrols north of Bayji continued, and five attacks were conducted in support of Iraqi offensive operations. Hellfires accounted for two supply vehicles and a truck armed with an anti-aircraft gun, as well as an observation post dug-in on a ridgeline. A GBU-12 guided bomb destroyed a Daesh mortar team, spotted as they fired at an Iraqi position. A Typhoon flight operated further north, north-west of Mosul, where they used a Paveway IV to hit a rocket-launcher site.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
In Jerusalem, Ban urges two-State solution to Israel-Palestine conflict
27 June 2016 Following a meeting with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that nearly 50 years of occupation of Palestinian land has not brought security for Israelis, stressing that only a negotiated two-State solution could bring the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians to fruition.
Citing the latest terror attack in Tel Aviv, Mr. Ban also said that stabbings, shootings and bombings will not achieve anything because violence "is never a solution."
"Such acts are precisely designed to breed fear and uncertainty. They eat away at trust and hope, drive Palestinians and Israelis farther apart, and strip away a sense of empathy for one another," he said at a joint press encounter with the Israeli leader.
"I must be equally clear that nearly 50 years of occupation has had a devastating impact on Palestinian lives, undermining the belief in a peaceful resolution to this conflict," Mr. Ban added. "It also has not brought security for Israelis."
Urging leaders on both sides to urgently take concrete steps to restore hope and a political horizon, the UN chief stressed that "a negotiated two-state solution remains the only viable option to prevent perpetual conflict and to achieve the legitimate aspirations of both peoples."
The Secretary-General encouraged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to engage with the Middle East Quartet made up of the European Union, Russia, the United States and the UN which continues to work with the parties and the region to bring about the necessary conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations and is finalizing its first report on the impediments to the two-state solution and the way forward.
"Mr. President, I count on your courage and leadership to take the bold actions that will establish a just, comprehensive and lasting peace for the people of Israel and Palestine," Mr. Ban said, addressing President Rivlin.
In his remarks, the UN chief also welcomed today's announcement of the normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey. "This is an important and hopeful signal for the stability of the region," he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ban spoke at Tel Aviv University, where he accepted the George S. Wise Medal, an award named after an American Jewish sociologist who served as the first president of the institution.
The UN chief noted that, over the past ten years as Secretary-General, he has witnessed countless examples of the power of science and technology to transform human lives.
"Our challenge is to harness the innovation taking place in the research labs of this campus and around the world to meet the challenges facing humanity from tackling climate change and disease, to preventing cyber-crime, promoting food security and so much more," he said.
Mr. Ban flagged that the biggest war being waged today does not involve guns or tanks or fighter jets.
"The biggest confrontation is the battle for minds," he said. "On the one hand, there are those who want to divide the world into 'us and them.' On the other, stand those who see humanity, in the words of the UN Charter, as 'we the peoples.'"
Palestinian and Israeli leaders must stand firm against terror, violence and incitement, the UN chief added, stressing the need for innovative thinking and action to tear down the walls of mistrust.
"I urge the 'start-up nation' to help us all start up peace start up understanding start up reconciliation for a better world," he said.
Mr. Ban also encouraged the students to be global citizens, who never forget that challenges know no borders, and highlighted that they are also citizens of the world, urging them to help achieve the goals set out in 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which he described as "a blueprint for building a people-centred, planet-friendly future."
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Kabul's Peace Talks With Hekmatyar Deadlocked
by Ayaz Gul June 27, 2016
An Afghan insurgent group says differences over the presence of U.S.-led international troops in Afghanistan have left its peace talks with the government deadlocked.
The Hezb-i-Islami (HIA) faction led by fugitive former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has accused Afghan negotiators of unilaterally altering certain provisions in the peace deal the two sides had drafted after weeks of intense negotiations.
The government gave in to U.S. pressure and made changes to passages in the original agreement that dealt with the future of foreign troops in Afghanistan, the group alleged through an article in its Daily Shahadat magazine.
The original draft, according to HIA, stated both sides supported the idea of "having no foreign troops" in the country and vowed to deal with the violence through national unity. But the amended draft added, "Both sides supported the presence of foreign forces in accordance with the bilateral security pacts for strengthening national solidarity in the interest of the country."
The changes are unacceptable to the group, but President Ashraf Ghani's government wanted it to sign the new document for the peace process to be carried forward, which prompted the suspension of talks, according to the insurgents.
An Afghan government official requesting anonymity confirmed to VOA the talks have been suspended. But he said Kabul is still awaiting a formal response from Hekmatyar's group to be able to release an official reaction on the issue.
New demands
Hekmatyar has reportedly come up with new demands, including cancellation of security pacts Kabul has signed with Washington and NATO allowing them to continue with their military missions, and a public timetable for withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
Certain counterproposals were recently delivered to Ghani through a letter, but were rejected, the group said in its Monday announcement.
Afghan government peace negotiators in response called the security pacts "a red line that we cannot cross," according to HIA.
The negotiations generated hopes for a peace deal that would bring political stability to President Ghani's rule and put pressure on the main Taliban insurgency to come to the table to end the Afghan war through peaceful talks.
Designated a "global terrorist" by the United States, Hekmatyar is allegedly sheltering in neighboring Pakistan.
Hekmatyar's fighters have been waging the insurgency alongside the Taliban, although his influence is mainly confined to some eastern and northeastern Afghan regions.
Deadly clashes between the Hezb-i-Islami and Taliban are not uncommon when one side tries to step into the other's territory of influence.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Kerry Reassures NATO Member Nations Over Brexit Vote
by VOA News June 27, 2016
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU) will not have an adverse impact on North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) military and political prowess.
"We anticipate an even stronger NATO going forward," Kerry told reporters after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Twenty eight member nations of NATO will attend a summit in Warsaw, Poland, on July 8 and 9. "We have high expectations of a very strong NATO meeting with important deliverables that will not change one iota as a consequence of the [Brexit] vote that has taken place," Kerry said.
Britain stunned the world last Thursday when it voted to leave the EU, sparking sharp selloffs throughout the global financial markets.
The vote, said Stoltenberg, has made NATO an even more significant player in international political and military affairs. "I think that NATO has become even more important [not only] as a captain for cooperation between Europe and North America, but also defense and security cooperation between European NATO allies."
Kerry is in the midst of a tour of Brussels and London that is designed to reassure U.S. allies concerned about the British vote, noting that 22 EU countries, including Britain, are NATO members.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Hundreds Reportedly Killed or Injured in S. Sudan Attacks
by Nabeel Biajo, Tito Justin June 27, 2016
Relative calm has returned to Wau, South Sudan, after an outbreak of deadly violence which began Friday evening and continued through Monday morning, say local officials and residents.
It is unclear how many people were killed, but aid agencies and residents say thousands have fled to a United Nations camp, the University of Bahr el Ghazal campus, and church and non-governmental organization compounds.
Heavy shelling and sporadic gunshots could still be heard early Monday. Church leaders accused the army of killing civilians. A Sudan People's Liberation Army (or SPLA) military spokesman denied the allegations.
Violence broke out Friday in Wau when armed youth from a pastoralist community attacked another community, reportedly to avenge the murders of two of their colleagues two days earlier. Residents say the armed youth also clashed with government forces, who were perceived to be sympathetic to the pastoralists.
Residents say the armed youth withdrew early Saturday afternoon, and by Saturday evening government forces established control of Wau.
Armed men terrorized residents, looted houses and shops, and killed civilians during the rampage, according to eyewitnesses, who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution. Residents said the looting spree by unidentified armed groups came on the heels of heavy fighting between SPLA troops and various groups early Saturday.
Leon Arkangelo, head of the Red Cross in Wau, estimates at least 5,000 civilians fled to the International Red Cross compound in nearby Muqta. Tens of thousands of civilians are said to have left their homes during the fighting, taking shelter at the University of Bahr el Ghazal, Wau Catholic Church, St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Siqa Hadid, and at United Nations Mission in South Sudan camps.
Thousands reportedly left the town altogether, and are seeking refuge in Bagari and Ngo Halima.
While there's no official word on the number of people killed and wounded during the weekend violence, a medical source speaking on condition of anonymity said the dead and injured are in the hundreds.
Uniformed troops
A Wau resident, who also did not want to be identified, said he took his family to the International Red Cross compound during the fighting. He described the situation in Wau on Monday as relatively calm, but sporadic gunshots could still be heard in parts of the town. He said he saw government troops in uniform looting houses and shops after residents fled.
Another resident at the Red Cross compound in Wau, who also wished to remain anonymous, said she saw soldiers destroy and loot houses, as well as kill innocent civilians.
Catholic Church leaders presiding over a mass Sunday in Juba also said SPLA soldiers were involved in assassinating and looting civilians in the Wau attack.
Monsignor Roko Taban, the apostolic administrator of Malakal Catholic Diocese, asked the International Criminal Court to investigate and put on trial those responsible for killing civilians and destroying their property.
"Your brothers and sisters are dying in Wau since Friday, dying in big numbers, being slaughtered and being killed by the SPLA," he said. "More than 100,000 people are in the bush. Is this the country we have chosen?"
The speech was broadcast live on Bakhita Radio, provoking South Sudanese security officials to try to shut down the station. Government officials asked Bakhita Radio to provide its legal documents of operation.
However, security operatives abandoned their decision to shut down the station after staff members told them to first contact the church administrators.
Santo Loku Pio, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Juba Catholic Archdiocese, accused government leaders who oppose change of causing the deadly violence.
Pio said South Sudanese citizens do not trust their leaders.
"Many of our people are dying because our leadership is one way," he said. "Please, please be flexible. Accept change, accept reforms, change the way you do things, everything will be better. The way of violence is not good. It is unacceptable to destroy because you want certain ideas to go through."
Catholic Church leaders, who have been calling for peace and reconciliation among different ethnic communities for months, are now asking for help from international NGOs to care for the hundreds of displaced residents in Wau.
SPLA response
Tingo Peter, head of the SPLM-In Opposition peace delegation to Juba and the SPLM-IO proposed governor of Wau state, said the Saturday morning attacks on Wau were in direct response to repeated cease-fire violations by SPLA soldiers, armed militiamen and armed cattle herders against civilians over the past few months. He said those violations intensified over the past few days, which led to attacks by armed groups.
"There were some youth in the area and they tried to protect the civilians," Peter said. "Their families were being violated, looted and killed so they have every right to defend them."
SPLA spokesman in Juba, Brigadier Lul Rurai Koang, said some of the attackers were motivated by "revenge."
"One group is reported to be tribal fighters," he said. "They were angered after one of their sons was killed two days ago, a captain from the police. He was killed by unknown gunmen."
Koang said another armed group was made up of criminals who wanted to take advantage of the chaos.
He said any accusations that SPLA soldiers have been preying on unarmed civilians were unfounded.
"When the infiltrators attempted to enter Wau, some greedy civilians started immediately on a looting spree," Koang said. "They were not SPLA forces. But we are not going to deny that as such, once we receive evidence showing that SPLA security personnel were involved in looting in Wau town, they will be investigated according to our rules and code of conduct."
Koang said he cannot "speculate" at this point about whether the attackers in Wau were linked to the same armed groups who on June 15 attacked and took over neighboring Raja, killing more than 50 people.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Nigerians Split Over Negotiating with Oil Militants
by Chris Stein June 27, 2016
Nigeria's government is trying to talk its way out of an unfolding crisis in its oil-producing Niger Delta region, but activists and traditional leaders are divided over whether negotiation is the best solution.
The minister of state for petroleum, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, says the government wants to work with the Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group whose months of attacks on oil pipelines succeeded in reducing Nigeria's oil production by as much as 50 percent.
It is unclear if talks have already begun. An official at the state-owned oil company told VOA last week that the government and the Avengers had agreed to a cease-fire, a charge the group denied on Twitter.
In the Niger Delta's towns and cities, some activists are wondering if sitting down with the militants is a good idea.
"Anybody from anywhere can just pick [up an] AK-47, create hell with the pipelines and expect the federal government to come and negotiate with them," said Anyakwee Nsirimovu of the Port Harcourt-based Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. "That would be anarchy."
Previous Nigerian governments have negotiated with militants in the delta. An earlier insurgency was quelled in 2009 when former president Umaru Yar'Adua convinced militants to put down their guns in exchange for an amnesty program that provided monthly cash payments and job training.
The Avengers' attacks on oil pipelines started earlier this year and sharply reduced Nigeria's daily production of around two million barrels per day.
The decision to seek talks with the Avengers was a wise one, said Godspower Gbenekama, a member of the traditional ruling council in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, which was the site of several pipeline attacks claimed by the Avengers.
"Military solution is never a solution and can never be a solution. Dialogue is the only way forward," he said, adding that Avenger attacks and military reprisal raids have led to oil spills in Gbaramatu.
But by engaging the Avengers in talks, attorney and human rights activist Oghenejabor Ikimi says that will encourage other militant groups to take up arms just to get the government's attention.
"If not because I'm a lawyer, if I were living in the creeks, I would just form my own [group] too, so the government could just come and dialogue with me," Ikimi said. "But there's no sense in all this."
President Muhammadu Buhari is winding down the amnesty program, which was supposed to buy time for the government to develop the Niger Delta.
Despite being the source of Nigeria's considerable oil wealth, the region is as impoverished as any other part of the country, with bad roads and unreliable electricity.
If the government wants to end militancy once and for all, Gbenekama says, it needs to keep its promise of developing the delta.
"These are aggrieved Niger Delta people," he said. "Immediately [after] the issues of the Niger Delta are addressed, these criminal activities will end."
Hilary Uguru contributed to this report from Warri, Nigeria.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
USS Carter Hall Arrives in Bergen, Norway
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS160628-08
Release Date: 6/28/2016 10:09:00 AM
From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs
BERGEN, Norway (NNS) -- Amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) arrived in Bergen, Norway for a scheduled port visit, June 26 to enhance U.S.-Norway relations as the two nations work together for a stable, secure and prosperous Baltic region and Europe.
Carter Hall's port visit is both an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between the United States and Norway, and a chance to increase mutual cultural awareness.
Quotes:
"Our arrival to Bergen, Norway brings another opportunity to see a country rich in beauty and history. Engagements such as this strengthen the bonds between the United States and our allies and partners as we work towards mutual goals." - USS Carter Hall Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Tina Dalmau
Quick Facts:
Carter Hall recently finished the exercise BALTOPS 2016. BALTOPS is an annually recurring multinational exercise designed to enhance flexibility and interoperability, as well as demonstrate resolve of allied and partner forces to defend the Baltic region.
Carter Hall, homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, is on a routine deployment conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet's area of operations in order to advance security and stability in Europe.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U. S. national interests, security and stability in Europe and Africa.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Saudi airstrikes leave 40 Yemeni civilians dead despite truce
Iran Press TV
Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:19AM
At least 40 civilians have been killed as Saudi warplanes bombed Yemen's Ta'izz Province in violation of a UN-brokered ceasefire.
Saudi jets targeted a petrol bomb in Hayfan district of the southwestern province of Ta'izz early on Tuesday, leaving at least 40 civilians dead and 15 others injured, Yemen's al-Masirah television reported.
Some Yemeni media outlets have put the number of those killed at 35.
The news comes hours after four terrorist bomb attacks hit military and security positions in Mukalla city of Hadhramaut Province, leaving 48 civilians dead and some 30 others injured.
Meanwhile, a Saudi air strike mistakenly hit a military convoy of pro-Riyadh militants in the strategic mountain of Hailan in Ma'rib Province on Monday night.
Five militants, including a commander, were killed and six others wounded in the air raid.
The Saudi attacks come despite UN-mediated talks in Kuwait between representatives of Yemen's former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and a delegation comprising of the Houthi Ansarullah movement and allies. A ceasefire agreement had been announced before the peace talks.
The Houthi delegation has warned that such blatant cases of truce violation could lead to a full collapse of the peace talks.
Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen on March 26, 2015, in a bid to bring Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, back to power and defeat the Ansarullah movement. More than 10,000 people have been killed since then.
Kuwait talks
Meanwhile, reports said Monday that Yemen's warring parties plan to suspend the talks after failing to reach results.
Two negotiators representing Houthis and their allies, and one from the Hadi-delegation said the two sides on Monday were drafting a statement to declare that the negotiations will resume in mid-July following the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
"The return to the talks is meant to save face after reaching a deadlock," said one of the negotiators, who is also one of Hadi's ministers.
The main bone of contention in the talks is reportedly a demand by the Hadi delegation for the Houthis to start disarming and withdrawing from the areas they have under control.
The Houthis took over state matters when Hadi resigned back in January 2015.
Houthis have rejected the call, saying they will only accept a deal on military and security issues after consensus is reached on the next president and a unity government in Yemen.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
US to deploy Israeli missile system on Russian borders: General
Iran Press TV
Tue Jun 28, 2016 10:26AM
The US military has tested an Israeli short-range missile for possible use in its European network of missile systems to deter Russia, says a US Army general.
Major General Glenn Bramhall of the US Army's Air and Missile Defense Command made the comments on Monday, as he visited the occupied Palestinian territories.
Bramhall said his units needed a reliable system to counter less powerful missile threats as a third tier beside the Army's array of midrange Patriot and THAAD missile systems.
"Patriot and THAAD are great systems that do what they were designed to do. But I don't think we would want to waste a Patriot or a THAAD missile on something that can be affected by something that's lower cost and is actually designed for that job itself," the general told Reuters.
For that purpose, he said the US military has test-launched a variant of the Israeli "Tamir" rocket which is incorporated to the Tel Aviv regime's so-called Iron Dome missile system.
Jointly manufactured by American and Israeli firms, each Tamir battery, consisting of a radar unit, missile control unit, and several launchers, is worth $50 million, with each missile costing about $100,000.
"I think we are looking at something that is similar to Iron Dome. We have looked at the Tamir as a possible missile," Bramhall said. He was due to inspect an Iron Dome unit on Tuesday.
Russian deterrence
Elsewhere in his remarks, the American general noted that the Israeli missile system is being considered mainly as a deterrent against what he called Russia's military buildup in Europe.
"With all that is happening in Europe, especially the fact that Russia has really awakened itself and has really decided to rebuild its military and is really posing a threat, we are looking at how we can do the multi-tiered defense," Bramhall said.
Military tensions between Russia and the US further heightened in May, when American and NATO officials activated a land-based missile system in Romania, despite Russia's warning against US-led arms deployments near its borders.
The missiles' activation marked the penultimate step in the completion of a missile shield, which Washington proposed nearly a decade ago.
Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly criticized the system's deployment, vowing to neutralize any threats against his country's security.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
DPRK proposes inter-Korean conference for reunification
People's Daily Online
(Xinhua) 21:05, June 27, 2016
PYONGYANG, June 27 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday proposed a conference with South Korea to discuss reunification of the Korean nation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The proposal, in the form of a letter, was sent to South Korean authorities by the DPRK's preparatory committee for this proposed joint meeting, the official KCNA news agency reported.
The DPRK proposed a meeting either in the capital city of Pyongyang or the border city of Kaesong with the participation of political parties, organizations and personages from the DPRK, South Korea and abroad.
The date will be around Aug. 15, when both countries celebrate the anniversary of liberation from Japanese colonization.
Pyongyang also proposed a working-level contact to discuss the setup of a joint preparatory committee for such a conference, at a place to be agreed upon.
In late May, the DPRK's Ministry of People's Armed Forces under the National Defense Commission proposed twice to Seoul a working-level contact for talks between militaries of the two countries in order to defuse tensions and create confidence-building atmosphere.
South Korea flatly rejected the offer, insisting that the DPRK take denuclearization measures first.
At the ruling party's national congress in early May, the DPRK's top leader, Kim Jong Un, proposed talks at all levels with South Korea so as to remove misunderstanding and distrust.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
UN Office Builds Human Rights Case Against Pyongyang
by Brian Padden June 27, 2016
While North Korea's dismal human rights record has been overshadowed of late by its latest round of provocative nuclear and missile tests, the United Nations is continuing to build the case to prosecute Kim Jong Un and his leadership for crimes against humanity.
In 2014 a U.N. Commission of Inquiry (COI) on human rights in North Korea issued a report documenting a network of political prisons in the country holding 120,000 people and a list of atrocities that include "extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence."
The report also called on the U.N. to refer the leadership of North Korea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
The General Assembly voted in support of the COI recommendation but the measure stalled in the Security Council where North Korea's allies China and Russia would likely veto the bill if it were brought up for a vote.
Building their case
But work goes on by both international human rights groups and the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to build legal cases against North Korean officials, if and when the Kim Jong Un government collapses or its officials are held accountable in a court of law.
"That is quite unique in that sense, compared to the general practice where justice seeking is then implemented after the big bang, so called," said Marzuki Darusman the U.N. Special Rapporteur on North Korea.
Darusman and other human rights activists were in Seoul for a symposium Monday about what more can be done to hold North Korean officials accountable for ongoing human rights abuses committed in the country.
Last year the United Nations established an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Seoul to gather testimony and evidence from the 30,000 North Korea defectors to corroborate human rights abuse charges. Signe Poulsen, the OHCHR Seoul Office Representative said they are making slow progress, but it is hard to make a legal case based on defector testimony alone.
"Verification is extremely difficult and it is an ongoing challenge, and I think something we have to be quite humble about because we don't have access at the ground level," said Poulsen.
Chain of command
As North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un is ultimately responsible for the systemic atrocities committed in the country, and investigators say that there are directives and hand written notes that directly connect him to these crimes.
Rights advocate Greg Scarlatiou with Human Rights North Korea says it is important to name specific individuals beyond the North Korean leader, to warn even mid-level perpetrators in state security agencies that they too will be held accountable.
"We know those agencies, we know the hierarchy within those agencies and we even have many lists of names of officials who are still there, who have been holding positions at these agencies," Scarlatiou said.
But North Korea analyst Remko Breuker with Leiden University in the Netherlands says some distinction may need to be made between those who gave the orders and those who executed the orders. And he hopes that question is ultimately addressed in a North Korean tribunal some time in the future rather than the ICC.
"Where does this accountability stop? When do people have no other choice than to obey? This is something ideally that should be left the North Koreans to decide," said Breuker.
Victim validation
Beyond building a legal court case, human rights lawyer Jared Genser with Perseus Strategies, LLC says publicly documenting these cases of systematic and widespread atrocities can also act to validate the victim's rights and experience
"That what they went through was horrible, horrific, terrible, the worst that could happen, that one human being does to another human being, that it's wrong, that it's illegal under international law, and that the international community acknowledges the injustice that has taken place," said Genser.
While bringing North Korean perpetrators of abuse and atrocities to justice seems unlikely in the near future, these U.N. officials and activists say the political environment will one day change and they are continuing to prepare for that eventuality.
The tough new U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea following its nuclear test and rocket launch earlier this year were not explicitly connected to human rights abuse in the country. But the United States has named North Korean nuclear proliferation and ongoing atrocities as justification for the added unilateral sanctions it imposed.
South Korea also this year approved new measures to both document abuse and work to improve the human rights situation in the North.
Youmi Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
India Joins Missile Control Regime: 'Now Has Role in Setting Geopolitics'
Sputnik News
16:46 27.06.2016
India officially joined the Missile Control Technology Regime as a full member on Monday.
New Delhi (Sputnik) India becomes the 35th member of the MTCR on Monday as India's Foreign Secretary received MTCR membership papers from the envoys of France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
"We are finally going to complete all the procedural formalities which are needed for India to become a full-fledged member of the Missile Technology Control Regime so it's an important day for us," Ministry Of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters.
MTCR membership has come as a respite for India after it failed to get the Nuclear Suppliers Group membership at the NSG Plenary meeting held in Seoul last week.
"It is an international achievement. We will get the latest technology. Our technical manpower will get the chance to learn about the latest technology," K K Jha, a prominent space scientist, told Sputnik.
According to Jay Panda, an Indian Member Of Parliament, "This shows that India is ready to play by the rules of the big nations and have a role in setting Geopolitics."
One of the most important benefits will be that now India can sell the Indo-Russian joint venture Supersonic Cruise Missile BrahMos to third countries, as several countries of South East Asia and Latin America has shown an interest in it.
Also, the Indian Space Research Organization can now get access to restricted high-end technologies for developing its cryogenic engines to expand its space exploration program.
Being a member of MTCR, India can procure surveillance drones from the US and other countries which India needs for counter terrorism and border surveillance purposes.
The Missile Technology Control Regime is an informal, voluntary association of nations and aims to check the proliferation of missiles and UAV's capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
India Joins Missile Technology Control Regime Partnership
Sputnik News
09:14 27.06.2016(updated 09:27 27.06.2016)
India on Monday became the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) partnership, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) India on Monday became the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) partnership after the MTCR Point of Contact, the intersessional meeting hosted by France, conveyed the decision on New Delhi's accession, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
"India has joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) this morning. The MTCR Point of Contact in Paris has conveyed the decision regarding India's accession to the regime through the Embassy of France in New Delhi as well as the Embassies of The Netherlands and Luxembourg," the statement said.
New Delhi thanked all the MTCR partners, as well as co-chairs of the MTCR from from The Netherlands and Luxembourg for their support of India's membership, the statement added.
The MTCR is a voluntary association of 35 countries that declared their commitment to non-proliferation of unmanned delivery systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction. The agreement regulates the transfer of technologies that can be used to build nuclear-capable missiles.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
India Joins the Missile Technology Control Regime
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 27, 2016
The United States welcomes India's accession as the newest member (Partner) of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The MTCR is an informal and voluntary association of countries that seek to reduce the global missile proliferation threat, primarily by controlling exports of rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and related equipment and technology. India possesses substantial missile-relevant technology and has excellent nonproliferation and export control credentials. Its accession bolsters substantially the Regime's effectiveness and objectives.
India is a valued nonproliferation partner. We look forward to working with India in the MTCR in support of our shared nonproliferation goals.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Leaked Salaries Cast Iran Officials In Harsh Light, But To What End?
June 27, 2016
by Golnaz Esfandiari
Simmering anger in Iran's hard-line media over official salaries has forced President Hassan Rohani's administration onto the defensive with a likely reelection bid for the relative moderate on the horizon.
The purported pay slips from earlier this year of executives from government-owned insurance agencies and banks were recently leaked online, and appear to show inflated salaries, bonuses, and other benefits that could prove politically divisive in a country where roughly 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
Instances cited by conservative media suggest an insurance executive received about $30,000 in monthly compensation and a bank manager was paid more than $65,000 for a month's work, as much as 200 times what modestly paid government employees make and more than 100 times the official average household salary.
The original source of the leaks remains unclear.
The scandal has already prompted the resignation of Iran's state insurance regulator, Mohammad Ebrahim Amin, and a reported jail term for an unnamed government executive who was said to have refused to explain and document his income to the head of the General Inspectorate Organization, Nasser Seraj.
Some Iranians have taken to social media to criticize the officials' salaries and post their own pay slips to highlight the disproportion. Blue-collar laborers in Iran frequently wait months for their wages, teachers struggle to make ends meet, and union leaders are among the most influential critics of the country's leadership.
Under pressure from conservative media and expressions of public outrage, Rohani in a letter urging official action in mid-June acknowledged "unconventional payments" but blamed holdover legislation from previous administrations and promised action.
On June 27, Rohani's first vice president, Eshagh Jahangiri, vowed that the government would act against those who receive "illegal" or "extraordinary" salaries.
"Society and public opinion expect the government to return illegal payments to the treasury and dismiss the violators on this issue," Jahangiri was quoted by a government website as saying.
Political Attack?
Rohani supporters have suggested the publication of the pay slips is aimed at hobbling Rohani and dimming his chances of reelection in next year's presidential vote.
Health Minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi was quoted by the hard-line Fars news agency on June 20 as saying that "people believe the leaks are politically motivated."
Rohani swept into office in 2013 on pledges of reform that included greater rights for women and dialing down persecution of dissent and public criticism of the government, although such efforts have mostly stalled.
He also successfully concluded an agreement with the United States and other world powers to curb Tehran's fiercely disputed nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief that could revive trade and other ties with the West, further angering hard-liners in Iran.
He has come under increased pressure to deliver on promises to improve Iran's economy, including through tangible benefits from the nuclear deal.
Reformers and political allies with Rohani's explicit or implicit backing returned in significant numbers to Iran's parliament in elections earlier this year, although most of the power in the country's clerically controlled system resides with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The state-run daily Etelaat, which has shown sympathy in the past to reformist causes and politicians, suggested earlier this month that the online leak of the pay slips in the final year of Rohani's presidential term was a "planned" move aimed at chipping away at public trust.
An ultra-hard-line daily, Kayhan, last week rejected that argument as a "weak defense that doesn't convince anyone" and said, "Even if that is the case [that the leak was orchestrated], then solve the problem and don't give an excuse to critics."
Kayhan called on the government to make the pay slips of its executives public: "The pay slips of managers is not among confidential documents. Transparency is the most principled way to act against these issues."
It added that "a real and acceptable apology will be when the government gives all access to the pay slips of its managers."
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-leaked-salaries- harsh-light-what-end/27824101.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Iraq: UN sending extra food rations to provide for thousands displaced from Fallujah
27 June 2016 Expressing concern about the extremely dire conditions for more than 85,000 people who have fled the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah and its surroundings over the last month, the United Nations food relief agency today said it is sending additional rations to provide immediate food relief to the growing number of displaced.
"The people of Fallujah have been suffering under siege for many months without access to food or medical care. Reaching them now with life-saving food and other humanitarian assistance is the absolute top priority," the World Food Programme's (WFP) Deputy Country Director in Iraq, Maha Ahmed, said in a news release.
"The situation is heart-breaking," she added. "We met a young mother this week who escaped the violence in Fallujah with her new born baby in her arms he was only 4-days-old when they fled."
Since military operations to retake the city from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) forces began on 22 May, waves of people have fled Fallujah and its surroundings. People are gathering in dozens of small camps where conditions are very harsh and many families are forced to share already overcrowded tents. Others are stranded in the desert or sheltering at mosques and schools.
Through its partners, WFP has so far distributed enough immediate response food rations to feed almost 75,000 newly displaced people arriving at camps in Habbaniya Tourism City and Amariyat al-Fallujah. Each ration contains ready-to-eat food to feed a family for three days.
The agency said that in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, other organizations are distributing additional food that complements WFP rations, making it enough to stretch for a full week. WFP is sending additional immediate response food rations and family food rations from its Baghdad warehouse, an hour's drive from Fallujah, to provide immediate food relief.
In partnership with WFP, the Qatar Red Crescent is preparing to provide cooking utensils and additional family food rations to the families from Fallujah.
More than three million Iraqis have been displaced by conflict since mid-June last year. WFP provides food assistance to more than one million vulnerable displaced across all 18 governorates.
To continue to assist displaced families for the next six months, WFP, which is entirely funded by voluntary contributions, urgently requires $34 million.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
US House Probe: No New Evidence of Wrongdoing By Clinton in Benghazi Attack
by Ken Bredemeier June 28, 2016
A Republican-led investigation of a 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya that killed four Americans ended Tuesday with no new allegations about the actions of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, now the presumptive 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
Clinton, who monitored the incident as it unfolded on September 11, 2012, told a campaign rally that the House of Representatives investigative panel "found nothing, nothing to contradict" findings about the attack in numerous other earlier investigations.
"It's pretty clear it's time to move on," she said.
The panel's chairman, Congressman Trey Gowdy, said Tuesday, "No U.S. military assets were ever deployed to Benghazi" despite the orders of President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
"Nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost eight hours after the attacks began," Gowdy said in releasing an 800-page report on the attack after a two-year, $7 million investigation.
Military leaders have repeatedly said they did not have intelligence information on what was unfolding in Libya or the resources to respond.
But after release of the report, the Defense Department said that it "has made substantial changes to improve our responsiveness based on lessons learned from this incident."
Additional comments
Two of the committee's Republican members went beyond the overall committee's conclusions, blaming Clinton for misleading the American public about the attack as it was unfolding.
Congressman Jim Jordan said that Clinton publicly cited an anti-Muslim video circulating in the Middle East at the time as the reason for the assault, but that an hour later privately emailed her daughter, Chelsea, that terrorists had launched the attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three others.
In the contentious presidential campaign, some U.S. Republicans have pasted bumper stickers on their cars that say, "Hillary lied, people died." But Gowdy rejected the sentiment, saying, "You don't see that T-shirt on me. You haven't seen that bumper sticker on any of my cars."
Some Republicans, including Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee against Clinton, have blamed her for failing to adequately provide enough security to protect the outpost. There have been at least 10 investigations of the incident, with Clinton testifying publicly for 11 hours about it last October.
Clinton's campaign said Gowdy's investigation had "not found anything to contradict the conclusions of the multiple, earlier investigations."
Democrats' report
The minority Democrats on the panel released their own report of the incident on Monday in an effort to rebut the majority's conclusions and protect Clinton's political fortunes less than five months before she expects to face Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul, in November's national presidential election.
The Democrats, in their 344-page report, concluded that the U.S. military, with its nearest support troops across the Mediterranean in Italy, could not have reached Benghazi in time to rescue the diplomats and that Clinton was actively "engaged" in dealing with the attack while it was occurring.
Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico told VOA he did not think the Republican-led investigation "was an impartial search for facts. I think the American people knew this was political. And I don't really like the way they treated Hillary Clinton for that 11 hours of grilling. I think it left a lot to be desired."
Missed warnings
The House Benghazi Committee said the Central Intelligence Agency missed warnings about an imminent attack and then wrote faulty intelligence reports after it.
The U.S. State Department said it provided 50 current and former employees for interviews about the incident and more than 100,000 pages of documents.
As the dueling reports were released, the State Department said, "The essential facts surrounding the 2012 attacks in Benghazi have been known for some time," including information from the other reviews of the incident that occurred two months before the 2012 presidential election in which Obama won a second four-year term.
Initial statement
Republicans have long claimed that U.S. officials initially blamed the attack erroneously as it turned out on reaction to an anti-Muslim video circulating in the Mideast at the time to protect Obama's re-election chances rather than admit that a terrorist attack had occurred.
Then, within days, the U.S. acknowledged the assault was a terrorist attack. The alleged ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khattala, is awaiting trial in a U.S. court.
The State Department said it has "made great progress towards making our posts safer since 2012 and has so far implemented 26 of the 29 recommendations made by a review panel.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
New EU Policy Document Calls Russia 'Strategic Challenge'
June 27, 2016
by Rikard Jozwiak
BRUSSELS -- A new European Union policy document describes Russia as "a key strategic challenge," wording that constitutes a compromise between member states that are more hawkish toward Moscow and those resisting an escalation of rhetoric.
The document, which is set to be endorsed at a June 28 summit of leaders, was produced by the bloc's diplomatic corps after EU heads of state last year tasked EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini with providing a strategic assessment to "guide the European Union's global actions in the future."
Member states urging a harder line toward the Kremlin, such as Lithuania and Poland, had wanted the document to use the phrase "strategic problem" when describing Russia's role in European politics -- wording that European Council President Donald Tusk of Poland has previously used.
Other, mainly southern member states wanted something more similar to the phrase "strategic partner" that was used to describe Russia before its 2014 seizure and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea territory and the ensuing war between Kyiv's forces and Russia-backed separatists.
The 32-page document, seen by RFE/RL, says that the EU "will not recognize Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea nor accept the destabilization of eastern Ukraine.
"We will strengthen the EU, enhance the resilience of our eastern neighbors, and uphold their right to determine freely their approach towards the EU," it says.
The document does not mention the EU sanctions policy in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, with the economic sanctions targeting Russia set to be prolonged soon for another six months.
It does, however, leave an opening for improved relations between Brussels and Moscow, stating that "the EU and Russia are interdependent."
"We will therefore engage Russia to discuss disagreements and cooperate if and when our interests overlap," the document says. "In addition to those foreign-policy issues on which we currently cooperate, selective engagement should take place over matters of European interest too, including climate, the Arctic, maritime security, education, research, and cross-border cooperation."
It adds that "engagement should also include deeper societal ties through facilitated travel for students, civil society, and business."
Looking Eastward
Russia's shadow looms large even in the section describing the EU's approach to its other eastern neighbors.
Georgia, which fought a brief 2008 war with Russia and has two Moscow-backed separatist regions on its territory, is singled out in the document as a country whose "success as prosperous, peaceful, and stable democracy" can "reverberate across its region."
Countries such as Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine -- all former Soviet republics -- already have free-trade deals with the EU, and Moldova enjoys a visa-free regime with the 28-member bloc. Both Tbilisi and Kyiv hope to achieve a similar deal later this year.
The prospect of those three former Soviet republics joining the bloc at some point is not mentioned, but the document notes that the EU in the future can offer them "the creation of an economic area with countries implementing DCFTAs [Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas], the extension of trans-European networks, and the Energy Community, as well as building physical and digital connections."
The EU's enlargement policy, which currently encompasses Turkey and several countries in the Western Balkans -- including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- is described as "a strategic investment in Europe's security and prosperity" and as having "already contributed greatly to peace in formerly war-torn areas."
No timetable is sketched out concerning when these countries could become EU members. The strategy paper worryingly notes that "the resilience of these countries cannot be taken for granted" and adds that "the EU enjoys a unique influence in all these countries.
"The strategic challenge for the EU is therefore that of promoting political reform, rule of law, economic convergence, and good neighborly relations in the Western Balkans and Turkey while coherently pursuing cooperation across different sectors," the document states.
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-eu-policy- strategic-challenge/27824026.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Russian Military Tests Readiness With Snap Inspections
by Jim Kovpak June 27, 2016
Russia recently wrapped up nine days of inspections of its military forces in order to judge their readiness. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered the inspections, which lasted from June 14 to 22.
The surprise inspections involved all four of Russia's military districts, with the focus on command and control structures as well as military arsenals. Russia's Defense Ministry notified the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) about the start of the drills, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the inspections did not "threaten in any way our neighbors."
Since 2014, tensions between NATO and Russia have risen as a result of Moscow's annexation of Crimea, support for armed separatists in Ukraine's Donbas region, military intervention on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria, and a generally more assertive military policy toward the West. Against the backdrop of rising tensions between NATO and Russia, some observers see the surprise inspections as a tit-for-tat response to NATO's BALTOPS, a multinational military exercise in the Baltic region which lasted from June 3-19.
More about Russia than NATO
According to Mark Galeotti, a professor of global affairs at New York University, the inspections were more about Russia than NATO.
"I suspect this reflects an awareness within the Defense Ministry that Russia's reserve system, however impressive it may look on paper, is broken," he said. "The center has little idea of the inventory of equipment it has - how much has been stolen, how much lost, how much doesn't still work - or even the mobilization reserve - who has moved, who is dead, who is sick, who has actually done any of their periodic refresher training," Galeotti said.
Galeotti added, "In that context, such mobilizations are the reserve equivalent of the snap exercises [Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu instituted: a chance at once to take stock and also begin to get the relevant people such as the voenkomats (military commissariats, which are local military administrative agencies) used again to actually doing their job."
He also expressed doubt that the timing of the inspections was directly related to NATO's exercise.
"It could be, in opportunist vein, but if so this only influences timing, not intent," he said. "Primarily, the exercise is about testing and revising the mobilization structure, not just making a political gesture in response to NATO," Galeotti added.
No coincidence
From a Russian point of view, however, the timing of the readiness inspections isn't simply a coincidence. Evgeny Buzhinsky, a retired lieutenant general currently with the PIR Center, a Moscow-based think tank, does see a connection between NATO's recent activities and the readiness drills.
"Well the timing is very natural," he said. "NATO is very active. Russia is trying to be active in response. From a military perspective, it is natural."
Buzhinsky said he was sure the inspections, which he called "combat readiness checks," were a positive development given the long period of inactivity and decay Russia's military suffered after the fall of the Soviet Union.
"The West got used to the Russian forces not training for 20 years," he said. "Not flying, not training. Absolutely nothing. Now we are going back to the Soviet level of training, of readiness. Sometimes exceeding it...The Russian military command has paid a lot of attention to communications, control, intelligence, which were lagging behind the West. Now we are catching up and that's good. The great part of these exercises is devoted to these aspects of combat readiness," Buzhinsky said.
The Russian military has been undergoing major reforms since 2008. One of the key reforms is the transition from the Soviet model, based on the mobilization of reservists and conscripts, to a standing force consisting mostly of volunteers serving on contract. Modernization and standardization of arms and equipment are also key goals of the reforms.
Jim Kovpak is an American writer in Moscow who runs the Russia Without BS blog.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Russia Rejects Much Engagement Sought by US, Ambassador Tefft Says
by Daniel Schearf June 27, 2016
The United States is seeking to engage and involve Russia on a range of international issues including the most sensitive to their relations but is often given the cold shoulder, according to U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft.
In an hour-long and exclusive joint interview Monday with VOA Russian Service's Danila Galperovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Irina Lagunina, Tefft described U.S. efforts to reach out to Russia despite ups and downs in political dialogue on Ukraine, Syria and NATO.
Military tensions
"You can ask the Russian side about that. I can tell you that we are determined," responded Tefft when it was suggested that dialogue did not appear to be working to calm military tensions between Russia and the NATO defense alliance.
Tefft described working at the U.S. Embassy in 1997 and taking part in the U.S.-Russia talks on the NATO-Russia Founding Act.
"My own personal view on this is that that document which was completed was never given much of a chance, particularly on the Russian side," he said.
"NATO is a defensive alliance, and I say that everywhere I can here in Russia. It's not an offensive organization. What NATO has done is prepare itself to protect its members."
NATO says Russian military jets have dramatically increased fly-bys and probing of neighboring country defenses, turning off their transponders and too often coming close to other planes in international air space.
"It may be legal, but if it's provocative or trying to, you know, buzz a ship as they were doing up in the Baltic Sea, that's just dangerous," said Tefft, referring to Russian jets flying within meters of a U.S. Navy ship in April. "And, it really ... there's no place for that, I think, in the modern world."
Despite Russia's sabre rattling, Tefft said he expects a prudent and a modest response from NATO, but accompanied by a continued engagement or offer to engage with Russia.
"Because our preference is really a peaceful, cooperative relationship with Russia. That's why the NATO-Russia Council was first created," Tefft said. "We had a meeting of it a few weeks ago. We're ready to do more of those kinds of meetings."
As more former Soviet states and allies join the group, the Kremlin describes NATO expansion as an attempt to encircle and squeeze Russia out of its historic sphere of influence.
Russia has heavily criticized as a provocation a U.S.-led NATO missile defense system being installed in Poland and Romania. Tefft noted that talks with Russia on ballistic missile defense date back to 2010.
"We have talked to the Russian side. They have walked out of talks," he said. "We have offered to set up NATO-Russia facilities to show how these things would work to be, in effect, a confidence-building measure. Russia has not accepted any of those. We'll continue to try to do this."
A NATO summit July 8-9 in Poland is expected to focus much attention on defending against Russian aggression, following its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and ongoing military support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine conflict
Russia's actions, and Western sanctions that followed, plunged relations between Moscow and Washington to levels not seen since the Cold War.
Nonetheless, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry holds almost daily talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on stalled efforts to implement a Minsk peace deal on Ukraine.
When asked how he responds to Russia's claim that it is not a direct party to the conflict in Ukraine, the U.S. ambassador said Russia, along with France, Germany and Ukraine, is part of the Normandy Four. "We all know that Russia moved into Crimea. We know that Russian forces and Russian weapons are still in the Donbas. Russia is a part of this," Tefft said.
IS in Syria
When asked about the potential for U.S.-Russia cooperation in Syria against the Islamic State terrorist group, Tefft noted there is limited coordination because the U.S. wants to see Russia stop supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"We want to see a peaceful ... we'd like to see a cessation of hostilities, and we'd like to see the Geneva agreement implemented. And that calls very clearly and Russia signed on to this for a transition to a new political system after Mr. Assad," Tefft said. "But, so far we haven't even really been able to get that far, because Assad has been attacking people and Russian forces have been supporting him and, in some cases, doing their own bombing of some of the opposition."
Russia denies targeting moderate groups, while labeling as terrorists nearly everyone fighting against Assad's government in Damascus.
"We have also offered to the Russian side, for some time now, holding what we call strategic stability talks. They have not taken that up yet," Tefft said about the potential for broader U.S.-Russia discussions.
He lamented Russia's ending of some bilateral educational programs and exchanges with the U.S. over the tensions, as well as its ongoing crackdown against foreign and foreign-funded charities.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
U.S. Complains To Russia About Increased Harassment Of Diplomats
June 28, 2016
Russian harassment and spying on U.S. diplomats in Moscow has increased significantly, an issue that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry raised recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kerry last raised the matter with Putin in March, the State Department said on June 27.
"We see an increase and we take it seriously," department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said, adding that harassment by Russian security agents and traffic police had been an issue over the past two years since the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.
Other Western embassies reported the same behavior toward their diplomats in Moscow, and the harassment of U.S. diplomats has occurred outside Russia as well, she said.
While Trudeau declined to name any specific official or incident, The Washington Post reported examples like intrusions into diplomats' homes in which their furniture was rearranged and lights and televisions were turned on. One diplomat said an intruder had defecated on his living room carpet.
Washington stripped five of Russia's six honorary consuls of credentials in January to retaliate for the harassment of its diplomats. In response, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of provoking Russian diplomats in the United States and elsewhere.
Honorary consuls are typically U.S. citizens who perform consular services on behalf of a foreign government. The five were located in California, Florida, Minnesota, Utah, and Puerto Rico.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, AFP, and The Washington Post
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/us-complains-russia- increased-harassment-diplomats-moscow/27824728.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Jordanian Intel Stole US Arms for Syrian Rebels on Regular Basis
Sputnik News
02:41 27.06.2016
A journalist investigation has revealed that Jordanian intelligence officers kept stealing US-provided arms intended for Syrian rebels and sold them on the black market for their own profit.
A joint investigation by the New York Times and Al Jazeera revealed a messy scheme of arms theft that Jordanian intelligence service (the General Intelligence Directorate, or GID) officers used to smuggle weapons provided by the US and Saudi Arabia for Syrian rebels trained on Jordanian soil.
The CIA reportedly conducted Syrian rebel training programs for decades. One, the less effective, was intended to train Syrian fighters to fight against Daesh. This program was shut down after it reportedly managed to train only a handful of fighters. The second one, though, trained fighters to fight against Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad. This one, reportedly, was way more effective.
Since 2013, both the United States and Saudi Arabia shipped weapons, which included assault rifles, RPGs and mortars, to Jordan, to arms the rebels. However, a group of Jordan intelligence officers siphoned truckloads of the weapons worth millions of dollars from the stocks, and they ended up on a black market, where criminal networks and rural Jordanian tribes, as well as foreign smugglers, provided a stable demand.
These weapons were used in a recent shooting when Anwar Abu Zaid, a Jordanian police captain, gunned down two American contractors. The FBI investigation into the shooting included weapon numbers tracking, which led to the revelation of the whole scheme.
The existence of the rebel training program is classified, as are all details about its budget. It is or was, apparently also a state secret in Jordan.
Representatives of the CIA and FBI declined to comment.
Mohammad H. al-Momani, Jordan's minister of state for media affairs, however, said allegations that Jordanian intelligence officers had been involved in any weapons thefts were "absolutely incorrect."
He said GID is "a world-class, reputable institution known for its professional conduct and high degree of cooperation among security agencies." It is unclear whether the current head of the GID had knowledge of the theft.
Notably, news of the weapons theft and eventual crackdown has reportedly been circulating inside Jordan's government for several months. Husam Abdallat, a senior aide to several past Jordanian prime ministers, said he had heard about the scheme from current Jordanian officials.
The theft scheme ended a couple of months ago, after the Americans and Saudis complained about the theft. Investigators at the GID arrested several dozen officers involved in the scheme, but they were ultimately released from detention and fired from the service, but were allowed to keep their pensions and money they gained from the scheme, according to Jordanian officials.
According to the New York Times/Al Jazeera report, Jordan provided grounds for US covert operations for decades, thanks to its key position in the Middle East, in exchange for massive monetary support provided to the Jordanian government since the second half of twentieth century.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
UNICEF deplores killing of children in eastern Syria
27 June 2016 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has spoken out against the reported killing of 25 children in recent air-strikes in the Syrian town of al-Quriyah, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
"Nothing justifies attacks on children no matter where they are nor under whose control they live," the UN agency said in a statement. "UNICEF deplores these attacks and calls on all parties to the conflict to keep children out of harm's way."
According to the statement, issued on 26 June, three attacks reportedly hit heavily crowded areas in the town, including a mosque during prayer time. Health workers were reported to have pulled bodies of children out from under the rubble.
UNICEF said that amid an intensification of violence, attacks on children in Syria are becoming commonplace with callous disregard for their lives. It also recalled that under international humanitarian law, the killing and maiming of children is a grave violation.
More than 250,000 people have been killed and 4.8 million have been forced to leave the country, while another 6.5 million are internally displaced, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The United Nations is involved in Geneva-based talks between the parties, aimed at resolving the conflict.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Revised Pentagon program trains less than 100 Syria militants
Iran Press TV
Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:17AM
A revamped training program by the Pentagon has trained less than 100 additional militants to combat Daesh terrorists in Syria, US officials said.
US military officials are considering ways to speed up training of Syria militants after another train-and-equip program was abandoned last October.
Units of Syria militants were transported out of Syria to train at camps in Turkey, Jordan and other locations under the $500-million program. However, the vast majority of the units left the battlefield or turned over their US-supplied weapons to other militant groups.
The US had originally planned to train a local force of about 5,000 militants each year in the first program. However, Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who led Central Command at the time, said in testimony to Congress last September that only "four or five" militants were trained.
After repeated setbacks to that program, US officials revamped the initiative so that only small numbers of carefully-vetted militant leaders would be trained to direct airstrikes against Daesh and act as liaisons with US and allied forces.
Officials said the revised program has managed to train less than 100 additional fighters, mostly outside of Syria, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
"What we're looking at now is taking out key enabler personnel from certain units, training them and then reinserting them so they can provide information to the coalition to enable us to then target ISIL," one official told the Post on condition of anonymity.
The groups include militants from northwest and southern Syria trained under the Pentagon's first program.
The newly trained leaders are returning to their units with communications equipment, small arms, ammunition and vehicles to pass their training down the ranks, officials said.
"Rather than training 10 people to use a rifle, if you can train a smaller number of people to accurately describe their own position relative to the position of enemy forces, it enables them to better coordinate resupply and describe enemy positions," one of the officials said.
Daesh terrorists, who were among the militants trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, control parts of the country. They also overran neighboring Iraq in 2014.
The terrorists have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Izadi Kurds, and Christians, in the areas under their control.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Taiwan to test-fire missile system in US
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:54AM
Taiwan has announced that it plans to carry out the first test of its latest missile system in the US amid tensions with China.
A defense source said Monday that Taiwan will carry out the test of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system in July at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
The sources said the test will be carried out in the US to prevent China from collecting information on the sensitive move. They said space restrictions in Taiwan were also considered in moving the test to the US.
Local media covered the issue but there was no official confirmation from US officials stationed in Taiwan.
Washington is Taiwan's biggest ally and largest arms supplier. However, it has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei and the American Institute in Taiwan serves as the de facto US embassy in the self-ruling island.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory, saying it would force it into reunification if necessary. The two nations split in 1949 after a civil war.
Relations have soured since Beijing-skeptic President Tsai Ing-wen took office in Taiwan in May and ended an eight-year rapprochement.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry says there are 1,500 Chinese missiles aimed at the island. Beijing fired two such missiles near Taiwan in 1995 and 1996 in a bid to discourage voters from attending presidential elections.
Local newspapers said the test-fires of the missiles, which will come during a drill, will see Taiwanese units fire two missiles to intercept a missile launched by the US military, which simulates an incoming Chinese ballistic missile.
The reports said Taiwan bought the systems well before Tsai's presidency and that the US approved the tests last year.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Taiwan-US to Test Missile Defense System as Threat of War with China Grows
Sputnik News
22:35 27.06.2016(updated 03:44 28.06.2016)
In its push for full independence, Taipei looks to the Obama administration for support, a move that could result in a catastrophic war.
On Monday, Taiwan announced plans to test-fire the newly acquired US-made Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile defense shield next month amid heightened tensions with China.
The United States will host the anti-missile system test at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The test will be conducted in the US rather than Taiwan to limit Beijing's ability to gather information on the system's capability.
As part of his "Asian Pivot," US President Barack Obama has made it a mission in recent years to limit China's influence in the Pacific region by propping up the defense capabilities of Beijing's neighbors.
Recent acts of overt US provocation against Beijing include leaking stories of splintering in Xi Jinping's administration, installing a missile shield in South Korea that stretches the entirety of the Chinese mainland, meddling in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, massive naval exercises with Japan and India along the mainland's eastern flank, establishing a defense agreement with Vietnam after a five decades embargo, and penning an unprecedented military defense partnership with Tokyo, among other measures.
Although just the latest in a long-line of aggressive overtures by the increasingly hawkish Obama administration, this latest offense may prove to be more damning in light of Taiwan's volatile ties with China after Taipei established a regional government separate from the government in Beijing.
Those relations have taken a turn for the worse of late, after President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May on a message of economic and political nationalism that led to an end of the eight-year rapprochement between Taipei and Beijing. President Tsai, Taiwan's first female president, spurred the ire of Xi Jinping's government after refusing to disavow her calls for full Taiwanese independence.
On Saturday, China suspended all diplomatic contact with Taiwan, turning the region into a tinderbox that could explode into a full-scale war at any moment. China maintains that Taiwan remains part of its territory.
With cross-strait ties deteriorating, the United States has inserted itself into a potential conflict by providing Taipei with a missile shield to counter the Chinese military.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Turkey allows German defense minister's visit to air base
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:27PM
Turkey has agreed to grant a visit to German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen to an air base south of the country a day after the minister reacted angrily to Ankara's refusal to allow a trip to the base by a German political delegation.
A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry welcomed on Monday Turkey's consent to the visit by Von der Leyen to Incirlik, saying the German minister would try in her visit to gain the approval for a trip to the base by lawmakers which was originally planned for July.
Von der Leyen on Sunday slammed Turkey's decision to bar Germany's state secretary for defense, Ralf Brauksiepe, and some lawmakers from making the trip to Incirlik in southern Turkey, saying she will personally go there to talk to around 250 German soldiers stationed in the camp to fight against Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
In her criticism of Turkey's blocking of the trip by lawmakers, Von der Leyen had said that she would look at the housing situation at the base before finalizing a 60-million-euro ($66-million) deal for Germany to build new barracks there.
The German minister had also said she would use her visit "to explain to Turkey what it means to have a military under parliamentary control."
Germany increased its contribution to the US-led so-called international coalition attacks against Daesh in Iraq and Syria when in December it sent Tornado surveillance jets and tanker aircraft to Incirlik.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had called the planned visit by German lawmakers as "inappropriate." The blocking of the visit by the German delegation came after the German parliament decided this month to recognize the killing of Armenians by the Ottomans in the World War I as genocide.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Ankara apologizes to Moscow over downing Russian jet
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:10PM
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has apologized to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Ankara's shooting down of a Russia's military jet last year which shattered ties between the two countries.
In a statement released on Monday, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had received a letter from Erdogan "in which the Turkish leader expressed his desire to resolve the situation connected to the downing of a Russian military aircraft."
"The head of the Turkish state in his message expressed his sympathy and deepest condolences to the family of the dead Russian pilot and said sorry," Peskov added.
Erdogan said he wanted to do "everything possible for the restoration of the traditionally friendly relations between Turkey and Russia," according to the Kremlin statement.
Erdogan's spokesman confirmed the Turkish president had sent the letter.
"The president also called on his Russian counterpart to restore the traditional friendly relations between Turkey and Russia, work together to address regional crises and jointly combat terrorism," Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement.
He added, "Turkey and Russia have agreed to take necessary steps without delay to improve bilateral relations."
Moscow-Ankara ties strained last November after Turkey shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft with two pilots aboard, claiming the fighter jet had repeatedly violated the Turkish airspace.
Ankara had argued that the Russian plane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings, but Russia insisted it did not cross the border and accused Ankara of a "planned provocation."
Moscow said the plane was brought down in Syrian airspace, where Russia has been conducting combat sorties against Takfiri terrorists since late September 2015 upon a request by the Damascus government.
Of the two pilots aboard the warplane, one was rescued with the help of the Syrian army, but the other was killed by militants fighting the Syrian government.
Following the incident, Russia imposed a raft of sanctions on Ankara, including import restriction on Turkish foods, a ban on tourist travel to Turkey, an embargo on hiring Turkish citizens in Russia and an embargo on Turkish organizations' activities in Russia.
Russia also suspended all military deals with Turkey.
Putin had said sanctions would not be lifted unless Erdogan apologized over the incident.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Israel, Turkey 'reach normalization deal'
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:58AM
Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement on the normalization of their relations six years after an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid flotilla killed 10 Turkish activists in high seas and sent their ties spiraling into a cycle of tensions.
An Israeli official said on condition of anonymity on Sunday that the deal had been reached but would be officially announced on Monday.
Israeli commandos attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010, killing nine Turkish citizens and injuring about 50 other people. A tenth Turkish national later succumbed to the injuries sustained in the raid.
Ankara initially reacted with fury. It suspended its military ties with Israel and expelled the Israeli envoy from Ankara in September 2010 over Tel Aviv's refusal to apologize for the killings.
However, Turkey gradually engaged in not-so-public talks with the Israeli regime to mend ties. Since last December, the two sides have held several rounds of talks aimed at restoring the tense bilateral ties.
The United States was reportedly pushing the two sides to resolve the dispute. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the Italian capital, Rome, where negotiations are said to have been held, to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday.
A Turkish official also said Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim is scheduled to talk about the deal at 1:00 pm (1000 GMT) in Ankara on Monday.
"The prime minister will talk about the contents of the Turkey-Israel agreement at tomorrow's press conference," the unnamed Turkish official said Sunday.
The deal is set to go before Israel's so-called security cabinet for approval on Wednesday.
The Israeli official said the agreement will lead to the restoration of ambassadors.
Among Turkey's key conditions for the reconciliation accord with Israel were an apology and compensations, which are said to have been largely met. However, the main hurdle to the agreement is reported to be the lifting of Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip.
According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, the two sides have reached a compromise on the issue, according to which Turkey will be allowed to send aid for Palestinians via Ashdod in the occupied territories rather than directly to Gaza.
According to Reuters, under the reported terms of the deal, Israel will allow the completion of a much-needed hospital in Gaza, as well as the construction of a new power station and a desalination plant for drinking water.
Earlier, reports circulating about an imminent deal between Turkey and Israel had angered the families of the victims of the 2010 raid.
Netanyahu rejoices over the deal
Meanwhile, on Monday, Netanyahu hailed the deal as "an important step" that will have "immense" impact on the Israeli economy.
"It (the deal) has also immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly," he said at a news conference after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome.
Kerry, for his part, said, "We are obviously pleased in the administration. This is a step we wanted to see happen," referring to the normalization of the ties between Israel and Turkey.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Erdogan Sends Condolences to Putin Over Death of Russian Su-24 Pilot
Sputnik News
15:58 27.06.2016(updated 21:33 27.06.2016)
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Erdogan "is sorry" and is willing to deal with the crisis in the relations between two countries.
Vladimir Putin has received a letter from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing readiness to resolve bilateral crisis caused by the downing of a Russian combat plane by the Turkish fighter jet last year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.
"President Putin has received a letter from Turkish President Erdogan where the Turkish leader expresses interest in resolving the situation around the downing of a Russian bomber jet," Peskov said.
Erdogan said that Turkey "shares the pain of the downed Su-24 pilot's death with his family" and "sees it as Turkey's pain", according to Peskov.
Turkey is ready to take all steps required to "relieve the pain and severity of damage" to the deceased Su-24 pilot's family, Erdogan writes in his letter to the Russian President.
"In the letter, the Turkish President also says he has always seen Russia as a strategic partner and a friend", Peskov said.
"We never intended to shoot down the aircraft of the Russian Federation," Erdogan emphasised.
On November 24, 2015, a Turkish F-16 fighter plane shot down a Russian Su-24M bomber jet operating as part of Russia's anti-terrorist mission in northern Syria near the Turkish border. Following the shootdown, Russian pilot Oleg Peshkov successfully ejected from his plane, but was shot and killed as his parachute descended to the ground by armed militia.
Later, Alparslan Celik, a member of the ultra-nationalist militant group Grey Wolves, suspected to be operating in the area, confirmed his involvement in the murder of the Russian pilot.
The trial of Alparslan Celik, a Turkish citizen accused of the criminal possession and carrying of weapons, has begun in the western Turkish city of Izmir.
Sputnik
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Turkey, Israel End 6 Years of Diplomatic Strain
by Dorian Jones June 27, 2016
The Israeli and Turkish prime ministers announced the restoration of full diplomatic relations, frozen for six years following the killing of Turkish activists who sought to break Israel's economic blockade of Gaza.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the countries will restore their ambassadors as soon as possible. The re-establishment of full diplomatic relations follows more than a year of secret negotiations.
Relations collapsed when Israeli commandos killed 10 Turkish activists who tried to sail to Gaza, which was under a naval blockade in 2010.
The new deal
Under the deal, Yildirim said Israel will pay families of the dead activists $20 million in compensation.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking simultaneously in Rome, said the naval blockade of Gaza would continue. He said it is vital to preventing arms delivery. Ankara had been demanding Israel lift the embargo in return for full diplomatic relations.
Yildirim said under the agreement Turkey would be allowed to deliver aid to Gaza, through Israel. He said the first ship loaded with more than 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid will leave for the Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday. He also said Turkey would build a 200-bed hospital in Gaza.
Istanbul-based political consultant Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners said powerful forces of mutual interest are driving the deal.
"There are political as well as economic reasons, obviously the dynamics of the Syria war have compelled both Israel and Turkey for a reconciliation," he said. "Israel was afraid that its border with Syria would be occupied by radical fundamentalist organizations."
Israel and Turkey were once allies whose relationship extended to close military ties.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the move. Washington has been lobbying hard for a rapprochement between two of its most important allies in the region.
Political scientist Cengiz Aktar of Istanbul's Suleyman Sah University said little more than pragmatism supports the relationship.
"This is the sheer and cold interests of states and no more," he said. "Turkey remains deeply anti-Semitic and probably Israel remains a deeply anti-Muslim country."
Observers point out that despite recent tensions, bilateral trade has continued to grow. Netanyahu said the deal will have an immense impact economically for Israel.
Analyst Yesilada said the deal will likely see deepening economic cooperation.
"Economically, Israel wants to transport its natural gas discovered offshore to Europe and Turkey clearly wants to reduce its gas dependence on Russia," he said. "So that urgency is still there."
Ankara has been seeking alternative gas suppliers to Russia, since a collapse in relations with Moscow. Observers point out the deal with Israel is also part of a wider strategy of repairing relations with neighbors and former allies, which has seen Ankara become increasingly isolated in the region.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
UK flexes military muscle in Gibraltar with nuke sub
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:56AM
The UK has sent one of its nuclear submarines to Gibraltar, amid a long-running territorial dispute with Spain that escalated after Britain's exit from the European Union (EU).
The HMS Ambush docked in Gibraltar on Saturday, only a day after Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo repeated Madrid's claim of sovereignty over the territory.
Speaking in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the EU, Garcia said Brexit had opened up "new possibilities on Gibraltar not seen for a very long time."
The UK navy claimed that the attack submarine's visit to the Rock was long planned, but analysts believe that it was a clear message by London to Madrid that UK's position on Gibraltar is not likely to change.
This is while UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond warned on Sunday that protecting the territory would be harder after leaving the bloc.
"'We will be less able to protect Gibraltar's interests - not defend Gibraltar's territory, of course we can do that, but to protect Gibraltar's interests - if we are not inside the European Union," he told ITV.
The Foreign Office has assured Gibraltarians that the UK will "continue to stand beside Gibraltar" and will never negotiate the Rock's sovereignty against the will of its people.
The enclave participated in Thursday's EU referendum as a British overseas territory within the EU, and voted almost unanimously to remain in the bloc, casting 19,322 votes for Remain against just 823 for 'Leave' - an overwhelming 95.9 percent
Following the vote, Julie Girling, the South West England and Gibraltar Conservative MEP and a fierce Remain campaigner, said, "I am deeply sorry that the people of the UK have chosen this leap in the dark. I believe future generations will question our wisdom."
Gibraltar, with a population of over 30,000, is located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and has an area of 6.7 square kilometers (2.6 square miles).
The territory was ceded to Britain in 1713 as part of the Treaty of Utrecht. But Spain over the past decades has made it clear that it wants Gibraltar back.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Germany Rules Out Informal 'Brexit' Talks Amid Diplomacy
June 27, 2016
by RFE/RL
Germany has warned that there will be no informal talks on the conditions for Britain leaving the European Union without London filing formal notice of its intent to quit, as top EU and U.S. officials scrambled to contain the fallout from the vote.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Europe on June 27, where he held emergency talks in Brussels with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and EU foreign-policy chief Frederica Mogherini before departing for London to meet with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
The leaders of Germany, France, and Italy, meanwhile, were expected to meet in Berlin to tackle the crisis. Germany and France have said they are "united" in tackling the crisis.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said that "one thing is clear -- before Great Britain has sent this notification, there will be no informal preliminary talks about the exit modalities."
Only Britain can invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty, which triggers the formal process by which the country would leave the union.
Departing Prime Minister David Cameron has signaled that it could take several months before Article 50 is invoked, but Seibert said that "the uncertainty cannot continue forever."
Germany's position was echoed by Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, who said Brussels can't afford to spend a "year on procedures" for Britain's exit from the European Union.
But Cameron, who on June 27 led his first cabinet meeting since the referendum, urged his top ministers to get on with business.
Cameron set up a new unit to help lay the groundwork for a "Brexit," or Britain's exit from the EU, his spokeswoman said.
Cameron's spokeswoman on June 27 said the government "will not tolerate intolerance" after Poland's embassy to London voiced concern over what it said were recent incidents of xenophobic abuse targeting the Polish community and other migrants in Britain.
U.S. Secretary of State Kerry, speaking in Brussels, warned the other 27 European Union nations not to be revengeful toward Britain despite its decision to leave the bloc.
After meeting with EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini on June 27, Kerry said it's "absolutely essential that we stay focused on how, in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cocked, people don't start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful premises."
Meanwhile, despite reassurances by treasury head George Osborne that Britain's economy was "as strong as could be" to deal with the Brexit consequences, the British pound dropped to a new 31-year low on June 27, sinking below $1.32 for the first time since 1985.
The London Stock Exchange temporarily suspended trading in shares of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Barclays when they briefly moved out of the trading range of 8 percent -- an automatic action.
Trading resumed after five minutes.
Other British stocks are also experiencing sharp volatility in the aftermath of the vote, including budget airline EasyJet, which flies to multiple EU destinations.
On June 24, the surprise Brexit result had wiped some $2.1 trillion off market valuations.
Osborne said he had been in touch regularly with Bank of England Governor Mark Carney since the result of the referendum was announced on June 24, adding there were well-thought-through contingency plans if needed.
The British pound recovered some of its lost ground on June 27 after Osborne's statement.
The currency last traded at $1.35, after it had fallen as far as $1.34 in Asian trading and to $1.32 on June 24, its lowest in 31 years.
European leaders, meanwhile, stepped up pressure on Britain to immediately begin its complex exit from the 28-country EU.
European Parliament chief Martin Schulz warned on June 26 that a period of limbo would "lead to even more insecurity and thus endanger jobs," adding that a summit of EU leaders this week was the "right time" to begin exit proceedings.
Political turmoil has rocked Britain as leaders struggle with the question of how precisely the country would separate from the other 27 states in the bloc.
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who led the "leave" campaign and is tipped to replace Cameron, has said that Britain will continue to "intensify" cooperation with the EU.
He also said there was "no great rush" for Britain to extricate itself from the bloc.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is also facing pressure to step down, with several shadow cabinet members and lawmakers resigning on June 26 in protest at what they see as a lack of stronger pro-European leadership by Corbyn.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on June 26 she would do whatever it takes to keep pro-EU Scotland in the bloc.
Sturgeon said she would "consider" advising the Scottish Parliament to try to use its power to prevent Britain from actually leaving the EU.
She said Scottish lawmakers might be able to derail the move by withholding "legislative consent" for a British exit.
A key ally of Germany's chancellor has, meanwhile, said an independent Scotland would be welcome to join the European Union.
"The EU will still consist of 28 member states, as I expect a new independence referendum in Scotland, which will then be successful," Gunther Krichbaum, a member of Merkel's conservatives and chairman of the European Affairs Committee in parliament, told the Welt Am Sonntag newspaper.
With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/ european-leaders-in-crisis-talks-after- britains-eu-referendum/27822238.html
Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Remarks With British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
London, United Kingdom
June 27, 2016
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Good afternoon. I'm delighted to welcome Secretary Kerry today. His visit here just three days after the referendum result underlines the strength of the special relationship and indeed Britain's many friendships around the world, and I very much appreciate him taking the time to visit with us today.
The result last Friday is, of course, not the result that I wished for, and it means a difficult period ahead for our country as we adjust to the choice that has been made, and over a longer period, our economy adjusts to the new realities. But the people of Britain have spoken and the government is clear that the result must be respected and will be delivered. And as the prime minister set out earlier this afternoon, Britain's global role remains undiminished. There is absolutely no question that Britain will turn its back on the world or indeed on Europe.
Britain is and always will be open for business, committed to peace and security, and a leading supporter of the international rules-based system. We're a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the second largest contributor to NATO, a member of the G7, the G20, and the Commonwealth. And even outside the EU, we will seek to continue close collaboration and the strongest possible economic relationship with the 27.
I want to stress again that until an Article 50 notice is served, Britain remains a full member of the European Union. We will continue to engage with it and to contribute to it. Our support for Operation Sophia, the EU task force tackling people traffickers in the Mediterranean, is just one example of how we will continue to play our part. I expect that cooperation will go on regardless of our future status and relationship with the European Union.
I also want to reassure EU nationals living in the UK that there will be no immediate changes in their circumstances. They are as entitled to work, visit, and live here today as they were last Wednesday. The same is true of UK nationals in the EU.
Of course, our priorities are not confined to relationships with our near neighbors. We will remain engaged with our international partners, as we've always done, to protect our people, promote our prosperity, and project our values. Our world-class diplomatic service will continue to deliver this vital work using its skills and expertise to uphold British interests and to support our partners around the world.
After this press conference, I will be talking with Secretary Kerry about how to keep up the pressure against Daesh in Syria and Iraq through the global coalition in which the UK plays an important part.
I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome the progress made by the Iraqi Security Forces in Fallujah while recognizing also the serious humanitarian situation faced by people there and the need for the international community to respond to that.
We'll also discuss how to restart the stalled political dialogue and encourage a transition away from Assad in Syria and how we best support the Government of National Accord in Libya. All of these issues are of vital concern to this country and we will continue to play a vocal role in seeking solutions to them.
I want to end by thanking Secretary Kerry once again for coming here today. It is an important show of support for the special relationship between Britain and the United States. The U.S., of course, has vital relationships also with the other members of the European Union, and I hope that in the weeks and months ahead, we will be able to work out a solution for our future relationship with Britain outside the European Union which supports the stability and the security and the prosperity of the continent of Europe in a way which is hugely in the interests of the people of the UK, the people of the continent of Europe, and the people of the United States.
John.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Philip, thank you. Thank you very much and good evening to everybody. I want to thank Foreign Secretary Hammond for yet another generous welcome here in London, and also for his partnership in seeking to resolve some of the thorniest and most urgent challenges that we face across the globe.
I'm here in this great capital city this evening in the aftermath of last week's vote to underscore the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and the United Kingdom. The special relationship that we often refer to is perhaps even more important in these days of questioning on behalf of many people, but I want to make it clear that we believe we the United States believe that it remains as strong and as crucial as ever.
We are bound together by a lot of different things, bound together by a lot of history, bound together by many shared traditions, shared values, shared language mostly (laughter) and a shared view of the rights and responsibilities of people and of nations. Ours is really, frankly, a storied history among nations. And it is not inappropriate to recall that our troops in World War II fought side by side to liberate a continent from fascism, that our diplomats worked together in tandem to rebuild Europe. And our soldiers and our aviators defended it when an Iron Curtain descended between West and East.
And today, our nations cooperate on virtually every major political and security issue. That is a very simple reason that right here in fact, in this room was my first visit overseas as Secretary of State. Good friends are important all of the time, but they are especially important in complex times. And I want to make it clear that at this moment of challenge, the United States of America knows it could not ask for a better friend and ally than the United Kingdom.
As Foreign Secretary Hammond and I reaffirmed today briefly in the conversation that we've already had and then we will talk further about the issues that Philip referred to but we reaffirmed that our two countries are strong and vigilant NATO partners, permanent members of the UN Security Council, commercial partners, global champions of democracy and the rule of law. And the United States counts on strong UK leadership in NATO, the G7, the UN Security Council, the counter-Daesh coalition, and we are both looking forward to the NATO summit next month as 28 nations, including 22 EU members, come together in Warsaw to take the next steps to further strengthen the world's greatest alliance. And we will continue to be partners in that alliance.
This morning in Brussels and Philip referred to our relationship with the EU I reaffirmed the centrality of U.S.-EU relations and the common agenda that we share. This includes the promotion of peace in Syria, the defeat of Daesh, support for Afghanistan in its fight against extremists, support for the Government of National Accord in Libya, support for a sovereign and democratic Ukraine, just to mention a few of the global challenges that bring us together constantly. It includes addressing the global refugee crisis, implementing both climate change agreement approved in Paris and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran to reduce the threat posed by a nuclear weapon.
It includes our international health efforts, where together we helped stop the spread of Ebola and now stand on the threshold of the first generation born free from AIDS. And it includes our effort to revolutionize the way that we produce energy, crack down on corruption, create jobs, and spur growth on both sides of the Atlantic. And while last Thursday's outcome was, as Philip said, different from what he hoped for, it was different from what both our governments looked for. It reflected, however, the will of the British people. And we respect that all of us. That is the essence of democracy, and so too, my friends, is leadership. And we have immense confidence in the quality of leadership on both sides of the channel in order to manage the transition in a thoughtful and sensitive and strategic manner.
While there is some uncertainty in the air inevitably, leaders have the ability individual people have the ability and the responsibility to restore certainty by making wise choices in the days ahead. And that means choices that, to every degree possible, are not aimed at retribution, not aimed in anger, but rather thought through in a way that brings people together.
At a very different moment in UK history, Winston Churchill summed up what is still our mission today: "We shall go forward together." Around the world, we all face grave challenges and difficulties. Believe me: The complexity of those challenges is brought home to me every single day. We live in an era of unbelievable technology and yet our instincts are in some ways stubbornly tribal. National and sectarian jealousies continue to plague us. And non-state actors have more influence than ever before sometimes for the better, but often for the worse.
The reality is that our nations, our people, have always faced tests. And for the most part in the modern era, we have faced those tests together. That is the nature of history. Every generation is called on to surmount obstacles. And I am absolutely convinced we will overcome whatever obstacles are in our way now.
Seventy-five years ago, millions of refugees were streaming not into Europe, but out seeking refuge from a confrontation with Nazism that would climax in unprecedented savagery and in the Holocaust.
Fifty years ago, half of Europe lived behind barbed wire.
A quarter of a century ago, Europe was witness to a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing that would rage for years.
Make no mistake: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the entire transatlantic community responded then, and we will respond now, because that community is strong not because we have somehow been exempt from tragedy and strife. We are strong because we are resilient and because we have resisted attempt after attempt to divide us and to turn us on one another.
So yes, the UK and EU relationship will now change, but what will never change is that we are strongest when we stay united as a transatlantic community and find the common ground rooted in the interests and the values of freedom, open markets, equality, and tolerance. Let me emphasize: The day before the vote last week, we were motivated in our efforts globally by similar interests and similar values. That vote does not wipe away those interests or those values. And so we need to stay organized, even as we go forward.
I want to thank Prime Minister Cameron and I thank my friend, Philip, the foreign secretary, for their partnership on so many of these challenges that we face, and I have every confidence in the world that when reasonable people apply reasonable standards in reasonable ways, we will find a way to go forward strong and confident about the possibilities of the future.
I'd be happy to answer a couple questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: James Robinson from BBC. Foreign Secretary, could I ask you, in the light of what you said about the what you say of the internal contradictions within the offer made by the out campaign, particularly trade and freedom of movement, whether you think that it would be necessarily a good thing for whatever is negotiated as final settlement with the European Union, the terms of exit, to be put to the people of Britain since (inaudible) out can't achieve everything they've offered to the British people, perhaps in the form of a manifesto ahead of a general election, perhaps in the form of a second referendum.
But before we answer that, Mr. Secretary, now that Britain has chosen to go to the back of the queue in future trade negotiations with the United States, to use the President's own words, surely he might regret having used those words, because some people who voted for exit were apparently angered by what they saw as a threat by some form of foreign dictation. And you called the special relationship just as crucial as it ever was and just as strong, but surely it can't be just as crucial and strong if you are going to lose the United Kingdom as a hinge with the European Union or a bridge to the European Union. It must be, in substance, quite different.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Well, thank you. Let me first of all reiterate that I see the central challenge ahead as being balanced in that equation how much freedom of movement against how much access to the single market. And I think that is where the debate will coalesce in the end, but that we have, as a nation, to make some decisions about what the balance between the two is, because I am certain that as we enter the negotiations with our European partners, that will be the central (inaudible) that has to be addressed.
As to the essence of your question is how do you given that there is that question, how do you obtain political legitimacy for the decision that is made, which will necessarily whatever the deal is, will necessarily be a decision that doesn't satisfy some section of the electorate. That is a question for the new prime minister to answer. And clearly, there will be a process. It may be quite a long process. And in looking at the democratic tools that we have available, obviously we're in a fixed-term parliament world at the moment where we've got three and a half years to run before the next general election. But any political leader will be looking at their political legitimacy and how they ensure the political legitimacy of the decisions that they take, and that will be for him or her to decide.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, the President made the comment about the queue, and let me just be clear: The President's concerns that he expressed are valid concerns and we are currently evaluating the impact of this decision that has been made, which is not yet implemented, on TTIP and trade in general.
Now, I am absolutely confident, because of all of the things that I just talked about the multiplicity of engagements between the United States and the UK which bring us together on issue after issue we will be together in Warsaw in a few days at the NATO summit. We will be together on the 19th of July right here in London with a host and a group of other countries talking about Libya, talking about Yemen, talking about Syria. We will be together in Washington I think two days later for a major ISIL, counter-violence extremism gathering in Washington. Those are the three or four meetings yet to happen just in the next weeks. And that's sort of the average the average rate in today's world in our meetings and engagements.
So we're just not going to be interrupted, certainly in terms of communication and the role that the United States and the UK play. The UK is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The UK is critical in our implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement, critical with respect to Mideast peace, critical with respect to the counter-ISIL coalition.
So all of those things are going to remain as important as they were before this vote took place. It remains for us to see how this negotiation unfolds in order to fully understand exactly what type of trade platform we will operate off of or exactly how our the full measure of our economic relationship is impacted.
But what I said and what more importantly, what President Obama has said, and has said repeatedly, is that the United States and the United Kingdom have this unbreakable, special relationship, and he is going to do everything in his power to make sure that we are as helpful as we can be in whatever way is necessary not only to sustain the relationship with Great Britain, but also to sustain a strong EU and a Europe which can continue to contribute, as it has so much, to our global security and our global prosperity.
MR KIRBY: The next question is for Brad Klapper, Associated Press.
QUESTION: Thank you. I have questions for you both as well. First, Secretary Kerry, do you agree with the foreign secretary's assessment that British that Britain's role in the world hasn't diminished? If so, that would seem to imply that its leadership role in the EU wasn't worth all that much. And secondly, are you holding out any hope that the British voters or government might yet reassess or even still reverse the decision to leave the EU?
And Mr. Foreign Secretary, we heard Mr. Kerry speak earlier today about avoiding anger or revenge among the EU's member-states in its exit negotiations with Britain. Do you feel such an approach emerging? And why shouldn't some of these European states be angry with Britain for being left behind?
SECRETARY KERRY: Brad, do I agree that Britain's role has somehow been diminished? No, I think it's been changed. The voice that Britain will speak with will continue to be the powerful voice of an ally who has worked with us on so many issues through the years and remains aligned with us in its commitment to a nuclear deterrent, in its commitment on the UN Security Council, in its commitment to all of the things I listed, and I am confident will continue to play that role.
But that doesn't mean that we won't miss that voice within the context of the EU as it changed. I personally will regret that Britain is not going to be at that table when there is a U.S.-EU dialogue, but I have no doubt that Britain is going to be weighing in with us and critically involved with us on every single issue. There won't be one reduction of effort between our two countries in the course of this, even though the structure obviously changes because of the choice that they have made with respect to the EU membership itself. But in so many other ways I've just described the month of July. We're going to be continuing and that will continue for years to come.
I have no idea what options are available to those who will negotiate this agreement as they go forward. And I will not even begin to venture an opinion at this stage of what the people of Great Britain ought to do or not do. It's completely up to them, up to their leaders; and they first, I think, have to sort through what's real and what isn't, what are the available options.
And the key is that everybody does this in a spirit of looking for the best way forward so that economies are not injured, so that security interests are not set back, and so that the people the people of our countries about whom this is really centered come out of this as well as possible.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: If I could just say a word on the first question. We are very clear that we are going to redouble our effort to show Britain's commitment to playing a global role. So you won't see us shrinking back. If anything, you'll see us resolving to be even more present, to be even more a force in action on the global stage to demonstrate and underscore that commitment.
And I also expect that we will continue to play a major role in relation to European security. The U.S. isn't a member of the European Union, but it's by far the most important security player in Europe. And Britain, as a leading member of NATO working in all sort of practical ways with European Union partners, will continue to play an important role in ensuring Europe's security.
On the question of anger or revenge, I hope not. I hope that this will be an amicable discussion, because it's in all our interests for it to be an amicable, sensible, calm discussion. But the wound is quite raw, and we're only, what, 96 seconds in. And it will take some time for the wound to settle down.
But look, I understand the reaction of some of our European Union partners, because there is a genuine fear about the contagion that could arise from the result of this referendum. And I think we all know that we're seeing a phenomenon which is about more than just the European Union, about more than just globalization, about more than just a view of the political establishment. Something is stirring. Politically, you're seeing it in the United States; we've seen it in various countries across Europe in the form of surges of support for right-wing parties; and we've seen it here in this referendum. It's something we all have to deal with.
But I understand the fear of my European Union partners that they don't want to see this become something that can damage the rest of the European Union. But they also have to remember that we have a great shared economic interest in finding a way to work together in the future. We as the UK are coming to this discussion about our future relationship, including our future trading relationship, as a country that runs a massive balance of payments deficit with our European Union neighbors. We're standing here offering them a market which is hugely operating to their surplus. And we're saying we want to keep these arrangements, we want to keep this market open, we want to carry on trading with you as we have been doing before. And I very much hope that good economic common sense and self-interest prevails and that we find a way of being able to do that.
MODERATOR: (Inaudible.)
QUESTION: Thank you. Following on from those last questions, Mr. Secretary of State, you talked about the need for wise choices in the coming times. Is that can you expand more on that? Any particular concerns that you have in that direction?
And foreign secretary, following on to this last point, you've said that you still wanted the strongest possible cooperation with Europe. But given all that you have just said now, what confidence do you have that that will actually happen?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, when I'm talking when I talk about wise choices, I don't want to get too deeply into this because this is a negotiation that hasn't started and that doesn't belong to us. This is a negotiation between Great Britain and the EU. And by all accounts, it's a complicated, perhaps lengthy, and difficult negotiation simply because it involves a question of tradeoffs.
And what I am suggesting when I say "wise choices," that those involved do exactly as Phillip has just described, that they don't they're not driven by anger or frustration or a sense of getting even or whatever might motivate them, other than good common sense about how the people of the EU and the people of Great Britain can both benefit the most what is best for the region, what is best for these countries, what is best for the average citizen. And I'm confident that if that's what drives this negotiation, that the outcome can meet various parties' needs in that effort. If, on the other hand, there's a sort of willingness to cut off your nose to spite your face and choices are made that somehow penalize, I have a sneaking suspicion the penalty is going to be felt far and wide, and I don't think that's good for anybody.
So again, Philip is absolutely right; this is 96 hours old; it is still new; it is raw. And I think people are trying to work through exactly what are the options, what are the tradeoffs, and how does one thread the needle of achieving what people wanted to achieve in terms of opting out while at the same time not being constructive in the outcome. That's a very, very difficult needle to thread, and I think we have to let the proof be in the pudding, as is said, and see where we are.
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: Yes, I think we can deliver an effective cooperation between the EU at 27 and the United Kingdom. And it is, to use John's phrase, it's about ensuring that we step up from any instinct to cut off our noses to spite our faces. Because the truth is we need each other. Over 40 years our economies across Europe with integrated supply chains and complex market arrangements have become heavily interdependent. Our people have exchanged freely and many people have careers, lives, educations that span different countries in the continent. Many Europeans regularly spend time in the UK and regard it as the next thing to home. And we don't want to change the way we are able to think of each other, the way we are able to work together, and the way we are able to trade together. And the truth is, if we step back and think about this coolly, calmly, and rationally, we will realize that the only thing the only thing on offer to us here if we don't cooperate is to make all of us poorer on both sides of the equation. This isn't about just about Britain's interest. It's about the European Union's interest as well, and it does not make sense for us to give up the chance of choosing a way forward which allows both Britain and the European Union of 27 to be richer, safer, stronger, and to maintain the really very strong cultural and people-to-people ties that we've built up over the 40-odd years that we've been inside the European Union.
MR KIRBY: Last question tonight, Warren Strobel with Reuters.
QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. Secretary, you mentioned in your opening remarks tribal instincts. Foreign Secretary, you talked about contagion. I'm just wondering how much the two of you worry that this UK vote has empowered anti-EU forces elsewhere in Europe. Do you see signs of that yet? And Mr. Secretary, do you have any advice for other countries who might wish to leave the EU? Are you getting out of the advice business when it comes to this subject? Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, is there a distinction between giving advice and expressing a point of view? I believe we are living in a very multilateral and so globalized economy, which is obviously at the core of some people's attention, but you can't put that back into the bottle. Nobody can. What you can do is tame the worst forces. You can tame the worst instincts. You can tame and prevent in many cases the worst outcomes. But you can't suddenly take an internet and put it back in its incubator. You're not that's not going to happen. People want to have the ability to have freedom, to have more information. They want to access what a smartphone gives you or your computer people want to (inaudible). More and more people are. More and more middle class has been created, actually, over the course of the last years. Several hundreds of millions of Chinese have come in to an urban life out of an agrarian life, a poor life, and they're making money and they're doing well. Millions of Indians, and I can run around the world. Fifteen years ago, Korea was an aid recipient. Today, Korea is a donor country giving to other countries to help them in the process of developing. And so if you look at what's happened, young people a child born today is more likely to be born healthy and more likely to live and more likely to live longer than a child born before. Women's mortality rate and birth is way down. You look at food products and availability and so forth there are incredible things have happened. And so even as this is happening, there is a what we call disruption, a disruptive force at play in the lives of many people who are caught in the transition without a recourse.
I have long believed and I still believe that and this is why I think ultimately people will come around and understand how to make a different set of choices the problem is not trade per se. Ninety-five percent of the world's customers live outside the United States of America. If we want to grow as a nation, we have to be able to sell and export products, and vice versa. The problem is not that we're doing that; it's that not enough people are gaining from doing that, not enough people are feeling their lives positively impacted and changed for the better. And in our country particularly and I don't want to venture into politics that I'm not involved in now but we have seen more and more of that going to the top 1 or 2 percent at the expense of people in the middle class or below. That's the problem. So look at the tax structure, look at the wages, or look at a bunch of other things, and ongoing education which is necessary in a world where you're not going to have necessarily just one career. Those are the things where we have to all focus much more intently, I believe. And I'm convinced that as people focus in what may happen out of this vote and this experience is a sharpening of this debate, a clarity as to consequences, a clarity as to choices. And that could be very salutary for a lot of places that begin, hopefully, to respond in ways that I think can would make a difference.
So I can't prognosticate, to go back to the heart of your question about what other countries may or may not see in this. I hope they see what I just described, which is a way to address this without throwing the baby out with the bath water. And it seems to me that we've got that's what I meant by wise choices, that we look hard at cause and effect and what the options really are as we try to grow our societies, grow our and share prosperity. Prosperity must be a shared prosperity at every level. In the 1990s when we made huge sums of money in the United States of America in the great technology boom in the '90s, every single quintile of American income earner saw their incomes go up every quintile. That has not been true in the last 10, 12, 15 years.
So to me, it's a question now of making sure that we focus on real answers to real problems, define them correctly, and not allow mythology or the total absence of fact to make the choices for us. So where we go with the EU will depend in large measure on this negotiation, on the attitudes that are brought to this negotiation, on the options that are exercised and put on the table, and ultimately the choices that are made. And I think that will have a profound impact (inaudible).
FOREIGN SECRETARY HAMMOND: I think there is a demand for change within the EU not in every member-state but in many of the member-states. But in most countries in the European Union for the most part that manifests itself as a desire for reform and change within the European Union rather than a demand for exit from the European Union. And I think the sadness for me is that I believe I believed passionately that Britain in the European Union going with the tide of history could have helped to deliver that change which would, over time, have made the European Union a more effective, a more democratically accountable, a more legitimate body to all of its citizens. And that's where we would have wanted to see this going had we got a remain vote last Thursday Britain helping to lead that change from the inside of the European Union. And to be candid, the decision to vote to leave I believe is damaging for Britain, but I also believe it's damaging for the European Union, because I believe without the reforming zeal that Britain brought to the party, it will be more difficult to get that necessary reform inside the European Union, more difficult to release the pressure of popular demand for a reform and change. And I think if we'd been able to go forward together, working together inside the European Union to do that, Britain would have been enhanced, the European Union would have been enhanced, and 500 million people across the union would have had a better future. So I'm deeply sorry that that's not the route that we've chosen.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you all.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
UK Armed Forces help Tunisian forces fight violent extremism
27 June 2016
UK military support to counter-IED training in Tunisia has been extended for an additional year, the Defence Secretary has announced.
The extension of the in-country team underlines the UK's support against the threat posed by extremists, Michael Fallon has said, with Tunisia a frontline state in the fight against Daesh.
The small team, comprising counter-IED and training specialists, deployed in March last year. They have been instrumental, as part of a multinational team, in bringing structure and clarity to training at the Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) School in Tunisia, helping transform it into a specialist centre offering 14 different courses.
The decision to extend will enable British personnel to help the Tunisian Security Forces reach international standards of capability and achieve self-sufficiency in training.
Separately, the UK will provide three specialist training courses to the Tunisia National Guard Commando this summer, to help them deal with internal and external threats.
The month-long training, which stems from a request made by the National Guard, will focus on medical training, small boat handling and security operations training and will create a cadre of instructors to further cascade training within the National Guard.
The commitments come as Britain marks the one-year anniversary of the terror attack in Sousse in which 38 people were killed, including 30 Britons.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
"This support will help our ally Tunisia to protect innocent civilians from terrorism. It underlines our determination to defeat Daesh and our commitment to security in the region."
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
Kerry, Leaders Warn Against Punishing Britain
by Luis Ramirez June 27, 2016
Britain's crisis deepened Monday as British and EU officials scrambled to deal with the shock of British voters' decision to leave the European Union, and ease both anger and the uncertainty that has plunged the country into what some describe as its worst disarray since World War II.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stopped in London Monday and reaffirmed what he said is an unbreakable bond between the United States and Britain.
Kerry assured Britain the special relationship between the two countries will not change because of the Brexit decision. Speaking after a meeting Monday with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, the top U.S. diplomat said that relationship is "perhaps even more important in these days of questioning on behalf of many people." Ties, he said, remain "strong and crucial."
British officials spent Monday working to contain the aftermath of the vote that sent markets and the British pound tumbling for another day. In his first remarks to parliament since the vote, Prime Minister David Cameron said the British economy is strong enough to deal with the turbulence. "It is clear that markets are volatile. There are some companies considering their investments and we know this is going to be far from plain sailing," he said.
Earlier, in Brussels, Kerry appealed for calm amid the anxiety that British voters' decision has caused in Europe, and in global markets around the world.
He also cautioned EU members against punishing Britain for its decision.
"It's absolutely essential that we stay focused on how, in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cocked, people don't start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful premises," Kerry said.
Article 50
On the continent, calls by EU founding members for Britain to get out quickly were tempered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has called for a civil, organized exit. After meeting with leaders of Italy and France, Merkel said there will be no informal talks on extricating Britain from the EU until the British government formally initiates the process.
France and other EU founding members want Britain out quickly in order to end the uncertainty that is driving market volatility and hurting economies around the world.
To trigger the exit process and begin negotiations for a departure, the British government must invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty. Who will do that and when remained a question Monday as Britain struggled through its most severe political crisis in memory.
Following Cameron's planned resignation, it remains unclear who will take over and begin the exit process. Cameron's Conservative party on Monday said it now plans to choose a new leader to replace the prime minister by September 2. Earlier, Cameron said his replacement would be chosen in October. The decision came as calls grew for the governing party to move more quickly to begin the transition and shorten the period of uncertainty.
In the Labour Party, calls grew Monday for the resignation of party leader Jeremy Corbyn after 12 members of his shadow Cabinet resigned.
"There continues to be a sort of civil war inside the government party, the Conservatives, while at the same time Labour Party is in even worse condition and presents no realistic possibility of being an alternative government. So that means the whole political system is really relying on the continuity provided by history," said Tony Travers, a politics professor at the London School of Economics.
"This is a very unusual time for the U.K. and nobody should pretend otherwise," he told VOA.
Anti-immigrant actions reported
Tensions were worsened by reports of hateful behavior against immigrants. London Metropolitan Police said they were investigating "allegedly racially motivated" attacks on immigrants, including the scribbling of graffiti on the main Polish cultural center in West London's Hammersmith area.
Some residents reported finding cards in their mailboxes that read "No More Polish Vermin."
Police drew no conclusions of a link between the incidents and the Brexit vote at this stage.
In his remarks to parliament Monday, Cameron said EU citizens living and working in Britain will have to wait until the negotiation process with the EU begins, but noted that "Leave" proponents during the campaign promised that their rights would be respected.
NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address
New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
Shelby Talbott, an early entrepreneur in South Boston (SACS), has reappeared on the retail scene, this time as a permanent vendor at the Halifax Farmers Market.
While the venues name suggests country fixins homegrown veggies and down-home appliances (cast-iron frying pans, meat-grinders and antique scales) Talbotts operation is anything but backwoods.
Indeed, Talbotts inventory immediately brings back memories of the stylish, upscale and yuppie-oriented merchandise she once carried at SACS, the kind of gently-used designer-wear, purses, scarves, fans and jewelry that decorate the pages of womens magazines like Elle, Vogue and Shabby Chic.
And Talbotts corner of the once-proudly frontier outlet isnt the only space whose offerings signal big change in Halifax vendors like the Traveling Teapot, Traders Market, Scentsy and Eat-Me-Drink-Me-Read-Me, the last festooned with Alice-in-Wonderland merchandise, all announce both the spending power and the retail appetites of female shoppers in pursuit of upscale lifestyles, where, just a decade before, the Halifax-South Boston region was described on an internet Places to Live site as still hard-core blue collar.
That comment, exuberantly posted by a young male resident in the early 2000s, may have been premature: if the Halifax Farmers Market is any gauge of cultural change, whats happening in Halifax/South Boston is what has happened across the centuries the female half of the pioneer population invariably moves toward gentrification, through church activities, then through community socials and then via a frantic outreach (Talk to me, Harry Winston!) for the latest home and fashion upgrades.
Bottomline? Call it social transformation.
The ladies cruising the aisles of vendor offerings at the Halifax Farmers Market Grand Opening Saturday morning were delighted, husbands, eyeing Victorian fans and bags of literary teas labeled Jane Eyre and The Great Gatsby, less so.
Scentsy owner, Virginia Byrd, was doing a brisk business Saturday morning, explaining the delights of her more than 80 wax scents and the high points of the delicately decorated warmers designed to carry the aromas of lavender, mimosa, roses and vanilla throughout the house.
Byrd said business is booming women often start a make-over with scent, because its a kind of Trojan Horse, inexpensive and not perceived as a threat to the ubiquitous barcalounger in the corner (Custers Last Stand in any gentrification campaign).
Byrd laughs and says men have started buying her warmers and waxes now as well.
They think it makes a nice gift for the ladies in their lives, she said. They understand women like perfume, so this is a logical next step
Little do they know.
For Mothers Day, Byrd offers gift baskets expect more of the same on Valentines or via special order for parties, showers, engagements (www.mrsvirginia.scentsy.us).
Across from Scentsy, one finds Brenda Couch, a smiling blonde surrounded by an assortment of shabby chic furniture and accessories a dresser Couch has refinished with ivory milk paint and stencils (Paris) referencing the City of Lights jumps out of a corner.
The may-soon-be-changed name of her space is Traders Market, and this is the first time shes partnered with the Halifax Farmers Market.
She pointed to a low, squat chest whose three-drawered face is a canvas for a bright Union Jack: Ive always wanted to do the British flag, said Couch, unaware that even as little as five years ago, a local population unattuned to the delights of foreign travel might have dismissed the marketability of her product out-of-hand (WHOS going to buy THAT?). No more.
Victoria Rouch, owner of the Traveling Teapot, a mobile nod to the British habit of stealing downtime in the late afternoon, has staked out a claim in the Halifax Farmers Market as well. Styled to resemble a small one-table tea room, surrounded by colorful antique tea pots and rose-covered cups, her roughly 10x12 piece of the market draws coveys of ladies suddenly surprised and clearly tickled by her presence.
Rouch never failed to invite them in, explaining her service, her genteel philosophy of tea, and her wish to include the ladies of Halifax County among her growing cadre of closest friends.
Rouchs set-up is, in fact, charming, and while the soft-spoken lady with a teapot hasnt seen the market acceleration shes hoped for so far, the response to her offering at the Halifax Farmers Market promises a solid future potential investors, take note.
The high-note among new vendors is a quirky, delicious operation called Eat-Me-Drink-Me-Read-Me, incontrovertible evidence that those Little Known Facts about the South placemats at whatever passes for the local diner have some real competition for an educated, traveled, largely female customer-base women who want to be entertained and intellectually upended when they spend their hard-earned dollars.
Victoria Worley, proprietor of E-M-D-M-R-M isnt a local, and it shows. Her down-the-rabbit-hole space an oversized settee right out of the Weasley house draws customers in focuses on the kinds of singular goods so far unavailable at Walmart or Tractor Supply: again, literary teas designated to be imbibed in tandem with narratives from the classics, i.e., The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Jane Eyre; the sticky buns for which Worley, the new culinary arts instructor at Halifax County High, is famous, and copies of Wonderland, Beatrix Potter and Kipling waiting for new readers, time-travelers ready to leave the outback for a while.
The outdoor arena at the Halifax Farmers Market boasts a new, upscale vendor as well: Larry Rouch, beekeeper and owner of The Natural Apiary, was busy showing groups of honey-lovers how his queen bee shoves her way through a population of drones all of them swarming inside a plastic rectangle sitting on top of his display table.
The queen bee has a white spot, Larry told a group of ladies entranced, it seemed by the show of female dominance.
I see her! one of the women cried, and everyone moves closer to the case. Rouch smiled his customer base is growing.
How did this beekeeper end up here?
My roommate in college took a course in beekeeping, said Rouch, and years later, when I happened to look him up, he said, Im getting a divorce and need to get rid of two hives.
Rouch took them, and, well, the rest is history.
Denise Barksdale, who manages the Halifax Farmers Market, is enthusiastic about the number of new, different vendors the site has attracted this year.
Were interested in bringing in new and creative vendors who are not just an asset to the market, but to the community as well.
The 2016 grand opening of the Halifax Farmers Market appears to be everything Barksdale hoped for a medley of entrepreneurs ready not just to cater to traditional tastes but to challenge invention and imagination as well.
Vancouver - Dolly Varden Silver Corp. (TSX.V: DV | U.S.: DOLLF) (the Company or Dolly Varden) acknowledges the announcement made on June 27, 2016 by Hecla Mining Company (together with its affiliates, Hecla) that Hecla will make an unsolicited takeover bid (the Hecla Offer) for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Dolly Varden that Hecla does not own. Dolly Varden has not received any formal bid for consideration from Hecla and advises that Dolly Vardens shareholders take no action at this time.As announced on June 13, 2016, Dolly Varden entered into binding agreements with three lenders for a new short-term loan facility, to pay out the existing Hecla/Gipson loan. It is Dolly Vardens stated goal to become debt free. To do this, the Company requires some flexibility in its arrangements with its lenders. Restrictions in the Hecla/Gipson loan prohibit Dolly Varden from issuing securities to pay off the Hecla/Gipson loan without obtaining the consent of Hecla. The new loans specifically allow Dolly Varden to issue securities to repay the new loans giving the Company the ability to become debt free, which Dolly Vardens board strongly considers to be in the best interest of the Company. As previously announced, Dolly Varden expects the Hecla/Gipson loan to be repaid on or about June 28, 2016.After a very difficult period of restructuring, Dolly Varden is emerging as a stronger company with a lean share structure, improved market interest, and a valuable asset the Dolly Varden silver project. Our board strongly believes that the value of the company cannot be fully realized as long as the Company remains in debt. Weve had a number of discussions this year with Hecla regarding options for Dolly Varden to repay the Hecla/Gipson loan. Dolly Varden, Hecla and Gipson were not able to come to terms on converting debt to equity, a loan extension or an equity financing. The new loans permit Dolly Varden to discharge the Hecla/Gipson loan and to complete an equity financing to repay the new loans prior to their maturity date without obtaining the consent of the new lenders. In addition, the warrants issued with the new loans are no more dilutive than the same number of warrants with a lower exercise price issued to Hecla and Gipson under the Hecla/Gipson loan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dolly Vardens board and advisors will give serious consideration to the formal Hecla takeover proposal, said Rosie Moore, Director and Interim CEO and President of Dolly Varden.The Company is in the process of reviewing and evaluating the Hecla Offer as described in Heclas press release. The Company expects that a special committee of the Board of Directors of the Company will be appointed to assist the Board in (a) fulfilling its legal and fiduciary duties in respect of the Hecla Offer and (b) making every effort to maximize value for the benefit of Dolly Varden shareholders and other stakeholders.
The Company recommends that shareholders defer from taking any action in respect of the Hecla Offer until the Board of Directors of the Company makes a recommendation as to the merits of a formal offer if any is received from Hecla. Shareholders will be promptly notified of any recommendation by the Board of Directors through a news release and circular in accordance with applicable securities laws.
About Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden Silver Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the exploration of the Dolly Varden silver property located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The entire Dolly Varden property is considered to be highly prospective for hosting high-grade precious metal deposits, since it comprises the same structural and stratigraphic setting that host numerous other, on-trend, high-grade deposits (Eskay Creek, Brucejack). The Companys common shares are listed and traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol DV and on the OTCBB system under the symbol DOLLF.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Dolly Varden to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the receipt of a takeover bid from Hecla (if at all) and our consideration of such bid, the striking of a special committee, notification to shareholders of the Boards recommendation in respect of a Hecla takeover bid, the realization of Dolly Vardens stated goal to be debt free, the impact of Dolly Vardens debt on the value of the Company, the repayment of the Hecla/Gipson loan, and the continued exploration and valuation of the Dolly Varden silver property. These forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.
For additional information on risks and uncertainties, see the Companys most recently filed annual management discussion & analysis (MD&A), which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.dollyvardensilver.com. The risk factors identified in the MD&A are not intended to represent a complete list of factors that could affect the Company.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Contact Information:
Dolly Varden Silver Corp.
Rosie Moore, Interim CEO and President
1-604-925-5881
www.dollyvardensilver.com
Copyright 2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
VANCOUVER, June 28, 2016 - MX Gold Corp. (TSX-V:MXL) (FSE:ODV) (OTCQX:DTVMF) (the Company or MX Gold) is pleased to announce that Hugh (Bert) McPherson has joined the Company as President and Chief Operating Officer in charge of all operations at the Companys Max and Willa mining and milling operation located in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. Along with the responsibility of managing the operations, Mr. McPherson will be involved in the evaluation and acquisition of future projects.
Mr. McPherson stated, After months of project due-diligence and a site visit, I am excited to join the team and advance the Willa Property to the next level. I will look forward to developing safe and efficient mining programs along with a first class production team.
Bert McPherson is a Sr. Mining Engineer and has 37 years experience in managing projects for major mining companies. Bert holds a B.Sc. Applied Science in Mine Engineering from Queens University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the province of British Columbia. He has successfully added value to mine management teams worldwide, focusing on the implementation of industry leading mine management standards, safety awareness, team building, assembly, mentoring and the development of functional mine management operations.
Bert McPherson has most recently been the Mine Manager of Goldcorps Penasquito Mine in Mexico having over 1400 employees directly reporting to his office. The Penasquito mine is Mexico's second largest mine and it's largest gold producer. In 2015, The Penasquito Mine delivered record gold production of 860,300 ounces and record silver production of 25,926,600 ounces. A total gold equivalent production figure, including by-product metals, was 1,688,600 ounces of gold.
Previously, Bert held the following positions with the following projects: Vice President & General Manager for Kinross Gold Corp. at the Tasiast mine, in Mauritania; Mine Manager at Barrick Gold Corp.s Pierina Mine, in Huaraz, Peru; Mine Manager of Barrick Golds Alto Chicama project in northern Peru; Chief operating officer for Starcore International Mines, San Martin Mine in Mexico; Mine manager at XStrata Coppers Alumbrera Mine in northern Argentina; and Project/Mine Manager, Morrison Knudson Venezuela at their Carbones de la Guajira coal mine in Venezuela. Mr. McPherson has also provided Mine Management Consultation services to several other mining projects worldwide under HC McPherson Consulting Inc.
After a two-year search for a President and COO with the skill set to advance the Willa/Max project, we are very excited to have Bert join MX Gold Corp., said Akash Patel, and we are looking forward to many years of strong growth with Bert leading our operations.<
After a number of years of service with MX Gold, Akash Patel has stepped down as President and has been appointed as Vice President, Corporate Affairs. Mr. Patel will maintain his position on the board of directors. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Patel for his work as President of MX Gold in the development of the Willa/Max project.
Mr. McPherson was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer on June 27, 2016. Effective September 1, 2016, the Company has agreed to pay Mr. McPherson a base salary of $180,000 per year. The Company has also agreed to grant him 1,000,000 stock options at the exercise price of $0.25 per share with 250,000 options vesting on each of the following dates: December 1, 2016, June 1, 2017, December 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018. In addition to the base salary, the Company has agreed to pay Mr. McPherson $100,000 on or before February 28, 2017 to reimburse Mr. McPherson for certain costs incurred by him as a result of his new appointment. Lastly, the Company has agreed to vest any outstanding stock options and pay Mr. McPherson an amount equal to two times his base salary in the event there is a change of control of the Company.
About MX Gold Corp.
MX Gold Corporation is a junior mining company focused on the mining, exploration and development of advanced projects located in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. The Company's primary focus is its high-grade Willa gold and copper project located 12 kilometers south of Silverton, BC. MX Gold Corp. owns 100% of the Willa Project and the Max Molybdenum Mine and Mill Complex. The Max is a fully permitted 1000 ton per day mill and tailings facility, with major federal and provincial permits in place. The Willa mine is located 135 kilometers south of the Max Mill.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Akash Patel
For further information, please contact
SkanderBeg Capital Advisors
604-687-7130, Ext 104 or Ext 105
Dan Omeniuk
Phone: 204-697-7740
Email: dano@trapperstransport.com
Ron Birch
Phone: 250-545-0383, Toll Free: 1-800-910-7711
Fax: 604-926-4232
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
This press release contains forward-looking information that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance of MX Gold Corp., such as statements regarding the terms of the debt settlement. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and MX Golds plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information, including approval from the TSX Venture Exchange. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, MX Gold Corp. does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Nevada Energy Metals Inc. "the Company" (TSX-V: BFF; OTCQB: SSMLF) (Frankfurt: A2AFBV) is pleased to announce that it has acquired by staking the Humboldt Salt Marsh playa located in Dixie Valley, Churchill County, Nevada. The property consists of 911 claims covering 73.6 square km/28.4 square miles (7,363 hectares/18,194 acres) of salt marsh playa staked at a cost of approximately CDN$370,000.
Of the seven characteristics favorable for the formation of a Lithium brine deposit as outlined in the USGS deposit model, all seven are found in Dixie Valley. The Lithium deposit model for Dixie Valley is a Clayton Valley style brine deposit.
Dixie Valley Overview
Dixie Valley is located in west central Nevada, about 160 km east northeast of Reno. The entire basin is about 98 km long and up to 16 km wide. Humboldt Salt Marsh occupies the central part of the playa and is about 10 km north-south and 6 km east-west.
Dixie Valley is home to a large and long-lived geothermal system that is still active. The Caithness Dixie Valley geothermal power plant is producing about 64 megawatts of electricity making it the largest geothermal power plant in Nevada. The active geothermal system extends about 30 km roughly north - south along the entire west side of the valley. The heat source appears to be simple very deep circulation into the crust and is not related to igneous activity.
Very little exploration work has been directed at Lithium in this area. Geothermal water in the basin contains up to 4.89 ppm Lithium and stream sediment samples from the adjacent Stillwater range show values to 80 ppm Lithium. Geologically, recent volcanic ash from the Long Valley Caldera (Bishop Tuff) and Mono craters are expected to be found within catchment area of the basin and within the basin fill sediments. One major productive horizon in the Clayton Valley brine field is thought to be Bishop Tuff deposited and preserved in the basin (Zampirro, 2004).
Dixie Valley is a closed fault-bounded basin having the lowest elevation point (1031 m, 3383 ft.) in the Northern Great Basin as measured on the Humboldt Salt Marsh playa. Given the valley has been a closed basin for at least 500,000 years and probably much, much longer, plenty of time has elapsed for evaporative concentration of Lithium bearing geothermal and surface water. The valley appears to be about 2,000 meters deep, primarily filled with poorly sorted coarse conglomerate, gravel, sand and silt with volcanic rocks, and tuff beds, and finer sediments in the lower third of the section (Blackwell et al, 2014).
The conceptual deposit model is as the basin went through multiple wet and dry periods, Lithium dissolved by deep circulating geothermal fluids or leached from local rock units by surface and near surface water, seeped into the basin where it was concentrated by evaporation. Heavier brines sink into the deeper levels of the basin or flow downward along tilted permeable beds, potentially forming subsurface pools of Lithium rich fluids. The process can be likened to an inverted oil field, with the target material being descending fluids caught in gravity traps instead of ascending fluids caught in the tops of structures. This model is somewhat akin to placer gold deposits wherein large areas of very low grade sources are concentrated into economic grades.
The Humboldt Salt Marsh project was acquired for staking cost without royalties and a 200,000 share payment to the locator.
The contents of this news release has been approved by Alan J. Morris CPG who serves as the project geologist and Qualified Person on the Teels Marsh West Project.
About Nevada Energy Metals: http://nevadaenergymetals.com/
Nevada Energy Metals Inc. is a well funded Canadian based exploration company who's primary listing is on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's main exploration focus is directed at Lithium brine targets located in the mining friendly state of Nevada. The Company has recently completed (1) a 70/30 farm-out option JV on 77 claims in Clayton Valley, approximately 250m from the Rockwood Lithium mine, the only brine based Lithium producer in North America; (2) acquisition of 100% of the Teels Marsh West project (100 claims covering 2000 acres/809 hectares) in Mineral County, Nevada; (3) acquisition of 100% ownership of the Black Rock property (128 claims covering 2,560 acres/1,036 hectares) located in southwest Black Rock Desert, Washoe County, Nevada; (4) acquisition of 100% ownership in the San Emidio Project (155 claims, 3,100 acres/1,255 hectares) near Empire, Washoe County, Nevada; (5) the acquisition of the Alkali lake Project, 60% Option from Dajin Resources Corp. (191 claims covering 3,820 acres/1,558 hectares) in the Esmeralda County, Nevada.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Rick Wilson, President & CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the contents of this news release.
450-789 West Pender St
Vancouver, BC, V6C 1H2
+1-604-428-5690
nevadaenergymetals.com
info@nevadaem.com
SOURCE Nevada Energy Metals Inc.
MONTREAL, June 28, 2016 - The Board of directors of Lamelee Iron Ore Ltd. ("Lamelee" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LIR) would like to inform you that it has undertaken the process of returning to Fancamp Exploration Ltd. ("Fancamp"), a non-arm's length party, the 59 mineral claims designated as Lac Lamelee South Iron Project located in the Fermont Mining District of northeastern Quebec and that the Company has returned for cancellation 30,100,000 common shares (each a "Share") in the capital of the Company and, following the receipt of the final documentation requested, the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") will authorize the cancellation of an additional 12,900,000 Shares currently held in escrow, for an aggregate of 43,000,000 Shares, which Fancamp has agreed to return for cancellation on a voluntary basis (the "Cancellation").The Company has also extinguished a total of $66,710.39 of debt relating to consulting fees and service fees to certain non-arm's-length parties by issuing an aggregate of 1,334,207 Shares at a deemed price of $0.05 per Share (the "Debt Settlement").As part of the Debt Settlement, 9291-2609 Quebec Inc., a company controlled by Mr. Ghislain Arel, Vice-President, Mining Development and Environment of the Company, 9286-7076 Quebec Inc., a company controlled by Mr. Pascal Vallee, Vice-President project development and logistics of the Company, and Dentons Canada LLP, a law firm at which Ms. Carole Turcotte, a prior director and officer of the Company, is a partner, were respectively issued 172,462, 287,150 and 874,595 Shares. The participation of 9291-2609, 9286-7076 Quebec Inc. and Dentons Canada LLP (collectively the "Related Parties") in the Debt Settlement is considered a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Debt Settlement was approved by the shareholders of the Company (the "Shareholders) at the special meeting of Shareholders held on March 22, 2016 (the "Meeting") and the Company is relying on Section 5.5(b) for exemption from the formal valuation requirement under MI 61-101.The management of the Company has also decided and is in the process of implementing the consolidation of the fully paid and issued Shares on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Share for each twenty (20) pre-consolidation Shares issued and outstanding (the "Consolidation") as also approved by the Shareholders at the Meeting.Upon completion of the Cancellation, there will be a total of 58,173,184 Shares issued and outstanding. The exact number of post-Consolidation Shares will vary depending on the treatment of fractional Shares that would occur when each Shareholder's holdings in the Company are consolidated. No fractional post-Consolidation Shares will be issued pursuant to the Consolidation. All fractional Shares resulting from the Consolidation will be rounded to the nearest whole number and no consideration will be paid in respect of the fractional Shares. Accordingly, the total number of Shares issued and outstanding after the Consolidation is expected to be 2,908,659.In conjunction with the Consolidation, the Company will also be changing its name from Lamelee Iron ore Ltd. / Lamelee Minerais de fer Ltee" to "Corporation miniere Lamelee / Lamelee Mining Corporation" (the "Name Change"), as approved by the Shareholders at the Meeting. The Company might also be changing its trading symbol from LIR, pending approval of the trading symbol by the TSXV.Subject to final approval by the TSXV, the Consolidation is scheduled to be effective at opening of the TSXV on Tuesday July 12, 2016, from which date the existing issued share capital will be cancelled and replaced by the new consolidated Shares.Letters of transmittal with respect to the Consolidation and Name Change will be mailed to all registered Shareholders as at May 6, 2014. Registered Shareholders will be required to send their respective certificates representing pre-Consolidation Shares along with a properly executed letter of transmittal to the Company's transfer agent, all in accordance with the instruction provided in the letter of transmittal. All Shareholders who submit a duly completed letter of transmittal, along with their respective pre-Consolidation Share certificate(s), will receive a post-Consolidation common share certificate bearing the new name of the Company.Further details of the Consolidation are contained in the Company's information circular dated as of February 22, 2016, prepared for the Meeting, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.The Company is a junior mineral exploration company focused on the development of projects located in the Province of Quebec. The Shares are listed on the TSX-V under the symbol "LIR".Information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are no guarantees of future performance. Lamelee cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Lamelee's control. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, Lamelee undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.NOT FOR RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES.Hubert VallAe, President and Chief Executive OfficerCell: +1 514 793-7153hubert.vallee@outlook.comMarc Duchesne, Chief Financial OfficerCell: +1 514 910-6906marc.duchesne@bell.net
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) -
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Revelo Resources Corp. ("Revelo" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:RVL) announces that, due to investor demand, it is has increased its previously announced private placement (see news release dated June 02, 2016) to $2,050,000 by the issuance of 27,333,333 units (the "Units") at $0.075 per unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share (the "Share") and one-half of one share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Share of Revelo at a price of $0.11 per Share for a period of two years from the closing date. Revelo expects to use the proceeds of the private placement to conduct exploration activities on its properties and for general working capital and other corporate purposes.
The Shares, and any Shares issued on the exercise of the Warrants and finder's fee Warrants, will be subject to a four month restricted resale period in Canada and applicable securities legislation hold periods outside of Canada. A finder's fee may be paid on a portion of the placement. The finder's fee will consist of Units equal to 6% of the units sold to investors introduced by finders, and share purchase warrants equal to 6% of such units sold to investors.
There can be no assurance that the private placement will be completed as proposed or at all. This financing is subject to receipt of TSX Venture Exchange acceptance.
ABOUT REVELO
Revelo is a Prospect Generator that has consolidated an outstanding portfolio of 22 projects prospective for copper, gold and silver located along proven mineral belts in one of the world's top mining jurisdictions - Chile. Several targets are ready for drill testing within the portfolio, and two projects are subject to option and joint venture agreements with subsidiaries of Newmont Mining (Montezuma Project) and Austral Gold (San Guillermo Project). As part of its portfolio, Revelo retains a 2% royalty interest (currently non-producing) in the Victoria Project, an important copper-gold-silver exploration project, and it is developing a nascent royalty portfolio. Revelo's total exposure to mineral tenements in northern Chile is around 300,000 hectares, of which about 100,000 hectares (3 projects) are subject to 3rd party exploration expenditures.
Revelo has a goal of building a sustainable exploration business focused on securing prospective land along the prolific mineral belts of northern Chile, and by implementing effective exploration and capital management strategies to grow, advance and de-risk its portfolio to provide shareholders with multiple opportunities for exploration success. Revelo is actively looking for partners to advance the projects within its portfolio.
Revelo is a Canadian company and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE:RVL). For more information please visit Revelo's website at www.reveloresources.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Timothy J. Beale, President & CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons (as defined in the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT
This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Revelo expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Revelo believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Jun 28, 2016 - Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE MKT: GORO) (the "Company") declares its monthly instituted dividend of 1/6 of a cent per common share for June 2016 payable on July 25, 2016 to shareholders of record as of July 11, 2016. Gold Resource Corp. is a gold and silver producer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico and exploration in Nevada, USA.The Company has returned $108 million to shareholders in monthly dividends since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010, and offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends and take delivery in physical gold and silver. For more information on Gold Resource Corporation's physical dividend program, visit the Company website at http://goldresourcecorp.com/gold-silver-dividends.php.Dividends may vary in amount and consistency or be discontinued at the Board of Directors' discretion depending on variables including but not limited to operational cash flows, Company development requirements and strategies, construction, spot gold and silver prices, taxation, general market conditions and other factors described in the Cautionary Statements below and the Company's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Gold Resource Corporation is a mining company focused on production and pursuing development of gold and silver projects that feature low operating costs and produce high returns on capital. The Company has 100% interest in six potential high-grade gold and silver properties at its producing Oaxaca, Mexico Mining Unit and exploration properties at its Nevada, USA, Mining Unit. The Company has 54,266,706 shares outstanding, no warrants, no long term debt and has returned $108 million back to shareholders since commercial production commenced July 1, 2010. Gold Resource Corp. offers shareholders the option to convert their cash dividends into physical gold and silver and take delivery. For more information, please visit GRC's website, located at www.Goldresourcecorp.com and read the Company's 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors involved.Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding Gold Resource Corp. 's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to Gold Resource Corporation on the date of this press release, and the company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the Company's 10-K filed with the SEC.Corporate DevelopmentGreg Patterson303-320-7708www.Goldresourcecorp.com
My name is Lauren, and I am a tea heathen.
Here are my sins, listed in no particular order. I use tea bags never loose leaf (not as a rule, I just find it so much easier to dunk a perfectly proportioned bag than use those fiddly little strainers. Also, I do not own a tea pot. Strike two, if you're counting). I leave the tea bag in, for maximum flavour (total no-no, so I'm told). Then look away, tea enthusiasts I add cold water (or sometimes, if I am honest, an ice cube) to render the tea immediately drinkable. I only ever add milk to Earl Grey, and I splash it in after the water. Oh, and I prefer my tea in a mug.
Appealing: The matcha latte at Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar. Photo: Christopher Pearce
Told you: total tea heathen.
But I love tea. As I write this at midday I'm on my fifth cup of the day. While I could care less about how my tea is made, I am picky about the type of tea I drink. I pack my own tea bags wherever I go to meetings, on holidays, even to friends' houses (what a fun guest I must make!) because so much tea is so bloody undrinkable.
The opposite is true of coffee. While I love it perhaps even more so than tea I don't really care what it is. Give me your International Roast, your airline pot, your stick of Moccona in a hotel room if it vaguely smells of caffeine, I'll drink it. Like any good Gen Y, of course I prefer my coffee artisanal, in a cute paper cup and made by a tattooed hipster whose gender identity might not be immediately clear, but in reality, I will take anything you have.
Flouting tradition: Is it OK to break the rules when it comes to tea? Photo: iStock
Not so with tea. I have a preferred Earl Grey brand (Twining's, all the way), I love T2's Sydney Breakfast, and I may as well buy stocks in Pukka you should be very, very afraid if I ever run out of their Peppermint and Licorice flavour (they also do a great Lemon, Manuka Honey and Ginger). For green tea, I'm all about the matcha from The Rabbit Hole. And that's it; you can take your Bushell's, your generic office jar, your PG Tips I'm good, thanks.
Like coffee, tea has a lore and mythology of its own. Real tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant anything else (like herbal tea) is a tisane. Milk is added before water, and (loud, clanging duh) you should always use loose leaf, in a pot. Brewing time will depend on the blend, the size of the teapot and the temperature of the water. Could I still be a tea lover when I so flagrantly dismiss all the rules?
I ask William Main, venue manager at The Tea Room at Sydney's Queen Victoria Building about the rules of tea. "Science will say that milk must come first, due to the way the hot water would unevenly heat the proteins within the milk, causing a 'clumping effect,' if added after." Charmingly, he adds that the old "milk first" rule came about as a test to see how good your china was. "If you were concerned over the quality, you would add milk first so as to protect your cups from the heat!"
Advertisement
While I am quite sure Main would faint if he saw me dropping an ice cube into a freshly brewed cup of peppermint tea, he does tell me that sugar is perfectly acceptable. "There are certain teas that cry out for a little sweet touch. Orange Pekoe is delicious with two lumps of sugar and a splash of milk. Honey works fantastically with chai or Assam tea, whereas lemon is the traditional accompaniment to Earl Grey (no milk, of course!)." That's what, strike 15 for me? I'm a little happier when Main does concede that tea bags are "great" as they make the drink accessible to the masses (me?).
Like me, Main drinks tea throughout the day (probably a KPI, to be fair) and likes to change it up. Mornings, he says, call for a strong cup of Royal Yunnan (a Chinese black tea from the Yunnan province, where villagers have been making tea for nearly 3000 years), while elevenses is all about Darjeeling. "For early afternoon I have a fantastic green tea called Heaven and Earth (a Chinese sencha green with dried strawberries) and then around 4pm I like to finish with my latest addition to the menu, pai mu tan and melon (a floral white tea)." At home, though, Main is a fan of Barry's Tea rich, strong and available in a bag.
I ask Corinne Smith, co-owner of The Rabbit Hole, why she thinks we're so picky about our tea. "Well, tea is really personal," she says. "Up until very recently, it was usually something we made at home, for ourselves. We know exactly how we like it. With coffee, we usually outsource it. Like Main, Smith's perfect cup of tea changes ("I love the versatility of tea", she tells me) but generally, she loves an oolong.
Zinger: The Ruby Zing, one of Rabbit Hole's signature loose-leaf teas. Photo: Cole Bennetts
Customers at Rabbit Hole both its original site, in Sydney's Redfern, and the new store at Barangaroo are split when it comes to experimenting and staying true. "Everyone does something different," says Smith. "We have customers who get the same thing every day like you would with a coffee order and others who like to mix it up every time they come in." This flexibility is part of the appeal of tea, she says.
I ask Smith about my flouting of the rules. Would I be thrown out of a place like Rabbit Hole? "Well," she says, diplomatically, "The world certainly won't collapse because you've left your tea bag in." I press her for more. "But brewing tea is like cooking there are ways to get the best out of the leaf. There are rules around tea for a reason, and we find that sticking to them produces the best cup possible." That said, she adds, "I think the perfect cup of tea is the one you love."
I'd go one step further than Smith being a committed tea heathen and say that the perfect cup of tea is, in fact, the one you're drinking right now.
Forget the hassle of the hasselback or the time-consuming triple-cooking method. When it comes to roast potatoes, Heston Blumenthal keeps it simple. Here are of his 10 tattie tips.
1. 'Roast potatoes wait for no one'
Step aside roast dinner. Blumenthal insists that when the potatoes are ready, everything else needs to be ready. Accompanying veg can be pre-cooked and reheated at the last minute, while Blumenthal says you can rest a roast chicken for a minimum of 45 minutes: "It's surprising how it keeps its heat, and it will be more moist and juicy." At 180C, roast potatoes can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, and "always take longer than you imagine. Always."
Heston Blumenthal 'loves' to cook his roasties in beef dripping. Photo: Network Ten supplied
2. Choose your variety
Blumenthal prefers an Arran Victory or Maris Piper potato, but concedes that Australia has fewer varieties available. "The most important thing is the dry matter. You want a dry, floury potato, not a waxy one."
3. Size 'em up
Make a judgement call when cutting a potato, but an avocado-sized potato could be cut into eight pieces. Remember: the more flat edges, the better. "Worst of all is just a round potato, because with a round potato, you haven't got any corners and edges to get crisp."
4. Goodbye starch
Advertisement
Put the potatoes in a saucepan and leave the cold tap running for five minutes or so. "The water will turn milky as the starch comes out and then it will go clear."
5. Take it to the limit
Pop the potatoes straight into simmering water. "When we talk about par-boiling it's actually not par-boiling. Cook them until they're just about to fall apart, but not so much that they become potato soup."
6. Be gentle
"When you dry them, you've got to be delicate." To avoid ending up with mash, use a slotted spoon to transport the boiled potatoes from pot to colander.
Once they've steamed dry, the cracks will open up, exposing the "vital" rough bits. "If you've cooked them enough, they should do it themselves. If they haven't, rough them up a bit with a fork."
7. Fat
Blumenthal says "trendy" duck or goose fat gives good results, but if you want your potatoes to go "really, really crispy" use beef dripping his favourite. Note: if using fat you need to render it. "Fat doesn't go into a potato unless there's a crack. And for the crust, it's all the [fat] going into the little cracks that give the potato the really sort of glass-like, juicy crust."
8. Oil
As for oil, Blumenthal uses either peanut oil (substitute for canola oil if you have a nut allergy) or olive oil, either plain or a cheap extra-virgin.
"Be very generous with the oil in the pan. Because you've made all those cracks, and you want the oil to go into all those fissures."
Coat the potatoes in the oil (or fat, if using) and turn two or three times during roasting. "The cut surfaces, the flat ones, are going to give you that real crisp crust."
9. Flavour
Hold off on adding rosemary and garlic to prevent it from burning. "The easiest thing is to smash the garlic and chuck that in with the rosemary 10 minutes before the end."
10. Seasoning
Blumenthal advises against seasoning the cooking water, as he finds this can cause a chewy potato. Instead, sprinkle the potatoes with table salt after roasting and serve with flaked salt at the table for extra crunch.
Heston Week airs this week on MasterChef Australia, Sunday to Thursday, 7.30pm on TEN.
Choices for holiday as varied as the menu
We celebrate a 240th birthday Monday. God bless America.
If wine wins over beer this weekend, some help with pairings for festive fares.
Hot dogs: Keep it simple. With ketchup, mustard, onion, relish, pickles, sauerkraut, and other mishmash of condiments providing flavors, Argentine Malbec may calm things down, but you can also go Texan with variety of Texas cabs and blends. Christoval Vineyard's tempranillo delivers food-friendly acidity and bit of edginess; if you like sweet, try Christoval's Sparkling Almond.
Burgers: Juicy meat, tomatoes, onions, condiments aplenty, and cheese calls for big boy to hang with cavalcade of flavors. Bordeaux blends rise to the occasion. Bonny Doon Vineyard A Proper Claret and Francis Coppola Black Label Claret can manage. Meritage wine like Lyeth Estates Meritage Sonoma County also works.
Chicken: Fried or grilled, chardonnay is natural pairing. Avoid butter bomb, over-oaked swill. Chardonnay can be made in so many ways, you gotta like one, but clean and dry works best with food. Tom Gore Vineyards Chardonnay lands in middle between austere and over-the-top. Alexander Valley Vineyards Chardonnay is widely available. Ponzi Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Willamette Valley is premium alternative. Another route: Gruet Brut from New Mexico's superior sparkling maker; pop a cork in syncopation with fireworks.
Grilled steak: Win with zin. Zinfandel's high alcohol, reserved tannins, easy-drinking savoir-faire fits well with red meat and a party. Michael David Winery is zin master: Earthquake Lodi Zinfandel and Seven Deadly Zins. Bogle, Jamieson Ranch, Ravens wood, Cline, Steele, Rancho Zabaco are widely available.
Shrimp, wrapped in bacon or boiled: Shrimp's subtle sweetness pairs with dry riesling. Eroica is joint effort of Ste. Michelle and Dr. Loosen, two biggies in wine world. Widely available, delicious.
Apple pie: Mom and America, who doesn't love both? Pair here is sweet, late-harvest riesling, a Sauterne, or what the heck you've consumed enough wine by now it doesn't matter a sweet, cheap Barefoot Wines offering, some of it is bubbly. No one will care in the evening or remember in the morning.
Last round: If you ask me to hold your glass of wine at July Fourth party, I will. However, do not bank on the glass having wine in it when you return.
Email Gus at wine@cwadv.com. Follow tasting notes on Twitter @gusclemens. Website: gusclemens.com. Facebook: Gus Clemens on Wine.
Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times Manuel Zavala, product development assistant for the West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, looks through tote bags made by the company on June 13. Zavala was diagnosed with macular degeneration as a result of his diabetes.
SHARE Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times Manuel Zavala, product development assistant for the West Texas Lighthouse for the Bind, uses an enhanced vision machine to enlarge the print on a work order form. Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times Manuel Zavala, product development assistant for the West Texas Lighthouse for the Bind, was diagnosed with macular degeneration as a result of his diabetes. ONLINE ONLY
By Michelle Gaitan of the San Angelo Standard-Times
After a handshake deal to sell his home in California and on a whim move to Texas with his family, Manuel Zavala's life took another unexpected turn.
Zavala, 42, woke one morning to what he describes as a spider in his eye.
"Well, at least that's what it appeared to look like, a spider," Zavala said. "So I go ask my wife to check my eye to see what it was. I thought it was something outside the eye, but she said 'there is nothing in your eye.' I said no, you're wrong I see something."
After consulting a doctor, Zavala was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy a condition that can cause blood vessels in the retina to leak fluid or hemorrhage, distorting vision and now suffers from macular degeneration, which will cause him to gradually lose his eyesight.
After several tests, and nervously watching the nurses and doctor constantly looking through his chart, Zavala was told he was legally blind.
A Type II diabetic since 23, Zavala spent years drinking and not properly caring for his health.
"I didn't take the medicine like I should have," he said. "They say it takes 10 years for someone with diabetes to have eye conditions or eye problems like myself. It's not something that happens overnight."
The Texas Department of State Health Services states that a person with 20/50 vision is prohibited from driving in the state without special aids, and a person with 20/200 vision or worse is considered legally blind.
Zavala's vision is 20/400.
"Hearing those kind of words from a doctor is pretty life changing," he said. "What happens now? I still have to provide for my family and kids. So where do I go."
A construction worker by trade, Zavala dropped out of school in the ninth grade and got a job to support his wife and first son.
Going back to school to finish his education was pushed to the back of his mind until his boss at the West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, a nonprofit organization that manages a manufacturing facility and employs people who are blind or have severely impaired vision, offered him some advice.
"I really didn't think I would go back to school. It wasn't even in my thoughts, especially now that I am going blind," he said. "But one day while I was working the production floor my executive director approached me and he said 'have you ever thought about going back to school?' and I said, honestly no."
"The position you're at now, he told me I remember, that's the highest you are going to get as far as pay and as far as anything else," said Zavala, who is now the product development assistant and is in customer service. "He recommended that I go back to school, and I really took the opportunity and ran with it."
He enrolled online at the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2013 and graduated December last year with his high school diploma.
Hadley provides distance education programs for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, their families and blindness service providers.
"Personally, for me it was a great accomplishment and I am currently enrolled at Howard College, which I never thought I would get to, so now I am working on a degree for business," Zavala said. "My first semester was pretty challenging for me because I was sitting in the front of the class and (the teacher) would try to write as big as she can on the board and I still couldn't see it."
"It was a bit depressing to be honest, and the fact that you're already at the front of the class and you struggle so much to see, and I don't have glasses there are no prescription glasses they can give me that would help me," he said.
Vickie Sanders, sales and marketing manager at the Lighthouse, said the organization has about 60 employees both in San Angelo and Abilene combined with 44 who are blind or visually impaired.
When Manuel started he worked as a cashier at a store on base at Goodfellow, but as his eyesight deteriorated he was having trouble operating the cash register and moved to the Lighthouse to work on the production floor, she said.
He signed up for courses at Hadley, which taught him how to work in an office, type and use computer programs. He's being great to work with, but the "only drawback Manuel has is he's a 49ers fan," Sanders joked.
Taking his education a step further, Zavala plans to finish his degree at Angelo State University and wants to retire from the Lighthouse.
"I am really happy that he started school because he's really a smart guy," said Olga Zavala, Manuel's wife. "(Graduating) from high school was something he always wanted to do ... and in his condition he thought he wasn't going to do it."
At first he was kind of depressed, but now things have gotten a lot easier and now that the kids are bigger they help drive Manuel around to work and school, she said.
"When they said he was legally blind it was hard for us," said Olga Zavala. "You don't expect something like that, but we made it. We've always been together in goods times or bad."
Learning to live with his condition required Zavala to make adjustments, not only to his independence of being behind the wheel of a car, but with how close he now has to sit to the TV screen, or how he now has to use special technology to enhance the font on his 27-inch computer screen and now requires the help of a bright yellow keyboard to type.
The most challenging aspect of losing my vision is not being able to drive. That's very difficult for me, because since age 34, "I have not been able to renew my driver's license because I couldn't see to pass my test," he said.
Despite his eyesight remaining stable over the last few years, Zavala understands the real possibility of losing more of his sight as he gets older.
"I don't want to say I am prepared, I don't want to lie to you," he said. "No one gets prepared to go blind. I don't think. But I do realize it's something that can eventually happen. That's why I live my life to the fullest now."
"I live happy. I have a great wife and kids that are very supportive of me; they've always been since Day 1. They're always go out of their way to do things for me, which sometimes, it's not that I can't believe it, it's just that I am just so happy with the way they treat me, the way they understand my condition."
The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, June 20, 2016, as the court announced several decisions. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
SHARE
By Michelle Gaitan of the San Angelo Standard-Times
Not everyone is happy about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn restrictions imposed on abortion clinics in Texas.
As news of the ruling spread, local state officials quickly released statements condemning the decision.
"Today, five activist judges on the Supreme Court struck down key provisions of Texas' anti-abortion omnibus bill," Sen. Charles Perry said Monday. "This law not only protected unborn life, but required that doctors be qualified when providing life threatening procedures and that these procedures be done in a safe environment."
"As we approach 60 million state-sanctioned abortions since Roe vs. Wade, I continue to pray for the soul of our nation and that the people of this country will not allow the government to continue to devalue life," he said. "This fight is not over, next session we will revisit this issue to ensure both women and unborn children are protected."
In a 5-3 vote Monday, the high court ruled that restrictions enforced on abortion clinics as part of House Bill 2 in 2013 do not offer "medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access . and each violates the Federal Constitution."
The law requires abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards and obligated doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of an abortion clinic.
Congressman Mike Conaway also expressed his aversion for the court's ruling.
"I am very disappointed in today's Supreme Court ruling, which sets a dangerous precedent for both the rights of individual states as well as the health and well-being of expectant mothers," Conaway said. "I believe that we have a God-given duty to protect all lives, and all medical facilities should be held to the same high standards to provide the best possible care for patients."
"Today justices put their own ideology before the will of the people of Texas, and I couldn't disagree with their decision more," he said.
San Angelo's nearest option for women seeking an abortion was a Planned Parenthood in Midland, which closed in 2013. Now, the closest abortion clinic is nearly 200 miles away in either San Antonio or Austin.
To read the court's opinion visit, click this link.
SHARE
The following editorial appeared in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune:
In March, it looked entirely possible that none of the Republican presidential candidates would arrive at the July convention with the nomination in hand. A contested convention loomed, and Donald Trump's team knew it could be a fierce fight.
Referring to the delegates, his adviser Barry Bennett said, "By majority rule, they can do anything that they want. They can throw out the chairman. You can throw out the (Republican National Committee) members. You can do anything."
Hear that, Republican delegates? And will you heed it?
Trump looks as though he has succeeded in what amounts to a hostile takeover of a party with which he has identified only sporadically over the past three decades. But it's not too late for the delegates to fight him off and choose a nominee who actually represents values the GOP has long championed.
As it is, party leaders find themselves repeatedly obliged to dissociate themselves from Trump. After his speech following the massacre in Orlando, which reiterated his pledge to stop Muslim immigration, Politico reported, "Many lawmakers are openly frustrated, and refusing to defend the comments and actions of their own standard-bearer, the man they've endorsed for president." ...
The GOP has never nominated someone so plainly unprepared, unreliable and unfit. Most party figures act as though they have no choice. But they do. A group of delegates is organizing an effort called "Free the Delegates." They propose to change party rules to let them vote for whomever they want regardless of how their states' caucuses and primaries turned out and they claim already to have enlisted several hundred delegates and alternates.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who will chair the convention, declined an invitation to oppose the effort. "It is not my job to tell delegates what to do, what not to do or to weigh in on things like that," he said. "They write the rules. They make their decisions."
On what grounds could the delegates deny the nomination to the person who defeated every other candidate? First, they could point out that he is fundamentally at odds with many of the party's bedrock policies including those on such vital topics as national security, trade, entitlement reform, fiscal responsibility and religious freedom. They could note that he has never shown a fidelity to any set of political principles, especially conservative ones. They could highlight his volatile temperament and shaky grasp of policy.
He has also been inept and irresponsible in his approach to the general election. He starts with a disadvantage. Writing for the conservative National Review, Dan McLaughlin notes that Trump's polling numbers are "at a lower ebb than any general election candidate has hit in the last three elections." On Monday, Trump fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, a belated recognition of his inadequacy.
This is normally the period when a presumptive nominee takes steps to unite the party and set out themes to appeal beyond to swing voters as Clinton has been doing. But Trump has yet to make that pivot.
Nor has he done other things he needs to do in service to the party's cause. Lacking much interest in raising money, which he hardly needed in the primaries, the billionaire could be vastly outspent. He entered June with just $1.3 million in the bank, according to The New York Times compared to Clinton's $41 million. Already, she and groups supporting her have spent $23 million on ads in eight battleground states, while Trump and his allies have spent nothing. Clinton has close to 700 people on her campaign payroll; Trump has about 70.
She also can expect a mobilization of support from Democrats running for other offices, as well as state and local party organizations and traditional Democratic interest groups. Trump, by contrast, has done his best to alienate and demoralize Republican officeholders. His behavior has encouraged state parties to concentrate their resources on races down the ballot. His remarks about Mexican immigrants, Muslims, women and David Duke seem almost designed to boost Democratic turnout.
Trump's campaign is a disaster waiting to happen unless the party uses the Cleveland convention to avert it. Republican delegates can resign themselves to go down on a sinking ship. Or they can mount a mutiny to install a captain who has the judgment, experience and skills needed to guide the vessel safely home.
SHARE
Heidi Brooks, San Angelo
I support Grindstaff for re-election for SMD 5.
I asked Lane Carter at a forum recently whether he would be able to represent our district when the matter of the city health contract comes up again. Currently, city employees can only use Community Hospital and Carter works for Shannon.
He responded that he would be able to remain impartial. However, what I was asking was whether he would be required to recuse himself from that discussions and vote.
One of his supporters shouted that my question was a "red herring" and announced that he would be able to vote on the issue. That is incorrect. I called the city attorney for her opinion and was told that yes, because his employer, and therefore indirectly he, could potentially benefit from that contract, he would be advised to recuse himself. Many past and current council members are required to do so when a city decision directly impacts their profession.
A number of Shannon and city employees live in SMD 5. And with the city being self insured, this is a multimillion-dollar issue that has an impact on every taxpayer. Voters need to understand that SMD 5 would not have a voice on the council during this discussion if Carter were to be elected.
That Carter seemingly didn't know that he would have to recuse himself is a very good example of why we really need him to learn more about how our city government actually works before he is handed any leadership role in it.
We already have a number of new council members and bigger financial decisions to make than ever before. Liz Grindstaff has extensive education and experience in city government. Please vote for Liz Grindstaff, SMD 5. Your vote counts!
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $122 billion state budget on Monday that puts $3.3 billion in the state's rainy-day fund -- $2 billion more than constitutionally required -- to bring the reserve to $6.7 billion.And notably, the governor did not use his authority to tweak the budget that had passed the state Legislature earlier this month. The last time a governor did not veto a single item in the budget was the 1982-83 budget, when Brown was at the helm the first time.The 2016-17 state budget sends $71.9 billion to K-12 schools and community colleges, which is the highest amount sent to schools under the state's minimum funding guarantee. Per student spending in K-12 schools increased to $10,643, which is up $3,600 since 2011-12.The state will spend $3.6 billion in state and federal money toward affordable housing and homelessness programs. That includes $400 million Assembly Democrats sought for affordable housing programs. That money will be set aside until the Legislature and Brown reach a deal on the governor's calls for streamlining development projects.Brown wants to streamline the review process for housing proposals that meet a city's zoning requirements, but the legislation has been opposed by unions and other groups that say it sidesteps the state's environmental laws.The state will authorize a $2 billion bond from future Proposition 63 mental health revenues to create affordable housing programs for the mentally ill.The budget included Democrats' long-sought repeal of a controversial limit on welfare benefits.The "maximum family grant" does not allow for increased welfare payments if a child is born after a family has already been receiving benefits.Repealing the law is expected to cost $110 million in 2016-17. Democrats sought the repeal for several years, saying the cap on welfare payments endangers the health of infants born into poverty and intentionally delves into the reproductive decisions of poor women."This balanced, on-time budget -- which also responsibly grows the state's rainy day fund -- is the result of hundreds of hours of public hearings," Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), said in a statement."That shows the budget process is working and our final product means California is in stronger fiscal shape than we have been for years."
Gov. John Bel Edwards opened the second special legislative session of 2016 three weeks ago by warning lawmakers they needed to raise $600 million more in taxes and enact meaningful tax reform."The days of kicking the can down the road are over," Edwards told the 144 lawmakers gathered in the Louisiana House. "The day of reckoning is at hand."But anti-tax Republicans in the House swatted aside his message. Because of their opposition, lawmakers raised only $263 million during the special session that ended late Thursday night -- less than half of what the governor sought.They also kicked a lot of cans down the road.Lawmakers set aside no money for what economists are projecting as a $200 million budget deficit in the fiscal year that ends Thursday, a shortfall caused by a drop in corporate tax collections due either to the economy being in recession, to an excessive number of corporate tax giveaways, or both. Either way, state officials must eliminate any deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.Lawmakers -- at the behest of House Republicans -- also punted to next year a total overhaul of the tax system by rejecting interim tax reform measures backed by independent economists who sit on a special task force studying the state's tax and spending policies. The legislators' argument was that the changes should be made holistically."We need comprehensive reform but not piecemeal measures," state Rep. Lance Harris, of Alexandria, who heads the Republican House Caucus, said in comments echoed by other conservative Republicans.They'll have to do something next year. There's a looming fiscal cliff, owing to temporary taxes imposed by lawmakers in 2015 and earlier this year that will fall off in 2018. The fiscal cliff totals $1.1 billion, according to the state Division of Administration.The question is whether anti-tax lawmakers, such as Harris, will embrace the tax changes the task force will recommend in September -- a proposed revamp that likely would eliminate tax loopholes, lower tax rates and raise enough money to end the chronic budget shortfalls that Louisiana has endured each year since early in former Gov. Bobby Jindal's first term.Speaking to reporters just past midnight early Friday, Edwards said carrying out those changes will require more political courage than legislators have demonstrated so far."I will tell you that the actions, the decisions we will have to make in the future will be more difficult when we undertake comprehensive, structural, long-term tax reform in April," he said. "Those decisions will be more difficult than any the Legislature has had to deal with tonight."The end of the second special session has sent home legislators who spent the past 19 weeks in Baton Rouge, the longest stretch in the history of the Louisiana Legislature, according to the Manship School News Service.Edwards will follow lawmakers to their hometowns over the next two weeks to pitch his narrative of what happened over those 19 weeks, in part to avoid being tarred by Republicans as a tax-and-spend liberal. Accompanying him will be Jay Dardenne, the governor's top budget officer, who was among the three Republicans defeated by Edwards during last year's governor's race. Dardenne's role will buttress Edwards' argument that he has been seeking a bipartisan solution.The governor gave a preview of his storyline during his post-midnight news conference, noting that when he took office in January, he inherited a $900 million shortfall that had to be plugged immediately, as well as a billion-dollar shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year that he also had to fill."Today, some of us can look back on these two special sessions ... knowing that we did everything we could, everything within our power to work in good faith, compromise, to find common ground and avoid catastrophic cuts," Edwards said. "To a very large part, we were successful. That is because a clear majority of legislators worked with us in that same fashion."But certainly not everyone in the Legislature can say that. There is a relatively small group, mostly in the House, who did everything in their power to block just about every attempt that we made to find common ground and raise the revenue necessary to fund critically important priorities."Edwards will be seeking to offer an alternative storyline to that offered by Gambit political editor Clancy DuBos immediately after the special session ended. In his traditional post-session column, "Da Winnas and Da Loozas," DuBos put Edwards in the latter category because he fell far short of getting the revenue he wanted. DuBos called House Republicans big winners. "They told him he would not get everything he wanted -- and they kept their promise," he wrote.Anti-Edwards Republicans will be pushing the same theme.On Friday, less than 12 hours after the governor met with reporters, the state Republican Party sent out an email headlined: "VICTORY AT THE STATE CAPITOL: REPUBLICANS WIN -- EDWARDS INCOME TAX FINALLY DEFEATED."The email was referring to the governor's failed last-ditch effort to raise $88 million more by ending the provision that allows taxpayers to deduct their previous year's state and local tax payments on the current year's state tax return.Republicans in the House called it a tax increase on middle-income taxpayers, although studies show that taxpayers who earn over $100,000 would shoulder 75 percent of the cost.In general, Republican legislators who opposed the governor's measures said they heard a clear message from the hell-no-don't-raise-my-taxes crowd.But those people weren't the only squeaky wheels. Mothers who rely on state assistance to help with their severely disabled children at home came repeatedly to the State Capitol to lobby against cuts in their state aid. And they also didn't lose any money.Not faring as well at the Capitol were parents and students who receive the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarships, who never showed up to make their case. Because of the overall funding shortfall, parents will now have to pick up 30 percent of the cost of tuition for students receiving the scholarships. That means the average student will have to pay $1,500 in tuition to make up the difference, said Richard Lipsey, the Board of Regents chairman.Expect Edwards and Republicans who oppose him to battle over who is responsible for the 30 percent loss of TOPS funding.One of the key questions facing Edwards in the coming days and weeks will be how to respond to what he calls the "no" caucus in the state House -- lawmakers who rejected the tax measures but also didn't offer a viable plan to cut spending. These lawmakers, as Edwards likes to put it, neither led nor followed nor got out of the way.Several legislators said privately that Edwards needs to make an example of at least one prominent opponent.One veteran legislator remembered how Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Speaker Joe Salter punished state Rep. Troy Hebert in 2004 by sacking him as a committee chairman after he voted against a key tax measure sought by Blanco."It's like what you have to do sometimes with a mule that won't go into the barn," the legislator said. "You have to whack him in the head to get his attention."Edwards doesn't have the ability to dump a committee chair because the Republican-led House broke with tradition in January by not crowning the governor's choice as its speaker. But he has other cards he could play.One possible target could be a $1 million request by House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, to renovate a hangar and parking lot at the Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia.The governor also could whack an $11 million request in state construction money from another high-profile nemesis, state Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, who chairs the House tax committee that killed several of the governor's revenue-raising measures. The $11 million would go for an Audubon Zoo exhibit to be held in 2020.Timmy Teepell, who served as Jindal's chief political strategist, warned that Edwards had better tread carefully in how he metes out punishment by killing construction spending projects."He would be making Taylor Barras a martyr for standing up against tax increases, which will make him even stronger as speaker," Teepell said in an interview. "He needs to be the governor for all of Louisiana. Relegating an entire segment of the Legislature into an enemy's camp is short-sighted and bad for the state. These are people he's going to need to work with his entire first term. He has to work with the hand he's dealt. His ideology is a couple of notches to the left of the state. He needs to be careful about picking ideological fights."
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales blamed "trial by media" as he announced Police Chief Larry O'Dea's retirement Monday, but he acknowledged that the fallout over O'Dea's off-duty shooting of a friend had caused "turmoil and confusion" that demanded a change in leadership."Chief O'Dea recognized the strain on the bureau and the need to move forward," Hales said.O'Dea, 54, has been under criminal investigation for the April 21 shooting during a camping trip in eastern Oregon. O'Dea told the mayor about the shooting four days later, but they both kept it under wraps until reporters asked about it a month later.The mayor named Capt. Mike Marshman as the new chief. He chose Marshman instead of acting Chief Donna Henderson or three assistant chiefs to ensure "clean and unquestioned leadership," Hales said.He called Marshman the "right leader for the Portland Police Bureau right now," citing his deliberate and thoughtful thinking.He approached Marshman on Thursday or Friday, and Marshman told the mayor he had to think about it."It's a hard community to police in," Marshman said moments before he was sworn in to the top job by the city auditor.Hales remained a staunch supporter of O'Dea and wouldn't comment on the ongoing investigation by state police and the state Department of Justice."I'll continue to wait on passing judgment until I have all the facts," Hales said. "I'm sad to lose his service, and we should all be sad to lose his service."The chief's and mayor's delay in publicly disclosing the shooting and the fact that O'Dea stayed on the job during that time without any internal inquiry angered rank-and-file officers, who complained of a double standard.The mayor -- as well as Henderson, the other assistant chiefs and the internal affairs captain, who all heard about the shooting from O'Dea in late April -- never told the city's Independent Police Review Division about O'Dea's admission. The division conducts internal investigations of any officer who holds the captain's rank and higher.The division director learned about the shooting through media reports on May 20 and then opened an internal review -- a routine step when an officer has a negligent or accidental discharge of their gun, on or off duty.Hales said Monday during his news conference that he didn't notify the division "because I thought the official process was underway." He declined to elaborate even after pressed to explain his own role in the delay.The review division also is now investigating Henderson, the assistant chiefs and the internal affairs captain, to find out why they didn't initiate a review.O'Dea shot a friend, Robert Dempsey, in the lower left back while camping in Harney County. He and his friends, including two other retired Portland police tactical officers, were shooting ground squirrels, according to a deputy sheriff's report.At first, O'Dea told a sheriff's deputy that it appeared Dempsey had shot himself while trying to return his pistol to a shoulder holster. O'Dea also told the deputy that he didn't have his rifle in his hands at the time of the shooting. He didn't identify himself as Portland's police chief.Later, O'Dea called Dempsey to apologize for shooting him. Dempsey, after his release from the hospital, told the deputy that O'Dea had problems with his .22-caliber rifle misfiring and jamming all day. He said O'Dea had told him that when he returned to his seat and picked up the rifle, it went off, striking Dempsey, who was in a lawn chair next to him, according to the deputy's report.O'Dea never told the Harney County Sheriff's Office that he was responsible for the shooting, Sheriff Dave Ward has said.O'Dea's lawyer Derek Ashton said he's confident O'Dea won't face criminal charges. O'Dea didn't knowingly shoot his friend and was unaware at first that the shot came from his rifle, Ashton said. O'Dea also disputes the deputy's report that he was impaired by alcohol at the time.The mayor said O'Dea's resignation was voluntary. Hales was out of town at a U.S. Conference of Mayors meetings this weekend, and negotiations for O'Dea's resignation continued through the weekend. The assistant chiefs had no idea of the command shake-up until they received calls from the mayor early Sunday evening.O'Dea's retirement took effect Monday, with an annual pension of $170,792.16 -- 87 percent of his final annual salary of $197,146.08, according to the Portland Fire and Police Disability and Retirement Fund. He had 29.82 years of service, and a tax-remedy benefit of $547 a month was added, said the fund's director, Samuel Hutchison. He started as chief in January 2015 with an annual salary of $192,504.Marshman, 50, has most recently served as the bureau's federal justice compliance coordinator, responsible for ensuring the bureau adopts reforms required under its settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The agreement stems from a 2012 federal investigation that found Portland police used excessive force against people with mental illness.Marshman, a 25-year bureau veteran, cited his three goals as chief: to build community trust, restore legitimacy within the bureau and focus on the federal-mandated reforms. He also will be working to fill the estimated 65 vacancies in the bureau."Those three goals I expect every member of the Police Bureau to know," he said."Police work in 2016 cannot be accomplished in a vacuum," Marshman said. "We must participate and engage with the entire community to solve problems, and that means being partners and allies, not just authority figures."Portland Mayor Charlie Hales announces Larry O'Dea's retirement, takes swipe at mediaMarshman lives in Scappoose with his wife and joined the Police Bureau on April 25, 1991 after working two years for the San Diego Police Department. He's served as public information officer, a lieutenant in Central Precinct and as former Chief Mike Reese's executive assistant. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Portland State University in 1987.Oregon's U.S. Attorney Billy Williams said he supports the change and is hopeful Marshman will build trust in the community. "The standards of the Portland Police Bureau will be a direct reflection of its new leader," Williams said.Multnomah County Circuit Court's Presiding Judge Nan Waller also spoke on Marhsman's behalf. "Capt. Marshman's experience as the Department of Justice coordinator has provided him with a clear understanding that good policing requires a foundation of public confidence, built through community engagement and mutual respect."The mayor's news conference started in City Hall's third-floor hallway, but was disrupted when local activist Joe Walsh began playing a recording from a small loudspeaker as the mayor spoke that blared, "How much did you know? When were you told?"Hales and his staff then moved into the conference room inside the mayor's office.Marshman won endorsement from the police union and Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler, who said he supports the new chief but still plans a national search when he takes office next year.Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said "a dark cloud has been lifted from over the Portland Police Bureau with the much needed departure of Larry O'Dea." The union represents officers, detectives and sergeants."We are at a critical crossroad. Although we're still angry and in disbelief by the deep wounds inflicted on our organization by the outgoing chief, we are optimistic that we can work collaboratively with Chief Marshman to rebuild this Police Bureau," Turner said in a statement.Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler said he supported Marshman's selection but still intends to conduct a national search for the job once he takes office. Marshman is welcome to apply as a contender for the job, he said in a statement.
Description
GIS - 28 June, 2016: Zero budget farming was at the fore of discussions between the Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Dean of the Arya Samaj Gurukul in Kurukshetra, Acharya Devvrat, and the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, during a courtesy call at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis yesterday. Zero budget farming was at the fore of discussions between the Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Dean of the Arya Samaj Gurukul in Kurukshetra, Acharya Devvrat, and the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, during a courtesy call at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis yesterday.
In a statement Acharya Devvrat expressed appreciation with his meeting with the Prime Minister as well as the progress achieved by the country in various sectors. He said he was greatly pleased with the keen interest shown by Mauritius with regard to Zero Budget Farming for the benefit of the farmers and the community.
Mr Devvrat had a meeting with some 300 Mauritian farmers on Zero Budget Farming during which he had the opportunity to share his own 17-year old experience in practising this type of farming. This practice, he said, is being adopted by thousands of farmers in India and added that the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, is also encouraging more and more farmers and other `States across India to adopt this agricultural practice and derive ways and means to promote the Zero Budget farming.
He further urged the farming community to learn and adapt to this latest technology in which no chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used for a safer and healthier nation. He also cited the example of Sikkim which has turned into a fully organic State and adding that progressively India is propagating the tradition of Zero Budget Farming which can serve as an example for other countries across the world.
Description
GIS 28 June 2016: A wave monitoring device, aiming to explore the prospects of developing wave energy for the Republic of Mauritius and harness the potential of ocean energy, was deployed yesterday during a launching ceremony held at Le Batelage Restaurant, in Souillac.
This initiative follows the Collaborative Agreement signed in June 2015 by the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) with Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd o n the prospects of developing wave energy for Mauritius. Based in Australia, Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd is a leader in wave energy technology and harnessing wave energy for the production of electricity and desalinated water.
Following the signature of the Agreement, Carnegie Wave Energy Ltd in partnership with the MRC began in November 2015 the project High Penetration Renewable Energy Roadmap, Wave Resource Assessment and Wave-Integrated Micro grid Design in Mauritius. The project is being jointly funded by Carnegie (19%) and the Australian Government (81%).
The Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, Shipping and Outer Islands, Mr Premdut Koonjoo, and the Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Disaster and Beach Management, and the Australian High Commissioner to Mauritius, Ms Susan Coles, were present at the deployment of the wave monitoring device at Souillac. The event was organised by the MRC in collaboration with the Australian High Commission in Mauritius.
Five potential locations that are no further than 3 km from Souillac have been identified for the deployment of the wave monitoring device. The aim is to use the site closest to Souillac for the deployment of the device.
It is recalled that the Republic of Mauritius has a total area of 2.3 million square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone and is geographically well positioned to harness ocean energy. This may be in the form of offshore wind, ocean wave, ocean current, ocean thermal and ocean saline energy.
Wave energy
Wave energy possesses unique characteristics that offer an advantage over other renewables such as wind and solar energy. These include:
Less variable and with the variability being more gradual and with notice;
More predictable: Wave energy is estimated to be at least three times more predictable than wind energy;
The proximity of favourable wave energy sites to ultimate end users, thereby minimising transmission issues. Notably, approximately 60% of the worlds population lives within 60 kilometres of a coast.
(TNS) -- When Uber and Lyft quit Austin after getting thumped at the polls last month, at least eight ridesharing companies flooded in. Among the most interesting is RideAustin , a non-profit started by some of the citys leading tech figures.After a limited startup last week, its attracted attention from cities embroiled in their own struggles with the rideshare giants, a spokesman said. They want to see if RideAustin might be a model to be copied. The efforts leaders hope that it is.Weve gotten attention from across the country, the spokesman, Joe Deshotel, said, listing Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego as among the cities that have inquired. But right now, were only focused on Austin.They probably need to. The very idea for the service didnt exist six weeks ago.Deshotel and his new bosses were on opposite sides of the issue as Uber and Lyft fought a bitter, $9.1 million battle to overturn an Austin ordinance requiring that drivers undergo fingerprint-based FBI background checks.Deshotel was spokesman for the group trying to thwart Ubers effort to get the fingerprint requirement overturned. The moneymen behind RideAustin Trilogy founder Joe Liemandt and Crossover founder Andy Tryba supported the initiative by their tech colleagues, Deshotel said.When, in early May, the Uber and Lyft initiative got creamed by 12 percentage points, the rideshare giants carried through on their threat to leave the city.Liemandt - who is credited with helping make Austin a tech mecca - and Tryba believed that a rideshare service was essential to keeping the citys economy thriving. So they put up $4 million to $5 million of their own money to start one.A week later, they reached out to Deshotel to serve as their spokesman. Making their business plan unique is that RideAustin is a non-profit. The idea is that by not having to pay dividends or face shareholder pressure scale up nationally, the app will be able to pay drivers better and offer cheaper rides.RideAustin currently is taking 20 percent of the gross for development and administration. But as the project matures, its leaders want to squeeze down that percentage to cut fares and improve driver pay, Deshotel said.While being a non-profit is intended to help drivers and riders, another unique feature is intended to benefit the larger community. RideAustin has a round-up feature that allows riders to give a few coins to charity with each ride.Deshotel said it has already proven popular.Weve really had a great reception, he said. We have lots and lots of charities reaching out to us.Deshotel said its been a whirlwind since he joined the effort.A local tech team has led development of the app, but others in time zones around the world helped out, allowing development to take place around the clock.A priority has been to start small and ensure a smoothly functioning app, Deshotel said. RideAustin is trying to avoid a pitfall that has beset some other Austin rideshare startups, such as Get Me, which has functioned inconsistently.Starting June 16, RideAustin launched in five central-city zip codes and the airport. It plans to cover the entire city by December.For now, the app is only downloadable on iPhones. Deshotel said it should be available for Androids within a month.And for now, anyway, RideAustin is paying for its drivers to get fingerprinted. The city government is putting together a plan to handle results so that it can know whether companies are meeting an Aug. 1 deadline to show that at least 50 percent of drivers have passed the background checks, which Uber and Lyft left town over.El Paso is yet to pass its own ordinance regulating rideshare companies.While RideAustin is focused only on Austin, it plans to create a platform to share its data with Texas A&M Universitys Texas Transportation Institute, the University of Texas and any city thats interested in it, Deshotel said.After Uber and Lyft lost at the polls in May, some Republican lawmakers immediately began talking about statewide legislation that would overturn Austins rideshare ordinance.If the rideshare giants are waiting for such a law to return to town, they likely will be waiting until next summer at the earliest. That would give RideAustin and all the other rideshare startups a full year to grow and show that Uber and Lyft developed a great model, but now others can improve upon it.An Uber spokeswoman didnt answer directly when asked earlier this month if it was a strategic blunder to storm out of one of its most lucrative markets. RideAustin leaders believe it was.Quoting Liemandt, Deshotel said, Uber came to town. They built a factory. They built the machines. Then they abandoned them. We just need to turn them on.
(TNS) -- Central Florida has become the testing ground for a cellphone as toll transponder app by a San Francisco startup with nationwide ambitions.The PayTollo phone app would notify drivers when they are approaching a toll and give them the option to pay through their phone after their ride is over a convenience for casual toll customers and tourists with no E-Pass or SunPass accounts."The a-ha moment came when I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and I received an invoice in the mail, and the only way I could pay was to use a money order," said Abenezer Yohalashet, PayTollo co-founder.PayTollo has been working with the Central Florida Expressway Authority, which operates 109 miles of toll roads in Orange County.All users have to do is download PayTollo (it's currently available for Apple products only) and plug in their contact, vehicle and payment information to become a beta-tester. Testers can pay their tolls this way."It just gives consumers another option, especially as visitors that come to the area and people that don't have transponders," said Michelle Maikisch, spokeswoman for the toll agency.More frequent toll users might find it less useful."The world is going to iPhones, but I don't think it's all that necessary," said Marty White, a motorist who was walking into the E-Pass Service Center on Colonial Drive on a recent weekday. "But transponders will probably all be obsolete someday."PayTollo isn't the only company working on such technology.PToll launched its cellphone-transponder app to the public in 2014 after testing in Austin, Texas.That was the same location of a conference hosted by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association in 2014. PayTollo competed against Ptoll, GeoToll and other companies in a "shark tank"-like competition at the conference and won for having the most innovative toll payment option, Yohalashet said.The company later linked up with the Central Florida Expressway Authority and Yohalashet says it has been helped greatly by the vibrant Orlando tech scene."We like to say that [Central Florida Expressway Authority] incubated us," Yohalashet said. The Florida toll agency is not paying PayTollo for its services.The toll authority recently voted to allow the company to collect tolls when the technology is fully developed. Yohalashet didn't give a timeline for fully launching the app.Tolls, which are a frequent solution to maintain and pay for new roads, are only going to grow.The toll revenue market is estimated to grow 10.9 percent a year between 2015 and 2020 to $8.65 billion, according to a report by research firm MarketsandMarkets.The industry is already moving towards a more convenient, universal system in other ways.A 2012 law passed by Congress mandates that by October of this year all toll agencies must agree on a single transponder that can work on their systems. What may be the country's only universal transponder the Nationalpass is coming out next month.That doesn't mean E-Pass or SunPass would no longer work on Florida toll roads, but those roads must be compatible with at least one type of nationwide transponder.PayTollo has been actively testing the technology on Central Florida roads since January with about 30 testers. Now, it's looking for about 1,000 users to help them stress test the tollway system."We're really trying to pitch to other toll authorities and use [Central Florida Expressway Authority] as a base," Yohalashet said.
Finding the Right Fit
High School Just a Start
(TNS) -- Vice President Joe Biden said Monday that the economy is on the cusp of a genuine resurgence but that strong growth will depend on training minorities, the disabled, persons with criminal records and other disadvantaged workers to be qualified for well-paying jobs in the technology sector.Biden spoke to reporters on a conference call during a White House announcement of $150 million in Tech Hire training grants, including $4 million to a Bakersfield nonprofit, Exceptional Family Center, that provides computer classes to high-functioning developmentally disabled people.Oakland and San Francisco were among the first communities receiving job training grants when President Obama announced the Tech Hire initiative last year. The program is a collaboration between the government, educational institutions and the private sector to train overlooked workers for the jobs that the technology sector says it cant fill, including companies in the industry that use large numbers of H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers.Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, has criticized Silicon Valley for unconscious bias that ignores qualified applicants for jobs and contracts in her Alameda County district. In a recent interview, Lee said some Silicon Valley companies are making progress but much more needs to be done.Ive been working on this for years and years, Lee said, and its been really hard.Beverly Foster, an administrative director of the Bakersfield program, began crying when she heard the news from a reporter that the program had received the grant.Foster said she will focus on higher-functioning high school graduates with autism, Aspergers syndrome and attention disorders who have a talent for computers and graphic arts, but are spurned by employers and are not getting the vocational and soft communications skills that would help them get jobs.Many of these kids are still sitting at home three and four years later, after they graduate from high school, said Foster, who is raising three developmentally disabled children and is a former high school special education administrator.The state rehabilitation program often places such workers in retail sales jobs, which is not the best place for them, Foster said. With the grant money, Foster said these young people will get a year of technology and workplace-skills training and once they are hired by local Kern County businesses working with the program, will receive intensive monitoring and other help.We want to make sure they stay hired, Foster said.Biden said Obama gave him the job of doing a thorough, thorough study of the jobs of the future. He concluded after talking for the last six months to business executives around the country that by the end of this decade, well-paying jobs will require six to 10 years of education beyond high school.Thats why we no longer think 12 years of free education is enough, Biden said. Thats not going to get you through the 21st century economy.Biden stressed, however, that the administration is focusing on quicker training such as apprenticeships and coding boot camps, because many low-income workers lack the time and money to attend college. Companies told him, he said, that they need a better-trained workforce, and thats what were doing. He cited training for jobs such as software developers, with an average salary of $80,000, and computer network specialists who can earn $50,000.Biden said, 40 percent of these jobs dont require a four-year college degree, adding that many people can be trained through a 12- to 18-week course. He said the programs have to produce measured results or they lose their grants. Weve got to train and place, not train and pray, Biden said.The administration said more than 600,000 tech jobs are open across the country, two-thirds of them in non-tech industries such as health care, advanced manufacturing and financial services.There are far too few women and minorities in technology positions, said Megan Smith, the White House chief technology officer.
(TNS) -- Esri founder Jack Dangermond held up his map technology companys partnership with the city of Los Angeles as a path to the future Monday in the opening session of the Esri User Conference in San Diego.Esri is an innovator in geographic information systems, which combine geographic data with other statistics for the purposes of analysis. More than 350,000 organizations worldwide use its products.Its partnership with Los Angeles is called GeoHub.GeoHub makes Los Angeles an open city with open data, said guest speaker Lilian Coral, L.A.s chief data officer.In the partnership, announced in January, the city put its data sets on an open platform, allowing citizens to become fact gatherers to deal with such problems as illegal dumping and potholes.Coral announced that the project is being expanded to include mayor Eric Garcettis Vision Zero initiative to end traffic deaths.GeoHub is an essential part of the foundation that will make Los Angeles stronger and more responsive for the next century, Garcetti said in a video message.Addressing thousands of people from 130 countries, Dangermond said that mining big data in real time with the help of social media can put more eyes on problems than ever before.GIS is increasingly understood as a platform for public engagement, Dangermond said.His 90-minute introduction to the conference included presenting an award to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, accepted by administrator Craig Fugate.Fugate said GIS is being used in FEMAs response to flooding in West Virginia.Dangermond outlined a number of new products intended to bring speed and drag-and-drop simplicity to mining big data.He said technological innovation creates enormous possibilities for collaboration between government, business, nonprofits and people around the globe.The world is being wired up with everything, he said. What do we do with all this data?
The class-wide settlement in the Volkswagen Clean Diesel Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation will provide owners and lessees of Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles substantial compensation through buybacks and lease terminations, government-approved emissions modifications, and cash payments, while fixing or removing these polluting vehicles from the road.
Under a class action settlement agreement filed today ( earlier post ), Volkswagen and Audi in the US will pay more than $14.7 billion to settle complaints arising from its cheating on emissions from its 2.0-liter diesel engines. The class settlement creates a funding pool of up to $10.033 billion for affected consumers; companion settlements with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (ARB) call for an additional $4.7 billion for environmental impact. (Californias share represents one-quarter of the total national mitigation funding of $4.7 billion dollars.)
The proposed consumer settlement was filed in the Northern District of California as part of the multidistrict litigation currently being overseen by Judge Charles M. Breyer. If approved by the Court, this will be the largest consumer auto industry class action settlement in US history.
Of approximately 499,000 2.0L TDL vehicles that were produced for sale in the US, approximately 460,000 Volkswagen and 15,000 Audi vehicles are currently in use and eligible for buybacks and lease terminations or emissions modifications, if approved by regulators. Under the class action settlement agreement, Volkswagen will create a funding pool of up to $10.033 billion dollars for the class. The settlement will provide consumers the choice of:
A buyback or lease termination on approximately 475,000 2.0-liter diesel vehicles.
If approved by the EPA and California Air Resources Board (or CARB), an emissions modification to ensure the vehicle no longer generates excess nitrogen oxide emissions.
The settlement also offers class members with cash compensation, whether they choose a buyback or an approved emissions modification. This is in addition to the vehicles Buyback value (NADA) or approved modification. These cash payments are only available to 2.0-liter vehicle owners and lessees who participate in the class action settlement.
Under companion settlements with EPA and CARB, which are incorporated in the class action settlement agreement, Volkswagen Group will pay an additional $2.7 billion into a mitigation trust to fund remediation of the excess nitrogen oxide (NO x ) emissions from 2.0L TDI vehicles. Further, another $2.0 billion over 10 years will go to zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, access and awareness initiatives in the US.
Volkswagen will also be required to pay additional money into a mitigation trust if it fails to remove from commerce or modify at least 85% of covered 2.0 liter vehicles by 30 June 2019. Volkswagen has also reached companion agreements with the Federal Trade Commission as well as over 40 State Attorneys General.
This historic agreement holds Volkswagen accountable for its betrayal of consumer trust, and requires Volkswagen to repair the environmental damage it caused. To achieve relief for consumers so swiftly on such a large scale is unprecedented. We are grateful for the leadership of Judge Breyer; the Settlement Master, former FBI Director Robert Mueller; and the DOJ, EPA, FTC and CARB during this complex process. We have taken the first step toward achieving the settlements goals: fairly compensating consumers, undoing the cars environmental damage through remediation, and fixing or getting these polluting cars off the road. Elizabeth Cabraser, Court-appointed Lead Counsel and chair of the 21 member Plaintiffs Steering Committee (PSC), which negotiated the settlement on behalf of class members
Vehicle Buyback. Under the terms of the proposed class settlement, eligible owner class members who choose the Buyback Program will receive a payment equal to the September 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Clean Trade-In value of the car (before the emissions conduct became public), adjusted for their options and mileage.
Certain owners will be eligible for forgiveness of their car loan obligations, and certain lessees will be able to terminate their lease with no penalty. Volkswagen may begin buying back eligible vehicles as early as the fall of 2016, just over one year after the diesel emissions issues were first revealed.
Vehicle Fix. Alternatively, if owners or lessees prefer, they can wait and see whether an emissions modification is approved by EPA and CARB for their vehicles. If an EPA and CARB-approved emissions modification becomes available, Volkswagen will modify their non-compliant 2.0-liter vehicle free of charge, with extended warranties and lemon law protections.
If a modification is not approved for a certain vehicle, the Buyback Program will still be available, or a class member can withdraw from the settlement. Volkswagen will be prohibited from re-selling in the US or abroad any vehicle that does not receive an approved emissions modification.
Cash Payments. Class members will also receive cash payments in addition to the Buyback value or approved modification. The amount is the same whether one participates in the buyback or modification program. The settlement agreement includes a formula for how this cash payment is determined. For example, most owners who purchased a 2.0-liter vehicle before 18 September 2015 will be eligible for a payment ranging from $5,100 to approximately $10,000 per vehicle.
This cash is to be paid on top of the September 2015 Clean Trade-in value for class members participating in the Buyback Program. Benefits to class members cannot be reduced by attorneys fees. Fees and costs must be paid in addition by Volkswagen as approved by the Court.
Class members can visit www.VWCourtSettlement.com to learn if they have an eligible vehicle. If the Court grants preliminary approval on 26 Jul, this site will then include a secure settlement look-up tool where consumers can enter their vehicles VIN number to learn their compensation amount. When and if the Court grants final approval, the claims process will open to eligible Volkswagen and Audi 2.0 liter owners and lessees without delays on appeal.
On 22 April 2016, Volkswagen Group recognized total exceptional charges of 16.2 billion (US$17.8 billion) in its financial statements for 2015 for worldwide provisions related to technical modifications and repurchases, legal risks and other items as a result of the diesel matter. As noted at that time, due to the complexities and legal uncertainties associated with resolving the diesel matter, a future assessment of the risks may be different.
Todays announcement is within the scope of our provisions and other financial liabilities that we have already disclosed, and we are in a position to manage the consequences. It provides further clarity for our US customers and dealers as well as for our shareholders. Settlements of this magnitude are clearly a very significant burden for our business. We will now focus on implementing our TOGETHER-Strategy 2025 (earlier post) and improving operational excellence across the Volkswagen Group. Frank Witter, Chief Financial Officer of Volkswagen AG
Among the key elements of the TOGETHER-Strategy 2025 initiative is the launch of more than 30 purely battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) over the next ten years.
City Attorney Tom Carruthers' comment that four city managers believed David Wray acted with malice in his tenure as Greensboro police chief "is a damnable accusation that requires a factual explanation," according to former Mayor Bill Knight.
Knight, Greensboro's mayor from 2009 to 2011, made the comments Monday on Councilman Tony Wilkins' Facebook page.
You remember David Wray? Of course you do. His tenure ended in 2006 amid accusations of racial discrimination. The fallout spawned numerous lawsuits against the city - from both his detractors and supporters on the force - and has cost city taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Well, much like a character in this horror movie, the case was recently reanimated.
The N.C. Court of Appeals ruled June 6 that Wray can sue the city over his unpaid legal bills, which he claimed in 2009 were more than $220,500, according to the ruling.
Wray had hired a private attorney when several officers sued him and the police department for racial discrimination. He believes a 1980 city policy guarantees that the city should pay his personal legal bills. The city does not.
City Attorney Tom Carruthers said the city will appeal the Court of Appeals' decision to the state Supreme Court.
The appeals court's ruling might have come and gone with little fanfare.
Except the public learned just days later that the city had paid $8,500 to Mayor Nancy Vaughan's private attorneys. Vaughan was deposed last year for a suit by a downtown developer, who has since dropped it.
Scoop asked Carruthers how it could pay Vaughan's bill and simultaneously argue that it shouldn't pay Wray's.
He said Saturday that the Wray situation is different from Vaughans. The 1980 policy says the city doesnt have to pay such legal costs if there is fraud, corruption or actual malice involved.
Carruthers said four city managers have taken the position that Wrays actions were malicious.
The mayor used the same word. She told Scoop a day earlier (in comments that didn't make it into the article) that the city "felt there was maliciousness behind" Wray's actions (More here on her legal bill issues).
The use of the word "malice" by Carruthers - and, once we reported it, by Vaughan - has reignited the uproar.
Knight was a staunch supporter of Wray, something on which he based his mayoral campaign. He joined several people discussing the matter on Wilkins' Facebook page over the weekend.
"During our times together and in closed sessions with the manager and city council I never heard the term malicious used," he wrote.
"I challenge the city manager and city attorney to provide the reports of those city managers telling just what the malicious acts were."
By the way, Wilkins has asked to see Wray's personnel file so he can see for himself whether there's a paper trail of "malicious" acts. The council will review the file in August.
RALEIGH Having reached a budget compromise, lawmakers are winding down the current General Assembly session this week but not before revisiting the controversial House Bill 2.
But more on that in a second.
Late Monday night, Republicans in the General Assembly announced their agreement on budget adjustments for the upcoming fiscal year. That agreement contains sizable pay raises for teachers and across-the-board raises for state employees.
The compromise, which came after about three weeks of negotiations, spends a little more than $22.3 billion for the year starting Friday.
The legislation also contains increases in the standard deduction this calendar year and in 2017, effectively creating tax cuts.
The two chambers will vote in the coming days on the actual measure that adjusts the second year of the two-year budget approved last fall.
Gov. Pat McCrory would be asked to sign any approved measure into law.
The legislature is looking to wind down its current session this week and adjourn before July 4.
And now that the state budget is out of the way, multiple General Assembly sources say lawmakers will turn their attention to a compromise on HB 2.
The law excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from statewide anti-discrimination protections and bars local governments from passing such protections.
The most controversial part of the law requires people to use bathrooms and changing rooms in government buildings and schools that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.
When the law was passed in March, there was an immediate backlash as the state became the focus of boycotts, federal lawsuits and fierce protests.
CEOs of more than 200 American businesses have called for the laws repeal.
Major sports organizations such as the NFL, NCAA and NBA have also pressured lawmakers to change or repeal the law.
According to multiple sources in the state House and Senate, the economic impact of the controversy has convinced a large segment of the Republican majority that the law must be changed this session.
To that end, a number of draft compromises are being circulated in Raleigh. However, most Republicans say the bathroom provision would have to remain in place regardless of whatever else happens.
One popular idea among Republicans is for the amended bill to state that North Carolinas discrimination laws would mirror federal law, which, for now, does not consider LGBT people to be a protected class. Instead, a patchwork of different nondiscrimination laws tackle the issue from state to state.
But HB 2s opponents say only a total repeal would be acceptable.
As legislators look to end their work this week, its not clear what changes may actually be made or if they can be pushed through this session.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Development of open, grassy agricultural lands in the northeast is pushing the diminutive American kestrel to migrate to homes with much larger predators: airplanes.
The small falcon has been dubbed a species of special concern in Connecticut because of a loss of habitat and dip in population. Contributing to the problem could be the tendency of the birds to relocate to airports, where the flat, wide-open spaces resemble their destroyed homes.
The problem is particularly evident at Westchester County Airport, where 21 American kestrels were struck and killed by airplanes over the past four years, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. During that same time, planes in Connecticut hit a total of 22 kestrels.
The strategies that airports have in place to keep other birds, such as geese and starlings, away from airfields are less successful with the more intelligent American kestrel.
The Northeast is one of the areas that show the steepest declines of the species. We dont know exactly why this bird is in decline, said Sarah Schulwitz, assistant director at the American Kestrel Partnership, which is leading a nationwide volunteer effort to count and gather data on the birds. There so far has not been any rigorous scientific evidence to point to exactly why this is being seen.
What they do know, Schulwitz said, is that kestrels seem to be dying as adults rather than ba bies.
When there are chicks in the nest there is a pretty high chance of survival, she said. It looks like adult survival is being negatively impacted. It certainly isnt helping the species that adults are dying at the airport.
The American kestrel is both the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Its breeding range stretches from central Alaska across North America to Nova Scotia and south all the way to Mexico and the Caribbean.
In Connecticut, though, it is difficult to find any at all.
Ted Gilman, senior naturalist at Audubon Greenwich, said he doesnt know where any are nesting in the area.
In 2002, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection listed the kestrel as a threatened species in the state of Connecticut, deeming it likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range within the state, according to the DEEP website.
In 2012 DEEP changed its classification from threatened to a species of special concern, which is less serious, but shows the birds are still thought to have a low population level in the state.
Peter Scherrer is the airport manager at Westchester County Airport. He said recorded bird strikes are up this year, but thats because airport officials are getting better at recording collisions, not necessarily because more birds are being hit.
The airport works hard to monitor animals in the area, Scherrer said, and tries to educate pilots to report when they see a spot on their airplane after a flight. Often the spot, which those in the airline world call snarge, came from hitting a bird.
If it is a large bird that was hit, airport personnel can often identify it themselves, but when its a smaller bird they have to mail the remnants to Washington D.C. to be identified by a team at the Smithsonian.
Scherrer said as American kestrels hover looking for prey, they can get sucked up in wingtip vortices, circular patterns of air formed behind a wing as it generates lift, and smashed into the ground, killing them even if they are never actually struck by the plane.
The airport does have strategies to discourage birds from the area, including a bird bomb that makes loud noises to scare them off. Some birds, however, are easier to scare away than others.
Derek Colbert, a wildlife biologist who works at the airport, said some birds, particularly raptors like the American kestrel, get used to harassment techniques before they are driven away.
They are some of the smarter birds we have in the field so they pick up more quickly the fact that its not actually a threat, he said.
He said the state is working on a study to see if relocating birds from airports to other areas will keep them from coming back. His fingers are crossed that Westchester County will get to be a part of the study.
At the end of the day we have great habitat here at Westchester County Airport for American kestrel, Colbert said.
Erin Strasser, a biologist with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, said some people who live close to the airport could be harming the kestrels without knowing it. Across the nation many people have taken to setting up nesting boxes in their yards to help challenged species, such as the kestrel, rebound. Residents who live near airports might want to take down boxes that have housed the birds, she said.
Strasser said the deaths caused by air strikes could be having a large impact on the population, but its hard to say definitively.
Kevin McGowan, a professor at the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, said a lot of the things an airport needs to operate, such as runway markers, provide perfect perches for kestrels. He said identifying those perches and adding bird spikes could help the issue.
American kestrels only weigh about a quarter of a pound, but they can fly up to 39 mph. When they collide with an airplane during lift off, the plane takes up to 75 pounds of impact.
Nobody wins when a kestrel is hit by a plane, McGowan said. Its not good for the plane either. Bird strikes are a significant hazard to air travel.
pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss
GREENWICH Calling it a major public health issue that needs more attention, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes stopped by Greenwich Town Hall on Monday afternoon for National HIV Testing Day.
The towns Department of Health was offering extended hours throughout the day for free testing for HIV. Himes rolled up his sleeve too and was tested along with several other residents who took advantage of the opportunity, something town health officials say more people should do.
If you dont get tested and you have the virus you can spread the virus, Robin Clark-Smith, town director of Special Clinical Services, said during Himes visit. Plus if you dont get tested you cant get treated and with the new treatments. The difference in treating it early is remarkable.
Town Director of Health Caroline Calderone Baisley said the importance of catching HIV early is a reason the town promotes testing.
Prevention is where its at because if we can catch any disease quickly then you have a much better chance of living longer, Baisley said.
The experience proved to be an education for Himes, who came in expecting to do a mouth swab test that he had previously experienced along with congressional colleagues. Clark-Smith explained that test is not considered reliable enough. The new, fourth-generation test she gave him, with a prick of a needle for a blood sample, finds not only the antibodies to the virus but an antigen of the virus itself that shows up earlier, she said.
This is something Ive worked on for a long time because when I first came to Congress I saw the huge amount of money that was being spent on (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which does this abroad and is a real tribute to the work of the Bush administration, Himes said. They really moved the needle in Africa and other places abroad but theres still a problem here in the U.S. Its an issue problem because its human tragedy. If people dont get treated they still die and its enormously expensive. A little more attention on testing and on a cure can do a lot of good.
Himes has in the past introduced a cure bill that would invest $50 million into research for a cure to HIV.
Baisley stressed that people knowing their status is critical toward preventing the transmission of the disease.
The town offers free testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases at the Health Department. Results are available in 20 minutes, and are kept confidential. If someone tests positive for HIV the department staff knows what to do.
We are able to refer them immediately, Clark-Smith said. Its a very well-linked system at this point. Theres case management through other programs and then right to a doctor. And treatment has gotten so much better.
Baisley said treatment for HIV has gotten so effective that there is less of a stigma about testing now than there once was.
Its less in the closet now, Baisley said.
However there are concerns in the medical community that HIV treatment has gotten so effective that people are not getting themselves tested as much as they should.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and the number is growing by close to 50,000 every year.
One in eight of the people who have HIV dont know theyve been infected, according to the CDC.
More than 10,000 Connecticut residents are known to be living with HIV and more than 2,000 in the state might have it but not know it, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Himes and Baisley both said they have heard people say they dont have to worry about HIV, people who think it is a problem for those from groups or economic levels other than their own.
HIV can cross any economic barrier and go to people of any race and ethnicity, Baisley said.
kborsuk@scni.com
STAMFORD The Pinnacle Group, a Stamford-based IT solutions company, has acquired a Massachusetts cyber-security firm in a multimillion-dollar deal.
Cymbel Corp. aims to reduce its clients security risks, cut their costs related to security operations and compliance audits and help make their information security teams more responsive to business, according to the companys website. Founded in 2000, Cymbel has recorded 49 straight quarters of profits and has more than 300 clients, including medium and large enterprises, the company states on its site.
Adding Cymbel to the Pinnacle Groups portfolio of companies will expand Pinnacles software security capabilities and highlights the companys commitment to developing and purchasing innovative IT solutions for its clients, company executives said.
It was a significant acquisition for us, as it continues our expansion into cyber security, which is something weve been providing to our enterprise customers, said Pinnacle founder and CEO Michael Fedele. We can now expand to providing security for other clients and other markets.
Fedele declined to comment on the exact cost of the acquisition, which was finalized earlier this month.
Cymbel executives said that they were optimistic about their companys future with Pinnacle.
We are pleased with acquisition of Cymbel by The Pinnacle Group, Cymbel General Manager Steve Reibstein said in a statement. Its a great fit. There are a lot of synergies between the two companies. Pinnacles long time industry experience, infrastructure and national footprint will help with our growth strategy in previously untapped markets.
The acquisition of Cymbel will not involve any layoffs, Fedele said. And the company will maintain its Newton, Mass., headquarters and other offices, he added.
Were going to continue to grow Cymbel, Fedele said. There are a lot of synergies between us. Its an exciting time in the industry because of the challenges that organizations face.
Founded in 1983, Pinnacle has about 100 employees, including about 20 at its headquarters on Richmond Hill Avenue. The companys clients include firms in financial services, manufacturing and information technology.
pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
Once runaway climate change devastates Earth, itll be a planet full of cockroaches, rogue Big Macs, and uneaten Twinkies. Theres finally some proof to quiet all those Hostess snack-cake deniers out there:
40-year-old Twinkie, world's oldest, seems to have weathered the past few decades quite well https://t.co/0IH8IBsvm0 pic.twitter.com/hbBIc11o4U ABC News (@ABC) June 23, 2016
It belongs to George Stevens Academy, a private school in Maine where its been chilling inside that glass case since 1976, the year Roger Bennatti gave his chemistry class a lesson on food additives and someone inquired about the presumed indestructibility of Twinkies. Curious himself, he dispatched a few students to the store to buy one, then parked it on the edge of his blackboard, where for three decades it sat, sat, and sat some more.
The cake outlasted Bennatti. After he retired in 2005, it was moved into the office of the dean of students, a woman named Libby Rosemeier who was a student in Bennattis 1976 class. While the items alarming amount of preservatives has done a bang-up job warding off mold and general decay, its kind of begun showing its age: Because of its fame, its been sort of taken out and shown more in the past year than in the previous 30 years, Bennatti explained back in 2005. So its begun to sort of exfoliate a little bit. Its starting to flake off just a tad.
[ABC News]
Part of what makes Ayada great is that it does so much so well. Photo: Liz Clayman
Were here to talk Thai food in Elmhurst, the Queens neighborhood home to the Wat Buddha Thai Thavorn Vanaram temple and the nexus of New Yorks Thai community. These are the very best places for larb fiends and curry fanatics.
The Absolute Best 1. Ayada
77-08 Woodside Ave., nr. 77th St.; 718-424-0844 When discussing the merits of Elmhursts Thai restaurants, its important to note that the owners come from various regions, with different cuisines, and their restaurants specialize in distinct dishes. So a dish-by-dish comparison isnt the proper way to judge them just as it wouldnt be fair to compare, say, Cantonese and Sichuanese restaurants on the basis of their mapo tofus. Ayada, seven years into its tenure and not missing a beat, stands out because it does so much so well. Here youll still find the magic of a relaxed, unassuming place turning out some of the citys most thrilling Thai food. Owner Duangjai Kitty Thammasat, who hails from Pichit in central Thailand, just expanded the restaurant into the space next door, doubling its capacity after eight years. The dining room still hums with a consistent, loyal crowd of local Thai neighbors, Queens residents out on the town, and fans and first-timers from farther afield. Theyre all here, foremost, for the curries, which are as supercharged and varied as ever. Theres nutty, thick, lusty panang curry with crispy roast duck; a searingly hot pad kra prow with thick slices of chicken and minty, herbaceous Thai basil; a thicker phat phrik khing with crunchy string beans that is coconut-milk-free but more sweet than spicy; puckering sour curry; and thin, blistering jungle curry. Of course, to focus exclusively on the curries would be to ignore Ayadas range. Theres the funky e-sarn sausage, the crispy duck salad, the slightly sweet stewed beef-tendon soup the list goes on. And because the menu here is typically encyclopedic but atypically strong across the board, Ayada is a restaurant that will never, ever bore you.
2. Khao Kang
76-20 Woodside Ave., at 77th St.; 718-806-1807
At Khao Kang, there is a curry soup called kang som pla, packed with shreds of pickled bamboo shoots and fish, that is absolutely atomic. Its spicy, even for this restaurant, where, as a rule, the food gets hot to the point where regular breathers are necessary (unless you grew up popping birds-eye chiles into your mouth for sport). But the soup is also tantalizingly sour, courtesy of tamarind; a hint sweet to cut the chiles and tartness; and engrossing enough to compel you to keep at it despite the shellacking youre receiving. The steam-table restaurant is what you might call a curry-and-three, named for and in the style of Thailands raan khao kaeng restaurants. But the cooking is vivid, varied, and homey in a way that you wouldnt expect from a steam table. Plus, the turnover is quick, so the dishes dont wither away. Theres no set menu just ten or so unmarked dishes with an emphasis on curry but dont worry: The kitchens batting percentage is pretty close to perfect. You can expect dishes like squid coated in dry spices; sour sausage and eggs; pork with basil; chicken and pork larb; and tom kha gai or chicken, coconut, and galangal soup. Make sure to round your palate with a milder dish (your mouth will need the relief) like glass-noodle stir-fry with egg or a sweetish fried-pork preparation called moo tod. Desserts such as Thai crepes and coconut-milk sticky rice are another strong point, and there are a few drinks (Thai coffee and tea, a dragons-eye juice that tastes like the nectar of Haribo) tumbling around for cooling down your mouth.
3. Chao Thai
85-03 Whitney Ave, nr. Broadway; 718-424-4999
Like Ayada, Chao Thai has settled comfortably, but not passively, into its role as a standard-setter for Elmhursts Thai scene. The owners opened a larger second location nearby, but it closed after a few years, reportedly because the chef went back to Thailand. Its a decade into its run, but theres still no liquor license not such a bad thing when you can BYOB your favorite beer and the dining room is still a tight wedge of a space. But who cares when the service is so warm (if still a bit hesitant about serving spicy or funky dishes to outsiders) and the food is this good? Ayada is where you go when youre in the mood for curries; Chao Thai is the spot for Thai-style salads. The papaya salad is bright, refreshing, and not too hot; a lemongrass salad packed with chopped chiles, limes, and nuts is punchy and invigorating. Whatever you do, dont sleep on the yam pla-duk fu, a salad of firm-fleshed young mango (or sometimes green papaya) with a lime dressing and ground catfish thats been deep-fried into crunchy, wispy bits of fish. Its one of Queens most thrilling dishes. Chao does have range beyond Thai-style salads. To begin, theres crispy pork belly with Chinese broccoli and oyster sauce, and khao kha moo, that famous Bangkok street dish of stewed pork leg over rice. Here, the gravy is lip-smackingly thick, the tender meat best dipped in the nam pla prik that comes with it, and the rice fluffy.
4. Pata Paplean
76-21 Woodside Ave., at 67th St.; 718-651-2076
This Elmhurst watering hole feels like a makeshift Bangkok bar filtered through an acid trip, what with its stuffed-animal lamp, disco light in the bathroom, and cruise-ship-style drinks inspired by dishes like tom yum. Theres a weeknight menu of fusion-y bar food, like a huge bowl of airy chicharrones with a sweet-and-funky sauce, which is fine. (Along with the bar, they now run Pata Cafe, a daytime establishment with bubble tea, American snacks, and Thai dishes like num tok beef salad.) The food to seek out, though, are the noodles served by co-owner Satika Cherry Kanchanamusik on weekend afternoons until it runs out. (Try to check the bars Facebook page or call ahead, as sometimes she does events instead.) Theres a Warheads-level-sour tom yum soup, with pork and fish balls bobbing around, and a dry variation; a ruddy num tok, the pork-blood-enriched soup, that might be best in the neighborhood now that Plant Love House has decamped for Brooklyn; and a gravylike stewed pork belly that is as comforting as any Bolognese.
5. Paet Rio
81-10 Broadway, nr. 81st St.; 917-832-6672
Since opening a couple of years back, Paet Rio has steadily improved and become one of the more reliable restaurants in this exceedingly crowded scene. Like Khao Kang and chicken specialist Eim Khao Mun Kai, a neighborhood favorite, its design is modern and heavy on wood. With its leather cushions, brick walls, and Edison lightbulbs, it looks the part of the hip restaurant slinging, say, confit kao soy chicken and pad Thai fritters. But its nothing of the sort. Theres a lot on offer, so home in on the robust selection of noodles and noodle soups: khanom chin nam-ngiao, fermented rice noodles in a thick, gravylike tomato-and-pork sauce; rich kao soy, served with crispy noodles thicker than standard and a well-cooked drumstick; and sukiyaki, a Bangkok mom-and-pop dish offered both as a soup and dry dish. As for the latter, it comes with pork and is seared to almost smokiness, tangled greens, crunchy stems, and an irresistible, tomato-y sauce thats equal parts sweet and savory. Ignore the larb, which underdelivers, and begin every meal with a combo of dried pork floss and excellently made, well-fried curry puffs. Here, the panSoutheast Asian snacks puff-pastry wrapper is buttery, the spicy potato-and-chicken filling soft like a puree, and the clear dipping sauce sweet and cucumber-y. Its just more evidence that there are unexpectedly excellent dishes to be found at all of Elmhursts Thai restaurants.
6. Ploy Thai
81-40 Broadway, nr. 82nd St.; 718-205-7298
The stiff competition of the local tom yum wars makes it exceedingly difficult for any restaurant to stand out here, and in other New York neighborhoods Ploy would be a blessing. Its spare but nice, if oddly decorated (see alternating succulents and lightbulbs), and some waitresses might take to, say, playing through the entirety of Britney. The restaurant is most notable for its noodles, stir-fried and otherwise, like rad nar, served in a bowl with Chinese broccoli and a generous helping of thick, sweet gravy speckled with fermented soy beans, the whole lot of which would be right at home at a neo-diner. The stir-fried rice noodles in the guay tiew kua gai are satisfyingly chewy and served well by the crispy egg, chicken, squid, and an essential addition sriracha hot sauce. Most famous are the pan-fried pad kee mao, which here taste pure and smoky. Always, though, supplement your noodles with a few appetizers, like the bracing miang kana, broccoli leaves served with shredded pork and a mix of diced chiles, ginger, rind-on lime, and more.
Lyrics will now show up in Google search results thanks to a partnership with LyricFind. Song texts will also make their way into Google Play Music, not just for the users to read, but also as part of music discovery.
As part of the deal, songwriters and rights holders will be paid royalties based on view counts. LyricFind aggregates lyrics from over 4,000 publishers, including UMG, Sony, Warner and more.
Undoubtedly many lyric sites are scrambling right now as their visits will tank, but others offer added value - like the annotations over at Genius, which are usually written by users, but Eminem has been known to add notes on his lyrics.
Note that Bing already displays lyrics by LyricFind.
Source
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo is preparing to launch a successor to its R9 smartphone sometime later this year, according to reports out of Taiwan. Allegedly dubbed R9S, the device is said to feature R9-like thin metal body.
Oppo R9
Reports also note that the handset will be powered by a Qualcomm SoC, although the chipset's name wasn't revealed. It's being said that the chip giant will start shipping the chipset in the month of August.
Finally, the R9S is also expected to offer support for fast charging technology. While there was no word on it, the phone could feature Super VOOC, which is capable of recharging a 2,500 mAh battery in just 15 minutes.
Via
Haiti - FLASH : A Swedish tourist shot dead in Petion-ville
Saturday evening a Swedish tourist, Johan Noren (37) on vacation with his wife for some days in Haiti, has been a victim of a fatal assault in Petion-ville.
Saturday evening a Swedish tourist, Johan Noren (37) on vacation with his wife for some days in Haiti, has been a victim of fatal assault in Petion-ville.
The incident occurred as the couple who missed the bus had decided to walk back to their hotel when they were attacked on the street Lambert at the Unibank in Petion-Ville, by gunmen that have stripped them of their goods. During this attack, the companion of Johan Noren was severely beaten while Johan Noren was gunned down, including a fatal bullet in the chest. Rushed to the Clinique Degand, e unfortunately died of his injuries, his wife is recovering.
For now, the police don't arrest any suspect related to the attack. Commissioner Frantz Lerebours, spokesman of the National Police, confirmed the murder of Swedish, but provided no further details.
Note that this aggression against a foreign intervenes only 3 days after an American student was wounded in Port-au-Prince, during a robbery assault https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-17845-haiti-flash-an-american-student-shot-in-port-au-prince.html
SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Elections : Towards the purification of the presidential candidates ?
In a letter addressed to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), 7 organizations of the civil society SOFA, CNO, CONHANE, JILAP, CARDH, POHDH and RNDDH, all involved in electoral observation, take note that at the expiry of the deadline, 27 candidates have confirmed their candidature for the resumption of the presidential election on 9 October.
"These organizations remind you that the presidential candidate must be a respectful personality of laws and principles, and placed above all suspicion.
This is also based on these criteria that voters will vote for the one who will be invested with power to decide the fate of the country for the five (5) years to come. [...] To do this, we recommend you, on the basis of Article 128 of the Electoral Decree of 2015, to take into account, in your analysis of files, the delivery or not of narrative and financial reports on the election funding that was allocated during the elections of 2015, to he parties and groups of political parties. Indeed, Article 128 provides as follows : 'Thirty (30) days after the publication of official results, party, political group that received a state subsidy is required to send to the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) the detailed financial statement, signed by a chartered accountant, with supporting documents of expenses relating to the subsidy in the context of elections.
Fault by political party or group to submit to this obligation, it is prohibited from any political activity for five (5) years at least and ten (10) years at most, to pronounce by the BCEN convened by the President of the CEP. After the delay of thirty (30) days provided in paragraph above, the Provisional Electoral Council and the Haitian government denounces the fact, for the purposes of legal proceedings in the Correctional Court for embezzlement [...]'"
Identification of organizations of civil society :
"Solidarite Fanm Ayisyen" (SOFA); National Council Electoral Observation (CNO); Haitian Council of Non State Actors (CONHANE); National Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (JILAP); National Defense Network for Human Rights (RNDDH); Centre for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH) and Platform of Haitian Human Rights Organizations (POHDH).
HL/ HaitiLibre
Published on 2016/06/27 | Source
It is most likely that Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon and Lee Jong-suk will join in movie "V.I.P".
According to sources in film industry on June 27, the four stars have received offers from Park Hoon-jung's new movie, "V.I.P" and all of them are discussing the offers positively. Many discussions are still going on with the director Park Hoon-jung as it is prior to pre-production stage at the moment.
Advertisement
"V.I.P" will be "The New World" and "The Tiger: An Old Hunter's Tale" director Park Hoon-jung's next film project. A son to a high-ranked official in North Korea commits a series of murders going across the countries around the world. The movie depicts the following events as South Korea, North Korea and Interpol start chasing down after him.
Kim Myung-min, Lee Jong-suk, and Park Hee-soon have accepted the offers from director Park Hoon-jung with pleasure. Jang Dong-gun, who is currently filming drama 'It Hurts Me When Thinking about You, whom I loved' in China, will meet Park Hoon-jung soon to make the final decision.
"V.I.P" is drawing attention for the star-studded cast comparable to "The New World" and the fact that the director is returning to his expertise story.
"V.I.P" will complete cast soon and is planning to begin filming in October this year in full scale.
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
loyers having trouble paying their employees could do better by working with the Fair Work Ombudsman rather than against it.The reminder comes after a regional employer reimbursed 83 workers a total of $795,000, after accepting assistance from the Ombudsman.The factory workers on the NSW Mid-North Coast, employed by W.E. Smith Engineering at Boambee, were underpaid for nine months during 2015 as the engineering firm weathered cash flow problems and delays in being paid.W.E. Smith went into voluntary administration and initially underwent Fair Work Commission dispute resolution hearings with the Manufacturing Workers Union, over unpaid wages and entitlements. The Fair Work Ombudsman then issued the company with a Compliance Notice in February 2016 requiring the back-payment of outstanding entitlements."We have a flexible and fair approach when employers are willing to co-operate with us to ensure these issues dont occur in the future."W.E. Smith worked with the Ombudsman and agreed to back-pay all workers in full the largest amount owed to an individual being $26,150.Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said it was encouraging to see W.E. Smith accept assistance from the Fair Work Ombudsman to reimburse all money owed."We have a flexible and fair approach when employers are willing to co-operate with us to ensure these issues dont occur in the future," she said.She said ensuring staff are paid their correct wages on time is one of the most fundamental workplace obligations for an employer."We have, and always will, pursue the employer when we find cases of non-compliance," Ms James said. "Employees should not be put in a position where they may struggle to pay their bills because they havent been paid the correct wages on time."The Agency recovers millions of dollars each year through the voluntarily resolution of workplace issues, including unpaid wages.Last financial year, the Fair Work Ombudsman received more than 25,000 requests for assistance and recovered more than $22.3 million via all methods of resolution.
fallout from the Brexit vote on Australian businesses is likely to be a mix of positive and negative.In response to the referendum vote, the ASX All Ordinaries Index immediately fell and we now look to a period of uncertainty as Australia negotiates a Free Trade deal with the European Union in 2017.However, Ben Wellings, lecturer in politics and international relations at Monash University , says one of Australias biggest trade partners will no longer be in the EU: 48 per cent of Australian exports in services to the EU in 2014 were via the UK and of the $169 billion in EU foreign direct investment, 51 per cent came from the UK.There is no strong indication on whether the UK will welcome its own Free Trade agreement with Australia or what our access to the UK will look like. Wellings says our cultural ties mean we should be optimistic: Expect these ties to be reinforced as the UK seeks trade agreements and political support from its traditional allies.Expect these ties to be reinforced as the UK seeks trade agreements and political support from its traditional allies.Crucially for managers of people, the EU is Australia's largest services export market, valued at nearly $10 billion in 2014. Its uncertain what attitude the United Kingdom will have to labour market mobility given that since 2008 theres been a 40 per cent drop in the number of Australians working in the UK.However, Daniel Hannan, a British Conservative member of the European Parliament, told Fairfax Media, "One of the first things I would like to see after we've left is a free movement area with Australia and New Zealand.The exit from Europe was driven in some part by immigration fears and any tightening of work visas would make it harder for Australian companies to place people in the UK, or bring them here for employment.The Brexit result is likely to create a general tightening of trade and mobility between the countries, says economist, Saul Eslake.It doesn't seem to me that the kind of sentiments that prompted the majority of the British people to leave the European Union will allow any future British government to unilaterally dismantle what barriers still exist to the movement of Australian goods and services or people into the British market, he told ABC News.If theres any good news for managers, its in the value of the Australian dollar against the British Pound. Immediately after the Brexit result the Australian dollar quickly strengthened against the Pound; if the trend continues it will make it easier for Australian employers to attract British talent.
By Jessica Isaacs | [email protected]
Photos by Ken Ketchie
The Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk hosted celebrated American artist William Dunlap over the weekend in a reception for his latest work and an introduction to his new book, Short Mean Fiction.
We had a great crowd of about 50 people who filled the lower gallery, which was nice, said Gallery Director Liz Brown. We had both people who have known Bill and his work for a long time and also people who were just discovering his work. It was a really nice mix of people for the event.
The Mississippi native, who called the High Country home in the 1970s while teaching art at Appalachian State University, said he was excited to return to North Carolina to see his friends and experience the glory of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Like anyone who gets to know him, the folks in the crowd enjoyed Dunlaps genuine, frank and no-holds-barred personality.
He has such great energy and enthusiasm its very contagious. He has such a nice, disarming nature in some ways, and he makes you want to join in the conversation or just sit back and see what hes going to say next, said Brown. Hes just fascinating because he has such a vast knowledge of art history and his own artistic intent and energy is just so alive.
That energy is something you want to be around. Hes straightforward and hes going to say whatever is on his mind. People enjoy being around him, so it was fun to watch people as he shared from his book.
The artist and author shared excerpts from Short Mean Fiction, a collection of vignettes inspired by four decades of imaginative tales told through the drawings in his sketchbooks.
When any artist has a book, they give you a little glimpse into the things they carry around with them in this case, little things hes sketched or little stories hes thought of and it gives you insight into the artist in a different way, Brown said. You get a little more personal view of the things that are seeds for new work or are becoming inspiration. The actual sketches might not show up in the finished painting, but theyre things that strike the artist and it gives you a different insight into the artists head, and I think people enjoy that.
Enjoy these photos from the recent reception and click here to read more about Short Mean Fiction.
Share this: Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
Pocket
(Bloomberg) As more details emerged on how hedge funds fared following Britains surprise decision to leave the European Union, computer-driven funds led the winners. Human traders appeared to have limited losses by reducing risk.
Lynx Asset Management, which uses mathematical models to decide which securities to buy and sell, posted a 5.1 percent gain on Friday in one of its funds, according to its website. Capital Fund Management, a $7 billion firm in Paris, gained 4.2 percent that day in its Discus fund, while Systematica Investments, the $10.2 billion fund run by Leda Braga, gained 1.35 percent in its main BlueTrend fund, people with knowledge of the matter said.
To read this article:
Tuuli Koivu, an economist at Nordea, estimates in a morning review that the market uncertainty arising from the unexpected result of the membership referendum that was held in the United Kingdom last Thursday will continue indefinitely.
Inderes and Nordea have continued to discuss the economic consequences of the United Kingdom's impending withdrawal from the European Union.
It has already become clear that the uncertainty concerning the relations between Britain and the European Union will continue for quite some time. The uncertainty is fuelled by the fact that the negotiations over the withdrawal will be difficult, she writes.
Europe is being torn in half, says Marianne Palmu, an economist at Inderes.
Europe is about to enter a new era of uncertainty that will maintain high risk premiums. It is our opinion that the ingredients for a new crisis are in place after the results on Friday, she argues on the website of the equity research firm.
She estimates that with Euroscepticism being on the rise across the continent, the key question currently is which member state will be the next to leave the European Union. None of the member states are fully satisfied with the union, she points out.
Palmu also warns that the consequent polarisation of politics could hinder the implementation of economic reforms, which are crucial for the long-term outlook for the eurozone. In addition, as political risks grow, there is a risk that public debt will increase uncontrollably, eventually sparking another crisis.
Koivu concedes that the impending withdrawal will inevitably have a negative economic impact.
The membership referendum, she estimates, was essentially a choice between legislative sovereignty and the access of goods and services to the internal markets of the European Union. Germany and France are waiting eagerly for American and British banks to relocate increasingly to the financial hubs of Frankfurt and Paris, if it becomes difficult to gain access to EU markets from London City, writes Koivu.
Inderes also warns that the uncertainty about the future of the European Union and the United Kingdom could have an adverse effect on the investment plans of businesses and the spending choices of consumers.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Scott Heppell AFP / Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
President Sauli Niinisto will according to a press release welcome his counterpart to his official summer residence, Kultaranta, in Naantali on 1 July to discuss the bilateral relations between Finland and Russia as well as a number of other topical issues, such as the situations in Syria and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Finland on Friday, confirms the Office of the President of the Republic.
Niinisto revealed in a recent interview with Dagens Nyheter that his efforts to stay in contact with Putin have enabled the duo to discuss a variety of issues in a fortright manner.
He also shed some light on the nature of his discussions with Putin at the Kultaranta Talks, a debate on foreign and security policy he hosted at his summer residence on 1920 June, 2016.
I also want to clarify that the discussions we have had have never included a suggestion, a request, let alone a demand that Finland should reconsider its sanctions policy or that Finland should reconsider its condemnation of the occupation of Crimea and aggression in Eastern Ukraine, he assured according to Uusi Suomi.
Nor have they included any suggestions or demands about how Finland aligns its foreign policy, or how Finland engages in co-operation with Sweden, the EU or the United States, and develops its partnership with Nato.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Maxim Shipenkov AFP / Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
The Ministry of Transport and Communications, on the other hand, interfered improperly in the operational matters of the wholly state-owned company, thus infringing on the guidelines on the good governance of state-owned companies.
The National Audit Office (VTV) has ruled that Finavia, a state-owned airport operator, acted with due diligence in inquiring into the losses it incurred as a result of a series of derivatives contracts.
The ministry interfered in the operational affairs of Finavia in regards to the preparation of a settlement agreement between an audit firm and Finavia and in regards to the dropping of claims for damages against the previous management, VTV states in a press release.
VTV estimates that the airport operator made the right decision to bring claims for damages against its former audit firm and finance manager in the first half of 2015 and to bring claims for damages against its former board of directors and chief executive in the second half of 2015.
By prohibiting Finavia's board of directors from bringing the claims in the autumn of 2015, the ministry brought about an urgency to resolve the issue, thus reducing the effective discretionary powers of the company's management. The ministry also failed to present the board of directors with expert statements that did not recommend that the matter be settled, it states.
The ministry consequently distorted the division of responsibilities between a state-owned company and the state owner.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has denied the claims of inappropriate interference in a press release.
The ministry has not obliged Finavia to bring the claims, to not bring the claims or to drop the claims. The owner had a just reason and right to instruct the company to make sure the extraordinary matter was processed with due diligence, it argues.
Anne Berner (Centre), the cabinet member responsible for ownership steering, points out that VTV seems to disagree with both experts and government officials about the interpretation of the active role the state is to assume under the governance guidelines.
Therefore, the need to clarify the guidelines must be considered, she says.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications argues that it simply instructed the board of directors of the wholly-owned company that the matter must be processed with due diligence. The owner has every right to do so, according to the ministry.
Aleksi Teivainen HT
Photo: Juha Harju Lehtikuva
Source: Uusi Suomi
Your boss just called you up and asked if youre willing to go on a business trip overseas for a few years. Your landlord wants to sell your flat but you have to wait a few weeks until you can move into your new apartment. Youve lost an elderly relative and inherited more furniture than you know what to do with. Youd like to renovate your house but dont have the space to get everything out of the way. Youre an import/export company with too little office space to physically send and receive shipments. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, you might be pleased to know that Pelican Self Storage has opened a new facility in Toolo.
Pelican Self Storage was founded in Denmark in 2009, bringing the popular American concept of private, secure storage space to Finland a year later in July 2010. Boasting fourteen active facilities already in several Helsinki locations, as well as Espoo, Vantaa, and Turku, the company has been expanding steadily since their inception. Still currently undergoing its finishing touches, the new site officially opened for business on June 27th, 2016. Situated between the Meilahti Hospital and Helsinki Ice Hall, customers have easy access to the facilities from main roads such as Mannerheimintie and Nordenskioldinkatu.
There is a lot of demand both in the city center and the suburbs, says the Toolo facilitys store manager, Stefan Wennstrom. The cellars in many apartment buildings close to the city center are small or are being turned into public areas like laundry rooms and saunas. Apartments are also getting built into attics so there are a lot of people living in the center with little or almost no storage space, so theres a definite demand.
The facilities offer secure, private storage units anywhere between 1 m2 and 100 m2 that can be accessed between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. with a personalized identification code. The cylinder locks are never used twice to ensure that past clients cannot copy keys to access the storage units at a later date. To ensure further safety, they keep staff on-site during the day to keep an eye on the surveillance cameras and answer any immediate questions. An emergency staff member is on call at all times in case the customers have any issues outside of office hours.
The daytime-only timeframe may seem restrictive at first glance, but serves to keep security as tight as possible. However, the management remains flexible to extenuating circumstances. If there's a customer who has a special request, for example a late shipment coming, then it is possible for them to contact the site to organize access, even in the middle of the night. We just need to get the info in advance.
Their current facilities have earned them an 8.9/10 rating from customers online. The new location will offer a 30% discount on the first six months of service to celebrate its grand opening.
The family of a Dublin woman with Down Syndrome who has been missing from her home since Friday are now seriously concerned for her welfare.
Karen Scott (43) left her home on Barnamore Grove at approximately 3.30pm on Friday.
However, CCTV footage recorded at a shop near Berkeley Road in Dublin 7 shows she visited there later that evening.
There are also unconfirmed reports that she may have visited the nearby Delahunty's pub and the Mater Hospital.
Suitcase
In the CCTV footage, Karen appears to be pulling a small suitcase with a handle and wheels behind her. Her mother, Kathleen, said her family were worried about her.
"Karen is very independent and knows her bus routes and everything and she has gone out before on her own but she has always come back that night. This time it is different," Kathleen said.
"We are very concerned for her. There have been no sightings since Friday.
"I had been up in Finglas village with her doing some shopping earlier and when we got home she said she was going upstairs for a lie down. I dozed off on the couch myself for a while and when I woke up she was gone."
Searches
Yesterday, a group of friends and neighbours organised a leaflet drop in the area and searches are also taking place in the city centre near where Karen was last seen.
Gardai in Finglas have renewed their appeal to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of Karen.
She is described as being approximately 5'4'' tall and of medium build with blue eyes and short blonde hair.
When last seen, she was wearing white runners, a peach-coloured hooded top and black jeans.
Anyone who has seen Karen or who can assist in locating her is asked to contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 6667500 or any garda station.
Gardai investigate at the Hell Fire Club where two men were stabbed Photo: Arthur Carron Photography
Two men were in hospital last night after being stabbed at the Hell Fire Club, a ruined building in the Dublin Mountains.
The violent incident took place yesterday afternoon.
Gardai attended the scene after the alarm was raised at around 3.45pm.
Two of the men were brought to Tallaght Hospital where their conditions were unknown last night.
Crime
Gardai from Rathfarnham are investigating the incident, but there have been no arrests made so far.
The Hell Fire Club is the better known name for Montpelier Hill, a popular walking spot in south County Dublin.
While investigations are at an early stage, the incident is not believed to be connected to any organised crime faction.
Officers are investigating if the injured men knew each other and last night were continuing to search for evidence in the area. It was reported that the two victims were campers, but gardai were unable to confirm this last night.
Local councillor Francis Duffy, who lives close to the scene of the stabbing, said it was a very unusual incident to happen in the area.
The area is a popular spot for families and hikers but it wouldnt be the sort of area that would attract field drinkers or people taking drugs, he said.
You get all sorts of walkers that go up there but its a long way to walk, he told the Herald.
A spokesman for the Garda press office said gardai are equally baffled as to what happened. We dont really know what went on, he said.
The club is now the ruin of a former hunting lodge, situated at the summit of the 363 metre-high hill.
Specialist gardai have seized a high-powered car, cash and other items from an individual listed on their 'top 10' involved in crime and drug dealing in the north inner city.
Criminal assets profilers from Store Street Garda Station in the north inner city have been tasked with seizing the proceeds of crime from a number of criminals in their district.
The individuals are suspected by gardai of being involved in organised crime as well as the sale and supply of drugs.
In a significant operation in the early hours of Saturday morning, officers from the Dublin Metropolitan Region's North Central Division carried out a raid on a property linked to one of their prime targets in the Summerhill area.
Suspected
During the raid, a high-powered car - estimated to be worth in the region of 30,000 - and a four-figure cash sum were seized, along with items suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
Some of the criminals being targeted have links to members of the Hutch gang, currently embroiled in a bitter feud with the Kinahan cartel, following the death of Gary Hutch in Spain last year.
Chief Superintendent Pat Leahy - who is in charge of policing for the north inner city - said that the seizure sent out a "strong statement" to criminals operating in the area.
"From everyone's perspective, it was a very strong statement to see the car loaded onto a low-loader in the early hours of Saturday morning and being carted off, and lots of other stuff was taken as well," Chief Supt Leahy told the Dublin City Council central area Joint Policing Committee.
"They (criminals) were left in no uncertain terms that this was the local criminal assets profilers in Store Street.
"They have 10 targets, and that was one. I said at the last meeting it was going to be done and we got it done," the senior officer added.
Chief Supt Leahy also revealed how the criminal had been the prime target of local gardai over the past three years, and that operations will continue against nine other targets.
Gardai are acting on the concerns of local residents over 'problematic' criminals dealing a variety of drugs from heroin to 'benzos'.
Operations
Despite the proposed introduction of a 'Mini Cab' to seize the assets of organised crime gangs, the operations being run by Store Street gardai are in conjunction with the local drug unit.
So far this year, 815,000 worth of drugs have been seized in the north inner city - including over 360,000 worth of ecstasy and heroin worth 106,000.
The Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) previously dealt a significant blow to associates of the Kinahan cartel when they carried out a number of raids in the Crumlin and Drimnagh areas of the capital earlier this year.
During the high-profile raids - which were carried out due to the increased tensions in the capital - over 1m worth of assets, including luxury cars and watches, were seized.
A young couple in wheelchairs have not been able to date freely due to the capital's lack of wheelchair access - and now they hope a campaign will help to achieve greater disability equality.
Sean O'Kelly (23) and Megan McGuckin (21) have been dating for almost five-and-a-half years - but not once has Sean been able to fulfil what is a simple wish for most couples - to go on a "spontaneous date".
Sean, from Dalkey, Co Dublin, says there is a lack of disabled access on public transport, in restaurants and other venues and this has restricted the couple's lifestyle.
"If Megan and I want to go out for a date we have to get our parents to drive us from A to B," Sean said. "We have been going out a long time, but still, if I wanted to surprise Megan and take her somewhere, I can't."
Sean, who has spina bifida and hydrocephalus - fluid on the brain - said he and Megan, who has the same conditions, have been unable to take simple bus journeys together because the average bus only has room for one wheelchair.
The train, he said, presents similar problems. Recently, Sean said, he was "stranded" at Clontarf Dart Station after a train journey.
Sean boarded the train at Dalkey Dart Station but when it arrived at Clontarf, he could not get off because there was no railway worker to assist - even though he had called ahead to say he would be on the train.
"The driver had to help me off - but drivers don't always want to do this. It's happened before," Sean said.
"Then, when I finally got off the train, the lift wasn't working so I couldn't get off the platform.
"I was stranded. I couldn't ask someone to help me. My wheelchair is heavy and there are a lot of steps up from the platform."
Sean has set up the A Day in My Wheels campaign, asking politicians and the public to spend one day in a wheelchair - to see how difficult it is to get around on public transport.
Discriminated
"It feels like, as disabled people, we are discriminated against," Sean said. "It makes me furious. I should be able to go on dates on my own with my girlfriend. I should be able to go to meet friends without a problem. Disabled people do not have equality in Ireland. We had the marriage referendum to improve equality - now it is time to offer disabled people equality too.
"The campaign is to challenge politicians and the public to spend a day in a wheelchair and to use public transport.
"Then able-bodied people will see what life is like in a wheelchair." Any social situation, Sean says, has to be organised with precision planning by phoning ahead to restaurants to see that they have disabled access.
But he said that even though he phones to check premises out, they often still don't fit the criteria for wheelchair access.
Sean says he has been "stuck" in restaurant toilet cubicles because they are too small for a wheelchair and he has had to phone his friend on one occasion to help him get out.
"And I've been using the Dart for the last 10 years and I've noticed it gradually getting worse. The main problems are that the stations aren't being manned so that disabled people can get on and off trains."
Sean, who last year completed a higher education qualification in digital and social media marketing, said he has also been looking for a job since late last year.
Independent Councillor for Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Deirdre Donnelly has called for better disability access on public transport.
"I am quite shocked that citizens are being treated this way in this day and age," she said. "There are thousands of people around the country who have mobility issues and it is so wrong that they are denied their basic right to travel."
A Dublin Bus spokeswoman said that the company is committed to providing an accessible service. "All our buses are 100pc low-floor accessible and our new fleet additions, from 2015 onwards, have capacity for two wheelchair users on-board."
Visit the A Day in My Wheels Facebook page to support the campaign and follow the Twitter campaign @adayinmy wheels.
Ireland is at more risk of being disadvantaged by the Brexit result than any other country in the EU, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has warned.
He is to argue that other EU leaders need to offer us a central role in the negotiations that will lead to Britain leaving the union due to our economic links and the ongoing peace process in the North.
During an emergency sitting of the Dail to debate the fallout from the UK referendum on EU membership, Mr Kenny described last Thursday's result as "a political earthquake".
The stakes "have always been higher" for Ireland and it is in our national interest that Britain secures a good trade deal with the EU, rather than being punished for voting themselves out.
Faith
Mr Kenny will be urging David Cameron's successor as British prime minister "to set realistic and achievable objectives and to build confidence in the UK's good faith".
"Ireland's starting point will be straightforward. A stable, prosperous, and outward-looking UK is clearly in our own interests and those of the EU as a whole.
"The closer the UK is to the EU, the better for all of us, and above all for Ireland.
"However, it will be up to the UK itself to work out what it wants to achieve, and how it sees its future," he said.
Mr Kenny said other European leaders need to understand that "Ireland has unique bilateral interests with the UK".
The reasons for this, he said, were:
- The economy and the relative importance of each other's markets for trade.
- Northern Ireland, the peace process and British-Irish relations.
- The common travel area and our shared land border.
- The role of the UK within the EU and its strategic value to Ireland in that context.
"I and my colleagues in Government have been very clear all along that a Leave result in this referendum would have very significant implications at a national, bilateral and international level," Mr Kenny said.
In an unusual move, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin told the same Dail debate that Scotland should be fast-tracked back into the EU if it votes for independence.
He said that while the future of Scotland within the UK is a matter for themselves, Ireland should support them in a bid to re-enter the EU if the situation arises. "I and my party believe that it would be unacceptable for Scotland to be treated as a normal candidate country should it seek to remain as a member of the EU.
"It currently implements all EU laws. It manifestly would not need to be reviewed for its standards of governance and ability to implement EU laws.
"It has a strong administration, a distinct legal system and an absolute commitment to European ideals," Mr Martin said.
"Scotland is strong enough to advocate for itself, but Ireland should be its friend and demand fair play should it seek to remain in the EU."
Meanwhile, Dublin MEP Brian Hayes told the Herald that a meeting of the founding countries of the EU in the absence of other member states was "appalling".
The meeting of foreign ministers from France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands took place in Berlin at the weekend.
"I think that sent out the wrong impression entirely... It's important that we work on a 27-member basis," he said.
Mr Hayes added he doesn't believe Britain should suffer "retribution" for the result of the referendum and that Ireland needs to be "a bridge" between the UK and EU.
"Enda Kenny is very well positioned to lead that kind of mediator role, he is very respected here in Europe.
"I think a lot of people will be looking to Ireland to see how we should proceed in terms of the negotiation," he said.
Concessions
Mr Hayes added that Ireland already has "opt-outs on a whole range of issues". He suggested that more concessions for Ireland will need to be secured during the negotiations to ensure we remain competitive with other EU countries.
Seperately, President Michael D Higgins addressed members of Glasgow's Irish community at an event at the Govanhill neighbourhood centre.
Mr Higgins said the heritage, culture and language of the two nations were "deeply interwoven", allowing for a "profound connection and understanding" between the people of Ireland and Scotland.
"The great ties between our nations, and the ancient migratory tendencies that we share, have enabled a greater flourishing of our interconnected culture," he said.
Paedophile Eamon Cooke was always surrounded by children in his Radio Dublin studio and likely used his stable of unknowing and popular Radio DJs as "magnets" for new victims, it has been claimed.
Former colleagues of Cooke - who was known as Cookie Monster to his victims - have spoken out to paint a disturbing picture of the prolific child abuser in a new TV3 documentary to be aired tonight.
Gardai have been taking a renewed look at the predator after two women came forward separately linking him to the disappearance of Philip Cairns in 1986.
Philip was just 13 at the time. He left his Rathfarnham home to return to school after a lunchbreak, but was never seen again.
It has now emerged that one woman, who was a child herself at the time, has said that she saw Cooke attacking Cairns in the Radio Dublin studio.
Another woman has said that Cooke bullied one of his victims into dumping Philip's schoolbag in an alleyway near his home six days after his disappearance.
The question of whether Cooke could be involved in the case, which has been the subject of a garda probe for three decades, was posed to a number of people who knew him or who worked on the investigation.
James Dillon, ex station manager at Radio Dublin, was one of the first to discover that Cooke was abusing children.
He heard from a 14-year-old that another child (9) had been abused by Cooke. He urged her to get a recording of the youngster re-telling the story.
Mr Dillon was extremely concerned to hear the allegations. "If it was true, the DJs of the station were being used as a type of magnet to bring in children for abuse basically," he said.
The recording was captured and it was then passed on to a local priest who informed the family.
A police complaint was never filed but it alerted Cooke's Radio Dublin colleagues to what was happening in his Inchicore studio.
They staged a walkout and set up a rival station, forcing Cooke to deny the allegations and abuse live on air.
Mr Dillon also believes that Cooke could have used a similar tactic to lure quiet schoolboy Philip into his car.
"I think he could have used the station as a magnet and said something [to Philip] as simple as 'would you like to come and have a look at the station, it's not far from here?'," he said.
The vile paedophile - who was described as "smelly" and unkempt by his former workmates - had ample opportunity to meet new children, kids who were keen to get close to their radio idols.
Convent
"Sometimes it felt like a bit of a creche in there. There was a lot of kids, they'd come in their school gear," ex-DJ Stuart Clark said. "I do remember going in one day at about 5pm or 5.30pm and there was two or three, I'd say 14 or 15 year-olds, in their convent outfits and one of those I know Cooke regularly took home in his car."
Two ex-colleagues, Mr Dillon and Don Moore - who was known to his listeners as Doctor Don - recalled instances when Cooke threatened to kill them.
Mr Moore said that nothing surprised him about Cooke anymore. "I would feel that if Philip Cairns is a victim of Eamon Cooke, he is probably not the only one," he said.
Retired detective inspector Gerry O'Carroll described Cooke as a "wicked, evil, manipulative, sociopathic predator".
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. The East Tennessee Historical Society will commemorate the states 220th birthday with a First Families of Tennessee Reunion and Jubilee, Aug. 19-21.
The weekend will include a dinner at Marble Springs, home of Tennessee Gov. John Sevier, with period music, dances and living history presentations. Tours of Marble Springs during a special time set aside for attendees to visit, compare research and meet up with cousins.
A genealogy conference will focus on records and research methods for the pioneer period, and the history of the states early settlement, including the Watauga Association, the State of Franklin, county and state records, and more. The conference keynote speaker will be Troy Wayne Poteete, chief justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, who will discuss the experiences of the Cherokee after they reached Oklahoma.
On Aug. 21, bus tours will travel to important pioneer sites in Northeast Tennessee. Sites include Sycamore Shoals, Tipton-Haynes House, the site of the Battle of the State of Franklin, and replica of the State of Franklin log cabin capitol in Greeneville.
The First Families of Tennessee Reunion will be held in conjunction with the annual East Tennessee History Fair, which will take place on Saturday. The fair features traditional music, childrens games and activities, vintage films, living history presentations from the Cherokee to the Vietnam War, a History Hound costume competition, free admission to the Museum of East Tennessee History, bus tours to historic sites, and a birthday party for Davy Crockett, complete with cake.
First Families of Tennessee is a family heritage program of the East Tennessee Historical Society, with membership open to anyone who can prove descent from an ancestor who was in Tennessee by statehood in 1796. FFT has almost 16,000 members representing all 50 states and eight foreign countries.
All events are open to the public. Most East Tennessee History Fair activities are free. Pre-registration and a fee are required for participation in First Families of Tennessee events. For more information on the schedule of events, costs and registration, see www.eastTNhistory.org/FFTReunion.
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.
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 idea of a third front pops up when regional chieftains get together or the ruling party suffers a reverse, as happened when Nitish Kumar became Bihars chief minister again or when Mamata Banerjee invited state satraps to her swearing-in ceremony.
Not unexpectedly, there is a growing concern among the non-BJP parties about Prime Minister Narendra Modis increasing footprint. More so after the recently-held five state polls, when the BJP managed to create a hype over its victory in Assam and its increased vote-share in Kerala. After Delhi and Bihar, many had begun to question whether Modi could make it back in 2019. Now it is back to the 2014 rhetoric looking at Modi beyond a five-year term.
If recent history is anything to go by, three factors have pushed disparate groups of parties to make common cause in 1977, 1989, 1996 and defeat the ruling party, at that time the Congress, which was the central pole of the polity. Now it is the BJP. These were more than normal levels of anger against the ruling dispensation, the creation of a pivot in the alternative to hold it together and a leadership that had popular support. The longevity of the fronts is altogether a different story.
Read | Murmurs of Third Front formation rekindle after Didi, Jaya victory
The Left fronts worked over decades in West Bengal and in Kerala because a large party, the CPI(M), held them together, and the additional adhesive in their case was a programmatic cohesion, which has been missing in other similar endeavours.
In 1977, the pivot was the Janata Party formed after the merger of five outfits, and it was anger against Indira Gandhis 1975-77 Emergency rule abridging fundamental freedoms that brought them together.
The National Front in 1989 under VP Singhs stewardship was unprecedented in its sweep, bringing together virtually all the non-Congress forces under one umbrella. It too had a centrepiece in the Janata Dal formed through the merger of groups that had splintered away from the erstwhile Janata Party. The three-tiered arrangement was backed by regional parties with the outside support of the BJP and Left parties.
Read | Lalu bats for anti-BJP federal front at Mamatas swearing-in ceremony
The United Front government in 1996-97 was somewhat different, headed by two prime ministers, HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral, in two years, and inherently more unstable because a larger Congress supported, from the outside, a smaller core.
In the absence of a strong pivot, it is the mass appeal of a leader which acts as a glue. This had happened in 1977, when Jayaprakash Narayan helped create the Janata Party, and in 1987-89, when VP Singh managed to replace Rajiv Gandhi as Mr Clean and as PM in 1989.
In these cases, mega egos of leaders proved to be their undoing. The bickering between the constituents of the Janata Party sent the government of Morarji Desai packing in two and a half years.
Read | Leadership vacuum in opposition may help Modis re-election in 2019
Though the Mandal-Kamandal conundrum ostensibly brought down the VP government, it was really the large-sized egos of the leaders in the Janata Dal that unleashed forces that spun out of control. Ditto with the United Front government.
At present a formation of regional parties, of equals, headed by mass leaders in their own right be it Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalalithaa, Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, Mayawati or Mulayam Singh Yadav is that much more difficult to stitch together. As in the past, they would find it difficult to accept each others leadership.
Nor is there a leader on the horizon, at least as of now, who can bring these groups together. Kumar, given his upright image and track record of good governance in Bihar, could play that role but he would need to find acceptance all over India, at least large parts of north India.
Read | Never projected Nitish as PM candidate, says JD(U)
There is no getting away from the fact that the Congress would have to be the pivot for a non-BJP front. The Congress may be ready to play second fiddle and even support a leader from an as-yet-imaginary federal front as PM, rather than lead itself, so as to defeat the BJP. From all accounts, Rahul Gandhi is ready to revise his earlier go solo policy. But the Congress has to come across as a party on the ascendance, bringing in new energy, rather than as an organisation losing successive elections, with no clarity on who will lead it.
It goes without saying that the BJP is not going to sit idle. Given the state-level contradictions the DMK vs AIADMK, SP vs BSP, Mamata vs Left the BJP will try and enlarge the scope of the NDA, knowing that alliances are going to be even more critical for it in 2019 than was the case in 2014. It is already reaching out to the AIADMK to join the NDA. Interestingly, on the day of the partys victory in Assam, Modi focused not on the BJP but on the NDA.
Read | No question of alliance with any party for 2017 polls: Mulayam Singh Yadav
A lot hinges on what happens in the elections in 2017 (Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat) and in 2018 (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan), but the psychological barrier to cross will be UP, which will set the momentum for 2019.
Much will also depend on the kind of mistakes the BJP makes in the months to come, and whether or not they generate popular anger. So it is early days to speak of a third or a federal front or to make `khayali pulao.
Neerja Chowdhury is a senior journalist
The views expressed are personal
In a little over a decade, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) issues have moved from the margins to the centre of national debates. Support for the repeal of Section 377 ranges from the Left to the Congress. But the BJPs response has been confused at best and homophobic at worst.
The one voice that can clarify this confusion chooses to be silent. Each time there has been a need for the prime minister to break his silence and assure LGBT Indians of full moral citizenship, Narendra Modi has declined to speak.
The latest instance of the BJPs deafening silence is its stand on the tragedy in Orlando, where the prime minister saw fit to commiserate with the victims without acknowledging that the shootings were in a gay club and the killer intentionally targeted the LGBT community.
Read | LGBT celebs move SC against Sec 377, say sexual preferences a right to life
A commiseration without a willingness to deal with the factors that caused the tragedy lacks authenticity. A meaningful response would have acknowledged that the shootings were an attack on LGBT people and followed it up with a commitment to combat violence and discrimination against LGBT people in all spheres.
Such a response can work at two levels: The national and international. In India, the government must move to repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which, criminalises LGBT lives.
At the international level, there is a new opportunity in front of India to affirm its commitment to tackle violence and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Read | Turkey police fire rubber bullets at banned Gay Pride parade
On Thursday, India will vote on a resolution at the United Nations that seeks to establish an independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity at the human rights council.
The resolution moved in June by six Latin American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia) and for the first time in UN history seeks to focus dedicated and systematic attention to the violence and discrimination faced by LGBT persons.
It will focus global attention on forms of human rights violation ignored for too long. It is a long overdue recognition of the fact that LGBT people are human beings and that the violence and discrimination inflicted on them worldwide must be addressed.
Read | New York LGBT bar becomes first US monument to gay rights
As a member of the UN human rights council, India is significantly placed to contribute to this historic moment. But how exactly will India vote on this resolution?
The Modi governments record on LGBT issues is not a happy one.
India has either abstained or voted against LGBT rights at the international level. In September 2014, less than four months after Modi came to power, India abstained on a resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity at the council.
In March 2015, India joined Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China and Iran in voting against the extension of benefits available to heterosexual couples to same-sex couples in the UN general assembly.
Read | Maharashtra censor for theaters demands 14 cuts for play on LGBT rights
This record doesnt inspire much hope of a positive vote for the LGBT community. But there are good reasons why joining the opposition to LGBT rights and voting against the establishment of an independent expert would be wrong, both in legal and constitutional terms.
The judgment by the Supreme Court in NALSA v Union of India acknowledges that transgender people have been treated shamefully and guarantees them the right to equality, expression and life.
The fact that the Supreme Court has decided to refer the Koushal judgment, upholding Section 377, to a five-judge bench earlier this year indicates that a rethinking on the British-era law is underway.
Read | How we label a crime says a lot about our own priorities
The question the government should consider is whether it wants to acknowledge LGBT people as full citizens or go along with a homophobic dismissal of the concerns of LGBT people as simply not worthy of the attention of the UN.
India could vote against the resolution and join notorious global actors in opposing LGBT rights such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt or vote for the resolution in accordance with the constitutional obligation of ensuring equal rights for all.
It is also likely that a procedural manoeuvre calling for no action on this resolution will be moved by states opposed to the resolution. A no-action motion is akin to saying the rights of LGBT people are so controversial that they should not even be discussed at the UN level.
Read | LGB likely to face mental trauma, engage in substance abuse: Study
If India votes for the no-action motion, it proclaims on the international stage that the violence and discrimination faced by LGBT people is a non-issue.
Either of these votes by India will be watched closely as they will be a fair indicator of how this government views its LGBT citizens and whether it believes that LGBT persons are human beings entitled to full rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Arvind Narrain is an LGBT rights activist and a human rights lawyer
The views expressed are personal
Samples of the meat seized in Singrauli district were sent for scientific analysis to Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad on Tuesday after a Jabalpur lab expressed inability to establish origin of the samples.
The meat suspected to be beef was seized from Shivpahari village on MP-Chhattisgarh border on Saturday night.
the Jabalpur lab (of Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University) communicated us on Monday its inability to establish the nature of any other meat, except of wildlife species. Were left with no option but to send it for advanced forensic analysis at CCMB, Hyderabad now, Singrauli additional SP Suryakant Sharma told HT on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, police arrested Jeetu Swai, 26, who is the contractor of the private canteen for whose consumption the meat was meant. The arrested man hails from Odisha, but has been running the private canteen in Tiyari village for nearly two years. A total of six men have been arrested so far, Sharma added.
Seized meat was not of a slaughtered animal but of an animal carcass
Meanwhile, sources connected to ongoing probe revealed that the 80 kg seized meat was not of a slaughtered animal, but instead of an animal carcass. Primary investigation had indicated that the meat - sourced by a private canteen in Tiyari village of Singrauli - was of a slaughtered animal.
But interrogation of the father-son duo of Ramayan and Bhanu Saket revealed that the meat was not of a slaughtered animal and instead of a carcass. The father-son duo skinned abandoned carcasses at a place between Sasan and Nigahi for long. Its the meat of a carcass and later supplied to Ram Bahal Rajak and Rijku Nai. The same meat concealed in a rucksack was being taken by Ram Bahal and Rijku for supply to the private canteens cook Ram Sagar Jaiswal, a Singrauli police officer said.
It has also come to the fore that the meat of carcass was supplied to the private canteen in Tiyari village in the past through Ram Bahal and Rijku. The arrested men confirmed that those who consumed food at the private canteen in Tiyari village, included foreign nationals residing in adjoining China Colony locality.
In the past, a few Pakistani actresses such as Veena Malik, Meera and Sara Loren acted in Bollywood movies. But now, film-makers are increasingly looking for female leads for their films across the border. So, if Meesha Shafi was seen in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), Humaima Malick romanced Emraan Hashmi in Raja Natwarlal (2014). Thats not all. Now, over half a dozen Pakistani actresses have either made their entry in B-Town this year, or will be seen in a few forthcoming projects.
Humaima Malick made her Bollywood debut with Emraan Hashmi in Raja Natwarlal.
Read: Women may be swooning but Fawad Khan doesnt think he looks good
New entrants
Mawra Hocane tested B-Town waters with Sanam Teri Kasam earlier this year. Mahira Khan, who will be seen with Shah Rukh Khan in Raees, has wrapped up her part of the schedule while Saba Qamar will romance Irrfan Khan in a family-oriented story of a husband and wife, which is little like Piku (2015). Also, Maya Ali and Sadia Khan were, reportedly, in Mumbai a few days back. Apparently, Maya revealed that shes been offered a role in a film in India, and Sadia has said that shes in talks for the female lead opposite Akshay Kumar in his new film, Ikka.
Mahira Khan has wrapped up her shoot for Raees, in which she will be seen opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
The biggest advantage of casting Pakistani actresses is that they bring loads of freshness, since no one [in India] has seen them earlier on TV, in films or in ads. So, theres novelty. Plus, they are a deadly combination of beauty and talent, says casting director Mukesh Chhabra.
Mawra, who shuttles between Karachi and Mumbai for work, has even decided to rent an apartment in the city. I am happy with the variety of work Im getting here, and the mix of people I have met, says the 22-year-old, adding that she has received a lot of love and respect here.
Mawra Hocane, who made her B-Town debut with Sanam Teri Kasam, now plans to rent an apartment in Mumbai.
A Bollywood film-maker, on condition of anonymity, says unlike a lot of Indian girls, Pakistani actresses are very professional with no unnecessary tantrums. Plus, their command over Hindi language is better, and cant be compared [to some of the Indian actresses].
Trade experts say casting Pakistani actors are pure creative calls. Its a directors prerogative to decide which actor fits the bill for his or her film. Thanks to satellite TV and the Internet, we are aware of the talent [in other countries too]. So, we can easily identify them. Plus, going by their work in Pakistan, they are all solid actors too, says trade expert Taran Adarsh.
Model Sadia Khan has been, reportedly, approached for Akshay Kumars new film, Ikka.
Wealth of talent
Raees director Rahul Dholakia feels the same. As a film-maker, what works best with non-regular casting is that you - as the audience - would believe the character more than concentrating on the image of the star. We auditioned other girls, too, for the part, but Mahira acts and looks her part [in the film], he says.
Read: We would love to see Indian actors working in Pakistan: Adnan Siddiqui
Fawad Khan, who is already a known name in India thanks to his roles in films such as Khubsoorat (2014) and Kapoor & Sons, says hes happy with more Pakistani talent coming in. I have been a mediocre representation of Pakistani talent (smiles). There is a wealth of talent back home. Seeing other Pakistani actors entering this market is a great feeling, he says.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The bottled water that you buy for Rs 15 or Rs 20 from the neighbourhood store may not be much safe than the normal tap water.
Out of the 6,000 packaged drinking water bottling units in India, over 4,300 are operating without proper licences. The list includes names, such as, Bisleri, PepsiCos Aquafina and Coca Colas Kinley.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex food and water regulation body, has put a number of large and small packaged water-selling firms under the scanner.
Confirming the development, Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, told HT: The authority has written letters to food security commissioners of all states and territories with a detailed list of brands and addresses of the units operating with proper licences.
We have found that only one fourth of the total units operating in India have obtained mandatory licences issued by the FSSAI and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Clearly, other units are working against the food safety laws of the country, he added.
According to the regulator, any packaged drinking water unit has to obtain two licences --one from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and another from the FSSAI -- which ensures the safety of the water content and quality standard of the packaging material. It has been reported that a large number of food business operators are engaged in the business of manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without the FSSAI or the BIS certification mark, according to the letter sent to food safety commissioners by FSSAIs director for enforcement, Rakesh Chandra Sharma, a copy of which is available with HT. It is requested to undertake enforcement activities on unauthorised manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without the FSSAI or BIS mark in your respective states and union territories.
It has been brought to notice that several complaints have been received on mushroom growth of units in various states manufacturing and selling packaged drinking water without BIS certification mark, the letter added.
The company, which has obtained both licenses, passes through two layers of testing, with surprise visits and regular audits. Also, these licenses make companies liable to sell products after conducting exhaustive scientific tests to check the quality, quantity of minerals and safety of the product.
We are not aware of any such list nor have we received any communication from any authority on the said issue. At PepsiCo, we comply with all quality and regulatory norms and all our packaged drinking water is manufactured under valid licences, a PepsiCo India spokesperson said.
Coca Cola, Bisleri and Parle did not respond to HTs requests for comments.
According to industry estimates, the packaged water market, dominated by six players, including Bisleri, PepsiCo, Dhariwal, Tata Global Beverages, Parle and Coca Cola, is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 22% to R16,000 crore by 2018.
Rise in health awareness and increase in tourist inflow are boosting the per capita consumption of bottled water in India. It currently stands at around 20 litres, against four-five litres in the late 1990s.
Gross bad loans at Indian banks may rise to 8.5% of total assets by March 2017 from 7.6% in March 2016 if the central bank orders them to conduct a second round of asset quality reviews, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, under a severe stress situation, total bad loans could rise to 9.3% in March 2017, the RBI said in its semi-annual Financial Stability Report.
The RBI added that the assessments, though stringent and conservative, were also hypothetical, saying the severe adverse economic conditions referred to here should not be interpreted as forecast or expected outcomes.
The RBI last year told banks to conduct an asset quality review (AQR) in a bid to get a better picture of the extent of potentially soured assets held in the sector.
Outgoing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had made cleaning up banks a priority during his nearly three-year tenure given the sector is saddled with $120 billion of sour loans, which is constraining new lending and corporate investments.
Still, the RBI has not ordered a second round of formal tests, although it has said it would continue reviewing asset quality at banks.
The stress in the banking sector, which mirrors the stress in the corporate sector, has to be dealt with in order to revive credit growth, Rajan wrote in the report.
The first AQR led banks to recognise around $35 billion of new bad loans since September, pushing gross bad loans to 7.6 percent in March from 5.1 percent in September 2015.
Meanwhile, overall stressed assets - consisting of bad loans as well as restructured assets - rose to 11.5 percent in March from 11.3 percent six months earlier.
Though analysts believe the review has offered a more accurate picture of bad debt in the sector, it has dented profit and constrained credit growth over the past months.
This is the last Financial Stability Report under Rajan, after the former International Monetary Fund chief economist stunned the country this month by saying he would leave when his tenure ends on September 4.
But analysts broadly expect the next RBI Governor to continue the push to clean up the banking sector.
Britain is likely to explore direct bilateral trade agreements with India which could impart a fillip to sluggish UK-India trade ties after the UKs exit from the European Union (EU), a Singapore bank said on Tuesday.
Post exit EU, the UK is likely to explore direct bilateral trade agreements with other trading partners including India, said Development Bank of Singapore (DBS).
This might provide an alternate route to India, in comparison to the tough and the drawn-out negotiations on the EU Free Trade Agreement, in turn providing a fillip to a slowing India-UK trade, said DBS.
The UK accounts for 15% of Indias total merchandise trade, but its share has been declining.
Trade in services has also eased, but particularly for the information technology sector, about 17% of Indias service exports heads to the UK, second only to the US, according to the Nasscom.
Investment links are meanwhile notable, DBS pointed out.
UK is the third largest inward investor into India, after Mauritius, and Singapore, with cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) equity investments of $22.7 billion (from April 2000 to December 2015), or 8% of the total FDI inflows.
In turn, India is the third largest investor, based on the number of projects, into the UK.
Indian businesses that tap the UK domestic markets are unlikely to face many challenges.
However, firms that intend to utilise UK as a base to gain access into European markets, might have to rethink plans.
A risk here is the imposition of trade barriers, scrapping preferential rates and higher taxes between UK and the rest of EU, which might pose a hurdle for foreign companies to invest in the UK.
These factors could slow investment flows from India to the UK, until more clarity is available in this regard, believes the bank.
Beyond the short-term risk dislocations, Indias domestic focus will also be on the rainfall progress, governments reform agenda and monsoon parliament session.
Any potential threat to external trade might also likely be offset by the pick-up in consumption spending, thereby leaving the ongoing recovery intact.
The situation is quite fluid at this stage and thereby risks of sporadic volatility in the G3 currencies and associated shakeout in the global markets should not be ruled out, especially as focus is on EUs ability to deal with fresh crisis, it said.
NEW DELHI: The government is likely to name power minister Piyush Goyal to lead the action plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions in keeping with its global commitment.
Towards this end, the climate change division under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change will be merged with the ministry of new and renewable energy, which Goyal heads. Keeping our commitments in mind, the government has drawn up a merger plan. This will mean that Piyush Goyal will lead the governments action on cutting emissions, said a source on the condition of anonymity.
India, the worlds third largest greenhouse gas emitter, had last year pledged at the UN that by 2030, it would source 40% of its electricity needs from renewable and low-carbon sources.
The decision is likely to be finalised when the council of ministers meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week, sources said.
Piyush Goyal is likely to be made in charge of the entire portfolio and also be promoted as a cabinet rank minister, said another source without wanting to be named. At present, Goyal is a minister of state with independent charge.
The Modi government had already renamed the green ministry to include climate change.
This will show to the world that India is taking both its action plans on cutting emissions and growth of renewable energy with equal seriousness, said the source quoted above. The essence of this merger will be to ensure that the same minister (Piyush Goyal) looks after the entire gamut of electricity generation and transmission, from coal to fossil-fuel led electricity to renewable sources of electricity, he said.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Kashmir is again witnessing a serious escalation of militant violence. Eight CRPF paramilitary personnel were killed and 21 others injured in an ambush at Pampore on June 25. This follows two other separate attacks this month, which killed two BSF personnel at Bijbehera and three policemen in Srinagar. The incidence of militant violence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) often corresponds to the tenor of India-Pakistan relations. In recent years, Indias counter-insurgency successes and the intent to sustain bilateral dialogue has acted together to bring down the number of casualties significantly. In other words, Pakistan would maintain a measure of militant capacity in Kashmir but would calibrate violence in line with its (shifting) political purposes.
It looks like Islamabad has decided to spike up the militancy yet again. This is of course in step with the charged atmospherics owing to the recent tussle over Indias bid for membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Islamabad clearly banded with China to oppose India. Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, openly proclaimed that Pakistan successfully blocked Indias membership. The coordinated action with Beijing also seems to have prompted a brash, insensitive remark from Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit who when asked about the Pampore attack reiterated that Kashmir was an issue to be resolved and preferred to focus on the Iftaar that he was hosting. Union home minister Rajnath Singh reacted sharply to the militant attacks saying that if shots were fired from Pakistan then India would not be keeping a count on the bullets that it will fire.
The tensions between India and China and the downturn in India-Pakistan ties looks set to have violent consequences in Kashmir. This round of instability will also affect tourism revenues in the Valley as the summer season is still underway. The Centre may be reconciled to a new phase of India-Pakistan hostility that proceeds from wider geopolitics but it must find a way to address widespread anger in Kashmir. New Delhi has often relied on the state government to pacify Kashmir but the PDP-BJP coalition is unpopular in the Valley for several reasons including the shooting of five civilians at Handwara in April and the speculation about resettling ex-servicemen in the Valley. Pakistan can be expected to stoke violence in Kashmir but the Centre needs a more purposive, sensitive political strategy for the Valley.
NEW DELHI: Britain has witnessed a spate of racist incidents in the aftermath of a vote for the country to withdraw from the European Union, ranging from Leave the EU flyers left at the homes of Polish residents and altercations at public places to graffiti and banners directed against immigrants.
The country is grappling with the political and economic ramifications of the vote for Brexit in the June 23 referendum. Several experts have argued that xenophobia, and not economic reasons, was a key reason for the leave vote.
Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned on Monday against abuses directed at immigrants.
This government will not tolerate intolerance. We are absolutely clear on the need to reassure communities across Britain, the PMs spokeswoman said in a statement.
We are a tolerant nation; that existed long before we were members of the European Union, and we should hold fast to that.
Khan ordered Metropolitan Police to be extra vigilant, and said: Its really important we stand guard against any rise in hate crimes or abuse by those who might use last weeks referendum as cover to seek to divide us.
Police in Cambridgeshire are investigating reports of laminated signs reading Leave the EU - No more Polish vermin being left at the homes and on cars of Polish residents in Huntingdon. The flyers were apparently distributed on Friday, hours after the result of the referendum was announced.
The Cambridge News reported that cards with the same slogan as the flyers, in English and Polish, were found outside St Peters School in Huntingdon by students, including an 11-year-old Polish child, who said they made him feel really sad.
On Sunday, Metropolitan police were called to investigate after the words F*** off OPM were scrawled across the entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) at Hammersmith in west London.
Police officials said they asked to investigate an allegedly racially motivated criminal damage and inquiries were ongoing.
The Polish are the largest foreign-born population in Britain and community leaders expressed shock and outrage at the incidents. Polish ambassador Witold Sobkow said the issue would be discussed in talks on Monday and asked politicians to condemn what had happened.
Jessica Sheridan of Manchester was concerned for her safety after confronting a man shouting abuse in the street, the Daily Express reported. She said: There was a man saying Rule Britanniathe foreigners can f*** off now.
Sheridan, 25, said: Then he said This is f***ing Britain again now.
Welsh businesswoman Shazia Awan said she was told to pack her bags and go home in an attack on Twitter. Awan, who backed the Remain side in the referendum, had tweeted: Dont see how this country can heal itself. The UK is my home yet I feel alienated.
Twitter user Warren Faulkner responded to Awans tweet by posting: Great newsyou can pack your bags youre going homeBYE THEN!
The racist incidents occurred despite those campaigning for Brexit giving clear assurances before the vote that a new immigration system would not affect EU citizens legally living in Britain.
Following the referendum result, Conservative Party leader Sayeeda Warsi said immigrants were being stopped in the streets and told to leave Britain.
Ive spent most of the weekend talking to organisations, individuals and activists who work in the area of race hate crime, who monitor hate crime, and they have shown some really disturbing early results from people being stopped in the street and saying look, we voted Leave, its time for you to leave, Warsi told Sky News.
And they are saying this to individuals and families who have been here for three, four, five generations. The atmosphere on the street is not good.
Warsi, the former chairwoman of the Conservative Party, initially backed the Leave campaign but switched over to Remain, saying the other side was divisive and xenophobic.
NEW DELHI: Central government employees can look forward to fatter salary cheques as the Union cabinet is likely to take up the 7th Pay Commission recommendations on Wednesday.
The commission has recommended an average 23.55% increase in their salary, allowances and pension, a move that will benefit 4.8 million staffers and 5.5 million pensioners.
The commission headed by justice (retired) AK Mathur had presented its 900-page report to finance minister Arun Jaitley in November 2015.
In January, the government had set up an empowered committee of secretaries headed by cabinet secretary PK Sinha to examine the panels suggestions. A secretariat has also been set up within the finance ministry to oversee the panels recommendations.
The cabinet is expected to discuss on Wednesday the Sinha committees report on implementation of the pay panels recommendations.
The salary hikes will be effective from January 1, 2016.
More cash in hand is likely to result in higher consumption by the governments massive employee base, which accounts for a large segment of the Indian middle-class. More demand could boost the economy through higher spending on assets such as cars and housing.
The government usually accepts the broad proposals for pay revision due every 10 years and state governments usually respond with their own hikes.
The Centres total salary and allowances bill for 2016-17 has been pegged at Rs 1.84 lakh crore, which is Rs 65,687 crore or 55% higher than last years Rs 1.18 lakh crore. The higher wage bill for this year partly factors in the anticipated increase in employee remuneration.
The pay commissions recommendations say a fresh IAS recruit will get a basic salary of Rs 56,000 a month against Rs 23,000 currently. A sepoy in the Indian Army will earn Rs 21,700 a month from Rs 8,460 at present.
In addition, employees are paid dearness allowance and house rent among many other allowances.
If accepted, the new proposals will set Rs 18,000 as the minimum pay of an employee on the central governments rolls. At present, the minimum salary is Rs 7,000.
The total emoluments of a general helper the lowest-ranked employee amount to Rs 22,579, more than double that of his counterpart in the private sector, a study commissioned by the panel found.
The commission has proposed a change in the salary structure by doing away with the system of pay bands and grade pay and recommended pay matrix. It has also called for scrapping overtime allowance and interest-free loans to buy motor vehicles.
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Dinesh Mohaniya, who was arrested in a case of alleged molestation, and remanded him in 14 days judicial custody.
Mohaniya, a legislator from Sangam Vihar, was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged against him by a group of women at the Neb Sarai police station on June 23. The complainants alleged that he had abused them when they approached him with a water-related complaint.
Denying bail to Mohaniya, metropolitan magistrate Bhavna Kalia said, There has been no change in circumstances over the last two days that warrants interference with the duty magistrates June 25 order. This second bail application of the accused is dismissed.
Mohaniya, who is also the vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, was arrested by a police team while he was addressing a press conference at his office in Khanpur, South Delhi, on Saturday. The duty magistrate then sent him to Tihar jail for two days, till June 27.
An FIR was lodged against Mohaniya 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) of the Indian Penal Code.
Delhi police had opposed the bail plea during the hearing, stating that Mohaniya could influence the ongoing investigation if set free.
However, senior advocate HS Phoolka appearing for Mohaniya submitted that there was a delay of 11 hours in lodging the FIR, and all the alleged offences were bailable. He also told the court that there was no basis for considering the statement of the women because it was recorded two days after the complaint was lodged.
The two-day period was used by the police to frame the MLA, Phoolka alleged.
The advocate further said Mohaniya cannot be charged under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) because he did not intend to molest the alleged victims or tear their clothes.
The women alleged that Mohaniya molested them during a tussle on the midnight of June 22, when they went to complain about water scarcity in their area. They had earlier told police that the MLA and his men verbally abused and threatened them.
He is the eighth AAP MLA to be arrested ever since the party came to power for the second time in Delhi last February.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has asked 21 MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be present for a hearing in the office of profit case on July 14.
A Delhi-based lawyer had complained to the EC, seeking the removal of these MLAs who were appointed as parliamentary secretaries. According to EC officials, the case will be heard over the span of a few hearing.
Following the complaint and the President returning the bill that would allow MLAs to hold second paying position as parliamentary secretary, the response of the MLAs was sought. All the 21 MLAs had sought a personal hearing, after submitting that they were not drawing any remuneration from the Delhi government, said an official.
Party sources said the legislators have their own legal teams to assist them and they would respond as and when the Election Commission calls them for hearing.
Nearly a third of the Aam Aadmi Party legislators are staring at disqualification after President Pranab Mukherjee last month refused to sign a bill that allowed the 21 MLAs to hold a second paying position as parliamentary secretary. The AAP government maintained that no MLA received any benefits vehicles, bungalow or extra money from the parliamentary secretary position.
On March 13, 2015, the Kejriwal government passed an order appointing the 21 party MLAs as parliamentary secretaries, saying they wont take remuneration and hence didnt fall under the office of profit regulations.
The Constitution prohibits legislators or parliamentarians from holding any positions with monetary or other benefits. This clause known as office of profit is aimed at reducing conflict-of-interest situations for public representatives.
Subsequently, the AAP government sought an amendment in the form of a bill the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 2015 passed it in the assembly last June on the back of its brute majority of 67 MLAs in the 70-member House.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi snubbed party MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday for his recent attacks on top policy makers, breaking his silence on the jibes that have embarrassed the government and hurt Indias international image.
In an interview to a television channel, Modi described Swamys diatribe against outgoing Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan and others as inappropriate.
If anybody considers himself above the system, it is wrong. This fondness for publicity is never going to do any good to the nation, Modi said when asked about comments by a Rajya Sabha MP against top officials. Swamy is a Rajya Sabha MP.
Throughout June, Swamy hogged headlines with a barrage of criticism directed at Rajan, chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian and economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das. The Twitter tirade forced many, even in the government, to question the limits of acceptable political discourse in India.
The allegations prompted the government to come out in defence of the senior officials twice with finance minister Arun Jaitley calling for discipline in politics.
Whether it is in my party or not, such talks are inappropriate. People should conduct themselves with utmost responsibility, said the Prime Minister. In his sharpest attack, Swamy called for Rajans removal and said the economist was mentally not fully Indian, comments that were seen to have contributed to the central bank chief s decision to step down at the end of his three-year tenure in September.
But Modi brushed aside criticism of Rajan and said those stoking controversies about the RBI governor were doing a grave injustice to him. His patriotism is no less than that of any of us. My experience with him has been good and I appreciate the work that he has done, the Prime Minister said.
It will be unfair to say that he will serve the country only if he occupies the post. As far as I know him, wherever he will work, he will serve India.
The strong comments come after the government and the BJP distanced themselves from Swamys remarks amid mounting unease in a section of the party. Modis censure signals the party might be ready to rein in Swamy, who built a reputation of hurling caustic remarks at influential people to the glee of many of his 2.8 million Twitter followers.
My message is very clear. I have no confusion about it, Modi said when asked whether his message on the issue was clear.
Modis categorical rebuttal of Swamys words and actions comes as a big blow to the BJP MP who sought to project himself as close to the prime minister and BJP president Amit Shah.
Last week, Swamy alleged Jaitleys top adviser Subramanian acted against Indias interests during a previous stint in the United States and encouraged the opposition Congress to become rigid on the proposed Goods and Services Tax bill.
This prompted Jaitley to express full confidence in his aide. But an unfazed Swamy hit back less than 24 hours later, this time levelling corruption allegations against Das and telling his followers that he will talk to the PM when the need arose.
Modi said when the NDA came to power in May 2014, journalists debated for the next three months whether the new government would allow Rajan to continue or sack him. The PM said there was consensus (in TV debates) that because Rajan was appointed by the previous administration he would not be allowed to complete his term.
He is completing his tenure. All misgivings are gone, Modi said.
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by two men inside a private school in East Delhis Jagat Puri area on Sunday.
Police have arrested Govind, the school guard and Ramesh, a scrap dealer. Both have been sent into 14 days judicial custody.
In her statement, the girl alleged that Govind took her to the school on Sunday on the pretext of getting her a job. He allegedly told the girl that he has arranged a meeting with a school peon. She alleged that they took her inside the school and a scrap dealer also came with them. They allegedly took her in the school office and locked the door from inside, an investigator said.
Read More: In Delhi, a rape accused has 83% chance of acquittal
The girl alleged that the men sexually assaulted her in the office. She alleged that when she tried to raise an alarm, the men gagged her and tried to strangle her. She managed to escape and went to her house and told her mother about the incident. Based on her statement, we have registered an FIR. The girl was also sent for a medical examination and her statement was recorded before the magistrate, a senior police officer said.
The school is closed for summer vacation.
Both the men were picked up from their houses and produced in the court. Following the incident, NGOs were roped in and the girl was provided counselling, a senior police officer said.
If you have people who litter in your area, you can now directly file a complaint with a special metropolitan magistrate through a phone call.
In its bid to bring down littering and reckless dumping of garbage, the special metropolitan magistrates appointed in the municipal corporations will now be available round the clock. The special magistrates can on the spot, increase the value of the challan up to Rs 5,000.
Sources said while the move has been implemented by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, it will soon be replicated by the East and South DMC.
Read More: Street vendors to get 10,000 garbage bins
The corporations with their limited staff cant ensure round the clock check. The residents will also be able to register their complaints 24X7 if they find anyone throwing garbage on the streets or indulging in unsanitary practices, said a senior municipal official.
Civic officials said apart from receiving and addressing complaints, the magistrates will carry out surprise checks to ensure complaints are being redressed.
Currently, the municipal sanitation inspectors issue challans and notices, which are payable and heard at special municipal courts in every zone of the municipal corporation. However, now the magistrate will also issue challans on the spot.
Read More: Gone to waste: How India is drowning in garbage
As per an estimate 85% of all garbage which reaches the landfill sites is lifted from streets. An affidavit submitted by the municipal corporations in the Delhi high court had said that the civic bodies had fined merely 6,000 people for littering in 2014.
Sources add that while the first time offenders may face challans under various sections to the tune of `500, repeat and those found causing harm to the environment can be fined to the tune of Rs 5,000 daily.
Currently, throwing garbage on the streets or spitting can result in a fine of `50. However, magistrates will have the powers to issue challans under various sections of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, hence increasing the fines, said an official.
The magistrates will have the power to issue challans based on six sanitation related sections of the DMC Act, which will be based on factors such as the quantity of litter, type of litter or and place of littering.
To make airports safer, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has purchased Explosive Trace Detectors (ETD), which can tell if anyone has touched any explosive items in the past 24 hours.
Since travellers spend considerable time before the security check at the airport, the CISF stops them randomly just after they enter the terminal.
Based on profiling, they are taken to a separate enclosure and the ETD check is carried out. The device scans the baggage and the travellers hands to check whether they have packed explosives in their luggage.
There will be some trace of the explosive on the travellers hands if they have touched it before coming to the airport. We have a few devices at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and passengers are checked with it before they proceed for boarding, said a senior CISF official.
At the Delhi airport, the CISF has separate enclosures located near the entry gate, where we check suspicious-looking travellers.
Their baggage is scanned and they are frisked. Then the ETD check is carried out. The hand-held device is easy to use, the official added.
The CISF said it would order more such devices to make the IGI airport more secure. The CISF looks after the security of airports across the country. The new security equipment and their maintenance is the responsibility of the airport operator, which in Delhi is the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
We have only three ETD for 14 baggage X-rays at T1D. At least seven ETDs are required as per the guidelines of the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the official added.
The CISF is also planning to use hand-held ETDs to check passengers with artificial limbs so they do not have to go through the trauma of removing it during security check.
Usually the ETD is used to check the prosthetic limb, but the CISF says it is meant only for detection of explosives. There is always a chance that a person may try to use a prosthetic limb to hide a weapon.
Now the CISF has requested for an upgraded version of the ETD so that the travellers do not have to remove their prosthetic limbs.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Delhi government might soon revise circle rates, the minimum amount needed to register properties, after businesses complained that high tariffs at present were hurting the realty sector in industrial areas.
The Aam Aadmi Party administration decided to review circle rates in Delhi on Monday as Gurgaon slashed its tariffs by 15%. The move came after traders complained circle rates were higher than the market prices of properties in many areas.
New circle rates will be notified after taking public opinion. The process of seeking public opinion could begin next week, said Brijesh Goyal, convener of the AAPs trade wing.
Circle rates are important because they form the basis of stamp duties and registration charges for a property, important sources of revenue for the government. There are 29 industrial clusters in the city.
Read: Builders, buyers and developers give thumbs up to circle rate cut in Gurgaon
The chief minister has assured the industrialists that he will review the circle rates, said a Delhi government spokesperson.
The rates are revised periodically and are decided on the basis of the municipal category it falls under. Delhis municipal corporations have divided the city into eight categories, from A to H, in decreasing order for affluence.
High circle rates might lead to a slump in buying and selling of property in the area as buyers think a plot might not fetch high enough returns and cause a loss of revenue to the government.
The city administration has increased circle rates four times since 2011, the last during Presidents Rule in September 2014. In contrast, circle rates have remained the same in Gurgaon in the last two years.
At a function in Udyog Nagar on Monday, some industrialists and traders requested chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to review circle rates, especially in industrial areas.
The chief minister assured the gathering that he will look into the issue and get the anomalies rectified, said Goyal.
Read: Circle rate hikes fail to add to Delhi coffers
He said the industrialists counted anomalies in the property rates as one of the biggest problems in industrial areas as the sale and purchase of properties had come to a standstill.
The circle rate of an industrial plot in Narela is `92,400 per square metre. By that rate, the total circle rate amount for a 350 square metre industrial plot will add up to `3.23 crore. And the existing market rate of the same plot would be in the range of Rs 1.5 to 1.75 crore, a real estate agent said.
Most Delhi University colleges have decided to take the help of their non-teaching staff to conduct the admission process this year which starts from June 30. The Delhi University Teachers Association had earlier decided to boycott the admission process in continuation of their protest against a University Grants Commission (UGC) guideline that suggested changes to the Academic Performance Indicator (API) the point system which determines promotion of teachers.
The admission to 54,000 seats in 63 colleges of Delhi University will begin from June 30 after the first cutoff is declared.
Read more: Protesting teachers now threaten to boycott DU admission process
Teachers are responsible for the verification of student documents. Some teachers are also part of the admission committee in each college which decides on the cutoff. They are also part of various committees like equal opportunity cell, discipline committee, and grievance committees as mandated by the university.
Anula Maurya, principal, Kalindi College said she was banking on the non-teaching staff of the college.
If teachers do not join the admission process then we will utilize the non-teaching staff for conducting admissions, said Maurya.
Some principals said that this was not the first time teachers had called a strike during the time of admission. In 2011-2012, when the semester system had started, a similar thing had happened.
Earlier too admissions were conducted with the help of non-teaching staff and same thing will be done this time also, said SP Aggarwal, principal Ramanujan College.
The admission process this year is scheduled to begin on Thursday, with some principals calling for a meeting on the issue on Wednesday.
We will conduct the admission process without the teachers. There are some teachers who will help us and we have our administrative staff to conduct the admissions smoothly, said Gyantosh Kumar Jha, principal, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College.
The protesting DUTA teachers had earlier held a meeting and decided to evaluate the answer sheets of final-year students. They, however, said that they will boycott the upcoming admission process for new admissions.
Sources said that the staff association of around 35 colleges had already lent their support to the striking DUTA teachers and said they would not take part in the admission process as well.
I had called the admission committee meeting today (Tuesday), but none of the teachers attended it. We wanted to decide our cutoffs today, but could not. It is going to be really tough to conduct admissions without these teachers, said Vijay K Sharma, principal of Ram Lal Anand College.
Water scarcity is a global phenomenon and India is no exception to this. The reasons for this are not far to seek. They range from agro-climatic to sheer human population pressure. And as writer P Sainath has said, the water crisis in India is policy-driven and not so much related to the monsoon. Since water is just a partly renewable resource, there is a cost to its extraction and use. This cost is not shared uniformly by all sections of society, as has been pointed out by various studies. For example, water for human consumption is sometimes charged at a rate thats substantially higher than what is paid for making, say, a bottle of cold drink or beer. And this is a cost thats hidden because it is not something paid over the counter.
Read: Rains late, drought worsens in Marathwada
The countrys water crisis has been induced also by a skewed irrigation policy. India has 140 million hectares under cultivation, and, less than 50% of that, just 62 million hectares, is irrigated. Take, for example, Vidarbha, which falls in a rain-shadow area. Following the drought in the region in 1992, 15 irrigation projects were cleared. The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation had once about 100 major, medium and minor irrigation projects in the pipeline. Most of them still remain on paper. And contrast this with Punjab, where paddy, a water-guzzler, is grown and irrigation for this has been made possible chiefly because of the political clout of the farming community. This is one aspect of the problem. Another is that water resources are being given by several states to bidding parties. In the early 2000s, Andhra Pradesh (then undivided) did away with its irrigation development corporation. This meant an increasing number of borewells, dug chiefly by rich farmers, and as a result, the groundwater level went down. And since irrigation is not picking up in the way desired, groundwater is the only fallback option for our farmers.
Read: Three tribals die in MP village after drinking contaminated water
Sometimes the rationale for such differentiated pricing is that it is linked to employment generation. This is no doubt true. But since this is something that affects every individual directly, this is a national problem and we must get the right policies to tackle it. Many of our national problems are in some way or the other related to water. A water activist in her book had said water could become a multi-trillion-dollar industry in the future. Hence without appropriate policy choices and discipline over consumption, we would be staring at problems that could have been precluded.
Read: Save water, earn money: Dewas farmers script a success story
The ugly fight between the Army and the CRPF to claim credit for neutralising the two militants who ambushed a convoy that killed eight jawans is a dangerous reminder of the stark fact that security agencies are competing with each other for kills.
Kills is a word that has for long been used by the Army and paramilitary battalions to measure success in the counter-insurgency battle in Kashmir over the last few decades. Battalions, in fact, have been judged on the number of militants killed, the number of weapons recovered and the number of surrenders secured.
I am reminded of the time when security agencies deployed in Jammu and Kashmir competed with each other to add numbers to their monthly reports to claim praise from commanding officers and secure medals for their battalions.
READ: Army says it killed Pampore militants, deletes tweet after CRPF objects
In the late nineties, a large batch of Pakistan-trained militants had given themselves up in the hope of returning to a normal life. Those who surrendered along with a weapon were considered prize catches. In long interviews with some of these surrendered militants, Id asked them various questions: what was the motive for their surrender? Was their disillusionment with Pakistan the main reason behind their surrender?
The concerns expressed by them left me gobsmacked. We thought wed return to our families and restart life, they said but were now regretting their decision. Why, I asked? We have become pawns in the hands of the agencies. The Army is holding us up as prizes and if we go to the market to buy essentials, the BSF catches us and says, why did you give yourselves up to the army, why not to us. We regret surrendering, many rued.
The BSF was then a critical part of the counter-agency operations and has now been replaced by the CRPF. The boots on the ground may have changed but as the Pampore fight for bodies and weapons shows, the turf wars between Indias security agencies have not ended.
On my return to Delhi from the Kashmir Valley, I spoke with a senior bureaucrat in the home ministry about the race between the agencies that was blunting their fight counter-terrorism fight and worse, adding to the alienation that already existed. He pondered over it and said, Dont report it, it would be anti-national. The riposte of course was: what the Army and BSF are doing is anti-national.
Little appears to have changed. The fight between the Army and the CRPF when dead bodies of their colleagues are still lying on the ground is despairing. This is not how uniformed men should behave especially when militant violence is escalating in Kashmir, said a senior army officer who did not want to be identified.
The open spat between the two important players comes at a time when Kashmir is witnessing a disturbing new reality: violence is escalating, infiltration numbers are on the rise and young, educated local Kashmiri boys are openly brandishing weapons, preferring the battle ground to their cosy classrooms.
The fight between agencies weakens the battle against militancy. The senior leadership should step in and ensure their men fight against the militants and not against each other, says Ved Marwah, who has served in Kashmir .
What is more worrying is the fact that Pampore--where the eight jawans were killed--is part of chief minister Mehbooba Muftis stronghold. The ruling partys main domain of south Kashmir is the new hotbed of militancy and that in large measure is due to the unpopular alliance between the PDP and the BJP.
Kashmir is at a crossroad once again. With no sensitive political engagement in sight, the last thing it needs is an insensitive security approach with kills as its centerpiece.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Changes wont happen overnight, universities in the UK reassured international students worried about repercussions on studies after Brexit .
A statement by Dame Julia Goodfellow, president of Universities UK, has said, We should remember that leaving the EU will not happen overnight there will be a gradual exit process with significant opportunities to seek assurances and influence future policy. Throughout the transition period, our focus will be on securing support that allows our universities to continue to be global in their outlook and internationally networked. Our first priority will be to convince the UK government to take steps to promote the UK as a welcoming destination for the brightest and best minds.
Talking about the impact on funding schemes, a University of Birmingham spokesperson says, We will endeavour to provide clarity on the pressing issues as soon as we can and would like to reassure staff and students that the vote to leave the European Union does not mean there will be any immediate material change to the UK university sectors participation in EU programmes such as Horizon 2020 and Erasmus Plus. As a university community we already are planning together for the changes that will be ahead to ensure we remain an ambitious, outward-looking, global university.
The University of Southampton is also reaching out to students globally on the issue. We recognise that this could be an anxious period for many people either considering or currently studying and working at the University of Southampton. Until there is further clarity, we would like to ensure you that we are doing our best to understand the issues and reduce the impact where possible, says a spokesperson from the university.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Come July, the IIT-Indore will get a permanent campus in Simrol, saving the students and faculty the trouble of shuttling between three makeshift campuses operating out of IET- Khandwa building, PACL Mhow campus and Simrol since its inception in 2009.
IIT Indore started functioning along with IITs at Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur and Ropar. While IITs Jodhpur and Ropar are yet to move into their new campuses, the rest of the institutes have shifted to their permanent campuses.
Students complained of a poor campus life as there was little interaction among students from different branches. With a single campus, students now hope to get a better campus life. Fully functional cafeterias on campus, libraries and other facilities will ensure that the students day on campus is well taken care of.
The new campus was to be completed in 2012 but missed the deadline due to various reasons. In 2010, the ministry of environment and forests denied permission for diversion of 80 hectares of forestland which was a part of 500 acres of land allotted for the institute. The ministry gave its nod some time later.
Though educational activities have shifted to the new campus, student hostels will also move to the new campus soon. At present, residential quarter for students and faculties are functioning from Silver Spring township.
We have shifted the entire campus in Simrol. Only hostels are operating from Silver Springs, said Nirmala Menon, a faculty with IIT-Indore.
It is very difficult to say when this (hostel) shift will happen as it all depends on construction workers. But we will wrap it up within a couple of months.
Earlier, IIT-Indore announced that it would increase batch sizes of three of its existing undergraduate programmes to 60. It also plans to roll out BTech in civil engineering and material and metallurgical engineering with 40 students in each stream from the coming academic year 2016-17.
The institute offers electrical engineering, computer science engineering and mechanical engineering to batches of 40 students each.
Travails of students
The new campus was to be completed in 2012 but missed the deadline due to various reasons
In 2010, the ministry of environment and forests denied permission for diversion of 80 hectares of forestland which was a part of 500 acres of land allotted for the institute. The ministry gave its nod some time later
Though educational activities have shifted to the new campus, student hostels will also move to the new campus soon. At present, residential quarter for students and faculties are functioning from Silver Spring township
Students complained of a poor campus life as there was little interaction among students from different branches. With a single campus, students now hope to get a better campus life.
The Union government may soon make education till Class 10 free in all state-run schools.
The HRD ministry is planning to overhaul Indias pre-school and secondary education system to ensure universal education till the matriculate level, said Dr SC Khuntia, secretary, school education and literacy, at the e-launch of Unicefs The State of the Worlds Children Report-2016 on Tuesday.
We have formed a committee in the HRD ministry to evaluate the education for classes 9 and 10, which should be universalised, he added.
At present, free and compulsory education is provided up to Class 8 under the Right to Education Act.
The Unicef report, however, stated that universal education is still a distant dream in India. Over one-third (36%) of its students 50% of which hail from marginalised sections of the society drop out before completing elementary education, it noted.
Khuntia said the government would address this issue by formulating a new education policy with specific focus on pre-school education.
Starting August, the delivery of Integrated Child Development Services (such as mid-day meals, de-worming medication and iron supplementation) to children will be tracked through the use of smartphones.
The ministry of women and child development and the health ministry have jointly developed an advanced software to ensure that these services reach the actual beneficiaries, said Rajesh Kumar, joint secretary (ICDS-child development) in the ministry of women and child development.
We must make good use of the IT services at our disposal, Kumar said, adding that the services will be linked to Aadhaar.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A lot has changed for the UK in the last few days since Brexit the countrys decision to quit the European Union (EU). The stability of UKs economy and its equation with EU is now under the scanner. Higher education is an important domain which is likely to see major changes after Brexit, particularly for Indian students aspiring to study in the UK and EU.
Experts say that it will take at least two years for formalities following Brexit to finally be in place. Given this scenario, will UK see a further drop in the number of students from India and will UK universities introduce more stringent policies for international students, particularly Indians?
Will studies get cheaper?
A lot of you must be wondering if studying in the UK will become expensive or if the post study work visa rules will make it harder for Indians to choose the UK as a destination.
The impact on the economy and the pound is already noticeable, with the pound recovering slightly after the initial free fall. According to Sanjeev Roy, higher education expert EU public diplomacy and outreach in India and in the SAARC, This will affect Indian students in many ways. Studying in UK was never this inexpensive. The fee will reduce and this means that more students can now dream of studying in the UK.
However, students need to be cautious. Rahul Choudaha, CEO of DrEducation, a US-based global higher education research firm, says, In the immediate short-term, direct cost of studying in the UK will be declining due to currency devaluation. However, uncertain prospects for finding work opportunities will make it (difficult for students to) recover direct cost and hence overall cost of study in the UK will still increase. Visa issues can be resolved if the UK government brings in a separate visa policy for Indians and other Commonwealth nations.
According to Carly Minsky, student content editor, Time Higher Education, UK, For international students outside the EU who are already required to pay international rates, tuition fees will not be directly affected by Brexit, although there are various factors which could affect the cost. If the pound remains weak against students home currency, these students ultimately will find themselves better off when they pay tuition in sterling. However, if universities suffer financially after Brexit, whether due to a lack of EU funding or fewer EU citizens deciding to study at UK universities, they may decide to increase fees for international students to make up for the deficit.
Student mobility
According to Choudaha, the number of Indian students coming to the UK declined by 53% from 2010-13 to 2014-15 in contrast to increase in students headed for the US. The UK had been witnessing a decline in the number of Indian students due to policies that did not favour students in gaining work experience. Given that Indian students are value-seekers, they prefer to recover a part of the cost of education by gaining work experience. Post-recession, UK policies have been making it consistently more expensive and difficult for international students to study and stay in the UK. Decline in work opportunities along with uncertain economy and stricter immigration policies will make UK less attractive for many Indian students, he says.
While this may be the immediate fallout of Brexit, the silver lining to the cloud for UK is that the number of Indian students can still go up in future. UK universities have shown a lot of interest in India, which is a big market for them. Earlier, (a larger) number of students chose UK for postgraduate studies but the trend is changing with undergraduate courses also being in demand. UK universities will now try to attract more Indian students and they cannot afford to ignore Indian students or their association with Indian institutions, particularly with the pending foreign education bill and the recent announcements by the ministry of human resource development regarding tie-ups with foreign institutions, says Roy. The number of Indian students in the UK is perhaps the lowest in the last decade and efforts henceforth by the UK universities and the government will be made to improve the situation.
As per the Higher Education Statistics Agency, UK, there were about 10,000 first-year Indian students in the UK in 2004-05, a number which grew steadily to cross 20,000 between 2008 and 2011. However, with the strict work policies and immigration rules, this dropped drastically from 2011 and was back to 10,125 in 2014-15.
Despite this, India was second in terms of non-EU first-year enrolments in the UK with 6% of non-EU first year enrolments in 2014-15, along with the US. However, while numbers from US have remained stable over these five years, the share from India has decreased from 14% in 2010-11. India was second largest in the list of non-EU countries across all enrolments, representing 6%.
According to the UK Council for International Student Affairs, Indian students are the next largest cohort in the UK after China with 18,320, although this represents a continuing drop from the previous year and the year before. The impact of Brexit could also mean more students going to Scotland and Ireland for higher studies. These destinations now have an edge and will be even more aggressive in attracting Indian students, adds Roy.
Impact on student funding
Student funding in terms of the number and value of scholarships and fellowships to the UK might bring in good news for Indian students, says Roy.
After Brexit, UK universities and other funding agencies such the British Council are likely to get aggressive in terms of offering scholarships, full or partial, to attract Indian students. The number of UK varsities coming to India to woo students has gone up. Their education policy will focus on welcoming students from all over and will have to think out-of-the-box to get in more Indian students. Scholarships under schemes such as Great Scholarships by the British Council, Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships and Chevening Scholarships, besides scholarships by universities, will go up, adds Roy.
Given the decline in Sterling, the amount of loan needed to study in the UK will decline, says Choudaha. However, there could be an impact on the funding schemes linked to the EU. Scholarships and fellowships connected to EU projects are likely to be scrapped, he says.
Any funding for Indian students linked to the EU may decrease after Brexit, but this is dependent on agreements to be worked out over the next few years. Otherwise, independent funding sources should not be affected, adds Minsky.
UK versus EU
Despite being a consortium of 28 countries (now 27), EU has always been a dormant study destination for Indian students with nearly 55,000 students pursuing mostly postgraduate programmes as compared to the UK. UK has always been a more popular country than all the EU nations put together.
In the last few years, however, this perception has changed. Majority of programmes are taught in English and students always have the advantage of learning an additional language when they go to a country like Germany, France or Spain to pursue mainly masters programmes. Funding schemes such as Erasmus+ are a great way to attract foreign students. The European Unions Delegation to India has been working closely with the Association of Indian Universities and MHRD on outreach programmes to attract Indian students. The European Higher Education Fair is one such example, says Roy who has worked closely with the European Unions Delegation to India and the delegations education fair.
Given the strong anti-immigration undercurrent for Brexit, it is likely that EU will take a more welcoming stance for international students, says Choudaha.
However, until there is clarity on various deals between UK and EU, movement of students between UK and EU will bring along several questions. Says Minsky, The university sector has been calling for net migration figures to exclude international students since before the Brexit vote. If international students are included in migration targets, and if EU students are newly classed as international, there could be tighter restrictions on the number of international students who can take up a place at a UK university. However, if fewer EU students decide to come to the UK, universities may increase their recruitment of non-EU international students to fill the places.
Despite an apparent desire among the majority of UK voters for tighter controls on immigration, academic organisations, UK universities and the mission groups that represent them will endeavour to protect the status and recruitment of international students and are seeking assurances to this effect from the government, she says.
Advice to Indian students
Do not make any hasty decisions or change your study plans before it is clear what agreement the UK will make with the EU. Aside from the impact on the market, little is expected to change before the two years for negotiation is up. While it is possible that there are big changes ahead with respect to tuition fees, research funding, visa restrictions, work opportunities and free movement across Europe, no one currently knows what form this will take or what the impact will be, says Minsky.
Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra said on Tuesday that the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) summoned him on July 4 regarding a water tanker scam he had exposed, and that he feared he might be arrested.
I have come to know from reliable sources that the ACB is planning to arrest me at the earliest, Mishra told journalists. They want to arrest me as early as possible.
He said the ACB, which the central government controls, had summoned him for questioning regarding the scam which took place during the previous Congress regime in Delhi.
Congress leader Sheila Dikshit headed the Delhi government for 15 years till December 2013.
Why is the BJP after us and not Sheila Dikshit? Mishra asked, adding he was not afraid of going to prison.
From Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan and Gujarat, farmers ruined by a devastating drought are still edgy about sowing, despite resounding forecasts of a surplus monsoon.
Planting of major crops is 24% lower than what was sown by this time last year. Even state governments are treading cautiously. Maharashtra, for instance, had asked farmers to hold back sowing till June 18.
Till now, the monsoon has been 16% deficient, which means it has to cover a lot of ground in July. Reservoir levels are still barely 15% of their storage capacity.
Cotton-grower Ashok Barambe from Maharashtras Vidarbha is still weighing his options. Shaken by the crisis that pushed him back into grinding poverty, the farmer has decided to ditch cotton after many years, unwilling to take chances with a rain-guzzling crop. I dont trust weather forecasts anymore. What is the guarantee? he told HT over the phone.
Sowing data until June 24 indicate how Indias worst water shortage in years has altered farmer choices in bigger states such as Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, which have a bigger share in pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals and cotton output.
Cotton sowing has fallen 46%, while oilseeds are tracking 34% lower than last years levels at this time. Its not late yet, but we are waiting for sufficient rains, said Surya Dev Bareth from Rajasthans Alwar.
But the silver lining is that two back-to-back bad seasons have forced farmers to be innovative. There is obviously crop diversification this year. Farmers seem to prefer other crops to cotton. They are hedging risks, said CK Jani, a farm expert. Jani clarified he was speaking in his personal capacity and not as an office-bearer of the Cotton Association of India.
Experts say July rainfall is predicted to make good Junes shortfall. We are not worried, as July rains matter more for crop output and they are forecast to improve. We expect kharif production growth to rise to 3.2% in 2016 compared to minus 3.2% in 2015, said Sonal Varma, an economist with the Nomura group.
Yet Vinod Yadav, a farmer from Bundelkhand region, wants to see good rainfall to believe the national forecast. We will wait till July 5. If it rains, sowing will not be too late for us, he said.
Last years whitefly pest attack due to rainless humid conditions has also dented confidence in cotton. Even in pulses, sowing has been down 20% from last years levels for June-end.
Region-wise, central India got rains 30% below the normal level, while the deficit in the Northeast was 24%. South India received normal rainfall.
All eyes are now on July. Continuous drought has taught farmers a very hard lesson. Everybody has become conscious about water conservation. We are sure about a very good harvest because July is going to be very good, a senior farm ministry official said.
(With inputs from Jaipur, Bhopal and Lucknow)
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A gang of eight armed and masked men looted Rs 10.8 crore from the office of a private company in Thane in the early hours of Tuesday.
Police officials said the group, armed with fire arms and knives, stormed the office of Checkmate Private Service Limited at Hiradip society, after they did not find anything in the van parked outside.
The company collects cash from jewellers and businessmen and deposits in banks.
Police said the robbers also stole the CCTV cameras from the spot.
The cash was collected over two days, and all that money was to be deposited today. The driver and three guards had guns that were not loaded, said R Malekar, senior police inspector, Wagle estate. We are in the process of registering a case.
Police have recorded the statements of the van drivers and other guards. The case is handed over to the Thane crime branch.
An earlier report had said that the cash was looted from a van.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Keeladi is a small village that lies past an unmanned railway crossing, several stretches of paddy fields and swaying palms in the Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu, 12 km from the bustling city of Madurai. The only sound that penetrates the vast open fields along the way is the soft rustle of coconut trees.
Here, in a parcel of rich orange muddy land called Pallichandai Thidal, the Bengaluru-based Excavating Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has made a spectacular discovery. A group of archaeologists and researchers have quietly unearthed the crumbling remains of an ancient urban centre, equal in size and importance to that of Mohenjo-daro. Its certainly a startling discovery, says assistant archaeologist M Rajesh, who is part of a team of 10 archaeologists who have been working in Keeladi since 2013.
Over two phases of excavations so far, over 3,000 antiquities have been unearthed that are believed to date back to the early Sangam age, an important epoch in Tamil Nadus history. For the first time, these findings provide evidence for the way of life described in ancient Sangam literature.
This is the first time since 1965 that the ASI has engaged in such a mammoth excavation in Tamil Nadu, says K Amarnath Ramakrishnan, superintending archaeologist. The greatest of civilisations have always sprung from the banks of rivers. Based on this premise, we first charted the course of Vaigai river, surveying 400 villages on either side of its banks to find out whether there was any evidence of an ancient river valley civilization, or any signs of ancient habitation.
Ramakrishnan adds, As we know, Mohenjo-daro is one of the worlds earliest ancient urban settlements. However, its equivalent had not been found in the south of India so far, even though we knew that South India has ancient roots as well. This habitation site is evidence that such a civilisation existed, and if we excavate further, there is a possibility of finding an ancient civilisation that is the parallel of Mohenjo Daro.
The dig is being carried out entirely by hand, using special archaeological implements that they have been trained to use (Photo courtesy - Kamala Thiagarajan)
Both the Harappan and Mohenjo-daro river valley civilisations date back to 2,500 BCE. Since carbon dating has not been carried out yet at Keeladi, it is impossible to accurately estimate the age of the site yet. However, based on the script found on pottery shards, archaeologists have tentatively estimated that it dates back to 200 BCE, and believe it might be even older. Ramakrishnan feels that the site will eventually be referred to as the Vaigai River Valley Civilisation in the future, and that it has the potential to be as big as the other two, provided they have the time and resources to dig. He reminds us that digging at Mohenjo-daro went on for 20 years before all its details were uncovered.
During its survey, the ASI earmarked 293 of these villages as promising. In the villages immediately surrounding Keeladi, we found inscriptions that referred to an ancient urban centre. Scattered across these adjoining villages were megaliths, burial grounds and dolmens (single chambered tombs), says Rajesh. It was evidence enough that there was possibility of finding an ancient settlement somewhere in this area, and yet, the habitation site that we sought in these parts continued to elude us.
By early 2013, after spending months studying the terrain, the archaeologists had zeroed in on 8-10 potential sites for their excavation. However, lacking the resources to excavate indiscriminately, much still depended on being able to estimate the exact location. There were many indications that the village of Keeladi was the perfect place for the dig, says Rajesh. It is situated on an elevated mound, about 2.88 m above ground level, within a 10 km radius from the river Vaigai. We found coins on the surface of the soil that dated back to the reign of the Tamil King Raja Raja Cholan (985-1014 CE). We surmised that Keeladi was once an important commercial centre, possibly a trade route between Madurai (the then-thriving capital city of the Pandya Kings) and the port town of Alagankulam on the right banks of the River Vaigai.
Merely identifying the lands for the dig was not enough, though. There were other challenges ahead too the archaeologists had to secure permission to excavate these parts from various land owners, who were understandably reluctant to part with their property without an iron clad agreement that it would be returned to them intact. If people had built homes over the site, much of this wealth of history would have been lost to us forever, says Rajesh.
Today at the site, there is rapid and industrious labour, like a well-oiled machine with wheels smoothly turning, efficient yet calm. Men are engaged in digging. Women carrying loads of pot shards pass swiftly by, little aware that these small sharp fragments balanced so casually over their heads hold secrets that can perhaps unlock centuries-old history.
Keeladi is desolate and has a tiny population of only around 5,000 people. At first, we were so confused by all the activity, laughs 65-year-old Theiyvamma, a local women from the area. I could not believe my eyes when I saw all that came out of the ground. It has made Keeladi famous.
Dressed in dark slacks and shirts, ASI officers mill around the site, engaged in inspecting the operation and grading and sorting pot-shards and other artefacts. Spread over an acre of sun-baked sands and presenting a rather startling sight to the first time visitor are 96 precisely cut square pits called quadrants, each 4 m deep. This is an excavation technique called horizontal trenching, says Rajesh, that allows archaeologists to explore a vast surface area. The ASI is focusing on this one acre in the second phase of digging.
Deep inside each pit, you can view artefacts that the ASI has painstakingly unearthed a portion of a kiln (oven or furnace), an enclosure which may have been used as a water tank, even grooves in stone that appear to be an ancient drainage system. They are working with archaeology students, some of whom are bent over double inside the quadrants, scraping away at the sand on either side of the artefact in soft, gentle strokes.
The dig is being carried out entirely by hand, using special archaeological implements that they have been trained to use. Sometimes they cannot cut more than 10 cm every day. Forty-three quadrants were cut last year and 54 this year, entirely using hand-held implements. Using machinery could destroy whatever they are seeking beneath the soil. It is a process that requires a considerable deal of patience, knowledge and skill.
One of the most remarkable discoveries that weve made are the remains of brick homes, says Rajesh. Being prohibitively expensive, bricks were not normally employed in civic structures in early history. Theyre usually restricted to public spaces or houses of worship. This is a rare finding, especially significant when you consider how most other excavations in these parts have revealed only gravestones and cemeteries.
Peer into each grid and you will be fascinated by the fact that you are actually looking at the crumbling yet solid remains of homes that existed over 2,500 years ago. The most significant finding we made last year was that of a deep terracotta ring well with 13 steps, says Ramakrishnan. Never has there been such overwhelming evidence that this was a very civilised society where urban planning mattered.
During excavation, stone dice, quaint chess pieces, jagged chunks of semi-precious gems were found. (Photo courtesy - Kamala Thiagarajan)
On display in a makeshift tent in a corner of the site are the exquisite artefacts uncovered during the excavation. I am amazed by the stone dice, quaint chess pieces, jagged chunks of semi-precious gems such as agate, carnelian, chalcedony (these were once worn by both men and women), metal knives, rings, ivory earrings, and even carvings made from bone. Not only did people live well, it appears that they had ample time for leisure. The chess pieces are plain, deeply coloured and heavy, but similar in shape and size to our modern-day versions. You can even count the dots on the dice!
But more than anything, it is the shattered fragments of pots found scattered abundantly on the site that harbour a wealth of Tamil history.
Its an eye-opening discovery, agrees V Vedachalam, retired senior epigraphist of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department. The names inscribed on the pots Sadan, Thisan, Udhiran, Avadhi all originated during the Sangam period. The Tamil epic Silappatikaram refers to the existence of an urban civilisation at Poompuhar and Madurai. Theres no doubt that this was once a prosperous trade centre where elite people lived and worked.
Interestingly, the names on the pots have been inscribed in a script called Tamili (Tamil Brahmi), from which the current Tamil alphabet is said to have originated, says C Santhanalingam, archaeologist and secretary of Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research, who has studied Tamili script extensively. In the absence of carbon dating, it has been the identification of these Tamili script inscriptions on artefacts that has helped the ASI date the site back to the Sangam age. The Sangam age marked the beginning of the written word, adds Santhanalingam. It was a time when an academic body called the sangam (a group of Tamil poets) was established by the Pandya rulers, indicating a highly developed civilised society, one that cared about the arts and literature.
One of the potshards is inscribed with an image of a fish once the insignia of the great Pandya rulers. One of the names on another shard has been traced back to Sri Lanka, indicating a trade link or perhaps a long-ago immigrant.
In many of the excavated pot shards, weve observed a roulette design (with ringed borders), similar to the kind used in ancient Rome. This points to the possibility of trade being established with foreigners at this time, says Rajesh. Indeed, Tamil literature has evidence to support this theory.
In Sangam age literature, there is also mention of large-scale trade in peppercorns, sold by locals to Greek merchants. The Tamili name for peppercorn is yevanapriya. Incidentally, yevanar also refers to the Greek traders, explains Santhanalingam. In Sangam literature, there are references to how yevanars served the Pandya kings and how they brought their lamps, jars, wine and fermentation methods to this part of the world.
Another theory has it that the roulette pottery was actually a product of Gujarat, where it was once produced locally. This could indicate a trade between north and south Indian merchants. Archaeological digs are rather like jigsaw puzzles, Rajesh says with a smile. Each piece you uncover deepens your understanding of the past, but theres always an element of conjecture. It is this intellectual speculation that adds vibrancy to their work and makes it leap to life. And one suspects that it is also this excitement that keeps the officers in the field day after day, living in makeshift tents and bearing the harshness of the elements, spending hours patiently extracting tiny, delicate fragments of the past, wedged between walls of hard, uncompromising rock, stone and sand.
The ASI has now applied for permission to establish a site museum on the premises to display all the items excavated over the past months. The second phase of the excavation is set to end in September this year, and there is a good chance that it will extend into a third phase. We need more time and resources, says Ramakrishnan. There is still much that we hope to find, considering how weve only excavated the centre of the mound a single acre of the 80 acres in this area, says Ramakrishnan.
There are so many secrets to this ancient city the planning of its public spaces, its cultural nuances, the way people lived, worked and played that the team still hopes to explore. For now, Keeladi has already become a startling portal into Tamil Nadus ancient past.
(This story has been published in arrangement with GRIST Media)
The Centre will invest around Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 750-bedded All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Assam, the land for which was handed over by the state government on Tuesday.
The AIIMS in Assam will be a 750-bedded hospital. We have got the land today from the state government. Now once the Union Cabinet approves the plan, we will start work, Union health and family welfare additional secretary Arun Kumar Panda said.
The AIIMS, to be set up in Kamrup district, will house 18 super-speciality departments, he said.
Responding to a question about financing, Panda said, It is likely to incur an investment of around Rs 1,000 crore for the construction and equipment set up work. This amount will be spent by the Centre.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday handed over to Panda more than 571 acres of government land at Changsari area of Kamrup district.
This is a historic day for people of Assam as a long- pending dream is about to come true. People have struggled a lot democratically for this institute in the state, Sonowal said at the function.
With setting up of the AIIMS in the state, Assam will now figure in the the list of healthcare destinations of the country, he said.
Referring to the ongoing protest by people of Nagaon and middle Assam for not selecting Raha as the place for AIIMS, the CM said, We do not have any role in selecting the place. We showed seven locations, including Raha, to experts from the Centre and they chose Changsari in lower Assam.
He also said the state government will work towards giving better healthcare facilities to hill districts and Barak Valley in future.
The recent exam scam in Bihar may have exposed the underbelly in the states education system, but the practice of copying seems to be rampant in Gujarat as well. Or so it seems from the Gujarat governments candid admission that installation of CCTV cameras at examination centres has brought the pass percentage down in schools.
The Union human resource development ministry flagged the slide at a meeting in February, saying the pass percentage of class 10 has decreased sharply from 73.86% in 2014-15 to 63.20% this year and it is an area of concern.
The state government attributed the slip to effective checks on cheating such as CCTV cameras at exam centres. Besides, the state board has changed the exam pattern incorporating tougher questions that adversely affected the results. The CCTV surveillance system has affected the board results up to some extent in the past two years. And it has sent a strong message to students and parents that studying hard is the only alternative to clear the exams now, said state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma.
Bihar came into spotlight after the media reported that many Class 12 toppers alleged cheated their way to the top this year. One of the toppers, Ruby Rai, who scored 444 out of 500 marks, told a television channel that political science was all about cooking. But, its not just Bihar. Copying and whether to put a strict curb on it has been a political issue in Uttar Pradesh for long. In 1992, the then BJP government in the state enacted an anti-copying act making it a cognizable offence. The BJP had to pay a political price later. Mulayam Singh Yadav government repealed it two years later. This year, the Punjab School Examination Board arbitrarily gave 30 grace marks that helped the pass percentage jump by 22% across all streams.
Read: Why Ruby Rais arrest will not stop the rot in Indias education system
What may worry the Gujarat government is not just the fact that copying in examinations is rampant in the state. The state has also witnessed a slight dip in school enrolment as also an increase in the school dropout rate.
The state told the Centre that no new government secondary school was opened after 2012-13. There is a need for new secondary schools this year in uncovered areas and those will provide enhanced access and bring a desired increase in enrolment, said a note from the state government. The HRD ministry was not convinced by the states argument though. The ministry pointed out that enrolment in six government and 17 government-aided schools has been nil.
The state representative said these schools are in urban areas where parents prefer to send their children to private institutions. In a meeting held on February 19 this year for approval of annual work plan and budget 2016-17 under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, the secretary school education and literacy pointed this out and asked the state government to look into the issues raised.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Congress rubbished on Tuesday foreign policy claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Indias ties with China had worsened and infiltration and terror attacks from across the Pakistan border had intensified.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said more the PM met with leaders of neighbouring countries like China, the more they go against us. As Prime Minister was trying to placate China, the Chinese forces were making incursions into our territory, he said.
Read: India talking to China, NSG efforts will continue: PM Modi
Azad said terrorism had virtually ceased in Jammu and Kashmir in 2008, but the situation took a turn for the worse in the past two years.
Modi called Pakistan (counterpart) to his swearing-in ceremony (in May 2014). He talked to the Pakistan Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) at several fora. He even reached Lahore but in return what did we get in two years? Terrorism, that had almost ended in Jammu and Kashmir. In these two years, there is so much infiltration and ceasefire violation as had not happened in the last 60 years, the Congress leader said.
In a television interview on Monday, Modi said it was because of his consistent efforts like the visit to Lahore and inviting Sharif to Delhi that he no longer has to convince the world either about Indias stand on terrorism or its willingness to engage with its neighbour.
He also said India has been raising issues of its interest with China in a straight-forward manner and it will continue making efforts to be a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG).
Read: India will have to be alert about Pakistan all the time: PM Modi
Seeking to dismiss the Prime Ministers claim that China had turned lukewarm towards India after his grand welcome in the US, Azad said Rajiv Gandhi, as PM, had managed to maintain good relations with America, Russia and China at the same time.
For two years, the Prime Minister was active in travelling abroad, but what has been the result of these travels?
The Congress leader said it would have been better if Modi had held a press conference instead of giving an interview to a television news channel, adding he did not look decisive.
I saw a Prime Minister being so defensive for the first time. The lion that would roar in April 2014; we saw him as an old lion. He looked weak; he was not decisive. It is sad, Azad said.
In a guarded response to Prime Minister Narendra Modis comments that India has a whole lot of problems with China, Beijing today said it will be in dialogue with New Delhi to find a fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution to the contentious issues.
We have noted the relevant report. China-India relationship is in a generally good state, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told PTI here in response to questions on Modis interview to a TV news channel.
Common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences. The Chinese side will work with the Indian side to steer the bilateral relations and deepen cooperation in different fields, Hong said.
As for problems in the bilateral relations, the Chinese side will stay in communication and dialogue with the Indian side to find a fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution, he said, referring to Modis remarks.
Modi had said that We have an ongoing dialogue with China and it should continue to happen. We dont have one problem with China, we have a whole lot of problems pending with China. There are so many issues.
On India getting the membership of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) ahead of China, Hong said, we have noted that some of the multilateral export control regimes have changed in one way or another. With that in mind, China is assessing the effectiveness of the MTCR in safeguarding the international non-proliferation regime.
Read | India joins missile technology club: 5 things you need to know
China is yet to be inducted into the 34-member MTCR regime. India became 35th member yesterday.
Reports say China, which blocked Indias membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), is lobbying to become member of the MTCR group.
The MTCR restricts the proliferation of missiles, rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, or drones, and the technology for systems capable of carrying a payload of 500 kilograms for at least 300 kms.
Read | India spoilt, smug; Beijing is right to oppose NSG bid: Chinese media
A Mumbai court denied bail to Hindu leader Pragya Singh in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, roughly a month after the National Investigating Agency (NIA) cleared her of all charges for lack of evidence.
The courts decision came after families of the blast victims objected to the bail plea, saying the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had gathered enough evidence to prosecute the Hindu leader.
On May 13, the NIA had told the court that it was dropping all charges in the case against Pragya and five others, revoking provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and alleging the ATS planted explosives on one of the accused.
The September 2008 blasts in the Muslim-majority Malegaon town killed six people and injured 101. It was the most prominent in a string of alleged Hindu terror cases.
Read: Why NIA dropped charges in Malegaon case
The dramatic revelations prompted Pragya to apply for bail on May 30 on the grounds that the NIA didnt press any charges against her and that her health was deteriorating.
The defence pleaded she didnt know how her motorbike that she had sold long ago -- was used in the blast. The NIA also didnt object to the bail, saying they had no evidence against her.
But victims of the blast and the families of the deceased criticised the NIA and said charges under the MCOCA were applicable to the case. They pleaded the court to see all material available before it and decide.
The case was handed over from the ATS to the NIA in 2011 along with six other cases of alleged Hindu terror.
Last year, the high-profile case took a new turn after former special public prosecutor of NIA, Rohini Salian, alleged that an officer of the agency had asked her to go soft after the NDA government came to power in 2014. The Opposition said this was an attempt to dilute the cases against the 11 accused including Pragya and then serving army officer Lt Col Prasad Purohit.
Several alleged Hindu terror cases such as blasts in Malegaon (September 2006 and September 2008), Samjhauta Express (February 2007) and Mecca Masjid (May 2007) have been dogged by slow prosecution and hostile witnesses.
The NIA chargesheet said MCOCA provisions were dropped because of procedural lapses and the ATS appeared to have filed chargesheets against one of the accused without sufficient evidence, only to fulfill conditions of the anti-terror act. Without the MCOCA, confessions by the accused to police officers wouldnt be admissible in court.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals upcoming Gujarat visit appears geared towards wooing the influential Patidar community that is moving away from its traditional loyalty towards the BJP over a demand for quotas in jobs and education.
During his July 9-10 tour, the AAP leader is scheduled the Somnath-Rajkot belt in Saurashtra and Surat in south Gujarat, both bastions of the Patidar community that is disgruntled with the state BJP administration. The state goes to the polls next year.
The BJP suffered a drubbing in recent local body polls after the Patidar community moved its support away, following months of violent protests across the state for Other Backward Class status, which would guarantee them reservations.
In April, the state government finally blinked and gave 10% reservations to the poor among dominant castes but the move failed to tamp down on simmering discontent.
The Patidars wield enormous political and economic power in the state and have been instrumental behind the Congress holding power for three decades between the 60s and 90s, and the BJP since.
The AAP is now looking to benefit from the Patidars disgruntlement. On June 9, Kejriwal is expected to offer prayers at the Somnath temple and address three rallies of farmers most of whom are Patidars in Junagadh and Rajkot districts. The next day, he will visit Surat and meet local businessmen and industrialists.
Kejriwal, who first visited Gujarat in 2014 in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, might meet 23-year-old Patidar agitation leader Hardik Patel, who is lodged at the Lojpore Central Jail in Surat on sedition charges. A detailed itinerary of his visit will be out soon, said AAPs Gujarat coordinator Harshil Nayak.
Earlier this month through a video message on social media, Kejriwal termed Hardiks arrest as illegal. The community responded by putting up banners thanking the Delhi CM.
Last year, the Hardik-led protests gained momentum and financial power from textile and diamond hub of Surat as disgruntled farmers in Saurashtra showed the door to the BJP in panchayat elections last November.
The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), along with other groups, is working hard to moblise the community in these two regions before the 2017 assembly elections.
Kejriwals visit comes close on the heels of the partys announcement that it will contest all 182 assembly seats in Gujarat. He is also expected to reach out to the community youth, many of whom were arrested for violence after Hardiks rallies last year and waited for a long time to get bail.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
One militant was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Nagri area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Tuesday morning.
Army identified the militant as Sameer Ahmed Wani, a local from Dooru area of Sopore in North Kashmir. According to police, Wani was a top Hizb divisional Commander.
The encounter started after armys 47 RR and Jammu and Kashmir Police cordoned off Nagri village near Drugmulla following a specific information about the presence of militants in the area.
#JKOps One terrorist eliminated by security forces in an #encounter at Nagree, Kupwara, North Kashmir @adgpi NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) June 28, 2016
According to police, the militants started firing when challenged. The encounter started at 6 am and continued till 9 am.
1 Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist gunned down, op ended: Commander Eight sector Rashtriya Rifles Brigadier Rajeev Puri pic.twitter.com/Otc7ypUTlV ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
One AK rifle and some ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, the official added. The gunbattle has since ended.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
India is likely to test launch a new surface-to-air missile developed jointly with Israel, from a defence base off the Odisha coast on Wednesday.
Preparation for the maiden test has reached the final stage and if weather permits, it will be conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) tomorrow, said an official of the ITR at Chandipur, about 15 km from here.
The missile is the product of a joint venture between India and Israel, DRDO sources said.
Apart from the missile, the system also includes a multi- functional surveillance and a threat alert radar (MF STAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.
The test-firing of the missile will be jointly carried out by Indian defence personnel, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries, they said.
As a precautionary measure, Balasore district administration, in consultation with defence officials here, have made adequate arrangements to temporarily shift 3652 civilians residing within 2.5 km radius of the launch pad No 3 of the ITR during trial time, officials said.
A district revenue official said seven hamlets have been identified within 2.5 km radius of the launch pad and people living there have been alerted through public address system today to shift to nearby shelter camps arranged by the administration.
Fisherman engaged in sea fishing along the Bay of Bengal in three coastal districts Balasore, Bhadrakh and Kendrapada have been warned not to venture into the sea during test launch time.
India is spoilt, smug and self-righteous, and China was morally right to oppose its bid to join the club of nations controlling access to nuclear technology, the Chinese media said on Tuesday even as the foreign office insisted bilateral ties were in a generally good state.
Indias application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was dictated not by international principles but national interest, said a scathing editorial in the influential tabloid, the Global Times.
The NSG application, it said, was propped up by the US as part of efforts to contain China but that did not mean the rest of the world was with India.
Though Indian nationalists think their country is a major power, they are not aware of how to play the power game in international diplomacy, the editorial said in a stinging critique.
The foreign office, however, sought to portray a rosier picture despite differences between the two sides over the NSG application. Spokesperson Hong Lei told a news briefing: China-India relationship is in a generally good state. Common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences.
Hong said China will work with India to steer the bilateral relations and deepen cooperation in different fields. He added: As for problems in the bilateral relations, the Chinese side will stay in communication and dialogue with the Indian side to find a fair, sensible and mutually acceptable solution.
He also referred to Indias entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and said, We have noted that some of the multilateral export control regimes have changed in one way or another. With that in mind, China is assessing the effectiveness of the MTCR in safeguarding the international non-proliferation regime.
China played a key role in blocking Indias bid to join the NSG at the groups plenary meeting in Seoul last week. Experts believed it was largely acting at the behest of its all-weather ally Pakistan when it yoked the application to the NPT. Both India and Pakistan havent signed the NPT.
An upset India, without naming China, had said there was only one country which persistently raised procedural hurdles at the Seoul meet.
The Global Times editorial said signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is mandatory for joining the NSG but India is not willing to play by the rules.
It said: India is not a signatory to the NPT, but is the most active applicant to join the NSG. Before the Seoul meeting, the Indian media played up the prospects of its bid. Some even claim that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 have given it a green light, except China.
The editorial added, US backing adds the biggest impetus to Indias ambition. By cozying up to India, Washingtons India policy actually serves the purpose of containing China. The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India.
Read| Chinas U-turn on Indias NSG bid: Theres always room for discussion
It further said, Since its foundation in 1975, all NSG members shall be NPT signatories. This has become the primary principle of the organisation. Now India wants to be the first exception to join the NSG without signing the NPT. It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset Indias proposal in defence of principles.
The editorial said accusations by some Indians in the aftermath of the Seoul meeting do not make any sense. It added, Chinas action is based on international norms, but Indias reaction seems to indicate that their national interests can override principles recognised by the world.
The editorial reminded India that its GDP is merely 20% that of Chinas. Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled (sic), it said.
Although the South Asian countrys GDP accounts for only 20% of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international adulation of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs.
The editorial said Indians do not know how to behave on the world stage.
On Monday, the Missile Technology Control Regime absorbed India as a new member, and denied Chinas access. The news didnt even make a ripple among the Chinese public. The Chinese have become more mature in dealing with these setbacks caused by international relations. Indias nationalists should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games.
The editorial, however, did have a soft word for the Indian government.
Some Indians are too self-centered and self-righteous. On the contrary, the Indian government behaves decently and is willing to communicate. Throwing a tantrum wont be an option for New Delhi.
Read| India pins hopes on year-end NSG meet, says China ties linked to bid
The Global Times newspaper is linked to the Communist Party of Chinas mouthpiece, the Peoples Daily, and has a history of publishing anti-India editorials and opinion pieces.
Last year, before Prime Minister Narendra Modis arrival in China, it published an opinion piece that had called Indians inferior.
Modi, the opinion piece had said, had been playing little tricks over border disputes and security issues, hoping to boost his domestic prestige while increasing his leverage in negotiations with China.
The ordinary people of India were no better, it went on. Due to the Indian elites blind arrogance and confidence in their democracy, and the inferiority of its ordinary people, very few Indians are able to treat Sino-Indian relations accurately, objectively and rationally.
Read| Not aware of follow-up plan on Indias NSG application: China
Read| Indias NSG attempt was well worth the risk
In a move that may trigger another round of tussle between the Centre and the AAP dispensation, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has asked the Delhi government to immediately withdraw its notification to appoint panels of advocates-on-record and arguing counsel for the Supreme Court.
The Lt Governors direction came after the ministry of home affairs declared illegal the Arvind Kejriwal governments notification.
In a communication to the government, Jung has directed it to immediately withdraw its notification on the appointment of panel of advocates-on-record and arguing counsel as the city administration did not follow laid-down procedures.
The LG office asked the government to comply with the MHA orders in this regard.
Last December, AAP government had issued the order on appointment of three advocates-on-record and 12 advocates for the arguing panel of the Supreme Court.
The order had stated that advocate-on-record shall be paid a fixed remuneration of Rs 90,000 per month.
It had further said advocates-on-record may also be paid drafting fee of Rs 7,500 for each case.
Observing that police and other authorities should act with iron hands to bring to book culprits involved in brutal murders of young girls, the Madras high court on Tuesday upheld the life sentence awarded to a man who carried out a fatal acid attack on a young woman software engineer in Karaikal in 2012.
Dismissing an appeal by accused Suresh Kumar against his conviction and life imprisonment awarded by Puducherry additional sessions court, a bench, comprising justice S Nagamuthu and justice V Bharathidasan, confirmed the sentence.
The case related to the attak on 23-year old Vinodhini on November 14 at a bus stand in Karaikal in Puducherry by Suresh Kumar who was in one-sided love with her.
The woman, who battled for life after the attack left her face totally disfigured, died 90 days after the incident.
The bench in its order found fault with the trial court for not considering death penalty, saying it ought to have examined the question of sentence elaborately to find out whether the offence committed by the accused falls within the rarest of rate cases as propounded by the Supreme Court so as to impose capital punishment.
Unfortunately, the trial court has not undertaken any such exercise. The Puducherry government also did not appeal challenging the quantum of punishment, hence it was forced to confirm the life sentence, the bench said.
Finding fault with the trial court for miserably failing to recommend compensation under Section 357-A of CrPC, the bench directed Puducherry State Legal Services Authority to award Rs three lakh to the father of the woman.
Vinodhini, employed in a software company in Chennai, was on her way to the bus stand in Karaikal to return after celebrating deepavali the previous day when she came under the acid attack.
Unable to bear the loss of her daughter, mother of Vinodhini committed suicide after the verdict delivered by the trial court on August 20, 2013.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati dared Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday to remove tainted ministers from his government and send those facing criminal charges to prison.
Terming the Samajwadi Partys decision to revoke the merger with the Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) led by gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari a political gimmick, Mayawati said: Such posturing will hardly refurbish the image of the chief minister. Rather, he should tighten the noose around the Samajwadi Party leaders and workers who are indulging in criminal activities.
The chief minister will not clamp down on the tainted elements in the SP as he is aware that there will be no space left in the prisons and his party will become defunct, the BSP chief told a news conference.
Read: SP calls off merger with Mukhtar Ansaris party after Akhilesh Yadav objects
People know that the association of SP leaders with the criminals will not end. Though the SP leaders revoked the merger with QED, they took the assistance of QED MLAs in the Rajya Sabha and legislative council election. The SP will give a return gift to the QED by fielding weak candidates against Mukhtar Anasri and his brothers in the 2017 assembly elections, Mayawati said.
Drawing a parallel with Yadavs decision to break an alliance with gangster-turned-politician DP Yadav before the 2012 assembly election, Mayawati said: The SP government is facing flak over lawlessness. Akhilesh Yadav replayed the old trick to shore up the image of his government. But this time he will be not able to fool the people.
The morale of criminals is high these days and they kill policemen in full public view. If the cops are insecure, the common man will naturally feel scared. The state government is hardly concerned about the safety of the people, she said.
The four-time former chief minister alleged the Yadav family was concerned about its survival in politics. The state government reshuffled the ministers and also transferred a large number of officers to placate the people, Mayawati said.
But if the chief minister wished to fight anti- incumbency, he should launch a rath yatra in the state to establish direct communication with the public, she suggested.
Mayawati urged the governor to recommend the imposition of Presidents rule in UP.
People will not forgive the BJP government at the centre for not freeing them from the clutches of the SP government in the state, she said.
Alleging a deal between the BJP and the SP, she said these days BJP leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were visiting UP and talking of development as well as eradication of poverty. But Modis promise to bring achhe din had not been kept, she alleged.
Opposition parties accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday of not having a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan, saying diplomacy requires seriousness, gravitas and not theatrics.
The remarks by the Congress and CPI(M) came a day after Modi said that Indias efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as the supreme objective but the forces have full freedom to answer back in whatever manner they have to.
Read: On lakshman rekha, who do we talk to in Pakistan? PM Modi asks
Modi also pointed to the multiple power centres in Pakistan to explain New Delhis difficulty in drawing a Lakshman rekha (red line) for talks with the neighbouring country.
Nobody is against engaging with Pakistan but what we have questioned him (Modi) is about not taking the Opposition into confidence, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said. He said diplomacy does not require theatrics and needs seriousness.
CPM leader Brinda Karat targeted the Centre, saying it does not have a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan.
She said it is a show-based policy rather than a serious diplomatic initiative to deal with a neighbour which undoubtedly has been encouraging terrorists groups against India.
One day you say you are going to bomb Pakistan. The other day your Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) said you are not going to count the bullets that are going to be used against Pakistan, Karat said, adding that the PM had gone to Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday.
Congress leader PL Punia accused the government of having a dual strategy on the issue of RBI governor Raghuram Rajan saying on the one hand it appreciated his work, but agreed with what Subramanian Swamy said and bid good bye to him.
Today our economy is passing through such a time that requires stability. There was a need for (his) continuity, he said.
Isak Chishi Swu, one of the most dreaded rebel leaders of the northeast, passed away at a Delhi hospital on Tuesday. He was 87.
Swu was the chairman of Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM). He formed a combine with the outfits general secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah.
Swu had been unwell for nearly a year and was undergoing treatment for renal disorder and other health complications in Delhi. Many members of his tribe, Sumi, mourned.
Swu was the Nagaland face of the NSCN-IM while Muivah is its Manipur face. Swu also provided the outfit with psychological and spiritual strength, which the Naga rebels will miss, a political leader based in Nagalands Dimapur, where NSCN-IM has its peace headquarters, said on condition of anonymity.
Many of some 5,000 members of NSCN-IM have been living in Dimapur since Swu and Muivah inked a ceasefire agreement in July 1997. The outfit had several rounds of talks that culminated in a Framework Agreement last year. Swus signature for the agreement was taken in the Delhi hospital.
The Nagas have lost one of their most influential and courageous leaders, Nagaland governor PB Acharya said in a message condoling Swus death.
Swu was born in 1929 at Chishilimi village in Nagalands Zunheboto district. He studied at the American Mission School in the village before graduating in political science from St Anthonys College in Meghalaya capital Shillong.
Swu joined the Angami Zapu Phizo-led Naga National Council (NNC) in the 1950s when it transformed from a political to a militant organisation seeking secession of Naga-inhabited areas from India.
With Muivah and SS Khaplang, the Myanmar-based Naga rebel, Swu broke away from the NNC and formed the NSCN on 31 January 1980. This was to protest the sell-out Shillong Accord of 1975 that NNC had signed with New Delhi.
In 1988, Khaplang broke away from the NSCN and formed the Khaplang faction while Swu and Muivah stayed together to form the Isak-Muivah group.
During his days with NNC, Swu married Khulu. They have five sons and a daughter.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The National Conference (NC) on Tuesday lashed out at chief minister Mehbooba Mufti alleging that the government has started an extensive policy of putting mosque imams under surveillance through state police and CID.
In a statement, the party alleged that the government was spying on the speeches of religious leaders to track political content in them. Earlier, reports had emerged in the local media that such surveillance was on to check the politically-charged sermons and congregational activities.
This comes close on the heels of Mehbooba criticising the Islamic clergy of the Kashmir valley over their raking up of Article 370 and other issues, last week.
NC spokesperson Junaid Mattu said the surveillance was a direct interference in the religious affairs of Kashmiris and has exposed Mehbooba and her party. Mehbooba Mufti is trying to be more loyal than the king. Her anti-Muslim and anti-Islam statements have fueled the fire of Islamophobia and given ammunition to the likes of Taslima Nasreen who have not only rejoiced Mehboobas remarks but also congratulated her, Mattu said in a statement.
Taslima Nasreens reaction
Commenting on chief ministers remark that militant attacks are dealing a blow to Islam, Bangladeshi writer Nasreen had tweeted, Congrats Madam Mehbooba Mufti for telling the truth. You said terror is an offshoot of Islam for which Muslims should be ashamed.
The NC spokesperson added, Now its evident that Mehbooba Mufti has declared an unofficial emergency in the state and is suspending all basic civil rights and liberties.
Mehbooba is playing with fire. She has no right to intimidate our clerics and religious scholars. Her behavior is anti-Muslim and violates the basic tenets of the constitution. Clerics have a right to preach what they deem fit. Any government regulation over Friday sermons is unacceptable, he added.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
More than 300 judges in Telangana will go on indefinite mass leave from Wednesday to protest against the suspension of 11 of their peers by the Hyderabad high court, plunging the young states judicial system in crisis.
Raucous protests by judges of civil and criminal courts and tribunals have rocked Hyderabad for three weeks now, angering the HC that said it wont tolerate judges taking part in demonstrations and violating the code of conduct.
The lower court judges allege the process of dividing judges between the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is unfair. They say several judges from Andhra have been allocated to Telangana, a decision that will hurt the promotion prospects of local judges.
The Telangana judges are also unhappy over the current status of the high court that is supposed to be shared between the two states. The protesters say the high court judges are biased against them and refuse to work under the Andhra judicial rulers.
This is the latest flashpoint in a bitter tussle between the two states after Telangana was carved out of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The two governments have clashed before on a proposed capital, allocation of officers and natural resources.
All judges of Telangana, 335 to be precise, had an emergency meeting this afternoon and decided to go on mass leave till the suspension of their colleagues is revoked, Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee convener A Sriranga Rao told HT.
The Telangana Bar Association also called for a boycott of the court headed by acting chief justice Dilip K Bhosale, ratcheting up tensions within the high court premises.
The unprecedented move came after the high court suspended nine civil and criminal court judges for taking part in the protests. On Monday, two senior judges were suspended.
But an unfazed high court indicated more judges might be suspended in the future.
The protests have spread across the state with advocates in various districts boycotting courts. In Warangal, agitating advocates ransacked the court hall and damaged furniture.
The demonstrations also took on a political colour with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao saying he will take up the issue with the Centre to ensure justice to Telangana judges.
His Telangana Rashtra Samiti blames the Centre for not bifurcating the HC in 2014 and has said the ruling NDA government is being insensitive about the issue.
Union law minister DV Sadananda Gowda said the bifurcation of a high court was not the Centres responsibility. Creation of new high court for Telangana... its in the hands of chief minister and Chief Justice of that high court (which is common for two states at present), Gowda told PTI.
If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, rest of the things high court will take care. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, its not fair on anybody, Gowda said.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A day after the probe into the murder of 24-year-old IT professional Swathi Santhanagopalakrishnan was transferred to Chennai police, her father said on Tuesday that her daughters body lay at the station for more than two hours but no one came forward to help.
Swathi, 24, was employed with Infosys branch at Mahindra World City at Singaperumalkoil, around 60 km from Chennai. She was found murdered at Nungambakkam railway station, triggering an outrage in civil society and among political parties.
The passengers remained mute witnesses, he said.
However, the family expressed confidence that the culprit will be brought to justice soon.
We have much confidence in Chennai Police. I think they will find the culprit and produce him before a court of law, Swathis father said.
The police had come under criticism as no headway has been made in the case so far although cops had released CCTV images of a suspect.
The Madras high court had also come down on the state government, warning it of suo motu intervention if there was any slackness in the probe.
The state government had subsequently transferred the investigation of the case from the Government Railway Police to the city police on Monday.
An image from a security camera shows a person who is suspected to be S Swathis killer. (Handout photo)
Meanwhile, the BJPs state unit staged a protest in Chennai demanding justice in the case.
Partys state unit president Tamilisai Sounderrajan and other senior leaders participated in the protest held at Valluvar Kottam.
Congress National spokesperson Khushbu Sundar called on the family of the victim and consoled them.
The actor-politician visited Swathis residence at Choolaimedu.
She later told reporters that the issue should not be politicised.She said there are some lapses on part of the government like absence of a CCTV camera at the station, and regretted that no passengers had come forward to help the victim.
Even if one of them had taken a picture or video of the alleged attacker on mobile phone, it would have helped in identifying him, she said, adding, people should come forward in such incidents to help the victim or overpower the attacker.
She also expressed concern over what she termed as speculation on social media and platforms over the motive behind the killing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis interview to a television channel was disappointing and he appeared defensive not decisive, the Congress said on Tuesday, suggesting an open press conference was a better idea.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad dismissed suggestions that the PM rebuked BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy for his attacks on RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and other top officials.
Whatever the PM said is at best an advisory and not an action. An action means dismissal, expulsion, suspension, Azad said.
Read: PM Modi snubs Swamy over fondness for publicity, calls Rajan patriot
The opposition party said the PM appeared defensive for the first time since he came to power in 2014. The lion that used to roar in 2013 and 2014 has suddenly become weak. We saw him as an old lion, Azad said.
It is sad. We want our PM to take action, be decisive and look like a lion not only abroad but within the country as well.
Azad, who is also the Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, took a dig at the PM for not addressing a press conference in the past two years.
We would have been happier if the PM held a press conference. Then all journalists could have asked him questions, he said. But that did not happen and I dont think that will happen.
Read: China going against us, Pak attacks rising: Cong slams Modis foreign policy
The Congress leader wondered how the PM who blamed media for turning hardliners into heroes -- wasnt aware of people making controversial statements.
Does Modi ji not know his minister Mahesh Sharma or MP Sakshi Maharaj? Does the PM not know his own MPs and ministers?
The opposition party rubbished Modis foreign policy claims in the interview, saying Indias ties with China worsened and infiltration and terror attacks from Pakistan have.
There is no doubt the PM has been active on foreign policy. He has been travelling a lot. But what has been the result of these travels?
A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate has decided not to invite the Pakistan high commissioner for its annual iftar scheduled for July 2 in the wake of a terror strike in Jammu and Kashmirs Pampore town that left eight CRPF personnel dead.
The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force convoy, the highest single-incident casualty in three years in the militancy-hit state.
While the Centre has hinted at Pakistans involvement in the attack, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) is peeved that Islamabad has failed to reciprocate New Delhis friendly overtures.
On Sunday, Union home minister Rajnath Singh without naming Pakistan said, attempt is being made by terrorists and our neighbouring country to destabilise India.
However, it is Abdul Basits reaction to the news of the ambush that seems to have precipitated the move.
Basit reportedly told reporters on Sunday at the iftar, the evening meal for breaking fast, hosted at the Pakistan high commission, that Kashmir is a disputed issue between both the countries when was he asked for his reaction to the attack.
We hope we will sit and discuss the issue and find a solution. Lets have the iftar party and enjoy ourselves, he was quoted as saying.
Read | After LeTs J-K attack, Pak high commissioner talks about talks
Basits statement has left the Sangh fuming.
We wanted to make a fresh start. We thought we could forge ties on the basis of cultural and social values, but we are deeply disappointed by Basits reaction to the killing of our security forces. We have decided not to invite Pakistan to our Iftaar, Mohd Afzal of the MRM told Hindustan Times.
The MRM is echoing the RSSs sentiment that Pakistan cannot be trusted.
When former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee went to Lahore, it was followed by the Kargil war, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Lahore it was followed by Pathankot attack, this shows Pakistan wont change, Afzal said.
MRMs initiative to invite representatives of 140 foreign missions for iftar at the Parliament House annexe is being seen as an attempt by the right wing outfit to reach out to Muslims. A similar exercise was carried out last year as well.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Supreme Court is on Wednesday expected to hear a petition by a group of LGBT celebrities challenging Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial era law that criminalises homosexuality.
The government had discussed the provision with its top legal officer and would decide on the line it would take in the court later in the day, law and justice minister DV Sadananda Gowda said on Tuesday, reacting to the latest plea seeking a review of the courts stand on gay sex.
Section 377 violated their rights to sexuality, sexual autonomy, choice of sexual partner as guaranteed by the Constitution, chef Ritu Dalmia, hotelier Aman Nath, dancer NS Johar, journalist Sunil Mehra and business executive Ayesha Kapur have said.
Despite our achievements and contributions to India in various fields, we are being denied the right to sexuality, the most basic and inherent of fundamental rights, says the petition.
The Supreme Court, which reopens Wednesday after a summer break, had in February agreed to re-examine its December 2013 verdict that re-criminalised gay sex.
It also sent to a larger five-judge constitution bench all the curative petitions seeking a review of the verdict described by activists as regressive, leaving gays vulnerable to violence and police action.
A curative petition is the last legal recourse available after a litigant exhausts all remedies such as appeals and review petition.
Eight such petitions are pending with the bench seeking review of the judgment that upheld the constitutional validity of Section 377, which prescribes a maximum punishment of life imprisonment for unnatural sex.
Section 377 criminalises the very existence of LGBT people by criminalising their sexuality, an attribute which is as inherent and intrinsic to a person as their race or gender, says the petition.
Sexuality lies at the core of a human beings persona. Sexual expression, in whatever form, between consenting adults in the privacy of a home ought to receive protection of fundamental rights.
The case that attracted international headlines also has implications for heterosexuals, as consensual acts of adults such as oral and anal sex in private are considered unnatural and punishable under Section 377.
The Supreme Court had in December 2013 reversed a Delhi high court verdict that de-criminalised consensual homosexual acts. The high court in July 2013 declared unconstitutional a part of Section 377 that criminalises unnatural sex, saying the section denies a gay person a right to full personhood
Though it overturned the high court order, the Supreme Court left it to Parliament to take the final call on the controversial law. The majority view in the political class is against relaxing Section 377. Several religious groups, too, are of the same opinion.
Minister Gowda refused to be drawn in and said the government would make its argument in the court, refusing to elaborate, saying the matter was sub judice.
The All India Muslim personal law board and a Christian group are opposing changes in Section 377, saying they had cogent arguments against de-criminalising homosexuality. They were among the petitioners who successfully opposed the high court verdict in the Supreme Court.
Read| SC hearing on gay sex: All you need to know about Section 377
Read| My body, my decision: Chennais LGBTQ activists rally for equal rights again
On his erstwhile Janata Partys website, Subramanian Swamy described himself as some kind of Clint Eastwood who single-handedly can destroy someone, or at least his reputation.
He almost did so in his recent attacks senior government officials, before Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped in with a stern warning. This fondness for publicity is never going to do any good to the nation, the PM said on Monday.
Read: PM Modi snubs Swamy over fondness for publicity, calls Rajan patriot
On Tuesday, Swamy started his day tweeting, Pratha Smaran to all PTs (patriotic tweeple). Jai Sri Ram! leaving Twitterati wondering if that was his response to the PM saying RBI governor Raghuram Rajan was no less patriotic that of any of us.
Swamys other tweet said, The world is in general equilibrium. A small change in one parameter effects changes in all variables. So Krishna advised: Sukh Dukhe..... The BJP and the government can perhaps breathe easy for a few days with the hope that the PMs antidote will have its effects.
Swamy is credited for engineering the fall of the first NDA government that lasted just 13 days in 1998. He arranged a meeting of J Jayalalithaa and Sonia Gandhitwo leaders who later turned into his bitter rivalsto not support the NDA government.
BJPs tallest leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee was never lucky with Swamy, who attacked Vajpayee mercilessly, not even sparing his personal life. There are several articles still online that talk about Swamys comments against Vajpayee in the Tamil weekly Kumudham in 1997.
In Delhi the Japanese external affairs minister had organised a party. Vajpayee, who was present there as Indias external affairs minister, was drunk. I was also invited for that dinner. I was shocked to see the external affairs minister fully intoxicated... he wrote in an issue dated March 20, 1997.
In another occasion, according to articles, the economist-turned politician described Vajpayee as a cunning man and even raised doubts if Vajpayee was a police informer during the Quit India movement.
Here are more comments by Swamy on Vajpayee published in Outlook magazine on March 23, 1998:
1. Vajpayee could not stomach the fame I got as an Emergency hero. Further, he was desperately trying to cover the humiliation of his all-out surrender before Indira.
2. Though Charan Singh got a bad name for pulling down the Morarji government, the real culprits are Vajpayee and Ramakrishna Hegde. A shocked Morarji resigned and withdrew from the public life. In fact, on that day, Hegde and Vajpayee should have quit public life.
3. Morarji and Charan Singh are like Kaikeyee of the Ramayana. In the Janata Ramayana, Koonis role was played by Vajpayee.
No wonder that while Vajpayee was at the helm of affairs, Swamy never got a chance to enter the BJP.
Vajpayee is long out of politics. His national security adviser Brajesh Mishra has passed away. But Swamys radar remains active.
In the Rajya Sabha during a high-decibel debate on the AgustaWestland scam, Swamysaid, They gave him (Brajesh Mishra) Padma Vibhushan, one less than Bharat Ratna. I was just wondering as to what was the service that required him to be given such a high honour. One day, I will discover it.
Swamy, according to BJP sources, does meticulous planning before attacking anyone with facts and figures. But during the AgustaWestland debate earlier this year, Congress leader Anand Sharma had to correct him, saying chopper trials were conducted in the United Kingdom and not Italy.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A woman police officer in Udaipur has said she coined the slogan Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, which became popular after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign for the education of the girl child.
The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana was introduced in 2014 to address the issue of the declining child sex ratio and to prevent sex-selective elimination of girls. It was formally launched by Modi in 2015.
The overall child sex ratio in India is one of the worst in the world. From 927 girls per 1,000 boys in 2001, it dipped to 919 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011, the lowest since 1961.
Chetna Bhati, station house officer of Mahila Police Station in Udaipur, said on Sunday she wrote the slogan but did not get credit for it. She said she had coined the phrase in 1999 as part of a poem and wrote to then chief minister Ashok Gehlots office in 2012 to get it used for public campaigns. The chief ministers officer did not respond, Bhati said.
The police officer said she had also informed Gehlot about a poster prepared by her on the issue of the girl childs safety and wanted him to formally launch it.
Bhati said she filed a Right To Information query in December last year to the Prime Ministers Office, asking where the government picked up this slogan. Bhati said she received a reply from the women and child development ministry on February 3 but the response was not satisfactory. The scheme was piloted by the WCD ministry.
Bhati has now written to the Prime Minister, seeking recognition for her creativity.
At a programme in Pali district in 2005, I even recited it. My parents took special care of us and made us study. My elder sister is a teacher and I am in police service. I very well understand the value of a girl child and wrote poetry against female foeticide, she told PTI.
I only want recognition, no money no publicity. Since I created this, I have ample evidence in support my claim which the government should take into consideration. The government should disclose that from where it took it, she said.
With inputs from PTI
A top American Senator has asked the Obama Administration to discontinue issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to citizens from 23 countries, including India and China, while alleging them of being non-cooperative in taking back illegal immigrants from the US.
Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back, Republican senator Chuck Grassley said in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
In fiscal year 2015 alone, 2,166 individuals were released in the US because of this decision and the non-cooperation from recalcitrant countries; more than 6,100 were released in the preceding two years, Grassley, who is the senate judiciary committee chairperson, said.
Currently, 23 countries are labelled by the US as uncooperative, with the top five most recalcitrant countries being Cuba, China, Somalia, India, and Ghana, Grassley said.
Read | US Supreme Court blocks Obama immigration order
In addition, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is monitoring another 62 nations where cooperation is strained, but which are not yet deemed recalcitrant.
In the letter to Johnson, Grassley reminded him that, Congress addressed this problem when it enacted section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Under section 243(d), the secretary of state is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a country upon receiving notice from you that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country, he said.
This tool has been used only once, in the case of Guyana in 2001, where it had an immediate effect, resulting in obtaining cooperation from Guyana within two months, Grassley said.
After being on the run for around 17 years, underworld gangster Kumar Pillai was extradited to India from Singapore on Monday night by a 5-member team of the Mumbai crime branch.
He was brought by an Air India flight 343 that landed around 9.30pm on Monday. Pillai was formally arrested by a team of unit VII of crime branch from the arrival of the Terminal 2 and whisked off to Mumbai police headquarters.
The crime branch officials have taken the courts special permission to handcuff Pillai after the flight lands in Mumbai. He will be produced in the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Tuesday after completion of due formalities.
The police said the need for permission to handcuff Pillai was to avoid hassles pertaining to human rights. The police are also carrying the courts permission letter.
The team, headed by a deputy police commissioner, had left for Singapore on Wednesday night with a set of original documents that were earlier submitted before the Singaporean committal (lower) court seeking his extradition to India.
Read | Pillai gave up Indian citizenship in 2013, escaped MEA radar
After being brought to Mumbai, Pillai will be handed over to the unit VII of the crime branch, which is investigating the recent cases registered against him.
While there is no lock up at unit VII office at Ghatkopar, it is likely that Pillai will be kept at the Mumbai police headquarters at Crawford Market, citing security reasons.
His custody will be taken by the unit VII after Pillai is produced in a local court. Pillai was booked in another extortion case in 2013. He had allegedly demanded money from an MLA. He had spoken to the victim over the phone, threatened him, and asked him to pay the extortion money to his aides, said a police officer.
Pillais extradition was cleared on May 18, after the court ruled in Indias favour, giving him 15 days to appeal before a higher court. Pillai did not file a fresh appeal before June 2 .
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pointed to the multiple power centres in Pakistan to explain New Delhis difficulty in drawing a Lakshman rekha (redline) for talks with the neighbouring country.
Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has pushed to improve bilateral ties but has run up against the familiar problem of the Pakistani militarys stranglehold over the countrys foreign policy that has often undermined its civilian government. New Delhi also accuses the Pakistani military of using anti-India groups as an extension of its policy towards its neighbour.
The first thing is that with whom in Pakistan will you decide the Lakshman rekha with the elected government or with other actors? So India will have to be alert and conscious all the time. There should not be any laxity and negligence, Modi said in an interview with a TV news channel.
He was responding to a question about what the Lakshman rekha for holding talks with Pakistan should be. At different times, India has linked the progress of talks to action by Pakistan against the planners of 2008 Mumbai attacks as well as on an airbase in Pathankot earlier this year. In 2014, the NDA government had said talks should only be between the two governments, leaving out the Kashmiri separatist group, the Hurriyat.
Modi, however, clarified that New Delhi will continue to engage with the civilian government in Pakistan. Look, there are different types of forces operating in Pakistan. But the government only engages with a democratically elected system. Our effort for that engagement is continuing, he said.
He said because of his consistent efforts like the visit to Lahore or inviting the Pakistan PM here for his 2014 inaugural that he no longer has to convince the world either about India s stand on terrorism or its willingness to engage with its neighbour.
The world in one voice is praising Indias role. Pakistan is finding it difficult to answer. The world is watching. If we remain an obstacle then we will have to convince the world that we are not like this, he said.
Earlier the world would not buy Indias stand on terrorism and sometime it would even treat it asa law and order problem. Now the whole world is accepting what India says on terrorism I believe India will have to continue putting forth its view on this matter.
But opposition parties have described Modis foreign policy as inconsistent at best and tamasha at worst, especially after the prime ministers diplomacy failed to break Chinas resistance to India s effort to become a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG). Pakistans refusal in April to host an Indian team probing the Pathankot airbase attack also triggered charges that Mo di had played into the hands of Islamabad.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Bihar police probing the intermediate toppers scam has erred in sending Ruby Rai, now notoriously known as fake topper, to jail without verifying her age.
Police are treating Rai like a hardened criminal when prima facie, she is a minor.
Two Hindi newspapers have claimed that Rai was a minor when she was arrested, criticising the approach of the investigating agencies.
After the scam came to light, a panel was formed to re-evaluate the merit of the top rankers. Rais result was annulled and she appeared before the panel at the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) office where she could not answer a single question correctly.
From the BSEB campus, she was taken directly to a judicial magistrates residence, who sent her to Patnas Beur jail for two weeks.
I am a village girl, dont know how I topped Bihar board exam: Ruby Rai
All this while, she was not given a chance to produce age-related documents. Manu Maharaj, Patna senior superintendent of police who heads the SIT, has said it is for Rai to prove that she is a juvenile. It is clear from Maharajs statement that the police do not possess documents related to Rais age.
It is learnt that Maharaj told reporters that if Rai could prove her juvenility at any stage of the trial, she will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) that tries underage offenders.
This is in clear contradiction to age determination sections of Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) which say that if the age of the accused is not clear, the magistrate should give benefit of doubt to the accused and send the accused to the JJB.
The principle that investigative agencies are supposed to follow in such cases is to err on the side of caution.
In Gopinath Ghosh case of 1983, the Supreme Court ruled, Whenever a case is brought before the magistrate and the accused appears to be aged below 21 years, before proceedings with the trial or undertaking an inquiry, an inquiry must be made about the age of the accused on the date of occurrence.
Why Ruby Rais arrest will not stop the rot in Indias education system
But the SIT has taken guilty until proven innocent approach in Rais case.
What the SIT has done, falls into the pattern of agencies sending accused to prison without age assessment. In some cases, they dont have the documents in place. In others, police project minors as adults so that they are tried under the Indian Penal Code and not the JJA.
In 2012, an RTI application revealed that Delhis Tihar Jail was holding more than 400 juveniles who should have never been lodged there. Since then, they have been shifted to observation homes meant for juveniles in conflict with law. Juveniles have also been found languishing in prisons in Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Various studies say that juveniles become aggressive and learn many tricks from seasoned criminals inside prisons meant for adults. In majority of the incidents of violence in reformation homes meant for juveniles, gang leaders are often inmates who have come from Tihar, after being exposed to the worst possible treatment from other inmates as well as the jail authorities.
Second and equally worrisome aspect is that of identity. Assuming Rai is a minor, the SIT has violated the JJA and a 2012 order of the Delhi high court both of which underscore the need to maintain complete confidentiality in cases involving juveniles.
India is a signatory to the UN Standards Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice, which requires that the juveniles right to privacy remain inviolate at all stages of the legal process in order to avoid harm caused by undue publicity.
The proposed JJ Rules 2016 (yet to be notified) contains a provision that any agency should not use information related to juvenile accused in a manner that stigmatises them.
This is not the first time agencies have shown insensitivity in a matter related to minor accused. Violations of this nature were quite routine during the trial of juvenile accused in the December 16, 2012, gang-rape case. Police regularly leaked information about the identity and native place of the accused which were carried by various media outlets.
Result of hysteria around this case and continued vilification of the juvenile accused was that the convict is with an NGO despite the completion of his detention period.
It is likely that Rai will also be hounded in the same manner. One should not be surprised if, on the completion of the trial, Rai and her parents decide to relocate to some other state or city to avoid constant glare.
Investigating agencies have failed Rai by not giving her a fair trial and right to privacy. Government and non-government bodies meant to protect childrens rights are equally culpable by remaining silent on this issue.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Investigators probing the Ramgarhwa rape case have now claimed to have unearthed an election ID of the victim, which shows her as married and not a minor, as her parents have claimed her to be.
They produced an EPIC card with number IAZ1262625, which police claim to be hers. It said, the card was discovered during search of the victims residence. If true, the married status of the victim would weaken the case of rape and assault.
The revelation came even as the victim underwent fresh medical test by a five-doctor panel at Muzaffarpur based Shrikrishna Medical College and Hospital late evening on Monday.
Read: Fresh medical report rules out rape in Motihari incident
The electoral I-card in her name during search of the victims residence by Raxaul DSP Rakesh Kumar, proves her to be an adult, not a minor. Her husband is mentioned as Motiur Rehman of Adapur block and date of birth as January 1, 1996, said an official.
However, social activists pursuing the case have claimed that she was married at the age of 15, but as per Muslim personal law, she was not allowed to consummate or go to her in-laws place , till she turned an adult.
They claimed also, that EPIC cards in majority cases were neither exact, nor correct and most often carried wrong information, the reason why, the police revealation remained suspect.
PMCH principal Dr Vikas Kumar said, We formed a five-member team to conduct the medical examination. The experts will submit their report to the chairman of the forensic department, who in turn would send it to the district authorities concerned. It will take a couple of days.
He, however, refused to divulge the result of the examination. I am not authorized to say anything to the media as it is a legal matter,said the principal.
The medical board under Dr Vijay Prasad, head of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (FMT) department, examined the alleged minor rape survivor on Sunday evening. Dr Abha Sinha, Dr Supriya, Dr Arun Kumar and Dr Manoj Kumar were other members of the team, set up by principal of the SKMCH, Dr Vikas Kumar on the direction of district magistrate of East Champaran Anupam Kumar.
Earlier, the girl was medically tested first at a primary health centre on June 15 and twice at Motihari sadar hospital on June 22 and 25 this year.
We decided to re-examine the victim medically as a lot of hue and cry had been raised in the wake of the last two medical reports. We wanted a crystal clear result, reason why, she was sent to SKMCH. It will clear the air, he added.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to streets in Bathinda on Monday demanding arrest of SAD MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu who along with 17 others has been booked by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an alleged scam.
The party workers took out a protest march in the city raising slogans against the Talwandi Sabo MLA and also submitted a memorandum to Punjab governor through deputy commissioner Bathinda.
The protesters were led by AAPs women wing Punjab president Baljinder Kaur. Kaur had contested the by election to Talwandi Sabo assembly segment in August 2014 which was won by Sidhu defeating his nearest rival Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi by a margin of over 46, 000 votes.
The march started from fire brigade chowk and reached district administrative complex passing through to railway station market, Post Office bazaar, Dhobi Bazaar and Arya Samaaj chowk, Court Road and Mehna Chowk.
The AAP leaders said that despite a case been registered by CBI in the alleged Rs 231 crore scam in the company International Customer Related Management Services Private Limited on directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court, the accused are roaming free. Kaur said that the Sidhu should be made to resign as MLA and all the accused booked in the case should be put behind the bars.
The AAP leaders announced that if the MLA is not removed and all accused are not arrested party will announce the next course of action within 10 days. The AAP leaders alleged that both SAD-BJP and Congress were hand in glove with each other reflected from the situation that even Congress has not uttered a word on the issue ever since the case was registered by CBI.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has criticised the government and the police over persistent incidents of desecration of holy texts in the state.
Condemning the latest sacrilege of gutkas at Bhagta Bhaike village in Bathinda district, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, Despite increase in such incidents, the government and police administration are sleeping. The police only register a case every time such an incident takes place and the culprits are never identified. He said if steps are not taken to check such acts, Punjab may lose its hard-earned peace.
Claiming that on the desecrated pages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi zindabad and RSS zindabad slogans were written, Makkar said some forces were definitely trying to disturb the communal harmony in Punjab.
He appealed to the Sikhs to maintain peace and demanding early arrest of the culprits.
AKAL TAKHT JATHEDAR CONDEMNS ACT
Demanding a strict action against the culprits, Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh urged the gurdwara managements to be alert and install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
He said people behind such acts wanted to create a rift between religions.
The jathedar urged the government to use all their intelligence resources to ensure the arrest of the culprits.
He also condemned the recent sacrilege of Quran in Malerkotla.
A local court on Monday sent Zahir Vohra employee of Mumbai based private pharmaceutical firm to five days police custody in connection with fake blood plasma case.
The accused will be produced in court on July 2 again. Assistant inspector general of counter intelligence (CI) wing of Punjab police Ajay Maluja said that they would bring the file related to agreement of firm with accused Dilbagh Singh for supply of blood plasma. Maluja said that police might resort to joint interrogation of Vohra and accused Dilbagh Singh to further investigate the case.
The CI wing had recovered 21,752 pouches of fake blood plasma from a truck with refrigeration facility near Behman Dewana village on June 13. With the arrest of Vohra, police now have arrested six persons in this connection.
The police had already arrested five persons in this connection who are in judicial custody which include Dilbagh Singh who was employed as head lab technician in a medical college, his associate in lab Paramjit Singh, Paramjit Singh a lab technician in a private hospital in Bathinda and his brother Narinder Singh from Behman Dewana village and Lal Bahadur Singh driver of truck.
During investigation it had emerged that accused Dilbagh Singh had an agreement with the firm for supply of blood plasma and Vohra, employed as marketing manager of plasma wing in the company, signed the deal on behalf of the firm.
Vohra was arrested on Sunday after police found his intention mala fide as he joined investigation in this case and did not answer the questions properly.
There was zero trade between India and Pakistan through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari border for the fifth consecutive day on Monday.
Hundreds of trucks are stranded on either side of the border with traders claiming that they were facing huge losses due to the logjam.
Demanding a hike in the labour charges, over 1,200 porters, who load and unload the trucks, went on strike five days back. The porters have an issue with the Clearing House Agents (CHA) over the token money called daala (token sum paid for unloading goods). Both sides are claiming their right over this money.
Traders say they are facing losses as goods worth Rs 200 crore are lying on the Pakistani side and commodities valued at Rs 100 crore have piled up in the ICP sheds on the Indian side.
Several rounds of meetings have taken place over the issue but till the filing of the report, there was no headway.
Amritsar deputy commissioner Varun Roojam said, Talks are on among the officials of ICP, porters and the staff of CHA. We expect the matter will be resolved at the earliest.
The DC said over 250 trucks, mainly carrying cement, gypsum and dry fruits, were stranded on the Pakistani aide.
TRADERS MEET CUSTOMS OFFICIALS
Fearing losses, a delegation of traders on Monday evening met customs officials in Amritsar with the request to get the issue resolved at the earliest.
The dispute is between clearing house agents and porters over the daala moneywhich is a token sum of Rs 200 to Rs 300 per truck. Traditionally, CHA staff got the money, which the porters now have laid their claim on. Traders have nothing to do with it, but we all are facing losses, said a trader who imports goods from Pakistan.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
High drama was witnessed at the Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) when the relatives of a 42-year-old patient staged a protest for over two hours alleging medical negligence on Monday.
Victim Hazara Singh was a resident of Bonkar village, Mattewara and his relatives alleged that the Hazara died due to the negligence of doctors.
The family further claimed that the patient died couple of days ago and the doctors did not allow them to meet him so that they could charge hefty amount to which, the hospital authorities blatantly refuted while the family members said that they were handed over an inflated bill of Rs 1.5 lakh.
Hazara Singh was admitted on June 7 at the hospital after he suffered an attack while spraying in the fields. On June 14, he was shifted to the general ward, but again on June 17, he was put on ventilator and his family members were not allowed to meet him.
When his son Rashim Singh asked the hospital authorities to meet his father, the doctors allowed him following which, they declared the Singhs death.
On Monday, when the relatives of the deceased reached the hospital to get the body, the hospital authorities refused to hand over and asked the relatives to first clear the bill forcing the relatives to stage a protest for two hours and causing the traffic jam outside the hospital. After the protest, the hospital authorities gave concession to the family and they paid Rs 50,000 after which, the body was handed over to the family. William Bhatti, medical superintendent, CMCH, denied all allegations and said doctors were blamed every time any patient died. If we treat any patient and give him all facilities then he needs to clear the bill. From our side our doctors are working day and night to treat the patients.
Former leader of Congress legislature party (CLP) Sunil Jakhar on Monday suggested the campaign committee of his own party to be more active and take the government head-on. He was addressing the media in Chandigarh on Monday.
Rajya Sabha member Ambika Soni is the in-charge of the Congress campaign committee in the state. Though he didnt name anyone, Jakhar was categorical in asking the committee to support Amarinder in raising the issues. Soni got a berth in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab recently and Jakhar was one of aspirants.
There is so much that we can talk about to make public aware of governments failures and the campaign committee must use Amarinders public-outreach programme to expose the government, he said. He said when the high command had empowered the state party chief to take key decisions, all leaders should work to strengthen him.
Reacting to Jakhars comment, Ambika Soni told HT that the campaign committee was not a separate entity and a part of the PPCC. We have already started an outreach programme and a plan is already in place to meet people in different zones across the state, she said.
Sunil (Jakhar) should know that I am in Punjab for three to four days a week, as I also look after Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. I have a fair amount of work to do, she said.
Jakhar said Congress leaders needed to adopt an offensive approach to push the government on the back foot. Why are we waiting for our opponents to say something against us and then react? Why not expose their shortcomings and misdeeds? he said.
QUESTIONS SUKHBIR BADAL ON JOBS
Jakhar also accused the Akali-BJP government of not fulfilling its promise of providing 1.13 lakh jobs. He said deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in November last year had promised to give 1.13lakh jobs in six months just to divert the attention of people from incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. Citing government figures, Jakhar said in last four years, Akali-BJP government gave only 37,000 jobs against Sukhbir Badals promise of giving 2-lakh jobs every year.
He said the government from time to time made announcements of recruitments , but failed to take the recruitment process to the logical end.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A four-member team of the Delhi police on Monday brought Satya Prakash alias Ashu, one of accused in the kidney racket busted at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in the national capital, and produced him in a local court on Monday evening.
The court sent Ashu to two-day custody of the local police.
The city police want to quiz him in a similar racket unearthed at the citys National Kidney Hospital last year.
The accused had donated his kidney to one Tariq Ahmed of Kanpur by posing as his brother Sadiq at the local hospital.
In the last week, the city police had procured his production warrants and went Delhi to bring him for interrogation but same was denied by the Delhi police.
The accused was allegedly part of the Jalandhar kidney racket being run by Junaid Ahmed Khan. Khan along with three others was the first to be arrested in July last year.
Khan and his aides used to forge documents in connivance with the hospital staff to show several donors and recipients as close relatives.
Harwinder Singh, a helper at a local laboratory owned by one of the owners of the hospital, was arrested soon after the racket was unearthed.
On March 25 this year, the city police had submitted an 855-page supplementary chargesheet against 17 persons in this connection.
A special investigation team (SIT) headed by Amritsar deputy commissioner of police (DCP) J Elachezhian with Jalandhar DCP Harjit Singh, addtional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP investigation) Vivek Sheel Soni and police station-7 station house officer Navdeep Singh as its embers is carrying out the probe.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator NK Sharma allegedly got into a scuffle with Congress leader Gurvinder Singh Bali at the studio of a Punjabi news channel after Bali made some direct allegations of land fraud against him. The drama was witnessed at the studio in Phase 8B, industrial area, SAS Nagar, on Monday during the debate that was actually on the issue of the Congress appointing Asha Kumari a Himachal Pradesh MLA who was convicted in a land-grab case as its state unit in-charge.
Shiromani Akali Dal legislator NK Sharma. (HT File Photo)
Congress leader Gurvinder Singh Bali. (HT File Photo)
Even as Bali alleged that the Dera Bassi MLA, who is a real estate tycoon and also a chief parliamentary secretary, punched him in the chest and pushed him off his chair, Sharma denied that anything of the sort happened.
But at least two other persons present in the studio at the time said a scuffle took place in which some shoves and abuses were exchanged. In about 15 minutes, the anchor and others intervened, and the debate was held and even telecast.
Also read I Honcho of Badal-owned PTC steers Punjab PR depts meet with NRI media
The fight happened as Bali mentioned a recent report of Rs 1 crore pending as electricity bill at a project of Sharmas firm, at which he got agitated. Then Bali also made general allegations of land-grab against Sharma, which led to the scuffle, said a source, who did not want to be named.
Bali alleged, Sharma was frustrated as I exposed his corruption and land-grabbing in Zirakpur. He also alleged that Sharmas gunmen barged into the studio, though this could not be verified from others present at the place. Sharma reacted: Bali is making false allegations only to gain publicity. I did not hit anyone and the debate was held in a very cordial atmosphere.
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh, (HT File Photo)
Arrest Sharma: Amarinder
On Tuesday, after reports of the fight came out, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh condemned the criminal assault by Sharma and demanded registration of a case and his arrest. Let me promise you today, that it is matter of six months more, and you will have to repent for it as your countdown has already begun, Amarinder said, referring to Punjab assembly polls due early next year.
Also read I Protest over news channel blackout: MLA Bains, 15 supporters held
Around 50 agitators took to streets and blocked traffic at the Hall Gate Chowk, on Monday, to protest the opening of a liquor vend near the Durgiana Temple complex. Residents of Hindustani Basti and members of the Independent Student Federation (ISF) blocked the entry of vehicles into Hall Bazaar.
Keshav Kohli, ISF president, said, The vend opened two months back. I had submitted a representation to the excise department to get the vend shut but to no avail. I even sat on a hunger strike. We will not tolerate this inappropriate act.
Protesters said they heavily objected to the opening of the vend near the temple complex. The vend has come up close to the Shivpuri cremation ground, that is part of the complex and is managed by the Durgiana Temple committee. However, despite earlier objections the administration has failed to take note.
The protesters, who had earlier sat in a dharna in front of the vend, raised slogans against the government. The protest was peaceful, with little police interference. Members of ISF stated that if their demands were not met, they would start the agitation once again.
Taking note of the issue, deputy commissioner Varun Roojam said, I have taken the situation into account. I have also asked the excise department to look into any violation of policy by the vend owners and submit a report as soon as possible.
A businessman who is known to be a Pakistan-basher is among three men under arrest on the charges of burning Islamic holy book Quran at Malerkotla, which sparked violence in Punjabs only Muslim-dominated town on June 24. Police say the trio wanted to start a communal riot for avenging the Gurdaspur and Pathankot terror attacks by Pakistani intruders in July 2015 and this January 2, respectively.
Main accused Vijay Kumar of Jind in Haryana is Canada-returned and his alleged accomplices Nand Kishore Goldy and his son, Gaurav, are from Begowal village in Taragarh area of Pathankot district. Vijay is a self-styled radical activist not affiliated with any Hindu group as such, said Patiala range inspector general of police Paramraj Singh Urmranangal.
READ I 8 injured as mob clashes with police after Quran sacrilege at Malerkotla
Vijay is claimed to have been behind similar violence at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. He is full of fundamentalist opinion and spite for Muslims. A bachelor, now based at Palm Colony in Delhi, he has made a lot of money in the bio-fertiliser business, of which he has nearly 150 agencies in Punjab and Haryana. We are looking deeper into his background, said the IG. Vijay also faces criminal charges of cheating his business agents.
In custody, he is talking plain nonsense such as Muslims are going to overpower India and their population is going to explode. He even administers a Pakistan-bashing Whatsapp group, said the police officer, adding: The other two are poor men whom he lured into his network by exploiting their anger against Pakistan after the twin terror attacks. The Patiala police caught them at Sanaur before they could enter Haryana on a new Mahindra jeep.
Police claim to have recovered the lighter that Vijay had allegedly used to set the sacred text ablaze. They have seized three pairs of surgical gloves, a 50-gram-gold coin, a gold chain, and a white-gold-bead chain.
After the sacrilege on the night of June 24, Muslim mobs had damaged a dozen-odd vehicles, tried to burn down the house of Malerkotlas Akali legislator Farzana Nissara Khatoon, and even injured two senior police officers.
Also read I Ex-DGP accuses oppn of scripting Quran sacrilege at Malerkotla
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A 44-year-old driver from Rajpura, working with Ola Cabs, was murdered on Sunday night in the Phase-5 market in SAS Nagar. Police say the victim, Manoj Kumar, was stabbed in the neck in the cab a Tata Indica and suspect personal enmity to be behind the murder. Manoj had come to drop passengers, though it is not sure if they were the ones who stabbed him, the police have claimed. They add that the passengers had not been hired through Ola.
The police said that Kumar, who had started working with OLA about six months ago, could have been attacked after he demanded money for a personal ride that he might have picked up. No one seems to have seen the miscreant (s) fleeing from the spot.
His wallet, with about Rs 5,000 was found untouched.
The previous Ola passengers that Kumar picked up were from Sector 22, Chandigarh and he had dropped them in Phase 4. Phone locations then put him in Phase 5. Police claim that Kumar used to sleep in the cab and rarely went to Rajpura.
VICTIM CRIED FOR HELP
Even after being stabbed, Kumar was able to call out for help and the cry was heard by the watchman of the market.
Hearing the cries of Save me, I have been stabbed, the watchman informed the police. However, witness say that in desperation to get help, Kumar even drove about a few metre to the nearest traffic signal, all the time crying out for help. He even called up the police from his own number.
By the time, a Police Control Room (PCR) van reached the Phase-5 market, Kumar was struggling for breath and by the time the police rushed him to the civil hospital in Phase 6 barely a 5-minute drive he was declared brought dead. There was blood all over the cab. We tried to stop the bleeding, but failed, said a cop.
The doctors recorded excessive loss of blood due to injury as the cause of Kumars death. Police sources claim that there was a distinct possibility that more than one assailant was involved. Kumar is survived by wife and three children. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family.
SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, We are trying to locate the areas that Manoj visited in the hours leading up to his murder. We have also launched a search for passengers that were last picked up by him.
Kumar had a 4-inch deep wound at the centre of his neck and it was his driving licence that helped police identify him. His kin were traced through his mobile. On a complaint from Jawaharlal, the brotherin-law of the victim, who is a resident of Palsora village in Chandigarh, an unidentified person was booked under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC at the Phase-1 police station.
It was a day of protests in Patiala, as city residents witnessed three major protests on Monday, putting the district police on its toes.
Various protests were held across the city at the same time at around 11 in the morning, as all the governmental offices were opened after two consecutive weekend holidays.
Kisan cell of Congress party led by president Inderjit Singh Zira staged a protest in front of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) offices gate, alleging high rates for power connections being distributed among poor farmers.
Meanwhile, traffic on the Mall Road was disrupted as protesters gathered near the Sheran Wala chowk and blocked the road.
Zira alleged that the government had announced thousands of power connections in 2.5-acre and 5-acre land scheme and asked the farmers to submit around Rs 1 lakh to 2 lakh. He added, It is the cost of issuing connection only and they will have to spend a lot more for installing it at their farms.
He alleged that the Badal government was duping the farmers in the name of power connections. The farmers are paying a lot more than the estimated cost of connection due to the corruption in the electricity department, he said.
Another Congress leader Kuldeep Singh Nassupur alleged that agriculture was at its lowest mark. How could a farmer owning 2.5-acre land manage Rs 2 to 3 lakh rupees for a power connection for the irrigation of his fields? He added that there is also an acute shortage of staff in the department and the employees at ground level are charging illegal installation charges with corrupt means, he said.
The protesters also submitted a memorandum regarding their demands to the PSPCL management and urged the government to ensure proper availability of power connection to every eligible farmer in the state.
EDUCATION PROVIDER TEACHERS BODY STAGES DHARNA
Meanwhile, education provider teachers union staged a dharna in front of the district education officers office at around 10 in the morning. It was a state-wide protest call given by the union to meet their demands. The protesters chanted anti-government slogans and also burnt the effigy of the government.
Aam Admi Party (AAP) also extended their support to the protesters and various local leaders, along with Dr Balbir Singh, joined the protesters.
Addressing to the gathering, Hardeep Singh Sarala, union district president, said they were serving the education department since last the 10 years, but the government was not sincere to increasing their salary.
He added that the police had also registered some false cases against the union leaders while they were protesting peacefully at Mohali. He urged the government to provide them permanent jobs and also quash the cases registered against the union members.
Sarala and other members demanded that the government should pay them regular pay scale instead of the present Rs 7,000 salary.
ONE-DAY HUNGER STRIKE BY TEACHERS OUTSIDE DC OFFICE
Teachers working under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (SSARMSA) held a one-day hunger strike outside DC office.
Protesting teachers -Nawaldeep Sharma, Nancy Bhatia, Snehdeep, Manoj Kumar, Avnesh Kumar and Bharat Kumar -- sat on hunger strike for the whole day.
District president Atinder Pal Ghagga and state vice-president Hardeep Singh Toderpur said around 12,000 teachers recruited under the centresponsored schemes have been working in the Punjab government schools for the past eight years on the contract basis. Besides that teachers under SSA/RMSA and lab attendants under RMSA have not got salaries for the last three, seven and 15 months, respectively.
The high power committee constituted to frame a project report regarding regularisation of contractual teachers has not submitted or made public its report after a period of one year. In addition, teachers have been implicated in false police cases during agitation demanding their just and constitutional demands, Atinder Pal Ghagga said.
State vice-president Hardeep Singh Toderpur added that the teachers union is determined to get the teachers job regularised in the education department for which a state-level rally would be held on July17 in Ropar. A large number of teachers will participate in that rally from Patiala district, he said.
If you thought Varun Thakurs jokes are just funny situations other people encounter, youll be surprised to know what these 5 people faced during their travel abroad.
Ever wished that you had an ultra cheap calling or a data plan when travelling overseas? Some of us may just want it for Facebook and Instagram updates, but for others this may be serious business. We speak to some professionals and bring to you five bizarre roaming stories where someone actually lost a job opportunity or even their girlfriend because they could not stay connected.
1.Slept through a meeting
South Indian conservative joint family what do you expect? My job was my most adventurous escapade. I am working late today often meant I am carrying a change of clothes and going to the pub with my office buddies and lying to you about it. And then came my first work trip abroad with colleagues. Are you kidding me! I was going to go all out on this one. Armed with the shield of I dont have international roaming so Ill Whatsapp when possible, I went sightseeing and shopping every day after work. It all went well until in Vegas, a night of drinking had me good.
Back in my room I had totally passed out. Worse, I put my phone on silent because incoming calls while travelling abroad cost the moon and I didnt mean to take any. The next morning my colleagues were desperately trying to reach me for the 9 AM meeting wed been preparing for. I didnt hear a thing and ended up missing the meeting altogether! Travelling without a roaming that allows reasonable incoming calls really backfired for me. Even if youre with colleagues, you never know when the need to stay connected may arise.
Soundarya Natarajan is a marketing professional with a global FMCG firm.
2.Lost in Paris
My first trip abroad on my own was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to be on my own and take in the air of Paris. Not hard pressed for time, I decided to walk around and explore the city.
I didnt speak a word of French but thought I could always rely on my GPS. So every day I spent oodles of time on my phone GPS. Back at the hotel, however, an email about my phone bill left me utterly crippled for the rest of the trip. Id been gobbling data and it cost me dearly. Now it was all about poring over incomprehensible maps and trying to communicate in sign language with the French. Was that irritation I was reading on their faces?
I still look back and think if I had a good roaming plan with a data package, I might have gotten more out of my trip.
Riddhi Chawla is a fashion designer launching her own boutique.
When you pack essentials for your travel dont forget the right international roaming pack. (Pixabay)
3.An image crisis
When you are in PR you should never fully disconnect. What was a maxim became an experience for me. I was on a family holiday after two years of mind numbing hours at work ridden with crisis management. Naturally, I decided to keep the mobile at bay and didnt get a roaming connection. This also meant I wasnt checking email except when I sporadically had access to Wi-Fi.
But my holiday quickly turned into a nightmare. There was a PR crisis that had to be handled immediately. Not only did I get to know about it much later, I had to end up staying back at the hotel for the Wi-Fi to do some fire fighting. All this while my family half heartedly went out on their own. If only Id taken a decent roaming plan with a data connection, I could have pre-empted the disaster and nipped it in the bud.
Vikram Arora is a PR executive working for a major auto brand.
4.Love lesson
Ill never forget my trip to Seattle to work on a clients project. What can I say? A blissful time followed by an intense blow. I was on-site for two months. We had a studio apartment with a mini bar, on-the-house laundry facilities and meals, the works. Only trouble was I couldnt keep in touch with my girlfriend and family very much. My girlfriend and I had been dating only for a couple of months so we would Skype often - thankfully we had Wi-Fi. But there was no privacy for long chats because I was sharing the apartment with a colleague.
When I returned to Mumbai, she began keeping her distance and finally confessed that she had moved on with someone else because she thought I wasnt interested. If you were into me, you would have at least taken a roaming plan with incoming calls, were her words.
Rajat Banerji is an IT consultant with the India office of a US firm.
5.Opportunity knocks on a jammed door
My friends lauded me when I quit my extremely stressful job. But only I knew that I had invited more stress into my life. For 4 months I searched high and low for the right opportunity and when things started looking bleak, I decided to go visit my sister abroad. Travel would be a much needed pause between the pages and give me a fresh perspective. Since I was with my sister, I didnt think Id need a roaming plan. How I regret that now!
I decided to take off for a couple of days on my own and return to my sisters. I visited the Redwood forests and Yosemite National Park and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Upon my return after 4 days, I learnt that my Mom had been trying to reach me frantically because a job opportunity had finally come up and they needed to have a telephonic discussion urgently. I, of course, returned their call but it was too late. They had shortlisted other candidates. Felt like nasty luck because as they say, opportunity doesnt knock twice. You cant overestimate how handy a good roaming connection with incoming calls facility is.
Sulabh Pande is a data scientist, previously with a fashion e-commerce portal.
While the need to disconnect is the new mantra for detox, we may end up in a greater quagmire without the option to connect. Riddhi, Soundarya, Vikram, Rajat and Sulabh may have ended up in a soup, but thankfully Airtel now has you covered with new smartpacks for international roaming.
Designed for the frequent traveller for whom incoming calls cause a major dent in the wallet, Airtels smartpack offers unlimited incoming. Meanwhile, executives will also find the 3 GB data offer extremely useful. But if you really just want to call your wife back home after a long day, there are some free calls to India as well.
At least 42 people were killed in a wave of IS-claimed suicide bombings targeting Yemeni troops in the southeastern city of Mukalla, officials said.
The capital of Hadramawt province, Mukalla had been under the control of al Qaeda for one year until pro-government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition recaptured the city in April.
But Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on Monday, saying in a statement that eight of its suicide bombers killed 50 members of Yemens security forces, according to US-based monitor SITE Intelligence Group.
The governor of the vast province, Ahmed Saeed bin Breyk, told AFP previously that Mukalla had witnessed five suicide attacks in four areas.
Three simultaneous bombings hit security checkpoints in the coastal city at sunset, just as troops fasting during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan were breaking their fast, a security official said.
In the first attack, a suicide bomber on a motorbike asked soldiers if he could eat with them before blowing himself up, the official said.
Two other bombers approached soldiers on foot elsewhere in the city before detonating their explosives.
Shortly afterwards, two suicide bombers launched a fourth attack and blew themselves up at the entrance of an army camp, the official said.
In all, the attacks killed 40 soldiers as well as a woman and child who were passing by and wounded 37 other people, said Hadramawts health chief Riad al-Jalili.
(AFP)
Al Qaeda retains a strong presence in Mukalla, and the jihadists still control several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Last month, the Pentagon said a very small number of US military personnel had been deployed around Mukalla in support of pro-government forces.
The US Navy has several ships nearby, including an amphibious assault vessel, the USS Boxer, and two destroyers.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been based in Yemen since 2009.
Both it and the IS group have exploited the power vacuum created by the conflict in the impoverished country to expand their presence in the south and southeast.
In May, a suicide bombing claimed by IS and a second blast killed 47 police in Mukalla -- a city of 200,000 people.
Two suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding many more, Turkish officials and witnesses said.
Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall of the Ataturk airport but they blew themselves up, one of the officials said.
Speaking in Parliament, justice minister Bekir Bozdag said based on initial information he could confirm that there had been one attacker. He said 10 people were killed and around 20 wounded.
According to information I have received, at the entrance to the Ataturk Airport international terminal a terrorist first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew themself up, he said in comments broadcast by CNN Turk.
In this image taken from DHA TV, a police cordon is set up outside Istanbul's Ataturk airport. (AP)
The state-run Anadolu agency said around 60 people were wounded, six of them seriously. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Ataturk is Turkeys largest airport and a major transport hub for international travellers. Pictures posted on social media from the site showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside one of the terminal buildings.
A witness said security officials prevented his taxi and other cars from entering the airport at around 9:50pm (1850 GMT). Drivers leaving the terminal shouted Dont enter! A bomb exploded! from their windows to incoming traffic, he said.
Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene. One witness told CNN Turk that gunfire was heard from the car park at the airport. Taxis were ferrying wounded people from the airport, the witness said.
Paramedics help the injured outside Istanbul Ataturk following the attack. (REUTERS)
Authorities halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and passengers were transferred to hotels, a Turkish Airlines official said. Earlier an airport official said some flights to the airport had been diverted.
Turkey has suffered a spate of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on the Islamic State group, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
In the most recent attack, a car bomb ripped through a police bus in central Istanbul during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36 near the main tourist district, a major university and the mayors office.
Turkey, which is part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, is also fighting Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.
US President Barack Obama was briefed about the explosions by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, the White House said.
Canada and Mexico agreed to settle a pair of protracted bilateral disputes on Tuesday in the run-up to a U.S. presidential election in November that could shake ties between the three North American nations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said starting December 1, Canada would scrap rules obliging Mexican visitors to obtain visas. The former Conservative government imposed the restrictions in 2009 to stop what it said were bogus asylum claims.
In return, President Enrique Pena Nieto said Mexico would allow expanded imports of Canadian beef starting in October, ending 13 years of restrictions imposed after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in Canada.
The men stressed their desire to deepen ties between the two nations, which along with the United States are members of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Both countries send the vast majority of their exports to their powerful neighbour.
But the future of NAFTA could be uncertain after the U.S. election, which looks set to pit Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump says he wants to tear up or renegotiate the deal while Clinton has taken a populist tack on free trade during her campaign.
Trudeau said the importance of ties between Canada and Mexico could not be overstated.
It is my hope that through meetings like this one, we will be able to further strengthen that relationship in the years ahead, Trudeau said after talks with Pena Nieto.
Canadian officials say privately that the two nations have not done enough to develop commercial and political ties or explain the benefits of free trade to their citizens.
Pena Nieto, making the first state visit by a Mexican President to Canada for 15 years, said the two nations had created a working group to study how to deepen relations.
The two leaders, as well as U.S. President Barack Obama, will meet in Ottawa on Wednesday for a one-day summit.
Trudeau, speaking to reporters, said he and Pena Nieto had talked briefly about the U.S. election and agreed on the need to work with the new president.
Regardless of the eventual winner, from one administration to the next, there are changes, and there are shifts, but we will engage ... in a positive, thoughtful collaborative way that understands the importance of the North American trilateral relationship, he said.
Indignant European Union lawmakers pressed Britain to end the uncertainty that has gripped European and global markets, saying Tuesday that if it intends to leave, it should start the process immediately.
Prime Minister David Cameron entered talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hours ahead of an EU summit which is expected to hear from the British leaders that exit talks might not be launched before October. Cameron has said he wants informal talks on what comes next before that happens.
Juncker and other European leaders insisted they wont begin any talks until Britain invokes the EU Constitutions Article 50, which sets in motion a two-year process to split.
In an unprecedented emergency session of the EU parliament, called after Britain voted Thursday to leave the union, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker demanded that Britain clarify its future.
I want the UK to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9 am, but soon, he told lawmakers. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Juncker said he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggers the exit clause.
No notification. No negotiation, he said to resounding applause.
Nigel Farage, a British member of the European Parliament and a leader in the leave movement, was booed and jeered when he urged Europe to give Britain a good trade deal when it leaves, saying jobs in Germanys auto sector might be at stake if it doesnt.
Why dont we just be pragmatic, sensible, grown-up, reasonable ... and cut a sensible tariff-free deal? he asked.
In a speech interrupted several times due to the noise, Farage warned: The UK will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
Read| We won war, now win peace: UKIPs Farage seeks good Europe ties
Bearing out his words, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called the British vote an extraordinary victory for democracy - a slap for a European system based more and more on fear, blackmail and lies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will use all her strength to prevent the EU from drifting apart. She and other EU leaders were beginning a two-day summit later Tuesday to hear Camerons position and chart the way forward.
Britains leave leaders hope that the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to Britain to address concerns about immigration that were a key factor in the vote. Merkel, head of the EUs biggest economy, made clear that isnt an option.
In an address to the German Parliament before heading to Brussels, Merkel said she expects that Britain will want to maintain close relations with the EU once it leaves, but warned it cannot expect a business-as-usual approach.
Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges, she said. We will ensure that the negotiations are not carried out with the principle of cherry picking.
She and other leaders joined Juncker in saying there can be no talks with Britain until it starts the formal procedure to leave.
Lawmakers paid tribute to Britains commissioner in Brussels, Jonathan Hill, who resigned after last weeks vote. He wept in the parliament Tuesday as he received a standing ovation.
Full Coverage| Britains EU Referendum
Google faces fresh EU anti-competition charges, this time targeting the search engine giants advertising business.
Margrethe Vestager, the powerful EU Competition Commissioner, could open two new in-depth investigations against Google as early as August, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
The first case would involve the Silicon Valley giants lucrative advertising business, while the second would deepen an existing case targeting online shopping practices.
The EU in 2014 accused Google of abusing its dominance in the Internet search market to steer European consumers to its own shopping service.
A spokesman for the European Commission refused to comment on the report.
In April, Brussels also charged Google with abusing the dominance of its Android mobile phone operating system. The Android operating system accounts for about 80 percent of the world market for mobile phones, far ahead of Googles closest rival, Apple.
The EU has accused Google of obstructing innovation by giving unfair prominence to its own Android apps, especially its search engine, in deals with mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei.
If found at fault, Google risks a fine equal to up to 10 percent of worldwide global sales for one year, which would amount to a USD 7.4 billion on the basis of 2015 revenues.
Two women have been appointed as judges of Malaysias Islamic Shariah high court for the first time in the history of the judiciary of the Muslim-majority country.
Noor Huda Roslan, 40, and Nenney Shuhaidah Shamsuddin, 41, received their official letters of appointment from Selangors Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah during a ceremony at the Istana Bukit Kayangan.
Roslan and Shamsuddin said it was a positive development for the judiciary.
Shamsuddin said Malaysia had ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the appointments were in line with empowering women.
Shariah high court, also known as Syriah high court, refers to Sharia law in Islamic religious law and deals with exclusively Islamic laws, having jurisdiction upon every Muslim in Malaysia.
I believe more women will be appointed to take charge of important responsibilities in the future, she said.
Both women graduated with a bachelors degree in Islamic studies and later studied psychology (Counselling) and international and comparative legal studies respectively.
Shuhaidah was a senior Shariah officer at the attorney-generals chambers while Huda was a chief registrar at the Selangor Shariah judiciary department.
Israeli authorities announced on Tuesday they were closing Jerusalems flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound to non-Muslim visitors after a series of clashes between worshippers and police.
The decision will apply until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan next week, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
Clashes between Muslims and Israeli police have been taking place every morning since Sunday over Jewish visits to the site, with youths throwing stones and security forces firing tear gas and sponge-tipped bullets.
Prior to visiting hours on Tuesday, a stone hit an elderly Jewish woman in the head at the adjacent Western Wall plaza, police and medics said. She was taken to hospital with light injuries.
Masked Palestinians hold stones during clashes with Israeli police during the holy month of Ramzan in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on Tuesday. An Israeli police spokesman said the compound will be closed to visitors, including Jews, for three days in response to the clashes. (Reuters)
Islamic officials accused Israeli authorities of breaking a tacit agreement on non-Muslim access to the site during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The period, which began on Sunday, is the most solemn for Muslims and attracts the highest number of worshippers.
Non-Muslims, including Jews, are allowed to visit the site during set hours but are barred from praying to avoid provoking tensions.
Revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the mosque compound is located in east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.
As Conservative party managers announced Thursday as the deadline for nominations for the next party chief, more senior MPs are likely to join the race that is widely expected to lead to Boris Johnson becoming the leader and prime minister.
Senior leaders Theresa May, Liam Fox, Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb and Jeremy Hunt are the other likely candidates. There are Tory members keen to ensure that anyone but Boris becomes the prime minister.
The shorter timeline announced by the partys private members committee means the next prime minister will be in place by early September. Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he intended to quit after Britons voted on June 23 to leave the European Union, had earlier set an October deadline for the next premier to take over.
Chancellor George Osborne was considered the most likely successor to Cameron in the pre-Brexit situation, but he ruled himself out on Tuesday and said he would accept any responsibility should the next prime minister ask him to do so.
The Labour Party continued to self-harm as more members of Jeremy Corbyns shadow cabinet resigned and the parliamentary party was set to vote on Tuesday evening on a no-confidence motion against Corbyn, who has insisted he will stay on amid growing calls for him to resign.
Corbyn, accused of failing to prevent the Brexit vote by being lukewarm during the campaign, enjoys the support of party members who will get to vote again in the event of another leadership contest. Corbyn was elected leader less than a year ago.
Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP who tabled the no-confidence motion, described a meeting of the parliamentary party on Monday night as extraordinary. She said: I couldnt believe the strength of feeling, the overwhelming rejection of Jeremy as our leader, and the pleading with him that he should consider his position and go with dignity.
But pro-Corbyn shadow health secretary Diane Abbott said the no-confidence vote has no meaning. She said, MPs dont choose the leader of the Labour Party, the party does. I think it is really sad that colleagues have chosen to stage this three-ring circus because they dont want to have a leadership election because they are not certain of winning a leadership election. The way to resolve this is to have a leadership election.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interview on Monday received wide coverage in Pakistani media, with most newspapers and news channels featuring it as their top story for the day.
However, many analysts criticised comments made by Modi, insisting that much of the interview was used to level allegations against Islamabad.
At the same time, some cautious voices in Pakistan agreed with Modi's assertion that there were different types of forces operating in Pakistan and it was difficult to ascertain who to engage in dialogue.
During the interview, Modi had pointed to the multiple power centres in Pakistan to explain Indias difficulty in drawing a lakshman rekha (red line) for talks with the neighbouring country.
Analyst Mujeebur Rehman Shami said Modi's remarks "suggest his frustration with Pakistan". Pakistan has been able to check Indian designs in the region, especially after an alleged spy network was unearthed in Pakistan, and Modi continues to follow the policy of trying to bully Pakistan, he said.
"They are trying to mould public opinion against us but we know they can never isolate us," Shami said.
Orya Maqbool Jan, another commentator, said Modis remarks were an attempt to divide the Pakistani leadership at a time when there are tensions in the country. "We are seeing that the army has played an important role in fighting terrorism and instead of appreciating this role, India is aiming its remarks to create tensions between the army and the prime minister," he said.
But others were not as critical of Modi and appreciated his remarks. Analyst Talat Masood said on Geo News that Modis remarks "should be taken in the context of talks between India and Pakistan". Masood, a retired general, said the message from the Indian leadership was of engaging the Nawaz Sharif government in talks "and this is a positive thing".
Analysts agreed that India should stop looking at everything from the prism of Pakistan. "India needs to be less obsessed with Pakistan," said Masood.
Earlier this week, Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the Prime Minister on foreign affairs , dispelled the impression that Pakistan had been isolated within the world community while briefing journalists. he said Pakistan is pursuing an active foreign policy for promoting and protecting its national interests in the changing geo-strategic situation in the region.
Referring to Pakistan's relations with India, he said Islamabad wants peaceful relations with New Delhi but it would not back down from its principled stance on the Kashmir issue. If there has to be an improvement in relations between the two countries, there has to be a dialogue on all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir, he added.
Two Christians and a Muslim man were sentenced to death by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday, for committing blasphemy.
The Anti-Terrorism Court of Gujranwala district announced the verdict in the case, which was pending for the last one year.
ATC Gujranwala Judge Bushra Zaman handed down death penalty to Anjum, Javed Naz (who are both Christians) and Jaffer Ali for committing blasphemy.
Naz and Ali have been sentenced to an additional 35 years each.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 5 million on Anjum and Rs 8 million each on Naz and Ali.
Gujranwala city police had arrested Anjum, Naz and Ali a year ago on blasphemy charges.
The judge announced the verdict after prosecution presented all witnesses.
Anjum, a resident of Farid Town, some 80km from Lahore ran a chain of Locus Schools System in Gujranwala.
Asif, Anjums brother, told PTI that his brother never committed any blasphemy.
Javed Naz was a cousin of Anjum and employed at one of his schools. When Anjum fired Naz on corruption allegations he turned against my brother, he said.
Asif said later Naz started blackmailing Anjum by claiming that he had his voice recorded in which he had made blasphemous remarks.
When Anjum stopped paying money to Naz, he along with his Muslim friend Ali got a blasphemy case registered against Anjum, he said.
Police during investigation also booked Naz and Ali in the blasphemy case.
My brother is innocent and we will challenge the ATC verdict in the superior court, Asif said.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan. Two high-profile politicians then Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti were murdered in 2011 after calling for reforms to the blasphemy law.
Pakistans tough blasphemy law has attracted criticism from rights groups, who say they are frequently misused to settle personal scores.
Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said, while asserting that bilateral issues cannot be resolved in a hostile environment.
I believe that Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war and if we cannot do that, the option we are left with is dialogue, and dialogue can only proceed with a partner with which we have normal relations and a certain level of mutual trust, Khar told Geo News.
She claimed that the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government, despite being a coalition, tried its best to normalise ties with India through relaxation of visa rules and by normalising trade ties.
The Nawaz Sharif administration can do much more as it enjoys majority, she asserted.
The issues between the two countries cannot be resolved in a hostile environment, the 38-year-old PPP leader said.
Khar, who was Pakistans foreign minister from 2011 to 2013, maintained that the Kashmir issue can be resolved if we continue to talk on the issue, then we will reach somewhere.
Asked about the militarys influence on Pakistans foreign policy, she said it is a diplomats job to carry forward the militarys perspective on issues where the military is a relevant stake holder.
Khar stated some people believe that the issue can only be resolved if there is a BJP government in India and a military government in Pakistan.
She observed that it is a fact that military ruler Pervez Musharraf gave India adequate relaxation on the Kashmir issue during his tenure.
Asked about the recent downturn in Pak-US ties and the US tilt towards India, the former foreign minister said the US tilt towards India is driven by economy, market and because of a wish to contain the rising power of China.
Now let us ask ourselves, is US moving towards India because India is a nuclear state, or because it is a military power, no, it is people power and their democratic traditions, if we want to compete, lets compete on these grounds, said Khar.
Khar maintained that Pakistans current foreign policy is reactive and not active as Pakistan is not taking its own line or direction but is only reacting on the circumstances arising in the region or world at large.
A Hindu reporter with Pakistans state-run news agency was barred from using the same glass and utensils as his Muslim colleagues after found out about his religion, according to a media report on Tuesday.
The alleged discrimination against Sahib Khan Oad, a senior reporter with the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in Karachi, began after his son Raj Kumar visited his office and everyone found out he was a Hindu.
Actually my name contains the word Khan so everyone in the office initially thought I was Muslim, he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
The bureau chief asked me to separate my drinking water glass in the office because some colleagues had reservations.
Things took a turn for the worse after the Islamic holy month of Ramzan started. He was not allowed to sit at the same table at the time of iftar, the meal to break the fast, and senior colleagues suggested he should bring his own plates and glasses if he wanted to eat in office.
I have now bought a separate glass and plate for the office, Oad said.
Oad hails from Dadu district of Sindh province, which is home to most of Pakistans Hindu minority. He completed his masters from Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and is now pursuing an MPhil in mass communication from Sindh University.
He was appointed as a reporter in APP in Islamabad and then transferred to Karachi in April.
APPs Karachi bureau chief, Parvez Aslam, denied the reports of the discrimination.
He (Oad) was suffering from flu so we suggested he arrange a separate glass, Aslam said. He described the discrimination charges as total propaganda.
You can come to my office and see how he eats iftar with us, he said.
APP managing director Masood Malik said an inquiry had been ordered into the matter.
The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler), which works for labour rights, has written to federal information minister Pervaiz Rashid about the matter.
We are really shocked to know that a bureau chief of a government news agency has pressured a reporter to drink in a separate glass because he is Hindu, wrote Piler executive director Karmat Ali.
Pope Francis is celebrating the 65th anniversary of the ordination of his predecessor, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, with an unprecedented ceremony inside the Vatican featuring a reigning pope honouring a retired one.
Francis entered the Clementine Hall to applause on Tuesday and went straight to embrace Benedict, who stood up and removed his white skullcap in a sign of deference.
Benedict then listened intently as Francis addressed him as Your Holiness lauding his 65 years of service to the church and saying his decision to retire to a small monastery was a very Franciscan thing to do.
Francis has recently dismissed new questions about the implications of Benedicts resignation by insisting that there is only one pope himself and that Benedict had pledged his obedience to him.
A Singaporean man behind a defunct website that published made-up articles stirring hatred against foreigners in the city-state was jailed for eight months on Tuesday, for sedition.
State prosecutors had pushed for a strong deterrent sentence on Yang Kaiheng, owner of The Real Singapore (TRS) website, saying the articles on which the charges were based were designed to provoke hatred against foreigners in Singapore.
Yang, 27, had earlier claimed trial but later pleaded guilty to six charges of sowing discord between locals and foreigners in a series of articles, three of which state prosecutors said contained blatant falsehoods designed to insert prominent xenophobic references.
One article falsely said that a Filipino family instigated a fracas at a Hindu festival in 2015. Another fabricated article alleged that a Chinese woman made her grandson urinate into a bottle inside a metro train.
The articles were mostly designed to inflame hatred against Filipino, mainland Chinese and Indian nationals working in labour-starved Singapore, the prosecutors said.
Prosecutors described Yang as a calculating opportunist, who realised that by generating a groundswell of resentment towards foreigners, he could attract readers to the TRS website and thereby generate vast sums of advertising revenue.
Yangs Australian wife, Ai Takagi, who wrote or edited the articles, was sentenced in March to 10 months in jail also for sedition.
The popular website, which earned the duo hundreds of thousands in advertising revenue, was shut down after Takagi and Yang were arrested while visiting the island last year. Both were based in Australia.
Takagis sentence is the stiffest so far ever imposed for sedition in the strict city-state, which clamps down hard on any activity seen as promoting racial and class hatred.
State prosecutors described Yang as the proprietor and distributor of TRS and said a tough sentence on him must reflect the fact that this is the most serious case of sedition to date in Singapore.
District court Judge Chay Yuen Fatt noted that Yang had pleaded guilty on Friday, the day results showed that Britain had voted to bolt out of the European Union.
To put it bluntly, nationalism can degenerate very rapidly into xenophobia, racism, intolerance and violence, the judge said.
Brexit is an example and a reminder of how strong, uncertain and unpredictable these emotions can be and the ramifications that these feelings can and have caused.
Sedition laws in Singapore make it an offence to promote hostility between different races or classes in the multiracial society, which is mainly ethnic Chinese with large Malay and Indian minorities.
Critics, however, say sedition laws, dating back to British colonial rule, can be used to restrict free speech.
About 40% of the city-states 5.5 million people are foreigners, many of them from China, India and the Philippines.
Sweden and Kazakhstan won contested elections for seats on the UN Security Council on Tuesday, but the Netherlands and Italy were still fighting for a second open seat for the Western group of nations.
Ethiopia and Bolivia, who faced no opposition, were also elected to two-year terms on the UNs most powerful body.
In the first round of voting, Sweden defeated the Netherlands and Italy. In the second round, the Netherlands got 99 votes and Italy 92 votes both far below the two-thirds majority of 128 votes needed to win. And in the third round, Netherlands got 96 votes and Italy 94.
The second round did result in a winner for one Asian seat. Kazakhstan, which led in the first round, defeated Thailand by a vote of 138 to 55.
After the third-round results were announced, General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft adjourned the meeting until 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) when a fourth ballot between the Netherlands and Italy will take place.
The 15-member council includes five permanent members with veto power the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. Seats are allocated by region, and regional groups nominate candidates.
Security Council seats are highly coveted because they give countries a strong voice in matters dealing with international peace and security from conflicts in Syria to South Sudan to actions that threaten global stability such as North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile tests and attacks by extremist groups such as the Islamic State. The council must also authorize the UNs far-flung peacekeeping operations.
Five countries are elected to the council every year.
In Tuesdays election for two seats allocated to the Western regional group, a two-thirds majority of 128 was needed. Sweden got 134 votes, the Netherlands 125 and Italy 113. For the Asian seat, Kazakhstan got 113 votes and Thailand received 77 well below the two-thirds needed.
Last month, the five countries in contested races for council seats participated in the first-ever election debates in the UNs 70-year history, organized by the World Federation of United Nations Associations.
Those debates were part of a new effort to bring greater transparency to the United Nations, started by the General Assembly which for the first time this year has held open question-and-answer sessions with the 11 candidates seeking to succeed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. His second five-year term ends on December 31.
SAN FRANCISCO: Ten people were wounded after a stabbing spree broke out during a neo-Nazi rally on Sunday at Californias state capitol building, officials said. The white supremacist rally was met by counter-protesters, Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey told AFP.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
ROME: Pope Francis said on Sunday that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should seek forgiveness from homosexuals for the way they had treated them.
Speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him back to Rome from Armenia, he also said the Church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated women, for turning a blind eye to child labour and for blessing so many weapons in the past.
In the hour-long freewheeling conversation that has become a trademark of his international travels, Francis was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a German Roman Catholic cardinal that the Church should apologise to gays.
Francis looked sad when the reporter asked if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida this month.
He recalled Church teachings that homosexualsshould not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally.
He added: I think that the Church not only should apologise ... to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons.
The Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste.
WASHINGTON: In a landmark ruling on Monday, the US Supreme Court threw out a 2013 Texas state law that imposed crippling restrictions on abortion clinics, shutting down many of them.
The apex courts ruling, described as a major victory for abortion rights advocates, makes similar restrictions placed on clinics in other states unconstitutional.
The 2013 Texas law, passed by a Republican-led state legislature and signed by a Republican governor, required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals.
It also demanded abortion clinics should meet hospital-like surgical standards.
Together, abortion advocates argued, these requirements made it impossible for abortion clinics to survive, and many of them shut down.
The court struck down the law in a 5-3 verdict.
LAHORE: A Christian woman in Pakistan was allegedly stripped naked and assaulted by four men who barged into her house after her brother eloped with a married Muslim woman. Samra, from Haji Park Tajpura locality of Lahore, told police the armed men entered her house and asked her about her brother. They dragged me to a room, tore my clothes and tried to rape me, she said.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
MADRID: Spains centre-left Socialist party has rejected acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys proposal to form a grand coalition with his conservative Popular Party. The Popular Party won 137 seats in Sundays unprecedented repeat vote, which was still short of the majority in the 350-seat Parliament.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
BEIRUT: A group of suicide bombers detonated their explosives vests in a northeastern Lebanese village near the border with Syria on Monday, killing five people and wounding at least 15, a military official said. The blasts occurred in the mostly Christian village of Qaa.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
During his long career as a circuit-riding lawyer in Illinois prior to his presidency, Abraham Lincoln won over countless juries with his slow-talking style, his natural wit, and his story-telling ability.
By Charles M. Hubbard
Abraham lincoln spent only four of his 56 years as president of the United States. Yet, given the importance of the events that marked his 1861-65 term of office, the nations admiration for him as a man of courage and principle, and the abundance of photographic images that recorded his presidency, it is hard for most people to think of him as anything else.
But there were other facets to the career of this man who led the nation through the Civil War years. Prior to his presidency, Lincoln honed his political skills and aspirations through the practice of law.
In 1837, while serving in the Illinois state legislature, Lincoln completed his legal training and joined the office of John Todd Stuart in the new Illinois capital at Springfield. Except for a sojourn in Washington, D.C., as a Whig Congressman during 1847-49, the law remained the future presidents chief occupation until his election to the White House in 1860.
In his Life of Lincoln, William H. Herndon* stated that his partner was a good lawyer but not a scholarly one. Lincoln, he wrote, was strikingly deficient in the technical rules of law.I doubt if he ever read a single elementary law book through in his life. In fact, I may truthfully say, I never knew him to read through a law book of any kind.
This assessment has been disputed or at least modified by those who have since studied Lincolns law career. But whether or not Lincoln lost some cases due to a lack of technical expertise on certain points of law, the fact remains that he was a successful trial attorney. He knew, everyone agrees, how to win over a jury.
The bulk of Lincolns courtroom work took place away from Springfield as he traveled twice a year with the presiding judge and fellow lawyers to the county seats of Illinois Eighth Circuit Court. Since most of those who served on the juries in these small towns were farmers and other country folk, Lincolnhimself a product of a rural environment and by nature a slow talkerrecognized the need to argue his cases in the simplest and most straightforward manner. As one observer noted, his illustrations were often quaint and homely, but always clear and apt, and generally conclusive. . . . His wit and humor and inexhaustible store of anecdotes, always to the point, added immensely to his powers as a jury advocate.
A medical malpractice suitFleming vs. Rogers & Crothersin which Lincoln represented the physician defendants is a case in point.
Just after midnight, on the morning of October 17, 1855, the sleeping residents of Bloomington, Illinois, awoke to the sound of fire bells ringing throughout the community. Before long a crowd of more than four thousand had congregated to watch firemen struggle to contain the blaze that had begun in the livery stable behind the Morgan House and had spread to neighboring buildings. By the time the fire was extinguished, most of the buildings on the block, including those housing the offices of the Central Illinois Times and Bloomington Pantagraph, had been destroyed; only the bank and a hardware store remained.
There was one fatalityWilliam Green, a local draymanand among those injured was Samuel G. Fleming, a carpenter from Bloomington who suffered two broken thighs when a Morgan House chimney collapsed on him. Fleming was carried to the home of his brother John, where he was treated by Drs. Thomas P. Rogers, Jacob R. Freese, and Eli K. Crothers. Dr. Freese set and bandaged Flemings left leg, while Crothers worked on the right, assisted by Dr. Rogers. The physicians dressed the limb, Freese later said, with care and in the same manner as I have seen it done by some of the most celebrated Surgeons of this Country, and in the same manner as is recommended by some of the best authors on Surgery.
At least one of the doctors visited Fleming daily for the next two weeks and each was satisfied with his progress. In fact, Dr. Freese claimed in a deposition taken in August 1857 that Fleming had stated that, He was getting along first rate, and that, were it not for the confinement, He would scarcely Know that his thighs were brokenso little pain did he suffer.
That changed about 16 days after the accident, when Fleming began to experience severe pain at the fracture point of the right leg. When his sister, who had been nursing him since a week after his injury, ran her hand along the fracture, she thought that she could discover it misplaced. The doctors, however, believed the leg was mending as it should and merely ordered an increase in morphine for the injured man. A few days later, Dr. Crothers told Fleming that his pain was a symptom of pleurisy, not anything to do with his leg.
Twenty-four days after the fire, Dr. Rogers, who had been out of town for some time, visited Fleming and removed the bandages. The doctor remarked, according to Miss Fleming, that the legs were crooked as Rams horns. Rogers sent for the other doctors, and the three measured Flemings legs, one of which was found to be almost an inch shorter than the other. They re-dressed the legs, this time changing the arrangement of the splints.
Eight days later, the trio again removed the bandages and found, Dr. Freese stated, the left one doing wellbut the right one had a considerable bend at the point of fracture. The fracture was originally oblique, and now we found the lower Sharp point of the upper Portion of the thigh bone bending outward from a proper line of the bonewhen in sound condition.
This time, the physicians recommended that Fleming allow them to break up the adhesions, reset the thigh, and let the leg again begin the knitting process. After careful discussions with the three doctors, the patient and his family agreed to this procedure.
Dr. Freese administered chloroform to Fleming. He was assisted by Isaac M. Small, a cabinet maker and medical student who was present on this occasion only out of curiosity. Once Fleming was thought to be unconscious, Small stated, Dr. Crothers began manipulating the limbThat is to break up and re-adjust the fracture, [and] Dr. Rogers took hold of the foot with a view to produce the proper amount of extension.
As it happened, however, Fleming had not felt the full effects of the chloroform and soon began to scream in pain, ordering the doctors to stop. Dr. Crothers, explained to the patient that if they did not continue, his leg would always be deformed and he would suffer permanent damage, with the possibility of continuing pain and discomfort. Nonetheless, Small remembered, Fleming once again screamed at the doctors to let him alone, he had suffered enough. Relatives present in the room reinforced Flemings decision, so the doctors discontinued the procedure. Crothers, according to Small, told Fleming that he would not be responsible for the result, unless [they continued], but acceding to his wishes, they again bandaged the right leg.
By spring, the leg had healed, but, as Dr. Crothers had expected, it was badly misshapen, causing Fleming to have limited mobility and to walk with a limp. Fleming blamed the doctors for the condition of his leg and, after securing the services of a team of six lawyers, filed suit on March 28, 1856, in the McLean Circuit Court against Drs. Crothers and Rogers.
In his declaration, Fleming alleged that his attending physicians had deliberately failed to use due and proper care, skill and diligence in caring for his broken thighs. As a result of this negligence, the suit claimed, Fleming had thereby suffered and underwent great and unnecessary pain and anguish andis much reduced and weakened in body, and his legs, having healed in an unsightly and unnatural a manner, were crooked, misshapen and useless. As compensation for his suffering and the expenses incurred during his convalescence, the plaintiff demanded payment by the defendants of $10,000.
To plead their case, Crothers and Rogers turned to attorneys David Brier, Jessie Birch, L. L. Strain, and Andrew W. Rogers, all of Bloomington. To counter the presence on the plaintiffs legal team of lawyer Leonard Swett, who was known for his grasp of medical issues and the subject of anatomy, Crothers also sought the counsel of Abraham Lincoln and John Stuart.
The former partners, who took the lead in the doctors defense, had only a week to prepare their case before the Circuit Courts spring term opened in Bloomington on April 7, 1856. They requested a continuance from Judge David Davis on the grounds that Dr. Rogers, the major physician, is now so unwell as to be unable to attend the present term of court, andhis personal presence at the trial is necessary to enable them to conduct the defense of the case properly. Rogers, they stated, had visited said plaintiff much more frequently than did said Cerothers [sic.] andhas the more intimate acquaintance with, and perfect knowledge of the whole case. Judge Davis, having been assured that Dr. Rogers would be able to attend the Courts fall term, continued the case until then but required the defendants to pay the court costs.
Judge Davis and Lincoln enjoyed a close working relationship, as well as a personal friendship. Lincoln traveled with other attorneys who followed Daviss circuit in a circus like caravan, often entertaining the judge and his fellow lawyers after hours with his humorous stories and anecdotes. The judge respected the future presidents legal opinions and his skill as a hardworking, frontier lawyer and occasionally asked Lincoln to take the bench in his absence. As a result of this interaction, Judge Davis became one of Lincolns mentors.
This apparent conflict of interest was not uncommon on the circuit and rarely aroused objections from other lawyers familiar with the rigors of travel within the Courts jurisdiction. Younger attorneys on the trial circuit often sought the services of Lincoln, whose experience and presence in the courtroom had earned their respect.
When the Fleming case was called before Judge Davis in September, the defendants again requested a postponement. Dr. Freese, it seemed, had moved to Cincinnati on short notice and had not been able to give his deposition to the attorneys before leaving Bloomington. His testimony was considered vital to the defense because he was present when plaintiffs limb was first set, and knows that it was [done] properly . . . . Likewise he was there when the leg was examined several days later and saw that it was right then . . . . Freese had also taken part in the consultation at which the doctors decided not to take immediate action in the hope that the bone would improve without rebreaking. And no other witness, the deposition concluded, could so knowledgeably testify to the correctness of the doctors efforts on the day that the attempt was made to break the bones adhesions. Judge Davisassured that Freeses testimony would be available at the next court term and that this application is not made for delay, but that justice may be doneagain granted the continuance at the defendants expense.
Lincoln, William Herndon noted, possessed a keen sense of justice, and struggled for it, throwing aside forms, methods, and rules, until it appeared as pure as a ray of light flashing through a fog-bank. . . . [W]hen he had occasion to learn or investigate any subject he was thorough and indefatigable in his search. He not only went to the root of the question, but dug up the root, and separated and analyzed every fiber of it. For this kind of effort, Lincoln, who was always handling several cases simultaneously and who was, during the mid-1850s, heavily involved in politics, required the time that the two continuances provided.
Before Fleming vs. Rogers and Crothers finally came to trial in the spring of 1857, Lincoln had sought instruction from Dr. Crothers in the more technical medical aspects of the case. Using chicken bones to demonstrate his points, Crothers described the chemistry of bone growth and the organic changes that take place in bones during the aging process.
Lincoln found that Crothers use of the chicken bones made the technical medical evidence completely comprehensible, and he immediately decided to adopt the same technique in the courtroom. It would not be the only time that the frontier-bred Lincoln would use farm-related metaphors to make his points to a jury or, as president, to Congress and the American people.
During the well-attended, week-long trial, 15 doctors and 21 other witnesses testified on behalf of the plaintiff. The defendants also called upon a bevy of medical men to buttress their claims. Many years after the trial, Dr. Crothers daughter Lulu wrote that she had been told of an exchange that took place during Lincolns cross-examination of Fleming on the witness stand. When Lincoln asked the plaintiff if he were able to walk, she related, Fleming answered that he could, but my leg is short, so I have to limp. At that, Miss Crothers continued, Lincoln dramatically replied: Well! What I would advise you is to get down on your knees and thank your Heavenly Father, and also these two Doctors that you have any legs to stand on at all!
Lincoln saved his lesson on how bones heal for his summation to the jury. Then, holding up two chicken-leg bonesone from an old chicken and the other from a young onehe demonstrated to the jury their respective texture and resilience. The bones of the young bird were supple, while those of the old chicken were brittle and broke easily. Fleming, being in middle age, Lincoln pointed out, would have bones more closely resembling the latter than the former. Unable, according to Lulu Crothers, to remember about the lime or calcium deposited in older peoples bones, Lincoln told the jurors that the bone from the older chicken, has the starch all taken out of itas it is in childhood.
This graphic demonstration had the desired effect on some of the jurors, a majority of whom probably entered the courtroom predisposed toward Fleming and prejudiced against the more affluent defendants. After 18 hours of deliberation, the jurors failed to reach a decision. Judge Davis put the case over to the fall term of court.
By September, the doctors had suffered the loss of another vital witness from the Bloomington area. Isaac Small, who had helped to administer the chloroform to Fleming at the time the attempt was made to re-break his right thigh bone, had moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Judge Daviss decision to grant this latest continuance in the Fleming suit, however, was based more on Lincolns preoccupation at the time with an important regional case involving the Rock Island Bridgethe first built over the Mississippi Riverand the importance of east-west transportation to the expanding United States.
Just before 1857 came to an end, Brier and Birch, two of the other attorneys for the defense, asked the judge for a change of venue for the case on the grounds that Fleming had undue influence over the minds of the people of McLean County, where the first trial had been heard. The plaintiffs lawyers not objecting, Davis ordered the case transferred to the Logan County Circuit Court, whose county seat of Lincoln was, ironically, named for opposing counsel.
The retrial of the case never took place, both sides having agreed to a settlement before the March 1858 court term began. The doctors named in the suit agreed to pay the fees incurred by Fleming, whose expense probably totaled less than a thousand dollars.
The Chicken Bone Case illustrates the great communicative skills of Abraham Lincoln, who understood his audiencesin this case, the juryand used wit and metaphor to explain complex issues. Soon after the Fleming suit was settled, Lincoln became preoccupied with the race for U.S. senator from Illinois. Nominated by the new Republican Party in June, Lincoln engaged in a series of debates with the Democratic incumbent, Stephen A. Douglas, that propelled him onto the national political stage.
Although Lincoln lost that election, the campaign was an important step on his road to the White House. Once elected president, he used his language skills to craft carefully worded public statements that rank among Americas greatest expressions of political philosophy. And to a great extent, he used the talents that he had honed as an Illinois circuit lawyer to maintain popular support in the North for the war effort and to develop a political constituency that sustained the army in the field.
Charles M. Hubbard is the Dean of Lincolniana and Associate Professor of History at Lincoln Memorial University.
*Four years after John T. Stuart, who had encouraged Lincolns legal studies, took him in as a partner in 1837, Lincoln joined the firm of Stephen T. Logan, again as a junior partner. In 1844, Lincoln teamed up with William H. Herndon, this time as a senior partner.
[ Top ] [ Cover]
ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA PROFILES BLACK HISTORY, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., $29.95.
A comprehensive look at nearly 400 years of African-American history is presented in this CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows, which includes detailed discussions of abolitionism, the American Anti-Slavery Society, the 1839 Amistad mutiny, the 1857 Dred Scott ruling, the Ku Klux Klan, the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, and the Underground Railroad. The program also features more than 500 articles and film clips, audio recordings, and hundreds of photographs, together with biographies of such well-known African Americans as Crispus Attucks, who was killed in the 1770 Boston Massacre; abolitionist Harriet Tubman; Robert Smalls, naval hero of the Civil War and congressman from South Carolina; Mabel Keaton Staupers, the nurse noted for her role in ending segregation in the Armed Forces Nurse Corps during World War II; civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
Armed with their new, lethal seven-shot Spencer rifles, Wilders
Lightning Brigade was all that stood between the Union Army
and the looming disaster at Chickamauga Creek.
By Hubert M. Jordan
Historically, the Battle of Chickamauga is recorded as a two-day battle starting on September 19, 1863. For the men of Colonel John T. Wilders mounted infantry brigade, the fabled Lightning Brigade, the battle actually started a day earlier. And, as events would prove, the Lightning Brigade was not only one of the first units from the Army of the Cumberland to be engaged at Chickamauga, but also the last unit to leave the field.
The men in the Lightning Brigade reflected the fighting spirit of their combative commander. John T. Wilder was an imaginative man who took great pride in his work and was determined to build one of the finest fighting units in the Union Army. Originally from New York, Wilder moved to Ohio when he was 19 and took a job as a draftsman and millwright in a mill in Columbus. Later, he moved to Greensburg, Ind., where he established his own foundry. He became an expert in hydraulic engineering, erecting numerous mills in the North and the upper South.
When the Civil War started, Wilder was determined to form his own artillery battery, and he cast two cannons in his foundry. However, his application was turned downthe state of Indiana had already met its quota of artillery batteries. Undaunted, Wilder joined the 17th Indiana Infantry as a captain and was quickly appointed lieutenant colonel.
As an infantry unit, the 17th Indiana constantly skirmished with Confederate cavalry. One day, frustrated because there was not enough Union cavalry to protect the infantry, Wilder ordered his men to mount mules used to pull the regiments supply wagons. The mules were not used to being ridden and did not take kindly to the foot soldiers attempts to ride them. As fast as the men mounted the mules, they were thrown off, much to the amusement of the men from other units who had gathered to watch. Wilder, however, was convinced that his men should be mounted, and he requested permission to do so. Three months later, on February 12, 1863, permission was granted.
Wilders next goal was to provide his soldiers with the best weapons available, and he attended a demonstration of Christopher Spencers new repeating rifle. The Spencer had a tubular magazine that held seven rimfire cartridges and, it would soon prove to be one of the most deadly weapons in the Civil War. Wilder arranged for a bank loan back in Indiana to finance the purchase of the Spencers, while his men agreed to have money deducted from their pay to help reimburse their commander. In May 1863, Wilders men received their new rifles, becoming one of the first mounted infantry units in the Army of the Cumberland to be equipped with repeating rifles.
Wilders brigade at the start of the Chickamauga campaign consisted of the 17th and 72nd Indiana and the 92nd, 98th and 123rd Illinois. The brigades artillery support was supplied by Captain Eli Lillys 18th Indiana Battery, which featured six 3-inch Rodman guns.
The Lightning Brigade had been assigned to Maj. Gen. Joseph Reynolds division of Maj. Gen. George Thomas XIV Corps. However, the brigade had what amounted to an independent commission to support all three corps in Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans army during its advance through Middle Tennessee toward the strategic railroad town of Chattanooga, on the Georgia border.
Confederate General Braxton Bragg planned to lure Rosecrans into a false sense of security, hoping to make him think that the Confederate army was demoralized and retreating toward Atlanta. To convince Rosecrans that his army was in bad shape, Bragg had some of his men pose as deserters and report that the Rebel army was demoralized and unable to offer any resistance to the swift Union advance.
Braggs plan worked like a charm, and by early September Rosecrans army was spread out over a large area, with the three corps separated by 60 miles of mountainous, heavily wooded terrain. The rough terrain made it hard for the three corps to maintain contact. Each of the three corps commanders was operating in the dark, not knowing where the enemy army was located.
In truth, Bragg had concentrated his army on the east side of Chickamauga Creek, hidden in the dense forest from the eyes of the Union army. While Federals laboriously inched southward, Braggs army was preparing for battle. Bragg had been heavily reinforced with two divisions from the Army of Mississippi and an entire corps from the Army of Northern Virginia. The original plan was to attack Thomas corps as it crossed Chickamauga Creek and began its climb up the Pigeon Mountain, and to crush the corps before help could arrive. Other segments of Braggs army would wait for Maj. Gen. Thomas Crittendens corps and then attack it. Finally, the full weight of the Confederate army would be brought down on Maj. Gen. Alexander McCooks corps, destroying the Army of the Cumberland corps by corps.
By September 10, Rosecrans had begun to realize that Braggs army was not in retreat. Units from Thomas corps began to report the presence of large Rebel units. Major General James Negleys division encountered a strong Rebel force when it crossed the Chickamauga, and Negley was forced to retreat. Thomas reported back to Rosecrans that the enemy was no longer falling back in disarray, as they had been led to believe. Both Thomas and McCook were concerned about being spread so far apart. After consulting with Thomas, McCook started making plans to shift his corps northward and closer to Thomas corps.
Wilders brigade was now attached to Crittendens corps and on September 11 had marched near Ringgold, Ga., where it had skirmished with Colonel J.S. Scotts brigade of Confederate cavalry, driving it toward Tunnel Hill, then skirmished for half an hour with a second Rebel force before driving the enemy back toward Buzzard Roost.
The next day the brigade was ordered back to Ringgold. About four miles from its destination, the brigade encountered pickets from Brig. Gen. John Pegrams division of Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrests Confederate cavalry. The brigade attacked and drove Pegrams units down the road to LaFayette. Soon Wilder learned that Brig. Gen. Otto F. Strahls Confederate brigade was deployed across the road to Lee and Gordons Mill. Wilders brigade was cut off, virtually surrounded by enemy forces. Luckily for Wilder, the Confederates hesitated to attack his brigade, not knowing the composition of the Union force that had suddenly appeared in their midst.
At dusk, Wilder ordered his men to build fires over a large area to make the enemy believe that a large force was camping for the night. While the 72nd Indiana and the 98th and 123rd Illinois formed a line of battle with Lillys battery, the 17th Indiana started searching for a way out. Scouts were sent out to round up some local inhabitants who were threatened with death if they failed to lead the Union forces out of the trap.
By 8 p.m., the 17th Indiana had found a way out, and the brigade began to march north past the pickets of Strahls brigade. The brigade got out of the situation without losing a man. Wilders brigade reached Crittendens position about midnight, tired and exhausted from the long and arduous march, yet happy to have escaped certain capture.
With more and more units reporting encounters with Rebel units, Rosecrans decided to unite his three corps, and messages were sent to Thomas and McCook to concentrate their forces on Crittendens corps. The Army of the Cumberland was still vulnerable to attackand now Bragg was ready to attack.
On September 15, Bragg announced his final plans at a meeting of his senior officers. He intended to march northward and then west to interpose the army between Chattanooga and the Union forces. This would force Rosecrans to either fight or fall back across the Tennessee River to keep his supply line open.
By September 17, the forces on both sides were moving northward, and it was only a matter of time before they would collide with each other. Rosecrans realized that the vital crossings over Chickamauga Creek needed to be defended, yet he was still not fully convinced that the Rebels had anything more than a few cavalry units in the area. To counter any threat by Confederate cavalry, he ordered Wilders brigade, along with Colonel Robert Mintys cavalry, to defend Reeds and Alexanders bridges. The two brigades were all that would stand in the way of Braggs effort to cut off the Union army from Chattanooga.
To complicate matters, Wilders five regiments were now reduced to four. The 92nd Illinois had been sent to Missionary Ridge outside Chattanooga to guard the courier line for the army. Mintys brigade consisted of the 4th Michigan, 7th Pennsylvania and 4th U.S. Cavalry troops, along with a battalion of the 3rd Indiana. Supporting his brigade was a section from the famous Chicago Board of Trade Artillery Battery. Due to sickness and lack of fresh remounts, both the units were under strength. Mintys brigade numbered less than 1,100 men, while Wilders brigade numbered about 2,000.
On the morning of September 17, Wilders brigade headed for Alexanders Bridge, three miles north of Lee and Gordons Mill, while Mintys brigade was sent to Reeds Bridge. Both commanders saw evidence of strong Confederate forces in the immediate area. Dust clouds could be seen rising from the east side of the creek. Minty reported his concerns to Crittenden, who discounted the reports, believing that it was only scattered Confederate cavalry.
In spite of continued reports of increased Confederate activity in the area, the Union commanders failed to realize the importance of safeguarding the crossings over the Chickamauga, in effect leaving only two undersized brigades to defend the entire left flank of the army against 16,000 Confederates. During the night of September 17, Minty sent several worried dispatches to Crittenden, stating that he could hear train after train arriving at Ringgold and unloading Confederate infantry. Convinced that an attack was imminent, Minty had his men awakened before daylight. They fed their horses and ate their meal as the first rays of daylight came over the mountains. At daylight, the horses were saddled and the artillery harnessed. Camp was struck and the gear loaded and sent to the rear.
At 5 a.m., Minty sent out two reconnaissance parties of 100 men each to try to locate the Rebels. Men of the 4th U.S. Regiment were sent toward Leets Tan Yard, and 100 men from the 4th Michigan and 7th Pennsylvania, under the command of Captain Hebert Thompson, were dispatched toward Ringgold. By 6 a.m., Thompson reported the enemy moving in force toward his position. Minty moved the 4th U.S., the 4th Michigan and a section of artillery east about a mile and a half to a ridge overlooking Pea Vine Valley. To buy more time, he reinforced his pickets and sent them halfway down the east slope of Pea Vine Ridge. Meanwhile, the Thompson scouting party fought a skirmish with units of Colonel John S. Fultons infantry brigade, supported by a battery of Georgia artillery. The intense musketfire, coupled with deadly artillery, forced Thompson and his men to fall back and take cover on Pea Vine Ridge.
At 11 a.m., Minty sent the following message to Brig. Gen. Thomas Wood: Sir: The enemy has driven in my scouts from toward Ringgold and are following up apparently in force. Cavalry and infantry are reported. I am now skirmishing heavily. I have had one man killed and several wounded. Please report my signal to Generals Rosecrans and Crittenden.
For the men of Wilders brigade, the morning of September 18 was clear and beautiful. The men had foraged for breakfast, and by midmorning the smell of eggs, bacon and chicken wafted over the area of Alexanders Bridge. Units of the 72nd Indiana and 123rd Illinois had been posted on the east side of the bridge to act as pickets. For time being all was quiet, until men of the 72nd Indiana who had been foraging on the east side of the creek returned suddenly, reporting Rebel infantry to the northeast. Boots and Saddles was blown by the buglers of each regiment, immediately followed by orders to fall in. The entire brigade took up positions in preparation for battle.
From atop Pea Vine Ridge, Minty could see long lines of Confederate infantry marching toward Dyers Bridge and ford a mile to his north. Both crossings were unprotected. Minty sent a courier to Wilder asking him to send reinforcements to guard the crossing points. Shortly after 11 a.m., Wilder received Mintys request and promptly dispatched seven companies of the 72nd Indiana, along with the 123rd Illinois and a section of Lillys battery.
After sending the units northward, Wilder deployed the 17th Indiana to the right of Alexanders Bridge, with the 98th Illinois on the left side. Dense woods in the immediate area around the bridge on the west side of the creek helped shield the two units. The creek at that point was narrow and deep with steep banks. The enemy had no choice but to try to take the bridge or find another place to ford the creek. Four hundred yards southwest of the bridge, the four remaining guns of Lillys battery were emplaced on a knoll. Wilder had fewer than 1,000 men to oppose 8,000 Confederate infantry, plus part of Forrests vaunted cavalry, all supported by artillery.
At Reeds Bridge, the 123rd Illinois was deployed to occupy and hold Dyers Bridge, while the 72nd Indiana was sent to guard the ford farther downstream. As one company of the 72nd moved near the ford, it was ambushed by enemy troops who had already crossed the ford. A sharp skirmish ensued, driving the 72nd back toward Dyers Bridge. A few minutes later, the 72nd was ordered to withdraw and report back to Minty.
Minty, in the meantime, had regrouped his command east of the bridge and ordered an advance against the lead elements of the enemy corps, driving them over the ridge and back into the Pea Vine Valley. The Confederates now established a crescent-shaped line that extended from the creek above Dyers Ford across the ridge into Pea Vine Valley. The men in gray numbered nearly 10,000, including 15 regimental stands of colors.
Mintys men were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the enemy and unable to hold on to the eastern side of the bridge. The best they could do would be to try to delay the Confederates as long as possible before withdrawing across the bridge. To that end, Minty formed a new line 500 yards east of the bridge with the 4th Michigan, two battalions of the 4th U.S. and the remaining companies of the 7th Pennsylvania. He ordered the artillery and one squadron of the 4th U.S. to set up an ambush near the bridge in a densely wooded patch. The rest of the 4th U.S. was ordered back across the bridge. There they formed on the high ground immediately west of the creek.
As the Confederates swept by the Reed house on the battlefield, the ambush was sprung. The four guns of the Board of Trade Battery opened up on the surprised Rebels, raking them with double-shotted canister. When the Southerners stopped to redeploy, Minty sent the 4th Michigan across the bridge, followed closely by the 7th Pennsylvania. To cover the withdrawal, a squadron of the 4th U.S., led by the Lieutenant Wirt Davis, made a brave saber charge that gave the beleaguered cavalrymen time to get across the bridge. Crossing the bridge behind them, Davis and his men stopped under heavy fire and ripped up the flooring on the bridge, tossing the planks into the creek.
Minty now formed a line on the high ground west of the bridge. For the next two hours his brigade held the entire Rebel force in check. But by 3 p.m. the Confederates had crossed the bridge, and other forces were finding shallow places to cross the creek as well. Seeing that he could no longer hold out against vastly superior numbers being brought to bear on his tired troopers, Minty sent word to the 123rd Indiana to withdraw, adding that he was unable to hold out much longer.
Meanwhile, at Alexanders Bridge, Wilder and his two regiments were engaging another large Confederate force. At 10 a.m., a company of Southern infantry made the first attempt to cross the bridge, but was quickly driven back by the pickets of the 72nd Indiana. After the initial attack, members of the regiment ripped up the planking on the bridge and built a lunette fort on the west side of the bridge astride the road. Thirty-seven men from Company A then took up positions in the lunette, waiting for the next Confederate attack.
Lillys battery of four rifled guns opened fire with long-range canister and percussion shells. Captain William Fowlers Alabama battery returned fire. One of the Rebel batterys first shells landed near Lillys No. 2 gun, ricocheting and hitting the corner of the Alexander house and bouncing back among members of the battery. Private Sidney Speed alertly ran over, picked up the live shell and hurled it over the log house, where it exploded harmlessly.
For the next several hours, Wilders men traded fire with the 30th and 34th Mississippi, who had taken positions in a cornfield on the east side of the creek. The Confederates continued to charge the bridge, only to be driven back by Company A, reasonably secure in their lunette.
For almost five hours, Wilders brigade held off the Rebel attack. But eventually Confederate units began to find places where they could cross without opposition. With Minty withdrawal from Reeds Bridge, the Southerners gained a secure foothold on the west side of the creek. At 4 p.m., Wilder reported the crossing of the enemy: The enemy are crossing [infantry and cavalry] Chickamauga Creek at Alexanders and Byrams Ford below. Colonel Minty has fallen back toward Roseville; has two of my regiments. Colonel Minty reports cannonading toward Cleveland last night. This forenoon a column of dust arose in Napier Gap; three hours in passing. A large camp fire is now seen at Napiers. The column that attacked me came through Napiers Gap; another column came from the direction of Peelers. Colonel Minty reports infantry flanking him on both flanks.
Wilders men were being pressed from all sides. Time was rapidly approaching when they could no longer hold their position and would have to withdraw. Wilder had already received word from Minty that he was being forced to withdraw from Reeds Bridge. With Minty gone, the Confederates began streaming across Chickamauga Creek and heading south towards Alexanders Bridge and Wilders left flank.
At 5 p.m., Lillys battery fired its last rounds, limbered up its guns and withdrew. The 17th Indiana covered their withdrawal, and the 98th Illinois slowly fell back, fighting as they withdrew. After these units started withdrawing, the men of Company A realized they would soon be surrounded and captured if they did not try to escape. The men knew that they could not all leave at once, so they decided to let two men at a time slip away. Sergeant Joseph A. Higinbotham, in running 30 yards, was shot five timesin the head, face, right arm, left side and right leg. Remarkably, he recovered from his wounds, but later died at Corinth, Miss, in January 1864. In all, the company lost two wounded, as well as 31 of their 37 horses killed.
Wilders brigade fell back about three miles before stopping and setting up a new defensive line. There they threw up breastworks of fence rails, rocks and trees. The horses were sent to the rear, and the brigade prepared to meet another onslaught from the Confederate army. The 72nd Indiana and 123rd Illinois rejoined the brigade and were placed in line on the left. Mintys brigade took up positions to the right of Wilders brigade.
Five Confederate brigades moved down the west bank toward Lee and Gordons Mill. Marching as fast as they could, they ran right into Wilders brigade. The Southern skirmish line was halted immediately by the deadly fire of the Lightning Brigades Spencer rifles.
Captain Joseph Vale of Mintys command found General Crittenden, accompanied by General Wood and Wilder, at the Viniard house. He reported that Minty had been engaged since 7 a.m. Crittenden asked the captain: Who is it that is coming? What have you been fighting out there? Vale responded, Buckners corps, Hoods division of infantry and artillery, and some of Forrests cavalry. Crittenden refused to believe the report, saying, Wilder has come in with the same outlandish story; there is nothing in this country except Pegrams dismounted and Forrests mounted cavalry, with a few pieces of artillery.
Minty himself rode up a few minutes later and reported to Crittenden that the Rebels were now on the west side of the creek and advancing toward his position. Crittenden, still believing that the enemy did not have such a force in front of them, ordered Wood to take a brigade of infantry and drive off the Rebel units. While Wood was organizing his brigade, Wilder and Minty rode back to their units.
Wood moved his brigade up to Wilders position and, accompanied by Crittenden, rode up to Wilder and demanded to know where the enemy was. Wilder replied, Ride forward, General, ten paces, and you will see for yourself. Wood ordered his brigade to form a line of battle in front of Wilders men. Crittenden added a further dig at Wilder, smirking, Colonel, we expect to hear a good report for you.
Woods infantry advanced into the woods and suddenly met a tremendous volume of musketry from both front and flank. The infantry broke and ran, bowling over Wilders and Mintys men in panic. Wilder turned to Minty and remarked loudly, Well, Colonel Minty, the general has got his report. Wilder and Minty then rushed forward to counter the enemy attack. Meanwhile, Wood galloped off toward Lee and Gordons Mill, but not before exclaiming, By Gad, they are here!
The Confederates advanced toward the rail barricades behind which Wilders and Mintys men waited. When the Rebels got within 30 yards, Wilder ordered his men to open fire. Both brigades sent a hail of bullets from their Spencers into the enemy. The Confederates were cut down in droves. The graybacks wavered and fell back, leaving many casualties on the field.
The survivors of the first attack re-formed in the tree line and emerged again with fresh units, advancing toward the men of the Lightning Brigade. As soon as they were close enough, the brigade again opened fire, supported by Lillys battery, and whole sections of the Confederate line ceased to exist. Again the Rebels were forced to withdraw to the safety of the woods. The Confederates gave up and broke off the attack around 10 p.m.
For the men of Wilders and Mintys brigades, the fighting finally came to an end. The night of September 18 was cold and miserable, made even worse by the lack of blankets and food for the men because their horses had been moved to the rear, along with their bedrolls and equipment. No fires were allowed, so the exhausted men just lay down in their positions and went to sleep.
All night long, as Wilders men tried to catch some sleep, the sounds of thousands of marching infantry and hundreds of caissons and wagons filled the night air. The entire Union army was on the march. Rosecrans had ordered a realignment of his three corps, and Thomas was ordered to march his XIV Corps north beyond Crittenden and extend the line northward in order to neutralize Braggs flanking maneuver.
At 4 a.m., Wilder and Minty were relieved and moved their brigades to the west out of the Viniard house. For the first time in 24 hours the men and horses were fedsweet potatoes for the men and two ears of corn for each horse. Wilder and his officers met to discuss the actions of the previous day and to prepare plans for the upcoming battle. The day before they had been the left flank of the Union army. Now they found themselves protecting the right flank, as the Union forces had shifted position during the night.
The bravery of the men of Wilders Lightning Brigade and Mintys cavalry had prevented total disaster from befalling the Army of the Cumberland. Without the valiant Union stand on the banks of Chickamauga Creek, the Confederate army would have swept down the Union flank, and the Battle of Chickamauga would have been lost on the very first day. Once again, the Spencer rifles had proved their worth.
Author Hubert Jordans great-grandfather served in the 17th Indiana, part of Wilders Lightning Brigade. For further reading, see Lightning at Hoovers Gap: The Story of Wilders Brigade, by Glenn W. Sutherland; or Chickamaiga: Bloody Battle in the West, by Glenn Tucker.
[ Top | Cover Page ]
Mina Crandons followers believed she had genuine paranormal powers. HarryHoudini was equally certain she was a fraud.
By Daniel Stashower
It was a tense and rather peculiar gathering that took place on July 23, 1924, at 10 Lime Street, an elegant four-story brick house in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. In a narrow room on the top floor, five distinguished men had come together to try to communicate with the dead. Their hostessand guide to the spirit realmwas vivacious, 36-year-old Mina Crandon, who had in recent months become well-known to the public under a stage name of sorts: Margery the Medium.
Margery greeted her visitors in a flimsy dressing gown, bedroom slippers, and silk stockings. This attire, which left little to the imagination, was intended to rule out the possibility of concealment or trickery. It may have had other effects on her male visitors. Margerys girlish figure, fashionably bobbed light-brown hair, and sparkling blue eyes combined to make her, in the words of one bedazzled admirer, too attractive for her own good.
During the previous year, Margery had conducted dozens of similar gatherings, or seances, for some hundreds of impressionable friends and acquaintances. Seated around a wooden table in the pitch-black room, Margery and her fellow sitters experienced a wide range of unearthly happenings. Mysterious bumps and raps rang out. Strange flashes of light pierced the darkness. Sometimes a wind-up Victrola would stop and start of its own accord, or disembodied voices would call from the shadows. Once a live pigeon appeared in the room, seemingly conjured from thin air. Even the table itself became an active participant in the proceedings, rearing up on two legs or rising toward the ceiling. At one especially lively sitting, it pursued a visitor from the room and knocked him off his feet.
Each of these remarkable events was thought to offer proof of the validity of spiritualism, the belief that it is possible for the dead to communicate with the living through an earthly conduit known as a medium. I consider the psychic question to be infinitely the most important thing in the world, declared Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the worlds most visible proponent of spiritualism. All modern inventions and discoveries will sink into insignificance beside those psychic facts which will force themselves within a few years upon the universal human mind.
Conan Doyle was not alone in this view. Spiritualism had been on the wane for decades, but in the wake of World War I, as death touched tens of thousands of households on both sides of the Atlantic, the movement underwent a rebirth. Friends and relatives of fallen soldiers flocked to seances, desperate to receive some word or sign of life beyond the veil. Many of the mediums who set up shop during this period were obvious frauds, callously playing upon the hopes of the bereaved. Others, like Mina Crandon, were not so easily dismissed. Her astonishing versatility and personal charm soon propelled her to international fame, and sparked an enduring controversy.
To a large extent, that controversy began at Margerys July 23 seance. Up to this point, the medium had displayed her talents almost exclusively to sympathetic audiences, who readily saw evidence of their departed loved ones in the strange manifestations at Lime Street. On that particular night, however, the sitters were of a more critical frame of mind, none more so than the man seated to Margerys leftHarry Houdini.
Houdini, who had achieved world fame through his skills as a magician and his abilities as an escape artist, had been creating a new role for himself as the scourge of spirit mediums. I am willing to be convinced, he wrote earlier that year; my mind is open, but the proof must be such as to leave no vestige of doubt that what is claimed to be done is accomplished only through or by supernatural power.
Houdinis public crusade had its roots in a private grief. The death of his beloved mother in 1913 had been a shock from which I do not think recovery is possible. In the intervening years he had attended hundreds of seances, but his longing to contact his mother soon turned to rage at the obvious deceptions he encountered. It galled him to see the public bilked by unscrupulous mediums whose talents, he thought, were no more supernatural than those of honest magicians. He soon vowed to devote the remainder of his life to exposing fraudulent mediums. Even in this, the magician could not entirely restrain his flair for the dramatic. Often he attended seances wearing a false beard and mustache or some other camouflage, the better to observe without being detected. When he had gathered enough evidence to make an exposure, he would leap up, tear off his disguise, and shout, I am Houdini! And you are a fraud!
Houdini needed no disguise when he called upon Margery; the medium relished the chance to convert such a notorious skeptic. Some observers saw this encounter as an acid testnot just of Margerys mediumship, but of spiritualism itself. But if Houdini truly maintained an open mind on the subject, as he often claimed, there was little evidence of it that night as the small seance room came alive with otherworldly activity. A spirit bell rang. A voice called to him in the darkness. A megaphone crashed to the floor at his feet. If these manifestations impressed him, he gave little sign. When the lights came back on, Houdini thanked his hostess and took his leave. On the drive back to his hotel, the magician gave voice to his true feelings. Ive got her, he declared. All fraud.
Mina Crandon seemed an unlikely medium. Where the celebrated Helena Blavatsky, founder of the movement known as Theosophy, had been solid and serious, Mina Crandon resembled nothing so much as a light-hearted flapper. Even Houdini conceded that she was an exceedingly attractive woman, and one psychic researcher cautioned his colleagues to avoid falling in love with the medium. The daughter of a Canadian farmer, Mina had moved to Boston as a teenager to play piano, cornet, and cello in various local dance bands and orchestras. After working as a secretary, an actress, and an ambulance driver, Mina divorced her first husband and married Dr. Le Roi Goddard Crandon, a former instructor of surgery at the Harvard Medical School, in 1918. She was barely 30. Dr. Crandon was at least a dozen years older.
It was Dr. Crandon who introduced his wife to the paranormal. In the spring of 1923 he had become intrigued by an account of table tipping, a rudimentary form of mediumship not unlike a Ouija board. Crandon ordered a table constructed to the exact dimensions specified in the book he had been reading. Toward the end of May, Crandon and his wife invited four of their friends to join them in an attempt to recreate the table-tipping experiment. Following Crandons terse instructions, the sitters took their places at the table, joined hands, and waited for some sign of a spirit presence.
Nothing happened. Mina began to feel silly. They were all so solemn about it that I couldnt help laughing, she recalled. They reproved me severely, and my husband informed me gravely that This is a serious matter.'
Then, abruptly, the table began to moveonly slightly at first, but then more violently, tilting up on two legs before crashing loudly to the floor. Crandon demanded to know which of his guests possessed the mediumistic talent necessary to cause this manifestation. One by one, the physician instructed his friends to remove their hands from the seance table. The table stopped its rocking only when the last of the sitters lifted her hands. Dr. Crandon had his answer. The medium was his own wife.
At first, the very idea of being a medium seemed a great lark to Mina. All through the summer of 1923 the Crandons conducted one seance after another. In each case, Mina appeared to exhibit some strange new power. Indeed, it seemed that Dr. Crandon had only to read of some new psychic manifestation before Mina could duplicate it.
Within a month of the first seance, Dr. Crandon announced a plan to place his wife under hypnosis, in the hope of making contact with a psychic control who would serve as her guide to the spirit world. At first Mina resisted this suggestion, claiming that she didnt want to miss any of the fun while under hypnosis. Eventually, however, she gave in to her husbands wishes, and before long an unfamiliar male voice made itself known to the Crandon circle. I said I could put this through, it announced.
The voice, it was thought, belonged to Walter Stinson, Minas older brother, who had been crushed to death in a railroad accident a dozen years earlier. From this point forward, Walters spirit was a regular presence in the seance room at Lime Street.
Walter proved to have a forceful personality. He had a quick and ready wit and was much given to rough language. Many visitors to the Crandons seance room became convinced of the truth of what they heard simply because they could not imagine that such coarse and irreverent language would issue from the lips of the demure doctors wife. Hell is now completely up to date, Walter once quipped to a roomful of clergymen. We burn oil!
Several observers noted that Walters voice did not appear to come from Mina at all. The sound seemed to originate in a different part of the room, and would continue unabated even while Mina snored her way through a hypnotic trance, or held her mouth full of water. The effect proved so remarkable that one skeptic, searching for some plausible explanation, wondered aloud if perhaps the lady could speak through her ears.
Believing his wife to be a remarkable psychic instrument, Dr. Crandon took her abroad to build up a consensus of favorable opinion from European experts. One of these was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who declared her to be a very powerful medium and that the validity of her gifts was beyond all question.
J. Malcolm Bird, an associate editor of Scientific American magazine, shared Conan Doyles opinion and wrote a series of articles extolling Mrs. Crandons gifts. It was Bird who gave her the name Margery, in an effort to protect the Crandons privacy. Under this name, her renown steadily grew.
By bringing Mrs. Crandon to the attention of Scientific American, Conan Doyle had inadvertently placed her at the center of a growing controversy. In December 1922 the magazine had launched an investigation into the paranormal, with a cash prize of $2,500 to the first person who produces a psychic photograph under its test conditions and $2,500 to the first person who produces a visible psychic manifestation of other character . . . to the full satisfaction of these judges. A special investigating committee would examine all mediums who applied for the prize, with Bird acting as its secretary. Conan Doyle regretted that Bird, a Margery supporter, would have no investigative role, as the author harbored reservations about the rest of the committee, which included several skeptics. When Houdini was asked to lend his talents, Conan Doyle expressed outrage at the capital error of placing an enemy of spiritualism on such a body. The Commission is, in my opinion, a farce, he wrote.
The Crandons, for their part, seemed to welcome the opportunity to test Margerys mettle against the notorious Houdini. Though Scientific Americans money meant little to the wealthy couple, the opportunity to win the approval of such a prestigious bodyat Houdinis expenseproved too great a temptation to resist. Dr. Crandon wrote to Conan Doyle of his willingness to crucify any investigators who doubted his wife. Even the discarnate voice of Walter, speaking from the spirit plane, appeared to relish the challenge.
As it happened, Houdini was not notified when the Scientific American committee began its investigations, and he didnt learn until three months later that the proceedings were under way at all. By this time, rumor had it that the committee was on the point of declaring Margery genuine and awarding her the prize. Bird, in particular, seemed eager to give the magazines endorsement and allowed word of the favorable findings to find its way to the press. Boston Medium Baffles Experts, announced one headline. Houdini the Magician Stumped, declared another.
Houdini, who had not even been present at the investigation, much less stumped, was not pleased. He told Scientific American that he would forfeit $1,000 of his own money if he failed to expose Margery as a fraud. Traveling to Boston, he reviewed the findings of his peers. To his way of thinking, the investigation had been mishandled from the start. Most of the committee members had availed themselves of the Crandons generous hospitality during the proceedingsstaying in their home, eating their food, and enjoying their company. This, Houdini believed, had badly compromised their objectivity. Later it was revealed that accepting room and board had been the least of the transgressions. One investigator had actually borrowed money from Dr. Crandon, while another hoped to win his backing for a research foundation. Worse yet, the distinguished panel was not unaware of Mrs. Crandons attractions. At least one committee member drew comfort in his old age from the recollection of amorous encounters with the celebrated medium.
After the July 23 seance, Houdini left the Crandon home much impressed by the famous Margerythough not by any supernatural powers, he hastened to assure his colleagues. At his hotel later that evening, the magician explained how and why his conclusions differed from theirs. One feat that had baffled the other sitters was the ringing of a spirit bell box, a small wooden clapper-box that sounded an electric bell when pressed from the top. Although Margerys hands were held by the sitters on either side of her and her feet were in contact with theirs, the bell box rang repeatedly throughout the seancea phenomenon she attributed to Walter.
Usually the bell box sat on the floor between Margerys legs, but Houdini had insisted that it be placed on the floor at his own feet. Despite this precaution, the bell rang as merrily as ever. Houdini had a ready answer: I had rolled my right trouser leg up above my knee, he later wrote. All that day I had worn a silk rubber bandage around that leg just below the knee. By night the part of the leg below the bandage had become swollen and painfully tender, thus giving me a much keener sense of feeling and making it easier to notice the slightest sliding of Mrs. Crandons ankle or flexing of her muscles.I could distinctly feel her ankle slowly and spasmodically sliding as it pressed against mine while she gained space to raise her foot off the floor and touch the top of the box. In short, Margerys agile foot, not a spirit visitor, had been responsible for the ringing bell.
Another of the evenings mysteries had involved a megaphone thataccording to the disembodied voice of Walterhad been levitated in the darkness above the sitters heads. Have Houdini tell me where to throw it, the voice had commanded.
Toward me, answered Houdini, whereupon the megaphone instantly crashed to the ground in front of him. Here, too, Houdini had an explanation. Earlier in the proceedings, he said, when one of Margerys hands momentarily came free, she had snatched up the megaphone and placed it on her head, like a dunce cap. In the total darkness of the seance room, no one would have seen her do this. Later, with both of her hands again under control, the medium had made the megaphone sail through the air simply by snapping her head forward. This, Houdini acknowledged, is the slickest ruse I have ever seen.
To assure proper control at future seances, Houdini designed a special fraud-preventer cabinet, a slant-topped crate with openings for the mediums head and arms. Once inside, Margerys movementsand the opportunities for deceptionwould be severely limited. Reluctantly, Margery agreed to conduct a seance from within the cabinet, but not before Dr. Crandon and Houdini exchanged such harsh words that Walter himself felt compelled to call for a truce.
The first seance with the cabinet was not a success. Acting on a tip from Walter, Dr. Crandon discovered a small pencil eraser wedged into the bell box to prevent it from ringing. Outraged, the physician accused Houdini of attempting to sabotage the proceedingsa charge the magician repeatedly denied.
Another attempt proved even more dismal. A collapsible carpenters rulerwhich might have been used to manipulate the bell box and other apparatus from within the cabinetwas discovered at Margerys feet. Margerys defenders saw this as a craven attempt by Houdini to discredit her. Houdini, you God damned bastard, get the hell out of here and never come back! exclaimed the voice of Walter at the seance. In Houdinis view, the folding ruler had been planted to impugn his testimony, and he resented that anyone would take Walters word over his.
By the time Scientific American finally declined to grant the prize to Margery, in large part due to Houdinis exposures, the combustible magician had quarreled, sometimes violently, with every member of the committee. Bird, whom Houdini suspected of active collusion with the Crandons, had resigned as secretary. In his final verdict of the Margery phenomenon, Houdini wrote, My decision is, that everything which took place at the seances which I attended was a deliberate and conscious fraud.
From the great beyond, Walter weighed in with a prediction: Houdini, he said, would be dead within a year. Houdini managed to thwart the prophecy, but only just. He died on October 31, 1926, of complications following a blow to the stomach. In an interview with the press, Margery offered a few words of conciliation, praising Houdinis virile personality and great determination.
Despite Houdinis exposures, Margery emerged from the debacle essentially unscathed. In the seance room, she went on to better things. By the end of 1924 she had begun to produce teleplasmic manifestations similar to those of Eusapia Palladino, a famed Italian medium. Sitters were now treated to the sight of ectoplasmsaid to be the substance of spirit emanationsissuing from Margerys nose, mouth, ears, and other body openings. The emanations, once extruded from the mediums body, sometimes formed themselves into the shape of crude hands. These ectoplasmic limbs, the medium claimed, were responsible for the ringing of the bell box and other phenomena.
Eric J. Dingwall, an officer of Britains Society for Psychical Research, was one of the first to investigate Margerys latest wonder. Having evidently won the confidence of Walter, Dingwall was permitted to view the teleplasmic emanations by the light of a red lamp, which Dr. Crandon flashed on and off to reveal brief glimpses of the phenomenon. Too much light, Crandon explained, would have an inhibiting effect on the ectoplasm. The materialized hands are connected by an umbilical cord to the medium, Dingwall wrote to a friend, they seize upon objects and displace them. Later, when Dingwall was permitted to clasp one of the teleplasmic hands, he described it as feeling like a piece of cold raw beef or possibly a piece of soft wet rubber.
Mid-way through his investigations, however, Dingwall began to entertain doubts. Dr. Crandons lamp never allowed him to see the ectoplasm actually extrude from Margerys body; he had only seen it after the fact. Odder still, photographs revealed that many of the emanations appeared to be hanging from slender, almost invisible threads. Others who examined the photographs noted that the ectoplasm looked suspiciously like animal lung tissue, a substance Dr. Crandon might have obtained through his work at Boston hospitals. Dingwalls final report on the matter was inconclusive.
Margery remained characteristically unconcerned. In an earlier age, she noted, she would have been executed as a witch. Now she found herself the subject of learned investigations. That represents some progress, doesnt it? she asked.
Sitters continued to file into the seance room at Lime Street. One investigation after another raised the possibility of fraud, but none seemed able to make the allegations stick. Even J.B. Rhine, later to become one of the driving forces of paranormal research, was intrigued by Margery, but he came away unimpressed by what he had seen. As ever, Conan Doyle defended the medium. When Rhine published an unflattering account of his experience with Margery, Conan Doyle bought space in several Boston newspapers to run a reply. The black-bordered message read simply: J. B. Rhine is an ass.
By 1928, Margery had added yet another effect to her repertoire, one that promised to excite even more speculation. In recent seances, Walter had hinted that it might be possible for him to leave behind a fingerprint. On a visit to her dentist, Dr. Frederick Caldwell, Margery asked if the hot wax used to take dental impressions might also be used to obtain Walters fingerprint. Caldwell demonstrated how well the wax preserved his thumbprint and gave Margery his sample print and all the necessary materials to make new ones.
That very night, Walter left a thumbprint in the wax. When a so-called fingerprint expert used by the Crandons said the print matched one taken from an old razor that once belonged to Walter Stinson, Margery appeared to have confounded the skeptics. Yet when psychic researcher E.E. Dudley set out to compare Walters wax print with those of people in the Crandon circle, he made a surprising discovery: Walters thumbprint was identical in every way to that of Margerys dentist, Dr. Caldwell. Someone had apparently used the sample thumbprint Dr. Caldwell had made for Margery to create a metal die-stamp suitable for making impressions in wax. The ax had finally fallen. Even many devoted adherents backed away from their earlier endorsements. Malcolm Bird, once her staunchest defender, admitted that at times he had been guilty of elaborations and half-truths. The scientific community let it be known that Margerys seances no longer held any interest.
The mediums decline was rapid and tragic. With the death of Dr. Crandon in 1939, Mina grew melancholy and depressed and turned to alcohol for consolation. She began to look older than her years; one visitor described her as an overdressed, dumpy little woman. She seemed to have difficulty controlling her emotions. During one seance the medium grew so distraught that she climbed to the roof of the Lime Street house and threatened to throw herself off.
Mina Crandon died at the age of 54 in 1941. In the end she had been worn down not so much by the assaults of adversaries like Houdini, but by the entreaties of her supporters, who continually demanded new and better miracles from her. As Eileen Garrett, a fellow medium, observed, Margerys best friends were her worst enemies.
Daniel Stashower is the author of Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle (Holt, 1999). He lives in Washington, D.C.
[ Top ] [ Cover ]
Rumors of a Google phone have been doing rounds for some time now. Latest reports in the saga suggest the Internet giant will come out with an Android device this year.
Citing a senior company source, The Telegraph reported Google will release a phone by end of this year and that the company is discussing with mobile operators about the device. The move is reportedly aimed at taking Apple head on and gain control over how its free operating system, Android, is used. Android runs on nearly every smartphone on the planet, with Apple iOS claiming the rest.
Google's modular smartphone Ara is in the works but what the company intends is a high-end device that can take on not just the iPhone but also on Android rivals including Samsung. Making a device could help Google control hardware and software much like what Apple does with iPhone.
The idea of control seems plausible given equipment manufacturers often modify Android with layers of bloatware and skins that many users may find frustrating. Nexus devices, partnerships of Google with equipment makers like LG, HTC and Huawei, help Google ensure Android used the way it envisaged. However, most phones that operate the OS are outside the ambit of Nexus line.
Google, rather its parent Alphabet, may also want to launch a phone given its absence from one of world's biggest markets; making smartphones would put its software into more hands. The company is reportedly frustrated that there only a handful of premium options available.
While exciting, speculation of Google making phones flies in the face of what its chief Sundar Pichai said last month. According to MacRumors, Pichai said the company was 'investing' more effort into phones in the context of Nexus devices. Google had also hired Rick Osterloh, former Motorola President, to handle Nexus-related partnerships and its hardware endeavors.
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The latest study also pointed out that gay men and bisexuals are more susceptible to "psychological distress," and lesbians have a higher risk of poor or average health, as compared to other women.
This study mirrors its findings of previous research but it doesn't explain why gay, lesbians and bisexual people face that higher health risk. However, according to the researchers, it is the discrimination that causes stress and may be a reason why they feel distressed.
"Stigma and discrimination against the LGBT population can lead to lower levels of self-esteem and cause feelings of shame and rejection," explained study author Gilbert Gonzales, assistant professor with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Nashville.
The study findings revealed that bisexual men had moderate to severe case of psychological distress. "We were surprised to find that bisexual adults were so much more likely to report psychological distress compared to their gay and straight counterparts," Gonzales said. He explains that it is possible that they suffer from anti-gay discrimination in society, in general as well as anti-bisexual bias within the gay community.
According to Brian Mustanski, an associate professor of LGBT issues at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, it is the stigma attached to LGBT that plays a role. His research points out at bullying by others as the leading cause of depression.
Susan Cochran, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, revealed that these findings are not unheard of. However, she added that risk of substance abuse doesn't mean that the person is guaranteed to suffer from it. "Being gay, lesbian or bisexual doesn't necessarily lead to this," she said.
Additionally, she said that sexual orientation also has a part to play. "For example, women who work are more likely to drink and white women are more likely to drink, but women raising small children are less likely to drink. So lesbians -- who are more likely to work, be white and not raising kids -- drink more," she said.
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Human's dependency on artificial intelligence is rising exponentially and, one day it can mean mankind's doom. The celebrated author warned that robots could evolve faster than human race and that it will be difficult to stop them if suitable safety measures are not in place.
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, said during talks in Cannes that AI is being developed to help humanity and that there will be appropriate systems in place, if things go askew. "We've all seen those movies," he said. But he also added that people would always know how to take control over AI, in case it reaches a dangerous level.
Professor Hawking spoke about his fears on the Larry King show. "I don't think advances in artificial intelligence will necessarily be benign," Professor Hawking said. He also said, "Once machines reach a critical stage of being able to evolve themselves we cannot predict whether their goals will be the same as ours."
"Artificial intelligence has the potential to evolve faster than the human race."
This is not the first time that the physicist has spoken about his beliefs out loud. He has already warned about the dangers of a robot uprising. He explained that humanity is under threat as the technology becomes smarter and quick to adapt to its environment. Speaking at an event in London, the physicist said, "The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."
He is not alone in voicing out his concerns about growing influence of AI in our lives. Last year, Elon Musk called artificial intelligence similar to "summoning the demon." Tesla Motors founder cautioned previously that technology could someday become more devastating than the nuclear weapons.
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Australian scientists discovered that the enzymes present inside pineapples help cure diarrhea in piglets. Bromelain, the three enzymes, was first discovered in 1930. However, its antibiotic abilities were known only three decades ago. The study findings proved to be of significance because humans are quite similar to pigs in physiology and anatomy. The enzymes that treated piglets have a high possibility of working well in humans too, Rob Pike, biochemist from LaTrobe University in Melbourne, said. Pike also adds that our bodies have been indiscriminately administered antibiotics that has resulted in resistance of bacteria and also subsequent rise of superbugs.
The enzymes present in pineapples can become a healthier alternative to antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics that only work on the bacteria, the three enzymes found in pineapples worked on piglet's gut. This means that the bacteria will be unable to attach itself to cells along the gut. By targeting the gut cells, bacteria will be unable to evolve, thus stopping the diarrhea from occurring. This is the effect that the scientists hope to replicate in humans too.
According to the scientists, bacteria may already be resistant to colistin, which is the last resort that doctors use when nothing else works. Doctors should be advised to use antibiotics with caution so that they can protect the remaining effective ones, until new treatments come along.
With this new study, the researchers are hoping that the enzymes present in pineapples will be able to make their fight against the bacteria stronger. Professor Pike and his colleague, Lakshmi Wijeyewickrema, are currently working on an alternative treatment to antibiotics.
@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A n Englishmans home is his castle and these days you can buy an actual one for less than the cost of a family house in north London.
Wigmore Castle, in Herefordshire, is set in 32 acres of countryside and has a moat, a jousting field, ancient woodland and is on sale for a mere 800,000.
It is the perfect place to play out your Game of Thrones fantasies and could pass for the site of one of the battles in George RR Martin's novels and TV series.
The ruin is believed to date from the 14th century, but some of it is from the Norman era, when a fortress was held by Edward the Elder.
It also has links to the War of the Roses because it was inherited by Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who returned to Wigmore in 1455 to gather a large army for the battle of St Albans against Henry VI's forces.
If you want to play out your Game of Thrones fantasies then why not purchase the remnants of a castle linked to the Wars of the Roses that inspired George RR Martin's books
Richard Plantagenets son, who took up his Roses cause, was crowned Edward IV after defeating Owen Tudor at the battle of Mortimers Cross, meaning Wigmore Castle became a royal estate. It remained in possession of the Crown until Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Thomas Harley in 1601.
However, Sir Thomas' son was an avid supporter of Oliver Cromwell and during the Civil War his wife ordered Parliamentarian troops to dismantle the castle walls to stop it being used by Royalist forces.
Parts of the castle walls date back to when it was a Norman fortress in Edward the Elder's day
Wigmore is now under the guardianship of the Secretary of State and Historic England, which accepts responsibility - but not ownership, in this case - for buildings of outstanding historic or architectural interest.
This means a purchaser wouldnt have to pay for the upkeep of the crumbling castle. However, it is not certain if a buyer would be allowed to build on the site or even make the castle inhabitable, particularly as it is Grade I-listed.
Also, any monument under guardianship of the Secretary of State must by law be made open to the public so if youre keen to pull up the drawbridge and keep the commoners out you'll have to think again.
Wigmore Castle for sale details
T he Queens property portfolio value rose nearly 10 per cent to 12 billion this year with the Treasury scooping a record 304.1 million in profits.
The Crown Estate, which owns most of the shops, offices and apartments on Regents Street as well as much of St James Street, contributed more than 30 million pounds more to the public coffers this year than in 2015.
The monarch has one of the largest property portfolio holdings in the UK and this year the Crown Estate, which manages it, achieved a market beating return up 6.7 per cent on 2015 following the 1.5 billion it invested in regenerating Regent Street and St James Street.
Take a property tour: the Royal family's homes and palaces 1 /38 Take a property tour: the Royal family's homes and palaces Buckingham Palace London, SW1
Who does it belong to? Royal Collection Trust
Who lives there? The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
The working headquarters of the monarchy. The Queen and Prince Philip live in private apartments on the north side of the Palace, while rooms on the upper floors of the north and east sides are occupied by other members of the royal family. Getty Buckingham Palace Over 50,000 people visit the Palace every year, with the Queen's garden parties held three times each summer and attended by around 30,000 guests. Getty Buckingham Palace The Palace once belonged to Samantha Cameron's family and became a royal residence when it was acquired by George III in 1761 as a family home for his wife, Queen Charlotte and their children. Getty Buckingham Palace Queen Victoria was the first sovereign to rule from Buckingham Palace, using it as a home and a place of entertainment. The high point of royal entertaining at the Palace today is the state banquet, held by the Queen in the ballroom on the evening of the first day of a state visit of a foreign head of state. Getty Windsor Castle Windsor and Maindenhead
Who does it belong to? Royal Collection Trust
Who lives there: The Queen
The official residence of Her Majesty, Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. AFP Windsor Castle William the Conqueror originally commissioned the building of Windsor Castle in around 1070, to secure the western approach to London. It took 16 years to complete and soon became a royal residence thanks to its location, which offered both easy access to London and proximity to a royal hunting forest. Getty Windsor Castle The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor and takes up official residence for a month over Easter (March to April), which is known as Easter Court. It is here that the Queen often hosts state visits from monarchs and presidents.
The Royal Lodge at Windsor Castle was surrounded by flood water after the Thames burst its banks on February 10, 2014 Getty Kensington Palace London, W8
Who does it belong to? The Queen, on behalf of the nation
Who lives there: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
William and Kate have lived in Kensington Palace since 2013. Dating back to the Jacobean times, the Palace has a long history as a residence for members of the royal family. Getty Kensington Palace Diana, Princess of Wales, occupied apartments in the north-west part of the palace from 1981 until her death in 1997. Getty Kensington Palace Parts of the palace reopened to the public in 2012 after a 12 million renovation project that included the King's state apartments (pictured). Getty St James's Palace London, SW1
Who lives there? The Palace contains the London residences of the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra.
In the royal family for over 300 years, St James's Palace has been the setting of some of the most important events in royal history. The Accession Council meets in St James's Palace after the death of a monarch and, later, the accession of the new sovereign is proclaimed by Garter King of Arms from the Proclamation Gallery overlooking Friary Court. Prince George was christened there in 2013. AFP Clarence House City of Westminster, SW1A
Who lives there? Prince Charles and Camilla
Attached to St James's Palace, Clarence House is the official London residence of the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry. Before Charles moved in, it underwent extensive refurbishment. Clarence House The internal decoration was overseen by interior designer, Robert Kime. The arrangement of the rooms was kept similar to as they were during 50 years the Queen Mother lived there, from 1953 until her death in 2002. Much of the Queen's collection of works of art and furniture were returned to their former positions after the renovation.
Prince Charles meets Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand, in 2013. Getty Clarence House Their royal highnesses receive official guests at Clarence House on behalf of the nation, hosting official seminars, lunches, receptions and dinners.
Camilla meets presenter Chris Evans in 2015 Getty Sandringham Estate Norfolk
Who does it belong to? The Queen
Who lives there? The Queen
Sandringham has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs and is the country retreat of Her Majesty. The house is set in 60 acres of gardens, at the heart of the 20,000-acre estate. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, William and Kate's daughter, was christened at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the estate. AFP Sandringham Estate Sandringham's gardens were opened to the public by King Edward VII in 1908, and Sandringham House by the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year in 1977. It is a working estate, with farmers, foresters, gamekeepers and gardeners. Bauer-Griffin Anmer Hall Sandringham Estate
Who lives there: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
The Queen gifted Anmer Hall, which has a swimming pool and private tennis court, to Prince William and Kate. Several million pounds has been spent on refurbishing the 10-bedroom Georgian mansion, said to be largely paid for by the royal family from private funds. Indigo Balmoral Castle Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire
Who does it belong to?The Queen
Who lives there? The Queen
The Scottish holiday home of the royal family, Balmoral Castle belonged to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who purchased it in 1852. The royal connection began hundreds of years ago when Robert II of Scotland (13161390) had a hunting lodge nearby. The castle has been handed down through successive monarchs from Victoria and it now belongs to the Queen personally, with the whole estate extending to roughly 50,000 acres. Getty Balmoral
It is a working estate with deer stalking, grouse shooting, forestry and farming being the main land uses. Parts of the castle and gardens are open to the public from April to July.
The horses at Balmoral are used in place of timber machines to minimise damage to vegetation, soils and water tables. Getty Birkhall Balmoral Estate, Royal Deeside
Who lives there? Prince Charles and Camilla
Formerly the home of the Queen Mother, Birkhall is the Scottish private residence of Prince Charles and Camilla. They usually spend their summer holiday there and are addressed as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland. Getty Craigowan Lodge Balmoral Estate, Royal Deeside
Located on the Balmoral Estate, Craigowan Lodge is a seven-bedroom stone house about a mile from the main castle. It's mainly used by friends and family of the royals, but the Queen has been known to stay here when the castle is being prepared for official visits. Gatcombe Park Gloucestershire
Who does it belong to? Purchased by the Queen for Princess Anne
Who lives there? Anne, Princess Royal
In 1976, the Queen bought the house and farming estate for her daughter Princess Anne, where she still lives with her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. In January 2013, Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall moved to live on the estate. Sporting events and craft fairs are hosted on the grounds throughout the year. Getty The Royal Lodge, Windsor Great Park Berkshire
Who does it belong to? The Crown Estate
Who lives there? Prince Andrew, Duke of York
The Royal Lodge is a Grade II-listed house three miles south of Windsor Castle. It was the Queen Mother's Windsor home from 1952 until her death in 2002, and since 2004 has been Prince Andrew's official residence. Rex Llwynywermod Carmarthenshire, Wales
Who does it belong to? The Duchy of Cornwall
Who lives there? Prince Charles and Camilla
Located just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, the 192-acre estate was bought by the Duchy in 2007 and the three-bedroom farmhouse was converted into a residence for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Getty Llwynywermod Sustainability was at the core of the rebuild, which used local materials and craftsmen. There are two cottages adjoining the main farmhouse that are available for holiday lets when the Charles and Camilla are not in residence. Getty Bagshot Park Berkshire
Who does it belong to? The Crown Estate
Home to: The Earl and Countess of Wessex
Bagshot Park is home to Prince Edward and his wife and two children. The Prince apparently leases the property and stable blocks for 90,000 a year. Alamy Palace of Holyroodhouse Edinburgh, Scotland
Who does it belong to? The Royal Collection
Who lives there? The Queen
The origins of Holyroodhouse date back to the 15th century, when James IV decided to convert the chambers of an Augustinian abbey into a palace. Since then, it has been home to a long list of monarchs and in the Twenties was formally designated as the monarchs official residence in Scotland. Getty Palace of Holyroodhouse The Queen stays at the palace during Holyrood week, which usually takes place from the end of June to the beginning of July. During this time she and Prince Philip entertain around 8,000 Scottish guests. Getty Palace of Holyroodhouse During Pope Benedict XVI's official visit to the UK in 2010, he stayed with the Queen at Holyroodhouse. Prince Charles also resides here for one week a year, and the royal family stayed at the palace for the wedding of Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall. AFP
In 2015/16 it earned 92.6 million in revenue from West End retail and 75.4 million in revenue from central London office rents and 39 million from residential lettings in the capital.
Even with Brexit, the ultra-prime properties that The Crown Estate holds are unlikely to decline in value that much, and in addition, the Crown Estate is run like a large commercial landowner and developer, Peter Wetherell, chief executive of Mayfair estate agent Wetherell, said.
In recent years, properties in ultra-prime London locations have been refurbished and leased as ultra-luxury residences, bringing in more revenue. So its highly doubtful whether there will be a long term dip in profits or payouts to the Royal Household and the Sovereign.
The amount of money the Queen receives from the property portfolio is set at 15 per cent of The Crown Estates profits meaning that this year she got 43 million and if it stays the same she can expect to receive 45 million next year, compared with 31 million in 2012.
The property portfolio and its profits have not been managed by the British monarch since George III surrendered control of it to Parliament in 1760.
News of the upsurge in profits comes ahead of a review of the amount of money the Queen receives from the Treasury, known as the Sovereign Grant.
The grant, which is paid every two years and reviewed every five, was set at 15 per cent in 2012.
This year the Queen spent 30 per cent of the Sovereign Grant on property maintenance of her estate which is deteriorating at a faster rate than they have been able to respond to, according to Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Alan Reid.
During a briefing to launch the report on royal spending, he said: "In 2015-16 spending on property maintenance amounted to 16.3 million and that's 30 per cent of our total expenditure - that's an increase of 39 per cent compared with spending on property maintenance last year."
Sir Alan said a significant amount of this years grant would be used to tackle a backlog in essential maintenance.
Given the poor state of repair of many of the Royal Palaces, and all the tourist generating expenses of this year, its arguable that a pay rise for Her Majesty is long overdue, Wetherell said.
The Queens occupied Royal Palaces such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle are not managed by the Crown Estate and her private homes, including Sandringham House and Balmoral which have been handed down from previous generations, are wholly in her control.
Buckingham Palace is due to undergo 150 million refurbishment including new plumbing and wiring, with some rooms having been last decorated in 1952. The palace declined to confirm whether the funds for these renovations will be taken entirely from the Royal Household's principal revenue stream. A range of costings and timeframes for the required work are expected to be published.
Baar (CH)/Ras al Khaimah (UAE)/Manama (Bahrain) -- The Palace hotel (formerly known as the Ramada Palace hotel) concluded a franchise agreement with Swiss International, with effect from July 1, 2016. The signing took place on Monday June 20th at the hotel in Gudaibiya Avenue Road in Manama, Bahrain. The Managing Director of the owning company, Sheikh Mohammad Sajid and the Chairman of Swiss International, Mr. Henri Kennedie signed the agreement in the presence of the management team of the hotel, under the guidance of Mr. Harish K. Bhojwani, the hotel's General Manager.
With the addition of Bahrain in the company's portfolio, Swiss International embarks on the journey to create its mark in yet another region of Middle East which displays the brand's strong commitment to the Middle East. Coupled with the different attractions that Bahrain offers catering to the distinct interests of people will reap positive results for the hotel and its shareholders.
The Company is already represented in Saudi Arabia with 9 hotels and is looking for further expansion in the Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.
"After 10 years, we wanted to be affiliated with a brand that would align better with our product positioning. Swiss International's Mission Statement: "Living up to the reputation of Swiss Hospitality" is exactly what we want for our hotel in the coming years", said Sheikh Mohammad Sajid.
Mr. Harish K Bhojwani added, "Swiss International offers everything and more what we need to effectively operate in the Bahraini market. A state-of the art central reservation system, forward looking reputation management system, an strong revenue management system and a set of loyalty & reward programs that will impress our guests".
The Chairman of Swiss International, Mr. Henri Kennedie said: "For some time now, we were looking for the right partner in Bahrain to get affiliated with. The company, Al Jabriya Hotel Management CO WLL is committed to the hospitality industry with several hotels in Bahrain and Qatar. Their Palace hotel in Manama is a prime example of an upscale hotel, representing the Swiss Values, which we want to see so dearly in our hotels."
The Swiss International Palace hotel will offer:
Hotel of 84 spacious rooms and suites with free wifi
Restaurants: Swiss Cafe Restaurant & Lounge, TED & Co, Bar & Lounge, Akbar, Indian specialty restaurant, Thai restaurant and a Turkish Moroccan restaurant
Eventives for conferences and Banquets Capacity from 10 delegated to 2,000
Twister Club
Inspirations Pool & Gym and Thai Spa
The rebranding of the Palace Hotel to the Swiss International Palace hotel will be completed by September 1, whilst the reservation channels will be open as from July 1, 2016.
It is with no doubt that the Swiss International brands have made remarkable impact on global hospitality offerings and businesses. This has led to the growth of the brand with more number of hotels. With every new addition of hotel Swiss International views itself closer to the aim of having 50 hotels in the Middle East and150 hotels worldwide by the end of 2020.
Swiss International Hotels
Founded in 1982, Swiss International Hotels is established in Switzerland. Swiss International Hotels & Resorts is currently associated with hotels in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Greater China, the Middle East and Africa. The company is registered in Baar, Switzerland and is operating from the UAE (Ras Al Khaimah). Swiss International is operating and licensing its hotels under the following brands: Royal Swiss (Luxury), Swiss International Hotels & Resorts (Upscale), Swiss Spirit Hotels & Suites (Mid-market) and Yes Inn (Economy).
Amee Yadav
Corporate Communications - Alpha Hospitality Management Services
+971 7 2433242
Swiss International Hotels & Resorts
It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore).
Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net.
Go back to home
ScHoolboy Q will be visiting a few major American hubs following the release of his highly anticipated album, Blank Face LP, on July 8th. The rapper has shared a flyer today with a string of tour dates, kicking off the day after his album drops in San Francisco.
From there, Groovy Q will head to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, DC, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Sorry Canada. Hopefully well see a larger tour announcement to follow, but for now, peep all the cities and dates on the Groovy Tony Pit Stop tour above.
If you missed it, Q revealed the tracklist for Blank Face LP at the end of last week. The album features Kanye West, E-40, Vince Staples, SZA, Miguel and more.
ScHoolboy Q
Wiz Khalifa earned the biggest single of his career in 2015, reigning over the Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks with See You Again. Now hes getting ready to drop Rolling Papers 2, the second of two albums released in 2016, and he answered 20 questions for Playboy about the many things going on in his life at this point in his career. He spoke to the publication about how hes transitioned from streetwear to designer brand as an artist, his experiences with police brutality, and of course, his Max B-informed beef with Kanye earlier in the year. Read the story here and view some notable excerpts below.
On his current phase:
Im in the reinvention stage, like when Justin Bieber was a child and then transformed himself into a different person but one who was still successful. I was a streetwear brand, and now Im a highend designer. People are going to accept me as a grown man. A lot of people dont even know Im only 28 because Im kind of ageless.
On police brutality in Pittsburgh:
Cops there are crazy. Ive never been pulled over without them having a gun to my head. Even with traffic stops, theyll put a gun to your head and say, Get the fuck out the car. What you got? Searching you, breaking shit, twisting your arm. Theyre cool about weed, though. I got jammed up a lot in Pittsburgh, but I never did real time.
On his Twitter beef with Kanye:
Of course, it doesn't really apply to us seeing as we can't vote in the American Presidential Election but we'll take any excuse to watch Obama!
And in the same fashion, we beg the question again, why can't he be president forever?
As traction builds in the run-up the the American Presidential Election, Obama has joined forced with Buzzfeed to encourage citizens to register and vote. How does he do so? By comparing it to other tedious and almost impossible tasks, one of which is trying to name every dead character in the Game of Thrones. And as a self-proclaimed addict of the show (Obama was the first to watch Season 6's first episode) Obama struggled through trying to remember all those deceased from GRR Martin's Westeros world. In that vein the video works to its desired effect and shows that registering to vote is simples!
The Cork native is up for a UK tv award for his portrayal of Tommy Shelby in the crime drama.
Cillian Murphy has been nominated for Best Actor Award in the TV Choice Awards for his role in Peaky Blinders.
The Wind That Shakes The Barley star plays Tommy Selby, head of the Birmingham criminal gang Peaky Blinders. Set in the 1920s, the show has also been nominated in Best Drama category alongside fellow BBC period drama Downton Abbey.
The third season finale aired earlier this month and the BBC have commissioned a further two seasons of the hit show. Season 1, 2 and 3 of Peaky Blinders are also available on Netflix.
The Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice actress says that Depp was not violent towards her
Hollywood actress Winona Ryder has stated that her former flame, Johnny Depp, was never abusive towards her during their relationship.
Depp's estranged wife, Amber Heard, has accused the actor of domestic violence, and has posted pictures of what appear to be bruises on her face. The 30-year-old said Depp had a "history of drug and alcohol abuse" and had been "verbally and physically abusive" during their four-year-relationship.
In contrast to these accusations, Ryder told US news magazine that the Fear and Loathing star was a "very protective."
"I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said," she reflected.
"He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves."
Advertisement
Speaking about the allegations made by Heard, Winona was careful and diplomatic in choosing her words. "I'm not calling anyone a liar," she insisted. "I'm just saying, it's difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it. Look, it was a long time ago, but we were together for four years, and it was a big relationship for me.
"Imagine if someone you dated when you were - I was 17 when I met him - was accused of that. It's just shocking.
"Look, I mean, obviously I can only speak from my own experience. Its very tricky because if it were any other type of scandal, like cheating, you could be like, None of my business. No comment. Not appropriate for me'. But I think because what is being said is so horrific and such a global issue for millions of women, obviously, that I understand why people feel it is their business."
The Irish presenter was a favourite to become the next face of the show.
Laura Whitmore has missed out on an opportunity to be come the next presenter on the Xtra Factor.
The 30 year old presenter was the favourite to take the reigns following he decision to quit I'm A Celebrity.
Despite the rumours it was confirmed today that BBC Radio 1 presenter Matt Edmondson would be taking up the position. He will take over from presenters Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom.
There were also rumours that 2FM presenter Nicky Byrne was also one of the names being considered for The Xtra Factor.
The Irish Mail on Sunday quoted a source back in May which said that, "A number of people are being considered for the position and Nick is on the list. He has plenty of experience on camera and has a great profile in England which is a real plus."
However Nicky did not travel to London to audition due to commitments to Eurovision and the release of his solo album.
The X Factor roadshow arrive in Dublin later this week with Croke Park hosting the Irish leg of the auditions. All four judges - Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell - are expected to be in attendance on Friday.
The petition is circulating online through change.org.
Petitioners are encouraging Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company to include an LGBT character in the Star Wars franchise.
Joshua Yehl, a friend of Orlando mass shooting victim Drew Leinonen, started the petition. Yehl describes Leinonen as the most passionate Star Wars fan Id ever met and asks that the first LGBT Star Wars character be based on his friend and named in his honor.
In the past, Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams has seemed to support the inclusion of a homosexual character in the series: It seems insanely narrow-minded and counterintuitive to say that there wouldnt be a homosexual character in [the Star Wars] world.
Watch Yehls campaign video and the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens below.
Make Orlando Victim Drew Leinonen the First LGBT Star Wars Movie Character from Joshua Yehl on Vimeo.
Last year General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE, GE message board) announced its intentions to focus on high-tech products, like jet engines and power turbines, as well as its financing operations for the energy and health-care industries. In order to achieve this GE decided to part ways with most of GE Capital, the company's financial arm that at the time had $500 billion in assets.
The latest step towards this goal was the announcement that GE has entered into three deals to sell the majority of its U.S. restaurant loan portfolio. According to the company as of the first quarter of 2016 the deals would represent nearly $1.4 billion in ending net investment. The sale is expected to be completed by the third quarter of the year.
The buyers of GE's restaurant loan portfolio are three banks - First Horizon National Corp. would acquire around $637 million of the portfolio, Wintrust Financial Corp would acquire $581 million of the assets, and Sterling National Bank would acquire approximately $190 million of the loans. GE expects that collectively the deals will generate $200 million of capital.
So far GE has signed GE Capital deals worth about $180 billion and has completed around $156 billion of them. The plan is for about $200 billion of GE Capital's business to be sold by the end of the year.
Meanwhile the stock of the company was hit hard, alongside the whole market, by Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Last Friday, following the official results of the referendum GE dropped to a close 4.39% in the red at $29.82. Yesterday's session wasn't as grim but the negative sentiment was still strong enough to push the stock another 1.68% down the chart to a close at $29.32.
Gulf oil platform blast case settled
NEW ORLEANS - A settlement Monday brought an abrupt end to a complex trial combining 10 lawsuits arising from a deadly explosion and fire on an offshore oil platform in November 2012.
The accident off the Louisiana coast killed three workers and injured several others on a platform owned by Houston-based Black Elk Energy.
Those involved in the cases included relatives of the workers killed, injured workers and companies that were working for Black Elk. The final settlement was announced Monday and a jury seated a week earlier was dismissed.
Lawyers said terms were confidential.
In addition to the lawsuit, federal criminal charges were filed in the case. A January trial is currently scheduled in the criminal case, which includes involuntary manslaughter charges against Black Elk and another company, Grand Isle Shipyards. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Waldorf will close for condo conversion
New York's landmark Waldorf Astoria hotel is scheduled to close in spring 2017 so owner Anbang Insurance Group Co. can begin converting most of the more than 1,400 rooms to luxury condominiums, said a person with knowledge of the plans.
The luxury hotel, managed by Hilton Worldwide Holdings, is set to reopen as many as three years later, with about 300 to 500 hotel rooms remaining, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public.
Anbang bought the Waldorf Astoria, an Art Deco icon on Park Avenue, in February 2015 for $1.95 billion, a record price for a U.S. hotel.
Record travel likely during holiday weekend
It's going to be a busy holiday weekend on the nation's highways.
A record 43 million Americans are expected to travel this Independence Day weekend, with the overwhelming majority driving, according to AAA, a car lobbying group and one of the nation's largest travel agencies. This tops the joint record set last year and in 2007.
Lower gas prices and a generally healthy domestic economy have led more families to travel.
From wire reports
The Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a tax relief plan for an Amazon facility in northwest Houston.
The online retail giant requested a tax abatement that would lower its taxes to 65 percent for 10 years for the company to build a facility estimated to bring 1,000 jobs to northwest Houston.
According to county documents, Amazon plans to build an 855,000-square-foot warehouse at the 970-acre Pinto Business Park at the southwest corner of Interstate 45 North and Beltway 8.
The $136 million Amazon fulfillment center would include warehouse and distribution space meant to serve the region surrounding Harris County. At least 80 percent of inventory is expected to be sent at least 100 miles outside the county, according to county records. The fulfillment center would be separate from Amazon's Houston Prime Now facility in Humble.
Amazon had alternative sites with lower tax rates in mind at its facilities in Haslet and San Marcos and a third out-of-state location, in case the request for tax abatement was denied.
The court held a public hearing on the matter before making its decision Tuesday morning. No one spoke for or against the tax abatement.
A report submitted to commissioners estimated the fulfillment center would have annual economic impact of $172.9 million and the county would forgo $179,073 each year in taxes. The report also estimates Amazon would pay $393,314 in annual taxes on a completed project, compared with the $61,012 the property at Pinto Business Park is earning now.
One person is in the hospital after a teenager fired gunshots at three other teens who attacked him early Tuesday morning outside his home in southwest Houston.
The shooting happened about 1 a.m. in the 4700 block of Waring near Vossdale, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department.
When a homophobic killer armed with an assault rifle perpetrated one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history in an Orlando gay bar this month, the reassuring idea that such places are sanctuaries was upended for many of us. Gay bars are supposed to be refuges from intolerance; judgment-free zones that are, for many people, the only public places you can be truly, essentially, you. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people often travel with the thought in mind that almost anywhere we go, we'll be able to find a neighborhood, a club circuit or a beach town where acceptance is a given.
If recent events are any indication, LGBT-friendly and "safe" are not exactly synonymous. When it comes to safe places for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender traveler to visit, danger won't always be as obvious as it is in Syria and Iraq, where people murder homosexuals by throwing them off buildings. But here, the same day the Orlando massacre took place, a man was arrested on his way to the Los Angeles Pride festival with several assault rifles and the makings of an explosive device in his car; though his motives were not clear, we can assume he is not a pacifist. In the ensuing days, officials in Oakland, California; Atlanta; Houston and New York looked into people who made copycat threats.
As lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people make summer travel plans, or even plans to attend pride celebrations in our own cities, how important is safety when deciding where to go in a post-Orlando world? And how do we balance the need for visibility as a means of social change with the need for fellowship within the community that accepts us? I talked to people who form a loose-knit LGBT travel collective, and explored how a sense of nervousness and, as there has been since the beginning of the gay rights movement, a powerful feeling of defiance, may shape where we go.
"I don't think it will deter the LGBT community from going to clubs," said John Tanzella, the president and chief executive of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, speaking about the Orlando attacks in a telephone interview. "We're seeing huge attendance at vigils and pride events. We've seen vigils in every city."
Tanzella attended the annual Wilton Manors Stonewall Festival in South Florida on June 18, a day after we had spoken, and tens of thousands showed up for the event, which included a tribute to the Orlando victims. And Jim Werner, a founder of the gay travel website Fagabond, said he attended the pride celebration in Philadelphia on June 12, hours after the Orlando shooting. "Everyone came out," he said. "There was a huge sense of community."
Not that everyone has shrugged off the danger.
"I've encountered two schools of thought," said Kelsy Chauvin, a writer and editor who focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. At a recent Out magazine party, she said, most people said they would not change their travel plans, but the next morning she heard from someone intending to avoid the New York Gay Pride Parade out of concern for her safety.
And that's New York, one of the most diverse and welcoming cities in the world. Marching there certainly seems less frightening than in Istanbul, where the government has banned the annual pride march in response to threats from homophobic groups.
Though Orlando may not immediately spring to mind as a gay-friendly destination the way Key West, Florida, or Provincetown, Massachusetts, might, it really is welcoming and progressive, and its proximity to Disney World, where these travelers go every year to celebrate "gay days" in late spring, makes it a popular stop on the tourism map. Gay tourists often look to a bar as a beacon in an unfamiliar city, and indeed a few travelers were among the victims in Orlando.
But the unfortunate truth is that this feeling that our havens are not actually snug enclosures insulated from a potentially dangerous world is hardly new.
"Orlando wasn't the first time a gay bar has been targeted and sadly, it probably won't be the last (think New Orleans, Atlanta and Roanoke)," Davey Wavey, a gay globe-trotter and popular Facebook and YouTube personality, wrote in an email a few days after the tragedy. "We like to think of these places as safe bubbles in a world that doesn't always accept us, but Orlando is a reminder about how fragile that safety really is."
Even before the Orlando shooting, the decision about what to do this summer was more charged than usual, because of a presidential campaign and state laws in North Carolina and Mississippi exposing a divide on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights issues. The number of places where you could morally defend spending your tourist dollars had already shrunk.
"Orlando has reminded us that even though there are LGBT-dedicated or LGBT-friendly spaces, and pioneering pockets of tolerance, these places are not necessarily safe - especially if the community around them, and the legislation of the state, contribute to fostering anti-LGBT sentiments," Merryn Johns, the editor-in-chief of Curve magazine, a popular lesbian publication, wrote in a recent email. "Florida is certainly one of those states, and there are others, especially in the South."
North Carolina is considered so gay-unfriendly that the British Foreign Office issued a travel advisory in April warning its citizens to be aware that a bill had been passed requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the gender on their birth certificate.
The question of whether to avoid the state is indicative of a perennial issue we face as we choose where to go. The early ethos of the gay rights movement, which gave rise to the chant "we're here, we're queer, get used to it!" doesn't jibe with now avoiding places that restrict lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
"It's a really tricky question because it's a double-edged sword: If we don't go, they win; if we do go, we're benefiting an economy that doesn't deserve our dollars, nor does it forward our cause," said Mariah Hanson, the founder and chief executive of The Dinah, an annual "girl party music festival" held in Palm Springs, California, for the last 27 years. "I think we need to spend our political dollars wisely, so if not going to a place will force change, I don't think we should go," she said.
Plenty seem to agree. Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, home to Charlotte, the state's largest city, has lost nearly $300 million as a result of the new law, according to recent reports. Even Asheville, a city known for its relatively large LGBT population and LGBT-friendly atmosphere, felt the impact when the W.K. Kellogg Foundation canceled a planned conference there.
This is vacation, after all, and most of us want to go someplace where we can unwind. Hence the popularity of the Dinah, gay or lesbian resort vacations or cruises like those on Atlantis, RSVP and Olivia, or other events that cater to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers.
"For me personally if I'm going to be taking a trip, it's probably going to be to a location that is already going to be welcoming of gay people," said Eric Silverberg, a founder and the chief executive of the gay dating app Scruff, in a telephone interview.
"For me a big part of travel is the community that comes with being a gay man in a different city and meeting people in different places. That's obviously a lot harder to do if you're somewhere that is openly hostile to gay men."
A state commission has suspended Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal without pay after a grand jury charged him with violating Texas' open meetings law while developing a bond package for new and improved roads.
The move by the State Commission on Judicial Review came four days after the indictments of Doyal, County Commissioners Jim Clark and Charlie Riley and a political adviser for allegedly engaging in behind-the-scenes negotiations before putting a $280 million road bond measure on last November's ballot. Voters passed the bond package.
The commission's order strips Doyal of the ability to perform official duties while the criminal case is pending. He has requested a hearing within 30 days to ask the commission to lift the suspension.
"I understand the open meetings laws," Doyal said at a news conference at his attorney's office. "I did not violate the open meetings laws, nor did I conspire to violate the open meetings laws."
Doyal is in his first term as Montgomery County's judge and previously served as a county commissioner. His attorney has suggested that the charges were politically motivated.
Doyal left Tuesday's county commissioners meeting following an executive session with commissioners. He earns $170,705 to lead the county, which is the 10th largest in the state with roughly 540,000 residents, and presides over the commissioners court.
The road bond measure was placed on the November ballot after some county leaders reached a last-minute agreement with the Texas Patriots PAC, which had helped defeat a previous road bond proposal.
The commissioners would be in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act if they tried to conduct public business by phone, email or other means of correspondence without a quorum being physically present in one place.
The misdemeanor charges are punishable by a fine of up to $500, as many as six months in jail or both.
The former South Texas College of Law is prepared to defend its new name in court, college officials said Tuesday.
The University of Houston is suing the former South Texas College of Law, contending the 93-year-old downtown Houston law school changed its name in an effort to ride UH's "substantial reputational coattails."
"The city's name does not belong to the University of Houston," the newly named Houston College of Law said in a statement Tuesday. "Nor does Houston College of Law intend to market its services in any fashion that suggests affiliation with the University of Houston Law Center."
Leaders at the downtown Houston law school said Tuesday that the name change has nothing to do with UH. The South Texas name was confusing, because the school is not located in South Texas, the statement said.
"Houston College of Law is making this name change to avoid confusion," J. Ken Johnson, chairman of the Houston College of Law board of directors, said in the statement. "In fact, creating market confusion would be in direct conflict with the mission of our 93-year-old, private, independent law school. For many years we've dealt with misunderstanding surrounding 'South Texas,' which is not descriptive of our historic location in downtown Houston."
Houston College of Law leaders also say they aren't changing their school colors, as UH contended in its lawsuit. The law school's archives show use of crimson as a primary color in its official communications, advertisements, graduation hoods, and former logos dating back to the 1960s, the statement said.
"Houston College of Law's reputation is distinct and stands alone," the statement said. "It is a private, independent law school, and it is the largest, oldest, and only law school in downtown Houston, where it was established in 1923."
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday nixed parts of Texas' abortion regulations because they placed "undue burden" on women seeking the procedure.
Now certain restrictions will be lifted. Abortion clinics will no longer have to meet facility standards of hospital surgical centers, and clinic physicians won't need admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
"We have a few less hoops to jump through now that HB2 was struck down," said Kathy Kleinfeld, spokeswoman for the Houston Women's Clinic.
So how has the burden changed for Texas women who want to terminate a pregnancy? What must be done to get an abortion in the state now that the Supreme Court has ruled on HB2?
Laws still mandate a process for women to follow, but the top challenge that abortion rights advocated highlighted was finding a clinic. The 2013 state law stuck down by the Supreme Court enacted restrictions that many state abortion clinics couldn't afford to meetthings like separate air conditioning systems and one-way traffic through operating rooms, wider hallways, brighter lights and special physician changing rooms.
As a result, more than half of the state's approximately 40 clinics closed. And the ones that stayed open were mostly in urban centers. That left a lot of rural women with few easy options.
Since its creation in 2005, the Texas Equal Access Fund, one of a handful of abortion assistance funds in Texas, helped women pay for appointments at clinics in Waco, Midland, Lubbock and San Angelo, said the fund's executive director, Nan Kirkpatrick. But after 2013, all of those closed.
RELATED: New abortion law's effects on Houston clinics unclear
Women in Lubbock, for example, then faced the choices of roughly equidistant clinics in San Antonio, El Paso, Fort Worth or Albuquerque, New Mexico. The fund increased its payments to women to make up for the travel costs.
"That's probably the biggest obstacle: that in a state with 27 million people we've got less than 20 clinics," said Aimee Arrambide, reproductive rights program manager and policy specialist at the Public Leadership Institute.
That's unlikely to change soon. Most of the facilities that closed in 2013 walked away from their state licenses to operate.
Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said: "A facility seeking a license would need to submit a complete application for state review and the $5,000 licensing fee, and we would need to conduct a pre-licensing conference and full inspection before a license could be granted."
How long that takes depends on the number of other health care facilities in queue, Williams said. For now, Texas women have 19 clinics to choose from.
Per state law, women are in for at least a two-day ordeal to have a pregnancy terminated, though the process itself takes less than an hour.
The legislature in 2011 moved to require a 24-hour waiting period between a mandatory consultation appointment and an abortion, whether by medication or by operation. That means women traveling to an abortion clinic have to take off work and pay childcare and lodging.
The mandatory waiting period was intended by the 80 percent male legislature to enforce a period of reflection over a woman's choice to terminate the pregnancy. On a woman's first appointment, the physician must distribute a 10-page, state-issued pamphlet called A Woman's Right to Know about the effects of abortion, which the American Medical Association and other groups have charged presents medically inaccurate information.
Then the physician must perform an ultrasound and explain the results to the woman, who must listen to the heartbeat. Typical abdominal ultrasounds can't reliably image a fetus until up to eight weeks after conception, so women seeking an early term abortion undergo an ultrasound via a vaginally inserted wand.
A minimum of 24 hours later, the woman can return to have an abortion.
The price for the procedure varies by location, and by the woman's point in her pregnancy.
Gina Lawrence, spokeswoman for the West Fund, which helps about 30 women per month cover abortion costs in Texas, said the price for the procedure ranges from $500 for early-term medication abortions to several thousand dollars for late-term operational abortions (which do not require any cutting, she noted).
"We've seen the first trimester abortion cost go up about $100 since they enacted the waiting period laws," Lawrence said, because clinics have to staff physicians for two appointmentsconsultation and operationinstead of doing all in one day like they used to. "This is all coming out of the patient's pocket."
For an abortion past 20 weeks of pregnancy, Texas women travel to New Mexico or Colorado to sidestep a state ban.
Hospitals are also able to perform abortions, according to Williams with the DHSH. But she said, "I don't believe hospitals generally offer them."
The University of Houston is suing the former South Texas College of Law, contending the 90-year-old downtown Houston law school changed its name in an effort to ride UH's "substantial reputational coattails."
The federal court suit filed Monday says that the newly renamed Houston College of Law has "willfully" infringed upon UH's intellectual property and is "attempting to associate itself with the standing and reputation" of UH.
"This is about protecting our reputation and our business," Tilman Fertitta, chairman of the UH board of regents, said in the statement. "We've earned our standing as a nationally ranked law center, and we won't allow someone else to change their name and colors and market themselves on our success."
It is the latest turf war between UH and another college. UH leaders say they are seeking to protect the school's brand, which they have worked hard to bolster in recent years in an effort to propel UH to the nation's top tier of research schools. In another fight, UH leaders have also loudly decried the University of Texas' plans to expand in Houston, calling the effort an "invasion."
South Texas College of Law leaders last week announced that the school would change its name to Houston College of Law to "increase our regional and national profile" and to more closely associate the school with its longtime home in downtown Houston. Officials at the law school on Monday declined to comment on the lawsuit, but last week said in a statement that they believe they are on firm legal ground in changing the name of the school.
"We made the decision to change the name of the 93-year-old law school based on overwhelming support to tie our institution with its birthplace in downtown Houston," the law school's board of directors said in the statement. "We believe that we are on firm legal ground with this name change, and that we are acting in the best interest of the law school and its students."
But UH says the college is trying to more closely associate itself with the city's rising public research university. Along with the name change, the college of law also adopted a new symbol, a white image of the scales of law against a red backdrop. UH contends the school was also stealing their color scheme and that the name change could create confusion in the marketplace.
"According to STCL, four years ago it began investigating a name change as a way to increase recognition," the lawsuit says. "Apparently, that investigation concluded that changing its name from South Texas College of law to the confusingly similar Houston College of Law and changing its color scheme to a confusingly similar red and white would increase its profile and recognition among the relevant market."
The lawsuit points out that the former South Texas College of Law did not make U.S. News & World Report's 2016 rankings, a popular list of the nation's best schools. The UH Law Center landed at No. 50.
"In fact, STCL has struggled since its inception to shed its image as a 'night school,'" the lawsuit says, pointing out that in the late 1990s, South Texas unsuccessfully attempted to merge with Texas A&M University. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating board rejected the attempted merger.
"The University of Houston Law Center's brand is associated nationwide with top-notch faculty and lawyers," said Tony Buzbee, a Houston attorney who is representing UH in the legal battle, in a statement. "UH didn't take shortcuts to achieve this recognition. We believe the attempted renaming of South Texas College of Law is nothing more than an improper shortcut to take advantage of the success UH has achieved."
Among other things, UH is asking that the former South Texas College of Law turn over all the money it makes after the name change to UH.
The name change has also irked some South Texas College of Law students and alumni, who have voiced their frustration on social media and in an online petition calling on the college to reverse course.
"Since when does my Facebook account link to the University of Houston's law school," one person commented on the Houston College of Law's Facebook page. "Oh wait, that's my school, South Texas College of Law. My bad."
PRAIRIE VIEW - Frank Jackson and Sandra Bland never met, although they might have brushed past one another on one of the tree-shaded paths that wind through the campus of Prairie View A&M University.
Yet Jackson and Bland had at least one important connection: Both returned to this historically black university years after they graduated. Jackson, 64, built a life working as a teacher and administrator at the university while serving as a county commissioner, councilman and mayor. Bland, who was 28 when she died in a Waller County jail cell almost a year ago, came back for a summer job at the university.
Bland had experienced some tough years after graduating from Prairie View in 2009 and returning to the Chicago area, where she grew up. She reportedly had some legal troubles in Illinois, and she told Waller County jailers she had attempted suicide. She was said to be excited about the Prairie View job.
"She came back here, in my opinion, because Prairie View represented hope," says Jackson, who chose not to seek re-election this year after 14 years as Prairie View's mayor. "It was one of the success points in her life."
Bland's death and subsequent questions about the justification for her arrest and jail procedures became an important part of the 21st century civil rights movement known as Black Lives Matter. The controversy brought the world's attention to this little town in Houston's shadow.
To Jackson, though, the racial struggles of a black college town in a predominantly white, rural county were nothing new. It was only this year, for example, that county officials agreed to put a polling place on the university campus, facilitating votes from what could be the county's largest bloc. And several previous slayings of young black men in Prairie View drew little attention, he says.
Jackson is a soft-spoken, thoughtful man with a sense of history, a man who uses words like destiny and hope without a trace of irony or cynicism. From his perspective, the stories of young African-Americans like Sandra Bland are of a piece with the origins of this university in the aftermath of the Civil War.
"How do we save our children?" he asks. "That's been the issue since 1878."
That was the year when Prairie View A&M enrolled its first students - a class of eight - after opening on the grounds of a former cotton plantation. Its leaders had to invent a model for educating people who were subjected to legally enforced illiteracy just a few years before.
When Jackson enrolled almost a century later, in 1969, the university continued to play a unique role. It served students who, in Jackson's words, "were not quite college ready." That's how most people regarded Jackson when he was growing up in the small town of Luling - a candidate for a trade school, perhaps, but not for a university.
His mother saw things differently. Some well-timed phone calls, financial aid and a discipline-instilling ROTC program paved the way for Jackson's career in the U.S. Navy and later at the university.
In Prairie View, Jackson found challenges and opportunities. As the town's longtime fire chief, he forged relationships between African-American firefighters from the university and white ones from surrounding communities. Few experiences create stronger bonds, he says, than fighting a fire together.
Still, the legacy of racism was stubborn. "That stuff hangs on, right beneath the surface," Jackson says. "Ms. Bland brought the attention of the world to it."
The focus on the Bland case had a ripple effect. It's questionable, for example, whether the Los Angeles Times would have seen fit to report on a confrontation between a police officer and a city councilman had the nation's eyes not already been trained on Prairie View.
The officer, Michael Kelley, was indicted in January on a charge of official oppression after using a Taser to subdue Councilman Jonathan Miller during a street confrontation. Whether or not race was a factor, questions about a white police officer's use of force against an African-American resonated just months after Bland's death, as the nation grappled with disturbing questions about racism in the criminal justice system.
If Jackson is right about Bland - if her return to Prairie View represented an effort to embrace the hopes of her college years - then it's all the more tragic that she never got the chance to experience the renewal she imagined. But perhaps other young African-Americans can achieve what was snatched from her by a premature death.
"Prairie View has always been that place," Jackson says, "that place where people could bring their dreams to our doorstep."
More than three-quarters of registered Republican voters in Texas and roughly as many Tea Party supporters say immigrants who are here illegally should be deported immediately, a policy pushed by presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, according to a new survey.
The poll by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project, released Tuesday, shows Trump's most controversial policies, including building a border wall and banning Muslims from entering the U.S., are overwhelmingly favored among Texas conservatives.
The same poll, however, shows Trump leads likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by only eight percentage points in Texas. Overall, 41 percent of the state's voters support Trump and 33 percent favor Clinton. Twenty-seven percent said they either prefer someone else or hadn't thought about it enough.
Deporting the nation's 11 million immigrants here illegally would require at least $400 billion in new federal spending and reduce U.S. gross domestic product by about $1 trillion, a study by the American Action Forum, a free-market think tank in Washington D.C., has found.
Seventy-six percent of "mainline" Republicans and 77 percent of Tea Party supporters agree with the idea, according to the Texas poll. Seventy-one percent of Democrats disagree.
Most Republicans, 62 percent, also oppose comprehensive immigration reform when it includes a pathway to citizenship and 52 percent are against it even if it just contains a way to live in the U.S. legally. Three-quarters of Democrats support the former; almost as many favor the latter.
A majority of Texans, buoyed by overwhelming Republican support, approve of Trump's two most hot-button plans.
Fifty-two percent of Texans and 76 percent of Republicans favor building a wall on the border. Trump has said it would cost as much as $12 billion and that Mexico would pay for it, though that country's leaders have dismissed such an idea as ludicrous. An economist for one of the nation's largest construction firms told the Washington Post that a wall would likely cost about $25 billion three times Trump's estimate.
The idea of banning Muslims from entering the United States was similarly popular 52 percent of Texas voters supported the idea and fell along partisan lines with 67 percent of Democrats against it and 76 percent of Republicans favoring it.
Both Democratic opposition and Republican support increased at least 10 points since the pollsters asked about the issue in February.
Most legal experts agree that banning Muslims would likely be against the constitution because it is religious discrimination. A Trump presidency, however, could possibly have the authority to suspend immigration from largely Muslim countries with a "proven history of terrorism," as he said this month.
That's because a provision of immigration law grants the president the ability to suspend entry of noncitizens whose arrival "would be detrimental to the interests of the United States."
In their analysis, the pollsters said support of Trump's ideas among Texans predates the billionaire's ascent and has been reflected in previous election results and recent legislative politics.
Certainly, his rhetoric is resonating with them.
"Whatever the distaste with which some Republican leaders view Trump's proposals and the rhetoric he has and continues to use to pitch them, they appear to have become part of the firmament of the partisan universe in the presidential campaign and are finding an accepting audience among Republicans in Texas," note Jim Henson and Joshua Blank, who conducted the poll.
It surveyed 1,200 registered voters online between June 10 and June 20 and has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. Telephone polls are generally thought to be more accurate than online surveys.
To see the full survey, which also includes questions about transgender bathrooms and other issues, click here.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office responded to more than a dozen calls for help - including three attempted suicides - in four years at the troubled Katy home where a family meeting Friday erupted into violence that ended with a mother and two daughters fatally wounded in the street.
But Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said he didn't know if the mental health calls came from Christy Byrd Sheats, 42, a vocal Second Amendment proponent who shot her two daughters before being gunned down by police.
"She may be dealing with a mental crisis, but we cannot confirm that Christy suffered from mental issues - the only one who knows that is her husband," Nehls said.
"It just seems like an argument - a domestic disturbance in a family, that turns into a shooting where a mother went out and shot her two daughters - somebody would say she's got mental health issues because who in her right mind would do that," he said.
The girls' father, Jason Sheats, 45, was also targeted in the shooting but escaped unharmed down the cul-de-sac. He is cooperating with investigators, Nehls said.
"That will be our job here; that will be the investigators' focus now for the next coming days, to try and pinpoint the motive," he said. "And if she was suffering from some type of mental illness, what type of outreach, what type of help she was getting.
"I think you want to know, did the system fail her? Did we fail her? Did her family fail her? I would want to know. I would want to get to the bottom of it," he said.
Investigators said Christy Sheats had called a family meeting Friday, which also happened to be her husband's birthday. An argument ensued, and she lifted a five-shot, .38-caliber handgun and opened fire on Taylor, 22, and Madison Sheats, 17.
The father and both daughters managed to get out of the front door of their Katy-area home. Madison fell and died after leaving the house.
Taylor ran into the street, where her mother shot her again. A witness said Christy Sheats returned to the home to reload the gun, then came back outside and shot Taylor once more.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office officials arrived at the scene in time to see the final shot. A Fulshear police officer shot the mother after she refused to drop the gun, officials said.
Taylor Sheats was transported by helicopter to the Texas Medical Center, where she later died.
Christy Sheats had posted several times on her Facebook page in support of the Second Amendment and in opposition to gun control efforts.
"It would be horribly tragic if my ability to protect myself or my family were to be taken away, but that's exactly what Democrats are determined to do by banning semi-automatic handguns," she said in a Facebook post in March.
The shooting came just days before Taylor Sheats had planned to be married, according to another Facebook post.
The young woman was set to marry her boyfriend of four years, Juan Lugo, at a small wedding Monday, followed later by a larger celebration, the girls' grandmother, Ann Sheats Wooten, posted on Facebook.
"They were to be married Monday and later again after graduation from college with a big wedding," Wooten posted Sunday evening.
The couple may have obtained a marriage license as late as Friday, the day of the shooting. Texas law requires a 72-hour waiting period after the issuance of a marriage license.
Taylor attended Lone Star College's CyFair campus and had attended Seven Lakes High School in the Katy Independent School District. Her sister reportedly also attended the school.
Taylor had kind words to say about her mother in a May 2013 Facebook post on Mother's Day.
"You're one of the strongest people I know, if not the strongest, and you have had to overcome so much in your life but you still manage to love us and put your everything into being a mom," Taylor said in the post.
Taylor also said in an April Facebook post that she supported the Second Amendment, but she posted a meme that questioned the refusal of gun activists to accept any limitations.
"Don't punish me because SOME gun owners are nutjobs," the meme stated, with a photo of the Sandy Hook Elementary children escaping a gunman with their teachers.
Taylor had also tried to raise awareness of anxiety and depression among college students on her Facebook page.
"As someone who has dealt with anxiety for the overwhelming majority of my life, I want to create a space for students dealing with generalized anxiety, depression, panic attacks, test anxiety, etc.," she posted on Facebook in March.
The Harris County Medical Examiner's office has not yet completed autopsies of the three, but indicated that Taylor Sheats died at a hospital of gunshot wounds to the head and torso.
Madison Sheats died of a gunshot wound of the neck that went into her chest, according to the medical examiner.
Christy Sheats died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
McALLEN - When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down harsh Texas abortion regulations Monday, Kristeena Banda, the manager of the only abortion clinic in the Rio Grande Valley, was overcome with emotion.
Twice the Whole Woman's Health clinic she manages in McAllen had been forced to close because of the strict regulations, only to reopen amid an uncertain future.
As she reflected on the tumultuous past several years, Banda said she had cried tears of joy when the decision was announced, yet the celebration was tempered by the memory of the many women the clinic has had to turn away.
"I feel vindicated, but it's also bittersweet," Banda said. She recalled having to call patients late one night to inform them the clinic was shutting down, and would no longer provide abortions. "It was a really difficult, dark time."
But on Monday, several dozen supporters of the clinic shouting "yes we can" in Spanish, and toting signs declaring that "abortion is not a dirty word," gathered to voice their approval of the high court decision. The 5-3 ruling found that Texas abortion regulations requiring doctors to obtain admitting privileges at a hospital and requiring clinics to comply with expensive ambulatory surgical center standards were unnecessary and placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions.
Many abortion clinics have closed since the restrictions were passed in 2013, with many more facing closure had the law been upheld.
The McAllen clinic also shut down operations for several months between 2013 and 2014, but a federal appeals court ruling ultimately exempted the clinic from the strict rules, citing the long distance to San Antonio, more than 200 miles one way, that residents of the Rio Grande Valley would have to travel for an abortion. The ruling also allowed one doctor in McAllen to be exempt from the hospital-admitting provision.
An abortion clinic in Harlingen, which had been open since Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, closed after new rules requiring hospital admitting privileges went into effect and it was unable to secure them. It is unclear if that clinic will now consider reopening.
Earlier in the day a group of around 20 women at the clinic celebrated the high court ruling behind closed doors, later taking their joy to the streets while chanting "abortion yes, abortion no, that's for me to decide."
The McAllen clinic has endured amid uncertainty these past few years, even as others around the state were forced to close, said Lucy Felix, a 46-year-old senior organizer for the National Latina Institute in the Valley.
"At last the Supreme Court is on the side of women and human rights," Felix said. "The McAllen clinic will remain open and that gives women here security over their health, and their right to decide."
Outside the clinic in downtown McAllen, people embraced and waved signs that proclaimed justice had thwarted a years-long bid by conservative lawmakers to place limits on abortion, and yet some warned the struggle was surely far from over.
"We're going to keep fighting this for many more years," said Sofia Pena, a 27-year-old organizer for the South Texas for Reproductive Justice. "They're going to keep coming up with new legislation, and there is always the fight for economic justice because even when the clinics are open many people can't access them because they're too poor."
For many women along this stretch of Texas-Mexico border, access to an abortion provider is cost-prohibitive, causing many to turn to misoprostol, a pill that can easily be purchased at flea markets or pharmacies in Mexico for around $40 for a box of 28.
During the time it was closed Banda said the clinic, which kept open a telephone line, was flooded with calls from desperate women. Many said they couldn't pass immigration checkpoints to reach clinics in San Antonio, others had taken an entire box of misoprostol without effect, Banda said.
"It's surreal; it was such a long battle," Banda said. "But I'm sure there will be more to come, Texas doesn't really know how or when to stop."
It's been quite awhile since Houstonians were able to visit the expansive Johnny Steele Dog Park at Buffalo Bayou Park. It likely won't be open for another three to four weeks, depending on the weather outlook, officials say.
That family-friendly dog park, which opened in January 2015 to much fanfare and wagging of tails big and small, has been closed since April 18, when massive flooding hit the Houston area. That morning the park was completely submerged as the waterline rose to nearly level with nearby Allen Parkway.
RELATED: Heavily-hyped dog park finally opens off Allen Parkway
The water has long since receded and the park has largely dried out, but some standing water remains near the banks of Buffalo Bayou, thanks to the Addicks and Barker reservoirs continuing to push water into the bayou, and thus, parts of the park itself.
Park director Gregg Burks with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership said Tuesday that the reservoir is releasing some 3,000 cubic feet per second. This is keeping water levels too high.
"We've had two floods since the April 18 Tax Day flood, which hasn't helped," Burks said.
The gates at the park remain locked and a red flag flies on a nearby pole to indicate the park is closed.
Two large ponds at the park, which has an area for smaller dogs and one for larger dogs, will also need to be cleaned out within the coming weeks before pets can visit again.
"We have to get into those ponds and remove the large amounts of sediment and also pump out that bad pond water so we can start filtering in fresher water," he said.
Surfaces areas will also need to be hosed off and cleaned of any bacteria that might have come with the flooding.
RELATED: 30 dog-friendly Houston places your pet might be welcome
Adventurous dogs are known to splash into the water to their heart's content on warm days.
As for a time table for when the park should open, that's actually up to Mother Nature, who is lately in the habit of making Houston wetter than usual.
"Hopefully it will be open within the next three to four weeks, maybe August or so, but that's if we don't get anymore torrential flooding," Burks says.
Houston is in the midst of one of its trademark sweltering summers so it probably wouldn't be too terribly busy during the middle of the day.
RELATED: The Best Cars for Dog Owners
Buffalo Bayou Park does not allow dogs to roam off leash, Burks reminds, so for now Houston dogs (and their owners) will need to make do with other parks in the area if they want to run free.
Burks said that officials will notify Houstonians immediately when it is safe to return to the park via the park website.
The $1.5 million, 2-acre park features sturdy fencing, those two large ponds, shade structures, a place for dogs to wash off from a day of play, plus seating and lighted areas to accommodate human visitors.
There is a limit of two dogs per person per visit to the park and one hour for each dog. Dogs taller than 15 inches may not use the small dog area, which can get quite loud with dozens of yapping pups. Trust us.
The park, named for a noted Houston landscape architect, is a part of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's $58 million transformation of Buffalo Bayou Park.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
State Rep. Borris Miles came prepared with signs Saturday when Rodney Ellis all but secured a seat on Harris County's Commissioners Court - not in support of Ellis, but to launch his own campaign.
Ellis' selection as the Democratic Party's nominee to replace late Precinct 1 Commissioner El Franco Lee has begun to ripple across the November ballot, freeing up the first in what could be a series of openings in Harris County's legislative delegation.
The 26-year state senator now must withdraw his name from the ballot for Senate District 13, requiring Democratic precinct chairs to meet yet again on July 16 to select a replacement candidate. Their nominee will run unopposed.
Miles, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson and former City Controller Ron Green have thrown their hats in the ring as others mull joining the race.
The three-week campaign sprint is projected to be as contentious as the commissioner's race was cordial.
"Many of the candidates have complex political histories that could result in a high level of discord," Texas Southern University political scientist Michael Adams said. "I don't think these people are going to be playing nice."
Ellis' longtime district of more than 800,000 stretches from Stafford and Missouri City, in northeast Fort Bend County, across much of southern Houston and up through downtown to the city's northeast corner.
An estimated 94 precinct chairs - 78 from Harris County and 16 from Fort Bend County - will be eligible to vote, putting a premium on personal relationships and individual persuasion.
Thompson's state House district intersects with Ellis' in northeast Houston, while Miles' district, which runs from Sharpstown to Sunnyside, is almost wholly contained within Senate District 13.
Thompson described the task of campaigning in three weeks as "monumental," saying the district's top issues include education funding, college affordability, foster care reform and increasing the minimum wage.
"I thought that with the experience I had gained and the time I had spent in the House - the influence I had built up - that I could use that over in the Senate, particularly because I had worked with a lot of those persons when they were House members," said Thompson, who first was elected in 1972.
'Widen my impact'
Miles, elected in 2006, also highlighted his experience and said he is seeking the Senate seat because it would be "more impactful." His top issues are education funding, economic development and criminal justice reform.
"I've got history with a majority of the community ... as it stands right now, as being an advocate for people on the ground," Miles said. "I'm just going to widen my impact a little bit larger to Senate District 13 and do the things that I do: be available to them, let them have access to me, and fight their battles for them."
Green did not return a request for comment, though he announced his candidacy Saturday on Instagram.
"Republicans at the state capitol are moving our state backwards with drastic cuts to public education, refusing to accept our share of federal dollars for access to health care and putting the cost of a college education out of reach for Texas families," Green wrote. "I am ready to fight for progress as your state senator, and toward turning Texas blue!"
'Less than democratic'
State Rep. Garnet Coleman and former Houston City Councilman C.O. Bradford said they also are considering running for Ellis' seat. City Councilman Dwight Boykins and state Rep. Harold Dutton said they opted not to.
If Thompson or Miles wins, Democratic Party precinct chairs in that district would have to convene again before the end of August to select a replacement candidate. Both representatives are running unopposed.
Rice University political scientist Mark Jones lamented what he described as a "less than democratic and less than transparent process."
"It's an unfortunate artifact of Texas election law that state legislators should look into next session," Jones said. "We have a special election process in place for officeholders who die or resign while in office. It would not be a bad idea to consider a similar method for parties to replace nominees."
Last month, researchers at Fairleigh Dickinson University asked a number of Americans whether or not they believed in a variety of political conspiracy theories.
Did they think that it was definitely true, for example, that George W. Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened? That President Barack Obama is hiding personal details from his background? That global warming is a myth?
Most people said that none of the six theories presented were definitely true -- but the responses varied. Only 30 percent of supporters of Donald Trump, for example, rejected all six of the theories, a lower figure than backers of any candidate still in the race at that point.
And no conspiracy theory had a higher percentage of people saying it was definitely true than one that is particularly salient this week: "As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton knew the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi was going to be attacked and did nothing to protect it."
Twenty-three percent of respondents said that this idea was "definitely true" -- including 44 percent of Republicans and fully half of Trump supporters. By contrast, only 40 percent of Trump supporters thought Obama was hiding important information about his early life (i.e. his birthplace).
The release of the final report from the House Select Committee on Benghazi on Tuesday -- the most thorough examination of the events related to the attacks in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012 -- didn't offer evidence that the above theory was true.
More for you House Democrats release Benghazi report to counter Republican...
But that didn't stop Trump's special counsel, Michael Cohen, from tweeting an image that went a step further, accusing Clinton of having "murdered an ambassador" -- referring to Chris Stevens.
That's the disconnect on the Benghazi issue, one that's been baked-in for months now. A large chunk of Americans -- mostly Republicans -- believe that Clinton, as secretary of state, behaved improperly and the exhaustive House investigation was warranted. Another large chunk -- mostly Democrats -- believes that the attack was a tragedy and that the House investigation, stretched into the presidential election year, was motivated by politics. A subset of that first population takes the idea further: Clinton willfully ignored the issue and is directly responsible for the deaths of Stevens and the three others.
Last October, when Clinton spent hours testifying before the select committee, The Post and ABC News asked Americans if they thought the committee's efforts were focused on addressing real concerns or on taking out the Democratic presidential front-runner. Republicans said it was the former; Democrats, the latter. (Supporters of Bernie Sanders were slightly less sympathetic to Clinton than other Democrats.)
The same partisan split existed when respondents were asked whether or not they approved of how Clinton was handling questions about the attacks.
The next month, a McClatchy-Marist poll asked whether or not the investigation should continue. Republicans said yes. Democrats said no.
That the investigation is already viewed strongly through a partisan lens isn't necessarily bad news for Republicans. The most politically significant revelation of the committee's work was almost certainly that Clinton used a private email server while serving as secretary of state. That detail, spun off into its own investigation run by the FBI, arguably holds the most potential for damaging Clinton's campaign.
But damage has already been done. Last October, Fox News asked in a survey if people thought Clinton had been honest about the State Department's role in the Benghazi incident. Most Republicans said no; most Democrats, yes. But 30 percent of Democrats said she hadn't -- perhaps a reflection of support for Bernie Sanders, but also probably because of a decline in Clinton's perceived trustworthiness.
In March of 2015, just as the email story was breaking, 73 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents viewed Clinton as honest and trustworthy in Post/ABC polling. A year later, that figure had dropped to 58 percent. Among independents, Clinton saw a decline of 17 points.
Part of those later numbers for Democrats may also be due to the contested primary, but it's fair to assume that much of the drop was a function of the questions raised by the Benghazi investigation and the email revelations.
The House report will likely be yet another Clintonian Rorschach test. Most Democrats will see it as a non-issue. Most Republicans will see it as an indictment. The Trumpian conspiracy theorists will see it as something else entirely. What it's unlikely to do is change many minds, given that the concrete has already set.
AUSTIN - Texas Republican legislative leaders promised to continue their fight against abortion next year, suggesting they will look for ways to impose new restrictions on clinics in the wake of Monday's Supreme Court ruling striking down two of the state's major abortion rules as unconstitutional.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told reporters that lawmakers need to review the high court's ruling "and see what it is we can address in a way that the Supreme Court can approve."
"Frustrated would not be a strong enough word for my reaction to the Supreme Court today," Patrick said.
The high court struck down two Texas abortion regulations that required abortion doctors in Texas have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and that abortion clinics adhere to the same standards required for ambulatory surgical centers, which would require costly renovations.
The number of clinics dropped from 41 to 20 after the law passed as a result, largely because centers could not meet the admitting privileges requirement. An estimated 10 clinics would remain open had courts allowed the law to fully take effect.
The court ultimately found those regulations medically unnecessary and said they created an unconstitutional burden for women seeking an abortion.
Texas' abortion law known as House Bill 2, approved in 2013, has been characterized as one of the most restrictive in the country, leaving legislators with fewer options to further limit abortion without violating Supreme Court precedent. While some advocates say they want to stick to figuring out how to work around the Supreme Court's decision, others say the Legislature needs to change its tactics.
The high court's ruling sent a clear message that states will get nowhere trying to tighten regulations for abortion facilities, said Jason Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, the state's most conservative anti-abortion group. He said the Legislature should instead focus on the unborn child and force the Supreme Court to opine on inhumane treatment during abortions.
"We're arguing about clinics, we're arguing about medical standards, about how long it takes to get to a clinic. That's all on the sidelines of the main elephant in the room, that what our culture and our courts need to acknowledge is the ethical status of the preborn child," Seago said.
'Need to quit playing games'
Texas Right to Life plans to push lawmakers to ban a common second-trimester abortion technique Seago described as "fetal dismemberment," known medically as dilation and evacuation, in which a woman's cervix is dilated and the fetus is extracted with tools. Lawmakers in other states have passed or are in the midst of considering similar legislation, including Kansas, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.
The organization also wants lawmakers to copy Indiana and North Dakota's laws blocking women from ending a pregnancy because the fetus has been diagnosed with a disability.
"We're to the point in the movement where we need to quit playing games and get down to the most important questions at the core of the abortion debate," Seago said.
As long as Roe v. Wade exists, lawmakers need to keep finding ways to fight abortion, said Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, a tea party Republican who wants to rewrite the struck-down portions of Texas' 2013 abortion law to incorporate the Supreme Court's ruling.
"It continues to perpetuate an attitude of some lives matter, some lives don't. I think that's the sad commentary I have over the overall ruling. We will come back for a better day and fight a better fight now that we know what they're looking at," said Perry, who carried major anti-abortion legislation during the 2015 legislative session. He and legislators, such as Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said they are willing to carry new anti-abortion legislation next year.
"This fight is not over. We are already drafting legislation to file in January to again place reasonable health and safety standards on abortion clinics. Texas will continue to increase protections for unborn children and for mothers," Hughes said.
Other anti-abortion groups, including the Texans for Life Coalition and Texas Alliance for Life, said they are determining their best course of action.
Looking to next year's battle
Abortion rights activists and some Democratic lawmakers called on opponents to ensure ample access to women's health services, but acknowledged the fight is far from over.
Planned Parenthood's political action committee said it is bracing for legislators to return in 2017 armed with anti-abortion legislation.
"Today's Supreme Court ruling is a tremendous victory for Texas women. But the fight for reproductive health and rights is far from over. Texas legislators have repeatedly waged malicious attacks on access to health care including safe, legal abortion. And undoubtedly, with this defeat, we will see renewed attacks on women's health and abortion access during the next legislative session," Yvonne Gutierrez, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Texas Votes.
Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said Democrats will be ready for next year's fight.
"If the lawmakers choose to continue their assault on the access that women have to this safe, legal medical procedure, then we know, as we saw in 2013, that the public will show up, that the public will fight this, and we know after today's Supreme Court decision, that the courts are also on our side," she said.
Todd Ackerman contributed to this story.
AUSTIN -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appears to be deeply dissatisfied with how Land Commissioner George P. Bush's office handled a recent lawsuit over historical items at the Alamo, according to an internal memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
The June 20 memo, which was written by Abbott chief of staff Daniel Hodge as part of the process of approving the settlement, called the deal "regrettable" and "avoidable."
"Had the General Land Office more vigorously defended the State's interests in this matter, the agency would not have found itself in a position in which the (Daughters of the Republic of Texas) can demand this settlement," Hodge wrote.
RELATED: Man sues Collins, others over Alamo artifacts
"The Governor approves this settlement to take place solely out of deference to the independent constitutional officeholder requesting it," he added.
Abbott's blessing came as the settlement received final approval last week.
The General Land Office agreed in the settlement to relinquish its claim on thousands of artifacts in the Alamo's collection and pay $200,000 to cover the legal fees of the rightful owners, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
NEED TO KNOW: 11 very Texas things to remember about the Alamo
The group sued the agency last year after it was fired as caretaker of the landmark. The suit claimed that Bush tried to claim ownership of the collection and also ordered the group to be locked out of the library.
The General Land Office put a positive spin on the settlement when it was announced last week, releasing a statement saying "we are all pleased to resolve this issue."
The reason for Abbott's unhappiness was not exactly clear. The governor's office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
HISTORY: This photo of the Alamo is the oldest known image of Texas
The General Land Office also did not return messages seeking comment.
It is rare for any high-ranking government worker, let alone the governor's chief of staff, to put harshly negative comments about a statewide elected official in writing.
Attorney General Ken Paxton's office also approved the settlement before it was finalized, records show.
READ MORE: Settlement reached in lawsuit over Alamo library items
Management of the Alamo has been one of Bush's biggest priorities in the year and a half since he was elected land commissioner in 2014. In addition to firing the Daughters as the manager, the Bush, who is the grandson of former President George H. W. Bush, nephew of former President George W. Bush and son of former presidential candidate Jeb Bush, is working on a long-range master plan for the landmark and surrounding area.
He also has promised to save taxpayer money by cutting the General Land Office's budget, although he has drawn criticism for skirting state laws to hire former campaign aides and entice fired employees to agree not to sue him or the agency.
AUSTIN -- Texas state health officials once again are delaying a massive data project that has struggled to get off of the ground for more than a decade.
The state Health and Human Services Commission informed lawmakers Tuesday it was pausing the "Enterprise Data Warehouse" project, a plan for an elephantine database housing dozens of information sets about everything from welfare benefits to Medicaid.
"HHSC and the other Health and Human Services agencies are going through a transformation process..." the commission explained to the lawmakers. "Therefore, we are reevaluating our long-term data needs and want to ensure the best investment of state resources."
In a separate letter to the company that was set to run the project, the state officials said they would "revisit this necessary project after the transformation process has been substantially completed."
The commission said it was canceling the contractor solicitation process altogether, which means that even if officials decide to restart the project, it will be years before a vendor is chosen.
The decision is the latest twist in a project that has experienced an almost-comical series of setbacks and controversies.
First discussed in 2005, the project was envisioned as a way to improve services and spur savings through better data analysis. Lawmakers funded the project in 2007, calling for it to be operational by February of 2009.
Over the years, state budget writers have set aside more than $100 million for the project -- money that could not be used elsewhere -- and spent more than $12 million, mostly on consultants.
After a slew of delays caused by both the state and federal governments, the health commission thought it finally had gotten the project on track in the spring of 2014, when officials began negotiating a contract with Truven Health Analytics of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Then came the eruption of a contracting scandal over alleged favoritism by commission officials toward another data company, 21CT of Austin. In a meeting in August of 2014, commission lawyer Jack Stick, who already had steered a Medicaid fraud detection project to 21CT, seemed to imply in a meeting that that company could do the Enterprise Data Warehouse for less money than Truven.
Two weeks later, negotiations with Truven were over. The commission blamed the company's asking price and said there had been a leak that led Truven to learn about Stick's comment.
Stick and four other commission officials eventually resigned in connection with the 21CT scandal, and the Medicaid fraud project was canceled.
The data warehouse project was put out for bid again in November of 2014.
This February, the health commission disclosed that Truven once again had emerged as the winning bidder and would be given a $104 million contract -- nearly $35 million less than what was being discussed in 2014, said the spokesman, Bryan Black.
"The Health and Human Services Commission is excited the contract is signed and we are moving forward," Black said in February.
The fate of the contract may have shifted when former Executive Commissioner Chris Traylor retired last month. His replacement, Charles Smith, opted for the new approach, records show.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The United States Supreme Court on Monday threw out the heart of the Texas Legislature's three-year-old abortion crackdown, saving dozens of clinics from closure, sending state officials scrambling for new ideas and reshaping the nation's debate over the procedure for years to come.
The landmark ruling, the high court's most significant clarification of abortion law in a generation, was 5-3, with conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy siding with four liberal colleagues against a pair of regulations that if allowed to be implemented could have left fewer than 10 clinics in the state.
The regulations, which required abortion providers to obtain hospital admitting privileges and comply with the expensive standards of ambulatory surgical centers, were ruled to be medically unnecessary and too strict. Collectively, the majority found, the rules would have forced so many clinics to close that it would be unconstitutionally difficult for women to get an abortion.
"We conclude that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote on behalf of Kennedy and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. "Each places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion, each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access, and each violates the federal Constitution."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
The larger-than-expected victory for abortion rights is expected to reverberate around the country, where several states have adopted anti-abortion laws, including nearly a dozen modeled on the Texas legislation.
Many of those laws are expected to be challenged in the days ahead, and many are expected to fall, due to the new precedents establishing that abortion is safe and that courts must closely scrutinize legislative claims about the necessity of regulations to protect women's health.
"Today women across the nation have had their constitutional rights vindicated," said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York-based group that organized the legal challenge to the Texas regulations. "The Supreme Court sent a loud and clear message that politicians cannot use deceptive means to shut down abortion clinics."
Most immediately, the ruling will rescue 10 Texas abortion clinics that could not comply with the regulations and had been preparing to close. Another two dozen clinics that shut down soon after the passage of the rules also are likely to try to reopen, although it may take months or years, due to start-up costs, licensing requirements and uncertainly about the Legislature's next move.
Several state officials promised to come up with new legislation to continue the fight against abortion.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others decried the ruling, saying it was made by an activist court that overstepped its bounds and endangered women in the process.
"This is more than a devastating ruling," said state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, in a statement. "It borders on evil."
The ruling caps more than three years of drama over the regulations, which were part of an omnibus bill that was thrust into the national spotlight when it was filibustered by then-Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis in June of 2013. The bill, which at the time was considered the most far-reaching abortion law in the country, was slowed but eventually passed as House Bill 2 and signed by then-Gov. Rick Perry.
On Monday, Davis, who lost a bid for governor after the filibuster, told reporters that she was "overjoyed" by the ruling and had fought back tears while reading it.
"It's incredible news for the women of Texas and the women of the country," Davis told NBC News.
House Bill 2 also banned almost all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and imposed new restrictions on the use of the so-called abortion pill. Those provisions were not challenged and remain in place.
The mandates on admitting privileges and surgical center standards drew the fiercest criticism, sparking two separate challenges by abortion providers. An Austin-based federal judge struck down the law twice, but both decisions were overturned by the News Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court initially declined to hear the case but later agreed and twice stepped in to put parts of the law on hold.
The providers argued that the rules erected a "substantial obstacle" to accessing abortion, the limit set by the Supreme Court's last major abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which was decided in 1992. They noted that the law had caused abortions to decrease and wait times to increase. They argued that the only clinics that could comply with the law were in the major cities of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Austin, leaving hundreds of thousands of women in more rural areas to drive more than 100 miles to clinics.
The providers were joined in the case by the Obama administration.
Texas officials said the regulations protected women's health and did not constitute a substantial obstacle, in part, they said, because abortion providers could comply if they wanted.
The state's chances of victory dropped with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a fierce abortion opponent who died just before the oral arguments in Washington, D.C., in early March. Still, supporters of the rules hoped Kennedy would side with the three remaining conservatives to force a tie, which would have left in place the 5th Circuit's ruling in favor of the regulations.
Instead, Kennedy joined with the liberals in the sweeping ruling, which agreed with the providers about the burden of the regulations on clinics but focused much of its attention on the safety of abortion.
Breyer, who was appointed to the court by former President Bill Clinton, noted in his opinion that, "when directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case.""In the face of no threat to women's health," Breyer wrote, "Texas seeks to force women to travel long distances to get abortions in crammed-to-capacity superfacilities."
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a concurring opinion focused on the safety issue, concluding that "it is beyond rational belief that H.B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women."
In his dissent, Thomas said the majority ruling "exemplifies the Court's troubling tendency to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue."
He also argued that the majority had misconstrued the court's precedent from Casey in an attempt to expand the right to an abortion.
Roberts and Alito focused their opposition on a technical point. They said the lawsuit should have been dismissed because an earlier challenge to the regulations had already failed.
"Determined to strike down two provisions of a new Texas abortion statute in all of their applications, the Court simply disregards basic rules that apply in all other case," the conservative justices wrote.
The ruling quickly reached Houston on Monday, cheering abortion providers who have faced years of attacks and defeats. At the Houston Women's Clinic, Director Kathy Kleinfeld said the staff was planning to cut a chocolate cake to celebrate.
At the same time, an anti-abortion activist stood outside the clinic to serve as a reminder that the fight still is underway. The activist, who would not give his name, tried to give a couple walking inside a pamphlet about a pregnancy resource center promoting alternatives to abortion.
"We'll help you all the way through," he called after them as they entered the clinic.
In Austin, a group of abortion-rights supporters that helped lead the challenge to the regulations held their celebratory news conference at a former clinic that had been forced to shut down.
The group said they did not have any timetable for the reopening of the clinic or any other shuttered facility, noting it can take years for providers to re-obtain properties, re-hire staff and re-apply for licenses, to say nothing of the possibility of new anti-abortion legislation.
Under state rules, a person seeking a license must apply at least 90 days before the projected opening date with a non-refundable $5,000 fee. The process can take months, said Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Still, the mood at the news conference was happy, with abortion-rights supporters exchanging high fives and making jokes.
Outside, they hung a purple sign with a simple message: "We won!"
Reporters Susan Carroll and Mike Ward contributed to this story.
AUSTIN A Washington, D.C. watchdog group wants the IRS and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate a politically active nonprofit that aired attack ads across Texas blasting Ken Paxton during the 2014 Republican runoff for state attorney general.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington recently asked the IRS to look into whether a 501(c)4 nonprofit called the American Dream Initiative was created specifically as a vehicle to influence elections, which would violate the group's tax-exempt status. CREW has also asked the IRS, FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to probe whether the American Dream Initiative lied about how much money it reported spending on political activity in 2014.
Led by prominent campaign finance lawyer Dan Backer, the American Dream Initiative riled the runoff race between then-state Sen. Ken Paxton and then-state Rep. Dan Branch. Days before the election, the politically active nonprofit spent more than $500,000 on anti-Paxton television spots criticizing the McKinney Republican for getting fined by state securities regulators and encouraging voters to call his office to tell him to support ethics reform legislation.
The ads infuriated the Paxton campaign, which blamed Branch for the attacks. Branch's campaign denied involvement. Backer's 501(c)4 was identified as the source behind the anti-Paxton spots only after reporters found a contract for the ad buy in an FCC database.
At the time, Backer told the San Antonio Express-News that the TV spot was an "issue ad" intended to inform voters about how Paxton is the "poster boy for why this government ethics reform legislation is so important." Issue ads bolsters a public official or aim to damage another but stays clear of calling for the election or defeat of a candidate. Issue advocacy does not require disclosure like political activity (Read here on how Texas regulators have since addressed issue ads aired right before an election).
501(c)4s are allowed to spend money to influence elections but are not required to disclose donors, earning them the title of "dark money" groups. Politics also can not be their primary activity, which is generally determined by analyzing spending.
CREW alleges in its complaint that Backer's anti-Paxton TV spots represent political activity that required disclosure with the IRS. CREW argues that the more than $500,000 spent by the American Dream Initiative made up 83 percent of the 501(c)4s total revenue in 2014, well above the 51 percent needed to designate politics as its primary activity.
However, the American Dream Initiative told the IRS in an annual filing that it did not engage in any political activity in 2014.
"ADI's advertisement attacking Mr. Paxton appears to constitute political activity," CREW alleges in its complaint with the IRS. "It identified Mr. Paxton, a candidate in the runoff election, expressed disapproval of Mr. Paxton's conduct, and was broadcast immediately before the election. The ad was also not part of an ongoing series of communications by ADI on the issue of government ethics."
In an email, Backer said he fully complied with federal disclosure requirements.
"There is no legal basis for their claims," Backer said.
The action against the American Dream Initiative was part of 10 complaints CREW recently filed with the IRS against so-called dark money groups alleging they had violated their tax-exempt status by acting primarily as a political group or for under reporting political activity. CREW asked the FBI and DOJ to investigate six of those groups to determine if they lied to the IRS.
WASHINGTON - The billionaire running for president seeks to convince millions of Americans to give him money.
With the simple tap of the "send" button one day last week, Donald Trump collected $3 million in campaign contributions - as much as he did in the entire month of May. He had asked for donations of $10 or more, with the promise of adding $2 million of his own money.
That one-day haul from Trump's first fundraising appeal is early evidence of the digital magic it takes to fill campaign coffers Bernie Sanders-style, from millions of people, each giving a few bucks.
The presumptive Republican nominee must make the case that he needs money, after months of boasting he can pay his own way. And his campaign also is failing in what could be called "the art of the email." One analysis found 74 percent of his first fundraising requests landed in spam folders.
Still, if Trump can reap millions of dollars from each pitch, it could help him solve an urgent problem: He's being crushed by Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's well-honed finance machine, which pulled in 10 times as much as he did last month. Campaign money pays for the advertising and employees needed to find, persuade and turn out voters on Election Day.
Trump's national finance chairman Steven Mnuchin said the campaign was "overwhelmed" by reaction to the first online fundraising appeal.
"This is now going to become a daily effort," Mnuchin said.
Since that initial email, the Trump campaign has sent at least five additional solicitations. In an email Monday, son Eric Trump wrote that "donors like you helped us to raise $11 million in just a few days."
"That's why we set another Trump-sized goal" of raising $10 million by Thursday, the last day of the month, Eric Trump wrote.
Trump's partnership with the Republican National Committee also pays special attention to the small donors who typically give online. They have a joint account called the Trump Make America Great Again Committee that has sent two dozen emails in the past month.
As successful as Trump's first fundraising email seems to have been, Tom Sather, senior director of research at the email data solutions firm Return Path, said the candidate could have done better. The firm measures emails much the way Nielsen measures television viewership, by extrapolating from a large panel of study participants.
Just 8 percent of the email recipients opened them, according to Return Path's analysis. The campaign's stunningly high spam rate of 74 percent reflects a lack of email marketing sophistication, Sather said. For example, the campaign switched domain names recently, tripping up spam filters, and Trump might be buying email lists of people who don't want to hear from him.
By contrast, Clinton's spam rate on fundraising emails is typically about 5.7 percent, and her rate at which people open the emails holds steady at about 14 percent, Sather said.
"It will be interesting to see how he gets better at this, or if he continues to flounder," Sather said. "There is an art and a science involved."
So, the ninth investigation into the Benghazi attack has concluded that Hillary Clinton broke the law! - wait, no it didn't. It found evidence that Hillary Clinton ordered rescue forces to 'stand down'! - wait, it didn't do that either. It found that there was insufficient security at the compound! We already knew that. I've criticized the lack of security. Most people have. There's not much new here. If only the origins of the Iraq War had been investigated so much. Click the gallery below to see many more cartoons by Nick Anderson.
Wendy Davis may have lost the filibuster battle, but she won the legal war.
The Supreme Court held in a 5-3 decision Monday that key provisions in Texas' House Bill 2 were unconstitutional restrictions on a woman's right to an abortion. That 2013 bill was the subject of Davis' famous 13-hour filibuster and thrust the North Texas state senator into the national limelight - and an ill-fated campaign for governor.
Davis has left the political arena, but she can rest in private life knowing that she was ultimately vindicated in her opposition to the bill's mandates that doctors providing abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and that abortion facilities meet surgical center requirements.
The bill's supporters claimed that those two restrictions were necessary to protect women's health. Unlike in the Texas Legislature, however, the Supreme Court requires advocates to prove that point. As Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the court, Texas couldn't identify a "single instance" when the admitting privileges requirement "would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment."
Or as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in her concurring opinion, "it is beyond rational belief that H.B. 2 could genuinely protect the health of women."
This finding is no grand secret to Texas politicos. Former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made the unconstitutional agenda clear when he tweeted in 2013 that the bill would "essentially ban abortion statewide."
Now his successor, Dan Patrick, has threatened to cram the issue down Texans' throat yet again. As we confront the potential of another legislative session that ignores real challenges that make life unnecessarily difficult for Texas businesses and families, it is time to admit that our state's political anti-abortion movement has never actually cared about the well-being of our babies.
There is no greater proof of this fact than the lack of political capital being spent on fixing Child Protective Services, an institution so broken that it actually hurts kids more than it helps. Last year alone there were 66,000 cases of child abuse and neglect in Texas, including 171 deaths. But CPS remains unequipped to help the most vulnerable among us. Meanwhile, many of the 28,000 kids in CPS care have been kept in hospitals and state offices because there are no available foster homes.
The problems of CPS underfunding and an overworked staff are well-documented going back 20 years. Last December, a federal court found Texas' foster-care system to be unconstitutionally unsafe.
But instead of picking up this charge, Patrick and his political allies continue to promote an agenda where kids, mothers and families merely seem to exist within the confines of abortion debates. Only voters, not the courts, can put an end to this political malpractice.
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.
Cristobal, who is staying temporarily at a shelter for unaccompanied migrant kids in Mexico, 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.
In effect, we have pressured and bribed Mexico to do our dirty work, detaining and deporting people fleeing gangs in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. This solved a political crisis Obama faced with refugees in 2014, but it betrays some of the world's most vulnerable people.
The American-Mexican collusion began in 2014 after a surge of Central Americans crossed into the U.S., including 50,000 unaccompanied children. Washington committed $86 million to support the program. Although Obama portrayed his action as an effort to address a humanitarian crisis, he made the crisis worse. The old routes minors took across Mexico were perilous, but the new ones adopted to avoid checkpoints are even more dangerous.
The victims of this policy, deported in some cases to their deaths, are refugees like Carlos, a 13-year-old with a scar on his forehead from the time a gang member threw him to the ground in the course of executing his uncle. I met Carlos in Mexico after he had fled - on his own - from Honduras to save his life.
"In my hometown, I was asked to join a gang," Carlos told me. "They wanted me to be a lookout. They said if I didn't, they would kill me and my brother." His brother is just 6 years old.
Two of Carlos' classmates, both 14, were also asked to join the gang but refused. Their corpses were found with the number 13 carved in their chests, a reference to the gang's name. Another classmate, Alan, 13, was invited to join the gang and accepted. Carlos said Alan's first assignment was to murder three men.
Here on the Mexican-Guatemalan border I've heard many stories like Carlos' and Cristobal's. The details are typically impossible to confirm, but I approached the youths rather than the other way around, and Carlos was initially reluctant to share the story; at one point he cried when he spoke of the murder threat against his brother.
It's unconscionable to put refugees like Carlos and Cristobal back into mortal peril, yet that's what is happening. In the last five years, Mexico and the U.S. have deported 800,000 people to Central America, including 40,000 children, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Last year, Mexico deported more than five times as many unaccompanied children as it had five years earlier, and the Obama administration heralds this as a success.
It's true that the old system, of refugees undertaking a dangerous journey across Mexico, was awful.
But we took a deplorable situation and made it more appalling.
So what should the U.S. do? Most important, it must work at the highest levels with Honduras and El Salvador to address the chaos in those countries, particularly because the U.S. bears some responsibility for the problems: The Central American street gangs were born in the United States and traveled with deportees to countries like El Salvador.
Instead, as with Syria, Obama has been disengaged. The U.S. could also do more to encourage Mexico to screen refugees rigorously and provide asylum to those who deserve it; instead, according to Human Rights Watch, fewer than 1 percent of Central American children in Mexico receive refugee status or formal protection.
I asked Salva Lacruz, coordinator of a human rights center in Tapachula, about Obama's eloquent speeches on refugees and immigration. "It's just words," he scoffed. "A lot of hypocrisy."
Carlos has no doubt what will happen if Mexico, encouraged by the U.S., returns him to Honduras: "They will kill me for sure."
Kristof is a New York Times columnist.
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.
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.
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, 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.
Parker's email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.
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.
A Chinese bank has gone to court in Canada in an effort to seize $7.3 million worth of Vancouver-area homes belonging to a citizen who allegedly owes millions.
A lawsuit filed by China CITIC Bank Corp. Ltd. in B.C. Supreme Court claims that Shibiao Yan left China after guaranteeing a massive loan for Tanyuan Wood Company, a lumber business at which he was majority shareholder, Reuters reported Monday.
The bank now aims to seize his assets, which include three multi-million-dollar homes in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. Yan's wife is also believed to own a $2.5-million home in Vancouver, where he lives.
Advertisement
Yan took out a RMB 50 million (~C$10 million) line of credit on behalf of the company in June 2014, according to court documents reported by CBC News.
They say that Yan incorporated a company known as TYMY Investments in B.C. in March 2014, one month before his wife bought a $2.5 million Vancouver home.
But Yan allegedly didn't disclose that he had any residences or interests outside China when he applied for the loan, whose full amount he took out only days after he obtained it.
Advertisement
The loan was due to be paid back in June 2015 after Yan and his family had already left for Vancouver, according to court records.
Justice Gregory Bowden imposed an injunction against Yan that freezes his assets while China CITIC Bank tries to recover the money that he owes.
Vancouver lawyer Christine Duhaime, who is working on behalf of China CITIC Bank, told The Province newspaper that Chinese banks have noticed that citizens claiming assets in China have then ducked out on loan payments and left for countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
But this case represents the first time that a Chinese bank has used civil law in an attempt to freeze a citizen's assets so they could recover the loans, she said.
Advertisement
The lawsuit also comes amid growing concerns about the influence of foreign money on Vancouver housing prices, which rose almost 30 per cent year-over-year last month.
Data around foreign ownership isn't currently collected. But reports by journalists such as Ian Young, and a study by planner Andy Yan, hint at the influence that foreign money could be having on the city's real estate.
Young reported on at least one deal that saw the value of a Vancouver property grow by $8 million in a single month, while Yan conducted a study showing that 66 per cent of properties on Vancouver's west side are owned by people with non-anglicized Chinese names, suggesting they're recent immigrants.
Also on HuffPost:
George Takei had nothing but praise for Canada while visiting Toronto for Pride Month, calling special attention to the nation-wide changes made to gay blood donation.
As part of a speaker series by Pride Toronto, the human rights activist (and gay icon) commended Canada's leadership in LGBTQ marriage legislation to a crowd at Ryerson University on Sunday night.
Advertisement
Since Health Canada approved Canadian Blood Services' and Hema-Quebec's amended gay blood donation policy in early June, the abstinence-based deferral period is now on par with the U.S.
In conversation with The Huffington Post Canada, Takei said he believed Canada's reduced time was "a good thing."
"Nothing happens in one fell swoop," he said. "Change does not happen overnight."
In addition to his LGBTQ rights community work, the "Star Trek" actor has previously rallied against the U.S.'s lifetime ban on gay blood donation, which was shortened in 2015 to its current one-year period of abstinence for men who have sex with men.
Advertisement
The FDA continues to ban "gay blood" donations. Sign the petition, and RT if you think the ban is unfair and wrong. http://t.co/K9HaICH34q George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 29, 2014
Takei said that as he understands it, there is more criteria surrounding who gets to donate blood in Canada, a stance that falls in line with Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) director Jeremy Dias, who attended Takei's event.
As a high school student, Dias was rejected when he tried to donate blood. He told HuffPost Canada that the reduced deferral is progress, albeit a move that continues to perpetuate homophobia.
"I think its total bullshit. This ban creates stigma, it creates hatred towards LGBTQ people," Dias said. "The ban should have never happened in the first place."
Backlash greeted new policy
Advertisement
Canadian Blood Services has also been accused of transphobia for a policy change that stated that blood collection services would put transgender women who have sex with men in the same category as gay men.
Dias and the CCGSD work with the Men Having Sex With Men (MSM) Deferral Policy Working Group, which helped propose the existing Canadian Blood Services guidelines.
In a statement by the CCGSD, they say the reduced wait is "not a win."
"We know that the deferral practice does contribute to a culture of discrimination, oppression, heterosexism & cissexism. We at the Centre completely oppose any deferral period," it reads.
Dias said the group's reason for not advocating dropping the ban altogether was that there isn't enough research available that would protect other vulnerable groups from being targeted in the future.
Advertisement
"Only evidence-based research has influenced the blood collection process," Dias said. "If we successfully lobby the government to change policies without evidence-based research, then whats to stop them tomorrow from changing the policy to stop Muslim people from donating blood?"
Previously, a $500,000 grant made available for research into why the blood ban should be removed was ignored. With the announcement of the 12-month deferral,
Canadian Blood Service reported it will launch a $3 million grant for researchers to investigate LGBTQ discrimination in blood collection.
I think it's a good thing. Nothing happens in one fell swoop.
For Takei, LGBTQ legislation is dear to his heart. He first came out as gay in 2005, which he told the Toronto crowd was in response to former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of a same-sex marriage bill.
He ended his talk Toronto talk with an optimistic message for Canadians and LGBTQ activists.
"Go boldly where we have never gone before. We have the future and it's going to be a better one," Takei told the crowd.
Advertisement
City Of Grande Prairie
A pro-life group is suing Grande Prairie, Alta. for the right to display graphic images of fetuses on bus ads.
The Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBER) submitted a banner ad to the city showing fetuses at different stages of development before an image of a smear of blood.
Advertisement
The caption reads, "Growing... Growing... Gone. Abortion kills children."
A city representative said the anti-choice group's ad was rejected because it did not meet its standards.
According to Grande Prairie's website, the city's advertising standards are in place "to protect the public from content that is reasonably deemed by the city to be immoral, vulgar, disreputable, misleading or offensive to the general public."
"In terms of vetting bus ads, we felt this one was inappropriate because the statement on there that abortion kills babies," Grande Prairie's lawyer Robert McVey told the Daily Herald Tribune.
He cited inaccuracies with the images and problems with the statement that abortion kills children.
Advertisement
"We felt that potentially it was an attack on the women of Canada, said, adding that they have a right to this medical procedure.
We wouldn't support an ad like that anymore than we'd support a flagrant attack on the anti-abortion group.
Freedom of expression
The anti-choice group behind the ad says Grande Prairie's actions have violated The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, noting Section 2 which guarantees freedom of expression.
In February, the group sued the City of Peterborough, Ont. for refusing to run its bus ads. The city relented and said the issue was a federal not a municipal one, the Peterborough Examiner reported.
Some Alberta parents outraged
Meanwhile, CCBER is under fire in Calgary, where some local parents are frustrated by disturbing postcards the group is leaving in mailboxes.
Advertisement
Jodi Rempel told CTV News on Wednesday that neighbourhood children were terrified after they came across mailouts with photos of a fetus and a Rwandan child's corpse.
So our kids are grabbing these and seeing them and then running to us asking questions. Or, in one case, a father came home and his child was sitting at the table or something crying because he had found these images, Rempel said in an interview with the netowork.
Warning, the below photo is graphic and may be disturbing to some viewers.
A CCBER volunteer talks with passerby in front of one of the group's displays. (Photo: CCBER/Facebook)
However, despite widespread criticism the group has no plans to change its marketing tactics.
Overall the polling that we've done shows that when we show people what abortion looks like, they turn against it, said CCBER community outreach coordinator Alex vande Bruinhorst to Airdrie City View.
Advertisement
Also on HuffPost:
Say this for Canadians: they won't lie down and take it when people mess with their bagged milk.
On Tuesday, The Globe and Mail reported that customers complained after Saputo, a Montreal-based dairy company, shrunk the size of its Neilson bagged milk from four litres to three last year.
The change prompted angry complaints from social media users.
Advertisement
Thought my bag of milk felt light. Neilson Trutaste is now 3 litres...and doesn't fit milk jug. #neilsonTrutasteSuckspic.twitter.com/TvoaeOdluN Beata Hilliard (@thebetaforce) September 26, 2015
The price per bag was also dropped from $6.79 to $5.19 though, as the Globe noted, that also marked a volumetric price increase of $0.03 per litre.
Saputo has since apologized, telling one dissatisfied customer, "We understand that this change was not favourably received by many of our consumers and we are sorry.
"Based on the feedback received, we've realized that for many of our loyal customers, the 4L bag was simply a better format. And so, we've listened."
Advertisement
The company also offered that customer a four-litre bag of milk for free.
Saputo's apology is proving popular with social media users.
Thanks #Saputo for the free bag of milk. Totally prefer the 4L version and glad you went back to it! pic.twitter.com/uxWDtVN7ju Wayne McCallum (@WayneMcCallum) May 27, 2016
Customer Wayne McCallum, who lives in Toronto, tweeted that he received a free bag of milk from Saputo late last month after speaking up.
He tweeted a picture of the bag, along with a Saputo-labelled envelope and said he was glad the company went back to the four-litre format.
Also on HuffPost
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will be a "strong and firm friend" to Mexico by advocating for human rights in the wake of deadly clashes between Mexican federal police and striking teachers.
Trudeau appeared alongside Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at a joint press conference in Ottawa Tuesday where he announced Canada will lift its visa restrictions against Mexican citizens before the year's end.
Advertisement
A Mexican reporter asked Pena Nieto about violence between police and members of a teachers union last week in the state of Oaxaca that killed eight people. The teachers were protesting controversial federal education reforms, including mandatory teacher evaluations, Reuters reports.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto respond to a question during a joint news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Mexico City Sunday to protest what an expert has called a "brutal massacre by federal forces against peaceful protesters."
Advertisement
At the close of the press conference, Trudeau offered his own thoughts on the matter.
"As a teacher, I had a good conversation with the president on this, on the concerns around the troubling incidents but also the need to engage in constructive dialogue and ensure a strengthening of the rule of law," Trudeau said. "Canada, as always, will be a strong and firm friend and partner to Mexico as it deals with the outcome of these tragedies and these conflicts."
The prime minister said it was important to move toward a "greater respect" and defence of human rights.
"That's part of the things that friends work together on well," Trudeau said.
Riot police confront protesting teachers who were blocking a federal highway in the state of Oaxaca, near the town of Nochixtlan, Mexico, Sunday, June 19, 2016. (Photo: Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez/AP)
According to a translator, Pena Nieto said his government has laid the table for the dialogue needed to diffuse the situation.
Advertisement
"I understand what teachers want but I don't think they're going about it the right way," he said. "I think they should be working to preserve the rule of law."
Pena Nieto said it was a "great shame" the demonstrations have gone beyond mere protest. He added that his government is open to dialogue to overcome issues.
Amnesty International and a group of female Mexican activists publicly called on Trudeau last week to put human rights at the forefront of the Three Amigos summit, including the reported disappearance of 27,000 Mexicans since the start of the country's war on drug cartels a decade ago.
'Mexico is massacring its citizens'
On Monday, The Toronto Star published a piece by John M. Ackerman, a professor at the Institute for Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), titled: "Mexico is massacring its citizens and nobody seems to have noticed."
Ackerman says use of force has been "commonplace" since the start of Pena Nieto's administration in 2012, and the deaths of innocent activists makes the issue impossible to disregard.
Advertisement
"In the face of the silent complicity of the U.S. and Canadian governments, civil society in all three countries should use the opportunity of this week's summit to make their voices heard," Ackerman wrote.
"They should forcefully condemn the violent repression and democratic breakdown taking place in Mexico and reach out a helping hand to their brothers and sisters south of the Rio Grande."
With files from The Canadian Press
ALSO ON HUFFPOST:
I was paying close attention to the British vote to leave the European Union.
The United Kingdom has become a second home for much of our families and loved ones who were displaced by the civil war in Somalia. After fleeing the civil war, they found refuge in the U.K. and discovered the life and hope of which they were deprived in their homeland.
While I respect the will of the people, I know one thing for sure: extremism won that day.
The entire notion of exiting the European Union was the work of the neoconservative right wing that seems to dominate the political arena in England and around the world.
Advertisement
These groups only serve their own agendas and pursue the politics of division and fear. They don't build, they destroy. They divide people and don't bring them together.
It is no surprise that one of those who applauded the result of the referendum was U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose politics are similarly based on division and hate.
Britain's right-wing party was eager to break Britain away from the EU, even if they had to fabricate facts and lie to the nation. Nigel Farage, the leader of the U.K. Independence Party, recently admitted on live TV that one of his referendum claims -- that money would be diverted to Britain's National Health Service upon a leave vote -- was false.
Political right-wing extremists pose an equal or greater danger when compared to religious extremists, but sadly the media doesn't focus on this growing wave of fanaticism as much it should. According to Newsweek, right-wing extremists are a greater threat to America than ISIS. But sadly, they fall under the radar there, too.
Advertisement
Right-wing groups have also been accused of being complicit in the murder of British Labour MP Jo Cox for creating a hostile environment filled with hate and division. Her killer, Thomas Mair, had right-wing ties and yelled "Britain first!" before pulling the trigger.
If there is one thing that has become clear from the result of the Brexit referendum, it is is that right-wing extremists are determined to occupy the political arena.
Those who have caved into the right-wing state of mind have betrayed the ideals of the late MP who sacrificed her life for the betterment of the country, helping the needy and working together instead of going alone. There is always goodness in coming together.
Building takes effort, sacrifice, dedication and time. It has taken a lot of effort for the United Kingdom to maintain its unity over the years -- but destruction can easily be accomplished overnight, as we have just witnessed in this referendum.
All the efforts and sacrifices of those who have built this unity have evaporated into thin air. As markets slid into free fall and the rest of the world responded with grief and sorrow, only Donald Trump was quick to celebrate the outcome of the referendum.
Advertisement
I wish the United Kingdom, its people and all the world peace and prosperity.
As for the rest of the world, I hope we all learn to never give into the same type of fear mongering that has divided Europe and England. Sadly, we are witnesses to extremism taking over much of our planet. It seems like only extremists are doing the talking from both sides of the fence, while the majority of us look on with bewilderment and confusion.
If there is one thing that has become clear from the result of the Brexit referendum, it is that right-wing extremists are determined to occupy the political arena by pursuing the politics of divide and conquer. These extremists have shown what they are capable of doing in pursuing such politics.
At a time of U.S. presidential hopefuls promising to build up a physical wall between the U.S. and Mexico, politicians in England have succeeded in building a wall overnight that, though invisible, is no less real. It is time for humanity to wake up to the danger posed by extremists of all types -- including those of all political stripes.
Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
MORE ON HUFFPOST:
I fell hard... enamoured at an early age with the United Kingdom.
It was inevitable, arguably. Growing up in a former colony -- with the convincing rituals of singing both "God Save The Queen" and "O Canada" every morning -- the mother country's allure tempted me early. I was helpless to her quixotic perfection.
While my great-grandparents had left the old country for a better life in Canada, I couldn't wait to get back to the epicentre of the Commonwealth.
Advertisement
And the U.K.'s magnetism drew me here over and over again.
Eventually, I came to live and study here.
I came to think in this place of great thinkers.
I came to do journalism in the birthplace of a free press.
I came to experience democracy in the place that gave my country its democratic system.
London -- and the entire U.K. -- are my City Upon a Hill. A "light of the world."
It's a vibrant shining place, heaving with people from everywhere.
A decidedly cosmopolitan place, London is a place where most of the messy things -- race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality -- seemed to matter less.
I realize, of course, I may have been naive about the U.K. My life in London is a privileged one -- and the capital is increasingly a city of the very rich and the very poor.
And the nasty and brutish Brexit debate made those divisions even more apparent.
Advertisement
The whole exercise still seems so unnecessary -- a blundered political ploy by Prime Minister David Cameron to fend of the U.K. Independence Party and the Euro-sceptics in his own party.
His gamble, of course, failed spectacularly, humiliated by his own party who campaigned against him and stripping this shimmering place on the hill of much of its lustre.
The Brexit debate was decidedly anti-intellectual. The prominent leave campaigner and former education minister, Michael Gove, even said the "British people are sick of experts."
For those of us who have came here to study, the campaign was, well, not British. It wasn't critical. It wasn't the earnest and lofty debate we expect from a country with universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
And the entire country's unfailingly polite manners seemingly evaporated, like steam pouring out of a screaming tea kettle, in the heat of the campaign.
Advertisement
'Taking back control'
Ultimately, the Brexit referendum, in large part, became a proxy -- rightly or wrongly -- for growing anxieties over migration.
Leave leaders, such as former London mayor and possible prime minister-in-waiting Boris Johnson, talked endlessly in their plummy accents about "taking back control" of the U.K.'s borders.
It worked. White working class voters rebelled against the political and media elite calling for the country to remain in the European Union.
The results make plain the U.K's problems with class, inequality and voter alienation.
While many of us from away recognized the leave campaign's dog-whistle politics as exactly that, it's still hard not to take such anti-foreign talk from the country's leading figures personally.
Advertisement
And even more disturbing, last Thursday's Brexit vote seemingly sent an enabling message to this country's closeted bigots.
Vile thugs have been emboldened by the vote.
Police continue to investigate "racially motivated" graffiti on a Polish community building in west London.
Laminated cards (there's some effort) also showed up in the mailboxes of Polish people in Cambridgeshire.
The message read: "Leave the EU. No more Polish vermin."
In Manchester, a man reportedly sang "Rule Britannia" in the street and said, "Foreigners can f*** off now."
Advertisement
On Twitter, a Muslim woman was told to "pack your bags....youre (sic) going home.."
Similarly, an Italian woman, who has lived in the U.K for almost 50 years got asked if she would not "prefer to go back to [her] own country?"
The U.K., of course, has a long and troubled history with racism, but it's never felt this overt in my time in the country -- and, most alarmingly, sanctioned by some of its elites.
My social media feeds fill endlessly these days with rueful -- and painful -- laments from my many expat friends and colleagues, who were "devastated" or "gutted" by last Thursday's results.
What's the point?
A French classmate of mine wrote a Facebook post stressing he's never felt all that welcome in London and definitely doesn't feel at home now.
Other European classmates -- present and former -- have wondered why they've bothered to make the U.K. home. What's the point of working hard, volunteering and contributing, they question, if they're just going to get kicked out in a few years.
Advertisement
One Italian former classmate announced on Facebook over the weekend that he's stopped looking for a new house in London, offering that the Brexit result has had a "deep psychological impact on all those who were not born on this tiny pretty island."
It's definitely not the same warm and welcoming place I came to so many years ago.
A Canadian expat, who has made London home for nearly two decades, calls the vote a "tragedy" and posted a popular meme circulating on social media that worries about the "anti-intellectualism" that marked the recent referendum campaign leading to more bigotry.
Last Thursday changed the way many of us foreigners here feel about the U.K.
It doesn't feel like home here anymore.
It's definitely not the same warm and welcoming place I came to so many years ago.
And even more perplexing -- and wounding -- I am questioning if I really ever knew this place I love and idealize.
Like so many from abroad, the toxic campaign and its aftermath have me questioning if I'm really all that into the United Kingdom anymore.
Also on HuffPost:
Advertisement
Hi Darryl:
You are correct when you identify "the power of the pronoun"!
People are basically self-centered and self-focused and love it when they are the focus of attention.
We live in a world where we have lost the art of caring for one another in a genuine, interested and loving way.
So, when we hear the words "we, you, us, and ours" it gives us that warm fuzzy feeling of belonging and of being cared for and included.
One of the key steps to finding/achieving happiness is nurturing relationships and of course the key words describing relationships include "us, ours and we".
Cheers
Mark
Radius Images
After more than a decade of development and public consultation, Ontario's health-based air quality standard for benzene is set to become law on July 1, 2016. But if some of the province's largest benzene emitters have their way, the new law may not apply to them.
Benzene is a highly toxic air pollutant that is hazardous to human health at any level. It can cause leukemia, and it is associated with other cancers, including myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Advertisement
Benzene is also very common -- it is emitted by cars, gas stations, steel mills and other industrial activities. It is also found in crude oil and petroleum products and is used to make a wide variety of products, like plastics, nylon , latex, resin, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and detergents.
So it is encouraging that Ontario's health-based air quality standard for this pollutant is finally going to become law.
But as we count down to July 1, Ontario's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change is working to accommodate a request from two of the province's largest industrial benzene emitters -- the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries.
These industries want to develop a special "technical standard" for benzene, which would exempt some emitters from the air quality standard if they meet certain technological, monitoring and reporting requirements. In short: these industries want to play by their own set of rules.
Advertisement
Why? Industry representatives have complained that meeting the new standard would be economically challenging for these industries.
The health-based air quality standard
The benzene air quality standard was developed under Ontario's new air pollution laws. Under these laws, standards are set after public consultation, based on science, and meant to protect human health and the environment.
The benzene air quality standard is a good example of this approach. The science is clear: benzene causes cancer and is hazardous to human health, and the air quality standard is designed to minimize these risks.
This is especially important in Aamjiwnaang First Nation and other communities near Sarnia's Chemical Valley -- an area home to a cluster of major industrial facilities, including most of Ontario's petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing facilities.
Benzene levels in the air in Aamjiwnaang are already alarmingly high, so significant action to reduce benzene levels is necessary and overdue. The new benzene air quality standard could be an important tool to prompt such action by petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants.
Advertisement
That is why it is so disappointing that the Ministry is considering letting petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants continue to emit levels of benzene that exceed the health-based standard.
The technical standard
If approved, a technical standard could delay critical decreases in benzene levels because they do not set any numeric limit on benzene levels and most of their requirements would not kick in until several years from now. As sector-wide standards, the technical standards also miss a golden opportunity to make sure that the petroleum refining and petrochemical industries address the cumulative, industry-wide effects of benzene pollution.
Will major polluters actually be held to a new standard once it is set?
In the bigger picture, if the technical standards are finalized as is, it could set a concerning precedent. When the law was changed to allow for technical standards, the Ministry explained them as a way to limit the burden of modelling and monitoring emissions for a large number of small- and mid-sized industrial facilities. For small facilities with minimal emissions, this makes some sense. But the proposed benzene technical standards are a completely different matter. Now, a small number of very large, sophisticated industrial actors -- some of the biggest benzene emitters in the province -- are asking for permission to put costs considerations above human health protection.
This is unacceptable, and it raises serious questions about other environmental standards in Ontario.
For example, Ontario has committed to reviewing its outdated sulphur dioxide standard. Like benzene, sulphur dioxide is a dangerous pollutant that is known to pose serious threats to human health. And as with benzene, the people of Aamjiwnaang and Chemical Valley are unfairly impacted by this hazardous contaminant.
Advertisement
If the Ministry approves a benzene technical standard, it will raise serious questions about how effective this review will be. Will major polluters actually be held to a new standard once it is set? Or will the Ministry carve out exemptions from the new standard because protecting human health isn't cost-effective for polluters?
Advocating for better air quality
We have worked with our clients Ron Plain and Ada Lockridge, two Aamjiwnaang community members, for many years to advocate for better air quality in Aamjiwnaang and across Ontario. And in the face of these proposed technical standards, we aren't slowing down now.
Last week, we helped Ron and Ada prepare and submit comments to the Ministry expressing their disappointment over the proposed technical standards. Among their many concerns is the fact that the Ministry has not explained the impacts current benzene levels are having on human health in Aamjiwnaang, or the community health implications the technical standards could have in the future. In fact, it's not clear from the public consultation documents that the Ministry has considered the health impacts of the proposed technical standards at all.
The technical standards aren't finalized yet, and we are committed to continuing to work with Ron and Ada to push the Ministry to address these serious problems.
We cannot let industry use technical standards as an excuse to continue business -- and emissions -- as usual. The risks to human health are too high.
Advertisement
This piece was written by Ecojustice lawyer Ian Miron. As Canada's only national environmental law charity, Ecojustice is building the case for a better earth. Learn more at ecojustice.ca, or subscribe to receive updates from us via email.
Marilyn Angel Wynn via Getty Images
With indigenous peoples among the fastest growing demographic in Canada, providing education opportunities that ensure they have the skills they need to succeed is more than a social responsibility, it is also an economic imperative. Collaboration between educators and leaders in the business sector is therefore key in achieving real progress.
Education is one of the five key areas identified by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that need to be reformed. Educators and the business community have key and mutually interdependent roles in the Commission's recommendations because underfunding and skills gaps are repeatedly cited as major issues affecting employability. Expressing his government's commitment to implement the recommendations of the TRC, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized that "significant investments in education" would be made. This is welcome news, but funding is not the sole answer.
Advertisement
Increasing employment opportunities for indigenous youth requires that partnerships (between indigenous communities, business and industry, postsecondary institutions, and government) identify labour market needs and skills gaps, offer culturally relevant and supportive postsecondary learning environments, increase skills upgrading and apprenticeship opportunities, and support indigenous entrepreneurs.
Strategically directed funding creates programming where it is needed most and where it is most likely to benefit underserviced indigenous communities. Reconciliation requires that we all work together in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.
CCAB's Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program encourages and recognizes companies that prioritize meaningful engagement and partnership with First Nations in their organization and operations. Companies who commit to PAR certification are required to maintain and steadily improve upon their performance in four areas: employment, business development, community investment and community engagement.
CCAB's 14 PAR Gold companies recruit, retain and create opportunities to advance the careers of aspiring indigenous peoples in their organizations. They offer training, skills and business development opportunities, seek out indigenous businesses for contracting and procurement initiatives, and mentor and apprentice indigenous youth directly in their organizations or through scholarships and bursaries to postsecondary institutions.
Advertisement
Increasing capacity in local Indigenous communities and supporting businesses through mutually beneficial agreements, joint ventures and partnerships are core PAR requirements. On the recommendation of third party verification and a juried review by indigenous business people, companies awarded bronze, silver and gold certification set the standards for best practices in a growing indigenous economy across Canada.
With a long history of working with Canadian businesses and industry, colleges and institutes also play a key role in supporting local initiatives in communities across the country, including many indigenous communities. They work in close partnership with employers to make sure their graduates have the skills they need to quickly embark on a new career.
Colleges and institutes also play an essential role in supporting the expansion of local business ventures by providing applied research services that help businesses innovate. Last year alone, they worked with 5,502 private sector partners across the country, 78 per cent of which were small and medium-sized enterprises and eight per cent were micro-enterprises.
In 2014, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) launched its Indigenous Education Protocol, which underscores the importance of structures and approaches required to address indigenous peoples' learning needs and support self-determination and socio-economic development of indigenous communities. It has since been signed by 45 institutions across Canada, creating a groundswell of collaborative initiatives aimed at enhancing the learning experience of indigenous students and meeting the skills development needs of indigenous communities.
Currently, 80 colleges and institutes offer indigenous-specific programs that are tailored to the skills development needs of indigenous communities. A growing number of colleges also provide support services for indigenous students, including counselling and support from Elders.
Advertisement
Since the 2008 economic downturn, Canadians have been made well aware of market instability, our over-reliance on natural resources, and its impact on the environment. These factors combined with the pace of technological change require creativity and new approaches to development.
Indigenous youth are an untapped source of ideas and innovation. CCAB research shows that aboriginal economic development corporations (AEDC) and entrepreneurs are net contributors to Canada's economic growth, but have difficulties accessing capital and procurement opportunities and lack operational and networking support. Prime minister Trudeau told the Assembly of First Nations that after speaking to many indigenous people on the campaign trail, he gained a new understanding of the issues affecting their quality of life and that as prime minister, he "now has the opportunity to take that understanding and transform it into action."
CICan and CCAB share that vision of a fair and inclusive Canada where all have access to the skills development and training resources they need to build a bright future for themselves and their community. This is why our organisations will continue to work together and with the government to ensure that indigenous youth have all the tools they need to reach their full potential.
Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
MORE ON HUFFPOST:
A young woman wears traditional clothing at an event celebrating National Aboriginal Day 2011 in Winnipeg. (Photo: AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
On June 25 I had the honour of hosting the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Aboriginal Day Live. It took place in Winnipeg's meeting place at the Forks National Historic Site of Canada, and what a celebration it was!
Advertisement
Aboriginal Day Live, an annual celebration of Canada's National Aboriginal Day and the summer solstice, has been delighting audiences since 2007. The event features some of the most accomplished Aboriginal musicians, including award-winning and up-and-coming artists; it showcases talent from all genres, regions and nations; and ensures the recognition and inclusion of all First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.
As a First Nations actor and entertainer, it is always a very surreal night to co-host such an meaningful event -- and as someone born and raised in Winnipeg, being chosen to represent Winnipeggers on a national stage like this is a memory I will forever cherish. It means so much to me because the show is so positive and represents role models and musicians who share their culture and talent proudly with the country.
Every time I get the incredible opportunity to be part of events like this, it always makes me feel more and more proud to be First Nations. It also makes me realize just how important shows like these are.
I think we are getting tired of hearing the same negative story and want to see the different colours of First Nations people.
I think the mainstream media is quick to showcase the harsh realities and devastation of First Nations people, and it makes people view them in a very specific way. But, like all of us, we have a variety of colours and shades to our character, and it's not always black and white.
I think the majority of our country is curious about First Nations people and wants to learn more about them. I think it's a different day and age, and we are evolving to be more accepting and eager to learn about all cultures.
I think we are getting tired of hearing the same negative story and want to see the different colours of First Nations people. I think it is an exciting time we live in, for I see a light breaking through at the end of the tunnel. I see more and more people coming together to lift up the spirits of First Nations people, and this innate instinct to care for one another is very beautiful to see. Having events that celebrate the positive successes of First Nations people is not only gratifying to watch, but to host such an event lifts the spirit beyond words.
I also love that events like this are also so inclusive and always state that they are open for people from all walks of life to come and be a part of the festivities, which is another aspect of the event that I am proud of. This inclusive mindset shows that even after all these years, First Nations people still choose to welcome everyone around them with open arms -- even after being pushed aside and having to always fight to have their voices heard. They will choose to make others feel welcome by including them in their celebration.
It's a proud day, and it's a day that allows other cultures to learn a little bit more about First Nations peoples. It's events like these that brings us one step closer as cultures and, more importantly, as human beings.
Advertisement
To check out more on Aboriginal Day Live, head over to its website.
Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
MORE ON HUFFPOST:
Kutay Tanir via Getty Images Flag of Mexico
by Lauren Ravon, Director of Policy and Campaigns for Oxfam Canada
The "three amigos" will have a lot to talk about on Wednesday when they meet in Ottawa for the North American Leaders' Summit. Climate change, trade, and migration are said to be on the agenda.
While these are all important issues that require discussion and action, there is an elephant in the room.
Advertisement
Last week, four courageous women from Mexico were in Ottawa to tell their stories of surviving violence in their country.They spoke of staggering rates of forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual violence against female detainees. They came to remind Canada that it needs to stand by human rights defenders and support those who put their lives on the line every day in Mexico to fight against impunity and violence.
Just as friends should speak up when they see signs of domestic violence in families they know, so should Obama and Trudeau raise this difficult topic with President Pena Nieto.
Because isn't that what it means to be a feminist?
The North American Leaders Summit is one of the first major opportunities for Prime Minister Trudeau -- a proud feminist -- to turn words into action and put his vision of a feminist foreign policy into practice. The human rights crisis in Mexico should be top of mind as he heads into his meetings with Presidents Obama and Pena Nieto tomorrow.
With six women murdered every single day, feminicide in Mexico is now a pandemic. For the past year, Mexicans have been living with a public "gender violence alert" in effect after one state reported the murder of 840 girls (ages 10-17) and the disappearance of 1,285 more.
Advertisement
We have seen Prime Minister Trudeau take concrete steps to recognize and address the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women that continues to plague our own country. Many of those who disappear in Mexico are also young, poor, marginalized... and women. And for them there is still no access to justice.
Wednesday's Summit is an opportunity for Prime Minister Trudeau to demonstrate that he is willing to seize diplomatic opportunities to speak up for women's rights. Holding Mexico's feet to the fire in addressing its dismal record on violence against women is a good - and necessary - first step.
But much more is needed.
Prime Minister Trudeau should begin to articulate how he intends for Canada to roll out its Feminist Foreign Policy on the global stage.
The Leaders' Summit on Refugees that Trudeau will be co-hosting with President Obama in New York City in September would be a good place to start. Canada should consult women's rights organizations ahead of time to make sure their priorities make it onto the formal agenda, and insist that the specific obstacles faced by refugee women and girls -- including sexual violence, widowhood, and forced marriage -- are at the heart of those discussions.
Going forward, Canada should also ensure that our aid dollars reach women's organizations in the Global South -- just like those working tirelessly in Mexico to ensure that massive human rights violations are not simply swept under the rug and forgotten.
Advertisement
Times sure have changed. Two of the three amigos say they're proud feminists. So let's hope they proudly stand up for women's rights when it counts.
The five things you need to know on Tuesday June 28, 2016
1) COUP STARK
At 4pm today we will know the results of the PLPs ballot on a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn. Some estimates suggest there 70% of Labour MPs could back it, while others say it could be as high as 80%. As this is a secret ballot, some may be bolder in private than public.
Advertisement
But given that Corbyn isnt remotely fussed by the vote, which after all has zero force and was only meant to embarrass him into standing down, its not really where the action is. That lies in the 51 letters from MPs and MEPs required to formally trigger a leadership challenge.
One MP mistakenly texted me last night to ask Hi [name deleted], have you got your proxy sorted?. The proxy may well be the stalking horse, or it may be a proxy vote in the ballot. Either way, the talk among Labour MPs in the last 24 hours has been on who will be nominated in those challenger letters.
Margaret Hodge made a passionate speech at last nights PLP (read my blow-by-blow account HERE) and some think she could be the horse to back. But the plan would then be that she would withdraw and a single unity candidate rows in behind.
That may well be Angela Eagle, one of the few with the union support and soft left party membership credentials who could beat Corbyn. Lisa Nandy, seen by some as the new generation required, was felt to have ruled herself out yesterday. (Watch Eagles tearful interview with John Pienaar HERE). Yvette Cooper has a speech today too, warning Labour needs to fill the dangerous political 'vacuum'.
Advertisement
The stark reality remains that Corbyn has huge support among the grass roots, as proved by his Parliament Square rally last night. But the plotters detect a peeling off of support as pro-Remain youngsters are uneasy about claims their leader didnt bust a gut to keep the UK in the EU. And the prospect of a snap election is sharpening minds. JK Rowling and Robert Harris are both now mobilised against Corbyn. But I'm told Momentum has tends of thousands of people 'ready to go' should there be a new battle of the 3-ers.
Did Corbyn vote Remain? He tweeted after the vote that he had. Yet Chris Byrant says he was equivocal when he asked him about it yesterday. Rumours swirl that one of his friends hinted at it on Facebook. The Times actually quotes a man called Martin Waplington, who said that he had been dining at a tapas restaurant in south London when Corbyn told him he planned to vote Leave. Was it all a joke that went wrong? Team JC vehemently deny the claim.
Hodge, who dont forget is expected to step down at the next election so cant be targeted by deselection, told the Today prog that she would appeal to Diane Abbott as a friend of his to get Corbyn to stand down. The Daily Mirror splash is Go Now. Its front page is a plea to Corbyn to quit on behalf of its readers. That line appears again You are a decent man And then theres the inevitable But.
Tempers frayed in the voting lobby last night, with Conor McGinn confronting John McDonnell and Stephen Doughty and Richard Burgon both having to be separated. The rows were over the Parliament Square protestors wearing eradicate right wing vermin T-shirts, and claims that leftwing MPs were supporting Momentum demos outside other MPs constituencies.
Meanwhile, the resignation waves keep on lapping at the door of Team JC. Today Im told the whips office will be the final ones to go. Whips are like the SAS: first in and last out, one joked to me. As of this morning, at least 7 vacancies in the Shadow Cabinet were still unfilled or unannounced.
Advertisement
I can also reveal that even Corbyns local Islington Council Labour group last night decided to pull a motion backing his leadership and condemning the PLP. The motion, proposed by a councillor from his own ward, was dumped after warnings that it would look much worse if it was defeated in a vote.
2) MAGGIE MAY
So, is the Boris bandwagon set to be derailed? Or will he power on? The 1922 Committees decision to fast-track the Tory leadership certainly looked like a move to help Boris. But it could also focus MPs minds on just what a Boris premiership would actually look like.
After Brexit you would have thought that no one would trust a poll ever again. But there are polls about. The Express says 80% of its readers back Bojo. Yet the Times has a front page YouGov poll showing that actually Theresa May is now the favoured choice of Tory voters (31% to 24%). Of course, voters are not the same as party members, as Jeremy Corbyn and the PLP well know. And given his coming out for Brexit (unlike May), most people are sure that Boris could win against any opponent once he gets onto the ballot.
And yet, heres another straw in the wind. The Eastern Daily Press, a Brexit stronghold, reports that Mrs May is seen as a preferred choice by some and that Boris is a bit too wild. Could it be that the Home Secretarys solid, dependable approach to politics, combined with a Thatcher-like steel, gets her more support than expected among MPs too?
In a preview of the debate ahead, dont forget Boris is more liberal on immigration than May (who famously insisted on putting students in the net migration target - something many Tories now disagree with, not just Grant Shapps). That may help him in the country, but will it help with the grass roots?
Advertisement
Lots of liberal England is still furious with Boris, summed up by Jamie Oliver yesterday on Twitter: I beg you one thing Great Britain ???? Give me Boris fucking Johnson as our prime minister and Im done. Im out. The hashtag #BuggerOffBoris was a thing.
It is claimed Bojo has offered May a job in his putative Cabinet, and he could do worse than making her Foreign Secretary or even Chancellor in a bid to heal the wounds. Meanwhile dark horse Stephen Crabb has teamed up with Sajid Javid. The Times reports that George Osborne wont declare for any candidate yet but he has ruled himself out.
Osborne was on Today suggesting that someone who argued for Remain could actually win the leadership. Could he do the previously unthinkable and back May as the best stop Boris candidate?
3) SECOND THOUGHTS
Jeremy Hunt told Good Morning Britain that he was seriously considering running against Boris Johnson. Yes, you read that right.
But just as importantly, he suggested there could be a second referendum or a general election to resolve for good the Brexit question. I dont think there (necessarily) needs to be another referendum but I think there needs to be some kind of democratic endorsement, he said.
Advertisement
The Daily Telegraph splashed on a piece by him in which he said Before setting the clock ticking, we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people, either in a referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh general election.
Remember when in April, as junior doctors went on strike, Hunt said his post as Health Secretary was likely to be his "last big job in politics? That seems an age ago. So too do the days when the UK last had a Triple A credit rating (ie yesterday morning).
No wonder Nigel Farage is already accusing the Tories of backsliding (though of course hes backtracked on the 350m a week NHS claim) Im nervous he told Channel 4 News last night.
BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR
Watch the Queen tell Martin McGuinness, when he asks after he health, Im still alive.
4) WINNING UGLY
The victory for the Brexiteers was marred within hours by reports across the country of a spike in racist verbal abuse against EU citizens - and even Brits of a different skin colour - living in the UK.
Suspected racist graffiti was found on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in Hammersmith. In Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, a number of laminated cards saying Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin - in both English and Polish - were found outside a school. The Polish ambassador to Britain urged politicians to condemn what had happened.
Advertisement
David Cameron rang the Polish PM to discuss safety of Poles in the UK. He and No.10 condemned the abuse and many Brexiters are ashamed that the racists are tarnishing their victory.
But No10 could make life a lot easier if they declared that the Brexit vote would not be retrospective on the status of EU citizens currently in the UK. On Friday morning the PM said there would be no immediate change in circumstances for such citizens. He may want to think its up to the Brexiters to make clear what will happen to these people in two years time, but surely some clarity is urgently needed from Government itself? Will Brexit only apply to new migrants, not current ones residing here? Or will people be sent back?
Labour MP Jess Phillips hopes there will be an Urgent Question granted today.
5) OLIVERS TWIST
Oliver Lewin is in charge of cross-Government and extra-Government links to the new Brexit Unit. Just let that sink in a second.
Of course, his appointment prompted much hilarity on social media, not least given his long record of gaffe-tastic remarks. Hes been out there on privatising the NHS and had to apologise for a memo showing hed once claimed black people would use post-Broadwater Farm riot cash to go into the disco and drug trade. Oh, and he once dumped official papers in a St James park litter bin.
Cameron told MPs that he will be playing no part in the leadership election. That was more to reassure Brexiters worried he would back a Remainer than any hint that Letwin was a contender himself. But, hey, we live in crayzee times.
Advertisement
In fact, the PM really, really rates Letwin not for his high-pitched squeak of a laugh, but for his brain (dont forget he kinda wrote the 2010 Tory manifesto) and his fixer ability. Views vary in the insurance industry, but some say he played an invaluable role in sorting out a deal after the floods, stepping in where Owen Paterson had failed.
If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox.
Said the Pot: "We should not look on ------ as "a series of catastrophic mistakes perpetrated by an out-of-touch elite."
Said the Kettle: "One of the reasons I am a Conservative is that, in the end, I just can't stand the intellectual dishonesty of the Left."
The two utensils concerned are, respectively, Michael Gove writing in the Daily Mail and Boris Johnson in The Telegraph. But no, reader, you oughtn't to jump to conclusions. Neither was writing - at least not directly - about Brexit. The articles are both a couple of years old, and their subject matter is the First World War. Both articles concern themselves with resuscitating the idea that Britain fought World War 1 as the anointed representatives of "freedom" and "civilisation" against an evil expansionist Germany. Those casting aspersions on the decency or competence of the British commanders of the War ("Butcher" Haig is their example) are "unpatriotic at best", while those who entertain the possibility that the causes of the War are complex and multipolar deserve a "Nobel Prize for Tripe". In making this spirited defence of nationalistic fairytales against history, they bravely take on all comers, whether Prof. Richard Evans (a Cambridge don and "Guardian writer" - this was before 'expert' was pejorative du jour), or Black Adder Goes Forth.
Advertisement
There are obvious potshots to be taken, and it would be remiss of me not to take them, however summarily. When a referendum for which there is little public clamour is staged as an act of party management with both campaigns de facto led by Etonian Conservatives, said referendum having as its most immediate result the plummeting of the pound and UK stocks to a point not seen in decades while the winning campaign acknowledges it has absolutely no plan for how to put in place its desired outcome, the epithet "catastrophic mistakes perpetrated by an out-of-touch elite" seems apposite at worst.
Similarly, it would be surprising if "dishonesty of the Right" did not filter through the mind of at least some political neophytes listening to Nigel Farage dissociating himself from his own proposal to fund the NHS with money previously paid to the EU ("Leave shouldn't have claimed that"), Dan Hannan's acknowledgement (a day after the referendum) that immigration levels were unlikely to be reduced by the Leave vote or Iain Duncan Smith's summary revocation of anything at all promised during the campaign: "We never made any commitments. We just made a series of promises that were possibilities."
But let us return to serious matters, specifically Gove and Johnson's World War 1.
Much like UKIP's campaign posters, the vision of the War they presented back then was one widely ridiculed in all the places one would expect to ridicule it. Yet, in point of practice, it was one the country adopted with vigour. In British commemorations in 2014, the sacrifice of the more than a million soldiers from the British colony of India received no more than an 'and the Commonwealth' footnote (much as, a century earlier, they were punished for their contribution with still more oppressive rule rather than rewarded with the quasi-freedom of Dominion status). The spectacle reached its apotheosis when ceramic poppies flooded the Tower of London commemorating British Empire forces who died, a display of patriotism par excellence. Few but the widely lambasted Jonathan Jones saw fit to challenge the poppy exhibit: and what of the sacrifice of the French - who made, without doubt, the greatest sacrifice of all large nations in the War, which received no mention? And as for the German soldiers, conscripted to fight for a Kaiser whose monarchy was anything but democratic... the less commemoration of them, of course, the better. How can one ask that of a British memorial? Why should we? Our sacrifice, our memorial. Our mythmaking. Our country.
Advertisement
Hold in your mind those ceramic poppies, so smoothly crafted, so particular, and contrast them with the inscription at the Turkish memorial to Gallipoli:
Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us, where they lie, side by side, in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they shall become our sons as well.'
Those are the terrifying Turkish hordes that Gove and Johnson said we needed to vote Leave to escape. That is the view that Gove and Johnson's World War 1 wants erased. It is a stretch, but not a wild one, to see in our Empire-only poppies a few of the seeds of what became the couple of percent who carried Leave over the line - specifically, those who voted in line with what the official Leave campaign was saying (as opposed to on the basis of a separate, and probably more valid, calculus). It is less of a stretch to see in Gove and Johnson's rhetoric, on Project Freedom 1914 and Project Freedom 2016, at least a couple of the seeds of the bigotry that erupted in Britain immediately following the referendum, those men in Great Portland Street chanting "Make Britain white again", the odious anti-black, anti-Pole, anti-Pakistani graffiti, and, indeed, earlier, in the murder of British Labour politician and refugee activist Jo Cox in the days preceding it.
In light of their current place in history, it bears asking, why should Johnson and Gove care so so uncommonly much for fighting wars about the past? The answer is inextricably rooted in the present. No identity, whether personal or national, exists sui generis. The European Union, an organisation that is in many ways odious, is nevertheless also the custodian of the memory-myth of what happens when Europe isn't united. This memory-myth matters. The Leave campaign's peroration, "Let us make 23 June British Independence Day!" has no roots in the Somme, but plenty in the vision of singular and unique British sacrifice that has been belatedly superimposed upon the battlefield. And this and similar stories we tell ourselves are shaping our actions now. The fight for the past is always a fight for the present. And the fight to illuminate and defend the transnationality of our particular past, made up of empires, colonialism and subjugation of much of the world as well as incredible acts of bravery - for whatever cause, and no less brave for it - is a fight for the soul of the present, and for the language and memories which frame the present.
A parting question: a political Rorschach test, if you like. What is problematic in the sentence: 'But let us return to serious matters, specifically Gove and Johnson's World War 1.' Is it
a) the trivialisation of the present-day crisis provoked by Brexit, and the imputation that it is unserious?
b) that the sentence is misleading: while World War 1 is more serious, talking about it is certainly not more urgent?
Advertisement
c) the implication that Gove and Johnson's parochial version of World War 1 should be taken seriously? Or,
d) the suggestion that the view of World War 1 they describe is not one widely shared by the British public - with all the knock on effects for public discourse this entails?
First of all, peace and love. When people say 'nobody died' they are trying to put things into perspective. But somebody did die during this referendum campaign. Whether the actions of an individual with poor mental health; or the inevitable residue of a culture of political hate; somebody did die. So when I say peace and love I don't say it lightly, I say it because those are the most appropriate words.
I lived and studied in America during the end of the Clinton administration and the Lewinsky scandal (remember when that was the biggest thing going on, internationally?) One thing that struck me at that time (and that has only got worse) was that American public discourse was almost the polar opposite of that in the UK. Congress was a quiet, polite place, where opponents would treat each other with collegiality and respect, whereas outside in the media people would scream at each other with pure contempt.
Here, however, our Parliament would be the home of that most un-British thing - rambunctious, arrogant shouting - while in real life we generally rubbed along together quite well. This referendum has given lie to that myth. Like it or not we now have our own culture war; with a (so it seems) snarling, racist, suburban, anti-modern proletariat lined up against an arrogant, snobbish, metropolitan, tone-deaf elite. There is no left and right any more; only leavers and remainers.
Advertisement
Remainers want to know who is responsible for this coming to pass. Cameron forgot the cardinal rule of referenda: don't call one you could lose. Farage hypocritically rode a carousel of frustration and resentment at elites, apparently oblivious to the universal political truth that eventually the music stops. Boris didn't pause one second between leading the most diverse city on the planet and shamelessly crowning himself king of the British Tea-Party. Jeremy Corbyn has presided over the descent of the most progressive political party in Europe into one of the least.
I actually blame Tony Blair. Gordon Brown and Ed Milliband too. I don't say this as an instinctive Blair hater. I didn't march against the Iraq war in 2003, and wouldn't today even if I could. Saddam had been in breach of 12 separate United Nations resolutions calling on him to verify the end of his weapons programmes, each of which threatened him with military action. This is not about Iraq.
Tony Blair's greater failure was to legitimise a form of politics whereby centrist parties - Labour and Conservative - would both have their cake and eat it. While wanting to enjoy all the benefits of immigration and the EU, Cakeists (for want of a less glib word - or maybe it is glibly appropriate) would nevertheless use immigration or the EU as punch-bags of first resort in order to head off political trouble. I have often tried to point out to people that Cameron has governed as if he had a majority of 120, when actually he had a majority of 12. Part of this arrogance was the belief, now shown to be spectacularly erroneous, that a Conservative leader was perfectly placed to benefit from the votes of both leavers and remainers as long as we could continually get all the economic benefits of EU membership, while routinely giving Brussels a duffing up.
Advertisement
Cakeists bluffed, and the electorate called it. It is right to ask what the origins of Cakeism are; and I can't help but notice a Prime Minister who adopted this policy when he had a parliamentary majority of 179 and the time and opportunity to win the country over to his progressive, cosmopolitan instincts. Tories don't know any better. Farage doesn't even try to hide his desires to exploit people's frustration and resentment. But Labour, the party that created the NHS, presided over the greatest regressive shift in modern British history.
Yes, of course, single individuals never bear sole responsibility in representative democracies. Neville Chamberlain did not inflict every trauma on Europe after 1938. But, in retrospect, he was there at the crucial pivot of history, and failed to act despite having the means. And when we look back at this crucial pivot in history, Tony Blair was the one that stepped off the plane waving a piece of paper.
I said that this is a letter to my leave chums; and I know it probably reads so far as a letter to my fellow remainers. It is not. When leavers were asked by the media why they wanted to leave the phrase that they kept using was that they wanted to Take Back Control. The onus is now on them to explain what they mean by that. Who are we taking control back from? Who - honestly - was responsible for that loss of control in the first place? What are we seeking to take back control of? These are not just glib questions (or no glibber than the original phrase). We have just taken the most profound geostrategic decision in our society since coming to the aid of Poland in 1939.
While pondering upon those questions, perhaps leavers can answer me this. One charge you often make against the EU, that I feel is rarely challenged, is that the EU is undemocratic. Yet, we get to vote regularly for MEPs using a voting system shown to be far more proportionate than our own first-past-the-post. The despised Eurocrats seem, to me, to be no less legitimate than the unelected mandarins of Whitehall. European Commissioners are appointed, yes, but by democratically-elected Governments. And Europe is not headed by someone who inherited the position from their father. How, exactly, is the union we are leaving less democratic than ours?
This referendum has laid bare, and exacerbated, deep divisions in our country. Having decided to leave one Union, leavers need to decide if they now want to maintain another. This is not just about preventing Scotland, and even Northern Ireland, becoming independent. On the evidence of the last few weeks, we are no longer a united kingdom. As arrogant and as out of touch some of the pro-European elite has been, leavers can not now become the elitists: you petitioned for this divorce, now you must own it.
Advertisement
And part of taking responsibility in a democracy is reconciling with your defeated opponents. Just as you passionately felt that you had to Take Back Control, you have to recognise that you are now in charge of a country where 48% of people disagreed with you. Just as you felt that leaving the EU was an emotional imperative, millions of your fellow citizens feel that being a responsible international actor, believing in Europe as an idea, and modernity are emotional imperatives too.
This weekend, as I write this, Johnson and Gove are strangely absent from our television screens. I assume that this is the result of stunning hangovers, rather than buyers' remorse. But very soon they will have to start making decisions. We have lost, within a few hours, a Prime Minister and a European Commissioner, on the very day that the most important foreign and domestic decisions for a generation need to be taken. In short, they will have to take back control.
Getty
Saudi Arabia is by far the world's biggest buyer of UK arms. As I write this, the UK trained Saudi Arabian air force could be flying over Yemen in UK supplied aircraft and dropping UK produced bombs on the people below.
This Thursday, the High Court will determine if a legal action, brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade, represented by human rights lawyers Leigh Day, will be allowed to proceed to judicial review.
Advertisement
We will be asking the court to consider the legality of arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of the humanitarian catastrophe Saudi forces have unleashed throughout their 15 month long bombardment of Yemen.
The results have been catastrophic, with the UK government having been shamefully complicit right from the start. Over 6000 people have been killed in a campaign that has destroyed vital infrastructure and left 80% of the population in need of aid. The British Red Cross has said that the conflict has left the country on 'the precipice of disaster.'
Earlier this year, a UN expert panel accused Saudi Arabia of "widespread and systematic" attacks on civilian targets. Its report documented 119 sorties relating to violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and reported starvation being used as a war tactic. Similarly, reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the Saudi air force of violating IHL.
Yet, rather than listening to the experts and ending the arms sales, the UK government has pledged to "support the Saudis in every practical way short of engaging in combat." It has certainly stayed true to its promise, having provided military and political support, extensive training and licensed over 2.8 billion worth of arms since the bombing began, including a 1.7 billion licence for fighter jets and more than 1 billion worth of missiles and bombs.
Advertisement
The arms sales haven't just been immoral; they have been illegal, flying in the face of national and European arms control legislation. UK arms export guidelines are very clear, requiring the Government to deny export licences where there is a "clear risk" that equipment "might" be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. Surely this should prohibit any arms sales to Saudi Arabia?
Despite widespread condemnation and opposition, the Government's response has been a mixture of denial, excuses and delays. It has refused to even back the growing calls for an independent investigation into the conduct of the war, preferring to take the word of the Saudi government when it says that everything is in order, and insisting that it is "satisfied that export licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK's export licensing criteria."
The UK should never have been arming Saudi Arabia in the first place. Not only does it make a mockery of the its rhetoric about promoting human rights and democracy, it also strengthens its relationship with one of the most repressive and authoritarian regimes in the world.
The Saudi government hasn't just bought arms and support, it has also bought silence and compliance.That's why, only nine months ago, we saw the contemptible but ultimately unsurprising revelations that UK diplomats had lobbied and campaigned behind the scenes for Saudi Arabia to Chair the UN Human Rights Council.
Advertisement
For decades now, UK governments of all political colours have worked hand in glove with the arms companies and Saudi authorities, continuing to sell arms and political support while turning a blind eye to the terrible human rights abuses that are being carried out every single day.
If the government cares for the human rights of those in Saudi, Yemen or the wider region then it must finally end its support for the Saudi military and its complicity in Saudi state violence.
The abduction of five Hong Kong booksellers, two of whom were European citizens, is the most chilling example of a much wider erosion of freedom in Hong Kong.
I lived in Hong Kong for the first five years of Chinese sovereignty, and I saw early warning signs of subtle threats to freedom then. I worked on a newspaper which had been outspoken, but became subdued when the new proprietor who had business interests in the mainland sacked the editor and many of the journalists and brought in a new editor who wanted us to subscribe to Xinhua, Beijing's mouthpiece. I saw the writing on the wall then and decided it was time to leave. But I never imagined it would come to this point.
Advertisement
The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission's new report, The Darkest Moment: The Crackdown on Human Rights in China 2013-2016, includes a section on Hong Kong. Launched today in Parliament, with former Governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten and Angela Gui, daughter of one of the missing booksellers Gui Minhai, speaking, the report is a damning review of the overall severe deterioration in the human rights situation in China. As part of the inquiry, we received written submissions from Hong Kong's former Chief Secretary Anson Chan, the founder of the Democratic Party Martin Lee, the leader of the Umbrella Movement Joshua Wong and a Hong Kong-born academic. All of them argued that 'one country, two systems', the principle established for Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule, is under severe threat today.
"Precious rights and freedoms guaranteed under 'one country, two systems', such as freedom of the press, of publication and of academic thought, are being chipped away," argued Anson Chan and Martin Lee. "Hong Kong's young people who have grown up under the 'one country, two systems' model are convinced that Hong Kong is dying," said Professor Victoria Tin-bor Hui of Notre Dame University.
Advertisement
The disappearance of the booksellers, their forced televised 'confessions', and the Hong Kong government's inertia in the face of the most significant attack on the territory's liberty and rule of law mean that, according to Mrs Chan and Mr Lee, "none of us is safe". China now considers that "it can act with impunity and complete disregard for 'one country, two systems'," they add. The Joint Declaration between Britain and China was meant to guarantee that "no Hong Kong resident would have to fear a midnight knock on the door," and now that Joint Declaration lies in tatters. One of the booksellers, Lam Wing-kee, recently returned to Hong Kong after months in solitary confinement, and described the psychological torture he endured. He had been taken blindfolded and interrogated for weeks. Another bookseller, Gui Minhai, is still missing.
The booksellers' case is by no means isolated. The crackdown on the mostly peaceful Umbrella Movement of 2014 was disproportionately brutal. Mr Lee himself, aged 76 at the time, was hit with teargas. Joshua Wong, the movement's teenage leader, was arrested and put on trial. Although he has not been jailed, his efforts to found a new political party have been hampered by insidious means, including banks refusing to allow him to establish an account.
There are several other reasons to be concerned. The independence of the judiciary is at risk. A senior Hong Kong judge, Judge Kemal Bokhary, concluded in April that his warning four years ago of "a storm of unprecedented ferocity" facing the judiciary has now come about, noting that his "fears have been realised". He described "very serious problems," "grave challenges" and noted that "the things which were second nature to you and I may recede to the back row where judicial independence is eroded". Professor Hui told our Commission that the announcement that Hong Kong's Chief Executive would have "overriding power" over the judicial branch "may be seen as the prelude to the next stage of Beijing's campaign".
Academic freedom has been threatened by the decision of the University of Hong Kong not to appoint pro-democracy academic Johannes Chan Man-mun as Pro-Vice Chancellor, despite the selection committee's recommendation. In addition, Hong Kong's Chief Executive CY Leung is Chancellor of all eight universities and, according to Mrs Chan and Mr Lee, it is "widely perceived" that he is "systematically abusing his position" in order to appoint to their governing bodies people who will toe the government line. "This is a blatant threat to academic freedom".
Advertisement
Press freedom in Hong Kong has declined dramatically, as illustrated by Reporters Without Borders' 2015 survey which places Hong Kong 70th in the world press freedom index, a significant fall from its position of 18th in 2002. Journalists have been subjected to physical assaults or forced to resign after criticising the Chinese regime, and a creeping self-censorship has emerged. Edward Chin, a hedge fund manager and pro-democracy campaigner, told Vice News that Hong Kong's media is "under heavy attack, heavy control by Beijing".
The closure of the world's only museum dedicated to the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989 is yet another nail in the coffin of Hong Kong's liberties.
The rise of a new 'localism' movement, promoting the idea of Hong Kong's independence, is an indication of how serious the situation has become. Although unrealistic, it is, as Mrs Chan and Mr Lee say, "a symptom of the current disillusionment among young people".
The United Kingdom's response to all this so far has been disappointingly mooted. Under the Joint Declaration, Britain has both a right and a moral obligation to monitor developments and ensure China protects 'one country, two systems'. Yet the Foreign Secretary's six-monthly report to Parliament is, Lord Patten complains, "a fairly neutral and ... rather anodyne document". Mrs Chan and Mr Lee call for a stronger response. "We need the UK to speak up forcefully in defence of the rights and freedoms that distinguish Hong Kong from the rest of China. Where it leads the rest of the international community will follow. If it does not lead, then the future of 'one country, two systems' is at best troubled and at worst doomed." The United Kingdom should, says Professor Hui, "point out on-going breaches as they happen ... and call out every instance of violation".
After last week's referendum, Brexit offers a unique and historic chance for the UK to become an open-minded, globally-oriented, diverse tolerant society - but only if we actually try.
The European Union is no magical silver bullet that prevents xenophobia and intolerance. Across Europe, racial hatred is well and alive. The French Front Nationale, with its neo-fascist heritage, Germany's neo-nazi NPD party, and the anti-Muslim PVV in the Netherlands - all these are hateful, radical far-right movements that feed on people's anger over EU's anti-democratic, authoritarian, out-of-touch governance structures.
But the boom of the far-right isn't just a side effect of the EU project. Racism is intrinsically and inseparably connected to its very founding principles - to the desire for European unification.
Advertisement
The EU exists on the basis of the historically unfounded idea of a pan-European identity. No doubt, there are strongly developed national identities in the UK and the many different nations on the continent (all of which are rooted in distinct national literatures, languages, histories and cultures). But what exactly would a "European" identity consist of? Is there a European language? A historical precedence for a European national polity? A European culture? No, of course not. Instead there is only vague, ahistorical and meaningless rhetoric from Brussels bureaucrats about "shared values" of democracy, human rights and freedom. Unstated, but clearly implicit in this narrative is the racist idea that people outside of Europe don't 'share' these values. Democracy and freedom are universal human aspirations recognized by international law, so in any case, making them specific to Europe is a pointless, nonsensical endeavor.
The idea of a pan-European identity is not just an ill-considered fiction, but is used every day to legitimise real world racist exclusion. While left-leaning upper middle class elites across the EU enjoy so-called "free movement", immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East die while trying sail to Europe in makeshift boats or while trying to cross fortified, militarized borders that feature Trump-style fences. Their only crime: That they happened not to be white and "European" enough to be allowed to have the "free movement" and "shared human rights" the EU talks about.
Think about it: Why should a white person with a German family background (like myself) have any more of a right to immigrate to Britain than an Asian person from India or Bangladesh, or a Black person from Kenya or Somaliland? All those countries share a longer, more intertwined history with Britain than Germany does, but EU law means the German person has the right to come to the UK no questions asked, while the Indian, Bengali, Somalilander or Kenyan is excluded for no reason other than his/her place of birth/ethnicity. At the end of the day, the EU's "free movement of people" is a racist, unfree scam with a big discriminatory whites-only label on it.
Advertisement
And even the EU's much-praised "single market" is nothing of the sort. It is the world's largest tariff union, using predatory and anti-free trade import controls and tariff fees to keep non-EU goods out or at least put them at an unfair disadvantage. It drives up prices for UK customers, and damages Britain's global economic competitiveness. The catalogue of unnecessary, inane regulations from Brussels makes production in the UK more expensive and less efficient, costing British jobs.
Through Brexit, Britain has a unique, challenging but rewarding opportunity to forge a more tolerant, open-minded, prosperous soceity. We can create a fair, welcoming, color-blind, points-based immigration system. A system solely based on meritocratic criteria, that works without any racial or geographic bias. We can engage in real free trade, and restructure the economy based on open-minded capitalism, transparent decentralised, democratic governance, strong human rights standards and global free enterprise. We can partner on basis of free trade with high growth emerging markets in India and East Asia. We can cultivate much closer ties with our most vital political, historical and cultural allies, such as the US and the Commonwealth states including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as certain continental countries like Poland, France and Belgium who were our military allies in the two World Wars. We can decentralize political power in the UK, ensuring that Northern communities hold much more sway while the unhealthy over-representation of London's elites could be ended by full federalism. We can finally leave behind the over-regulated, economically stagnant racist morass that calls itself the EU. But all this takes courage and political will.
Instead Britain is being led towards recession and chaos by a narrow-minded, incompetent political class. Regardless of whether they backed Remain or Leave, our political elite is culturally trapped in the deluded mental illusion of Europe being the centre of the UK's role in the world.
It's a political class that is so spineless it can't even get itself to actually invoke Article 50, the treaty mechanism required for the UK to finally liberate itself from EU domination. They cannot contemplate trading primarily not just with Europe, but with the world. They completely lack the commitment to global free trade that would be needed to actively negotiate Britain's new brighter, more prosperous place in the world with the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, ASEAN, The African Union and other international institutions as well as the US.
Advertisement
Instead of working hard to negotiate that future, Leave-supporters in the political class have responded with short-sighted "Independence Day"-style triumphalism and nationalist posturing. Remainers have developed a London-centric, sentimental, emotional, irrational affinity for the pre-Referendum state of politics. Disgustingly, some of the political class in London even dream of ignoring the referendum result; A move that would plunge Britain into decades of economic uncertainty, undermine the rule of law fatally, and cause an unprecedented, damaging resurgence in far-right extremism. It would allow dangerous demagogues and extremists to prey on the sense of disfranchisement the majority of electors will feel after their democratic preference has been invalidated by the political class.
With the Brexit decision confirmed last week, we've had a lot of questions over the weekend from our members as to what this means for their travel arrangements and longer term prospects. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked.
Short-Term
The 140 Characters Version: Britain remains a member of the EU for at least two years, and nothing will change for travellers between Britain and the EU.
"I've already got a flight booked to Europe, what do I need to do?"
In short, nothing different. The UK is still a member of the European Union for at least two more years and so the same rights of travel and freedom of movement remain in place.
Advertisement
"Will travel be more expensive to Europe?"
Right now, we've not seen any dramatic changes in the price of airfare from the UK. Prices remain fair and seasonally competitive. Where travel may be more expensive right now is when you get to Europe with the weak pound against the Euro.
"I'm an international student studying in the UK, can I still travel to Europe?"
Yes! Nothing has changed nor will change for at least two years time. Britain remains a member of the European Union throughout this period.
"Will my EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) still cover me?"
Your EHIC card is still valid and will remain valid throughout the minimum of two years until Britain leaves the EU. This is one of many things that will need to be finalised longer term between the UK and other EU countries.
"I'm studying abroad in Europe, do I need to come home?"
No. For the next two years (at a minimum) Britain remains a member of the European Union and so you're entitled to participate in the Erasmus Programme. After that, nothing can be confirmed yet.
Advertisement
Longer-Term
The 140 Characters Version: A lot is uncertain as of right now and the coming weeks will truly define opportunities for younger people for an entire generation.
"Will the cost of flights increase in the future to Europe?"
Expectations are that the UK government will negotiate access to the EU's common aviation market. This will enable Britain to remain competitive on price and allow entry to the open skies arrangements we currently have today.
"Will I still be able to study abroad in Europe?"
It remains unclear at this early stage what the impact of the vote to leave the EU will have on this subject. However, Britain is a leading member of the Erasmus Programme and will do every effort to maintain its participation in the programme.
"Will I still be able to study abroad in the UK?"
"I used to work for the Cats Protection League," said Mark Salway, leaning back in his chair with a smile. "The fundraising team ran a big campaign to raise money for a cat called Scrunchy, which did well. But, I pointed out to them, that this 'restricted funding' could only be used for a cat called Scrunchy, or we'd be breaking the law!
"So, for the next few months, every cat we rehoused was called Scrunchy! There were hundreds of them!"
Advertisement
This story may amuse, but the charity sector is under pressure, with grants being cut, donations down and the possibility of a new 'Fundraising Preference Service' restricting cold-calling by charities on the horizon. It seems as though we have forgotten that we are all supposed to be on the same side!
Large charities have whole departments dedicated to fundraising, specialising in everything from encouraging donors to leave a legacy to organising runs. With these expert departments and brand recognition, it's no surprise that 90% of the income for charities goes to just 5% of charities in the UK.
For the smaller charities that depend on grants or who manage with little or no income, funding can distort the priorities of the organisation, meeting the needs of the donors not the people who need the help.
This goes way beyond having to rename a few cats. For example, charities distort projects to make themselves eligible for grants. Employment contracts in charities are often fixed term, based around the length of a funded project and charities end up losing some of their best staff. The (understandable) focus on results often means that the sector can be resistant to innovation.
Advertisement
It's a shame, because if it is done well, fundraising can be a positive experience for all concerned. The charities get the chance to build a community of supporters, hear their feedback and raise not only money but awareness and motivation.
In the digital age, surely it must be possible to find better ways to connect charities with the people who care about them? Surely it must be possible to use the kind of online tools that other sectors use? Surely, rather than headlines about pushy charities harassing people, the conversation should be about connection, compassion and the difference we can make when we are not competing?
I am a firm believer that we do well when we can get people to help others when they can do good at the same time as doing what they would do in any case.
So, when social enterprise, Change Please can provide jobs and housing to homeless people by having you buy the coffee you would be buying in any case (and by the way, their coffee is amazingly good!) that is a win for everyone.
Advertisement
Or when Party for the People provides a ticketing system for dance music events where a share of the booking fee is given to charity, it's the perfect way for people to have a good time while helping to make the world a better place.
And I think it is a good start that over 700 charities, large and small, have jumped at the chance to use the tools offered by a new fundraising platform, eSolidar, connecting with, so far, 40,000 users.
Using their tools charities can raise donations, auction celebrity items (like a signed score by David Bowie) or sell products online (meaning even tiny charities can have their own internet charity shop). Celebrities that are helping to raise money through eSolidar include Katy Perry, Elton John, Queen, Christiano Ronaldo and Mark Knopfler.
As people use the internet to shop in any case, is it not great that the money can go to something that they care about?
Advertisement
These income sources don't compete with those that small charities normally tap into, and they allow charities to connect to potential supporters already registered on the site. So, rather than promoting competition between the bigger and smaller charities, there is a chance to connect with and tap into a community of people who care.
We've seen how digital has disrupted the music industry, taxis and how we consume media. Surely the same mechanisms of personal choice, connection and user reviews can only benefit small charities.
It's a nice theory, but does it work? Well, the glowing testimonial from Grief Encounter, a charity that has used eSolidar, seems to suggest that the answer is yes:
In eSolidar, we have finally found a solution to raise vital funds through an extremely simple process. As a charity, we are fortunate enough to receive auction prizes from donors and we now have an amazing outlet to maximise our fundraising potential. The whole process from start to finish was so easy. The staff are simply phenomenal, they made the auction process completely hassle free and all I had to do was send a picture of the item and they did the rest. Our first item sold for around 20% higher than our high end estimate and I believe this was down to the generous nature of the bidders both wanting the item and also knowing the funds were going to charity. I would definitely recommended eSolidar to other charities and will most certainly be using them again. I hope that this is the start of a long relationship.
It's early days. eSolidar has been in the UK since September, and also operates in Portugal and Brazil. But its ambitious plans for growth could make a huge difference to the people who need it the most. Not the charities, but their beneficiaries - the children, animals, communities that really benefit from the work of those small charities that are feeling the pinch. In nine months this start-up has already raised 122k, and hopes to get to 2m by the end of 2017.
You can find out more about eSolidar and register as a charity or individual on the site here. eSolidar is currently raising money through a crowdfunding campaign.
While I did not find the increase in the anti-immigrant rhetoric and comments towards ordinary migrants unexpected, I was shaken to read today about the suspected (*if nothing changes until publication of this article. If it is 100% confirmed, this word to be removed*) racist graffiti at my former workplace, the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London. In the last days, numerous similar incidents with messages against EU migration and Eastern Europeans in particular have been reported on social media. Some of the hostile attitudes towards Eastern Europeans affects people who I know personally.
The vandalised entrance is not just a consequence of the Leave vote and the campaign preceding it. Racist, xenophobic and hostile attitudes to migrants are related to years of negative, rarely challenged public discourse that vilifies Eastern European migrants in the UK, and decades of mystification of the EU.
The Polish Social and Cultural Association is a place that used to sit comfortably in London's multicultural and multi-ethnic mosaic. The centre is a symbolic hub for solidarity: it was founded by Polish people who fought with the UK against Nazism during the Second World War. It is a place for inter-generational exchange between the Polish who arrived after 2004 and those with Polish heritage.
Advertisement
Together with the organisations it hosts, POSK makes a positive contribution to the socio-economic integration of the Polish in the UK, and to other people's understanding of Polish culture. From cultural events, Polish cuisine and training courses, to services that support migrants to access their rights, this is a place where most Polish in the UK feel at home.
This is a place, which welcomes others. When I joined the charity East European Advice Centre (EEAC) which is hosted by POSK, I got a wonderful welcome from the then Polish-only team and chair of trustees. While Romanians and Polish are not as close linguistically or historically as Czechs and Slovaks for example, I felt welcome. For example, when I worked at EEAC I organised the first free information session on employment and labour exploitation, to support Romanians to challenge unfair working conditions and payment under the national minimum wage. This type of support aimed to empower migrants to reject employment that drives down standards and wages for all workers in the UK.
Politicians have been shy in defending or even highlighting the contribution of European migrants in the UK. European migrants, and particularly Eastern Europeans are not a popular cause in the UK. In the past ten years, it has become acceptable to associate over 2 million European workers in the UK to undeserving benefit recipients and to blame them for anything that does not work in the UK: housing shortage, access to jobs and the NHS.
The Labour MP Andy Slaughter and the Conservative MP Greg Hands, whose constituencies are the closest to POSK, have made statements in support of Polish people on Twitter immediately after the graffiti news broke. These statements, while welcome, amount to little, and they come too late. Why didn't they challenge both the establishment and anti-establishment political discourse on migration from the EU, the freedom of movement, which had implicitly referred to Eastern Europeans? Racist comments about Europeans have become normalised.
Advertisement
The first and only time in ten years when I did not feel welcome in the UK was when Nigel Farage mentioned in 2014 that he would be afraid to live next to Romanians, and associated them with crime and human trafficking. On the same day I read about his comments, I could not think about anything else. I felt singled out for my ethnicity. I dreaded going back to my flat in North London, and I was anxious about meeting my neighbours. As I eventually went home and I went up the narrow stairs, I went past a neighbour and I could not look him in the eye. I started thinking: "Do they know I am Romanian? Are they afraid now?". Looking back, I know I was irrational. I had a highly skilled job, I had friends from all over the world who were also equally appalled, and my neighbours were always polite and helpful. But I could not help worrying for days after. I also knew that other people in low skilled or low paid jobs had it much worse - discrimination based on ethnicity/nationality was in the top five employment issues that Eastern European migrants disclosed when using the services of the charity I worked at.
Almost no MP from either the Labour or Conservative party publicly challenged Farage's comment. The only one who was brave enough to say publicly (to my knowledge) that these types of comments are what they are - racist - was David Lammy MP. The only MP who reacted to the emails I sent was Jeremy Corbyn, at the time just a backbencher. Corbyn replied personally to my email because he was "appalled by Farage and his comments and the constant denigration of Romanian people by him and some of the media."
I've not signed the petition calling for a second EU referendum, or the petition calling for the result of the first simply to be ignored, or the petition for immediate invocation of Article 50, or any of the other petitions.
They're a stupid idea. Petitions are as stupid as referenda, but without the redeeming merit of legitimacy. (The 'second referendum' petition, for example, has received 37,000 signatures from people in the Vatican City - with its population of 800.)
At its heart, a petition is an attempt at mob rule doomed to failure. It's a form of 'slacktivism' where people sign up without seriously considering the achievability or the consequences of what they're demanding, and then sit back satisfied at having contributed to the civic life of the nation.
Advertisement
There's a petition to "stop" the Supreme Court from considering whether parents should be penalised for taking their children out of school in term-time. What? In this democracy, either party to a dispute has a right to lay their case before a judge. Any signatory to a petition which seeks to abridge that right in a particular case because they're worried they might disagree with the outcome, is attempting to attack democracy.
Only 'attempting' because there is absolutely no chance that the Supreme Court will refuse to hear a case on the grounds that some people don't want it to. The petition is fruitless and the people supporting it either have no understanding of how society functions, or just didn't engage their brains before signing.
"But we just want to tell the judges how strongly the public feels!" they say (obviously treating their signatories as entirely representative of The Public). You know what though? The judges literally do not care how strongly the public feels. It's a legal process, not Strictly Come Dancing.
There's a story in the Jewish Talmud about a group of rabbis discussing a complex legal problem. The rabbi in the minority said, "I'm right, and just to prove it, I'll make this river flow backwards." Erm... sorry? How does a conjuring trick with a river 'prove' that your legal argument is better than anyone else's?
Advertisement
It's the same with a petition. All it does is seek to 'wow' decision-makers - or those incorrectly believed to be decision-makers - into blindly doing whatever the petitioners demand.
It's predicated on the idea that if lots of ill-informed people agree on something, they're likely to be right: and if a petition organiser can orchestrate identical emails to flood into a politician's inbox in such a volume that it breaks their server, they must be very right indeed.
Petitions are one of the worst forms of 'crowdsplaining' and they really annoy me. I don't know whether they're so irksome because they're utterly useless, or because if they actually worked they'd be so detrimental to reasoned democracy.
The Indian Supreme Court put it well:
Democracy is a government by the people via open discussion. The democratic form of government itself demands of its citizens an active and intelligent participation in the affairs of the community. The public discussion with people's participation is a basic feature and a rational process of democracy which distinguishes it from all other forms of government.
Strange that today, of all days, the rain stopped. Clear blue skies, sunshine, and a glimmer of hope.
Such a shame, then, that I woke up, like the rest of the country, to the news: we have left the EU.
Frankly, I'm terrified.
Yes, I'm a sore loser, of course, but I also hate it when logic and basic sense does not prevail and humanity gives me yet another reason to begrudgingly despise democracy.
People are fucking awful, aren't they? We fuck up the economy regularly, we fuck over third world countries, we fuck over the poor, we fuck over the environment... we fuck up the EU.
Advertisement
Rage aside, who do we point the finger at and blame?
Cameron? He used the referendum as leverage to win the last general election, something which he has inadvertently acknowledged because he campaigned for Remain. He did the right thing to step down.
Corbyn? His refusal to team up with Cameron and Osbourne may have backfired, but there's no doubt he physically travelled and campaigned across the length and breadth of the land. In many eyes, he will be deemed a failure and Labour will call for him to quit like the Tory leader. A shame, as he was never given a chance to lead successfully from the start.
Boris and Farage can just die in a hole for all I care. They have clearly manoeuvred their campaign for personal gain. Johnson wants to be Prime Minister and Farage has revealed his true form, the one we all knew: that he's an angry xenophobe lacking political nous.
As the dust settles, it seems the youth have been spectacularly failed by a disproportionate system.
Advertisement
We have to deal with their actions because, as sad as it is, they will not live as long as us. We, on the other hand, will bear the brunt of their decision for many decades to come.
And what about those without a voice? What about the teenagers, the 16 and 17 year olds, who were refused the vote? They too would have been unanimous to stay. Their future is more ruined than our own, a future they had no say in.
I don't blame Scotland for trying to leave the UK again, they voted to stay in the EU and have a right to do so as an independent nation. There's even murmurs of Northern Ireland leaving.
So it leaves England and Wales. Alone. A rural/urban divide, a generational divide, but a future lost.
Our economy has - as the majority of the world predicted - gone to shit. The global market is crashing. Fuel going up. Pensions evaporated. Banks panicking. This isn't some freak accident - this was well known beforehand by most think tanks, global agencies and governments. THIS IS WHY WE WERE INFORMED NOT TO LEAVE. Even if it evens out, to lessen our economy to recession standards is simply unnecessary.
Advertisement
Above all, what baffles me is that, for a majority of Brexiteers, their decision lay solely on immigration.
HOW IS IMMIGRATION A PROBLEM?
"Poles come here and take our jobs!"
Wow... well, first off, it's because they're better than you. Try harder and you will get another job. Or, if you simply want more jobs created: VOTE FOR A PARTY THAT WON'T IMPLEMENT AUSTERITY MEASURES.
Secondly, have immigrants even affected you personally, or was it Barry from down the pub who had a drunken rant about how some mate of his lost out to some bloke from Romania?
If personal experience dictates the opposite, then how do you even possibly know that there is a crisis?
Even if Slaven from [INSERT GENERIC EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRY] sending his earnings back home is still a problem, he is contributing to his own economy. For a lot of people this is a huge deal, but it shouldn't be. If they strengthen the economy of their own country, their ability to trade successfully with us is increased, thereby creating more jobs. Otherwise, why would we so willingly let them in? Free movement of people has benefits that emphatically outweigh the negatives.
Advertisement
The natural anthropological progression of mankind dictates that globalisation should unite us.
We will end up, perhaps 1000 years from now, as one global country.
This is completely and utterly logical.
Humanity originated from one spot on this planet - the Great Rift Valley in Africa - and ventured forth to the farthest corners of the globe. We developed technology. We explored and realised there were others like us. We'll skip the dominance of the White Westerners for now (and general racism) but the world is now global - 100 years ago a working class citizen would only dream of visiting London, now you can fly to Bali.
We have the internet.
We can travel to space.
Finally, all of humanity is connected once more.
And further integration beckons.
A generally accepted theory is that, with the obvious interracial relationships that occur within our newly globalised world, the future human will be mixed race. Everywhere. Fact.
In addition to this, each human on the planet is related - in fact, we're all at least 50th cousins.
We have literally severed from our own family, disowned a collaboration intended to nullify hatred which has, thus far, succeeded in preventing a third world war and allowed lesser countries to flourish, even under the immense stress of a Cold War. We have created workers' rights, human rights.
This is our progress.
So why would we vote against unity?
Against peace?
Collaboration?
The sad, brutal truth is that I cannot and should not moan. This is our reality, and, despite the irony, we should remain united in this decision and move forward, otherwise this country will totally and utterly collapse into the abyss we so willingly embraced on an unprecedented scale.
You, dear Out voter, I speak to you.
You are merely prolonging the inevitable.
The youth have spoken - we shall succeed.
I leave you with a quote by the late Jo Cox:
We have far more in common than which divides us
After months of brutal campaigning, the UK has voted for Brexit, with almost 52% voting to leave. I'm all for democracy, and of course we must accept the decision of the people and implement it in the coming months and years.
Still, everyone will walk away from this referendum with frustrations. I live in Edinburgh, where since the Scottish Independence referendum of 2014, Scottish Labour have been all but decimated by the populist Scottish National Party. Without a radical change in approach and direction the same thing will happen in Westminster, and members can simply not afford to sit back and watch the Party self-destruct.
Labour, the Party I love, deserve a significant proportion of the blame for this result. They failed to make the positive case for Europe. They failed to address the issue of immigration to voters without either buying into the racist rhetoric, or simply dismissing the issue. And when we looked to the media for a strong Labour voice there was silence.
Advertisement
I've seen Nigel Farage in the papers and on TV every day during the campaign, and Jeremy Corbyn a mere handful of times. Farage is the leader of a party with just one MP in the House of Commons, while Corbyn is the Leader of the Opposition, a powerful platform for lobbying against the government's rashest decisions and most dangerous policies. It is ludicrous. But the right-wing press gave an unreasonable platform to Farage, I hear you cry - yet the few times Corbyn did appear he was so lacklustre, as if he was being forced to toe the party line, rather than setting it.
As you may have guessed by now, I didn't vote for Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election, but I was satisfied to accept that he was elected with a huge mandate. He brought many young people into politics, and stimulated a dramatic increase in party membership by promising 'a new kind of politics'. Initially I welcomed this, and defended him to New Labour friends and critics. Along with the rest of the country I cringed as factions divided the party and MPs attacked one another on Twitter, forcing myself to think 'he was elected by party members, let's give him a chance at least.'
And it's not all doom and gloom, despite losing council seats overall in the May elections, and the aforementioned Scottish wipe-out, there have been some highlights. Kezia Dugdale is doing astonishing work in Scotland to rebuild what has been lost, and we elected Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London. But these successes were I believe a testament to those individuals, and not to the leadership or to the party as a whole.
Today, Corbyn's initial mandate of 200,000 votes has been completely and utterly undermined. The EU referendum debacle is all the proof we need that Corbyn's elite London left Labour is a million miles away from the electorate. Take the North East as the prime example. The phrase 'traditional Labour heartlands' was still used by the BBC today, but in reality those areas stopped looking to us for leadership long ago, and voted most emphatically to leave. Far from a new kind of politics, we are becoming a party that dismisses concerns instead of addressing them.
Advertisement
The Prime Minister has just announced that he will step down by October, and the UK has voted to leave the EU. As a nation we are marching into the unknown with little confidence in the Government and we need a strong opposition now more than ever.
It was all wrong that night, like a scene from Shakespeare, unseasonal thunderstorms, flooding, owls hooting in the daylight. 'Is that a dagger that I see before me?" someone tweeted when Boris Johnson praised David Cameron. "Beware the march of IDS," said another. The next day, the Financial Times compared Michael Gove and Boris Johnson to Regan and Goneril, the bitchy daughters in King Lear. The UK's EU commissioner Lord Hill resigned with Lady Macbeth's last words: "What's done cannot be undone".
In the run up to the EU referendum, debate was dominated not by real issues but by wraiths and shadows. There was a fearful vision of millions of Turkish migrants. No one seemed much interested in Turkey - its present, its future, the work it is doing to absorb refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria, its relationship with Europe, only this spectre, called into being like a fake medium's confidence trick, of millions of Turks set on moving to the UK.
The political agenda down south moved even further to the right over the campaign. Endless talk about immigration. It is not the problem; it's not the solution, Many countries have absorbed hugely greater numbers, although doing so requires a degree of competence in managing public services which seems beyond the Westminster government. Other issues like globalisation and the struggle to compete with low wage economies won't be put back in the bottle either. It seemed extraordinary that the oldest democracy in the world should fall for the old canard that foreigners are the cause of its problems.
Advertisement
For a Scot who voted, like me in 2014, against independence and in favour of the Union there was another, perhaps more personal source of gloom - that for all the effort that people like me put into saving the Union at the end of the day the English weren't that bothered. It didn't really figure in the debate at all. The idea that if England voted to leave it would inevitably move Scotland towards independence didn't have much traction with the English voters. Frankly, my dear, they don't give a damn. It made me angry that there was this indifference to the effect on the UK as an entity. This time, I feel like England is leaving us.
I found the independence referendum of autumn 2014 upsetting and personally difficult. Most of my friends were "Yessers". I went out on a limb to express a contrary view, to voice support for remaining in the UK. Friendships suffered, there were topics I couldn't discuss with member of my family. Scotland felt divided. It was painful.
In fact, one of my major concerns was just that; I felt that a slight majority would not be enough to break with the status quo and to take Scotland positively into a challenging future as an independent country. It seemed to me that a couple of percent was not enough support to make a big change and that we could end up living in a very divided, angry country.
But yesterday, the morning after the vote, in Edinburgh, something shifted. The sun came out. And so did the lady in red. Like the woman in the Chris de Burgh song, never had she shone so bright.
Advertisement
Nicola Sturgeon appeared at Bute House, flanked by the Scottish flag on one side and the European flag on the other. Her speech was a graceful and measured. A friend posted on Facebook that when Sturgeon spoke, he wept tears of gratitude that a grown up had finally appeared, someone who seemed to know what she was doing, someone who's seemed to have a plan.
Unlike the scandalously political speech that David Cameron delivered the morning after the independence referendum, in which instead of reaching out to all Scots he chose to knife Labour in the back,with talk of EVEL, Sturgeon's speech was generous. She addressed European Union citizens resident in Scotland: "You remain welcome here, Scotland is your home and your contribution is valued," she said. She also said that being a leader is difficult and that Cameron deserved our thanks for his service. Sturgeon also talked about protecting Scotland's place in the European Union and said she would lay the ground work for a new independence referendum within the next two years.
Every single one of Scotland's 32 council areas voted "Yes' to the European Union, and the majority was almost two thirds. Edinburgh was the most strongly pro-EU place in the whole United Kingdom with almost 75% voting to Remain.
71 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Holocaust is still very much viewed as a contemporary issue. The rise of far-right parties across Europe has sparked warning bells about the encroachment of anti-Semitism into Western society. In the cultural sphere, too, the genocide of the Jewish people is still remembered. Laszlo Nemes' Son of Saul, which won 2015's Oscar for Best Foreign Film, demonstrated the Holocaust still has the ability to leave us stunned.
We have also seen a renewed focus on the weeding out of Nazi sympathisers and former concentration camp workers and putting them on trial. Just last year, Oskar Groning, dubbed "The book-keeper of Auschwitz", was given a 4 year suspended prison sentence at the age of 94.
Advertisement
Most recently, Reinhold Hanning, also aged 94, was found guilty of being accessory to the murder of more than 170,000 people - primarily Hungarian - and sentenced to five years in prison.
Interestingly though, the trial of Mr Hanning was concerned with more than simply his actions while serving as an SS guard at Auschwitz between 1942 and 1944. Rather, as one commentator put it, the trial of the former camp guard was regarded as a "last chance to establish a historical reckoning with the Nazi Holocaust."
This sentiment was also mirrored in the argument of the prosecution. Throughout the case, the prosecution emphasised the sentencing of Hanning was a crucial mechanism for combatting Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism. Indeed Marcus Goldbach, a lawyer for one of the victims, emphasised the trial "is to do with throwing light on what happened, with ensuring that something like this never happens again."
But though the majority of the Hungarian side of my family were wiped out during the Holocaust, something about this trial makes me extremely uneasy. Hanning's lawyer attempted to argue that his client should be acquitted because he didn't know what he was doing at the age of 18. I'd dispute this. There is no doubt that Reinhold Hanning knew what Auschwitz was built to do.
Advertisement
No, what makes me uncomfortable is the purpose of the trial itself. This is not about justice but about making a political statement.
Legal trials are used to determine if somebody is guilty and punish them accordingly. Consequently, the suggestion that the trial is about sending a message rather than trialling a man is extremely disturbing.
Of course, the nature of the trial would be completely different if it formed part of the Nuremberg Trials in the mid-1940s. Back then, the trials of Nazi war criminals were concerned with enacting punishment. In these 21st century trials, however, the purpose of justice has altered so as not to accord punishment, but instead to proclaim a moral conviction: in this case that the Holocaust was an abhorrent moment in history.
At Nuremberg, Mr Hanning would have been tried as an individual and condemned for his individual role in the Nazi project. But by being trialled at the age of 94 in order to shed light on the Holocaust, his status as a defendant has shifted from being held accountable for his own actions to being held accountable for the entire Holocaust.
Advertisement
This decision is part of a wider trend in recent history to constantly put the past on trial. Whether it be the recent trials of alleged paedophiles, Bosnian war generals or former Nazis, we now feel bound by duty to condemn historic actions so as to make a moral statement about them.
Putting an old man on trial, however, should not be the means to do so. Mr Hanning's actions during World War Two were undoubtedly vile. But they do not warrant a distortion in our legal system whereby judges become moral arbiters, as opposed to sources of legal wisdom.
I'm writing this because on the weekend, I was due to travel to Southend-on-Sea. From reading a story on the types of racist abuse people have experienced since the Leave vote a few days ago, I've found myself terrified of visiting an area that predominantly voted Leave.
I've been to Southend a lot. I know I'm a bit of an anomaly there. I know that it's considerably less diverse than where I live. But whilst I may have been stared at, I may have even been uncomfortable, I've never once felt fear.
Advertisement
Fool that I am, I convinced myself that the Leave vote wasn't about racism. So many Leave voters voted with good intentions, that although I can't fully understand, I can respect. The campaign was loud, it was emphatic. It spoke about our greatness as a nation, about our economy, it spoke about employment and British tradition.
I want to make it clear that I don't for a second believe that all of the Leave voters were voting from a place of hate. Were some of the Leave voters unashamed xenophobes? Absolutely. I am devastated to have to admit to you that two of my relatives, two of my immigrant relatives who weren't born here but have lived here and loved Britain for the longest time, voted Leave. Because they didn't think it was about them. When they spoke about "closing our borders" they didn't realise that they weren't exempt, that hate doesn't work like that. Nobody is going to look at them and say "You've been here for a while, you're not the ones we want rid of."
I am British. When I voted Remain, I wasn't thinking about myself as a British black woman in England encountering any problems. When I cried on Friday morning when I saw the result, I was thinking of people of other nationalities, who deserve to be respected and loved as humans, who add tremendous value to our culture and are being vilified for reasons that make absolutely no coherent sense. My own identity didn't factor into it. I've since very quickly learned that it's complete naivete to think that racism and xenophobia aren't inextricably linked.
I'm not going to spin you a story about how my multicultural life as a black woman growing up in the home counties was wonderful and only now, as a result of this vote, I've become disillusioned and terrified. The hatred was always bubbling under the surface.
Advertisement
Before now, in what I'm sure I'll come to consider England's glory days, I've had a few people try to convince me my adult years that for the most part, racism doesn't exist. Sure there are some terrifying people in Ukip or the EDL but no one takes them seriously. Normal people aren't racists. What this referendum has shown us in no uncertain terms, is that that's not true and in trying to tell each other it's true, rather than productively addressing the issue, we're doing more harm than good.
Because none of this is new. Not one of these people who has abused strangers since the vote was a rational, kind person before the 23rd June. Lots of people think real racism, or any kind of predjudice is clearly visible, audible, recognisable. But the quiet, insidious hatred filters through everyday life. The trouble is, they've been encouraged by this result and emboldened. Their hatred has gone from a whisper in the comfort of their own living rooms to a roar in the streets.
I feel scared. I feel scared for my younger siblings. I feel scared that hatred is winning over tolerance. I feel scared that half of the people in the country I love so much, voted to Leave, and of that half, enough people made that choice out of prejudice.
I've been carrying around a discomfort, a sense of otherness since the 80s. Since the first time some kid at the park called me a Paki, or asked me if I was burnt, or I was told by my teachers as a four-year-old that I couldn't paint Bible characters as black because "I know you do nice pictures of your family, but these people were white". The idea that people are now feeling empowered by this vote to scream at people like me in the face, telling me to go home when this is the only home I know, is too much to process. Until now, I've never thought I needed to be afraid.
But sadly, hate shouts the loudest. Those who voted out of venom, out of downright callous hatred and ignorance, are the ones who are having their voices heard. Today, I've never been prouder to live and work in Newham, the most diverse borough in London. But I never thought I'd have to be here for my own safety.
Advertisement
Poverty is everywhere. It's evident as soon as you set foot out of the airport. I'm in Madagascar. Little kids in filthy clothing run to you to beg for a few coins as you struggle to lift your bag into the taxi. As you exit the airport in Antananarivo mud lined streets are filled with small makeshift stalls and women desperately trying to sell something. Gangs of young men in torn clothing roam the streets, the homeless lie on the sides of the road and small children, no older than 4 years old are left alone to beg for money. The poverty is startling.
What so often comes alongside poverty, as I have learned, is abuse. I travelled to Madagascar as part of my work with my foundation Project Monma to raise awareness about the different forms of violence and discrimination against women around the world. I was there to explore the horror of human trafficking. What I learned, sickened me.
Advertisement
I decided to first travel north, to Nose Be, a small island off the north coast of Madagascar, known for its sleaze and old European men looking for young girls to buy. At first glance, Nose Be is beautiful. Turquoise and green waters wash against the white sand beaches. Palm trees sway gently in the breeze and colourful women wander down the beach with baskets of fruit on their head. However, what I discovered behind the beauty is a sleazy horror show. Groups of old men, predominantly French, saunter down the beach with girls young enough to be their granddaughters. Sleazy bars are filled with old men looking for women to buy. They leer at women passing by with an entirely unjustified arrogance and entitlement that would make an observer cringe with disgust.
I stayed in a hotel in the center of the sleaze. One of the first things I noticed was a sign on my bathroom door warning me to not bring children into the room for sex. A sign that I guessed had no effect as each day I watched old men coming in and out of the hotel with girls who barely looked 18.
In an effort to learn more about what was happening in the area I struck up a conversation Fernidand who was working in the hotel and asked him if there was a problem with child prostitution. He didn't directly answer but said, 'they're not allowed to bring children into the hotel. They must show ID. Yet it's so easy for the girls to go and buy a fake ID, everything here is corrupt'.
'The problem here is the poverty,' he says.
One evening I ventured into one of the bars. As a white, western woman I felt distinctly uncomfortable. Not just because I felt my presence wasn't wanted but because of the sleazy, aggression of the European men. Their lecherous stares made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Speaking with Roxy, a Madagasy man playing music in the bar he says, 'families give away their young girls to white men. They all think that they're going to get a house and a car but the reality is that most of them don't get that.' I glance around the bar at the old men with the young girls, none of who look like they want to be there.
Advertisement
On returning to Antananarivo I decided to investigate further. I met with Soloarivelo Anntsa working for the Ministry of Population and Women's Protection. 'The foreigners who come here prefer children over women,' she told me. 'We know that there are girls being forced into prostitution.'
However, it is not just the European men driving the problem. A study by UNICEF showed that three quarter of the Madagasy men who are clients of prostitutes go with underage girls.
In an interview with Daniel Silva from the IOM he said, 'it's happening all around the country. In Tamatave for example, you find a lot of sexual exploitation of young girls by local men because culturally this is what they prefer.'
Advertisement
It seems that little is being done to curb the problem. Prostitution is a big business and everybody can benefit from it, including the police. I met with Jeannie Berthina at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Antananarivo and asked her what the police are doing about the issue and she too shakes her head and says, 'it's a shame, because of this corruption.'
'The problem is the poverty, if you want to stop it you have to give them an alternative. There are cases that as soon as the girls turn 12 or 13 the parents put them in Italian or French classes so that they are able to work as prostitutes and speak with clients. It's shocking because it's not hidden. It's a big business for everyone, the hotel owners, the police. There's no punishment of these men at the moment, its absolutely unacceptable,' says Silva.
Unacceptable it is.
The referendum invited each of us to define our identity as either predominantly European or British: are we In, or are we Out. Short and simple, with no room for subtleties.
We're not used to deciding our identity definitively. Social media enable us to write and rewrite our identities over and again. We used to fantasise about our epitaph or the title of our autobiography, but these days pondering over posterity is somewhat reduntant as instant communications invite us to define ourselves in public as often as we want. I doubt I'm alone in "thinking in tweets" - thinking of tweetable soundbites - which more often than not don't make it into the public sphere. On Saturday night I chuckled to myself over the line "apple crumble and custard in bed" (with photo), which I considered to be the perfect sum of my character. But I didn't tweet, I kept it to myself. By Sunday morning, my self-identification with that very British comfort food was replaced by a stronger pang of nostalgia and belonging, when I saw a tweet from the open air screening of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, at Bologna's Piazza Maggiore as part of the Cinema Ritrovato film festival.
Advertisement
I am a huge Chaplin fan, and I know that piazza well. I spent a year at the University of Bologna as part of my undergraduate degree studying Italian and the University of Edinburgh, and I can't begin to describe the enormous influence the year had on my life. To get an idea of what it was like, I suggest watching Pot Luck ("L'auberge espagnole"). Released in 2002, the same year I returned from Bologna, the film stars Romain Duris as a French student in Barcelona. It shows how students from across Europe adjust to living abroad, together. When I first saw the film, I couldn't believe its accuracy and hilarity. How did they know about the drunken Bob Marley guitar-singalongs in the middle of the night in the town square? Pot Luck shows how people from different countries retain their identity and live up to (and play up to) national stereotypes, while at the same time building friendships. It's light-hearted, romantic and funny. And Brits are an integral part of the group.
So it is with dismay that I witness the repercussions of the referendum unfold. I watched Boris Johnson's Brexit victory speech on Friday with a heavy heart. I was horrified to think he was appealing directly to people like me when he said, "We are part of Europe, our children and our grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans, travelling to the continent, understanding the languages and the cultures that make up our common European civilisation, continuing to interact with the peoples of other countries in a way that is open and friendly and outward-looking."
My experience shows me that it is not enough "to interact with the peoples of other countries"; we need to be, as in Pot Luck, equal participants, who contribute and collaborate with others, rather than merely appreciate others with a patronising attitude.
Advertisement
Johnson is mistaken if he thinks that British people can maintain a European cultural identity without EU membership. Johnson describes himself as "a liberal cosmopolitan", able to read novels in Spanish and French and to sing a little German. He prides himself on his knowledge of Greek and ancient civilisations, and he bemoans the decline of modern languages teaching.
How does Johnson think that culture can thrive without the political and institutional structures in place to open opportunities and access? How does he think people reach the point where they're able to read a novel in a foreign language? Education depends on exposure, access, and motivation. The EU's funding for language learning, study programmes, and cultural collaboration keeps our European identity afloat. Without EU status, Britain will lose many of the passports to cultural products which Johnson values. Identity is so fickle that it needs tangible, measurable, concrete products to hinge itself to, such as apple crumble and custard, or films.
There is a poignancy in seeing Chaplin's face on the silver screen at Piazza Maggiore. Chaplin's greatest skill was his ability to appeal to global audiences; his films tap in to universal humanity and sentiment. Chaplin was also a master of the quotable line. He would've made a great tweeter. Take his line, "The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury." Johnson neglected to check his privilege when he bragged about his knowledge of foreign languages and extensive travel. Britain's EU exit will deprive others of the luxury of access which he takes for granted.
Chaplin used silent film to explore universal themes, and he struggled to work out how best to use his voice after the introduction of sync sound in cinema. In 1940 he could no longer keep silent; and with his phenomenal first speech, in The Great Dictator, Chaplin urges us: "Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!"
cosmin4000 via Getty Images
I'm staring into a mirror in the green room backstage. There's five minutes until doors open. I've just layered on six applications of bright pink lipstick, zipped up my neon-coloured attention-grabbing dress and smeared on sparkly shadow around the eyes staring back at me right now. Those eyes have been crying most of today.
Advertisement
I perform comedy shows that talk openly about my mental health. For the past few months I've been touring a show that covers some pretty dark parts of my history; eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, being sectioned aged 17 for being a month away from dying of anorexia. I make jokes on stage about depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia... these are things I still struggle with every day. Today is a particularly difficult day.
Hitting hard today is my depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. I'm crying for everything and for nothing. My body feels heavy and getting from my bed to the shower feels like the hardest thing I've ever had to do. My BDD means I feel my body as being far bigger than it is, disordered thoughts whisper sweet lies into my ears to tell me I'm disgusting, my flesh is revolting and how worthless every inch of me is. It's not funny at all.
I'm often asked how I manage to get on stage on days when my conditions hit hardest. At the start of those days I really don't have an answer. Even I don't know how I'll get through it.
In May 2015 I had a major relapse. I struggled to leave the house. I struggled to leave bed. I became paranoid and couldn't bring myself to eat. These are dangerous symptoms. I had a gig coming up - one which I host. I didn't know whether I could get to it, stand on stage and speak. And yet I knew there would be an audience there, wanting to be entertained. That thought forced me to get there. And it wasn't until I stood in front of that audience and tried out the jokes about that very situation - the Twitter interactions, the trolling, the relapse - that I found my strength. Comedy gives me a voice when my conditions threaten to rob me of it. Hearing that laughter from a roomful of strangers literally changed my mind. I don't think audiences realise how much that means to me.
Advertisement
With a deep breath I leave the green room and now I'm on stage in front of an audience, with my painted, six-layered pink framed grin. I'm ignoring all those dangerous disordered thoughts and as I force all my energy into delivering my jokes and focus myself upon taking this particular group of individuals on a journey I hope they'll enjoy. Something shifts within me as I see a teenaged girl on the front row lean forward smiling at me. I see the enlivened faces of a group on the front row - eyes wide and smiles wider - I feel the wave of emotion I've been riding in my own mind break. Another feeling floods in.
I've been lucky enough to tour around the UK, and in Australia and New Zealand, and what strikes me is that similarities in the stories I hear. Because my shows are so raw and real, some audience members are brave enough to take that as an invitation to begin their own dialogue - either amongst themselves or sometimes coming up to me to chat after the show, usually in the bar because that's one of my favourite places.
In Wellington a woman told me about her sister submerged in compulsive overeating disorder. In Hay On Wye near Wales another woman told me about her own struggles with compulsive overeating. In Auckland a man told me about his history of hallucinations and how he had found recovery. In London a woman told me about her son who had been hospitalised because of delusions. In Adelaide a mother told me she'd brought her daughters because she didn't know how to broach the subject of mental health with them and hoped that I could start the conversation for her. In Brighton a woman hugged me fiercely as she left and whispered that she too is battling her anorexia; she like me has found a life worth fighting it for now.
On days when my mental health conditions hit me hardest, it's not easy to get on stage and do my shows. It's not easy to get out of bed. But I know that however I feel before I get on stage, it will change. It will pass. It will shift. Sometimes only a bit but I am dragged out my own head as my experiences might just have a chance of being meaningful to someone. However bad I may feel before a show I want other people to feel amazing afterwards. Making myself vulnerable on stage isn't easy but it also has the potential to be a positive power over others.
Now I'm taking my bow and the audience is applauding, I thank them sincerely for more than I can say. I leave the stage and the teenage girl comes up to me grinning. I notice the cuts on her arm and recognition registers. She asks for a hug which I gladly accept, warning her to hold her breath - I've sweated quite a bit. Her mother locks eyes with me as we embrace. Her gentle smile doesn't mask her tired concern.
Advertisement
Worldwide, one in four of us may be diagnosed with mental health conditions but that doesn't account for how many people are undiagnosed. It doesn't account for how many people feel alone and isolated because of difficulties they're grappling with and they feel like they are the only ones. They're not. None of us need be alone if we are honest and comedy is the most honest art form we have - comedy is the truth wrapped in a lie.
Juliette Burton's new docu-comedy show Decision Time will be at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For info please go to www.julietteburton.co.uk
The egomaniacs are out in force. Baying for the revolution to continue. Even the Scots now have their exploitative chance to break the union. The civil war is raging. Even Trump is in the UK.
I totally understand where the sentiment comes from for last night's activities, and the UK's exit from the EU, the polarized and hate filled lies told by all sides has been excruciating and almost impossible to navigate for the untrained eye. We have to remember where this anger rose up from; we have to empathize with the inequality and social injustice that unfolded before our eyes. For years the working class have been under represented, repeatedly lied to and ignored, the chattering liberal middle class democrats failed them repeatedly when in coalition, the 'left' under Jeremy Corbyn is an unimaginable joke, with no credibility at all given Jeremy is little more than a whining unionist and glorified NGO who couldn't present a robust and compelling argument if his life depended on it.
We have to look to the beginnings of this chain of events to understand why the vote went the way it did. There is always a catalytic process that starts long before we think it does and the force majeure for me has always been the handling of the banking crisis and recession. Those responsible for government imposed austerity went unpunished, the banks were refinanced, the culprits largely went unchallenged.
Advertisement
To protect our foreign policy, all our aid and development finance went without reduction, it was ring fenced, meanwhile British working family credits and tax efficiencies were stopped or put out of reach by clever bureaucrats who knew how to make such applications so complex most gave up or didn't meet the impossible criteria. Working families could not reconcile why they were being punished and forsaken. Typically, those further down the food chain were hurt the hardest. On and on went the cuts, and no one listened. I was advising the Prime Ministers office at the time, on young people and NEETS (those young people not in education, employment and training) all my advice fell on deaf ears with the PMs team, however hard I argued and remonstrated, such is the elitist attitude of the high rolling PPE graduates of Oxbridge, given inner sanctum access and the nod of future success. The Prime Minister listened, as he always does, whatever people may think there are few more caring and compassionate in government than he, he is a remarkably honourable and compassionate man who cares deeply about young people and those in peril. His falling on the sword yesterday is an example to us all. Sadly the parasites who flock around him do not share the same virtues, a number of his ministers, his advisers, are abhorrent creatures intent on only self gain and conceited arrogance. I could wax lyrical about the arrogance and sheer lack of empathy that I have seen at No.10 and in the halls of the Cabinet Office. There is great leadership at the top, but appalling management at the core.
I think worst still there was no meaningful explanation given to those hurting! Since the loss of Andy Coulson as director of communications and the promptly sacked coalition government, which was ousted at the last election (which did a modest job at keeping the evil few in check, or accountable at least to Liberal Democrat spy network) the communication of the government to its mere mortal citizen become borderline Orwellian, (via the TV in the shape of Sky News in bounds of white noise). Then came the issue of immigration (hardly going to fall on gentle ear with the electorate when the above was raging is it?) and so those wishing to exploit this opportunity had their chance. Again, No.10 did not see this coming, or if it did, its mandarins and close-quarter-battle team were left with unloaded weapons and hungover. You see what happened next was what we call in the army 'psychological operations' or PsyOps, to exploit the ground truth in came the demagogues and mind police, those who told us they could make it all better, those who can spin a good tale with chest beating patriotic battle cries to rouse the downtrodden and browbeaten. Then came with their media machine in support, heavy weapons poised, the tabloid press run by the barons and titans of manipulation, without recourse and without any governance, the truly Orwellian Ministry of (Mis) Information, (funny that) inciting hatred and riling the bile to propagate anxiety and upset. Successfully. Finally in came our Prime Ministers best mate, waiting with the blade to stitch him up and execute a high risk a coup de tat, which frankly is all it was and is, exploitative Etonian backstabbing from a man who genuinely backs Europe and doesn't believe a word of his own diatribe. Sound familiar to Trump in the USA? Better get used to it, it's the new way, where politicians don't even believe their own campaigns or manifestos, they simply act and bluster their way to power then consider plausible advice from those with real knowledge and data.
Advertisement
So, where does this all lead, and what is the likely or unintended outcome? I think the UK will always be ok; we will create many bilateral treaties and do our diplomatic brilliance as we have always done, but it will take a long time, a lot of money and lot of sweat. We are a great great nation of reinventors, our history and contribution to this world is unmatched in all its glory, we are a proud and noble race that will endeavor to thrive not just survive as we realign our alliances with Europe. But those actually who wanted this most, this BREXIT thing, this act, this deed, this un-British escape, those whom it was meant to help will suffer likely the most. Those children of ours that will inherit the earth we pass on, likely more fragmented and more bureaucratic, more exposed to Russian deviancy and worldwide religious fundamentalism, with more red tape and barriers to move around the 27 or however many EU countries in which they will NOT be allowed to move so freely, millions and millions of less jobs perhaps for them to ponder and play over, less attractive French and Italian girls (or boys) to go and marry and elope with, without visas and work permits. We rarely act responsibly for our children, like the hundreds of thousands of baby boomers who voted this week without one shred of honour or decency, their time is passed yet they still felt it necessary to take one last parting swipe for their bigoted ideals.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
I remember vividly sitting down last summer, in the middle of the Labour Party's interminably long leadership election, to write my weekly column for the Catholic Universe newspaper.
As I typed in my regular twelve hundred word thought for the week my mind turned to the contest which was taking place for the top job and the four candidates who were fighting it out for the post. By the time I had finished and my column had gone through the sub-editing process, columnists don't do headlines, my piece had been titled 'Nice guy Corbyn pushes Labour to edge of oblivion'.
Advertisement
Without going into the piece in detail, it's fair to say that from colleagues in my own party I got quite a bit of stick for that column. Quite a few of them told me in not particularly complimentary terms that Mr Corbyn was the way forward. A few suggested that this party, the only party I have ever voted for and of which I have been proud to be a member for many years was not the party for me.
But Jeremy Corbyn did indeed win the leadership election by a landslide and after a period of misgiving, I have never liked his brand of simplistic ideology which fails to consider the complexities of ordinary family life where things like affording a new car or taking your family on holiday matter more than the Venezuelan political system, I decided he needed to be given the benefit of the doubt. I resolved to keep my thoughts to myself yet today, in the midst of the worst crisis that has ever befell the party, I feel compelled to break that silence.
There's very little doubt that Mr Corbyn's voice resonated with a small but significant minority of the population. I reasoned that whilst his far left politics might not be mine at least he was a decent and principled man. Personally I didn't think he had a hope in hell of becoming Prime Minister but at least his heart was in the right place.
And then came the referendum campaign and all of those judgements about character have come flooding back into focus and really do need to be questioned.
Advertisement
Jeremy Corbyn, we were told, was a man of principle, a man who had held steadfast to his beliefs for more than thirty years - even in disagreeing time and time again with a Labour government - and yet here we were in a fight for the future of this country and where were those beliefs evidenced.
We know Mr Corbyn had long been a eurosceptic but in advocating for Remain maybe, just maybe, his position had changed. But maybe, as it turns out, it had not.
We hear that no one from the leader's office attended meetings of the Labour In campaign. We have seen evidence that pro-European strategies were watered down from that same office. No less a figure than Alan Johnson tells us that "At times it felt as if they (the Leader's office) were working against the rest of the Party".
If all of that isn't clear enough three weeks before the crucial vote that would determine in no small part the future of our country this man who wants to be Prime Minister decided to go on holiday. Living in another era, as he appears to do, maybe Jeremy had found a cracking deal on teletext?
A man of principle doesn't do, or allow, those things. A man of principle, a leader, stands toe-to-toe with his party. A man of principle, a leader, is the voice of his party, he is the last one standing, he isn't just 7.5/10 committed.
Advertisement
And when approached again and again by figures who have dedicated their lives to Labour, and whose combined wisdom and experience is immeasurable, to be told that the damage he is doing to the party is incalculable a man of principle, a leader, doesn't dig his heels in repeating the word 'mandate' as little more than a mantra. A man of principle, a leader, realises that sometimes he must sacrifice himself for the greater good.
A year ago, a lion called Cecil was killed in Zimbabwe by American dentist and trophy hunter Walter Palmer, who reportedly paid $50,000 for the privilege.
It subsequently came to light that Cecil may have been lured away from the protection of Hwange National Park in which he usually resided, in order to enable Palmer to target him. It also transpired that Cecil had been tracked and studied by Oxford University since 2008 as part of a conservation research project, and was fitted with a radio collar.
Palmer tried to kill the lion using a bow and arrow; in the event, Cecil was wounded by Palmer's incompetent shot, and reports suggest he wasn't finally killed for a further 40 hours, following which Palmer and his hunting guide beheaded and skinned him, and tried to hide his radio collar.
Advertisement
Palmer has not been charged with any crime in either Zimbabwe or his native USA. His hunter-guide, Theo Bronkhorst was charged in Zimbabwe with 'failing to prevent an unlawful hunt', although as of January 2016 the case remained unresolved after a series of appeals.
Cecil was around 13 years old when he was killed, had led more than one lion pride during his life, and at the time of his death was presiding over several females alongside another male called Jericho. The two lions had recently sired a number of cubs. The manner of his death sparked international outrage, much of which was initially targeted at Palmer. Tourism revenues in Zimbabwe reportedly fell sharply, and senior politicians in a number of countries condemned the killing.
The events also led to increased scrutiny of the trophy hunting industry. Analysis suggests that, on average, as many as 170,000 hunting trophies are shipped across international borders each year, around 20,000 of which are derived from threatened species. The United States is by far the biggest single importer, with Germany and Spain being the main European trophy destinations. The more iconic and endangered an animal is, the higher the hunting fees: in January 2014, American hunter Corey Knowlton paid US$350,000 for a permit to hunt a critically endangered black rhino in Namibia, which he eventually killed in May 2015.
Claims by hunting proponents that trophy hunting benefits wildlife conservation and local communities are being challenged. In 2012, a report by Economists at Large entitled 'The $200 Million Question' cast doubt on the claimed value of the trophy hunting industry, and found that trophy hunting contributed only 1.8% of total tourism income across nine African countries with hunting companies passing just 3% of their income to local African communities. A report by the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee in the US, published in June 2016, found little evidence that trophy hunting revenues are being used to help threatened species, mostly because of rampant corruption in some countries and poor management of wildlife programmes; the report concluded that trophy hunting may be contributing to the extinction of some species. An academic paper published in the journal Ecological Applications in June 2016 recognised that trophy hunting has had negative effects on lion populations across Africa.
Advertisement
Since Cecil's death, some significant actions have been taken. France announced a ban on lion trophy imports in November 2015, and the Netherlands introduced a ban on the import of hunting trophies from around 200 species, including lions, the following April. In January 2016, the US Fisheries and Wildlife Service added lions to the Endangered Species Act, making it more difficult for American lion trophy hunters to ship their trophies home. A host of airlines have banned or restricted the carriage of hunting trophies, and the death of Cecil was cited by a number of officials as being influential in the development and adoption of the United Nations' Resolution on Wildlife Trafficking.
The European Union is proposing much stricter international controls on the setting of trophy quotas and the export of trophies of threatened species, for consideration at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species due to take place in Johannesburg in September 2016.
The Born Free Foundation and other animal protection organisations who are wholly opposed to the killing of animals for sport or pleasure, have been working to bring the brutality of this so-called 'sport' to the attention of policymakers, enforcement bodies, and the public, for many years. Horrific though Cecil's killing was, it has focussed attention on the brutality of trophy hunting, and has helped to dispel the myth that the killing of wild animals for fun by a wealthy elite somehow benefits wildlife conservation or local communities. Its continued promotion by a tiny minority undermines our humanity.
Every child, no matter where they are born, has the right to a healthy start in life, the right to an education and the right to a safe, secure childhood. But around the world, millions of children are being denied these rights, for no other reason than the country, community, the gender or the circumstances into which they are born. We cannot and we must not let this huge injustice continue.
Today sees the launch of Unicef's State of the world's children report, and as the report shows, unless we redouble our efforts for the world's young, the future of millions of disadvantaged and vulnerable children - and therefore the future of their societies and communities - will be at risk.
Before they draw their first breath, the life chances of poor and excluded children are often being shaped by the world they will be born into. Disadvantage and discrimination against their communities and families determines whether they live or die, whether they have a chance to learn and later earn a decent living. Conflicts, crises and climate-related disasters deepen their deprivation and diminish their potential.
Advertisement
It doesn't have to be this way. In the last 25 years the world has made tremendous progress: children born today are significantly less likely to live in poverty than those born a generation ago. They are over 40 per cent more likely to survive to their fifth birthday and far more likely to be in school.
A key factor in this progress were the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In 2000, world leaders agreed to ambitious targets that would realise a brighter future for all. The MDGs helped drive tremendous progress for children, proving how much can be achieved by galvanising global efforts around concrete, common goals.
And yet despite all these positives, millions of children have been left behind, and the world must rise to the challenge to reach every child in danger. The poorest children are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday and to be chronically malnourished than the richest. Across much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, children born to mothers with no education are almost three times more likely to die before they are five than those born to mothers with a secondary education. And girls from the poorest households are 2.5 times more likely to marry as children than girls from the wealthiest households.
The constraints on reaching these children are not technical. They are a matter of political commitment. They are a matter of resources. And they are a matter of collective will -joining forces to tackle inequality by focusing greater investment and effort on reaching the children left furthest behind.
Advertisement
Many of the interventions behind the progress we have made - such as vaccines, oral rehydration salts and better nutrition - are simple, practical and cost-effective. The rise of digital and mobile technology, and other innovations have made it easier and more cost-effective to deliver vital services in hard-to-reach communities and to provide support, assistance and hope for the children and families at greatest risk.
This is the time for action. In 2015, an estimated 5.9million children died before reaching their fifth birthday, mostly as a result of diseases that are cheap and easy to prevent and treat. Millions more children are still denied access to education simply because their parents are poor or from a stigmatised group, because they were born female, or because they are growing up in countries affected by conflict or chronic crises. And even though globally poverty is falling, nearly half of the world's extreme poor are children. Even in most European Union countries, children are at a higher risk of monetary poverty than adults. Here in the UK, the average child poverty rate is almost 5% more than that of adults, a shocking neglect of our future generation.
Last year, world leaders agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of global targets, applying to every country in the world, that aims to create a better, more sustainable future for the world and the world's children, specifically targeting the most vulnerable and hardest to reach.
As governments around the world consider how best to deliver on these commitments to achieve the SDGs, Unicef is calling for a redoubling of efforts to reach every child. There can be no excuse - If we do not hasten our progress, by 2030 an estimated 167million children will be living in extreme poverty. Approximately 69 million children under-five will die between 2016 and 2030, still from mostly preventable causes. And there could still be more than 60million primary-school-aged children out of school.
The good news is that we have the knowledge and the tools to reach the hardest-to-reach children, families and communities, efficiently and cost-effectively. We can stop children being left behind if we work together to tackle inequality head-on. If we don't, we are likely to see hard-won development gains slip away and watch the consequences of this failure play out across the world.
Advertisement
Like it or not, we're living in an era of global consolidation. The geopolitical map is shrinking at break-neck speed, cultural identities are beginning to shift and economic isolation is virtually non-existent. We're all citizens of one, tiny planet - and so even the most trivial acts of stupidity are bound to send shockwaves across the globe.
Cue Britain's tumultuous EU referendum.
Last week, a razor thin majority of English voters decided to embrace radicalism, hatred and xenophobia by choosing to cut ties with Brussels and the wider European community. Everybody told them it was financial suicide. Hell, nine out of ten economists warned it would plunge us all into recession.
But to disenfranchised English voters, GDP and security exchanges are simply arbitrary concepts held aloft by fairy dust. That's why so many individuals decided to throw caution to the wind and lather themselves up in Boris Johnson's gooey, nationalistic snake oil. The result of that momentary lapse in judgement? Complete and utter global chaos.
Advertisement
The Pound has plummeted to a 31-year low, British companies have shed 124 billion in value, company formations have come to a standstill and the country's credit ratings have all been downgraded. That sucks. But hey, at least we'll get rid of all those dirty, sponging foreigners, right?
Wrong. It's only been a few days, and half of the Brexit campaign's so-called promises have already been outed as complete and utter bullshit. Leavers have decided a Brexit probably won't slash migration levels, provide more money for healthcare or give Britain the economic sovereignty its people have been craving. That means Britain has essentially shot itself in the foot for no good reason.
Unfortunately, just about every other country on earth has been hit by that bullet, too.
The prospect of an impending Brexit has wiped at least $2 trillion off global markets. Currency exchanges have been shut down, big multinationals are preparing to get the hell out of Dodge and continental job losses will inevitably follow. Even BoJo is struggling to find a smile in the wake of this global financial catastrophe.
In fact, there's only one guy still laughing at the moment. And believe it or not, that great orange vulture is circling right on top of the White House.
Advertisement
According to Donald Trump, last week's Brexit vote was some sort of fantastic achievement worthy of a 12-foot trophy and a half-price taco bowl at the Trump Tower Grill. He's already begging fellow Americans to follow Britain's example and declare their own economic independence, and has been able to shrug off trillions in global losses under the presumption that he'll personally benefit from the financial chaos.
That's got to be some sort of red flag, right?
Okay, fine: there are plenty of Americans out there who aren't too sure about Hillary Clinton. There are also scores of far-right voters who are sick and tired of America's partisan political establishment. They want a breath of fresh air. But there's a pretty big difference between fresh air and toxic mustard gas.
America's economy has only just now gotten back on its feet. Consumer spending is up, debts are finally being managed properly and the country is on par for decent growth. Things are actually looking pretty good. So why on earth would you entrust that fledgling growth to a pig-headed sadist who has openly aligned himself with the next great global recession?
Trump is already scheming over how he can make a quick buck off of a venomous political movement that will inevitably spell disaster for the planet's largest single market. He doesn't care about European companies, people's welfare or the long-term economic future of American workers. Donald Trump cares about Donald Trump, full stop.
Last Thursday, just hours after a Referendum which will have massive implications for the nation's future, I found myself at a World of Work event for teachers interested in students' future working lives. Each speaker represented an organisation active in some way at the interface between education and business. A good few of them were keen to press the point that C21st employers are hungry for young people equipped to deal with uncertainty. In many ways this was encouraging. While rarely spoken of explicitly in UK schools, in leadership circles it is common these days to frame the world's post-modern condition as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous - VUCA for short.
It's safe to say the economic, social and political climate currently engulfing the UK could serve as a compelling case for teaching about and for VUCA. Indeed, in his post-referendum statement George Osborne specified volatility and uncertainty as two of the three challenges immediately facing the nation. It was hardly necessary for him to spell out the complexity of the matter, while, as if to highlight the ambiguity, he accommodated his own pre-referendum prognostications of catastrophe with the revelation that, in fact, "we were prepared for the unexpected. We are equipped for whatever happens." Leaving aside the reliability of the Chancellor's new found optimism, it's easy see the value to employers of this capacity for what Guy Claxton famously characterised as knowing "what to do when you don't know what to do." In an environment of shifting demographics and markets, and of exponential technological development, knowledge and technical skills clearly have diminishing shelf lives. The fashionability of character education, with its emphasis on resilience and grit, and of learning for creativity clearly have complementary appeal, both preparing future workers for whatever comes their way.
Advertisement
In common with many other British people, as the shock of the 'Brexit' referendum wears off, I find myself, quite strangely, in the middle of a personal identity crisis. As I wrote on this blog only last week, in order to further my family history research, I recently had my DNA analysed and found that genetically, I am largely Continental European, with a dash of Irish and Scandinavian. Putting this together with my paper research it seems that I am rather more Huguenot than I realised; that is a significant proportion of my genes descend from a sixteenth century French Protestant sect who claimed asylum in England to escape religious persecution in Roman Catholic France.
Advertisement
For all of my adult life, I have been very comfortable describing myself as 'British' and 'European' (although my Scottish quarter has always made me a little uncomfortable with 'English'). And, in terms of my genetic heritage, I am very typical of the majority of the white British population; the only thing that may be a little unusual about me is that, as an historian, I have been so active in detecting the specific history of my ancestors. My own life events brought me to Yorkshire in my mid-20s, and in that sense I would describe myself as 'born in London, made in Yorkshire', particularly as most of my direct descendants are most definitely Yorkshire lads and lasses. All of these strands sit together in a cohesive identity, with which, until Thursday, I was (although largely unconsciously) completely comfortable.
What I, I suspect along with many other British people, am now experiencing is a painful shattering of this identity. My adopted county voted quite decisively to reject my European genetic heritage, while my adopted town (Leeds) voted narrowly to accept it. My Scottish quarter voted overwhelmingly to accept my European half, as did the city of my birth. According to Nigel Farage, people who have such feelings of fragmentation and dispossession are neither ordinary nor decent, which he bafflingly announced in a sea of people waving Union Flags, despite the fact that their campaign is likely to mean that this particular emblem will shortly be consigned to history when Scotland seeks its independence from the 'Brexit', taking the St Andrew's Cross with them. Farage's ancestors, like my own, were Huguenots who sought asylum in England, fleeing persecution. It is fortunate for him, although possibly not for us, that they too found humane people who provided a safe haven.
Advertisement
While Farage spouts his empty rhetoric, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, whose father like my grandfather was a London bus driver, embodies 'ordinariness' and 'decency' in his comment that "we all have a responsibility to now seek to heal the divisions that have emerged throughout this campaign - and to focus on that which unites us, rather than that which divides us." However, not only do we have to seek unity between ourselves, but also within our own currently shattered identities. The campaign that Farage, Johnson and Gove ran did not draw upon 'ordinariness' or 'decency' but upon hatred, division and fear, a toxic compound which has now not only split British people between themselves, but each individual from the internal integrity of mixed ancestral heritage.
Mary Turner via Getty Images
Never before has our country been so polarised.
In the early hours of Friday morning, the UK voted to leave the EU. Almost half of the country celebrated, almost half were distraught and many in the middle wondered if their vote against the EU was a mistake. Now that the dust is starting to settle, people are wondering what this really means for them and how we should proceed.
Amidst the pound crashing, the FTSE 100 dipping and global concern, David Cameron announced his resignation as Prime Minister and that he would leave the invocation of Article 50 for his successor. This was a smart move - giving markets the best opportunity to stabilise over the summer, emotions could cool and negotiations could begin to discuss what a Brexit might actually entail.
Advertisement
One of the major difficulties in considering what leaving the EU might look like is the lack of precedent. Greenland and Algeria have both exited the EU, in 1984 and 1962 respectively, but the EU was a very different union at the time. Along with the obvious difficulties in extricating ourselves from the EU, there are myriad issues purporting to our own Union, with Scotland demanding a second independence referendum and the obvious difficulties in managing Brexit given the relation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Once the Brexit package is more clear, I believe the terms of the package should be put to the British people and we should have a second and final referendum.
Questions have been raised about how and when a Brexit could occur. The most likely occurrence is for the British Government to trigger Article 50. This is the exit clause which would start the two-year period during which the "divorce" could be negotiated and terms could be agreed.
The clause is quite clear. Only the British Government can trigger this exit from the EU - we cannot be forced out. Despite pressure from senior EU officials, the UK could hypothetically wait years to trigger Article 50 - particularly useful given the scale of the negotiations that will be required. Whilst Merkel has claimed that informal negotiations are not a possibility, the balance of power lies with the UK and it is highly likely that this is simply political posturing.
Advertisement
Since the Referendum results were announced, the second most searched term on Google has been "What is the EU" and social media has been filled with reports of many Leave voters questioning their vote. As evidenced by live interviews with shocked leave voters after the result was announced, many believed that theirs was a protest vote given the unlikelihood of the Leave campaign winning. In addition, media appearances by leading Leave campaigners has shown clearly that, while there are several credible positions for Britain outside the EU, it is unlikely to be possible to address all the concerns raised in the campaign - people should be able to vote again once they have all of the details.
In light of this and the magnitude of the repercussions from the UK leaving the EU, I would champion a second referendum next summer. The difference is that this referendum should not simply be offering a simple "Stay with the status quo" or "Leave without knowing what you're leaving for" - instead, this referendum would offer the British public a very clear choice. The British public deserve to know what they are really voting for. After a year of negotiations, I strongly believe that we will have a much clearer view of what leaving the EU will look like - economically, socially and politically.
I hope that both campaigns would conduct themselves with dignity. The first referendum was a real opportunity for democracy to flourish. Instead, people were confused with manipulated figures, fearmongering and outright lies. The British public deserve better than this. Any choice made should be made objectively and with the honest information before them.
This would ensure a democratic process whereby people's votes would actually count and the British public would be making a more informed choice about our future inside, or outside of the EU. Whilst this would lead to a year of uncertainty, this would be a preferable choice to the alternatives of ignoring the referendum or of triggering Article 50 too hastily.
As a nation, we have spoken - people's dissatisfaction with Brussels has been made clear and we need to respect the outcome of the referendum. Offering a second referendum immediately, where we simply ask the same question would simply act to undermine democracy and validate many people's belief that politicians do not listen to them.
Advertisement
Due to the uncertainty of what an exit package would look like, I believe that it would be reckless for a Brexit to take place without British people having more clarity and a greater understanding of what it entails and having the opportunity to vote on the specifics of the deal. In other nations where referendums are used to decide how to proceed such as in the US, Switzerland and Greece, referendums are on specific propositions rather than uncertain generalities. In stark contrast to this, the British people were offered a choice with almost no certainty and it would be unwise to take action immediately on the basis of a huge unknown.
Given the high levels of dissatisfaction both within the UK and other member states, there is a real chance that the results of our referendum could be a force for good. As a significant financial contributor to the EU budget, other member states would not and should not take Brexit lightly. The UK was, is and shall continue to be a significant trade partner for the EU and there would be severe implications to the economies of other member states if Britain is denied access to the single market.
We have the chance to leverage the results of the referendum and this could lead to a more efficient and reformed EU. By offering a second referendum next year, we will have truly done everything in our power to lead to change within the EU and to offer the British public a chance to make an informed decision. As we will have at least one leadership election and possibly a General Election in the coming months, delaying the triggering of Article 50 would be a smart move. We would be allowing the political environment to settle whilst offering a clearer path towards, or away from our membership of the EU and this should help notoriously jumpy financial markets to settle.
We have a real opportunity to reform the EU and to ensure that democracy works to serve the people it is meant to, so long as we are courageous enough to face our uncertain future.
As the recriminations fly, shredding political careers by the second, there's one key player emerging unscathed, The Electoral Commission. It's the Electoral Commission's job to make sure that referendums are well run; and last week's wasn't. Being a member of the losing side this may seem like sour grapes, fair enough I am gutted, but hear me out.
Firstly and most obviously there are the lies and manipulation from both sides. Brexit leaders are already back tracking on pretty much every pre-referendum promise made. From migration to 350 million for the NHS, every big pledge has now been more or less ditched. This is not something we can gloss over, it is a national disgrace. That our leaders, supposedly the great and the good, are allowed to brazenly manipulate us should be illegal. This goes to the heart of the Brexit result. A big reason why people wanted to stick two fingers up at the establishment is that they may have the vote but they don't have power. The powerlessness that many of us feel is a social disease and mixed with globalisation and inequality has taken us to the brink. The trading of BS Euro statistics by our political elite in recent weeks makes the reality of our marginalisation more obvious than ever. We know they are lying but we vote for them anyway. We rightly feel insulted and treated like fools, so we consciously or unconsciously opt out of a club that never appeared to value us in the first place. The thing is, democracy only works if most people opt in, so the lies aren't just lamentable because they are lies, they are explicitly and directly eroding our democracy. In my view if the lie is big enough there should be a jail sentence attached. In precisely the same way as you can go to jail for obstructing the course of justice in a criminal case, if you obstruct the course of justice in a referendum by lying, you should go to jail. That may seem harsh but if eroding democracy is not a crime, what is?
Advertisement
Secondly and even more importantly, what on earth does Brexit mean? What was anyone voting for or against? It still hasn't been agreed. In any normal voting process, say a company motion or even general election, the decisions we face are painstakingly laid out, often in great detail. On this decision, the biggest for 40 years, there was no detail. None. No plan whatsoever. The Leave campaign have been very clear about that. So what were people voting for? According to the comments pages of The Sun something very different to what is happening. It is utterly preposterous to have a referendum where the options are not clearly defined. This undermines our already limited individual democratic choice as we don't know what we're voting for. It also provides an information vacuum for unaccountable powers, like the media, to fill with their self interest. But worse than that, it exacerbates the very disenfranchisement a referendum is supposed to counteract. Because in the end even the winners feel conned as their Brexit hopes inevitably morph into something they didn't vote for.
What a ride it's been. After all the mud-slinging, roaring and shouting, the dust has cleared, and it's a rather sorry sight. Feels a bit like that moment when, even though it's 3am you decide the best thing to do was tp keep drinking. The hangover is much, much worse. As is the clearing up.
Yet who can we actually blame for this? Why none other than ourselves, the British public. The aftermath of the vote feels just as hate-filled and bigoted as the run-up to the vote. You've got the young people, who are complaining that the older generation have ruined their lives. You've got those complaining that everyone that voted leave was too stupid to understand what they were voting for (you can find a vox pop for anything. Finding four stupid people in Barnsley does not explain away the opinions of 52% of the voting turnout). After months of sniping that bordered on the downright racist, this result is now being used to further drive a wedge between the public. And that is the most dangerous outcome of all.
So the public felt misinformed? I'm not surprised. Ridiculous claims and counter-claims were bandied about on both sides. Only through careful reading, research and looking at a range of news sources could anyone be able to make sense of this.
Advertisement
So they didn't think their vote would count? I'm saddened, but not surprised. In a country of first past the post, people are so used to their votes counting for nothing unless they are in a particular area, it isn't particularly shocking to find some people that weren't aware of the impact. Not that I'm condoning it. People that choose note to vote or underestimate the power of their vote are pissing all over years of inequality, and if nothing else this result should be a cold shower of a wake up for some - your vote does indeed count, so use it wisely.
And there were concrete arguments for leaving the EU. While I am altogether in favour of belonging to it, I can see why, with the threat of things like TTIP, some were concerned that the EU would support the 1%, would put themselves in the pockets of businesspeople and their ecological and social concerns would go unanswered. Personally, my main concern there relates to the people leading the charge in the Leave campaign. Hardly bastions for equality and a fair society. Any day that sees far-right politicians across the globe cheering for the UK is a sad day for the country indeed.
But what it has revealed, more than anything, is that we are a divided country. This vote was about inequality. It could well have been me, furious with the upper classes at the lack of opportunity. I started university in 1999. I just managed to get out of fees (which were means tested) and spent my student loan (no, I haven't begun to pay it off, 15 years later) on rent and food, while others were putting them into ISAs. Even then, I felt the burn of how unfair it was, that I was hefting plates at pubs and cleaning tables while others jollied around the Med in their summer holidays. But at least I got a degree. My earning potential, as a teacher after ten years, is very good. I can make a living for myself, I can live in London, I can (just) afford a mortgage. But most people can't. And, rightly so, they are furious. They see the disparities between themselves and others the same age and they are very, very angry. So what are we going to do about it? Unfortunately, I feel this anger has been misdirected. The resulting (probable) recession and cuts will, no doubt, fall on those who asked for change more heavily than others. The 1% will sail happily on, more free than ever to make changes that could undermine the rights of women, disabled, the underprivileged, exactly the people that voted for this change.
Advertisement
As someone who gets paid in pounds and spends it largely outside Britain, there was no bigger loser than I after the UK's historic decision to leave the European Union. Like many, I hoped for a Remain vote to avoid the events exactly predicted by Project Fear. But now the result is in, I realise just how much my decision was swayed by short-term economic impulse. For unlike those who voted out and now have 'buyer's remorse', both my head and heart see the longer term benefits Brexit will bring, not just to Britain, but to Europe and the rest of the world.
Just as the defining fact of modern history is the intervention of the US in the twentieth century to preside over a largely peaceful, trading global economy, so Britain has fulfilled her longer term historical function to prevent a preponderance of power in Europe.
Advertisement
For the majority of us old enough to recall it, the best analogy for the past few days is Britain's unceremonious ejection from the Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992. Just as John Major was pressured into that situation by the right of his party, so David Cameron called the referendum to sheer off support for UKIP in the 2015 general election. It is this motivated majority which voted to leave the EU.
While the markets did not like it at the time, that decision led to a long bull market in Britain right up until 2008, the effects of the dot-com crash and 9/11 notwithstanding. By most measures the UK has easily outperformed the rest of Europe in terms of growth and employment over the past two decades, including emergence from the 2008 recession.
Why? Because if there is one thing economic neo-liberals on the right understand it is the damaging effects of centralization. Continental Europe has been beset by fiscal strife like the Greek crisis and industrial unrest seen every summer in France because of the incompatibility of a conservative, centralized monetary policy with the budgetary freedom member states retain to reflect their local priorities. Were it were not for Britain's political independence in rejecting the Euro and its ERM precursor, we would be in the same position.
But if Brexit is therefore a 'good thing' then why are the markets Freaking Out? Because that is what markets do, and their main liability. In the age of volatility, traders exploit uncertainly to bet on an outcome that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially when it affects the real economic decisions of millions. Our job is to resist that tendency.
Advertisement
It is a task made worse by the centralization of decision-making in the UK which has left no real post-Brexit plan. The network of well-funded political interests outside government that make the US sometimes difficult to govern would have arranged, in advance, the relationships needed for a smooth transition to their stated goal. But in Britain, neither the executive, civil service or the hastily concocted Leave campaign seem to have any clue.
The key to turning this around for Britain is trade, as it is for the global economy. For that reason, the EU and its national champions should have no problem giving Britain a Norway-style deal which keeps Britain within the European Economic Area with access to the single market, especially with US encouragement. And within the EEA Britain will be free to trade with her English-speaking partners and others too.
That Britain should copy Norway is telling. For she was never there at the start either, when the European Coal and Steel Community began as a way of placing Ruhr industry under joint Franco-German control, rendering a military competition institutionally impossible. Like the Nordics who also declined the Euro, the continent was always seen as an economic opportunity to Brits. But for the EU itself and its most romantic supporters, it is a direct replacement for the conflict of the last century, with nothing but ever closer political union thinkable.
If Britain can demonstrate success outside the EU, it frees member countries to lobby for a looser, more pragmatic Europe which respects regional differences with exit as a viable alternative. Ironically, only now that Britain is no longer part of the EU can it be a leader to Europe and its peoples.
Another irony is that the most feasible way forward, the EEA, kicks the immigration debate which polarized Brexit in the first place down the road. I can't be the only one, who despite the expected and realised losses, was profoundly uncomfortable with the story of the Australian couple, pillars of their community for more than a decade, being asked to pack their bags because of the pressure to reduce non-EU migration. But the European Economic Area requires freedom of movement and the alternative would mean the disintegration of Britain itself, a larger and more consequential change.
Advertisement
So freedom of movement will now be front and centre of Brexit negotiations, but dealing with immigration on a pan-European basis would be the best thing. Because the real, longer term danger is not Britain's mild rejection of EU excess but a Eurozone nation rejecting European integration outright over the issue. Monetary union being practically irreversible, the effects would break the international economy and might entail a showdown with a European Army, shattering NATO.
The Financial Times
Unbeknownst to the seismic change unfolding overnight, my peaceful sleep was abruptly interrupted by a panicked mother in the early hours of the morning. 'It's happened, they've done it!' Bleary-eyed, I managed to gradually piece together the information I read prior to midnight - Farage had conceded defeat, exit polls claimed a solid Remain majority and some bookmakers asserted a probability of ninety percent that the United Kingdom would vote to stay in the European Union. It took just one reading of a friends' emotional outburst on social media in the morning - of which there had been several- to deduce that the improbable had happened.
Unfavoured outsiders from the start, the Leave campaign had the unenviable task of disestablishing the status quo- one that has created economic prosperity and growth over four decades- and facing up to opposition from influential political elites: Cameron, Osbourne, Major and Corbyn a few from a lengthy list, and organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization. Juxtaposing this with the smaller Leave camp, spearheaded by the eccentricities and emotional rhetoric of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson that were divisive throughout the campaign, bookmakers' constant odds for a Remain victory (1/4 as opposed to 3/1 for Remain) were unsurprising. Repeated opinion polls reflected the seemingly large suspicion of 'Leave'- portrayed and mocked by mainstream media as nescient, ignorant and overly gallant, Leave were consistently pitted as less popular than the Remain camp for almost the entirety of the weeks running up to the 23rd, allowing a quiet confidence to seep into the Remain ranks.
Advertisement
The shockwaves of Friday's result will continue to reverberate through the nation as across the globe- the various effects and implications of 'Brexit' to be discussed with trepidation and almost blind uncertainty for the weeks and months to come. However, at the heart of today's historic turning-point, the defining of the odds and bucking of opinion polls are revelatory not only of a significant divide in the ideologies of U.K. citizens, but of a gradually rising number of disenchanted members of the populace on both sides of the political spectrum. In many ways, history has repeated itself. Just over a year ago, opinion and exit polls asserted confidently a hung parliament for the 2015 general election- the North, as per the polls, would rediscover Labour roots and prevent a Conservative majority. What followed is comparable to the referendum; industrial working class communities- traditional Labour heartlands- once again bucked the trend. Sunderland had been expected to narrowly vote Remain. It instead emphatically voted 61% in favour to leave the EU. This was a microcosm of growing discontent through the North- Bradford and Rotherham, both vast Labour strongholds, voted to leave with 54% and 68% majorities respectively. County Durham, a rare bastion of support in an otherwise grim general election for Labour last year, continued this trend by voting to leave by 58%. This unexpected defiance of expectation in northern working-class areas was ultimately pivotal in framing the outcome- that this overcame the strong resistance from Scotland and the capital epitomizes the sheer levels of Leave support in the North.
Reasons for the unanticipated mass support for Leave, and the pollsters' gross failure in their predictions, are multifaceted. In the midst of doubt surrounding the future of the U.K., one certainty from the referendum can be inferred- the discontent from the ordinary working-class and populace is greater than first envisaged. Concerns about immigration and border control were at the forefront of Leavers' reasoning for Brexit: a sensitive and divisive issue, these fears would oftentimes be instantaneously branded as racist, nationalist and jingoistic; subjective and reasoned opinions placed under the umbrella of bigotry and ignorance. To disagree with a view is commonplace in politics and healthy discussion is encouraged- deriding the other side of the argument with derogations is not. This backlash, by no means prevalent through the entirety of Remain but prominent in certain 'Remain' campaigners, are likely to have acted as a suppressor for many Leavers' voices- two Labour MPs, assumed role models for rational and intelligent debate, have publicly apologized after branding Brexiters as racists. The emergence of a petition to 're-do' the referendum- surging rapidly at 3 million signatures - is not only thoroughly undemocratic, but also evidences the huge backlash and instant disregard towards the views of 17 million people. Transcending from parliamentary politics into the general public, this stigmatization that some had assumed - celebrities and ordinary people included- likely quietened the voicings of prospective Leave voters. Indeed, an almost comical irony arises out of the argument: the mass-labelling of Brexiters as racist and xenophobic is a fundamental generalization and stereotype- the very facets that Remainers preach so ardently against. It may thus come as no surprise that the reviling discourse of individual Remain campaigners repelled some neutrals and the undecided, swaying them into the Leave camp. As Guardian journalist Gary Younge aptly conceded a month prior to the referendum, 'ridiculing and treating Brexiters as small-minded and stupid may be the very reason for the Remain camp to lose the argument for staying in the EU'. He may well have been partly right.
Advertisement
I consoled my Remain-supporting mother after awaking, reassuring her (with veiled optimism) of eventual economic recovery and continued existence within the EU for at least two years, and took a tube to Westminster and Parliament Square to soak up history. Impassioned debates and diverse protests aside, an obscure image of Margaret Thatcher in a newspaper was the day's most thought-provoking aspect. For the two epochs in history- though contextually different- draw many parallels. Just as Thatcher had done in the late 1970s, Farage and Johnson- also two unconventional outsiders- successfully tapped into the vein of the disgruntled working classes; capitalising on the populace's discontent using powerful and emotional rhetoric to promise the alleviation of peoples' ills and appealing against the 'corrupt' status quo. Both instances have heralded a political revolution and reflected a shift in the standpoints of the traditional working class.
What followed Thatcher's transformative election- economic volatility, public discontent and periods of diplomatic uncertainty- is an apt indicator of what the United Kingdom has to expect in the future. Friday's shock result, however, reveals a remarkability about British politics at present. The failure of opinion polls and bookmakers to predict a Brexit victory removes the false perception of a subdued and idiosyncratic minority; manifesting their ever-mounting discontent through the ballots, this proportion of the ordinary and working class people reveal themselves as the de facto majority, and are silent no more.
Jeff J Mitchell via Getty Images
Labour is in crisis. Whoever stands in the next leadership contest will have to face its grassroots members, large numbers of whom joined the party to help elect Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.
With the help of YouGov and as part of an ESRC-funded project on UK party membership in the twenty-first century, we (Professor Tim Bale and Dr Monica Poletti (Queen Mary University of London) and Professor Paul Webb (University of Sussex)) have conducted a new survey of Labour's new members, fielded just after the May 2016 local, devolved and mayoral elections.
Advertisement
We have surveyed 2,026 members and registered supporters of the Labour Party who joined it after the May 2015 general election. This includes 876 people who joined as full members, 280 who initially joined as 3 registered supporters but then upgraded their membership (ie 1,156 full members in total) plus 870 people who are just registered supporters. Tables are available on request.
So what do they look like - and how do they compare with those members the team surveyed back in May 2015, the vast majority of whom were members when Ed Miliband was leader?
Demographics
Labour's new members aren't on average much younger than those who were in the party before the general election. The average age of full members has actually nudged up from just under 51 to just over 51. They are similarly well-educated: around six out of ten of Labour's post-GE2015 members have degrees, which was the same for pre-GE2015 members.
They are, though, even more middle class, with 78% of them (compared to 70%) of them being ABC1s.
Contrary to some conventional wisdom, they are not any more likely to come from London: 14% of the new members come from the capital, rising to 20% of the registered supporters, compared to 15% when we surveyed members last year. They are, however, slightly more likely to come from Southern England (34% compared to 30%) than they were.
Advertisement
Previous political experience
A fair few of the full members are re-treads: although 58% of them haven't previously been a member of a political party, nearly a third of them (31%) have previously belonged to the Labour Party but, having left it, re-joined after GE2015. The number of re-treads, incidentally, rises to over 40% for those aged over 50. In short many of the new members may well be people who feel 'We've got our party back'.
Groups they belong to
There has been a lot of talk about Momentum - the organization that sprang up to help get Jeremy Corbyn elected leader and, which rather than packing up having done the job, has carried on, at least in the view of Labour's 'moderates', trying to ensure he stays as leader and pushing Labour to the left. One in ten of Labour's post-GE2015 consider themselves members of the group - slightly more if one takes only those who joined during the leadership contest or after Corbyn won it. To put this in perspective, though, this is about the same number who belong to the RSPB and English Heritage and about half of those who belong to the National Trust.
Possibly more importantly, 25% of post-GE2015 members belong to trade unions compared to 39% of members in our May 2015 survey. That said, at 30%, those new members who joined after Corbyn's election are slightly more likely than other new members to be trade unionists.
Ideology: left, liberal - and a fair few former Green voters
Labour's new members are, as expected, pretty left-wing across the board, although this was also the case, note, for pre-GE2015 members, the vast majority of whom tended to think badly of business and fondly of redistribution. New members and supporters are, though, even more anti-austerity and inclined to think that government spending cuts have gone much too far though. They are also more socially-liberal than pre-GE2015 members. This should not come as a surprise perhaps given the fact that a relatively high number of the post-GE2015 full members and registered supporters voted Green in 2015.
Some 17% of new members voted Green at the general election in 2015 - a figure which rises to 20% of registered supporters, 28% of those who first joined as registered supporters and then became full members, and 24% of those who joined the Party after Corbyn became leader. This compares to just 6% of pre-May 2015 members. Even in May 2016, nearly one in ten of those Londoners who joined Labour as members or registered supporters after the general election voted for the Green candidate, Sian Berry, rather than Sadiq Khan.
Advertisement
Jezza's bezzas
Not surprisingly, given the above, half (49%) of Labour's new members believe the membership should have more say over policy, with the figure rising to 54% and 65% respectively among those who joined during and after the leadership election.
The same pattern is repeated when we asked the post-GE2015 membership about who they would support if there were to be a challenge to Corbyn and he were to stand in another leadership contest. Some 64% of all those who are full members would vote for Corbyn. Although his support among 3 registered supporters (53%) and even lower among those who joined as full members before the last summer's leadership contest (46%), it is super-solid among those who joined the party during (68%) and after (80%) that contest.
The election of Jeremy Corbyn certainly seems to have convinced new members that the leadership respects them. In May 2015, some 26% of Labour members did not believe that it did. That feeling applies to just 8% of the new members. Some 89% of post-GE2015 members think the leadership respects them - a figure that rises to 95% of those who joined after Corbyn was elected.
These people, then, are Jezza's bezzas - his praetorian guard, if you like. And - surely rather alarmingly if you are one of those Labour MPs who isn't content to hold your tongue - they seem open to using the prospect of deselection to ensure that there is a price to pay for badmouthing the dear leader.
Alarmingly keen on deselection and mandatory reselection
'Only' a third (32%) of members, perhaps aware of the past voting record of Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell, say that 'Labour MPs who continually vote against the party's agreed line in Commons votes should be deselected'. But another 29% neither agreed nor disagreed with that statement, which presumably means they might be persuaded to back action. And among those who joined after the leadership contest, the proportion who need no persuading rises to 38%.
Advertisement
However, Labour's new members seem much, much keener to discipline MPs who lay into Jeremy himself. A clear majority (55%) believe that 'Labour MPs who persistently and publicly criticise the leadership in the media should be deselected' - a proportion that rises to two-thirds (68%) of those who joined after Corbyn was elected.
And possibly most worrying of all, there appears, at least among Labour's post-GE2015 membership, to be majority support (59% vs 25%) for the introduction of mandatory re-selection of all Labour MPs.
Confident that Jez he can - but more clicktivists and slacktivists than activists?
Those most recent joiners are almost most confident that a Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn will win the next general election. Despite the dire polls and the equally dire local election results, some 64% of Labour's post GE2015 membership believe Labour is likely to win the next general election - a figure which rises to 77% of those who joined after Corbyn became leader.
What is fascinating, however, is that if Labour is to win, it may have to do it largely without much practical help from its new members and registered supporters. Confirming the complaints of many a Labour MP and ward secretary, the newbies might talk (and tweet) a good game, but they don't necessarily turn up to do the hard yards.
Just over two-thirds of Labour's post-GE2015 members and supporters (68%) have retweeted, posted or forwarded a message supporting the Labour Party on social media and nearly nine out of ten (88%) claim to have signed a petition on behalf of the party. But only 15% of them have participated in door-to-door or telephone canvassing of voters or helped out at a party function, and only 28% of them claimed to have delivered leaflets. Indeed, some 63% said they had put in no time at all on behalf of the party during recent local, mayoral and devolved elections.
Advertisement
In the lead up to the EU Referendum we were subjected to endless TV news vox pops, in which citizens told the nation they would be voting to Leave the EU because of immigration.
The apparent loathing of immigration was reinforced by reporters and editors, who linked the loss of Labour votes in poorer areas to concerns about immigrants 'taking jobs'. Despite the fact that the areas filmed routinely were places of low immigration.
Sound bites from Ukip prior to the Referendum - and since it was established - have been centred on immigration. Ukip and groups like the English Defence League (EDL), Britain First and the British National Party have been highly effective at drumming their sound bites into voters' heads, which then get parroted incessantly.
Advertisement
'WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK' is a cry that has been heard a lot at EDL and Britain First marches over the years, along with rants about Muslims and immigrants. Ukip's Nigel Farage had no qualms about using this divisive phrase endlessly bleated out by the far-right, or emblazoning the Referendum 'battle bus' with it.
Given the message of such slogans and the whipping up of deluded beliefs that getting rid of immigrants would give prosperity to the disenfranchised, immigrants woke up last Friday to a sickening notion that over half of the voting population doesn't want them here.
I don't think it is true that most people in the UK are simply anti-immigration, as though we were banged on the head and found ourselves in some far-right dominated backwards dystopia. There were different reasons why people voted Leave, often triggered by lies peddled by people who should know better. But I'm not an immigrant trying to protect and nurture a young family in unstable conditions. For many in that predicament, Friday morning would have been shattering.
For immigrants working long hours on low pay, often sustaining the UK in vital sectors like agriculture, care and manufacturing, the discourses prior to the Referendum, and the result, must be like a kick in the guts. Out there day after day working your heart out, often in undervalued roles that keep the UK going, and then to be told you are a threat to society and the reason for other people's misery.
Advertisement
Just when immigrants were recoiling from this incredibly unfair blow, the more overt attacks started. Perhaps not understanding that negotiations to leave the EU will take years, that immigrants will not immediately be dragged from the county and that there are still ways in which we could remain, xenophobia and racism reared their ugly faces in actions politicians have condemned as hate crimes.
Within hours of the Referendum result being declared, Eastern Europeans in the UK received leaflets calling them vermin and telling them to, confusingly, 'Leave the EU' and graffiti with a similar message was daubed on a Polish centre. Asian people too have been subjected to racist abuse and told to leave the UK, suggesting a degree of confusion about which countries the EU comprises of. To tell an Asian schoolgirl to leave a country she and her parents were likely to have been born in, on the back of a marginal EU Referendum result, is up there with the many bizarre and damaging things that had happened in the last few days.
I am extremely concerned that the Referendum has made it seem acceptable to devalue and dehumanise those who are deemed 'other'. To put it another way, it seems to have become acceptable to be racist and wilfully ignorant. This shift has not only been encouraged by overtly racist far-right groups and Ukip but also by well-educated established politicians who have enjoyed all the educational, social and economic benefits of globalisation. Asked to condemn post-Referendum victimisation of minorities, Nigel Farage, on Channel 4 News, claimed that those pushing for Brexit have been "the real victims".
It seems unlikely that resilient EU immigrants are going to take flight from the UK just because the far-right and some frothing bigots want them to. In fact, if I was an immigrant in the UK already I would be maximising my hours in order to make the most of my time here. And if I was from another EU country and struggling, and I thought the UK could be closing its borders in two or three years, I would be planning to move here, earn as much as possible and perhaps establish myself in the UK before the door closes. So the anti-immigration campaign could easily backfire.
Nevertheless, Nazi-era style propaganda and threatening material DOES promote an 'us and them' narrative. But I would hope our European friends both here and abroad realise that this spite is not shared by the majority of Brits. It is more likely that the political narratives around the Referendum and result has encouraged xenophobia to break cover, and flawed ideas get parroted by a larger group of people.
Advertisement
This morning, Sam Coates writes that Boris Johnson has made it clear to the Tory right that he will end EU free movement after his Telegraph column brought criticism. It was said to have been written too quickly. As a Conservative member and former Westminster and European Parliamentary Candidate, I need to hear more from the leading contender for leadership of the Conservative Party, and not just from his newspaper column. I want to hear from Boris on his vision for an open, tolerant and diverse Britain which will always welcome the best and brightest.
Immigration has been a central issue in every election I have fought. We have long debated the need for controlled immigration in order to ensure the sustainability of public services and cohesion. I do not dismiss those claims, nor is it racist to want controlled immigration. As a Remain voter, I do not believe that 17 million people who voted Leave are racist. Nor did they all vote leave because of immigration. Indeed, many of my Leave friends have long called to leave the EU mainly on the issue of sovereignty and democracy.
Advertisement
However, what is always needed in public debate is a responsible tone and to call out those who go too far.
EU migration and free movement became centre place during the EU Referendum. The Vote Leave posters told us how Turkey, a population of 76million, was set to join the EU. I get the rational argument - the ability of the UK economy to absorb so many - although I feel that other EU countries may block Turkey's entry and the numbers touted are impossible to verify. We heard from MPs that open borders endanger Britain's security, repeated after the Paris and Brussels attacks. I understand the Brexiteer argument, with the caveat that most terrorism is actually home grown, and that membership of the EU also allows us to share information as stated by the likes of former MI6 boss Sir John Sawers and ex-MI5 chief Lord Evans.
But elections and referenda are not done in a rational bubble. Campaigning takes over and this EU Referendum was marked by extreme statements, division, hyperbole and of course, Nigel Farage. His Breaking Point poster was one of the most despicable examples of campaign literature I have ever seen. The poster, of Syrian refugees fleeing genocide and war, was offensive and de-humanising. Leave EU also posted a video that showed a Polish magazine cover of "the Muslim rape of the EU". Who can forget the Leave EU poster created after the Orlando homophobic terrorist attack that said "Act now before we see an Orlando-style atrocity here"? Islamophobia and racism creeped in.
Throughout the EU Referendum campaign, I had online attacks from the Far Right. By the time we had the Brexit vote, the abuse was daily. It is a vile minority and the comfort and support I have had from many political activists, friends and total strangers online has made me proud to be British.
Advertisement
I got repeated Twitter mentions on how immigration and specifically my parents coming to the UK were responsible for white genocide and destroying indigenous lives. This is not new. Britain First have called for a direct action campaign against Muslim elected officials targeting "where they live, work, pray", with politicians such as Sadiq Khan and Sajid Javid classed as occupiers. During the May 2015 election campaign, whilst leafleting on my own, I was accosted by four young men in Taleban Hunting Squad hoodies who asked me about what I have done for Britain and against extremism. Luckily, I had recently helped stage an anti-ISIS rally outside Parliament.
I have had Twitter users, including people hiding behind egg profiles or pseudonym Twitter names tell me that I am a rapist (with some description), someone waiting to bomb the community and evil white-hating filth. I have been told to f*** off home, swim back to my totalitarian third world cesspool and that hateful sentiment is because of my religion and Muslim community. I have ignored much, laughed off the ludicrous if I can, but broken down in tears at some.
We have seen a spike in racism towards Asian and Eastern Europeans since the referendum result. Friends of mine are posting examples of abuse and how they are fearful, uneasy and how some now feel second class citizens. I can defend myself but what of those who are more vulnerable?
With the two main political parties facing splits and leadership contests, we need strong leadership in this country. We need MPs from all parties to condemn the racist acts of a few. I want to hear from Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Iain Duncan Smith and leading Brexiters and not just the Prime Minister. We need a message of unity; that the spirit of tolerance of the many will overcome the fear and marginalisation created by the few. We need to support the work of organisations such as Hope Not Hate and Tell Mama that are trying to deal with this. We need to acknowledge that the tone of campaigning matters.
One sentence that I have heard from those posting incidents of racism is when people voted Leave, they thought immigrants would Leave. Can we please have a sensible debate on what people mean by immigration? Far too often we hear the negative impact of immigration and not the positive injection of skills and talent; of EU migrant engineers, farmworkers and city workers helping one of our country's leading sectors, or people like my father working as a doctor in the NHS.
Advertisement
I accept the Brexit result and want to work with people to try and make it work so that we do not have economic instability. The vision that many Leave friends have for Britain is one that is open and trades with the world. They want more immigration from the Commonwealth - to them, EU free movement made that difficult. The Times columnist, Tim Montgomerie, has said that by controlling our borders we can and should accept more refugees. All of this does not sound insular Little Englander to me. To those who plan to stand for leadership, please set out your vision of an open, diverse and modern Britain. If you do, I might vote for you.
A banner reading 'Refugees Welcome' hangs on the facade of the Barcelona's City Hall, on March 18, 2016 days after Barcelona's mayor Ada Colau, Lampedusa's mayor Giusepinna Nicolini and Lesbo's mayor Spyros Galinos signed cooperation agreements to manage the crisis of refugees.Catalan regional president, Carles Puigdemont announced today his offer to Brussels to accommodate 4,500 refugees in Catalonia. / AFP / JOSEP LAGO (Photo credit should read JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images)
Brexit is echoing much louder than a warning bell. It seems like a death knell, sounding for a Europe that no longer looks to the future, that no longer knows enthusiasm. Today, Europe is surrounded, under siege. It exists in an ongoing state of emergency, amid walls, border patrols, and now a disunited British Kingdom. Europe is bereft of a future because it has renounced its founding principles, rendering them null and void in a sea of separatism. It's the Europe of exclusion.
For this reason, we believe that the choice to remain in Europe is tied to a crucial issue: How to govern immigrant flows. To "Remain" means to include; to create opportunities for integration and seek out what "we have in common," to use Jo Cox's words.
Advertisement
To "Remain" means offering legal assistance and humanitarian corridors, and putting an end to the anachronistic separation of immigrants and refugees. "Remain" means battling the causes that drive millions of human beings to escape the hell of wars, rape, ethnic cleansing, environmental disasters, and absolute poverty.
Today, to remain in the EU means to change course, immediately.There's no time for compromise. And, unfortunately, it must be said that the immigration proposal from the European Commission, which will be debated by heads of state and governments at this week's EU summit, is not living up to the expectations of the historically important moment we're all experiencing.
We are asking European leaders to act courageously in a moment that's very delicate for the destiny of Europe as a whole.
For this reason, Oxfam, along with over 100 other non-governmental organizations, is asking European leaders to say "no" to the Commission's proposal to adopt a foreign policy approach based on deterrence and repatriation to countries of origin. This proposal seems to be pushing the European Union's foreign policy toward a single goal: To stop immigration, renouncing in the process the defense of human rights.
Advertisement
Suffice it to say that, as the documents prove, the proposal is modeled after the EU-Turkey Agreement. That's the same agreement that has left hundreds of people, especially unaccompanied minors, abandoned in Greece under inhumane and degrading conditions, held in detention and obliged to live and sleep in prison-like structures.
Based on the proposal currently on the table, if the EU establishes an agreement that it considers effective in putting a stop to immigration, regulatory standards and protection mechanisms would be compromised. This risks violating international laws that prohibit pushing people away toward countries where basic human rights are not respected.
For these reasons, we are asking European leaders to act courageously in a moment that's very delicate for the destiny of Europe as a whole. We ask that they recover their self-awareness and vision, and delineate a model of help and assistance that pushes for the eradication of the causes of poverty, and does not finance detention centers and repressive regimes.
This is what we are demanding of European leaders and of our Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, through our Stand As One campaign. We are calling on them to put in place a long-term strategy in order to avoid betraying a project -- the European Union -- that was built on the rubble of a devastating war, and to avoid opening a dark chapter in our own shared history. In the face of fear and exclusion, Brexit should be much more than a stimulus for "remaining" in the EU: We must have the courage to change.
Note: Our accounts contain the personal recollections and opinions of the individual interviewed. The views expressed should not be considered official statements of the U.S. government or the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. ADST conducts oral history interviews with retired U.S. diplomats, and uses their accounts to form narratives around specific events or concepts, in order to further the study of American diplomatic history and provide the historical perspective of those directly involved.
The English Channel has often proven to be more than just a geographic barrier; Britain has always seen itself as distinct from the rest of the continent. However, in the shadow of World War II, as the continent realized the need for greater political and economic cooperation, the British ruling elite shifted towards more integration. In 1961, Britain applied for membership of the European Economic Community (EEC). French President Charles de Gaulle was concerned that British membership would weaken the French voice within Europe, and decided to express veto power with a resounding "non." He also feared that close Anglo-American relations would lead to the United States increasing its influence in Europe. Charles de Gaulle thus vetoed a second application from Britain in 1969. Soon after President de Gaulle resigned, the new French Conservative Prime Minister, Edward Heath, accepted the UK into the EEC in January 1973, along with Denmark and Ireland, which expanded total membership to nine countries. The European Monetary System (EMS) was created in 1979 in an effort spread currency stability throughout Europe by encouraging countries to coordinate their monetary policies. Britain was the only EEC Member not to join the ERM.
Advertisement
On June 23, 2016, Britons by a narrow margin voted to leave the EU, or to "Brexit" as it is more commonly known. While many experts blame the results on growing nationalism, frustration with migration from other, poorer EU countries, and general opaqueness and bureaucracy from the EU, Euroskepticism has been present since Britain joined the EEC.
This account was compiled from interviews done by ADST with Arthur Hartman (interviewed beginning in October 1999), Deputy Chief of Mission to the European Economic Community in the 1960s, and Susan Klingaman (beginning May 1998), who covered the EEC from the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) from 1970-72.
Read the entire Moment on ADST.org. This account was edited by Jillian N. Johannes
HARTMAN: Today, the European Union and the USA have the largest bilateral trade partnership in the world, and our cooperation with Europe has been the basis for our foreign policy for the last fifty years. We wanted to create strong European unity, which would only happen if Great Britain joined the EEC and did not try to undermine it. [Under Secretary] George [W. Ball] sent me to Europe so that I could announce [British Prime Minister Harold] Macmillan's serious commitments to apply for membership in the EEC.
I first went to Brussels to meet with our representative to the EEC, Walt Butterworth, who was known at that time for being skeptical of British intentions to join the Common Market....[President John] Kennedy felt the British earnestly wanted to get in and that they should be taken seriously.
Advertisement
I had to speak with Butterworth first to get him in line because he too suspected the British of wanting in for the wrong reasons. He thought that perhaps the British wanted to integrate the EEC and water it down for it to become a free trade area.
My last meeting was with the number three man in the French Foreign Office, Olivier Wormser. He was always a very tough negotiator and a thorough Frenchman. I explained how Kennedy and Macmillan had met and how the British were earnestly seeking entry into the EEC. He just shook his head and he said, "You know, the trouble with you and the British is that you think you speak the same language."
He made a valid point, by saying that the British were not ready for their entry in the EEC. Ironically, the agreement eventually defeated itself because de Gaulle was so furious that the Americans were helping the British acquire the bomb (and not the French) that he vowed to veto British entry into the EEC.
At the beginning of the 60's, British entry into the EEC seemed impossible. However, to try and jumpstart further negotiations on British integration, George Ball sent me to London in 1963 as head of the Economic Section of the Embassy... When I arrived in London [in 1963], we were in the middle of a dispute called the Chicken War. The Chicken War was all about how the United States couldn't get its chickens into the European Community. They managed to come up with regulations that denied us this great export from Arkansas.I remember my first press conference at the Embassy -- a young officer new to London explaining the Chicken War to a very doubtful but amused British press corps. What I really wanted to do, and what Ball wanted me to do, was go to London and get immersed into the politics of the European Community there, because it was the time of their second application to the EEC.
I did a lot of speaking around the country. Not saying, "You must join" but finding a way during the middle of trade negotiations to talk about trade and what access to the Common Market could mean for British trade.
I wanted to get through the implicit message that there didn't seem to be any other place for the British to go except the European Union, and then kind of educating people about it this one option. I told them that it wasn't simply a free trade area, but that these fellows on the continent had higher aspirations, involving a much more politicized and political union.
There was a group that worked out of Chatham House, which was a British Council on Foreign Relations that was building up support for joining the European Community. I encouraged some of my friends on the continent to come on over to London to talk at Chatham House, and by doing so establish communication with the British who were beginning to be pro-European. Around that time, a political group was formed that was much more favorable to the European Community than either of the two leadership parties. Within the parties, there were also people who were very pro-European and they helped convince most of the politicians that integration was a smart move for Britain.
However, some politicians were a real thorn in this European integration debate because they promised to uphold Britain's national identity.
Ironically, the man who swore up and down that he would never let it happen was a conservative politician from Scotland. It took all the efforts of the smaller group of people who were favorable to integration to overcome nationalist opposition. It was not so much that they were convinced Europeanists, like Monnet, but they pragmatically saw that even though they were close to the United States, they were losing their Empire status and they could not afford to stay out of Europe.
Advertisement
[Secretary of State Dean] Acheson's quite unsubtle remark stayed with them, "Britain has lost an Empire but not found a role." The British were also put under pressure by the financial people in London, because there was no doubt in anybody's mind that London was going to become the center of financial Europe. And they were right. All the American banks now are in London, not Frankfurt or Paris. Our strategy was to convince the British by stressing the leadership they could bring to Europe. I would talk as an economist but I would also use their pride, emphasizing that they could participate in a whole new integrated financial zone in which they would be a driving force. English was the language of finance.
And indeed they became one of the leading influences of the European Community, along with Germany and France. When they were still debating on European integration, the British always felt that the continent had a different set of basic principles.style="float: right; margin:10px"It wasn't the Anglo-Saxon system; it was a centralized government edict almost. That is the way the commission got set up. Monnet used to travel to London very frequently and he would see Ted Heath, the leader of the Euro-skeptic Conservative Party and tell him, "You guys belong in this because what you will bring to it is regularization of legal procedures, thinking of issues in terms of rule of law."He felt the British would be a liberalizing influence, particularly over the French, who had a hold over the Germans, and therefore a stranglehold on policy. They directed policy and particularly the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which was the most protectionist policy of all.
The French felt this, and somewhat resented our efforts to integrate Britain, because it meant a loss of influence for them. They accused Britain of being a Trojan horse for the United States.The British had the same interest in liberalizing European trade policies; they had an agricultural lobby and were also done out of some markets because they couldn't compete. They too had a subsidy system, but it was much more sensible than the CAP. They paid individual farmers who couldn't produce economically.
The British joined us against the system the French wanted, which was not only to pay large subsidies to the domestic farmers but then to subsidize their exports. We felt that Britain's entry into the EEC would strengthen it as an institution, but it would also help us solve some of its flaws.
Advertisement
KLINGAMAN: I looked at if the EC integrated further economically and whether EC member countries moved toward some kind of political union: what would this mean for the rest of Europe? What would this mean for U.S. relations with Europe and so on?
It was a great way to tie Germany, of course, which was divided, together with France in some way that would make them mutually dependent and hence, the theory was, peaceful. But people were beginning to think that well now, it looks like this is in fact happening but what is it that we have been giving all this lip service to? What is it going to do to us? What will it do to our trade interests?
The EC had moved very much toward a customs union and it had also developed a common agricultural policy among the six original members with common external tariffs and quotas and what have you that were shutting out American agricultural exports. The EC was also subsidizing its agricultural exports competing with us in other markets.
There was some conference being held at the university there on European integration. Of course I presented the U.S. Government position which was yes, we favor this for various reasons that I have more or less just stated. The focus that I remember was on whether Britain would decide to join. I think it was pretty well decided by that time that if Britain wanted in they would get in. It was pretty clear that Britain would probably go in.
Although Britain stood to lose in some ways, one of them being that it would have to contribute a lot of money to the European Community budget to support among other things inefficient German farmers and things like that, people basically felt it would strengthen the British economy and really force the British to undertake some needed economic tuning up of their own.
Advertisement
Throughout that period the U.S. official policy, and I think it was basically held throughout the government with perhaps some misgivings within some departments, was that we supported further European integration and British entry, the so-called enlargement of the EC.
The CIA research office working on the EC usually had a comment at the end of its analyses that said that all of this was looking good and if we don't have European union today, we'll certainly have it tomorrow. Whereas our office would always have a comment, and it was my boss's comment, which would be that you might think it looks like we are heading toward European integration but look out for the French, they'll never stand for it.
People were speculating at that time about the possibilities for monetary union. There already was a plan. The French had put forward the Barre Plan for monetary union.
We did point out, and I think rightly so -- I know rightly so -- that full monetary union has tremendous political implications because it certainly restricts freedom of individual countries to run their own fiscal policy, and their own monetary policy and all that entails domestically and politically within each country.
At that time also the six member countries of the European Communities were also starting to consult on foreign policy issues. They did not always speak with one voice but they were beginning to try to do so. You were beginning to hear about an EC voice in the United Nations for example. I think to some extent within NATO, also. My feeling was that [the European economy] was definitely developing further. They had a customs union by that time. I mean the internal tariff barriers among the six had been removed. They had common external tariffs. They had a common agricultural policy. They had a plan for monetary union.They were moving toward a common industrial policy, trying to harmonize their respective company laws, rules on subsidies, etc., and it also looked like they were determined to move ahead on consultations on foreign policy. I felt that it would be a slow process but I felt that it would move forward.
Advertisement
Five days after the UK voted to leave the European Union, Britons are waking up to find their country engulfed in deep uncertainty. In the midst of this unprecedented and unpredictable political maelstrom, global stock markets have shed a record $3 trillion.
Citing a "seminal event", ratings agency Standard and Poors has stripped Britain of its triple A sovereign status and downgraded it by two notches to double A. The move came a few days after Moody's downgraded its UK outlook from stable to "negative".
After claiming the scalp of it's prime minister David Cameron, the move has left an acrimonious power battle at the top, with Boris Johnson, one of Britains most charismatic politicians and leading Brexiters emerging as the clear favorite.
Advertisement
Over the weekend, he began courting his allies for a leadership bid, whilst his enemies rallied to find a suitable "ABB" candidate: Anybody but Boris. The Home Secretary Theresa May may also throw her hat in the ring, but can a pro European figure realistically take the helm after a decisive Leave vote? Cameron's successor will be named by the second of September.
Meanwhile, other politicians are already hatching a plan to fightback, with pro European figures refusing to"roll over and give up." One MP tweeted that the country can "stop this madness through a vote in Parliament."
A petition calling on politicians to overturn Brexit has already notched up over 3 million signatures and counting, and former prime minster Tony Blair says that a second referendum is possible. But, Cameron had originally promised that the referendum was a "once in a generation, once in a lifetime" decision, insisting that the UK had "referendums not neverendums". And, on Monday he stood by his pledge and declared the result binding.
However, Scotland has now waded into the debate and threatened to veto the proceedings. It's first minister Nicola Sturgeon insists that Scottish parliament must give its consent. After all, in April the House of Lords did say that any decision would require the blessing of Scottish, Irish and Welsh parliaments.
Advertisement
With most of Scotland voting overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, Edinburgh may vote to leave the UK should another referendum be held in the near future. Moreover, the political party Sinn Fein has already called for a referendum on a united Ireland.
The "great" in Great Britain has never looked more tenuous.
And, with Brussels already threatening to close its doors, and financial markets still reeling, an entrenched sense of buyers remorse may very well be spreading throughout the electorate. As the old saying goes, if you break it, you bought it. But, is it really too late to chuck a U-turn?
In reality, the only way to undo what has been done would be for a general election to usher in a new pro European government. And, under normal circumstances, this could be plausible.
But, the opposition party has its own mess to contend with. After a vote of no confidence for its leader Jeremy Corbyn at the weekend, and mass resignations by his cabinet, it is hard to foresee the Labour Party sweeping into power anytime soon.
Moreover, the next PM has the hugely unenviable task of triggering Article 50 which will usher in Britain's official split from the continent. Cameron has bequeathed that responsibility to his successor. And, it is very much the poisoned chalice that it appears to be.
Advertisement
After all, who wants to be responsible for not only breaking Britain away from the EU, but breaking up the Union itself as Scotland defects to join its European cousins?
In spite of being an impassioned Leaver, even Johnson has since retreated from his originally bullish stance. Sheepishly, he now cautions against haste, saying changes "will not come in any great rush." After all, why trigger article 50 straight away?
However, if he does indeed become the next PM, and reneges on his promise, it's hard to see him surviving the wrath of the electorate. Over 17 million people voted against EU membership.
Yet, if he stands by his oath, he will oversee the crumbling of the Union, whilst what's left of it becomes mired in recession. It's not a pretty choice. Damned if you, and damned if you don't has never rung quite so true.
For those watching aghast from the other side of the Atlantic, there is a terrible feeling that what happens in the UK may not necessarily stay in the UK.
Advertisement
After all, if the British are foolish enough to leave the EU, then Americans may just be stupid enough to elect Donald Trump.
Even though two thirds of Scotland voted to remain in the EU, the Republican nominee remarked that the country was "going wild over the vote" after he landed last Friday.
Massive toxic algae blooming around the southern half of the Florida peninsula, coating public health, tourism, business and real estate on both Florida coasts with dangerous scum, is the real consequence to taxpayers and voters of losing their bet on Republican leadership: Gov. Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam, state representative Matt Caldwell, US Senator Marco Rubio, and all the insiders and cronies they corralled to serve on boards like the water management districts and Public Service Commission. This isn't hyperbole. A real bet was made by voters. A real bet was lost.
It wasn't too long ago -- although it seems like ages -- that sober minds in the Republican and Democratic parties understood whatever their differences, attention must be paid to the public interest. In time, the GOP's lock on both houses of the legislature and the executive mansion boiled down to a myopic confidence that the best way to protect people was to allow corporate interests to take over the functions of government.
Republican voters crystallized their preferences by electing a businessman with no government experience, Rick Scott, to be governor, persuaded that "enlightened self-interest of the profit motive" was real and not imagined.
Advertisement
Although Rick Scott has two years to the end on his second and final term, for voters the Rick Scott experiment is already coming to an end. Gaming legal protections turns out to be a very poor way to improve the quality of life of taxpayers and voters, whether Republican or not.
One of Gov. Rick Scott's first acts as governor was to axe the science budget and staff at the state agency charged with protecting fresh water resources in Florida. By eliminating scientists at the South Florida Water Management District, Scott erased the institutional memory of an agency nominally charged with balancing the needs of people and the environment with the needs of industry. Specifically, Big Sugar.
Scott appointed members of the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District with no experience or compassion for the environment. The Scott way distilled to a simple formula: cede regulatory control to special interests who had the most to earn by limiting the impact of regulation on their profit models.
Another of Rick Scott's initial steps was to decapitate the state agency that had survived successive, serial assaults by state Republican leaders: the Florida Department of Community Affairs. By the time Rick Scott was elected in 2010, DCA shakily stood on the foundation of a bipartisan consensus forged by earlier generations of Republican and Democratic state leaders.
Advertisement
Gov. Scott was supremely uninterested in the history of DCA. He didn't care to learn or to understand a government model in decision-making for communities because it included citizen input. Scott took his self-funded victory to be a mandate for entrepreneurship over treading water with the people: put government in the hands of businessmen most impacted by outcomes or simply do away with regulatory functions of government that inhibit economic activities and "jobs".
Florida's shadow government, exemplified by Big Sugar, could not have been more pleased. Scott, as a newbie, needed training. He came to Tallahassee without a game plan or qualified staff. He would need to be brought up-to-speed and who better to bring him up-to-speed than the shadow government comprised of lobbyists and insiders who populate the state capitol, Tallahassee, and report back to employers in Palm Beach, Tampa, Jacksonville, Naples and Miami. Scott was, fortuitously, exactly what the shadow government had been looking for all along: a smart guy perfectly in sync to streamline their profits by eliminating government regulatory functions to the maximum practical extent.
Prisons, public education, health care, and public safety: from one perspective, what Republican leaders have done is to unleash corporate freedom to create a model GOP state. From another perspective, Florida's Republican leadership is leading a race to the bottom, challenging Alabama and Mississippi as the most corrupt and polluted state in the nation.
Another of Gov. Scott's early acts was to cast aside a land acquisition deal made between his predecessor and US Sugar Corporation, the largest producer of sugarcane and one of the biggest landowners in Florida. The deal would have put into state ownership, over time, enough land -- 187,000 acres -- to begin the process of fixing what the US Army Corps of Engineers and Florida agencies like the South Florida Water Management had destroyed: the elasticity of the infrastructure system to manage water resources for all taxpayers and for the benefit of economic interests that depend on a healthy environment.
Today's ecological collapse in the St. Lucie River, connected estuaries, in the Caloosahatchee River, along both Florida coasts and stretching down through the Everglades to Florida Bay is a neon sign flashing in front of taxpayers and voters. When Gov. Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Adam Putnam killed the US Sugar deal, they ignored the history and science of Lake Okeechobee, the massive fresh-water lake in the middle of Florida. Scott had already eliminated the science capacity of the state water district. By allowing political science to trump fact and the imperative for government intervention, Florida's GOP created political conditions for deadly cyanobacteria to destroy the treasures of South Florida, including public health and personal real estate.
Advertisement
In recent weeks, the silence of the state has been deafening. Social media sites like Facebook are filled with grim photos and videos of waterways clogged with toxic algae. The mainstream media, late to the story, followed. Toxic blue-green algae, linked to brain disease in humans, turns out to make eye-capturing video. Meanwhile, state agencies charged with protecting public health and measuring toxins aren't even picking up their phones because offices to hold polluters to account for pollution are now broom closets.
If Democratic voters are furious, what is the word to describe Republican voters in Florida? Losers. Losers, because over a long period of time, they elected Republicans who turned their back on history, on bipartisan consensus and the lessons of the past. They did so with the confidence that insiders and special interests could protect the public better than regulations and enforcement because they get paid when customers are happy.
The Union Jack (bottom) and the European Union flag are seen flying, at the border of Gibraltar with Spain, in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, historically claimed by Spain, June 27, 2016, after Britain voted to leave the European Union in the EU Brexit referendum. REUTERS/Jon Nazca
The vast majority of the UK's FTSE 250 companies had not discussed contingency planning for a possible Brexit with the chairman of the board or the chairman of the audit committee. The failure of boards and management to engage on a matter of such significance should be alarming to shareholders on at least three levels: risk management; board process and agendas; and board composition. Furthermore, if management had not been surfacing Brexit on the board agenda, and board members did not ask questions, then how do investors know that boards and management are engaging on other matters that will affect the company's value--issues such as developing markets, climate change, ecosystems loss, and human rights, for example?
Managing risks from Brexit: a few examples
The UK's forthcoming exit from the European Union presents numerous threats and potential opportunities for multinational corporations. For example, without the free movement of workers, tech companies could lose access to people with valuable expertise, and the hospitality industry could lose access to the international workforce, 75 percent of whom are foreign-born. Manufacturing companies might be shut out of markets in the EU, the destination for about 44 percent of UK exports. Financial services groups might be unable to passport their services into the rest of the EU under single market rules. There are a multitude of additional risks that vary by industry.
Advertisement
U.S. banks appeared better prepared for the risks of Brexit based on the results of the Dodd-Frank stress tests completed the day of the vote. Big banks said they were prepared for market volatility and high volumes in the short term, and infrastructure change, market access protocols, and legal and regulatory requirements in the long term.
Moving forward, boards of directors and management must engage over the following as a result of the Brexit vote: identifying, understanding, and addressing risks and opportunities that are material to the company--whether it's data flow and data privacy for tech companies; access to markets for manufacturing companies; access to employees; or tax consequences for UK companies with EU subsidiaries.
Raising questions of board composition
The Brexit experience underscores the value of more diverse boards. People of different ages, having grown up in a variety of countries, and with broader experiences are more likely to provide context and ask questions related to economic, social, environmental, and political matters that affect the global marketplace. These views can inspire fresh awareness of risks and opportunities for the company to grow its value through innovation.
"Investors are moving to incorporate recent evidence from industry studies that suggest a performance upside for more diverse boards," says Linda-Eling Lee, global head of ESG Research at MSCI. "Diversity of perspectives leads to more innovation, better risk management, and stronger connections to customers, employees, and business partners," according to Russell Reynolds Associates.
Advertisement
Lessons from Brexit: Improving corporate governance
The shock waves to global markets triggered by Brexit should also be a warning to boards of directors to take vital steps going forward.
Review the board process for engaging with management to identify issues for governance oversight and attention.
Review the protocol for creating board agendas, particularly in determining which matters will be brought to the board's attention and when.
Charge the Governance and Nominating Committee to review the board's composition in light of threats and opportunities in the global marketplace-- economic, social, environmental, and political. The Committee should ensure that the board has the diversity of experience, expertise, and perspectives that is required for the board to be qualified to provide context and ask the right questions.
Better governance to grow value and a better world
I have never felt so sad about the state of my country. As a British expat living in California, I have followed the Brexit campaign and the result with dismay. The decision to leave the EU is bad enough, but what it says about British politics is even worse. I have spent the last several days looking for some consolation. Here's one: until Britain formally opens talks to leave there is hope that it might see some of the consequences more clearly and opt to stay--the referendum itself is not binding under British law. It may take years before people in the UK know whether they're in or out.
My main hope, however, is that the crisis will force mainstream politicians in Europe and elsewhere to take the threat of populism more seriously. There are more and more politicians willing to stoke fear of other nationalities and religions, and when they also promise easy answers for economic frustration it's a powerful mix. We have become used to the occasional report that these leaders almost won in France or Austria, perhaps assuming that they never would. After Brexit, such complacency has to go.
There are obvious parallels between Donald Trump and some of the Brexiteers. They appeal to the economically frustrated, to people whose parents had better job satisfaction and security than they do. It is easy for well-educated, well-off people like me to lament their opposition to globalization and their willingness to blame newcomers. But it's not hard to see how strong these temptations might be if your life isn't what you thought you had a right to expect as a citizen of a great country like Britain, America, or France.
Advertisement
If Britain is in crisis by November's elections, that could be good news for the U.S. Voters might be more risk averse. But the immediate silver lining for anyone who does not want a Trump presidency is a blueprint for how not to persuade the discontented. Those who campaigned to keep Britain in the EU, including the Prime Minister, David Cameron, told disgruntled voters that leaving would make their situation worse. They urged people be sensible and vote for stability.
But a majority of the public were more willing to believe those who told them what they wanted to hear, that they could keep all the benefits of EU membership and gain more besides. It was clear to anyone who paid attention that the Leave campaign was deceptive, as when they said that Britain would recoup the 350 million it sent to Brussels each week--no matter that the actual figure was lower, and that much of the money came back to Britain in subsidies. But many voters thought Nigel Farage, who also expressed hostility to immigration, was more trustworthy than Cameron and co. His utter lack of experience in government seemed a plus. He also told people that their country had gone awry and that leaving the EU would help make Britain great again.
Hillary Clinton's first response to Brexit was to criticize Trump's "snarky tweets" on the subject and stress how the crisis underlines the need for experienced leadership. But if the anger simmering in the American electorate is anything like Britain's, it's likely that for some Trump's tweets were more appealing than Clinton's gravitas. As Labour in Britain and the Democrats in America joined their political opponents in embracing free markets, they alienated working-class constituents who don't think those markets work so well for them. People are willing to leap into the dark with Farage or Trump because they don't believe the existing political establishment cares.
What Clinton can do is less clear. It's hard to imagine her recasting herself as a populist. She could try to inspire the electorate with a vision of change and hope, but that's tricky after Obama promised just that yet rarely delivered. If she can find some way of disassociating herself from the status quo, that might help. At the very least, she needs to stop rolling her eyes at Trump. Insulting him insults his supporters. If Republicans want to ditch Trump at the convention, they have to figure out how to do so without alienating those who voted for him. That is probably impossible.
Advertisement
FILE - This Jan. 28, 1986 file picture shows U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office of the White House after a televised address to the nation about the space shuttle Challenger explosion. (AP Photo/Dennis Cook)
A few days ago, a hit piece on Donald Trump appeared in The Daily 202 (The Washington Post's online newsletter) with the headline "Reagan White House viewed Trump and his 'large ego' warily." The reporter made a case on thin evidence (one quote from a White House aide) and questionable suppositionsthat Donald Trump was repeatedly snubbed by President Reagan and his wife Nancy. The article also purported to show that Donald Trump has made exaggerated claims about his closeness to President Reagan. The reporter offered no evidence to support the latter point.
What Donald Trump, in fact, has said, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2015, concerning Reagan ties is: "I have great respect for him. I helped him. I knew him. He liked me and I liked him." He also added in an interview, "I didn't know him well" - in case anyone should misunderstand - butthat he had been told by friends close to the President that President Reagan admired him. "He felt very good about me. Frankly, he liked my attitude." That is the sum-total of Donald Trump's claims to having personal ties to President Reagan. In my opinion the only thing missing from the story is actually President Reagan's attitude toward Donald Trump, which is not demonstrated anywhere in the Post article.
Advertisement
But let's revisit the Reagan White House. I was a Member of the Senior Staff of the White House for more than two years as Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison.
The truth is Ronald Reagan liked almost everybody. There were a very few only - as everyone in the White House, including I, was aware -- he did not like, and these were those whoincessantly disparaged his policies whatever the merits. Other than those few, President Reagan did genuinely "like" most people he met. Ronald Reagan was the model of a courteous gentleman, with an Irishman's love of people, and Donald Trump at the time was a young man basking in his occasionally meeting the President socially.
Everyone who met President Reagan came away smiling, thinking that the President liked him or her. But that was because it was true. He did. That there are no White House "records" to confirm Donald Trump's statement is not at all surprising. It would be more surprising if there were. How could President Reagan's casual interactions with thousands of individuals have been recorded?
Regarding an assertion that a White House aide wrote in a memo to the effect that Donald Trump had a "large ego," to my mind it says more about the aide's lack of judgment in putting such an ungracious remark in writing than it says about Trump. President Reagan himself in my opinion would never have made such a disapproving remark. The aide's description of Donald Trump certainly cannot be seen as anything but a careless statement in an official White House record from someone who should have been more circumspect for the sake of his boss, the President.
Advertisement
The reporter's mocking description of Donald Trump's invitation to Mrs. Reagan to come to his beautiful home in Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and regard it as the "southern White House" is apparently supposed to serve as a "connect-a-dot" to Trump's "large ego." Trump's reference to Mar-a-Lago in his invitation at the time, however, wasn't a matter of inflated egotism but was based on the actual documented history of the property, a fact which the Post reporter failed to note (or perhaps failed in his research to find out). In 1973, when Mar-a-Lago's builder and owner, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, died, she left the estate in her will to the U.S. government to be used as a "winter White House." The government declined to take it on this condition, so a decade later the property was sold to Trump.
Both President and Mrs. Reagan received countless requests and invitations from many people just as a matter of course. That Mrs. Reagan declined this invitation (or other invitations)politely is what she did with hundreds of such invitations. Trump's invitation was flattering and generous, nothing more. I know President Reagan himself would have answered such an invitation with the same humility and gratitude in a way that would not have wounded the letter-writer's pride. That was the high standard every one of us in the White House strove to uphold in dealing with Ronald Reagan's millions of admirers who wrote, invited, praised, and poured their hearts out to President Reagan, whom they revered as a great and compassionate man.
The real story the Post reporter missed is simple and innocent and does not reflect ill on candidate Trump: Donald Trump, a registered Republican in 1987 who contributed to both parties --as any young businessman on the move did (and still do) in liberal, Democrat-dominated New York City -- was one of President Reagan's many admirers.
And for other Reagan admirers, Donald Trump is the best hope we have today of returning to the sound conservative principles and policies Ronald Reagan espoused.
Advertisement
I recently had a discussion with a colleague that got me thinking about case that I'd like to share. I was at my office in mid-October, as autumn was descending upon us, when I got a phone call from from an alarmed mom. She described her daughter, a freshman at college in New York, as "depressed" and in "need of medication". The mother, who lived in Los Angeles, had gotten my name from a friend, whose family had recently seen me for therapy.
I told the mother I didn't prescribe medication, but I would be happy to see the daughter for an evaluation. Since the mother indicated that her daughter was in crisis, I agreed to meet with her at the end of my office hours that day.
When my bell rang at 9 p.m., a robust-looking 18 year old walked into my office , accompanied by her aunt--her mother's half-sister--who happened to be in town helping a family member who had just given birth. As they settled themselves into my office couch, the young woman, Leah, began to talk about her very rocky start as a college freshman.
Advertisement
She said she had been crying and in distress since September. She was now on her second college, having transferred from the first school shortly after the semester started. Both schools were high-quality, "artsy" schools-which theoretically should have been a good fit, but she felt alienated and unhappy.
Her aunt clearly empathized with Leah's unhappiness. She worried when Leah interviewed at the first school in the summer, with no students present. She knew that Leah wouldn't get a real "feel" for the school that way. Leah and her aunt seemed to enjoy a relaxed, open sort of relationship. Leah also "adored" her mother, and had a less close but loving relationship with her father. Leah's older sister sounded like more of a straight-arrow, sailing through college without complaint or obvious distress. She and Leah were not especially close, though not in any real conflict.
Leah's parents divorced about ten years prior, and they apparently enjoyed a cordial post-divorce relationship. Dad's current girlfriend was a "nightmare" according to both Leah and her aunt. Leah's mom had ended an earlier romantic relationship with a nasty-sounding guy--a relationship that proved stressful for everyone. This past year, her mom had gotten "serious" with a great guy who won the family's approval. Leah talked about feeling good about this new relationship.
The most striking thing about Leah, in contrast to what I expected, was her composure. This young woman was very open and in touch with her unhappiness, and spoke thoughtfully about all that's she's been through. She talked about the recent selling of the family's summer home in Vermont which had always been an anchor for her. It seemed to me that she arrived in New York somewhat off-balance, and it went downhill from here.
Advertisement
Though her Dad, a high-powered film guy in Los Angeles, worried about "how it would look" if Leah left college, Leah herself wasn't much concerned about this. She was actually quite a competent young woman, having single-handedly arranged the college transfer, and now was involved in exploring possible internship and job prospects in L.A. She had researched the issue of financial reimbursement for her father regarding college expenses. She was remarkably unconfused and clear-headed about what she needed. She might has well have been wearing a big "PAUSE" sign on her forehead.
Leah's aunt concurred that her niece was a terrific, competent kid that would benefit greatly by not forcing the issue of college at this point. Our interview had assured me that Leah's college distress did not represent a covert worry about her parents. Some times parents send subtle SOS signals that it is dangerous for the child to leave home. Excessive parental/marital anxiety may at times be "contagious", unconsciously transmitted to the child. Or the young adult may be caught in the parental triangle, inducted as an emotional care-taker, which can make it difficult to focus on their own lives. None of this appeared to be the case with Leah.
I got a call from the Mom the next day thanking me for the session. She said both Leah and the aunt felt good about our meeting, and that Mom agreed that Leah should take some time out to figure out her next moves. Mom's voice sounded much lighter.
Last week the world learned President and Michelle Obama's daughter Malia is going to take a gap year before she heads off to Harvard in 2017. As the president of a Gap Year organization, I found this intriguing. Would the announcement be a help for the Gap Year industry? Or, would the new spotlight cause all Gap Years to be forthright with their goals for students?
I have to be honest, my Inbox has BLOWN UP with people interested in what a gap year actually provides for students. I received so many questions, I thought it might be helpful to highlight some here for conversation.
Advertisement
1. Is a Gap Year only for Elitist Kids?
The first question for Gap Years comes couched in this class warfare socio-economic group. When the President's daughter decides to take a gap year, it seems as though everyone wants to pin her decision on the upper class of people who can write the check to afford it.
Again, I run a Gap Year, so I get this question all the time in different forms. People are wary of a program that costs so much money outside the "normal" academic rhythm of our culture. We've been trained to think the only way to enter the market place is to finish a degree program at a formal institution. And I get it.
Gap Years are out of the norm. They are a growing trend, but you'll be hard pressed to find a large percentage of graduating high school students at the local high school willing to take a Gap Year. We're not opposed to spending tens of thousands of dollars to go off to University, but somehow spending money on a year away from the previous institution warrants the label "elitist."
I would propose that a Gap Year isn't an elitist idea. Rather, it's about re-orienting your academy dollars to work for you rather than against you. Today, only 60 percent of incoming Freshman University students will actually finish a four year degree. That means 40 percent of students will go off spending an incredible amount of money to "find themselves" and what they want to do. So what's wrong with allocating those dollars to a program that will cut the time, energy, and resources helping students navigate University?
Advertisement
Today, Gap Year graduates who enter University actually graduate in 3.75 years (on average) instead of the allocated 5 years allowed for government assisted finances. That's a whole 2.25 years in allocated University dollars. So if you're planning on going to University, a Gap Year might actually save you money, rather than seeming like a wasted figure.
2. Are Gap Years as Diverse as University Today?
This is the question on the table with The American Gap Association. We are working diligently to find places where we can provide a wide swath of available Gap Years that would suit every race, religion, and background. Do we have work to do? Of course we do.
But I would offer we are far ahead of the University in relation to origin. Although Gap Years have been around for a long time, America is just waking up to the trend. The fact we are already talking about this issue at the beginning of our formal association is indicative that we will achieve this diversity gap quicker than our formal academy friends.
That doesn't mean we're there yet, but we're working hard to try and provide a meaningful Gap Year to members of every socio-economic background. Some Gap Years are expensive because of the programmatic nature of the operation. Some are less expensive due to their local community focus. It's not that different from shopping for a University. You can go to Stanford for $62K a year, or you can go to a local community college for much less. The bottom line is, as a group of organizations we're trying to provide all levels of onramp for all people.
3. Will my student go to University after taking a Gap Year?
Obviously this is an impossible promise to make any family. We don't know with any degree of certainty if a student will take a Gap Year and go back to academia. But what we do know, at least in our program, every student who has graduated our program has gone on to further their education at some higher level.
Advertisement
We are proud to be a bridge between secondary education and the University. And, in fact, most tier one institutions are promoting the Gap Year to help students enter higher education with some degree of experience, rather than coming in as a young inexperienced freshman. According to admission counselors at the University level, they are tired of applications that are filled with fluff of extra curricula activities, and are now trying to promote students who seem to have a holistic view of their community and vocational choices.
Asking a 17 year old to decide what they want to do with the rest of their life is a daunting task. A Gap Year can give students experience in a wide variety of vocational choices, if the Gap Year choice has an intentional mission to link students with their passion and desire.
4. Is the Gap Year Scalable?
This is the most interesting question for me. If we believe the Gap Year is such a helpful tool for students, can we create a bandwidth big enough to embrace large numbers of participants. Again, we have a lot of work to do as an industry to reach out and help make our programs scalable to the level of the University. But at the current moment in history, we're all just trying to give individual attention to each student.
For those who are critical of Gap Years, I understand. It's a new concept for the majority of Americans. It feels like a student is just postponing the inevitable. It may create a question concerning the cost/benefit of a student who attends. But all those concerns can be answered on careful inspection of the Gap Year you may choose to investigate.
I've found the Gap Year to be a brilliant answer to student loan issues, changing majors in the middle of the University Stream, guidance for students to focus on where they choose to be in life, and helpful to create a more well rounded student to enter the next phase of life.
Advertisement
Certainly, Gap Years aren't for everyone, and no one is presuming every student needs a Gap Year. But for those who are interested in exploring their interests before they begin solidifying their academic records, a Gap Year can be very helpful.
Andy Braner
KIVU Gap Year
I am speaking with Harry DeMell, an Immigration Lawyer from New York City.
Schupak: So. The Supreme Court has ruled on the immigration case of Texas v U.S. It was a split decision, four to four decision. What do you make out of this?
DeMell: I think that this was the best of all possible decisions. It means that the decision of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stands. Had Justice Scalia lived the law would have been struck down. Had it gone the other way it would have supported a significant extension of the president's power.
Schupak: Remind me again what this case was about.
DeMell: Several years ago President Obama issued an executive order allowing certain children who came to this country without permanent residence, to stay here, work, go to school, and travel. Then two years ago he issued an order allowing their parents to stay the same way. That second order was challenged and was invalidated by the appeals court.
Advertisement
Schupak: What's wrong with that order? It allows parents to stay with their children.
DeMell: It's a separation of powers issue. The proper way to implement a policy like this is either a congressional act or an administrative one. There is law for this. President Obama did neither.
Schupak: Doesn't the president have this power?
DeMell: Only pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act. There is a way to proceed and President Obama ignored the act.
Schupak: But if the order does good, shouldn't it stand?
DeMell: If the Supreme Court upheld it, it would grant powers to the president that would greatly expand his powers. You may want it when he does what you want, but you would have a very different opinion if the action was against your desires. One person, even the president should not have the power to change the law.
Schupak: So you wanted the action granted illegal.
Schupak: Not exactly. I think in the case of a real emergency the president should have expanded powers. This was not the case. The decision was good.
Advertisement
Schupak: Doesn't the president understand the law? He was a constitutional professor in law school.
DeMell: Good point. He should have known better. Everyone seems to be result oriented. That want what they want, but in America the system is very important. That's what the constitution is all about. We have procedures and those procedures diffuse power and make dictatorship difficult. I think this is a good thing and even a small step like this needs to be stopped. President Obama might have fixed this but chose not to.
Schupak: Why not.
DeMell: I think that he didn't want to admit to a mistake.
Schupak: Forget the procedure for a moment. Don't you think the action would keep families together and wouldn't that be a good thing.
DeMell: Andy. If you grant these amnesties, and that's what they are, you encourage millions of people to come here or stay here illegally. That's not good. We are a nation of laws, not whims. It's a necessary and proper function of governments to control their own borders. These orders undermine that effort. We can't have a legal system that's meaningless. If the president pardoned millions of criminals there would be an outcry.
Schupak: But you seem to want the president to have that power.
This interview is part of a series on Trailblazing Women role models (Entrepreneurs and Leaders) from around the world and first appeared on Global Invest Her. You have to see what you can be.
" There is always a way. Keep going! I strongly believe that leaders are born, not made, because leadership means having courage. You can be smart and brilliant, but to perform and be a real leader, you need to make a personal example of yourself and take responsibility that others are not willing to take."
Nadezhda Neynsky is the youngest woman Foreign Minister in the history of post-communist Eastern Europe 1997-2001. At 34 she joined the only democratic reformist government of Bulgaria after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. She took the country from the Russian geopolitical orbit and paved its way to EU membership and NATO. At the time of her mandate Bulgaria became a reliable partner of the Euro-Atlantic structures during the severe conflicts in the Balkans at that time - the war in the former Yugoslavia and the Kosovo refugee crisis. In 1999 Nadezhda Neynsky became the face of the election campaign of EPP - "The party of a new Europe." She was the first Eastern European politician to hold an important position in the leadership of the EPP without her country being formally a member of the EU. Neynski was vice president of EPP for two and her career in European politics continued as a Member of Parliament 2009-2014 and president of the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises in Europe.
Advertisement
Nadezhda Neynsky is the first woman leader of the largest right-wing Democratic Party in Bulgaria - Union of Democratic Forces 2002-2005. She was the first Bulgarian politician who openly declared battle against shadowy circles in politics and withdrew the UDF candidate for mayor of Sofia in the electoral campaign in 2003 Plamen Oresharski, due to alleged unregulated relations with the oligarchy. She was elected for three consecutive mandates as MP in the Bulgarian Parliament 1997-2008, defending democratic Euro-Atlantic values. She was vice-president of the Parliament, member of the Bulgarian delegation to the Council of Europe and President of Parliamentary and Public Relations Committee to Parliamentary Assembly PACE. Currently Nadzshda is the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Turkey. A philologist graduate from Sofia University, she is a translator of Spanish poetry and English literature and author of the first Bulgarian translation of the poetry of Roque Dalton. She is the first and only woman awarded the prestigious Bulgarian "Politician of the Year" award 1999,"Woman of the Year" 2008 in Bulgaria, and Order of the Legion d'Honneur 2009 in France. She is married and has two daughters.
Who is your role model as a leader?
For me, the person I most respect over many years is my former colleague, former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. She is a very bright, courageous woman who was able to show strong leadership at a time when my country and southeast Europe really needed it. She presented her vision, courage and strategy for the democratization of southeast Europe and made it possible for Bulgaria to join the democratic world. Strong women's leadership in a time of crisis is always very needed, because women have a special sense of responsibility, because nature made them want to secure human lives. That's why I think the role of women leaders has to really be encouraged.
Advertisement
What is your greatest achievement to date?
I've had the unique opportunity of being part of the decision-making process of my country at a very important time when Bulgaria was struggling for democracy and trying to present an alternative political model to the totalitarian regime after years of communism. When I was Foreign Minister, my government and I had to convince Bulgarian society that Bulgaria needed to become part of the European Union and NATO, and become fully recognised as part of the family of democratic nations. Seeking security guarantees by being part of this community was not an easy process, because we had to fight the status quo and conservative thinking of people who were used to being followers, not leaders of their own lives. We needed a lot of courage and commitment. As Foreign Minister, I was able to present a new image of Bulgaria and create a completely different and successful policy that was very needed in Bulgaria and by our foreign partners who needed to change their minds about our country. My approach was all about building confidence. It was crucially important to build trust, confidence and convince our partners of Bulgaria's role in southeast Europe, a turbulent and unpredictable region at that time. We had to prove our responsibility and effectiveness, as a country in being part of the solution, not part of the problem and I am very proud of my role in that.
What has been your biggest challenge as a woman leader?
I had two very big challenges. 1) The crisis in Kosovo (on our western boarder with Yugoslavia), where I had to manage and defend the position of Bulgaria to be part of the efforts of the civilised world to prevent the spread of the conflict provoked by Milosovic, and stop the ethnic cleansing undertaken by him at the time, which caused the influx of refugees all over Europe. 2) My other big challenge was undertaking visa liberalization to allow Bulgarians to travel freely in the European Union. This was a very big personal success for me, a great triumph and everybody in my country recognized this.The way we resolved these challenges, is proof that Bulgaria was able to use more instruments and have more support than if we had been out of the democratic community.
As a woman throughout those situations, my biggest challenge was to raise two small daughters while travelling all over the world, negotiating with friends and enemies, trying to achieve the best for my country, while at the same time being a good mother: present and responsive at important moments in the lives of my two small daughters. This is probably the challenge of all women who try to have successful careers in politics, business and science while keeping balance in their family lives. I have always tried to be a good mother and politician and though it may seem impossible, with a lot of effort and compromise, I was able to manage both roles at the same time. I'm proud that my children now understand all the sacrifices and personal investment I made in our lives, by being an example of a successful woman doing what she is passionate about, out of heart not only self interest.
How do you motivate people in your team?
To be frank, I always put emotional motivation at the forefront, because often women are motivated by a cause and the sense that they can help somebody or a country. In my case this was a strong driving force. I must admit, that for men, often the emotional motivation to do things was not enough. My feeling is that they need things to be more pragmatic and always put pragmatic things first, emotional things second. For women, most of the time the emotional motivation was strong enough to keep them going. I think there should be a balance between the two, because emotion without pragmatic results is nothing, and the opposite is also true. To bring about real change and break the status quo, you need a strategy and to motivate people to back the strategy and make it possible. I still believe that inspiration is a very important part of the whole effort.
If you could do 1 thing differently, what would it be?
I would have been more careful in selecting my team, the people with whom I work. I sometimes overestimated people and got too close to them. When you get too close, sometimes you are not able to deliver because you are influenced by friendship. I think that was a mistake I made. Liking some people and disliking others doesn't play a positive role in politics. When you are with people with whom you have to do a task, there is a different type of relationship between you and them. You have to follow that very strictly, otherwise you lose your strength. When you put your heart and soul into something, you often expect others to do the same.
Someone once said 'the easiest way to make an enemy of someone, is to ask them to do more than they are able or want to do'. It's a great lesson for me on my political journey. I know that we should always take a rational approach to things, but even now, from time to time, you need to include an emotional approach. I'm trying to be more moderate in my emotions. At the same time, a close friend of mine (an actor) saw me giving a speech and I told him I'm always under immense emotional pressure before I give a speech - I always think about whether it will go ok, how will people react, will I say all I need to (I never bring notes with me or read out a speech). He told me that was why I am so successful. When you stop feeling the pressure and stress before delivering a speech, that's the end, because it means that it has become a routine for you.
What differences do you notice between men and women's leadership styles?
For me, men simply have a different approach. Most of them don't pay as much attention to inspiration and emotion - it's not their common approach. Most of them base their speeches and leadership on pragmatic things. Over time, I have learned from their approach and feel I have to have both pragmatism and emotion. I think emotion is a compatible gift, but at the same time, it's always important to have an action plan, be structured and be able to select priorities. When you make a speech to try to get support for your cause, you need to be very structured and get your most important points across to the public. Most people only remember up to 3- 5 things from a speech. I think that men can be stronger when it comes to practical things. But it's a bit like salt and pepper, you need both combinations. You can be unique through your own way of combining both pragmatism and emotion. I think that women's approach is more inclusive than that of men. For men, it's important to show who is number 1. For women, they are more ready to work as part of a team.
Advertisement
How would you describe your leadership style?
I would describe it by making a parallel between being a leader and a Foreign Minister. I never read out my speeches to people. When I prepare myself for meetings, negotiations or public presentations, I like to feel the energy and attention of the audience. I get inspired by that and feel a personal, invisible contact with them. I can feel when the audience is not interested in what I'm saying and it's like in the theatre, you need this electricity in order to make a real connection with the public and get them on board. In all my leadership roles, that personal contact with people is very important. I 'm not a cabinet politician who is well prepared, well educated, sitting in his/her office, simply waiting for things to happen, because they are right. I need to convince people and that gives me additional strength to keep going.
I strongly believe that leaders are born, not made, because leadership means having courage. You can be smart and brilliant, but to perform and be a real leader, you need to make a personal example of yourself and take responsibility that others are not willing to take. To be on the front line, means taking on more responsibility and being willing to pay for that responsibility. Every step and change has a price and you should consider whether you are ready to pay that price, or take that risk. Change always involves risk and the status quo is always more comfortable.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Be close to people, but be very careful in selecting those to whom you open your heart and soul. When selecting your team, you should always find a balance between capability, knowledge, effectiveness and loyalty. The combination between these things is very unique; you can have smart people who are not loyal, or loyal people who are not capable enough. They need to be reliable, you need to be able to trust them and they must be able to trust you. When a team is well selected and committed to a common goal, they can move the world. I have courage and a lot of experience and I really care about my country. Moving forward, I will very carefully select my team and if I do it successfully, I believe I really will have a great success.
Advertisement
The real test is the test of a real situation. When you are interviewing people, you can like them and think they have all the qualifications and experience you need, but there is always a hidden part. When that person is put in a really tough situation, that's when you see the real person behind the screen. The other thing I would tell myself is to learn how to fire people - that's very difficult for me. When you get close to someone and they don't respond to the trust you have given him/her and doesn't perform in the right way, you should be able to tell them to find another job. When you become close to someone personally it becomes very hard. When you need to fire them, you need to talk them, not humiliate them, rather treat them and the process with respect to both parties can leave on good terms.
What would you like to achieve in the next 5 years?
My personal goal is to continue to be part of change in Bulgaria, Europe and the civilised world. Now I have more instruments and experience to help my country, than when I was Foreign Minister. I am capable of being even more effective than 15 years ago and this is a great inspiration for me. I am ready to work to fulfil this task. My strongest experience is in Foreign relations and I think I am able to position Bulgaria in the international community, advocating tolerance, development and empowering women in my country, a huge untapped resource. The more people who work together on women's empowerment the better, we need more allies on this task.
3 key words to describe yourself?
Courage
Vision
Experience
Watch Anne Ravanona's TEDx talk on Investing in Women Entrepreneurs.
For young, democratic women today, Hillary Clinton's gender is simply not enough to make her worth voting for.
According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, only 40 percent of millennials support Clinton.
During the primaries, young women my age felt that Sanders, a 75 year old white man, understood them better than a candidate of their own gender. According to Politico, in the New Hampshire primary 82 percent of women under the age of 30 supported Sanders.
To millennials it seems, the notion that a women would vote for another women just because of her gender is shallow and sexist.
Advertisement
In fact, Sanders supporters came up with a name for voters who support Hillary because of her gender: "vagina voters."
Young women voters not only have trouble voting for Clinton because she is a woman, but also because she is not the right kind of woman. Because Hillary is white, well-off, and straight, they say she doesn't feel like their candidate. They say instead that Hillary is out of touch, and untrustworthy. Millennials want to wait for a different woman candidate to come along.
The fact that millennial voters are resisting to outwardly support Hillary demonstrates the ironic trend in the current, post-feminist movement: modern feminists operate by downplaying outwardly female behaviors.
So, somewhere along the way in the fight for woman's rights, women forgot the importance of identifying as a woman. Instead, acknowledging gender difference and the uniqueness of women is seen as toxic, and even mocked.
Advertisement
By highlighting this trend, we can understand why Hillary cannot use girl-powered mantras and inspirations to win over young woman voters.
The question then becomes, is this new wave of feminism, in which women ignore their womanhood, actually anti-feminist?
To begin to unpack this question we need to understand why a gender neutralizing strand has been incorporated into modern feminism in the first place.
Part of the reason is because millennials believe the work of their mothers, and their mother's mothers has come to fruition. Girls today feel like the feminist fight is overplayed and unnecessary.
There is some truth to this. Today, more women graduate from college than men. According to Pew as of 2013, thirty-seven percent of women ages 25-29 had at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 30 percent of men the same age. Further, Pew also reported that in 2012 that women earned 60 percent of all master's degrees and 51 percent of all doctorates.
Advertisement
Because in some respects gender equality has been reached, young women find it redundant to single out their own gender.
But, this feeling that the feminist fight is redundant comes from a fabricated version of reality.
Women earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Rutgers University reports that only 19.4 percent of the seats in Congress are held by women. The Inter-Parliamentary Union found that this percentage places the United States at 97th in the world, behind countries like Mexico and Uganda.
1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.
85% of domestic violence victims are women.
The 2013 Gender Gap report found that the United States is 1 of only 3 countries that does not have mandated paid maternity leave. In contrast, Pakistan has 12 weeks of mandated paid maternity leave.
Advertisement
So, for the baby boomer generation, who carry the perspective of how far women have come and how far women still have to go, the time for a woman president is now. They see Clinton as a pioneer who has worked tirelessly for years to break the highest glass ceiling.
Young women my age who subscribe to the anti-feminist strands of modern feminism unknowingly barricade rather than bolster Mrs. Clinton's efforts to surpass the most important glass ceiling if the reason Hillary cannot appeal to them is because she tries to appeal to them as a woman.
Millennial women have become so used to suppressing their own womanhood, so numb to identifying gender differences, that they are missing their opportunity to be a part of the momentous prospect of putting the first woman in the white house.
Young women who fail to use their gender as common ground also fail to realize that gender equality should not mean disconnecting from you own gender.
What modern feminists have forgotten is that the fight for gender equality should not mean diminishing the uniqueness of women. This is not moving forward. This is simply playing into the age-old dynamics of sexism, in which men create the standard and ideal, and women need to downplay their own womanhood in order to be respected and thought of as equal.
Advertisement
Voting for Hillary because she is a woman therefore does not show stagnation or backwardness, it shows progress. It highlights your belief that Hillary as a woman, not just as a presidential candidate, has the ability to succeed in the highest office in our country.
IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: More deadly floods, this time in West Virginia; Raging wildfire kills two in California, destroys hundreds of homes; Brexit could undermine international emissions agreement; Volkswagen to pay $15 billion in emissions cheating scandal; PLUS: TransCanada demands $15 billion from U.S. for rejecting Keystone XL pipeline... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
Got comments, tips, love letters, hate mail? Drop us a line at GreenNews@BradBlog.com or right here at the comments link below. All GNRs are always archived at GreenNews.BradBlog.com .
IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): The inter-generational theft of Brexit and climate change; From Brexit to Climate, Little Engagement From Young People Washington State Must Fix Salmon-Blocking Pipes: Appeals Court; Study Finds Drilling and Fracking into Freshwater Formations; BP Oil Spill Cost Fishing Industry At Least $94.7 Million In 2010; Africa's Charcoal Economy Is Cooking. The Trees Are Paying... PLUS: How The Battery Revolution Will Change How You Fly... and much, MUCH more! ...
'Green News Report' is heard on many fine radio stations around the country. For additional info on stories we covered today, plus today's 'Green News Extra', please click right here to listen!
Our current gun debate is reminiscent of the old Lite Beer from Miller commercials that were conducted between the narrow contours of "less filling" vs. "tastes great." Needless to say, such debates are never resolved because the only possible outcome is futility.
The current debate is fueled more by who says it than what is actually said. For example, as I am philosophically liberal, those in opposition immediately seek to place my thoughts in the box of their worst assumptions. The same holds true in reverse.
But where is this getting us? Is the current status quo acceptable?
If we judge the latter question based on the arcane "less filling" vs. "tastes great" argument, the answer is yes.
Advertisement
Part of the stagnation of the current gun debate is due to the manner in which it usually rises to the forefront -- senseless violence. This creates a reactionary and impassioned discussion that has a shelf life of several weeks at best. We soon move on to the next shining object that captures our attention.
To change this hackneyed and predictable outcome, House Democrats staged a sit-in Wednesday night into early Thursday morning to demand a vote on gun-control legislation. As they occupied the House floor, led by civil-rights icon Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and singing "We Shall Overcome," they sought to reclaim the moral voice that has been tragically silent for too long.
The current gun debate is stuck in the quagmire of red herrings. Perhaps the most outlandish is liberals wanting to take all guns away. Who are these people who have induced fear and paranoia to the point some gun owners believe their constitutional rights are in constant jeopardy by an ominous liberal cabal?
Moreover, does this subversive group possess enough sway so that two-thirds of both houses of Congress will pass a proposed constitutional amendment banning all guns? And are there three-fourths of the states (38) willing to ratify the proposed amendment by their legislatures?
Advertisement
I support the Second Amendment. I do believe, however, there are certain firearms to which no private citizen should have legal access.
I also support background checks, I want better enforcement of the current laws and I would be more likely to vote for a political candidate who supports such positions than one who opposed them. This may come as a surprise to some, but my aforementioned positions on gun laws would place me in the overwhelming majority of NRA members, according to a 2015 study conducted by Public Policy Polling.
Though not a scientific poll, I can say that everyone whom I know personally who owns firearms is a responsible gun owner, with emphasis placed on responsible. But the current gun debate infused with the cacophony of certainty effectively drowns out these realities.
Therefore, it is important to delineate the difference between NRA members and NRA leadership. Based on their advocacy, one might easily conclude that NRA leadership is just as beholden, if not more so, to gun manufacturers as it is to its rank and file. The former is interested in their rights as protected by the Second Amendment, while the latter is concerned with profits. The current and overly simplistic gun debate that allows only for treading water makes it impossible to invoke nuance into the discourse. As a result, the current conversation is incarcerated in a one-size-fits-all ethos.
Wouldn't it be more prudent to have gun debates based on region than to have a singular discussion? Are there not differing perspectives based on whether one lives in a rural, suburban or urban area? Does New Hope, Pa., have the same gun issues as, say, Chicago?
Advertisement
The top five mass murder shootings since 1984 have taken a total of 218 lives. Meanwhile, Chicago has already passed 300 in 2016. During the recent Father's Day weekend, there were 13 homicides in Chicago, which alone represents a total that would have made the all-time list since 1984.
There was no mass outcry, no T-shirts printed that read: "Je suis Chicago" or "Chicago Strong!" We simply accept it, perhaps because it fits our corresponding narrative about urban gun violence, especially if we are unfamiliar with such communities, passively stating: "Well that's just how they are."
The sensational is so for good reason, but does it warrant that urban violence be systematically placed behind a semicolon when the topic of gun violence is raised?
It's been a rough year for Big Soda, sellers of those sugary soft drinks that kids (and adults) love to chug.
A June 16 decision by city leaders in Philadelphia to impose a "soda tax" as a means to discourage consumption of beverages seen as unhealthy is only the latest in a string of bad news for companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which have seen soft drink sales steadily declining. Nervous investors drove shares in those companies lower after the Philadelphia move in recognition of what is but the latest evidence that consumers, lawmakers and health experts are connecting sweetened beverages to a range of health problems, including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Last year San Francisco passed a law requiring ads for sugary drinks to include warnings about the possible negative health effects associated with the products.
Advertisement
A critical blow came last June when World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan said the marketing of full-sugar soft drinks was a key contributor to rising child obesity around the world, especially in developing countries. WHO published a new sugar guideline in March 2015, and Chan suggested restrictions on sugar-rich beverage consumption.
Mexico already implemented its own soda tax in 2014, and many cities in the U.S. and around the world are currently considering such restrictions or disincentives, like added taxes, while others have already done so. The Mexican soda tax has correlated with a drop in soda purchases, according to research published earlier this year.
It's no surprise that the beverage industry, which reaps billions of dollars annually from soft drink sales, has been fearing - and fighting against - this shifting sentiment.
But what is surprising is one of the places where the beverage industry has sought, and apparently garnered, some help --- from a top official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose mission in part is to prevent obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.
Advertisement
Email communications obtained by U.S. Right to Know through state Freedom of Information requests detail how a leading beverage and food industry advocate last year was able to ask for and input and guidance from Dr. Barbara Bowman, director of CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, on how to address World Health Organization actions that were hurting the beverage industry.
Bowman leads a CDC division charged with providing "public health leadership" and works with states to promote research and grants to prevent and manage risk factors that include obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
But the emails between Bowman and Alex Malaspina, a former Coca-Cola scientific and regulatory affairs leader and founder of the industry-funded International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), show that Bowman also appeared happy to help the beverage industry cultivate political sway with the World Health Organization.
Emails from 2015 detail how Malaspina, representing the interests of Coca-Cola and the food industry, reached out to Bowman to complain that the World Health Organization was giving a cold shoulder to the chemical and food industry-funded group known as ILSI, which Malaspina founded in 1978. The email strings include reports of concerns about Coca-Cola's new Coca-Cola Life, sweetened with stevia, and criticisms that it still contained more sugar than daily limit recommended by WHO.
The emails include reference to the WHO's call for more regulation on sugary soft drinks, saying they were contributing to rising obesity rates among children, and complain about Chan's comments.
Advertisement
"Any ideas how we can have a conversation with WHO?" Malaspina writes in a June 26, 2015 email to Bowman. He forwards her an email string that includes top executives from Coca-Cola and ILSI and expresses worry about negative reports about products with high sugar content, and sugary soda tax plans in Europe. In the email string, Malaspina says the WHO actions can have "significant negative consequences on a global basis."
"The threat to our business is serious," Malaspina writes in the email chain he sends to Bowman. On the email chain are Coca-Cola Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer Clyde Tuggle as well as Coca-Cola's Chief Technical Officer Ed Hays.
Directly he tells Bowman that officials at WHO "do not want to work with industry. And says: "Something must be done."
Bowman replies that someone with Gates or "Bloomberg people" may have close connections that could open a door at WHO. She also suggests he try someone at PEPFAR program, a U.S. government-backed program that makes HIV/AIDS drugs available through the sub-Saharan Africa. She tells him that "WHO is key to the network." She writes that she "will be in touch about getting together."
In a subsequent June 27, 2015 email, Malaspina thanks her for the "very good leads" and says "we would want WHO to start working with ILSI again... and for WHO to not only consider sugary foods as the only cause of obesity but to consider also the life style changes that have been occurring throughout the Universe." He then suggests he and Bowman meet for dinner soon.
Advertisement
The fact that a high-level U.S. health official is communicating in this way with a beverage industry leader appears improper, according to Marion Nestle, author of the book "Soda Politics" and a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University.
"These emails suggest that ILSI, Coca-Cola, and researchers funded by Coca-Cola have an 'in' with a prominent CDC official," Nestle said. "The official appears to be interested in helping these groups organize opposition to "eat less sugar" and "disclose industry funding" recommendations. The invitation to dinner suggests a cozy relationship... This appearance of conflict of interest is precisely why policies for engagement with industry are needed for federal officials."
But CDC spokeswoman Kathy Harben said the emails do not necessarily represent a conflict or problem.
"It is not unusual for CDC to be in touch with people on all sides of an issue." Harben said.
Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, said ILSI is a known "front group for the food industry." Lustig said he finds it "interesting" that the CDC has yet to take a stance on limiting sugar consumption, despite the WHO concerns about links to disease. Lustig directs UCSF's WATCH program (Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health), and is co-founder of the non-profit Institute for Responsible Nutrition.
Neither Bowman nor Malaspina responded to requests for comment.
The email exchanges show that Bowman did more than simply respond to questions from Malaspina. She also initiated emails and forwarded information she received from other organizations. Many of Bowman's emails with Malaspina were received and sent through her personal email account, though in at least one of the communications, Bowman forwarded information from her CDC email address to her personal email account before sharing it with Malaspina.
Advertisement
In a February 2015 email from Bowman to Malaspina she shared an email she had received from a USDA official with the subject line "FOR YOUR REVIEW: Draft Principles from Dec 8 Public Private Partnerships Meeting." The email from David Klurfeld, national program leader for human nutrition at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, quoted an article from the BMJ medical journal stressing a need for public/private partnerships, and included a quote about a "strong tide of sanctimony in British public health." Bowman tells Malaspina: "This may be of interest. Check out the BMJ correspondence especially."
In a March 18, 2015 email from Bowman to Malaspina she forwarded an email regarding the new policy brief to curb global sugar consumption she received from the World Cancer Research Fund International. Malaspina then shared the communications with Coca-Cola officials and others.
In a separate March 2015 email, Bowman sent Malaspina some CDC summaries of reports and says she would appreciate his "thoughts and comments."
Bowman, who holds a PhD in human nutrition and nutritional biology, has worked at the CDC since 1992, and has held several senior leadership positions there. She was appointed director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at CDC in February 2013.
Malaspina has also had a long career in his field of expertise. The veteran Coca-Cola executive founded ILSI in 1978 with help from Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other food industry players and ran it until 1991. ILSI has had a long and checkered relationship with the World Health Organization, working at one time closely with its Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and with WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer and the International Programme on Chemical Safety.
Advertisement
But a report by a consultant to WHO found that ILSI was infiltrating WHO and FAO with scientists, money and research to garner favor for industry products and strategies. ILSI was also accused of attempting to undermine WHO tobacco control efforts on behalf of the tobacco industry.
Dear Brother,
Before diving into the real reason for this letter, I felt as if I have to apologize for some things growing up. I'm sorry for the time I tried to gouge your eyes out when we were 6 and 9 respectively, and then try to stick your hand into a moving fan. I would blame that on the fact that we watched too much WWF growing up, but, the truth is, I was just being a hot head.
I also apologize for taking confronting our father's alcoholism to a new extreme. I remember filling up with rage as I threw his beer across the room, pouring some down the drain, and even taking a few sips out of one. He stood in horror as I screamed, "You love this more than your family." When he drunkenly lunged at me, he couldn't go anywhere because you were there to make sure no harm was done to me, holding him back although I did provoke him. Once again, just being a hot head.
Looking back, you've always just been my protector, even if I was the little shit who made fun of your "big-boned-ness" growing up and your 1960s-inspired Beatles mushroom haircut. In my defense, I didn't know how much I would look to your bigness to help me get out of situations growing up or the fact that the Beatles were so amazing and mom made you get that haircut. Let's just say, thank God you found out about the beauty of a barber with a fancy set of clippers.
Advertisement
But, you were never only my protector. There was that period of your life, when I was being a self-absorbed high schooler, when you gave up going back to college to help out around the house while our grandmother, who we called Abuela, was bedridden.
As I worried about SATs and what tie to wear to prom, you worked at Outback Steakhouse to make extra money for our family at night, while, during the day, you sat with Abuela watching reruns of Supernatural, cleaned her diapers, and lifted her in and out of her bed. I always knew you were physically strong, but it was during that time that I realized the strength of your heart and how jealous I was of your selflessness.
With all that said, you were still one of the last people I came out to. I guess I always felt intimidated by your masculinity, especially how it would turn up a few notches around your friends. I didn't know how to read you, so I never trusted just saying it out loud to you. When I finally did, it was matter of fact. I knew you loved me, but I still felt like our relationship existed better if we just didn't talk about it further.
That changed when, for some odd glitch in the Matrix, our lives converged in the heart of Times Square at the Copacabana in NYC. You were taking security odd jobs here and there until you got a regular gig working at the club, including its gay Friday rooftop party at the time, Penthaus Fridays.
Advertisement
"It was all a bit confusing. It got to the point when I didn't know if I was talking to a boy or a girl," you said to me after working one of your first gay nights. "There were some crazy looks too. Like one of them had a bone in her... his... head."
I couldn't help but laugh at your first encounter with gender outside your binary perspective, but I also used similar moments like this to educate you in regards to your understanding of the LGBT community. I looked forward to our Saturday morning debriefs about the crazy stuff that would go down as well as our discussions about how not to talk to a trans person, treat trans people, and generally how to make me, as a gay person, feel safe getting handled at a club.
I remember going to Copa one Friday and getting to see you in action. I knew you had taken our conversations to heart while chatted with Paige Turner, one of New York's resident drag queens, about you. "Which one is your brother," she asked.
As I pointed to you, she smiled. "Aw. He's one of the good ones. He's always been so nice to me and everyone."
A lot of times, I get the sense that gay men are scared to be close to their masculine, heterosexual brothers because they don't know how they will handle stepping 100% into their world. I know I was. But, I'm one of the lucky ones whose brother was thrown in our world yet went beyond his job requirements to learn how to better serve the LGBT nightlife community.
Advertisement
During Pride this year, as many members of the LGBTQ community prepared to party as a sign that we would not be silenced by the shooter who targeted a gay club in Orlando, you had a job to do. On Facebook, there were posts after posts from hosts and promoters making the community aware that they were working with the best security teams around. For those throwing rooftop ragers at Copa that meant you would be putting yourself out there to make sure the party was safe for people like me.
This brings me to the purpose of this letter. I don't have a fancy golden umbrella like the one they gave Buffy Summers during her prom, but I do want to say thank you for doing what you have done for me and others your whole life. Thank you for being a protector. Your job and the jobs of others like you entailed making sure no physical harm came to me or others in my community as we celebrated our Pride, our freedom to dance in spaces where we felt free without fear. For this, I am proud to be your brother.
Sincerely,
We sat on the edge of the bed, side by side, our shoulders touching, not looking at each other. He had pulled me upstairs after telling me we needed to talk. I can still remember the darkness of the bedroom, the clutter in the closet, the smell of incense and the give of the old mattress.
I don't think we should go, he said. You're in college and have a good job. I just got started in a new band. Maybe moving to California isn't such a good idea. Not now anyway.
My shoulders curled, my hands went slack. I continued to stare straight ahead, scanning the clothes, hanging and piled on the floor of the closet, wondering if I was going to be able to reinstate myself into the University, when I heard a voice, just over my right shoulder. The voice said, "You can go anyway." It was a voice as clear as any voice I had ever heard. And I've never heard it again.
Advertisement
I straightened my back and clinched my fists. I turned to look at him. I can go anyway, I said.
Six months later I was on a train, by myself, at the age of twenty-three moving across country, from Maryland to California. I had with me what I could carry. I wasn't sure where I was going to end up. I had narrowed it to San Francisco or San Diego. I had never been to either and thought I would figure it out once I got there. It was 1977 and Northern California was experiencing a drought so I decided not to further burden the limited water supply and moved to San Diego. I was young. I thought I was helping.
I moved into a studio apartment in downtown San Diego, just blocks from Balboa Park. I enrolled in nursing school in the Community College and got a couple of part time jobs. I did okay. I paid my bills. Walked and took the bus everywhere I had to go. Sometimes I could treat myself to lunch at the local natural foods store, sometimes I crawled around on my closet floor looking for change to take the bus to work. I ate cold cereal for breakfast every day and crackers and cheese and avocado for dinner. I did okay.
And missed him. I missed him bad. I cried myself to sleep some nights and held myself in a bear hug with the ache of missing him. He was my first love. My only love. We had known each other since we were 12, had been lovers since we were 17, and had lived together for four years. When he called we both cried. How could you have left me, he asked. I didn't leave you, I said. I just left.
A few months after my move he proposed to me over the phone. I said yes. Come home, he pleaded. Move to California, I replied.
Advertisement
And, eventually he did. With another woman. Just a friend, he said. They both wanted to move to California and decided to do it together. But not to San Diego, to San Francisco.
Come to San Francisco, he pleaded. I want you to meet her. You'll like her. So I did. I took the train. They met me at the station and took me around the city. We walked for miles. She and I talked. She was shy and kind; maybe overly kind. Maybe overly shy.
I don't remember what street we were on, or what time of day it was, just that it was day. The sun was shining hot and bright. He and I were in the middle of some city block. She was a few steps behind us. He said from just over my right shoulder, I'm in love with her. It was a voice that shot through me with a pain like no voice ever had before and never has since. I didn't say anything. I couldn't find my breath or my voice. I gasped and ran. I don't know where I thought I was running to or what I thought I would do when I got there. I just had to run away from that voice. I'm in love with her, he said.
How could this be? He was my other half. He was my first love. How would I survive this?
By forgiving him.
She and I became good friends. I invited her to visit me in San Diego. We stayed in my studio apartment and I showed her the town. We spent hours in Balboa Park, talking about him and life and who we were and thought we might be one day. And he was right. I liked her.
Forty years later they are no longer together. He is happily with someone else and I am too. We still reach for each other across whatever miles that lie between us. I met him in San Francisco after his divorce and we talked for hours. I called him when I was having trouble with my marriage and he promised to rescue me if I needed rescuing. I can't imagine not always knowing where he is. We have known each other since we were 12. He was my first love. He was my first heartbreak. He was the first person I ever had to truly forgive. And I can't imagine now, having not.
Advertisement
The month of June marked Ramadan, which is a period of fasting, prayer, and sanctification, observed by nearly two billion Muslims across the world. During the month of June, we also observe Refugee Day. The date, June 20th, is set aside annually by the United Nations to raise awareness on the plight of refugees across the world. This particular intersection of events falls at a time when the worst humanitarian crisis this century is ongoing. As of the month of June, 4.8 million Syrian refugees have registered for resettlement. This means that around one quarter of inhabitants of Syria have fled their country since the beginning of this tragedy in 2011. Naturally, this excludes droves of others that have lost their lives in the treacherous journeys made to places of safety, with no record made of them. Or their loss.
Foreign. That's the word that comes to mind when some of us read these things. Foreign. One of the definitions used in the Merriam-Webster dictionary to define this term is: "alien in character: not connected or pertinent." The majority of us are not muslim nor are we Syrian, and many of us have never been displaced from our homes, let alone as a refugee.
But they are not that different from us. We are separated by the fact that they had an unasked for calamity that came upon them rendering their homes unsafe. Before that, they were working, they had family homes, businesses, schools, education, children... resolved now mostly to figures on a chart which the rest of the world watches, reports on, and debates addressing. Much of the rest of their future is out of their own hands, subject to government and international humanitarian body interventions. These normal people have been vehemently removed from their homes with no option of returning back and no evidence for improvement in the foreseeable future. Further, as much as we'd like to think that their options are far-reaching, they are being subjected to the scraps available to them in the societies that they seek out to try to regain the dignity of having a home. If they make it there alive. These are not glamorous choices that they have. And for the most part, they have no choice at all.
The crisis hit home in the state where I reside, as one of the first Syrian families resettled in the U.S. came here. Part of the process of their resettlement was facilitated by one of the lead resettlement agencies in the state, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (iris). This invaluable organization and others like it in each state are responsible for taking the individual person from airport to household. These organizations are run and staffed by extremely passionate, driven and motivated individuals. Their jobs are typically fraught with challenges (budget limitations, cultural acclimation, trauma and mental illness, to name a few) and yet they persevere to resettle the nearly 100,000 refugees placed in our country every year. They ensure that their health screenings are done, basic needs are met, and logistics of daily living needs are obtained.
Advertisement
It is unfortunate that we even have to mark a day of people being displaced from their original places of residence. But the reality is that there are more refugees than ever before and these people too deserve basic rights of human life. The United States has been the lead country of resettlement in the world, with formal incorporation of the process into law over three decades ago. Each year, the United States president sets a quota for the number of refugees to be accepted into the country for that fiscal year, as agreed upon by the Senate. And we have never fallen short at being a country with a welcoming culture, remaining at the helm of the level of support for those in need. This changed in 2015.
Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon with nearly half of the GDP of the United States together accepted around 4 million of the refugees into their borders. Germany in turn stepped up to the call and opened their doors to 800,000 refugees. The U.S. took on a mere 10,000 quota. It was a shameful showing at a time when an entire nation was on it's knees. And it did not ring true to the American culture best embodied by the words of our 33rd president, Harry Truman, "America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."
There is still much wanting to be done. And innumerable individuals still struggle in inhumane settings located in refugee camps and other transitional settings. Will we stand and address the greatest need of our current lifetime while it occurs before our eyes? Or will we go down in history as being the best-kempt country that allowed a nation of people to suffer with folded hands, averted eyes and silence?
Erbil, Iraq--When Iraqi forces pushed to retake Islamic State-held villages west of the Tigris River town of Makhmour in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, the young mother was home with her family.
"The situation was very terrifying," she recalled. "There were times when we were right in the middle of the battle. We couldn't leave our house for three days...We never slept. We held our children and stayed awake until sunrise."
The woman, who asked to be identified only by her first initial, Q, is among an estimated 2,000 people who were briefly trapped at the epicenter of what will likely be a long and grueling armed struggle on the part of Iraqi Government forces to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from their country. Civilians displaced by the offensive around Makhmour were first taken to a stadium in the town, but just days later an ISIL suicide bomber infiltrated the frontline and detonated his device at a police station near the stadium, killing three.
Advertisement
The frightened group displaced residents was then moved further from the fight, east to the sunbaked displacement camp of Debaga that sits between Makhmour and Kurdistan's capital Erbil, further north. Debaga, now counts roughly 7,000 inhabitants. "Most families fled in their bare feet," said a women who asked to be identified only as A. She said she was driven from her village near Makhmour with her husband and their six children two weeks ago. "Everyone you see here fled."
This was early April. In the past two months, the number of people forced from their homes has skyrocketed. In recent weeks, tens of thousands of civilians fled fierce clashes in Fallujah, the first Iraqi city to fall to ISIL in January 2014. The UN estimates some 85,000 civilians escaped the city, adding to the more than 3.3 million people who are already displaced from their homes as a result of long-standing and ongoing conflict and instability. International Medical Corps, which has worked in Iraq since 2003, is responding to the needs of those fleeing Fallujah, Makhmour, and other areas as the battle for Iraq rages on.
"These families have seen unimaginable levels of violence," noted Ibrahim Abou Khalil, director of mental health and psychosocial support programming for International Medical Corps in Iraq. "It is critical that we support those with emotional and psychological needs, in addition to providing shelter, food, clean water, health care, and other basic services."
Most of Debaga's arrivals lived under ISIL control for about 18 months and then endured shelling as Iraqi forces launched their offensive to regain the villages. A mother of four who shared a shelter with Q and, as so many others displaced by the fighting declined to be identified by name, said life under ISIL took a terrible toll. "I was terrified," she said. "I started to suffer from anxiety and depression."
Advertisement
International Medical Corps provided outreach teams in Debaga that visited families to provide basic psychosocial support and refer people to additional services as needed. A main focus of those teams was gender-based violence.
"Both conflict and displacement increase the risk of sexual assault and violence, particularly against women and girls," says Harriet Omina Oyombe, International Medical Corps' gender-based violence program manager in Iraq. "Our first priority in Debaga will be to make sure women know what services are available to them and understand the referral mechanisms we are putting in place so that any cases of gender-based violence are quickly reported and responded to."
The wave of displacement is just the start of a far larger disruption of the area's population anticipated as fighting continues and Iraqi forces prepare to retake Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq that fell to ISIL in June 2014. The United Nations estimates that as many as a million people could flee the city.
Despite the challenges in the camp in Debaga, two of the women we spoke to said they felt safer today than they did in their villages and in Makhmour in April. But as the war against ISIL continues in Iraq, the future remains uncertain. When asked what she hopes for her children, the women known simply as N replied, "To be safe. To not die. We don't need anything but security."
Rome--There has been much checkbook rattling in Europe in response to Great Britain's decision to abandon the European Union with cries that the UK must absolutely be punished to deter anyone else who might want to exit.
Forget it. The continent is too full of its own problems--both political and economic--to come down too hard on Britain. And it shouldn't.
And that goes for President Barack Obama, too, who is already backing off from his ill-conceived threat to put the UK "at the back of the queue" on any future trade agreements with the US.
Advertisement
As the appeal of an "ever closer union" utopia has faded among actual European people, the EU and its bureaucracy got used to telling individual member states what to do through threats. But the UK is not Greece, or even supine Italy. The UK has some things going for it that make some sort of summary execution unlikely.
One is its importance as an economy to individual EU countries, notably Germany. Germany exported $51 billion to the UK last year, more than it sold to China, with whom, unlike Britain, the Germans run a deficit. The UK is Germany's third largest trade partner after France and the US. Maybe German industrialists will forego this commerce in the name of uncertain European centralization. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the UK it can't expect to have a favorable trade deal with the continent but also suggested that everybody take a breath and not try to force the UK's hand too fast. Maybe Berlin, along with Paris, is willing to risk an economic downturn in advance of elections next year.
Or maybe not.
Then there is the issue of continental security. The UK's soon-to-be-ex-Prime Minister, the bumbling David Cameron, may be treated like a leper at the current EU summit, but what about at next month's NATO meeting in Warsaw? There, Europe, especially its nervous eastern members, will want concrete reassurance of NATO defense against an unpredictable Vladimir Putin.
Fickle France and toothless Italy won't provide credible guarantees, nor can non-fighting Germany. Only the US and its traditional wingman, the UK, really provide muscle.
Advertisement
Are the eastern Europeans, at least, going to be swayed by the rantings of such geopolitical non-entities as EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker (from military powerhouse Luxembourg!) to severely weaken Britain?
Even Obama, who threatened the Brits with downgraded "back of the queue" status last April, has rediscovered the "special relationship." Obama may have noticed, regardless of his opinion of America's recent wars, that in Afghanistan and Iraq, only allied British troops actually fired bullets in support of the US.
So, under questioning during a Monday interview with CNBC, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew refused to repeat Obama's queue threat. Instead he blathered on that, well, you know, there are trade talks with the EU, and one thing effects another, it's a "chronological matter" and blah-blah.
EMR's have a few problems. Selecting and installing them is too often a multi-year disaster. Getting information from one of them to the other is supposed to be routine, but is in fact a rarity. And the data in them is too often incomplete, inconsistent and/or just plain wrong. How can we get our data out of EMR prison and free it to be fixed up and actually useful?
The position of the EMR prison wardens and guards is clear: you can pry your data from my cold, dead hands.
What we'd like
A personal EMR is the solution to many EMR problems, among them interoperability. If data in my own EMR, corrected and completed by me, were uploaded to a provider's EMR, all the data would be up to date with almost no labor.
Advertisement
What we'd like is to have our personal EMR app log into the provider's EMR, download the data, let us fix it and complete it, and then upload the corrected and completed results. Not too hard.
What we're up against
The great Lords who build and operate the grand and glorious EMR's have their own ideas about letting us dusty peons gain access to our own data. Put simply, they're against it. But they'd rather not say they're against it. In fact, supported by legions of government bureaucrats, they insist that our data is fully available to us. All we need to do is follow a few simple procedures, and it can be ours!
Oh, great! Maybe I am being too cynical here. Maybe there really is a way I can take my data out of prison for a walk in the wild.
I recently accompanied someone close to me for a procedure at what is now called Northwell Health, formerly various other names including North Shore-LIJ.
Advertisement
I got all sorts of documents from them in the course of the interaction, and went through them to find out how I could get my friend's information from the EMR. Here's the main document:
Getting the data
First and foremost, can I get my data? You betcha! It says so right in the very official document I was given:
Hooray! I can get a copy! Uh-oh, I hope this doesn't mean just a paper copy. Let's see:
Okay, I can get an electronic copy. So where's the API? Where does my app plug into the EMR? Let's see:
Oh, no!!!! In writing! Somehow I suspect they don't mean emails are fine. But at least after I go through all the nonsense I guess I get my data. Let's read further:
What do you mean "may deny access"??!! It's my data!! Wait. It gets worse.
Nice. I get a redacted version of my own stuff. Unless they just feel like giving me a summary. Like what, this? "You came in to the hospital. You were sick. You felt like crap. We worked hard. You felt better, and left." Like that? What can I do to actually get my data? Here's how:
Advertisement
Very comforting! Instead of an API, it's a nightmare, obviously intended so that no one actually ends up with their own data.
Correcting the data
Maybe they're better about correcting the data. I showed elsewhere how crappy the data tends to be, and how paper-reliant even places with fancy EMR's are. You'd think they'd want all the data they have to be correct and complete, so they can do Big Data and get the much-vaunted benefits of the tens-of-billions-of-dollars-worth of EMR's we've bought, right?
I'm tired, so I'm not going to drag this one out. Here's the deal with correcting EMR data:
In other words, NFW.
Bottom line
The conclusion is simple: my data, the data about me and my health, is imprisoned in an EMR. The prison guards say, sure, you can visit, any time. Just submit your request in writing in the proper way, and you'll get your data real quick. Maybe. What if my data is sick and needs healing? Forget it.
Everything seems scarier during the dark of night than in the light of day.
That is a likely explanation for why the public hit the panic button when the Zika virus made headlines this year. Zika, which is currently under intense investigation because of concerns that it might cause pregnant women to miscarry or deliver babies with abnormally small brains, is spreading wildly in Latin America, with four million cases expected within the next year. It was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization this past winter and in the last several months there have been Zika virus infections diagnosed in the U.S., mainly in travelers from out of the country.
Zika poses a real, but relatively small, risk to most Americans. But because the risk itself cannot be quantified precisely, and no doctor can assure you with 100 percent certainty that you will be fine, we remain concerned, especially as the summer months approach and mosquitoes -- major Zika transmitters -- are out in large numbers.
Clearly, pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries experiencing Zika outbreaks. If for some reason they must travel to those locales, it is critical that they minimize outdoor activity, use insect repellents that are safe for pregnant women and consult with physicians if they experience the virus symptoms, which include fever, rash, headache, joint pain and conjunctivitis.
Advertisement
As doctors and researchers learn more about Zika, the ever-changing information is causing further alarm. A few months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that blood was free of infection one week after contracting Zika, an estimate that later revised to one month, and, as of today, the website says eight weeks. The Zika virus, which can be transmitted sexually as well as through mosquito bites, persists in semen longer than in blood. And although we know that we must watch out if men contract the virus, we do not know how many Zika infections are transmitted through semen rather than mosquitoes. It's thought to be very few, but the true number of cases that are sexually transmitted is simply uncertain.
So if the medical experts are still learning about the virus, how is the public supposed to know how to react? This is the point where well-educated health care professionals play a vital role.
People need to remember that there are no guarantees in life and know that health care professionals are there to help. Every day we all make a million decisions based on uncertainty and incomplete information. We balance the risks and benefits and take the plunge, making the choice that we feel is best for each of us with the information available at the time.
Take the popular WAZE app. Which road to take to avoid traffic can be a moving target, but we look at WAZE and we go for it. WAZE crowdsources data from multiple sources and computes the average time it will take to get from point A to point B, keeping track of the various factors and information at any given point. It suggests the best solution based on what is known. Yet, by the time you're en route, there might be a new accident or road hazard that hasn't yet been factored in to the system. It is an apt metaphor for what health care professionals can do for you in a time of public health crisis.
Advertisement
As president of a university that is a leading national educator of health care professionals, I can tell you that we train our students to acquire the skills necessary to absorb all the scientific information that is available, and then translate it into solutions to help patients navigate their way through a world filled with uncertainty. Evaluating the risk-benefit ratio of any intervention or behavior is a technique that all health care professionals learn during training, and one that everyone needs to master.
Unlike the news media, whose job it is to report all the information that is known at press time, the job of health care professionals is to analyze that information and help individual patients decide what course of action is right for themselves and their families. Each of us has our own tolerance for risk and there is no single answer that is right for everyone.
But even with the best information that we have available, there are questions to which we do not have adequate data to answer. Whether to travel to Zika-infected areas -- such as the summer Olympics in Rio -- is one of them. For women who are pregnant, the answer seems clear: Skip it. For the rest of us, the "correct" answer is unknown. Because although our personal risk may be low, it is possible that we will transmit the disease to others on our return.
The first anniversary of the Charleston massacre by a White supremacist, Dylann Roof, occurred at the same time as the largest mass shooting in America in Orlando targeting LGBTQ people. Charleston forced Americans to honestly address an essential question. Just how far have we come in racial healing some 50 years after the 1963 March on Washington, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act? But for many Christian Americans, Orlando raises a different question. How you do stand in opposition to hate crimes against LGBTQ people and still support traditional marriage based on your faith? Jim Wallace, a Christian social justice champion, wrote recently, "It is important for Christians, evangelical Christians in particular, to stand up for the safety, humanity, and dignity of LBGTQ people -- human beings bearing the image of God." As an African American clergy leader, strongly committed to marriage been one man and one woman, I agree with Wallis.
Too much blood being shed today. . .
There is simply too much blood being shed today against people for the way the look, their faith, lifestyles, zip codes, and socio-economic levels. The paradox is that according to the Gallup poll, Americans overwhelmingly believe in God, and the primary attribute of God is love. The greatest command of sacred scripture is to "love God and every neighbor" as oneself without exception or boundaries. Neither is there a limit or boundary to the reality that every person born, is created in the image of God, ("imago dei"). This means that all life has value. No exceptions!
The elephant in the room concerning American race relations. . .
Charleston is a painful reminder of the elephant in the room concerning contemporary American race relations. Many White Americans, including White Christians, grew up in a nation that has never seen Black Americans as fully human, and certainly not equal to White Americans. Singing "We Shall Overcome" in diverse racial settings, celebrating Black History Month, Martin Luther King's Holiday, or even having an African American President, has not changed this unspoken truth. As an African American evangelical, it is especially troubling that 40% of White evangelicals today support a presidential candidate who is unashamedly racist and unabashedly bigoted against just about every group, including Americans of color. No doubt, this is evidence of the lingering impact of far too many Christians embracing slavery, opposing civil rights for African Americans, and standing solidly against immigration.
The nation's shifting tide against those who believe in traditional marriage. . .
Orlando also forces us to remember the biblical call to love unconditionally. Yet, the challenge for many Christians is the nation's shifting tide against those who believe in traditional marriage based purely on their faith and not out of any hatred toward LGBTQ people. The Supreme Court decision affirming the right for LGBTQ people to marry, aggressively embraced by President Barack Obama, countless celebrities, and even some conservative politicians, has totally shifted the atmosphere. Today those inspired by their faith to support traditional marriage are universally castigated and attacked as homophobic, bigots, or worse. This is as wrong as hate-filled attacks on LGBTQ people! How can we claim to be a democracy rooted in the constitutional exercise of religious freedom and at the same time ridicule and name-call those who exercise that very freedom? People have a right to act according to their faith as long as they are not endangering the life of another. No one has the right to commit violence against people because of their lifestyle, and certainly, no one has the right to judge. Pope Francis was right when he said , "Who am I to judge?" The Pope made this bold exhortation without changing his support of traditional marriage. He made it knowing that judgment is sin because we are all utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us. And, he made it because he knows that the healing power of love has no boundaries.
We are called to the biblical standard of love for every person. . .
The Biblical mandate to love God and our neighbors as ourselves means loving every person the way God loves each of us, just as we are, while calling us all to a higher standard of righteousness. This kind of unconditional "agape" love, championed and modeled by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also means I do not have to agree with your lifestyle to love you the way God loves you. If this belief is not respected, then the constitutional right to religious freedom is truly endangered. Jesus extended love to people whose lifestyles he surely did not embrace, whether a rich man, Zacchaeus, who exploited the poor, the woman caught in adultery, the unmarried Samaritan woman at the well who had many lovers, or the winebibbers and prostitutes with whom he dined. Transformation in their lives came not from judgment but from God-inspired love. To be a follower of Jesus means more than reciting what Jesus said. It means doing what Jesus did. The horrors of both Charleston and Orlando teaches us that anything short of seeing and valuing others as God sees and values them, does not portend well for America's future. We can all do better.
Governance is sometimes a messy business. On the national political level, for example, the intersection of ideology, political posturing, and the demands and inflexibility of competing interests within the two political parties and between the branches of government has led to the deep dysfunction that angers voters.
College Campuses are Generally Conservative, Driven by Process
The same is often true on college campuses. For all the complaints about heavy liberal bias ideologically, a college campus is inherently a very conservative place driven by process. Faculty and long-time staff promote an agenda that reflects their knowledge base, interests - and perhaps most important - sense of collective self.
Academic freedom - particularly that achieved with tenure - permits them to see the world differently. It's not a bad thing actually and is absolutely critical to a free exchange of ideas.
Advertisement
In a sense, it's why the philosophy of Bernie Sanders has been so popular on many campuses. When the philosophical meets the practical, the philosophical usually wins out in a college debate. It's a version of truth speaking to power where truth prevails even if the plans, like many of Mr. Sander's proposals, are not fully baked.
Shared Governance & Syracuse University's Latest Capital Project
The recent battle over the $6 million promenade project at Syracuse University illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of shared governance. The plan calls for the conversion of a city street into a pedestrian promenade. A group of 108 faculty members signed a petition to stop the project less than two weeks before construction was slated to begin.
Faculty members expressed concern over the transparency in communication, its utility due to Syracuse's harsh winters, its impact on the street grid surrounding the campus, its value to students, the perception by the community, and the cost of the project. A number noted that Syracuse is decreasing the size of its faculty by 250 through early buy-outs and has taken questionable steps such as the closing the Syracuse Advocacy Center for sexual assault and relationship violence victims. Others cited the likelihood of a major expenditure to refurbish the Carrier Dome.
For its part, the University administration held a series of community town halls to explain the relationship of the pedestrian mall as part of a larger "Campus Framework" plan to address strategic infrastructure needs that included surveys and outreach supported by Syracuse's new chancellor, Kent Syverud, who took over as chancellor in 2014. This included an October 2014 survey with 3,000 students, faculty and staff taking part and reports by the Chancellor to the University Senate, with these updates shared on the University's news website.
Advertisement
The administration also promised to forward faculty concerns to the Board of Trustees whose members discussed next steps and ultimately approved the project.
In a sense, it doesn't matter what decision the Board made on the pedestrian project. What matters most is whether shared governance works in the end.
The disagreements at Syracuse are more about priorities than money. It's a larger question about what the University values and how its use of a budget - which is really a rationing tool - reflects these priorities. The battleground is where the philosophical meets the practical.
Regardless of outcome, the Syracuse story illustrates the delicate balance that shapes shared governance on American college campuses.
Political pundits often see campus communities through a political lens that casts good versus bad as liberal or conservative, depending upon the pundit's bias. But many of the most extreme battles fought each academic year are over process, territory, and the pace of change.
You can't blame the faculty for their defense of a community that they do more to shape than any administrator or trustee. The job of faculty governance is to nurture and build the academic program, support academic freedom, and offer the wise counsel that comes with their implied role of the "keeper of the flame" of institutional history and traditions. In their worldview, decisions are reached slowly, shaped by process, and the optics matter.
For administrators and trustees, it can be frustrating if the end game is to develop a plan, set a timeframe, and move the agenda forward to match a world beyond the University gates. Few trustees - especially since their boards are the weakest contributor to shared governance - understand the motivation behind faculty concerns, especially on approved capital projects managed by the administration that do not seem to directly impact the educational program.
For a president attempting to lead a strategic vision, it's seldom possible to move forward without controversy when the University's priorities that the president establishes contradict other views.
Sometimes it's simply best to keep at it with the belief that the process will become more transparent as the trust improves among shared governance groups. It's important to appreciate the wide variation of campus cultures that exist in American higher education. Syracuse will figure it out. And when it does, it's more critical that the lessons learned strengthen the dynamics within shared governance. It makes more positive disagreement possible in the future.
The American flag flies at half-staff in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death, and Senate Republicans' refusal to confirm a successor while President Barack Obama is in office, threatens to ignite a year-long battle over the court's future. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The California legislature and Governor Brown now have all the ammunition they need to do what they should have done years ago. And that's dump the outdated, outmoded, and grossly harmful Proposition 209. That's the state amendment passed by voters two decades ago in 1996 that banned the use of race as a factor in college admissions. The ammunition was supplied convincingly by the US Supreme Court when it strongly upheld the University of Texas's affirmative action program. Justice Anthony Kennedy rammed the point home that race can be considered in admission to ensure broad, and meaningful racially diverse colleges. California Attorney General Kamala Harris further underscored the critical importance of affirmative action at California colleges in her friend of the court brief.
Affirmative action also assures the fair and equitable use of tax dollars for public education. This is a point missed or deliberately distorted in the affirmative action wars. That is that African-American and Hispanics pay taxes, lots of taxes, and are vital public stake holders. Yet when colleges, and universities shut the door or severely limit the number of African-American and Hispanic students at public institutions this means their tax dollars' amount to de facto support of modern day quasi Jim Crow education. They are forced to pay for educational services and advantages in higher education that white students get and their children are denied.
Advertisement
Studies on college admissions to California colleges and universities have repeatedly found that there was a big plunge in the number and percentage of Black and Hispanic student enrollment after the passage of Prop. 209. This downward trend has remained agonizingly steady over the years. The studies also found that colleges and university administrators have done everything they could to devise policies and strategies employed to deftly skirt around Proposition 209 to ramp up the low numbers of black and Latinos on the campuses. The efforts have failed to boost the numbers. The problem of stagnant or declining Black and Hispanic student enrollment is made even worse by the widening gap between the percentage of underrepresented minority students graduating from California high schools and the percentage enrolling at UC.
In 2014, the California senate took a big stab at trying to roll back Proposition 209 when it passed the Constitutional Amendment 5. This would have given voters another chance to consider the use of race in college admissions. The bill was pulled after some Asian-American constituent groups claimed that reinstituting affirmative action would do major harm to Asian-American students' chances of getting admitted to state colleges and universities. The charge that Asian-Americans would and are getting the short end of the admissions stick from affirmative action doesn't hold up. Asian-American students already make up a disproportionate number of students at many public universities. According to university figures, at the University of Texas they make up 16 percent of the university enrollees though they are only 4 percent of the state's population.
Advertisement
The figures there are typical of their enrollment at many public universities where Asian-American students make up double digit numbers of the student population.
The other old argument is that affirmative action is just another way of imposing quotas that would admit a lot of unqualified, poorly-educated Black and Hispanic students to the colleges. This is nothing more than a rehash of the old quota or reverse bias argument that's been used for years by conservatives to thwart affirmative action.
Quotas have long since been ruled illegal. Despite popular myth even before the imposition of Proposition 209 in California there was never a quota system that mandated a set number of Black and Hispanic students be admitted at any California university or state college. Race, then, was simply used as one of several factors that could be considered in a student's admission.
William Kamkwamba presents at the EF Global Student Leaders Summit last March in Iceland. The conference focused on the future or energy.
By Nisha Chandra
The reporter's voice blares through the television, impassioned by a need for change and an anger at the world's stubborn ignorance. Sea levels rising at an alarming rate. A global surface temperature that won't stop increasing. Warmer oceans. Shrinking ice. Ocean acidification. A teenager sits reclined, listening to the broadcast with an open but weary mind. "I know", they think. "I know. But what do you want me to do about it?"
For many, the often discussed task of 'combating climate change' seems like a distant and intimidating goal. A goal detached from any concrete change that we, as young people, believe we are able to make. But for a mind like William Kamkwamba, a mind so given to small acts of progress, such a goal becomes an easy reality. As I sat transfixed at the EF Global Student Leaders Summit in Iceland last March, listening to him speak of his work with an unmistakable fervor, I watched about 700 teenagers begin to contemplate the idea that combating climate change does not always need to occur through grand acts of scientific invention or profound discovery, but instead can often stem from making small scale changes with large scale impacts.
Advertisement
As a young boy growing up in Malawi, Mr. Kamkwamba witnessed firsthand what life was like without energy and clean water. During an exceptionally long and harsh drought, people were dying in his village. He says that "they were dropping down to nothing," and that "it was a future he could not accept." At age 14, with a mind fueled by creativity, he was able to create a windmill using scraps and spare parts from a junkyard to power his family home. This dream, to bring power to his home, soon became a dream for the village, to bring electricity to the whole community. With growing confidence and an unshakable tenacity, Mr. Kamkwamba built more windmills out of old spare parts and materials to light all of the homes in his compound, going from generating 12 watts to 200. His next projects would focus on clean water, malaria prevention, and solar power lighting for all of the homes in his compound. His work required a stubborn dedication to learning about and implementing clean energy. And much more than that - a dedication to making sure that his community would never have to suffer that way again. This incredible story is detailed in his best-selling book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
While at the Global Student Leaders Summit, I had the chance to introduce Mr. Kamkwamba on stage. But as I stood up there, making fleeting eye contact with the sea of teenagers who had likely heard about the potential impact of their actions so many times that it risked losing its meaning, I wondered if I myself knew what exactly this "impact" meant. For many devoted to energy sustainability, global impact is undoubtedly the end goal. But I began to realize that such progress comes about by a series of smaller scale impacts, carried out by those who want to see concrete change not just in the world at large, but in the world at their fingertips. Hearing Mr. Kamkwamba address all 700 of us, and later getting a chance to speak with him one-on-one, it became clear that I was underestimating the potential impact of smaller-scale change - and all of a sudden my perspective on "impact" became so much clearer.
Advertisement
Mr. Kamkwamba stressed the point that when it comes to the environment around you, "you can't just wait for someone else to come in and solve your problems." Nobody knows your community better than you, and nobody understands what is needed for its improvement better than you. Although the idea of innovation is universal, some of the most far reaching projects "start off specific to each community" he said, wanting every student to understand where local solutions come from. A solution may arise from a scientist experimenting with fusion, but it may also arise from a young boy sitting in his room creating a windmill out of bicycle parts and old pipes.
Several months after departing from Iceland, Mr. Kamkwamba's words have stayed with me. As I returned to school, I carried with me the reluctance of leaving behind an incredible experience along with the conviction that I must now lend myself to "starting small." Since then, I've been working with two other students in my class (who also attended the EF Iceland Summit) to convert our school campus to renewable energy by the means of a windmill. For students who spend the majority of their days in our school building, this project is about as local as it gets. We researched the markets, vendors, and feasibility of such a process, hoping to make the same kind of concrete change Mr. Kamkwamba praised.
Unfortunately, we were recently told that the installation of a windmill would be both impractical and unlikely, effectively ending that pursuit. But, as was mentioned countless times over the two days at the conference, true strides in clean energy would not be possible without failing, and failing fast. We hope to continue pushing, until our school community benefits from renewable energy just as Mr. Kamkwamba's village did so many years ago.
When it comes to combating climate change, no special qualifications are needed. In fields of continuous innovation such as sustainable energy, there are countless big ideas. But just as important are the small ideas, the ones that bud in your mind and gradually turn into small actions. These often may seem irrelevant, but they truly are essential. William Kamkwamba claims that "challenges are opportunities waiting for you to explore them." So go explore!
Nisha Chandra is a rising high school senior from Connecticut
A recent article by Melissa Hillman for Quartz created a stir among loyalists in Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton's camp. Hillman insisted that "privilege is what allows Sanders supporters to say they'll 'never' vote for Clinton under any circumstance."
That is inaccurate. There are those who are well outside the ranks of privilege who will not vote for Clinton. Period.
Quartz, a digital global business news publication culls its 150 writers from conservative business journals including Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and The Economist, as well as the New York Times. Its core market is global business people who want international markets. In other words, they are among the market oriented neoliberals where Clinton finds many of her supporters.
Advertisement
The truth is that there are those who will not vote for Clinton precisely because of their lack of privilege or because of their work among those who lack the kind of extraordinary privilege Quartz readers have or aspire to have.
One is Luis Efrain Serrano, an illegal (the term he prefers) Latino and an activist with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Out Of LA in Los Angeles. The organization exists to end deportations and the criminalization of illegal immigrants. He believes the privilege argument is backwards.
People are voting for Clinton, Serrano believes, "because of their privilege. Wealthy or middle class white folks would not be as negatively affected by her as those of us who are less privileged." The Democrats "give us weird little reforms like DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] which help us out a bit. We are ok with them only because things are so bad."
Ultimately, Serrano wants systemic change. Although he does not support Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, Serrano believes a Trump election could aid in forcing the collapse of the establishment. He believes Trump has shaken "the neoliberal establishment which Clinton represents because he exposes an economic system that they have kept hidden." Reality is that the Clinton establishment, in Serrano's opinion, has "perfected keeping people oppressed and distracted." Trump has brought that into the open.
Advertisement
Serrano concludes, "for those without privilege, there is no strategy in electing Clinton."
Zac Henson is a self-proclaimed "mad redneck" with a Ph. D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management but who makes his living delivering papers for Weld and driving for Uber in East Lake, Alabama.
Henson, too, is concerned about the political system. He also wants to challenge individualized ideas of what constitutes oppression or privilege. No one, is all oppressor or all oppressed," he thinks. Instead, he believes, we need to talk more about "multiple overarching systems of power." For instance, he says, "I'm white and male, so there are certainly advantages that I have in certain situations. But, I'm also mentally ill, working class, and Southern, so there are disadvantages that I have to deal with too."
As for the election, Henson's identities and philosophies slide between Clinton and Trump. Like Clinton, he believes in multiculturalism and diversity. But like Trump, he opposes economic globalization. He believes each has been engaged in an all-out war on the working class from both the left and the right. Partly because of Clinton's neoliberalism, and the neoliberalism of the Democratic establishment, the white working class "literally has no place else to go but to Trump, which is both worrisome and sad." Trump, however,
"is a monster arising in a cauldron of white working class rage and a generation of abandonment of the white working class by the left." Because of the war on the working class, "people are frustrated, mad, and confused. It seems as if the American Dream is a distant memory."
Even someone like me, he says, "who is a community organizer, an antiracist, a feminist, and a communist can see Trump's appeal to people who are just desperate. So, I'll probably just vote for Jill Stein, even though I know that it's a throw away vote. Not much of a choice, if you ask me."
Advertisement
Jorge Mujica Murias is the Strategic Campaigns Organizer at Arise Chicago, an organization devoted to combatting worker injustice. A Latino, he ran for Congress as a candidate for Illinois's 3rd Congressional District in 2009 and for Alderman for the City of Chicago in 2015. A socialist, he supports Jill Stein of the Green Party.
"My reason for not supporting Clinton is simple," Mujica says. "I want to do away with the two-party system."
He wants to see the Democratic Party split. "I want to help give a solid third party status to the Green Party. I don't want people re-electing Hillary in 2020 because Ted Cruz runs against her nor do I want to see Chelsea Clinton running against Trump. Giving a solid third party status to the Green Party might open up the system." Just as he would like to see the Democratic Party split, Mujica continues, "I would have hoped to see the Republicans splitting and founding a third party, the Tea Party. That is not going to happen apparently. But we can make it happen in the Democratic party if people will not cave in and vote for Clinton."
Pippa Abston is a pediatrician in Huntsville, Alabama. She counts herself among the privileged in no small measure because she has health insurance. She tends daily to people, however, who do not - and she cares about them.
Based in large part on what she has seen in her practice, she believes that those who already lack political and socioeconomic privilege would be placed at higher risk in a Clinton presidency.
Clinton, she believes, "has ignored the need to insure every single person in the US for healthcare and has accepted President Obama's incremental approach with the Affordable Care Act [ACA]." The ACA, according to Abston, is unethical because it leaves out some already marginalized groups. Those groups include poor adults in those states like Alabama which does not allow them access to Medicaid, undocumented immigrants, documented immigrants because of a five year waiting period, and those who live just above the poverty line but cannot afford insurance even with the ACA.
Advertisement
An ethical person, Abston says, "would not find it acceptable to leave anyone out." Clinton, on the other hand, is "a utilitarian who is able to abstract human beings into numbers and treat them interchangeably, trading out some lives for others. This is not ethically acceptable to me." Because she sees children and their parents every day in her office, she says, "I can't possibly forget what they need and I can't possibly vote for Clinton who could put them at risk."
As are Serrano, Henson, and Mujica, Abston is concerned about the entire political system. Clinton, she says, represents a political philosophy, neoliberalism, which she finds "abhorrent."
It is an "imposter on the left" but it is not truly leftist, because it "transfers power and representation even further away from the public sphere into the oligarchy, and then tells the powerless that they can lift themselves up if they try harder."
By occupying the left as an imposter, Abston says, the neoliberal wing prevents the development of a true left, a true democratic movement "by convincing supporters it is the left they are seeking, that it cares about them, but it does not. I find this even more repugnant than the right wing, which is at least moderately honest about its nefarious intentions."
Like Abston, I, too am a person of multiple privileges. I am white, upper middle class, and enjoy a high social status. I am a Ph. D. historian, liberation theologian, ordained Baptist minister, and film maker. Much of my professional life consists of advocacy for illegal immigrants, domestic labor, and guest workers in the US legally with an H2 visa.
Advertisement
Free trade agreements are closely associated with the displacement of the millions of Latinos who are in the US illegally as well as with the creation of a billionaire class in Mexico and elsewhere. Free trade agreements and neoliberal economic policies generally are a priority issue for me.
Although Clinton has recently distanced herself from the looming Trans Pacific Partnership, in the past she has applauded it as the "gold standard" of trade agreements.
Trade agreements favor the well being of corporations over that of human beings. They are in large part about the creation of "investor states" which legally transfer local, state, and national sovereignty to corporations which may sue governments which act to adversely affect, or threaten to adversely affect, corporations' profits. This includes such things as labor regulations, environmental efforts, and regulations over pharmaceutical businesses.
Clinton has waffled on free trade agreements. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Dr. Jill Stein, on the other hand, consistently have opposed them.
Each seems to understand that the agreements are not really about trade -- they certainly are not about the creation of a multicultural "global village" -- they are about the offshoring of national sovereignty and the creation of a new legal framework to create and protect new, sinister investor states. They are about displacing more and more vulnerable peoples around the world and making it next to impossible for the rest of us to do anything about it. I have written more on the sovereignty problems with free trade agreements here.
Advertisement
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 16: The FOX News logo at FOX Studios on August 16, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)
To the surprise of no one, the Republicans' four-year partisan inquisition surrounding the terrorist attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya, is likely ending with a whimper. With the House Select Committee on Benghazi finally releasing its findings, and the report representing the eighth and (likely) final government investigation into the deadly event, the Benghazi hoax, as sponsored by Fox News for four years, finally comes to an impotent and ignominious end.
Early indications are that the report, as expected, provides no major revelations. Already undercut by a report from Democratic members of the Benghazi committee that further debunked right-wing myths about the attack, the GOP's long-awaited Benghazi report is in danger of being met with collective shoulder shrugs.
Advertisement
Even Donald Trump seems relatively uninterested in kicking the Benghazi can around the campaign trail this year. Yes, he's made a couple passing references to it and implied grave misdeeds by Hillary Clinton. But there's been no serious push on his part to highlight the GOP's endless pursuit. (Last year, Trump actually criticized the Republicans' investigations as being incompetent.)
So if Benghazi isn't being used as an election year battering ram against the Democrats, what has been the point of committee chairman Trey Gowdy's comically extended inquiry? Anybody with a pulse and a political calendar realized that the final GOP Benghazi report, with its 2016 summertime release, was designed to disrupt Clinton's White House run. Why else would the committee's work be extended for two-plus years when it likely could have been completed in six or seven months? (Two years to hold four hearings?)
Unsure they could defeat Clinton at the ballot box, and lately even more unsure that Trump is competent enough to run a White House campaign, Republicans were hoping and praying for an investigative intervention to stop Clinton.
It ain't happening with Benghazi. But anyone who followed the facts, or who reads Media Matters, knew that a very long time ago.
Advertisement
The whole mindless, partisan endeavor shines a light on what's gone completely wrong with the Republican Party and the right-wing media. It's about how shallow, endlessly debunked conspiracies and money-sucking investigations have replaced any attempt to govern and legislate.
The fact that the GOP's Benghazi gotcha pursuits have stretched through the entirety of Obama's second term, and that Obama stands poised to leave office with surging approval ratings, tells you all need to know about the crippling disconnect between the right-wing media and the real world today. (Fox's Eric Bolling: "I think Benghazi's a much bigger scandal than Watergate.")
But let's never forget that the Beltway press claims partial ownership of this slow-motion fiasco, too. The press certainly owns the first three years of the Benghazi charade when journalists breathlessly amplified every slipshod allegation leaked from Republicans on Capitol Hill, or followed Fox News' lead in hyping an endless series of supposed revelations about the attacks. Sometimes we couldn't tell who was more anxious to uncover an Obama or Clinton-related "scandal," the press or partisan conservatives.
If I had to estimate, I'd say it took until October 2015 -- three entire years of Benghazi news dead ends -- before the D.C. press mostly conceded there's no there there with regards to this so-called scandal. It took Hillary Clinton testifying for 11 hours on Capitol Hill and Republicans completely unable to advance, let alone confirm, their wild conspiracy theories before the press largely seemed to acknowledge the futility of the whole enterprise. (Accidental truth telling in 2015 by some GOP House members regarding the motivation about the Benghazi committee likely also convinced reporters the endeavor was largely a scam.)
Unfortunately, this was after several Beltway journalists' reputations took serious hits when they were caught trusting dubious sources who lied about Benghazi revelations.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, here's some distressing context. I wrote this more than 1,300 days ago:
Benghazi has entered the realm of churning, right-wing myth making. (Think Waco and Vince Foster). The story has become completely detached from reality, and the twisted narrative feeds off itself with constant misinformation that's repeatedly presented as 'fact.'
I certainly never thought in the fall of 2012 that four years later I'd still be pointing out the Benghazi hoax and highlighting the obvious absurdity of the pursuit. Overall, Media Matters has posed hundreds of fact-checking items on Benghazi and we'll continue to do so as long as conservatives cling to the fantasy. But that will be much harder to do now without a congressional inquiry to give the wild claims shape.
The larger point is that Republicans and Fox News have wasted untold time, money and energy pushing a thoroughly discredited pipe dream about how Obama and Clinton are supposedly monstrous people who chose to let four Americans die at the hands of Islamic terrorists and then lied about it. Worse, Obama watched video "in real time" while the terrorists snuffed out American lives. "Support wasn't given," in the words of Karl Rove.
Vile, vile lies.
This whole endeavor has been a depressing reflection on how broken the conservative movement has become, and also how the Beltway press simultaneously takes its marching orders from the scandal-obsessed right wing. Like Republicans, journalists seemed to be eagerly holding out hope for an Obama or Clinton scandal to emerge from the Benghazi investigations.
And of course that faulty blueprint hasn't just applied to the Benghazi "scandal." As noted in September last year, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News together spent just as much time covering Clinton's email controversy as they spent covering the substance of her entire presidential campaign.
Advertisement
If we're truly bidding farewell to Fox News' Benghazi conspiracy hoax (fingers crossed), there's another point about context that's worth stressing one last time.
I think one way the GOP and conservative media were able to string the serious press along on Benghazi was that they framed the Benghazi terror attack as an almost-unprecedented event in American history (sadly, it was not) and one that exposed unheard of security failures by Obama's White House and Clinton's State Department; it was supposedly an epic fiasco that demanded countless investigations.
What the press for most of the last four years refused to do is put the Benghazi terror attack in any kind of historical context.
Consider these facts under President Ronald Reagan:
* April 18, 1983: Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut. 63 people were killed, including 17 Americans, including the CIA's chief analyst in the Middle East, and the Beirut station chief.
* September 6, 1983: Two Marines were killed during a lengthy rocket assault on the Marine base at Beirut's airport.
Advertisement
* Oct. 23, 1983: Bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut. A suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives at a U.S. Marine barracks; 241 U.S. service personnel were killed.
* Sept. 20, 1984: Bombing of U.S. Embassy annex. A truck bomb exploded in Aukar, northeast of Beirut, outside the annex, killing 24 people, including two U.S. military personnel.
During an 18-month span, U.S. facilities in and around Beirut were attacked by terrorists four times, killing 330 people, including 262 Americans.
There was exactly one congressional investigation into the Beirut debacle.
'Brexit' bears too much resemblance to the 'Arab Spring' -- and unfortunately -- this is not meant in a good way. In fact, in terms of both pretext and the handling of the surprising outcome, there is just so much in common, that one can't but fear that the same disastrous aftermath of the 2011 Arab revolutions will -- inevitably -- also be replicated in Europe.
First - as recently noted by Patrick Cockburn in The Independent -- protesters in both cases "attributed far too many of their country's troubles to the regime they were trying to overthrow". Indeed, so many voters actually believed that by simply leaving the EU, Britain will magically become great again... just like the Muslim Brotherhood sought to convince frustrated Egyptians that "Islam is the solution" to all their political, social and economic woes. (Collage courtesy: Al Arabiya English)
Then came the intense demonizing of political opponents. Just like you were accused of treason in Arab countries (either by the government if you were for the revolutions, or by the revolutionaries if you were with the government) Britons who argued for 'remain' were tainted un-patriotic, despite their rational that staying within the EU is actually better for Britain.
Advertisement
Of course, Friday's shocking win of the 'Brexit' camp made the situation much more complicated, and much more similar in truly unexpected ways!
'Leaderless-Revolutions'
Following the disastrous outcome of the 2011 revolutions, several intellectuals argued that the Middle East was simply "not ready for democracy".
"The Arab Spring would have succeeded in Europe, where the masses are educated and opposition leaders would have had plans for the day-after," observers would argue as they criticized the 'leaderless-revolutions' which saw our already-troubled region descend into further chaos and conflict.
It turns out, however, that Europeans -- or at least Britons in this case -- are not proving to be any better.
Advertisement
As the British Pound plummeted to its lowest value in thirty years, UK media outlets (including ones which sensationally promoted leaving the EU) began reporting how 'Brexit' will negatively affect people, and many of those who voted 'leave' are now regretting their choice, stating that they were not fully aware of its impact.
Of course, while we in the Middle East blame lack of education and lack of democratic tradition for what proved to be wrong choices, the same doesn't necessarily apply in Britain's case.
The UK's issue seems to be the lack of leadership on all-fronts, which is something many of us in the Middle East can relate to. On one hand, you have Brexit campaigner and UKIP leader Nigel Farage back-tracking on a previous campaign pledge that leaving the EU would secure 350 million GBP for the country's National Health Service (NHS).
Nigel Farage's now infamous Good Morning Britain's interview where he admits the NHS promise was a mistake
Advertisement
On the other hand, Brexit leaders seem to have admitted they didn't have a post-referendum plan, arguing that this was the government's responsibility. However, Prime Minister David Cameron - now being labelled a historic and disastrous failure - has announced his resignation in response to the referendum which, to start with, was seen by many as an unnecessary gamble in its own light.
This all means that the UK is now, technically, facing unprecedented upheaval - including the potential departure of Scotland, which has voted to remain in the EU - without an affective head of government (HELLO, LEBANON!).
In parallel, the UK's Labour Party is having its own Middle East moment, with leader Jeremy Corbyn refusing to step down, despite facing votes of no confidence from his own back-benchers.
What comes next?
You guessed it right: just as the Arab Spring, which started in Tunisia, created copycat movements across the region, we are now witnessing far-right parties in France, Holland and Germany calling for similar referendums.
Finally, no major disaster would be complete without its fair share of conspiracy theories; this brings us to yet another similarity between the Arab Spring and Brexit: both major events were apparently "orchestrated" by the United States and Israel in a bid that serves their own interests!
Advertisement
Indeed, according to recent comments by Iraqi Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, the United States and its "spoiled son" Israel, have "conspired to bring down the EU", just like they sought to do with the Middle East.
However, Sadr did get one thing right in his statement when he argued that the British government was "in an ivory tower" and "very distant" from what the people it represents wanted; this is something which we thought only us, Arabs, suffered wrong.
Apparently, we were wrong!
(A news story carrying Sadr's Brexit comments)
Australia has developed in the last decades one of the most admired vocational education and training systems of the world, based on various factors: fluidity between titles and certifications, from high school to postgraduate studies and PhD's; a skill-based educational offer, and linked to the ability demand from the productive sector; funding mechanisms linked to the number of students enrolled in the different institutions; and a strong regulation and assessment conducted by the national and local governments.
These changes, which were brought about by a Labor party administration in the Eighties, have caused not only an increase in the total number of students, in quality and inclusion, but also have made Australia a popular educational destination, attracting more than 400 thousand foreign students and exporting educational services, from courses to consultancy, technologies, methodologies, to more than 70 countries worldwide, many of them in Latin America.
I had the opportunity to learn more about the system invited by Australian Ambassador in Argentina, Noel Campbell, who did a superb job with his team in Buenos Aires in setting up a high level agenda of interviews and meetings with some of the most remarkable leaders of the vocational education system.
Advertisement
The "Vocational Education and Training" system, VET as they call it, has generated a great range of new actors, which along with the government, have expanded the number of students and graduates. New providers, both public and private, evaluation agencies, teacher training centers, vendor associations, specialized media; a whole series of civil society institutions that are part of the system and contribute to greater debate and transparency.
Something that caught my attention was how advanced the debate over educational quality was, and how proud the system participants are about VET. Both the Labor Party, in the left, and the Coalition, in the right, public institutions, foundations, private providers, they all put the student and educational quality in the center of the system, no matter whom, when or where provides it.
As is expected in any educational system that works, teaching is a priority in Australia. All teachers working in vocational institutions are required to have at least five years of experience in the industry and to stay periodically updated on the sector they are teaching. It is not enough with training courses, but they also need to stay updated through work. There is also great flexibility and space for business experts to teach in educational institutions, with a previous training in pedagogical skills.
Australia has a clear and flexible qualification system, divided in 10 levels, from trainee to certifications, diplomas, bachelor and postgraduate degrees. Students may start an any level, and enter and leave the system whenever they want, taking time between one title and the other. This fluency seems to encourage students to continue their formation, and in a dynamic world, it allows individuals to quickly adapt to change in their careers and professions.
Advertisement
The link with the industry is permanent and systematic, both at the national level as well as statewide. The educational offer and rating grades are fixed between the government, the private sector and the unions and are continuously updated.
Another factor that caught my attention is the amount of information being gathered about the quality of the system, of students, surveys, impact assessments. During the first years of the reform, they explained, it was more oriented to evaluating institutions, but lately they have been generating much more information for the students. The government has created websites such as www.myfuture.com or www.joboutlook.gov.au that allow future students to count with more data about study plans, careers, and job or income perspective. These improvements have also helped institutions to keep their offers updated.
The reforms implemented during the last decades have put the VET system in the center of the public policy debate, something unthinkable a few years ago, as the Victoria Minister of Education Steve Herbert, from the Labor Party, admitted to me. During the current electoral campaign between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his contender Bill Shorten, the quality of VET institutions and the financing of the system have made the front pages of virtually every newspaper of the country.
(Photo Jimmy King)
This is a stretch for some who only get their news from the mainstream. But there is a group of thought leaders who believe dead people communicate to us through dreams. In fact, according to psychic medium Amanda Linette Meder, dream visitations are the most common way deceased loved ones and spirit guides communicate with the "living." Here's Meder's blog on other ways she says the deceased communicate with us.
Back to Bowie fans. Some are seeing him, hearing him, and many are having dreams where he imparts a little inspiration and even wisdom. While his family and close friends are certainly dealing with their heartfelt loss, it's also been tough emotionally for fan since Bowie passed on January 10th, only two days after his 69th birthday and his release of his 25th album Blackstar.
I'm hooked up to Bowie's fans in a Facebook group. One fan says she was told by the Starman only recently, after his transition to be clear, to get back into movement and create a dance. In fact, Ravensong Phoenixfire, of San Francisco, said Bowie light heartedly counseled her, asking her to imagine doing the first third of the dance blindfolded, like Bowie was during his last video "Lazarus." (He always pushed the envelope, now he's encouraging others to do it, too!)
Advertisement
(photo Carl Court/Getty Images)
In another communication, Phoenixfire said she heard Bowie's voice: "Evict anyone who is living rent-free in your head." Ever since I heard this story, I've been using this quote to clear my own mind.
Since his death, a boatload of fans are reporting they are hearing a comforting song just as the right time. One fan from Nashville suffers from anxiety. She mustered the courage to get in her car after avoiding the highways for six months. Deciding to pull over for a pit stop and a bite to eat, she heard "Heroes" play on the radio at the restaurant. The title of the song was enough to give her courage, but she also says she knew she was connecting with his vibe, if not his love.
So, what is going on here? Can we all talk to the dead? If so, how come nobody is telling us about it? I brought the question to one of my spiritual mentors, Peggy Black. Black channels her higher self, who she calls the 'team.' The 'team' is not physical. They are a higher vibrational energy. Peggy asked them to respond to my question, what the heck .. ?
Peggy Black and the 'team': "There is an awakening taking place within each and every person. Many are experiencing an activation of their paranormal abilities and gifts. One of these gifts is the expanded level of conscious in which they become receivers of energy vibrations and information, much like a radio receiver tuned in to a certain station or channel. When this occurs often the individual can hear or sense a connection with another presence who is in a non-physical state." Geri: But why now? Why are so many experiencing this? Peggy Black and the 'team': "This ability has always been a part of your reality, think of the masters, sages, saints, inventors and composers who spoke of being inspired by a source or a connection with an invisible world. We celebrate this awakening, as multidimensional beings you are truly meant to be in partnership with the non-physical beings of love and light."
The 'team' says everyone can do this -- connect with the energy that is not physical. It comes down to a matter of allowing, inviting and then trusting yourself to make the connection. The children, the 'team' says, are especially open to these abilities. As for many of us adults, our learned beliefs often shut the door to our God-given gifts.
So, in the end, what does it all mean? The visions, the dreams, the right song at the right time? I think it's a sort of comfort. Simply put; Spirit, and all in that higher dimensional existence, is reminding us that love never dies. And when we create, in whatever form, we are closer to our Source. I'm reminded about the scientific principal: energy never dies, it only changes form.
We know David is the king of ch-ch-changes, the rebel, rebel that he is! Excuse me for making light of it all, but isn't that what we are supposed to do? Be the light. Bring the light of heaven to earth. When we do that, we feel great comfort, even as we sorely miss our loved ones who leave their bodies, many times a bit too early for us to comprehend.
God's love onto you.
By: Susan "Honey" Good
Wednesday was National Widow's Day. In one split second, 26 years ago, I was no longer the wife of Michael Forman. I was his widow.
Here is my story and advice.
On a beautiful and warm sunny morning, my daughter and I were making a dinner menu for my husband's homecoming. Michael was flying back from Salt Lake City, Utah where he was attending a business meeting. My daughters and I were very excited. I was just about to leave for the market when the telephone rang. It was my brother-in-law, Michael's brother, calling from Colorado.
This was our conversation.
"Hi Suz." he said.
"Hi Rog! So happy to hear your voice! How are you?" I replied.
He did not mince words.
"Michael had a heart attack." he told me.
"Oh no! I will fly to him today."
"Suz, Michael did not make it. He died."
My brother-in-law was a doctor. Michael kept instructions, in his wallet, to call him if anything happened.
Advertisement
I screamed, "Oh no! Oh no!" I began to sob and threw the phone down.
My young daughter, standing in front of me, stared at me in wonder, not having any idea what was happening.
"Daddy had a heart attack. Daddy had a heart attack. He died!" I continued crying hugging my daughter close to me as I continued screaming.
"Oh no" Oh! No.
I said these words over and over, so many times, that a neighbor fearful there was a break-in and an assault called the police!
I recall two policemen standing over me, as I lay on the couch inconsolable and grief stricken. My young daughter, in a state of shock, told them what had happened. They expressed their apologies and left.
Advertisement
I was no longer a wife. I was a young woman in my 40's suddenly in the throws of widowhood.
The day of Michael's funeral is still a blur. I was in a state of shock. To this day, 2 things remain in my mind. One sentence. One book. That is all!
I do not recall my children, my family, the Rabbi's words or my friends. I do not remember how I arrived at the funeral or how I left.
For recent widows and those of you who cannot move into the now, I want to share with you how I picked up the pieces of my life.
I was handed a book at the funeral, How to Survive the Loss of a Love. This book saved me because I had never experienced the loss of a loved one before.
Number 1: It has been proven that you cannot heal emotionally unless you go through the process of mourning. Mourning = recovery, darlings.
Advertisement
There are 4 stages:
~ Denial
~ Anger
~ Depression
~ Acceptance
You can purchase the second edition on Amazon.com. The first edition was a small paperback that sold over 2 million copies. I suggest you purchase the first edition, even an old copy. It is more compact and explains the four steps of grieving. You will learn that you cannot survive emotionally without going through the four steps. The books message is beyond the beyond. The main theme throughout the book is to mourn your loss, darlings. What ever you are feeling inside...let yourself feel.
This is my personal advice:
~ Spend alone time. Living in Honolulu I walked four miles each morning and four miles at sunset with my dog. I thought about my life with Michael. I could not remember one thing he did wrong in 24 years of marriage! I let myself cry a lot and I grieved...alone.
~ Exercise. This was very important in my healing process. I kept my body moving to rid myself of stress.
~ Live in peaceful surroundings: I was numb from my sudden loss. I intentionally moved out of our home of love and deep family memories into a charming apartment with palm trees coming up to my fourth floor balcony. I lived on the ocean so I could take in the salt air and listen to the sounds of the ever-changing sea. I furnished my apartment with orchids and spent time on my balcony looking down at the Koi fish swimming peacefully in a pond. Moving into my new surroundings was very healing. I surrounded myself with everything I loved. The pictures of our family, orchids, & my daughter, Jenny, moved in with me.
~ Keeping faith in myself alive: trust my instincts; rely on my self-confidence: eventually retrieve my abundant optimism and stay hopeful, seeing the glass half full.
Advertisement
Spending time alone was the key in my healing. I thought and thought. I truly grieved my loss.
I was afraid. I thought about my fears. I worried about my daughters facing life without a father. I was now both mom and dad! Should I stay in Honolulu or should I move to Chicago to be closer to my family? Questions and more questions whirled through my mind.
After several months of indecision and a lot of soul searching I began to live into my answers and made realistic decisions. This process took one year of my life. So please don't rush the healing process.
I knew at a year that I had reached the fourth step...acceptance because...
On the one-year anniversary of Michael's death I stood up for the Rabbi's final prayer between my 2 daughters. I remember my girls were holding my hands. A year of tears poured out of my eyes and flowed over my face. At the end of the service...I knew ...I accepted my loss.
It was time to move into the NOW...the present! It is a gift.
No matter what our reaction to the outcome of the Brexit referendum, whether distressed or elated, we need to understand the psychological backdrop underlying the sentiment for Brexit.
In my view, a vote for Brexit was largely a cri de coeur from those perceiving themselves to be psychologically in the domain of losses. The most important research finding about people who perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses is that they are prone to take unwise risks, hoping at least to break even. And in the minds of many, Brexit is an unwise risk.
At the risk of oversimplification, those voting for leaving the European Union can be characterized as being of an older generation, having less income, or both.
Advertisement
Few people find it easy to accept being below average. For those who set their reference points at the average, having below average income will make them feel financially in the domain of losses.
Culturally, today's Britain is very different from what Britain was like before 1970, and especially what it was like before World War II when the British Empire was in existence. For those who nostalgically remember that Britain, today's Britain will make them feel culturally in the domain of losses.
I lived in Britain in the 1970s when it initiated the process of joining Europe. I remember that Britain. It was less cosmopolitan than it is now. My landlord at the time divided time into two periods: before the War and after the War. He was nostalgic for pre-War Britain and its Empire. And he was not alone, as I could see from the reaction to British television miniseries such as "Family at War," "Upstairs Downstairs," and "Jewel in the Crown."
Immigration appears to be at the top of the list of the factors influencing those voting for Leave. To be sure, immigration has changed British culture, and for that matter culture across all of Europe. Those who remember the old Britain nostalgically will feel a loss of control, especially at a cultural level. Indeed many will feel diminished. Bluntly, many will feel like losers. That is the emotional dimension of being in the domain of losses.
Advertisement
A vote for Leave for those feeling themselves to be losers without power, a vote for Leave was an exercise in regaining control and reclaiming power. Anyone who has viewed Amy Cuddy's famous Ted Talk, will see the power poses of those supporting Brexit after the announcement of the voting results. That is what a surge of testosterone looks like, both for men and for women.
The vote for Brexit occurred because too few recognized the pain felt by those who felt the pain of being in the domain of losses and losing control.
Until a week before the vote, I was in the group that failed to recognize the extent of the pain. Being a behavioral economist, my premise was that being part of Europe was Britain's default, and because of status quo bias and fear of the unknown, the country would vote to remain in Europe.
A week before the vote, I visited Britain to give a keynote address at a Behavioral Finance Working Group conference in London. Being back in Britain for the first time in several years, I saw first hand that Leave was not only a real possibility, more likely than Remain. For those in the Remain camp, and there were many, a week before the vote worry and anxiety were ever present, alongside the feeling that surely the vote would go against Brexit.
Psychologists distinguish between two concepts: the strength of the argument and the weight of the evidence. People make mistakes when their minds become swayed by the strength of the argument instead of the weight of the evidence. To my mind, the vote for Brexit is such a mistake.
Advertisement
Richard Dawkins tells us that we are mere vehicles that allow our genes to perpetuate. If he is right, older generations should have voted to Remain, given the strong preferences of their children and grandchildren for remaining part of Europe. Yet the Brexit referendum ripped families apart, as the older generation told the young: yes we understand that your lifespans our longer than ours, but we are still voting to Leave.
For the leave camp, the pain of feeling like losers from perceiving themselves to be in the domain of losses, both culturally and financially, and without control simply trumped genetic self-interest and trumped status quo bias.
European leaders are now feeling very hurt by the Brexit referendum result, and are urging Britain to sever ties as quickly as possible. They too are psychologically wounded, and now perceive themselves to be in the domain of losses, rejected by their British brethren: A loss of love.
Everyone could now do with a cooling period. Brexit can only happen by an Act of Parliament. Members of parliament need to understand that such an act will very likely lead to a breakup of the United Kingdom. Scotland will very likely vote to leave the UK, and Northern Ireland is almost as likely to do so. Then the English and Welsh will find truly themselves in the domain of losses, big losses.
Behavioral economists talk a lot about libertarian paternalism and choice architecture. Those who believe that paternalism calls for disregarding the outcome of the Brexit referendum, but want to be libertarians by respecting people's right to choose, face a difficult quandary. Should they recommend that the British parliament not pass an Act that would initiate the UK's withdrawal from the European Union? If they cannot be both libertarian and paternalistic, what should they do?
Advertisement
Perhaps there is a clever way to square the circle and be a libertarian paternalist in this regard. It is a tall order. If there is no way to do so, then the choice boils down to which is better, being a paternalist or being libertarian. Given the stakes, and make no mistake they are very high, my instincts are that paternalism should win out.
Those for Leave might argue that the UK will be better off through Brexit, and therefore it is easy to be a libertarian paternalist in this case. Perhaps, but I would counter with a utilitarian argument that weights votes by life expectancy. And in that case, the Remain side would win out.
Needless to say, this is a very complex issue, although a good first step would be for the Remain side to acknowledge the psychological pain experienced by the Leave side. A little healing might go a long way.
Several institutions of higher education including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton have reconsidered the historical legacies of dead presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson. Homogeneous articulations of collective identity are often forged through commemorative practices that hold up specific historical figures from the dominant racial group as representative symbols of the nation in multiracial societies despite the complicated legacies of such figures. Why is it that we tend to focus on the achievements of once "great men" such as Jefferson and Wilson while forgetting the more negative aspects of their legacies in such societies? At best, this is a type of selective memory masquerading as history. But, this type of selective memory as history is also a way to advance a national identity (in the particular case of the United States) in public spaces that is rooted in white supremacist thinking predicated on the inferiority of black people and the perceived superiority of whites. In such a framework, the brutality leveled against black lives matters less than the lofty deeds of once great men.
Historians work from a body of evidence that includes both primary (documents, artifacts, or materials from the past) and secondary (texts written about the past by historians) sources. These are the building blocks of historical investigation and from these sources historians develop their interpretations of the past. Historians "do history" by considering both primary and secondary sources. It is not an act of political correctness nor is it an act of arbitrary historical revisionism to consider the actions of once great men in conjunction with the voices of marginalized groups as illustrated in the sources. That said, the reevaluation of historical figures such as Wilson has been ongoing for several decades. Both primary and secondary sources indicate that Wilson's attitude on race was regressive for his time, and more in line with the ideology of the new Ku Klux Klan. American racial intolerance and segregationist thinking was inculcated into Wilson's view of the U.S. in the world.
Advertisement
Scholars who study U.S. foreign policy such as Mary L. Dudziak and Mary A. Renda have long recognized both the relationship between domestic and foreign policy as well as the connection between race and nation. The rise of the study of race and nation as a type of subfield within historical studies of U.S. foreign policy emerged some decades ago. It is not new nor revisionist at the present to suggest that racism marred Wilsonian political achievements. Such an approach at best might be considered post-revisionist given that foreign policy historians have agreed, given the body of knowledge on the subject, that race was a factor in the development of both U.S. foreign and domestic policy in the twentieth century. Furthermore, revisionism is in large part a standard aspect of the historical method (i.e. all history is revisionist history).
Historians through their necessary analysis of secondary sources are always revising interpretations of the past. The secondary source literature regarding race and Wilson's much lauded foreign policy endeavors is every-expanding. It is an act of obfuscation to suggest that Wilson's ideas about race on the domestic scale were not interrelated to his more notable foreign policy initiatives in light of the secondary source literature. And, to suggest that Wilson's so-called great achievements should warrant lofty commemorative acts, when in fact it is impossible to disentangle his foreign policy achievements from a racism that helped to retard the development of American democracy, is a type of selective memory that has much to do with the maintenance of a homogeneous white collective identity.
Advertisement
MANAUS, BRAZIL - APRIL 23: (FILE) The jaguar Juma is seen in captivity on April 23, 2016 in Manaus, Brazil. Juma escaped while taking part in the Olympic Torch Tour and was put down after attacking a person. (Photo by Ricardo Botelho/Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images)
Yet again we face a tragedy involving captive animals. After an Olympic torch lighting event in Manaus, Juma a 17-year-old jaguar was shot and killed.
According to a statement issued by the military, the jaguar escaped as she was being returned to her cage shortly after the event. After being shot with tranquilizers, ineffectively, the animal eventually moved towards a soldier, at which point the jaguar was shot in the head and killed -- in order to preserve human life, according to the military.
Advertisement
This is a shameful incident, and reactions have been reverberating across the globe, mainly because the species is the symbol for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this August.
We must discuss two issues. We should begin by addressing this specific case, and then talk about the confinement of wild animals.
Although we don't have detailed information about what happened, one thing is clear: If the jaguar did in fact escape, someone made a huge mistake. We are talking about a predator that poses risks to human life under stressful situations. An event involving fireworks and excessive noise isn't a suitable environment for a wild animal of this size. How did she escape the enclosure?
The main line of inquiry should not focus on why the animal was shot, but rather what happened leading up to that unfortunate moment.
Regarding the shooting, despite the controversy, if there was actually a risk to human beings, sadly there was nothing else to do. I strongly believe that the decision was a tough and painful one, because the military men seem quite fond of their animals. But the main line of inquiry should not focus on why the animal was shot, but rather what happened leading up to that unfortunate moment.
What sequence of mistakes led to this tragic ending? We must have more detailed information about what happened during its chase. A tranquilizer shot could cause more stress to the animal. We must find out if the person responsible for preparing the chemical mix used the right dosage, and if the soldiers had been prepared for this type of incident. We must also find out if the safe distance between the military men and the animal was respected when the jaguar was shot. We would like to believe that both answers are affirmative, but military agencies must give us further information.
This tragedy joins a list of other incidents, such as the case of Harambe, the gorilla who died in the Cincinatti Zoo, and the lions shot dead in Chile after a man had entered the cage to commit suicide.
Some of these incidents have raised a heated debate about whether or not zoos are necessary. First of all, we must say that zoos fulfill a very important function for the conservation of wildlife. Apart from the obvious function of environmental education, the breeding programs and the genetic studies done on animals in captivity result in material of immeasurable value for the reintroduction of species and fauna recovery programs. In addition, zoos are responsible for funding wildlife conservation projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Backing the extinction of zoos comes as a result of a mix of romanticism and total misinformation. We obviously need to discuss the practices of many establishments, but that does not justify the complete elimination of this activity.
Advertisement
I can't help but wonder: What is the message conveyed by exposing a live animal as a mascot in front of a crowd?
In the case of Juma, however, the debate must go way beyond that. Although Brazil's Jungle Warfare Instruction Center (CIGS) keeps a zoo for animals rescued from hunting and trafficking, many of which cannot be reintroduced into nature, I can't help but wonder: What is the message conveyed by exposing a live animal as a mascot in front of a crowd?
Could it be a message of environmental education or protection? I don't think so. For me, the message conveyed is that of the domination of human beings over animals, clearly illustrated by the picture of the two military men holding Juma by a chain. We must reconsider, and decide if this kind of conduct is appropriate.
I am not saying that to keep these species domesticated or in captivity is always a mistake. Not all "domination" is bad. The Onca Pintada Institute (Jaguar Institute), coordinated by Dr. Leandro Silveira, is an exemplary institution that, besides conducting field research, leads excellent activities for captive jaguars, most of them orphaned due to hunting practices. The Jungle Warfare Instruction Center itself keeps wild animals for protection purposes and is therefore praiseworthy -- but that is not enough. Public display, especially in these conditions, does not seem appropriate. If one must take further actions, the most important would be to enable CIGS to reintroduce such species into nature.
I hope this sad incident can inspire change. Ideally, all this uproar about a single animal should also be used to mobilize society at large to protest against the reduction of the population of this species. In just 30 years, we have lost 27 percent of our jaguars. Many Jumas, sadly, remain invisible.
Advertisement
Icon, Button, Pictogram with Hearing Impairrment symbol
Being a patient with a hearing loss does not have to be frightening but preparation is needed. It is important to contact the hospital as far in advance as possible to discuss and request aids or services that may be needed. Hospitals should have a designated person/office to whom such requests should be made and to whom patients can contact in the event the hospital fails to provide the requested accommodations.
The following are recommended questions to ask your doctor and hospital prior to your stay:
1. Can your hearing aids/cochlear implant processors stay in/on during surgery or until you fall asleep?
If not, can they be placed in your ears/reattached immediately after surgery or as you leave the operating room? Bring a small container labeled with your name for storing your devices during surgery to avoid losing them.
Advertisement
2. Can staff wear clear surgical masks or remove them when they speak with you?
Let everyone know prior to entering the operating room if you rely on lip reading and therefore need to see people's faces. Wearing clear surgical masks or removing them when they speak with you allows you to see their lips. The entire surgery process should be discussed and reviewed with you prior to entering the operating room including, but not limited, to the IV will cause a burning sensation or the sticky tabs will be placed on your chest to monitor your heart.
3. Is a portable FM or amplifier such as a PockeTalker available?
This can improve communication even if you do not have a hearing aid and may be helpful when communicating critical medical information.
4. Is your doctor aware that your otolaryngologist or audiologist should be contacted if there is any perceived change in hearing?
Anesthesia can sometimes cause a decrease in hearing loss. Hospital personnel may need to compare or review your most recent hearing tests. You may want to bring a copy with you to the hospital.
5. How will hospital personnel be notified about your hearing loss?
All staff including nurses, doctors, anesthesiologists and recovery room staff should be aware that you have a hearing loss and how you communicate. You may have difficulty hearing when emerging from anesthesia. Hospital personnel may think you appear non-responsive or are not responding appropriately if they are not notified about your hearing loss.
Advertisement
6. Can a sign noting your hearing loss be posted above your bed?
This is especially important at night when your hearing aids or devices are removed and the night staff may be unaware of your hearing loss. Some hospitals may be reluctant to offer this without your requesting it because of patient privacy rights. The benefits outweigh the privacy issues. Healthcare providers tend to speak before checking your chart so the sign is important even if your chart is noted with your hearing loss.
7. Are the nurses aware that you may not be able to hear over the intercom?
The hospital should place a sticker on the intercom at the nurse's station indicating that you are hard of hearing or deaf. This will alert the staff not to use the intercom if you are unable to hear it. The staff will need to come into your room so the hospital may want to place you in a room near the nurses' station.
8. Did you pack a pad and pen for your hospital room?
A pad and pen will allow you and the staff to write down critical information and medical terms to ensure you hear them properly.
9. Are any of the medicines that will be used ototoxic and have hearing loss as a side effect?
If yes, can these be avoided? This information should be provided to your doctor even if they do not anticipate that you will receive medication. The situation may change and the consequences are serious.
10. What visual alerts does the hospital offer for emergencies and to alert you someone is at the door?
There are a variety of devices that can alert individuals with hearing loss to emergencies, to the phone ringing and/or to someone knocking at the door. Find out what the hospital has available and what is recommended based on your procedure.
Advertisement
11. Are assistive listening devices and/or captioning available for the television?
The remote control should have an easy to access closed captioning button. A portable DVD player or laptop with DVDs is an alternative.
Your hospital stay will be a less stressful experience if you do some advance preparation and inform the hospital about your hearing loss. Communicating your needs and limitations, and the services you require, will ensure that you and the hospital are prepared.
Earlier this month, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker spent a week in Mexico. Why Mexico? After all, the border is about 1,500 miles from his home state.
Like 28 other governors, Mr. Walker leads a state in which Mexico is either the number one or two export destination. Last year Wisconsin sent nearly $3 billion in exports south of the border, and in his state alone, 117,000 jobs depend on trade with Mexico.
This is a story repeated across the United States, making Mexico the country's second-largest export destination, accounting for nearly 16 percent of worldwide sales. Without our Mexico trade, 6 million US jobs would be at risk.
Advertisement
"Trade ties between Wisconsin and Mexico are strong, but we want to make them stronger," asserted Walker. Strong trade relationships between individual states and Mexico have been facilitated by the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- a pact between Canada, Mexico, and the United States that set the rules for trade and investment among the three countries. Signed over two decades ago, it is now a hallmark of US economic policy.
As the United States has had to compete in an increasingly globalized world, and in particular with rising Chinese exports, North American integration has been critical in maintaining the US edge. NAFTA created a regional market of 480 million people that allows for the United States to be a better competitor against countries like China.
Given this positive record, it is disconcerting that the US-Mexico commercial relationship is under attack on the campaign trail. Dangerous proposals, including a 35 percent tariff on Mexican imports, would destroy the countless jobs dependent on a vibrant relationship with Mexico. Although this may just be campaign rhetoric, Mr. Trump's proposals are already damaging the strong trust and sense of partnership developed over many years with our Mexican colleagues.
What is missing is a real, thoughtful discussion on how technology and globalization (which will happen even without any more trade agreements) are changing the labor market and how to adequately prepare workers for the new economy. This is the real discussion that needs to occur, not scapegoating an important ally.
Advertisement
Amid these dangerous messages, Gov. Walker's visit serves as a critical reminder of the importance of our North American partnerships, especially with our southern neighbor. Our relationship with Mexico has gone greatly underappreciated, and it is time to recognize - publicly - what our closest friendship means for our economy, culture, and national security.
Our economic ties have evolved drastically over time. As the Mexican economy has grown to become the 15th largest in the world, on the back of solid macroeconomic policy and enormous foreign direct investment, it has been successfully incorporated into many US industries. Of these, automotive and electronic equipment have been remarkably successful; parts for goods in these industries are likely to cross the Rio Grande multiple times before the final product is put on the market.
Mexican businesses have even become a source of investment in the United States. In fact, Gov. Walker described the goals of his visit to be: "two-fold, we want to attract new investment from Mexico into Wisconsin, while also encouraging Mexican companies with a presence in Wisconsin to maintain or expand their investments in the state." The time when the United States was the only economic power in North America is long gone, though politicians may not want to admit it. As the governor's remarks show, we are becoming increasingly dependent on Mexico not for labor, but for capital and private investment.
For many reasons, we must also celebrate and encourage Mexico's economic and social well-being. Almost 2,000 miles of shared border and a large influence in Latin America makes the country one of our most critical national security allies. The amount of cultural influence in both directions has inextricably linked our two countries' histories.
With so much at stake in our strongest friendship, we cannot continue to take it for granted. And in the face of hurtful public discourse, we must be more vocal in defending this vital connection, which, so far, shows no signs of wavering.
Advertisement
Windholz: Who could find fault with a law that improves health and safety standards in order to protect women inside abortion clinics? You would think that the pro-abortion side would want to have additional safety measures in place for women. That is not the case. The liberal leaning US Supreme Court once again protected the made up right of abortion in a 5-3 decision (against 2013 Texas law) to not make it a necessary for abortion doctors to have admitting privilege at a local hospital. Why - because it would mean something went seriously wrong with an abortion. It isn't enough that the child is killed, now the mother is in danger as well. So who cares about women more?
Last week I visited the Svalbard archipelago in the northern Barents Sea to bear witness to the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic. In many ways, the Arctic is the frontline of dramatic environmental changes that will impact everyone.
Until recently, the northern Barents Sea, one of Earth's last pristine environments, had been safely protected with ice cover. However, this is no longer the case. Due to the effects of climate change, sea ice is melting, the area is changing dramatically, and a new ocean is opening up. This enables the oil and fishing industries to expand into the far North.
This far away land and its seas are no longer what they used to be and are surprisingly not protected. Norway, due to its role in deciding what happens in these waters, has a key part to play. If we are to retain what we have left, and make the area more able to be resilient in the face of the changing climate, the Norwegian government must make the waters a marine protected area. Up to now, however it has shown a lack of political will to do so.
Giant Fishing Trawlers Bulldozing The Sea
Advertisement
Having spent 20 plus years as a climate campaigner, I didn't travel to the Arctic with rose-colored glasses. I knew the ice was melting. The Earth's 2015 surface temperatures were the warmest since modern record keeping began in 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NASA reports that spring 2016 was the hottest recorded in the Northern hemisphere.
With the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, the ancient glaciers of Svalbard are retreating. Witnessing the ice melt--with my own eyes in my new role as Executive Director, Greenpeace International--I imagined the day in just a short few decades when the Arctic will have ice-free summers and it petrified me.
Climate change is opening up the northern Barents Sea and the fishing industry is advancing further to the North each year. Which means previously untouched areas are turning into a new hunting ground. Dozens of giant trawlers are already above the 78th parallel, a historic development.
This industry is using bottom trawling as part of their practice. Bottom trawling does not mean just taking cod; it is like clear-cutting forests but underwater. The trawlers carry 100-metres long nets weighing with heavy metal rollers that smash everything in their path. They are like bulldozers of the sea. Fragile seabed communities of sea pens and corals that need decades to grow can be wiped out in seconds. And with the industry, comes trash.
Arctic Islands Are Covered With Trash
Probably like most people who don't live here, I imagined this part of the Arctic as a land of ice and snow with limited traces of human beings. I expected to see more glaciers and more majestic ranges covered in white. Instead our Greenpeace crew, campaign team and the three winners of our poster competition, found trash.
I wasn't sure how much trash we would find, but at the end of day one we had collected a large mound of trash--buoys, fishing nets, rope, glass, plastic bottles and more. The recurring piece of trash though was shoes--was this a message about our human footprint?
For Svalbard, it is estimated that about 80 percent of the trash washed ashore comes from industrial fishing. In annual Barents Sea fisheries surveys the highest litter counts coincide with areas of intensive fishery and shipping.
These items are not only a blight on the landscape, they are dangerous. Reindeer, polar bears and other animals get entangled in old fishing nets and suffocate. Birds consume toxic particles of plastic. Plastics can carry pollutants that, if ingested, may also accumulate through the food chain.
As part of our 'Protect What You Love' campaign, the team decided to organize a beach clean up to raise awareness about the consequences of bottom trawling and the trash left behind by the fishing industry.
According to UNESCO, globally, up to 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from eating plastic or getting entangled in plastic debris.
Urgent Need for Legal Protection
Advertisement
Image of a family snap photo showing the United Kingdom Union Jack and European Community flags - ripped in two as a divorce photo.
As we all try to process what has happened in the United Kingdom, it will be tempting to grasp on to a simple narrative with a simple moral for the rest of the world: it was hatred of brown-skinned people that won it. (I'm already seeing this all over my facebook feed.) And it certainly played a role. UKIP played on the worst fears of dark-skinned hordes with a poster bearing an uncanny resemblance to Nazi propaganda. White supremacists were emboldened by the poisonous rhetoric, and one of them murdered an MP. And, in the wake of the Leave vote, racial hate crimes are on the rise. But this story, though horrific and important, is not the whole story. If we focus only on it, we risk missing important lessons that need to be learned from the devastating result. (We also risk further emboldening racists, if we lead them to believe that more than half the country is with them.)
Advertisement
The "hatred of dark-skinned people" story cannot make sense of the many people from the Indian subcontinent I met when I was out leafleting for Remain, who were worried about immigration. These people weren't worried about skin colour. They were worried about strains on public services like the NHS, which they genuinely attributed to immigration rather than to the massive cuts that David Cameron has made.
And what of the parents of a friend, one of them a (brown-skinned) refugee, who voted for Brexit? Their motivation was again immigration, and their reasoning straightforward: this small island is full. We can't handle any more people. Once more, they believed the stretching of public services to be due to an influx of people rather than to cuts.
While we're on the topic of false belief, it's worth pausing for a moment more on what one of the Asian men I met said (where 'Asian' is here used in the British sense, for someone with origins in the Indian subcontinent). He told me proudly that "we" (Britain) used to rule the world, back before the EU, and that with Brexit we could do so again. That's right, he was identifying with the Empire--which he thought could be brought back by a withdrawal from the EU.
Now, a lot of this could be attributed to racism, even if not skin colour. People are swayed by racist attitudes of which they are not conscious; even victims of racism can harbor racist attitudes (even against their own group); and less-recent immigrants may well be prejudiced against more-recent immigrants. Moreover, 'immigrant' is a dogwhistle term, long-used in British (and other) politics to prey upon racist sentiments. And, finally, racism need not be understood as a matter of skin colour: anti-semitism is often considered a form of racism, and the Irish, despite their very pale skin, used to be considered non-white in America. So yes, one could tell a story on which race was at the root of each of these anecdotes. (Or, more broadly, bigotry.)
Advertisement
But the surface stories also bear examination, and we are making a grave error if we overlook them. Many of the people voting to leave the EU genuinely blamed immigration for the starving of social services, which was in fact caused by Cameron's austerity policies. Many of the people leaving the EU genuinely believed that the UK economy would be thriving and we'd be on top of the world if not for the EU's fetters. Many people were excited by the thought of saving 350 million per week, and putting this money into the NHS (the most widely reported promise of the Leave camp, a promise already renounced). These beliefs were manifestly false, and regularly debunked.
But either they never came across these debunkings or they didn't believe them when they did. This fact-insensitivity is something that we must urgently pay attention to. And a key cause of it is something also urgently in need of attention: poor and working-class people have been told for decades that the experts in charge will look out for them. They have been made promise after promise about how free trade will actually help them, and about how lowering taxes on the rich will improve life for everyone. These promises have been revealed as patently false and cynically manipulative. Given this, it is completely rational for them to distrust the elites, including the politicians, bankers, and economists who have been forecasting economic doom from Brexit. Much of our knowledge of the world is based on what others say, and of course we are often faced with conflicting testimony. When this happens, we decide whom to believe based on dubious markers of authority (like social class or accent); but also on better markers like past track record. The politicians, bankers and economists have the dubious markers of authority, but their track record gives genuinely good reason for doubt. Disbelieving them can, then, strangely almost be seen as a kind of victory for rational judgment over bias. (Almost, because those they believed were distinctly lacking in any indicators of trustworthiness at all.)
Picture this: When I was young, maybe five or six years old, I was seated at a restaurant with my mom and younger brother, happily scarfing down my favorite meal-of-the-moment. Mid-way through lunch in suburbia, an extremely tall black man walked in. I can still see him...his stature, his smile. He just effortlessly owned the place. I looked at him for a moment and went back to eating.
My brother, who was 2- or 3-years-old at the time, was in awe. He said, in his booming toddler voice, "Mommy, that man is really big!" After a long, pensive pause, he added, "And he's really black, too!"
Advertisement
Upset, I felt compelled to correct my innocent brother right there on the spot. I was an attention-seeking big mouth (not sure I have changed much) who, thankfully, was taught to judge people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
"Oh Adam," I said, standing, with my hands on my hips, demanding the same attention the man didn't ask for when he entered the establishment, "We all have the same hearts, the same noses, the same eyes, the same fingers, the same feet, the same ears, the same arms, the same [insert body part here]..." I went on and on and on, naming every single body part I could think of, down to eyelashes. In hindsight, I made a ridiculous spectacle of a comment with no malice behind it, but I remember feeling proud I knew something my brother didn't know: Skin color shouldn't matter.
The man acknowledged me and gave my mom an appreciative glance that's seared into my brain. He knew she taught me right from wrong. Even so, it didn't stop me from looking at him when he walked into the restaurant.
My mom, may she rest in peace, was sensitive about racial issues, not because she had any idea of what it's like to be black in America, but because she had an idea of what it's like to be white in America. One of the most horrifying moments of her life came when she realized her bosses at a North Carolina law firm hosted covert KKK meetings in the office after hours. She did not stay at that job. She would not, could not be complacent, as it was counterintuitive to who she was, what she stood for, what she wanted for her future. While she never experienced racial segregation, intolerance, strife, she was embarrassed by the despicable actions of white people where she lived and worked. And she did something about it.
Advertisement
My mom told us our experience on this earth will be vastly different from an African-American's, based solely on genetics. She facilitated those difficult discussions with us to ensure we understood racism as best we could from our vantage point...but she was special. Many people don't have a mom like that.
Even today, I am sure at least one white person would stare at the black man in the same restaurant, just like my brother did. It's sad, but it's reality. We are not colorblind; we are not all one race. I wish we were, but we are not. Jesse Williams is right.
Today, I am reminded of my mom's lessons, her legacy. She wasn't on the front lines of the civil rights movement, but she acknowledged the issue and did her part to do better. While I can't understand what it's like to be black, I can acknowledge the issue and do my part to do better. I encourage you to listen to Jesse Williams' riveting speech from the BET Awards, more than once, and do the same.
You are a judge - you see yourself as sober, clear-eyed and unbiased - on the verge of imposing sentence in a date rape case somewhere in America. Or a gay murder/hate crime sentence is before you. There is no jury; it is just you, the judge. In the face of recent, traumatic events is there any chance that you will extend leniency to the defendant standing in the dock - even if the case is unrelated, and even if leniency for him in his particular situation is truly warranted? Put otherwise, how willing will you be to expose yourself to the shrapnel from a tabloid-driven public's demand for vengeance - frankly, for blood lust - in the wake of fallout over the aberrant sentence in Stanford? Or the atrocity of mass shootings at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida?
As if we need to be reminded, Judge Aaron Persky sentenced Brock Turner to six months in jail after the Stanford University swim-team member raped an unconscious woman after a party. The backlash was swift, immediate and unrelenting. Judge Persky is facing a recall effort; and he was removed from another sexual assault case assigned to him after complaints by prosecutors.
Was the uproar deserved? Put it into context. Yes, the pre-sentence report prepared by a county probation officer recommended six months, and, had Turner admitted his guilt, even his victim did not initially believe he should "rot in prison," but . . . after trial and in response to Turner's statements, the victim gave a compelling and graphic description of what she went through. And Turner's father - a role model for his son? - asked for leniency because Brock had paid a "steep price" for "20 mins of action." As to Orlando - what can be said. Forty-nine people dead and dozens injured while in a gay nightclub at the hands of an American man wielding an assault style rifle who called 911 during his rampage to proclaim fealty to ISIS.
Advertisement
Yes, the current state of affairs notwithstanding, you - a judge - might in your own mind's eye imagine yourself capable of (courageously) staring down a public outcry. Let's face it: pronouncing a harsh sentence is the easiest way to quell a potential public outcry. The average judge in the crosshairs probably won't show the same integrity - an ability (or is it willingness?) - to brook the public's undoubted opprobrium in according leniency. Nor, probably, would a state court judge, now, attempt leniency in a state with a recall vote (as Judge Persky has). Should we realistically expect judges to wear "blindfolds" with unwavering commitment to judicial purpose when the public backlash will likely be unrelenting?
Judges should (and often will) be scrupulous - they should look at the proof, the statements, the factors solely concerning the defendant before him when imposing a sentence. Yet, it is virtually inconceivable that even the most focused judge imposing a sentence will be totally uninfluenced by a current event such as Orlando or Stanford; which are not only inescapably in the public's perception, but in the judge's as well.
So what can be done to make certain (or as certain as possible) that a judge looks at the person before him, and only that person? Theoretically, "the System" could impose a moratorium on sentences that might be tainted because of the headlines of the day - but we all know that is not even moderately realistic. Defendants waiting to be sentenced; all judges being prohibited from sentencing because the headlines talk about similar, yet completely unrelated events? Ridiculous, really.
Another possibility? Should judges be affirmatively required to address the elephant-in-the-room when imposing sentence? Also silly! Now, sometimes a judge will say before sentence: "I read the paper; I know X happened last week in another state or another case but I will not consider it when imposing a sentence." But, he might be doing that merely to "create a record" - a virtually unimpeachable record for an appellate court even if the comment might not necessarily be candid.
Advertisement
And when a judge does consider external factors, we want him to disclose his influences! A defense attorney would want a prosecutor to tell him exactly what he thinks about the defendant, and all attorneys - not to mention, the public - should want the same from judges. It gives counsel a fair opportunity to formulate and anticipate arguments by knowing what the judge thinks and, importantly, what outside factors he considers. It is also illuminating for the public, and allows all to know how justice is being administered.
There are judges who tell the world exactly what they think. As a case in point, remember televangelist James Bakker? PTL (Praise the Lord; People that Love), Tammy Faye and Heritage USA, the Christian Retreat Center for families. Back in 1990, Reverend Bakker was convicted for fraud and conspiracy. When sentencing him to 45-years, the judge said this: "He [Bakker] had no thought whatever about his victims and those of us who do have a religion are ridiculed as being saps from moneygrubbing preachers or priests." Bakker's appellate attorney, Alan Dershowitz, argued that this comment revealed that the judge improperly factored his own sense of religion into the sentence. Acknowledging that trial judges occasionally misspeak during sentencing without it being a basis for reversible error, the Court of appeals, with "genuine reluctance" remanded the Bakker case because the comments were "in the end, too intemperate to be ignored." As an aside, Bakker was ultimately resentenced by another judge to serve 8 years. Whatever one might thing of Bakker and the judge's view of him, the process ultimately worked because, although the judge was in error, ironically he was honest in acknowledging his prejudices (although he may not have seen them as such), which ultimately led to justice being meted out.
Earlier this month, Justice A. Kirke Bartley in Manhattan State Supreme Court presumably told the world exactly what he was thinking when he sentenced a man convicted of shooting a gay man to 40 years-to-life in prison: "I can't help but perceive or observe the parallel to the tragedy in Orlando, that parallel is revealed in hatred, self-loathing, fear and death." Was he right to consider Orlando when sentencing this particular defendant? Not for us to decide here; but by putting his considerations on the record, he at least allowed an appellate court to review what factored into his analysis. And everyone should want that.
In another context, Judge Richard Berman of the Southern District of New York spoke his mind when asked to allow wealthy businessman, Reza Zarrab, who had passports from Turkey, Iran and Macedonia to remain out of jail, under house arrest, while awaiting trial. Zarrab was charged with defrauding the United States through a scheme to allow Iran to access U.S. financial networks for the purpose of evading sanctions. While awaiting trial, he offered to: post a $50 million bond secured by $10 million in cash, restrict travel, surrender all passports and submit to home detention with GPS monitoring coupled with the retention of a security company to insure compliance. Judge Berman rejected the proposal, concluding that there was no set of circumstances which could insure Zarrab would appear for trial. And in doing so he noted, in bold letters: "Most importantly, the Defendant's privately funded armed guard proposal is unreasonable because it helps foster inequity and unequal treatment in favor of a very small cohort of criminal defendants who are extremely wealthy. . ."
Advertisement
Inequity and unequal treatment for a wealthy cohort of criminal defendants? By using these words, Judge Berman may have opened himself to criticism - to the question of whether he was addressing the circumstances of this particular defendant or rather general concepts of justice for rich vs. poor. And since Judge Berman had already concluded that there was no guarantee that Zarrab would return for trial absent incarceration, perhaps he was using those words to make a broader point. In either case, Judge Berman conveyed to the parties, an appellate court and the public exactly what factored into his decision so that, if he impermissibly considered issues to cause "reversible error," his ruling can be addressed.
Now, of course, one can never know for sure what is in a judge's mind when he sentences any more than one can always know what is in the mind of his spouse or close friend. But given our 24-hour (incessant?) news cycle, and the news "alerts" we see every time we look at our phones (which for some of us is, all the time), it is virtually impossible to believe that judges are not influenced by the stories of the day, no matter how unrelated they may be to the defendants before them.
In criminal justice - even more than anywhere else in our justice system -
'truth' should always be the coin of the realm! Most judges will impose a sentence based solely on what is before them. Others may straight-out tell counsel the inherent and external factors bothering them (maybe, viscerally). But the most difficult is when judges say nothing about public events. If the defendant before the judge is a college student with facts similar to Stanford or a Muslim man on a charge of gun possession, everyone deserves to know the judge's mind.
Should (or can) judges be required to recite every factor that goes into their thinking? Of course not. But when there is something in the news, something glaring at us from every headline that remotely touches a defendant, the judge should at least self-examine concerning the elephant in the room and the impact it might be having on her thinking.
Advertisement
That cat expert, Layla Morgan Wilde, happens to be my wife and we both feel that these cats have gotten a bad rap, associated as they are with the dark side; witch's familiars (as if there's anything wrong with that) and all that other stuff that feeds into primal fears and prejudices. Currently, in the United States, black cats are 50% less likely to be adopted in a shelter setting.
Layla, founder of catwisdom101.com wants to make a difference and has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for a book, Black Cats Tell All, that will highlight just how adorable, inspirational and downright adoptable they are.
Here's Layla's take on all this:
It's time for a new perspective. Black cat lives matter and to judge a cat simply by the color of their fur is discrimination. The world is full of fear or ignorance of something or someone different. We fear what we don't understand. That mysterious unknown gets twisted and embedded culturally, generation after generation. That's how myths are created, like the superstition that black cats are evil. Black cat lives matter. It's time to stop the prejudice.
This collection of 22 positive, black cat stories (a first of its kind) will be narrated by the felines themselves and among those telling tales will be Cole; of Cole and Marmalade fame. This feline duo, made famous by Chris Poole on YouTube (88 +million YouTube hits) has joined with Layla to further this non-profit educational effort.
Other notable supporters of the effort include Gwen Cooper, New York Times, bestselling author of Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat. Cooper has written a glowing, book blurb for Black Cats Tell All.
Perks for supporters include an autographed collectible, donated by Francesco Marciuliano, writer of the New York Times bestseller, I Could Pee On This: And Other Poems by Cats. Scott Metzger, syndicated cartoonist, has also created some art work to be given out as perks.
Passionate about her goal to rebrand black cats, Layla sees the publication of the book as a first step in a comprehensive outreach effort to convince potential adopters to look beyond the prejudice and misconceptions and consider providing a black cat with a forever home.
Advertisement
Layla, who grew up in Canada, has been doing good things for felines since she founded the Toronto-based, non-profit, Annex Cat Rescue in 1997, and has continued her advocacy on behalf of this furry community since arriving in New York in 2001; including a memorable appearance - with one-eyed cat Odin - on a 2011 Daily Show segment, "Sophie's Choice," which also featured cat celebrity/hipster Jackson Galaxy.
A few days ago, we woke up to a new world. Britain had voted to leave the European Union. Some were pleased, many were deeply concerned. What is likely is that many will be affected. Some wonder if the EU will survive. It will take months if not years to fully understand the ramifications.
Here we are asking: What does this mean for the US? Which of the same elements that ushered in a successful Brexit vote also exist in the US? Does the UK's successful Leave vote make the Presidential campaign of Donald Trump, built on anger and fear, more mainstream? Would a Trump presidency be the American parallel of England leaving the EU? It is clear that anxiety, frustration, anger, and fear played a large role for many in the UK voting to leave. In the US there have been a number of studies showing anxiety, frustration, anger, and fear are playing a large role in our current election cycle, too. And while those sentiments might appear more extreme among Trump supporters, and are expressed in different ways, frustration and anger are also evident among Bernie Sanders supporters as well.
Advertisement
This begs a more central question: what is the underlying force fueling these feelings? The reasons most often cited are the economy, huge rates of inequality, fallout from globalization, and the belief that governments are no longer responsive to ordinary people, but instead work for the elites. From the right, there is also a particular anxiety about a perceived Other, a feeling that Other groups are taking away the dominant culture, and that a collective sense of self is being threatened.
These reasons are all related, but they are not reducible to each other.
In Europe, concerns about the immigrant and the refugee Other, especially Muslims, has been a staple story of the right for some time. In the US, anxiety and discontent about the election of President Obama as the first Black president, and the decline of the percentage of the white population, continue to be a staple of the right, and one that has taken on a more explicit role under Trump.
The right wing has been more than willing to stir up and capitalize on these feelings. And to many on the right these feelings are not solely about a loss of economic security, and the loss of a government that responds to their needs, but are also what some would call an existential fear--"Who are we? We are losing our soul as a white, Christian, Protestant country to the Other."
This position that some call existential I am prepared to call deeply spiritual or ontological. We all have and we all need a sense of who we are. Many liberals assume this existential position is derivative of other concerns, in particular economic ones. This is important to note. If our ontological concerns are only a product of economic concerns, then the way to address these concerns is through an economic response. This assumes we are what we have, that our belongings are more important than our belonging. If people's response to ontological concerns is inconsistent with their economic wellbeing we write books and think pieces about what's the matter with those folks. We assume they are irrational, acting not just against their economic interest, but against their self-interest.
Advertisement
For far too long, many in elite circles have argued that globalization would benefit the average worker. We were told that in the long run globalization would be good for us, and that the government cannot do anything about the forces at work in the global economy. The choice that has been given to most people is: either accept globalization or a dysfunctional nationalistic economy. As we deal with toxic inequality spreading around the world, it is clear this position is clearly wrong. I have written that globalization can take many different forms, and that our government could support a globalization that is more sensitive to the needs of ordinary people. Folks here are still reacting to why we used taxpayer money to save the banks, but not the ordinary homeowner or renter. In Europe, after the 2008 financial crash, policies of austerity appeared to be more concerned about elite credit institutions than the suffering of ordinary people. People feel betrayed either by their governments or by other institutions in alignment with the elites.
It might be useful to think about how we organize ourselves socially. I believe our sense of self is organized around at least three related, but different axes: one is economic, one is political, and the third is ontological. Along the economic axis, the global economic system does not work for ordinary people. Along the political axis, the government appears to have been captured by the elites, and is not responsive to the needs of ordinary people. And along the ontological axis, the place where we are concerned about who we are as a nation and culture, there are those who define their ontological position against the Other, and there are also those who don't, but who may not engage with ontological concerns in a meaningful way.
People who voted for leaving the EU and people who support Trump have concerns along all three axes but the most important, and the one most easily exploited, is the third--who we are becoming. Who belongs. This suggests that we must take these concerns seriously, and not reduce them to just one of the other axes.
To recognize someone's anxiety is not to adhere to it. Anxiety can move in different directions. Which direction it takes is driven by the story we tell. One story is about the Other taking from us, not just our stuff, taxes and jobs, but our culture and soul. This is the right wing position. Members of the right assume this position on principle (they believe it) or for strategic reasons (it serves some purpose such as getting elected). This story is divisive, and it's meant to be. This is an Us and Them story, a story of winners and losers, and it's based on fear and anger.
Advertisement
There is another story, one more likely adopted by liberals. That story is about focusing on the economy, and it makes overly rational arguments. It asserts that the fear of the Other is just irrational, if not racist. This story prefers not to talk about the ontological anxiety, as it sees this as divisive and not real. It also adopts this position either on principle or for strategic reasons as well. The principle reason is a belief that this anxiety is derivative, and that we can address all concerns through a rational discussion about the economy. The strategic position is that even if anxiety is real, it is simply too divisive to discuss and should be avoided. This position leaves the engagement with anxiety to the right. This is a dangerous mistake.
There is a third story, and it is the one that I advocate. This story recognizes that there is growing anxiety. This story recognizes that change is happening very fast and can be difficult. This story rejects the Us and Them. Without reducing us to the same, this story also recognizes that we are connected--and not just economically, but also more fundamentally: we are connected as people.
To make this story work requires real effort, starting with acknowledgement. There is a common suffering, and there is also a possibility to more consciously connect. This story is based on bridging, promoting empathy and love and an emerging shared vision of a future. It will build on our example of the past. It is slow to demonize someone for having anxiety.
This story also acknowledges that we must address economic and political realities. Both the economy and the government should be structured to serve people, not the other way around. We must have governing structures that are responsive to people and not captured by moneyed interests. Our government should support the civil rights of all members, yet there must be a way to do so that extends the possibility that this approach is about all Americans. If there are policies that support immigration and resettlement of refugees, how do we talk to and engage working class whites that might feel threatened? Certainly simply asserting that those who have anxiety are morally suspect is not adequate.
While the government promotes inclusion, it must stride to make it clear that including a group does not entail disregarding other groups. I am aware this is not easy, especially if one group defines its well-being based on the exclusion or subordination of other groups. But we are reaching for a different story. This story must appeal to our better angels and talk to both our conscious and unconscious. We must all be given space to participate and shape this story. But this story also knows that political leadership and social architects play an important role.
Advertisement
In this story, we must have an economic system that works. An economic system where wealth is shared. Certainly there are unknowns and risks, but those with the most financial resources should be charged with taking on more of the risk and burdens. (Think of what this would have meant in the last recession.) The elite should not be able to capitalize on all the growth but socialize all the risk.
And while national interest will continue to be important, we must also begin to think about people globally. We should make sure that as we create new structures for capital, that we have parallel structures for people. If we need to defer benefits, we should look to those most able to bear the time and cost. We should work towards limiting the influence of wealth in the democratic space. Wealth should become our servant, not our master. The reasons for large corporations must be reevaluated. They should exist for the benefit of the common good and not simply to maximize profit for a very few. And this story acknowledges these spheres are interrelated--governments must set rules and structures for the economy that respond to all people.
This is the story that is often missing. People can and will change, but change is not easy. We need help. We need time, resources, and a story. We need all people to be part of the story, including the elites, in order to share in our economic, political, and cultural future. We need a government that is responsive, effective, and inclusive. We don't have that today, but the solution is not to have government go away, but to work to make it work.
When we focus on these changes, we must also devote time, thought, and resources to the questions of not just what we have, but also who we are and who we aspire to become.
This discussion is not intended as a blueprint for the future, but an orientation in the direction. Beyond Brexit and beyond the outcome of the 2016 Presidential race, we need a bridging story that gives reason for us to believe in a shared future.
By Adele Charbonneau
Target 11.7 of the SDG on cities aims to "provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, particularly for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities." Public spaces are critical in cities because they are the places where exchanges happen and society mixes. However, many cities around the world lack adequate and safe public space, restricting the opportunities of many, including women. Learn from four cities around the globe that have tried to provide safer cities for all.
In Sao Paulo, where women are the victims of more than 70% of sexual assaults that get registered through Brazil's public health system, Feminicity launched a program to make streets and public spaces safer for women. Felipe Villela says the project asks women to paste their stories around the city. Messages like, "I hear a lot of things from men, threatening to beat me up. How can a women go through such things?" were all around the streets on International Women's Day, March 8. Simultaneously, other women gathered in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia to do the same thing. The event highlighted the solidarity of women in reclaiming spaces that have increasingly become threats to their lives. Feminicity's program left behind pictures and brief testimonies, reminding passersby about the daily troubles women in these cities face all across Brazil, particularly in regards to their daily movements.
Advertisement
In Delhi, parents also insist that their daughters return home before sunset. Fear of sexual assault is as real as in Brazil. Safetipin has been working to combat that. The organization uses a map-based mobile phone app that crowd sources data from users and trained auditors to enable cities to become safer. Input from users about what they see or feel are quantified through specific indicators, like lighting or visibility, into safety audits and safety scores for hundred of 'pins' or locations across the city. In addition to providing safety information, Safetipin gathers big data that will inform urban stakeholders like the police, urban planning departments, and policymakers in their endeavors to improve safety conditions. Mukta Naik takes the example of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Public Works Department which are successfully leveraging this data to improve lighting in different parts of the city.
In Indonesia, Widya Anggraini presents two programs launched by the city of Surabaya: Women Friendly City and Women Economic Heroes, as part of a city-wide gender mainstreaming effort to overcome gender-related problems. To improve the availability of women-friendly infrastructure, the Indonesian government started to provide public facilities that enable women to do their activities based on their gender differences and needs. For instance, many of government offices are now equipped with lactation rooms as well as in some public spaces. The government also requested shopping center management to provide lactation rooms at malls. Attention to women is also reflected through the budget devoted to increasing women's welfare. On the one hand, the government supports women through appropriate and thoughtful infrastructure to ensure women are able to fully participate in public spaces, and, on the other hand, the government is partnering with the economic sector to increase household income and foster women's economic self-confidence.
Advertisement
In Curitiba, Andrea Azambuja takes the example of a group of citizens, Praca de Bolso dos Ciclistas, which turned a degraded area into a living area of cultural effervescence. It all started when Bicicletaria Cultural, a support center for cyclists, settled in the area and a group of bicycle activists began to take interested in sustainability and the social impact economy. Noticing the potential of the abandoned corner in front of Bicicletaria Cultural's headquarters as a possible living space, the group provided a construction project and sought the support of the City Hall with the help of CicloIguacu, an interface association with the government. With the endorsement of the state government, which agreed to donate the material that it had in storage and lend machinery and technical support from the municipal administration, the initial team began to schedule group operations on weekends and, within five months, with the support of over 200 volunteers, celebrated the completion of the project.
These articles presented initiatives from around the world to provide safer cities to all. Check out more of the discussion on innovations for greater equitability on URB.im and contribute to the debate.
3rd December, 1984 Bhopal, India - Three thousand Seven Hundred Eighty Seven
10th April ,1988 Ojhri, Pakistan -One Thousand Three Hundred
24th April 2013 Savar , Bangladesh - One Thousand One Hundred Twenty Nine
These dates and places probably mean nothing to you, nor probably the numbers that I just mentioned thereafter. Yet these are not just statistics - they represent the number of innocent human lives which were sacrificed on the altar of economic prosperity and political apathy. Time has turned these thousands of deaths into mere numbers and I am sure most of you will not have heard of these incidents and if you did then, would have forgotten about it by now. This apathy is the root cause of the repetitiveness of such horrific industrial disasters which decimate humanity, pollute the environment and throw up the prospect of a bleak future which we are leaving for our. children.
It is about time that we took action and prevent another Bhopal gas disaster or Ojhri ammunition dump explosion or Savar Plaza collapse from happening. More than six thousand lives were lost in those 3 days and thousands were orphaned as a consequence. Yet nothing has changed --- everyday factories continue to dump sewage into our rivers , rainforests make way for tarred roads , coral reefs get choked by concrete sea dykes , natural nesting habitats of migratory birds make way for highrises.
Advertisement
The global population has crossed 7 billion and is set to touch 9 billion by 2050. Many of our current set of policy makers may not be around to see what the world will be like in 2050, but people like me will be living through it. What kind of future are they leaving for us ? The decisions that they make today will impact and decide the future that they are leaving us as their legacy. Way back in 1987, the Brundtland report defined sustainable development as "One that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs". Yet the world has done precious little since 1987 to preserve its resources for future generations. One third of the world's current food production is either wasted or lost while 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily of hunger. Millions of climate refugees abandon their villages and migrate to urban slums in search of security and stability. Water is going to be our most precious resource in the future - quenching the daily thirst of 9 billion people in our hot planet is going to be a huge challenge and as some analysts have ominously predicted "the wars of the future may well be over water and not oil". Yet the world turned a blind eye for 30 years, while the 4th largest inland water body , covering an area larger than Switzerland , turned into a desert because the rivers feeding it got diverted for political and industrial gains. I am referring to the Aral Sea - when you were in school your geography books classified it as the world's fourth largest inland water body . But in my geography book it's pictured as a desert with camels wandering on its dry bed. I wonder how many more such lakes and rivers will disappear by the time my child goes to school?
The fact is that economic development has now translated to the development of more intensive ways of exploiting the natural environment. The current trend of economic growth at the cost of environment and society must be stopped. The rights that the developed world takes for granted such as the right to education, healthcare, economic opportunity, fair representation without gender bias, access to clean water and shelter, free speech -- all these need to be carried forward and ensured for the generations to come.
The question is : who will ensure this ? Who will safeguard the rights of future generations by reminding today's inhabitants about their obligation. The future generations cannot survive on history, they need the same pristine resources that we enjoy today. Who will stand up and gauge whether the three pillars of sustainability are working and growing in harmony?
Advertisement
Bold steps are required and it is for developed nations to take the lead and show the way. Ombudspersons must be instituted at all levels -- national, regional and international for them to become effective. They must be the voice of civil society and in order to be effective need to possess the key ingredients of legitimacy, independent authority, accessibility and transparency. We must also remember that it is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive. The Future Justice that we are looking for needs to be equitable and the same for everybody, irrespective of whether one is from the developed world or the global south. Yet I worry that we are doing too little too late.
As William Shakespeare said "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." If we are to save our tomorrow, we need to take action today. The onus is on all of us to shake off this veil of complacency and indifference and act with decisiveness to safeguard the wellbeing of future generations. If not for yourself, do it for your children!
For decades now, the Detroit-born Marc Kinchen (also known as MK) has had his own signature sound in the world of remixing other techno and house music artist's records. Kinchen has been able to breathe new life into whatever track he remixed, molding it into its own entity. After a couple decades of perfecting the "MK Dub" for these reworks, he recently branched off over the past few years into becoming a DJ, playing clubs and festivals all over the world, even throwing his own parties under his Area10 brand.
I caught up with Marc Kinchen again at this past Memorial Day weekend's Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit, a year after I last spoke with him, to talk about how the creation of his debut solo album is coming along and if he's comfortable yet in the DJ role.
We talked this time last year, what's been going on since then?
Recording the album. The MK album. I took almost four months off of touring. I signed with Sony about a year and half ago and I thought I would just record when I'm home then go do shows. That didn't work out. After like Sony kept calling like "Where's the album?", I called my manager and I'm like take the shows off, don't book anything else until I'm done. We booked off almost December until like April. I just stayed in the studio and knocked the songs out. We pretty much turned it in unofficially last week, so now we're good. I feel a lot better.
Advertisement
Once you took that time off, where was your head at when figuring out what you wanted to do for the album?
My head was to not try to make a DJ album. Styles change so much. As a producer, I know styles are in, what bass sounds are in that the average person might not really realize. I didn't want to limit myself to using like a "certain bass sound" that everyone is using now. I just wanted to make really cool dance songs.
You've always had a bit of your own signature sound or method to your remixes or tracks. How was that incorporated into your first album?
Advertisement
It's basically the same thought train that I've always had. Even when I'm going to remix, I never approach it like I'm going to try to do a really cool remix. I just try to make something that sounds good. That's how I ending up inventing the "MK Dub" because sometimes I have vocals that just don't sound, ya know, so I cut them up and try to make something that sounds good. It's the same approach with the album, except I'm working with a vocalist from scratch, so I can guide them so I won't have to chop up the vocals so much. For this album, I have vocals that work that don't necessarily need to be chopped up.
How does it feel to have that sort of control over the vocals that are being used on the tracks you are making in instead of doing other people's remixes where it's there already?
The thing is that I'm used to it because I've been producing, even when I wasn't DJing, I've never stopped producing since I was in my teens, so it's always something that I've been used to doing. I've always enjoyed it, I wouldn't say more, but in a different kind of way because I knew I had that creative control to guide the vocals where I want them. It was a little bit of relieve though to be able to do that.
How is the DJing going? Are you more comfortable with it now?
Yeah. Yeah. I'm a lot more. Before, when I would start, I would be like "I need a shot!". Now, I don't drink at all. I literally don't drink. I'm fine. I go up on stage. I enjoy it better. I'm totally comfortable.
What's your DJ sets been like these days?
These days, it's even more of do your own thing, but still playing for the crowd. There's some DJs that don't play for the crowd. They just play what they want to play because they are headlining. I don't really do that. I enjoy seeing everyone have a good time. When they're not having a good time, I'm not having a good time. Some DJs don't care. I'm the opposite. I want them to have a good time. I'll play what I think they want to hear, but sometimes the song that I played 16 million times and I might not necessarily want to hear it, I'm going to play it because I know they want to hear it. It's fun.
Advertisement
When you were first starting out as a producer, what did you have to do to break out of your own locale to be noticed in other places?
I don't know what I had to do. When I was young, I used to just listen to things I liked and pretty much try to emulate it. During that time, I used to love Kevin Saunderson's work. I used to love Masters At Work tracks. I used to listen to those songs and literally try to emulate it. That's how I learned. I was able to take the bits that I liked from songs, after I learned how to produce, and take that and incorporate it into my own thing. It made me more diverse and come up with my own sound. For the most part, a lot of the sound that I have has been inspired from somewhere else.
Imagine if you had access to a secret book that teaches Donald Trump's techniques for verbal persuasion. Would you want to read it? Well, now you can.
Donald Trump is known for saying funny things--along with hateful, vulgar, and inconsistent things, too--and as he says himself:
"I'm very highly educated. I know words, I have the best words..."
A couple of weeks ago, a federal judge released hundreds of pages of documents related to the lawsuit against Trump University. The lawsuit accuses Trump U of financial elder abuse, fraud and false advertising. But regardless of the lawsuit, as a lifelong student of marketing and persuasion, I was excited to read the newly released Trump U Playbook.
Advertisement
What words were so powerful they could get people to max out their credit cards or even cash out their 401K programs in order to buy a $5,000 starter course or $35,000 workshop?
Are these the same words Trump himself is using to run away with the presidential election?
The Magic Words
I didn't have to search long to begin finding what I was looking for. On page 99 under the sub-title "Master The Art of Persuasion," the manual lists the most persuasive words according to the Psychology Department of Yale University. They include:
You
Money
Easy
Free
Results
Save
Guarantee
This list actually contains the same words given by many marketing, advertising and communication books and courses for decades. Most make reference to a "Yale study conducted in the 1970s" but I could find no proof of this study ever being done.
It's interesting to note that many of these classic "selling" words are indeed used by Trump in his speeches too. We of course know that the wall with Mexico will be "free" because he's going to get Mexico to pay for it. We're going to have the best military and we'll "save" money because Europe will pay for their own defense. And The New York Times studied 95,000 of his words over a one-week time period and noted, "He has a particular habit of saying 'you'..."
Advertisement
In my own review of his speeches, I found he often drops the "money" bomb, specifically with the phrase "I have a lot of money..." He has said on multiple occasions:
"I'm very rich, I have a lot of money."
"I have a lot of money because I'm smart."
"I have a lot of money, and I'm not getting out."
"I have a lot of money, and I can spend unlimited money."
"I have a lot of money--much more money than all of them put together."
But there is another one of the magic persuasion words that Trump uses so often it's almost like a verbal tick: guarantee. In fact, a recent article in the Washington Post noted his many guarantees:
"I'll get Mexico to pay for it one way or the other. I guarantee you that."
"I guarantee you 100% he will say, 'Mr. President, we have decided to build our plant in the United States.'"
"I know a way that would absolutely give us guaranteed victory."
"Another plane was blown up, and I can practically guarantee who blew it up."
And most famous was his meme-worthy reference to the size of his hands and the size of his manhood, "I guarantee you, there's no problem. I guarantee you."
Advertisement
But words alone can neither persuade someone to hand over tens of thousands of dollars, nor get millions of people to support your candidacy.
Stay On Offense
The Trump U manual also teaches its sales people to maintain control of the communication and to "stay on offense." It states:
"...plan and develop questions and commands that lead people into a flow that they must deal with and respond to. Without a game plan you are required to respond to them and do much more thinking on your feet."
Later it reminds the sales person to "control the conversation" and that "...these people want you to take control." When handling questions from prospects the manual instructs:
"Answer the first excuse and then ask for the sale. If you hear them start their second excuse, say "STOP!!... Mr. Trump won't listen to excuses and neither will we."
Advertisement
Although the last precept seems especially forceful, these high pressure tactics should seem familiar to anyone who has ever bought a used car.
And it turns out, you can see this exact same approach in Trump's handling of competitors and the way he conducts media interviews. It was hard for Ted Cruz to play offense himself when he was constantly proving his citizenship, explaining loans from Goldman Sachs, denying infidelity, defending his wife, and on and on.
The Greatest Secret - We Buy With Emotions, Not Logic
When I was in my 20s I used to believe, "Do a cost-benefit analysis, show them the ROI, take away the risk and they will, logically, decide to buy." I went out of business.
Then in my early 30s I believed, "People buy for both logical and emotional reasons, you need to address them both." My companies did pretty well.
By the time I was approaching 40 years of age I believed, "People buy for emotional reasons; they only justify it with the logical reasons." My company made millions.
Advertisement
Or as the Trump U manual puts it:
"You don't sell products, benefits or solutions-you sell feelings. When we make any decision, including the 'buy' decision, we do so by an emotional process. It may not seem that way, and there may be much logical processing, but the point of decision is always emotional, and usually subconscious."
And great sales people know that emotions are contagious. That's why Trump U reminds workers to, "Deliver everything with more emotion, more energy, more excitement, and more intensity!"
Not only does Trump himself practice this principal, but it's his default attack on his rivals. Jeb Bush was once a front runner, until Trump repeatedly hit him with "Low Energy Jeb."
Now shifting his attacks to Hillary Clinton, Trump has repeatedly accused her of having "no stamina."
What other presidential candidate in history has ever thought about--let only publicly pondered--a rival's energy or stamina? Yet, to Trump--knowing that all sales are emotional sales and that emotions are contagious--it's the first thing he considers.
Advertisement
As the Trump U manual summarizes, "Just be strong and passionate. People will be left thinking, 'There's a reason he believes in this so much; I want to be a part of it."
The Takeaway
The Trump U sales tactics aren't anything new. They've been used by salesmen and women for a hundred years to push undeveloped plots of land, used cars, and all kinds of get-rich-quick schemes.
Free! Guaranteed! Money! Must call now! (Said with passion and conviction.)
The only thing new is that this is the first time we're seeing the magic words used in a presidential contest. While the other sales people (i.e., candidates) talked about their features (i.e., policy positions) in very somber presidential tones, Trump very intentionally played the emotional game.
As he said after locking up the Republican nomination, "If I acted presidential, I guarantee you that this morning I wouldn't be here."
As a scientific conference approaches, I always think back to my first science fair: I stood next to my homemade presentation of graphs and tables glued to a poster board positioned next to hundreds of others made by fellow elementary school students. An overweight Paisan from rural New Jersey, I was more looking forward to my post-presentation reward of cannoli from my favorite bakery in South Philly than I was to standing for hours on end answering questions from the judges.
Conferences these days are pretty similar to the science fairs from decades ago, just on a grander scale with better technology. For example, every year the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) brings together thousands of scientists who work with brain imaging data from around the world to share hot off the press findings that they just published or are preparing to publish. This year, 4,391 presentations will be on hand in Geneva for our annual conference. While there, thousands of us will stand next to posters as I did so many years ago, and a few lucky ones will be given the opportunity to present their work in front of a larger audience.
Most of these presentations are 12-15 minute bite-sized versions of a neuroimaging research project, which could easily be expanded to a 45-60 minute lecture. At the OHBM conferences, we have longer lectures too. Our Program Committee chooses outstanding speakers to summarize their own work in the context of the diverse field of brain mapping. This diversity is reflected in the wide range of topics at the conference spanning spatial scales (from single neurons to entire systems), behaviors (our senses, decision making, aging, consciousness, development, etc.), populations (healthy typical humans, populations with different clinical or psychiatric disorders, etc.) and of course, applications (computational models, artificial intelligence, etc).
Advertisement
Brain mappers looking at posters this afternoon during this year's Organization for Human Brain Mapping meeting in Geneva.
For me, I'm a huge fan of the fusiform gyrus - so much so that at 33, I've already spent a third of my life staring and measuring this spindle-shaped brain structure. It's probably unsurprising then that I'm looking forward to learning about new ways to measure and quantify the fusiform in the living human brain at this year's meeting. The fusiform is interesting because it's involved in human-specific aspects of cognition such as reading and functional and structural abnormalities of the fusiform have been linked to disorders like autism.
The fusiform aside, conferences aren't all about being bombarded with data. Instead, they are also about re-connecting with people from the field who you know and setting foundations for new collaborations over a coffee or a pint or even a hike. Discussions of future collaborations also happen between organizations. For example, as Geneva is the home base for the World Health Organization (WHO), both organizations took the opportunity to set up a jointly held symposium between OHBM and WHO. Representatives from the major international brain initiatives will speak to raise awareness about current research projects that impact the staggering burden of brain disorders, and what we all might be able to do to reduce these burdens in the future. After all, understanding how the brain works is a team effort - no one can do it alone.
Advertisement
This is a cortical surface reconstruction of a right hemisphere averaged across 39 adults. This image is from FreeSurfer, which is an open source software package that you can download here. You are looking at the underside of the brain, which is rotated so the back is in the left of the image and the front in the right of the image. The fusiform gyrus (FG) is outlined in red. Fusiform is latin for spindle-shaped. Emil Huschke labeled this structure in 1854 because it is wider in the middle and tapers off at the ends like a spindle.
We also can't expect every single researcher at the meeting to blog about their presentations. And that's where Kat, Tzipi, Brendan, Emma, and I come in. As members of the OHBM Communications Committee, our boots (or for me, flip flops) are on the ground as we listen to the poster presentations. Our butts are in the chairs as we listen to the lectures. All the while, our fingers - the same ones that write the code to analyze our own data and that write our own empirical papers - will be typing away to come back and report to you what happened at the OHBM conference and at the meetings between OHBM and WHO.
And it's not just the five of us. There's a whole team of us. For example, we have already begun to post interviews with a subset of this year's speakers on our blog with more to come. Additionally, content from this year's meeting will soon be uploaded to our main site, which already contains lectures and courses from past meetings.
For years, people on with Autistic Disorder - or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - have participated in home-based therapy. The concept behind home-based treatment is that it helps to facilitate behavioral intervention in the natural environment. For example, if a teenager is working toward the independent skill of doing laundry, they can practice with a counselor using their own laundry room and their own clothing. For many goals, home-based intervention is an important route to take.
Yet more and more, providers are moving toward other environment to facilitate interventions - such as the child's school, the community, or even specialized centers. According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatment and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Mary Jane Weiss, this is due to the increasing number of autism diagnosis per year and the efforts of schools to facilitate interventions for as many children as possible. While we can speculate why more interventions are leaving the home and moving into the community and centers, we do know that there are many benefits to center based services.
At Autism Family Center in the Greater Chicago Area, interventions are done across the board - at home, at schools, and at the center itself. However, specialty programs have been developed to create center-based interventions. Director of Behavior Analysis, Leighna Fischer, BCBA, explains six benefits to providing center-based programs for children on the autism spectrum.
Advertisement
The Environment Itself Provides Structure
When children work on their goals at home, the intervention usually includes a goal and a reinforcement... but that's it. A child may sit at a table working on their individual target and each time that they do a good job their behavior is reinforced. They continue back and forth like that with their therapist until their session time is up.
When programs are provided in the center, the staff have the ability to create a structure and a routine. They can even have the environment mock a classroom. This can be particularly helpful for young children who are not yet ready to go to school. While the child works on goals like learning letters and numbers, they can also practice moving through the routine of being in school (e.g., participating in circle time, craft time, etc).
For school-age children and teenagers, this quality of center-based services is beneficial after school - particularly for those whose aberrant behaviors increase due to lack of structure in the afternoons.
The Ability to Contrive the Environment
The environment does not only provide an opportunity for structure but also facilitates the ability to contrive situations not otherwise possible at home. To understand this, let's look at a specific situation:
Advertisement
Let's say Scott is learning to trace letters. When Scott sits alone with no distraction he is able to complete an entire tracing assignment. However, when his brothers - Todd & Josh - come running into the room he is unable to complete the task, gets frustrated with his brothers, and has a very hard time returning to the task after Todd & Josh finally leave.
At the center, the therapeutic team would address this by creating a very controlled environment. Scott would first be asked to sit in a room that had absolutely no distraction and complete his letter tracing assignment. Slowly, the team will introduce distractions. They may start by playing very soft music and work with Scott on coping skills to work through the distraction. Once Scott can complete the letter tracing assignment with soft music, the team may decide to play louder noises or even the soundtrack of other voices. They will continue like this as Scott learns to complete his assignments with added levels of distractions.
Generalized Skills Across People and Consistency with Current Relationships
In a home based setting, kids are exposed to the same people over and over again - namely their parents, siblings, and the therapists who visit them. However, by participating in center-based care, they are exposed to novel people every day - such as new children and other therapists. The therapists who aren't assigned to their case can jump in to help facilitate the generalization of new skills across multiple people. This means that a child who learns to be compliant with their therapist will also learn compliance across situations and relationships to encourage compliance in all matters.
On the other hand, this also encourages consistency within relationships. In other words, a parent can just be a parent. The parent does not have to be the parent, the tutor, the therapist, etc. A child goes to the center to participate in therapy and can associate their home and their parents with a place of relaxation while maintaining the skills they learn in therapy.
Academic Opportunities
Through center-based interventions, therapeutic teams are better able to assess and teach prerequisites needed to function appropriately in a classroom such as sitting in a chair, attending to the speaker, attending to activities placed in front of them, following directions, transitions, routine, schedule following, etc.
Advertisement
As mentioned above, contriving the environment, allows therapeutic teams to better teach academic skills because they are able to create an environment that truly mocks the classroom setting. Unlike at home, staff can make sure that preferred activities are completely unavailable until a child has completed the academic task they are resisting. At home, preferred activities are readily available and often create distractions. Additionally, when therapists withhold preferred activities, they can take the place of the "bad guys" so that parents are free to enjoy their family time without enforcing nonpreferred academic tasks.
Benefits to Counselors and Therapists
For many years, Autism interventions - specifically Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) - has been done one-on-one in the home. This means that a therapist arrives at the home and works solely with the child for about 3 hours then usually goes to a different household to do something similar with another child. The process can be very isolating and, unsurprisingly, ABA has one of the highest turnover rates of any industry. At the same time, ABA is an industry that relies heavily on a reduction in staff turnover in order to promote therapeutic success. In other words, children who regularly experience a change in therapists, may not be fully experiencing the benefits of an ABA program.
The perks of providing services in a center-based setting extend beyond the child to the staff - which in turn benefits the child. When staff feel they have a team to rely on, they are less likely to feel burned out and thus less likely to quit. These same therapists are more likely to feel fulfilled at work which increases their dedication to the job. Through center based services, kids have access to more dedicated and satisfied therapists and benefit from the consistency in therapeutic relationships.
Children Working Together Present Social Opportunities
When many children are at one location together, there is obviously an added social opportunity - that is an opportunity for them to interact with each other. Socializing can be particularly challenging for kids and teens on the autism spectrum. When working with their counselors, at home, kids may role play various social situations or discuss bullying at school. However, at the center, the kids can practice these things with one another.
Many of the kids we see at Autism Family Center display resistance during their first few days of center-based services. Many will immediately decide that they don't like one another. Working through this, however, is part of the goals that many kids have. Over their first few days, we start to see them accept the "annoying" behaviors of other children. Over the weeks they will develop friendships. And, among our teens, we even see them talk about the bullying they have experienced with one another. As the staff, we get to watch them discover that they have had a lot of experiences in common. It's extremely rewarding.
Advertisement
By working with - and simply near - other children, the kids who work at the center are exposed to opportunities like: working as a group, peer-to-peer interaction, peer-to-peer learning, turn taking, waiting their turn to speak, engaging in conversation, and more.
To learn more about center based services at Autism Family Center, visit the Programs Page, or contact Lauren Rabin laurenrabin@autismfamilycenter.com or Leighna Fischer lfischer@autismfamilycenter.com.
On a recent trip to New York, I was fortunate to meet with Dr. Katherine Shear, Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Dr. Shear works with those affected by complicated grief, which is defined by the Complicated Grief Center as: "something getting in the way of adapting after the death of a loved one. When grief is complicated, the pain can be unrelenting and life seems empty of any possibility for happiness. We want to help lessen the pain. We want to make it possible to honor grief as a form of love": https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/#sthash.xbs6VIEk.dpuf
I was heartened to hear a) that I was not in complicated grief, and b) that someone was addressing the problem for so many widows and widowers who can't move on.
I asked Dr. Shear many questions about grief and she kindly gave me many nuggets of wisdom concerning grief therapy. I realize that reading book after book on grief is part of my process looking for answers. In my heart I know there are no answers to getting through a loss such as mine, but in my head, I search feverishly for some miracle that will explain my pain. When she mentioned the word saudade I was intrigued enough to surf the internet for its significance and why it gave me some degree of comfort.
Advertisement
Saudade is a Portuguese expression that is almost untranslatable. The best way to describe it is: the presence of absence. It is a longing for someone or something that you remember fondly but know you can never experience again. It is an awareness of the absence of a person or thing, which puts you in a deep emotional state of sadness. The presence of absence grapples with those who should be here but aren't. It is a form of homesickness and deep yearning. You are among thousands of people but none is the one you want to be by your side. Saudade is the moment you realize how important people are in your life and the moments you have taken for granted.
According to history, the word saudade came into being in the 15th century when Portuguese ships sailed to Africa and Asia. A sorrow was felt for those who departed for long journeys, and too often disappeared in shipwrecks or died in battle. Those who stayed behind deeply suffered from their absence. The survivors had a constant feeling of something that was missing in their lives. The word is derived from the Latin plural solitates, meaning solitudes, but it is also influenced by the word salv, meaning safe. There is a dichotomy here between solitude and safety that I am trying to understand. I know the finite quality of loss, but the safe part of saudade is what inspires me. I miss Peter so deeply and want him by my side and yet I am grateful for the moments I had with him. His absence is a presence in my soul and my heart that I will treasure forever.
Saudade is not nostalgia where you reminisce about happy and sad emotions. You remember the happiness but feel the sadness knowing you can't recapture the feeling. Nostalgia expresses a sensation one has for a loved one who has died while saudade is the knowledge that Peter is absent from my life. Saudade provides comfort because even in my sorrow, I sometimes feel an incongruous rush of joy in the hope of recovering something that will fill the presence of his absence.
Advertisement
This article was posted in Ms Magazine on June 14, 2016 by Achie Gezahegne, Rise Up Girl Leader (Let Girls Lead is an initiative of Rise Up, which advances health, education and equity for girls, youth and women everywhere).
I still have a vivid memory of a room filled with over 35 girls, each with her own powerful ideas, strong presence, and remarkable depth. We all came together for a Let Girls Lead training with the aim of solving the problems facing girls in Ethiopia. But little did we know that the event would come to redefine our perceptions of the power of girls.
The strength of our voices together was contagious. I felt amazed not only at what I observed before me, but also imagining what was possible. The power to question, speak, refuse and fight was innate, though buried in social and ethical barriers. Our power had been covered by fear, struggle and abuse. My own power was obscured in a web of economic and social burden, traditional barriers, expectations and stereotypical misrepresentations.
From the girls' training to the Ethiopia National Girl Summit to the World Government Summit in Dubai, Rise Up enabled me to go on the journey of a lifetime to represent Ethiopian girls. I held discussions in schools to get the perspective of others like me, I traveled to New York for the Commission on the Status of Women, and I returned to Ethiopia to participate in the global Financing for Development (FFD) meeting, all to advocate for girls' rights and potential. The FFD meeting offered a hands on experience in the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as I and other Rise Up girl leaders spoke with delegates, ambassadors, local and international ministers and policy makers, UN officials, all of whom had a say in the negotiation, development and approval of the SDGs.
Advertisement
We, as girl leaders fighting for other girls in Ethiopia and around the world, set out to contribute to the process of putting girls at the center of these global goals for 2030. I believe we have succeeded.
After the adoption of the SDGs in September of 2015 with girls at the center, the next steps are integration and implementation. The coming fourteen years will delineate a new outline for the world if these ambitious goals are strengthened by potent implementers and joint contribution from governments, civil societies and the people of the world.
In my own way of being a part of this and continuing with what has been a very rewarding experience, I am going to finish my undergraduate degree in either Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering or Civil and Environmental Engineering - fields not usually encouraged for women. Then I want to join in my country's journey of eradicating poverty. Hand in hand with others, I would like to start up an institution to help girls defeat their challenges by peer counseling, mentorship, guidance, and training.
I am optimistic that by 2030, girls will take a step forward in transforming communities at the national and international level. In Ethiopia by 2030, I want to see girls dressed in their traditional wear going to school safe and filled with hope, never having to choose between being an Ethiopian girl and being successful. I want to see an Ethiopia where girls' education is not hindered by harmful traditional practices or cultural beliefs that force girls to follow in the footsteps of their mothers. I want to see the eradication of female genital mutilation and child marriage.
Advertisement
I believe with strong implementation and government dedication, with the inclusion of girls in policy making, 2030 will be the start of a new era in Ethiopia in the consolidation of democracy and realization of national goals. It will mean taking one more step forward in the journey of transformation from a world of male domination to a world dominated by good ideas, and by women and men working together to implement them.
______________________________________________________
Achie Gezahegne Gebre is a graduating high school honor student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia who has volunteered for the Young Women's Christian Association of Ethiopia for two years, in coordinator and leadership positions for diverse programs. She is an award-winning essayist dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls in education and health.
Ugly but tasty food that is normally being thrown away
Ugliness has always been linked to nastiness and perversion. We've all seen the typecasts of the handsome good guy and the unattractive bad guy in Hollywood movies over the years. (Somehow, this formula is not as straightforward when it comes to the representation of female characters -- evil or malicious women can also have seductive attributes.)
Ugly fruits and vegetables are morally discriminated against. That is, they are treated with prejudice because of their unattractive appearance. As a result, 1.3 billion tons of food are tossed in the trash around the world every year.
Advertisement
These ugly fruits and vegetables can't compare with the dominant canon of fruits and vegetables. The latter look beautiful, and with their appearance comes an expectation for succulent tastes. As a result, millions of food items are pushed aside and thrown in dumps because they do not meet the aesthetic criteria of shape and color. Such aesthetic requirements are dictated by consumers and by retailer prerequisites. It is therefore more profitable to have identical merchandise that is easier to pack and store. For this reason, large-scale harvesters automatically get rid of vegetables and fruits that fall from grace.
There's an assumption that beauty and quality are connected by an unbreakable bond.
In my view, the criteria for what is ugly or beautiful is controversial. Some vegetables deviate from the required criteria -- these may include: An attractive carrot with two heads, a tomato with a horn, a twisted pepper, a gigantic and crooked cucumber or zucchini, sunburned Swiss chard or some spinach with tips weakened and rendered pale by the harsh sunlight.
But what is or is not acceptable is a cultural matter, and therefore can be changed. The differences we see in shape and color within one plant group (among apples, for example) makes us believe that ugly and beautiful fruits and vegetables will taste differently; the ugly ones will not be as tasty and may even be harmful for your stomach and health. There's an assumption that beauty and quality are connected by an unbreakable bond. Ugly fruits and vegetables are surrounded by negative stereotypes that breed fear and suspicion.
More and more people are becoming aware of this absurd discrimination against ugly vegetables, and the associated waste of tons of produce. For example, a well-known European supermarket chain has taken on the challenge of giving authentic rights to unattractive fruits and vegetables by offering them at more attractive prices. They are giving vegetables the right to be consumed, independently of their color or shape, and to be enjoyed without prejudice or discrimination. This initiative is undoubtedly inspired by the efforts of the European Union (2014 was the European year against food waste).
Advertisement
In my opinion, awareness, the feeling of self-efficiency, and responsibility are necessary ingredients for action and therefore for citizens' political participation.
There is a similar project run by the Portuguese company Fruta Horrible (Horrible Fruit), which uses ugly foods to help families who cannot pay full prices at the supermarkets.
It's obvious that the initiative by the supermarket chain mentioned above is based on commercial interests; interests that, without a doubt, we consider as legitimate. We look at this project from a pragmatic point of view: If it expands, if many other chains join this commercial adventure, many people around the world would have the opportunity to eat fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, and not only every once in a while.
Movements emerging in major cities, such as the ugly food movement, are very inspiring. This countercultural gesture subverts the relationship between the attractiveness of the food and its ability to nourish. If this movement grows, it would have obvious consequences for food, but it would also have a significant impact on the beliefs and attitudes of many human beings.
In my opinion, awareness, the feeling of self-efficiency, and responsibility are necessary ingredients for action and therefore for citizens' political participation.
Advertisement
Maybe our country would like to participate and launch campaigns so that consumers, distributors and sellers modify their beliefs and give ugliness a chance.
Medicine
After a long dry spell, the pharmaceutical research industry has brought to market a spate of innovative treatments that can extend life and often have fewer side effects than older treatments. But these medicines are not affordable to most of the people who need them. Recent treatments for hepatitis C and cancer - both widespread conditions globally - can cost from $50,000 annually to well over $150,000.
At the other end of the spectrum, the generic pharmaceutical industry is losing interest in manufacturing older, off-patent medicines because the market price has been slashed to a level that it no longer provides an incentive to produce them. The result is either low-quality medicines, or no medicines at all. Two clear examples of this phenomenon are Benzathine penicillin, the antibiotic of choice for certain bacterial infections, and methotrexate, used to treat arthritis, psoriasis, and certain cancers. These products, still needed and often prescribed, are frequently unavailable in health systems.
Advertisement
These recent trends represent a two-fold setback: on the one hand, new medicines are out of reach of even the wealthiest countries, on the other, older medicines are in great shortage.
A study published in PLOS Medicine at the end of May shows that the prices of two new medicines for treating hepatitis C vary greatly between countries worldwide, raising serious concerns about the viability of reducing the global hepatitis C burden. After adjusting for average 2015 exchange rates and purchasing power, the study reveals that the cost of treating the entire hepatitis C infected population in each of the 30 countries examined would range from 10.5% of total pharmaceutical expenditure in the Netherlands to 190.5% in Poland.
Some governments have found national solutions to high prices, like Australia, where the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is the single negotiator and purchaser of drugs for the country and makes medicines available at fixed prices.
Others are seeking solutions for specific medicines, like Colombia's recent plan to allow a generic copy of the cancer drug Imatinib. The current price of the branded medicine for one year of treatment per patient is more than double the nation's per-capita income.
Advertisement
Others still have put in place mechanisms to address drug shortages. In the United States, which has been experiencing increasing drug stock-outs, the Food and Drug Regulatory Authority has established a fast-track review process for medicines in short supply to incentivise companies to keep producing them.
But from the point of view of global public health the way forward must be comprehensive and sustainable if we are to eradicate treatable infectious illnesses, effectively address the upsurge of non-communicable and chronic diseases and care for our aging populations.
Amid public outcry, political battles and media articles, no one seems to understand how, exactly, medicines prices are set. For years, pharmaceutical research companies have cited the large investment of time and resources that go into bringing a drug to market. More recently, they argue that their medicines are actually saving money by preventing expensive medical interventions like surgery and hospitalization.
But whatever the argument used, the price setting mechanisms for commodities that are inextricably linked to people's health and survival must be made more transparent so that we can, as a global community, devise effective solutions.
To that end, the World Health Organization is planning to convene governments, patient groups and industry stakeholders to develop a fair pricing model that can affordably deliver the medicines needed by patients while keeping companies interested in developing new and better treatments and producing generic treatments. That model will need to hinge on greater transparency in industry's research and development and marketing approaches; it will also need to understand what the inputs are into price setting, as well as the barriers companies face in bringing new products to market.
Advertisement
In late 2015 we entered the era of sustainable development, with universal health coverage at the center of global health efforts. That means that by 2030, the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, all countries must be able to provide full coverage for quality health services to their entire populations. The only way we can reach that objective is to enter a social contract between the public and private spheres so that innovation and generic production can respond effectively to global public health needs - both in the quality and effectiveness of the treatments, their availability, and their affordability.
For far too long, far too many lives have been cut short by the plague of gun violence in the places we live, work, play and love. We can't wait for Congress to act on gun control; it's time for the rest of us to take responsibility. For me, it means addressing gun violence as the public health emergency it is.
The mission of public health is to protect and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of entire populations. When public health professionals notice a troubling trend, we can't sit on the sidelines. We must take action. When we saw that thousands of people were dying before their time due to smoking each year, we aggressively disseminated information about the harms of smoking, implemented new treatment tools and collaborated with lawmakers to raise taxes and ban smoking in public places. Our multipronged approach worked - the adult smoking rate in New York City declined by 35% between 2002 and 2014, and the youth smoking rate fell by 53% from 2001 to 2013.
There's no reason our country can't take a similar multipronged approach to prevent gun violence. Community-based interventions like Cure Violence, a program started in Chicago by Dr. Gary Slutkin, are part of this effort. In New York City, Cure Violence aims to reduce gun violence in 17 neighborhoods that account for more than half of the city's shootings through a collaborative of community organizations and government partners delivering wraparound behavioral and social support services which have been shown to reduce violence.
Advertisement
We do this through the use of "credible messengers" and community mobilization techniques that aim to mediate conflicts between individuals and groups and prevent retaliatory violence before it occurs. Since its launch, the NYC Cure Violence program has grown to become the largest replication site in the world. Last year, Mayor de Blasio and the City Council expanded the successful NYC Cure Violence program to give even more New Yorkers the opportunity to live in a community not plagued by gun violence. Working alongside city agency partners and with our community partners, we're confident that New York City will remain the safest big city in the country.
However, community-level interventions are not enough. Public health improvements take time and require long-term investment, sustained action and strong collaboration to see results. We need stricter gun control in the United States to prevent these senseless killings. We must prevent civilians from purchasing guns that have no purpose other than to kill people quickly and in large numbers. Additionally, we need data to inform and understand the impacts of our efforts. An unnecessary, longstanding ban on federal research has prevented the Centers for Disease Control from funding studies on nationwide gun violence for more than two decades. I support the American Medical Association's fight to lift this unnecessary ban. Ignoring the problem of gun violence won't make it go away.
Welcome to 21st century America - where we have longer lives than ever before, and more hopes for healthy aging. We are, happily, the beneficiaries of medical and scientific breakthroughs that have given us life spans that not long ago would have been the stuff of science fiction.
But we also face serious challenges, such as a growing number of seniors struggling to find and afford much-needed care. The well of healthy aging that is giving us vitality later into life too often eventually runs dry. When it does, we need care. This is why home care must continue to disrupt the elder care industry and provide value to seniors, families, and society. Along the way it is also disrupting healthcare itself as quality elder caregiving has a profoundly important role to play on the health management and cost savings sides.
Enter the Value of Home Care Report launched last week at a briefing on Capitol Hill that included Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY-23) who joined the Home Care Association of America (HCAOA) and the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) who collaborated on the report. The key take-away is the role of home care has as an essential solution for the nations' elder caregiving crisis.
Advertisement
The Ernst and and Reed Bills, create a tax credit for long-term family caregivers. This credit would take a huge burden off the backs of tens of millions of family caregivers, who suffer from high rates of depression and declining physical health. As documented in the Value of Home Care Report, working family caregivers are 50% more likely than their non-caregiver colleagues to experience daily physical pain. They also suffer from subtle but equally intrusive bouts of mental and emotional anguish.
Furthermore, the report highlights the growing importance of the solution of formal elder caregiving, needed even more as demographic and cultural changes increases the burden on family caregivers. As in the report, "The ratio of potential family caregivers to those over 80 will steeply decline from 7:1 today to 4:1 by 2030, and seniors live an average of more than 280 miles from their nearest (adult) child." Mobility is a fact of modern American life; let's now build that into a more reality based elder caregiving model.
The new report describes how home care connects dedicated profession with aging Americans in need of care: helping maintain more active and therefore healthier lifestyles, as well as providing cost effective daily support for those suffering from multiple chronic diseases. Alzheimer's, non-communicable diseases, the deterioration of skin, bone, and muscle mass, and aging's oral and vision conditions all lead to elder care needs, which can be efficiently provided through home care.
The elder caregiving story on Capitol Hill this week also revealed insights about the best of American innovation. In the process of improving lives, this uniquely American form of innovation - home care - is creating U.S. jobs, while exporting this quality care model across the planet. Wednesday's briefing shattered the myth that innovation is somehow the domain of tech startups and billion-dollar unicorns. Instead, it underscored that the home care sector is developing new solutions and shaking up outdated approaches, even if that innovation is low-tech or no-tech. For example, Home Instead Senior Care, hardly an Apple or a Google, has just won Queen Elizabeth's Award for Innovation because they're changing the way we provide care to those who need it.
Advertisement
By disrupting the way care is provided seniors, home care is improving quality of life even as it is generating economic benefits for all of society. Elderly Americans receiving home care generally need fewer trips to the doctor and are admitted to hospitals at a lower rate. As the HCAOA reported, in 2008 alone, home cares services saved the United States $25 billion in hospital costs. No doubt that with updated reporting and analysis we will find that number and others like it exploding.
Additionally, over the next decade, home care jobs will be a major economic driver, increasing at a rate four times the cross-sector average to reach 2.3 million by 2024. Further, seniors and their families will largely pay for this growth, rather than government funding. And perhaps the biggest innovative disruption is that this industry allows seniors to age where nine out of ten want to - at home. As Peter Ross, HCAOA President and CEO of Senior Helpers said at the Hill Briefing, "Home care enables people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, exactly where they want to be."
Nor is it coincidental that the innovative home care industry is changing who works and how. The report takes note, providing a voice to often-overlooked family and professional caregivers, ranging in age from 26 to 92. Take Mary Hartsock a caregiver for Right at Home In-Home Care & Assistance and profiled in the report - who chose a second (or was it a third?) career in home care, and continues to work in the field into her 90s. Or 26 year-old Patty Meadows of Homewatch CareGivers International, who switched to home care from an institutional setting, citing a sense of connection with her home care clients. The report also spotlights Lynn Wright, who says that her mother's home care aide, Tracey Read of BAYADA Home Health Care became more like a family member than an employee.
In Colorado as in other states, it has been observed that very often "Corporations write laws, legislators enact them, and the courts enforce them."
Since the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) began writing state preemption laws to override local bans on tobacco in the 1970's, the group has worked with every kind of industry to draft model state preemption laws to override local governments in the service of the corporate bottom line.
The trend has escalated, said Mark Pertschuk, director of the watchdog group Preemption Watch: "2015 saw more efforts to undermine local control on more issues than any year in history," He noted "....just a few weeks into 2016 state legislative sessions [it became} clear that ending local authority will continue to be the go-to strategy for state legislators and their special interest allies, as a means of blocking earned sick days, minimum wage hikes, tobacco and fracking bans, pro-worker policies, or anti-discrimination laws."
Advertisement
The proposed Colorado Community Rights Amendment is a response to decades-long efforts to suppress local government. The initiative would secure the right of cities and counties to protect their health, safety and welfare without corporate preemption, so long as "local laws do not restrict fundamental rights or weaken existing legal protections for natural persons, their communities, or nature."
The Colorado Community Rights Amendment reinforces the people's basic right to self-government as stated in the Colorado Constitution, Article II Bill of Rights:
"All political power is vested in and derived from the people; all government, of right, originates from the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole."
Following is a list of some legislative and judicial preemptions of local government in Colorado.
Colorado Legislative & Judicial Preemptions of Local Government
State Preemption of Community Broadband
Telecommunications companies, i.e., Qwest and Comcast, lobbied the 2005 Colorado legislature to pass state preemption of municipal broadband, pending success of a restricted voter referendum process.
Advertisement
State Preemption of Local Gun Safety Laws
In 2003, an ALEC-NRA model bill for state retroactive preemption of local gun safety laws (SB-03-25) was signed by Colorado Governor Bill Owens, rendering local gun ordinances unenforceable. Denver challenged the preemption law in court, keeping its bans on assault weapons and open firearms carry only after a tie vote in 2006 when a Colorado Supreme Court justice recused herself.
AgGag Laws - Factory Farming
The ALEC model bill, "The Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act" seeks to criminalize as "terrorists" whistle blowers who reveal abusive/dangerous conditions at animal facilities. The Colorado Agricultural Protection Act of 1981 C.R.S. 35-3.5-102 voids any local ordinance "that makes operation of any agricultural operation a nuisance," with narrow exceptions.
Minimum Wage Preemption
A Colorado law SB99-014 passed in 1999 prohibits enactment of a minimum wage by any local governing body, initiative, referendum, or any other process.
Preemption of Bans on Mining with Acidic Chemicals, e.g., Cyanide
Acidic wastewater from cyanide heap leach gold mining at the Summitville Mine in the San Juan Mountains killed off aquatic life in 17 miles of the Alamosa River by 1990. Bans of toxic chemical/canide for mining in five counties - Conejos, Costilla, Gilpin, Gunnison and Summit - the latter challenged by the Colorado Mining Association - were overturned by the Colorado Supreme Court in 2009 on the basis of state preemption of local law.
Preemption of Ban on Fracking
A Greeley ban on oil and gas extraction enacted as a local ordinance in 1985, both by ballot initiative in a home rule city, and by city council action, was overturned by two 1992 Colorado Supreme Court cases, Voss v. Lundvall Bros. Inc and Bowen/Edwards Assoc. Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners of La Plata County, holding that the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Act (O&GCA) preempts any outright ban as well as any local regulation that creates an "operational conflict" with O&GCA. Fracking bans and moratoriums in Longmont, Lafayette, Fort Collins and Broomfield have all been challenged in court by the Oil & Gas industry.
Advertisement
Preemption of Rent Control
A 1981 Colorado law prohibiting control of rents by counties and municipalities was enacted as a reaction to a Boulder citizen initiative to enact rent controls. A 2000 Colorado Supreme Court decision held that the state statute prohibiting local communities from enacting rent control preempted a local ordinance enacted by the City Council of the home rule city of Telluride that would have required the building of a percentage of affordable housing in a new development.
Written by Azmia Ricchuito
Photo credit: @ifalasteen, Instagram
Early Sunday morning, Israeli police forces stormed Al-Aqsa mosque, unleashing teargas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades on the worshippers.
Earlier reports from the Palestinian News Network reported that there were five Palestinians injured, but subsequent reports have upped the number to eight Palestinians injured by the rubber bullets and teargas.
Instagram user Abbas Sarsour, known as @ifalasteen, reported, "BREAKING: RAMADAN DAY 21 occuption forces attack worshipers in masjed AlAqsa and kidnap 4 worshipers from inside the mesjed after firing gas bombs at them. #___ #occuption #FreePalestine" [SIC]
Advertisement
Locals who were at the mosque when the Israeli forces broke in and stormed it confirmed Sarsour's account that worshippers were injured and attacked, and reported one as being violently arrested by Israeli police.
Al-Aqsa's director, Sheikh Omar Kiswani, told the Anadolu Agency that the disturbances started after Israeli police opened a gate used by tourists and Jews to enter the compound. He said it was "unprecedented" that such violence could occur in the last 10 days of our holy month of Ramadan. He added that this was the first time the Magharba gate was opened once again for the settlers.
Micky Rosenfeld, the police spokesman, denied that non-Muslims were banned from entering the complex during the last 10 days of Ramadan. He stated that four Palestinian youths were arrested for "disrupting the passage of non-Muslims to the site," and claimed he "wasn't aware" of police using any force against Palestinians.
Maybe he should watch some of the footage being uploaded to Instagram, like this video from @eye.on.Palestine.
Advertisement
Al-Aqsa mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, and an integral part of Palestine.
Since the start of Ramadan, Israel has revoked permits that allow access to Jerusalem for 83,000 Palestinians, following a Tel Aviv shooting where four Israelis were killed. Subsequently, only Palestinian men over the age of 45 and women were allowed to go to Al-Aqsa mosque, only on Fridays, and with hour restrictions.
This means that men under the age of 45 would not be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa, even for the obligatory Friday Jummah prayer.
This is not the first time that the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Palestinian people have been subjected to violent stormings by extremist settlers, who enjoy the protection of Israeli police.
Meanwhile, any rightful resistance of the Palestinian people to defend their land, their children, their culture, their right to worship, their future, and their lives from the violent - and illegal - occupation is automatically labeled "terrorism." If Israel has a right to exist, a "right" that at the moment trumps basic human freedoms such as peace, the freedom to worship, the right to an education, freedom of movement, the ability to work, access to clean water, food, and medical care, then Palestinians have a right - and a duty - to resist.
The Palestinian people are watching their homes, land, farms, and businesses being stolen without reparation or due process, and large areas of Palestine being completely erased from the map, and illegally replaced by Israel.
Advertisement
They are watching what amounts to the slow erasure of Palestine.
They're now bearing witness to violent and aggressive attempts to control--and most likely, eventually erase from existence--Islam's third holiest site, Al-Aqsa, a Palestinian landmark.
Israel has, in fact, broken multiple UN resolutions with no consequences, and was recently elected to head a permanent UN committee for the first time - the legal committee. (No, I'm not joking.) A 2002 study by San Francisco University political science professor Steven Zunes reveals that Israel actually holds the world record for ignoring United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Earlier in the year, Israeli troops escorted settlers to Al-Aqsa during Passover week. Two groups of about 50 Jewish men were said to have shouted racist slogans in attempts to provoke Palestinians, and attempted to pray, although it is forbidden for Jews to do so at Al-Aqsa.
The Jerusalem Post cited Rosenfeld as saying, "Israel Police escorted roughly 1,050 people to the Temple Mount, including 885 tourists and over 100 Israelis, and during the visit 13 were removed from the area for not behaving according to the security measures that were implemented."
That incident came just weeks after the UN's cultural arm, UNESCO, said the Temple Mount site, on which Al-Aqsa stands, is "an integral part of Palestine." They also criticized Israel, referring to Israel as "the occupying power."
Advertisement
UNESCO released a statement condemning Israeli aggression, and Israel's illegal measures against freedom of worship for Muslims. UNESCO "strongly condemns the Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, and requests Israel, the Occupying Power, to respect the historic Status Quo and to immediately stop these measures," reads a statement.
UNESCO also criticized "the continuous Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip," citing the "intolerable number of casualties among Palestinian children," as well as "the attacks on schools and other educational and cultural facilities and the denial of access to education."
The clashes continued for a second day yesterday, with the injury toll rising to 35, and they continue for the third day today.
This is reportedly not the first time that Israeli provocation has run rampant during the holy month of Ramadan.
Earlier this month, Israelis paraded through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to mark Israel's 1967 seizure of the Palestinian-dominated eastern half of Jerusalem. Their annual precession came as Muslims prepared for Ramadan. Large groups of young Jews waving Israeli flags and chanting nationalist slogans passed through the Muslim Quarter before arriving at the Western Wall, right next to the al-Aqsa compound.
Advertisement
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that some of the participants were chanting provocative hostilities, such as "The temple will be built and the mosque will be burned," and "Muhammad is dead."
Highly detailed map of California, Each county is an individual object and can be colored separately.
An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873, by Benjamin Madley and just published by Yale University Press, is the latest installment in an on-going controversy stretching back decades. The facts of the events are not in dispute.
Between 1846 and 1873, the first 27 years that California belonged to the U.S., the Indian population in California went from 150,000 to 30,000, an 80% decline. In the 1880 census, there were 16,277 Indians. The preeminent historian of California, Kevin Starr, wrote in California: A History, "60 percent of the deaths [were] attributable to disease, the rest to murder." (He adds that already California Indians "had been reduced by 90 percent since the arrival of the Spanish.")
Madley quotes Indian Affairs commissioner John Collier from 1935, "The world's annals contain few comparable instances of swift depopulation - practically, of racial massacre - at the hands of a conquering race." The murders were committed by, among others, the army, ranchers, volunteer militias (roving death squads), and bounty hunters who were paid for Indian heads and scalps. (There was also a thriving slave trade in women and children.)
Madley calls it a "killing machine." That killing machine was financed with the tax dollars of the state and federal governments and with the connivance of governors and U.S. senators. Extermination was openly advocated in newspapers. Madley says the slaughter in California "was more lethal and sustained than anywhere else in the U.S. or its colonial antecedents."
Despite facing vastly superior numbers and weaponry, there was Indian resistance. That culminated in the Modoc War of 1873 in which 53 Modoc warriors from a lava bed stronghold held off 1,000 U.S. soldiers and militiamen for 8 months with a final death toll of 83 U.S. and 3 Modocs.
The facts are not in dispute. However, the right word to describe them is. Conservatives want to label it a "tragedy" but not a "crime." At the opposite extreme is Murder State: California's Native American Genocide, 1846 - 1873 (2012) by Brendan Lindsay covers the same area as Madley's book but focuses more on the "processes and mechanisms of democracy" in that context. In Ethnic Cleansing and the Indian: The Crime That Should Haunt America (2014), Gary Clayton Anderson uses the definition of ethnic cleansing developed by the United Nations.
Advertisement
Madley uses the United Nations' definition of genocide to make his case. In one of the few other reviews of his book, The New York Times chastised Madley in an otherwise positive review for "shedding more heat than light" by using genocide. I think Madley makes his case for genocide, though he doesn't make the case for the practical advantages of using the term, so the controversy remains something of an academic teapot tempest. A more interesting question than nomenclature is how this could be so widely known inside the community of professional historians and so little known outside it. Madley describes it as "hidden in plain sight."
The murder of the California Indians has not been completely absent from the public arena: Ken Burns' 1996 documentary The West dealt with it extensively in one episode. As for the issue of Indian genocide generally: Hollywood director John Ford, responsible more than anyone else for making Indians the default villains of the formula Western, ended his career with Cheyenne Autumn (1964), in which he drew parallels, repeatedly and unmistakably, between the Holocaust and the mistreatment of Indians.
As a native Californian, I always had a vague sense growing up that something horrible had happened to the Indians of California, and the electorate may share that sentiment, considering how it approves almost anything for Indians. But probably one factor keeping this history hidden in plain sight is that same electorate's resistance to knowing specifically how its Golden State was built on a legal, state-sponsored mass murder of innocents.
Advertisement
YEAHHHHH BABY! Finally, The King of Falafel & Shawarma is in his castle.
Fares "Freddy" Zeideia -- OK, you know you can't help yourself so just call him The King -- is a big guy so his YEAHHHHH BABY! is a lion's roar.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The King of Falafel & Shawarma on Broadway.
These days, The King has a lot to YEAHHHHH BABY! about because after 14 years of cooking street food out of a truck, he finally has a restaurant to call his own.
His eponymous King of Falafel & Shawarma, at the Broadway subway stop, opened in January in a former fast-food chicken joint up the block from where he parked his truck.
Advertisement
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The restaurant's right by the Broadway stop.
(In case you have the munchies, the truck's new stop is Ditmars Boulevard at 31st Street, and there's a cart at 53rd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that transfers to 30th Avenue and 33rd Street in Astoria from 4 p.m. until the customers stop coming.)
The King, who is as famous for his flashy fashions as he is for his fabulous falafel, is still trying to adjust. He's used to squeezing his 6-foot-3, 265-pound frame into a 16-foot kitchen and working side by side, elbow to eye with his cooks.
The restaurant, the color of green and red apples, features painted murals of Manhattan and Jerusalem and an expanded menu.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The King in his castle.
Crashing out of the front plate-glass window, there's the spring-green fender of a food truck. Its license plate, FALAFEL1, is wrapped in a frame of shiny silver skulls.
Advertisement
Inside, at the counter, customers can watch as the falafel are fried.
The transition from truck to table has been tedious and traumatic for The King. Everything took more time and money than he planned.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
A red cycle makes deliveries.
"I was so stressed I lost 65 pounds," he says, admitting that that's probably a good thing but not a good way to go about it.
The King, who is 50, is used to hard work. He hasn't stopped since he came to New York City in 1981 at age 15.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The truck on Ditmars Boulevard at 31st Street.
The move was his parents' idea. Actually, it was more like an edict.
The oldest of six, The King grew up in Ein Yabroud, a village outside the Palestinian city of Ramallah on the West Bank.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The King's falafel is oval-shaped.
"We are Palestinians, and we left during the Six-Day War in 1967," he says. "When we came back, we were not considered citizens and could not get Israeli IDs or Palestinian IDs. We were like people without a country, so life and making a living were hard for us."
Advertisement
The King found the idea of coming to America extremely exciting. Initially, he earned $100 a week at his cousins' pizzeria in Harlem.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The King, in the back kitchen, stirring the rice.
"I was working seven days a week," he says. "They fired me when I asked for a raise. Since then, I have learned not to count on anybody but myself."
The King survived on a series of jobs. He sold linens door to door, managed a supermarket, opened a restaurant/deli for a short time that served an American menu and drove a yellow cab off and on for 17 years before setting up his fabled falafel cart in 2002.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Pita bread in progress.
"I wanted to do falafel and shawarma because I couldn't find any in Astoria that were good," he says. "And after driving around all those years, I didn't want to be indoors."
From this 8-foot, open cart, The King served up his signature oval, earthy brown falafel with heaping sides of high-fives and YEAHHHHH BABYs!
Advertisement
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Fresh from the oven.
In 2013, he added a truck.
The King begins his days at 5 a.m. and seldom gets to bed before midnight. Right now, he's stirring a giant pot of rice as the homemade pita bread is baking.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Kholood Hinnawi at the pita station.
His schedule doesn't give him much time to spend with his wife of 30 years, three children and three grandchildren.
"The first time I went home to visit my parents, they told me I was not leaving until I got married, so I did," he says and laughs. "I never thought to say no."
For several years while he was driving the cab, his family lived in Palestine.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
The King at your service.
"I used to work three or four months straight then go visit them for a month," he says. "I actually saw more of them that way."
Although The King has no intention of handing over his culinary crown any time soon, there is a Prince in training.
Advertisement
"My son is learning everything," The King says. "I'm pushing him hard."
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
A delicious license plate.
In the meantime, The King is thinking of expanding. He's hoping to open a King of Falafel & Shawarma in Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights.
But once he gets everything running smoothly, he'd like to climb back into the food truck.
"I miss meeting the customers," he says. "If I'm in the kitchen here, I don't get to see them. Even when I do, it's just not the same."
He drops four falafel into the hot oil.
YEAHHHHH BABY!
By Alisia Cordero , Grants Supervisor, New York Legal Assistance Group
Following the U. S. Supreme Court's deadlock last week in a case challenging President Obama's action to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation, a Texas judge's temporary injunction remains in place - and millions of immigrants' lives remain on hold. The President's executive action would have kept immigrant families together while strengthening our communities and our economy. This non-decision is heartbreaking for immigrant families, and for the staff at NYLAG, which served over 78,500 New Yorkers last year - half of whom are immigrants.
The President's initiative was designed to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to a larger number of people. DACA, introduced in 2012, has already provided temporary relief to 730,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children, allowing them to apply for temporary work authorization and to obtain a social security number, driver's license, and credit card. The President's plan also calls for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) for the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who meet certain criteria. Neither DACA nor DAPA represent a pathway to citizenship, but would remove a barrier for many hardworking immigrants who have been forced to work under the table, often for appallingly low wages and in substandard conditions. Most importantly, thousands of families who have lived in fear of being separated would for the first time be assured that parents and children will not be torn apart.
Advertisement
It is painful for me to remember how excited I was just a few months ago when I was actually in Washington, along with my colleagues, Crystal Moncada and David Mullins, on the day the Supreme Court heard arguments in United States v. Texas, We were among the thousands who gathered outside of the court to show our support and solidarity, and to urge the justices to rule that the President's executive action was constitutional. It was a unique and empowering experience to be among city organizers, advocates and lawyers, as well as students, parents and families - all united in their support of the President's plan as the only solution to the decades-long legislative deadlock in Congress over immigration reform.
While we traveled we heard from young college students hoping the Justices understood the sense of invisibility and alienation they feel by living most of their young lives undocumented in the U.S. One of them, Gustavo, told a reporter, "I am just an American that has extremely difficult legal hurdles, but I am an American and I will achieve."
Now, as millions of deserving immigrants like Gustavo find themselves still in limbo, it is vitally important that we continue to fight for reasonable, fair, compassionate immigration reform. Advocates, elected officials and the voting public must work toward the creation of an immigration system that promotes unity and dignity for immigrant families that have suffered enough under the nation's current broken system.
We stand with our clients and the remarkable immigrant population of New York. Their contributions have made us the vibrant, diverse, thriving city that we are today. Along with agencies across the city we will continue to provide them with the range of legal services and support they need. Immigrants needing assistance in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision can call: NYLAG's DACA/DAPA hotline (212-613-6597); New York State Office for New Americans hotline (1-800-566-7636); or dial 311 and ask for DACA/DAPA information. The Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs has also posted information on their website.
From almost the start of the non-violent, citizen-led protests in Syria in the spring of 2011, a heavyweight set of pundits, policymakers, politicians and analysts have raised their voices for some kind of U.S. military intervention against the vicious regime of Bashar al-Assad.
There are, of course, many arguments to be made about the merits and dangers of such an approach (I warned against escalating the conflict in The Huffington Post in May 2011 and again in The New York Times in February 2012). But there is at least one problem of form - i.e. the position of the messengers themselves rather than the content of their arguments - that all observers concerned with the future of Syria should consider at the outset when weighing any purportedly "new" approaches to a hellish situation: The vast majority of intelligent, compassionate individuals arguing for intervention possess little, if any, experience or training in military affairs, strategy or history.
Not surprisingly, one result of this deficit has been analyses that are extremely thin - as was the case with one 2015 report by the venerable International Crisis Group (ICG) - when it comes to unpacking the precise mechanics and limitations of military action.
Advertisement
Moreover, and despite widely held bona fides in political science and international relations, most of the people making the case for intervention also tend to omit any serious discussion of the kinds of counter-force that some actors would likely bring to bear to protect self-declared "existential" interests.
Unfortunately, it is within this context that last week's report by Century Foundation (TCF) Fellow Thanassis Cambanis should be read.
Cambanis argues passionately that the time has come for the U.S. to apply (what he very much hopes will be) "limited" military pressure directly against the Assad regime and its allies, this time, however, in the service of what he terms a "realistic conflict-management strategy" that seeks some kind of negotiated end to the war rather than an outright victory over Assad.
In this, and throughout his report, Cambanis mirrors some of the main arguments made by the 51 US diplomats who used the State Department's "dissent channel" in mid June to argue for an intervention.
Advertisement
"There is a clear and preferable middle course," he assures. "[A] strategic, robust but limited military intervention, embedded in a clear political strategy to press for a negotiated settlement. Such a course would entail increased and sustained proxy warfare; some direct military intervention to protect civilians from indiscriminate bombing; and pressure on U.S. allies."
Accomplished as a long-standing journalist covering the Middle East as well as Washington's often disastrous involvement in it, Cambanis seems to shrug off the import of his own reporting over the years and instead employs many of the key words, arguments and, on occasion, outright tautologies of think tank speak that have previously lubricated war (or its prolongation): "robust," "clear and preferable" and the always sensible pursuit of a "middle course" that will apply just the right amount of violence so as to "stop far short of an invasion."
At one point, Cambanis informs his reader: "History tells us that a necessary if not sufficient precondition to resolve a civil war with this many international sponsors is for those international sponsors to reach an understanding."
Yes: A civil war with a lot of powerful states involved will likely be ended by an agreement among those powerful states.
"The longer the war drags on at its current level of destruction," he predicts, "the greater a tragedy that impacts geostrategic interests as surely as its chews up human lives."
Advertisement
Yes: As this terrible war that is hurting almost everyone drags on things will get worse for almost everyone.
Elsewhere, Cambanis veers from the theoretical into the language of popular punditry, writing that we should "shoot down some Syrian government helicopters and planes," use some "military muscle" and get rid of "torture-happy dictators (such as Bashar al-Assad)." The phraseology is important here since these kinds of discursive approaches customarily signal a lack of attention to details and, crucially, consistency.
As but one example, early in his report he asserts that U.S. military intervention would merely "increase" the chances of a negotiated settlement, but later he raises the bar - without explanation - saying that such prospects would be "significantly increase[d]."
He also plays right into the hands of interventionist skeptics by casually suggesting at one point, without any reference to possible limits or principles of action, that the targets of U.S. wrath could rapidly expand to anyone who commits murder. "The Syrian government should live in fear of U.S. retaliation for sieges of civilians, and for indiscriminate bombing," he warns. "So should rebel groups--and not just the worst of the worst. The United States is already striking Islamic State, and occasionally Nusra. It should not hesitate to bomb other jihadist factions, including Ahrar el Sham, if those groups murder civilians or harass minorities [emphasis added]."
Ultimately, however, these problematic formulations only paper over the central blind spot in Cambanis's thesis: Throughout the quite lengthy report, there is no consideration of how Assad's closest allies, Hezbollah and Iran, might react to being periodically attacked. None.
Advertisement
This, it should be noted, is despite Cambanis's laudable statement that "supporters of military intervention--including the intervention already under way--must be honest about the risks and limits."
Even more disturbingly, the sole consideration given to the headline concern of a Russian reaction is simply that, "President Vladimir Putin does not want a U.S.-Russia war either," and, later, "Russia will fume, but it will avoid intentionally clashing with the United States directly."
Strangely, the only other thought Cambanis gives to the prospect of some kind of counter-force being provoked is entirely the opposite of what some have entertained as at least possible: "Even occasional retaliation, with a few aircraft shot down," he asserts, "will provoke a major reduction in indiscriminate bombing [emphasis added]." No doubt is expressed and no rationale is given.
Of course, Cambanis may be correct in all this. Perhaps Russia will only fume if it's allies' advantage and maneuverability is shown a John Wayne? Maybe Assad will dramatically reduce his barrel bombing campaign? And surely there is a strong analysis that Putin does not want a war with the U.S.
But like the earlier ICG report (which saw fit to mention the word "Russia" only a few times in 42 pages when calling for U.S.-led attacks on Assad and his allies), no arguments are actually presented that one could weigh in answering these questions. There is, in short, no way for the reader to determine whether Cambanis has a convincing case upon which many lives, including American lives, should be risked.
Advertisement
As a corollary to these omissions, incredibly, the report also makes no reference to any statements by Syrian, Russian, Iranian or Hezbollah leaders. No reference is made to any of the vast literature and debates from within these societies about what a U.S.-led military intervention in Syria might mean for them. Cambanis talks to no officials in order to at least gauge the official rhetoric he hears (but does not tell us about), despite his having been in regime-controlled parts of Syria and residing in Beirut.
Moreover, no direct attribution is made - save for one discussion of game theory - to the Western debates on the subject. Obama administration arguments go unquoted, while no reference at all is made to substantial U.S. military and intelligence community opposition to a "limited" intervention.
It is as if the whole side that has been arguing against Cambanis's prescriptions doesn't deserves a voice of its own (whereas several Syrian citizens and rebels are given block quotes to explain their opinion).
One might surmise that this particular aspect of the author's blind spot might be attributed to his assumption that he is offering a genuinely new way out of a terrible, "binary" debate.
As he puts it: "The debate in Washington has been dominated by two polarizing camps: all-out interventionists who argue for a full-fledged American entry into the Syrian war, and minimalists, led by President Barack Obama, who argue that virtually nothing the United States does could fundamentally alter the outcome."
Advertisement
In this, of course, Cambanis is also incorrect.
In fact, his main thesis that the U.S. can periodically punch Assad and his allies, carve out safe zones and then avoid a "slippery slope" to a wider conflict (or an array of bad, unintended consequences) is one of the best known and most argued over aspects of the Syria debate since at least 2012.
He also knows that there is deep disagreement over another one of his core assertions that serious talks and concessions by Assad, the Russians, the Iranians and Hezbollah will be "more likely" if the U.S. applies its military power "to make sure that all the potential spoilers (including Assad, Islamic State, and Nusra) know the United States will prevent them from achieving outright victory." (Curiously, he again leaves out consideration of the three most powerful actors here - Russia, Iran and Hezbollah - who stand to lose the most by losing leverage over Syria.)
Instead of offering systematic rebuttals to these complex, well-trodden arguments, however, Cambanis unfortunately showers the reader with a series of truisms and empty hopes: "Military intervention is not clean or easy, nor is it a sure shot;" "having a hand on the tiller is always wiser than watching as someone else crashes an out-of-control vessel;" and "a wise U.S. president need not be locked into further escalation; limited military intervention is only a slippery slope if the United States fails to exercise discipline."
Cambanis, like many before him who have argued for a "limited" or "stand-off" military intervention by the U.S., apparently just can't see how it may not be a "wise" U.S. president alone who gets to monopolize force and the likely doses of counter-force; how the actors on the other side getting hurt as well as political actors back home might encourage a loss of discipline; or how any number of third-party actors like ISIS might take advantage of the situation.
On this latter point, Cambanis at least addresses one of the central arguments against intervention. But here too, instead of laying out a case and debunking the opposing view, he merely states his own assumptions - what he desperately hopes to be true - as facts: "U.S. proxies and allies could restrain these jihadists from taking control of new areas," he assures. "Military intervention (and humanitarian aid) should shore up non-jihadi rebels."
Advertisement
If that is not convincing enough for anti-interventionists, Cambanis stresses in several parts of his report that, even if things don't go as he expects, matters surely could not possibly get worse by introducing more violence into an already exceedingly violent situation.
"The status quo...is at least as messy, and far more hopeless."
A Different Way to End the Conflict?
Cambanis and the 51 U.S. diplomats are at their best arguing the case that the U.S. must do something differently when it comes to Syria because of the obvious moral imperative as well as the strategic imperative that suggests the expanding blowback will only worsen for almost everyone.
He is therefore absolutely correct in stating that, "the United States can do better than containment--an approach that in any case is not working as intended."
But in laying out several options to end the conflict - and naming his own preferred approach of a limited military intervention as the "only viable" avenue left - Cambanis registers yet another a crucial assumption backed by little argument or evidence: Syria can in fact be put back together.
"A viable consensus or transitional president," what he sees as the goal and possible result of U.S. military pressure, "would need to satisfy some portion of the pro-revolution demographic, and would also need to be powerful enough, and sympathetic enough to the old order, to assure minorities, Alawites, and government employees that they would not be massacred by the majority at the close of hostilities. That might mean some unpalatable figure, such as an existing regime apparatchik, retired official, or defector."
Advertisement
Cambanis thinks that this scenario might be possible because, "weak as it is, the Syrian state is more intact than, for example, the Iraqi central government under U.S. occupation in 2003-04; in terms of raw administrative capacity, the Syrian state in the midst of a devastating civil war is more of a state than Lebanon's is, twenty-five years after fighting there has ended."
Of course, neither Lebanon nor Iraq - which is essentially fractured, not least by impending Kurdish statehood and various ISIS emirates - are encouraging examples.
Most importantly, Syria has seen an order of bloodshed and material destruction in just five years that neither neighboring state ever saw.
Either way, Cambanis says nothing about the prospects of regime and anti-regime actors actually sharing power in the future. How likely is this outcome and as the consequence of what dynamics, one is left to wonder?
Perhaps because he thinks Syria can be put back together - after an unspecified "messy" reconciliation that will never amount to the pre-2011 state in any case - Cambanis fails to explore an alternative track for addressing the moral and strategic calamity of the Syria war. Such an approach would recognize that, sadly, Syria is already de facto partitioned and that the prospects of melding Assad and his powerful allies back together with their opposite is wholly unrealistic absent major geo-strategic changes in the region and the world (for some arguments about this assertion look here and here).
Advertisement
Given the vital need to wind down the conflict for Syrians and their neighbors, as well as to focus more resources on ISIS and other like-minded actors, a temporary partition should therefore at least be considered, argued over and eventually fleshed out.
As European Council on Foreign Relations Fellow Julien Barnes-Dacey recently submitted, although the goal of a unified country should be maintained, for the time being it is worth testing out whether Syrian actors can "focus on a geographical power-sharing agreement based on existing facts on the ground. Cementing enhanced localized autonomy would aim to incentivize ongoing local buy in to the ceasefire."
This approach will "leave many people unhappy," as Barnes-Dacey admits. "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will maintain control of much of Damascus, the central cities and the coastal belt. For their part, the rebels would secure uncontested local control over southern Syria, pockets around the capital city and the central belt, much of the northwest of the country, as well as east Aleppo..."
Crucially, even if a renewed Russian-backed military push to take all of Aleppo, for example, succeeds, this does not need to deter the US from pushing hard for a stabilized, but less territorial advantageous map for anti-regime forces.
Indeed, no matter what happens in Aleppo, there is a strong likelihood that Kurdish areas and substantial rebel held areas (not to mention territory held by ISIS and An-Nusra) will remain outside of the grasp of the regime.
Advertisement
Assad is therefore unlikely to reclaim anything remotely approaching "every inch" of Syria, as he recently intoned.
This leaves open the chance that Assad and his allies could consolidate their control over a rump Syria, while rebel groups and Kurdish forces would essentially do the same.
Two benefits could flow from such a scenario. First, more resources and focus might be directed against ISIS and An-Nusra. Second, and most importantly for the future prospect of a united Syria, Assad and his allies would be saddled with the incredibly expensive, complicated task of governing and attempting to rebuild an utterly shattered landscape.
As Carnegie scholar Yezid Sayigh perceptively wrote earlier this month: "...Assad will be left heading a hollowed-out state, devastated economy, and largely resentful population. His exhausted and morally bankrupt regime will possess few means to rebuild its former system of control and coercion, or even to meet the needs and expectations of its own loyalist social constituencies. A coercive outcome of the sort Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah envisage will result in a perpetually weak and unstable regime that they will have to prop up indefinitely."
With substantial external investments flowing into anti-regime areas, a durable ceasefire and a concerted anti-extremist push across the country, Assad-held Syria could quickly lose much of its former attraction and relative coherency. Economic, financial and diplomatic isolation - not to mention possible international legal proceedings - would further saddle Assad and his backers with large, ongoing costs and risks that would likely become exponentially more burdensome over time.
Advertisement
Underlying splits between the different sides of Assad's unnatural "coalition" might even be given space to finally burst to the surface.
Of course, these are a heavy set of assumptions in their own right that need to be further interrogated. Difficult questions concerning the possible reaction (and compliance) of U.S. allies like Turkey and Saudi Arabia would also have to be explored in depth.
As the blowback from Syria worsens, however, and the case for introducing more force and violence continues to fall flat with key constituencies around the world, this is at least a course of action that needs to be treated seriously and systematically - as soon as possible - by think tanks, policymakers and journalists.
We established CDP -- then the Carbon Disclosure Project -- over 15 years ago with a vision that one day businesses would be playing an active leadership role in combating climate change. Last December's historic Paris Agreement set an unequivocal new direction for corporate climate action, and today our vision is becoming reality.
Since Paris, a growing number of major companies around the world have been showing a real commitment to playing their part in decarbonizing the economy. A new report launched today by the We Mean Business Coalition, along with CDP, shows just how significant that business contribution could be.
The business contribution
The report, called The Business End of Climate Change, gives us the first ever figure for what business can contribute on the path to keeping global temperature increases below 2C. That figure is based on business signing up to five key climate change initiatives:
Advertisement
Science Based Targets (of which CDP is one of the founding partners, along with UNGC, WRI and WWF)
RE100 (a project of CDP and The Climate Group)
Zero deforestation (powered by CDP guidance on risk assessments, target-setting, implementation and progress tracking)
EP100 (run by The Climate Group)
Low Carbon Technology Partnership Initiative (LCTPI) (led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
If these initiatives meet their current ambitions for company commitments, by 2030, business will have cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 3.7bn metric tons of CO2 equivalents a year. That alone is over 60% of the total emissions cuts pledged by countries in the Paris Agreement through their own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Put another way, it's the equivalent of taking over 1,000 coal-fired power stations permanently out of use, almost 75% of the world's total.
But business has the potential to make an even greater impact. If all relevant companies were to sign up to these initiatives, by 2030 the business contribution would amount to around 10bn metric tons of emissions reductions per year. That's equivalent to what China, the world's largest emitter, pumps out annually, and it would take us over halfway to a below 2C world.
What does this mean for companies?
Put simply, these figures show that business will be a key driver of climate action between now and 2030. At CDP, we are seeing many companies already playing their part through setting emissions reduction targets in line with climate science, committing to using 100% renewable electricity or working to remove commodity-driven deforestation from supply chains.
Advertisement
And businesses aren't wasting time: More than two per week have been signing up to the Science Based Targets initiative over the past year. Now, over 160 companies are planning to set ambitious targets based on climate science. Recent commitments have come from Cisco, Toyota and Metro AG. Of these, 18 companies including Sony, Dell, Pfizer, Postnord and Kellogg's have already set and are working towards ambitious targets.
Sony has a vision of having a zero environmental footprint by 2050 ('Road to Zero'). This will be delivered via a 90% reduction in emissions from 2008 levels by 2050 (scopes 1, 2, and 3).The remaining 10% will be achieved through renewable energy products. Sources may be renewable energy certificates, credits or Sony's own power generation.
NRG has a target to reduce absolute emissions 90% by 2050 from 2014 levels (scopes 1, 2 & 3).
Enel's target is to reduce CO2 emissions 25% per kWh by 2020, from a 2007 base-year. The target includes the decommissioning of 13 GW of fossil power plants in Italy, and is a milestone in the long term goal to operate in carbon neutrality by 2050.
These companies are at the forefront of the global transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy. They are showing that all types of businesses - including carbon-intensive industries such as energy, chemicals and mining - can get on a low carbon path. And they are set to reap the benefits: Science-based targets drive innovation, reduce costs, and enhance profitability, helping companies gain long-term competitive advantage and safeguard their future prosperity.
Achieving ambition through a virtuous circle of action
To realize its full potential in tackling climate change, business must work with government to create the right regulatory framework. Our analysis reveals that business is clearly primed to take us far on reducing emissions, but they can go even further with clear and consistent policy in place.
Advertisement
By removing barriers and creating incentives, governments will accelerate business efforts to cut emissions. That will, in turn, make it easier for governments to achieve their NDCs - and even go beyond them.
Transparency drives a race to the top
The core principles which underpin all of the initiatives we looked at in the report - measurement, transparency and accountability - will have a critical role to play in helping business fulfil its potential. As countries work to implement the Paris Agreement, we need to shine a spotlight on progress. Disclosure of climate information is essential to keep track of corporate progress and spur ever greater action.
Companies taking steps to ensure their future climate resilience are not just managing risk, but capitalising on one of our biggest economic opportunities. The race to the top has begun and an abundance of benefits awaits.
I had my first experience with Mormons For Equality three years ago (2013) when I marched with the group in the Utah Pride Parade. I had just barely come out -- only a few months prior telling my Mormon parents that I was gay. That year was the first time I attended a pride parade and I remember the intense feelings I felt as I drove to downtown Salt Lake to march with the group. I was nervous and excited, slightly scared of what to expect from the whole experience. I wasn't sure how the march would go or what the parade would be like. Would the crowd be accepting of our message or would they boo us for all the negative and hurtful things the LDS church had done towards LGBT people? When I arrived I was greeted by a small number of fellow marchers. Even though our group was small in numbers, only about 15-20 people, we were marching with a strong message. The message from our group was full acceptance -- Mormons For Equality supports the full legal equality of the LGBT community including marriage equality. The group's views fit perfectly in line with mine so I was glad to have found a group where I could authentically represent myself and stand up for what I believed in. I had made a sign to carry too -- a progressive sign that took a bold stand, it said "Mormon Democrat Pro Choice Pro Equality Yes we exist."
The march was a transformative experience for me, I couldn't believe the overwhelming positive response we received from the crowd. People were crying and cheering and telling us thank you over and over again. I had people come from the crowd to hug me and take pictures of me with my sign. The march was an emotional and spiritual experience for me - something I won't ever forget. Marching with Mormons For Equality back in 2013 was just the beginning of my journey with this wonderful group.
Advertisement
Fast forward to the 2014 Utah Pride Parade and I again marched with Mormons For Equality - this time as the head organizer for the contingent. The experience marching with this group was again truly transformative for me. Our numbers grew and we had almost 60 people who marched under our banner. I was incredibly glad to have some of my family join me that year including my Brother and Sister-In-Law as well as my Dad and Sister. Having my family march alongside me was one of the greatest gifts I could've asked for. Their participation in the parade spoke volumes to who they are as people - not only willing to say they love and accept me but willing to actually show it by joining me in the parade march. My sister's willingness to march with me was particularly touching to me. She is very active in the LDS church and has often stood up and defended me in her young women's and Sunday school classes when mean or untrue things were said about gay people. That morning she walked alongside me in her Sunday outfit cheerfully carrying a sign that said Love is Love.
2014 Mormons For Equality Contigent
Mormons For Equality again marched in 2015. That year was particularly joyful for us - celebrating marriage equality in Utah and the passage of non-discrimination laws. Our contingent continued to receive cheers and an outpouring of love. Many of the signs carried in our group expressed a range of beliefs including one stating "I believe Jesus would bake the damn cake" (in reference to Christian bakers who refuse to bake wedding cakes for gay couples). There were others decrying the so called "War of Religious Freedom/Liberty." Several stated their support for ALL families and how families gay or straight strengthen our society.
This year I was again the lead organizer for the Mormons For Equality contingent. Since the Nov. 5th policy change that labeled gay people as apostates and barred the children of gay couples from getting baptized so many people have voiced concern and opposition to the policy change. Several people in the group this year carried signs specifically about the policy change; one of my favorites being "God doesn't exclude 8 year olds."
Advertisement
Going forward I'm not entirely sure how involved with Mormons For Equality I'll be. Schooling and work and other changes are sure to fill my time. Until we reach the full equality of the LGBT community there will always be a need for groups like Mormons For Equality. Their message will continue to be necessary until we live in a time where people aren't married on Sunday and then fired from their job on Monday simply for being gay. Our message will be relevant until a time when parents stop kicking their children out for being LGBT or when trans people are allowed to live freely and openly - not afraid of being harassed or discriminated against simply for using the restroom. Mormons For Equality is needed until we stop using religion to justify discrimination or act as though we are losing our "religious freedom" when asked to bake a cake for a gay couple. It will be necessary until a time when people aren't killed simply for being gay such as those murdered in the Orlando shooting. Mormons For Equality will continue to exist so long as there is a need for us to stand up for the LGBT community. We will continue to march and participate in pride parades until the day when we are free from discrimination and have achieved the full equality for our LGBT family, friends and neighbors.
Answer by Jeff Umbro, Digital Marketing Director at Goldberg McDuffie Communications and podcast host, on Quora.
I can really only speak to this in the book and publishing world, but I have an optimistic view. Every day there are publishers, new and old, that are embracing some of the changes in digital and online media and really pushing the limits of the Internet. Relative to the TV and movie industry, the numbers aren't there yet (books are lucky to sell tens of thousands of units, TV shows can have two million viewers and get canceled), but we're getting better every day.
Advertisement
In 2016, digital marketing consists of a lot of pieces, but the advantage an author has is that they're born content creators in a world where there's an unbelievable amount of outlets begging for content. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram provide outlets to connect with existing fans, Reddit, Quora & Product Hunt provide platforms to educate new fans on the exciting work an author is doing, Amazon and Goodreads are doing their best to become the new world booksellers (we'll see if they can ever replace real people), Kindle, iBooks, Oyster (RIP), and Google Play Books provide new reading ecosystems.
Podcasts provide authors with an outlet for longform expression of their visions, with none of the barriers of legacy media. Facebook live, Periscope and Skype allow authors to connect with their audience in ways we've never seen before. New media outlets are excited to work with talented writers and expressive ideas, and they look at authors and their books as the perfect resources.
In the future I expect we'll see more and more of the same, new platforms that allow for better connections. However I also expect that we'll see some new takes on the same old kind of storytelling, which really is all marketing is anyway. Hardbound is a new platform that mixes text, storytelling, images and graphics to bring you a new experience that aims to educate. Atavist is kind of a first generation of this same platform. Longform curates the best stories on the web. I expect that we'll see more of this in the next five years.
There are some really great publishers that are coming up with super effective ways to promote their books and authors. Riverhead books, long a leader in digital marketing for the book world, just launched a program where if you donate to Support Syrian Refugees, they'll send you a 3d printed bust of one of their premier authors. Bookbubhas been the premier outlet for price promotions, which has a trickle down effect of selling a ton of backlist titles that will spur future sales for authors. Possibly to the detriment of the author and publishers (devaluing of work), we'll see a lot more of this in the future. In a way it's gaming the system.
Advertisement
Answer by Zachary Matheson, HIV Researcher, son of two dads, on Quora.
I was born on Wednesday 22 July, 1987. Because they were friends of my bio-parents, my dads, Tim and Bill, took me home that same day. Later that year, they would become one of the first gay male couples in California to adopt a child. I put this question to my dads. Bill is out of town caring for an ailing family member. This is my summary of Tim's response. At times the story gets gloomy, but it ends well. Promise.
The hard part about being a gay parent was the hatred. Hospital regulations required newborns be carried out of the hospital by a staff member. The nurse who carried me out spent the trip to my parents' car chewing them out, condemning them for "ruining an innocent life," saying she couldn't think of a "worse fate for a helpless child," asking how they could be "so selfish."
Advertisement
The hard part about being a gay parent was the rejection. The State wouldn't let Tim and Bill jointly adopt like a straight couple could. Even when Bill and Tim each filed seperately, and each received glowing reports from the social worker assigned to their case, both applications were denied. My parents had to retain a lawyer and go into battle with the State of California just to become parents.
Unfit fathers (Photo credit: CJ de Heer)
The hard part about being a gay parent was the distrust. When I was pint-sized (see above), my dads toted me around in one of those chest carriers. People in the streets flocked to coo at me. With straight faces many of them would ask, "Where's the mother?", as if to say, "Who's really raising this child?"
The hard part about being a gay parent was the ignorance, and from people who should have known better. Gay men routinely told my parents how courageous and admirable it was of them to be raising a child, then in the same breath would ask, "But aren't you afraid you'll turn your son gay?" Tim always wanted to say, "Did your parents turn you straight?"
But the hardest part? Tim said it was the loneliness. Tim put his career on hold to raise me in a time when men didn't do that. Whereas a stay-at-home mom could easily join a network of other supportive moms, Tim was largely on his own. In the first few years, he encountered few stay-at-home dads, and even fewer gay dads. Without that network, he often felt isolated. Alone.
Advertisement
But it did get better. Eventually Tim found his people. Not long after my parents adopted me, one (and then a few) of their gay friends followed suit and adopted kids of their own. A lesbian-mom support group eventually welcomed Tim into their ranks. And we started regularly attending a summer camp for LGBT families. And society started to change. Will and Grace aired, Ellen DeGeneres came out, Gay marriage became a thing, now Modern Family, and a million other little social shifts have made the United States a much safer and more supportive place for families like mine.
Finally, I don't want to give the impression that the hardships described above were an arduous, daily burden. They were not. More like brief, painful passages punctuating an otherwise wholesome and uplifting 28 year story. My parents have told me countless times that despite the challenges they faced, they have never regretted their decision to adopt and raise me. That becoming parents, helping guide a tiny, helpless human into adulthood, continues to be one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives.
I need to apologize. I've been quiet. I've been in my isolated bubble of white-straight-privilege and been perfectly fine in there. Don't get me wrong, I was outraged, but I was also paralyzed by inaction and quiet about it. I told myself I was doing really great work by helping people turned away from Jewish communities because of their spouse's religion. I thought that was all I could do, or at least that's how I justified my silence (or maybe even apathy). But mass shooting after mass shooting, I've gotten outraged for a few days and then gone on with my life. I've called my representatives and written letters once or twice, and then I've gotten busy and stopped.
I am sorry. I have sinned against my fellow humans by complacency.
I have sinned against God by failing to act to save God's creations.
I am sorry.
When I woke up early last Sunday morning to the news that 20 people had been killed at a nightclub in Orlando, I was outraged. I shook my husband awake saying, "there's been another shooting; it's just awful." And then I went out in the living room to care for my young children who have no capacity for this kind of news, but while we played with blocks I couldn't shake the pit in my stomach or stop the tears from welling in my eyes.
As the number of murdered humans rose to 49, my sadness grew. As detailed started emerging about the location and circumstances, the anger grew. All day as I fed my kids and entertained them along with my sister who was in town, I tried to sort through my feelings.
Advertisement
The same thoughts kept flooding my mind:
100 people were shot. By 1 man.
A gay nightclub.
Latino night.
How is this possible?
Do I know anyone there?
Does anyone I know, know anyone there?
100 people shot by 1 man.
How could this be possible?
And then I thought about it - of course it's possible. It's possible because of people like me who go through their day sipping on cold brew, and checking Facebook, and watching Netflix, and potty-training kids, and being busy at work, and having family problems, and, and, and, and...
Don't get me wrong, I've called my state representatives and written letters. Could I have called more and written more? Yes. Can I do more? Absolutely.
The violent act of murder and hate in Orlando on Sunday was the sound of the shofar I needed to hear to wake up and stand up. But to do what, I had no idea. I spent the evening and following day signing petitions, calling my friends, especially checking in with my LGBTQ friends whose trauma was only something I could begin to understand.
Advertisement
I attended a vigil on Monday evening at the LA city Hall. I stood there, a straight, white, Jewish, upper middle-class woman in a crowd of thousands of LGBTQ people and allies. I heard speech after speech exclaiming the personal trauma that people were feeling in the aftermath of the shooting, and I started to get it. I heard things like, "we've fought for our lives before and we'll do it again," and "we are singing for our lives."
Since last Sunday I've wanted to scream from the rooftops, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," but there's so much to do that I don't know where to start.
On Monday I started with mourning. Mourning the 49 victims and 53 injured bodies and millions of souls. Mourning the end of the privileged life I've led in Scottsdale and Portland and Pasadena where I never sat in a school lockdown or knew someone killed by a hate crime. I mourned the ideal future I had thought of for my children, a future free from hate and violence.
I took Rabbi Denise Eger's mourning prayer to heart as I listened to people speak the names of the 49 people murdered in Orlando on Sunday at the Pulse nightclub.
And now what? What do I do? What can I say? I know now I do not have the privilege of keeping silent. I have a voice and I need to use it, but who am I to stand up?
Advertisement
I am Moses saying, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?" I am Moses saying, "the Israelites would not listen to me, a man of impeded speech, why should Pharaoh listen to me?"
I have let my privilege and excuses be my impediment. But now I am here.
Hineini. Here I am.
I am here, screaming from the rooftops - ENOUGH.
I am standing up as an ally to all of my LGBTQ friends.
I am standing up as a clergy person who has a voice to comfort but also to empower.
I am standing up as a mom who wants a better safer future for her children.
I am standing up as the director at an organization that helps people who have been marginalized.
I am standing up as a person who lost a friend to suicide by a gun he had easy access to.
I am standing up as a human being.
Hineini.
Who's with me? Who will walk with me through the wilderness of gun control legislation, and LGBTQ rights, and human rights, and freedom of religion, and freedom to marry, and, and, and, and?
Let's have a think about that.
We are hearing rumors of civil war in the Republican Party. It is said that many leaders within the GOP are seriously considering dumping Donald Trump as their presidential nominee. It seems appropriate to add that they would be doing so against the express wishes of the very voters they allegedly represent.
Tens of millions of the Republican electorate, all of whom rabidly despise the government establishment, exercised their sacred vote and selected their own personal anti-establishment Jesus, Donald Trump, as the nominee to lead their party in November. He won fair and square.
Today, now confronted with the harsh realities of that selection, the government establishment is talking about disregarding their own base voters and nominating some other empty suit off of the tyrannical, Washington-insider rack, somebody who is more to their Washington-insider liking. So much for democratic due-process.
Advertisement
Do you think the Republican establishment has heard about the 'frying pan into the fire' metaphor?
The other harsh reality is this: Trump won because he was, by a free vote of free citizens, the best the Republican Party had to offer. It is not me saying this, it is their own base saying this with their sacred votes. The brutal hand of free-market electoral politics chose Trump as the winner, and let's face it, the contest wasn't even close.
I wonder how tens of millions of angry, establishment-hating voters will feel about being disregarded and rendered voiceless by the very establishment they sought to overthrow at the primary ballot boxes. Do you think they will take it personally if their express will, arrived at democratically, is ignored by Republican insiders in Washington?
I suspect that GOP leadership will eventually line up behind Reince Priebus and lick Trump's boots, because, after all, the fire is worse. And, apparently, almost everybody in the country, including conservatives, believe that his candidacy will be disastrous for the party. But just imagine the disaster if they openly disregard democracy and ignore the wishes of their own base expressed at the ballot box!
By Hope Ferdowsian and Ranit Mishori
Last week, the first man ever convicted of rape in war by the International Criminal Court - Congolese politician Jean-Pierre Bemba was sentenced to 18 years in prison. His sentence followed a Guatemala court's ruling one month earlier, in which former military officers were ordered to pay women they held as wartime sex slaves reparations of over $1 million. Though these and other court rulings imply progress is being made, much more needs to be done to hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence - inside and outside of conflict zones.
As physicians and human rights advocates, we work with colleagues to end impunity for sexual violence in areas of conflict and unrest, specifically in East and Central Africa. There, we train other medical, mental health, law enforcement, legal, and judicial professionals to collect, document, and evaluate forensic evidence of sexual violence. We have also supported public interest litigation efforts to hold the Kenya government accountable for failing to protect sexual violence victims during post-election violence in 2007 and 2008.
Advertisement
It may be tempting to think that the situation in the U.S. is ages ahead of other nations, particularly those that are experiencing conflict. But this is not the case.
As the case of former Stanford University student Brock Turner shows, impunity for sexual violence remains a problem in the US. In March, Turner was convicted of three felony sex abuse charges after two individuals caught him assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. Though Turner faced a maximum of 14 years in state prison, he was sentenced to only six months of county jail and probation. The judge said he worried that a longer sentence would have a "severe impact" on Turner.
The burden of evidence in the Turner case exceeded that of most sexual assault cases. There were witnesses and objective physical evidence of the attack, and the victim was unconscious and therefore unable to provide consent. Nonetheless, the survivor was interrogated about her personal history, what she was wearing, and her relationship with her boyfriend.
This is not what "ages ahead" looks like. This is, however, what rape myths sound like. And in that regard, the U.S. is no better than other - less developed - countries, and what we hear repeatedly working in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Advertisement
In a letter the survivor read in court, and that later became widely circulated around the world, she described her experience and emotional wounds. Though many people have rightly commended this survivor's courage, she is not alone among survivors in having found what she strikingly called "courage in vulnerability."
But the incredible resilience of many survivors cannot be an excuse to sit idly by until the next rape happens. Clearly, we still have systemic problems in America, and they aren't much different than those we have witnessed in Congo. Referred to as the "rape capital of the world," it is a country where "rape normalization" has occurred - where, in one study, almost a third of men told investigators that women want to be raped and may even enjoy it. We also see rape normalizing attitudes, practices, and norms in the U.S., termed by some as "rape culture." It is when the impact on the rapist is magnified, and the effects on the survivor are not; when we tend to blame the victim and excuse the perpetrator.
Even though a woman has finally broken the glass ceiling toward securing a major political party's presidential nomination, the lives of women and girls are still deeply undervalued in the U.S. just as they are all over the world. In our justice system bias against victims still holds sway, particularly insofar as survivors are persistently re-victimized by police, medical professionals, and the legal system as they attempt to seek justice.
As in other parts of the world, here in the U.S. we need more effective cross-sectoral collaboration among medical, legal, and other professionals to hold perpetrators accountable. Survivors deserve validation and support, trauma-informed care, a criminal justice process free of bias and corruption, and attention to the crime and not the survivor's personal history. Accountability, shame, and stigma should be placed where they belong - with perpetrators.
As the survivor in the California case said, "The seriousness of rape has to be communicated clearly." If the criminal justice system won't do it, perhaps victims and advocates need to litigate against and seek reparations from perpetrators, government officials, universities, and other institutions that commit or allow sexual violence - much like what's happening in the developing world.
Figures released on World Refugee Day this week showed there are currently an estimated 65 million displaced people in the world - more than at any time in history.
As the head of an international agricultural development organisation working in Africa, I am often asked why we don't work to address the current migrant crisis from Africa that has overwhelmed Europe.
The question directed to me is usually a sincere one, not borne of xenophobia or racism, but rather from a deep frustration that in our advanced and sophisticated 21st century society we should not be witnessing such scenes, night after night on our television screens.
Advertisement
My answer to such questions is a short one. We are.
For it is only by improving the economic circumstances of rural poor people in Africa that we will ultimately provide them with an acceptable alternative to the hugely risky, life-threatening and demeaning choices currently being taken by millions, as they uproot from their communities and take their lives into their own hands in search of 'a better life' somewhere else.
Noone who has ever visited a refugee camp, which I have done many times during a 30-years career that included many years in humanitarian relief, would ever describe these places as anything other than a stopgap. As the name itself suggests it is a place of refuge from something terrible that is occurring elsewhere. It is not the 'better life' that millions are taking huge risks to seek out.
A new EU plan, announced this month, sets out a framework that the Union believe can tackle some of the root causes of migration from Africa.
While the 'carrot and stick' approach in these proposals - which include a combination of aid and trade incentives - has been criticized by some African countries, and by aid organisations, it should be viewed as a step towards addressing the underlying cause of much of the current crisis, poverty.
Advertisement
Only by boosting growth in economies, creating jobs, and ensuring that countries can provide a future for their populations will the current flood of migration be resolved.
Building walls, Brexit opt-out campaigns or any number of breaches by Euro states of the Schengen freedom of movement charter are reactions, rather than solutions, to a problem that has been with us for generations.
For too long we have failed to properly solve the problem of extreme poverty that continues to cast an enormous shadow across developing countries of the world. That there are almost 800 million people worldwide living in extreme poverty - that's one in nine of our global population - is proof enough that we are continuing to fail the poorest, and the most vulnerable.
In the current clamour over immigration to Europe it is often overlooked that such mass movement of people is placing a huge burden on the fabric of society across Africa, as well.
Figures released in 2015 showed that the top six destinations for African refugees and migrants were within the continent of Africa itself. The figures were: Ethiopia (659,524), Kenya (551,352), Chad (452,897), Uganda (385,513), Cameroon (264,126) and South Sudan (248,152), who collectively were accommodating 2,561,564 people of foreign origin in camps within their countries.
Advertisement
Interviews that have been given by refugees themselves - whether in Kenya or in Calais - tell us that if given the choice, the vast majority of those who make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe would not do so, if their futures at home were not so bleak.
People aren't only moving across international borders in search of a better life either. There is also an accelerating pattern of rural to urban migration taking place in sub-Saharan Africa that is placing a huge burden on national services.
Africa will become the most rapidly urbanized region on the planet in the coming 25 years, as the number of people living in its cities is projected to soar to 56% of the population, according to UN estimates. That means that many more shantytowns like Kiberi, an urban slum of one million people outside Nairobi, Kenya, will spring up across Africa in the years to come.
At Self Help Africa our focus is on supporting rural poor communities to support their populations through an innovative mix of agricultural and enterprise development activities.
By supporting rural poor households to grow more, and access profitable markets for their produce, Africa's small-scale farming families can realise the better future that they desire for themselves and their communities.
Advertisement
There is no quick fix to the problems of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, just as there is no quick fix to the current migrant crisis in Europe. But there are many steps that can be taken to move us in the right direction.
Self Help Africa believes that by contributing to the creation of an economically vibrant African agricultural sector, we can play our part in tackling this challenge.
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (2nd L) talks to supporters along with House Democrats after their sit-in over gun-control law on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
I was just 16 years old when a bullet severed my spinal cord. In a single moment, I lost the ability to walk. In a single moment, my dream of becoming a police officer was destroyed. In a single moment, my young life was changed forever.
But I'm one of the lucky ones. I lived. What happened to me was a tragic accident, a misfired weapon in a police station locker room. I wasn't targeted for my race, religion, or sexual orientation. It had nothing to do with hate or fear or political beliefs. But I am nonetheless a living, breathing reminder of the terrible damage that guns can cause, even in the hands of trained experts.
Advertisement
And if what happened to me could happen in one of the safest places imaginable, why then have we failed to do everything in our power to keep guns out of the hands of those who seek to do us harm? How many more people have to die before this Congress takes action and passes responsible, commonsense gun reforms?
But this moment, this seminal moment in our nation's history, is not about me. This moment is about the 49 people killed in Orlando. It's about the 32 at Virginia Tech, the 27 at Sandy Hook -- 20 of whom were elementary school children -- and the countless other lives that are ended too early each day because of senseless gun violence.
What has long frustrated me about this debate is that it is often painted in black and white. You either support the Second Amendment, or you want the government to confiscate all firearms. You either believe in the Constitution, or you denigrate it. That is unequivocally false. Supporting the Second Amendment and passing sensible gun reforms are not mutually exclusive goals, and we need to stop framing the discussion as though they are.
Requiring a background check does not infringe on our Second Amendment rights. In fact, most of my gun-owning constituents are familiar with the process. They go into a licensed gun store, undergo a background check, and purchase a weapon legally. I fully support their right to do that. I support their right to bear arms, as afforded by the Constitution. But when someone is able to attend a gun show and walk out the same day with a firearm after completely circumventing the background check process, that is unacceptable. What if that person has a lengthy criminal record that would preclude them from owning a weapon? What if that person is being monitored by the FBI for suspected terrorist ties? What if that person has a violent past and is a habitual offender of domestic abuse? Without a comprehensive background check, none of these factors disqualify that individual from buying a firearm at a gun show.
Advertisement
It's these kinds of reasonable changes that are at the heart of this issue. It's not all or nothing; it's common sense.
The gun lobby would have you believe that anyone who wants to see reforms to our gun laws is an extremist who doesn't support your right to bear arms. The issue is so heavily laden with heated rhetoric and fear-mongering that productive dialogue has become almost as challenging as the prospect of consensus. We will not be able to address this issue until we can have a healthy and honest debate about it. And that is why I was so proud to join with my colleagues for a historic sit-in, demanding that gun reform issues come to the Floor of the House of Representatives for thorough debate and a vote. Led by Congressman John Lewis -- a civil rights hero who has seen the power of civil disobedience -- we gathered to send a message that we will not be silenced. This issue is too important to ignore.
Without a majority, it's true that the proposals would have likely failed. I was on the floor of the United States Senate when they defeated the Manchin-Toomey compromise right in front of the Sandy Hook parents who had come to beg for reason, to beg for their children. These parents, whose grief is unthinkable, were stunned. Some openly wept. I remember thinking, 'if not now, then when?' I couldn't fathom being able to cast that vote and then look in their eyes and justify voting no. But that's exactly what we should have to do. Speaker Ryan, bring the bills to the floor and let the chips fall where they may. We owe our constituents that much. I'm proud to support commonsense gun reforms, and I have no reservations in explaining that position to my constituents. Maybe it's not so easy for you to look into the eyes of a mother whose child was gunned down and make your case. Maybe that should tell you something.
Advertisement
I, of course, want these proposals to pass. For every parent, spouse and friend who has had to bury their loved one, I believe these proposals are in the best interest of our nation. But at the very least, the obstructionism needs to end. No more tweets, no more 'thoughts and prayers,' no more empty statements. Let us debate. Let us have a real conversation. And then let us vote.
If we put aside our differences, forget the polls and ignore the lobbyists, there are meaningful changes we can make to keep people safe. In a single moment, we have the power to change history.
This is that moment. Let's not waste it.
US Senator Bob Corker, R-TN (C) leaves Trump Tower May 23, 2016 after meeting with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
There is no surer sign that a writer has pundititis than to start picking vice presidential nominees. It's a God-given chance to be dead wrong in public -- twice. And so I simply can't resist the temptation to reveal -- with my usual uncanny accuracy -- the identity of the next vice president of the United States.
Up front, I enthusiastically solicit your comments. This won't be nearly as fun if you don't state and debate your choices. And feel free to tell me I'm a moron -- one way or the other, some of you are certain to be right.
Advertisement
Use any criteria you like -- from the ideal to the pragmatic. Just so you know, my own lens is cold eyed realism -- what is likely to happen, not who I'd prefer, or what might occur in a better cosmos. All I'm trying to do is make an informed guess in the context of current political realities as I perceive them, tested by conversations with smart insiders from both parties.
That said, here goes.
Democrats first. Maybe this is cheating. But it's always easier to make guesses when the nominee doing the choosing is, whatever you might think of him or her, sane.
In this case, Hillary Clinton. Not only is she in charge of all her faculties; she's experienced in politics and governance. Which makes her more predictable, and narrows the field of choices.
Let's start with the four basic templates for picking a running mate.
The first is trying to carry your choice's home state. This is more discussed than real: in the last 10 election cycles, the vice presidential choice has given the ticket an average 1.1 percent bump in his or her state. As the latest example, the Romney-Ryan ticket lost Wisconsin.
Advertisement
The second is to add some assets to the ticket. Most recently, Barack Obama compensated for his lack of foreign policy experience by picking Joe Biden.
The third is to amp up some excitement. By selecting Al Gore, Bill Clinton sent a message of generational change.
The fourth, and perhaps the most widely honored, is to be sure the nominee -- whatever else they might offer -- doesn't do the campaign any harm. Here the best example is the train wreck which can happen when you don't take this into account -- Sarah Palin.
So let's consider how all this fits with Hillary Clinton.
To start, she need not pick a vice president to help her navigate Washington, or to persuade voters that she has someone more seasoned to call on. So she is free to weigh the remaining criteria based on personal preference and practical political advantage.
Among other things, these potential determinants include a person with whom Clinton feels comfortable, and whose loyalty she can count on. A person who appeals to important party constituencies or, perhaps, might help pick up a state -- though, as noted, the latter is less a factor than people think. A person unlikely to do harm.
Advertisement
One critical element is that the existence of Donald Trump gives Clinton greater leeway. Obviously, it would be quite helpful if Sanders voters felt enthusiastic about her choice. But the prospect of Trump as president will help consolidate many of them -- though certainly not all. And Trump's gift for alienating minorities make it less imperative that Clinton pick an Hispanic or African-American.
As president, Clinton would like a Senate controlled by Democrats. This cuts against choosing a senator from a state with a Republican governor who would choose the replacement.
Finally, because Clinton has a problem with white guys, an appealing male candidate might help more than would a woman. Still, one way for Clinton to get a second look from voters who don't like her is to depart from stereotype by making a daring choice.
So let's start narrowing the field.
Bernie Sanders? The selection of Sanders would help cement support from the millions inspired by his campaign. But there are compelling reasons why this will never happen.
The biggest is that Sanders is simply not a vice presidential type. It is difficult to imagine him as a loyal messenger for Clinton, deprived of the freedom to advance his own agenda. Sanders should not want this, and it does not serve his interests.
Advertisement
For many of the same reasons, as well as the absence of personal closeness, Sanders would not be a comfortable subordinate for Clinton. And when the presidential nominee is in her late 60s, the heart which is one heartbeat away probably should not be seven years older. Sanders stays in the Senate.
Elizabeth Warren? More likely than Sanders, to be sure. She's principled, and shares many of those principles with Bernie. Nobody tears into Trump any better, or enjoys it more - it's as though God designed The Donald to embody every loathesome attribute that Warren despises in her bones. She would add fire to the ticket, and it's fun to think of Clinton countering Trump's misogyny by doubling down on the historic nature of her candidacy.
Their first joint appearance was surprisingly comfortable and devastatingly effective. Of the vice presidential prospects, Warren is easily the most electric, at least for the progressive left. All that raises her prospects of being chosen.
But Warren is not generally known for tractability, and she and Clinton do not have a close relationship. She's ambitious, inner directed, and would not happily share the stage with the two Presidents Clinton, current or former. Her history includes several sharp attacks on Clinton, and Wall Street doesn't like her -- though that could cut both ways.
In all likelihood, her name is being floated to propitiate the Democratic left. But Warren could do her work as a surrogate almost as well outside the ticket. The speculation that Brexit ups the chances of a more populist candidate like Warren strikes me as overblown, the usual media overreaction to the immediate in a campaign season with over four months yet to go. And a Republican governor would appoint her successor, albeit for a shorter time under Massachusetts law. All in all, it still seems unlikely that Warren will be chosen.
Advertisement
Cory Booker? Good for some excitement, though his tenure in the Senate has been unremarkable. A bit too young and unseasoned, perhaps. If Clinton tapped him, Chris Christie would put a Republican in his place. African-Americans are with her already. And come the fall, America's premier black politician will be campaigning for Clinton as if his legacy depended on It.
Obscure white guys from swing states? This includes Senator Michael Bennett and Governor John Hickenlooper from Colorado, and Congressman Tim Ryan from Ohio. But trying to win a single state doesn't trump everything else, and Trump's problems with Hispanics has likely given Clinton Colorado. Ohio is a bigger deal, but Ryan is not a bigger name.
Tom Perez? No one knows him. And there are other Hispanic officeholders who can bring more passion to the stump.
So here are my finalists.
Sherrod Brown. But for one not so small problem, Brown would be my odds-on pick. He's articulate, smart and well regarded, a senator with genuine appeal to blue-collar voters. And he could help Clinton carry Ohio, a devastating blow to Trump.
Brown supported Clinton in the primaries, and she clearly likes him. But on many issues, such as TPP, Brown has more in common with Bernie Sanders -- a good thing for the ticket. And less skilled politicians skate past their differences all the time
Advertisement
So what's not to like? Simply this -- John Kasich would appoint Brown's successor, jeopardizing the Democrats' chances of flipping the Senate. The question is whether Clinton prefers Brown so much that she would risk this -- and all the pushback which would follow. Probably not.
Tim Kaine. For good reason, he's the walking definition of this year's conventional wisdom -- a steady, likable and capable if unexciting white guy. He speaks fluent Spanish. He has been a widely-respected governor and senator from Virginia, a swing state, and a Democrat would appoint his successor. And as a former party chair, he knows every donor in the country.
If "first do no harm" is Clinton's chief criteria, Kaine is the obvious choice. But he would provide little in the way of spark, particularly for the Democratic left, who may remember his support for TPP. For those who perceive Hillary Clinton as overcautious, picking Kaine would be Exhibit A. Still, by tradition presidential nominees choose running mates who reliably hit singles, rather than hoping for home runs. That's Kaine.
Julian Castro. The secretary of HUD -- smart, articulate, youthful, and Hispanic. Choosing Castro would link Clinton to our demographic future -- he personifies the ways in which America is changing, and might attract some of the young people who found Sanders so compelling. As a matter of sheer optics, he and Clinton would make a good-looking ticket.
But Clinton has the Hispanic vote already. Castro can't help her carry Texas -- no one could. He has not really been tested on the national stage. And he looks even younger than he is -- a bit too young, perhaps.
Advertisement
Still, if the ongoing political dynamic persuades Clinton that the ticket needs some excitement, Castro is the safest exciting choice. In this way, he could be the ultimate beneficiary of the desire for sizzle stoked by Elizabeth Warren.
My pick? In order of likelihood, Kaine, then Castro, then Brown. If the nominee turns out to be someone I've never mentioned, even to discount, feel free to remind me.
But for real fun there's always the Republicans.
Donald Trump adds that extra dash of excitement that only self-absorption can provide. It's not every election year that the choice of a vice president turns, not on political calculations which can be fathomed by the normal mind, but on the daily oscillations of a profound personality disorder which are, to put it mildly, elusive -- perhaps even to Trump himself.
There is simply no book for handicapping the choices of major party candidate whose narcissism eclipses the historic competition. This elevates the risk of punditry from walking through a cow pasture to navigating a minefield. There is simply no telling when something will blow up.
Were Trump not so riveted by Trump himself, he would give the qualities required in a running mate the most considered thought. Republican insiders swear that he has. In this telling, and occasionally in Trump's, he knows that he needs a "governing choice" -- an experienced officeholder whose selection will help compensate for his own lack of, well, pretty much everything one might hope for in a president.
Advertisement
Given Trump, this is no small task. Sadly, those who might be up to it -- say George Washington or Abraham Lincoln -- are unavailable. And even were they at hand, who can say that the Donald would recognize their qualities as equal to his own?
However, just last week he exercised the kind of leadership he showed on The Apprentice -- he fired Corey Lewandowski. So let's assume that he chooses a running mate with Paul Manafort whispering in his ear, rather than looking in the mirror and seeing Jesse Ventura.
The initial problem, then, would not be who he chooses, but who won't run screaming into the night from imagining four years of subservience to Donald Trump. And then there is a related problem -- out of sheer self-respect, most credible prospects have been forced to utter some criticism of Trump. The Sun King, as we know, does not gratefully brook dissenters.
On both fronts, it would seem, John Kasich is disqualified. Even if Trump could overlook the fact that Kasich has yet to endorse them, the Ohio governor is just principled enough, and prickly enough, not to embarrass himself by running with a nominee so transcendently unfit.
More broadly, how many politicians with a future want to endure the shame and abuse of serving as second lieutenant on Trump's Titanic? Which opens up a frightening prospect -- bereft of respectable choices, Trump falls back on his own instincts and gives us -- God knows who.
Advertisement
By trade, I'm a novelist, and for years exercised my imagination for a living. But channeling Donald Trump is where the standard powers of invention flag. All I can do is deal with the more or less conventional choices which might flit, like fireflies, through the shadowy recesses of Trump's mind.
So let's dispatch a few of the wilder possibilities.
Marco Rubio? Despite the vehemence of his last-ditch attacks on Trump, Rubio has one indispensable qualification -- the political spine of a mollusk. But, ever ambitious, Rubio has reversed his supposedly ironclad pledge, and is running for reelection to the Senate.
Chris Christie? Last seen fetching Trump a hamburger, he has morphed from attack dog to lapdog -- standing next to his master, he has a glazed look of a former mastiff who has undergone a prefrontal lobotomy. This may be Trump's most astounding achievement -- shrinking Chris Christie. His poll numbers and New Jersey are shrinking, too. Put him down for Attorney General.
Rick Scott. I owe this speculation to reports that Florida's governor is on Trump's short list. But even mulling Scott pushes the swing state criteria to idiotic levels. In his prior life, Scott resigned as CEO of a health care company after it committed numerous felonies in over-billing the federal government. Not exactly the kind of business experience a dubious businessman would desire in a running mate.
Even as a parochial politician, Scott is mediocre -- not articulate, not very popular, and certainly not smart. One cringes to think of him set loose under the klieg lights of a national campaign. He adds little in Florida, and nothing outside its borders. At best a wasted pick; at worst a terrible one.
Advertisement
Female governors? Sounds good, until you start to think about them.
Mary Fallin? Her major distinction is that she is the climate change-denying governor of a bright red state, Oklahoma. Sarah Palin leaps to mind. Perhaps Fallin could help Trump a bit with white women of modest discernment. But she adds no weight to the ticket, and any of the Democratic prospects for vice president would murder her in debate.
Nikki Haley? Better, assuming that she would take it. But she, too, has not endured the rigors of national politics. And the experience of Sarah Palin has left the GOP terrified of the unknown.
Susanna Martinez? Better yet. But by excoriating Martinez in public, Trump blew his chances, proving only that he has the political and personal judgment of a deeply troubled toddler.
Any female at all? There's always Carly Fiorina, who would walk across a ground glass for the chance to run with anyone. Her gift for political venom is unimpeded by fact. But the claim that she and Trump combine stellar business acumen would founder on an unfortunate fact -- her business record, if possible, is even more execrable than his. So the fact that she has all the warmth of an anaconda is merely excess baggage.
Finally, John Thune. This one is a puzzler. The South Dakota senator is a conventional, presentable conservative, popular among his colleagues and, as politicians go, unassuming . Recently, his name has surfaced in Beltway speculation. But he would seem to have little in common with Trump, personally or ideologically. And unlike his senatorial colleagues, Bob Corker and Jeff Sessions, he is not known to have a relationship with The Donald.
Advertisement
In the past, Thune has pondered a run for president. Paying lip service to a narcissist while subordinating his own beliefs could well tarnish whatever national ambitions he still entertains. Given Trump's alternatives, Thune would certainly be a more than decent pick -- though Corker seems a better one. But from the perspective of either man, especially Thune, it's hard to see why Thune would become Trump's choice .
So who does this leave?
Newt Gingrich. Granted, this requires a certain flexibility in defining "conventional" -- if only because, between them, the two prospective running mates have been married six times. Here, again, age is a problem -- Gingrich is even older than the 70-year-old Trump. And if Trump is a Roman candle, the volatile Gingrich is at least a firecracker, likely to go off in your hand.
No doubt he is a fountain of inventiveness. Bob Dole used to joke that he kept two file cabinets in his office -- a tall one labeled "Newts idea's", and a much smaller one labeled "Newt's good ideas." Still, Gingrich is smart, articulate and ruthless in debate. Though he roundly criticized Trump's attack on Judge Curiel -- to Trump's explicit displeasure -- Gingrich would surely take the job. Which leads us to ponder questions of judgment and temperament which Donald Trump should avoid like Ebola.
Jeff Sessions. He is Trump's most faithful surrogate -- indeed, apologist. Which is to say that he personifies the word "pinhead": inarticulate, nativist, narrow-minded, reactionary and just plain dumb. Few senators are more lacking in stature. He's also short.
He would surely accept. Why not? But a Sessions choice would confirm the completeness of the disaster which is Trump -- a hitherto unthinkable reflection of Trump's need for craven adulation, and the absence of a more respectable running mate who was willing to feed it.
Advertisement
Which brings us to the insiders' current favorite, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. Colleagues like him. He looks like a senator. He's sane. Unlike Trump, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee he does not require an atlas to navigate the world. He's steady and self-disciplined. Overall he meets the criteria for a sober choice which would suggest that Trump comprehends, at least in passing, the unease created by his very being.
Unlike Sessions, Corker is not insensate -- a couple of weeks ago, he risked offending Trump by expressing dismay about his campaign. But, more recently, he compensated by expressing "excitement" when Trump materialized an actual rapid response team -- just like a normal candidate! This gift for overstimulation suggests a man who wants to be vice president -- one hesitates to envision Corker's rapture when Trump deigns to read from a prepared text.
No one imagines a President Corker, so this is his shot at national prominence. And no doubt the establishment types will implore him to step up for the sake of party and country -- not to mention the GOP's donor classes -- providing a fig leaf for his more personal ambitions.
The question is whether pros like Manafort can persuade Trump that Corker serves his best interests. Which, of course, requires Trump to endure the staggering self-abnegation of actually listening to someone else. Still, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then. And if there was ever a candidate who can't afford to screw this up, it's Donald Trump.
My finalists? Corker, Gingrich, and Sessions -- in that order. And the implausibility of the latter two makes Corker look like Cincinnatus.
Advertisement
But put down John Kasich with an asterisk. If somehow the GOP's duennas manage to broker this shotgun marriage -- perhaps by assuring Kasich that Trump has six months to live -- Kasich has everything Trump could ask for: ordinary guy appeal, experience in Congress and as a governor, and a shot at taking Ohio. Everything save, perhaps, loyalty.
So who will become the 48th vice president of United States?
Tim Kaine. Thanks to Donald Trump, whoever Clinton chooses wins the lottery.
WOLF SPRITZER
Hello, everybody, this is another edition of Breaking News, and our guest again is Donald Trump. Welcome, Mr. Trump.
TRUMP
Hello, Mr. and Mrs. America.
WOLF
Mr. Trump, as all of us know, is the presumptive Republican candidate for President.
TRUMP
Wait a minute! Did you call me presumptuous?
WOLF
No, presumptive, meaning you have won enough delegates to lead the Republican party in her next election.
TRUMP
Then tell me why those losers think they have a right to make speeches at my convention, okay?
WOLF
If you mean Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich, they have won a relatively large number of delegates themselves, actually.
TRUMP
That don't give them any right to speak.
Advertisement
WOLF
Well, actually, they do have that right under the First Amendment.
TRUMP
Which one is that?
WOLF
The one that prohibits making any laws abridging freedom of speech or of the press.
TRUMP
I don't play bridge. Strip poker is my game.
WOLF
No, no. Abridge. It means censoring speech.
TRUMP
I don't censor my speech. I can say anything I like, even on television. Hell! Damn! How's that?
WOLF
But you are trying to block the speech of other Republican candidates.
TRUMP
They can say anything they want. Just not at my convention, okay? I'll need all that time to insult Hillary.
WOLF
You mean like saying she's a crook?
TRUMP
Yes, that, and also that she reads email on her email.
WOLF
You mean on her private email.
TRUMP
Whatever. Reading can be a crime, too, you know.
WOLF
When was that a crime?
TRUMP
Ask Joe McCarthy and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee.
WOLF
Did you ever run into trouble reading?
TRUMP
You bet. Once when my mother caught me reading Playboy. Wow, what a spanking I got.
WOLF
I mean, reading inflammatory material.
TRUMP
Playboy was pretty hot!
WOLF
Well, isn't what your mother did a little that like what you're doing to your rivals?
TRUMP
They can read Playboy as much as they want. In fact, I have a twelve volume collection of the magazine available in my living room. Minus the articles supporting abortion.
WOLF
Well, Mr. Trump, I see nothing is going to change your mind on the issue of free speech.
TRUMP
We'll have no trouble with free speech once I've shut down the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Advertisement
WOLF
The Times? It's the most respected paper in the country.
The flag of the United States of America.
We hear a lot about patriotism, especially around the Fourth of July. But in 2016 we're hearing about two very different types of patriotism. One is an inclusive patriotism that binds us together. The other is an exclusive patriotism that keeps others out.
Through most of our history we've understood patriotism the first way. We've celebrated the values and ideals we share in common: democracy, equal opportunity, freedom, tolerance and generosity.
Advertisement
We've recognized these as aspirations to which we recommit ourselves on the Fourth of July.
This inclusive patriotism prides itself on giving hope and refuge to those around the world who are most desperate -- as memorialized in Emma Lazarus' famous lines engraved on the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
By contrast, we're now hearing a strident, exclusive patriotism. It asserts a unique and superior "Americanism" that's determined to exclude others beyond our borders.
Donald Trump famously wants to ban all Muslims from coming to America, and to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out Mexicans.
Exclusive patriotism tells us to fear foreign terrorists in our midst -- even though almost every terrorist attack since 9/11 has been perpetrated by American citizens or holders of green cards living here for a decade or more.
Advertisement
Exclusive patriotism is not welcoming or generous. Since the war in Syria began in 2011, we've allowed in only 3,127 out of the more than 4 million refugees who have fled that nation.
Republicans in Congress reacted to the Orlando massacre with a proposal to ban all refugees to the United States indefinitely. Rep. Brian Babin of Texas wants to place "an immediate moratorium on all refugee resettlement programs ... to keep America safe and defend our national security."
With El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua convulsed in drug-related violence, thousands of unaccompanied children and nearly as many mothers and children have fled northward. But rather than welcome them, we've detained them at the border and told others contemplating the journey to stay home.
Another difference: Inclusive patriotism instructs us to join together for the common good.
We've understood this to require mutual sacrifice -- from frontier settlers who helped build one another's barns, to neighbors who volunteered for the local fire department, to towns and cities that sent off their boys to fight wars for the good of all.
Such patriotism requires taking on a fair share of the burdens of keeping America going -- including a willingness to pay taxes.
Advertisement
But the strident voices of exclusive patriotism tell us that no sacrifice should be required, especially by the well off.
Exclusive patriotism celebrates the acquisitive individual and lone entrepreneur. It tells us that taxes on the wealthy slow economic growth and deter innovation.
Trump wants to reduce the highest income tax rate to 25 percent from today's 39.6 percent. No matter that this would result in higher deficits or cuts in Social Security, Medicare and programs for the poor. They're supposedly good for growth.
A third difference: Inclusive patriotism has always sought to protect our democracy -- defending the right to vote and seeking to ensure that more Americans are heard.
But the new voices of exclusive patriotism seem not to care about democracy. They're willing to inundate it with big money that buys off politicians, and they don't seem to mind when politicians create gerrymandered districts that suppress the votes of minorities or erect roadblocks to voting such as stringent voter ID requirements.
Advertisement
Finally, inclusive patriotism doesn't pander to divisiveness, as does the alternative patriotism that focuses on who "doesn't belong" because of racial or religious or ethnic differences. Inclusive patriotism isn't homophobic or sexist or racist.
To the contrary, inclusive patriotism confirms and strengthens the "we" in "we the people of the United States."
So will it be inclusive or exclusive patriotism? A celebration of "us" or contempt for "them"?
Inclusive patriotism is our national creed. It is born of hope. Mean-spirited, exclusive patriotism is new to our shores. It is born of fear.
a road signs EU and BREXIT and a blue sky
"I don't want a future in which politics is primarily a battle between cosmopolitan finance capitalism and ethno-nationalist backlash." - Commentator Chris Hayes
After the news that the UK has voted to leave the EU stunned the global economy, causing the pound to drop to its lowest level since 1985 and resulting in the stock market losing $2 trillion in value in one day, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs are asking, "How did this happen, and what's next?"
Advertisement
The Brexit--and political movements with mirroring sentiments like the Trump campaign here in the US--are happening because a large part of the population sees where the economy is going, and doesn't want what they see. And while the easy answer is to blame racism, nationalism, and ignorance, the truth is more complicated. Investors, business leaders, and policymakers need to recognize that the downside of a globalized, interconnected world is an obsession with short-termism and instant gratification that leaves out critical investment in many parts of the economy--and the people who don't feel a part of the conversation are fighting back the only way they know how.
Over the past thirty years, one of the key themes in globalization has been a decline, at least in the developed world, of what could be termed the "real-world economy"--the production and delivery of vital goods and services such as health care or manufacturing--and a growth in the "financial innovation" economy. We see this on a macro-level: financial services now make up 8% of the GDP of Britain, largely concentrated in the city of London. (And investors far more experienced than I am hold this opinion: Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest investor, sent an alarm-bell letter to S&P 500 CEOs warning about short-termism in February.)
How does this affect the everyday person? Wall Street banks, in a drive for quarterly profits, will often push American and British corporations to move jobs from the US and the UK overseas, without recognizing the externalities that these moves will have on the communities they are invested in. Companies spend far more time figuring out how to avoid corporate tax than how to invest in the long term of the communities where they are based. And new businesses are highly concentrated in the wealthiest cities--78% of start-up investment in the US goes to three wealthy states, and 75% of new business investment in the UK goes to London itself--meaning that very often, start-ups are creating perks for the well-off (on-demand services, for example) versus solving deeper problems in society (such as health or education).
Advertisement
The ultimate result: from large-scale investment banking to startups, leaders in our economy have been promoting short-term profit capture over long-term value creation, with seemingly no negative consequences for those making the decisions. But leaders may have overplayed their hand: this week, a $2 trillion bill came due. Why?
While the answers are many, my area of expertise is startups. And given that 100% of the new jobs over the last 30 years have been created by new firms, it is fair to say that the way we invest in new companies today will have lasting implications for the global economy tomorrow - for good or for ill. In short, we're planting the seeds of future Brexit-like anger every time we direct our resources toward a startup that's "building to flip" rather than a business that is "building to last."
The factors that led to the Brexit are complex, and the path to a more integrated global economy will require coordinated action from countless actors. But if you are reading this article, you're probably in a position of influence in the economy--whether you're an investor, business leader, entrepreneur, or another decision-maker in the global economy. Starting today, you can make changes in how you invest that could play a part in preventing future catastrophic losses like the one of the past week.
If you're an investor (limited partner) in a venture capital firm, ask where, how, and why the firm is investing. Your investments should not be concentrated in a few cities. If the firm's response is "We invest in San Francisco because we like to have a hands-on role, sit on boards, and it's important that we are nearby the companies we invest in," I wouldn't buy that. Push them to travel to invest in a better economy: your money will go farther, and you will ultimately be more profitable, if you have a more diversified portfolio. And because of shortcuts in thinking, we're limiting who gets a shot at starting a business. For example, only 5% of venture funding goes to women, and in the US, less than 1% of venture funding goes to African-Americans and Latinos. In rural areas, where unemployment (and anger) is highest, entrepreneurs see a rounding error of investment. We're leaving most of society off the playing field, and investment won't change until investors are more demanding.
If you ask why this is and investors say "There are simply better companies in Silicon Valley," or "We're trying the best we can on diversity, but we have a 'pipeline problem'," you can write me at ross@vilcap.com and I'll send you a long list of great companies that you can invest in--at much better value for money--to disprove their case.
If you have any money with a bank, at all, be demanding when you meet with your financial representative about what your money is doing in the world. If you care about the sustainability of the planet, ask what stocks you're in. If you're worried about the next Brexit, ask about who is employed by the companies you're invested in and how their management team makes long-term economic decisions. The banks won't change their behavior until you start asking questions.
If you're invested in companies, make sure you have very high standards for what they're doing--while they are building the company. Earlier this year, former McKinsey partner Lenny Mendonca and I wrote an article, "Silicon Valley's Unchecked Arrogance," about the misguided Silicon Valley obsession with universal basic income (UBI). The core idea behind the UBI is that innovative ideas, such as self-driving cars, will create a future where most people don't have a job--and it's the responsibility of the people creating this wealth to provide for everyone else (through a basic paycheck). If the Brexit has taught us anything, it's that people don't want cash handouts--some of the highest recipients of EU aid in the UK voted to leave. People want dignity. And innovators often take their cues from where the money is. If Silicon Valley leaders stopped pushing for a UBI as an "inevitable outcome" of startup disruption, and started demanding that the companies they invest in solved deep, real-world problems, then many students at Harvard and Stanford would immediately stop working on their food delivery app and, say, try to innovate in food systems or advanced manufacturing.
The Democratic Party Platform Committee has taken a position in support of a tax on Wall Street transactions, according to a statement by committee member Rep. Keith Ellison. This is just the latest sign of the mainstreaming of a bold policy that would shrink the size and power of Wall Street.
Even at a rate of just a small fraction of a percent on each trade, such taxes would slash the profitability of the high-speed speculation that dominates our financial markets but has no real economic value. At the same time, the tax could generate massive revenue for job creation and other urgent needs.
If you want to get a sense of just how far this transformative idea has come, you need look no further than a 2009 cable sent by the U.S. embassy in London back to Obama administration officials in Washington.
Advertisement
Unearthed by Wikileaks, the cable is a litany of complaints about then-UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's efforts to get the Obama administration to join the financial transaction tax bandwagon. The cable notes that Brown even had the gall to raise the issue in a Thanksgiving Day call to the U.S. ambassador.
Obama, we learned later, was not Brown's problem. According to Ron Suskind's 2011 Confidence Men, a book based on 700 hours of interviews with high-level Obama staff, the president initially supported the financial transaction tax. Larry Summers, who was then serving as Obama's Director of the National Economic Council, put the kibosh on it.
Along with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Summers made sure that Obama would take sides with the Canadian conservatives to block a proposal by Brown and the leaders of Germany and France for a G-20 agreement on the tax at their 2009 summit in Pittsburgh.
Brown, of course, was later unseated by British conservatives who made Summers and Geithner's objections seem lukewarm. Former UK Prime Minister John Major even used rhetoric harkening back to World War II, comparing the German and French plan for the tax to a "heat-seeking missile" directed at London's financial center. Boris Johnson, the former London mayor who now may be headed towards the Prime Minister's seat, is also hostile.
Advertisement
So what accounts for the change in the Democratic Party? The Platform Committee's position didn't come out of nowhere. Over the years, growing U.S. and international campaigns for the tax have pushed on multiple fronts to mainstream the issue.
One prong has been to help generate new research on the potential benefits. In 2010, after consultations with international civil society experts, the International Monetary Fund prepared a report for the G20 leaders confirming that transaction taxes were administratively feasible and could raise significant revenue.
In 2011, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the body in Congress responsible for generating officials revenue estimates, analyzed one of several FTT bills, concluding that a U.S. tax of 0.03 percent on stock, bond, and derivative trades could raise $350 billion over 10 years. More recently, the Tax Policy Center estimated that a rate of 0.1 percent could generate up to $541.5 billion for the U.S. government over 10 years. Models with higher rates could raise even more.
The campaigns have also pushed for new and sometimes unusual allies, including a growing list of business and financial industry professionals. In 2011, for example, Bill Gates told The Guardian, "It is very plausible that certain kinds of FTTs could work...I am lending some credibility to that. This money could be well spent and make a difference."
A diverse array of labor, environmental, health, and other activists also rounded up support for the tax from prominent faith leaders, including Pope Benedict, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop Desmond Tutu.
Advertisement
In 2014, we started to see shifts among high-level Democrats. Rep. Chris Van Hollen included a financial transaction tax as part of a broader tax reform plan, reportedly with support from Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Then Bernie Sanders brought the issue into the center of the primary debates. The tax became a pillar of his Wall Street reform plan and he rarely missed a chance to raise it in his stump speeches. By linking the tax to the need for additional revenue to fund free higher education at public universities, Sanders made the tax even more popular.
Where will it go from here? The platform committee will assemble one final time in Orlando to put the final touches on the platform before it comes up for a vote at the party's national convention in Philadelphia in late July. A recently formed Take On Wall Street campaign made up of dozens of labor, consumer, and other groups aims to keep up the heat and ensure the position in support of the tax is not stripped from the final document.
Some say John le Carre a.k.a. David Cornwell, is the best spy genre author in the 20th Century. Some say he is one of the best novelists of the 20th Century, as his contribution to literature reaches well beyond making the spy genre mainstream. All can agree that this prolific author's work has translated very well to television and motion pictures for over the past 50 years. With Our Kind of Traitor makings its debut in July 2016, with an all star cast, it's a good time to examine the top 10 le Carre adapted works.
10) Constant Gardner (2005): Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, and Rachel Weisz all star in this critically and financially successful film about a cover-up surrounding the convergence of corporate greed and foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and Weisz won an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance.
9) Russia House (1990): With the collapse of the Cold War, all things Russia was in style. It has the distinction of being only the second American motion picture to be filmed in the Soviet Union. It's bolstered by the star power of Sean Connery, Michelle Pfieffer, and Roy Scheider, Connery plays the head of a publishing house who gets a crash course as a spy after he is approached and earns the trust of a Soviet nuclear physicist who is trying desperately to avoid war. This film was mostly well-received by the critics.
Advertisement
8) A Most Wanted Man (2014): Tapping into current events mixing refugees, secret surveillance, and Radical Islamic terrorists and their funding sources, this film largely is unknown despite a star studded cast. It is Phillip Seymour Hoffman's last movie; the rest of the cast includes Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, and Robin Wright. Definitely worth a look.
7) The Little Drummer Girl (1984): Diane Keaton seems miscast in this story of a 30ish American actress working for Israeli intelligence to infiltrate the PLO to ultimately kill a terrorist. Earning mixed reviews and the uneven acting doesn't bring out the full potential le Carre had in the novel.
6) Our Kind of Traitor (2016): Rarely does a film have the potential or start power that this film does, but it deserves recognition. Again showing versatility le Carre tackles the subject of international money laundering by large scale criminal organizations. Starring Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Damian Lewis, and Naomie Harris. It has the potential to be a huge summer hit.
5) A Tailor of Panama (2001): What starts as the run-of-the mill spy thriller about the last days of American control of the Panama Canal, the film soon harkens the watcher back to the classic Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene. The lies build one on top of another as le Carre shows his adaptability as a novelist in the void left by the end of the Cold War. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush, Jamie Lee Curtis and Brendan Gleeson. Also of note is the film debut of a young Daniel Radcliff. This title is far too often overlooked.
Advertisement
4) The Looking Glass War (1969): Ralph Richardson and Anthony Hopkins star in the work about an aging British intelligence group seeking to regain their past glories of World War II and relevance against rival British intelligence agency by launching a covert mission behind the Iron Curtain. Things do not go as planned.
3) Night Manager (2016): Tom Hiddleson, Hugh Laurie, and Elisabeth Debicki star in this BBC and AMC Network miniseries that was hugely popular with viewers and very positively received by the critics. The story deals with an arms dealer who has the illegal and very active support of arms dealers and government officials despite the death many innocents. The plot is taut the acting is exceptional.
2) Tinker Tailor Soldier (1979 and 2011): With any other author this could easily have been the pinnacle of his work, but not with le Carre. Both versions the motion picture and the mini-series are excellent. Agent, double-agent, political grasping, betrayal, murder are all present in this work that features the venerable character of George Smiley at the top of his game. Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ciaran Hinds all turn in magnificent performances in the film. The mini-series features Alec Guinness as a brilliant Smiley.
My last post on the Nigeria power industry was a reaction to a Vanguard article by the Minister of Power. It was an article I read while at Murtala Mohammed Airport in the midst of what turned out to be a brief power outage. It was a reactionary post and its been on my mind for a few weeks to write a more structured article about where we went wrong, why we are where we are now, and what we need to do to ensure a future of economic development borne out of the provision of a critical element of the fuel that drives the engine of growth in most developed countries; electricity.
Hindsight ("Cause and effect are not closely related in time and space") : So what happened? How did the power sector in Nigeria get so decrepit? Hindsight says we all lacked foresight and didn't invest in power industry infrastructure development and maintenance. There were no power stations built in Nigeria throughout the 1990's (the worst period for the industry, in my opinion), we failed at long-term systems and needs planning because we were too busy just trying to survive. I grew up in Nigeria during this period and that's when all day and week-long power outages (without explanations) began. No surprises that it coincided with a period of bad government, but that's a story that has been told time and time again so I won't repeat that here. I will focus on the systems failings; in my opinion, that was the period shortly after the 90's when Electric Power Reforms started in Nigeria without recognizing the immediate need to increase generation.
: So what happened? How did the power sector in Nigeria get so decrepit? Hindsight says we all lacked foresight and didn't invest in power industry infrastructure development and maintenance. There were no power stations built in Nigeria throughout the 1990's (the worst period for the industry, in my opinion), we failed at long-term systems and needs planning because we were too busy just trying to survive. I grew up in Nigeria during this period and that's when all day and week-long power outages (without explanations) began. No surprises that it coincided with a period of bad government, but that's a story that has been told time and time again so I won't repeat that here. I will focus on the systems failings; in my opinion, that was the period shortly after the 90's when Electric Power Reforms started in Nigeria without recognizing the immediate need to increase generation. Insight ("Today's Problems Come from Yesterday's Solutions") : So where are we? Citizens and consumers require 3 things from their power provider; electricity delivered safely, reliably and affordably. On all three expectations, the current power system fails Nigerians. Every citizen or business that can afford it is his/her/its own government when it comes to utility service provision, salving their needs by buying a generator, building a borehole in their compound and providing their own personal security. And for every citizen who cannot afford to be their own government? They live without electricity. According to the government 'Today, in March 2016, we have just about 5,000 MW of power on the National Grid for about 180 million people.' For some context (and this is a rough but apt calculation), - I worked at a power station which generated 1000 MW of electricity for approximately 400k homes, assuming every home in London uses the same amount of electricity as a home in Nigeria. Assuming there are 36M homes in Nigeria (with 5 people per household), i t means we as a country are generating just 5X the amount of electricity from one power station in London for 90X the number of people! - Put another way, according to the World Bank, our per capita electric consumption is 142 kWh. What does that mean? It means we are in the league of countries like Nepal (128kWh per capita), Sudan (159kWh), Togo (148kWh) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (110kWh). These are countries with much smaller populations and smaller requirements than Nigeria. With all due respect to these countries, that is not a league we want or deserve to be in. Contrast this with the countries that have similar size populations (and less natural resources to draw on) to Nigeria, countries like Bangladesh (156M pop.) with per capita of 293 kWh and Pakistan (182M pop.) with per capita of 450 kWh. My point? We are falling extremely short of the expectations we have of ourselves and the possibilities... There are very few things that we all do which don't require that electricity be delivered safely, reliably and affordably. Electricity is the engine of growth in every developed country in the world. It is also the single most impactful element in personal comfort (an oft-ignored element of the value electricity provides).The similarities between Nigeria and the low electricity consumption per capita countries I listed above extend from poor electricity provision to lower life expectancy and health expectations for citizens. Provision of electricity ranks very closely in importance to good governance because it is a big input into productivity growth, especially in the long run, which, in itself, is a strong driver of economic growth. If we increase the productivity of the average Nigerian (and heaven knows our productivity is at a low right now), we increase the growth of the economy. Increased productivity = greater money earned = greater money spent and improved credit flow within the economy. Let's chalk up the last few years in the Nigerian power industry, two full economic cycles, as the lost decades. Current policies are structured to rebuild or improve old infrastructure and maintain less relevant business models. The good-governance experiment is currently ongoing in Nigeria; it's time to begin the provision-of-electricity experiment with a clear view of the industry's future.
: So where are we? Citizens and consumers require 3 things from their power provider; electricity delivered safely, reliably and affordably. On all three expectations, the current power system fails Nigerians. Every citizen or business that can afford it is his/her/its own government when it comes to utility service provision, salving their needs by buying a generator, building a borehole in their compound and providing their own personal security. And for every citizen who cannot afford to be their own government? They live without electricity. According to the government 'Today, in March 2016, we have just about 5,000 MW of power on the National Grid for about 180 million people.' For some context (and this is a rough but apt calculation), There are very few things that we all do which don't require that electricity be delivered safely, reliably and affordably. Electricity is the engine of growth in every developed country in the world. It is also the single most impactful element in personal comfort (an oft-ignored element of the value electricity provides).The similarities between Nigeria and the low electricity consumption per capita countries I listed above extend from poor electricity provision to lower life expectancy and health expectations for citizens. Provision of electricity ranks very closely in importance to good governance because it is a big input into productivity growth, especially in the long run, which, in itself, is a strong driver of economic growth. If we increase the productivity of the average Nigerian (and heaven knows our productivity is at a low right now), we increase the growth of the economy. Increased productivity = greater money earned = greater money spent and improved credit flow within the economy. Let's chalk up the last few years in the Nigerian power industry, two full economic cycles, as the lost decades. Current policies are structured to rebuild or improve old infrastructure and maintain less relevant business models. The good-governance experiment is currently ongoing in Nigeria; it's time to begin the provision-of-electricity experiment with a clear view of the industry's future. Foresight ("the areas of highest leverage are often the least obvious"): If we agree with the premise that all consumers, regardless of class, deserve to have stable, affordable and secure electricity, then it's time to embrace the change currently going on in the electricity industry globally. There is a chance to start afresh in Nigeria, as the way electricity is generated, produced, stored and marketed is changing. There is a wider array of choices for generation (solar, geothermal, wind etc), there are storage options which serve the needs of average Nigerian homes at less cost than the current diesel alternatives, and smaller companies can get into the business of producing electricity for different segments of the market. The change we have to embrace in Nigeria, with an opportunity to even leapfrog countries like the USA in adoption, is inevitable and is as a result of several global trends that are currently playing out. These trends are climate change, reducing costs of renewables like solar, the convergence of internet technology and operational technology, bringing more efficient methods of electricity consumption to consumers and businesses alike. What does this look like for the average Nigerian?
It means Kayode, a small business owner with an office in Ikeja and a family of five living in Ogudu, Lagos, can buy solar panels (his primary source of electricity) for his home/business from Powerseller Co. PowerSeller Co also provides a small diesel generator (as backup) for Kayode. Powerseller Co manages the solar panel and diesel generator and manages the interaction between Kayode and the PHCN. It means the PHCN plays the role most government agencies play; providing oversight, so Powerseller Co does not cheat Kayode. It means Kayode might pay a little more money for Power at the start of the month, but he is assured that throughout the month, his electricity will be on and keep the food in his freezer from rotting. It means even though Kayode is now spending more on electricity, his productivity has increased, and so has that of his family and employees. Since productivity growth and credit leads to economic growth, it means Kayode's business generates more money, and the cost of electricity stays at the current percentage of his expenses, but he now gets reliable and safe electricity. It also means Kayode and his neighbors in Ogudu can band together and form a mini electricity grid of their own.
The scenario above clearly demarcates the value elements and who is providing it. The generation comes from any business which can afford to generate power from any safe source. The distribution and transmission is provided by an asset owner who only collects rent on the usage of transmission lines. The oversight is provided by government entities, who, based on a clear understanding of where value lies and where things are going, ensure that all parties play fair. The service provider, or marketer, ensures that the average consumer receives the optimal customer service because anything less means the customer can move to a competing business. This new business model solves the real problems facing the Nigeria power sector; generation and a focus on solving the problems of the past. It's happening fast; in 2012, Vivint,a home security services provider in the US, decided to start selling solar panels to Americans in a market where the price of solar was well above current customer prices. In just two years, Vivint had put solar panels on twenty two thousand homes, generating 274MW (5.6% of total generated in Nigeria), the size of a power station! It takes 5-6 years to build a power plant, but recognizing the future of power generation, Vivint built a virtual/future power plant in 2 years. It can be done, and the time to start is now.
Advertisement
And by the way, taking the future virtual utility approach also solves the problem that continues to plague the Nigerian economic mindset. It places the convenience and productivity of the consumer as the priority, because that is really the point of this whole industry; to provide electricity to consumers safely, securely and affordably.
The most common experience in entrepreneurship is failure. Fears of mistakes and wrong turns loom large over founders' heads, and 9 out of ten startups do, in fact, fail. In reality, though, 100% of startups will face failures on a daily basis. Starting a business is really like conducting a series of experiments, starting with a hypothesis about your product and audience, and then adjusting over time.
The difference between the 90% that go kaputz and the 10% that make it is the ability to turn small failures into lessons, and using those lessons to make sure the same mistakes never happen twice.
Here are 3 lessons we can learn from failed startups.
Lesson #1: Hire people with the right technical skills.
KiOR, a startup dedicated to replacing our gas needs with biomass alternatives, was backed by Vinod Khlosa, who is "the most successful venture capitalist of all time," according to Fortune Magazine. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat on the company's board, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair was a senior advisor, and Bill Gates committed millions to its mission. Needless to say, KiOR had the backing to support its daring ambitions. However, just two and half years after its groundbreaking at their main Mississippi facility, KiOR stopped producing biofuels, and by late 2014, it had filed for bankruptcy.
Advertisement
While the reasons for the company's failure are still the subject of heated debate and controversy, both Khlosa Ventures and KiOR's former CEO Paul O'Connor agree that perhaps the company's most consequential failure was KiOR's poor hiring decisions. O'Connor said that the absence of people with real technical experience running energy facilities "hurt KiOR a lot," impeding operations and mismanaging resources.
For startups that want to scale quickly and build momentum fast, it's tempting to hire immediately without doing full diligence on candidates. However, hiring sub-par talent can sink the venture, and hiring expensive engineers who aren't the right fit for your particular project will stunt your startup's potential.
Take your time to fully vet candidates. Consider taking on freelancers and getting to know them. If you're hiring back-end engineers and all of your founders have non-technical backgrounds, hire experts to take over the vetting process for you.
It's critical that you build a team of technical experts that shares your philosophy, work ethic, and will be able to solve problems dynamically when Plan A fails and you need to pivot to a Plan B or Plan C fast.
Advertisement
Lesson #2: Master your market.
In December, Sidecar, which began as a peer-to-peer ride-sharing service, announced plans to shut down all on-demand ride and delivery services. In a press release, CEO Sunil Paul explained that the company simply was "unable to compete against Uber, a company that raised more capital than any other in history and is infamous for its anti-competitive behavior." He continued, "The legacy of Sidecar is that we out-innovated Uber, but still failed to win the market."
There is no such thing as knowing too much about your target market. You need to make sure the market is big enough to sustain high growth and that the competitors won't make it impossible for you to be successful.
Define your target audience, look at competing products, and figure out how you can offer a product that offers more -- and not just more, but more of what your target customers want-- than anyone else in the market. You could develop a perfect product for which there is little-to-no demand, and guess what? That perfect product won't sell.
Lesson #3: Pitch to the right investment community at the right time.
Gaining financial backing, of course, is no small task. Fundraising takes the goldilocks paradigm to a new level: you can raise too little, too much, and too quickly to be able to validate your product, or too slowly to keep your expenses in check. You have to be incredibly savvy about when to approach investors, who to approach, and whose offers you'll accept.
First impressions matter. Don't go to investors until you have a solid product and the capacity to move forward, and make sure to weigh potential investors' value-add before bringing them on. In a Post Mortem reflection about his failed startup TigerBow, a service designed to match a virtual address with proxy physical addresses, David Levy cautions that while it's tempting to accept any offers for funding, you shouldn't raise money from people who aren't familiar with startups. "Aside from the fact that we got little (non-monetary) value added from these investors, people who are unfamiliar with investing in startups and the risks and challenges of building a company will drive you bananas."
Advertisement
Put in the extra work to find investors who know the startup landscape, believe in your product and philosophy, and can add value to your company by making introductions to potential partners and customers.
Spirituality is likely not something that is chatted about in the boardrooms around the world. In my opinion, the corporate world has fallen into a myopic trap that has left out all the extraordinary assistance that spirituality can bring to the vitality, prosperity and longevity of businesses. I believe spirituality has been unfairly dismissed because it is incorrectly associated as a synonym for religion. Spirituality is a universal concept, that is the domain of no one, as it has no divisions, claims or separations. Spirituality is a natural part of who we are and therefore belongs not only in business, but in our communities and countries. I'd like to share how I think the essence of spirituality can be translated into business impact and what transformation can occur as a result.
I should first define what spirituality means to me, as it obviously is a word that is used in many contexts.
To me, spirituality is the knowingness that we are all connected to each other and to something much larger than ourselves -- and that we are in awe and wonder of its vastness of being, its potentiality, its simplicity, its peacefulness, its synchronicity, its stillness, its aliveness, its presence, its beauty and its grace.
Advertisement
In much of the corporate world, we have been conditioned too long to operate mainly under a competitive flag that has been driven by intense focus on short term profits. If businesses felt the same connectedness to each other, and were all inspired by a vision much greater than just their earnings -- wow, what multiplier could we develop that would deepen long term sustainable prosperity. What an amazing company that could be described by its potentiality for impact, its simplicity in its effective execution, its sense of well being among its employees, its aliveness of energy in engaging customers, its presence in the community, its beauty from its creativeness, and its grace and dignity by which it conducts itself.
Spirituality is the awareness that we are everything and nothing at the same time. It is recognizing that we are all the same and that we are also unique and special.
Businesses that can adopt paradoxical ideas, can be that much more agile and responsive to change. If a company can see itself as special and unique and also as just another business having the same challenges and opportunities as others -- then it has a major advantage in harnessing its strengths, while never losing an appreciation for them, nor losing appreciation that others are out there doing amazing things as well.
Spirituality is the understanding that we are meant to be great creators. Creators of life, of art, of music, of ideas, of experience, of relationships, and most importantly creators of ourselves.
Advertisement
Meditation is the best business skill I ever learned. When we are in spirit, we are inspired. We become better creators in our businesses. We can be better creators of expression, of innovation, and of collaboration -- all which can enhance our results. The organizations that truly believe their people are their greatest asset, will know that their people's imagination is of extraordinary value. Our level of spirituality can significantly expand our capacity for tapping into the universal mind and its treasure trove of creation.
Spirituality expands our edges beyond the duality of what life presents us and into the joy of accepting that all things are possible. It is acknowledging that the unseen is just as much a force in our lives, as those tangible outcomes which our minds and eyes are accustomed.
I have seen limitations that the business world imposes by its linear rules and definitions. It must be seen, it must be measured, it must be reportable and it must be controlled. The world is not linear - it is quantum. We live in an amazing world that is a ecosystem of connection and possibility. Spirituality enhances our intuition, which is our communication with the unseen. Our intuition is one of the most extraordinary gifts we have as human beings. It gifts us the ability to discern complexities beyond the restrictions of our reasoning mind. If ever there was a place for intuition, business and value creation is it.
Spirituality is the soul food of knowing that we have purpose. It is the joy of accepting that we are not alone, but that we are loved and supported beyond measure. It is the trust that life is meant to experience the abundance of spirit we were meant to be.
The industrial revolution did a bit of a disservice to business by turning human beings into "workers." Happiness in the corporate world is often conditional only on positive financial outcomes. It is somewhat barren of the emotional field of joy, happiness, meaning that fills us up inside, regardless of outcome. The world is changing is so many ways. Businesses that recognize the power of spirit in their companies, will not only survive, but thrive. It is the human spirit which has conquered mountains, overcome overwhelming odds, and dreamed up the impossible. Why wouldn't we want organizations where people feel loved, accepted, and supported at a soul and heart level, not just their minds and pocketbooks? Why wouldn't we want people to reach their highest potential and discover the best version of themselves? Why wouldn't we want the effectiveness that comes from knowing your self-worth, and inspiring self-mastery of mindfulness that reducing stress levels and improves productivity. Why wouldn't we want organizations where people were grounded in capacity that gives them more authentic expression, more kindness to each other, and more compassion for diversity. Businesses that can align on a common vision, but seek diversity in thinking/approaches will be those who broaden their solution set.
Advertisement
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the media on the golf course at his Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, June 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Back in 1991, the eminent political scientist Samuel Huntington pointed out that democratic transitions around the world often come in waves.
He pointed to a "third wave" of democratization that began in the 1970s with Spain and Portugal and continued into the 1980s, particularly in Eastern Europe and Latin America. After he wrote his book, this liberal wave seemed only to pick up speed, with transitions in the 1990s in parts of Africa and Asia.
Advertisement
Sadly, today we seem to be experiencing an "illiberal wave." This wave, which has left no part of the world untouched, is not necessarily about a return to authoritarian government. Nor is it about liberalism as commonly understood in American politics.
It is broader than both of these. It is about a rejection of the liberal idea - political, social and economic - that has been an important part of political discourse at least since the end of the cold war.
This liberal idea embraces free markets, internationalism and tolerance for difference, and it is suspicious of nationalism in both its economic and political forms. While the liberal idea has never been dominant, it has been highly influential, especially among internationalized and educated elites in the West and around the world.
Huntington himself recognized the existence of "reverse waves" of democratization, and observers such as journalist Fareed Zakaria and scholars Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way have pointed to a rise, since the 1990s, in "illiberal democracies" and "competitive autocracies."
Advertisement
But today there is a palpable sense that, perhaps more than at any time in the last 40 or 50 years, illiberalism is on the march. This may be best symbolized by how, a quarter century since one barrier separating Europe crumbled, some are now advocating that we begin building walls once more.
If it's true that economic and political liberalism is on the wane, is there anything we can - and should - do about it?
'Losers' rejecting liberalism
The current rejection of the liberal idea has come in disparate forms and is by no means universal. Last week's Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and Donald Trump's presidential ambitions in the United States are only the most obvious signs of this new illiberal wave.
These two phenomena have much in common. They both indicate that a significant number of Britons and Americans, especially among the native-born working class, have negative feelings about immigration, free markets and social change more generally. These voters feel let down by elites and squeezed by the modern economy, and they believe that they are losing their countries to foreigners and (in some cases) minorities.
But, of course, the illiberal wave has not been limited to the United States and Britain. Populist parties are in the ascendant all over the European continent. In France, the far-right National Front is likely to enter the second round of next year's presidential election. In Austria, the xenophobic Freedom Party nearly captured the presidency. And nationalist parties are gathering steam in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary and beyond.
Advertisement
In Ukraine, we are treated to the spectacle of Russia, itself embracing illiberalism under the increasingly authoritarian rule of Vladimir Putin, annexing Crimea and backing rebels in the east. In Turkey, long a beacon of secular government and progressive Islam in the Middle East, commentators are more and more alarmed at the autocratic behavior of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Nor has Asia escaped the illiberal wave. While India has mostly remained true to its democratic traditions, the current BJP government is cracking down on many citizens, particularly in universities, who do not share its Hindu nationalist ideology.
China's ruling communist party, which has never embraced political liberalism, is in the midst of a particularly severe period of repression. And the Philippines has just elected a populist president who has been accused by human rights groups of advocating the extrajudicial killings of criminals.
More seriously, the initial promise of the Arab Spring has disintegrated into military government (Egypt), repression (Bahrain) and civil war (Syria). Indeed, the profoundly ugly Islamic State is perhaps the most manifestly illiberal political movement in recent memory, with al Qaeda and other radical Islamist movements not far behind.
Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
Roots of illiberalism
But are all of these examples really components of the same "illiberal wave?"
Clearly, Brexit, Donald Trump and the Islamic State are very different things. Perhaps this is all coincidence and we are conflating international events that don't belong together. After all, liberal trends can also be identified in recent years, most notably with LGBT rights expanding in many (though not all) countries.
Advertisement
The fact is, we cannot be sure whether the illiberal wave is real. But I suspect that, while Trump and ISIS are indeed very different, the current rejection of liberalism is widespread enough to point beyond chance.
What, then, is behind this wave? Obviously, there is no global conspiracy, despite the bizarre theories that sometimes make their way into our Facebook feeds. Instead, we should look to broad changes in the international political and economic system.
Recession and war
First among these must be the Great Recession. It is well know that the rise of fascism in interwar Europe was largely the result of two events: the horror of the First World War and the cataclysm of the Great Depression.
In a similar (though less extreme) way, the global financial crisis may have created the foundations for the illiberal wave. When people feel vulnerable economically, they are more likely to hunker down with others like themselves and less likely to be open to difference and change.
The problems that we see in the Middle East are of a different order from those in Europe or North America, and they have their own distinct causes. That said, illiberal views in the three regions tend to feed off one another, and so they can't be considered entirely separately.
Advertisement
The American invasion of Iraq was a key (unintended) cause of the rise of the Islamic State, and the war probably also contributed to the Arab Spring and the crackdowns that followed. Farther back in time, European colonialism played a role in the political instability that we see in the Arab world today.
Conversely, the flood of Syrian immigrants arriving in Turkey and Europe has been a key factor in the rise of xenophobia and illiberalism there, with locals worrying about their cultures being washed away. Likewise, radical Islamist terrorism has made many citizens of Europe and America more afraid of the outside world and more susceptible to the politics of fear.
In a similar way, instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan has undoubtedly contributed to illiberalism in India, and the weakening national economy to the crackdown in China.
Who will stand up for liberalism?
A final cause of the illiberal wave that shouldn't be ignored is the relative decline of American power.
American foreign and domestic policies have not always been a paragon of liberalism. But the United States, in its overall stance, has stood for democracy and free markets and has helped embed these values in the postwar international order.
Advertisement
As scholars such as Robert Keohane have pointed out, the decline in America's relative power portends a reduced ability to enforce the rules of an open world. And America's weakening position has had the additional effect of making many Americans more fearful of international activism.
So, economic recession and political violence are catching, and they breed illiberalism. Without a dominant, active, and liberal America, this illiberalism can more easily catch fire and spread.
Turning the tide
How serious is this problem, and what can be done about it?
First, the existence of international institutions like the United Nations, World Trade Organization and European Union, along with the relative resiliency of the world economy, have prevented a reversion to the 1930s. The negotiated global rules that these institutions enforce make it harder for international cooperation to collapse today as it did back then.
In addition, while the illiberal wave is producing some ugly outcomes in the world's stable democracies, it is unlikely to do permanent damage to their political institutions. Older democracies like the United States and Britain have survived more serious crises in the past.
The potential damage is greater in the less institutionalized developing world, particularly in the Middle East. Here, the lack of legitimate political institutions means that the illiberal wave can spread without any checks.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, it is not entirely clear how to turn back the illiberal wave. Believers in an open and tolerant international order must make their views known, with their speech, their actions and their votes.
Ultimately, in my view, the illiberal wave will pass. In the meantime, we must try to limit the damage.
Charles Hankla, Associate Professor of Political Science, Georgia State University
By: Matthew Rooney
When the three leaders of Mexico, Canada, and the United States meet this week in Ottawa for their last North American Leaders Summit (NALS), they might well choose "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" as their anthem. Ernest Tubbs' classic lament of spurned love captures the neglect this supposedly regular summit has had to endure.
Since NAFTA, there has been an expectation that the three leaders will meet periodically. President George W. Bush had the Security and Prosperity Partnership, an ambitious agenda of adding security cooperation to NAFTA's economic integration.
President Barack Obama abandoned the SPP approach in favor of the small ball NALS, which aimed for incremental improvements in arcane regulatory and law enforcement areas that most people would never experience directly.
Advertisement
With Obama heading out of office, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on the ropes, the upcoming summit is unlikely to achieve anything beyond a fluffy communique. As a result, it is time to drive those last few nails into the coffin and lay the NALS concept to rest.
But Americans, Canadians and Mexicans, who share a fear that rapid globalization is undermining their future, deserve an answer to their concerns. The North American partnership is the backbone of that answer, so this last NALS should lay the groundwork for the next phase of leaders' meetings.
The leaders should keep in mind that these meetings quickly become abstract, causing most people to tune out. They can and should lay out a practical road map for how the North American partnership strengthens all three countries in three ways:
First, infrastructure. Twenty-five years after NAFTA, we are moving four or five times as much commerce over essentially the same cross-border road and rail network.
Advertisement
The result is hidden obstacles to trade that reduce productivity and make North America less competitive. At the same time, Europe and Asia are investing billions to ensure their border infrastructure promotes prosperity.
North America needs a border infrastructure bank. It could muster private capital to make the necessary investments.
Second, energy. North American has enviable energy resources. But too many barriers to trading power, building infrastructure, and moving capital persist.
North America needs a long-term energy agenda that capitalizes upon our advantages. The agenda should include regular consultations with the private sector - including the manufacturing and energy industries.
Third, human resources. Skills gaps within and between the North American nations drive wage gaps. They are probably the most significant reason so many of our people live in fear that they will pass on to their children a less prosperous future.
Advertisement
We need to take practical steps to upgrade the North American workforce, especially developing skills that will bolster the manufacturing and logistics that are so crucial to the North American economy. We can and should set high, uniform standards for training and education that will eliminate the wage differences that exist across North America.
A practical agenda like this would be a Goldilocks moment for North America: not as hot, perhaps, as the grand slam that former Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush went for, but hotter than Obama's "singles and doubles." Call it a solid home run.
Finally, before they leave Ottawa, the leaders should open the way to the next phase in North America leadership meetings. President Pena Nieto should set a date for a 2017 summit and invite his counterparts to attend. Prime Minister Trudeau should commit to being there. President Obama cannot speak for his successor, but it will be difficult for any new President of the U.S. to stay home while the other two leaders meet.
President Bush had the Security and Prosperity Partnership, President Obama has had the North American Leaders Summit. A new President should adopt a new, more practical approach - and a new name. North America may never be a love affair that produces the self-destructive despair that drove nails into Ernest Tubbs' coffin, but, like siblings, we are linked forever.
Here's an unavoidable fact: we are now in a Brexit world. We are seeing the first signs of a major fragmentation of this planet that, until recently, the cognoscenti were convinced was globalizing rapidly and headed for unifications of all sorts. If you want a single figure that catches the grim spirit of our moment, it's 65 million. That's the record-setting number of people that the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates were displaced in 2015 by "conflict and persecution," one of every 113 inhabitants of the planet. That's more than were generated in the wake of World War II at a time when significant parts of the globe had been devastated. Of the 21 million refugees among them, 51% were children (often separated from their parents and lacking any access to education). Most of the displaced of 2015 were, in fact, internal refugees, still in their own often splintered states. Almost half of those who fled across borders have come from three countries: Syria (4.9 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million), and Somalia (1.1 million).
Despite the headlines about refugees heading for Europe -- approximately a million of them made it there last year (with more dying on the way) -- most of the uprooted who leave their homelands end up in poor or economically mid-level neighboring lands, with Turkey at 2.5 million refugees leading the way. In this fashion, the disruption of spreading conflicts and chaos, especially across the Greater Middle East and Africa, only brings more conflict and chaos with it wherever those refugees are forced to go.
Advertisement
And keep in mind that, as extreme as that 65 million figure may seem, it undoubtedly represents the beginning, not the end, of a process. For one thing, it doesn't even include the estimated 19 million people displaced last year by extreme weather events and other natural disasters. Yet in coming decades, the heating of our planet, with attendant weather extremes (like the present heat wave in the American West) and rising sea levels, will undoubtedly produce its own waves of new refugees, only adding to both the conflicts and the fragmentation.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2016/06/27: 'Equal In Every Way' banner on Christopher Street. Mayor Bill de Blasio joined members of the NY city council, National Parks Service, dept of the interior and veterans of the 1969 Stonewall uprising for a formal dedication of the Stonewall Tavern in Manhattan's West Village as a National Monument, the first LGBT themed in the US. (Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
On Monday, I stood alongside leaders, activists, and people from all backgrounds that have committed their lives to fighting for LGBTQ rights. I stood humbled beside them, overcome with emotion and gratitude for the blood, sweat, and tears they've devoted to ensuring equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation. We stood together - gay and straight, brown and white, young and old - at the site of America's newest national park: Stonewall National Monument.
Established last Friday as the 412th national park site, the ground on which we stood bore witness to the events of June 28, 1969 that helped shape the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement. It was at the Stonewall Inn on that day that New York City police conducted a raid; one of many raids that had become commonplace at gay bars and often resulted in harassment and arrests. Unlike previous raids, however, this time the crowds held their ground and refused to disperse. The protest expanded to neighboring streets and into nearby Christopher Park. It grew to as many as several thousand people, lasted for six days, and marked a significant turning point in the struggle for LGBTQ rights.
Advertisement
Nearly 50 years later, in the very same vicinity, the events of June 27, 2016 will go down in history as the day when the President of the United States, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, and individuals and organizations inside and outside the LGBTQ community together declared loudly and clearly that LGBTQ history is American history - and that at this place this story will be told.
For our part, the National Park Foundation will lead an effort to raise the approximately $2 million needed to launch the new park. We will work in partnership with local and national organizations and the community to fund National Park Service rangers, a temporary ranger station and visitor center, research and materials, exhibits, LGBTQ community outreach, public education, and scholar engagement. The Foundation will also help establish a local Friends Group to provide ongoing philanthropic support to the new monument.
As we move from the National Park Service's first century into its second, I couldn't be more proud to be part of a national park community that is committed to telling a more complete American story.
With the designation of Stonewall National Monument, the arc of equality bends a little bit more in a direction of ensuring that all people in this great nation have an equal footing in life. Places like Stonewall National Monument will help to ensure that future generations appreciate this place as they do Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Statue of Liberty.
Advertisement
This work of telling America's story is a cornerstone of our Centennial Campaign for America's National Parks - a $350 million fundraising initiative that will help protect America's treasured places, connect all people to them, and inspire our next generation of park stewards who will be adding their own chapters to this important American narrative.
Join us. Together let's celebrate our newest national park, Stonewall National Monument, and let's look toward the future as we honor an America that represents us all.
Support Stonewall National Monument at nationalparks.org/Stonewall and learn more about the Centennial Campaign for America's National Parks at campaign.nationalparks.org.
By Dan Ouellette, ZEALnyc Senior Editor, June 28, 2016
Dr. Lonnie Smith, the Hammond B-3 organ king, is officially a Jazz Master, according to the NEA which bestows several jazz greats with the highest honor given to jazz musicians in the U.S. (other honorees for 2017 include vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, bassist Dave Holland, pianist Dick Hyman and journalist Ira Gitler). But these days, it's all about going home for 73-year-old Dr. Lonnie Smith, jazz's preeminent Hammond B-3 organist, in light of his long-in-coming return after 45 years to Blue Note Records, the label that essentially launched his career, for his spanking new recording, Evolution. It's a masterwork of Smith's trademark accent marks, finesse caresses, bright sparks and jagged lines. Welcome back, indeed.
"It's like those old western movies where the cowboys brand the cattle," the amiable Smith says. "Blue Note has always been in my blood. It's like good wine that has lasted for all these years. When they called me, I was very pleased to be back in their company. After all, Blue Note and jazz is like Motown and soul. Imagine how a label like Blue Note stood the test of time and recorded all these great musicians. For it to still be here and for me to still be here, well, it's an honor."
A master of foot-tapping grooves, sophisticated harmonic voicings and indelible melodicism--not to mention his bold and mysterious synthesizer bursts on his Korg--Dr. Lonnie represents yet another Blue Note artist from yesteryear to rejoin the classic label with vital new music, along with such legends as Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson and Charles Lloyd. Smith recorded five "finger lickin' good" (actually the name of his 1968 Columbia debut before joining Blue Note the following year) soul jazz albums from 1969 to 1970.
Advertisement
Blue Note president Don Was signed Smith and produced Evolution, which is a robust and spirited collection of seven tunes, including fresh takes on his favorite originals and standard covers as well as brand-new excursions that he had never recorded before.
A native of Detroit where Smith enjoyed a huge soul jazz following, Was became reacquainted with the B-3 bomber's prowess at his appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2013, saying that he was playing these "incredible, exciting grooves and he was totally rocking the place...he came back for an encore and started slapping his walking stick to create these insane, wah-wah polyrhythms...he was awesome--clearly in peak form and without peer."
Throughout his career Dr. Lonnie has been magnificent in the beat, starting in the mid '60s with a r&b drive alongside George Benson and most famously linking up with Lou Donaldson, then recording with Blue Note, to play alongside the saxophonist on his 1967 hit album Alligator Bogaloo. That led him into the Blue Note stable, signed by label founder Alfred Lion, who Was says "was always looking for a good groove...that's pretty much a benchmark of Blue Note's records. The musicians knew that if they saw him doing his little dance in the control room that the take was probably a keeper."
Was notes that what "Alligator Bogaloo" as a song represents is a "a big leap up the Evolutionary Groove Ladder...in the groove continuum that runs from Albert Ammons to Robert Glasper."
Advertisement
Speaking of Glasper, jazz's foremost keyboardist, he guests on piano on Evolution's opening track, the catchy big-phat grooving tune "Play It Back" that had originally been recorded on Smith's fifth Blue Note album, Live at Club Mozambique, a date from 1970 that wasn't released by the label until 1995. Glasper catches the groove on the acoustic piano while the double drums enlarge the beat and drive the tune and the organist zips into funky B-3 licks. "People keep asking me to play this song, so I can't get away from it," Smith says. "It's different than the original because I play with a spontaneous feeling. I had never met Robert before, but it was wonderful. It really fit. We melded together."
After leaving Blue Note, the Doctor continued his journey in the land of soul jazz, including a series of superb recordings during the aughts for Palmetto. Earlier in 2015 when he was touring music from the new album in clubs, The New York Times caught up with him in the city's Jazz Standard and remarked: "[Smith] really seems to be up to something bigger than music, and older, and deeper. An hour and a quarter in his presence, and you start thinking about the nature of time, ancestors, the circulatory system. His tunes are relatively simple and his gigs are small-club casual, but they are done with so much care and attention that they seem to slow down the heart rate."
For his six-night stand at Jazz Standard, Smith will play three nights with his longtime trio comprised of guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake. The rest of the week will feature Smith's Evolution septet including his trio and other band mates from the recording: trumpeter Maurice Brown, saxophonist John Ellis and drummer Joe Dyson. Special guest will be vocalist Alicia Olatuja.
The Doctor, in talking about his unique organ style, says, "It's an extension of my being. It's a part of my lens. It breathes for me; it speaks for me. I feel every bit of the organ. It's like electricity--a fire that goes through my body. You can feel it vibrate. There's nothing like it. It lifts me up, it crawls through the pores of the room."
Cover photo: drlonniesmith.com
Advertisement
For more information about Dr. Lonnie Smith at Jazz Standard click here.
Ajay Verma / Reuters A woman pastes cow dung cakes on a wall as her grandson Sanju peeps from a hole in Molaya village on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Chandigarh March 2, 2010. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA - Tags: SOCIETY)
NEW DELHI -- Rizwan and Mukhtiar, two men suspected of transporting beef, were made to eat a mixture of cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee, almost two weeks ago in Haryana, The Indian Express reported today.
The newspaper provides a shocking account of the men being forced to eat this concoction, with volunteers of the Gau Rakshak Dal urging them to "finish the gobar quickly," and shouting slogans such as "Gau Mata Ki Jai and Jai Shri Ram."
Advertisement
In the video of this gruesome episode, which the newspaper has accessed, volunteers are seen offering water so that the two men can swallow this dreadful concoction, and eventually they both end up throwing up.
Last year, Haryana made cow slaughter punishable with rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years, and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Dharmendra Yadav, president of the Gurgaon Gau Rakshak Dal, told The Indian Express that volunteers had intercepted a vehicle transporting 700 kg of beef from Mewat to Delhi on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway.
We had to chase the car for 7 km before we finally managed to stop them near the Badarpur border, Yadav told newspaper.
Advertisement
When we caught them, they had 700 kg of beef in their car. We made them eat the panchgavya to teach them a lesson, and also to purify them, he said.
While Rizwan and Mukhtiar were arrested for transporting beef, the local police personnel said that they did not know about incident in which the two men were made to eat cow dung.
"If this video is genuine, this calls for a case," Sube Singh, the Public Relations Officer for the Faridabad police, told The Indian Express.
Also on HuffPost India:
Nisian Hughes via Getty Images hooded monster with knife in forest coming towards camera light and fog around
The father of 24-year-old S Swathi, the Infosys employee who was hacked to death on Friday morning at a railway station in Chennai, blamed the inaction of 'mute spectators' for the death of his daughter. Swathi was allegedly hacked to death by a stalker while she was on her way to work, and according to her father, people who had witnessed the attack walked away without intervening,
In an interview with NDTV, Swathis father Santhana Gopala Krishnan said, "Mute spectators have deprived us of the chance to see our daughter.
Advertisement
According to her father, Swathi, a very tender-hearted girl wanted to donate her organs.
"If we had her organs, we would have given it to people in need. And looking at them, I could have told myself she is still alive, with us, he said.
Swathis body was retrieved after hours by the police.
"If anybody had reacted, or countered (the attack), it could have been averted. I don't know...due to aversion or some kind of selfishness...they didn't. We should not be like that," the father told NDTV.
The police was pulled up the Madras High Court yesterday and it has been asked to nab the culprit within two days or face action for slackness.
"Where were your police officers? Swathi's body was lying like an exhibition for two hours. Even the dead have got right to dignity under the Constitution," the court asked the police.
Advertisement
The police has released a footage of the culprit who is seen walking briskly with a backpack in one clip while running away from the station in another.
"The police have assured us they will catch the killer. We have full faith in them," Swathi's father said while agreeing that there were major security lapses that contributed to the crime. "The security lapses are understood by all people. Even the police were not available at the time," he added.
Advertisement
Contact HuffPost India
CHANDAN KHANNA via Getty Images The national flags of India (R) and China are seen at the Delhi World Book fair at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on January 9, 2016. AFP PHOTO / CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP / Chandan Khanna (Photo credit should read CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty Images)
A Chinese daily, Global Times, has strongly defended Chinas opposition to Indias failed bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), calling the public opinion and Indian medias reaction to the development overblown, indicating that in India, national interests can override principles recognised by the world.
In a scathing editorial titled Delhis NSG bid upset by rules, not Beijing, Global Times, which is believed to have nationalist leanings, said Chinas move was based on rules that govern NSG membership, pointing to the prerequisite of being a participant of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of which India isnt yet a signatory.
Advertisement
It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defense of principles, said the report.
It also warned that a backing from the US does not mean India has won the backing of the world, and in fact, "by cozying up to India, Washington's India policy serves the purpose of containing China.
The report also noted, in rather harsh terms, that even though Indias GDP accounts for only 20 per cent of that of China, the country has received too many thumbs up and is seen as a golden boy in the eyes of the West with a stronger competitive edge and more potential compared to China.
India is spoiledThe international 'adulation' of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs, said the report.
Advertisement
The report also rapped Indian nationalists as being self-centred and self-righteous, noting that recently when China was denied access to the Missile Technology Control Regime, of which India is now a member, the news didnt cause any ripples among the Chinese public. The Chinese have become more mature in dealing with these setbacks caused by international relations. The daily, however, made an exception to the Indian government, saying it "behaves decently and is willing to communicate."
India's nationalists should learn how to behave themselves. Now that they wish their country could be a major power, they should know how major powers play their games, said the report.
Bloomberg via Getty Images Billionaire Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Inc., stands on stage during the StartmeupHK Venture Forum in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016. Tesla is looking for a Chinese production partner but is 'still trying to figure that out,' Musk said. Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Imagine waking up in Delhi and deciding to head to Mumbai, which is just an hour away. Will you be taking a supersonic flight? No. Chances are you will be on the newly built Hyperloop. You reach Mumbai and hail a cab from you mobile device. A Telsa model 5 picks you up. It doesn't need refueling because it runs on solar energy.
This is the future as envisioned by Elon Musk, who turns 45 today. He wants you to travel super fast, live in a colony on Mars, live longer and have access to energy without harming the environment. Many people now see Musk in the same light as they did Steve Jobs. People believe that he can transform life much like Jobs did with the Mac computers, iPod, iPhone and other gadgets. Except that Musk's dreams are much bigger than making people addicted to a screen.
Advertisement
The Elon Musk of today is a different man from the days when he founded startups such as Zip2 and PayPal. He has long outgrown the PayPal Mafia tag, a term which is associated with the founders and early employees of PayPal who are now successful entrepreneurs. While others are running Internet startups, Musk's focus is on anything but the Internet.
Right now he is the largest shareholder of 4 companies, Tesla, Space X, SolarCity, and OpenAI, their area of operations ranging from transport, space, energy and artificial intelligence.
Advertisement
Tesla has already achieved the iPhone-of-the-cars status and that too with electric cars, far removed from automobile glamour category until recently. Founded in 2003, the company produced a $110,000 electric car named Roadster in 2006 which it started shipping in 2008. At one point Tesla, the company, was almost finished but it recovered and made the famous Sedan Tesla Model S, widely considered a dream car. The Model S won many awards in the category of innovation and safety, receiving the top ratings for any car ever.
Later, the company released a more affordable Model X and now, the latest entrant, Tesla Model 3 has taken the world by storm. This is the most affordable car made by Telsa thus far and they will be shipping it to India as well. Musk already has a network of chargers across the US which lets your charge your Tesla car. His vision is to create a large network of Superchargers -- solar energy powered chargers that can refuel Tesla car batteries. For this, he is relying on his other company, SolarCity, which provides solar power solutions to homes and commercial users.
Recently, Musk's Telsa submitted an offer to Musk's SolarCity to acquire it. The move has come in for a lot of criticism, but at some point it makes sense. The two companies are working on a project called Powerwall, a backup battery which can store solar energy that can later be used in homes.
Advertisement
While Tesla is fulfilling dreams of better transport on earth, Space X is talking about taking the human race to Mars. The current focus of the company is to enable their reusable Falcon rockets to launch satellites. But the longer term plan is to transport humans to Mars and create a colony of at least a million people.
While all this may seem a little far fetched now, Musk has plans to generate revenue from rocket deliveries and later invest the money into making space travel and colonization cheap. Another dream transport project of his is Hyperloop, a high-speed train in a tube with an average speed of 970 kilometers per hour.
One thing that Musk is afraid of, is AI or Artificial Intelligence. I dont think anyone realizes how quickly artificial intelligence is advancing," Musk said recently, addressing a conference. "Particularly if [the machine is] involved in recursive self-improvement. And its utility function is something thats detrimental to humanity, then it will have a very bad effect.
That fear is the reason behind the founding of OpenAI. He wants AI to be humane and friendly, rather than a big black Skynet. More than the functionality, this group will be focusing on the 'safety' part of AI.
Advertisement
To achieve this vision of the hyper-future, Musk has laid down some rules. All his companies have a no A**holes policy. "If you don't like your colleague or boss, you won't come to work," he says. And like a lot of other successful industry icons, he believes that failure does lead to innovation. For Telsa, he has taken inspiration from Henry Ford. Musk says that Ford always found a solution.
But some caution that there is a dark side to Musk as well. After a meeting with Musk, some people feel skinned or demotivated. I do think of him as the Terminator. He locks his gaze onto something and says, It shall be mine. Bit by bit, he won me over," said Justine Musk, his ex-wife in a book.
Bloomberg via Getty Images An aircraft operated by Air India Ltd. that is carrying Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, not pictured, taxis at an airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on Wednesday, June 8, 2016. The U.S. is India's 'indispensable partner' as the nations seek to elevate their ties in commerce and defense, Modi told a joint meeting of Congress in Washington. Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Livid over having to miss an "important" appointment after the pilot of an Air India flight to Hyderabad did not turn up, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday took to twitter to castigate the state-run carrier, which ordered an inquiry into the episode.
"Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour," Naidu, the Urban Development Minister, tweeted.
Advertisement
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Sources said Naidu was going to Hyderabad to attend a meeting on the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 1345 hours but due to the non-availability of the pilot it could take off only at 1430 hours.
"I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs," the minister said in another tweet.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
"(I)was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didn't start. returned 2 home," Naidu said in a series of tweets.
was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
"Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment," he said.
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment.4 M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Soon after Naidu's tweets, the public carrier expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, while Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he had asked Air India to conduct an inquiry and take action.
Advertisement
"Sir, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flt delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered," Air India tweeted.
Raju said,"Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to enquire and take action on priority."
"Cognizance taken, CMD @airindia to enquire into the incident. Thanks for the feedback," said Raju's deputy Mahesh Sharma.
Advertisement
Contact HuffPost India
Also See On HuffPost:
Mint via Getty Images JALPAIGURI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 3: Workers plucking leaves at Nagaisuree Duncan tea garden on November 3, 2015 in Jalpaiguri, India. 15 Duncans-owned tea gardens are neither closed nor open since last may. Duncans, which produces around 15 million kg of tea a year, had shut plantations in West Bengals Nothern region through the key plucking season of June-September. Duncans crop loss in 2015 is estimated at 80% of its production capacity. Due to non-payment of wages many workers are suffering from extreme poverty and malnutrition. According to locals and trade union leaders, at least 11 people have died at these estates in the past few weeks because of malnutrition. The future of an estimated 25,000 people who work at these estates now hang in the balance. Many workers are migrating to states like Assam, Karnataka and Kerala is leaving the local tea gardens without quality labour. (Photo by Indranil Bhoumik/Mint via Getty Images)
If the latest census and World Bank data are anything to go by, women empowerment in India is still a distant dream.
According to an ASSOCHAM-Thought Arbitrage Research study, women participation in the workforce fell by 10 per cent in the past decade. India also posted the lowest rate of female participation in the workforce among BRIC countries. India's performance in female workforce participation stood at 27 per cent, significantly behind China (64 per cent), Brazil (59 per cent), Russian Federation (57 per cent), and South Africa (45 per cent).
Advertisement
The number of working women in India had climbed between 2000 and 2005, increasing from 34 per cent to 37 per cent, but since then the rate of women in the workforce has fallen to 27 per cent as of 2014, said the report citing data from the World Bank. The decline came at a time when the Indian economy saw "unprecedented growth."
Lack of access to higher education, fewer job opportunities, the lack of flexibility in working conditions, as well as domestic duties were cited as factors behind the low rates, according to the report.
The gap between male and female workforce participation in urban areas in 2011 stood at 40 per cent, compared to rural areas where the gap was about 30 per cent.
Marriage significantly reduced the probability of women working by about eight per cent in rural areas and more than twice as much in urban areas, said the Assocham report.
Advertisement
Census data from 2011 showed that almost one third of women in Indias workforce were married before they they turned 18. Broadly, over one third or 32 per cent of women married before they had turned 18. In contrast, only six per cent of men married before they reached the same age.
The overall statistics for women marrying early are worrying. A staggering 78.5 lakh females, or 2.3 per cent of all females, were married before the age of 10, and of women who were married, 91 per cent married by 25 years of age. Nearly 15 per cent of females married before the age of 16.
Rajasthan fared worst with the highest proportion of married males and females below 18 with about 45 per cent of females getting married before they reached 18. About 15 per cent of men were also married before that age.
Experts cite the lack of political will and the slow implementation of government policies that fight poverty or discourage early marriages as important factors.
Manisha Priyam, a political analyst toldMint, The numbers show that the pursuit of gender equality is a sham. We have managed to narrow down the gender gap when it comes to literacy; so more girls are going to schools. However, we have failed in ensuring they get married at the marriageable age, thus reflecting how socially conservative we are.
Advertisement
The need to boost women in workforce is an urgent one for a variety of reasons. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), even a 10 per cent increase in women participating in the workforce can boost gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.3 per cent.
Contact HuffPost India
Also see on HuffPost:
Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters A staff serves beverages at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seoul, South Korea, March 7, 2016. Picture taken March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Starbucks Corp for the first time will sell single-origin, premium coffee from India in the United States as part of its effort to support coffee production in the country better known for its tea.
Starbucks for a limited time later this year will sell a small-lot arabica coffee from the Tata Nullore Estates in India's Coorg coffee growing area. The coffee will be roasted and sold at Starbucks' Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle. The price was not disclosed.
Advertisement
John Culver, group president for Starbucks Coffee China/Asia Pacific, told Reuters that the aim is for this to be the "first step in what we hope will be many reserve coffees coming out of India."
India, which produces both robusta and arabica, is the world's sixth-largest coffee producer. Its coffee output has increased 16 per cent over the past 5 years, according to International Coffee Organization (ICO) data.
India's estimated 2015-16 harvest is expected to be 5.83 million 60-kg bags of coffee, according to ICO.
The country is one of the coffee chain's fastest-growing markets. Starbucks' India, an equal joint venture between Starbucks and Tata Global Beverages Limited, has grown to 84 stores across six cities in India since its start in 2012.
Advertisement
Starbucks India, which so far has served only 100 percent arabica coffee grown and roasted in India, will also begin offering Kenyan and Sumatran coffee soon, Culver said.
Contact HuffPost India
Also see on HuffPost:
FuhSePhantom/YouTube
If you have not been living under the rocks, you know how filmmaker Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' became a talking point recently. The subject of the film and the film-makers confrontation with Pahlaj Nihalani, the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), made it to the top headlines of newspapers for weeks.
Now, the film has caught the interest and attention of a few business schools in India.
According to reports, three business schools have commissioned case study on how an opinion war and a perception battle was fought before the release of 'Udta Punjab'.
Advertisement
"'Udta Punjab' has been a rewarding struggle for us. We stood for something and that paid off in a very big manner."
"We are constantly getting queries from various media and management colleges and institutions who want to make a PR case study on 'Udta Punjab'," producer Madhu Mantena told PTI.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur, Nirma Business School, Ahmedabad, and International Institute of Professional Studies, Indore are planning to introduce the film as a case study in their course.
The "have commissioned a case study on how an opinion war and a perception battle was fought during the course of the release of the film, with it being a topic of discussion post release as well.
Advertisement
Several B-schools have taken keen interest in the film, as the controversy it was embroiled in, was widely reported. A learning from the study would be how the discussions and debates around the movie, catapulted the commercial prospects of an otherwise niche film, the main aim of which was to create awareness on the issue of drug abuse, a film crew member told Hindustan Times.
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.
CHANGES @ Roc Nation Warner/Chappell ASCAP Armonia Universal Music Round Hill Music Cramer
Roc Nation Nashville has entered into a publishing partnership with Warner/Chappell Music to publish Roc Nation Nashvilles repertoire. In 2013, the two companies signed a global publishing agreements for JAY Z and Roc Nations roster.
Roc Nation Nashville and WCM have also established a venture with chart-topping songwriter/producer/publisher/DJ Jesse Frasure. The new venture, Rhythm House, will comprise Frasures own writing and production activities, as well as the signing and development of other composers and producers.
Warner/Chappell Music was named 2016 Music Publisher of the Year at the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. This follows WCMs recent wins as Publisher of the Year at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards and 2015 ASCAP Country Music Awards.
ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams has announced that Warner/Chappell Music Chairman & CEO Jon Platt has been elected to the ASCAP Board of Directors.
Armonia, the online music licensing and processing platform, has appointed its first CEO, Virginie Berger. Armonia is an European alliance of national collective societies that aims to make online music licensing and processing simpler and more efficient.
Universal Music Group Nashville has added Gary Kefferas Director of Strategic Marketing. Keffer was Director, Media and Partnerships for Remington Arms Company.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) announced that Mike McCormack has been named Managing Director U.K. He succeeds Paul Connolly, who is stepping down from his role as President of Europe and Managing Director U.K.
Round Hill Music has entered into an admin deal with Hall of Fame songwriter, Neil Sedaka.
Timothy Owens is heading to Boston to lead a new activations unit for Cramer. Prior to Cramer, Owens was VP of Production at MKTG, INC. and Senior Producer at Momentum Worldwide.
Share on:
Independent insurance agents may have greeted the news of Googles exit from the insurance business with enthusiasm, but industry figures are urging them not to read the closure as either a failure of online comparison services or a validation of agents who have shunned technology.The search engine giant confirmed the closure of Google Compare in late February.An email sent to company partners said Google would start winding down and ultimately end its comparison-shopping site for auto insurance, credit cards and mortgages on March 23.Once billed as a serious threat to insurance agents Forrester analyst Ellen Carney famously suggested the 40,000 agencies in the US could absolutely shrink by a quarter the service operated for less than a year before Google decided to pull the plug. Before it shuttered, Google Compare had launched in just four states a far cry from the two dozen states Google said it expected to be serving by its first anniversary.However, both partners and competitors of Google say this closure has more to do with the companys good business sense than a sign that the online comparison model is flawed.A corporation known for its innovation, Google has historically been quick to axe any venture that doesnt deliver. News in March or April that Google is restructuring or forgoing certain businesses is common, and is often referred to as the companys spring cleaning. The closure of Google Compare fits that pattern, industry figures say.It wasnt overly shocking. Its always been strange that Google came into the industry, says Laird Rixford, president of Insurance Technologies Corp., the Texas-based software provider that powered Google Compares back-end rating system.Rixford observes that, because Googles main revenue source is keyword-based advertising, the extension into auto insurance essentially cannibalized the companys $50- to $300-per-word revenue stream. A failure to attract some of the countrys larger auto insurers, such as Allstate or Progressive, also damaged the company.Another reason Google Compare may have failed to take off is an ongoing reliance on insurance agents. While online insurance offerings have increased over the years, a majority of auto purchases are still completed through individual agents. And, in the more complex world of small business insurance, a November survey from the Deloitte Center for Financial Services found that 83% of American small business owners report satisfaction with their current agent.The hands-off approach presented by Google Compare probably hurt the service, says Adam Lyons, CEO of The Zebra, an Austinbased comparison company.Auto insurance is a complex product, and a lot of folks underestimate that, Lyons says. I think Google really focused on the pricing piece, and while that approach works very well for some products, you need to be more involved and have a deeper understanding of others. Insurance is proving to be one of those.The treatment of auto insurance as a commodity was one of the reasons The Zebra chose to pass on an opportunity to work with Google Compare, says Lyons, who plans to use Googles failed venture as a cautionary tale.I think the lesson learned is that you need to help folks understand what insurance is as a product, Lyons says. To that end, The Zebra is heavily focused on educating consumers through tools like carrier comparisons and a guide titled Insurance in Plain English. And as always, human interaction will be key.The same is true for comparison site CoverHound, a former Google Compare partner. CEO Keith Moore says that along with delivering value to carriers, one of the reasons for CoverHounds success is its focus on education and nuanced advisement.Insurance is not a pair of shoes being sold on Amazon, Moore says. We feel like consumers need a trusted advisor to match them to the best carrier and not show them a list of 30 options with prices.Regardless of the continued importance of personal insurance consultation, agents should not interpret Google Compares exit as time for a victory lap, warns Rixford. Agents need to remain vigilant [because] the consumer has changed over the years. Google was trying to chase that opportunity.Now that Google has abandoned that pursuit, there is plenty of room for other companies to take its place as a leader in the online comparison space. MIT-developed Insurify recently pulled in $2 million in seed money, and Chubb last month took out a 24% stake in CoverHound.And though these comparison tools have their roots in auto insurance, they have not been shy about expressing interest in expanding their services to homeowners and small business lines.With these new players nipping at their heels, Rixford argues that now is the time for insurance agents to invest in comparative raters and other technology to meet new consumer expectations.Dont rest on your laurels, he warns.
Insurance agents could be selling individual professional liability policies to police officers if proposals in certain cities are adopted.Allegations of police brutality and abuse are on the rise across the country, with a related spike in lawsuits against police departments. And those at the center of the storm pay for it Chicago alone has spent more than half a billion dollars in settlements related to inappropriate or illegal force by police officers since 2004.Yet citywide lawsuits havent done much to curb bad police behaviors, activists say. Instead, those pushing for change are looking to personal professional liability insurance requirements.We are working to get a measure on the ballot that would require police officers to carry professional liability insurance, said Michelle Gross, a Minneapolis activist and member of a group called the Committee for Professional Policing.While individual liability insurance for police officers is available, it is carried on a voluntary basis. Proposals like the one pushed by Gross group would make it a condition of employment in the city. The city would cover the cost of basic insurance, but the individual officer would pick up the tab on any premium increases due to misconduct.Dave Bicking, another member of the ballot campaign, said the proposal would weed out the worst offenders by charging them unaffordable premiums.We have once officer [in Minneapolis] whos had five significant settlements against him just in a year and a half, Bicking told NPR. Someone like that could never, ever buy insurance. Theyd have to charge him $60,000 to $70,000 a year. That officer would be gone.This isnt the first time insurance has been called on to curb the problems of inappropriate policing. A University of Chicago report released this spring says insurers are attempting to limit the liability of the police departments they cover by providing risk management materials to insureds.One of the first things I found was this pamphlet from Travelers Insurance about how to do a strip search, and I just thought people in my world have no idea that this stuff is out there and its really fascinating, said University of Chicago assistant law professor John Rappaport.Another law professor featured in the article, Joanna Schwartz of UCLA, also argues that insurers can play the role of an honest broker to force a city to learn from its police department's mistakes."They are highly motivated to reform because it affects their bottom line, and they're not constrained by any of the political counterforces that could prevent the city council or mayor from pushing hard on a law enforcement agency to reform," Schwartz said.Yet both ideas have received pushback.By placing much of the financial strain on insurers, rather than police departments, some argue that the pressure to reform officer practices is too indirect to effect meaningful change.As for the push for personal liability insurance, police departments say the practice would cause police officers to be overly cautious in an attempt to avoid premium increases.Anybody can get in the squad car and drive around and put the blinders on, and not investigate suspicious circumstances, said Lt. Bob Kroll of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis. If you dont do that proactive police work, your likelihood of being sued is a lot less.Additionally, police unions in Minneapolis and other cities say city councils are quick to pay damages, even on frivolous complaints, in order to avoid the ensuing litigation costs. That would unfairly ramp up insurance premiums on officers, they allege.Rappaport, however, says he loves the proposal.This moment is really causing people to be interested in shaking things up, he told NPR. I dont know whether this is the right answer or notbut we wont ever know until someone tries it and we get a chance to see how it works.
Signs indicate that construction workers are not allowed to park in the Spring Street municipal lot while on the job. Williams College said it will come down hard on scofflaws. A temporary 18-spot is being readied on Walden Street, adjacent to the existing municipal lot. Williams College is going to install signage to make it clear that 46 spaces adjacent to Towne Field House are open to the public. PreviousNext
Williams College, Chamber Discuss Downtown Parking with Selectmen
Williamstown Chamber Director Emily Watts and Jamie Art, director of real estate for Williams College, explain parking plans during the college's construction around Spring Street. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Williams College and the Chamber of Commerce believe they have solutions in place to avoid a repeat of last summer's parking woes on Spring Street, and they're asking downtown merchants to be part of the answer.
In 2015, parking inventory in the Village Business District was squeezed by construction vehicles related to the college's renovation of the Log pub on Spring Street. That project is completed, but downtown business owners have been concerned that two larger projects the new Spring Street college bookstore and the new Science Center off nearby Walden Street would create even bigger problems.
On Monday, Williams' director of real estate told the Board of Selectmen that the college has a two-pronged approach to make sure that does not happen: keep the contractors out of public parking spaces and encourage downtown workers to utilize nearby alternatives to the prime parking spaces they'd rather give their customers.
"It's written into contracts: There is a prohibition on contractor parking in those lots," Jamie Art said, referring to the existing municipal lot at the bottom of Spring Street and two nearby college-owned lots. "There's a three-strikes-and-you're-out regimen."
Contractors and their employees will be issued stickers for their vehicles. If those vehicles are parked where they don't belong, they will be subject to a $25 fine for the first offense, a $50 fine for the second offense and a $250 fine for the third offense, "and that person is off the job [on the third offense]," Art said.
"We feel there's really a serious enforcement program in place," he added.
The contractors are being directed to park in the old Town Garage site on Water Street, and this summer the college will be removing some red barns south of Spring Street to open up 100 more spaces for construction parking.
"And there are other even more remote locations where, if needed, we can provide contractor parking and a shuttle," Art said.
But contractor parking is only one impediment to opening spaces for visitors.
Williamstown Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Emily Watts joined Art at Monday's Selectmen's meeting to talk about a recent parking study conducted by the school and the chamber.
Watts said the chamber is concentrating its efforts on educating business owners and employees about the benefits of parking their cars a little farther away from their place of employment.
Watts said a visitor coming down Spring Street from Main Street is confronted first with the area outside Lasell Gymnasium, where parking spaces tend to fill up quickly, then the middle part of the street, where there is no on-street parking allowed in front of the post office and lastly with the municipal lot that often appears more full than it is because many daylong users (i.e. Spring Street employees) park in the spots closest to the road.
"From casual conversation, we find that owners and employees park at the front of the parking lot or on the street and move their car around during the day," Watts said, alluding to the the limited time parking on Spring Street. "Some of what we're looking at is how to educate business owners and employees.
The chamber also is looking to educate visitors with new maps that indicate walking times in the fairly compact business district in hopes that once a visitor is parked he or she not feel it necessary to move his or her car to, say, go to the Williams College Museum of Art after lunching on Spring Street.
Watts said the chamber is going to distribute a flier to downtown businesses to encourage employees to park either at the back of the municipal lot or in one of two nearby lots. Art said Monday that the college is going to install new signage in the lot behind Towne Field House to make it clear that it is open to the public, and it has added a temporary parking lot on Walden Street just beyond and connected to the municipal lot with an added 18 spaces.
"That's 64 spaces that should now be more available to the public within a two-minute walk to Spring Street," Art said, referring to the 46 spaces in the field house lot. "Combined with keeping contractors out of the municipal lot, I think we're in as good shape as can be expected going forward to the summer season."
In other business on Monday, the board discussed the possibility of using tax-increment financing to spur economic development.
Selectman Jeffrey Thomas, who chaired the ad hoc Economic Development Committee last year, asked that the town consider using the tool in light of neighboring North Adams' recent implementation of TIFs to aid the development of the former Redwood Motel and Greylock Mill properties.
"Wouldn't it be nice if someone who was thinking of doing something in Williamstown could come to our town manager and have the town manager say one of the things we've talked about and might be able to support as a community is a TIF?" Thomas said.
Thomas' colleagues and Town Manager Jason Hoch all agreed that a TIF could be one possible tool. Hoch noted that there is another mechanism, a special tax assessment, which the town has used in the past.
"Generally, these are used for much larger projects," Hoch said, mentioning projects on the scale of the recently opened Cable Mills apartments. "But if the opportunity comes up and we're looking at numbers with someone, it's a tool we'd look at."
Mount Greylock, the state's highest peak, is site of a wizarding school in famed J.K. Rowling's wizard series.
Rowling Picks Mount Greylock as Site of Fictional Wizarding School
ADAMS, Mass. The state's highest peak was revealed on Tuesday to be the location of a school of wizardry.
J.K. Rowling, author of the immensely popular "Harry Potter" series, released a short story on Tuesday on the history of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at Pottermore.com.
"It stands at the highest peak of Mount Greylock, where it is concealed from non-magic gaze by a variety of powerful enchantments, which sometimes manifest in a wreath of misty cloud," she writes of the hidden granite castle.
The North American version of Hogwarts was founded by Isolt Sayre, an Irish woman of wizarding heritage, who fled to the New World on the Mayflower disguised as Muggle boy to escape her wicked aunt.
The story doesn't give the secret entrance to Ilvermorny perhaps via the Berkshire Scenic Railway?
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
We work towards an equitable,
gender-just, self-reliant and
sustainable fisheries,
particularly in the small-scale,
artisanal sector
The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.
To unlock this article:
Travelers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), can now credit their Viber Out accounts directly in international airports via TravelersBox kiosks. The kiosks allow travelers to deposit their leftover foreign coins and bills into various eWallets and online accounts such as PayPal, iTunes, Google Play and recently Viber, before departing for their next destination.
TravelersBox kiosks help returning travelers get value for their leftover foreign currency by converting coins and bills into real digital money. With more than 75 kiosks in 8 countries, the company had announced further expansion throughout Asia during 2016. In the Philippines the kiosks operate in Manila at NAIA Terminal 1 (near Starbucks) and Terminal 3 (International Departure Gates).
TravelersBox essence rooted in our partners values. With our technology, money that was worthless due to currency differences, become valuable again said Tomer Zussman, TravelersBox CEO. One of our top missions is to find the right partners to give travelers the most out of their leftover currency. Viber, which allows people to to call any phone number at low rates, is a natural partner for us.
When we learned about the solution provided by TravelersBox, we immediately understood the value it holds for Viber Out users, said Robi Kopel, FinTech Lead at Viber. Our goal at Viber is to connect users all over the world. Were very happy to be working with TravelersBox to offer a way for travelers to convert their left over currency to Viber Out credit to contact loved ones.
Back to top
You are being redirected.
Governor Brown Announces Appointments
Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:
David Fukutomi, 51, of Camarillo, has been appointed deputy director for response and recovery operations in the Governors Office of Emergency Services, where he has been assistant director and superintendent of the California Specialized Training Institute since 2012. Fukutomi has been senior consultant for the Naval Postgraduate School, Center for Homeland Defense and Security since 2007. He was a consultant for the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute from 2009 to 2012 and vice president at ICF International from 2006 to 2008. Fukutomi was an independent consultant for emergency management and homeland security from 2005 to 2012 and federal coordinating officer at the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 1998 to 2005. He is president of the Pier into the Future Board of Directors and a member of the Community Memorial Health System Board of Trustees. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $128,808. Fukutomi is a Republican.
Alex Cabassa, 58, of Sacramento, has been appointed assistant director and superintendent of the California Specialized Training Institute in the Governors Office of Emergency Services, where he has been a state training officer, administrative agent and deputy team leader for the Incident Support Team since 2013. Cabassa has been command sergeant major of the 115th Support Group and liaison officer at the California State Military Reserve since 2013. He was a state training officer for the California Emergency Management Agency from 2009 to 2013, a command sergeant major for the California State Military Reserve from 2003 to 2013 and a state administrative agent for training at the Governors Office of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2009. Cabassa was operation sergeant at California National Guard Youth Programs from 1998 to 2003 and served in the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1998, retiring as an infantry command sergeant major. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $110,220. Cabassa is a Republican.
Miriam Barcellona Ingenito, 44, of Elk Grove, has been appointed director of the Department of FISCal, where she has served as executive partner since 2015. Barcellona Ingenito was chief deputy director at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 2013 to 2015, deputy secretary for environmental policy and community programs at the California Environmental Protection Agency from 2011 to 2013 and deputy director of legislation at the California Department of Finance from 2009 to 2011. She served as principal consultant for the California State Senate Committee on Appropriations from 2001 to 2009, assistant to the secretary for policy and program analysis at the California Resources Agency from 1999 to 2001 and fiscal and policy analyst in the California Legislative Analysts Office from 1997 to 1999. Barcellona Ingenito earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy Studies. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $166,596. Barcellona Ingenito is a Democrat.
Teresa McWilliams, 78, of Santa Barbara, has been appointed to the 19th District Agricultural Association, Santa Barbara Fair and Exposition Board of Directors. McWilliams has been a realtor for Coldwell Banker since 1968. She is a member of the Music Academy of the West. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. McWilliams is a Democrat.
Lynda Appling, 67, of Mariposa, has been reappointed to the 35a District Agricultural Association, Mariposa County Fair and Homecoming Board of Directors, where she has served since 2012. Appling has been a hearing officer at the Tort Claims Appeals Board of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians since 2005. She was secretary for the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Tribal Council from 2013 to 2015, secretary and business manager for the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians from 1990 to 1992 and a secretary for the National Park Service from 1978 to 1989. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Appling is a Republican.
Claude Pelk Richards, 68, of Mariposa, has been reappointed to the 35a District Agricultural Association, Mariposa County Fair and Homecoming Board of Directors, where he has served since 1992. Richards held several positions at the Mariposa County Sheriffs Office from 1972 to 2003, including sheriff, undersheriff, commander, sergeant and deputy sheriff. He is director of the Mariposa County Fair Association. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Richards is a Republican.
Anthony Roberts, 37, of Brooks, has been reappointed to the 40th District Agricultural Association, Yolo County Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2012. Roberts has been treasurer for the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Tribal Council since 1999. He is a member of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Cultural Resources Committee. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Roberts is registered without party preference.
Denise Sagara, 61, of Esparto, has been reappointed to the 40th District Agricultural Association, Yolo County Fair Board of Directors, where she has served since 2012. Sagara has been executive director of the Yolo County Farm Bureau since 1998 and secretary at Sagara Farms Inc. since 1980. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Sagara is a Republican.
Darren Parker, 56, of Lancaster, has been reappointed to the 50th District Agricultural Association, Antelope Valley Fair Board of Directors, where he has served since 2011. Parker has been special assistant to the speaker in the Office of the California State Assembly Speaker since 2011 and a partner at the Parker Group since 2009. He was network operations manager at Communications Workers of America from 1979 to 2009. Parker is chairman of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus, secretary for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Region 1 and a founding member of Antelope Valley Human Relations Commission. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Parker is a Democrat.
Governor Brown Signs 2016-2017 State Budget
Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed a balanced, on-time state budget that doubles Californias Rainy Day Fund, pays down debt, increases school funding and boosts programs to combat poverty and homelessness.
This solid budget makes responsible investments in California and sets aside billions of dollars to prepare for the next recession, said Governor Brown.
Significant details of the 2016-17 Budget:
Boosting Reserves, Paying Down Debt
In addition to the constitutionally-required $1.3 billion deposit, the budget directs an extra $2 billion contribution into the Rainy Day Fund bringing the states reserve fund to $6.7 billion, or 54 percent of the goal. The budget also directs $1.75 billion to the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, which also helps the state meet obligations in the face of declining revenue or unanticipated obligations, and pays down debts and liabilities by $1.3 billion from Proposition 2 funds.
Investing in Education
The minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools and community colleges will grow to $71.9 billion this year, the highest level in state history and a $24.6 billion increase since 2011-12. Per-pupil K-12 funding is increased to $10,643, a $440 increase over last year and a $3,600 increase over 2011-12 levels. This reinvestment continues to help correct historical inequities in school district funding with $2.9 billion in new funding for the Local Control Funding Formula bringing the formulas implementation to 96 percent complete.
The budget keeps University of California and California State University tuition at 2011-12 levels while providing significant, new one-time and ongoing funding increases.
Counteracting Poverty
This years budget begins implementing the states new $15 per hour minimum wage by raising the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 per hour beginning on January 1, 2017. The budget also funds cost-of-living increases for Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment, the first boost since 2005.
The budget also repeals of the maximum family grant rule in CalWORKs, which had denied support to children born to parents who were receiving aid. It also limits the states asset recovery from the estates of deceased Medi-Cal recipients.
Reducing Housing Costs
The budget reflects $3.6 billion in state and federal funding and award authority for many affordable housing and homelessness programs, including increased funding for CalWORKs rapid rehousing and emergency homeless shelters.
Of this amount, the budget sets aside $400 million in the General Fund for allocation later in the legislative session for affordable housing programs. The funding will be coupled with the Administrations proposed legislation requiring ministerial by right land use entitlements for multifamily infill housing developments that include affordable housing. This would help constrain development costs, improve the pace of housing production and encourage an increase in housing supply. In addition, legislation will authorize a $2 billion bond from a portion of future Proposition 63 mental health revenues to develop and administer homelessness and affordable housing programs for the mentally ill.
Strengthening Infrastructure
The budget includes $2 billion for state infrastructure improvements and maintenance, including $1.3 billion General Fund for state buildings, $270 million in lease-revenue bond authority for local jails and $688 million ($485 million from the General Fund) for critical deferred maintenance at levees, state parks, universities and community colleges, prisons, state hospitals and other state facilities.
The budget and related acts signed by the Governor today include:
SB 826 by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) Budget Act of 2016.
AB 1602 by the Committee on Budget Education.
AB 1603 by the Committee on Budget Public Social Services Omnibus.
AB 1606 by the Committee on Budget Developmental Services.
AB 1607 by the Committee on Budget Medi-Cal: Hospitals: Quality Assurance Fee.
SB 827 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Budget Act of 2015: Augmentation.
SB 828 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review School Finance: Education Omnibus Trailer Bill.
SB 833 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Health.
SB 836 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review State Government.
SB 837 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review State Government.
SB 843 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Public Safety.
SB 844 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review Correctional Facilities: Construction: Financing.
SB 848 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review State Employment.
Additional details on the 2016-17 Budget can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov.
El Centro Mayor Jason Jackson charged with cruelty to an animal
El Centro, California - On Saturday, February 28, 2016 at approximately 3:13 PM, the Imperial County Sheriffs Office received a report of a horse that appeared to be emaciated and did not have access to food or water. The owner of the horse was identified as Mr. Jason Jackson.
The Imperial County Sheriffs Office initiated a criminal investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation charges were filed on Jackson for Cruelty to an animal, with the Imperial County District Attorney Office on Friday, June 24, 2015.
With the assistance of Imperial County Animal Control the horses health and condition has improved significantly.
India Joins the Missile Technology Control Regime
Washington, DC - The United States welcomes Indias accession as the newest member (Partner) of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The MTCR is an informal and voluntary association of countries that seek to reduce the global missile proliferation threat, primarily by controlling exports of rocket and unmanned aerial vehicle systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and related equipment and technology.
India possesses substantial missile-relevant technology and has excellent nonproliferation and export control credentials. Its accession bolsters substantially the Regimes effectiveness and objectives.
India is a valued nonproliferation partner. We look forward to working with India in the MTCR in support of our shared nonproliferation goals.
Terrorist Suicide Bombings
Washington, DC - The United States condemns in the strongest terms the two sets of terrorist suicide bombings against the people of the eastern border village of Qaa, Lebanon, on Monday, June 27. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those injured in the attacks.
We support the ongoing efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces to defend all of Lebanons territory against terrorism and to protect the Lebanese people. We reiterate our strong commitment and continued support for Lebanons security, stability, and sovereignty.
This Isnt Our Last Love Letter
Dear Don Don,
Way back in 92
I walked into the room and knew
Never felt this way before
I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes
And the feeling grew
As I took a seat I knew
A love that would have my heart
Forever
I knew
Way back in 92
They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true
We were the exception to that rule
Our love had no where to hide
A spark set fire
As if this is how the universe started
I never doubted our love or what we could do
Together we grew
Forming a bond everlasting
That became our glue
My euphoria was YOU
Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared
For how fortunate we were :
to have and to hold
through sickness and in health
Til death do us part
Until we are together again
This isnt our last love letter
I love you with all my heart and soul
Yours forever,
Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)
Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.
A True American Hero
I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.
I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.
I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.
But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.
In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.
Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.
I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.
I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.
No one will ever do what he did.
I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO
David Jurist
IMUS IN THE MORNING
FIRST DAY BACK!
Watch: Snake Attacks Owner As She Tries To Release It From Cage
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
I want to try and explain why it was that he had to insist on the private jet. It was all set for flying back from New Orleans. No problem, Mr Child. He had an urgent appointment the next morning at Random House in New York. That seemed fair. But then he demanded the private jet for the flight down there too, on that Thursday morning in December. Both ways? Yes, both ways.
It was, lets admit it, just a little bit prima donna. But then, this was the movies. Didnt they all behave like this? Why should he be any different? You were virtually obliged to be a git so as not to stand out from the crowd. And he really didnt fancy having to get up early in order to take the scheduled flight from La Guardia. He would arrive feeling wrecked and in no mood to shoot his scene. It was all in the interests of making the movie as good as it could be, in other words. We understand, Mr Child. Consider it done.
But there was, in truth, a more subtle rationale in play. It was all about status. Hollywood was status obsessed. It was a highly feudal regime. Game of Thrones style. Were you going to be one of the high lords or one of the peasants? Lee didnt fancy being a swineherd; he was only a troubadour, singing for his supper, but still he wanted to be seated right up there at the top table. Otherwise you were capitulating. You had already lost the battle.
So it was that he went not to La Guardia, not to JFK, but to Teterboro, in New Jersey, just on the other side of the George Washington Bridge. They sent a car for him of course. Come on, hes not going to hail a cab! The grands seigneurs do not hail cabs. A three-hour flight, but he has a six-seat charter plane to himself, no security, no hanging about, no queuing. Just flunkeys, bowing down. And at the other end, at the Louis Armstrong International airport in New Orleans, for Mr Childs further convenience, he didnt even have to leave the airport. They still sent a car for him though, driven by some intern kid called Tyler one of the lower echelons who took him from one part of the airport to another. Paramount was using an entire terminal, abandoned by American Airlines, for the set. It didnt need a lot of Industrial Light and Magic to get an airport terminal looking pretty much like an airport terminal. But it had to be both an airport in Norfolk, Virginia (which Reacher is leaving) and the airport in New Orleans where he is landing. Cue lots of posters saying Sunny Virginia! or similar. Cheap but effective. How the hell else were you supposed to show it was Virginia?
Hitting the mark: Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher (Karen Ballard)
Lee was playing the part of a TSA officer (homeland security) checking Reachers boarding pass and ID. They had to make the smart blue shirt for him specifically, they couldnt just go and buy one. Nobody else was as slim as he was with arms as long as his. Sarah was his make-up artist, a Brit who had come over specially for the movie. She spent more than an hour making him look good. First the haircut, then the shave, and finally the moisturiser. This was a first for Lee, who had never used any moisturiser himself, ever. Decided he probably wouldnt bother in the future either, got as much moisture as he needed from coffee.
They were shooting from 6pm till 3am the next morning. It was all about the night shots. Easier to do at night sometimes. But they did Lees scene first, given his high feudal status and all. So this is the way it was set up: the camera over here, Lee over there, sitting at his podium (naturally, he had to be sitting down, he was too tall to be standing); in between a queue of people snaking around, going through security. The camera would begin shooting raw film, then it was Background! iethe queue, then it was Action! ie Lee and Tom. Actually Tom was second in line. There was a young black woman in front of him, going through the same routine, presenting her boarding pass and ID. She was only an extra, but she had the important part of Woman Who Goes in Front of Jack Reacher. It was her real ID, a driving license. They had to shoot the scene about six times. She says to Lee, Now youll be able to stalk me. The driving license had her real address, but because he wasnt wearing glasses it was all pretty hazy anyway. Tom came up behind her and said, He wrote the book! There was definite respect. Maybe a degree of amazement, too. She was flabbergasted. For a short period in her life, she had the unusual privilege of being sandwiched between the father of Reacher sitting in front of her and the guy behind her who was pretending to be Reacher.
They had lunch around 10pm. Hollywood hours. It was clear from the conversation that Tom had actually read the book (Lee didnt like to ask, as such). And all the other books in the series too, it turned out. He was really quite knowledgeable. Obviously he knew One Shot the basis of his first Reacher film inside out. And now Never Go Back, too. But then little pearls of wisdom would escape his lips: Reacher wouldnt say x, or Reacher would do y, that sort of thing. Hed come out with stray Reacherisms: You can walk out of here or they can carry you out in a bucket! The director and the producer were both fans of the books. So was the woman playing Reachers successor at the head of the 110th, Major Susan Turner (The book is better she said to Lee - I guess she had to say that). Status of girl playing the putative Reacher daughter unknown, except that she was good at stunts (with safety wire attached, of course it would be digitally edited out later she was only 17, after all, and had to have her mother chaperoning her). But to have Tom Cruise reading the books too, that was something. Someone had once said of Tom: At least you dont have to worry about him breaking in and stealing your library. But maybe that was no longer true. He had taken to reading Reacher with a passion (or maybe listening to the audio book, or having fellow Scientologists read to him of an evening, or whatever).
It was three years to the day since the UK premiere of the first Jack Reacher movie. A day that was hard to forget for Lee. On the positive side: the full red-carpet treatment. Shamelessly enjoyable. Who would not get a kick out of being flown around the country in a helicopter? Delivered to Leicester Square in a stretch limo. It was like he was a movie star. And when they got out, there were as many fans yelling, Lee Lee! as Tom! Tom! He signed as many autographs. He even wore a shirt and tie for the night, really made an effort. Put laces in his shoes. The works.
On the downside, he was working, although he didnt realise it at the time. He was being used to legitimise the movie for readers. But it was an impossible task, doomed to failure from the very beginning. And the interesting thing was that, to Lees mind, it had nothing to do with Tom Cruise. It was predictable that readers were going to hate the movie. You could take a 65 250lb guy who looked like Reacher and whose name was Reacher and who had once been a military cop, and give him the part, and they would still hate it. Didnt make any difference. Reading was private and movies were public. Youowned the book, you didnt own the movie. On the page, Reacher is my guy. On the screen he becomes everyones. Its like I have been robbed. Of course I am going to bellyache about it. I had this secret thing going on, and now its been exposed, and devalued. Naturally, readers were always convinced that the book was better. So Lee, in linking himself to the film, was bound to be scapegoated. It was all his fault. The best of times and the worst of times.
I mentioned this theory to a few friends. Ha! they would typically reply. What about Harry Potter? or What about Bond? and so on. It is all down to Tom!
But maybe, I thought, there was something specific to the heroic figure of Reacher that made him harder to translate to the screen; that was maybe, secretly, covertly, bookish. This was why Lee was filled with fresh hope: because Tom was becoming a reader. So he had a chance of being Reacher.
Lee Childs latest novel is Make Me. Andy Martins new book is Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Make Me.
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 }}
Daniel Radcliffe is refusing to rule out a return as Harry Potter should new play The Cursed Child ever reach cinemas.
The British actor rose to fame as a child playing JK Rowlings boy wizard in the hit movie adaptations of her books. He has since gone on to carve a career playing varying roles from Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings to, most recently, a farting corpse in Swiss Army Man.
His next film sees him take on the role of a magician in Now See You Me: The Second Act, but he has not completely shut the door on Hogwarts. It would depend on the script, Radcliffe told Radio Times when asked if he could be tempted to take a role as an adult Potter.
Recommended Read more Harry Potter and the Cursed Child drops live owls after one escaped
The circumstances would have to be pretty extraordinary. But then I am sure Harrison Ford said that with Han Solo and look what happened there! So I am saying No for now but leaving room to backtrack in the future.
The Cursed Child opened for previews in London earlier this month, but Radcliffe is unlikely to attend. It would be a weird one. I could be completely wrong in this but I feel like if I went to see it, theres going to be a lot of Harry Potter fans there and would that then become a thing? he told E! News. I would never want to do anything that would distract or take away from the show.
Co-written by Rowling, The Cursed Child is the first new Harry Potter story in nine years. Little is known about the plot, bar that the story is set 19 years after characters, Harry, Ron and Hemione waved goodbye to Hogwarts. Harrys son Albus takes the starring role, left struggling with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted while learning with his father that sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Show all 11 1 /11 First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Anthony Boyle as Scorpius Malfoy First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Alex Price as Draco Malfoy First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Anthony Boyle and Alex Price as Draco and Scorpius Malfoy First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Paul Thornley as Ron Weasley First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Cherrelle Skeete as Rose Granger-Weasley First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Paul Thornley, Noma Dumezweni and Cherrelle Skeete in The Cursed Child Pottermore First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child James Parker as Harry Potter First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Poppy Miller as Ginny Potter First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child Sam Clemmett as Albus Potter First look at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child The Potter family in The Cursed Child
Jamie Parker is playing a grown-up Harry, who now works for the Ministry of Magic. Sam Clemmett takes on the role of Albus, while Noma Dumezweni has been cast as Hermione and Paul Thornley plays Ron. Tours are currently pushing resell ticket prices up to 2,200, with the sold-out play running until next May.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child officially opens on 30 July, with the script hitting stores in book form the following day.
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 }}
Ahead of the highly-anticipated release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Pottermore has just released new writing from J.K. Rowling; illuminating America's very own Hogwarts, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This marks the second instalment of Rowling's Magic in North America series; focusing on the rich, adventurous backstory of the North American School of Magic. Founded in the 17th century, Ilvermorny marks its beginnings with a young, orphaned Irish girl descended from Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin.
Escaping the clutches of her villainous aunt, she escapes to the Mayflower and lands with America's first pilgrims in Massachusetts with nothing but the clothes on her back and a stolen wand. However, she soon discovers she's not the only magical being in this new land, as she begins her long journey to founding Ilvermorny at the peak of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.
Alongside the new story, Rowling has also confirmed the names of the four new Ilvermorny houses; with the Pottermore site now allowing users to sort themselves with questions written personally by Rowling herself. The houses are each named after specific creatures:
- Horned Serpent; a great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead
- Pukwudgie; a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature
- Thunderbird; a creature that can create storms as it flies
- Wampus; a magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill
Fantastic Beasts also marks Rowling's own screenwriting debut, so expect the details revealed here to play an integral part in the rich, colourful world of Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander, arriving in New York in 1926.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Featurette - A New Hero
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits UK cinemas 18 November 2016.
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 }}
A franchise as gargantuan as Star Wars is destined both as a blessing and a curse.
Any actor involved becomes instantly entwined into the cinematic history books, yet consequently becomes forever trapped within its legacies. Such is the life of Ewan McGregor; though he's enjoyed an incredible career both before, and after, his time playing a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episodes I-III, it's one role he's having some major trouble leaving behind.
While speaking to Parade about his latest film, Our Kind of Traitor, McGregor admitted he's never really understood the hysteria surrounding the Star Wars movies; "I like the films that I made with George Lucas and I'm happy to be part of the legend of it all, but that's it with me. I don't really understand the fanaticism about it."
It appears he's been regularly plagued with questions over whether he'll return to the sci-fi franchise; but, in reality, the actor, "couldn't care less if it happens".
"I'm asked by everybody all the time, 'Would you do another one?'", the actor confessed. "And I've said, 'Yeah, I'd be happy to', because I think there's a film between Episode III and Episode IV, which is when Alec Guinness is in the desert."
The Obamas Dance with Stormtroopers to Celebrate Star Wars Day
"But I've been asked about it so much now that I'm being criticised for trying to persuade Disney to make this movie! I only responded to people asking me about it, and now it looks like I'm sort of looking for work, which is humiliating. I couldn't care less if it happens, but when Star Wars people ask me if I would do it, the answer is yes, so that's how I feel about it."
McGregor's almost trapped within his own Catch 22 here; unable to express appreciation for his time with the films without appearing as if he's clinging onto its legacy, though otherwise confronted with the insinuation he's ungrateful for the role."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Show all 45 1 /45 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art Star Wars: The Force Awakens ILM concept art
In the meantime, the actor may be able to divert Star Wars associations for a brief while; as he's currently shooting sequel T2: Trainspotting 2 with Danny Boyle, and will appear as a pair of twins in season 3 of Fargo. He's also set to make his directorial debut with Philip Roth adaptation American Pastoral.
The Star Wars universe continues McGregorless with Rogue One, opening in UK cinemas 16 December.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
There were plenty of characters hanging around New Orleans in the 20th century - there still are - so it says something that piano legend James Booker managed to earn a reputation as the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced. [Dr. John]
Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker traces the life of the self-proclaimed 'Black Liberace' - from the early years he spent as a chart-topping child prodigy - to his notorious solo career where he toured America and Europe.
Watch an exclusive excerpt from the film below:
While there were few recordings of Bookers own music made during his short life, he inspired several of the greatest artists to emerge out of New Orleans in the 20th century, and continues to do so today. And his discography has increased since his death, thanks to the release of several live recordings that were originally taped at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans.
Director and producer Lily Keber trawled European archives for concert footage, discovered new audio recordings (like an unreleased 1974 session produced) and inherited a rare reel-to-reel interview from a Swiss fan.
"There's nobody that could even remotely come close to his playing ability," Harry Connick Jr, a close friend of Bookers, tells Keber. I've played Chopin Etudes, I've done the whole thing, but there is nothing harder than James.
Joshua Paxton told an interviewer in 2013: From a musicians perspective or piano players perspective, he matters because he figured out how to do things no one had ever done before, at least in a rhythm-and-blues context.... Basically he figured out ways to do a lot of stuff at the same time and make the piano sound like an entire band.
Its Ray Charles on the level of Chopin. Its all the soul, all the groove, and all the technique in the universe packed into one unbelievable player ... I can now say with certainty that its a pianistic experience unlike any other."
But this genius was often overshadowed by Bookers erratic behaviour; he once appeared on a stage in New Orleans wearing a nappy fastened with a gold pin, from which he pulled out a .357 Magnum, held it to his own head and told the audience: "If somebody doesnt give me some cocaine right now, Im going to fucking pull the trigger.
There are myriad explanations for how he lost his eye, from a story that he sold it to a tourist, to an attack of vengeful drug dealers, to Dr. John's explanation: something to do with Jackie Kennedy.
Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up
His drug addiction was reportedly sparked as young as nine, when he was knocked down by an ambulance and given morphine to ease the pain of a broken leg. This moment was traced by Booker himself, when, writing the song Papa Was a Rascal, he sang: When I was a young boy at the age of nine/I met a sweet Russian woman and I made her mine. Lily Keber believes that the sweet Russian woman refers to heroin.
Booker increasingly suffered from severe depression and paranoia as his addiction worsened, and he became obsessed over what he believed were plots against him.
I feel like there was no realm in which Booker was in control, except the music, Keber says in the documentary. It seemed like the whole world could be crumbling around him, or his relation to reality, but as long as he was sitting in front of the piano, he was in charge of something.
Bayou Maharaja is released via Cadiz music on 26 August 2016 - new cinema screenings are taking place from July 2016
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Dev Hyness third album under the Blood Orange name, Freetown Sound, has been released three days early onto streaming services.
Scheduled for release on 1 July, Domino has made the Cupid Deluxe follow-up available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Deezer and Tidal.
The 17 track record, produced and written by Hynes, is named after the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, where his father was born. A music video for the track "Augustine" was also released.
Guests on the album include Ava Raiin, Empress Of, Debbie Harry, Bea1991, Starchild, Ian Isiah, Nelly Furtado, Ta-Nehisi C, Kelsey Lu, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Zuri Marley.
Hynes said of the record: "I have just finished making an album about my life, my upbringing, being black in England, being black in America...my movement to this country at the age of 21, the same age that my mother moved from Guyana to London, and my father from Sierra Leone to London,"
The normal version of the album does not contain the three Blood Orange songs released in 2015, Do You See My Skin Through the Flames? and Sandras Smile, while the limited edition vinyl contains a 10 record featuring them.
Next month, Blood Orange play Barclaycards British Summer Time festival, supporting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Jaime XX and Florence and the Machine.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Happy Birthday to You will soon be in the public domain after a judge approved a settlement to end the ownership claims of Warner Chappell Music.
US District Judge George King ruled last year that the music publishing company does not hold a valid claim to the much-loved, hugely popular song and therefore has no right to continue charging for its use.
Warner Chappell Music has been collecting royalties on Happy Birthday to You for years but has agreed to pay back $14 million (10.6 million) to those who paid licensing fees for it. The company, which claimed the copyright to the lyrics would not expire until 2030, said it had only tried to collect royalties from those who used it commercially.
King approved the agreement on Monday, with the plaintiffs attorney Daniel Schacht celebrating it as huge victory for the public and for the artists who want to use Happy Birthday to You in their videos and music.
Everyone who has a birthday can celebrate, he said, according to CBS Los Angeles. Strong copyright protection is important for artists and content creators but it must have limits. This landmark ruling recognises the value of the public domain.
Happy Birthday to You is believed to have emerged in 1893 when Kentucky schoolteacher Patty Smith Hill wrote it for her kindergarten students with the help of her sister Mildred J Hill. It was originally titled Good Morning to All with the original lyrics as follows: Good morning to you, good morning to you, good morning dear children, good morning to all.
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Given his passionate advocacy for music education, it is entirely apt that Peter Maxwell Daviess last major work, a London Symphony Orchestra commission completed before his death in March, should have been a childrens opera for musicians of mixed ability in the mould of Noyes Fludde. Writing the libretto himself, he based The Hogboon on an Orkney folk tale. Magnus (seasoned treble Sebastian Exall) is a young Orkney islander who, with the help of a friendly Hogboon (a household spirit), a white witch and her cat, sets out to defend the village from the feared sea monster, Nuckleavee, to win the hand of the Earl of Orkneys daughter and the earldom in the process.
Premiered by Simon Rattle and the LSO, joined by the London Symphony Chorus, LSO Discovery Chorus and Guildhall School Musicians, it did everything a community opera should do. Broadly tonal, suffused with his later Scottish idiom yet with enough edge to be interesting, it offered a variety of individual roles commandingly maternal, sinuously feline, or innocent princess for sopranos, a healing contralto for the witch, baritone for the Hogboon and an authoritative tenor for the Earl. Strikingly, the childrens choruses portraying the fearsome Nuckleavee were no mere add-on texture but sat at the heart of the enterprise, and when everybody united at the end to sing God bless you all. Goodbye, it felt like a very personal farewell.
The Hogboon can next be seen in Luxembourg with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2017
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate 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
Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Lionfish beautiful, venomous and voracious predators that can spawn every four days have invaded the Mediterranean as the sea temperature rises, raising fears of environmental devastation of native marine life.
In a report published in the journal Marine Biodiversity Records, researchers said evidence from divers and fishermen had revealed that the fish had colonised part of the Cyprus coast in just a year after apparently swimming through the Suez Canal. It confirmed earlier sightings that suggested the fish might be becoming established.
There are now fears that lionfish, which originate from the Indian and Pacific oceans but have spread to the western Atlantic and have been found off the coasts of Florida and South Carolina, could now move into the eastern Atlantic.
Its sting is extremely painful and can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest and, occasionally, death.
Researcher Demetris Kletou of the Environmental Research Lab in Limassol, Cyprus, said: Until now, few sightings of the alien lionfish have been reported in the Mediterranean, and it was questionable whether the species could invade this region like it has in the western Atlantic.
But weve found that lionfish have recently increased in abundance, and within a year have colonised almost the entire south eastern coast of Cyprus, assisted by sea surface warming.
Lionfish, which can grow up to 40cm long, have venomous spines that deter predators and feed on a variety of fish and crustaceans.
They spawn every four days, all-year round, and produce some two million eggs a year. That swift rate of reproduction and their fast growth into adulthood means they are highly effective at colonising new reefs at the expense of native species.
Professor Jason Hall Spencer of Plymouth University, who was involved in the research, said: Groups of lionfish exhibiting mating behaviour have been noted for the first time in the Mediterranean.
By publishing this information, we can help stakeholders plan mitigating action, such as offering incentives for divers and fishermen to run lionfish removal programmes, which have worked well at shallow depths in the Caribbean, and restoring populations of potential predators, such as the dusky grouper.
Given that the Suez Canal has recently been widened and deepened, measures will need to be put in place to help prevent further invasion.
The beauty of coral reefs Show all 6 1 /6 The beauty of coral reefs The beauty of coral reefs 37759.bin STERLING ZUMBRUNN/CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL The beauty of coral reefs 38007.bin Hassin Ammar/AFP/Getty The beauty of coral reefs 38009.bin Hassan Ammar/AFP/Getty The beauty of coral reefs 38011.bin Hassan Ammar/AFP/Getty The beauty of coral reefs 38013.bin Donald Miralle/Getty The beauty of coral reefs 38012.bin Hassan Ammar/AFP/Getty
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lionfish are one of the top predators in many coral reef environments of the Atlantic.
Lionfish consume over 50 species of fish, including some economically and ecologically important species, it says.
Lionfish are active hunters that ambush their prey by using their outstretched, fan-like pectoral fins to slowly pursue and corner them.
It says the sting of a lionfish can last for days and cause extreme pain, sweating, respiratory distress and even paralysis.
According to Lionfish.co, a website set up to co-ordinate efforts to eradicate lionfish from the Caribbean and US coast, the sting can cause cardiac arrest and potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.
"There has been at least one case of paralysis in both arms and legs of a home aquarist who was stung in the finger. The paralysis went away completely in a short time, but it was a good thing he had sought medical treatment when the symptoms of envenomation began to grow worse," it says.
"Lionfish venom can cause tissue necrosis (tissue death) that has the ability to spread if not treated immediately when identified."
A dive instructor summed up for National Geographic what it was like to be stung. "It wont kill you, but itll make you wish you were dead," he said.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
A bot that helps people get out of traffic fines has helped 160,000 people get out of their tickets.
DoNotPay a site that helps people find the best challenge to their parking tickets has been used a quarter of a million times, according to its teenage creator Joshua Browder.
The service allows users to quickly find how they might be able to challenge parking tickets, and then quickly generates a letter to present to authorities. From beginning to end, people can have a successful challenge written in under a minute.
Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty
Of 250,000 challenges, 160,000 have led to people successfully having their fines cancelled, according to Mr Browder.
The bot was first released to the London public last Autumn. It has been gradually rolled out to other cities which must be done gradually because each has a different system for fines and has now made its way to New York.
The service works by letting having people chat to a robot that asks them questions to find out what was wrong with their ticket. They can include Was it hard to understand the signs? or Do you think the parking bay was too small?
The site will then use the information generated during that exchange to put together the most likely reason that someones parking ticket is invalid then preparing them a letter that they can use to challenge it.
Mr Browder, who was born in London and now studies at Stanford University, says that the tool is used to help out people who are being exploited by local governments.
Recommended Read more Fleet of gold supercars slapped with parking tickets
I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society, Mr Browder told VentureBeat. These people arent looking to break the law. I think theyre being exploited as a revenue source by the local government.
The teenager was compelled to create the bot after receiving 30 parking tickets within London
Mr Browder has used similar techniques on new chat bots. Those include one helping people with HIV understand their legal right, another that talks people through claiming compensation for delayed flights, and one that helps refugees apply for asylum.
He also hopes to develop a platform that would allow people to easily code their own legal help without any computing knowledge. That would let legal experts create their own robot versions of themselves, helping people out with any legal issue that they have.
Is This Robot the Future of Parking Garages?
I feel like theres a gold mine of opportunities because so many services and information could be automated using AI, and bots are a perfect way to do that, and its disappointing at the moment that its mainly used for commerce transactions by ordering flowers and pizzas, he told VentureBeat.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Nigel Farage have all called for the adoption of an Australian-style immigration system.
However, in a devastating critique of Australias methods, medical ethicists have warned there is increasing evidence that Australia is engaged in torturing asylum seekers with refugees imprisoned for more than a year without trial.
There are allegations of waterboarding, another method of torture called zipping in which people are tied to a bed that is then thrown into the air, sexual assault and exploitation, and child abuse.
And the inmates of detention centres created outside of Australia to avoid its laws are held in conditions of secrecy that prevent scrutiny of their treatment while laws prevent doctors speaking out about mistreatment.
Last year, a United Nations report accused Australia of breaking the Convention Against Torture over its treatment of migrants.
The then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, responded that Australians are sick of being lectured to by the United Nations, saying their policies had stopped refugee boats from trying to make the perilous sea journey to Australia and ended the deaths at sea.
In a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics, the ethicists, Dr John-Paul Sanggaran, of the University of New South Wales, and Professor Deborah Zion, of Victoria University, wrote that there was increasing evidence that Australia is engaged in torturing asylum seekers.
There are allegations of situations, circumstances and actions that also constitute cruel and unusual punishment throughout Australian immigration detention, they wrote.
They pointed to allegations by guards at a detention centre on the island of Nauru of waterboarding, familiar to most as a torture technique that simulates drowning used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in places like Guantanamo bay.
Zipping is also alleged. It is described as tying an individual to a metal bed frame with cable ties, the bed is then thrown into the air causing injury to the bound individual when the frame crashes to the ground, they added.
The ethicists said it was of great concern and significance that protections that ensured asylum seekers human rights have long been absent in the Australian immigration detention setting.
In this way, those who control the collection and dissemination of information, in this case successive Australian governments extinguish evidence of the suffering of those in the present and silence their voices for all time, they said.
It is in this silence that policies which undermine human rights facilitate substandard care, child abuse and now, perhaps, more active and egregious examples of torture.
In another article in the journal, Professor David Isaacs, who provided paediatric services at an immigration detention centre, said the prolonged imprisonment was arguably to coerce asylum seekers into voluntarily returning to their own or another country and to deter others from seeking asylum.
The consequences of such detention were severe mental health problems including anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicidality.
10 things immigration has done for Britain Show all 10 1 /10 10 things immigration has done for Britain 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Mini The 1959 classic, that is, perhaps our greatest piece of industrial design, a miracle of packaging and revolution in motoring. Its genius designer was Sir Alec Issigonis, who was an asylum seeker. His family, Greek, fled Smyrna when Turks invaded this borderland in around 1920, and he wound up studying engineering at Battersea Polytechnic. He went on to create that most English of motor cars, the Morris Minor, as well as the Austin-Morris 1100, all much loved products of his fertile imagination. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marks and Spencer Once upon a time there was no M&S in Britain, difficult as that may be to believe. We have one Michael Marks to thank for our most famous retailer, and he was a refugee from Belarus, arriving in England in about 1882, and soon after set off to flog stuff around Yorkshire. He eventually teamed with Thomas Spencer to create the vast business we know today. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Thunderbirds And many other TV shows created, funded and otherwise produced by that largest of larger-than-life characters, Lew Grade (also a world class tap dancer). The man who dominated commercial television gave us memorable entertainment such as The Prisoner, the Saint and brought the Muppets to Britain (a sort of fuzzy felt wave of immigration), as well as puppet shows where you could see the strings. All this from a penniless Jew from Ukraine, born Lev Winogradsky, who escaped the pogroms in Ukraine with his family in the 1890s. His nephew Michael Grade has also done his bit for British television. Rex Features 10 things immigration has done for Britain The House of Windsor Or the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha until George V prudently rebranded the family during the First World War. Well, our royals are a pretty German bunch, as well as having various types of French and other alien blue blood coursing around their veins. Twas ever thus. There was William the Conqueror, Norman French, who certainly broke the immigration rules; William of Orange, a direct import from Holland; the Hanoverian King Georges, the first barely able to speak English; Queen Victoria, who married a German, Edward VII, who couldnt stay faithful to his wife, a Danish princess; George V wed another German princess; Edward VIII married an American (though she hardly visited England and prompted his emigration and exile); and the Queen is married to man born in Corfu. The embodiment of the British nation, to many, but one thinks of them as quite multicultural really. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain I Vow To Thee My Country Our most patriotic hymn was the product of a man named Gustav Holst (pictured), born in Cheltenham, but of varied Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, who adapted part of his suite The Planets to put a particularly stirring and beautiful poem to music, just after the Great War. As the second verse has it, there's another country/I've heard of long ago/Most dear to them that love her/most great to them that know. Imagine if the Holst family had been kept out because the quota on musical European types had been reached. Creative Commons 10 things immigration has done for Britain Curry and Cobra Chicken Tikka Masala is, so they say, a dish which not only the most popular in Britain but specifically designed to cater for European tastes. For that we probably have to thank an Indian migrant, Sake Dean Mahomed, who came from Bengal to open the first recognisable Indian restaurant, the magnificently named Hindoostanee Coffee House. History does not record if a plate of poppadoms and accompanying selection of pickles and yoghurts were routinely placed on the table for new diners, but we do know that we had to wait until 1989 to taste the ideal lager for a curry - Cobra. That brew was brought to us by Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria, a Cambridge law graduate who hailed from Hyderabad. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain That big red swirly sculpture at the Olympic Park Or Orbit, to give it its proper name, the work of Anish Kapoor, who arrived in 1973 from India and had the artistic imagination to fill a power station. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The Sun Love it or hate it, and many do both, this has been a symbol of much that is successful and a lot that is awful in British journalism since its inception in 1969. In its turn it spawned the Page 3 Girl and some nastily xenophobic headlines. All the stranger when you consider its creator was, of course, Rupert Murdoch, born 11 March 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain Marxism OK, Karl Marxs philosophy was not much of a gift to the world, but for a while it seemed like a good idea. Though we might not dare admit it, Marxism still has a few insights to offer to anyone wanting to understand the workings of capitalism, though too few to excuse everything that was done in its name. Born in Germany spent much time in the British museum and the British pub, buried Highgate Cemetery. Oddly, his ideas never really caught on in his adopted homeland. Getty Images 10 things immigration has done for Britain The NHS They came from many, many backgrounds, including Ireland, the Philippines, east Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa, as they still do, but the contribution of the black nurses who came to the UK from the Caribbean to heal and care for is a debt of honour that must be recognised. It so sometimes forgotten that it was Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health (1960-62), who campaigned to recruit their skilled nurses to come and work over here. One abiding legacy we can thank Enoch for. Getty Images
Professor Kenneth Boyd, of Edinburgh University, who is an associate editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics, wrote in a related article that medical involvement in torture is often discussed in terms of what happens or has happened elsewhere, in some imagined country far away, under a military dictatorship for example, or historically in Nazi Germany or Stalins Russia.
He spoke of the moral dilemma for healthcare staff when asked to treat someone who may have been tortured.
On the one hand, any involvement whatever in the practice of torture, countenancing or condoning as well as participating, is forbidden, formally by the World Medical Association 1957 Declaration of Tokyo, but more generally by the professional duty to do no harm, he said.
On the other hand, the professional duty of care, and more generally human decency and compassion, forbids standing idly by when no other professional with comparable skills is available to relieve the suffering of victims of torture.
But then again, they may also be all too aware that in exercising their duty of care they may simply be patching up the victims in order for them to be tortured again.
Professor Boyd said that given the interest in Australias immigration control policies in Europe and other places, the practices of its detention centres should be of moral concern elsewhere also.
Popular sentiment in relatively peaceful and prosperous countries which are the desired destination of migrants from war-torn or impoverished parts of the world may not always wish to know all of the means by which immigration is controlled, he said.
Internationally, however, the medical community cannot now easily go back on its commitment to not countenancing, condoning or participating in the practice of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading procedures.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate 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
Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
The Hinkley Point nuclear power station project could become a casualty of Brexit, a Government adviser has claimed.
The 18bn plans to build the new plant in Somerset could be cancelled now that Britain has voted to leave the EU, a Government advisor told the The Times newspaper.
Paul Dorfman said it was "extremely unlikely" that French energy giant EDF would continue with its plans, which have already been hit by a series of delays.
Mr Dorfman, a senior research fellow at University College London, said: My view is that it seems extremely unlikely now.
"Its probably all over bar the shouting. How can EDF invest billions when there is so much uncertainty?"
Angus Brendan MacNeil MP, chairman of the Commons energy and climate select committee, said Hinkley was "bedevilled by uncertainty".
"Until last week ... EDF was investing in another EU member state. Now that is no longer the case," he said.
The plant was originally set to be completed by 2017 but will not generate power until at least 2025, after issues with funding and reported concern from French unions that the project could damage or even ruin EDF.
EDF has insisted Brexit will have no impact and told The Times: "EDF confirms its commitment to the Hinkley Point project, which continues."
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 Basingstoke resident used the word p**i during a discussion with a BBC presenter about Brexit and then insisted he is not racist.
Sima Kotecha, a reporter for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, described being racially abused in her home town of Basingstoke days after the EU referendum.
Kotecha visited the Hampshire town to ask why voters there chose Brexit. Fifty-two per cent of residents voted to leave the EU in a result mirroring the overall percentage of leave votes across the UK.
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
In a report broadcast on Tuesday morning, an unnamed man in a Basingstoke pub was heard using the racially offensive term while explaining why he was pleased about the referendum result to Kotecha.
I think all the immigrants, they should leave the country, you know what I mean? he told Kotecha. When she asked if he was referring to Eastern Europeans living in Britain, he replied: Yeah, like Im not saying p**is as, like, Im saying like all of them. When Kotecha asked if he had said p**is, he answered: No, I dont mean - sorry love.
Thats offensive, she told him.
Yeah I know, he replied. "No, I didnt mean to come across its all them ... theyre not foreigners. We all bleed the same, weve got the same heart, just different coloured skins, you know what I mean?
Do you not like Asians either? asked Kotecha. No I do like Asians, he insisted. I know I used p**i but I could come up with more offensive [words], you know what I mean? Im not like that. Im not racist at all in any shape or way.
In utter shock: just been called p**i in my hometown!, Kotecha wrote on Twitter after. Haven't heard that word here since the 80s..!
Her tweet was met with an outpouring of disgust at the use of such language. In a second tweet, she said the support she received from the public after discussing the incident online made her feel proud to be British.
Kotecha has received a similar level of support this morning, with some Basingstoke residents apologising on the man's behalf in appalled tweets.
"I'm so sorry you had to deal with that," read one tweet.
Sima Kotecha's report on R4 hugely disturbing, another added. To hear a man say the P word and then claim he is not racist."
A Basingstoke resident told Kotecha: I work in Basingstoke and am deeply, deeply ashamed of it today. I'm so sorry you experienced this."
The incident came as the number of hate crimes reported to police was found to have risen by 57 per cent since Britain voted to withdraw from 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 }}
One in three women has had an abortion, and almost all of them in the US (95 per cent), did not regret it.
But the stigma surrounding abortion means being able to talk about it afterwards is still a problem for many women.
And while thousands of women have had repeat abortions, disclosing more than one termination to anyone bar a trusted few is a virtually unthinkable prospect for most.
Overcoming the stimga-shame cycle can feel like an insurmountable task, but the women speaking about their abortions in the public eye are helping to counter it. One of these women is Chelsea Handler, who has spoken about terminating two pregnancies in a forthright essay for Playboy. In her essay, she explained why she is grateful that she could obtain safe, legal abortions on both occasions at the age of 16 while many women are still unable to do so over three decades later.
Women on the front line of America's abortion war Show all 3 1 /3 Women on the front line of America's abortion war Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA28-34-Abortion-2.jpg AP Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA34-Janis.jpg Women on the front line of America's abortion war IA28-34-abortion-3.jpg AP
Getting unintentionally pregnant more than once is irresponsible, but its still necessary to make a thoughtful decision," she wrote. "We all make mistakes all the time. I happened to f**k up twice at the age of 16. Im grateful that I came to my senses and was able to get an abortion legally without risking my health or bankrupting myself or my family. Im 41 now. I dont ever look back and think, God, I wish Id had that baby."
Handler said the polarising debate on abortion would always be divisive, but the choice should always be firmly in the hands of the woman.
Recommended Read more Senator Wendy Davis vows to fight abortion bill again after marathon
Again, its like racism and sexism: People will be racist if theyre innately built that way, but whether they can act on their racism or not is a separate issue. There are people who think women shouldnt hold high-powered positions, or who think Obama is Muslim, and its okay for them to have those thoughts; they just cant act on them in a civilised society. Its okay if you think its not right for women to have abortionsbut its not your problem, because we decide.
Handlers essay comes as restrictive abortion laws in Texas which led to the closure of half of the states clinics, significantly reducing womens access to terminations, were struck down by the US Supreme Court overnight. Democratic senator Wendy Davis, who famously led an 11-hour filibuster against even more restrictive abortion laws in the state, said she felt vindicated on behalf of all women after the landmark ruling was announced overnight.
Davis told The Washington Post: I feel vindicated on behalf of the women who will once again access safe and legal abortion care in our state. I feel vindicated on behalf of them and the fact that their health will no longer be jeopardised as a consequence of this particular law.
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 Queen had an unexpected answer for the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland after he asked how she was.
At a meeting at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland on Monday, Sinn Fein politician Martin McGuinness greeted the Queen by asking if she was well. Her reply? Well, Im still alive."
Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Show all 62 1 /62 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II on a walk-about in Portsmouth during her Silver Jubilee tour of Great Britain, 1977 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The future Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) pictured with her younger sister Princess Margaret (L) in 1933 AFP/Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The 9-year-old Elizabeth attends an aristocratic wedding with her mother and younger sister. Later in that year with the death of her Grandfather and the Abdication of her Uncle Edward VIII she became first in line to the throne, 1936 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of King George VI in 1937, Elizabeth aged 10 became the heir apparent to the throne Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth and her sister arrive at Waterloo station to say goodbye to their parents as they leave to tour Canada. Elizabeth was thought too young to escort her parents on the tour and was described as "tearful" as they departed. She and her parents made the first ever transatlantic telephone call during their time away, 1939 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The 13-year-old Elizabeth and her sister Margret address children who have been evacuated from the cities on BBC's 'The Chilrens Hour' She said "We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well", 1940 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Just before the end of the war Elizabeth took part in training to become an ATS officer. She is pictured learning to change a tire, 1945 AFP/Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The official announcement of Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Mountbatten's engagement. The pairing was incredibly controversial as Prince Phillip had no financial standing and he was foreign born, the prince of Denmark and Greece (though he served Britain in the war and was given British Citizenship), 1947 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II (in coach) and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh are cheered by the crowd after their wedding ceremony, on 20 November 1947, on their road to Buckingham Palace, London Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth smiles at her first child, a month old Prince Charles. Charles was born on 14 November 1948 Corbis Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The couples second child Princess Anne was born in 1950 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Arriving back in England upon hearing the death of her father King George VI. The Kings health had been in decline for a number of years and Elizabeth had been filling in for him on an official visit to Australia by way of Kenya. As his heir Elizabeth became Queen aged 26 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place on 2 June 1953. It was the first ever coronation to be aired live on television, being one of the most watched events in history with millions gathering around their TV sets to see the new monarch Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II standing next to her daughter Princess Anne, 1960 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II President Eisenhower (centre) with the British Royal family (L-R) Prince Philip, Princess Anne, HM Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Captain John Eisenhower, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, 1959 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II as she turns to smile and talk to an unidentified officer, during the Trooping of the Colour by the First Battalion of the Jamaica Regiment at Up-Park Camp, Kingston, Jamaica, 1966 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II walking cross country at the North of Scotland Gun Dog Association Open Stake Retreiver Trials in the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1967 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, a regular fixture in the royal calendar, 1971 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh during their traditional summer break at Balmoral Castle. The highland retreat is one of the Queen's favourite places, each year, she heads off to Scotland for the summer. "It is rather nice to hibernate for a bit when one leads such a moveable life," she once said, 1976 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II during a walkabout in Muscat while visiting Oman, 1979 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II with some of her corgis walking the Cross Country course during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials. The monarch is responsible for introducing a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when her corgi Tiny was mated with a dachshund "sausage dog" called Pipkin which belonged to Princess Margaret, 1980 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II (L-R) the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales after the christening ceremony of Prince Harry, 1984 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II taking the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in London, 1985 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II as they smile to well-wishers outside Clarence House in London, 1987 AP Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II, with Chief Instructor, Small Arms Corp LT Col George Harvey, firing the last shot on a standard SA 80 rifle when she attended the centenary of the Army Rifle Association at Bisley, 1993 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II South Africa's President Nelson Mandela greets Queen Elizabeth II as she steps from the royal yacht Britannia in Cape Town at the 1995's official start of the her first visit to the country since 1947 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she visits Bowring Park in St. John's, Newfoundland, on the third day of a 10-day official visit to Canada, 1997 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh make their way into St. George's Chapel at Windsor for the annual Garter ceremony, 1999 AFP/Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II as they meet at the Vatican, 2000 AP Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother leaving church by horse drawn carriage on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, 2000 PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth rides her horse in the grounds of Windsor Castle, 2002 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth arrives for the world premiere of James Bond movie "Casino Royale" at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London, 2006 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth boards a scheduled train at Kings Cross station in London, 2009 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II planting a tree at Newmarket Animal Health Trust, during a royal visit which marked her 50th year as the charity's patron, 2009 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II talking with Pope Benedict XVI during an audience in the Morning Drawing Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during a four day visit by the Pope to the UK, 2010 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2010 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from the crowd during her visit to Federation Square in downtown Melbourne, 2011 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth watches a preview of her Christmas message wearing a pair of 3D glasses, studded with Swarovski crystals in the form of a "Q", at Buckingham Palace in central London, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Members of Britain's royal family (front L to R) Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles cheer as competitors participate in a sack race at the Braemar Gathering in Braemar, Scotland, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Britain's Prince Charles kisses the hand of his mother Queen Elizabeth at the end of her Diamond Jubilee concert in front of Buckingham Palace in London, 2012 Reuters Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge laughs as Queen Elizabeth gestures during a visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend a service for the Order of the British Empire at St Paul's Cathedral in London, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II meets young people during an official visit to The Shard building in central London, 2013 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Actress Angelina Jolie is presented with the Insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace, London, 2014 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red evolving art installation at the Tower of London, 2014 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the State Opening of Parliament, 2015 AFP/Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II (L-R) Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge holding his son Prince George of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry (back), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (back), James, Viscount Severn (front), Princess Beatrice of York (back), Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Eugenie of York (back) stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waiting to view the fly-past during the Queen's Birthday Parade, 'Trooping the Colour,' in London, 2015 Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The Trooping of the Colour is an annual celebration marking the Queen's birthday, 2015 Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Britain's Queen Elizabeth II stands with Kate the Duchess of Cambridge whilst pushing Princess Charlotte in a pram as they leave after attending the Christening of Britain's Princess Charlotte at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, 2015 AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Broadway Theatre in Barking, 2015 Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II greets wellwishers during a 'walkabout' on her 90th birthday in Windsor in 2016 AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Members of the Royal Family during trooping of the colour in 2017 AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The Queen waves at Prince Harry and Meghan after their wedding in 2018 POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex gesture during their visit to the Storyhouse in Chester, Cheshire in 2018 AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Prince Charles reacts as he sits with his mother Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth in 2019 AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their new son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Chris Allerton/Sussex Royal/PA Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II reacts as she visits the Haig Housing Trust in Morden in 2019 POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II takes her seat on the The Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords next to Prince Charles, before reading the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in 2019 POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II looks at the coffin of Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during his funeral service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II and Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales pose alongside the tree which they planted to mark the start of the official planting season for the Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) at the Balmoral Cricket Pavilion, Balmoral Estate in Scotland POOL/AFP via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Britain's Queen Elizabeth II cuts a cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee during a reception in the Ballroom of Sandringham House, the Queen's Norfolk residence on February 5, 2022. - Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday will became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, in a bittersweet landmark as she also marked the 70th anniversary of her father's death AFP/Getty Queen Elizabeth II: Life in pictures Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Westminster Abbey accompanied by Prince Andrew, Duke of York for the Service Of Thanksgiving For The Duke Of Edinburgh on March 29, 2022 in London Getty
This year the Queen reached the milestone age of 90, which she acknowledged to Mr McGuinness telling him her two birthdays have kept her quite busy. Earlier this month, the Queen officially celebrated with the Trooping of the Colour parade, a street party on the Mall and a service at St Pauls Cathedral.
On Friday, after the results of the EU referendum became apparent, Mr McGuinness called for a border poll on a united Ireland after Northern Ireland voted in its majority for Britain to remain a member of the European Union. This result was at odds with the rest of the UK which voted to leave the EU by 52 per cent.
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, who turned 95 this month, are visiting Northern Ireland on a two-day trip. While there, they will visit the Giants Causeway, unveil a statue of a County Antrim WW1 soldier and travel on the picturesque Coleraine-to-Londonderry line - which she unveiled in 1953.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
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 }}
Sir Richard Branson has called for the voting age to be lowered to 16 following the UKs vote for a Brexit, arguing throughout history young people have repeatedly been proven to be right.
Sir Richard has been staunchly pro-EU throughout the campaign and on Monday urged Parliament to reconsider leaving the European Union following calls and petitions for a second referendum.
In just a few days since the results were confirmed, the Virgin founder claimed the prospect of Brexit had "fractured the country more than any other event in recent memory".
In a blog post shared on Tuesday morning, Sir Richard acknowledged the typical differentiating voting trends between the older and younger generations.
Recommended Read more Richard Branson urges Parliament to consider second EU referendum
While democracy is based on the popular vote, we should not dismiss the voices and pleas of those that end up on the other side of the verdict especially in this case, as young people will be most affected by the decision, moving forward, he wrote.
The 65-year-old then suggested the voting age be lowered to 16, disputing the belief held by some that the young are too ill-equipped to vote because, he argues, they have often ended up being on the right side of history. He also proposed that, thanks to social media, young people are more interested, motivated and informed than ever before.
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
The opinions of the young are often cast aside, with claims that they are selfish, unknowing and ill-equipped to make important choices. This couldnt be further from the truth, he wrote. By 16-years-old Id left school to run my own business, student magazine, and together with thousands of other young people organised big and powerful marches to protest the Vietnam War. History proved us right, and many of the adults of the day wrong. Today the young are once again on the right side of history.
Sir Richard concluded his post by summarising young people should have a greater steer in making decisions about the future given that they will be the leaders of the future.
73 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted for Britain to remain in the EU in the historic referendum which took place last Thursday, compared to 27 per cent who voted to leave. In stark contrast, 60 per cent of over 65s voted to Leave while 40 per cent voted to Remain. Ultimately, the Leave campaign clinched victory with 52 per cent of the vote.
Estimates on how 16 and 17-year-olds hypothetically may have voted vary but its roundly deemed it would have been a clear majority vote for Remain. On the day of the referendum, a YouGov poll estimated 75 per cent would have voted to Remain while The Student Room placed that figure higher at 82 per cent.
In 2014, 16 and 17-year-olds were given the vote in the Scottish independence referendum, with 100,000 turning out at the polls. While turnout by age groups is not officially known for the EU referendum, there have been suggestions it was the lowest for the 18-24 category with some estimates placing that figure at 36 per cent. In areas across the UK with a high youth population, turnout was lower.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
What am I to do, for I no longer know myself? the revered 13th-century Persian poet Jalaluddin al-Rumi once asked. As was his wont, he was reflecting on humanity and the futility of rigid identities where we all originate from a divine and loving creator. And thankfully he cleared it up quite neatly, concluding: I have neither a soul nor a body, for I come from the very Soul of all souls.
It would be rather interesting to know, then, what Rumi would make of reports that The Wolf of Wall Street actor Leonardo DiCaprio is tipped to play him in a film by the script-writer behind 2000 blockbuster Gladiator. What would he think of the uproar that his identity is being white-washed? Hed probably have a characteristically knowing yet simple response, worth more than a thousand think-pieces. Alas, well never know.
But other questions arise from this, if such recent white-washed movies as Gods of Egypt or Prince of Persia are anything to judge by. Why is an Italian-American playing a 13th century Islamic scholar, jurist, theologian and Sufi mystic? How did he get such a devoted following in the West? And could this film even ease tensions towards Islam?
Considering Rumis credentials, its not out of the question. In 2014, he was the best-selling poet in the US. He has 1.8 million followers on Facebook. His poems were once recited during a show by fashion designer Donna Karan, and are the basis of Philip Glass Monsters of Grace opera.
Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Show all 26 1 /26 Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, at one of many outrageous parties in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street AP Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill in a scene from The Wolf of Wall Street Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo-DiCaprio Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street Rex Features Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the famous scene from Titanic Reuters Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures 'I'll never let go, Jack': Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett in Titanic Rex Features Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's hand in his Titanic sex scene with Kate Winslet is iconic in itself Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet 20th Century Fox Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Another scene from Romeo and Juliet 20th Century Fox Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio star and Matt Damon star as an undercover cop and police force mole in crime thriller The Departed IMDB Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio stars as director and aviator Howard Hughes in Scorsese drama The Aviator IMDB Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Miramax Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio and Jim Broadbent in 'Gangs of New York' Rex Features Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Glitter bugs: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton in 'The Great Gatsby' Bazmark Film III Pty Limited Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo Di Caprio playing Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's 'Great Gatsby' Warner Bros Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio starred as con artist Frank Abagnale in the film Catch Me If You Can Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Virginie Ledoyen and Leonardo DiCaprio starring in 'The Beach' AP Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio in the puny sci-fi thriller Inception Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures ANDREW COOPER Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Sir Ben stars alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revolutionary Road Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures FRANCOIS DUHAMEL Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Winslet and DiCaprio in the Revolutionary Road AP Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCaprio's career in pictures Leonardo DiCarprio in the documentary 11th Hour (2007)
Of course, part of his popularity comes down to the quality of his work, says Narguess Farzad, a senior fellow in Persian at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies. It is beautifully structured and incredibly well-composed: compacting multi-layered ideas, and often interpreting the complexities of Quranic scripture, in simple ghazals - a form of poetry. Equally important is his universal message, which transcends time and culture. But perhaps his life-story explains why his verse can, as Farzad puts it, touch a nerve with everyone.
Rumi was born in 1207. His father was, as was his father before him, an influential and well-respected Islamic scholar. This was a turbulent time in the region and, anticipating the onslaught of the Mongols, Rumis family left their home-city of Balkh, on the modern-day border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, a decade before it was desecrated. Rumi, therefore, is arguably a refugee.
The meeting of Rumi and Shams-e Tabrizi depicted in a an Ottoman-era manuscript from the end of the 16th century. (Public Domain)
The family then travelled across modern-day Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, settling in the cosmopolitan city of Konya in Turkey: a fact proudly marked by a mausoleum in his honour which attracts religious and literary pilgrims alike. However, his life changed forever when in 1244, at around the age of 39, he met the wandering mystic and thinker Shams-e Tabriz, with whom he shared an intense student-master relationship that unlocked Rumis poetic talents.
Shams-e Tabriz stirred Rumis genius away from religious orthodoxy to a more inclusive understanding of humanity and to being more in touch with the human and worldly sides of spiritual arguments, explains Dr Saeed Talajooy, lecturer in Persian and comparative literature at the University of St Andrews.
This is what Hollywood calls a bromance, says Farzad. [They shared] a very chaste love affair of two like-minded men whose ideology completed each others. When Shams mysteriously disappeared some believe he was killed by Rumis jealous son, others that he married Rumis outspoken daughter Kimya Rumi was bereft, but produced some of the best poetry known to man. To create it, he would spin himself into a meditative state and dictate his verse: a practise that inspired the famous whirling dervishes.
From existential angst to love, sex and loneliness, from belonging at physical and spiritual levels to morality and religion, contradictory human emotions and impulses no stone is left unturned in Rumis poetry, explains Talajooy. His poetry undulates from the profane to sublime intellectual writing, adds Farzad. And in the Middle East right now, where so many are displaced, the themes of homesickness and longing are particularly poignant.
Whirling dervishes were inspired by the mystic poet Rumi (GURCAN OZTURK/AFP/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, new age spiritualists the sort attracted to Deepak Chopra appreciate his open approach to spirituality, which did not favour Islam as the only way for reaching the divine. Which may be why his poetry lends itself so well to all those inspirational memes on social media. Farzad sums up the poet perfectly: He has a fantastic loving message. If they use his text in the film, it will be the best advert for Islam in a positive way.
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 member of the Paedophile Information Exchange has been convicted of 13 offences against children between the 1960s and 1980s.
Douglas Slade, 75, was expelled from the Philippines in 2015 and brought back to the UK to be charged with the offences.
Slade, formerly of Sea Mills and Totterdown in Bristol, was convicted of all charges against him following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
The offences, committed in Bristol and other parts of the country, were against five children - the youngest aged 10 at the time.
Christopher Skeaping, 72, formerly of Hounslow in London, was convicted of one count of indecent assault against one of the victims.
The victim had been introduced to Slade, who will be sentenced on Friday, by Skeaping.
Both men were involved with the former Paedophile Action for Liberation, which later became the Paedophile Information Exchange.
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
The campaign groups called for the age of consent to be lowered to allow sex with children to be legalised.
Detective Sergeant Paul Melton, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "It's clear from the evidence that both Slade and Skeaping were part of a network of men who wanted to abuse children.
"Evidence showed Slade would be contacted by some of these men asking him how to go about abusing a child - one of the many horrifying aspects of this case.
"Slade is the worst example of a predatory and depraved paedophile and he used every method he could think of to find children he could abuse. No child will ever be safe in his company.
"He's shown absolutely no remorse for his sickening crimes or for the lasting emotional and psychological damage he's caused his victims.
"If he hadn't been arrested, charged and now convicted, I've no doubt he'd have continued to offend.
"Our investigation into Slade and his associates is ongoing and we believe there will be more victims who haven't yet come forward."
In a victim impact statement, one of Slade's victims said: "He is evil and a coward who has not shown any remorse for his actions."
One victim came forward in 2010 to report being abused by several people, including Slade, in the 1970s.
A second victim was identified and three men were convicted of sexual offences, but charges could not be brought against Slade as he was living in Angeles City, the Philippines.
Police worked with the National Crime Agency (NCA) to identify further victims, with Slade expelled from the Philippines in 2015, brought to the UK and charged.
A spokesman for the NCA CEOP Command described Slade as "a prolific abuser who thought he could act with impunity".
"We continue to work with partners in the Philippines and others around the world to tackle the threat posed by UK transnational child sex offenders, and to safeguard victims and those at risk of abuse," the spokesman added.
Skeaping will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
PA
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 Chairman of a Polish community centre subjected to an incident of Brexit-fuelled hate crime has spoken out about the overwhelming response she has received from the general public.
Mrs Joanna Mludzinska from the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) said the centre had received around 200 emails, masses of flowers and cards from well-wishers all over the county after xenophobic graffiti was smeared on the West London buildings walls on Sunday.
The overall response from the general public has been overwhelming, she told the Independent. Just this morning we had the children and parents of a local school around the corner on our steps who had come to show their support, bringing with them cards the children had drawn. Its been incredible.
One card sent in to the POSK said: Dear Poles, I am so sorry to hear about what happened yesterday. We the Brits are grateful to you for fighting alongside us in the war and now for the enormous contribution you make to our society. We love you.
Another started: Dear Polish friends, we wanted to let you know how very sorry we are to hear about the abusive messages graffitied on to your building. Its depressing enough that the UK (or part of it) will be leaving the EU. That the result of the referendum seems to have been interpreted by some as a licence to express their racism and xenophobia is truly horrifying.
Mrs Mludzinska confirmed she was still waiting for an update from police, who said the incident was being treated as a hate crime due to the racially aggravated nature of the criminal damage.
People from all over the UK have emailed us to apologise on behalf of the person who has done this, she said, and thats what wed expect from the British public really rather than anything else.
Polish ambassador calls on government to condemn Brexit-related hate crimes
The attack on the POSK was one of more than a hundred incidents of racial abuse and hate crime reported since the UK voted to leave the European Union last week.
One video, purportedly filmed in Hackney, east London, shows a man arguing with someone in a car before shouting at them to go back to your country.
In Cambridgeshire, police said they had met with members of the Polish community in order to reassure them after a wave of abusive fliers were distributed through post boxes and stuck up on primary school walls.
Mrs Mludzinska said her association had never experienced anything of a hateful nature before the Brexit vote, but added that she did not feel unsafe.
Recommended Read more Polish ambassador calls on government to condemn Brexit hate crimes
Politcal leaders have made very positive statements saying incidents like this are unacceptable and that nobody is going to be thrown out this kind of thing, so we just keep repeating that to members of our community to try and reassure them. But nobody has any detail as to how we will be affected.
"The kind of things that have been happening in Huntingdon and other places where people have had individual, direct verbal abuse and been told to go home and so on - thats a very different story. If youve experienced something like that it can be very upsetting and very worrying."
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, David Cameron said: I spoke to the Polish Prime Minister this afternoon to say how concerned I was about the terrible attacks that have taken place, and to reassure her we are doing everything we can to protect Polish citizens in our country.
Polish ambassador Witold Sobkow posted on Twitter that he expects the British government to condemn the acts and that the matter was due to be discussed in the coming days.
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 number of young people looking for work abroad has doubled since the EU referendum results were announced, a new report has found.
Searches for work in cities such as Dublin and Berlin were prominent on job search site, Indeed.
The Irish Embassy in London has asked British citizens to stop applying for Irish passports after receiving 4,000 applications on Monday instead of their normal 200.
The Canadian embassy told The Independent that, on the day of the Brexit result, visits to the country's immigration, refugees and citizenship website rose by 325 per cent above normal levels.
Indeed spokesman, Mariano Mamertino, said: "Last week, the majority of British citizens voted to exit the European Union, but quickly thereafter many UK-based job seekers started a vote of their own - they jumped online to look for work elsewhere.
"We saw the share of job seekers looking for opportunities outside the UK in European countries doubling in the 48 hours that followed the announcement of a Brexit.
"Most job seekers looked to the very countries of the European Union that Britain will be leaving, with Ireland attracting the most searches. This could be early signs of British job seekers' collective vote of no confidence."
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
Irelands foreign minister, Charlie Flanagan, said in a statement: "An unnecessary surge in applications for Irish passports will place significant pressure on the system and on turnaround times.
The increased interest clearly points to a sense of concern among some UK passport holders that the rights they enjoy as EU citizens are about to abruptly end.
I want to state clearly that this is not the case."
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 }}
Fitch has downgraded the UK's credit rating to AA negative, after similar moves by Moody's and S&P, following Britain's vote to leave the EU.
The credit ratings agency says it made decision because Britain's vote will have a negative impact on the UK economy, public finances and political continuity.
It warns of an abrupt slowdown in short-term GDP growth to British businesses.
It said in a statement: "Fitch has revised down its forecast for real GDP growth to 1.6% in 2016 (from 1.9%), 0.9% in 2017 and 0.9% in 2018 (both from 2.0% respectively), leaving the level of real GDP a cumulative 2.3% lower in 2018 than in its prior Remain base case.
"Statements by UK and EU leaders will provide some guidance on the UK governments policy objectives, the likelihood of achieving them and the timeframe for negotiation. However, Prime Minister David Cameron has indicated that negotiations with the EU will not begin in earnest until 4Q16, and the final position may well not be known for several years."
The company, based in London and New York, suggests the UK's medium-term growth will also likely be weaker, as Britain will find it harder to export to the EU. Lower immigration, and a fall in investment from overseas, will also hurt the economy, as could a weaker pound.
It continued: "This implies that the general government debt ratio will continue rising over the forecast horizon, reaching 91% of GDP in 2017, compared with the debt ratio stabilising previously.
"The outcome of the referendum has precipitated political upheaval, including the announced resignation of the Prime Minister, contributing to heightened uncertainty over government economic policies and diminished scope for policy implementation at the current conjuncture.
"Furthermore, the fact that a majority of voters in Scotland opted for Remain makes a second referendum on Scottish independence more probable in the short to medium term. The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has indicated that a second referendum on Scottish independence is 'highly likely'.
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
"A vote for independence would be negative for the UKs rating, as it would lead to a rise in the ratio of government debt/GDP, increase the size of the UKs external balance sheet and potentially generate uncertainty in the banking system, for example in the event of uncertainty over Scotlands currency arrangement."
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 }}
David Camerons sister-in-law has pledged her support for the Labour Party after the UK voted for Brexit in the EU referendum.
Emily Sheffield, who is the deputy editor of British Vogue and Samantha Cameron's sister, has vowed to switch from the Conservatives to the opposition on Twitter by asking: How quickly can I join the Labour Party?
Ms Sheffield said she was keen to make sure the right wing Tories are held at bay following the success of the Leave campaign in the referendum. She said she had only voted Tory for David [Cameron].
She also said she had voted Labour before and asserted: The far right is not my home.
Ms Sheffield then went on to urge people to sign a petition to prevent Article 50 being triggered, which will officially begin the process for the UK to leave the EU.
The statements from Ms Sheffield come after Mr Cameron announced he would stand down as Prime Minister.
The revelations are not necessarily surprising, given that Ms Sheffield has expressed support for Sadiq Khan on Twitter before, but they come at a difficult time for Mr Cameron and the Conservative party.
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 campaign has been set up to document incidents of racism emerging from the aftermath of the UKs vote to leave the EU.
Post Ref Racism, which is active on Facebook and Twitter, was created because of a perceived stark increase in racist harassment and aggression following the narrow 52 to 48 per cent vote for Brexit.
The organisers wrote: It seems that the referendum result has validated and vindicated racist views; racist behaviour is now shameless in its expression. This cannot go unchallenged.
We must not stand by and tolerate the normalisation and mainstreaming of racism. Just because weve voted to leave the European Union DOES NOT mean there is a democratic mandate for racist harassment, aggression, intimidation or hate speech.
This increase we are experiencing needs to be documented, and people need to feel equipped to shut down the racism they witness/experience (assuming it is safe to do so). That is why this space has been created.
According to the National Police Chiefs Council, reports of hate crime have risen 57 per cent in the aftermath of the EU referendum vote.
There were 85 reports of hate crimes to True Vision, a police-funded reporting website, between Thursday and Sunday compared with 54 reports over the same period four weeks ago.
Rose Simkins, chief executive for Stop Hate UK, told The Independent the issue "may well get worse".
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
She said: "Hate Crime is generally very underreported but what we are seeing in the last few days is the result of more people being targeted and more people coming forward to report because of fear for their safety.
"We are talking to people who have never been targeted before and are now experiencing nasty abuse or people who have been but they have never reported before and are doing so now out of fear and because the frequency or the intensity of the abuse is increasing."
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 }}
Three UK councils have been cleared of anti-semitism by the High Court after they imposed boycotts on Israeli goods, a ruling pro-boycott campaigners have described as an important victory.
The charity Jewish Human Rights Watch (JHRW) brought judicial charges against Leicester City Council, Swansea City Council and Gwynedd Council for discrimination, but the claims were dismissed.
All three local authorities had passed motions to boycott any produce coming into the cities from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, until such time as Israel complies with international law and withdraws from Palestinian occupied territories.
The move to ban Israeli goods was made by Swansea council in June 2010, and by Gwynedd and Leicester councils in October and November 2014 respectively.
The case against the councils was described as misconceived by defence lawyers and failed on an analysis of the facts and applicable legal principles, according to BBC News.
Presiding judge Lord Justice Simon said: "The evidence is clear.
"The council resolutions did not override, or even affect, the lawful exercise of its public functions in relation to public supply or works contracts, and no contracts or potential contracts were affected by the resolutions."
Jeffrey Kaufman, a Jewish member of Leicestershire council, meanwhile said the authority had picked on Israel and described his dismay at the High Courts resolution.
In its original review application JHRW likened the divisive council action to the boycott of Jewish shops in 1930s Nazi Germany, and emphasised the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment of Jewish people in the UK.
Todays High Court ruling is an important victory for the Palestinian-led Boycott Sara Apps, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
The charity has announced its decision to appeal the ruling, which it described as disappointing.
JHRW claimed all three councils ignored their duty to eliminate discrimination and harassment of British Jewish people and to encourage strong community relations.
Placing an embargo on goods coming from parts of Israel also breached the councils' obligations to act even handedly in procurement matters, it was also claimed.
The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Show all 10 1 /10 The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Medics evacuate a wounded man from the scene of an attack in Jerusalem. A Palestinian rammed a vehicle into a bus stop then got out and started stabbing people before he was shot dead AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Israeli ZAKA emergency response members carry the body of an Israeli at the scene of a shooting attack in Jerusalem. A pair of Palestinian men boarded a bus in Jerusalem and began shooting and stabbing passengers, while another assailant rammed a car into a bus station before stabbing bystanders, in near-simultaneous attacks that escalated a month long wave of violence AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Getty Images The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians throw molotov cocktail during clashes with Israeli troops near Ramallah, West Bank. Recent days have seen a series of stabbing attacks in Israel and the West Bank that have wounded several Israelis AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Women cry during the funeral of Palestinian teenager Ahmad Sharaka, 13, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah, at the family house in the Palestinian West Bank refugee camp of Jalazoun, Ramallah AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A wounded Palestinian boy and his father hold hands at a hospital after their house was brought down by an Israeli air strike in Gaza Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinians look on after a protester is shot by Israelis soldiers during clashes at the Howara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus EPA The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies A lawyer wearing his official robes kicks a tear gas canister back toward Israeli soldiers during a demonstration by scores of Palestinian lawyers called for by the Palestinian Bar Association in solidarity with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, near Ramallah, West Bank AP The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Undercover Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian in Ramallah Reuters The IsraeliPalestinian conflict intensifies Palestinian youth burn tyres during clashes with Israeli soldiers close to the Jewish settlement of Bet El, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after Israel barred Palestinians from Jerusalem's Old City as tensions mounted following attacks that killed two Israelis and wounded a child
Sara Apps, director at Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), told The Independent: "Todays High Court ruling is an important victory for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign and for democracy itself.
In February this year the government announced local councils, public bodies and student unions may be banned from boycotting Israeli goods in future as part of a controversial crackdown, a move Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called an attack on local democracy.
Ms Apps continued: "The UK governments attempts to intimidate local councils into dropping ethical procurement and investment policies clearly have no legal basis. Councils can legally adopt policies which avoid or end links with Israels illegal settlements.
Swansea council leader Rob Stewart described the High Courts decision as a victory for free speech, while Leicesters mayor Peter Soulsby reinforced the right of councillors to discuss issues of concern to their electorate.
The Independent has contacted all three councils 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 }}
Britain cannot expect to keep the privileges of ties with the EU without any of the obligations, Angela Merkel has said, as the EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said he had imposed a ban on EU officials from holding secret Brexit talks with the UK.
In a clear rebuttal to Boris Johnsons claim that the country could retain access to single market seen as vital to the economy and jobs market the German Chancellor told her parliament that free access to the single market was only for countries that accepted the free movement of people, capital and goods.
Meanwhile, in Brussels, Mr Juncker told MEPs that he had imposed a ban on EU commissioners holding informal or secret talks with the British about the countrys exit from the EU, until the UK government formally invokes Article 50 the procedure for withdrawing from the bloc.
Nigel Farage: "European Parliament is in denial"
The stance is backed by other EU leaders and, with David Cameron also making it clear that Article 50 should not be invoked until a new prime minister is in place, two months of deadlock in the UKs exit talks with the EU are now likely.
Recommended Read more Juncker bans all EU officials from holding secret talks with UK
The Conservative Party has said a new leader, who would automatically become prime minister, should be in place by 2 September.
The question of Britains single market access promises to be the key battleground in the Conservative leadership contest and the subsequent negotiations with the EU. Boris Johnsons Vote Leave campaign won the referendum on a promise to control immigration, but the frontrunner to lead the Conservatives now insists that Britain could still have access to the single market.
Under Ms Merkels terms, this would mean losing some degree of control over immigration a settlement that would anger many Brexit voters. Some countries in the European Economic Area, but outside of the EU, such as Norway and Iceland, have access to the single market, but they must accept freedom of movement.
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
Nigel Farage has already warned Mr Johnson against striking a similar a deal with the EU. He told Channel 4 News he was concerned about backsliding on the pledges made during the campaign.
The Ukip leader attended the European Parliament for Mr Junckers speech and was booed and heckled as he made his own statement. Sitting immediately to the right of Mr Juncker with a Union Jack on his desk, Mr Farage was asked by the EC President: Why are you here? To some extent I am really surprised that you are here," he told him. "You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit.
In a sometimes rambling speech, Mr Juncker said he was personally hurt by the Brexit vote. Im not a robot, I am not a grey bureaucrat or technocrat, he said. Denying that he was unwell, as some newspapers have reported, he said: Im not tired and sickuntil my last breath I will fight for Europe.
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 }}
There is a way out of Brexit, constitutional lawyers have advised.
Three leading members of the UK Constitutional Law Association have offered a detailed legal opinion stating that before there can be a declaration under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the Brexit process, MPs must signal their consent by passing an Act of Parliament.
This means that legally speaking, MPs can stop the UK leaving the EU by voting down any such Act. It may also raise the possibility that an Article 50 declaration that is forced through without an Act of Parliament could be challenged by a judicial review.
The 3,000-word article by academics Nick Barber and Jeff King and by Tom Hickman, a practising barrister and Reader in Public Law at University College, London, adds to a growing body of legal opinion that the referendum result does not make Brexit a done deal.
It follows Geoffrey Robertson QC telling The Independent that the EU referendum result was purely advisory, and comes after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and former Cabinet Secretary Gus ODonnell both raised the prospect of a second referendum.
Lord ODonnell told the Today programme on Tuesday: If we get reform from the EU side, if a new Prime Minister can come back with a really good deal, you can imagine a situation where they want to put that to a General Election or a second referendum.
Mr Barber, an associate professor of Constitutional Law at Oxford University, told The Independent that if MPs were politically brave enough to do it, they had the legal power to block Brexit.
It is a course of action that is open to them, he said. As a matter of law, the referendum is not legally binding. Unless I have missed it, there is nothing in the European Union Referendum Act 2015 that says it is.
His co-author Jeff King, the Treasurer of the UK Constitutional Law Association, added: Our argument is that the decision to initiate withdrawal [from the EU] rests with parliamentarians, which gives them, legally speaking, lots of wriggle room in fact all of the wriggle room that there is.
Dr King, a senior law lecturer at University College, London, told The Independent that any Prime Minister making an Article 50 declaration without MPs first voting in an Act of Parliament could face the prospect of being overruled by a judicial review.
He said: It is possible a member of the public would qualify to seek a judicial review, and parliamentarians certainly would. It is unequivocally their interest at stake if their claim is that they have the constitutional right to ask the executive to issue or not issue the [Article 50] notification. The likely success [of the review] in court is a different issue.
The three legal experts point out that Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty states, in its first line: Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.
This meant, they said, that the UK was obliged to follow proper British constitutional procedure before making an Article 50 declaration. And they argued that proper British procedure means an Act of Parliament.
There were, Prof Barber explained, extremely well-known precedents establishing that a UK Prime Minister could not simply make the Article 50 declaration on their own, by using the Royal Prerogative that is the remnant of the Medieval power of the King.
The Royal Prerogative, Prof Barber said, could not be used if doing so ran counter to existing Acts of Parliament in this case the 1972 European Communities Act, which brought the UK into the EEC, and the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 which gives people the right to vote and stand in European elections.
The precedents, Prof Barber added, stretched back to the 1610 Case of Proclamations, in which Sir Edward Coke, James Is Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, declared: The King by his proclamation cannot change any part of the common law, or statute law, or the customs of the realm.
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 three experts also argued that there is nothing in law to force MPs to abide by the referendum result. Prof Barber said it would be hard to claim that constitutional convention obliges MPs to bow to the will of the people as expressed in a referendum.
He said: I think it would be too early to say we have such a convention, because there have been so few national referendums. For a convention to exist, you have to show there has been a long course of conduct in which political actors have accepted that this is a rule that binds how they should behave.
And even if such a convention did exist, it wouldnt bind Parliament in law. Parliament is sovereign in this respect and could respond to a referendum as it chooses.
Strengthening the hand of any MP who wanted to go against the referendum result, said Prof Barber, was the long-held tradition that Britain is not a direct democracy, where MPs must do everything their constituents order them to do.
Instead, said Prof Barber, the UK is a representative democracy where MPs can decide to act in the national interest, as expressed by the statesman and political theorist Edmund Burke in 1774 when he told the electors of Bristol: Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.
Prof Barber said: Parliamentarians could take into account how the referendum was run, the less than reliable statements made by the Leave campaign, the margin of the vote.
He did, however, warn that regardless of MPs legal rights, they might find blocking Brexit difficult politically.
They would have to justify themselves to the electorate, and might pay the price at the next General Election. It would be a very brave Parliament indeed that didnt uphold the 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 }}
Why are you here? Jean-Claude Juncker asked Ukip MEPs as the European Parliament met to discuss the UKs vote for a Brexit.
Nigel Farage was among the British representatives present for the debate, which quickly became heated as Brussels continues to reel from Fridays result.
Mr Juncker, the President of the European Commission, turned on Ukip MEP Paul Nuttall who clapped after he pledged to respect Britains wishes.
Thats the last time you are applauding here, he said, to enthusiastic applause from MEPs.
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
And to some extent, Im really surprised that you are here. You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit, so why are you here?
"It's a pleasure," Mr Nuttall replied.
Mr Farage,sitting to the right of Mr Juncker with a Union flag on his desk, laughed during the exchange.
Mr Juncker said he was sad at the UKs decision, adding: Im not a robot, Im a human being.
Our British friends have expressed their view by universal suffrage and the majority view of the British people demands respect, he added. Democracy is democracy and we must respect it.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker kisses Nigel Farage prior to a plenary session at the European Parliament on the outcome of the "Brexit" in Brussels, June 28, 2016. (Reuters)
Before the session opened he was seen in conversation with Mr Farage, who grimaced after receiving a kiss on the cheek.
The European Commission President said the British remain our friends as David Cameron prepared for an awkward meeting with EU leaders.
In the first session since the UK voted to leave the 28-nation bloc on Tuesday, he was due to discuss the implications of the Brexit as market volatility continued.
The Prime Minister, who led the Remain campaign, resigned on Friday but will not leave his post until a new Conservative Party leader is elected in October.
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 Scottish MEP has received a lengthy standing ovation from hundreds of members of the European Parliament after asking members not to let Scotland down.
Alyn Smith, from the Scottish National Party (SNP), addressed a special session on the Brexit in Brussels moments after Nigel Farage hailed Britains independence day.
I represent Scotland within this house and while Im proudly Scottish, Im also proudly European, he said.
Scottish National Party MEP Alyn Smith receives a standing ovation in the European Parliament
I want my country to be internationalist, co-operative, ecological, far, European, and the people from Scotland along with the people of Northern Ireland and the people of London and lots and lots of people in Wales and England also voted to remain within our family of nations.
Mr Smith said that people negotiating Britains future ties with the EU would need cool heads and warm hearts adding: Please remember this: Scotland did not let you down. Please, I beg you, do not let Scotland down now.
Hundreds of MEPs stood in a lengthy ovation at the close of Mr Smiths speech, with applause delaying proceedings for several minutes.
Mr Farage and members Eurosceptic parties remained seated as the heated session continued, which saw the Ukip leader booed after telling fellow MEPs they had never done a proper job in your lives.
Martina Anderson, a Sinn Fein MEP, said Northern Ireland also voted Remain but called for change to some EU institutions to respond to public concerns.
Nigel Farage sits behind a British flag during a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 (AP)
There was a democratic vote we voted to Remain, she told the European Parliament.
I tell you that the last thing is the people of Ireland need is an EU border with 27 member states stuck right in the middle of it.
You in the EU have supported our peace process and I ask you to continue to do that.
Northern Irelands First Minister, Arlene Foster, has argued a Brexit offers new opportunities for the country but her deputy Sinn Feinns Martin McGuinness - called for a poll on Irish reunification.
In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has raised the prospect of a second independence referendum because the circumstances under which Scots voted to remain party of the UK have undergone substantial change.
All electoral districts north of the border voted Remain, with the 75 per cent support in Edinburgh among the highest in the UK.
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 SNP leader said it was also possible for the Scottish Parliament to refuse to ratify a Brexit, and has opened discussions with Brussels officials and the heads of EU states on the countrys future status.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, said he was sad at Thursdays vote for Britain to leave the EU but that he would respect democracy.
But he later asked Ukip MEPs Why are you here? as they attended the session despite wanting to exit the European Parliament.
David Cameron was preparing for an awkward meeting with EU leaders on Tuesday.
In the first session since the UK voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, he was due to discuss the implications of the Brexit as market volatility continued.
The Prime Minister, who led the Remain campaign, resigned on Friday but will not leave his post until a new Conservative Party leader is elected in October.
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 former Prime Minister of Belgium has accused Nigel Farage of lying on migration, Turkey and the NHS in a heated European Parliament debate on the Brexit.
Guy Verhofstadt, told the Ukip leader: Finally we will be getting rid of the biggest waste in the EU budget that we have paid for 17 years of your salary.
The Belgian politician, who became an MEP after heading three governments over almost a decade, condemned a climate of fear generated by the campaign ahead of the EU referendum.
Addressing the European Parliament in English, he said he respected the UKs vote to leave the EU but was concerned about the reasons for it.
Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been heavily criticised for the 'Breaking Point' poster (Reuters)
Its my feeling that its not so much the choice they have made that is hard what makes it so hard is the way it succeeded, Mr Verhofstadt said.
The absolutely negative campaign, the posters of Mr Farage showing refugees like in Nazi propaganda.
I was never told that it was possible that somebody in this house should do a thing like that.
The lies also on migration. The lies on oh Turkey will join the union next week. Or the lies on the 350m that should return immediately to the National Health Service. And now dont go back to the National Health Service.
Its that climate of fear that has been created, of negativism that has been created that is the most shocking thing that has happened in Britain not the choice of the people, because the choice of the people is democracy.
Nigel Farage sits behind a British flag during a special session of European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 (AP)
Mr Verhofstadt pointed to losses in the stock market and the plummeting value of the pound following Fridays results, quipping: It goes down when you speak Mr Farage, wait a little bit and every time Boris Johnson speaks, the more the British currency slips.
He went on to call for Article 50 to be immediately invoked to start the process of a Brexit to end the toxic uncertainty affecting EU economies and relations.
It is an act against the bickering of the Tory leadership and against the selfishness of one man (Mr Johnson) who was ready to do anything, even to sacrifice the voice of 70 million British citizens to become Prime Minister of the UK - or should I say Prime Minister of the dual kingdom of England and Wales, he said.
We both, British and Europeans, cannot afford to be stuck in limbo.
Mr Farage was booed by hundreds of MEPs in the chamber after telling them they had never done a proper job in your lives and threatening consequences far worse for you than us if the EU rejects future trade deals.
The Ukip leader was laughed at as he hailed his own success, hitting out at the EU for being a political project in denial.
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
Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, asked Ukip MEPs why they were present for the session, despite wanting to exit the European Parliament.
He said: You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit, so why are you here?
A resolution was passed calling on the UK to implement Article 50 and start exiting as soon as possible, but the Brexit must be formally approved by Parliament.
David Cameron was heading to an awkward meeting with EU leaders on Tuesday.
In the first session since the UK voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, he was due to discuss the implications of the Brexit as market volatility continued.
The Prime Minister, who led the Remain campaign, resigned on Friday but will not leave his post until a new Conservative Party leader is elected in October.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Child poverty has risen by 200,000 children over the past year, new official figures show. The numbers, released today as the Government faced paralysis in the wake of the EU referendum result, show 29 per cent of children are now classed as being in poverty.
The households below average income (HBAI) statistics for 2014/15, published by the Department for Work and Pensions, reveal that 3.9 million children are now in families struggling to make ends meet. Of those families, two-thirds (66 per cent) have at least one adult in work with poverty now longer being the preserve of the jobless.
The stark rise comes after the Government changed its alternative measure of child poverty to move the focus away from income and onto worklessness.
Last year the Government also moved to scrap its legally binding child poverty target. It no longer officially recognises the household income statistics as a measurement of child poverty.
Alison Garnham, the chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, warned ministers against getting distracted by Brexit.
These grim figures reinforce projections from experts like the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation that UK child poverty is set to rise by 50 per cent or more by 2020, she said. Our children cannot afford for the Government to be distracted by Brexit and lose control of child poverty.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Stephen Crabb, said the figures showed Britain's economy was strong (Getty)
A decade ago, when David Cameron became party leader, he promised that under his leadership his party would measure and act on child poverty. Its a tragedy that we are now talking about rises in child poverty, not falls.
Its also hugely depressing that at a time when were seeing rising child poverty the Government has passed legislation that eliminates its target to reduce child poverty, or even to report on the progress it is making.
Child poverty isnt inevitable the Government needs to invest in our children so we can all share the rewards of a stronger economy and a fairer society.
Matthew Reed, the chief executive of The Childrens Society, blamed the rise on austerity.
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
These figures are truly dreadful. The Government was repeatedly warned of the likely consequences of reducing support for the poorest people in the country and now we can see the results, he said.
Austerity has bitten hard, with an additional 200,000 children living below the poverty line. More children face missing out on hot meals, sleeping in cold bedrooms and being bullied at school. In the longer term, too many young people risk being denied a fair start, with life-changing consequences.
The Government promotes getting families back to work as the best way of tackling child poverty, but the reality is that two-thirds of children in poverty now live in working families. The four-year freeze to tax credits already in the pipeline will only make things worse. It is crucial that the Government recognises the importance of income to make sure that when parents move into work they move out of poverty.
He added that the situation was being made worse by the economic uncertainty heaped on Britain by the EU referendum vote last week.
In a statement on the figures, Work and Pensions Secretary, Stephen Crabb ignored the child poverty element and instead focused on other stats showing average household income figures were up.
Todays figures are a sign of a strong economy one that is benefitting people across the UK. Relative low income is down by 300,000 since 2010, household incomes are rising and the number of people in work is at a record high, he said.
There is of course still more to do and thats why our Life Chances Strategy will look at the root causes of poverty whether thats worklessness, debt or addiction, family break down or educational attainment. Its only by doing this that we can truly tackle poverty and ensure everyone succeeds in life.
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 }}
David Cameron will travel to Brussels today for what will in all likelihood be deeply uncomfortable talks with EU leaders, in his final scheduled meeting with the full European Council before he stands down as Prime Minister.
The meeting of the Council, made up of the leaders of the EUs 28 member states, which was moved to allow the UKs EU referendum to take place, will now be dominated by the fallout from Britains shock vote to leave the bloc. Tomorrow, the 27 other leaders will meet without Mr Cameron to discuss the implications of Brexit for the EU.
Government sources insisted Mr Cameron had built strong relations with his fellow EU leaders over the years and would use the summit to try and encourage a constructive spirit for the coming negotiations over Britains new relationship with the EU. However, senior EU leaders have made it clear there can be no talks not even on an informal basis on Britains status until the government invokes Article 50 the formal procedure for leaving the EU.
What is Article 50?
Recommended Read more Boris could be PM in weeks after Tories call for Cameron to go early
Mr Cameron has said it will be for his successor, who is likely to be in place by September, to do this leaving Britain and the EU in two months of limbo.
But until Britain formally quits, the country continues to be a full member of the EU, with the same rights as other nations, and to have a seat at the table, government sources insisted.
Todays session will be Mr Camerons final appearance at a Brussels summit, as the next is not scheduled to take place until October, however, he will meet EU leaders at an event in France this week commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme and at a Nato summit next month in Warsaw.
David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 David Cameron's premiership - in pictures David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Queen Elizabeth II greeting David Cameron at Buckingham Palace for an audience to invite him to be the next Prime Minister on 11 May 2010 PA David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha wave from the steps of Number 10 Downing Street on 11 May 2010 Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures On 12 May 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron said in a press conference with Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who was then deputy PM, they plan to "take Britain in a historic new direction" and Conservative-led coalition government would be united and provide "strong and stable" leadership Rex David Cameron's premiership - in pictures A decade ago, David Cameron visited the Arctic to witness the effects of climate change. However since coming to power in 2010, his government has gradually dropped down a succession of green policies David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David cameron told the then New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Queen had purred down the line after he told her Scotland had voted against independence in September 2014. He was forced to apologise for breaking constitutional convention Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron greeted soldiers working on flood relief in York city centre after the river Ouse burst its banks, in northern England in December 2015 REUTERS David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Claims that David Cameron performed an obscene act with a dead pig and smoked cannabis during his studies at Oxford University spread around the world in September 2015. The extraordinary allegations were made in an unauthorised biography of the Prime Minister written by Lord Ashcroft David Hartley/REX Shutterstock David Cameron's premiership - in pictures In 2016, Mr Cameron was caught up in a worldwide scandal dubbed the Panama papers Reuters David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha with seven week old Regan as they meet her parents, first time home buyers Robert Arron and Kelly Jeffers at the Heritage Brook housing development in Chorley, Lancashire. David Cameron has joked that he wants "another baby" and said that he feels a "bit broody" every time he sees a newborn on the campaign trail David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron was criticised for branding refugees in the Calais jungle camp as a bunch of migrants in January 2016 after thousands of refugees died in their attempt to cross the Mediterranean in 2015 Sky News David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during an EU summit meeting on 17 March 2016 at the European Union council in Brussels. Cameron was in Brussels to renegotiate deal of UK membership with other European leaders. The deal, sealed after hours of haggling at a marathon summit, paved the way for a referendum on whether Britain will stay in the EU AFP/Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures President Barack Obama shakes hands with British Prime Minister David Cameron at a meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on 22 April 2016. The President and his wife visited 10 Downing Street where he joined press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron and made his case for the UK to remain inside the European Union Getty Images David Cameron's premiership - in pictures After David returned from Brussels claiming victory in his renegotiation with European leaders, Boris Johnson announced that he will not support the Remain campaign. The prime minister said publicly he was "disappointed but Boris remains a friend" PA David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Prime Minister David Cameron makes a joint appearance with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as they launch the Britain Stronger in Europe guarantee card at Roehampton University on 20 May 2016 in London. The 'guarantee card' lists five pledges should Britain remain in the EU, including the protection of workers' rights, full access to the single market and stability for Britain David Cameron's premiership - in pictures Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks outside 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016. Cameron announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union after a bitterly divisive referendum campaign AP
Meanwhile, Business Secretary Sajid Javid will meet more than 20 representatives of UK business today to discuss the significant challenges ahead.
Senior figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and representatives of the aerospace, defence, car, oil and gas, steel, rail, tourism and food industries will attend the meeting, at which Mr Javid is expected to say that while the economic risks of Brexit are great, there will also be opportunities for business.
There are significant challenges ahead, but the economic success of the past few years means were better able to withstand the current market turbulence and work towards a better future, Mr Javid said. The UK remains open for business.
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 }}
Dennis Skinner has expressed his disdain for Labour's former Shadow Cabinet following their resignations in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.
The Beast of Bolsover shook hands with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as he took his seat in the House of Commons, before flicking the V-sign towards the backbenches.
Mr Corbyn faced shouts of "Resign!" from Labour MPs as he spoke in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union.
Although 23 ministers have resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, along with a similar number of junior ministers, the Labour leader remains adament he will not be forced to resign.
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
"As political leaders, we have a duty to calm our language and our tone, especially after the shocking events of 10 days ago [Jo Cox's death]," Mr Corbyn said.
"Our country is divided, and the country will thank neither the benches in front of me nor the benches behind for indulging in internal factional manoeuvring at this time."
MPs interrupted him, some talking about him sacking Hilary Benn and others shouting "Resign!".
Prime Minister David Cameron began his speech to the Commons by congratulating the new Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, who had been sworn in moments before.
"Let me welcome the new honourable member for Tooting," he said, before joking: "I advise her to keep her mobile phone turned on she might be in the Shadow Cabinet by the end of the day."
Lots of vacancies coming up! someone shouted.
And I thought I was having a bad day, Mr Cameron added, to renewed laughter.
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 and the European Union must not cut off ones nose to spite ones face in the negotiations over Brexit, John Kerry has warned. The US Secretary of State stressed that revengeful premises and talks driven by anger and frustration needs to be avoided in the days ahead.
Reflection on where Brexit leaves Britain on the world stage, Mr Kerry stated Do I think that Britains role has somehow been diminished? No, I think its been changed. That doesnt mean we wont miss that voice within the context of the European Union. I personally will regret that Britain is not going to be at that table when there is an US-EU dialogue.
The US Secretary of State, speaking in London, acknowledged that the result of the referendum had been a surprise and not one he and the US administration had wanted. Barack Obama had said that the UK would be in the back of the queue when it came to making trade deals with Washington if it left the European Union: an intervention by a foreign head of state which was resented by some in this country.
Recommended Read more Gibraltar in talks with Scotland to remain part of EU after Brexit
Mr Kerry maintained that the Presidents concern was a valid concern. But, going forward into talks, he added that leaders of both Britain and the EU have the ability and responsibility to restore certainty by making wise choices on the days ahead. That means choices that to every degree possible are not aimed at retribution, not aimed at anger, but rather thought through in a way that brings people together.
If, on the other hand, there is a willingness to cut off your nose to spite your face, I have a sneaking suspicion that is going to be felt far and wide and I dont think thats good for anyone.
The US foreign secretary was carrying out shuttle diplomacy in Europe following the British referendum. In London he held talks with prime minister David Cameron and foreign secretary Philip Hammond. Earlier, after meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Kerry had said: "It is absolutely essential that we stay focused on how, in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cocked, people don't start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful premises. It is absolutely essential that we stay focused on how, in this transitional period, nobody loses their head, nobody goes off half-cocked, people don't start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful premises,"
Mr Hammond, standing beside Mr Kerry at the Foreign Office, said he understood the unhappiness within the European Union at what had happened. "The wound is quite raw. We are only 96 hours in and it will take some time for the wound to settle down," he said. "I understand the reaction of some of our European Union partners because there is a genuine fear about the contagion that could arise from the result of this referendum.
"Something is stirring politically. We have seen it in various countries across Europe in the form of surges of support for right-wing parties and we have seen it here in this referendum. It is something we will have to deal with.
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 }}
George Osborne has said the next Prime Minister could absolutely be from the Remain campaign amid warnings that taxes will go up and public spending cut back in the wake of the EU referendum result.
Mr Osborne, who yesterday ruled himself out of his partys leadership contest, added the future Conservative leader would be a candidate who is able to articulate, in his view, the clearest, crispest version of what relationship we are seeking with the rest of the world.
Asked whether an individual in the Tory party, who argued the case for Remain, could lead the country Mr Osborne responded: Yes, absolutely. Im not backing any candidate at the moment but, of course, I was full throttled in arguing for remaining in the EU and because half of my party wanted to leave the EU I dont think I can be the person to bring the party together at this moment Im just being realistic about that.
Recommended Read more May overtakes Johnson in leadership poll as Osborne rules himself out
The Chancellor also claimed that it was not the responsibility of those in the Remain campaign during the referendum to have articulated a vision for Britain outside the EU. We as a country now have to determine which model we are seeking, he added.
Im not a market speculator, continued Mr Osborne when asked about the state of the nations economy. But I think we are in a prolonged period of economic adjustment for the UK it will not be as economically rosy as life inside the EU.
During the EU referendum campaign Mr Osborne joined forces with Alistair Darling, the former Labour Chancellor, to warn of an emergency Budget in the event of a Brexit. They claimed that 15 billion of tax rises and 15 billion of spending cuts would be needed to make up for a 30 billion black hole created by Britains exit from the EU.
On the emergency budget dubbed the punishment budget by the Leave campaign the Chancellor responded: Its very clear that the country is going to be a poorer as a result of what is happening to the economy.
I think a crucial thing that is going to have to be provided is fiscal responsibility we now, at our cost, what happens when you lose control of the public finances we are absolutely going to have to provide fiscal responsibility to people.
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 other words, we are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means. When pressed on tax rises and spending cuts, the Chancellor added: Yes, absolutely. But that decision will come under a new Prime Minister.
Asked whether he regretted having a referendum on Britains membership of the EU, Mr Osborne responded: I certainly regret the outcome because I fought passionately to Remain in the EU and I warned of the economic risks if we left the EU we made a clear commitment to resolve this uncertainty which hung over Britain for decades.
I dont think you can take the attitude that the people have made a mistake, you can elect a new people.
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 }}
Jeremy Corbyn has told Labour MPs they will never induce him to resign, even if as expected an overwhelming majority of them pass a vote of no confidence in him on Tuesday.
The Labour leader endured a tumultous day as the number of resignations from the Shadow Cabinet climbed to 23, alongside a similar number of junior ministers. The packed meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party in a Commons committee room was one of the angriest in the Labour Partys history, when one MP after another told him to his face that he should resign.
The argument even spilled into the adjoining corridor. Mr Corbyns spokesman told journalists that all the resignations, and calls for Mr Corbyns resignations were irrelevant, because he had a mandate from party members after his sweeping election victory in last years leadership contest.
Labour exodus - The list of MPs who have left Corbyn's shadow cabinet
Recommended Read more Thousands of Jeremy Corbyn supporters march on Parliament
The spokesman added: Anybody can oppose him. They have the power to start a leadership race, but its up to them to do it. No whispering, no corridor coups, get out in the country, lets test who the members want to be the leader of the Labour Party.
The Labour MP John Woodcock, who overheard these remarks, interjected angrily: Be honest: youre the one thats standing in the corridor briefing from whats supposed to be a private meeting.
The official retorted: You slag us off to the media every day.
Mr Woodcock warned him: Be clear what youre saying, because that wont be the end of it if you dont retract that.
He added: You are an unelected official standing outside, briefing the media on what is supposed to be a private meeting we held in there, giving a highly distorted account.
Inside the meeting, the attack on Mr Corbyn was led by the former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who chaired the Labour Remain campaign during the run up to last weeks referendum. He complained that during the campaign, no member of Mr Corbyns staff had turned out to any of the meetings the Labour Remain staff, but they had decided that the way Labour Remain was running was too euphoric and instructed them to tone it down. One MP said afterwards: I have never, ever seen Alan Johnson so angry.
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
Ian Murray, Scotlands only Labour MP who resigned from the shadow cabinet over the weekend, told Mr Corbyn I like you very much but you are not a leader. He also alleged that his staff were being intimidated by pro-Corbyn demonstrators gathered outside his Edinburgh office. He told the Labour leader: You should call off the dogs.
Chris Bryant, who also resigned from the shadow cabinet during the current crisis, accused Mr Corbyn of being in denial. He said that a Labour leader had three jobs to unite the party, develop a vision, and achieve recognition as a Prime Minister in waiting, but said that Mr Corbyn had failed all three.
Barry Gardiner, who was promoted to Mr Cornbyns shadow cabinet earlier in the day after the stream of resignations, made a plea for loyalty to the leader, but fellow MPs barracked him, shouting: Shame! Shame! Have you been paid for that? Mr Gardiner left at the end of the meeting looking strained.
On Tuesday Labour MPs will hold a secret ballot on whether they have confidence in their leader. Mr Corbyns own advisers privately admit that they expect him to lose the vote, which is then likely to set off a leadership contest but they insist that Mr Corbyn will not resign, and will run for re-election if challenged.
Over two days since the sacking of the Shadow Foreign Minister Hilary Benn, Mr Corbyn office have received one message after another from shadow ministers who said they were resigning because they had lost confidence in him. He has defiantly set about appointing replacements, and by yesterday evening had selected 20 shadow ministers in place of the 30 who resigned.
Clive Lewis, who was appointed Shadow Defence Secretary at short notice, was unable to be in the Commons where the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was taking MPs questions because he was in Glastonbury, so his place was taken by the newly appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a possible vote of no confidence from his party's MPs as they attempt to replace him as Labour leader.
Here are some of the key moments from Corbyn's tumultuous nine months as leader:
September 12: Elected leader by a landslide, trouncing three more mainstream rivals with almost 60 per cent of votes, including nearly half of those cast by party members. Makes long-time left-wing ally John McDonnell shadow Chancellor in one of a number of controversial appointments.
September 30: Declares that he would never launch a nuclear strike if he was prime minister. Among those angered is shadow Defence Secretary Maria Eagle who says they undermine her policy review.
October 14: Suffers Commons rebellion after dramatic late U-turn sees MPs told to vote against Government commitment to a budget surplus. Mr McDonnell admits repeatedly that it was an embarrassing shambles.
October 19: Insists he will not support changes to Labour's rules which would make it easier for constituency parties to deselect sitting MPs amid claims his supporters are manoeuvring to oust moderates.
November 17: Forced to clarify comments, in the wake of the Paris attacks, that he was not happy with UK police operating a shoot to kill policy. Says would support strictly necessary force in the event of a terror attack.
In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Jonathan Reynolds,Shadow Railways Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as shadow railways minister in protest at the reasons for sacking Pat McFadden In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Kevan Jones, Shadow Defence Minister: RESIGNED He resigned as a shadow defence minister who strongly supports renewal of Trident. Has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyns leadership before and was also the centre of a row with Ken Livingstone after he said Jones might need some psychiatric help (Jones has previously spoken about his struggle with depression) In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Stephen Doughty, Shadow Foreign Minister: RESIGNED He quit as a shadow foreign minister in protest at the sacking of his colleague Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister. He said he had looked at his own conscience and decided to step down In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat McFadden, Shadow Europe Minister: SACKED He was sacked as shadow Europe minister for "disloyalty" to leader Jeremy Corbyn In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Pat Glass, Shadow Europe Minister: SAFE Former junior shadow education minister Pat Glass replaced Pat McFadden as shadow Europe minister In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emily Thornberry, Shadow Defence Secretary: SAFE She was promoted to shadow defence secretary. She is anti-Trident and therefore more in tune with Corbyns stance and replaces Maria Eagle, who was pro-Trident Getty In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Emma Lewell-Buck, Shadow Minister for Devolution and Local Government: SAFE Emma Lewell-Buck was promoted to shadow minister for devolution and local government In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Michael Dugher, Shadow Culture Secretary: SACKED Outspoken critic of Jeremy Corbyns leadership, has been sacked as shadow culture secretary for his "incompetence and disloyalty" In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Hilary Benn, Shadow Foreign Secretary: SAFE Hilary Benn remains as shadow foreign secretary, but Corbyns team has insisted his role now comes with new conditions that he must agree with Corbyn over foreign policy. Benn insists there are no new conditions attached to his job and insisted: "I haven't been muzzled. I'm going to be carrying on doing my job exactly as before In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Maria Eagle, Shadow Culture Secretary: SAFE Maria Eagle, moved from shadow defence to shadow culture secretary as part of Corbyns move to make his defence team match his anti-Trident views In pictures: Jeremy Corbyn reshuffle Andy Burnham, Shadow Home Secretary: SAFE Reports linked him to foreign secretary brief, but Corbyn appears to have backed down on sacking Hilary Benn. He does not see eye-to-eye with Corbyn on home affairs such as the Snoopers charter, but removing your shadow home secretary so soon after starting would have been a dangerous move by Corbyn
November 29: Dismisses talk of being forced out amid open revolt over his refusal to commit to a free vote for Labour MPs on the UK joining air strikes in Syria. I'm not going anywhere. I'm enjoying every moment of it, he declares. Within days he has allowed the free vote, prompting Mr Cameron to seek approval, but warning opponents it means there is no hiding place for their views.
December 2: Some 66 Labour MPs - including 11 from the shadow Cabinet - vote in favour of air strikes despite the leader's implacable resistance. The party splits are starkly illustrated by shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn making a widely lauded speech from the despatch box in favour.
December 3: Issues a message to party members and supporters saying he won't tolerate abuse and intimidation from whatever quarter it comes amid reports of death threats against MPs who voted for air strikes in Syria. Some MPs blame Mr Corbyn's anti-war backers.
January 7: Completes a three-day reshuffle in which three shadow ministers resigned in protest at some of the replacements.
January 13: Reveals his ultimate object of desire is a red Raleigh bicycle, retailing at 475.
February 18: Tells a meeting of the Party of European Socialists in Brussels that David Cameron's talks with European leaders were a theatrical sideshow. The Labour leader, who has been a critic of the EU, said his party would campaign for the UK to stay in whatever the outcome of the negotiations.
March 23: A document leaked to The Times reveals that Labour MPs have been divided into five groups, citing whether they are a supporter or hostile towards Mr Corbyn. The Labour leader's office denies it comes from them although it shows Mr Corbyn has more opponents than supporters within his own party.
April 5: Calls for HM Revenue and Customs to launch an investigation into all those implicated in the Panama Papers tax haven revelations, including David Cameron's family.
April 29: Sets up an independent inquiry into anti-Semitism within Labour as he battles to assert control over his party following the suspension of former London mayor Ken Livingstone over comments he made regarding Hitler and the state of Israel.
May 6: Labour slips to third in the Scottish parliament elections behind the SNP and Conservatives. While the party held on to two safe seats in Westminster by-elections and losses in English councils were lower than some predicted, frustrations with Mr Corbyn's leadership bubbled to the surface. Two bright wins for Labour were in Bristol and London where the party's mayoral candidates were both victorious.
June 11: Mr Corbyn appears on Channel 4 comedy chat show The Last Leg where he admits half of Labour MPs would relish seeing him fail.
June 23/24: Britain votes to leave the EU, with many Labour voters ignoring their party's advice and choosing Brexit. A motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn is made by MP Margaret Hodge over his perceived failure to rally the Labour vote behind the Remain campaign.
June 25/26/27: Mr Corbyn sacks shadow Foreign Secretary Hillary Benn, prompting the resignation of more than 40 Labour frontbenchers calling on the leader to resign.
PA
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 officials have consulted lawyers on whether Jeremy Corbyn has an automatic right to stand for re-election if he is faced with a leadership challenge.
The Labour leader has defiantly refused to resign despite losing the backing of most Labour MPs, and having more than 50 of his front appointees resign in protest as his failures as a leader.
Labour MPs are holding a secret ballot today to test whether they have confidence in their leader.
Corbyn speaks at rally in support of his leadership
His aides have privately admitted that they expect him to lose the confidence vote, but say that it is irrelevant and a distraction and accuse media commentators of being Westminster-centric by focusing on what MPs are saying rather than Mr Corbyns support in the wider party. They say that since Mr Corbyn was elected by an overwhelming vote of party members and supporters a year ago, only the party and its supporters can remove him.
Recommended Read more Thousands of Jeremy Corbyn supporters march on Parliament
Diane Abbot, one of Mr Corbyns leading allies, told the BBC Radio 4s Today programme this morning: I think a leadership election is inevitable. I think there is a very good chance Jeremy will win a leadership election. Then I believe the party will want MPs to rally behind the leader.
Asked by her interviewer, Sarah Montague, how Labour might fare in a general election under Mr Corbyns leadership, she replied: I can only repeat, youre being very Westminster-centric. This is about the party.
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
But under one reading of Labours ambiguously worded rule book, Mr Corbyn might not be able to compete in a leadership election, because he might be unable to get his name on the ballot paper.
The partys general secretary, Iain McNicol, has privately sought legal advice on how the rule should be interpreted if as seems increasingly likely Mr Corbyn is challenged and insists on fighting to keep his job.
Rule 4.2.ii of the Labour party rule book says that when an incumbent party leader faces a challenge any nomination must be supported by 20 per cent of the Commons members of the PLP. Nominations not attaining this threshold shall be null and void.
The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is made up of 230 MPs and 20 MEPs, which means that a challenger will have to collect at least 50 signatures on his or her nomination papers.
But does the phrase "any nomination" mean apply to the incumbent leader as well as to any challenger? If it does, Mr Corbyn would have to find 50 MP or MEPs prepared to back his continued leadership a number he would find it almost impossible to reach.
In 2015, when the rules were different because the former leader, Ed Miliband, had quit, Mr Corbyn struggled to get the 35 names he needed to get his name on the ballot paper. He achieved that only because a number of MPs such as Labours former deputy leader, Margaret Beckett and the late Jo Cox signed his nomination papers purely to give him a chance to participate in the contest, while making it clear that they had no intention of voting for him and did not expect him to win. Four of the 36 who nominated Mr Corbyn are no longer in the Commons.
Meanwhile the challenge for Westminster watchers is keeping up with the stream of resignations from Mr Corbyns front bench. This morning, Andrew Slaughter, Barbara Keeley, Andrew Gwynne and Alan Whitehead resigned, bringing the total to 54.
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 }}
Below is Nigel Farage's full speech to the European Parliament on 28 June 2016 after Britain voted to leave the European Union
Isnt it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me well I have to say, youre not laughing now, are you? The reason youre so upset, youre so angry, has been perfectly clear, from all the angry exchanges this morning.
You as a political project are in denial. Youre in denial that your currency is failing. Just look at the Mediterranean! As a policy to impose poverty on Greece and the Mediterranean youve done very well.
Youre in denial over Mrs. Merkels call for as many people as possible to cross the Mediterranean which has led to massive divisions between within countries and between countries.
The biggest problem youve got and the main reason the UK voted the way it did is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, you have imposed upon them a political union. When the people in 2005 in the Netherlands and France voted against that political union and rejected the constitution you simply ignored them and brought the Lisbon treaty in through the back door.
What happened last Thursday was a remarkable result it was a seismic result. Not just for British politics, for European politics, but perhaps even for global politics too.
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
Because what the little people did, what the ordinary people did what the people whod been oppressed over the last few years whod seen their living standards go down did was they rejected the multinationals, they rejected the merchant banks, they rejected big politics and they said actually, we want our country back, we want our fishing waters back, we want our borders back.
We want to be an independent, self-governing, normal nation. That is what we have done and that is what must happen. In doing so we now offer a beacon of hope to democrats across the rest of the European continent. Ill make one prediction this morning: the United Kingdom will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
The question is what do we do next? It is up to the British government to invoke article 50 and I dont think we should spend too long in doing it. I totally agree that the British people have voted, we need to make sure that it happens.
What Id like to see is a grownup and sensible attitude to how we negotiate a different relationship. I know that virtually none of you have never done a proper job in your lives, or worked in business, or worked in trade, or indeed ever created a job. But listen, just listen.
Youre quite right Mr Schultz Ukip used to protest against the establishment and now the establishment protests against Ukip. Something has happened here. Let us listen to some simple pragmatic economics my country and your country, between us we do an enormous amount of business in goods and services. That trade is mutually beneficial to both of us, that trade matters. If you were to cut off your noses to spite your faces and reject any idea of a sensible trade deal the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us.
[Laughter from MEPs]
Even no deal is better for the United Kingdom is better than the current rotten deal that weve got. But if we were to move to a position where tariffs were reintroduced on products like motorcars then hundreds of thousands of German works would risk losing their jobs.
Why dont we be grown up, pragmatic, sensible, realistic and lets cut between us a sensible tariff-free deal and thereafter recognise that the United Kingdom will be your friend, that we will trade with you, cooperate with you, we will be your best friends in the world. Do that, do it sensibly, and allow us to go off and pursue our global ambitions and future.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Nigel Farage has been heckled and laughed at by members of the European Parliament in his first speech there since the EU referendum.
In a remarkable speech, Ukips leader insulted his fellow MEPs, claiming that virtually none of them had proper jobs and that the EU as a political projected was in denial.
Mr Farage went on to claim that the consequences of Europe refusing a good trade deal with the UK post-Brexit would be far worse for you than it would be for us eliciting rapturous laughter from some MEPs.
Isnt it funny? When I came here 17 years ago and I said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, I have to say, youre not laughing now, are you? he began.
With the usually tame parliament in uproar and some MEPs turning their backs during Mr Farages speech, he accused the EU of bypassing democracy.
The biggest problem youve got, and the main reason the United Kingdom voted the way it did, is because you have by stealth and deception, and without telling the truth to the rest of the peoples of Europe, imposed upon them a political union, he said.
When the people in 2005 in the Netherlands and France voted against that political union and rejected the constitution, you simply ignored them and brought the Lisbon Treaty in through the back door.
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
What happened last Thursday was a remarkable result it was a seismic result. Not just for British politics, for European politics, but perhaps even for global politics too.
Responses to Mr Farages speech were cutting and intemperate. Jean Claude-Juncker, the president of the European Commission, asked Mr Farage why he was in the chamber.
You lied. You fabricated reality. I regret this is the last time we will debate, because you won't be coming back, he said.
Meanwhile, Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the parliaments Liberal group, said there was a silver lining to Brexit.
Let's look on the bright side. Finally, we're getting rid of the biggest waste of the EU budget: your salary, he said, a reference to Mr Farages sparse attendance at the parliament.
At the end of the debate on Brexit, the European Parliament ultimately backed a motion for an immediate triggering of Article 50, putting it into conflict with David Cameron and Boris Johnson, who have called for a pause.
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 }}
Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb is to stand for Conservative party leader, according to reports.
The 43-year-old former Welsh Secretary's candidacy was revealed in an email sent to Tory MPs by three of his supporters, the website Politico.eu said.
He was already said to have the backing of MPs Simon Hoare, Maria Caulfield and Craig Williams.
There has been speculation he will seek to run with Business Secretary Sajid Javid as his Chancellor.
However there were also reports that Mr Crabb had not yet formally indicated to the party that he would be a candidate, despite the email.
Speaking on Monday, Mr Crabb said: We need stability. We need direction.
And what I want to see in the next few days is a candidate emerge who understands the enormity of the situation that were in and who has got a clear plan, a clear plan to deliver on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to come out of Europe last week, a clear plan for putting together a team who can lead a tough negotiation in Brussels; [and] a plan for holding this United Kingdom together.
And that means, yes, going and working with [Scotland's SNP First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon and holding onto the union. Because this isnt just about party unity now; its about national unity.
Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May are seen as the front-runners in the race to succeed David Cameron.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he is considering running, while Liam Fox and Angela Leadsom are also seen as potential candidates.
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 }}
South African state broadcasting company SABC has been ordered not to report negative coverage of President Jacob Zuma, because he deserves a certain degree of respect.
The order was reportedly given by Hlaudi Motsoeneng, controversial Chief Operation Officer (COO) of SABC and President Zuma confidante, who also told the companys camera crew they needed retraining because they make him look shorter than he really is.
The news comes as President Zuma faces a court order to repay R7.8m (385,000) to the government for upgrades made to his private home - around 3 per cent of the total amount of public funding money spent on his house.
SABC news station, which is owned by the South African government, has been criticised for broadcasting propaganda in recent months and for censoring its news by failing to show coverage of recent violent protests in the country.
Speaking to local news source City Press, Mr Motsoeneng denied the claims. A SABC spokesperson later said: It is not true. People are just obsessed with Hlaudi.
An investigation by the newspapers sister publication Rapport suggested that staff at the broadcasting company were also being brainwashed by being forced to listen to the COOs rediffusion sessions twice a week.
Rapport reported that a ban had also been placed on the reading of any newspaper headlines on air and that Jimi Matthews, the acting head of news, had blacklisted editors and journalists from rival publications.
Then came the requirement that at least 80 per cent of news coverage had to be positive. That raised a few eyebrows, but we knew there were big problems when Hlaudi suddenly banned coverage of violent protests, the source said.
Thats when the stories we covered started changing completely. Municipal and political stories slowly but surely began disappearing and the focus shifted to covering ceremonies rather than issues.
Mr Matthews publically resigned from his post at SABC on Monday, leading staff at the station to threaten a news blackout, claiming Mr Motsoeneng rules like a dictator.
Posting an open resignation letter on Twitter, Mr Matthews said: For many months I have compromised the values that I hold dear under the mistaken belief that I could be more effective inside the SABC than outside, passing comment from the side-lines, he elaborated.
In the process, the prevailing corrosive atmosphere has impacted negatively on my moral judgement and has made me complicit in many decisions which Im not proud of.
What is happening at the SABC is wrong and I can no longer be a part of it, he concluded.
The South African National Editors Forum has called on SABC leadership to reverse its policies to censor the news.
The apartheid regime used the SABC as a propaganda tool but was not able to dupe the South African public, spokesman Mpumelelo Mkhabela said. We call on the leadership of the SABC to urgently reverse its decision to censor the news and allow its journalists to work in a free environment that does not compromise their ethics.
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 American Red Cross has apologized for a water safety poster that has been called racist for showing black people engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Margaret Sawyer was traveling with her family in Colorado when she noticed the poster on two separate occasions.
"When I saw the poster, I just, was just very saddened that the Red Cross had chosen to put out an image that might one, discourage African-Americans from trying swimming if they were new to it, and also something that would extend a negative stereotype," Sawyer told NBC affiliate KUSA.
"How can an organization that prides itself on being so open-minded, so understanding of the diverse populations of the world create something like this?"
The Red Cross apologized on Twitter and made a public statement claiming that it was never their intention to offend anyone.
"The American Red Cross appreciates and is sensitive to the concerns raised regarding one of the water safety posters we produced," the Red Cross said in a statement. "We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone. As one of the nation's oldest and largest humanitarian organizations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day.
The Red Cross said they have removed the poster from their website and mobile apps. And continued to say it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone and apologized for this inadvertent action.
However, some folks just wondered why the Red Cross would ever publish the poster in the first place.
Ebony Rosemond, who leads the organization named Black Kids Swim, said that African-American children face discrimination at public pools that typically discourage them from taking up recreational swimming.
The current state of affairs is unfortunate, and images like the one created and circulated by the Red Cross make things worse, Rosemond told The Washington Post. In connection with the lack of images showing African Americans excelling in swimming, the poster doesnt make you feel welcome it suggests to a black child that youre not welcome here.
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 }}
Hillary Clinton has been absolved of wrongdoing in a long-awaited report from the US Congress into the circumstances of the 2012 attack on a US consular complex in Benghazi.
At the same time, the report points an accusing finger at the US government, especially the Defence Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, for failing to grasp the dangers facing American personnel in the Libyan city and not putting sufficient assets in place to protect them.
After an investigation that lasted for months and became a point of bitter partisan warfare in Washington, the 800-page report that was released by Republicans on Tuesday deplores the inability of the Pentagon to react even when it became clear that US lives were being lost.
The panel's chairman, Republican congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, said nothing was en route to Libya at the time the last two Americans were killed almost eight hours after the attacks began.
The tragedy occurred in September 2012 and was instantly politicised because of the proximity to the presidential election in November of that year. Four US personnel were killed when extremists overran the poorly protected US outpost in the city, including the US Ambassador to Libya at the time, Christopher Stevens. The attack and the response to it was the subject of a lengthy investigation by the State Department's own watchdog body.
At a campaign stop in Denver, Ms Clinton asserted that after more than two years, the committee found nothing - nothing - to contradict the conclusions of the independent accountability board, at the State Department. I'll leave it to others to characterize this report, but I think it's time to move on."
In a statement, a Clinton spokesman, Brian Fallon, repeated the allegation that the Benghazi Committee's main goal had been to politicise the tragedy, in order to try to attack the Obama administration and hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Democrats issued their own report on Monday that concluded that the sequence events on the night of the sacking was so rapid the US military had no chance to launch any sort of rescue effort or counter-attack. And it accused Republicans of continuing to try to make political hay out of the tragedy.
Their report, the House Democrats said in a statement, is a a conspiracy theory on steroids bringing back long-debunked allegations with no credible evidence whatsoeverRepublicans promised a process and report that was fair and bipartisan, but this is exactly the opposite.
The State Department was largely dismissive of the Republican report noting that various reviews of the events have already been completed and ensuing recommendations adopted.
We have made great progress toward making our posts safer since 2012, Mark Toner, a spokesman, said in a statement. Our priority continues to be carrying out our national security mission while mitigating the risks to our employees.
While Tuesdays report accepts also that getting US troops to Benghazi speedily enough to have made a difference would have been impossible, it questions why the US allowed outposts like the one in Benghazi to exist if there was no way to protect them and why also no plans had been put in place to deploy protective forces there in the event the security situation deteriorated.
The assets ultimately deployed by the Defence Department in response to the Benghazi attacks were not positioned to arrive before the final lethal attack, the investigating committee wrote. The fact that this is true does not mitigate the question of why the worlds most powerful military was not positioned to respond.
What was disturbing from the evidence the committee found was that at the time of the final lethal attack, the panel added, no asset ordered deployed by the Secretary had even left the ground."
For all the political tumult created by the probe, which included a now famous day-long grilling of Ms Clinton when she was at the end of her tenure as Secretary of State, it was a tangential finding that she had been using a personal and private server of her emails while in that office that has caused her far more political pain than anything related directly to the attacks.
While Mr Gowdy insisted in a press conference that the report was specifically not about apportioning blame to Ms Clinton, some other Republicans on the committee publicly differed. Mike Pompeo, a Kansas congressman, called Ms Clinton's actions morally reprehensible and suggested to reporters, you have every right to be disgusted by the response from her and others.
.
.
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 former Indiana University student served only one day in jail after he was charged in two rape cases, and walked away with a one year probation sentence.
John Enochs pleaded guilty to battery with moderate bodily injury in a deal with prosecutors, who dismissed the two initial rape charges stemming from alleged attacks in 2013 and 2015. The court downgraded the battery charge from a felony to a Class A misdemeanor.
Recommended Read more Stanford rape case judge removed from another sexual assault case
Prosecutors said that Enochs will serve one year in jail if he violates his probation, CNN reports.
Enochs reportedly only spent one day in jail before he post bail in September 2015.
As the Monroe County prosecutors' office has acknowledged through their voluntary dismissal of the rape charges, John Enochs did not rape anyone and he should never have been charged with these offences, said Enochs attorney, Katherine Liell. John Enochs did admit to conduct in one instance that the Court found to be a misdemeanor.
He is profoundly sorry for his lack of judgment and has apologised for his conduct.
Enochs was charged with an April 2015 after the victim told police she was raped at the IU Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. She said she did not know her attacker, and repeatedly told Enochs to stop while he held her down.
Police identified Enochs entering the room with his victim in security footage. After 24 minutes, the victim was shown to leave the room. She reportedly suffered lacerations to her genitals during the rape.
During the investigation of the most recent case, police determined that Enochs was involved in a similar case in 2013. Using DNA evidence and witness accounts, they linked Enochs to the rape prior to his arrest.
After hearing about a second assault, [the victim] decided she needed to have closure, so she agreed to proceed into a criminal investigation, a court affidavit said.
Mugshot of Brock Turner (AP)
Enochs sentence comes after a judge sentenced Brock Turner to six months in a county jail and probation for sexually assaulting a woman behind a garbage dumpster on the Stanford University campus. Santa Clara judge Aaron Persky said a more significant prison sentence would have a severe impact on Turner, a school athlete.
In a similar case involving a 32-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, the Guardian reports, Persky sentenced the defendant to three years in state prison as part of a plea deal.
According to People magazine, the woman who accused Enochs of rape is suing Indiana University and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity in a civil suit.
There were many red flags that both the school and the fraternal organization ignored which ultimately led to my client being sexually assaulted, a press release about the lawsuit read.
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 }}
Two people were hurt, including the pilot, when a small plane crash-landed on a street on the East side of Detroit.
The propeller aircraft had reportedly been trailing a banner as Detroit was enjoying the annual Ford Fireworks, a display of pyrotechnics on the Detroit River that is visible to residents in the city and also in Windsor, Ontario.
The pilot, who was said to be just 18 years old, was seemingly forced to attempt to land the plane on a street after running out of fuel. As he descended he struck a power cable, bringing it down. He walked out of the plane but was taken to hospital for light injuries.
However, a passer-by was also taken to hospital after being hit by the falling power cable and electrocuted. The persons condition was described as serious, by city officials.
I was walking up the street here, and then all of a sudden, a plane was just a little too low and it actually hit poles and a wire here, witness Dondra Mainor told WDIV-TV, a local news station.
The Detroit Chief of Police, James Craig, told the station that while the plane had been towing an advertising banner, it had been cut loose by the pilot before he attempted the emergency landing.
The plane came to a standstill in the middle of the street. Had it not been for the power-cables the incident might have gone off without any injuries.
Private planes dropping from the sky are a fairly common phenomenon in Americas crowded skies. The Detroit incident came exactly a week after a pilot successfully put his small plane down on the roof of a two-storey warehouse belonging to the Macys department store in the Houston area. It came to a stop at the very edge of the structure and the pilot emerged unscathed.
He could not have landed on a better spot. He's right on top of a structural I-beam, said Lee Hinajosa with Montgomery County Iron Works.
In May, a pilot landed his light aircraft on the roof of an industrial building in the Pomona area of Los Angeles. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital but suffered only minor injuries.
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 }}
This flight might have made little sense from either an environmental or economic perspective.
But when Steven Schneider found himself to be sole passenger aboard a flight home to Atlanta, he sat back and relaxed.
Reports said that that Mr Schneider, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, had arrived at the airport in New Orleans last week to discover he was the only passenger waiting to board.
When he made inquiries, he was told that because the flight had been delayed twice, other passengers had decided to take an earlier flight or else wait unit the next day. Mr Schneider was given the same choice but decided to proceed with his scheduled journey, according to WSB-TV.
While he was at the gate, a Delta flight attendant asked him if he would like to go home the next day because he would be the only passenger on the flight.
At first I felt really bad because I didnt want the plane to only make the trip because of me, he said. But after talking to a flight attendant at the gate, she said the plane needed to go back to Atlanta anyway. She called this an empty leg flight.
Mr Schneider took the opportunity to pose for a picture inside the all but empty aircraft, a 160-seat MD-90.
He said that a Schneider said the flight attendant told him she had never seen something like this in 17 years.
Were glad this customer enjoyed a somewhat rare solo experience, Delta said in a statement.
Other customers were accommodated on an earlier departure. The reason we operated the flight was so this customer could have that airplane positioned back in Atlanta so it could be in place for a departure the next day.
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 new study has found that more people want to legally arm themselves after the mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub which left 49 people dead.
The Washington Post-ABC News survey found that 54 per cent of those surveyed would support encouraging more people to carry guns legally for self-defence, while 42 per cent opposed the idea.
Over two thirds of those surveyed politically identified themselves as democrat or independent.
Recommended Read more Hawaii becomes first state to place gun owners in a federal database
Breaking the results down by category, armed self-defense was more highly valued by white Republican men who live in rural or suburban areas and who do not have a college degree, the study found.
The survey of a random national sample of 1,001 adults came after a lone gunman called Omar Mateen burst into the Pulse nightclub on 12 June, shooting more than 100 people and only re-loading his AR-15 semi-automatic gun once. Now, 86 per cent of people are very concerned about more lone wolf attacks.
Mateen, who was killed by police, had been investigated twice by the FBI several years before he carried out the attacks.
School and University mass shootings in America Show all 12 1 /12 School and University mass shootings in America School and University mass shootings in America Craghead County, Arkansas - 24 March, 1998 Students Mitchell Johnson,13, and Andrew Golden, 11, killed four students and one teacher, wounding ten others at Westside Middle School Reuters School and University mass shootings in America Springfield, Oregon - 21 May 1998 After killing his parents at home, 13- year-old Kip Kinkel drove to Thurston High School where he shot and killed two students and a teacher at a school dance, wounding 23 others. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Columbine, Colorado - 20 April 1999 Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, killed twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School. They wounded 23 others before committing suicide. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Santee, California - 5 March 2001 Charles Andrew Williams, 15, opens fire on at Santana High School, killing two students and wounding thirteen others. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Red Lake, Minnesota - 24 September 2005 Jeffrey Weise, 16, kills his grandfather before driving to Red Lake Senior High School. He proceeded to shoot and kill five students, one teacher and security guard before committing suicide. Seven others were wounded. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania - 2 October 2006 Charles Carl Roberts IV,a 32-year-old milk truck driver, shot to death five Amish girls and wounded five more in an Amish school in the hamlet of Nickel Mines before committing suicide. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Blacksburg, Virginia - 16 April 2007 Seung-Hui Cho, 23, shot and killed 32 students and faculty members and wounded 17 others at Virgina Tech University. It is the deadliest attack by a lone gunman in US history. Getty School and University mass shootings in America DeKalb, Illinois - 14 February 2008 Steve Kazmierczak, 27, killed 6 and wounded 21 at Northern Illinois University before committing suicide. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Oakland, California - 2 April 2012 Gunman One L. Goh, 43, shot shot and killed seven students in a classroom at Oikos University, a small Christian college. Goh was deemed unfit for trial in January 2013 after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Newtown, Connecticut - 14 December 2012 Adam Lanza, 20, killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He first killed his mother before taking her guns and driving to the school. He killed 20 children in the first grade along with six adults before killing himself. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Santa Monica, California - 7 June 2013 John Zawahri, 23, shot and killed five people on, or near, the campus of Santa Monica College. Getty School and University mass shootings in America Isla Vista, California - 23 May, 2014 22 year-old-Elliott Rodger went on a stabbing and shooting rampage just outside of the main campus of University of California, Santa Barbara. He killed 7 people and wounded 13 more. Getty
Almost three quarters - 72 per cent - of people support increasing surveillance of people suspected of possible links to terrorism, even if that intrudes on privacy rights, while 86 per cent of people want to ban anyone on the FBIs watch list from purchasing a gun.
After a sit-in staged by democrats, they were finally granted to hold a vote on gun controls two weeks ago. Lawmakers failed after Orlando, however, to pass any of the four proposed amendments, including stopping possible terrorists purchasing weapons and banning assault weapons, as the bills were shut down by the Republican-led senate.
The survey found public opinion on banning assault weapons was relatively tight. Only 51 per cent wanted to ban the sale of assault weapons, the rest opposed the move.
When it comes to a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US - a call first made by Republican Donald Trump after the terrorist attacks in Paris last November - a significant 43 per cent support the ban, while over half of people oppose it.
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 Texas woman who shot and killed her two perfect daughters may have done so to spite her husband.
Reports said that Christy Sheats husband, Jason, begged his wife not to harm their children after she opened fire after a family meeting. Ms Sheats was subsequently shot and killed by police after failing to drop her gun.
Their daughters - Madison Sheats, 17, and 22-year old Taylor - were both fatally injured.
Jason Sheats reportedly begged his wife not to harm their children (Facebook)
Reports said that the shooting last Friday in the town of Katy, Texas, took place after Ms Sheats had called a family meeting. The family had a history of turmoil, and Ms Sheats may have suffered mental health problems in the past.
The meeting, and the deaths, took place on Mr Sheats birthday, and just says before Taylor Sheats was to have been married to her her boyfriend of four years, Juan Sebastian Lugo.
Local media said that police who were called to the scene heard Mr Sheats telling telling his wife not to do this.
[The officer] heard the dad say, Dont do this. Theyre our kids, Fazz Zainuddin, the Sheats neighbor, told Click2Houston.
This is sad knowing a good family and this is what happened. The nature of their family dispute is still unknown at this time but neighbours said that Ms Sheats had recently returned to the family home.
Madison Davey, a close family friend, told reporters: He was the best dad ever. I would hang out with him and he loved being around us. And they were so funny - for sisters, you would think they would fight, but no. They loved each other a lot and were always laughing.
Ms Davey said that Mr Sheats had urged his wife not to shoot their daughters.
He told Christy, Just shoot yourself. Make it easy on all of us, just shoot yourself, and she said, No, that's not what this is about, this is about punishing you, said Mr Davey.
I always knew something would happen, but I never thought she would do this. Christy was toxic for the family. She was mentally unstable.
Ms Davey is now helping the family plan the funeral. The sisters will be laid to rest later this week in Alabama.
Police said this week that officers had been called out 14 times to the Sheats' home since 2012.
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 US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the law that makes it illegal for pharmacies to refuse dispensing contraceptives for religious reasons.
Washington adopted the rule in 2007 that makes it illegal for pharmacies to refuse to stock drugs for religious reasons.
Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito all offered their dissent to the courts 5-3 ruling on Monday. The case involved a small family business who refused to stock birth control pills. "Dispensing these drugs would make them guilty of destroying life," the family lawyer said, according to NBC News.
"If this is a sign of hour religious liberty claims will be treated in the years again, those who value religious liberty have cause for threat concern," the three justices said.
The state said that the law does not interfere with the freedoms of individual pharmacists but ensures their employers can meet the needs of their customers.
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 supreme court has ruled that anyone convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor can be banned from owning or purchasing a gun.
Previous law stated that only those convicted of intentional abuse would be banned from owning weapons, but a "reckless" assault could be pardoned.
The judges voted 6-2 on the ruling, with Justice Elena Kagan opining: "The question presented here is whether misdemeanor assault convictions for reckless (as contrasted to knowing or intentional) conduct trigger the statutory firearms ban. We hold that they do."
The ruling came about after two plaintiffs, Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong of Maine, argued in the supreme court that their cases of domestic violence should not prevent them from owning a gun.
They had pleaded guilty in state court to assault charges after slapping or shoving their intimate partners and were later found to own weapons. Both men had argued the weapons ban should not apply to them as they were charged for reckless conduct and not intentional abuse.
Voisine v. United States has been propelled into the spotlight in the wake of the mass shooting in Orlando, when a lone gunman burst into a gay nightclub and killed 49 people.
The Republican-led senate struck down two proposals to ban assault weapons and to ban anyone on the FBI watch list from purchasing guns, but the Supreme Court brought some relief for anti-gun campaigners this week in the case of domestic violence.
The countries with anti-women laws Show all 5 1 /5 The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws
The case also drew attention as one of the supreme court judges and a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment, Justice Clarence Thomas, asked the mens lawyer - the first time he had asked a question from the bench in 10 years - whether there was any other misdemeanor conviction that could cause someone to lose a constitutional right.
He was one of the two judges to oppose the law.
The New England Learning Center for Women in Transition called the ruling a step in the right direction.
It is estimated that around five women per day are shot to death by current or former intimate partners. Perpetrators could often circumvent laws by buying weapons online and avoid background checks.
According to research from Everytown, a guns safety campaign, at least 52 per cent of American women murdered with guns are killed by intimate partners or family members.
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 }}
Emergency crews are assessing the damage at the scene of a fiery train crash in Texas.
Recommended Read more Hazardous leak fears after Washington DC train derails
The crash occurred around 8.30 am local time Tuesday morning in the town of Panhandle, Texas, just outside of Amarillo, sending a fireball and plumes of black smoke into the horizon. About two-dozen boxcars derailed in the crash.
Two BNSF freight trains were involved in the crash, company spokesperson Joe Faust told the Associated Press.
Authorities are still assessing the extent of the damage caused by the head-on-collision. At least one person was injured, according to KFDA, and taken to Northwest Texas Hospital. They were reportedly in stable condition.
Hospitals are reportedly on high alert.
ABC 7 reports that city authorities have alerted residents to cut back their water usage immediately. The fire department is still working to contain the blaze and need the towns water supply at their disposal.
The Federal Railroad Commission said they are aware of the crash and are sending investigators to the scene.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
Donald Trump is tying his pitch to reverse globalisation and scrap or re-negotiate Americas free trade agreements with the vote by British voters to leave the European Union.
And he is claiming that the support that Hillary Clinton, his almost certain rival in the race for the White House, and President Barack Obama expressed for the Remain campaign demonstrates they are out of touch with the people and beholden to the corporate elite.
I want you to imagine how much better our future can be if we declare independence from the elites who've led us to one financial and foreign policy disaster after another, Mr Trump declared in a speech about economic and trade policy outside Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
Our friends in Britain recently voted to take back control of their economy, politics and borders, he said. I was on the right side of that issue, as you know, with the people - I was there, I said it was going to happen, I felt it - while Hillary, as always, stood with the elites, and both she and president Obama predicted that one wrong.
Read from a teleprompter - with a few improvisations for emphasis along the way - the speech was an attempt by the Trump campaign to broaden support among blue-collar voters in the American rustbelt. He delivered it against a backdrop of metal scrap, a reminder of western Pennsylvanias once-proud steel industry.
It was a message that has long been at the core of Mr Trumps electoral appeal, tapping into deep unease among many American voters about their economic futures. And it chimes precisely with his campaign slogan of making America great again.
Recommended Read more How Brexit could stop the rise of Donald Trump
He vowed to walk away from the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership, TPP, a sweeping trade treaty that promises to lower trade barriers between 12 nations in the Americas and Asia, warning it would be the death blow for American manufacturing, and demand a radical renegotiation of NAFTA, that binds the US with Mexico and Canada.
If there is no renegotiation, he would withdraw from that treaty also, he said. And he pledged to stand up to China, which he variously accused of currency manipulation, unfair subsidy behaviour and theft of trade secrets.
America will be independent once more, independent once more. Doesnt that sound great? Mr Trump asked a warmly applauding audience, vowing that when he has been made President, we will have four and maybe eight really, really productive years.
Our politicians have aggressively pursued a policy of globalisation - moving our jobs, our wealth and our factories to Mexico and overseas, Mr Trump complained. Globalisation has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very wealthy. But it has left millions of our workers with nothing but poverty and heartache.
However, the message was dented when earlier on Tuesday, the leader of the countrys biggest trades union accused him of shedding, crocodile tears about lost jobs and shuttered factories.
Trump embodies everything that is wrong with our current trade policy. He has consistently sent American jobs overseas to line his own pockets, Richard Trumka, the President of the AFL-CIO said, referring to Trump-branded products such as suits and ties that are made abroad.
Mr Trump accused Ms Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for what he called the twin-disasters of NAFTA, signed during the first Clinton White House, and the agreement that allowed China to join the World Trade Organisation, WTO.
NAFTA was the worst trade deal in history, and China's entrance into the World Trade Organization has enabled the greatest jobs theft in history, he said. It was Bill Clinton who signed NAFTA in 1993, and Hillary Clinton who supported it. It was also Bill Clinton who lobbied for China's disastrous entry into the World Trade Organisation.
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 }}
Japan is encouraging women to wear high heels to empower them and boost their confidence, as part of a popular national campaign.
Stilettos both improve a womans posture and give her greater assurance of her place in society, according to The Japanese High Heel Association (JHA).
Managing director Madame Yumiko told AFP Japanese women walk like ducks and need heels to help them stroll and stand more elegantly.
They waddle along, pigeon-toed, with their bottoms sticking out as if they're bursting to use the toilet. It looks ghastly, she said.
The organisation charges more than 400,000 yen (3,000) for a six-month series of walking etiquette classes, and 4,000 Japanese woman have already completed the course.
Critics have dismissed the classes and Ms Yumikos philosophies as sexist and laughable, but the popularity of her organisation among young women in Tokyo is undeniable.
A string of similar schools are popping up all over Japan offering classes, teaching women how and when to wear stilettos.
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
She continued: Many women are too shy to express themselves. In Japanese culture, women are not expected to stand out or put themselves first.
Japan has consistently factored low in the global rankings for gender equality in the developed world over many years.
Meanwhile in the UK, the Government recently launched an inquiry speaking to women who have been forced to wear high heels to work, after a petition calling for a ban on the practice received over 150,000 signatures.
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 vote to leave the European Union could trigger a "political tsunami" which could "paralyse" the union, a report has suggested.
Several "insurgent" parties across Europe have called for Britain's referendum to be emulated in their own countries, with pushes for at least 34 referendums in the coming years, according to a report by the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"It's really clear that some of the themes we saw coming out in the UK referendum campaign are prevalent across EU states," Susi Dennison, the report's author, told BBC Radio 4's Today's Programme.
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
"Although a lot of the parties that we looked at were founded on domestic issues, the impact of the refugee crisis, the austerity agenda in Europe and so on, is leading these parties to develop quite a strong foreign policy which is really challenging some of the basic tenets of the European post-war consensus.
Recommended Read more How Europe is responding to the EU referendum result
The referendums cover a broad range of subjects, from a country's membership of the EU to refugee relocation quotas.
Populist parties have taken inspiration from Ukip's success, Ms Dennison added: "There's a very strong group that have watched what Ukip have achieved in terms of hijacking the mainstream agenda in the UK and are very keen to take that forward in their own countries."
Nigel Farage: "European Parliament is in denial"
Across the EU, "insurgent" parties play a direct role in the national government of eight member states and hold 1,329 seats in 25 states, the report found.
It says such parties are using the media, popular pressure and political office to force national referendums on issues which were previously debated by civil servants and governments.
The report also identifies several key themes shared among populist parties, such as scepticism of the EU, resent towards the United States and suspicion of free trade. They also shared a preference for closed borders and were broadly pro-Russian.
"These parties could act as a significant block in upcoming EU Council plans for a migration compact with neighbouring transit countries," the report states, "and many will oppose the extension of Russia sanctions beyond the summer".
And now France? That's the hope of Marine Le Pen (Getty)
Britain's vote to leave the EU was met by celebrations from far-right groups across Europe.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front in France, declared the British people had given Europe and the world "a dazzling lesson in democracy," while the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party Geert Wilders called for a "Nexit" vote as soon as possible, saying the Dutch population deserves a referendum as well.
In Germany, Beatrix von Storch, a member of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, told national broadcasters she cried for joy at the news of the result. Support for AfD, which takes an anti-Eurozone and anti-immigration stance, has recently surged to new levels amid concern over refugees entering the country.
Italy's Five-Star Movement is pushing for a referendum on whether to keep the Euro, while Denmark and Sweden have both shown interest in leaving the European Union.
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 }}
Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras are being deployed on the French side of the Channel Tunnel to track asylum seekers attempting to cross to the UK.
Eurotunnel said the measure had been under consideration since the refugee crisis intensified last year but the deployment today comes amid speculation that there could be a renewed rush by migrants living in Calais following the vote for a Brexit.
The company, which operates the 30-mile tunnel between Britain and France, demonstrated two drones in rain and high winds on Monday.
Eurotunnel said the two drones will be used to carry out surveillance if migrants are believed to be in secure areas surrounding the Channel Tunnel (Eurotunnel)
A spokesperson for Eurotunnel told The Independent they will be deployed to respond to alerts on the railway tracks where asylum seekers have been hit by trains and electrocuted attempting to reach England.
We already have 500 other cameras and fences with motion sensors, as well as additional security guards of our own and the gendarmerie, and if any of those other security measures alert that that there is a presence we will send up the drones to over-fly the area and use either their ordinary or thermal imaging cameras, he said.
We can survey the situation and then decide on any intervention.
The surveillance drones will be unable to go into the tunnel itself but will work in the 18 mile secure zone surrounding its entrance in France.
We always felt that an overview would be a beneficial development as part of a raft of measures we will continue to develop, the spokesperson said.
We want to make sure we stay ahead of the curve in case there is any increase in numbers in the future.
A migrant rides his bicycle inside the "Jungle" camp for migrants and refugees in Calais on June 24, the day after Britain voted to leave the EU. (AFP/Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)
Jacques Gounon, the firm's chief executive and chairman, warned that the vote for a Brexit gave migrants a clear signal that the Anglo-French border would become a huge wall, similar to the Berlin Wall, almost impossible to overcome.
He told Press Association: This could generate an additional new migrant pressure, in order for such people, desperately, to reach the UK before Brexit is enforced.
So I do think and I'm afraid that we could have an increased migrant pressure during this summer, as a consequence of the Brexit."
The number of refugees crossing from Libya to Italy routinely increases with calmer weather in the summer months, with more than 64,000 migrants arriving over the central Mediterranean Sea so far this year.
Immigration was a key battleground in the EU referendum campaign, with Nigel Farage unveiling a controversial Ukip poster showing a queue of hundreds of immigrants arriving in Europe with the slogan Breaking Point.
Ahead of Thursdays vote there was speculation over whether a Brexit would cause France to back out of a treaty that allows both nations to carry out border checks on the opposite site of the Channel, meaning British authorities can prevent people crossing by train or ferry before they reach English soil.
Demolition of France's 'Jungle camp' continues
The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais, French finance minister Emmanuel Macron said in March, suggesting the Jungle camp could move to the UK.
Mr Gounon said Eurotunnel did not support any change to the current arrangement but the mayor of Calais suggested that the Touquet agreement of 2003 should be renegotiated.
Natacha Bouchart told French broadcaster BFM TV: The British must take on the consequences of their choice.
"We are in a strong position to push, to press this request for a review and we are asking the president to bring his weight (to the issue).
"We must put everything on the table and there must be an element of division, of sharing."
The Channel Tunnel and the roads surrounding it have been repeatedly closed by asylum seekers attempting to run inside or stow away on lorries heading to Britain.
In pictures: Calais crisis Show all 15 1 /15 In pictures: Calais crisis In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Migrants climb in the back of a lorry on the A16 highway leading to the Eurotunnel in Calais Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Protesting French employees of the company English Channel passenger and freight ferry company "MyFerryLink" block the railway tracks of the Eurostar Channel tunnel line in Calais Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Protesting French employees of the company English Channel passenger and freight ferry company "MyFerryLink" block the railway tracks of the Eurostar Channel tunnel line with a burning plastic barrier In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis French riot police officers drive out protesting French employees of the freight ferry company MyFerryLink Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis French riot police take position to drive out protesters blocking the railway tracks Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Passengers stranded by the cancellation of Eurostar trains wait at St. Pancras station in London. Eurostar said it has canceled all passenger trains through the tunnel that links France and England, after striking ferry workers swarmed the train line setting tires alight In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Passengers sit on stairs after being stranded by cancelled Eurostar trains at St. Pancras station in London In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A police vehicle drives past lorries are backed up on the M20 motorway which leads from London to the Channel Tunnel terminal at Ashford and the Ferry Terminal at Dover In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Trucks queue up as part of Operation Stack in Dover In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Cars queue to board a ferry in Dover bound for Dunkirk, France, as the disruption at Calais looks set to enter a second day as migrants continue to target lorries in a bid to cross into the UK In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A police officer sprays tear gas to migrants trying to access the Channel Tunnel on the A16 highway in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Migrants wait near the A16 highway as they try to access the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Striking employees of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, stand in front of tyres set on fire as they block the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis A striking employee of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, sits on a tyre in front of tyres set on fire as he takes part in a blockade of the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Calais crisis Calais crisis Striking employees of the French company My Ferry Link, a cross-channel ferry service, prepare to set tyres on fire to block the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais, northern France PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images
Abdul Rahman Haroun, a Sudanese refugee, was arrested in Folkestone last year after dodging trains and power lines walking the entire length of the tunnel.
He was prosecuted under Victorian legislation for obstructing an engine or a carriage using a railway and handed a nine-month prison sentence last week.
A survey of refugees living in the Jungle carried out earlier this year by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) found that more than 80 per cent of its 6,000 inhabitants were aiming to reach Britain.
An unknown number of asylum seekers have been suffocated, run over, hit by trains, electrocuted in the Channel Tunnel and drowned in desperate attempts to swim to England.
Anglo-French efforts to bolster border security continue, including the investment of millions of pounds on fencing at Coquelles and extra perimeter barriers.
But rising number of refugees are still flocking to camps in Calais, according to census figures released by Help Refugees and L'Auberge des Migrants.
Volunteers said the number of unaccompanied children has risen by almost a third in one month, and that the largest group of migrants were from Afghanistan, followed by Sudan.
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 Spanish National Court judge had shelved an investigation into two puppeteers for allegedly praising terrorist groups in a theatre show.
Praising terrorism has been a crime in Spain since 1995.
The judge said there was insufficient evidence that the puppeteers committed an offence by using a sign during their performance that said: "Long Live Alka ETA".
The message is wordplay referencing the Basque separatist group ETA and al-Qaeda.
The show on 5 February was commissioned for Madrid's Carnival celebrations and portrayed the hanging of a judge in effigy and police beatings.
The two puppeteers, working for "Titeres Desde Abajo" (Puppets from Below) have denied the allegations, saying their show was satirical.
A Facebook post published by the company before the show said: We wanted to investigate the possibilities of the popular tradition of puppeteering to tell what you feel as urgent.
Throughout the show, and under different faces, Don Cristobal will try to crush a witch, but the nature of this takes her to love his freedom above all and not to be trampled by anyone.
Spain election: Conservatives win, but without majority
In an attempt to make the Basque region on the Spanish/French border independent, ETA is recorded as having killed 829 people and injuring thousands of others between 1968 and 2011.
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 }}
Casualties and chaos, fatalities and fear. Turkey has seen all of this before.
The assault on the Istanbuls Ataturk airport - a strike involving two explosions that left at least 25 people dead - is just the latest in a series of attacks to rock Turkey in recent months.
Experts said that the Muslim country, a member of Nato and a nation that sits at the threshold of Asia and Europe, had been hit three times by Isis over the past 12 months in attacks that killed at least 50 people. Other attacks - usually on military or police targets - have involved the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or one of its offshoots.
Officials have not yet said who was responsible for the attack (AP)
Turkeys justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, said on Tuesday evening that based on preliminary information, in the latest attack a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up.
Another official told the Associated Press said two attackers detonated explosives at the entrance of the heavily guarded international terminal - a hub for Turkish Airlines - after police fired at them.
Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Show all 20 1 /20 Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul A mother of victims reacts outside a forensic medicine building close to Istanbul's airport AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Broken windows are pictured at the attacks and explosions site in Ataturk airport's international arrivals terminal AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Bullet impacts are pictured at Ataturk airport AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Police officers patrol at Istanbul Ataturk airport Reuters Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Workers clean the debris from the blasts at Istanbul Ataturk airport Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul A wounded girl from the Ataturk Airport suicide bomb attack is transported to the Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Hospital Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Passengers embrace outside Ataturk airport`s main entrance in Istanbul AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Medics carry wounded people to a hospital after a suicide bomb attack at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul EPA Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Relatives of the Ataturk Airport suicide bomb attack victims wait outside Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Hospital Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul A Saudi tourist who survived the Ataturk Airport suicide bomb attack waits for his wounded mother outside the Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Hospital Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul A Turkish riot police officer patrols Ataturk airport`s main entrance in Istanbul Ozane Kose/AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Passengers wait at Ataturk airport`s main enterance in Istanbu, after two explosions followed by gunfire hit Turkey's largest airport Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Forensic police work the explosion site at Ataturk airport Ozane Kose/AFP/Getty Images Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Passengers leave Istanbul Ataturk, after a suicide bomb attack Getty Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Armed security man escorts people from a car park at Istanbul Ataturk airport REUTERS Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Armed security walks at Istanbul Ataturk airport Murad Sezer/REUTERS Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Ambulance cars arrive at Istanbul Ataturk airport Osman Orsal/REUTERS Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul An ambulance arrives at the Ataturk airport REUTERS Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul The weapons used in the attack REUTERS Attack at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul Passengers leave Istanbul Ataturk, after a suicide bomb attack Getty
The previous attacks included two in Istanbul targeting tourists which the authorities have blamed on Isis, which have made a stronghold in neighboring Syria. The border between the two nations is largely porous.
The attacks have increased in scale and frequency, scaring off tourists and hurting the economy, which relies heavily on tourism revenues.
Earlier this month, a car bomb attack targeting a police bus has killed seven officers and four civilians in central Istanbul. No group has claimed it, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pointed to the involvement of Kurdish militants.
In January, an Isis suicide bomber targeted foreign tourists who were visiting Istanbul's Hippodrome of Constantinople, the historic social center of the Byzantine Empire's capital. In total, 11 people were killed and 14 were wounded. On March 19, the city was hit by another Isis suicide bombing that killed four people.
On March 29, the United States issued a Turkey travel warning, asking that travelers exercise caution in large public settings.
Foreign and US tourists have been explicitly targeted by international and indigenous terrorist organisations, it said,
In December 2015, a Kurdish separatist group launched a mortar attack in the Sabiha Gokcen airport, killing one person.
In July 2015, Turkey joined the US-led alliance in the fight against Isis, permitting the US Airforce to use their bases for airstrikes in Syria.
The southern portion of Turkey borders Syria, making the country especially vulnerable to missile strikes and direct attacks by Isis militants who cross the border.
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 }}
China has exposed 30 fake higher education institutions as millions of high school students across the country prepare to apply for university.
The countrys state press agency, Xinhua, also confirmed that since 2013, 400 fake universities have been outed by education website sdaxue.com.
Recommended Read more Chinese students facing hefty jail sentences for cheating in exams
Founder of the site, Xia Xue, said the names of suspicious colleges are usual sent in by email or social media which sdaxue then investigates.
Speaking to state media, Xue said: It is easy to see through the trick when they fake the names of well-known universities, but it is more difficult to identify if lesser-known institutions are faked.
Xue was referring to the tactics these colleges usually employ to make themselves seem genuine. According to Xue, the exposed universities tend to use the names and website designs to imitate genuine and well-known institutions in order to slip through the net.
However, having released a list of 30 fakes the sixth such list to be released by the site in the past three years Xue revealed the majority had used the names of private colleges which specialise in adult education. Authorities are now reportedly working with police to investigate the list further.
The news will have come as a relief to almost ten million high school pupils who have been studying furiously for the standard university entrance exam known as the "gaokao".
Education plays a pivotal role in Chinese culture, and the gaokao sees pupils put under pressure from their families to do well. This year, assessment centres across the nation had a heavy police presence as families turned out to support their children.
Recommended Read more Malaysian university investigates leaked slides on Islam and Hinduism
This year for the first time, students found to be cheating in the assessment will be declared guilty of a criminal offence, punishable by up to seven years in prison. Institutions around the world are clamping down on exam cheating.
Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, told the Global Times: Safeguarding fairness in the gaokao and education, in general, is the baseline for China to maintain social justice.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
On another dramatic day in politics, Jeremy Corbyn tried to turn the tables on his Labour critics by announcing his new Shadow Cabinet, finding replacements for the 11 frontbenchers who resigned on Sunday after he sacked Hilary Benn. But the exodus continued as another 17 frontbenchers quit their posts on Monday. Tom Watson, Labours deputy leader, told Corbyn he had lost the confidence of the Parliamentary Labour Party and said the party was moving towards a leadership election.
With both main parties in turmoil, the leaders of Tory MPs agreed that David Camerons successor would be in place by 2 September a month earlier than the outgoing Prime Minister planned.
Labour: what happened?
Recommended Read more May overtakes Johnson in leadership poll as Osborne rules himself out
The Parliamentary Labour Party agreed to hold a vote of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday in an attempt to force him to stand down. The number of frontbenchers leaving their jobs in protest at his leadership rose to 29. But a defiant Corbyn announced a new Shadow Cabinet team.
What it means
The rebellion against Corbyn is gathering strength after his lacklustre campaign in the EU referendum and amid the prospect of heavy losses for Labour if the new Tory prime minister calls an early general election. The latest resignations included Angela Eagle, the shadow Business Secretary, who deputised for Corbyn at Prime Ministers Questions and is a possible successor if he is ousted. The Labour leader faces a humiliating defeat in the no confidence vote, which would put more pressure on him to fall on his sword.
Tories: what happened?
Leaders of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs agreed that David Camerons successor will be chosen by 2 September at the latest. The timetable is quicker than that envisaged by Cameron, who suggested he would stand down as prime minister by 2 October when he announced his resignation last Friday.
What it means
Boris Johnson could be prime minister in nine weeks. In theory at least, he could call a snap general election as early as October to secure a personal mandate from the public. The shorter than expected timetable is a boost for Boris, the front-runner with momentum after playing such a prominent role in the Leave campaign. It is bad news for his rivals including Theresa May, the Home Secretary. Nominations close on Thursday. Tory MPs begin voting next week, whittling down the field until two names are left probably Boris and May. This shortlist goes to a ballot of then partys 125,000 members.
Cabinet meeting: what happened?
The Cabinet met for the first time since the referendum without Boris Johnson, who only attends political meetings without civil servants present.
What it means
Ministers accepted last Thursdays result and rejected calls for an immediate second referendum, as demanded by 3.7 million people who have signed a petition to the House of Commons.
Although formal negotiations with the EU on our exit terms will not begin until the new PM is in place, the Cabinet agreed to set up a Brexit unit in Whitehall to allow civil servants to prepare the ground and options for the EU talks. Oliver Letwin, the Cabinet minister in charge of policy, will take soundings within and outside government on the next steps.
David Cameron: what happened?
David Cameron made a Commons statement on the outcome of the referendum, and his decision to resign as prime minister.
What it means
Cameron gave a very strong hint that he would like the UK to keep the advantages of the single European market after we leave the EU. So, probably, would a large majority of MPs, who may vote for it in the Commons. This is a potential headache for the new PM, as the EU would almost certainly demand continued free movement in return. That would make it harder for Boris Johnson and his allies to reduce immigration.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the
View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}
The onward march of the Zika virus and the dread it is causing is starkly reminiscent of the cloud cast by Ebola. With the Olympic Games looming in Brazil, and thousands of visitors due to flock into the country, the original source of Zika, I believe there are lessons that can be absorbed from how we dealt with the earlier outbreak.
When Nigeria experienced its first case of Ebola I was in the US at an African Leaders Conference with President Obama. It was 20 July 2014. Immediately, I flew back home, and went straight to the office rather than my house. I called an emergency meeting of those in the federal government connected with communicable diseases: the ministers of health, water resources, education, finance, justice, transport and others.
The first index case was of an American Liberian, Patrick Sawyer. He was suspected by the Liberian authorities of having contracted Ebola. He evaded them and managed to board a plane for Lagos. By the time he arrived he was very ill, with a high fever. He was taken to a private hospital and died 36 hours later.
There was no doubting the gravity of the situation. What wed feared since the first outbreak in December 2013 had arrived. Ebola had spread through West Africa and now the potentially deadly virus was in Nigeria.
The consequences of it reaching us were grave not just for Nigeria but for the entire world. Nigeria is Africas most populous country, home to almost 200m people, many of whom live in poverty, without running water and sanitation. Its far bigger than its neighbours, with a border of 3,045 miles. Nigerias cities are big and sprawling Lagos alone has 21m inhabitants.
The Nigerian diaspora is huge and the effect of people visiting relatives or travelling on business and passing on the virus did not bear thinking about. What had been an epidemic now had a real chance of spiralling out of control into a global pandemic.
In many ways we faced similar problems to those encountered by the government of Brazil as it battles to contain the Zika virus.
Brazil is also an enormous country with large cities and shanty towns. Again, it has a vast border, its citizens travel far and wide, and its a destination for travellers not least with the Olympics due to take place in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Zika virus: WHO rejects demands to move Rio Olympics
In Nigeria we were aware of the responsibility that had befallen is. But I also knew what we had to do. First, we established a command centre in Lagos to trace all 177 of Sawyers primary, secondary and tertiary contacts, and put them under surveillance.
We drew up a plan that saw me release straightaway 1.9bn Nigerian naira to the health ministry to control the disease. We banned the movement of corpses from one place to another. We discouraged religious leaders from holding gatherings for large crowds. We urged people not to attend burials. We advised people not to embrace each other when they first met. We asked schools to extend their summer holidays.
The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly
I went on television to address the nation. I called a four hour meeting with the 36 state governors, their heath commissioners and the Federal Capital Minister and his health secretary. I held lengthy discussions with the UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, and World Health Organisation DG, Margaret Chan
I made more money available to individual states.
Looking back, Ebola was the one cause that unified the entire country. Religious, ethnic, tribal and political leaders all came together to beat the disease. There was not one dissenting voice something unheard of in such a diverse and vocal country. More than that, the different leaders went out of their way to assist each other.
The command centre moved round the country, as more cases came to light. Medical staff were offered extra life insurance for treating patients with Ebola. Border controls were tightened. Anyone arriving in the country showing symptoms was moved to special wards.
Above all, we instigated a broad education programme. My mantra was that I wanted the people to know the truth about the virus, to be as informed as possible about its spread and containment. I did not want them to learn false information that would lead to mass hysteria and panic.
So we used smartphone technology to broadcast messages about Ebola and how people could protect themselves. A special website was created and we used social media, especially Facebook, to halt rumours and inaccurate reports. We issued warnings and advice in local languages.
In October, 2014 my country was declared free of Ebola. Overall, 11,315 people had died, and 28,637 cases had been reported. In Nigeria, just eight people died, and only 20 cases were reported.
The advice for other countries as they confront Zika is: be prepared. We were fortunate in that Ebola had already broken out in West Africa, so we knew what to expect. But even so, make sure you have an emergency programme and stick to it, but also be prepared to adapt it as circumstances change.
Make the people aware. I determined to trust the people not to over-react, to keep them up to speed as much as possible. Information, information, information is what was required. There was no such thing as enough information the more the public knew, the more they responded sensibly and properly.
Everybody has a role to play, and they must be charged with playing that role, and given responsibility. That includes leaders, health officials, police, medical practitioners, border guards. But it also includes all citizens, who must report any suspicion of the disease, and take all the precautions theyre given.
Trust the people. This is something governments dont always do. But where the spread of disease is involved its remarkable how a collective spirit is born, and how common sense prevails.
Zika is not Ebola and I would not pretend it to be. Act decisively, act together, dont hold back and make all the necessary funds available, and keep telling the public every step of the way exactly how it is.
Goodluck Jonathan was President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He now chairs the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation
President Michael D Higgins poses for a photograph after he received an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh
Michael D Higgins told graduating students "education has the power to change the world" as he received an honorary degree on an official visit to Scotland.
Edinburgh University presented the president with a Doctor of Laws during a ceremony at the city's Usher Hall.
The honour came on the second day of the president's Scotland trip, which will see him address MSPs at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
Mr Higgins said he had received the title "with full consciousness of the honour it constitutes" and told students they were graduating at a challenging time, but added: " All of these challenges are available to your generation to redress and to overcome".
He said: " Scotland and Ireland are nations who facilitate and value dialogue, nations who wield moral authority rather than a sword, and we are also nations that believe in the power of education and ideas to change the world.
"The gift to you of our times - through your study, through your ethical and critically-aware lives together - is the possibility to make a new world in which all can flourish.
"The critiques of political disengagement sometimes levelled at young people do not correspond to my experience - not over many decades in public life and certainly not as President of Ireland.
"Here in Scotland, as in Ireland, I see a generation of young people who are not intimidated by the difficulties they face - young people who are looking outwards, willing to use new technologies to forge new connections and develop new solutions to create a better world for all."
The president kicked off his four-day visit on Monday by addressing members of Glasgow's Irish community at an event at the Govanhill neighbourhood centre, and later met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
On Wednesday, the president - who is joined on the trip by wife Sabina - will address MSPs at Holyrood and meet with Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh.
Mr Higgins will leave Scotland for France the following day ahead of a commemorative event to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
Traders work at their desks in front of the German share price index, DAX board, at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Staff/Remote
US stocks opened sharply higher on Tuesday as investors rushed to pick up stocks beaten down by the fears and uncertainty surrounding Britain's decision to exit the European Union.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was up 117.62 points, or 0.69 percent, at 17,257.86, the S&P 500 .SPX was up 14.78 points, or 0.74 percent, at 2,015.32 and the Nasdaq composite .IXIC was up 50.67 points, or 1.1 percent, at 4,645.11.
Earlier, Irish stocks like Ryanair and Bank of Ireland made gains this morning for the first time in three days having been hammered since Brexit news took the markets by storm late last week.
Ryanair, which has a big exposure in Europe and the UK, added on over 6.6pc today while Bank of Ireland, which also has operations across the pond, was up 5.8pc.
Other gainers included Smurfit Kappa, Glanba, Paddy Power and CRH as the Iseq gained and was up at 5,438.74 in early trade.
Some market watchers said that the decision Standard & Poor's and Fitch to cut the UK's AAA rating, the last of the big ratings agency to do so, drew a line in the sand for some investors.
European shares rose for the first time in three days on Tuesday, attempting a recovery from the heavy sell-off in the previous two sessions after Britain's shock vote to leave the European Union.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index, which had slumped 11 percent in the last two sessions.
British and European banking stocks, which had suffered the worst of the market rout of the last two days, climbed back up, with Barclays up 6.3 percent while Deutsche Bank rose 3.5 percent.
Volkswagen shares rose 2.9 percent, as sources said the German carmaker was nearing a settlement valued at more than $15 billion with nearly 500,000 U.S. diesel owners and government regulators over polluting vehicles.
Shares in oil majors also advanced to add a further stabilising effect to the market, with oil prices climbing as a looming strike in Norway threatened to cut output in western Europe's biggest producer.
Asian stocks rose for the first time in three days on Tuesday while sterling and other currencies advanced as investors scooped up beaten down assets.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.1pc but the tiny gain belied an impressive turnaround which saw the Japanese stocks .N225 rally more than 3pc from the day's lows, pulling other Asian markets higher. The Nikkei was up 0.6pc by early afternoon.
But in a sign that investors remained extremely nervous, trading volumes were light and price action was choppy across markets.
"Short-covering in the currency market and US futures market is limiting selling," said Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities. "But overall sentiment remains fragile."
"Friday's Brexit jump scare has faded, but markets are still worried" about its possible effect on global demand, SLW brokerage trader Joao Paulo de Gracia Correa said.
Policymakers from Japan to China vowed to protect their economies and markets from the destabilizing impact of Brexit.
"It's hard to avoid short-term volatility in China's capital markets, but we won't allow roller-coaster rides and drastic changes in the capital markets," Premier Li Keqiang said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the city of Tianjin.
In currency markets, sterling GBP=D4 was changing hands at $1.3291, after falling to a three-decade low of $1.3122 on Monday, its weakest since 1985.
Against the yen, sterling rose 1pc to 135.54 GBPJPY=R, not far from Friday's 3-1/2 year low of 133.18. The euro stood at 82.93 pence EURGBP=R after scaling a two-year peak of 83.79 pence on Monday.
The euro edged down slightly to $1.1060 EUR=, not far above Friday's three-month low of $1.0912 after the British vote.
"In the near term, risk aversion and market uncertainty makes the euro less attractive to investors," Kathy Lien, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management, wrote in a note to clients.
"In the long run, Brexit also raises questions about the Eurozone's viability because if major countries like Britain start dropping out the EU, nationalism could drive smaller Eurozone nations to exit out of the euro," she said, adding that she expects the euro to "make another run" for the $1.0900 level.
Early signs of a cautious return in demand for riskier assets were evident in the high-yielding Aussie AUD=D3 and the New Zealand dollar NZD=, which helped put a floor under other emerging market currencies in Asia.
Anticipating yet another round of global policy easing by major central banks, government bond yields pushed deeper into negative territory. Yields on ten-year and 20-year Japanese debt plunged to fresh record lows.
Gold XAU=, one of the rare outliers in global financial markets in the last few days, came in for a bit of profit taking with the precious metal down 0.7pc. Silver XAG= fell 0.3pc.
Crude oil prices regained some of their overnight losses after tumbling nearly 3pc on Monday. [O/R]
US crude CLc1 added 1.7pc to $47.11 a barrel after shedding 2.8pc on Monday, while Brent LCOc1 rose 1.6pc to $47.89 after skidding 2.6pc and touching seven-week lows overnight.
(additional reporting Reuters)
News / National
by Stephen Jakes
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists has announced that unidentified people dressed in civilian clothes briefly held Freelance Journalist, James Jemwa on Monday afternoon while he was filming outside a bank where queues had formed.ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi said effective measures were needed to discourage security forces from arresting journalists while doing their work."The latest epidemic of arrests of journalists while doing their work is totally unacceptable. Over the weekend we witnessed absolute carnage when five freelance journalists were arrested while covering demonstrations at a local hotel while the previous week had seen other journalists being arrested.""We call on the police and other security arms to consult the Constitution of the country which protects journalists from the disproportionate use of power that has been unleashed on the Fourth Estate," said Dongozi
BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has said that the United Kingdom must remain close to Europe, but that it will involve "compromises".
Mr Cameron was speaking after an EU Council meeting dominated by the Brexit referendum result broke up shortly after 11pm.
"Of course it's a sad night for me because I didn't want to be in this position," Mr Cameron told reporters.
"I wanted Britain to stay on as a member of the European Union," he said.
A spokesman for Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he spoke at the meeting and "emphasised the Irish relationship with UK is at its strongest".
He Mr Kenny stressed the importance of common travel area, peace process and open borders in any future EU deal with Britain.
At the packed press conference Mr Cameron said maintaining a good relationship with EU Member States is more important for him than staying on as prime minister.
"At the end of the day you fight for what you believe in, if you win, good, and if you lose you have to accept the verdict and the verdict I accept is not only that Britain has voted to leave the European Union but that it is right for a fresh leader to come along and take on that challenge of the next chapter in our country's story."
He said that Britain must remain close to Europe in the future.
"That will involve compromises.
"I don't want to set out what I think they might be. That's going to be a matter for the next Prime Minister.
"But I think that whether you are listening to young people or businesses or the constituent parts of the United Kingdom or our friends and allies around the world from Bangladesh to New Zealand - all of those countries will want to see Britain have a strong relationship with the European Union.
"We need to make those arguments in our own domestic politics as well as around the chancelleries of Europe. That's something I will certainly do even after I've stopped being Prime Minister," he added.
He finished by joking that it was a "slightly better attended press conference than some of the ones I've done over the last six years."
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is to deliver a briefing at the end of tomorrow's meeting of the 27 remaining EU member States.
The uncertainty following the UKs vote to exit the EU has seen farmers feel the first pain of Brexit as beef prices took a tumble. Stock Image
The uncertainty following the UK's vote to exit the EU has seen farmers feel the first pain of Brexit - as beef prices took a tumble.
Analysts have warned that the immediate impact will come from the drop in the value of Sterling. This will most likely lead to lower prices for milk, grain, cattle and potentially sheep over the next few months.
And extra costs from the potential return of customs control would also mean higher prices for consumers.
The statistics highlight the importance of the our nearest market - 41pc of Irish food and drink exports, worth 4.4bn, and 54pc of beef, worth 1.1bn, are sold yearly to the UK.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Joe Healy warned that it is critical that steps are taken by Irish and EU governments to "minimise uncertainty" at a time when there are low product prices across so many sectors.
Alan Matthews, professor emeritus of European agricultural policy at Trinity College, also pointed out that the UK was a net contributor to the EU, with the bulk of the monies going to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The net contribution of the UK into the CAP budget in 2014 was 1.27bn, and there is a high dependency among farm families on the monies from Brussels to run their farms.
"It was a net contributor so the other countries will have to cough up more, so it may make them reluctant to agree to a bigger CAP budget," he warned.
However, Prof Matthews warned the trade implications are going to be "major" as a Brexit means the UK will have its own customs union and trade policy.
"Any food imports into Ireland will have to be checked, which will mean higher prices for consumers," he said.
"It is going to add to trade costs, so that has to be borne by somebody. We know who bears the extra costs in the food chain, it is the primary producer.
"A rough estimate of that is it could add at least 5pc to the cost of trading between the two countries."
Teagasc economist Kevin Hanrahan warned that Brexit is likely to impact on all produce prices, including cattle. It may also hit sheep exports to France due to increased competition from the plummeting pound.
The dangers from South America taking a share of Ireland's valuable beef market in the UK have also been highlighted by factory body Meat Industry Ireland (MII).
Italy is preparing a 40bn rescue of its financial system as bank shares collapse on the Milan bourse and the powerful after-shocks of Brexit shake European markets.
An Italian government task force is watching events hour by hour, pledging all steps necessary to ensure the stability of the banks. Italy will do everything necessary to reassure people, said premier Matteo Renzi.
This is the moment of truth we have all been waiting for a long time. We just didnt know it would be Brexit that set the elephant loose, said a top Italian banker.
Expand Close Italy government debt to GDP / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Italy government debt to GDP
Read More
The share price of banks crashed for a second trading day, with Intesa Sanpaolo off 12.5pc, and falls of 12pc for Banka MPS, 10.4pc for Mediobana, and 8pc for Unicredit. These lenders have lost a third of their value since Britains referendum.
When Britain sneezes, Italy catches a cold. It is the weakest link in the European chain, said Lorenzo Codogno, former director-general of the Italian treasury and now at LC Macro Advisors.
The country is the first serious casualty of Brexit contagion and a reminder that the economic destinies of Britain and the rest of Europe are intimately entwined. Morgan Stanley warned in a new report that eurozone GDP would contract by almost as much as British GDP in a "high stress scenario".
Read More
Italian officials are studying a direct state recapitalisation of the banks, to be funded by a special bond issue. They also want a moratorium of so-called bail-in rules and bondholder write-downs, but these steps are impossible under EU laws. Mr Renzi raised the subject urgently at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande at a Brexit summit in Berlin on Monday.
There has to be a suspension of the bail-in rules and state aid rules at the highest political level in the EU, otherwise I dont see how this can work, said Mr Codogno.
Unlike the eurozone debt crisis in 2011-2012, there is no serious trouble yet in the sovereign debt markets. The ECB is effectively capping yields under quantitative easing.
The stress gauge in this episode is the health of the private banks. The Euro STOXX index of bank stocks has collapsed by half since last July, and is now probing depths seen in the white heat of the debt crisis. British bank shares have also plummeted since Brexit but this has no systemic implication so far. It chiefly reflects recession fears, and potential loss of access to the EU market for business.
Italys banks are the Achilles Heel of the eurozone financial system. Non-performing loans have ratcheted up to 18pc of total balance sheets as a result the countrys slide into depression after the Lehman crisis.
The new bail-in reform this year has brought matters to a head, catching EU authorities off guard. It was intended to protect taxpayers by ensuring that creditors suffer major losses first if a bank gets into trouble, but was badly designed and has led to a flight from bank shares. The Bank of Italy has called for a complete overhaul of the bail-in rules.
It is now almost impossible for Italian banks to raise capital. They are caught in a pincer as the ECB simultaneously demands compliance with tougher capital adequacy buffers, in some case demanding fresh infusions of capital three or four times. Mr Codogno said the ECB is unwittingly destabilizing the banks in an overzealous attempt to make Europes banks safer.
Italy is now paralyzed under the existing eurozone structure. Analysts say it desperately needs a US-style bank rescue along the lines of the TARP in 2008, which used federal funds to mop up bad assets and stabilize the banks. This is forbidden by the eurozone.
The government introduced a 5bn rescue fund called Atlante earlier this year, but this was funded largely by the banks themselves rather than the state and has been overwhelmed by events.
Mr Codogno said Italy is caught in a low-growth trap that is slowly eroding debt dynamics. I dont think the Italian system is about to blow up. We could muddle through for years, but we need to get out of this loop, he said.
Hedge fund veteran George Soros warned that Italy faces the risk of a full-blown banking crisis that could bring the rebel Five Star Movement to power as early as next year.
The banking squeeze has become politically explosive in Italy after thousands of small depositors were wiped out at four regional banks late last year. They were classified as junior bondholders, even though most of them were just ordinary savers who did not realize what was being done with their money.
Mr Renzi may be forced to take matters into his own hands and enact a unilateral sovereign rescue of the Italian banking system in defiance of the EU, unless he wins concessions soon from Brussels. Those who know him say he will not go down in flames for the sake of European ideological purity.
The lasting impact of the UK's vote to break with the European Union won't be known for years, but the shift has immediate ramifications for the global technology industry. There are a few issues to be particularly mindful of.
Chaos in the global markets is not an environment that makes investors eager to buy shares in an initial public offering. Any technology start-up considering a stock market listing will likely wait to see how the turmoil following the Brexit vote shakes out.
There has already been a dearth of listings this year and the UK vote will only extend the lull. The European telecommunications company Telefonica is said to be postponing plans to sell shares of its infrastructure unit Telxius and UK wireless unit O2.
Impacts have been felt elsewhere in the world, with Line Corp, Japan's most popular messaging service, delaying the setting of a price range for its initial public offering as a result of the vote.
The Leave vote opens up potential headaches for anyone concerned with data protection, already a vexed issue between the US and Europe. On its own, the UK will need to negotiate new data sharing arrangements with both the European Union and the United States.
Right now, the UK's data protection rules are in line with the European Union's Data Protection Directive, but that regulation is likely to be replaced with a much more stringent General Data Protection Directive by 2018. In order to continue to move data freely between the UK and Europe, the UK will have to prove it offers equivalent levels of protection. This will require changes to UK law, said Jane Finlayson-Brown, a partner specialising in data protection issues at the law firm Allen & Overy.
Meanwhile, the US and European Union just negotiated a new Privacy Shield Agreement to govern data transfers, to replace the so-called Safe Harbor Agreement, which Europe's top court struck down last year. The UK will no longer be covered by Privacy Shield and so will have to negotiate its own data sharing treaty with the US.
Many companies, Finlayson-Brown said, may opt to shift their data processing centres to the EU since companies must choose an EU country as their "main establishment" to comply with the new EU data protection directives. She said companies that might have opted to maintain the UK as their main data processing centre for Europe will no longer have that option.
Outside the EU, technology companies may struggle to attract talent. Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook and other tech giants have built large offices in the UK, in part as European hubs to recruit engineers and other employees from throughout the region. Young technology companies also have relied on the region's immigration policies.
According to Tech London Advocates, an industry group for the area's technology sector, roughly one-in-five London tech workers is an EU national and roughly a third are from overseas. Tech companies might shift more jobs to Ireland if UK immigration rules become too difficult. Financial services start-ups have been the crown jewel of the UK technology scene. Many are there because they can use regulatory approval in the UK to sell services throughout the EU. If the ability to "passport" is lost, companies will have to get regulatory approval in a remaining EU jurisdiction as well.
Start-ups have already said that the uncertainty leading up to the Brexit vote was making it harder to raise money from investors.
"There's a risk that some of these businesses will leave," said Russ Shaw, of Tech London Advocates. "Things are going to be in flux for a while trying to understand what all this means." (Bloomberg)
President Michael D Higgins attacked the "discourse of fear" in the UK's Brexit debate and said he is concerned about the future of the EU.
Mr Higgins said the UK's Brexit debate was "rather sad".
The President met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Glasgow to discuss ties between their two countries.
Ms Sturgeon has pledged to explore all options to keep Scotland in the EU, up to and including another vote for Scottish independence.
She said Ireland now has "issues" in relation to borders, with the largely pro-EU Northern Ireland facing the prospect of leaving. She stressed she does not want to see a border between Scotland and other parts of the UK.
Speaking in Glasgow, Mr Higgins said: "I am concerned, very much, about the future of the EU itself and I think that it's a matter that all of the members of the EU must be concerned about together.
"I don't think that it is an issue for one or two member countries. I don't think it is an issue for, as has been referred to, founder members of the EU.
"I am a believer in the EU and I think what we need to do is to rediscover its great moments."
He said the Irish people have benefited from EU membership through freedom to work and study in other states.
Mr Higgins added: "What I think is rather sad, in relation to the recent consultations, which is entirely a matter for the UK to arrive at its own opinion, was the degree of fear that was in the discourse.
"It seemed to crowd out, if you like, all the things that the people of Europe can achieve together."
Mr Higgins is also set to address the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.
Risks to economic recovery and the Northern Ireland peace process will be Taoiseach Enda Kennys trump cards when he seeks to make us a special case in the Brexit negotiations. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
Risks to economic recovery and the Northern Ireland peace process will be Taoiseach Enda Kenny's trump cards when he seeks to make us a 'special case' in the Brexit negotiations.
The leaders of the 28 EU countries, including David Cameron, meet in Brussels today, where Mr Kenny will attempt to outline how the result of the referendum impacts on Ireland more than anybody else.
Expand Close Click to view full size graphic / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Click to view full size graphic
"The stakes have always been higher on this issue for Ireland than for any other EU member state," he told the Dail, while promising his primary goal will be "Ireland's national interests".
Part of the Irish strategy is to 'bat for Britain' because their punishment for voting 'out' will have a ripple affect on trade here and ultimately Anglo-Irish relations.
"It is in nobody's interests for the UK and the EU to have anything but the best possible future relations," Mr Kenny said.
"The closer the UK is to the EU, the better for all of us, and above all for Ireland," he added, in what is a direct challenge to some EU leaders who have indicated they want a scorched earth policy in relation to Britain.
Read More
On one hand Mr Kenny called for calm - but on the other said people needed to understand that there has been "a political earthquake".
The aftershocks will take time to settle and EU leaders need to use that space to look at the long-term impact.
Our 'special case' appeal will be based on:
The economy and the relative importance of each other's markets for trade.
Northern Ireland, the Peace Process and British-Irish Relations.
The Common Travel Area and our shared land border.
Expand Close (L-R) French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi address a press conference ahead of talks following the Brexit referendum at the chancellery in Berlin. Getty Images / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp (L-R) French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi address a press conference ahead of talks following the Brexit referendum at the chancellery in Berlin. Getty Images
The role of the UK within the EU and its strategic value to Ireland in that context.
Around 1bn of trade crosses the Irish Sea every week, and hundreds of thousands of jobs rely on it.
Expand Close Boris Johnson waves as leaves his home by car in London yesterday. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Boris Johnson waves as leaves his home by car in London yesterday. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images
"Ireland's starting point will be straightforward. A stable, prosperous, and outward-looking UK is clearly in our own interests and those of the EU as a whole," Mr Kenny said.
On Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach said that urgent and intensive engagement with the British Government and Belfast Executive is needed. We must "see how collectively we can ensure that the gains of the last two decades are fully protected in whatever arrangements are negotiated."
"All three administrations share the common objective of wanting to preserve the Common Travel Area and an open border on the island of Ireland," he said.
Read More
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald spoke with the British Immigration Minister yesterday as a first step in figuring out how this can be pushed with other EU states.
"I fully understand why many people in Northern Ireland are deeply concerned that Northern Ireland will be outside of a project that has delivered so much for political stability, reconciliation and economic prosperity," Mr Kenny said.
And where once we turned to Britain for help in fending off the demands of Germany and France, particularly in the face of pressure for tax harmonisation, Mr Kenny is now offering to be the UK's strongest advocate.
"Ireland is in an important position given the strength of our relationship with the UK on one hand and our connectedness to the EU on the other."
However, with speculation mounting that Boris Johnson is on course to be the next British prime minister, Mr Kenny said that whoever replaces Mr Cameron should "set realistic and achievable objectives and to build confidence in the UK's good faith".
Ministers have been told to avoid any suggestion that there is a need for panic and will discuss the fallout again at a Cabinet meeting this morning. During a series of Dail statements yesterday, minister after minister express "regret" at the decision of the UK electorate but said they were prepared for the impact.
Minister for Jobs Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O'Connor is to do the heavy lifting in relation to "future trading relationships".
China and India are among the countries being targeted for new business but there is also some potential to poach companies who might normally locate in London.
Read More
"Of course, Ireland remains a strong, competitive and open economy," Mr Kenny said.
"Our talent pool, competitive and consistent tax regime and long track record of working with foreign companies is something that companies are interested in.
"The fact that Ireland is English-speaking and a member of the EU and eurozone is also attractive," he added.
Mr Kenny will stay in Brussels overnight for a second meeting of EU leaders tomorrow - which will exclude Mr Cameron.
All the while, the minority Fine Gael-led government can expect almost unconditional support from Fianna Fail.
Its leader Micheal Martin also travels to Brussels today to meet with EU leaders.
"The first thing we need is to make sure we fully define our objectives and have an inclusive national approach to the negotiations. We all need to be wearing the same jersey," he said.
Germanys chancellor Angela Merkel is resisting calls for a hard line to be taken towards Britain following its vote to leave the European Union. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
The United Kingdom is Ireland's main trading partner, with more than 1.2bn of goods and services traded between the two nations every week. Britain is the destination for over 40pc of exports from indigenous Irish companies.
If the consequences of Britain leaving the EU are not sensibly addressed, the impact on the economy and employment will be profoundly negative across Ireland. There should be no doubt that Ireland is the European country that stands to be worst hit by a British withdrawal, given our close economic, political and societal links.
The Government and the business community here need to be proactive.
At every level, we need to make it clear to the remaining EU countries how intrinsically linked the Irish and British economies are and that Ireland will now suffer unduly if our special circumstances are not understood in all of the EU capitals.
It is also important that we quickly build a consensus on a dedicated national strategy to protect jobs, maintain trade and minimise any problems that may arise regarding the common travel area and the Border between North and South.
Peace has been the bedrock of so much of Ireland's success over the past two decades. This Brexit cannot be allowed to create new barriers and to undermine reconciliation.
Right now, we are in unchartered waters. No country has ever left the European Union per se before and this level of uncertainty is magnified by the fact that the UK is one of Europe's big economies.
We know that the EU articles of agreement mandate that exit negotiations need to be concluded within two years, and this can be extended, but a very lengthy transition could create a vacuum and hamper both trade and investment.
Ireland and Britain have been close partners in the European Union since they both entered the Common Market on the same day in 1973. But Irish companies now have to plan for a new reality, where tariffs, euro-sterling exchange-rate volatility and a changed regulatory and legal environment could all create serious challenges.
For businesses to plot a way forward, it is a case of the sooner, the better in regard to knowing the terms of the UK's future relationship with the EU.
We need to protect the EU, but I am in full agreement with Chancellor Merkel's comments that there is "no need to be nasty" to Britain over its "divorce" terms from the EU. Generosity must be the order of the day.
Inside or outside the EU, a co-operative working relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe is essential to the stability of our shared continent.
Despite the shock of the Brexit, Irish and German companies still have reasons to be optimistic about the future because:
German-Irish business relations will be further strengthened;
Ireland's international business profile will be raised; and
Germany and Ireland are on the same page on Brexit.
With a British exit, Irish businesses will naturally look for an alternative easy, low-cost, no-tariff trading partner. Germany can provide that alternative and the Brexit will mean a steady increase in Ireland's export and import relationship with Europe's strongest economy.
At the same time, Ireland's international business profile will be raised. International companies often enter the Irish market through their representatives in the UK. A Brexit means that Ireland will see many companies establish their own Irish centre of operations here and this will bring fresh opportunities and new investment.
Meanwhile, Ireland and Germany will work closely together at a political level.
Germany needs to trade with the UK, almost as much as Ireland. Both of our nations are on the same page on the need to ensure that the EU ultimately agrees a good and sensible deal with the United Kingdom.
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and members of his delegation take their places at the table opposite NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (R) and his delegation ahead of a meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Getty Images
Britain's departure from the European Union risks undermining Europe's new defence strategy, days before Nato and EU governments sign a landmark pact to confront a range of threats from Russia to the Mediterranean, officials say.
The European Union and the United States plan to use two separate EU and Nato summits in the coming days to push reforms of the West's two main security pillars, aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Washington in its own neighbourhood.
"Things are going to be a lot harder," said a senior Western defence official involved in EU-Nato cooperation. "Nato planned on linking itself up to a stronger European Union, not being the default option for a weakened, divided bloc."
Facing a more aggressive Russia, a migrant crisis and failing states on its borders, the European Union needs to "act autonomously if and when necessary", EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will tell EU leaders today, as she unveils a five-year global strategy plan.
That symbolic step, which urges governments to coordinate defence spending, has strong support from Germany and France. But it could look hollow without Britain, which has the largest military budget in the EU, diplomats say.
One of five EU countries with the resources to command an overseas military mission for the bloc, Britain has been a big contributor to EU-led operations, paying about 15pc of the costs and providing assets.
Britain also leads the EU's counter-piracy 'Operation Atlanta' mission off the Horn of Africa, has ships patrolling the Mediterranean and is committed to providing troops for EU battle groups - although they have never been deployed.
Mogherini's proposals to EU leaders will include a call for EU-led missions to work with a new EU border guard to control migrant flows. That could be harder without British ships.
"What Britain does matters," said Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "Britain is the biggest security provider in Europe."
But fearing plans for an EU army, Britain has resisted closer European defence cooperation.
British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said this month: "Nobody wants to see their troops controlled from Brussels."
Some hope that, without London blocking EU plans, France and Germany could lead what Berlin calls a "common defence union" to develop and share assets.
France has pushed the idea of an EU military headquarters, independent of Nato, to run missions.
After financial crises that have cut defence spending and Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, EU governments have said they will do more to guarantee their own security and cannot rely on the United States indefinitely.
As part of that, Nato and the European Union will cement their growing cooperation from the Baltics to the Aegean at a Nato summit in Warsaw in July. At the EU level, governments are discussing a common defence fund to pool resources to develop helicopters, drones, ships and satellites.
Until Britain's referendum vote to leave the EU, the United States had been looking to Britain, its main ally in Europe, to act as a bridge between Nato and the EU in the process.
That was designed to allow Washington to focus on other worries, including a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and China's militarisation of islands in the South China Sea.
Such concerns were underscored by US Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday, who flew to Brussels to meet Mogherini and Stoltenberg.
"The United States cares about a strong EU," Kerry said.
Immediately after Britain's referendum last week, Stoltenberg said Britain had assured him it remained committed to upholding Western stability. Britain could also join EU missions, even outside the bloc, as Canada and non-EU member Norway have done, although it would not be able to shape long-term strategy.
For now, the United States' focus appears to be urging Britain to take an even bigger role in Nato and avoid isolation.
David Cameron has said that hate crimes targeted at migrants in the UK in the wake of the EU referendum must be 'stamped out'. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire
David Cameron has said that hate crimes targeted at migrants in the UK in the wake of the EU referendum must be "stamped out".
The British Prime Minister vowed to "bring our country together" after a series of incidents, including racist graffiti on a Polish community centre in west London.
The National Police Chiefs' Council disclosed that reports of hate crime had risen by 57pc. It said there were 85 reports of hate crimes to True Vision, a police-funded reporting website, between Thursday and Sunday, against 54 reports over the same period four weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire Police is investigating after cards reading "Leave the EU - no more Polish vermin" were discovered. An 11-year-old boy, whose family moved to Britain from Poland three years ago, told the BBC he was going to school when he found a card containing the words on Friday.
It came as Sima Kotecha, a journalist who works on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme, revealed she had been subjected to racist insults in her home town of Basingstoke.
The PM hit out at those who have abused EU immigrants and black or Asian people, as he insisted the country "will not stand for hate crime". Speaking in the Commons, he said: "Let's remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country. We will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks, they must be stamped out."
Boris Johnson, who is expected to stand as a candidate for the Conservative leadership, said he was "appalled" by the reports of an increase in racism. He added that there was "no way" that EU nationals currently in the UK would lose their right to live and work here because of the referendum result.
News / National
by Staff reporter
POLICE yesterday arrested at least 30 Bulawayo youths protesting against grinding poverty and joblessness they blamed on President Robert Mugabe's government.The youths were arrested after they had gathered at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex, where they intended to deliver a petition to Bulawayo Provincial Affairs minister Eunice Sandi Moyo.They were taken to Drill Hall Police Station opposite Mhlahlandlela Government Complex.The anti-government protest march was organised by a local pressure group, Bulawayo Youths Arise (Buya).The youths were demanding the resignation of Mugabe and his administration to pave way for fresh elections and usher in a new government that will better the lives of hard-pressed Zimbabweans.Mthokozisi Ncube, the Buya co-ordinator, said the "struggle has begun" and vowed the pressure group will roll out more anti-government street protests."The struggle has begun, there is no turning back now. We have had enough of this suffering and we demand a better life," he said."We will be rolling many more street protests until the government listens to our grievances."The march, however, did not attract a massive turnout of Bulawayo residents as earlier anticipated, but Ncube said they were not deterred."We are moving ahead. Our message was heard by the people and we were heartened by whistles and cheers in a show of support to this cause," he said.Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Precious Simango could not be reached for comment.The protesters were reportedly later released without charge.A number of anti-government protesters have been nabbed over the past weeks, with the majority later released without charge.
One of the EU's most senior officials has said the European Commission has "no policy" on giving Ireland special consideration in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen has conceded that small countries are "more vulnerable" to the fallout of the UK referendum, but said it's "too early" to say if Ireland will be given the freedom to work out its own bilateral deal with Britain.
Mr Katainen, a former Finnish prime minister, has said a key priority for the Commission is to maintain stability.
But he warned: "Small countries are sometimes more vulnerable than the others in terms of financial instability."
On whether or not Ireland will be allowed to do its own deal with the UK, the Commissioner for Jobs said: "It's too early to take any position on this. The Commission doesn't have any policy on this."
He said the issue of when the UK will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the law that allows countries to leave the EU - is the first item to be negotiated. After that, the future relations between EU member states and Britain will be dealt with.
"I don't even want to speculate what will happen or what position the UK will have vis-a-vis the EU in the future. Time will show," he said.
He also told the Irish Independent that the Commission has no policy on whether or not it supports the retention of Ireland's corporate tax rate.
Asked if he was concerned that Ireland might leave the EU if it came under pressure to increase the 12.5pc rate by other member states, Mr Katainen replied: "There is no reason why we should speculate on these kinds of issues. As I said there is no pressure from us when it comes to the corporate tax rate in Ireland."
He praised Ireland's success in its economic recovery.
"Ireland, as we all know, has successfully come out of the [bailout] programme...Ireland has done a good job stabilising the economic situation.
"That is the reason why the growth has returned to Ireland. It's a good example to other countries that if you are doing right, but sometimes very, very difficult and even socially very costly measures, you can regain the confidence back."
Elsewhere, the European Commission has also said discussions about the future of the border with the North are "premature". A spokesman said the issue will only be discussed after the UK enacts Article 50.
"It would be very premature now at this stage to assess specific consequences in specific policy areas," the spokesman said, when asked it future arrangements will involve a policed border with barriers and customs controls.
Mr Katainen echoed Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker saying Britain should leave the EU quickly.
Mr Hayes said he did not believe Britain should suffer 'retribution' for the result of the referendum and that Ireland needed to be 'a bridge' between the UK and EU. Photo: Steve Humphreys
Dublin MEP Brian Hayes believes Ireland can benefit from Brexit by encouraging companies and agencies to move here.
Asked about the potential benefits, he said: "There are a lot of agencies - the European Banking Authority is one - that could move to Ireland."
He said its chairman had already warned that it would have to move out of the UK in the case of a Brexit.
Mr Hayes continued: "I think a eurozone country that speaks English and which has 10pc of its GDP in financial services is the kind of country that they would be looking at. So there is always opportunity and there is opportunity on the foreign direct investment side."
His Fine Gael colleague, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, believes that Ireland must seek to attract the European Medicines Agency and the European Bank for Reconstruction to move from London.
But Mr Hayes said he did not believe Britain should suffer "retribution" for the result of the referendum and that Ireland needed to be "a bridge" between the UK and EU.
"Enda Kenny is very well positioned to lead that kind of mediator role, he is very respected here in Europe," he said.
"A lot of people will be looking to Ireland to see how we should proceed in terms of the negotiation. In all of that, we have to be mindful of our own circumstance," he said, adding that Ireland should "call in" some of the respect that it has built up in Europe.
"We already have opt-outs on a whole range of issues and the question is will we have to have more opt-outs based on how the negotiations are going?
"It would be unacceptable if the British are leaving and creating competitive advantage for them. It would be unacceptable that we would be losing as a result of them leaving."
Mr Hayes said while it was early to talk about opt-outs and red lines, "This is something that the country needs to unite around, this is something that the Government should work closely with the opposition on."
Mr Hayes branded a meeting of the founding countries of the EU, in the absence of other member states, as "appalling".
The meeting of foreign ministers from France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and the Netherlands took place in Berlin at the weekend.
"I thought it was appalling,"Mr Hayes said.
"I think that sent out the wrong impression entirely. It's important that we work on a 27-member basis."
Meanwhile, Dublin MEP Nessa Childers spoke to the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, warning them that Ireland had "the most to lose from the Brexit vote".
"We will have an EU frontier on our small island, introducing passport controls that could set back the peace process in Northern Ireland," she warned.
Plans by the family-owned Hodson Bay hotel group to expand into the booming Dublin hotel market have come up against objections from An Taisce.
The heritage protection body lodged an appeal against Dublin City Council's decision to give the go-ahead to a new six-storey four star 263 bedroom hotel plan by the Hodson Bay Hotel Group in the Liberties near St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
The O'Sullivan family already operate the high-profile Hodson Bay hotel outside Athlone, along with the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone and the Galway Bay Hotel.
Planning documents lodged with the proposal state that the planned hotel "will ensure the regeneration of an under-utilised vacant urban site in the heart of the city, which has suffered from serious dereliction for many years and will serve as a counter-balance to Docklands and kick-start other developments in the surrounding area".
However, the hotel group's plans are being opposed by An Taisce who claim in their appeal to An Bord Pleanala that "in view of its excessive scale and bulk in relation to the historic medieval setting close to St Patrick's Cathedral, the proposal would be contrary to the provisions of the Dublin City Development Plan 2017".
A decision is due on the appeal in October this year.
Enterprise Ireland will pull its entire global staff home to help exporters here identify new markets in a bid to diversify away from our current reliance on the UK.
The State agency is calling in its global staff for a week-long think-in at the start of October where it will inform companies about new export markets.
"We have 32 offices around the world and the first week in October we're bringing home all the staff from the international offices and what they'll do is sit down in a one-to-one with companies in order to talk about other markets that might be relevant," Enterprise Ireland chief executive Julie Sinnamon said.
It is expected that around 70 to 80 advisors will return back to Ireland for the event.
Opening up alternative markets is the best long-term strategy for coping with the risk a Brexit event could lead to trade barriers between the two countries.
In the meantime financial hedging against volatility in the sterling market is the first piece of advice being offered to Irish firms.
The collapse in the value of sterling over the past week will hammer Irish companies exporting into the country's closest market. Businesses that have a cost base in euro and income in sterling will see margins squeezed and even risk being priced out of the market by UK rivals whose products are now cheaper.
"The first thing we're advising people to do is to make sure if you don't have hedging that you talk to your banks and that you understand and get good advice on the foreign exchange side, that's absolutely critical.
"The second part is helping companies to look at new markets, helping companies to look at their sub-supply chain, looking at their whole innovation and competitiveness side," Ms Sinnamon said.
Despite Britain's decision to leave the EU, the Enterprise Ireland chief executive said that growth in other markets will likely soften the blow of Brexit.
"The high-growth in the last number of years in food has been into the China market. It is predicted to actually overtake the UK as the number one market in a relatively short space of time.
"The UK is our number one export market, it was 45pc but today it's 37pc. I don't see us walking away from the UK market.
"The UK is still going to need to buy food, it is still going to need to buy timber, so there will be a re-pricing of products in the UK market as well as companies in Ireland needing to be as efficient as possible," Ms Sinnamon said.
Ms Sinnamon was speaking at the launch of Tech/Life, a new State and industry-backed initiative that will look to attract 3,000 tech workers to the country every year.
Tech/ Life Ireland chairman Karl Flannery said both industry and Government recognise the need to attract more talent.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan has taken a swipe at Europe's statistical agency Eurostat and the European Commission, arguing they need to "straighten out" how they apply strict budgetary rules on spending for member states.
The minister said any flexibility that could be applied surrounding the tough EU fiscal rules for member states needs to be made clear from early on to allow countries make investment plans.
He claimed larger countries like France and Italy had been given flexibility after they had broken the spending rules, adding the former "gives two fingers to the rules anyway".
"It's flexibility to avoid fines and sanctions. In other words you have to break the rules first, and then you get flexibility so that you're not sanctioned for breaking the rules," Mr Noonan said. "If you're in a model where you have to break the rules first, you can't plan an investment programme.
"So if any flexibility is built into the rules, it has to be ex-ante.
"There's no point in giving it at the end, unless you're a country like France which gives two-fingers to the rules anyway, and then goes away and makes their investment decisions."
The minister told the National Economic Dialogue at Dublin Castle yesterday that he agrees more money should be spent on investment.
But he said the Government was hamstrung by the fiscal rules which limits the spending ability of a member state.
"We're [Ireland] moving into a situation as we balance the budget where the restraints on us in the future will not be the availability of money to spend, it will be not being allowed to spend it under the fiscal rules. So flexibility is very important," the minister said.
Mr Noonan said there were also discrepancies between how the rules are calculated at the European level, and at member state level, because the rules are not based on nominal deficits or surpluses, but on structural deficits. These, he said, are "extraordinarily complex to calculate".
"There's quite a divergence between what's going on," he said.
"And it's not just an issue of flexibility. If the technical calculations about the structural deficit are not accurate, then you'll find that you're making macroeconomic policy based on the wrong point of the business cycle, and what you thought was counter cyclical is actually pro cyclical."
And he claimed Eurostat was doing "bizarre things".
He argued the statistical agency was taking decisions which were the opposite of what it had previously advised. He also said it was changing rules.
"This happened to us in Irish Water. They informed me and guaranteed it would be off balance sheet if we did what we did, and it was put on balance sheet," Mr Noonan said.
"It happened in the UK about a month ago where their total social housing programme on PPPs was put back on the balance sheet."
And he said the Government faced a similar situation when Europe classified as government spending the conversion of AIB's preference shares to ordinary shares during the latter's capital reorganisation. "Our ability to spend the money which we will have in the next three or four years is going to be dependent on legally whether we're allowed to spend it under European rules or not,"Mr Noonan said.
"But they'd better straighten our their rule making and make them before the decisions are taken rather than pulling the plug when you're halfway through a programme."
Mainstream Renewable Power, the energy firm headed by Eddie O'Connor, has secured a $117m financing deal to fund the development of wind and solar energy projects in Africa.
The funding package will enable the roll-out of 1,300 megawatts of power schemes across the continent by 2018.
The finance was secured by Lekela Power, a renewable energy business which is a joint venture between Dublin-based Mainstream and Actis, a global emerging market private equity firm.
Mr O'Connor said that developing Africa's power infrastructure and giving millions of people access to power and enabling the continent's economic growth "is one of the greatest challenges of our time".
The equity investment in Lekela Power was provided by investors including International Finance Corporation, which is part of the World Bank. IFC has a $5bn investment portfolio in Africa, investing in businesses and institutions there.
IFC has invested in Lekela Power via two of its funds - the IFC African, Latin American and Caribbean Fund, and the IFC Catalyst fund.
Lekela Power plans to build four more wind farms in South Africa, two wind farms and a solar plant in Egypt, and wind farms in Senegal and Ghana.
Mainstream and Lekela are aiming to help fulfil the objectives of a series of key international initiatives, including the Obama administration's Power Africa, which aims to add 30,000MW of cleaner power generation through government and private partnerships, and the UN's Sustainable Energy for All, which seeks to achieve universal access to power by 2030.
Mainstream Renewable Power is already active in South Africa.
Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers:
Irish Independent
* Enterprise Ireland will pull its entire global staff home to help exporters here identify new markets in a bid to diversify away from our current reliance on the UK.
The State agency is calling in its global staff for a week-long think-in at the start of October where it will inform companies about new export markets.
* Finance Minister Michael Noonan has taken a swipe at Europe's statistical agency Eurostat and the European Commission, arguing they need to "straighten out" how they apply strict budgetary rules on spending for member states.
The minister said any flexibility that could be applied surrounding the tough EU fiscal rules for member states needs to be made clear from early on to allow countries make investment plans.
* Risks to economic recovery and the Northern Ireland peace process will be Taoiseach Enda Kenny's trump cards when he seeks to make us a 'special case' in the Brexit negotiations.
The leaders of the 28 EU countries, including David Cameron, meet in Brussels today, where Mr Kenny will attempt to outline how the result of the referendum impacts on Ireland more than anybody else.
The Irish Times
* British prime minister David Cameron is to go in front of European Union leaders today for the first time since the UK decided to leave the 28-member bloc.
Mr Cameron's appearance comes after the prime minister announced he would resign from his role, leaving the future leadership of the country up in the air.
* Irish firms are moving to warn investors on future profits following Britain's decision to leave the European Union as analysts downgrade Irish stock rating.
According to a report in The Irish Times, Merrion Capital has said that when Irish public companies come out next, it will be to issue both profit warnings and challenging earning statements.
* Kingspan founder Eugene Murtagh and Ryanair's Michael O'Leary were amongst a raft of businessmen heavily affected by Friday's vote.
According to a report in The Irish Times, Mr Murtagh has seen his shareholding in Kingspan fall by 27pc, which represented a dip of 201m.
Irish Examiner
* Irish stocks were hammered yesterday as nearly 10bn was wiped off the value of the Irish Stock Exchange, as it is left reeling from Britain's decision to leave the EU.
According to a report in the Irish Examiner, shares on the exchange dipped by some 7.7pc after Friday's result before falling a further 9.9pc on Monday.
* An Taisce has stalled the Hodgson Bay Hotel group from building a new hotel in the Coombe area of Dublin City, near St Patrick's Cathederal.
According to a report in the Irish Examiner, An Taisce has appealed plans for a 263 bedroom hotel in the capital.
* The Irish State's investigation into the insurance industry is yet to review the rising costs associated with the motor insurance sector.
According to a report in the Irish Examiner, the review, which was ordered by finance minister Michael Noonan in January has yet to look into the area of rising premiums in motoring.
Carlow-based internet domain and web hosting firm Blacknight Solutions is to pay BT Ireland 4m to host its data centre, network and infrastructure services.
The multi-year deal will see Blacknight relocate a large part of its data infrastructure to BTs facility in Dublins Citywest.
Two years ago, Blacknight opened its own data centre in Carlow. However, the companys growth into European markets means it now needs more extensive facilities.
This is a significant investment for Blacknight, said Michele Neylon, chief executive of Blacknight. It will enable us to completely refresh and enhance our data infrastructure and expand our network capacity.
Blacknight provides servers, co-location services and cloud-based Windows and Linux applications. It is also one of Irelands biggest domain registrars and web hosting companies.
BT Irelands 183,000 square foot data centre in Citywest is a carrier-neutral facility.
The telecoms operator saw revenue increase by 7pc last year to 864m with growth in call volumes and data use in Ireland increasing in the final quarter of the year.
Amongst the firm's other Irish business deals in hte last year have been agreements with RSA Insurance, Sky Ireland and 3 Ireland.
The court had rejected the case in April, saying that Google's business model was a "win-win" proposition for both parties. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire
German publishers have appealed a Berlin court's rejection of a case in which they accused Google of abusing its market power by refusing to pay them for displaying newspaper articles online, a lawyer for the publishers said yesterday.
Germany's biggest newspaper publisher, Axel Springer and 40 other publishers had accused Alphabet Inc's Google of unfair treatment.
The court had rejected the case in April, saying that Google's business model was a "win-win" proposition for both parties.
Although Google had a 90pc share of the German market, the company was not treating certain publishers unfairly, the court said.
Jan Hegemann, a lawyer representing the publishers, told reporters that they would continue to press their case about Google's alleged abuse of market power, and had filed the appeal late last week.
The conflict centres on a long-standing row over payments for newspaper content, which Google makes freely available via its online platforms Google News, YouTube and other services.
While some in the media industry accuse Google of making money at their expense, the Silicon Valley company says publishers profit from advertising revenue generated through its site.
The unfair treatment allegation centred on what German publishers said were threats by Google to punish those media outlets which demanded payment, by only displaying abbreviated versions of their stories.
A related ruling on whether Germany publishers should receive payments from Google for displaying their news articles is still outstanding.
(Reuters)
A LEGAL action by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner querying the validity of the main channels being used for EU-US data transfers is "of the utmost importance to the United States and to the broader public", the US government says.
An unprecedented application by the US to join the High Court action will be heard next month, alongside similar applications by major Irish, European and US business and civil liberties organisations.
Commissioner Helen Dixon initiated the case following her draft finding last month Austrian lawyer Max Schrems had raised "well-founded objections" to the validity of EU-US data transfer channels, known as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).
Mr Schrems complained Facebook Ireland was transferring his data via SCCs to servers located in the US, where it was being processed, without ensuring sufficient protection for it as required under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
Use of SCCs has been approved under various European Commission decisions. However, concerns whether SCCs accord with data protection rights of EU citizens have mounted since the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) last year struck down the previous EU-US Safe Harbour data transfer arrangement.
After a seven month investigation, Commissioner Dixon has made a draft finding SCCs also breach privacy and data protection rights of EU citizens.
In her proceedings against Facebook Ireland (because Facebook's European headquarters is based in Dublin), the Commissioner wants the High Court, if it shares her doubts about the validity of the SCCs, to ask the CJEU to decide that issue.
The case was briefly mentioned yesterday before Mr Justice Brian McGovern in the Commercial Court, the big business division of the High Court.
He fixed July 7 to hear various applications to be joined to it as amicus curiae (assistant to the court on legal issues). Some of these applications are being contested, the court was told.
Ronan Lupton BL, for Digital Rights Ireland, said, due to opposition from Mr Schrems, DRI was not pursuing its application to be joined.
The judge will hear joinder applications by the US government; Business Software Alliance (supported by the US Chamber of Commerce); Irish Business and Employers Confederation and Digital Europe, representing the European digital technology industry.
A further joinder application is jointly brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information centre), both US-based data privacy watchdogs, are also among those who want to be joined.
US attorney Donna Chapin, of the US Department of Justice, said in a sworn statement the case was of the "utmost importance" to the US government.
Security
She said it raises issues concerning the legality, as a matter of EU law, of the present regime governing transfer of EU citizens' data to the US, "and the circumstances in which such data are accessed and processed on law enforcement and national security grounds".
The US was best placed to provide an "accurate, up to date and comprehensive account" of the relevant US legal regime concerning access to data by government authorities, including available redress measures, she said.
The Commissioner had said she had received unsolicited submissions last month from the US concerning the Privacy Shield Framework, Ms Chapin said.
She had formed her own "independent view" after seeking independent expert advice on certain matters of US law but that advice had not so far been seen by the US government, Ms Chapin said.
News / National
by Staff reporter
ZIMBABWE lost 800 megawatts early this morning after there was a system disturbance at Insukamini, resulting all power imports being lost, but the situation is being rectified and by the end of the day, power will be restored, Zesa has said.In an interview, Zesa spokesman, Fullard Gwasira said the system disturbance occurred around 5.15am on Tuesday and resulted in the country losing power imports from Hydro Cahora Bassa, South Africa and Zambia."All power stations, expect Hwange, tripped when the disturbance happened," he said."Hwange Power Station did not trip because of the works that we have been undertaking."Our engineers are working on the issue and, by the end of the day, power would be restored and so far 95% of the power has been restored."He said the country had 300 megawatts of power after the system disturbance.
The roads leading to Dublin from all parts of the country are set to be busy this Saturday.
Drivers from all four corners of the State are set to rally in the city centre at around noon to protest at soaring motor insurance rates.
Up to 6,000 cars are expected to travel to the event, being co-ordinated by Kerry travel agent Kian Griffin.
This could mean up to 15,000 people rally over rising insurance rates, assuming three people to a car.
The sheer cost of motor cover prompted Mr Griffin to organise the monster rally in Dublin to protest about what is going on and decry the lack of action from the Government and the regulators.
Mr Griffin is 24 and drives a 15-year-old car. This means he gets hammered on his motor cover.
Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has been invited to speak, but there is no sign yet that he will be there.
However, among the speakers set attend are Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath, Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty, and the Punt's colleague Charlie Weston, who has been highlighting issues with motor insurance and warning of rising premiums for two years.
The plan is to send a message to the Government and the Central Bank that action is needed now to change some of the factors driving premiums up.
Carney coming under pressure
Mark Carney's been at the helm of the Bank of England three years this week, and Bloomberg is now wondering whether it's time he departed.
The 51-year-old Canadian said he will likely realise that his credibility is in question after Britons pushed aside his repeated warnings over the economy and voted to quit the European Union.
That decision not only forces Carney into another round of financial fire-fighting, but hands a victory to those pro-Brexit politicians who attacked him during the campaign for scaremongering and accused him of favouring the Remain side.
With Prime Minister David Cameron stepping down, his successor could even be one of those critics.
"Politically, Carney is now in a very difficult position," David Blanchflower, a former BOE policy maker now at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, told Bloomberg Television.
With pressure on global stocks and the value of the pound, a departure by the head of the UK's central bank could do even further damage.
Aynsley to help out the Greeks
Mike Aynsley, the former chief executive of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation - previously Anglo Irish Bank - has been made a non-executive director of the National Bank of Greece.
His appointment was ratified by the board a few weeks ago ahead of the bank's annual general meeting in Athens this Thursday.
Shareholders will also be asked on Thursday to approve Aynsley's appointment to the audit committee of the bank.
An Australian, Aynsley (pictued below) was appointed CEO of IBRC in September 2009, and held the role until February 2013, when the toxic bank was liquidated by the government.
Early this year, he was appointed a non-executive director of Mitsubishi UFJ Securities. In 2014, he was appointed a non-executive director of Dahabshiil, Africa's largest money transfer firm.
He co-founded Prospera, a consultancy specialising in distressed bank and corporate restructurings.
He founded it with Richard Woodhouse, who was IBRC's head of specialised asset management.
The Bank of Greece made a 4.27bn loss last year, fuelled by impairment provisions.
Alison comes face to face with Kyle. Alison Slater (DENISE WELCH), Kyle (RILEY CARTER MILLINGTON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron
Riley Carter Millington plays the first transgender character on Eastenders
EastEnders star Riley Carter Millington has praised the show's fans for the "overwhelmingly positive" reception they have given him but admits he struggled with his identity as a youngster.
The 22-year-old, who has played Kyle Slater since 2015, became the first transgender actor to play a transgender character in the BBC One soap.
However, he admits that he struggled to be honest with his parents about his identity when he realised he wanted to change gender.
"I tried to drop hints by playing Beyonce's If I Were A Boy from my bedroom," he told the Radio Times.
Expand Close Stacey Branning (LACEY TURNER), Kyle (RILEY CARTER MILLINGTON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Stacey Branning (LACEY TURNER), Kyle (RILEY CARTER MILLINGTON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron
"Then I was in a clothes shop with my mum and was buying a man's t-shirt and I just decided to come out with it then and there."
Millington, who now resides in Hertfordshire, said his own family have been "very supportive" to him.
"Obviously, they were surprised - not as much was known about transgender issues six years ago."
The actor told the magazine that the process of transitioning is "slow and can be frustrating".
He recalled problems he had getting repeat prescriptions and syringes for his hormones when he was based in the north because it meant trips down to London.
Millington added: "But it's worth doing right because this is for life."
Expand Close Alison comes face to face with Kyle. Alison Slater (DENISE WELCH), Kyle (RILEY CARTER MILLINGTON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Alison comes face to face with Kyle. Alison Slater (DENISE WELCH), Kyle (RILEY CARTER MILLINGTON) - (C) BBC - Photographer: Kieron McCarron
He also spoke about how his life has changed since signing on for the long-running series.
He said: "It's weird to have people following me around in shops!"
Video of the Day
The Manchester-born actor also described how his high profile role is increasing understanding.
Millington said he received a letter from a "trans guy" who had been disowned by his mother, but they are now reconciling because she had seen a similar storyline with Kyle in EastEnders.
In the soap, former Coronation Street star and Loose Women panellist Denise Welch played Alison Slater, Kyle's mother.
Alison was depicted as having difficulty accepting that the daughter she gave birth to has transitioned into a man.
Kyle was born Sarah Slater, but struggled to live as the person he always felt he was inside.
In the Walford-set soap, Kyle has an accepting half-sister in Stacey Fowler, played by Lacey Turner.
So far, many of his storylines have revolved around their family connections.
"I'm very happy on EastEnders and Kyle's story has a lot to give," Millington said.
"People think gender is the same as sexuality - they've been asking if Kyle is going to get with Ben Mitchell (played by Harry Reid) - but Kyle's not gay.
"It would be interesting to see him dating girls."
Transgender actors are beginning to make an impact on television, with Rebecca Root in comedy Boy Meets Girl and Hollyoaks' Annie Wallace also leading the way.
Laura Whitmore is seen backstage at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Friday June 24, 2016. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire
Laura Whitmore has missed out on the chance to present the next series of The Xtra Factor.
The Bray native was long rumoured to be in the running for the coveted hosting gig since the announcement that current presenters Marvin and Rochelle Humes would not be returning.
The 30-year-old was said to have impressed producers of the singing competition when she screen-tested for the show that has previously been hosted by the likes of Holly Willoughby and Caroline Flack.
However, Laura has lost out on the spot to TV star Matt Edmondsen.
Expand Close Laura Whitmore is seen backstage at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Friday June 24, 2016. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Laura Whitmore is seen backstage at the Glastonbury Festival, at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Friday June 24, 2016. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire
The BBC Radio One DJ was recently announced as the spin-off show's new face with no co-host named.
Laura was not the only Irish star who was said to be up for the high-profile gig.
Expand Close Matt Edmondsen. Photo: BBC / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Matt Edmondsen. Photo: BBC
Former Westlife star and 2fm host Nicky Byrne was also rumoured to be on show bosses' wishlist.
The Dubliner could not find the time to screen-test for the gig due to his recent Eurovision commitments.
Meanwhile, Laura cut loose at Glastonbury over the weekend alongside stars like Millie Mackintosh and long-time pal Niall Horan.
Jamie Dornan as Pat Quinlan in The Siege of Jadotville
UNDER FIRE: Jamie Dornan has been criticised for his remarks in an interview
Jamie Dornan will return to TV screens... but this time as an Irish soldier.
The Fifty Shades of Grey star will play Irish soldier Pat Quinlan from Waterville, Co Kerry.
The movie, titled The Siege of Jadotville, is being made by Netflix and is based on the true story of Irish troops in the Congo during the 1960s.
Dornan, from Hollywood, Co Down, plays Commander Pat Quinlan, who was part of a small group of UN peacekeeping troops who found themselves surrounded by hostile forces in the Congo in 1961.
Expand Close Jamie Dornan as Pat Quinlan in The Siege of Jadotville / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Jamie Dornan as Pat Quinlan in The Siege of Jadotville
The soldiers fought 3000 Congolese troops for over a week and only signed a ceasefire deal when they ran out of ammunition.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: The story of how Pat Quinlan led his troops against an overwhelming force without losing a single man is one of the great stories of the 20th century, and we are proud to be working with such a talented and committed team to bring it to life.
"This film will be an amazing addition to our global original films initiative.
The movie will get its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh on July 9.
Some of the puppies discovered in the boot of a car at Cairnryan in Scotland before being returned to Ireland
Some 20 adorable puppies have been seized by the ISPCA after staff at its Scottish counterpart found them smuggled in a car boot at a ferry port in Scotland in a suspected puppy-farm operation.
The puppies are aged between four and eight weeks old. But some - including a number of shih tzu puppies - were only between four and six weeks old and had to be hand-fed by ISPCA staff because they were not yet weaned from their mother.
Expand Close All puppies were returned to Ireland after a failed attempt by their owner to sell them in the UK market. / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp All puppies were returned to Ireland after a failed attempt by their owner to sell them in the UK market.
ISPCA chief executive Dr Andrew Kelly described the owner as having "no regard for their welfare".
The puppies, which came from the Republic, were seized at the Cairnryan ferry port by the Scottish SPCA as part of Operation Delphin - a joint initiative between the Irish and Scottish animal welfare organisations targeting puppy farming.
None of the puppies were in poor health. But they were all too young to travel and did not have the required pet passports.
They were microchipped but not registered on an approved database, as is required by law. The puppies included shih tzus, bichon frise, cavalier King Charles spaniels, pugs and cocker spaniels.
Expand Close None of the puppies were in poor health. But they were all too young to travel and did not have the required pet passports. / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp None of the puppies were in poor health. But they were all too young to travel and did not have the required pet passports.
They were given veterinary exams at the ISPCA's headquarters at Longford and will be put up for adoption once they are old enough to be spayed and neutered.
Anyone interested in providing a loving home is asked to contact the ISPCA on 043 33 250 35 or ispca.ie.
A TEACHER at a private fee-paying school in south Dublin has brought a legal challenge over how it dealt with a complaint alleging he called a male student a little b**ch.
Pierce Dillon (55) denies using such language and has challenged the formal procedure adopted by Catholic University School in dealing with a complaint made by the teenagers parents over events on May 8/9, 2014.
In his High Court action, Mr Dillon alleges there was no basis under which an allegation of name calling morphed into a claim of inappropriate behaviour.
He claims a February 2015 finding of "inappropriate behaviour and language" against him was unjustified and unfair.
As a result of that finding, Mr Dillon received a final written warning in April 2015 under a disciplinary procedure.
Mr Dillon was told this was a Marist Catholic school known for the kindness and humanity with which it treats pupils and his behaviour fell short of its expectations, the court heard.
He was told it was expected he would follow school procedures and the final warning would be active for 12 months after which, subject to his satisfactory performance, it would expire.
The warning has so expired, the court was told.
Mr Dillon's case, outlined by his counsel Mark Connaughton SC, centres on claims the school applied the incorrect procedure for dealing with the complaint.
Feichin McDonagh SC, for the school, said it implemented the appropriate procedure and the entire case rested on a "misconception".
In correspondence read to the court, Mr Dillon accused the school of adopting a "Thatcherite" solution to industrial relations and a procedure with "all the hallmarks of a kangaroo court" which "reflects badly on the Marist ethos".
The school described that language as "unhelpful and inappropriate", rejected Mr Dillon's claims he was not given an opportunity to engage with the procedures and maintained it acted in accordance with the Marist ethos.
The case opened before Mr Justice Michael Twomey on Tuesday and will resume later on a date to be fixed.
The court heard the teenage student claimed, after he was late on May 8, 2014, for Mr Dillon's class due to talking to another teacher, Mr Dillon told him he was continually disrupting the class, always moaning and was a little b**ch.
The student also claimed, after he told Mr Dillon the following day he could not attend class due to a school sports commitment, he was told he would be kicked out of class for three weeks.
The boy alleged he told Mr Dillon he was not allowed call him a little b**ch and Mr Dillon had denied doing so. The student claimed he told Mr Dillon he was a coward and the teacher shut the door in his face.
Another student made corroborating statements in relation to those events but the school said those were not relied on in the decision on the complaint.
The students father separately complained to Mr Dillon at a parent
teacher meeting the teacher called his son a stupid twot, the court heard. Mr Dillon denied that but had said he would sometimes call students twits.
Mr Dillon claims the handling of the complaint was unfair, in breach of his rights and the schools own procedures, and has caused him hurt and distress after 34 years service as a teacher.
Mr Connaughton said a formal complaint was made in June 2014 after the students parents were unhappy with an informal process. Even before the school moved to a formal disciplinary procedure, Mr Dillon raised concerns about how the matter was being dealt with, counsel said.
This matter was dealt with under a 2009 revised disciplinary procedure and the finding of inappropriate behaviour did not flow from what was initially put to Mr Dillon, counsel argued.
The school then proceeded to address sanction, "brushing aside" the protections that should be available, and allowing no appeal, he said.
Rebecca Conroy alleged that the incident happened when she was on a tram with her mother and three other people Photo: PA
A 17-year-old teenager, who claimed she was defamed when she was publicly described as a pickpocket on a Luas tram, was today awarded damages in the Circuit Civil Court.
Rebecca Conroy alleged that the incident, which is denied by Luas operator Veolia Transport Light Rail Ltd, happened when she was on a tram in Smithfield, Dublin, on 16th April 2011, with her mother, Marion Conroy, and three other people.
Cormac Quinn, counsel for Rebecca, told the court that the group had just boarded the streetcar when the driver announced over the loudspeaker system that pickpockets had boarded the tram and passengers should take care of their belongings.
Rebecca, of Deansrath Lawn, Clondalkin, Dublin, claimed that the announcement had been directed at her and afterwards passengers had been looking at her. She had felt they did not want to sit beside her.
The teenager alleged in her Civil Bill, which claimed damages of up to 38,000, that her mother made a complaint to the Luas driver who had told her that he had been instructed to make the announcement as he thought they were Romanian gypsies.
Rebecca, though her mother Marion, sued Veolia Transport Light Rail Ltd, for defamation. She claimed she had been shamed, humiliated, highly embarrassed and distressed and was now reluctant to use the Luas.
Veolia Transport, which had delivered a full defence to Rebeccas 38,000 damages claim, denied the incident had occurred in the manner alleged or that the words had been directed towards her.
It claimed the driver issued an announcement after having been expressly instructed by An Garda Siochana to notify passengers that there may be pickpockets operating in the area.
The company claimed the tram driver had therefore republished the public warning and had said Please take care of your personal belongings as there may be pickpockets operating on the tram.
Mr Quinn, who appeared with Eugene Smartt solicitors, said the company had made a 2,500 settlement offer to Rebecca, which he recommended to the court. Judge Groarke approved it.
It is believed that outstanding claims have also been made by all of the other members of the group accompanying Rebecca on the day.
UP to 15 gardai had to physically remove a woman from the Criminal Courts of Justice when she caused a disturbance after being told to leave by a judge.
The woman began shouting and resisting attempts by officers to escort her out of the building's main hall in the middle of the day.
She was then arrested, put in a patrol van and driven away.
The incident unfolded while a sitting of Dublin District Court was taking place in recent days.
At around midday, the woman began to talk and mutter loudly while the court was in session before presiding judge Michael Walsh.
She had been sitting in the public gallery with a number of bags of belongings since the courtroom opened and and began to speak loudly as the day progressed.
No case involving her had been called at that point.
Judge Walsh asked for silence before gardai present tried to escort the woman out.
She refused to stand up or leave her seat and began to shout as two to three gardai lifted her up and brought her out into the hall.
While there, she continued to shout and resisted attempts to move her on. Eventually, assistance was called for and a large number of gardai, many of whom were wearing stab-proof vests, lifted and walked the woman to the front door of the complex on Parkgate Street.
Specialist gardai have seized a high-powered car, cash and other items from an individual listed on their 'top 10' involved in crime and drug dealing in the north inner city.
Criminal assets profilers from Store Street Garda Station in the north inner city have been tasked with seizing the proceeds of crime from a number of criminals in their district.
The individuals are suspected by gardai of being involved in organised crime as well as the sale and supply of drugs.
In a significant operation in the early hours of Saturday morning, officers from the Dublin Metropolitan Region's North Central Division carried out a raid on a property linked to one of their prime targets in the Summerhill area.
Read more: 'Gardai don't need new anti-gang laws, they need boots on ground'
Read more: Kenny accuses Adams of 'political line' on inner city inequality issues
Suspected
During the raid, a high-powered car - estimated to be worth in the region of 30,000 - and a four-figure cash sum were seized, along with items suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
Some of the criminals being targeted have links to members of the Hutch gang, currently embroiled in a bitter feud with the Kinahan cartel, following the death of Gary Hutch in Spain last year.
Chief Superintendent Pat Leahy - who is in charge of policing for the north inner city - said that the seizure sent out a "strong statement" to criminals operating in the area.
"From everyone's perspective, it was a very strong statement to see the car loaded onto a low-loader in the early hours of Saturday morning and being carted off, and lots of other stuff was taken as well," Chief Supt Leahy told the Dublin City Council central area Joint Policing Committee.
"They (criminals) were left in no uncertain terms that this was the local criminal assets profilers in Store Street.
"They have 10 targets, and that was one. I said at the last meeting it was going to be done and we got it done," the senior officer added.
Chief Supt Leahy also revealed how the criminal had been the prime target of local gardai over the past three years, and that operations will continue against nine other targets.
Gardai are acting on the concerns of local residents over 'problematic' criminals dealing a variety of drugs from heroin to 'benzos'.
Operations
Despite the proposed introduction of a 'Mini Cab' to seize the assets of organised crime gangs, the operations being run by Store Street gardai are in conjunction with the local drug unit.
So far this year, 815,000 worth of drugs have been seized in the north inner city - including over 360,000 worth of ecstasy and heroin worth 106,000.
The Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) previously dealt a significant blow to associates of the Kinahan cartel when they carried out a number of raids in the Crumlin and Drimnagh areas of the capital earlier this year.
During the high-profile raids - which were carried out due to the increased tensions in the capital - over 1m worth of assets, including luxury cars and watches, were seized.
The European Commission has rejected claims that English would be dropped as an official language in the EU following the Brexit referendum vote.
On Monday, Polish MEP and chair of the European Parliaments constitutional affairs committee Danuta Hubner said that English would be banned once Britain leaves the EU.
English is our official language because it has been notified by the UK. If we dont have the UK, we dont have English, Ms Hubner told a news conference on the legal consequences of the British referendum to leave the EU.
The claims led people to speculate on Twitter what the EU would be like without the English language - including how every piece of communication and legislation from Ireland would need to be translated into Irish.
However, Independent.ie can confirm English will only cease to be used if every member state of the EU votes to scrap it.
Each member state has the right to nominate one primary language, and although English is in everyday use in both Ireland and Malta, it is not registered as the official language by either country.
There are 24 official languages in the EU. The first official language of Ireland is Irish, while Malta chose Maltese.
However, the European Commission Representation in Ireland has described Ms Hubners claim this week as incorrect.
A spokesperson told Independent.ie that English would only cease to be an official language of the EU if every member state voted to scrap it.
The Council of Ministers, acting unanimously, decide on the rules governing the use of languages by the European institutions, the spokesperson said.
In other words, any change to the EU Institutions' language regime is subject to a unanimous vote of the Council, including Ireland.
They added that the provisions are contained in Article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
GARDAI have appealed for witnesses over the drowning of a man in the Grand Canal 10 days ago.
The man, who was in his early 20s, died after getting into the water in the Portobello area of Dublin in the early hours of Saturday June 18.
Gardai said he was about 5'8" tall, with black hair and was wearing a black and blue shirt when he got into difficulty while swimming at about 4.25am.
It is understood a number of other people were in the area at the time as well as passing motorists and people walking home.
Officers said the man's death is not being treated as suspicious but they appealed for anyone who was in the Portobello area between 4am and 4.45am on June 18 to contact them in Terenure, any Garda station or to use Garda confidential lines.
Next-door neighbour Robert Burke with a Missing flyer for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June, outside Karen's house on Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn
A search party of friends and neighbours with Missing flyers for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June, outside Karen's house on Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn
Sgt Carrie O'Connor and Insp John Burk of Finglas Garda station appeal for information on missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. Picture: Gerry Mooney
Sgt Carrie O'Connor and Insp John Burke of Finglas Garda station appeal for information on missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. Picture: Gerry Mooney
Sgt Carrie O'Connor and Insp John Burke of Finglas Garda station appeal for information on missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. Picture: Gerry Mooney
There has been another sighting of missing 44-year-old Karen Scott, gardai have said.
The Finglas woman, who has Down Syndrome, has been missing since Friday.
Gardai said this evening that Ms Scott was at a licensed premises located on Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 on Friday.
She was seen on CCTV leaving the premises at around 9.40pm.
Expand Close Missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Missing Dublin woman Karen Scott.
"She turned left on exiting the premises and can be seen turn left onto D'Olier St. She was wearing the same clothes as originally reported and she was in possession of her suitcase." a garda spokesperson said.
Gardai renewed appeals today for help in finding missing Dublin woman Karen Scott.
Expand Close Next-door neighbour Robert Burke holds a Missing flyer for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June. Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Next-door neighbour Robert Burke holds a Missing flyer for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June. Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn
"Our greatest concern is she has Downs Syndrome and has special needs," said Garda Inspector John Burke at Finglas garda station.
"She is well-known in Finglas and a group of 50 people have mobilised in the local community to search for her," he said.
"She is very personable and enjoys people's company. She's very friendly and open," he said.
"We are appealing to the public to pass on any information," he said.
Expand Close Sgt Carrie O'Connor and Insp John Burke of Finglas Garda station appeal for information on missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. Picture: Gerry Mooney / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Sgt Carrie O'Connor and Insp John Burke of Finglas Garda station appeal for information on missing Dublin woman Karen Scott. Picture: Gerry Mooney
Karen (44) was last seen when she left her home in Finglas at around 3.30pm on Friday last.
She is 5'4'' tall, of medium build, with blue eyes and short blonde hair.
Expand Close A search party of friends and neighbours with Missing flyers for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June, outside Karen's house on Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp A search party of friends and neighbours with Missing flyers for Karen Scott, missing since Friday 24th June, outside Karen's house on Barnamore Grove, Finglas, Dublin. Picture: Caroline Quinn
When last seen she was wearing white runners, a peach coloured hoodie top, and black jeans.
"Karen had a small red suitcase containing items of clothing so she could have changed her clothes.
"The clothes she had included bright tops, yellow and green, a mini-skirt and shorts'" he said.
She was last seen on Berkeley Road in Phibsboro.
Gardai are following 'a number of lines of inquiry' including a number of possible sightings. One of the sightings reported was in Penneys in Cork City and gardai were investigating that possibility, he said.
Karen had never travelled outside Dublin, he said.
She did not use a travel pass on local buses as she was a 'well-known' figure.
"The furthest she travelled was to the city centre," he said.
A Civil Defence has also joined in the search, he added.
The Finglas woman has been four days now and her family are increasingly fearful for her.
"She has no money or bus pass, so we can't see how she could have travelled anywhere," said one neighbour this morning.
"Another search party will go into the city this morning. There are so many flats and bedsits in the city she could be anywhere," she added.
In the CCTV footage, Karen appears to be pulling a small suitcase with a handle and wheels behind her. Her mother, Kathleen, said her family were worried about her.
Karen is very independent and knows her bus routes and everything and she has gone out before on her own but she has always come back that night. This time it is different, Kathleen said.
We are very concerned for her. There have been no sightings since Friday.
I had been up in Finglas village with her doing some shopping earlier and when we got home she said she was going upstairs for a lie down. I dozed off on the couch myself for a while and when I woke up she was gone.
A group of friends and neighbours are organising a leaflet drop in the area and searches are also taking place in the city centre near where Karen was last seen.
Anyone who has seen Karen or who can assist in locating her is asked to contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 6667500 or any garda station.
President Michael D Higgins will receive an honorary degree from Edinburgh University today.
Mr Higgins will be presented with a Doctor of Laws during a ceremony at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on the second day of an official visit to Scotland.
The president met on Monday with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and hailed the historic ties between Scotland and Ireland during an address to Glasgow's Irish community at an event at the Govanhill neighbourhood centre.
Mr Higgins said the heritage, culture and language of the two nations were ''deeply interwoven'', allowing for a ''profound connection and understanding" between their people.
On Wednesday the president, who is joined on the trip by wife Sabina, will address MSPs at Holyrood and meet with Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh.
Mr Higgins will leave Scotland for France the following day ahead of a commemorative event to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.
The decorated garda who targeted John Gilligan and his murderous gang believes no group is untouchable and that the time will come for the countrys organised crime gangs.
Retired Assistant Garda Commissioner Tony Hickey, who was the Chief Superintendent in charge of investigating the murder of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin, also raised concerns over the disregard being shown for innocent people by contemporary criminals.
Im no expert and have no inside track but what I hear through the grapevine is that some of the Hutches were involved with the Kinahans at the highest level and for whatever reason there was a hit placed on one Hutch member, there was a meeting, money exchanged hands and it was like something out of The Sopranos.
I was at a seminar in the States a number of years ago with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the FBI. They talked about how the Mafia would go into a bar and shoot a man in the head and leave.
But then Colombians arrived to Florida to distribute cocaine. They would go into a bar and shoot up the entire place. Thats the difference and maybe thats the direction were heading? I dont know.
The former senior garda also discussed the dynamics of an organised crime outfit, and how internal paranoia can often lead to its downfall.
There is so much paranoia involved, there is no honour among thieves and the gangs dont trust each other deep down. They have to stay close to the action to make sure they dont get ripped off.
Gilligan himself was caught with money in Heathrow, because his bagman was arrested in Lucan.
(Martin) Cahill was lucky, on a number of occasions several units were close to catching him, but he got shot.
The same applies to the gangs right to the present day, their time will come as well and somebody else will take over, he said.
Tony Hickey also discussed the investigation into the murder of heroic journalist Veronica Guerin and how the lack of interaction with various national agencies made it difficult to target Gilligan and his gang prior to the killing.
Listen to the Paul Williams Podcast in full:
After securing Cabinet approval, Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will ask Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan to identify six stations that were closed amid great controversy in 2012 for re-opening on a trial basis. Photo: Steve Humphries
The Cabinet is today expected to kickstart plans to reopen six garda stations, as well as introducing an increase in rent supplement. Both proposals formed central planks of the Programme for Government.
After securing Cabinet approval, Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will ask Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan to identify six stations that were closed amid great controversy in 2012 for re-opening on a trial basis.
During this period, the new Policing Authority will assess the impact of the re-opening of the stations in terms of fighting crime, especially burglaries, theft and public-order offences.
The current garda district boundaries and the location of garda stations will also be examined by the independent body.
A government source said last night that no deadline would be given for the Commissioner to identify the six stations.
Meanwhile, Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney will seek formal approval to increase rent supplement levels.
The measure is one of several that underpin the so-called 'confidence and supply' agreement that was struck with Fianna Fail.
It is understood that the new limits will mean that people who cannot afford the full cost of private rented accommodation will receive greater assistance from the State from July, at a cost of 15m.
While the individual increases will be different per county, many local authorities will see increases of over 15pc.
The plan by the two ministers will also assist households currently on rent supplement who have to 'top up' to meet their rent.
The issue of abortion is also due to be discussed at Cabinet today ahead of the introduction of a bill that would allow for terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.
The Taoiseach is expected to tells ministers that Attorney General Maire Whelan has ruled that the legislation is unconstitutional.
The bill, which is being spearheaded by Mick Wallace TD , proposes that women should be allowed to have an abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality, where both a perinatologist and obstetrician deem the pregnancy to be non-viable.
Government sources last night said that Mr Kenny was not prepared to allow a free vote on the issue in a move that is likely to cause tensions with the Independent Alliance.
A number of Independent Alliance ministers, including John Halligan, Finian McGrath and Sean Canney, have demanded that no whip be applied.
Their group is due to meet today to discuss the bill.
Separately, ministers will also discuss a motion by the 'Independents 4 Change' group which calls for the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into the sale by Nama of Project Eagle, its Northern Ireland loans portfolio.
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny vowed to "make the case for Ireland's national interest" as he arrived at this evening's crunch European Council meeting on Brexit.
Mr Kenny is meeting in Brussels with European leaders including Britain's David Cameron as they discuss the fallout from last week's shock UK referendum result.
He pledged that Ireland will be "central" to the talks on the relationship between Britain and the European Union.
Mr Cameron is to face the 27 EU member States at dinner this even to explain the vote, and will return home as the other prime ministers and presidents discuss their next move tomorrow.
Arriving at the EU Council headquarters Mr Kenny said: "I'm going to make the case for Ireland's national interest here in terms of our economy, in terms of our Common Travel Area, in terms of the Peace Process and the border with Northern Ireland.
"Obviously discussions will take place eventually with respect of the relationship between the EU and the UK.
"We'll be central to that and obviously we want to be party to those discussions and those negotiations."
Mr Kenny said he wasn't in favour of a lengthy delay in Britain triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the law that allows for a member state to leave the EU.
However, he said: "I am happy that Prime Minister Cameron said he would like that the triggering of Article 50 will be taken by a new Prime Minister.
"I note that they're bringing that forward by a month. I think that's good. It gives that stability between now and that decision being made in respect of Article 50 and allows everybody else to focus on the issues that are going to arise here.
"While the economics apply globally, the politics apply regionally to individual countries," Mr Kenny added.
Asked if he will insist that the free movement of people remain along with free trade, Mr Kenny replied:
"Obviously it's a fundamental principle as you know of the European Union free movement of people, of goods and of services and that's always been a cornerstone principle of the Union for very many years and we stand by that."
He was also asked if the European People's Party - of which Fine Gael is a member - will agree to Ireland getting a better deal in the future Brexit talks, given our closeness to Britain.
The EPP's most powerful leader is Germany's Angela Merkel
Mr Kenny said that the EPP is "well aware of Ireland's position".
"I will articulate and our people will articulate very strongly what our vital national interests here are," he added.
FORMER Public Spending Minister, Brendan Howlin, has said a law before the Dail to suspend water charges effectively breaks EU law.
The Labour leader challenged Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald following an assertion yesterday by the EU Environment Commissioner that Ireland has no exemption on water charges.
Commissioner Karmenu Vella said Irelands earlier exemption ended in July 2010 when the Fianna Fail-Green Party Coalition told Brussels they were introducing water charges.
Mr Howlin, who was still a government minister two months ago, said legislation currently going through the Dail breached EU law. He said EU law takes precedence over the Irish Constitution and legislation.
The Oireachtas has never before knowingly been asked to contravene European law, the Labour leader said.
The Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, said the Government was acting in line with the law and the Constitution and the water legislation will proceed.
She said the issue had been fully debated by Cabinet and a meeting with the EU Commissioner was now scheduled.
Ms Fitzgerald rejected arguments by Anti-Austerity Alliance TD, Paul Murphy, that the EU was seeking to set aside the Irish general election outcome which was a vote against water charges.
Mr Murphy cited German socialist writer, Bertolt Brecht, saying the EU Commission wanted to dissolve the people and elect another. The AAA deputy said the EU was authoritian, capitalist and militaristic.
The Justice Minister also told Sinn Feins Mary Lou McDonald that Northern Irelands interests would be promoted by the Government in upcoming Brexit talks with the EU. She said Belfast, Dublin and London would cooperate at every level of negotiations.
Revenue officers seized cocaine worth over 750,00 yesterday at Dublin Airport.
Officers stopped and searched a 25-year-old Irish man who arrived at Dublin Airport from Paris, and discovered 11kg of cocaine in his luggage.
As part of their routine profiling, the officers searched the mans suitcase and found the drugs concealed in the back panels of four apparently empty rucksacks.
The cocaine has an estimated value in excess of 750,000.
Expand Close Revenue officers seized cocaine worth over 750,00 at Dublin Airport. / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Revenue officers seized cocaine worth over 750,00 at Dublin Airport.
The man was arrested at the scene and transferred to Ballymun Garda Station.
He appeared in court this morning, where he was charged with the sale, supply and importation of drugs and remanded in custody for one week.
Two men were being treated in hospital last night after they were stabbed in a remote area of south Dublin.
The violent incident took place at the Hell Fire Club in the Dublin Mountains yesterday afternoon.
Expand Close Gardai search for evidence. Pictures:Arthur Carron / Facebook
Twitter
Email
Whatsapp Gardai search for evidence. Pictures:Arthur Carron
Gardai attended the scene after the alarm was raised at approximately 3.45pm.
Two of the men were brought to Tallaght Hospital, where their conditions last night remain unknown.
Gardai from Rathfarnham Garda Station are investigating the incident, but there have been no arrests made so far.
The Hell Fire Club is the more commonly known name for Montpelier Hill, a popular walking spot in south County Dublin.
While investigations are at an early stage, it is believed the incident is not connected to any organised crime faction.
Officers are investigating if the injured men knew each other and were continuing to search for evidence in the area last night.
It was reported that the two victims were campers, but gardai were unable to confirm this last night.
Local councillor Francis Duffy, who doesn't live far from the scene, said it was a very unusual incident to happen in the area. "The area is a popular spot for families and hikers but it wouldn't be the sort of area that would attract field drinkers or people taking drugs," he told the Irish Independent last night.
"You get all sorts of walkers that go up there but it's a long way to walk," added the Green Party councillor.
A spokesman for the Garda Press Office said gardai are equally baffled as to what happened.
"We don't really know what went on," he said.
The Hell Fire Club is the name given to the ruin of a former hunting lodge, built around 1725 and situated at the summit of the 363 metre high Montpelier Hill.
Gardai combed the area yesterday evening, including a wooded area, and removed several evidence bags from the scene.
In reply to a parliamentary question from MEP Marian Harkin, the European Commission said Ireland 'made a clear commitment to set up water charges' and there is no provision 'whereby it can revert to any previous practice'.
The EU Commission has said there can be no going back on water charges in its clearest statement on the controversy to date.
The EU has signalled that Ireland is breaking EU law if the Dail seeks to abandon charging for water, as is expected after a nine-month consultation period agreed in the Programme for Government.
In reply to a parliamentary question from MEP Marian Harkin, the European Commission said Ireland "made a clear commitment to set up water charges" and there is no provision "whereby it can revert to any previous practice".
EU Affairs Minister Dara Murphy said he accepted the Commission's view on the issue and said a previous Irish government had signed up to a deal with Brussels back in 2010 which must be honoured. But People Before Profit said it showed the EU Commission's "contempt for democracy" and it urged more protests.
The statement by EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, of Malta, is the clearest verdict yet on water charges. It suggests that Ireland could be left open to significant EU fines unless a billing system is implemented.
Brussels officials signalled yesterday that EU court action is ultimately quite likely.
"Though in the current climate, after the outcome of the Brexit vote, it is hard to see any legal move soon," one official told the Irish Independent.
In his reply to Ms Harkin, Mr Vella said Ireland is signed up to Article 9 (4) of the Framework Directive since July 2010 and this sets down "strict conditions". He also said that any member state wishing to avail of flexibility under this provision needed to take a decision on what constituted an established practice.
"On the contrary, in the said plans, Ireland made a clear commitment to set up water charges to comply with the provisions of Article 9(1).
"Ireland subsequently applied water charges and the Commission considers that the directive does not provide for a situation whereby it can revert to any previous practice," the Commissioner said.
The statement is likely to reignite the war of words over water charges. Fianna Fail has claimed that it has legal advice which says that Ireland can legally scrap water charges.
However, Fine Gael continues to say that water charges cannot be reversed and recently Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that despite all the protests people will eventually end up paying for domestic water.
Legislation that allows for the suspension of water charges for nine months is to be debated in the Dail later this month. It will allow for the setting up of a commission which will make recommendations on the future of water charges.
Asked about the development, EU Affairs Minister Mr Murphy said the bulk of EU regulations were democratically agreed by the member governments and the European Parliament, both of which are democratically elected. He told presenter Matt Cooper on Today FM that politicians in all member states must stop blaming "faceless unelected bureaucrats" for decisions they signed up to.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the Commission's reply was "outrageous" and he warned of more street protests.
"The public need to be ready to take to the streets again if the EU attempts to subvert the democratic decision made by the Irish public in the recent election," he said.
However, Mr Murphy insisted the election was not a referendum on water.
"If we are going to change the system of water charges we must clearly show the EU how we are going to fund our obligations on water and waste water," he said.
Charlie Haugheys favourite Dublin restaurant is set to re-open for one night only, but all of the tickets have been snapped up within hours of going on sale.
Le Coq Hardi, which used to be located on Pembroke Road, was as renowned for its clientele as it was for its food, until it closed in the early 2000s.
Now, it's back for one night only as a collective pop-up by five celebrated Euro-Toques chefs, Ross Lewis, Kevin Thornton, Aidan McManus, Tim OSullivan and Lorcan Cribbin, coming together to do an event for the public.
The event is part of a series celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Euro-Toques in Ireland.
The five are set to return to John Howard's kitchen for a pop-up event on July 18, where they will prepare their own take on dishes from the restaurants menu.
On the night, guests will be treated to an introductory speech from John Howard and food writer John McKenna ahead of the five-course meal.
Tickets are priced at 150, but they sold out in a matter of hours.
Other events to celebrate the anniversary include a dinner at Dublins Luna restaurant on July 11 and a bacon-and-cabbage themed meal on July 25.
For more information, visit euro-toques.ie.
Acupuncture is becoming an appealing option for a growing number of allergy sufferers. The treatment has been practised in China since before the advent of metal technology - when a small, pointed stone tool was used to press on the points rather than puncturing the skin - and it is now gaining acceptance from conventional medicine in West.
Today, new acupuncture studies comparing the effects of the therapy against the standard available treatment, are showing that in the treatment of some allergies, acupuncture performs just as well as conventional medical interventions.
Recent research conducted by Dresden University, for example, has shown acupuncture to perform as well as standard antihistamines in the relief of allergic rhinitis - with one major difference: 80pc of patients in the acupuncture group still experienced improvement of symptoms 10 weeks after the end of the treatment period, compared to none of the drug group.
The report attributed this finding to the 'immunomodulatory effect' of the treatment. In other words, the key to the longevity of the symptom relief was the physical workings of acupuncture itself.
Both treatments acted directly on histamine release, but in very different ways. It was found that acupuncture worked through immune modulation, while the drug worked through immune suppression.
To understand how antihistamines work, imagine a game of musical chairs where all the histamines want to take a seat. When the drug molecules come into the room they take all the seats so that the histamines are left hanging around, unable to act. It's a good strategy, until the drug wears off and the body produces more histamine.
What happened in the acupuncture group was an increase in a signalling molecule called interleukin-10 (IL-10).
This immune chemical tells the histamine not to come out to play at all so that, instead, all the chairs in the room are empty. The amount of this native chemical being produced in the patients' bodies gradually increased during the acupuncture treatment period so that the offending histamine naturally reduced over the course of the treatments.
That explains the reduction in symptoms, but what's even more interesting is that 10 weeks later, when the participants were tested again for immune-system markers, the level of IL-10 in the blood had increased even more.
It was as if the participants' immune systems had learned something and had changed conduct. The needle stimulation set some behaviour in motion that then perpetuated itself. That's what modulation of the system means rather than suppression.
Scientific investigation using microscopy and gene-expression profiling has rightly identified allergy as an alternate immune response compared to the body's normal reaction to pathogens like bacteria.
There are specific immune soldiers, IgE antibodies and mast cells, that are responsible for those telltale signs of itching eyes, swelling, sneezing and running nose that are not the same as the soldiers for infections.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doesn't really make this distinction but it does acknowledge, in the chronic case, a separate cause for ongoing symptoms. TCM judges the immunity of the chronic allergy sufferer to be somehow lacking. In this case, the defensive mechanisms are seen to be compromised due to either inherited weakness or previous incidence of infections that weren't treated properly and left the body with residual inflammation and unresolved damage.
The TCM theory of what causes the symptoms of allergy and inflammation are down to an invasion of 'wind' that gives rise to 'fire' in the body. Use of such elemental terms in medicine seems outrageously esoteric and quite out of touch with the physical realities of molecular biology.
As someone with a scientific mind, it was something I found very difficult to grapple with when I first studied TCM. I was stunned then when I discovered that although the word for 'wind' in the environmental sense and 'wind' in the sense of pathogenic invasion is pronounced the same in Chinese, an important distinction is made in the written form.
The medical term is made up of two characters. One is the normal character for wind and inside this is drawn the character for a kind of maggot. Within this single pictogram is the concept that sickness enters the body via invisible organisms carried on the air.
This is precisely germ theory and it was recorded in Chinese medical texts written over 1,000 years before Louis Pasteur (of 'pasteurisation') proposed his theory of micro-organisms as the causative agents of disease in the 1850s.
While in Europe, we looked at people becoming sick on contact with rotting food and presumed there was foul air around this food that caused sickness upon inhalation, the Chinese saw minuscule worms appearing and growing on decaying biowaste and presumed that they must, at first, have been so small that they were invisible to the naked eye, but nonetheless, were present and light enough to float on the air.
In Austria, the health authorities there asked doctors what kind of natural therapies would be worth investigating. The majority of medics there considered TCM to be the most likely therapy to garner reproducible results and the most feasible for integration into mainstream healthcare regimes.
A biomedical engineer, Dr Gerhard Litscher, was assigned to lead the acupuncture arm of the investigations to ascertain whether this really is an effective and reliable technology.
Studies like the one at Dresden University mentioned earlier are quite convincing, but how can we know definitively the effect is not due to placebo?
Rather than conducting studies on ill patients and monitoring their disease progression, Dr Litscher is attempting to objectify the generalised effects of acupuncture on the brains of healthy volunteers. His team is finding that acupuncture can, in fact, supply quantifiable and reproducible results. In one study, using lasers for stimulation instead of stainless steel needles, an acupoint at the side of the nose was targeted for investigation. This point was also used in Dresden University's allergic rhinitis study because it treats blocked nose associated with rhinitis and common cold.
I was curious as to the outcome of the study because I've seen how this point can temporarily open blocked nasal passages within seconds of stimulating it. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography is a technique used in hospitals to check the health of the arteries in the brain. It was adopted in this study to monitor the speed of blood flow in the main cerebral arteries before, during and after laser-needle acupuncture stimulation. They determined that the blood flow velocity increased in the artery towards the front of the brain that supplies the nasal area, whereas there were no changes in the other arteries. The big significance in this data lies in realising that the body's resources can be redirected according to stimulation coming from specific points along the peripheral nerves.
Inflammation, which is the main source of undesirable symptoms in any allergy-associated illness, from pollen exposure to food intolerance, is particularly susceptible to alteration by acupuncture stimulation.
Conventional glucocorticoid drugs act at multiple sites to suppress inflammation. Taking them for relief of bothersome allergy symptoms is convenient and effective. If symptoms persist and the condition becomes chronic, acupuncture could be a chance to reeducate the immune system to work more efficiently.
A wealth of studies on the online database PubMed have identified a number of anti-inflammatory pathways that can be activated by acupuncture. One of them, the Hypothalamus Hypophysis Adrenal axis leads naturally to the secretion of cortisol, the body's very own supply of glucocorticoid, which is the best known anti-inflammatory hormone and drug.
Although acupuncture so far seems to have a limited effect for patients on long-term immunosuppressive drugs, or people with innate allergies, it appears to be very helpful for those who have developed various food sensitivities or recurrent allergic symptoms over time.
* Clare Foley is a practising acupuncturist with extensive training in hospitals in Beijing. She has a BSc in experimental physics and biology and is pursuing further research in biophysics. See facebook. com/ClareFoleyAcupuncture/.
It's strange how one bite of a sandwich can change the direction of a child's life forever. On a sunny September morning in 2009, as we sat innocently drinking coffee and eating paninis, we discovered that our then two-year-old son Cormac had a life-threatening food allergy.
Within minutes of biting the sesame-covered panini, he became very agitated and started clawing at his throat. When he couldn't be consoled, we headed home - by which time his eyes, ears and lips had puffed up and his torso was developing an all-over rash. Still in the dark as to what had just happened, we set off for the local surgery where an allergic reaction was confirmed.
By this time, Cormac had developed hives the size of saucers on his legs (urticaria) and was dispatched to A&E. This, it transpired, is one of the many stages of anaphylaxis - an allergic reaction which can vary in its manifestations, from a rash at best to a closing of the airways at worst.
Fortunately, on this occasion, Cormac's chest was not affected - which was miraculous, given that he is also asthmatic. Following blood tests, further bad news was to follow. Along with sesame seeds, Cormac was also allergic to the dreaded peanut.
We subsequently discovered that a peanut or sesame allergy is a reaction that occurs when your body mistakenly identifies peanuts as a harmful substance. When you eat peanuts or food containing peanuts, your immune system, which normally fights infections and diseases, overreacts and can cause a serious, even life-threatening response. The allergic reaction which occurs releases chemicals, including histamine, into your blood. These chemicals can affect different tissues in the body, such as the skin, eyes, nose, airways, intestinal tract, lungs, and blood vessels. It's not clear why peanuts trigger this response in some people, but it seems to be more common in children with a history of asthma or eczema.
We have asthma on both sides of Cormac's family, so chances are his condition is genetic.
Our lifestyle as a family had to change overnight. We were trained to use and carry an epinephrine pen (an injector pen that contains adrenaline) as well as antihistamine every time we eat out. Restaurants have become a game of Russian roulette: will I trust the staff member when they say there are no nuts or sesame in the dish? Recent EU allergen legislation has made it easier for Cormac to enjoy a trip to a restaurant, but a momentary lapse of concentration in a busy kitchen could still cost him dearly.
I often think of a young Dublin girl called Emma Sloan who died on O'Connell Street in 2013 after inadvertently eating satay sauce, and who was then refused an EpiPen without prescription from a nearby pharmacy. Her unnecessary death fills me with fear. I know how vulnerable you feel when away from home. When travelling anywhere, I automatically make a note of the proximity of the nearest hospital 'just in case'.
Cormac's school has his medical bag on standby and teachers have been trained to use it. His picture is on the staffroom wall along with others in the 'allergy gallery'. He brings his medicine to birthday parties, but can never tuck into party food like his pals. The phone is on standby in case the party host needs to get us quickly.
Every new item in a supermarket has to be nut/sesame checked and given that most labels now say 'may contain nuts' as a form of legal protection, choices are pretty limited. On aeroplane flights, a nut 'buffer zone' is made around his seat and clearance letters need to be provided for airport security checks for his pen and liquid medicine.
While Cormac accepts his lot, he is sometimes overwhelmed and reduced to tears by the restrictive nature of the condition. Like most children his age, he doesn't want to stand out from the crowd or be labelled. About 20pc of children outgrow this allergy, but five years on, his sensitivity shows no sign of abating. To monitor any progression in his allergy, in 2015, Cormac was offered a 'food challenge' under supervision in a Dublin paediatric hospital.
After swallowing a minuscule amount of peanut butter, it took just 30 seconds for a reaction to start and he was immediately administered antihistamine. His throat started stinging and his eyes became bloodshot, and despite being medicated so quickly, three hours later he was vomiting and cramping as this morsel made its way through his stomach and gut.
Cormac found this experience stressful and has built up a lot of anxiety around eating unknown products.
In the greater scheme of life, we know that there are far more serious conditions that a child may have, but our biggest fear is for a time when we won't be around to monitor him and he possibly makes the wrong judgment call on food - for example, a late night sesame burger bun or something fried in nut oil. Mistakes still happen: relatives forget; parents send nut/sesame products into school in lunch boxes and I myself once gave him hummus without realising that tahini oil was made from sesame seeds.
Our breakthrough came in 2014 when an article was published regarding successful oral immunotherapy (or desensitisation) treatment for children aged seven to 16 with peanut allergies in Britain.
Clinical trials had been carried out and published in the Lancet Medical Journal by a medical team in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. It was discovered that by introducing small amounts of peanut protein in powder form to patients over a period of time, almost 85pc of participants had become desensitised to peanut and therefore could avoid the serious risk of anaphylaxis if they ate something accidentally.
The treatment was only to be carried out in a highly supervised and controlled setting because of the element of risk.
I was very excited about these successful trials and eventually Cormac was assessed for suitability this May and offered a place on the immunotherapy programme under the supervision of Dr Andrew Clarke of the Cambridge Peanut Allergy Clinic in the hospital. However, the two-year programme costs nearly 19,000, and having tried to get support for funding, it transpires that we are prevented from applying for financial assistance under the HSE/EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (E112) as it is being carried out in a 'private clinic' in the hospital.
Frustratingly, we have also researched the HSE Cross-Border Healthcare Directive (CBD), which enforces a patient's right under EU law (Directive 201/24/EU) to seek healthcare abroad, to find that Cormac does not qualify for this as the treatment is not currently offered in a 'public' hospital in Ireland. It, therefore, cannot be costed for reimbursement.
It seems we are caught between two funding systems, the criteria of which are so specific that neither serve the health needs of this little boy, whose parents are more than prepared to travel back and forth for two years to another country to get him the potentially life-saving protection he will need for the future.
Premium
Colette Browne Opinion Every effort must be made to retrieve oral histories of mother and baby home survivors
With three days to go until the Mother and Baby Homes Commission ceases to exist as a legal entity, we are being told that audio recordings of hundreds of witnesses which were deleted may not actually be gone forever. It is another usual twist in a most emotional saga. For decades, survivors of mother and baby homes have been denied a voice and denied autonomy. When they fell pregnant, many through rape and abuse, they were marched to the doors of religious institutions.
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.
The reaction to the UK's vote to leave the EU has been dramatic. Sterling has fallen to levels not seen since 1985, David Cameron has resigned as prime minister, and S&P has said the nation's AAA credit rating is now "untenable".
Beyond the immediate reaction to the historic referendum result, however, Cameron leaves a damning longer-term political legacy which may now see not just a Brexit, but also the UK itself unravelling.
The tragedy is that this pathway was by no means inevitable, and stems in large part from the prime minister's own unwise decisions in office.
The EU referendum Cameron called was one of personal choice, not necessity, and reflected in large part his concerns in 2014 - before the last general election - that the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) posed a significant electoral threat to the Conservatives. Calling a referendum in these circumstances has proven to be a reckless gamble that has destroyed his premiership.
The UK's current constitutional settlement will now become further destabilised, with increased likelihood of a second Scottish independence referendum vote, and also the possibility of greater political uncertainty in Northern Ireland.
Unlike England and Wales, both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted last Thursday to remain. This is a point that has already been strongly emphasised by parties such as Sinn Fein and the Scottish Nationalist Party, which favour the further fragmentation of the United Kingdom.
Take the example of Scotland, which less than two years ago held an independence referendum, the aftermath of which has been a resurgent Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP). Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP Leader, has previously argued the United Kingdom should only exit the EU if all four constituency countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) individually voted to leave, an exceptionally unlikely scenario as she well knows.
Should the leave vote ultimately lead to the United Kingdom leaving the EU, which now seems most likely, it would increase the likelihood of a second Scottish independence referendum vote.
Sturgeon asserted last Friday that it is "highly likely" that she will seek such a second plebiscite, and given the strong attachment that many Scottish people have with the EU, it is quite possible that the country could vote for independence.
In Northern Ireland too, where all parties except the Democratic Unionist Party campaigned for a remain vote, the results could have destabilising effects with Sinn Fein leading the charge. Already, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, the most senior representative of Sinn Fein in the country's government, has called for a poll on a united Ireland, justified in part given that support for the EU is considerably higher in Northern Ireland than the UK average. For those who favour a strong United Kingdom, in a reformed EU, these developments are immensely concerning, and the end result is likely not just to have ramifications for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but also the rest of the world.
For the fact that a weaker United Kingdom would no longer punch so strongly on the international stage would also adversely affect its ability to bolster international security and prosperity at a time when both remain fragile.
Take the example of potential Scottish independence, which would undermine the UK's influence in multiple ways, including its voice in key international forums from the United Nations, G7/8, G20, and Nato.
As former Conservative prime minister John Major has argued, the union would be perceived to be harmed "if a chunk of it voluntarily chose to leaveIn every international gathering that there is, the voice of Britainwould be growing weaker because we would have had a political fracture of a most dramatic nature".
Perhaps most prominently, the break-up of the union could be seized upon by some non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), and/or other UN members, to catalyse a review of UK's membership of the council.
To be sure, reform of UNSC is overdue. However, Scottish independence could see this issue being decided upon less favourable terms for Britain than might otherwise be the case.
Budgetary cuts forced by the loss of Scotland's tax base could also impact the UK's sizeable annual overseas aid budget, which promotes massive goodwill abroad. The United Kingdom is the world's second largest provider of international aid after the United States, and is one of the few G7 states to adhere to an internationally agreed target of spending 0.7pc of GDP on overseas aid.
Moreover, a UK Parliamentary Committee rightly warned in 2014 that losing the Scottish tax base, especially at a time of fiscal austerity, could lead to further budgetary cuts to the armed forces.
These cuts could even threaten the future of Trident, Britain's expensive sea-based nuclear weapons programme, which is due for potential renewal in coming years.
Taken overall, Cameron's legacy as prime minister could end up not just being exit of the EU, but also the breakup of the United Kingdom, one of the world's most successful political unions.
This would mean that the nation would no longer punch so strongly on the international stage, adversely affecting its ability to bolster international security and prosperity at a time when both remain fragile.
Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS (the Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy) at the London School of Economics
The mother of a student with dyslexia says her daughter's psychological assessment qualifies her for entry to college through the special Dare scheme for applicants with a disability, but it didn't get her the support she needed in the Leaving Cert in recent weeks.
A place in college doesn't arise for the student this year because she didn't apply, telling her mother: "I cannot worry about any more this year", the mother told the Irish Independent.
Her daughter had been refused supports known as reasonable accommodations - in her case, a grammar and spelling waiver and a reader - to allow her overcome her disadvantage while sitting the exams. She was diagnosed as dyslexic in 2009 and received these supports for the Junior Cert.
There has been an ongoing rise in the number of students qualifying for a support under the scheme, known as Race (reasonable accommodations in certificate examinations). Last year 16,000 Leaving and Junior Cert students qualified, a 50pc rise since 2007. Some get more than one support, so a total of 20,051 different accommodations were granted. In all, 14pc of students who sat the exams received a support - the figures are probably similar this year - which compares with 8.3pc of GCSE/A-level candidates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The problem that arises is the disparity between the number of supports awarded for Junior Cert and those granted for Leaving Cert, and the disappointment, never mind upset, it causes. That is compounded when the decision-making process runs into the months, even weeks, before the students sit the exams.
While the focus of the Race scheme is to assist students with a disadvantage, it has to ensure that in doing so it is not unfair to students who don't get such supports.
That is why, when it comes to the "high stakes" Leaving Cert, the decision-making powers transfer from schools to the State Examinations Commission (SEC), which takes a closer look at applicants, through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). The criteria don't change, but the outcomes do.
It has been the subject of much controversy, with eve-of-exam appeals in the High Court, as well as complaints both to the Ombudsman for Children (up to the age of 18) and the Ombudsman.
The SEC itself announced a review of Race a year ago - focusing on the same problems identified by Children's Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon in his report. The exam chiefs say they want to address the "expectation gap" between Junior and Leaving Cert and are working on "changes" to the scheme to be rolled out in the next school year.
Those changes must be fair and transparent, and give certainty to Leaving Cert students long before the June exams.
Actress Winona Ryder has said Johnny Depp was "never abusive" during their relationship.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has been accused of domestic violence by his estranged wife Amber Heard, during their high-profile divorce battle.
But Ryder, who was once engaged to Depp, said he was a "loving, caring guy" when they dated in the early 1990s and she had never seen him be violent.
She told Time magazine: "I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said.
"He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves."
Claims of domestic abuse against Depp emerged after Heard filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences.
In court papers filed in Los Angeles, the 30-year-old actress said Depp had a "history of drug and alcohol abuse" and been "verbally and physically abusive" for the entirety of their four-year-relationship.
She submitted photographs appearing to show her bruised face, which she said was a result of Depp throwing a mobile phone at her.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Carl Moor granted a temporary restraining order and ruled that Depp, 53, must stay at least 100 yards away from his wife.
Ryder, 44, said she found the allegations "shocking" and she had "never seen him be violent toward a person before".
Video of the Day
" I'm not calling anyone a liar," she said. "I'm just saying, it's difficult and upsetting for me to wrap my head around it. Look, it was a long time ago, but we were together for four years, and it was a big relationship for me.
"Imagine if someone you dated when you were - I was 17 when I met him - was accused of that. It's just shocking."
Depp and Heard are due to appear at a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court on August 15.
A status conference will be held on August 2, but neither Depp nor Heard was expected to attend, a court spokeswoman said.
Kim Cattrall was offered roles in both Top Gear and Coronation Street
Kim Cattrall has joked about the low Top Gear ratings after revealing she was asked to be a guest on the revamped BBC motoring show.
The actress, best known for playing vamp PR Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, said she was asked to do the celebrity segment of Top Gear which sees well-known personalities driving cars around a track.
She told Good Morning Britain: "Yes, I've been asked to do it. But I was never available, but now doesn't seem like a good time!"
Official ratings for the second episode of the Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc fronted show were 4.06 million, the lowest for any episode in 10 years.
UK-born Cattrall lives in New York, but revealed she does not do much driving there due to her fear of road rage incidents.
She told ITV's Richard Arnold: "I've recently stopped driving as much because of the road rage in New York. It's really a little scary."
The actress, who was born in Liverpool's Mossley Hill, also said she turned down a role in Coronation Street .
"They did offer me a part, but I wasn't available so maybe they'll ask me again," she said.
She faced embarrassing questions from host Piers Morgan who quizzed her about her sex life on TV as she spoke about her struggle with insomnia.
Morgan asked her about advice a sleep doctor had given her saying when she retires to her bedroom it should be to "either sleep or have sex".
Video of the Day
"So you know my follow up question?" Morgan quipped.
"How much sleep or how much sex? Well fortunately for me more sleep," she said. "Fortunately because I needed that more than sex at the time. If you can imagine."
EastEnders star Riley Carter Millington has praised the show's fans for the "overwhelmingly positive" reception they have given him.
The 22-year-old, who has played Kyle Slater since 2015, became the first transgender actor to play a transgender character in the BBC One soap.
Millington told the Radio Times about how his life has changed since signing on for the long-running series.
He said: "It's weird to have people following me around in shops!"
The Manchester-born actor also described how his high profile role is increasing understanding.
Millington said he received a letter from a "trans guy" who had been disowned by his mother, but they are now reconciling because she had seen a similar storyline with Kyle in EastEnders.
In the soap, former Coronation Street star and Loose Women panellist Denise Welch played Alison Slater, Kyle's mother.
Alison was depicted as having difficulty accepting that the daughter she gave birth to has transitioned into a man.
Kyle was born Sarah Slater, but struggled to live as the person he always felt he was inside.
Millington, who now resides in Hertfordshire, said his own family have been "very supportive" to him.
Video of the Day
"Obviously, they were surprised - not as much was known about transgender issues six years ago."
The actor told the magazine that the process of transitioning is "slow and can be frustrating".
He recalled problems he had getting repeat prescriptions and syringes for his hormones when he was based in the north because it meant trips down to London.
Millington added: "But it's worth doing right because this is for life."
In the Walford-set soap, Kyle has an accepting half-sister in Stacey Fowler, played by Lacey Turner.
So far, many of his storylines have revolved around their family connections.
"I'm very happy on EastEnders and Kyle's story has a lot to give," Millington said.
"People think gender is the same as sexuality - they've been asking if Kyle is going to get with Ben Mitchell (played by Harry Reid) - but Kyle's not gay.
"It would be interesting to see him dating girls."
Transgender actors are beginning to make an impact on television, with Rebecca Root in comedy Boy Meets Girl and Hollyoaks' Annie Wallace also leading the way.
:: Read the full interview in Radio Times, out now.
Angela Merkel said Britain will remain an important friend despite its exit from the EU (AP)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said it is "important that we still view Britain as a friend and partner", despite its decision to leave the EU.
But speaking as she arrived at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, she insisted "there will be no informal or formal talks before Britain has used Article 50" of the EU treaty, which will formally start the process of negotiating its withdrawal from the 28-nation bloc.
She earlier said that although Britain will want to maintain ''close relations'' with the EU once it leaves, it cannot expect a business-as-usual approach.
"Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges," she said, and added: ''We will ensure that the negotiations are not carried out with the principle of cherry picking."
French President Francois Hollande has urged Britain to start exit talks "as fast as possible" as he warned the rest of the union has "no time to lose" to plan its future without the British.
He acknowledged it is a historic moment as no nation has left the EU before, but he insisted "history continues" and said "Europe doesn't stop" with Brexit.
At the EU Parliament, EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he is banning any informal and secretive negotiations on Brexit before the UK invokes Article 50.
He told a special session that ''I want the UK to clarify its position, not today, not tomorrow at 9am, but soon. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty''.
European Council chief Donald Tusk echoed that sentiment, saying the bloc will not be able to begin negotiations on Brexit until Article 50 is invoked, declaring that ''is the only legal way''.
He also said the EU will hold a meeting in the Slovak capital Bratislava in September to assess the EU's future in the wake of Britain's vote to leave.
AP
Denmark's PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen, meanwhile, warned EU scepticism is not just a British issue, and said he hopes David Cameron "will be met with understanding" by his counterparts in the bloc.
Arriving at the EU summit, he said: "What we have seen in Britain, it could have happened elsewhere. We need to take this seriously."
But while he added that "it makes sense to admit that Britain needs time" to negotiate its exit, h is Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven said "it would be great if the United Kingdom told us as quickly as possible what they want".
Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras used the result of the vote to hit out at the EU, saying the British decision to leave was predictable because the EU has disregarded core principles of democracy for too long.
Mr Tsipras has been at loggerheads with the EU leadership for well over a year as he has negotiated stringent austerity conditions to obtain bailout funds for his country. During those times he often decried the lack of openness of the EU.
In Brussels on Tuesday, he said: "Europe has reached a predictable crisis because of the democratic deficit, because of the absence of social cohesion and solidarity."
He said he hopes "that the outcome of the British referendum will work as a wake-up call for Europe".
In a direct attack on EU policies, he said there is a need "to replace austerity with growth, to replace division with convergence, to replace unemployment with decent jobs, and endless negotiations behind closed doors with transparency and democracy".
Boris Johnson could become Prime Minister in just nine weeks time after Conservative MPs called for David Cameron to be gone and a new leader put in place by September.
As MPs returned to Westminster for the first time since the historic Brexit vote, the partys influential 1922 Committee said a new Conservative leader should be in place by September 2, with nominations set to open tomorrow.
Announcing his resignation last week, Mr Cameron had said a new Prime Minister should be appointed to negotiate the terms of Britains exit from the EU by October.
But the shorter timescale, which must be approved by the partys board today, will favour Mr Johnson, the frontrunner in the race, allowing him to harness the momentum from Leaves referendum victory to garner support among the 125,000 Conservative members who will elect the next leader, and the next PM.
Addressing MPs in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Cameron said there could be no doubt about the result of the referendum but warned of difficult days ahead.
A special Whitehall Brexit unit will be set up to explore the options facing Britain in its new relationship with the EU, he said, admitting that it would be the most complex and most important task the British civil service has undertaken in decades.
However, all key decisions will wait until the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Mr Cameron said.
Mr Johnson, who was not in the House of Commons chamber yesterday, is considered the frontrunner to replace Mr Cameron and is expected to announce his candidacy this week.
The new leader will come under immediate pressure to call a general election. The former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said it would be wrong that only members of the Conservative Party should be able to appoint the new Prime Minister of a new government, with new priorities and called for an early general election this year.
Mr Cameron, who will stay on as an MP after standing down, will remain neutral during the Conservative leadership contest, Downing Street confirmed. He told MPs it would be for the next Prime Minister to determine whether a general election is called this year.
It will also be up to the new Prime Minister to activate Article 50 the formal procedure by which member states can leave the EU and to negotiate the terms of Britains new relationship with the bloc.
The key battle line will centre on Britains access to the European single market. Mr Cameron told MPs that it would be one of the single most important decisions for the government, emphasising the single markets importance for the economy and jobs market.
Mr Johnson has claimed the UK could still have access to the single market but to do so would entail adopting a relationship with the EU similar to Norways, and still being bound by freedom of movement rules.
After the Leave campaign led by Mr Johnson fought the referendum campaign on a promise to cut immigration, staying in the single market at this cost would be seen as a betrayal of Brexit voters.
Leader of the opposition Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn (C) leaves after delivering a speech outside parliament during a pro-Corbyn demonstration in central London. Getty Images
As many as 150 British Labour MPs will vote today to oust Jeremy Corbyn as their party's leader. He has threatened to recruit 100,000 hard-left supporters in an attempt to cling on.
In a dramatic day at Westminster, Mr Corbyn was hit by dozens of resignations over his leadership as the total of frontbenchers to leave rose to 44 over the last two days.
The Labour leader faced heckles of "resign" from his own MPs as he attempted to face down the coup in the House of Commons by claiming that the rebels were being unpatriotic by challenging him.
Later, in a heated private meeting with MPs, backbenchers openly mocked him as he attempted to claim that he could win a general election.
The row then spilled out into the corridors as MPs and Mr Corbyn's aides challenged each other over their behaviour in recent days.
John Woodcock MP accused the leader's office of spreading "lies and distortion", while Corbyn aides challenged rebels to call a contest "tomorrow" because they are so confident of victory.
Angela Eagle, who resigned as shadow business secretary yesterday, is now considering launching a leadership challenge as contenders began sounding out colleagues for support.
Mr Corbyn was yesterday told by Tom Watson, the Labour deputy leader, that he had lost the support of his MPs and should prepare for a leadership contest.
Five previously supportive shadow cabinet ministers also resigned yesterday after a tense meeting with Mr Corbyn, with one of the left-wingers being left in tears.
Yet the Labour leader remained defiant, with aides insisting that he would not be toppled by the "corridor coup" and challenging rivals to beat him in a formal leadership contest.
They are ready to exploit party rules which allow people to temporarily join Labour to recruit 100,000 left-wing activists who would back Mr Corbyn in a vote.
'Momentum', the pro-Corbyn activist group, yesterday gathered more a thousand supporters to Parliament Square as a show of support for the Labour leader, chanting: "Corbyn Stay."
It is understood that it is ready to use its 120,000 supporters and 130 local groups to campaign for Mr Corbyn's re-election.
Today, days of infighting will come to a head as MPs decide in a secret ballot whether or not they have confidence in Mr Corbyn as Labour leader. Sources forecast that up to 70pc of MPs - equivalent to around 150 - will have voted with the motion of no confidence when polling closes at 4pm.
However, the result will be non-binding and Mr Corbyn is expected to fight on, challenging rebels to gather more than 51 MP or MEP signatures that would trigger a formal contest.
Yesterday, Mr Corbyn was hit by resignations of another seven shadow cabinet ministers as well as 15 shadow ministers and seven parliamentary private secretaries.
He attempted to face down his critics in the Commons as MPs gathered for the first time since the UK voted for Brexit.
Mr Corbyn told the Commons: "Our country is divided, and the country will thank neither the government benches in front of me nor the opposition benches behind for indulging in internal factional manoeuvring at this time."
The comment provoked anger form the Labour MPs behind Mr Corbyn, with one calling out for him to "resign".
One left-winger also swore at the rebels.
At a gathering of the Parliamentary Labour Party later, Mr Corbyn was told to "take responsibility" for the failed EU referendum campaign as MPs openly criticised their leader.
A 16-year-old boy has admitted cyber attacks around the world including on Devon and Cornwall Police and Seaworld.
The teenager, who cannot be named, appeared at Plymouth Youth Court to admit three offences under Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act.
These offences, committed between October 2014 and January 2015, relate to denial of service attacks on numerous websites across the world.
He denied two offences under Section 51 of the Criminal Law Act in connection with bomb hoaxes made to American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Prosecuting, Ben Samples told the trial American Airlines received a threat allegedly made by the boy on Twitter at 6.46pm on February 13 last year.
"The tweet posted on American Airlines read: 'One of those lovely Boeing airplanes has a tick, tick, ticking in it. Hurry gentlemen, the clock is ticking'," Mr Samples said.
"It was also tagged to the White House Twitter. The FBI were notified.
"An assessment was made on the credibility of the threat, and given its unspecific nature, no action was taken and the matter was passed to the UK authorities.
"A tweet was also sent at a similar time, 6.40pm, on February 13 to Delta Air Lines Twitter: 'There's a nice tick, tick in one of those lovely Boeing planes, high quality'.
"This was referred to senior management who assessed the level of threat posed. As it was unspecific, the matter was referred to the authorities.
"No other action was taken."
Mr Samples said both tweets had been sent by the same account, which was investigated by the Operation Zephyr Regional Cyber Crime Unit.
Investigators were led to the 16-year-old boy, from the Plympton area of Plymouth, Devon, and his computer was seized.
"The Skype log that was extracted and various parts of the computer provided the planning and the setting up of the account ultimately used to sent the two bomb hoaxes," Mr Samples said.
"The prosecution say that these messages were recorded on his computer - a computer that he really only uses."
Mr Samples said the teenager took steps to hide his identity while setting up the account.
During police interview, the boy initially denied but then accepted sending the tweets, the court heard.
In a later interview, he insisted he had not sent the tweets, suggesting that a remote access trojan (RAT) - in which an attacker controls a computer remotely - could be responsible.
Following the interviews, a Twitter account used by the boy tweeted the Operation Zephyr Regional Cyber Crime Unit, Mr Samples said.
One tweet said: "To be fair they caught me red handed", while a second added: "I still maintain the utmost respect for Zephyr".
The teenager was charged with the five offences in November last year following the investigation.
He admitted three charges of committing unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent/hinder access to a computer at Plymouth Youth Court on Tuesday.
The first charge, between October 10 2014 and January 27 2015, states he "did a series of unauthorised acts... being reckless as to whether the acts would prevent or hinder access to a program or data held in computers".
This is believed to relate to attacks on approximately 10 websites across the world, including one for a Japanese town that hosts an annual dolphin hunt.
The second charge, between October 29 2014 and November 29 2014, states the boy prevented or hindered access to a computer used to host websites relating to SeaWorld.
The third, on January 26 2015, states the boy prevented or hindered access to a computer used to host a website relating to Devon and Cornwall Police.
It is understood the force website was affected for 45 minutes. The trial continues.
Spain's acting Primer Minister and candidate of Popular Party Mariano Rajoy, center, waves to his supporters next to his party members as they celebrate the results of their party during the national elections in Madrid. AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Mainstream parties in Spain looked set last night to defy the opinion polls and achieve a narrow victory following Sunday's general election.
Early results put the ruling conservative Popular Party (PP) in first place, with 31pc of the vote and 132 seats, followed by the opposition Socialist party with 24pc and 96 seats.
The anti-austerity Podemos party, which had been predicted to make sweeping gains, looked set to come third, with 21pc and 74 seats. Some polls had suggested that Podemos would come a strong second.
The vote was Spain's second election in six months after an inconclusive contest in December had failed to produce a viable coalition.
Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister from the PP, wants to form a grand coalition including the Socialist party and the centrist Ciudadanos party - although the leadership of the latter faction has already ruled this option out.
Mr Rajoy looked unlikely to come near a majority last night; whether he could put together a viable coalition remained to be seen.
Podemos has joined forces with the communist-dominated United Left to lead the new electoral coalition, Unidos Podemos.
However, the early results suggested that the coalition's hopes of overtaking the Socialist party as the main left-wing grouping had been dashed.
Mr Rajoy has used the threat of a European crisis caused by Britain's decision to leave the EU to win over voters, warning that Spain was in no position to try out "experiments".
Over 12pc was wiped off Spain's Ibex 35 blue-chip stock index on Friday after the British referendum result, making it the worst single day in the exchange's history.
Even if the PP is again the winner - as the first results suggest - Mr Rajoy, whose party has been mired in financial scandals, cannot guarantee stability for Spain, as all the other party leaders have said that they will not accept him as prime minister.
Whether the new balance of parliamentary seats will allow them to maintain that position is another question.
Spain has returned to economic expansion but unemployment remains stubbornly high at 21pc.
Podemos, set up only two years ago, promised to spend 60bn over the next four years, including on health, education, renewable energy and a guaranteed income for the poor.
This is the moment a group of Irish fans used a hanger to help a local man get into his locked car with engine running.
The Green Army earned a reputation for random acts of kindness in France over the last number of weeks.
Fans were spotted changing tyres for an elderly couple; singing babies to sleep; and helping with a beer delivery.
Read More
But this group of supporters proved that even dubious skills could be used for good when you're wearing a green jersey at Euro 2016.
Rodney Sharkey told independent.ie that a local man in Lyon locked himself out of his car with the engine running on a quay in the city about three hours after the Ireland and France game on Sunday.
His video shows how the group of Irish supporters got a hanger from a nearby dry cleaners.
One man then used the hanger to hook onto the lock button and open the vehicle.
The incident was caught on camera - including the fan's celebration afterwards.
A flight recorder recovered from the doomed EgyptAir jet, which claimed the life of a Briton when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, has been repaired.
Richard Osman, a 40-year-old father of two, originally from Carmarthen, Wales, was on board the the Airbus A320 when it crashed in May.
Flight MS804 - carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members from Paris to Cairo - went down about halfway between the Greek island of Crete and Egypt's coastline, or around 175 miles offshore, after take-off from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Before it disappeared from radar screens around 2.45am Cairo time (12.45am GMT), the plane spun all the way around and suddenly lost altitude.
Search teams have since recovered the damaged cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
The damaged electronic boards arrived in Paris on Monday - the flight data recorder has since been fully repaired according to a statement released by the Egyptian investigation committee.
The cause of the crash is yet to be established, but prosecutors in Paris have opened a manslaughter inquiry, saying there is not yet any evidence to link the crash to terrorism.
On Monday a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said the inquiry was launched as an accident investigation and not a terrorism probe.
A Palestinian youth throws stones at an Israeli border policeman during clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem (AP)
Israeli police have banned non-Muslims from a contentious Jerusalem holy site until the end of Ramadan following repeated clashes with Palestinians rioters.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said rocks and other objects were hurled towards police forces and Jewish worshippers in a square near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
He said a 73-year-old woman suffered minor injuries and police arrested 16 suspects in the disturbances.
As a result, police decided to close access to Jewish worshippers and other visitors for the remainder of the week to prevent tensions with Muslims until the holy month of Ramadan is over.
Throughout the week, Palestinians had holed themselves up in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked officers with fireworks and other objects they had stockpiled inside.
The mosque is part of a compound sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, where they believe the Prophet Muhammad embarked on a night journey to heaven, while Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount, where the two Jewish temples stood in biblical times.
Violence had erupted at the site in mid-September before spreading elsewhere.
Since then Palestinians have carried out dozens of attacks, including stabbings, shootings and car ramming assaults, killing 32 Israelis and two visiting Americans.
About 200 Palestinians have been killed during that time, most identified as attackers by Israel.
The unrest has led to renewed calls for peace talks, which last broke down more than two years ago.
AP
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu that while he understands Israel's security concerns, any measures it takes will not "solve the underlying causes of the cycles of violence" that have plagued the region.
Speaking in Jerusalem alongside Mr Netanyahu, Mr Ban said: "I encourage you to take the courageous steps necessary to prevent a one-state reality of perpetual conflict that is incompatible with realising the national aspirations of Israeli and Palestinian people."
Mr Netanyahu asked Mr Ban to use his final six months in office to rectify what he called the United Nations' unfair treatment of Israel. He singled out the UN Human Rights Council, which he said always condemns Israel, the "country that does more to promote and protect human rights and liberal values than any other in the blood-soaked Middle East".
He added: "Our progressive democracy has faced more country specific resolutions, more country specific condemnation, at the UN Human Rights Council than all the other countries combined.
"I believe that this is a profound betrayal of the United Nation's noble mandate."
AP
Lawyers acting for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have filed two appeals against his extradition to the United States.
Lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said the appeals argue the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of in the US. The defence also argues that some of the accusations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.
Mr Rodriguez said the appeals were filed in courts in Mexico City. He predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve the appeals.
In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven US federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled in May that the extradition can go forward, in part because the US has guaranteed that Guzman would not face the death penalty. Mexico has abolished capital punishment and does not extradite its citizens if they face possible execution.
Guzman faces an extradition request from a Texas federal court related to charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money-laundering, arms possession and murder, and another extradition request from a federal court in California related to drug trafficking.
Guzman was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.
He had already escaped once before in 2001 and spent more than a decade as one of the world's most wanted fugitives until he was recaptured in 2014.
AP
A federal judge has ruled a group of 21 Cuban migrants who reached a lighthouse off the Florida Keys last month are not on US soil and must return to Cuba.
Judge Darrin Gayles ruled the American Shoal lighthouse does not count as dry land under the US "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy.
Cubans who reach US shores are usually allowed to stay, while those intercepted at sea are generally returned home.
Lawyers acting for the migrants argued the lighthouse is US territory, and their clients should get to stay.
Attorneys for the federal government acknowledged the lighthouse is US property but argued it was not equal to dry land.
The lighthouse is located about seven miles from Sugarloaf Key.
The migrants have been aboard a Coast Guard cutter since May 20.
AP
Unicef predicts 69 million under-fives will die from preventable causes between now and 2030
The United Nations' children's agency has warned that 69 million under-fives will die from preventable causes between now and 2030 unless countries speed up action to improve health and education for the most disadvantaged.
Unicef's annual State of the World's Children Report, said that based on recent trends and projected population growth, 167 million children would also live in extreme poverty, 60 million would not be attending primary school and 750 million women would have been married as children by 2030.
The agency's deputy executive director Justin Forsyth said Unicef was "broadcasting our message into a world that is more hostile", especially to migrants and refugees, including millions of children.
Many are fleeing because of poverty and inequality, he said, and these root causes must be addressed "if you're going to stop some of these forces overwhelming particular countries and polarising the political debate".
"Our job in Unicef is to be there on the ground and helping children survive," Mr Forsyth said, but the agency also needed to ensure that there was "a factually-fuelled debate about these tough issues of our times" and the message got out that focusing on the most disadvantaged was crucial.
Unicef programme director Ted Chaiban said that in addition to youngsters fleeing poverty and inequality, there were also more children living in conflict areas - 250 million - and 30 million were displaced.
Inequality existed in every country, he said, and globally children in the poorest 20% of the population were twice as likely to die before the age of five than those in the richest 20%.
"Eighty per cent of preventable deaths now occur in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with almost half occurring in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo and Ethiopia," Mr Chaiban said.
Unicef called on all 193 UN member states to develop national plans that put the most disadvantaged and left behind children first and set specific goals to close gaps between the richest and poorest.
Mr Forsyth said up to 147 million children between one and five could be saved from preventable death "just with a 2% increase in expenditure in 74 countries".
Unicef also had evidence that every dollar spent on vaccinations for the most disadvantaged children "can generate 16 dollars in terms of economic returns", he said.
According to the report, cash transfers have helped children stay in school longer and on average, each additional year of education a child receives increases his or her adult earnings by about 10%.
AP
The US Justice Department is working closely with German investigators to gather evidence for potential criminal charges in the Volkswagen emissions-cheating scandal, a top official has said.
Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said investigators are looking at "multiple companies and multiple individuals" in the probe, at a news conference to announce a settlement of up to 15.3 billion US dollars (11.5 billion) in the case involving VW diesel cars that cheated on emissions tests.
Ms Yates did not comment on whether US investigators had been successful in navigating Germany's strict privacy laws to get such crucial documents as internal company emails.
One company that could be involved in the probe is German auto parts supplier Bosch, which has extensive North American operations.
Elizabeth Cabraser, the lead attorney acting for car owners that are suing VW, said civil claims can continue against Bosch, which made the "defeat devices" that turned pollution controls on during Environmental Protection Agency lab tests and turned them off on real roads. That allowed the cars to emit more pollution while being driven.
A spokeswoman for Robert Bosch LLC in suburban Detroit said there is no criminal investigation against the company in the US, but a probe in Germany was announced several months ago.
Bosch sold a large number of engine control computers to VW for its diesel engines, and the company is one of the world's biggest suppliers of fuel injection technology, spokeswoman Linda Beckmeyer said. The engine control computers handle emissions controls, among other tasks.
The Justice Department began investigating last autumn after the cheating was uncovered.
Investigators have also contacted German carmaker Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, seeking information on "possible indications of irregularities" in emissions certification.
A Daimler spokesman said in April that the company is carrying out an internal investigation of its exhaust emissions.
US owners of Daimler's Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC diesels have filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the cars are programmed in a way that lets them emit illegal levels of emissions, similar to diesels made by Volkswagen.
Daimler said the lawsuit's claims are without merit and that the Justice Department investigation is unrelated.
AP
Independent Mail columnist Debbie Jackson
SHARE
Q: My grandchild has a terrible lesion on his face. At first we thought it was just a rash from teething, but it has gotten worse. A culture showed alpha hemolytic streptococcus. In parentheses it stated viridans streptococcus. What does this mean? What should we do?
T.H., Central
A: Most people are familiar with strep infections. For example, a strep throat is caused by streptococcal bacteria, it is treated with antibiotic, and a person gets well. There are many types of infections that are caused by streptococcal infections, and the infections can range from a mild sore throat to more serious infections such as pneumonia. Streptococcal bacteria can be divided into two major categories: alpha hemolytic streptococci and beta hemolytic streptococci. The alpha hemolytic streptococci are subdivided into Streptococcus pneumoniae and viridans streptococci. Beta hemolytic streptococci are divided into two categories as well and referred to as Group A Streptococci (GAS) and Group B Streptococci (GBS). If the doctor suspects you may have a strep throat, he or she may do a strep test in the office for GAS.
Your grandchild has an infection from the viridian streptococci. These bacteria are found in the mouth, intestines and genital area. Infants are likely to put their hands in their mouths and then touch their skin. An open lesion on the skin could become infected through the contact with the bacteria in the mouth. Antibiotics would be the treatment of choice and would clear up the infection. It is important to take the full prescription ordered by the doctor.
Impetigo, a skin infection that is highly contagious, often shows up as red sores around the nose and mouth on small children. The sores ooze and form a crust, and can be spread by contact to other parts of the body and to others in contact with the drainage. Impetigo can vary in severity, so it is always recommended that one see a physician if you think your child has impetigo. Impetigo is most commonly associated with staphylococcus bacteria, but can be caused by Group A streptococci. So, the culture your doctor performed on your grandchild should have ruled out impetigo.
We have bacteria that live on and in our bodies and do not usually cause problems. It is when we have a reduced ability to fight infections that we most likely become ill. Young babies and older people are most susceptible to bacteria pneumonia, as are people with compromised immune systems. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children starting at 2 months of age be immunized against bacterial pneumococcal infections. Vaccines are available for older people as well. Two vaccines are recommended for people age 65 and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that pneumonia kills 1 million children younger than 5 globally each year. The numbers include children in the United States as well, though deaths in the United States are higher among adults.
As with all infections, prevention is important, and there are steps you can take at home. First, wash your hands regularly with soap and water. You can teach your children good hand-washing patterns as well. Keep surface areas clean, and wash children's toys regularly. Young children are more likely to put things in their mouth and then touch things, including their faces. It is hard to keep up with young children, but it can be important. We are learning to cover our sneezes and coughs with our hands to our elbows, to eliminate spreading germs when we touch objects.
ROMANDO DIXSON/THE GREENVILLE NEWS Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Easley.
By Romando Dixson, rdixson@greenvillenews.com
A burglary suspect was armed with two guns when a Pickens County deputy shot him inside of a residence, the Sheriff's Office said Monday as it released new details in the incident.
The burglary suspect, 18-year-old Franklin Reed Styles, remained hospitalized Monday, Chief Deputy Creed Hashe said. Styles will face multiple charges in connection with Sunday's incident when he is released from the hospital, the Sheriff's Office said. Information about his condition and a potential discharge date were not released.
A woman made a 911 call about 3:20 p.m. Sunday from inside her residence on Latham Road in Easley, the Sheriff's Office. She told authorities a man forced his way into a back door.
A deputy confronted Styles inside the home and saw him with a rifle and handgun.
"The deputy gave verbal commands for the intruder to drop the weapons at which time he pointed the handgun at the deputy resulting in the deputy discharging his service weapon," Hashe said in a news release.
The caller was hiding in the bathroom, authorities said.
The firearms are believed to belong to the homeowner, Hashe said, and were found inside the residence by Styles just moments before the deputy arrived.
The Sheriff's Office said Styles is not related to the residents of the home and had no prior history with the occupants. The Sheriff's Office currently has no information that anyone other than Styles was involved in the break-in, Hashe said.
The deputy and the homeowner were not injured, the chief deputy said.
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating. No body camera video of the incident exists, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said.
The Sheriff's Office will release the name of the deputy once the department's internal investigation is complete, which is expected to happen this week, Hashe said. The Sheriff's Office also said it plans to release the 911 call.
The shooting was the 24th officer-involved shooting in the state this year and the first involving a deputy sheriff in Pickens County, SLED said. There were 48 officer-involved shootings last year in South Carolina. None involved the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.
SHARE
By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail
Town Council approved a new, $4.1 million budget last week for Pendleton that includes money to keep bus service going for another year.
Clemson Area Transit's Pendleton route was threatened earlier this year when Tri-County Technical College pulled its funding and the Villages of Town Creek cut its annual contribution in half. The school and the development blamed budget pressures for the cuts.
The town needed to cover CAT's annual $50,000 charge for the route, which includes stops on the Clemson and Tri-County campuses, Pendleton town square, local grocery stores and apartment complexes. The council voted Thursday to spend $30,000 in the new budget year, which will start Friday, in addition to money from Anderson County ($5,000) and the Villages of Town Creek ($15,000).
The remainder of the route's annual $195,000 cost is subsidized by CAT and other sources.
Mayor Frank Crenshaw said Monday the budget plan also includes grants to upgrade sewer lines serving Westinghouse Road and the Tri-County Tech campus in Pendleton, as well as beautification work on Mechanic Street downtown.
The town's reborn police department is waiting for bulletproof vests and a few other pieces of equipment it needs to start work later this summer. Crenshaw and Town Administrator Steve Miller previously told the council that the startup costs would be covered with the $350,000 appropriation in the expiring town budget. They have said the department should cost about $250,000 a year to run in the near term.
The council meets again July 5 for its regular monthly session in its chambers at Town Hall, 310 Greenville St. An agenda should be posted at townofpendleton.org later this week.
Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM
SHARE
By Independent Mail
American Red Cross disaster-trained volunteers are assisting four people whose home on Stevenson Drive in the Belton area of Anderson County was destroyed by a fire Monday morning.
The Cheddar Fire Department responded to the blaze.
The Red Cross is helping the two adults and two children by providing comfort kits containing personal hygiene items.
The Red Cross is asking people to take two simple steps that can help save lives: check their existing smoke alarms and practice fire drills at home.
Every household should develop a fire escape plan and practice it several times a year and at different times of the day. Practice that home fire drill until everyone in the household can do it in less than two minutes.
Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them every month and replace the batteries when needed.
The Red Cross, on average, responds to a home fire every four hours in South Carolina. Because of volunteers and financial assistance from the community, the Red Cross was able to help more than 7,100 individuals affected by disasters, the majority of those being home fires, in South Carolina last year.
To help neighbors affected by disasters, become a Red Cross volunteer or make a financial contribution to th eRed Cross by visiting redcross.org/SC.
These 5 players could be the Anderson-area football player of the year
KATIE MCLEAN/INDEPENDENT MAIL Docks stand on dry land Monday where the water has receded at Broadway Lake.
SHARE
By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail
South Carolina's top environmental agency is reviewing Anderson County's plans for making state-ordered repairs at Broadway Lake.
But local officials now say they don't expect the work to conclude until early next year.
Activities at the popular recreation spot are expected to be limited until at least February, said Jon Batson, the county's stormwater manager.
Last fall, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control issued an emergency order directing Anderson County to immediately lower Broadway Lake, citing concerns about a potential dam failure. South Carolina's dams came under scrutiny in October 2015, after multiple dams were breached in storms and parts of the state had catastrophic flooding.
Inspectors conducting a safety review at Broadway Lake found significant erosion around a concrete headwall and trees threatening the integrity of the dam. This month, the Anderson County Council set aside $400,000 for fixes at the lake, but Batson said this week that the appropriation is still based on an estimate and not an actual bid on the work.
The county has already spent roughly $107,000 on engineering and surveying. That work needed to be done to help county officials decide what repairs to make.
"We really appreciate the community's patience as we work to deal with the issues at Broadway Lake," Batson said. "Everything has taken longer than we thought it would."
A geotechnical investigation of the site, a process that includes studying the properties of the soil, took much longer than expected. That slowed down the design of suggested repairs, thus holding up the county's application for permits from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Roberty Yannity, a spokesman for that department, said the state agency received the county's applications for repairs June 17 and is reviewing those to determine if permits for the work will be issued.
"We are hoping that we have been able to streamline these review processes some," he said Monday.
Still, Anderson County officials expect the state review to take two to the three months. Once permits are issued, the county will solicit bids for the repairs at Broadway Lake.
The lake was created in 1940, with funding and a workforce secured through the Works Progress Administration. The lake was made by building a dam at the point where Broadway and Neals creeks converge. The lake measures roughly a square mile.
"We understand that this lake is part of the fabric of our county and our communities," said County Administrator Rusty Burns. "We are moving out smartly to get these repairs taken care of, and we will do all of the work after having DHEC's blessing."
Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo
SHARE
By Tim Smith, tcsmith@greenvillenews.com
COLUMBIA A United States Supreme Court ruling Monday striking down some Texas abortion clinic regulations may not have any impact on South Carolina law, but it is causing anti-abortion activists to feel uneasy.
In a 5-3 ruling, the justices found that Texas regulations that require, in part, doctors performing abortions to hold admitting privileges to a local hospital are an "undue burden" to women's access to an abortion and provide "a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion."
"We conclude that neither of these provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes," Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority.
The Texas regulations, which also required abortion providers to meet the standards for ambulatory surgical centers, had been copied in some other states but not in South Carolina, though some S.C. lawmakers had proposed similar measures.
South Carolina anti-abortion activists said they were disappointed in the ruling and felt uneasy about the future of abortion legislation and regulations as a result.
"I guess my concern going forward is the meaning of this," said Oran Smith, president of the Palmetto Family Council. "It doesn't really provide a template for where we can go. We're not afraid of a constitutional challenge but we would at least like to know where the minefields are. This case really leaves us in doubt of what the geography of the fight really is."
Supporters of the ruling, meanwhile, celebrated.
"It's been a great day for women," said Vicki Ringer, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which organized a small rally Monday afternoon in front of the South Carolina Supreme Court. "For the first time in over two decades there has been a ruling that says the constitutional right to safe and legal abortions is still intact. And states can't pass these regulations that have no medical necessity."
South Carolina does have regulations for abortion clinics that have survived a legal challenge, said Sen. Larry Grooms, a Berkeley County Republican.
But those regulations don't require physicians performing abortions to have hospital admitting privileges. The state's three clinics that perform abortions instead must have arrangements for dealing with any medical complications, Smith said.
"I don't know that a South Carolina entity could go to a U.S. District Court and get any of our laws overturned based on this decision," Smith said. "But what it means for the future, I'm not really sure."
Holly Gatling, executive director of South Carolina Citizens For Life, said she was unsure if the Texas ruling would impact South Carolina's regulations.
She said the state's regulations were enacted in 1994 and took effect after surviving court challenges, in 2004. She said her organization is asking State Attorney General Alan Wilson's office for an opinion on whether the Texas ruling impact's South Carolina abortion clinic regulations.
"While we are disappointed for Texas, our regulations were based on the abortion industry's own standards," said Lisa Van Riper, president of the SCCL. "If the abortion industry is truly concerned for women's health, why would they consider a high standard of medical care burdensome? Our own regulations are distinguished because they are based on the industry's own standards."
The Texas law and similar laws aimed at abortion providers "are medically unnecessary restrictions designed to limit access to abortion by placing undue burdens on providers," according to a Planned Parenthood statement. "Doctors and medical health professionals have repeatedly spoken out against such regulations. Some states with (such) legislation have seen clinic closures, reductions of services, and women having to travel hundreds of miles sometimes to other states to find clinics providing abortion."
John Baynes of Columbia was among those who came out Monday afternoon in support of the ruling.
"I came here and volunteered about three months ago and saw what was happening in Texas and Oklahoma," he said. "I just thought it was terrible. I'm glad to see the court case has been overturned."
Lenna Smith, chief executive officer of the Piedmont Women's Center in Greenville, a Christian medical pregnancy clinic that does not perform abortions, said she was disappointed in Monday's ruling.
"I think the Supreme Court maybe went a little too far when Texas put together a plan to protect the women in Texas that were looking for an abortion," she said. "We believe the least they could do is have doctors at abortion clinics who have admitting privileges at local hospitals and that their facilities are upgraded to hospital standards."
The justices found that the Texas regulations were not medically necessary but did make it more difficult for women seeking an abortion to find a clinic nearby. Had the law been upheld, according to the court, the number of clinics in Texas would have gone from 40 to less than half that number.
The Supreme Court, in a previous decision, found that states have a legitimate interest in regulating abortion as long as those regulations do not impose an "undue burden" on women seeking an abortion before a fetus becomes viable.
"We have found nothing in Texas' record evidence that shows that, compared to prior law (which required a "working arrangement" with a doctor with admitting privileges), the new law advanced Texas' legitimate interest in protecting women's health," Breyer wrote. "We add that, when directly asked at oral argument whether Texas knew of a single instance in which the new requirement would have helped even one woman obtain better treatment, Texas admitted that there was no evidence in the record of such a case."
The first look and theme song of actor Sivakarthikeyan's upcoming mega budget ambitious project 'Remo' was released last Thursday in a grand event, that turned out to be the cynosure of Kollywood. The first look featuring Siva as a beautiful young nurse and the racy theme song by music director Anirudh Ravichander have become instant hits among the film buffs.
Now the team 'Remo' will be coming up with another treat this Friday (July 1). The entire team including the lead actors Sivakarthikeyan, Keerthy Suresh,Sathish, Anirudh. director Bhagyaraj Kannan, Producer RD Raja, Cinematographer P.C.Sreeram, Sound Designer Resul Pookutty and others will be present at SIIMA Awards function to be held in Singapore on July 1. In this event the 'Senjittaley' single track will be released. The song is touted to be a youthful peppy number and carries all the potential to get in to the playlists of all the youngsters.
The Singapore Tamils are waiting to celebrate the Remo Single track released in their soil.
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
Chow Down Midtown, an event including more than 30 restaurants serving three-course meals, will return from Monday, July 11 to Sunday, July 24.
During the two-week foodie event, diners will be able to experience some of Indianapolis most eclectic restaurants featuring decadent desserts, succulent salads, enticing entrees and more.
A live cocktail contest, featuring recipes created by employees from participating restaurants, will also be held on Thursday, July 14 featuring 12 drinks (three from each sponsor liquor brand: Starlight Distillery, St. George Spirits, Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery and Town Branch Bourbon). A panel of judges will sample the drinks and determine a winner per each cocktail brand category and an overall Best of Show.
For a second year, an online cocktail contest will also showcase the 12 creative concoctions, featured during the live competition, allowing the public to vote for the Peoples Choice. The cocktail with the most Facebook likes will be deemed the winner.
The sixth annual Chow Down Midtown, created and executed by the Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association in conjunction with Midtown Indy, includes eateries from 65th St. to the north, Fall Creek Parkway to the south, Illinois St. to the west and Keystone Ave. to the east.
The list of participating restaurants and menus will be posted at ChowDownMidtown.com, a press release said. Also, updates will be listed on the Chow Down Midtown Facebook page, on Twitter (@ChowDownMidtown) and Instagram (@ChowDownMidtown).
Every year we see hordes of movies being made in our industry. And each of them cater to a specific kind of audience. While some entertain, some educate, some shock you, some leave you disturbed. While some simply leave you thinking hard and wondering about the different possibilities in life. Such movies come only once in a while, and not everybody has the taste and courage to watch them. But those who do, and those who share pure love for cinema, these hard hitting movies are a must watch.
1. Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women
fimdistribution
Odds are that you don't know many of the actors in this film- Tulip Joshi, Sushant Singh, and Sudhir Pandey. But once you watch this film, you'll get to know what a brilliant job all of them have done. But there's a lot more to this movie rather than just spot on performances. Matrubhoomi is based in a village, where female infanticide has become so rampant that not even a single female is left in the entire locality. The film deals in the atrocities that Kalki, the only single woman in a nearby village, has to go through when she's married off to five brothers. And through the character of Kalki, the film says so much about the current scene of gender disparity prevailing in our nation. The film is equal parts dark, hard-hitting, depressing & shocking, and would leave you a little numb.
2. Ugly
highhonfilms
Here's one film which released without any noise, despite being directed by Anurag Kashyap, garnered no publicity, and yet has quite a lot of following. Because for people who believe in cinema which can move someone, this film is a must watch. Again, no big names- Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure and Surveen Chawla. Woven around the kidnapping of a little girl, the film explores the dark side of human nature including selfishness, greed, sadism, and violence. A troubled, lonely wife is stuck in a dead marriage with a police officer, the ex husband and her brother are trying to make it big in life, the woman's friends wants to rip her off of her money, amidst all this chaos, the little girl ends up losing her life. Yes, it'll make you dwell deep into your own conscience and bring some changes into your life.
3. Lakshmi
bollywoodlife
This has got to be the most hard hitting and gruesome of the lot. And probably one of the best movies Nagesh Kukunoor has ever made. Based on a true story, Lakshmi tells the story of a 14-year-old girl who is sold into prostitution. In fact, some parts of the film will actually make you hit the pause button a couple of times, considering they are so gruesome. But it'll also make you think about the plight of such who have to take up prostitution. Both Monali Thakur and Shefali Shah have done a great job in this one, and this film is strictly not for those who have a faint heart.
4. Tahaan
mouthshut
Not many know about this gem of a movie which brings to light the situation in Kashmir and cross-border terrorism. Tahaan is a young boy, whose conquest to get back his pet donkey lands him into deep trouble. The innocent young boy is tricked into becoming a terrorist and he has to make choice which path to choose. The film beautifully portrays how innocence is lost in the valley, and how with just a little kindness things can be set all right. In fact, the lead actor, Purav Bhandare, was much appreciated for this film. The film would definitely make you think about all those times when you've had to make a tough choice in life, whenever you've been tempted into choosing a wrong path for your own benefit, and whenever your mind has been embroiled in the battle of good Vs evil.
5. Firaaq
santabanta
If you haven't seen the film already, you're missing on quite a great piece of cinema. Directed by Nandita Das, the film is set right after the 2002 Gujarat riots, which created havoc in the country. Each and every actor in the film have given their career best performance- Sanjay Suri, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami, Raghubir Yadav, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The thing which sets apart this film from others based on the Gujarat riots is the fact that the film depicts how lives of different people were affected because of the riots- right from the elite class to lower class, everyone had to pay the price. The film will definitely make you question a lot of things, including your own thought process about the different communities in the country.
6. Qissa
Bollywoodmantra
It's very tough to describe this masterpiece, simply because the film is complicated at many levels, and you'd actually need to watch it with full concentration and apply brains. Starring Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, and Tillotama Shome, the films tells the tale of a man, who is so desperate to have a male kid that he ends up raising his daughter as a son, in literal sense of the word. No one apart from the father, mother and the kid knows that (s)he is actually a girl. The themes of identity crisis and lesbianism is shown so subtly yet beautifully in the film that you'd find yourself drawn towards the story. And by the end of it, you'll actually feel emotionally drained.
7. Parzania
sify
I am pretty sure you've heard about this film, inspired by the true story of a 10-year-old Parsi boy who disappeared after the 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre, during the Gujarat riots. The film tells the tale of the boy's family who undertake the dreaded journey of finding their beloved son. The film was actually so close to reality that it got banned in Gujarat when it released. Both Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika were applauded for their brilliant performances in this one and the film will actually make you fear for your own life! The tragedy depicted in the film is so real that you'd be left thinking what if it happened to you.
8. Dhoka
bollywoodimages
Odds are you wouldn't have heard about this underrated flick starring Tulip Joshi and Muzammil Ibrahim. There's a police officer whose life is perfect, with a loving wife and a baby on the way. But it takes an unexpected turn when he learns that his wife is a suicide bomber. The thing about this movie is, it very realistically depicts how an innocent woman turns into an emotionless terrorist and suicide bomber, and by the end of the movie you are left with a battle of your own thoughts. You can't figure out of what she did was correct or wrong.
9. Shahid
reuters
This has got to be undoubtedly the greatest performance from Rajkumar Rao till date. Based on the true story of human rights activist Shahid Azmi who was assassinated in 2010. The film follows his journey of how he gets affected by the Bombay riots, which basically lead to the turmoil in his life. After suffering a lot, he manages to become a lawyer, only to be assassinated in the end. The film would make you question what's right and wrong and which side would you rather choose.
Instagram
While the wait for Rock On 2 is still going on, the news that trickles down from its sets keeps the fans entertained. But this one isn't making us quite happy. India's favourite rock musical drama just wrapped the shooting of its sequel. And until now we have been seeing happy pictures and mutual admiration between the cast of the ensemble, something unexpected happened on location.
According to sources, actors Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli got into a major fight which resulted in the shooting getting stalled. The incident took place at the Gateway of India where the film was being wrapped with a song shoot. Arjun and Purab, who are set to reprise their roles of a drummer and a guitarist in the latest film, got into a big argument over certain creative differences. And while the team awaited a high-octane song and dance, it eventually became a stage of unhappy exchange of words, that led to disruption of shoot for nearly an hour.
Instagram
A report on Mid-Day said:
"Purab and Arjun had a spat in front of the entire crew. When things got nasty, the two actors decided to make a quick exit from the location. The shoot came to a grinding halt following the episode." - Source
deccanchronicle
Further reports said the fight became so intense, that co-actor Farhan Akhtar had to intervene. Co-producer of the film Farhan, who plays the lead vocalist finally helped to resolve the matter.
"Farhan was present on the sets and had a shot with both actors for a live concert sequence. So, when he got to know about the situation, he decided to speak to them separately and get it sorted. He met them in their respective vanity vans and managed to calm them down. The shoot then went smoothly with all three actors sharing the stage."
Twitter
(Also read: 10 Reasons The Wait For 'Rock On 2!!' Is Killing Us With Excitement)
The sequel to 2008 hit film Rock On, has been extensively shot in Shillong. While the men and their onscreen wives Prachi Desai and Shahana Goswami are reprising their parts, actress Shraddha Kapoor is the latest addition to the cast. It will release late this year.
newhdwallpapers
The whole Salman Khan's Rape comment controversy has faced a lot of flak from both the supporters and the non-supporters. While the latter has faced more filth than the others, it seems that Salman's fanbase is biased when it comes to him.
Agreed that Salman's fans are in no mood to hear anything against their Bhai. But what Priyanka Chopra said about the matter is something everyone needs to stand up and take notice.
PC has attained that position in the industry where everything she speaks is strong, bold and justified. The actress who has just returned from her international projects was asked about her take on the recent comment Salman made where he compared himself to a 'raped women' during the shooting of his wrestling film Sultan. While women rights groups and social activists expressed fury, PC said:
PC and Salman share a comfortable camaraderie. But when it is about making sensible comments, PC has a no non-sense attitude. She added:
"There is so much reality happening like a brutal rape case in Bihar took place why is no one talking about the issue? A lot has been said about the Salman issue, I don't want to add to the noise. I would rather bring notice on real issues. The real problem is us talking about how to treat out women better in India and how to treat women better generally."
While the nation awaits the time when Salman will break his silence and apologise, as demanded women groups, the National Commission For Women is set to summon the superstar for his derogatory statement.
A 21-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging on Monday after unidentified people doctored her photo, showing her as scantily clad, and uploaded it on Facebook last week.
TOI
The deceased has been identified as A Vinupriya, 21, a native of Elampillai in Salem district. Her father Annadurai, 50, is a weaver. She had completed B.Sc., Chemistry and was all set to start a government job.
cypnow/representational image
Vinupriya was shocked when her friends told her that a morphed semi-nude picture of her was on Facebook, her father said. On June 23, Annadurai lodged a complaint with superintendent of police (SP), Salem district, Amit Kumar Singh, urging him to take action against the miscreants. The SP forwarded the complaint to Magudanchavadi police but they failed to act against the complaint in a timely manner.
During inquiry, the police assured Annadurai that they would nab the accused with the support of cyber crime sleuths. On Sunday night, another morphed semi-nude photo of Vinupriya was uploaded on Facebook. It was also sent to her father's mobile phone. Unable to bear this torture, she committed suicide at noon on Monday, when she was home alone. When her parents returned home, they rushed her to Salem government super speciality hospital for treatment. But doctors at the hospital pronounced her as brought dead.
spinblog.eu/representational image
Her family refused to receive the body from the hospital after autopsy. They alleged that police were responsible for Vinupriya's death.
"If they had taken action against the miscreants, they may not have uploaded the second picture and she may still be alive," Annadurai said. He refused to receive the body until the culprits were arrested.
akkarbakkar/representational image
Annadurai alleged that the police had forced him to buy a new mobile phone for them as a bribe to initiate inquiry.
"Sankari DSP Kandasamy and Magudanchavadi police inspector Vivekanandhan threatened to initiate action against me if I refused to receive my daughter's body," he said.
Global Times, an English language daily, considered as a mouthpiece of the Chinese government has hit out at India after Beijing blocked India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Reuters
Defending the move in a strongly worded editorial, the Global Times said it was rules, not China, that prevented India's entry into NSG.
"Since its foundation in 1975, all NSG members shall be NPT signatories. This has become the primary principle of the organization. Now India wants to be the first exception to join the NSG without signing the NPT. It is morally legitimate for China and other members to upset India's proposal in defense of principles," the article titled Delhis NSG bid upset by rules, not Beijing reads.
Defending the Chinese opposition to Indian entry into the elite club, the editorial said China's action is based on international norms, but India's reaction seems to indicate that their national interests can override principles recognized by the world.
AP
It also said the backing New Delhi enjoys from Washington make it feel that India has the backing of the world "US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India."
"Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled. Although the South Asian country's GDP accounts for only 20 percent of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international "adulation" of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs." the editorial further continues its criticism.
Mumbai police have arrested a man under molestation charges after a flight attendant complained that he clicked a selfie with her against her will.
avia.pro/ Representative Image
The man, identified as Mohammed Abubakar, a resident of Gujarat was travelling on a Jet Airways flight from Dammam to Mumbai. He reportedly followed the air hostess on the flight asking her for a selfie. When she objected, Abubakar grabbed her by the shoulder and forcefully took a selfie.
"I was walking on board when the passenger (Abubakar) caught my hand and said 'Chalo na yaar, ek selfie lethe hai'. Despite objecting, he repeatedly misbehaved with me during the journey," the air hostess said in her complaint.
YouTube/ Representative Image
After she raised her voice other cabin crew members intervened.
"Seeing them, Abubakar went to the toilet. He came out after smoking in there. The crew warned him and asked him to hand over his cigarette packet and lighter," said sub-inspector VS Pawar.
A probe has also been ordered into how he managed to get the cigarette and lighter through the security check.
The man who was arrested on landing at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport reportedly told police that he clicked the selfie "for fun".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sat down with Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for his first interview with an Indian news channel ever since coming to power in May 2014.
Times Now
He spoke about a number of key issues including relations with neighbours Pakistan and China, India's membership bids in NSG and MTCR, Raghuram Rajan and a host of other issues.
Here are the highlights of the interview.
Relations with Pakistan
"The first thing is that with Pakistan, to whom do we talk to decide about the Lakshman Rekha. Will it be with the elected government or with other actors? That is why India will have to be on alert all the time. India will have to be alert every moment. There can never be any laxity in this. But there is an outcome due to my continuous efforts like my visit to Lahore and my invitation to the Pakistani Prime Minister to come to India. Now I don't have to explain to the world about India's position."
Times Now
Relations with China
"We have an ongoing dialogue with China and it should continue to happen. We don't have one problem with China, we have a whole lot of problems pending with China. Slowly and steadily, an effort is on to address these issues through talks and make them less cumbersome. I can say that China has been cooperating with India to search for solutions. On some issues, it's a question of principles for them. On some issues, it's a question of principles for us."
Times Now
India's NSG membership bid
"Every government has made an effort. It's not that only this government is trying, it's in continuity. But it's during our tenure that we achieved SCO membership, we also got the MTCR membership. I have full faith that now we have begun a coordinated effort for the NSG membership too. The process has begun on a positive note. Everything has rules and will work accordingly and move forward."
Raghuram Rajan and Subramanian Swamy
"My experience with him has been good and I appreciate the work that he has done. He is no less patriotic. He loves India. Wherever he will work, he will work for India and he is patriotic. Whether it is in my party or not, still I think such things are inappropriate. This fondness for publicity is never going to do any good to the nation. People should conduct themselves with utmost responsibility. If anybody considers himself above the system, it is wrong."
Times Now
Previous governments
"There are many things which are not visible. One can't imagine the difficulty I am experiencing in taking out things from dirt. One who is working there knows the amount of dirt that exists and how certain things have been caught in a web. There are certain powers behind it. The case about Agusta helicopters. I can't deny it and I believe that we have the right to doubt that people behind this are very experienced. They have perfectly practiced the art of doing wrong deeds."
Focus on elections
"My focus is on governance. Country has been at greatest loss because governments were run only for elections. Governments must not run only for elections. The government should be a bona fide attempt of meeting the demands and expectations of the common people. Elections should just be a bi-product. It is a democracy. Winning and losing is a part of it. "
Politics of religion
"I am of the firm belief that the nation should progress on the issue of development. And it is necessary that the country moves forward on the issue of development. I would like to tell the media not to make heroes out of those people who make extreme comments"
Times Now
Economic schemes
"The poor is the central focus of my economic agenda. The poor should be strengthened in such a way that they get the willingness to defeat poverty. By helping the poor make ends meet while they remain in poverty is also one of the ways . All my schemes are meant to empower the poor and change the quality of life."
What motivates him
" I don't live under the burden of worries. Problems and challenges are there, you can't deny that. But you must challenge the challenges and not let the challenges turn into worries. This is my principle. I challenge the challenges."
His humour side
"I have a humorous side but these days humour can be a risky thing. In this era of 24/7 news channels, anybody can lift a small word and make a big issue out of it. But I will tell you the truth, the reason for the absence of humour in public life is this fear. I am in fear, there is no humour left in public life because of this fear. Everyone is scared. I am in fear. My speeches used be humourous. I see it in Parliament, that humour is finished there too. It is a matter of concern."
Times Now
Bihar's favourite Humanities Class 12 topper Ruby Rai is the gift that keeps on giving. After news of her one-line essay on Hindu saint Tulsidas, here's another one - her explanation for the whole fiasco.
Maine to Papa se kaha tha pass karwa dijiye, unhone ne to top hi karwa diya.
bccl
Ruby has told her interrogators that she never wanted to top the exams. Instead, she wanted to just pass, and had asked her dad to arrange for enough marks to make that happen, Maine to Papa se kaha tha pass karwa dijiye, unhone ne to top hi karwa diya. (I had only asked Papa to get me passed but he went ahead and made me topper), The Indian Express reported.
She had earlier said that she is just a girl for 'dehaat' and like Jon Snow she knows nothing!
Not only could not she not clear her re-examination's basic questions, but Ruby couldn't even pronounce "Political Science", the video of which triggered this fiasco into what is unravelling as a complicated scam involving the students and college administration.
Manu Maharaj, the Patna special SP who is heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the scam explained The arts topper was very forthright in accepting that she did not deserve to be a topper.
She had expected second division at best. She now blames her guardians and Vishnu Roy College principal, Bachcha Rai, for making her topper. Ruby's comments during a TV interview after she was declared the topper took the lid off the toppers scam in Bihar.
Meanwhile, other toppers successfully cleared their re-examination, in a process involving a 14-member panel of experts who examined all toppers individually.
bccl
The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has cancelled of its affiliation to Ruby's school, the Vishun Roy (VR) College at Bhagwanpur in Vaishali district.
Bihar is no stranger to mass exam-cheating. A couple of years ago a video of parents and friends climbing school walls to hand cheat-chits to students who were appearing in the exams had exposed the amount of fraud happening in exams in the state.
Illegal immigration is by far the biggest issue in the Assam primarily because sneaking into Assam from Bangladesh is fairly easy. The size of the Brahmaputra varies through the year, making it almost impossible to fence the border. Thus, a large part of the district is unfenced, making it easy for illegal migrants along the border to sneak into Assam.
Since 2013, the office of the National Register of Citizens is engaged in an elaborate exercise to determine the number of foreigners in the state. But just to gauge how widespread is the problem of illegal immigration, we took a look at the numbers. The National Register of Citizens (NRC) investigation has found that there are 27,000 illegal immigrants in Dhubri (one of the districts in Assam) alone.
This is the number of migrants who have been officially caught, not the number of migrants who actually sneaked in.
BCCL
75% of the citizens in some of the districts are Muslims. The rate of growth of the Muslim population in Assam in general, is far higher than in the rest of the country. Locals complain that a large part of the reason behind the spurt in the Muslim population is the illegal immigration from Bangladesh.
As per sources, it was found out that it was ridiculously easy for a foreign national to acquire Indian citizenship by submitting fake documents or by paying as little as Rs. 10,000 to acquire one.
In some instances several illegal immigrants who have been officially declared as foreigners by the tribunal, still had the right to vote. What is said to happen in most elections in Assam, according to the opposition, is that its not just the original inhabitants of the state who are casting their vote but also thousands of migrants who have sneaked in from Bangladesh.
BCCL
According to an investigation by an Indian television channel, middlemen have established a well-oiled machinery to provide documents of identity proof such as driving licences and school transfer certificates, against which these migrants can becomes citizens and exercise their right to vote.
The investigation team also spoke to the National Register of Citizens of India (NCR) officials who shared insider details of the process in which foreign citizens acquire Indian citizenship.
According to National Register of Citizens officials, in Dhubri alone, there might be as many as 12,000 Bangladeshi migrants who are living as Indian citizens with fake papers.
BCCL
"We have got two lists of Bangladeshi migrants living in Dhubri. The first list was of some 11,975 persons. They are the DVoters or dubious voters and they cannot cast their votes as their cases are pending in the Foreigners Tribunal. Second list was that of another 16,504 such persons," said an NRC official caught on hidden camera.
"We are working through the method of sampling. The figure is nearly 30,000. Out of this we have checked 3,000 in which we have found 80 cases of illegal migrants. Out of these 20 have their names on electoral rolls. The rest 27,000 we have to find, but they might have moved from the given addresses," said a highly placed official of the NRC.
The officials also claimed that they had nearly identified all such foreign nationals in Assam. They are only another six months or so away from completing the process.
BCCL
Prabajan Virodhi Manch (PVM), an NGO against infiltration of migrants, is of the view that the Assam government was not doing its bit to tackle the illegal migration issue from Bangladesh. The PVM has urged the Centre to intervene while alleging that documents are fraudulently being acquired by immigrants in Assam for including their names in the updated National Register of Citizenship (NRC).
"There is large scale fabrication of documents, birth certificates, identity proof, land documents etc which needs to be uncovered by a central agency as such papers will be the basis for asking citizenship," PVM Convenor Upamanyu Hazarika told reporters.
He also claimed that Under the Citizenship Act, 1955, a immigrant can be conferred citizenship in different phases upto December 3, 2004. "This effectively shifts the NRC cut-off date for grant of citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh from March 25, 1971 to December 3, 2004. This needs to be addressed by legislative measures."
For over a decade Geological scientist Gnana Bharathi has been fighting a lone battle, to get him a deserving post- as a scientist.
The Indian Express
Bharathi a principal scientist who was working with Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research in Dhanbad, Jharkhand met with an accident in 2002, which left him bound to a wheelchair.
After his accident Bharathi who is qualified MSc and MTech degrees in Geology and Mineral Exploration was transferred to the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai, where he was made to work in the library, despite his qualification.
Since then, I have been working on projects and studying further and had applied for a transfer to the environment technology division. However, despite the transfer being sanctioned by the then director of the institute last December, I was not transferred, he said.
Now after an 8-year battle, the scientist got his wish to work in the Environment and Technology division of the same organisation.
CSIR
This after he and members of the Disability Rights Alliance, Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu Differently Abled Federation Charitable Trust, the December 3 movement and the Spinal Injured Persons Association protested at the gate of the institute.
The Indian Express
After years of struggle, the scientist said he was happy to get the post he wanted.
Ive had to wait for nine years and I even wasted six months of my PhD time as I had to protest. But the trauma of talking to the officials everyday for a transfer has finally come to an end, he said.
The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee is contemplating taking action against those students who did not turn up for the week-long yoga sessions at the campus from June 18 to 24 as part of the International Yoga Day celebrations. This is according to the students at the IIT.
iitr
They say that the institute is planning action against students who had less than 60% attendance in the yoga sessions.
IIT authorities who said the data was just of record, however refused to acknowledge any action is contemplated against the students.
"We did not pressure any student to attend the yoga sessions in the institute and there is no plan of taking disciplinary action against non-attending students. We are just compiling the records of students who did not attend as we wanted to know the reasons behind their absence," said DK Nauriyal, dean (students) of the institute.
Students also claim that the institute had made it mandatory for them to attend the sessions despite their hectic academic schedule.
"We always live under huge pressure of completing our studies on time, so participation in such extra-curricular programmes becomes difficult for us. The institute administration has to understand this and refrain from taking disciplinary action or forcing people to attend," a student who wanted to remain unnamed told The Times of India.
They also claim that fines are being imposed on students who did not attend the Yoga sessions.
Ruby Rai sounds like shes never been to school.
The class 12 Humanities topper doesnt know how:how to pronounce the subject she aced (#ProdigalScience), doesnt know how many marks she needed to top, or even what political science is. Yet, In the Facebook comments on many articles weve done on Ruby Rai. many have defended her.
bccl
She was a victim of a system, many wrote, and instead of vilifying one girl, the media should address this system.
But what exactly is this system?
Her teachers, her college, the principal, and even the Bihar government - here's everyone who made this happen
Bihars 50 year old legacy of cheating
Bihar has always believed in an exam where "everyone is invited to help parents, family, neighbourhood, tutors and even teachers." Speaking to the Times of India, a Bhar local remembered how exam season was a carnival for his town' government schools: "At least four people would accompany babua in his tryst to clear the paper the father or any elderly male from the family, a sprightly kid who could scurry fast into the school and fetch the paper, one brainy guy can answer the questions and often, a concerned and caring neighbour."
1970s Bihar CM Manas Thakur even announced that failure in English still meant you were a matric pass.
Bihar students reportedly would travel miles to find the printing press that printed the paper, the guy who set the paper, and even use family clout to set up your exam at a location where your clan or uncle had some power so cheating was easy.
Despite all this, It took Bihar years to treat cheaters as criminals: the state has only recently announced anti-cheating measures like coded answer sheets, video surveillance, and fines. Ramadin Sharma, a retired school teacher told the Hindu that Bihars Board Exam pass percentage in Bihar fell from 73.5% in 1993 to 12% in 1996, when the Patna High Court was involved in exam supervision. In February, state authorities in Bihar announced that students caught cheating would have to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000, and that parents, guardians, and friends caught helping students cheat would be booked under IPC Section 144, and jailed.
Other names
While the full story isn't clear yet, the police has arrested Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) former chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha, as well as the alleged kingpin of the scam,Amit Kumar (alias Bachcha Rai), principal of V.R. College, where the scam took place. He is alleged to have been manipulating, in collusion with the BSEB, the merit list of Class 12 examinees in favour of students who paid him bribes.
Teachers
Reporters have found that its easy to find a "network of fixers, touts and impostors guaranteeing high scores in 12th standard". These included teachers, exam officials and headmasters. They found that fees for rigging the exam, which included getting a "scholar" to write the exam for you, could run as high as Rs. 50,000
Her father
From her statement (and considering that no exam official would fudge the numbers for free), it's likely that Rai's father bribed officials in his bid to 'take care of her results'.
And the last piece of the puzzle - Ruby Rai herself
bccl
Ruby Rai she knew that this system had existed long before her. She casually asked her dad to use it in her favour - just like asking a daughter might ask her dad for a handbag or a new dress. She is a criminal, and this attention is her paying the price for the price her father possibly paid as a bribe. She wasn't forced into it - it's really not that hard to scrape together enough marks to pass.
She didn't need the marks so she could waltz into a premium educational institute - she wouldn't survive the first day of college.
The national carrier, Air India came under fire from an unexpected person on Tuesday, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Naidu hit out at Air India after he missed out on an important meeting in Hyderabad.
PTI
Calling for accountability from the national carrier in a series of tweets Naidu said Air India should understands that we are in the age of competition.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment.4 M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Responding to Naidu's attack, Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said service disruptions are unacceptable and that he has sought an enquiry by Air India.
Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to enquire and take action on priority https://t.co/vwVwfPMKVf Ashok Gajapathi Raju (@Ashok_Gajapathi) June 28, 2016
ohmyindia/ Representative Image
Air Indias on-time performance has been the poorest among all the airlines in India. According to the latest official data, only 74.3 per cent of AIs flights arrived and departed on time in May at metro airports. It also showed that 43,827 passengers faced delays beyond two hours the highest among all domestic airlines in May.
Afghanistans president has ordered a 'thorough investigation' into institutionalised sexual abuse of children by police, after it was found that the Taliban are using child sex slaves to launch deadly insider attacks.
afghanzariza/representational image
Paedophilic bacha bazi literally boy play has received wide condemnation, and Taliban has exploited it, sending sex slaves to conduct deadly attacks that have killed hundreds of policemen in the remote southern province of Uruzgan.
The president has ordered a thorough investigation (in Uruzgan) and immediate action based on findings of the investigation, the presidential palace said of Ashraf Ghani in a statement.
sarahmaxresearch.files.wordpress/representational image
Anyone, regardless of rank within the forces, found guilty will be prosecuted and punished in accordance and in full compliance of the Afghan laws and our international obligations, the English language statement said.
Bacha bazi`
The ancient custom of bacha bazi, one of the countrys worst human rights violations, sees young boys sometimes dressed as women recruited to police outposts for sexual companionship and to bear arms. It is deeply entrenched in Uruzgan, where police commanders, judges, government officials and survivors of such attacks told AFP that the Taliban are recruiting bacha bazi victims to attack their abusers.
Taliban denies it
static.westernjournalism/representational image
The claims strongly denied by the Taliban expose child abuse by both parties in Afghanistans worsening conflict. The presidential statement said there was no place in the Afghan establishment for abusers, adding it will do whatever it takes to punish them. We urge the Afghan government to protect and support victims and their families, while also strongly encouraging justice and accountability under Afghan law for offenders.
tacticalshit/representational image
In a letter last week to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Congressman Duncan Hunter demanded a proactive American role to end bacha bazi in Afghan forces. I remain concerned that the Taliban is increasing its use of children to access security positions and mount insider attacks against Afghan police, Hunter said in the letter seen by AFP. But it's not just an Afghan issue, here's what happens across the border:
BCCL/Representational image
In what could lend more heft to the fight for their rights, leading lights of the LGBT community have moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of Section 377 of IPC to protect their sexual preferences, saying these are part and parcel of the right to life.
The petition by dancer N S Johar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hotelier Aman Nath and business executive Ayesha Kapur will come up for hearing before a bench of Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan on June 29, when the SC resumes business after a 45-day vacation. Leading lawyers Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar will argue for the petitioners.
Their writ plea will give fresh impetus to the pending petitions-by Naz Foundation and gay rights sympathizers like film-maker Shyam Benegal. Read more details here
Here are five more stories that will interest you:
1. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Says Pak Kids Are Trained To Hate India
BCCL
Speaking to Pakistan news channel Geo News, former Pak foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar spoke candidly about her country's foreign policy.
Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war, and the Kashmir-issue needs mutual trust with India, she said. She added that Pakistani children were indoctrinated in an atmosphere of hatred - "our national identity is to hate someone, causing the hostility with India and Afghanistan.
I believe that Pakistan cannot conquer Kashmir through war and if we cannot do that, the option we are left with is dialogue, and dialogue can only proceed with a partner with which we have normal relations and a certain level of mutual trust Read more quotes from her here
2. After Blocking India's NSG Bid, China Call India 'Spoiled' And 'Golden Boy' Of The West
Reuters
Global Times, an English language daily, considered as a mouthpiece of the Chinese government has hit out at India after Beijing blocked India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Defending the move in a strongly worded editorial, the Global Times said it was rules, not China, that prevented India's entry into NSG.
"Since its foundation in 1975, all NSG members shall be NPT signatories. This has become the primary principle of the organization. Now India wants to be the first exception to join the NSG without signing the NPT. Read more eccentric ideas from them
3. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu Hits Out At Air India After His Flight Got Delayed
PTI
The national carrier, Air India came under fire from an unexpected person on Tuesday, Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Naidu hit out at Air India after he missed out on an important meeting in Hyderabad.
Calling for accountability from the national carrier in a series of tweets Naidu said Air India should understands that we are in the age of competition.
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Read more of his tweets and the response here
4. Reduced To Being A Librarian, This Scientist Fought For Over A Decade To Get Back His Rightful Position
The Indian Express
For over a decade Geological scientist Gnana Bharathi has been fighting a lone battle, to get him a deserving post- as a scientist.
Bharathi a principal scientist who was working with Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research in Dhanbad, Jharkhand met with an accident in 2002, which left him bound to a wheelchair.
After his accident Bharathi who is qualified MSc and MTech degrees in Geology and Mineral Exploration was transferred to the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai, where he was made to work in the library, despite his qualification. Read what happened next here
5. Social Media Loses All Balance After Kejriwal Appears On TV Wearing Flowers In His Hair!
Twitter
It may have rained in Delhi but flowers bloomed in Goa.
Oh, what a sight it was to see the Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, wear the flower crown on his head. Maniacal laughter erupted, people clapped, and all jokes broke loose.
The CM is visiting Goa and doing things that he thinks tourists normally do. With hopes of winning 35 of 40 seats in Goa, Kejriwal couldn't have looked any happier.
And as always, the battleground of all memes, Twitter, enjoyed the last laugh.
Here, we won't keep you any longer. Enjoy the mockery, the jests, the songs - oh, the songs!
1. Some pictures don't need edits.
BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THIS IS NOT EVEN PHOTOSHOPPED pic.twitter.com/5YoF2qGBaH Champ McLovin (@BolshoyBooze) June 28, 2016
2. The Sultan of all sultans.
Kumar vishwas : Ye kya drama hai?
Ak : pic.twitter.com/sk3E01MBXi Raja Babu () (@GaurangBhardwa1) June 28, 2016
More hillarious posts this way
On June 24, US President Barack Obama made a landmark move. He designated the area around the Stonewall Inn in New York City as the nation's first monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights.
"This week I'm designating the Stonewall National Monument as the newest addition to America's national park system," Obama said in a video released by the White House. "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, that we are stronger together. That out of many, we are one," he added.
The Stonewall Inn is the first ever monument dedicated to the LGBTQ movement.
AFP
The White House has also said the monument would encompass Christopher Park, the Stonewall Inn and the surrounding streets and sidewalks that were the sites of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. It was here that the very first march for gay and lesbian rights in July 1969 took place as a protest against police raids on bars.
"The recognition of Stonewall as a national monument is an important step in recognising our vibrant past and spotlighting the unique contributions LGBT Americans make to the rich fabric of our nation," Wendy Stark, executive director of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, which primarily serves New York City's LGBT community, told CNN.
The Pride March is organised around the Stonewall Inn every year, along with several other destinations in the world.
AFP
On June 28, 1969, during a regular police raid in New York, the gay patrons of Stonewall made history when they retaliated against the police. The bar, one of the few that welcomed homosexuals, was frequented by the most marginalised members of the LGBTQ members who had nowhere else to go.
During the raid in the early hours of June 28, the police were unable to control the mob inside the bar which soon escalated into a full-blown riot which continued for a week with gay members of the community asking for their right to exist in peace.
It was the first such event in modern history. And it is the single event which led to the LGBTQ movement around the world.
AFP
President Obama, whose term ends on January 17 next year, has used the 1906 Antiquities Act more frequently than any president in US history, that has led to the allocation of 3.9 million acres of land for federal protection. However, the President's effort in earmarking the lesser-known chapters of US history, are making a sound impact on the people.
The designation of Stonewall Inn and its surroundings is the first ever such designation in history and is a bold step in recognising the efforts of the LGBTQ community.
AFP
Uche Secondus, former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement on June 28th, described Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari as a theatre of acrimony.
According to Secondus, the Buhari government should stop causing more problems for the country but rather set out to tackle the myriads it already created.
INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you 6 things he said that should interest you.
1.He said rather than strive to address the major socio-economic issues weighing down Nigeria due to the confusion and lack of direction of the government in the last one year, the APC is busy creating more battlefronts and compounding the challenges of the county.
2.He also stated that Nigeria under APC leadership today, the country has become a whole theatre of acrimony with agitations here and there with no clear sign of solution in sight forcing political watchers to question if the country is disintegrating.
3.According to him the Boko Haram issue that was supposed to be progressing well has run into troubled waters because of the confusion in the ruling party.
4.He added that the federal governments anti-corruption fight is even skewed due to insincerity as ministers already confirmed to be corrupt internationally continue to move untouched while governors with immunity are harassed daily.
5. He stated also that rather than confront the various challenges overwhelming the country, APC is currently bleeding soaked in its own greed and the obvious consequence is that a house divided against itself is bound to fall and the party is already falling.
6.Lastly, he opined that while the federal government creates more problems it leaves unattended to critical projects, for example, after the hype created by his government on cleaning up Ogoniland, nothing is happening in the project while Governor Neysom Wikes massive opening up of Ogoni roads neglected over the years is evident.
Whats your take???
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the last couple of months have arrested, investigated, filed suits, frozen accounts and seized properties of some notable Nigerians. If you have ever wondered what offenses could land anyone in their net, well, INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you all 7 of them in this piece.
Economic crime: An act of sabotage that affects the economy of a state or nation. For example, pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering, tax evasion, etc.
Financial Crime: an act that involves the illegal use of cash or financial instruments such as cheques, drafts, money orders, etc. For example, bank fraud, issuance of dud cheques, etc.
Advance Fee Fraud (419): This is a kind of scam in which a fraudster through false pretences/deceitful information hoodwinks a person to make some upfront payment on a proposed business deal, romance, marriage, contract , etc. Offences that constitute Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences include: Offences relating to obtaining cash or property by false pretence, forgery, misrepresentation with intent to defraud using financial instruments.
Money Laundering:This is a process whereby ill-gotten wealth is transformed so that it appears legitimate.
Terrorism:This is an act of violence and/or threats to intimidate another, to attain goals that are political, ideological or religious in nature.
Cyber Crime:This is the use of a computer or other electronic device to perpetrate criminal acts. Cyber cafes have to register with the EFCC so that Commission can monitor their operations and enforce operating standards that eliminate internet crimes.
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU):This is the central national agency responsible for receiving, analyzing and transmitting financial disclosures on suspicious transactions in designated and non-designated financial institutions with a duty to report to relevant authorities.
Learned something new?
Air quality is forecast to be in the good range with ozone predicted to be the dominant pollutant.
The most current pollen and mold spore information was provided in the morning report
Justice Sule Hassan of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered that former ministers of Aviation and Finance respectively, Femi Fani-Kayode and Nenandi Usman be remanded in prison over money laundering.
Fani-Kayode and Usman alongside one Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Nigeria Limited, were charged on alleged money laundering to the tune of N4.9 billion by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)
Justice Hassan ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison, soon after their arraignment pending when he will hear their bail applications on Friday.
Fani-Kayode and Usman, had pleaded not guilty to the 17 count charge preferred against them by the anti- graft agency.
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc (Julius Berger) is a leading construction company offering integrated solutions and related services. Julius Berger specializes in executing complex works that require the highest level of technical expertise and Nigeria-specific knowhow.
On behalf of our Nigerian affiliate ABUMET Nigeria Ltd. The ABUMET Nigeria Ltd. produced since 1991 components made of aluminum, steel and glass for the complete building envelope and the interior of buildings. (308 employees, project volume to 7 million euros, annual sales about 18 million euros). The use takes place in the ABUMET Nigeria Ltd. in Nigeria.
Job Title: Anesthesiologist (m / w)
Job ID: 133
Start: 06/01/2017
Tasks
We are looking for a medical person who independently in our companys clinic in Abuja the range Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine represents and is also active in the basic health care for our employees.
Requirements
Completed training as a specialist / lady doctor anesthesia with additional designation emergency medicine.
Tropical Medical knowledge and experience in general medical practice are desirable.
English and German spoken and written.
When equally qualified doctors are preferred with Nigerian citizenship because of easier conditions for admission in the country.
Offer
Participation in an international team.
An attractive remuneration with additional expatriation allowances for tax exemption in Germany.
A service vehicle and a driver will be provided to you.
A house with air conditioning, telephone, water and electricity supplies and with an appealing Inclusions European standard part of our service package.
Click here to apply
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration has been called upon to bring in people like former anti-corruption czar, Nuhu Ribadu, to help it pursue its agenda of probity, fight corruption and ensure that those who feast on the common wealth are made to return it.
President of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Coalition for Peace and Mobilisation (NACOPEM), Comrade Ahmed Saleh made the call on Tuesday in Abuja.
Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association, Comrade Saleh also voiced the readiness of the group to reach out to some important members of the APC, who either left the party in anger or were misled into leaving in the run up to the 2015 general elections.
Mr. Ribadu was one of such stalwarts of the APC who dumped the party in order to pick the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He came third in the 2015 Adamawa State governorship election behind the APC and Social Democratic Party, SDP.
The pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, whose visit to the pioneer chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande at his Ila-Orangun country home in Osun State last December sparked defection rumours, has gone into political oblivion with his party, PDP, enmeshed in leadership crisis even as many of its prominent members are standing trial for alleged corruption.
The NACOPEM, however, insisted that We need the likes of Nuhu Ribadu and many others to rejoin the party and support this government to fight corruption and help Mr President address the multifaceted problems we have been facing since independence.
The group said as part of its assigned mandate, as members of the peace and mobilisation of the APC, its investigations revealed that what the government needs at this critical point in time to fight corruption is for President Buhari to call on credible Nigerians, who it said possess the know-how, intelligence, ability and the strategy to fight corruption.
I mention people like Ribadu because I remember when $15 million was brought to him in an attempt to bribe him. How many people can resist such temptation at this present day? Today, former Governor James Ibori is in jail partly due to his efforts, NACOPEM asserted.
Saleh also decried the current trend of politicizing the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration by the opposition, saying whenever they arrest a particular person for allegations of corruption, they begin to complain and politicise the issue. This, to me, is unnecessary and uncalled for.
Federal lawmakers from the southern part of Kaduna State have rejected the governments plan to create grazing reserves around the country.
Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly, the group made up of one Senator and five members of the House of Representatives, said the move is ill-advised and an unsustainable solution to the recurring attacks by Fulani Herdsmen.
The lawmakers, therefore, advised the Kaduna State Government to encourage herdsmen to acquire land and establish ranches for their herds.
Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbeh, had suggested grazing reserve as a solution to the herdsmen crisis in Nigeria, adding that it will create room for better livestock as well as greater yield of milk, which will cut out the 1.3 billion dollar spent annually on importation of milk to Nigeria.
Mr Ogbeh said 50,000 hectares of land have already been volunteered by 11 northern state governments, including Plateau, Jigawa, Gombe, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Taraba, Niger and the FCT.
The trial of one of former President, Goodluck Jonathans cousin, Azibaola Robert, began on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presenting its first witness, Ibrahim Mahe.
Mahe told the court of how he transferred $40million to One Plus Holdings Nig Ltd, a company allegedly owned by Robert.
Mahe, a retired permanent secretary, special services in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, told the court that he did not know the first and second defendants (Robert and Stella), but only the third defendant, One Plus Company through a transaction. Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser (NSA), instructed him to prepare a payment mandate of 40 million dollars in favour of the company after Dasuki had endorsed a memo to him with details of the companys account.
Robert and his wife, Stella Robert are standing trial on a 7-count charge before Justice Nnamdi O. Dimgba of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja for money laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption.
The Defence Headquarters on Monday alerted Nigerians to the latest trick used by Boko Haram insurgents fleeing Sambisa Forest, saying they now disguise as vigilantes and hunters to evade easy detection.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, made this known in a statement yesterday in Abuja.
His statement reads:
Following the coordinated military offensive against the remnants of Boko Haram Terrorists in Sambisa forest, the fleeing terrorists now disguise as vigilantes or hunters to evade easy detection.
The terrorists, after being smoked out of Sambisa forest, in their desperation to wreak havoc on innocent Nigerians and to remain relevant, devised a new tactics of dressing like vigilantes or hunters to deceive unsuspecting members of the public of their true identity.
The case of Kuda-Kaya village in Madagali community of Adamawa State where a group of Boko Haram terrorists, dressed like vigilantes, opened fire on elated people during a ceremony readily come to mind.
The general public is hereby advised to be wary of unsubscribed services or presence of vigilantes or hunters in their neighbourhood in order not to ignorantly harbour killer gang in their midst.
Members of the public are also advised to be security conscious, at all times, and report promptly to security agencies of any suspicious persons or group of persons in their community or raise alarm, where necessary.
The Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (retd) has exonerated the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai of corruption allegations against him.
Buratai was accused by an online medium of owning choice properties in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
The medium said the Army chief and his two wives are joint owners of a Dubai property worth about $1.5m, which payment was made in one transaction.
It further indicated that the money for the purchase of the property may have come from a vehicle contract scam while Lt.-Gen. Buratai was the Director of Procurement at the Army HQ.
In a swift reaction, the Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said Buratai, who was appointed as COAS on July 13, 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari, owned the two properties with his family and that they were paid for in installments through personal savings three years ago, not after his appointment as claimed in the report.
Col. Usman, who denied the money for the purchase was proceeds from corruption, further stated that the Army chief listed the properties in his assets declaration form as required by law.
Taking a more definitive stand on the issue, the minister, in a statement signed on his behalf by his Principal General Staff Officer, PGSO, Brigadier General Mohammed Ahmed, said the report should be disregarded.
It is on record that Lt. Gen. Buratai had declared his assets as the Commander, Multi-National Joint Task Force and as Chief of Army Staff to the Code of Conduct Bureau, he said.
Mr. Dani-Ali added that the facts were verifiable at the bureau and called on the media to be more professional when it comes to security and defence related matters.
The Ministry of Defence views this as an attempt by some unpatriotic and disgruntled elements to distract the leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces from the successes in the war against terror, particularly in the North-east, he added.
The Defence Minister assured Nigerians that the present administration would not harbour personalities with dubious character.
The national caretaker committee chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has advised a factional chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to tow the path of dialogue over the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.
Mr. Makarfi gave the advice on Monday in Abuja when he received the report of the Edo governorship primaries.
Once again, I call upon the former chairman of PDP, my colleague and friend Sheriff and those associating with him to follow the path of dialogue.
They should not to do anything further that will cause PDP harm in Edo state, said the caretaker chairman.
Mr. Sheriff, who is laying claim to the chairmanship position of the PDP, declared the primaries conducted by the caretaker committee as illegal and went ahead to announce the conduct of a fresh primary by his faction on Wednesday (tomorrow).
Makarfi, however, stressed the importance for party members to work together as INEC had stated that it required 21 days notice to monitor any primary.
This means validly and legally, no primary can be conducted apart from the one which we conducted and monitored by INEC.
If the intention is not to cause the PDP to fail the election, any talk towards conducting other primaries in Edo by anybody either within or outside the state is supposed to have ceased by this time.
I will continue to plead that what you cannot achieve through peace or dialogue, you cannot achieve it through the opposite, he added.
Mr. Makarfi commended members of the primaries committee for living above the board while carrying out the assignment given to them by the party.
He said the committee had set a standard that needed to be emulated at all levels of the partys primaries to make the election transparent.
The chairman of the primaries committee, Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, while submitting the report, said the primary was peaceful and successful.
Mr. Umahi urged party members to continue to believe in PDP as well as support the partys candidate in the September 10 election.
He commended the maturity and respect Mr. Makarfi and his team accorded Mr. Sheriff in handling the partys leadership crisis.
He also called on leaders of the party to persuade Mr. Sheriff to discontinue the path he was going in order to have a united house in the PDP.
Let me also appeal to Sheriff that no one can be greater than the party. He may have been wronged on moral ground, but by the reason of our partys constitution, let him have a rethink, he said. (NAN)
FORMER militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, complained to President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday, that the military had not returned his symbol of authority as the chief priest of Egbesu Shrine, Oporoza, Gbaramatu Kingdom, removed from the traditional temple about a month ago.
Tompolo in an open letter to the President said that the incident occurred about 31 days ago when soldiers invaded Oporoza in his absence in search of him on allegation that he was behind the bombing of oil facilities in the region.
Besides the abomination, he said they also placed the traditional ruler of Gbaramatu kingdom under house arrest for one week.
He asserted: As I said in my previous publications, the military made away with the symbol of authority of the Gbaramatu people from the Egbesu Shrine, which I am the Chief Priest. They also made away with other valuables worth several millions of naira from the community.
The most annoying one is the purported arrest of 10 young promising men, most of whom are orphans, who are secondary school students sitting for the West African Senior Secondary School Examinations (WASSCE) and other palace staff, and labeled them as members of the Niger Delta Avengers.
As I write you now, these innocent young promising men are still with your military for no reason. This is truly mans inhumanity to man in our own country. We are presently being treated like conquered people because of crude oil, he said.
He appealed to the President to please kindly direct your army to return the looted items, including the symbol of authority, and also release those innocent young men to continue their academic programme, even though they have missed the WASSCE for this year.
Mr President, remember, there is no condition that is permanent. I have kept faith in this country. I have contributed in no small measure to the development of this country. It is my prayer that God Almighty should preserve me and meet you again to tell you my side of the numerous stories you have been inundated about me, Tompolo said.
He added: This was how they arrested Chevron Nigeria Limited Staff on routine duty in Kokodiagbene community of Gbaramatu kingdom, and labeled them members of Niger Delta Avengers. It took spirited effort by leaders of the kingdom and other well -meaning Nigerians to convince the military, that the arrested men were not involved in pipeline destruction.
His words: Mr President Sir, please permit me to quickly recall a similar incident that occurred in May, 2009, when this same military invaded several communities in Gbaramatu kingdom, under the command of late President Umaru Musa YarAdua.
Traditional worship centres were desecrated, properties were looted and above all, the multi-billion naira ultra-modern magnificent palace of the Pere of Gbaramatu kingdom was burned down, and his golden crown was stolen by the military.
Tompolo went on: As peace loving people, the kingdom approached the courts and demanded compensation for the unlawful invasion and destruction of property, in which the court awarded 99 billion naira in favour of Gbaramatu kingdom. After seven years of that sad incident, the Federal Government is yet to pay the compensation.
He added: This incident also led to the declaration of the Presidential Amnesty programme for peace to reign, as the government found out that military action is not the best way to address the Niger Delta question and the rest become a history in the life of those who led that invasion. I believe Mr President should learn a lesson from the 2009 military invasion and do the needful.
Your Excellency Sir, as they say, wonders shall never end, I am still in a great shock as the only developmental project, Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, established by the previous administration in 2014 in the coastal area of the Niger Delta region to meet the yearnings and the aspiration of the people, is yet to commence academic session. Even though all is set for Universitys take off, he said.
Source: Vanguard
Emir of Kano, Mohammadu Sanusi II has urged the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris to strengthen his resolve to fight crimes in the country.
In a letter congratulating the one time Kano State Commissioner of Police, Emir Sanusi said he received with great pleasure the news of the appointment of IGP Idris as the Acting Inspector-General of Police, and therefore wished to congratulate him on this lofty appointment.
Though the appointment came at a very difficult time in the history of our nation with several security challenges, he has a firm conviction that with the experience and track record of the newly appointed IGP, he will overcome every stumbling block, he said.
We are aware of your passion for justice and truth. We are also aware that you have made considerable deposit into the bank of trust among the rank and file of your officers and we pray that these and other outstanding qualities of yours should come to bear as a guiding light in the discharge of this Herculean and crucial national assignment, the Emir said.
A settlement regarding an emission cheating scandal is expected to cost Volkswagen $15 billion.
Exact terms are to be released on Tuesday in court in San Francisco.
Volkswagen is to fix or buy back polluting vehicles, paying each owner between $5,100 and $10,000. There would be $10 billion set aside for that item.
The scandal involves some 475,000 VWs with 2-liter diesel engines.
The settlement is expected to include $2.7 billion for environmental mitigation and another $2 billion for research on zero-emissions technology.
The immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, Martin Elechi, has rejected a Toyota V8 SUV gift from his successor, David Umahi.
The State Government had based on the approval of the State House of Assembly, purchased four Sport Utility Vehicles for former governors of the state at the cost of N29million per unit.
Mr. Elechi and his predecessor, Sam Egwu alongside current Minister of Science and Technology and former governor of old Abia State, which Ebonyi was carved out from, Ogbonnaya Onu were to receive one vehicle each while a former Senate President and immediate past Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, was to receive the remaining one.
In a letter to the beneficiaries, the State Government said the largesse was in recognition of their role in promotion of democracy in Ebonyi State and for meritorious services in that regard.
In a letter rejecting the gift, Mr. Elechi, who had a fall out with Umahi, his former deputy in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, said he found it hard to convince himself that he fitted into the category of those his successor wished to honour.
He also argued that his role in the promotion and sustenance of democracy was the antithesis of what was being practiced in the state today under the Umahi administration.
The former governor also wondered why the same government, which had refused to pay his entitlements and severance package, would cough out enough money to purchase such exorbitant car for him.
Let me remind you that for the past twelve (12) months, I have not been paid my salaries and second term severance allowance. These are my entitlements under the law of Ebonyi State; they are not a favour, said Mr. Elechi.
But of what use is this practice of sending seasonal gifts to a man who is being hounded and denied of his lawful official entitlements?
The ex-governor also lampooned his successor for the campaign of calumny launched against him and his tenure in office.
He said, I have no doubt that I made an impressive impact in Ebonyi State in manpower development with institutional reforms, attitudinal change philosophy, and infrastructural development.
Your Excellency will also recall that when I brought you on board in 2011 as my Deputy, we made you the Chairman of the Executive Council Committee on Inspection. You never criticized or condemned the need, quality, or pricing of any project.
But with your assumption of office on 29th May, 2015, every one of my projects had become a subject of public ridicule, outrage and outright condemnation. The only exception is probably the ultra-modern digital radio and television complex which I conceived of and completed from scratch to finish.
It is not condemned or criticized because it is an organ by which I am regularly vilified and rubbished. The permanent secretaries I appointed and/or trained have been swept out of office for no known reason. Ebonyi State is today the only state being governed without permanent secretaries.
Mr. Elechi further criticized the largesse, likening it to a Greek gift as the state governor, who signed off on the donation, was also the one behind him and his sons travails in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Why have I chosen to go down memory lane even though the issues raised above are only a tip of the iceberg? With so much calumny, character defamation and outpouring of invectives and unabated fresh petitions swelling up to the anti-graft agency on weekly basis, why am I considered worthy to receive a States honour? Where and what are those Meritorious services that justify my consideration for a gift of car, when I am being hounded day and night with my children? Is this not the height of contradictions?
As if the bad verdict on projects is not enough, there is the saga of malicious and false petitions against me and two of my children to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) This is courtesy of Your Excellencys ingenuity with your team players.
Meanwhile, a group, The Save Ebonyi Network, has condemned the gift of cars to the former governors of the state by the Umahi administration.
The group, in a statement jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Okorie Nnamdi, and Secretary, Mbam Ofoke, described the largesse as a waste of public funds especially in view of the present economic realities in the country.
The group wondered why the beneficiaries, who in every sense could afford the cars on their own, would be given the cars at a time when the state government was busy cutting salaries of health workers in the state.
The situation today in the state is that of gloom and despair as many children of civil servants have dropped out of school as the drastic reduction in their salaries has made it difficult for them to pay their childrens school fees yet the Umahi administration has millions of naira to buy cars for people who have no need for them, the statement said.
The money could have been used to offset the school fees of some of the students studying overseas under the state governments scholarship, who are facing sack from their schools and subsequent deportation because of the refusal of the state government to pay their school fees.
The Senate on Tuesday summoned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) to appear before it and explain his reason for dragging Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to court over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules.
The summons on the AGF was sequel to a motion raised by Senator Dino Melaye, (Kogi West) titled: Imminent threat to our democracy.
The Senate resolved to invite Malami to explain why he allegedly disregarded and reopened the alleged forgery case against Saraki and others when a court of competent jurisdiction had struck it out.
According to the upper legislative chamber, Justice Gabriel Kolawole of Abuja High Court adjudicated and ruled on the matter, affirming that the issue is an internal affair of the Senate.
Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, in a letter NASSIS/CJHL/024/2016/10 dated 27th June, 2016 and addressed to Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said Malami should appear before it on Thursday to explain his role in Saraki and Ekweremadus arraignment.
The letter was received at the AGF office on Tuesday.
The Muslim Ummah of South West of Nigeria (MUSWEN), the umbrella body for all Muslims, Muslim organizations and the Muslim institutions located in the South West region of the country, has urged the Osun Government to, without further ado, respect a recent Court Order on the wearing of hijab by female students to public primary and secondary schools in the state.
Justice Jide Falola of the Osun High Court earlier this month affirmed the rights of female Muslim students to wear hijab over their uniforms during the school hours.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Osun chapter, condemned the court judgment while also directing Christian students in the state to wear Church robes and other garments to school.
The row over hijab has created a tensed atmosphere in the Southwest state as both CAN and the Muslim Community in the state are presently at loggerheads over the judgment.
READ ALSO: Osun Muslim Community Urges CAN To Shun Lawlessness Over Judgment On Hijab
Weighing into the debate at a press conference addressed by its Executive Secretary, Professor Dawud Noibi, in Ibadan, Oyo state capital on Monday, MUSWEN also decried, in strong terms, the stiff opposition of the CAN leadership in Osun to female Muslim students wearing hijab to public schools originally owned by Christian Missionary proprietors.
Noibi remarked that what the CAN leadership are doing in this case is challenging the directive of Allah.
The MUSWEN Executive secretary declared: We believe that, barring any attempt to frustrate the enforcement of the court order, the government has adequate machinery to enforce the order. Indeed, only the government possesses the power to enforce all laws. To this end, we will be glad to see the Osun State Government do the needful on the court order. Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.
The group, which faulted CANs criticism of the Court order, wondered how wearing of hijab by female Muslim students offend Christianity.
if CAN still feels strongly about the judgment, they should follow the commendable example of the Muslims of Lagos State by following the path of law, it added.
Prof. Noibi further reminded the CAN leadership in Osun that the fact that Nigerian Muslims have demonstrated tolerance in the face of the imposition of the vestiges of Christian colonial legacies such as the observance of Sabbath on Sunday (and later on Saturday for Seventh Day Adventists) as well as the Gregorian calendar, should not be mistaken for weakness.
The MUSWEN scribe also gave knocks to a section of the Nigerian media which, he said, had allowed primordial sentiment to becloud their sense of impartiality by joining the fray in their editorial comments on the issue of the wearing of hijab by Osun Muslim students.
The media should always take notice that a huge responsibility goes with the enormous power that they hold over the health of the nation, he advised.
He then stated: Let us all learn to adopt the spirit of give and take and accord our judiciary the respect that it deserves. Resort to self-help will ultimately help nobody. It does not cost much for us to live together in peace and harmony.
In our multi-religious, not secular nation, the peculiarities of the groups that make up the Nigerian State must be respected within the limits of the law. This is the only way by which we can all make progress together and in peace.
As always, we want to appeal to all Muslims to remain calm and not to be provoked in spite of the challenging situation.
Responding to the call of new acting Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris telling president Muhammdau Buhari to retire 30 senior police officers, A human rights group, Campaign for Democracy, (CD) has appealed to the President and the Police Service Commission not to disengage them now especially when the country is being faced with security challenges.
The National Public Secretary of the group Dede Uzor Uzor in a statement call on the Police Commission and president Buhari to emend over the proposed retirement as it will have a negative impact on the police force.
The retirement of 20 senior AIGs, who enlisted in the force before the new IGP is not the ideal thing at present when there are security lapses in the country.
They are the officers who form a generation of police and to retire them will create a massive vacuum of both experienced and highly sound professional officers, who are specialists in fields that will affect the police badly, Dede said.
We need their services especially now the country is being faced with security challenges such as Boko Haram, militancy, armed robbery and kidnapping among other crimes.
The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.) has admitted knowing about security lapses at the Kuje Medium Prison in Abuja, which recently experienced a jail break by two inmates.
He made the disclosure in a chat with reporters shortly after carrying an on-the-spot assessment of the facility on Monday.
There were reports at the weekend that Charles Okah, the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja, who is in detention at the Kuje prisons, had escaped but this was later dismissed as false.
However, two inmates awaiting trial for culpable homicide, were confirmed to have escaped the prison and are currently at large.
In his chat with journalists, Dambazau disclosed that he had earlier called the attention of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) to the gaps, which he had noticed and eventually led to the prisoners escape.
This is a very serious issue, the minister lamented. The security gaps that I observed when I came here the last time, though I dont want to preempt the outcome of the investigation, I think those lapses were what made it possible for the prisoners to escape.
He said an investigation had already commenced by the Controller General of the Prisons Service, Jaafaru Ahmed, noting that efforts will be made to reinforce security at the prison facility.
Dambazau, who insisted that the names of all inmates at the prison must be known by the authorities, advised Prison wardens and officers to take their job seriously.
This place is a warehouse where we ensure that anyone who passes through here does not go out as a criminal. So, if we leave these gaps, we will never be able to achieve our objectives, he said.
Dambazau, a former Army Chief, who said the report of a preliminary investigation conducted has been submitted to him, however, refused to respond to reporters inquiries on how the inmates escaped from the prison facility.
He, however, assured that anyone found guilty will be punished even as he said efforts were being doubled to recapture the fleeing prisoners.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has reacted to the arrest of his associate, Mr. Abiodun Agbele aka Abbey, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Mr. Abbey, who was initially suspected of hiding in the Ekiti Government House to evade arrest by the anti-graft agency, was alleged to have aided and abetted the governor in laundering part of the N4.7billion arms fund disbursed by the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, for the prosecution of Fayoses governorship election in 2014.
While the embattled governor denied receiving any funds from the Office of the former NSA, he claimed that Zenith Bank was the major contributor to his election fund and Agbele was his representative during financial dealings with the bank.
It was learnt that Agbele was arrested in Lagos last night and is being detained at the Lagos State office of the EFCC.
Reacting to the arrest of his associate in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the governor called on the EFCC to carry out its investigations devoid of politics.
Gov. Fayose pointed out that at no time was his associate invited by the anti-graft, otherwise, he (Agbele) would have gladly turned himself in to avoid undue embarrassment.
Therefore, there is nothing to celebrate in his arrest if it is not political, he said.
The statement continued: As already pointed out, Governor Ayodele Fayose does not have anything to do with any fund from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). He has stated how his election was funded and Zenith Bank that he said funded his election has not denied doing so.
Also, the person said to have been arrested is an adult and will defend himself when the time comes. Subjecting him to media trial as EFCC has been doing since the inception of this government will only give our adversaries momentary sense of joy.
We await reports of EFCC investigations and we hope that the anti-corruption agency will be civil enough to allow an open and transparent trial in competent court of law and not media trial just to get at Governor Fayose because of his uncompromising stance against the misrule of the APC/Buhari led federal government.
Whatever stories being circulated by the EFCC and its political allies can at best be regarded as rumour as we were all in Nigeria when Nigerians were told that $700m cash was found in the House of Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke and the story turned out to be lie.
The governor again reiterated his resolve to make his opinions known on national issues, vowing not to be intimidated.
The spate of attacks by unknown gunmen in some parts of the country spread to Kaduna State on Monday evening as some marauders stormed Gurguzu village, Igabi local government area of the state, killing four persons and leaving six others with injuries.
The incident happened at about 6:00pm on Monday, when the gunmen, who rode on a motorcycle, stormed a farm in the village and opened fire on the people there.
At least 500 people from the village are presently displaced and taking refuge at a primary school in Rigasa as a result of the attack while the injured are currently recovering in a hospital.
RELATED POST: Man Shot Dead At His Farm In Kaduna
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government has asked the citizens to remain calm and go about their lawful business as a manhunt for the attackers continues.
Briefing journalists at the end of the state Security Council meeting, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Tijjani Abdullahi, said, At about 17:50, that is 5:50pm yesterday. The gunmen invaded the village on bike and killed a farmer and three other co-farmers. They injured four others and similarly many of the victims, the injured ones were rushed to the hospital.
Immediately, we deployed our men to the area and calm has returned to the village. Our men are patrolling the whole place. Contrary to what is being circulated on the social media, this was what actually happened.
Vanguard
Ado Daukaka, a popular local Hausa singer in Adamawa State, has been abducted in mysterious circumstances, few hours after releasing a song against corruption and incompetence.
Punch
Religious leaders share their opinions on the hijab crisis in Osun State
The Sun
Chief Tobby Anumaka, Patron Okpoko Igbo, a Pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation and Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) said the change mantra of the present government is on course.
Thisday
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has assured the people of his state that he remains their governor and shall appeal the Federal High Court ruling, which yesterday set aside his election citing his non-qualification to contest the 2015 governorship election for tax evasion as reason for his sack.
Daily Times
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy Ike Ekweremadu have insisted on being innocent of the charges on forgery of the Senate Standing Orders on which they were arraigned at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Court on Tuesday. On his part, Saraki, who is also standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on charges of false assets declaration, described his ordeals as a cross which he said he would always be ready to bear.
Daily Trust
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the nation was paying dearly for the incompetence in the management of huge oil revenue over the past decade and allowing the decay of critical infrastructure without saving for the rainy day.
Guardian
Citing absence of proper investigation by the security agencies, foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark yesterday said it was premature to conclude that Niger Delta militants were responsible for the recent invasion of Lagos and Ogun states communities last week leaving many dead and injured.
Tribune
INDICATIONS emerged on Monday, in Abuja, heads are to roll in the Nigerian Prisons Service over the observable lapses that led to the last Friday Kuje Prison jailbreak and escape of two inmates.
National Mirror
Niger State government and the Dangote Group have concluded plans for the takeoff of a N148 billion ($450m) sugar factory in the state, just as the state government has assured investors of a conducive environment for their investments.
The Nation
A Nigerian pharmacist, Ben Amodu, has discovered cures for Zika and Denge diseases.
Samples of the herbal drugs for the deadly viruses were presented to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, at the 4th annual clinical trial summit held in Abuja.
Amodu, who is a leading African herbal farmer and researcher, while presenting the herbal drugs to the minister during the summit themed Clinical Research and Public Health Emergency in Sub-Sharan Africa, said that the CD8 of a number of patients that used the herbal drugs had increased from 608 to 778 and 1,419 to 2,419.
This shows that it has strong activity against Ebola, the pharmacist enthused.
Profiling the clinical literature of the medicine, Amodu further disclosed that the efficacy of the drugs prevention and cure of Denge, Ebola and Zika viruses have shown remarkable responses in animal experiments, adding that, the products have been sent to Singapore for further test at a p4 laboratory which is not available in the country.
Earlier, the Minister lamented that the country was still importing herbal drugs when it had unexploited rich biodiversity.
Onu noted that with the current state of the economy, the country could benefit a lot from the herbal industry, which generates about $100billion annually worldwide.
I am very disturbed that Nigerian imports all forms of herbal products from different parts of the world: if we exploit our rich biodiversity properly, we can meet our demands and those of others in the worlds, he added.
The immediate past Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has charged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress federal Government to stop causing more problems for the country and set out to tackle the myriads it already created.
Rather than make efforts to address the major socio economic issues weighing down Nigerians due to the confusion and lack of direction of the government in the last one year, the former acting chairman of the PDP noted that the APC-led federal government is rather busy creating more battle fronts and compounding the challenges of the county.
Today under APC leadership the country has become a whole theatre of acrimony with agitations here and there with no clear sign of solution in sight forcing political watchers to question if the country is disintegrating.
Even the Boko haram issue that was supposed to be progressing well has run into troubled waters because of the confusion in the ruling party.
Ditto the federal Governments anti-corruption fight is even skewed due to insincerity as Ministers already confirmed to be corrupt internationally continue to move untouched while Governors with immunity are harassed daily.
Rather than confront the various challenges overwhelming the country, APC is currently bleeding soaked in its own greed and the obvious consequence is that a house divided against itself is bound to fall and the party is already falling, said Secondus in a statement, which he personally signed.
The former PDP boss said that the federal Government under Buharis watch is gradually eroding all indices of democratic principles especially those anchored on the rule of law and seperation of power as it has continued to violate all rules of free speech as enshrined in our status.
Unlike what the world is watching in Britain where democracy is being put into action and in America where President Barak Obama is being routinely criticized, Nigerians are leaving in fear, the press, judiciary, and politicians are in heavy apprehension because of the draconian system of our operatives who come after them for airing their views, he said.
The PDP chieftain, therefore, advised the Government to respect various organs of governance and stop seeing itself as what he termed the Lord Mayor of state Governors and the National Assembly, saying doing otherwise will amount to dictatorship.
Secondus faulted the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, for alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, describing it as an attempt to humiliate and intimidate the National Assembly.
He warned that the trial is setting a dangerous precedent as the parliament remains the opium of democracy.
According to Secondus, while federal Government creates more and more problems it leaves unattended to very critical projects.
He cited the official flag-off of the Ogoniland clean-up exercise, saying despite the hype by the APC-led federal government, nothing is happening in the project.
He said this is in contrast to Governor Nyesom Wikes massive opening up of Ogoni roads, which were neglected over the years.
Mr. Secondus said that APC should note that after one year in office, deceit by propaganda and lies can no longer be sustained as Nigerians now know better that inside the noisy drum is nothing but confusion and lack of direction.
He further warned the APC, which he labeled a disorganized team, to gauge the pulse of their various actions and inactions and stop moving the ship of state dangerously to avoidable turmoil as Nigerians are still waiting for all the wonders they promised.
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)
The senator representing Kaduna Central on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, Shehu Sani, has tutored the embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu on how to survive in prison.
Saraki, Ekweremadu, outgoing Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Deputy Clerk, Benedict Efeturi, are currently standing trial at a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja over alleged forgery of the Senate Rules book.
Sen. Sani, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, reportedly gave the Senate leadership prison lessons on Monday.
Sani, a prominent civil rights activist, who spent four years in various prisons across the country during the military regime of late dictator, General Sani Abacha, tutored Messrs. Saraki and Ekweremadu at the Court during their forgery case.
A senator, who was at the Court on Monday, said Sani lectured the accused persons when Justice Yusuf Halilu stood down the forgery suit for one hour.
Sani came and lectured the presiding officers on life in the prison. He told them that in the prison there is ranking rule like at the National Assembly. He advised them to cooperate with the Governor in the prison.
He said after registration, they will be given plates for meals. Sani also told them that they are going to share toilet, bathroom with other inmates and that it is the Governor of the prison that will allocate bed space to them, said the senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
When contacted by Daily Trust, Sen. Sani confirmed giving prison lessons to the presiding officers.
Yes, is anything bad in what I did? They are my colleagues and as a former inmates, I felt I should educate them on how to live in the prison, so that they will not be caught unaware, he said.
Deputy Governor of Ogun State Chief Yetunde Onanuga, escaped death yesterday in Ibafo, Obafemi-Owode local government when suspected Niger Delta militants attacked her convoy on her way to visit the Ogun-Lagos border areas being terrorized by militants.
The suspected militants engaged her security details in open fire at Akoka Ebute area of Ibafo for about 20 minutesbutthere was no casualty during the gun battle.
Chief Onanuga was on official assignments to Imushin, Elepete and Igbo-Olomu where suspected militants have been killing residents to reassure the people of Governor Ibikunle Amosun administrations commitment towards providing adequate security for lives and property when the gory incident happened.
Reacting to the gun battle, the SSG Barr Taiwo Adeoluwa, expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the affected communities and called for urgent Federal Governments assistance. He said the exchange of gunfire between the security operatives and the daredevil criminals in broad daylight was regrettable.
It is a thing of regret that things have gone so bad in our country; at this level, the teams led by the deputy governor of the state were not able to have access to a part of our state. It means that without mincing words, the Federal Government needs to get involved in this.
This is something that is beyond the capacity of the police. We need military task force like the one we have in Niger Delta; Its necessary and desirable. As we can see in Elepete, Igbo-Olomu and Imagbon, nothing can be compared with the violence here in Ibafo, he said.
On this day in 2013 in Jos, about 32 people were killed in three villages in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State in an attack allegedly coordinated by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The attackers allegedly invaded Bolgang, Karkashi and Magama villages shooting indiscriminately. They were said to have gone with motorbikes after those that tried to escape. Some of those killed were said to be students writing their National Examinations Council, NECO, examinations, while several houses and vehicles were burnt. It was learnt that the attack was launched from nearby Shikal village, where they reportedly gathered days earlier.
Majority of those killed at Magama were said to be the aged and children, while nine people were reported killed at Bolgang, which was completely razed.
A yet-to-be identified lecturer of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, has been caught on camera assaulting one of his students.
In an undated video shared by Jafaar Jafaar on Facebook, the lecturer can be seen apparently asking the male student, whose identity was yet to be ascertained as at the time of publishing this report, some inaudible questions as they both seem to struggle for something in his (students) pocket.
The video clip then shows the lecturer landing some slaps on the students face before dragging him out of the lecture hall to the consternation of other students, who were watching the drama.
It was not immediately clear what the students offence was as the video was not self-explanatory enough but is the lecturers action justified?
The IBBU Management is yet to react to the video which is fast becoming viral.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has raised the alarm over what he called a grand conspiracy to pull the state down.
He raised the alarm when leaders of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday.
Wike, however, assured that those plotting against the state would fail.
Speaking on the alleged plot, the governor urged those working against the interest of the state in the name of politics to remember that Rivers is critical to the development of the nation, therefore, must not be toyed with.
However, he pledged to continue to work for the unity and progress of the country as a patriot, despite what he termed distractions.
He said: There is a grand conspiracy against Rivers State. But I dont know in whose interest. I believe in the unity of this country, therefore I will continue to work for its development and security.
Gov. Wike further alleged that very deliberate steps have been taken to undermine the security of the state, pointing out that the headquarters of security agencies intervene to release deadly suspects taken into custody by operatives on ground.
Earlier, leader of the delegation and Chairman of PETAN, Engr. Bank-Anthony Okoroafor, called on the governor to further create the required enabling environment for investors to flourish in the state.
The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately redress the lopsided appointments into key federal positions under his administration.
The YOWICAN alleged that the presidents appointments are clearly skewed to favour a particular religion or region of the country.
The YOWICAN President, Engr. Daniel David Kadzai, who made this known in a statement issued to journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Tuesday, said that while it appreciated the efforts of President Buhari in trying to stamp out corruption, there was need for him to pay more attention to the growing economic hardship, unemployment, and non-payment of salaries in some states.
The appointment of key federal positions is clearly skewed to favour either a particular religion or region. We believe this does not reflect the unity of Nigeria, equity, fairness or federal character principles. Men and women of honour and integrity abound in every religion, tribe or region capable of handling important government positions, the Christians youth association said.
It further urged religious leaders to preach against corruption but stressed that the anti-corruption war as spearheaded by the Presidency must not be seen to be one-sided and based on political or sectional interests.
As president, Hillary Clinton would support the automatic granting of green cards, or permanent residency, to foreign students who earn advanced STEM degrees in the United States.
Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said she wants the U.S. to "staple" green cards to the diplomas of non-citizens who earn master's or Ph.D. degrees in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering or math) "from accredited institutions."
Clinton outlined her plan in a broader tech policy agenda released today.
This agenda is big on improving computer science education and is modeled after some of President Barack Obama's efforts, such as training 50,000 computer science teachers in the next 10 years. But the topic that may get the most focus is immigration.
Clinton's "staple" idea isn't a new. It's what Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, supported. It has had bipartisan support in Congress.
Broadly, a diploma/green card policy would allow new graduates to bypass temporary H-1B work visas and move from student visas to green cards. The graduates will need to have jobs lined up in order to qualify, and the proposals may require a waiting period. Clinton's plan has no specifics.
Even so, the idea is controversial. Critics will say the provision would be hard to control, could foster age discrimination and is likely to put pressure on IT wages.
Ron Hira, a public policy professor at Howard University, testified earlier this year that such a program "will create perverse incentives in both the labor and educational markets." Employers, he said, "will be incentivized to replace their older incumbent workers with cheaper fresh graduates, fueling age discrimination."
If a "staple" policy went into effect, colleges would likely recruit foreign students into advanced degree programs with the promise of green cards.
"Given that master's [programs] are short in duration (as little as 12 months), and have little oversight from outside bodies (no specialized accreditation process for most), this provision will make it inexpensive for foreigners to purchase green cards from a variety of universities," said Hira during Senate testimony delivered earlier this year.
Former U.S. CTO Todd Park argued for a staple provision while at the White House. "Today's advanced STEM graduate could be tomorrow's world-class, world-changing scientist," he wrote in a blog post.
The tech agenda unveiled by Clinton doesn't address the H-1B visa program. Clinton has been silent on what she would do about the temporary work visa; her comprehensive immigration plan doesn't address it either.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has said in his platform that before green cards are issued to foreign workers "there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers."
But Trump, during a GOP presidential debate in Detroit in March, seemed uncertain about how to handle international students who graduate from U.S. schools.
Foreign students will go to Harvard, Stanford and Wharton and "as soon as they're finished they'll get shoved out," Trump said. "They want to stay in this country. They want to stay here desperately, they're not able to stay here. For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country."
This story, "Clinton wants to staple green cards on STEM grads' diplomas" was originally published by Computerworld .
Red Wednesday for Cotton Market Barchart - Wed Oct 26, 4:50PM CDT The cotton weakness continued through the midweek session, as futures ended the day another 35 to 65 points lower. The @USD fell again on Wednesday and is now 5,193 points (5 handles) below the 9/28 high... CTZ22 : 77.61 (-0.27%) CTH23 : 77.26 (-0.16%) CTK23 : 76.66 (-0.12%)
Hogs Close Off their Highs but Still In Black Barchart - Wed Oct 26, 4:50PM CDT Lean hog prices went home a nickel to 45 cents higher in the front month futures. For the Dec contract, that was a $1.05 drop from the days high. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price for Wednesday... HEZ22 : 88.500s (+0.06%) HEJ23 : 94.175s (+0.24%) KMZ22 : 96.725s (-0.82%)
Cattle Futures Firm Up on Wednesday Barchart - Wed Oct 26, 4:50PM CDT Live cattle resumed their upward momentum following the turnaround Tuesday. Futures went home 17 to 32 cents higher at the close. October was the outlier with another 22 cent drop by the bell. Feeder cattle... LEV22 : 151.450s (-0.15%) LEZ22 : 153.575s (+0.18%) LEG23 : 157.025s (+0.21%) GFV22 : 176.425s (-0.10%) GFX22 : 178.825s (+0.51%)
Midweek Loss for Corn Market Barchart - Wed Oct 26, 4:50PM CDT Corn futures ended the midweek session with 1 1/4 to 2 1/4 cent givebacks. December stayed in a tighter 6 1/2 cent range on the day. EIA reported ethanol production averaged 1.033 million barrels per... ZCZ22 : 685-2 (unch) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7615 (-0.03%) ZCH23 : 690-6 (unch) ZCK23 : 690-0 (unch)
Soy Futures Close Mixed with Beans Fractionally Mixed Barchart - Wed Oct 26, 4:50PM CDT Soybean meal prices dropped 0.95% to 1.66% and soybean oil prices strengthened by 0.97% to 1.58% on the day leaving little room for beans through product values. That left soybean futures fractionally... ZSX22 : 1391-2 (+0.69%) ZSPAUS.CM : 13.3751 (+0.12%) ZSF23 : 1402-2 (+0.66%) ZSH23 : 1410-2 (+0.61%)
Livestock Report Walsh Trading - Wed Oct 26, 4:02PM CDT Cattle markets bounce back
What do the Metropolitan Museum of Art's high-profile struggles have to do with recent news that Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts received a $2.5 million gift from alumna Charlotte Feng Ford ('83) to endow a curator's position at the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA)?
Funny you should ask.
The short answer is "contemporary art." The longer answer is, "The need for museums to beef up their contemporary art holdings in order to stay competitive and attract world-class talent."
So let's first briefly look at the Met's woes.
There are many reasons why the institution is in trouble, and one of them, according to theNew York Times, is its paltry contemporary art holdings:
Modern and contemporary art dominate the action these daysin auction houses and galleries, as well as museums. Everyone wants in, including a revered institution like the Met, which is striving to play catch-up even as it is struggling to pay the bills.
News from Smith College suggests that university museums are striving to play catch-up as well.
According to the school's press release, the gift will enable the college to hire a curator who is focused on the field of contemporary art, making Smith one of the "only college museums in the nation to have a position dedicated to contemporary work."
"[Contemporary art] has become a specialized academic and curatorial field, addressing a rapidly changing, global and technologically mediated environment," said Jessica Nicoll, director and chief curator of SCMA.
Nicoll's sentiment echoes that of Tom Eccles, the executive director of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard, who noted in the Times piece that the audience for contemporary art "has grown exponentially in the last decade."
Everyone agrees that contemporary art is where it's at, yet both Big City museums and universities find themselves ill-equipped to pivot to the changing times.
Are you thinking what we're thinking?
Yup...donors to the rescue.
In Smith's case, as noted, it's alumna Charlotte Feng Ford. Ironically enough, she was an economics major at Smith, but her favorite class was Art 100. (Perhaps she was channeling her inner Kenneth Griffin.) Ford said she hoped the new position will make it easier for Smith students and others to "be with the art of their times."
Access to contemporary art is "a way to enhance the Smith curriculum, and it's a way to help people see the world in different ways," she added. "Contemporary artists are responding to current issues, and people who see that work can't help but be shaped by it."
Ford's comments also double as an answer to the question as to why contemporary art is where it's at.
Throughout the philanthropic arts space, we're seeing a dissolution of barriers between visual arts and things like social and political activism. We're in the "artist as activist" age, and it's here to stay, like or or not. The open question moving forward is if organizations, universities, and donors will respond in kind, in terms of integrating this art into curricula, hanging it on gallery walls, and re-imagining the role of the contemporary curator.
In related news, the Andrew W. Mellon is, not surprisingly, on the case regarding the latter component. Click here for more insight into their vision for the next-generation contemporary curator.
We love seeing so many community foundations stepping up to the plate for LGBT people in their areas over the last year or so. While community foundations used to shy away from controversial funding topics like LGBT rights, these issues are become more mainstream as each day goes by. And responsive community funders understand that they cant sit back and ignore this area.
Related:Are Community Foundations Stepping Up Support for LGBT Issues? It Looks That Way
This new local funding is arriving just in the nick of time, too. As we've reported, some national funders like Ford have pulled back from the LGBT space in the wake of the marriage equality victory and the overall progress toward greater acceptance of LGBT people. Meanwhile, though, the LGBT community still has lots of pressing needswhich is where community foundations and other local funders come in.
The latest community foundation to jump onboard this trend takes us south to the tip of Louisiana, where the Greater New Orleans Community Foundation just launched its very first LGBT fund. This is a fund that will help donors in the New Orleans community contribute to local LGBT organizations to improve the lives of these individuals close to home.
This announcement came on the anniversary of a painful day, June 24, 1973, when a fire was intentionally set to the UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in the French Quarter. Thirty-two people died, a largely forgotten mass murder which is eerily reminiscent of the recent Orlando nightclub shooting.
"The Greater New Orleans Foundation is playing a vital role of raising awareness and support for organizations that represent the interests of LGBT communities," said GNOF Board Chair Cheryl Teamer. "This fund will allow us to better understand LGBT challenges in the community and find ways to address them."
Notably, the foundation will not be assessing any fees to administer the new fund. This means that every dollar donated toward LGBT people in New Orleans will directly fund that work without any overhead. The foundation has been connecting with donors for about a year now to raise money for the fund, and the recent tragedies have really pushed donors to their limits to give and take a stand against violence.
Admittedly, community foundation LGBT funding is still in its early days, but it's gaining traction with each city that acknowledges these local needs with an open mind. Across the country, a lot of the community funder support has been focused on both ends of the age spectrum and going to LGBT youth and seniors. These are typically considered to be the most vulnerable LGBT populations, but what about everybody else in the middle?
Related: Here's a Funder Worried About LGBT Seniors in America's Harshest City
Clearly, there is still plenty of room for growth and evolution in the community foundation LGBT funding space, but its an exciting time because support is steady and growing with each grant cycle that passes. And from the looks of things, GNOFs LGBT fund is taking a bit of a broader approach.
For groups in the New Orleans area and that serve Orleans Parish, applications for the LGBT fund are being accepted through July 15. We expect to see 10 to 15 grants in the $5,000 to $10,000 range awarded from the new LGBT funds first grantmaking cycle. The fund will support pretty much everything, at least initially: general operating support, programs, advocacy, and capacity building. Check out the LGBT fund guidelines for more details.
Stay tuned until late August to learn about the first grantees to receive awards through the new fund and what LGBT grantmaking in New Orleans may look like in the years ahead. Were particularly interested to see whether youth and elderly LGBT programs are the main focus down here, or whether there are other local needs that stand out here and inform and influence other grantmakers in the region and beyond. A quick look at the funds theory of change suggests that youth and the elderly will be a big part of LGBT grantmaking, but also youth of color and low-income people of all ages. According to an Out in the South report, more than three in ten LGBT adults live in the South, which means this could be a really influential region for LGBT funders across the country if local groups start collaborating in some seriously unconventional ways.
Related:Fighting Without Funders: How LGBT Money Skips the South
International assistance provider Allianz Global Assistance (AGA) has partnered up with Citibank to offer eligible credit card holders complimentarytravel insurance with the option to cover for pre-existing medical conditions.Brad Smith, Allianz Global Assistance chief sales officer, commented on the partnership: It is our priority to ensure Australians have peace of mind when travelling. Through our new partnership with Citibank, were thrilled to provide our customers an enhanced offering, particularly with the option to secure cover for pre-existing medical conditions.According to AGA, the option to cover pre-existing medical conditions has no blanket exclusion in place, does not require a doctors visit, but may require an additional fee.Customers who want to avail of the new product offering will undergo a quick and easy complementary screening process by AGA to get assessed on what cover is needed.The complimentary travel insurance is applicable to customers with Premium, Business, and Rewards credit cards under the Citi, Diners, or Citi Partners branded cards.
"Your insurer has no part to play other than having your back"
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed a gun measure that would allow the concealed carry of firearms without a permit and expand residents rights to stand and fight against perceived threats a move that could set up a battle with the Republican-controlled Legislature.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Nixon cited concerns with a provision that would allow most people to carry concealed guns even if they havent gone through the training currently required to get a permit. He said it should be left up to sheriffs to deny concealed carry permits and that changing those laws would mean dramatic steps backward for public safety.
The protections we have in place are working, the Democratic governor said. Changing those at this particular point would make Missouri more dangerous.
In his veto letter, Nixon also said the measure would allow those convicted of misdemeanor assault and two or more misdemeanor drug possessions within the last five years to carry hidden firearms.
Nixon said criticism by some law enforcement officials of the proposed concealed carry changes influenced his decision.
The governors veto doesnt necessarily mean the bill is dead. The measure passed with enough Republican support for lawmakers to override Nixon and vote the bill into law if they stick to their original votes. The Legislature will convene for a short session in September to consider overturning the governors actions on vetoed legislation.
Rep. Eric Burlison, a Springfield Republican who ushered the measure through the House, said he wants lawmakers to try to undo Nixons action. He said people currently can carry weapons openly in certain public places without training and that the legislation would only impact whether a gun is visible or concealed.
Another provision in the bill would expand the states castle doctrine, which permits homeowners to use deadly force against intruders. The bill would also allow invited guests, such as baby sitters, to do so.
The measure also would create a stand-your-ground right that would mean people no longer would need to retreat from danger in any place they are legally entitled to be present.
Nixons action comes amid a national discussion of gun rights and restrictions following a deadly shooting earlier this month at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Democratic U.S. House members in response staged a sit-in on the chamber floor to demand votes on bills to strengthen background checks and prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns.
Nixon said his veto was not in reaction to the Orlando shooting.
Democratic lawmakers had said the Missouri proposal would lead to more gun violence and encourage a shoot-first mentality. Some Republicans said Democrats concerns are overblown and described it as a reasonable approach to public safety.
Average, everyday Missourians dont have guard detail like the governor does escorting them around and providing security for them, Burlison said. They cant carry with them a police officer everywhere they go.
Most of the more than 4,000 emails, faxes, letters, mail-ins and electronic petitions about the bill that Nixon received since it passed the Legislature on the final day of session in May were critical of the measure, according to Nixons office.
More than 3,300 messages were petitions from gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety that described the measure as dangerous and reckless.
Stand your ground is nothing more than legal vigilantism, reads a message from a woman who asked Nixon to veto the bill.
One man wrote that restrictions on gun use only make law-abiding citizens jump through hoops, arguing that criminals dont follow laws anyway.
The right to keep and bear arms is a constitutionally protected right, and if you have to pay the government and get permission for it, then it becomes a government granted privilege, the message reads.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Legislation Missouri Gun Liability
Grand Island, Neb.s insurance carrier has settled a claim against the city over the drowning of a 5-year-old girl at the citys Island Oasis Water Park last summer.
The claim for more than $1 million was filed in September by Dumale Bariyiga, of Lincoln, the mother of the girl, Nubari Koffree. Bariyiga alleged the lifeguards on duty July 18, 2015, were negligent. The Hall County coroner has said the drowning was an accident, and city officials say personnel followed proper procedures that day.
A memo from the city attorney to the City Council for its meeting Tuesday said the insurance carrier has agreed to pay $240,000 to settle the claim filed by Bariyiga. Council action is not required.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics Carriers Nebraska
If you have private health insurance, the good news is you may be helping your employer keep its health care spending down.
The bad news is its coming out of your pocket.
The amount that people with private insurance still had to pay for hospital visits grew 37 percent from 2009 to 2013, a study finds. And its probably still going up.
The study, conducted by the University of Michigan and published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests employers are using high-deductible plans to keep premium costs down.
It found that out-of-pocket costs increased 6.5 percent a year, on average, as overall health spending grew 2.9 percent annually. The average out-of-pocket cost of hospitalization was more than $1,000 over the five-year period, largely because of charges patients might not be aware of.
Out-of-pocket costs are those borne by individuals rather than their insurers. They include co-payments (a per-visit fee), deductibles (the amount that must be paid before insurance coverage kicks in), and co-insurance (the percentage of the hospitals charge people must pay even after insurance kicks in). A separate, 2013 study in the Journal of Health Economics showed that only 14 percent of people understood what out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments were.
During the study period, deductibles grew 86 percent and coinsurance costs rose 33 percent. Co-payment costs fell, but so did the number of insurance plans that charged them. Out-of-pocket costs exceeded the annual growth of insurance premiumsthe payments that companies and workers make to buy health insurancewhich increased 5.1 percent a year.
Every year, people freak out about how high premiums have gotten and how they continue to grow exponentially, but [out-of-pocket costs are] actually growing even faster, said Emily Adrion, first author of the Michigan study and a research fellow at the universitys Center for Healthcare Outcomes and Policy. A 2015 Kaiser Family Foundation survey of employers found that deductibles had been growing much more rapidly than premiums for several years.
The Kaiser study surveyed employers and drew conclusions based on the type of insurance plan. The Michigan study examined data from more than 50 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 with insurance plans offered by three major companiesAetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare. They pool their data through the Health Care Cost Institute, which partners with the universitys Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. The 2013 data were the most recently pooled data available. Adrion received a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a federal agency that funds research on health care practice.
Approximately 98 percent of patients in the data set had employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
When it comes to insured people, you sort of assume that people with high-quality, employer-sponsored coverage arent subject to high costs, Adrion said.
For those with consumer-directed health planspolicies with high deductibles paired with personal savings accounts for employees to use when care isnt covered by insurancethe average out-of-pocket cost was approximately $1,200, about $600 less than for those with individual private plans.
Theres a huge gap in people understanding different types of insurance plan designs, said Dr. Brahmajee Nallamothu, a senior author of the study.
The study period ended just before the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, took effect in January 2014, but many of the trends have likely continued. A penalty for high premiums, known as the Cadillac tax, is also part of the ACA and is scheduled to go into effect in 2020, giving companies still more incentive to keep high-deductible plans. The 2015 Kaiser Family Foundation survey reported that 81 percent of people with employer-provided insurance have an annual deductible of about $1,300.
You can assume that these trends continue onward, Adrion said.
Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
Topics Trends Michigan
I once heard a neighbor, well-acquainted with prayer, introduce a happy answer from her past petitioning in a rather compelling way.
Now y'all, this was a stupid request. But I was 20, you have to understand....
She had apparently been engaged to the wrong man, headed into a vocation and life into which she could not follow, and was desperately asking God for some form of escape hatch.
The stupid request was obliged.
During her soon to be terminated engagement to the wrong fella, she fortuitously met the young lad whod soon become her adoring spouse for the next 40+ years.
Stupid Requests Reveal Daring Trust
While I was heartened by the story, I was even more captivated by her lead-in.
What resonated within and was so instructive to me was her daring to place such a stupid request before the Sovereign Lord:
I was 20.
You have to understand....In other words, she reflected, I know I shouldnt have asked what I did. But I was just a kid. A fool. Immature. Scared. Unsure.Now y'all, I made this wise and sterling request, being, as I was, uncannily mature for a young woman of my age....norNow y'all, since I had proven my character so sterling and my heart so unified in devotion to Christ, I felt bold to make a case for why God should answer what I was worthy to have him do for me, and what he actually owed me at this point.norNow y'all, formerly I had sinned in some embarrassing ways, but I just looked God right in the eye and I swore to him, plain as day, that Id never, ever, ever, ever do that again, and you better believe that I didnt, so then I knew, just knew, God was going to answer my prayer.Nope. None of that. Just a stupid request.One she apparently felt embarrassed to mention. But one she now feels giddy to report after 4 decades, perhaps because the statute of limitations has expired on reprisals from foolishness uttered at the end of adolescence.Of course, her confession was our formative instruction, compelling us not to conclude she ought to be ashamed for her stupidity, but that she and our Master should be lauded.It reminded me of another young womans audacious prayer. A 20 year old Flannery OConnor in her Prayer Journal, which I dont suppose she ever intended would be published, (consider yourself warned budding journallers who might one day be heralded writers!), offered this outlandish and lovely prayer to a God who mattered to her so dearly and whom she wanted to have matter even more:What I am asking for is really very ridiculous. Oh Lord, I am saying, at present I am a cheese, make me a mystic, immediately. But then God can do thatmake a mystic out of cheeses. But why should He do it for an ingrate, slothful & dirty creature like me. I cant stay in the church to say a Thanksgiving even and as for preparing for Communion the night beforethoughts all elsewhere. The Rosary is mere rote for me while I think of other and usually impious things. But I would like to be a mystic and immediately. But dear God please give me some place, no matter how small, but let me know it and keep it. If I am the one to wash the second step everyday, let me know it and let me wash it and let my heart overflow with love washing it. God loves us, God needs us. My soul too. So then take it dear God because it knows that You are all it should want and if it were wise You would be all it would want...You are all it does want, and it wants more and more to want You. Its demands are absurd. Its a moth who would be king, a stupid slothful thing, a foolish thing, who wants God, who made the earth, to be its Lover. Immediately.
Stupid requests are never knowingly made by the proud. Theres too much at stake. No one posing, mindful of their own branding, or image-managing finds themselves eager to ask for help, clarity, or renewal unless it be done with polished decorum. To ask stupidly might make them look, well, stupid.
Being Thoroughly UN-Impressed with Ourselves
Only those acquainted with embarrassing deficits in themselves grow skilled in making absurd requests of Christ, or of anyone. When youve been privileged to have grown so thoroughly unimpressed with yourself that you simply cant keep up the charade of impressing others, making the foolish ask or the audacious request makes more sense than guzzling a Gatorade after a balmy summer 10k. Incomplete in ourselves, asking to receive from Another, becomes a desperate logical necessity.
Charles Spurgeon clearly intuited this dynamic of relief when he perceptively asserted a comprehensive yet succinct proverb for slothful ingrates who are learning to trust a patient King:
The rule of the kingdom is asking.
You cant hike through many trails in the Scriptures without stubbing your toe on another invitation to develop into habitual askers or an example of some troubled someone who has taken the advice to make what can feel like awfully stupid requests to heart.
Asking Others Too
In a recent interview, NY Times Bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, was queried to disclose how he had developed such a keen capacity for asking questions of others. He promptly credited his dad. I paraphrase:
My father..., though he has so many gifts, perhaps his finest of all is that he has zero intellectual insecurities, so he is never afraid to ask questions. He is always asking the obvious question, the dumb question, and does not care one whit whether anyone thinks he is idiotic or appears foolish. Hes not into that game...
Gladwells father, a PhD in Mathematics, for instance, would gather frequently with his neighbors who were farmers in Canada...men who hadnt finished high school but whom he admired and from whom he was constantly interested to learn what they knew. They possessed potent knowledge and useful wisdom. And he was wise enough to know what he didnt know.
He remedied his deficits with a posture of humility that asked questions every place he went. And never wearied of saying, Im sorry, I dont understand. Can you explain it to me?
A Divine Absurdity
Of course, to ask stupid questions or to make audacious requests of God or others, we must possess some solid sense of belonging. We have to, at least partially, believe that we have been known, clear through, absurdities, slothfulness, and filth and all, and yet accepted by Another any way.
Christianity assures that it is a divine absurdity called the sacrifice of Christ that reassures those who trust Him that they have a permanent place to stand before God with nary a fear of being rebuffed.
And by listening and leaning into Jesus insistence that we cant be clean unless he washes us, we get the courage to insist, ask, and request in the most audacious and friendly ways, just like Dr. Glidewell in his encounter of others, or my neighbor and Flannery OConnor in the college-aged versions of themselves as they approached God.
For the Sake of YOUR Name
Our audacity is bolstered because we know that any movement on his part in response to us is going to be generated by the kind of Lord he is, not because of the brand of beautiful wisdom and shiny righteousness we emit. So we can abandon all pretense and plead away for healing mercies.
Thats why the psalmist can say, Show me the way I should go, for to YOU, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
It is Gods nature to serve as divine Clorox to the heart-mildew of sin. It is our Saviors inclination to act in ways that absurd pray-ers, and stupid ask-ers crave.
The Most Absurd Truth of All
We make audacious request and bold petitions, because we trust Him to respond. We do so knowing that as we ask, we become more convinced he is listening and that He is serving his world with a heart that weeps and is moved by the plight of his often stupid little ones and even his enemies.
Those little ones are those who have permitted him to wash them clean in one absurd act of sacrifice that occurred at the hands of foolish men making stupid accusations: He saved others, they raved in unwitting satirical confidence, but he cant save himself.
And that, during the first Holy week, was the most absurd truth of all. He saved others, but he couldnt save himself.
It was hauntingly true that he couldnt save himself, because he was too intent on saving others.
Sacrifice is a fools errand in a world where God isnt. But in the world that God steps into, it is the way for turning everything on its head, a sort of stupid, senseless, absurd, self-donation that yields brilliant, needful, exuberant hope for folks with the humility and sense to embrace it.
Such folks fill their mouths and heavens ears with all sorts of audacious, ridiculous, and stupid requests, because they talk to the Sovereign King who can turn brutality to beauty, moths to kings, cheese to mystics, and the God-allergic to the God-cravers.
-----
Eric Youngblood is the senior pastor at Rock Creek Fellowship (PCA) on Lookout Mountain. Please feel free to contact him at eric@rockcreekfellowship.org.
U.S., European and Chinese regulators say they will jointly enforce product safety in online commerce, and an American official said they are making progress on crafting standards for hoverboards.
The statement last week by American, European Union and Chinese officials reflects the rapid growth of international e-commerce, which the officials said has created new challenges in protecting consumers from dangerous products.
They pledged to watch online sales more closely, make it easier to track products to their manufacturer and to cooperate in product recalls. They said manufacturers will be encouraged to do more to design safety standards into products.
U.S., European and Chinese regulators have held five such meetings since 2008. They began amid scandals over fake or shoddy toothpaste, tires and other goods from China that revealed weaknesses in safety enforcement.
Ecommerce often bypasses importers who have been responsible for product safety.
The latest pledge marked the first time such a meeting produced an agreement to do something concrete, said the American envoy, Elliot F. Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Kaye said the U.S.-Chinese relationship in product safety is close and cooperative, in contrast to disputes in other areas.
Kaye said regulators need to respond to the rise of online commerce that links consumers directly with foreign suppliers, eliminating traditional importers who would have been responsible for product safety. In the United States, online sales have grown to account for 8 percent of total consumer purchases, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
Meanwhile, Kaye said, regulators are making progress on developing safety standards for hoverboards, the popular electric scooters that have suffered crashes and fires. Kayes agency is investigating 13 manufacturers, including Chinese companies.
UL, a product testing company formerly called Underwriters Laboratories, has developed fire-safety standards.
A second group, ASTM, is working on guidelines for stability and is expected to release them in six months, Kaye said. He said Washington would share those with Chinese authorities.
A spokesman for ASTM, Nathan Osburn, said in an email that the groups members, not ASTM, control the timeline of standards development.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Topics USA Europe China
Nick Galati has joined Texas-based independent insurance broker, RHSB, as assistant vice president. He is a sales executive focusing on commercial property/casualty insurance products and services for middle-market companies.
Galati comes to RHSB with more than six years experience in the insurance industry. He also has experience working in real estate, healthcare, manufacturing and private equity market segments.
Most recently, he was with Lockton Companies where he was a financial services account manager. Prior to Lockton, Galati was with McLain Insurance Group as a broker for health insurance plans, long-term care, life insurance and annuities.
Source: RHSB
Federal safety regulators have fined two different companies over safety violation in facilities located in North Texas.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined steel fabricator, K-T Galvanizing Company Inc., $53,200 for 13 serious violations found in its facility in Venus, Texas.
Additionally, the MillerCoors Fort Worth brewery was fined $77,000 after an investigation in to an employees finger was amputated at the brewerys maintenance shop.
The violations found by investigators with Fort Worth Area Office at the K-T Galvanizing site include:
Not having a written hearing conservation program.
Failing to conduct a hazard assessment.
Not having a hazard communication program.
Failing to evaluate permit required confined spaces.
Not having safety latches on hooks.
No functional seatbelts on forklifts.
Forklift manufacturer name plates, safety decals were not legible.
Forklift training was not conducted by a qualified person.
Forklifts with safety issues were not taken out of service and repairs made before placing them back into service.
Forklifts were not inspected for safety before using them.
Not having work rest and tongue guard on a bench grinder.
Several electrical violations.
K-T Galvanizing Company Inc. is based in Katy, Texas, and has 70 employees, 35 at the Venus facility.
OSHAs Fort Worth-based investigators issued citations for one willful and one serious violation against MillerCoors.
The agency issued a willful citation when investigators discovered that lathes in the maintenance shop lacked required safety guards that could have prevented the amputation. A serious citation was issued because those same lathes did not have emergency stops installed.
MillerCoors completely disregarded the safety of the workers who operate machinery to maintain the equipment in the facility, said Jack A. Rector, OSHAs Area Director in Fort Worth. This employer owes it to the many, many consumers who purchase the Miller Brewerys products to do what was necessary to protect the employees who work hard to produce it from workplace hazards.
MillerCoors Brewery employs about 700 employees at the Fort Worth brewery and about 40,000 throughout the nation.
Source: OSHA
Topics Texas Workers' Compensation
Brentwood Services Administrators (BSA), headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., has hired Stephanie Bryant as senior claim representative in the Brentwood office, according to Jeff Pettus, president and chief executive officer of Brentwood Services Administrators Inc.
In her new position, Bryants duties include reviewing, processing, and handling workers compensation claims as assigned by Bonnie Moser, claims supervisor. Bryant determines the compensability of the claim and extent of liability; and communicates directly with clients, employers, injured workers, physicians, and attorneys.
Prior to joining BSA, Bryant was a senior workers compensation adjuster for Gallagher Bassett in Nashville, Tenn. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of workers compensation claims. She majored in mathematics at Pellissippi State University in Knoxville.
Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. provides claims management and loss control services to employers and employer associations with self-insured and large deductible programs for workers compensation and other casualty lines throughout the contiguous 48 states. BSA also provides underwriting, policy management and accounting services to association-sponsored pools and mutual insurance companies.
Topics Workers' Compensation Tennessee
Hawaii Gov. David Ige approved a bill allowing Hawaii drivers to show proof of insurance with their cellphone in a traffic stop.
The decision to sign the bill met with the approval of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Smartphones have become ubiquitous and a critical tool in managing daily activities. People want to coordinate their life using their smartphone, Mark Sektnan, PCI vice president, said in a statement. We shop, deposit checks and pay bills from our phones. Before HB 1705 was signed, Hawaii motorists were required to carry a physical insurance identification card with them at all times. Now Hawaii will join the vast majority of other states that provide motorists the choice to carry a paper identification card or use the electronic format.
The signing of House Bill 1705 gives consumers the choice to use a paper insurance card or use their smartphone to show proof of coverage.
House Bill 1705 is permissive, meaning it does not require anyone to use a particular format. Insurers are also not mandated to provide electronic proof of coverage.
Hawaii is now the 46th state to enact legislation or regulations allowing electronic proof of coverage, according to PCI.
Related:
Nevada motorists will have to replace their vehicle license plates every eight years.
A bill approved by last years Legislature to address law enforcement agencies complaints about many plates being unreadable will go into effect July 1.
Department of Motor Vehicles officials say license plates fade from exposure to the elements.
They are supposed to be readable from about 100 feet away.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that a new plate will require an $8 fee.
However, state officials are not applying the replacement law to blue-and-white license plates made before 1982 and plates marking Nevadas 125th and 150th anniversaries of statehood.
Motorists with specialty plates that support causes will not have to pay a replacement cost because they already have a $10 levy for renewal.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Pillar two will change the international tax system forever. Here Christian Kaeser, global head of tax at Siemens, looks at how businesses and tax administrations can simplify pillar two compliance.
Anime Blast Chattanooga has announced its first round of guest announcements. Attendees will be joined by fashion designers 50%Dangerous, cosplayer Rein, burlesque troupe Vamp Valley Vixens and panelist Blue Bunni Cosplay.
Anime Blast Chattanooga will be held Nov. 11-13 at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo. Pre-registration for the weekend is $30 till July 1, $35 after till the event, with VIP packages available for $60. Details on the VIP package, as well as the registration form, can be found at www.animeblastchattanooga.com.
Review for the guests:
50%Dangerous
Started by Vedetta Marie and Matt Lassiter 50%Dangerous originally worked to raise awareness and build bridges between American fans, Japanese designers and fashion as a whole. In 2015 the duo made the full transition into its own fashion brand with the release of their first collection Vandaline. From there 50%Dangerous made a number of appearances in support of other Japanese Fashion brands such as h.Naoto and Galaxxxy Rocks. Since then they have released their second collection Gravity in conjunction with newly established fashion collaboration with Japanese rock band Kazha and Actor/Director Vic Mignogna. The duo is now prepping for a 2017 fashion show in Tokyo, Japan and enjoying taking Gravity to events around the United States.
Rein
Costumer, propmaker, hairdresser, Tennessee native and real life anime hero, Rein does it all. As an avid cosplayer since 2012, Rein has picked up quite a few skills and always pushes his limits to portray his favorite characters the best he can. Ever since his first convention Rein has sought to learn as much as possible about cosplay from all over the world and asked as many questions as possible. With several awards and con experience in his inventory, Rein is here to show you everything he has learned. A craftsman turned tailor, Rein is here to show you how to craft wicked costumes showcasing techniques you cant find anywhere else. His costuming panels pull from his love of bodysuit crafting while wig-work panels pool from his career as a licensed Paul Mitchell stylist. With every panel, Rein aims to make sure you leave knowing at least one thing that you didnt know before, you wont have to worry about learning the same old tricks when you see this cosplayer. What started as a very silly hobby a few years ago has turned into a way of life for Rein. Dont ever be afraid to say Hi either, the only thing he loves more than cosplay is friends, especially if they are cosplayers.
Vamp Valley Vixens
Formed in 2015, The Vamp Valley Vixens are Chattanoogas number one cosplay burlesque show. They have spent the last two years bringing all your nerdy, geeky desires to life on stage. Now, they are returning to Anime Blast in grand fashion. Last years performance was described by many pleased fans as Over 9,000, but this year we promise to push that limit to Super Saiyan Hokage Fullbreak Dragon Slayer Moon Power Make Up levels. Get ready to stuff up some nose bleeds as (insert dancers names here) bring your favorite characters to life in the sexiest show this side of Tokyo.
Blue Bunni Cosplay
Blue Bunni Cosplay (Lyndzy Lucchesi) has been bringing her favorite characters to life via cosplay since 2007. A jack of all trades (master of none) Bunni dabbles in all aspects of cosplay including using her costumes for the greater good. Bunni is the founder of a volunteer operated charity organization called Cause-Play Memphis, made up of like-minded cosplayers who dress up as beloved childrens characters and visit sick and disabled kids.
Anime Blast Chattanooga is a three-day convention that aims to entertain, educate, and encourage a diverse group to band together and grow in their fandom.
Panoramica privacy
Questo sito web utilizza i cookies per fornire all'utente la miglior esperienza di navigazione possibile. L'informazione dei cookie e memorizzata nel browser dell' utente, svolge funzioni di riconoscimento quando l' utente ritorna nel sito e permette di sapere quali sezioni del sito sono ritenute piu interessanti e utili.
The advertising and marketing industry has undergone significant changes over the last 20 years. The rise of the internet era led to a divergence of consumer attention away from traditional forms of media toward digital mediums instead. While being connected to the internet via personal computers was significant in and of itself, the increased connectivity that smartphones have enabled created an even more dramatic shift. As a result, smartphone advertising is now an integral part of brand marketing campaigns.
Key Takeaways The internet introduced the concept of digital advertising, while the rise of the smartphone brought it into the mainstream.
Increasingly widespread of use of smartphones among consumers forced marketing and advertising firms to rethink their messaging approach.
Digital ads on mobile now represent a significant share of internet advertising spending; approximately $7 of every $10 ad dollars go to mobile advertising efforts.
Smartphone advertising continues to evolve as marketers attempt to adapt to a changing landscape that will soon include the death of the third-party cookie.
Rise of the Smartphone
In June of 2004 the Economist magazine published an article describing the changing nature of the advertising and marketing industry, calling the then-current period one of the most disorienting periods in its history. Traditional forms of advertising and marketing were no longer delivering due to the increasing diversity of media and the emergence of new technology, most notably the internet.
According to a 2019 report by the research firm eMarketer, as people spent more of their time going online to shop, be entertained, and seek out a variety of digital information platforms, such as computers, tablets, and mobile phones the traditional forms of advertising and marketing, such as television and print forms, were displaced. Today, people are connected to the internet at any time and from anywhere, and it is primarily the smartphone that is responsible for this ubiquitous connectivity.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2021, 85% of Americans now own smartphones, up from just 35% in 2011. Smartphone users are more likely to be under the age of 50, college graduates, earn $75,000 per year or more, and live in urban areas. Both men and women own smartphones in equal numbers. Understanding the various demographics regarding people who use smartphones and how they use them has become a vital part of how marketers advertise products or services to target audiences.
15% The percentage of Americans who exclusive rely on their smartphones for access to the internet.
The Smartphone Effect on Marketing and Advertising
The shift toward increasing smartphone usage that began in the early 2000s meant that advertisers and marketers had to adjust their strategies and campaigns accordingly to accommodate for mobile. For instance, companies without a mobile-friendly website risked losing valuable exposure on Google Inc.'s (GOOG) web search queries. Thats because in 2015 Google changed its algorithm so that more mobile-friendly websites received priority placement for search queries made on mobile devices, a change that some in the press dubbed Mobilegeddon, according to the Huffington Post.
Another lesson marketers and advertisers had to learn was that smartphones are not only receivers but also transmitters of information. Smartphones have become huge repositories of information on individual tastes and preferences. This means advertisers and marketers had the ability to be much more specific in their advertising and marketing campaigns and were able to offer more-relevant messages to different types of groups or individuals than they were in the past.
While this meant that consumers were expecting this increased relevance from brand advertising, it also meant that consumers increasingly began to expect relevance when and where it is needed. Consumers were more frequently consulting their smartphones to help them make everyday decisions. A 2015 Wall Street Journal survey found that 91% of smartphone users would look up helpful information on their phones while trying to complete a task. And according to Google data from 2015, 69% of smartphone users looked for travel ideas while waiting in a line or for the subway, and 82% of users turned to their phones when deciding whether or not to buy a specific product while standing in a store.
The speed and relevance of advertisements are now of utmost importance for brands to make an impression that will influence the decision-making process of potential consumers. In 2020 mobile advertising accounted for an approximately 70% share of all internet advertising revenues. In other words, $7 out of every $10 spent on advertising went to mobile ads.
Video may represent the future of smartphone marketing. In 2021 digital video advertising revenue increased by 50.8% over 2020, with mobile accounting for the majority of growth.
Whats Next for Smartphone Advertising
As the smartphone continues to be a regular feature of daily life for the majority of Americans, marketers and advertisers may feel more pressure than ever to keep up with evolving trends. For instance, Googles decision to eliminate the third-party cookie is expected to reshape internet advertising, including smartphone marketing, on a broad scale.
The move, announced in early 2020, would eliminate support for third-party cookies on the Google Chrome browser. According to Google, this decision is driven by an ever-increasing awareness of the need to protect the private information of consumers and how its used, including when its collected for advertising and marketing purposes.
Thats good for consumers but problematic for advertisers, because tracking cookies makes it possible to target marketing efforts. If an advertiser is no longer able to track a consumers movements across the web via third-party cookies, its ability to created targeted ads is diminished. Digital advertisers may once again find themselves having to evolve with the times in order to keep up, much as they did in the early days of the smartphones arrival.
While Google had planned to end the use of third-party cookies in 2022, it has now been pushed back to 2023.
The Bottom Line
Smartphone usage will only continue to grow as more Americans rely on them. Understanding how and when consumers are using smartphones is crucial for companies when fine-tuning their advertising and marketing campaigns. As smartphone data collection and analysis technology continually become more sophisticated, the speed and relevance of ad and marketing campaigns will be significantly more important. The key is to reach consumers with a relevant message at the right time through the appropriate mobile channels.
Until the 1970s, many economists believed in a stable inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment. Economic data dating back to the 1860s suggested unemployment fell as inflation rose, and rose when inflation fell. An increase in demand for goods during economic expansions was expected to drive up prices, encouraging businesses to expand and hire additional employees. Conversely, during a recession, lower demand would elevate unemployment while capping price increases, thereby lowering inflation.
Then came the stagflation of the 1970s, a combination of slow growth and rapidly rising prices at odds with those prior assumptions. In this article, we'll examine the suspected causes of U.S. stagflation during that period as well as the policy response credited with ending the economic malaise.
Key Takeaways Stagflation in the 1970s combined high inflation with disappointingly uneven economic growth.
High budget deficits, low interest rates, oil embargos and the collapse of managed currency rates were among the main causes of stagflation.
By letting high inflation expectations set in, the Federal Reserve raised the cost of bringing them under control later.
The Fed under Paul Volcker raised interest rates above 19% to get inflation down, precipitating a steep economic downturn.
Inflationary pressures subsequently eased as oil prices and union employment fell, limiting the growth of costs and wages.
1:18 Stagflation
That '70s Economy
Take growing federal budget deficits boosted by military spending on the Vietnam War and Great Society social spending programs aimed at fighting poverty. Add the collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement pegging the currencies of advanced economies to the U.S. dollar, which in turn was backed in the global arena by U.S. gold reserves.
Mix in a tripling in crude oil prices (for an economy much more dependent on crude than we are today) as a result of the Arab oil embargo, followed by another near-tripling at the decade's end as the U.S. embargoed oil from Iran. Mix in frequent recessions that raised unemployment without doing much to cool inflation. Garnish with a Federal Reserve focused on propping up growth and seemingly powerless to tame soaring prices.
In the 1970s, this recipe produced a toxic cocktail of lower living standards and declining confidence in economic policy unlikely to evoke nostalgia.
Faced with external economic shocks, policymakers allowed inflation expectations to become entrenched, discouraging investment.
In November 1979, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil surpassed $100 per barrel in 2019 dollars, peaking at $125 the following April (see chart below). That price level would not be exceeded for 28 years.
Crude oil price, 1965-1985 (constant dollars)
Soaring energy prices fueled a wage-cost price spiral and widespread price hikes across the full spectrum of economic activity. Annual inflation as measured by change in the consumer price index (CPI) peaked at 13.5% in 1980. Unemployment was also high by the standards of the two prior decades, and growth uneven; the economy was in recession from December 1969 to November 1970, and again from November 1973 to March 1975.
When not in a recession, the economy often grew at annual rates it has seldom mustered since, with real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth above 5% in 1972-73 and mostly above 5% in 1976-78, ahead of oil price shocks that would curb growth while fueling inflation.
High inflation and uneven economic performance still soured the national mood. In November 1979, only 19% of Americans were satisfied with the way things were going in the U.S., compared with 22% in April 2022, according to a Gallup survey. Americans' satisfaction with the national trend in this poll peaked at 71% in 1999.
Stagflation, 1965-1985
The Policy Response
U.S. monetary policy during the 1970s was guided by the Keynesian school of economic thought, named after 20th-century British economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynesian theory was informed by the government and central bank response to the Great Depression, now widely considered to have been inadequate. The Keynesians of the 1970s believed, as many economists do today, that increased government spending and lower interest rates can counter downturns in aggregate demand that might otherwise become self-reinforcing.
This belief rested on the Phillips Curve, which describes the typically inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment. Critics of Federal Reserve policies during the 1970s note that the Fed, in accepting higher inflation as its preferred alternative to a rise in unemployment, fostered damagingly high inflation expectations.
"The Fed's credibility as an inflation fighter was lost," then Fed governor Ben Bernanke said in a 2003 speech. "The unmooring of inflation expectations greatly complicated the process of making monetary policy; in particular, the Fed's loss of credibility significantly increased the cost of achieving disinflation."
The end result was inflation so high it required two painful recessions to bring it down as the Fed under Paul Volcker raised the federal funds rate to as much as 19%.
Because the Fed had squandered its credibility, inflation and inflation expectations remained stubbornly high when the Volcker tightening began. Rising interest rates lowered output and employment rather than capping prices, which continued to rise.
Effective federal funds rate, 1965-1985
The Rise and Fall of Monetarists
Just as the Fed under the leadership of Arthur Burns in 1970-1978 was influenced by Keynes, the monetary tightening by the Volcker Fed was in keeping with the teachings of Milton Friedman, an American economist and leading proponent of Monetarist theories, who argued money supply was the primary determinant and cause of inflation.
By focusing on limiting the money supply by way off increases in interest rates the Volcker Fed brought inflation under control, albeit at a painful cost.
But monetary aggregates soon fell into disrepute as a targeting tool, as growth of the financial industry and the advent of new investment and credit vehicles led money supply measures to increase much more rapidly than inflation.
Meanwhile, the reduced bargaining power of workers following the decline in union employment after the recessions of the early 1980s likely significantly reduced inflationary pressure. So too did the economy's reduced intensity of oil consumption, along with the eventual slump in energy prices.
Deflation vs. Disinflation Disinflation is a slowdown in the inflation rate, while deflation is the opposite of inflation and represents a broad decline in prices.
The Bottom Line
The job of a central banker is challenging, to say the least. The economy is continuously evolving while economic research struggles to keep up.
In Bernanke's 2003 speech in which the eventual Fed chair criticized the policy response to the Great Depression as well as the stagflation of the 1970s, he argued for "constrained discretion"the doctrine of giving Fed officials broad discretion in pursuit of clearly defined policy objectives.
No Fed objective is as clearly defined as the central bank's plan to pursue stable prices by aiming for an inflation rate averaging 2% over the long run. That's one reason market inflation expectations remained subdued as U.S. consumer price inflation spiked to a 40-year high in 2022 amid supply disruptions.
The main lesson of the 1970s stagflation is that the Fed can only maintain the credibility it has built up over decades by acting promptly to limit long-term deviations from its targeted inflation rate.
Brexit: Winners and Losers
When the United Kingdom (U.K.) and European Union (EU) announced their trade agreement on Dec. 24, 2020, officials, business leaders, and private citizens in both areas were relieved. The worst outcomethe U.K. departing the EU without a trade deal, a no-deal Brexithad been avoided. While Brexit likely presents more challenges for the U.K. economy than for the EUs, both jurisdictions face new administrative burdens and uncertainty due to unresolved issues.
With the announcement of the trade deal, the pound rose on the U.K. market by approximately 0.47% against the U.S. dollar and 0.46% against the Japanese yen. However, markets already had taken into account the expected cost of Brexit to the British economyincluding, to some extent, the possibility of a no-deal outcome. Therefore, this was less a bullish rally than markets partially rebounding after having expected the worst. It is expected that it will take years for the British markets to overcome Brexits adverse economic effects.
The current economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions on trade in the U.K. and the EU probably outweigh Brexits immediate impact. Therefore, it may be be difficult to determine the full extent of Brexits effects on different sectors of the U.K. economy. With that said, there are definitely things that we can say about which sectors are likely to be more or less affected by Brexit. The overall upshot is that there are few winners from Brexit, and not all them are in the U.K. Meanwhile, the losers economically harmed by Brexit are plentiful.
Few Winners
U.K. and EU Manufacturers of Specialized Machine Parts
New product origin, or content source, requirements for qualifying as U.K. or EU products will require adjustment by some manufacturers, such as automakers, that currently rely heavily on other regions of the world for parts in their finished products. These businesses are likely to seek alternative European or British sources for such parts so that their products contain the mandatory content-source percentages for treaty benefits. With some companies, such as Nissan and Toyota, likely to seek qualified sources for parts currently obtained from Asian countries, local U.K. and EU manufacturers might enjoy new sales opportunities. However, nothing about the rules means that the manufacturers will need to be specifically British, so it is ambiguous if these rules of origin will help the U.K. or the EU more.
U.S. Bankers
Because London-based banks are losing free access to the EU market, theyll have to establish new branches or offices in the EU to operate there. Because U.S. banks never had that free access, they already have passporting rights and/or operate registered companies that have such offices set up in both the EU and the U.K. This situation leaves U.K. financial services firms at a disadvantage until they are able to fully re-establish themselves in EU markets. Therefore, U.S. financial firms may be able to draw away business and clients from U.K. firms in the meantime.
Many Losers
Brexit will complicate U.K.-EU cross-border relationships in every sector with new administrative and regulatory burdens. New requirementslocal licenses, visas, border checkpoints, personnel relocation, etc.affect all types of businesses, from agriculture to finance. Many sectors of the economy found themselves unprepared for the new regulations and are concerned about the costs of compliance.
In addition, the trade agreement seeks to establish a level playing field to ensure fair and open competition and to prevent businesses in one area from undercutting businesses in the other. This provision requires that the two jurisdictions have similar rules relating to workers rights, social and environmental protection, taxation, and government subsidies for business. However, the rules only need to be similar, not identical. Therefore, the U.K. is unlikely to reap substantial competitive advantages but will still suffer from the increased administrative burdens of two sets of rules.
Fishing Industry
Despite only making up 0.1% of the U.K. economy, negotiations around the U.K. fishing industry were one of the largest obstacles to reaching a trade deal. On the surface, the trade deal would seem to be a win for the U.K. fishing industry. According to the U.K. government, the agreement will increase the quotas for British fishermen over five years by an amount equal to 25% of the value of the EU catch in U.K. waters, which is estimated to be worth 146 million ($205 million). However, to call this an unalloyed victory ignores two major factors.
The first factor is that the U.K. fishing industry had expected far greater concessions from the EU. Representatives of the fishing industry say that the deal cannot be considered a success because its relatively modest gains fall so far short of what the pro-Brexit campaign had promised them. The National Federation of Fishermens Organizations, a fishing industry group, published a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the they consider the trade deal to be a failure as far as fishing is concerned. The second factor is that the majority of seafood caught in the U.K. is exported to the EU, and the new nontariff barriers that have sprung up in the wake of Brexit make things especially hard for exporters of perishable goods. More on that below.
Food and Agriculture Sector
Regulations and border controls affecting agricultural exports and imports create issues for everyone in the EU and the U.K.: farmers, distributors, grocery store chains, restaurants, and consumers. In advance of Brexit, U.K. retailers and consumers stockpiled food, resulting in shortages and supply chain problems and prompting warnings about panic buying. Because the U.K. relies on deliveries of fresh food from or via the EU in the winter, delivery delays immediately created problems. Scottish exporters complained about delays in transport of fresh seafood at border controls in Scotland and France. Sainsburys supermarkets blamed the new and complex arrangements affecting Ireland for their need to obtain alternative sources of goods. Tesco supermarkets ran into shortages, leaving shelves empty.
However, supply chain and logistics challenges extend beyond agriculture to all industries.
Manufacturing Sector
As noted, logistical challenges similar to those facing agriculture are affecting manufacturing. Because modern manufacturing uses complex supply chains that stretch across different nations, even nontariff barriers to goods can significantly complicate manufacturing. Even before the deal was concluded and tariffs were officially avoided, significant companies in automobiles, aerospace, and industrial suppliesincluding Honda, Nissan, BMW, Toyota, and Jaguar Land Roverhad to cut jobs and close plants in the U.K. Panasonic and Sony planned to move their European headquarters from London to Amsterdam. Almost two years earlier, Dutch conglomerate Phillips closed its only U.K. factory.
As noted previously, the agreement imposes substantial controls on goods transported between the EU and the U.K. It establishes rules of origin mandating that goods contain a percentage of locally sourced content, generally more than 50%, to qualify for free trade and other benefits of the deal. Larger manufacturers with complex products containing parts acquired from other areas of the world likely will need to make sourcing adjustments. While this may potentially benefit some specific local manufacturers down the road, sorting out rules of origin has placed enormous administrative burdens on businesses in the EU and the U.K., which have not made sufficient preparation and auditing to establish origin of goods. This has emerged as one of the largest impediments to trade post-Brexit.
Financial Services Industry
Financial services companies recognized that Brexit likely would require the relocation of significant operations and personnel from London to EU locations and would mandate local registration and licensing to conduct business in the EU. Major banks, including JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, NatWest, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, UBS, and Credit Suisse, moved hundreds of employees and large quantities of assets from London to other European cities in advance of the Dec. 31, 2020, deadline for a trade deal. Similarly, insurers based in London set up EU locations, including Lloyds of London in Brussels and Aviva in Ireland. Approximately 1.2 trillion ($1.6 trillion) in financial sector assets left London between the 2016 Brexit vote and the end of 2020. More than 7,500 financial sector jobs have been relocated from London to other European cities.
Brexit ended U.K. investment houses passporting rights, which permitted companies registered in one EU member to operate in the others. As a result of Brexit, to conduct EU business, U.K. investment banks will need to obtain EU equivalence rulings that recognize regulations in a companys home country as sufficiently similar to those of the EU. Although European firms will be allowed to continue using London clearinghouses at least until June 2022, the EU has not provided any plan or schedule for issuing equivalence rulings on trading of derivatives and stocks, portfolio management, investment advice, underwriting, and trade execution.
Moreover, most core banking business, such as deposit-taking, investment services to retail clients, and other lending services, are not included in the equivalence system. Thus, U.K. banks must establish EU offices to continue these activities with EU clients. While London will continue to be a major financial center, its status will be diminished, especially if equivalence rulings are not soon forthcoming and clients turn to institutions in other countries, including the U.S., that already have the rights and ability to operate in the EU.
Pharmaceutical Industry
Pharmaceutical companies are concerned about potential differences in EU and U.K. standards for medicines. In anticipation of diverging rules, U.K. pharmaceutical firms AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline established parallel labs in the EU. For medicine, the imposition of border checks and dispersion of manufacturing are expected to cause delays in distribution. Both the EU and the U.K. reported drug stockpiling in advance of Brexit because of concerns about prompt access to medications.
Transit, Transport, and Freight Industries
Brexit creates legal and logistical challenges for travel and shipping. Both the EU and the U.K. have allowed a six-month grace period for flights between and within the two areas under present licensing and safety qualifications. But future flights within the EU, across and within member states borders, will be restricted. Generally, only airlines that are majority-controlled by the EU, the European Economic Area (EEA), and/or Swiss nationals will be allowed to fly between EU airports. However, a special provision allows U.K. airlines that are controlled by a combination of EU and U.K. shareholdersfor example, the Madrid-based International Airlines Group that owns British Airwaysto continue to operate in the EU. The application of this special rule to majority-U.K.-owned airlines EasyJet and Ryanair may require further study of their ownership.
Movement of people and goods, whether by air, water, or Channel Tunnel, will entail time-consuming procedures. Passport requirements will apply to travelers between the EU and the U.K., and business personnel, students, and others who stay abroad for a period of time will need visas. Many U.K. freight haulers will not be able to obtain permits to operate on EU roads because the EU has authorized only 2,000 permits for 2021while 10,000 are needed. Permits and border checks could require approximately 250 million pieces of paperwork each year and 50,000 customs agentssix times the present number.
Looking to make some extra cash? Maybe you need some money for a rainy day, or you're saving up for a great vacation. Perhaps you want to boost your retirement account. Many people look to individual retirement accounts (IRA) or 401(k)s. Others turn to safer bets like savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs). Then there are the collectorspeople who buy and sell items whose value are far more than their original worth. It is possible to make money by buying and selling collectibles, but there are some things you need to consider. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of collectibles, as well as some of the things you may find that can bring in some big money.
Key Takeaways Collectibles are items that can be purchased or sold for much more than their original valuethe rarer the item, the more it will fetch.
Collectibles aren't very common and they may not be as great an investment as many people think.
Look for toys that are popular and tied in with movies, and keep them in their original packaging.
Art photography has become very popular, with many collectors lucking out.
Depending on their popularity, vintage electronics can bring in a pretty penny.
The Basics of Collectibles
Collectibles are items that can be purchased or sold for much more than their original value. If they're scarce, they can be worth even more. But the condition of the item has a lot to do with how much you can get. The more pristine your collectible, the more you'll be able to get. If it's deteriorated, there's an excellent chance you won't get anything at all.
Keep in mind, though, that collectibles aren't very common, and they may not be as great an investment as you may think. After all, it's a notoriously fickle marketnot to mention an expensive and expansive one. People collect all kinds of items, from stamps to stuffed animals. And it takes patience to build a valuable collection.
Lets say youve researched whats selling now and are contemplating what may make you money in the future. You plan to buy items today at face value and watch their worth increase exponentially. But that can take decades.
Do Your Research
Its easy to track whats currently selling online. Check what's big on eBay (EBAY). This is where you can also get guidance for putting your own items on the market. Note that many collectibles only retain their value if theyre kept in their original packaging. As eBay explains it, New in Box (NIB) means a collectible that is new, in its box, and has never been removed from its original packaging." Mint in Box" (MIB), on the other hand, means the item is in mint condition and in its original box, which has been opened.
Check eBay to see what's selling and to get guidance on how to market your item.
Here are some ideas for finding collectible items that may be the operative wordgain value in the future.
Sports Memorabilia
If youre a sports fan, you may find sports memorabilia worth pursuing. Maybe caught a fly ball, or better yet, you may have gotten the game ball after the Super Bowland had it signed. If that's the case, you may be able to cash in.
But a rise in fake autographs has undermined this once-lucrative market. To establish the authenticity of an autographed item, follow this tip: When youre getting your sports hero to sign a ball or other item, ask someone to take a photo of you with the athlete while they wield the pen. No one can refute the autograph with that kind of photographic evidence.
Toys
Lets say youve already ransacked your home for any unopened toys you might have fortuitously stashed away, such as those original Star Wars figurines that your son turned up his nose at in the last century. Start thinking about whats current in toys that you could buy today at face value. Toys tied in with movies are usually also a big hit. These items arent huge investments, after all.
Disney collectibles always have a strong market. How about limited-edition Frozen 2 dolls? Oops, too late. There are already several posted on eBayan Elsa doll is going for $10,000. Nobody could have predicted the runaway phenomenon that is Frozen. But lets consider Disney's latest release "Encanto," it's 60th animated film, which is about a family with magical gifts named the Madrigals who live in the mountains of Colombia, and their daughter Mirabel. It was released on November 24, 2021, but you can still snap up those Encanto plush toys, figures, and apparel.
Once youve bought a few items, stash them away carefully in their original boxes, and keep checking their value over the next few years. They could be the next big Disney collectible.
Emerging Photographers
Art photography is a field where collectors have lucked out in recent years. In 2007, three Chicago collectors stumbled upon a huge cache of prints and negatives taken in the 1950s to the 1970s by a then-unknown street photographer named Vivian Maier. After John Maloof, one of the collectors, introduced some of the photos through his blog in 2009, the world quickly recognized Maiers outsized talent. Since then, numerous books and documentary films have covered her work, with prints starting at $4,000 as of May 2022.
Appraiser Mike Japp tells a similar story of a photographer named Frank Worth. Allowed access to movie sets, Worth captured unposed photos of the stars. His images began appearing just over a decade ago, such as a brooding James Dean slouched in a lawn chair behind a barbed-wire fence on the set of "Giant," estimated to sell for around $7,200.
How do you find an emerging photographer? Visit local galleries and student art shows. You can also try looking online. Theres even a magazine called Emerging Photographer. Trust your taste and buy work that you love and want to live with on your wallseven if it doesnt appreciate. Good art will lift the spirits.
The Future of Electronics
You wont be surprised to learn that theres a market for vintage electronic products. An old computer you might once have had trouble unloading could now be worth three times its original price and listed on eBay as a great conversation piece. Collectors share tips on websites like VintageComputer.com.
The most valuable electronic items are the first of their kind, such as the Apple 1. There's one on eBay going for a mere $1.5 million on eBay. In 2013, a 1976 Apple I computer sold at auction in Cologne, Germany, for $671,400.
Used electronics dont necessarily bring huge amounts. For example, a seller recently got $1,449 for a 1984 Original Apple Macintosh 128k. But prices are mounting sky-high for items that are NIB." A 5 GB Ultra Rare Factory Sealed Apple iPod classic 1st Generation still in its box is listed at $23,000.
Who knows what an original iPad in its unopened box might fetch in 2025? Keep an eye out for the next groundbreaking electronic product to be released and grab it. Apple Watch? Maybe not. But theres bound to be something amazing coming soon.
The Bottom Line
Likely, investing in collectibles will always involve a leap of faith. For that reason, its wise not to spend too much upfront. After all, theres no guarantee which items will escalate in value. If you do buy with reselling in mind, be patient. And dont open that box.
Top News - Investor Idea
REE Stock News - Defense Metals (TSX-V: DEFN.V) (OTCQB: DFMTF) Drills 113 metres of 2.50% Total Rare Earth Oxide at Wicheeda
Vancouver, British Columbia - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mining / Metals / Green Energy Stock News - Defense Metals Corp. (TSX-V: DEFN / OTCQB: DFMTF/ FSE:35D) is pleased to announce high-grade Rare Earth Element ("REE") assay results from one additional core hole, totalling 383 metres (m), collared within the northern area of Defense Metals' 100% owned Wicheeda REE Deposit.
Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea
Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) FIVE 'Strikingly Different' EV Crossover Tour Starts Tomorrow, Oct. 27, in Pasadena, California; New Los Angeles Area Stop Added
BREA, Calif. - October 26, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) ("Mullen" or the "Company"), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today the beginning of the Mullen FIVE Strikingly Different EV Crossover Tour, which will commence on Oct. 27 in Pasadena, California. Due to overwhelming interest, new dates have been added for Nov. 1 and 2 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea
Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses
NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore.
Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas:
Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by
Investorideas.com Newswire:
Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Region III fisheries reservoir crew and the Tellico Hatchery provided fish for the new Hamilton County Bass Pro Shop aquarium. The 12,000-gallon aquarium was stocked with fish species popular with anglers such as largemouth bass and rainbow trout. The primary goal of the display is to highlight the diversity of angling opportunities in the Chattanooga area. The aquarium will also educate the public regarding the success of TWRAs fisheries work throughout the state.
Our fisheries program has grown tremendously over the past several decades, said TWRA Region 3 fisheries manager Mark Thurman. Weve had seven state fish records broken since January, 2015 and angling opportunities continue to increase. Tennessee has at least 315 species of fish, the greatest diversity of fish found in all other inland states of North America.
TWRA biologists examine reservoirs, lakes and streams across the state. Stocking programs continue to be successful and the overall health of Tennessee waters is improving. Thurman continued, We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Bass Pro Shop and showcase some of Tennessees fish. The success of TWRA fisheries program is reflected in the number of new state fish records, tournaments and tourism surrounding angling in the state. TWRAs goal is to continue to protect and enhance wildlife throughout the state.
In the wake of the Brexit vote, in which 51.9% of those who voted in the UK decided that the country should leave the European Union, Northern Irelands First Minister Martin McGuinness called for a border poll on a united Ireland.
The 1998 Good Friday agreement has a provision for such a vote, and McGuinness and Sinn Fein (Irelands only all-island political party) reason that now is an ideal time for such a vote given that the majority voters in Northern Ireland supported the 'Remain' side and do not wish to leave the EU.
Since that initial call, McGuinness fellow leaders in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have largely dismissed the idea, with First Minister Arlene Foster saying she welcomes the Brexit results, Irelands Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny saying there are more pressing concerns at hand.
So, we wanted to know what IrishCentral readers thought of the idea.
Out of the 3,381 of you who voted in the poll, 88% believe that now is the time for a border vote on a united Ireland.
The country with the largest number of voters, the US, with 1,878, was 92% in favor. Ireland, with 467 voters, was 79% in favor. Interestingly, the breakdown was the same in the UK, where 79% of the 401 individuals who participated supported McGuinness proposal.
Other hubs of the Irish diaspora were also strongly in favor. In Canada, 85% said Yes, while in Australia, the number was slightly higher, at 87%.
The votes were spread across a range of ages, with the majority falling between 35 and 65. More men participated in the poll than women.
In the comments section, some readers declared that the Brexit results were a clear indication of a divide between Northern Ireland and the UK. The majority of the people in northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, as did the majority of the people in Scotland. Why should the votes of people in England override the democratic wishes of people who live in Scotland and the North of Ireland? asked commenter Tip McConnell.
Some voting from outside of Ireland shared that ancestral links colored their views. Since the Good Friday Agreement, Loyalists and Nationalists have been working together more than they did in the past. Is it possible that they would trust one another well enough to agree to join the Republic? I hope so. My mother's people were from Derry, my father's from Clare. All of it is the nation of Ireland to me, wrote Hugh Mealy.
Others spoke to the distinct impact of the Brexit result for those in the UK. Emmo ORiordan wrote, If you're living in the states, I don't think you realize how much Brexit is hitting us all over the place back home. It means reunification is on the table, independent Scotland, working with Scotland, missile treaties, new borders, new tariffs, economic disaster, economic windfalls, which will win? (Windfalls? Or disasters?), and it may cause terrorism to re-appear. With a clear green majority in NI's youth, anything can happen now. And within the EU, it will change everything, because EU cannot continue without addressing the Brexit/Italy/Greece/Spain hot topics. Britain had a huge military, so, now... the EU will create one. Internal structures will change to create a Europe that it more 'superstate' but democratic. Healthy for the EU, probably. Nobody actually thought Brexit would really happen, but it seems they have sacrificed themselves."
Recent comments on the proposal from politicians include Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagans remarks that the wish of the majority of Northern Irish voters to remain in the EU is does not mean that the population of Northern Ireland would easily return to the Republic in order to remain in the EU.
He said that the vote cannot logically be interpreted as meaning that a majority of the electorate would vote for a united Ireland.
They are two very different propositions. At present, there is no convincing evidence to suggest that a majority of the people of Northern Ireland would opt for a change in its constitutional status.
Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald disagreed, stating that its time to trust the people in the North. They had a chance to hear the debate. They took their decision. Now let us use the mechanism that we have to make good on that democratic verdict.
The 1916 Easter Rising led to the loss of a conscription referendum in Australia and England were concerned they would lose the continent to the Irish
Despite having previously shipped Irish prisoners down under to keep them out of their hair and away from their families and rebellion, it appears the English were somewhat convinced the Irish would take over Australia following the 1916 Easter Rising. England had concerns that the Irish in Australia would take over the country during World War I and install a hostile government. At the time, Irish-Australians made up a quarter of the population.
The loss of a conscription referendum in Australia in October 1916 led to panic. After the referendum was lost, Australias Governor, General Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson, sent a cablegram to Andrew Bonar Law, then secretary of state for the colonies, warning that rebel Irish and syndicalists would come to power - and that would be disastrous to imperial unity.
One of the factors in the loss of the 1916 referendum, as well as another referendum on conscription in 1917, may have been the British reaction to the Easter Rising, heard a conference on the Easter Rising in NUI Galway in 2016, the Irish Times reports.
Swiss academic Daniel Marc Segesser told the conference that several factors contributed to the loss of the two referendums on conscription.
He said climatic conditions may have been one factor. Australian farmers were angry over the commodity prices for grain being paid by the British during the war, but even though farmers would eventually receive a 20 percent increase in the wheat price, another referendum failed in 1917.
The conference, 1916 in Global Context Connections and Comparisons, aimed to examine the significance of the Easter Rising and other revolutionary events in 1916 in the context of growing challenges to the global imperial system.
Academics and researchers spoke of the parallels between the Easter Rising and other revolutionary events around the globe.
Canadian academic Charles-Philippe Courtois said that the Quebec conscription crisis of 1917 was also influenced by the Irish with Catholic Francophone nationalists giving Irish bishops opposition to conscription in Ireland as an example to follow.
Read more: The unfortunate Irish exiled to Australi
The conference also heard the Easter Rising was an influence in the Rand Revolt of 1922 in South Africa. The revolt began as a strike by white miners but evolved into a rebellion against British rule.
Some of the rebels even described themselves as Sinn Feiners and said the wanted to create a second Ireland.
Jonathan Hyslop of Colgate University in New York said that nationalists in both Ireland and South Africa gained the upper hand over labor interests.
Katja Fortenbacher-Nagel of the University of Marburg in Germany said that Irelands close proximity to England may have been a factor in why the Easter Rising leaders were punished so severely. She said a similar Afrikaner rebellion against British rule, the Maritz rebellion in 1914, only resulted in one execution. Most of the leaders of that rebellion only received two-year jail sentences.
According to the NUI Galway website, the conference, an initiative of the CITE the Centre for the Investigation of Transnational Encounters at NUI Galway, is a part of the NUI Galways A Nation Rising year-long program of events to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising of 1916.
* Originally published in June 2016.
Nightfall: Market Street from 10th Street to 8th Street will be closed, and ML King Boulevard from Broad Street to Georgia Avenue will be closed from 5:30-11:59 p.m. on Friday.
Bessie Smith w/Nightfall: In addition to the normal Nightfall closures, ML King Boulevard from Georgia Avenue to Houston Street will be closed on Friday from 5-11:59 p.m. Note: Georgia Avenue and Lindsay Street intersections will remain open with CPD officers to help pedestrians cross. Watch for pedestrians in the area.
Bitter Alibi 2nd Year Anniversary: Houston Street from ML King Boulevard to Flynn Street will be closed on Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Chattanooga Market: Reggie White Boulevard will be closed from the entrance to the skate park to 19th Street on Sunday from 6 a.m.8 p.m.
Pops on the River: River Street under the Market Street Bridge will be closed from 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
on Sunday. The River Street closure will extend to Fehn Street from 4-10 p.m.Family 4th of July block party: South Highland Park Avenue from East 12th Street to Bennett Avenue will be closed from 3-9 p.m. on Sunday.In order to view a map of these closures here
The Minister for Transport has said Ireland is probably in the worst position of any country, as a result of Britain's vote to leave the EU.
Shane Ross has said the Taoiseach needs to remain calm at a meeting of EU leaders, which will include the British Prime Minister, in Brussels later today.
Deputy Ross says a special case must be made for Ireland, in relation to the Brexit vote: Not to get hysterical in any way and I am sure that that wont happen.
But simply to address the difficulties that Ireland are in as a result of the British decision.
We are in a particularly vulnerable position, I suspect we are in the worst situation of any country in Europe as a result of this and we have got to make a special pleading.
Meanwhile English may no longer be one of the EU 's official languages once Britain leaves the bloc.
Under the rules each country notifies of one official language
We have chosen Irish, Malta has chosen Maltese so only Britain has chosen English.
The head of the Parliaments Constitutional Affairs Committee Danuta Hubner says that without the UK - there can be no English.
A suspect is in custody after two people were killed and two others were injured in a shooting in Marion County, Oregon, about 70 miles south of Portland, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
Law enforcement launched a manhunt for the suspect after the shooting, and the sheriff's office later announced that a suspect was stopped by Oregon State Police east of Portland.
A British government minister has said the UK could hold a second referendum on EU membership.
Writing in today's Telegraph newspaper, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a re-run could happen if Britain can strike a new deal with Europe.
He is calling for an agreement that gives the UK control over immigration.
Mr Hunt is expected to run in the contest to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader and Prime Minister.
However, Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell - who wanted to remain in the EU has said Mr Cameron's replacement should be a leave campaigner: It needs to be someone who is very clear in their mind that they want us to be out and when these difficult negotiations take place they need to carry authority and conviction both within the country and within the party.
George Osborne has said he will not seek to replace David Cameron as British Prime Minister when he stands down.
Speaking in the Times of London, the UK Chancellor said he is "not the person to provide the unity the party needs".
Yesterday a proposed timetable was put forward by a group of Tory MPs that would see a new Prime Minister in place by September.
A Swedish tourist has been fatally shot while walking with his girlfriend in a hillside district above Haiti's capital.
The dead man was named as Johan Noren. His hometown in Sweden was not immediately available.
Zhejiang Ant Small & Micro Financial Services Group (Ant Financial) has been profitable for three years, enabling it to meet the listing requirements, and may begin the process as soon as this year, according to sources.
The owner of Alipay, Chinas most popular payments system, prefers a dual listing with Hong Kong if it gets regulatory approval.
Ant Financial, which is controlled by Alibaba founder Jack Ma, dominates payments on Chinas biggest e-commerce platforms through Alipay and also manages YuE Bao, the nations largest money- market fund.
The company is currently targeting a private round of fundraising for at least $3.5bn (3.2bn), more than double the amount originally planned, at a valuation of about $60bn, the sources said.
Alipay, one of the more recognisable names in online finance and consumer payments, would be the largest web player by far on mainland bourses.
China doesnt have an Internet company of this scale and influence, so it could enjoy a significant premium in value if it lists in the country, said Li Muzhi, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Arete Research Services.
A lot of the potential retail investors are also Ant Financials users.
Chinas stock listing rules require companies to be profitable for at least three years and accumulate a profit of more than 30 million yuan (4.1m).
The entities also need to generate accumulated cash flow of at least 50 million yuan, or post a total of 300 million yuan for revenue in the latest three years, according to the regulations.
A weak sterling against the euro harms the profits and jobs prospects of Irish firms who rely on the UK market because an appreciating euro instantly erodes price competitiveness of many firms.
The currency forecasts come as sterling fell sharply for a second trading day amid a sell-off of assets exposed to the UK.
Investors again sought the safe haven markets by buying gold and German bunds.
Sterling fell to below 83.2 pence against the euro from 81 pence on Friday, as currency markets tried for a second day to assess the economic and political risks facing Europe following the unexpected vote by the UK to exit the EU.
Sterling was trading at 78 pence ahead of the referendum.
The slump means Irish exporters selling across the Irish Sea have seen a huge erosion of about 6.5% in their competitiveness since Thursdays Brexit vote.
Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland and Davy Stockbrokers now project sterling will likely slump to 90 pence in the coming months because there is no straightforward way for the UK and the rest of Europe to sort out new trade and political accords.
Markets have begun again to fret about political groups which oppose the EU gaining ground in Italy and France, even as markets worried less about the outcome of the weekend election in Spain.
Analysts say that fears about the implications of a Brexit on other European countries will play out through the currency markets.
Our view is that sterling will continue to cheapen up. It is not just a two-day market shock.
"It is difficult to construct an argument for sterling to appreciate and we do not see it turning around in the short term, said Ryan McGrath, a senior trader at Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland.
We believe it will be at between 85 pence and 90 pence going into the year-end with obvious ramifications for Irish exporters, Mr McGrath said.
Davy Stockbrokers chief economist Conall Mac Coille said though only 17% of Irish exports are sold into the UK that the goods across the Irish Sea nonetheless account for a large number of jobs in indigenous Irish companies. Inward tourism could also be affected by a sharply weaker sterling against the euro.
It all depends when it gets sorted out. Whether the UK access to the single market is preserved or what the new agreement will be, Mr Mac Coille said.
Philip OSullivan, chief economist at Investec Ireland, said sterling could drift lower to 85 pence but we think that is as bad as it gets.
Investec believes the sell-off in UK assets may be overdone as reflected in the shares in Royal Bank of Scotland yesterday slumping to the lowest level since 2009, despite the financial system being in much better shape and central banks being better equipped to deal with crises since the depth of the financial crisis.
A rocky few months lie ahead and we are reminding people that Irish SMEs need to talk to their advisers to protect themselves against volatility, Mr OSullivan said.
Gold rose yesterday to 1,205 an ounce and has now climbed 10% over the last two trading days driven by safe-haven demand, said Mark OByrne, research director at GoldCore.
Dublin Startup Commissioner Niamh Bushnell said she expects startups to be adversely affected by Brexit as UK venture capital firms Irish startups look to for funding count the cost of the decision and sterlings subsequent fall.
Where the euro was worth 78p prior to last Thursdays vote it had moved to 83p yesterday as sterlings slide continued.
The outcome has also moved the stepping stone of the UK market a little further away for Irish firms looking to branch into new markets with a new wave of conservatism likely to materialise, Ms Bushnell added.
Brexit represents a challenge for Irish startups too, especially those leveraging the UK as a stepping stone into global markets.
"Uncertainty around trade policy could drag on for years, but because of Brexit, overnight Britain seems slower to innovate and take risks, and harder for newcomer businesses to break into, Ms Bushnell said.
Despite the difficulties the outcome is set to cause Irish businesses, there are also opportunities that the country can benefit from.
The focus of attracting business to Ireland must be an bringing innovative enterprise to the country rather than just back office jobs, she said.
Meanwhile, the Government yesterday launched its 1.9m initiative aimed at attracting skilled overseas workers to Ireland.
The Tech/Life Ireland marketing initiative hopes to attract as many as 3,000 tech professionals to the country with central and southern Europe among its key target markets.
An unprecedented application by the US to join the High Court action will be heard on July 7, alongside similar applications by major Irish, European and US business and civil liberties organisations.
Commissioner Helen Dixon initiated the case after her draft finding last month that Austrian student Max Schrems had raised well-founded objections to the validity of EU-US data transfer channels, or standard contractual clauses.
Mr Schrems complained that Facebook Ireland was transferring his data via such clauses to servers in the US, where it was being processed, without ensuring sufficient protection for it as required under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.
Use of standard contractual clauses has been approved under various European Commission decisions but concerns whether the clauses accord with data- protection rights of EU citizens have mounted since the Court of Justice of the EU last year struck down the previous EU-US Safe Harbour data transfer arrangement.
The Court of Justice of the EU ruling was based on the indiscriminate and mass nature of US surveillance and a finding EU citizens had no effective remedy under US law for breaches of their privacy rights.
After a seven-month investigation, commissioner Dixon has made a draft finding that standard contractual clauses also breach privacy and data-protection rights of EU citizens.
The case was briefly mentioned yesterday before Mr Justice Brian McGovern in the commercial court.
He fixed July 7 to hear various applications to be joined to it as amicus curiae, assistant to the court on legal issues. Some joinder applications are being contested, the court was told.
The judge will hear joinder applications by the US government; Business Software Alliance; risk Business and Employers Confederation and Digital Europe, representing the European digital technology industry.
Dublin City Council has approved plans by the family-owned group which owns the Hodson Bay Hotel, Sheraton Athlone Hotel and Galway Bay Hotel to build a six-storey four-star 263 bedroom hotel in the Liberties area of the capital.
However, An Taisce has appealed the decision and a final ruling on the appeal is now due in October.
In its planning admission, the Hodson Bay Group said the site in the Coombe area of the city near St Patricks Cathedral represents an excellent opportunity to provide a substantial and much- needed new hotel in this part of the Liberties, adding that it will supply hotel accommodation that is in significant demand and would play a key role in expanding Dublins tourism capacity.
In the planning documents it said the hotel will ensure the regeneration of an under-utilised vacant urban site in the heart of the city, which has suffered from serious dereliction for many years and will serve as a counterbalance to Docklands and kickstart other developments in the surrounding area.
However, the hotel groups plans are being frustrated by An Taisce which claims, in its appeal to Bord Pleanala that in view of its excessive scale and bulk in relation to the historic medieval setting close to St Patricks Cathedral, the proposal would be contrary to the provisions of the Dublin City Development Plan 2017.
An Taisce claims that the hotel would effectively be a seven-storey building within an essential three-storey landscape.
Clearly, this is not in the interests of coherent planning and development, it added.
The proposal is not sensitive to the immediate context or the wider context in a historically rich medieval area,
An Taisce said, arguing that the proposed development would need to be significantly revised to achieve a harmonious relationship in terms of size, design and materials.
An Taisce also said the city council conservation office recommended that planning be refused on grounds of the applications proposed scale, height and monolithic massing and adverse impact on the skyline and setting of the internationally significant monument and site of St Patricks Cathedral.
A separate appeal has been lodged against the decision by Nicholas McAuliffe.
Already the British Prime Minister has announced that he will resign by the autumn.
The most immediate impact was felt in financial markets, which saw sharp falls for sterling and stock markets.
For firms trading with the UK, apart from the big impact of the sharp fall in sterling, business will continue as usual over the next couple of years, albeit against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty and weaker economic activity.
This is because it is likely to be at least two years before the UK actually leaves the EU. The current free trade arrangements will stay in place until then.
The referendum vote, in itself, does not trigger a UK departure from the EU.
To begin the departure process, the UK government must invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and formally notify the EU authorities that it wants to leave the EU.
It is unclear when it will actually do this.
The outgoing Prime Minister has indicated that it will be a decision for his replacement to make.
The new Prime Minister may well be in no rush to do so.
The Treaty provides for a two-year period for discussions on the arrangements for exiting the EU once Article 50 is invoked.
This period can only be extended with the unanimous agreement of all other member states.
Thus, the earliest the UK would leave the EU is likely to be the end of 2018, but it could well be the end of 2019 or later.
Indeed, it is not definite that Britain will leave the EU. There could be a second referendum in the UK on either revised EU membership terms or on the actual exit terms themselves.
A large majority of British MPs want the UK to stay in the EU.
There may be efforts by Parliament to put the issue to the electorate again, for instance in circumstances where a very poor exit deal was on offer from the EU with no access to the Single Market, or if the UK Government managed to renegotiate its membership terms with the EU.
Most studies show that leaving the EU would have a significant negative impact on the British economy.
There would obviously be negative knock-on effects for Ireland given its close ties with the UK.
Uncertainty will be the main factor weighing on activity in the short-term, especially investment.
The EU exit negotiations will be a prolonged and complicated process, with an uncertain outcome.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the UK will be negatively impacted, especially if there is uncertainty over free trade with the EU.
We may well see the EU adopt a hard line on trade in the exit negotiations with the UK on the basis that if concessions are granted to Britain, other countries may also consider leaving and seek similar arrangements.
Indeed, there are already calls in some countries to hold referendums on EU membership.
Thus, the most that may be offered to the UK is for it to remain in the EEA (European Economic Area), thereby largely maintaining free trade with the EU, similar to Norway.
This option might not prove attractive to the UK, though, as it is unlikely to be allowed to take control of immigration policy.
Britain would also have to still abide by EU rules and regulations and make a contribution to the EU budget.
However, it might prove to be the only real option available to the UK and it would validate the referendum result.
Some 40% of indigenous Irish exports go to the UK, so it is a vital market. It is important to note that Ireland cannot negotiate a bi-lateral trade deal with the UK.
Those trading with the UK, at a minimum, would face non-tariff barriers, including increased administrative and regulatory costs, if it leaves the EU.
It would be a major drawback for trade if the UK had to fall back on WTO rules, which would likely involve the imposition of trade tariffs.
Naturally, the Irish government will do all it can to try and ensure such an outcome is avoided.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan ordered a review of the sector in January 2016 as the steep increase in costs showed no sign of abating.
Motor premiums are now 60% more expensive than in January 2014 with costs having spiralled 35% higher this year alone.
That review is ongoing but has yet to begin investigating the factors driving premiums ever-higher with the initial phase having focused solely on the collapse of Setanta Insurance and the ramifications of its demise.
The first phase is due to be completed in the coming weeks after which attention will turn to the motor industry and the issue of rising costs - six months after the review began.
My Department has embarked on a review of policy in the insurance sector which is being undertaken in consultation with the Central Bank and other Departments and agencies.
"The objective of the review is to recommend measures to improve the functioning and regulation of the insurance sector.
The first phase of the review is focused on the motor insurance compensation framework, and this work is nearing completion.
"The next phase of the review involves examining the factors contributing to the increasing cost of insurance and identifying what short-term measures could be introduced to help reduce the cost of insurance for consumers and businesses.
In a week or two the task force will proceed to examine insurance in general and it will start with motor insurance, Mr Noonan said.
That phase will then take some months to be completed, Mr Noonan said, adding that he was unable to provide a finer timeline.
Mr Noonan was responding to a parliamentary question from Sinn Fein finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty.
Mr Doherty accused the government of not taking the issue seriously and described the progress of the review as shocking.
The government is years behind public opinion on this issue. I have been calling for the government to take action for some time including through an amendment to a motion which was passed by the Dail this month.
"It is clear this government is not taking the spiralling cost of car insurance seriously.
"The revelation by the Minister his review has not even begun to consider the issues behind the massive increases in premiums affecting consumers is clear evidence the government is not taking the cost of spiralling car insurance.
The work to prevent another Setanta is an important part of the work to fix our insurance system but the fact that has been the only issue discussed yet is shocking, Mr Doherty said.
The nations 10-year bond yield fell below that of similar-maturity Italian sovereign securities for the first time since July after election results showed the caretaker premier and his Peoples Party bolstered their position as the electorate shied away from the anti-establishment party Podemos, which polls wrongly forecast would come in second.
Investors were expecting a large amount of political instability, so a small improvement from that with a greater likelihood of a centre-right coalition or even a PP minority government is enough to cause a rally in Spanish bonds, said Antoine Bouvet, a London-based rates strategist at Mizuho International.
Fundamentally though, the path toward a stable government remains unclear, he added. `
Mr Rajoy must hold talks with competing parties that so far have blocked the path to extending his term at the helm of the eurozones fourth-biggest economy since inconclusive elections in December.
He told Spaniards yesterday hell finally have the foundations in place for a new government within the next month, an assertion that wasnt seconded by the three other main parties.
The result was quite inconclusive and we are back to square one, said Piet Lammens, head of research at KBC Bank in Brussels.
The outperformance of Spain today should not go too far, he said.
Spains sovereign securities may stay volatile amid continued investor concern about UK voters choice of a Brexit, which pushed up Spains 10-year yield by the most this year.
Riskier assets suffered as the decision threw uncertainty onto the political future of Europe, bolstering speculation other nations will move to hold similar referendums.
The 10-year bond yield dropped 17 basis points to 1.46%, the biggest decline since June 2014.
The yields of similar-maturity Portuguese and Italian bonds, which often move with Spanish, fell less than 6 basis points each.
Mr Rajoys PP won 137 seats in the 350-strong Spanish chamber, followed by the Socialists with 85.
Anti-establishment group Podemos was unchanged at 71, while the liberals of Ciudadanos won 32.
The Dalton Police Departments two newest hands are now officially officers within the ranks thanks to their unanimous confirmation Tuesday by the Public Safety Commission. Officers Evan Driskill and Paul Ledford both graduated from the police academy in Cherokee County, Ga., earlier this month.
Officer Ledford is a new officer but not a new employee of the city of Dalton. Since 2003 he has worked with the citys Public Works Department before transferring to the DPD in March and attending the police academy. He is also a veteran of the United State Marine Corps. He graduated from Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1991.
Officer Driskill comes to Dalton from the state of Kentucky with a stop in Chattanooga along the way. He graduated high school in Graves County, Kentucky in 2011 and received his associates degree in criminal justice from Chattanooga State in May 2014. He is continuing his studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in addition to beginning his duties with the Dalton Police Department.
Both officers have already embarked on the DPDs field training program in which they ride with experienced officers during a probationary period. Both officers had their hiring and appointment as officers confirmed by unanimous 4-0 votes of the Public Safety Commission (Commissioner Carlos Calderin did not attend Tuesday mornings meeting).
In a bid to stem concerns raised in the Stormont Assembly, Arlene Foster vowed to work for the good of all the people in any forthcoming negotiations. I absolutely fundamentally believe that this vote gives us the opportunity for ambition, for innovation, for flexibility, and for imagination.
Of the five largest parties at Stormont, only Ms Fosters Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) advocated leaving the EU. She faced repeated questions from MLAs about how she would reconcile her party political views with the 56% of voters who voted Remain.
The findings led to calls last night for an increased range of state supports for families living in the Togher area, and for the reinstatement of DEIS status for the local primary school.
The research will be presented today at a symposium organised by the Togher Family Centre, one of the citys largest providers of family and early education supports, during a symposium to mark the launch of its family support centre in Deanrock.
Centre manager Niamh Sheridan said the research is an extension of a study they conducted last year in a bid to reinstate DEIS status for the local primary school. It identified wider trends that required further investigation, she said.
The research, which focused on the centres 119 client families and their children, found:
An unemployment rate of 33.5%;
43% are living in insecure or rented accommodation;
66% of working families are at risk of poverty and are in receipt of, in some cases, several means-tested social welfare supports, including rent allowance, family income supplement, or medical cards;
Despite several parents having a post-Leaving Certificate qualification, the academic capital is not translating to employment or well-paid employment.
Ms Sheridan said it has been claimed that disadvantage exists mostly on the northside of the city, and while this may be true, the perception focuses the response to disadvantage in one geographical area.
This research does not challenge the presence and concentration of disadvantage on the northside of Cork City, but instead attempts to draw the eye to another area and to create a space to consider the shape and dynamics of disadvantage there, said Ms Sheridan.
She said the concentration of disadvantage on the northside has, over the years, led to a concentration of services, and a strong network of supports. However, pockets of disadvantage like Togher dont benefit from this same kind of network.
Families in the southside suburb are doubly disadvantaged because they are living in an isolated area of disadvantage, with geography and inadequate analysis masking the disadvantage.
The new family support centre, in a house donated by the city council, is another step in the right direction, said Ms Sheridan, but she added that agencies such as the HSE and Tusla need to consider how they can respond to the challenges facing the community.
From now on enlisted personnel in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service will be reimbursed 150 every year for the cost of cleaning their uniforms for ceremonial duties after a successful case was brought to the Revenue Commissioners.
PDforra, which represents the enlisted men and women, lodged the case in December 2014.
The issue was highlighted by the Irish Examiner last February when it emerged that members of the Defence Forces would find themselves out of pocket with the multitude of ceremonies theyd have to attend this year to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
PDforra claimed its members were spending nearly 3m a year on dry-cleaning, shoe polish, and other sundries necessary for their work, which was coming out of their own pockets. They argued these were legitimate expenses as under military regulations, Defence Forces personnel are required to have their uniforms in pristine condition. Having a dirty uniform on parade would lead to a caution or even a fine.
Prior to any ceremonial parades Defence Forces members might have to carry out three practice drills and theyd be expected to dry-clean their uniforms after each one.
Nurses, gardai and prison officers have, for many years, received allowances to cover cleaning uniforms and PDforra thought it was unfair that its members were not getting the same entitlement. Military personnel in a number of other countries are also in receipt of a similar allowance.
PDforra deputy general secretary Ger Guinan said the Revenue Commissioners had agreed to backdate the uniform cleaning rebate to cover 2015 and that his members would be paid the rebate in the next couple of months. Mr Guinan said that up to now personnel also had to pay for boot polish out of their own pockets. It costs around 3 a tin and is likely to only last a couple of weeks. He said it was now his understanding that boot polish will be provided to servicemen and women by the Defence Forces.
Personnel also have to pay out of their own pockets to mount medals on a special bar which they attach to their uniforms. This costs about 50 a time and some can have up to 13 medals.
The Revenue Commissioners has only made the agreement to pay the allowance to enlisted men and not to officers.
Following another day of carnage on the stock markets, Taoiseach Enda Kenny was last night at odds with European leaders like Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande over how relations with Britain are to be handled.
Mr Kenny travels to Brussels today to attend a crunch summit meeting of European leaders and Dublin is most unhappy with events in Brussels since Friday.
Mr Kenny slammed the meeting of six founding members of the EEC to discuss the fallout from Brexit, insisting that only the EU Council of 27 leaders can decide the course of action: I want to make clear that it is the European Council under the leadership of Donald Tusk, and not any other EU institution or subgroup, which has overall political control of the process.
His defiant stance comes as Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe warned that public spending must now be responsible and even more realistic post Brexit.
But, despite the turmoil which saw 10bn wiped off the Irish Stock Exchange, Mr Noonan insisted the initial shock of Brexit had been contained and there was no sense of panic.
Mr Kenny insisted in the Dail yesterday that there could be no early change to the relationship between Ireland and Britain.
However, the European Commission last night said it has no plans in place to accommodate Irelands special relationship with Britain in the wake of Brexit.
European Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen said the commission has no policy on the providing concessions or establishing a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Britain.
Its too early to take any position on this, he said.
The commission doesnt have any policy on this. Basically, in legal terms what well have there are two different negotiations which are supposed to be started.
European Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen
Another EU commission spokesman said that they are still in speculation territory when it comes to the reintroduction of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the North.
Ms Merkel, Mr Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi held talks in Berlin yesterday and agreed that there would be no talks on future relations with Britain until after it formally notifies the EU of its plan to leave the bloc.
Ms Merkel said: We agreed on this, that there will be no informal or formal talks on the exit of Britain until an application has been filed to leave the European Union.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has warned a spike in passport applications after the Brexit vote could cause delays.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan
Another 10bn was wiped from the value of Irish shares yesterday as Irish companies exposed to the UK were among the worst performing stocks in the world. Irish stock losses have now reached 20bn since the UK vote to quit the EU last week.
Big names such as Bank of Ireland, Ryanair, and Paddy Power suffered huge losses.
The market rout came amid new forecasts that sterling will continue its sharp descent against the euro all the way down to 90 pence. That implies huge pressure will be heaped on Irish firms exporting across the Irish Sea into Britain.
Ratings agency S&P downgraded the UKs credit rating by two notches from AAA.
Last night in London, embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn insisted he was going nowhere. He will face a vote of confidence today.
European Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen yesterday said the commission has no policy on providing concessions or establishing a bilateral agreement between Ireland and Britain.
Its too early to take any position on this, he said.
The commission doesnt have any policy on this. Basically in legal terms what well have there are two different negotiations which are supposed to be started.
He said small countries such as Ireland are sometimes more vulnerable than the others in terms of financial instability.
Another commission spokesman said it was still in speculation territory when it came to the reintroduction of a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the North.
It would be very premature now at this stage to assess specific consequences in specific policy areas. This is yet to be seen, he said.
It comes ahead of crunch talks between EU leaders, including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, today and tomorrow.
Mr Kenny appears to be at odds with many other members of the European Peoples Party, of which Fine Gael is a member.
Its spokesman, Siegfried Muresan, yesterday said Britain needed to start the exit process by evoking article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty immediately, adding that whether its right or wrong, its important to help the EU and Britain progress.
Mr Kenny has been campaigning for a gradual exit which would allow Britain negotiate the best possible deal and could allow Ireland to hammer out agreements on trade, the border, and work permits.
Mr Muresan was adamant Britain would not be given the luxury of cherry-picking its terms and conditions for leaving. He said it would be legally difficult to take account of Irelands special relationship with Britain.
When it comes to the rights of other member states like Ireland and my home country Romania, we do not know how [special arrangements] will take place, he said.
We will have to politically follow that into the negotiations but legally we do not know how that will work out in the sense that freedom of goods, of capital, of people exists in the European Union, but once Britain is outside, what is the legal basis for those freedoms?
We do not know how that will legally work out in practice but it has to be made a political priority for the prime ministers and presidents of the countries affected and for the leaders in Brussels.
Mr Muresan said that before the referendum, UK prime minister David Cameron had promised swift action after the vote but had now changed this line. David Cameron made concessions to the euroskeptics and the more he conceded the more he demanded from him, said Mr Muresan, adding
Europe will simply not allow Great Britain do any cherry-picking with the EU.
Mr Kenny will join the other EU leaders in Brussels this evening. They will meet without Mr Cameron over breakfast tomorrow where it is expected they will forge a common line and co-ordinate their views.
Sinn Fein also warned the latest European statement gives the impression of the commission actively interfering in a highly contested domestic political debate.
The commission stated yesterday it considers that once water charges were introduced in 2010, they became so-called established practice under the Water Framework Directive and cannot be reversed.
As a result, the commission could initiate infringement proceedings if Ireland abandons water charges.
However, both Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail reject this interpretation of the law and said Irelands established practice is funding water investment through general taxation and not water charges.
Fianna Fail spokesman on the environment, Barry Cowen, said legal advice obtained by his party from a senior counsel referred to a previous case involving Germany where the commission judged them not entitled to a derogation over the funding of a new hydroelectric plant. The commission was later proven to be wrong by the European courts.
He said: We have sound legal advice that when the water framework directive was transposed into law, established practice was to pay from general taxation and its that date that is important and makes us entitled to a derogation.
Sinn Feins Eoin O Broin agreed with Mr Cowen that Ireland would be entitled to a derogation because of established practice in 2003.
He added: Article 9.4 is very clear. Member states may seek an exemption from applying the polluter pays principle if they can demonstrate that their overall plan allows them to achieve the objectives of the directive.
[Environment] commissioner [Karmenu] Vellas latest statement represents a significant shift from what he has said previously. It appears that he is playing politics with the issue of domestic water charges. This is very unfortunate as it gives the impression of the commission actively interfering in a highly contested domestic political debate.
In a response to a query from MEP Marian Harkin, Mr Vella said Ireland cannot revert to any previous practice.
Ireland adopted its river basin management plans in July 2010. There is no record of a decision in those plans not to apply the provisions of Article 9 (1). On the contrary, in the plans, Ireland made a clear commitment to set up water charges to comply with the provisions of Article 9 (1).
Ireland subsequently applied water charges and the commission considers that the directive does not provide for a situation whereby it can revert to any previous practice.
Food Academy is a joint initiative between SuperValu, Bord Bia, and the Local Enterprise Office Network and since its inception in 2014, has supported more than 600 small producers from start-up to getting their products onto supermarket shelves. They, in turn, support 900 jobs nationwide.
The growing success of the programme was revealed at the second day of the Cork and Kerry Food Forum during which more than 70 food producers showed their wares, watched by almost 10,000 people who attended the two-day event at Cork City Hall.
Speaking at the forum, Martin Kelleher, SuperValu managing director, said: I am delighted to announce that sales from the Food Academy programme are expected to top 25m this year. A total of 281 Food Academy producers are currently selling their products in SuperValu stores across Ireland, with these producers supporting more than 900 jobs nationally.
Small food businesses play a vital role in the Irish economy and SuperValu are delighted to support these local producers.
His view of the success of the academy programme was echoed by Joe Burke of the Local Enterprise Office South Cork. The Food Academy was established to support passionate and entrepreneurial food producers in Ireland, he said.
This unique joint initiative has proven hugely successful, as evidenced by the phenomenal 2016 sales figures announced today by SuperValu. We are delighted to have our Food Academy producers at the Cork and Kerry Food Forum. This event is about showcasing the incredible offerings from the Cork and Kerry region.
Guest chefs at the food forum included David and Stephen Flynn of The Happy Pear. The identical twins, who are also SuperValu Good Food Karma ambassadors, shared their vegan and wholesome approach to eating, their favourite recipes and their philosophy of making natural and healthy food mainstream.
Chef Kevin Dundon, Geraldine Lynch of Macroom Buffalo Farm, Daniel Rea, 13, from Rochestown and Aiyana Helder, 13, from Douglas
Those who attended yesterday were also in for a special treat consisting of cookery demonstrations by one of Irelands best-loved chefs, Kevin Dundon.
A chef with a love of locally-sourced indigenous produce, Dundon cooked a specially-crafted healthy recipe using ingredients from Food Academy producers.
A number of food producers from West Cork food were featured at the event. Among the exhibitors were Eugene and Helena Hickey whose Skeaghanore Duck raised on their farm in Ballydehob has even graced the table of Britains Queen Elizabeth II.
Others included Sean and Siobhan Nolan who produce oak-smoked fish products in Union Hall while Macroom buffalo mozzarella was also exhibited. It is made from fresh buffalo milk produced by Irelands only herd of milking water buffalo.
Those with a sweet tooth enjoyed the taste of Milsean Chocolate and East Cork also got a look-in in the form of Shana Wilkies family-run chocolate business based in Midleton, which she started in 2012.
Security sources are also concerned at the ramifications of the withdrawal of British police from the EU police agency Europol, as well as other key law enforcement agencies like MAOC-N, which combats international drug trafficking.
This is on top of the wider issue of border controls with Northern Ireland and the potential impact on the common travel area between Ireland and the UK.
While Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald moved to reassure the public after the referendum that police and justice cooperation would continue, she expressed significant concern before the vote at the potential impact.
In response to a parliamentary question on June 8, she said either the EU or the UK could decide to restore border controls if the Leave vote won. She said: It is clear that any changes could potentially have a most serious impact on cross-border police co-operation and for the citizens of both countries who have enjoyed free movement since the foundation of the Irish State.
She added: Withdrawal from the EU also raises issues in respect of a whole range of police and judicial co-operation EU instruments including the European arrest warrant which are vital to cross-border security.
A senior security source said there was significant concern regarding the European Arrest Warrant.
Recent figures from the Department of Justice show that 268 requests have been sent from Irish to British authorities between 2004 and 2014 regarding the arrest and transfer of suspects. Britain has sent Ireland 246 requests for the arrest and transfer of people from here.
Justice documents show that principal offences in such arrests include murder, grievous bodily harm, sexual offences including rape and abuse of children, drugs offences, robbery, fraud, and human trafficking. Security sources said Ireland would need to negotiate a bilateral agreement with Britain for a replacement system and introduce legislation to allow for it. But it is unlikely to be as efficient and streamlinedand could be subject to more legal challenges.
Six stations will re-open under a pilot project. These will then be reviewed to see if they have changed local crime levels.
Ms Fitzgerald will seek Cabinet approval to permit Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan to begin the process. The pilot will then be reviewed by the policing authority.
It has been suggested that Stepaside station, in the constituency of Transport Minister Shane Ross, may end up on the list, as part of the deal which secured his support for the Government.
But Government sources insist that the decision on which stations re-open their doors is an operational matter for Commissioner OSullivan.
Meanwhile, Independent Alliance ministers will today meet and decide whether to support or oppose a Dail bill this week to allow abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.
Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan
Alliance minister John Halligan told the Irish Examiner he wanted to support Independent TD Mick Wallaces bill but needed to decide on advice from the attorney general that it may be unconstitutional.
We should be given a free vote on this as everyone nearly in the house [the Dail] is getting one, he said.
Health Minister Simon Harris is expected to inform his cabinet colleagues that the Government must oppose the bill. Mr Harris has said the current state of abortion laws is completely unacceptable but that he cannot support a bill outside the law.
Health Minister Simon Harris
Cabinet will also be dominated by the Brexit result and is set to begin at 7.30am this morning to allow Taoiseach Enda Kenny attend an EU summit.
Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney will also bring a memo to Cabinet today to increase rent limits under the Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment schemes.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party yesterday launched a private members bill to reform the admission to religious schools. It will be debated later today and voted on on Thursday.
Nikki Lane will be headlining this Friday at Nightfall, the free concert series produced by Chattanooga Presents at Miller Plaza. Her twangy, nostalgic spin on country music will be preceded by local opening band TJG & the 423s.
This week is also Rock the Block, when Nightfall partners with the Bessie Smith Cultural Center on the first Friday of each month for a block party that includes music on the lawn of the Bessie at 5 p.m. by Jimmy Allgood and at 6 p.m. by Sound Advice before Nightfall kicks in with its regular 7 p.m. schedule. This week the River City Corvette Club will have cars on display between Georgia Avenue and Lindsey Street, providing connection between the BSCC and Miller Plaza. The River City Corvette Club is a 501(c)3 which donates to local charities through its programs. Come out early and celebrate music and collaboration in the community.
Review for Nikki Lane:
Nightfalls headliner Nikki Lane has been referred to by critics as the modern First Lady of Outlaw Country. She has a voice of yesteryear and a no-nonsense approach to her songs heartache, about friends that betray you, and about misbehaving and moving on. When Lane moved to Los Angeles and New York before Nashville, it was for fashion, not music. She had wanted to be the Jean Queen, with a retail empire that was built around her love of denim. But then she made a record.
Nikki released the 2011 album Walk of Shame to rave reviews. Her 2014 album Right Time was produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), who also helps out with guitars and even vocals on a couple of tracks. She had met Auerbach at her vintage clothing stall at a flea market in Nashville, when he literally bought the leather jacket off her back. Lane's sound has been compared to that of Wanda Jackson as well as the sound of Neko Case's early albums, but she cites Neil Young and Waylon Jennings as two of her biggest inspirations. A lot of people are making a big fuss about Nikki Lane. Come out Friday to Nightfall and see why.
Nikki Lanes 8 p.m. performance at Nightfall will be preceded at 7 p.m. with a performance by local band TJG & the 423s. The brainchild of T.J. Greever, made its official debut during this years Road to Nightfall competition, although T.J. has been making great music in Chattanooga for years. In this case, T.J. and this talented collective of Chattanooga musicians play what they describe as everything and some twang.
Nightfall 2016 represents a series of 15 free Friday-night concerts held at Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga. Each Friday through Aug. 26 Nightfall will showcase a broad spectrum of musical genres featuring a Chattanooga band at 7 p.m., followed by a headline show by a national artist at 8 p.m., many of whom are performing for the first time in the city.
Nightfall bulk discount beer and wine tickets are available at each show, offering a 20 percent savings on a packet of 20 drink tickets (typically $6 per individual ticket, but sold in a bulk packet for $96). Food trucks and non-alcoholic drink concessions are also available on site. No outside food or beverages are allowed to be brought in to Nightfall.
Known for its family-friendly environment as well as being recognized nationally for the quality of its musical programming and locally as Best of the Best for Chattanooga Events, Nightfall is a family-friendly concert series with an average attendance of between 2,500-3,000 each night.
Nightfall is made possible this year thanks to sponsorships from Shock Top, Fletcher Bright Company, Kelly Cars, EPB Fiber Optics, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Pucketts Chattanooga, Big River Grille, Southern Honda Powersports, Track 29 and Revelry Room, Golds Gym, UTC and Douglas Heights. Media support comes from NPR/Music 88.1 and ChattanoogaNow.
For more information on this free community concert series, call 265-0771 or visit NightfallChattanooga.com for an interactive website that includes music samples by each headliner, as well as other information for first-time attendees.
Three rubber vessels were located about 37 nautical miles northwest of Tripoli, Libya.
The first rescue began at 6.50am, where 114 migrants were rescued and taken on board the Roisin where they were given food, water and medical treatment where required.
LE Roisin was immediately re-tasked with the rescue of a further 115 people from a rubber vessel in the same area. All of those people were on board by 9.15am.
The ship was then sent on a third search and rescue operation where a further 142 migrants were taken on board.
The operation was on foot of a request from Italian Maritime Rescue Co-Ordination Centre.
The LE Roisin has rescued 893 people to date, excluding yesterday, as part of its humanitarian rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
Owen Kirwan, from Darndale in Dublin was heartbroken after the loss of his partner Ann Marie McQuillan, 32, who was hit by the tram as it pulled into the Blackhorse platform in Inchicore on June 28, 2012.
Previously, Dublin Coroners Court heard how Ms McQuillan was caught between the platform and the tram and sustained serious head and body injuries. A jury ruled her death was accidental.
Owen Kirwan, 40, took his own life just over two years after the death of his girlfriend on November 25, 2014. An inquest into his death heard he had sustained a serious leg injury in July 2013, in a hit and run not far from where his girlfriend was killed, further adding to his burden.
Mr Kirwans brother, Raymond, was concerned about his brothers welfare and offered to stay overnight with him the night before his death. His brothers mood was low and his eyes were dark, Mr Kirwan told Dublin Coroners Court.
Around 4.15am he came into the sitting room and offered me the cigarette he was smoking. He said Ill see you later bro, Raymond Kirwan told the court.
About 6.30am he heard his nephew moving in the apartment looking for his father. He saw the front door locked and went looking for his brother and found him in the bedroom. Owen Kirwan was rushed to Beaumont Hospital but was pronounced dead at 7.50am on November 25, 2014.
Garda Karen Caswell met family members at the Kirwan home. He had suffered from depression since the sad loss of his partner two years previously, she said.
Medical reports detailed chronic leg pain due to an injury together with low mood, anxiety and depression. The cause of death was asphyxia. Coroner Myra Cullinane returned a verdict of suicide.
The 73-year-old is accused of assaulting the 17-year-old at his Mayfair offices in London between October 1981 and May 1982.
He allegedly locked the girl in his office and forced her to engage in a sexual act with him, a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London was told. When there was a knock on the door, he put his finger to his lips to try to keep her quiet, it is claimed.
Prosecutor Rosina Cottage said he used his position of power to embarrass and humiliate the young victim.
The defendant is a sexual bully who took advantage of his position of power over the youth of the victim to engage in sexual activity she made it plain she did not want to do, she added. The defendant ignored her wishes and persisted in his actions, knowing she did not consent.
He apparently left explicit Polaroid photographs of women on his desk for the teenager to see. Many displayed a mans hand which she believed was the defendant, Ms Cottage added.
Clearly they were there for her to see.
Mr Clifford also made personal remarks about the victims appearance and how short her skirt was, the court was told.
Mr Clifford, formerly of Hersham, Surrey, is charged under Operation Yewtree, the Met Police investigation set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Some of the biggest names in show business, including pop mogul Simon Cowell, and boxer Muhammad Ali were represented by Mr Clifford during his career, which spanned more than 40 years.
Mr Clifford appeared in the dock wearing a blue suit, white shirt, blue and red spotted tie, and glasses, with a beard, and followed proceedings through a hearing loop.
Mr Clifford allegedly exposed himself to the teenager, waved his genitalia in her face, and said: Its only a bit of fun.
Ms Cottage said he went to the door of the office and locked it. They were the only two in the office.
He stood between her and the door and unzipped his trousers, she added.
Mr Clifford then forced the girl to put her hand on him and perform a sex act, the court was told.
Ms Cottage continued: She began to panic but didnt know what to do. She was terrified and had no idea what to do. She kept saying she didnt want to do it and didnt want to miss her train. She added: She felt she had no choice but to comply.
When there was a knock at the door, Mr Clifford motioned with his lips to be quiet, the jury heard.
He stormed off after the teenager called out just a minute, Ms Cottage said.
Mr Clifford denies that the incident took place and claimed the allegation was made up so that she could try and claim compensation.
The trial continues.
The MEPs said Ireland should fight to get the EU bodies based in Britain which will have to leave as a result of the Brexit vote.
Speaking ahead of a crunch meeting today between EU leaders on the fallout from Brexit, Brian Hayes said Ireland has a lot to benefit from with a British exit.
He said Taoiseach Enda Kenny could have a unique role in acting as a bridge between Britain and Europe in exit negotiations.
There are a lot of agencies the European Banking Authority is one which [are] based in London which cant stay in London, said Mr Hayes, a Fine Gael MEP for Dublin.
Its chairman said before the referendum that if there is a Brexit the EBA would move because if it is not a member of the European Union you cant have the European Banking Authority in London.
I think a eurozone country that speaks English which has 10% of its GDP in financial services is the kind of country that they would be looking at.
So there is always opportunity and there is opportunity on the [foreign direct investment side.
This was echoed by Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, who said she is lobbying for EU agencies in the UK to be moved to Ireland.
Ms Clune said Cork is perfectly placed as a new location for the European Medicines Agency. Cork has an international airport on its doorstep and a top-class reputation as a pharmaceutical centre of excellence, she said.
Cork is home to some of the largest pharma companies in the world, including Pfizer and Eli Lilly, with third-level institutions, including University College Cork, that have led the way in ground-breaking research in the fields of science and technology.
The department said that, notwithstanding the heavy losses suffered on the financial markets since the result was announced early on Friday, contingency plans both in London and across Europe had factored in such losses.
Mr Noonan, speaking at the national economic dialogue event in Dublin yesterday, said nothing has happened since Friday to impact on the budget for next year, which he will announce in October alongside Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe.
From an Irish point of view, the initial shock has been contained. There is no sense of panic. The NTMA are happy they can fund the country for the foreseeable future, said Mr Noonan.
He said the fluctuations seen on the markets were within the normal rise and fall of markets and people were still going about their business, which is welcome.
He said it was difficult to know what the ultimate impact of Brexit will be so it would be some time before we know what cost will have to be borne by the Irish people.
Kieran McQuinn of the ESRI said Brexit has already had an impact on Ireland. It has compounded some global issues which already had begun to impact on Ireland, he said.
Labour said the Government needed to publish a revised summer economic statement following the UKs decision to leave the EU. The economic outlook for the rest of 2016 and 2017 was published last Tuesday.
Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Paschal Donohoe
Former ministers Joan Burton and Brendan Howlin say some of the figures used to formulate Irelands economic outlook for the remainder of the year came from correspondence with the EU in April. Ms Burton also said the summer statement didnt take into account the impact of Brexit.
For its part, the Department of Finance has been actively preparing for the outcome of the referendum and has been liaising closely with the Central Bank and NTMA to ensure financial and economic stability can be maintained.
It had commissioned the ESRI to undertake an analysis of the potential economic implications of a UK vote to leave the EU. The analysis was published last November.
The department has also undertaken extensive consultations with industry stakeholders on the risks and opportunities relating to the financial services sector.
He said the way the European Commission and specifically Eurostat decided on spending flexibility was very different from individual countries, including France who usually gave two fingers to the rules anyway.
Mr Noonan was speaking at the plenary session of the national economic dialogue talks with unions and employers among others. He agreed there was a need for investment in social and economic infrastructure.
But Ireland was inhibited by restrictions on spending decided by the EU.
Flexibility on spending was important, noted the minister, and was something Germany, France, and Italy among nations and governments employed. But there was no point in getting that flexibility or changes to a spending programme at the end of it or halfway through.
If you have any flexibility with breaking the rules theres no point in getting it at the end, unless you are a country like France who give the two fingers to the rules anyway, the minister told those at Dublin Castle.
Fiscal rules and space for spending were based on structural deficits and complex, he added.
Ireland hopes to see spending restrictions lifted for budgets from 2019 onwards. Mr Noonan noted examples where Brussels, or specifically Eurostat, had changed the rules when youre half way across the river and you are committed to expenditure programmes.
This included the statistic agencys decision that funding for Irish Water could in fact not be off balance sheet and must be part of Irelands spending declarations.
Equally, Brussels decided that a preference share conversion by the Government must be classified as expenditure, he explained.
Our ability to spend the money which we will have over the next three or four years is going to be dependent onwhether we are allowed to spend it under EU rules or not. They better straighten out their rule making... before decisions are taken, rather than pulling the plug when we are half way through added the minister.
Her comments come as the Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers, is expected to tell Stormont House that she looks forward to strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
Ms Anderson, addressing the Parliament, said her party felt the majority of people who voted to remain in the EU should not be bound by a UK vote.
The Doughty Street Chambers founder says the referendum was purely advisory. His sentiments have been echoed by Charles Flint QC in a letter to the Times.
Under our constitution, speaking as a constitutional lawyer, sovereignty rests in what we call the Queen in parliament, Mr Robertson told The Independent.
Its the right of MPs alone to make or break laws, and the peers to block them.
So theres no force whatsoever in the referendum result. Its entirely for MPs to decide.
The much-spoken about article 50, the mechanism by which an EU member can leave the union, says a state can only leave the EU in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.
Our most fundamental constitutional requirement is that the decision must be taken by parliament. It will require a bill, said Mr Robertson. MPs will have to do their duty to vote according to conscience and vote for whats best for Britain.
Its a matter for their consciences. They have got to behave courageously and conscientiously.
Democracy in Britain doesnt mean majority rule. Its not the tyranny of the majority or the tyranny of the mob its the representatives of the people, not the people themselves, who vote for them, he said.
Meanwhile, UK housebuilders have lost as much as 40% of their value since Britain voted to leave the EU, as the threat of recession erased their standing as safe haven stocks.
About 8bn (9.5bn) has been wiped off the market capitalisation of the countrys four biggest housebuilders, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Barratt, and Berkeley, since the result of Thursdays referendum.
Youve gone from certainty and clarity and confidence to a complete lack of, said Shore Capital analyst Robin Hardy.
Those housebuilders have over the last five years reported steady profit growth and rewarded investors with higher payouts after recovering from the 2008 financial crash. They had said there was more growth to come.
But uncertainty about the outcome had already started to send shudders through the sector ahead of the vote, with Berkeley warning earlier in June that there had been a 20% drop in reservations of new homes.
Top economists say a recession is now on the cards, prompting fears of higher unemployment, falling consumer confidence and as a result, lower housing demand and a question mark over housebuilders future profitability.
Youre going to have masses of different opinions about whats going to happen to transaction levels, whats going to happen to pricing, whats going to happen to costs, whats going to happen to mortgage lending, whats going to happen to policy, said Mr Hardy.
Canaccord analyst Aynsley Lammin said there was a risk to his consensus forecasts for the housebuilders, but noted that the sector was in a strong position to withstand any downturn.
They havent got a huge amount of debt, most of them have got net cash and theyve been very disciplined, so I think theres some valuation support at some point, he said.
The official visit, arranged before the results of the Brexit vote last weekend, comes at a time when Scotland is considering its position in the UK.
President Higgins held a bilateral meeting with Ms Sturgeon in Glasgow yesterday afternoon where they discussed the relationship of Ireland and Scotland, and other issues regarding human rights.
Mr Higgins, travelling with his wife Sabina, also visited members of the Irish community during his time in Glasgow.
He told those gathered at the Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre that the cultural links between Ireland and Scotland date back over 1,400 years.
Tomorrow, Mr Higgins is scheduled to address the Scottish parliament at Holyrood, and will be the first Irish head of state to do so since the powers of representation were devolved to Scotland and its home parliament was established in 1999.
President Michael D. Higgins meeting with @NicolaSturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, in Glasgow today: pic.twitter.com/atRNPaPTlw President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) June 27, 2016
The presiding officer of the parliament Ken Macintosh formally invited Mr Higgins to visit Scotland and address the parliament some time ago. Speaking on Mr Higginss trip, Mr Macintosh said it is a great honour to welcome president Higgins to Scotland on behalf of all members of the parliament.
Our two countries share much in common, including a long history of family, social and cultural bonds, he said.
As well as celebrating these historic ties, President Higginss visit will focus on the future and how we can further strengthen the links between us. There is great excitement and anticipation at Holyrood around the presidents visit to Scotland and Im very much looking forward to welcoming him to parliament.
Text of the speech given by President Michael D. Higgins in #Glasgow this evening - https://t.co/bW5hciTuBJ pic.twitter.com/MhRV5MnUgb President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) June 27, 2016
The backdrop to Mr Higginss trip to Scotland is one of political uncertainty and unease in the wake of the British vote to leave the EU. Scotland voted overwhelming to remain in the EU by 62% to 38%, and the overall victory of the Leave vote in the UK has triggered calls for a second independence referendum in Nicola Sturgeons country.
Ms Sturgeon has also stated in recent days that the Scottish parliament may seek to block or veto Britains decision to instigate an exit from the EU. If Scotland voted to break from the UK to become independent it would seek to enter the EU itself.
Independence survey
Scotland would vote for independence if a snap referendum was held today, a poll carried out in the wake of the UKs Brexit decision has suggested.
The Survation poll for the Daily Record has pointed to a shift in public opinion, with 53.7% saying they would vote for independence, against 46.3% in favour of staying in the UK.
Including dont knows, the figures are 47.8% for yes with 41.3% backing the no side.
Scottish voters rejected independence by 55% to 45% in the September 2014 referendum.
But the latest poll was carried out after the UK voted on Thursday to leave the European Union by a margin of 52% to 48%. In stark contrast, Scotland opted to be part of the EU, by 62% to 38%.
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the situation means a second vote on Scottish independence is now highly likely and has warned she would consider asking Holyrood to block the UKs departure from Europe if MSPs are required to give formal backing for Brexit.
The latest poll results were based on the responses of 1,002 adults questioned over the weekend.
UK Scottish secretary David Mundell accused Ms Sturgeon of opportunism to further the independence agenda.
He insisted the arguments for Scotland being part of the UK are as compelling today as they were in 2014.
But he sidestepped the question of whether Westminster would grant the powers for a second independence referendum to be held.Mr Mundell told BBC Radio Scotland: What Ive said is there are two questions. One question is could there be another referendum? Of course there could, thats a process issue.
Should there be another referendum? Thats a quite different issue, and my view is that there should not be another independence referendum.I believe that the arguments for Scotland being part of the UK are as compelling today as they were in 2014.
His comments were made as several ministers moved to dismiss any concern that Britains decision to leave the European Union will hit next years budget or immediately impact on the economy.
Mr Donohoe also warned that future spending decisions would need to incorporate a responsible wage policy for public services. He was speaking as the Government held its annual national economic dialogue at Dublin Castle, a two-day discussion with trade unions, employers, and others.
Commenting on spending over the next year, the minister said the Government now needed to be even more realistic about the choices made.
Public spending decisions could not always be about quantum, he told the conference.
The Government was working towards a just society, he added, and trying to address dissatisfaction among the public and alienation out there.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, the minister said that spending plans for the next budget were still credible, following Brexit.
Mr Donohoe reiterated that workers groups choosing to remain outside the Lansdowne Road Agreement would not benefit from pay restoration, unlike those who have signed up to the deal.
There are suggestions that thousands of gardai and teachers may have significant penalties imposed on them this week if they do not agree to the pay and work agreement, once the outgoing Haddington Road deal expires on Thursday.
Losses which could be imposed on workers from this Thursday could include a freeze on increments and the non-payment of supervision payments.
However, the minister said: It is not the case of penalties being imposed on groups that are outside of Lansdowne, its the case of recognising that the benefits of the Lansdowne Road Agreement will only be conferred to those unions who vote for it.
And in relation to the future of public wage policy here in Ireland, a crucial part of how we keep our expenditure under control is having a responsible wage policy here in our country for the public and private sector. An unfunded wage increase of tomorrow is the save wage cut of the future and we dont want to go down that path again.
The minister confirmed the Government will put a report before the Dail on Thursday on its position on whether or not to repeal emergency financial legislation which cut wages originally.
After nearly 26 years of service to the city, Officer Ray Figg has served his last patrol shift as a Dalton police officer. Officer Figg's retirement from the agency was marked with a ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the Police Services Center.
Chief Jason Parker presented Officer Figg with his badge in front of a gathering of family, friends, and fellow DPD officers Tuesday afternoon. In addition to serving as a police officer, Mr. Figg is also a veteran of the United States Air Force. He served as a police officer with the Collegedale Police Department before joining the Dalton Police Department in September 1990. During his remarks at Tuesday's ceremony, Chief Parker noted that he was the officer who performed Mr. Figg's background check while Mr. Figg was joining the agency.
Officer Figg isn't heading for a rocking chair any time soon, though. He plans to continue on in law enforcement, joining the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office as a deputy.
It is one of the main recommendations in a report on gender equality in higher education, published yesterday.
The report, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority, was compiled by an expert group chaired by former commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn.
This report clearly demonstrates that significant gender inequality remains in higher education, and this must be addressed for equality, social, and economic reasons, said Ms Geoghegan-Quinn.
One of the reports key recommendations is the introduction of mandatory quotas for academic promotion in higher-education institutions.
Ms Geoghegan-Quinn said the review shows that systematic barriers in the organisation and culture within institutions means talent alone is not always enough to guarantee success.
The gender equality review began in September 2015. Ten months earlier, Micheline Sheehy Skeffington won a landmark Equality Tribunal case against NUI Galway.
The tribunal found that the university had discriminated against the botanist for promotion because of her gender.
Ms Geogheghan-Quinn said the recommendations of the report are deliberately ambitious and radical: They recognise that productivity cannot be maximised without full development of the workforce.
Maire Geoghegan-Quinn
According to the report, NUI Galway still has the worst gender balance of the countrys seven universities 13% of its professors are women. One in five (20%) members of its academic council are women.
University of Limerick has long led the way on bridging the gender gap in higher education 31% of its professors are female. Four in 10 (38%) members of its academic council are women.
The report recommends that institutions apply for and achieve an Athena SWAN institutional award within three years.
Athena SWAN is a system of awards bronze, silver, and gold that recognises institutions and departments for making progress in addressing gender inequality.
The report says that within seven years, research-funding agencies will require higher-education institutions to have attained an Athena SWAN silver institutional award to be eligible for funding.
There will be an annual review of the higher-education establishments progress in meeting gender targets, with a full review at the end of three years.
Higher Education Authority chief Tom Boland said it strongly endorsed the findings and recommendations of the expert group.
Fixing the women, as the report points out, is not the solution. We need to fix and radically change the system which perpetuates gender discrimination, said Mr Boland
The Irish Federation of University Teachers said the Government must allocate resources to support the measures outlined in the report.
Deputy general secretary Joan Donegan described the reports gender equality targets, that would be linked to future State funding, as a significant step forward.
Ms Donegan said monitoring and implementation procedures must be strong enough so that there could be no foot-dragging in tackling gender discrimination.
In the Dail yesterday, Mr Kenny gave voice to the considerable anger within Government here at the holding of a meeting by six founding countries of the European community on Saturday.
I want to make clear that it is the European Council under the leadership of Donald Tusk, and not any other EU institution or subgroup, which has overall political control of the process, he said.
The Taoiseach described the Brexit decision as a political earthquake, the consequences of which will take some time to work out.
Mr Kenny also made it clear that, despite strong EU insistence that no bilateral deals between Ireland and Britain are possible, he will be beginning intensive talks with the Northern administration and London in the coming days.
Next Mondays plenary meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in Dublin, which I will chair, will provide an opportunity for the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to have a strategic discussion around how we are going to work together to protect the interests of all our citizens on the island of Ireland, he said.
The Taoiseach also defied EU Commission President Jean Claude Junckers call for Britain to exit quickly by insisting there could be no early change to the current situation.
There will be no early change to the free flow of people, goods and services between our islands, he said.
Mr Kenny today travels to Brussels for a meeting of the European Council.
Speaking in the Dail, he said the Government will ensure the EU approach to these negotiations takes account of Irelands special concerns and interests, including in relation to Northern Ireland.
I also want to make clear that I or my officials will be at the table for every major decision on the negotiations, he said.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said there was an urgent need for some structure and clarity to what will happen: We must be clear on Irelands fundamental policy towards Europe. We must develop a new framework for relations with the UK. We must prepare for new threats and possible opportunities.
Most of all, we must take a stand against the ideologies which were central to this result and which are a real and rising threat to shared democracy, human rights and development in Europe.
Lets start the debate about where we go from here by remembering why the European Union matters.
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams used the opportunity of the debate to restate his partys call for a referendum to decide the issue of Irish unity.
He said: There is a huge responsibility on the Irish government to think nationally on an all-island basis.
The Irish Government must work to promote the interests of the whole island and the North in particular in future talks at an EU level; and to support the rights of ministers in the North to deal directly with the EU institutions.
In the time ahead, this should include a referendum on Irish unity.
The Dublin Childrens Court heard gardai feared for their own safety after they found the missing boy, aged 13, at a house party but were set upon by 15 to 20 youths.
Garda David Egan was repeatedly punched and dragged away by youths while his colleague Gda Paula Carter was knocked unconscious and kicked on the ground.
Gda Egan said that as he tried to get the missing boy to their patrol car, one youth began pulling out of me and flung Gda Carter to the ground and kicked her on the ground.
Gda Egan said he tried to hold that youth but the defendant and two or three other males were dragging out of me.
He received punches to the back of his head and then the 14-year-old defendant punched him to the side of his head leaving him slightly dazed. He feared for his safety and that of his colleague.
Gda Carter told the court that when they went to the house, there were fears for the welfare of the missing boy who had told his mother he was going to self-harm and self-medicate.
Gda Carter said she was verbally abused and the youths would not let gardai talk to the boy.
She described being pulled by her shoulders while her colleague Gda Egan was engaged with two or three other youths.
She said she and one youth went to the ground in a struggle but she got back up to see Gda Egan being dragged up the road engaged in a melee with a number of youths.
A youth threw me to the ground and I lost consciousness, she said, adding she feared for her safety during the violent incident. She was taken to hospital and received a stitch to a gash to the back of her head.
The officer was upset as she recalled the incident and told Judge OConnor: As a result of this incident I am afraid to do my job.
I still engage in active duty but as a result of his incident my attitude to the job has changed.
Back up arrived to find Gda Egan attending to an unconscious Gda Carter on the ground. One officer described the scene as: When we arrived there was lots of excited, aggressive, drunk teenagers.
A probation report on the 15-year-old defendant was furnished and Judge John OConnor said it showed the teen had limited insight into the affects of the incident. He was under the influence of various substances and alcohol at the time but accepted it was frightening for the gardai and he has expressed regret, the court also heard.
The judge noted the teenager has been involved in antisocial behaviour since he was aged seven, he previously refused to engage with welfare agencies and has been hospitalised for substance misuse.
The 15-year-old boy has been found guilty of violent disorder and assaulting Garda David Egan in connection with the incident in north Dublin in February last year. The repeat teen offender has five prior criminal convictions.
Judge OConnor adjourned sentencing until September and said he expected that an excellent probation report on the boy to be furnished in order for him to avoid a custodial sentence.
Jaroslaw Kupper, aged 39, got talking to the victim, who was socialising with friends, outside a pub after midnight. They had previously met briefly some weeks prior in another pub.
Kupper, of Millbrook in Midleton, Cork, pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to sexually assaulting the woman on September 28, 2013.
On the night of the sexual assault, Kupper and the woman began kissing before they went down a nearby laneway where she said things were friendly.
She said he then became pushy and aggressive before grabbing her arm. She said she told him she was going home but he pushed her to the ground.
While on the ground, he pulled down her jeans and underwear before she started to scream for help. A man in a nearby apartment heard her screams and called the gardai.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy noted that the incident seemed to have gone on for a considerable time, relatively speaking, before the gardai arrived.
He said the consequences for the woman had been serious but that she came across in her victim impact report as a balanced and humane person.
He said Kuppers status as a foreign national serving a sentence in an Irish prison could only be a minimal factor, taking into account he had been working in Ireland for 10 years, must have considerable capacity in the English language, and the fact that his family remained here. Mr Justice McCarthy imposed a three and a half year sentence.
The woman told gardai she remembered seeing the defendants penis erect and he rubbed it against her vagina for a few seconds before she managed to push it away.
Garda Eddie Crockett told prosecuting counsel Tim OLeary when he arrived in the area he saw the victim on her back.
There was an obvious struggle as her handbag and bracelet was scattered nearby and the defendant was struggling to stand up as he was intoxicated, said Garda Crockett. He said both the defendant and victim had been drinking alcohol on the night.
He said the victim was very distressed and Kupper had volunteered his clothing and came clean about the offence ultimately. The court heard Kupper, who is married, has no previous convictions and works as a carpenter.
In her victim impact report, which was read out on her behalf by Garda Crockett, the woman said she was too fearful to be in the defendants presence in court, she said she was now nervous in public places, and the incident had put a strain on her social life.
To say I was depressed is an understatement. I couldnt even talk about it. I hear about something like this happening every day but I never thought it would happen to me, she said.
Thank God someone heard my screams. They may have saved my life and I thank him.
It is very hard to continue like nothing has happened and I hope he receives the appropriate punishment, she said.
Arising from these committals a total of 14,182 persons were sent to prison in 2015 compared to 13,408 in 2014. This represents an increase of 5.8%. Of these 14,182 prisoners (79.4%) were male and (20.6%) were female.
These findings come from the annual report of the Irish Prison Service, which was published yesterday.
A standout figure relates to the number of women being sent to prison over the non-payment of fines.
There were 9,883 committals for the non-payment of a court-ordered fine. This is a 10% increase on the previous year, from 8,979 in 2014 to 9,883 in 2015. Of the number of people committed to prison in this way, 73% were male and 27% were female.
There was almost a 10% increase in the number of people sent to prison under sentence last year, compared with 2014.
In 2015 13,987 people were committed to prison under sentence, compared with 12,853 in 2014. This is an increase of 8.8%.
A snapshot of the Irish prison sentence population was taken on November 30, 2015. It showed that there were 3,755 people in custody on that day.
Of these prisoners, 344 were serving life sentences, 681 (the largest cohort) were serving sentences between five and 10 years and 627 prisoners were serving sentences of three to five years.
In terms of the types of crime, the offence for which most people were serving a sentence was theft.
Next was attempts/threats to murder and assault- related offences, followed by homicide and then sexual offences.
Assessing the 2015 prison figures, what is of particular concern is the rising number of committals to prison that are women, said Eoin Carroll, advocacy officer in the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice.
The centre is a non-profit organisation working with and on behalf of those suffering disadvantage in society.
While total committals to prison in 2015 rose by 6.87% (men and women), the number of committals that were women rose by 27.14% (2,685 to 3,415).
Historically, there was a rapid rise in the number of committals to prison up to 2010, which then levelled off and fell. However, the number of committals to prison that were women has doubled in the past five years, he said,
The Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald published yesterdays prison report as well as the Probation Service Annual Report 2015.
I note the work being done by the Probation Service to reverse the downward trend in the use of community service orders. The use of prison as a sanction of last resort is a core principle of penal reform and I know the Probation Service has the capacity to take on the supervision and rehabilitation of more offenders, she said.
Ms Fitzgerald also said that construction work on Cork Prison had offic-ially completed and she would be opening it in the coming weeks.
DAVID Yates, the director of the final four Harry Potter movies, admits it was tough finding the right man to bring to life the title role in his latest movie, The Legend Of Tarzan.
To find a really good actor with a really good body is actually really quite tricky, observes the 52-year-old. The Tarzan in my head was tall and vertical, had grace and poise, whereas Tarzan in the past felt really wide and square.
He adds, thankfully, that pretty much after about five minutes thinking about it, Alex came to mind.
Ah yes, Alexander Skarsgard; the handsome, statuesque Swede, known to many as vampire Eric in the hit US series, True Blood.
Skarsgard might have the physical attributes to play the offspring of gentry, whos raised by apes after his family is marooned in the Congo, but he still found the preparation tough.
I wanted to put on weight to begin with, so for three months, it was basically 7000 calories a day and non-stop weightlifting to bulk up, explains the Stockholm-born 39-year-old, who now lives in New York and speaks with an American accent.
The actor also focused on flexibility and movement, in order to perfect Tarzans physicality.
I started doing a little bit more cardio and yoga and pilates, and had the privilege of working with the choreographer Wayne McGregor. Hes incredible but it was quite a challenge for him. He works with the best ballet dancers in the world, and I cant touch my toes.
There have been many incarnations of Tarzan since the character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in print in 1912, but what appealed to Skarsgard was the fact that in this version, the familiar origin story is turned on its head.
Usually, the tale begins with Tarzan in the jungle and follows his return to his familys estate but I opened the script and page one is him, Tarzan, as John Clayton, drinking tea with the Prime Minister in London.
I thought it was such a beautiful way in to this iconic character, where its not the ape-man in a loin cloth but a civilised Victorian gentleman, whos already been here for eight years and has kind of perfected being a British Lord, adds the star, whose breakthrough performance was in the critically-acclaimed 2008 series, Generation Kill.
He grew up in the jungle where he had to adapt to survive, so hes a master in observing. I wanted him to play the part of a British gentleman to perfection, but he doesnt belong there. He feels obligated to run the Greystoke Manor thats his heritage, but the jungle is his home.
When he does return, the actor notes, its not about taming the beast, but releasing the beast.
Its something we can all relate to, that dichotomy, being human beings but also [having] those primal urges. I was very drawn to that.
John, whos joined on the adventure by an American (Samuel L. Jackson) is invited by Belgiums King Leopold to return to the Congo, supposedly to see all the work thats been undertaken.
But its a trap; hes actually being lured back by the Kings treacherous envoy Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), who intends to capture Tarzan and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for a fortune in diamonds.
The backdrop is based on actual events. The Congo was his [Leopolds] personal playground, notes Skarsgard.
He said, I will civilise the natives and build up infrastructure, so he was considered a philanthropist, but John goes down there and sees what hes actually doing to the natives, the animals, and [how hes] pillaging the land.
Johns wife Jane, played by Margot Robbie, accompanies him on the trip, but theyre soon separated with Jane held hostage by Rom.
Skarsgard hit it off with Robbie immediately.
I mean how can you not have chemistry with this woman? he exclaims.
Skarsgard confesses he had concerns when told the film was to be shot in Watford, but thought the set was incredible once he saw it.
They had two hangers, which were 200 metres long with real trees, bushes, a river running through, climate control so there was suddenly rain, and in the back lot they grew African grass and built a colonial town and a quarry.
The actor grew up in the concrete jungle of south Stockholm.
Theres not much nature around there, but I was in the military and spent 18 months out in the archipelago islands and really loved it, reveals Skarsgard, who recently wrapped upcoming TV series Big Little Lies with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.
I do love to escape from the business and civilisation in a way, so I went down to the South Pole a couple of years ago and sailed across the Atlantic and went to Greenland for a couple of months, he says, reflecting on how he balances work and downtime.
When the opportunities come up, I always embrace it, because that really recharges my battery.
The Legend Of Tarzan is released on Wednesday, July 6
The artifacts were close to the fossils of a stegodon, a dwarf elephant which lived around 800,000 years ago.
Verhoeven concluded that early humans were on Flores back then but the scientific community dismissed his claims. Papers appearing in Nature magazine this month, however, show Verhoeven had been right.
Only two of our ancient relatives, it was thought, survived into comparatively recent times.
The Neanderthals were in Europe and Asia until about 30,000 years ago. Stocky short-limbed cave men with enormous noses, wouldnt be modern womens ideal sexual partners, but our ancestors, it seems, werent so choosy; todays Europeans carry Neanderthal genes.
These lost cousins of ours entered popular culture in the 1920s but another ancient relative is less well known.
A cave in Siberia bears the name of an 18th-century hermit named Dionisij (Denis) who lived there. In 2008, Russian archaeologists found the finger-bone of a young female in the cave. She had lived around 41,000 years ago.
Her DNA survived intact due to the cold climate. Analysis of it showed that she was neither a modern human, nor a Neanderthal. The Denisovans became the third hominid species, or sub-species, known to have survived into comparatively recent times.
In 2003, partial skeletons of nine tiny human-like individuals were discovered at Liang Bua cave, 74km away from Mata Menge where Verhoeven had worked.
Nicknamed the hobbit, Flores Man had lived 70,000 years ago. Verhoevens claim that the island had ancient inhabitants was vindicated. However, his suggestion that they were there 700,000 years earlier had yet to be proved.
The hobbits brain was the size of a chimpanzees. Being only a metre high wouldnt disqualify him membership of our club; some modern humans, such as the pygmies, are small, so was the hobbit a tiny variant of Homo sapiens?
No. It would be tens of thousands of years before modern humans reached Indonesia. Could he be related to the famous Lucy, a pre-human primate living in Africa around 3.5m years ago? Impossible.
How could an Australopithecus have travelled from Africa to such a remote location? Clearly, the remains unearthed at Liang Bua belonged to a hitherto unknown species.
The hobbit was named Homo floresiensis, the designation Homo acknowledging that he was human. The species name floresiensis, rather than sapiens, indicates that Flores Man was not quite one of us.
The hobbit discovery led to renewed interest in Verhoevens site at Mata Menge. In October 2014, after years of excavation there, a piece of an adult lower jaw, and five teeth, were found. These have now been extensively studied.
A wisdom tooth had erupted, so the jaw belonged to an adult. According to the articles in Nature, the Mata Menge hobbit was even smaller than the Liang Bua ones; he was the size of a modern five-year-old child.
The teeth found at Mata Menge are similar to the ones at Liang Bua. The thickness of the jaw links it to Homo erectus, who originated in Africa 1.9m years ago and spread throughout Asia.
We too come from Homo erectus. There were several branches among his descendants. The branch that led to the Neanderthals the Denisovans and us, however, was not the one which gave rise to the hobbit.
Radioactivity levels of the soil, above and below where the Mata Menge bones were found, show that the hobbit had lived around 700,000 years ago.
Verhoefen had been right after all. Erectus descendants seem to have arrived on Flores around a million years ago. Like the stegodon pigmy elephants, they became small because food was scarce.
Verhoefen died in 1990. A giant tree rat, which became extinct recently, is named after him.
Microsoft detailed a timeline to explain the shutdown process. From today, the app will no longer be available to purchase, and support is to be reduced over the course of the coming year.
From December 15, Xbox Fitness will be removed from Free with Gold offerings, and finally on July 1, 2017 the app and related content will no longer be available to use.
So, decency didnt win in the end. Lies did. Lies about immigration, lies about the national health service, lies about how the economy would boom in the aftermath of Brexit. Its the liars, not the meek, who have inherited the earth.
Now Boris Johnson is going to challenge for the leadership of the party he has just torn in half. And (although no prediction is safe anymore) hell probably win. The party he will lead will not just be hopelessly divided, it will have no real mandate, in a country that is itself torn down the middle.
And over the next year or so, assuming he meant what he said (a big assumption), here are some of the things hell have to do.
Hell have to try to ensure that the millions of Britons who are about to lose their EU passports are issued with new ones, presumably with Her Majesty on the cover. Hell have to ensure that those passports are enough to keep the people of his country safe when theyre travelling or living abroad.
Hell have to work out how to keep Scotland in the Union, assuming he wants to. Hell have to have a plan to ensure that people of colour, or refugees fleeing from oppression, are kept well away from British borders. Hell have to find billions (the billions he has promised to save on EU membership) to pump into the health service.
Then theres the economy, the currency, the threat to overseas investment, whether Britain will or wont be able to avail of trade relations with the EU and all the conditions attached, agriculture wars, fishing wars, the little question of a land border on this island, Britains relations with the US and the rest of the world. A few little things like that.
All that has to be done against the background of a British politics in complete turmoil.
At one level, it might be tough to heap all the blame on Johnson. History will have to debate the question of who was the greatest opportunist Cameron or Johnson? David Cameron committed to this referendum in order to win the last election in the UK. He was afraid of opinion polls that showed UKIP on the rise, and decided simply to steal their clothes.
Of course he thought it was a safe bet. It probably never dawned on him that he would have to pay out the only thing in his mind when he was deciding the strategy was political party advantage.
But what he did was to unleash political forces that appealed to the worst insecurities and fears of the British people, and those forces destroyed him in the end.
Just as the Irish government should have resigned en masse when they deceived us about the arrival of the troika in 2010, Camerons government should have resigned last week. Instead, he tried to appear noble by falling on his sword, and effectively handed over the government of his country to a man who has succeeded in dividing the country down the middle.
I dont remember a time when British politics was in a mess like this. Both of the major parties will now, in all probability, be led by people who cannot command the support of their own, and who are both perceived, rightly or wrongly, to have a major problem with giving and earning loyalty and respect.
In some ways the more troubling question in all of this is what it says about leadership, and the connection between leaders and people.
I read a quote somewhere over the weekend that pointed to the supreme irony of people who had presided over years of austerity, imposed in the interests of the economy, arguing that Britain had to stay in Europe for the sake of the economy. Think of the markets, they said, think of the banks. Vote for all the things weve come to hate most, the things we blame for all our troubles.
And I watched Paul Murphy and Richard Boyd Barret gloating at the result on the RTE news. Another victory, they thought, for the anti-austerity movement. Some victory, that delivered Britain into the hands of Johnson and Farage.
There is terrible failure in all of this. It must be clear to the entire political system that the alienation from established representative politics is getting deeper and more corrosive every day.
Alienation like this gives rise to dangerous movements, which have always tended to have the same modus operandi. Find a target Muslims, Jews, immigrants and blame them for everything thats going wrong. Build a popular base of support on the back of that target, couple it with a spurious appeal to taking back what we had before. To hell with the consequences.
Its what Trump is doing in the States, so far with remarkable effect. It doesnt seem to matter how many lies he tells, how often hes corrected.
He is hell bent on tapping into the anger of working class Americans with a view to winning the presidency on a false premise. And the lies might even work for him, as they did in Britain.
At the root of all this alienation is the forgotten subject. For 25 years, no politician who regards himself as sane has been willing to mention it.
The entire political discourse of a quarter of a century has ignored it. Social democracy has forgotten it, free market politics and economics have rejoiced in its absence from the debate.
The subject is inequality. Inequality is the thing that keeps children hungry, that promotes queues for health care and social services, that makes old people frightened about the future, that abandons people who are homeless, that makes it impossible to demand a proportionate contribution from those who have.
But inequality is also the thing that promotes enormous wealth, that turns people into consumers, that concentrates more and more influence into the hands of the few.
Those who favour inequality never talk about it they talk about opportunity and risk-taking. Those who are afraid to champion equality talk about fairness. Both sides avoid talking about people. Instead they pick their labels carefully favouring some, forbidding others. Youll often hear them saying things like Lets be fairer to the homeless or the disabled.
Youll never hear them saying Lets seek a decent contribution from the rich and the greedy.
As inequality rises, false prophets offer to channel anger. Neither Trump nor Johnson have the slightest interest in ever confronting inequality because you can only do it by accepting that the rich and the greedy need to lose some of their accumulated wealth. But they will pretend, and they will do whatever it takes to stoke up bitterness. And when they win, and break their false promises, the bitterness will grow.
There is only one answer to all this. We have to begin rebuilding a politics of equality.
Those who believe in equality in Britain, America, Europe, Ireland have to start to come together with a new determination.
New voices have to take on the dangerous, myth-peddling, hate- fomenting voices of the hard right and the hard left.
Otherwise, were handing the future to them.
In the last few days, his leadership has made markets tremble, seen off a prime minister and put in peril the future leadership of the Labour Party in the UK. The campaign he led has dealt a major blow to the economy of this country, but we Irish are too insignificant to have even featured on the periphery of his radar.
He has been exposed as a liar and a cheat yet none of that matters. With a straight face, he campaigned for Brexit promising to rid the country of European elites, yet he is a product of that very caste himself. He is an old boy of Eton, the academy of Empire, and studied at the exclusive Oxford university, yet he claims to be taking on the establishment.
But more than anything, he has managed to turn Europe and by extension the world economy upside down despite lacking any meaningful conviction of what he was about. Truly, he is a perfect specimen of the age in which we live. At this remove from the UKs referendum on Europe result, it is reasonable to speculate that it wouldnt have been won without Johnson. He gave the Leave campaign a respectability that it was sorely lacking.
Johnson is a national celebrity and one of the most popular politicians in the country. The only viable alternative would have been the leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, an individual who would have found it extremely difficult to reach beyond his core xenophobic constituency.
UKIP garnered three million votes in the last general election, yet any prospect of victory in the referendum would have required at least five times that harvest.
Johnson filled the gap. He offered charisma and a track record as the mayor of London. Everybody knows foppy Boris, lovable Boris, the middle-aged man who comports himself as if he has wandered onto the public stage from the pages of an Enid Blyton book. Boris, the rogue who manages to wear so lightly his intelligence, his privileged education, his elitism. Boris, your only man if you want somebody to give it to you straight.
He gave it straight on the Monday after the referendum was called. He told readers of his Daily Telegraph column on February 21 last that he was opting for Leave, dealing what turned out to be a fatal blow to Camerons campaign to remain.
The following month it emerged that he had written two columns for that day, the one which was published, and a second setting out why he was opting to remain. He deliberated over the weekend as to which option he should choose. Most observers are agreed on the over-riding issue that preoccupied him at the time. It wasnt what was best for Britain or Europe, or even the London over which he had presided for eight years.
It wasnt which option would improve the lives of the working class, or generate more wealth for those of his own privileged class. It wasnt even whether he should take into account the implications for the Peace Process in Northern Ireland that had brought an end to murder and mayhem.
No, it was all about Boris and his place in the world. Which option would be best in his quest to succeed David Cameron? Which path would lead him to Number Ten? Those were the questions that propelled the lovable Boris to the front of a campaign that succeeded in persuading 52% of British voters that the great unknown of Brexit was a safer bet than the world they knew.
Nobody should really be surprised at Johnsons brass neck. In the past, he actually made up quotes in his role as a reporter for the London Times. That led to his sacking from the paper, but his cache is such that he just went onto greater things.
Later, he lied to his then party leader Michael Howard about whether hed had an affair with another journalist. Extra marital affairs happen. Howards problem was how best to deal with the political fall-out, but for Boris that wasnt his problem so he thought hed be better off toughing it out. Keep the head down, and your time will come.
And so it has. He stands now on the cusp of assuming the role of Prime Minister of the UK. Ok, it might end up being a diminished UK, down to possibly just England and Wales eventually, and it might end up being stripped of much of its power and prestige in the wider world. But it will be Boriss UK, and thats all that really matters.
Johnson is a thoroughly modern leader, cut from the same cloth as Donald J Trump. Both men have shown that wooing the masses these days has precious little to do with track record, character or conviction. Its all about giving the impression of being on the side of anybody who feels often with some justification disenfranchised.
If that takes pointing the finger at minorities to blame, so be it. If it involves constructing obvious untruths, so be it. Like Trump, Johnson knows that in todays turbulent world, its all about telling people what they want to hear. In such a milieu, the truth is there to be trampled on whenever it is convenient.
History suggests this is a dangerous place to be and we can only hope that history is not going to be repeated in this time of Boris.
Collectors, art lovers and Chattanooga visual art enthusiasts are invited to attend an exhibition of fine African American Art presented by Najee Dorsey, founder of Black Art In America. The exhibit includes Mr. Dorsey's work, along with other works by African-American artists. Works on paper by John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett and other 20th Century masters will be available to view and purchase.
The event will take place Saturday from 1-3 p.m. at the Jazzanooga Arts SPACE, 431 East MLK Blvd. There is no cost to attend.
Black Art in America is the leading online portal and social network focused on African-American Art. BAIA amplifies commentary on today's visual arts news from a variety of perspectives, including breaking news, gallery meet-ups, market trends and profiling leading (and emerging) Black visual artists in the country. Mr. Dorsey is also the founder of Do You Basel, a network of African-American art collectors and enthusiasts who attend Art Basel, Miami each year.
Created in 2011 as a citywide celebration of jazz, Jazzanooga is now a cultural arts and education nonprofit that offers year-round programming and a month-long celebration during April in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month.
For more information about Jazzanoogas community programming, please visit www.jazzanooga.org, like Jazzanooga on Facebook, or follow @Jazzanooga on Twitter.
Government by faceless, unaccountable bureaucrats, ran the charge one that is not as easy to refute as it should be. It rang only too true and was a decisive factor in influencing secession.
The accusation will stand again if another challenge to European solidarity follows on the heels of Britains over-and-out vote.
The Leave camp was able to point to the ongoing humiliation of Greece, contrived with the callous intention of teaching a flagrantly undisciplined economy the hardest of lessons. Poverty is being imposed and used as a tool shamefully, in our name to realise neo-conservative political objectives.
This accusation resonated pretty loudly in this small Republic too. The immoral debt, one that is simply unjust no matter how the EUs aristocracy try to dress it up, imposed on us by the ECB cuts very deeply and shows, tragically, that the EU is not a partnership of equals but one led by a core group that has assumed an authority that is dangerously anti-democratic and must be challenged.
That our politicians, no more than their Greek or Cypriot peers, seem to have run out of options around resolving this corruption of the idea of fairness or even capitalism suggests that the adage the monkey with the biggest stick gets all the coconuts rings as true in EU relationships as it does anywhere else.
We have already seen an example of that assumed authority, that pretentious inner circle dominance in action during this crisis. The six founding members of the union Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands met in Berlin over the weekend and presumed to speak for all 28 still member states. They announced that they had decided, irrespective of the position of the other 22 members, on how Britains disengagement from the union might proceed.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said negotiations should begin as soon as possible.
We say here together, 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, Mr Steinmeier said.
His Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders said the continent could not accept a political vacuum, saying this will not be business as usual.
Had all members been involved it is unlikely any other decision could have been reached but it plays straight into the hands of the most malign forces who argue that the EU has split into rulers and the ruled.
This behaviour encourages the narrative that an unaccountable elite is at the heart of the project and that the rest of us should be grateful to be involved at all.
Establishment politics are under siege all around the world because too many people have been left behind and because wealth is ever more concentrated.
The EU leaders need to recognise this and act accordingly or else the British vote will, in time, be seen as just the first step in the destruction of a great, empowering, democratic idea.
Mr Johnson, the senior Leave campaigner, welcomed the statement by Osborne intended to calm the markets that the UK economy was about as strong as it could be to confront the challenge of separating from the EU.
It is clear now that Project Fear is over, there is not going to be an emergency budget, peoples pensions are safe, the pound is stable, the markets are stable, I think thats all very good, Johnson told reporters as he left his London home.
In his statement, Mr Osborne said he had held talks over the weekend with Bank of England governor Mark Carney as well as fellow finance ministers and international economic organisations, and that further well-thought through contingency plans were in place if needed.
It will not be plain sailing in the days ahead. But let me be clear: You should not underestimate our resolve, said Mr Osborne.
We were prepared for the unexpected and we are equipped for whatever happens. And we are determined that, unlike eight years ago, our financial system will help our country deal with any shocks and dampen them, not contribute to those shocks or make them worse.
The assurances did not stop fresh warning from business about the likely consequences of last weeks momentous vote to withdraw from the EU.
Estate agent Foxtons issued a profit warning and said the upturn it had expected in the second half of the year is now unlikely to materialise, adding that annual earnings will be significantly lower than in 2015.
Budget airline easyJet also pointed to a host of events that will see it take a 28m (33.5m) hit following two months of turbulence, adding that Brexit would also have a negative impact on the airline.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson, the overwhelming favourite to succeed David Cameron after the prime minister announced his decision to quit, sought to reassure EU nationals living in the UK that their status would not be affected by the referendum vote.
It is absolutely clear that people from other European countries who are living here have their rights protected, he said.
All that people want to see is a system that is fair, impartial, and humane to all people who come here from around the world.
People from the UK living in the rest of the EU will also have their rights completely protected.
Mr Cameron has been chairing an emergency cabinet meeting, while US secretary of state John Kerry was visiting London and Brussels for talks on the fallout from the vote.
Chancellor George Osborne speaks at the Treasury, London, where he moved to try to calm market turmoil triggered by the Brexit vote. He outlined how the government will protect the national interest after its humiliating defeat in the referendum
Mr Osborne said article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets in train the two-year process of negotiating withdrawal from the EU, should not be invoked until a new prime minister has set out a clear view about what new arrangements we are seeking with our European partners, effectively delaying talks until October at the earliest.
He made clear he expects to remain as chancellor during that time, but gave no indication of whether he will run as a candidate to succeed Mr Cameron, saying that he would address questions about his role in the future of the Conservative Party in the coming days.
Despite accusations by Brexit supporters of scaremongering during the referendum campaign, Mr Osborne insisted he was not backing away from the warnings that there could be a 36bn black hole in the public finances by 2030.
He said that volatility in the markets, which saw the pound fall to 30-year lows in the immediate aftermath of the referendum on Friday, was likely to continue.
It is already evident that, as a result of Thursdays decision, some firms are continuing to pause their decisions to invest or to hire people, he said.
As I said before the referendum, this will have an impact on the economy and the public finances and there will need to be action to address that.
But no one should doubt our resolve to maintain the fiscal stability we have delivered for this country.
To all companies large and small I would say this: The British economy is fundamentally strong, we are highly competitive, and we are open for business.
European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas made clear that Brussels continues to press for a rapid invocation of article 50, and would not hold preliminary talks before the formal process is under way.
Mr Schinas said: There will be no negotiations without article 50 notification.
He declined to discuss the vision for Britains future relations with the EU set out by Mr Johnson, telling reporters: I will not provide any running commentary on other peoples comments. I will not do that and no one in the commission will do that.
Union flags along Oxford St yesterday as Britain continued to come to terms with the Brexit vote
He said commission president Jean-Claude Juncker had a polite and friendly phone conversation early yesterday with Mr Cameron, who thanked Mr Juncker and his staff for their efforts in securing the renegotiation deal agreed by the 28 member states in February. The two men expect to hold talks on the margin of todays European Council summit in Brussels.
The spokesman said no meetings with representatives of the Scottish government were currently planned, but said Mr Juncker had an open door for talks with Nicola Sturgeon and her team.
Asked whether the commission expected the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic to be closed, Schinas said: The UK stays a member of the EU; European law and the treaties apply to and in the UK. When article 50 will be triggered, and when we have this period of two years that will lead to the formal exit of the UK from the EU, of course issues like the one you raise will be discussed. It would be very premature now to discuss specific consequences and specific policy areas. This is yet to be seen.
British-national officials working in Brussels will remain part of the EUs civil service under current employment terms, he said.
Andrea Leadsom, the Brexit-backing energy minister, said the volatility on the markets was not unusual. What it is showing is that the big money, the real money, has confidence in the underlying fundamentals of the economy, she said.
Chris Bryant said he posed the question directly as he warned Mr Corbyn he would destroy the party unless he stepped aside and did not seek re-election, but received no answer.
Jeremys management of the campaign for the referendum left many voters on polling day not even knowing which way Jeremy himself was going to vote, he told BBC News.
I suspect that Jeremy may have voted to leave.
Not only is that a betrayal of Labours historic position on the European Union a fundamental economic and foreign policy objective of ours but also it means that if he were to lead is into a general election, the latest poll shows we would lose 150 seats, we would be a rump of 75 members of parliament.
I said to Jeremy last night look, Ive tried to make this work but the only person who can make this work is you, by stepping aside and not standing in the subsequent election and letting somebody else take over the reins because otherwise you will destroy the Labour Party.
He cast doubt on whether Mr Corbyn could find sufficient supportive MPs to form a full shadow government.
Mr Bryant said the decision of voters to withdraw from the EU including a majority in his own constituency of Rhondda in southern Wales had to be respected.
But what this country now needs, more than ever, is clear unambiguous leadership and I just dont think Jeremy has it in him to do that. I dont even think he really wants to be prime minister.
We cannot go forward to a general election with a leader who cannot command the respect of the parliamentary party or, much more importantly, of the voters.
He said the UK Labour Party could face a wipe-out if there was a general election with Mr Corbyn at the helm.
Speaking outside Westminster, Mr Bryant said the party failed to appeal to so many of its voters in the referendum because it never made a strong and convincing argument from the Labour side.
Asked if now was the right time to plunge Labour into a leadership contest he said: We should be providing leadership and vision to the country, because I think there are millions of people out there who really want to vote for an alternative to Boris waltzing into Downing St or Theresa May hop, skipping and jumping into Downing St, or whoever its going to be.
They want an alternative but I dont think Jeremy is able to provide that alternative leadership.
Continuing, he said: The writing is now on the wall all the letters are 5m high and its time that he read that.
Speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him back to Rome from Armenia, he also said the Church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated women, for turning a blind eye to child labour and for blessing so many weapons in the past.
In the hour-long freewheeling conversation that has become a trademark of his international travels, Francis was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a German Catholic cardinal that the Church should apologise to gays.
Francis looked sad when the reporter asked if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida this month.
He recalled Church teachings that homosexuals should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally.
He added: I think that the Church not only should apologise... to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons.
The Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste.
Francis repeated a slightly modified version of the now-famous Who am I to judge? comment he made about gays on the first foreign trip after his election in 2013.
The questions is: if a person who has that condition, who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the pope, by saying has that condition, did not imply a medical condition but a person in that situation.
In Italian, the word condition can also mean situation.
We Christians have to apologise for so many things, not just for this (treatment of gays), but we must ask for forgiveness, not just apologise! Forgiveness! Lord, it is a word we forget so often! he said.
Francis has been hailed by many in the gay community, but many conservatives have criticised him for making comments they say are ambiguous about sexual morality.
He told reporters on the plane there are traditions in some countries, some cultures, that have a different mentality about this question (homosexuals) and there are some (gay) demonstrations that are too offensive for some.
But he suggested that those were not grounds for discrimination or marginalisation of gays.
The pope did not elaborate on what he meant by seeking forgiveness for the Church having blessed so many weapons, but it appeared to be a reference to some Churchmen who actively backed wars in the past.
Former supermodel Christina Estrada, 54, said at Londons High Court that the award she is seeking reflects the standard of living she enjoyed during her marriage to Sheikh Walid Juffali.
The court heard details of the couples lavish, globe-trotting lifestyle.
In Rome, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal would help bring stability to the turbulent Middle East.
His Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim, made a simultaneous announcement in Ankara.
Relations between the once-close allies imploded six years ago after an Israeli naval raid killed nine Turks, including a dual American citizen, on board an aid ship trying to breach Israels blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
After the raid, the countries withdrew their ambassadors, largely cut security ties and have since maintained only low-level diplomatic relations.
Under the new deal, Israel and Turkey will restore full diplomatic relations, with ambassadors expected to return within several weeks.
Israel will pay $20 million in compensation for the families of people harmed in the naval raid, and it will allow Turkey to deliver aid to Gaza through an Israeli port and to carry out a series of development projects in Gaza, particularly in water and electricity.
Netanyahu said it is a clear Israeli interest to help resolve Gazas water and electricity woes.
In return, Turkey agreed to prevent legal claims against Israel over the raid, and to prevent any military action or fundraising in Turkey, Netanyahu said, in an apparent reference to Hamas.
Even in their announcements, the two countries appeared to be at odds.
Yildirim said the deal, which will allow Turkey to deliver aid to Gaza and engage in infrastructure investments to construct residential buildings and a hospital and to address energy and water shortages in Gaza amounted to a partial lifting of the Gaza blockade.
The total embargo imposed on Palestine and on the Gaza region in particular, is to being lifted to a great extent through Turkeys leadership, Yildirim said.
He said a first Turkish ship, carrying more than 10,000 tons of aid, would depart for the Israeli port of Ashdod on Friday.
With this deal, the process of returning ties to normal has begun, Yildirim said.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, said the blockade remains in place. He called the blockade a top security interest.
The Labour leader has lost 20 members from the shadow cabinet and a raft of junior frontbenchers over the last 24 hours amid a wave of criticism of his leadership.
In a House of Commons statement on Britains decision to quit the European Union, Mr Corbyn said the country was divided.
To jeers, he said: Our country is divided and the country will thank neither the benches in front of me, nor those behind, for indulging in internal... manoeuvring at this time.
Mr Corbyn was flanked by stony-faced deputy leader Tom Watson as he delivered the warning to his MPs in the Commons.
Earlier, Mr Watson held crisis talks with the leader and warned him he was likely to face a challenge to his position after losing the support of the parliamentary party.
The revolt has seen two-thirds of the shadow cabinet quit or, in Hilary Benns case, be sacked, while the partys leader in the House of Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon and chief whip Lord Bassam are set to boycott meetings of the top team while Mr Corbyn remains in place.
The referendum decision to leave the European Union acted as the trigger for months of frustration to blow up in the most serious threat to his leadership Mr Corbyn has faced.
Former home secretary Alan Johnson, who ran Labours campaign for a Remain vote in the referendum, claimed that Mr Corbyns office had undermined the effort.
Despite Mr Corbyns insistence that he was firmly behind the Remain cause, he has a history of Euroscepticism and the partys MPs have publicly questioned his commitment on the issue.
In an email to colleagues as parliament returned following the vote for Brexit, Mr Johnson said: I was proud to work with some great people who tried their very best to get the result we all wanted. Nobody in the leadership had the right to undermine their efforts.
But a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: Jeremy is disappointed by Alan Johnsons remarks about the leaders office. They are unfounded and appear to be aimed at undermining the Labour leadership.
Eight members of the shadow cabinet quit yesterday, with Angela Eagle, who as shadow first secretary of state deputised for Mr Corbyn at prime ministers questions, the most senior.
She said Mr Corbyn needed to think about whether he should stay as Labour leader.
Looking downcast, Ms Eagle told reporters outside parliament: Ive made it clear that I dont think its working, and Jeremy needs to think about his position.
File photos of members of Jeremy Corbyns shadow cabinet who have resigned (top row, left to right) Ian Murray, Gloria De Piero, Kerry McCarthy, Heidi Alexander, and Lord Falconer, Owen Smith (second row, left to right) Lucy Powell, Lilian Greenwood, Seema Malhotra, Vernon Coaker and Karl Turner, John Healey, (third row left to right) Chris Bryant, Stephen Kinnock, Diana Johnson, Toby Perkins, Anna Turley, Angela Eagle (bottom row left to right) Neil Coyle, Jess Phillips, Alex Cunningham, Wayne David, Lisa Nandy and Maria Eagle
Her twin sister Maria also resigned as shadow culture secretary, while John Healey, Lisa Nandy, Owen Smith, Nia Griffith, Kate Green and Luciana Berger also quit - adding to the 12 shadow cabinet members Mr Corbyn lost on Sunday.
In a joint statement Ms Nandy and Mr Smith told Mr Corbyn a leadership contest was inevitable and called for Mr Watson to take temporary charge of the party as caretaker leader.
Mr Corbyn responded by appointing loyal MPs to key positions in an effort to shore up his position but the rolling resignations from his frontbench team underlined the scale of the challenge he faces.
In one of the biggest moves, former shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry will replace Mr Benn, who was sacked as shadow foreign secretary in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Diane Abbott replaces Heidi Alexander, who quit as shadow health secretary - one of the 11 shadow cabinet ministers who resigned in protest.
Mr Corbyn is set to face a largely symbolic no-confidence motion at the parliamentary Labour Party with the prospect of a secret vote today.
With a leadership contest looking likely, Mr Corbyns office made clear that he would fight on and insisted he would automatically be on the ballot, without requiring the nominations of MPs.
Mr Corbyn believes he retains the support of the grassroots activists who swept him to victory in 2015 and he also received fresh indications of support from union chiefs.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asked Scotland Yard to be extra vigilant after a flurry of incidents were reported in the capital and around Britain.
It came as Polands ambassador to the UK expressed shock at xenophobic abuse against the Polish community.
Mr Khan said: I take seriously my responsibility to defend Londons fantastic mix of diversity and tolerance.
So its really important we stand guard against any rise in hate crimes or abuse by those who might use last weeks referendum as cover to seek to divide us.
Ive asked our police to be extra vigilant for any rise in cases of hate crime, and Im calling on all Londoners to pull together and rally behind this great city.
Addressing hate crimes will be a priority for the Metropolitan Police, he said, adding: We will have a zero-tolerance approach to any attempt to hurt and divide our communities.
Its also crucial that we dont demonise the 1.5m people in London who voted for Brexit.
While I and millions of others disagreed with their decision, they took it for a variety of reasons and this shouldnt be used to accuse them of being xenophobic or racist. We must respect their decision and work together now to get the best deal for London, he said.
David Cameron also condemned incidents of abuse and hatred directed at migrants.
The prime minister told a special meeting of Cabinet in 10 Downing Street that his government would not tolerate intolerance against nationals of other EU states.
Police are investigating vandalism at a Polish community building in London after images on social media appeared to show graffiti in which the words Fuck you were smeared in yellow paint across the entrance, before it was cleared.
Cambridgeshire Police are investigating suspected post-referendum racism after notes were allegedly posted through letterboxes of Polish residents in the county.
Laminated cards reading Leave the EU no more Polish vermin were reportedly delivered to members of the Polish community in Huntingdon, north-west of Cambridge, on Saturday.
Polish ambassador to Britain Witold Sobkow said: We are shocked and deeply concerned by the recent incidents of xenophobic abuse directed against the Polish community and other UK residents of migrant heritage.
The Polish embassy is in contact with relevant institutions, and local police are already investigating the two most widely reported cases in Hammersmith, London, and Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.
Sky News journalist Adam Boulton tweeted: This weekend I and my family have witnessed 3 when are you going home? racist incidents aimed at EU citizens here.
Asia US to Downgrade Burma in Annual Human Trafficking Report: Sources
The US places Burma on a its list of worst offenders in human trafficking, to prod the country's new government to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labor.
WASHINGTON/YANGON The United States has decided to placeBurma on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking, officials said, a move aimed at prodding the countrys new democratically elected government and its still-powerful military to do more to curb the use of child soldiers and forced labor.
The reprimand of Burma comes despite US efforts to court the strategically important country to help counteract Chinas rise in the region and build a Southeast Asian bulwark against Beijings territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Burmas demotion, part of the State Departments closely watched annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report due to be released on Thursday, also appears intended to send a message of US concern about continued widespread persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority nation.
The countrys new leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has been criticized internationally for neglecting the Rohingya issue since her administration took office this year.
Washington has faced a complex balancing act over Burma, a former military dictatorship that has emerged from decades of international isolation since launching sweeping political changes in 2011.
President Barack Obamas diplomatic opening to Burma is widely seen as a key foreign policy achievement as he enters his final seven months in office, but even as he has eased some sanctions he has kept others in place to maintain leverage for further reforms.
At the same time, Washington wants to keep Burma from slipping back into Chinas orbit at a time when US officials are trying to forge a unified regional front.
The US decision to drop Burma to Tier 3, the lowest grade, putting it alongside countries like Iran, North Korea and Syria, was confirmed by a US official in Washington and a Bangkok-based official from an international organization informed of the move. Another person familiar with the matter said: Im not going to turn you away from this conclusion. All spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Tier 3 rating can trigger sanctions limiting access to US and international aid. But US presidents frequently waive such action.
The decision was one of the most hotly contested in this years report, and followed concerns that some assessments in last years human trafficking report were watered down for political reasons.
There was intense internal debate between senior US diplomats who wanted to rewardBurma for progress on political reforms and US human rights experts who argued that not enough was being done to curb human trafficking, the US official said.
A Reuters investigation published last August found that senior diplomats repeatedly overruled the State Departments anti-trafficking unit and inflated the grades of 14 strategically important countries. The State Department denied any political considerations but US lawmakers called for reforms in the decision-making process.
This years decision on Burma marked a win for the State Departments Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was set up to independently grade countries efforts to prevent modern slavery, such as the illegal trade in humans for forced labor or prostitution.
Because Burma had been on the so-called Tier 2 Watch List for the maximum four years permitted by law, the State Department either had to justify an upgrade or else automatically downgrade it. A Tier 3 ranking means that anti-trafficking efforts do not meet minimum standards and it is not making significant efforts to do so.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said: We will not comment on the contents of this years report until after the report is released.
CHILD SOLDIERS
Deliberations on Burmas record focused heavily on efforts to halt the militarys recruitment and use of child soldiers as well as forced labor, especially the coercion of local villagers to perform some work. Such practices have been documented by international human rights groups and are also outlined in last years State Department report.
A key issue that the U.S. administration considered before Burmas downgrade was alleged government complicity in human trafficking, including its failure to prosecute any civilian officials for their involvement in it, according to the person familiar with the situation.
While the Burma military is credited with significant progress toward curbing the use of child soldiers, such as allowing international inspections of military bases, there was no indication the problem had been completely eradicated as the U.S. anti-trafficking office had urged, the source said.
Human rights groups had lobbied U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry against upgradingBurma, saying it would be unearned.
The diplomatic blow to Burmas government could be softened by the fact that the TIP report covered efforts during the year ending in March, under the previous administration of former junta general Thein Sein.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, assumed her government role in April, after her party won the countrys first democratic elections in five decades.
But with the generals still controlling three security ministries and holding a lock on 25 percent of seats in parliament, US officials grappled with whether a downgrade could undermine cooperation from the military against human trafficking.
For her part, Suu Kyi has recently unsettled US officials by calling on them not to use the term Rohingya to refer to the Muslim minority in the countrys north. Many in Burma refer to them as Bengalis, insinuating that they are stateless illegal immigrants.
The United States has urged Burma to treat them as citizens.
The 2015 TIP report highlighted that the governments denial of citizenship to an estimated 800,000 men, women and children in Burma the majority of them ethnic Rohingya significantly increased this populations vulnerability to trafficking.
The chronic, chronic abuse of the Rohingya has not been dealt with at all, a U.S. congressional aide said, suggesting support on Capitol Hill for a downgrade this year.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded the city of Chattanooga, city of Knoxville, city of Memphis, and Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County $127,500 each for the operation and/or maintenance of permanent household hazardous waste facilities.
These grants will provide an environmentally friendly option for citizens to dispose of household cleaners, pesticides, and other hazardous materials commonly found in homes, TDEC Commissioner Bob Martineau said. The efforts of permanent facilities, coupled with our mobile household waste collection service, are essential to protecting human health and the environment.
TDECs household waste collection service allows Tennessee residents in areas without permanent disposal sites the opportunity to dispose of hazardous materials. These events occur during the spring and the fall.
Burma Shake-Up Hits Pagodas Administration Committees
Burmas three most famous pagodas are seeing a management reshufflea move that could potentially bring greater transparency to revenue-generating sacred sites.
RANGOON The boards of trustees for Burmas three most famous pagodasRangoons Shwedagon, Mon States Golden Rock and Mandalays Mahamuniwill be reformed, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.
Minister Aung Ko ordered the review of existing regulations of the boards and, if necessary, will require a redrafting in line with democratic policies at the suggestions from the ministry and the office of the Union Attorney-General. Director Myint Zaw Win of the Religious Affairs and Culture Ministry, informed The Irrawaddy of the plan on Tuesday.
The ministry is responsible for addressing the weaknesses and flaws of the trustee boards [which have been] highlighted by the public, he said. Most of the [boards] regulations have become out of date now.
Concerns about donations and sanitary issues are among the most received complaints, Myint Zaw Win said.
Although the three pagodas are prized by the public, reforming trustee boards was not a usual procedure under the previous government, he added.
The board of trustees for Shwedagon Pagoda held a meeting on Saturday and formed a temporary board with 15 memberssix more members were appointed by the Union minister in addition to the current nineto review regulations, Htun Aung Ngwe of the office for the trustee board told The Irrawaddy.
The temporary board of trustees is now working on redrafting the regulations and policies so that the new board can be formed in line with appropriate rules, Htun Aung Ngwe said.
Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Burma and has received an average of around 500 million kyats (US$426,000) in entrance fees every month from foreign visitors, according to the Jan-Mar 2016 figures on the pagodas official website. The board reportedly employs around 850 staff and has an association with about 70 volunteer groups that assist in the daily maintenance of the pagoda.
Shwedagons board of trustees is known to be authoritative and controversial. Its current chairperson, Sein Win Aunga retired ambassadorserved as a member of the religious affairs advisory team in ex-president Thein Seins administration. He is also an in-law of Thein Sein and allegedly has close ties with the former military-backed leader.
The trustee board of Golden Rock Pagoda, located in Mon States Kyaikto Township, also formed a 15-member temporary board on Monday, which decided to regulate hotels and guesthouses in the pagoda compound area. Only 135 hotel rooms were given permission to be built in the compound by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism but an extra 106 rooms were found to have been constructed against the rules, the Religious Affairs and Culture Ministrys Myint Zaw Win said.
No details on the new board for Mandalays Mahamuni Pagoda were provided by the Ministry, but Myint Zaw Win told The Irrawaddy that it had already been reformed in the same vein as the other two pagodas.
There are serious public concerns about the transparency and accountability of the trustee boards of the pagodas regarding monetary donations; in early April, there was an open letter from a tour guide to the minister of Religious Affairs and Culture demanding reform of the such boards throughout the country within the governments the 100-day plan.
Burma Drug Bust in Sittwe Sparks Speculation of Rangoon Ring
The second biggest drug bust of the year triggers rumors of a connection with a larger drug-trafficking ring between Rangoon and Arakan State.
RANGOON Police seized nearly 800,000 methamphetamine and stimulant pills from suspected drug trafficker Kyaw Thu Lin at the Sakrokyeya Jetty in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe on Monday.
Aung Myint Oo, the head of Sittwes No. 2 Police Station, confirmed the seizure and said they had launched an investigation into the origin of the drugs. The polices report said the suspect was planning to deliver the shipment, which came from North Dagon, Rangoon, to a monk near Burmas border with Bangladesh.
Police estimate the drugs are worth more than 2.3 billion kyats (US$1.95 million). According to Aung Myint Oo, this is the second largest drug confiscation in Arakan State this year. A representative from the Buthidaung police confirmed to The Irrawaddy that over 1 million pills were seized in Buthidaung Township at the end of December 2015.
Kyaw Thu Lin is just a transporter, said Aung Myint Oo. The [drugs] came from Rangoon and now we are trying to trace their route.
Speculation on social media was widespread that this seizure was linked to the largest drug confiscation in Burmese history, which was worth 133 billion kyats (nearly US$113 million) and seized in Rangoon in July 2015.
The police chief declined to provide details on a possible Rangoon connection.
We cannot provide some information to the media yet because we are still in the process of verification, he said.
Burma Nationwide Drug-Control Requires Peace, Say Police
Senior figures blame conflict and the lack of government control in the borderlands for the polices failure to stem Burmas drug trafficking problem.
NAYPYIDAW The production and trafficking of narcotic drugs can be controlled nationwide only after peace, stability and the rule of law have been restored in Burmas ethnic minority borderlands, said Police Col Zaw Lin Tun, head of planning at the Burma Polices anti-drug squad.
He was quoted at the press briefing after a ceremony marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking held at the Myanmar International Convention Center-2 in the capital Naypyidaw on Sunday.
The 21st Century Panglong Conference could contribute a lot to drug control. If peace were restored, we would be able to investigate drug trafficking more deeply. Drug control and peace are interrelated, the police colonel said.
The Panglong peace conference has been planned for July, with the aim of securing peace between the government and Burmas various ethnic armed groups, who have controlled large swathes of the borderlands for decades.
According to statements made at the Naypyidaw press briefing, the police have been applying two primary methods in drug controlsearching vehicles that ply known trafficking routes, and employing informers to expose trafficking rings.
Those arrested for drug-related offenses are mostly drug abusers or retail traffickers. Police claim they are unable to get at wholesale traffickers and ringleaders because they reside in ethnic areas which are not yet at peace.
Zaw Lin Tun said, Most drug-related cases have been uncovered along trafficking routes. We get the drivers and, after investigating, the distributors who act as middlemen. Taking further steps is very difficult because the main culprits reside in border areas beyond the reach of the rule of law. So, we have had to give up our attempts.
Burmas police claim that the cultivation of opium and drug trafficking are common in the borderlands and that ethnic armed groups, even if not directly involved in drug production or trafficking, allow traffickers to set up factories in areas of their control, extracting money from them in exchange for protection.
The police failed to arrest the ringleaders, or those higher up the criminal chain, in the five largest drug hauls over the last year, including 2.1 million amphetamine tablets seized in Muse, on the Chinese border in northern Shan State, and 26.7 million stimulant tablets confiscated in Mingaladon Township in Rangoon in July 2015.
Although special anti-drug operations have been carried out in Rangoon and Mandalayalongside efforts in other divisions and states, under a 100-day plandifficulties persist.
Vice President Myint Swe, an old regime hardliner who was elected to his post by the military, told the attendees at the Naypyidaw ceremony that the government was cooperating with the eight ethnic armed groups that singed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) last year to eradicate poppy cultivation and drug trafficking in their respective areas.
It is necessary to make continued efforts to dramatically reduce the drug problem in the country through the peace process, Myint Swe said.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Second Panglong Conference to be Held in August
A timeline is set for the Union peace conference at a Naypyidaw meeting involving Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic armed groups party to the formal peace process.
NAYPYIDAW & RANGOON Ethnic armed group leaders and government peace negotiators have decided to hold the union peace conferencenow branded the 21st Panglong Conferencein last week of August, according to sources in Naypyidaw.
Presidents Office spokesman Zaw Htay told media in Naypyidaw that the decision was reached on Tuesday in a meeting between State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Peace Process Steering Team, a delegation drawn from eight ethnic armed groups that signed Burmas nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) in October last year.
They decided to hold the 21st Century Panglong Conference no later than the last week of August, said Zaw Htay.
Ethnic armed group leaders told Suu Kyi of their policy to include all ethnic armed organizations in the union peace conferencethe majority of whom refused to sign or were excluded from the NCAto which Suu Kyi agreed, according to Hla Maung Shwe, a member of the governments Panglong Preparatory Sub-Committee 2.
For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the key is to include all concerned parties and establish a federal nation. She was satisfied [with the meeting] because it was a frank discussion, said Hla Maung Shwe.
The meeting on Tuesday, at Naypyidaws Horizon Lake View Resort, also included members of the governments National Reconciliation and Peace Center and the Joint Monitoring Committee-Technical Secretariat Center.
Suu Kyi said to those assembled, For the next generation, peace is the best legacy to pass on. Our country will develop only if it has peace. Development is impossible in a country without peace. And it will be peaceful only when there is unity.
There will be difficulties. But [] we can achieve it if we are committed in our efforts and in our cooperation, said Suu Kyi.
She also urged all parties to help build a genuine federal democratic union that grants safety and freedom. This cant be achieved by one side alone.
However, she cautioned that building a genuine union would take time, noting that it had been almost seventy years since Burma gained its independence from the British.
Suu Kyi also invited members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of nine ethnic armed organizations who did not sign the NCA, to participate in the Panglong conference.
Their participation, which remains in some doubt, would be crucial to the legitimacy of the peace process now led by Suu Kyi, since the absence of several of Burmas most powerful ethnic armed groups was widely perceived to have undermined the credibility of the NCA signed under the previous government.
A delegation from the UNFC is due to visit Naypyidaw this week, and will meet with Suu Kyi in the first week of July, government sources say.
A preparatory meeting for the 21st century Panglong Conference will be held on July 3 in Naypyidaw.
The eight ethnic armed groups that signed the NCA will hold a meeting with the Panglong Conference preparatory sub-committees on July 4. Preparatory sub-committees 1 and 2 will then hold a meeting with Suu Kyi.
Burma State Counselors Office Behind Govts Agenda: Minister
The head of Aung San Suu Kyis ministry reveals that the new office is the driving force behind everything from prisoner releases to the Panglong Conference.
RANGOON The State Counselors Office has been behind some of the governments most important initiativesfrom prisoner releases to peace in Arakan State, according to an interview on Monday with Minister Kyaw Tint Swe.
The State Counselor position was created in early April to give National League for Democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency, greater political influence. In mid-May, Kyaw Tint Swe was appointed the head of the State Counselors Office, a Union-level ministry with a staff of 200.
In an interview Monday with the state-run Myanmar News Agency, Kyaw Tint Swe revealed that his ministry is behind the release of political prisoners and student activists and the Presidents Office reform. It also played a role in transforming the Myanmar Peace Center into the National Reconciliation and Peace Center, as well as the formation of the Implementation Committee for Peace, Stability and Development of Arakan State and the organizing of the 21st Century Panglong Conference, a peace summit with ethnic armed groups set for late August.
These are the things we have done or are doing for the 100-day plan, the minister said. Apart from carrying out [this] plan, we have to implement what the State Counselor Law states as long term.
The law says that the office must aim to achieve the following goals: the flourishing of a multi-party democratic system in Burma, the emergence of the market economy, the establishment of a federal Union and the peace and development of the country.
Kyaw Tint Swe said the ministry has helped release 453 political prisoners, political activists and student activists by dropping their ongoing cases in keeping with Suu Kyis policy of no political prisoners under the democratic government.
He also said that the ministry had helped grant a presidential pardon to another 83 political prisoners who had been sentenced.
On the ongoing ethnoreligious conflict in Arakan State, Suu Kyi led the Implementation Committee for Peace, Stability and Development of Arakan State.
It doesnt mean that other areas are not as important as Arakan State. But the situation out there could result in a state of emergency at any moment. Thats why we are giving [this state] special attention, he explained.
At the moment, we are prioritizing stability and issuing National Verification Cards there. Then it will be followed by a citizenship verification process according to the 1982 Citizenship Law. Next, [there will be] infrastructure development and promoting investment and job opportunities in the area, he said.
With national reconciliation in mind, Suu Kyi transformed the Myanmar Peace Center into the National Reconciliation and Peace Center not only to promote internal peace, but to include everyone in the peace process, Kyaw Tint Swe said.
He explained that was the reason that the Panglong Conference Preparatory Sub-Committee 1 is reaching out to armed groups that did not sign last years nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), while also discussing the terms of the peace talks with NCA signatories.
If the non-NCA signatories could be able to join the conference, the 21st Century Panglong Conference will be a huge step for the peace that we all have been longing for, he said.
Burma Ten Things to Do in Rangoon This Week (June 28)
Art galleries, yoga classes, photography shows and open-mic nights keep you busy in Rangoon this week.
The Irrawaddy picks 10 interesting events happening in Rangoon this week.
Beautiful Form Art Exhibition
Lokanat Gallery will showcase 33 paintings from artist Nay Tun. Prices for the work range from $150 to $450.
Where: No.62, First Floor, Pansodan Street, Kyauktada Tsp.
When: Saturday, July 2 to Thursday, July 7
Artists and Artisans Exhibition
Various artists from South Okkalapa Township will hold a group exhibition at Bogyoke Markets Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association. Prices for the art range from $50 to $2500.
Where: Myanmar Artists and Artisans Association (Central), Bogyoke Market
When: Wednesday, June 29 to Sunday, July 3
The Beauty from Inside Exhibition
Artist Kaung Khant Kyaw will hold an art exhibition at Cloud 31, where 38 paintings will be on display with prices ranging from $100 to $650.
Where: Cloud 31 Art Gallery, No. 49/51, first floor, 31st Street (Middle Block)
When: Sunday, July 3 to Thursday, July 7
Think Gallery Show
Seven artists display their work in an exhibition entitled Think to Think. The group will showcase about 35 paintings with prices between $150 and $7,500.
Where: Think Art Gallery, No. 23, Nawady Street, Dagon Tsp. Tel: 095143266
When: Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 10
The Damage Done | Photographs by Pailin Wedel and Hkun Lat
An exhibition featuring photography by Pailin Wedel and Hkun Lat, among others, looks at the scourge of drugs in Myanmar and how people are struggling to deal with it.
The exhibition was facilitated by the Drugs Policy Advocacy Group (DPAG) Myanmar.
Where: Myanmar Deitta, 3rd floor, No.49, 44th Street
When: Sunday, June 26 to Saturday, July 2
Open-Mic Storytelling Night Theme: Family
Yangon Speaks and Yangon Toastmasters present an open-mic storytelling night.
Have a story about your family that is too good not to share? Anyone and everyone is welcome to tell a family tale at this event. If you have a story to share, prepare your 5-8 minute story and let us know at the door that youd like a chance to speak. Just want to listen? Thats ok too.
When: Wednesday, June 29, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Pansuriya Gallery No 100, Bogalayzay street, Botahtaung Tsp.
Black Orchid Red Line
The black orchid is a rare, local species that grows in the northern part of Kachin State. Multiple factors threaten its existence, including deforestation and illegal trade. During the last century, the black orchid has been labeled extinct several times.
Through images, sounds, sculptural installations and archival material, get an impression of the elusive black orchid and its natural habitat in the northernmost part of Myanmar.
Where: Goethe Villa Yangon No.8, Koh Min Koh Chin Road, Bahan Tsp. (Next to Golden Butterfly Hotel)
When: Saturday, June 25 to Monday, July 4
Global Education Interact16
In collaboration with prestigious multinational universities and colleges, Smart Resources is hosting Global Education Interact16.
To those who are interested in pursuing a degree abroad, we are pleased to offer over 150 universities and colleges and over 200 programs of study in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Singapore, and Thailand to help you choose a program or degree based on your interests.
Where: Novotel Yangon Max, Pathein Room
When: Saturday, July 2, 1pm to 4pm
YOGA Fridays
Master Instructor Thiha teaches a 1.5-hour class every Friday. Yoga mats are provided, and class costs 7,000 kyats.
Where: Friday, July 1, 6:30pm to 8pm
When: Infinity Fitness, 33A Baho Road, Sanchaung Tsp.
Glow Party
Glow Party features an unforgettable LED experience like never before along with live DJs. The admission fee is 15,000 kyats.
Where: Sky Bar, Yangon International Hotel, Pyay Road, Ahlone Tsp.
When: Saturday, July 2, 9pm to 2am
Business Govt to Ban Renewal of Expired Jade Mining Licenses
Burmas government bans the renewal of expired jade mining licenses in an effort to reduce raw production and promote more profitable high-end products.
NAYPYIDAW Burmas government will not allow jade miners to renew their licenses when they expire in an effort to reduce raw production and promote more profitable high-end jade products, said Win Htein, director general of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
We will not reduce the number of mining fields, but we will ban the renewal of expired mining licenses. We will draw up a management plan that meets international norms and we will allow jade miners to resume their operations only when we can be sure that mining does not cause environmental deterioration, Win Htein told reporters in Naypyidaw.
The ministry has decided to ban jade production in all mining areas including Hpakant, Lone Khin, Mohnyin and Hkamti once current licenses expire.
The director general said that the ministry also plans to reduce jade sales, in an effort to stem the flow of raw jade out of the country in favor of encouraging local entrepreneurs to purchase the stones with value-added intentions.
Up to 10,000 lots of raw jade were sold at Naypyidaws jade and gems emporium in previous years; but, at this years emporium, the ministry promoted polished jade products and only offered about 6,000 jade lots for sale.
Even if jade is sold on a small scale, the market will remain. The reduction in production will have some impact on our jade exports to China, but well reduce raw jade production and try to promote value-added products so that future generations can benefit from jade resources as well, Win Htein said.
Over 6,000 jade lots, 300 pearl lots and 600 gems lots are for sale at the 53rd emporium, which continues through the first week in July. The event has sold over US$3 million worth of gems so far, according to a press release from the emporium.
Business Observers Urge Govt To Create New Export Markets, Boost Trade Volume
A World Bank report cites Burmas huge potential for economic growth; local observers say the government needs to implement policies to grow export markets.
RANGOON A recent World Bank report says that trade growth in Burma could reduce poverty and boost prosperity, but local observers say in order for that to happen the government must implement economic policies that increase export markets.
The Myanmar Diagnostic Trade Integration Study released last week by the World Bank
said the keys to success are further reforms to encourage more open tradea shift away from over-dependence on natural resources and the development of soft infrastructure.
The statement continued that Burmas trade volume is increasing quickly and there is enormous potential for future growth. But, since the new government assumed power in April, clear economic policies have yet to be announced. Many international organizations, including the World Bank, have taken an active interest in working with Burmas government to develop its economic prospects.
Minister of Commerce Than Myint said the government would use the World Banks report as a blueprint to develop Burmas trade program, and the minister invited both technical and financial partners to collaborate.
The country has a comparative advantage in its significant natural and agricultural resources, untapped labor and a location that shares borders with markets accounting for 40 percent of the worlds population, said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country manager for Burma.
He added that Burmas reintegration into the global economy presented the country with a unique opportunity to translate trade growth into more job opportunities, income gains and prosperity, as well as decreased poverty.
Soe Tun, vice chairman of the Myanmar Rice Federation said he was not satisfied with the recent trade volume, as many exporters were waiting to see what policies the new National League for Democracy-led government would enact.
By the numbers, export volume has declined, especially for rice and agricultural products. We do not have an African market now, and the Chinese market is declining. We need government support for this industry, he said.
International organizations have a positive point of view, but in reality, the trade situation here is getting worse, Soe Tun added.
He explained that rice export expectations for this fiscal year are expected to decline from last years 1.8 million tons.
It may be less than 1.5 million tons this year, the vice chairman said. Thats why the government needs to have better strategies.
Maung Maung Lay, vice chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), said that the World Bank report had a positive tone but he does not expect much as long as the government still needs to help the private sector.
The government needs to provide a one township-one product strategy and support small and medium enterprises in order to boost trade volume, he added.
One township, one product projectsin which the government encourages diversification and commercialization by considering each townships existing local resources as viable exportshave had success in neighboring countries, but fizzled in Burma under previous governments.
Burma imported some US$16 billion in goods in the 2014-15 fiscal year, and exports totaled more than $11 billion, leaving a deficit of $4.9 billion, according to ministry estimates. The World Bank stated that a boom in trade and investment has boosted average economic growth by more than 7 percent per year.
The report also emphasized that trade-related reforms and programs could help reduce poverty and support the peace process. The World Bank recommended that Burma address skills shortages, improve access to finance, develop the tourism sector, and connect lagging regions to markets through better infrastructure.
How to Start Your Job Search in Data Science
Theres been a lot of hand-wringing in recent years about the supply of IT professionals in the United States failing to keep pace with demand, and the need to fill the gap by bringing in people from overseas. But Bostons Northeastern University is doing something about it.
Three years ago, Northeastern launched its ALIGN program, an initiative aimed at creating a pipeline of graduates with a masters degree in computer science by drawing upon undergraduates with degrees in other disciplines, from English and political science to business and biotech. Driven by Carla Brodley, dean of the College of Computer and Information Science at Northeastern, the ALIGN program graduated its first class of students at Northeasterns Seattle campus in May.
Last October, Northeastern opened a Silicon Valley campus on the premises of chipmaker IDT in San Jose. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak with P.K. Agarwal, regional dean and CEO of the Silicon Valley campus, about the ALIGN program, and how students without a background in the discipline are able to navigate this three-year masters degree program in computer science.
There are twin challenges that CIOs and other C-level officers face, Agarwal said. One is that theres a huge shortage of computer science people. And on top of that, theres a diversity problem. Those problems arent going to get any easier, at least for the foreseeable future, especially with the growing demand in the area of data analytics.
Agarwal explained that ALIGN has its roots in Northeasterns longstanding culture of experiential learning.
When Northeastern was started in Boston in the late 1800s, they were always very focused on the experiential component, he said. In the early 1900s, the view was that people needed to be much closer to the workplace.
As a result, the university developed a co-op program that encourages students to take a five-year course of study rather than the traditional four. Three-and-a-half years of that is spent in academic learning, with the remaining 18 months split into three six-month work experiences. Aside from enabling students to earn some money to help pay for their education, the approach gives students valuable real-world work experience, and connects students with potential employers.
Sixty percent of graduates already have a job offer from one of their co-op employers at or before graduation, Agarwal said. Ninety percent are either in grad school or have a job with one of the co-op employers within six months. Its literally taken Northeastern 100 years to build a network of 3,000 companies with which it has had co-op relationships. Agarwal cited GE and IBM as strong supporters, along with such big-name Silicon Valley employers as VMware, Apple, and Google. Agarwal noted that once Northeastern alums move up the food chain in these companies, theyre able to encourage and strengthen the relationships.
In the first year of the three-year ALIGN program, students take all the bridge courses that will get them the equivalent of a bachelors degree in computer science, Agarwal said. The second and third years are no different from those of any other student who pursues a masters degree in computer science, with one six-month co-op offered to provide at least some of the value that undergrads in the co-op program receive.
To me, it initially seemed only reasonable to conclude that the students without a computer science background would be handicapped to some degree, compared to graduate students who do have an academic background in computer science.
Conceptually, I would agree that its hard to see a one-year boot camp as equivalent to a four-year undergraduate degree, Agarwal said. But when you think about it, two years of any undergraduate degree is general education, so theyre just compacting two years of computer science into one year.
A key element of the ALIGN program involves attracting people in under-represented groups, notably women, Hispanics, and African Americans. Agarwal noted that women constitute roughly half of the enrollment in ALIGN, an outcome he attributes to a concerted outreach effort that includes working with such organizations as Women in Technology International (WITI).
Agarwal said theres a huge demand for enrollment into the program from students in other countries, particularly China and India. But the Silicon Valley campuss focus at this point is to build a domestic pipeline of IT professionals.
For Silicon Valley, we are very keen on building a local, domestic institution, so we are actually not accepting any international students, Agarwal said. We will probably accept some next year, but we will keep that in balance, because the overseas demand is so high. We could literally fill up our entire capacity just from China and India alone. Im very particular about building a very Silicon Valley institution first, and then adding 15 or 20 percent overseas students down the road.
As for whether any other universities have a similar program in place, Agarwal said hes heard rumblings that other universities are looking at this sort of thing. But so far, to the best of my knowledge, were the only game in town, he said. I hope over time, more of these creative programs will be adopted.
Northwestern is unique, because we are very nimble and very innovative. At most universities, it takes two to three years to create a new program, he said. One of the things that enabled this to happen is our culture our culture is about lets take care of the problems now. Lets not wait.
Agarwal mentioned that Northeastern also offers an eight-week boot camp program in data analytics, called LEVEL, in which students receive what he called a non-credentialed certificate.
You have to have an undergrad degree, and we convert you into a business data analyst, he said. Believe it or not, these people come out after eight weeks, and theyre ready to go.
A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
5 Tips to Successfully Plan for IT Modernization
When it comes to CEOs, we do very little ranking on job competence. Instead, we mostly focus on salary and benefits and lament that, as a group, they are overpaid. A CEO, however, is the face of the company and, unlike almost any other company job, CEOs are rarely well trained or mentored into their unique positions with any repeatable rigor. A successful CEO may be successful because his or her staff covers up inadequacies, or because he or she is a truly great manager, with a critical mass of skills needed to run the company and do the job.
Failed CEOs typically take the blame, but often their failure is directly related to a board that just didnt, or couldnt, select someone with an adequate skill mix. HP has become famous for this last problem, rolling through CEOs more rapidly than some of us change cars. But two CEOs stand out in that company: Meg Whitman, who effectively has undone most of what her predecessors did to build HP; and Mark Hurd, the one CEO who actually seemed to have a clue, even though he wasnt well regarded by the rank-and-file HP employees.
I think we can learn something by contrasting these two CEOs. The topic is on my mind because of the announcement today that Martin Fink, HPEs CTO and lab head, is stepping down, which doesnt bode well for its massive The Machine effort. This followed a call from a friend of Mark Hurds, who took me to task for pounding on Hurd for years with regard to the events that caused him to leave HP. I hadnt been aware Id been overly harsh and felt I needed to revisit this subject.
The Measures of a Successful CEO
The gold standard for CEOs is folks like Andy Grove of Intel, Thomas Watson of IBM, Steve Jobs of Apple, and Bill Gates of Microsoft. It is interesting to note that only one of these guys remains with us, but each was larger than life. Each is held up as a standard to those who replaced them, and each took their company to the top of their respected markets while becoming synonymous with success in the process.
All but Watson had reputations of being harsh, with Jobs likely being the harshest. Only Gates was defined by his wealth and then only because he was and is the wealthiest person in the world, not by his acquisitions (though his house is certainly memorable). Each had relatively low turnover in executive staff and a level of loyalty that stood above their peers. And each was a subject matter expert in his respective firm.
I think the elements that define a successful CEO are, in order:
Whether the firm is better off than when the CEO joined it.
Whether the CEOs staff is loyal and stable.
Whether the CEO knew that they were competent in the field they entered.
Whether the CEOs name is now associated with successes or failures.
Lets look at each in turn.
Mark Hurd as CEO
NCR, HP and Oracle were in better shape after Hurd than they were before him. Yes, the employees, for the most part, werent fans in two of the three, but this may have been the result of eliminating long-term cultural practices that those employees felt were entitlements. Regardless of why Hurd left HP, the firm had been relatively stable and successful under his reign. Oracle, which had a near disaster in terms of Sun hardware when he joined, appears far better off. And Oracle is a software company for the most part, which should have been outside of Hurds skill set. Executives at both HP and Oracle have remained relatively static and they may speak to loyalty though, for Oracle, it may be loyalty to Larry Ellison, not Hurd (no way of telling, really).
Hurd appears to have outlived the stigma of his departure from HP and he is again considered a successful executive at Oracle. Is he a top CEO? No. But he is better than most and he has demonstrated skills consistent with a competent turnaround executive, which is a very rare skill, indeed.
Meg Whitman as CEO
Whitman came into the job at HP a failure, having lost her effort to win the California Governors job. It is interesting to note that the pivotal moment was when she yanked defeat out of the jaws of victory by turning against her housekeeper because she was an illegal alien, then blaming the whole event on her rival. This suggests that Whitman has a serious loyalty problem.
This plays out with the massive amount of executive churn the firm has experienced. Whitman has literally replaced the head of every one of her divisions and/or sold them off or spun them out. HP, now HPE, is a small fraction of what it was successfully under Hurd, and while it is performing better, HPEs inability to execute has become a near constant. There is no indication that Whitman has learned the business she manages. The two strongest, most connected women in HP (CFO and head of HR), other than Whitman, chose the part of the business she didnt run when HP split. I think that is incredibly telling.
It is interesting to note that it looks like the very behavior and lack of experience that cost her the California governorship, the inability to give or get loyalty, is what defines Whitmans lack of success at HP.
Wrapping Up: Thoughts on Successful CEOs
One of the most important aspects of success for a CEO, one that I think is often overlooked, is the concept of loyalty, both from the people who report to the CEO and from the CEO to others. Some of the most successful CEOs Ive followed over the years were, and are, defined by it. Being able to get people to run through fire for you is an amazing capability. It is largely what turned Apple around.
I think a lot of CEOs start thinking of themselves like royalty and the people that report to them as lesser beings. Then they wonder why their firms under perform. While Hurd is far from the best in this regard, his success showcases why he is so much better in this area than Whitman. Todays news of yet another HPE executive departure suggests that the one lesson Whitman should have learned, how to get and give loyalty, hasnt sunk in. It still defines her as a leader.
One other contrast is worth noting. Ive had a number of conversations about Hurd at Oracle of late and while he was standoffish and known for being a bit of a jerk at HP, at Oracle he has been engaging and far more personable, suggesting that he is actively learning and improving over time. I think this too is the sign of a good executive at any level. We dont start off as experts but if we can learn from our mistakes and improve, it not only makes us better leaders, it makes us better examples. Being a great example is likely the cornerstone of a great CEO.
In the end, using this list of factors, Hurd is the more successful CEO and I think a lot of this goes to the fact that he appears to have learned from his mistakes. Whitman, not so much.
Rob Enderle is President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, a forward-looking emerging technology advisory firm. With over 30 years experience in emerging technologies, he has provided regional and global companies with guidance in how to better target customer needs; create new business opportunities; anticipate technology changes; select vendors and products; and present their products in the best possible light. Rob covers the technology industry broadly. Before founding the Enderle Group, Rob was the Senior Research Fellow for Forrester Research and the Giga Information Group, and held senior positions at IBM and ROLM. Follow Rob on Twitter @enderle, on Facebook and on Google+
Samsung is rumored to skip the Galaxy Note 6 and launch directly the Galaxy Note 7 in August, in order to match the Galaxy S7 range. This comes to contradict earlier reports that indicated Samsung is testing a couple of devices for the Note5's successor.
According to Korea Herald, a local daily newspaper in Korea, Munwha Ilbo, confirms that Samsung will not release a flat screen edition of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 this year. Samsung Electronics' new Note phablet is expected to have a curved screen. This is indicating the company's commitment to a dual-edge curved display for its entire line of Galaxy smartphones.
University Herald reports that Samsung will unveil its flagship Galaxy Note 7 in August, at an event held in New York. The phablet will become the first Note device with a curved screen. The South Korean tech giant is not considering launching a flat screen version of the Note phone.
Speculations suggest that Samsung is also likely to unveil a special edition version of its flagship Galaxy S7. The upcoming smartphone will be themed on the upcoming Rio Olympics.
MNR Daily reports that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will start its mass production stage in July. Galaxy Note 7 is expected to make an appearance at the looming Galaxy Unpacked event on August 2. The upcoming device could pack an Iris Scanner on its front shooter, if previous reports will prove to be true. Rumors suggested that an eye-scanner module manufacturer, Patron, will supply Samsung with the parts required for the Iris Scanner.
Up to date, Samsung has not confirmed any rumors regarding the existence of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 or the alleged Galaxy Unpacked event scheduled for the August 2 date. With that in mind, these are still speculations and we can only wait for an official statement from the South Korean tech giant.
A UFO hunter claims that Nasa has found evidence of a "city on Mars," but it is covering up the truth.
According to the British publication Express, an alien conspiracy theorist has suggested that buildings and windows are shown on mysterious photographs of the Red Planet, taken by Nasas Rover. He also claims that Nasa has tried to prevent the public from finding out by covering up the discovery.
Scott C Waring revealed his conspiracy theory in a blog post on Twitter. He claims that by releasing the image at the size of a postage stamp, Nasa tried to avoid being accused of a cover-up. However, the small dimensions of the image make it "impossible" for anyone to make out what it shows.
According to Nature World News, Waring stated that Nasa's Curiosity Rover photographed an apparent apartment building in a section of what appears to be a Martian city. Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) published the image in question in black and white on their website.
Waring said that he was able to find the photo on the Nasa site. The original is only fingernail size, at only 4 kb. When all the other photos were over 280 kb in size, he was intrigued why the space agency made such a small photo.
After enlarging the image, Waring has found along the ridge of a hillside some dark structures with doors and windows. He also claims that during six years of research into photographs from space agencies such as Nasa, he was able to find more evidence of bases on planets in our solar system and our moon.
Nasa claims that, when it comes to its information, it is one of the most open spaced agencies in the world. The American space agency denied any cover ups.
Scientists explain the so-called discovery of ancient monuments, buildings and even animals or humanoids in Mars pictures, as being the result of pareidolia. This is a psychological phenomena when the brain tricks the eyes into seeing familiar shapes, objects and patterns in textures such as clouds or rocks.
Pendleton Square Trust and Family Office has hired Hugh Brown as principal/trust officer, the company announced Tuesday.
Mr. Brown joins Pendleton Square following a 20-year career in corporate and commercial banking. He has worked with dozens of family-owned businesses, often during times of transition such as acquisitions, organic growth and divestiture. He spent the first 12 years of his banking career working with large corporate entities around the country, and returned to Chattanooga in 2008 to work more closely with business owners and their families in an advisory capacity.
Mr. Brown sits on the board of the Chambliss Center for Children, where he serves on the Executive Committee as assistant treasurer. He also is a member of the McCallie School Alumni Council. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Emory University, and his Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance and Investments, from Georgia State University.
Norton, a Symantec company, has launched its Wi-Fi Protect app for iOS and Android in a bid to prevent hackers and man-in-the-middle attacks when using public Wi-Fi. But it does much more.
To be technical Wi-Fi Protect is a reasonably global, commercial strength, Virtual Private Network (VPN) that has a few Norton advantages.
Norton is a known and trusted security brand many VPN providers are relatively unknown.
It leverages Symantecs global footprint to provide points of presence in many countries.
It has no data limits from a file or two, a torrent, to streaming a 4K video.
It does not look at the traffic, be that a torrent or a file transfer.
It does not store logs and so should be immune to any law enforcement request.
As a paid product it is free of advertisements.
And it has a 60-day money back guarantee.
As present it is for iOS and Android with versions for Windows and macOS to soon follow. What is more important is why Norton got into the VPN market.
The most accurate response would be that Norton believes all traffic over the "public" Internet should be encrypted. It has set targets for all web traffic to use SSL (secure socket layer) encryption by the end of 2018.
It found that a very small portion (about 14%) of popular apps use SSL, and that is not good enough. Its Wi-Fi Protect will encrypt all traffic (Wi-Fi, wireless broadband, and LAN) from the device to Norton servers, to the website and return.
It named the product Wi-Fi Protect because of the confusion about VPNs and put a lot of effort into making it simple to use. Only 20% of people use a VPN the remainder either dont understand what it does or find it too hard to set up. Norton is about install and forget, and it will seamlessly emerge when you use an insecure link.
The product was also the result of some extensive global research and trials.
Australian consumers are unaware of the risk
63% believe their personal information is safe when using public Wi-Fi - wrong
Australian consumers have logged into personal email (50%) and social media (51%) accounts while using unsecured Wi-Fi networks, potentially compromising the credentials to their personal and professional emails
26% have accessed financial/banking information over public Wi-Fi
Younger generations are more likely to think public Wi-Fi is safe: 68% Millennials and 62% Gen X, vs. 55% for 55+.
66% of parents are more likely to think public Wi-Fi is safe than non-parents (59%).
Once aware of the risk, the survey found that consumers top concerns include:
84% are concerned with unauthorised access to financial information
74% with personal photos/videos (74 percent)
83% getting infected with malware (83 percent)
83% having user information stolen (83 percent)
74% dread a criminal selling the login/passwords to sensitive accounts more than an intimate photo leak
66% dread having their social media accounts hacked when using coffee shop Wi-Fi more than not having internet access at all
Availability
Nortons Wi-Fi Privacy app is available on Android and iOS platforms for purchase in the iTunes and Google Play app stores at US$29.99 per device per year which includes 24/7 in-app support.
Comment
That Norton is late to this category VPN simply means that they have legitimised it. There are lots of VPN providers but few with Nortons street credibility. It seems to be sincere in providing an excellent, secure service and I cant wait for it to be bundled with other Nortons security products.
After all it is all about trust, and I trust Nortons to keep me safe. iTWire will be testing this product over the coming weeks.
Changes in patent, trademark and design practices in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the European Union are likely to be fairly limited and easily manageable, according to IP experts.
Lawyers from Shelston IP, one of the oldest specialist intellectual property firms in Australia and New Zealand, said as the process for the UK to leave the EU would take some time, the exact implications for protection of patents, trademarks and designs were as yet unknown.
"Nonetheless, we can offer reassurance at this stage that any changes are expected to be fairly limited and easily managed," the firm said.
As iTWire reported, the process of Britain's withdrawal from the EU will begin only once the new prime minister who takes over from David Cameron activates Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. After that there is a period of two years for Britain to negotiate its withdrawal.
The Shelston IP lawyers said as far as patents went, no significant modifications were expected.
"Specifically, Brexit does not affect the UK's membership of the European Patent Convention (EPC) system as the EPC is entirely independent from the EU. Hence, under the EPC system widely utilised by our Australian and New Zealand clients it will still be possible to validate a granted European patent in the UK.
"Attorneys who are based in Britain and presently instructed by Shelston IP will keep filing patent applications before the European Patent Office (EPO). It is business as usual, therefore, insofar as standard European (EPC) patent applications are concerned."
The UK was one of three countries required to ratify legislation to bring the much-anticipated European Union Patent (EUP) and the Unitary Patent Court (UPC) into force, they said.
Britain would not now ratify the legislation and the future of this new system was up in the air.
Grant Shoebridge, a principal at Shelston IP, told iTWire that the procedure for the existing European patent system was that the EPO granted a European patent after which the applicant chose the European countries where they wished to enforce the patent. This would require all or part of the patent to be translated into the national language of those countries.
"The proposed unitary patent provides a more simplified option because it involves a single patent that is valid in all European member states with the exception of Spain and Croatia, who have decided not to participate in the unitary patent system," Shoebridge said in response to a query.
"The advantages of the unitary patent are reduced translation requirements, and administrative costs. For example, if the patent is granted in French or German, only an English translation is required. If the patent is granted in English, only one translation of any EU state is required."
He said the unitary patent system would be accompanied by a new unified patent court system. "This is a substantial change of judicial procedures which will permit a patent to be enforced or challenged in a single court action that covers all the participating EU states. This contrasts with the current system which involves patents granted by the EPO being enforced and challenged by individual EU state courts. This (the new system) should greatly reduce litigation costs."
Shelston said a statement issued on 24 June by the president of the EPO, Benoit Battistelli, stated that in relation to the EUP the EPO expected that the UK and participating EU states would find a solution to allow a full implementation of the new system.
As far as trademarks are concerned, the lawyers said existing practice was that UK trademarks were obtained either by national registration or through EU registration, the latter being until recently known as a Community Trademark Registration, or EUTM.
"When Brexit is completed, EUTMs will cease to apply in the UK. However, it is expected that the transitional arrangements will include a mechanism for the conversion of EUTMs to UK trademarks," they said. "Naturally, EUTMs used only in the UK would become vulnerable to non-use revocation unless, of course, they are put into use in other EU member states."
They pointed out that as Britian was part of the Madrid Protocol through which trademarks could be registered in multiple jurisdictions a national UK trademark registration would continue to be available through the protocol.
The Shelston IP lawyers said the scenario for design registrations was similar to that for trademarks. "Once Brexit is effected, existing Registered Community Designs (RCDs) will cease to apply in the UK. However, transitional arrangements similar to those anticipated for trademarks are likely to be put in place such that current RCDs are likely to be afforded protection in the UK," they said.
However, once the withdrawal took effect, new RCDs to cover the UK would not be available, hence a separate UK national design registration application would be required.
"While we emphasise that any changes resulting from Brexit will not come into effect for some time, it is always prudent to review IP strategies regularly to ensure that they align with global economic conditions and legislative changes," the lawyers said.
"In addition to ensuring that applications for IP rights are lodged via the correct mechanism (an international system or the national UK system) and ensuring compliance with any requirements relating to the transitional provisions, we suggest that companies, institutes or universities also review their contracts to ensure that the terms accurately reflect the parties' intentions in the post-Brexit regime."
Blackberry remains bullish about its prospects despite a US$670 million loss for the three months 1 March to 31 May 2016 Q1 of its 2017 year.
The Q1, 2017 finance report is painful reading for investors. It is not easy reading for Joe Average either, as it refers to Non-GAAP adjustments, Consolidated US GAAP, and lots more accounting jargon. The fact is, it made a huge loss and looks like doing so all year.
A major change is that it now reports over three divisions software and services, service access fees (SAF), and mobility solutions that includes BlackBerry smartphones and device software licensing. This allows analysts to drill down and analyse what is working and what is not.
GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) revenue was US$424 million down 40% Y-on-Y and 14% Q-on-Q. The breakdown was approximately 39% for software and services, 25% for service access fees (SAF), and 36% for mobility solutions. About 74% of that was recurrent income from longer term agreements mostly SAF. The normal cost of goods and running expenses would have meant a smaller loss, but write-downs, and impairment costs took their toll.
It seems Blackberry wanted to totally clean the slate. The impairments included a non-cash, long-lived asset impairment charge of US$501 million, a US$57 million goodwill impairment charge, inventory write-down of US$41 million, US$28 million in amortisation of acquired intangibles, stock compensation expense of US$12 million, purchase accounting deferred revenue write-down of US$24 million, US$23 million in restructuring charges, US$7 million related to acquisition costs, and a non-cash credit of US$24 million for convertible debt. Despite this, it remains solvent with about US$1.3 billion in balance sheet assets.
John Chen, executive chairman and chief executive, BlackBerry said, BlackBerry is differentiated by cross-platform market leadership in software, an end-to-end secure mobility platform, and a strong financial foundation. Our Q1 results highlight these attributes. Excluding IP licensing, we have more than doubled our software revenue on a year-over-year basis for the second consecutive quarter, driven by our EMM (enterprise mobility management), secure messaging and QNX embedded software businesses. In our mobility solutions business, our objective is to achieve operating profitability in the short term.
Blackberry derived 48.8% of its business from North America, 38.7% from EMEA, 2.5% from Latin America and 10% from Asia Pacific.
Comment
Blackberry must complete its transition from hardware to software. Its mobility segment is haemorrhaging, and its software and services segment is growing. But a lot of revenue is from SAF are legacy recurring monthly payments from carriers for carrying data for its older hardware.
Blackberry sold 500,000 devices in Q1 at an average selling price of US$290 a steady decline driven apparently by the poor market acceptance of its PRIV on Android handset. iTWire has reviewed the handset and it is pretty good as far as the technology goes. But it is a top-drawer device at a price that appeals to a very much smaller market segment than its older BlackBerry range. It has almost no consumer market appeal. Chen is quoted earlier as saying he needs to sell 3M PRIVs a year to make it worthwhile. That looks unlikely.
Chen has told investors that Blackberry will release two more non-flagship phones soon, and these are rumoured to be made by Alcatel (TCL) in China. He also hinted that he may license Blackberrys security overlay to other Android device makers.
And so, it all seems to be over, at least as far as the NBN is concerned. A tsunami called Brexit has more or less ensured that Malcolm Turnbull will continue as Australia's prime minister after 2 July. And with him, of course, comes that mongrel multi-technology mix NBN.
If Turnbull made no mention of the NBN at the Liberals' campaign launch held on 25 June so that the party would only have to pay for one week of campaigning out of its own pocket it is because it will bring him no votes.
Instead, he had the volatility in the UK to bolster him; it is something of a truism that in times of uncertainty people will not vote for a change of government. John Howard benefitted from this back in 2001 when the twin events of Tampa and 9/11 combined to give him the advantage in that year's election.
Labor leader Bill Shorten has, of course, pushed his party's NBN policy as a means of differentiating itself from the Coalition. But how many votes will it buy? In pure technical terms, it is the better option but who is really bothered?
Replacing copper with fibre after the NBN build is done, or, as the head of Internet Australia, Laurie Patton, has suggested, even before the build is over, is highly unlikely.
Patton posted a response in the iTWire forums saying: "Even before the NBN has been completed the market will force a major rebuild, to replace copper with fibre, at great expense."
If we are expecting the market to force a rebuild, I fear we are waiting for Godot. Companies will only undertake investment in areas where profit is guaranteed and that is precisely why such a country-wide network has to be built with public money.
Had it been left to Telstra, the NBN would already be done and dusted in areas where profits were guaranteed; areas where no money could be made would not be built.
There is no money in the government kitty and other issues will overtake the NBN until it becomes like an unwanted child.
One electorate where the issue is biting is New England where Tony Windsor is attempting to make a comeback by unseating Barnaby "25Mbps" Joyce. The issue is such a hot potato there, that Mike Quigley, the first chief of NBN Co, is now assisting Windsor who made his preference clear when he said: "Do it once, do it right, do it with fibre."
In many ways, the NBN is like the British referendum on leaving the European Union. A great many people, who would like to have the fastest possible broadband if told of the very real benefits of the technology, will end up voting for a party that is stuck in a 100Mbps rut. The reason: they do not know the upside of gigabit connections and the government isn't planning to educate them.
The day after the vote to leave the EU, there were people trying to find out what the EU was, while others searched for sites that would explain the implications of the leave vote. Something like people who wake up in the morning and regret having indulged themselves the previous night and done something really stupid.
There is no morning after pill to nullify an election verdict. Three years of a Coalition government will ensure one thing as far as the NBN goes: buffering.
Microsoft has had to pay a Windows user in California US$10,000 over a forced upgrade to Windows 10, according to a report in the Seattle Times.
The user, Teri Goldstein, runs a travel agency in Sausalito, a San Francisco Bay Area city in Marin County, California.
She told the newspaper that her computer began trying to download Windows 10 a few days after the updated operating system was released to consumers last year.
Goldstein said she had not authorised the update and after this, her computer slowed to a crawl. It would also crash frequently.
She contacted Microsoft's customer support for help but when that did not solve her problems, she took the company to court.
In her lawsuit Goldstein sought damages to cover lost wages and the cost of a new PC.
In May, Microsoft paid out US$10,000 after halting an appeal.
As iTWire has reported, the only way to prevent a forced upgrade of Windows 10 taking place on systems that run Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 is to turn off automatic updates.
That, however, puts a system at risk as security updates to fix what are serious flaws need to be installed as soon as possible and this is best managed by leaving updates to occur automatically.
may be putting a friendlier face on its customer support efforts. A new report suggests the company is building a live support app that would let you share your screen with tech support to better resolve problems.
The app is referred to as Support, though not a lot is known about it right now. Even the screenshot is a mockup:
Android lice Screen sharing may be a key feature in s dedicated support app.
already offers telephone chat support for Nexus devices, but this would offer another level of assistance to help those who run into a problem.
You may also have noticed those on-screen navigation buttons look different. Another rumor indicates may be going with a different design, opting for filled-in icons instead of outlines, a home button sporting s four colors. It all looks a little odd right now, so lets hope this is a work-in-progress.
y this matters: One of the advantages of an ione is you can walk into an Apple Store get hs-on support. Samsung has also branched out in this area with dedicated support inside Best Buy stores. If wants its Nexus line to have wider appeal beyond tech enthusiasts, this may be a route it needs to go down.
At Hadoop Summit in San Jose Tuesday Hortonworks announced a new release of its Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) Hadoop distribution, an expansion of its Partnerworks program and a new partnership with AtScale, provider of a self-service Business Intelligence (BI) platform for Hadoop.
There has been a marked change around the business conversations that are being held around Hadoop and big data, says Matt Morgan, vice president of product and alliance marketing at Hortonworks. The conversations have completely shifted. Its about transformational use cases.
[ Related: Hortonworks release cadence balances innovation with reliable Hadoop core ]
Those transformational use cases range from self-driving automobiles to predictive actuarial tables in the insurance industry, Morgan says.
To support that shifting conversation, Hortonworks will introduce HDP 2.5 in the third quarter of 2016. The latest release of HDP will include the integration of comprehensive security and trusted data governance to define and implement dynamic classification-based security policies. It leverages Apache Atlas to classify and assign metadata tags, which are then enforced through Apache Ranger to enable various access policies. Atlas, created by the Data Governance Initiative (which includes Aetna, Target, Merck, Schlumberger, SAS and SAP) now also provides cross-component lineage.
Other new features include the following:
Notebook for Enterprise Spark at Scale with Apache Zeppelin
Streamlining operations with the latest Apache Ambari
Processing streaming data in real time with Apache Storm
Near real-time ad hoc analytics and multi-tenancy improvements with Apache HBase and Apache Phoenix
The new release will also include a technical preview of Apache Spark 2.0.
[ Related: Hortonworks and HP Labs join forces to boost Spark ]
Hortonworks is also expanding its Partnerworks program to include new offerings for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Morgan says the new MSP program provides a support-focused partnering approach for companies delivering managed services that include Hortonworks products. Hortonworks has also updated its ISV/IHV program to offer qualified partners expanded joint go-to-market capabilities for certified applications enabling Connected Data Platforms.
Finally, Hortonworks announced an agreement to resell AtScales self-service BI platform for Hadoop.
Our customers want simpler and faster ways to get insights out of the data theyve stored in Connected Data Platforms, Scott Gnau, CTO of Hortonworks, said in a statement Tuesday. This partnership will allow both companies to accelerate the adoption of BI on Hadoop and allow business users to create more value from all of their data.
From day one, our goal has been to make BI and Hadoop work in harmony by erasing the friction associated with moving data and forcing end users to learn new BI tools, AtScale Founder and CEO Dave Mariani added in a statement Tuesday. Hortonworks joins us in this vision and they are the perfect partner to help achieve this goal: They have a large distributed presence, a vibrant partner ecosystem and a market approach that makes AtScale technology available to millions of people.
The new partners already have a working relationship. In addition to a number of existing shared customers, AtScale has been available on Microsoft Azure HDInsight, built on HDP.
Microsoft last month paid a California travel agent $10,000 after she won a judgment in small claims court by successfully arguing that an unauthorized upgrade to Windows 10 crippled her work PC.
Teri Goldstein, the owner of Sausalito, Calif.-based TG Travel Group LLC, said that she had not approved the upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10. After the upgrade repeatedly failed, the machine was almost unusable, frequently crashing and forcing her to restore files, not recognizing her external hard drive, and demanding that she use multi-step workarounds simply to log on each day. "It just limped along," Goldstein said in an interview.
The Seattle Times first reported on Microsoft giving up its appeal and paying Goldstein the $10,000 judgment.
Goldstein relied on her computer to run her business.
"For months I tried to work with them, but they kept blowing me off," said Goldstein, of the problems that began in August 2015. She said she made countless calls to Microsoft's technical support, visited a local Microsoft retail store, and spent hours scouring support forums, all to no avail.
Meanwhile, her business was taking a pounding. "September to December is my busiest season," Goldstein said, adding that she could not shut down her company the week or more it would take to buy a new PC and have her IT consultant set it up, provision it with the software she needed, and transfer her files. At the same time, she fielded calls from clients asking why she hadn't answered their emails, which were inaccessible because of the crippled computer. Some of those customers canceled their bookings.
In early October, she bought a new laptop because her Windows desktop was still unreliable, then tried to do business using both. In late December, the first time business slowed enough to allow it, she bought a new desktop PC to replace the crippled computer.
During the months-long span, Goldstein said she suffered $17,000 in lost business and additional expenses because of the failed upgrade to Windows 10, basing her estimate on past-years' revenue during the period and the cost of the new computers.
Microsoft's support technicians were never able to restore her PC to its former operational state, and Goldstein's account of dealings with the Redmond, Wash. company's customer service department was Kafka-esque.
According to the notes Goldstein had kept on her dilemma, which she shared with Computerworld, one customer service representative -- whose name, email and phone number she had been given by a Microsoft retail store in San Francisco -- was "continually rude, unwilling to assist me," and eventually told her "Do not ever contact me again."
By mid-January, Goldstein had had enough. "That was when they offered me $150 to go away," she said today. "I used that as proof of guilt. They knew what was happening."
From there, Goldstein went to Marin County's small claims court, filing a claim for the maximum of $10,000.
In March, her claim was heard. Goldstein came prepared with documentation, including years of her firm's revenue to show the losses caused by the lack of a working PC. Microsoft, on the other hand, sent someone from the local retail store, not an attorney.
"This very honest kid came in, and said they had pulled him out of the store at 4:30 to go to court," said Goldstein. "They didn't even prepare for it."
Basing her claim on a section in the California Uniform Commercial Code, and arguing that the forced upgrade was non-consensual and resulted in lost wages, Goldstein was awarded the $10,000 judgment. Microsoft originally said it would appeal, but then ditched the idea and paid her the $10,000 last month.
"The company dropped its appeal to avoid the expense of further litigation," a Microsoft spokesman said in an email reply to questions today.
Goldstein's story likely resonates with many of the Windows users who, over the last 11 months, have objected to a variety of Microsoft tactics designed to convince, cajole or even trick customers running Windows 7 and 8.1 into upgrading to Windows 10.
Microsoft's upgrade strategy, which began months before the July 29, 2015, launch of the new operating system, became increasingly aggressive. After first asking customers to "reserve" a copy of the upgrade, it moved on to downloading the upgrade bits in the background to those users' machines. In October 2015, Microsoft announced it would automatically push the Windows 10 upgrade to all eligible PCs, then initiate the upgrade process. That practice began in February.
More recently, the firm started pre-scheduling the upgrade, a change that dramatically increased the number of complaints, and triggered a petition asking the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to investigate the unprecedented gambit.
Users were especially irate about a change Microsoft made in March when it began to interpret a click on the red "X" in the upper right of an impending upgrade notice as approving the upgrade, contradicting decades of user experience (UX), as well as Microsoft's own design rules. Customers called it a trick to get them to approve the upgrade to Windows 10 when they intended to reject it.
Goldstein had advice for others in similar straits.
"Corporations need to be held accountable," she said. "My business was destroyed by a company pushing its products. You have to take the bull by the horns because as long as Microsoft can get away with this, they will."
Goldstein encouraged others who have suffered loss of money or time because of Microsoft's Windows 10 upgrade strategy to contact her. "My position is that anyone who wants to talk to me about their rights, should call me. Or email me."
Goldstein's phone number and email address can be found on one of her websites, Travels with Teri.
U.S. data centers have used about the same amount of energy annually over the past five years or so, despite substantial growth in the sector, according to a new report published by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
In the Berkeley Labs previous analysis, which was presented to Congress in 2008, it was found that energy usage by data centers was quadrupling every decade an unsurprising figure given the explosive overall growth in the sector. Data centers in the U.S. consumed 70 billion kilowatt-hours in 2014, the researchers estimated.
+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Windows 10s biggest controversies + HPE's CTO is leaving amid more change at the company
Despite continued growth in the sales of servers and storage the overall server install base is set to grow by 40% between 2010 and 2020 electricity use has essentially plateaued in recent years, according to the latest analysis. Chiefly responsible for these efficiency increases are larger data centers operated by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and so on, rather than smaller facilities.
There are three central reasons for these efficiency gains, according to the Berkeley Lab authors. First, instead of the simpler expedient of vast air conditioning systems to keep entire data centers cold, cooling systems have become a lot more efficient and selective.
[A]dvanced cooling strategies, such as hot aisle isolation, economizers, and liquid cooling all make the cooling process far less energy intensive, said Arman Shehabi, one of the main authors of the report.
Servers designed to sharply reduce their energy consumption during off-peak moments are another key reason for the efficiency gains, as is the increasing prevalence of cloud and virtualization.
Hillary Clinton Visits Chicago, Says Trump 'Plays Coy With White Supremacists'
By Mae Rice in News on Jun 27, 2016 9:23PM
Presumptive democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said Donald Trump "plays coy with white supremacists" at a Monday campaign stop in Chicago, according to the Sun-Times. Clinton also called the presumptive Republican presidential nominee out for making fun of the disabled, supporting increased global access to nuclear weapons, and supporting a ban on Muslim immigration that made even Trump Tower residents feel weird.
(Clinton's white supremacist comment is an allusion to Trump's refusal to disavow support from KKK members, including KKK Grand Dragon David Duke.)
During her appearance at the Rainbow PUSH Coalitions annual womens luncheon in Bronzeville, Clinton also decried gun violence in Chicago and nationwide, calling it a "civil rights issue," according to the Sun-Times. In the process, she praised local politicians for the gun-control sit-in in the House of Representatives last week.
Her two primary topics intersected, tooshe also took Trump to task for advocating against no-gun zones around schools. This is an especially timely point in Chicago, where a Chicago Public Schools employee was fatally shot outside an elementary school less than two weeks ago.
Clinton will continue campaigning in Chicago throughout Monday. During the luncheon, in fact, she directly addressed voters with doubts about her candidacy. She acknowledged she had made mistakes in her career, but reassured them, "No one, no one will fight harder for you and your families than I will. You can count on that.
You Have To Be 21 To Buy Cigarettes In Chicago Starting This Week
By Mae Rice in News on Jun 28, 2016 6:19PM
Photo via Ron Cruz on Flickr
Chicago's laws about tobacco sales change this week: Starting Friday, you have to be 21 to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products, up from the current age requirement of 18. The law, which passed City Council in March but is just now going into effect, also requires retailers selling cigarettes to post new signs reflecting the change in the age requirement.
Youth smoking is now at a record low in Chicago, thanks to a concerted effort and series of reforms to shield our children from the harmful effects of tobacco products, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a mid-June statement on the measure. With these latest reforms and the newly required purchase age of 21, we will discourage tobacco use among youth, and also reduce black market activity, so that our youth can grow up healthy.
Not everyone likes the measure as much as Rahm, though. Rob Karr, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, told CBS he thinks the new law will only make people buy cigarettes outside the city, or illegally.
Cool Chicago teens are also bummed out by the measure, probably. The law applies to vaping paraphernalia, too, according to the Mayor's Officeso at this point, the only way to show how cool of a teen you are is by Snapchatting yourself chugging Red Bull.
Can Anyone Stop Pilsen From Gentrifying?
By Mae Rice in News on Jun 28, 2016 6:24PM
Photo by Joe Balynas on Flickr
This is a two-part story. Read Chicagoist's man-on-the-street interviews with Pilsen locals here.
In Pilsen, a block or so east of the bar Simones, an empty lot runs from Peoria Street to Newberry Avenue, from 18th Street back to 16th Street. Half concrete, half scrubby grass punctuated by giant thistles, its surrounded by rental chain link fencing, some of which has fallen down. This parcel of land has been palpably vacant for years, and nothing will fill the void anytime soon. Earlier this month, Pilsens aldermanAld. Danny Solis (25th)finished the multi-month process of blocking a housing development planned for the lot.
Developer Property Market Group (PMG)which has offices in New York, Chicago and Miami planned to build 500 units there in April of 2015, Crains reported. PMG did not, however, plan to meet Pilsens affordable housing quota: 21 percent, more than twice the 10 percent quota enforced citywide. Solis never approved PMGs project, but as of March, PMG didnt care. They planned to move forward on it anyway. This was risky, but technically feasible; the lot had been zoned for up to 300 units of housing back in 2008, Solis told Chicagoist, for a different project whose developer folded in the 2008 housing crash.
This past April, Solis countered PMG's development plan by introducing an ordinance to the citys Committee on Zoning (of which he is chairman) that would rezone the vacant lot, making PMGs plans impossible. It passed City Council on June 22; PMG can no longer legally build on the lot, no matter how much they want to.
This is present day Pilsen in a nutshell. The neighborhood is caught between two forces: the push to preserve its Latino, working-class identity, which you can see in the local affordable housing quota; and an opposing push, from parties like PMG, to capitalize on the areas proximity to the Loop and University of Illinois at Chicagoand its Latino identity, too, for that matter. The neighborhood is caught, in a way, between its housing quota and developers. Or, to put it another way, Pilsen is caught between Bow Truss Coffee Roasters and its vandals.
Photo by Bow Truss founder Phil Tadros
If you live in Chicago, you almost definitely heard about this. In October of 2015, someone posted a Chicago flag sticker on the Pilsen Bow Trusss window, with White people out of Pilsen markered over the flags blue stripes. Before that, in January of 2015, Bow Truss was vandalized with anti-gentrification signage duct-taped over the windows. This is what gentrification looks like, read one sign.
The Bow Truss vandals underlying analysis makes some sense: White people moving into Pilsen has certainly correlated with major demographic shifts. Pilsen has been a predominantly Latino, working-class neighborhood since the 1960s. It remains that way, tooevery census tract in Pilsen was majority Latino in 2013but those residents have left the neighborhood by the thousands in recent years, and the white population has grown, according to a new analysis of census data. White Pilsen residents make more, on average, than their Latino counterparts, according to that study, and their arrival has coincided with a rise in Pilsens median monthly rent (from $483 in 2000 to $778 in 2013).
White people moving out of Pilsen wouldnt necessarily reverse these shifts, but the shifts bring with them an understandable sense of loss. Byron Sigcho, director of The Pilsen Alliancea non-profit community organization devoted to preserving Pilsens culture and preventing mass displacementpinpointed the issue: How are you going to have a Mexican neighborhood without Mexicans?
Mexican neighborhoods are valuable, financially as well as culturally, Sigcho told Chicagoist. Talk about how valuable tourism can be, when you have an iconic neighborhood like Pilsen. A culturally rich place! he said. But we [at the Pilsen Alliance] see so many residents being displaced, he added, as rents rise and Pilsen gentrifies.
In Pilsen, Bow Truss and shops like it really are what gentrification looks like, as the vandals put it. Often, people associate gentrification with massive redevelopment projects, such as Logan Squares influx of transit-oriented apartment complexes. In the past five years, though, there have been few large-scale private housing developments in Pilsen. In mid-April, Solis told Chicagoist that in the past five years, hes only signed off on one private housing development in Pilsen.
This means a lot of the change in the area is development on a smaller scale, which Solis says is very difficult to regulate. New, upscale businesses like Bow Truss haved moved in. Bow Truss itself opened in 2014, capping off a wave that started with Simones in 2009, followed by gastropub Pl-zen in 2012 and Thalia Hall, a historic landmark since 1989, opening in its current, Dave Chappelle-hosting incarnation in 2013. Pilsens homes and two- and three-flats are also getting rehabbed or, less frequently, torn down and replaced. In 2015, there were 234 building permits issued in Pilsen, according to Chicago Cityscape. Just over 80 of them were for renovating and/or altering existing structures; five were for building new ones.
Photo by Stephanie Barto on Flickr
Pilsen may be gentrifying, but its not gentrifiedat least not according to Eric Winter. Winter, a half-Hispanic man whose mother grew up in Pilsen, opened a yoga studio in Pilsen back in February of 2015. He works as a massage therapist as well as a yoga teacher, and one of his massage clients pointed him toward the area.
I was told that Pilsens been gentrifying for like, two years already, Winter told Chicagoist. So I was sort of hoping that this place would have been done by now.
Its not. Winter has struggled to get clients to come out to his studio, PFIT Yoga, even though its across the street from beloved dive Skylark and there are scant other yoga options in the area. He acknowledges every new business faces challenges, but he worries safety concerns have kept students away from his hardwood-floored yoga loft. As of early May, the citys crime map showed six criminal incidents within a block of the Winters studio in the past year, half of them assaults.
In early May of this year, the crime affected Winter personally: someone tried to break into the PFIT studio. Winter told Chicagoist that based on his buildings camera system, the intruder broke in in broad daylight. Judging by the damage to PFITs entrance, Winter said the intruder tried to unscrew the framing on the door. Winter posted a picture of his damaged door to PFITs Facebook, captioned, Maybe [its] a hint to cut our losses and consider a different location?
Winter told Chicagoist in early June that he didnt plan to break his lease, which runs through May of 2018. Hes looked at the attempted break-in as one of the growing pains of gentrification. The [Paseo] trail [announced in March] is the start-off point of the full gentrification, he said. (Sigchos Pilsen Alliance agrees.)
In less than a month, though, he had changed his mind. Due to police reports of gun violence in his area, Winter said he had decided to move, likely to Swallow Cliff outside the city. At that point, mid-June, the citys crime map showed seven incidents within a block of his studio, five of them assaults.
Photo via Stephanie Barto on Flickr
The changes in Pilsen that drew Winter to the area were set in motion almost twenty years ago, when government-assisted development changed the area forever. The late 90s was an era of two new TIF districts in Pilsen: the Pilsen Industrial Corridor TIF, created in 1998, which funded construction of various factories and warehouses; and the Roosevelt/Union TIF, created in 1999, which helped fund UICs south campus expansion.
What is a TIF district? Bear with us for just one paragraph and well explain. (You can also watch this video explainer from Curious City.) TIF is an acronym for Tax Increment Financing. When an area is designated a TIF district, a designation that lasts for 23 years, the property taxes that area pays to the city freeze at their existing levels. If local property values (and therefore property taxes) increase, extra tax dollars get diverted into a special fund: the TIF, reserved for development projects in the district that would not happen but for government assistance.
Whether a project meets the but for requirement is, of course, impossible to know, as are a lot of things about TIFs. Theyre widely critiqued for their opacity; Tom Tresser, founder of the TIF Illumination Project, terms TIFs an off-the-books budget. However, recent transparency around how TIF funding has historically been allocated has shone a light on how TIFs affected late 90s Pilsen.
First, the Pilsen Industrial Corridor became a TIF district. Solis said that he used funding from this TIF to clean up contamination left behind by the heavy industry giants, like Western Electric and ComEd, that departed from Pilsens riverbanks around the 70s. Solis also used funds from this TIF to replace the industrial corridors old infrastructure, and attract new light industry to the area by helping fund factories like the Steiner Linen Factory. This TIF has created roughly 5,000 jobs, by Soliss estimate.
If you look at the zip code of the employees most of those jobs went to people from Pilsen, he said.
A year later came the Roosevelt/Union TIF, which made UICs south campus possible with $50 million in TIF funding. (Back in 1998, a UIC spokesman told the Reader the project might not go forward without this funding.) Solis supported this controversial TIF, he said. By way of explanation, he compared Pilsen to a town in downstate Illinoisif a major university planned an expansion near this hypothetical town, that town would be exuberant, because that development would create jobs, would create an economic boom.
Whether Pilsen residents ever bought into this reasoning is unclear, because it never mattered. Legally speaking, residents have to be looped in when a TIF is being created, through public notices and community meetings where they can voice concerns. As a 1998 Tribune story about the Pilsen TIF (its unclear which one) explains, these meetings had to meet strict guidelines: interpreters had to be available to Spanish speakers, and community members got a minimum of three minutes to speak. Still, as Tresser explained to Chicagoist, You can bring a million people with you [to the community meetings], but you dont have the power to veto.
Solis argues that the UIC expansion brought exactly the economic uptick he foresaw. But Sigchowho ran against Solis in the 2015 aldermanic race, and accused him of voter fraudargues that UICs expansion triggered a wave of gentrification thats put Pilsens Mexican identity under siege. Its not quite enough gentrification to fill up Winters yoga studio, but its definitely enough to attract interest from private developers.
Photo via Alex Cheek on Flickr
Developers want to build in Pilsen for many of the same reasons Winter wanted to move there: the location and the rising real estate values. In 2015, Crains Chicago reported plans for two major new developments in Pilsen: R2s plan to convert the vacant warehouse at 465 W. Cermak into an office, and PMGs 500-unit development on 18th Street. Solis said hes never heard of the R2 warehouse conversion, and hes moved to block PMGs development. The only development hes approved in the past five years, he said, is a 99-unit development in the 1400 block of 21st Street, less than a block from Benito Juarez Community Academy.
He rejects most projects, he said, because they dont meet Pilsens affordable housing quota, set at 21 percent for developments of eight units or more. The quota was established by Solis and the Pilsen Land Use Committee, composed of representatives from assorted community organizations, and its higher than any other neighborhood in the city, according to Solis.
A mixed-income community, I think, is the best community, he said.
Critics from both ends of the spectrum take issue with Solis approach to new housing developments in Pilsen. Sigcho criticized the Pilsen Land Use Committee for its lack of transparency and its failure to loop in the community on each decision.
If the people want to see [a giant housing development], lets do that! he said. He also noted that, though the committee prevents large new housing developments, it does nothing to prevent or regulate investors that buy small properties in large quantities. John Podmajersky III, for instancea campaign donor of Solissowns giant tracts of small properties in East Pilsen.
Meanwhile, PMG principal Noah Gottlieb declined to talk on the record about PMGs now-thwarted Pilsen development. However, he instead sent Chicagoist a Washington Post story from Februaryheadlined The poor are better off when we build more housing for the richthat presumably encapsulated his opinion. The story argued that rather than tightly regulating new housing, areas fighting gentrification should encourage new housing, affordable or not. Rooted in data from Californias Bay Area, the argument was a simple supply-and-demand one: the larger the supply of housing, the lower rents will be in a city or neighborhood. Because of this, even high-end new housing will arguably keep a neighborhoods rents lower than no building at all. (New, luxury housing also becomes more affordable housing as it ages, the piece argues; luxury apartments now will be housing for the middle class 30 years from now.)
Really, Soliss critics and Solis himself, who said theres little he can do about small-scale development in Pilsen, are arguing the same thing. Pilsen is in flux, and no one feels in control of how its changing. Rightly so. Everyone sees someone else as the deciding factor in how Pilsen evolves; really, no one is. Even an ultra-conservative Pilsen Land Use Committee can only do so much. Committee or no, Pilsen landlords will still hike rents because they can. New restaurants will still pop up along 18th Street, like Dia De Los Tamalesa place so geared towards newcomers that it has a definition of tamales on its homepage.
Photo by Mae Rice/Chicagoist
The push and pull between culture and capitalism in Pilsen is perhaps best encapsulated by a riverfront warehouse on Cermak, the one that R2 may or may not convert into an office. Built in 1909, the warehouse has been recommended as a historic landmark. It certainly used to be ornate, but now its visibly vacant, covered in graffiti, dotted with missing window panes.
Look at this warehouse from across the Chicago River, and youll see a mural just below the roof on the buildings south end. Its a hundred times bigger and more purposeful than the chicken-scratch graffiti at street level. MEMORIES ARE SACRED, it reads.
So many people, from Danny Solis to Byron Sigcho to whoever requested historical status for the warehouse in question, echo this graffitis sentiment: that Pilsens recent past, as a working-class, predominantly Latino area, is sacred and worth preserving. The tug of war in Pilsen right now is over exactly how sacred it is compared to other sacred American things: money, rehabbing rentals, forgetting.
Email
Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday.
A philanthropic photography exhibition by actress Jiang Yiyan was held in Shanghai over the weekend, winning enough praise from her fans that police had to control traffic amid safety concerns.
Actress Jiang Yiyan at her photo exhibition. [Photo/Xinhua]
Jiang, who has a passion for photography aside from acting, apologized for inconveniences at her show and thanked her fans for their support, despite the heavy rain.
"Thank you all for your support. I know you have waited long in the rain, and some of you travelled just for this event. The police were here in fear of a stampede and traffic congestion, so today's show was cancelled. I'm very sorry myself, but I have no other choice. I want to say sorry to all, and next time we'll organize things better! Thanks for your love!" Jiang wrote on her Sina Weibo account.
"Love" was the theme for the photo exhibition, showcasing photos Jiang took during her trips around the world and her time spent as a volunteer teacher in poor mountainous villages.
Her works in Nepal one year after the earthquake and photos she took while shooting a film in Tibet autonomous region were also highlighted at the show.
"Photos are not defined by composition, nor angle, but by the emotion they transcend," said Jiang, who regarded herself as only an amateur photographer with no authoritative saying on art.
"I'm just Jiang Yiyan, an actor, and photography is part of my hobbies. I am honored to have met many friends along the way, and to host shows in different cities. I just want to share the world as I see it, and take the viewers on a journey of love," she added.
Jiang, who judged the just-concluded 19th Shanghai International Film Festival, said she regretted the impetuous nature of China's film market.
"The Chinese film market, investors and audiences are too shallow sometimes, and there are too many fast-food products. I saw many small-budget films during the festival. Their productions didn't have big teams, but their work spoke directly to my heart," she said.
"I think it's crucial to keep the mindset we had when we began making films. I probably won't take on more commercial films in the future; I want to try more artistic works."
The free show continues in Shanghai from June 26 to July 1 at the Jin Art Institute.
Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
City cash, generated by downtown commercial development, would be combined with a $20 million federal grant to finance a streetcar line connecting the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and the Bucks arena. Credit: Journal Sentinel files
SHARE
By of the
A $20 million local financing plan for a proposed Milwaukee streetcar route extension tied to new downtown commercial development is being endorsed by a Common Council committee.
The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee voted 4-1 Tuesday to recommend the financing plan to the full council, with Ald. Jim Bohl the only opponent.
The council's next meeting is July 6.
That extension would be mainly on N. 4th St., connecting the Milwaukee Intermodal Station, 433 W. St. Paul Ave., to the Milwaukee Bucks' future arena, at N. 4th St. and W. Highland Ave. It could start operating by 2020.
The first portion of Milwaukee's streetcar is to begin operating in 2018 and will run from the Intermodal Station through downtown to the east side at N. Prospect and E. Ogden avenues, where the Portfolio apartment high-rise is planned. A branch loop to the future Couture apartment high-rise, overlooking Lake Michigan at N. Lincoln Memorial Drive and E. Michigan St., is to begin running in 2019.
The city hopes to land a $20 million federal grant to help pay for the N. 4th St. route. An announcement of which cities are getting those grants is expected in September, said Dan Casanova, of the Department of City Development.
That would be combined with $20 million in property taxes from commercial developments within three downtown tax incremental financing districts.
A new financing district would cover a city-owned parking lot south of W. Wisconsin Ave., between N. 4th and N. 5th streets, Casanova told committee members.
Department officials are seeking development proposals for that 2-acre site, which could include apartments, a hotel or other uses. Those proposals are due Sept. 30.
Property taxes generated by new commercial development at that parcel would provide an estimated $8 million for the streetcar extension, Casanova said.
The financing plan also would use cash from two current tax financing districts: $4 million from the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave., and $8 million from Time Warner Cable and ManpowerGroup's offices, east of N. King Drive between W. McKinley Ave. and W. Cherry St.
The streetcar financing proposal is supported by Westown Association, an organization of businesses and residents on downtown's west side; the Grand Avenue mall's new owners; Historic King Drive Business Improvement District; and Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District.
Also, the zoning committee recommended a separate plan to spend an additional $6 million beyond the city's initial $18 million estimate for rebuilding roads, such as N. Harbor Drive and E. Clybourn St., and doing other public improvements near Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s new office tower.
That preliminary 2012 estimate was based on conceptual plans, which didn't include the costs of rebuilding utility lines and doing environmental cleanups. Also, city officials decided to rebuild streets instead of doing the less-expensive alternative of resurfacing them.
That work is being financed with new property taxes generated by the 32-story, $450 million Northwestern Mutual project. It is to be completed by December 2017.
Property taxes from financing districts don't flow to the city's general fund, Milwaukee Public Schools and other local governments until the council votes to close the districts.
Extending the Hilton and Time Warner/Manpower tax districts to help finance the streetcar diverts those funds away from the city's general fund and MPS, said Milwaukee resident Marty Wall, who criticized the proposal.
Facebook: facebook.com/JSBusiness
Twitter: twitter.com/TomDaykin
The maker of Evinrude outboard marine engines introduced new models Monday, including this 150 horsepower E-TEC that has adjustable power steering and auto trim. Credit: Bombardier Recreational Products
SHARE
By of the
The manufacturer of Evinrude outboard marine engines, made in Sturtevant, on Monday introduced four new models and a virtual dashboard that's linked to a tablet.
Bombardier Recreational Products unveiled the engines, which range in size from 150 to 200 horsepower, at a dealership conference in Milwaukee and an event on Okauchee Lake in Waukesha County.
The new models have features previously only available on larger Evinrude E-TEC engines. Some of the technology includes adjustable power steering, the company's intelligent trim system, no required break-in period and push-button automatic winterization.
Prices weren't disclosed, but the engines will be available at BRP dealerships this summer, according to the company.
BRP has made Sturtevant its world headquarters for the Evinrude brand, which was founded by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee in 1907. Elsewhere, BRP makes snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Sea-Doo watercraft and three-wheel motorcycles.
The new Evinrude engines are an extension of the company's E-TEC G2 product line, launched a couple of years ago, that included a 300 horsepower model.
By expanding the E-TEC lineup to lower-horsepower models, the company says, the technology becomes available to more boaters.
"They are very big on making comparisons to automotive designs. We have all become accustomed to cars with automatic transmissions and navigation systems. BRP sees no reason why we shouldn't have the same level of sophistication on a boat," said Charles Plueddeman, a contributing editor for Boating Magazine, from Oshkosh.
Virtual dashboard
BRP's virtual dashboard allows a boater to monitor engine functions from an Android tablet or iPad, while on the boat.
The virtual dashboard displays more information than a basic instrument panel, including hours until the next scheduled engine maintenance.
"People have this on their car, and they are expecting that level of convenience and technology on their boat," Plueddeman said.
In a demonstration on Okauchee Lake, there were some glitches with the tablet and virtual dashboard.
"I personally wonder about having it out on the water, especially saltwater and spray," Plueddeman said.
Still, he added, it's an option for someone who has retrofitted a new engine on a boat and doesn't want to install a new instrument panel.
Ski-boat maker Wake Tractor has a tablet-based engine monitoring system that also connects to the boat's stereo and an action camera.
For millennial boaters, Plueddeman said, such features are becoming the new normal.
SHARE Googles My Account is a one-stop shop for setting privacy and security controls. Users can store web browsing histories here. Associated Press
By
San Francisco Google is trying to make it easier for you to manage the vast pool of information that it collects about your online activities across phones, computers and other devices.
Among other things, a new privacy tool will enable the more than 1 billion people who use Google's search engine and other services to block certain ads from appearing on every device that they log into, instead of having to make a special request on each individual machine.
Some users of Google's search engine, Gmail and Chrome browser will start receiving notices about the new option beginning Tuesday, but it will take several more weeks before it's available to everyone.
Google also is introducing a "My Activity" feature that will enable users to delete records of their online search requests and videos watched on YouTube in a single location instead of having to visit different websites or apps.
Google's business has been built on its longtime practice of monitoring its users' online behavior in an effort to learn about their interests so it can show ads most likely to appeal to them.
Those customized ads shown alongside Google's search results and the content on millions of other websites have turned Google's corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., into one of the world's most profitable companies.
In an effort to minimize complaints about invading people's privacy, Google has long allowed its users to impose limits on how much data is accumulated about them and how many customized ads they see.
Last year, Google also opened a "My Account" hub to serve as a one-stop shop for setting privacy and security controls.
If they choose, users will now be able to authorize Google to store their web browsing histories in the "My Account" center.
Until now, Google had been keeping personal information in different digital dossiers that sometimes require users to take multiple steps to manage specific pieces of data.
For instance, someone annoyed by a Google-generated ad on their personal computer can prevent it from appearing again by clicking on an "X" in the corner. Taking that step currently won't block the same ad from appearing on the targeted person's smartphone a few hours later.
Google says that will no longer happen if users allow it to stockpile web browsing histories in the "My Account" center.
Kung Fu Panda 3 is out on DVD this week. Credit: DreamWorks Animation
SHARE
OUT TUESDAY
KUNG FU PANDA 3 (Fox) Po, that free-spirited martial-arts panda, faces an evil bull that has absorbed the powers of other masters in the spirit realm. Animated sequel with voice cast including Jack Black, Jackie Chan, J.K. Simmons, Kate Hudson. (PG; mild rude humor)
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (Paramount) A TV reporter looking to get out of her rut covers the war in Afghanistan. Comedy of sorts, based on Kim Barker's memoir "The Taliban Shuffle," with Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman. (R; pervasive language, some sexual content, drug use, violent war images)
EYE IN THE SKY (Universal) A military drone operation tracking a terrorist stumbles on a pair of suicide bombers getting ready to do what they do along with a young girl who would be caught in the crossfire. With Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Barkhad Abdi, Alan Rickman. (R; violent images, some language)
ELSTREE 1976 (MVD) Extras and other members of the cast of the original "Star Wars" tell their stories in this behind-the-scenes and where-are-they-now documentary. (not rated)
FASTBALL (Kino Lorber) Film by sports documentarian Jonathan Hock charting baseball's need for speed, and the hunt for the fastest pitch ever thrown. Narrated by Kevin Costner. (not rated)
PRECIOUS CARGO (Lionsgate) A crime boss recruits, then turns on, a pair of master thieves and former lovers. Action movie with Bruce Willis, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Claire Forlani. (R; pervasive language, some violence, sexual content)
FRANCOFONIA (Music Box) Docudrama by Alexander Sokurov who made "Russian Ark," the hypnotic 2002 portrait of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg exploring the Louvre during the Nazi occupation of Paris. In French, German and Russian with English subtitles. (not rated)
THE SOUND AND THE FURY (Shami Media Group) Adaptation of William Faulkner's novel about a Southern family wrestling with its secrets. With James Franco (who also directed), Tim Blake Nelson, Scott Haze. (not rated; some violence, mature content)
BACK IN THE DAY (Virgil) A Brooklyn street kid becomes a boxer, with some help from the mob. With Anthony Rodriguez, Alec Baldwin, Michael Madsen, Shannen Doherty. (not rated; violence)
RAMS (Cohen Media Group) Two brothers who haven't spoken in 40 years reunite to save the farm's sheep. Icelandic comedy won Un Certain Regard prize at 2015 Cannes Film Festival. In Icelandic with English subtitles. (R; language, brief nudity)
RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN (MVD) Documentary celebrating the work of special-effects pioneer Harryhausen, who shaped screen history with such movies as "Jason and the Argonauts." (not rated)
COMING SOON
JULY 5
I SAW THE LIGHT (Sony), BY THE SEA (Universal), BOY & THE WORLD (Universal), TERM LIFE (Universal), THE ADDERALL DIARIES (Lionsgate), THE FAMILY FANG (Anchor Bay), DEAR ELEANOR (Sony), 600 MILES (Lionsgate), JOSEPH AND MARY (Cinedigm), CODE OF HONOR (Lionsgate), EMMA'S CHANCE (Sony), SEARCH PARTY (Universal), MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS (Cinedigm), VIGILANTE DIARIES (Anchor Bay), THE LEVENGER TAPES (Lionsgate), HOLIDAYS (Vertical Entertainment), CHRONICLES OF THE GHOSTLY TRIBE (Well Go USA)
JULY 12
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT (Lionsgate), MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN (Sony), EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! (Paramount), GREEN ROOM (Lionsgate), THE DARK HORSE (Broad Green), MY GOLDEN DAYS (Magnolia), NO MEN BEYOND THIS POINT (Goldwyn/Sony), WEIGHT (First Run), SPRING & ARNAUD (First Run), THE PROFESSOR: TAI CHI'S JOURNEY WEST (First Run), MODEL HUNGER (Wild Eye)
RECENTLY RELEASED
MIDNIGHT SPECIAL A father (Michael Shannon) whose son has extraordinary powers (Jaeden Lieberher) takes him on the run from religious extremists and the law. Sci-fi-tinged drama directed by Jeff Nichols, with Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver. (PG-13; some violence)
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 More than a decade after she had her "Big Fat Greek Wedding," a woman from a large, smothering Greek family finds out her parents' marriage 50 years earlier wasn't technically legal, even as she struggles with being clingy toward her own teenage daughter. Sequel to the 2002 indie romantic comedy hit, with Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin. (PG-13; suggestive material)
THE WAVE In a Norwegian tourist town where the scenic beauty is offset by the danger of the nearby mountain collapsing into the fjord, triggering a tsunami a geologist senses the Big One is imminent. And it is. In Norwegian with English subtitles. (R; some language, disaster scenes)
THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY Sacha Baron Cohen plays an English football-obsessed layabout who is reunited with his long-lost brother (Mark Strong), who turns out to be a secret agent. (R; crude sexual content, nudity, violence, language, some drug use)
KNIGHT OF CUPS Dreamlike drama by Terrence Malick, with Christian Bale as a writer wrestling with his demons in Los Angeles. With Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman. (R; some nudity, sexuality, language)
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT A shaman in the Amazon befriends two European scientists, including one who needs a rare plant to survive. Dreamlike drama, filmed in black and white, was the first Colombian movie nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film. In Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese and German, with English subtitles. (Not rated; some drug use, violence)
ANESTHESIA The moments preceding violent crime a popular university professor is attacked on the street reverberate in the lives of a disparate group of people. With Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Gretchen Mol, K. Todd Freeman, Glenn Close, Michael K. Williams and Tim Blake Nelson, who also directed. (R; language, sexual content, drug use, brief violence)
WONDROUS BOCCACCIO Drama inspired by the tales in Boccaccio's medieval classic "The Decameron," directed by filmmaking brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. In Italian with English subtitles. (not rated)
GOING AWAY A teacher with a hidden past becomes involved in the lives of a boy and his mother, and secrets of both their lives are revealed. Drama in French with English subtitles. (not rated; some violence)
KING GEORGES Documentary follows celebrated chef Georges Perrier as he sets out to reinvent his fabled restaurant, Le Bec-Fin, with help from his protege. First shown locally at the 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival. In English and French, with English subtitles. (not rated)
Compiled by Chris Foran
Allies gather in Versailles in 1919 for the treaty that ended the first World War.
Blasts From the Past Highlights from this day in history Blasts From the Past looks at significant events that happened on this day in history. SHARE
Today's highlights in history
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot to death in Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip the act that sparked World War I.
On this date
In 1838, Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I.
In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles, France.
In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act, which required adult foreigners residing in the U.S. to be registered and fingerprinted.
In 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
In 1964, civil rights activist Malcolm X declared, "We want equality by any means necessary" during the founding rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity in New York.
In 1996, the Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school. (The unanimous decision by the school's governing board came two days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the all-male admissions policy at Virginia Military Institute.)
Ten years ago: Star Jones Reynolds was booted from "The View," one day after surprising ABC and Barbara Walters by saying on the air that she wouldn't be returning to the daytime talk show in the fall.
Five years ago: French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was chosen to lead the International Monetary Organization.
One year ago: Authorities in upstate New York captured David Sweat, one of two convicted murderers who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6; Sweat was apprehended two days after his fellow escapee, Richard Matt, was shot and killed in a confrontation with law enforcement.
Associated Press
SHARE
By of the
A law enforcement team from the Milwaukee Coast Guard Station boarded an 18-foot boat in Lake Michigan that was seen navigating recklessly.
The operator had a blood alcohol content level of 0.166 during the chemical breath test. The man was taken into custody by the Milwaukee Police Department for boating under the influence and given a federal ticket for boating under the influence by the Coast Guard.
The arrest was conducted as part of Operation Dry Water, a law enforcement effort over the weekend to crack down on drunken boating. Across the Great Lakes crews responded to more than 100 cases of mariners in distress, rescuing seven, assisting 133 and removing from the water six operators who were boating under the influence.
Bill Cunningham, the celebrated New York Times fashion photographer known for his shots of emerging trends on the streets of New York City, died on Saturday after being hospitalized for a stroke. He was 87.
New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham crosses the street after taking photos during New York Fashion Week in the Manhattan borough of New York September 6, 2014. [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn via agencies]
Cunningham, known for his trademark blue jacket, a small camera bag worn sideways and his iconic commute tool - a bicycle, was admitted to hospital on Thursday.
William John Cunningham Jr was born on March 13, 1929. He moved to New York after dropping out of Harvard, only two months after he was admitted with a scholarship. After serving in the Army, Cunningham wrote fashion coverage for the Chicago Tribune. He started photographing people on the streets, commonly known today as street snaps but still a new concept back then, after he got his first camera in 1967.
Cunningham's snap of actress Greta Garbo caught the attention of the Times and in 1978, the heavily storied newspaper opened a column for him, publishing a series of his street snap photographs.
In a 2002 interview with the paper, Cunningham said he always tried to be as discreet as possible because "you get more natural pictures that way."
"I suppose, in a funny way, I'm a record keeper. More than a collector," he said. "I'm very aware of things not of value but of historical knowledge."
Times executive editor Dean Baquet said of Cunningham in a statement: "He was a hugely ethical journalist. 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."
Cunningham was awarded the Officier de l'ordre des arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2008 and received the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence in 2012.
"Bill was an extraordinary person with an incredible talent not just for fashion photography but for life," Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher for the Times, said of Cunningham. "His company was sought after by the fashion world's rich and powerful yet he remained one of the kindest, most gentle and humble people I have ever met. We have lost a legend and I am personally heartbroken to have lost a friend."
Cunningham worked for the New York Times for nearly 40 years, operating "as a dedicated chronicler of fashion and as an unlikely cultural anthropologist," the newspaper said.
Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
Tony Nollie is charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the shooting death of Melody Helgren during an argument. Credit: Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office
SHARE
By of the
A 52-year-old Milwaukee man accused of fatally shooting a woman in the head earlier this month faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted of first-degree reckless homicide.
According to the criminal complaint:
Tony Nollie and Melody Helgren returned to Nollie's home in the 5000 block of N. Sherman Blvd. after a night of drinking at a local bar when the two began arguing.
Nollie told police he pulled a gun from his dresser drawer when Helgren threatened to leave.
He pointed the gun at Helgren's head and fired. Nollie called his neighbor, who called 911. Helgren was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead there.
Nollie is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
The FBI released four photos Tuesday in asking for the publics help in finding Shanika S. Minor, wanted in the killing of a Milwaukee woman and her unborn child. Credit: FBI
By of the
A 24-year-old Milwaukee woman charged in the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman and her unborn child was added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" list, Milwaukee's FBI division announced Tuesday.
Shanika S. Minor who uses the alias Ida Jackson is accused of shooting her mother's nine-months-pregnant neighbor about one week after Minor confronted the woman with a complaint about loud music. She has no previous criminal record.
She is the seventh Wisconsin fugitive to appear on the FBI list since its inception in 1950, and the first from Milwaukee.
Minor first challenged the woman to a fight the night of March 5 with a semiautomatic gun in hand. She fired several shots into the air and left the scene at her mother's request.
Hours later, about 3 a.m. March 6, Minor entered the neighbor's home armed with a gun. Her mother again attempted to intervene, stepping between Minor and the pregnant neighbor, but was unable to de-escalate the situation before Minor reached over her mother's shoulder and fired a round at the woman's chest.
Both the woman, identified as Tamecca Perry, 23, and her unborn child died at the scene. Minor has not been seen since the incident.
In the wake of the "heinous" crime, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said, "it's important that a national hue and cry be raised." Putting out a call for Minor's arrest is part of Milwaukee's ongoing efforts to control violence, he said.
Police believe Minor has contacts in Missouri, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and possibly Georgia. She has not traveled outside the U.S. or been in contact with anyone abroad.
Police are offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to her arrest.
Minor, a black female, is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo of roses on her lower abdomen with petals outlined in black ink, some filled with red ink.
More than 90% of the 509 fugitives ever to appear on the "Ten Most Wanted" list have been apprehended or located. Though the list was populated with bank robbers and car thieves in the 1950s, it has since evolved to incorporate perpetrators of violent crime, cybercrime, international money laundering and drug trafficking.
Charged offenders are chosen if they're considered a danger to society or have committed a long list of serious crimes, and if police think national or international attention to the fugitive will help in the person's capture.
Tiffany Lynn Simmons (left) and Shanta Dwan Pearson (right) are charged in the kidnapping and killing of Tess White in West Allis. Credit: Department of Corrections
SHARE
By ,
Two West Allis residents who were pulled over by authorities in Colorado when they failed to dim their headlights have confessed to kidnapping and then killing a pregnant woman, according to charges filed Tuesday.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court:
Tiffany Simmons, 34, and Shanta Pearson, 44, were giving Tess White, 25, a ride to a mall when she and Simmons began to argue over whether White stole drugs from them.
White, in turn, was mad at Simmons for using her bank card to withdraw $200. Simmons and White fought in the back seat of Pearson's truck and Simmons pinned White down as Pearson tied her up while waiting for a drug delivery.
Simmons kept White tied up in the back of the truck where she tortured White before putting a plastic bag over her head and strangling her to death with a rope in a parking lot on National Ave. in West Allis. White was 10 weeks pregnant and was reported missing by her aunt on May 14.
Simmons and Pearson kept White's body hidden in the truck for several days before leaving the state on May 6. Pearson said the two were on drugs and in a "whirlwind haze of coke." They tried to burn White's body in Minnesota but were unsuccessful on their first attempt.
White's burned remains were found in Grant County, S.D., on May 17 by two farmers. White's dental records were used to positively identify the body.
Simmons and Pearson were driving a white Chevy Avalanche in Colorado when they were pulled over by police for failing to dim their headlights for oncoming traffic. The officer discovered the two had active warrants and arrested them in connection with a May 6 bank robbery in Milwaukee.
White's aunt had described a white truck that picked her up on May 4 to police. On May 25, West Allis police learned the two had been arrested in Colorado in connection with the bank robbery in a white truck. Police showed a picture of the truck to White's aunt, who told police that the truck was the same make and model as the one she had seen.
Police also recovered a shoe at the burn site and using a DNA search, matched the shoe from the burn site to Simmons, who has confessed to killing White. Simmons told police she killed White because she knew if she told police that she had tortured White she would go to jail, according to the complaint.
Simmons faces life in prison if convicted in the killing of White. Pearson is accused of aiding Simmons and is charged with robbing a TCF Bank in Milwaukee on May 6, according to the criminal complaint.
Simmons and Pearson were transferred from Colorado to Milwaukee on June 4. Pearson has denied robbing the TCF bank on May 6 but admitted to kidnapping White.
Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School are under federal investigation over allegations of minors being abused by staff. Credit: Journal Sentinel files
By of the
As many as 100 Milwaukee youths are still incarcerated at a troubled North Woods juvenile prison despite an ongoing federal probe of alleged abuses there.
Milwaukee County judges said Monday that the number of juvenile offenders from the county currently being held at Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls has dropped significantly since news broke late last year that the facility was under investigation due to allegations of minors being abused by staff.
But Milwaukee County Children's Court Judge Mary Triggiano said the fact that local youths were still being sent to the troubled state Department of Corrections facility was "appalling given what we know is going on there."
"Let's be perfectly clear, we are using Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as placement for juveniles," Triggiano said Monday at a Common Council Public Safety Committee meeting. "The most high-risk, dangerous juveniles are going to Lincoln Hills. And that's an unfortunate situation we put those children, and those families, and this community in."
She and Milwaukee County Chief Judge Maxine White warned aldermen that those sent to Lincoln Hills are likely to reoffend, pointing to the youth prison's estimated 65% recidivism rate.
White called the Lincoln Hills situation a "crisis," adding that the 120-bed Milwaukee detention center is already overcrowded.
Local officials "have been working night and day" to find spots for serious offenders, and Milwaukee County officials have even reached out to Racine County to "get a few beds," White said.
The 100 youths now at Lincoln Hills include about 50 in the state's serious juvenile offender program, which typically means they have a five-year sentence that includes three years in custody and two years of probation, Triggiano said.
Monday's meeting at City Hall was the fifth in a series of special discussions Ald. Bob Donovan, chairman of the public safety committee, scheduled this summer to address violence in Milwaukee.
The meeting frequently became heated as Donovan and Ald. Mark Borkowski pressed the judges over cases involving people accused of violent crimes being released on bail only to be arrested again.
In one of the carjackings, a baby was still inside the vehicle. The suspect in that case allegedly stopped driving about a half block away from the robbery and placed the infant and his car seat on some grass before driving off, according to a criminal complaint.
White warned against "revictimizing victims" by tainting cases, and refused to discuss any pending cases.
"We do not prosecute in the press," White said.
White also clashed with Borkowski after he said Milwaukee was "going to hell."
"I disagree with you strongly that Milwaukee is going to hell in a handbasket. I love this city," she said. "This is a small group of kids. If we are not smart enough to stop them in their tracks, then there is something wrong with us."
The first meeting featured a discussion with Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn, the second was with Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and his office and the third featured a representative from the state Department of Justice. On Friday, Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. spoke with the committee in the fourth meeting of the series.
The Milwaukee County Board declared a "state of emergency" in February and called for removing all county teenagers from Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake. The number at that time was reported at 170 to 172.
But progress removing youths has been slow, and local officials have bemoaned a lack of capacity in the county to treat juvenile offenders.
Lincoln Hills School: As allegations about the prison mount, the state should consider an outside panel to investigate the problems there. Credit: Mark Hoffman
SHARE
In a letter to the Journal Sentinel published Sunday, R.L. McNeely, chair of the Felmers O. Chaney Community Advocacy Board, and Fred Royal, president of the Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP, suggested that the state Department of Corrections consider a citizen's advisory board with statutorily sanctioned monitoring and oversight capabilities.
That's a suggestion the department, the Walker administration and the Legislature would do well to consider, given the ongoing investigation into juvenile prison facilities in Wisconsin and the near constant stream of outrageous revelations.
The latest came Monday in the Journal Sentinel: Rick Peterson, the security director at Lincoln Hills School for Boys acknowledged to state investigators that he had failed over seven and a half months to review any investigations of sexual abuse and had met just once with the staff tasked with investigating allegations of assault, according to documents released to the Journal Sentinel under the state's open records law (demonstrating again the value of that law).
Furthermore, Peterson was demoted in February after an investigation showed he was unable to correctly identify who on his staff was trained to investigate sexual assault allegations, the records show. His excuse apparently was that "there were lots of stuff going on" and he was "busy putting out fires and pulled in different directions." So he was busy. That's it?
Given that, and the more than 30 internal sexual assault investigations still open at the prison, the facility's handling of abuse claims remains as critical as ever.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating alleged abuses at the prison, including sexual assault, abuse of prisoners and destruction of public records. The failure to review sexual abuse investigations under a key federal law could play a role in that probe or a separate U.S. Department of Justice investigation into whether the prison violated inmates' civil rights.
Despite Peterson's statement to DOC investigators that the prison did not track ongoing investigations of rape and sexual assault, DOC spokesperson Tristan Cook insisted that there is a tracking system for abuse allegations at Lincoln Hills and its sister facility, Copper Lake School for Girls. Well, maybe someone needs to tell the people actually running Lincoln Hills.
It seems clear that the administration has failed miserably in its oversight of the juvenile facilities. It needs to do much better. It should seriously consider the suggestion by McNeely and Royal.
Traffic along Madisons Beltline, Highway 12-18, backs up at the Verona Road interchange during construction for eastbound travelers last October. Credit: Associated Press
SHARE
By
Last December, Congress passed a $305 billion highway bill that was signed with hours to spare before the nation's road and transit spending ran out. While this bill was the first long-term national transportation spending package in over a decade, it was unfortunately a drop in the ocean, especially in comparison to the world's other major economies. I have never been reminded more of America's transportation woes than on a recent trip to China.
It is no secret that America's infrastructure has been crumbling for years. In January of 2015, the American Enterprise Institute found that since 1960, government spending on highways has dropped by nearly 50% in proportion to total government expenditures. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave America's overall infrastructure a grade of D-plus, suggesting we must spend $3.6 trillion by 2020 to bring it back up to an acceptable level. Not only is our infrastructure not properly maintained, we are also struggling to deliver to the American public what it demands: the most efficient and first-rate transportation available. The current state of our transportation infrastructure causes urban traffic congestion, slow-moving trains and flight delays. The effects have obvious consequences, such as lower productivity, increased carbon emissions and a lower quality of life.
China, on the other hand, has invested significantly in infrastructure, both at home and abroad, which led the country to being crowned the largest investor and builder of infrastructure in the world. On a visit to Beijing, Chongqing and Shanghai with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress hosted by the China-United States Exchange Foundation, our delegation of five former members of Congress met with government and business leaders to discuss a wide range of issues. While the conversations were dominated by the South China Sea and the upcoming U.S. presidential election, I couldn't help but speak about the spectacular state of China's highways and rail systems.
Finding funding for infrastructure projects in the United States has been far more difficult than in China, where Beijing seems to be regularly appropriating investment into landmark projects. However, in recent years, China has offered to invest, not only in U.S. infrastructure projects, but also in other industries. According to a recent study by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Chinese foreign direct investment in the U.S. set a new record in 2015 with more than $15 billion in growth. Chinese-owned operations now span 80% of all U.S. congressional districts and employ more than 90,000 Americans.
In the state of Wisconsin, we have received almost $600 million in Chinese investment from 2000 to 2015. There are currently 14 Chinese-affiliated establishments, providing more than 1,300 jobs to Wisconsin citizens. However, Chinese investment in Wisconsin, and the Midwest, still significantly lags behind that of the east and west coasts.
Even with this recent growth, the U.S. has outsourced very few infrastructure projects to Chinese firms. Only five road and bridge projects, worth a mere $100 million, have been financed by Chinese firms, accounting for only 1 percent of China's total investment in engineering contracts in the world. Despite being the U.S. being the largest recipient of Chinese investment in 2015, very few of these investments went to construction and infrastructure projects.
China's global infrastructure projects in over 70 countries have helped grow its expertise and efficiency in delivering quality and cost-effective infrastructure projects, placing it in a unique position to aid the U.S. with our infrastructure and funding woes. Recent attempts to address this need, such as the Los Angeles/Las Vegas high-speed rail line, have fallen through due in large part to the high barriers to foreign infrastructure investment in the United States.
Numbers aside, there is often a sense of insecurity when Chinese projects and investments are mentioned. The same resentment was expressed almost 30 years ago when Japanese investments were perceived as a threat to the United States. However, in 2016, Japan's economy and investments are viewed as integral to the American economy, helping to strengthen the strong alliance that we have nurtured in the post-World War II era.
While national security must of course be taken into account when considering foreign direct investment, it should not prevent foreign investors from aiding the United States in critical infrastructure and transportation projects. Instead of posing a security risk, the solutions to maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure present an unrealized opportunity to minimize our differences with China and to increase our bilateral cooperation, bringing closer together the two largest economies in the world.
Thomas Petri was the representative for Wisconsin's 6th Congressional District from 1979 to 2015.
Brooks guilty on all 76 counts in Waukesha Christmas Parade rampage
A jury has convicted Darrell Brooks Jr. of killing six people and injuring dozens of others by driving through the 2021 Christmas parade.
SHARE
By of the
It was 16 years ago, but Jim Hurley remembers it like it was yesterday.
The stench of ammonia and diarrhea inside Boo Boo's Pups and Cuts, a dog grooming salon in Beloit, was unbearable. Four dead puppies were in a trash bag and several other sickly animals were inside the unventilated building.
"I can just remember gagging in the store," said Hurley, the assistant executive director of the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin. "It's something you never want to experience."
The store, owned by Randall and Deborah Henson of Rockford, Ill., was shut down in 2000, and they were convicted of failing to provide proper animal shelter.
The shop was an "in between puppy mill," apparently built for retail, hastily transformed into an animal grooming salon and unmaintained as a breeding house, Hurley said.
Now, he's worried it's happening all over again.
The Hensons are seeking a permit to run a kennel and breeding business in Rockford, and will have to bring their case to a Winnebago County (Ill.) Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing for a second time on July 13.
Few people attended the couple's first appearance earlier this month, but opponents who have since inundated county officials with emails will get a chance to have their say after zoning committee chairman Jim Webster decided Wednesday to send the case back to the Zoning Board of Appeals for another hearing.
The Hensons say opponents aren't giving them a fair shake and ignore the couple's genuine love for their animals particularly the French bulldogs they intend to breed in the new facility.
The Hensons say in their permit application they're "smitten by the breed." Deborah Henson doesn't deny: They're moneymakers, too.
"It is our desire to build a kennel that will facilitate our dream of bettering the breed through selective breeding for quality and temperament," they wrote.
Trouble with the law
Opponents point to history. In January 2001, the Hensons were convicted on four counts of intentionally impounding an animal in improper shelter and ventilation, and each served three years of probation, performed 100 hours of community service and paid $2,300 in court fines.
Officers, along with Hurley and a veterinarian, searched the couple's Beloit salon and found conditions to be inhumane. Though there was a small fan in the building, it "appeared to be stirring up dust," according to a criminal complaint.
Several days' worth of dog feces accumulated in trays underneath the dog cages.
Animals tested positive for parvovirus, a contagious pathogen affecting young puppies or unvaccinated dogs, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. It can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and death.
Deborah Henson says the puppies were afflicted with parvovirus before they entered their care, and the four deaths weren't due to their neglect.
In the same year, Deborah Henson was charged with selling a puppy younger than 8 weeks old and spent a year on probation. A 2000 incident report also indicated the couple sold dogs at a flea market in Caledonia.
The couple were again cited for an animal offense in 2015, this time for failing to register and vaccinate several dogs and puppies in their home, according to an incident report. An officer reported the house smelled of feces, but appeared sanitary.
Boarding kennel plan
By the time the Hensons' proposed kennel would be completed, it would occupy 6,900 square feet of land, with a 20-by-12-foot fenced play area out back, floor plans show.
Nicole O'Connor, a law student at Northern Illinois University and president of the school's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, says the outdoor play area isn't an adequate amount of exercise space for the dogs.
Deborah Henson argues the couple plan to give the pups the outdoor time they require.
The zoning board recommendations allowed for breeding French bulldogs plus three other breeds on their property at one time, with a total capacity of 70 dogs, 40 of which can be bred on the property.
The couple don't plan to host that many dogs at a time, Deborah Henson said.
As of now, the couple own five female breeding dogs. If they acquire more, they'll have to register with the Illinois Department of Agriculture as a kennel operator.
Opposition mounts
Hurley said he would be wary of approving the Hensons' proposed kennel and breeding operation, though with the rise of social media, it's harder for breeders to get away with inhumane treatment without someone noticing.
At a June 8 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, Randall Henson and his daughter, Jennifer Ferris, presented their plan, promising to follow state licensing requirements, invite families to pick up their new pets from their building and inspect the homes of future owners, according to a draft version of meeting minutes.
The board did not inquire about the Hensons' past run-ins with the law.
The next day, Webster said, he received hundreds of emails about the case, urging him to deny the application. An online petition drive seeking denial of the Hensons' application has exceeded 5,000 signatures.
Opponents flooded a third-floor room of the Winnebago County's administration building Wednesday, wearing shirts and holding signs that said, "No to puppy mills" and "Say no to the Hensons," said O'Connor, the law student spearheading opposition.
The couple have received email threats since word of their zoning application got out, Deborah Henson said. She said she's worried for her family.
"We've lived in this community for 31 years. We're law-abiding citizens. We have paid our debt to society."
Addition to prescription drugs like OxyContin are helping to fuel an epidemic of opoiod addiction and overdose deaths. Credit: Associated Press
SHARE Prescription for Tragedy A Journal Sentinel Watchdog investigative series looking at prescription drug abuse, including overdose deaths, prescription fraud and lax oversight. Go to section
By of the
Wisconsin could get up to $13 million to combat its growing opioid and heroin epidemic as part of a $1.1 billion plan proposed by President Barack Obama.
The state would be able to use the money to expand access to treatment programs for opioid addiction, federal and local officials said in a conference call Tuesday.
"This is a critical issue not just for the people of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, but for the people of our nation," said Michael Botticelli, director of National Drug Control Policy. "All of us are united in our efforts to ending this epidemic affecting communities all across the country."
At least 78 people died in the United States each day in 2014 including more than 600 in Wisconsin due to overdoses linked to drugs like heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers, he said.
"We know we do not have enough treatment capacity for all individuals who seek it. This desperately needs to change," Botticelli said. "Just like any other disease, if you want treatment for an opioid use disorder, you should be able to get it when you need it."
Obama included the $1.1 billion treatment funding proposal in his 2017 budget and has been pushing Congress to do more about the crisis.
The money would go to states over a two-year period and could be used for efforts such as expanding access to medication-assisted treatment, eliminating or reducing treatment costs for those with limited or no insurance, and recovery support services.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett stressed the urgency of the problem, noting that heroin-related deaths have skyrocketed nearly 500% over the last nine years throughout Milwaukee County. The suburbs as well as the city are struggling with the problem, he said.
"It would allow us to focus on prevention, treatment and recovery," Barrett said. "People need rehabilitation."
Milwaukee Ald. Michael Murphy called it a "public health epidemic" and urged a focus on treatment rather than simply treating it as a law enforcement issue.
Greenfield Police Chief Bradley Wentlandt talked about his department's efforts to change the way it deals with addicts by getting them help.
"When we talk about treatment as an alternative to arrest, what we're really talking about is crime prevention," he said.
In May, the House of Representatives passed 18 bills aimed at fighting, treating and preventing opioid addiction.
"We cannot let up on this," House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) said at the time. "These members and their committees have led this charge, and we look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to get a bill to the president's desk. It's time to ensure our communities and families have the tools they need to put an end to this epidemic it's just that simple."
But Obama has said the bills don't go far enough.
Deloitte, a global audit and advisory firm, will continue to set up new offices and build new partnerships with companies in China's central and western regions as the country is undergoing an industrial upgrading boom, said Gary Coleman, Deloitte's global industry and senior client advisor, on Monday.
Eager to enhance its earning ability, the company set up two new offices in Changsha and Hefei in the first half of this year, after establishing offices in Wuhan, Chengdu and Chongqing over the past few years.
Coleman said China's fast growing 4G network would build a solid foundation for its manufacturers. This in turn would benefit greener, more efficient and sustainable development.
Indeed, manufacturing will be a key factor in determining competitiveness. Many countries have identified digital, intelligent and green sectors in the drive to develop high-end manufacturing.
China has been implementing a plan titled "Made in China 2025", aiming to enhance the country's manufacturing capacity under the guidance of technological progress, knowledge-based transformation and green development. This will help the Chinese economy grow at a faster speed.
"Connected industrial operations will consume less energy, since they are organized to optimize machine usage, labor, and product and service delivery," Coleman said. "Large Chinese manufacturers are already in an upgrading boom, while small and medium-sized companies also have the chance to benefit from this transformation."
He said that to achieve these goals, advanced software and internet applications in the field of big data analysis have to be established so that all parts of the value chain can communicate with each other.
Deloitte will deploy more resources in China to meet fast-growing demand for these services, focusing on the country's central and southwestern regions.
Supported by more than 13,000 employees, the financial and industrial service provider currently has 24 offices in China including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
"Such a major shift in manufacturing philosophy will affect global industry for years to come, and China will not be immune to this development," said He Jingtong, a professor specialized in modern manufacturing management at Tianjin's Nankai University.
06/27/2016
More than 620 Northeast Alabama families together secured $1 million in tax refunds while saving $250,000 in tax preparation fees thanks to just 14 accounting students at Jacksonville State.
Each year, JSU accounting majors volunteer with SaveFirst, an Impact America initiative that assists hard-working families with their tax returns. In the process, the students gain valuable hands-on experience. During the 2016 tax season, JSU students worked at free tax preparation sites in Jacksonville, Anniston and Gadsden to prepare tax returns serving 68% more clients compared to the previous season.
These JSU students were part of a coalition of more than 550 students from 20 campuses across the state that provided free tax preparation to low-income, working families.
Reddit Email 0 Shares
Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |
A wave of suicide bombings was launched by four radical attackers struck al-Qaa, a largely Christian Lebanese village on the border with Syria on Monday, killing five locals and wounding 15. The first attacks came in the morning but that evening a second wave was launched, attacking the funeral for the victims of the morning bombing. Security forces were unable to prevent them.
The first of the bombers appears to have tried to infiltrate through the Muslim quarter of the city, but local residents became suspicious of him and opened fire on him, at which point he detonated his vest. This point is worth underlining. The first of the bombing attempts at a mostly Christian village was thwarted by Sunni Muslims.
al-Qaa is southeast of Hermel; h/t wikimedia
The attack raised alarms in Lebanon about the Syrian civil war spilling over onto the country. This is not the first time a border village has been attacked, though the Lebanese Army and and the Shiite Hizbullah militia have had fair success, along with local police, in keeping the terrorists out.
It is a typical way of operating or modus operandi of radical groups such as al-Qaeda in Syria (the Nusra Front) and Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) to attack soft targets like noncombatants in a residential village. They also target non-Sunni Muslim (as well as Sunni Muslims who dont kowtow to them). Christians and Yezidis have been special targets, along with Shiite Muslims. One of the bombs was set off near a church.
Lebanons Shiite militia, Hizbullah, condemned the attacks as the outgrowth of a hateful ideology that calls believers infidels, and pledged to combat terrorism. It condemned those Lebanese who secretly admired the Sunni Arab extremists. (Lebanon is probably about 1/3 Sunni Muslim). Lebanese Shiites and Christians at the moment tend to be politically aligned, both fearing the radical Salafi groups in Syria.
Lebanon, with a population of about 4 million, hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees, though to date these displaced populations have been peaceful. There are some 17,000 Syrian refugees in the district of Mashari al-Qaa in which the village lies.
Still, Beiruts al-Nahar reports that locals are worried that the Syrian refugee camps near al-Qaa might be targeted by the same terrorist groups that drove them from their homes.
Syrian refugees were banned from entering al-Qaa after the attacks on Monday and were placed on curfew by Baalbak-Hermel governor Bashir Khidr
The local population engaged in firefights with the invaders, who blew themselves up and caused casualties among the residents. Their bodies were mangled beyond recognition, but the bombs blew their heads off, which were all that remained of them. Their features were still visible. Three of the four were quickly identified as Syrians.
The evening attack on the funeral near the church did not kill any locals but it is said that five were wounded.
Gen. Jean Kahwaji, commander of the Lebanese armed forces, pledged that the army would deal with the terrorism threat and would not be deterred from protecting Lebanon.
The Lebanese military has deeply reduced the al-Qaeda and Daesh presence at Arsal near the border with Syria, cutting it from 7,000 men to only 1200 or so and much reducing the size of the territory the guerrillas hold.
Lebanons military was cut off from crucial Saudi aid in February because of its internal alliance with Hizbullah, but the US and other Western powers have rushed to prop it up.
Related video
AFP: Multiple suicide bombings kill five in eastern Lebanon
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - June 27, 2016) - NOVAGOLD RESOURCES INC. (TSX:NG)(NYSE MKT:NG) today released its second quarter financial results and updates for its flagship 50%-owned Donlin Gold project in Alaska and its 50%-owned Galore Creek copper-gold-silver project in British Columbia.
Details of the financial results for the three and six months ended May 31, 2016 are presented in the consolidated financial statements and quarterly report filed on Form 10-Q with the SEC that is available on the Company's website at www.novagold.com, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated and all resource and reserve estimates are shown on a 100% project basis.
Second quarter highlights and NOVAGOLD's achievements include the following:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the "Corps"), the lead permitting agency, conducted 17 public meetings on the Donlin Gold draft EIS in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) region and Anchorage The Corps has received approximately 500 comment submissions that are being categorized by area of interest to facilitate effective review and response in the final EIS
Donlin Gold continued to advance other major permits and approvals by providing State and Federal agencies with information related to the following permitting actions: Clean Water Action Section 10 (Rivers and Harbors Act) and 404 (Wetlands) permit Air quality permit Integrated waste management permit Reclamation plan approval Water discharge permit Pipeline authorizations Water use and fish habitat permits Land and shoreline leases as well as right-of-way approvals
NOVAGOLD continued its active community and stakeholder engagement: Participated in multiple meetings throughout the Y-K region in response to community interest in the project and technical information on Donlin Gold Worked with Donlin Gold to encourage participation in the public meetings and the submission of comments on the draft EIS Sponsored workforce development initiatives such as the 3 rd Annual Academic and Trades Decathlon in Aniak and training programs at the Delta Mine Training Center for graduating seniors Supported the annual Clean Up Green Up community initiative that continues to grow and was a great success Promoted summer safety through the "Kids Don't Float" and "Alaska Boating Safety" campaigns Supported various local Tahltan community initiatives through Galore Creek
President's Message
Donlin Gold Project
The second quarter of 2016 marked the important passing of a major milestone for our company's flagship gold project. As the public comment period for Donlin Gold's draft EIS came to a successful conclusion, progress was achieved in advancing up the value-chain what we believe to be the world's premier development-stage gold asset. By transitioning into the final stage of the EIS process for the Donlin Gold project, we are now well-positioned to further unlock the value of an asset defined by a unique combination of multiple attributes, any one of which commands a premium in today's asset-starved gold industry: an enormous endowment that has the potential to see extraordinary resource expansion; with its high grade gold dissemination, exceptional quality for a large-scale, long-life operation; and a production profile that is second to none as a pure gold producer. All of these factors are enhanced by the jurisdictional safety that comes from strong local support and the project's location in a state that is already the second largest gold producer in the U.S. and wishes to further strengthen its mining industry through the successful development of Donlin Gold.
We are committed to our business plan of unlocking the full value of this project through our long-term and mutually-beneficial relationships with our partners at Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick), Calista Corporation (Calista), and The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC). By maintaining a collaborative approach with the permitting and cooperating agencies, as well as continued open and transparent communication with the local stakeholders in the Y-K region, we look forward to continuing the progress we have achieved this year. During the six-month public comment period that closed at the end of the second quarter, the Corps conducted 17 meetings in communities in the Y-K region and Anchorage. The meetings gave the Corps an opportunity to present an overview of the draft EIS, which evaluates potential environmental, social and economic impact of the proposed project together with evaluated alternatives. The meetings also served as an excellent platform for local stakeholders to ask questions and provide comments on the draft EIS. The Corps is reviewing all the comments to assess if additional studies or work would be required to prepare the final EIS, which they currently anticipate to be published in 2017.
An incredible amount of support for Donlin Gold was shown in the comment letters that were submitted to the Corps. Here are a few excerpts:
"As you know, exploration and development of Alaska's natural resources plays an important part of our past, present, and also our future. The five large mines currently active in our state provide excellent jobs for Alaskans and stimulate and diversify Alaska's economy. Responsible development of the proposed Donlin Gold project will continue this tradition and enable the Calista Corporation (Calista) and The Kuskokwim Corporation (TKC) to generate employment, business opportunities, and revenues for their shareholders and the shareholders of other Alaska Native corporations throughout the state, as well as for the State of Alaska." Mr. Bill Walker, Governor, State of Alaska, May 31, 2016
"As a mine that focuses on environmental responsibility, meaningful dialogue with communities, job opportunities and economic stimulus for one of the poorest regions in the entire state, Donlin Gold has TKC's full support." Ms. Maver Carey, President & CEO, The Kuskokwim Corporation, May 25, 2016
"The economic benefits of Donlin will not be limited to Southwest Alaska. In fact, Donlin's effects will be felt statewide. Located on Calista land, Donlin will ultimately benefit not only Calista and its shareholders, but all of the other ANCSA regional and village corporations and their shareholders as well, including CIRI, through 7i/7j distributions [provisions under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA) stipulating that certain natural resource revenues be distributed among all 12 Regional Corporations]." Cook Inlet Region Inc., Alaska Native Corporation, May 28, 2016
"Donlin will provide far reaching benefits for Alaska Native people throughout the state, precisely the type of self-determination that was envisioned with the passage of ANCSA - Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act () We appreciate that Donlin has worked with [Calista and TKC] to ensure the subsistence way of life in the entire project footprint are a primary consideration. We recognize that by providing economic opportunities and jobs for shareholders and residents of the region, subsistence opportunities will be maintained and Alaska Native Cultures will ultimately be preserved." ANCSA Regional Association Board of Directors, April 22, 2016
As should be expected, for a project that promises to be a game-changer for the region, along with these statements of support came requests to ensure that the project is developed responsibly with respect for Alaska Native culture and the area's subsistence way of life. As we have always been attentive to these matters, none of the concerns were a surprise. Nor were the other areas of particular focus, which included the barge traffic on the Kuskokwim River, the potential impact to subsistence resources and users, ways in which emissions, mitigation and response procedures will work in the unlikely event of a fuel spill or tailings dam failure, and plans for reclamation and environmental monitoring post-closure. Airing of these issues was welcomed, and in fact represents the purpose of a public comment period, and we expect that these comments will be addressed in the final EIS.
While the EIS process comprises a large portion of the activities at Donlin Gold, the team continues to advance other major permit applications and approvals. The Corps provided opportunities for public comment on Donlin Gold's Section 404 (wetland)/10 (rivers and harbors) permit application during the same time as the draft EIS comment period that closed at the end of the second quarter. Donlin Gold continues to work with the Corps to meet their schedule for issuance of the permits following the publication of the final EIS. Additionally, Donlin Gold continues to work with the State of Alaska to issue drafts of the integrated waste management permit, reclamation plan approval and water discharge permit for public comment in 2017, as well as work with the Federal agencies to advance issuance of other required permits, including dam safety approvals, pipeline authorizations, water use permits, the air quality permit, fish habitat permits, as well as land and shoreline lease and right-of-way approvals.
While we are progressing with permitting, NOVAGOLD and its joint-venture partner Barrick are also working on value-enhancing opportunities to optimize project economics and reduce upfront capital. Market conditions for project development have improved markedly since the completion of the feasibility study for Donlin Gold nearly five years ago. This allows the partners greater flexibility in their engagement, which has been conducted in a truly collegial spirit by both companies. The outcome of this effort may include enhanced project design and execution, engagement of third-party operators for certain activities and the possible arrangement of third-party financing of a portion of the capital intensive infrastructure. Donlin Gold is already a very robust project with 39 million ounces of gold in the measured and indicated resource categories with an average grade of 2.2 grams per tonne, representing a much higher grade than the global average for the gold industry. Moreover, in an era of declining production, Donlin Gold is planned to be one of the largest gold producers in the world with anticipated annual gold production of greater than one million ounces per year over a 27-year mine life. The leverage to gold that we enjoy presently is truly immense. Nonetheless, we are confident that these additional studies will enhance the project's value even further.
Galore Creek Project
Draft concept reports for the first phase of the Galore Creek generalized tunneling practice related to the access and material handling tunnel as well as enhancements to the site waste rock and water management plans were completed and are under review. We expect this effort to further improve the value and marketability of the Galore Creek project. Due to challenging copper markets, we intend to maintain the current level of activities at Galore Creek with minimal spending. When the market improves, Galore Creek will warrant the attention that it deserves as an incredibly valuable polymetallic deposit in British Columbia with the potential to be a core asset for any mining company. Our shareholders will benefit from improved copper market conditions as the value realized from disposition of all or part of our 50% interest in Galore Creek will help strengthen our cash position and contribute toward the development of Donlin Gold.
Stakeholder Engagement
The communities and local stakeholders surrounding our projects in Alaska and British Columbia are very important to the success of NOVAGOLD. In the second quarter, our commitment to local engagement in Alaska was focused on communicating key project details, keeping stakeholders informed as well as to encourage participation in the draft EIS public meetings and submission of comments to the Corps. Donlin Gold also delivered project updates to numerous villages in the Y-K region and initiated outreach regarding potential mitigation projects to be included in Donlin Gold's Compensatory Mitigation Plan (CMP). The CMP, which describes projects to offset potential project wetland impacts, will be submitted to the Corps for review and approval. Donlin Gold is an annual sponsor of the Clean Up Green Up initiative that took place in more than 50 communities in the Y-K region where waste that had accumulated throughout the winter was removed. Additionally, together with the "Kids Don't Float" and "Alaska Boating Safety" campaigns, Donlin Gold was successful in conveying the importance of wearing a life jacket when out on the water to the villages located along the Y-K region's rivers. With respect to workforce development, a number of initiatives took place in the second quarter that demonstrated the opportunities that exist for local stakeholders even before development of Donlin Gold begins. The 3rd Annual Academic and Trades Decathlon in Aniak is a popular educational event that is sponsored by Donlin Gold. A total of 140 students from three school districts participated in the event and career fair. Additionally, ten graduating seniors from the Y-K region attended a two-week heavy equipment operator training program at Delta Mine Training Center which was operated by the University of Alaska's Mine and Petroleum Training Service (MAPTS) in May. This is a career pathway partnership among Calista and its subsidiary companies, Donlin Gold, EXCEL Alaska and MAPTS. All ten graduates are working for Calista subsidiary companies following completion of the training program. Our involvement and support of social, educational and environmental initiatives in the villages and broader communities in the region are an integral part of how NOVAGOLD does business.
NOVAGOLD has been in the enviable position of enjoying an exceptionally strong balance sheet at a time when market conditions have been challenging and many in the mining industry have had to revise their business strategy, near-term focus and outlook. Since our last equity financing in 2012, we have been careful stewards of the capital entrusted to us by our shareholders which has allowed us to stay the course and continue to deliver on our stated objective of developing one of the industry's most important gold assets. With $112 million in cash and term deposits at the end of the second quarter, we have sufficient capital to advance Donlin Gold through permitting.
To conclude, I feel extremely privileged to enjoy the strong and collaborative working relationships that have been fostered with our stakeholders. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge our partners at Barrick and Teck, my colleagues at NOVAGOLD, as well as the governments, Native Corporations and First Nations in the jurisdictions in which we operate - thank you for all of your hard work and support. As always, we are tremendously appreciative of our shareholders for their unwavering faith in our Company, as well as the invaluable leadership and guidance provided by our Board of Directors. Our Board's commitment to our long-term, shareholder friendly vision is fundamental to our success.
Gregory A. Lang
President & CEO
Financial Results
in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for per share amounts
Three
months
ended
May 31,
2016
$ Three
months
ended
May 31,
2015
$ Six
months
ended
May 31,
2016
$ Six
months
ended
May 31,
2015
$ General and administrative expense (1) 4,561 3,150 11,885 11,652 Share of losses - Donlin Gold 2,502 3,654 4,505 6,150 Share of losses - Galore Creek 320 285 514 411 Studies and evaluation - 148 - 301 Depreciation 8 9 17 18 Total operating expenses 7,391 7,246 16,921 18,532 Loss from operations (7,391) (7,246) (16,921) (18,532) Other income (expense) (1,730) (1,944) (2,115) 53 Loss for the period (9,138) (9,184) (19,115) (18,483) Loss per share, basic and diluted (0.03) (0.03) (0.06) (0.06) At At May 31,
2016
$ Nov 30,
2015
$ Cash and term deposits 111,743 126,731 Total assets 424,135 433,584 Total liabilities 105,377 104,288
(1) Includes share-based compensation expense of $1,869 and $728 in the second quarter of 2016 and 2015, respectively, and $6,577 and $6,057 in the first six months of 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Loss from operations in the second quarter increased from $7.2 million in 2015 to $7.4 million in 2016 and decreased for the first six months from $18.5 million in 2015 to $16.9 million in 2016. General administrative expenses were lower in the second quarter of 2015 due to a non-cash out-of-period adjustment of $1.0 million in respect of an overstatement of stock option expense in the first quarter of 2015. The year-to-date decrease in loss from operations is primarily due to a reduction of $1.6 million in our share of losses at the Donlin Gold project as 2016 activities continued to focus on the draft EIS and permitting.
Net loss decreased from $9.2 million ($0.03 per share) in the second quarter of 2015 to $9.1 million ($0.03 per share) in the second quarter of 2016, primarily due to lower interest expense in 2016 due to the repayment of the convertible notes in May 2015 and a $0.4 million write-down of the Company's investments in junior mining companies in 2015, offset by foreign exchange losses due to the strengthening of the Canadian dollar.
For the first six months, net loss increased from $18.5 million ($0.06 per share) in 2015 to $19.1 million ($0.06 per share) in 2016, primarily due to foreign exchange losses in 2016 compared to gains in 2015, partially offset by the reduction in loss from operations, lower interest expense and a $0.4 million write-down of investments in junior mining companies in 2015. The U.S. dollar significantly strengthened in relation to the Canadian dollar during the first six months of 2015 and foreign exchange gains were realized by the Canadian parent company on its cash denominated in U.S. dollars.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash and term deposits decreased by $5.2 million and $15.0 million in the second quarter and first six months of 2016, respectively. The decrease in cash was primarily related to operating activities for administrative costs and working capital, withholding taxes on vested performance share units, as well as $3.1 million and $5.2 million, in the second quarter and first six months of 2016, respectively, to fund our share of the Donlin Gold and Galore Creek projects. The term deposits are denominated in U.S. dollars and held at two Canadian chartered banks.
2016 Outlook
In 2016, we continue to expect to spend approximately $25 million, including $9 million to fund our share of expenditures at the Donlin Gold project, $1 million at the Galore Creek project, $1 million for our share of joint Donlin Gold studies with Barrick, $12 million for general and administrative costs and $2 million for working capital and other corporate purposes.
NOVAGOLD continues to focus on five primary goals for the year: first, to advance the Donlin Gold project toward a construction decision; second, uphold strong relationships with all stakeholders; third, advance Galore Creek project mine planning and design; fourth, evaluate opportunities to monetize the value of Galore Creek; and fifth, maintain a healthy balance sheet.
Conference Call & Webcast Details
NOVAGOLD's conference call and webcast to discuss the second quarter results will take place June 28, 2016 at 8:00 am PT (11:00 am ET). The webcast and conference call-in details are provided below.
Webcast: www.novagold.com/investors/events North American callers: 1-866-426-5215 International callers: 1-704-908-0398 Conference ID: 27570814
The webcast will be archived on NOVAGOLD's website for one year. For a transcript of the call please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
About NOVAGOLD
NOVAGOLD is a well-financed precious metals company engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties in North America. Its flagship asset is the 50%-owned Donlin Gold project in Alaska, one of the safest jurisdictions in the world. With approximately 39 million ounces of gold in the measured and indicated resource categories (541 million tonnes at an average grade of approximately 2.2 grams per tonne), Donlin Gold is regarded to be one of the largest, highest grade, and most prospective known gold deposits in the world. According to the Second Updated Feasibility Study (as defined below), once in production, Donlin Gold should average more than one million ounces per year over a 27-year mine life on a 100% basis. The Donlin Gold project has substantial exploration potential beyond the designed footprint which currently covers only three kilometers of an approximately eight-kilometer long gold-bearing trend. Current activities at Donlin Gold are focused on permitting, community outreach and workforce development in preparation for the construction and operation of this top tier asset. The Donlin Gold project commenced permitting in 2012, a clearly defined process expected to take approximately five years. NOVAGOLD also owns 50% of the Galore Creek copper-gold-silver project located in northern British Columbia. According to the 2011 Pre-Feasibility Study (as defined below), once in production, Galore Creek is expected to be the largest copper mine in Canada, a tier-one jurisdiction. NOVAGOLD is currently evaluating opportunities to sell all or a portion of its interest in Galore Creek and would apply the proceeds toward the development of Donlin Gold. NOVAGOLD is well positioned to stay the course and take Donlin Gold through permitting.
Scientific and Technical Information
Scientific and technical information contained herein with respect to Donlin Gold is derived from the "Donlin Creek Gold Project Alaska, USA NI 43-101 Technical Report on Second Updated Feasibility Study" compiled by AMEC with an effective date of November 18, 2011, as amended January 20, 2012 (the "Second Updated Feasibility Study"). Kirk Hanson, P.E., Technical Director, Open Pit Mining, North America, (AMEC, Reno), and Gordon Seibel, R.M. SME, Principal Geologist, (AMEC, Reno) are the Qualified Persons responsible for the preparation of the independent technical report, each of whom are independent "qualified persons" as defined by NI 43-101.
Certain scientific and technical information contained herein with respect to Galore Creek is derived from the technical report entitled "Galore Creek Project British Columbia NI 43-101 Technical Report on Pre-Feasibility Study" dated effective July 27, 2011 (the "2011 Pre-Feasibility Study"). The Qualified Persons responsible for the preparation of the independent technical report are Greg Kulla, P. Geo., Principal Geologist (AMEC Americas Limited), and Jay Melnyk, P. Eng. (AMEC Americas Limited), each of whom are independent "qualified persons" as defined by NI 43-101.
Clifford Krall, P.E., who is the Mine Engineering Manager for NOVAGOLD and a "qualified person" under NI 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical information related to the Donlin Gold and Galore Creek projects contained in this press release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, the timing of permitting and potential development of Donlin Gold, statements relating to NOVAGOLD's future operating and financial performance, outlook, and the potential sale of all or part of NOVAGOLD's interest in Galore Creek are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the 2016 outlook; perceived merit of properties; anticipated permitting timeframes; exploration results and budgets; mineral reserve and resource estimates; work programs; capital expenditures; timelines; strategic plans; completion of transactions; market prices for precious and base metals; or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from NOVAGOLD's expectations include the uncertainties involving the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; the need for additional financing to explore and develop properties and availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests and the estimation of reserves and resources; the need for continued cooperation with Barrick Gold Corporation and Teck Resources Limited for the continued exploration and development of the Donlin Gold and Galore Creek properties, respectively; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the development and operation of properties; risks of construction and mining projects such as accidents, equipment breakdowns, bad weather, non-compliance with environmental and permit requirements, unanticipated variation in geological structures, ore grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and currency exchange rates; and other risk and uncertainties disclosed in NOVAGOLD's Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year-ended November 30, 2015 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Canadian securities regulators, and in other NOVAGOLD reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. NOVAGOLD's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. NOVAGOLD assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
Cautionary Note to United States Investors
This press release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this press release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM)-CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended ("CIM Definition Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "resource" does not equate to the term "reserves". Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC's disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning "measured mineral resources", "indicated mineral resources" or "inferred mineral resources" or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of "measured" or "indicated resources" will ever be converted into "reserves". Investors should also understand that "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of the "inferred resources" will ever be upgraded to "indicated resource", "measured resource", or "mineral reserve" status. Under Canadian rules, estimated "inferred mineral resources" may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of "reserves" are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by NOVAGOLD in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.
GRAND BAIE, MAURITIUS--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - Alphamin Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:AFM) ("Alphamin" or the "Company") is pleased to report on the results of an update to its Feasibility Study for its 80.75% owned Bisie Tin Project ("Bisie" or "the Project") located in the Walikale Territory of the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC"). The Updated Feasibility Study ("UFS") updates the Original Feasibility Study ("OFS") (dated February 2016) and is based on an increase in Bisie's Mineral Resources.
"The 34% increase in the Indicated Mineral Resources announced on 11 May 2016 and improved tin price outlook has enhanced the forecast economic performance indicators for Bisie significantly. The improvement in profitability and extension to the life of mine (LoM), reinforces our belief that the Project forms the ideal foundation on which to build a mining company and associated infrastructure for mining in the tin-rich province of North Kivu. The Project is based on proven mining and tin recovery methods, which should make it straightforward to operate, with low unit tin production costs and significant growth opportunities. Our UFS confirms our view that Bisie presents shareholders with an attractive opportunity to invest in one of the highest grade known tin deposits provinces in the world," said Boris Kamstra, Chief Executive Officer of Alphamin.
OFS versus UFS - operating highlights and Project performance
Probable Mineral Reserves(1) Capital expenditure
(US$ million) Total costs
(US$ per
tonne tin)(2) Tin price
(US$ per
tonne tin) NPV @ 8% real
discount rate
(US$ million)(3)
IRR
(Real %) OFS 3.04Mt @ 3.76% tin 119.2 8 448 14 800 149.0 36.4 UFS 3.52Mt @ 4.34% tin 124.2 8 935 17 300 262.7 48.4
Mpama North orebody only Includes export duties and fees, local and DRC Government royalties, and marketing commissions NPV 8% is shown for ease of comparison to other tin projects who use an 8% discount rate for their valuations. A NPV sensitivity table is included further on.
Please note that throughout this release:
All figures presented pertain to 100% of the Project. Alphamin owns an effective 80.75% interest in the Project; and
All currency related figures are stated in real 1 January 2016 terms unless stated otherwise.
"The Alphamin team has continued to improve the economic performance indicators of the Project through additional drilling and further engineering of the mine design and schedule. The high tin grades in the mill feed will result in excellent metallurgical recoveries and produce a premium concentrate for smelting. The Alphamin team is also committed to contributing to the stability and economic activity in North Kivu, bringing significant benefit to the community and other stakeholders alike. As a result, great progress is being made in road building and other community development initiatives," said Kamstra.
Kamstra further emphasised that the Project design also allows for a phased scale-up of production from additional exploration targets surrounding the Mpama North area.
The UFS is based on an underground mine at the Mpama North orebody containing over 208 000 tonnes of tin from defined Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources. The process plant is designed to treat the run of mine (ROM) material using proven gravity separation methods.
It is anticipated that the Project will employ approximately 700 people during construction, and create approximately 450 permanent local jobs during operations along with significant economic benefits in an area of the DRC that has seen little foreign investment.
The UFS envisages the Project implementation plan being executed over a period of 18 months. Establishment of the underground mine is scheduled to commence in Q1 2017, with ore development and stoping commencing six months after the establishment of the mining portal. First production of tin in concentrate is anticipated in Q3 2018.
The project requires an estimated initial capital expenditure of US$124.2 million (see below) to support the construction of an access road, an underground mine, a process plant, a tailings dam and associated facilities with a ROM process capacity of 360ktpa.
The mine is estimated to produce 10 750 tonnes of tin in concentrate on average per year over an almost 12 year LoM, with cash costs of production of US$7 396 (see below) per tonne tin.
UFS - operating highlights and Project performance
ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS Tin price (Q2 2016) US$17 300 per tonne Oil price (Q2 2016) US$56 per barrel Delivered cost of diesel US$1.81 per litre Explosives cost US$3 400 per tonne
PRODUCTION ASSUMPTIONS Plant throughput 360ktpa Plant recovery 72%
OPERATING COSTS Activity US$ per tonne milled US$ per tonne tin Mining 81.01 2 607 Processing 20.65 664 Site infrastructure 14.66 472 Administration and general 38.28 1 232 Transport of concentrate 32.21 1 036 Treatment charges 43.04 1 385 Cash cost of tin produced 229.85 7 396 Export duties, fees & local government royalties 23.25 748 DRC Government royalty 10.56 340 Marketing commissions 14.00 451 Cash cost of tin sold 277.66 8 935
CAPITAL COSTS (INCL. CONTINGENCIES) Area US$M Mining 22.0 Plant 44.5 Transport and logistics 5.0 Tailings and waste management 3.3 Access road 19.1 Engineering and management fees 10.1 Pre-production and owners costs (incl. first fills and strategic spares) 20.2 Total capital costs 124.2
FISCAL ASSUMPTIONS Export duties and fees (per wet t of tin concentrate) US$256.67 Local government levy (% of revenue) 2% DRC Government royalty (% of revenue) 2% Corporate tax rate (%) 30%
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Economic indicator Units Value Ungeared NPV 8 (real after tax) US$ million 262.7 Ungeared IRR (real after tax) % 48.4 Payback period from first tin production months 23 Peak funding (nominal terms) US$ million 156.2 Average production tpa 10 750 Average EBITDA per annum US$ million 89.9
The Project NPV at various discount rates is set out in the table hereunder:
Economic indicator Units Value 8% real discount rate US$ million 262.7 10% real discount rate US$ million 220.9 12% real discount rate US$ million 185.8 15% real discount rate US$ million 142.9
Economic sensitivities
The UFS results show that the Project has the potential to remain strongly profitable at lower tin prices, as well as at increased prices for key consumables.
Bisie Project Commentary
Conflict free tin
Through the initiatives of the global tin industry regarding the trade of conflict minerals in the Great Lakes Region, burden of proof falls primarily on supply chain operators and exporters to prove the direct source of the tin concentrate produced for smelting. That material which is not traceable to its direct source is unsaleable in the open market, since global smelters are under increasing pressure to assure certification and chain of custody to their customers. The Bisie operation will supply conflict-free tin from eastern DRC and the Alphamin operation will be the manifestation of what conflict mineral legislation aimed to achieve.
ABM's conflict-free tin concentrate and social initiatives should therefore be of interest to international trading and smelting companies and multinational brands which use tin in their products, including laptops, mobile and smart phones and cars.
The complexities of certifying tin concentrates also make the product less appealing to armed groups and so reduces the risk of an attack on the mine or transporters with the intention to forcefully gain occupation of the mine site or appropriate final product.
Permitting
The Bisie Project is contained within Permis de Exploitation (mining permit) PE13155. The permit was issued in February 2015 and is valid until 2045. In terms of the DRC Mining Code, the holder of a mining permit is entitled to
build the installations and infrastructure required for mining exploitation;
use the water and wood within the mining area for the requirements of the mining operation, subject to the conditions of the environmental management plan;
use, transport and freely sell the products originating from the mining area; and
proceed with concentration, metallurgical treatment, as well as the transformation of mineral substances extracted from the deposit within the mining area.
Alphamin also holds the legal title to additional exploration permits (PR10346, PR5266 and PR5267) adjacent to PE13155.
Mineral Resources
The Mineral Resource estimates were updated in May 2016. The Mineral Resource estimate contains 19 600 tonnes of tin of Measured Mineral Resources, 188 400 tonnes of tin in Indicated Mineral Resources and 22 800 tonnes of tin in Inferred Mineral Resources declared at a 0.5% tin cut-off grade.
Classification Tonnes
(millions) Tin
% Tin tonnes
(thousands) Copper
% Zinc
% Lead
ppm Silver
g/t Measured 0.46 4.31 19.6 0.22 0.12 70 1.4 Indicated 4.14 4.55 188.4 0.32 0.16 100 2.8 Total M&I 4.60 4.52 208.1 0.31 0.15 100 2.7 Inferred 0.54 4.25 22.8 0.16 0.09 130 1.4
Mineral Reserves
A mining cut-off grade of 1.8% tin was calculated for the proposed Sub-Level Caving mining method and was applied to the Mineral Resources declared to determine the volume of Mineral Resources that would be payable, based on the cut-off calculation assumptions.
The modifying factors applied to convert the Mineral Resource estimate to Mineral Reserves are based on the Sub-Level Caving mining method selected and the mining designs generated are as follows:
Cut-off grade 1.8% tin Draw point shut-off grade 1.5% tin Ore recovery 85% Planned dilution 27% Unplanned dilution 25%
Conversion of Mineral Resource to Mineral Reserves Modification step Factor Tonnes
(t) Tin grade
(%) Tin content
(t) Notes Resource model (M&I @ 1.8% tin COG) 3 322 050 5.79% 192 451 1 Mining exclusions 8% -276 397 4.98% -13 759 2 Resources in mine design (M&I @ 1.8% tin COG) 3 045 708 5.87% 178 692 3 Planned dilution 27% 812 920 1.27% 10 349 4 Mine design - including planned dilution 3 858 628 4.90% 189 041 5 Unplanned dilution 25% 945 840 0.00% - 6 Mine design - diluted 4 804 468 3.93% 189 041 7 Mine design - after 1.5% tin shut-off grade 4 158 252 4.32% 179 463 8 Ore loss -15% -641,013 4.19% -26,837 9 Mine Design - Diluted and Recovered @ 1.5% Sn COG 3,517,219 4.34% 152,627 10
Notes:
Measured and Indicated mineral resources as reported in the Table 15.2 above Practical development and stope shapes designed around measured and indicated resources, above cut-off grade. Some outlying resource bocks which cannot be included into a practical mining shape are excluded - Mining exclusions. Measured and indicated blocks, above cut-of grade that are included in the mine design. The development of practical mining shapes results in unpayable resources being included into a stope or development end - Planned dilution. Total resource modified by planned dilution and resource exclusions. Un-planned dilution estimated to account for waste included in run of mine ore. Total resource modified by planned dilution, resource exclusions and unplanned dilution. A shut off grade of 1.5% is applied to determine the material which reports to the plant. Weighted average of 15% ore loss applied to account for ore not recovered from the draw point. Total mining inventory after application of all modifying factors - Ore Reserves.
No Inferred Mineral Resources have been included in the estimation of Mineral Reserves.
Mining
Contractors will mine the Mpama North orebody using proven underground mechanised mining methods to deliver ore to the process plant at an expected rate of 30ktpm. Bara has estimated mineral reserves (converting only Measured and Indicated mineral resources) of 3.52 Mt, at a grade of 4.34% tin, using a cut-off grade of 1.8% tin. Only Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources are used to determine the mineral reserve estimate.
Processing and tin recovery
A comprehensive programme of metallurgical testing was executed to support the OFS and UFS. An overall metallurgical recovery of 79% was achieved under laboratory conditions. Factoring in operating conditions, operator skill levels, and an element of conservatism, an overall recovery of 72% has been applied in the evaluation of the Project economics. The process design is based on recovery of tin into concentrate through conventional gravity separation methods. The Bisie Tin Project process plant design capacity is 500ktpa, though Alphamin has planned to operate the plant at only 360ktpa using feed material from Mpama North only.
Environment
The Project is fully permitted to commence with construction and operation activities. Alphamin has completed the required environmental studies, and management plans have been developed to mitigate the potential negative environmental impacts of the Project.
Community development
The operation will deliver on the commitment to develop the first large commercial tin mine in the eastern DRC that will produce conflict-free tin concentrate, while promoting community development, safety, health and environmentally sound practices. Alphamin, therefore has a robust and proactive programme of community outreach and engagement in place.
In April, 2016 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Alphamin and the Walikale Community to collaborate in creating the Lowa Alliance and to promote environmental conservation and the reduction of illegal artisanal mining on ABM concessions. Alphamin committed, from the date of production, to spend 4% of its in-country operating and administrative expenses on community development. This investment will be governed with representative input from local communities and will be managed by the Lowa Alliance, a Government of the DRC (GDRC)-regulated non-profit foundation. The development of an industrial mine at Bisie will also generate leveraging of the GDRC and donor resources for additional investment in community infrastructure and social and economic development in the project affected communities.
Alphamin's artisanal mining strategy is also highly integrated with the community development strategy and promotes incentives for artisanal miners to operate away from project areas with improved legal and other conditions. The artisanal mining strategy also works with authorities to improve compliance with regulatory frameworks. ABM will encourage and assist GDRC authorities, supported by the supply chain and donor financed traceability systems, to identify more sites for legal artisanal mining and to support their validation and traceability. ABM is responsible for consistent monitoring of all community initiatives, including the artisanal strategy, to work with all involved stakeholders to assure respect for and compliance with the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights guidelines.
Operating costs
The Bisie Project's unit and total operating costs were estimated over the life of the project. Mining operating costs were estimated using contractor mining rates developed through a competitive tender process. Operating costs were developed from first principles for processing, site infrastructure, and general and administration, using operating plans as the basis for consideration of labour, materials and consumables.
Primary on-mine cost drivers are diesel fuel (US$1.81 per litre) and explosives (US$3 400 per tonne). Labour costs have been modelled on existing operations in the DRC, employing work schedules, which are compliant with the DRC Labour Code.
Off-mine costs are based on trucking the concentrate to a secure export warehouse in Goma using rough terrain vehicles. In Goma the concentrate will be sold to tin traders whereafter it will be transferred to standard triaxle trucks and transported to Mombasa for shipping to Malaysia. Logitsics costs are based on indicative quotes received from transporters. Treatment charges and marketing commissions are likewise based upon indicative quotes received from tin smelters and traders respectively.
Export duties and fees are based upon the prevailing legislation and practice in the DRC, and amount to some US$256.67 per wet tonne of concentrate. Royalties were calculated on the net on mine revenue and are payable to both the local and DRC government at 2% each.
OPERATING COSTS Activity US$ per tonne milled US$ per tonne tin Mining 81.01 2 607 Processing 20.65 664 Site infrastructure 14.66 472 Administration and general 38.28 1 232 Transport of concentrate 32.21 1 036 Treatment charges 43.04 1 385 Cash cost of tin produced 229.85 7 396 Export duties, fees and local government royalties 23.25 748 DRC Government royalty 10.56 340 Marketing commissions 14.00 451 Cash cost of tin sold 277.66 8 935
Capital costs
The total pre-production capital cost (CAPEX) is estimated at US$124.2 million, inclusive of first fills, strategic spares and contingencies. The initial capital costs, include the design and development of an access road, an underground mine, a process plant, a tailings storage facility and all associated services required for the operation of the mine.
Project schedule to production
The proposed project development schedule allows 18 months for the mine construction programme. Certain early works are required to gain access to the mine site as illustrated below.
To view the second figure associated with this release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Alphamin-figure2.pdf.
Funding strategy
Peak funding for the Project, as determined from the period 1 January 2016 to the date upon which the Project starts generating positive operational cash flows on a sustainable basis, is estimated to be US$156.2 million in nominal terms:
PEAK FUNDING REQUIREMENT (NOMINAL TERMS) US$M Owners team & ongoing project evaluation costs (1 Jan 2016 to 1 Jan 2017) 18.1 Project capital expenditure 123.4 Working capital 3.4 VAT(1) 13.8 Cash generated by operations (2.5) Total 156.2
(1) VAT refunds are typically repaid within one month, however the Government of the DRC recently declared a moratorium on the repayment of VAT refunds. The Company has assumed that this moratorium will be lifted in due course, but that VAT refunds may take as long as 12 months to be repaid going forward.
The peak funding requirement has been / will be met as follows:
FUNDING SOURCES (NOMINAL TERMS) US$M Cash on hand as at 1 January 2016 9.0 Receipt of final tranche of IDC subscription monies in June 2016 3.0 Interim equity capital raise planned for Q3 2016 10.0 Final capital raise: Equity 67.1 Debt 67.1 Total 156.2
The Company intends commencing its final capital raising programme in early July 2017, and is targeting firm commitments on both equity and debt by the end of Q4 2017, and financial close for equity and debt on 31 December 2016 and 31 August 2017 respectively. Based on early, in principle, discussions with potential providers of funding, the Company is confident that these time frames will be met.
Opportunities and next steps
While the UFS is based solely on the Mpama North orebody only, Alphamin's exploration success in proving up this world-class orebody demonstrates the potential to add additional tin bearing material from potential extensions to the mineralisation at depth at Mpama North, Mpama South, and other adjacent permitted exploration areas.
The Company also believes that there are opportunities to further improve the economics of the Bisie Project through continued engineering, capital cost reductions, and potential process plant engineering initiatives. During the next six to twelve months, the Company will vigorously investigate ways to reduce or defer capital expenditures to minimise the capital at risk to its shareholders.
Conclusion
The updating of the Feasibility Study for the Bisie Project confirms the robust economic performance indicators for the Project and further demonstrates the robust nature of the project.
The International Tin Research Institute (ITRI) has forecast that there is likely to be a global shortfall of tin commencing in 2018. Future supply is uncertain as tin inventories are running low and economically viable tin reserves are being depleted. There are a limited number of active industrial scale tin mines outside of China and Indonesia and the majority of other new projects face significant technical, financing and other challenges, while obtaining the required permits to build a mine remain complex.
Given the limited number of existing producers, and the challenges facing the majority of new projects, Bisie is considered one of the most advanced tin projects in the world. There is no other known tin project in the world that can commit to construction under present tin price conditions, and as such, the project is expected to become the next significant tin producer.
Important notice
Although Alphamin discloses its mineral resource and mineral reserve statement in accordance with the requirements of the applicable disclosure standards, this news release is based on estimates, which while prepared by Qualified Persons, are subject to numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities and classification of mineral resources and mineral reserves (including subjective judgments and determinations based on available geological, technical, contracted and economic information). Therefore, these statements should not be interpreted as assurances of LoM, or of the profitability of current or future operations.
Mineral resources and mineral reserves prepared by, or under the supervision of different Qualified Persons are estimates based on different technical assumptions (all of which comply with the applicable mining standards) and may vary as a result. There is no assurance that had such estimates been prepared by the same professional geoscientists and engineers applying a uniform methodology, they would not differ substantially from the information contained herein.
Mineral resource and mineral reserve information contained herein is based on engineering, metallurgical, economic and geological data assembled, and analysed by both Alphamin and third parties. Estimates as to both quantity and quality are periodically updated to reflect extraction of commodities and new drilling, or other data received. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities and qualities of mineral reserves and costs to mine them, including many modifying factors beyond Alphamin's control. Estimates of mineral reserves necessarily depend upon a number of variable factors and assumptions, all of which may vary considerably from the actual results, such as
geological continuity and mining conditions, which may not be fully identified by available exploration data, or which may differ from experience in current operations; and
the assumed effects of regulation and taxes by governmental agencies and assumptions concerning commodity prices, operating costs, mining technology improvements, severance and excise tax, development costs and reclamation costs.
Further, mineral resource estimates, prepared in accordance with applicable mining standards are based on concentrations or occurrences of minerals that are judged to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, but for which the economics of extraction cannot be assessed, whether because of insufficiency of geological information, or lack of feasibility analysis, or for which economic extraction cannot be justified at the time of reporting. Consequently, mineral resources are of a higher risk and are less likely to be accurately estimated or recovered than mineral reserves. As well, mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have a demonstrated economic viability and require economic analysis to prove their viability for extraction.
Assumptions that are valid at the time of estimation may change significantly when new information becomes available, requiring a reassessment of mineral reserves. Such changes in mineral reserves could also impact depreciation and amortisation rates, asset carrying values, and provisions for close down, restoration and environmental remediation costs.
If the prices of the commodities produced by Alphamin decrease, or if there are adverse changes in treatment charges or foreign exchange rates, certain of Alphamin's mineral reserves, which are currently classified as probable may cease to be classified as recoverable, as they become uneconomic to mine. In addition, changes in operating, capital or other costs may have the same effect by rendering certain mineral reserves uneconomic to mine in the future. Should such reductions occur, material write-downs of its investment in mining properties or the discontinuation of development might be required, and there could be material delays in the development of new projects, increased net losses and reduced cash flow. Moreover, short-term operating factors relating to mineral reserves, such as the need for orderly development of the mineral deposit, or the processing of new or different mineral grades, may cause a mining operation to be unprofitable in any particular accounting period.
No assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved, or that the indicated level of recovery will be realised. The volume and grade of mineral reserves actually recovered and rates of production from the Company's present mineral reserves may be less than geological measurements of the mineral reserves, which may result in Alphamin realising less value from such mineral reserves than has been predicted. In the future, short-term operating factors relating to mineral reserves, such as the need for development of ore bodies and other mineral resources, or the processing of different ore grades, may cause mineral reserves to be modified or Alphamin's operations to be unprofitable in a particular period.
No assurance can be given that the indicated amount of mineral reserves of ore, or other minerals will be recovered, or will be recovered at the prices assumed. Mineral reserve estimates are based on limited sampling and, consequently, are uncertain because the samples may not be representative of the entire orebody and mineral resource. As a better understanding of the orebody or mineral resource is obtained, the mineral reserve estimates may change significantly, either positively or negatively.
For these reasons, estimates and classifications of mineral reserves prepared by different engineers, or by the same engineers at different times may vary substantially. Actual commodity tonnage recovered from identified mineral reserves and revenue and expenditures with respect to the mineral reserves may vary materially from estimates. Accordingly, these reserve estimates may not accurately reflect Alphamin's actual mineral reserves. Any inaccuracy in the estimates related to the mineral reserves could result in lower than expected revenue, higher than expected costs and decreased profitability.
All units are metric throughout this mineral resource and mineral reserve statement, unless otherwise stated.
All mineral resources and mineral reserves contained in this release should be read subject to the above risks and modifying factors. The effective date of all mineral resources and mineral reserves in this news release is May 2016. The data was prepared by, or under the supervision of a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.
Industry terms and abbreviations
The following industry terms and abbreviations are used within this document:
CIM Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy NPV Net present value ktpa Thousand tonnes per annum ktpm Thousand tonnes per month LOM Life of mine Mt Million tonnes NI National instrument QP Qualified Person ROM Run of mine IRR Internal rate of return US$ United States of America dollar % Percentage
Mine cut-off grade is defined as the level of mineral in an ore below, which is not economically feasible to mine.
CIM definitions, standard definitions or similar
The following definitions have been applied in estimating the mineral resources and mineral reserves disclosed within this release.
Mineral reserve
Is the economically mineable part of a measured and/or indicated mineral resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses, which may occur when the material is mined, or extracted and is defined by studies at a pre-feasibility or feasibility level as appropriate that include application of modifying factors. Such studies demonstrate that, at a time of reporting, extraction could be reasonably justified. The reference point at which mineral reserves are defined, usually the point where the ore is delivered to the processing plant, must be stated. It is important that, in all situations where the reference point is different, such as for a saleable product, a clarifying statement is included to ensure that the reader is fully informed as to what is being publically reported. The public disclosure of a mineral reserve must be demonstrated by a pre-feasibility study or feasibility study.
Probable mineral reserve
Is the economically mineable part of an Indicated, and, in some circumstances, a measured mineral resource. The confidence in modifying factors applying to a probable mineral reserve is lower than that applying to a proven mineral reserve.
Proven mineral reserve
Is the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource. A proven mineral reserve implies a high degree of confidence in the modifying factors.
Mineral resource
Is a concentration or occurrence of solid material of economic interest in, or on the earth's crust in such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. The location, quantity, grade, or quality, continuity, and other geological characteristics of a mineral resource are known, estimated, or interpreted from specific geological evidence and knowledge, including sampling.
Measured mineral resource
Is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape, and physical characteristics are estimated with confidence sufficient to allow the application of modifying factors to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from detailed and reliable exploration, sampling and testing and is sufficient to confirm geological and grade, or quality continuity between points of observation. The estimate has a higher level of confidence than that applying to either an indicated mineral resource, or an inferred mineral resource. It may be converted to a proven mineral reserve, or to a probable mineral reserve.
Indicated mineral resource
Is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape and physical characteristics are estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the application of modifying factors to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Geological evidence is derived from adequately detailed and reliable exploration, sampling, and testing and is sufficient to assume geological and grade or quality continuity between points of observation. The estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applying to a measured mineral resource and may only be converted to a probable mineral reserve.
Inferred mineral resource
Is that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonably assumed, but not verified, geological and grade continuity. The estimate is based on limited information and sampling gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes.
Due to the uncertainty that may be attached to Inferred Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or any part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource as a result of continued exploration. Confidence in the estimate is insufficient to allow the meaningful application of technical and economic parameters or to enable an evaluation of economic viability worthy of public disclosure. Inferred Mineral Resources must be excluded from estimates forming the basis of feasibility or other economic studies.
Qualified Persons
Mr Andrew Pooley (B.Eng. (Hons) (Eng.)) is the Managing Director of Bara Consulting, an independent mine design consulting company to Alphamin and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects. Mr Pooley has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.
Mr Jeremy Charles Witley (BSc Hons, MSc (Eng.)) is a Principal Mineral Resource Consultant for the MSA Group, an independent geological consulting company to Alphamin and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of Mineral Projects. Mr Witley has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Boris Kamstra, Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical fact, constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to mineral reserve estimates, mineral resource estimates, realisation of mineral reserve and resource estimates, capital and operating costs estimates, the timing and amount of future production, costs of production, success of mining operations, the ranking of the project in terms of cash cost and production, permitting, economic return estimates, power and storage facilities, life of mine, social, community and environmental impacts, metal markets and sales prices, purchasers for Alphamin's products, environmental assessment and permitting, securing sufficient financing on acceptable terms, opportunities for short- and long-term optimisation of the Bisie Tin Project, and continued positive discussions and relationships with local communities and stakeholders. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although Alphamin has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: Alphamin's ability to secure sufficient financing to advance and complete the Bisie Tin Project, uncertainties associated with Alphamin's resource and reserve estimates, uncertainties regarding global supply and demand for tin and market and sales prices, uncertainties associated with securing off-take agreements and customer contracts, uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts, adverse political events, uncertainties with respect to optimisation opportunities for the Bisie Tin Project, as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Alphamin disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
JURIST Guest Columnists Donnie W. Bethel and Stephen A. Cooper discuss how recent Supreme Courts decision related to the Hobbs Act only serves to further take up space and resources in the federal prisons
People of all persuasions, political parties and philosophies have awakened to the terrible toll the crises of overcriminalization and mass incarceration have wrought on America.
Perhaps, as reported by The New York Times, Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn has now voiced his view of this disturbing trend better than anyone else. Judge Dearie, a former prosecutor and once the United States Attorney in Brooklyn, plaintively asked: Why this love affair in this country with lengthy incarceration, to our great embarrassment as a civilized nation?
While not a complete answer to Judge Dearies plea, one definite contributing factor to the problem is terrible court opinions like the Supreme Courts decision in Taylor v. United States [PDF], decided June 20, 2016, by a 7-1 vote.
Because of Taylor, more Americans, mostly minorities, will be exposed to federal prison cells for even more draconian periods of time than they are now. In Taylor, with the exception of (hold onto your hats) Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court gave all conscientious, sentencing-reform-minded folksincluding Judge Deariea swift kick in the pants.
As summarized by scotusblog.com, Taylor holds that,
Because the Hobbs Act criminalizes robberies and attempted robberies that affect any commerce over which the US has jurisdiction, the prosecution in a Hobbs Act robbery case satisfies the acts commerce element if it shows that the defendant robbed or attempted to rob a drug dealer of drugs or drug proceeds.
Distilling Taylor further, JURIST explains:
The Hobbs Act makes it a crime for a person to affect commerce, or to attempt to do so, by robbery. In an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, the Court found that because Congress has the power to regulate the marijuana under the Commerce Clause, Congress may also regulate drug theft. By targeting a drug dealer in this way, a robber necessarily affects or attempts to affect commerce over which the United States has jurisdiction.'
Justice Clarence Thomas filed a dissenting opinion. He would hold that the Act punishes a robbery only when the government proves that the robbery itself affected interstate commerce.'
Respectfully, we submit that in his dissent in Taylor, Justice Thomas is the lone Justice to get it right. (And, one has to wonder if his position might have carried more weightmaybe even the dayhad it had the backing of a still-alive, formidable and feisty, Justice Scalia).
In his dissent, Justice Thomas writes: When courts construe criminal statutes it goes without saying that, they must be especially careful. And when a broad reading of a criminal statute would upset federalism, courts must be more careful still.
Thomas concludes that the majority opinion fails to identify the language in the Hobbs Act that unequivocally evidences Congress intention to reach the sorts of local, small-scale robberies that States traditionally prosecute.
Taylor was convicted of two separate robberies of low-level marijuana dealers. The underwhelming spoils of Taylors crimes: three cell phones, $40, some jewelry, and a marijuana cigarettehardly, one would think, reason to invoke federal prosecution under the Hobbs Actwith each charged Hobbs Act violation exposing Taylor to up to 20 years in federal prison (where under federal sentencing law he will have to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his sentence, even with credit for good behavior).
As observed by Garrett Epps in The Atlantic (Writ of Fido: The Supreme Court looks at how robbing a drug dealer can trip the Hobbs Acts commerce provision and bring a petty thief a lot of federal trouble, Feb. 25, 2016), Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked if the government was reaching down in this case to arbitrarily grab hold of a minor local crime: Its very odd that this is a federal case. I mean, theyin fact, they took, what, a couple of cell phones, $40?
In 1998, evaluating a similar type case on the merits, where the two robberies at issue netted only a case of beer, a carton of cigarettes and $170 in cash from two businesses, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit a Court not traditionally known for bending over backwards to advance defendants rights (and, in fact, true to form, did not reverse the convictions at issue), nevertheless wrote: the Hobbs Act was intended to address offenses with a broad impact on interstate commerce, as opposed to local robberies normally prosecuted under state law, especially petty robberies or extortions. (See United States v. Paredes, 139 F.3d 840, 844 (11th Cir. 1998)).
While it did not help the defendant in Paredes, the Eleventh Circuit acknowledged what the United States Court of Appeals said two years earlier in United States v. Farmer, 73 F.3d 836, 843 (8th Cir. 1996):
We have no doubt that Congress, when it passed the Hobbs Act, had in mind primarily offenses with a broad impact on interstate commerce, as opposed to local robberies normally prosecuted under state law.
Taylor guts the logic of Paredes and Farmer like yesterdays fish and opens up a Pandoras box of increased national federal prosecutions (and incarcerations) for crimes that states are more than capable of punishing without federal intervention.
Considering all the missing mothers and fathers absent from their families, and especially their childrens liveslanguishing in federal jail cells long past the time that logic and reason would dictatethe Supreme Courts decision in Taylor is not just a small step in the wrong direction, its a giant leap.
One can only hope that Attorney General Loretta Lynch, whose experience tackling the over-criminalization of people of color was touted as reason for her confirmation, will make sure that her office uses the blank check of Taylor wisely, even-handedly, andmost importantlysparingly. We do not need more people taking up space and scarce resources in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for stolen cell phones, trivial amounts of money, and a minuscule amount of marijuana.
Donnie W. Bethel has litigated criminal cases as a prosecutor and a defense attorney for over 26 years in military courts-martial and in federal court. Stephen A. Cooper worked as a DC public defender between 2003 and 2012 and as an assistant federal public defender in Alabama between 2012 and 2015. He has contributed to numerous magazines and newspapers in the United States and overseas. He writes full-time and lives in Woodland Hills, California.
Suggested citation: Donnie Bethel, Stephen Cooper, Overcriminalization & mass incarceration: SCOTUS Decision n the Hobbs Act Will Increase Both, JURIST Professional Commentary, June 26, 2016, http://jurist.org/hotline/2016/06/Bethel-Cooper-mass-incarceration.php.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] on Monday held [opinion, PDF] that Google and Viacom [corporate websites] are not liable for planting cookies on childrens computers to gather data for advertisers. In a class action lawsuit, parents claim [complaint, PDF] that the companies are illegally collecting data [Reuters report] about children who watch videos and play video games on the Nickelodeon [corporate website] website. Writing for the court, Circuit Judge Julio Fuentes found that the courts ruling in last years In Re Google Cookie Placement [text] foreclosed many of the plaintiffs claims, and that the Video Privacy Protection Act [text] was not violated as it was meant to thwart the collection of data to help monitor peoples video-watching, not to cover the collection of data such as IP addresses and settings. Fuentes also wrote the opinion last November finding that Google was not liable under federal privacy laws for bypassing cookie blockers on browsers. The ruling preserves a state law privacy claim against Viacom only, alleging that it collected data on the site despite an express statement that it would not do so.
Google has come under scrutiny for its privacy policies and is currently facing worldwide suits over alleged violations. In December the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed [JURIST report] a personal privacy violation complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) [official website] against Google. In February 2014 a French court ruled [JURIST report] that Google must display on its French page that they have been fined by the local data-protection watchdog for how they store user information. In January 2014 the UK High Court ruled [JURIST report] that Google can be sued by British citizens. In November 2013 the Dutch Data Protection Agency (DPA) stated that Google was in violation [JURIST report] of the countrys data protection act. Earlier that month a Berlin court held that 25 of Googles privacy policies and terms of service violated [JURIST report] Germanys data protection law. In September 2013, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied Googles motion to dismiss [JURIST report] a lawsuit regarding the companys alleged violation of federal law.
On October 26, 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and his Jordanian counterpart Abdelsalam al-Majali signed the Treaty of Peace Between the State of Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The treaty ended a state of war that had existed between the two nations since the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. In addition to other provisions, the accord established normal diplomatic relations, agreed upon borders, and shared water.
[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday granted certiorari [order list, PDF] for two new cases next term, and noted probable jurisdiction to another. In Life Technologies Corporation v. Promega Corporation [SCOTUSblog backgrounder] the Court has been asked to determine whether the sale of a single component of a multiple part invention from the United States constitutes a patent infringement under 35 U.S.C. 271(f)(1) [text], making the manufacturer liable for all claims worldwide. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit [official website] previously held [opinion] that such sales do constitute an infringement under the statute. In particular, the court stated that a company need not seek to influence or persuade another company to create an infringement, but merely enable a violation under 271(f)(1).
In Beckles v. United States, the Court has been asked to address whether its ruling in Johnson v. United States [SCOTUSblog backgrounders], where the Court held imposing an enhanced sentence based upon the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) [materials] was unconstitutional under a due process analysis, applies retroactively to collateral cases challenging enhanced sentences under the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) [text, PDF] defining a crime of violence. The appeal also asks whether Johnsons due process analysis applies to the residual clause of the USSG, allowing for collateral review and whether possessing a sawed-off shotgun is a crime of violence after Johnson. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals [official website] had previously held that Johnson says and decided nothing about career-offender enhancements under the Sentencing Guidelines or about the Guidelines commentary underlying Beckles status as a career-offender, and thus affirmed Beckles enhanced sentence.
Finally, in McCrory v. Harris [SCOTUSblog backgrounder], the court noted probable jurisdiction to determine whether actions taken by North Carolina relied too much on race when they redrew the states congressional districts. North Carolina, through its governor, Patrick McCrory [official website], is challenging the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolinas [official website] decision, declaring [decision, PDF] several of the districts to be in violation of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) [text]. Among the potential issues are whether the court erred in requiring the state to show that make-up of Congressional District 1 was actually necessary under the VRA instead of simply showing it had good reasons to believe the redistricting would prevent future vote dilution claims and whether the court should not removed the plaintiffs burden to show the districts were created for race rather than politics.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official websites] expressed [official statement] his support for the end to torture under all circumstances on Monday. Speaking on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture [UN materials], Ban called the legal prohibition of torture crystal clear, and stated that the practice can never be used at any time or under any circumstances, including during conflict or when national security is under threat.. In his statement, Ban emphasized [UN News Centre report] that, despite its absolute prohibition under international law, this dehumanizing practice remains pervasive and, most disturbingly, is even gaining acceptance. He pointed to the Convention Against Torture [OHCHR materials] which obligates states to prevent torture and redress, compensate and rehabilitate those victims of torture within their jurisdiction. He also asked each of state that ratified the Convention Against Torture, including 159 UN member states to date, to support the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture [UN materials].
The use of torture as an interrogation technique has created many legal problems for the US government as well as other entities. Last April, a federal judge from the ruled [JURIST report] that a lawsuit [brief, PDF] against two former military psychologists who developed the CIAs interrogation program under former US President George W. Bush may proceed. In February Amnesty International USA [advocacy website] alleged [JURIST report] that Mustafa al-Hawsawi, one of the accused 9/11 ringleaders, was in desperate need of medical care in a letter to the Pentagon. In the letter the agency stated that Hawsawi was in severe rectal distress due to interrogation methods that amounted to torture and that he had yet to receive adequate medical care. In December Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] called [JURIST report] for the criminal prosecution of CIA and other US government officials for their participation in torture programs following the 9/11 terrorist attack. In August 2014 10 victims of the CIAs extraordinary rendition program [JURIST news archive] signed an open letter [JURIST report] to US President Barack Obama urging him to declassify the Senate Intelligence Committees report on the program. JURIST Guest Columnist Benjamin G Davis of the University of Toledo College of Law recently discussed [JURIST op-ed] the barriers that survivors of torture face in obtaining redress through the US court system..
India's failure to break into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) at its plenary last week in Seoul does not translate into China's gain. It would be erroneous to see the NSG session as an India-China match which ended with a score of 0-1, for it casts in bilateral terms what was not a bilateral contest at all. However, there is no denying that New Delhi's abortive bid for NSG membership is bound to impact Sino-Indian relations in ways that it should not.
After the door was shut on India in Seoul, there was implied criticism of China, including in official statements, which referred to procedural hurdles raised by "one country." This may be attributed to anger and frustration over being unable to achieve the desired goal. The outcome is still rankling in India, and it may be a while before those stung by the perceived "humiliation" can take an objective view of the matter.
Even the most sympathetic of informed observers and those with an insider's grasp of the matter in India are on record that the bid for membership was a gross miscalculation on the part of the Government of India (GoI). Secondly, the GoI misread the situation as a matter of bilateral negotiation between India and China. Thirdly, it personalized the issue by presuming that it could be resolved at a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping (in Tashkent where they gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit). Lastly, the GoI made it a high-stakes battle, which clearly it was not. Therefore, when the cookie crumbled, the GoI found itself at a loss to respond in an adequate and appropriate manner befitting its stature as a leading power.
Curiously, had the GoI succeeded in Seoul, it would have been credited to India-U.S. relations and Modi's recent visit to Washington which would have been just as erroneous as blaming China and his Tashkent visit for the failure. This emphasis on two disparate bilateral relationships ignores the reality of preconditions for membership in the NSG and what it requires to be negotiated.
Membership of the NSG is not something granted across the counter on U.S. certification endorsed by China. The stark truth is that Washington pushed New Delhi into an avoidable tangle with Beijing, in effect saying,"We've done our bit, now you get Beijing to play its part."
The NSG is exactly what it says it is, a Group of 48 nuclear equipment and material suppliers with its own rules where all decisions are unanimous. The U.S. created the NSG, after India's 1974 nuclear test, solely to deny advanced technology to India and, thereby, isolate and contain India. China became a member only in 2004. Thus, at one level, making India a member would undermine the very objective of creating the NSG. At a larger level, India's membership would make nonsense of the so-called non-proliferation considerations that form the very basis of this club.
So, it was not China or 10 of the 48 members that stymied India's membership. As the statement issued after the Seoul plenary said, "Participating governments reiterated their firm support for the full, complete and effective implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime."
This shows that the NSG members who in decades past were arm-twisted into signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty refused to roll over and allow India a cakewalk. Like in 2008, this time, the U.S. had no compelling reason to pull out all the stops for India because the U.S. had nothing to gain by it. In 2008, it ensured the waiver for civil nuclear trade to give life to the India-U.S. nuclear deal. This time, U.S. interest was better served by pitting India against China, and, on the rebound, bringing the GoI deeper into Washington's embrace for more military cooperation and arms purchases.
Beijing has denied blocking India's membership. At no stage did it encourage the GoI to believe that NSG membership was "negotiable" in a bilateral sense. To the contrary, both party and government organs were at pains to disabuse the GoI of the impression that China could be persuaded to budge from the policy and principles of the NPT by which the NSG was bound.
Regardless of these facts, the reality is that Sino-Indian relations have taken a hit. New Delhi and Beijing need to swiftly chalk out moves to prevent a "climate change" for the worse. Neither country has allowed the all-important boundary dispute to block the progress of bilateral relations on other tracks. Similarly, the setback to India's NSG ambitions should not be allowed to stall normalization, which is a pre-requisite for dealing with common challenges to their mutual advantage.
Shastri Ramachandaran, an independent Indian political and foreign affairs commentator, is a Senior Consultant & Editor of China-India Dialogue, published by China International Publishing Group (CIPG).
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
NEWSLETTER
Sign up
Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive.
Just Drinks Daily News
The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday.
Just Drinks Weekly News
A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday.
Just Drinks Magazine
The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter
NEWSLETTER
Sign up
Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive.
Just Style Daily Update
The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday.
Just Style Weekly Update
A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday.
Just Style Magazine
The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter.
Flash
Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff, has not been found directly delaying the government's payments to public banks, a practice known as "fiscal pedalling," according to a report released Monday by the Senate.
However, the report added that Rousseff was responsible for issuing two credit decrees without authorization from the Congress.
In the 223-page-document, the auditors said there were irregularities concerning decommitments without legal permission and delays in paying public bank subsidies to the Harvest Plan for financing the agricultural sector.
The document was put together using reports from the Federal Court of Accounts and with authorization from Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Federal Supreme Court.
Both "fiscal pedalling" as well as the decrees that were unauthorized by Congress were the basis for beginning the impeachment process that suspended Rousseff from her post.
Rousseff's defence team assured that permission from the Congress to issue the challenged decrees was not necessary. But the Senate's technicians said in the report that authorization was compulsory.
Last week, the Senate's Impeachment Commission approved a new timetable which means that the final vote that will decide Rousseff's future will take place at the end of August.
If two thirds of the senators, or 54, find Rousseff to be guilty, she will lose the presidency and cannot take up a civil service position for eight years. However, if she is acquitted, Rousseff will be reinstated as president as soon as the sentence is published.
While Rousseff is suspended, interim President Michel Temer has been in charge of running the South American country.
However, over recent months, Temer has seen his popularity steadily decrease, according to a survey carried out by the consultancy firm Ipsos which was published Monday by local daily Estado de Sao Paolo.
Temer's disapproval rate among citizens grew from 61 percent in February, to 67 percent in May, and 70 percent in June, said the survey.
This percentage is similar to that of Rousseff, who currently has a disapproval rating of 75 percent.
Temer, who belongs to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), assumed the role of provisional president on May 12 after the Senate suspended Rousseff for 180 days in order to investigate the administrative irregularities.
The survey confirms a strong deterioration in the presidency's image, a result of the successive corruption scandals within Operation Car Wash which has uncovered a large corruption scheme involving the government-owned oil company Petrobras.
All potential presidential candidates have a disapproval rating greater than 50 percent in the South American country.
The Workers' Party leader, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011), registered a disapproval rating of 68 percent in the survey while the president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Aecio Neves, has 63 percent.
At the same time, current Foreign Minister Jose Serra and Sao Paulo's governor Geraldo Alckmin, both from the PSDB, have a disapproval rating of 55 percent while Senator Marina Silva has 56 percent.
While politicians are suffering from the alleged corruption claims, judges are receiving high rates of approval.
Judge Sergio Moro, responsible in the first instance for Operation Car Wash, has an approval rating of 55 percent, while Joaquim Barbosa, the former president of the Federal Supreme Court and reporter for the Mensalao corruption scandal back in 2005, has an approval rating of 42 percent.
Flash
Michael Sheng-ti Gau, a professor of International Law at the Institute for the Law of the Sea of National Taiwan Ocean University, questioned the South China Sea arbitration tribunal.
Gau said most of the Philippines' claims in the case could be overthrown by the notes verbally issued by the two countries from 2009 to 2011.
The court failed to see that the Philippines' self-defeating claims were in fact over sovereignty, Gau said. "The court should deal with the real issues of admissibility and jurisdiction existing in all the claims of the Philippines."
One of Europes worse nightmares became a reality after last Thursdays British EU referendum result. But could Brexit also be a blessing in disguise for Europe?
With 51.9% of the vote, the United Kingdom, one of the blocks oldest members, will be leaving the EU by 2019. Many EU officials and politicians have called for a quick divorce, to avoid damaging in the long-term Europes economy by dragging the negotiations for too long.
The outcome was expected. For many years, not just Britain but all of the continents governments have been allowing populism to thrive. They failed to deal with the economic crises quickly enough and, in addition, they made serious mistakes when responding to the Syrian refugee crisis.
National governments have purposely avoided explaining to their citizens how the block works and what benefits it offers.
They forgot that populism always wins. It is easier for people to understand an argument about issues that affect them directly, in the plain language that demagogue Far Right or Far Left politicians were using.
Instead of this, national governments were continuously scapegoating the EU for all that was wrong in their economies. They have purposely avoided explaining to their citizens how the block works and what benefits it offers.
They have simply engaged in political games, with aim to gain an upper hand in their countrys internal politics, while perpetuating their rule and power. They ignored the interests of the ordinary people and deliberately allowed them to be misinformed for years, to serve local elites.
They never wished for the EU and its institutions to replace them in the hearts and minds of the voters. Why would they, after all? They preferred citizens to trust them when it came to dealing with issues that were of concern and keep voting for them.
But it was not the EU that failed the citizens during the economic or the refugee crisis. Its institutions did not have much say on how each state would deal with the amount of people pouring in from the Middle East.
In each case, it was the national governments that decided which policy they would follow, opening the borders to refugees like Germany or Sweden did, or hermetically closing them like Slovakia and Hungary. It was our own rulers who were delaying the process and hindering a quicker response to the problem.
Where the EU is largely at fault, is that they remained too detached from the citizens for decades.
Additionally, it was not the EU that followed disastrous economic policies for decades, leading to the economic crisis which continues to affect millions of Europeans. Each national government has either decided alone or in agreement with its EU partners and the blocs institutions and laws, which they have accepted and voted for, on their financial policies.
Where the EU is largely at fault, is that they remained too detached from the citizens for decades. It mainly focused on the financial nature of the union, while it did little to remain relevant in the citizens every day expectations and problems.
In addition, it responded in a very technocratic- often arrogant- manner to the financial crisis, ignoring the warnings or voices of analysts with a different approach.
They acted with absolute disregard for the ordinary peoples needs while they were quick to appease European banks, thus proceeding with disastrous austerity policies, in the case of states like Greece.
As result, the EU became the poster-child of the euro-zone crisis even though it was not entirely its fault.
When it comes to Britain itself, its political leadership for decades allowed wealthy populist con men to brainwash and misinform people through media, misrepresenting the reality on the countrys EU membership.
On that, most recent British politicians are to be blamed, not just David Cameron. They allowed the bubblegum of Britain is Great and we pay too much in Europe to go on for years.
When it comes to Britain itself, its political leadership for decades allowed wealthy populist con men to brainwash and misinform people through media, misrepresenting the reality on the countrys EU membership.
Maintaining this arrogance and nationalism among the political elite and the people resulted in the populist politics blowing up in their faces in the recent referendum.
Subsequently, we are witnessing an extraordinary set of developments in the aftermath. David Cameron himself announced his resignation by October. The Labour Party is in turmoil facing a number of resignations, while Scotland and Northern Ireland expressed their intentions of looking into ways to leave the UK altogether.
The Scottish, in particular, who voted to stay in the EU, are making the most waves. The countrys First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, hinted at how undemocratic it would be for Scotland to be dragged out of the European Union, after having voted by 62% to remain.
Ms. Sturgeon appears to suggest that the Scottish Parliament could block Britains exit from the EU, or it could hold a second referendum to leave the centuries old union with the rest of the Kingdom. Could this be the end of Europe and Britain as we know it?
Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, hinted at how undemocratic it would be for Scotland to be dragged out of the European Union, after having voted by 62% to remain.
In a worse case scenario, if the UK leaves the EU we could see the dissolution of Great Britain with Scotland and Northern Ireland rejoining the block in time. Yet Britains departure could cause negative side effects throughout the continent.
Most European Far Right leaders, like Frances Marine Le Pen and Hollands Geert Wilders, have hailed the British referendum outcome, hinting that they will try to achieve the same for their own countries.
If they succeed, we will have the dissolution of the EU, a work in progress since WW2 and the most admirable European achievement of all time. The economic, social and political chaos that would follow should scare any reasonable person on this continent.
Additionally, we could see the return and rise of fascism, nationalism, xenophobia and extremism in Europe, in forms that we havent experienced since the end of the last big war.
On a more positive tone, it will never come to this. If Britain eventually leaves the union, it will most likely join EEA/EFTA, and little would change. But it would take a lot of negotiations and political skill on their part to convince the rest of Europe to accept them as a member of these blocs.
The remaining European powers will most definitely want to make an example of the UK and punish it, in order to forbid other Euro-skeptic nations attempting something similar.
The remaining European powers will most definitely want to make an example of the UK and punish it, in order to forbid other Euro-skeptic nations attempting something similar. Just as they humiliated Greece so that other member states could hasten reforms, Britain could pay a high price in order to punish all these states who also might want out.
Another positive outcome from this referendum could be that the rest of Europe may proceed with further integration now. Britain was always the most vocal member state advocating against such development and, since it is now on its way out, pro-European and federalist powers could finally achieve their goal.
If, that is, others dont decide to leave. Britain has a lot of allies and close partners in the Union. Sweden, Denmark and Ireland all joined the bloc because Britain paved the way.
What will happen to Ireland when Britain leaves? While the Irish are pro-European and most likely to integrate themselves further in EU by joining the Schengen Agreement now that Britain is out, things could go the other way too.
The case of Ireland is particularly interesting. The small nation shares close economic ties, not to mention the only land borders, with the United Kingdom. What will happen to it when Britain leaves? While the Irish are pro-European and most likely to integrate themselves further in EU by joining the Schengen Agreement now that Britain is out, things could go the other way too.
If the Germans and the French are not careful and push too hard for fast and uncompromising federalization of Europe, they could hurt Irelands economy even further. Because the country is closely relying on Britain, the Brexit could cause Ireland to be one of the worse affected nations in the EU.
If the Franco-Germans corner the small nation to abolish its corporate taxation system and harmonize it with the rest of Europe, they could also push the Irish out of the union and in the hands of the British-Americans out of desperation.
These are of course scenarios, as there are many who believe that the UK wont leave the EU after all.
British Labour MP David Lammy has called on Westminster to stop this madness and to vote against the referendum decision to leave the EU. He claims that the the referendum was anadvisory, non-binding referendum.
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. (The Independent)
In addition, there is a petition which has already gathered over 3 million votes, calling for a second referendum. Could the above developments indicate that the British citizens and leadership do not really want to leave the EU?
Is this fiasco with the referendum an effort to expose, silence and finally eliminate Britains Euro-skeptics?
Is this fiasco with the referendum an effort to expose, silence and finally eliminate Britains Euro-skeptics? After all, they have not only been blocking their countrys further integration into the union but also the EUs progress in a fully fledged functioning federation for years.
Could their victory become their end? It is debatable if they have the skills to lead Britain and navigate it out of the mess they created for the country. If there is any chance of getting rid of them for good, it could well be to seemingly get their way, fail and disappear permanently.
If the UK leaves the Union, then is forced to rejoin due to the extreme economic penalties it could face, it will then be forced to join both the Schengen Agreement and the euro-zone. Could this disastrous outcome become the Euro-skeptics Pyrrhic victory, which could lead to a better EU and Europe?
A reformed EU, that will be kick-started by Britains departure and the need for further coherence in the remaining member states, could just be all that Europe needed all these years. The union has hit a wall politically, financially and socially.
Could the outcome of the British referendum, actually be a blessing in disguise for both the UK and our continent?
Originally published on Christos blog The Eblana European Democratic Movement.
KEARNEY Cardiologist Daniel McGowan accuses three doctors and an office administrator in his former practice of ruining his reputation by claiming he was addicted to drugs.
McGowan of Kearney filed the lawsuit Oct. 17 in Buffalo County District Court against cardiologist Sean Denney, internists Scott Smith and Michael Lawson and against Platte Valley Medical Group and its office administrator Larry Speicher. The lawsuit claims the doctors and Speicher forced McGowan to go into a treatment center.
Denney, Smith and Speicher also are accused of rummaging through McGowans laptop computer and vehicle looking for private health information. The three men accused McGowan of being addicted to Adderall, the lawsuit says.
Denney, Smith, Lawson, Platte Valley and Speicher deny many of McGowans accusations and are asking that a jury resolve the dispute.
On Aug. 11, McGowan claims, Denney, Smith and Speicher confronted him and accused him of being addicted to Adderall. The drug helps to calm people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to mayoclinc.com.
McGowan claims the doctors and Speicher threatened McGowan that if he didnt enter treatment in Oregon, they would turn him in to the state Licensing Board and Good Samaritan Hospital officials and accuse him of civil and criminal wrongdoing.
Fearing for his livelihood and to prove he wasnt addicted, the lawsuit says, McGowan checked into the treatment center on Aug. 11. While at he was at the center, McGowan alleges, the doctors and Speicher told the public he was addicted to Adderall.
McGowan was discharged 11 days after being admitted, and the lawsuit says he wasnt diagnosed with an addiction. In the lawsuit, McGowan denies any addiction.
After his return to Kearney, the lawsuit says, McGowans attorney, Daniel Klaus of Lincoln, attempted several times to determine McGowans employment status at Platte Valley, but the doctors and Speicher refused to respond. On Sept. 25, Klaus contacted Platte Valley informing them McGowan was ready to return to work.
However, the lawsuit says, Denney, Smith, Lawson and Speicher again refused to reply. On Sept. 26, Klaus sent a second letter stating that if Platte Valley didnt respond by the end of the day, McGowan would assume he had been fired.
McGowan then was informed he had been terminated.
The lawsuit also accuses Denney, Smith, Lawson, Speicher and Platte Valley of breaching a 2003 employment agreement that McGowan had with Platte Valley by firing him without cause or written notice.
Denney, Smith and Speicher also are accused of entering McGowans office while he was at treatment and having others hack into his personal laptop computer and of searching his medical bag and trash.
Speicher, Smith and Denneys conduct was so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency and is to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community, Klaus wrote in the lawsuit.
Speicher also is accused of:
- Directing a third party to hack into McGowans laptop and interfere with the data;
- Removing McGowans keys while Denney and Smith searched McGowans car; and,
- Abusing his authority by accessing McGowans medical records and other private health information, then disclosing the information to third parties.
The lawsuit also alleges Platte Valley fired McGowan because it perceived him as having a disability within the meaning of the Americans With Disability Act and because McGowan raised questions about Platte Valleys billing practices.
Although McGowan isnt seeking a specific amount for damages, he is seeking damages for emotional distress, physical and mental suffering, humiliation and injury to his reputation, and for attorneys fees.
According to the lawsuit, McGowan started working at Platte Valley in 1999 and became a shareholder in 2000. He has since moved his practice to another office in Good Samaritan Hospital on a floor below Platte Valley.
In response to McGowans suit, the doctors and Speicher say that, with the support of McGowans then-wife, they met with McGowan in August to discuss concerns about his behavior after reports from members of his family, staff and co-workers about angry outbursts, mood swings, volatile behavior and suspected drug use.
The doctors, Platte Valley and Speicher deny:
- Telling anyone about their intervention plans and McGowans alleged drug addiction;
- Threatening McGowan to enter treatment. The answer says when McGowan asked what his options were, he was told that his spouse had made arrangements for him to enter treatment and that there may be certain ethical and legal duties to report concerns to the state; and,
- Making any defamatory comments to the public about McGowans possible addiction.
The answer says after leaving the treatment center, McGowan checked in to an inpatient psychiatric hospital in Houston where the doctors and Speicher believe he stayed for less than three weeks.
They also deny:
- They searched McGowans office, had others hack into his personal laptop, search his medical bag and trash, or that Speicher removed his keys or that Smith and Denney searched his car.
- Speicher violated HIPPA regulations
Platte Valley denies that it breached the contract with McGowan when he was fired.
According to their response, McGowan consented to statements about himself that in the lawsuit he claims were defamatory. The doctors, Platte Valley and Speicher also say any intrusion against McGowan was done on private property, and that McGowan consented to searches of his alleged property, and that any damages McGowan suffered are because of his own doing, not that of his former colleagues.
Platte Valley said a 2010 physician employment agreement with McGowan supercedes the 2003 agreement and that they followed the provisions of the 2010 agreement when McGowan was terminated.
The doctors, Platte Valley and Speicher go on to allege that:
- After McGowan was fired he continued to use Platte Valleys name in advertisements, that he improperly obtained confidential Platte Valley patient information and sent letters to patients, and that in one letter he asked Platte Valley patients to transfer their medical records to his new practice.
- McGowan used letterhead and a logo similar to Platte Valleys and listed nearly identical services, which could cause confusion.
email to:
Like many Nebraskans, I was very concerned with the health care bill discussed in the U.S. Congress this year. I watched the House pass a very flawed bill quickly without trying to find a compromise with the Republican Party. I feared the Senate would push through a bill quickly, as well, and our health care system would cause our nation severe financial distress.
After watching the debate in the Senate not just listening to talk radio or the analysis of commentators during the three weeks in December, I changed my mind about passing a health care reform bill with only one party.
Republicans wanted nothing more than to prevent passage. They were not interested in offering amendments that would actually improve the legislation. I honestly was ashamed of the Republican Party for its members lack of commitment to make health care reform work for the American people because I do believe they want nothing more than to make America better.
Further, I can only commend Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., for his work for Nebraska, and look with disappointment to Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., and Gov. Dave Heineman. Our governor wrote to Nelson and told him his problem with the bill in the Senate was it would increase the states Medicaid costs. No other concerns were voiced by the governor.
This bill fixes that very concern of our governor. It prevents our citizens from paying higher taxes to support increased Medicaid costs. We didnt ask for this, but that is the compromise that was put on the table.
Nelson stood up for Nebraska and fixed what the governor asked for, while Johanns and Heineman played politics and would have let Nebraskans pay higher taxes.
You can be angry that our state got put in the spotlight, but please dont be hypocritical. In 2003, Nelson fought for Nebraska and got seven rural hospitals in the state funding as part of the Medicare prescription drug legislation. No one complained for getting that funding. This is exactly the same situation where the senator did all he could to help Nebraska first.
Richard Shanahan, Axtell
WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to confirm Omaha attorney Robert Rossiter Jr. as Nebraskas next federal judge.
The 90-0 vote was a long time coming. The vacancy has been pending since U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon took senior status on Oct. 3, 2014.
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., described how she has pushed to keep Rossiters nomination on the radar of both the White House and her fellow Republicans at a time when political gridlock has stalled many other judicial nominations.
Our court in Nebraska its a small bench, but it has a lot of cases, has a heavy load. So it was really important that we get this done really for the administration of justice, she told The World-Herald.
After Bataillon announced his intention to take senior status, Fischer and then-Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., reviewed boxes of materials from about 20 applicants before deciding on Rossiter.
Hes a partner at Fraser Stryker law firm in Omaha, a graduate of Creighton University School of Law and a former clerk of U.S. District Judge C. Arlen Beam.
At the Nebraska senators recommendation, President Barack Obama nominated Rossiter more than a year ago. The nomination also had the support of Johanns successor, Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican.
Since this process began, Sen. Fischer and former Sen. Johanns worked relentlessly to ensure that the administration nominated a respected and capable Nebraskan, Sasse said in a statement Monday.
Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., also praised Rossiter as an excellent attorney with a reputation for a rigorous and highly ethical commitment to the rule of law.
Nebraskas vacancy is considered a judicial emergency, an official designation based on both the districts caseload and the length of a vacancy. Among those judicial emergencies, however, Nebraskas situation was hardly the most dire.
The Eastern District of Texas, for example, has 1,261 weighted filings per judge compared to Nebraskas 458. And while Nebraskas seat has been vacant for 630 days, some states have vacancies that have been pending for years and years.
Rossiters confirmation appears to come just in time, with some conservatives pushing the Senate to stop considering any more nominations once it leaves for its coming summer recess.
Judicial nominations have long been an area of conflict between Republicans and Democrats, with the party in the White House accusing the other side of holding up nominations.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said Monday that Rossiters wait for a vote reflects Republicans overall dilly-dallying.
The nominee the Senate will finally vote on today, Robert Rossiter, is just one example of Republican obstruction, Leahy said in a statement submitted for the record. Despite his nomination being voice-voted out by the Judiciary Committee last October, Mr. Rossiter has been awaiting a floor vote for almost 250 days.
Leahy said that even after Mondays vote, there are 25 judicial nominations languishing on the Senate floor. He pointed to two nominations approved by the committee at the same time as Rossiters and called for those to get votes soon. Only because of the efforts of Sen. Fischer is Mr. Rossiters nomination receiving a vote today, he said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has noted Fischers determined advocacy of Rossiter.
Fischer said those efforts involved walking a fine line making sure she was insistent but not pestering.
You have to remind them that were still here and we had a deep interest in making sure that Bob would get nominated and then make sure that he would get a vote, she said.
It might seem that a nominee with such bipartisan support should move quickly through the process, but Fischer said thats just the way it works.
She described the pace of judicial nominations under Obama as comparable to other presidents, although she said the wait on Rossiter has been frustrating at times.
You learn patience over the years, she said. Its a legislative process.
With July 4 right around the corner, Americans are preparing for backyard barbecues and firework fiestas. But, while drunken driving has been on the decline for decades, Americas birthday still brings a heightened risk of drunken driving and alcohol-related traffic accidents.
This often spurs policymakers to support poorly targeted or ineffective tactics in an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the roads, such as lowering the legal limit to 0.05 BAC or increasing the use of sobriety checkpoints.
While headlines often hail these efforts as cracking down on drunken driving, in reality such policies target moderate and responsible social drinkers, and fail to adequately address drunken driving. Roughly 70 percent of alcohol-related fatalities are caused by drunken drivers with extreme blood alcohol content levels 0.15 BAC and above. Many of them are repeat offenders with multiple DUIs on their record. So the bulk of Americas drunken driving epidemic in the words of some activists can be traced to a specific subset of problem drinkers.
It means tackling drunken driving is impossible without targeting the worst offenders.
Yet groups like the National Transportation Safety Board and American Medical Association are proposing anything but. Both have fought to lower the legal limit from 0.08 to 0.05 BAC even though fewer than 1 percent of all alcohol-related fatalities occur between 0.05 and 0.07 BAC. Reducing BAC limit to 0.05 is one of many steps to end substance impairment in transportation, the NTSB recently tweeted. The AMA has supported that measure for decades. A 1986 AMA study recommended adoption by all states of 0.05-percent BAC as per se evidence of alcohol-impaired driving.
They are joined by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, among others.
But drivers at low-BAC levels arent problem drinkers. Research shows a driver is just as impaired talking on a hands-free cellphone as operating a vehicle at the current legal limit of 0.08 BAC. A 2013 study from Touro University in California, for example, concluded that the two cause roughly the same driver impairment.
If the legal limit were to drop, a 120-pound woman could have two drinks in an hour and be on the verge of legal intoxication. Is that really necessary?
Another example of well-meaning but poorly targeted policy is the sobriety checkpoint system acclaimed by many activists and legislators. These roadblocks are intended to snare drunken drivers before they can cause serious harm. Yet they yield surprisingly few drunken driving arrests. One recent checkpoint in California screened almost 1,400 drivers and resulted in no arrests. Another checkpoint in Ohio checked on more than 450 drivers without making a single arrest.
Roving patrols are a cheaper, more effective alternative, whereby police officers can scan roads for signs of impaired behavior not just drunken driving, but also drowsy or speeding drivers.
That distinction matters. Roving patrols typical costs $300 and can result in numerous arrests at the hands of a single police officer. A single sobriety checkpoint, on the other hand, can cost anywhere between $8,000-$10,000, while requiring more hands on deck some roadblocks require dozens of police officers at a time.
There are feel-good policies such as sobriety checkpoints and lower legal limits and there are smart proposals to effectively combat drunken driving, like roving patrols and high-BAC targeting. On her birthday, America deserves the latter.
Sarah Longwell is the managing director of the American Beverage Institute.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!
Go to form
In this Sunday, June 26, 2016 photo released by the Kuwait Ministry of Information and made available Monday, June 27, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, center right, talks with a member of the Yemeni delegation during the Yemeni Peace Talks in Kuwait. Ban urged Yemen's warring factions to keep working toward a comprehensive agreement, warning that "time is not on the side of the Yemeni people," in remarks Sunday to delegates taking part in peace talks that began in Kuwait two months ago. (Kuwait Ministry of Information via AP)
384 Shares Share
Bacteria are rapidly becoming resistant in our antibiotic-loving society. This statement is a fact. We are facing a threat not only to our country, but to the world.
I have a proposal to make: over-the-counter antibiotics.
(Insert tongue-in-cheek here.)
Will this help us deal with the falsely popular notion that antibiotics are a cure-all? I dont know, but heres something I do. Ive had patients storm out because Ive said no, and I take the chance of a negative review right then and there when it happens. Not to mention a lawsuit, should some complication arise, and a lawyer takes on the case of why werent antibiotics prescribed.
Should we basically cater to patient requests? We take a risk when we say no, in this increasingly customer-service based field, so why not just have them over-the-counter?
Weve all seen the relevant cartoon. Its posted on my personal Facebook page, sent by a good friend just the other day. A mug, held by the hand of a doctor, states, Dont confuse my medical degree with your Google search. Sigh. If this were only a joke.
I have had several interactions in the office where a patient, after saying hello and being asked the common office conversation starter, Why are you here today? answers with, Im here to get a Z-pak for my bronchitis.
Basically, the patient here makes an appointment to let me know what hes got. And lets face it, my patient wants one thing, and one thing only, an antibiotic prescription. I do get it on one hand, its 2016, and theres an internet with sites like Wikipedia and WebMD, where you can look up any symptom and essentially choose what you have from the list.
I also get that doctors over the years have been prescribing Z-paks like Band-Aids, for every cough, sore throat, or airway issue that walks through that door. Combine the two and were growing into a generation of self-diagnosing, misinformed alarmists.
And now, we are sadly reaching a crisis in antibiotic over-prescription as the threat of superbugs in this world grows, and resistance develops in response to overuse. It is up to health care professionals, like you and I, to put an end to common misuse and misconceptions of those who simply refuse to understand. I know its often easier to just cave, and throw that antibiotic at our patient, and it probably saves us time and aggravation. Not to mention a decrease in liability if, heaven forbid, you were to actually miss.
Why not prescribe an antibiotic, just in case, you ask. Many of them change our gut flora to wipe out some of the necessary bacteria that live there, helping us with normal digestion. This, in turn, causes abdominal discomfort, nausea, loose stools. Then there are more serious effects like heart rhythm disturbances and neurological phenomonon. Just a week ago, the FDA came out with heavier warnings regarding a class of drugs readily prescribed for common ailments such as urinary tract infections and respiratory tract infections, citing serious adverse reactions were more frequent than previously believed.
So to the patient who comes in having already diagnosed himself, or having decided which medicine the doctor should prescribe, nothing is more irritating than a doctor who disagrees. Usually, your mind is already made up, and you know just what you want.
My proposal stands. Why not just have them there, behind the counter, ready for pick up at the local pharmacy? Or ordered delivery-service-style? Lets face it, well all save the trouble. Less missed work, less wait time, less aggravation. And best of all, the doctor gets great marks on his next social media mention.
Dana Corriel is an internal medicine physician who blogs at drcorriel.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
In his resignation speech following Great Britains vote to divorce from the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron claimed several achievements by his government: reforming welfare and education; increasing development assistance to the poorest people in the world; and enabling those who love each other to get married, whatever their sexuality. He also mentioned building a bigger and stronger society a reference to his Big Society ideological framework, which sought to empower local people and communities as an alternative both to centralized bureaucracies and to libertarian indifference.
What is remarkable about Camerons definition of success is how utterly disconnected it is from the deep, visceral populist trends that have come to dominate his party and now his country. Cameron had attempted to define a post-Thatcherite conservative vision integrating the free market with a theory of social solidarity. But this was swept away, not so much by an alternative argument the economic case against the Brexit is overwhelming but by powerful, ethno-nationalist instincts. In retrospect, Camerons project of ideological renovation was hopeless, even poignant trying to organize an outdoor tea during a hurricane.
This is the most frightening aspect for American conservatives of the British vote. Since 1955, with the founding of National Review, conservatives have attempted to make ideological arguments involving respect for free markets and civil society that they hoped would win influence in Americas center-right party. But now that entire project seems threatened. The type of populism that Donald Trump has unleashed is not a set of arguments, but a set of tendencies and prejudices. In large portions of the Republican Party, ideology has been replaced by identity.
We are familiar with identity politics on the left, which can reduce public life to the organized appeasement of resentments. An identity politics of the right asserts that the real America or the real England is being diluted and corrupted by outsiders. It elevates a form of nationalism, not based on abstract ideals, but on blood and soil.
This is one reason ideological conservatives find it so frustrating to argue with Trump supporters. They are not looking for innovative policy, or reliable information, or even logical consistency. So it does not matter to them when Trump is exposed as shallow, deceptive or incoherent. They trust his instincts in defending American national identity as they have known it.
Trans-Atlantic elites have consistently underestimated the intensity of public reaction against migration, multiculturalism and globalization. When given the chance to vote, a significant and highly committed portion of the electorate wants to repudiate leaders, experts and authority figures everyone who has been complicit in the last few decades of disorienting economic and social change.
In American politics, populism cuts across the parties. But in only one party has the establishment been (apparently) beaten. The range of reactions has been revealing. Some, particularly in the Republican foreign policy establishment, are finding more ideological overlap with Hillary Clinton and her team than they have with Republican populists. By the measure of who would more responsibly and competently defend the country and engage the world, the contest is not close. On the international stage, Trumps silliness and impulsiveness take on a more sinister aspect. Determined outreach by the Clinton campaign to Republican internationalists may have a considerable yield.
Other principled conservatives, such as my colleague George Will, have chosen to part ways with a party that, in the choice of its presidential nominee, is no longer recognizably conservative.
Still other conservative leaders, traveling with a lighter load of principle, have chosen to make their accommodation in a remarkably cynical fashion. Commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity spent decades on ideological purity patrol, calling out deviations from the pure Reaganite faith. Now their business model is to provide alibis for the least conservative Republican presidential nominee (presumptive, still presumptive) in history, who attacks free trade, opposes entitlement reform and seems to relish the prospect of expanded executive power.
The alternative to all these options is resistance on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the rules committee. Resistance at the convention, to deny Trump the nomination. If that fails, resistance in supporting a conservative third-party candidate who will carry the torch of sane Republicanism if such a rare beast is finally sighted.
Resistance to recover nationalism from the nativists. Resistance to oppose the devaluing of political argument, to fight the end of reason. Resistance to honor the importance of character in our common life. In the Republican Party today, resistance is the evidence of principle.
The hurricane winds created by the Leave vote in Great Britain regarding the European Union continue to buffet world markets.
Gold rose into the 1330s overnight but has since dropped back on profit taking and sentiment that the rally in the yellow metal cant last.
We think the Brexit fallout is going to be with us for some time either till the divorce is final or until there is a second referendum, which is a complicated solution but a better one for Great Britain and the world.
A petition there has already garnered more than 3 million signatures.
The New York Times explains it thusly:
A petition with more than 10,000 signatures gets a response from the government, while one with more than 100,000 signatures must be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petitions go through a committee, which can press the government for action, put forward a petition for debate or refer the matter to another committee.
The petition calling for a second referendum on European Union membership has reached 30 times the number of signatures necessary.
Any petition that gets more than 100,000 signatures is considered by the Petitions Committee, Alan Renwick, a political scientist at the Constitution Unit at University College London, said on Monday. The committee will meet tomorrow, and they will then consider if it should be taken for full debate in Parliament. There is no guarantee that anything happens, but most likely, they will suggest some kind of Parliament debate. They could suggest a debate on the referendum rule more generally, too.
Meanwhile in the world of equities, Europe and the U.S. are taking baths, although in New York, prices seem to have stabilized so at least smelling salts are no longer needed.
Asia appears to have been immune to the contagion overnight.
The Nikkei index, in spite of another chunky rise in the yen, was up 2.40%. Shanghai was higher by 1.45%. Hong Kongs Hang Sen, because of its strong ties to London banking, was off slightly. That the Nikkei should be a beneficiary of todays turmoil is odd.
Masataka Kunugimoto, an analyst at Nomura, said the Brexit will have major negative impact on Japanese automakers. A stronger yen makes exports less competitive.
Kunugimoto went on to say in an advisory to clients that he estimates that, The aggregate operating profits of Japanese automakers will be reduced by 84.9 billion yen ($833 million) for each 1 of yen strengthening versus the US dollar, 9.7 billion for the same versus the euro, 1.5 billion for the pound sterling, 11.9 billion for the Australian dollar, and 5.4 billion for the Canadian dollar.
The euro is off almost a full percent against the U.S. currency and the British pound is down 3.75%.
West Texas Intermediate crude had slipped below $46 per barrel on dollar strength, but also because many fear that the British exit from the EU will further slow already sluggish world economic activity and therefore demand for oil. Late in the regular trading session, however, oil recovered.
In after-session trading, WTI is down 1.90% ($46.70) and Brent North Sea is off 1.75% ($47.58).
Sensing a need for safe haven plays beyond gold and the yen, traders pushed the U.S. 10-year bonds yield down 1.45% as face prices rose.
Tomorrow we believe that bargain hunters will come forward in Europe and the U.S. markets. We think they will shift from Japanese equities, which have problems of their own due to yen power, as described above.
Were not taking political sides where, but his handling of and his pronouncements on the Brexit have hurt Donald Trump. As a candidate for the most powerful office in the world, one should not be praising a move that is ripping a great country apart as it damages the worlds economy. We think acting and speaking soberly while figuring out what move comes next is the proper approach.
For those who would like a deeper analysis, I invite you to try our daily video newsletter. Simply use the link at the bottom of this report to sign up for a free trial.
Wishing you as always, good trading,
Gary Wagner
Thegoldforecast.com
BMO Capital Markets has increased target prices for precious-metals equities covered by the bank by 8%. In an outlook on second-quarter earnings, analysts point to increased gold and silver prices, which mean higher revenues for producers. "We are forecasting a return to positive free cash flow in Q2/16 for the precious-metals producers under coverage," BMO says. "We expect free cash-flow momentum to continue, supported by higher gold and silver prices and declining capex." In particular, BMO looks for investors to reward those companies with fully funded growth. Analysts say they envision a "newsy" earnings-reporting season for miners, which starts in earnest when Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) reports on July 20, as producers provide updates on guidance, growth projects and efforts to further reduce costs. Meanwhile, BMO says royalty and streaming companies were "conspicuously quiet" in the second quarter. "We continue to see potential for a number of streams in the range of $300-$500M (million) from the diversified and base-metals miners," BMO adds.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Osisko Gold Royalties To Trade On New York Stock Exchange
Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd (TSX: OR) announces that its common shares have been approved for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The company expects NYSE trading begin on July 6, with shares to be listed under the ticker symbol "OR," the same as Osisko's listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Sean Roosen, chair and chief executive officer of Osisko, says "listing on the prestigious NYSE provides our U.S.-based shareholders with direct trading while also improving our access to capital."
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
McPherson Named President, Chief Operating Officer Of MX Gold Corp.
Hugh "Bert" McPherson has been named president and chief operating officer for MX Gold Corp. (TSXV: ML; FSE: ODV; OTCQX: DTVMF), in charge of all operations at the Max and Willa mining and milling operation in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. He also will be involved in the evaluation and acquisition of future projects. McPherson comes to the company from Goldcorp Inc., where he was manager of the Penasquito Mine, and he has also held positions with Kinross Gold Corp. and Barrick Gold Corp. MX Gold is a junior mining company focused on the mining, exploration and development of advanced projects located in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Hecla Announces Takeover Bid for Shares of Dolly Varden Silver
Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) says it will make a takeover bid for all of the outstanding shares of Dolly Varden Silver Corp. not owned by Hecla and its affiliates for C$0.69 cash per share. The bid will be subject to a minimum tender condition that more than 50% of the shares are tendered, excluding shares owned by Hecla and its affiliates. This offer reflects a premium of approximately 55%, based on Dolly Varden's closing price on Friday, and a premium of approximately 97% based on the volume-weighted average price of the Dolly Varden shares on the TSX Venture Exchange for the 20 trading days ending Friday, Hecla says. Hecla also says the takeover bid for Dolly Varden has been approved by Hecla's board of directors and will not require approval by its shareholders.
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Seabridge Gold To Initiate Iskut Environmental Program
Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA; NYSE: SA), says it has undertaken a "robust" environmental program aiming to remediate areas of historical mining activity at its newly acquired Iskut property in northwestern British Columbia, including the Johnny Mountain Mine, a past gold producer. Seabridge's planned environmental and engineering work for this summer is aimed at ensuring compliance with existing authorizations and to begin the evaluation and development of remediation programs to mitigate the impacts of past mining activity at an estimated cost for this year of $750,000, the company says. Seabridge says it has the support of the Tahltan Central Government. "The Iskut property provides us with two opportunities. First, we believe this new project offers exceptional potential to discover new high-grade gold deposits," says Rudi Fronk, Seabridge Gold chairman and chief executive officer. "At the same time, this project offers us the important challenge of addressing the environmental issues raised by historical mining activity.Integrating a substantial environmental work plan into this year's exploration program sets us on a path to improving site conditions. Going forward, exploration will go hand in hand with remediation."
By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
(Kitco News) - For an economist who has earned the nickname Dr. Doom, Nouriel Roubinis outlook on the global economy isnt as grim as one would expect.
Nouriel Roubini
Image courtesy of World Economic Forum
Tuesday, as part of a panel at a World Economic Forum event in Tianjin, China, Roubini said that there is only limited risk of a global recession and new financial crisis as a result of the Brexit vote last week.
However, the economic professor at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University also isnt very rosy as he expects that Mediocre growth is the new norm. Roubini said that he expects the global economy to continue to stagnate.
Traditional monetary and fiscal policies have lost their efficacy to jumpstart anemic economies, and structural reforms have been constrained by politics, he said.
Roubini noted that the Brexit vote is just one symptom of a global system that is breaking down. He also noted that the growing support for fringe political groups in Europe and the rise of populist politicians like Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders are other symptoms of growing frustration as not all segments of society benefit from globalization.
What we saw in the UK referendum was a division between rich and less rich, young and old, skilled and less skilled. This kind of pressure is becoming severe, he said. Look at the United States: you have Donald Trump representing the angry white blue-collar worker, and Bernie Sanders for both angry white- and blue-collar workers.
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com
Follow @Neils_C
Disney The Big Friendly Giant, voiced by Mark Rylance, and Ruby Barnhill explore Giant Country in a scene from "The BFG."
SHARE Disney The precocious Ruby Barnhill plays Sophie in "The BFG."
By Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
It makes sense that the sensibilities of Steven Spielberg and Roald Dahl would someday collide, as they do in Spielberg's adaptation of Dahl's "The BFG." Both artists often tell stories about misunderstood children finding connections with misunderstood, fantastical, alien creatures. They have a knack for drawing out the dark and maudlin aspects of childhood, the loneliness and isolation, as well as the capacity for wonder and amazement, the sheer possibility of anything and everything. That dreamy wonderment is the best part of the filmed "The BFG," a slow haze that creeps over you unsuspected.
The film is a faithful translation of Dahl's book, with screenwriter Melissa Mathison ably bringing Dahl's nonsensical language of the Big Friendly Giant to cinematic life. Mark Rylance, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a Soviet spy in Spielberg's 2015 film "Bridge of Spies," wonderfully inhabits the CGI character of the BFG, a gentle giant, the runt of his pack, who spends his time catching dreams and blowing them into bedrooms at night. His hillbilly British accent and creative, "squiggled" word combinations spin you up into Dahl's inimitable style, honed by Mathison.
Opposite Rylance is the precocious Ruby Barnhill as Sophie, the orphan who spies him from her window at night, and whom he spirits away to Giant Country to keep his secret. The lonely, imaginative and smart Sophie finds an adventure in the BFG, a friend, a protector; and in Sophie, the BFG has something outside of his own curious existence to live for. Theirs is a specific kind of friendship, finite, contained from the outset. One does wish that it wasn't shot so much with the affectionate gaze of a traditional romance story though.
Sophie sparks a great "rumpledumpus" in Giant Country. Her presence is quickly sniffed out by a rugby team of massive giants, with names like Fleshlumpeater and Bloodbottler, slumbering under sod blankets outside the BFG's stone door, hungry for human beings. Under attack, she urges her new friend to stand up to the bullies, and even escorts him right to The Queen's palace for a chat about giant-human diplomacy.
There's a sweet magic in the film's style, particularly in the twinkling aurora borealis firefly light of BFG's dream workshop, where he collects and labels the dreams that he disperses. But there's also a softness to the dramatic arc of the film, which doesn't so much march forward as it wafts along, with rather low stakes and all-too-easy resolutions.
There are a few physical comedy bits that go on too long, and explosive green fart humor that does happen to be native to the original text. The third act that departs Giant Country for Buckingham Palace is probably the funniest, but the fish-out-of-water routine goes for broad, easy laughs, and abruptly severs the sense of ethereal incredulity within the world of the giants. Barnhill's performance starts to feel affected. While Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall and Rafe Spall are nevertheless charming as The Queen and her entourage, it doesn't feel of a piece with the rest of the film.
The most effective moments of "The BFG" are the ones that hit home with wistful emotion, but surprise with the possibilities of magic in connections those moments that Spielberg and Dahl have defined for a generation.
Review: ***
'THE BFG'
Rating: PG for action/peril, some scary moments and brief rude humor.
Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes
Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement
SHARE
Maybe it was those college courses on the history of Europe that soured me on the idea of a united continent. How could a conglomeration of nation states noted for invading each other, pillaging and warring against each other form a union? How could a continent with different languages, cultures and money become a united states of Europe modeled after the USA?
Unity is not union. As the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher observed: "European unity has been tried before, and the outcome was far from happy."
The euro, which I also mocked at the time it was introduced on January 1, 1999, replaced the French franc (the Swiss wisely kept their franc), the German mark, the Dutch guilder and most other circulating currencies. Thatcher again: "The European single currency is bound to fail, economically, politically and indeed socially ..." How prescient she was.
A majority of British voters literally want their country back. That sentiment was repeated in interviews with average blokes on the BBC and Sky. They are tired of being dictated to by an unelected and unaccountable elite in Brussels. They are tired of the wave of immigrants who do not assimilate and seem uninterested in becoming fully British. And they are tired of being called names for wishing to preserve what was handed down to them by previous generations who fought and died so their descendants might continue to enjoy the British way of life.
Even Queen Elizabeth II, who normally remains outwardly neutral on most political issues, appeared to step in on this one. According to Breitbart London reporter Liam Deacon, there are reports that the Queen "thinks European courts that protect Islamist hate preachers 'denigrate' Britain and has demanded that her dinner guests 'Give me three good reasons' to remain inside the European Union."
Already people are comparing former London Mayor Boris Johnson, who led the exit campaign and wants to succeed departing Prime Minister David Cameron, to Donald Trump. Trump had the good fortune and perfect timing to be in Scotland when the voting results were announced. His news conference was carried live throughout Europe and on U.S. cable news networks.
Like so many of the British, Trump supporters are sick of the elites dictating to them. They, too, want their country back and are also weary of the names they are called for wishing to preserve what was handed down to them at the price of blood, sweat and tears (to borrow from Winston Churchill).
Scottish separatists vow to hold another vote because their leader, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, wants to remain in the EU. But the die has been cast. I suspect the EU will eventually fall apart and the nations that currently comprise it could return to their previous borders and currencies, but it is to be hoped not their previous feuds. A status quo ante would be good news for Vladimir Putin, who has viewed a united Europe as an impediment to his plan to restore "greater Russia."
The main lesson for Britain and the U.S. is that the people, properly informed and engaged, don't have to put up with elitist big government whose leaders think they can run people's lives and who callously "import" immigrants from nations that do not have a democratic history, much less practice religious pluralism.
We can take back our countries and make them what the founders intended them to be. Britain is on the way to doing so, though the left will not give up easily, if at all. The other shoe may be about to drop in the U.S. this November.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
New -- DVD Bible Study Brings the Miracles of Jesus to Life with Footage from Israel and Insight from 6 Bible Experts
Contact: Don Otis, 719-275-7775, interviews@veritasincorporated.com
LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rose Publishing released a top-of-the-line Bible study this month by Dr. Matt Williams of BIOLA University: Miracles of Jesus Deeper Connections DVD Bible Study (Rose Publishing). Featuring footage of Israel and a plethora of the world's top scholars in New Testament studies from Wheaton, Talbot Theological Seminary, and more, this DVD study is unlike any other released by Rose Publishing.
From the Sea of Galilee to the Healing Pools and the Jaffa Gate, each session opens with a brief introduction at these key biblical locations to provide visual context for a richer study of Jesus' Miracles. Featuring 6 biblical experts with specialized areas of knowledge, Rose's NEW Miracles of Jesus DVD adds a fresh perspective to well-known miracles of Jesus, including: Jesus walking on water; feeding the 5,000; healing the woman with the issue of blood; healing of the 10 lepers; cursing of the fig tree, and more!
"If you are looking for biblically reliable teaching presented by first-rate evangelical scholars in a way that will hold people's interest and engage them with practical application, look no further than the 'Miracles of Jesus.' They're fantastic! These resources will help people grow in their faith in an age of superficial and unreliable teaching by grounding them in what Jesus really did and said." J. Scott Duvall, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament and Chair of Department of Biblical Studies at Ouachita Baptist University
With modern-day illustrations, thought-provoking questions, and real-life examples, these lessons will encourage small groups and congregations to put Jesus' lessons into action. It covers cultural and historical background of the most beloved miracles of Jesus in the Bible in an easy-to-understand way:
Session 1: The Clean Daughter: Healing of the Woman with the Issue of Blood
Session 2: The Heartbeat of God: Water to Wine
Session 3: Knowing the King: Feeding the 5,000/Walking on Water
Session 4: A Faith-full Outsider: Faith of the Canaanite Woman
Session 5: Fruitless Lives: The Cursing of the Fig Tree
Session 6: Grateful Outcasts: Healing of the Ten Lepers
"Much teaching that goes by the label 'biblical' is only biblical in the loosest sense. In contrast, The Miracles of Jesus video series actually does what it claims to do: It guides listeners into deeper connections with the Biblical text. Taught by seasoned scholars and teachers of the New Testament, this series of videos will help you grow in your understanding of God's Word, find faithful applications of the text in life, and come to know Jesus better. I gladly recommend it." Kenneth Berding, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament, Talbot School of Theology at BIOLA University
Enjoy the fascinating facts and dramatic landscape of the Holy Land clearly explained by the top experts in their fields. Dive into the Jewish law and Greco-Roman superstition that made the woman with the issue of blood unclean and 'unfit' to interact with Jesus. Understand the incredible shame at stake for the bridegroom at the Wedding of Cana if Jesus had not turned the water to wine. Learn why Jesus turned out not only the sellers in the Temple, but the buyers as well.
For interviews, contact Don Otis at (719) 275-7775 or email: interviews@veritasincorporated.com
The Miracles of Jesus DVD-Based Study is priced at $38.98 and includes 6 sessions, one participant guide, and a free PDF Leader Guide.
Miracles of Jesus 6-Session DVD Bible Study Product Code: 4140DX - ISBN: 9781628624397
SHARE
By John Crisp
Some things are illegal. And some things are just plain wrong.
Among the latter is the deportation of the parents of bona fide American citizens. Some of these parents there may be 5 million of them have been in the country for decades, or at least long enough to establish roots, buy homes, work productively and have children, who are, by virtue of the Constitution, citizens of the nation.
Granted, most of these people entered our country illegally. Some waded or swam across the Rio Grande and some walked for days through the desert. Others like the parents of one of my students a few years ago entered the country by walking through a border checkpoint.
My student said that her parents arranged their lives in Mexico to hide their intention to move to the United States. They didn't quit their jobs or withdraw their children from school. They brought some money with them but not enough to raise suspicion.
They presented themselves at the border in Brownsville, Texas, and asked for permission to stay in the United States for two weeks. The border agents were rude to them, but gave them permission to stay for six months. They never went back.
Instead, her mother cooked and cleaned rooms at a motel in the Rio Grande Valley. Her father mowed lawns and picked up day labor. The children went to school and took extra tutorials after class to learn English, and my student helped her parents learn English, as well.
Before long they began to feel like a regular American family, except that a traffic stop for a minor infraction had the potential to destroy the life they had made in America.
Of course, their presence in our country was and is a crime. But it's a crime that calls for context:
Why did the border agents in Brownsville give my student's family permission to stay in the U.S. for six months instead of two weeks? I suspect that they weren't just being generous.
Almost from the beginning the border between the United States and Mexico has been more like a long ribbon of land that takes in parts of both countries than like a place where it would be easy to build a wall. For decades Americans have gone south for goods and services, and cheap labor has flowed to the north.
The border agents in Brownsville knew that my student's family wasn't coming to America to go to Disneyland. They were coming to work, and everyone, at some level, understood their presence to be part of a mutual symbiotic relationship that benefits the economies and cultures of both countries.
And for long stretches of time the law is comfortable looking the other way. But occasionally it often coincides with election years we look around us and are shocked to find that we have people living among us staying illegally.
And even though undocumented workers are doing some of our nation's hardest and least remunerative work in jobs that are otherwise difficult to fill, we some of us, anyway characterize them as drug dealers and rapists and begin demanding mass deportations. They're an easy target.
But mass deportations are impossible, and deportations of hardworking, productive, otherwise-law-abiding parents of American citizens is too cruel. Thus, after the inability of Congress to act on immigration, President Barack Obama implemented the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, in order to provide temporary legal protections for families like those of my students.
Twenty-six states cried presidential overreach, including my own, Texas, which has benefitted enormously from Hispanic labor and Hispanic culture. But the case for overreach is by no means clear, and last week an ineffectual Supreme Court split 4-4 on the issue, a non-action that leaves millions of valuable residents in an uneasy limbo.
Certainly, we're all for the rule of law. But sometimes even the law has to give way to justice and compassion.
Stuff reports:
Some Kiwi children are leaving school having being failed for their entire education, a new report reveals.
School quality reports from the Education Review Office (ERO) reveal as of June last year 185 schools were in EROs worst performing category.
Of those schools, one-third were persistent poor performers and some had repeatedly failed students for at least a decade spanning the entire schooling career of their students, says the New Zealand Initiative report.
That kind of underperformance wouldnt be tolerated in other sectors but is accepted in education.
If restaurants were repeatedly failing hygiene standards or if hospitals were constantly killing patients theyd be shut down. But we accept it with schools, says NZ Initiative executive director Oliver Hartwich.
home Faith 9-year-old boy burned by Muslim father after he converted to Christianity, declared Jesus Christ his savior
A Muslim father in Eastern Uganda burned his 9-year-old son as punishment after abandoning Islam for Christ.
Nassif Malagara of Kisozi Sub-County, Kamuli District said his 36-year-old father, Abubakar Malagara, and 35-year-old stepmother, Madina Namwaje, forbade him to eat anything even beyond the fasting time of Ramadan after his refusal to join Islamic activities following his conversion. So he went to their neighbor's house for food on the third day and brought back stock for himself to last him for a few days.
On June 9, Nassif's father caught him eating.
"He started beating me up with sticks, but I managed to escape to a nearby bush," Nassif told Morning Star News. "My father then followed me and got hold of me back to the homestead, where he tied me up to a banana tree. He went into the house and came back with a hot piece of wood. The banana tree had dry leaves, which caught fire and caused serious burns on my body."
Neighbors who heard the boy's cries for help rescued him and took him to a hospital where he's reportedly recovering at "a very slow pace" and may need to be moved to another hospital for further treatment.
According to the publication, an unnamed relative is willing to take Nassif under her wing as soon as he's released from the hospital. Officers from the Kisozi Police Post charged and arrested Nassif's father but released him from jail after posting bail.
A neighbor who spoke in anonymity claimed to have received a death threat through a text message. It was also him who introduced Nassif to the Christian church. He suspects Nassif's father to be behind the anonymous text.
"We know that you are behind the conversion of Nassif to Christianity," read the text. "You will soon reap what you have sown, which will be a lesson to others. Islam is against such conversion."
The unnamed church pastor claimed it was Nassif himself who insisted to receive Christ as "his personal savior."
"I was a bit hesitant, but after his continuous press, I then prayed with him, and he left," the pastor said.
According to The Monitor, the 2014 National Population and Housing Consensus revealed that Islam increased in Uganda to 13.7 percent in 2014 from 12.4 percent in 2002, while Catholicism dropped to 39.3 percent from 41.6 percent and Anglicanism also dropped to 32 percent from 36.7 percent.
photos by SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL A variety of Chivo Taquiera tacos include, from left, barbacoa brisket with goat cheese, beer battered avocado, and beer battered mahi-mahi.
SHARE A variety of Chivo Taquiera tacos include beer battered mahi-mahi tacos.(SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) photos by SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL Interior of Chivo Taquiera. Chivo Taquiera's liquor selection include about 120 tequilasm 16 Mezcals, and a variety of whiskey (SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL) Interior of Chivo Taquiera.
By Mary Constantine of the Knoxville News Sentinel
Approximately 10 months ago the Angelos brothers, Bill, Niko and Dino, with friend Ben Austin, began transforming an empty Gay Street building between Summit Hill and Wall Avenue into a fully-functional restaurant. Bill and Niko are proprietors of Stock & Barrel on Market Square. Dino is with the family business Angelos at the Point, located in Dandridge, and Austin is a former CPA who grew up with the Angelos brothers and has been overseeing the start of this location.
Formation of the eatery has included installation of an industrial kitchen and refurbished floors and walls. Ceiling lights have been hung and the bar, stools, tables and chairs have been arranged.
"Pretty much everything we have had done is from local companies, including our concrete bar top made by Paulk & Company," Austin said. Chad Roberts of Nashville made the booths using reclaimed oak. The flooring is from Morristown College.
On Thursday, July 7, the doors to Chivo, a taqueria, tequila and whiskey establishment, will officially open to customers, although it's possible a soft opening will happen a couple of days before. None of the partners expected the build-out of the restaurant to take so long but are excited to share their distinct flavors with the community.
"Construction has been going on since late July or early August of last year. There was really nothing in here. It just sat empty for a lot of years," Austin said.
Even the name of the eatery posed problems. The initial announcement stated the name as Cholo which, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a disparaging term for a man or boy of Mexican descent.
In a January interview with Austin, he stated that they had consulted with numerous people of Hispanic background before making that announcement and no one considered the word in a negative light.
"I think part of our culture these days is hypersensitivity to things. Three of the four partners are sons of immigrants. It's meant to celebrate a culture, not to be offensive."
But the name controversy grew so big on social media that the decision was made to change it to Chivo, which is Spanish for goat.
"I think maybe we were a little shortsighted on the connotation of the word. It became such a distraction that it was pretty easy for us to swallow our pride and change it to something not considered offensive," Austin said.
"Chivo is actually something we thought about originally because our grandparents were goat herders in Greece. It's fun, lighthearted and it's hard to get mad at a goat," Bill Angelos added.
Goat is also an ingredient that will show up on the eatery's specials menu.
"We will be serving a lot of game meat like lamb, chicken, pork and goat," Angelos said.
Finalization of the menu is still taking place but Angelos said guests should expect nachos, empanadas, queso, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, as well as a large selection of tacos.
"They will be sold individually so that guests can mix and match from the menu."
Cost of the tacos will range from $3 to $4 each.
There will be no 50 pound bags of masa in the kitchen. Instead, the owners intend to make their own hominy, which will be ground into masa.
"We are working with a Mexican cooperative that procures authentic heirloom varieties of corn. We will take that dried whole kernel corn and soak it in a lime solution before grinding our own flour to make our own tortillas, Austin said.
"We want a good texture that stands and holds so we will build it a little thicker," Angelos added.
Behind the bar guests will find 100 varieties of tequilas that have been hand-selected by the group.
"We will be serving 100 percent agave tequilas. There are blancos, anejos, mescal and Reposados. Like any fine spirit, they have un-aged and super-aged varieties, and the region where they grow is very important to the flavor," said Angelos.
A large selection of whiskeys will be stocked as well as wines from Spain, South America and regional fare. Local beers will also be offered.
"We have 10 taps so we are hoping to provide a lot of local beers," Angelos said.
There is a private room that seats 30 that will be available for reservations. Overall seating of the eatery is 120.
"We are going to try and put a patio in sometime down the road," Austin said.
Downtown Knoxville continues to grow with new shops, distilleries, breweries and restaurants, and this group is excited to be a part of that growth.
"We love downtown. There is a great renaissance going on, and each new concept brings people down here. Rising tide raises all ships," Austin said.
Chivo Taqueria
Address: 314 S. Gay Street
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (opens July 7)
Phone: 865-444-3161
Web: www.chivotaqueria.com
SHARE Tammy Sue Chapman (Anderson County Sheriff's Office)
By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel
CLINTON She watched her boyfriend strangle his uncle, drag his body into a closet and heap blankets atop it.
And it was Tammy Sue Chapman who unintentionally unraveled the mystery behind 79-year-old Samuel J. "Sammie" Adams' disappearance when she broke into a nearby house weeks after Adams' slaying to take a piece of lemon cake.
Chapman, 47, originally charged with first-degree murder in Adams' death, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Anderson County Criminal Court to helping out in the slaying.
She accepted a 22-year prison sentence for facilitation to commit first-degree murder.
She also pleaded to aggravated burglary in the cake theft, receiving a six-year sentence, and her plea to the theft of Adams' car netted her a four-year sentence. All of the convictions are to be served at the same time.
Chapman's boyfriend, Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, was convicted in May for Adams' December 2011 murder. Jurors then spent hours deciding whether Follis was to live or die for the first-degree murder conviction before putting him behind bars for life.
Follis and girlfriend Chapman were Adams' neighbors in a close-knit neighborhood on Patt Lane in the Claxton area.
After Adams disappeared, neighbors alerted authorities, and investigators were told Follis was seen driving Adams' car. Court testimony revealed Follis sold the vehicle in January 2012 for $1,000.
Chapman later that month was nabbed at Follis' stepmother's house after she used Adams' keys to enter and take the piece of cake. She was questioned in late January by an Anderson County detective, and Follis in a subsequent interrogation admitted killing his uncle.
The defense theory was that Follis was walking by Adams' residence, saw his uncle groping Chapman, and killed Adams in a subsequent struggle.
Chapman, at first jailed under $1 million bond after her arrest on Jan. 25, 2012, was given credit for the more than two years she's already spent in jail.
Deemed a standard offender, she'll have to serve 30 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Officials said members of Adams' family, many of whom watched Follis' trial, had earlier approved the state's plea offer to Chapman.
SHARE Nicholas S. Reyes. (KNOX COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel
An emotionally troubled teenager whose bomb threat hoax led to the wrongful arrest of a veteran KUB employee burst into tears Tuesday when a federal judge ordered him imprisoned for six months.
Nicholas S. Reyes, 19, was facing as much as 18 months in a federal prison for the April 2015 false report of receiving a bomb threat at KUB headquarters, where he worked as a contract security guard. But Assistant Federal Defender Paula Voss convinced Chief U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan to cut the teenager a break.
Still, Reyes, who moments earlier had calmly expressed regret for his actions, cried throughout Varlan's explanation of the terms of his punishment, which included six months behind bars, two years of supervised release and more than $63,000 in restitution to KUB.
Reyes was 18 and manning a guard shack at KUB's Middlebrook Pike facility when he inexplicably called a supervisor to report someone had phoned in a bomb threat. KUB shut the facility down. No bomb was found nor was there any record of a call at the time Reyes claimed he received one.
Veteran KUB employee Gregory Jacobs had placed a call to the guard shack eight minutes earlier, though, and Reyes later confirmed it was his voice he had heard. The Knoxville Police Department arrested Jacobs, a 23-year veteran of KUB, on state charges.
But the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force was suspicious of Reyes and eventually gleaned a confession from him. Charges against Jacobs were dropped in June 2015, and Reyes was charged federally with communicating a false bomb threat. KUB and KPD have each blamed the other for falsely accusing Jacobs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley Jr. on Tuesday urged Varlan to consider the toll Reyes' hoax had on Jacobs, whose arrest was widely disseminated via local media.
"He shut this whole facility down for what reason I don't know, but he also intentionally and falsely accused a longtime employee," Atchley said. "His compounded lie resulted in an innocent man's arrest. I don't contest this young man has issues, but this is a serious matter."
Voss countered Jacobs' name as a suspect was presented by authorities to Reyes, who falsely confirmed it was Jacobs' voice.
"He certainly didn't bring Mr. Jacobs' name up," she said.
Voss said Reyes had a troubled childhood and has been diagnosed with mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. She said he still doesn't know why he made the false claim.
"He wasn't targeting someone intentionally," she said.
Reyes is now working and receiving mental health treatment, she said.
"Putting him in jail for six months is not going to let him pay restitution," she argued. "It's not going to let him continue treatment."
Varlan said the "serious repercussions" to both KUB and Jacobs merited a short stint behind bars, however.
"I don't think there's any dispute this was serious conduct," the judge said.
Reyes is being allowed to self-report to prison. He will be supervised until then.
The East Knoxville Burlington Branch of the Knox County Library. (J. MILES CARY/Knoxville News Sentinel)
SHARE
By News Sentinel Staff
KNOXVILLE The building for Burlington branch of the Knoxville Public Library will be dedicated in honor of Spec. Fourth Class Donald "Donnie" Ancker Sherrod at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett will lead the dedication event.
Sherrod was killed in action in Vietnam on Aug. 8, 1966, while serving in the Army. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart citations.
Sherrod was the son of F.J. and Mariana Ancker Sherrod and the husband of Barbara Sherrod. A 1952 graduate of East High School and member of Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, Sherrod enlisted in the Army in 1963.
He served in Korea and volunteered for service in Vietnam, according to the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial Association.
Sherrod was buried Aug. 18, 1966, at Highland Memorial Cemetery in Knoxville, with full military honors.
The dedication event is open to the public. A reception with light refreshments will follow.
More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.
Many public buildings have come and gone during Knoxville's 225-year history. One that was originally built as the Tennessee School for the Deaf has lasted 168 years at the intersection of Summit Hill Drive and Henley Street. Built in 1848, it later served as a military hospital during the Civil War. In 1924 it was purchased by the city and used as Boyd Junior High School and as City Hall. It was used by the Tennessee Valley authority and is now the site of the John J. Duncan Jr. School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University.
One hundred and 40 years ago, the federal government began work on its first building here at the corner of Market and Clinch. Constructed entirely of marble, it was completed in 1873 at a cost of $392,000. That same year William Rule was elected mayor of Knoxville and served as postmaster and custodian of the new building until 1880. That new post office replaced several small rented structures throughout the county. Today the building, with an addition, is the East Tennessee History Center.
Another older building is the Knox County Courthouse, which was erected 130 years ago. On July 9, 1884, the Quarterly Court levied a 20-cent tax to purchase the present site for $26,000. The new facility would replace the old one, which had a leaky roof and was too small for the transaction of much business.
On June 25, 1885, 3,000 people stood in the hot sun to witness the laying of the cornerstone of the new courthouse. Many items of importance were placed in the box, and the Rev. Thomas W. Humes made the dedicatory speech recounting historical facts about county government. He said, "In January 1884 Esquires Burnett, Sterling, Clapp, French and Mabry were appointed to superintend the building of the courthouse and in April a plan proposed for it by Messrs. Stephenson and Gratz at the cost of $82,000 was adopted.
"The courthouse and its location both bear testimony to the intelligence and good taste of the county magistry. The site has its historical associations when Knoxville was yet a babe in its cradle, and Tennessee but a territory. Here stood the barrack or block house which was constructed at the first settlement of the town," he said.
Lawson McGhee Library has been around for 131 years, but not in the same spot. The Daily Chronicle of July 26, 1885, said: "About 300 people assembled yesterday evening in front of the foundation of the Lawson McGhee Library to witness the ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone. The elite of the city were well represented, and the assembly was composed to a great extent of those interested in matters of public welfare and education."
The library was incorporated in 1876 and moved to the Swan Building around 1883. On March 26, 1885, Col. C.M. McGhee wrote to the Library Association: "It has been generally understood for sometime past that I intended to erect on the corner of Gay and Vine a building to be used as a public library, and to be at the same time a memorial building for a beloved child. To this end I have had plans and specifications prepared for such a building ... "
Today, operated by Knox County, Lawson McGhee Library is located at 500 W. Church Ave.
SHARE
One year after the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry, the Tennessee judicial system is struggling to keep up.
A Knoxville couple's divorce is on hold pending an appeal of a judge's ruling that the language in Tennessee custody laws cannot be interpreted to accommodate same-sex couples.
When the case gets to the Court of Appeals, the judges should take up the matter and apply the logic of the Supreme Court ruling to come to the opposite conclusion.
Erica Witt and Sabrina Witt married in Washington, D.C., in April 2014, bought a home in Knoxville and decided to have a child via artificial insemination from an anonymous donor. Sabrina Witt bore a baby girl in January 2015. Because Tennessee did not then recognize same-sex marriage as legal, Erica Witt's name was not entered on the baby's birth certificate.
On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that declared laws barring same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.
In February, Sabrina Witt filed for divorce. On Friday, two days before the first anniversary of the Obergefell decision, 4th Circuit Court Judge Greg McMillan ruled that Erica Witt had no parental rights or obligations because she is not a "husband."
McMillan accepted the argument made by Sabrina Witt's lawyer, John Harber, that Tennessee's 1977 law on parenting rights in the case of artificial insemination applies only to husbands. "That terminology is not interchangeable," Harber said at Friday's hearing.
McMillan declined "to plow new ground," saying that enacting social policy was not the court's job. Applying a strict reading of the artificial insemination law, he denied Erica Witt's bid for custodial rights, though he has paused the divorce action until the state Court of Appeals determines whether to hear the case.
Should the appellate judges take up the case, they should find the argument of Erica Witt's attorney more compelling. Virginia Schwamm contends the same reasoning used by the nation's high court in marriage applies in divorce and custody matters. "The argument that marriage may only consist of a 'husband' and a 'wife' has been held to be unconstitutional," Schwamm said during the hearing.
She noted that court clerks' offices across the state are now revising all types of official forms, from marriage certificates to divorce petitions, to accommodate same-sex couples.
Though Tennessee domestic law does not mention same-sex marriage, the state must recognize the unions and apply the appropriate statutes. Waiting for the Legislature to change the wording of all the laws affected by the Obergefell decision assuming lawmakers would take that step would deprive same-sex couples of their rights. The Witts deserve to have their case decided on the same basis as any other divorcing couple in Tennessee.
The Obergefell ruling addressed only the right to marry, but its logic is inescapable. Same-sex couples now have all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of marriage, including matters of child custody and support in divorce cases. The Court of Appeals should recognize the ramifications of the ruling and protect the rights of all.
SHARE
Recently the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act. It includes a provision forcing American daughters to sign up with the Selective Service System, making them eligible for a future military draft, including combat missions.
A recent nine-month study by the Marines of mixed-gender units in combat training revealed that all-male units outperformed mixed units by 69 percent. Also, the women's injury rate was much higher.
There are other significant factors, and you can imagine many more.
1. The enemy has all ready shown their horrific treatment of women, especially sexual torture. They could use that to force male counterparts to surrender.
2. What do we do if female service members get pregnant?
3. What about resulting care and feeding of infants?
4. Female hygiene alone would be horrific and degrading.
5. Men's natural tendency to protect their female buddies would put units at a disadvantage.
As a Korean War Army veteran, thinking about the dangers of a coed combat unit blows my mind.
The House has passed its version without this absurd requirement.
The House and Senate will now work to produce a conference report to send to the president's desk.
Just let your mind run wild especially veterans. Then call U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (202 224-4944) and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (202 224-3344) and tell them as a constituent you want them to protect our daughters by adopting the version of the NDAA passed by the House.
Michael George Colicchio, Dandridge
SHARE
I find it arrogant of the spokesperson for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition to be outraged and indignant about the Supreme Court overruling President Barack Obama's executive action granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. That action was outside Obama's authority in other words, unlawful.
It is amazing that people here illegally, along with their advocates, are upset over the ruling as though they had, through their illegal actions, obtained the right to stay. Only in America could this happen.
There are consequences to actions taken that are against the law. To ignore and break the law and then lament the consequences does not evoke sympathy or tolerance by the majority of citizens who are law abiding. Illegal immigrants know this but have been led to believe that they are justified in asserting a right that was never theirs to claim.
In much of the president's rhetoric, he uses the phrase "who we are as a country" meant as a justification for accepting immigrants without consequences. That is just another arrangement of words to instill guilt and reticence in anyone who disagrees with his actions.
"Who we are as a country" is one of laws, not men. This is the real issue. Laws are passed by Congress to ensure the survival and continued success of the nation's current citizens and future legal immigrants. The Supreme Court affirmed this. Kudos to them.
Cheri Schmutzer, Sevierville
State Audit Office of Georgia General Auditor Lasha Tordia, left, shakes hands with National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Hwan-soo during the former's visit to Korea's tax agency in Sejong, June 23. / Courtesy of National Tax Service
By Nam Hyun-woo
Lasha Tordia, general auditor of State Audit Office of the Republic of Georgia, acclaimed Korea's Hometax electronic tax invoice system during his visit to the National Tax Service (NTS), June 23.
Tordia visited the NTS headquarters to study a model electronic governmental service which allows civil audits.
"Georgia has long maintained strong partnerships with European countries, but unfortunately does not have many ties with this region (North East Asia)," Tordia said through his interpreter. "I was surprised about Korea's advanced administrative and electronic government system."
During his meeting with NTS Commissioner Lim Hwan-soo, Tordia showed a huge interest in the Hometax system. Hometax is an Internet service which taxpayers voluntarily access and report their tax affairs or file complaints. Almost all tax activities including filing, billing and payment are processed online and information can be retrieved anytime by the taxpayer.
According to the NTS, about 11.4 million people use the Hometax service, which is the largest number of people using a government service in Korea. As of 2015, 98.5 percent of corporate tax was reported through the service and the rate of individual income tax reported stood at 96.1 percent.
"It will be favorable for the NTS and the Korean government to export their sophisticated administrative system and accumulated knowhow to Georgia and other European countries," Tordia said.
The NTS said that the visit came as an opportunity to share the government's knowledge in electronic services for public and tax policy with Georgia. Also, Torida's visit will serve as a stepping stone for the two countries to strengthen their ties down the road, the NTS said.
During their meeting, NTS Commissioner Lim said Korea and Georgia have similarities in their long histories and geopolitical locations. With Tordia agreeing, Lim asked the Georgian government to support Korean companies seeking a foothold in Central Asian countries.
Both Korea and Georgia are often referred to as geopolitically challenged nations as they have suffered numerous invasions from neighboring powerhouses. Georgia was occupied by Russia, Turkey and Persia, while Korea is sandwiched between China and Japan. Despite the challenges, the two countries unyieldingly maintain their traditions.
Before visiting the NTS, Tordia paid a visit to the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea and signed a memorandum of understanding. In the framework, the two sides agreed to develop cooperation and promote audit capabilities through innovative e-government systems.
South Korea's finance minister pledged all-out efforts Monday to minimize the fallout from Britain's recent decision to leave the European Union (EU).
"The government will thoroughly manage risks so as to help limit an increase in uncertainties sparked by Britain's exit from the EU," Yoo Il-ho told a joint press conference where he was joined by other ranking officials in announcing the direction of the government's economic policy for the latter half of the year.
The finance minister said Britain's exit, known as Brexit, could cause long-term changes in the global economy that require preemptive steps to counter.
The government will continue operating a special monitor team around the clock until all Brexit-triggered market uncertainties are removed, the minister said.
"The government will not miss even the slightest hint of an alarm and take active and swift measures," he added. (Yonhap)
Namkoong Min
By Park Jin-hai
Actor Namkoong Min, 38, received the Best Villain Award at the annual 2016 DramaFever Awards hosted by the online Asian drama-streaming site DramaFever, his agency said on Tuesday.
The actor won the award for his role in the SBS drama "The Girl Who Sees Smells (2015)." Namkoong was featured as a serial killer, Kwon Jae.
The U.S.-operated DramaFever is one of the largest online video streaming sites for Asian dramas and movies in North America, receiving over 20 million visitors every month.
It gives awards to the most-loved Korean dramas and actors through fan votes each year. This year's vote was carried out in 19 categories.
The Best Actor Award went to Ji Sung for the 2015 MBC drama series "Kill Me, Heal Me," while the Best Actress Award was given to Park Bo-young, the heroine of tvN's romantic comedy "Oh My Ghostess."
By Kim Bo-eun
Representatives of the management, labor and government, and academic experts failed to narrow differences over next year's minimum wage, Tuesday, the deadline set for an agreement.
The Minimum Wage Council hosted its seventh and final plenary session only to confirm the huge gap over the wage increase labor representatives are calling for it to be raised to 10,000 won per hour from the current 6,030 won, while management want to freeze it.
Members of Arbeit Workers Union, a group of part-timers, have been staging a relay fast in front of the National Assembly since June 16, demanding the 10,000 won wage hike. One of the nation's two umbrella unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, hosted a mass rally in Seoul, Saturday, for the same cause.
However, management representatives say a minimum wage hike will result in employers giving up on hiring workers, which will reduce the number of jobs for young people.
Tuesday was the official deadline, but negotiations are expected to continue for the time being. This hardly comes as a surprise talks over the minimum wage have been extended beyond the deadline each time since 2010 with the exception of 2014.
The minister of employment and labor is required to announce the decision on Aug. 5, and the agreement for this needs to be made at least 20 days prior to the announcement to pass administrative procedures.
This puts the de facto deadline at around July 15.
"Around 20 days are required to make an advance notice of the law, to collect opinions and to conduct a screening process," a labor ministry official said. "This would put the final deadline between July 10 and 15, but we are aiming to reach an agreement before then."
The official agreed, however, that there is a consensus that the council needs to try and resolve long-disputed issues before the months-long official negotiations, which usually begin in April.
In Monday's session, the parties came to a conclusion on two contentious issues by putting them to a vote.
The first was whether to state the minimum monthly wage the same way the minimum hourly wage is marked on contracts. Labor representatives demanded this, saying workers are guaranteed one paid holiday for five working days, but many do not receive the extra pay because they don't know such payments exist.
The majority of the council members voted in favor of the proposal.
The other issue was on differentiating the minimum wage levels according to the type of job, a demand from the management representatives. However, the proposal was annulled through the vote.
Victims of toxic humidifier disinfectants and activists stage a protest at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Monday, demanding that companies which manufactured and sold the products be held accountable for the nation's worst biocide scandal. / Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
The Ministry of Environment unveiled a support plan for humidifier disinfectant victims, Friday, which will pay each victim up to 940,000 won per month.
Vice Environment Minister Jeong Yeon-man said the ministry will assign victims into three categories decided on by the severity of their condition and will pay 310,000, 640,000 or 940,000 won per person accordingly.
As an alternative, the ministry said it will provide 70,000 won per day for victims so severely debilitated they need a visiting care provider.
Yet, the support has strings attached.
The ministry has placed the 530 acknowledged victims into four categories dependent on the severity of their symptoms. Of these 221 in the first two categories indicating a high correlation between their illnesses and the humidifier disinfectant are eligible to apply for the financial support. However, the remainder in the last two categories cannot.
Also, applicants should earn less than 1.26 million per month to be eligible; and the support will be terminated when compensation from lawsuits is paid. Many victims have filed damages suits against the companies and the government.
The announcement quickly drew a backlash from the victims.
President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday called on the National Assembly to quickly pass the government's plan for an extra budget, stressing its focus is on supporting those on the verge of losing jobs amid the restructuring of the ailing industries.
During a meeting with economy-related ministers, Park also stressed that given South Korea's robust economic fundamentals and relatively small trade volume with Britain, the impact of Britons' decision to leave the European Union (EU) would be "limited."
"Taking the side of the suffering citizens, the government has decided to draw up a supplementary budget," she said during the meeting that brought together some 40 attendees, including the members of the National Economic Advisory Council.
"When it comes to economics, the trends are important, whereas the timing is critical for policy implementation," she added, stressing that the extra budget should be swiftly executed to ensure that the efforts to stimulate the economy will show tangible progress in the latter half of this year.
At the meeting, the government unveiled its plan to execute more than 20 trillion won ($16.9 billion) in extra spending this year, including a supplementary budget worth 10 trillion won, to help generate jobs and support the country's growth, which is expected to be hit further by Brexit-fueled uncertainties and the ongoing restructuring of major industries.
Though she downplayed the impact of Brexit, Park cautioned against potentially negative ramifications including volatility in the global financial market.
"We need to keep a close watch as global market uncertainties could have a negative impact on us any time through foreign capital flight and other developments," she said.
Two had sex with students while counseling
By Lee Kyung-min
Criticism is mounting over the government's "school police officer" system, under which officers are dispatched to schools to prevent bullying or violence, following recent cases where two officers in Busan had sex with the students they were supposed to protect.
The two an officer at Saha Police Station, surnamed Kim, 33, and another at the Yeonje Police Station, surnamed Jeong, 31 v allegedly had sex with high school students. It has not been yet found whether the sex involved coercion or threats. As the allegations began to emerge, the two officers both resigned and their stations allegedly attempted to cover up the cases by accepting their resignations.
The government adopted the school police system in 2012 in an effort to reduce school violence and prevent crimes there, following an increase in student suicides due to bullying. But questions have risen over the efficacy of the system due to manpower and budget shortages.
Currently, only 1,075 officers are responsible for 11,590 schools nationwide, meaning one officer has to cover almost 11 schools.
Students and school authorities say the officers' role is limited to receiving reports on school violence, or visiting schools just once a year to attend anti-bullying committee meetings.
"Most of our concern is that the officers are usually not there when students need them," said an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE). "In case of an emergency, it is difficult for one officer to deal with the situation alone."
Some others are skeptical of the level of consultation offered by the officers because they have no training as professional counselors.
"School police officers do not have educational backgrounds in adolescent psychology, or consultation for that matter," said former police officer Jang Sin-joong, who made the Busan cases public through his Facebook page.
"Young, handsome officers are usually selected, which is nothing more than a shallow attempt to appeal to teenagers who like good-looking celebrities. They, unlike older officers with their own children, lack the experience to counsel adolescents."
The Ministry of Education said it plans to revise related guidelines, limiting officers to hold consultation sessions with students on school property only. They will be able to have the sessions outside only when at least two officers are present, effectively banning one-on-one counseling.
This is to prevent recurrence of similar cases involving Kim, who is suspected of having sexual intercourse with a schoolgirl inside his car.
The alleged victim in Kim's case reported the incident to a school nurse on June 8, four days after the incident. Kim's superiors allegedly confirmed the case with Kim and the school authorities, but only had him resign without facing any disciplinary action.
In Jeong's case, the victim attempted suicide after the incident. She later told a worker at a regional welfare facility, who then called the police station to verify it on May 9. Jeong then resigned the next day.
Both Kim and Jeong not only evaded punishment but also received severance pay in full. Their superiors were dismissed Monday for failing to report the incidents to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Commissioner Lee Sang-sik of the agency made an official apology to the public, Tuesday.
Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Park Sung-choon attends a meeting of the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly, Tuesday. The ministry is reportedly losing its political neutrality in handling ideological issues under Park. / Yonhap
Minister slammed for ideological bias
By Jun Ji-hye
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is pushing for controversial policies that critics say can cause social unrest and division.
The ministry is losing its political neutrality in handling issues related to veterans and victims of state violence under the current Minister Park Sung-choon.
The latest in a series of controversies involving the ministry is its recent request for a budget increase for an ongoing project to educate children and teenagers as well as civil servants about "national security."
Opposition lawmakers say that the ministry, through the project, has been promoting biased ideological views about historical events.
According to Rep. Kim Hae-young of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, the ministry has recently requested the Ministry of Strategy and Finance to increase the budget for 2017 to carry out the project to 16 billion won ($13.6 million) from the original 8 billion won this year.
The project, which began in September 2011 right after Minister Park was appointed to the post, is aimed at giving the correct perception of history to the public as well as enhancing national pride and patriotism, according to the ministry.
The budget for 2011 was 2.8 billion won, and went up and down within the scope of 2.6 billion won and 4.2 billion won from 2012 to 2015. Then in 2016, the money dramatically rose to 8 billion won.
Opposition parties say such education is ideologically-biased toward conservatives. In 2014, the Board of Audit and Inspection, the state auditor, also called into question the political neutrality and objectivity of teaching material used in the ministry's education.
"The ministry has carried out the project to a wide range of people from children, students at elementary, middle, high schools and universities, public officials as well as retired soldiers," Rep. Kim told reporters. "But the ministry has never disclosed such information as a list of lecturers and curriculums."
During a National Assembly session, Tuesday, Rep. Kim also cited allegations that the ministry's education was used during the 2012 presidential election to disparage opposition candidates into supporting President Park Geun-hye, who was then the ruling Saenuri Party candidate.
"The ministry's request for doubling the budget for 2017 is seen as its preliminary steps in preparing for the next presidential election scheduled that year," Kim said.
The ministry and Minister Park have been repeatedly embroiled in controversies surrounding what critics claim are its conservative ways.
Last week, Minister Park was severely criticized by opposition lawmakers for "insulting the spirit of the May 18 democratic uprising held in Gwangju in 1980" by planning to hold a controversial military parade in the city to commemorate the 1950-53 Korean War.
At the time, the minister included the Army's 11th Airborne Special Forces Brigade in the parade, despite its role in suppressing the pro-democracy movement, during which hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded by the military.
As the controversy deepened, the ministry canceled the parade, saying that the city as well as civic groups in the region did not want it to take place.
Earlier controversies involved the ministry's decision last month not to accept the symbolic pro-democracy song, "Imeul Wihan Haengjingok" (March for the Beloved), as the official song for a government-led memorial service for the pro-democracy movement in Gwangju.
Because of the decision, Minister Park was barred from taking part in the ceremony by the relatives of those killed by soldiers.
On June 23, three opposition parties submitted a joint resolution to the Assembly, calling on President Park Geun-hye to dismiss Minister Park, claiming that he did not fulfill the basic duties of a government official as he "severely damaged the political neutrality of civil servants."
Appointed to the post in 2011 by former President Lee Myung-bak, Minister Park, a retired Army lieutenant general, has been in office for the past five years, becoming one of the longest serving government ministers.
By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea, the United States and Japan will carry out their first-ever joint missile defense exercise in Hawaii, Wednesday (Seoul time), to deal more effectively with North Korea's growing nuclear and ballistic missile threats, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.
The trilateral missile defense exercise will take place on the sidelines of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, or RIMPAC, the world's largest U.S.-led international maritime warfare exercise, to be held from June to August around the U.S. islands.
The joint exercise involving three countries comes after the North's self-proclaimed successful launch of a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) on June 22.
The IRBMs, believed to have a range of 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers, can strike any target in Japan and also, in theory, reach Guam, home to U.S. naval and air bases.
By Kang Seung-woo
The global chaos following Britain's decision to exit the EU, known as Brexit, started from a populist pledge made by Prime Minister David Cameron.
His campaign pledge for a referendum on Brexit to draw support from anti-EU conservatives helped him win re-election last year. The country voted to leave the EU last week to the shock of the world, despite the pro-EU Cameron's efforts.
Analysts say the Brexit case set off an alarm bell for politicians here who habitually make irresponsible campaign pledges.
"The Brexit poll is an example of populist politics," said Park Sung-hoon, professor of the graduate school of international studies at Korea University.
"Following the election victory, Cameron should have apologized for his wrong election pledge and retracted it, but his decision to push ahead with the referendum has produced a huge backlash."
Around the same time in Korea, a populist pledge, proposed by President Park Geun-hye in 2012, swept the nation, becoming a hot-button issue.
It was to build a new airport in the southeastern region of the nation either on Gadeok Island off Busan or in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province.
Two previous administrations failed to pick the site for a new airport due to poor commercial viability and the environmental damage expected from the project, as well as the bitter rivalry between residents and politicians.
However, President Park revived the plan ahead of the presidential election in December 2012 in a desperate attempt to win votes from South and North Gyeongsang provinces.
Fair Trade Commission Chairman Jeong Jae-chan, center, poses with members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) at Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, last Thursday. Among them are ECCK Secretary General Christoph Heider, left, and ECCK treasurer and CFO of BMW Korea Torban Karasek,
second from right. / Courtesy of ECCK
By John Redmond
The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) hosted a breakfast meeting with Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jeong Jae-chan at Lotte Hotel Seoul last Thursday.
Chairman Jeong focused on the FTC's competition policy and its future direction in his presentation to around 50 participants representing ECCK member companies and European embassies.
The meeting was led by ECCK Secretary General Christoph Heider, followed by Torban Karasek, ECCK treasurer and CFO of BMW Korea, who provided opening remarks.
Jeong stressed the significance of the bilateral relationship between Korea and the EU and discussed the FTC's aim to root out unfair practices and facilitate a free and fair trade market in Korea.
He also spoke in depth on the FTC's four main tasks for its future competition policy: building a competition-friendly market, addressing unfair trade practices, creating a consumer-oriented market economy and improving law enforcement.
"This is the very moment to spread competition principles to all parts of the economy to enhance economic vitality," he said.
By Jon Dunbar
The newly opened Vinyl House in Mullae-dong, southeastern Seoul, will hold a pop-up market Saturday with performances by live bands and a DJ party.
Vinyl House, named for its appropriately utilitarian appearance, is basically a vinyl greenhouse installed in an old machine shop space, found in the alley behind GBN Live House.
Opened June 18, the place was designed and constructed by Hwang Hyun-jin, now operated with help from his Polish bandmate Mateusz Bialy and sister-in-law Suh Min.
Hwang and Bialy play together in the hardcore punk band Animal Anthem, with Hwang on drums and Bialy on vocals and lead guitar. They previously were in the recently broken up hardcore band Things We Say. Bialy is also part of melodic punk band Whatever That Means which will tour the U.S. next month.
They're the latest defectors from Hongdae, the northwestern Seoul nightlife district facing rising rent, to Mullae, a metalworking district that is transforming into an art community one space at a time.
"The goal is to run a place in a unique and interesting location where people can come hang out, have a cup of coffee or a drink, listen to music, dance, see a show and so on," said Bialy, who earned his master's degree in business management from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
"Vinyl House is an open space so anyone who has any ideas or plans for a party/event/whatever is free to come, talk with us and make it happen."
The sales event, called the Vintage Market, will invite designer brands to sell clothing, accessories, headwear, floral compositions and more. Participating brands include handmade headwear maker Q millinery and shirt maker Dum Dum Vintage. The market opens at 2 p.m.
The event will also feature live performances by punk band Dumdumdum, garage punks Crawler and indie band Honey Moon, starting at 2:30 p.m. After 6 p.m., DJs Frikimo, Sindo and Danja Gunz will spin sets. Entrance is free.
Visit facebook.com/vinylh0use to see what Vinyl House is about.
By John Redmond
Teach North Korean Refugee (TNKR) volunteers will hold an orientation for its language-matching session at Sungwoo Building on Yeouido, Seoul, Saturday.
With a waiting list of about 70 North Korean refugees entering or rejoining the TNKR program, organizers will host the 47th language-matching session on July 9.
To be eligible, volunteers must participate in the July 2 orientation session that takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Established in 2013 by Casey Lartigue Jr. and Lee Eun-koo, TNKR is a nonprofit organization based in Seoul that has connected more than 200 North Korean refugees with over 300 volunteers.
"We've had 248 refugees and 21 South Koreans study with 428 volunteer tutors and mentors," said Lartigue. "We are lucky to have so many volunteers from around the world willing to give up so much of their time to help refugees improve their English, get prepared for academic and employment opportunities, and to tell their stories."
"We have a waiting list of 70 refugees who want to get into the program, so we feel some pressure to hold as many sessions as possible," Lartigue said.
"But we also receive many messages from refugees who want to return to the program, so this will be a re-matching session for refugees who want to return to study with more tutors."
"More than 60 refugees have returned to the program to study with more tutors, with one refugee studying with 11 different tutors at least twice a month," Lartigue added.
Park Yeon-mi, author of the book "In Order to Live" and TNKR's first refugee ambassador, studied with 18 tutors in 2014 before she rose to international prominence.
To be eligible, apply online and send your resume to CJL@post.harvard.edu. Include the following in the subject line: (2016/07/09 Matching, your last name, your first name).
Visit facebook.com/groups/teachnkrefugees for more information.
To apply, fill out a TNKR teacher volunteer application at teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org and email a maximum one-page resume to CJL@post.harvard.edu, including your college degree, nationality, current location in Korea, availability for tutoring (days, times, location) and applicable skills.
To get to Sungwoo Building, leave exit 2 or 3 of the National Assembly Station on Line 9 and make a U-turn. Walk between the KB Bank buildings and Sungwoo Building is on the right. Go to the 8th floor.
UNIDO Director General Li Yong
By Kim Ji-soo
Events such as the 4th international Green Industry Conference allow leaders and key actors to engage in critical debate on how to move from a linear to a circular economy, Li Yong, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), said Tuesday.
"This is always an opportunity to share best practices, technologies and best policy strategies for application to the green industry," said Li, in this case, the "Ulsan experience" in particular. "We will also discuss the crucial contribution of industrialization to the achievement of sustainable urban development, which will be promoted at the U.N. Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) Oct. 17-20, Quito, Ecuador," he said in an interview held at the Lotte Hotel in Ulsan, southeastern Korea.
Li is in Korea for the three-day international conference hosted by UNIDO and the Ulsan Metropolitan City
Asked what "green industry" is, Li said, "We at UNIDO use the term green industry to mean economically viable industry that does not harm the environment."
As cities are economic drivers of national growth and the location of growing environmental concerns, cities have a key role in advancing green industrial polices, he said.
"Also, often industry is located at urban and peri-urban levels. Therefore integrated planning between cities and industries is necessary, so that industrial facilities can coexist with urban settings in a sustainable way," Li said.
Li said UNIDO has actually been working on the issue since launching the "green industry initiative" in 2009. The initiative is part of UNIDO's broader mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
Asked what are the critical issues in countries, cities and businesses in going green, LI said "We should change mindsets," which is not as difficult as before as people generally agree on sustainability. Li then said the right policy and strategy, and the public and the private working in partnership were necessary.
Li, who took office in June 2013, has had an extensive career as a senior economic and financial policymaker. He was China's vice minister of finance and member of its central bank's monetary policy committee for a decade. He was involved in fiscal, monetary and industrial policies and in supporting sound economic growth in China.
He was a key official in China's cooperation with such multilateral development organizations as the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank.
"Ulsan represents a great example of how cities can become sustainable through green industry. While Ulsan is the country's single largest manufacturing hub, it has been successful in promoting environmental restoration and converting conventional industrial complexes into eco-industrial parks through inter-industry waste, energy and material exchange," Li said.
He also noted how Korea has been a leader in green growth.
"As UNIDO marks its 50th anniversary this year, we are proud to have the Republic of Korea as one of our member states, and that it has been with UNIDO since our first days," Li said. Li said that UNIDO's Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Seoul has not only been an active partner in making this conference happen but is also responsible for connecting Korean SMEs with development opportunities globally.
"Korea is well-positioned to contribute substantively to future discussions on green industry, fostering the exchange of knowledge and best practices."
/Courtesy of Twitter
By Lee Han-soo
North Korea has condemned the European Union for selling AgustaWestland's Wildcat helicopters to the South Korean Navy.
"Europe doesn't concern itself with the acute situation on the Korean Peninsula, but rather preoccupies itself with filling its own pockets," the state-controlled news agency, Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), said Monday
It blasted the EU on its hypocrisy for wanting peace on the peninsula but selling weapons to South Korea.
KCNA also criticized the South and the U.S. for provoking war and justified the North's need for a nuclear weapon.
The Wildcat helicopters, planned to be deployed next year, will operate on naval frigates and destroyers. The navy is now doing acceptance tests on the Anglo-Italian aircraft.
Wildcat helicopters will use sonar to track enemy submarines and can also deploy a torpedo to attack.
/Courtesy of Twitter
By Lee Han-soo
On June 22, North Korea fired a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from Wonsan, the sixth firing this year, but considered only the first acceptable launch.
The missile flew to an altitude 1414 kilometers and had a range of 400 kilometers. The U.S. Department of Defense on Monday acknowledged that the missile had reentered the atmosphere from space.
Whether the missile is a threat to South Korean and U.S. bases in the Pacific Ocean is still controversial among experts.
But it is believed North Korea still has some kinks to work out before the missile can be deployed.
By Casey Lartigue Jr.
On December 11, 1969, a North Korean agent hijacked domestic flight Korean Air NAMC YS-11 from Gangwon to Gimpo just 10 minutes after take-off at 12:25 pm. All 50 people on board (46 passengers and 4 crew members) were abducted by North Korea.
The North Korean government eventually released 39 people, but held the other 11. One of those kidnapped is Hwang Won, then a producer with MBC. For about 15 years, his son, Hwang In-Cheol, has been asking the North Korean regime to return his father, doing a balancing act of raising awareness and pressure, without unnecessarily provoking the regime, and keeping it a non-political purely humanitarian effort.
It is not often that we get to collaborate with people who are connected to historical events, but on March 20 of this year, I met In-Cheol at the International Volunteers Workshop. An organization I founded with my South Korean partner, Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR), is an NGO focusing on North Korean refugees, but we also allow South Koreans in as learners if they help North Korean refugees or can demonstrate a special relationship with North Korea. We invited In-Cheol to join TNKR as a student studying with volunteer English tutors so he can prepare to share his message in English and to join our special project addressing North Korean related issues so he could build a team of volunteers to help him with his cause.
For 15 years, In-Cheol has been holding one-man demonstrations, occasionally working with international and domestic NGOs and governments in his attempt to have his father returned from North Korea. He hit a low point when he lost money, and has had family members try to convince him to give up.
He has refused to let the father he barely knew be forgotten by the world. On June 17, he led a rally at Imjingak's Freedom Bridge (near the DMZ) along with 15 volunteers from TNKR and family members.
Based on pure numbers, the rally would be considered a failure, with only 15 of us participating. To In-Cheol, after doing this on his own for 15 years, it looked like an army a million-strong had joined him. So many people talk about saving the world, but they can't even help one individual. Many don't realize that their presence at events and small donations can help a cause and lift the spirits of those involved.
The most unlikely attendee at the rally: Cecilia. She was just a few months old and her brother In-Cheol was two years old when their father was taken from them by North Korea. She says that she had given up, trying for years to convince her brother and mother to move on with their lives. She now lives in the UK, she returned to South Korea last week to see their ailing mother, to observe the rally, and to see if she could really trust the people who have joined her brother's cause.
On April 13, when we started collaborating with her brother, I posted a photo on Facebook. She was shocked: Her brother had a big grin on his face. She informed me a few days ago that she had not seen him smile in years, that she had hated seeing photos from his one-man demonstrations. Over the last few months, she has seen volunteers from Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, France, the USA and even North Korea join him, in happy group photos as we planned the rally and other activities.
At the June 17 rally, when I met Cecilia for the first time, she told me that it felt like a dream. I pinched one of our interns, then said, "Nope, this is not a dream." She thanked us for giving a voice to him. She admits that she had tried to hide from the kidnapping. With a team of international volunteers, she said, "I feel like I have hands, arms, legs, a voice. The little weak girl could stand up."
The news media occasionally stumbles upon their story, driving by to take snapshots, then driving on to the next story and rarely looking back. The family has been in pain for 47 years, marking anniversaries and living successes and failures without Hwang Won.
The biggest compliment Cecilia gave to me as we talked a few days after the rally: "You are the person who makes invisible people visible. You listen to people, find out what they need, and try to find people who can help them so their voices can be heard. I finally feel that I have the power for my voice to be heard."
We hope we can continue to make their voices heard, that others will sign the online petition and join us this December to mark the 47th anniversary of KAL NAMC YS-11 being hijacked on December 11, 1969.
Casey Lartigue Jr. is the co-founder of Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) in Seoul. He can be reached at CJL@post.harvard.edu.
Samsung Electronics is taking steps toward innovating its corporate culture to raise its global competitiveness.
The tech company announced reform measures to be implemented starting March 2017. The aim is to replace its rigid top-down culture with one that is more flexible, creative and performance-oriented. The ambitious reforms include simplifying its seven-tier staff system, largely based on seniority and age, into four. The company will also institute other measures for creating a more efficient work environment.
It is hard to understand why a global firm like Samsung is still stuck in a backward corporate culture. Korean conglomerates like Samsung have contributed to Korea's notorious reputation as a "republic of night shifts" and other inefficient practices such as long meetings. Samsung is also pledging the establishment of a more employee-friendly workplace by implementing flexible work hours and reducing after-hours work.
Corporate culture innovation is a crucial task for Samsung, which has been hurt by a rapid drop in smartphone profits and a lack of new businesses to contribute toward growth. Although belated, the new Samsung campaign is a timely step toward ensuring its competitiveness among global rivals.
The question now is whether these measures will lead to fundamental changes in Samsung's culture. For a conglomerate such as Samsung, it will take a long time for the measures to fully disseminate and take root among its many affiliates.
It also remains to be seen whether Samsung's example will be benchmarked by the rest of Korea's business community. In a recent survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 77 out of the 100 member companies said that their corporate cultures were substandard. It is an urgent task not just for Samsung, but for the entire Korean business sector to replace its outdated culture with one that is more open toward communication and change.
As Korea's leading tech firm, Samsung's experiment with corporate culture innovation is gaining attention. It should vigorously implement its reform measures and set a strong example.
In a recent survey, Samsung was rated among the world's top three most dynamic brands after Google and Amazon. But Samsung is nowhere near those companies in terms of corporate culture. We want to see Samsung leading globally not just in smartphone and memory chips but also in creating an efficient workplace.
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Li Yong, fourth from right in front row, and Ulsan Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon, center, pose with other participants during the opening ceremony of the 4th Green Industry Conference in Ulsan, Tuesday. UNIDO and the Ulsan Metropolitan City hosted the international conference which is expected to adopt the Ulsan statement. / Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-soo
By Kim Ji-soo
ULSAN The three-day Green Industry Conference opened Tuesday here, with about 300 representatives from the government, business, academia and civil sectors gathering to discuss interdependence between industry and cities in striving for resource efficiency and green technology.
The fourth edition of the international conference is jointly hosted by the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ulsan Metropolitan City. UNIDO is a specialized U.N. agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.
The event is also sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), the Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA), the National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) and the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP).
Countries and their industries and cities face the urgent need to shift to resource-efficient and low-carbon production, prompting the UNIDO to launch its "green industry" initiative to promote economically, environmentally and socially sustainable industrial development. Launched in 2009 during the first International Conference on Green Industry in Asia in Manila, Philippines, the initiative complements the U.N. Environmental Program's "green economy" initiative and the UNESCAP or the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's "green growth."
Under the theme of "Green Industry for Sustainable Cities," the participants will review successes and the latest examples from industries and cities, and what policy challenges and opportunities lie ahead in implementing green industry solutions.
On the first day, UNIDO Director General Li Yong (of China) and Ulsan City Mayor Kim Gi-hyeon opened the event, followed by statements from high-level representatives. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos delivered video messages.
Some of the high-level representatives in attendance were MOTIE Deputy Minister Park Won-joo, Chairman Wang Xiaokang of China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group, Thai Minister of Industry Atchaka Sibunruang, Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industries Humayoon Rasaw, Bangladeshi Minister of Industry Amir Hossain Amu, Vietnamese Vice-Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong and Cambodian Minister of Industry and Handicrafts Cham Prasidh.
The participants from 25 countries held plenary sessions on three themes _ green industry for sustainable cities, Korea's green strategy in urban industrial areas, and low-carbon transport and energy for sustainable cities.
U.N. statistics forecast that cities and urban areas will host about 70 percent of the global population by 2050; the conference accordingly delved into how cities can play a fundamental role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by nurturing a new type of industrialization that relies on innovation and green technology and creates jobs.
In Korea, the Low-Carbon Green Growth (LCGG) initiatives were introduced during the Lee Myung-bak administration (2008-2013), and a national strategy for green growth (2009-2050) was announced. The Korean city of Ulsan, with a population of 1.1 million, is an industrial powerhouse. It is home to the world's largest automobile assembly plant, operated by Hyundai Motor; the largest shipyard, operated by Hyundai Heavy Industries; and the second largest oil refinery, operated by SK Energy. As a result, the city's GDP per capita is among the highest in the nation. Yet industries in Ulsan have converted existing facilities into eco-industrial parks through inter-industry waste, energy and material exchange. Such is the case between SK Chemical and SK Energy, where the former sends surplus steam to the latter in the Ulsan Steam Highway Project.
On the second day, participants will discuss how the green industry contributes to the circular economy, including key green industry activities such as eco-industrial parks and sound chemical management, that reduces pollution and waste through re-use or safe re-absorption by the environment.
At the conclusion of the day, the participants will issue a joint statement, called the "Ulsan Statement," containing the recommendations and actions.
On the last day, the participants will visit the manufacturing sites in Ulsan, including those of Hyundai Heavy Industries, SK Energy and Ulsan Hydrogen Town, to see how the actual interdependent relationship is working.
The Green Industry Conference has been held in three countries in addition to Korea. In the 2009 conference in Manila, the participants gathered under the theme "Managing the Transition to Resource-Efficient and Low-Carbon Industries." In the 2011 conference in Tokyo, Japan, the attendees discussed progress in green industry. The third conference in Guangzhou focused on the theme of "Promoting the Rapid Uptake of Green Industry in Harmony with the Earth's Ecosystems."
Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference on the papal plane returning from Armenia, Sunday, June 26, 2016. / AP-Yonhap
By Kim Da-hee
Pope Francis says Christians should apologize to gay people and other marginalized communities.
At a press conference on the papal plane returning from Armenia, he was asked about a recent comment by a German Catholic cardinal who claimed the church owed gay people an apology for contributing to their marginalization.
Recalling the Catholic Church's catechism, the Pope said Christians should not discriminate against sexual minorities. He said gay people have to be respected. "I believe that the church should apologize to a gay person whom it has offended," he said.
The Pope then expanded the apology's range, saying: "They must also apologize to the poor, to the exploited women, to children exploited for labor."
He said Christians have to be like brothers and sisters, invoking his famous 2013 remark: "If a person who has that condition, who has goodwill, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?"
Incoming Philippine's president Rodrigo Duterte has declared war on criminals. /AP-Yonhap
By Lee Jin-a
Anti-crime hardliner Rodrigo Duterte will take the oath of office to become the 16th president of the Philippines on Thursday.
During his campaign, Duterte declared war on corruption and major crimes, saying he will "execute" all criminals within six months of his inauguration.
"I believe in retribution. Why? (Because) You should pay. When you kill someone, rape, you should die," Duterte said in a speech in Davao City, Monday. "I follow the classical theory that you have to pay for what you have done."
Duterte's administration plans to reintroduce the death penalty, give police power to kill drug dealers at the scene and encourage citizens to kill or arrest suspects.
The former mayor of Davao City gained popularity after using extreme measures to punish criminals to transform the city into one of the safest in the Philippines.
Duterte is known as "the Philippines Trump" because of his controversial remarks. He recently said human rights activists are "stupid" because they criticized his policy on criminals.
Last year, the incoming president called Pope Francis a "son of a whore" for holding up Manila's traffic during his official visit.
Duterte also said he should have been first to rape an Australian missionary murdered in a prison riot in 1989.
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary
Read more
Cormac McCarthy is not dead. But if you checked Twitter on Tuesday morning, you might have thought he was.
An account claiming to be affiliated with publisher Alfred A. Knopf reported that legendary novelist Cormac McCarthy, author of "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men," had died.
If you were tired and coffee-deprived enough, this tweet could seem plausible:
https://twitter.com/AKnopfNews/status/747793851201556480
But if you gave it even a second glance, it became apparent that something was wrong. "URGENT. Author Cormac McCarthy dies for stroke at 82," it reads, in a stunningly weak approximation of formal English. It was, in fact, a hoax.
McCarthy is not himself on Twitter, so it was up to his publishers parent company, Penguin Random House, to explain that he was not at all dead.
https://twitter.com/penguinrandom/status/747804116567621632
Whats more, hes too tough to die. The author of bloody western novels set on the Texas-Mexico border Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain chose an even more difficult landscape for his 2006 bestseller, The Road, in which a father and his son cross a mostly frozen post-apocalyptic America searching for food, comfort, and refuge from ruffians and cannibals.
If youve never read him, heres a passage from Blood Meridian to get a sense of his writing.
With darkness one soul rose wondrously from among the new slain dead and stole away in the midnight. The ground where hed lain was soaked with blood and with urine from the voided bladders of the animals and he went forth stained and stinking like some reeking issue of the incarnate dam of war herself.He made his way among the pale and dismembered, among the sprawled and legflung horses, and he took a reckoning by the stars and set off South afoot. The night wore a thousand shapes out there in the brush and he kept his eyes to the ground ahead. Starlight and waning moon made a faint shadow of his wanderings on the dark of the desert and all along the ridges the wolves were howling and moving north toward the slaughter.
McCarthy, who lives in Texas and mostly avoids the press, isn't intimidated by much, suffering least of all. "Creative work is often driven by pain. It may be that if you don't have something in the back of your head driving you nuts, you may not do anything," he told the Wall Street Journal in 2009
And death? It doesn't seem to worry him. "Your future gets shorter and you recognize that," he said. "Anything that doesn't take years of your life and drive you to suicide hardly seems worth doing."
For his talents, McCarthy has been awarded a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. Fellow writer Joyce Carol Oates, the novelist and Twitter enthusiast, immediately mourned McCarthys passing apparently unaware that he was not dead.
https://twitter.com/JoyceCarolOates/status/747795873485066240
Despite the broken English of the original tweet, and the fact that the fake account started tweeting only today, even a major news organization fell for the hoax.
On Twitter, USA Today reported the "news":
Test (Test)
Soon, Oates and USA Today had both recanted.And not long after, the creator of the fake Knopf account admitted the whole thing was a lie:
https://twitter.com/AKnopfNews/status/747802150865113088
The announcement that Tommasso Debenedetti was behind the fake account didn't come as a surprise to followers of literary Twitter, who have been used to Debenedetti's antics for a long time.The Italian teacher has been attempting to hoax social media users for years, and he has previously "reported" the deaths of the pope, Fidel Castro and filmmaker Pedro Almodovar.
With darkness one soul rose wondrously from among the new slain dead and stole away in the midnight. The ground where hed lain was soaked with blood... Cormac McCarthy, 'Blood Meridian'
He also has a habit of creating fake Twitter accounts for reclusive authors. Most recently, he tried to fool users into thinking novelist Don DeLillo had opened an account. It did not work.
So there's bad news and good news. The bad news is that Debenedetti still has nothing better to do with his time than trying to fool people with stupid hoaxes.
The good news, of course, is that McCarthy is not dead, because he is too tough to die. And, if you think like the author, then even death cant kill him. As he wrote in his semi-autobiographical 1979 novel Suttree: "How surely are the dead beyond death. Death is what the living carry with them. A state of dread, like some uncanny foretaste of a bitter memory. But the dead do not remember and nothingness is not a curse. Far from it.
MORE FROM JACKET COPY:
Laila Lalami explains how to procrastinate (hint: you're off to a good start)
What to do after Orlando: Read LGBTQ stories
Neil Gaiman on making art, mistakes and his 'View from the Cheap Seats'
Patients, even those with employer-sponsored health plans, may face another condition after they are discharged from a hospital stay: acute sticker shock.
Out-of-pocket hospitalization costs rose 37% from 2009 to 2013, with the average patient paying more than $1,000 per hospital visit, according to a study conducted by the University of Michigan. The survey took place before many of the Obamacare provisions were in place, including the health insurance marketplaces.
Driven by an 86% rise in deductibles and a 33% increase in coinsurance the part of the hospital bill that patients are expected to pay the out-of-pocket costs rose faster than health insurance premiums.
Advertisement
The higher cost-sharing burden may surprise some patients, particularly those with employer-sponsored plans, according to Emily Adrion, a University of Michigan research fellow and lead author of the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
People tend to assume theyre fine, theyll be covered and will not be responsible for any sort of high cost when theyre hospitalized, Adrion said Monday. Most people expected they wouldnt have to pay much if they were hospitalized.
The study looked at 7.3 million hospital stays from 2009 to 2013, using data from Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana insurance companies. It found that out-of-pocket spending climbed at a 6.5% annual rate. At the same time, health insurance premiums rose 5.1% annually, while the annual growth in healthcare spending was slower, at 2.9%.
Adrion said the data show that employers were shifting more costs to the patients. She said the complexity of most health insurance policies means that many patients dont know how much more they are responsible for paying until they are discharged from the hospital.
With really high out-of-pocket costs particularly in the form of coinsurance that can be really surprising and unexpected, Adrion said. People end up going to a hospital and not knowing what considerable financial risk they are facing.
About 85% of health insurance benefit packages required coinsurance for inpatient hospitalizations, in addition to meeting an annual deductible, the study said.
For those with consumer-directed plans high deductible policies paired with health savings accounts out-of-pocket hospital costs topped $1,200, while patients with individual plans paid more than $1,800 on average, the study showed.
rchannick@tribpub.com
Shares of Los Angeles-area biotech firm Xencor Inc. soared Tuesday by 32% after the company announced a deal with Swiss drug giant Novartis.
Under the agreement, Novartis will pay Xencor $150 million now and potentially much more in the future as the companies work to develop and commercialize two experimental cancer drugs.
Monrovia-based Xencor will keep the rights to the drugs in the U.S. while Novartis will have those commercialization rights in the rest of the world.
Advertisement
The drugs, one for acute myeloid leukemia and the other for B-cell malignancies, are expected to begin early tests in patients later this year.
Xencor has 60 employees and expects to hire more in coming months.
Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland, saw its shares climb 2.3% on Tuesday.
ALSO
What you need to know about the VW emissions settlement
Airbnb sues San Francisco its hometown to block new rental law
Simon Ramo dies at 103; TRW co-founder shaped California aerospace
Airbnb Inc. filed a lawsuit against its home city of San Francisco on Monday in an attempt to block new regulation that it said would violate federal protections for Internet companies.
The short-term property rental company slammed the citys new ordinance, which would require Airbnb and similar firms such as VRBO and HomeAway to make sure that hosts register with the city or face a fine.
Under the law, which passed with a 10-0 vote by the citys Board of Supervisors earlier this month, companies would be fined $1,000 for every unregistered host who rents property on their platform.
Advertisement
Airbnb challenged the regulation in its complaint and also filed to have a preliminary injunction placed on the ordinance, which will take effect later this month.
In its filing in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Airbnb said the citys regulation violates the Communications Decency Act of 1996, the Stored Communications Act and the companys 1st Amendment rights.
It is a content-based restriction on advertising rental listings, which is speech, the company said. These provisions squarely violate the CDA, which prohibits treat[ing] websites who host or distribute third-party content, like the Hosting Platforms at issue here, as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider, and immunizes them from liability under any inconsistent state or local law.
Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >>
The office of San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera said nothing in the ordinance punishes hosting platforms for their users content.
In fact, its not regulating user content at all, Andrea Guzman, spokeswoman for the city attorneys office, said in a prepared statement. Its regulating the business activity of the hosting platform itself.
The Communications Decency Act doesnt render all business laws moot simply because a business happens to operate on the Internet.
In a statement published on its website, Airbnb said the new ordinance was flawed, and the firm is now forced to ask the federal court to intervene.
This is an unprecedented step for Airbnb, the company said, and one we do not take lightly, but we believe its the best way to protect our community of hosts and guests.
The ordinance comes after San Franciscos Office of Short-Term Rentals has faced criticism for failing to enforce existing laws intended to curb the effect of short-term rentals on the citys tight housing market. Of the estimated 9,000 short-term rentals in San Francisco, only 1,650 or so have registered with the city.
The legal action comes as Los Angeles is weighing similar rules that would impose fines on Airbnb and other websites for advertising rentals that fail to register with the city. Under the Los Angeles proposal, the online platforms also could be fined for refusing to turn over the addresses of rentals that neglected to register.
L.A. housing and neighborhood activists who have called for stiffer regulation of such rentals say the websites must help the city enforce its rules. But the plan has drawn sharp criticism from tech industry groups such as the Internet Assn., which have argued that forcing platforms such as Airbnb to monitor their rental listings would flout federal law the same objections that Airbnb is raising about the San Francisco rules.
L.A.s Planning Commission, whose members are appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti, voted narrowly to back the proposed rules last week after a lengthy hearing packed with hundreds of rental hosts, housing advocates, hotel workers and neighborhood activists. The proposed regulations still must be approved by the City Council.
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
At the Planning Commission, we rely on the city attorney and the planning staff to make sure that we follow all laws and the actions we take are reflective of that advice, commission President David Ambroz said early Tuesday, after hearing about the San Francisco suit. I feel confident that we were given the best advice possible, and we took actions accordingly.
City Councilman Mike Bonin, who has pushed for the new L.A. regulations, argued that Airbnb and similar companies should be held responsible for advertising illegal listings.
If a clerk at 7-Eleven can be fined for selling alcohol to someone who does not have a proper ID, certainly a multibillion-dollar corporation can be fined for facilitating and profiting from an illegal advertisement, Bonin said in a statement Tuesday. Instead of fighting tooth and nail to avoid responsibility, Airbnb should help make sure their site is not being abused in ways that threaten the character and quality of our neighborhoods.
Airbnb is one of the most valuable tech startups in the world, with a valuation of $25.5 billion.
The company and its competitors have developed increasingly conflicted relationships in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, where they are lauded by travelers looking for lodging and hosts seeking additional revenue streams but reviled by some local residents for driving up already high costs of living and displacing tenants.
tracey.lien@latimes.com
Twitter: @traceylien
emily.alpert@latimes.com
Twitter: @LATimesEmily
ALSO
Volkswagen reaches $14.7-billion emissions settlement
Patients pay a higher share of hospital bills, study finds
Pepsi to use aspartame again, despite health concerns
UPDATES:
10:29 a.m.: This article was updated with comment from Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin
9:47 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the office of the San Francisco city attorney.
9:11 a.m. June 28: This article was updated with comments from Los Angeles Planning Commission President David Ambroz.
This article was originally published at 9:53 p.m. June 27.
How Brexit may affect artists and the art market. George Lucas abandons plans for a museum in Chicago. Miami models allege that an artist asked them to do intimate things with a rope. Plus: Examining the museum industrial complex, Eero Saarinens weapons work, the search for a Vincent Van Gogh lookalike, and the pitfalls of artificial intelligence. Heres the Roundup:
George Lucas is abandoning his plans to build his Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago, instead casting his gaze on San Francisco. The Chicago Tribune says good riddance.
Auctions brace for a post-Brexit week. Plus, how the referendum may affect artists.
Advertisement
Artists dance during a protest against interim President Michel Temer in front of the Ministry of Culture in Rio de Janeiro last month. (Mario Tama / Getty Images )
Artists and other cultural figures in Brazil are emerging as a fierce opposition to Michel Temer, who is serving as interim president after President Dilma Rousseffs (perhaps indefinite) suspension.
Tony Feher, a U.S. sculptor who used simple objects to achieve profound meanings, has passed away.
New York Museums are cutting back on staff leading the Art Newspaper to ask whether donors might ever be interested in ponying up for operating expenses in addition to fancy new wings.
A pair of models in Miami allege that an artist having a show at the citys Institute of Contemporary Art pressured them to violate themselves with a piece of rope as part of a performance. The job paid $15 an hour.
Is Tate Modern a museum, a coherent showcase for carefully selected artworks? Or is it just a repository of myriad objects that were vacuumed up because they seemed important or affordable at the time, and because it has space to fill? Dominic Green on the museum expansion arms race.
Architect Eero Saarinen once designed weapons for the CIA (technically the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, the CIAs predecessor).
Sort of related: A fall exhibition in San Francisco will explore topics of homeland security in a series of former defense batteries at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Christian nuns watch as a team of experts begin renovation of Jesus tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalems Old City. (Ariel Schalit / Associated Press )
Conservation begins on one of Christianitys holiest sites: Jesus tomb.
The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., will be showing a rare trove of Korans this fall.
Power couple Thelma Golden, the director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, and fashion designer Duro Olowu, prefer to remain strictly under the radar.
A look at the work of the prolific SoCal photographer John Divola, a figure known for injecting wry interventions into settings of architectural decay.
A collaboration between a photographer from the United States and a composer from Mexico examines the raw cultural power of the U.S./Mexico border wall in Border Cantos.
Do you look like Vincent Van Gogh? Artist Douglas Coupland would like you to get in touch.
An old Trump campaign bus turns into a rolling work of art.
Transportation update: A peek at the station that will connect Metro riders to LAX (modern with a nod to airplane wings). Plus, the L.A. Metro/SFBART Twitter haiku battle.
A fascinating piece on the way artificial intelligence can embody the values and prejudices of its creators.
At the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida, Jesus is crucified most afternoons around 5 p.m. And thus begins a story by Jacob Silverman about a trip to an Orlando Biblical theme park in the Baffler. So good.
And last but not least: A San Francisco drag queen creates a Cindy Sherman tribute with Cheetos. Sublime.
Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
One of the most exclusive clubs in the world is about to get a little bit or perhaps more than a little bit bigger.
On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expected to announce its newest class of members, the first round of invitees to join the nearly 90-year-old organization since the #OscarsSoWhite controversy reached a crescendo at this years awards ceremony.
Here are five things you need to know.
1. The group is certain to be the largest and most diverse in the academys history.
For the last several years, the organization has been working to diversify its overwhelmingly white and male ranks, which currently consist of 6,261 voting members. But this year, that effort has taken on a fierce new urgency.
Advertisement
In January, facing blistering criticism and the threat of a boycott of the Oscars telecast over the lack of nominations for any actors of color for the second year in a row, academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced sweeping changes directed at making the institution more reflective of not just the film industry but also the world around it. The organizations stated aim: to double the number of women and minorities currently about 1,500 and 535, respectively in its ranks by 2020.
The academy is going to lead and not wait for the industry to catch up, Boone Isaacs said in a statement announcing the new initiative. These new measures regarding governance and voting will have an immediate impact and begin the process of significantly changing our membership composition.
2. Still, meeting the academys diversity goals wont be easy.
In 2012, The Times reported that Oscar voters were 94% white and 77% male. Four years later, those numbers have budged only slightly: Oscar voters are now 91% white and 76% male, according to a Times analysis done earlier this year.
To achieve its goal, The Times estimates the academy would have to invite at least 375 women and more than 130 people of color each year for the next four years. To put that in context, last years class of invitees touted as the largest and most diverse ever was 322 people, and the majority of them were white men.
The persistent lack of diversity in the film industry as a whole wont make things any easier. A recent report by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism described an inclusion crisis at the movie studios, where 97% of directors are male and 87% are white, women hold 21% of top executive positions and nonwhite actors garner just 27% of speaking roles.
The film industry still functions as a straight, white boys club, the studys authors wrote.
3. The diversity push has itself been met with controversy among some longtime members.
When the academy first announced its new rules, many older rank-and-file members protested the notion that older, less active voters would be purged from the rolls in the name of diversity. In trying to boost the number of women and minorities, some said, the academy was trading a perceived problem of racism for a real one of age-ism.
The academys leadership has since worked to clarify its new rules, suggesting that such a purge would likely affect only a relatively small number of members. Most members who fear losing their vote, will not, the academys Board of Governors said in a letter circulated to members in April.
Still, among a segment of the academy, there is lingering dissatisfaction with the handling of the diversity push, which may in part explain why an unusually large number of members including Steven Spielberg, Laura Dern, Babyface and Edward James Olmos decided to put themselves forward as candidates in the academys upcoming Board of Governors elections.
It was somehow blaming the membership, making it seem as if we were racist, filmmaker Stuart Gordon, a candidate for the directors branch, told The Times. (Gordon did not make the cut of finalists in the elections, the results of which will be announced July 21.) The whole thing seemed to be based on fear and political correctness I feel the academy is in a crisis situation now.
4. The academy has insisted it wont lower its standards for membership.
Given the under-representation of women and minorities in Hollywood, some doubt the academys diversity goals can be met without potentially lowering the organizations stringent membership requirements. In an interview with The Times in February, former academy President Hawk Koch called the targets impossible to reach, saying, There arent that many qualified people, period, of any race or gender, to invite each year.
But the academy leadership has said it will continue to set the bar for membership as high as it ever has. [Our members] are the top of the top, the best of the best, and thats the way we want to keep it, Boone Isaacs told The Times in February.
While membership criteria vary among the academys individual branches, the overarching mandate states that candidates must have demonstrated exceptional achievement in the field of theatrical motion pictures. All potential members must be sponsored by two members from whichever of the academys branches such as acting or directing the candidate is seeking to join. (The exception are Oscars nominees, who are automatically considered for, but not guaranteed, membership.)
5. The ranks of the academy are going to be more global than ever.
The academy considers itself a representation of the best not simply of Hollywood but also of the film community around the world. And to draw from the widest possible pool, the academy will be looking more than ever at potential candidates from every corner of the globe.
As part of its diversity initiative, the academy has said it will supplement its traditional membership process with a global recruitment campaign. So dont be surprised if, among the invitees Wednesday, there are a greater than usual number of names you may never have heard before and that might be tricky to pronounce.
There are qualified people out there, Boone Isaacs told The Times in February. Were going to do everything in our power to meet our goals, because we know that this is the right thing to do. Were going to make it happen.
Times staff writers Rebecca Keegan and Glenn Whipp contributed to this report.
When Greys Anatomy actor Jesse Williams took to the BET Awards stage Sunday to accept this years humanitarian award, he stunned the Microsoft Theater audience and those watching at home with a passionate speech about, among other pressing issues, the Black Lives Matter movement. But while many are still reeling at the thought of a major actor using his platform in this decidedly political manner, his speech was not entirely novel.
A lot of the things Williams commented on have been said before by black political thinkers like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as modern-day activists and artists.
But this does not take away from the fact that within his short speech, Williams presented an important distillation of some of the conversations happening about social justice today.
Advertisement
Williams brought up police brutality early, saying that police de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day but that black people are not afforded the same regard. In response, he said that the black community wants equal rights and justice in our own country, or we will restructure their function and ours, a nod to feminist scholar Audre Lordes 1984 essay, The Masters Tools Will Never Dismantle the Masters House.
The masters tools will never dismantle the masters house, Lorde wrote. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those who still define the masters house as their only source of support.
This essay has long been an inspiration for activists who call for the creation of a new system under which equality for all can be achieved -- because whats in place privileges certain lives (rich, white, male, cisgender, heterosexual) over others.
Williams also showed impatience with people who criticize the methods of groups such as Black Lives Matter but are not themselves involved in the fight for equality. If you have no interest in equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions to those who do, he said. Sit down.
Here he echoed the words of Kings 1963 Letter From a Birmingham Jail, in which King expressed why he was gravely disappointed with the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice who constantly says I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cant agree with your methods of direct action .
Weve been floating this country on credit for centuries, Williams continued, indicating that the early U.S. economy was largely built on the backs of slaves and their unpaid labor a debt that has never been repaid. His mention of blacks being taxed also carried strains of the work of Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose essay The Case for Reparations outlines the destructive effects of redlining withholding or raising the prices for services like bank loans or healthcare for discriminatory reasons on black families.
But perhaps the weightiest statement Williams made came in a charge of cultural thievery, of ghettoizing and demeaning our creations, then stealing them. This has been the subject of debate particularly among young black users of social media, who often find that the same slang and cultural innovations that make them the subject of criticism in mainstream society suddenly become acceptable when they are co-opted into commercials for pancakes or cars.
He even had a phrase for this process: Gentrifying our genius.
Almost as if on cue, pop star Justin Timberlake tweeted out a message during the speech that was taken by many as condescending, when he told another user to realize that we are the same.
He was immediately criticized for both his own participation in what many see as cultural appropriation and his deflection of the purpose of the speech. He quickly apologized and said that he felt misunderstood.
But, as Williams intimated in his speech, sometimes conversations about race are uncomfortable. Or in his own words: The burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. Thats not our job.
FULL COVERAGE: BET Awards 2016
trevell.anderson@latimes.com
dexter.thomas@latimes.com
Twitter: @TrevellAnderson and @dexdigi
Ramona Gonzalez makes smart, fuzzy beat music as Nite Jewel, but when it came to writing songs for her self-produced new album, Liquid Cool, she sought stillness. Or to be more precise, the particular sensation in daily life when communication gives way to isolation.
You close the laptop, and then, silence, youre alone, says Gonzalez.
That feeling of, Wait I was just in this world and now this is this world, and its so different. Theres no one here, she says, sitting on a couch in the Fashion District studio where she tracked her vocals for the album.
What Gonzalez describes as this lack of other permeates Liquid Cool, the artists fourth long-player under the Nite Jewel moniker.
Advertisement
Its nine concise tracks, with titles such as Kiss the Screen, Nothing But Scenery and Boo-Hoo, seldom break the four-minute mark. In turn, Liquid Cool pushes her Nite Jewel persona and distinctive production techniques further toward contemporary R&B. Previous records, for instance, explored more syrupy, claustrophobic disco music.
The artist will celebrate its release on Wednesday with a show at El Cid in Silver Lake. The work is her first album since parting ways with the respected label Secretly Canadian, an imprint with a reputation that leans more indie rock than high-concept underground dance music.
In her first album in four years, Liquid Cool, Los Angeles artist and producer Ramona Gonzalez pared down her sound to its bedroom-disco essence.
Changes in sound, she says, were due in part to her newfound freedom. Though her label divorce was amicable, Gonzalez says that expectations on both ends hindered big-ticket success.
I felt like it was time to regroup and figure out what I wanted to do creatively, she says, adding that she wasnt really getting the most positive feedback from them in terms of letting me experiment.
It was almost like their expectations were higher than I was comfortable with, she explains. And I dont mean higher as in high and low, but more commercial, you know?
Today, Gonzalez gets a groovier kind of energy through tracks she makes as Nite-Funk, a collaboration with local funk master Dam Funk. The two have a self-titled EP arriving Friday, the result of a partnership that she describes as stress-free and easy.
Shifting from the couch to her production work station, Gonzalez pops on one of those collaborative tracks, Let Me Be Me, which is more party-friendly than her own material.
As a rule, she says, she doesnt like collaborating, especially when she feels like theres someone in the room who doesnt have full confidence or composure with their art.
Dam is like 100% grounded in that, she adds. He knows what hes doing. He has the sounds. He has the progressions. He has a talent. He has the facility with his instrument. Its wonderful to watch and be a part of.
For her earlier albums as Nite Jewel, she had in-house help in the form of producer Cole M. Greif-Neill, her husband of a decade. Best known for his behind-the-boards work on Becks 2014 album Morning Phase, Greif-Neill and Gonzalez were schooled in the same Cal Arts-centered creative community as Ariel Pink, Julia Holter and Jason Grier.
Greif-Neills album-of-the-year-winning Grammy trophy for engineering Morning Phase sits on a shelf in the studio.
We all had a similar perspective about art-making, says Gonzalez, who studied philosophy and visual art at Occidental College. It should be for yourself and for experimentations sake, pushing the boundaries of your own consciousness.
Her label change, she says, prompted a shift in intention toward the more personal and intimate, and away from commercial aspirations. In many ways its about messing with the audience, not as much appeasing them.
Gonzalez toys with expectations not in the way she writes or performs, but in her unique sonic aesthetic, one that she describes as possessing an almost ambient softness to it.
Rather than focus on clarity, bottom-end bass lines or crisp high-end frequencies, Nite Jewels music is centered on the mid-range, resulting in a deliberately compressed tone that suggests an overdubbed, heat-damaged cassette tape.
That texture is tempered by a rejection of the brand of dance-music exuberance that drives sweaty EDM dance floors, one of many self-imposed limitations she placed on herself, aimed at challenging assumptions and creating tension.
Even the songs that sound like theyre happy-go-lucky are always kind of melancholy, says Gonzalez. Thats what Nite Jewel kind of is, and I gain a lot of artistic energy through that state.
A year after Don Draper bought the world a Coke in the series finale of Mad Men, his creator Matthew Weiner has returned to television not as a writer or showrunner but as a director on Netflixs prison dramedy Orange Is the New Black.
Weiner helmed the penultimate installment of Season 4, The Animals, which ended with a tragic plot twist inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and, arguably, the most devastating episode of the series to date.
We recently spoke to Weiner about the experience of being a director-for-hire. Spoilers to follow, naturally.
Advertisement
The episode you directed is pretty gut-wrenching.
Jenji [Kohan, the shows executive producer] had floated the idea to me. I didnt know when, or if, it would happen. It worked out for my schedule and thats all I can tell you. I wanted to be the director that hopefully wasnt doing any of the other things that bothered me when I had Jenjis job. Including learning 65 names. I really wanted to come in there and not feel like I was cashing a paycheck. It was really a challenge. Its actually kind of scary.
In what way?
Ive never directed anything I havent written before. This is the life of a visiting director. Youre coming into a machine where people are very close to each other. Youre new and youre not part of any inside jokes and youre not part of the success of the show, honestly.
Why did you want to do it? You directed many episodes of Mad Men, but directing someone elses show seems unusual.
I love the show. I feel like its one of the only contemporary things on television that has so much bite. Its so thoughtful. And then theres this great ensemble of people that Ive never seen before.
The other thing is I really respect Jenji as an artist. We know each other because our kids went to school together. Marti Noxon, who worked on Mad Men, is her sister-in-law. David Kohan, her brother-in-law who created Will & Grace, went to college with me.
The funny thing is Ive always respected her as an artist. Weeds being on the air when I was on The Sopranos, it was so unconventional. Jenji was one of the three showrunners that I had a conversation with before I started Mad Men.
One of the things that was particularly inspiring was that Jenji is very unafraid story-wise. Her mantra is theres always more story, which is very helpful to think about and helps you exploit the opportunities you have instead of dragging things out as long as possible. Shes been an extremely influential creative force in my life. Then theres just commiseration. Its a very strange job. I know that people perceive that its absolute power, but its actually absolute insecurity. She was always comforting.
What were the particular challenges of directing this episode?
I had all the challenges you could have. First of all, youre always working under financial pressure. How to get the most without being cheap is already a problem.
The big finish, I think, has the most cast Ive ever seen in one place [on this show]. It had the most people on the call sheet. The only time we could get everybody together was on a Sunday. There were four cameras in that last scene. And every single person who was in that cafeteria was important.
It was the closest thing I could describe to being a military leader. The floor was filled, the ceiling was cut apart so I could get that shot at the end.
Of course, all of this was particularly difficult under the context that a beloved character is in peril but also a beloved co-worker is leaving. Forgetting about the gasp that went out when we were just walking through Bayley [Alan Aisenberg] putting his knee on Poussey the gasp of everyone recognizing the tableau of the policeman on top of a person of color other than that theres the fact that, Oh my God its Samira [Wiley].
Its a technical, logistical and emotional nightmare. When youre in show business, those are the things that make you nervous about going to work.
With Pousseys death, the allusion to Eric Garner is very clear. Did you refer to the footage at all when you were figuring out how the scene would look?
No. That image is so symbolic in our mind. From Rodney King on, from the first time we had a repeated video exposure to powerlessness at the hands of authority, I think its just there. I was much more oriented to the logistics of the scene, and those were specified. Those were written down. You dont want to tip off the scene or the ending at any point in the episode.
Theres so much chaos going on, which is kind of how it happened. As a writer, I particularly loved all of these two-person scenes that were so hopeful not just in Pousseys story everybody is making up, everybody is talking about the future. Theres a feeling, even with Caputo [Nick Sandow], that somehow we can think beyond this moment.
We know that Bayley is not suited for the job. Hes not a cruel person. Hes also aware in the flashbacks of his privilege. All of that is built in thematically. When you get them into that final scene, all I cared about is that you didnt know it was going to go that bad.
It escalates so quickly. Thats part of what makes it so devastating.
Thats what chaos is. In the end, you can see that Bayley is completely in the wrong place. Hes completely unqualified to be in that position and Piscatella [Brad William Henke] has set a stage where innocent people can get hurt. Hes a fascist.
Did working on this series make you want to get back in the writers room?
It was just such a different experience. I was happy that Jenji was happy. She was on set. She was rewriting [Episode] 13. I was like, shes not going to get pity from anybody in the whole world except me. Im like, Oh man, Im glad Im not you right now.
Twitter: @MeredithBlake
If the whole enchilada isnt enough, get 14. Thats the number of enchilada varieties that will be stuffed, rolled and sauced every day throughout July at La Casita Mexicana in Bell (No. 34 on Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants list) and Mexicano in Crenshaw. With owner-chefs Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo in charge, the restaurants are staging their first enchilada festival.
Why 14 enchiladas? Its not a big number and not a small number, Arvizu said. Each restaurant will have five that are the same, but the rest will be different. And the chefs will come up with specials in addition to the official menu.
The tortillas will be freshly made, some colored red with ancho and guajillo chiles and others green with poblano chiles.
Advertisement
Highlights include Veracruz enchiladas, modeled on pescado a la veracruzana. Theyre filled with white fish and covered with tomato sauce, capers and sliced green olives. For San Luis Potosi-style enchiladas, potatoes and chorizo are wrapped in red tortillas and topped with cotija cheese and Mexican crema.
The restaurants will prepare the famous enchiladas placeras from the plazas of Morelia, Michoacan. The tortillas are dipped in red sauce and filled with cotija cheese and onions. On the side are diced potatoes and carrots and a piece of chicken.
Enchiladas based on Pueblas chiles en nogada are filled with ground meat, dried fruit and nuts. Theyre smothered with pecan cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Then theres the Oaxacan mole negro enchiladas; enchiladas suizas with chicken and tomatillo-cream sauce; enfrijoladas, with a pale sauce made from peruano beans, and tomato-sauced entomatadas.
Vegetarians can choose cheese instead of chicken as a filling, or try enchiladas poblanas with corn and poblano chile strips and a poblano cream sauce flavored with epazote.
The festival may be the start of something big the chefs say perhaps not the enchilada equivalent of Tacolandia, but a smaller event. Theyve been working on it for six months. The enchilada is a traditional dish, Arvizu said. We wanted to pay tribute to it.
La Casita Mexicana, 4030 E. Gage Ave., Bell. (323) 773-1898 | Mexicano, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Los Angeles, in Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza (323) 296-0798.
ALSO
This watermelon salad recipe could be the easiest summer dish ever
Its a mini burger party at Burgerim, a new Israeli burger chain in Hollywood
After-hours tacos: Mariscos Jalisco taco truck parks outside Sqirl for Noche Pescado
Racion, the lovely Basque-influenced restaurant in Old Pasadena opened in 2012 by executive chef Teresa Montano and general manager Loretta Peng, and one of Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants, has lost one of its founding partners. Montano quietly left the restaurant a few weeks ago to work on a new project of her own.
Most of my motivation is that I want to try something new, and see how I measure up against the big boys, Montano said Monday. As for her new project, I dont have a lot of details yet. Itll still be under the umbrella of Spanish cuisine.
Montanos sous chef Shane Alvord has taken over as chef de cuisine, while Peng remains Racions general manager and owner.
Advertisement
Racion has always been a kind of secret handshake restaurant, a quiet and unobtrusive yet ambitious place on tree-lined, one-way Green Street, just south of Colorado Boulevards busy shopping thoroughfare. (The space was once home to the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Tre Venezie.) At Racion, the two women who met when they worked for Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger at the first Border Grill food truck built a menu around Spanish cooking. In Spain, raciones are the larger portions on a menu, rather than the smaller snacks of tapas and pintxos thus both the name and the dinner on your plates.
Alvord has been part of the Racion team for a long time, having also worked at Border Grills truck which seems to function as a kind of kitchen incubator for chefs in L.A. Hes the one that knows my food. Hes incredibly talented, Montano said of Alvord.
Montano anticipates a 2017 opening for her new Los Angeles restaurant. In the meantime, shes planning on traveling, and getting some sleep.
Racion, 119 W. Green St., Pasadena, (626) 396-3090, racionrestaurant.com
ALSO:
Esdras Ochoa, the taco missionary
Farmers market report: Tomatoes are in season
Curtis Stone dishes on Gwen, his new butchers shop and restaurant opening soon in Hollywood
Drought-stricken California might have a hidden water bonanza.
A Stanford University study released Monday said the state has three times more groundwater located in deep aquifers than earlier estimated.
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said this water source is much deeper than traditional aquifers and that tapping it would likely require a lot of money and engineering expertise.
Advertisement
According to a Stanford news release, the water is 1,000 to 3,000 feet underground. Until recently it was considered difficult to retrieve water from that depth. The quality of the water is questionable, researchers said, noting that desalination might be required.
Overpumping groundwater in the Central Valley has caused the ground to sink in some areas, and researchers said this subsidence would need to be considered when drilling.
Still, the researchers said the findings offer potential good news as California enters a fifth year of drought.
Its not often that you find a water windfall, but we just did, study co-author Robert Jackson told Stanford News Service.
shelby.grad@latimes.com
Twitter: @shelbygrad
For decades after his death in the Vietnam War, Allan Altieris resting place lay bare, with no grave marker.
But on Friday, exactly half a century after he was killed, his family, friends and fellow soldiers gathered at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery to commemorate the installation of a new bronze headstone.
An Army private first class, Altieri had graduated from Glendale High School. His family was so distraught after his death that they moved to the East Coast and intentionally left his grave unmarked, said childhood friend and classmate David Persson.
Advertisement
It wasnt until last year that Persson found out there was no marker and told Altieris sister, who lives in North Carolina. She gave him her blessings to order one, courtesy of the Veterans Administration.
Persson said the effort wasnt about closure, but rather survivors guilt.
Its the duty of all of us who return to remember our fallen heroes who served their country so valiantly and gave the ultimate sacrifice, he said. He was surrounded by other veterans, including those of the 35th Infantry Regiment, Altieris outfit.
Altieri was given many honors after his death, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for valor, both of which are noted on his marker.
Richard Hunter, who served with Altieri, remembered the day he died.
He said Altieri was part of a battle in Pleiku Province, where his party was greatly outnumbered, but continued to fight. When his body was found, Altieris finger was still on the trigger of his machine gun, Hunter said.
Hunter spoke of how young he and many others were at the time.
Allan and I were the same age, he said. I graduated high school in 1964; I was 19 years old when this happened. We were children. I dont wish that upon anybody.
arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Mikailian writes for Times Community News
It was a busy Monday for the Supreme Court, which closed its current term by handing out major rulings on abortion, corruption and gun control. All three were landmark cases, but the courts ruling on abortion, Whole Womans Health vs. Hellerstedt, was the most hotly anticipated. The case stemmed from a 2013 Texas law requiring abortion clinics to employ doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals and meet outpatient surgical center standards. Enforcing this law would have likely closed around 30 of the states 40 abortion providers and left large swaths of the state entirely without access to abortion services.
In its 5-3 ruling, the high court held that the law placed an undue burden on women seeking an abortion, a decision that is likely to have ripple effects across the deep South. Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana have similar laws pending. These states each rank in the lowest third for American median household income the poverty rate in Mississippi is the highest in the nation at 21.5% which makes the ruling that much more significant. Had the Supreme Court sided with the Texas legislature, it would have forced women, especially poor women, to work even harder than they already have to in order to get an abortion. Great numbers of women in the affected states dont have jobs with sick leave, or disposable income or access to personal transportation. More than 70% of American women who live in rural areas have to travel more than 50 miles to access any kind of abortion services. Making it ever more onerous, a 2011 Texas sonogram law requires each woman to either view an image of her fetus or hear it exhaustively described, and then wait at least 24 hours before getting an abortion. (The wait time is often longer because of the demand for services abortion providers face.) This means that there is no single-day abortion procedure available in Texas. Even simpler medical abortions require an overnight visit, or a series of visits.
The courts ruling does not affect that law, and it offers no guarantee of universal access. The clinics that do exist in Texas remain cash-strapped and operate under intense opposition. Olga Khazan reported for the Atlantic on what its like to run an abortion clinic in a conservative Texas town. Heres one such anecdote:
Advertisement
Carla Holeva, who handled community affairs for Planned Parenthood, was at the grocery store minding my own business when a man and young boy approached her. Get a good look at her, she recalls the man telling the boy. Shes a very mean woman. She likes to kill babies.
Showing interpersonal and public support for those who get abortions is a critical piece of our advocacy, but social movements require both heart and teeth.
Because of the limited access to and ensuing wait for services women in these states face, some find themselves pushed beyond the three-month window in which a medical (i.e., pill-based) abortion is allowed. In these cases, the women are forced to have surgical abortions, which are more physically taxing and more expensive. Jia Tolentinos Jezebel interview with a woman who had an abortion at 32 weeks adds critical context to the often-clinical fetal viability conversation. The woman, who lives in New York, had to travel to Colorado to receive an abortion after being told the child she was carrying had genetic abnormalities that made him incompatible with life. She spoke about the challenges faced by the provider she visited:
There are a few doctors in the country four of them, you interviewed one of them who will do this. But my doctor had previously referred patients to Dr. Hern, whos in Boulder. Hes this 78-year-old man whos been doing this for decades, who developed a lot of the abortion procedures that we know to be the most safe. Hes had 37,000 patients and hes never lost anyone. And hes a zealot, but he has to be. There are websites dedicated to offering money to kill him; his practice has four layers of bulletproof glass. Theyve been shot at. He was there during the Roe v. Wade decision. Hes been through it all. And the only other peer he had at his level was Dr. Tiller, who was killed in 2009.
This ruling doesnt change the fact that American access to abortion services is still shoddy, piecemeal and often prohibitively expensive. It doesnt change the curricula of school systems that are hostile to comprehensive reproductive education. It doesnt change the fact that many women have to walk through picket lines of people waving pictures of bloody fetuses and yelling that theyll burn in hell (oh, also, God loves ya). It doesnt change the fact that many are duped into attending faux crisis pregnancy centers, which delay access to real care and only educate them about parenting or adoption. Nor does the Supreme Court ruling change the fact that these crisis pregnancy centers receive millions of dollars of Texas state funding, while abortion clinics receive none.
Whole Womans Health vs. Hellerstedt is a battle won, but the larger war has innumerable fronts. Those of us who care about a womans right to choose must recognize that the court has only affirmed the right of Texan women to make use of the overstretched and underfunded abortion services that already exist in their state.
Showing interpersonal and public support for those who get abortions is a critical piece of our advocacy, but social movements require both heart and teeth. The teeth is the piece where we give something to the work, whether it be our money, time or skills. Abortion-rights advocates can use the increased attention on Texan abortion clinics as an opportunity to evaluate what more we can do in states where clinics are far apart and underfunded. Can we fundraise for or donate to the clinics? Can we donate the skills we have whether we be administrators, caretakers, lawyers, educators to shore them up? Can we work harder to let the practitioners in our communities know they are supported? Can we volunteer to drive women who dont have cars to receive the abortions they need?
In a fairer world, the government would fill in these service gaps. But there is too much that needs doing for us to wait for a change in policy that may not come. The Supreme Court ruling pushes the abortion-rights movement forward. But its also a reminder for advocates to think creatively about how we, as individuals, can put our values into action.
Batchelor Warnke is an intern in The Times Opinion section. Follow her on Twitter @velvetmelvis.
About $7 billion a year in school funding will be at stake this fall when voters decide whether to extend Proposition 30, a tax on high-income Californians.
Those in favor of the tax went on the offensive Tuesday, shining a spotlight on people who gave undisclosed money to fight the levy.
A coalition of unions and self-described progressive organizations released the names as part of an effort to extend the temporary tax, which passed in 2012 and is set to expire in 2018.
Advertisement
The group, called California Hedge Clippers, said the donors they named had made undisclosed contributions in 2012 as part of an unsuccessful dark-money scheme to defeat the tax.
Some big-name donors, including billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, were exposed earlier, after voters approved the tax and the publicity-dodging maneuver was revealed. On Tuesday, the new group named 76 more.
The activists game plan could be called preventive disclosure, or strategic shaming.
Dozens and dozens of Californias wealthiest individuals secretly worked to try to make sure this measure would never pass, said Amy Schur, state campaign director for the L.A.-based Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which is part of the coalition.
Proposition 30 is too crucial to risk their interference this time around. Were calling them out, added Schur, whose group is part of Hedge Clippers.
Individuals named in the groups report include Silicon Valley tech and investment executive John H. Scully ($500,000), investor and Hyatt Hotel heir Anthony Pritzker ($100,000), developer Geoff Palmer ($100,000) and private equity investor Gerald Parsky ($50,000).
Donors, regulators concluded, contributed money to an out-of-state organization, which circulated funds through a series of other groups and eventually back to California. By then, the identity of the donors was beyond the reach of disclosure laws.
As the money was channeled to California, some transfers were not properly disclosed and therefore violated the law, officials said. Well after the election, a California investigation resulted in $16 million in fines to some of the groups as well as the disclosure of some donors, including Broad, who either gave $500,000 or $1 million, depending on how the source documents are interpreted. The donors were not fined.
The new names emerged this week from sleuthing based on a partially redacted list of donors that a political operative had provided to regulators. On it, names and addresses of so-called dark money donors are partially blacked out. But enough remained in view to allow the cross-referencing of visible information with more complete public filings elsewhere, researchers said.
California Hedge Clippers is a regional wing of a national coalition. Its reports target the one percent, wealthy Americans who hold opposing political views.
Among the names to emerge in the California research is Nils Colin Lind ($50,000), who was at the time an executive at Blum Capital, the firm he co-founded with Richard Blum, California Sen. Dianne Feinsteins husband. The larger contributions include $800,000 from machine-tool manufacturer Gene Haas. The researchers also uncovered additional money from the Fisher family, heirs to the Gap fortune and among the most generous supporters of charter schools; their revised total is $10 million.
The list also includes leaders of the charter school movement, such as Scully and Tony Ressler ($25,000), a former longtime board member of the charter group Alliance College-Ready Public Schools.
Like other public schools, charters reaped huge financial benefits from Proposition 30 after it passed in 2012. School officials across the state hope voters in the November election will extend the tax on the wealthiest 2% of earners.
Critics say that the measure is unfair or unnecessary, especially because increased tax revenue from an improving economy has brought more money to education.
Using the same methods as the researchers, The Times was able to verify many of the names on the partially redacted list, including Pritzker, Lind and Scully. Efforts to reach them were not successful.
But Ressler, one of the donors verified through this method, did call back and said that he doesnt remember the $25,000 contribution or the groups through which regulators said the donations were funneled. Ressler, on Forbes list of billionaires with an estimated worth of $1.19 billion, has long been active in supporting charter schools and other education reform efforts.
Ressler said that the cause of improving education is extremely important to him.
Anything that helps public education I am in favor of, he said. My hope is that public education will improve dramatically.
In 2012 stopping Proposition 30 was one of two presumed goals for the hidden donations. The money also went to pass Proposition 32, which would have limited the ability of unions to collect political funds from members. Its impossible to determine which of the two campaigns donors wanted to influence or whether they were interested in both.
Whatever the case, the efforts failed.
The donors money traveled a circuitous path. They contributed to Americans for Job Security, a Virginia trade association. This outfit then passed the money to the Center to Protect Patient Rights in Arizona. The center next sent $11 million to a Phoenix group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, which provided it to the Small Business Action Committee. That committee spent the money on the California campaigns.
In another relay, the Center to Protect Patient Rights provided more than $4 million to the America Future Fund in Iowa, which passed the money to the California Future Fund for Free Markets, a campaign committee supporting Proposition 32.
Not all of the donated money made it back to California. About $10 million was captured by groups in other parts of the country, the researchers said.
Editors note: Education Matters receives funding from a number of foundations, including one or more associated with people mentioned in this article. The California Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles administer grants from the Baxter Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the California Endowment and the Wasserman Foundation. Under terms of the grants, The Times retains complete control over editorial content.
howard.blume@latimes.com | Twitter: @howardblume
maloy.moore@latimes.com | Twitter: @maloym
doug.smith@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATDoug
ALSO
California has a lot more water than some think, new Stanford study suggests
Parents of Navy SEAL file wrongful-death claim against parachute maker
Violence in Sacramento shows old and new faces of white extremism
UPDATES:
4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and comments.
This article was originally published at 12 a.m.
An ex-convict has been charged with trying to kill 10 Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies at a DUI checkpoint last week and then taking a man hostage in a standoff in Bellflower, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Juan Manuel Martinez, 39, of Burbank, faces more than a dozen felony counts, including 10 counts of attempted murder of a peace officer; false imprisonment of a hostage; dissuading a witness by threat of force; and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.
Martinez, who has previously been convicted of grand theft and drug charges, has been ordered held on $11-million bail. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges.
Advertisement
See the most-read stories this hour >>
Martinezs crime rampage began at about 10:50 p.m. Thursday with a shooting in the 9000 block of Oak Street, close to where deputies were operating a DUI checkpoint, authorities said.
Martinez had passed through the checkpoint, but was pulled over shortly afterward by a motorcycle officer, according to Capt. Christopher Reed.
Martinez stepped out with a gun and opened fire, striking the deputy multiple times, sheriffs officials said in a prepared statement. The deputy returned fire. Martinez was not injured.
After abandoning his vehicle, Martinez fired at four other deputies who were trying to help the injured deputy, authorities said.
As Martinez ran away, he fired at a second set of deputies, injuring another deputy near Lisa and Laurel streets, according to officials.
Another shooting occurred as Martinez continued to flee, but no one was hit, authorities said.
Martinez escaped and hid in a guest home behind an apartment in the 9000 block of Mayne Street; he was holed up with a male hostage for eight hours, according to officials.
By Friday morning, a SWAT team using tear gas forced its way inside the small structure. The hostage was not harmed, and Martinez was arrested, authorities said.
This is an individual who throughout the night attempted to murder a number of our deputies, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said at news conference after the shootings.
The injured deputies, Christopher Allende and Chad Vandenberg, were taken to area hospitals, where they received medical care.
According to a GoFundMe account set up to help Vandenbergs family, the father of four was shot in shoulder.
Lakewood Station would like to thank Department members, the various public safety agencies, and the public for their tremendous outpouring of support and concern they have shown for their deputies as they recover from their injuries, the station said on Facebook.
If Martinez is convicted of the charges, he faces up to life in state prison.
For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
ALSO
Police K-9 killed and suspect injured in Long Beach officer-involved shooting
Two mothers, four children killed when big rig rear ends minivan on the 5 Freeway
Drunk woman drives more than a mile after mans body smashes through windshield, police say
Police in Central California say two family dogs killed a 3-day-old baby after her mother left her on a couch and walked away for a few seconds.
Fresno Police Sgt. Dan Macias told the Fresno Bee that the girls mother had left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up in the backyard.
The baby died at a hospital shortly after the attack Monday.
Macias says the two male dogs, which are believed to be a mix of Shar-Pei and pit bull, are owned by the 33-year-old womans brother. He surrendered the dogs to the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Advertisement
SPCA spokesman Walter Salvari says the dogs will be euthanized.
Macias says that police are continuing to investigate and that charges have not been ruled out.
ALSO
2 women, teenage boy found dead in Rancho Santa Fe home
Laguna Beach cafe owners file countersuit against Muslim women who alleged discrimination
San Diego launches campaign to expose Ugly Truth about sex trafficking and child exploitation
A rare attempt to free a blue whale tangled in crab fishing lines off the coast of California ended in failure Tuesday when rescuers were unable to locate the creature after removing a tracking buoy the night before.
We lost him, said Captain Dave Anderson, a rescue effort organizer and owner of Dana Point-based Captain Daves Dolphin and Whale Safari. It breaks my heart to see a whale like that. Its so hard when youre so close to helping, we were just inches away.
The whale was first spotted Monday dragging a pair of fishing lines in its wake. Anderson said markings on the lines revealed that the crab traps had been set in Morro Bay, and probably weighed 100 to 300 pounds. The trap lines, which appeared to stretch some 500 feet, were digging into the whales tail, or flukes, and causing it to become exhausted through stress and sheer effort, he said.
Advertisement
If this whale isnt helped I dont think it can last. I would say its probably going to be a month ... then it could die, he said.
On Monday, crews of multiple boats spent hours attempting to untangle the whale as they chugged slowly south, some two or three miles off the coast of Orange County.
Rescuers used a 30-foot pole to snare lines floating behind the animal, but were unable to reach the submerged portions of line that were towing the the crab traps far below the oceans surface.
Every time rescuers approached, the whale would dive, Anderson said. When it did resurface to breath, it was only for a few seconds, and its tangled tail always remained some 25 feet below the water line.
The would-be rescuers worked from aboard ships and did not enter the water out of safety concerns.
I mean, hes the biggest animal on Earth. Theyre not intimidated by anything, Anderson said of the whale. He was being fairly cooperative overall, but theres a fair risk of him deciding he doesnt want us there. When he decides he doesnt want you there, he wins.
The whale swam about 15 miles from 10 a.m. to sunset and was headed toward San Diego. Rescuers had attached a telemetry buoy to the animal during the day, in order to track him, but had to detach it at Monday night so they wouldnt lose it if the whale swam off, said Michael Milstein of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
On Tuesday, rescue teams motored out to the area once again but the trap-bound whale was nowhere to be seen.
NOAA has alerted San Diego, but the whale could be anywhere, read a post on the Whale Safari Facebook page.
Last year, 61 whales were reportedly entangled off the West Coast, according to a March NOAA report. There have been nearly 40 reports of whale entanglements so far in 2016, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
Staff writer Veronica Rocha contributed to this report.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter
ALSO
Shuttle bus carrying doctors and nurses crashes in Northern California
Two mothers, four children killed when big rig rear ends minivan on the 5 Freeway
Drunk woman drives more than a mile after mans body smashes through windshield, police say
UPDATES:
1:39 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the failed rescue attempts.
8:06 a.m.: This article has been updated with details of Mondays rescue attempt.
This article was originally published at 6:35 a.m.
Los Angeles County transportation officials are using a scared straight approach to encourage rail safety.
In a new series of public safety announcements, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority warns about the danger of being decapitated, dismembered or pulverized. Thankfully it uses a fleshed-out stick figure character to make its case.
Metro released the videos on Wednesday that show the gruesome reality albeit in cartoon style of being killed by a train.
Advertisement
The Safetyville campaign by Metro has received nearly1 million views on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram combined.
The Blue Line is one of the deadliest light-rail lines in the country and with the addition of the Gold and Expo lines in Los Angeles, the social media team at Metro wanted to come up with an attention-grabbing way to teach safe practices.
We had 19 miles of new Metro line in parts of the country that havent had rail services in decades, said Dave Sotero, communications manager for Metro. The behaviors in the videos are universal. They would apply to any rail services we have.
The Metro social media team worked with the safety department to come up with a way to effectively illustrate the many ways passengers could put themselves in danger.
Sotero said the videos are inspired by the Metro Trains Melbourne video, Dumb Ways to Die.
John Gordon, social media director for Metro, said the reaction to the series has been overwhelmingly positive.
I think people get it, he said. We hit the right mix of gruesome and levity.
Check them out below theyre like scenes from a Final Destination film.
alexia.fernandez@latimes.com
Twitter: @alexiafedz
ALSO
Neo-Nazis didnt start the violence at state Capitol, police say
High school football player killed over YouTube music video, mom says
In fire-ravaged Kern County, some residents return to evacuated areas to check on homes, pets
San Bernardino County supervisors rejected a proposal Tuesday to end two of Southern Californias largest raves at the San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore.
The board voted 2 to 1 to end the multi-day Nocturnal Wonderland and Beyond Wonderland electronic music festivals following protests from residents who have been pushing to end the concerts over safety, noise and traffic concerns, but the measure failed to get the three votes it needed for approval.
For the record: A previous version of this article misstated the vote tally on a proposal to end raves in San Bernardino County. Supervisors Janice Rutherford and Robert Lovingood voted in favor of the proposal and Curt Hagman opposed it. The measure failed because it needed three votes for approval.
The county will, however, explore the possibility of ending the concerts three hours earlier.
Advertisement
Two people have died of overdoses since the festivals began at the county-owned outdoor venue in 2013. In March, during Beyond Wonderland, more than 200 people were arrested and 18 were taken to local hospitals, according to county records. The concert drew 63,000 people.
Matt Prieshoff, chief operating officer for Live Nation in California, which organizes the concerts, told the supervisors Tuesday that the festivals bring large amounts of money to county and local business and give jobs to local workers. He said the company is committed to improving traffic and mitigating sound problems.
A number of local business representatives, including a hotel manager and restaurant owner, also said ending the raves would have a significant impact on their businesses and workers.
But residents of Devore, a rural community of large-lot homes where many keep horses and other animals, described being overwhelmed by traffic and noise on concert weekends.
Dr. Rodney Borger, an emergency room physician at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, said patients who have used drugs during the festivals flood emergency rooms that are already stretched thin on the weekends.
Our work is then occupied by trying to restrain and take care of and save the lives of young kids who are going to die unless you take care of them, he said.
In September 2013, a 22-year-old man died of an Ecstasy and methamphetamine overdose after collapsing at Nocturnal Wonderland. In March of last year, a UC Irvine student, also 22, died after collapsing at Beyond Wonderland. He was later determined to have overdosed from Ecstasy.
Supervisor Janice Rutherford, who represents several communities surrounding the amphitheater, earlier this year proposed ending the raves after getting numerous complaints from local residents. She and Supervisor Robert Lovingood voted in favor of the ban on Tuesday.
Supervisor Curt Hagman opposed the proposal. Two others, Josie Gonzales and Chairman James Ramos were absent.
In addition to voting unanimously to begin negotiating with Live Nation to end the festival nights at 11 p.m. rather than 2 a.m., the supervisors also voted to begin the process of creating a task force to study the safety and impact of events at the amphitheater.
A similar task force was formed late last year in Los Angeles County not long after two young concertgoers died of apparent overdoses after attending Live Nations Hard Summer rave at the county fairgrounds.
Hard Summer will now take place at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana in July.
paloma.esquivel@latimes.com
For more Inland Empire news follow me @palomaesquivel
Days after hundreds of people took to the streets demanding answers, the police shooting of an unarmed Fresno teen has sparked an online petition calling on officers to release body camera footage of the incident.
Thousands of people have signed the online petition demanding the Fresno Police Department release body camera footage showing its officers encounter with 19-year-old Dylan Noble before he was fatally shot.
We want Dylan's story, the petition reads. We want to know why an unarmed hard-working productive member of society was shot and lost his life. We need the body cam evidence to be admissible in a court of law.
According to the Police Department, officers responded to a report of man walking with a rifle about 3:20 p.m. Saturday.
As they searched for the man, officers saw a black pickup truck speeding in the area. They tried to stop it. But the truck continued traveling for half a mile. The truck finally pulled into a Chevron station, police said.
During the traffic stop, the driver refused to show his hands to the officers, making a conscious effort to conceal one hand behind his back, then in his waistband, as he exited the truck, and walked away from officers, Lt. Burke Farrah said in a prepared statement.
Officers repeatedly asked Noble to show his hands and get on the ground.
With one hand still behind his back, Noble turned toward the officers and said he hated his life, Farrah said.
Noble then advanced toward the officers and was shot four times, he said.
Interested in the stories shaping California? Sign up for the free Essential California newsletter >>
He was taken to an area hospital and died during surgery.
Farrah told The Times that Noble did not have a weapon.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters the shooting was an unfortunate tragedy.
It was the sixth police shooting for the department this year, officials said. There have been nine police shootings since 2015.
You have a family that has lost a loved one, a 19-year-old son, and I am sure they have a lot of questions, Dyer said. Questions that we dont have answers for at this time.
Because the investigation is still ongoing, Dyer said body camera footage would not be released. He said releasing the videos could taint witness accounts.
In a large and emotional vigil, friends, family and Fresno residents gathered Saturday at the Chevron station.
Some demonstrators carried a large Confederate flag as they confronted police, while others posted signs at a memorial that said Justice for Dylan, and White Lives Matter.
Videos of the gathering posted online show dozens of motorcycles and trucks participating in a lively sideshow. Drivers revved their engines and raced down a strip of road as they were cheered by onlookers.
The large gathering drew a bevy of officers, who blocked the road for safety, Lt. Joe Alvarez told reporters. At one point, police allowed a man participating in the vigil to address the crowd of mourners to calm them.
The crowd of people, Alvarez said, were trying to express their 1st Amendment right.
People are grieving and we have to understand that, he said.
Described as an outgoing teen, the Clovis High graduate had recently started working in construction and wanted to be a professional DJ, the Fresno Bee reported. The teen loved bull riding, dirt bikes and the outdoors.
Friends and family were stunned by police statements indicating that Noble possibly wanted to end his life.
He loved life. He absolutely loved life, Nobles friend Megan Sullivan told the newspaper.
For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
ALSO
Assault suspect and police K-9 killed in Long Beach officer-involved shooting
Husband appeared to be protecting his wife as wildfire reached their home. Both died
Two mothers, four children killed when big rig rear ends minivan on the 5 Freeway
San Diego County officials on Monday launched a campaign intended to educate the public about sex trafficking and child exploitation.
Dubbed The Ugly Truth, the effort will use billboards; radio spots; videos to be played in elevators and at health clubs; and posters to be displayed at bus shelters and on trolleys. Its expected to run about three months.
Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Summer Stephan said at a news conference that law enforcement authorities see a disconnect between what they know about sex trafficking and the communitys attitudes toward it. Some of that, she said, may be attributed to movies and television shows that glamorize prostitution.
Advertisement
Stephan said the campaign grew out of a belief that people would be more willing to work against human trafficking in their communities if they had a better understanding of the conditions that drive children and adults into the sex trade.
Until residents of San Diego County see the damage done to women, girls and boys being forced to work in prostitution, there will be a lack of will to take on this threat and end demand for it, she said.
The FBI has identified San Diego as one of 13 U.S. cities designated as a high intensity child prostitution area.
A study released last year by the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University reported there were up to 8,100 trafficking victims a year in San Diego County, and the average age of entry into sex trafficking is 16.
Most of the illegal activity is controlled by street gangs, some of which have turned to prostitution as their top source of income.
The ugly truth is that San Diego has a thriving underground sex economy, Supervisor Dianne Jacob said at the news conference.
She noted that human trafficking was a form of slavery that affects schools, neighborhoods and other areas where children gather. Its shocking, and it must not be tolerated, Jacob said.
This isnt the first time San Diego County has launched a public awareness campaign focused on human trafficking.
In 2014, Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis announced that billboards had been posted in various locations with messages such as: Buying a teen for sex is child abuse. Turning a blind eye is neglect and Teens sold for sex arent prostitutes. Theyre rape victims.
The Ugly Truth campaign is intended to take those messages further by providing input from survivors of human trafficking. It also attempts to expose and stop people who buy and sell human beings for sex, as well as offer resources for the victims, Stephan said.
dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com
Littlefield writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The owners of a Laguna Beach cafe have filed a countersuit against a group of women who allege they were targeted for being visibly Muslim and discriminated against because they were ordered to leave.
In the cross-complaint, filed last week in Orange County Superior Court, an attorney for the owners of the Urth Caffe accused the plaintiffs of trespassing. David Yerulshami, co-founder and senior counsel of the American Freedom Law Center, said the womens civil rights lawsuit is nothing short of an abuse of process to extort public apologies.
The claim that these women were asked to leave the cafe because they were wearing hijabs is laughable, Yerulshami said. That night, as every Friday night, a large number of young people, including a majority of whom are Muslim and of Arab descent, make up the base of Urth Caffes customers.
Advertisement
Restaurant staff asked the plaintiffs to abide by the cafes policy to give up their high-demand outside patio table after 45 minutes to allow other customers, including those wearing hijabs, to enjoy the experience, he added.
The seven women who sued after the April 22 gathering tell a different story. The ouster left us shaken, disrespected and shocked, said Soondus Ahmed, a software engineer. We committed no crime, and it felt surreal that we were escorted out.
Another plaintiff, college student Sara Farsakh, said she had gone to the cafe once before with her husband without a problem. Yet that night, the manager came up to us and said it was rush hour, but around us, there were at least 20 empty tables.
On Monday, Mohammad Tajsar, attorney for the plaintiffs, described the countersuit as nonsensical and retaliation. This is an effort to silence our clients -- to shame them for their actions.
He said the single claim of trespassing in the countersuit never happened, adding: What our clients did in April is corroborated by video and statements made to police, all of whom suggest that our clients were acting properly that evening. Once told they had to leave, they left.
anh.do@latimes.com
Twitter: @newsterrier
ALSO
Violence in Sacramento shows old and new faces of white extremism
Former top L.A. County sheriffs official given 5-year sentence for obstructing FBI probe
California has a lot more water than it thinks, new Stanford study suggests
The land under Beijing is sinking by as much as four inches per year because of the overconsumption of groundwater, according to research published in the journal Remote Sensing this month.
The rate of sinking threatens the safety of the public and urban infrastructure, the study says. This is because uneven sinking could damage trains, buildings and other structures.
Experts from China, Spain and Germany worked together to analyze data from satellite imaging and global positioning sensors and tracked changes in the ground level from 2003 to 2011.
Advertisement
Their findings were first drafted earlier this year and revealed that the citys Chaoyang district, home to Beijings growing Central Business District, is sinking fastest, at a rate of more than four inches per year. Researchers also estimated that some areas sank more than 30 inches over the study period.
In addition to identifying critical regions, the study discovered factors that contribute to sinking. Low groundwater levels are the main cause, but aquifer type, the location of water pumps and the thickness of soft soil also correlated with sinking rates.
Beijing is ranked as the fifth-most water stressed city in the world, with the demand for water exceeding the available supply. Most of the water used for agriculture, industry and personal use comes from the citys underground aquifers.
But the Chinese capitals rapid growth has caused an increasing and unsustainable consumption of water, the study says.
The depletion of groundwater causes underlying soil to compact, creating a phenomenon called subsidence. The Beijing region has been experiencing this phenomenon since 1935, according to researchers, but the rate of sinking is now increasing at an alarming rate.
Sinking land is a problem not only in Beijing.
China has 45 cities and municipalities where disastrous land subsidence have occurred or is occurring, the studys researchers said in an email to The Times.
Mexico City; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; and the San Joaquin Valley are also experiencing similar problems.
Land subsidence in Beijing could be stopped and part of the sunken land could even be recovered if the city ends pumping and the natural groundwater is restored, the studys researchers said.
Chinas government has already made moves aimed at fixing the problem.
Chinas State Council approved a plan to prevent land subsidence in 2012 that involves limiting groundwater usage and monitoring affected areas. And last year, China completed the South-North Water Diversion project, a nearly 1,500-mile network of canals and tunnels to transfer water to Beijing.
The Chaoyang district has also announced plans to retire 367 water wells to reduce its reliance on groundwater, according to China Daily.
But experts say its too soon to tell if these measures are enough to halt Beijings sinking problem.
The researchers later this year will release an analysis of sinking on high-speed railways and other critical infrastructure.
Texas abortion clinics at risk of being closed by a restrictive state law will remain open, and some of those shuttered probably will be able to reopen in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling Monday that could block similar laws in other states across the so-called abortion desert of the South and Midwest.
Supporters of abortion rights said they now expected a steady state-by-state rollback of laws that restrict the ability to get an abortion, erasing gains that opponents have notched in recent years.
But opponents of abortion said they plan to defend those laws in the interest of womens health and will explore shifting gears to pursue new laws to protect fetal health.
Advertisement
Of 41 abortion clinics in Texas before the law passed, 19 remain. Of those, 10 would have been forced to close had the high court allowed the law to stand.
Advocates expect some clinics to reopen, especially those in rural areas far from other providers. Still, the reopening process could be slowed by licensing, rebuilding and hiring.
We really have a daunting task ahead of us to determine when and how we can reopen some of our clinics, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Womans Health, which closed two of its half-dozen clinics in Texas after the state law passed. We have the go-ahead to open clinics, but the process to undertake it is going to take time.
About half the women in the South live in counties without abortion clinics, as do 53% of women in the Midwest, compared with 38% nationwide, according to the most recent study by the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for reproductive rights.
Since the Texas law passed, many women without clinics nearby or whose clinics had long waits have paid to travel to have abortions in neighboring states. Advocates said theres a pressing need to reopen clinics that serve women in remote western cities such as Lubbock, Midland and San Angelo.
Its vital in West Texas and the Panhandle, where people are hundreds of miles from care, said Nan Little Kirkpatrick, executive director of the Dallas-based Texas Equal Access Fund, which helps those who cannot afford abortions. We are really hoping this decision will reopen providers.
Abortion rights advocates were also hopeful the ruling would help permanently block similar laws temporarily suspended by the courts in other states.
In addition to Texas, five other states have enacted laws that require abortion clinics to meet ambulatory surgical-center requirements. They are Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee, where the law was temporarily blocked by a judge, according to the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented Whole Womans Health.
The group found nine other states that had passed laws requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals: Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Those laws were blocked by the courts in all but Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee.
Late Monday, the Alabama attorney general announced that states appeal of a decision finding Alabamas admitting-privileges law unconstitutional.
And on Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to review court rulings blocking admitting-privileges restrictions in Mississippi and Wisconsin.
While the Alabama and Wisconsin laws are effectively blocked permanently, the Mississippi case will return to the trial court that originally blocked the law.
As the news in Alabama, Wisconsin and Mississippi shows, yesterdays landmark ruling was just the beginning. This decision has opened the door to go state by state, Legislature by Legislature, law by law, and restore access to safe, legal abortion, said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which filed the Alabama and Wisconsin cases.
In Louisiana, a state admitting-privileges law was stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court this year, allowing two of the states four clinics to go back to work.
Our next step will be to decide what we need to do to have it permanently enjoined, said Kathaleen Pittman, administrator at Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport.
Mississippi also passed an admitting-privileges law that was stayed by the courts and is expected to be permanently blocked in coming days because of the high courts ruling, the first in decades to clarify the standard set by another Texas case, Roe vs. Wade.
Its a definitive ruling. It doesnt leave any wiggle room for people who have sought to abuse regulatory authority and gut the provisions of Roe, said Dr. Willie Parker, who staffs the states sole abortion clinic, in Jackson.
Parker said the high courts ruling not only will lead lower courts to block these laws. It also can serve as a deterrent to people who are trying to draft this kind of legislation, he said.
Abortion opponents said they were searching for ways to defend laws similar to the Texas measure. They also plan to shift their focus to laws that restrict access to abortion based on fetal health, they said, such as 20-week abortion bans based on fetal pain, or bans on second-trimester abortions they call fetal dismemberment.
The direction the pro-life movement needs to go is using that state interest in fetal life, said John Seago, legislative director for Houston-based Texas Right to Life, adding that it also will have to be more defensive since the window has been opened for challenges to health and safety laws.
Already, 14 states have passed fetal pain bans on abortion at 20 weeks, said Carol Tobias, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Right to Life Committee. Texas is among states that have passed the laws, and the 20-week ban was not at issue in the case before the Supreme Court, Tobias noted.
The abortion industry didnt challenge that part of the law, so we are going to be encouraging more states to pass that law, she said.
Her group also plans to lobby for the fetal dismemberment laws that have passed in half a dozen states Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Although legislators in some states have pursued outright bans on abortion, including one passed in Oklahoma last month and vetoed by the governor, Tobias said Mondays ruling shows that is the wrong approach.
With the current court, it would be futile. The court is more likely to take baby steps, she said. Little steps are more likely to chip away at Roe.
Abortion opponents in Texas agreed.
The reason we dont recommend that state legislatures pass complete bans on abortion at this time is the Supreme Court will very quickly strike them down and the states end up paying attorneys fees to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, said Joe Pojman, executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life. We have to wait until the time is right.
He called the Supreme Court ruling a very serious setback but said it probably will galvanize those who oppose abortion.
Long term, this is going to help our movement continue to grow, Pojman said.
ALSO
Supreme Court makes it harder to prosecute officials for taking bribes
Theres a deep divide in how blacks and whites see race. New numbers prove it
Why the Department of Justice wants to force its 28,000 employees to confront unconscious racial biases
UPDATES:
2:54 p.m. June 28: This article was updated with additional information about laws in Mississippi, Alabama and Wisconsin.
This article was originally published at 4:59 p.m. June 27.
A mother in a suburban Texas town fatally shot her two daughters Friday, before police shot her dead in front of her home.
That afternoon, Christy Sheats had called her husband, Jason Sheats, and their two daughters, Madison, 17, and Taylor, 22, into their living room for a family meeting, the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office said.
When they were all gathered together, Christy Sheats held up a gun and shot both her daughters, police said. The girls and their father managed to run out of the house before Madison collapsed. Sheats followed and shot Taylor twice more, while Jason Sheats ran to the end of the street, according to authorities.
Advertisement
When police arrived at the house in response to a 911 call about shots being fired, they found the daughters lying in the street, bleeding. Christy Sheats stood nearby, holding a five-shot .38 caliber handgun, the sheriffs office said. When she refused to drop the gun and moved toward the officers with her weapon raised, police said, an officer shot and killed her.
NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>
Taylor was shot three times and pronounced dead at the scene. Madison was shot once and airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she died later that night, the sheriffs office said in a statement.
The Sheats lived in the Katy area near Fulshear, a suburb about 25 miles west of Houston. The community is relatively affluent with a low crime rate, said Maj. Chad Norvell, commander of the Administration Bureau of the Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office.
These types of things, no one can predict, he said.
Investigators are now trying to determine why Sheats killed her daughters. Obviously she was in some sort of mental crisis, Norvell said.
Since January 2012, the sheriffs office had responded to 14 calls for service at the house, authorities said.
Norvell said the calls included the house alarm going off and medical emergencies, but he refused to discuss the specific nature of these instances.
In recent months, Sheats had posted on Facebook about her Christian religious beliefs, her disapproval of President Obama and liberal politics, and her support for gun rights.
On Jan. 9, she posted a meme celebrating gun ownership and criticizing Obama for his support of gun control, with the caption Thats right! #merica
She was also vocal about her love for her two daughters. She posted on Daughters Day last year:
Happy Daughters Day to my two amazing, kind, beautiful, intelligent girls. I love and treasure you both more than you could ever possibly know.
Madison Sheats was going to be a senior at Seven Lakes High School this fall and worked as a babysitter, according to her Facebook page.
Taylor Sheats had recently graduated from Lone Star College. She frequently displayed her artwork, including commissioned pieces, on Facebook.
Neighbors told the news station KTRK that they were shocked by the shooting.
This is not the Christy that I know. Its just not, Catherine Knowles, a friend of Christys, told the station.
I couldnt imagine anything in her life that would have made her snap, she added.
To an outside observer, the Sheats family appeared to be close.
On Jan. 6, Christy Sheats posted about a new roller coaster opening up at Cedar Point amusement park. We are going as soon as this new world record coaster opens!!! she wrote, tagging her husband and daughters in the post. All three liked the post and responded with excitement.
The officers shooting of Sheats is being investigated to ensure it was justified, Norvell said.
We certainly think it was, he added.
When asked whether the police intended to kill Sheats, Norvell responded, If we shoot someone, thats the only way we shoot. We shoot to end the threat.
erica.evans@latimes.com
ALSO
2 women, teenage boy found dead in Rancho Santa Fe home
Violence in Sacramento shows old and new faces of white extremism
4-year-old girl is familys only survivor after van is struck by L.A.-bound train in Colorado
As Republicans move closer to their convention in Cleveland next month, a growing faction of delegates is campaigning to block Donald Trump from securing the presidential nomination.
The multi-pronged effort which includes outreach to individual attendees, national television ads and even a lawsuit aims at a long-shot goal. They want to allow the 2,472 delegates to vote for whomever they choose instead of casting ballots according to the results of the state primaries and caucuses, in which Trump won the most votes in a crowded field of contenders.
Backers of the block-Trump efforts say such extraordinary measures are necessary in light of Trumps declining poll numbers, anemic fundraising and penchant for inflammatory rhetoric, all of which, they say, leads to self-inflicted cycles of negative news stories.
Advertisement
And they are buoyed by lingering unease in the GOP about the presumptive nominee. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Monday found 52% of Republicans werent satisfied with Trump.
The convention is not a coronation. They were never meant to be, said Steve Lonegan, a New Jersey-based Republican operative who is working with Courageous Conservatives PAC, one of several groups calling to free the delegates.
Pointing to Trumps recent gaffes, Lonegan said these delegates have an obligation to review all of this.
The so-called Dump Trump campaign has attracted a surge of media attention, but remains very much an underdog as the convention nears. The grassroots movement requires coordination of several like-minded but underfunded and understaffed camps, identifying and contacting scores of delegates and arguing the merits of a politically fraught position that would essentially invalidate the results of the primary season.
And organizers have not put forth an alternative candidate for the nomination should Trump falter, leaving delegates with no substitute to rally around.
Still, the fledgling effort is being closely watched by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, which fear any convention chaos could illustrate lack of confidence about the presumptive nominee within his own party, hobbling him as he enters the general election.
Like the earlier delegate scramble between Trump and his rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the Dump Trump movement has thrown into a spotlight the arcane procedures that undergird the nomination process.
In this case, proponents are focusing on whether delegates should be bound to the results of the primaries, in accordance with state laws and party rules. Most state delegations are required to vote according to the results of their primary or caucus on at least the first round of balloting.
Curly Haugland, a GOP party official from North Dakota, has argued for years that convention delegates are, in fact, not bound at all. Hauglands proposal got little traction in the past, but is now championed by a bloc of Republicans who are calling for delegates to vote freely regardless of primary results
Another faction, led by Colorado delegate Kendal Unruh, is proposing a rule to make clear that delegates have a right to vote their conscience without risking sanctions or censure from the national or state party.
The conscience clause proposal would first be considered at the convention rules committee, the 112-member body that will meet one week before the nominating proceedings kick off.
Getting approval from a majority of rules committee members many of whom are close allies of RNC Chairman Reince Priebus is a steep climb, but winning a quarter of the committee members would be enough to produce a minority report, which would be presented at the full convention. Delegates would then choose between two competing rules packages.
Then the question is, who has the majority of the floor? said Randy Evans, a longtime RNC official from Georgia.
Evans, who chairs the Republican National Lawyers Assn., has been assiduously tracking delegates and their preferences. He predicted Trump-aligned attendees will outnumber those supporting Cruz, who had his own sophisticated delegate operation. But the largest pool of delegates holds unclear allegiances and will be the subject of fierce lobbying efforts by the Trump campaign, the RNC and the anti-Trump faction in the coming weeks.
This is going to be the battle of the whip operations, Evans said.
Neither the Trump campaign nor the Republican National Committee responded to requests for comment.
The free the delegates advocates, meanwhile, have been cheered by what they see as subtle nods to their efforts by Republican establishment figures. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said earlier this month that delegates should follow their conscience when casting a vote. A fellow Wisconsin Republican, Gov. Scott Walker, echoed those remarks.
Proponents have begun to hire staff, coordinate their efforts through regular conference calls and begin delegate outreach. Lonegan, Unruh and other organizers have also become staples on cable news, hoping to build momentum via a media blitz.
Citizens in Charge Foundation, a conservative organization, has distributed Hauglands book, Unbound, for free, and an affiliated group is running a television ad nationally on cable calling for delegates to vote their conscience.
The foundation is also backing a lawsuit filed last week by a Virginia delegate who is seeking to block a state law requiring delegates to cast their votes on the first ballot according to the results of the primary.
Our effort is to provide political cover, understanding and education to the delegates, said Dane Waters, a co-founder of the group called Delegates Unbound.
What they are not trying to do, Waters said, is promote a substitute for Trump.
We dont have a dog in the hunt. Were not trying to push any specific candidate, Waters said. As long as the delegates can vote freely, let the cards fall where they may.
The lack of a stand-in may ultimately cripple this effort. Delegates may be wary of throwing the convention proceedings into chaos without a clear sense of who may come out victorious.
You cant beat somebody with nobody. Today, we have no viable alternative said Saul Anuzis, a former senior adviser to Cruz.
Another hurdle is delegates wariness about contradicting the results of the primaries.
The concept that you can just ignore what the voters told you to do is anathema to all of the principled people I know in the California delegation, said Harmeet K. Dhillon, vice chair of the California Republican Party and a member of the convention rules committee.
Dhillon said she expected the insurrection efforts to have little traction with Golden State attendees, all of whom signed pledges vowing to back the real estate mogul, who handily won the states June 7 primary.
Lonegan, who backed Cruz in the primary, said he believed the threat of a delegate uprising could ultimately help Trump, forcing him to become a more disciplined candidate focused on uniting the party. Or, he said, there could be an entirely unexpected nominee.
Under any scenario, Lonegan acknowledged, he and his allies are in uncharted territory.
Theres no experience with this. Theres no blueprint or textbook on how to do what were doing, said Lonegan. Were learning by the hour, by the day.
melanie.mason@latimes.com
Follow @melmason for the latest on national politics.
ALSO
Donald Trump booted his campaign manager to boost his White House bid. But it hasnt reassured a lot of people.
Paul Ryan: It is not my job to tell delegates what to do
Cruzs campaign is over, but his delegates fight on
With dozens of tiny rainbow flags fluttering from the facade of the Stonewall Inn and dignitaries assembled on the street outside, Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt described the events of nearly half a century ago that led to this Greenwich Village bar on Monday becoming the first national monument dedicated to the struggle for LGBT rights.
On June 28, 1969, the New York artist was there when police officers broke down the door and charged inside what was then an illegal gay bar where patrons danced behind boarded-up windows.
Such raids were common. We grew up in an era when everything was totally repressed, Lanigan-Schmidt said. Liberals thought we should be thrown in mental asylums and conservatives thought we should be thrown in jail.
Advertisement
But the police vans that were usually on hand to take rounded-up patrons to precinct houses arrived late that night, giving a crowd time to form. The police were outnumbered. A riot ensued and lasted several days.
We fought back because we were humanized in there, Lanigan-Schmidt said. Nowhere else could we dance slow. That night everything changed.
The Stonewall riots were the flashpoint that launched the gay rights movement.
The Stonewall National Monument was designated as such by President Obama last week and officially dedicated Monday. Overseen by the National Park Service, it includes the Stonewall Inn, a small park and some nearby streets.
Today we welcome Stonewall and Christopher Park into the family of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the Statue of Liberty, Americas most important places, John Jarvis, director of the park service, told a cheering crowd. This story is a key component of the American experience.
Speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of having a national monument dedicated to Stonewall and the struggles of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens.
Its a sacred place where we honor those like Tommy [Lanigan-Schmidt] who bravely stood up and spoke out so others werent compelled to live in silence, said Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), the first openly gay U.S. senator.
The inn has long been a powerful symbol of the LGBT rights movement.
It was a place people gathered to celebrate last years U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding same-sex marriage, and to mourn the mass killings at Orlandos Pulse gay night club this month.
The streets around the bar are usually jammed during New Yorks massive gay pride parades, including the march held one day before the dedication.
Jennifer Richards, a 35-year-old teacher, said she first heard about Stonewall when she was about 14 and beginning to know myself. In her 20s, she went inside her first gay bar.
Its elevation to a national monument means recognition and getting our stories out there to a wider audience, said Richards, who drove from her home in upstate New York to attend the dedication.
The celebration was tempered by the killings in Orlando, as several participants said more needed to be done to secure full equality for the community.
We would have celebrated what is good about today and remembered the pain of the past either way, but Orlando put things into a sharper perspective, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. This is not a place where change happened easily or calmly or gently. It came through a fight. It came through a struggle and that fight must now continue.
Spectators echoed those emotions. I feel joyous, sad and hopeful, a melting pot of emotions, said 26-year-old Gabrielle Silverstein-Tapp, who made the short trip from Brooklyn. This is so incredibly moving, but there is so much more that needs to be done.
Haller is a special correspondent.
In overturning the criminal conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, the Supreme Court has taken a distressingly narrow view of what constitutes political corruption.
McDonnell, a Republican, opened the doors of state government wide to Jonnie R. Williams Sr., a businessman who admitted he lavished gifts and loans on the governor and his family in hopes of obtaining state support for Anatabloc, a tobacco-based nutritional supplement developed by his company. The largesse, whose total value exceeded $175,000, included a $6,500 Rolex watch for McDonnell and $15,000 in catering expenses for his daughters wedding.
For his part, McDonnell sought to arrange meetings for Williams with state officials and hosted a luncheon event for Williams company at the Governors Mansion essentially a state-sponsored infomercial. The governor also talked up the advantages of Anatabloc at a meeting called to discuss the states health plan for its employees.
Advertisement
Prosecutors convinced a jury that, in exchange for financial support from Williams, McDonnell had taken official acts to benefit the businessman. But, speaking for a unanimous court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. disagreed.
Setting up a meeting, talking to another official, or organizing an event (or agreeing to do so) without more does not fit [the] definition of official act, Roberts wrote. In the courts view, such acts must involve a formal exercise of governmental power.
That is far too narrow a definition of official act. Its true that McDonnell didnt sign a bill or issue an executive order advancing the cause of Williams business.
But can there be any doubt that the governor hoped that state employees would be influenced by his elaborate efforts on Williams behalf? That they didnt succumb is not the point.
Roberts worried that accepting the definition of official acts presented to the jury might criminalize the routine business of government. He noted that conscientious public officials arrange meetings for constituents, contact other officials on their behalf, and include them in events all the time.
But most of the time, those conscientious public officials havent taken hundreds of thousands of dollars for their own personal use. Even the chief justice conceded that the facts in this case werent typical. So why not trust a jury to distinguish between innocuous interventions on behalf of constituents and a sustained and self-interested effort by a governor to assist a man who had helped him financially.
We agree with the court that prosecutors sometimes engage in overzealous prosecutions by stretching the language of criminal statutes. But this wasnt such a case. Jonnie Williams was not your average constituent, and Bob McDonnell provided much more than routine constituent services. The Supreme Court should have let the jurys judgment stand.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
Believing in my bones, as I do, that both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are unworthy and unqualified to be president of the United States has drawn me more and more to the writings of the legendary H.L. Mencken and less-than-legendary Albert J. Nock. The two Tory anarchists, as some called them, were friends and intellectual comrades-in-arms who stood athwart the progressive and populist passions that defined American politics in the first half of the 20th century.
The domestic madness of World War I galvanized both men. Under Democrat Woodrow Wilson, the United States established the first modern ministry of propaganda, the Committee on Public Information. The Wilson administration jailed political dissenters by the thousands, encouraged the brown-shirt tactics of the American Protective League and censored newspapers and magazines with abandon.
For the record: This column attributed a Theodore Roosevelt quote to Woodrow Wilson. Both men discussed hyphenated Americans but it was Roosevelt who said the only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
The president demonized hyphenated Americans i.e. Irish Americans or German Americans as enemies of the state. He proclaimed: Any man who carries a hyphen about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic whenever he gets ready.
Advertisement
Nock wrote a scalding editorial for the Nation criticizing labor leader Samuel Gompers for supporting the government. The Wilson administration responded by temporarily banning the publication.
Led by Republican Andrew Volstead in Congress, the government also passed the National Prohibition Act to enforce the 18th Amendment, which further demonstrated for both men that the zeal to muck about with peoples lives was a bipartisan affair.
The more obvious the failure becomes, the more shamelessly they exhibit their genuine motives, Mencken wrote in 1926. In plain words, what moves them is the psychological aberration called sadism. They lust to inflict inconvenience, discomfort, and, whenever possible, disgrace upon the persons they hate which is to say, upon everyone who is free from their barbarous theological superstitions, and is having a better time in the world than they are.
Once again American politics is threatening to become a competition between rival factions of statists.
What united Nock and Mencken most was a sense of homelessness in the intellectual establishment. Franklin Roosevelt, who campaigned on the promise to use the war-fighting methods of the Wilson administration to fight the Great Depression, further cemented their alienation. Communism, the New Deal, Fascism, Nazism, Nock wrote in his memoirs, are merely so-many trade-names for collectivist Statism, like the trade- names for tooth-pastes which are all exactly alike except for the flavouring. This was an exaggeration, but one can only exaggerate the truth.
Once again American politics is threatening to become a competition between rival factions of statists, eager to use the government to reward themselves and punish their enemies, with enemy defined as anyone who doesnt agree with them.
Today America looks very different from the America of Mencken and Nocks era, but the similarities are hard to ignore. Liberal elites have decided that if you have a problem with men using womens bathrooms, youre not just wrong, youre a bigot. A registered Democrat murdered 49 Americans at a gay nightclub, in the name of the Islamic State, and the smart set insists that conservative Christians are somehow to blame. The zeal of Prohibition has multiplied like a cancer cell with reformers wanting to ban everything they dont like: vaping, free speech, coal, Uber, refusal to bake cakes for gay weddings, and, if they could, guns.
On the right, the presumptive GOP nominee promises not limited government, but stronger, more protectionist government enlisted to remedy the grievances of his constituencies. His white working-class supporters represent real America, and their problems are always somebody elses fault. Ive lost count of how many times his most ardent fans have called me a bigot for opposing Trump.
Consistent curmudgeons, no constituency was above reproach for Nock and Mencken. Business elites were Babbitts, eager to chart the course of least resistance. The people, in Menckens famous phrase, were the great booboisie. The decent and right-thinking were, according to Nock, a silent and tiny remnant hiding away from politics.
My cynicism is not, yet, as great as theirs. I have some cause for optimism. But one only looks for signs of hope when theres reason to despair.
jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
In recent years, opponents of abortion rights have succeeded in making it much more difficult for women in large swathes of the United States to safely and legally terminate their pregnancies. They did so under the flimsy pretext of protecting womens health and safety, securing the enactment in state after state of onerous, cost-prohibitive and medically unnecessary restrictions designed to force clinic closures and otherwise impede abortion access.
On Monday, the Supreme Court responded to a prime example of the dishonest health and safety scam with a 5-3 decision striking down an alarmingly effective pair of restrictions in Texas. The courts ruling in Whole Womans Health vs. Hellerstedt, and the implicit reinforcement of the judiciarys essential role in safeguarding abortion rights, marks a turning point in the still-raging battle to preserve womens reproductive freedom, not just in Texas but nationwide.
One of the restrictions at issue mandated that all physicians performing abortions obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, which typically are unattainable for political and bureaucratic reasons unrelated to a doctors competence. The second restriction singled out abortion providers for costly surgical center standards, revealingly not imposed on facilities performing other common procedures with much higher complication rates, such as colonoscopies and liposuction.
Advertisement
Together those restrictions threatened to leave the states 5.4 million reproductive-age women with 10 or fewer abortion clinics, compared with around 40 before their enactment, and without any clinic in the more than 500-mile stretch between San Antonio and the New Mexico border all on the basis of the false notion that abortion is a risky procedure requiring obstructive regulations.
We conclude that neither of those provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify the burdens upon access that each imposes, wrote Justice Stephen Breyer in the majority opinion joined by Justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Before the justices was a wildly off-base ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. It upheld the states restrictions, declining to seriously examine whether they imposed an undue burden on abortion rights, as called for under the Supreme Courts 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
Access to abortion, as the Supreme Court reaffirmed on Monday, is a fundamental liberty. Its not an outlier medical procedure, its a constitutional right.
The Fifth Circuit judges refused to acknowledge the strong medical consensus that neither of the challenged provisions actually advanced womens health. They further claimed that any conceivable rationale for the restrictions was sufficient an ultra-deferential approach that amounts to judicial malpractice. For starters, it misses the critical role of courts in looking behind government explanations and checking legislative and executive overreach.
Breyer took pains to swat down the Fifth Circuits lame view. The rule announced in Casey requires that courts consider the burdens a law imposes on abortion access together with the benefits the law imposes, he wrote.
With that clarification, the court not only avoided the stealthy dismantling of abortion rights in Texas, but also added teeth to the undue burden standard. From here on out, anti-abortion activists will have to demonstrate that any proposed restrictions actually provide a benefit, one that justifies an imposition on a fundamental right. Since most if not all recent abortion laws do no such thing, pro-reproductive rights forces have a powerful new weapon.
At its heart, the case posed a profound test of the courts commitment to evidence-based judging. It may not be surprising, but its certainly sad that the courts conservative bloc, including Chief Justice John Roberts, refused to call out a rather obvious legislative hoax. They actually went so far as to dismiss the connection between the restrictions and the dramatic drop in open clinics, claiming there was insufficient evidence of a causal link. Such chutzpah would be laughable if the jurists werent so powerful.
More than a third of American women have at least one abortion before the age of 45, most of them already mothers. Access to abortion, as the Supreme Court reaffirmed on Monday, is a fundamental liberty. Its not an outlier medical procedure, its a constitutional right that facilitates womens ability to participate equally in the countrys economic and social life.
Dorothy Samuels, a former member of the New York Times Editorial Board, is a senior fellow at the Brennan Center of Justice at New York University School of Law.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Forget science a Kansas lawmaker thinks he knows what makes people transgender: mental illness.
In a speech attacking the Obama administrations support of trans students, state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald dismissed the entire idea of a trans identity. Youre either male or youre female, and its not changeable, he said. Its reality. Inability to deal with that reality, or to recognize that reality, is disoriented, and can be disoriented to the point of insanity.
For the record: An earlier version of this piece misidentified Tennessee House Rep. Susan Lynn as being from Oklahoma.
Fitzgerald isnt alone in his diagnosis. In February, Tennessee House Rep. Susan Lynn put forward an anti-trans bathroom bill based in the idea that transgender people are dangerously mentally unstable. Lynn wrote on her Facebook page, [N]o one should be forced to entertain anothers mental disorder, and it is not healthy for the individual with the disorder.
Advertisement
In a May letter to Tennessee Atty. Gen. Herbert Slatery, state Sen. Janice Bowling agreed with Lynn, accusing the federal government of [accommodating] students with gender identity disorder at the expense of the mentally healthy enrollment. Bowlings letter was cosigned by 13 senators and 20 House representatives all of whom, thus, endorsed the idea that being transgender is a disease.
The idea that being transgender is a mental illness is a common one among Republican lawmakers and has served as potent ammunition in pushing anti-transgender bathroom bills across the country.
It is also completely untrue and based on outdated, inaccurate science. Medical opinion on the LGBT community has shifted dramatically in the last few decades, and continuing to treat transgender people as a suspect, afflicted population is the real threat to public health.
Although homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Assn. in 1973, the medical communitys progress on trans issues was much slower. Until 2012, transgender people were classified as having gender identity disorder.
But the APA amended that classification four years ago. Its now known as gender dysphoria. As Mother Jones put it, this change to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was intended to show that being transgender is not a disease but a human variationmore like being left-handed than schizophrenic.
Continuing to treat transgender people as a suspect, afflicted population is the real threat to public health.
The APAs Jack Drescher further stated that the goal of the switch was to end the medical practice of pathologizing transgender people, simply because their existence made others uncomfortable.
The APA declassification also reflects the evolution of how science is coming to understand trans identity. A 2008 research team from Prince Henrys Institute of Medical Research argued that gender dysphoria is a product of biology specifically development in the womb.
It is possible that a decrease in testosterone levels in the brain during development might result in incomplete masculinization of the brain in male to female transsexuals [sic], resulting in a more feminized brain and a female gender identity, the studys authors claimed.
Researchers in Spain further found that the brains of trans men and those assigned male at birth are nearly identical.
Dr. Johanna Olson, who serves as the medical director for the Transgender Clinic at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, told Rolling Stone in 2014 that its unlikely theres any single reason that people are trans. Instead, the development of gender identity is likely a result of both nature and nurture.
Clearly, science and psychology have come a long way from the old Freudian-based notions of gender identity as a product of childhood trauma.
That hasnt stopped right-wing advocacy groups like the American College of Pediatricians ACP from comparing gender reassignment to genital mutilation. The ACP has further advised that school administrators reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex.
Bear in mind, the ACP is a political lobbying organization, and not a legitimate medical group. As ThinkProgress Zach Ford explains, Its name is designed to be mistaken for the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is a national organization with some 60,000 members.
Yet ACP misinformation continues to find traction in the national push for anti-trans bathroom bills. In Georgia this year, Republican politicians wrote a letter urging Gov. Nathan Deal to cosign an 11-state lawsuit against the Obama administration, arguing that its trans student policy amounts to child abuse.
The ACPs studies were cited in the letter.
Conservative groups opposed to trans rights arent going away. Unless they are challenged, their views will continue to underwrite bigotry in the name of science supported by a public that might not know the difference.
The continued pathologizing of transgender people continues to make it easier to legally discriminate against them. Over 30 European countries still have laws on the books that require the forced sterilization of trans people in order to apply for gender-affirming legal documentation. These states include Italy, France, Germany, and the U.K.
Being transgender isnt a mental illness. Whats truly sick is a society that continues to treat them that way.
Nico Lang is the East Coast reporter for the Advocate. You can also read his work on Salon, Onion A.V. Club and the Guardian. Find him on Twitter @nico_lang.
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Your article about Pope Francis riling Turkey with the use of the word genocide to describe what happened to Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 fails to mention that the U.S. had recognized the Armenian genocide until 1951. (Pope prays at Armenia memorial after denouncing genocide, June 25)
Only when Turkey, as successor to the Ottoman Empire, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1952 did the U.S. government start to change its policy
This month, the German Parliament passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, which is even more significant because Germany was an ally to the Ottoman Empire in the World War I. The refusal of the U.S. Congress to do the same sends a tacit message that as long as a country is an ally, committing genocide is permissible.
Advertisement
Noubar Ouzounian, Corona del Mar
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Killing an individual for no apparent reason except religious ideology or mental instability is, in my book, terrorism. (858 killed: Not a day in April passed without a terror attack, June 25)
There are more than 7 billion people on the planet; greater than 300 million people live in the United States. Every day, there is a high number of people killed violently in this country. As far as I am concerned, that is as much terrorism as what you described as occurring in the rest of the world.
What makes it even more horrifying is that we are supposed to be a wealthy, civilized, law-abiding country. The reason violence occurs here is the same as for the rest of the world: There are too many weapons available.
Advertisement
David Novis, Santa Barbara
..
To the editor: Thank you for the recital about this Earths inhabitants and the tally of our slaughter.
The worlds great religious faiths espouse peace. The prophet Muhammad crusaded for peace among the desert sheiks, and Jesus of Nazareth said, My peace I give unto you.
Somehow we dont know how to listen or understand, and violence continues to extend its shattering glamor to the susceptible.
Jacqueline Kerr, Los Feliz
..
To the editor: Certainly we dont want to treat well-intentioned Muslims as potential terrorists. But to state that followers of Islam are not statistically more inclined toward violence in support of their religion is to ignore the obvious: The vast majority of world terrorism is rooted in the more extreme versions of Islam.
The Bible also has plenty of approved horrors, but at least modern Christians simply ignore the most embarrassing stuff.
When any religion states that those who dont have fidelity to that religion should be targets of violence, then that religion must change or at least be reinterpreted. Better yet, followers of all supernatural religions should just stop believing in the unbelievable.
By the way, feel free to argue with us atheists. We wont kill you for that.
Richard James, Marina del Rey
..
To the editor: The article was very interesting and took a lot of work to put together.
The chart on the first page of deaths per day caught my eye. If you plotted the deaths per day by non-terrorist gunfire in the U.S., it would probably look very similar. The total deaths per month are about the same.
So why are we afraid of terrorists?
Richard Larsen, La Habra
Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
After an exhaustive and politically charged investigation that went on for years and cost millions of dollars, Republicans on the House Benghazi committee released a final report Tuesday that shed little new light on the U.S. response to the 2012 attacks in that Libyan city.
The 800-page report, which Democrats on the committee denounced as a sham focused on discrediting Hillary Clinton before it was even released, included no new evidence of wrongdoing by the former secretary of State. While it argues that the State Department, under her leadership, inadequately protected its staff in Benghazi, its criticism focused more broadly on the Obama administration.
The report accuses the government of incompetence at various levels, including a failure to deploy needed military assets, CIA intelligence reports that were rife with errors and misguided planning, even in the midst of the violence.
Advertisement
Not a single wheel of a single U.S. military asset had even turned toward Libya, Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the committee chairman, said Tuesday at a committee news conference on Capitol Hill unveiling the report, making the case that the administration ignored dozens of warning signs that violence was imminent.
Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter
The investigations findings, though, are unlikely to be a potent tool for weakening Clinton. The committee has struggled to maintain its credibility. Its all-day grilling of Clinton in Washington last fall was seen largely as a flop, as she deftly dispensed with politically tinged questioning that lacked focus nor elicited new revelations.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthys gloating on cable news that the committee would hurt Clintons White House chances also fueled the narrative that it was not a serious fact-finding mission.
Clinton dismissed the report in brief comments to reporters at a campaign event in Denver.
I understand that after more than two years and $7 million spent by the Benghazi Committee under taxpayer funds, it had to today report that it had found nothing nothing to contradict the conclusions that the independent accountability board, or the conclusions of the prior, multiple earlier investigations carried out on a bipartisan basis in the Congress, she said.
Ill leave it to others to characterize this report, but I think its pretty clear that its time to move on.
Still, the report offers yet another troubling glimpse at what was going on in the highest levels of government as Americans were under siege in the diplomatic outpost on Sept. 11, 2012. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and State Department information officer Sean Smith were killed in an American compound by a mob of militia fighters. Two CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty, died later when the complex they were in was attacked by mortar fire.
There is new information on what happened in Benghazi, Gowdy said. That information should fundamentally change the way you view what happened.
The report revealed, for example, that the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who normally would be expected to take a leading role in responding to an attack on Americans, was not at the Pentagon but instead hosting a dinner party for foreign dignitaries at his home. It highlights the confusion among intelligence officials about which militias could be trusted in Libya, and how it was fighters loyal to deposed dictator Moammar Kadafi who ultimately aided Americans.
As the attacks were going on, the report notes, military officials were debating whether troops sent to respond should wear uniforms or civilian clothing.
By the time the special House committee began its investigation in 2014, there already had been seven U.S. government probes into the Obama administrations handling of the Benghazi attacks. All of them found that even a flawless response to the violence would not have enabled U.S. troops to reach Benghazi in time to save the lives of the four Americans killed there.
Yet the report makes the case that if U.S. officials had been as attentive earlier to the deteriorating security situation in Libya as they were in heralding the revolution there as a foreign policy success, the American deaths might have been avoided.
The administration was more concerned about diplomatic sensitivities with Libyans and promoting its policies as successful than it was with Americans safety, said Rep. Martha Roby, a Republican committee member from Alabama.
The White House sought to play down those findings and cast the report as a politically motivated exercise.
This is the best evidence yet that this is a Republican conspiracy, seeking political advantage out of a terrible tragedy, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. What possible goal could Republicans have by taking a look at this matter in 2016 other than trying to influence the outcome of the elections that are held in 2016?
Some Republicans on the panel felt the report did not go far enough in indicting Clinton. Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mike Pompeo of Kansas tacked on a 48-page addendum that accused Clinton and others in the Obama administration of deliberately misleading Americans about the attack.
Officials at the State Department, including Secretary Clinton, learned almost in real time that the attack in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, they wrote. With the [2012] presidential election just 56 days away, rather than tell the American people the truth and increase the risk of losing an election, the administration told one story privately and a different story publicly.
The congressmen said the administrations early narrative that the attack occurred at the hands of an angry mob incensed by an anti-Islamic video intentionally underplayed the role of organized terrorism in the violence.
Pompeo declared that Clintons handling of the situation was morally reprehensible. Before the last mortar falls, they are talking about politics, he said.
Such invective created discomfort for Gowdy, who labored to make the case that attacking Clinton was not the committees motivation. He pointed out that a separate, preemptive report that Democrats unveiled Monday, which concluded the investigation was a costly and time-consuming partisan exercise, was far more heavily focused on Clinton. Their report mentions her name far more times than our report does, he said.
Democrats, nonetheless, immediately denounced the GOP findings. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California called them shameful. Never before has such a tragedy been used to personally denigrate a secretary of State, she said in a statement. She said the latest investigation, which was conducted over the objection of Democrats, adds nothing substantive to the findings already reached by a bipartisan review conducted by the Senate Intelligence Committee, of which she is the ranking Democrat.
This whole exercise demeans Congress, Feinstein said.
In the end, the biggest liability the investigation created for Clinton has nothing to do with her response to the Benghazi attacks. It is related to her email. It was the Benghazi committees work that led to the revelation that Clinton was routing her sensitive government email through a private server in her home.
The unorthodox setup has created more political headaches for Clinton than anything else she did during her tenure as secretary of State, raising concerns with voters that the candidate does not abide by the same rules as everyone else. The emailing practices put sensitive information at risk of breach and allowed Clinton to control which of her communications became part of the government record. They sparked a months-long FBI investigation, which has yet to conclude.
evan.halper@latimes.com
Follow me: @evanhalper
ALSO
House Democrats mistakenly release transcript confirming big payout to Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal
With free the delegates rallying cry, upstarts seek to block Trump nomination in Cleveland
Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren combine for energetic attack on Donald Trump
UPDATES:
1:17 p.m.: This article was updated with comment from the White House.
11:12 a.m.: This article was updated with a comment from Hillary Clinton.
10:10 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from House Benghazi committee members.
This article was originally published at 7:28 a.m.
Donald Trump, who rode a wave of anti-globalism to the top of the GOP presidential field, made a series of pledges and threats Tuesday aimed at punishing China and divorcing the U.S. from trade deals he blames for the loss of manufacturing jobs.
The speech, delivered from a teleprompter at the Alumisource Factory in Monessen, Pa., was one of Trumps most traditional, stylistically, since he entered the presidential race a year ago. Trump included 128 footnotes in his prepared remarks after contentious battles with fact-checkers who found last weeks speech attacking Hillary Clinton littered with falsehoods. But the content, one of Trumps strongest attacks on trade, was at odds with Republicans longstanding alliance with business groups that favor loosening international barriers to commerce.
Trump blamed globalization for wiping out the middle class, and once again linked his candidacy to Great Britains vote last week to withdraw from the European Union, which devalued the pound and caused an international wave of economic anxiety.
Advertisement
Globalization has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very, very wealthy, Trump said from the heart of the battered Rust Belt, where voters embraced him during the GOP primaries. I hate to say it, but I used to be one of them.
Election 2016 | Live coverage on Trail Guide | Sign up for the newsletter
Indeed, he wrote a blog post in 2005 asserting that outsourcing creates jobs in the long run.
Trumps speech took aim mostly at politicians, with little regard to the role that mechanization and corporate outsourcing including by his own companies have played in the decline of Americas industrial base.
As Bernie Sanders said, Hillary Clinton voted for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions of jobs, Trump said, noting his alignment on the issue with Clintons Democratic primary rival.
Trump unveiled a seven-point plan that included an overt threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Hillary Clinton supported the deal, negotiated by President George H.W. Bush and enacted by her husband, as well as with Chinas 2001 admission to the World Trade Organization, which Trump blames for massive job losses.
Chinese exports to the U.S. have soared ever since, reaching a record $482 billion last year. And by some economists estimates, Chinese imports have resulted in a net loss of about 2 million domestic jobs from 1999 to 2011.
Even so, experts have noted that automation, skills training and other policy choices have played significant roles as well in the job losses and income declines of blue-collar workers, factors ignored by Trump. Nor did he mention that globalization and imports have reduced prices of goods for American consumers, benefiting especially lower-income families.
Trumps comments threatening to withdraw from NAFTA or renegotiate a better deal by a lot echoed criticisms long voiced by organized labor, that the free-trade pacts between the U.S., Canada and Mexico have shuttered thousands of domestic plants and cost countless jobs. Still, trade among the three nations was growing well before the agreement took effect in 1993, and, according to congressional research, NAFTAs net effect on the U.S. economy in the 20 years since was relatively small.
Trumps plan also calls for withdrawing from the massive Pacific trade deal in the works, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Clinton pushed as secretary of State but now says she would not sign. He also called for punishing other countries for trade and currency violations, with a heavy emphasis on China. Trump said he would label China a currency manipulator, a designation that under current practice would be made after a review by the Treasury Department and could potentially set off punitive measures; Trump mentioned taxes and tariffs.
His rhetoric is at odds with many traditional GOP allies, such as the Chamber of Commerce, the National Assn. of Manufacturers, and the Business Roundtable, all of which criticized the speech.
Both Trump and Clinton are trying to attract voters in Rust Belt states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, where the loss of the industrial base has left many voters with stagnant wages or without jobs. Trump has tended to do best among these voters, particularly white men without college degrees.
Trumps tough message on China has found resonance among manufacturing workers, but some, like Cliff Tobey, 41, a third-generation miner in Minnesotas Iron Range, werent impressed after hearing about Trumps latest speech attacking China.
The rhetoric is great, that Donald Trump is talking about these things, said Tobey, who was laid off from his job last year. My problem is, you see that hes outsourcing his own things, like hats, and importing foreign workers. I dont think tariffs across the board against China, a trade war, is a good thing. It seems amateurish.
Trump also criticized the Obama administration for failing to go after trade violations, although there are several anti-dumping and unfair trade cases against China and others in the works.
Clinton, speaking alongside Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in Ohio on Monday, proposed appointing what she called a trade prosecutor, who would report directly to the president, to end the abuse of our market, our workers, our people. It is unclear what authority this position would carry that is not already vested in other high-level officials, including the International Trade Commission.
Trump doubted Clinton would abide by her opposition to the Pacific trade deal, predicting that, if elected, Clinton would merely revise it slightly to claim she improved it.
Though Republican Party leaders have traditionally championed trade deals, many of their voters dislike them.
More than two-thirds of Trump supporters viewed free trade agreements as a bad thing, according to a Pew Research Center survey in March.
In the Pew study, 53% of Republican voters said they viewed trade deals in a negative light, compared with 38% who viewed them positively. The numbers were practically reversed (34% negative and 56% positive) on the Democratic side.
Still, the Pew study found an overall majority supporting free trade.
As a country, we really failed the losers from global economic competition, said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at Council of Foreign Relations whose forthcoming book, Failure to Adjust, dissects the policy mistakes. Trump, for all the fact that I think he is a terrible vessel for it, is tapping into some of that legitimate anger and resentment.
noah.bierman@latimes.com
don.lee@latimes.com
Twitter: @noahbierman, @dleelatimes
ALSO:
Republicans release Benghazi report with no new evidence against Hillary Clinton
House Democrats mistakenly release transcript confirming big payout to Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal
How Donald Trumps speech attacking Hillary Clinton compares with the facts
Donald Trump pledges to withdraw from Pacific trade deal, punish China
Donald Trump, who has ridden a wave of anti-globalism to capture the GOP nomination, made a series of pledges and threats Tuesday aimed at punishing China and divorcing the U.S. from trade deals he blames for the loss of manufacturing jobs.
The speech, delivered from a teleprompter at the Alumisource factory in Monessen, Pa., was one of the most traditional he has given since entering the presidential race a year ago. After battling with fact-checkers for much of the past week, Trump included 128 footnotes in his prepared remarks.
Globalization has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very, very wealthy, Trump said from the heart of the battered Rust Belt region, where voters embraced him during the GOP primaries. I hate to say it, but I used to be one of them.
Trumps speech took aim mostly at politicians, with little regard to the role mechanization and corporate outsourcing including some by his own companies have played in the decline of Americas industrial base.
As Bernie Sanders said, Hillary Clinton voted for virtually every trade agreement that has cost the workers of this country millions of jobs, Trump said, noting his alignment on the issue with Clintons Democratic primary rival.
Trump says declaring economic independence means reversing two Clinton legacies - NAFTA and China's entry into WTO David Chalian (@DavidChalian) June 28, 2016
Trumps seven-point plan also made an overt threat to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, negotiated and signed by President George H.W. Bush and supported by President Bill Clinton, who also campaigned in Congress for enabling legislation, which he also signed.
A Trump administration will change our failed trade policies and I mean quickly, Trump said.
The plan calls for withdrawing from NAFTA unless the other parties agree to renegotiate and give the U.S. a better deal by a lot.
It also calls for withdrawing from the massive Pacific trade deal in the works, the Trans Pacific Partnership, which Clinton pushed as secretary of State but now says she would not sign. It also calls for punishing other countries for trade and currency violations, with a heavy emphasis on China, which Trump would label a currency manipulator, setting off new tariffs.
Read More
In a broad reorganization of Californias primary energy regulator, Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers announced a deal Monday to strengthen external oversight, boost transparency in communications with the electric and gas industries and jettison some authority over Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies.
The package of reforms comes in response to scandals up and down the state in recent years, including the 2010 gas pipeline explosion in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Clemente and last years Aliso Canyon gas leak in Porter Ranch. In each case, the regulator, the California Public Utilities Commission, has faced significant criticism over alleged lax oversight or having a too close relationship with the energy companies involved.
This represents a new day for the people who in the last five years or so have suffered based on some sort of breakdown in Californias regulatory environment, said Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), who presented the proposal at a Monday news conference.
Advertisement
The plan will boost the authority of internal ethics and safety chiefs to protect whistle-blowers and streamline the process for shutting down facilities regulators deem unsafe. It will also be easier to bring criminal charges against PUC commissioners or employees who keep secret formal communications with regulated industries. More broadly, the effort will ensure that agency communications are subject to the states government transparency laws.
Many of the measure target actions taken by former PUC President Michael Peevey, who had an undisclosed meeting in Poland with a Southern California Edison executive over the how much the electric supply company and ratepayers would shell out for the decommissioning of the closed San Onofre nuclear plant. In response to criticism over alleged nontransparent dealings, the commission has since decided to reopen its decision to leave the public responsible for the $3.3 billion in costs to close the plant.
Lawmakers will formally unveil the PUC reorganization proposal through a package of new bills that is expected to be approved before the end of the legislative session in August. As part of the deal, Gatto will drop his planned constitutional amendment to overhaul the commission, which had received broad support in the Assembly.
The legislation also makes changes to how the agency handles Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies, moving regulatory enforcement away from the PUC in favor of the Department of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol and other departments governed by the California State Transportation Agency. Many, including CPUC leaders, have said the commission is ill-equipped to handle the regulatory challenges presented by the new technologies, and time spent on the companies is diverting the agencys attention from protecting public safety and the environment as well as setting electricity and gas rates.
This takes a huge time-consuming thing and places it in another agency, Gatto said.
But its unclear how much the changes will affect Uber and Lyft regulations. Under the proposal, the PUC will still set the rules for the ride-hailing industry, but implementation and enforcement will go somewhere else.
For instance, the PUC is weighing a long-awaited decision on whether Uber and Lyft drivers should receive fingerprint-based background checks. The agency will still make that decision, but others such as the DMV would be in charge of implementing and enforcing the new rules.
Uber and Lyft, which have had significant success recently at the Capitol amid strong support from lawmakers, werent told about the proposal before its announcement. The companies later issued statements saying they were looking forward to discussing the plan with Brown and legislators.
The proposal also includes a provision to study regulatory changes for the telecommunications industry, which also falls under the PUCs jurisdiction.
The push to reorganize the PUC has been a long time coming. Last year, Brown vetoed a raft of reform bills, saying at the time that the efforts were too complicated.
But the governor continued to work with lawmakers, though those efforts were kept under wraps. As recently as last week, current PUC President Michael Picker was lukewarm on the prospects of major reforms in remarks to the Sacramento Press Club.
These reforms will change how this commission does business, Brown said in a statement Monday. Public access to meetings and records will be expanded, new safety and oversight positions will be created and ex parte communication rules will be strengthened.
Former San Diego City Atty. Mike Aguirre, who has been a frequent critic of the PUC and has sued over its decisions related to the San Onofre deal, said the reorganization plan was a strong step toward making the agency more transparent and responsive to community concerns.
Somebody up there is listening, Aguirre said. The governor is to be praised.
Former PUC President Loretta Lynch said the reform package could have been much stronger and predicted business as usual at the regulatory body.
Until PUC decisions are reviewable by the courts to the same extent that all other administrative agencies are, then the collusion will continue and the PUC will continue to be a rogue agency, she said. Until the courts can keep the PUC in line, nothing will really change.
Jeff McDonald of the San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report.
liam.dillon@latimes.com
Follow me at @dillonliam on Twitter
ALSO:
State regulators reopen case on San Onofre nuclear plant
Brown vetoes transparency bills for troubled state utilities commission
State investigator lays out developing criminal case against former PUC president
Updates on California politics
Few state agencies are as influential or have as broad a mandate as does the California Public Utilities Commission. But it looks like thats about to change.
Good morning from the the state capital. Im Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and a broad proposal to revamp the powerful agency was proposed on Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers.
The commission regulates Californias electric and gas companies, and has faced years of criticism after high-profile incidents including the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion in 2010, the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear power plant and the Aliso Canyon gas leak in Porter Ranch last year.
Advertisement
As Liam Dillon writes, the package of new legislation to be voted on later this summer will boost transparency over the agencys decisions.
Beyond that, the deal with change how CPUC regulates Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing companies shifting enforcement of state rules to the Department of Motor Vehicles, California Highway Patrol and other agencies.
STATE BUDGET GETS BROWNS SIGNATURE
Brown was making news on the state budget at the same time on Monday by placing his signature on a new $171-billion spending plan.
You could have blinked your eyes and missed the debate on most of this years state budget, a largely consensus package of spending priorities from the governor and Democratic legislators. A few remaining budget-related items remain pending, though, and one of them on energy related issues sparked a noticeable disagreement between Brown staffers and lawmakers in a committee hearing on Monday.
One fun fact: There were no line-item vetoes in this years budget. The last time that happened was in 1982 and yep, the governor was Jerry Brown.
LORETTA SANCHEZS SIESTA IN SPAIN RAISES EYEBROWS
When California congressional Democrats took a prominent role in last weeks sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange) was nowhere to be found.
Well, Sarah Wire found her: Sanchez was in still in Spain, taking a few extra days after the end of a trade mission.
Sanchez also missed nine floor votes while overseas. Less than an hour after Wires story was published, campaign advisers to Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris began tweeting about Sanchezs absence during the high-profile gun violence event. It seems a safe bet that we havent heard the last of this from the Harris camp.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS BENGHAZI REPORT: OOPS
It was all about getting out in front of Republicans, as Democrats on the House committee investigating the Benghazi attack released their own report. And they had redacted some parts of an interview conducted with Sidney Blumenthal, a longtime confidant of Hillary Clinton.
But as Evan Halper reports, the redacting was easily well un-redactable.
What was revealed was some insight into both Republicans and Democrats involved in the investigation, as well as details about Blumenthals payments from others in the Clinton orbit.
CLINTONS BACK FOR CASH
The presumptive Democratic nominee is back in California today for presidential campaign fundraisers, including an event at the Los Angeles home of Napster founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker.
Shes also being feted by former studio boss and UC regent Sherry Lansing at the home of Jane and Marc Nathanson.
THREE DAYS IN PRINT BALLOT MEASURE QUALIFIES
As weve said, this is the week we see which initiative efforts qualify for the Nov. 8 statewide ballot. On Monday, an effort to change the legislative process in Sacramento joined the list.
That initiative, if voters approve, would require all legislation be in print for at least three days before a final vote in the state Capitol. It also seeks to expand online video feeds of legislative votes, and it removes the ban on using legislative video in political campaign ads.
<>TODAYS ESSENTIALS
Mondays 5-3 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a Texas abortion law was likely another reminder of how the political world closely watches the high court and the presidential power of appointees. And the ruling may change the practices in other states too.
Steve Barr, founder of the nonprofit charter school chain Green Dot Public Schools, filed papers to run against incumbent Eric Garcetti for mayor of Los Angeles.
Donald Trump and Clinton are expected to boost the local economies of Cleveland and Philadelphia, respectively, this month as the major party conventions roll into town.
Elizabeth Warren may not end up being Clintons running mate. But theres no question shes mastered one aspect of the job: attack dog.
And Marco Rubio as Trumps running mate? Not going to happen.
LOGISTICS
Miss yesterdays newsletter? Here you go. Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox daily. And keep an eye on our politics page throughout the day for the latest and greatest. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics and @LATpoliticsCA?
Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.
Gov. Jerry Brown approved a state budget during a busy Monday in the Capitol, where lawmakers made progress on a $2-billion proposal to shelter the homeless but put the brakes on new energy policies during an acrimonious hearing.
The $171-billion spending plan increases funding for state-subsidized child care and removes a limit on welfare payments for families who have additional children while receiving benefits.
It also boosts the states reserves, depositing an extra $2 billion into a rainy-day fund intended as a cushion against any future economic downturns.
Advertisement
This solid budget makes responsible investments in California and sets aside billions of dollars to prepare for the next recession, Brown said in a statement.
The governor didnt veto anything from the budget legislation he signed, signaling an unusual level of agreement with lawmakers. In previous years, Brown has used his line-item veto power to make small changes, even if he agreed with the overall spending plan.
California is in stronger fiscal shape than we have been for years, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said in a statement.
More work remains on state spending. The budget sets aside $400 million for affordable housing, but it wont be spent unless the governor and lawmakers reach a deal on streamlining regulations for building new homes. In addition, no agreement has been reached on how the state should spend revenue from its cap-and-trade program, or how it should fund billions of dollars in overdue road repairs.
Meanwhile, a $2-billion bond measure to help house homeless people suffering from mental illness was passed by the state Senate after an agreement was reached between Democratic and Republican leaders.
When it comes to homelessness, when it comes to mental illnesses, it is not a partisan issue, said Senate leader Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles.
The bond would use revenue raised through Proposition 63, a voter-approved tax on millionaires. The modified legislation includes new requirements for overseeing how the money is spent, and the deal includes a separate bill that sets aside additional money for homeless veterans and youth.
The millions in new funding championed by Republicans will help our homeless veterans and youth receive the shelter and support they need to get their lives back on track, Assembly Republican leader Chad Mayes of Yucca Valley said in a statement.
The Assembly is expected to approve the plan this week, sending it to the governor for his signature.
Updates from Sacramento
There was also bipartisan unity in the Senate Budget Committee, though it stemmed from frustration rather than cooperation. Lawmakers blocked energy proposals that Brown wanted included in budget legislation, saying the governors administration was trying to fast-track major policy changes without public scrutiny.
The proposals, the product of negotiations with Senate leadership, would double financial incentives for energy storage projects and extend subsidies for fuel cell technology.
Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), the vice chairman of the committee, called the administrations effort government at its very worst. Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the committees chairman, expressed his disappointment that the proposals were inserted without prior hearings.
Amy Costa, the governors chief deputy director of finance, defended the proposals as expansions of existing, successful programs intended to foster more clean-energy generation. But senators said they would hold off voting on the measure.
Im not arguing the policy, Leno said. But I think its our job ... to better understand that policy.
chris.megerian@latimes.com
Twitter: @chrismegerian
ALSO:
California lawmakers unplug the states electric car program
What got done in Californias new state budget and what didnt
Updates on California politics
Updates from the campaign trail
Saving Burbankers an 11-hour, 5,600-mile flight, Bruce Burr and his wife, Connie Towns Burr, owners of the Towns Burr Gallery on West Magnolia Boulevard, invited locals to spend an early evening in much the same way they would if they were in Frances City of Light enjoying a live jazz combo, mime, light hors doeuvres, wine and art this past Saturday.
Presenting the opening of their latest exhibit, Blanche et Noir, An Evening in Paris, the gallery welcomed longtime clientele as well as many new friends, all encouraged to come dressed in black, white or a combination of both, to last weeks opening reception for the show that will run through July 9.
Paying homage to the Parisian lifestyle, Blanche et Noir features the work of two local artists, Linda Ternoir and Jackie Steimke.
Ternoir, a Chicago transplant, works primarily in the media of acrylics, ink, colored pencils and oil pastels on illustration board, canvas and wood. For the Towns Burr show, she chose to present a collection of her black-ink drawings.
Steimke, a longtime Glendale resident, specializes in creating with glass and, for this exhibition, has chosen to highlight a body of her work that uses a primarily black-and-white palette.
Glass is a fascinating material to work with, said Steimke, who was joined at Saturdays event by many friends and family members including her husband, Bill, daughter Leslie Browner, and son Brian Steimke.
You can cut the glass into a variety of shapes and arrange the pieces in a pleasing manner, but when you place it in the kiln, everything changes, she added. The concept that you began with has shifted and flowed, has become something different than you envisioned, something more interesting, or more beautiful, or more creative.
Ternoir, who was accompanied to the opening by her daughter, writer and blogger, Laura Cathcart Robbins, said that, at times, the pieces she creates looks like their original subject.
Then there are times that the art evolves and becomes a process of discovering something entirely new, she said. Many of my drawings and paintings reveal fantasies about people, animals and things living and working in concert. As I work, the characters show me how they want to be seen. The movement of each piece guides the viewers eye, with an invitation to enter the story [and] find out what happens next.
The Towns Burr Gallery, located at 3609 W. Magnolia Blvd. across from Portos Bakery, operates with a mission: to inspire and enrich the Burbank community by bringing artists and lovers of art into an ever-changing and warm environment with live demonstrations, workshops, special exhibitions and music.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information call (818) 845-7144 or visit townsburrgallery.com.
--
DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
After midnight Friday, Burbank City Manager Mark Scott emailed the City Council to inform them of his planned retirement. A few days earlier, Scott had informed the citys department heads that he was working on picking a date for his departure, but it would likely be after the New Year.
Meanwhile, I hope we can focus on the work at hand and I will do my best during whatever transition the City Council chooses to do, he said in an email to the citys top-level managers around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
That was about 18 hours after the majority of the council failed to approve a measure that would have created a new administrative position the Public Works department. Mayor Bob Frutos had told his colleagues and the public after the vote that Scott had told him if it failed to pass, he would be stepping down as the citys top executive.
In his message to the council Friday, Scott thanked them for the opportunity to serve as city manager and said he was privileged to work with such a dedicated, hard-working City Council and monumentally talented executive team that inspires him daily. He said he was seeking a retirement date from the California Public Employees Retirement System.
I am sad to leave, but it is time, he wrote. I pledge to you my best effort until my final day, and please know I will offer any other help I can give you in the future.
Scott, who has in recent months helped to mediate a City Council workshop on priorities and has discussed the need to increase the availability of housing that the citys workforce can afford, said the city faces tough decisions in its future. He said he hopes the council can do your best to restore dignity to our sometimes dysfunctional community dialogue.
Even the closest families experience occasional squabbles and we have had a few, Scott said. But regardless, it is my honor to have worked for this community.
In late September, Scott closed escrow on the sale of his home in Fresno, where he lived when he worked as city manager prior to being hired in Burbank in 2013.
Scott has been living in an apartment in Burbank since shortly after he was hired, but earlier this year, his wife took a position as chief executive of the Childrens Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs.
Councilman Will Rogers said earlier this week he thought Scott was tired from traveling back and forth to the desert on the weekends and said he felt the city manager also has had reasons to feel micromanaged over this weeks vote and other issues.
Scott told the elected officials he felt he deserved an explanation for why three members would not support the creation of the position, the cost of which had already been included in the citys fiscal year 2015-16 budget approved in June.
It would have cost the city an additional $14,000 yearly about $11,300 in salary and $2,600 in benefits and, Scott argued, would have allowed an existing employee who was already doing the duties to be paid and classified appropriately. It would have brought her in line with other employees of a similar level of responsibility, said Betsy Dolan, the citys Management Services director.
However, Mayor Bob Frutos said he felt the amount was too much when the proposal first appeared on the councils consent agenda on Sept. 15 and in two subsequent meetings when it was discussed, including the one this week. He and Councilman David Gordon voted against the measure that night and again on Monday, when Councilman Jess Talamantes also opposed it.
Frutos had also hinted at concerns that the reclassified employee was receiving special treatment, though its not clear whether his information about the affected employee is accurate. Scott has said that none of the council members who had voted against the new position had spoken to him about the issue or allowed him to respond to their specific concerns.
Frutos is unreachable this week while he and Gordon are in South Korea for the installation of a statue honoring Burbanks sister city Incheon. Before leaving, he did not disclose the source of his information or what exact information he had.
Rogers said some council members had heard from employees in the public works department upset about the employee they believe would have received the promotion.
The Burbank City Employees Assn., the citys largest public employees union, which represents public works employees, did not respond to a request for comment.
Scott has also said its not up to the city to make hiring decisions. The Burbank city charter gives the city manager near exclusive discretion in hiring and appointing or removing city employees.
While Scott, who has spent more then 35 years in city management, plans to begin drawing his public pension perhaps in February, he said he wont be retiring from the workforce.
Im sure I have another five to 10 years of work left in me, Scott said early Friday morning. I might, however, celebrate having Tuesday nights off for the first time in my adult life.
WEDNESDAY
Hospital foundation event
Hoag Hospital Foundation will host its Summer Classic with food and live musical performances by The Chicago Experience and The Doobie Experience. The event starts at 5 p.m. at Newport Dunes, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach. Tickets are $50. For more information, call (949) 764-7211 or visit hoagpromise.org.
Concert
Rock bands The Gromble, Braeves and Rubberneck Lions will perform starting at 9 p.m. at The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. Tickets are $5 and the show is 21 and older only. For more information, call (949) 764-0039 or visit wayfarercm.com.
Andrew Santino
Comedian Andrew Santino will perform at 8 p.m. at the Irvine Improv, Irvine Spectrum Center, 527 Spectrum Center Drive. Tickets are $20. For more information, call (949) 854-5455 or visit irvine.improv.com.
TILL JULY 29
Art exhibition
Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., presents architectural preservationist and historian Salli Hosseinis paintings and drawings portraying the human body, psychology and architectural details. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call (949) 717-3800 or visit newportbeachlibrary.org.
The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has paid $339,346 in tax-deferred money to its chief business official through checks and a separate retirement fund over the past decade.
Beginning in 2006, four years into Deputy Supt. Paul Reeds career at Newport-Mesa, the districts board of education agreed as part of his contract to reimburse Reed for his annual purchases of a half year of credit, also known as airtime, from the State Teachers Retirement System. The decision was made in recognition of the boards desire that [Reed] serve the full term of the agreement which was set to expire in 2008.
The credit, in essence, increased Reeds years of service in public education in the eyes of the state retirement agency. That number is used as part of a calculation to determine an employees pension, according to CalSTRS.
During the first fiscal year Reed began receiving the benefit, the credit cost the district $31,704, records show.The cost of the credit increased each year, reaching $36,694 by 2009, the last year Reed elected to purchase additional CalSTRS credit.
From 2006 to 2009, the district paid a total of $138,449 toward the purchase of two additional years of credit for Reed. The money is not taxable until Reed takes distributions in retirement.
Eventually, instead of reimbursing Reed for airtime, the district began placing additional retirement funds into tax-sheltered accounts for Reed, which he is able to cash out upon retiring. That money is on top of what he will receive in his pension.
It is unclear how much Reed, 68, will be paid monthly from his pension when he retires.
The compensation was brought to light by John Caldecott, the districts former director of human resources, through documents released to him in accord with the states public records law.
Reed violated the publics trust by using his authority as the deputy superintendent/chief business official to perpetrate an elaborate hidden scheme to compensate himself with tax-free money, Caldecott alleged. I certainly hope all applicable laws are enforced and Reed is held accountable.
District and Orange County education officials dispute the idea that any rules were violated.
Reed declined to comment through a district spokeswoman.
Caldecott was fired by Newport-Mesa in January 2015 shortly after he filed a lawsuit against the district to compel officials to release internal emails and other documents related to his claim that Supt. Fred Navarro had created a hostile work environment for employees and retaliated against Caldecott for questioning salary reports to CalSTRS.
After Caldecott presented his findings about Reed to the board of education last month, Reed leaned back in his black leather swivel chair in the districts boardroom, laughed and quietly said Im sorry to board members as Caldecott left the podium.
Im kind of reeling in incredulity at the skewed presentation by a man I used to think of as a friend, Reed said later in the meeting.
*
Payments as vendor
Caldecott has taken issue not only with the amount Reed was paid but also with how the funds were disbursed.
District records show that during the time Reed was purchasing additional CalSTRS credit, from 2006 to 2009, the district was reimbursing him each year as a vendor instead of through the traditional payroll system.
In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the district cut Reed a check for $34,050. Copies of checks from Reeds account at the Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union show that he wrote a personal check to CalSTRS for that amount roughly a month before his executive assistant sent a memo on his behalf asking a district business office employee to issue reimbursement to Reed.
As the districts chief business official and second in command, Reed oversees the business services department, which includes divisions ranging from fiscal to transportation.
Reimbursing Reed as a vendor put the payments to him alongside those to companies that provide Newport-Mesa with printing, consulting and water services.Vendor lists are in an accounting report that the board approves with other documents as part of its consent calendar during public meetings. Items on the consent calendar are considered routine and typically are not discussed by the board during meetings. They are typically approved by a unanimous vote.
In one instance, only Reeds vendor number instead of his name and the cost of his reimbursement were included on the list.
Funds paid to vendors are not taxed by state or federal agencies before they are disbursed, unlike money paid to employees through payroll, according to Orange County officials.
*
Practices not uncommon
At the time Reed was doing so, it was not uncommon for individuals to purchase additional years of credit through the CalSTRS pension system. However, CalSTRS stopped allowing the practice after Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation prohibiting it as part of the California Public Employees Pension Reform Act of 2013 as a way to grapple with billions of dollars in unfunded liability.
Before 2013, CalSTRS members could purchase up to five years of nonqualified service credit. About 700 members purchased service credit each year, according to CalSTRS.
In the 2010-11 fiscal year, Newport-Mesa began purchasing tax-sheltered annuities of like value for Reed instead of paying for the CalSTRS credit. A tax-sheltered annuity, also known as a 403(b) account, is similar to a 401(k) in that it enables employees to defer some of their salary in individual accounts. The deferred salary is generally not subject to federal or state income tax until it is distributed, according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Its not unheard of for public employees to receive retirement funds in the form of tax-sheltered annuities, according to CalSTRS officials.
So far, Newport-Mesa has paid $200,897 into Reeds retirement annuities. The board and top staff have said the extra compensation is an incentive to keep Reed from retiring.
We have the duty to recruit and retain the best and the brightest people in every position within our district, Navarro said. Paul has consistently demonstrated his abilities and worth throughout the years and has done an exceptional job at ensuring fiscal responsibility in an effort to support students.
Board President Dana Black added that it is common for employees to be reimbursed as vendors.
Paul Reeds compensation was approved in an open board meeting, she said. The contract was attached to the board item for the publics examination. This process is consistent with our policies and was reviewed by both district and county legal counsel. The board was transparent in this transaction.
Officials with the Orange County Department of Education agreed that the reimbursement method was aboveboard.
This specific compensation package is among those that have been audited by the Orange County Department of Education in the course of its routine review process and OCDE has found no irregularities, said Department of Education spokesman Ian Hanigan.
*
Transparency questioned
Though it might be an approved practice in school districts across the county, an observer besides Caldecott questioned the transparency of the way Reed was compensated.
Glenn Rothner, an employment and labor law attorney at Rothner, Segall and Greenstone in Pasadena, took issue with the fact that Reeds contract doesnt state specific costs for the CalSTRS credit.
The purpose and spirit of the Brown Act is to make sure that when it comes to expenditures that the average citizen who pays attention will able to know whats going on, Rothner said. Even if they were persistent enough to go to board meetings and at the same time make a public records act request, they would have had no [idea] that based upon this language and contract that this individual would have been reimbursed for airtime in the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in addition to his very high salary.
At the same time Reed was receiving additional retirement compensation, his salary was increasing.
According to his contract in 2005, Reed was paid $191,275 that year, plus cellphone and transportation allowances. This year, Reed is expected to earn $259,143 for 224 days of work, along with a $7,800 transportation allowance and a $1,200 cellphone allowance, documents show.
At this salary level, [Reed] has means to provide very well for himself even on top of what the STRS benefit would be without airtime, Rothner said.
*
Exceptional employee
However, district officials believe Reeds expertise is well worth his compensation.
Reed began working at Newport-Mesa in 2002 after spending 26 years in the Irvine Unified School District, where he got his start as a labor negotiator.
His penchant for holding the line on Newport-Mesas spending whether on projects or programs has earned him the nicknames Dr. No and The Great Barrier Reed.
Still, his calm nature and aptitude in balancing budgets during financially tumultuous times have earned him his role as a trusted advisor among top district staff and the board of education, officials say.
Paul Reed has been an exceptional employee, Navarro said. Through his tenure at NMUSD, he has saved the district millions of dollars.
The budget for an audit of Newport Beachs Civic Center project which drew criticism over increases in its scope and price during its three-year development also is expanding.
After a fierce debate Tuesday night among several City Council members about the need for a thorough review of the project, the council voted 4 to 3 to increase the audits budget to $300,000 from $100,000 and to contract with Florida-based R.W. Block Consulting to conduct the audit. Mayor Ed Selich and council members Tony Petros and Keith Curry dissented.
The City Council first approved an audit in June with the goal of securing an independent contractor to review change orders and construction practices to find out how the price tag on the new City Hall grew from an estimated $107.6 million to about $140 million between 2008 and the Civic Centers opening in May 2013.
The council originally set aside $100,000 to fund the audit, but city staff realized that might not be adequate and asked the council to allocate $612,920 to cover the cost, according to a staff report. Councilman Kevin Muldoon proposed that instead of setting aside the recommended amount, the council allocate an initial $300,000 and then give the auditor the opportunity to ask for additional funds if further study is needed.
Mayor Pro Tem Diane Dixon said the audit would provide a road map for future city building projects.
It is incumbent upon a government agency to do this, she said. We have a fiduciary responsibility to our taxpayers who funded this project. My wish is that it gets a clean bill of health and we can move on.
When the Civic Center project originated in 2008, city officials planned to redevelop the existing City Hall site at the entrance to the Balboa Peninsula. But the project eventually moved to the more upscale area of Newport Center, where construction on the new complex began in 2010 off Avocado Avenue at 100 Civic Center Drive.
Costs swelled as the scope of the project expanded, eventually including a 17,000-square-foot expansion of the Central Library, a 14-acre park and a 450-space parking structure.
The audit will review the construction contracts and subcontractor bids, determine whether delays increased costs and consider whether the final cost of the Civic Center was affected by using C.W. Driver, a Pasadena-based company, as both the lead contractor and project manager.
Dixon, Muldoon and council members Scott Peotter and Marshall Duffy Duffield were among the projects harshest critics before they were elected last year. When they took their seats in January, city staff provided a look into the construction project and posted change orders and other documents on the city website.
Still, Dixon and Muldoon called for a deeper review of the project by an outside firm, saying it is common for large projects to undergo audits after they have been finished.
The audit request followed a city inquiry into whether former Assistant City Manager Steve Badum failed to report gifts from companies doing business with the city, including C.W. Driver.
However, the Orange County district attorneys office announced in August that it had found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Badum.
Curry, who along with Selich and Petros helped shepherd the project through its development, called the audit politically motivated and said his new colleagues had not read the documents produced by staff earlier this year before calling for a review by an outside firm.
He said the money used to fund the audit could be better spent on putting more police officers on the streets or building projects like the new Corona del Mar library.
Its simply wrong, Curry said. Its a complete waste of money.
Guitarist Bob Bain is the ultimate stealth swinger. From his contributions to Sinatras classic Capitol recording of Ive Got You Under My Skin, Nat King Coles Unforgettable to the noir undulation of Henry Mancinis Peter Gunn, the stampeding brawn of Bonanza and superheroic sizzle of the Batman themes youve grown up with his music, and Bain has exerted a definitive influence on American pop culture.
The 91-year-old musician, who appears at Burbanks Viva Cantina on Tuesday, Sept. 22, has strong ties to Burbank also he was Doc Severinsons Tonight Show Band guitarist for 22 years, but thats one more impressive credit in a resume so dazzlingly laden with musical milestones that just reading the a list of the mans accomplishments is exhausting.
I came out from Chicago to Los Angeles in the 30s, finished high school here and after I graduated, I started playing music, Bain said. I joined a cowboy trio, Joe Wolvertons Trio. He had been my music teacher, asked if I wanted to join and of course I said yes.
Wolverton wasnt just any common neighborhood instructor he had been Les Pauls mentor and early professional partner, when the duo, working in St Louis and Chicago, was billed as Sunny Joe Wolverton & Rhubarb Red.
Joe Wolverton was wonderful, and he didnt just give lessons, Bain said. Wed sit and talk about music for hours, listen to Django Reinhardt records together. And so I joined, we played all over, went out to New Mexico and back here to Hollywood, did the Tom Tom Club and Shuggies Tropics these were both down on Vine and Sunset by NBC.
Bain quickly distinguished himself as a formidable player and made some critical alliances. I was with Tommy Dorseys band in 1944, Bain explained, RCA had a studio on Sycamore in Hollywood and we made a lot of records, Sunny Side of the Street, Opus One, which became a huge hit.
Tommy had a great band Buddy Rich was in it a lot of great musicians, and this was when he had a harp and strings, Bain said. Nelson Riddle played fourth trombone, and we became good friends. He started writing arrangements for Tommy and got really good at it. Then Nelson and I got together with Bob Crosbys band for awhile but when that broke up, Nelson got drafted and I started my own band, the San Fernando Playboys.
Post-war era Los Angeles was the epicenter of both explosive musical creativity in jazz, country, R&B and pop and, with dozens of newly founded independent record companies, unparalleled commercial activity. Bain fit right in.
My first opportunity to work on my own in the studio came from Andre Previn. He was only 17 but he was at MGM orchestrating things for them, and thats how I started at the studios, Bain said. Then Nelson came back and I started doing all of his dates, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat Cole I was on the original Unforgettable. Nats guitar player was out of town so he used me.
By the late 1950s, Bain was a fixture as a session man and staple on just about every genre being recorded. I worked all over, did a lot of stuff for RCA and other companies, but I was Capitols staff guitarist for five years. I just left my guitar and amp there at night because I was always coming back in the next day.
I was working with Ken Nelson. First thing I did with him was Tommy Sands Teenage Crush, which became the fastest-selling record in history at that time. I did all the country stuff with Ken. We recorded with Sonny James, Ferlin Husky, Buck Owens he was Kens favorite rhythm player. Hed ask if Id mind if we used Buck and I always said No, go right ahead. Wed have him in an isolation booth so we could either keep it low or really feature him depending on the job. Buck was great, really talented, just like Glen Campbell, who was starting out as studio guitarist there also. He was a hell of player. What he did, he did perfectly.
The Tonight Show, that just happened for me. Doc came out here, and he offered me the guitar chair Bain said.It was really a matter of just doing the show or keep on doing the studio work. I mean, I could still record, I could do morning jobs, just not any all-day calls. And I could do record dates at night, if I wanted. But The Tonight Show was very pleasant, they were all great players and good friends. My wife really liked it because I just worked from about 3 p.m. until 6:30 and you had a Saturday-Monday weekend.
Bains charmed existence has brought him nothing but happiness and despite his fabled, spectrum-spanning capabilities, he remains true to one style.
I am a jazz player, but not like Barney Kessel or Herb Ellis, he said. I play studio jazz and when I work clubs, like I will be doing with Johnny Pisano on Tuesday, sure its jazz, but Im not a guy who does six choruses in a row. I dont do that.
This Viva gig, celebrating the 19th anniversary of Pisanos famed Guitar Night concert series, should be a memorable one. I love playing with John. Ive known him for at least 50 years, Bain said. And I always bring in Jim Fox, too, another great guitarist. We do some of the older literature thats been forgotten, its very enjoyable.
Its all I ever do. Play guitar. Ive never been out of work, and even in the early days when it often wouldnt pay a lot, it just didnt matter. I have been very fortunate.
Who: John Pisanos Guitar Night with Bob Bain, Jim Fox, Chuck Berghofer
Where: Viva Cantina, 900 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank
When: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: (818) 845-2425, vivacantina.com
--
JONNY WHITESIDE is a veteran music journalist based in Burbank and author of Ramblin Rose: the Life & Career of Rose Maddox and Cry: the Johnnie Ray Story.
Three vandals broke into Toll Middle School in Glendale early Saturday morning, with their faces shielded by bandannas and clothing, and caused an estimated $20,000 in damage to the campus using pry bars and hammers, police said.
At around 1:45 a.m., the trio smashed windows and security cameras, forcing their way into 20 classrooms and offices hunting for valuables, said Glendale Police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot. Cash was missing from one office, though police did not immediately know what else was taken.
A couple of hours later, the vandals broke into four classrooms at Mark Keppel Elementary School, located next to Toll, and made off with cash.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call Glendale police at (818) 548-4911. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
--
Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com
Twitter: @atchek
Community United Methodist Church in Huntington Beach has hired James Calhoun as its new director of music and worship leader.
Calhoun, who began his new position June 6, previously served as director of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church and organist at the University Seventh-day Adventist Church, both located in Los Angeles. He also worked as director of the Don Lee White Community Chorale.
He has also taught at the University of La Verne, Loyola Marymount University, UC Irvine and Cypress College.
Advertisement
Join the conversation on Facebook >>
Calhoun said he is excited to join the team at Community United Methodist Church.
They are a warm and loving community of faith, and I look forward to working closely with Rev. Ginny Wheeler to provide an exciting, innovative and meaningful worship experience, he said.
He replaces former music director Kevin Feltmann, who relocated to Florida earlier this year.
------------
FOR THE RECORD
June 29, 11:07 a.m.: A previous version of this story stated former music director Kevin Feltmann relocated to Florida in 2015. He relocated to Florida earlier this year.
------------
--
Brittany Woolsey, brittany.woolsey@latimes.com
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
He has compared himself to Hitler, called President Obama a son of a whore, and overseen a wave of extrajudicial violence that has left thousands of people dead.
But despite his profanity and repeated calls to violence, Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines 71-year-old president and former city mayor, is the countrys most popular leader in recent memory.
Dutertes war on drugs, the hallmark of his early tenure, has resulted in an estimated 7,000 drug-related killings since his crackdown started in July.
Advertisement
However, on Monday, the Philippine police chief stopped the use of the national police force in anti-drug operations and disbanded all police anti-narcotics units after rogue officers used Dutertes crackdown to kidnap and kill a South Korean man for money. Police Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa told officers he was launching a purge of police involved in crimes.
To outsiders, Duterte is a puzzle ideologically liberal, but disdainful of human rights; politically gifted, but often seemingly unhinged. In late September, he said he wants to slaughter drug dealers like Hitler slaughtered Jews. The following week, he visited a synagogue to apologize for causing offense. In October, he said Obama a persistent critic of his drug war could go to hell, and vowed to deepen ties with China and Russia.
Then, on Oct. 20, he announced that he was separating from the United States and embracing China as the new best friend of the Philippines.
Who is Duterte, and what makes him popular?
Heres how the U.S. is dealing with Dutertes blitz of rants, insults and ultimatums
Where did Duterte come from?
Duterte grew up on the island Mindanao, hundreds of miles south of the Philippine capital, Manila, amid a landscape of grinding poverty, dictatorship, civil conflict and extreme crime.
He attended university and law school in Manila, then returned to Mindanao to work as a prosecutor in the city of Davao. He has been married twice, and has four children.
It didnt take long for him to enter politics the city elected him as vice mayor in 1986, the year that Ferdinand Marcos, the countrys dictator for more than two decades, fell from power.
At that time, the city was riven by a communist insurgency, with guerrillas raging against the abuses of Marcos military. Soldiers, vigilantes and communist insurgents shot and hacked one another to death on the streets, often in broad daylight, often with no repercussions.
Duterte led Davao for more than two decades, serving twice as vice mayor and thrice as mayor. By most accounts, he was highly effective. He drove out the communist insurgency, using both the carrot and the stick (he gave some former insurgents government jobs). He banned smoking, imposed a curfew for minors, and restricted alcohol sales after dark. He launched nongovernment organizations for womens rights and poverty alleviation, and adopted liberal policies toward gays and minority groups.
Now, Filipinos call Davao one of the countrys safest cities; many compare it to Singapore.
So whats the catch?
Human rights groups say that Duterte also oversaw the Davao Death Squad, a gang of vigilantes that killed 1,400 suspected criminals in the city during his tenure.
On Sept. 15, a Senate committee investigating Dutertes current war on drugs heard testimony from Edgar Matobato, an admitted former member of the squad. Matobato said Duterte personally ordered many of the killings. Once, the mayor killed a Justice Department agent with an Uzi, he said; another time, he threw a grenade at a mosque, in retribution for a cathedral bombing. (Duterte has strongly denied the allegations).
Ideologically eclectic and politically savvy, Duterte combined [former Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez-style populism with Singapore-style disciplined governance to build himself as the penultimate strongman in the city, said Richard Javad Heydarian, an assistant professor in political science at De La Salle University in Manila. He progressively cultivated a macho, no-nonsense image, backed by shock and awe approach to criminality and drugs.
Although his police director has suspended anti-drug operations, Duterte has declared his crackdown would continue up to the last day of his six-year term.
Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, said the temporary stoppage in police anti-drug operations to allow an internal police purge is nothing less than an empty public relations gesture unless he seeks meaningful accountability for the more than 7,000 Filipinos killed in the crackdown.
Obama administration officials have largely ignored the insults and ultimatums from Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte.
How did he become president?
Dutertes presidential campaign was shockingly crude, and according to some experts, tactically brilliant. While campaigning, he remarked on the size of his penis, called Pope Francis the son of a whore and joked about an Australian missionary who was raped and killed during a prison break in 1989.
He also promised to essentially remake the Philippines in Davaos image. He pledged to rid the country of illegal drugs within six months, without regard for human rights or due process in the spring, he threatened to dump drug dealers bodies into Manila Bay and fatten all the fish there. His campaign posters displayed a clenched fist.
Voters believed him. Although the Philippines had enjoyed years of sustained economic growth under the previous president, Benigno Aquino III, many Filipinos felt that theyd been left out of the boom. They worried about rising crime, entrenched corruption, crumbling infrastructure, a broken justice system and of course, rampant drug abuse. They felt that electing a radically different leader was the only way to enact real change.
The Philippines last two presidents were the children of former presidents; Duterte was an outsider. He hailed from Mindanao, far from the halls of power. And he eschewed the staid, diplomatic lexicon of legacy politicians. His crass outbursts were a boon; he spoke like a man of the people.
Duterte won the election by a landslide, with 16 million total votes 6.6 million more than the runner-up, Mar Roxas (in the Philippines, candidates need only a plurality of votes to win). He was inaugurated June 30.
Who is getting killed?
The drug wars statistics are staggering. Duterte has said there are 3 million drug dealers in the country of 102.7 million (the Dangerous Drugs Board, a government body, estimates there are 1.24 million).
Of the estimated 7,000 drug-related killings, more than 2,500 involved suspects who allegedly fought back and were gunned down in clashes with police, the national police said, adding that 35 police officers and three soldiers had been killed.
Officials report that more than 7 million houses of drug suspects have been visited so far, prompting more than 1.1 million people, mostly drug users, to surrender and agree to undergo rehabilitation programs.
Many observers have called Dutertes drug crackdown a war on the poor. Most victims of police and vigilante killings occupy the countrys lowest socioeconomic rungs, where drug use is the most prevalent. They subsist on a few dollars a day, living cheek-to-jowl in sprawling, garbage-strewn slums. They see drugs as an escape, however brief, from reality.
Now, theyre turning up dead in dark alleyways, often next to signs reading pusher, their hands bound and their faces wrapped in tape.
Editorial: Dutertes murderous approach to law enforcement must end
Will he succeed?
Its too early to tell. Experts say the country has a free press, a politically engaged citizenry, and a strong enough political ecosystem that, if public opinion swings against him, the Congress and Senate could keep him in check.
More and more people are beginning to question his seeming obsession with war on drugs, hoping he will shift attention to more pressing issues such as poverty and unemployment and traffic congestion in big cities, Heydarian said. But the voters seem to be willing to still give him at least six months to one year before more critically assessing his leadership mettle.
In October, a crisis was sparked by the kidnapping and killing of a South Korean businessman, who was snatched by police officers for ransom using a fake warrant for his arrest for a purported drug offense. But the victim was killed at the main police camp in metropolitan Manila, and the officers collected the ransom without telling his wife he was dead, according to police. He was allegedly cremated, his ashes flushed down a toilet bowl, according to an angry Duterte.
Two of the officers suspected of carrying out the crime were on a key anti-drug force. Dela Rosa resigned amid the scandal but Duterte asked him to stay on.
Human rights watchdogs have suspected extrajudicial killings of drug suspects may have been covertly carried out by police or at their behest.
As to how the police crisis affects drug lords, Dela Rosa said, this is a momentary victory on your part. Go ahead and enjoy, but there is always a time for reckoning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com
ALSO
Philippines president cozies up to China after talking tough about the U.S.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered killings when he was mayor, witness tells senators
Duterte expresses regret for his Obama insult. But hes always had a way with words
UPDATES:
8:15 a.m., Jan. 30: This article has been updated with the Philippine police chief stopping the use of the national police force in anti-drug operations.
3:15 p.m. Oct. 20, 2016: This article has been updated with Duterte announcing a separation from the United States.
This article was originally published on Oct. 10.
European Union leaders on Tuesday pressed British Prime Minister David Cameron to move fast in the face of political turmoil at home and unrest roiling global financial markets after the countrys vote last week to leave the alliance.
Cameron and leaders of the remaining 27 countries in the EU held a sometimes testy summit just days after 52% of Britains voters favored leaving the union started after World War II to generate economic cooperation and avoid war.
Cameron, who campaigned to keep Britain in the EU, has said he would step down as soon as possible after losing the Brexit vote and would leave it to his successor to decide when to submit Britains application to exit the partnership.
Advertisement
That condition has caused consternation across the EU as many leaders want the two-year process to untangle Britain from the EU to start as soon as possible and not sometime in late 2016.
The EU cant afford being held hostage by the U.K. political crisis for months. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters in Brussels that there was no time to waste. The EU cant afford being held hostage by the U.K. political crisis for months, Michel said.
Denmarks prime minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, who has to contend with a growing anti-EU mood at home, also said the uncertainty would cause problems.
Were all waiting to get a clear answer, Rasmussen told reporters.
The European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution urging Britain to leave as soon as possible.
Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had long been a friend and ally of Britains free-market, pro-business and pragmatic ways, seemed to lose patience Tuesday, telling lawmakers in Berlin before flying to Brussels that Britain wont get any special privileges to leave.
I can only urge our friends in Britain against deluding themselves, she said. Were going to ensure that there wont be any cherry-picking in the negotiations.
Anyone who wants to leave this family cant for a moment be allowed to think they can keep all the privileges of membership without carrying any of the responsibilities, she said.
Her remarks poured cold water on the hopes of former London Mayor Boris Johnson, a leader of the Leave campaign, that Britain would get the best of both worlds: continue to benefit from being part of Europe without agreeing to its rules on freedom of movement for all its citizens.
Johnson, an outspoken leader in Britains Conservative Party, is a top candidate to succeed Cameron.
Amid a financial market meltdown after the vote and growing public anger in Britain over immediate backsliding on Leave campaign promises, Johnson also said Monday that he expected greater cooperation between Britain and the EU after Brexit. But many who voted to leave the EU did so in the belief that it would enable Britain to stop the flow of immigrants to the country.
Cameron told reporters late Tuesday that there was some pressure for him to start the breakaway process right away. He said he had told EU leaders the Brexit referendum had hinged primarily on the immigration question because of the EUs insistence on the freedom of movement for its citizens.
There were some people who said this [exit] should be triggered right away, Cameron said. But the overwhelming view was that we need to get this right. We shouldnt take too much time, but we should take the time to get it right. I cant put a time frame on it.
Ulrike Guerot, director of the European Democracy Lab at the European School of Governance in Berlin, said that Cameron was facing a rough ride by some in the EU but that others are open to Britains request for some time in part because of the volatile situation in that country.
The uncertainty about the timing and terms of the exit has caused havoc in the financial markets and knocked the British pound to 31-year lows. Britain also has lost its AAA credit rating because of the markets rout and accompanying uncertainty.
Merkel wants time for reflection and a period of calm, Guerot said. Its hard to tell whats going to happen next. I wish I had a crystal ball.
ALSO
British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn loses no-confidence vote
Merkel warns British against deluding themselves in departure from EU
David Horsey: Brexit diminishes Britain and threatens European security
Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
UPDATES:
5:44 p.m.: Updated throughout.
This article was first published at 10:43 a.m.
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.
I can only urge our friends in Britain against deluding themselves, said Merkel, who has quietly emerged as the EUs most powerful leader during her 10 years guiding the unions largest economy and most populous nation.
Meanwhile, fallout from the referendum continued to shake up the political landscape in Britain. Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn lost a confidence vote among party lawmakers, though he said in a statement that he would not resign.
Advertisement
Also on Tuesday, UK Independence party leader Nigel Farage was booed as he addressed the European Parliament. He said that other member states would soon follow Britains lead in leaving the union, and scoffed at the idea that Britain would lose out on trade with the EU. Between your countries and my country, we do an enormous amount of business in goods and services, Farage said. That trade is mutually beneficial to both of us. That trade matters. If you were to decide to cut off your noses to spite your faces and to reject any idea of a sensible trade deal, the consequences would be far worse for you than it would be for us.
Just spoke in the European Parliament, they were pleased to see me as you can tell.https://t.co/7TRJlBXLJl Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 28, 2016
In the initial aftermath of Britains vote to leave the union, Merkel had struck a conciliatory note, saying on Saturday and again Monday that nothing would change until Britain itself made a formal request to leave the EU. But her tone cooled on Tuesday after a Monday evening meeting in Berlin with French President Francois Hollande, Italys Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU Commission President Donald Tusk.
All three want the EU to take a tougher line to discourage other nations from following Britains example. Anti-EU sentiment is already running high in countries such as the Netherlands, France and Denmark.
Merkel said Britains decision to leave the family was regrettable, but also a chance for a new start music to the ears of more interventionist governments in France, Italy and Spain that had clashed with Britain over its foot-dragging in the EU. They now hope to turn the EU into more of a socialist superstate with greater federal authority as an antidote to a prolonged period of weak economic growth.
Were going to ensure that there wont be any cherry-picking in the negotiations, Merkel said, dousing hopes nurtured in Britain that it might get the best of both worlds after leaving the EU: open access to the unions market of some 500 million people without having to accept the principles of freedom of movement for its people that are at the core of the EU. Merkel was uncharacteristically blunt in saying that isnt going to happen.
Anyone who wants to leave this family cant for a moment be allowed to think they can keep all the privileges of membership without carrying any of the responsibilities, she said to loud applause from members of parliament in Berlins Reichstag building before flying to Brussels for a two-day summit with the leaders of the 28 EU member states. There will obviously have to be a perceptible difference between countries in the EU family and those on the outside.
Her remarks seemed to pour cold water on the hopes Boris Johnson expressed Monday that Britain would continue to benefit from being part of Europe. Johnson, an outspoken pro-leave leader in Britains Conservative party, is a top candidate to succeed lame-duck Prime Minster David Cameron, who said he would resign after leading the failed remain campaign. Amid a financial market meltdown after the vote and growing public anger in Britain over immediate backsliding on leave campaign promises, Johnson also said he expects there will be increased cooperation between Britain and the EU after Brexit even though many who voted to leave the EU did so in the belief that it would enable Britain to stop the flow of immigrants to the country.
Merkel pointed out that Norway one country outside the EU that nevertheless enjoys close trade ties also accepts the EUs core demand of freedom of movement for its citizens. The basic freedom of access has to be accepted for there to be free access to the EU market, Merkel said. Norway has access because it freely accepts immigration from the EU.
Merkel also appeared to raise the bar on the looming divorce negotiations with Britain. She said there would be no talks at all with the British government until it submits an application to leave, which will start the clock ticking for a two-year period to hammer out the terms of the split. Even though Cameron had said the application to leave would be submitted right after the referendum, he has since backpedaled and said that step would have to be made by his successor indicating a prolonged process that could last two months or more.
Full coverage: Britain votes to leave the European Union >>
Let there be no mistake about it, said Merkel, who rarely speaks in such pointed terms as she did in Tuesdays remarks, before the application to leave is submitted, there will be no preliminary discussions whatsoever with Britain about their wish to leave, either on a formal or informal basis.
The EU is strong enough to handle Britains exit, she added.
Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary floor leader of the center-left Social Democrats, junior coalition partners to Merkels conservatives, told parliament after Merkels speech that it is important to take a hard line against Britain in Brussels, at the summit and beyond.
There can be no rewards for leaving the EU, and no bonus for nationalism or anti-EU attitudes, he said.
ALSO
28 killed in explosions at Istanbul airport, officials say
British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn loses no-confidence vote
David Horsey: Brexit diminishes Britain and threatens European security
UPDATES:
9:17 a.m.: This article was updated with Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn losing a confidence vote.
This article was originally published at 7:41 a.m.
When staff members arrived to open the Polish Social and Cultural Assn. community center, an institution in immigrant-rich West London for five decades, they were greeted by an ugly message.
A vulgarity was painted on the doors in big yellow letters, along with the word Out.
The insult, found Sunday morning, had been washed off by early Monday and a contingent of security guards stood watch.
Advertisement
But to many in Londons large Polish community, the graffiti crystallized a swirling anti-immigrant sentiment that they fear has been unleashed with Britains historic vote last week to leave the European Union.
Its very unsettling, said Joanna Mludzinska, the associations chairwoman. People are worried that they are going to be made to feel unwelcome here, or that its OK for bigots to say such things.
The vandalism was one of a rash of incidents in the days since the referendum Thursday that many residents say has exposed the simmering anger over immigration and ripped open a long-standing cultural divide over what it means to be British.
Londoners, in fact, voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. The nations overall result, however, gave the Leave campaign 52% of the vote.
In Cambridgeshire, north of London, local media reported that cards reading Leave the EU and No more Polish vermin were found outside elementary schools hours after the results were announced.
A woman walks past produce for sale in the Brixton district of London, a multiethnic community. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )
Much of the abuse has been directed at Poles and other Eastern European immigrants who flocked to Britain in greater numbers over the last decade after their countries were admitted into the EU, which was created after World War II to generate economic cooperation and avoid war. Membership in the multi-nation partnership gave the immigrants the right to leave behind economies struggling to rise from the rubble of the Iron Curtain to chase opportunity in what was seen as a land of prosperity.
The recent hostility has also targeted people of South Asian origin and other ethnic minority groups, heightening tensions in a country already riven by political uncertainty.
The Muslim Council of Britain, the countrys largest Muslim organization, said it had logged more than 100 hate incidents from social media posts and other sources since the referendum results were announced Friday showing that Leave voters had outpolled Remain supporters. The group said Muslims and others had been taunted with racial slurs and cries of Go home!
While Londons Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, called on police to be extra vigilant against hate crimes, Prime Minister David Cameron called what happened at the Polish center despicable and denounced the reports of verbal attacks against minorities.
Brexit updates: Whats happening now that Britain voted to leave the EU
Lets remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country, Cameron told lawmakers Monday. We will not stand for hate crimes or these kinds of attacks.
Leaders of the campaign to exit the EU stoked beliefs that if Britain quit what had been a 28-nation bloc, it would end a tide of immigration that had robbed residents of jobs and overburdened the healthcare and entitlement systems.
Nigel Farage, head of the far-right UK Independence Party, said he would prefer to admit immigrants who were more likely to speak English, understand common law and have a connection with this country.
Such remarks were widely interpreted as a slam against people from Poland, who number about 800,000 in the nation, making them one of the largest minority groups in a country of 65 million.
Independent studies have consistently rejected the argument that EU immigrants are a drain on the system.
Through 2011, immigrants from Central and Eastern European countries contributed 12% more in taxes than they received in benefits, according to a 2014 study by University College Londons Center for Research and Analysis of Migration.
In the community of Hammersmith, in central London, a graffiti attack on the Polish Social and Cultural Assn. shocked many in the neighborhood. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )
The London School of Economics found this year that EU immigration had not harmed the wages or job prospects of workers born in Britain.
We are a scapegoat because we are so visible, Adriana Chodakowska, editor of the London-based Polish news site londynek.net, said in her corner office on an upper floor of the community center, which also houses a Polish cafe, bookstore and several other businesses.
London is actually a very Polish place. So when politicians like Mr. Farage talk about European citizens, he means the Polish people.
After Polish fighter pilots played a key role in defending Britain from German bomber attacks in World War II, a large community of Poles settled in West London, establishing the cultural center in 1967. A much greater wave of migration began in 2004, when the EU opened membership to several former Eastern Bloc countries, including Poland.
Polish immigrants shop at a store in the community of Hammersmith that caters to their tastes. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )
Over the next two years, Britain invited more than a quarter of a million Polish workers into the country, where they took difficult, often low-wage jobs in construction and other fields that many people saw as undesirable. The Polish plumber became a national icon of reliability and industriousness although in recent years, more educated Poles have begun to fill jobs in finance and medicine.
Ola Modzelewska was fresh out of college when she left Poland two decades ago to settle in London. She spoke no English but got by waiting tables and cleaning houses, eventually starting her own business a driving school before moving on to a successful consulting career.
Now she is considering leaving Britain because of the referendum result and what she sees as growing xenophobia.
On Monday, she and a Greek co-worker began filling out applications for jobs at EU headquarters in Brussels.
Im afraid about what is going to happen, she said. The rhetoric is so upsetting. I have never taken a penny from the government. We are all working ... and paying taxes. So to hear those migrants are stealing our jobs, that is horribly unfair and unfounded.
The reports of vandalism and verbal attacks have also confirmed her fears that despite the citys outward appearance of ethnic and linguistic diversity, many Londoners harbored suspicions about foreigners.
I always thought this was a xenophobic place, but I feel it much more now, Modzelewska said. I would open my mouth to speak to someone, and my English is pretty good now, but sometimes you would see a bad reaction, like they didnt understand your accent. They were just trying to make a point that youre not a native speaker.
Brexit updates: Whats happening now that Britain voted to leave the EU
Anti-immigrant sentiment has been building for years, at least since the 2008 financial crash. Polish groups accused the Daily Mail, the countrys most popular tabloid, of exacerbating tensions with stories about Polish immigrants squeezing money from the government.
In 2013, police made 585 arrests for hate crimes against Polish people, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper.
Cameron, who campaigned to stay in the EU and has announced he will resign as prime minister later this year, also stoked controversy with a plan to withhold public housing and employment benefits from European immigrants for five years. The plan was dismissed by opponents of EU membership as insufficient.
Some Poles who have lived long enough in Britain to gain citizenship said they believed the argument that the recent wave of Eastern and Central European immigrants was taxing the system.
There are people who come here and dont pay taxes and cheat, said interior designer Eva Wojciechowski, 39, who supported leaving the EU.
We have our own country, she said, sipping coffee near the community center on a block also lined with Iranian, Indian and Chinese restaurants. There is a limit to how many people can be supported here.
Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia
MORE BREXIT NEWS
Brexit could halt the growth of California trade with Britain
Horsey: Brexit diminishes Britain and threatens European security
Brexit fallout: On financial services, Britain snatched defeat from the jaws of victory
Britain voted to leave Europe, but how quickly will it pull the trigger?
Not long after a U.S. drone strike killed his brother-in-law and a nephew in a village in central Yemen, Faisal bin Ali Jaber received a phone call from a Yemeni government official.
The man invited the engineer to Sana, the nations capital, to discuss why a drone had targeted and killed five men meeting under a palm tree in Khashamir after dark on Aug. 29, 2012.
Jaber appeared at the government building, but he was given no explanation or apology. Instead he was handed a plastic bag with $100,000 in sequentially marked $100 bills, a relative fortune in the Arab worlds poorest country, he said.
Advertisement
They told me, We are not authorized to tell you where this money came from, but take it, Jaber, 58, said via an Arabic interpreter in a phone interview from Montreal, where he now lives. I knew it must be the American government, so I wondered: Why they would do this? Why would they pay this blood money in secret?
President Obama is expected to disclose as early as Friday that U.S. military and CIA drone strikes inadvertently have killed about 100 civilians since 2009 in countries where the United States is not officially at war, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The long-awaited report focuses on the so-called shadow wars in Yemen, Pakistan, Libya and Somalia and only during Obamas tenure. It covers about 500 drone attacks in all.
The tally does not include civilian casualties for Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where U.S. forces have launched thousands of air attacks as part of ongoing wars and where the Pentagon formally investigates allegations of civilian deaths.
Obama plans to issue an executive order that would call on his successor to annually disclose the number of civilians killed in drone strikes, officials said, a goal he announced in 2013 but met only in his last year in office.
He also is expected to disclose parts of the classified legal framework behind the drone program. Known as the Presidential Policy Guidance, it sets legal standards for deciding whom to kill, where and under what circumstances.
It has been a long road to get this information out there, one U.S. official said. There have been concerns from nearly every agency within the government on what to reveal and fears about revealing too much.
The official tally is far lower than the death toll claimed by human rights organizations and other independent groups that monitor Americas growing use of combat drones. Their estimates range from 200 to more than 1,000.
The White Houses accounting of civilian casualties is unlikely to be worth the paper its printed on, said Jennifer Gibson, an attorney at Reprieve, a human rights and advocacy group based in London. The group says local news reports, interviews and other sources suggest drones have killed at least 1,147 civilians.
We need real transparency from this president not just numbers, but the definition of who counts as a civilian, the rules for taking such strikes and the procedures for investigating mistakes afterwards, Gibson said.
Obama promised greater transparency and oversight on drone strikes in a May 2013 speech at National Defense University. It marked a shift for Obama, who had vastly expanded the targeted-killing program begun by his predecessor, George W. Bush.
Unless we discipline our thinking and our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we dont need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states, he said at the time.
Until now, the administration has provided few details of how the drone program is structured, what legal restrictions apply, and what oversight or accountability is involved. The Pentagon has only acknowledged a handful of civilian deaths.
Officials argue that combat drones, which typically are piloted from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, allow policymakers a way to target terrorists or other potential enemies without involving U.S. ground troops.
They say drones are less likely to cause civilian casualties than manned aircraft, because they can watch a potential target for months before a missile is launched.
The CIA, the Air Force and Pentagons Joint Special Operations Command fly combat drones. All are required to assess potential civilian casualties before firing a missile, with a sliding scale of what is permitted, officials said.
The U.S. will accept the risk of several civilian casualties when attacking a senior militant leader, for example, but a single civilian death could be considered excessive if the militant killed poses no threat.
The varying numbers, called the Non-Combatant Casualty Cut-Off Value, are secret and are approved by the president or the Defense secretary.
The military and CIA use software simulation programs to project the likelihood of causing innocent deaths. These simulations are then added to a computer-generated map to predict whether a missile blast could hurl fiery debris into a home or onto a roof.
Yet the limits of U.S. intelligence and remote-controlled air attacks have been visible for years. At least eight Americans have been killed by drone attacks, for example, but only one Anwar Awlaki, an Al Qaeda leader in Yemen was specifically targeted.
In April 2015, for example, Obama announced that a CIA drone strike that January on an Al Qaeda compound in northwest Pakistan had mistakenly killed two foreign hostages, including Warren Weinstein, a 73-year-old American aid worker who had been held for four years.
Hundreds of hours of aerial surveillance, communications intercepts and other intelligence had failed to spot signs of the hostages, officials said.
T. Mark McCurley, a retired drone pilot who commanded an MQ-1 Predator squadron, said releasing civilian casualty numbers is not necessarily a good choice, considering there is no standard methodology for counting the dead.
Until recently, the Obama administration admitted only a handful of civilian deaths because officials counted any military-age male killed as combatants unless evidence showed they were not after the fact, according to former military and intelligence officials.
The White House is not expected to release names, geographic locations or dates of civilians killed. It thus will be difficult to check the governments data against that collected by independent groups.
Those figures vary widely. The British-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, for example, estimates up to 1,068 civilians were killed in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. The New American Foundation, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, says as many as 294 civilians have been killed in those countries.
Most of those killed die in relative anonymity. After the 2012 airstrike in Yemen, however, Reprieve, the British-based group, helped Jaber, the engineer given $100,000, sue the U.S. government for wrongful death.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, was dismissed this year. Jaber is appealing.
Jaber said he thinks his brother-in-law, Salem, a Muslim imam, and his nephew, Waleed, a police officer, were mistakenly targeted as members of Al Qaeda.
Jaber said Salem had given a sermon in Khashamir to denounce Al Qaedas ideology. Days later, he met several men who came to the village and brought Waleed in case anything went wrong.
Four missiles exploded as the five men talked under a palm tree at about 9 p.m., killing them all. Jaber believes the visitors were Al Qaeda members, and his family was collateral damage.
What happened in the past cant be changed. Families know innocent people have been killed, Jaber said. The American government says it will provide transparency into the drone program. The fact is innocent people dont want to die, whether or not the government provides transparency.
ALSO
10 killed in 2 explosions at Istanbul airport, officials say
Clinton on Benghazi report: I think its pretty clear that its time to move on
Graffiti at a Polish center in London sends a clear message: Some Brexit supporters want immigrants out
Britons who voted themselves out the European Union are already expressing buyer's remorse.
It may have been U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron's announced resignation, or the cataclysmic market crash that plummeted the British pound to a 31-year low on Friday, but the gravitas of alienating trade partners has citizens worried about a looming recession.
A Daily Mail poll released Sunday found at least one million people regret voting Leave. A Survation poll had 1.1 million of 17.4 million ticking "Leave" on their ballot, many who though it was nothing more than a protests vote or at the very least inconsequential in Remain victory.
Their change of heart is about more than financial insecurities. Brexiters feel betrayed. A Twitter search of the #Brexit hashtag repeatedly follows words like "lied," "betrayed," and "regret." An online petition calling for a second referendum has already surpassed 3.8 million signatures, well above the 100,000 needed for parliamentary consideration.
Frustration rests with the UK Independence Party and vociferous leader Nigel Farage's euphoric talking points, even if some were debunked early on.
Farage unveiled UKIP's manifesto last year by saying immigrants are not the problem, "it's our current immigration system that is the problem." He warned of the dangers "10 former Communist countries" pose through an open-door policy. What Mexicans and Central Americans are to the United States, Polish immigrants are to Britain.
Farage suggested implementing an insurance-based health care system, and creating 6,000 new government jobs, mainly in law enforcement and border security sectors. Most of all, he argued for self-government without political involvement from the E.U.
If any of this sounds familiar to Americans, it may be because presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump campaigns on similar promises.
Campaigning as Outsiders
Trump and Farage each pandered to the blue-collar worker. Despite their affluence - Trump inherited his wealth; Farage earned millions as a stockbroker - the outspoken men appealed to hardline conservatives fearful of immigration and government overreach.
They aimed for disillusioned voting blocs, like baby boomers and uneducated voters, wary of progressive ideas that promote multiculturalism.
As the BBC notes, voters age 45 and over overwhelmingly voted for Brexit. Young voters were more likely to vote "Remain," but few turned out. A majority of university graduates also wanted to stay.
Each of these groups wanted an outsider, not a seasoned politician. Someone without lobbyists and donors in their ear. In Farage and Trump, it's exactly what they got, for better or worse.
Stoking Fear through Xenophobia
Trump announced his candidacy by demonizing all Mexicans are rapists and criminals. Where other presidential contenders would back down, Trump doubled-down.
The real estate magnate warned undocumented immigrants were coming and taking American jobs. He proposed strengthening the border wall at Mexico's expense without outlining a credible strategy other than to consider it a quid pro quo for "gangs, drug traffickers and cartels (that) have freely exploited our open borders."
In the UK, Polish and Middle Eastern immigrants are the political targets. Farage frequently spoke about the need to cap incoming foreigners, saying they put a strain on jobs, emergency rooms, and primary schools.
"What we are saying is this: we want an end to uncontrolled mass immigration, and end to unskilled labour coming into Britain in mass quantities," Farage said.
Overt xenophobia is the reason Trump outlasted 11 other GOP presidential candidates. It's one of the prime reasons Brexit passed.
Backtracking on Promises
Hours after the U.K. learned of their impending departure, Farage admitted one of UKIP's campaign promises was a lie.
"Leave" leaders argued that the National Health Service could save 350 million a week by seceding. Farage, who said he never directly made the claim, said UKIP "made a mistake in doing that."
"We have a 10 billion a year, 34 million a day in featherbed that is going to be free money that we can spend on the NHS, on schools, or whatever it is," Farage told ITV'S "Good Morning Britain."
Slogans like "We send the E.U. 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead," emblazoned buses across Britain. It was printed in Vote Leave campaign material, yet Farage said he never supported it.
Trump was in Scotland during the Brexit vote, which he strongly supported.
Aside from saying "people want to take their country back" - Scotland primarily voted to stay, and is in talks to stay in the E.U. - Trump backpedaled on an anti-immigration policy banning all Muslims from the U.S.
This, on top of publicized flip-flops on gun control, abortions, and the Iraq War.
Trump told the New York Times it "wouldn't bother" him if Muslims from Scotland entered the U.S. His national finance chairman, Steven Mnuchin, later clarified Trump's position is "about terrorism and not about religion."
Later in the day, Trump said mass deportations would not be part of his policy. The three-point immigration plan outlined on his campaign website includes a section entitled "Mandatory return of all criminal aliens," referring to anyone who is in the country illegally.
Last February, Fox News asked Trump if his immigration views are flexible. "Everything is negotiable," Trump replied.
The Bethlehem Area School District is finding its tough to stay on top of its many websites, YouTube channel and Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The school district is hiring a social media management company. (lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
So, it is hiring a company to manage all of its social media accounts and promote the district online.
The school board voted Monday night to hire Lehigh Valley with Love Media at a cost of $2,000 a month for six months.
The company will manage the district's social media presence and create content to connect with district stakeholders.
"It is important for us to have some alignment and purposeful planning in better using social media to inform the public regarding the many positive things happening in the district," Superintendent Joseph Roy said. "Our new partnership will provide expertise and leadership in using existing social media to better communicate with our various constituencies."
The district met with six local businesses that provide social media management and asked three to submit proposals.
Only two did -- Lehigh Valley with Love Media and Woodward Rusnock Consulting. The latter's proposal was $5,400 a month for 13 months.
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and on Facebook.. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A chain-reaction, fender-bender crash Tuesday afternoon in Palmer Township sent five people to the hospital for evaluation, township police said.
It was reported just before 3 p.m. on eastbound William Penn Highway at 25th Street.
The preliminary investigation showed a Pontiac Sunfire coupe crashed into the rear of a Honda Civic, pushing the sedan into the rear of a red van, township police Detective Jim Alercia said at the scene.
Four people in the van and one occupant of the Civic were taken by ambulance.
All three vehicles were able to be driven. Authorities cleared the scene about 3:30 p.m.
Any citations were pending further investigation, Alercia said. The names of those involved were not immediately available.
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
joshmolhmann.jpeg
Joshua A. Mohlmann leaves district court on Monday, June 27, with his attorney Mark Minotti, left. Mohlmann, of Upper Mount Bethel Township, is accused of sexually assaulting a student while he worked as a teacher in the Harmony Township School District in Warren County, N.J. (Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com)
( )
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has called a 2:30 p.m. news conference Tuesday to discuss a 10-day continuance ordered by a district judge in a sex assault case involving a New Jersey teacher.
Joshua A. Mohlmann, 40, of the 500 block of Laurel Hill Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township, left court Monday after a frustrated Senior District Judge Sherwood Grigg issued a 10-day continuance in his case.
The delay is the result of Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Anthony Casola's plan to present hearsay evidence in the case. The hearsay evidence was strongly objected by defense attorney Mark Minotti, who indicated another police trooper -- not present in the courtroom -- interviewed the victim.
Casola told the judge he also does not plan to put the victim on the stand to testify during a preliminary hearing because he "doesn't have to." Casola referred to a previous Pennsylvania Superior Court decision in July 2015 ruling hearsay evidence was sufficient to determine probable cause at a preliminary hearing.
Mohlmann is facing felony charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving a victim younger than 16, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault involving a victim younger than 16 and institutional sexual assault.
Additionally, Mohlmann is charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, indecent assault on a victim younger than 16 and furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor.
Mohlmann taught for the Harmony Township School District in Warren County when the alleged sexual relationship began. Dressed in a suit and tie Monday, Mohlmann did not speak during the district court appearance.
Police said the relationship began in 2008 when the 14-year-old girl began babysitting for Mohlmann and continued until March 2015 when the victim was 21.
Mohlmann engaged in sexual conduct with the victim, now 22, that progressed to intercourse just after her 17th birthday in 2011, police said. He allegedly provided the girl with vodka during that encounter and on multiple occasions prior to her turning 21, police said.
Grigg during the preliminary hearing must determine if there is enough evidence to send the case onto county court or possibly throw it out. Grigg told Casola he has never in his lengthy career sent a case onto county court based solely on hearsay evidence.
The judge ordered Casola to turn over all evidence, in which a recorded statement by the victim should be included. Casola told the judge he doesn't plan to use the recorded statement during the preliminary hearing.
Morganelli's news conference suggests prosecutors Tuesday afternoon will be discussing Grigg's decision. The district attorney states he will not be answering any questions prior to the news conference.
Pennsylvania State Police began investigating reports of the sexual assaults in July 2015, picking up an investigation opened by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. Mohlmann turned himself in to police in May.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
morganelli.jpeg
Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli holds a news conference Tuesday, June 28, 2016 visibly frustrated over a district judge delaying a preliminary hearing. (Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive)
( )
A memorandum will be sent to Senior District Judge Sherwood Grigg from the county's president judge illustrating laws about hearsay evidence being used in preliminary hearings, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli announced Tuesday.
Grigg delayed a preliminary hearing Monday for 10 days involving Joshua A. Mohlmann, 40, of the 500 block of Laurel Hill Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township. Mohlmann, a Harmony Township School District teacher in Warren County, is accused of having a lengthy sexual relationship with a former pupil.
The delay was the result of Northampton County Assistant District Attorney Anthony Casola's plan to present secondhand evidence in the case.
The hearsay evidence was strongly objected by defense attorney Mark Minotti, who indicated another police trooper -- not present in the courtroom -- interviewed the victim.
Casola referred to a previous Pennsylvania Superior Court decision in July 2015 ruling hearsay evidence was sufficient to determine probable cause at a preliminary hearing.
The judge said he has never sent a case onto county court solely on hearsay evidence and told Casola he needed to hand over evidence and a brief on the case.
Morganelli during a news conference said the DA's office would not be handing over any evidence or briefs. The district attorney said Casola was prepared to move the case forward and Grigg was not familiar with the rules of criminal procedure or the rules of evidence guiding prosecutors during preliminary hearings.
"For some inexplicable reason, Judge Grigg expressed surprise and bewilderment with the notion that hearsay evidence could be used at a preliminary hearing to advance the case to the trial court," Morganelli said. "ADA Casola pointed out to Judge Grigg that the law provided that hearsay evidence alone is sufficient to establish probable cause at a preliminary hearing."
"Hearsay evidence is absolutely 100 percent admissible at preliminary hearings and there can be no dispute that this is the law," Morganelli added.
The district attorney said he met with county President Judge Stephen Baratta and Baratta advised Morganelli a memorandum would be sent to Grigg on Tuesday.
Neither Grigg nor Minotti could immediately be reached for comment.
Additionally, Morganelli said he has been advised some other district judges also refuse to allow hearsay evidence during preliminary hearings, which is not the law.
"This rule of procedure does not say hearsay evidence 'may' be considered, it says it 'shall' be considered," Morganelli said. "District judges do not have discretion to ignore the rule of procedure and substitute their own rules for that of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court."
Baratta was expected to send Grigg the memorandum Tuesday and agrees with the prosecution, Morganelli said.
"It is mandatory for district judges to accept hearsay evidence in preliminary hearings for any and all elements of any offense," Morganelli said. "I have asked Judge Baratta to direct the district judges of Northampton County so there is absolutely no misunderstanding about this mandatory, obligatory rule."
Grigg also repeatedly questioned why Casola would not put the victim, now age 22, on the stand. Morganelli said there is no need for victims of sexual assaults to have to face their accusers at the preliminary hearing level.
"Assistant District Attorney Casola knew and understood the law and was prepared to present a case based on hearsay evidence alone to establish a prima facie case against this defendant," Morganelli said. "Asking the ADA to file a brief and to delay this hearing was unnecessary and frustrating."
Mohlmann is facing felony charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse involving a victim younger than 16, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault involving a victim younger than 16 and institutional sexual assault.
Additionally, Mohlmann is charged with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, indecent assault on a victim younger than 16 and furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor.
Police said the relationship began in 2008 when the 14-year-old girl began babysitting for Mohlmann and continued until March 2015 when the victim was 21.
Mohlmann engaged in sexual conduct with the victim that progressed to intercourse just after her 17th birthday in 2011, police said. He allegedly provided the girl with vodka during that encounter and on multiple occasions prior to her turning 21, police said.
Pennsylvania State Police began investigating reports of the sexual assaults in July 2015, picking up an investigation opened by the Warren County Prosecutor's Office. Mohlmann turned himself in to police in May.
Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Heritage Day in Easton will take on a new look this year, expanding with events that cover the whole weekend and not just the celebration of the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Organizers are adding family-friendly events Friday and Saturday to not only add to the fun of Heritage Day but also raise money for next year's festival.
New this year will be the Catch the Bugler Race on Friday, July 8, and Squaritage Day on Saturday, July 9, capped with the traditional Heritage Day festivities and fireworks on Sunday, July 10.
The new events will help to raise money to put on future Heritage Days, said Diane Bower, chairwoman of the Heritage Day board of directors. Only about 10 percent of the day's funding comes from the city. The remainder comes through donations and fundraisers throughout the year.
In addition to the four-mile Catch the Bugler Race and Squaritage Day, the fireworks will be enhanced through the Heritage Day Fireworks Experience -- a new way of watching the aerial display over the Forks of the Delaware.
The Fireworks Experience takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday at the Grand Eastonian, formerly the Hotel Easton. Taking place on a private patio at the Grand Eastonian, spectators will get a prime view of the show as well as live music, dinner, one drink though a cash bar and a free photo included in the $65 ticket price. Tickets are available at Indigo Hair Designs, 19 S. 2nd St., or through PayPal.
Running man
The Catch the Bugler Race is the brainchild of Lynn Ondrusek, a Heritage Day board member and community outreach and communications manager for the Third Street Alliance. She said she got the idea because she's a runner and she felt the Easton area was lacking in summertime races.
This isn't your typical four-mile race, however. As the name suggest, it has a unique Easton twist. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the monument in Centre Square, race participants will watch as the bugler "comes down" from the top of the monument and takes off, starting the race. Participants will then be encouraged to catch him.
The bugler is being portrayed by local Realtor, musician and runner Scott Harrington, who will be dressed as the Civil War bugler that stands on top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. The prize for catching him? That runner then becomes the bugler next year.
"Scott is really fast and I really don't think anyone will (catch him)," Ondrusek said. "But I guess that's part of the challenge."
When asked if Harrington could be caught, Bower said, "He's not. Unless he's running backwards maybe, which he just might."
The race winner doesn't have to catch Harrington. Special bugle trophies are being made for the winners.
Anyone can participate -- runners and walkers of all ages -- plus strollers and even dogs are welcome. The race will end at the 2-mile mark for walkers and children under 12 so no one is left on the trail in the dark, though participants are more than welcome to complete the full four miles, organizers said.
The race will begin in front of the Alpha Building on Centre Square, go through Downtown and along Larry Holmes Drive, over the George Smith bridge and onto the D&L Heritage Trail, heading south along the Delaware River and finally turning around on the trail and ending in Scott Park.
"The route is gorgeous and it's going to be even more beautiful during the run. I'm truly excited for it," Ondrusek said. "To have a chance to run around the city and show off what we have here is just a great opportunity. I hope the race opens some eyes for those that aren't familiar with Downtown and they come back."
Registration for the race is $25 and forms can be found at Pretzel City Sports.com or on the website under Catch the Bugler 4-mile Race. Questions or folks interested in volunteering can contact Ondrusek at eahdinfo@gmail.com.
Hip to be square
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Squaritage Day gets under way. The silent auction fundraiser is being held on North Bank Street Alley, next to Artists Alley, and is exactly as it sounds. The artwork being auctioned off are squares of Easton's heritage.
About 70 10-inch-by-10-inch square tiles depicting scenes of Easton's history and the Heritage Day festival will be on display all day and up for bidding. The day's organizer, blogger and writer Dustin Schoof, said the tiles have all been decorated by local artists using a variety of different mediums.
"Some have been done by students at Lafayette College, which is really cool," he said. "And we have one by comic book artist Bob McLeod, who lives in Emmaus." McLeod is known for his work with both Marvel and DC Comics.
In addition to the art, attendees can enjoy light refreshments and live music. Julia Gross of the School of Rock Easton will be performing throughout the day. At 2 p.m. the winning bids will be announced and the Squaritage tiles will go to their new homes.
All proceeds from the auction go towards putting on next year's Heritage Day. There are still blank tiles available. If anyone wishes to decorate them, they can be picked up at Just Around the Corner, 5 N. Bank St., Easton.
For more information on decorating a tile you can visit the Squaritage Day page of the Heritage Day website.
Historic reading
Sunday, July 10, is the big day this year, commemorating the July 8, 1776, reading of the Declaration of Independence in Easton.
The festival will officially begin at 11 a.m. Downtown. At noon, Christopher Black will once again be portraying Robert Levers as he reads the document to the crowd on the 240th anniversary of the Declaration's reading in Easton. There will also be four to six other town criers who will be expressing their views on the actions of the Continental Congress and the Revolution to the crowd throughout the day.
A variety of period crafters including a blacksmith, a glass blower, a gunsmith and a silhouette-maker will all be giving demonstrations as well as having pieces for sale around Centre Square.
Re-enactors from the French and Indian War up until the Vietnam War, as well as veterans and active members of the military, will be set up along Northampton Street and around Centre Square to give demonstrations and answer questions.
As always there will be a Kids' Activities area at the Pint Size Stage and along North Third Street. This year will see the return of the Seeing Eye Puppies, Grins and Grin performing stilt walking, juggling and magic tricks, a puppet show, arts and crafts and -- new this year -- pony rides.
There will be live music all day at the Heritage Stage as well as in Scott Park. After the fireworks, the School of Rock Easton's Bank Street Band will be performing on the Scott Park stage into the night.
The day will conclude with the annual fireworks display above the Forks of the Delaware at 9:30 p.m.
A full schedule of the day's events as well as more information on Heritage Day, the Catch the Bugler Race and Squaritage Day can be found on the Heritage Day website and Facebook page.
Melissa Reph is lehighvalleylive.com's Student Achievement Award intern. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Manorhamilton startup, Manor Hub, has taken home a Bronze Award in the service category of the Bank of Ireland Startup Awards 2016.
Established in 2012, the Startup Awards recognise innovative, successful and aspirational Irish startup companies who have launched their businesses in the last three years.
This year, awards were presented to deserving winners across 12 categories including tech, retail, product and innovation with gold, silver and bronze winners being awarded in each category.
Commenting on the Awards, Stephen Dillon, Founder of Startups.ie said Starting a business takes extreme resilience and determination particularly in the early years.
With startups in Ireland accounting for 66% of all new jobs created last year, these companies are an important part of the growth of our economy and they deserve to be recognised, particularly in the early stages of development.
David Merriman, Head of Enterprise Development at Bank of Ireland said We have been incredibly impressed by the innovative, highly motivated individuals and groups that have come through this competition.
The Startup Awards provide a platform to promote these young companies on a national stage.
I am concerned about many of the issues that people have been discussing on Lib Dem Voice and the media over the past few days. The big issues being:
The referendum was actually about issues other than the EU and indeed immigrationin particular: gross inequality in our country; how austerity has created winners and losers when it comes to many cities and regions; and the opportunity this represented for people to punish the political elites.
The Leave campaign seem to have pedaled out a lot of untruthsespecially the inability to be able to stem immigration in the post-Brexit world and our inability to pour 350 million into the NHS each week.
But time to dissect the politics and ponder the political landscape after this momentous decision. Who is fit to run the country both during this period of massive division and after the dust has settled?
First, the Conservatives. I hope most people are seeing now that the referendum was brought about solely because of a Conservative problem. They were and still are deeply divided on the EU and Cameron thought it worth the political gamble to have a referendum to keep part of his party content (and also to keep Ukip at by during the last General Election). We can see that he lost his bet because he felt he had to resignat a moment when the right thing to do would have been to stay on and try to sort the mess out. This is very poor leadership, to say the least. Osborne disappeared for three days when the markets were in turmoil and prominent Tory Brexiters were left at a loss for meaningful words, apparently because they did not think they would win.
It emerges that there was no plan from the Brexit camp or the administration, despite what Osborne has said since, for the situation we now find ourselves in. It feels like we have just been part of an almost unwitting right-wing coup, with no-one knowing how to pick up the pieces and move forward with purpose at a time when the country is crying out for leadership.
Who will next lead the Conservative party? I am wondering if Boris Johnson, has in fact played this all wrong. How can someone who campaigned so passionately for Brexit lead a country (or indeed a party) so deeply divided on Europe? There is a need to have a moderate leader and someone who can unite the party and country. That is not Boris Johnson or Michael Gove.
Then there is the issue of competence. The Conservatives have long been touted as the responsible and competent party. For how long did they play the old tune that the Labour party had let down the country through being financially incompetent? But now the charge can clearly be leveled at the Tories that they have been politically incompetent and have thereby put the country at risk. But who is going to call them out for this incompetence?
This brings us onto Labour. At a time when the main opposition party should be calling on the Conservatives for leadership and a plan to sort the political mess out, they are engaged in an internecine war over their own leadership. And it seems that this is going to run and run, as Corbyn will not back down.
Also, Labour came to the party late over the referendum, their leader being seemingly lukewarm over membership of the EU and not grasping the nettle early enough. The fact that they were unable to engage their heartlands shows a clear disconnect between the party and what have traditionally been their natural supporters. Labour seems to be in a crisis.
So what now? The Tory and Labour political classes have fallen into themselves at a time when the country needs them. Serious issues of competence and putting the country first over party politics must come into play here. This has been a desperate moment for party politics and has shown it in its worst light.
There has never been a more important moment for liberal ideas and values in our country. I sincerely hope that, as people all across the country have been joining the liberal cause, those MPs who are more liberal in the Labour and Conservative parties, think seriously about whether they can serve their electorates more effectively as part of a liberal party, united behind its leader and its policies.
Seismic shifts are afoot. It is difficult to see how what have been the two main political parties in this country for around a century can return to business as usual after this crisis is over.
* Helen Flynn is an Executive Member of the LDEA. She is a former Parliamentary Candidate and Harrogate Borough Councillor and has served on the Federal Policy Committee and Federal Board. She has been a school governor in a variety of settings for 19 years and currently chairs a multi academy trust in the north of England.
Extracts from, Historicizing Myth and Mythologizing History: The Violent "Ram Temple" Drama by S.P. Udayakumar in Handcuffed to History: Narratives, Pathologies, and Violence in South Asia. Edited by S.P. Udayakumar. Praeger, London. 2001 1990 The RSS mouthpiece Organiser of January 14, 1990 ... claimed that it "was not a case about the title of a place but of undoing a historical wrong and for that matter no court could decide it." Advani set out in September on his 10,000 kilometer rathyatra (chariot procession), which was to converge on Ayodhya for construction and to force the government to hand over the site to the Hindutva forces. [Along the route of the procession, Hindus clashed with Muslims and hundreds were killed in the name of god Rama or Allah, Barbara Stoler Miller in her Presidential Address: Contending Narratives -- The Political Life of the Indian Epics, The Journal of Asian Studies, volume 50, No. 4, 732-792]. When Advani and his cohorts were arrested in Bihar on October 23, the BJP withdrew its support of the government and the V. P. Singh ministry fell on November 9. 1992 When the demonstrators had pulled down the outer wall of the mosque around 1:30 P.M., one could hear the frenzied slogans of Uma Bharati, another Hindutva leader on the stage: "Aur ek dhakka do. Babri Masjid thod do. Aur jor. Aur jor!" (One more hard push. Break the Babri Masjid. Harder. Harder! (The Week, December 20, 1992, p. 42) Uma Bharati had said: "It is the most blissful day of my entire life, I keep pinching myself to see if I am awake."(India Today, December 31, 1992, p. 28). Cases were registered against L. K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati of the BJP (all of whom have been central government ministers), Ashok Singhal and Vishnu Hari Dalmia of the VHP and Vinay Katiyar of the Bajrang Dal. They were all arrested and remanded to judicial custody. In an elusive statement on December 8, Advani retorted: [W]hen an old structure which ceased to be a mosque over 50 years back is pulled down by a group of people exasperated by the tardiness of the judicial process, and the obtuseness and myopia of the executive, they are reviled by the President, the Vice President and political parties as betrayers of the nation, destroyers of the constitution and what not! ... I wish to caution Government against this approach. Their pronouncements against kar sevaks are only strengthening the movement. (N. Ram, "Hindutva's Challenge," Seminar 402 (February 1993), p. 25. 30. Chanchreek and Prasad, Crisis in India, p. 109.) Table 1: Deaths due to Police firing in 3 days in Bombay Date of firing Nirmal Nagar Kherwadi 7-12-92 5 2 8-12-92 3 10 9-12-92 2 - Total 10 12 Religion wise breakup of these deaths: Muslims 21, Hindus 1 (official statistics cited in Politics of Violence, p.56) 1993 BJPs white paper on Babri (Word version 750KB, can be provided on request. Write to sanjeev@sabhlokcity.com) 1998 Launching the party's election campaign in Faizabad (near Ayodhya) on February 6, 1998, L. K. Advani reiterated the party's resolve to build the temple. He reasoned, "The BJP has put the Ayodhya issue in its election manifesto. We cannot overlook the popular sentiments for construction of a Rama temple in the birthplace of Lord Rama." ("Advani Reiterates Resolve to Build Ram Temple," The Hindu, February 7, 1998.) BJP and its imposter Hindus -- the shame of Bharat [Describing the first Surat riots since 1927, that happened after Dec 6 1992] While there were the usual hit-and-run assaults, at times Hindu rioters' activities in Surat looked like rituals. When that happened, despite the bustle of mob frenzy, violence was marked by a sinister elaborateness. The arson they indulged in then resembled the community bonfire organized on the occasion of the Holi festival. It bore an even more bizarre resemblance-one with sacrificial "yajnas" -- as some of the rioters threw into the rising flames, as oblation, live human beings, including children. A display was made of the raping of Muslim women and girls, and there were instances in which the ritual concluded with the killing of the victim, or with the insertion of rods into her vagina and anus. Nor were the killings effected by the rioters always simple, quick operations. The victims at times were made to utter "Jai Shri Ram" -- the war cry of Hindutva -- before being hacked to death or burnt alive. (Sudhir Chandra, "Of Communal Consciousness and Communal Violence: Impressions from Post-Riot Surat," Economic and Political Weekly 28/36, September 4, 1993, p. 1883) The questions that Muslims now ask [An] articulate Muslim who had organised relief for riot-affected people from an area in Surat where the worst kind of ritualised violence was enacted reeled off various variations of the root question, and came to: 'What - an we do to persuade them that we belong here?' At this point he described the rape and killing of a young Muslim school teacher. The chilling narrative ended, he added: Why did they kill her? She was not a Mussulman. She was in every way a Hindu.' She dressed, he clarified, like a Hindu woman, even putting on a bindi on her forehead, and observed perfect vegetarianism. Yet she was killed. To understand the disturbing implications of this particular account, we need to recall the fate of those Jews in Hitler's Germany who, out of genuine conviction, behaved like Germans in every possible way. They fared no better than their co-religionists who, while believing that they were German, retained their distinguishing Jewish marks. One thought that frequently occurs to Muslims in this state of impotence and confusion is that of terrorism. (Sudhir Chandra, "Of Communal Consciousness and Communal Violence: Impressions from Post-Riot Surat," Economic and Political Weekly 28/36, September 4, 1993, p. 1883)
MOVES to get more females to pursue a career in engineering was kick started in Limerick, when young students were given Lego to help display their construction talents.
Stats just released reveal that only six per cent of Leaving Cert students who took Engineering were female.
Now Castletroy-based SL controls, one of Irelands leading Equipment Systems Engineering firms, are spearheading a new move to encourage more students, particularly young women, to study and pursue careers in engineering.
ECubers was launched at the University of Limerick on Friday as it recognised as an automation research centre of excellence.
ECubers aims to help foster the technical skills required for a career in engineering using all-round favourite, Lego.
ECubers Shane Loughlin co founder of SL Controls explained: Historically engineering is seen as a male oriented subject that leads to a career in Civil or Mechanical Engineering. Very little has been done to explain to young people how engineering has evolved over the last 20 years and the range of exciting career opportunities that now exist for both men and women in the field.
Through ECuber, SL Controls shares its knowledge with young people so everyone can build, programme and invent better equipment using the fun, flexible and colourful Lego.
A LIMERICK-based security company was fined 500 after it admitted not paying one of its employees the minimum wage.
Analog Digital Security Systems Ltd was prosecuted for breaching provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 relating to an offence which was detected on October 16, 2014.
The company, which has an address at Kilmallock Road Enterprise Centre, pleaded guilty to refusing or failing to remunerate an employee in accordance with Section 35(1) of the Act.
Solicitor Alec Gabbett, representing the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, said an inspection was carried out at the companys premises following a complaint from a named employee.
Limerick District Court was told the employee was not being paid for the time he had to travel as part of his work and that this meant he was effectively being paid less than 8.35 per hour the minimum wage at the time.
Mr Gabbett accepted the company has engaged with both the department and the employee since and he confirmed the complainant has been reimbursed by his employer.
Solicitor Michael ODonnell, representing the company, told the court there is a very seasonal element to its business and that this had contributed to the breach.
All of its affairs are now in order he said.
Mr ODonnell said Analog Digital Security Systems has been operating since 2010 and that all matters have now been resolved.
Noting the guilty plea and the fact that the employee is not at a loss Judge Marian OLeary recorded a conviction and imposed a fine of 500.
LAWYERS for the American wife accused of the second degree murder of Limerickman Jason Corbett are attempting to prevent prosecutors using a recent video interview with Jasons son as evidence in the trial.
Molly Martens, 32, and her father Tom, 65, were charged with the second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter of Jason Corbett. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jason Corbett, 39, a father of two from Janesboro, who tragically lost his first wife at a young age, was killed in his home in North Carolina on August 2, 2015.
His children, Jack and Sarah, are from his first marriage to Mags, who died suddenly in 2006 from an asthma attack.
They are now under the care of their aunt, Tracey Lynch and her husband David, after the couple fought an intense custody battle to bring them home to Ireland.
Jack Corbett, age 11, was interviewed by prosecutors in May via video link from his Limerick home.
However, in documents filed in North Carolina this week, Ms Martenss legal representatives allege that the interview is not trustworthy and is inadmissible under the North Carolina rules of evidence.
In outlining the case to have the evidence ruled out, it is alleged that separately, both Jack and Sarah were interviewed on several occasions in August 2015 in North Carolina. Ms Martens is not contesting the admissibility of these particular interviews.
The document opposing the use of the May interview as evidence sets out a timeline, dating back to the days immediately after Mr Corbetts death, during which both children gave statements.
On Monday, August 3, 2015, personnel from the Union County Department of Social Services travelled to Ms Martenss brothers home, where Jack and Sarah were staying. Each child was interviewed separately in the home, in the absence of Molly Martens, who was in Winston Salem at the time with her father.
On Thursday, August 6, 2015, after a funeral service for their father, Jack and Sarah attended a child medical evaluation at Dragonfly House, arranged by the Davidson County Sheriffs office. The child medical examination included individual, videotaped, forensic interviews with each child, followed by a physical examination by a paediatrician. The interviews were observed by two detectives from the Davidson County Sheriffs Office and a social services worker from behind a mirrored glass wall.
On Thursday, August 13, the Union County Department of Social Services again travelled to Munroe to question Jack, Sarah and Molly separately.
Ms Martenss lawyers allege that ten months after the death of Mr Corbett, the State obtained a video interview with Jack. It is alleged the statement was given in Limerick in the home of the brother-in-law of Jason Corbett. The document claims the statement attempts to contradict the prior statements of Jack Corbett and contains factual inaccuracies.
In contrast, Ms Martenss lawyers have no objections to the interviews of August 2015 being used in evidence. An administrative court date has been set for August 8 but a trial date has not yet been decided.
May 1, 2021, 4 PM
Controversy continues to swirl around the Harry Potter Stamp booklets from the Royal Mail and the questionable process in which they've been sold.
By Bill McAllister, Washington Correspondent
Both the United States Postal Service and Royal Mail have acknowledged they are discussing how much the British mail system must pay for the $24,371 worth of U.S. Harry Potter forever stamps it acquired in 2014.
But the Stamp Services office in Washington, D.C., declined to discuss what is happening to its Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS) division in Kansas City, where the Postal Services inspector general found a number of questionable practices beyond the stamp sale.
As Linns Stamp News reported earlier this month, a June 15 management alert by the inspector general blamed no one by name for the unauthorized 35 percent discount that the Kansas City officials promised Royal Mail.
Connect with Linns Stamp News:
Sign up for our newsletter
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
It also stated that Postal Service headquarters in Washington reiterated that it holds the former SFS manager responsible and accountable for what the auditors found after an acting manager there alerted auditors to a number of problems at the facility.
Khalid Hussain, who has been executive director of the Kansas City-based Stamp Fulfillment Services facility since June 2005, did not respond to numerous e-mail inquiries.
Asked who is now running the Kansas City operation, Mark Saunders, a Postal Service spokesman, told Linns: Stamp Services is not providing additional comments beyond what was provided earlier.
What USPS provided earlier was a one-sentence statement that: We are working with Royal Mail to resolve this issue.
The report from the inspector general, however, indicates that the problems at Kansas City are greater than the Harry Potter sale, which the inspector general said was orchestrated by Stamp Fulfillment Services management without Washingtons approval.
Postal Service policy states that it is unlawful for Postal Service employees entrusted with the sale or custody of postal stamps to sell stamps for less than their face value, the management alert stated.
The auditors noted that a separate unreleased report from the Office of the Inspector General, dated April 8, dealt with alleged misconduct at the SFS facility.
The IG office rejected a request from Linns to release that report, stating it dealt with information compiled for law enforcement purposes.
Release of that material could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings, the June 28 letter said.
Gordon Morison, who was the last assistant postmaster general to run the agencys stamp program, said he and Pete Davidson, one of his top aides, both understood that the Law Department held that it was illegal for any postal employee to sell U.S. postage stamps under face value as the full price represented a service obligation of the USPS.
He said he never challenged that practice because so many employees handle and sell stamps across the country; it seemed to be a reasonable position.
He said any sales to foreign stamp dealers during his tenure were handled by the agencys procurement department and always involved written contracts, not the verbal agreement that the inspector general said involved the Harry Potter stamps.
To my knowledge everyone was invoiced at face value and paid for all stamps delivered, Morison said.
The Stamp Fulfillment Services investigation is the second time that the inspector generals office has found that the facility acted contrary to established stamp regulations.
In July 2015, the inspector general held that rules barring creating of stamp rarities were violated with the printing of 100 panes of six of the 2013 $2 Jenny Invert stamps that show the airplane flying upright, along with 2.2 million normal stamp panes that depict the airplane flying upside down.
Patrick Donahoe was the postmaster general who approved the 2013 Jenny Invert issue. He was not mentioned by name in the report.
That inspector generals report also criticized Stamp Fulfillment Services for the way it handled distribution of the 100 rare panes, including sending three of those panes without cost to customers.
Related Articles:
Inspector General report accuses USPS of selling stamps to Royal Mail below face value
Harry Potter stamps: lots of flash, little of substance
Arizona Memorial, Potter press sheets sold out; others to go off sale
Jun 27, 2016, 11 PM
By Michael Baadke
The 3 stamp issued Aug. 14, 1948, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Oregon Territory (Scott 964) pictures two men: John McLoughlin, who was the head of the Hudsons Bay Columbia District, and missionary Jason Lee.
Lee was born June 28, 1803, in Stanstead then in Lower Canada, today in Quebec and studied at Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy, graduating in 1830.
He accepted an assignment as a Methodist missionary to preach to Indians of the Pacific Northwest, and embarked on the long journey west to Fort Vancouver. There he met with McLoughlin, and in 1834 Lee established his first mission, on the Willamette River.
Lees mission relocated and grew with the arrival of additional settlers in 1837. Contrary to the intentions of the Methodist Mission Board, Lee became involved in organizing the new territory, which he proposed should be settled by the United States government. He established a school for the children of settlers in 1842 that eventually became Willamette University in Salem, Ore.
Lee died at age 41 in 1845 while visiting relatives in Stanstead.
We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.
Find not too frequent updates from the Livesay family here
Introduction
(Image credit: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com)
Hotter weather means wearing lighter-weight clothing and exposing more skin to the sun's harmful rays. But putting on a bathing suit, shorts or tank top, might also reveal skin that is discolored or sun-damaged, or that has visible imperfections.
Some skin flaws are harmless and purely cosmetic concerns, but others are problems that need to get examined by the trained eyes of a dermatologist, said Dr. Lauren Ploch, a dermatologist in Augusta, Georgia.
Here is a look at nine common skin concerns, and how they might be treated by a dermatologist.
Age spots
(Image credit: wk1003mike/Shutterstock.com)
These flat, brown spots on the skin, also known as solar lentigines, typically crop up on the areas of skin that get the most sun, such as the face, cheeks, hands, shoulders, upper back and tops of feet, Ploch said. Age spots tend to be more irregular in shape than freckles, she added.
People may develop age spots beginning in their 20s if they have had a lot of sun exposure, Ploch said. As people age, these spots become more common, and well over 50 percent of Caucasians in their 50s and 60s have at least one age spot, she explained. The spots are less common among people who have darker skin, she noted.
These common skin discolorations are caused by an increase in the activity of melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment in skin after sun exposure. An increase in the brownish-black pigment melanin can also cause age spots, as well as freckles; this pigment also gives skin the darker hue seen in suntans. However, doctors aren't sure why such increases in melanocyte activity and melanin occur.
Dermatologists may examine age spots to see if they are getting larger or darker over time, because the spots may transform into a type of skin cancer known as lentigo maligna.
Wearing sunscreen may help to prevent age spots from forming or ensure that existing spots don't get darker, Ploch said. Applying topical creams containing ingredients such as retinoids or alpha hydroxy acids may help to lighten the spots a little, Ploch said. Other treatment options include using lasers (light therapy) or freezing temperatures (cryotherapy) to destroy melanin-producing cells, but these methods may cause these areas of skin to discolor, she said. [5 Surprising Facts About Sunscreen]
Cellulite
(Image credit: Alpha Zynism | Shutterstock.com )
The lumpy or dimpled appearance of cellulite happens as a result of pockets of fat bulging out from in between the fibrous bands that pull on the skin's connective tissue.
Cellulite is a very common problem that affects 85 to 90 percent of women, Ploch said. It may be caused by hormonal and genetic factors, she explained.
The dimpled appearance of skin on the upper thighs, backside and hips is more visible in people who have thinner skin (aging is also to blame for thinner skin). Women typically have thinner skin than men, making cellulite more noticeable.
"Cellulite is very difficult to treat, and it's an innate characteristic of being female," Ploch told Live Science. Although losing weight may make the bumpiness less visible, it probably won't remove all of the appearance, she said.
Ploch is not a fan of using topical creams that claim to treat cellulite, she said, because these creams may at best temporarily hydrate the skin. This may make the cellulite less visible, but only temporarily.
She said the most promising treatments for cellulite involve destroying or reorienting the fibrous bands, through the use of lasers, radio-frequency devices or a minimally invasive procedure, such as Cellfina. This treatment uses tiny needles to release the attachment points of the fibrous bands.
Although some of the newer treatments for cellulite appear to have good short-term results, it's still too early to tell their long-term effectiveness, Ploch said. To keep the skin looking smoother, the procedures may need to be repeated, and these treatments can be both expensive and somewhat painful, she said.
Freckles
(Image credit: Aleshyn_Andrei/Shutterstock.com)
Dotting the nose, cheeks, arms and shoulders, freckles are tan or brown spots that are more round or oval in shape than age spots are, Ploch said. Blondes and redheads tend to get more freckles than people with dark hair, and freckles also tend to darken in summer and lighten in winter, she explained.
Freckles occur when exposure to the sun increases the amount of the pigment melanin in the skin cells; genetics can also play a role in a person's freckle count. [5 Health Risks of Being a Redhead]
People typically get freckles early in their lives, usually before age 10, Ploch said.
You don't need to worry about treating your freckles, because they tend not to turn into skin cancer, Ploch said. Even so, for those with freckles, it's still a good idea to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen outdoors to avoid getting more of the marks, she said.
Moles
A closeup of the woman's moles. (Image credit: JAMA Dermatology. Copyright (2016) American Medical Association. All rights reserved. )
Moles, also called nevi, are small, flat, brown or tan growths of melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment in the skin, Ploch said. As with freckles and age spots, it's possible to get a mole anywhere on the skin, though the growths often appear in sun-exposed areas, Ploch explained. But unlike age spots, which develop because of an increase in the activity of melanocytes, moles form because of an increase in the melanocytes themselves, as they grow in a cluster or clump.
It's unclear why people develop moles, but genetics as well as hormones may play a role, she said.
People tend to get the most moles during their first 30 to 40 years of life, Ploch said, and people tend to get fewer moles in their 60s, 70s and 80s. In addition, some moles can get lighter with age.
People who have moles should be seen by a dermatologist, who can evaluate the growths and remove any mole that looks abnormal. Moles are usually tested once removed, because one-third of melanomas arise in a mole, Ploch said. [Melanoma: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention]
Moles that are superficial, meaning they lie on the surface of the skin and do not extend too deep, can be shaved off, Ploch said. Deeper moles may need to be cut out, which can cause scarring, she added. "The flatter a mole is, the easier it usually is to remove," she said.
(opens in new tab) , Shutterstock (opens in new tab) ) (Image credit: Roblan
These soft, usually flesh-colored, slightly raised growths of skin appear more frequently as people get older and tend to show up in creases of the skin on the breasts, neck, armpits or groin. Skin tags may attach to the skin by a narrow stalk called a "peduncle," Ploch said.
People tend to get more skin tags, also known as acrochordons, during pregnancy or with extra weight gain, suggesting that hormones and genetics play a role in the growths' development, Ploch said. [Blossoming Body: 8 Odd Changes That Happen During Pregnancy]
These growths are harmless and may not need any treatment, but they can become irritated by rubbing or when they snag on clothing or jewelry. If skin tags are uncomfortable or bothersome, a dermatologist can remove them by shaving, snipping, freezing or burning them off, Ploch said. The skin tends not to scar after a skin tag is removed, but the tags may grow back, or people can develop new ones, she said.
Ploch does not recommend that people use do-it-yourself chemical products at home to remove skin tags or attempt to cut them with a scissors, because such methods could lead to infection and scarring.
Spider veins
(Image credit: Himchenko.E/Shutterstock.com)
Spider veins are thin, red, blue or purple lines located just under the surface of the skin, and some of these marks resemble spiderwebs or tree branches. These dilated blood vessels may be seen on the legs and the face, Ploch said.
Spider veins (also called telangiectasias) may develop because, over time, the valves within veins that normally help to maintain blood flow in the correct direction no longer work. Gaining weight or working in a job that involves prolonged standing can trigger this condition, Ploch told Live Science. As more blood and fluid fill the veins, these blood vessels dilate from the pressure, making them bigger and more visible, she said.
Spider veins are not as difficult to treat as varicose veins, which tend to be larger and occur deeper in the skin, Ploch said. She said she prefers to use laser treatments for patients with spider veins, a method that involves using heat to destroy the thin blood vessels.
Ploch said that she less often recommends sclerotherapy which involves injecting fluid into the vein to destroy it for spider veins, because this treatment can be both painful and expensive.
Stretch marks
(Image credit: staras/Shutterstock.com)
These red, purple or white lines (also called striae) can appear on skin when it is stretched over the course of a relatively short time frame, resulting in damage to the skin's connective tissue, Ploch said. Any stretching of the skin that causes it to thin can result in stretch marks, she said. This stretching can happen during pregnancy, or from gaining or losing weight, growing quickly or having certain diseases, like Cushing's disease, that increase the hormone cortisol, which affects the pituitary gland.
Stretch marks may appear as streaks on the abdomen, breasts, sides, inner thighs and hips, Ploch said. When these marks first show up, they are red or purple in color, and this is the stage when treatment with laser therapy may help to diminish them, she said. But existing treatments for stretch marks with lasers, retinoid creams or vitamin C tend to give unsatisfactory results, she added.
When stretch marks turn white, they are very hard to get rid of, because the skin has scarred, Ploch said.
Sunburn
(Image credit: lavizzara/Shutterstock)
The red-as-a-lobster look of sunburn results from damage to cells in the top layer of skin that are hit with too much ultraviolet light, Ploch said. Besides causing redness, sunburn can also make skin swell, itch and feel hot to the touch, and can cause pain.
Any sun-exposed skin is vulnerable to sunburn, especially if the area is not protected by sunscreen. But once the initial UV damage to skin is done, there's little to stop the redness from forming, Ploch said.
"Preventing sunburn is key," Ploch said. Once skin has burnt, applying moisturizers may help soothe the condition. Products with aloe vera in them may provide a cooling sensation, but are not necessarily better for soothing burns than other moisturizers, she said. [A Guide to Understanding Sunscreen Labels]
Researchers are looking into whether taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin, may help prevent sunburn when used before sun exposure, Ploch said.
Tinea versicolor
(Image credit: Only background/Shutterstock.com)
Tinea versicolor is a fungal infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast that normally lives on the skin, Ploch said. When yeast overgrows in humid climates, on oily skin or in people who work outdoors it interferes with skin pigmentation, causing patches of skin discoloration. Pink, tan or white spots may develop on skin, and the spots may form patches of lighter or darker skin that may become dry or scaly.
This common infection can be easily treated with anti-fungal medicines, Ploch said. Topical creams, lotions or shampoos that contain anti-fungals may be applied to the skin to clear the yeast overgrowth, she said.
If tinea versicolor covers a large area of the body or is thick, a doctor might recommend an oral anti-fungal medication instead of a topical one, Ploch said. It might take weeks or months for the skin discoloration to go away, and people may wish to wash with an anti-fungal cleanser once a week to help prevent the infection's return, Ploch said.
Originally published on Live Science.
Venomous lionfish are striking to look at, with bold stripes and flowing, sail-like fins. However, scientists are paying especially close attention to the fish not for their beauty, but for their ability to invade ecosystems where they have no natural predators. The fish also tend to multiply in numbers that upset the balance of native biodiversity.
A new study shows that the first wave of a lionfish invasion has struck in the Mediterranean Sea, a region where these fish had not been established before.
Researchers gathered reports of lionfish sightings from fishermen and divers, discovering that in just one year, lionfish have colonized nearly all of Cyprus' southeastern coast, and that the animals' numbers are expected to grow. [Alien Invaders: Destructive Invasive Species]
"A reason to worry"
As ocean temperatures warm, numerous non-native fish have invaded Mediterranean waters about 130 species since 2001, according to the study authors. The common lionfish (Pterois miles) recently detected in the Mediterranean is a close relative of the red lionfish (Pterois volitans). This notorious invasive species threatens reef ecosystems in coastal waters around the southeastern U.S. and in the Caribbean Sea.
According to study lead author Demetris Kletou, director of the Marine and Environmental Research Lab in Cypress, lionfish were first spotted in the Mediterranean in the 1990s. But sightings were few and far between, and there was no evidence suggesting that the animals were breeding successfully in the area, Kletou told Live Science in an email. In fact, it was suspected that the Mediterranean might not be a suitable habitat for dispersing lionfish larvae, the researchers reported in the study.
But recent observations suggest otherwise. Kletou and his colleagues compiled 24 new sightings of at least 19 individual fish, including mating pairs, which were seen in Mediterranean waters for the first time. That may not sound like much of an invasion, but lionfish can spawn every four days year-round, and can produce more than 2 million eggs per year. And with venomous spines to protect them, these opportunistic predators can quickly come to dominate a reef environment.
"When sightings become frequent and expand geographically, and when lionfish form reproductive groups, then it is a reason to worry," Kletou told Live Science.
Sea-surface warming may be allowing the lionfish to expand their range, the researchers suggested. But recent work to expand the Suez Canal could also be playing a part, Kletou said. A wider and deeper canal increases the volume of flowing water that could carry lionfish larvae or swimming adults into the Mediterranean, Kletou explained. It would also affect the salinity of natural buffers like salt marshes, which can help keep invasive species out.
Related invaders
The runaway success of lionfish populations in waters around Florida could provide a glimpse into the future of Mediterranean habitats.
Lionfish were first detected in Florida waters during the 1980s and were recognized as an established invasive species in the 2000s, according to Amanda Nalley, a public information specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The full extent of the species' impact on local ecosystems has yet to be determined, Nalley told Live Science. But, by preying on a variety of reef fish species, lionfish are reducing the number of fish that clean algae off coral reefs, she said. [Image Gallery: Catalogue of Strange Sea Creatures]
"If they're eating the fish that keep algae in check, that's going to be bad for the habitat," Nalley said.
She added that lionfish are proving to be highly adaptable, thriving in a range of water temperatures, depths and salinity levels. And unlike other successful invaders, like tiger shrimp, lionfish have no natural predators to keep populations under control. This has prompted the FWC to create initiatives and opportunities for divers, anglers and commercial harvesters to remove lionfish as part of seasonal competitions and year-round events. The initiatives urge participants to collect "as many as possible," Nalley said.
Increasing awareness
In the Mediterranean, the lionfish invasion is just getting started. But without oversight, Kletou warned, it could quickly escalate, with the fish expanding their presence, as other species have done, to become "another invasive failure story."
One such "failure" in the Mediterranean involves the pufferfish, also an invasive species. According to Kletou, pufferfish have disrupted food chains, replaced or over-predated native species and threatened local biodiversity.
Lionfish could also harm unsuspecting divers, Kletou said. Grabbing or accidentally touching one of the fish can result in painful stings from the animal's venomous spines.
However, lionfish are slow-moving and easy to collect with proper precautions and equipment. The same local divers and fishermen who first noticed the lionfish could also provide a first line of defense against these invaders, Kletou told Live Science. Especially since lionfish are edible once the venomous spines are removed.
"And they're quite tasty as well," he added.
The findings were published online June 30 in the journal Marine Biodiversity Records.
Original article on Live Science.
Tapirs are large mammals that look like wild hogs with anteater snouts. In reality, tapirs are neither, and they are most closely related to horses and rhinos.
The word "tapir" comes from an indigenous Brazilian language; it means "thick," referring to the animal's hide, according to the San Diego Zoo. "Tapir" can be pronounced at least two ways, according to the Random House Dictionary; it can rhyme either with "paper" or with "appear."
In Indonesia, the animal is called "badak," which is the same word for rhinos. And in Thailand, the word for tapir is "P'som-sett," which means "mixture is finished," and refers to the belief that the tapir was created from leftover parts of other animals, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Description
Indeed, tapirs are a bit of a hodge-podge. They are about the size of a donkey. They have round bodies, short legs and stubby tails, sort of like a hippo. Their eyes and ears are small. They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot, according to the San Diego Zoo.
Their most distinctive feature is their snout. It is flexible like an elephant's trunk. However, the tapirs trunk is actually its upper lip and nose. Tapirs can grab things with their trunks, somewhat like an elephant. They use them to pluck leaves and fruit out of trees, according to National Geographic (opens in new tab), and then place these goodies in their mouths. And, according to the San Diego Zoo, when threatened, tapirs will submerge themselves in a river and use their snouts like a snorkel.
There are five species of tapir, and they are all relatively similar in size. They range from 29 to 42 inches (74 to 107 centimeters) from foot to shoulder and weigh a hefty 500 to 800 lbs. (227 to 363 kilograms). The largest species is the Malayan tapir, which can grow up 800 lbs. (363 kg).
Habitat
Most tapirs live in South America, from southern Mexico to Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay. The Malayan tapir is the exception; it lives in Asia Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Sumatra. No matter the region, all tapirs live in areas with a good water source, including woods, rainforests, mountains and grasslands.
Diet
Tapirs are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation, such as leaves and fruit. To find watering holes and prime vegetation, tapirs follow trails made by the feet of many tapirs that have traveled the same path. Tapirs will also dive to the bottom of watering holes to eat vegetation on the bottom.
Habits
Tapirs are somewhat social creatures. They graze together in groups called a candle, though they dont seem to have complex relationships.
Offspring
A Malayan tapir and her baby. Calves look like brown-and-beige-striped watermelons, which is good for camouflage. (Image credit: Edinburgh Zoo)
Tapirs have a relatively long gestation period of 13 months and only give birth to one baby at a time, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. The offspring, called calves, can stand a couple hours after birth and weigh 15 to 22 lbs. (7 to 10 kg). They look like brown-and-beige-striped watermelons on legs, according to the San Diego Zoo. The pattern is good for camouflage, but they lose the stripes as they get older.
Calves arent weaned at a specific time. Usually the mother will decide when she is done feeding the calf (around 10 to 12 months after birth) or the calf will stop nursing when the mother is ready to have another offspring. The calves stop growing at 18 months. At 2 to 4 years of age calves are ready to mate and can live for 25 to 30 years.
Classification/taxonomy
Here is the classification of tapirs, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS):
Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Perissodactyla Family: Tapiridae Genus: Tapirus Species:
Tapirus bairdii (also Tapirella bairdii) Baird's tapir
Tapirus indicus (also Acrocodia indica) Malayan tapir
Tapirus kabomani Kabomani tapir
Tapirus pinchaque woolly tapir, mountain tapir
Tapirus terrestris Brazilian tapir, South American tapir, lowland tapir
A 2013 paper in the Journal of Mammology announced that a new species of tapir had been discovered in Brazil and Colombia, although it had been known to local tribes. The Kabomani tapir was said to be the largest mammal to be discovered in 100 years, according to World Tapir Day.
Since the announcement was made, there has been much debate about whether the Kabomani tapir is a new species or is simply the misidentification of juvenile Brazilian tapir. The IUCN's Tapir Specialist Group has not declared the Kabomani tapir a "unit of conservation importance," and the proposed species has not received a categorization on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Conservation status
The Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), like this one in Guatemala's Laguna del Tigre national park, is Central America's largest land mammal, and depends intimately upon surface water for survival. (Image credit: Roan McNab/WCS Guatemala )
However, the four other tapir species are on the IUCN Red List. The mountain tapir and Bairds tapir are listed as endangered because their populations may have declined more than 50 percent in the past three generations (33 years). It is also thought that they will have a future decline of greater than 50 percent decline in the next three generations.
The Asian tapir is classified as endangered due to estimated population decline of more than 50 percent in the next three generations. Their endangerment is mostly due to habitat loss.
The Brazilian tapir is listed as vulnerable due to ongoing population reductions estimated to be slightly greater than 30 percent in the past three generations. The reductions are due to habitat loss, illegal hunting and competition with livestock. IUCN also estimates that the current rate of decline may continue for the next three generations (33 years).
Other facts
Tapirs are the most primitive large mammals in the world. Theyve been around for 20 million years and have changed very little. The first fossil record of tapirs is found from the Early Oligocene period (65.5 million to 23 million years ago). Fossils of tapir ancestors have been found on every continent except Antarctica. Tapirs even lived in Southern California about 10,000 years ago.
Baird's tapir is the largest land mammal in Central and South America. Baird's tapirs average 6.5 feet (2 m) in length. They are generally between 2.4 to 4 feet (73 to 120 cm) in height. Adult Baird's tapirs range between 330 and 880 lbs. (150 and 400 kg).
World Tapir Day is April 27 each year.
Additional resources
June 28. National Paul Bunyan Day, National Insurance Awareness Day, National Tau Day?
Today (June 28) is the unofficial holiday Tau Day, meant to celebrate the number tau, that works out to approximately 6.28, or the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius.
While pi may be the most famous irrational number, or a number that can't be expressed as a ratio of two integers, a small but dedicated band of nerds and mathematicians has argued that pi should take a backseat to tau, a more perfect circle constant.
Tau should be the real headliner because it directly relates a circle's circumference to the shape's radius; its irrational little brother pi relates the circumference to the diameter, which is less important mathematically, said Michael Hartl, the author of "The Tau Manifesto" and the "Ruby on Rails Tutorial" (Google Books, 2012), and the founder of education website learnenough.com. [The Most Massive Numbers in Existence]
Wrong turn
It's not clear why Archimedes, who first described the number pi, chose to go with the less intuitive irrational number. One possibility is that it was simply easier to measure a circle's diameter than the shape's radius using a rod or something similar, "but that doesn't make it good math," Hartl said.
Pi cemented its place in the math pantheon in the 1700s when Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, a prolific mathematician who significantly advanced the fields of trigonometry and calculus, enshrined the convention of using pi to describe certain angles, Hartl said.
Pi's dominance remained unquestioned for centuries. Then, in 2001, University of Utah mathematician Robert Palais wrote a paper subtly titled "Pi is wrong" for the 2001 issue of the journal Mathematical Intelligencer. In it, he itemized the shortcomings of the most famous irrational number. And he advocated for a new constant to take its place: tau.
More natural irrational
Tau, which equals 2 times pi, is a more natural and direct way to grasp how a circle's radius relates to the shape's circumference, Palais argued. That makes tau a more powerful constant, he said.
For instance, there are an infinite number of shapes with a constant diameter (for instance, a Reuleaux triangle), but only one (the circle) with a constant radius, Hartl wrote in "The Tau Manifesto."
What's more, tau creates a more intuitive way to think about portions of the circle, he added.
"The biggest place this shows up is in trigonometry," Hartl told Live Science.
For instance, every high-school trig student learns that a right angle equals pi divided by 2 radians. But a right angle actually delineates a quarter of a circle, Hartl said. The math would be easier to remember and work with if the angle were represented by tau, because the angle would then be tau divided by 4 radians.
"These special angles people had to memorize in high-school trigonometry don't have to be memorized at all," Hartl said.
What's more, tau makes a number of other calculations and equations more elegant, such as the equation used to calculate imaginary numbers (Euler's identity), Hartl said. Using tau instead of pi also creates a beautiful symmetry between the equation for a circle's area (1/2 * Tau * radius^2) and other iconic equations, such as those for kinetic and elastic energy (1/2*k*x^2), as well as the equations for how far an object under the influence of gravity will fall in a given time interval, Hartl argued.
Tau rising
Whatever the case, there's no doubt that tau has risen in popularity, especially amongst the mathematically inclined. For instance, if someone types the Greek letter tau into Google's calculator, the irrational number will appear, Hartl said.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has even changed its admissions routine, announcing acceptances at tau o'clock on pi day: 6:28 p.m.
There are, of course, unequivocal downsides to enshrining Tau Day instead of Pi Day, Hartl said.
"You don't have quite the same food-based pun potential," Hartl said, referring to the tradition of serving pie on Pi Day.
However, the biggest reason Pi Day may forever overshadow the Tau holiday is simply that the former falls during the school year, giving math teachers everywhere a built-in way to celebrate their beloved subject matter, Hartl said.
Original article on Live Science.
Scientists are whipping up a batch of homebrewed lava to understand what happens when molten rock meets water.
Scientists are mixing up a batch of home-brew lava in order to blow it all up.
The plan involves melting gallons of solid rock in a superpowered furnace, pouring it out, and then dousing the molten rock with water and watching the sparks fly (or not).
The fake lava is intended to help scientists answer a serious question: What exactly happens when the oozing, hot rock meets water, as occurs in places like Iceland? [See Images of the Home-Brew Lava Experiment]
"The eruption at Eyjafjallajokull was more explosive due to the presence of water," Ingo Sonder, the geologist at the University at Buffalo in New York who is leading the project, said in a statement. "Events like that don't happen often, but there is a threat of a big impact when they do. As geologists, we want to understand the conditions that generate explosions how much water do you need? How much time?"
Little-understood
While the explosive combination of fire and ice has formed many places on Earth, relatively little is understood about the process. For instance, Hunt's Hole in New Mexico was formed when water and lava interacted, creating a maar crater. Ice-bound volcanoes such as Eyjafjallajokull may also experience supercharged explosions as a result of the interaction. That's because when water turns to steam, its volume expands a thousandfold, James Beget, a volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, who was not involved in the current study, previously told Live Science.
On the other hand, sometimes the lava-water reaction simply fizzles out and nothing happens at all, researchers said. [The Biggest and Weirdest Maars on Earth]
Homebrew lava fields
To understand why certain rock-and-water interactions are so explosive, Sonder and his colleagues will heat 10-gallon (38 liters) batches of basaltic rock to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1371 degrees Celsius) in a furnace. They will then pour the oozing mass out into 4-foot-long (1.2 meters) tubes that mimic the subterranean rivers of lava found beneath volcanoes. The experimenters will put on spacesuit-like reflective outfits to shield themselves from the intense heat of the lava before they inject water into the tubes at a geohazards field station in Ashford, New York.
As the water and lava meet, microphones, thermal cameras, and temperature and pressure sensors will help scientists piece together exactly what happened. The team plans to conduct the same experiments dozens of times.
Sonder has worked on similar experiments with a coffee cup's worth of lava, but the team suspects that those desktop experiments didn't resolve the underlying question, Sonder said.
"No one has done it before on this scale, and these lava-water interactions aren't well understood," said Alison Graettinger, a geologist at the University at Buffalo who is also involved in the experiment. "Sometimes when water and lava meet, the lava will appear to completely ignore the water. Sometimes, the lava will cool and form distinctive cracking patterns, or form interesting shapes like pillow lavas. And sometimes, the reaction is violent. Why?"
Original article on Live Science.
In a record-setting feat, an electric car zoomed from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 1.513 seconds last week, making it the fastest known electric car in the world.
The "Grimsel" electric car took less than 98 feet (30 meters) to reach 62 mph, according to ETH Zurich, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics university in Zurich, Switzerland.
The previous world record 0 to 62 mph in 1.779 seconds was set in 2015 by a team at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. That makes both electric cars faster than the Ariel Atom (which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds), the No. 1 rated car on a list put together by the BBC's Top Gearof "fastest accelerating cars on sale today." [Hyperloop, Jetpacks & More: 9 Futuristic Transit Ideas]
The new record was set at the Dubendorf Air Base near Zurich on June 22. The award-winning team of 30 students, from ETH Zurich and Switzerland's Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, built the car in less than a year.
The Grimsel is the fifth electric vehicle at the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich (AMZ), a club created by students at ETH Zurich in 2006, and sets new standards in lightweight construction and electric drive technology, ETH Zurich representatives said in a statement.
The car is made out of carbon-fiber materials and weighs just 370 lbs. (168 kilograms), or about as much as a small upright piano. It has four-wheel drive, and each of its wheel-hub motors is capable of generating 200 horsepower and 1,254 foot-pounds (1,700 newton meters), the researchers said. A foot-pound is how much energy it takes to raise 1 lb. a distance of 1 foot.
The Grimsel's traction-control system regulates each wheel's performance individually, which allows the car to accelerate even faster, according to ETH Zurich.
"No large-scale production car even one with a combustion engine can reach an acceleration comparable to [what] the Grimsel [achieved]," ETH Zurich representatives said in the statement.
In fact, the Grimsel also did well at the 2014 international Formula Student competition, the largest competition in the world for engineering students. A total of 500 teams competed in that event, and the Grimsel scored an average of 920 points out of a possible 1,000 on three different trials, making it AMZ's most successful vehicle to date, ETH Zurich representatives said.
The Grimsel even helped AMZ maintain first place at the Formula Student world rankings a position it has held since 2013, according to ETH Zurich.
Original article 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 Polish native was sentenced to five years in prison after appearing at Longford Circuit Court last month.
Vladislavs Eitminovics, who had been in custody since December 9, 2014, was accused of the cultivation of cannabis at a house in the Gleann Riada estate in Longford town. A Russian interpreter was sworn in to assist the court.
Garda Karl Foley confirmed that on December 9, 2014, as a result of intelligence and enquiries, the Gardai secured a search warrant for a property at 85 Gleann Riada, Strokestown Road, Longford.
Garda Foley confirmed that they attended the house at approximately 11.15am and it was vacant.
He described it as a two-storey house in a cul de sac and pointed out that it was attached to number 84.
Garda Foley explained that there was a strong smell of cannabis at the premises and that when searched, an elaborate growhouse facility was discovered, with rooms for the growing, drying and packing of cannabis. When the accused, the sole tenant of the house, arrived home, he was shown the search warrant and cautioned.
When questioned by Gardai, Mr Eitminovics said he was acting as security in the house and was in receipt of payment for allowing someone else to use the upstairs rooms of the house. When asked why his fingerprints were located in a number of the upstairs rooms, where the cultivation and preparation of the cannabis was taking place, he replied that he was ensuring the machines used to aid the growth and packing of the drug continued to work.
The defendant also alleged that there was a man coming and going to and from the house frequently.
Garda Foley added that Mr Eitminovics claimed another person set him up in the house and that persons house was also searched.
It emerged that 107,850 worth of cannabis herb was seized from number 85 Gleann Riada, along with cannabis plants with a potential market value of 32,000.
The court heard that Mr Eitminovics is a native of Poland but was born in Latvia. He moved to Ireland in 2009 and does not have any family in the country. At the time of his arrest, the defendant was living in Gleann Riada for approximately a year and five months.
It was also revealed that Mr Eitminovics was in receipt of social welfare and had previously lived in Galway.
When questioned by counsel for the accused, Mr Fogarty BL, Garda Foley acknowledged that Mr Eitminovics did not seem to be a wealthy man.
The court then heard that Mr Eitminovics had no previous convictions in Ireland and had been in custody since his arrest in December 2014.
After taking the aggravating and mitigating factors of the case into account, Judge Keenan Johnson pointed out; Its a very serious offence. The abuse of cannabis is a scourge on the countryside.
Taking into account the time spent in custody and the accuseds early plea of guilt, Judge Johnson sentenced Mr Eitminovics to five years imprisonment, backdated to December 9, 2014 and with the final 18 months suspended on the condition that Mr Eitminovics leave Ireland within ten days of his release from prison.
Two gardai had to be taken to hospital after their patrol car overturned during a high speed chase across counties Longford and Westmeath, a sitting of Longford District Court heard this week.
The court heard how several units of the Gardai had attempted to stop a VW Caddy van which had taken off at high speed after it had attempted to evade a checkpoint in Newtownforbes.
During the course of the chase its passenger, Michael Rehill, of Longstone, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, threw out a series of five gallon drums containing kerosene at gardai who were following behind.
Sgt Declan McGlynn said both he and Garda Karl Foley had been conducting a checkpoint at 11:35pm on February 26, 2013 when they noticed a van carrying out a u-turn further up the road.
After a short chase that took in the Red Cow Roundabout along the main N4, he said the van came to a sudden stop.
Seconds later, Sgt McGlynn said its driver reversed into the patrol car and took off again at high speed.
He said the chase lasted for an hour, taking in several back roads with the driver at times also attempting to give gardai the slip by turning the vans headlights off.
Alongside the Longford patrol car, units from Granard and Westmeath were also called in.
Sgt McGlynn said shortly afterwards, gardai were presented with an altogether different and potentially more dangerous problem.
The passenger appeared to move into the rear of the van and on a number of occasions threw out five gallon drums in front of the garda patrol car, he said.
The Longford based sergeant revealed he counted 11 drums that had been thrown out of the VW van at six different locations, four of which occurred at different locations in Rathowen and two further instances in Ballynacargy.
Defence solicitor Frank Gearty said while he was in no way defending the actions of his client, he did contend the drums were thrown out of the vans passenger window and not from its rear.
Sgt McGlynn, meanwhile, also told of how one patrol car attached to Delvin and which had been in pursuit, went out of control and overturned.
Neither officer was seriously injured but nonetheless both had to be hospitalised after the incident.
The court was told the chase eventually came to an end at a farmyard in Jamestown shortly before 1am.
Sgt McGlynn said he arrested Mr Rehill after both of the vans occupants attempted to flee the scene on foot.
The other man (driver) has not yet been identified, he added, despite a file having been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Apologetic
In mitigation, Mr Gearty said his client was extremely apologetic over what unfolded on the night.
He (Mr Rehill) says it should never have happened. He says he met the man the night before in the pub and has never met him since, said Mr Gearty.
Standing beside his solicitor throughout, Mr Rehill insisted he was unaware of what the unidentified driver of the van was planning.
The 26-year-old said he had been up visiting friends in Mullingar that night and was simply getting a lift.
He had cheap diesel for sale and I knew a fella who was going to buy the diesel, he said.
I was getting a lift with him to Leitrim.
Mr Rehill, however, denied he knew anything about the drivers identity when put under strong questioning from Judge Seamus Hughes.
I didnt know who he is, he said.
His name was James he told me.
Mr Gearty added his client had attended court with both his parents and since the incident over three years ago has managed to transform his life by moving to the UK, furthering his education and securing employment in construction.
Judge Hughes agreed as he referred to the length of time that had passed since the incident as well as Mr Rehills endeavours to stay out of trouble.
Describing Mr Rehill as a fine looking man, he issued 1,000 fines for five of the Section 14 charges while striking out a sixth charge which occurred at Kilmacahill, Rathowen.
The majority of those monies, he said would be transferred from bail money which had been handed into the court previously to meet each of the fines.
It was an escapade that was extremely foolish and dangerous but its one that I dont think will be repeated again, Judge Hughes concluded.
The ISPCA is looking for loving homes for twenty tiny puppies that were seized from the boot of a car in Cairnryan ferry port in Scotland recently.
The puppies were all too young to travel, were not accompanied by pet passports and although microchipped were not registered on an approved database as required under the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations. The puppies were seized by the Scottish SPCA and were returned to Ireland, from where they originated.
The rescued puppies, aged from 4 8 weeks old, and including Shih Tzus, Bichon Frises, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Pugs and Cocker Spaniels, were transported to the ISPCAs National Animal Centre in Kenagh, Co Longford, where they received a full veterinary examination.
ISPCA CEO Dr Andrew Kelly said: I would like to thank Police Scotland, Stenaline and Customs officials in Cairnryan and Belfast for their swift action in this case. This was a horrific way to transport these vulnerable puppies and the person they were seized from had no regard for their welfare.
We do not know exactly where these puppies originated from in Ireland but our investigations are continuing.
All twenty puppies will be spayed/neutered when of age and the ISPCA will be searching for good, loving homes. For more information, visit www.ispca.ie, email info@ispca.ie or call 043 33 25035.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events
By Long Island News & PR Published: June 28 2016
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to increase access to breast cancer screenings and build on the series of breast cancer initiatives.
Albany, NY - June 27, 2016 - As part of the "Get Screened, No Excuses" campaign, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to increase access to breast cancer screenings and build on the series of breast cancer initiatives outlined in the 2016 State of the State address. Governor Cuomo signed the legislation at Citi Field during New York States first-ever breast cancer motorcycle ride. Hundreds of participants, including Sandra Lee and Billy Joel, joined the Governor on the ride to raise awareness of the disease across New York State.
The comprehensive legislative package is the nation's most aggressive breast cancer screening action plan, ensuring that woman across the state have access to the health care and services they need and deserve. The new law will require extended hours for screening at 210 hospital-based mammography facilities across the state and eliminate insurance hurdles for mammograms and other screening and diagnostic imaging procedures to detect breast cancer.
Photo: Governor's Press Office.
As part of a $91 million plan announced in January, Governor Cuomo today also launched a series of new initiatives to combat breast cancer and raise awareness about the importance of getting screened. The new initiatives include mobile mammography vans, patient navigators, a public awareness campaign, community-based peer education programs, and investments through the state-backed venture capital fund to support promising cancer-related technologies. The Governor also announced the launch of a new Text Line to help women find mammogram locations. New Yorkers can text Get Screened to 81336 and after submitting their zip code; they will receive information about screening locations with extended hours near their home.
Breast cancer affects women of all walks of life, and in New York, we have put forward the most aggressive plan in the nation to increase awareness about this disease and expand access to live-saving resources and services, Governor Cuomo said. Sandy fortunately caught this disease early and with todays legislation, we are taking action to ensure that every woman, regardless of her schedule or financial situation, has access to the best cancer treatment possible early detection. This legislation is an example of our unrelenting commitment to protecting our mothers, sisters and daughters in the fight against this disease and I thank my partners in the Legislature for passing this bill. By hitting the road today, we are helping all of those who face a road ahead in their fight against preventing and curing this disease and we will continue to our efforts to build a stronger and healthier New York.
Photo: Governor Cuomo's Press Office.
Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan said: "I am pleased that today the Governor signed a new law that reaffirms the state's commitment to giving women the tools they need in the fight against breast cancer. This comprehensive law will provide increased education, remove barriers to screening, eliminate co-pays and deductibles, expand insurance coverage and increase access for all New York women. We all recognize that early detection continues to be the best way to survive breast cancer and go on to lead a long and healthy life. That's why it's critical that we do everything possible to encourage New Yorkers and their families to get the screenings they need and deserve. I thank the Governor for shining a light on this issue and our colleagues on both side of the aisle for their dedication to these lifesaving initiatives."
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said: It is critical that we raise awareness and educate New Yorkers about a disease that continues to affect the lives of women and their families all across the state. The legislation that will become law today will ensure that women everywhere have access to the resources they need to promote early detection and diagnosis. By expanding hours at screening centers, introducing mobile mammography options and reducing unnecessary insurance barriers, women will have more opportunities to get the potentially lifesaving screening they need, especially for those living in underserved communities. The Assembly Majority remains committed to promoting and encouraging healthier lives for women because we know doing so will have a long lasting positive impact on families.
Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeffrey Klein said: "Breast cancer screenings will save lives. This law eliminates the hurdles that women in our lives face to accessing the health care they need. Our moms, sisters, friends should never have to put burdensome co-pays over early detection. I thank Governor Cuomo for making this a priority and signing this important legislation into law today.
Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said: Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women and early detection and treatment save lives. I applaud Governor Cuomo for taking these steps. The Senate Democrats have helped lead the fight to ensure our state provides services and support to New Yorkers struggling with breast cancer and we are glad to work with the Governor to combat this disease.
Sandra Lee said: "As I rode with Andrew in the moments before he signed the No Excuses Bill, I felt grateful for receiving what was the worst news of my life at the time a breast cancer diagnosis. I was so blessed to get tested at an early stage. Now, all women in New York State have that same opportunity. This bill brings extra hours added for women to get screened early in the morning and later in the evening -- before and after regular working hours -- and testing will be free, with no co-pay. Every woman in our nation should have this hope for health. I urge governors in ALL states to take the action that Andrew did and make it happen for the women in all states -- that's my prayer today."
Local News, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: June 28 2016
A Hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues and barriers encountered by voters at the polls for the primary on Tuesday, June 28 has been established.
New York, NY - June 27, 2016 - Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that his office has created a Hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues and barriers encountered by voters at the polls for the primary on Tuesday, June 28. The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the offices hotline at 800-771-7755 or email at any time on Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the office's Civil Rights Bureau.
My office is deeply committed to ensuring that all eligible voters have the ability to cast an effective ballot on Election Day, Attorney General Schneiderman said. I urge all New Yorkers to immediately contact my office if they face any barriers at the polls. We will investigate and follow up on any complaints regarding any alleged improprieties at the voting booth.
New Yorkers should be aware that not all counties in the state are hosting a contested primary. To determine if your polling place will be open, contact your county Board of Elections here.
In New York City and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange and Putnam where contested elections will occur, primary polls open at 6 AM and close at 9 PM.
In all other counties with contested elections, polls open at 12 noon and close at 9 PM.
The Attorney Generals Office has operated the Hotline since November 2012. During previous efforts the office fielded hundreds of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to promptly address issues encountered by voters at the polls. The Election Day hotline is part of Attorney General Schneiderman's ongoing statewide initiative to ensure that voters do not encounter language barriers on Election Day.
During the April 19th Presidential Primary, the Attorney Generals office received over 1,000 complaints about voter irregularities at the polls. In response, the office announced an investigation into alleged improprieties in primary voting by the New York City Board of Elections. On Thursday, June 23rd, the office sent a letter asking NYC BOE to implement the legally required affidavit ballot process and remind poll workers of the correct practices for the primary on Tuesday. A similar letter was sent to all other county Board of Elections where a contested primary is occurring on Tuesday.
In addition, the Attorney General's Office will focus on barriers impacting voters with disabilities, voter intimidation reports, and other issues faced by minority voters. Registered voters have the right to accessible elections. This means that voters with disabilities or language access issues have the right to request assistance from any person of their choice. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.
The office will receive and respond to election-related complaints relating to any of the statutes that the office enforces.
New Yorkers should be aware that New York has a closed primary system. In order to vote in a partys primary election, a voter must be affiliated with that party. The deadline to register was June 3.
The Attorney Generals Election Day Hotline is being led by Assistant Attorneys General Ajay Saini and Diane Lucas, and Volunteer Assistant Attorney General Joseph Abboud of the Civil Rights Bureau, led by Bureau Chief Lourdes Rosado. The Social Justice Division is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg.
Schumer Calls on FAA to Ramp Up Inspections at NY Airports as Number of Small Plane Crashes on LI Has Risen
Local News, National & World News, Travel & Local Attractions, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: June 28 2016
Schumer called on the FAA to increase the number of ramp inspections at airports across New York and the country, including the small airports.
Schumer: On Long Island, inspections at airports like Brookhaven, Republic, were down last year compared to past years; ramp inspections were also down at other small airports involved in LI crashes.
Washington, DC - June 27, 2016 - On the heels of his recent request to the FAA to address a spike in Long Island small plane crashes, and standing at Republic airport, where a small plane just crash landed, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, today, revealed that safety inspections across major New York airports have actually fallen by a staggering 73% in the past 10 years. In response, Schumer, today, called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase the number of ramp inspections at airports across New York and the country, including the small airports that have been involved in the recent small plane crashes on Long Island.
Long Island has been plagued with a series of small airplane crashes, yet despite the rising number of plane crashes, the number of airport inspections has fallen, said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. This simply defies logic because ensuring safety in the skies requires a steady stream of regulation and safety checks here on the ground and that is shockingly lacking. By conducting additional ramp inspections, the FAA can do its part in helping to ensure the safety of our skies and neighborhoods.
Ramp inspections are conducted by the FAA to determine compliance with federal regulations and safe operating practices. Similar to health inspections conducted at local restaurants, ramp inspections conducted at airports can be unscheduled. Schumer today said that over about ten years, the number of ramp inspections at major New York airports dropped 73 percent from 2,849 ramp inspections in 2006 to just 748 ramp inspections in 2015. While there may be no connection between the decrease in ramp inspections and the recent uptick in small plane crashes, Schumer said that the FAA should consider performing additional ramp inspections, particularly at airports served primarily by general aviation aircraft, to ensure that unsafe behaviors or practices are not going unnoticed.
Earlier this year, in light of the alarming uptick in small plane crashes on Long Island, Schumer urged the FAA to launch an in-depth investigation into whether there is a trend in the crashes -- and to determine if additional steps must be taken on Long Island, and elsewhere, to ensure safe skies. Schumer today said that the FAA should also consider increasing the number of ramp inspections at local airports. While increasing the number of ramp inspections is not a silver bullet to ensuring the safety of our skies, these inspections can be a useful tool in ensuring that aircraft operations are performed safely and in accordance with FAA regulations. The FAA is already taking a number of steps to ensure the safety of aircraft operations across the state and country, and Schumer said that additional ramp inspections can serve as another important tool.
This year, there have already been at least eight small plane crashes on Long Island. Comparatively, there were five small plane crashes in all of 2015, six small plane crashes in all of 2014, and four small plane crashes in all of 2013 on Long Island.
In the first half of this year alone, Long Island has witnessed the following small plane crashes:
On February 12th, a Cessna 152 taking off from Long Island MacArthur Airport caught fire after landing at Calabro Airport in Shirley. The NTSB has determined the probable cause to be the pilots failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance while landing, resulting in a collision with a snow berm, nose gear collapse and post impact fire.
On February 20th, a Piper Archer flying from Fitchburg Municipal Airport in Massachusetts crashed into Setauket Harbor; one passenger was tragically killed.
On March 5th, a Cirrus SF22 flying from Rhode Island crash landed in Hauppauge industrial park.
On March 11th, a Cessna 152 flying from Republic Airport made an emergency landing on a Kings Park beach.
On April 10th, a Piper Cherokee flying from the Bayport Aerodrome crashed and caught fire on a Bayport residential street. The pilot and passenger were injured.
On April 30th, a 1947 Stinson made an emergency landing in Riverhead. No injuries were reported.
On May 3rd, a Beechcraft V35B Bonanza flying from North Myrtle Beach to Connecticut broke up midair and crashed in Syosset; all three passengers on board were tragically killed.
On June 20th, an air charter service (1978 twin-engine plane) crashed landed at Republic Airport when the landing gear and part of the aircrafts warning system failed.
The FAA conducts ramp inspections for both general aviation and commercial aircraft. Inspectors can examine: the pilot and crewmembers (ex. checking for medical certificates); the interior of the aircraft (ex. checking for airworthiness and registration certificates); servicing and maintenance of the aircraft; the exterior of the aircraft; and the ramp and gate condition. Schumer said that these inspections ensure that aircrafts adhere to the FAAs federal regulations and safety procedures prior to a potential flight.
At major New York Airports, there were 2,849 inspections in 2006; 2,049 inspections in 2007; 1,492 inspections in 2008; 1,490 inspections in 2009; 1,046 inspections in 2010; 1,335 inspections in 2011; 1,375 inspections in 2012; 907 inspections in 2013; 930 inspections in 2014; 748 inspections in 2015.
Schumer specifically examined the total number of ramp inspections conducted at eight of the airports involved in the recent air crashes on Long Island. For instance, on Long Island, Brookhaven Calabro Airport was inspected 13 times in 2013; 5 times in 2014; 9 times in 2015. Republic Airport was inspected 136 times in 2013; 151 times in 2014; 83 times in 2015. Calverton Executive Airpark was inspected 4 times in 2013; 3 times in 2014; 0 times in 2015. Bayport Aerodrome was inspected 0 times in 2013; 1 time in 2014; 0 times in 2015. Long Island MacArthur Airport was inspected 61 times in 2013; 70 times in 2014; 64 times in 2015. Outside of Long Island, Robertson Field was inspected 14 times in 2013; 12 times in 2014; 8 times in 2015. North Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand was inspected 26 times in 2013; 13 times in 2014; 13 times in 2015. Fitchburg Municipal Airport was inspected 3 times in 2013; 3 times in 2014; 5 times in 2015.
A copy of Schumers letter is below:
Dear Administrator Huerta:
I write to express my concern about the decreasing number of total ramp inspections at New York airports and other airports around the Country in the last several years. I urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase the number of ramp inspections at airports to ensure that air carrier operations are as safe as possible.
As you know, the FAA conducts ramp inspections for both general aviation (GA) and commercial aircraft. The objective of a ramp inspection is to observe and evaluate the routine methods and procedures used by an operators personnel during the period immediately before or after a flight to determine compliance with FAA regulations and safe operating practices. Importantly, advance notice does not need to be given before a ramp inspection is conducted. The inspector can examine things like the pilot and crewmembers (ex. checking for medical certificates); the interior of the aircraft (ex. checking for airworthiness and registration certificates); servicing and maintenance of the aircraft; the exterior of the aircraft; and the ramp and gate condition.
I am concerned that the number of ramp inspections at New York airports and other airports around the Country has decreased significantly in recent years. Furthermore, as you know, I am also concerned about the recent dramatic uptick of small airplane or general aviation airplane crashes that have happened on Long Island this year. Ensuring the safety of our skies is a fundamental responsibility of the FAA, and routine and frequent ramp inspections are an important part of that effort.
Specifically, there were 2,849 ramp inspections at the major New York airports in 2006, compared to 748 in 2015. Furthermore, at several of the airports where the aircraft that have crashed on Long Island took off from there has also been a significant drop in the number of ramp inspections for example, on March 11, a Cessna 152 flying from Republic Airport made an emergency landing on a Kings Park beach. At Republic, the number of ramp inspections went from 136 in 2013 to 151 in 2014, then down to just 83 in 2015. OnMay 3, a Beechcraft V35B Bonanza flying from North Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand to Connecticut broke up in midair and crashed in Syosset, tragically killing all three passengers on board; ramp inspections at that airport decreased from 26 in 2013 to 13 in both 2014 and 2015. In order to ensure that air carrier operations are as safe as possible, and in compliance with regulations and safe operating practices, the FAA should increase the frequency of ramp inspections at airports. I understand that the FAA has transitioned to a more data-driven, risk-based approach using the Safety Assurance System. However, while accidents across the state are tracking well below usual levels, accidents on Long Island are up this year; there may not be a direct connection between the number of ramp inspections and the number of crashes, but the FAA should increase the number of inspections it conducts to ensure that air carrier operations are as safe as possible, and to ensure that unsafe behaviors or practices are not going unnoticed.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this important matter. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer
Local News, Crime, Press Releases
By Long Island News & PR Published: June 28 2016
Earlier today Bradley Bender, former Southampton Town Councilman, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, three years supervised release and $5,000 forfeiture.
Central Islip, NY - June 24, 2016 - Earlier today in Central Islip, NY, Bradley Bender, former Southampton Town Councilman, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, three years supervised release and $5,000 forfeiture, following his guilty plea on November 24, 2015, to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone. The sentencing proceedings were held before U.S. District Judge Arthur D. Spatt.
The sentence was announced by Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
In announcing the sentence, United States Attorney Robert L. Capers stated, Todays sentence is a reminder to all those entrusted to represent the interests of the public that they will be held accountable if they engage in criminal activity and violate that trust. Mr. Capers expressed his grateful appreciation to the DEAs Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad, which led the governments investigation in this case.
According to court filings and statements made in court at the time he entered the guilty plea, between July 2012 and June 2015, Bender received phony prescriptions for oxycodone from a Riverhead physician assistant, Michael Troyan. Bender filled those prescriptions and illegally exchanged the oxycodone pills for cash and steroids with another co-conspirator. The oxycodone pills were then re-sold to drug abusers.
Troyan was arrested on November 4, 2015, and pleaded guilty last Friday, June 17, 2016, before United States District Judge Denis R. Hurley, to conspiring to illegally distribute oxycodone. Troyan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 30, 2016.
Benders resignation as a Councilman was accepted by the Southampton Town Board on the day of his guilty plea.
This case is part of a series of federal prosecutions by the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York as part of the Prescription Drug Initiative. In January 2012, this Office and the DEA, in conjunction with the five District Attorneys in this district, the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, the New York City Police Department, and New York State Police, along with other key federal, state, and local government partners, launched the Initiative to mount a comprehensive response to what the United States Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention has called an epidemic increase in the abuse of so-called opioid analgesics.
To date, the Initiative has brought over 160 federal and local criminal prosecutions, including the prosecution of 19 health care professionals, taken civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy, health clinic, and pharmacy chain, removed prescription authority from numerous rogue doctors, and expanded information-sharing among enforcement agencies to better target and pursue drug traffickers. The Initiative also is involved in an extensive community outreach program to address the abuse of pharmaceuticals.
The governments case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Allen L. Bode. The DEAs Long Island Tactical Diversion Squad comprises agents and officers of the DEA, Nassau County Police Department, Rockville Centre Police Department, Suffolk County Police Department and Port Washington Police Department.
The Defendant:
Name: BRADLEY BENDER
Age: 55
Residence: Northampton, New York
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 15-CR-593(ADS)
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
The leader of Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), a faction that fuels Afghanistans insurgency, has withdrawn from peace talks after raising the hopes of the Afghan government that an agreement was near. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, HIGs leader, has toyed with the Afghan government in the past.
Hekmatyar terminated peace talks on June 27 after claiming that Afghanistans national unity government was not supported by the people. He demanded that the Afghan government disband.
Hekmatyar announced the end of negotiations yesterday in an article that appeared on Peshawar Daily Shahadat, an official HIG mouthpiece.
Afghan officials felt that a deal with Hekmatyar and his HIG faction was imminent. But evidence of Hekmatyars betrayal surfaced last week, when he issued new demands for a peace agreement that could not possibly be met by the Afghan government. On June 21, Hekmatyar wrote a letter to Afghan President Arshaf Ghani that said that the government must end all agreements with the US and order the withdrawal of US and other foreign troops from Afghanistan.
His demands match those of the Taliban, which refuses to conduct peace talks with the Afghan government.
Hekmatyars cessation of peace talks with the Afghan government should come as no surprise, as he withdrew from peace negotiations in 2010 under similar circumstances. In March 2010, as US forces were surging in Afghanistan and the Taliban was under military pressure to negotiate, Hekmatyar and the Afghan government entered talks and there was hope that HIG would cease its fighting. However, he issued a 15-point peace plan that included the full withdrawal of foreign troops and the disbandment of the Afghanistan government. He had also offered the Afghan government similar terms for peace in December 2009.
Hekmatyar is a notorious opportunist who has ties with al Qaeda, Iran, and Pakistans military and intelligence establishment.
A key player in the Soviet-Afghan war, Hekmatyar led one of the biggest insurgent factions against both Soviet and Afghan communist forces. But Hekmatyars brutal battlefield tactics and wanton destruction of Kabul following the collapse of the Afghan Communist regime in the early 1990s led to the demise of his popularity. The Taliban overran his last stronghold south of Kabul in 1995 and forced him into exile in Iran from 1996-2002. He reentered the fighting in Afghanistan after US forces invaded in late 2001.
HIG forces have conducted attacks in northern and northeastern Afghanistan, and have bases in Pakistans Swat Valley as well as in the tribal agencies of Bajaur, Mohmand, and North and South Waziristan.
After the Taliban, Hekmatyar leads one of the largest insurgent factions in Afghanistan. HIG has close ties to al Qaeda and other jihadist groups based in Pakistan and Central Asia. In May 2006, Hekmatyar expressed his support for al Qaeda and its emir, Osama bin Laden.
We thank all Arab mujahideen, particularly Sheikh Osama bin Laden, Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri, and other leaders who helped us in our jihad against the Russians, he said in a recording broadcast by Al Jazeera.
They fought our enemies and made dear sacrifices, Hekmatyar continued. Neither we nor the future generations will forget this great favor. We beseech Almighty God to grant us success and help us fulfill our duty toward them and enable us to return their favor and reciprocate their support and sacrifices. We hope to take part with them in a battle which they will lead and raise its banner. We stand beside and support them.
Late last year, rumors surfaced that Hekmatyar joined the Islamic State, however he quickly responded that was not the case.
Hezb-i-Islami neither has relations with the Islamic State, or any commitment to the group, Hekmatyar told Peshawar Daily Shahadat in October 2015.
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, 56th Fighter Wing commander, flew his final flight in an F-35 Lightning II June 27, 2016. His two-year tenure as commander was filled with change as the wing shifted its mission to include the F-35.
When Pleus accepted the guidon in June 2014, Lukes primary mission was to train the worlds greatest F-16 pilots. He was presented with the task of integrating the Air Forces newest fifth-generation fighter. During his change of command, he spoke about the challenges ahead.
"We are here at a great time -- a crossroads if you will -- as we transition from the Viper to the F-35, the most capable fighter aircraft ever built," Pleus said.
The challenge, he said, is simple: how do we build fifth-generation fighter pilots?
The program took off from there. A few months later, Luke launched its 100th F-35 sortie. The program is now at more than 5,000 sorties.
In December 2014, Luke received its first partner nation aircraft. The arrival of an Australian F-35 brought the Luke fifth-generation fighter total to 18. Pleus spoke during the arrival.
"Today, we take another tremendous step forward in our transition to the F-35 here at Luke, he said. Australia is the first of 10 nations that will not only become part of the Luke community, but will share in calling the West Valley a home away from home.
Luke welcomed the 2015 New Year with another big milestone. A 61st Fighter Squadron four-ship successfully conducted the first-ever flyover during the 2015 Pro Bowl.
A few months later, the 56th FW officially began training new F-35 pilots when the first student, Pleus, flew the Wings first training sortie. While a big deal for Luke, the flight brought Pleus back to his roots.
His very first F-16 flight was in a 61st Fighter Squadron jet assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, when the Wing was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. His first F-35 flight was in a 61st Fighter Squadron jet assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing here at Luke.
"This is another step forward for Luke, the 56th Fighter Wing, and our Air Force," Pleus said. "The F-35 is going to be the backbone of the Air Force's fighter fleet for decades to come and Luke will play a vital role in producing the world's greatest, most lethal F-35 pilots.
A few weeks later, Luke made history again by becoming the fastest F-35 wing to reach 1,000 sorties in the Department of Defense.
In May, pilot training class began for the F-35 which included two F-16 Fighting Falcon instructor pilots and two A-10 Warthog instructor pilots. Days later, Luke announced its new mission statement, officially including the F-35.
Beginning today the mission of Luke Air Force Base is simple - train the world's greatest F-35 and F-16 fighter pilots, Pleus said.
As 2015 came to a close, Luke issued its first Generation III helmet, the Norwegian and Italian Air Forces arrived and began flying as partner nations, the F-35 competed in its first load competition and Luke announced the first-ever F-35 Heritage Flight Program.
"The F-35 will be the backbone of the USAF fighter fleet and represents the future for the U.S., our partners and allies, Pleus said. Being a part of these heritage flights provides a unique insight into the past and the future.
Pleus final six months began with Luke receiving its 34th jet and the F-35 program reaching 3000 sorties. A few months later, a Luke F-35 dropped its first munition, signaling another huge step toward Initial operational capability.
"We were able to execute one of the primary missions of this multi-role fighter and successfully employ air-to-ground weapons," said Lt. Col. Gregory Frana, 62nd Fighter Squadron commander. "As we execute the mission of training the world's greatest F-35 pilots it is critical we make our training as realistic as possible.
Pleus tenure saw Luke AFB go from two to 39 F-35s. Luke is scheduled to have six fighter squadrons and 144 F-35s by 2024. In the next few years, 10 countries are planning to conduct F-35 training at Luke, this will include, Turkey, Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea. Australia, Norway and Italy are already training here.
We will continue to add all our other partner nations over the next few years as their airplanes start to roll off the assembly line, Pleus said. We will continue to grow and create this international coalition.
It takes thousands of Airmen, both on and off the flightline, to support the mission of training the worlds best F-35 pilots. Pleus is proud to have watched his team actively take on this new mission and drive it forward into the future.
Weve taken tremendous steps forward the last two years developing the Joint Strike Fighter program and made history as we hit important milestones for the F-35, Pleus said. From training our first class of F-35 student pilots, to welcoming new international partners at Luke, the hard work and ingenuity of our Airmen and the overwhelming support of the community has made these successes possible. Thanks to all the people who come to work each and every day just to make this mission happen, there is nothing that keeps me up at night.
Pleus will pass the guidon over to Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, senior military assistant to the secretary of the Air Force, on July 13, 2016. Leonard will carry on the task Pleus began, training the worlds greatest F-35 pilots.
Whether its the slim butterfly mechanism of the new MacBook or the bouncy fabric of the Smart Keyboard, the feel and travel of the letters under our fingers has as much impact on our productivity as the speed of the processor and size of the screen.
Its no different on our touchscreen devices, and thanks to third-party developers and iOSs now-open keyboard API, the iOS typing experience has gone from ordinary to extraordinary. Hundreds of apps all claim to speed up, smarten, and otherwise improve upon Apples own QuickType keyboard. For example, the slide typing method pioneered by Swype has transformed not just how but also how much we type. But which ones are the smartest, most comfortable, and best of the bunch?
Whether you want to type faster, use one hand, add a funky design, or see more of the screen, youll find a multitude of options in the App Storeand even some of Apples biggest competitors are getting in on the action.
Winner: Gboard
Gboard looks a lot like Apples QuickType, but the similarities are only skin deep.
It was fairly inevitable that Google would release an iOS keyboardGoogle has long been proliferating the App Store with its many tools and utilities, and keyboards was just about the only piece of the pie it didnt already have one of its fingers in.
What is surprising, however, is how great it is. Google has a history of ignoring the latest APIs and interface guidelines when it comes to its iOS offerings, but Gboard (free, universal) looks and feels right at home on the iPhone. Quite frankly, despite the addition of a multi-colored G logo in the left corner (and the use of Androids Roboto font over San Francisco), you wont find very many differences at all between it and Apples keyboard. The only major change youre likely to spot being a slightly smaller return button to make room for a permanent period key next to the space bar.
But go a little deeper and Gboard begins to set itself apart from both its competitors in the App Store and Apples stock keyboard. Inside the settings youll find a set of toggles that gives you a measure of additional control over the keyboards operation. Google matches Apples options for auto-capitalization, correction, caps lock, character preview, and the . shortcut, as well as the show lowercase letters option that Apple hides in the Accessibility tab. And theres even a switch to block offensive words (which is something youll want to turn off if youre tired of constantly editing the word ducking).
In-keyboard search results make Gboard unique, but its only part of what makes it great.
Gboard also offers a toggle for emoji suggestions, but while its nice to have the option, its unlikely anyone would want to turn it off. Emoji symbols appear as you type and replace the text that was written, a seemingly obvious touch that other keyboards dont always get right. Tap the emoji symbol at the bottom of the keyboard and youll get much more than a scrollable list of faces and figures; in fact, Gboards emoji keyboard all but eliminates the need to keep another around. Unless you have a thing for stickers or giant icons, Gboard will more than fit your emoji needs, with excellent organization, speedy navigation, and a powerful search bar that quickly pares down Apples sizable library with live results.
But this being a Google keyboard, finding things isnt limited to emoji. Tap the G symbol and youll get a stripped-down web search bar, which lets you paste images, GIFs, and links into whatever youre typing. Its a neat feature that comes in handy more than you thinkparticularly when using Messages or Twitter.
Even if you never use it to search the web, Gboard is the best keyboard youre likely to find. While Googles version of swipe typing doesnt really bring anything new to the table, it leverages the power of its excellent dictionary to deliver a top-notch experience thats as accurate as it is fast.
Runner-Up: Word Flow
Microsoft may have all but given up on its Windows Phone strategy, but its iOS app game is stronger than everand Word Flow (free, iPhone only) is something else entirely. Where Microsofts iOS productivity apps are a natural extension of its brand, Word Flow is nothing less than a labor of love.
Word Flows sense of style adds a bit of elegance to your writing.
Born out of the companys indie-minded Garage lab and built specifically for the iPhone, the slide-centric keyboard hits all the right notes, while still managing to add some originality along the way. Visually, its flawless: Letters light up with a subtle blue glow as your fingers glide over them, and when swiping, the path of your words is traced with a playful line of dots that adds just a bit of whimsy.
Along with an impressive level of customization (which goes so far as to allow you to underlay the keys with one of your own photos), Word Flow also understands that easy access to emoji is more important to some people than punctuation. Much like the way it handles words, it puts a premium on organization and speed, keeping track of your most recently-used smileys and symbols, and letting you easily jump between sections. And a built-in search from the main keyboard will keep common characters at your fingertips.
With Word Flows one-handed keyboard youll feel like youre using an iPhone SE in a Plus clothing.
Every keyboard needs a gimmick, but Word Flows is one youre likely to actually use pretty often. Pull down on the small arc symbol in either of the top corners, and the keyboard will transform from a traditional layout into a fanned one meant to encourage one-handed typing. This isnt a simple shift like Reachabilitythe curved keyboard repositions the keys for maximum efficiency, allowing your thumb to comfortably reach all the way to the farthest keys. Theres a slight learning curve (no pun intended), but after a few moments youll be typing with your usual speed.
Microsoft has built a prediction and correction engine that not only rivals Applein my experience, it occasionally even bested Googles Gboard with first-attempt accuracy. Whether tracing or tapping, words are spelled out with near-flawless accuracy, and it does an excellent job of learning your habits as you type.
Best for GIFs: Giphy Keys
GIFs make the world wide web go round, but finding them and using them can be a pain. With Giphy Keys (free, iPhone only), the whole process is boiled down to just two steps: find and insert.
Giphy Keys offers one-stop shopping for GIF fanatics.
Most serial giffers are already familiar with GIPHYs expansive library of memes and moving pictures, but its keyboard puts the whole catalogue at your fingertips, whether youre composing in Mail or Tweetbot. As an actual keyboard, Giphy Keys leaves quite a bit to be desired, with no slide typing, predictive terms, or even autocorrect, but thats not its appeal. Its meant to be a companion to your keyboard of choice, and in that capacity it performs admirably, offering easy access to GIFs with just a couple of taps.
A series of shortcuts lets you search, browse trending topics, explore categories, and access your favorite gifs, all in an easy-to-use interface thats surprisingly speedy despite its cramped quarters. The only problem with it is that its so easy to get lost in its results you may forget what you were actually looking for.
Best for maximizing screen real estate: Minuum
If you want to reclaim your lost screen real estate, give Minuums short keyboard a try.
If theres one thing that all of the keyboards in the App Store have in common, its that they all take up a significant amount of screen space. Minuums ($4, iPhone only) sole reason for existing is to give you back some of that precious real estate, and its surprising that more keyboards havent followed its lead. Its scrunched keypad looks like a ridiculous way to type, but its actually just as natural as it is on a full-sized pad.
While theres a good chance youll miss most of the keys youre aiming at, Minuum uses an autocorrect engine that does well to mimic the muscle memory of a full-sized keyboard; theres an impressive accuracy rate, and when it misses, theres a good chance that one of the five options to correct will be right, cutting down on the amount of times youll need to hit the tiny backspace key.
Theres no swiping, so youll have to tap out your words, but Minuum does use a couple of gestures to make things a little speedier. You can swipe right to insert a space and left to delete. And if you start to get claustrophobic, you dont need to hit the globe icon to change keyboardsa simple swipe up will expand the keys to normal size. But wheres the fun in that?
Best for customization: Go Keyboard
If youre looking for customization and swipe typing, go and get Go Keyboard.
Go Keyboards (free, universal) robust customization options dont come at the expense of its usability. Even without all the tweaks it lets you make to the appearance, its a decent alternative, with stickers, swipe support, and cursor control, as well as Reachability-inspired one-handed mode. But the main reason to install Go Keyboard is its multitude of themes, which can be easily downloaded inside its companion app and changed with just a tap without leaving the keyboard.
Themes and color combinations range from tasteful to tacky, but the vast majority of them are free, so youll be able to test them and toss them if theyre not to your liking. Theres also a keyboard creator that lets you build the keyboard of your dreams, with sliders and selectors to customize the font, color, picture, and opacity. Like themes, some of the options will cost a buck or two, but there are more than enough free ones to keep the creative juices flowing.
Best for speed: Nintype
Theres a learning curve, but Nintype is the fastest keyboard in the west.
Nearly every swipe-based keyboard uses the simple concept Swype originated with its Android app: Trace the letters of the word in a single, continuous motion. Nintype ($5, universal) offers a spin on this traditional swiping method that actually speeds up your tyingassuming you can master its technique. Its the only keyboard with a tutorial thats prerequisite to using it, but you shouldnt let that scare you. You can use Nintype as a regular swipe or pecking keyboard if you prefer, but youll be missing out on one of the most unique keyboard concepts around, a powerful system that combines multi-finger sliding and tapping to create words.
There are numerous options for customizing the experience both visually and conceptuallyincluding the ability to adjust the number of milliseconds that elapse before auto-spacing is activatedand a series of gestures streamline functions like backspace and punctuating. Theres even a build-in calculator mode that will perform simple equations.
Granted, Nintypes concept and heavy use of animation might not fit everyones tastes (or fingers), but those willing to spend some time learning it will enjoy a noticeable bump in their word output.
Others of note
Fleksys design may be timeless, but that doesnt mean it hasnt kept up with the times.
You cant throw a rock in the App Store without hitting a keyboard, and there are many great ones that didnt make the cut. Fleksy (free, universal) was one of the first third-party typing assistants to hit the app store, and its gesture-based concept still feels fresh today. With a variety of colorful themes, stickers, GIFs, and one of the best autocorrecting engines around, Fleksy doesnt try to reinvent the keyboard: It simply supercharges your taps and slides to speed up your pecking.
Like Fleksy, SwiftKey (free, universal) has been around since the moment Apple opened up the keyboard section of the App Store, and its only gotten better with age. Smart, simple and sleek, the swipe-centric keyboard relies on top-notch predicting and autocorrecting to deliver a superb typing experience. However, Microsoft acquired SwiftKey back in February and has plans to integrate SwiftKeys powerful learning engine with its Word Flow keyboard, which means we can only expect Microsofts keyboard to keep getting better and better.
Most custom keyboards offer a variety of ultra-modern designs and futuristic color combinations to dress up your keys, but Hanx Writer (free, universal) tackles personalization a little differently. Created by Tom Hanksyes, that Tom Hanksthe keyboard mimics the sound and style of a classic typewriter, with several realistic renditions of 1940s-style machines. And if you use the companion app to take notes, youll even get old-school typefaces.
With Hemingboard, the solution to writers block is just a tap away.
Writers will of course benefit from any of the keyboards on this list, but only Hemingboard ($3, universal) will actually help them write better, not just faster. Tap the little hummingbird icon next to the space bar and the keyboard will give way to a built-in thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, and pun finder to help give your words some extra oomph.
And if you need to work with several languages, iTranslate (free, universal) will be your perfect lingual companion. With support for some 90 languages, the keyboard packs everything great about the app into a fully functional keyboard that puts a powerful translator right at your fingertips.
Keyboard caveats, and how we tested
I tested dozens of keyboards for this article, and slide-typing as an option was the one feature that was a must to be considered as a finalist. That beyond said, all sliding keyboards are not created equally. Since Apple doesnt provide access to its autocorrection algorithm or dictionary, the results vary greatly between models. Even the two winners here, from companies with tremendous resources and lengthy histories of working with type, dont quite measure up to Apples abilities to fix and predict words. But the gap is small enough where they can comfortably be recommended as full-time replacements.
There are a couple of caveats to going all-in with a third-party keyboardmany might feel buggy at times, and some are noticeably quicker and load more reliably than others)but that is due in part to iOS itself, particularly when you have several keyboards installed at once. Often, iOS may not recall the last one you were using, and at times the one trying to launch can hang long enough where quitting the app is the only way to resume typing.
To unlock the best features, youll generally need to switch on the Allow Full Access toggle. It comes with a scary warning from Apple about your sensitive information being visible to prying eyes, but for the most part, the privacy risks are minimal. Any password or credit card field in an app or browser automatically brings up Apples secure keyboard (even if its been removed), and developers are mostly pretty transparent about how theyre using your data.
On April 23 2016 in celebration of the World IP Day, the Intellectual Property Office (IPOPHL) launched its improved electronic filing system for trade marks called IPOPHL TM eFile. Unlke the previous e-filing system where payment has to be deposited physically to the designated bank, the new TMeFile is linked to three different payment channels, hence, the filer need not go to the IPOPHL office to file trade mark applications. The new system was initiated by newly appointed IPOPHL Director General Josephine Rima-Santiago. The added features of the new system are:
1) It allows the submission of documents such as the special power of attorney, request for priority examination, declaration of actual use, together with the online application. However, if these documents are not submitted with the online application, they would have to be submitted physically to the IPOPHL.
2) Because of its linkage with two other tools such as the ASEAN TM Class and TMview, the classification of goods and services are made easier, and the system can generate preliminary search reports which may be used as reference.
The IPOPHL eTMfile was developed in close collaboration with the the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), towards the adaptation of IT tools which can be used not only by The Philippines but also by other ASEAN IP offices. Now being targeted for launching also within the year is the IPOPHL eDOCfile, an advanced electronic filing system allowing the online submission of practically all types of trade mark documents including responses to office actions, powers of attorney, and assignments and allowing for digital signing by both the IPOPHL and the applicant/agent.
The IPOPHL is the first office to make available these systems in the ASEAN region.
Editha R Hechanova
Hechanova & Co., Inc.Salustiana D. Ty Tower104 Paseo de Roxas AvenueMakati City 1229, PhilippinesTel: (63) 2 812-6561Fax: (63) 2 888-4290editharh@hechanova.com.ph
www.hechanova.com.ph
By far the biggest news of the past week was the UK voting to leave the EU in a nationwide referendum. This result will have far-reaching ramifications for EU IP rights, the Unitary Patent and UPC, UK practitioners and other IP laws. Our managing editor James Nurton has published a handy primer on the impact of Brexit on IP, which you can read here.
Also on the blog in the past week were:
US Supreme Court to hear Life Technologies case but denies Sequenom
Ranking the IP rankings
Weve also posted the following articles in the past week (log in via subscription or free trial):
Brexit - law firm resources
ITC rules Arista infringed three Cisco patents
Stairway to Heaven copyright decision is music to Led Zeppelins ears
Singapore High Court allows writ to be served through social media
SCOTUS stands by PTAB in Cuozzo decision
SCOTUS clarifies attorneys fees in Kirtsaeng case
Singapore High Court allows writ to be served through social media
SCOTUS says wilfulness is subjective in Halo ruling
Clinton calls for patent reform
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has announced an initiative on technology and innovation that includes some IP measures.
Clinton noted the positive effect of the America Invents Act.
But costly and abusive litigation remains, which is why Hillary supports additional targeted rule changes, said in the announcement of the initiative. She supports laws to curb forum shopping and ensure that patent litigants have a nexus to the venue in which they are suing; require that specific allegations be made in demand letters and pleadings; and increase transparency in ownership by making patent litigants disclose the real party in interest.
The initiative announcement also said Clinton believes it is essential that the PTO have the tools and resources it needs to act expeditiously on patent applications and ensure that only valid patents are issued.
That is why she supports legislation to allow the PTO to retain the fees it collects from patent applicants in a separate fund ending the practice of fee diversion by Congress, and enabling the PTO to invest funds left over from its annual operations in new technologies, personnel, and training, it said. Hillary also believes we should set a standard of faster review of patent applications and clear out the backlog of patent applications.
Clinton also said the copyright system is in need of administrative reform to maximize its benefits in the digital age.
Hillary believes the federal government should modernize the copyright system by unlocking and facilitating access to orphan works that languished unutilized, benefiting neither their creators nor the public. She will also promote open-licensing arrangements for copyrighted material and data supported by federal grant funding, including in education, science, and other fields. She will seek to develop technological infrastructure to supports digitization, search, and repositories of such content, to facilitate its discoverability and use. And she will encourage stakeholders to work together on creative solutions that remove barriers to the seamless and efficient licensing of content in the US and abroad.
Republican nominee Donald Trump has made some IP-related proposals of his own, such as reportedly promising to restore the Washington Redskins trade marks "on day one" of his presidency and warning China about the consequences of stealing US intellectual property.
Ma clarifies fakes comment
Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba, last week published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal attempting to clarify comments about counterfeit goods that received bad press.
Ma was quoted as saying in a speech in Hangzhou earlier this month: The problem is that the fake products today, they make better quality, better prices than the real products, the real names.
Ma wrote in the Wall Street Journal that his comments had been taken out of context, saying that what he said was that the business model of some established brands may be challenged by Chinese manufacturers facing declining exports and the internet giving consumers ever-increasing access to products without the need for complex and costly distribution channels.
I want to let you know where I stand on this: Counterfeit goods are absolutely unacceptable, and brands and their intellectual property must be protected, wrote Ma. Alibaba is only interested in supporting those manufacturers who innovate and invest in their own brands. We have zero tolerance for those who rip off other peoples intellectual property.
Failing to protect original designs, trademarks and technology is akin to thievery, and it is detrimental not only to innovation but also to the integrity of the marketplace. We do not and will never condone any act of stealing.
Qualcomm sues Meizu
In other China-related news, Qualcomm has filed its first patent lawsuit there, suing Meizu in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court.
The complaint requests rulings that the terms of a patent license offered by Qualcomm to Meizu comply with Chinas Anti-Monopoly Law, and Qualcomms fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing obligations. The complaint also seeks a ruling that the offered patent license terms should form the basis for a patent license with Meizu for Qualcomms technologies patented in China for use in mobile devices, including those relating to 3G and 4G wireless communications standards.
Qualcomm said it would have preferred to reach a resolution with Meizu without the need for litigation but Meizu, unfortunately, has been unwilling to negotiate in good faith and enter into a license agreement on the rectification plan terms while unfairly expanding its business through the use of Qualcomms innovations without compensating Qualcomm for the use of Qualcomms valuable technologies.
More than 100 companies have accepted the rectification plan terms.
Meizu is choosing to use these technologies without a licence, 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, said Don Rosenberg, executive vice-president and general counsel of Qualcomm Incorporated, in a statement.
Happy Birthday officially public domain
The court decision placing Happy Birthday to You into the public domain has been made official. Judge George King of the Central District of California gave final approval to the settlement in Good Morning to You Productions v Warner/Chappell Music.
The settlement includes the repayment of $14 million in royalties collected by Warner/Chappell and a court order placing the song in the public domain.
Donahue Fitzgerald partner Andrew MacKay, who worked on the case representing musician Rupa Marya, commented: It was wrong for Warner/Chappell to collect royalties for a song they didnt own, and Im proud to have helped achieve this victory.
The class action lawsuit sought to represent anyone who had paid to license the song. The four class plaintiffs were Good Morning to You Productions, Robert Siegel, Majar Productions and Marya. Marya had paid Warner/Chappell $455 to include the live rendition of Happy Birthday to You on an album.
Warner/Chappell alleged that their rights to the Happy Birthday to You song came from their 1988 acquisition of the Summy Company and the copyright would not expire until 2030.
In September 2015, Judge King granted partial summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that Warner/Chappell did not own the copyright to the lyrics of the song. The defendants agreed to settle the matter thereafter.
Federal Circuit saves 30,000 patents
The Federal Circuit has backed the USPTOs interpretation of the deadline for filing a continuation application under Section 120, reports the PatentlyO blog.
The statutory language states that a continuation application must be filed before the patenting or abandonment of or termination of proceedings. The USPTO has long stated that this means continuation may be filed on the issue date, despite patents being thought to issue at 12.01am on their appointed day of issue.
This issue was appealed in Immersion v HTC. In a decision written by Judge Taranto and supported by Judges Prost and Linn, the Federal Circuit said: In short, the repeated, consistent pre-1952 and post-1952 judicial and agency interpretations, in this area of evident public reliance, provide a powerful reason to read section 120 to preserve, not upset, the established position. And the conclusion is reinforced by the fact that Congress has done nothing to disapprove of this clearly articulated position despite having amended section 120 several times since its first enactment in 1952.
The case was closely-watched because 30,000 patents were potentially in peril, according to analysis published by Faegre Baker Daniels last month.
Procrastinating patent prosecution attorneys took notice when Delaware District Court Judge Richard G Andrews threw out the longstanding accepted practice that a continuation application may be filed on the issue date of a priority application, the law firm noted. The summary judgment ruling invalidated three Immersion Corp. touchscreen patents asserted against smartphone manufacturer HTC Corp on the basis of an invalid chain of priority. Immersion Corp v HTC Corp is now on appeal with the Federal Circuit and has the potential to invalidate thousands more patents.
Converse hopes other shoe will drop in ITC case
The US International Trade Commission has ruled that only the diamond-patterned outsole of Converses iconic Chuck Taylor sneaker is entitled to an exclusion order, reports the New York Times.
Nike, which owns Converse, had been seeking exclusion orders for other parts of the sneaker such as the rubber-toe band, toe cap and stripe.
The New York Times quotes Brian Fogarty, senior director, global intellectual property litigation at Nike, as saying: While we do not agree with all of the ITCs findings, we feel confident our rights will be vindicated on appeal. This is but one step in a long process.
In October 2014, Converse sued 31 companies in 22 district court cases and filed a complaint with the ITC.
New Delhi: Union Minister Rajnath Singh came out strongly against Pakistan following Saturday's attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore that left eight para- security personnel dead.
Pointing that the neighbouring country was trying to destabilise India, he announced that a committee will be sent to Pampore to look into any lapses of handling the terror attack. He also added that we will make sure not to fire the first bullet, but even if one bullet is fired from their side and won't count the bullets after that.
He also praised the bravery and courage of the security personnel. Eight security personnel were killed and 25 were injured in the terrorist attack, said to be the worst militant attack in the last three years.
The first production version of Damens InvaSave ballast water treatment system intended for use at Groningen Seaports will be on display at the upcoming DelfSail sailing festival between June 30 and July 3 in the city of Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
Damens InvaSave ballast water treatment (BWT) system is intended to operate in ports and mobile operations as a fully containerized plug and play unit that provides ship owners with an alternative to retrofitting fixed BWT systems. This will also give port authorities the versatility to improve the services that they can offer ship owners.
InvaSave represents the close cooperation between Damen and Groningen Seaports, the port authority handling the Dutch ports of Delfzijl and Eemshaven. Other partner organizations include Van Gansewinkel and Royal Wagenborg in addition to Dutch marine research institutes Imares and MEA-nl. Another important partner was the Waddenfonds a Dutch foundation involved with the preservation of the Wadden Sea who provided significant financial support to establishing the project.
Delfzijl and Eemshaven are situated on the coast of the Wadden Sea, an area containing the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world. Due to this biological and physical distinctiveness, the area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We teamed up with Groningen Seaports to develop this technology. With the Wadden Sea on their doorstep, this is an important issue for them, said Damen Green Solutions Product Manager Matthijs Schuiten. It has been a pleasure to work with them towards their goal of a green harbor environment. Their progressive way of thinking has played a very important role throughout the entire project.
Our location on the Wadden Sea means that we have a responsibility to push forward the progress of sustainable shipping, commented Groningen Seaports Sustainability Coordinator Bart van der Kolk. We are fully prepared for the ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention. This project wouldnt have been possible without the effort of some frontrunners like Royal Wagenborg, Van Gansewinkel, Imares, MEA-nl and Damen.
Expected to attract around 600,000 visitors, DelfSail is a periodic sailing festival that takes place in Delfzijl, in the north of the Netherlands. More than 30 traditional sailing ships including schooners, three-masters and barques will be attending the five-day event this year.
Visitors to DelfSail will be able to view the Damen InvaSave unit at the SummerLabb, a Dutch exhibition platform dedicated to informing the public about sustainable issues. We are very pleased to exhibit the InvaSave unit and to share it with the tens of thousands of people who will visit SummerLabb, commented Jan Douwe Kroeske, creator of the SummerLabb. It marks a substantial advance in the field of ballast water treatment. It is fitting that the first unit will be operational in the Wadden Sea: an area of considerable ecological importance on an international level.
German container shipping line Hapag Lloyd AG on Tuesday said it has reached an agreement on terms and conditions of a business combination agreement with Arab peer United Arab Shipping Company (UASC).
The deal, which would involve all shares in UASC being moved to Hapag-Lloyd, was approved by the Hapag-Lloyd supervisory board, it said in a statement.
The merger still hinges on approval by both Hapag-Lloyd's anchor shareholders and the consent of UASC shareholders.
An extraordinary general meeting of UASC will be held in Dubai on June 29, Hapag Lloyd said in the statement.
Plans for the deal were unveiled in April and it received backing by UASC shareholders in June.
(Reporting by Vera Eckert)
1776 - Army Col. William Moultries' troops defend Sullivans Island and Charleston, S.C. from an attack by British Commodore Sir Peter Parker and his fleet during the American Revolution. After a nine-hour battle with casualties mounting, Parker retreats. With Charleston saved, the fort is named in honor of Col. William Moultrie.
1814 - The sloop of war USS Wasp commanded by Johnston Blakeley, comes across HMS Reindeer, commanded by William Manners, off Plymouth, England, and engages in battle. After the 19-minute battle, USS Wasp captures HMS Reindeer, taking her crew as prisoners, and burn her at sea.
1869 - The Navys first surgeon-general William M. Wood is appointed, and serves until Oct. 25, 1871.
1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated at Sarajevo, Bosnia. This act eventually leads to World War I.
1918 - A detachment of Marines from USS Brooklyn lands at Vladivostok, Russia to protect the U.S. Consulate and to assist forces of other Allied nations in bringing order to the city during the early stages of the Russian Revolution.
1919 - The Versailles Peace Treaty is signed, which ends World War I.
1943 - USS Peto (SS 265) and USS Tunny (SS 282) sink Japanese hydrographic-meterological research ship Tenkai No.2 northeast of Mussau Island and a gunboat Shotoku Maru off the west coast of Rota, Mariana Islands.
(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
BRP (TSX:DOO)announced today the release of the next generation of Evinrude E-TEC G2 models with horsepower ranging from 150 to 200, the E-TEC G2 150, 150 H.O., 175 and 200. Building on the success of the 200 High Output (H.O.) to 300 horsepower models launched in 2014,the introduction of the new mid-range models will usher ina new era of outboard engines to even more boaters.
Combining thrilling performance with the most intelligent design and the cleanest outboard engine combustion technology available,the new Evinrude E-TEC G2 models deliver up to 30% more torque, up to 15% better fuel efficiency, and up to 75% fewer total regulated emissions compared to leading four-stroke outboard engines. Available this summer at BRP dealers, the new models will also feature a distinctive, customizable look that allows consumers to perfectly match their boat.
Our Evinrude E-TEC G2 technology is now the benchmark for outboard engines, said Alain Villemure, vice-president and general manager of BRPs Marine Propulsion Systems division. By expanding this award-winning product line to lower horsepower models, even more consumers can benefit from the industry-leading performance of Evinrude E-TEC G2. From bass to pontoon, center console to aluminum fishing, freshwater to saltwater, the revolution is here.
Available with integrated Dynamic Power Steering and i-Trim, Evinrudes intelligent trim system, the new G2 models deliver confidenthandling and optimal performance at any speed or in any sea conditions. Incorporating steering mechanisms into the mid-section of the engines also simplifies rigging for a cleaner transom. A 20-inch TRAC+ midsection on the 150HP models with i-Trim is also available for boaters that want a lighter package without integrated power steering.
With no required break-in period and featuring standard push-button automatic winterization, the E-TEC G2 product line is one of the easiest engines to own and is covered by an unparalleled warranty five-years including corrosion with no dealer-scheduled maintenance for five years or 500 hours.E-TEC G2 engines are the first and only completely customizable outboards and new for this year, now available in Mossy Oak and Ice Blue.
BRP dealers and boat builders from around the world, and members of the media were given the opportunity to find out more about this new revolution in the outboard industry as well as test-ride the new line-up during a dealer conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (U.S.) this weekend. The integration of sustainability criteria in the organization of the conference will allow this major event to be certified as a BRP Sustainable Eventfrom the Bureau de normalisation du Quebec (BNQ).
In addition to the new G2 engine line up, Evinrude also expanded the 2017 product year line by introducing two 60 H.O. models available in 20-inch and 25-inch configurations. These models offer consumers best-in-class performance in the 60 horsepower range and are a perfect fit for most applications where additional performance is desired, including aluminum fishing, multi-species, pontoon, bay and flats boats. The Evinrude E-TEC 60 H.O. models feature three yearsor 300 hourswarrantywith no dealer-scheduled maintenance.
Courtesy BRP
Marine-based commissioning work is now underway at Liverpool2, with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) committing vessel support to Peel Ports to help make the trial a success. Berthing and marine trials began last week with MV MSC Nederland and will be followed by a variety of cargo handling tests throughout July and August.
As well as 3,007 TEU MV MSC Nederland, four other MSC vessels will be used during the trials 2,668 TEU MV MSC Santhya, 2,768 TEU MV MSC Koroni, 4,340 TEU MV MSC Sandra and 4,355 TEU MV MSC Alyssa.
The five vessels operate on the two MSC services currently calling at Liverpool the North West Continent feeder service, carrying containerised cargo between Liverpool and worldwide destinations via Antwerp and Le Havre, and the Montreal Express service linking Liverpool and NWC hub ports with the Canadian port.
David Huck, Port Director, said: This is yet another major milestone for the project and were delighted to have the involvement of MSC in the initial marine commissioning and berthing trials at Liverpool2. Although the terminal has really been taking shape in recent months, seeing a container vessel alongside for the first time really brings home how much the team at Peel Ports has achieved.
Kelvin Wilden, Operations Director of MSC UK, added: MSC has supported the Port of Liverpool for over 15 years and were very pleased to make our vessels available for the final commissioning stages of Liverpool2. The port is integral to us being able to offer our customers the widest port network of any line in the UK. Were all very excited to be at the heart of the process over the coming months.
Liverpool2 is to have a phased opening through the summer with the first landside phase expected to be fully operational by autumn.
Peel Ports recently completed construction on weighbridges at the Port of Liverpool to help cargo owners comply with the new SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) international regulations on container weighing.
The multi-lane, in-process capability involved considerable work to install multiple dynamic axle weighbridges at the terminal AutoGates. It is linked with the terminal operating system and is able to automatically provide a verified gross mass (VGM) record for the container.
Marine power generation and climate control products manufacturer Northern Lights has opened its fifth branch office, in Kenner, La, to enhance service to Gulf and inland waterways boat builders and vessel operators.
The new Northern Lights Gulf branch, which will employ a full-time sales, parts and service staff, will warehouse marine, industrial and commercial series products. The new branch will service customers in the Gulf of Mexico and navigable inland waterways in the Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S., including the regions key ports: New Orleans, Houston, Pensacola and Paducah.
Brown water operators face challenges and opportunities that are unique in the marine industry, said Northern Lights Vice President and General Manager Brian Vesely. They contend with emission and competition requirements that deserve a focused, customer-driven response. With the opening of NL Gulf, we are solidifying our commitment to providing the industrys best support to this important marketplace.
Rick Stinson has been appointed Northern Lights Gulf Branch Manager. Stinson has decades of experience in the Gulf and Inland Waterways boating community, having spent the prior twenty years as Sales Manager for Thrustmaster of Texas, Inc. in support of sales and market development in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the east coast and inland waterways. He has over 38 years combined experience in the marine industry, including sales for Schottel propulsion systems, sales management for Iveco Aifo, distribution for Volvo Penta Marine and yard management for the original Halter Marine Group.
For the past 27 years, the Gulf and inland waterways has been supported by the Northern Lights South Florida branch, under the leadership of Nathan Price. Having established its dealer network in the area, Northern Lights said now is an appropriate time to open a new branch office to bolster service for Gulf and inland waterways customers.
Russia and the United States gave contradictory accounts on Tuesday of an incident involving the two countries' navies in the Mediterranean Sea on June 17, each blaming the other for what they said were unsafe manoeuvres.
The Russian Defence Ministry said a U.S. destroyer had approached dangerously close to a Russian warship, and protested at what it said was a flagrant U.S. violation of rules to avoid collisions at sea.
However, a U.S. Defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Russian warship had carried out "unsafe and unprofessional" operations near two U.S. Navy ships.
Recent months have seen a number of similar Cold War-style incidents at sea and in the air, with each country's military accusing the other of dangerous approaches in international waters and airspace.
In one such case, the U.S. military said in April that Russian SU-24 bombers had simulated attack passes near the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, with one official describing them as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the time that the behaviour of the Russian pilots was provocative and dangerous, adding that "under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down".
Russia's Defence Ministry, uneasy about increased NATO activity close to Russia's borders, said the latest incident "shows that it is U.S. sailors who allow themselves to forget the basic principles of safe seafaring and not to think about the eventual consequences of this dangerous manoeuvring in regions with intense navigation".
The incident involved the USS Gravely and the Russian Navy frigate Yaroslav Mudry, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Gravely approached the Russian vessel at a distance of 60-70 metres (65-75 yards) from the port side and crossed in front of it, it said.
At the time of the incident, the Russian ship was in international waters in the eastern Mediterranean, cruising steadily and without making any dangerous manoeuvres, the Russian statement said.
But the U.S. Defense official said the Russian frigate had "repeatedly crossed the stern of USS Gravely at close proximity" and had "repeatedly asked Gravely to maintain a safe distance, yet continued to manoeuvre in close proximity to Gravely."
The Russian ship came within 315 yards (290 metres) of Gravely and five nautical miles of the USS Harry S. Truman, the U.S. official said.
"These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries and could result in a miscalculation or accident that results in serious injury or death," the official said.
The Defense official added that the Truman and Gravely were conducting routine operations in support of the campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
The Pentagon was following up on the incident with Russia through military channels, U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov, Alexander Winning and Idrees Ali; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Frances Kerry)
Container shipper CMA CGM S.A. has crossed the 90 percent ownership threshold in Neptune Orient Lines Limited (NOL), enabling it to bring the Singapore company private.
Following its all-cash voluntary conditional general offer (Offer) for NOL which was launched on June 6, 2016, CMA CGM now owns 2,361,044,044 shares representing approximately 90.68 percent of NOLs share capital.
With the public float of NOL shares now falling below the minimum threshold of 10 percent, the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) may suspend the trading of NOL shares at the close of the Offer. In the event of a trading suspension, CMA CGM does not intend to take steps for the suspension to be lifted.
In addition, CMA CGM intends to have NOL delisted from the Main Board of the SGX-ST.
CMA CGM also confirms that it intends to exercise its right of compulsory acquisition to acquire all the NOL shares held by shareholders who have not accepted the Offer, in accordance with the Companies Act (Chapter 50 of Singapore), should it acquire more than 91.05 percent of NOL shares. An announcement will be released on SGXNET accordingly.
CMA CGM is offering NOL shareholders the Offer Price of SGD 1.30 per NOL share in cash.
At least two offshore oil platforms halted operations on Tuesday in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico after a fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mississippi shut a crucial pipeline that brings output onshore, several companies said.
The fire at Enterprise Products Partners plant in Pascagoula was brought under control, but officials were still forced to close the 225-mile Destin gas pipeline system that can carry 1.2 billion cubic feet per day from offshore fields to Pascagoula.
Destin, majority-owned by BP with Enbridge Inc a minority partner, said it was declaring force majeure, a legal clause that allows it to scrap commitments, as a result of the fire.
Offshore company LLOG said it was in the process of shutting its Delta House floating production system in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, a spokesman said.
Murphy Oil Corp said its Thunder Hawk platform was shut in after the fire.
Murphy added it plans to flow natural gas to an alternate processing facility and expects minimal disruptions to its operations.
Several social media messages from Pascagoula residents had said the blaze erupted shortly before midnight at Chevron Corp's 330,000 barrels per day refinery in Pascagoula. The Pascagoula Police Department said the fire was not at the Chevron refinery.
There were no injuries from the blaze, Enterprise said. The cause was under investigation. Enterprise took ownership of the plant from BP Plc on June 1.
(By Catherine Ngai and Liz Hampton; Additional reporting By Erwin Seba, Jessica Resnick-Ault and Jarrett Renshaw; Writing by Terry Wade; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
The U.K.s Meercat Workboats says it scored a hat-trick; the Hampshire-based boat builder announced it is moving premises, that Seawork was a huge success and that it expects to benefit from the recent Brexit vote.
MC28 is a 15m x 6m monohull workboat currently in build for Briggs Marine at the companys Portchester footprint near Portsmouth in Hampshire. To coincide with the end of the build, Meercat Workboats will be moving to Units 3a & 3b Hythe Marine Park, Shore Road, Hythe, near Southampton. The move is anticipated to take place in September 2016.
The new site is approximately 1,600 square meters, with two 20T gantry cranes, an electrical workshop, and a hydraulic workshop, aluminum welding bays, dedicated stores, offices and customer parking.
This move really is significant for us, said Meercat Workboats Managing Director, Jamie Lewis. Weve been searching for a new home for 18 months and its really great news that weve found a fantastic landlord in Oceanic Estates and superb new premises.
The footprint really is perfect - and we need it to deliver on our FY17 business plan and our current pipeline, Lewis said.
The company reported that it enjoyed an excellent Seawork exhibition in Southampton. Having exhibited MC26, the current 15m x 6m stock boat, in water, and also exhibited ashore, the business has three interested parties in the stock boat and two entirely new, serious, prospects.
With several interested parties we really expect to conclude the transaction by the month end, Lewis said. This really will be a very good win for us as the boat genuinely is fantastic.
Meercat Workboats said it is also looking forward to reigniting its export business based upon the recent EU Referendum.
The company has built 28 boats to date, exporting two to Norway, two to the Republic of Ireland, one to Sweden, two to Saudi Arabia, one to Tasmania, one to Peru and one to Australia.
With exports to date totaling a third of its builds, the business is best placed to maximize the potential of a lower value Sterling.
Nicholas Warren, the CEO of Burgess Marine, the parent company to Meercat Workboats, said, The referendum has given us a wonderful opportunity to reenergize our export business.
Domestically the business is performing ahead of expectations but to open up International markets again, to coincide with the firms relocation to better premises, is seriously opportunistic, Warren continued. Were genuinely excited about some very real export opportunities - this is great news for British workboat building.
Wartsila is enhancing its service offering by participating in a new maintenance hub in the Canary Islands. The facility, operated by one of Spain's biggest shipbuilding and ship repair groups, Zamakona Yards, will provide Wartsila's high quality service expertise to satisfy the growing needs of marine and power plant operators.
Wartsila will offer maintenance and repair services at a new maintenance hub for marine and power plant operators with special focus on the offshore market in cooperation with CCB Zamakona Offshore S.L. and Zamakona Shipyard, subsidiaries of Zamakona Yards, in Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The new custom-built service centre at the crossroads of the Atlantic, linking Europe, Africa and the Americas, will allow Wartsila to better serve operators with ongoing exploration, production and development operations in these regions.
Both Wartsila's customers and those of CCB Zamakona Offshore and Zamakona Shipyard will benefit from the local support and experience as well as from the integrated approach that focuses full vessel overhaul capabilities in one location. Wartsila will be able to provide high quality service expertise to offshore customers and other segments.
"The common maintenance hub will complement our global service network, as customers will have easy access to the Wartsila expertise required for the overhaul of our sophisticated machinery and equipment. The Canary Islands are an important and strategic area in the ship repair and offshore business, and we want to offer our services where our customers need them," says Till Siegmann, Director Service Unit, Wartsila Iberica.
Strategic location and expertise attract customers
Zamakona Yards operates in the Canary Islands and the Cantabrian Sea, offering a range of shipbuilding and repair services. The company has a strong history of forming strategic alliances with major equipment and engine manufacturers in order to provide comprehensive service. Wartsila has provided expert services to Zamakona Yards' mechanical workshop for more than thirty years and delivered engines for several vessels at the group's shipyards in Basque country.
"We are certain that this enhanced collaboration with Wartsila will create further attraction for ship owners to choose Las Palmas as the repair base for their vessels. The port of Las Palmas is an international port where more than 80% of the vessels are foreign. The location is ideal for ships traveling between Europe, Africa and America, and Wartsila's expertise allows us to offer them more comprehensive lifecycle services," says Alvaro Garaygordobil, CEO, Canary Islands Zamakona Yards.
Wartsila is increasing its cooperation with shipyards globally in order to provide expert support as close to the customer as possible, and these agreements are complementary to the Wartsila network of global service centres.
A judge in Henry County General District Court on Monday denied bail for a man charged with murder and robbery in the March 8 shooting death of 20-year-old Damien Anthony Ferrell of Fieldale.
Judge Larry Gott ruled that Adrian Lewis Purcell, 33, of Reidsville, North Carolina, had not overcome the presumption against bail on charges of first-degree murder, robbery, firearm possession/transportation by a convicted violent felon and use of a firearm in committing a felony.
Anna Hill, Purcells fiancee who lives with him at 907 Windemere Court, Reidsville, requested bail be set for him, said he would live at their home if he were released on bond and said she was willing to put up a cash bond. She also indicated she thought house arrest or GPS monitoring would be a good idea,
Hill said Purcell was on probation in North Carolina. She added she has known him more than 10 years and that he has been in jail some of that time.
Hill said she and Purcell have lived together for more than three years and have been in the present house since February, where her sons also live with them.
She noted she took him to Rockingham County, North Carolina, law enforcement officials, after he was charged with the current offenses, where he turned himself in. She indicated that he has no contacts in Virginia.
Purcells lawyer, Harold "Chip" Slate II, argued that a reasonable bail should be set. He said the charges are just allegations at this point and that others were present when the offenses are alleged to have occurred.
Henry County Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Dawn Futrell argued that no bail should be set. She argued Purcell had not rebutted (or overcome) the presumption against bail being set on the charges. She pointed out that Purcell had to be extradited from North Carolina to Henry County.
Purcell was one of four men originally charged with murder, robbery and related weapons charges in the shooting death of Ferrell. In May, Judge Gott found probable cause to move forward with the case against 20-year-old Malik Davon Galloway, of 45 Vera Drive, Collinsville, on charges of first-degree murder, robbery, use of a firearm in the commission of murder and possession/transportation of a weapon by a violent felon.
At that time, Gott found no reason to move forward with the cases against co-defendants 19-year-old Kerry Marcel Scales Jr. of Bassett and 18-year-old Sean Demetrus Goddard of Martinsville. Both had been charged with first-degree murder, robbery and use of a firearm during the commission of murder.
At the time of the May court hearing, Purcell was incarcerated in North Carolina.
Kaitlynn Dowling, girlfriend of Damien Anthony Ferrell, testified at that hearing that around 11 or 11:30 p.m. on March 7, Ferrell got a text message from Galloways phone, saying that he and his uncle (Purcell) were coming to the home at 167 Chadmore Drive in Fieldale to buy some marijuana. About 30 minutes later, Galloway, Purcell, Scales and Goddard arrived at the home, according to Dowling. She said Galloway, Purcell and Goddard came into the bedroom she and Ferrell shared and that Scales remained in the hallway near the door.
Dowling said there were multiple guns lying on the bed. She added that at one point, Purcell asked Ferrell if he had any pistols and pulled a pistol from his waistband, firing five or six shots. She added that Ferrell was hit by three of the gunshots.
Scales looked scared and ran, and Galloway grabbed "the big rifle gun" on the bed and ran, Dowling said. She added that Purcell took her wallet before leaving the bedroom, and at one point he pointed a gun at Ferrells mother before he left the house.
Her testimony was supported by another witness, Bassett resident Damian Cairo.
Also at that May hearing, Investigator Travis Hambrick of the Henry County Sheriffs Office testified that Goddard gave a statement that prior to the incident, he, Scales and Goddard were together in a car and Purcell came up and asked where he could buy "weed." As the four men rode together to Ferrells home, Purcell talked about robbery, but they didnt know whether he was serious, according to testimony. Goddard said that at the home, at one point Purcell pulled out a gun and said, "Give me all youve got," Hambrick testified. (Marijuana was found at the home.) Hambrick testified that Goddard said he left the bedroom before shots were fired and also that Purcell stole an assault rifle.
Also in Henry General District Court on Monday, Ronald B. Valentine, 49, of 7157 Axton Road, Axton, who is charged with hit and run involving injury asked for time to hire a lawyer, and the arraignment was continued until July 11 at 8:15 a.m. According to a criminal complaint, on June 17 at 10:15 p.m. at Sheetz Store in Ridgeway, Valentine allegedly struck a woman named Brittany Edlin and her 1 1/2 year-old child, causing them to hit the concrete. Edlin and the child were taken to the emergency department at Morehead Hospital, where they were treated for their injuries.
HENRY CIRCUIT COURT
Cases in Henry County Circuit Court on Monday included:
Steven Matthew Nelson, 23, of 1052 Tahoe Drive, Collinsville, was arraigned and pleaded guilty to two counts of distribute oxycodone (on Nov. 11, 2014, and June 12, 2015) and distribute schedule 3 controlled substance (hydrocodeinone and acetaminophen, on June 4, 2015). Judge David V. Williams ordered a presentencing report and set sentencing for Sept. 7 at 2 p.m. The commonwealth nolle prossed one count each of conspiracy to distribute schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance and distribute schedule 2 controlled substance.
Mario Peralta Osario, 44, 0f 30 Abby Lane, Martinsville, was arraigned and pleaded guilty to a charge of distribute methamphetamine on Jan. 23, 2015. A pre-sentencing report was waived, and Judge Williams set sentencing for Aug. 10 at 2 p.m. The commonwealth nolle prossed (discontinued prosecution of) one count each of distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance.
Marice Deshawn Carter, 26, of Martinsville, was arraigned and pleaded guilty to one count of distribute cocaine (on Dec. 5, 2014). Judge Williams ordered a presentencing report and set sentencing for Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. The commonwealth nolle prossed two counts of distribute cocaine (on April 22, 2015, and June 15, 2015).
A mental examination hearing was held for Herman Lee Estes Jr., of Ridgeway, who on Oct. 30, 2012, was found not guilty by reason of insanity of malicious wounding and threaten to bomb, burn, destroy or damage a structure. On that date, Judge Williams found that Estes was mentally ill and in need of hospitalization, and ruled that Estes be committed to the custody of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, according to court records.
On June 6, 2015, Williams approved a conditional release plan in which Estes would receive outpatient mental health services.
On Monday, Williams released Estes from that conditional release plan.
According to a criminal complaint for the 2012 charges, Allen Parks stated that on May 12, 2012, he and some family and friends were on the back porch of his home on Dale Avenue in Fieldale looking at photographs when a man (later identified as Estes) carrying a lot of papers and books approached them. Allen said he asked the man if he could help him. Allen said the man began to mumble words. Allen said he asked him to leave and the man punched him in the left eye. Allen said he then asked the man to leave and the man again punched Allen, causing him to fall back into a flower pot, breaking it.
Allen said the man then told him that "this place is going to burn to the ground," which caused Allen and his wife to feel very threatened and fearful, according to the criminal complaint. Allen had a cut on his left eye.
MARTINSVILLE CIRCUIT C OURT
Cases in Martinsville Circuit Court on Monday included:
Eric Lamont Agnew, 43, of 1538 Rivermont Heights, Martinsville, pleaded guilty to five counts of distribute cocaine second or subsequent offense (each count was amended from an original charge of distribute cocaine third or subsequent offense). Judge G. Carter Greer ordered a presentencing report and set sentencing for July 28 at 2 p.m.
Agnew was charged with distributing a total of about 4.9 grams of cocaine on June, 16, 17, 18 and 22, 2015, and July 2, 2015.
Agnews lawyer, Vikram Kapil, argued that another person, rather than Agnew, delivered the drugs in the June 18, 2015, case.
The commonwealth nolle prossed two counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine against Agnew.
TUESDAY'S WORD is cattywampus (kat-ee-wom-puhs). Example: The two-year-old came running through the room and afterward, everything ended up cattywampus.
MONDAYS WORD was paroxysm (par-uhk-siz-uhm). Example: There seemed to be no reason for the argument, both people were suffering from a paroxysm.
The Greater Bassett Community Market opens tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Bassett Train Depot. Its open mic night, so for any of you storytellers, musicians or poets who want to share your work, nows the time. If thats you or someone you know, just email bcm.gbac@gmail.com or call (276)-629-9450 and let them know youre interested. There will be vendors with supplies for sale, along with walking sticks, dish cloths, pillows, handmade cards and other things.
Todays Book Bingo will actually go on at noon at the Collinsville Library. Originally it was set for 1:30 p.m. but the time had to change. People can come play bingo, talk about books and just have a good time. The prizes are gently used books from the community.
The members of Christ Episcopal Church just want to help out the community. At 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, there will be a free dinner at the church, over at 321 E. Church Street. Anybody is welcome to come.
The Via-Wimbush family reunion will be held starting at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dehart Park in Stuart. Lunch will be served at 1 p.m. People are asked to bring a dessert and $10 for the meal.
If you want a laugh and love the unpredictable, Friday nights improv show is for you. TheatreWorks Community Players will perform an improve show from 7-9 p.m. at the Black Box Theatre. The cost of admission is $5 at the door.
In Defence of Marxism is committed to safeguarding your privacy. At all times we aim to respect any personal data you share with us, or that we receive from other organisations, and keep it safe. This Privacy Policy (Policy) sets out our data collection and processing practices and your options regarding the ways in which your personal information is used.
This Policy contains important information about your personal rights to privacy. Please read it carefully to understand how we use your personal data. We may update this Policy from time to time without notice to you, so please check it regularly.
The provision of your personal data to us is voluntary. However, without providing us with your personal data, you will be unable to (as appropriate): contact us; subscribe to our mailing list; subscribe to any of our publications; or receive information about In Defence of Marxism.
We collect information about you:
(1) When you give it to us DIRECTLY
You may give us your personal data in order to subscribe to a newsletter or publication, when you contact us by phone, email or post, when you sign a petition / statement, and/or when you donate money to us.
(2) When you give it to us INDIRECTLY
Your information will also be provided to us when you follow us or otherwise interact with on or via Twitter, when you like and/or join our page on Facebook or interact with us in other ways on or via Facebook.
(3) When you give permission to OTHER ORGANISATIONS to share it or it is AVAILABLE PUBLICLY
We may combine information you provide to us with information available from external publicly available sources. Depending on your privacy settings for social media services, we may also access information from those accounts or services. We use this information to gain a better understanding of you and to improve our communications and fundraising activities.
(4) When you visit our WEBSITE
We use cookies to identify you when you visit our website. Please refer to our Cookies Policy for details on the way our use of cookies affects your personal data.
What information do we collect?
We may collect, store and use the following kinds of personal data:
(1) We will typically hold your name and contact details, including telephone number, location, and e-mail address. However, we may request other information where it is appropriate and relevant, for example:
Your bank details or debit/credit card details (if making a donation).
(2) any communication preferences you give;
(3) information about your computer and about your visits to and use of this website including your IP address, geographical location, browser type, referral source, length of visit and number of page views; and/or
(4) any other information shared with us as per clause 1.
Do we process sensitive personal information?
Applicable law recognises certain categories of personal information as sensitive and therefore requiring more protection, including political opinions and trade union membership. In limited cases, we may collect sensitive personal data about you. We would only collect sensitive personal data if there is a clear reason for doing so; and will only do so with your explicit consent.
How and why will we use your personal data?
Personal data, however provided to us, will be used for the purposes specified in this Policy or in relevant parts of the website.
We may use your personal information to:
(1) Enable you to subscribe to our hard copy publications;
(2) Send you information about our work, campaigns, organisations and any other information, products or services that we provide (this will not be done without your consent);
(3) Provide you with the services, products or information you have requested;
(4) If you request, put you in touch with other supporters in your area (who have also provided such consent);
(5) Handle the administration of any donation or other payment you make via credit/debit card, cheque, standing order or BACS transfer;
(6) Collect payments from you and send statements and/or receipts to you;
(7) Conduct research into the impact of our activity / campaigns;
(8) Deal with enquiries and complaints made by you relating to the website or us in general;
(9) Make petition submissions to third parties, where you have signed a petition and the third party is a target of the campaign to which the petition relates; and/or
(10) Audit and/or administer our accounts.
Supporter Analysis
Google Analytics
We may use some of your personal information to analyse our digital performance, for example to see how our website can be improved to help us achieve the purposes set out in section 9 below, to record how you are using our website or to assess the popularity of different articles / campaigns.
For more information on how we use your personal information in relation to Google Analytics, please view our cookie policy by clicking this link cookies policy
You can opt-out of the collection of information for such purposes here: http://www.aboutads.info/choices
Communications, updates, fundraising
Where you have provided appropriate consent, we will contact you by telephone and e-mail, with targeted communications to let you know about our events and/or activities that we consider may be of particular interest; about the work of In Defence of Marxism; and to ask for donations or other support.
Donations and other payments
All financial transactions carried out on our website are handled through either:
PayPal (Europe) S.a r.l. (PayPal), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read PayPals privacy policy (available at https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=en_GB ) prior to effecting any transactions with us through PayPal; or
GoCardless Ltd (GoCardless), a third party payment services provider. We recommend that you read GoCardlesss privacy policy (available at https://www.gocardless.com/legal/privacy) prior to effecting any transactions with us through GoCardless.
We will provide your personal data to PayPal / GoCardless only to the extent necessary for the purposes of processing payments for transactions you enter into with us. We do not store your financial details.
Childrens data
We do not knowingly process data of any person under the age of 16. If we come to discover, or have reason to believe, that you are 15 and under and we are holding your personal information, we will delete that information within a reasonable period and withhold our services accordingly.
Security of and access to your personal data
We endeavour to ensure that there are appropriate and proportionate technical and organisational measures to prevent the loss, destruction, misuse, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or of access to your personal information.
Your information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff and volunteers.
We may also use agencies and/or suppliers to process data on our behalf. We may also merge or partner with other organisations and in so doing transfer and/or acquire personal data.
Please note that some countries outside of the EEA have a lower standard of protection for personal data, including lower security requirements and fewer rights for individuals. We may transfer and/or store personal data collected from you to and/or at a destination outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Such personal data may be processed by agencies and/or suppliers operating outside the EEA. If we transfer and/or store your personal data outside the EEA we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient implements appropriate measures to protect your personal data.
Otherwise than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will only ever share your data with your informed consent.
Your rights
Where we rely on your consent to use your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes or to be unsubscribed from our email list at any time. You also have the following rights:
(1) Right to be informed you have the right to be told how your personal information will be used. This Policy and any other policies and statements used on our website and in our communications are intended to provide you with a clear and transparent description of how your personal information may be used.
(2) Right of access you can write to us to ask for confirmation of what information we hold on you and to request a copy of that information. Provided we are satisfied that you are entitled to see the information requested and we have successfully confirmed your identity, we have 30 days to comply.
(3) Right of erasure as from 25 May 2018, you can ask us for your personal information to be deleted from our records.
(4) Right of rectification if you believe our records of your personal information are inaccurate, you have the right to ask for those records to be updated.
(5) Right to restrict processing you have the right to ask for processing of your personal data to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage.
(6) Right to data portability to the extent required by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) where we are processing your personal information (i) under your consent, (ii) because such processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contact or (iii) by automated means, you may ask us to provide it to you or another service provider in a machine-readable format.
To exercise these rights, please send a description of the personal information in question using the contact details in section 15 below. You can also unsubscribe from our email list by sending a blank email to news-unsubscribe@marxist.com
Where we consider that the information with which you have provided us does not enable us to identify the personal information in question, we reserve the right to ask for (i) personal identification and/or (ii) further information.
Lawful processing
We are required to have one or more lawful grounds to process your personal information. Only 4 of these are relevant to us:
Personal information is processed on the basis of a persons consent Personal information is processed on the basis of a contractual relationship Personal information is processed on the basis of legal obligations Personal information is processed on the basis of legitimate interests
(1) Consent
We will ask for your consent to use your information to send you electronic communications such as newsletters and and fundraising emails, and if you ever share sensitive personal information with us.
(2) Contractual relationships
Most of our interactions with supporters are voluntary and not contractual. However, sometimes it will be necessary to process personal information so that we can enter contractual relationships with people. For example, if you subscribe to one of our publications, or purchase merchandise online.
(3) Legal obligations
Sometimes we will be obliged to process your personal information due to legal obligations which are binding on us. We will only ever do so when strictly necessary.
(4) Legitimate interests
Applicable law allows personal information to be collected and used if it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate activities (as long as its use is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact individuals rights).
We will rely on this ground to process your personal data when it is not practical or appropriate to ask for consent.
Achieving our purposes
These include (but are not limited to) promoting socialist policies
Governance
Internal and external audit for financial or regulatory compliance purposes
Statutory reporting
Publicity and income generation
Conventional direct marketing and other forms of marketing, publicity or advertisement
Unsolicited messages, including campaigns, newsletters, and fundraising appeals
Analysis, targeting and segmentation to develop and promote or strategy and improve communication efficiency
Personalisation used to tailor and enhance your experience of our communications
Operational Management
Maintenance of suppression files
Processing for historical, scientific or statistical purpose
Purely administrative purposes
Responding to enquiries
Delivery of requested products or information
Communications designed to administer existing services including subscriptions, administration of petitions and financial transactions
Thank you communications and receipts
Maintaining a supporter database and suppression lists
Financial Management and control
Processing financial transactions and maintaining financial controls
Prevention of fraud, misuse of services, or money laundering
Enforcement of legal claims
Reporting criminal acts and compliance with law enforcement agencies
When we use your personal information, we will consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair in other ways.
Data retention
The length of time each category of data will be retained will vary depending on how long we need to process it for, the reason it was collected, and in line with any statutory requirements. After this point the data will either be deleted, or we may retain a secure anonymised record for research and analytical purposes.
In the event that you ask us to stop sending you direct marketing/fundraising/other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again.
Policy amendments
We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and reserve the right to update from time-to-time by posting an updated version on our website, not least because of changes in applicable law. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email.
Third party websites
We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website.
Updating information
You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com
Contact
We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer however we have a Data Protection Manager.
Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com
"For small to medium to national organizations, for events and fundraisers of any size, in any format live, virtual or hybrid the platform is built for scale."
Allegiant Airlines said Tuesday it will expand its summer service between Missoula and Los Angeles international airports to year-round, flying the popular route twice every week.
The carrier said the seasonal route is one of three it plans to expand starting in August.
By Martin Kidston
Full Story: http://www.missoulacurrent.com/business/2016/06/allegiant-provide-year-round-service-missoula-los-angeles/
Eddy Boissezion a repondu a la place de Stephan Toussaint, actuellement en voyage, a la Private Notice Question de Xavier Luc Duval a lAssemblee Nationale.
N.B. Il a eu une meprise de notre part sur le nom de celui qui a repondu a la PNQ, mille excuses a Stephan Toussaint et a Eddy Boissezon.
Private Notice Question 7 mai 2019 (29,3 KiB, 258 hits)
Partager et informez vous aussi......
0 shares Share
Tweet
LinkedIn
Articles similaires
Pravind Jugnauth a repondu a sept questions lors du Prime Minsiters Question Time lors de la seance parlementaire du 18 Juin 2019.
Partager et informez vous aussi......
0 shares Share
Tweet
LinkedIn
Articles similaires
CAT 2022 Exam on Nov 27: Admit card on Oct 27 for 2.56 lakh Applicants; Check Exam Pattern, 45 Days Preparation Plan, Syllabus, Top B-Schools
IIM Bangalore has announced to release the CAT 2022 Admit card at 5 PM on October 27. Conducted by one of the 6 top IIMs, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is the mandatory entrance exam for MBA/PGP admission in 20 IIMs and other top B-schools like FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurugram and IITs DMS. This year, IIM Bangalore is conducting CAT on November 27, 2022 in three slots of 2 hours duration each. The CAT admit card will be released a month before the exam date, so that the candidates may check the admit card mistakes, if any and get them rectified in time. Dr Ashis Mishra, faculty at IIM Bangalore and CAT exam convener has confirmed that there is a jump of 11% over last year in CAT 2022 registration number which has gone up at 2.56 lakhs from 2.31 lakhs last year. Number of applicants in CAT 2022 is highest during last 10 years of CAT.
Latest Updates
Top IIMs Make Changes in Admission Criteria 202
IIM Bangalore Drops Weight for Graduation Marks
IIM Calcutta Reintroduces WAT with PI Round
IIM Lucknow Gives High Weightage for Diversity & Work-Ex
IIM Ahmedabad Delays the Release of Admission Policy 2023
45 Days to CAT: Check How to Prepare & Balance 3 Sections
CAT Toppers at IIM-A, B, C, SPJIMR share Preparation Tips
2.56 Lakh candidates Ready to take CAT 2022 on Nov 27
Conducted by one of the 6 top IIMs, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is the mandatory entrance exam for MBA/PGP admission in 20 IIMs and other top B-schools like FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurugram and IITs DMS. This year, IIM Bangalore is conducting CAT on November 27, 2022 in three slots of 2 hours duration each and will release the CAT admit card on October 27, a month before the exam date, so that the candidates may check the admit card mistakes, if any and get them rectified in time. CAT convener, Dr Ashis Mishra has confirmed that there is a jump of 11% over last year in CAT 2022 registration numbers which have gone up at 2.56 lakhs from 2.31 lakhs last year. Not only this, the CAT 2022 registration numbers are highest since the CAT exam was changed as a computer based test in 2009. Last date to apply for CAT 2022 closed on September 21. CAT Application Form error correction window is also closed on September 26.
CAT Date-Nov 27: Check CAT Exam Time 2022 & Schedule
CAT Exam date 2022 is Sunday, November 27. The Exam will be held in 3 sessions on the same day. CAT exam time 2022 is 2 hours for each of the 3 slots. Below is shared the revised CAT exam time 2022 and exam slots on CAT exam date November 27, 2022
CAT Exam Slot 2022 CAT Exam Time 2022 CAT Exam 2022 Duration Slot-1: Morning Session 8.30 AM to 10.30 AM 2 Hours Slot-2: Afternoon Session 12.30 PM to 2.30 PM 2 Hours Slot-3: Evening Session 4.30 PM to 6.30 PM 2 Hours
Check table of contents below and detailed explanation for each point regarding CAT exam details. Bookmark this page as it will give you all the latest information and updates on all the CAT exam details 2022.
Table of Contents What is CAT Exam? CAT 2022 Exam: Key Features & Highlights CAT Exam Pattern 2022: Key Changes & Revised Structure CAT 2022 Exam Syllabus: Overall and Section wise syllabus New Changes in CAT 2022 Exam Step by Step CAT Registration & Application Process CAT 2022 Previous Year Exam Analysis Best CAT Preparation Books for VARC, DILR, Quant Sections CAT Preparation with Top CAT Coaching Institutes Top CAT Coaching Centers in India Self & Coaching Mixed CAT Preparation Toppers Tips for CAT Preparation CAT Preparation with CAT Mocks: How do CAT Mocks help in CAT Preparation? CAT 2022 Cut offs for IIMs for Admission 2023 through CAT CAT 2022 Cut off for Non-IIMs: Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT other than IIMs MBA Courses Offered by IIMs through CAT CAT Exam Centers in India CAT 2022 Admit Card CAT 2022 Result & IIMs Final Selection Process 20. CAT 2022 Important Dates Important Changes in CAT Exam over the Years Important Points about CAT 2022 CAT Exam 2022 Notification: Key Details CAT 2023 Exam: Highlights & Important Details CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022 Why is CAT 2022 so Important for MBA Aspirants? Which IIM Conducts CAT Exam? Past CAT Conveners FAQs on CAT: Answers by Experts
1. What is CAT Exam?
Common Admission Test (CAT) 2022 is the mandatory entrance exam for MBA admission 2023 in all the 20 IIMs, FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur; NITIE Mumbai and hundreds of other top B-schools in India. More than two lakh candidates appear in CAT every year to explore admission opportunity in MBA programmes offered by IIMs and other top MBA colleges in India. Salient Points about the Exam are:
A computer based test conducted at more than 150 test cities and 400+ test venues
Since 2020, CAT exam duration is reduced to two hours from earlier three hours
The exam is divided into three sections of Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning; Quantitative Ability
Each Section in the exam has to be attempted in a fixed individual time limit.
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will offer admission on the basis of CAT 2022 score only and will not accept any other test score
CAT experts and toppers are of the view that CAT is not a very difficult exam but needs some smart and timely preparation to crack it with high score and as such to score 99 percentile in CAT, instead of cramming the heads with intensive knowledge based preparation, the need is to follow a smart IQ based preparation. More than 2 lakh candidates register and apply for CAT every year. Last year, more than 2.30 lakh candidates applied for CAT 2021 and 1.92 lakh candidates appeared in the exam.
2. CAT 2022 Exam: Key Features & Highlights
Following are the key features of IIM CAT 2022 exam details like CAT Full Form, Notification, CAT 2022 exam dates, Eligibility, Exam Structure among other details
CAT Full Form Common Admission Test,conducted on yearly basis for MBA admission by one of the 6 older IIMs Total CAT 2022 Registration number 2.56 lakhs, an increase of 11% CAT Entrance exam sessions Likely to be Conducted in 3 sessions Morning, Afternoon&Evening on same day CAT 2022 Conducting Institutes IIM Bangalore. IIMs are the CAT conducting Institutes CAT Entrance Exam Mode Computer based exam but not an online exam When to Check for CAT 2022 Notification From July 31, 2022 onwards, at iimcat.ac.in; MBAUniverse.com and in Newspapers Details in CAT Notification 2022 CAT Exam details, Application fee, Registration dates, IIMs & their management programmes through CAT Maximum Age Limit to appear in IIM CAT No Age Limit, Graduates with 50% marks can apply Number of Questions in CAT 2022 66 questions divided in 3 sections CAT Exam Time Duration on CAT Exam Date 2022 2 hours for each Slot Sectional Time limit 40 minutes for 1 section Name of sections and number of questions VARC-24 Questions; DILR-20 questions; Quant-22 questions Expected Difficulty level Moderate to Difficult Order of Sections Pre-fixed, no change allowed Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT 2022 for MBA admission 2023 20 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs, IMI, IMT& 1000 other MBA colleges in India CAT Exam Fees 2022 Rs.2300/- How to Apply for CAT Exam 2022 Application process is online only CAT Official Website for CAT 2022 Form Filling IIMCAT.AC.IN IIMs Application Fee No Separate Application Fee to apply for IIM. Registration Fee covers application fee of all 20 IIMs
3. CAT Exam Pattern 2022: Key Changes & Revised Structure
CAT exam since 2015 has seen many changes. Some of the key changes in CAT exam details in last 10 years are:
In 2014, CAT increased the exam time duration to 3 hours, increased the number of questions to 100 and reduced the testing window to two days
In 2015, CAT reduced the testing window to single day and two slots of 3 hours each. The number of CAT exam sections were increased to three from earlier two. TITA questions with No penalty of negative marking were introduced for the first time. This pattern is still followed
In 2020, due to Covid pandemic, CAT reduced the number of questions to 76, reduced the CAT time duration to 2 hours and increased the testing slots to 3 from earlier 2
In 2021, CAT further reduced the number of questions to 66 to allow more time for the test takers to attempt the test. No change in test duration of 2 hours was made
3.1 CAT 2022: Current CAT pattern
In terms of time duration, number of questions and sections the current CAT Pattern is as under:
120 Minutes Exam: CAT 2022 is a computer delivered test of 2 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam
CAT 2022 is a computer delivered test of 2 hours duration but it is not an Online Exam 66 Questions: Like last year, CAT 2022 exam will have 66 questions divided in 3 sections of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability. Earlier it used to have 100 questions divided in three sections
Like last year, CAT 2022 exam will have 66 questions divided in 3 sections of VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability. Earlier it used to have 100 questions divided in three sections 18-20 No Penalty Questions: Out of 66 questions, there will be 18 or more questions which will not have negative marking. CAT 2022 exam is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions.
Out of 66 questions, there will be 18 or more questions which will not have negative marking. CAT 2022 exam is divided into MCQ and Non-MCQ type of questions and the Non-MCQs do not carry negative marking. In case any non-MCQ has negative marking, a few MCQs are changed to no negative marking questions. 48-50 CAT Questions with Negative Marking: More than 48 questions in CAT 2022 are of MCQ type and will carry penalty of 1/3 negative marking
More than 48 questions in CAT 2022 are of MCQ type and will carry penalty of 1/3 negative marking CAT cut off Requirement by IIMs: A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2022 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round
A Minimum qualifying score between 70 and 90 percentile in CAT 2022 is required by IIMs in each of the 3 sections to shortlist candidates for final admission round IIM Shortlisting Criteria: Apart from High score in each of the 3 sections in the exam, if you have good academic profile with diversity, work experience, you are a preferred candidate to get admission into IIMs.
3.2 CAT Pattern 2022: Revised Structure of Question Paper
The table below shares the sectional order, number and type of questions in each section, questions with and without negative marking for each section for the 2 hours exam
CAT 2022 exam components MCQs (With negative marking) Non-MCQs (TITA Qs Without negative marking) Total Questions Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) (Time limit: 40 Minutes) 19 5 24 Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR) (Time Limit: 40 Minutes) 15 5 20 Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA) (Time Limit: 40 Minutes) 14 8 22 Total (Overall) (Time limit: 120 Minutes) 48 18 66
Source: Based on CAT 2021 Pattern Read all about Revised CAT Exam Pattern
3.3 VARC in CAT: Highest Weightage Section
As is evident from above, the section on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) in CAT is awarded highest weightage in the exam and its score can push-up or pull-down your percentile to a large extent as shared below
4. CAT 2022 Exam Syllabus: Overall and Section wise syllabus
Although the exam Syllabus is not pre-defined by IIMs, it overall tests the candidate on Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension; Quantitative Aptitude; Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning.During the last 5 years, CAT exam syllabus has substantially changed. Major changes in CAT Syllabus 2022 are:
The Syllabus is changed and contains different type of questions with a combination of MCQs & Non-MCQs.
25-30% Questions are no penalty questions now
Most of the changes in syllabus have taken place in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Section as the share of Reading Comprehension based questions has increased as compared to Verbal Ability questions
A few changes in syllabus have been introduced in Quantitative Ability section with more focus on Arithmetic questions
4.1 CAT Syllabus Section-Wise
Sectional Division Overview of Topics in the CAT Syllabus 2022 Weightage in exam Quantitative Ability (QA) Arithmetic, Modern Math, Number System Algebra, Mensuration, Trigonometry, Geometry 34-36% Data Interpretation& Logical Reasoning (DILR) Data Charts, Data Tables, Bar Graphs, Venn Diagrams, Seating arrangement, Team formation, Clocks & Calendars 30-32% Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Long & Short Passages Jumbled Paragraphs; Para-summary Picking the Out of context sentence from a jumbled paragraph 32-34%
Check Revised CAT Syllabus 2022
5. New Changes in CAT 2022 Exam
Last year IIM Ahmedabad brought about many changes in CAT exam structure. The process of changes in CAT is likely to continue this year also. With 2.5 lakh MBA aspirants registering for the exam, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is gateway to top B-schools in India including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta and other 17 IIMs and other top MBA colleges like FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IITs among others. The CAT 2022 registration process will open in August first week at iimcat.ac.in and will remain open for more than 45 days. For CAT 2022, it is expected that IIM Bangalore will also bring about more aspirant friendly changes in the exam.
It is likely that IIM Bangalore bring following changes:
Total Questions in CAT 2022 may reduce further from earlier 66
Number of Non-MCQs type TITA questions without negative marking penalty may increase
More changes in CAT may be brought to improve academic and gender diversity in IIMs
6. How to Apply for CAT 2022? Step by Step CAT Registration & Application Process
With CAT 2022 Registration extended to Sept 21, now you still have few days to register and apply for the exam. CAT 2022 Form Filling Process is divided into 2 parts CAT exam Registration form submission and CAT Exam Application form submission with CAT registration and application Fees. Important details about CAT 2022 Registration & Application form and step by step process to complete the CAT Registration and Application form is given below
CAT 2022 Registration process is online
You can register & apply for CAT 2022 online only on the official CAT website
CAT 2022 registration fee is Rs.2300/- for General candidates. CAT exam fee should be paid online only
The application process for CAT 2022 opens in August first week after release of CAT Notification 2022
6.1 CAT 2022 Registration (Process Closed): Check Step by Step Process
After getting 7 days extension, last date to apply for CAT 2022 closed on September 21. CAT 2022 registration and application process ccould be completed in 3 major steps. The process was further divided into few sub-steps. It took about 20-30 minutes to complete your CAT Registration & Application process including payment of CAT registration fees, provided your computer had good connectivity, you had all the required documents, scanned images of your photo & signature of required size and online fee payment instruments like credit/debit cards, Net Banking
Login to CAT website iimcat.ac.in and Create Profile Fill in the Registration & Application Form Make Online payment of CAT Registration Fee
Read in detail step by step process how to register and apply for CAT 2022
6.2 Previous CAT Registration Trends
CAT 2022 exam registration numbers have recorded 11% rise over last year. 2.56 candidates have registered for CAT 2022 as compared to 2.31 lakh candidates last year. This number is the highest during last 12 years. In 2020, 2.27 lakh candidates applied for CAT and in 2019, more than 2.44 lakh candidates had applied for CAT. The rising number of CAT 2022 registrations signify that candidates have to compete with more candidates in CAT exam and need to score high to get shortlisted by top three IIMs and other top MBA colleges.
Although the trends in CAT registrations since 2010 show a downward journey initially, but from 2013 it has been showing a rising registration count reflecting the regaining trust of CAT aspirants and anticipation of better career opportunities after completing MBA/PGP from an IIM or other top B-school
CAT Year Candidate Registrations % Increase/Decrease 2022 2.55 11% 2021 2.3 0.9% 2020 2.28 -6.6% 2019 2.44 1.2% 2018 2.41 4.3% 2017 2.31 -0.4% 2016 2.32 5.9% 2015 2.19 11.2% 2014 1.97 1.0% 2013 1.95 -8.9% 2012 2.14 4.4% 2011 2.05 --
Source: MBAUniverse.com Research & Analysis
Prepare for CAT 2022 with IMS Coaching Avail Special 10% MBAUniverse.com Discount on all courses | Join Now
7. CAT 2022 Previous Year Exam Analysis
CAT 2021 Exam was held on November 28, 2022 in 3 slots of 2 hours each at 400 test centers in 159 Cities in India.
CAT 2021 Overall Exam Difficulty Level was Moderate
Total Questions in CAT exam 2021 were Reduced to 66 from 76 last year
Questions were split into 48 MCQs and 18 Non-MCQs
CAT was divided into 3 sections VARC, DILR and Quantitative Ability
Section-1: VARC had Total No of 24 Questions with 19 MCQs and 5 Non-MCQs
There were 4 RC Passages with 16 Questions in VARC Section
Overall VARC Section had Moderate Difficulty Level
Section-2: DILR had Total No of 20 Questions divided into 15 MCQs and 5 Non MCQs
There were 2 LR Sets and each set was followed by 6 Questions
There were 2 DI Sets and each set was followed by 4 Questions
Section-3: Quantitative Ability had total No of 22 Questions divided into 14 MCQs and 8 Non MCQs
Arithmetic had maximum number of 9 questions followed by Algebra & Geometry with 5 and 3 questions
Difficulty Level was Moderate
99 percentile in the exam could be secured at a raw score of 90.
Read in detail Complete CAT previous year Analysis
8. Best CAT Preparation Books for VARC, DILR, Quant Sections
The Best Books for CAT Preparation should keep pace with the IIM CAT changing pattern. Every year different types of questions appear in the exam. During the last few years, the CAT has been modified completely. Most of the CAT preparation books in the market are based on the previous CAT exam pattern but the best CAT books shared here are the updated CAT preparation books which have incorporated changes with the anticipated question type in CAT exam. While choosing the best books for CAT preparation, it should be kept in mind that the books are conversant with the changed exam pattern and difficulty level. Few things to check in the books are:
Should Provide conceptual clarity on the relevant CAT topic
Rich on the exercises, practice questions and Mocks given after each topic
Caters your need to focus more on the weak areas with variety of practice questions
Latest edition of CAT preparation Book offers the updated exam pattern and syllabus also
8.1 Section-Wise 10 Best books for CAT Preparation
If you are self-preparing for CAT or are preparing with the support of CAT coaching institute, in both the cases, the latest edition of the CAT books for preparation as shared below section wise will help you in getting more conceptual clarity, practice questions and attempting the sample papers
8.1 Section-Wise 10 Best books for CAT Preparation
If you are self-preparing for CAT or are preparing with the support of CAT coaching institute, in both the cases, the latest edition of the CAT books for preparation as shared below section wise will help you in getting more conceptual clarity, practice questions and attempting the sample papers
8.1.1. CAT Preparation Books for VARC
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT - by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
- by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension by Ajay Singh
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
8.1.2 CAT Preparation Books for DILR
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning by Gautam Puri, Publisher Career Launcher
8.1.3 CAT Preparation Books for QA
How to prepare for Quantitative for the CAT by Arun Sharma, published by MGH Education
Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh K Verma
Check & Read about the key features, price for Best CAT Preparation Books
9. CAT Preparation with Top CAT Coaching Institutes
As short time is left for CAT preparation 2022, a few months of devoted preparation can enable you to crack CAT exam as it requires Smart Preparation. You can join a coaching as it offers expert guidance. Key aspects of CAT preparation with CAT coaching
9.1 Benefits of CAT 2022 Preparation with CAT Coaching
CAT coaching institutes help you to prepare for CAT systematically without deviating from your preparation path.
While offering smart and intensive preparation for CAT exam 2022, the top CAT coaching institutes help you to minimize the wastage of time with optimum utilization.
There are 1 year, 6 months, 3 months and 2 months CAT preparation time modules offered by the good CAT coaching institutes that help you crack CAT with high score
If you need to clear the concepts and build your basics before practicing sessions, CAT coaching centers suggest to start CAT preparation with a 6 month time margin.
10. Top CAT Coaching Centers in India
The choice of CAT coaching mode depends upon your interest, time, money and preparation level while preparing for CAT 2022 exam. Shared below are the top CAT coaching institutes with their key centres and available options for coaching:
Top CAT 2022 Coaching Institutes Class room or online Coaching City wise CAT Preparation Center Location TIME Both Delhi, Noida, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Gurgaon among total 100+ centres Career Launcher Both Delhi, Noida, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Gurgaon among 80+ centres IMS Both Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad among 50+ centres Byjus Online Online Coaching via Tablet anywhere in India & Abroad 2IIM.com Online Online coaching course with videos, quizzes, practice tests, and slideshows. Classroom coaching in Chennai only MBAGURU Both Centres across Delhi located in CP, Rajouri Garden, Pitampura, Kailash Colony Arun Sharmas Mindworkzz Both Mindworkzz has 3 centres in C P, Delhi and offers online coaching as well Endeavor Both Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune among 20+ centres across India BullsEye Online Offers Online Coaching Tathagat Classroom coaching Centres located in Delhi, Noida Alchemist Classroom coaching CP-Delhi, North Delhi, West Delhi and Gurgaon
CAT coaching Institutes offering Attractive Discounts, Check program details of Top Institutes
11. Self & Coaching Mixed CAT Preparation
CAT preparation can be self, with the support of CAT online or offline coaching or a mix of both. To begin and advance with your CAT preparation experts suggest:
You should have strong basics with clarity on concepts
Improve your weak areas and strengthen your strong areas
Consistent revision is required with Mocks, practice tests, Quizzes
Prepare a list of topics as per the syllabus and improve on each of them
Form a peer group on social media for preparation
Focus more on RC in VARC section; focus equally on DI & LR and practice more Arithmetic questions to clear the section wise cut offs
Time Management with Accuracy & Speed is required. Consistently improve on them
Consult best CAT preparation books and attempt their practice questions
Read Interviews and tips from CAT Toppers studying at IIMs, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI, on their CAT preparation strategy published on MBAUniverse.com and other channels
11.1 CAT Preparation for VARC, DILR, Quant
The section wise CAT preparation strategy is very important. Key tips to prepare for each section is as below:
11.1.1 CAT VARC Preparation
Go through the Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Syllabus
Choose the Best books
Read the strategy for CAT Verbal Ability Preparation of past CAT toppers How to Ace CAT Verbal Ability
Questions on RC passages in CAT constitute 70% share and Verbal questions are 30%. So focus and practice more RC based questions to crack CAT
Section-1: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC): Composition
Total MCQs (With negative marking) 19 Total Non-MCQs (Without negative marking) 5 Total Questions 24 Key Sectional Highlights 4 RC Passages with 18 to 19 MCQs; VA 5-6 Non MCQs divided into Para jumbles, Para Summary, and Out of Context Sentences
Check in Detail How to prepare for VARC
11.1.2 CAT DILR Preparation
DILR is the 2nd section in CAT exam. It plays very important role to clear the cut off percentile. The section has equal number of Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Questions. You need to practice more to score high in this section. Experts advise following tips to prepare for DILR:
Data Interpretation questions for CAT test your analytical skills of interpreting the Data given to you in the form of Table, Chart, Graph or in other form
Logical Reasoning for CAT constitutes 50% share in the newly created Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation Comprehension (DILR) Section in CAT
The goal of scoring high in CAT 2021 can be achieved with small but consistent efforts and time devoted to the DILR section.
DILR preparation for CAT requires you to first get as many as DILR practice questions for CAT
To move in direct DILR preparation direction, it will be better to refer to DILR questions for CAT with solutions
Section-2: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR): Composition
Total MCQs (With negative marking) 15 Total Non-MCQs (Without negative marking) 5 Total Questions 20 Key Sectional Highlights LR 12 Ques DI 8 Ques All in Sets of 6 & 4 Qs
Read Expert Guidance How to prepare for DILR
11.1.3 CAT Quant Preparation
Quantitative Ability (QA) is the last section in CAT exam. It can improve or reduce your CAT score substantially. To score high in this section, experts advise following tips:
A three dimensional approach is recommended on CAT Preparation for Quant section
Strengthen your basics and formulae in Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Modern Math and allied topics
Practise on variety of questions of different difficulty level
Finally solve previous CAT papers and Mocks for each topic. The more you do it, the more expertise in Quant section for CAT, you will get.
QA Sectional Composition
Section-3: Quantitative Ability (QA)
Total MCQs (With negative marking) 14 Total Non-MCQs (Without negative marking) 8 Total Questions 22 Key Sectional Highlights High on Arithmetic. Other on Log, Geometry, Roots, Algebra
Read Quant Preparation Strategy by Experts
12. Toppers Tips for CAT Preparation
Previous CAT Toppers studying at IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Udaipur, FMS, SPJIMR, MDI have shared with MBAUniverse.com their CAT preparation strategy and how they overcame their weak areas and scored high. The last minute CAT preparation tips from these CAT toppers are very helpful in improving your score in the exam. Check Below
CAT Topper Studying At CAT %ile Profile Shubham Bajaj IIM Calcutta 99.98 B-Tech in CSE from IEM Kolkata, worked with Nomura Nancy Jain IIM Calcutta 99.72 B.Tech from IGDTUW, worked at Tata Motors Ekansh Gupta IIM Calcutta 99.91 B.Tech, from NIT Jamshedpur. Worked at EXL Services as Risk Analyst for a US bank Nandan Goel IIM Calcutta 99.95 BMS from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, DU, worked at DE Shaw Yashvi Bansal IIM Udaipur 94.72 BBA Marketing from Auro University Surat Venkata Satya SrikarMedisetti IIM Udaipur 98.44 B.Tech from NITK Suratkhal, Worked in a pharmaceutical company
12.1 How did CAT Toppers Prepare for Each Section in CAT? Check Strategy
Sectional CAT preparation strategy as followed by these toppers is shared below:
CAT Topper VARC DILR Quant Shubham Bajaj; IIMC 1.Attempt 80% with 80% accuracy, much better than 100% attempt with 50% accuracy 2.VARC is not a lot about having a very good vocabulary knowledge or extremely great grammatical skills. It is more about comprehending what you are reading 1. Learn better methods for solving a particular LRDI set 2. Use Elimination Option, you can easily eliminate 2 options out of four and for the remaining 2 options, you need a little bit careful attention 1.Found Rodha YouTube playlist on Quants quite helpful for most of the basic understanding. 2.Referred to Prepzone daily events organized on the Facebook Page 3.Attended free workshops on topic wise discussion organized by CrackU on YouTube Nancy Jain; IIMC 1.Read from various online platforms. The Hindu, The Indian Express, Medium, Knappily, Guardian were some of the major online platforms I followed 2. Made it a habit to read at least 6-7 articles/day 3. Solved questions from question banks of the test series 4.Also followed Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit K.Sinha 1.Started with getting familiarized with a variety of sets 2.Began with solving 4-5 sets/day 3.It is important to choose the right sets in the exam 4.Daily practice and proper analysing of the sets are very crucial for DILR preparation 1.Build up QA concepts 2.Followed Quantitative Ability by Nishit K. Sinha and made detailed notes 3.Used to revise my notes regularly from page-1 till the last 4. Motive was to achieve good accuracy while attempting questions 5.My mock strategy for QA was mainly to solve the questions in three phases: 1)I would first attempt the questions that could be solved within 1-2 mins 2)Next to the question which I could solve within 3-4 mins 3)Questions that are time-consuming but could be solved In the end, if time permits, Id solve the remaining questions. Ekansh Gupta; IIMC 1.Started with 10 books, a mix of fiction and nonfiction books 2.Switched to CR practice over free resources like the GMAT club 3.Started practicing 4.VARC from previous year mocks, past CAT papers 5.Some telegram groups provide free VARC practice resources like RC a day or google form-based tests 6.Also enrolled for GEJO's VARC 1000 that helped me know the techniques or strategies I was missing. It was also a great practice resource too. 1.Previous mocks in a time-based environment was my strategy to tackle this section 2.Two YouTube resources that I followed were the LRDI master and Anastasis Shankar 1.Master individual topics and practice them as extensively as you can 2.I relied on the Cracku study room, used to practice there a lot 3.Was also active in some FB groups such as Elites Grid, Quantifiiers where I used to do freely available mixed practice sets Nandan Goel; IIMC 1.VARC is one section which requires existing acumen and little of current preparation 2. I solely focused on mocks and sectional tests 3.I made a point of attempting every question in this section, unless I cant understand the meaning of a problem. 1.Refined my basics using the material I had by attempting some questions from some chapters 2.Major preparation was through sectional tests and mock exams 3.There was no test in my student portal which was not attempted by me 1.Completed the material (TIME books) and had for 3 times, attempted each and every question. 2.Took sectional tests on a regular basis
13. CAT Preparation with CAT Mocks: How do CAT Mocks help in CAT Preparation?
CAT toppers are of the view that taking Mocks is of utmost importance as it is a very important CAT preparation tool. How to take CAT mocks and how they will help in your CAT preparation is shared by CAT toppers as below:
Shubham Bajaj, IIM Calcutta MBA student is of the view, I was more or less dependent upon mocks for most of my preparation. And I wanted the mocks, where the number of people attempting the mocks are more. So, I chose Time and IMS (both having 15k people approx). Key Tips shared by him are:
You need to keep solving the mocks on a regular basis, may be one mock or two mocks a week Even if a particular portion is incomplete, you should attempt the mock and test the concepts which you have prepared.
Also, for the chapters which are not completed, you will understand on how to have the roadmap for preparation for that particular topic.
Along with the mocks, mock analysis is extremely important. Giving 20 mocks and analyzing them is much better than appearing for 50+ mocks without analysis
Nancy Jain, IIM Calcutta MBA student shares, Mocks played a major role in my CAT prep. I started with 1-2 mocks/week and eventually increased it to 1-2 mocks/day. Key tips shared by her are:
Mocks provide with an environment almost similar to the actual exam D-day
With the help of mocks, you are able to keep a regular check on your performance
A proper mock analysis helps you understand your weak and strong areas.
Tweak mock strategies to remain prepared for the uncertainties
Ekansh Gupta, IIM Calcutta MBA student says, Mocks were a very important part of my preparation strategy and starting from April'20 I gave around 40 full-length mocks till Nov'20. Key tips shared by him are:
Main advantage that mocks provide you is to get habitual of the emotions that one faces during an exam. For eg if your one section was bad then mocks give you ample opportunity to learn from mistakes and how to control your emotions in the next sections
One other benefit that mock provide you if you are enrolled for two three mock series is a real-time analysis of your competition in actual CAT.
Nandan Goel, MBA student at IIM Calcutta shares, Mocks played a really big role in my preparation. Around 40% of the time of my preparation went towards mocks. I attempted around 45 full mocks (2-hr mocks) and around 200 sectional tests. Key tips shared by him to prepare for CAT through Mocks are:
Mocks give an idea about the different kind of questions and the level of stress which we can experience during the D-day
Mocks teach us how to manage the time while attempting the questions and also give checks to your state of preparation.
Read 100+ CAT Toppers Preparation Strategy
How A Graphic Designer, Painter with B.Tech- Nancy Jain cracked CAT with 99.72 %ile & Got into IIM Calcutta for MBA 2021
How a BMS Graduate from DU working at DE Shaw, Nandan Goel cracked CAT with 99.95 %ile & Got into IIM Calcutta for MBA 2021
Pragya Malik cracked CAT with 99.52 %ile & Got into IIM Calcutta for MBA 2021
14. CAT 2022 Cut offs for IIMs for Admission 2023 through CAT
All the 20 IIMs including the top IIMs namely, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore in which average salary in placement is more than Rs.20 lakhs per annum, offer MBA admission through high CAT exam score. The required CAT cut off percentile in all these IIMs for admission 2023 is shared below.
Top IIMs Minimum CAT Cut off percentile Required IIM Ahmedabad 80 IIM Bangalore 85 IIM Calcutta 85 IIM Lucknow 90 IIM Indore 90 IIM Kozhikode 90 IIM Tiruchirappalli 92 IIM Shillong 90 IIM Udaipur 92 IIM Rohtak 95 IIM Kashipur 92 IIM Ranchi 92 IIM Raipur 92 IIM Bodhgaya 92 IIM Jammu 92 IIM Sambalpur 92 IIM Sirmaur 92 IIM Amritsar 85 IIM Nagpur 85 IIM Visakhapatnam 80
15. CAT 2022 Cut off for Non-IIMs: Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT other than IIMs
More than Top 500 MBA colleges in India will accept CAT 2022 score for MBA admission 2023. Apart from 20 IIMs, other top MBA colleges with CAT cut offs in non-IIM category, include FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, SJMSoM IIT Mumbai, DoMS IIT Delhi among others. Some of the top colleges accepting CAT 2022 with their expected cut offs are as below:
Top MBA Colleges (Non-IIMs with CAT cut offs) Expected CAT 2022 Cut Off Percentile Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) New Delhi 97 Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon 94 SPJIMR Mumbai 85 DMS-IIT Delhi 90 SJMSoM-IIT Bombay 90 International Management Institute (IMI) New Delhi 90 Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad 90 K J Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai 85 T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal 85 FORE School of Management (FSM) New Delhi 85+ Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management (LBSIM) New Delhi 85 Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM) Chennai 80
Check and Read all about the CAT Accepting Colleges
16. MBA Courses Offered by IIMs through CAT
Apart from being the most important entrance test for the flagship 2 years full time post graduate management program (MBA/PGDM), CAT 2022 is the gateway for one year MBA programmes in IIMs and other prominent management institutes. Following are the various MBA courses and other management programs at IIMs in which admission 2023 is available through Common Admission Test 2022
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) MBA Courses Open for Admission 2023 through CAT 2022 IIM Ahmedabad PGP, PGP-FABM IIM Amritsar MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM IIM Bangalore PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA IIM Bodh Gaya PGP IIM Calcutta MBA IIM Indore PGP, PGP-HRM IIM Jammu MBA IIM Kashipur MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA IIM Kozhikode PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, EPGP (At Kochi campus) IIM Lucknow PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM IIM Nagpur PGP IIM Raipur PGP IIM Ranchi PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics) IIM Rohtak PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM IIM Sambalpur MBA, Executive MBA IIM Shillong PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE IIM Sirmaur MBA, MBA (T&HM) IIM Tiruchirappalli PGP, PGPM-HR, PGPBM IIM Udaipur MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, PGDBAWE IIM Visakhapatnam PGP, PGPEX, PGPDGM
16.1 Admission Process in IIMs through CAT
Step by Step IIM Admission process through CAT 2022 is shared below. Each of the 20 IIMs follow this admission procedure except the fact that 9 new and baby IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP) to avoid multiple individual PI rounds
17. CAT Exam Centers in India
CAT 2022 will be held in 150+ test cities at more than 400 exam centres across the country. List of State Wise CAT Test Cities is given below in the Tabular Form
State Test Cities Andaman & Nicobar Islands Port Blair Andhra Pradesh Guntur; Kakinada; Kurnool; Nellore; Rajahmundry; Tirupathi; Vijayawada; Visakhapatnam Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar Assam Dibrugarh; Guwahati; Silchar Bihar Aurangabad; Muzaffarpur; Patna; Purnea Chandigarh Chandigarh Chhattisgarh Bhilai; Raipur Delhi Delhi; New Delhi Goa Madgaon; Panaji Gujarat Ahmedabad; Anand; Gandhinagar; Rajkot; Surat; Vadodara Haryana Ambala; Bahadurgarh; Faridabad - Gurgaon; Hisar; Palwal; Panipath; Rohtak; Sonipat Himachal Pradesh Simla; Waknaghat Jammu & Kashmir Jammu; Samba Jharkhand Bokaro; Dhanbad; Jamshedpur; Ranchi Karnataka Banglore; Belagavi (Belgaum); Dharwad; Gulbarga; Hubli; Mangalore; Mysore; Udupi Kerala Ernakulam; Kasaragod; Kollam; Kozhikode; Malappuram; Thrissur; Trivandrum Madhya Pradesh Bhopal; Gwalior; Indore; Jabalpur; Sagar Maharashtra Ahmednagar; Amravati; Aurangabad; Jalgaon; Kolhapur; Mumbai, Navi Mumbai; Nagpur; Nanded; Nashik; Pune; Raigad; Satara; Solapur; Thane; Ulhasnagar Meghalaya Shillong Odisha Balasore; Berhampur; Bhubaneswar; Cuttack; Dhenkanal; Sambalpur; Rourkela Puducherry Puducherry Punjab Bhatinda; Chandigarh; Fatehgarh Sahib; Jalandhar; Ludhiana; Mohali; Pathankot; Patiala; Ropar; Sangrur Rajasthan Ajmer; Alwar; Jaipur; Jodhpur; Kota; Sikar; Udaipur Tamilnadu Chennai; Coimbatore; Madurai; Namakkal; Thanjavur; Tiruchirappalli; Tirunelvelli Telangana Hyderabad; Karim Nagar; Warangal Uttar Pradesh Agra; Allahabad; Barabanki; Bareilly; Ghaziabad; Gorakhpur; Noida - Greater Noida; Kanpur; Lucknow; Mathura; Meerut; Muzaffarnagar; Varanasi Uttarakhand Dehradun; Roorkee West Bengal Asansol; Bankura; Burdwan; Durgapur; Hooghly; Howrah; Kalyani; Kolkata; Siliguri
18. CAT 2022 Admit Card
CAT 2022 Admit Card download will start from October 2022 last week, immediately with the release of the CAT hall ticket by IIMs. IIMs will upload the CAT 2022 Admit card on official CAT exam website 2022. The CAT admit card release date may be extended by a few days in case the last date of registration for CAT 2022 exam is extended. The last date to download the CAT Admit Card is CAT 2022 exam date.
3 Steps to Download CAT 2022 Admit Card
Logon to CAT official Website Enter CAT Login ID & Password & Click on Admit Card Click on Download & Take Print of CAT Admit card
19. CAT 2022 Result & IIMs Final Selection Process
CAT 2022 exam official result declaration date is 2nd week of January 2023. However, IIMs release the CAT result in the first week of January. It is likely that CAT 2022 result may be released on January 5, 2023 in morning hours. Immediately after the CAT result declaration, IIMs will start announcing their shortlist on the basis of CAT scores and other parameters in their shortlisting criteria for final selection round. The final admission offer will be made to the candidates in the months of April/May 2023 by IIMs
IIMs release their individual admission process before the declaration of CAT exam result. The admission process in IIMs depends upon your performance in three major areas Your CAT 2022 exam score; your academic record and performance in Personal Interview round. There are three stages through which IIM Admission Process is completed, they are:
Stage-1: Performance in CAT Exam
Stage-2: Shortlisting by IIMs for PI round
Stage-3: IIMs Final Selection Process 2023 comprising WAT & PI Round
Your final admission offer depends upon your performance in all the above three stages of IIMs selection process. While the older IIMs conduct their individual selection process, 9 new and baby IIMs conduct common admission process (CAP) for admission. Remaining IIMs conduct their individual selection process. Sharing the details on selection process based on CAT 2022 for all the 20 IIMs, Prof Ashis Mishra, faculty at IIM Bangalore and CAT 2022 exam convener has clarified, IIMs shortlist candidates for the interview stage based on their own criteria, which may be independent of each other. The process may include Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI). Performance in the CAT 2022 examination is an important component in the admission process. IIMs may additionally use other factors such as the previous academic performance of the candidates, relevant work experience, gender and academic diversity and other similar inputs in shortlisting and ranking of candidates at various stages of the admission process. The processes, academic cut-offs and the weights allocated to the evaluation parameters may vary across IIMs.
19.1 Top IIMs Conduct Individual Admission Process
IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, Shillong individually shortlist the candidates and conduct their own admission process that award high weightage to academics, diversity, work experience apart from CAT exam score
19.2 Common Admission Process (CAP) for 9 IIMs
The final selection process at 9 new IIMs is conducted as a common process. One of the six new IIMs co-ordinates this selection process which is referred to as Common Admission Process (CAP). The CAP 2023 will consist of common WAT and PI round for 9 new IIMs namely IIM Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Trichy,Udaipur and some of the newest IIMs like IIM Bodhgaya, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Jammu.
19.3 IIM Nagpur, IIM Rohtak, IIM Visakhapatnam to conduct individual admission process
IIM Nagpur, IIM Rohtak and IIM Visakhapatnam do not participate in CAP round and conduct their own final selection process to make admission offer to the students. The final admission offers will be generated as per the merit lists prepared on the basis of CAT scores, Academic profile, Work experience and gender diversity in accordance with the weightage awarded to each of these factors.
20. CAT 2022 Important Dates
Following are the CAT 2022 important dates like CAT Notification release date, CAT exam date 2022, and CAT exam dates for other different activities:
Events CAT Important Dates CAT Notification Release Date 2022 July 31, 2022 CAT Registration Start Date August 3, 2022 CAT Exam form last date 2022 September 21, 2022 (CAT Registration last date Extended from Sept 14) CAT 2022 Registration Fees Rs.2300/- CAT Application Form 2022 Fees No Separate fee for CAT Application form 2022. CAT registration fees covers CAT Application form Fees and CAT Exam Fees CAT 2022 Error Correction Window Open from Sept 23 to 26, 2022 till 5 PM CAT 2022 Admit card Download Start date October 27, 2022 Last Date for CAT 2022 Admit Card Download November 27, 2022 CAT 2022 Exam dates November 27, 2022 CAT Exam 2022 Sessions 3 Sessions of 2 hours each CAT 2022 Result date January 5, 2023 (Expected)
21. Important Changes in CAT Exam over the Years
Journey of IIM-CAT has witnessed substantial changes. In recent years, number of sections and type of questions in CAT have changed substantially. Important changes in pattern and conduct of CAT are shared below:
CAT has changed from Paper Based to Computer based test
CAT now has 3 sections instead of 2
CAT has introduced 25 to 30 percent questions with No Negative marking
CAT Exam pattern over the past 12 years since it was computerized in 2009 has gone for perceptible changes. CAT paper pattern prior to 2009 was paper-pen based. CAT exam format was changed from paper based exam to CAT online computer based test in 2009. Even after that CAT paper pattern continued changing from 3 sections to 2 and then CAT pattern was changed to 3 sections in 2015. Since then CAT is following similar pattern. CAT 2022 pattern also remains the same as that of CAT exam 2022 pattern with 3 sections and 3 hours time although the number of MCQs and Non-MCQs may change.
22. Important Points about CAT 2022
Key points to note about CAT exam are given below:
22.1 When CAT is Conducted?
CAT is conducted annually.
Now conducted preferably on the last Sunday of November every year
The exam is conducted on a single day in three sessions morning, afternoon and evening with a duration of 2 hours for each session. From 2015 to 2019, CAT was 3 hour, two session exam.
The change in sessions and time duration is due to Covid-19 pandemic.
22.2 What is Mode of CAT?
CAT is a computer based entrance test of two hours duration
22.3 When to look for CAT Notification and complete CAT Information?
IIMs release all the details about CAT in leading news papers on the last Sunday of July every year. A day before this publication, the CAT convener sends the press release with important details about CAT on the designated web portals. The process to register and apply for CAT starts in the 1st week of August.
22.4 How difficult is CAT?
Despite being a highly competitive and most important MBA entrance exam in India, the difficulty level of CAT is considered moderate to high.
22.5 Scoring Pattern in CAT
Each correct answer in CAT is awarded with 3 marks. The raw score obtained in CAT is converted to scaled score and then converted to percentile score after allowing for equating and normalizing the scores for both the sessions in CAT.
IIMs and other top MBA colleges consider percentile awarded in CAT to shortlist the candidates for final selection round.
23. CAT Exam 2022 Notification: Key Details
CAT 2022 Advertisement or CAT 2022 Notification was released with all the details on July 31, 2022 by IIM Bangalore. CAT 2022 exam Notification as released by IIMs contains all the CAT exam dates, test duration & sessions, eligibility criteria, CAT 2022 registration dates & fees, number of test centres among other details.
Prepare for CAT 2022 with IMS Coaching Avail Special 10% MBAUniverse.com Discount on all courses | Join Now
24. CAT 2023 Exam: Highlights & Important CAT Exam Details
Following are the key highlights of IIM CAT exam details for CAT 2023
CAT Exam Date 2023 Sunday, November 26, 2023 CAT Entrance exam sessions Likely to be Conducted in 3 sessions Morning, Afternoon & Evening on same day Which IIM will conduct CAT 2023? IIM Calcutta CAT 2023 Testing Mode Computer based exam but not an online exam When to Check for CAT 2023 Notification From July 31, 2023 onwards Details to Check in CAT 2023 Notification CAT Exam details, Application fee, Registration dates, MBA courses by IIMs through CAT 2023 Top MBA Colleges Accepting CAT 2023 for MBA admission 2024 20 IIMs, FMS, MDI, SPJIMR, IITs, IMI, IMT& 1000 other MBA colleges in India How to Apply for CAT 2023? Application process is online only CAT Official Website for CAT 2023 Form Filling IIMCAT.AC.IN
25. CAT Eligibility Criteria 2022
Below are the important points that determine CAT eligibility criteria 2022
A candidate with minimum 50% marks in graduation can appear in CAT 2022
A final year student in graduation can also appear in CAT 2022 conducted by IIM
There is no age limit to apply and appear in CAT 2022 Read & Check your CAT exam Eligibility
26. Why is CAT 2022 so Important for MBA Aspirants?
CAT 2022 is the largest MBA Entrance exam for MBA admission 2023 in 20 IIMs and more than 1000 other top MBA colleges including FMS Delhi, SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, IITs among others who accept CAT score for admission. MBA admission opportunity at more than 20000 seats in top colleges, will be offered to the students for 2023-25 batch with CAT 2022 score.
So, if you are planning to pursue MBA from one of the top MBA colleges in India and also want to appear in only the best admission test for the best management institutes, Common Admission Test (CAT) 2022 is the answer. CAT is the largest and prestigious MBA entrance test and its score is accepted not only by all the IIMs but also almost all the best MBA colleges in India. It is the only MBA entrance exam which can lead you to MBA admission with your high as well as very low percentile. More than 3000 MBA colleges in India accept CAT score. These are high RoI low fee, moderate fee and high fee management institutes where you can explore MBA admission opportunity through CAT exam score. Besides, CAT exam over the years has become moderate difficulty exam with short duration and a graduate with only 50% marks can appear in the exam.
27. Which IIM Conducts CAT Exam? Past CAT Conveners
Going by the tradition, one of the six older IIMs conducts CAT on behalf of 20 IIMs for admission to their flagship MBA and other management programmes. In 2015, Common Admission Test (CAT) witnessed many changes when it was conducted by IIM Ahmedabad. Since then, the exam has seen various changes.
This year, IIM Bangalore is conducting CAT 2022 with some new changes in test content and structure. Professor Ashis Mishra, faculty in Marketing Area and Chairperson Admissions at IIM Bangalore is the Convener of CAT 2022 exam. This is the second time that IIM Bangalore is conducting CAT exam within a span of 7 years. Earlier, IIM Bangalore conducted CAT in 2016. Last year IIM Ahmedabad conducted the CAT 2021 exam with many changes. Below are shared the details of CAT conveners since 2015
Exam CAT Convener CAT Conducting IIM CAT 2022 Dr Ashis Mishra IIM Bangalore CAT 2021 Dr M P Ram Mohan IIM Ahmedabad CAT 2020 Dr Harshal Lowalekar IIM Indore CAT 2019 Dr Shubhasis Dey IIM Kozhikode CAT 2018 Dr Sumanta Basu IIM Calcutta CAT 2017 Dr Neeraj Dwivedi IIM Lucknow CAT 2016 Dr Rajendra K Bandi IIM Bangalore CAT 2015 Dr Tathagat Bandyopadhyay IIM Ahmedabad
28. FAQs on CAT: Answers by Experts
Q. Is CAT Registration Last Date Extended? What is the revised date?
A. CAT exam registration last date is extended by 7 days from September 14 to September 21, 2022 till 5 PM
Q. How many Questions are expected in CAT 2022?
A. CAT 2022 exam is expected to consist of 66 to 70 questions
Q. How difficult is the CAT exam
A. While some of the questions are of moderate difficulty level, some are more difficult
Q. Do IIMs provide any document and guide how to attempt CAT 2022 Exam?
A. IIMs release CAT practice test with complete navigation guide on the official website iimcat.ac.in. You can familiarize yourself with the functionality and navigation of the actual exam. You can also attempt CAT Mock Tests and CAT previous years question papers with answers at MBAUniverse.com
Q. Quant and DI questions in CAT require too much calculations. Can I take a calculator to the testing centre?
A. No, but the onscreen calculator is available throughout the exam. You can use that
Q. What is the Scoring Pattern in CAT 2022? Do the wrong answers carry any penalty of negative marking?
A.The CAT question paper is divided into MCQs and Non-MCQs. Each correct answer in CAT 2022 is awarded +3 marks for all the questions but the MCQs carry a penalty of -1 mark for each wrong answer. For the Non-MCQs (Known as TITA Questions), there is no penalty of negative marking. Besides there is no penalty for any unattempted questions whether MCQ or Non-MCQ.
Q. How a Non-MCQ is different from MCQ type question?
A. For a non-MCQ type question, you must type the answer in the given space while for the MCQ you only need to click on the most appropriate answer option
Q. What is the number of Non-MCQs overall and section wise in the CAT question paper?
A. Out of the total overall questions in CAT exam, there are about 25% to 28% Non-MCQs. The same principle applies to each section. Exact number of Non-MCQs in CAT 2022 depends upon the total questions in the Exam.
Q. Can I choose the order of sections while attempting the CAT question paper?
A. No, You should answer the sections in a pre-specified order. This order is same for all the candidates. Besides, each section has an individual time limit of 40 minutes, so after the individual section time is over, you will be taken to next section automatically.
Q. Can I submit the paper early and leave the test center before the exam time is over?
A. No, the CAT paper cannot be submitted before the test duration of 2 hours is over. You can neither leave your seat, nor can leave the test centre early
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, June 28, 2016
As part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, on July 1, Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey will launch a global hunt designed to unite Friends of Jack across the world.
The campaign, created with Arnold Worldwide, will have fans searching for 150 authentic, handcrafted whiskey barrels in more than 50 countries over three months. The barrels have been hidden at historic and cultural sites in the countries.
The hunt will kick off at the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Jack Daniel's will publish several clues, tied to the history of the region, each day on its Facebook local market pages, and on a barrel hunt microsite that will aggregate global activity.
advertisement advertisement
In each location, the first person to solve the clues, find the barrel and give the barrel password will take home the barrel, a one-of-a-kind bar kit, and prizes tailored to each region.
Updates and results will be shared as barrels are found around the world and prizes are claimed in each region.
The barrel is key to crafting Jack Daniels, accounting for 100% of its color and 70% to 80% of its flavor, according to Jack Daniel's master distiller Jeff Arnett, noting that the hunt celebrates the distillerys history and gives fans a chance to own a barrel and be forever linked to Jack Daniels.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, June 27, 2016
Handing a partial defeat to Viacom, a federal appellate court has revived a lawsuit accusing the company of violating New Jersey privacy standards by allowing Google to set tracking cookies on the kids' site Nick.com.
But the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected claims that Viacom also violated the federal Video Privacy Protection Act -- a federal law that prohibits video providers from disclosing certain information about consumers without their permission. In addition, the appeals court sided with Google on all claims.
The court's decision, issued today, stems from a series of lawsuits filed against Viacom and Google in 2012, when attorneys for a group of children alleged that the companies violated their privacy by setting tracking cookies.
Attorneys for the children alleged that Viacom violated the Video Privacy Protection Act by disclosing information about users. Google allegedly illegally received the data, the lawsuits said.
advertisement advertisement
The lawsuits also alleged "intrusion upon seclusion" -- a broad privacy concept that the appeals court described as "a type of invasion of privacy involving encroachment on a persons reasonable expectations of solitude."
U.S. District Court Stanley Chesler in New Jersey threw out the cases. He ruled that placing cookies on people's computers doesn't violate the video privacy law because cookies don't contain "personally identifiable" information. Chesler also ruled that the allegations didn't amount to invasion of privacy under New Jersey law.
Today, a three-judge panel of the appellate court reversed Chesler's decision regarding the invasion of privacy claim against Viacom.
The judges wrote in the opinion that Nick.com allegedly told visitors it doesn't collect personal information about kids. "We think that a reasonable fact-finder could conclude that Viacoms promise not to collect 'ANY personal information' from children itself created an expectation of privacy with respect to browsing activity on the Nickelodeon website," the panel wrote.
The ruling doesn't mean that Viacom will ultimately lose, but the decision paves the way for the case to continue. In that sense, it marks a loss for Viacom -- which is now in a worse position than it was before the ruling came out.
For its part, Viacom said in a statement that it is "confident that once the facts of the case are heard we will prevail on the one remaining claim."
At the same time, the appellate court's decision rejecting the federal video privacy claims marks a victory for Viacom and Google -- and could influence the outcome of privacy lawsuits against a slew of other companies, including CNN, Gannett and ESPN.
Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act in 1988 after a Washington, D.C. newspaper obtained Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork's video rental history from a local store. The law prohibits video rental services from disclosing personally identifiable information about customers' video-watching history, without their permission.
The 3rd Circuit said in its ruling today that persistent cookies -- at least in themselves -- aren't personally identifiable information. "In our view, personally identifiable information under the Video Privacy Protection Act means the kind of information that would readily permit an ordinary person to identify a specific individuals video-watching behavior," the appellate judges wrote. "The classic example will always be a video clerk leaking an individual customers video rental history. Every step away from that 1988 paradigm will make it harder for a plaintiff to make out a successful claim."
The judges elaborated that disclosing users' precise GPS data -- as Gannett allegedly did -- may violate the law. But they said other types of disclosures "are simply too far afield from the circumstances that motivated the Acts passage to trigger liability."
The court also warned tech and media companies to tread carefully when disclosing information about online video viewers.
"Our decision necessarily leaves some unanswered questions about what kinds of disclosures violate the Video Privacy Protection Act," the opinion states. "Companies in the business of streaming digital video are well advised to think carefully about customer notice and consent. Whether other kinds of disclosure will trigger liability under the Act is another question for another day."
Reuters, Tuesday, June 28, 2016 3:52 AM
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has put a hold on the annual Intelligence Authorization Act, a law that gives congressional approval to the CIA and FBI's clandestine operations. Wyden argued that applying the law to Internet behavior would erode privacy rights. The provision of the authorization bill would allow the FBI to access email metadata and browsing history without a warrant.
Read the whole story at Reuters
by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, June 28, 2016
Both the Trump and Clinton camps have released ads exemplifying tactics each will use as we approach the general election on November 8.
Last week, Hillary Clintons campaign released an ad titled Who We Are, focusing on the Democratic values she will represent as the partys nominee, as well as the rhetoric she stands against.
The ad includes clips from Trump speeches, where he says: Knock the crap out of him would you, seriously and I dont know what I said, ahh, I dont remember, while seemingly imitating a disabled journalist.
The Clinton campaign will have to fight hard to counter the continuous attacks pinning her as a Washington insider and quintessential establishment politician. Still, she has ample ammo to attack Trump, given the numerous eruptions that plagued his primary.
Her Who We Are ad presents the values, propositions and tone Clinton represents: Do we stand together? I know what I believe, its wrong to pit people against each other. Weve had enough partisan division and gridlock already. Its time to unite behind some simple and common goals.
advertisement advertisement
The ad performed well among Democrats, particularly in the millennial demographic. According to Ace Metrix, the ad garnered the highest overall score of any presidential ad among Democratic voters, surpassing Bernie Sanders' ads, which scored particularly high during the primaries.
The impact score was the highest among liberal voters, while millennial voters scored the ad above average on all qualitative measures.
The Trump super PAC ad, from Great America PAC, new last week, features a former navy seal, Carl Higbie, who pledges support for Donald Trump and his vague foreign policy prescriptions.
The Enemy heightens the fear factor by using the Orlando tragedy to display that the battlefield is moving here to our shores and our communities. The ad is evidence of the tone Trump wants to inject in the 2016 presidential campaign: fear.
Pointing directly at issues Trump will focus on as the general election nears, the ad continues: But this enemy wont be defeated by taking away our guns, or by weak leaders in denial [cue photo of President Obama] This enemy will only be defeated by strong leadership. By a commander in chief who understands this threat and is willing to make tough choices to protect America.
The Enemy scored the highest overall marks of the year among voters who are mostly or always Republican, and it was the most impactful Republican ad of 2016. Interestingly, it also obtained the highest relevance score among Independent voters in 2016, when it comes to super PAC ads.
Compassion and fear, two very different emotions, will remain at the center of the race to the White House.
A study of monkeys finds that infection with Zika virus protects against future infection and clears from the body quite quickly within around 10 days. However, in pregnancy, the virus can take three to seven times longer to clear.
Share on Pinterest The Zika virus spreads to people primarily via the bite of an Aedes-infected mosquito the same species that spreads dengue and chikungunya. The photo shows a blood-filled mosquito held under a microscope at a research lab in the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Image credit: Jeff Miller/UW-Madison
In the journal Nature Communications, researchers report how they are establishing rhesus macaque monkeys at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center as a model for researching the progress of Zika virus infections in people.
They note that what they have shown in the monkey model mirrors much of what has been observed in studies of humans.
Study leader David OConnor, a pathology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says:
We have good news for most people: If you are not pregnant and not at risk of becoming pregnant, you probably dont need to be worried about Zika. But my concern for Zika virus in pregnancy is much higher now than it was 6 months ago.
Zika virus spreads to people primarily via the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito the same species that spreads dengue and chikungunya. The virus can also be passed on through sexual contact, and a pregnant woman can pass it to her fetus.
In many people, Zika infection causes no symptoms, while others may suffer a mild illness for a few days, with raised temperature, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (itchy or sore eyes).
Few people infected with Zika need to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of it. For this reason, many people may not even realize they are, or have been, infected.
Scientists have discovered that the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax is evolving rapidly to adapt to conditions in different geographical locations, in particular to defend itself against widely-used antimalarial drugs. The study, published in Nature Genetics, provides a foundation for using genomic surveillance to guide effective strategies for malaria control and elimination.
P. vivax is mainly found in Asia and South America, and 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection worldwide. This species of malaria parasite is notoriously difficult to work with and the new study has created one of the largest genomic data sets of this species to date, which is available to all researchers.
The international team of researchers led by Professor Dominic Kwiatkowski from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, studied the genomes of more than 200 parasite samples from multiple locations across Southeast Asia, identifying the strains carried by each patient and revealing their infection history.
Unlike Plasmodium falciparum, its more widely studied cousin, Plasmodium vivax can remain dormant inside a person's liver for years until it emerges causing a malaria relapse. It is extremely difficult to grow under laboratory conditions, and patients have very low levels of P. vivax DNA in their blood. Only now, with modern DNA sequencing technologies, has it been possible to look in detail at the genetics of the parasite that causes relapsing malaria.
The researchers found that the parasites are evolving rapidly to evade anti-malarial drugs. They revealed that P. vivax evolved differently in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, probably due to the different drug use in each place. This study showed that the genomic signals could help identify local areas of drug resistance as they emerged, information that could support local public health staff.
Dr Richard Pearson, first author of the paper from the Sanger Institute, said: "We can see in the genome that drug resistance is a huge driver for evolution. Intriguingly, in some places, this process appears to be happening in response to drugs used primarily to treat a different malaria parasite, P. falciparum. Although the exact cause isn't known, this is a worrying sign that drug resistance is becoming deeply entrenched in the parasite population."
There are several possible reasons why P. vivax may be evolving to evade drugs used against P. falciparum. Many people carry mixed infections of both species of parasite, so that in treating one species the other automatically gets exposed to the drug. Unsupervised drug use where many people take the most readily available, rather than the most suitable, antimalarial drug may also contribute.
A further key finding was that, when the researchers identified patients who were carrying multiple strains of parasite in their blood, the genomic data made it possible to determine how closely the different strains were related to one another.
Professor Kwiatkowski said: "This means that we can now start to pull apart the genetic complexity of individual Plasmodium vivax infections, and work out whether the parasites came from one or more mosquito bites. It provides a way of addressing fundamental questions about how P. vivax is transmitted and how it persists within a community, and in particular about the biology of relapsing infections."
Professor Ric Price, from the University of Oxford and Menzies School of Health Research, Australia, said: "The front line drug used to treat vivax malaria is chloroquine. Our study shows that the strongest evidence of evolution is in Papua, Indonesia, where resistance of P. vivax to chloroquine is now rampant. These data provide crucial information from which we can start to identify the mechanisms of drug resistance in P.vivax".
Professor Kwiatkowski, added: "For so long, it's not been possible to study P. vivax genomes in detail, on a large-scale, but now we can - and we're seeing the effect that drug use has on how parasites are evolving. In the near future, genomic data will provide more powerful surveillance tools to those who are trying to tackle these problems and make decisions about how to control and eliminate malaria."
Researchers believe untapped consumer markets exist for ancient foods such as einkorn, emmer, and spelt, which fed large swaths of the world's population for thousands of years but disappeared almost completely during the rise of industrial farming and the green revolution. In an Opinion published June 27 in Trends in Plant Science, two plant breeders argue that the consumer demand in the US and Europe for high-quality, healthy food specialties presents an opportunity to reintroduce ancient wheat varieties and other plant species by creating "farm to fork" supply chains that satisfy consumer demand; provide niche markets for small farmers, millers, and bakers; and increase agricultural biodiversity.
"People are interested in diversity, in getting something with more taste, with healthier ingredients, and ancient grains deliver interesting things," says Friedrich Longin, co-author of the paper. He and Tobias Wurschum, both at the University of Hohenheim in Germany, say that consumer preferences in the US and Europe, driven more by a desire for novel products and healthy ingredients than a demand for low prices, create markets that ancient wheat species can fill. They say that by testing and analyzing some of the thousands of varieties found in gene banks, which carefully store seeds from the lineages of ancient species, agronomists and cereal scientists can select those best suited to both modern farming needs and consumer preferences.
Multi-grain breads and baked goods containing ingredients such as oats, barley, and millet are widely available, but the wheat flour in them comes almost exclusively from bread wheat, just one of the three species, 20 subspecies, and thousands of varieties of wheat cultivated and consumed across the globe for thousands of years. The development of industrial agriculture and the green revolution in the mid-twentieth century focused on developing cultivars that produce a high yield and have short stalks which are less likely to collapse in the field and expose the grains to pests and mold. Other varieties ceased to be commercially viable, and as they fell out of favor, traditional dishes and regional food diversity also began to disappear.
Many of these varieties still exist in gene banks all over the world, and scientists view them as an important source of genetic diversity. Longin and Wurschum say a multidisciplinary step-wise but holistic approach that looks at both agronomic properties like disease tolerance and yield potential as well as nutritional and taste profiles is needed to select the best candidates to reintroduce to the market. In their own research, they screened hundreds of varieties of einkorn and emmer and tested the 15 best candidates at four different locations in Germany. The results showed the importance of looking at these plants holistically. "When you look at einkorn, it is really fantastic looking in the field, but when you get the agronomic performance, it is low yielding and it falls down in the rain. But then we found there were so many healthy ingredients, and you taste and even see it in the end product," says Longin.
They also point to the sizable and growing market for spelt products as an example of how ancient grains can be successfully reintroduced in modern markets. Spelt, the main cereal crop in Southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until the early 20th century, nearly disappeared. By the 1970s, when its rediscovery started, only a few millers and bakers were still familiar with traditional spelt recipes such as Swabian seelen, a baguette-like pastry. Today, more than 100,000 hectares of spelt are grown annually in and around Germany, with an annual turnover of 1 billion across Europe and an annual growth rate of more than 5%.
Longin and Wurschum say that to successfully reintroduce other ancient grain varieties, interdisciplinary cooperation all along the supply chain, from plant breeding to nutritional analysis to marketing, is needed, but they believe the end results can create a self-financing strategy for providing high-quality foods and preserving ancient species. Says Longin, "It would be worthwhile to look a bit more in the gene banks at what diversity is sleeping there that has been forgotten by the industry."
The largest systematic review of the care of elderly patients hospitalised at the end of their life has found more than a third received invasive and potentially harmful medical treatments.
The analysis of 38 studies over two decades, based on data from 1.2 million patients, bereaved relatives and clinicians in 10 countries including Australia, found the practice of doctors initiating excessive medical or surgical treatment on elderly patients in the last six months of their life continues in hospitals worldwide.
The UNSW Australia-led study, published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, has prompted researchers to call for better training for hospital doctors and more community education to reduce the demand for non-beneficial treatments at the end of life.
Dr Magnolia Cardona-Morrell, who led the research at UNSW's Simpson Centre for Health Services Research, said rapid advances in medical technology have fuelled unrealistic community expectations of the healing power of hospital doctors and their ability to ensure patients' survival.
"It is not unusual for family members to refuse to accept the fact that their loved one is naturally dying of old age and its associated complications and so they pressure doctors to attempt heroic interventions," Dr Cardona-Morrell said.
"Doctors also struggle with the uncertainty of the duration of the dying trajectory and are torn by the ethical dilemma of delivering what they were trained to do, save lives, versus respecting the patient's right to die with dignity."
The study revealed 33% of elderly patients with advanced, irreversible chronic conditions were given non-beneficial interventions such as admission to intensive care or chemotherapy in the last two weeks of life while others who had not-for-resuscitation orders were still given CPR.
The researchers also found evidence of invasive procedures, unnecessary imaging and blood tests, intensive cardiac monitoring and concurrent treatment of other multiple acute conditions with complex medications that made little or no difference to the outcome, but which could prevent a comfortable death for patients.
"Our findings indicate the persistent ambiguity or conflict about what treatment is deemed beneficial and a culture of 'doing everything possible'," Dr Cardona-Morrell said.
"The lack of agreed definitions in the medical community of what constitutes 'treatment futility' also makes a global dialogue challenging.
"However, using data from these studies we have defined as non-beneficial those procedures or medical treatments administered to elderly people in terminal stages of disease which prolong suffering rather than survival, that can potentially cause harm, are sometimes given against patients' wishes and are unlikely to improve the person's health or quality of remaining life.
"More importantly, we have identified measurable indicators and strategies to minimise this type of intervention. An honest and open discussion with patients or their families is a good start to avoid non-beneficial treatments. We hope hospitals can monitor these indicators during their quality improvement activities," Dr Cardona-Morrell said.
A paper published last year in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care describes an assessment tool developed by UNSW researchers that helps doctors and caregivers more accurately identify elderly patients whose death is imminent and unavoidable at the time of hospital admission.
As the elderly and frail population grows, the number of attendances to emergency rooms and admissions to acute hospitals is also expected to increase.
"More training for doctors will help them let go of the fear of a wrong prognosis, because they will be better able to identify patients near the end of life," Dr Cardona-Morrell said.
"As a community we must also stop shying away from the topic of death. Start a discussion now with your elderly loves ones about their end of life care preferences before they become too ill to have that conversation."
Co-authors of the study are UNSW's Professor Robin Turner and Professor of Intensive Care Ken Hillman, intensive care specialists Matthew Anstey from Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA and Imogen Mitchell from the Canberra Hospital, ACT and Mr James Kim from Western Sydney University.
The global analysis of 38 studies included patients, bereaved relatives, doctors and nurses from the USA, Canada, England, Australia, France, Holland, Brazil, Taiwan, South Korea and Israel. The research was supported by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
Article: Non-beneficial treatments in hospital at the end of life: a systematic review on extent of the problem, M Cardona-Morrell, JCH Kim, RM Turner, M Anstey, IA Mitchell, K Hillman, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzw060, published online 27 June 2016.
TORONTO , Oct. 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Most parents wish the world for their children on their birthday. But what if you were to instead wish for their survival? The David Foster Foundation shares a unique, heartfelt story of Evanne, a two-time ...
Quote on Incurable Diseases
Incurable diseases are disorders of infectious, non-infectious, genetic, metabolic, neoplastic or autoimmune nature that do not currently have a cure. Incurable diseases include rare diseases which in 80% of cases are genetic in nature.
Advertisement
As expected, erythritol was effective in killing off the flies. Two of the polyols - malitol and xylitol - showed no noticeable effect on the flies. But the fourth artificial sweetener, D-mannitol, was found to be poisonous only to female flies."We are excited but a bit puzzled by this finding," said O'Donnell.O'Donnell and Marenda were joined by Kaitlin Baudier, a Drexel biology graduate student, in publishing the findings of their study in theunder the title 'Non-Nutritive Polyol Sweeteners Differ in Insecticidal Activity When Ingested by Adult(Diptera:Drosophilidae)'.For the study, flies were divided into groups and assigned a sweetener for their consumption. Two control groups were also a part of the study: One group had sucrose, a naturally occurring sugar, mixed in with its food, the other control had nothing mixed in its food. Using the flies' normal food to present the sweeteners was important because it showed that the flies were not simply avoiding eating.Data indicated a steep decline in the numbers of flies who consumed erythritol once they were fed the sweetener. They began dying at a significant number around the fourth day of the experiment. By the end of day six, they'd all died."We confirmed that erythritol is toxic to insects - specifically fruit flies - when ingested," O'Donnell said. "The strongest effect is specific to erythritol. Other similar compounds were either not effective at reducing fly longevity or had limited effects."D-mannitol is a sweetener typically used to sweeten gum or add a coating to hard candy or dried fruit for those with diabetes. The flies given it didn't display any noticeable signs of toxicity for roughly a week.It was around the seventh day of the experiment when the D-mannitol group began to display a higher death rate. By day 12, it was a statistically significant difference. And on day 17, the last day of the experiment, the flies that consumed D-mannitol were half as likely to survive as the flies in other groups (flies given malitol and xylitol displayed no significant difference in lifespan from the control groups).Although D-mannitol doesn't appear to be as highly toxic for flies as erythritol, its lethality for female flies is significant: female flies were five times more likely to die than males after consuming D-mannitol."Implications for insect control could exist, because females are the real reproducers and affecting females can reduce population growth," O'Donnell said. "Furthermore, many social insect pests - such as Hymenoptera, which includes ants and wasps - have female-based colonies."It's unclear why the effects were skewed so firmly against female flies. O'Donnell hopes to study insect D-mannitol consumption further, as there are potentially very interesting [aspects] from an insect reproductive physiology perspective.Nothing in the study should influence whether or not someone adds artificial sweetener to their coffee or tea, however."All the compounds we tested are vetted and human-safe," O'Donnell explained. "The effects on insects don't really inform human health issues in this case."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
"Current treatments often fail because the tumours spread throughout the brain, and so can't be fully removed by surgery. If we can target this spread, it may be possible to make therapies more effective. When we target this one protein we block two key features of the tumour: its ability to divide and its ability to invade. It could be a combined therapy in one," says Parrinello.Scientists are not clear exactly how the cancer cells invade the brain in patients with this condition, though they know that one key route is through the space that surrounds blood vessels. It is also known that it's a critical subset of cancer cells that appears to favour this route. These are called "glioblastoma stem-like cells", or GSCs, because they behave in a similar way to stem cells in the developing and adult brain.GSCs are particularly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Scientists believe that this, and their ability to invade, could mean it's these cells that are responsible for the regular recurrence of glioblastoma after initial treatment.In this study, Parrinello's team used a cutting-edge technique called intravital imaging, to watch GSC invasion within the normal brain in real time. Using this technique, the team discovered that when healthy cells first develop non-cancerous mutations, blood vessels within the brain keep them in a compartment so that they cannot spread and cause damage. They found that the vessels do this by producing a protein, called ephrin-B2, which appears to immobilise the cells and hold them in place. However, when cells become cancerous GSCs, they are able to override this anti-invasion signal, and escape the compartment. Crucially, Parrinello showed that the GSCs do this by producing their own ephrin-B2, which makes them insensitive to the ephrin-B2 already on the blood vessels.The study also shows that a positive feedback effect comes into play along with the raised levels of ephrin-B2. At high levels, the protein appears to act as a signal, telling the GSCs to divide.The team tried blocking ephrin-B2 using mouse models created with tumour cells from patients with the condition, a "gold standard" test for potential treatments in people. They found that the tumour cells were unable to divide and spread through the brain. This resulted in tumours shrinking in size and the mice outliving those that did not receive the treatment, with some tumours disappearing completely.Parrinello says it is exciting that one treatment targets two key traits of a tumour. "The ephrin-B2 system is complex, but in this case it works in our favour. By blocking one molecule we affect two key aspects of the tumour," says Parrinello. "In addition, because ephrin-B2 levels are much higher in tumour cells relative to normal cells, blocking this protein should have minimal side-effects".Whilst an important discovery, the scientists expect that it will be many years before this treatment is ready to be tested in people. In this study, they explored one particular sub-type of glioblastoma. Parrinello now plans to investigate how other subtypes respond, and whether other signalling molecules play a similar role to ephrin-B2.Earlier this year, Parrinello won a 'Programme Foundation Award' grant from Cancer Research UK worth A1.5 million. Her Cell Interactions and Cancer group has also been awarded a grant from MRC Technology, which will allow the team to explore how this treatment might be used alongside existing approaches such as chemotherapy and surgery.In this study, the CSC scientists worked with colleague Vincenzo De Paola to set up the technique for intravital imaging of the tumour cells, with Steven Pollard from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Edinburgh, who supplied patient cells, and with Jorge Martinez-Torrecuadrada from the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncologicas in Madrid who developed the molecule that blocks ephrin-B2. Federico Roncaroli of the University of Manchester provided and analysed human tumour material. Paul Bertone from the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge assisted with the bioinformatics analysis of the results.Source: Newswise
Pregnancy is a very delicate time in the life of a woman, physically as well as emotionally. Therefore, when a woman detects a breast lump and is diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, it could have a devastating effect on her and her family. The joy of looking forward to being a mother could be replaced with concern for the self as well as the baby.
However, with the right treatment at the right time, cancer could be kept under control.
Breast cancer is a common cause of cancer in women, and cases of breast cancer have been noted during pregnancy, with an incidence of 1 in 3000 to 1 in 10 000. A term called pregnancy-associated breast cancer or gestational breast cancer is often used, which includes women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, during breastfeeding or during the first 12 months following delivery.
Diagnosis of breast cancer during pregnancy is often delayed by normal changes in the breast during pregnancy like tender breasts that may mask the lump in the breast. This could result in a delay of treatment and also worsen cancer outcomes.
The hormonal changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding may provide a conducive environment for the growth of breast cancer.
Pregnancy at an older age is an important risk factor for breast cancer during pregnancy.
Breast cancer is more common in women who are pregnant between the ages of 32 and 38 years.
The risk for hormone-positive breast cancer is less for those women who have had a full-term delivery at a younger age.
Advertisement
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer during pregnancy are similar to those that occur in a non-pregnant state. However, since changes in the breast take place during pregnancy with enlargement of the breasts and increase in density, the lump may not be felt and diagnosis may be delayed. Common signs and symptoms include:
Asymmetry between the two breasts
Inward turning of the nipple
Puckering of the skin of the breast
Blood-stained discharge from the breast
Lump in the breast or the underarm
Breast cancer during pregnancy is based on the following:
Reporting of a Lump in the breast by the woman
in the breast by the woman Examination of the Breast : A routine clinical breast examination should be conducted during pregnancy to detect for any lumps
: A routine clinical breast examination should be conducted during pregnancy to detect for any lumps Imaging Tests : Radiation exposure should be minimized during pregnancy and should be particularly avoided during the first trimester during pregnancy. PET scan, bone scan and CT scan should be avoided due to their associated radiation. Tests that may be performed during pregnancy include:
Radiation exposure should be minimized during pregnancy and should be particularly avoided during the first trimester during pregnancy. PET scan, bone scan and CT scan should be avoided due to their associated radiation. Tests that may be performed during pregnancy include: An ultrasound of the breast, which is usually safe during pregnancy.
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging). Contrast dye during MRI should be avoided.
Mammography. The abdomen may be shielded during the procedure to prevent damage to the fetus. However, the diagnosis may be missed on mammography due to increased density of the breast during pregnancy.
Biopsy: During a biopsy, cells from the lump may be aspirated with the help of a special needle (fine needle aspiration biopsy), or a part or the whole lump may be surgically removed. Once the cancer is confirmed, the tissue is subjected to additional tests for the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor type 2 receptor (HER2/neu), and multigene tests which include Oncotype DX and MammaPrint. These tests predict the spread of cancer and the likely treatments to be effective. Biopsy of the lymph nodes will help to understand if cancer has spread. Sentinel lymph node biopsy, a normal procedure where the first draining lymph node is removed to test for cancer, should not be done since it requires the injection of a dye, which should not be used during pregnancy.
Advertisement
Breast cancer per se does not affect the baby. Breast cancer during pregnancy should be treated early to prevent its spread. At the same time, treatment should be modified from normal breast cancer guidelines to prevent any harm to the fetus. Most of the available guidelines are based on limited experience with the condition. The benefits and risks of each treatment should be explained to the patient so that she can take part in the decision-making process.
Treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy depends on the:
Stage of Cancer: Staging of cancer is necessary to understand the extent of cancer, to assess the treatment options and the likely outcome for the patient. A cancer at a later stage indicates that cancer has spread and the outlook may not be favorable for the woman
Staging of cancer is necessary to understand the extent of cancer, to assess the treatment options and the likely outcome for the patient. A cancer at a later stage indicates that cancer has spread and the outlook may not be favorable for the woman Duration of the Pregnancy : Treatment of breast cancer that is discovered during late pregnancy may be postponed for a short duration till the delivery of the baby. Breast cancers discovered early in pregnancy may require some tough decisions
: Treatment of breast cancer that is discovered during late pregnancy may be postponed for a short duration till the delivery of the baby. Breast cancers discovered early in pregnancy may require some tough decisions Overall health of the patient and the baby
Preference of the woman
Surgery
Breast cancer during pregnancy is usually treated with surgery through the procedure of modified radical mastectomy. The surgery removes the entire affected breast along with draining lymph nodes, lining of chest wall muscles and sometimes some of the chest wall muscles. Risks of surgery include miscarriage of the baby or preterm delivery.
The other surgical option is to use conservative treatment, where only the cancer is removed and the remaining breast is retained. If this approach is used, radiation which is normally used along with conservative surgery should be delayed to after the delivery of the baby to prevent any harm to the baby.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy should not be administered during the first trimester due to the risk of fetal malformations. It may be given later during pregnancy, but there could be some risks like risk of premature delivery. Chemotherapy should also be avoided after 35 weeks of pregnancy and within 3 weeks of delivery due to a risk of reducing of blood counts. Drugs belonging to the taxanes group (e.g. docetaxel. paclitaxel) should be avoided.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormone therapy with the use of drugs like tamoxifen is used in the treatment of hormone receptor positive-breast cancer. Hormone therapy should not be used during pregnancy but should be delayed till after delivery.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy with drugs like trastuzumab is used for aggressive human epidermal growth factor type 2 receptor (HER2/neu) positive breast cancer. It should not be used during pregnancy because of possible harmful effects on the fetus, but can be used after delivery.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation is not used during pregnancy to avoid its harmful effects on the fetus, but can be used after delivery if a conservative surgery to preserve the breast is performed.
Termination of Pregnancy
Termination of pregnancy does not alter the course of the breast cancer and is not recommended as treatment for breast cancer during pregnancy. It may be offered as an option in case of aggressive cancers that require immediate treatment with medications or radiation that could be harmful to the baby.
Breastfeeding
Lactation may have to be suppressed to reduce the vascularity of the breast and facilitate surgery. Chemotherapy drugs may pass on through the breast milk to the baby and can harm the baby. Therefore, breastfeeding during chemotherapy treatment is not advised.
Another scenario that has to be considered is if a woman on treatment for breast cancer with chemotherapy or hormonal medications becomes pregnant. Under such circumstances, the option of termination of pregnancy may have to be offered due to the risk of congenital malformations with these drugs. If the woman was on trastuzumab, which does not cross the placenta in early pregnancy, there is a chance that the fetus may not be affected and the pregnancy can be allowed to continue if trastuzumab is stopped immediately. These recommendations are, however, based on observations of a limited number of similar cases.
Health Tips
On June 2, 2016, the liberal website Elaph posted an article titled "Racism on Egyptian Soil." The article, by Medhat Kelada, a Coptic Egyptian human rights and minority rights activist and head of the European Coptic Organizations Union, accuses Egyptian society of employing a double standard when it comes to racism. Kelada writes that Egyptians accuse Israel of being racist towards the Palestinians and of oppressing them, while Egypt itself is rife with racism, oppression and religious extremism. Noting that Egypt's revolutions sought to bring justice, freedom and equality in Egypt, but actually failed to do so, he states that Egypt's institutions, and especially the religious establishment, need to be "revolutionized". He calls to create a "new religion" in Egypt that can "produce people with values of love, loyalty and devotion to the homeland and to others."
The following are excerpts from the article:[1]
Medhat Kelada (image: copts-united.com)
"In our wretched region, we are not amazed to see a thief standing and preaching morality to people, or prostitutes preaching morality to virtuous women. Nor are we amazed to see a senior official cursing Israel for its racism against the Palestinians. We [Arab] peoples believe that we are the best in the world, that we possess the [best] moral values, religion and culture, and that we have a monopoly on the truth. We live in complete denial of the bleak reality and the even bleaker future.
"In our religious universities, students are [metaphorically] taught to eat human flesh, [yet] our clerics strive to outdo one another in giving speeches that announce to the world that these universities have never produced a single terrorist!... Our glorious nation is the perfect embodiment of the religious schizophrenia that typifies our entire region: everyone speaks of morality but does not implement it, speaks of nationality but does not understand it, speaks of honesty but does not know what it is, and speaks of manliness but does not actually live by this [principle]. We curse Israel's racism towards the Palestinians, while we [Egyptians] behave in a worse and more disgraceful [manner]."
Hinting at several incidents that happened in Egypt, Kelada writes: "Have you heard [of any incident in which] 300 Israelis stood around crying 'Allah Akbar' while ripping the clothes off an elderly woman? Have you heard of Israel persecuting Palestinians and deporting them for 'liking' something on Facebook? Have you heard of [Israel] arresting four five-year-old children for making fun of ISIS? Have you heard of any Israeli torching 85 churches in two days? Have you heard of Israeli schoolchildren gathering to protest the appointment of a Palestinian principal at their school? Have you heard of any case in which the Israeli government was forced to fire the head of a local authority who had just been appointed, [just because] he was Muslim?... And there are dozens of [other] living examples of flagrant racism in Egypt's history...
"Our people and regime suffer from a disease of hatred and lack of achievement. Hundreds of thousands [of students] imbibe this hatred at religious schools that are closed to [non-Muslims]. Every year these schools produce hundreds of thousands of half-humans who do not recognize that other people exist or that [these people] have a homeland. They live inside a single [monolithic] culture and teach millions of others [the meaning of] real racism...
"There is a direct correlation between the disease and the treatment: the more severe the disease, the more radical the treatment. [The diseased of] the Egyptian institutions [is severe enough] to warrant a revolution. [They must be] subjected to harsh and brutal criticism that might defeat the religious narcissists who mistakenly think they are the best - [when the fact is that they are] bankrupt in terms of their human, moral and national values.
"[The Egyptian] people staged two revolutions against oppression and corruption under the slogan "justice, freedom and equality" - but we have no justice, no freedom and no equality. Instead, we have injustice, racism, prisons and security apparatuses that are experts at faking charges against [regime] opponents.
"We need an internal revolution. We need nuclear bombs that can breach the walls of religious narcissism... We need self-flagellation. We need a revolution in order to end the double standard and oppression and punish those responsible [for the situation], dismiss them [from their posts] and firmly hold them to account, if necessary. We need to eradicate the obsolete thinking that has guided Egypt since 1952, which holds that 'the cronies [of the ruler] supersede the experts,' regardless of their mistakes, failures and ignorance, and often regardless of their racism...
"Finally, we need a new religion that can produce people with values of love, loyalty and devotion to the homeland and to others. In order to prove we are better than Israel, we do not need preachers but rather citizens who love their country. [But] I wonder: will we ever see that day?!"
Endnote:
COLUMBUS Youd think it would be difficult to get a group of teenagers excited about a school trip that begins well before the crack of dawn in the middle of summer vacation.
But that didnt seem to be an issue Monday morning as five members of the Lakeview FBLA chapter were finalizing their preparations for the National Leadership Conference that begins Wednesday in Atlanta.
The students Cole Tessendorf, Blake Langmack, Derek Smith, Lucas Briggs and Mallory Foltz have been preparing for the four-day conference since shortly after Christmas break, so this mornings 5:30 flight from Omaha wasnt going to break their spirits.
Theres just people from everywhere and its really cool to see everybody, soon-to-be senior Cole Tessendorf said.
Tessendorf qualified for last years National Leadership Conference in Chicago in public speaking I and hes making a return trip in public speaking II.
After crafting his message on how FBLA gives members confidence, he spent weeks perfecting the speech by reciting it in his bedroom, the shower and to whoever would listen.
I like it, Tessendorf said of public speaking. Its stressful, but I like speaking in front of people.
He missed out on the national finals last year, but believes a theme centered on how something as small as 1 degree can turn hot water into boiling water may make the difference this week.
I thought I had a pretty good speech (last year), but I didnt have a theme stated throughout, said Tessendorf, who finished fourth at the FBLA State Leadership Conference in April to qualify for nationals.
Hell square off against approximately 120 other competitors in Atlanta, and Lakeview FBLA adviser Jan Went likes his chances.
His speech is much stronger than last years, theres no question about it, she said.
Derek Smith, a recent Lakeview graduate, is also making his second straight trip to the national FBLA event. He qualified in business procedures in 2015 and teamed up with classmates Briggs and Foltz to earn a spot in website design this year.
The trio spent about two weeks designing a website for a gluten-free restaurant and bakery after creating their own backstory to bring the imaginary business to life.
It almost felt like it was real, Briggs said of the business, La Panetteria, which they assigned an actual New York address to and created a Facebook page for.
Foltz, who already had a website for her photography business, brought her design expertise to the project and Briggs and Smith added their ideas through the brainstorming process.
Shes really good with design. Lucas and I are pretty technologically inclined, said Smith, who plans to study architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Briggs, who will study education and psychology at UNL, said the design process and a PowerPoint presentation thats part of the national competition helped prepare the group for future projects in college and beyond.
They finished third among 40 entries at state but know they could have done much better if it werent for copyright issues that have since been cleaned up.
Other than that we would have had almost a perfect score, said Foltz, who is enrolling at Southeast Community College for graphic design before transferring to UNL.
Its an awesome website, Went added. Its really good.
The trip to Atlanta a first for all five students outside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport also includes a tour of the CNN headquarters, Atlanta Braves game, shopping and stop at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
More than 10,000 FBLA students from across the country are expected to attend the conference, which is why Langmack believes its the perfect place to network and meet new people.
Langmack, who will be a senior at Lakeview next year, will represent Nebraska as the state FBLA treasurer.
I felt that my involvement with FBLA could be taken to the next level, he said of the position that will have him speaking at a couple of meetings in Atlanta and helping a Lincoln East student campaign for a regional office.
COLUMBUS With a thick Russian accent, Valery Lantratov carefully articulated his words as he instructed the dancers on their next move.
Though the children had a hard time understanding what he was saying, they knew what he was doing ballet. And they were watching his every move.
Dance is a worldwide language, said Barb Ramaekers, who runs Barb's School of Dance and Desirees Dancers with her daughter Desiree Johnson.
Lantratov is one of three master dancers the studio hosts throughout the year to give students a chance to learn from new instructors.
Johnson said the program gives her students a fresh voice to hear.
(Its) just to reiterate what the girls have been learning from their instructors," she said.
Tuesday morning the dance studio was filled with boys and girls of all ages gracefully reaching their hands to the sky and pointing their toes sternly toward the ground as piano music played in the background.
Lantratov walked around inspecting the children's form as he spoke above the music, instructing them on their next ballet position.
Dance is a very important motion and emotion, the Moscow native said, gracefully using his hands to speak. Each position has self-character.
Since beginning his teachings in the U.S. a decade ago, hes traveled to 34 states, coming back from Russia twice a year to teach summer and winter sessions in studios across the country.
I teach because I am teacher. I teach dance because thats my passion, he said. My direction in my life is to teach children and professional dancers.
The 58-year-old retired dancer has years of background in ballet, graduating from a Moscow ballet college in 1976 and later being employed in a ballet group at a state musical theater called K. Stanislavsky and V.
In 1986, Lantratov was given the title of Honor Artist of Russia and in 1997 received the Popular Artist of Russia award.
Clinton ticked off a list of items that GOP congressional leaders have refused to schedule for a vote. They include a proposed immigration overhaul, holding confirmation hearings to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, and strengthening background checks and banning firearms sales to people on the government no-fly list.
Her remarks come as voter unrest has fueled the outsider candidacies of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, as well as her Democratic primary opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"Leaders in Congress refuse to act on a wide range of issues that really matter to American working families," Clinton said during an address to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis.
"I know we can respect the Second Amendment and make common-sense reforms," she said. "Yet Congress is paralyzed. Not a filibuster in the Senate, not a sit-in in the House could convince the leadership to move forward. I really believe the American people deserve better."
Clinton was referring to an effort by Democrats in the Senate and House to advance gun control legislation in the aftermath of the deadly Orlando nightclub shooting. The National Rifle Association opposed the measures. Senate Democrats held a 15-hour filibuster over the issue, while those in the House held a 25-hour sit-in that ground proceedings nearly to a halt last week.
She also touched on the Senate's refusal to hold confirmation hearings for President Barack Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland.
"They could vote down Judge Garland but instead they refuse to act," Clinton said. "I think that is part of what is driving the frustration on the part of so many Americans. Let's have a vote. We're a democracy. Either vote somebody up or vote somebody down."
Clinton also contrasted Republicans in Congress with the mayors in the audience.
"Mayors show up. You do your job. The American people show up and do their job. We should expect nothing less from the United States Congress," Clinton said. "Instead of solving problems, Washington is too often making them worse."
Francis was asked Sunday en route home from Armenia if he agreed with one of his top advisers, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who told a conference in Dublin in the days after the deadly Orlando gay club attack that the church owes an apology to gays for having marginalized them.
Francis responded with a variation of his famous "Who am I to judge?" comment and a repetition of church teaching that gays must not be discriminated against but treated with respect.
He said some politicized behaviors of the homosexual community can be condemned for being "a bit offensive for others." But he said: "Someone who has this condition, who has good will and is searching for God, who are we to judge?"
"We must accompany them," Francis said.
"I think the church must not only apologize ... to a gay person it offended, but we must apologize to the poor, to women who have been exploited, to children forced into labor, apologize for having blessed so many weapons" and for having failed to accompany families who faced divorces or experienced other problems.
Francis uttered his "Who am I to judge?" comment during his first airborne press conference in 2013, signaling a new era of acceptance and welcome for gays in the church. Francis followed up by meeting with gay and transgender faithful, and most significantly, by responding to claims that he met with anti-gay marriage campaigner Kim Davis during his U.S. visit. He said the only personal meeting he held in Washington was with his gay former student and his partner.
Despite such overtures, however, many gay Catholics are still waiting for progress after a two-year consultation of the church on family issues failed to chart concrete, new pastoral avenues for them.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters after Francis' press conference that the pope wasn't referring to a medical "condition" when he spoke of gays, but rather a lifestyle situation.
UPPER THUMB They came. They saw. They picked.
Now, theyre onto their next stop.
A few weeks ago, an associate with one of the History channels hit television show American Pickers notified the Tribune regarding some potential filming and picking in the Upper Thumb.
Monday afternoon, the associate said producers are wrapping up filming in the Mitten this week. Hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz were in Michigan in 2010 hunting down antiques while filming season two.
Due to the shows popularity, producers tend to not release the location and timeline of where filming took place.
Although the Upper Thumb was an anticipated stop, its unclear if any footage was filmed in the area. But viewers will be able to figure that out by watching the new season, which is scheduled to air this fall.
The show follows Wolfe and Fritz as they travel various states to buy or pick various items for other clients, resale or for their own personal collections.
Producers will hit the road at the end of this week to begin filming in another state. Where that is, only a few will know.
Days after lawmakers killed legislation that would have cleared Veterans Affairs doctors to discuss and make recommendations about medical marijuana to their patients, supporters are taking another swing at the proposal.
A group of 11 lawmakers are asking the House and Senate leadership to restore the language to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill. The medical marijuana provision was dropped during a conference committee review of the legislation -- even though both the House and Senate backed the legislation.
"We feel the failure of the Conferees to include either provision is a drastic misfortune for veterans and is contrary to the will of both chambers as demonstrated by the strong bipartisan support for these provisions," the supporters wrote to congressional leaders on Tuesday.
No one on the conference committee -- made up of lawmakers from the Senate and House appropriations committees -- has taken credit for pulling the language from the bill.
Jennifer Hing, spokeswoman for the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Military.com only that the provision "was dropped as part of a bicameral negotiation in Conference Committee on the final legislation."
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon and one of the sponsors of the House version of the bill, slammed the move last week as outrageous.
"To add insult to injury, the legislation was released in the middle of the night, not even giving members of the House an opportunity to review the language before voting on it," he told the Stars & Stripes newspaper.
Blumenauer is among the writers of the letter to Republicans Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
Others include Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana and Democrat Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon. All three lawmakers have sponsored legislation to free up VA doctors to talk with veteran patients about use of medical marijuana.
The correspondence was also sent to the Senate and House minority leaders Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada and Nancy Pelosi of California.
An earlier effort to allow VA doctors to talk to veterans about medical marijuana in those states where it is legal also failed last year, whenSenate language was dropped by the House. Only a month ago, however, theHouse passed language similar to the Senate's reintroduced bill.
The legislation they have sought and the amendment they're now pushing to get inserted into the omnibus bill would not change current laws preventing the possession or dispensing of marijuana on VA medical centers and hospitals.
The Senate legislation passed in May said the VA would not be allowed to interfere with the ability of veterans to take part in a medical marijuana program approved by the state, deny services to veterans taking part in such a program, or prevent department doctors from making recommendations and assisting veterans in taking steps required to comply with the programs.
The House version would lift the same prohibitions by not allowing the VA to enforce the current directive that bars its doctors from recommending medical marijuana to patients and assisting them in taking part in state programs.
Other signatories to the letter, all Democrats, include Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Barbara Boxer of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Ron Wyden of Oregon, and Reps. Jared Polis of Colorado, Dina Titus of Nevada and Ruben Gallego of Arizona.
-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at Bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at@BryantJordan.
Air Force Brigadier General (retired) Allison Hickey is a leader worth looking up to as a female role model. She works hard and has no problem keeping up with the men. During her time in the military, she took care of her family and advanced her career without losing her femininity. I like to consider her a combination of Grace Kelly and GI Jane the ultimate combination of a rugged adventurer and a lady of poise, polish, and beauty.
General Hickey attended the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) as part of the first class to admit women, and was Grand Forks Air Force Base's first female aircraft commander. Her other firsts include being the first woman to fly on a pregnancy waiver, the first woman USAFA graduate to be confirmed as General Officer, and the first Woman Under Secretary for Benefits. (There was a Director of Benefits before who was a woman but not an Under Secretary). General Hickey retired after 27 years of service and then went on to become the Under Secretary for Benefits for the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Here she gives us her advice drawn from her amazing career in the military and beyond.
What advice would you give transitioning members?
The advice I give transitioning service members depends on where they are in their careers. In general, the first thing I tell them is to make sure they attend the mandatory transition assistance program offered by DoD, VA, DoL, and the SBA. Don't put it off. Start early, and by early I mean at least 180 days out. Be your own advocate to get into this class. While many are attending, many are not. As a result, there is quite a difference in the transition experience. Not only will this week-long session provide mountains of resources and information to facilitate the transition, but it ensures you have at least a week to exclusively consider your options. It also connects you with many others who are going through similar experiences, therefore building your network. The program is designed to bring your spouse, so bring your spouse. This is a family experience and one where it's important to have everyone on the same page. Transitions can be very stressful. Keeping the family connected by having them attend the course with you reduces the inherent anxiety that comes with these milestone moves.
The second piece of advice I would share is to build your network early and often. Don't be shy about it. You can leverage your supervisory chain's connections and they can leverage yours too. Rank is indifferent to the need for a good job. Your peers, neighbors, church group, and bowling team are all ways to grow your network. You can learn about available resources on eBenefits.va.gov and specifically on the Veteran Employment Center VEC site, which you can find by Googling directly or finding through eBenefits. Talk to everyone who will listen -- they may be able to share your resume with the right person.
DON'T just take the first job offer that comes along, if you can avoid it, when that job doesn't really interest you. According to a Blue Star Families report just released, more than 50 benefits of Veterans say they aren't in the career area they would choose. Taking a job that isn't right for you now may force a lot of change on you and your family down the road. While some job mobility is expected, too much "job hopping" doesn't fare well on you resume. Choose carefully. Identify the pros and cons. In the same respect, set reasonable expectations for your first job out of service. You will have to prove yourself, but at least you will do that faster than most non-military employees because that is what you have been trained to do -- master your mission quickly!
Find both a mentor and sponsor in your new company. A mentor is someone who will listen and offer advice. A sponsor is someone who has influence in the company and can help be your advocate for career development opportunities. The mentor and sponsor can be the same person, but often are not. You need both in today's world.
Finally, jump in with all you've got! Even if it turns out that this isn't the career you would have chosen, if you do the job well and are recognized for that effort and skill -- you have just diversified your resume. That is critically important. Everything adds up to broader career choices as you move forward. Jump in -- all in -- to move forward!
Why did you join the military?
I grew up as an Army "Brat" -- living and loving being part of the military family. My dad and mom spent over 30 years in the Army, he as an Army Signal Corps officer that retired as a Lt General and the commander of what is now the Defense Information Systems Agency, and my mom as a military spouse who went to great lengths to support the military family as a Director of the National Military Family Association and the first DoD Family Programs Director. Numerous other members of my family were or had served in the military. It was a vital piece of my DNA and still is part of the very core of who I am and my identity. In fact, the value of military service was so deeply inside me that when it came time to choose colleges to attend, I applied to all the Military Service Academies and only one "regular" school as a fallback position. I loved the military so much. Through eleven moves in eighteen years, the two constants were my personal family and my military family.
What was your basic career path?
I wish I could tell you that I had a "basic" career path, but my career resembled more of today's young person than those of my peers in my generation. Though I started on a "traditional" path, that soon changed. I guess I have always been a change agent, starting off by attending the USAF Academy in 1980 in the first class to include women. Though a traditional career path for a military career officer, it wasn't the traditional career path for a woman. When I graduated, I attended pilot training. My assignments for aircraft were limited because women's roles in the Air Force were limited at that time. They are not so limited today -- and that is so very good! I flew the KC-135A (Boeing 707) and, following a special fellowship program, went on to fly the bigger, more selective KC-10 for a few more years. Life changed at this point and my career path took a very divergent role for the times. With the birth of my first two children, I made some hard decisions and decided to continue service in a way that allowed me to balance my role as a wife and mother while still a serving military officer. I joined the Reserves and then the National Guard in support services and quality management roles. Those roles provided more stability to a particular season in my life where I was unwilling to sacrifice the needs of my family, but continued to let me show my capabilities in more diversified ways. I was subsequently identified for skills in this area and brought back to the National Guard Bureau, where I became the organizations Quality Management/ Strategic Planning expert. This opened doors to the Strategic Planning leadership roles that I had back in the regular Air Force, at the Headquarters level.
Through multiple assignments focused on the future of the Air Force and the strategic needs of its force structure and transformation, I found myself the clear choice for challenging missions to change organizations. I ended up retiring as a Brigadier General and the Director of Future Total Force/ Total Force Integration at the Headquarters United States Air Force in the Pentagon. In that role, everything I had done and experienced in a "non-traditional" career path became exactly what I needed to be successful. I was able to implement not only one but two of the most significant changes in the Air Force in decades -- shifting more than $4 billion in the Air Force portfolio and creating more than 140 new missions and units in a highly contentious stakeholder environment.
Did you follow the path you had planned?
If my plan was to serve in the military and as a career, then yes. How I achieved that overall objective was very different. I never planned on flying airplanes. That changed when a career advisor discouraged me from an action I was about to take to remove myself from that option. He told me to just "try it." I did, and when I soloed for the first time it was amazing. I am so glad he gave me that advice. I didn't really understand what it took and what it was like to fly an airplane, since I hadn't even been aboard that many as a passenger. That's a lesson for many --don't discount a career opportunity because you think it will be a certain type of experience. Really try to experience it (intern or apprenticeship or just shadow someone who does it for a while). You might find it is completely different than you thought, and quite exciting.
The second divergent path had to do with family choices. I would always tell a person facing these issues to put the BIG family choices first. Will this job, in general, allow me to fulfill my other God-ordained roles in life, or at the end will I feel as if I failed them in order to do this job. Then the day-to-day choices around the family can be made in order to create success in both places, at work and at home. I also made choices to take challenging jobs -- to jump in with all I had on tough jobs that others thought I was crazy to do because of all the risks in the job (unhappy stakeholders with divergent opinions, budget constrained environments, large gaps in improvement or capabilities to be addressed). I found that if I took these jobs and performed them very well, they pushed me to new heights of opportunities in my career. That made daily work harder, but also more rewarding.
You have seemed to balance family and personal life very well with your career. How did you do it?
I have long said for more than two decades that the solution here is to "marry well." That sounds trite, but it is so very true. Once you have made the "strategic" family choices on jobs for both of you, then it becomes a daily operational or tactical decision to balance family needs on whoever can handle them. I married the absolutely best man, an Academy graduate and pilot who shared common interests with me. He supported me in such tremendous ways and is always leaning forward to be part of our "balancing" requirements. I will say that you never, ever feel like you are balanced when you are going through the daily activities. It's only when you look back that you can say, "Yes, I think we had it about right." We raised three amazing children, with a lot of help from the community of support and a few good child care providers.
Do you have words of advice for other ladies trying to do the same?
Marry well and don't judge yourself so harshly when you miss a mark or two. Look at it over the long haul and adjust if you need to, but don't react to the daily, weekly, or even monthly ups and downs. Work hard at work and deliver high quality work. The rest will all work out. If you need to step out for a while, do something part-time that keeps you on people's minds and keeps you engaged and developing. So much can be done through part time or telework right now, which is a difference that is significant to today's young men and women.
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. Never look back. Just look forward. I made the best decisions I could with the data I had at the time (something my husband taught me -- I married well!). There is such demand for competent and dedicated talent that even if you have a season off, when you come back do it ALL IN! You will be pleasantly surprised at how fast your personal market value increases.
What do you feel your leadership style has been? Why did you choose this?
I probably use a situational leadership model -- one we were all taught in the military. Not every person or action needs the same approach. The leader has to assess the best approach for the right reason with each individual person. As you practice this more and more, and see the defined results -- it gets easier and easier to shift on a dime for that person's needs. I would say in general though, I have long embraced the following attributes of leadership: Be authentic, be bold, be caring and compassionate, and, when necessary, be decisive. Lastly, I would say that my leadership is always characterized by transparency.
What would you say to young women trying to be successful and professional?
Be authentic, be bold, be caring and compassionate, be decisive, be transparent, and don't be worried about how to "fit" marriage and children into life. It's all part of life. Just jump in and do it. It is never convenient, so if it's part of your life plan, then just do it.
Who was your role model growing up? Did you role model change as you got older? Was there any advice that resonated with you?
My role models were my Dad and Mom and other military men and women I met through them. They were all the things I mentioned above but also so completely supportive of me and what I could do despite current (at the time) limitations in law and practice. It is great to have cheerleaders like them in your life. They always encouraged me to try my best, to see past the limitations, to care about others, to care about the family. When I think about other role models beyond them, I see specific leaders in my life who also emulated these same approaches. I see the leader who specifically hired talent "smarter and better" than they were, instead of being concerned about perceived threats. I saw leaders who provided amazing access to senior leaders and strategic environments because they knew the value of those developmental opportunities. I saw amazing caring leadership who fully loved those they worked alongside, without worrying about being seen as "soft." I saw amazing leaders who did the hard things even when the easier was less risky.
Did you have a mentor?
Yes I did and still do, but what I had that was more impactful to my career was a sponsor. A mentor is someone you can bounce ideas off of and talk to, but the sponsor is the one who makes sure you get the best and right job, and has influence they are willing to expend on your development. That is where the real action happens. The best place to be is to have one of each -- a mentor and a sponsor.
When you looked to females in the military in the past, what did you think? Did you want to bust any stereotypes?
I didn't know many or interact with many. Remember, I wasn't in traditional women areas. Most weren't married, so fewer had children. I actually had to cut some of that path for those that followed me.
You busted stereotypes in my mind as you had femininity, class, power, leadership skills, intelligence, and compassion. How do you feel you have embodied these principles?
That is for others to judge. I just never stop trying to improve on all of them. I will say that I was never willing to compromise my integrity and authenticity.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I am proud that I have been the architect behind many significant successful changes in the organizations where I have been honored to serve, and that, as a result, I have been able to help this nation and the men and women who serve it in very significant ways. I am also particularly proud of my alma mater, USAFA, and the opportunity to graduate from this exceptional school. Like me, this wonderful institution doesn't shy away from tough problems and, as a result, they change the world.
What are the biggest sacrifices you have had to have made both professionally and personally?
Tough jobs take a toll on you physically, emotionally and spiritually. You give up a lot of breaths to serve well and faithfully. Sometimes that means you need to step back and reenergize so you can come back stronger, more seasoned, and ready to help the next problem. I am in that season now.
What struggles do you see women facing today that you did not have and vice versa?
Choices. There are just more choices now for today's women. More choices can be a good thing, but also a challenge because choices complicate the decisions. I didn't have as many choices, so it was a little bit less complex and confusing. To those women, I would say what I have become known for saying in multiple careers -- "jump in with all you've got" and be "all in" wherever you land.
JR Automation 1.jpg
JR Automation LLC of Holland makes custom automation applications for a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device, pharmaceutical, food processing and construction.
(Photo courtesy of Lakeshore Advantage)
HOLLAND, MI - JR Automation Technologies LLC will invest $5.6 million in new equipment and create 250 new jobs in Holland Township, the company announced on Tuesday, June 28.
The 36-year-old company makes custom automation applications for a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device, pharmaceutical, food processing and construction. The company has experienced substantial growth since 2009, according to a press release.
"West Michigan and the talented people who choose to work at JR are huge contributors to our continued success and expansion," said CEO Bryan Jones, who credited the support of state and local governments for his company's decision to expand in Ottawa County.
"Having the supporting structure of Lakeshore Advantage, MEDC, Michigan Works! and Holland Charter Township allows JR to focus on our operational business growth in Michigan," Jones said.
"West Michigan is a great place to live and raise a family and we are excited to be offering hundreds of new job opportunities to both experienced engineers and new grads. We look forward to the continued opportunities that will be generated in our community through this expansion," Jones said.
"JR Automation is a true example of a local company that started in a garage now developed into one of region's major employers," said Jennifer Owens, president of Lakeshore Advantage. "The systems developed by the JR team are sure to equip manufacturers throughout the world for efficiency and growth," she said.
"As an innovative, engineering-focused organization, JR Automation fits nicely into our local business community's sweet spot. Their continued growth and success is no surprise, as JR has grown 475 percent since 2009," said Jane Clark, president of the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce.
"JR Automation's decision to expand in Michigan rather than in another state means good-paying jobs for Michigan residents and reflects the depth of our state's manufacturing talent," MEDC CEO Steve Arwood said.
West Michigan Works! is providing up to $190,000 in grants and workforce support to JR Automation, according to a news release. These funds will allow the company to hire the skilled and qualified workforce they need to be successful.
Holland Charter Township has offered the company a 12-year property tax abatement to facilitate the expansion.
"The board members and staff of Holland Charter Township are excited about the JR Automation expansion project," said Township Manager Don Komejan. "The company is a very good corporate member of our local community and we look forward to their continued success in the township."
Jim Harger covers business for Mlive Media Group. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.
This Account has been suspended.
First Myanmar Investments (FMI) published its annual financial results yesterday, showing a severe drop in net profits. The great bulk of the fall was down to a group restructuring the previous year, although a stagnant property market also hurt the firms bottom line.
The latest annual report was FMIs first as a listed company, having launched its shares on the Yangon Stock Exchange in March. The firms share price has struggled to stay above the original K26,000 listing price lately, and lost K1500 yesterday to close at K23,500 its lowest finish yet.
The firm also announced a cash dividend of K135 per share yesterday, which will be paid to those holding FMI stock as of July 7, according to an announcement on the YSX. The dividend must be approved by FMI shareholders at the companys annual general meeting in August.
FMI paid a cash dividend of K120 per share following the 2014-15 financial year, and combined share and cash dividends in 2013-14 and 2012-13. But U Tun Tun, FMIs chief financial officer, said investors should care about the performance and long-term profitability of the company, rather than the dividend. The announced K135 figure was low relative to FMIs earnings this year, he added, but advised investors to wait and see how the company delivered over the longterm.
Although FMI is optimistic on its three pillar strategy of focusing on financial services, real estate and healthcare, the firms net profit for the 2015-16 financial year was K8.91 billion, a sharp fall from the K73.1 billion it posted the previous year.
But the higher profits of 2014-15 were down in large part to restructuring that year, which saw FMI sell off businesses across the automotive, elevator and agricultural sectors. The group also reduced its stake in FMI Air that year from 50 percent to 10pc.
The collective proceeds from these divestments totalled K13.9 billion, and the accounting treatment of the sales gave the group a one-off gain of K60.4 billion that finanicial year.
This year there were no such sales, and so the groups profit from non-operations fell from K60.4 billion to K7.9 billion accounting for K52.5 billion of the K64.2 billion drop in profits.
But a stagnant real estate market also hurt profits from FMI associate companies, most of which come from Yoma Strategic Holdings Star City project. Associate firm profits dropped from K15.4 billion to K3.9 billion, due to the generally softer real estate market ahead of the national elections, the firm said.
Star City contributed K3.3 billion of that figure, and accounted for over one-third of the groups net profits for the 2015-16 financial year.
U Tun Tun said that the property market had a huge effect on the companys income, and that earnings from most of FMIs joint ventures had fallen. But the firm said it is excepting a stronger property market this financial year, and higher profits from real estate associates as a result.
Gross margins were also down in 2015-16 from 38.8pc to 31.9pc due mainly to a higher cost of sales at Yoma Bank. The lender faced pressure on its net interest margin due to a competitive banking environment and took losses on FMI Air before it was sold last year.
With lower margins and slower sales from Star City, the FMI group suffered a drop in profits from operations, which fell from K13.7 billion to K2.5 billion.
Earnings per share also took a hit falling 89pc to K407. This was down to the drop in profits on one side, and on the other the issuance of 1 million new shares during 2015-16 as part of an employee share incentive scheme.
U Tun Tun told The Myanmar Times that FMI had no plans to issue new shares at present.
On the bright side, revenue skyrocketed in the 2016-17 financial year although like the drop in profits this was more to do with restructuring than any fundamental shift in FMIs operations.
During the previous financial year the group was still in the process of consolidating Yoma Bank and Pun Hlaing Siloam Hospital (PHSH) onto its balance sheet, and so revenues from those businesses were only partly recognised. The group was able to recognise the full value of revenue from the banking and health care businesses in 2015-16.
Yoma Bank, which contributed over 86pc of FMI revenue in 2015-16, also posted strong growth. The bank increased its loan book from K415.3 billion to K772.8 billion, and deposits from K689.6 billion to K1.1 trillion as of the end of 2015-16.
In another step toward smoothing and facilitating external trade, the Ministry of Commerce has announced plans to exempt over 250 commodities from the need for an import licence. The ministrys assistant secretary, U Khin Maung Latt, told The Myanmar Times that the list of commodities would be published next month.
These are the first 267 commodity lines to be liberalised, as already discussed with the customs department and other ministries, he said.
The decision builds on liberalisation carried out by the last government, which sought to stimulate trade by exempting products from licensing. Last August, the commerce ministry issued a list of 4405 products that still required permits, releasing other products from the requirement. The 267 items named by the ministry were taken from that list.
These commodities, which no longer need a licence, are liable to a tax payable following a declaration to customs. This represents the elimination of a stage in the process, said the assistant secretary.
Further liberalisation is expected, including the announcement of approval to export three out of 12 kinds of commodities whose export is currently banned, said U Khin Maung Latt that is, bean/sesame oil, sunflower/sunflower oil and mustard/mustard oil, according to the 100-day project launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation.
It will be possible to import these oil products, along with palm oil, he said.
Further details concerning importation procedures will be made soon, he said.
Foreign firms are also hoping for fewer restrictions on what they can import and export. At the end of last year, the Ministry of Commerce relaxed long-standing trading restrictions on foreign firms for fertilisers, insemination seeds, pesticides and hospital equipment.
Translation by Khant Lin Oo
As government engineers continue their inspections of high-rise construction sites where work has been stopped pending their review, Yangon City Development Committee has announced the suspension of existing policies and procedures for applications from developers who want to put up tall buildings in the region.
YCDC deputy engineering department chief U Nay Win said on June 24 that the new procedures would be unveiled on July 1.
The new procedures will be advertised in state-owned media, he said, adding that applications under existing procedures would no longer be accepted.
Construction on buildings of more than nine storeys was suspended all over Yangon Region on May 15 while the incoming regional government determined their compliance with Yangon development plans.
Of the frozen projects, 64 had already received an official construction permit, and these buildings are being examined first. Following a review of schematics and plans, four 14-person teams under a newly formed Yangon Region government committee started site visits on June 21.
Yangon Regions Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein told a parliament session on June 16 that the review would be finished and permits re-issued within the next week. But that deadline has now passed.
MKT Construction administrative director U Myo Myint told The Myanmar Times, New applications for high-rise buildings made after July 1 will be reviewed in accordance with the new policies. The procedures will be notified for two days at municipal offices. Construction of six-storey buildings has also been suspended, and new applications will not be accepted as there are no committee members, and no EC meeting is scheduled. I think procedures will be easier under the new government, but right now contractors are feeling aggrieved.
It is understood that applications to construct buildings of up to eight storeys can be approved by YCDC Department of Engineering after a meeting of the committee. Buildings of between eight and 12 storeys can be approved subject to inspection by the Committee for Quality Control for High-rise Building Projects, while buildings of 13 storeys and above could proceed only with the approval of the Yangon Region government.
Translation by Khine Thazin Han
Aritst Tun T Lin takes an unusual approach to painting portraits of his family members: He depicts them with whimsically elongated necks a metaphor, he says, for living in hopes of a change for the better in Myanmar.
Thirty-three of Tun T Lins paintings long-necked portraits of his father, mother, wife and daughter are on display at Gallery 65 on Yaw Min Gyi Street in Yangon. The show, titled Reunite from Pole to Pole, runs through July 3.
It is habitual that people in our country live in hope, the artist said. Some hope for a better life, while others hope for freedom and peace. I draw portraits of my close family members with long necks to represent such hopes.
Tun T Lin, whose real name is Tun Tun Lin, expressed his passion for drawing from the age of four. He gained early inspiration from his father, who draws as a hobby. Born in Bago Region, Tun T Lin moved to Yangon to study at the State School of Fine Arts, graduating in 2001 and initially adopting a realist style in his work.
In 2006 he left for United States to work as a graphic designer, later taking work as a chef in a Japanese restaurant and painting during his off-hours. He held a solo show in New Mexico in 2008.
Along the way, Tun T Lin began experimenting with more unusual images in his artwork.
I had been painting in a realist style for almost 10 years. I felt quite bored with it, so I started developing a surrealist style that I was satisfied with, he said.
Although he still lives in the US, two months ago he returned to Yangon to prepare for his solo show at Gallery 65. The paintings combine the artists dream-like approach with the anxiety he feels whenever his is separated from his immediate family.
I have been living away from my parents, wife and daughter. My wife and daughter live in Yangon. Most of the portraits I have drawn are my wifes portraits. The longer I have been living away from them, the deeper the love I feel for them, said Tun T Lin. Hardly a day passes without me missing them or being overwhelmed by thoughts of them.
One of the portraits depicts Tun T Lins wife leaning on his shoulder, but there is a sad expression on both faces, showing that they have been together for a while but the artist must go back to his work again.
My portraits dont display likenesses, he said, but they reveal the feeling, mood and personality of the subject.
Who needs paint? Who needs brushes? The true artist needs only imagination, plus whatever bits and pieces come to hand.
Israeli artist Hanoch Piven constructs his caricatures from the most un-artistic of materials.
His rendition of US President Barack Obama is achieved with an Aladdins lamp, two small pins, scraps of gum and a torch.
Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Stephen Hawking and Kim Jong-il are portrayed with similar unorthodox gusto. Forget the B2 and the palette; pass the wire, electric bulb, spring, nuts and bolts, bolt of cloth, slice of bread, candy, chewing gum, potatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers or jelly.
When I was a student in the School of Visual Arts in New York, I went through my own problems, not feeling happy with the way I was making pictures, says Piven, 53.
And this feeling of frustration caused me to explore different possibilities. By coincidence, I found some matches near a portrait of Saddam Hussein, so I thought that I could use them for his moustache, he told students at a lecture at the National University of Arts and Culture in Yangon last week.
Born in Uruguay in 1963, Piven was brought up in Israel. In 1990, he studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York for two years before returning to work as a caricaturist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
He looks more like a comedian than an artist. And though his work has a childlike air, the objects that compose it bear a deeper meaning. His Kim Jong-il has rockets for eyes, matches for a nose and a lock for the mouth.
Sometimes, people are curious about how I chose the objects, he said. Its more like solving puzzles. I think its important to notice the happy incident. You need to observe, to be flexible enough to release yourself from very basic patterns of knowing. Once we know too much we dont look and seek, and can go blind.
After his workshop with students from the National University of Arts and Culture last week, he set them loose to create works with unusual materials, like an onion, a comb, a candle, toys, and instant noodles.
Some used the materials to produce a portrait of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Everybody has the ability to create, said Piven. Even a person who cant draw a curve or a line has the chance to become an artist. At first, we dont know what were doing. Its important to remember that and to trust the process. If you keep searching you will find something more important to you and your weakness.
Piven believes that art can communicate ideas, beauty and emotions, but it needs to communicate visually. When we watch art and if we understand it, we feel stronger and feel like we get it, he said. But if I made art that you dont understand, it can feel uncomfortable and we dont know whats going on. Its like speaking a language you dont understand.
I think the fact that people can understand my art on many levels and it makes them happy means Im not an idiot. Art is a medium that can communicate to people, Piven said.
His work has appeared in Atlantic magazine in the US and other publications around Europe, as well as in Israel. He has also created a collection of childrens books, including the award-winning What Presidents Are Made Of, which was selected by Time magazine as one of the best books of 2004.
He has lectured extensively during the past five years in Thailand, Singapore, China, Israel, Brazil, Spain and the United States.
Art is a place that allows you to discover yourself, Piven said. Art is a vehicle that allows you to have a dialogue with yourself. For me, the important process is to discover yourself, to try to find what youre good at, and not to be afraid of failing. Its very important to go through failure in order to achieve success.
French foreign minister Mr Jean-Marc Ayrault spoke with The Myanmar Times following his visit to Myanmar from June 17 to 19, where he met with high-level officials, including President U Htin Kyaw and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss Myanmar's political transition and French economic projects. The following is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation.
What was the purpose of your visit to Myanmar?
The purpose of this visit was above all to show our full support for the new authorities of Myanmar. France has always stood alongside the people of Myanmar in their fight for democracy and freedom, and we had the pleasure and the honour of hosting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in France in 2012 and 2014. We welcome the progress made towards democracy and wish to contribute as much as possible to the success of this historic chapter.
What did you discuss with the four leaders you met with on 17 June [President U Htin Kyaw, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and Union Minister of Energy and Electricity U Pe Zin Tun
First, I wished to hear the views of my various interlocutors on the challenges facing Myanmar following the formation of its new government, in order to contribute effectively towards tackling them. We also discussed international issues, of course. It is very useful for me to hear the views of all my interlocutors on the situation in the country, the situation in terms of human rights and minorities, and their plans and intentions for the coming years. We also addressed the economic situation, how French businesses can contribute to the development of your country and, lastly, certain aspects of our bilateral relations. I announced to my interlocutors that we wish to increase our development assistance, particularly in the fields of urban development, energy and health, through the AFD (French Development Agency), which plans to provide project funding of 200 million (US$221 million) over the next two years. I also informed my interlocutors of our plans to increase our cultural and educational cooperation.
How important is Myanmar for France?
Myanmar holds a very special place in the hearts of French people: we admired and were moved by the peaceful and courageous efforts of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many people of Myanmar to restore democracy. Myanmar is regarded in a very special way by the French public. We wish to be there for the next chapters of your countrys history.
We are also working hard to ensure that the European Union treats Myanmar as a real priority; for example, the EU has made Myanmar one of the main recipients of its assistance. The development cooperation budget is 688 million for the period 2014-2020, and France provides 18% of the EU budget.
How would you assess the current relations between the two nations?
Our relations are now excellent: friendly and based on confidence. They are developing. You know that, for a long time, we were fairly restrained in our contacts. That explains why our trade relations, in particular, are still relatively limited. But they are growing very fast. There is great potential for cooperation, particularly in the fields of infrastructure and energy. France, as part of the EU, also grants Myanmar very favourable conditions by allowing it to export products to Europe duty-free. Exports from Myanmar to France have greatly increased in recent years.
We also wish to increase cultural and human exchanges.You know the role played by the French Institute in Yangon (known as the Alliance Francaise), which remained a space of freedom and expression during the darkest years. Its role can now be expanded and a big festival will be held in December in the streets of Yangon. I also want to start developing our exchange system next year to enable more students from Myanmar to come and study in France.
Did you negotiate any big contracts with Myanmar leaders/companies during your visit?
French companies are now interested in Myanmar and believe in its development prospects. Membership of the French Chamber of Commerce in Yangon has trebled since 2012! They are interested in many different fields. Your countrys development will require a huge increase in its electricity production, for example. Myanmar has various assets, including significant hydropower potential. A number of French companies have recognized expertise in this area, such as EDF and Engie. And our companies incorporate environmental and social responsibility requirements into their approach to minimize the impacts on the environment and the population.
What were your expectations for the trip?
This was my first trip to Myanmar, so it was my first experience of this beautiful country with its rich, ancient culture and history. I also hope that this visit will enable us to enter a new phase in our bilateral relations by greatly developing our cooperation and trade links.
What changes did you observe in Myanmar?
The changes that have occurred in recent years are very encouraging. You have managed to make a peaceful transition to democracy. This process is not yet over, but the various people involved have so far made wise decisions, which bodes well for the future.
What would you identify as the biggest challenges facing Myanmar's new government, and how can it over come them?
Development is the first challenge; the high growth rate in recent years gives grounds for optimism, but the people of Myanmar also need to feel this change through improvements in their quality of life. This is an important aspect for many developing countries.
It is also essential to restore peace. The population of your country is very diverse and, unfortunately, there are armed conflicts with some minorities. The ceasefire accord in October 2015 with several armed groups is a positive sign; I hope that the negotiations continue and reach a solution that is satisfactory to all, but I am not underestimating how difficult this process is.
I also hope that inter-religious tensions in Myanmar gradually ease, so that all people - Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and others - can live together in peace and mutual respect.
For 2016, we have planned to double our humanitarian assistance to $2 million. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the many French non-governmental organizations that have worked to support the entire population. Lastly, as you know, France, which holds the presidency of COP21, is committed to ensuring that appropriate assistance is given to countries that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change; Myanmar is, unfortunately, one such country.
What do you foresee for Myanmar in the next 4 or 5 years?
I am confident regarding both the political and the economic situation. Your country has significant natural resources: I mentioned hydropower potential, but I could also mention the gas and various minerals to which you have access. It also has great farming potential. You have leaders who have shown their sense of perspective and their commitment to the welfare of their people and to the common interest. With democracy, peace and respect for human rights, Myanmar can release the greatest potential there is: human potential.
A Kachin warlord-turned-politician has been ordered to vacate his seat in the upper house of parliament for violating election laws, including intimidating his political rivals, the Union Election Commission ruled on June 24.
U Zahkaung Ting Ying, an independent Amyotha Hluttaw representative who heads the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), won reelection in November after threatening rival candidates, the commission found.
He has 14 days to appeal the decision. His lawyer said that they are still contemplating his next move.
His rival candidate for the Kachin State constituency No 5 seat, independent U Yaw Na, and the losing National League for Democracy candidate for constituency 1, U San Wai Khaung Lwan, filed the complaint against U Zahkaung Ting Ying, claiming that the militia leader levied violence and threats against political rivals.
Last September in the run-up to Novembers polls, U Zahkaung Ting Ying ordered political parties to stay out of his territory, warning candidates to avoid campaigning in Waingmaw, Chipwe and Tsawlaw townships, where the NDA-K operates. The election commission intervened and said that the militia leader must allow all contesting parties to campaign peacefully in the territory. However, in October, during a campaign event in Kachin State, NLD politicians claimed they were assaulted by supporters of U Zakhung Ting Ying and his son.
U Zahkaung Ting Yings son, state MP U Zahkaung Ying Saung, also faced charges from his NLD rival, candidate U Hkaung Bawng, but the complaint was dismissed for lack of evidence.
U Zahkaung Ting Ying initially won his Kachin State Amyotha Hluttaw seat in the 2010 election, garnering 6953 votes to his National Unity Party opponents 4047. The election was held one year after the NDA-K became a Border Guard Force under the Tatmadaw.
In 2015, he faced stiffer competition, including from his NLD rival U Kyaw Kyaw Oo, Daw Gyone Gan from the Lhaovo National Unity and Development Party, U Samar Kyaw Phar Naw from the Kachin State Democracy Party, Daw Tu Yi from the National Democratic Force and independent U Yaw Na. U Zahkaung Ting Ying barely held onto his seat, pulling in fewer than 5,000 votes.
U Yaw Na placed second.
An NLD lawyer, U Tin Tun Naing told The Myanmar Times that the election commission had found sufficient evidence to expel MP U Zahkaung Ting Ying for breaking section 66 of the election law, for malpractice.
The other independent [U Yaw Na] will become the upper house MP instead of U Zahkaung Ting Ying, U Tin Tun Naing said.
Barring a successful appeal, the new MP will be inaugurated in the coming regular session scheduled for July, said Deputy Director General of the upper houses office U Lwin Oo.
The excavation of the tomb of an ancient Thai king in a Mandalay cemetery has been suspended on order of the citys development committee. MCDC has written to the officials in charge of the excavation of the tomb of King Udombhara in Lin Zin Kone Cemetery, in Amarapura township.
A ceremony to enshrine the relics of the king was planned for June 27 at Buddha Puzaniya Pagoda, which is devoted to the Thai monarch. But now city officials want it called off.
Mandalay Chief Minister U Zaw Myint Maung told a press conference on June 24 that work could proceed only after consultations between the Myanmar and Thai governments and the ministries of home affairs and of religion and culture.
Researchers had sought to determine through DNA testing whether the remains belonged to the king or not.
Archaeologist Tanpawaddy U Win Maung said, If they want to make DNA tests, they would need finance. It would be difficult to conduct testing because they would need first to access the remains and then to locate living descendants of the king.
Thai and Myanmar researchers began the search in 2013, but suspended it the following year by order of the city authorities. Last April the work resumed at the request of prominent Buddhist cleric Sitagu Sayadaw, but now work has stopped again.
U Win Maung said, The Ministry of Culture said the excavation was not taking place in the 1-acre conservation area designated by the ministry.
He said the excavation was financed by Thailands royal officials, and extended to a pagoda said to be the repository of Buddhist scriptures, a brick monastery, sacred buildings and bones. The estimated time for the project is about two years, and it was envisaged that the tomb and its surroundings would be designated as a historical site of 20 acres, to be handed over to the Myanmar government upon completion.
Sin Phyu Shin, a king of the Konbaung dynasty who ruled from 1763 to 1776, invaded then-Siam in 1765, destroying the royal capital of Ayuthaya and bringing back the Thai king and about 2000 nobles. King Udombhara then became a monk and died in captivity.
Translation by San Layy
Mandalay General Hospital needs more blood.
An official from the hospitals blood bank said on June 23 that they are currently 34 percent below their required stock.
In order to meet the hospitals needs, staff have begun asking patients who are staying in the hospital to donate blood.
There are blood requirements annually. We are asking regular blood donors and patients to give blood, said Dr Khin Mya Mon, a pathology specialist in the hospitals blood bank.
She admitted that relying on patients of the hospital to make up for the blood shortfall is not ideal.
The general hospital is using more blood year after year, so we need 100pc of our regular donors to give blood in order to meet the blood needs, she said.
Blood shortages have long plagued Myanmars hospitals.
Blood bags can keep for only 71 hours, so we need technology that can keep blood fresh for much longer, Dr Khin Mya Mon said.
More than 40 associations donate blood regularly, but in 2015 more than 55,500 bags of blood were used and only 32,000 people came into the hospital to donate.
The hospital also sent collection groups to towns and organisations for blood drives four to eight times a month.
A spokesperson for the World Health Organization in Myanmar said earlier this month that an estimated 18 million units of blood are required every year in Southeast Asia. Out of these, 15.9 million units are collected annually around 2 million units less than needed.
On her birthday this year and in 2015, National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi held blood drives in Yangon and Mandalay.
Mandalays blood bank provides blood, including rare blood types, to surrounding hospitals for free when needed, Dr Khin Mya Mon said.
The Mandalay blood bank is the second-largest in the country.
Mandalay General Hospital accepts blood donations from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Translation by Khant Lin Oo
It's time for the new government to cut off some snake heads, according to international anti-narcotics experts.
This call came as regional representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime held policy discussions in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
The Myanmar Times understands that the government is in the process of reviewing the countrys 1993 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, which is widely considered anachronistic.
UNODC officials are pushing for any drug policy reform to more effectively target traffickers and organised crime networks, or what some termed the head of the snake.
Look at the arrests taking place [in Myanmar], said Jeremy Douglas, UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Its the truck drivers, the couriers, the relatively easy [targets].
Thats all fine but its disproportionate. Myanmar needs to concentrate on those running the businesses those making all the money.
One other expert summed it up by saying, Organised crime works very [well]. The government needs to catch up.
The talks followed last weeks release of the UNODCs World Drug Report 2016, which paints a worrying portrait of illicit narcotics production and use in Southeast Asia.
The area under opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle tripled over the past decade, with seizures of heroin also rising last year.
Myanmar the worlds second-largest producer of opium accounts for about 90 percent of all opium poppy cultivation in the Golden Triangle area, which includes parts of Thailand, Laos and Shan State.
You will see poppy plantation is increasing annually in Northern Shan State, Mr Douglas said.
But the report specifically highlighted methamphetamines as the next great challenge in the region, and especially for Myanmar.
Quantities of methamphetamines seized in East and Southeast Asia almost quadrupled between 2009 and 2014, with preliminary data for 2015 suggesting seizures have reached yet another peak.
The rise was unprecedented in scope, according to Mr Douglas.
He told The Myanmar Times that the international methamphetamines market is currently being driven by this region and Myanmar is now a big producer.
Methamphetamines production in this region has an impact globally. Its time to make this a policy priority, he said.
Additional elements of drug reform being encouraged by UNODC officials includes improved regional engagement with Asia, more education measures and better involvement from health authorities.
Treatment for drug users was criticised as rudimentary, with many addicts not receiving proper medical assistance or in some cases, forced to undertake treatment that may in fact harm the individual.
Lieutenant General U Kyaw Swe, the minister for home affairs who also serves as chairperson of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, was present at one session in which he indicated support for a first-of-its-kind national survey on drug use.
A selection of members from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw also took part in a briefing on future drug policy options that was seen as a way to reframe the debate around drug production, trafficking and use in Myanmar.
Methamphetamines are now reportedly available in every district across the country, with a particular increase in northern Shan State.
UNODC country manager Troels Vester stressed that drugs are a peace issue.
He said ongoing ethnic conflicts cannot be solved without an effective response to the drug problem.
Globally, the World Drug Report 2016 found that the number of drug-dependent adults was up for first time in six years, now at 29 million.
Heroin use and related overdose deaths are said to have risen sharply over the past two years in some countries in North America, as well as in Western and Central Europe.
Yury Fedotov, UNODC executive director, said that heroin continues to be the drug that kills the most people and this resurgence must be addressed urgently.
The report also highlighted the strong link between poverty and drugs. Most drug-use problems are borne by people who are poor in relation to the societies in which they live, it noted.
Additional reporting by Pyae Thet Phyo, translation by Thiri Min Htun
The Tatmadaw is suing local newspaper 7Days, accusing the media outlet of trying to destroy the military with a story that quoted former Speaker and retired general Thura U Shwe Mann.
The Tatmadaw and the former number-three official under the military regime have been engaged in a flame war sparked in part by the latters support for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, with the war of words recently escalating into targeted statements.
Lieutenant Colonel Lin Tun, station commander of the Yangon Cantonment Area, filed the case against 7Days on June 25, citing a section of the penal code that covers abetting mutiny and carries with it a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
The article in question, Thura U Shwe Mann urged graduates of Defence Services Academy to cooperate with new government, was published on April 24 and included comments from the ex-Speakers Facebook page.
Thura U Shwe Mann was quoted in the article as saying that the current elected government is committed to working for the best interests of the country and the people, and he encouraged all citizens to cooperate with the new administration. The 7Days article added that only cooperation could demonstrate loyalty to the country.
The lieutenant colonels complaint alleged that the article cast the military in a poor light by giving a false impression that it is not willing to cooperate, and implying that the Tatmadaw is not loyal to the country.
Every military official who graduates from training schools is willing to risk their life to protect the country, the complaint said, adding that the article intentionally aimed to castigate the Tatmadaw.
The complaint called for litigation against reporter Ko Min Hein Kyaw and chief editor Ko Thaung Su Nyein. Kamaryut township police station filed a lawsuit against the newspaper under section 131 of the penal code.
Ko Ar Mann, deputy chief editor from 7Days, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that the paper is taking the Tatmadaws case seriously and is asking the Myanmar Press Council for assistance.
We have no intention of breaking the unity of the military as they accused, and we didnt violate any laws in our reporting, he said.
He added that the newsroom just received an official letter from the court yesterday, so they are still discussing how to handle a trial.
Colonel Khin Maung Cho of the military information team for correct news said yesterday that the case is under the military brigade of Yangon Region and so is not directly related to his department.
If we have information about it, we will release it, but that case is not our concern, he said.
Journalists yesterday questioned the Tatmadaws decision to prosecute 7Days and criticised the militarys handling of relations with the press.
U Ye Naing Moe, chair of the Yangon Journalism School, said he doesnt see how the article in question could have violated any laws.
I think that [this lawsuit] will harm future reporting, he said. The Tatmadaw might wish to block peoples right to information.
Ko Kyaw Min Swe, chief editor of The Voice daily newspaper, said the problem is a personal quarrel between the Tatmadaw and Thura U Shwe Mann that should not have spilled over into a case against a news outlet. I think it is not professional of the Tatmadaw to get media involved and charge them in this quarrel, he said.
The Tatmadaw has previously lashed out at the same offending comments made by Thura U Shwe Mann. Shortly after the former Speaker made the social media post on April 23, the military press unit shot back with a statement accusing him of endangering the militarys image and rejecting him as a brother of the Defence Services Academy. The statement added that Thura U Shwe Manns remarks were inflammatory and stoked a deliberate misunderstanding.
Thura U Shwe Mann and his supporters was expelled from his party just two days after the Facebook post as U Thein Sein resumed leadership of the Union Solidarity and Development Party.
Those purged were perceived to be close allies to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy and included several members appointed to the parliamentary Commission for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues.
U Ye Htut, the former information minister and a retired army officer, said yesterday that the Tatmadaw is very sensitive about writing that portrays the military as anything but a unifying force.
I think the media did not understand the Tatmadaws concern over unity and they reported about U Shwe Manns speech in a way that made the Tatmadaw concerned, he said.
In a statement yesterday, the Myanmar Press Council said it is working to amicably settle the dispute between the Tatmadaw and the media.
Translation by Zar Zar Soe
It was a fair cop, at least according to the X-ray machine. A man, so far unnamed, is under arrest after snatching K95,000 ($US80) and a bag of medicine from Daw Than Than Htwe of Dedaye township, Ayeyarwady Region. She had come to Yangon General Hospital on June 26 to visit her brother-in-law, who was undergoing cardiology treatment.
When she was on her way to the hospital, at the corner of Anawrahta and 18th streets in Latha township, an unknown man grabbed the plastic bag containing the medicine she had bought for him, as well as K95,000 in cash.
Sprinting to a nearby taxi, he tossed the medicine away and tried to speed off.
However, summoned by Daw Than Than Htwe, passers-by prevented his escape and Latha township police soon arrived to apprehend him.
Finding no trace of the money on his person, they took him into the hospital and had him X-rayed. Photographic evidence revealed the missing funds inside his stomach.
He was then charged under section 382 of the penal code with causing death, hurt or restraint in the commission of a theft.
Police are said to be awaiting the normal course of the digestive process in order to recover the evidence.
Translation by Emoon
A press conference on alleged human rights abuses by the Myanmar army in Shan State was cancelled yesterday, with the organisers blaming the regional government for forcing the hotel where the event had been booked to withdraw permission to hold it.
The event, scheduled to be held at Excel Treasure Hotel in Yangon, was meant to mark the release by the Taang Womens Organisation (TWO) of a report titled Trained to Torture, which documents alleged human rights violations in Taang (Palaung) areas of northern Shan State from March 2011 to March 2016.
The report claims to provide evidence that the Myanmar army has committed war crimes on a widespread, systematic basis in particular torture, the shelling of civilian targets, and the use of civilians as porters and human shields.
TWO executive member Lway Poe Jaing Kee said it was the second time in four days that a hotel in Yangon had rejected the group. A press conference scheduled at Orchid Hotel on June 25 was also cancelled. Both hotels had initially accepted the bookings before later revoking them.
Lway Poe Jaing Kee said the cancellations were made after the hotels came under pressure from regional government officials. She added that after initially accepting the bookings, the hotels asked to see their permit and said they could not hold a press conference without one.
We have held many press conferences in Yangon but we have never needed a permit before, she said. The orders came down from the regional level to the township level, as far as we know.
However, a staff member at Excel Hotel rejected the claim about government pressure, telling The Myanmar Times, The Taang group cancelled the event. We did not cancel.
But another staff member at the same hotel gave a different account. We accepted the booking but because the press the conference was on a sensitive issue we asked for permission from the authorities.
That same staff member added, No one from the government came to give any orders about the press conference, after TWO organisers said they were informed plain-clothed officials had pressured the hotel into cancelling the event.
The TWO members said that they had paid a K100,000 (US$85) deposit to Excel Hotel for the conference, and yesterday showed The Myanmar Times the receipt for their booking at the venue.
A manager at Orchid Hotel also said they had initially accepted a booking for the press conference but backed out due to the sensitive nature of the report.
We agreed to the Taang booking, but later we saw their invitation letter, which wrote too boldly about the military doing bad things. The issue was too big and too sensitive. We dont want to make problems during the new governments transition period so we cancelled the booking.
A spokesperson for the Yangon Region government denied ordering the event to be cancelled.
We did not issue such an order. We dont know anything about that case, the spokesperson told The Myanmar Times, adding, Youd better ask someone at the township level.
When contacted by The Myanmar Times, a township-level official said permits are normally needed for press conferences but also denied knowledge of the TWO case.
I dont know whether someone from the township administration banned the press conference or not, the official said. They are not clear about the case.
Lway Poe Jaing Kee said organisations like TWO have the right to speak out for human rights and tell people about human rights violations in our region with strong evidence so they do not happen again.
We hear about how our country is in the process of changing to democracy, she said. But now we have found that this is still a forbidden subject in our country.
Join our Community!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Most coffee shop owners could think of a lot of things to do with a $10,000 grant, but taking a trip to the town where their coffee is grown probably wouldn't be the first thing to come to mind.
However, that's exactly what
Hooton, Carbonell, and the coffee roaster For Carbonell, the trip to Mexico was the natural next step for Cafe Con Leche. The business, which started in Southwest Detroit in 2007, became something of a community hub. Carbonell notes that it became a go-to spot for students from nearby Western International High School to wait for their rides home, and a regular destination for community organizations to meet.
"Cafe Con Leche was focused on social movements and social things happening in the neighborhood," Carbonell says. "But I also wanted to be in the trend of latest coffees."
So in 2014, the same year Carbonell opened Cafe Con Leche's second location in the New Center at Grand Boulevard and Second Avenue, he hired his first in-house roaster, Chris Hooton. Carbonell had mustered the personnel and equipment he needed to start making his own signature product, but wasn't satisfied with just placing an order for the beans he was to roast.
"We wanted a relationship," says Carbonell. "We wanted to know exactly where the coffee is coming from and see the processto see the tree, to see the bush, from crop to cup."
Before departing for Mexico in February 2015, Carbonell and Hooton established contact with Clemente Santiago Paz, an American-born coffee grader based in the key Mexican coffee-growing region of Oaxaca. Carbonell repeatedly notes that he was "pretty lucky" to connect with Paz, who strongly suggested a visit to the farming town of Talea de Castro.
"He went to this town a year ago," Carbonell says. "He said, 'I want you to see this town. Come with me.'"
Talea de Castro farmers haul beans - photo by Lisa Luevanos Upon traveling to Talea de Castro, Hooton says he and Carbonell were amazed at how organically coffee was "infused into the entire fabric of the area." Because coffee thrives in the shade, coffee trees were planted right next to people's houses and directly in the forests surrounding the village. Coffee was Talea de Castro's livelihood and it had been for a long time. Hooton and Carbonell learned that many of the plants in the village were up to 60 years old, planted by the current villagers' grandparents.
But Talea de Castro was far from stuck in its farming ways. Hooton notes that the farmers he and Carbonell met were developing a nursery to grow young plants to replace the 60-year-old legacy plants, which were reaching the end of their productive life. And the villagers had ambitions to remodel an abandoned schoolhouse in their town as a center for coffee investigation, where they might process and test some of their own product.
"The guys we were working with really had a vision for increasing the quality of life in their village by increasing the quality of their coffee," Hooton says.
Upon returning to Detroit, Carbonell began purchasing Talea de Castro coffee through the importer Axiom Coffee Ventures. But he wanted to do something more for the farmers he'd met there, whom he continued to keep in touch with. Since he began importing from Talea de Castro last year, Carbonell has wired $1 back to the villagers for every bag of their coffee that Cafe Con Leche has roasted and sold.
"They ask me, 'How much are you paying for the coffee?'" Carbonell says. "I say, 'Well, I pay a lot. But Im feeling like I have to send something to you because you're not going to see a lot.'"
A spectrum of coffee beans - photo by Lisa Luevanos Carbonell's friends in Talea de Castro now regularly send him pictures of the progress they've made as a result, including clearing new ground for coffee production and doing some renovations on the old schoolhouse. Carbonell and Hooton both say the villagers have expressed some surprise at Carbonell's efforts to support themespecially given that the coffee industry is usually based on impersonal relationships between low-income farmers and their upper-class consumers hundreds or thousands of miles away.
"Anytime a business takes a relational interest in their producers and their supply line, they're going to feel that connection and want to give back," Hooton says. "We feel like these farmers are our friends. They extended hospitality to us and invited us into their houses and made coffee for us and made us feel like part of their families while we were there. It becomes more natural, then, to be generous and open-handed with what we do with their product."
Unfortunately, Talea de Castro coffee will be in very short supply this yearthis year's crop was decimated by a fungus known as rust. But he and Carbonell say they intend to maintain a relationship with the village, buying the limited amount of Talea de Castro coffee that will be available this year and hopefully more in the future.
Carbonell and Hooton with Talea de Castro farmers - photo by Lisa Luevanos But their trip to Talea de Castro has affected more than just sourcing practices. It's also helped to ground them through difficult recent developments for their own business, as disagreements with Cafe Con Leche's landlord in Southwest Detroit led to the closing of that location earlier this year. That's a blow to the business' sense of participation in the Detroit community, as Carbonell and Hooton agree that Cafe Con Leche's New Center location has never been quite the community center that the Southwest location was.
"Without [the Talea de Castro trip], especially having lost our roots in Southwest, we would really be scrambling to understand who we are now," Hooton says. "But because of the trip, because of this coffee, it's rooted us in our identity."
The basis of that identity is a spirit of community involvement, whether it's in Detroit or in an entirely different country. As Carbonell formulates plans to eventually buy a new property in Southwest, he says he definitely wants to have a roasting facility in the neighborhood; he's also planning a program this summer to teach kids in Southwest how to roast coffee. And while he awaits the return of Talea de Castro coffee, Carbonell is working his contacts in Southwest in hopes of finding a Detroiter with a personal connection to a Central or South American coffee producer.
"It's our business," Carbonell says. "If you want to really leave a mark on the world, youve got to do something for the community."
Next fall, residents of Southeast Michigan will have an opportunity to vote on a property tax millage to fund a new regional public transportation system. One of the components of that system is bus rapid transit, or BRT. Since we've never had a system like that in place, it's understandable to wonder what it might look like.
But Cleveland's BRT HealthLine has been around since 2008. And for those wondering, The Detroit Free Press recently published an article with the title, "Curious about bus rapid transit? Check out Cleveland."
There are many benefits and services of HealthLine. "Buses generally arrive at each station every 5-7 minutes during busier times of day," writes Eric Lawrence. "They travel on separate lanes for about 80 percent of the route and get traffic signal preference that is controlled by GPS. Service also runs all day. Level platform boarding makes getting on and off easier. Stations are covered and have seating and message boards, and riders purchase passes ahead of time."
That dedicated lane and traffic signal preference means commutes have been shortened considerably, which has resulted in a 60 percent increase in ridership. This does contribute to a complaint, expressed by rider James Hunt: "He said the 'only downside' to the HealthLine is 'how full it'll get.'"
BRT has had measurable effects on Cleveland's economy as well: "$6.3 billion in economic development," according to experts. HealthLine has been so successful, that it's the only BRT line in the United States to receive a "silver" rating by the New York-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
If Cleveland is any indicator, it would behoove Southeast Michigan to approve the millage next election.
Marrakech (Morocco) (AFP) - US First Lady Michelle Obama launched a $100 million aid package in Morocco Tuesday to promote the education of girls in a country where half of females over 15 are illiterate.
Visiting Marakech with actresses Meryl Streep and Frieda Pinto of the "Slumdog Millionaire" film, she told girls in attendance she wanted them to be part of a global conversation on female education.
"We want to share this conversation with young girls around the world, particularly in the United States," she said.
Obama, who was accompanied by her daughters Malia and Sasha, arrived on Monday evening in Marakech and was welcomed by King Mohamed VI.
The first lady launched her "Let Girls Learn" education initiative in March 2015 to help adolescent girls across the world access a quality education.
She has since travelled the globe to call for greater support for the millions of girls kept away from school or forced to abandon their studies.
"She shared lots of things with us that will help us to work hard and focus on our education," Rihab Boutadghart, a beneficiary of the initiative, said after attending the launch in Marakech.
Morocco has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world, according to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government aid agency.
The MCC used Obama's visit to announce a nearly $100-million (90 million euros) fund to tackle high drop-out rates among girls and make schools more "girl-friendly".
The money, which will fund internships, girl-friendly bathrooms and training for teachers, is expected to benefit about 100,000 students, said the MCC.
The Peace Corps said it would work with its volunteers and community leaders to advance girls' education and improve their employment prospects.
USAID pledged to spend $400,000 through an NGO to establish five new dorms for girls across the country.
Obama said she hoped the funds would "help these girls succeed in the workforce and fulfill their boundless promise".
Over half of Moroccan girls aged over 15 are illiterate, despite efforts by the government and NGOs to promote their education, according to a 2014 study by the High Commission for Planning, a government body.
But the same study said the rate of school attendance among girls of 7-12 years old had risen from 78 percent in 2004 to 94 percent in 2014.
Obama says girls around the world face challenges that prevent more than 62 million from getting an education.
The first lady spent Monday in Liberia, where she told girls to fight to stay in school despite financial pressures that cause the vast majority to drop out.
She will continue her trip with a visit to Spain on Thursday, where she will deliver a speech on the education initiative before meeting Queen Letizia.
28.06.2016 LISTEN
The Nigerian Civil War: The Memoirs of an Unsung Biafran Commando, a book by Matthew Uzukwu is an important book. It is published in 2016 by Feli Publishing Maryland, USA and available at www.amazon.com for $15. The book tells the story of the Biafran War from the perspective of a Biafran soldier, John Ude who fought on many fronts against the unwarranted Nigerian war of aggression against Biafra. It is clear from the book that every Biafran soldier believed in the justness of the fight till the end an indication that the philosophy of the war was clearly communicated to the people. To all Biafrans and by all honest definitions of the word; the war was genocide. Therefore, the fighters clearly wanted to survive a certain death. Ude and the rest of Biafran soldiers fought to stop genocide. In trying to prevent the death of a people Ude and others like him gave everything they got their very life.
The book is a faith kept by the author who painstakingly took down notes as a high school student from the oral narrations of Udes personal recollections of his experiences during the war. The book is well-written and an easy-read with many pages of pictures of the principal participants in the war as well as those of many kwashiorkor victims and war refugees in Biafra. Its a book of 166 pages that catches the interest of the reader right from start and can be finished within the space of a few lunch breaks. It is a historical narration of how Biafrans successfully used ingenuity to prosecute a war of survival and ran a functional society while going through the greatest of trials. Basic social services such as law courts, electricity, fuel supplies and the post office worked till the very end of the Biafran ordeal. It was because the post office worked in Biafra that John Udes life was spared at the tail end of the war when he was wrongly taken for a deserter. The lesson here is that when a society works as it should, it does not only enhance the quality of living in all aspects for the citizens, lives are often saved when it matters the most, even in seemingly unrelated areas.
Ude and all the other Biafran soldiers distinguished themselves in the fields of war and successfully prevented an intended total genocide against Igbo people. They made history. And after nearly fifty years, Matthew Uzukwu wrote to preserve the history of their courage and to inspire for all time any group of people who may have to go through a similar unjust Biafran experience. But sometimes there have often been debates about; between the soldier and the historian, who does more service for humanity. This must have informed David Ben-Gurions conclusion. In a tone obviously meant to disparage the historian and raise the status and prestige of the soldier above the historian, Ben-Gurion said that History is not written, history is created.
But there will be no history at all without the historian. If a great tree falls in the forest and no one was there to hear the fall, it would never have made any sound. At the dawn of creation, physicists believe that there was a big bang that exploded to give existence to everything there is in the universe today. The fact is that the explosion which is supposed to be the one sound that spanned the entire universe at the beginning of time did not make any sound at all because there was no sentient being to hear the sound at the time. So, history is created by the soldier but history must be written by the writer for it to even exist. John Ude did his part by fighting to prevent genocide and Matthew Uzukwu has written the story to prevent a future occurrence of genocides against Igbo people. One of the highlights of the night in Washington DC area where the book was presented to the public on June 19, 2016 was the vote of thanks which was delivered by Uzukwus teenage daughter Chinwe. She thanked the guests who were gathered to support the father for writing the book. For many of us who were there the vote of thanks was two ways and we could not have been less grateful.
My major quarrel with the book is in the title. Unfortunately, most Igbo scholars have fallen into the trap of accepting without any examination the fallacy sold by the British and Nigerians, of thinking of the war as a civil war. But the truth is that there was no civil war in Nigeria until the Nigeria versus Boko Haram war which started less than ten years ago. On the contrary, Biafra versus Nigeria war was not a civil war. The standard definition of civil wars is that the war is fought within the physical geographical confines of a state. It is usually fought between or among several contending groups in the country. But this is not the case with the Biafran Nigerian conflict of 1967 to 1970. The war officially began on the 6th of July, 1967. That was the date on which Nigeria first fired the first bullet in the war of aggression which it waged against Biafra. July 6 date is important when proving that the Biafra-Nigeria War was not a civil war. The war was GENOCIDE. The purpose of deliberately distorting the historical facts about the war by the concerned players in the war (the British and Nigerians) is to make less the weight of the crime which they jointly committed against the Igbo.
On the 30th of May, 1967 the people of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria exercising their fundamental human right to self-determination and independence unilaterally declared their freedom and independence from Nigeria. The step the people took was the best option that they had at the time and they had every right to do what they did. Prior to this date, for a period of about one year, starting from May 29, 1966, the government of Nigeria and its citizens unremorsefully and without relent carried out a systematic program of pogrom against the Igbo population and the other ethnic peoples of the former Eastern Region. By the time of Biafrans declaration of independence, more than 100,000 Igbo and other southeasterners had been murdered. The independent declaration was an effort that the people embarked on as the last resort. They justifiably pursued their basic human right to self-defense and right to life. By the conclusion of that war, over 3.5 million Biafrans were unjustly murdered by the Nigerian state.
The truth about the Biafran War is that Nigeria waged a war of aggression against another sovereign independent state which had been in existence for almost two months. At this point, all responsible governments and leaders would have engaged in using diplomacy and negotiations to prevent any further loss of lives.
Fifty years afterward, given all the prevailing events in Nigerias political space, just as Biafra was right in 1967, it has remained so up till this writing in 2016. And that is partly some of the things that the reader may not find in the book. The author also failed to address appropriately the cause of the war. There is no doubt that Igbo officers dominated the rank of those who carried out the first coup detat of January 1966 but he should have explained to the reader more about the reasons for the coup. He should have let the reader know that the coup was an attempt to save Nigeria from the suffocating Islamic bigotry and heavily corrupt political leadership of the central government of the Prime Minister and the Premier of the Northern Region.
The writer failed to tell the reader that the coup was also carried out partly to prevent the federal governments planned walloping of the Western Region and to install in power the populist Obafemi Awolowo who was then serving a prison sentence for planning a coup detat against the government. The author should have let the reader know that Ifeajuna/Nzeogwu coup detat of January, 1966 was carried out to prevent the federal government of Nigerias declared intention to wallop or wipe out the Yoruba people of Western Region. If the author had done that he would have in that same vein established that John Ude and all Biafrans fought Biafra War to prevent the federal government of Nigerias declared intention and systematic program of wanting to exterminate the Igbo whom they considered to be the source of all the problems of Nigeria.
28.06.2016 LISTEN
It must be a wonder of fate that I never made it into the legal profession. My life would have been a miserable fight for the spirit of the Constitution within the motherland political climate of no scruples. For those cheating the state at the least opportunity are usually talking letter of the constitution. Even when wrongs are glaringly illegal, the thieves would scrounge for the seeming, not real, legality to justify the illegal against the spirit of the Constitution.
Our democracy is about separation; although not just of powers. The person is to be separated from the office or position. Yet congress has sought since time immemorial to fuse presidential candidate Akufo-Addo and the person Akufo-Addo. They always attack the person Akufo-Addo to stop him moving from the position of presidential candidate to that of the office of president. They see not beyond the compatriot's person because they have never had an answer for his ideas.
That is why they are finding it so difficult to separate their own president from his person. They are completely confused as to whether they should say he took a personal Ford expedition gift and passed it on to his office or his office accepted a Ford expedition as a gift. The spirit of the Constitution makes it a clear bribery case. I would even dare add that it is bribery in law. I can easily establish that pocket-lawyering. I read with amusement tangential or peripheral matters a veiled apology of presidential misconduct mounted with the office being too large for one to misbehave inadvertently. There is nothing tempting or masked about the state paying duty on a car in the name of a vice-president or president, whichever the case may be. Once a name is written, it is a person; otherwise it is the office that is written.
Any vice-president or president conscious of the spirit of the Constitution, without hesitating distinguishing 'as a human being or as president,' would tell his ambassador to register a gifted Ford expedition in the name of the state. As soon as the telephone call comes, he should tell the ambassador that it is 'inappropriate' (in the spirit of the Constitution) to personalise a $100,000 dollar gift.
Congress likes to cite Kwame Nkrumah. For their attention, that is what Kwame Nkrumah did when he was gifted a yacht in 1956 as prime minister in waiting. He called it inappropriate and asked the donor to convert it into a fishing boat for the fishermen to use it to fish.
Sole sourcing and single sourcing are of the spirit of the law meant to grease the wheel of development. The thieves that we have administering the public purse have, so far, interpreted it as the letter of the law meant to enable their thieving. Isolation of sole from other sourcing is to identify spirit and letter of the law.
Sometimes, I regret knowing many in the congressfold. I grew up with some or became acquainted with others growing up: classmates, friends, relations, a luta comrades, teachers, father-my-teacher, professional links. Fathering or mothering or some other social complexes have turned them into such thieves. We all carry past baggage from our rearing, raising or upbringing. Congress thieves seem to have been reared and not brought up. If we all chose to be personal with them as they have been with Akufo-Addo, we could end up a motherland of the depressed from a media awash with shamed past lives. The vultures of scandal would feed fat as we all wallow in misery because iniquitous pasts are exposed. Congress should back off hankering at the Akufo-Addo person. They should read and listen to the spirit of the Constitution to help themselves positively by helping the motherland.
There must be a gift threshold for the president person. Everything else goes to the office. The animals in Nkrumah's Flagstaff House Zoo were gifted to him. He did not eat them or establish a private zoo with them. Gifts that he was given went to his office. Whatever we couldn't find after the coup against him we should ask he, whose name is carried by the motherland's only international airport. For as long as they continue to destroy Kwame's legacy I will not stop my protests.
Manasseh Azure, you are not perfect, not least with your journalism; just like we all aren't. But you will stand out if you would aggressively pursue the raiders of the motherland treasury. Obviously, the corrupt in the motherland public office is largely so because the head is corrupt. When the leader is aggressively pursued for uprightness, the followers would mellow. Imagine an unravelled Mills-appointed Embraer Committee preliminary findings! It's refreshing to see you practice investigative journalism and not some nebulous journalism endangering private investigator fusion.
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh
28.06.2016 LISTEN
As I promised last week, I've returned this week to once again discuss the Ford Expedition gift, (or is it bribe?), to President Ogwanfunu. Following the publication of the article titled I wish I had a contractor friend last week, my friends flooded me with gifts to help me with my Ramadan fast. The gifts included sugar, milk, Milo and rice. I was both excited and disappointed, and I will tell you why.
I was excited because I was again reminded of the fact that there are people out there who remember and care for me. Even though I no longer eat sugar, milk and refined rice, I was excited because I knew the gifts were given without expecting anything in return. That is what I call a proper gift.
I'm sure you do know why I was disappointed. Not getting a car gift from any of my friends was a disappointment. But I do understand my friends. They are not contractors; so how do I expect them to have the wherewithal to afford a gift worth USD100, 000. The disappointment notwithstanding, I salute my incorruptible friends for the gifts!
Abusuapanin, many of my compatriots had expected the President to speak on the gift saga, and they didn't have to wait for long. When Mr Ogwanfunu first spoke last week, all he could say was that it was a baseless allegation that wasn't going to win anyone the presidency.
Baseless? That is funny, isn't it? Is it baseless that a Burkina-be contractor had given him a car gift on the blindside of his compatriots? Is it baseless that he had accepted the said gift? Is it baseless that the contractor's motive for becoming friends with him was to be helped to win contracts in Ghana? Is it baseless that the contractor subsequently won contracts in Ghana? Is it baseless that receiving the said gift has put him in a conflict of interest situation?
As for his comment that the bribery saga was not going to win anyone the presidency, it clearly shows that Manasseh's revelation had dazed him. Please tell me, is the one who broke the story a contestant in any election? I do know that Manasseh Azure Awuni is a journalist. But I do not know if he has the intention of running for president in this year's election. Maybe, just maybe, Mr Ogwanfunu knows what we do not know.
The explanation that he did not like American cars is even funnier. Listen to him: I'VE NEVER BEEN UNDER THE ILLUSION THAT, THAT VEHICLE BELONGED TO THE STATE (caps mine). It has never been used for my personal comfort. In any case, I don't use Ford; I don't like American cars. I use Japan cars; Toyota is my car.
If you read the sentence in caps above carefully, you will understand what the President meant. He was clear in his mind that the vehicle did not belong to the state. The argument that the car was added to the presidential pool is but a desperate attempt to throw dust into our eyes. If not, why was import duty paid on the said car if it was a gift to the state? The duty was paid because the owner was clear in his mind that the gift did not belong to the state.
Again, the fact that he doesn't like American cars does not negate the fact that he had accepted a gift, which had put him in a conflict of interest situation. I know that some of the judges who accepted goat as bribe do not even eat meat. But that does not neutralise the fact that they had accepted goat bribe, does it?
Time and again, you hear Zu-za propagandists trying desperately to compare Mr Ogwanfunu's bribery scandal to a gift of Mercedes-Benz given to the state during President Kufuor's era. The comparison is laughable, to say the least.
While Mr Ogwanfunu received the gift in his personal capacity and in secret, Kufuor received it on behalf of the state and in full glare of the public. Furthermore, the contractor was emphatic that Mr Ogwanfunu even followed-up with a personal call to him to acknowledge receipt and to thank him. Indeed, but for Manasseh's revelation, we wouldn't have known that such a gift had ever been given. So the comparison is very pathetic and standing on very wobbly legs.
My president, your president and our president can delude himself into believing that what he received from the Burkina-be contractor was a gift. But we know better. We know gifts to public officials are bribes; and bribes do corrupt. It is therefore logical to say gargantuan bribes also corrupt 'gargantuanly'.
After accepting a bribe wrapped in the form of a gift, no amount of insults and innuendos from Mr Ogwanfunu can cleanse his tainted hands. No one forced him to accept the Ford Expedition gift. He willingly accepted it, putting a noose round his neck in the process. We are only helping him to hang himself.
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!
President and Chairman of multi-national company, Groupe Nduom, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom has advised Ghanaians abroad to take advantage of business opportunities back home in Ghana.
Accoridng to him, it would be gainful for prospective investors abroad to be patient in their pursuit of seeking business opportunities in Ghana.
Dr Nduom disclosed that, while sojourning abroad, he set up a fund in stocks traded on the Ghana Stock Exchange and made personal investment in the Fan Milk company, explaining that by doing so, I demonstrated how patience, long term investment can pay off very well for country and self.
Dr. Nduom was addressing a Town Hall Meeting organized jointly by the Ghana National Council of Chicago and the Ghanaian Professionals of North America.
The Chairman for the occasion was Mr. Ebenezer Antwi-Nsiah. Also representing Groupe Nduom were Mrs. Yvonne Nduom, Nana Kweku Nduom and Chiefy Nduom. Over 300 Ghanaians and African-Americans were in attendance.
This included heads of Ghanaian churches, professionals, traditional chiefs and business owners. The Town Hall Meeting was held on Saturday, 18th June 2016.
Groupe Nduom recently acquired the Illinois-Service Federal Savings Bank (ISF Bank) in Chicago Illinois. The acquisition is historical as less than 10 percent of Banks in the USA are owned by Minority Blacks. It is also the first time, indigenous Africans have acquired a Bank in the USA.
Dr Nduom used the occasion to assure that the ISF Bank aims to be the bank to serve the special interests of Africans in the USA.
Dr. Nduom talked about Groupe Nduom's history as a family and as a company; what the company is offering in the Chicago area and why Africans should do business with the ISF Bank and patronize other Groupe Nduom banking, insurance, television, investment and real estate products among others.
He stressed the fact that Groupe Nduom is built on a foundation of faith, quoting from biblical scriptures to buttress his point. These are 2 Timothy 1:7: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline; and
Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Participants at the meeting filed several questions ranging from how to open accounts with ISF Bank; how Groupe Nduom will support the Ghanaian community in Chicago and how the Groupe can facilitate easy transfer of money to Ghana for investment.
The President of the Ghana Council, Mr. Antwi-Nsiah lauded the massive attendance of his group to the meeting and remarked how you responded and showed up in your numbers on a Saturday afternoon is something special.
Dr. Nduom also met with members of the Ghanaian and African Gold Coast Taxi Drivers Association.
Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com
28.06.2016 LISTEN
Oh, beware of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock at the meat it feeds on.
-Shakespeare
Jealousy and envy are emotional states we all experience in life. Even though some people use these terms interchangeably, they are two distinct things.
Jealousy is triggered when there is a threat that something that is precious to you will be taken away. For instance, if you have a beautiful woman and you feel she could be snatched from you by other men, jealousy will set in when you observe her conversing with such men.
Envy occurs when you want for yourself what someone else has or has accomplished. You may see someone who is very successful; they have money and live in luxury. They live in self-built mansions and drive posh cars. They have successful businesses. They travel a lot and talk about their achievements. They have a lot of social media following. They are celebrated as heroes. We secretly admire these people but because we dont have what they have, we feel envious of their achievements.
Jealousy and envy are toxic, self-destructive habits. William Shakespeare has described jealousy as a green-eyed monster because it can lead you to do awful things if not properly handled.
Friend do not be deceived by what you observe about successful people. You do not know them too well. Some of them have been through more hell than you can imagine before they made it.
Some of the most successful people have been to prison, gone bankrupt multiple times, lost limbs, you never know.
Feeling jealous and envious of others is just a waste of time. They are toxic habits. They may cause you to be aggressive towards others. The consequences could be devastating.
When your life is dominated by these monsters, living a meaningful life will be difficult to achieve. They cant pay your bills.
Jealousy and envy are signs of inferiority complex. People who have a low opinion of themselves feel that way.
You need to rid your life of the twin evils of jealousy and envy. Remember what you focus on expands. Like attracts like. The more jealous and envious you become, the more you attract situations that will let you feel so.
I am often obsessed with successful people. I try to find out what they are doing differently than me.
As I do so, I find it not only motivating but I distill their tools and ideas which I can implement to improve my own life.
Instead of feeling resentful of others because of their achievements, why not study them and know what habits have contributed to their success and incorporate that into your own lifestyle. Once you know their success secrets, why not set an inspiring vision and implement those secrets to get the type of success they have.
Read about successful people. Read their biographies and autobiographies and get one to mentor you. Attend seminars organized by successful people. Use their audio and videotapes to move from where you are to where you want to be. Such an investment will certainly pay off in the long term.
Do not blame yourself for past mistakes. You have to forget the past because you wont get it back.
Making mistakes is part of the learning process. You are human and can make mistakes.
Learn a lesson and gain experience from your mistakes to avoid repeating them in the future.
Feeling jealous and envious wont get you anywhere; besides it is a waste of energy. Focus on your priorities and redefine what is most important to you and take steps to work towards the achievement of your goals.
This approach will also allow you to explore other areas where you can excel because envy doesnt say the other person is better than you in everything. You are equally gifted in a way and you need to assess and evaluate your thoughts and actions to discover it.
In conclusion, we should not fill our lives with jealousy and envy since they are not good emotional states to be in. We should look at other peoples success the right way. We should not only be interested in the milestones they chalked but more importantly the methods they used to get there.
Focus on what is important to you and take massive determined action to make it a reality. Set an inspiring vision and pursue it relentlessly until it is achieved. Invest in life-long learning and also get a mentor to help you along the way as you work towards goal accomplishment. Leverage your strengths for a more positive life.
Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert Kwodam AWOLUGUTU
Correction Officer, Priest & Author
Cell: 0208 455 296
Email: [email protected]
Effective ways at raising bilateral trade and widening economic cooperation as well as bolstering inter-chamber interaction between Ghana and Belarus topped the discussion when the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ghana to the Russian Federation and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), H.E. (Dr.) Kodzo Kpoku Alabo, held a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vladimir Ulakhovich, in Minsk, capital of Belarus.
Both sides reached an agreement to further identify key areas of mutual cooperation between the two countries and prepare a development program of mutual interaction. The sides noted the untapped economic potentials and the importance of information exchange and the participation of enterprises and organizations from Ghana and Belarus in exhibitions and fairs, and other public business activities in the two countries.
Dr. Alabo is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ghana to Belarus with residence in Moscow. According to official reports, Belarus and Ghana established diplomatic relations in June 1992. The bilateral trade was estimated at $35.2 million in 2013. Belarus, an ex-Soviet republic, is a member of the newly created Eurasian Economic Union.
Agya Koo Nimo
28.06.2016 LISTEN
The Ghanaian Times 28.06.2016
ON 24 May 2016, I was privileged to take part in an Event held in Accra to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the passing, in 2006, of Professor Albert Kwadwo Adu Boahen, the most eminent historian Ghana has ever produced.
Now, anyone who has imbibed Ghanaian and African history at a deep level, would have to acknowledge that he or she is indebted to Prof Adu Boahen. What is not fully appreciated is that Prof Adu Boahen undertook, in February 1988, a task that many Ghanaians would have regarded as an act of utter folly.
He took on a remark made by no less a person than the Chairman of the ruling Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), Flight-Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, in a speech at Sunyani (in April 1987) that a Culture of Silence had descended on the Ghanaian people.
Prof Adu Boahen, in a series of lectures given at the British Council Hall in Accra in February 1988 (known as The Danquah Memorial Lectures), challenged the reasons given by Rawlings for the existence of the Culture of Silence. He substituted those reasons with his own, which stated in strident tones that Ghana could not progress under the type of policies Rawlings and his Government were pursuing. The Culture of Silence, he said, would only vanish if Ghana became a democratic society in which all national issues could be freely discussed in public without fear of reprisals against individuals who gave voice to their opinions. He was particularly scathing about the enforced disappearance of the Catholic Standard and Free Pressnewspapers.
Now, in my presentation at the Event held in Accra on 24 May 2016, I noted that a lot of people thought Prof Adu Boahen would be arrested as a result of the fearless critique he had made of the policies of the PNDC, during his Danquah Memorial Lectures. Prof Boahen himself must have been aware that he could have been picked up and subjected to harassment for being so frank about the failings of the PNDC.
Yet the Prof did not baulk at what he considered to be his duty to the people of Ghana, and had clearly outlined the sort of policies which he said were the only way of killing the Culture of Silence.
Having done that, Adu Boahen then did something even more astounding: he decided to contest against Rawlings in the presidential election that was held in 1992 (subsequent upon the adoption of a constitution that was to bring democracy back to Ghana.) Adu Boahen stood against Rawlings, knowing fully well that it was possible for Rawlings to use violent methods to disrupt his election campaign, or put other obstacles in his way. How (I asked in my presentation) was Adu Boahen able to muster the courage to stand against Rawlings when he must have been aware of such possibilities?
The answer I gave to my own question was that Prof Adu Boahen must have been inspired by some of the characters he had studied and written about in history. One character who came readily to mind was Nana Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Edweso, who led the Asante army against a British expedition that was armed with cannon guns, which invaded Kumase in March 1900. The men of Asante stood by, timidly, as the British Governor of the God Coast, Sir Frederick Hodgson, asked the Asante nation to produce to him, its most sacred artefact the famous Golden Stool! This was a great insult to the Asantes, because they fervently believed that the soul of the Asante nation had been implanted into the Golden Stool by Okomfo Anokye, who had commanded it to descend to the earth from the sky by magical means! If it left Asante, the Asante nation would become defunct.
Yaa Asantewaa asked the Asante men: Are you going to sit down and allow these white men to take the Golden Stoolaway too, after they have arrested and deported our King, Nana Prempeh (The First) to the Seychelles Islands? If you men won't fight, me and my fellow women will fight the British!
Thus began the Yaa Asantewaa War, which constitutes one of the most glorious chapters not only in Ghanaian history, but African and indeed world history. If Boadicea (of Great Britain) is well known in world history, why hasn't Yaa Asantewaa too become a major figure in world history? Prof Adu Boahen tried to correct that in his contribution to the prestigious UNESCO History of Africa.
In studying this episode (and Prof Adu Boahen went to the Seychelles personally to carry out research on Nana Yaa Asantewaa and the other Asante royals who were deported there) the Prof must have asked himself, What at all impelled this woman, Yaa Asantewaa, to do what she did?
And in answer to that, he must have told himself, If Yaa Asantewaa could summon the courage to fight Sir Frederick Hodgson and his cannon guns, come what may, then I too must summon the courage to fight the 1992 presidential election against Flight-Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, come what may!
And he did precisely that with the result that even though he lost against Rawlings, his New Patriotic Party eventually gained power under President J A Kufuor, and ushered Ghana into what is now a free and democratic country, with if anything a Culture of Loudness, not a Culture of Silence!
In my presentation, I noted that it wasn't Prof Boahen alone who had been inspired by Yaa Asantewaa, but that when I was growing up at Asiakwa, I had heard the women of the town sing, during mmommome cultural rites they performed to summon the spirits of their ancestors to protect their sons who were fighting for the British (sic) in far-away Burma and East Africa, during the Second World War sing a song about Yaa Asantewaa.
The song went like this:
Konkrohinkoo,
Yaa Asantewaa eei,
baaa basia a koaprm ano eei,
Yaa Asantewaa.
And to the amusement of the gathering, I foolishly began to sing the song, in my croaky frog's voice!
My attempt, though not very successful, nevertheless spurred a lady in the audience to take up the song and sing it properly: it became, probably, the most bizarre duet ever sung at a public gathering in the annals of musical history!
In resisting the fear of making a fool of myself and singing the song, I had thus inadvertently provided proof that indeed, therewas such a song. What made it even more remarkable was that the women of Asiakwa who had sung it to my hearing wereAkyem women, who were not wont normally to sing anything in praise of an Asante woman! Because, of course, the history of relationships between Akyem and Asante had been marked by a great deal of internecine blood-letting.
Now, I thought I had heard the Asiakwa women say konkrohinkoo! a word I did not understand but passed off as an anachronism that had vanished from the language.
But one day, I came across, on Youtube, a song Agya Koo Nimo had composed about Nana Yaa Asantewaa. The song is called Efie ne fie. And in it, Agya Koo Nimo (who, by the way, was brought up at the court of the King of Asante, Manhyia Palace, and who used, as a child, to listen to the songs sung by the women of the court) rendered the authentic lyrics as:
koo 'Hen ko eei!
Yaa Asantewaa eei,
baa basia a ko aprm ano eei
Woay bi agya yn ooo!
Now, this makes perfect sense, for koo 'Hen ko literally means: She fought a King's War (i.e.: Yaa Asantewaa, a mere woman, fought like a King!)
I am in the irredeemable debt of Agya Koo Nimo for putting me right about this word which my child's ears had heard and not been able to properly grasp konkrohiikoo!
Left to me alone, Koo Nimo (now a good 83 years old) would be granted a life pension by the Asanteman Council for enshrining the great deeds of Asante history and Asante cultural practices in beautiful songs not because he needs the money, but because it is a good thing per se to reward talent, in order to encourage others to use their talent in the service of their nation.
For if Agya Koo Nimo has set me right, he will set others, too, right with his music. He's done it in a permanent, ineradicable form, out of love for his cultural roots. The whole nation ought to be proud of someone who has taken the trouble to learn and teach others about how great Africa is.
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
Every mineral in its natural state in, under or upon land in Ghana, rivers, streams, water-courses throughout the country, the exclusive economic zone and an area covered by the territorial sea or continental shelf is the property of the Republic and is vested in the President in trust for the people of Ghana (Minerals Act 2006).
In practice, the 2006 Minerals Act is emphatic on the ownership of the natural resources. The government of Ghana has the absolute ownership.
Consequently, our chiefs do not have the right to allocate mining lands to individuals who are not in receipt of mining concessions. Nonetheless, some Chiefs are in the habit of conniving with illegal miners from China to despoil our natural resources and heedlessly destroying our lands and water bodies.
Apparently, our Chiefs are supposed to develop their communities. Nevertheless, they are seen to be doing the contrary. Sadly, they have turned destroyers.
A Chief is responsible for the daily administration of the traditional area for its advancement and the growth of its inhabitants. A chiefs ultimate function is the maintenance of law and order as a prerequisite for the growth of the community and the advancement of the people in all spheres of life (Odotei, 2010).
Ironically, however, the uncaring and unpatriotic Chiefs would often allocate lands to the illegal miners, knowing it is unlawful for any individual to sanction small-scale mining . Needless to point out that the Ghana Minerals Commission has the exclusive right to do so.
So, it is rather infelicitous for our Chiefs and their subordinates to connive with the Chinese illegal miners to steal our natural resources.
To be quite honest, I cannot holdback my arousing disgust towards the enemies of the state-apologies to Anas.
To put it bluntly, those inexorable chiefs are suffering from inferiority complex. Otherwise, how on earth would they assist illegal immigrants to forcibly dig our natural resources, terrorise the rural dwellers and then wreck the environment?
Per the Constitution of Ghana, no citizen of Ghana is above the law. Yes, the Constitution is candid, however in my opinion, the enforcement of the laws leaves much to be desired.
For, it seems that some Ghanaians are above our laws. The laws were not enacted for them.
If some Chiefs are indeed giving out lands for illegal mining without the prior knowledge of the Ghana Minerals Commission, the question one may ask then is: Why no incompliant Chiefs have since been brought to book? Are they above the law?
Puzzlingly, the uncaring Chiefs are colluding with the criminals to steal our natural resources. Thus, it would only be fair and proper if such offending Chiefs are prosecuted accordingly.
We cannot and must not allow some obstreperous Chiefs who do not have the nation at heart enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of Ghanaians.
Someone should please remind our indocile Chiefs that respect is earned, but not to be seen as a God given entitlement.
So, our hitherto well-respected Chiefs must revert to their old and discreet ways and then continue to earn our respect. For, their waywardness will not earn them such respect.
Let us also remind our Chiefs that they may have rights over the lands, but they do not own the natural resources underneath the lands. Therefore, they have no right to sell the lands to illegal miners and assist them to forcibly take our natural resources.
In any case, it is incumbent on the regulatory bodies to repudiate such abhorrent actions by the wayward and unpatriotic Chiefs.
And, we should remind the authorities that if our Chiefs persist with their waywardness, their befitting place of abode should be Nsawam Prisons.
K. Badu, UK.
Mrs Charlotte Osei, the current EC boss is not lazy and she is not dumb and she definitely won't trade her body for excellence. It is regrettable if true the derogatory comments allegedly made by a sitting MP about her womanhood. Some of us do in fact, believe Charlotte is not doing well as current EC boss and I am very suprised given her stellar performance as the recent boss of the NCCE.
Last year, She and the NCCE made it to second position out of 45 Ministries, Departments and Agencies ranked by the annual IMANI Public Sector Leadership Awards. IMANI ranks but singles out only the top 5 most inspirational public sector leaders for mention. Below is what got Charlotte to the top.
NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CIVIC EDUCATION (NCCE)
The primary mandate of the NCCE is to educate Ghanaians on all matters of civil affairs. The rather broad array of civic affairs means the organization has a rather difficult mandate particularly given the large number of illiterate or partially illiterate Ghanaians. This fact, coupled with the fact that the Government budget allocation is woefully inadequate makes its task even more nebulous. As we speak the commission does not even have its own head office. Their key staff are literally perching at the Electoral Commissions head office.
These challenges notwithstanding, the Commission has consistently strived to deliver on its mandate as best it can. Under the year in review (October 2014- October 2015), the organization had been quite busy particularly as a result of the fact that there was the District level Election in 2015. During the run up to the these elections, the Commission was at the fore front educating Ghanaians across the length and breadth of the country on the need to take the elections seriously because local assembly men are the closest representatives of the Executive to the people. Beyond that, the commission also educated Ghanaians to vote more women and other minorities in the
district level elections as research indicates that they are better leaders.
The Commission has further deepened its engagement with local communities all over the country by organizing several Town hall meetings, Local IPAC meetings of local executives of political parties across the country in a bid to create a harmonious environment in the lead up to the 2016 elections. The Commission has also launched special quizzes and debates specifically on the constitution in basic and second cycled institutions across the country also in a bid to fulfill its mandate of educating Ghanaians on all civic-related issues. It scored 65% under the Public Engagement Pillar.
The Commission has also improved radically as far as technology usage is concerned.
It currently stores majority of its documents electronically. Also, the Commission is using its website and social media pages to adequately engage the Ghanaian public. This is all quite commendable particularly at a time when a good number of public agencies do not even have websites. Quite clearly, the organization undertakes proper research. This is evident in the number of different publications NCCE released in the period under review.
It is instructive to note that the organization was one of the first to do a nation-wide survey that indicated that majority of Ghanaians wanted to vote for their DCEs instead of having them appointed by the President.The Organizations own internal management has been good over the period as well. Its level of transparency is also commendable. It constantly publishes annual report on its website, in which a detailed financial report of the year under review is given. It scored 73% and 86% respectively under the Promise of Transformation and Independence pillar.
Despite the many positives the Commission has chalked there still remains a lot it has to do tobuild its status as a really top institution. Crucially, the Commission has to find a way to make its finances more sustainable. Currently, it heavily relies on Donor generosity which is clearly problematic. Perhaps, the Commission may have to exert itself more to ensure that it gets its due, from the Government.
Furthermore, the Commission has to do more to exert its influence in the more urban parts of the country.
There seems to be a lot of focus on more less-urban (rural) parts of the country. While the logic in this approach is easy to understand, it has led to many in Accra, for instance, assuming that the Commission is not working.
The commission has to note that civil unrest rarely ever starts from rural areas hence the need to double up its efforts in the urban areas.In a nutshell the overall activities of the commission has been very commendable over the period under review and certainly deserves the award as theres a lot other similar agencies can learn from.
So, by all means disagree and get angry with Charlotte but do not insult her!!!
Respectfully yours,
Franklin Cudjoe
Founding President & CEO, IMANI
www.imaniafrica.org
Bio: http://www.franklincudjoe.org/home/
Twitter: @lordcudjoe
The Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo, Alban S.K. Bagbin, has justified his continuous stay in Parliament, crediting it to his goodness and experience in the countrys legislature.
He argued once he is good and healthy, there is nothing wrong for him to bow out after what he termed only 24 years in Parliament.
Mr Bagbin who is one of the longest serving parliamentarians; something that has earned him the tag Mugabe, said many Ghanaians have called on him to give others the opportunity to also serve but declined those requests.
For him, if someone is not good or in good health, such a person cannot stay in a position for long, saying if you are not good, if you are not healthy, you cant be in any position for long. Im being referred [to] here in Ghana as a Mugabe not because Im 92 years but because Im the longest serving Member of Parliament. From 1992; only 24 years and yet Im termed old, he said after he opened the 2016 Defence Management Course in Accra Monday.
According to him, because people dont appreciate experience and goodness, sometimes we hear many people calling for me to also at least, let it [the MP] go to somebody.
He said he has accepted the Mugabe tag, saying, I remain as Mugabe 24 years and still counting.
The course
The Defence Management Course is being organised by the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College in collaboration with the Cranfield University in the United Kingdom.
The two weeks course is being attended by senior armed forces students of the Staff College from 12 African countries, personnel from selected Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as the media.
It seeks to expose uniformed and civilian personnel working within and in collaboration with the security sector to the issues, principles and techniques relevant to improving the governance and management of the defence and security sector.
The Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Oye Lithur has called on the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong to apologise for what she describes as an insulting comments against the Chairperson of Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei.
The NPP MP launched a scathing attack on Charlotte Osei, alleging that she was appointed after having sex with some bigwigs in government.
Oye Lithur in a quick rebuttal described Mr. Ayapong's comments as regrettable, adding that women of Ghana will not countenance such comments and personal attacks on women who have committed to serve Ghana in public office.
You are in Public Office and should promote non-discrimation, respect for human dignity and gender equality by your comments and conduct, Oye Lithur added.
A private legal practitioner, Ace Anan Ankomah has also condemned the MPs comments and called on Ghanaians to speak against the development.
I call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to speak up and out against this and any other denigration of women. The African woman works against considerable odds to attain heights that men take for granted. It is not allowed for her to be denigrated in this manner, simply because a person disagrees with her.
I call on political parties whose members make such comments to have the guts, spine and cojones to condemn such statements too.
By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Sometime ago when the telephone rang in the early winter morning and I queried thus It is Alf here, may I please know who is on the line? The response reads as in- It is me Samuel Tika Yeyu, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Daboya-Mankarigu constituency.
Little did we envisage that that moment marks the beginning of enviable healthy and special relationship between our two sister branches under aegis of the Elephant Family. Therefore, NPP Ireland has no truer friend than Daboya-Mankarigu and it echoes in the words of former US President George W Bush, Jr; on the U.S special relations with the State of Israel.
Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency is located in the Northern Region of Ghana. Seemingly, it is one the various constituencies created in 2012. There are 54 polling stations with 15 Electoral Areas and about 24,314 registered electors. The constituency consists of 5 ethnic groups namely the Gonjas, Hangas, Dogombas, Tampulmas and the Mamprusis.
Nonetheless, having realised that it is Muslims dominated area; it dawned on us during a special executive meeting last month, where forth the body decided to fast and observe the Holy Ramadan with our beloved constituents in Daboya-Mankarigu. To this end, we are pleased and humbled to donate some bags of Rice and Sugar to our Muslim brothers on both sides of the political persuasions during this sacred period. In addition, NPP Ireland has been impacting and cascading capacity building techniques, art of canvassing from door to door, preparations of political leaflets and exchanges of political experiences acquired over the years in Western Europe as bedrock of democratic principles to our counterparts in the constituency.
The NPP Irish branch is actively and keenly involved in Irish Politics. We have established a unique and mutual relationship with FINE GAEL, the ruling Irish government party. Our leader Alf Marshall Agyapong is the Vice Chair of the New Irish arm of this party. Thus exporting rich political ideas and above all, ways and means of politicking and electioneering campaign tactic and strategy to Daboya-Mankarigu is at this stage handy and with the view to ensuring a resounding victory at the General Elections. We must stress inter alia NPP Ireland has unfettered access to Cabinet Ministers in our resident State and do normally go on campaign trails with them.
At the recent teleconference meeting between the two branches of our Great Party, the NPP Ireland Chairman, Alf Marshall Agyapong firstly reminded, the faithful about how the Holy Quran describes role of the fast especially in Ramadan in these words...For the reason that the fulfilment of this worship [fasting] is, at any rate the exaltation of the Essence of GRACIOUS ALLAH.
He also underscored the importance of timely communication and the need to present a unified front as fundamental in every serious provident organisation. Elections are not won on a silver platter or within a short period of time. Engagement and Connectivity with team building is crucial; and he opines when we work harder together, we succeed and win together. Thus we should eschew negativism, rancour, divisions, egoism, bickering and avoid unnecessary distractions as there is sanity in the Party at the moment. Our focus hence is articulating the much needed Social Intervention Policies of our Flagbearer and his team to win the political discourse to our camp.
The past wrangling and in-fighting, venom, malignancy and antipathy are all behind NPP family now. Hence, it is incumbent upon all party faithful to work tirelessly to make sure our candidates Nana Akuffo Addo and Muhammad Bawumia partnership is voted into administration to save the suffering masses from the cripples of inept and hardship-inflicted NDC government.
In his response, the Parliamentary Candidate for the Daboya Mankarigu Constituency could not help but full of praises as he expressed heartiest appreciations with acknowledgement for the kind donations from NPP Ireland. He said, As a matter of fact the timing could not have been better. The local party stalwarts are extremely delighted as we look forward to cementing our special bond and moving it to the next horizon. He went on to reassure that he is always with the people and offers constituency clinic every other weekend.
During his intervention, Honourable Malik Adams, the astute and hardworking Secretary of the Irish Branch advised them to be accountable and show genuine sincerity and commitments towards the electorates within their jurisdiction. He emphasised that these days, leaders are elected to serve their people and should not be expected to be worshipped.
Similarly, in her contribution, NPP Ireland Women Organiser who also doubles as Finance Chief, Ms Lynda Ackah encouraged the Daboya-Mankarigu women wing to be active and involved as much as the men in all spheres of activities. Those days when women were last in the queue are gone. Women are the foundations for a nation-building and therefore the essence of our quota contributions cannot be underestimated.
In a climax, Secretary of Daboya Mankarigu Constituency, Mr Adam Eliasu [Red Bawa] was so full of excitements and postulated, On behalf of my candidate and the entire membership of the constituency, I wish to appreciate your efforts and kind philanthropic spirits. This is a real demonstration of commitment towards team work and we hope our special bond has come to last for good.
Alf Marshall Agyapong
CHAIRMAN
NPP IRELAND
For & On Behalf of
COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE
Technology can also ease travelling especially when you pack the right gadgets. It is important for you to pack the correct tech gadgets so that you do not spend money on buying them. This is one-way budget travellers can save money. To take the pressure off you, Jumia Travel, Africas No.1 hotel booking portal gathers 5 tech gadgets you must pack while travelling.
Power bank
For persons who cannot do without their phone, a power bank will always come in handy. On a long distance trip, you may run out of battery but with your power bank, you can charge your battery on the go. This is very important for business people.
Headphones
Headphone are important for music lovers. When you are bored, you can easily pull it out to entertain yourself. Besides you can also use it to stay up to date by listening to news with your phone. All these may not be possible if you forget your headphone.
Charger
Your phone charger is another essential tech accessory to pack, especially if you dont want to borrow chargers from strangers. In addition, if your phone runs out of power in an area with limited access to technology, this can keep you connected to the internet and the world.
Wifi Hotspots
Wifi Hotspots are for individuals who are always online. With your Wifi, you can connect to the World Wide Web without breaking the bank, particularly when you cannot rely on your phone data to access the internet. In line with this, you should not leave your Wi-Fi at home. Just simply keep it in a place where you can easily access it.
Laptop
Your laptop may be too conspicuous for you to forget on a trip. But, you will be surprised that some people actually leave behind their laptops not because they want to but because they are in a haste. Therefore, it is important for you to prepare enough time for packing your regular travel items as well as your tech gadgets.
28.06.2016 LISTEN
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
-Gal.6:7
DEAR friend the article you are reading is about the law of sowing and reaping. It is an axiom of life that we reap what we sow.
Our thoughts and our actions have consequences from which we cannot choose. You cannot sow tomatoes and expect to harvest mangoes.
I have two stories to tell to illustrate the implications of this law; one is a biblical record and the other a more recent event.
In Bezek lived a king called Adoni-Bezek. He was noted for the amputations of the thumps and big toes of kings he defeated in war.
As fate would have it, his territory was overrun by enemy forces resulting in his capture.
In the book of Judges 1:4-7 the word of God says, Then Judah went up, and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they killed ten thousand men at Bezek. And they found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek, and fought against him; and they defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. And Adoni-Bezek fled, and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his his thumbs and big toes. And Adoni-Bezek said, Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.
The universe operates on the principle of cause and effect. Adoni-Bezek planted wickedness in the lives of the kings he conquered and accordingly reaped wickedness from those who captured him.
It is simple. If you want God to bless you, you must bless people. This reminds me of the lyrics of one popular musician who said, If you do good you do for yourself; if you do bad you do for yourself.
In a more recent case, Hassan Hanafi, a renowned Somali journalist was executed by a firing squad in April this year after he was found guilty by a military court of masterminding the murder of five colleague journalists by the Islamist militant al-Shabab.
Hanafi started his career as a broadcast journalist with an Islamic FM station in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
He later became a paid agent of the Islamist militant group al-Shabab and joined its propaganda radio station Andalus. He was vociferous in championing the cause of al-Shabab.
He would invite his colleague reporters and urge them to join the militant group. Those who were opposed to his overtures were then monitored and their movements communicated to the militants. Through his diabolical plans, five journalists were murdered by the Islamist group.
In all 25 journalists were murdered in Somalia between 2007 and 2011. The victims were shot from close range in the streets or at a hotel. Some were killed by explosive devices that were secretly planted on their vehicles.
Hanafi later had problems with the militants. In 2011, he was tried by an al-Shabab court for an unspecified crime. The court found him guilty and ordered his limbs to be amputated.
The sentence was never carried out for obvious reasons; he had been a very helpful person to the group. He managed to escape and took refuge in neighbouring Kenya.
In 2014, he was arrested by Kenya police who after preliminary investigations extradited to Somalia to stand trial for the crimes he had committed.
A military court in Somalia found him guilty of being behind the killings of some of his colleagues and passed a death sentence on him. He was subsequently tied to the stakes and executed by firing squad.
As the saying goes, those who live by the sword die by the sword. Hanafi admitted being behind the killings of some of his colleagues. He sowed death and reaped death.
The law of sowing and reaping is a universal law. We must be wary of our thoughts and actions. What we give, we get. We reap what we sow. If you want peace and happiness, help people find peace and happiness for their lives. If you want blessings in your life, find a way and bless others. If you want your life to overflow with good things, do good things to people. In a word, dont do that which will not help your neighbor. Avoid evil and do good.
Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
EMAIL: [email protected]
28.06.2016 LISTEN
Due to the poor performance of the government, it will be a miracle if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) makes more than 40 per cent in Ghanas upcoming presidential poll, claims Stephen Amoah, the acting Ashanti regional organiser of the opposition New Patriotic Party.
According to him, the NDCs ambition to win one million votes in the region the stronghold of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in this years elections will not happen unless the party resorts to violence and rigging.
How will people in Ghana, including the Ashanti Region, considering such governance, give one million votes to the NDC? Perhaps they [the NDC] think they will have it like they did in 2012 when they beat and wounded people, and say they have won the election, Mr Amoah told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom, Accra100.5FMs morning show, on Tuesday June 28, 2016.
Otherwise, if the NDC garners even 40 per cent of votes in the 2016 polls, it will be a big surprise to me.
Mr Amoahs remarks were in response to the Ashanti regional NDCs release on Monday June 27 stating that it had gathered intelligence that the NPP intended going on a violent demonstration to divert attention from the presidents Accounting to the People tour of the region, which it warned would be met with reasonable reaction. But the NPP executive said the NDC would be given a reality check on voting day if it felt the visit of Mr Mahama was a threat to the fortunes of the NPP in 2016.
The statement, signed by communication officer Samed Akalilu, indicated: We see this as a sign of ungratefulness, if not wizardry, in the face of the unparalleled infrastructural developments given this region by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama over the past three years. While the NDC remains the most peaceful political entity in our country, we wish to state that any attempt to mar the beauty of the president's activities shall be met with the reasonable force it deserves.
During the three-day tour, President Mahama is expected to inspect and inaugurate projects, pay courtesy calls on chiefs and elders and also interact with traders.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti regional Police Command is assuring the public that security arrangements are in place ahead of Mr Mahamas visit. Deputy Ashanti Regional Police Commander ACP Ampofo Duku told Class News: We have adequately prepared for the visit of President Mahama to ensure that his working visit will go on in peace.
The marauders of Ghana's booty must be checked, arrested, tried, and jailed. Dumsor has never been a case of lack of resources, fuel, or whatever flimsy excuses that the looting brigades parading themselves as nationalists would want Ghanaians to believe. Right from the onslaught, it seems, the government has been in cahoots with every devil to milk our nation. And to a large extent this John Mahama led administration has succeeded.
Let it be said that the government is quite dexterous with the implementation of all means possible to cause financial loss to the State. Have we not seen proof in the mismanagement that is rampant everywhere? It is never found wanting for evil ideas to loot, as is believed by majority of Ghanaians.
To ever believe President John Dramani Mahama's promises of an end to dumsor is akin to a chicken believing the promises of a wolf; soon it would find itself in its grinding jaws. The truth about the matter is that Dumsor under the NDC will never come to an end. At Tema, NDC gurus and bigwigs have huge electricity generating plants that are logged onto the national grid. In other words they are generating electricity that they're selling to the nation. Is it any wonder why the rates are so high?
It is not a case of lack of money or any other tasteless reason why Dumsor is ongoing. If the government can find hundreds of millions of cedis to misappropriate, it can certainly find hundreds others to pay debt for gas owed Nigeria. In order words the Dumsor is an artificial calamity that has assumed permanent status under John Mahama's cruel government.
Besides, let it also be known to Ghanaians that Ghana's new-found oil is a resource that is mixed with a lot of gas. The gas is separated from the oil and flamed. That which cannot be flamed is pumped back into the earth, making crude oil extraction excessively laborious and expensive. Had we sensible leadership, necessary infrastructures would be built to pump the gas into pipelines to power the electricity generating plants to cut cost severely rather than the exorbitant problem of managing it by pumping it back into the earth. We could even sell the gas to pay for the numerous needs of our country.
But the visionless and clueless leadership of the NDC, and the President, have become a bane to our development. In order to continue looting the State, government is about to implement a project for coal powered electricity generation. The massive cost involved is a crime against Ghanaians and, in the same breath, humanity. That much money for this useless project could be channeled to tap our own resources to bring much needed relief to Ghanaians as well as reducing diseases resulting from the dangers of working with coal and the plumes of carbon monoxide emissions. The repercussions of using coal just adds more burden to a non-functioning National Health Insurance Scheme.
That is TREASONABLE!!!
So back to the NDC gurus who are amassing wealth from the crisis. For the benefit of a few, the government, VRA, and ECG are looking the other way. They have lost every little sense of empathy for their brethren suffering the unnecessary burdens of exorbitant bills. To add insult to injury, NDC politicians have brought in their own meters and are charging as they wish. That is all the more reason why people do not understand why their electricity consumption has skyrocketed, and why the cost of electricity has hit the moon.
Let Ghanaians know that if they do not stand up for the little shred of dignity that they have left, this NDC government will continue to sodomise the nation until we can no longer control our bowels resulting in perpetual damage that will render us incontinent forever. Who then could be blamed for the stink that would overwhelm us.
It is not surprising that investors have packed bag and baggage and bolted out of Ghana like they were running away from a monster. And yes the NDC government, under the leadership of John Mahama, is a monster,
Arise for change if you want to restore your dignity! Arise for change if you want to restore your respect! Arise for change if you want to be Ghanaians again. As it is now, we are strangers and prisoners in our own land.
#Arise #Arise #Arise
Some political parties have described the performance of the Electoral Commissioner as unimpressive after a year in office.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the Convention People's Party (CPP) are asking Charlotte Osei to improve her performance in order to successfully execute the November polls.
The acting Chairman of the NPP, Freddy Blay said: "We want to urge her on...we want to ask her that five months may be a short time but we could have a very significant impact if she is a bit accommodating, diplomatic and can have a listening ear," Mr Blay said.
President Mahama appointed Mrs. Charlotte Kesson Smith-Osei as Chair of the Commission in June 2015.
Her appointment came after the previous Chair, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan retired after almost two decades in office.
Charlotte Oseis appointment was met with mixed reactions from Ghanaians. Some were excited about the fact that a woman had been appointed to head the EC but others thought she would be weak to run the affairs of the EC the way her predecessor Dr. Afari Gyan did. But her resistance to calls by the NPP for the compilation of a new voters register is, perhaps a testimony of her assertiveness.
The Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho said she has brought new breath to the EC "in terms of making Ghanaians understand that the EC operates according to rules and regulations and not according to the whims and caprices of political parties."
Another controversy that has rocked the Commission under the leadership of Mrs. Osei is the changing of the Commission's logo.
The Commission's new logo
Concerns were raised about the new logo which is similar to the logo of a Turkish institution but the Commissioner defended the decision with a witty remark saying "we liked, we picked it and it makes us happy." It was unveiled together with a new website of the Commission.
Former First Lady and founder of the National Democratic Party( NDP), Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings said the Commission 'must get its priorities right and be more proactive.
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings
Mrs. Charlotte Osei recently reshuffled the entire communications department of the EC, sending then director of Public Affairs Christian Owusu-Parry to head the administration department. Principal Public Relations officer, Sylvia Annor was also reassigned to be in charge of protocol.
Perhaps the biggest of the challenges for Mrs Osei is what to do with the new Supreme Court judgment directing her outfit to delete names of NHIS carders from the register and reregister. Even though the judgment was given in May, the Commission is yet to implement the order, a situation which angered judges at the Apex Court.
The judges has therefore ordered the Commission to produce a comprehensive list of persons who registered in 2012 with the National Health Insurance cards by June 29, 2016. This order came after the plaintiffs of the case, Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako returned to the court for clarification of the May ruling.
Some critics have suggested the EC will not be in a position to supply the Apex court with the list but the Commission has insisted it will.
It remains to be seen if Mrs Charlotte Osei will pass her first real test at the Supreme Court.
Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com| AA
A significant part of Carlisle history many people arent aware of was re-enacted Monday night at the First Presbyterian Church on Market Square as part of the Summerfair 2016 festivities.
Historic Carlisle, Inc. showcased what took place on July 12, 1774, when a meeting of the Cumberland County Committee of Correspondence was held at the church to adopt resolutions in response to The Intolerable Acts, which included retaliatory measures against the Massachusetts Colony and closed the port of Boston in response to the Boston Tea Party.
In looking for a program to present this year for Summerfair, we thought this was an appropriate thing to do given that the actual room where the meeting took place is right here, and the people who were there were all the luminaries in Carlisle at the time, said Lawrence Smarr, an Historic Carlisle, Inc. board member and organizer of the re-enactment.
Smarr said a similar program had been held before, and saw surprising success, which is why officials with the organization believed holding the event again would be a good idea.
Members of the organization dressed up in the garb of that time and portrayed those luminaries; who were the likes of Robert Magaw, William Irvine and General John Armstrong.
According to Smarr, all of those involved in the re-enactment were amateur actors who were either on the board currently for Historic Carlisle or former members who try and stay active with the organization.
The event was held as one of Summerfairs scheduled programs and free to the public.
VIDEO Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I8jLc6e1eY
Lord Gus O'Donnell, Member of the House of Lords, UK and Former Cabinet Secretary & Head of the British Civil Service. He was brought to Ghana by IDEG Ghana as part of IDEG's research-led promotion of effective Political Transitions in Ghana and good early government in 2012. This is a video clip of Lord O'Donnell's still highly relevant address in Accra before a blue-ribbon audience. As we know after the historic vote Political Transition is on the front burner in the United Kingdom today. Lord O'Donnell has very recently said that the break away from the European Union would take at least a decade. In a private message to the British Civil Service a few days ago his successor, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has asked the British Civil Service to remain calm and committed to ensure "business continues as usual". Ghana's constitutional structure now is broadly American but its constitutional culture remains strongly British in orientation.
Video URL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I8jLc6e1eY
I dont know why Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings thinks that she is any more morally upright than the man whom her own husband nurtured and tutored to become the thoroughgoing corrupt man that President John Dramani Mahama indubitably is today (See Konadu Faults Mahama for Accepting Ford Gift MyJoyOnline.com/Ghanaweb.com 6/27/16).
Not very long ago, at least if you are my age or older, Ghanas longest-reigning first lady was posed the question as to how she had managed to school all her four, or so, children in some of the most expensive academies abroad, in view of her incredulous claim that in spite of their protracted grip onto power and influence the Rawlings clan was not nearly half as wealthy as both their admirers and detractors had made them out to be.
Back then, as I vividly recall, Mrs. Agyeman-Rawlings claimed that it was the generosity of some well-heeled close family friends and associates that had enabled her and her husband to ship their children abroad for schooling, even as Chairman Jerry John Rawlings deliberately and systematically ground the steady growth and healthy development of the countrys higher education to a screeching halt. Today, these bloody couple are lauded by those who dont know any better, or willfully refuse to know any better, as having significantly contributed to the development of education, in general, in the country.
On the Mahama Ford Expedition payola saga, Mrs. Rawlings does not really condemn the former National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Gonja-West, in the Northern Region. Rather, her only beef is that rather than crudely deal directly with the alleged gift giver, Monsieur Gibril (Djibril) Kanazoe, the former Atta-Mills arch-lieutenant ought to have directed the Burkinabe contractor to pass the gift through one of his legion aides, even as Nana Konadus own father would have done.
Such backdoor strategy, Nana Konadu is implicitly convinced, would have helped in dispelling any semblance of a conflict of interest. A rather lame and belated advice, if the dear reader were to ask yours truly. If, indeed, that was the real nature of the evidently shady dealings of her own father, Mr. Agyeman, then one could safely conclude that Nana Konadu was raised by a man who was absolutely no morally better or superior to President Mahama. I am also inclined to believe that if he was afforded ample prodding, Ghanaians may likely learn about more than a few instances in which Chairman Rawlings might have been the jolly recipient of generous payolas.
At any rate, I found her hypothetical supposition of what a real gift to Mr. Mahama might have looked like to be at once insufferably repugnant and immitigably offensive. Why, for instance, would Nana Konadu suppose that a gift meant for Mr. Mahama would have been passed up to him somewhere in the Bole-Bamboi vicinity, in the Northern Region, and not in either Accra or Kumasi, for that matter?
*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
28.06.2016 LISTEN
Over Management Of Ghana's Finances
OccupyGhana announces that on Wednesday 22nd June 2016, it filed an action at the Supreme Court against the Attorney-General (and ultimately the Auditor-General) for declarations that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 187(7)(b) of the Constitution, the Auditor-General is bound to issue a Disallowance and/or Surcharge where:
(i) there has been any illegal expenditure incurred on behalf of the Government, so that the amount unlawfully expended is recovered from the person responsible for, or who authorised the expenditure disallowed;
(ii) any person fails to bring any sum into the Governments account, so that the amount is recovered from that person; and
(iii) the Government suffers or incurs a loss or deficiency through the negligence or misconduct of any person, so that the value of the loss or deficiency is recovered from that person (whether or not a public servant).
The Writ seeks a further declaration that the Auditor-Generals omission, failure, refusal or neglect to issue any Disallowances and Surcharges in respect of the above, and as appears in his successive Reports since the coming into force of the Constitution, violate the Constitution.
Finally, for an order of the Supreme Court directed at the Auditor-General to issue Disallowances and Surcharges to and in respect of all persons and entities found in his relevant, successive Reports to have engaged in any of the above.
Background
On 12th November 2014, OccupyGhana wrote to the Auditor-General, reminding him of his powers of Disallowance and Surcharge under the Constitution, demanding that he exercises them. Subsequently, OccupyGhana engaged severally with the Auditor-General, with a view to assisting in putting in place the structures upon which he would exercise those powers.
Regrettably, after a dozen letters and exchanges, and one publicized meeting on 27th March 2015, the Auditor-General has not taken any steps to exercise those powers, which would lead to the recovery of huge sums of money for the State.
Losses to Ghana
A study of the Auditor-Generals Reports on the Audit Services website (www.ghaudit/org) reveals that between 2003 and 2014 (figures for 2009 are not available), the total losses to Ghana from what the Auditor-General describes as irregularities arising in Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies was Two Billion, Four Hundred and Forty-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twelve Ghana Cedis, and Twenty-Nine Pesewas (GH2,448,968,912.29).
This is alarming, more so when we discovered further that for just the four years, 2009 and 2012 to 2014, amounts lost to Ghana from irregularities in Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions was Five Billion, Seventy-Two Million, Six Hundred and Eighty-Six Thousand and Seven Hundred and Sixteen Ghana Cedis (GH5,072,686,716).
From our projections, since the promulgation of the Constitution, the total losses to Ghana arising from irregularities in Public Offices, Central and Local Government Administration, Public Institutions, Public Corporations and Statutory Bodies, possibly exceeds Forty Billion Ghana Cedis (GH40,000,000,000).
Dilatory Conduct of Officials
To date, we have seen no commitment towards ensuring that these huge losses are recovered. The annual rhetoric and recurring refrain of the Auditor-General has outlived its usefulness: the cataloguing of financial irregularities in my Reports has become an annual ritual that seems to have no effect.
Indeed, at the 27th March 2015 meeting between the Auditor-General and Officials of the Audit Service, OccupyGhana and representatives of the Attorney-Generals Department, the Officials conceded the duty to exercise the power of Disallowance and Surcharge, and asked for help from OccupyGhana.
They proposed a Joint Working Group with membership drawn from the Audit Service, Attorney-Generals Department and OccupyGhana, to help put in place the structures and measures for the final implementation of the Disallowances and Surcharges Regime. The Auditor-General confirmed this in writing by a letter to OccupyGhana dated 8th April 2015.
To facilitate this work, the OccupyGhana legal team compiled and submitted to the Auditor-General and Attorney-General, a detailed Working Paper as the template for action. OccupyGhana also duly nominated its representatives to serve on the Group. But the Joint Working Group was never constituted. No work has been done to date, despite repeated pressure from us, and written and verbal assurances from both the Auditor-General and Attorney-General that work would commence.
We are finally persuaded that this inaction is willful.
Engagement with the Rules of Court Committee
In the interim, OccupyGhana wrote to the Rules of Court Committee, to inquire about the rules of court required under Article 187(10) of the Constitution to regulate appeals from the Auditor-General's Disallowances and Surcharges.
After ascertaining that no rules had been enacted, and at the request of the Committee, the OccupyGhanalegal team drafted the rules and submitted them to the Committee. We are happy to learn that after review by the Committee, a draft Bill to amend the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2004 (CI 47) to incorporate these rules (and based on our draft) is currently before the Legislative Sub-Committee of Parliament. We take this opportunity to urge Parliament to expedite action on enacting these rules into law.
Time is Running Out
Our concern at the lack of progress from the Auditor-General is heightened by the fact that Section 4(1)(f) of the Limitation Act, 1972 (NRCD 54) prescribes a six-year limitation period on legal actions to recover any such monies. Arguably, losses that occurred before 2010, and have not been paid, are forever lost to Ghana, even if the Auditor General would take action today.
This is what compels us to take this drastic action at this time; to provide opportunity to recover, at least, some of the long-standing losses to the State. This action however, is taken reluctantly. All our non-contentious engagements with the Auditor-General have failed to yield the desired results. It appears that the Auditor-General will not exercise these powers given him under the Constitution unless compelled by the Supreme Court.We are therefore left with no other option than to commence court proceedings.
Conclusion
We wish to assure Ghanaians of our commitment, resolve and determination to hold public officials accountable to the people of Ghana. We do not resort to court actions lightly. However, we will not hesitate to deploy our full arsenal of actions available to us, should the need arise.
We entreat the support and prayers of the good people of Ghana as we seek to convince the apex court of our land that our cause is just and that our course is right. Yours in the service of God and Country
A 28-year old male nurse at the Valley View Hospital, who has been in the Police custody for a year for having carnal knowledge of a 29 year old female mental patient, has been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court.
The accused person, Joshua Penni, who was then a night nurse at the hospital, allegedly had sexual intercourse with the patient on two occasions, after which she (patient) reported the matter to her family and the hospital authorities.
His plea has, however, not been taken yet, since it was the first time of appearing before the Domestic Violence Court. Pleading for bail, his counsel, Edwin Kusi-Appiah, told the court that his client has been in custody from June 2015, when the case was at the committal level at the District Court.
He added that the offence was a bailable one, and prayed to the court to grant him bail accordingly. He added that his client has people of substance to stand surety for him, and that he also has a permanent job and fixed place of abode, so if granted bail, he will avail himself for the conditions.
The court, presided over by Abena Adji-Doku, granted him bail in the sum of GH20,000. He is expected to appear before the court on July 11, 2016.
Facts
According to Detective Chief Inspector Kofi Atinbire, the victim is a 29-year accountant who lives at Spintex, Baatsona, but is now a mental patient, while the accused person, Penni Joshua, 28, is a nurse who works at Valley View Psychiatric Clinic at Dzorwulu.
According to the Prosecutor, the victim became ill on June 1, 2015, and was taken to the hospital, where she was put on admission. The accused person works as a night nurse at the same hospital.
On Thursday June 18, 2015, at about 10:00pm, the victim, after her medication, was feeling drowsy and weak, and was lying on her bed alone, since other patients in the ward had been discharged the previous day, when the accused person came to check on her.
When the accused person realised that the victim was alone in her room and weak, he turned the victim over and had sexual intercourse with her.
The following day, Friday June 19, 2015, when the accused person came to work, he went to the victim's room again, and realising she was alone, had sexual intercourse with her a second time.
The victim informed her family about it, which also informed the hospital management. The case was reported to the police, and the accused person apprehended, and upon interrogation he admitted the offence.
By MaameAgyeiwaaAgyei
([email protected])
From Alfred Adams
Ahead of this years elections, the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has predicted victory in five out of the 26 parliamentary seats in the Western Region, as the party is convinced it has properly positioned itself for the contest.
But the party would not divulge which of the five seats it was going to wrestle, except with the clue that they were all traditional seats. Currently, the CPP has no parliamentary seat in the region the home of its founder, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
It could not even boast of maintaining its seat in the hometown of the Founder, Nkroful, which was carved out of the Ellembelle Constituency.
The Regional Chairman of the CPP, Mr. Kwabena Tumi, told The Chronicle he was going to spring a surprise in his capacity as a strategist, to rewrite CPP history, with regard to winning parliamentary seats.
Political observers believe the CPP would not make any impact in the coming elections, following the disunity at the top hierarchy, coupled with the absence of resources to engage in major political campaigning.
Speaking in a telephone interview with The Chronicle, however, the Regional Chairman would not agree with this claim. He described it as a 'paper' claim, which ran contrary to what pertained on the ground.
Mr. Tumi expressed the belief that the CPP was rather poised and hungry for political success this time round. Don't forget it was during my reign as Regional Organiser that the CPP had three parliamentary seats. And now as Regional Chairman, I am going to set a record, come the November 7 elections, where we are wresting five parliamentary seats, he stressed.
Defending why the party had decided to wrest none other than traditional parliamentary seats for the beginning, Mr. Tumi explained it was due to the partys leverage in those constituencies, which was the result of responses from voters in those areas.
Asked to mention the five parliamentary seats his party was set to wrest, Kwabena Tumi declined. He rather asked rhetorically: Do you want me to put my strategy outside there, when you know the CPP is in political competition with other parties?
The CPP had held on to the Jomoro, Ellembelle and Nzema East constituency seats until the 2008 and 2012 elections when it lost out to the ruling party.
The Jomoro parliamentary seat, for instance, was snatched from Mr. Lee Ocran in 2008 by Samia Nkrumah, daughter of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. In 2012, she lost the seat to the NDC.
28.06.2016 LISTEN
The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says recent pronouncements by President Mahama, demanding a second-term in office is ample testimony that he has not read Ghana's Constitution.
In his recent Accounting to the People tour, President Mahama indicated that every president in the 4th Republican era has been given two-terms in office, going on to state that had the late President Mills been alive, he would have also been given two terms in office.
Respectfully, I don't think our President has read the Constitution. If every President was guaranteed a second term, why then would we be going to the polls this year? If President Rawlings and President Kufuor had not performed well in office, in the view of Ghanaians, would they have been allowed to continue? he asked
He continued: When we look at your track-record in office and it is poor, the people of Ghana would kick you out. The case of Goodluck Jonathan is exactly the same as that of our President. Goodluck Jonathan only became President because his boss passed away.
When it came to standing election for a 2nd term, the people of Nigeria decided that he was undeserving of another term in office. There was no 2nd term for Jonathan.
The same way, in this year's elections, I am confident that Ghanaians will say to Mahama 'No second term', especially when his party, the NDC, was in fact enjoying a second successive term in office.
Nana Akufo-Addo made this known on Friday, June 24, when he campaigned in the Bortianor/Ngleshie/Amanfro constituency, together with the NPP parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Alhaji Habib Saad, in the run-up to this year's elections.
Too Much Stealing In Government
At the Weija Old barrier taxi rank, Bortianor, Tuba, Galilea market and Amanfro, Nana indicated that the one of the reasons for the suffering and hardships currently facing Ghanaians is the widespread and rampant cases of the theft of public resources and corruption in the government of President John Mahama.
According to him, state resources meant for the development of country, as well as the improvement of the living standards of Ghanaians, always find their way into the pockets of officials the reason why there is little to show for the billions of dollars contracted in loans over the last seven years.
Thus, the situation Ghana finds herself in under President Mahama requires nothing short of change, if the country is to be returned onto the path of progress and prosperity, away from the despondency that has been imposed on Ghanaians.
With drivers, traders and fisherfolk lamenting about the difficulties they face with each passing day, in the form of high insurance premiums, high prices of petrol and premix fuel, to rising cost of living, they indicated to the NPP flagbearer that there used to be a time when we used to make money in this station, and that was under the NPP.
Addressing the gathering, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that in addition to the wanton theft of state resources, the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy is another reason for the hardship and suffering.
Thus, when voted into office, he told the hundreds gathered at the terminal, he is coming to ensure the prudent management of public resources, and will also institute measures to root out corruption and theft of public funds.
To the teeming numbers of young men and women who have lost hope in the ability of Ghana to offer them a decent livelihood, Nana Akufo-Addo urged them not to despair, adding that with the right leadership and correct policies, Ghana's dwindling fortunes can be reversed.
28.06.2016 LISTEN
In a dramatic sequence, second prosecution witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC, Mustapha Sani Gadanya, in the on-going trial of Nigerias former Head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, Tuesday, followed the tread of the first witness, Ibrahim Rouqayya (Mrs), by contradicting himself while giving evidence before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole.
Gadanya is a former second in command of EFCCs Pension Fraud Team and present Manager, Compliance Investigations in Standard Chartered Bank, Lagos. He was brought by the Commission as witness in the trial-within-trial, as ordered by the Court.
Led in evidence by prosecution Counsel, Mr. Afolabi, Gadanya explained his involvement in the investigation of the second defendant in the matter, arguing that he voluntarily gave his statement to the Commission.
However, during cross examination by the counsel to the second defendant, Mr. Oluwole Aladoyele, Gadanya contradicted himself, having earlier denied taking the statement of one Mrs. Phyna in 2011, only to admit when the defence Counsel provided documents to the contrary.
Defence counsel had asked the PW2: do you recall obtaining the statement of one Mrs. Phina Chidi in this case?
In his response, he quickly denied. I never obtained any such statement.
Insisting, defence Counsel stressed: on the 11th of February, 2011, you personally took Mrs. Phina Chidi to your superior officer to endorse her statement as having made same voluntarily. My lord, the statement on page 118 of the proof of evidence before this Court, could be used in testing the credibility of this witness. It has his endorsement as investigating officer. The same also is on page 176 of the proof of evidence.
Upon seeing the evidence of his involvement, the EFCC witness recanted and acknowledged that he signed the statement as investigating officer.
It would be recalled that Mrs. Phina Chidi was alleged to have been involved in moving huge sums of money from pension accounts using her under-aged children, but later turned to EFCCs star witness during the Pension fraud trial.
Gadanya also denied seizing the International Passport, mobile Telephone and other gadgets of the 2nd defendant, Osarenkhoe Afe, a claim that was contradicted by the third prosecution witness.
Also testifying in Court Tuesday, third prosecution witness, Nurudeen Sulaiman, an EFCC detective acknowledged that he was part of the team that executed a search warrant on the residence of the second accused person.
According to him, I knew the second accused, Osarenkhoe Afe, during the investigation of the pension fraud. We executed a search warrant in his house and we saw a Laptop, a brown envelope with documents of the office of the Head of Service, an I-Pad, a Zenith Bank Cheque book, letter head papers belonging to his company, Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited (3rd accused) and some other items.
The matter was tentatively adjourned to the 7th of July, 2016, with six more dates taken for continuation of hearing in the new legal year, before the Christmas break.
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission dragged Nigerias former head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye and four others before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of a Federal High Court, Abuja over an amended 35-count charge bordering on alleged corruption.
Others charged by the Commission are: Cluster Logistics Limited, Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, and Drew Investment & Construction Company Limited.
Recall that many Nigerians have accused the EFCC of witch-hunting the former head of Service, Stephen Oronsaye over his Committees recommendation for the merger of the EFCC with the Independent Corrupt practices Commission, ICPC, as well as his strong support for autonomy for the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit-NFIU.
Reports say the highest foreign donor support to the EFCC comes because of the NFIU.
Destiny Ugorji
Outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana has condemned the desire for academic titles as a measure of a persons social status.
Professor Ernest Aryeetey observed on Joy FMs Super Morning Show Tuesday, that in Ghana today people will do anything to get a title.
He said titles describe and reveal a persons vocation or profession. This is why a title such as General suggest the person is in the army.
He questioned why a civil servant should be keen to be addressed as a professor when he is not teaching or a
I am Professor Aryeety because I teach in a university if I was not teaching in a university I would not be qualified to be called Professor Aryeetey, the Vice-Chancellor explained.
According to him, the societys respect for titles and status is fueling a craze for academic qualifications.
He observed that Ph.D. candidates are failing to graduate because the motive for the qualification is questionable.
We are so engrossed in a discussion of who is bigger than who, who has a bigger status than whom, Prof. Aryeetey condemned.
Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|EA
The Power Ministry says it has for the moment excluded critical categories of customers from pre-payment metering and ongoing mass disconnection exercise by power distributor, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The Ministry has lauded ECG for the mass disconnection, saying it was a step in the right direction to collect outstanding bills owed it by various categories of customers.
Whilst we commend ECG in that regard, we wish to bring to your attention, Governments decision to temporarily exclude certain critical categories of customers from pre-payment metering and the mass disconnection exercise. These include critical installations in the health, security and educational institutions, said a release from the Power Ministry.
The ECG last week Monday, June 20 begin a nationwide disconnection exercise in a bid to retrieve outstanding debts owed it by consumers.
The move comes on the back of attempts by government to privatise the state power distributor. Government currently owes ECG GHE950 million while private individuals owe GH650 million, making a total of about GHC1.6 billion.
Read the press release below.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
28.06.2016 LISTEN
By Barbara Kwarteng/Elizabeth Obah Nyarko, GNA
Kumasi, June 28, GNA - Five persons suspected to be linked to murder of police Corporal Frank Essel of the Special Weapon and Tactics Unit in Kumasi, are in the grips of the Ashanti Police.
Corporal Essel was on Thursday, May 19, 2016, shot and killed by masked armed men in his personal vehicle at the premises of the 'Open Space Hotel' at Denkyemuoso in Kumasi, during a robbery spree by the armed assailants.
The arrested suspects are Kofi Gyimah, Emmanuel Ampabeng, Kofi Nti, Kwadwo Owusu and Richard Kwabena Kyere, believed to be part of a gang of die-hard criminals who after robbing their victims kill them as well.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Charles Domanban, the Asokwa Divisional Police, told the press in briefing that the five were arrested during a police swoop.
He said Ampabeng was the first to be arrested on June 23, 2016 at Kromoasi and he led a team of detectives to arrest the other suspects at their respective hideouts.
ACP Domanban said interrogations are ongoing to arrest other accomplices linked to the crime.
GNA
: ;
28.06.2016 LISTEN
By Samira Larbie, GNA
Accra, June 28, GNA - Madam Victoria Adongo, the Programme Co-ordinator of Peasant Farmers Association, Ghana (PFAG), has called on Parliament to implement policies that will enable farmers to have access to quality seedlings.
She said this was important as certain clauses in the Plant Breeders Bill (PBB) were not favourable to local breeders which, if not addressed, would collapse the local seed industry.
Some of the clauses under the Bill protects foreign breeders and gave them the patent to bring in their own seed which could affect the local seed industry and farmers greatly, Ms Adongo said.
Madam Adongo made the call at an inception meeting to discuss farmers' access to quality inputs.
She said Ghana needed to be innovative to ensure that the local researchers, local seed producers and traders, seed multipliers, and local seed companies were protected.
Madam Adongo said aside land and fertilizer the farmers needed basic units of land propagation, the most crucial input to agricultural production, adding that its scarcity made it difficult for farmers to engage in any farming activity.
Local seeds need to be improved and revamped, Ms Adongo said, adding 'we cannot depend on other countries for all of our needs, we need to be innovative and come up with lasting ideas that would help grow the local industry, if not we will always be marking time'.
She said the PFAG was not against the intellectual property of researchers and also not against the PBB, but the clauses must be checked to strengthen the local seed industry.
She therefore called on all stakeholders to come together to enhance the Bill for the betterment of all peasant farmers while improving food security in Ghana.
Mr Charles Nyaaba, the Programme Officer of PFAG, said the project would make it possible for local seed growers to grow enough good quality seeds that would enhance their farming activities.
This is a two-year project supported by Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa to help build the capacity of farmers to grow seed and supply them at an affordable price.
It is also to educate them on how they can access and use agro chemicals at a reduced cost without it affecting their health.
GNA
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.
Residents in one local community are now among those allowed to have chickens on their property with a few regulations in place.
By a vote of 7-1, the Farmington City Council approved an amendment regarding the owning of livestock in city limits to allow chickens. Ward III Councilman Darrel Holdman cast the lone nay vote.
Residents still expressed their views on the ordinance during the meeting both in person and by letter.
Stacie Matthew spoke in support of the ordinance during the public participation portion of the meeting, presenting a handout with data concerning with facts about chickens.
There are many cities across the country that allow backyard flocks, she said.
Before the vote, Ward I Councilman Larry Forsythe read a letter from John and Rita Stam expressing their opposition to the passage of the ordinance noting their concerns over odor among others.
Ward II Councilman Dale Wright showed the council an unofficial straw poll he took during Country Days that showed support for the ordinance.
Following the meeting, City Administrator Greg Beavers said those wanting to own chickens will need to familiarize themselves with the regulations put in place.
The first thing they need to understand is a limit on the number of chickens they can have, he said. Weve limited it to five hens on your property and you cannot have a rooster.
Restrictions are also in place on the setbacks from neighboring properties for the placement of the chicken coops.
The ordinance can be found at www.farmington-mo.gov. Beavers encourages everyone to check to make sure they are in compliance before constructing the chicken coops.
Prior to the start of regular session, the council held a public hearing to discuss the city submitting an application for the Community Development Block Grant Program by partnering with the Missouri Community College Association to expand the Jobs for Americas Graduates (JAG) program.
This is a service we are providing to the college, Beavers said. The goal of JAG is to identify at-risk high school students and get them over the finish line and either college-bound, trade school-bound or work-bound.
A city or county is required to apply for the grant for the program, so Farmington will act as a conduit for the money in the program.
(MCCA) asked for us to help them and partner with them and we thought it was a great opportunity to show them support, Beavers said, adding half of the 10 schools in the program in the state are in this area.
The council also approved a second budget amendment for the fiscal year 2016 operating budget, while the members are scheduled to begin talking over the next years budget on July 5.
We anticipate our budget to be pretty consistent with this year, Beavers said. The benchmark of some things going on are an immense amount of street and storm water work around town and we will be doing a lot of sewer work next year.
Read more about the proposed projects in this weeks edition of the Farmington Press.
Second readings and council action were also taken on annexation of two properties located at Korber Road and Perrine Road, with both receiving unanimous approval.
First and second readings were also held and approved on two easement purchases for property located near the Farmington Regional Airport.
The council also approved contracts with Visu-Sewer of Missouri, LLC for pipe and sewer rehabilitation, Carnahan White, LLC for new fencing at water and sewer facilities and Brockmiller Construction, Inc. for the Woodlawn Substation.
Finance Director Michelle Daniels also reported the May sales tax receipts were up 7.8 percent over the previous year.
Forsythe also noted the death of Mildred Eaton, a long-time employee of the Farmington Public Library.
Council next meets for regular session on July 14 in council chambers, located at 110 W. Columbia St.
you are here:
business India disappoints both optimists & pessimists: Ruchir Sharma Speaking to CNBC-TV18 Morgan Stanley's Ruchir Sharma said we live in a world that is madly disrupted by the crisis of 2008. A few trends have been playing out since then. Brexit has been a big manifestation of that trend, said Sharma.
The signs are unmistakable as the annual tents go up and many seasonal storefronts are opening up. Each year the Missouri Division of Fire Safety issues more than 1,200 permits to seasonal sellers of consumer fireworks.
These permit holders can legally sell to the public from June 20 to July 10 and from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 of the next year.
Coinciding with these dates, the City of Park Hills allows firework displays from June 20 to July 10 during the following times: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.
Mayor David Easter asks residents to be mindful of these times and to remember that not everyone is appreciative of the noise associated with fireworks. Many war veterans are especially sensitive to the sounds and may be suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Many pets, likewise, become very fearful and may act unpredictably. Dogs and cats have very sensitive hearing and should be kept inside in a quiet room while fireworks are going off, especially if they show signs of fear or distress.
Along with restrictions on dates and times residents are allowed to set off fireworks, Park Hills ordinance only allows them to be set off on private property. No one is allowed to set off or cause any consumer fireworks to be set off upon public property or on the private property of someone else without getting permission from the owner of the property.
In addition, it is illegal to ignite or discharge any fireworks within a motorized vehicle or throw them from your vehicle or into another vehicle. This rule includes boats or any type of floating platforms unless a display permit has been obtained.
It is also illegal to explode or ignite fireworks within 600 feet of any church, hospital, mental health facility or school or within 100 feet of any location where fireworks are stored, sold or offered for sale.
The law also prohibits people from igniting or discharging fireworks within 300 feet of any facility that permanently stores ignitable liquids or gases or within 300 feet of gasoline pumps or gasoline filling stations.
In addition to obeying all local laws, keeping in mind some common sense, but extremely important, rules will keep everyone safe while youre having fun.
Ensuring the safety of children is the most important consideration when it comes to fireworks.
Park Hills Fire Chief Jackie Wagganer asks everyone to never leave children unattended around fireworks and to always closely supervise your kids when celebrating Independence Day. Never give fireworks to children.
Always have a bucket of water and a water hose within reach to quickly put out accidental fires.
Wagganer also recommends that everyone make sure spent fireworks are out by wetting them down. Its a good idea to then place them in a metal trash can away from any building or combustible materials.
Cities in the area have a variety of ordinances regarding fireworks.
City of Bonne Terre
It is legal to use fireworks within the city limits of Bonne Terre from June 15 until July 15. Times for use are restricted between the hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. additionally, fireworks may only be used in a safe manner, injury to a person, animal or damage or destruction of property as a result of fireworks use is illegal. Only legally manufactured fireworks available to the general public are allowed and modified, self-made or commercial fireworks are not allowed. Penalties range from being ticketed, 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.
City of Bismarck
Bismarck residents are required to obtain a free fireworks permit at city hall before shooting or discharging fireworks within the city limits. The permit allows for the use of fireworks on personal property between the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. only, from June 29 through July 5, except on July 4 when fireworks can be discharged until 11 p.m. The setting off or discharge of bottle rockets, or any rockets similar to bottle rockets, is not allowed within the Bismarck city limits.
City of Desloge
Fireworks can be set off between the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from July 3-6. No permit is required except for commercial displays.
City of Leadington
Residents may set off fireworks on private property within the city limits between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. July 3-6. They cannot be set off on city streets, in parks or public property unless approved by the board of aldermen in advance and stating the location, time and date. No fireworks shall be set off, thrown or discharged from any motor vehicle or any other type of vehicle being ridden or driven.
City of Farmington
Residents within the city limits of Farmington are prohibited from setting off fireworks. The ordinance states it is illegal to sell and use fireworks within the city limits with the exception of small division fireworks limited to poppers, snappers and smoke devices. In addition, the city adopted an ordinance in 2015 banning the use of aerial luminaries.
City of Iron Mountain Lake
Iron Mountain Lake has a fireworks ordinance that reads fireworks can be used the day before and the day after July 4, but Iron Mountain Lake Mayor Dustin Steinc said they usually lift that and give everyone a week. Fireworks can be used from June 29 through July 6, he said.
City of Leadwood
The ordinance governing the use of fireworks within city limits states legally manufactured fireworks available to the general public may be discharged between June 20 and July 10.
City of Fredericktown
The setting off or sale of fireworks by any person is not allowed within the city limits of Fredericktown. The ordinance does not apply to displays or setting off of fireworks in public locales; such as parks, when done so under the supervision of competent persons and under a permit issued by the mayor.
The Brexit has caused havoc across continental Europe. Financial markets are shocked. But this isnt a time to panic.
With financial markets moving and shaking, you might have forgotten. The Aussie election is this weekend.
I can hear the cheer from here
If it were the US election, Id be sad.
We have Donald Trumps hilarious comments to watch. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton hasnt had a corruption scandal to avoid.
It sure makes for interesting viewing.
Over the other side of the Atlantic, the Brexit has caused havoc across continental Europe. Financial markets are shocked.
But this isnt a time to panic. Its a time to think strategically to tackle the tough times ahead.
Ill explain
The volatility wont last
The Brexit vote has kept punters on the edge of their seats. Bloomberg reported yesterday,
The victory for Brexit tore through world markets on Friday, pummelling the pound and high-yielding assets as more than US$2.5 trillion was wiped from global equity values.
The mayhem continues
After crashing more than 4% on Friday, the pound extended its sell off to a near 31-year low yesterday. The British pound is buying US$1.32, down from its high of US$1.50 last Friday. The Aussie dollar is buying 55.5 British pence, up from 50.7 pence last Friday. Thats good news, if you plan to travel to the UK soon.
The Aussie market wasnt sure which way to go yesterday. After being thumped last week, the ASX 200 jumped 17 points to close at 5,085 points.
Gold remained one of the only assets in favour. The safe haven asset surged sharply, hitting a high of US$1,335.33 per ounce. Its trading slightly lower at US$1,324 today.
With uncertainty growing, volatility has skyrocketed around the world. You can see this on the chart below.
Source: Bloomberg
Click to enlarge
The instability shouldnt be a shock.
A countless number of global elites, business figureheads, celebrities, and billionaires warned that the outcome would devastate the world economy. The New York Post wrote (with my emphasis added):
In April, US President Barack Obama travelled to the UK in part to advocate that it remain in the EU. He even threatened the UK directly, saying it would have to go to the back of the queue in trade negotiations with the United States because the EU is so much bigger.
Frankly, Obamas comments were out of line. His reckless scaremongering, combined with that of others, has caused the volatility. But, like I said before, theres no need to panic. Like any other financial shock in history, the uncertainty should pass with time.
Central bankers are trying to restore confidence now, promising financial markets support. The political elites, backtracking from their gloom and doom forecasts, are trying their best to calm markets.
Ignore the political drama
Eating a bit of humble pie, Obama issued the following statement on Friday:
The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision. The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, and the United Kingdoms membership in NATO remains a vital cornerstone of U.S. foreign, security, and economic policy. The United Kingdom and the European Union will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship to ensure continued stability, security, and prosperity for Europe, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the world.
With his earlier multiple misleading comments, Obamas credibility took a strong hit. The UK was always going to remain a strong economic partner.
Fortunately, there were a few good men (and women) on our side. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London, and a lead Brexit complainer, told the Telegraph yesterday (again, with my emphasis):
I cannot stress too much that Britain is part of Europe, and always will be. There will still be intense and intensifying European cooperation and partnership in a huge number of fields: the arts, the sciences, the universities, and on improving the environment. EU citizens living in this country will have their rights fully protected, and the same goes for British citizens living in the EU. The only change and it will not come in any great rush is that the UK will extricate itself from the EUs extraordinary and opaque system of legislation: the vast and growing corpus of law enacted by a European Court of Justice from which there can be no appeal. This will bring not threats, but golden opportunities for this country to pass laws and set taxes according to the needs of the UK.
In my view, history should show that the United Kingdom got it right. Despite the British pound hitting three decade level lows, its economy wont collapse. In the near term, punters should realise it is business as usual. And financial markets should calm down.
The contagion event is coming
Unfortunately, this would be the calm before the storm. A major contagion event is nearing. Billionaire investor George Soros wrote about it on the Project Syndicate website,
Now the catastrophic scenario that many feared has materialized, making the disintegration of the EU practically irreversible. That process is sure to be fraught with further uncertainty and political risk, because what is at stake was never only some real or imaginary advantage for Britain, but the very survival of the European project. Brexit will open the floodgates for other anti-European forces within the Union. Indeed, no sooner was the referendums outcome announced than Frances National Front issued a call for Frexit, while Dutch populist Geert Wilders promoted Nexit.
The European Commission (EC), believing its an elitist hierarchy, has over stepped the line. The undemocratic and unelected bureaucracy has tried to federalise Europe by sheer political agenda. Boris Johnson summed it up nicely: The vast and growing corpus of law enacted by a European Court of Justice from which there can be no appeal.
Indeed, the EU has neglected the will of the European people for far too long. Its why the majority of Europeans are now anti-Brussels.
By voting out of the European Union, Britain has regained its sovereignty. Now eight more countries who have also had enough want to hold referendums to exit the EU. France, Holland, Italy, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Portugal, and Slovakia could all leave. This spells a disaster for the European Union.
Of course, this wont play out overnight
First, anti-EU governments must be elected throughout Europe. We should see this play out over the months ahead, heading into next year. When this happens, smart capital should move quickly into the US dollar the world reserve currency and global safe haven.
When the US dollar takes off, the stock market, commodities, bonds, and property should take a hit. No industry or sector will be safe. Therefore, it will come down to your investing experience and skills to survive and prosper.
This isnt a time to start panicking its a time to think strategically.
In my view, theres no better place to make big gains than in resource stocks this year. Both in quick speculations, and after the crash with longer term investments. Thats why I wrote the free report, Three Bounce-Back Mining Belters to Buy NOW, which was published Saturday.
Implementing my top-down approach, Ive found three resource stocks that could make you massive profits in the months ahead. This is despite the market conditions.
To get your FREE report today, click here.
Regards,
Jason Stevenson,
Resources Analyst, Money Morning
June 28, 2016
Blairites' Disdain For Labour Members Is One Reason For #Brexit Votes
TIMES POLL: Should Jeremy Corbyn resign?
Public: 49% Yes, 30% No
Labour voters: 54% No, 35% Yes
(YouGov/Times)
---
Confirmed result from labour no confidence motion
172 for
40 against
4 spoilt ballots
13 didn't vote Faisal Islam - 8:42 AM - 28 Jun 2016
One wonders how much money was paid and what threats were issued to push Labour MPs to vote against their successful and well regarded party leader.
All to no avail.
Corbyn will not give in to this coup attempt which has no legal basis at all. He demands a democratic vote by the party members:
I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy.
It is amazing that just the moment the Conservative Party breaks down over the aftermath of the #Brexit vote Labour "elites" decided to fight their party instead of attacking their confused opponents.
Do they not understand that the #Brexit vote is a consequence of exactly such fatuous behavior?
Behind this is of course Tony Blair and his gang who use extremely dirty media setups to frame Corbyn.
Blair fears the release of the Chilcott report about his lies that led to the British participation in the war of Iraq. In two weeks that report will comes out and the Labour leader will speak about it in Parliament. If that leader is Corbyn he will apologize and damn Blair and the people around him. Those folks have now pulled out all stops. They would rather see Corbyn dead than publicly condemning them for their crimes.
I hope that Jermey Corbyn has good bodyguards.
Posted by b on June 28, 2016 at 16:54 UTC | Permalink
Comments
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced June 23 that the California Department of Education has contracted with the State Controllers Office to conduct an audit of California Virtual Academies and related charter schools because of serious questions raised about a number of their practices.
The goal of the audit is to make sure these schools are spending public education funds properly and serving their students well, said Torlakson.
Torlakson noted that under the terms of the audit, the State Controllers office will conduct a review of CAVA and related charter schools to verify whether these nonprofit schools:
Are organizationally separate from K-12, Inc. a for-profit company that these nonprofit charter schools contract with;
Accurately reported attendance, enrollment, and dropout graduation rates to the California Department of Education;
Appropriately allocated and reported shared expenses;
Appropriately identified, accounted for, and disclosed related-party relationships.
The audit is expected to be complete by March 2017.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) About two dozen media organizations including The Associated Press, CNN and The New York Times filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking disclosure of city of Orlando phone recordings stemming from the Pulse nightclub shooting.
The city, meanwhile, claimed in its own court filing that the recordings are exempt under Florida public records law and that the FBI insists releasing them may disrupt the ongoing investigation.
The media lawsuit contends city officials are wrongly withholding recordings of dozens of 911 calls as well as communications between gunman Omar Mateen and the Orlando Police Department. Mateen was killed by police early June 12 after a lengthy standoff in a mass shooting that killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.
A death certificate issued Thursday shows that Mateen's body was buried at the Muslim Cemetery of South Florida in Hialeah Gardens near Miami. It doesn't say when the burial took place.
Also Thursday, a new assistance center for shooting victims opened, and an evening street party was planned by the Pulse nightclub owner as a way to show the community's resilience. The party was Latin-themed, since it was "Latin night" at Pulse the night of the shootings.
The media lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court says the public needs to fully understand how events transpired that night, including the timing and tactics of police, and any indications from Mateen about the motivations behind the attack. The audio recordings would likely give clues to the tone and demeanor of those on the calls, including some calls possibly made by hostages during the three-hour standoff.
"There is strong public interest in fully evaluating how first responders and police reacted during the most critical phases of this incredible tragedy," the media organizations contend. "To be sure, the news media do not approach this petition with any preconceived notion that the city somehow acted inappropriately. Indeed, the audio recordings may well serve to substantiate and justify any action taken."
In its own lawsuit which names only the AP as a defendant the city claims the FBI doesn't want the recordings released to protect its investigation. The FBI has released a partial written transcript of Mateen's calls to police, but a letter from the Tampa FBI chief to Orlando officials makes clear the bureau wants the recordings sealed for now.
"The FBI considers information obtained from state and local law enforcement agencies in furtherance of its investigation to be evidence, or potential evidence," says the letter dated Monday from Paul Wysopal, special agent in charge of the FBI Tampa field office.
The FBI and city claim the recordings are exempt from disclosure under Florida public records law because they pertain to the ongoing investigation, could endanger witnesses and might disrupt any possible future prosecutions. The city also cites other exemptions, including any recording that depicts "the killing of persons" that may include gunshot sounds and victim voices.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a statement that the city supports the FBI's need to protect its investigation but also must "balance that with our responsibility to be transparent" and comply with state and federal law.
UK equities took an immediate hit on Friday but the sector has been shaky since the beginning of the year, as investors fearful of a Brexit fallout shunned domestic stocks.
Although the medium- and longer-term economic effects of the British electorates decision to leave the European Union are far from certain yet, the reaction in UK markets in Fridays aftermath provided some insight into investors immediate concerns.
The FTSE 100, after opening more than 8% down, staged a recovery throughout the day to finish only around 3% down at the close. It is worth noting that the index was up 2.4% over the week as a whole, however. The large companies that constitute this index have significant international earnings streams which, following the fall in sterling, are now worth more in UK domestic currency terms. Indeed, around 80% of the FTSE 100s earnings come from overseas. This likely helped to provide support through the day, despite the precipitous falls in areas such as the banking stocks that make up part of the index, and backing was seen in areas like tobacco, for example, with both British American Tobacco (BATS) and Imperial Brands (IMB) posting gains on the day.
The story was different for the FTSE 250, however, which closed over 7% down, albeit an improvement on the initial 11% fall at the start of the day. The greater domestic focus of the companies in the mid-cap index meant that these stocks took more of the pain, with house builders particularly affected.
What Does this Mean for UK Equity Funds?
What does this mean for managers of mainstream UK equity funds, who have traditionally used allocations to mid-cap stocks as a source of potential capital appreciation? The average fund in the Morningstar UK Flex-Cap Equity Category has an allocation of more than half of its assets to stocks outside of the giant- and large-cap names. In recent years, the strong performance of the mid-cap segment of the market has thus helped a large number of UK equity managers to outperform.
The average fund in the category has outperformed the FTSE All-Share index by over 200 basis points on an annualised basis over the last five years. Nonetheless, the uncertain economic environment following the Brexit vote may give rise to a change in the market dynamics that have been favourable for the mid-cap stocks and the funds with large allocations to them.
Despite a large proportion of UK equity funds having overweight allocations to the mid-cap segment of the market, there are also a number of funds rated positively by Morningstar fund analysts that are more focused on the larger end of the scale. Several equity-income funds feature high up on this list, which is understandable: the ten largest dividend payers are all giant-cap companies and they pay out over 50% of the markets total dividends. But outside of the equity-income universe, we can point to a number of funds that invest the vast majority of their assets in large-cap companies.
3 Funds Less Likely to Feel the Brunt of Brexit
Old Mutual UK Alpha is managed by the highly experienced Richard Buxton. He is a patient investor, taking a long-term approach to identifying undervalued companies and often incorporating a contrarian angle to his stock selection. This value style bias has been a headwind to performance over the past 18 months, but the fund has outperformed its benchmark and category average over Buxtons tenure. The funds allocation to giant- and large-cap stocks stood at 72% as of 31 May 2016 and included names such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB). The fund has a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Silver.
Lindsell Train UK Equity, managed by Nick Train, looks to invest in high-quality franchises that can prosper through a number of business cycles. He takes a long-term outlook and portfolio turnover is therefore very low. The fund is unconstrained, so it can and does take large sector bets compared to peers, and the portfolio is concentrated, with around 25 holdings. It holds sizeable positions in a number of large companies including Unilever and Diageo. The funds allocation to giant- and large-cap stocks stood at 75% as of May 31 2016. The fund has a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold.
Royal London Sustainable Leaders, managed by Mike Fox, seeks to invest in companies that benefit society in terms of the products and services they provide, or companies that show leadership in environmental, social and governance management. The manager looks for businesses where longer-term growth prospects have been mispriced, and strong stock selection in recent years has helped the fund to outperform despite the allocation to large-cap stocks being higher than that of its average peer. The funds allocation to giant- and large-cap stocks stood at 77% as of 31 May 2016, including sizeable positions in stocks such as AstraZeneca and RELX. The fund has a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.
To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.
Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Although those who come across double-parked cars are typically advised to call authorities, one Corpus Christi Home Depot-goer took matters into their own hands, using a zip tie and a shopping cart.
According to Jerry Davila's now-viral Facebook post, the incident took place at a Corpus Christi Home Depot in the 5000 block of South Padre Island Drive.
The zip-tie user must have been inspired by the do-it-yourself store, because the individual used minimal tools to send the double-parked culprit an ingenious message in inconsiderate parking.
"You take two spaces... You get your car tie wrapped to a basket!" the post said.
While it was initially suggested that Davila did the deed, Davila came forward after the story had been shared.
"My dad and I parked to the left of the car in the picture," Davila wrote. "I noticed the basket up against the white car. I walked over to move the shopping cart away from the car when I saw it was tie-wrapped to the door handle. I didn't get it until i stepped back and saw the car used 2 parking spaces to park."
Less than a week after the images had been posted, Davila's photo set was shared more than 6,000 times and had been posted to various social media outlets including Imgur, Ebaums World.
Calls to the Corpus Christi Police Department were not immediately returned, however, Facebook users shared stories of their own including leaving harsh notes on vehicles and "idiot parking" cards.
While it's unclear if the individual acted criminally, others commented on the post saying they intend on purchasing zip ties to follow Davila's lead.
This story has been updated to reflect Davila's comment identifying himself as having photographed the zip-tied shopping cart, but not the individual who carried out the act.
---
MMedina@mySA.com
Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa
Midland Development Corp. board members voted to release $3 million to Midland Spaceport Development Corp. during a special meeting Monday morning at City Hall.
The money will go toward funding Phase 1 of building Spaceport Business Park at Midland International Air & Space Port. Construction in this phase includes the extension of water and sewer to future tenants, as well as paving roads and building entrance points to the business park.
MDC has agreed to advance $3 million to MSDC with the understanding that as the spaceport is reimbursed from the state of Texas, well receive up to $2 million in reimbursements, said Brent Hilliard, MDC chairman. The other $1 million will not be reimbursed.
Texas has agreed to give MSDC $2 million from the states Spaceport Trust Fund. District 4 City Councilman J.Ross Lacy, who also is MSDC president and a member of the Texas Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee, said its the first small step in hopefully greater funding in the future.
Two sessions ago, the Spaceport Trust Fund funded $15 million: We got $2 million, and Brownsville got $13 million, Lacy said. Their $13 million will go to build their permanent vertical launch facility; our $2 million is going toward the (business park).
Lacy said competing with other states in the race for space will require more capital.
Well, $15 million is a great start, but you look at Spaceport Florida, which gets hundreds of millions of dollars, that puts us at a financial disadvantage when were trying to attract additional aerospace companies to our state because we dont have the resources, Lacy said. You cant put it all on the local entities. The city of Midland cant spend $50 million, $60 million building a facility. Were going to need help from the state of Texas if its going to be a viable option.
Lacy added that Midland needs facilities and amenities to attract businesses that states with large aerospace presences, such as California and Colorado, currently offer. Doing so could mean huge payoffs for the city and the state.
It could be thousands of jobs for the state of Texas, both direct and indirect. For the city of Midland, if you bring a space company here, the synergy involved with the machinists, the welders and the outside companies that we have because of the oil and gas industry, it really coexists with the aerospace industry nicely. So, the direct and indirect amount of jobs and investment is huge, and it can be, too, for the whole state of Texas.
Added Hilliard: Someone has to build the infrastructure, and the way that we see it as a city and as a community is that our spaceport would benefit our whole state, thats why were seeking those funds to help us build the infrastructure that our state needs, not just the city of Midland.
Speaking as a member of the states aerospace advisory committee, Lacy said Houston, Brownsville and Midland are adamant that state money needs to go to licensed spaceports to put infrastructure in place to attract companies. This means the exclusion of Waco, which, unlike three other cities, does not yet have a spaceport license, though it is pursing one for horizontal takeoff and landing, similar to Midlands already-granted license. To Lacy, funding is crucial to getting spaceports up and running for private companies to use. The clock is ticking.
Texas is making a renewed pursuit to be the leader in the aerospace industry, Lacy said. Were the leader in a lot of other industries, and Gov. Abbott and the state of Texas want to be the leader in this industry. When its a $330 billion industry with about $140 billion being paid for by private investment, we have to start going out to get those moneys.
On Tuesday, MSDC will meet at 9:15 a.m. in the City Hall basement conference room and vote to approve an interlocal agreement with the city, which MDC also OKd Monday. The Midland City Council will vote to approve the agreement at its biweekly meeting at 10 a.m. in the council chamber. Both meetings are open to the public.
If approved, a request for proposals will be advertised July 10. Construction for Phase 1 is slated to take between eight and nine months, weather permitting.
Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him in Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
The U.S. economy created a paltry 38,000 jobs in May -- a mere quarter the number economists had predicted. Fortunately, the House of Representatives just approved a legislative amendment that could pick up the slack.
The provision, attached to a comprehensive energy bill, streamlines the regulatory approval channels for new natural-gas pipelines and export terminals. While America is in the midst of a historic gas production boom, the infrastructure required to transport and sell that energy hasnt kept pace. This lag is costing the economy hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in economic growth.
The Houses commonsense provision would help close that gap. Energy producers would finally be free to build necessary gas infrastructure. The economic benefits would be profound.
Thanks to the advent of new extraction technologies like hydraulic fracturing, U.S. energy developers have been able to tap into previously unreachable gas reserves in North Dakota, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Domestic production has jumped a stunning 50 percent over the last decade and is on pace to grow another 50 percent in the coming decades.
This rapid expansion has already worked wonders for an economy largely mired in near-zero growth for eight years. Natural-gas production increases have created high-quality jobs, fueled billions in growth and provided businesses with a cheap, reliable, clean source of energy.
Theres now so much gas, in fact, that domestic supply outstrips domestic demand. Americans will only consume about a quarter of the gas produced over the near future. For a nation that just a few years ago was described as having an energy crisis, this is a miraculous turn of events.
Foreign markets are eager to buy the excess. And American firms are eager to sell it to them; new foreign sales would generate new jobs right here at home.
But theres not enough physical infrastructure to enable this exchange because of regulatory uncertainty.
Regulatory delays have slowed pipeline construction. The total miles of domestic gas pipelines actually fell 2 percent between 2009 and 2015. This spring, the Texas firm Kinder Morgan surrendered to the regulatory bureaucracy and shuttered a $3 billion pipeline project in New England. The much-hyped Constitution pipeline connecting Pennsylvania gas production sites to New York consumers has been similarly smothered to death in government approval channels.
Worse still, when the gas does eventually get to the coasts, there arent enough terminals to actually sell it abroad.
A federal law enacted in the 1930s -- a time when a domestic gas surplus was about as imaginable as a smartphone -- dictates that federal regulators must approve every new gas export terminal. Consequently, dozens of terminal proposals have been stuck in regulatory limbo for years.
With local and national politicians demanding the end of hydraulic fracturing, one suspects the endless regulatory process has become a backdoor ban. If the powers that be wish to stop fracturing, then they should have to justify it to workers and families and have a vote, not hide behind a byzantine regulatory process.
The Houses energy amendment attacks these problems. It requires the Department of Energy to expedite the permitting process for new pipelines and to speed up its evaluations of new terminal applications -- in other words, do their job and justify their decisions.
These reforms, as simple as they may seem, would transform huge swaths of the economy. Natural-gas exports would accelerate gas-industry expansion and generate profound benefits for working Americans.
A fully operational gas-export sector would create 450,000 jobs over the next two decades, according to the consulting firm ICF International. These positions would be concentrated in the American heartland, including North Dakota, Ohio and Illinois.
Arguably, the single most important task for American policymakers is creating more footholds into the middle class. Millions of Americans feel trapped in low-wage, unstable work and locked out of the American dream. Theyre desperate for solid jobs that can serve as the cornerstone of a family.
These new natural-gas positions fit that description precisely. They would be reliable and well-paid, with an average wage clocking in about $50,000 higher than the average of the overall economy.
Passing the Houses natural-gas amendment into law is a clear win. Lawmakers should ensure its in a bill that eventually lands on President Barack Obamas desk.
---
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Saudi Arabias new energy minister said the supply glut that kindled a crippling oil rout around the world and thrashed Houston's biggest business for two years has finally vanished.
We are out of it, Khalid Al-Falih said in his first newspaper interview since his rise to the most powerful job in the global energy industry last month. The oversupply has disappeared. We just have to carry the overhang of inventory for a while until the system works it out.
Falih, Texas A&M University graduate and former Saudi Aramco chief executive, replaced the long-time Saudi oil policymaker Ali al-Naimi in May. He was in Houston this week to visit Saudi Aramco operations here and later joined in an evening meal to break the Ramadan fast at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts.
Two years and day after U.S. oil price peaked at $107 barrel, he sketched out the end of the worlds oil surplus and the beginning of a new chapter in the cyclical energy business in an exclusive interview with the Houston Chronicle.
Prices tumbled as low as $26 a barrel in February in the biggest oil-market crash since the 1980s. Texas alone has lost 100,000 jobs since the slide in prices began in the summer of 2014. But countries like India and parts of Asia have a bigger appetite for oil now, Falih said, while crude production in the United States, Nigeria and other regions has fallen, closing the 1 million-barrel a day gap between supply and demand.
The first phase of a long-anticipated industry recovery is underway as refineries on the Gulf Coast and around the world work through storage tanks of crude oil. The United States has a near-record stockpile of more than 530 million barrels, which could take months to cut down.
The question now is how fast you will work off the global inventory overhang, said Falih, who serves as chairman of Saudi Aramco, the company that produces one out of eight barrels of oil the world consumes every day. That will remain to put a cap on the rate at which oil prices recover. We just have to wait for the second half of the year and next year to see how that works out.
Boom and busts
In the first half of the decade, shale drillers in Texas and North Dakota put fracking in the nations lexicon and led the United States to its biggest oil boom since the 1970s. But oil markets eventually became overstuffed as producers pumped more than 1 million barrels than the world needed each day.
For Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations, the surge in U.S. oil production proved shale drillers could respond faster to high crude prices than all but the lowest-cost producers a game -changer, Falih said, in the way the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries manages oil markets. Since November 2014, Saudi Arabia has refused calls by other OPEC nations to resume its role as the worlds swing producer and cut its oil production in a bid to stabilize falling crude prices.
The tools that OPEC has used in the past targeting specific prices have not always worked in the long term, Falih said. They create market dislocations that ultimately hurt producers and consumers.
The Kingdom, which can profit off of oil even at low prices, opted to let market forces weed out higher-cost producers. U.S. oil production, driven by higher-cost shale plays, has dropped by more than half a million barrels a day since early 2015 and nearly 80 drillers have gone bankrupt. No matter what we do, ultimately markets win, Falih said.
Not Afraid
Saudi Arabias financial reserves have also declined as it collects less oil revenue, but its in better shape than many of its rivals. The government is planning a series of reforms and investments to expand other parts of its economy outside of oil production, including tourism, services, mining, petrochemicals, even renewable energy.
One goal of the plan, which Saudi officials call Saudi Vision 2030, is to bring its non-oil exports up from 16 percent to half of the exports it offers the world over the next decade. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bid Salman has said the Kingdom is striving to be able to live without oil by 2020 - a mere four years. The comment impress on the urgency that this needs to happen quickly and it needs to happen now, Falih said.
But nobody has the intention of turning off the oil economy in Saudi Arabia, Falih said. Were trying to build it up. But what we hope while were doing this is the non-oil economy will grow even faster.
Its a big play for the worlds biggest oil producing country and some observers of the closely guarded Kingdom have wondered if it reflects anxiety over the possibility the world's oil and gas demand will eventually peak amid global efforts to limit rising temperatures by moving the world from combustion engines to electric vehicles - making the Kingdom's number one export a relic of a bygone age.
Some industry players, including major oil companies like Statoil,believe it will take much more than the Paris climate accords signed last year to thwart the worst effects of climate change, including much tighter emissions rules for vehicles and massive growth of solar and wind power in electricity generation and a sharp reduction in coal production.
Still investing
But Al-Falih said Saudi Aramco is still investing heavily in maintaining the Kingdoms capacity of 12.5 million barrels a day because Saudi officials believe global economic growth will continue to support rising energy demand of about 1.5 million barrels a day annually.
Even as it pumps 10 million barrels of crude a day, he said, the worlds largest oil company is working to offset natural declines in its spare oil production capacity so its ready to meet demand if supplies drop somewhere else in the world.
Thats because Saudi Arabia, he said, isnt too worried about big changes in the worlds energy mix. Unlike quickly evolving information technology, global energy systems take decades to build, and while the Kingdom plans to invest in renewable energy resources, it also recognizes any transition is going to take decades.
Were going to invest in making it happen. Were not afraid of it, but were also realists and we know that oil will be a significant part of the energy mix for decades to come, Falih said. Even if the share of oil goes down from, say, 30 to 25 percent, 25 percent of a much bigger global demand means a much higher absolute number of barrels that will be in demand by 2030 or 2040.
So while electric vehicles could one day make serious inroads in transportation, because of sheer demographic and economic growth in coming years, we believe overall demand for petroleum in transportation and petrochemicals is going to rise for a long time before it starts falling in absolute numbers. Yes, we know it will fall in percentage terms - but very gradually."
The Ryder Warren era as Midland ISDs superintendent appears to be over.
Warren was named Monday night as lone finalist to take the same position at Northwest ISD. The news came almost six years to the day of Warrens first day with MISD.
Northwest ISD is located in southern Denton County, just northwest of Dallas and due north of Fort Worth. Communities Northwest ISD serves include Trophy Club, Justin and Roanoke, and Texas Education Agency reports Northwest ISD has 20,976 students. Its outgoing superintendent, Karen Rue, collected a salary of $264,902, according to TEA data. Warren makes $264,999, according to the TEA, and oversees 24,555 students.
Northwest ISD is 67.2 white, 20.1 percent Hispanic and 6.4 percent African-American, according to TEA. Only 19.2 percent of Northwest ISD students are identified as economically disadvantaged, compared to 42.3 percent in Midland ISD. The TEA reports Northwest ISD had three improvement-required campuses, compared to Midland ISDs 11.
Warren arrived in 2010 as the person pegged to re-establish the districts communication lines with Midland residents. Warren opened those lines, including writing at least 47 op-eds that appeared in the Reporter-Telegram. He told the Reporter-Telegram this past weekend that No. 48 would be coming soon.
He also was favored as a person who could help make a school bond a reality. Midland voters in 2012 passed the largest bond in the communitys history: $163 million. The bond, MISDs first of more than $100 million, upgraded elementary schools across the city and provided MISD the resources to build three new elementary schools.
Warrens time at MISD will show increases in pay a first- year teacher made $49,050 this past school year, which is up from $40,900 when Warren arrived nearly six years ago.
Warren also will go down as the superintendent who oversaw MISD during the most heated economy in at least 30 years. Few communities in the state of Texas dealt with the cost-of-living and housing issues that Warren faced for about five years beginning at the end of the 2010 downturn. Teacher and staff recruitment and retention became such an issue for MISD and the community that a group of foundations and businesses pooled their resources to create housing stipends for MISD teachers and staff. The carryover of that unrivaled example of philanthropy in the communitys history is still being felt as three foundations Scharbauer, Abell-Hanger and Henry have promised to fund the organization Educate Midland, which lists one of its goals as to strengthen Midlands public education system so that every student is prepared to succeed in school, in the workforce, and in life.
The decline in education achievement continued during the Warren era in Midland. Education Resource Group showed Midland ISD in the 37th percentile of the 200 largest districts in the state in 2010. In 2015, MISD was in the 11th percentile. When taking into account performance, Midland ISD went from the 11th percentile to being ranked 199 of 200.
Warren often spoke out against the STAAR tests and the burden it put on districts reeling from legislative cuts in 2011. He and the MISD school board also have voiced their opposition to the current way the state of Texas funds its schools, as MISD has sent recapture payments in the tens of millions as required by a property-rich school district with the valuations being reported in Midland County.
This year, early budget projections show Midland ISD facing a recapture payment greater than $40 million. Those same budget estimates will force the district to make cuts in the range of $10 million to $17 million.
Warren was not in Midland as the school district he appears to be leaving held a budget session Monday night.
1968-1982: James H. Mailey
1982-2001: Joseph P. Baressi Jr.
2001-2006: Robert E. Nicks
2006-2009: Sylvester Perez
2010-present: Ryder Warren
MEXICO CITY (AP) A judge in Mexico granted a temporary stay of extradition for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Tuesday until arguments can be heard on two appeals filed by his lawyers.
Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, said one of the appeals argues that the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of in the United States. The defense also argues that some of the accusations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.
Rodriguez said the appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City.
A judge ruled that arguments should be heard on the appeals, a step that is almost automatic in extradition cases.
Rodriguez predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve the appeals.
In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled in May that the extradition can go forward, in part because the United States has guaranteed that Guzman would not face the death penalty. Mexico has abolished capital punishment and does not extradite its citizens if they face possible execution.
Guzman faces an extradition request from a Texas federal court related to charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine and marijuana, money-laundering, arms possession and murder, and another extradition request from a federal court in California related to drug trafficking.
Guzman was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.
He had already escaped once before in 2001 and spent more than a decade as one of the world's most wanted fugitives until he was recaptured in 2014.
WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the broad reach of a federal law that bars people with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from owning guns.
The justices rejected arguments that the law covers only intentional or knowing acts of abuse and not those committed recklessly where a person is aware of the risk that an act will cause injury, but not certain it will. As examples, the court mentioned throwing a plate in the heat of an argument, or slamming a door.
The case involved two Maine men who said their guilty pleas for hitting their partners should not disqualify them from gun ownership.
Writing for herself and five other justices, Justice Elena Kagan said that Congress enacted the gun law some 20 years ago to close a loophole and "prohibit domestic abusers convicted under run-of-the-mill misdemeanor assault and battery laws from possessing guns." She said if the law were read to exclude misdemeanors in which a person acted recklessly, it would "substantially undermine the provision's design."
Gun-rights groups had argued that Stephen Voisine and William Armstrong III should not lose their constitutional right to bear arms, while advocates for victims of domestic abuse pushed to preserve the restriction.
The case isn't among the more important ones of the term. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said while the Obama administration is pleased with the ruling, he suggested it wouldn't have a significant impact on the debate in Congress about gun control, a debate renewed by a mass shooting earlier this month that left 49 people dead at a gay nightclub in Florida.
The case is notable, however, in part because when it was argued on Feb. 29 Justice Clarence Thomas asked a series of questions from the bench, the first time in 10 years that he'd asked a question. His questions came less than a month after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, his close friend, conservative ally and also a strong supporter of gun rights.
Thomas expressed concern at the argument that a misdemeanor conviction could deprive someone of their constitutional gun rights, pressing a government attorney for any other examples when that could happen. He returned to that issue in a dissenting opinion Monday.
"Under the majority's reading, a single conviction under a state assault statute for recklessly causing an injury to a family member such as by texting while driving can now trigger a lifetime ban on gun ownership," he wrote, adding: "We treat no other constitutional right so cavalierly."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined Thomas' dissent in part, agreeing that if Congress wanted to cover all reckless conduct it could have written the law differently.
The two men who were the subjects of Monday's decision were convicted of breaking federal law by possessing firearms following misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence. Both men argued that they should not be barred from gun ownership because their convictions could have been based on reckless action, not action that was knowing or intentional.
Voisine pleaded guilty to assault in 2004 after slapping his girlfriend in the face while he was intoxicated. Several years later, an anonymous caller reported that he had shot a bald eagle with a rifle. He was then convicted under the gun law and sentenced to a year in prison.
Armstrong pleaded guilty to assaulting his wife in 2008. A few years later, police searching his home as part of a narcotics investigation discovered firearms and ammunition. He was sentenced to three years of probation.
Congressman Michael Conaway hosted a roundtable discussion with local organizations Monday afternoon to get a sense of the state of poverty in the region and ways the government can improve services.
Conaway led a Congressional task force on poverty, opportunity, and upward mobility this year and revealed some details of the policy agenda at the roundtable discussion, which was held at UTPB's CEED Building.
"We're 19 trillion dollars in debt, were moving to 20," Conway said. "We can't keep doing things the way we've been doing it and make it workWe need to get the policies correct."
Participants included representatives from the West Texas Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, West Texas Workforce Solutions, The Salvation Army, Meals on Wheels of Odessa, West Texas Opportunities, Midland County Housing Authority, Midland Memorial Hospital, Senior Link Midland, and United Way Midland.
"Don't talk about the money, don't talk about whether we can afford it or not," Conway told the discussion participants. "Let's just get that idea of what does that policy look like? That policy ought to promote upward mobility. What's happening to us now is that the policy structure traps people where they are. That's not just SNAP, that's all the needs-based programs that have those income caps, so when they get there, they start bumping up against it and can't make a big enough leap to get to the point where they're really self sufficient."
Some of the main issues brought up by the participants was the need for funding specifically for case management, the difference in funding for rural versus metropolitan communities, and the need to be able to transfer information across organizations that target different aspects of poverty-such as food, housing and job training.
As poor families move towards the income cap, "they lose more benefits than they're gaining with the additional income," Conway said. "Well that's a disincentive to move up and it traps people. That's a structural issue that we need to deal with." The trap caused by federal programs such as SNAP and Medicare/Medicaid was something each of the organizations acknowledged as a major issue.
"A Better Way," a series of ideas developed by House Republicans to address issues ranging from poverty to tax reform, has six pillars for tackling poverty: reward work, tailor benefits to people's needs, improve skills and schools, plan and save for the future, and demand results.
Case management is a way in which local organizations are able to provide the tailored care that A Better Way is pushing for.
However, there is almost no funding for non-profits to hire case managers. Additionally, federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid require case managers to be licensed social workers, which can be hard to find particularly in rural areas.
On the other hand, St. Vincent and Paul has 12 case workers, all volunteers, who work closely with their clients, said case worker for the church Carta Rettman. They have seen much success through this case management work, despite the fact many of their volunteers have no formal training, she said.
In contrast, the West Texas Food Bank, which serves 19 counties across 34,000 square miles in West Texas, has funding to hire only one case worker, said Executive Direct Libby Campbell.
"In the case of the Salvation Army, the case worker is the most important feature because they help them get on a budget, get a GED, go to the thrift store, get some clothes, go on an interview, how to do an interview, how to do a resume, etc.," said a representative from Salvation Army of Midland. "Those things are important. Those that really want to, can go places (with that help)."
"We don't have enough case workers for even that group that really does want help and wants to get out of the cycle," Campbell added. "A lot of us who live in non-profit, work 50,60 hours a week not just because of what our job is, but because we're trying to figure out, ok there's this one family that wants out and we need to call our friend at so and so who knows so and so to make sure we get this one family out. (One caseworker is) all I get from (Health and Human Services Commission) based upon the formula that rules we have less people and thus we don't need anything...desppite the fact we have less businesses, commerce and resources than large cities."
Rural areas often receive less federal and state funding when in fact they are often the areas with the most need, said many of the participants.
"To be quite honest, out here in West Texas..we are isolatedbut those metropolitan areas actually get more support than we do, said Campbell. I argue with USDA on a regular basis saying, 'we need more stuff,' but we're listed as metropolitan. Well, why is that? Because of the population alone of Midland-Odessa even though 80 percent of the clientele I serve is rural."
Lastly, the need to be able to share confidential information among various services that attack different aspects of poverty was flagged by attendees as necessary to providing services that don't just put a band-aid on what is often a deeper problem.
People don't just have a homeless problem or housing problem, they have something else that's driving the issues," said Conaway. "So without a tailored approach to getting folks help and whole, then we're just treating those symptoms and not reaching that base issue, whether it's drugs or whatever it isWe're gonna try to figure out how to get the states involved and how can the folks in Texas best look at those resources we've got available and tailor them."
The discussion ended with the question of how to better measure success-be it how to show the value of additional funding for a case worker or how to show the number of clients who have moved on to better situations or become totally self-sufficient and what practices enabled them to do that.
"The pounds you served and all that are important metrics to use but those aren't a measure of solutions, theyre a metric of helping right now," Conaway said. "So how do you measure successes across that broader movement? So this upward mobility agenda is part of that broad conversation the Speaker wants us to have with folks back homeI got a lot more confidence in the state of Texas and the people of Midland and Ector County being able to figure it out than I do Washington DC. So over the next couple months we'll be hearing proposals and there's no one better at critiquing that than the ones who see it. So I value your input and conversation as we do that."
We have independently selected these offers and products because we love them and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links. Items are
Speaker is totally wrong in his ...
Country
Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Update: 6:30 p.m.: CAL Fire reports that firefighters working on a vegetation fire in the Burson area, now measuring at 36 acres, have managed to stop forward progress by getting a hose line around it. Located in Campo Seco, east of Camanche Reservoir, the blaze is burning off Campo Seco Road near Chile Camp Road.
Update: 5:00 p.m.: The vegetation fire off Campo Seco Road near Chile Camp Road near Burson and Camanche Reservoir is now described by CAL Fire as 20 acres in size with a moderate rate of spread as air and ground units continue to fight it.
Update 4:32 p.m.: No structures are immediately threatened as CAL Fire and other responders continue to work a grass fire incident in the Burson area. There was a report of a closure on Chile Camp Road but that was a temporary move, according to CAL Fire, while a vehicle blocked the roadway. It was subsequently cleared.
Update: 4:18 p.m.: CAL Fire reports the vegetation fire off Campo Seco Road near Chile Camp Road has reached 10 to 12 acres in size, maintaining a moderate rate of spread. Air and ground resources continue to attack it. There was a call to close Chile Camp Road from Los Angeles to Arkansas Ferry roads. CHP reports that it, at this time, had not assisted with any such closure but has dispatched some officers to the scene.
Update at 4:06 p.m.: Columbia air resources are among those now working on a grass fire in the Burson area. CAL Fire officials last described it as one to two acres with a moderate rate of spread however more units are being called in. The location is in Campo Seco east of the Lake Camanche Reservoir, off Campo Seco Road near Chile Camp Road. According to the CHP, a closure was called for Chile Camp Road from Los Angeles to Arkansas Ferry.
Original Post: 3:44 p.m. Sonora, CA CAL Fire reports Columbia air resources are among units now fighting what is being described as a one to two-acre vegetation fire in the Campo Seco area.
Reported as east of Lake Camanche Reservoir off Campo Seco Road near Chili Camp Road, the fire broke out in the mid-three oclock hour. We will keep you posted as more details become available.
Campo Seco Road near Chili Camp Road, Campo Seco loading map - please wait...
Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!
more information
Governor Brown Releases Budget View Photos
Sacramento, CA With little fanfare, Governor Jerry Brown put his signature on a new $122.5-Billion budget yesterday.
The Governor touts that it pays down debt, puts more money into the rainy day fund, boosts funding for education, and creates new programs to combat homelessness. The Governor signed the budget, as-is and made no executive vetoes. The last time a Governor declined to make a single veto was the 1982-83 budget when Governor Brown was also at the helm.
The Governors Office has released the below information about what Brown feels are the budget highlights:
Boosting Reserves, Paying Down Debt
In addition to the constitutionally-required $1.3 billion deposit, the budget directs an extra $2 billion contribution into the Rainy Day Fund bringing the states reserve fund to $6.7 billion, or 54 percent of the goal. The budget also directs $1.75 billion to the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties, which also helps the state meet obligations in the face of declining revenue or unanticipated obligations, and pays down debts and liabilities by $1.3 billion from Proposition 2 funds.
Investing in Education
The minimum funding guarantee for K-12 schools and community colleges will grow to $71.9 billion this year, the highest level in state history and a $24.6 billion increase since 2011-12. Per-pupil K-12 funding is increased to $10,643, a $440 increase over last year and a $3,600 increase over 2011-12 levels. This reinvestment continues to help correct historical inequities in school district funding with $2.9 billion in new funding for the Local Control Funding Formula bringing the formulas implementation to 96 percent complete.
The budget keeps University of California and California State University tuition at 2011-12 levels while providing significant, new one-time and ongoing funding increases.
Counteracting Poverty
This years budget begins implementing the states new $15 per hour minimum wage by raising the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 per hour beginning on January 1, 2017. The budget also funds cost-of-living increases for Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment, the first boost since 2005.
The budget also repeals of the maximum family grant rule in CalWORKs, which had denied support to children born to parents who were receiving aid. It also limits the states asset recovery from the estates of deceased Medi-Cal recipients.
Reducing Housing Costs
The budget reflects $3.6 billion in state and federal funding and award authority for many affordable housing and homelessness programs, including increased funding for CalWORKs rapid rehousing and emergency homeless shelters.
Of this amount, the budget sets aside $400 million in the General Fund for allocation later in the legislative session for affordable housing programs. The funding will be coupled with the Administrations proposed legislation requiring ministerial by right land use entitlements for multifamily infill housing developments that include affordable housing. This would help constrain development costs, improve the pace of housing production and encourage an increase in housing supply. In addition, legislation will authorize a $2 billion bond from a portion of future Proposition 63 mental health revenues to develop and administer homelessness and affordable housing programs for the mentally ill.
Strengthening Infrastructure
The budget includes $2 billion for state infrastructure improvements and maintenance, including $1.3 billion General Fund for state buildings, $270 million in lease-revenue bond authority for local jails and $688 million ($485 million from the General Fund) for critical deferred maintenance at levees, state parks, universities and community colleges, prisons, state hospitals and other state facilities.
Stock Photo Gas pump View Photos
Sacramento, CA Although California will still likely continue to have the highest gas prices in the country, the states gas tax will drop on Friday.
This past February the California Board of Equalization approved reducing the states excise tax rate from the current 30 cents to 27.8 cents. It takes effect on July 1st. The Mother Lodes Board of Equalization member George Runner says, Californians have another reason to celebrate during Independence Day weekend. This gas tax rate cut comes right on time for those hitting the road during the holiday.
Runner does point out that the excise tax doesnt paint the entire picture when it comes to prices paid by California drivers. The Legislative Analysts Office estimates that Californias Cap-and-Trade program has increased the price by 11 cents per gallon. Its often referred to by opponents as the hidden gas tax.
Californias average gas price this morning is $2.90 for regular unleaded while the nationwide average is $2.29. The myMotherLode.com gas price section shows that regular unleaded is selling in Tuolumne County between $2.59 $2.89 and in Calaveras County between $2.71 to $2.79.
A Winter Haven man was arrested after calling 911 to complain about his food order.
Winter Haven police say John May called 911 because his Checkers order was wrong
Also said May accused the manager of insubordination
John May, 53, was charged with misuse of 911.
On Sunday at approximately 9:06 p.m., police say May called 911 to complain about the food he received from Checkers (940 Havendale Blvd.)
Police say May complained, not only that the food was incorrect, but that the manager closed the drive-thru window on him, which "is insubordination."
When officers arrived, May admitted that there was not an emergency, but he just wanted officers to have the manager correct his order. It should be noted that when officers arrived, more than half of May's food was already consumed.
May was booked into the Polk County Jail for one count of misuse of 911 and one count of trespass-fail to leave upon owner order.
On June 12, 130 Orange County sheriffs deputies flooded the area around Pulse nightclub on Orange Avenue, initially believing they were responding to an emergency back up call.
Orange County Sheriff's Office released reports from deputies at Pulse attack
Reports document how deputies saw the attack
Police camera video could be released in a few weeks
On Monday, the deputies' responses to what became the worst mass shooting in modern history were made public.
At 2:04 a.m., Deputy Gustavo Pizzarello arrived and said, Upon approaching the club I heard multiple gunshots coming from inside the club.
Not knowing what was going on, Deputy Pizzarello, along with dozens of other law enforcement agents, pushed forward toward Pulse.
(I) observed individuals running out of the club covered in blood, Deputy Pizzarello said in his report.
Throughout the 17 reports from many of the first responding deputies, one thing was clear: it was a horrific, chaotic scene.
Some who had been carried over appeared to be dead, Deputy Raymond Torrellas explained in his report.
Despite the chaos, 21 deputies pressed ahead toward Pulse, carrying the wounded out from inside and around the club to safe medical zones set up nearby.
Deputy Mark Rutoski said he remembers, evacuating victims out of the night clubs entrance. He recalled helping to get victims out of the bathrooms and dressing rooms while the shooter was still inside.
Many, like Deputy Kyle Ramsey, recall helping the wounded: Assisted an OPD officer with carrying aHispanic male away from the club to find help.
Some like Deputy Susan DAlessandro used a fingerprint reader to identify those both dead and alive.
We were told there is some body camera footage from that night that will be made available in the next few weeks.
Right now different news organizations are currently suing the city of Orlando, demanding the 911 calls from that night to be released.
The University of Central Florida held its largest blood drive ever in honor of the Pulse attack victims.
Blood drive at UCF Monday
200 students donated, including some first-timers
OneBlood says Pulse victims getting blood they need
Stephanie Hierhoozer is one of more than 200 UCF students who came out to the blood driver.
Its just crazy here in your hometown, something like this happening, said Hierhoozer, from Orlando.
As a UCF cheerleader, Stephanie is usually at UCFs Bright House Networks stadium getting people pumped for the big game. But on Monday afternoon, she was there to do give blood for the very first time.
I always wanted to do it so I thought this would be a good time to start, said Hierhoozer.
OneBlood officials say the Pulse victims are getting the blood they need. But there is a typical dip in blood donations during summer, so officials want to keep the supply strong.
So far so good. Since the tragedy, theyve seen a 40 percent increase in first-time blood donors like Stephanie. Theyre also seeing people donate for the first time in many years.
I havent given blood in over 20 years and I feel like this is a great cause, and want to help our community be strong, united, said Vicky Sharp from Oviedo.
Stephanie, who had support from a fellow UCF cheerleader, got through her first time donating just fine.
With the Orlando shooting, you really do realize people really do need blood, and every day people are suffering and needing this, said Hierhoozer.
If you were not able to make it out to UCF on Monday but youd still like to donate you can make an appointment with OneBlood online.
A baby recently born in Florida to a woman who had a travel-related case of Zika has the state's first Zika-related case of microcephaly, health officials said Tuesday.
Baby with Zika-related microcephaly born in Florida
Mom, from Haiti, came to Florida to have baby
Health officials working with family to provide support
Microcephaly is a birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development. The babies often suffer from various developmental, intellectual and coordination problems.
The Haitian mother had traveled to Florida to deliver the baby, the Florida Department of Health said. Health officials are working with the woman's family to connect them to state support programs.
It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state, and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement. Now that a baby has been born in our state with adverse impacts from Zika, it is clear that every available resource is needed to prevent local transmissions in our state.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discourages women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant from traveling to Zika-affected areas.
A Brevard County deputy has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with what the Sheriff's Office says was a road-rage incident that left a man dead last week.
Deputy Yousef Hafza faces 2nd-degree murder charges
Clarence Howard of Palm Bay died at hospital
Sheriff's Office described interaction as road-rage incident
Deputy Yousef Hafza, 32, of West Melbourne, was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agents on Tuesday morning. He faces charges of second-degree murder with a firearm and attempted second-degree murder with a firearm.
Clarence Mahogany X. Howard, 22, of Palm Bay was shot Sunday, June 19 at the intersection of St. Johns Heritage Parkway and Emerson Road during an incident with Hafza, who was off-duty at the time.
"From what I've been told, he was out running errands," Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Tuesday.
An FDLE investigation determined that Hafza's and another vehicle almost collided just after 11 a.m. that day. The other vehicle followed Hafza's vehicle. When they reached that intersection, the people in both vehicles got out. During the interaction, Hafza, who did not identify himself as a law-enforcement officer, fired his weapon, and the passenger of the other vehicle was shot, FDLE said.
Howard was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Hafza, an 11-year law-enforcement veteran, including working for Palm Bay and West Melbourne Police, was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, pending an investigation. He has been with the Brevard Sheriff's Office since November 2015.
"There appeared to be a self defense mechanism to it, but I also say we need to see where all the pieces come together, and that's why it was so important to have an independent investigation," Ivey said.
Hafza's first court appearance was waived Tuesday. Martin White, his attorney, said, "He's upset and distraught over the totality of the circumstances, but he's hanging in there."
Documents released regarding the the Pulse shooting show an exit door was found inoperable in an inspection weeks before the shooting that killed 49.
However, Orlando Fire Department says it was not the door itself that was inoperable or blocked, and that Pulse had no pattern of exit problems in its inspection reports.
Site features police, fire department texts and emails
Some information features chilling accounts of that night
Pulse had more than enough exits
Among the documents released onto a new city website Tuesday was a cache of inspection reports for the club. One is an occupancy activity report listing actions and findings during all inspections.
The latest, dated May 21, 2016, said "Doors are Inoperable."
A more in-depth report for the same day shows a box checked off that says "Exit Door or Hardware Inoperable." It also lists that a fire extinguisher was not hanging.
Attorney Gus Benitez told the Associated Press Tuesday that none of the six exits at the club was blocked during the inspection, however. An inspector found a light bulb in an exit sign that needed to be replaced (which would count as hardware).
A spokesperson for Orlando Fire Department released this statement Tuesday:
"We have no indication that exits were blocked. OFD conducts regular 'exit checks' to ensure businesses have the proper life safety measures in place. After a review of fire records, there is no pattern of exits being blocked inside Pulse, this includes the most recent exit check conducted on May 21, 2016.
"The Fire Engineer who conducted the exit check reports there were zero life safety issues and two minor infractions.
A fire extinguisher on the ground instead of hanging on the wall, which was immediately corrected.
One exit sign was in need of battery for back-up power
No obstructed exits
No exits doors locked
No obstructed aisles
No improper locks on exit doors
"If a life safety issue is identified, corrective action is immediately taken."
The agency also said that while they don't know exactly how many people were inside Pulse at the time of the attack, the club had an occupancy rate of 300 people. City code would have required only two exits, but the club had about twice that.
Documents: Calls from club goers flooded 911
The city of Orlando released these documents after numerous media requests. The city built a site specifically for them.
The majority of records related to the Pulse tragedy have been requested by multiple people, organizations or agencies, and to expedite distribution of these requests, those releasable records will be posted at cityoforlando.net/pulserecords. As additional records related to the Pulse tragedy are released, they will be posted on the website, Cassandra Anne Lafser, press secretary to Mayor Buddy Dyer, stated in an email to the media.
Lafser did state that some of the records wont be released citing Florida law, either due to protecting the privacy of the victims or because of the integrity of the investigation.
She did not say how much of the information will be kept off of the website.
So far the website includes code enforcement and inspection documents for the nightclubs, emails sent to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Police Chief John Mina.
Among the documents is also a live narrative of calls that came in and went out over the course of the attack and hostage situation.
The in-progress incident report shows callers inside the club flooding dispatchers with details about where the shooter may be, where they are and the extent of their injuries.
Around 2:40 a.m. dispatch first logs that the shooter, Omar Mateen, says he has pledged to the Islamic State. It was a statement callers said they heard the shooter make several times over the next 10 minutes -- that he was a terrorist and there were explosives both in the parking lot and strapped to him.
Around 3:22 a.m., a supervisor says that Dr. Phillips Hospital has an unknown number of shooting victims. Shortly after Orlando Regional Medical Center was put on lockdown and first-responders started sending victims to Florida Hospital South.
At 4:29, a call came in that the suspect was going to put "attach four vests to people in the club in 15 mins."
At 5:07 a.m., a caller claimed they heard four explosions.
At 5:14 a.m., shot were fired in the north bathroom.
At 5:15 a.m. the call came in that the subject was down.
All the while police dog units were sweeping the area around Pulse. At 5:59 a.m., UCF K-9 Units were sent to check on Southern Nights, a gay bar off Bumby Street. At 6 a.m., a K-9 unit from Greater Orlando Aviation Authority was dispatched to Parliment House on Orange Blossom Trail.
Texts and emails
In addition to records, police, fire and government officials texts and emails are included.
Orlando Police Chief John Mina received an email from the address MPLUS@cityoforlando.net at 2:18 a.m., which stated in all caps, Per Lt. Smith full call out ref active shooter at Pulse nightclub 1912 S Orange Ave, 2 shooters with assault rifles and multiple victims, meet at Einstein Bagels at Orange/Kaley.
One of the first texts that Mina received was at 2:51 a.m., asking him, Are you aware of whats going on?"
Ninth Circuit Judge Bob LeBlanc texted Mina at 6:33 a.m., telling the police chief to reach out to him for any warrants he needed signed.
During the night, Orlando Fire Marshal Tammy Hughes was texted a question about how many exits the Pulse nightclub has.
Six exits, she answered and when she was asked if that was an acceptable number, she replied, Yes, because they had enough exit capacity to accommodate twice (their) occupant load.
The site also features a letter from FBI special agent in charge Paul Wysopal about his concern about requests for records and information about the terror shooting.
He wanted to make sure that information was protected and not publicly disclosed until any threats and risks associated with the information expired.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
Rachel Fryer, the Seminole County mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, took a plea deal Tuesday and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Rachel Fryer was accused of murdering daughter Tariji Gordon
She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder
Fryer was also investigated in 2011 for the death of her son, Tariji's twin brother
The woman who now cares for Fryer's other children calls her a "serial abuser"
Fryer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will also have 30 years of probation after her prison sentence. She faced the death sentence.
Two-year-old Tariji Gordon, of Sanford, was reported missing on Feb. 10, 2014. The girl's body was found two days later in Putnam County.
Sanford Police said Fryer admitted to burying her dead child in a shallow grave in Crescent City in February 2014. At the time, Fryer was charged with aggravated child abuse.
Penny Jones is now the legal mother of Fryer's other children. She issued this statement Tuesday:
"Our family is devastated by the outcome of todays hearing. It is our belief that Rachel Fryer is a serial abuser and will one day hurt another regardless of the parameters in place. A systematic failure to protect Tariji and Tavante Gordon is evident. By pleading her case then the overwhelming evidence will never be heard by a jury. We will move on knowing that Love Conquers All but with less faith in those elected officials that take an oath to serve and protect."
Jones adopted Fryer's other children in 2015. She was also, at one point, a long-term foster mother for Tariji Gordon.
An Amarillo appeals court has upheld an initial ruling to reinstate a fired police officer back onto the Plainview department.
Last week the Seventh Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling issued by 64th District Judge Robert Kinkaid allowing Korey Ferguson to return to the Plainview police force.
In 2015, retired Plainview Police Chief William Mull and current Police Chief Ken Coughlin filed an appeal against Kinkaids ruling.
Ferguson was fired from the Plainview Police Department in 2011 after a local resident filed a complaint of excessive force.
Records show that resident, Amber Washington, was arrested by Ferguson in February 2011 after coming to the police office for assistance.
Reports say Washington became angry and refused to comply with Fergusons requests.
The confrontation between Ferguson and Washington was caught by security cameras and showed Ferguson throwing the woman on the floor after she refused to put her hands behind her back.
Washington later filed a complaint with the police department.
Determining evidence of misconduct, Ferguson was fired from the police department. An appeal by Ferguson to the city manager was unsuccessful, leading the officer to file a lawsuit.
One of the main arguments by Ferguson was that he had not receive a copy of Washingtons complaint or had been informed about the investigation prior to his dismissal.
After the case went before Kincaid last year, the judge ordered the City of Plainview to give Ferguson his job back.
The City of Plainview appealed that decision saying evidence presented during the three-day trial was insufficient to support that verdict.
Last week, the appeals court ruled that Ferguson should have been given a copy of the complaint, citing it impairs the officers ability to investigate or defend against the complaints.
Determining the City of Plainview did not provide a copy of the complaint to Ferguson in a reasonable time, the officers request to be let back on the force was granted.
"With all respect to the Court, we disagree with the Courts ruling. The City believed then and believes now that they acted in the best interest of its citizens by terminating this officer, and then, challenging his reinstatement as an officer," said city officials in a statement Tuesday.
"The City is currently reviewing all options, including a request for rehearing or appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. Certainly, we have reviewed internal procedures to avoid any future technical issues when disciplining officers."
Plainview motorists continue to enjoy some of the lowest prices for regular-grade unleaded gasoline in the state of Texas.
As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, GasBuddy.com said the lowest price in Texas for a gallon of regular unleaded was $1.79, at two Buc-ees locations, in Fort Worth and El Campo.
Five Texas locations tied for the second lowest price -- $1.83 per gallon. Two of those are in Plainview, Murphy USA and Allsups at 4001 Olton Rd. The other locations at that price were an Exxon in Kyle and both United Express and Murphy USA in Hereford.
Three stations offered regular unleaded for a penny more, and all are at the same intersection in Plainview - CEFCO at 3701 Olton Rd., Alon at 3614 Olton Rd., and CEFCO at 4002 Olton Rd.
That means Plainview on Tuesday accounted for half of GasBuddys Texas Top 10.
The least-expensive gasoline in Amarillo, at $1.85, was Sams while Lubbocks lowest price was listed as $1.86 at a Valero in south Lubbock.
On Tuesday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded statewide at $2.120, GasBuddy reported, while nationwide it was $2.297 per gallon. In Hale County, the average price was $1.974, with most Plainview locations selling regular unleaded at $1.99 to $2.06 per gallon.
The highest price in Texas for regular unleaded was $3.27 per gallon at a Shell in central Dallas, followed in $2.89 at another Shell in west Houston, a Texaco in west Fort Worth, the Cityview Car Wash in Fort Worth and a Chevron in Houston.
According to GasBuddy, the average price of regular unleaded fuel countywide Tuesday included: Castro, $2.199; Swisher, $2.199; Briscoe, $2.119; Lamb, $2.096; Hale, $1.974; Floyd, 2.209; Lubbock, $1.972; Randall, $1.993; and Potter, $2.015 per gallon.
Fuel prices are trending upward, according to GasBuddy. The statewide average was up 0.7 cents per gallon since both Monday and a week ago, and up 3.3 cents from last month. However, its down 45.7 cents since last August when the average was $2.577 per gallon.
The average price for crude oil on Tuesday was $47.420 per barrel, GasBuddy reported.
Looking ahead to the Independence Day weekend, AAA expects a record 43 million Americans will be traveling over the holiday period with most driving. That tops the record that was set in 2007 and matched in 2015.
"We are well on our way for 2016 to be a record-breaking year for summertime travel," said AAA President and CEO Marshall Doney.
Ahead of last year's holiday, AAA predicted that 41.9 million people would travel 50 miles or more from home during the weekend. AAA has since revised that number to say that 42.3 million people actually traveled. This year's estimate the highest since AAA started tracking in 2001 is for 42.9 million travelers with 84 percent of them driving.
The holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, June 30, to Monday, July 4.
The number of travelers is estimated to be 10.7 percent higher than the average number during the past 15 years.
A hot rod project between a Plainview father and his racing son was the subject of a recent feature in the nationally known racing publication, Dragzine.com.
"When 19-year old Texan Chris Lee straps into his 1969 Camaro at the upcoming Outlaw Armageddon no prep race in Oklahoma, he'll do so as the certifiable 'young gun' of the field, competing against highly experienced and seasoned drivers who are, by and large, more than twice his age," wrote journalist Andrew Wolf, who featured Chris Lee, his father Aaron Lee and their classic Camaro known as "Skid Row Z/28."
Plainview natives Aaron and Chris are a part of the family-run Ray Lee Equipment Company. Aaron is the son of Ray Lee.
But when Aaron isn't working with John Deere products and Chris is not attending classes at West Texas A&M, the duo can be found under the hood and behind the wheel of thrilling race cars.
In the Dragzine article, Wolf follows the Lees' journey to build the 1969 Camaro with the help of television star James Goad, as well as the father and son's budding career in the world of racing.
"Lee and his father, Aaron, relative rookies to the sport of drag racing - they've been competing for less than two years - are throwing their hats into the big-tire ring in the no prep hotbed of the American Southwest, and they're doing so with the help of one of the stars of the Discovery Channels' "Street Outlaws" reality television program: James Goad, driver of "The Reaper," wrote Wolf.
Chris talks to Wolf about how the purchase of a 612-inch engine built by Goad started the friendship between the Lees and the Oklahoma-based car builder.
Now, the Lees travel frequently to Oklahoma where they assist Goad in the race testing of his 1968 Camaro SS, known as the Reaper, as they film the television show "Street Outlaws."
Helping Goad test race cars also led to Chris' own racing career.
Originally dropping the 612-engine into a C4 Corvette, the Lees wanted to beef up the Corvette to compete in "no-prep" racing. However, Goad felt the Corvette's chassis would not support the power of a bigger engine. Goad was able to find a rolling chassis with a 1969 Camaro Z/28 body.
The Lees purchased the Camaro body and, in February, Goad got to work preparing the car for a summer debut at Outlaw Armageddon in Oklahoma.
To check out the complete article visit http://www.dragzine.com/news/the-skid-row-z28-chris-and-aaron-lee-foray-into-no-prep-world/
MERIDEN Residents of Meriden and Southington have joined to hold a pasta fundraiser Wednesday night for the family of a woman killed in a fire earlier this month.
Elizabeth Rodie Jones, 59, died at Midstate Medical Center after a June 3 fire at her 86 Pettit Drive home. Fire officials said a stove burner left on overnight ignited a pot and started the blaze.
Her husband, Leonidas Jones, survived the fire. Hes a retired Southington music teacher.
The pasta dinner is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at Hunters Ambulance, 450 W. Main St. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, with those under 3 eating free. Tickets will be sold at the door and can be bought in advance at Cafe Dolce, 33 W. Main St. and Casa Di Roma Restaurant, 103 Main St.
The Meriden Council of Neighborhoods, Hunters Spirit of Giving and the Meriden Police Neighborhood Initiative Unit are hosting the dinner.
Holly Wills, council of neighborhoods president, said she has received cash and gift card donations from Southington schools. Both Meriden and Southington residents have donated raffle prizes or funds for Leonidas Jones.
Its amazing the calls Ive gotten, the donations Ive gotten, Wills said. For people to reach out like that, its incredible.
Bob Brown, a Southington Board of Education member and a former teachers union president, said Leonidas Jones taught in the elementary schools and retired about a year ago. The two often discussed classical music, a passion for both men.
Brown was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of his colleagues wife.
In an instant your life can change, Brown said.
Darwin Robinson, a Southington resident, took to social media to solicit donations of desserts and raffle prizes for the dinner. He knew the couple from mutual participation in Civil War reenactments. In addition to his wife, Robinson wrote that Leonidas Jones also lost his cats and belongings in the fire.
Wills said the council of neighborhoods often helps organize fundraisers after tragedies.
Thats what the neighborhood associations, the council of neighborhoods does, she said.
jbuchanan@recordjournal.com 203-317-2230 Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
Thank you for reading!
To read this article and more, subscribe now for as little as $1.99.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
A federal judge says 400 residents of Palo Altos only trailer park are entitled to relocation payments of about $20,000 each if the owners go ahead with their plans to close the park down.
Tim and Eva Jisser, who have owned the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park since 1986, filed suit in federal court in November, arguing that the $8 million in payments ordered by the city to cover the residents costs of moving elsewhere amounted to an unconstitutional confiscation of their property. But in a ruling made public Monday, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose said that the Jissers were required to first file their arguments in state court and that the deadline for such a filing has long since expired.
Under established federal court doctrine, Davila said, property owners who contend a state or local government has violated their rights must turn first to the state court system, unless they can show it would be futile. Only after the state courts fail to remove the alleged burden on property rights or provide adequate compensation can the owners take their constitutional claims to federal court, Davila said.
The owners filed an appeal late Monday.
The federal courts are the right place to go if youre seeking to have your constitutional rights vindicated, said attorney Lawrence Salzman of the Pacific Legal Foundation, a property-rights organization. He said the Jissers werent seeking damages from the courts, just a ruling barring Palo Alto from enforcing its relocation-payment ordinance against them.
Palo Alto City Attorney Molly Stump declined to comment.
The Jissers applied to close Buena Vista in November 2012 so they could sell the property, possibly to a developer. As they were looking for a buyer, Palo Alto and Santa Clara County jointly proposed keeping the trailer park open by acquiring the property, through condemnation if necessary, and have each pledged $14.5 million for the purchase.
Buena Vista, on Los Robles Avenue near one of Palo Altos main thoroughfares, El Camino Real, has 117 trailer units on about 4 acres and has been open since the 1950s.
As of last fall, the average rent, including utilities, was $1,000 to $1,200 a month. Most of the residents have limited incomes and couldnt afford to live elsewhere in a city where one-bedroom apartments rent for $2,500 a month.
California law allows local governments to require mobile home park owners to protect residents from the impact of a shutdown.
After the Jissers announced their plans to sell, city officials held a hearing and then gave their approval in September 2014 on the condition that the owners compensate residents for the value of their home, the moving costs, and the difference between their trailer rent and the average apartment rent in Palo Alto and surrounding communities.
The city wound up ordering payments of about $20,000 per resident, which would allow them to move their mobile home to another site, if possible, or pay for rent elsewhere.
Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
A drug that is effective at reversing heroin overdoses isnt just for street addicts it should be routinely distributed to people taking prescription pain medications who may not appreciate their risk of accidental death, San Francisco public health officials said in a study released Monday.
Doctors should consider regularly prescribing naloxone a drug given by injection or nasal spray to counteract opioid overdoses alongside narcotic pain medications, the studys authors said.
Naloxone, often sold under the brand name Narcan, has become increasingly popular as a way to reverse heroin overdoses among street users. In San Francisco, naloxone has been widely distributed for more than 15 years to users and their friends and relatives, a practice that has dramatically cut heroin overdose deaths from 120 in 2000 to 30 in 2014.
But naloxone isnt widely distributed to the larger population of prescription drug users, who now make up more than 75 percent of all overdose deaths in San Francisco.
High-profile deaths
Opioid overdoses, most of them involving prescription drugs, killed a record 28,000 people in the United States in 2014. High-profile deaths, like that of Prince this year, have underscored the need both to prevent addiction and to quickly treat people who have overdosed.
This study really does show that naloxone has a substantial role to play in managing the opioid epidemic, said Dr. Phillip Coffin, director of substance use research at the San Francisco Department of Public Health and lead author of the paper, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Its not the answer to all our problems, but its an important tool to prevent mortality.
People on narcotic pain medications who have previously been addicted to drugs or alcohol, or who have overdosed before, are especially at risk and should always be offered naloxone, Coffin and other pain experts say. But even people who wouldnt consider themselves at risk could probably benefit from having naloxone around in case of accidental overdose, Coffin said.
Some people may not realize, for example, that just one glass of wine on top of their Vicodin could cause an overdose, or that a new prescription for a sleep aid or muscle relaxant could create a deadly cocktail.
Overdose symptoms
Symptoms of overdose include stopped or slowed breathing and loss of consciousness. Naloxone will usually revive someone after one or two minutes, though some people may need a second dose. Anyone who is treated for overdose should be seen by a doctor right away.
Coffins research involved six San Francisco public health clinics, where doctors and other care providers were offered training for prescribing naloxone to patients taking opioid pain medications. From February 2013 to April 2014, 759 patients a little over a third of all people prescribed opioids at those clinics were given naloxone prescriptions.
The study found that over the following year, patients with naloxone prescriptions had about 50 percent fewer visits to an emergency room for opioid-related problems including overdoses, falls or requests for more pain medications compared with those who didnt get a prescription. The study did not look at overdose deaths because there werent enough people involved to draw statistically significant conclusions.
Some health care providers have wondered whether prescribing naloxone could lead to an increased use of opioids, but the San Francisco researchers found no evidence of it. Instead, Coffin and other pain and addiction experts believe that prescribing an overdose antidote may make patients more inclined to be cautious about their opioid use.
If Im telling you this medication is dangerous and Im also prescribing you the antidote to this medication thats stark information, Coffin said. It makes the messaging stick.
No prescription needed
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that doctors consider naloxone prescriptions for some patients using opioids mostly those considered to be at high risk of overdosing. Naloxone is also available without prescription from pharmacies in California and several other states.
Kaiser Permanente encourages its doctors to prescribe it to patients who are on prolonged, high-dose pain management regimens. Patients can also pick up naloxone at a Kaiser pharmacy without their doctor knowing theyve asked for it.
Sutter Health, too, has been pushing out more naloxone prescriptions on patients with a history of opioid abuse, said Dr. Josh Kayman, medical director of Sutters adult substance abuse inpatient program in Oakland.
At New Leaf Treatment Center in Lafayette, staffers began handing out naloxone to clients as well as their friends and family late last year because of the frequency of overdoses among opioid users, said Dr. Alex Stalcup, medical director. Theyve distributed hundreds of naloxone kits, Stalcup said, and so far they know of six people who took it after overdosing.
People are happy to have it, Stalcup said. They know theyre dancing on a dime, and its really good to know here is something that you can do.
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com
Court file
A bankruptcy judge on Monday confirmed Palmaz Scientific Inc.s reorganization plan, clearing the way for substantially all of the medical technology companys assets to be sold to a company whose officials include Dr. Julio Palmazs wife.
Vactronix Scientific Inc. is expected to close on the purchase of Palmaz Scientifics assets by July 19 or 20. Earlier this month, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta approved the sale to Vactronix after it was the sole bidder at an auction. The company submitted a $22.6 million offer for the assets, which primarily consist of 256 issued patents and 182 pending patents.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 File photo /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 3 File photo /San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 3 of 3
Delivery Market, a popular deli in downtown San Antonio, has closed its doors after more than a decade of selling sandwiches, pizza, beer and cigarettes from a prime spot along Houston Street.
The deli, at 310 E. Houston St., didnt give a reason for the closure in an email to customers Friday, but thanked regulars for their business and hinted at projects in the future.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Paletas have become art in the studio of a local artist who has sculpted metal into more than 50 renditions of a San Antonio summertime classic.
David Blancas, a visual artist and muralist, has incorporated the sculptures into his resume, culminating a catalog of metal and resin pieces varying in size from handheld works to ones that reach 10 feet tall, he told mySA.com on Monday.
RELATED: 14 summer festivities today's San Antonio kids know nothing about
"It's a nostalgia thing," Blancas said. "Summertime memories of chasing down the paleta man."
The artist said his paleta pieces have gone to local businesses like Alamo Beer Company and private collections around San Antonio as well as California where a towering, 10-foot-tall red paleta is an eye-catcher on the yard of a home in Pleasanton.
He said people, especially kids, love seeing the over-sized paletas and are eager to get a photo beside one.
RELATED: New San Antonio paleteria's treats are food art locals will 'fall in love with'
One of the local families eating up Blancas' quirky art is that of Marissa Star, a fellow San Antonio sculpture artist.
Starr won the $600 bid in a silent auction at the 2nd annual Party for the Arts hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio on June 15. She took home a few pieces that night, including a melting paleta sculpture of her own.
RELATED: 13 places to get the best frozen treats in San Antonio
She said her daughters ages 9, 5, 2 are enjoying the family's new piece where it's situated in their living room and she's sure baby No. 3 will too once she is born.
Starr said her home follows a mostly grey, neutral tone, but the 3-foot-tall paleta serves a punch of vibrancy which makes it difficult to ignore.
"I like to put art in unexpected places, I like to catch people off guard," she said.
RELATED: San Antonio model creates 'Love, Not Hate' campaign to promote acceptance after Orlando massacre
Like Blancas, paletas are tied to Starr's childhood memories of eating the icy treats from El Paraiso on Fredericksburg Road.
The artist said the prices of his pieces vary depending on size. Click through the gallery above to see some of his work.
mmendoza@mysa.com
Twitter: @MaddySkye
Authorities have arrested one of the state's most wanted sex offenders after he violated parole and failed to register as a sex offender.
Roy Lee Bosier, 55, was taken into custody Thursday without incident in north Houston, according to the Department of Pubic Safety.
Dear Mr. Premack: I am widowed, and have recently met a wonderful woman. We are both in our 70's, have adult children, and have various assets that are adequate for our expenses. We are considering moving in together instead of getting married. If we do live together, is there a legal arrangement we should make? If we get married, how can we keep our financial lives separate? E.K.
You are wise to consider the legal ramifications of creating a new intimate relationship. The law allows you to enter into a binding Relationship Agreement. The idea has been around a long time in the form of Nuptial Agreements.
Scroll through the slideshow to see if a Relationship Agreement may be right for you.
A Nuptial Agreement is appropriate if you decide to marry. It defines the terms of the new marriage relationship and the ownership and use of assets. A Pre-Nuptial Agreement is created before the couple is legally wed. Or, if the couple gets married and later decides that an agreement is needed, they can do so in a Post-Nuptial or Partition Agreement. When no marriage is involved but the couple lives together, many of the same elements can be drafted into a Cohabitation Agreement.
A Relationship Agreement is a contract between you and your partner to define the way you intend to live your lives together. It is highly personal and flexible and may contain, but is certainly not limited to, the provisions described in the above slideshow.
When considering your Relationship Agreement, consider all of the elements of how you want your relationship with your partner to function. The initial discussion will provide an opportunity for you and your partner to determine what you want from the relationship. If circumstances change in the future, the agreement can be modified or terminated by mutual consent, so you retain flexibility.
A well drafted Relationship Agreement may also assist you in preventing a court from deciding that you and your partner formed a common law marriage. If you stumble into a common law marriage, getting out would require judicial intervention to end the marriage and to distribute property. Common law marriage may also change inheritance rights and management during any future disability you may suffer. Your Relationship Agreement, combined with a proper Will or Trust, a Durable Power of Attorney, and Advance Medical Directives, can avoid these court battles and issues. See your estate planning attorney before you make any decisions about getting married or residing together.
Paul Premack is a Certified Elder Law Attorney with offices in San Antonio and Seattle, handling Wills and Trusts, Probate, and Business Entity issues. View past legal columns or submit free questions on legal issues via www.TexasEstateandProbate.com or www.Premack.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Although those who come across double-parked cars are typically advised to call authorities, one Corpus Christi Home Depot patron took matters into their own hands, using a zip tie and a shopping cart.
RELATED: Photo showing worst parking job in Texas at Canyon Lake high school goes viral on Reddit
According to Jerry Davila's now-viral Facebook post, the incident took place at a Corpus Christi Home Depot in the 5000 block of South Padre Island Drive.
The zip-tie user must have been inspired by the do-it-yourself store, because the individual used minimal tools to send the double-parked culprit an ingenious message in inconsiderate parking.
"You take two spaces... You get your car tie wrapped to a basket!" the post said.
RELATED: Viral Facebook photo proves parking is a headache in San Antonio
While it was initially suggested that Davila did the deed, Davila came forward after the story had been shared.
"My dad and I parked to the left of the car in the picture," Davila wrote. "I noticed the basket up against the white car. I walked over to move the shopping cart away from the car when I saw it was tie-wrapped to the door handle. I didn't get it until i stepped back and saw the car used 2 parking spaces to park."
Less than a week after the images had been posted, Davila's photo set was shared more than 6,000 times and had been posted to various social media outlets including Imgur, Ebaums World.
RELATED: Worst places for parking in San Antonio
Calls to the Corpus Christi Police Department were not immediately returned, however, Facebook users shared stories of their own including leaving harsh notes on vehicles and "idiot parking" cards.
While it's unclear if the individual acted criminally, others commented on the post saying they intend on purchasing zip ties to follow Davila's lead.
This story has been updated to reflect Davila's comment identifying himself as having photographed the zip-tied shopping cart, but not the individual who carried out the act.
MMedina@mySA.com
Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa
STAMFORD Residents of a West Side cooperative apartment complex who say management has repeatedly failed to address their concerns are taking their complaints about questionable rent charges and quality-of-life issues to the state housing authority.
Parkside Gables tenants will make a presentation Thursday to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority Board, seeking an investigation into the practices of building managers and Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut the Stamford-based affordable housing organization that owns the property.
A small group of residents met last week to coordinate their case, citing concerns about fraudulent rent charges and improper payment documentation.
Theyre overcharging and theyre not giving us receipts, said longtime Parkside Gables resident Mary Ella Whitfield. Its really a faulty system. I dont know how they are getting away with this anywhere.
Renee Dobos, CEO of Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut, said the annual July 1 rent increase at Parkside Gables where tenants have access to spots on the board of directors and staff positions will be delayed while the payment structure is evaluated.
Tenants are provided a statement and are welcome to reach out to property management if the resident believes there is a discrepancy, Dobos said. We sit with the resident to be sure they understand the statement. Occasionally, an error is identified and MHA makes the correction.
According to Whitfield, the process of amending a rent charge isnt that easy.
You have to go to court, she said. I have seen some people just pay the charges anyways for fear of eviction...its like a scare tactic.
Other residents, like Natacha Joseph, said their problems with management stem from an unresponsive staff.
Joseph has been living in a temporary two-bedroom apartment with her two children, ages 8 and 10, for more than a year while she said Parkside Gables management has not delivered on promises to move the family into a three-bedroom unit.
My sons therapist gave me a letter to give to Mutual Housing, saying my son needs his own bedroom, but they still wont do anything to move me into a bigger apartment, Joseph said.
However, Dobos said the property is nearly at capacity, and residents can only be moved to a new unit when it becomes available.
Communication breakdown
Parkside Gables residents are hoping for more than an investigation of MHAs practices. They also want the organization to open the lines of communication between residents and management.
The Mutual Housing board has been completely dormant since we started complaining, Whitfield said. If they want to keep ignoring us, we have to go to the next step up and ask CHFA to investigate both the (Mutual Housing) board and the staff.
Dobos said her organization has invited Parkside residents to the Asset Management Committee meeting, which is designed to hear resident complaints and is chaired by a few Mutual Housing board members.
To date, the Parkside community has only attended one meeting, she said.
However, Dobos said she is aware of communication issues between management and residents.
We recognize that we have a communication issue at this development and are in the process of scheduling another meeting with them this summer, she said.
Curtis Miller, president of the Parkside Gables resident association, said the lines of communication have been further strained in recent years as a high turnover rate among staff has left residents in the lurch.
Every time someone starts listening or working on something for us, they leave or theyre let go, he said.
Dobos confirmed there has been a higher turnover rate in Stamford, where there have been five property managers in the last two years.
Some managers have been replaced and others have been reassigned to other properties in the portfolio, she said. Stamford is a very difficult portfolio to attract staff to due to the moderate pay and terrible traffic conditions folks are expected to manage.
Speaking out
Miller said residents hope to send a message with their presentation to the CHFA board on Thursday.
We know that we might not get something right away, but we want to get out there and ask them to start paying attention, Miller said.
Parkside Gables residents recruited Kim McLaughlin, of the Publicly-Assisted Housing Resident Network, to help build their case for the CHFA board.
My point of view is that every resident has the right to be heard, McLaughlin said. I am encouraging the residents to exercise their rights ... and ask the CHFA board to review the practices of the Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut.
Dobos said MHA is ready to listen to residents concerns and has hired a mediator to assist with communications. However, she said residents need to be specific about their complaints so management can get to the source of the issues.
We take resident complaints and feedback very seriously. We have internal mechanisms to facilitate this process, she said. We ask that residents bring specific examples so that management can address them. Global statements of incorrect rent charges doesn't help foster the communication process.
nora.naughton@scni.com; twitter.com/noranaughton
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
DANBURY The trial against a local high school teacher charged in the sexual assault of a 17-year-old student was delayed Tuesday in state Superior Court due to an issue with a juror.
While lawyers in the case were expected to make their opening arguments Tuesday in the case against Kayla Mooney, Judge Kevin Russo said one of the jurors would be unable to serve due to a work conflict. The juror, a college student, said she would lose her summer job if she was required to serve.
Mooney is facing two counts of second-degree sexual assault, among other charges. She was arrested in March 2015, months after rumors began circulating about a relationship between the first-year teacher Danbury High School science teacher, then 24, and a 17-year-old male student in her science class.
Attorneys in the case selected a new juror on Tuesday to replace the one that was excused earlier in the day. During questioning, States Attorney Stephen Sedensky paid particular attention to whether the potential jurors could find a teenage witness credible.
Sedensky included nearly a dozen unnamed juveniles on a potential witness list submitted to the court earlier this month.
Rumors had run rampant through the high school student population months before Mooney was arrested. The alleged victim, who had been called in by administrators to address the rumors, initially denied having a sexual encounter with Mooney.
However, when Mooney lodged a complaint with administrators that she was being harassed by the students ex-girlfriend, he admitted having sex twice with the teacher, once in her car and again on a picnic blanket at a local lake.
In statements to police, the student said his relationship with Mooney began innocently.
We joked and laughed with each other on different occasions, the youth told police in a sworn statement on Feb. 12, two days after Mooney was placed on leave and the criminal investigation began. And basically we were a normal teacher-student relationship.
Everything changed, the student said, when he put a note on her desk inviting her to a Kid Ink concert on Halloween night at Tuxedo Junction.
They traded emails on their school-issued accounts, and then switched to cellphone messages, agreeing Mooney would not accompany him to the concert but would pick him up later at a friends house, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
We drove to Cedar Road and sat and talked for a couple of hours, the student told police. Then we kissed and I moved my seat back ... Then I took off her shirt and we had sex.
The trial is expected to begin Wednesday.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Over the course of his seven-decade life, Howard Hughes Jr. financed daring films in Hollywood; romanced an ever-expanding list of famous actresses; built next-generation, record-breaking planes; and presided over an ever-growing business and aviation empire.
He was a pilot, a film producer, a businessman, a real estate mogul and an inventor.
"He was a great American original," said Pat Broeske, co-biographer of "Howard Hughes: The Untold Story." "These days, you don't get entrepreneurs who also get into the cockpit and make speed records."
Before those halcyon days of fame and glory, however, Hughes spent his childhood in a red brick home on Yoakum Boulevard in Houston.
His father, Howard Hughes Sr., earned a fortune developing a drill bit and was frequently away on business. That left the younger Hughes to be raised by his mother, Allene Gano Hughes, a Dallas socialite with a paralyzing fear of germs and illnesses, particularly polio.
Allene kept Hughes close, refusing to allow him to roam with neighborhood children.
"Allene pampered Howard Jr. as if he were a prize colt," wrote Broeske, noting that if Hughes grew even the slightest bit sick, physicians were summoned to the family's home.
The upbringing would leave their mark on Hughes, who developed an obsessive personality and preference for solitude. It also laid the groundwork for his success.
"He was in a world by himself, even when his parents were still living," Dudley Sharp, a childhood friend and best man at Hughes' first wedding, said in a past interview.
As an 11-year-old, Hughes built the first wireless radio set in Houston, trading messages with ship captains in the Gulf of Mexico. A year later, he designed and built a motorized bicycle.
Then tragedy struck. Hughes' mother died in 1922, when he was just 16, and Hughes' father took him out of school. They traveled to California, where the younger Hughes studied briefly at Cal Tech, took flying lessons and regularly went to the movies.
Eventually, the two returned to Houston, where Howard Jr. enrolled at Rice University. In 1924, the elder Hughes died from a heart attack, leaving Hughes in charge of the family's empire. It was worth an estimated $650,000, though later newspaper accounts inflated the number to around $17 million.
Hughes, then still a minor, got himself legally emancipated, bought out his relatives, married and headed to Hollywood. He had lofty goals.
"I intend to be the greatest golfer in the world, the finest film producer in Hollywood, the greatest pilot in the world and the richest man in the world," he reportedly said.
Business dealings
Hughes expanded the business empire he inherited.
The company moved into the film industry in the 1920s, His first Hollywood effort, "Swell Hogan" (1926), was a dismal flop, but he went on to produce more than two dozen films to commercial and critical success. "Two Arabian Knights" (1927) won an Oscar for Best Comedy Direction; "The Racket" (1928), "Hell's Angels" (1930) and "The Front Page" (1931) were all nominated for Academy Awards.
Hughes created the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932, winning major government defense contracts. In 1939, he purchased a controlling interest in Transcontinental and Western Air.
And in the 1960s, Hughes began buying or developing numerous hotels and casinos in Las Vegas. The company also added a television station.
Hughes sold the tool company in 1972, retaining other assets in a company called the Summa Corporation. Hughes Tool eventually merged with Baker International to become Baker Hughes, one of the world's largest oilfield services companies.
He also created the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Today, the institute's endowment - originally funded by Hughes' fortune - has swelled to more than $18 billion, making it one of the largest private funders of medical research in the country.
Aviation
One of Hughes' other great loves was flight. In the 1930s, he began building the H-1, or "Silver Bullet." On Sept. 13, 1935, he flew the plane through the Santa Monica mountains, breaking the world speed record for a land plane in several passes, reaching up to 355 miles per hour before crashing into a beet field.
The achievement made him a household name.
Hughes would go on to break several aviation records, including records for coast-to-coast flights and for global circumnavigation by making the trip in just three days. His feats earned him a Congressional Gold Medal in 1939.
His interest in aviation also nearly proved fatal. On July 7, 1946. Hughes tried to land an XF-11, a Hughes Aircraft prototype, onto the Los Angeles Country Club golf course after a propeller stopped working, but instead he crashed into a neighborhood. He was pulled from the wreckage with a crushed collar bone, cracked ribs, a collapsed lung, and horrific burns.
Hughes also earned notoriety for construction of the H-4 Hercules, or "Spruce Goose," meant to carry troops on transatlantic flights. The delays and cost overruns led to a congressional investigation. Eventually, in a surprise test, he flew the plane one mile, at an altitude of 70 feet, before retiring it forever.
Later years
Hughes became increasingly eccentric in later years. He began living in hotels, refusing to shower or cut his nails, and became transfixed with germs.
He died in 1976 of kidney failure on a plane trip home from Mexico. His body was filthy, his hair long and matted, and the man who'd once stood 6 feet 4 inches weighed just over 90 pounds. He was 70 years old.
He was buried in a family plot at Glenwood Cemetery near downtown Houston. A bitter battle over his estate was finally resolved in 1983, with his assets divided among 22 first cousins.
His true legacy, however, lies in his business empire, his films and his flying.
"How many aviators do you know who also made Hollywood movies and envisioned what was to come in Las Vegas?" Broeske said. "It's almost unfathomable one person could do all those things."
Guard in Dannemora case out of prison
PLATTSBURGH A former correction officer who inadvertently helped two killers escape from a northern New York prison is free after serving four months in the county jail.
Gene Palmer was released Monday after serving two-thirds of his six-month sentence. He declined to comment to reporters outside the jail.
The 58-year-old Palmer admitted providing Richard Matt and David Sweat with tools, paint and access to a catwalk electrical box at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora. But he said he never knew they planned to break out.
Palmer gave the inmates frozen hamburger containing the hacksaw blade they used to escape. He was convicted of promoting prison contraband, tampering with evidence and official misconduct.
Law expands care to prevent breast cancer
ALBANY New York is expanding access to breast cancer screening by requiring hospitals to extend hours for mammograms and eliminating insurance costs for the procedure.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measure into law Monday at a ceremony on Long Island. He was joined by longtime girlfriend Sandra Lee. The Food Network star's successful treatment for breast cancer prompted Cuomo to introduce the legislation this year.
Under the new law, more than 200 hospitals around the state will be required to offer evening and weekend hours for mammograms. Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging deductibles or copays for the procedure.
Businessman pays for $45 million tax fraud
NEW YORK A New York City businessman has pleaded guilty in a $45 million tax fraud.
Morris Zukerman entered the plea Monday in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors say the 72-year-old businessman evaded tens of millions of dollars in taxes from his $130 million share of the sale of an oil company in 2008. He told Judge Analisa Torres that he hopes to repair some of the damage that he caused before he is sentenced in December.
As part of his plea, he agreed to pay at least $37 million to the Internal Revenue Service. He separately agreed to pay New York state over $4.6 million on taxes owed for his purchase of 17th- and 18th-century "old master" paintings.
Associated Press
A police officer shot an armed man during a domestic violence call early Tuesday in Antioch, officials said.
Everything you need to know to stay safe amid this heat wave
The shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. when officers responded to a domestic violence call on the 900 block of West Eighth Street.
When officers got to the home, they were confronted by a 56-year-old man who police said was armed with a gun.
Police shot the suspect, who was then taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery and was stable.
No officers were injured in the incident. The suspects name was not immediately released.
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
When families choose where to live in San Antonio, it's a safe bet that school quality is one of the biggest factors driving their decisions.
Overwhelmingly, school districts on the northern half of Bexar County have a better reputation than those on the South Side and in the inner city. That's led to astronomical enrollment increases in these northern districts and explosive residential growth in the areas around them.
San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. and its only expected to get bigger - a lot bigger. We are expected to gain another 1.1 million people by the year 2040.
So why does that matter to you? The slideshow above features a handful of questions the Alamo City will have to answer amid population growth.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The Miss Texas Organization will kick off its annual Miss Texas pageant in North Texas at 7 p.m. Tuesday with the first of its three preliminaries.
Judges will crown a winner on Saturday, July 2, at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.
RELATED: Newly crowned Miss Texas celebrates win at San Antonio Whataburger in true Lone Star State fashion
The winner of the pageant will not only receive a $15,000 scholarship and the use of an Infinity during her reign, but she will also go on to compete against representatives from across the nation in the Miss America pageant which was broadcast live on ABC in 2015.
This year, three of the 56 Miss Texas participants will represent San Antonio Miss San Antonio, Julia Bush, Miss Bexar County, Lauren DeFillippo and Miss Alamo City, Ashley Sneed.
RELATED: Former Miss Texas lists $2.4 million waterfront home near Dallas
Shannon Sanderford was crowned Miss Texas in 2015 and will surrender her crown to the incoming Miss Texas following her appointment on Saturday.
Sanderford finished among the top 10 in the Miss America pageant.
The 2016 Miss America competition is scheduled to take place on September 11 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
RELATED: 10 things to know about Miss Texas, Shannon Sanderford
It has been more than 40 years since a Miss Texas winner was crowned Miss America.
The Miss America Organization is unrelated to the Miss United States pageant.
Their most significant difference is in the founding of the two groups. The Miss America pageant was created as a scholarship competition, meanwhile the Miss United States pageant was created as a Catalina Swimwear marketing tool, which was partially owned by Donald Trump until 2015.
Both continue to operate today.
Click through the slideshow above to see who could potentially represent Texas in the Miss America pageant.
MMedina@mySA.com
Twitter: @MariahMedinaaa
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Just over 12 hours after a fatal shooting, the third homicide on the East Side in five days, police Chief William McManus and District 2 Councilman Alan Warrick II conducted a foot patrol with officers and concerned citizens Monday evening.
How many community activities do they have, to involve these children to change their life now and in the future? Last Chance Ministry evangelist Jimmy Lopez, who grew up on the East Side and joined the group for a walk of at least a dozen blocks, said in an interview. I havent seen any (community activities) out here.
Warrick whose own district has seen more than 10 homicides in 2016 alone, according to an Express-News database said violence had slowed for a month, which he attributed to an increased police presence.
He said too many guns on the streets were fueling the carnage and about three weeks ago, we let our guard down.
Things are worse than they were last year, Warrick said. We have almost twice as many murders, and its definitely a significant jump, especially on this side of the community.
McManus said some of the shootings were retaliation attacks and not random events. He said police were trying to work with the community to help solve the cases.
Weve got the enforcement part down; weve got to engage the community, McManus said.
The patrol began seven blocks from where police responded to a shots fired call at 6:15 a.m. Monday near the intersection of Center Street and New Braunfels Avenue. Officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. Medics tried to save him but he died of his injuries.
It was unclear what happened with three people taken into custody following the shooting. SAPD spokesman Sgt. Jesse Salame said he had no updates.
In the past five days two people have been killed and two injured by shootings. A third person was found dead in the far East Side neighborhood of Glenlock Farms on Friday. Salame said there were no updates in the other cases.
The Monday shooting happened just five blocks from where Matthew Johnson, 25, was shot and killed Feb. 23, in the 300 block of Belmont Street.
Were not giving up, McManus said. Were going to continue to engage. Its going to stop.
San Antonio has seen at least 53 homicides in 2016 and had 106 in all of 2015 and 125 in 2014. In 2008, the number of homicides reached 136, the highest since the Express-News began keeping its own count, in 2007.
rdruzin@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
It doesnt happen often, but the Bexar County District Attorneys office lost a murder trial over the weekend.
A deadlocked jury sequestered overnight in a downtown hotel on Saturday acquitted an admitted low-level drug dealer, Jose Carrizales, of murder in the May 2015 killing of an ex-con, Dominic Spiller, who was shot through the window of his apartment on West Avenue.
Its unfortunate to have to say this, but every person involved in this case, except perhaps the victim, had a drug problem, said Carrizales court-appointed lawyer, Bob Featherston, in an interview afterward.. And that has the side effect of warping peoples reality and they dont remember things as well as they should.
Prosecutor James Ishimoto had a difficult case: no witnesses to the 4 a.m. shooting that awoke many in the Arbor apartments, no recovery of the weapon and no forensic evidence that could place Carrizales at Spillers window.
Critical prosecution witnesses either admitted they lied to police or had such credibility problems some in the courtroom laughed.
On the stand, Derek Portillo, a young construction worker from Dallas, addressed Ishimoto as bro, referred to the victim with a racial slur, and used a vulgar expression several dozen times as he talked about buying meth and marijuana from Carrizales, who he called homeboy and who sat expressionless at the defense table.
Portillo testified that Carrizales was upset over Spillers alleged beating of Evelyn Elguezabal, who Carrizales had told others was his girlfriend, though she denied this in her own testimony. Portillo told the jury that Carrizales was looking for a gun in the hours before Spiller was shot and that they drove around San Antonio together in a drugged stupor.
But I didnt care what he (Carrizales) wanted to do (to Spiller), Portillo said. I just wanted my bud (marijuana).
Cross-examined by Featherston, Portillo told the jury repeatedly that the shooting occurred in June, rather than May 24, 2015, when Spillers body was found. It was one of those two months, Portillo said as some jurors shifted uncomfortably.
Elguezabal told the jury she and Spiller, with whom she had a child, had heatedly argued the day before the shooting about a missing cash card from Spillers job and that he dragged her, leaving bruises and cuts that police believed upset Carrizales when he saw them.
Carrizales had bragged of the shooting, like he thought it was cool to do it, Elguezabal testified. I was sad. I recall saying that he basically killed my daughters father.
But most of the jury wasnt buying it.
The defense portrayed Elguezabal, who admitted to being a user of meth, Xanax and heroin, as the likely shooter or someone who might be covering for a family member. When finally excused by the judge, she fled the courtroom in tears, saying she was being set up for the murder.
Featherston said after the trial that he spoke with jurors who said the cross-examination of Elguezabal was key.
Outside the courtroom, emotionally spent, Spillers sister, Delfina, said he loved his daughter and was determined to be a father and a man.
Dominic had served 16 years in prison for robbery, but when he got out he immediately went to work for Evelyns dad doing cabinetry work. We were the best of friends, and he always stuck with me. He was so excited about his life after getting out.
He was clean in 2012, Delfina, 34, said, and started to cry. He met Evelyn and would take care of her kids at times, but also helped her shoot up heroin. We grew up on the West Side, around Culebra, Bandera. Dominic had used heroin. My dad and brother have used heroin. That was our familys world.
She stared down the hallway and wiped her eyes. Drugs kill people, she gasped. Drugs ruin lives.
Featherston, a former Naval flight officer, said he is proud to represent poor clients who cant afford an aggressive defense. He said under Bexar Countys indigent defense program, attorneys are compensated for 30 hours of work for most first degree felonies but in the Carrizales case he twice asked the court for more hours and put in over 200 total.
Its all real sad, he said. It is a tragedy for the Spiller family and the little girl who had a father who was a productive employee and who the medical examiner said had not been using drugs.
bselcraig@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Next Monday San Antonians will do what they love and do best, celebrate.
We love a good party, Texas independence, Mexico independence, the new year, Fiesta, Irish saints, the risen Lord, you name it S.A. will celebrate it. And the July fourth holiday is one of the biggies.
Now, shooting off fireworks within city limits is prohibited, only sparklers are allowed. But you know S.A., people will be doing fireworks all over the city.
RELATED: 15 (mostly free) events to celebrate the Fourth of July in San Antonio area
However, if you are in an unincorporated area of Bexar County, knock yourself out, and there will also be many official parties with firework displays.
According to the American Pyrotechnics Association and National Council on Firework Safety, about 247,550,000 pounds of fireworks are purchased by Americans every year.
Click through the slideshow to see what type of fireworks cause the most injuries, where on the body those injuries occur and the age groups most likely to be hurt.
We're pretty sure about 12 percent of that alone go to families on S.A.'s West Side, who historically shoot off fireworks like crazy every New Year's Eve and 4th of July.
But regardless of where you are some of you out there are bound to get hurt.
According to the Fireworks Information Center of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of about 230 people a day throughout the U.S. go to the ER with fireworks-related injuries between June 20 and July 20.
RELATED: Randy Rogers quashes viral Facebook page announcing band would perform at Woodlawn Lake July 4th
Be sure you and yours are not one of them by celebrating safely with these tips from the commission.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
DALLAS (AP) Three crew members were missing and one was hurt Tuesday after a head-on train collision in the Texas Panhandle that caused several box cars to erupt in flames and led authorities to evacuate residents in the area.
The two BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track when they collided near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo. Each train carried two crew members; one man jumped before the collision, according to BNSF spokesman Joe Faust. The man was being treated at a hospital and the extent of his injuries was unknown.
It's not clear how fast the trains were traveling when they collided, but the speed limit in that area is 70 mph, Faust said. It also wasn't clear why the trains were on the same track.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site.
"I don't know how anyone survived," said Billy Brown, a farmer in the area who saw a fireball after the collision. "It's terrible. I've seen a number of train wrecks but I've never seen one like this."
Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Bryan Witt said few other details were available because emergency responders were still assessing the damage. Images provided by KFDA-TV in Amarillo showed thick, black smoke billowing from a jumble of several box cars that were strewn along the tracks.
It's not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck that's struck by a freight train, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Dan Buesing said, but the magnitude of Tuesday's accident was startling.
Officials in Panhandle ordered an evacuation of some nearby areas out of concern the flames would cause a fast-moving grass fire, the Amarillo Globe-News reported. Officials also asked residents to curtail water use because the water supply is being depleted by firefighters at the scene, according to KVII-TV in Amarillo.
___
Associated Press writers Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, and Joan Lowy in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SAN ANTONIO A 55-year-old man who beat a puppy to death with a metal rod in 2014 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to Animal Care Services.
Gary Kennedy was arrested about two weeks after being caught on surveillance footage hitting a young shar-pei and stuffing its body into a trash bag on July 3.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
AUSTIN -- The U.S. Supreme Court just eliminated the rules that forced many Texas abortion clinics to close, but don't expect those facilities to re-open anytime soon.
That was the message at a news conference Monday afternoon, as abortion rights supporters celebrated the high court's ruling but cautioned that it could take months or years to rebuild access to the procedure in the state -- if it ever fully happens.
"What we've seen in other cases where an abortion restriction has gone into effect and then is overturned is that sometimes it takes years to rebuild the access that we had before the law was passed, and I'd expect that the same is true here," said Rebecca Robertson of the ACLU of Texas, noting that shuttered abortion clinics must re-obtain properties, re-hire staff and re-apply for licenses, to say nothing of the possibility that Texas lawmakers could enact new restrictions as soon as January.
Robertson and others held the news conference in a former Austin abortion clinic that had been forced to shut down due to the regulations. That facility has remained in the possession of a group that provides abortions, but the owners said they did not know when it could reopen.
In fact, the leaders of the abortion rights community are not aware of a single clinic among the nearly two dozen that closed over the past three years that plans to reopen soon, said Dr. Bhavik Kumar of Whole Woman's Health, the organization that filed the lawsuit against the regulations.
Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services that licenses abortion centers, said that if a facility previously relinquished its license and wants to reapply, it will have to apply for a new license a process that could take months.
Under state rules, the license application must be submitted at least 90- days before the projected opening date along with a non-refundable $5,000 licensing fee. Once they accept the application, state officials will conduct a pre-licensing conference with the applicant and the center must then pass a full inspection to ensure compliance with Texas law and health codes once it opens.
Robertson and Kumar said they expect Texas lawmakers to try to crack down on abortion again in next year's legislative session.
Republicans also have promised as much in the wake of Monday's ruling, which struck down regulations requiring that abortion doctors obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and that abortion clinics comply with the standards of hospital-style surgical centers.
One former Texas abortion provider told the Houston Chronicle earlier this year that because of the uncertainty surrounding the issue, no ruling from the Supreme Court could convince her to reopen.
"Even if I had the money, why would I invest it in a facility that could be written out of business with the stroke of a pen?" asked the former provider, Ginny Braun, who closed the Routh Street Women's Clinic in Dallas last year due to the regulations. "That's not a way to run a business. That's not a way to run your life."
Reporter Mike Ward contributed to this story.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists seized an elephant skull from a truck attempting to cross from Mexico into the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry in South Texas on June 22.
The elephant skull "lacked proper ownership and exportation documentation, as required under U.S. and international law," according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Re: Dems sit to take stand on guns, front page, Thursday:
Im not impressed with the sit-in conducted by Democrats in the House.
We pay them to deliberate issues, not sit on their butts.
Considering the House is in session about 245 days and the Senate about 170, we are overpaying them significantly. The least any of them could do is sit at their desks and join in discussions rather than staging a sit-in.
Shame on us for continuing to vote in the same individuals.
Hank Forrest
Ban proposal unfair
Re: Ban on coal tar sealant an unsound, costly idea, Jim Craven, Other Views, June 17:
I want to thank Parking Lot Store owner Jim Craven for speaking out on the consequences that Councilman Ron Nirenbergs proposed ban on coal tar sealants could have on the local economy. I have been selling coal tar sealcoating supplies for 16 years. My small minority-owned business has been under attack from competitors ever since Mr. Nirenberg took office.
Until then, I had co-existed with my competition in a respectful manner. But Mr. Nirenbergs proposed ban contains untrue statements about the safety of my products. My competitors are now using these claims to attack my reputation.
I urge my fellow business owners and the residents of San Antonio to ask Mr. Nirenberg why he is aggressively pursuing this agenda. The science behind the study he commissioned to push for a coal tar sealant ban doesnt support his false claims about the products I sell.
Nancy Navarrete, owner, Sealcoating Supplies
Right to guns
My prayers go out to the injured and the families and friends of those gentle, defenseless members of the LGBT community who were lost in this senseless violence perpetrated by a violent faction of a religious group. These violent extremists must first be excoriated by the members of the religion they claim to represent; then those governments and organizations that condone these acts must be brought to justice. You gentle members of the LGBT community should really avail yourselves of all your rights that are protected by the Constitution.
Sadly, this atrocity is just another occasion for our liberal friends to focus on their political agenda to disarm the only remaining free nation in the world. So I must point out: The Second Amendment to the Constitution aint about duck hunting. It is about the right of a free, self-governing people to protect themselves even against a tyrannical government.
Leo Dye, Bulverde
CHICAGO Americans have cut back on dining out the second quarter of this year, especially to fast-food restaurants, according to NPD Group research, The Wall Street Journal reports. Since September 2015, visits to quick-service restaurants advanced each quarter by 2%, but that growth ground to a halt in March, April and May of this year. Its a red flag because its been an area of growth and its 80% of the industry, said Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant analyst with NPD.
With restaurants being among the first businesses to experience a bump when consumers have money to burn, its also one of the first industries to feel the pinch when consumers tighten their belts. With job growth slowing and gas prices inching up slightly, consumers may be watching their pennies more closely. Even visits to fast-casual restaurants, which have experienced consistent growth since 2004, had a downturn last month.
The next few months are fraught with the potential for consumer distractions, from the political conventions in July to the Olympics in August to the presidential debates this fall, noted Sharon Zackfia, an analyst with William Blair. As a result, we would not be surprised to see restaurant trends remain somewhat volatile throughout the summer and potentially into the fall.
The current economic climate has fast-food executives puzzled and without concrete answers about the future. In May, Todd Penegor, CEO of Wendys, said that the consumer does continue to be cautious, but he also pointed out its been hard to really pinpoint whats driving that.
Yves here. This post articulates one of my biggest reservations about Brexit: that UKIP and the Leave faction in the Tories intend to use Brexit to reduce worker rights even furtherproducing results the exact opposite of what most of the public that voted for Brexit wanted.
By Servaas Storm, Senior Lecturer of Economics, Delft University of Technology and co-author, with C.W. M. Naastepad, of Macroeconomics Beyond the NAIRU (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press), which recently won the Myrdal Prize of the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy. Originally published at the Institute for New Economic Thinking website
Brexit is about much more than frustration about the E.U. and immigration. It is about a shortage of decent and secure jobs; an impossibly precarious labour market; inexplicable inequalities in incomes and wealth; closed access to affordable education, and a terrible deficiency of affordable housing; and it is about British Chancellor of the Exchequer Osbornes single-minded austerity economics and the rule-free and tax-free space created for big banks and corporations.
The referendum result reflects a deep-seated anger and anxiety amongst large sections of the population who are disenfranchised and feel ignored, and who can no longer bear the economic burden of living in the Thatcherite free-market wasteland (alternatively known as Camerons Big Society) that Britain has become sadly reinforced by the New Labour governments that began with Tony Blair. Media-savvy and facts-free politicians like Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage have tapped into this anger and frustration, playing immigration and antagonism towards Brussels-bureaucracy as their trump cards. For many Leave-voters, if not most, Brexit was the only way to express and articulate their protest against a failed system that has left them behind.
Decision-making in the European Union symbolizes a largely unaccountable, elitist and undemocratic system, which is why Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was half-hearted in his support for a Remain vote. The recent examples of Greece, Spain and other southern European countries, all in a Brussels-induced economic lockdown, speak volumes against the political feasibility of reforming the European Union from within. The truly saddening denouement of the Leave vote, however, is that the sovereignty regained at the cost of deeply dividing the nation is unlikely to produce the more socially just and economically inclusive Britain that many voters sought and thats not because of a serious (or not so serious) recession being triggered by Brexit.
Rather, the hopes of progressives are likely to be betrayed as Britain is turned into Borisland a deindustrializing nation dependent on trickle-down finance-led growth, but suffering from sluggish productivity growth, growing in-work poverty and rising inequalities and dualisms, and with government in permanent austerity mode. As George Orwell wrote so aptly in The Lion and the Unicorn, England resembles a family, a rather stuffy Victorian family, with not many black sheep in it but with all its cupboards bursting with skeletons. It has rich relations who have to be kowtowed to and poor relations who are horribly sat upon, and there is a deep conspiracy of silence about the source of the family income. [.] It is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in the hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts. [..] [England is a] family with the wrong members in control that, perhaps, is as near as one can come to describing England in a phrase.
The bigger threat from the Brexit referendum is not to Britain, however, but to the rest of the European Union. Across the continent, there is a very similar anger and anxiety about jobs, austerity economics, affordable housing, pensions and inequality, and a worryingly similar democratic disenfranchisement of large alienated and voiceless sections of society is creating fertile soil for populist-nationalist left-wing but mostly right-wing movements led by the likes of Frances Marine Le Pen, the Netherlands Geert Wilders, Austrias Norbert Hofer, Finlands Timo Soini, Belgiums Filip Dewinter and Germanys Frauke Petry. Brexit is just the most recent manifestation of the growing strength of Euroscepticism, which found earlier expression in the Dutch rejection of the Ukraine-European Union Treaty in April (by a margin of 61% against and 38%) and the narrow defeat of the right wing Freedom Partys candidate in Austrias presidential elections in May (Norbert Hofers final score was 49.7% against 50.3% for the Green Partys Alexander van der Bellen).
Polls show that between one quarter and one third of citizens across the 28 member states are now deeply hostile to the E.U. project, and there is fear that Brexit will fuel similar Leave-Remain referenda elsewhere there is serious talk about Nexit (in the Netherlands), Auxit (in Austria) and Frexit (in France), framed and pushed mostly by the anti-immigration, anti-Islam populist-nationalist extreme right. Regardless of whether these referenda will be held (which looks unlikely), the extreme right will capitalize on the anger, frustration, anxiety and anti-elitist resentment of voters who feel they cannot live in the current system.
It would be a tragic mistake to read this resentment against the E.U. as only anti-migrant, racist or bigoted, because the racism and bigotry have grown in conditions of economic austerity, artificial job scarcity and crisis, rising unemployment, rising job insecurity, and exploding inequalities as social protection for workers, pensioners and families have been scaled down in favour of an expanded social safety net for TBTF banks and corporations. Almost everywhere in the E.U. as in Britain there is a polarization of the income distribution into a large number of low-income households and a much smaller number of very rich, while the middle classes have shrunk. There is a segmentation of employment into low-wage, unprotected and precarious jobs, mostly in low-tech services, and high-wage and protected jobs in high-tech manufacturing, finance, legal services and government.
Labour market reforms are turning European countries into dual economies a trend fuelled by robotization and technological progress. The real message therefore is one of utter macroeconomic mismanagement in response to the global crisis and on-going rapid technological change, which unfortunately not for the first time in recent history has created the conditions for political instability, upheaval and social chaos. The massive social protests in France against the modernization of labour laws newspeak for a reduction in the strength of French job-protection laws and social security in general by the socialist Hollande government illustrate the point: The systemic dismantling of worker protection in the name of cutting wage costs and improving unit-labour cost competitiveness will certainly increase job insecurity, employment precariousness, and inequality without any further macroeconomic benefits. Despite uncountable attempts to do so, no robust relationship has been found between job-protection, on the one hand, and unemployment, economic performance and productivity growth on the other hand.
The responsibility for the economic and political mess in Britain, the E.U. and beyond weighs heavily on the shoulders of economists who insist there is no alternative to a globalized market economy (TINA!), with freedom for the rich and wealthy and unfreedom for the rest, and who out-of-hand reject serious progressive programmes to reform the system and make it more democratic and humane. The rush by many mainstream economists in the United States to reject Bernie Sanders economic policy agenda with remarkable sleight of hand is a case in point. We desperately need a new paradigm to reform the system and make it work for the majority, as Thomas Fricke has elegantly argued. Unless there is serious new economic thinking beyond austerity, deregulated finance, and a corporate dominated politics and state, social and political tensions will continue to build up within the E.U.
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, where wealth accumulates, and men decay, as Oliver Goldsmith (1770) wrote in The Deserted Village and Tony Judt (2009) wisely reminded us, shortly before his death. There are no easy answers but economics urgently needs to start reforming itself, and asking the right questions.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
(By Betteridges Law, no.) Readers will recall that I have often flagged innovative, along with disruptive, startup, founder, and (in the business context) ecosystem as bullshit tells, and recommended that if you hear such con artists patter in a crowd, you should put your hand on your wallet or clutch your purse more tightly. I just finished Thomas Franks excellent Listen, Liberal, and he has a great rant about innovation, of which I will show a great slab here, from p 186 et seq. Frank even helpfully quotes the more egregious bullshit tells, so I dont have to highlight them! Do read it in full. After visiting hollowed out mill town Fall River, Frank goes to Boston:
Franks book is a great read; hes outraged about all the right things. However, toward the end of this passage Frank is a little too kind. He writes:
It is not clear that cheering for innovation in the bombastic way we see in the blue states actually improves the economic well-being of average citizens. For example, the last fifteen years have been a golden age of financial and software innovation, but they have been feeble in terms of GDP growth.
But lets look at Pavlina Tchernevas famous chart one more time:
Therefore, in the passage above, it would perhaps have been better to replace the bloodless but they have been feeble in terms of GDP growth with something along the lines of and so they have been marked by the top 10% creaming off all economic gains for themselves, and squandering them. (Frank makes this point strongly in other passages of Listen Liberal, so this isnt so much a criticism as a caution that eternal vigilance is the price of a class-based approach.)
Back to innovation. Heres the thing: There are massive gains to be had for the ordinary shlub from common sense public policy. Since common sense is defined by liberals and conservatives as neo-liberal market-based solutions, Ill hijack their term and redefine is as a style of social engineering optimized for solutions that are simple, rugged, and proven. (I felt I needed that talking point and that definition, but both may need work, so reader suggestions are welcome. After you read the post!)
In this short post, Ill mention three common-sense public policy proposals:
Single payer health care Post Office Bank Paper Ballots
This proposals are not innovative in the least. But they are simple, rugged, proven, and would provide enormous public benefit.
1. Single payer health care
If youre following the 2016 election MR SUBLIMINAL With your plastic bag and little shovel youll have noticed Democrat liberals like Clinton carefully airbrushing away a single payer system that spans an entire content, as if everything sixty miles north of Burlington, Vermont were some kind of weird fantasy for people who survive by eating round bacon. As I wrote in 2013:
[W]hy do I say that ObamaCare is like a tapeworm, a parasite that exists for no other reason than to extract nourishment from its host? Because it is, thats why. This chart (again) tells the story: Figure 1 We are blessed, on this continent, with the closest thing you can get to a controlled experiment in the real world on how to do health care right, and how to do it wrong. We have two countries, of continental scale, both from the English political tradition, each with a Federal system of government, and similar economies. The two countries are similar enough culturally that their citizens can move with ease from one country to another. Canada has a single payer system; the United States has a private health insurance system. And Canada bent the cost curve in the mid-70s, when it adopted single payer, and the United States did not. What the chart shows is that the our private health insurance system is purely parasitic; it is useless; it exists solely for the purpose of rental extraction from its host, the body politic. Abolish it, and you bend the cost curve to look like Canadas. If single payer had been adopted in 2009, and given a year to implement (like Medicare) the country would already have saved a trillion dollars, and several thousand people would not be dead. That is the cost, the harm, of the tapeworm that is the health insurance industry. Not science fiction; sober fact. (Because Canadians are always sober!) And ObamaCare seeks to fasten that tapeworms hooks and suckers to our body politics gut. Forever.
Single payer is not innovative. If anything, its ObamaCare thats innovative, but only in terms of rental extraction (and the staggering complexity of its implementation (in essence a jobs program for lots of credentialed 10%-ers (ka-ching (Clintons base))). Single payer is simple, rugged, proven, and provides enormous social benefits. Why, in heavens name, have we as a society been unable to adopt it?
2. Post Office Bank
Many countries have or had post office banking, including the United States. This passage from 2015 is probably too long, but since readers may not be familiar with post office banking and the rationale for it, Ill quote it all:
[In 2012, there] was an interesting but all-too-temporary Post Office Bank boomlet (link, link, and link for example) touched off by this report (PDF) from the Post Office Inspector General[1] (and not, mind you, the neo-liberal infested USPS management). For our purposes, we can reduce the report to four points. From the 2014 version: 1. There are 68 millions financially underserved[2] adults. Page 6: [M]ore than a quarter of American households are left outside or on the fringes of the traditional financial system. Some have no bank account whatsoever. Others have a checking account, but do not qualify for traditional forms of credit, forcing them to use costly services like payday loans and car title loans which can often do more harm than good. Many of the 34 million financially underserved households representing 68 million adults are treading water very close to the economic edge.1 Unexpected expenses can push them over the brink into homelessness or bankruptcy, which come with broad social and economic costs. In addition to this at-risk population, there are many other Americans who are simply looking for new financial options. 2. The financially underserved must use crapified financial services like check-cashing agencies. Page 7: The underserved are a geographically, economically, and demographically diverse group of people who, by choice or circumstance, operate partially or completely outside the traditional banking system. We define underserved as primarily consisting of two main groups: the unbanked, who have no checking or savings account, and the underbanked, who have a bank account but also used at least one non-bank financial service during the past year. These non-bank financial services include check cashing, money orders, remittances, payday lending, pawnshops, rent-to-own agreements, and other similar products and services. And when I say crapified ever cashed a check at a check cashing place? I mean just that. Were talking usury: Being underserved often comes at a hefty price. The average underserved household has an annual income of about $25,500 and spends about $2,412 of that just on alternative financial services fees and interest. That amounts to 9.5 percent of their income. To put that into perspective, that is about the same portion of income that the average American household spends on food in one year. In 2012 alone, the underserved paid some $89 billion in fees and interest. 3. A Post Office bank would help the financially underserved , both at a profit, and bringing great benefit to society. The profit part, page 21: Financial services are hugely profitable for postal organizations around the world. Whether using a fully chartered postal bank or partnering with private institutions, postal financial services account for a major portion of postal profits and revenue in many countries. For more on the financial services offerings of foreign posts, please see Appendix C. To get a ballpark figure, one can look at revenues in terms of the size of the alternative financial services market in the United States. If 10 percent of the $89 billion spent on alternative financial services was instead spent at the Postal Service, it could bring in $8.9 billion a year. That amount would be in line with the results seen by other industrialized countries. In 2012, postal financial services made up an average of 14.5 percent of their total revenue. For the U.S. Postal Service, that percentage would translate to $9.5 billion in additional revenue.58 In addition, the alternative financial services market is expected to continue growing in the coming years, and is ripe for innovation. (Note that as we saw in USPS is a quasi-private entity with a universal mandate that nevertheless does not depend on government funding; if it were (again) a branch of government, the issue of profit would not arise.) And now for the benefit to society part. Just by taking usury out of the equation (pages 19-20): For the most vulnerable Americans including many of the underserved the difference between making it and not is a small amount of money. Among the 1.1 million people who filed for personal bankruptcy in 2012, their median average income of $2,743 a month was just $26 less than their median average monthly expenses.54 Put another way, these people were just $26 a month away from making ends meet. [T]he Postal Loan product outlined in this paper could, by itself, save the average payday loan borrower more than $100 a month in fees and interest. With this kind of cost savings, users of postal financial services would have much more financial security. If this helped decrease personal bankruptcies by just 5 percent, it would not only help more than 50,000 people a year avoid the lasting stigma and financial effects of bankruptcy, it also would potentially keep some $10 billion a year in loans and other debts from being dragged through bankruptcy court, where much of it would be canceled at tremendous expense to creditors (most of whom are financial institutions).55 That would be good for American families, for banks, and for the entire country. 4. The Post Office is well-suited to help the financially underserved. Page 6-7: The Postal Service has numerous competencies and assets that would be critical for providing non-bank financial services. The first and possibly most important factor is the sheer ubiquity of the Postal Service. The vast retail network of more than 35,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, and contract units is spread out across the country and is particularly well established in small towns. Banks and other financial institutions still maintain tens of thousands of branches and other locations across the country, but that network is fragmented among thousands of players and is inextricably linked to population density and centers of economic growth. The postal network, on the other hand, is a single, unified network that is linked to geography. 59 percent of Post Offices are in ZIP Codes with one or no bank branches . A second factor is Americans trust and familiarity with the postal brand. Trust is a crucial asset in financial services, especially when considering bank-wary unbanked and underbanked households that have been dealing with sometimes untrustworthy alternative financial services providers. (Note that both the universal scope and the public trust are public assets the neo-liberals are working busily to eat away at and destroy, through branch closings and public cuts.)
Readers might also consider the idea that the concrete material benefits of combining post office banking with a jobs guarantee would do more to empower working class women than any number of virtue signaling workshops on microaggression, lean in programs, or seminars on the glass ceiling (more jobs for lots of credentialed 10%-ers (ka-ching (Clintons base))). Now, there are some aspects of this particular proposal Im not that fired up about; financial services can be tricky! And do note that [genuflects] Elizabeth Warren was strongly in favor of this program in 2012; somebody should ask her if shes changed her mind. But the key point:
A postal savings bank is not innovative. Like single payer, its simple, rugged, proven, and provides enormous social benefits. Why, in heavens name, have we as a society been unable to adopt it?
3. Paper Ballots
Bradblog has been my goto blog on matters electoral for some time. Heres Brad on the international standard for voting (I wish he wouldnt bill this as the gold standard, for obvious reasons). From (sigh) 2009, and again Ill just quote most of Brads post:
Hand-Marked, Hand-Counted Paper Ballots, Publicly Tabulated at Every Polling Place in America Last March, the countrys highest court found that secret, computerized vote counting was unconstitutional. Unfortunately, the country was Germany, and the Constitution violated by e-voting systems was the one that the U.S. wrote and insisted Germans ratify as part of their terms of surrender following WWII. Paul Lehto, a U.S. election attorney and Constitutional rights expert, summarized the German courts unambiguous, landmark finding: No specialized technical knowledge can be required of citizens to vote or to monitor vote counts.
There is a constitutional requirement of a publicly observed count.
[T]he government substitution of its own check or what wed probably call an audit is no substitute at all for public observation.
A paper trail simply does not suffice to meet the above standards.
As a result of these principles,all independent observers conclude that electronic voting machines are totally banned in Germany because no conceivable computerized voting system can cast and count votes that meet the twin requirements ofbeing both observable and also not requiring specialized technical knowledge. After the verdict in the case filed by a computer expert and his political scientist son Lehto wondered how it could be that open, observable democracy is seemingly an inviolable right for conquered Nazis, but not, apparently, for citizens of the United States Hand-counting paper ballots is no good at all, argue critics, unless you really want to know who the actual winner of the election was It was the fully public counting of hand-marked paper ballots that gave evidence that the unofficial, electronically-scanned election night results in Minnesotas recent U.S. Senate race were wrong. A hand-count settled the results of Washington States Gubernatorial contest in 2004. And in the 2006 Republican Primary election in Pottawatomie County, Iowa, a hand-count found that seven races had been tallied incorrectly by the countys optical-scan system. Unfortunately, that sort of publicly observable counting has become the exception rather than the rule in this country, and it happens only rarely, in elections where the candidates can afford the extraordinarily high legal costs of a contest, or when the results are so obviously twisted that officials are left with little choice but to count the ballots by hand. Hand-counting paper ballots is recognized as the gold standard in state laws across the country, Ellen Theisen of the non-partisan election watchdog organization VotersUnite.org told me. Why settle for anything less? Theisens thoughts echoed Lehtos interpretation of the findings of the High Court in Germany. By letting software count our votes, she said, we give software control over our government. Shes right. Theisen, like myself, has spent years observing, reporting, and documenting election failure after election failure as democracys corners were cut and voters rights stolen with proprietary, unaccountable, secret electronic vote-counting systems. She once thought, as I did, that hand-marked paper ballots, counted by optical-scan systems, coupled with post-election audits (really, spot-checks of a tiny percentage) would be reliable. But then, for me at least, came the final straw: Iran. Yes, they had hand-marked paper ballots in the countrys contested Presidential election. The hard evidence of who actually won and who actually lost certainly existed at some point. But, as those ballots were never counted publicly, in front of the citizenry, all interested parties, and video cameras, were all left with the guessing game of who won and who lost, as based on our cleverest best assessments taken from selected pre-election polls, analysis of historical voting patterns, and the declarations of disbelief from passionate partisans. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, its not just Iran. Post-election second-guessing and charges of foul play have become more and more the norm, rather than the exception, with each passing election cycle in the U.S. from Florida to Ohio to New Hampshire and to virtually every state and county in the country and for good reason. Democracy, as its practiced in our shining city on the hill, has become Russian Roulette without the certainty. Hand counted paper ballots are the best available technology for conducting accurate, transparent, and observable elections, John Washburn, a Republican/Libertarian-leaning election integrity expert from Milwaukee says. He has testified before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on computer voting system requirements and he is no Luddite, as opponents to computerized democracy have long been derisively characterized by those who stand to profit in the e-voting industry. Washburn happens to be a long-time computer expert and programmer. I love technology and am not adverse to using technology to aid in the administration of elections. But, he cautions, any new technical solution should be no worse than hand-counted paper ballots when measured along the dimensions of security, observability, transparency, and accuracy. I know of no electronic or Internet system which meets this simple axiom; i.e., First, Do no Harm,' he added. I fear many of us technophiles are so blinded by the possible that we overlook the actual. For those who dont understand how fully observable, precinct-based, Election Night hand-counting of hand-marked paper ballots works, one need look no further than those polling places in New Hampshire where the entire process is a matter of civic pride and community participation. We are not speaking about the centralized, behind-closed-doors, party-boss-counted paper ballots of the days of Boss Daley in Chicago or Landslide Lyndon in Texas. In short, after polls close, a new, bi-partisan counting crew is typically brought in to relieve tired poll workers at each precinct. Each precincts crew counts its own ballots in carefully overseen, publicly observed groups of four two calling out every vote, two marking each one down as the citizenry watches, video tapes, and otherwise assures the process is on the up and up. The results are posted publicly before ballots are moved anywhere. They are never out of public oversight until the counting has been completed, which is usually done by enough counting groups to be completed before midnight on Election Night (often before some machine-counted precincts have finished!) Its a very difficult system to game at least without being easily caught. It was, in fact, the public posting of precinct-counted paper ballots which tipped off the world to Kenyas recently contested Presidential election, when the results announced by the central government didnt match up to those posted at the polling places on Election Night. I still remain open to other, equally transparent, equally accurate, equally observable, equally democratic methods for tabulating elections. But after more than five years of research, study, observations, and reporting, Ive yet to come across any. To paraphrase Churchill, it may be the worst method for counting elections, except for all of the others. Yes, if hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots are good enough for conquered Nazis, Kenya, many citizens of New Hampshire (the site of our First-in-the Nation Presidential Primary Election), and for elections when you absolutely, positively have to know the correct results, arent they good enough for every election, every time? Its time to demand that we begin moving forward, toward Democracys Gold [sic] Standard for all elections. Now. Not after computers have made voters completely irrelevant. Its time for us to insist on pilot projects not of new, even higher-tech vote-counting computers but of publicly-overseen, hand-counted paper ballots at every precinct in our own localities, with the ultimate goal of extending that Gold Standard to all of America.
Hand marked paper ballots counted in public is not an innovative proposal. Its simple, rugged, proven, and provides enormous social benefits. Like knowing who really won! And after the vile shenanigans by party regulars in the 2016 Democrat primary (not to mention Ohio 2004 and Florida 2000), Ive had it. Enough is enough, as liberals say of matters far less important systemically than the integrity of our election system. Why, in heavens name, have we as a society been unable to adopt this idea?
Conclusion
For some crazy reason, a common-sense proposal like single payer heatlh care is just barely within the Overton Window, thanks to heroic efforts by activists like National Nurses United (NNU) and Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), as well as the Sanders campaign. The common-sense proposal of a Post Office bank had a brief moment, having been advocated for by liberal darling Elizabeth Warren somebody should ask her if she still supports it before falling into obscurity. And the possibility of not voting electronically or by machine isnt even on the table. One might wonder why change to the health care system, the financial system, and the electoral system present increasing orders of difficulty for seekers of humane public policy solutions, but thats a topic for another day.
In the meantime, remember these bullshit tells! And when some member of the political class, or somebody from our famously free press, or your favorite bloated university administrator starts yammering about innovation, ask them why its so necessary to innovate when we, as a society, cant even manage to do whats been proven to work. Does our political class have any common sense at all?
NOTES
Porn-sniffing dog leads Utahs fight against smut The Times (TF)
The rise and fall of great world cities: 5,700 years of urbanisation mapped Guardian (JMP)
Unicorns: Between myth and reality Financial Times (David L). Unicorns are always mythological or fake. The choice of that word to describe these companies was an unintended bit of honesty
Researchers have found a striking new side effect from eating fast food Washington Post. Furzy also sent the link to the study: Recent Fast Food Consumption and Bisphenol A and Phthalates Exposures among the U.S. Population in NHANES, 20032010 National Institutes of Health
Study finds Password Misuse in Hospitals a Steaming Hot Mess Security Ledger
Brexit
I do not believe that Brexit will happen Gideon Rachman, Financial Times. Rests on the assumption that the UK will get concessions from the EU. The EU does not want to do that because it would embolden separatists. Maybe British pols hope a few months of uncertainty will soften up the Europeans, but finance-dependent Britain will take the harder hit over the near term.
Has Britain avoided a European superstate? France and Germany draw up plans to morph EU countries into one with control over members armies and economies Daily Mail (Brain C). An indicator of no Leave regrets from the tabloids. Any readers who follow the tabloids (I have one colleague who does to watch sentiment), please help us keep tabs on whether they are still backing Leave or are starting to sound equivocal.
Never mind Brexit. France and Germany rush to save eurozone Politco. Read to the later part of the story. Changes are expected to be cosmetic. Quelle surprise!
We can win a better deal for Britain its the only way the EU can save itself Telegraph
BREXIT: Populism and Democracy: Part 1 Bill Black (martha r). Black has launched a series that shreds NYT articles attacking British citizens for backing Leave.
Britons in rush for Irish passports Financial Times
UK Rate Cut Coming, No Hikes Expected for 5 Years: Osborne Stupidity Revisited Michael Shedlock (furzy)
Do Us A Favour, Red Tories, Of Course Its A Coup, Of Course Its Been Planned Martin Odoni
Exclusive: Jeremy Corbyn Automatically On Ballot In Leadership Challenge, Legal Advice Shows Huffington Post
Inside account of Labour MPs attacks on Jeremy Corbyn Politico. Blairites threaten to form a new party.
Secret ballot of Labour MPs on motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn closes at 4pm tomorrow. Result expected about 5pm. @JohnRentoul. Lambert: Secret ballot, WTF.
Dow closes down more than 250 points at lowest since mid-March CNBC. So despite the hysteria, US stock market investors havent suffered much.
European Banks Get Crushed, Worst 2-Day Plunge Ever, Italian Banks to Get Taxpayer Bailout, Contagion Hits US Banks Wolf Ricther. This is much more serious. Italian banks already needed a bailout and the Eurocrat minder said no. Italy has asked again and the conditions do look more urgent.
Italy eyes 40bn bank rescue as first Brexit domino falls Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph
Financial Times. Key para: On Wednesday, Mr Cameron will be asked to leave the summit while the remaining 27 members hold informal talks on how to approach Brexit negotiations and how to stop them stretching out over many years.
Trapped electrons to blame for lack of battery efficiency (Nanowerk News) Forget mousetrapstodays scientists will get the cheese if they manage to build a better battery.
An international team led by Texas A&M University chemist Sarbajit Banerjee is one step closer, thanks to new research published June 28 in the journal Nature Communications that has the potential to create more efficient batteries by shedding light on the cause of one of their biggest problemsa traffic jam of ions that slows down their charging and discharging process.
Fundamentally, when you have a battery, every time you use it, it starts to die a little bit, Banerjee said. The more you use it, the more it dies. Eventually, it becomes unusable. Theoretically speaking, you expect a certain performance from a battery, and you rarely ever get there. People have been at a loss to understand all the factors that contribute to this lack of full capacity. This study points us in that direction.
Using one of the worlds most powerful soft X-ray microscopesthe Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscope (STXM)at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) in tandem with decades of combined experience in materials science, Banerjee and collaborators from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Binghamton University and the National Institute of Standards The STXM facilities at the Canadian Light Source Spectromicroscopy beamline. (Image available on Flickr)and Technology (NIST) were able to image a traffic jam of lithium ions chemically driven through the nanowire-based channels of a simulated battery.
For a battery to function properly, you need to get lithium ions in, and you need to be able to pull them out, Banerjee said. Once our lithium ions got in, we were seeing that they sort of stop at some point along the way.
Mapping electron density in order of increasing lithiation levels using spectral imaging. Each colored region corresponds to sites where electron density is localized, which also corresponds to high concentrations of Li-ions. "The stripes mark regions that have been extensively lithiated and reduced," Banerjee notes. (Image: Luis De Jesus / Texas A&M University.) (click on image to enlarge)
Banerjee points to this interruption as a veritable ghost in the machine that not only slows everything down but also sometimes prevents the device be it a cell phone or a laptop computer from exploiting its full battery potential. He says the devil is in the details, which in this case clearly show that the electrons, once coupled with the lithium ions, appear content to sit instead of moving freely, thereby distorting the electronic structure and, in essence, trapping or stranding the flow of energy.
Mapping electron density in order of increasing lithiation levels using spectral imaging. Each colored region corresponds to sites where electron density is localized, which also corresponds to high concentrations of Li-ions. "The stripes mark regions that have been extensively lithiated and reduced," Banerjee notes.
Two of Banerjees graduate students, Luis De Jesus and Gregory Horrocks, are joint first authors on the Naturepaper detailing the teams National Science Foundation-funded research, which also features a third Texas A&M graduate student, Abhishek Parija. Berkeley Lab staff image010.jpgscientist David Prendergast and postdoctoral fellow Yufeng Liang at Berkeley Labs Molecular Foundry helped the Texas A&M team design and implement their calculations, which were experimentally verified by colleagues at Binghamton and using NIST National Synchrotron Light Source beamlines at Brookhaven National Laboratory supervised by Daniel Fischer. Calculations were conducted using Molecular Foundry as well as Texas A&M computing resources.
Berkeley Labs Prendergast notes that the teams work demonstrates how X-rays can see small polarons the combination of a charged particle (electron) and an associated structural distortion through their impact on electronic structure around the oxygen atoms in the cathode. Small polarons previously have been proposed to be present in transport within Li-ion cathodes but have not been seen directly until now.
In order to make way for additional lithium to enter the structure, Prendergast says, the lithium ions need to diffuse, bringing their electrons in tow. But as a small polaron, it also has to carry along the structural distortion a real drag for transport of charge in a material.
Imagine wanting to move a house to a different site, Prendergast said. A wooden house can be transported in one piece, but a brick or stone house might have to be dismantled or demolished first.
The team was able to identify the specific site where the electron sits within the particle, down to the orbital. Interestingly enough, De Jesus says, the holdup always occurs at the same material-dependent point.
Once the lithium gets in, Banerjee notes theres a very slight distortion that causes the electrons to get trapped in a plane, where they form what he describes as puddles of charge that are unable to link up and move as they should through the material.
You can always draw an analogy between water and electrons, Banerjee said. They are making these little puddles, but until the puddles are connected, they cant flow. Once you have enough electrons coming in, they can all link up and start flowing. But until that happens, theyre all stranded, and they cant Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee, Texas A&M Universitymove to charge or discharge something. And so they go out and hang in different areas of the particle. Theyre all sort of sitting, defining different regions, and they arent able to move easily.
Banerjee, who joined the Texas A&M Department of Chemistry in 2014 and is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been working for a number of years to understand ion intercalation. He says the resulting analysis can be applied in many different areas, including one of his groups specialties design of better logic circuitry.
One of the things we look at is, why do devices like cell phones and computers use up so much energy? Banerjee said. Were trying to develop new materials to make better circuits that are less energy guzzling. This work hones in on the problem, and its a really good measurement. In the end, we were able to get to the bottom of the problem.
For Banerjee, its a result driven by the most basic of energies: curiosity. A couple of years ago, he and Horrocks realized while using conventional laboratory techniques to study the lithiation process in cathode materials that lithium ions would enter nanostructures much faster than they would larger structures. Right then and there, they made it their mission to figure out why smaller was faster a quest that eventually led them to the Canadian Light Source and an expanded research team featuring, among other top-caliber colleagues, CLS Spectromicroscopy beamline scientist Jian Wang.
Jian Wang was greatly instrumental, because the reviewers pushed us really hard on making 100 percent sure that what we were seeing was real, Banerjee said. The Binghamton group helped us verify some of the predictions in theory. We had an observation; we calculated and matched that in models and then from there the models predicted some other things. They basically said, Well, if youre filling an electron into these certain states and theyre no longer visible to you by X-ray imaging in a particular region of the spectrum, that means theyre already full, so you should be looking for them somewhere else. So the Binghamton group helped us look elsewhere, and we saw that, too. Once again, that really brings home the entire story.
Binghamton physicist Louis Piper adds that his group has been studying polaron formation and migration in other Li-ion battery cathodes using X-ray spectroscopy methodology. For this particular project, he says, their role was to confirm that the teams calculations were predicting the polaron well by making direct comparisons using another observation method, spatially-averaging hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES), which is able to study filled electrons.
The STXM is spatially-resolving but looks at empty states, Piper said. In my opinion, the STXM shows the spatial effects of the polarons, which is very exciting, while the HAXPES confirmed the energies. The combination meant that we could use the calculations to artificially zoom in with the model.
I consider our role at Binghamton as keeping the calculations honest. It was nice to see all the approaches converge in this study.
Ultimately, Horrocks and Banerjee agree that building a better battery boils down to figuring out a better way to move electrons a feat in which size matters and everything points to material.
Overcoming adaptive resistance in cancer with a 2-in-1 nanoparticle approach
(Nanowerk Spotlight) Currently in the clinic and in clinical development, there is heavy emphasis placed on understanding how drugs can be 'complementary'. That is to say, what combination of drugs will be most effective in killing tumor cells and overcome potential resistance mechanisms.
In fact, adding synergistic combinations of drugs is reshaping how cancer is treated, even in the context of immunotherapy.
A new study just published in ACS Nano ("Rationally Designed 2-in-1 Nanoparticles Can Overcome Adaptive Resistance in Cancer") provides critical evidence that complementary drugs must be in spatial proximity to truly exert their synergistic potential.
"This means, that in any context in which combination therapy is used, there must be a bioengineering approach for example using designer nanoparticles or some method of tethered vehicle to ensure that both drugs in the pair arrive within the same cell at the same time," Shiladitya Sengupta, an Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explains to Nanowerk. "This could very easily end the era of individual drug formulation."
Schematics of the proposed approach. (Reprinted with permission by American Chemical Society)
Adaptive resistance is a mechanism that allows tumor cells to survive the initial onslaught of chemotherapy by mounting a phenotypic response without any acquisition of a mutation in response to therapy. This is a new concept in cancer therapy that researchers are increasingly realizing is a key driver of chemotherapy failure.
One of the key findings in the team's study is that the use of 2-in-1 nanoparticles can help overcome adaptive resistance in cancer. They show how these resistant cells evolve,and that these 2-in-1 nanoparticles can prevent adaptive resistance.
The other key finding is an answer to the question why two drugs delivered from one nanoparticle is better than a combination of two nanoparticles, each carrying a single drug.
"This was an observation made in many previous studies," says Sengupta. "We show that when a combination of two nanoparticles is used, there is a stochastic distribution of the nanoparticles to the cells, i.e. while a majority of cells receives both the nanoparticles (i.e. drugs), there are some cells that get only one of the nanoparticles. This means the combination effect will not be achieved in these cells. This is overcome by a 2-in-1 nanoparticle, where every cell receives the combination therapy."
From a biological perspective, the scientists were initially interested whether a cancer cell will stochastically acquire resistance i.e. drug pressure randomly transforms sensitive cancer cells to a resistant phenotype or if the acquisition of a drug tolerant/resistant phenotype is acquired through a defined trajectory, i.e. deterministic intracellular program.
Such an understanding has never been tested before. The team used a combination of empirical data and computational biology to build a real-time view of the resistance development program, and confirmed by mathematical certainty that cancer cells are able to overcome therapy pressure by transforming their cell state by a defined program.
"It was previously thought that only small subpopulations of cells will overcome therapy pressure and survive," Sengupta points out. "Our evidence suggests that cells will acquire resistance to therapy as a consequence of the drug itself, for example PI3K driving acquired tolerance/resistance to a taxane."
He explains that in order to destroy the resistance mechanism, inhibitors of PI3K must be present within this cell before the process of resistance can be completed.
"In the context of bioengineering, we asked how this knowledge can be exploited to design next-generation nanoparticles," Sengupta notes. "It is not easy to achieve drug loading of 2 drugs in a nanoparticle, We used computational design to engineer these nanoparticles."
As a proof of concept study, the team describes two test cases in which a pair of drugs spatially and temporally controlled exert synergistic potential in the context of drug resistance, primarily in triple negative breast cancer.
It should be noted that cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and the phenotypic and genomic landscape within and between tumors is extraordinarily complex.
Resistance mechanisms are not singular, they are generally as diverse as the tumor itself. Researchers still need to unravel the evolutionary mechanisms that enable cancer cells to resist treatment in the context of heterogeneity and the stromal microenvironment.
The team's subsequent studies will be focused on developing appropriate pairs of drugs, designed within single nanoscale technologies, to personalize medicine in the case of unique tumor landscapes.
For example, gamma-secretase inhibitors have been shown to upregulate mTOR, which highlights the combined use of g-secretase inhibitors and mTOR inhibitors as complementary drug pairs in pediatric leukemia.
The scientists are addressing how such complementary pairs can be harnessed to overcome resistance mechanisms in different tumor types.
"We believe that our findings solve an unrecognized problem in the treatment of cancer," Sengupta concludes. "That is, complementary drug pairs must be formulated into single vehicles so that resistance cannot develop. There are currently more than 250 clinical trials that study combinations of drugs. Many of these trials could benefit with greater efficacy if the drug pairs were tied together using such an approach that we have presented in our study; i.e. 2-in-1 supramolecular nanomedicines. Such an advance in our treatment of cancer could profoundly affect the rates of relapse and mortality."
There is a clear role for immune cells, tumor associated macrophages, fibroblasts and endothelial cells in the mechanisms that allow cancer cells to evade therapy pressure. Scientists have only begun their travel on a long road to build a bridge between their understanding of the biology of cancer and drug resistance on one hand and emerging bioengineering approaches on the other.
SHARE The FGCU students present the new cage to the Calusa Nature Center on June 15. Kelli Krebs/Staff FGCU student Christian Phillips applies primer before painting the new cage. Kelli Krebs/Staff FGCU student Lucas Vaz holds back the chicken wire for while Christian Phillips paints the new cage. Kelli Krebs/Staff The FGCU students present the new cage to the Calusa Nature Center on June 15. Kelli Krebs/Staff
By Kelli Krebs, Staff
When the Calusa Nature Center undergoes the construction of its new aviary this summer, a contribution from five Florida Gulf Coast University students will make all the difference.
After seeing the somewhat dilapidated bird cage at the entrance of the Nature Center where their summer University Colloquium course was being held, classmates Kellen Barrow, 23, Lucas Vaz, 22, Christian Phillips, 21, Jordan Driggers, 21, and Matthew Gergen, 21, decided to build and donate a newer, bigger cage.
FGCU Colloquium, an environmental educational course required for all students to graduate, focuses on sustainability and the various local ecosystems in the Southwest Florida area with the goal of developing "an ecological perspective." In-class portions of the course this summer were held for the first time at the Calusa Nature Center.
The Calusa Nature Center, located off Ortiz Avenue in Fort Myers, acts as both a nonprofit educational nature center and a sanctuary for injured wildlife. The center's 105 acres includes a museum, three nature trails, a planetarium, butterfly and bird aviaries and the homes of over 50 species of birds, mammals and reptiles.
"We wanted to figure out a way to help the Nature Center," said Driggers, who along with Gergen and Phillips, is also an Estero High School graduate. "We especially wanted to since it's the first time FGCU has had a class here."
The five students used recycled wood, harvested from 1920s wood pine and donated from Driggers' family carpentry company, CTC Frame & Finish Carpentry Inc., affirmed the ever-present theme of sustainability. Other materials were also either donated or purchased by the students.
"The students did a great job on it," Calusa Nature Center board chairman, Bill Hammond, said.
"People don't understand how valuable these kind of projects are to us. Projects like this really make a difference."
The Calusa Nature Center took a hit in the economic downturn, leaving the center with only four paid staffers, no director, scarce funding and a long list of responsibilities. The 46-year old private nonprofit was recently ordered to repair or rebuild its aging aviary or risk losing its birds. For the Nature Center, every contribution counts, and every resource is used, recycled, and reused again.
The students' project will aid in the nonprofit's climb back to being one of Southwest Florida's favorite inland attractions.
Standing at four and a half feet tall, three and a half feet wide and five feet long, the students' cage will be the most useful during the Nature Center's reconstruction of its aviary. The new, portable cage will be used as a "temporary" home for some of the center's smaller birds, like hawks, when construction begins in July.
Once the aviary is completed, the new cage will replace the smaller, older bird cage that sits at the entrance of the boardwalk leading up to the museum.
"They expressed a need for something to house bigger animals that get dropped off," Phillips said, "so we aimed to make something a little bigger than the original."
The portability of the cage will add more convenience to Nature Center's animal caregivers, allowing them to move the cage whenever needed.
"That'll be a big advantage for us because we have to constantly change stuff and build new things," Hammond said. "It's portable enough that we can move it when we need to."
In its new location, the cage's new assignment will be to temporarily house new animals before a permanent home is built for them.
The center is home to animals, reptiles and birds that are unable to return to the wild due to injury or other miscellaneous reasons; animals like the red-shouldered hawk which suffers from neurological issues that cause the bird to lose its balance, or Gandalf, a great-horned owl that came to the center with a broken wing and skin infection.
"It's our responsibility to give these animals the best quality of life that we possibly can," Hammond said. "They're basically ambassadors for their species. When people can get close to a bald eagle or a red-tailed hawk, it's a totally different experience."
IF YOU GO
The Calusa Nature Center
3450 Ortiz Avenue, Fort Myers (At the intersection of Colonial Blvd. and Six Mile Cypress)
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
COST: Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 children (3-12). Admission is free for children age 2 and younger.
Information: 239-275-3435 or visit calusanature.org
By Lisa Conley
The Fourth of July is a time for food, fireworks and fun. Here's everything Marco Island residents and visitors need to know to have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.
Firework rules and regulations
Any fireworks that are launched in the air or explode are illegal in the state of Florida unless the consumer has a special permit. Examples of illegal fireworks include firecrackers, Roman candles and bottle rockets.
The state of Florida classifies the possession or use of illegal fireworks as a misdemeanor, and offenders could pay a fine of up to $1,000 or serve up to one year in jail.
Statistics show that the illegal use of fireworks commonly causes bodily injuries and fires to structures, according to the Marco Island Police Department (MIPD) website. They can also cause brush fires and disruptions to wildlife, such as nesting birds.
Sparklers, fountains, snakes and glow worms are permitted. For more information about firework regulations, call MIPD at 239-389-5050.
Beach access
Access to Residents' Beach is restricted to members only. Permanent Marco Island residents or visitors who rent for at least one month are eligible for membership. Visit the Marco Island Civic Association's (MICA) website for more details: marcocivic.com.
South Beach is open to the public, but the first parking lot is reserved for MICA members. Non-MICA members can park in the second parking lot and walk across Collier Boulevard to access the beach. Tigertail Beach is also open to the public. Parking is available .5 miles from the beach; the cost to park is $8 per day for non-Collier County residents.
There are two pedestrian public beach accesses: one between Seafarer Condominium (300 S. Collier Blvd.) and the Madeira Resort (310 S. Collier Blvd.) and one between the Hilton Marco Island (560 S. Collier) and Marriot's Crystal Shores (600 S. Collier.) Beachgoers can park in "Turtle Lot" at 721 S. Collier walk to the pedestrian access from there; the cost to park is $9 per day.
Events
The Sailing Association of Marco Island (SAMI) is hosting a boat parade. Participants in the parade will meet at 11 a.m. in Factory Bay and follow the Lady M on the parade route.
MICA is hosting its annual Uncle Sam's Sand Jam from noon to 9:30 p.m. at Residents' Beach. The event will feature music, contests and more. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. The event is restricted to members of Residents' Beach and their guests.
The city will launch its fireworks display from a barge in the water halfway between Residents' Beach and the Marriott. The display will begin at dark (approximately 9 p.m.).
Marco Island Academy students explore the Otter Mounds on Marco Island as part of the Ambassadors of the Environment program. The program is a week-long camp designed to teach students about the world around them. Tish Champagne/Special to the Eagle
SHARE Marco Island Academy students camp out at the school as part of the Ambassadors of the Environment program. The students spent the night cooking s'mores, discussing what they learned that day and telling ghost stories. Tish Champagne/Special to the Eagle Marco Island Academy students visit Shark Valley in the Everglades as part of the Ambassadors of the Environment program. This is the third summer Marco Island Academy has offered the program. Tish Champagne/Special to the Eagle
By Lisa Conley
Kayaking through the mangroves, exploring Big Cypress National Preserve and studying dolphins in their natural habitat: those are just a few of the things that Marco Island Academy students experienced last week during the Ambassadors of the Environment (AOTE) summer program.
The AOTE program is part of Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society, an organization dedicated to exploring the ocean and educating people about its wonders. AOTE programs are located across the globe from California to the Turks and Caicos but the program on Marco marks the first time that Ocean Futures has collaborated with a charter school.
Jane Watt, founder of Marco Island Academy and chair of its board of directors, said bringing AOTE to Marco Island was a three-year process. The program is now in its third year, Watt said, and she plans to continue it.
"Every year we review the activities we've done and make adjustments," Watt said. "We're constantly trying to improve the program and make it an even better experience for the campers."
Richard Murphy, Ph.D. director of science and education for the Ocean Futures Society helped facilitate the program. He said his goal is to teach students about Florida's different ecosystems and how they interact with each other.
"This program is designed to help students appreciate the fact that everything is connected," Murphy said, "and just because we can't eat or sell something, doesn't mean it has no value."
Murphy said the program is also aimed at helping students learn how humans fit into the equation and the steps they can take to improve their relationship with nature.
"We want our students to understand and appreciate the environment," Murphy said, "so one of the questions we ask them to think about is, 'What lessons are there from nature that will help us live more sustainably?' because that's really the ultimate goal."
Murphy has been involved with the Marco Island Academy AOTE program since it began, but this will be his last year as the school makes plans to run the program internally next summer.
"When we first started we didn't have the money to hire a full-time environmental teacher who could handle leading this sort of program," Watt said, "but now we have the ability to run the program on our own starting next year."
Marco Island Academy science teacher Jerry Miller will be in charge of the program next summer, and said he's looking forward to working with the students and furthering their education outside of the classroom.
"Seeing the kids get excited about science and hearing them talk among themselves about how much fun they're having is my favorite part of the program," Miller said. "I'm excited to continue helping them grow and learn to appreciate the environment."
This year there were 15 students enrolled in the AOTE program; most were from Marco Island Academy, but a few were from different states and two were from different countries, Watt said. The program is open to any student who wants to learn more about the environment and possibly have new experiences.
"A lot of the activities that we do are things the students have never done before," Watt said, "so it makes this program very special and unique."
Seeing dolphins up close was something Marco Island Academy junior Danya Zarate had never done before, and it was one of the highlights of her week.
"They were playing and flipping around and it was really cool to see," she said.
Zarate said she joined the AOTE program because the it gave her something to do during the summer, and the different activities sounded fun and interesting. And by the end of the week, she had learned the lesson that Murphy and the others were trying to teach.
"Everything in our ecosystems affects each other," she said, "including humans."
Chilean sea bass at The Dock at Crayton Cove in Old Naples inspired Sarah E. Crain's "Bucket List for Foodies: 50 Southwest Florida dishes that should be on your bucket list."
SHARE The fried grouper sandwich from Grouper & Chips restaurant in Naples made Sarah E. Crain's 50 Southwest Florida dishes that should be on your bucket list. File Glazed fried doughnuts replace a regular bun for the doughnut burger at Brook's Gourmet Burgers & Dogs in Naples. The famous Buffalo wings at Buffalo Chips Restaurant in Bonita Springs. File The Local restaurant's roasted pork ragu with house-made potato gnocchi, ricotta and rosemary made Sarah E. Crain's "Bucket List for Foodies: 50 Southwest Florida dishes that should be on your bucket list." (Michael A. Caronchi)
By Shelby Reynolds of the Naples Daily News
Pineapple-glazed Chilean sea bass is Sarah Crain's chocolate.
"I can't get enough," she said. "I crave it."
The sea bass from The Dock at Crayton Cove in Naples which Crain says tastes "like butter" is one of 50 Southwest Florida dishes highlighted in Crain's new book, "Bucket List for Foodies." Crain, 33, a guidance counselor at a Naples High School, said she spent two-and-a-half years narrowing down her list of favorite meals from restaurants across Southwest Florida.
But it all started with the Chilean sea bass.
"I was eating this dish about four years ago," said Crain, a Fort Myers native. "I was thinking to myself, 'If people just knew about this dish, this place would never have an empty seat.' "
A self-proclaimed foodie, Crain used to pull out an ongoing list on her smartphone when someone asked, "Where should I go to get good spaghetti?" Then she started putting it on paper, and now, a book.
"Bucket List for Foodies" offers a checklist of what the restaurant offers if there are vegetarian and gluten-free options, prices, if the restaurant is kid-friendly, specials and type of environment, casual or upscale. The pages are organized by type of dish appetizers, breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. The book features only locally owned restaurants in Naples and across Southwest Florida.
"It's a book about not necessarily where to eat, but what to eat," Crain said. "Sometimes you go and you order something that isn't their specialty. The true foodie wants to know what to eat."
At The Dock, Crain suggests ordering the rock shrimp nachos off the appetizer menu before ordering her beloved pineapple-glazed Chilean sea bass.
"Kudos to the chef because this fish is cooked perfectly and is paired with a delicious coconut Thai chili sauce," Crain writes in the book. "You cannot leave Naples without having this fish!"
Foodies don't eat to live, Crain said. They live to eat.
"It's a hobby trying out new dishes and talking about it and blogging about it," she said.
"You have to be willing to try new things, and just have a love and passion for food. You don't have to be an expert."
Being a foodie also entails asking questions. Crain often asks waiters and waitresses what they suggest on the menu. She even does it at McAlister's Deli; does the pasta salad or potato salad make a better side dish?
"I think Southwest Florida is a great place to be a foodie," she said. "It's getting better and better. I think when a city or community is growing, it's an exciting time for the food industry and for foodies because there's so much potential.
"There's always a new restaurant opening."
"Bucket List for Foodies," a 100-plus-page paperback published by Mascot Books, can be purchased online for $16.95 on Amazon.com and the Barnes & Noble website. Books can also be purchased at a book signing from noon to 2 p.m. July 3 at the Rodes Fresh and Fancy farmer's market in Bonita Springs, where she also recommends the New England clam chowder as an appetizer.
Crain said she hopes to start a "Bucket List for Foodies" for specific cities, like Tampa or Miami. She's already compiling a second list of dishes on her smartphone.
"It's been a lot of fun, a lot of eating," she said. "I think it's going to do well."
Find Sarah Crain's blog on new Southwest Florida restaurants, local social events and the hottest hotels in the area: bucketlistforfoodies.com
Follow along and join the conversation on Facebook: facebook.com/bucketlistforfoodies
Purchase the book online: mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/cookbooks/bucket-list-for-foodies-of-southwest-florida
Nicole Raucheisen/Staff (3) Sophie Burton, 6, center, and Lucas Bermudez, 5, pet kittens in a meeting room at Humane Society Naples on Thursday.
SHARE Kennel attendant Mike Guyette walks Troy to one of the meeting rooms to be acquainted with interested guests at Humane Society Naples on June 23, 2016 in Naples, Florida. (Nicole Raucheisen/Staff) A young bulldog/terrier puppy named Fred is currently up for adoption at Humane Society Naples in Naples, Florida. (Nicole Raucheisen/Staff) Richard, 89, and Alice Fillie, 94, spend time with Troy in one of the meeting rooms at Humane Society Naples on June 23, 2016 in Naples, Florida. The Fillies recently lost their Maltese and wanted to adopt a new small dog. (Nicole Raucheisen/Staff) Animal paintings decorate the halls and rooms of Humane Society Naples in Naples, Florida. (Nicole Raucheisen/Staff) Related Photos PHOTOS: Humane Society Naples
By Shelby Reynolds of the Naples Daily News
There's that moment when families escort their new, adopted dog or cat from the humane society to their car.
"(The owner) is so happy, the dog is so happy," volunteer Bill Galas says. That moment, he said, is what makes his work worthwhile.
The Humane Society of Naples which is not associated with the Humane Society of America or receive funding from it, said director of development Lois Taylor is ranked the No. 1 shelter in Florida and No. 13 in the country by Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator. It is a four-star, no-kill shelter, adoption center, animal clinic and dog training agency.
What it takes to run a top-ranked facility
About 3,000 pounds of food each month feeds animals at the main shelter on Airport-Pulling Road near Naples airport, as well as the humane society's Coastland Center mall location, a boarding facility in North Naples and several foster homes throughout the area.
In 2014, 1,687 do gs, 1,155 cats and 59 small animals rodents like rabbits and guinea pigs were adopted in Naples.
But this time of year, the facilities are swarming with meowing, pouncing kittens. Overflowing, actually.
"They're everywhere," Taylor said. "We have them upstairs in the offices; they're everywhere."
It's "kitten season," an affectionate term for when feral cats are brought to the shelter either pregnant or with a litter of kittens. The human society rescues about 600 kittens during kitten season each year, and accepts on average at least 25 cats a week.
Nina Landen, 66, has fostered cats at her Naples home for the past two years.
"There's a huge need for fosters," she said. "There's a wealth of adoptable, wonderful kittens right now."
Volunteer Andrea Feinberg, 52, recalls a time when staff needed help bottle-feeding kittens, so they called down to reception for volunteers. "I thought, 'I don't know if I can do this, I'm nervous,'" she recalled. "That was the coolest thing. ... It was so rewarding."
Cats are now buy one, get one free at the humane society. The shelter normally charges $55 for a cat and $75 for a kitten.
The 600 volunteers walk dogs, spend time with cats, and help with visitors, marketing projects, laundry and cleaning; the facility prides itself on its cleanliness.
"We're all trying to get the right match for the right dog," Galas said. "I think I play a very small part, if any. It's an overall effort. But it does make me very proud."
Humane Society Naples By the Numbers
$320,000: Cost to operate the organization on average each month
3,000: Pounds of food consumed on average each month
3,200: Number of animals adopted on average each year
600: Number of volunteers it takes to run the shelter
52: Number of staff
8: Number of events hosted by the Human Society Naples each year
1,100: Number of animals transferred/rescued from Collier County Domestic Animal Services each year
4,000: Number of pets spayed/neutered each year
1,200: Number of animals that go through foster care programs each year
52,000: Number of volunteer hours given each year
$55: Cost to adopt a cat
$75: Cost to adopt a kitten
$75: Cost to adopt a dog
$150: Cost to adopt a puppy
$0: Tax dollars used to operate the shelter and perform services
Collier County Seal
By Eric Staats of the Naples Daily News
On the same day they approved what one advocate called an "appalling" plan to build affordable housing, Collier County commissioners revived a big bucks plan on Tuesday to make its road medians prettier.
Collier taxpayers face a $148 million landscape median tab over the next 20 years under the newly revived program that laid dormant since commissioners deemed it too expensive during the recession. The plan would add 51 miles of new landscaped medians to 100 miles of road medians that backers say impresses tourists and improves property values.
The estimated $4 million annual tab to design, install and maintain just the newly landscaped medians came in the same meeting commissioners agreed to spend $1 million next year of U.S. Housing and Urban Development money on affordable housing in fiscal 2016-17. The $1 million is about 25 percent of the total pot of HUD money, which also would be spent on sidewalks, streetlights and social services.
"This is appalling to me," Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Lisa Lefkow said after Tuesday's meeting. "You couple that with the whole landscape conversation and we're really talking out of both sides of our mouths."
The HUD money would help pay for 46 owner-occupied homes and 22 rental homes in Immokalee. She said that without more affordable housing, the county is making it harder for grocery baggers, nurses and firefighters to live in Collier and risk lowering the area's overall quality of life.
"Then we have not done ourselves any service (with landscaped medians)," Lefkow said.
Still, almost 20 people showed up for Tuesday's meeting to support the new landscaping plan, which would increase property taxes in the unincorporated area by about $9 for every $100,000 of taxable property value.
Roads topping the county's list are Collier Boulevard from Fiddler's Creek to Mainsail Drive, Immokalee Road from Collier to Wilson, Collier Boulevard from U.S. 41 East to Marino Circle, and Santa Barbara Boulevard from Davis to the I-75 overpass.
"We want East Naples to look like the rest of the community that is so beautiful," said Bill Connors, who lives in Forest Glen Golf and Country Club.
Commission Chairwoman Donna Fiala, whose district includes East Naples, sent an email last week to rally landscaping backers but cast the sole dissenting vote Tuesday, saying she feared the county was going cheap on ugly medians and wanted to move ahead more quickly.
"I don't want to hold this program up," she said.
Commissioner Tim Nance sought to put the brakes on designing the new medians to incorporate more eco-friendly planting options that need less water, pesticides and fertilizers than can foul downstream waterbodies.
"If Naples Bay turns green, it's on us," Nance said. "We can do better, and I'm hopeful we will."
Nance, whose district includes Immokalee, acknowledged the expensive tab to landscape medians, saying that's the reason he wants "to be sure we're doing the right thing" with the landscape design. He said he "can go along with" the landscaping plan although he doesn't consider it a high priority.
"I don't think Collier County can spend its way out of the housing crisis," Nance said after the meeting. "We've got to do a lot bigger thinking than that."
He said, for example, that he supports writing developer incentives such as bonus densities into an ongoing revamping of the county's rural growth plans.
Commissioner Penny Taylor said nothing commissioners did Tuesday is set in stone and said "we're going to have to do some re-prioritizing" once a county consultant issues an affordable housing needs report this fall.
"We've got a little time to look at some things," Taylor said. "I'm still troubled. I'm troubled by priorities."
In other business Tuesday, commissioners voted to recommend approval of nearly $80,000 in local business incentives to lure an unidentified company's corporate headquarters and 57 jobs to Collier County. The identity of the business, known by the code name Project Ice, is kept secret until the final vote to spend the money.
SHARE Lee County Sheriff's Office
By Ben Brasch, The News-Press
UPDATE: Richard Sozzi has been located and is safe.
---
An 80-year-old man with dementia is missing, and Lee County sheriff's deputies have activated a statewide Silver Alert to find him.
Richard Sozzi was last seen at his home in the 500 block of Greenwood Avenue at 9 a.m. Monday.
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Sozzi also has back problems, so is not able to walk long distances.
Deputies described him as a white man about 5 feet, 11 inches feet tall and of average weight with hazel eyes and brown hair that is balding. He was wearing a blue and white polo shirt with tan shorts when he went missing. He could be driving his 2008 dark gray with a Florida license plate number of J15-ORV.
Deputies said he frequents Joes Cafe at 43 Homestead Road in Lehigh.
Sozzi is one of the two active Silver Alerts in the state, as of 10:15 p.m. Monday.
If you have seen Sozzi or know his whereabouts, please call the Lee County Sheriffs Office at 239-477-1000.
SHARE
Ira Cotton, Naples
Hunting for truth
I continue to note false statements in Naples Daily News editorials and letters about hunting and guns, written either from ignorance or with intent to deceive.
One day, there were four separate instances.
Regarding another bear hunt, the Daily News editorializes that "we've objected to holding hunts deep in the woods of bears that aren't interacting with neighborhoods. That doesn't directly address bear-human conflicts."
Your writers refuse to understand that when animal populations outgrow available habitat, some are forced out of preferred habit into neighborhoods. Harvesting bears in deep woods absolutely addresses bear-human conflicts by reducing the crowding in the woods that pushes weaker bears out.
The same false idea is the basis of Kate MacFall's guest commentary. I challenge her to identify the unnamed "knowledgeable scientists" who object to another hunt and the "wildlife officials" who she says agree with them. Perhaps they are all members of her organization. Also, her proposal to designate state and federal lands as "bear sanctuaries" sounds like an underhanded way to ban bear hunting on public land.
On the issue of gun ownership, a letter writer asks: "Why should any citizen need or be allowed to have an automatic assault weapon?" The answer is that they don't, and can't own automatic weapons under existing law.
Another letter writer also misunderstands the difference between semi-automatic and automatic weapons. Only the military has automatic assault weapons; civilian versions are just handguns fitted with fancy stocks and attachments to resemble military weapons.
There are inconvenient truths that progressives refuse to accept, which are that animal herds need to be managed through hunting and that psychopaths and religious extremists will find ways to kill innocents by any means possible.
SHARE
E.L. "Bud" Ruff, Naples
Republicans' letters
When I started writing letters seven years ago to this newspaper, approximately four out of five letters were by Republicans. Even then, all were hateful and demeaning to President Obama and Democrats, so nothing has changed.
Two of those writers are Gerald Fischer and Robert Strohaver. Obviously they watch only Fox News. Seldom are they right, as they never tell the full story. There are always two sides.
Recent examples: Strohaver's letter published in late May "Roots and goals." He stated that ACLU founder Roger Baldwin said in 1935 ... communism is our goal. He failed to tell us that Baldwin soon became disillusioned with Soviet-style communism, calling it a "new slavery." In 1940, Baldwin led a campaign to purge the ACLU of any suspected communist member. Baldwin also co-founded the International League of Human Rights. President Carter awarded Baldwin the "Medal of Freedom" in 1981.
I do not claim to know the answers on Common Core education. But I do know it emerged from the "no-child-left-behind" program, pushed by the George W. Bush administration. As for Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, there is not one shred of evidence that she or her family is Muslim or communist.
They are African-American U.S. citizens. Republicans just love phony conspiracies. The only communists in this country are here on vacation.
Strohaver called Obama a dictator. If any president could be called a dictator, it would be Bush, as he started two wars, one based on false information.
But of course presidential dictators can only serve eight years in the U.S. That is the law of the land in America.
SHARE
Lisa Freund, Naples
Why Lucarelli
Louise Penta, a candidate for Collier County School Board, posted a website article where she urged the district to eliminate Common Core and implement a "classical system of education."
As a career teacher and published textbook author, I find her comments disturbing and just plain wrong.
First, she describes classical education as, "the 3 R's reading, writing, and 'rithmetic that was taught with the use of true facts."
What Penta really means is, "We deny modern scientific facts of climate change and evolution and don't want them taught in our public schools."
Penta also claims that, "... good literature has been eliminated from our public schools." As a recently retired high school teacher, I know this is false. Is she claiming that "The Odyssey," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Kite Runner" and similar books aren't good literature?
Translation: We should have the right to censor books we find objectionable, based on our values (the only correct ones).
Penta also says a classical education teaches children, "... the history of our great nation exactly as it occurred." What? In the "good 'ol' days" history books omitted contributions of women, as well as African-Americans and other minorities. Was this history "exactly as it occurred?"
Translation: Accurate history books only acknowledge contributions of white male Americans.
Finally, Penta claims that with classical education, "... students understood scripture, science, history " Scripture?
Translation: We should go back to a time when Christianity was the only religion worth discussing in our public schools. And maybe it should be part of the curriculum ...
Two out of the five School Board members are ideologically allied with Penta. One more would give them the majority.
Join me Aug. 30 and vote for Stephanie Lucarelli for School Board.
SHARE
Harriet L. Lancaster, Naples
Your vote matters
With four grandsons going to schools in Maryland, some of my neighbors don't understand why I am so concerned about the Collier County School Board election.
As a Naples resident and an active volunteer in the community, I am concerned about the well-being of all our residents from the very new to the very old.
Education is key to the vitality of the community. For many generations, public education has prepared our youth for the work world and socialized them with positive American values.
I was a Peace Corps director in West Africa. All my volunteers, including those who felt they were coming home to Mother Africa, soon realized how American they were. Gradually, they all learned to use their values and cultural moorings, as well as their knowledge and skills, in their development work.
Our public school boards should model a collaborative working relationship for our youth, and they should be broadly representative of the districts they serve.
To achieve these goals, I strongly support Erick Carter and Stephanie Lucarelli. Both candidates have children enrolled in traditional public schools, and have well-established business and personal ties to Collier County.
These are the candidates I urge other grandparents to support and vote into office. I have met them both and find them knowledgeable, measured and committed to outstanding educational outcomes for our school system. We all need to be concerned about this election and to vote as they are all our children.
Your vote matters. You may request a vote-by-mail ballot at www.colliervotes.com or vote in person on Aug. 30.
Naples Yacht Club members are pleased to assist 42 deserving and qualified students pursue higher education through college or vocational training. This year, the Clubs Blue Gavel Scholarship Fund distributed $63,000 among the students who represented nine area high schools.
"The pursuit of education is almost universally accepted as one of the highest priorities needed throughout the world. With the support of our members, we are proud to continue to support the educational aspirations of our community," said Past Commodore Robert Cornog, President of the Blue Gavel Scholarship Fund.
The Naples Yacht Club Blue Gavel Scholarship Fund was established in 1997 and a short while later became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Fund has chosen to concentrate on educational scholarships for Club employees and their children, awarding additional scholarships through Collier County high schools and Florida Gulf Coast University. Since 2000, the Blue Gavel Scholarship Fund has awarded well over 550 scholarships, totaling more than $600,000. Scholarships are reviewed by a committee of Past Commodores twice per year.
For more information, visit www.naplesyc.org.
The Naples Yacht Club was founded in 1947 and holds the distinction as Naples' first private club, opening its doors two years before Naples officially became a city. While the club was built as a gathering place for people who are interested in yachting and seamanship, the club has evolved to include social programs, a speaker series and the Blue Gavel Scholarship Fund that in recent years has provided 500 college scholarships totaling well over half a million dollars to deserving southwest Florida students. Recognized as a Distinguished Emerald Club Award Recipient and elected a Platinum Club of America, the Naples Yacht Club is also a founding member of the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs (FCYC) and is a top ranked yacht club in the state of Florida. For more information, visit www.naplesyc.org.
SHARE Wolfgang Puck (Submitted) FILE -- Wolfgang Puck arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP)
By Harriet Howard Heithaus of the Naples Daily News
Wolfgang Puck, a chef known for his love of charitable causes as well as his wizardry with food, will be the chef de cuisine at the 2017 Naples Winter Wine Festival.
"He's not only very famous, he's a very great chef and he's a very generous human being," said Jeff Gargiulo, co-chair for the upcoming Jan. 27-29 festival. Puck has served as a vintner dinner chef at the 2007 and 2012 festivals and has donated private dinners to be auctioned off at the festivals as well.
The Naples Winter Wine Festival founded in 2001, has raised more than $146 million for its foundation, which supports organizations and initiatives to help children in need.
Puck's title at the festival is an honor the festival bestows annually on a chef who has been involved with and shown support to the festival through the years. He will be among the celebrity chefs who create one of its Friday vintner dinners, working with vineyard owners to create pairings of food and wine.
Puck is a household name even among food lovers who have never eaten at his flagship restaurant, Spago, or any other of his companies' 20-plus fine and casual dining spots. They may have seen him on his eponymous Food Network show, as a guest judge on "Master Chef" or tantalizing the stars of "American Idol" with unusual bites. They may have picked up a Chinois chicken salad or sandwich at his Express stands in airports such as Atlanta, Chicago and Cincinnati. Or perhaps they have his iPhone app that offers cooking tips and menu inspirations.
What most people may not know about Puck is that he is the only two-time winner of the James Beard Foundation "Outstanding Chef of the Year" award. He is in the Culinary Hall of Fame and appears on every list of top 10 chefs in the U.S.
RELATED: Get coverage of past Naples Winter Wine Festivals at naplesnews.com/winefestival
Puck has set rules for sustainable dining, local sourcing and animal treatment in the foods that appear on his menus. Wolfgang Puck Companies also support a number of charities that include Meals on Wheels, Los Angeles; several cancer institutes and hospitals in California, Nevada and Ohio; and the Alzheimer's Foundation Cleveland Clinic center to be built in Las Vegas.
In the news release announcing Puck's appearance, Gargiulo called Puck "without a doubt one of the greatest chefs of our time, so his presence will be a highlight of this year's Naples Winter Wine Festival. Most importantly, his participation in the Festival shows how much he cares about making a real difference for underprivileged children."
Gargiulo said he met Puck at another charitable event. But he and his wife, Valerie, also love his food and his dedication, he added.
"He's an amazing chef. His is one of those restaurants you go into and want to have everything on the menu," he said. "When we go to his restaurant, Spago, he's almost always there and comes out to say hi.
"He's got a large organization with many different things, but he's really hands-on."
Information on the 2017 Naples Winter Wine Festival events and tickets is available on its website, napleswinefestival.com, or by phone at 239-514-2239.
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.
Clonmel Show committee had been planning something special for the 150th anniversary of the event - and they didnt disappoint.
Clonmel Show committee had been planning something special for the 150th anniversary of the event - and they didnt disappoint.
Heavy showers in the morning and again in the afternoon may have threatened to put a damper on proceedings but the show has survived bigger challenges than that in the past century and a half and a little rain was never going to impact on one of the top agricultural shows in the country.
That was the imprimatur from Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney on a visit to the event and it was a view shared by the thousands who attended at the superb surroundings of Powerstown Park.
People were determined to mark the occasion in style and turned out in droves - the carpark was full to overflowing by early afternoon and the by-pass became gridlocked - not great news for motorists but testimony to the appeal of the show.
Clonmel Show is not only one of the best shows in the country but also one of the oldest and the skills honed over generations in producing a top class spectacle were to the fore again on Sunday.
As chairman Tom Acheson said at a recent civic reception to honour the show, its all part of a jigsaw and when it all comes together the result is an outstanding success.
And thats what it was again on Sunday.
Its appeal is wide and varied, attracting towns people for one of their most popular days out, and the rural community for a showcase of whats best in Irish farming life.
And they come from far and wide, from counties all over Munster and farther afield, because for exhibitors to return with a rosette from Clonmel Show is a significant achievement.
Only the best are entered and only the very best win. The quality of livestock on show, particularly cattle and sheep, would rival that at any event in the country.
Meanwhile at the other end of the Powerstown Park venue, some of the finest horses in the country compete for honours, either as show horses or in show jumping.
But there was so much more on offer for visitors of all ages and all interests - a Punch and Judy Show, dog show, obstacle course for dogs of all sizes and an airplane doing the loops.
There was the donkey derby, one of the highlights of the show, and said to be the only one in the world using staring stalls - not that all the donkeys wanted to start!
There was Killenaule versus Loughmore - but not in hurling this time, but tug-o-war, as two of the teams competing for honours.
In the cattle, sheep and horse enclosures you had to be careful where you walked at all times as nature called for the animals, but the show also left one carbon footprint that the environmentalists might not be too pleased with - the black smoke from the vehicles in the tractor pulling event.
This popular event involves specially modified tractors, with the drivers wearing crash helmets, pulling a heavy load, and the smoke gushing as the revs increase.
Other attractions included the craft exhibits, including the mouth-watering cakes and scones - and a cake in the shape of a horses head, a popular food fair, and a fashion show.
Vistors had to guess the weight of a bullock in a pen with proceeds going to charity. However the animal didnt take kindly to all the attention and became a little frisky and extra barriers were needed to keep him enclosed. It was all part of the excitement.
When it comes to Clonmel Show, all human life - and animal life - is there.
Visiting the European Council on Tuesday (28 June 2016), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between NATO and the European Union. He highlighted that a strong European Union is important for NATO and welcomed the European Global Strategy.
Addressing the UKs vote on membership in the European Union, the Secretary General noted that it will take time for all the consequences to be clear and that it is for the UK and the European Union to find the way forward. He also reiterated that the UKs position within NATO remains unchanged. The UK is a strong and committed Ally, responsible for almost one quarter of defence spending among European NATO Allies, he said.
Mr. Stoltenberg underlined that cooperation between NATO and the EU is as important as ever. He outlined areas where cooperation can be enhanced, including in maritime security and countering hybrid warfare. The Secretary General also noted that preparations for NATOs Warsaw Summit are on track. The Warsaw Summit will be important for the whole of Europe because we will make decisions on deterrence and defence, on projecting stability to our neighborhood, and on how we can enhance and further strengthen cooperation with the EU, he said. He added that todays meeting of the European Council and the Warsaw Summit next week are two important platforms and opportunities to strengthen cooperation and demonstrate unity between NATO and the EU.
Stefanyszyn's death could have been prevented
'He breached his duty of care'
(NaturalNews) Colleen Stefanyszyn, of the Newcastle suburb Merewether, Australia, vomited fecal matter for several days and eventually died, after a botched hysterectomy operation obstructed her bowel.The 61-year-old mother of two underwent an elective vaginal hysterectomy surgery , performed by Dr. Oliver Brown at Newcastle Private Hospital, in December 2008. Mrs. Stefanyszyn died just four days later, after a loop of suture material that was left wrapped around her bowel caused a blockage.NSW Supreme Court Justice Monika Schmidt ruled that Mrs. Stefanyszyn's death was the result of negligence by both her gynecologist and obstetrician Dr. Oliver Brown, and the hospital. She concluded that Mrs. Stefanyszyn's death could have been prevented if they had been more careful.The court heard that Dr. Brown's approach to Mrs. Stefanyszyn's subsequent care was baffling, given the severe nature of her symptoms and rapidly deteriorating condition, which included the vomiting of fecal matter for several days."Despite Mrs Stefanyszyn not recovering from the surgery as was expected and her deteriorating condition, the cause of her symptoms was not investigated, the blockage was not identified and surgical steps necessary to remove it were not taken, with her death the result," Justice Schmidt found."The result was that the blockage was not identified or addressed; infection set in; she repeatedly vomited faecal material; she inhaled some of that material with resulting pneumonia; her electrolytic balance became disordered; her oxygen levels deteriorated; and finally, she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest."A medical expert who reviewed the case said during an NSW Supreme Court hearing that the patient showed "unequivocal evidence of either a bowel obstruction or an ileus [intestinal obstruction]." He further noted that fecal vomiting was "the worst red flag that a surgeon would see."Nonetheless, no further actions were taken by the doctor or the medical staff of the hospital . Justice Schmidt was highly critical of the neglect that lead to Mrs. Stefanyszyn's death.The hospital's negligence "did not give rise to a mere possibility of injury, but actually materially contributed to the death which resulted from both its failures and those of Dr Brown," Justice Schmidt found.The hospital decided not to call evidence to address the issues of its breaches, and admitted responsibility for only 5 percent of the negligence, while Dr. Brown took responsibility for two-thirds of the negligence.Dr. Brown challenged the hospital's admission in a cross-claim, and the NSW Supreme Court ruled that the hospital's level of responsibility was 20 percent, rather than the submitted 5 percent.Mrs. Stefanyszyn's husband, Walter, and two daughters Leigh and Megan, have settled their claim for compensation against the hospital and Dr. Brown.However, no compensation can fill the emptiness Mrs. Stefanyszyn's death has left.In a notice in theon the second anniversary of his wife's death, Mr. Stefanyszyn wrote: "I have lost my soul's companion, a life linked with my own. Day by day I miss you more, as I walk through life alone. Forever Wal."Her daughters wrote: "What is home without a mother? All things this world may send, but when we lost our darling mother, we lost our dearest friend. Love Leigh and Megan."
'If you love your children you will discipline them'
Spanking one of several options for many parents
(NaturalNews) Has our society reached a point where spanking a child is no longer acceptable or, in some cases even legal? Maybe, considering what happened to a mother near Baton Rouge, La., though clearly not all Americans agree that spanking, in moderation, should be off limits As reported by CBS Los Angeles, a woman who spanked her kids after she says she caught them stealing, was subsequently arrested, and that has touched off a firestorm of protest and discussion over what constitutes simple spanking, and what amounts to child abuse, as well as what rights a parent has in choosing that form of discipline.The local network affiliate reported that the woman, a mother of six, found three of her kids all boys, aged between 10 and 13 had broken into a neighbor's house and were burglarizing it. When she found them she took a belt to them, but was later arrested and had all of her kids taken away from her The mother, Schaquana Evita Spears, in a tearful interview with a local TV station, quickly justified her actions."Everything I do is for my kids, and because I didn't want them to commit another crime," she said, adding that she could not "live" without them.Spears also said that her kids' father was currently serving time in prison, and that she most certainly did not want any of them to wind up in jail as he had.She also appears to be a good role model for them: She says they watch every day as she leaves the house to go to work as a chef. She has all of them enrolled in a magnet school, and they are on the honor roll.Spears pointed out that she believes the boys who stole weren't ringleaders, but "were just followers."The LA CBS affiliate reported that the spankings, arrest and having her kids taken from her by authorities has created a firestorm of people on social media and elsewhere, with people divided over what has allegedly taken place. But in Baton Rouge anyway, support for Spears is building, the affiliate reported."I think every parent has the right to decide how to discipline their kids I myself have spanked my daughter," said one Inland Empire mother.Spears has admitted that her punishment was severe, but noted on Facebook that "they took my kids from me."Many people with whom CBS Los Angeles spoke believe that she did the right thing."If it's something that's dangerous for them which burglarizing the neighborhood is very dangerous for them then yeah," said one woman."I don't think she should have been put in jail," said another.Police said that the kids had cuts and bruises, and the district attorney is examining the case. "If they were hit extremities, legs, arms, or in the face, or anything like that, then that would be going too far," said one man.However, said another, "If you love your children, you will discipline them."Parenting today is difficult, no question about it, but generally speaking, if you took a survey of adults aged 4575, the majority of them would tell you that kids today get away with entirely too much.From the whiny, clingy kids at family events, to the shouters and tantrum-throwers in the grocery store, to the ones who won't take no for an answer in the toy aisle, kids today, older people who have raised children will tell you, are not disciplined nearly enough.That said, it is not to say that kids aren't disciplined but another aspect of raising kids today versus raising them 15, 20, 30 or 40 years ago, is that discipline is manifested in a very different way. Today, parents are more likely to try to reason with their kids than, say, resort to spanking them. But again, today's grandparents will tell you that spanking, done in moderation, was aeffective form of punishment when it came to teaching your children a lesson you did not want them to forget.Some parents still do spank, but clearly there is a difference between " spanking " and "beating" a child. For these parents, spanking is one of several discipline options, depending on the severity of the "offense." They should be able to choose that option without worrying about being put in jail.
Lost cognitive function might never be recovered
Cognitive decline noted in as little as 60 days
Be vigilant and seek natural alternatives
(NaturalNews) If you take certain common over-the-counter allergy and sleep medications, you could be getting a lot more than you bargained for. You might stop sneezing and get that good's night sleep you've been craving, but you might also find that your memory is not quite as good as it used to be.An antihistamine called diphenhydramine can boost a person's risk of dementia and cause irreparable harm. This drug causes drowsiness and can be found in popular sleep aids like ZZZQuil, Advil PM, and Tylenol PM.Diphenhydramine is an anticholinergic drug. Recently released research shows that older adults who take anticholinergic drugs on a regular basis performed worse on tests measuring important skills such as short-term memory, problem solving, planning and verbal reasoning. Even more disturbingly, MRI scans indicated that these people's brains had actually shrunk, while PET scans showed their brains were not as active.Moreover, people who took anticholinergic drugs also showed lower glucose metabolism levels in their brains overall and in the hippocampus in particular, which is strongly tied to memory and one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer's. Their brain volumes were smaller overall, while the cavities inside their brains were actually bigger.Psychiatrist Barbara Sommer told CBS2 New York : "Whereas it's always been thought if you stop anticholinergic drugs, all of the cognitive functions you've lost come back, now people aren't so sure. And they're worried that this may lead to or hasten the onset of dementia ."Sommer is an expert on anticholinergic drugs, and for her, the solution is clear: "I would take these medications myself only very rarely and I will try at all costs to avoid taking them for a long term." Anticholinergic drugs is a broad category that encompasses many common medications such as Benadryl, Tylenol PM, Dramamine, Dimetapp, Unisom, Demerol, and Paxil, to name just a few.Scientists are calling for additional studies to uncover the mechanisms involved in the contribution of these drugs to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's.A 2013 study out of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research revealed that strong anticholinergic drugs could lead to cognitive problems after just 60 days, while weaker anticholinergic drugs could lead to cognitive problems after 90 days. Researchers are suggesting that doctors give older patients alternatives to these medications when they are available.Another concern is that these medications are so common that people sometimes end up taking a few different types of anticholinergics at once without even realizing they are magnifying the danger and their doctors often don't realize it either as they might be getting additional prescriptions from different doctors or even self-medicating with OTC anticholinergics.This is yet another example of medications hurting people more than they help. One way that people can avoid the undesirable side effects of these medications is by seeking natural alternatives . Herbal remedies can help with many of the ailments that anticholinergics treat, and many of them do not have adverse effects.This issue has a big effect on older people, many of whom are not always up to date on the latest studies or sharp enough to manage their affairs particularly if they are taking meds that impair their cognitive function! That's why it is a good idea to look into the medications any elderly loved ones are taking to ensure they are not taking these medications in combination or individually over a long period of time. If they are, you should voice concerns about their effect on cognitive function to your loved one's doctor and ask about alternatives.
Four of the largest quakes in recorded history
'The thing that makes the river scary is all the industry we have along it'
(NaturalNews) In November 2012 thousands of National Guard soldiers and personnel from disaster preparedness agencies from Missouri and other states conducted "Operation Vigilant Guard," a large training exercise aimed at responding to a major earthquake along the New Madrid fault line.According to a press release from the Missouri National Guard public affairs office , "under the exercise scenario, citizen-soldiers and airmen will have to contend?with a number of issues including disrupted public utilities and widespread?infrastructure damage."Since then smaller exercises have taken place and additional planning and resources lined up. It's all for a very good reason.As reported by Britain'snewspaper recently, though many seismologists and geologists remain focused on underground activity in California's San Andreas fault, others are beginning to pay more attention to New Madrid.The 150-mile long New Madrid Seismic Zone near Missouri's boot heel is becoming a major concern as many believe it is way overdue for a major tremor that is likely to affect seven states Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Mississippi. The seismic zone has not seen significant quakes or tremors for more than 200 years.Thereported further:The zone has had four of the largest earthquakes in recorded history, with all of them occurring within a three-month period between December 1811 and February 1812; Missouri did not become a state until April 1821.The U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, has a map of the country with a large pink warning area over the heart of the Midwest. Each year there are hundreds of small tremors within the New Madrid zone, including a 3.5 magnitude quake in May, which many experts saw as a warning sign of bigger quakes to come. Following that activity, the USGS even raised the threat level for New Madrid for 2016,reported.Though the risk of a major tremor in New Madrid is not as well-publicized as the risk of quakes and tremors in California and along the West Coast, transportation officials recently spent $260 million to upgrade and strengthen the I-40 bridge that spans the Mississippi into Memphis, Tenn. Officials now hope that the span which towers over the river is strong enough to withstand the anticipated major quakes In addition, officials in Memphis reduced the main hospital by nine floors to limit the risk of a collapse from a major tremor, at an additional cost of $64 million.In 2009 the Mid-America Earthquake Center at the University of Illinois released a report suggesting that a quake of a magnitude of 7.0 or greater was possible within the New Madrid Seismic Zone.Amr Elnashai, the study's lead author, wrote, "All hell will break loose." Many experts have said tens of thousands of Americans could die; predictions included the loss of 715,000 buildings including 130 hospitals and 3,500 bridges, which would cripple transportation for years.The report estimated as many as 86,000 deaths with a combined loss of $300 billion in damages.James Wilkinson, the director of the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, which is located next to the Memphis international airport, said he is concerned that a major quake could release the Mississippi from a series of levees designed to prevent flooding, which would only add to the damage."The thing that, to me, makes the river scary is how much industry we have along it: there's power plants, there's chemical plants, there's ports," he told. "And the river might change course altogether."Sources:
Expected mean degree
We can approximate some important aspects of our model analytically. First, we write a simple approximation of the expected mean degree, , of a network changing according to our model at stationarity. To do that, we note that at stationarity, killing an individual at random is expected to remove connections from the network. After this individual is removed, the average degree of the network becomes: . The expected degree of the connections made by the newborn is then: . At stationarity, the links destroyed and added need to be the same on average, so we can write:
and solve for to obtain:
This approximation gives an excellent fit to simulated networks across all ranges of mean degree (Fig. 2).
Expected mean local clustering coefficient
Similar to the mean degree, we use a stationarity argument to calculate an approximation for the mean local clustering degree of a network, by equating the expected clustering coefficient (CC) of a randomly killed individual with the expected change in the clustering coefficients of all remaining individuals with the birth of the newborn plus the expected clustering of the newborn itself:
The expected clustering coefficient of an individual randomly selected to die is equal to , the mean clustering coefficient. When an individual is killed, the clustering coefficient of its connections will in principle change, but one can show that the typical connection (that is, one with degree and clustering ) will not experience a change in its clustering coefficient. This can be seen by calculating the new clustering coefficient after death,
where the first term in the numerator is the expected number of closed triangles a typical connection of the dead individual had before death, the second term the number of triangles that were removed by death, and the denominator is the number of all potential triangles after death.
The birth of a new individual changes the total of the clustering coefficients in two ways: (i) by changing the clustering coefficients of individuals connected to the newborn, and (ii) by adding the newborn with the newborns clustering coefficient. Let us calculate the first effect: the clustering coefficient of an individual with initial degree d and clustering coefficient c that becomes connected to the newborn is going to change as follows:
where the first term in the numerator of the middle part is the number of closed triangles among the focal individuals connections before getting connected to the newborn, and c t is the expected number of closed triangles among the focal individuals connections established by the newborn. The denominator is the total number of triangles after the focal individual gets connected to the newborn. To calculate c t , we need to consider the three kinds of connections of the newborns separately: its parent (with probability p b ), its parents connections (with probability p n ) and individuals not connected to its parent (with probability p r ).
For the parent, the expected number of closed triangles generated by the newborn is simply
where d p is the degree of the parent. For a parents connection, each has on average c p (d p 1) connections to other connections of the parent, which in turn have a probability of p n of getting connected to the newborn. Further, on average parents connections will have connections to non-connections of the parent (where , the expected degree of individuals after a death occurs), each of which have probability p r of getting connected to the newborn. Thus, for parents connections, we have
where is the probability a given non-connection of the parent is connected to a parents connection.
By a similar argument, one can write for non-connections of the parent:
Thus, substituting c t,p , c t,PC and c t,NPC into equation (5), we can write for the expected total change in the clustering coefficient of existing individuals with the birth of the newborn, when the parent has degree d p :
Next we need to calculate the expected clustering coefficient of the newborn, given the parents degree d p and clustering coefficient c p : E(c NB |d p ,c p ). This number is the ratio of two random variables: T c , the number of closed triangles that have the newborn as a vertex, and T t , the total number of pairs connected to the newborn, that is,
Here denotes the number of connections of the newborn to each class of individual (P for parent; PC for parent's connections; and NPC for individuals not connected to the parent). Thus, x p is distributed according to a Bernoulli distribution with probability p b ; x PC a binomial with parameters d p and p n ; and x NPC a binomial with parameters Nd p 2 and p r . The fractions in the third and fourth term in T c give the expected density of connections between a parents connection and non-connection, and among the non-connections, respectively. The expectation of the ratio of two random variables T c and T t can be approximated by their moments as follows:
Using the distributions of T c and T t , computing equation (12) is a straightforward if tedious calculation.
For the final step in our computation, we assume that the parent is chosen at random from the population, so has expected degree , and clustering coefficient . Thus, our stationarity condition can be written as:
which can be solved for analytically and substituted from equation (2) to obtain an expression for as a function of model parameters. We carried out our calculations in Mathematica 10 (Wolfram Research Inc.). As Fig. 2 shows, our approximation for the mean local clustering coefficient gives an excellent fit to simulated networks, except for low p n and very low p r .
Expected degree distribution
Finally, we characterize the expected degree distribution in our networks using a mean-field model. We denote the degree distribution by d for 0dN1. In other words, d is the probability that a randomly selected individual in the population has degree d.
Consider a focal individual that has degree d at time period t. In period t+1, the probability that this individual increases its degree by 1, , is:
The first fraction in equation (14) is the probability that the individual selected to die is not connected to the focal individual, while the second fraction is the expected probability that the newborn individual born to one of the remaining N1 individuals becomes connected to the focal individual.
The probability of a focal individuals degree d (>0) going down by 1, , is likewise given by
which is simply the probability that the individual selected to die is connected to the focal individual, multiplied by the probability that the newborn individual does not connect to the focal individual.
Next, we need the probability that a newborn is born with d connections, denoted by b d . To compute this probability, we assume p b =1 (the extension to p b <1 is trivial), so that the newborn always connects to its parent, then b d () is given by (for d1; b 0 =0 in that case):
where the inner sum is the probability that an offspring of a parent of degree l is born with degree d, and the outer sum takes the expectation over , the expected degree distribution after the death of a random individual, which for 0lN1 is given by:
reflecting the facts that the death of a random individual does not change the expected frequency of individuals that had degree d before the death, but with each death, an individual with degree d has a probability d/N of becoming degree d1.
Putting everything together, we can write the rate equation for the mean-field dynamics of the degree distribution28:
where the first term is the rate of change in the frequency of degree d caused by the replacement of individuals of degree d by death and birth, and the rest of the terms give rates of degree changes due to losing and gaining connections.
Setting equation (18) equal to 0 for all d and solving the resulting N equations, we can obtain the stationary degree distribution. We were unable to obtain closed-form solutions to the stationary distribution, but numerical solutions display excellent agreement with simulation results (see Fig. 3). It is worth noting that although the and terms are similar to models of preferential attachment with constant network size, for example ref. 28, these models assume that each new addition to the network has exactly the same degree, whereas in our model the number of links of a newborn is distributed according to equation (16). Furthermore, the degree distribution does not capture the clustering behaviour of preferential attachment models, which generate much less clustering than our model for a similar mean degree (results not shown), consistent with results in growing networks27.
Simulation process
We initialized networks as random graphs, and ran them long enough to converge to steady state, which we evaluated by the mean degree distribution of ensembles matching the expected degree distribution, mean degree and clustering values derived analytically. The time to convergence to steady state depends on the network size, p n and p r : we found as a rule of thumb that 10 times the network size (that is, 10 complete population turnovers on average) is enough for networks to come to stationarity, hence our choosing of 2,000 steps for network size of 100. The only exception is with p n close to 1 (and to a lesser extent, p r very close to 0), where we find that convergence can take significantly longer. Code for running the simulations is provided in the Supplementary Data 1.
Fitting the model using partial least squares regression
To obtain estimates of parameter values p n and p r from observed networks, we used two methods: (i) a computational approach using dimensionality reduction on the degree and local clustering distributions of simulated networks, and (ii) an analytical approach using approximations of the mean degree and local clustering coefficients. In this subsection, we describe the dimensionality reduction approach. For each empirically observed network, we ran the model with 10,000 random values of p n and p r between 0 and 1, and the network size was set to match the observed network. We then used PLS regression, using the R package pls (version 2.4-3), to obtain a regression of the network degree and clustering coefficient distributions on p n and p r . Based on the regression formula, we predicted the values of p n and p r . The values predicted by the regression were sufficient to simulate networks that were close in their degree and clustering coefficient distributions to the observed networks. The values given in Table 1 are the result of the PLS fit. They are meant to demonstrate the ability of the model to generate realistic looking networks.
Figure 3 shows that an objective procedure using PLS regression can statistically identify values of p n and p r that will generate networks similar to the observed networks.
To validate PLS regression approach, we simulated networks using known parameter values and tested the predictions of PLS regression. Specifically, we simulated 10,000 networks from our basic model over 2,000 time steps, using random p n and p r values. We then used PLS regression to fit the degrees and clustering coefficients to parameter values. We then simulated sets of 100 networks each using a given set of parameter values (p n =0.60.9, p r =0.014) and checked whether the PLS regression fit could predict those values. For example, in Supplementary Fig. 4 we plot the distribution of predicted p n and p r values compared with the real values used to simulate the networks. Supplementary Figure 5 shows the distribution of predictions for 10 different values of p n , whereas p r was fixed at 0.014.
Fitting models using analytical approximations
We also use equation (2) and (13) to estimate the parameters p n and p r (assuming p b =1) from the mean degree and clustering coefficient of a given network. In simulated networks, this method works well to estimate parameters (Supplementary Fig. 6) except for high p n and moderately high p r values, where it tends to underestimate especially the p r values, and for low p n and very low p r , where it overestimates p r . Three of the four real-life networks we apply our model to fall comfortably in the region where the method yields reasonable accurate estimates (with p r values of the order of 0.01), with only the sleepy lizard network seemingly in a region where our estimate of p r somewhat inflated. Table 1 gives the values calculated for the four species, which produce networks that are similar to observed ones (Supplementary Fig. 7) for hyenas, hyraxes and dolphins, but somewhat underpredicts clustering coefficients for the sleepy lizard network relative to the PLS method. The difference between the estimates for p r obtained from PLS and analytical approximation is consistent with the bias in the analytical estimators in simulated networks for low p n and p r .
To validate our estimation of model parameters using the analytical approximation, we generate 1,000 pairs of p n and p r values randomly drawn from a uniform distribution (on [0,0.95] for p n , [0,0.2] for p r ). For each pair, we simulate a network (with N=100) for 2,000 time steps, and use equation (2) and (13) to estimate p n and p r values from the final network at the end of the simulation. Supplementary Figure 6 plots the parameters estimated using the analytical method against the inputed ones.
Data
We compared the output of our model with observed animal social networks of four different species. For this analysis, we used data from published studies of spotted hyena (C. crocuta13), rock hyrax (P. capensis40), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops spp.41) and sleepy lizard (T. rugosa42).
The hyena social network was obtained from one of the binary networks analysed by Ilany et al.13, where details on social network construction can be found. Briefly, the network is derived from association indexes based on social proximity in a spotted hyena clan in Maasai Mara Natural Reserve, Kenya, over 1 full year (1997). The binary network was created using a threshold retaining only the upper quartile of the association index values. Similarly, the hyrax network was described by Ilany et al.40, and is based on affiliative interactions in a rock hyrax population in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Israel, during a 5-month field season (2009). The same upper quartile threshold on the association indices was used to generate a binary network. The dolphin network was published in ref. 41, and is based on spatial proximity of bottlenose dolphins observed over 12 months in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand. Preferred companionships in the dolphin network represent associations that were more likely than by chance, after comparing the observed association index to that in 20,000 permutations. The lizard social network was published by Bull et al.42, and is also based on spatial proximity, measured using GPS collars. To get a binary network, we filtered this network to retain only social bonds with association index above the 75% quartile.
The effect of varying network size
Population size might influence social structure in unknown ways. To test how changes in population size affect the resulting network, we simulated networks that grow or shrink in size. We then compared measures of the networks with those of stable networks, where the network size was kept constant. In a shrinking network model, we started the simulation with 200 individuals and ran it for the first 1,000 time steps as a constant size network (1 born and 1 dead at each time step). After 1,000 steps, we set the probability of each individual to die at any time step at 0.05, corresponding to an expected mortality of 10 individuals per time step initially. We kept the number of individuals born at each time step at 1. We kept running the simulation until population size fell to 100 individuals, and compared network characteristics to a parallel simulation where the population size started out with N=100 and held constant throughout. Similarly, in a growth model we started with 100 individuals for the first 1,000 steps, and then changed the probability of each individual to die at a given time step to 0.001 (instead of 0.01 in a stable network size). We stopped the simulation when the network size increased to 200. Again, we compared these networks with networks that started out with N=200 were kept constant throughout. We present results for a series of 15 parameter sets, where p n varied between 0.5 and 0.9 (5 values) and p r was one of 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1. For each parameter set, we ran 100 replicate pairs of shrinking (or growing) and constant size networks. Supplementary Figures 13 compare the network measures of stable with shrinking and growing networks, for the tested parameter sets.
The effect of shrinking the network size was not consistent for all parameter sets. Nevertheless, shrinking networks tended to be denser in ties and less modular than networks of constant size for low p r . In a similar manner, the effect of growing network size was not consistent for all parameter sets.
We conclude that the effect of changes in population size on network structure is unpredictable, and depends on the bonding probabilities. Future work should explore many interesting questions about the interaction of population size and social structure.
Two-sex models
In the main text, we presented the simplest model, in which the population was asexual. The basic model allows a newborn to choose any present individual as a role model to copy social associations. Here we show a version of the basic model for a sexual population. At birth, newborns are uniformly assigned a sex, and only females reproduce. Newborns copy only their mothers associations. Thus males may form social associations when they are born, and also if a newborn connects to them, but they are not being copied by any newborn in terms of social associations.
Fitting the two-sex model to data shows similar results to the basic model (Supplementary Table 1). This suggests that sexual reproduction is theoretically not a major determinant of social structure. Note that this does not mean that males and females play similar social roles in a population, but rather that if newborns tend to copy only one sex the resulting social structure is not very different.
We then tested two more models with sexual populations, in which the newborn may copy both parents with probability p n . In the first of these models, a newborn would copy any randomly chosen male and female as parents. In the second model, a newborn can be born only to connected pairs. Thus, in each iteration a pair of connected malefemale was chosen as parents. Both these models generated networks that were not clustered, and could not be fit to observed data. This suggests that in natural populations individuals follow one role model, leading to the observed high levels of clustering. Theoretically, it is easy to see that if an individual follows multiple role models that is more similar to random connectivity, deviating from the structured observed networks of natural populations.
An alternative assortativity model
We constructed an alternative model of social network dynamics, focused on preference to form social bonds with other individuals with similar traits. The purpose of this model is to test the notion that explicit assortativity is the main factor determining network structure, as suggested empirically in various species. In this alternative model, newborns still bond their mother with probability p b , but then form bonds with all others with probability proportional to the similarity of an arbitrary trait value. The trait is inherited from the mother in the same manner as in the main model. Specifically, the probability of a newborn to connect with any other individual was defined as , where x is the absolute difference in trait values of the newborn and a candidate individual. This term ensures the connection probability to be in a realistic range, resulting in networks with similar density to the mean density of the four observed networks (0.123, see main text).
Unsurprisingly, simulations of the explicit assortativity model (2,000 time steps, 100 individuals, 500 replications) resulted in networks with high assortativity (Supplementary Fig. 9). However, the resulting networks failed to reconstruct other important topological features of the observed networks, namely the global clustering coefficient and modularity (Supplementary Fig. 10). The only exception was the spotted hyena, where modularity values, but not global clustering coefficient, matched levels of the explicit assortativity model.
To conclude, a model of social structure where individuals base their social bonding almost exclusively on assortativity fails to reconstruct the topological features of observed networks in the tested species.
A generalized association preference model
A potential alternative interpretation of social inheritance is that it might arise as an epiphenomenon from genetically inherited association preferences (that may or may not be assortative): if individuals inherit their preferences for associating with certain types of individuals from their parents, they would be expected to be associated with their parents connections more than unconnected individuals.
In this section, we address this possibility by constructing a model to explore whether a more generalized model of co-inherited association preferences and traits might mimic the process of social inheritance. To generalize the assortative preferences model, we now assume each individual carries two traits, one describing a real-valued attribute (as in the assortment model above; we call this the display trait), and the other the preference for that trait (the preference trait). For example, if a focal individual has display and preference trait values (0.1,0.5), it is being preferred most by others with preference trait 0.1 but the focal individual prefers to associate with those having trait value 0.5. We assume both trait values are on a circle and normalize them to be between 0 and 1. We let both traits to be inherited from the parent when an individual is born, with (independent) deviations in each trait from parental values distributed according to N(0,). When an offspring j is born, it makes a connection to each existing individual i in the population with probability , where k is a positive constant and d ij is the shortest distance on the circle between the offspring j's preference trait and the individual i's display trait. Individuals are selected to die and give birth at random as in the basic model.
Supplementary Figure 11 illustrates the results from this alternative model. It shows that although model parameters exist that generate realistic looking degree distributions, these generate networks that are far less clustered than the real-life networks. The reason is that when individuals connect to others purely based on their inherited display and preference traits, they tend to connect to both partners of their parents as well as others with similar traits that are not connected to their parents. The latter connections do not close triads, and hence the resulting network is much less clustered. Thus, purely genetic inheritance of association preferences (independent of parental connections) is insufficient to generate the process of social inheritance as a byproduct.
Network measures
To study the networks produced by our model and compare them with observed networks, we used a number of commonly used network measures. Network density is defined as where T is the number of ties (edges) and N the number of nodes. The global clustering coefficient is based on triplets of nodes. A triplet includes three nodes that are connected by either two (open triplet) or three (closed triplet) undirected ties. Measuring the clustering in the whole network, the global clustering coefficient is defined as
The local clustering coefficient measures the clustering of each node:
The betweenness centrality of a node v is given by
where st is the total number of shortest paths from node s to node t and st (v) is the number of those paths that pass through v.
We detected network modules (also known as communities or groups) using the walktrap community detection method64. We used the maximal network modularity across all partitions for a given network. The modularity measures the strength of a division of the network into modules. The modularity of a given partition to c modules in an undirected network is
where e ii is the fraction of edges connecting nodes inside module i, and is the fraction of edges with at least one edge in module i.
Finally, we used the assortativity coefficient to measure how likely are individuals to be connected to those with a similar trait value65. For an undirected network, this coefficient is given by:
where e xy is the fraction of all edges in the network that connect nodes with traits x and y, a x is defined as and is the variance of the distribution a x .
Modularity of model networks
Social networks feature higher modularity than random networks. That is, social networks can usually be partitioned into subgroups of individuals (communities in network jargon), more densely connected within than between those subgroups. To test another aspect of our model, we calculated the modularity of simulated networks after identifying the community (subgroup) structure. Modularity measures the strength of division into communities, where high modularity indicates dense connection between individuals within communities and sparse connections between individuals across communities. We used the Walktrap community finding algorithm, based on the idea that short random walks on a network tend to stay in the same community64. In all four tested networks (see main text), the modularity of the observed network was not an outlier in the distribution of modularity values of simulated networks. Thus, we could not reject the null hypothesis that the observed network belongs to the family of simulated networks, when considering their modularity (Supplementary Fig. 12).
Data availability
The network data for bottlenose dolphin network41 is available publicly at http://konect.uni-koblenz.de/networks/. The data for the sleepy lizard network42 is available publicly at http://datadryad.org/resource/doi:10.5061/dryad.jk87h. The data for the spotted hyena13 and rock hyrax networks40 are available from the authors upon request.
Amid public protest against animal killing practices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services killed a total of 3.2 million animals in 2015.
The number was revealed in a report conducted by its highly selective arm.
Aside from highlighting the numbers, the report also detailed whether the animals were killed, euthanized, relocated or dispersed. It also described whether the acts were intentional or unintentional.
Figures show that red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds at the top of the list, with 708,486 and 475,905 kills respectively.
The group also slaughtered 69,905 coyotes, 385 gray wolves, 480 black bears, 284 mountain lions, 731 bobcats, 492 river otters, 3,437 foxes, two bald eagles and 21,559 beavers. Oone critically endangered Mexican wolf was also killed.
Former Wildlife Services employees estimate that these numbers are likely hugely short of the actual numbers.
According to the Center for Biodiversity, the century-old Wildlife Services was created in 1915 to eliminate invasive species that weaken the livestock and agricultural sector. But for the past years, the agency had been highly criticized because it targets even innocent animals, including pets.
It has reportedly killed 32 million native animals since 1996.
The killings destroy the balance of nature as many of the species they kill are at the top of the food chain, making them beneficial to the health of ecosystem.
"It is a tragedy that our government continues to needlessly slaughter America's wildlife year to year," said Kelly Nokes, carnivore campaign lead for WildEarth Guardians. "Wildlife Services' cruel killing of native animals is based on disproven anti-wildlife bias and undermines the critical natural systems upon which we all depend."
The program uses inhumane ways to kill; some of which include the use of cruel tools, including trapping, poisoning and shooting from airplanes.
"There's simply no scientific basis for continuing to shoot, poison and strangle millions of animals every year-a cruel practice that not only fails to effectively manage targeted wildlife but poses an ongoing threat to other animals, including pets," Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity told EcoWatch.
Satellite map imagery on Google Maps and Google Earth has just received a major upgrade of 700 trillion pixels of data. The enhanced satellite data became available to the users of those services on June 27th, 2016.
Three years ago, Google Earth made the news with the release of a cloud-free atlas online. The new images promise to be even more free of cloud cover, as well as offering more distinct and visible views of the planet's geography.
Breaking the news on the Google Earth blog, the Google Earth Engine Program Manager Chris Herwig emphasized that the improved version incorporates "fresh imagery from Landsat 8 satellite and new processing techniques for sharper images than ever before."
Launched in 2013, Landsat 8 is equipped with the latest planetary observation sensors, giving it more powerful image capturing facilities than previous satellites. The pictures taken by Landat 8 exhibit finer detail and truer colors, and the satellite also generates images more frequently. In fact, it captures twice the number of pictures a day than Landsat 7 ever achieved.
Anyone can now go to Google Maps or Google Earth to examine the enhanced satellite imagery. Reporting in The Atlantic, Robinson Meyer highlighted how the new version offers a clearer view of remote Christmas Island. Although it is located in a part of the Indian Ocean where it commonly gets clouded over, the island can now be seen cloud-free on Google Earth. More detail is observable. Meyer pointed out a tan spot on the map-an immigration detention center run by the Australian government-which was tough to distinguish from the clouds until now.
Herwig said that such clarity was only achieved after his team looked through millions of Landsat 8 captures to find the ones with the clearest pictures. Then they stitched the best images into a seamless mosaic. One can only imagine how much more detailed the next version of the satellite map will be, a number of years from today.
Artifacts serve as a window of the past. Discoveries of items belonging to the ancient civilization matter to mankind today as they explain how the older generation lived. Just like how fascinated archeologists were when they recently found gold coins, a pendant necklace and skeletons in the ruins of an ancient shop in Pompeii.
The ruins date back 2,000 years after Mount Vesuvius buried the Roman town of Pompeii in tons of ashes. But until today the excavation site still reveals secrets from the past. Archaeologists announced that they unearthed the artifacts within Pompeii's Herculaneum Gate based on reports from the Archeological Superintendency of Pompeii and Huffington Post.
#Pompeii discovery: archaeologists find gold coins and human remains in ancient shop https://t.co/adkTvpHQeS Roman Society (@TheRomanSoc) June 26, 2016
The recent excavation started in May near Porta Ercolano. Aside from human skeletons, gold coins were also found underneath what believes to be an ancient shop according to Forbes. Limestone slabs and funerary equipment were also seen from the excavation site, a clear evidence of burial practice during the pre-Roman times.
In a press release by the Archeological Superintendency of Pompeii, it was revealed that one of the skeletons might be a male individual. Not far from what is believed to be a funeral site, three gold coins and a pendant necklace were also found together with some skeletons. An oven believed to be used for manufacturing objects in bronze and a quarry for the extraction of materials was also discovered. Jean Berard together with his team is conducting a research on the necropolis area Herculaneum Gate, for his study of the transformations of a commercial area outside Pompeii.
The eruption in 79 A.D. plays a big role in this study. The shops are believed to be a shelter where people hid during the eruption. The ancient shops hold so many artifacts that could enlighten researchers in their studies. However, looters were first to access the site in search of treasures displacing some bones in the area, according to reports. It is evident because of the disheveled position of the remains as compared to other Pompeii site where the bones were excavated in their natural state. These are the remains of those who weren't able to escape the eruption, they remain buried in ash and were preserved until they were excavated hundreds of years later.
Archeologists believe that there is a third ancient city still buried beneath the ashes and it could be the next target for excavation.
In Siberia, the locals are stunned when giant balls were found in a coal mine. Dubbed as the 'Jurassic Pearls', the giant balls are believed to be signs of ancient civilization in Siberia. The height of the extremely large rocks, when photographed, reaches half the height of a fully grown man.
Are these'Jurassic Pearls' the remains of an ancient civilisation? https://t.co/iaZp92S1pq via https://t.co/I40OIuCShU KristiB (@theKristiB) June 28, 2016
The balls were found 30 meters below the ground on an operational coal mine, Sereulsky in Nazarovo district of Krasnoyarsk region. The Jurassic pearls are marbles of a Siberian colossus. There were 10 giant balls discovered almost as big as a tiny human being; they are almost one meter in diameter. But what fascinates the locals is the fact that the rocks are completely round and smooth earning the name "Jurassic Pearls." Some even say that the balls change in color after the rain.
The giant balls were assembled close together giving fire to the legend that a pre-historic giant carefully placed them or it could also be due to an extraterrestrial phenomenon. Some even suggest that they could be dinosaur eggs.
But experts are quick to refute the claims, saying the giant balls were formed due to natural processes not alien to Earth.
"The balls are formed the same way as a pearl, when a grain of sand gets into the shell and the clam tries to get rid of it. Water flowing through sedimentary rock leaves behind minerals that glue together masses of sand, mud or other particles. These concretions are very rare," Olga Yakunina of the Geology Museum of Central Siberia said in an interview with Siberian Times. As with the changing color, experts say that it is because of iron oxide present on the rocks.
The Russian expert further explained that the formation of the rocks involves a rare concentration of sand, mud and minerals shaped into a ball by natural processes that can last millions of years. The materials or sediments concentrates around a nucleus that can be a piece of shell or a fossil. Water underneath the Earth that flows through the rocks also contributes and leaves behind minerals that help glue the giant balls together. "This leads to the formation of just such a spherical shape," Dr. Yakunina said in an interview published by Daily Mail.
The "Jurassic Pearls" are now on display on the side of the road leading to the mine. They look so much like the Moqui marbles of Moui balls found in Utah.
A floating art allows tourists to walk on the waters of Lake Iseo in Italy,
"The Floating Piers" is a floating saffron-colored walkway that stretches three kilometers, connecting two small islands in Lake Iseo in the Lombardy region of Italy.
The art installation was created by 81-year-old artist Christo and is made from floating polystyrene docks topped with 100,000 square meters of gold fabric.
"We chose this lake because of its marvelous location, the islands reach hundreds of meters above the sea and only 2,000 people live there," said the Bulgarian-American artist Christo in an interview with CNN.
Christo has always dreamed of walking on water. The story of "The Floating Piers" began 46 years ago when Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude were asked to build a floating bridge atop South America's Rio de la Plata.
In 2009, Jeanne-Claude died from brain aneurysm. But Christo was determined to turn this dream into reality. And so he continued to transform natural landscapes temporarily with massive art installations.
His famous works include wrapping the 820-feet-long section of the Aurelian Walls in Rome in rope and fabric, which he called "The Wall," and the installation of 7,500 saffron-paneled gates in New York's Central Park, which he and Jeanne-Claude called "The Gates."
In Lake Iseo, Christo hopes to encourage the simple joys of walking amidst elements of nature with his open-air installation.
"It's the real thing. And it attracts people who really appreciate that," Christo said.
"For two to three kilometers there will be real wind, real sun, real water. It is all real. Jean-Claude and myself loved that."
Tourists would step onto the piers at the mainland, take a walk to Monte Isola island - the largest island in Lake Iseo - then hike up the hill and view the art installation from above.
Those who are more adventurous could come down from the other side of the island and continue across the water out to San Paolo, which is the tiny island with one house framed by the installation.
Just like the other works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, "The Floating Piers" will be recycled into something else in July.
"Our works are nomadic, just like people. They appear somewhere for a short time and then they are gone forever," Christo said.
Dogs have the ability to sense when a human with Type I diabetes suffers a low blood sugar episode, and scientists have discovered how they are able to do this. When a diabetic is experiencing a drop in blood sugar levels, this produces a chemical that dogs are able to smell. This can alert a dog to the onset of hypoglycemia.
Many families with diabetic children have begun taking in medical alert service dogs to help monitor their children's symptoms. Speaking to the Toronto Sun, an Alliston, Ontario family discussed the benefits of having Amy, a Diabetic Alert Dog, to watch over their 14-year-old daughter Kate Beausaert while she is sleeping.
Diabetes patients run the risk of experiencing dangerously low levels of blood sugar during sleep, sometimes with fatal outcomes. Blood sugar levels within 4.0 and 7.0 millimoles per liter are viewed as safe. Should Kate's blood sugar level drop to 4.5 mmol/L or lower, Amy will alert her-and if she proves unresponsive, the dog will go wake up Kate's parents.
Diabetic alert dog owners as a whole have expressed high satisfaction and confidence in their canine guardians, according to the Endocrinology Advisor. This report was based on study results presented by Dr. Evan Los of the Oregon Health & Science University at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 76th Scientific Sessions. Owner satisfaction rated as high as 8.9 out of 10 on the Likert scale, while confidence scored 7.9 out of 10.
Clearly, people have been highly receptive to diabetic alert dogs as healthcare monitors, even before science had managed to figure out their secret. Now, new findings from scientists at Cambridge University and the University of Oxford may finally reveal how dogs are able to detect a hypoglycemic episode.
In their paper on Diabetes Care, the university researchers pinpointed a chemical called isoprene. The level of isoprene in a person's breath tends to rise when the blood sugar in the body falters. The isoprene in the breath may be the substance that dogs are smelling when a diabetic's blood sugar level crashes.
Over the weekend, China successfully launched Long March-7 rocket, the country's most powerful rocket in history. The Long March-7 launch is a part of a three new boosters that China will launch in preparation for its Tingaong-3 space station in 2020.
According to Xinhua Net, the Long March-7 is a medium-sized, two-stage rocket with ka carrying capacity of up to 13.5 tonnes to low-Earth orbit (LEO). The other two rockets is the Long March-6 and the Long March-5. The latter is expected to be launched in the second half of the year and will carry the core module for China's space station called the Chang'e-5.
"It was designed to collect aerodynamic and heat data for a re-entry capsule, to verify key technologies such as detachable thermal protection structure and lightweight metal materials manufacturing, and to carry out blackout telecommunication tests," China's space program said in a statement.
Daily Mail notes that China has launched its first manned mission in 2003 when it had to set up the Tiangong 1 experimenta space station. Tiangong 2, the country's second space station, is expected to be launced into space in September.
The said rocket was launched in the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Southern China, which lessened the use of rocket propelants, The Verge reports. Also, instead of powering the Long March-7 by highly toxic hypergolic propellants, it used a combination of koresene and liquid oxygen to make it more cost efficient and environment-friendly.
The said launch of Long March-7 is a breakthrough for China in space travel. China is expected to propel a full mission to Mars by 2020.
Xu Dazhe, director of China's National Space Administration, said, "The probe is expected to orbit the red planet, land and deploy a rover all in one mission, which is quite difficult to achieve."
Wu Weiren, the Chinese space agency's chief, said that China could have started its space exploration earlier but a strict national process should be followed.
"Finally the country has given its approval," said Wu. "We will orbit Mars, land and deploy a rover -- all in one mission."
Elbit Systems completed recently a trial test torpedo launch from its Seagull multi-mission, autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) system. Performed out of Israels Haifa port, the trial demonstrated the capability of Seagull to install and launch lightweight torpedoes, adding to the platforms sensory capabilities. The Seagull is designed to carry out unmanned maritime missions, such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) counter-mine operation, protecting high-value assets inshore and offshore. Lightweight torpedoes are often used by anti-submarine vessels, helicopters, and aircraft against submarines located in shallow waters. This is the first instance where such weapons are used from unmanned platforms.
The success of this test demonstrates Seagulls modular mission system capability, enabling a highly effective ASW configuration of high-performance dipping sonar using two single tube torpedoes, said Ofer Ben-Dov, Vice President Naval Systems Business Line at Elbit Systems ISTAR Division. The test highlighted Seagulls capacity to detect and engage submarines, in addition to its ability to detect and destroy sea mines all using the same multi-mission USV system in modular configurations. This new and important capability has, to date, only been available to navies through manned vehicles. Ben-Dov added.
Introduced earlier this year, Seagull is a 12-meter long multi-mission USV system equipped with one or two vessels that can be operated and controlled in concert from manned ships or from shore. Seagull provides multi-mission capabilities and can be employed for ASW, MCM, EW, maritime security and other related missions, leveraging modular mission system installation and offering a high level of autonomy. In its basic configuration, the Seagull was armed with remotely operated weapon station mounting a 0.5 machine gun.
In its full configuration, the advanced USV system delivers unmanned end-to-end mine hunting operation capability, taking the man out of the minefield. It features inherent C4I capabilities for enhanced Situation Awareness (SA) and has a large fuel capacity that allows it to remain at sea for several days. Seagulls are designed to operate in pairs, with one carrying the sonars that detect and locate the targets and the other operating devices such as counter-mine robots, depth charges and ASW torpedoes to neutralize the threats.
The lethal combination of drought, warming weather and outbreak of bark beetle has caused the death of more than 66 million trees in California's Southern Sierra Nevada since 2010.
According to the report from CBS Sacramento, U.S. Forest Service reported more than 26 million trees have died over the past eight months, adding up to the 60 million dead trees previously discovered to dead between 2010 and October 2015.
Millions of trees are still in danger of dying as California waltz through its fifth consecutive year with severe drought. The drought makes it harder for the trees to obtain water, making them more susceptible to beetle infestation.
The increasing rates of trees dying not only pose a grave threat in the balance of ecosystem, but also present imminent danger, especially during wildfire seasons.
"Tree die-offs of this magnitude are unprecedented and increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires that puts property and lives at risk," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, said in a report from Los Angeles Times.
In October 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown declared an emergency and formed a task force responsible for clearing the dead trees that threatens motorists and mountain communities. The trees were sent to be burned at biomass plants to generate electricity. Some of the dead trees were also sent to lumber mill or burned in incinerator.
At present, the Forest Service reported that 77,000 trees posing danger along roads and near communities and campgrounds were cut. The Forest Service is doing everything that they can in order to prevent any dangers posed by the high number of dead trees. They even committed $32 million to resolve the issue of dead trees in California.
However, the Forest Service has already spent more than half of its budget in 2015 on fire management, making it hard for them to address and restore damaged forest due to lack of budget.
This made them to urge the congress to address finances allocated to wildfire, like other natural disasters in the country.
Watch as world-famous Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, while floating on ice next to melting ice caps in the Arctic, gives a haunting performance, in the hope of drawing attention to the Arctic problem.
World-famous Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi, known for composing television and movie scores, sat in front of his grand piano and listened as the rumbling of the ice echoed throughout the area. After a few moments, he began to play a masterpiece - performing it for the first time - putting music to the voices of over eight million people calling to save the Arctic from threats like destructive fishing and oil drilling.
Eunadi came with the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise that sailed from the Netherlands to the Arctic. The timing of the famous pianist's performance, though, is not by mere chance. This week, a major decision will be made that will lead towards an important step to protecting the Arctic. The delegates of the OSPAR Commission meeting in Spain will review a proposal that would protect 10% of the Artic Ocean. Though it may sound like a small number, the area discussed would actually be around the size of the UK.
According the Greenpeace, the Arctic Ocean is the least protected sea in the world, with no legal safeguards for the high seas. As global warming continues to melt the ice, the frozen shield that once protected the ocean from being exploited by illegal fishers and oil drillers is also diminishing.
Campaigners are hoping that this performance, now gaining almost a million views on Youtube, along with the eight million calls for action, will show the commission and the rest of the world the gravity and urgency of protecting the Arctic.
For the first time, scientists were able to simulate the beginnings of the universe through a quantum computer.
According to the researchers, this is the first full simulation of a high-energy physics experiment and could shed light on many hidden aspects of the universe, from how quarks bind together into protons and neutrons to how the universe came to be after the Big Bang.
"Our work is a first step towards developing dedicated tools that can help us to gain a better understanding of the fundamental interactions between the elementary constituents in nature," Christine Muschik, theoretical physicist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and co-author of the study, told Live Science.
Quantum computers are said to revolutionize computing in the future, as they are not limited to the binary code bits used in computers today. Quantum computers make use of quantum bits or qubits, which can essentially each take the state of 0, 1 or a "superposition" of both.
This means that quantum computers can perform complex calculations simultaneously and provide unprecedented processing power. An example is Google's D-Wave 2 quantum computer, which, according to Science Alert, is 100 million times faster than the average laptop.
For the study, the scientists built a quantum computer using four electromagnetically trapped calcium ions. These four qubits were manipulated with laser pulses.
The quantum computer was used to simulate the appearance and disappearance of virtual particles in a vacuum - the electrons and their positively-charged antimatter counterparts called positrons. According to the scientists, the laser pulses manipulated the ions' spins, making the ions perform logic operations.
The team's quantum calculations confirmed the predictions of a simplified version of quantum electrodynamics, which is the theory of the electromagnetic force: the stronger the field, the faster the creation of particles and antiparticles.
"This is one of the most complex experiments that has ever been carried out in a trapped-ion quantum computer," Rainer Blatt, co-author of the study, said in a press release.
The work demonstrates how particles might behave at high energy levels, which cannot easily be generated on Earth.
"The field of experimental quantum computing is growing very fast, and many people ask the question, What is a small-scale quantum computer good for?" Esteban Martinez, co-author of the study and an experimental physicist at the University of Innsbruck, told Live Science.
However, the problem was simple enough for a quantum computer and can be handled by classical computers, the researchers said. If anything, the "proof-of-principle" experiment is only the first step toward the long-term goal of developing future generations of quantum simulators that can address questions that the average computer cannot.
The researchers aim to scale up the technique to simulate the strong nuclear force or understand the high-speed collision of two atomic nuclei.
When storms hit major cities such as New York, it is usually the storm surge that will do most damage because of the rising water coming with low atmospheric pressure.
However, when a big storm hits Rotterdam, or when sea levels rise even higher, the city will remain unharmed by surging waters - thanks to the Maeslant storm surge barrier.
This structure now stands as the world's biggest mobile barrier. It's size is comparable to two steel lattices that are twice larger than the Eiffel Tower. These lattices lie on both sides of the channel connecting Rotterdam to the North Sea. The Dutch built the gate more than twenty years ago to protect the Netherlands' second-largest city from up to a three-meter wave surge, a time when the world knew remotely about climate change, global warming and the looming sea level rise.
The Netherlands has been known worldwide for their advanced flood control and ingenious technology of handling sea level rise, necessary as about half of the small European country lives below sea level. The country also prides in long-term urban planning, making city plans for even up to a hundred years later.
The Maeslant barrier will be able to protect Rotterdam from surges, tidal waves, and rising sea levels, even up to a catastrophic once-in-a-10,000-year storm, says Peter Persoon, one of the barrier's engineers who also serves as a tour guide to visitors. He compared the barrier to that of the levees that protected New Orleans before the Hurricane Katrina and said that the latter was built for a once-in-100-year storm. Although the Maeslant barrier cost $500 million, Persoon believes that this is money well-spent as the country is investing to fight climate change and its effects on the small nation.
When people ask about the cost of the barrier, guys like Persoon compare the preventive measure's cost to that of the damage should a major flood hit Rotterdam - over 700 billion euros. "And with sea level rising and storms getting stronger, who knows how many times the city will be flooded without the barrier."
Innovations like these is the reason why the Netherlands has become a learning hub for other countries heavily impacted by rising sea level and stronger storms. Hoards of delegates from all over the world run to the country and absorb their technology like sponges, and the Dutch are more than happy to share their knowledge to the world. Even with their successes in innovation, the effects of sea-level rise are just beginning to surface, which means that adapting to it would still be a work in progress for centuries to come, even for the Dutch.
Police in Central California said two family dogs killed a 3-day-old baby after her mother left her on a couch and walked away for a few seconds.
Fresno Police Sgt. Dan Macias told the Fresno Bee the girl's mother had left the door open because it was hot and she thought the dogs were tied up in the backyard.
The baby died at a local hospital shortly after the attack Monday.
Macias said the two male dogs, which are believed to be a mix of Shar-Pei and pit bull, are owned by the 33-year-old woman's brother. He surrendered the dogs to the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
SPCA spokesman Walter Salvari said the dogs will be euthanized.
Police are continuing to investigate and that charges have not been ruled out, Macias said.
A 75-year-old man, who faced eviction from his Chinatown apartment after nearly half a century, got a second chance Tuesday from a judge, if he pays two months' rent and allows the landlord to inspect how clean it is.
Ho Ching Wong was supposed to be evicted last week, but is allowed to stay in his apartment if he meets those conditions, which includes a landlord inspection at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, said San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald Evans Quidachay.
During the inspection, the landlord will make sure that Wong has indeed cleaned up his apartment, especially all of his belonging that spilled out into the hallway of the 12-unit building, causing a fire hazard, argued the landlord's attorney, Francisco Gutierrez.
Despite the mess and possible safety issues, Supervisor Aaron Peskin took up Wong's cause, helping him to clean up his home, and finding him an attorney.
Wong has lived in the same apartment in Chinatown across from the Chinese Hospital, since his young adulthood. But in 2010, the building was bought by a new owner, who told Wong he had one month to clean up five decades of accumulated stuff, according to Peskin.
In April, Wongs landlord filed an eviction lawsuit against him. And the owners agent, Peter Chang, presented Wong with an agreement that required him to remove his life's belongings in 30 days, Peskins office said.
Peskin contended that Wong signed the agreement, but the Cantonese-speaking man didn't understand what he was doing, and he didn't have any legal counsel. Peskin took up the case, even though Wong had made a mistake in signing the agreement, because he felt sorry for the older man who was on the brink of losing his community, his office said. In May, the landlord told a judge that Wong breached his agreement.
Evicting this lifelong tenant from his home and away from his community is just inhumane, Peskin said. Its also unfair and extremely challenging to ask someone to part with a lifetime of memories and cherished belongings in just few weeks time. If Mr. Wongs eviction was predicated on his ability to clean up his apartment, he has complied and should be allowed to stay in his home of 50 years.
A sheriffs eviction was initially scheduled for June 22. But with the help of Chinatown Community Development Center and a local Chinese newspaper, Wong reached Peskin and Michael Spalding, an attorney at the Homeless Advocacy Project. Together, they helped Wong clean up the apartment.
On Tuesday, judge quipped in court how amazing it was that the apartment was cleaned up in such a hurry, as Wong faced being kicked out on the streets.
But he granted the elderly man's wishes, as long as he complies with the landlord's cleanliness demands. Outside court, Wong remained resolute. Speaking in Cantonese, he said through an interpreter that the landlord lied to him and he has already cleaned out his house.
Antioch police officers shot and wounded a 56-year-old man Tuesday morning, who they said was armed with a gun.
As of 10 a.m., the man was in stable condition after surgery, police said.
Police shot him about 2:30 a.m. after they arrived in the 900 block of West 8th Street responding to a domestic violence call.
Police said they fired shots when they saw him armed; though they did not specify whether he was coming toward them, or whether he refused to drop it. Police also would not say how many officers fired their weapon. No officers were injured. Police did not answer any more questions.
To say its been a busy week for CalFire firefighters would be a bit of an understatement.
As of Tuesday, spokesman Daniel Berlant said the states firefighters have battled more than 290 new wildfires in California in one week, with the largest being the Erskine Fire near Lake Isabella, north of Bakersfield. It's considered the most destructive fire in Kern County history, and Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency to help the county quickly get financial aid.
As of Tuesday, that fire had charred 46,679 acres and was 45 percent contained thanks to the efforts of 1,808 fire crews. At least 200 homes have been lost because of the flames, and two people, an elderly couple, died the same number who died in last years Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties, considered the states 20th deadliest fire in history.
The Erskine Fire began June 23, 2016 in Kern County north of Bakersfield.
Berlant expects to have the Erskine Fire fully contained by Thursday, one week after it started.
But even though that sounds like a lot, CalFire is not as busy as last year.
Over six months, from Jan. 1 to June 25, 2,017 fires have raged through California, according to CalFire statistics. During the same time period in 2015, there were about 200 more, or 2,217.
Still, the persistent drought and subsequent number of dead trees now estimated to be 66 million in the Sierra since 2010 have indeed created more havoc for crews in their typical summer firefighting season.
The five-year average has typically been 1,960 fires during the same six-month interval.
A same-sex couple say they were victims of discrimination by an Uber driver during SF Pride weekend.
Matt Tongi and Sumeet Chadha said they called Uber on Saturday night to go the Castro district in San Francisco for a Pride event. Tongi said after they got into the car, he kissed his boyfriend on the cheek.
The Uber driver then told them he couldn't drive them anymore because he was out of gas.
But Tongi said he could see the fuel gauge on the dash, and it indicated the vehicle had plenty of gas.
The conversation then got heated, and the driver used a gay slur and told them to get out, Tongi said.
Chadha said he was surprised by the driver's action, knowing how Uber heavily promoted Pride this year.
"I'm really appalled," he said. "Honestly, I felt really sad for the whole situation in general. I think the whole thing is the idea of this marketing strategy - if you're going to sell to a certain image or a certain person, you have to be sure that you're vetting your drivers, that they're OK with the same strategy you are using."
Uber responded with a statement, saying it is investigating.
"Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we are looking into this incident, a company spokesperson said.
Ducklings rescued by police after being trapped in a storm drain earlier this month have been reunited with their mother, city officials said Monday.
Walnut Creek police on June 1 posted a photo of officers working to rescue the ducklings after receiving numerous calls from residents. About four police officers worked together to save the baby chicks that had fallen.
A Facebook update from the City of Walnut Creek posted Monday released more photos of the rescue stating, Happy to report the chicks were reunited with their mother duck!
Three crew members were missing and one was hurt Tuesday after a head-on train collision in the Texas Panhandle that caused several box cars to erupt in flames and led authorities to evacuate residents in the area. [[384709471,R]]
The two BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track when they collided head-on near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo, at about 8:25 a.m. Each train carried two crew members; one man jumped before the collision, according to BNSF spokesman Joe Faust.
That man was in stable condition at an Amarillo hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, said Sgt. Dan Buesing of the Texas Department of Public Safety. His identity wasn't available. Because the fire was still burning Tuesday night, crews had not been able to search the wreckage for the three missing crew members, Buesing said, adding that crews are still pouring water on the fire.
It's not clear how fast the trains were traveling when they collided, but the speed limit in that area is 70 mph, Faust said. It also wasn't clear why the trains were on the same track. The rail cars were holding a variety of consumer goods, Faust said.
[DFW] Photos Show Massive Fiery Train Collision in Panhandle
"I don't know how anyone survived," said Billy Brown, a farmer in the area who saw a fireball after the collision. "It's terrible. I've seen a number of train wrecks but I've never seen one like this."
Witness Bern Watts recorded cellphone video as he drove toward the scene.
"We were about two miles away when it exploded and we actually saw it happen. We drove by before the police got there," said Watts. "Thankful we weren't closer when it happened."
Highway 60 in Panhandle, Tx in Carson County is closed because of train derailment & fire. Avoid the area. No word on when it will reopen. TxDOT Amarillo (@TxDOTAmarillo) June 28, 2016
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site.
BNSF has pledged to meet a 2018 federal deadline to adopt technology, called positive train control or PTC, that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits. At least three freight railroads have said they'll need an extension to 2020.
Faust said in a statement later Tuesday that the Panhandle collision is the type of accident PTC can prevent and that BNSF is "aggressively" pursuing it "across our network."
"While sections of the track operated by the eastbound train involved in this accident have PTC installed and are being tested, the section of track where the incident occurred will be installed later this year," he said in the statement.
Just hours after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden left the Ukrainian capital, Ukraine's acting president ordered security forces to resume operations in the country's east.
It's not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck that's struck by a freight train, Buesing said, but the magnitude of Tuesday's accident was startling.
The fire forced officials to close Highway 60 in Carson County, the Texas Department of Transportation said. Drivers are urged to avoid the area. It's not clear when the highway will reopen.
Officials in Panhandle ordered an evacuation of some nearby areas out of concern the flames would cause a fast-moving grass fire, the Amarillo Globe-News reported, but Buesing said that residents later returned to their homes and were told to shelter in place and monitor wind conditions. Officials also asked residents to curtail water use because the water supply is being depleted by firefighters at the scene, according to KVII-TV in Amarillo.
Tuesday's accident is at least the second in recent years involving BNSF trains striking one another. In September 2013, three were involved in a wreck near Amarillo that injured five crew members, according to an NTSB report. The federal agency in that incident faulted the crew in one train for improperly proceeding past a signal and striking the rear of a stationary train, and cars that derailed were then struck by a train passing in the opposite direction.
[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's Monday trip to Chicago drew star power and deep-pocketed donors as the race for the White House kicks into high gear.
Clinton's fundraiser in Chicago Monday was attended by special guest Michelle Williams, who was a member of R&B supergroup Destinys Child along with Beyonce.
Tickets for the event, which was held at the Ivy Room, weren't cheap. Hosts for the event, who received a VIP reception with Clinton, needed to raise $27,000, while general admission was $2,700.
Members of the former Secretary of States National Finance Committee, known as Hillblazers, hosted the event, according to the Chicago Tribune. Rep. Jan Schkowsky was reportedly among the scheduled hosts.
A $100,000-a-head dinner was expected to follow the host reception, according to Politico.
Clinton was also the keynote speaker at an International Womens Luncheon as part of the 50th annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition convention.
Oscar-nominated actress and civil rights activist Cicely Tyson was presented with the Rev. and Mrs. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Legend Award during the luncheon.
Clinton joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren Monday for their first joint event at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio. Warren is reportedly on Clintons shortlist for vice president.
Warren has been a vocal critic of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. On Monday, she called the divisive billionaire a small, insecure money-grubber who fights for no one but himself and a thin-skinned bully driven by insecurity and hate, NBC News reported.
Trump staged a preemptive attack on Twitter Monday.
Crooked Hillary is wheeling out one of the least productive senators in the U.S. Senate, goofy Elizabeth Warren, who lied on heritage, Trump wrote.
Trump has referred to Warren as Pocahontas for allegedly inflating her Native American heritage.
During a Statehouse news conference Monday, Gov. Bruce Rauner claimed Democratic leaders were holding up the states education budget for a bailout of Chicago Public Schools.
Theyve basically threatened to hold up the entire funding process for a bailout of CPS, Rauner said during his speech. Let me be clear, that is wrong. That is unfair."
People across the state should not be held up with their tax money to go bail out Chicago Public Schools, he added.
The states lingering budget impasse will likely stretch into its second year Friday. Rauner warned that if bills to fund education and other essential state services arent passed soon, elements of the government could shut down after July 1.
Last month, as it was becoming clear that lawmakers werent going to come to a budget agreement before the end of the spring legislative session, Rauner announced stopgap funding bills for K-12 education and other essential government services, like state colleges and social services.
Rauner has spent most of June touring the state pushing the funding measures.
During his speech Monday, the governor said he reached out to the states top leaders in hopes of organizing a meeting Tuesday to discuss the bills. A meeting between Rauner, House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno is slated for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Lawmakers are expected to vote on the two funding measures during Wednesdays special legislative session.
Rauner said lawmakers pretty well have an agreement on the stopgap to fund essential services, which will keep the state's government operating for half a year, but said he was far less confident about education funding Monday.
President Cullerton in particular, along now with Speaker Madigan, what theyve said is, No deals, no budget unless the funding formula changes and we get a lot more money for Chicago Public Schools, Rauner said.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown claimed Rauner's "regional divisiveness is one of the reasons he is failing to achieve his goals" and that the governor's "meager additional school funding" was already rejected by both houses of the General Assembly.
"More work is needed on statewide school funding," Brown told Ward Room.
Rauner's plan would increase public school funding by $235 billion. According to the Associated Press, Senate Democrats plan to put forward an alternate education funding plan Tuesday that would increase funding by $750 million.
During Monday's speech, the governor claimed CPS has been financially mismanaged for years and years despite funding from the state. Rauner pointed to the state's contributions to teacher pensions, which has cost about $60 million a year, as well as a $200 million block grant.
Rauner criticized the district for not funding their own pensions and using the school system for patronage and political purposes instead of education.
Rauner also chastised Mayor Rahm Emanuel for reportedly moving to gain City Council approval for the authority to buy CPS debt.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Emanuel proposed a change to Chicagos investment rules that would allow the city to buy debt from its sister agencies, like CPS, the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Transit Authority, among others.
The plan looks to give the treasurer the option of investing in bonds, short-term loans or other types of debt from the district. But, because CPS has a junk credit rating, it would be difficult to borrow money through traditional channels.
Nevertheless, short-term borrowing could give CPS a way to continue operating while the state figures out a funding solution.
Rauner said it was good that Emanuel acknowledged "that the city needs to step up and start to deal with their own problems, but claimed the plan was simply "kicking the can down the road."
All that does is almost guarantee an even bigger tax hike later on for the city residents of Chicago. that is wrong, Rauner said. That is a failure of the leadership, that is failure from the mayor."
During the speech, Rauner also asked why Emanuel wasnt working to apply Senate President John Cullertons pension reform plan to Chicagos teacher pension. Moreover, he asked why Emanuel wasnt working with the General Assembly to make bankruptcy an option for CPS.
Rauner accused Emanuel of caving to the Chicago Teachers Union during their 2012 strike, claiming that taxpayer-funded unions get what they want from politicians through threatening to strike or other intimidation. Rauner claimed Emanuel could have used bankruptcy as an option for leverage in negotiations.
Bankruptcy can preserve teacher jobs, they can preserve other administrative staff jobs by restructuring debts, restructuring contracts, to make them more affordable and sustainable so people dont have to lose their jobs, Rauner said. We dont have to have class sizes increase, but the fundamental structure of CPS can change and become more affordable for the taxpayers of the state.
Emanuel's administration responded to Rauner's onlslaught Monday evening.
"The governor has admitted the education funding formula is flawed - and it shorchanges children in Chicago and in high-poverty areas accross the state," Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins told Ward Room. "Rather than stand up and do what he was elected to do, the governor is now advocating for a stopgap budget with no reform, no long term solutions and one that doubles down on the failed education funding model that led to the crisis Illinois is in today."
Gov. Bruce Rauner released details about his revamped stopgap funding plan for education and other essential government services Tuesday, but the plan doesnt include the substantial funding increase for Chicago Public Schools that Democrats are asking for.
"I have said it before, and I say it again today: we must not bail out a broken system that refuses to change the way it does business," Rauner said in a statement Tuesday. "Forcing Illinois to raise its income tax to bail out CPS is fundamentally unfair to our school children, parents, homeowners, and small business owners across the state."
Rauner is meeting Tuesday in Springfield with Senate President John Cullerton, Houe Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin. The General Assembly will reconvene Wednesday for a special legislative session.
The governor's revised plan, which is split into two separate bills, would ensure that schools open on time and that other essential government services, like social services and higher education, are funded through the end of the year.
Radogno and Durkin filed Rauners new stopgap measures Tuesday. The identical bills will be introduced to the House and Senate simultaneously. In total, the package includes $50.3 billion in funding for fiscal year 2017, as well as $25 billion to shore up fiscal year 2016.
The plan would fund K-12 for the full year with an increase in funding of $240 million. All told, schools would receive $7 billion.
A hold harmless clause, which gives all school districts as much money as they received the previous year, is included in the bill.
This means that, under Rauner's plan, CPS wouldnt lose the $74 million that it would under the states school funding formula, but it it also means that the district wouldnt receive the $286 million funding increase or the $112 million for pension payments outlined in the plan proposed by President Cullerton Monday.
That plan would increase general state K-12 funding by $760 million. Democrats are also expected to file a stopgap funding plan for essential services Tuesday.
Cullerton sounded off on Rauner during the groundbreaking for a Chicago Plumbers' Union training facility Tuesday, claiming Chicago is not being treated fairly like the rest of the state.
He wants Chicago to get zero for their pensions, its just not fair, Cullerton said. Were asking for $110 million and he says thats too much.
House Speaker Mike Madigan, who spoke at the same event Tuesday, called for a compromise, claiming he was cooperating with the governors working group on the budget. Madigan also insinuated that the governor's divisive rhetoric was counter-productive.
The governor could be more helpful, Madigan said. He could drop the rhetoric, he could drop theres a difference between a child in Chicago and a child in Oak Park or Evanston. Theyre all children.
Nevertheless, Radogno said the plan was feasible for the state and reiterated that it doesnt include a bailout for CPS.
The measure we filed today would fully fund the foundation level for the first time in years, as well as include a hold harmless to ensure that all school districts get at least as much as they received in this past school year, Radogno said in a statement. What this plan does not contain is a bailout for Chicago Public Schools, as Democrat legislators have proposed. Their plan is not acceptable or affordable to the taxpayers of Illinois particularly in our downstate and suburban communities.
The states lingering budget impasse will likely stretch into its second year Friday. On Monday, Rauner warned that if bills to fund education and other essential state services arent passed soon, critical elements of the government could shut down after July 1.
Last month, as it was becoming clear that lawmakers werent going to come to a budget agreement before the end of the spring legislative session, Rauner announced his original stopgap funding bills for K-12 education and other essential government services.
Rauner has spent most of June touring the state pushing his original funding measures. On Tuesday, the governor claimed lawmakers "have essentially reached agreement on a six-month stopgap budget" and continued to blame Democrats for holding up education funding for a "massive bailout" of CPS.
Rauner insists that previously proposed legislation could allow Chicago to manage CPS' problems. This includes applying Cullerton's pension reform proposal to CPS teachers' pensions and allowing the district to declare bankruptcy. Rauner also recommends granting local control of collective bargaining to allow CPS to remove teachers' pensions pickup from contract negotiations.
"If Mayor Emanuel would join with his friend, President Cullerton, and lead in the effort for reforms along with Republican legislators, then together we could protect students, teachers, and taxpayers in the city and the state, creating a better future for everyone," Rauner said.
Emanuel shot back at Rauner Tuesday, slamming elements of the governor's beleaguered Turnaround Agenda.
"Instead of doing the hard work of fixing Illinois' broken education funding formula, Bruce Rauner has wasted 18 months of his term holding the entire state hostage in the name of workers' compensation and right to work," Emanuel said in a statement. "After all that time, Bruce Rauner is doubling down on the failed formula that rewards wealthy children who grow up in elite communities and penalizes poor children in Chicago and accross the state, and he is standing behind Illinois' ignominious distinction of being 48th in the nation for education funding."
"That is the real tragedy," he added.
The National Weather Service issued a Beach Hazard Alert Tuesday morning, warning of dangerous swimming conditions along Lake Michigan.
Life threatening waves and currents are expected near the shore in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana beaches, according to the warning.
Models shows powerful rip currents and waves reaching upwards of 8 feet high will create for potentially life-threatening conditions, NWS reports.
People visiting the beaches should stay out of the water, the weather service said. The alert remains in effect until late Tuesday night.
By 10 a.m., at least one Chicago area beach was under a swim ban. For more information and to check the status of a beach in your neighborhood, visit cpdbeaches.com.
Nearly 12,000 vehicles sold in Connecticut are affected by the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal and the state will get more than $16 million as part of the settlement over cases.
Most of the money will go to the states general fund, but some with go to consumer protection funds.
Attorney General George Jepsen said Connecticut will get $16,281,335 as its share of the settlement's civil penalties and around $16 million will go to the state's general fund.
The remainder of funds will be deposited into consumer protection funds that the Department of Consumer Protection and Attorney General's Office maintain to support consumer protection investigations, advocacy and litigation.
In all, Volkswagen will pay more than $570 million for violating state laws in several states that prohibit unfair or deceptive trade practices. The company is accused of marketing, selling and leasing certain diesel vehicles equipped with illegal and undisclosed emissions defeat devices designed to circumvent emissions standards.
"Volkswagen lied," Jepsen said in a statement. "It lied to consumers and to regulators by stating that its vehicles were not only fuel efficient but also clean, which was not just misleading but downright false. The company's conduct was intentional, calculated and egregious."
The settlement resolves Connecticut's claims against Volkswagen under the state's consumer protection laws, and the state will pursue additional penalties from for violations of environmental and emissions laws and regulations, Jepsen said.
This agreement was announced in addition to separate settlements that will provide cash payments to affected consumers and require Volkswagen to buy back or modify certain Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles.
"Separately, Volkswagen has reached agreements that will attempt to make whole consumers who have purchased or leased these vehicles. Those agreements are subject to court approval and some details, including the feasibility of a fix for vehicles equipped with a defeat device, remain to be developed. While my office is not a party to those settlements, Connecticut consumers should be aware of these developments, and my office will continue to monitor those agreements throughout their implementation," Jepsen said.
An investigation by the attorneys generals determined that Volkswagen sold more than 570,000 2.0 and 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the United States, including 11,911 vehicles in Connecticut, that were equipped with defeat device software intended to circumvent applicable emissions standards for certain air pollutants.
Affected 2.0-liter diesel vehicles include:
2009: VW Jettas and VW Jetta Sportwagens
2010: VW Golfs, VW Jettas, VW Jetta Sportwagens and Audi A3s
2011: VW Golfs, VW Jettas, VW Jetta Sportwagens and Audi A3s
2012: VW Golfs, VW Jettas, VW Jetta Sportwagens, VW Passats and Audi A3s
2013: VW Beetles, VW Beetle Convertibles, VW Golfs, VW Jettas, VW Jetta Sportwagens, VW Passats and Audi A3s
2014: VW Beetles, VW Beetle Convertibles, VW Golfs, VW Jettas, VW Jetta Sportwagens and VW Passats
2015: VW Beetles, VW Beetle Convertibles, VW Golfs, VW Golf Sportwagens, VW Jettas, VW Passats and Audi A3s
If approved by the court, under the separate settlement, affected Volkswagen owners will receive a restitution payment of at least $5,100 as well as a choice between a buyback of the vehicle or a modification to the vehicle provided that Volkswagen can develop a modification that is acceptable to regulators.
Owners would still be eligible to choose a buyback in the event regulators do not approve a modification.
The consumer program also would provide benefits and restitution to lessees and sellers after Sept. 18, 2015 when the emissions-cheating scandal was disclosed.
If approved by the court the company would also pay $2.7 billion into a trust to support environmental programs throughout the country to reduce NOx emissions. Under the terms of the mitigation trust, Connecticut would be eligible to receive more than $51 million to fund mitigation projects.
To see how the separate agreements impact you and when you can expect relief, visit VWCourtSettlement.com.
See the agreements with the states here.
Jimmy Goode Jr. was enthusiastic about making people smile and laugh. The Albany man, who was intellectually disabled, possessed a warm and upbeat personality and loved to pass out hugs.
He died at the age of 57 late last year, but his vibrant spirit will live on at the Chamberlin House's Activity Center, which is being dedicated in his honor.
The organization serves disabled Linn County residents, and the renaming ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday at the center, 1923 Waverly Drive S.E.
Joy Henkle, a Chamberlin House board member, said that Jimmy was important in breaking down stereotypes and showing that intellectually disabled people can live rich, full lives.
He was super well-known within the community. He worked at Oregon Freeze Dry. He had a job. He would walk the streets and people knew him by name. Just a sweetheart of a guy, she said.
Society was just opening up to the idea that the intellectually disabled could function. He was one of the early ambassadors in Linn County to show you could do that. You didnt have to institutionalize folks, Henkle added.
Many residents might remember Jimmy best as Santa Claus. He dressed up as the jolly old soul to visit schools and even became the official Santa for the Albany Christmas Parade.
He also read Bible passages as a lay reader for the Albany Presbyterian Church.
Jimmys parents became advocates for the disabled after his birth.
In 1979, Jim and Nancy Goode established the Chamberlin House, Linn Countys first group home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The goal was to provide a stimulating and safe place to live where residents could be as independent as possible.
The facility was named after Nancy Goodes parents, who provided funding for the first home, which is still in use by five residents at 808 Elm St., near Samaritan Albany General Hospital. Jimmy was one of the first people to live in the house.
Today, Chamberlin House Inc. has five group houses, an apartment complex and the Activity Center, and it provides homes for and serves more than 35 adults.
Many of them work in the community, said Judie Foster-Lupkin, executive director of Chamberlin House Inc. They love these social interactions. It gives them not only self worth but a purpose. They love riding the bus with their friends and contributing to their work. And they love getting a paycheck, like the rest of us, Foster-Lupkin said.
And they use their paychecks to go out to eat, go shopping or even go on vacations across the country.
America has become far more enlightened about people with intellectual disabilities than when Jimmy was young.
But its also progressed a long way just in the 13 years that Foster-Lupkin has been working in the field.
People are much more integrated in the community, she said.
The Activity Center hosts weekly movie nights and bingo, as well as holiday celebrations and other events, which provide Chamberlin House residents a chance to socialize.
The summer heat is here and officials are warning people here in Connecticut about the dangers of hot cars at a time fire officials and EMTs across the country are finding children and animals left in vehicles.
Glastonbury fire officials teamed up with Glastonbury EMS and the Silent Partner Marketing to demonstrate what can happen when a person or pet is left in a hot car for too long.
Chrissy Monaco and Kyle Reyes, of Silent Partner Marketing, hopped into an SUV Monday afternoon when the sun was at its peak in Glastonbury.
They were sitting in a black SUV with a black interior. The doors and windows were locked, the air conditioning was off.
While the temperature outside was 85 degrees, the temperature inside the car was 90 degrees.
The pair was told to stay in the car for as long as they could or until Glastonbury fire and EMS told them to get out.
At five minutes, the car was already at 101 degrees and the temperature slowly rose.
At about 10 minutes in, you could see the heat waves radiating off the top of the car's hood.
Monaco could barely put words into a sentence at that point.
Its stifling This this last minute has become its starting to become understandable how people just lose consciousness, Monaco said as her breathing began to get heavy.
The temperature in the SUV rose to 109 degrees after 20 minutes and thats when fire officials and EMTs supervising the test ordered the pair to get out of the car.
Its pretty bad in there -- what we kind of went through. Its unbearable to think that theres a child thats locked in a car seat that can't do anything that hopes a passerby sees them in there, Monaco said when she got out of the SUV.
Its basically like a convection oven. Its going to increase your core. [Your] body temperature is going to elevate. Your body is going to have a hard time correcting it, Kurt Guillemette, of Glastonbury EMS, said.
Fire and EMS officials said the demonstration provides a timely lesson. Do not leave people or pets in a hot car.
If you are in an emergency situation and have to get someone out of a hot car, grab a heavy item -- preferably one with a handle, but a rock will also work. Use it to break the window, starting with the corner. The corner is the easiest spot to break, however, they advise you to pick a window on the opposite end of where the child or pet is seated.
The windshield will not break as easily due to the safety glass.
Monday's demonstration was held outside Glastonbury Fire Departments Fire Training facility.
A former UConn student who was taken into custody after a profanity-laced tirade over jalapeno-bacon macaroni-and-cheese at a dining hall last fall has been arrested again, accused of assaulting a police officer at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Florida.
Police said 20-year-old Luke Gatti was going through treatment for alcohol and drugs and struck an officer who was trying to take him into custody for his own safety.
Police responded to Wellness Resources Center in Boca Raton, Florida around 4:15 p.m. on May 27 and staff members told them Gatti was going through withdrawals when he arrived from the Sunrise Detox Center. When doctors denied him medication for the withdrawals, Gatti said he wanted to leave the facility. He was agitated and said he couldnt handle the pain anymore, police said.
Gatti walked out of the facility without shoes, leaving his belongings behind.
When he returned nearly two hours later, he was angry and agitated and screamed at staff members to give him his property back, according to the police report.
Gatti also told authorities he didnt care if he got hurt or hurt himself and wanted to be left alone, according to police.
When he walked away, police decide to take him into custody because of the condition he was in. At that point, Gatti struggled, hit an officer tried to break free of the officers grip, according to police.
After police threatened to use a stun gun, Gatti stopped struggling and police placed handcuffs on him.
Police charged Gatti with resisting an officer and battery on a police officer for pulling away from and hitting the officer who was trying to take him into custody.
When he was in the back of the police car, Gatti made suicidal statements and said. I just want to die, according to the police report.
He said he needs drugs and alcohol to feel better, always has suicidal thought and dreams of people hurting him, police said. Then asked the officer to do him a favor and shoot him, the police report says.
Gatti made national news after video surfaced on YouTube last fall that appeared to show him confronting the market manager because he wanted bacon-jalapeno mac and cheese, then shoving the man several times as apparent students tried to intervene.
It went on to show a staff member at the market eventually wrestle Gatti to the ground and detain him and police arrived.
Gatti, who is no longer enrolled at UConn, issued a public apology after the incident in Storrs and was granted accelerated rehabilitation, a form of probation that means the case will be expunged from Gatti's record if he avoids any legal trouble and complies with random drug tests.
Gatti was originally charged with misdemeanor breach of peace and trespassing.
With their red disaster relief vests, Missy and Ryan Lundeen are ready to respond to the flood disaster zone in West Virginia.
Its horrible, Missy said. Its horrifying. I could not imagine what these people are going through.
Seeing it first hand is completely different than seeing it on TV Ryan said.
When they arrive Tuesday in the Mountain State as volunteer American Red Cross client caseworkers, this mother and son duo from Ansonia will see first-hand the devastation that has claimed 23 lives and displaced hundreds of families from their homes.
You see how high up the water levels are and that automatically raises some concern because of just how high the water can get, Ryan said, and it shows the sheer force of water.
There are almost 20 shelters across the impacted counties. The Red Cross is providing meals, medications and relief supplies.
Despite mother nature showing some bad, Ryan said. You see people coming together to still show good.
Missy has volunteered with the Red Cross for five years. Her son, who will turn 19 during their two week deployment, first joined her on a mission last spring to severe flooding in Louisiana.
Hes coming with me again this time and I couldnt be more proud, Missy said. Couldnt be a prouder mom and a prouder volunteer to have my son at my side.
You can help West Virginia flood victims by donating to the Red Cross Disaster Relief at redcross.org or by calling (800) RED-CROSS. You can make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999.
If you can make some donations, Ryan said. I see where they go. I know they get to where they have to go, and if you could provide some it gets there.
A woman who was attacked by two dogs in New Haven last Monday night has succumbed to her injuries, the city confirmed.
Jocelyn Winfrey was attacked on Ella Grasso Boulevard around 7:45 p.m. on June 22, according to the mayor's office.
Winfrey and a man who owned the dogs were both attacked and were taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated.
Winfrey suffered critical injuries, with lacerations to her legs, face, head and eyes. The man who was injured received non-life threatening injuries.
The owner of the dog, Hamilton Hicks, a Yale University psychiatrist, has been arrested and charged with narcotics possession but not in connection with the dog attack.
Neighbors who rushed to help said the scene was difficult to witness.
"The only thing I could see is blood," Brian Wingate said. "It was horrific. By the time I got over there. The dog really, really, really mauled her."
A spokesman for the mayor's office initially said the dogs were pit bulls, but New Haven's animal control officer said the dogs were American bulldog mixes.
The dogs were taken to the New Haven animal shelter and placed into 14-day quarantine, according to New Haven's animal control officer.
In larger cities and in small towns, Connecticut's opioid epidemic does not seem to discriminate and there is new evidence of that along the Shoreline, including in East Lyme, where a man was recently arrested on several drug charges.
Im not surprised. This happens everywhere," said Dawn Artis, who was visiting East Lyme from Waterford. "No place is exempt.
East Lyme is now in a battle of its own against what town leaders believe is a regional drug epidemic after responding to three opioid-related overdoses in just a few days.
All three people who overdosed survived, according to police. Two of the people were administered Narcan, which is an antidote that can block the effects of heroin and other narcotics.
East Lyme police arrested Luis Velez-Ramos, 23, of New London, on multiple drug charges and seized several bags of heroin, as well as marijuana and cash during the arrest.
He was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession less than half an ounce of marijuana.
I think you save one person at a time," East Lyme First Selectman Mark Nickerson said.
He said he was not surprised this type of powerful drug was in his town, especially after what has unfolded in nearby communities, such as New Haven, which just experienced a third death related to a rash of overdoses in recent days.
Theres no such thing as a border when it comes to drug dealers and drug addicts," Nickerson said.
East Lyme police said Narcan kits have been made available to just about every first responder in the town.
"It's been building," Nickerson said of the drug issue. "I don't think we're quite at the peak where it's going to start getting better anytime soon."
The two major sponsors of Riverfront in Hartford told NBC Connecticut Tuesday that they will remain with the event.
Mohegan Sun and Travelers Insurance are the two primary sponsors for the event, which the City of Hartford and the Town of East Hartford canceled on Monday, citing a lack of finances to keep the event going.
A spokesman for Travelers said the company would remain committed to the Riverfront events through the year.
Lauren Long, of Mohegan Sun, said she could see the casino partnering with the food truck event that coincides with now-canceled fireworks display as a way to continue the partnership.
"We would love to participate and carry our sponsorship regardless of whether the fireworks take place," she said.
Long did caution however, that "nothing is set in stone."
Some Hartford officials were taken by surprise that the event would be cancelled, with city and town officials saying it would cost $120,000 to put on the event with a full law enforcement presence.
Its a tradition in the city and I would hate to see it go away," said Rep. Angel Arce, who represents Hartford in the General Assembly. "I know that Hartford and East Hartford are going through some financial situations and were talking about $120K, but I think we could have tried to find those moneys somewhere else if we would have known about it."
Andrew Jones started a GoFundMe fundraising page to try to save the event and said he was inspired by a time when he was in the hospital and looked forward to seeing the display on July 4.
"Now that the show is canceled, the first thing that came to mind were the people that were in the hospital just like me who were probably looking forward to seeing a spectacular view of the fireworks show, he said.
Jones said he hopes people come together to raise enough money to put on fireworks in six days.
I believe we can do it. If we can get support from the local community, if people are willing to share the cause," he said.
Rep. Arce said without the fireworks, "Its going to be a boring fourth of July in Hartford and its something that the people look forward to and its something that were not going to have this year. Its hurtful.
Explosions rocked Turkey's largest airport Tuesday night, killing at least three dozen people and wounding scores more in what appeared to be a coordinated terror attack, officials said.
The gunmen opened fire around 10:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET) at the entrance of the international arrivals area at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, where fiery explosives sent people running for their lives, witnesses and officials said.
The number of dead and injured fluctuated steadily overnight amid the confusion; Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on television that at least 36 people were killed. The Turkish Red Crescent counted "over a hundred" injured.
The White House condemned the blasts as a "heinous terrorist attack," and the U.S. State Department said it was determining if any victims were American.
Initial indications are that ISIS carried out the killings, Yildirim said, "but we are still working on determining the cause."
Get More at NBC News.
Lawyers for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have filed two appeals against his extradition to the United States.
The appeals argue the statute of limitations has run out on some crimes Guzman is accused of committing in the U.S., lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the defense also argues that the allegations against Guzman are based on hearsay, not direct evidence.
The appeals were filed late Monday in courts in Mexico City, Rodriguez said Tuesday. He predicted it could take as long as three years to resolve them.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department ruled in May that El Chapo's extradition could move forward.
In all, Guzman faces drug trafficking and other charges from seven U.S. federal prosecutors, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.
Guzman was arrested in January after almost six months on the run following his escape from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened to the floor of his shower.
He had already escaped once before in 2001 and spent more than a decade as one of the world's most wanted fugitives until he was recaptured in 2014.
A seventh person has been diagnosed with Zika virus in Tarrant County, public health department officials say.
The patient contracted the illness while traveling in Honduras. While the case is the first known to have been imported from Honduras, the country is an area known to have local transmission of the disease, TCPH officials said in a statement Tuesday.
A private laboratory received, tested and confirmed the finding, county health officials said.
TCPH said no other health information will be released about the patient, as per usual, to protect his or her identity.
Still, no known Zika cases have been transmitted locally by mosquitoes, local health officials confirm -- all local cases have been imported with the exception of one case in Dallas County that is believed to have been spread by sexual contact.
Zika virus is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, a known aggressive daytime biter. Common symptoms of Zika virus include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week, though there can be profound impact to a developing fetus should the mother contract the virus.
There is no medication to treat Zika virus and there is no vaccine; the best prevention is to avoid mosquitoes and sexual contact with infected people. The recommendations for avoiding the Zika virus are the same for avoiding West Nile virus.
TCPH's Zika Hotline at 817-248-6299 is available to help answer any questions residents may have about this disease. For more information on Zika virus and for other useful tips, click here.
How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites
Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent. DEET : Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent. Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
A 5-year-old boy is in critical condition after being pulled out of a swimming pool and being found unresponsive.
On Monday at 5:50 p.m., Dallas police officers were dispatched to the 8800 block of Bargaimes Lane. There they found the boy unresponsive after being pulled out of the pool by someone.
911 was called and Dallas Fire Rescue took the boy to the Presbyterian Hospital. He was transported soon after to a children's hospital in Dallas.
The boy is currently in critical condition, Dallas police said.
CRABTREE A homemade pipe bomb was found in a shack at the Teevin Brothers Log Yard on Monday, and the Oregon State Police bomb squad rendered the device safe and seized it, said Lt. Jeff Cone of the Linn County Sheriffs Office.
A call about the device came in at about 1:39 p.m. from a worker at the business, which is along the railroad tracks through town.
They saw it there this morning, but it didnt dawn on them what it was, because it looks like a piece of pipe, Cone said.
Deputies responded to the area and set up a perimeter around the device until Oregon State personnel responded.
This is the second bomb squad call in less than a week for Linn County.
On Thursday, authorities responded to Riverside Drive and evacuated nine homes after blasting caps were found by a man who had just purchased a home and was cleaning up the residence.
The roadway was closed and locals couldnt go back to their homes for five hours in that incident.
Ahmed Mohamed is greeted by family after arriving at DFW International Airport on Monday, June 27, 2016.
Ahmed was arrested last year at MacArthur High School in Irving after a homemade clock he brought to school was mistaken for a bomb.
Since last fall, he and his family have been living in Qatar, where he's finishing high school on a royal family-funded scholarship.
CLICK HERE to see more from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News.
A growing number of people are attempting to pass their pet off as a trained service animal, according to multiple sources.
A representative for the Southwest ADA Center, the Southwest's leading resource on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related disability rights laws, said calls of that nature have increased dramatically within the last three years.
ADA Human Resources Educator and Technical Assistance Director Diego Demaya told NBC DFW many of those calls appear to originate from veterans who have emotional disorders. Demaya added he is certain that many of the people who call for advice have no legitimate need for a service animal.
That is not news to 26-year-old Jessica Naert, of Denton. Naert, who is legally blind, relies greatly upon the services of her guide dog, Makiko.
Naert said she has been asked to leave businesses no fewer than ten times in recent years, with representatives telling her it is because they have seen so many people try to pass off their unruly pets as properly-trained animals.
I most definitely understand the businesss perspective on this, Naert said. And I think theyre having as much of a problem as people with disabilities with legitimate service dogs are.
There are many reasons why one might seek to benefit from having a service dog. For example, many airlines will allow a pet to fly for free and ride with the passenger if they present a doctor's note claiming the animal is for emotional support. In addition, some hotels will allow pets to stay for free under similar circumstances.
I think that there have to be some steps that are made before this gets better. And I dont know exactly what all those steps are, Naert noted. But I know that something has to be done. And its probably going to get worse before it gets better.
Part of the problem is with online sales of service dog harnesses and service dog certifications it is exceedingly easy to commit this kind of fraud, which is a misdemeanor in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services:
An animal that provides only comfort or emotional support is not considered a service animal. Further, in accordance with Human Resources Code Section 121.006(a), a person who uses a service animal with a harness or leash normally used by people with disabilities who use service animals, in order to represent the animal as a trained service animal when in fact the animal is not a trained service animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and if found guilty, will be punished by a fine of not more than $300 and 30 hours of community service.
Naert noted that given the ability to fake a service dogs outfit and paperwork, the best way to discern the difference is in observation.
There is no real way to tell visibly if she is a legitimate service animal or not by her vest. The way that you can usually tell a service dog for a person with a disability as opposed to a fake service dog is their behavior, she said. Makiko is never going to bark in a restaurant. Shes not going to urinate. Shes going to stay exactly with me.
Complicating matters further for representatives from businesses concerned about the legitimacy of a purported service dog is that only limited inquiries are allowed, according to standards set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
There are two questions that staff may ask: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? And, (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Staff cannot ask about the persons disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task, per the ADA.
The man suspected in the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk during a robbery Saturday is in custody after surrendering to Fort Worth police Wednesday.
Christian Silva, 20, faces a capital murder charge in connection with the slaying of store clerk Jimmy Khela.
Khela was shot and killed Saturday as he worked inside the Pronto Food Store on the 800 block of E. Long Avenue.
Police said Khela was complying with the suspects demands during the robbery, but the suspect shot him anyway.
Khela was well known in the neighborhood and customers said he knew many of them by name.
Silva lived about a half-mile away from the store.
According to police, he may be responsible for other robberies.
A federal judge has denied the latest appeal by one of the three men convicted in the notorious 1998 Jasper dragging death.
The Beaumont Enterprise reports John William King's most recent appeal was turned down last week.
King's attorneys have contended he was not at the crime scene, that a jury convicted the wrong man and the white supremacy group he's been linked to was mischaracterized.
King, sentenced to death in 1999, was one of two white supremacists condemned for the slaying of James Byrd Jr. The 49-year-old black man was chained to the back of a pickup truck and fatally dragged.
Lawrence Russell Brewer, King's co-defendant, was executed in 2011. Shawn Berry, who authorities said drove the truck while Byrd was attached to it, is serving a life-sentence.
Nathaniel Alexander Caldwell, 35, of Wylie, has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to a media release issued Tuesday from Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.
The District Attorney's Office advised that in September 2013, Oklahoma authorities received a tip that Caldwell was sexually abusing a child he knew. Based on that tip, that child was forensically interviewed in October 2013, but made no disclosure of abuse at that time.
In March 2014, a second tip to Oklahoma Child Protective Services again suggested sexual abuse by Caldwell. The child was forensically interviewed a second time and made significant and detailed disclosures about the abuse and when it occurred. The information obtained indicated the sexual abuse occurred in Wylie, Texas, where the child lived previously.
Wylie Police Detective Helen Taylor led an investigation that included employment records showing time frames Caldwell had access to the victim. The victim's medical records were obtained and documented physical complaints by the victim. Each piece of evidence corroborated the victim's outcry of sexual abuse.
The victim testified at trial about the sexual abuse. She was able to recall the details of the assault and said that it hurt her and made her cry.
Senior District Judge Richard Davis found Caldwell guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of six, and sentenced Caldwell to 28 years in prison. Caldwell will not be eligible for parole, and once released must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The deadly attack on Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday was just the latest in the last year, with bombs ripping through central Istanbuls tourist areas and in the capital, Ankara. Kurdish militants were blamed for some of the attacks and the Islamic State for others. Here is a list of recent attacks:
June 7, 2016: Explosives were detonated in a parked car in a central Instabul tourist district on June 7, killing 11 people and wounding others. The bomb exploded as a police shuttle bus drove through an historic district during rush hour and police officers were among those killed.
March 19, 2016: A suicide bomber killed four people, including two Americans, on a street in Istanbul. The Islamic State was responsible, according to Turkey.
March 13, 2016: More than 30 people were killed when a car blew up in a square in Ankara. A Kurdish militant group claimed it had carried out that attack.
Feb. 17, 2016: An explosion in Ankara targeted a military convoy at a traffic light. Twenty-eight soldiers were killed and 60 others were wounded. A Kurdish militant group took responsibility.
Jan. 12, 2016: A member of ISIS from Syria detonated a suicide bomb in Istanbuls historic district, outside the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, a former Byzantine church and Ottoman mosque that is now a museum, authorities said. The bomb killed at least 10 tourists including a group of Germans.
Dec. 23, 2015: A cleaner was killed in an overnight explosion at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport. Kurdish militants later claimed they had carried out a mortar attack.
Oct. 10, 2015: Suicide bombers hit a peace rally in Ankara. At least 95 people were killed. Kurds and leftists were marching to protest the renewal of armed conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants.
Many Americans buy guns to protect their families and homes from criminals, but Redlands police Monday were urging people to remember that the weapons themselves can put a residence on a burglar's radar.
Over the weekend, a thief broke into a home on Walnut Avenue and stole a number of weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle. Redlands police are still looking for a suspect.
The Department of Justice says more than 232,000 guns are stolen on average every year in the United States. Most are never recovered, and many end up being used in crimes.
The Walnut Avenue incident is not the first Redlands weapon theft of late. Investigators in the city said they arrested someone a few months ago on suspicion of stealing weapons. The man said he targeted homes with American flags planted out front.
"He was doing that in the belief that those homes were more likely to have guns in them," Carl Barker, Redlands Police spokesman, said.
Particularly as July Fourth approaches, Redlands police are by no means suggesting that residents stop flying their flags, Barker said.
But they should realize that guns can be as attractive as cash and jewelry to potential burglars, police said. Barker suggested keeping weapons locked in a safe, just in case.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is vowing to get tough on valet parking companies operating illegally without permits and who are taking metered parking spots meant for the public rather than using lots as required by the city.
When they break the law, theyre going to have to actually pay for it, Garcetti told NBC4, when questioned about the citys lax enforcement of the current valet ordinance (which Garcetti sponsored in 2013).
Last month, an NBC4 I-Team undercover investigation exposed how some valets were parking cars at meters, in loading zones, even in red zonesmuch cheaper for the companies than renting space in lots. The I-Team documented how valets at Katsu-ya in Studio City were hogging most of the meters across the street from the restaurant, leaving customers with no choice but to valet park. Down the street at Cocina Condessa restaurant, valets were also caught on camera monopolizing sought-after street parking.
During our investigation, the I-Team also found that many of valet companies didnt have the required permits to park cars, and some individual valets hadnt undergone the required background checks to see if they have criminal records and clean driving records.
Mayor Garcetti now says he would like the City Attorney to prosecute some of these companies.
Were going to hit them either in the pocketbook, or if people have criminal prosecutions, I think that will send a loud and clear message to all that this is unacceptable, Garcetti said.
After his interview with NBC4, Garcetti reportedly called City Attorney Mike Feurer to discuss how to get tough on valets who break the law.
Also in the wake of NBC4s investigation, the LAPD conducted surveillance on several of the valet companies included in our story and issued citations to the valet operations who were operating illegally.
An LAPD detail wrote citations to the valets at Katsu-ya and to the valet company at Cocina Condessa.
But the cops told NBC4 that policing the citys numerous valet companies is an uphill battle.
We do feel outnumbered, said LAPD Detective Corey Harmon.
Case in point Prime Time Parking Services, which the I-Team caught coning off parking meters on Fairfax Avenue, so they and not the public could park cars there. The LAPD moved in and issued a citation to Prime Times head valet. But two weeks later, the I-Team saw the same valet illegally parking cars in the same spot on Fairfax. This time hed affixed a sign to a meter saying motorists would be towed if they used that meter.
We need to do some prosecutions. That will send a message, Mayor Garcetti said.
Its not the first time Garcetti has talked tough about valet companies. In 2009 he told NBC4, referring to rogue valet companies, If you break the law, were going to shut you down.
But so far, the city has never prosecuted a single valet company caught operating illegally without a permit. The cops usually just issue them warnings or 250 dollar citations.
The I-Team asked the manager of Katsu-ya to speak with us. He didnt return our calls. When we approached the manager of Cocina Condessa outside his restaurant, he said he was too busy to talk.
Former D.C. congressman and civil rights activist Walter Fauntroy was arrested Monday on a charge of passing a bad check for $50,000 when he returned to the United States after years abroad, officials said.
Fauntroy, 83, was detained at Washington Dulles International Airport after he arrived from Dubai about 8:15 a.m.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers saw there was an outstanding warrant bearing his name and took him into custody, an agency spokesman said. Fauntroy was accused of fraud, writing a bad check in Prince George's County, Maryland, and failing to appear in court.
The former right-hand man to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been living abroad, and friends and relatives had expressed concerns about his health. He told The Washington Post in a phone interview last week he was coming home and believed the bad-check issue was resolved.
The check was written in the amount of $50,000, according to a representative for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office. It was intended to help pay for a 2009 ball he had organized for President Barack Obama's first inauguration.
Attorney Arthur Reynolds, who is representing Fauntroy in the bad-check case, said Monday he had not yet spoken to Fauntroy and could not comment on the case. He previously said Fauntroy had paid back some but not all of the money.
Fauntroy is being held for Maryland law enforcement in Loudoun County, where part of Dulles is located. He is expected to appear in court Tuesday morning via closed-circuit television.
Fauntroy, who served in Congress for 20 years, helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and founded the Free South Africa movement.
News4 reported in January that Fauntroy's family and friends said the former pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Northwest D.C. had gone missing after traveling extensively through Africa and the Middle East. His wife, Dorothy, told News4 she wanted her husband to come home.
Barnes and others were trying to find Fauntroy and persuade him to to return home. A small group of loved ones also has been preparing to raise money to help pay Fauntroys debts.
According to bankruptcy documents filed in March 2015, Fauntroy had been traveling for years and had little contact with family or friends. Longtime associate Johnny Barnes filed bankruptcy papers on behalf of Fauntroy and his wife to stave off the foreclosure of their home in Northwest D.C.'s Crestwood neighborhood.
Theft arrest 6:12 p.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Christopher Joseph Smith, 21, of Albany was booked, cited and released on a charge of first-degree theft. He was scheduled to appear in court on July 13.
Burglary arrest 10:34 p.m. Sunday, Linn County Jail. Wesley Leon Matney, 27, of Albany, was arrested on charges of second-degree burglary and third-degree theft. His initial bail was set at $6,500.
Elude arrest 12:08 a.m. Saturday, Linn County Jail. Michael Wayne Stewart, 26, of Lebanon, was arrested on charges of attempt to elude (felony), attempt to elude (misdemeanor) and reckless driving, as well as a warrant for failure to appear. A no-bail hold was placed on him at the jail.
Republicans on the House Benghazi Committee harshly faulted the Obama administration Tuesday for lax security and a slow response to the deadly 2012 attacks at the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya. But they produced no new allegations about then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The attacks, which killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, have been repeatedly cited by Republicans as a serious failure by the administration and by Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
But the committee's 800-page report, released by Republican members, offered no "smoking gun" about Clinton's role. Rep. Trey Gowdy, the panel's chairman, has repeatedly said the report was not aimed at her, though Democrats have accused the committee's Republican majority of targeting her throughout.
Campaigning in Denver, Clinton said that it was "time to move on" and that the report had "found nothing, nothing to contradict the conclusions of the independent accountability board or the conclusions of the prior multiple earlier investigations."
The report from the two-year, $7 million investigation severely criticizes the military, CIA and administration officials for their response as the attacks unfolded the night of Sept. 11, 2012, and their subsequent explanation to the American people.
Eight hours after the two assaults began, "Not a single wheel of a single U.S. (military) asset had turned toward Libya," Gowdy, R-S.C.., told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference. "Think about that for a second."
He said military leaders told the committee that they thought an evacuation was imminent, slowing any response.
The Libya attacks became immediate political fodder, given their timing in the weeks before Obama's re-election, and that has not abated despite seven previous congressional investigations. There has been finger-pointing on both sides over security at the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi and whether the White House initially tried to portray the assault as a protest over an offensive, anti-Muslim video, instead of a calculated terrorist attack.
The GOP report offers no major revelations, but that won't quiet the criticism of Clinton from conservatives, likely Republican rival Donald Trump and other detractors. The committee interviewed more than 100 witnesses and reviewed some 75,000 pages of documents, but an almost accidental discovery by the panel last year has overshadowed Clinton's candidacy.
The committee disclosed that Clinton had used a private email server to conduct government business, a practice that is the subject of an FBI investigation.
There was division even among the panel's seven Republicans. Two of them, Mike Pompeo of Kansas and Jim Jordan of Ohio, wrote what amounts to a dissenting report that is far more scathing toward Clinton and Democrats generally.
Pompeo called Clinton's actions in the wake of the attacks "morally reprehensible," and he and Jordan said her public comments about the attacks differed sharply from her private assessments to members of her family and diplomats from other countries.
Gowdy said he was not prepared to pass judgment on Clinton and said that opinions about her do not appear in the panel's report.
"This is not about one person," he said.
Republican insistence that the investigation was not politically motivated was undermined last year when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested that the House committee could take credit for Clinton's then-slumping poll numbers. The remark contributed to McCarthy's failure to win election to House speaker.
The report documents that the U.S. was slow to send help to the Americans "because of an obsession with hurting the Libyans' feelings," Gowdy said. The report also portrays a "series of heroic acts" by Americans under attack.
Military leaders have testified repeatedly that they didn't have intelligence information on what was happening or the resources on alert to respond in time to the two attacks, hours apart.
Committee Democrats released their own report Monday saying that while the State Department's security measures in Benghazi that night were "woefully inadequate," Clinton never personally turned down a request for additional security. Democrats said the military could not have done anything differently that night to save the lives of the Americans.
On Tuesday, the panel's Democrats denounced the Republicans' report as "a conspiracy theory on steroids bringing back long-debunked allegations with no credible evidence whatsoever." The statement added: "Republicans promised a process and report that was fair and bipartisan, but this is exactly the opposite."
The State Department also issued a statement Tuesday, saying that the "essential facts" of the attacks "have been known for some time," and have been the subject of numerous reviews, including one by an independent review board.
Spokesman Mark Toner said the department had implemented most of the recommendations of the independent review board and was continuing to expand security at its facilities and improve its threat assessment.
What to Know One South Florida law enforcement agency is trying to make sure that people party safely this July 4th, including knowing fireworks danger.
This weekend, South Florida residents will be celebrating the Fourth of July Holiday with parties, barbeques and fireworks.
One South Florida law enforcement agency is trying to make sure that people party safely, especially when it comes to when it comes to understanding the dangers of fireworks.
Broward Fire Rescue and the BSO Bomb Squad gave members of the media a chance Tuesday to see those dangers firsthand. Officials showed how the improper use of both illegal fireworks and legal sparklers can cause damage to the person lighting them or those around.
If you want to see fireworks, its best left to the professionals, Sheriff Scott Israel said. The last thing we want to see is a child burned by a sparkler, someone lose fingers, or worse, from fireworks.
Every year, an average of 20,000 fires are started from firework accidents. Sparklers can reach a temperature of nearly 1,200 Fahrenheit, which can cause third degree burns and permanent disfigurement.
In the state of Florida, any item that flies or makes an explosion is considered illegal. Both state and local Fire Marshals are doing routine searches of roadside stands to make sure illegal fireworks arent sold.
What to Know Miami Police are searching for a man they say pointed a gun at an officer early Tuesday morning.
Miami Police have ended their formal search and reopened a section in Little Havana after looking for a man they say pointed a gun at an officer early Tuesday morning.
The incident took place along SW 10th Avenue and 5th Street around 3 AM. Officials say two officers noticed a man looking suspicious as he was wearing no shirt but had a bulge under his arm.
After approaching the man, he dropped what was a handgun wrapped in a shirt.
While being pat down by officers, the man pushed away and pulled out another weapon and pointed it at the officers before running away.
The man in question is described as a White male, possibly Hispanic, in his early 40's. He was wearing no shirt and dark colored pants at the time.
Residents in the area are asked to be on the lookout and anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade CrimeStoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
If you didn't notice the candles on the cake, you'd think Mazie Ford was elderly, but not 110 years old.
"I was born in Philadelphia," Ford told NBC 6. "1906."
Ford, who now calls South Florida home, is older than sliced bread, which was invented in 1928. She's still spry and she's still sharp.
"Five, four people here, three out of four always ask me 'what's your secret?' and you know what I tell them? If I knew I'd be a millionaire, I'd write a book and tell them my secret, sell the book, I don't know," she said.
Ford got married at age 16, she's had two husbands, two children, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. That's a lot of great in one person.
"I had a wonderful life, we had our little ups and downs, I had two wonderful children, thank God they never gave me trouble, police never came to my door," she said.
She took up a new hubby 10 years ago, when she was a youthful 100, knitting bags and infant caps to give away at Memorial Hospital.
As we celebrate her birthday, what's really remarkable is when you think about all the advancements human kind has made in her lifetime. Radio, television, antibiotics, computers, aviation, space exploration, the entire automobile industry.
Ford says she stopped driving at about age 102 or 105, and said her husband used to drive a Model-T.
But when asked what's the most incredible thing she's ever seen in her lifetime, she says it's her own kids.
Two dozen Cuban migrants who reached a lighthouse in the Florida Keys must be sent back to the country, a U.S. District Court in Miami ruled Tuesday afternoon in a 35-page document.
Judge Darrin Gayles' ruling said the 136-year-old American Shoal lighthouse does not count as dry land under the U.S.'s "wet-foot, dry-foot'' policy.
"This is a very sad moment for all of us," immigration advocate Ramon Saul Sanchez said outside the courthouse. "We have had our day in court but we had hopes that freedom would also be enjoyed by these people after they invested so much of their lives."
The attorney for the migrants argued during a June 2nd hearing that they should be allowed to remain in the U.S. because the lighthouse standing in shallow water off the Florida Keys is American territory just as if they had reached dry land.
Attorneys for the federal government, however, said that the American Shoal lighthouse located about 7 miles from Sugarloaf Key is U.S. property but does not equal reaching U.S. shores.
At issue was whether the lighthouse, a historic 109-foot iron structure that was in use from 1880 until 2015, qualified as U.S. territory under the "wet foot, dry foot" policy. Under that policy, Cubans who reach U.S. shores are usually allowed to stay, while those intercepted at sea are generally returned home.
The controversy comes amid a surge in Cuban attempts to migrate from the communist island to the U.S., partly out of fear the favorable policy might change as relations warm between the two Cold War foes. The Coast Guard said attempts by Cubans to reach the U.S. by sea have increased 155 percent in May compared to the same month last year.
The 21 Cuban migrants who reached the lighthouse May 20 stayed there for several hours before they agreed to board a Coast Guard cutter. The lighthouse has a large, eight-room living area once occupied by a keeper and other workers and sits on a submerged reef that was deeded to the U.S. by the state of Florida in the 1870s, according to testimony Thursday.
"This is a federal building, on federal land, in federal territory," said Kendall Coffey, a former Miami U.S. attorney who is among the migrants' lawyers. "We believe they are entitled to not being repatriated" to Cuba.
According to the judge's order, two more migrants were spotted on the lighthouse, and a third was found in the water nearby.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dexter Lee said the Coast Guard had made a reasonable decision that the lighthouse did not equal U.S. shores and urged U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles not to overturn it. He said it is too far to stretch the definition of "dry land" to include a lighthouse located on a Florida Straits reef, where the water is 4 feet deep at low tide.
"Just because the government owns a lighthouse does not mean it is dry land. It is surrounded by water. It is built on submerged land. It is not dry land," Lee said. "Somebody who wants to journey to the United States wants to get to dry land."
In 2006, a different Miami federal judge ruled that Cubans who reached a portion of the abandoned Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys that was no longer connected to land still qualified as "dry foot" because the structure was U.S. territory. That ruling could play a key role in the lighthouse case, attorneys said.
The Supreme Court Monday vacated the corruption conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, raising new questions about how three major political corruption cases in New York and New Jersey could be prosecuted.
In the McDonnell case, the justices voted 8-0 to narrow the definition of the kind of acts needed to prove corruption and to require that prosecutors must show the public official made a conscious decision to act.
The ruling called the governors actions distasteful or worse, but still sent the case back to the 4th Circuit to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant a new trial under the narrower definition of corruption.
Our concern is not with tawdry tales of Ferraris, Rolexes and ball gowns. It is instead with the broader legal implications of the governments boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. A more limited interpretation of the term official act leaves ample room for prosecuting corruption, while comporting with the text of the statute and the precedent of this court.
The ruling said in part that it is a crime if prosecutors can show the official entered into an agreement to act in exchange for the gifts.
The ruling could be good news for embattled Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who was charged with corruption for allegedly accepting gifts like free vacations from a Florida eye doctor. Prosecutors said he used his office to try to help that doctor with business deals and to pressure officials who were reviewing allegations of Medicare funding abuses by the doctor.
Former independent counsel Robert Ray said the Supreme Court decision Monday could be seen as good news for the senator.
"I dont think it will gut the governments case but it will just make it more difficult to prove Menendez guilty," Ray said.
Menendez was already appealing to have the case thrown out under a different standard the Constitutions Speech or Debate clause. His lawyer Abbe Lowell said the new ruling could also benefit the senator.
The Supreme Court made clear again today that the everyday actions of public officials like setting up meetings, making phones calls and advocating for people, issues or causes is not a crime. We are looking at the language of the Court as against the issues in our case because it appears that the Supreme Court has now significantly narrowed the law.
A Justice Department spokesman, Mark Abueg, declined to comment on the Menendez case.
Legal expert Ray said he also expects the convictions of former New York state Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver (D-NY) and former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos (Rspe-Nassau) to be vacated by an appeals court under the new corruption standards set by the Supreme Court.
Ray said to expect both convicted politicians to get new trials because the jury were now likely defective that corruption may have been defined to the jury too broadly in those cases.
A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, "While we are reviewing the McDonnell decision, the official actions that led to the convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos fall squarely within the definition set forth by the Supreme Court today."
An attorney for Skelos declined to comment.
Silvers attorney said, The Supreme Courts unanimous decision today in the McDonnell case makes clear that federal government has gone too far in prosecuting state officials for conduct that is part of the everyday functioning of those in elected office. The McDonnell decision will be central to Mr. Silvers appeal.
McDonnell, a Republican, was accused of taking $175,000 in cash and gifts which were legal under Virginia state law at the time. McDonnell arranged meetings and attended events with the businessman who gave him the gifts.
McDonnells lawyers had argued there was no quid pro quo and thus there was no corruption.
What to Know A 5-year-old boy accidentally shot his young brother with his mother's gun
The 4-year-old victim died hours after the shooting
His mother is charged with a weapons violation and endangering the welfare of a child
The mother of a 4-year-old boy who was accidentally shot and killed by his 5-year-old brother as the older boy played with a gun in their New Jersey home wept in court as she pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and other charges.
Wearing a pink jumpsuit, Itiyanah Spruill, 22, looked woefully at the ceiling, crying, during her arraignment Tuesday. She did not speak, nor did relatives.
Spruill's attorney asked if her client could attend the funeral for her son, who underwent surgery for a head wound after being shot by his brother Saturday.
Authorities say the gun belonged to Spruill, who was home at the time of the shooting. It's not clear how the child got hold of the weapon.
A judge will decide later this week if Spruill can attend her son's funeral.
Harney County covers more than 10,000 square miles of eastern Oregon; it's the largest county in the state.
With only about 7,100 residents, it also has fewer than one resident per square mile.
So it's a fair bet that the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by activists protesting federal land policies will be the talk of the county for some time. You don't recover from this sort of event overnight.
In fact, some chapters of the takeover saga remain to be written: Most of the two dozen defendants arrested in the wake of the occupation, including leader Ammon Bundy, await trial in Portland beginning Sept. 7.
And residents of the county are scheduled to vote today on a referendum to recall County Judge Steve Grasty, who for the past 18 years has been the county's top administrative official. Backers of the recall effort point to Grasty's refusal to allow Bundy from holding a public meeting in a county building. Bundy apparently wanted to use the public setting to explain his side of the takeover.
Grasty said that the request didn't fit with the county's policy on public safety.
But the request was ludicrous on its face, and Grasty was completely right to turn it down, for a couple of additional reasons: First and foremost, Bundy and his followers were in the middle of an illegal occupation at a federal wildlife refuge at the time they made a request. Let's say these people were in the middle of robbing a bank: You wouldn't give them a venue on government property to explain their actions: "We're, uh, robbing this bank because, uh, that's where the money is. No further questions."
Second, it's not exactly as if the refuge occupiers and their supporters were silent about the reasons behind the occupation. We are hard-pressed to think of another recent crime in which the parties were so vociferous about talking about it: In fact, the occupiers seemed to miss few opportunities to chat about their doings, whether in press conferences, Facebook posts, tweets, videos every available medium except carrier pigeon. In fact, the record they left behind is now being gleefully pored over by prosecutors while defense attorneys ponder how to defend a case with so much documentation provided voluntarily by their clients. In fact, defense attorneys probably are grateful that Grasty turned them down; it's one less appearance they need to worry about.
So Grasty understands that the recall election isn't about this one action: Rather, it's a referendum on how the county handled the entire crisis.
Let's be blunt: An event of this magnitude would stretch the resources of any Oregon county, let alone a county of some 7,000 people. From our perspective, Harney County did as well as it could have hoped, in part thanks to leaders like Grasty and Sheriff David Ward. Both have come in for criticism, but most of that criticism has come from people who are sympathetic to the land issues that prompted the takeover in the first place and which have long simmered throughout Western states.
We have our issues as well with how the federal government has managed its lands, but criminal activity won't do anything to deal with those.
It would be a shame if Harney County voters did anything but give Grasty a big vote of confidence for how he and other county leaders worked, in the most difficult of circumstances, to hold their county together and uphold the rule of law. (mm)
What to Know Tayloni Mazyck was 11 years old when she was struck in the throat by a stray bullet outside her Brooklyn home in 2013
Despite battling PTSD and depression from the shooting that left her paralyzed, she graduated middle school with honors Monday
The gunman in the shooting was sentenced last year to 17 years in prison
A Brooklyn girl who became paralyzed three years ago when she was shot while outside her family's apartment building is celebrating a huge victory.
Tayloni Mazyck, now 14, graduated from her middle school in Harlem with honors, at the top of her class, despite having had to battle depression and PTSD from the night she was struck in the neck by a stray bullet outside her Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment building in June 2013.
She also spoke at the commencement ceremony Monday and shared her story about how much she's overcome.
"Believe that you can succeed, and you will," she said. "Understand that having problems is not an excuse to give up -- just an opportunity to fight harder and win," Mazyck told her classmates while in a wheelchair.
"I won today," she said. "Today, I am a winner. My mishap does not define me. It does not limit me. It just helps the fighter in me stay alive."
Mazyck, then 11, was waiting for her aunt outside her home when a stray bullet pierced her throat, ricocheting down her spine before lodging in her back. She was about to graduate from the fifth grade at the time.
Kane Cooper was sentenced to 17 years in prison last year in the shooting. Prosecutors said he had been aiming at members of a rival gang.
What to Know A woman and her father were found dead in their Springfield home Monday afternoon
The woman's 27-year-old son was taken into custody the day after the bodies were found
A source familiar with the investigation said there was "blood in every room"
A 27-year-old New Jersey man has been arrested on murder and weapons charges in the stabbing deaths of his mother and grandfather, prosecutors say.
Police detained James Brown at a restaurant in Springfield Tuesday morning, less than a day after authorities found the bodies of 51-year-old Roth Brown and her 79-year-old father, Thomas Brown.
A source familiar with the investigation said the father and daughter were likely stabbed to death on Friday. Police discovered their bodies while doing a welfare check at their home on Meckes Street in Springfield Monday afternoon.
There was blood in virtually every room of the home, the source said. Both victims had multiple stab wounds.
The Union County prosecutor's office said Brown was apprehended when two Mountainside Police officers saw him walking along Route 22 near the border of Mountainside and Springfield.
He remains in Union County Jail on $2 million bail. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. He's expected to appear in court in the next few days.
Family friends remembered James Brown as a troubled young man.
"There was one incident that my niece witnessed where he kind of threatened the grandmother Roth's mother with a machete," said Chuck Hackley.
But "he wasn't a disruptive kid," said Hackley. "He'd walk around the neighborhood, walk around quiet, had like a dazed look."
Hackley was a lifelong friend of Roth, from when they were kids.
"Apparently she didn't show up for work (Monday morning), so someone reached out with concern," he said.
Detectives interviewed neighbors and combed a nearby backyard, staying quiet about who or what they were looking for.
"It's just surreal, it's just unbelievable right now," said Hackley.
What to Know At least three explosions rocked an airport in Turkey Tuesday, killing dozens and wound more than 100 people.
There is no specific threat to NYC, but police are on alert. A Turkish community in Queens was reeling as news of the attacks came in.
Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants
New York City police say they're monitoring developments in Istanbul after a Turkish TV station reported the Istanbul governor said at least three explosions rocked the city's Ataturk hub, killing 36 people and wounding at least 140 others.
An NYPD spokesman said there is no specific threat to the city, and the department has already been on high alert, with security tight across New York. Extra police were seen at the Turkish consulate on the East Side Tuesday night.
Port Authority, which oversees the city's three major airports, say they've added high-visibility patrol officers equipped with tactical weapons at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports. The agency had already added counterterrorism patrols at facilities following the Orlando nightclub massacre.
The Federal Aviation Administration instituted a ground stop for all U.S. register aircraft with flights into Turkey as a precaution.
Passengers landing in New York City on one of the last flights out of Istanbul reflected on leaving just hours before the deadly attack.
"I'm glad I'm here. We are safe, you know," said Wagid Iqbao.
"We didn't hear anything till we landed in the U.S.," said Phillip Ozturk of Istanbul. "It's so bad."
In Sunnyside, Queens, a neighborhood with a large Turkish community, Turks were reeling.
"I called some friends, and they just canceled their traveling there. The feel is not good. Hard to answer, hard to say anything right now," said Hakan Durantas.
"It's been happening all over, like on the other sides by the eastern area near the Iraq-Syria border," said Sezii Cetin, a former high school teacher.
Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told Turkey's NTV television three suicide bombers carried out the attack.
Another official said the attackers blew themselves up before entering the x-ray security check at the airport entrance.
Turkish airports have security checks at both at the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
Roads around the airport were sealed off for regular traffic after the attack and several ambulances could be seen driving back and forth.
The private DHA news agency said the wounded, among them police officers, were being transferred to Bakirkoy State Hospital.
Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.
The bombings included two in Istanbul targeting tourists which the authorities have blamed on the Islamic State group.
The attacks have increased in scale and frequency, scaring off tourists and hurting the economy, which relies heavily on tourism revenues.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
The largest carrier at the airport is Turkish Airlines, which operates a major hub there. Low-cost Turkish carrier Onur Air is the second-largest airline there.
What to Know Black rat snakes are not venomous
They will attack if threatened by a predator, but prefer to avoid confrontation
The reptiles can grow to up to 6 feet
A 4-foot-long snake gave a Queens business owner and his wife a scare Tuesday, but no one was hurt.
Tony Lin and his wife were working on shipment orders at the import/export business in Woodside when they saw a long snake slither through the office.
One worker said the scaly sight triggered screams.
Lin imports products from China; it's not clear if the snake was a stowaway or a New York native. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, the reptile is a black rat snake, which is not venomous but will attack if threatened.
Black rat snakes, which grow up to 6 feet, are found from New England south through Florida, west through Texas and north again to southern Wisconsin, according to the National Zoo. They eat mostly rodents and kill their prey by constriction.
Rat snakes are known for producing a foul-smelling musk they release on potential predators if picked up. They prefer to avoid confrontation.
Police removed the uninvited guest from Lin's office without incident.
A 10-year-old child kidnapped from a Dallas home Monday afternoon has been found safe, according to his family and police. [[384586291,R]]
The child, identified as Nicholas Fierros Jr., was visiting relatives at a home in the 800 block of Buick Avenue when three men dressed in black and wearing masks forced their way in at about 12:30 p.m. and demanded money at gunpoint, police said.
"They were like, 'Where's the money? Where's the money?'" said Nicholas' cousin, 14-year-old Janet Cabrales. "I was like, 'There's no money here.'"
Cabrales said she hid and called 911, begging the operator to talk softly.
"I was like, 'Will you please quiet down because I'm scared they're going to get me and kill me,'" Cabrales said.
The gunmen restrained Cabrales' mother with duct tape, while two other young relatives hid elsewhere in the home, police said. The gunmen then took Nicholas with them when they fled.
"One said, 'Hey grab the boy. The cops are coming,'" Cabrales said.
Dallas Police issued an endangered missing child alert and asked for the public's help with the investigation.
NEW: Police are bringing in search dogs to look for 10-year-old abducted Dallas boy Nicholas Fierros @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/9Cmh9NVnK8 ScottGordonNBC5 (@ScottGordonNBC5) June 28, 2016
At about 7:15 p.m. a citizen passerby located Nicholas in the area of Ann Arbor Avenue and Frio Drive, and called police.
Police transported Nicholas to the Dallas Child Advocacy Center to be interviewed, and he will be reunited with his family.
"I actually feel pretty good now that he's here with us," Cabrales said. "I'm thankful for all the people who prayed for Nick."
Dallas police issued an Amber Alert for 10-year-old Nicholas Fierros Jr. on Monday afternoon. Police say he was taken during a robbery at gunpoint from a home in the 800 block of Buick Avenue.
[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
A pregnant woman shot in the face by errant gunfire. An elderly man riddled with rifle rounds. Boys and girls ripped apart by rocket propelled grenades.
Afghanistans civilians are being injured and killed in greater numbers now than any time since the beginning of the U.S.-led war in late 2001. It's the result of fighting between the Taliban and government security forces, which has escalated since the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The Emergency Surgical Center in Kabul is where many of wounded come to heal, often from villages and towns across the provinces surrounding the capital. Their injuries are often similar: a bullet or shard of hot metal has torn through the bodies, piercing internal organs, breaking bones, destroying limbs.
For two months last fall, photographer Victor J. Blue documented the latest fighting seasons toll. Click through to see those images (WARNING: Some images are graphic).
A Good Samaritan and a police officer sprung into action when someone tossed a kitten from the window of a moving car on the Walt Whitman Bridge last week.
Jean Finizio was headed to work in New Jersey when she saw a kitten running in the median of the bridge.
"We were inching along the bridge when I saw the kitten, I almost didn't believe what I saw," explains Finizio, who then pulled over to try and get the kitten to jump into her car. She heard the cat crying from outside the car and when she got out to locate the kitten, she found it clinging her back tire.
Delaware River Port Authority Officer Richie Ridolfi coincidentally happened to be crossing the bridge headed toward Philadelphia at the same time a call was made about a kitten being thrown from a car window.
"I'm the biggest animal lover," Ridolfi said. "As soon as I get a call about any animal on the bridge, I'm the first person to get there."
Ridolfi sprung into action and found Finizio in the middle of the bridge. The two were going to do whatever it took to get the kitten to safety.
Police Officer, Samaritan Rescue Kitten Tossed from Moving Car
Finizio explained to Ridolfi that as she pulled over on the bridge to avoid hitting the kitten, the small, frightened animal jumped into her tire well.
"I laid on the ground, in the middle of the bridge, under the car trying to reach for the cat, but she must have gotten scared and she ended up crawling into the undercarriage," Ridolfi recounted.
After the unsuccessful rescue, traffic began to build, and the group decided it would be best to move the car to the end of the bridge to retrieve the kitten.
"I had a police escort all the way to the Camden service station but I was so scared of what could happen to the kitten, I could hear it crying from the engine," said Finizio, "It's unnerving, I'm a cat lover and the last thing I wanted was to hurt it."
After reaching a parking lot at the end of the bridge, the group was able to rescue the kitten from the car's undercarriage.
After getting a few cute photos to share the story, Finizio and Ridolfi agreed the little kitten needed to be checked out and find a good home.
"I took her to Philadelphia Animal Hospital to make sure she was not injured or sick, and I took a few photos to post on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in adopting the her," said Ridolfi, who offered to pay for all of the vet fees in return for a good home for the kitten.
The kitten, appropriately named "Bridgette," is now living comfortably at her new home.
Police have not tracked down the person responsible for throwing the kitten from the car.
Growing concerns over tainted water pushed Horsham Township leaders in a direction they boast could make their drinking water some of the safest in the country among communities dealing with PFC contamination.
PFCs or perfluorinated chemicals including PFOA and PFOS were found in the townships private and public water supplies. The unregulated chemicals are in firefighting foam used for decades at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base.
Council adopted a measure Monday night they say should reduce the level of those unregulated chemicals in the public water supply to 1 part per trillion by the end of the year. The Environmental Protection Agencys lifetime exposure advisory level for PFOA and PFOS combined is 70 parts per trillion.
The bad news is the U.S. government contaminated our water. The good news is the U.S. government contaminated our water and theyre not going anywhere, said Township Manager Bill Walker addressing residents invited to hear what the township and Horshams Water and Sewer Authority (HWSA) were doing to address the wave of frustration and fear.
The vote came after a night of sometimes contentious but mostly civil discussion and comments from residents.
It just seems like it takes a long time before anythings really getting done, and thats why were confused, said Bill Gaida, explaining his family was told in 2014 the water was safe and reassured again last year by the township that everything was fine. Weve had four cancers in our family since we came here. . .This is a big concern. I dont think its gonna go away.
Gaida, 75 and his wife Kay have lived in Horsham for fifty years. Shes survived three cancers and the couples son, Chris battled testicular cancer when he was 26. He wasnt satisfied with the nights outcome. Its kind of odd that 20 people died in the neighborhood of cancer, he said. Many residents are worried the contamination has or could lead to health problems. PFCs are connected to several cancers, high cholesterol and reproductive issues. Chris wants mandatory blood testing for all residents, mandatory soil testing and monthly water testing. And for all those tests to be public knowledge, said Chris, frustrated because he hasnt been given historical data requested on test results for water contaminants.
We are strongly cautioning people, if there is blood testing of levels, understand that once you get your number, theres a gap and people cant tell you what that number means, said Township Solicitor Mary Eberle, who said the state wont pay for the tests and the federal government hasnt answered Horshams request for funding, but that information could come in the next three weeks. Understand that the results may not have much meaning at this point, but could be a great database going forward.
Horsham has 15 public wells. Five were taken offline in May when the EPAs new advisory came out. Walker and HWSA Business Manager Tina ORourke presented several remediation options. Each included re-mediating the 5 contaminated wells and bringing them back online with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters. Council adopted the most stringent option which calls for re-mediating a 6th well and buying 1.2 million gallons of water a day, but only from North Wales. Right now Horsham gets reimbursed by the Navy for 400K gallons a day from Aqua and another 400K from North Wales. ORourke said the Aqua water has PFC levels of 12 ppt. Thats low compared to the new advisory, but still higher than what the township could achieve if they stop using it.
Once implemented, this new filtration system would cost about $1.2 million a year.
Horsham leaders adamantly agree the military caused the contamination and should pay for the cleanup, Walker said.
So we will be lobbying and pressuring the United States Navy and Air Force and any federal and state agency for funding above and beyond what the Navy is paying for currently, Walker said, adding theyd also seek other federal and state funding sources and even consider an online petition, if needed, for residents to sign.
So far, the Navy has tested 290 private wells in the township. Seventy-six of those are above the lifetime health advisory level. For those residents, the Navy is supplying bottled water until they can hook them up to the public water supply and shut off their contaminated wells.
The Navy plans to test 100 additional private wells by the end of July and in the next two weeks, a private company hired by the township will conduct a random sampling of in-home testing for residents and businesses. Theyre asking for volunteers on the public water supply system wholl allow an outside company to test water out of their tap. Results get posted on the townships website.
In an effort to help residents get more of their health-related questions answered, Walker announced a Town Hall panel discussion is planned for August 15. Anyone can attend and talk with toxicology experts, environmental scientists and health experts. Start time is 6:30 p.m. in the Hatboro-Horsham high school auditorium.
Richard Kraft has lived in Horsham for 41 years. He thinks the township needs the power and influence of a firm like Weitz and Luxenberg whose environmental attorneys meet with the community Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Upper Moreland High Schools auditorium.
We need to become pit bulls. We need to get tough here or were gonna get walked on. Weve already been walked on, Kraft said. Only one number should matter, he argued. Zero deaths per thousand.
A rowhouse in North Philadelphia caved in overnight while a pregnant woman, a child and other people were inside.
It started with a leak through the roof, house manager Kenyatta I. Lusk told reporters, and then about 1 a.m., the roof of the rowhouse partially collapsed, falling into the second floor and causing damage throughout the house. Water poured through the roof and floors into buckets around the house.
Lusk, whose bedroom took the brunt of the collapse, said the house, on Atlantic Street near 24th in the Tioga neighborhood, had been in good shape prior to the leak. He was not home at the time of the collapse.
"Before this happened, everything was up to code, the landlord was on top of everything, not a slumlord," Lusk said. "When I got here, there was water coming down ... and it just fell apart."
Lusk said a woman who is seven months pregnant and a 9-year-old child with Down syndrome were inside at the time, and that three other adults, including himself, also live there.
He said there were not any very serious injuries, but that his sister who was in the house at the time suffered a fall and was waiting to be checked out by medics.
"Very scary," Lusk said.
"I was just grateful I wasn't home, and then my concern was for the rest of the house," he continued.
The Red Cross assisted the displaced people. The Red Paw Relief Team also responded to help with a cat and kittens in the house at the time. Inspectors from the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections responded to the scene to investigate.
A Philadelphia man accused of shooting his new wife through her chest with a crossbow, killing her, faced arraignment overnight.
A judge denied bail for Paul Kuzan, 41, who is charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and related offenses in the killing of his wife, 42-year-old Pamela Nightlinger. The couple had just married on June 17, according to Philly.com.
Kuzan is no stranger to law enforcement. Police said officers have responded to the couple's home, on the 3100 block of Willits Road in Northeast Philadelphia, in the past for domestic disputes. Court records show that Kuzan was arrested last year for patronizing prostitutes and sentenced to a probation term after pleading no contest to the charge.
Kuzan's record also shows an arrest in 2002 for simple assault and reckless endangerment. Kuzan was not convicted of those charges.
Police said Nightlinger's killing happened shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday night after a domestic dispute between her and Kuzan. At some point during the dispute, police said, Kuzan shot Nightlinger in the chest with the crossbow, sending the bolt straight through her body, through a couch and into the wall.
Nightlinger managed to stumble to her neighbor's house, where she collapsed in the doorway in a pool of blood. She died a short time later at a nearby hospital, and police arrested Kuzan without incident at the house.
Neighbor Margie Maldonado, whose home Nightlinger ran to after she was gravely wounded, said Kuzan stood naked in his doorway as his wife lay dying, muttering "crazy things." The man then went back into his home as if "nothing happened," Maldonado said.
Residents of the area said Kuzan had recently been acting oddly and that Sunday night was not the first time he walked out of his home naked.
He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in the case July 13.
A former employee at a private Montgomery County elementary school is accused of sexually assaulting a student. Marcus Forte, 40, of Warrington, Pennsylvania, is charged with sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor and other related offenses.
The investigation began back on June 7 after officials determined that Forte, a former IT employee at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy in Spring House, Pennsylvania inappropriately touched a 13-year-old girl who attends the school.
Officials say they searched through the girls cellphone and found messages between her and Forte that were sent between December 22, 2015 and January 20, 2016. Forte allegedly told the girl, Hi! Be my friend because youre my favorite and I love you! He also allegedly told the girl to come visit more often so I can give you more hugs and smoochesand candy of course. Police say Forte then messaged the girl his number and told her, Now you can text me if you need me.
Investigators say Forte texted the girl several times after that. The girls therapist also told police she saw some of the text messages between her and Forte, including one alleged exchange on April 4.
You took the hugs to the extreme today, the girl texted Forte, according to a criminal complaint.
Are you upset? Forte allegedly replied.
Police say the girl then replied, Yes and included an emoji after that. Forte then allegedly texted, I dont know what that means. So you dont like my extreme hugging? The girl then replied, No, according to the criminal complaint.
The girl later told investigators that she was home sick from school back on April 4.
Home sick, the girl texted Forte, according to the complaint.
Come to my house and snuggle, Forte allegedly replied.
Investigators say Forte then picked the girl up from her home that day and the two went to Starbucks. He then drove the girl back to her home, according to the complaint. The girl told police she repeatedly told Forte bye but he followed her as she entered her house, investigators said.
Forte then allegedly started touching the girl and tickling her. Forte then forced himself on top of her, groped her and forcibly kissed her, according to officials. The girl told police she then left and went to the kitchen but Forte followed her. He then allegedly groped and forcibly kissed her once again. The girl told police Forte finally left when she told him her mom was on the way.
The girl also told investigators Forte kissed her on six different occasions in his office when he worked as an IT Technician at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy.
Investigators also say the girl spoke with Forte on the phone on June 15 about his alleged assaults.
Im not doing it for me [deleting text messages], Im doing it for you so you dont get in trouble for touching me, the girl told Forte, according to the criminal complaint.
Police say the girl told Forte that she wanted an apology. He allegedly responded by saying, Im sorry for anything you think may have happened.
Ah, no, the girl said, according to the complaint. Thats not the apology I want. I want the apology for you touching me in places that I didnt need to be touched and that I didnt ask for.
Forte allegedly replied by saying, Im very sorry [for] that if I did that to you.
The girl then replied, If you did it? Because I know you did it, according to investigators.
I know and Im apologizing, Forte allegedly said.
In a second conversation on June 21, the girl tried to get Forte to admit that he kissed her and gave her extreme hugs, according to the criminal complaint.
Well I mean I wouldnt really put that into the context.thatsyou know what I mean? Thats not really the context of what happened, Forte allegedly replied.
He then allegedly told the girl she shouldnt take their hugs out of context because thats dangerous.
When asked what taken out of context, meant, Forte allegedly told the girl, Well I think we know why, you know what I mean? I think you know why. Were worlds apart in a lot of ways. I think its something that wed be better off talking about in person, not over the phone. You know?
During an interview with police on June 23, Forte claimed he inadvertently touched the girls bare breast at her house during what he described as, extreme hugging, according to the criminal complaint. Forte also allegedly admitted the girl was in his office behind a closed door while he worked at Gwynedd Mercy Academy.
Forte was arraigned Monday with bail set at $500,000. He was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8.
A spokesperson for Gwynedd-Mercy Academy sent NBC10 the following statement on Forte.
Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary was saddened to learn about allegations against one of its former staff members, Mark Forte, which resulted in his recent arrest involving alleged contact with one of its students. We were originally informed that the alleged event occurred at a private residence two months after Mr. Fortes departure from the school. However, we were recently informed that some of the alleged contact also occurred while Mr. Forte was employed at the school. Mr. Fortes departure was not based on a matter involving any contact or issue with students.
Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary wants to assure parents and guardians that the safety and security of their children are its primary concern. The welfare and well-being of the children placed in our trust is paramount. Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary will fully cooperate with the police, and we will continue to keep all concerned in our prayers.
A Philadelphia Police officer was arrested after he allegedly robbed two men in Bristol Township.
Officer Michael Winkler, 36, was arrested and charged with robbery, theft, false imprisonment and other related offenses. Investigators say the 16-year veteran assigned to Phillys 15th District went to the 700 block of Newportville Road in Bristol Township while on duty and in an unmarked city vehicle back on May 5. Officer Winkler then allegedly got into a business dispute with men who were inside a parked vehicle in the area.
Investigators say Winkler had hired the men to work at one of his properties and lured them there that day after promising them more money and pizzas. When they arrived however Winkler allegedly demanded that one of the men give him all of the money in his pockets and then stole $38 from him.
Winkler was arrested by Bristol Township police on Friday. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross suspended him for 30 days with the intent to dismiss.
Floats at this years Wawa Welcome America! Parade will have unique looks, focusing on historic moments in time like the 40th anniversary of the Gay News and a bi-centennial float for the African Methodist Episcopal church.
Parade goers can also look out for Miss America on the Wawa Military Alliance float which is dedicated to people who have worked at Wawa and served in the Military. An NBC10 float will have a 78th army band as well as our on-air personalities and a XOXO Philly Float will bring the message of visit Philly to life.
Todd Marcocci, parade producer and artistic director, revealed some fireworks and parade secrets to look out for during this weekends Wawa Welcome America Festival.
Marcocci and his team worked year round to plan, audition, and gather groups from all around the country to create a procession that reflects a monumental day in the nations history.
An expected 4,000 people will gather at 5th and Chestnut streets to take part in the historic story of the Declaration of Independence.
The parade marchers have the opportunity to pass through the footprints of our forefathers as brave patriots did 240 years ago on the actual holiday itself, Marcocci said. The groups that come from far away are overwhelmed because they get to march right in front of the Independence Day Museum where it all started.
The Wawa Welcome America Fireworks will be coupled with musical soundtracks to enhance the experience.
On July 1 the fireworks are in honor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The fireworks will be paired with a soundtrack that includes a piece from every conductor over the years from the Philadelphia orchestra. July 2 Fireworks will highlight the different artists in Philadelphia with the help of DJ Jerry Blavat who helped create the soundtrack .
Finally, July 4th will honor the history of the Declaration of Independence. It will include recordings of Martin Luther King Jr., The Star Spangled Banner sung by Jennifer Houston, quotes from President Obama about Selma and Seneca Falls, words from the late Maya Angelou and end with a salute to armed forces with a rendition of "God Bless America."
Fireworks used to be created without any purpose. Now, the music pushes the energy of the fireworks into the sky. There are three different shows with three different moods. This is art, Marcocci said.
What to Know 3 toddlers have died since 2014 after Ikea's MALM dressers fell over on them
The recall will extend to millions of dressers, some of which were bought 10 years ago
About a year ago, Ikea announced a repair program to address the dressers falling onto children
Updated information about the recall can be found here.
Ikea will recall a line of chests and dressers after the deaths of three toddlers in two years, the company confirmed Monday.
The company will offer full refunds or store credit to anyone who ever bought one of its MALM line dressers, and it will also stop selling them, Philly.com reported. The company told NBC News Monday night that it was issuing a recall.
"We are announcing this recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child. It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," Ikea representative Christina Kaiser said in a statement Monday.
The recall will extend to millions of dressers, according to Philly.com, some of which were bought more than 10 years ago. The recall applies to the 27 million products addressed by a 2015 repair program, plus additional units.
Ikea has confirmed the deaths of three toddlers since 2014 after the furniture maker's Malm dressers tipped over and crushed them a 2-year-old Pennsylvania boy, a 23-month-old Washington state child and a 22-month-old Minnesota boy. It has also said it received more than a dozen reports of incidents, four of which resulted in injury and both the furniture maker and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have acknowledged the dressers are dangerous if not properly anchored to a wall.
Last year, Ikea announced a repair program that offered a free kit to help secure the dressers to the wall. The kit included tip-over restraints, wall anchoring hardware and warning labels to be attached to the furniture. It has distributed 300,000 already, according to a news release.
The recall agreement was expected to be officially announced Tuesday by Ikea and the CPSC, Philly.com reported, citing a source from a federal agency. The CPSC did not comment.
Ikea told NBC News it was no longer selling Malm chests and drawers, and urged families who already own one to anchor them to a wall.
"If they're not, please take them out of a room that children can access because it could be a danger, and make sure that you contact Ikea to (have) a free repair kit sent to your home," Ikea USA president Lars Peterson said.
The American Red Cross apologized Tuesday amid backlash over a sign it created on swim safety guidelines for children that was perceived as racist, NBCBLK reported.
The apology came after a photo circulated of the poster on social media. The poster, which was seen on display at pools in at least two towns in Colorado, read at the top: "Be Cool, Follow the Rules." Below the heading were depictions of children playing. The white children were labeled as behaving "cool" while children of color were depicted as misbehaving, or "not cool," for breaking pool safety rules.
The Red Cross said it has discontinued the production of the poster and removed it from its website and Swim App.
"We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone," the organization said. "As one of the nation's oldest and largest humanitarian organizations, we are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do, every day."
Thousands of mayflies have taken over a bridge in central Illinois, creating a traffic nightmare for commuters trying to make their way across the city.
The Havana Police Department warned drivers of a massive mayfly swarm on its Facebook page Monday morning, posting two photos that showed the bridge over the Illinois River and a local squad car blanketed by the bugs.
At one point the mound of insects piled 6 inches high, according to the post, making for slick and dangerous roadways for vehicles trying to make their way through the mess.
There were already motorcycle accidents due to this and cars stuck in the center of the bridge, police said.
Newly winged mayflies will emerge from the waters where they live until adulthood in droves when triggered by the right temperature, according to The Wall Street Journal. The insects then die within a few days.
The City of Havana Street Department and IDOT are working to get the mayflies under control, authorities said.
[NATL] Unbelievable Animal Stories: Dog Befriends Abandoned Baby Giraffe
Rescuers tried in vain Monday to free a blue whale from a life-threatening tangle of fishing line off the coast of Southern California.
A whale-watching cruise noticed the distressed 60-foot whale Monday morning about 3 miles off Dana Point.
"The tail was being held down by [fishing] traps hanging down below the whale," said rescuer Tom Southern of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari.
Officials believe the same animal was spotted Sunday some 30 miles off the San Diego shoreline, according to Michael Milstein with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
"It's trailing the same type of gear," Milstein said.
Rescuer David Anderson, who owns an Orange County whale-watching business, said 200 feet of thin line from a crab pot was wrapped either around a flipper or the whale's mouth.
A fisherman called authorities about the whale near San Diego, but it was too far away to attempt a rescue, Milstein said. The whale was closer to shore Monday and crews tried for hours to cut it loose.
"We got pretty close," said Southern. "I would say we were within 6 inches."
Repeated efforts to cut the line with a knife-tipped pole failed. The whale finally dove out of sight shortly before night fall.
"The whale decided he had enough, vanished," Southern said.
A transponder buoy attached to the whale was cut off during the rescue attempt. Anderson said his boat will look out for the animal Tuesday, which will become exhausted and die if the line isn't removed. Southern agreed the outlook was grim.
"If they find the whale tomorrow, great, it has a chance, but the odds of it surviving are very small," he explained.
Whale entanglements have been a growing problem in California, according to Kristen Monsell, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. Even though crab season ends this week, data from last year showed entanglements continuing all summer and peaking in September, Monsell said.
"We're concerned that lost gear is contributing to this problem," she said.
Reports of West Coast whale entanglement this year are on pace to break records for the third straight year, she added.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
Small-business owners looking for insight into how to work with the government may glean some information at the Gold Coast conference in August.
The National Defense Industrial Association will present its 28th Navy Gold Coast Small Business Procurement Event Aug. 23-24 at the San Diego Convention Center. The theme of the conference is The Business of Innovation.
Invited speakers include several U.S. Navy officials, including Undersecretary Janine A. Davidson as well as procurement leaders.
Also in attendance will be retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, CEO of the National Defense Industrial Council.
The Pentagon has several programs to bring small businesses into the military acquisition process.
Conference organizers say there will be matchmaking events for those looking for business partners.
Information on the conference is available on the web at www.NavyGoldCoast.org.
Additional stories from the San Diego Business Journal are available here. Sign up for their free daily email newsletter.
A man wearing a mask from the movie Scream and wielding a sledgehammer robbed an Autozone shop in Mira Mesa, ordering employees to tie each other up before he fled, according to police.
The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said the bizarre robbery happened just before 11:15 p.m. Monday at an Autozone located at 9152 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Investigators said the masked suspect approached an employee outside the business. When the two went inside the store, the suspect simulated having a gun and made demands.
There were two other employees inside the store. The man ordered all of the victims to tie one another up before he fled the scene.
Police did not say what the suspect stole. The man was described as wearing a black hoodie and dark pants, though no further details were released.
The case is under investigation. No injuries were reported.
What to Know While fireworks do not trigger PTSD for all soldiers or veterans, more in recent years have reported being affected, experts say.
One organization is distributing signs for veterans front yards saying Combat veteran lives here. Please be courteous with fireworks.
It is estimated that 11 to 20 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD.
Stationed in Khandahar, Afghanistan, for nine months in 2012, Sgt. Matthew Thomason got used to falling asleep to the lullaby of gunfire and explosions -- so much so that he could tell what kind of weapon was being fired just by the sound.
When he returned home to Clark County, Indiana, in September 2013, he thought he would miss the noise of war as he transitioned back to the quiet civilian world.
The first time he heard the crack of fireworks near July 4 the following year, he realized how wrong he was. Thomason, a 28-year-old Louisville native and Sellersburg resident, remembers being at that first Independence Day party when a flashback was suddenly triggered. He was either playing a game or in a conversation with his wife -- he can't remember which -- when someone behind him set off fireworks without warning.
"When that happened, I physically just jumped and didn't really know where I was for a minute,'' he said. "I had a flashback and we had to leave, and that started to be a trend.''
Several months prior, Thomason was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, at a local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic. He was later diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, though he doesn't know which explosion did it.
Now, when July 4 comes around, he and his wife go out of town, somewhere like the Smoky Mountains where Thomason can find peace and quiet. And he's not the only one.
Thomason is one of an estimated 11 to 20 percent of veterans of the post-9/11 Iraq and Afghanistan wars diagnosed with PTSD, according to data from the VA. While fireworks do not trigger PTSD for all soldiers or veterans, more in recent years have reported being affected, experts say.
Cindy Ramminger, coordinator of the PTSD clinical team at Robley Rex Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, said fireworks were an issue for veterans from as far back as the Vietnam and Gulf wars.
But with so many soldiers coming home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq it's becoming a bigger problem, Ramminger said. It's not uncommon for her to hear of veterans leaving their homes on the very holiday they fought in the name of, just to escape the noise.
"It can remind them of what might sound like an incoming rocket or mortars or gunfire, which can cause them to get on alert and it can cause them to be frightened,'' Ramminger said.
"It can push them into a flashback [and] can cause intrusive thoughts, so they'll start remembering a traumatic event like when they got blown up in an IED attack or lost a friend to some kind of explosion.''
Thomason said as a solider, he was repeatedly trained to react quickly and defensively when there was a perceived threat. So when he unexpectedly hears fireworks in the weeks leading up to July 4, his body immediately jumps to attention. Unlike what you'll see in the movies, Thomason said his flashbacks aren't necessarily visual. It's more about the smell of the powder left behind by fireworks, a smell similar to a freshly fired M4.
He calls it an overwhelming "feeling of terror.''
Thomason has found ways to cope, like making sure his back is against a hard structure when he's feeling unsafe. Breathing exercises help, too, but those tactics don't always work. Sure, he can leave town on July 4 to avoid the triggers, but what about the days leading up to then? Thomason said his terror starts as early as May as people start stocking up on fireworks and setting them off unexpectedly.
Shawn Gourley, the co-founder of Military with PTSD, a nonprofit organization based in Evansville, said that's the issue many veterans have with early fireworks. Gourley started a Facebook page in 2010 to help spouses of veterans and later created a website with resources for couples and families. Last year, a member shared a photo of a sign he created to put in his front yard that read, "Combat veteran lives here. Please be courteous with fireworks.''
The photo got millions of shares, Gourley said. She asked the member if the organization could mass produce the same sign and send them out to veterans. The member said yes and before she knew it, Military with PTSD had sent out more than 4,000 signs to veterans across the country - at no cost to the veterans. This year, the organization has sent out more than 1,600 signs. Different signs for supporters of the cause, including civilians, are now available on the website for a fee.
Gourley said the signs have helped veterans start discussions with neighbors. A knock on the door and a heads up that someone plans on setting off fireworks can make a big difference, she said. For the neighbors, the signs show them a way to help the people who served their country.
"It isn't to stop fireworks. What it is, is any day leading up to July 4 and the days following July 4. If you're going to be setting off fireworks, if you could just give the veterans a heads up. It's the unexpected fireworks that is what bothers them, what can trigger (PTSD).''
In Indiana, state statute allows for fireworks between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. year round and until midnight on holidays like July 4. Local ordinances can limit when fireworks are allowed, but state statute trumps those ordinances between June 29 and July 9. During that timeframe, local municipalities can not restrict fireworks use beyond the statute.
In Sellersburg, where Thomason lives, an ordinance prohibits all fireworks during the rest of the year. Town attorney Jake Elder said the council planned on adding an ordinance to make exceptions during July 4 season to the meeting agenda for Monday's council meeting. Elder said town officials thought such an ordinance already existed.
Thomason said he's called Sellersburg police about fireworks being set off as early as June 1, but he said he hasn't gotten a response. Police Chief Russ Whelan said he is not aware of any complaints pertaining to fireworks triggering PTSD. Whelan added that the department looks to state statute when regulating fireworks in the town.
Indiana Rep. Steve Stemler, D-Jeffersonville, said he's not aware of any talk about amending state statute in light of the issue. But he said anything that could help veterans dealing with PTSD should be considered.
Thomason said he doesn't want to ruin anyone's fun. Putting a sign in his yard isn't for him, and he knows many veterans who are embarrassed even to talk about their PTSD.
"I think a lot of people would like just more understanding and more respect. There's no need to be setting off fireworks consistently before Fourth of July,'' Thomason said. "Because going to that place in my head on a regular basis for two months is really a tortuous thing.''
Gourley said she understands that not every veteran wants a sign in their yard, but she thinks finding a positive way to confront triggers is better than avoiding them. And beyond that, she said the signs have inspired appreciation. One veteran told her that after putting a sign in his yard, a woman showed up at his door with a bouquet of flowers and a thank you.
Scott Ham, a retired command sergeant major with the Indiana National Guard who lives in New Albany, said he doesn't have PTSD and isn't triggered by fireworks, but he knows vets who are. He said it's important for loved ones to be respectful of those veterans who are triggered by fireworks.
"All of my friends that I know that have issues with it, have all said that it seems like their friends and family insist on pressuring them that it will be OK,'' Ham said. "But the last thing you want to do is put someone in that position when you don't know what the potential outcome could be.''
Thomason, who was medically discharged in February, said his symptoms have gotten easier to manage, but he thinks they'll always be there to some extent. He's now able to work part-time for a New Albany-based piping fabrication company, though he often works from home where he's confronted with fireworks three to four times a week in June. On the Fourth, he may not hear the fireworks or see the colorful display in the sky, but the holiday still represents what he fought for during those 10 years of service: a country where everyone is treated equal.
"That's the America that I fought for, where we have freedom to choose, and we're not discriminated against or put down because of anything,'' Thomason said. "So for me it still means that. The only thing that's truly changed is how I celebrate it.''
What to Know Ex-congressman Walter Fauntroy was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport on a charge that he passed a bad check for $50,000.
The 83-year-old's friends and family members previously said he was missing after traveling in the Middle East and Africa for years.
The funds were intended to help pay for a 2009 ball Fauntroy had organized for President Barack Obama's first inauguration.
The civil rights activist and former D.C. congressman arrested Monday on a charge of passing a bad check for $50,000 was released Tuesday afternoon from jail in Virginia.
Walter Fauntroy, 83, grinned as he carefully walked out of the Adult Detention Center in Leesburg, Virginia. After nearly five years living in the Middle East and Africa, he hugged his wife.
"He's in a great mood. He's glad to be home," family spokeswoman E. Faye Williams said at a news conference.
Fauntroy did not speak there. His wife, Dorothy Fauntroy, only said she was "relieved."
Fauntroy was granted release from a jail in Loudoun County, Virginia, after he agreed to appear next month in court in Prince George's County, Maryland, court documents show.
The former right-hand man to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was detained at Washington Dulles International Airport after he arrived from Dubai about 8:15 a.m. Monday. He traveled extensively for years, pursuing vaguely described business opportunities. Loved ones expressed concerns about his health.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers saw there was an outstanding warrant bearing Fauntroy's name and took him into custody, an agency spokesman said. Fauntroy was accused of fraud, writing a bad check in Prince George's County, and failing to appear in court.
Fauntroy told The Washington Post in a phone interview last week that he was coming home and believed the bad-check issue had been resolved.
The check was written in the amount of $50,000, according to a representative for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office. It was intended to help pay for a 2009 ball he had organized for President Barack Obama's first inauguration.
Attorney Arthur Reynolds, who is representing Fauntroy in the bad-check case, said Monday he had not yet spoken to Fauntroy and could not comment on the case. He previously said Fauntroy had paid some of his debt.
Fauntroy was held for Maryland law enforcement in Loudoun County, where part of Dulles is located.
He served in Congress for 20 years, helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and founded the Free South Africa movement.
News4 reported in January that Fauntroy's family and friends said the former pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Northwest D.C. had gone missing. Dorothy Fauntroy told News4 she wanted her husband to come home.
Barnes and others were trying to find Fauntroy and persuade him to return. A small group of loved ones is preparing to raise money to help pay Fauntroys debts.
According to bankruptcy documents filed in March 2015, Fauntroy had been traveling for years and had little contact with family or friends. Longtime associate Johnny Barnes filed bankruptcy papers on behalf of Fauntroy and his wife to stave off the foreclosure of their home in Northwest D.C.'s Crestwood neighborhood.
Upon his return to the country, Fauntroy was eager to eat American food, Williams said on his behalf. He asked for a hamburger, french fries and a Coke, she said.
Fauntroy is due back in court July 20.
Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.
Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed the bill to raise the citys minimum wage to $15 an hour, starting in 2020.
The District of Columbia will join the states of New York and California and numerous other cities that have voted to more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The bill will gradually raise the minimum wage each year, about 70 cents per year, until reaching the target in 2020.
While there was broad consensus on the City Council about the wage hike, there was plenty of debate about how to fairly compensate workers who rely on tips. The bill calls for an increase to $5 in base hourly pay for tipped workers.
Bowser signed the new law at a ceremony in Columbia Heights Monday night.
Authorities say an arrest has been made in the 1987 slaying of a 19-year-old woman in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.
James Paige of Manchester, New Hampshire, was arrested and charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting and killing Dora Jean Brimage, according to Suffolk County D.A. Dan Conley.
Authorities believe Brimage left a party on Prentice Street in Roxbury and accepted a ride from Paige.
She was taken to 655 Warren Street in Roxbury to an abandoned building where workers found her body the next morning.
At the time police could not identify the suspect but secured biological evidence from Brimage's body and preserved it.
The evidence was submitted for testing and in 2014 was matched to Paige.
The district attorney is seeking to charge Paige with first-degree murder.
By John Weeks
A Tale of Two Summers
The summer of 2015 brought a spectacularly bright ray of progressive hope to the United Kingdom: the increasingly obvious likelihood that a socialist would soon lead the near-moribund Labour Party. After almost 20 years of Thatcher-lite neoliberal policies, the grassroots membership voted overwhelmingly for Jeremy Corbyn to take leadership of the Labour Party.
The progressive victory proved short-lived. Less than year later, the far Right would achieve its greatest victory in British electoral history, winning the IN/OUT referendum on the European Union through a campaign of flagrant xenophobia and racism. Attempts to portray the referendum result as a rejection of globalization, an opening for progressive nationalists, or a recapturing of democracy lost to Brussels confront an extremely inconvenient fact: the most reactionary UK political party drove the OUT campaign with a message of fear of foreigners and especially of Muslims (see UKIP poster).
That the overwhelming majority in Scotland, the most social democratic region of the United Kingdom, favors remaining in the European Union, further indicates the reactionary politics of so-called Brexit. As the consistently progressive and anti-racist UK journalist Gary Younge wrote,
[The Leave campaign] unleashed a range of demons it could not tame and then refused to face them honestly, preferring to wade to the finish line through a toxic swamp of postcolonial nostalgia, xenophobia and general disaffection
What OUT Did Not Mean
The post-referendum misrepresentations rival and reflect the lies peddled during the campaign. First and foremost, the suggestion that the British Isles would enjoy more sovereignty outside of the European Union is nonsense. The grain of truth in that campaign assertion is that capitalists operating in Britain will enjoy less regulation, because UK consumer protection, guarantees of workers rights, and restrictions on environmental degradation are far stronger in EU law than British law.
Second, the infamous and eponymous Brussels bureaucrats exert almost no influence, much less control, over British economic policy. The British government refused to join into the package of fiscal rules that are the most pernicious element of the EU Treaties (Britain has a formal opt-out, as does Denmark). The savage policies enforced on Greece and to a lesser extent Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain would be impossible to implement in Britain, because they derive from membership in the eurozone (the British government also negotiated an opt-out from the requirement that if it meets specified criteria a country must join the eurozone).
Third, for better or for worse with the exception of Scotland the referendum outcome will not encourage separatism in the European Union. On the contrary, the boost of right wing parties will lead to them overwhelming the few substantial separatist movements on the continent, most obviously in Spain.
Fourth, I am very skeptical that British withdrawal will prompt reform of EU governance of any type (see the hopeful article by German parliamentarian Norbert Rottgen, no doubt sincere but fanciful). The German governments power over EU decisions varies between strong and hegemonic. That power and the austerity policies it has forced upon the continent very much serve the interests of German industry and banks.
Domestic austerity keeps wages and thus export costs down; austerity for the rest of the eurozone enforces the servicing of public debt held by German banks. More likely than German led reform is German enforced consolidation of a smaller European Union around appallingly reactionary domestic policies and a mercantilist trade strategy.
What the Referendum Did Mean for the British Isles
Above all the referendum outcome means strengthening right-wing political parties and ideology on the continent and in the British Isles. This fallout from a campaign of overt xenophobia and thinly disguised racism should surprise no one.
Progressive forces in the British Isles have suffered a triple blow. First, the strong OUT vote in England (53%) and stronger IN vote for Scotland (62%) lay the basis for a second Scottish independence referendum. In 2014 the independence referendum lost 45% to 55%.
However, Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, perhaps the canniest politician of the British Isles, may read the Brexit result as a harbinger of success for a second referendum. Should a majority of Scottish voters choose independence it would prove virtually impossible for the parliament in London to prevent a breakup of the United Kingdom.
The consequence for progressives of a Great Britain made up of England, Wales and Northern Ireland would be dire. The likelihood is extremely low of the Labour Party winning a majority of the parliamentary seats in England. In Wales, the Labour Party holds most of the seats, but they are few in numberonly 40 of 650 (with 59 in Scotland).
For decades, the Labour Party could hope for Wales and Scotland to cover its losses in England and Northern Ireland, but Scottish independence would mean either a near-permanent Conservative majority in Britain or a Labour Party re-conversion to neoliberalism to court voters in the South of England.
The second blow arrived quickly: an attempt by the center-right of the Labour party to depose Jeremy Corbyn from the leadership. Since the moment of Corbyns election as head of the party the so-called Blairites have conspired to undermine his leadership. Their objection to Corbyn is political: he fights for a re-invigoration of social democracy based on trade union support, and the Blairites seek to maintain neoliberalism in the interest of capital.
Those Labour Party MPs who led the coup have more in common with the Conservative Party than with Corbyn. They favor renewal of the countrys nuclear weapons, reduction of the fiscal deficit through expenditure cuts, and support for the financial sector. Right-of-centre Labour abhors the policies that won Corbyn the leadership: commitment to terminate nuclear weapons, end austerity, and tight regulation of the City.
As I write this article, the Parliamentary Labour Party is in the process of voting overwhelmingly to pressure Corbyn to resign. Because of his grassroots support and the rules for electing Labour leaders, the vote, likely to be more than two-to-one against Corbyn, cannot in itself depose him. But at best Labours first social democrat leader in decades will be severely weakened.
This intra-party challenge to Corbyn follows directly from Brexit. Perhaps even more serious is that the OUT victory has unleashed a wave of overt racism. Only four days after the referendum, the soon-to-be-replaced Prime Minister David Cameron found it necessary to denounce what he called despicable acts against foreigners throughout England (watch speech on the BBC). Aditya Chakrabortty, Guardian journalist, pointed out the irony: Cameron ran a pro-EU campaign with a promise to reduce migration and now is forced to denounce the xenophobic results of that promise.
Independence of Scotland leaving a neoliberal rump Kingdom, near-fatal weakening of a progressive leader, and a rising wave of racismthese are the fruits of victory for the pro-Brexit forces.
What the Referendum Did Mean on the Continent
If anyone hoped that Brexit would strengthen progressive forces on the continent those hopes quickly evaporated. Quite the contrary has occurred with alarming rapidity.
On the Sunday after the UK referendum Spain held its second general election in less than a year. In December 2015 Europes largest progressive coalition, Podemos, came close to an electoral break-through. It won 20% of the vote in its first entry onto the national scene, less than two percentage points short of replacing the Socialists as the leading opposition party. The inability of any grouping to form a government resulted in a second election, held last Sunday.
Polls suggested that the broadened coalition, Unidos Podemos, would leap past the Socialists to second place nationally, laying the basis for a new Spanish government committed to end austerity. In the event the Right gained. Seats won by Unidos Podemos came from the Socialists, a swap within the left of center. After substantial losses in December 2015, the right-wing Peoples Party gained fifteen seats and will continue its hold on government.
Elsewhere in Europe the Brexit vote emboldened the ultra-right. In France Marine Le Pen, leader of the neo-fascist National Front, immediately promised an OUT referendum. In the Netherlands, the virulently anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders called for a referendum on EU membership. Were this to occur, it would follow closely on the Dutch electorates defeat of a referendum for closer links between the European Union and Ukraine in which Wilders played a prominent role.
The Reality of the UK Far Right
A majority of working class and poor white English men and women voted to leave the European Union. To consider that vote as progressive because of its class origin represents the equivalent of taking a favorable view of Donald Trump because he harvests the votes of white working class Americans.
Gary Younge, quoted above, succinctly summarized Brexit:
Not everyone, or even most, of the people who voted leave were driven by racism. But the leave campaign imbued racists with a confidence they have not enjoyed for many decades and poured arsenic into the water supply of our national conversation.
It may be that this surge of the Right and weakening of progressive movements will prove a passing moment, soon to be replaced by a blossoming of Brexit-provoked grassroots democracy and social democracy throughout the British Isles and the European continent.
But dont plan on it, because there is no indication of it.
John Weeks is a professor emeritus at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Share this: Email
Facebook
Reddit
LinkedIn
Twitter
Print
Dartmouth College attorneys have presented new evidence to prevent a fraternity embroiled in an alcohol-related hazing scandal from retaining its residential status.
The Valley News reports Dartmouth cut ties with Sigma Alpha Epsilon last winter, and the fraternity is now fighting a ruling that their de-recognition also means that their College Street home can no longer serve as a residence.
Hanover's zoning ordinance requires that residences in its "institutional district" operate in conjunction with an institution. But fraternity officials argue they shouldn't be subject to the requirement because the house predates the ordinance's adoption.
Dartmouth lawyers presented records showing that the college's trustees had worked with the fraternity before 1976.
A fascinating sight on Rye Beach in New Hampshire is drawing huge crowds.
Now, scientists and state leaders are trying to figure out exactly how to get a dead humpback whale off the beach in time for the holiday weekend.
The beach has been crowded all day long and it's because we very rarely get to see a 30-ton humpback whale in it's entirety.
Scientists tell necn she died decades before she should've and so their first priority is figuring out what killed her.
For the first time in 16 years, a whale has washed ashore in New Hampshire.
"It's just so sad, it's devastating to see," said Haverhill, Massachusetts, resident Sarah Emilio.
Kittery, Maine, resident Ashley Lockwood agreed, saying, "It's really surreal, you feel like this kind of thing shouldn't happen here."
And this isn't just any whale, residents and scientists know her as "Snow Plow."
"We're unsure how she got the name exactly," said Ashley Stokes with the Marine Mammal Rescue Team.
The 45-foot-long, 30-ton, endangered humpback whale is only 18 years old.
"It is so important especially for an endangered species to do as much as we can scientifically to find out why she perished at such a young age," Stokes said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, with the help of heavy equipment, experts will conduct a necropsy which means they will cut her open to examine her organs right here on Rye Harbor State Park.
"It will be gruesome or gory," admitted scientist Connie Marigo with the New England Aquarium. "Right now, it's in the shape of a whale, it looks like a whale, but tomorrow afternoon that won't be the case."
Then comes the most challenging part - removing 30-tons of blubber and skeleton in time for the holiday weekend and the several weddings scheduled at the State Park overlooking the beach.
"It's not an option that it stays here into the weekend it can't because it is so busy," said New Hampshire Fish and Game Lt. Mike Eastman. "Time is of the essence."
Officials say the carcass will be gone by Friday, though Snow Plow's story won't soon be forgotten.
"I think it has brought the community together because we're sad," said Rye resident Pamela Sheeren. "I wish it has 60 more years in the ocean."
Experts are warning families that what you'll see on the beach in the coming days might be disturbing for some, but also a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.
Because of Snow Plow's popularity, by Tuesday evening, traffic was backed up and there was a major parking shortage near the state park.
A Worcester, Massachusetts, jury has indicted a Grafton man whose wife was found dead in a bedroom of their home.
Telegram & Gazette reports that the grand jury handed up an indictment last week charging 42-year-old Michael Sugarman with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, 36-year-old Kelly Sugarman.
Kelly Sugarman was found dead on April 13 after the couple's 5-year-old daughter was seen wandering around the neighborhood in her pajamas and saying her mom was sick. Authorities say the woman had bruising and trauma to her throat.
Michael Sugarman was also found in the home with a knife in his neck.
Sugarman's lawyer says her client has been hospitalized for mental illness in the past and has been prescribed medications. Sugarman remains at Bridgewater State Hospital.
Donald Trump struck back at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Wednesday in a mostly rural area in Maine, where his message of economic populism could earn him a vote in the Electoral College.
Addressing a crowd of several thousand in an indoor arena, Trump blasted existing free trade deals and reiterated his pledge to label China a currency manipulator. And he took aim at the Chamber, a frequent Republican ally, for criticizing a speech he made Tuesday outlining his protectionist trade policies.
"They don't want us to have more jobs? They don't want us to make some money?" Trump asked the crowd. "Why would the U.S. Chamber of Commerce say we should leave everything the way it is when I can make a better deal?"
"I don't understand it," he added. "If you think about it it's pretty sinister."
Trump's remarks mark a stark departure from typical Republican orthodoxy - and his choice of location is a rare one for presidential candidates.
The state carries just four Electoral College votes and has not voted for a Republican president since 1988. But Maine, like only one other state in the country, awards one Electoral College vote for each of its two congressional districts. It also awards two for the winner of the state's popular vote.
Polling data is limited, but a recent Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram poll showed that, while Clinton is leading state-wide, the race is virtually tied in the 2nd congressional district, where Bangor is located.
If Trump is able to win the district, he would emerge with one electoral vote. It's a scenario that's never taken place, but there is a growing gulf between Maine's populated south and rural north that could play to Trump's favor. The 2nd District is mostly rural and does not include the urban centers of Portland and Augusta. Northern Maine has seen losses in manufacturing jobs, particularly in logging, paper-making and forest products.
In his speech, Trump focused largely on trade and jobs, but he also slammed some of his former Republican rivals for backing away from their pledge to support him. He also bragged about raising campaign money even though disclosure forms said he raised only about a tenth of what Democrat Hillary Clinton raised in the most recent reporting period. Trump has since launched an online fundraising effort that raised $3 million in one day - as much as he raised in the entire month of May.
"First of all, I don't even know why I need so much money," Trump said Wednesday. "You know, I go around, I make speeches, I talk to reporters. I don't even need commercials, if you want to know the truth."
The crowd in Bangor cheered wildly on several occasions as Trump declared he would bring back jobs and protect American workers.
"The 2nd district is really ripe for that kind of message," said Lance Dutson, a Republican consultant in Maine who previously worked for GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
At least one outside Republican group may see potential for a Trump win here as well. The political arm of the National Rifle Association is spending $50,000 in the Bangor market on a commercial about what it calls Hillary Clinton's lies about the Benghazi attack during her watch as secretary of state. It's part of the NRA's $2.4 million investment to air the ad across the country over the next three weeks, advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG shows.
Trump supporters in this area, who are not used to visits from presidential candidates, feel lucky the businessman chose to head their way.
"This is a once in a lifetime thing," said John York, who lives 40 miles north of Bangor. He said it "means a lot" that Trump would travel so far north. Donning an American flag-patterned shirt, York said he doesn't want Trump to soften any of his positions on immigration, national security or the economy.
Dutson, the Republican consultant, noted Trump's style doesn't match the more mild-tempered Republicans the state has tended to elect, such as Collins.
But Trump does have the support of one brash Mainer who holds elected office: Gov. Paul LePage, who won re-election in 2014. Trump has been struggling to win endorsements from skeptical party leaders, making his big-name gubernatorial endorses all the more valuable.
On hand Wednesday to introduce Trump, LePage implored Maine voters to show enthusiastic support for the businessman.
"Make sure he knows before he leaves here that we have picked a winner," LePage declared.
And if Trump doesn't become the president?
"If things don't work out for me, I may just come on up here and say the hell with it," Trump joked to the crowd. "You have a big chunk of real estate up here, nobody knows."
Authorities in Vermont are investigating after a man was found dead at Global Foundries in Essex on Monday.
Police tell affiliate WPTZ that they responded to the electronic manufacturing business just after 10 a.m., where a man was found unresponsive.
Employees reportedly performed CPR on the man, and he was taken to UVM Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The man's name has not been released, and an autopsy is scheduled.
No other details, including circumstances around his death, were released.
A former high-ranking member of the New England Mafia was arrested in Florida on Monday on charges he lied to federal officials about the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner.
Robert DeLuca, a former capo in the Patriarca crime family, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Massachusetts on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements.
According to an indictment unsealed Monday, DeLuca lied to federal authorities when he denied knowing anything about Steven DiSarro's disappearance in May 1993. At the time, DiSarro was the owner of The Channel nightclub.
The indictment says DeLuca, now 70, arranged with former mob boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme to have DiSarro's body buried in Providence, Rhode Island. DiSarro's remains were found behind a mill building in Providence in March.
The indictment against DeLuca says Salemme and his son, Frank Salemme Jr., participated in DiSarro's killing. It says the elder Salemme took DiSarro's body to Providence.
DeLuca was arrested in Rhode Island in 2011 and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in an effort to obtain a lighter sentence. During an interview with federal prosecutors and investigators in June 2011, DeLuca denied knowing anything about DiSarro's disappearance and suspected murder. During that interview and an earlier one, DiSarro denied knowing anything about that murder or any others committed by any members or associates of the New England Mafia.
In July 2011, DeLuca entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to a single count of racketeering conspiracy. The agreement required Deluca to provide "complete and truthful" information about his Mafia cohorts in exchange for a recommendation for a lower sentence. In 2014, he was sentenced to one day in prison - the day he spent in prison before he agreed to cooperate.
DeLuca was arrested Monday in Broward County, Florida. He made an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday afternoon and was ordered held in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. His lawyer, Marshall Dore Louis, declined to comment.
DeLuca was among the mobsters captured on an FBI tape being inducted into La Cosa Nostra in 1989 during a ceremony in Medford, Massachusetts.
The elder Salemme was indicted in 2004 on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements for denying knowing anything about DiSarro's killing while he was negotiating a plea deal in 1999. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He denied another mobster's claim that he watched his son strangle DiSarro and helped dispose of his body.
Salemme's son died in 1995.
Authorities in Vermont say an off-duty police officer shot and killed a pit bull that apparently attacked his dog at a dog park.
Police say Hartford police Officer Logan Scelza shot the dog Saturday at the Watson Upper Valley Dog Park in Hartford. They say Scelza's husky was apparently bitten in the throat by the pit bull. Witness Gabby Lamotte tells The Valley News that Scelza had a second husky there, too.
Police say Scelza's injured dog was treated and released from a veterinary hospital and is recovering at home.
Hartford Police Chief Phillip Kasten says it's not uncommon for officers to be armed while off-duty. He says Scelza has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by state police.
Prosecutors have dropped felony theft charges against a former Washington County sheriff in Maine.
Donnie Smith was accused of misappropriating more than $11,000 from the county's inmate benefit fund by spending it on gifts for deputies, meals and other items that didn't benefit inmates over six years.
The Hancock County District Attorney's office decided Monday to dismiss the case. It says that after further interviews with witnesses and a review of the policy of how inmate funds should be used, it's unclear that any laws were violated.
District Attorney Toff Toffolon says there's some lack of definition around what does or doesn't benefit inmates.
Smith served as sheriff between 2007 and 2014. He is headed to trial in early July on charges in an unrelated case.
Hartford, Vt. officers found and seized 1,711 bags of heroin, as well as several hypodermic needles on June 23, 2016.
Assisted by probation and parole officers, they searched two rooms at the Pleasant View Motel in White River Junction, Vermont. The search was a part of a continuing drug trafficking investigation.
Officers took 31-year-old Marc Lapointe into custody for numerous charges, including Heroin Trafficking, Resisting Arrest and being a Fugitive from Justice out of New Hampshire. Lapointe was arraigned on June 24 in Windsor Superior Court. He was placed at the Southern State Correctional Facility with bail set at $75,000.
The Department of Corrections took 51-year-old Rodney Gosselin into custody for violating his furlough. He is also at the Southern State Correctional Facility and is due to appear in Windsor Superior Court for charges including Heroin Trafficking.
Lapointe's 6-year-old son was found in Lapointe's room and has been placed into a relative's care, pending a review by the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
The investigation is ongoing and further charges are pending.
A person working on the Braga Bridge in Fall River, Massachusetts, was injured when a piece of concrete hit him Tuesday, according to state police.
The incident happened around 11:15 a.m., according to police.
The worker, who was not identified, was taken to Charlton Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
No other details were immediately available.
Bishop of Norwich calls for unity following Brexit vote
The Rt Revd Graham James, the Bishop of Norwich, has called for local Christians to pray, and be agents of unity following the results of the EU referendum.
The result of Thursdays Referendum seemed to take even some who supported the Leave campaign by surprise. The announcement of the resignation of the Prime Minister, a year after victory at the General Election, adds to the level of uncertainty. The will of the people expressed in the Referendum must be honoured but no one has yet negotiated an exit from the European Union under the Lisbon Treaty so much is unpredictable.
In this diocese every voting district, except Norwich, voted Leave. Some areas like South Norfolk were very evenly split. Great Yarmouth saw a majority in excess of 70% for Leave. Norwich voted 56% to 44% in favour of Remain. Its a reminder close to home of the division of opinion.
Therein lies a consequential danger of the outcome of this referendum. Ostensibly it has been about separation from the European Union. But it has revealed major divisions in the United Kingdom between Scotland and Northern Ireland on one side and England and Wales on the other; between London and the rest of England since the capital voted heavily to Remain. But there are other divisions too between north and south in England; between rural and urban; between young and old.
Such divisions are dangerous, especially after a campaign which was often shrill, bruising and alienating.
Our church communities, including this Diocesan Synod, contain people who voted on both sides in this referendum. There is no single Christian position on the European Union and membership of it. But there is a common Christian conviction that unity is better than division, hope better than despair and that we are always in partnership with Jesus Christ when proclaiming the good news. He offers salvation and redemption for all people in all places at all times.
So in the wake of this referendum we have much to do. First we should pray for our country and for the people of Europe. Then we should pray for our Prime Minister and for all Government ministers, indeed all politicians. The tragic death of Jo Cox is a reminder that the generous service given to their communities by so many Members of Parliament can be dangerous. Our political leaders need our prayer and support, never more so than now.
Further, in our local communities and in our churches we should be the agents of unity, always hospitable and not hostile and committed to the pursuit of the common good. As St Paul tells the Galatians And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6.9). Rarely have we had more gospel work to do.
God bless our country, and God bless you all.
Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment.
Rev Nigel Fox, who has served as a Methodist Minister for 15 years in Norwich, shares an open invitation to pray for the nation at a crucial moment.
Norwich church seeks musicians Kingdom Ambassadors International Church is appealing for instrumentlists, keyboardists and guitarists to be part of their worship experience. Read more
Please keep Rishi in your prayers Andy Bryant urges us to pray for our political leaders, especially the new Prime Minister, and avoid unhelpful judgementalism. Read more
Dereham churches help people to help themselves A group of churches in Dereham have launched an ambitious project which aims to meet needs in the town, including the provision of food and skills training. Read more
Emilys art boosts growing Yarmouth foodbank A pupil at a primary school in Bradwell has been selling her pictures in order to raise money for the Yarmouth and Magdalen Foodbank, which is expanding its capacity and is seeking more volunteers. Read more
Patrick Regan helps Norwich to bounce forwards On Saturday St Stephens in Norwich hosted Bouncing Forwards as part of a national tour by the mental health charity Kintsugi Hope. Read more
Painting and biblical feasting in Overstrand There will be opportunities to improve your painting skills and indulge in some biblical feasting next month at the Pleasaunce in Overstrand in North Norfolk. Read more
Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more
National award for Dereham Christian bookshop The Green Pastures Christian bookshop in Dereham has won a national award for providing boxes of Christian books to 21 local schools. Read more
Norma's care home jigsaw challenge complete A resident at Norwich-based care home Corton House has completed an incredible 70 jigsaw puzzles in celebration of the homes 70th anniversary this year. Read more
Norwich charity's appeal to support Palestinian students A Norwich educational charity, set up in memory of a Norwich Anglican priest, to support students from a Palestinian refugee camp, is inviting people to support its Christmas appeal to be launched on November 29. Read more
Norfolk drug and alcohol charity pays tribute to its founder Andy Sexton, CEO of the Matthew Project, introduces a series of tributes from the charity to its founder, Peter Farley. Read more
Cliff look alike at Cromer Church breakfast Cliff Richard tribute performer Will Chandler will be the speaker at a special Mens Breakfast at Cromer Parish Hall next month, and all men are welcome to come along. Read more
Heartsease Lane Methodist church to close As part of a reorganisation of the Norwich Methodist Circuit, Heartsease Lane Methodist Church will be closing towards the end of the year. Read more
Free Julian of Norwich reflection and prayer day The Friends of Julian of Norwich present a free Quiet Half-Day with Robert Fruehwirth, author and former Priest Director of the Julian Centre, on Saturday November 12, 10.30am-2pm. Read more
What it means for us to repent Nigel Fox believes that now is the time for a tide of repentance, and shares his thoughts about what that actually means for our society. Read more
Christmas card shop opens in Norwich church Thousands of Christmas cards from around 30 local Norfolk charities have gone on sale today (October 19) at the Original Norwich Charity Christmas Card Shop inside St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich city centre. Read more
Revelation Christian Resource Centre and Cafe Revelation in Norwich is a Christian resource centre, offering a bookshop, a meeting place and a welcoming refuge for refreshment open to visitors of any faith or none. Read more
See the church in action at the Royal Norfolk Show See the church in action at the Royal Norfolk Show
You can catch members of the Network Norfolk team at the Royal Norfolk Show over the next two days, thanks to a joint initiative between the Diocese of Norwich and Celebrate Norwich & Norfolk.
The website team will be joining a number of Christian organisations, charities and churches demonstrating the church in action at an enlarged joint Diocese of Norwich and Celebrate Norfolk marquee at the Show on June 29 and 30.
The stand is number 286 and can be found on avenues 8 & 9.
Exhibitors include:
YMCA Norfolk celebrating their 160th anniversary opportunities to explore what the YMCA has been doing in Norfolk since 1856.
celebrating their 160th anniversary opportunities to explore what the YMCA has been doing in Norfolk since 1856. Norwich Cathedral providing a space to find calm, reflect and unwind, the Cathedral will be offering free hand massages
providing a space to find calm, reflect and unwind, the Cathedral will be offering free hand massages Norwich Youth for Christ enter a recording studio experience with a chance to win Singer of the Day!
enter a recording studio experience with a chance to win Singer of the Day! Rafiki Creative Ministry have a go on their interactive spin art paint machines
have a go on their interactive spin art paint machines The Matthew Project highlighting their work and opportunities available for people to be support and get involved
highlighting their work and opportunities available for people to be support and get involved Mothers Union pedal on their exercise bike to raise money for two special projects as they celebrate their 140th anniversary
pedal on their exercise bike to raise money for two special projects as they celebrate their 140th anniversary Other exhibitors include: the Christian Conference Trust, Traidcraft, Rural Ministries, Revelation Bookshop, Norwich FGB, Network Norfolk, the Horstead Centre and Premiers Christianity magazine.
Speaking about the vision, Gordon Darley, Marketing & Communications Manager for the Diocese of Norwich, said: The Royal Norfolk Show is an amazing opportunity to highlight what God is doing across Norfolk through Christian organisations working together in local communities. Through a vibrant, colourful and engaging presence we want to give just a taste of the love God has for all.
At the centre of the marquee will be a large cafe area for those wanting refreshment or a place to stop and relax as well as a toddler and creche area for parents. Theyll also be a demonstration area where school choirs, gospel choirs and others will be performing.
In the cinema area, Billy Graham's The Cross short film will be playing with free popcorn for visitors! There are also interactive areas on prayer, music and the Bible, as well as a walkway journeying through a prayer space and forest church experience.
Pictured above is the marquee being set up at the Royal Norfolk Show.
The biggest challenge cellular mobile phones introduce for 911 is location accuracyespecially during an emergency call. The problem is a global one, inherited with any wireless technology. Getting the location wrong directly impacts the level of safety provided to citizens, as routing the call to the most appropriate Public Safety Answer Position (PSAP) specifically relies on this critical piece of data.
Can you find me now?
Many of us don't stop and think how our mobile devices determine where we are on the planet, and most of us will assume GPS plays a significant role in providing that answer. While GPS remains an important piece of the location puzzle, quite often it is not the answer by itself. Fundamentally, there are three sources for location information used by cellular phones.
First, there is the tower identifier where the device is connected to the public switched telephone network. This information by itself may provide some insight, but it provides little granularity to actual device location within a reasonable area.
Second, slightly more accurate but still having many caveats, is the signal coming from GPS satellites. While these can be precise when devices are outside "in the clear," many times tall buildings that form urban canyons can play havoc with these radio signals, causing them to be inaccurate.
The third, and likely the most accurate location method, uses Wi-Fi fingerprinting. The sheer number of Wi-Fi access points, both public and private, and the fact that each device has a unique base service set identifier (BSS ID), prove they are excellent beacons when logged into a database with location. With enough data points in the database, no matter where you are on the planet, the visible BSS IDs and measured signal strength can be used to calculate where you are.
Think of it this way: You are inside your favorite mall. You look around and see Sunglass Hut, McDonald's and Banana Republic. Any database that contained the location of each of those stores could then tell you where you were inside the mall, including the exact floor information, critical in a multi-story building. But who has all of this data for the entire planet?
Google, Apple and the Skyhook database
For years, by your clicking "agree" on the End User License Agreement (EULA), applications have been granted access to your location information and have been given the right to share that information. In the background, these apps have been quietly contributing to ginormous location databases managed by Google, Apple and Skyhook.
In a recent conversation with the folks at Skyhook, they said the contributions to their database alone now exceed 2 billion entries. Even more impressive is the fact that this enormous cache of BSS IDs and locations has become somewhat autonomous. As devices report themselves to the database, any new visible BSS IDs are added. As more and more devices see these IDs, the proprietary mathematical calculations gradually zero in on their location. The more reports, the more accurate the database becomes.
The EU solution for emergency services
According to U.K. public safety specialist Adrian Brookes, BT (British Telecom) handled as many as 40,000 incidents a year where they were unable to establish a location for the caller, consequently forcing emergency services to search for the event.
While BT knew how to extract location information from mobile phones, doing so would require support from both the handset manufacturers and the operating systems in the devices.
According to Brookes, Under existing location determination methods being used, not only was the location information incredibly inaccurate, [but] in some member states across the EU, the location was being delivered 10 minutes after the factand in a few cases, such as Greece, by FAX.
With the support of the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), BT reached out to EEa European mobile network operator (MNO) that includes carriers Orange UK and T-Mobile UKand equipment manufacturer HTC with a request to see if this new architecture could be developed.
Both EE and HTC accepted the challenge, and within a very short period they were able to show a [proof of concept] that delivered highly accurate location information provided by way of SMS" that was both invisible to the handset owner and free, Brookes said.
What level of accuracy did this achieve? Since the new service can determine if GPS (GNSS) or W-iFi fingerprinting is more accurate at the time of the request, the best possible data is used. During testing, the reported level of accuracy obtained was touted to be 4,000 times more accurate than the current system. The new service has been given the name Advanced Mobile Location (AML).
For AML to be successful, the ultimate cost would certainly be an issue. Fortunately, no significant capital investment was needed by the carrier, the handset manufacturer or the emergency services agenciesor even the citizens who used it.
Getting AML implemented
How does this new technology get implemented? Quite simply, producers will need to add functionality to their code platform. When a user makes an emergency call, the geodetic (GPS/GNSS) and Wi-Fi information must be collected and then passed to public safety officials so that they can use the data in their existing systems. Getting the data to them can be via SMS, text message or even an HTTP post.
While nothing has officially been announced by the obvious candidates, it's not a hard stretch to imagine this construct is being worked on.
What about the 911 app?
We are taught to dial 911 for emergency services, not fire off an app. For this reason, using an app to collect and send this critical data set along to public safety is a bit of a stretch. But with AML solving the problem of getting data to emergency responders, the operating system providers need to provide just an API that triggers that communication link when a user makes a call. As for my crystal ball, I see that right around the corner, as this problem is now widely known and large companies that typically show good corporate responsibility will act quickly.
Microsoft, Google and Apple, the ball is clearly in your court. You can show the world that public safety is important to you and your customers. As for the FCC, as well as Canadas CRTC, those agencies need to monitor these developments closely and account for inclusion in their future legislative agendas. Lives depend on it.
Aristas President & CEO Jayshree Ullal issued a letter to customers who may have been worried over the impact of last weeks US International Trade Commission ruling that the company had infringed on three Cisco patents.
The ITC on June 23rd issued a limited exclusion order and cease and desist order that will forbid Arista from importing products (with these specific infringed features) into the U.S., Ullal wrote.
We recently released a new version of EOS (4.16.6M) that we believe addresses the ITCs infringement findings in this case. This new version of EOS is now available for download and will be shipped as the default image on all of new products in the near future. Consistent with the standard practice in the ITC, we plan to request regulatory approvals of our new software to clarify that our products fully comply with the ITCs orders, Ullal wrote
+More on Network World: Arista infringes on Cisco networking patents, trade agency says+
What follows is a good portion of Ullals note. Go here you want to read the entire letter.
Facts: The ITCs Final Determination and Orders
Last week, the ITC issued its Final Determination in the ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-944 brought against us by Cisco Systems. In this decision, the ITC concluded that Arista did not infringe two of the five patents under investigation. However, they did find that we infringed three patents that cover two features Private VLANs (which is rarely used by our customers) and a particular implementation detail regarding how EOS agents communicate with our SYSDB in the third feature.
As a reminder, Cisco has previously dropped one patent before trial, which means that out of five total features claimed only two out of the five have been found to infringe. As a result of this decision, the ITC has issued a limited exclusion order and cease and desist order that will prohibit Arista from importing products (with these specific infringed features)into the U.S. or selling imported products in the U.S. that infringe these patents.
These restrictions will go into effect at the end of a presidential review period on August 22nd 2016. We respectfully disagree with the ITC that we infringe these patents or that they are valid. Nevertheless, we respect the ITCs decision, and we intend to fully comply with these remedial orders.
Our pledge: Aristas Compliance with the Law
As our valued customer, we feel it is important to explain how we intend to comply with the orders and the repercussions. Over the past year, our team of incredibly talented engineers has been working on plans to manage through this potential outcome.
We recently released a new version of EOS (4.16.6M) that we believe addresses the ITCs infringement findings in this case. This new version of EOS is now available for download and will be shipped as the default image on all of new products in the near future.
Consistent with the standard practice in the ITC, we plan to request regulatory approvals of our new software to clarify that our products fully comply with the ITCs orders. We are also establishing US manufacturing capabilities for additional operational flexibility.It is paramount to note that we intend to fully adhere to all ITC legal requirements and all products that are manufactured here in the United States will contain design-around versions of EOS.
All international customers are unaffected by ITC orders. Our primary focus is the continued supply and service of non-infringing products to our customers.
Arista Ahead
Our purpose is steadfast and unwavering. We believe that entrenched habits and defensive approaches of legacy players must change. Arista is committed to this new breed of cloud-class, cloud scale and cloud-converged platforms with state-driven programmability, high availability and scalability. Together we are powering some of the worlds best and largest cloud networks with foundational quality and support.
The drumbeat for both agile innovation and accountability for risk and operational cost reduction is an unquestionable mandate. With several thousand man-years of investments and 10+ million lines of software over the past decade, the Arista journey has only just begun.
The World Economic Forum has put together a list of the top 10 emerging technologies that will change our lives. The list includes nanosensors that will circulate through the human body, a battery that will be able to power an entire town and socially aware artificial intelligence that will track our finances and health.
These are not far-flung visions, according to the forum. They are technologies that are on the cusp of having a meaningful impact.
Horizon scanning for emerging technologies is crucial to staying abreast of developments that can radically transform our world, enabling timely expert analysis in preparation for these disruptors, said Bernard Meyerson, chairman of the World Economic Forum council that compiled the list of the top 10 emerging technologies in 2016. The global community needs to come together and agree on common principles if our society is to reap the benefits and hedge the risks of these technologies," he said.
The World Economic Forum is a Switzerland-based nonprofit that focuses on improving the state of the world through public and private cooperation.
Meyerson, who also is the chief innovation officer at IBM, said in a statement that one of the key criteria for a technology to be picked for the top 10 list for this year is that it must be at a tipping point in its deployment.
Some of the technologies, such as autonomous cars, have been under development for some time and are now at a point where their impact can be meaningfully felt.
Here's the forums top 10 list for 2016:
1. Nanosensors and the Internet of Nanothings
The forum anticipates that with the Internet of Things expected to reach 30 billion connected devices by 2020, IoT will be one of the most exciting areas of technology. The report notes that nanosensors likely will be found working in everything from the human body to walls and furniture, and will be used in industries including architecture, agriculture, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
2. Next-generation batteries
This technology could hold the key to greatly advancing renewable energy, according to the report. By using sodium, aluminum and zinc-based batteries, along with advanced energy storage solutions, could enable mini-grids to provide clean energy for an entire village or small town.
3. Blockchain
This technology serves as a public ledger of all Bitcoin transactions ever carried out. Listed in chronological order, the ledger has the potential to fundamentally change the way markets and governments work, the forum reported. The project received $1 billion in investments last year alone.
4. 2D materials
While 3D printing is receiving a great deal of attention, the forum contends that single-atom layer materials, such as graphene, can be used in products like air and water filters, wearables and batteries.
5. Autonomous vehicles
With Google leading the charge in developing and road-testing driverless vehicles, there has been an increasing level of interest in the technology to one day soon drive the elderly. The forum also cited the technology's potential for saving lives, curbing pollution and improving economies.
Google Google's autonomous car.
6. Organs on chips
Researchers have developed models of human organs "the size of a memory stick," and the work could revolutionize medical research and drug discovery, according to the forum. The miniature organs could be used to study biological behaviors in ways that have not previously been possible.
7. Perovskite solar cells
Perovskite materials -- minerals and ceramics with a specific crystal structure -- have major advantages over traditional silicon solar cells. These materials, according to the report, are easier to produce and generate power more efficiently. Those are all big pluses for an industry trying to produce renewable, clean energy.
8. Open A.I. ecosystem
Huge amounts of available data, combined with the latest algorithms for social awareness and natural language processing, will mean the development of smart digital assistants that can help users track their finances and health.
9. Optogenetics
Optogenetics is the ability to use light to control cells in living tissue. The report notes that scientists have been using light and color to interact with neurons in the brain. However, recent advancements are delivering the communicating light deeper into living brain tissue, which could lead to new treatments for brain disorders.
10. Systems metabolic engineering
With the environmental problems and limited resources of fossil fuels, scientists have been working to create fuels, chemicals and materials from renewable resources, like plants. The forum contends that by using plants, these products can be made less expensively and more easily.
While industry analysts will quibble over specific items on the list, most called it a comprehensive group of leading emerging technologies.
Its anyones guess as to which technologies will prove to be game changers in the future, said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. Plus there are a hell of a lot of significant new technologies that are still under the radar. That said, I think the World Economic Forum did a pretty good job of winnowing their list of top technologies to just 10.
Olds also questioned whether a technology like organs on a chip is close enough to be considered at a tipping point.
I might argue that a couple of their choices, like organs on a chip, are still quite a bit out there, while other technologies like self-driving cars, are a lot closer to providing benefits, he said. The list is also, by necessity, general, because theyre talking about areas of research and advances rather than specific breakthrough products. With this in mind, I cant see anything big that they left off the list.
Jeff Kagan, an independent industry analyst, called the list interesting, but questioned how soon the technologies could be applied in the real world.
Whether any of these will be leading technologies going forward is the real question, he said. I would say many, if not most of these ideas will continue to be in the developmental stages at best, for the next several years Bottom line, the entire world is in transition.
Artificial intelligence (A.I.) were viewed as one of the most intriguing emerging technologies.
This has the ability to change nearly every factor of our lives, from transportation to education to efficiently running cities to improving healthcare, said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy.
He added that he was surprised that virtual and augmented reality did not make the list.
They should be on the list because they signify an entirely new interaction model for compute devices, Moorhead said. We are at a tipping point with augmented reality and virtual reality, as we now know what needs to be done. What we don't need to do is more research to figure out the next steps in development to take.
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research, said hes excited about artificial intelligence, but hes particularly eager to see how autonomous vehicles play out in the next few years.
I'm very pleased with the arrival of autonomous vehicles because I'm 66, he added. If I live longer than I can drive, this would be very important to me. Theyre already on the streets in Palo Alto, [Calif.]. It's looking amazingly soon, like five to 10 years Think of Uber without the drivers.
This story, "Top 10 emerging technologies from the World Economic Forum" was originally published by Computerworld .
China will grant Vietnam an additional non-refundable aid worth 129.5 million Chinese yuan ($19.5 million) to finance the construction of the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace in Hanoi.
The two sides exchanged an official letter between the Vietnamese and Chinese governments on the funds during the 9th meeting of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation on June 27 in Hanoi. The meeting is co-chaired by Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
The project was originally estimated to cost about 140 million yuan for construction.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam- China Friendship Palace project held in Hanoi. Photo by Vietnam News Agency
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) began construction at the project in October 2013.
In a joint statement between Vietnam and China during a visit to Vietnam by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping from November 5-6 last year, the two sides said they make efforts to complete the construction of the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace for use by 2017.
The palace covers an area of 3.3 hectares in Le Quang Dao Boulevard, Nam Tu Liem District. The site for the palace was identified during the visit of former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Vietnam in October 2004.
Related news:
> China to establish consulate general in Da Nang
> Top Chinese envoy in Vietnam as tension looms before court ruling
A U.S. senator has stalled an intelligence budget bill over concerns that it would expand surveillance while limiting oversight of it.
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has placed a hold on the 2017 Intelligence Authorization Act, saying the bill would allow the FBI, without a court order, to demand U.S. residents' email and Internet records from ISPs and other communications providers.
The bill would allow the FBI to obtain new records through the controversial National Security Letter program, which allows the FBI to collect phone and financial records through administrative subpoenas.
The FBI has said it would be "convenient" if the NSL program could be expanded to include email and Internet records, Wyden said on the Senate floor Monday. "But convenience alone does not justify such a dramatic erosion of Americans' constitutional rights," he added.
The FBI can go to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to get orders for Internet records, noted Wyden, a long-time critic of U.S. government surveillance efforts.
"I certainly appreciate the FBIs interest in obtaining records about potential suspects quickly," he said. "But Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges are very capable of reviewing and approving requests for court orders in a timely fashion."
Representatives of the FBI and Senator Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican and chief sponsor of the intelligence bill, didn't immediately respond requests for comments on Wyden's hold.
Senate rules allow senators to use parliamentary procedure to place a hold on bills and prevent them from coming up for a vote.
In addition to the concerns about the NSL program, Wyden objected to provisions in the intelligence bill that would "erode" the power of the independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) to investigate U.S. surveillance practices.
Provisions in the bill would end the PCLOB's oversight of the privacy impact of surveillance programs to people living outside the U.S. Right now, the board has jurisdiction to investigate the privacy impact of surveillance on both U.S. residents and people living outside the country.
The limit on the PCLOB's jurisdiction is "concerning because in the digital domain individuals U.S. or non-U.S. status is not always readily apparent, and restricting the board in this way could discourage or even prevent the board from examining programs whose impact on U.S. persons is not clear at first glance," Wyden said.
The PCLOB was created after former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's revelations of widespread surveillance practices.
In January 2014, Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. Imagine Google CEO Sundar Pichai now telling the Alphabet board that after buying and making Motorola into one of the best mobile device makers in the world, selling it was a mistake and the company should invest billions to recreate it. It would be like GE starting a TV network after it sold NBC to Comcast or HPE starting a PC division after it spun off its PC business.
So, what is Google doing?
The Motorola turnaround is a good place to start explaining what Google is doing.
Google recruited Regina Dugan, former chief of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), into Motorola during the turnaround. The 50-year-old government agency is charged with preventing strategic surprises fromand creating strategic surprises forAmericas adversaries. DARPA earned a reputation for producing high-impact results quickly. A few of DARPAs many innovations include the internet, global positioning satellites (GPS), drones and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).
Dugan brought her DARPA playbook and experience producing prototypes such as missiles with MACH 20 speed that could reach any target in the world in under an hour. She transferred this know-how first to Motorola and then to Google when she took over the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group that produced prototypes such as the ARA modular phone and Project Tango, the machine vision system that gives computers human-like perception of the 3D world.
Project Tango was released as a developer edition. The hardware was iterated twice to improve its functionality and performance and shake out its flaws. When the concept was proven, Google licensed the technology to companies, including Lenovo and Intel.
Googles virtual reality (VR) chief, Clay Bavor, announced the Daydream VR platform at last month. Daydream is an untethered design, in contrast to Oculus and HTC Vive VR systems that are tethered to a high-performance PC that can render VR experiences and send pixels to headset displays with very low latency and high frame rates. Like the Samsung Gear VR, Daydream-ready phones built to Googles specification will be inserted into a headset. That means for users to have a high-quality VR Daydream experience, all the processing that takes place on the tethered PC now must take place on a less-powerful mobile phone.
Bevor explained that the Google VR team worked with hardware component makers to develop the Daydream-ready specification. The goal is to reduce the motion to photon latency, allow the phone to track the headset wearers head movement and change what is rendered on the screen in less than 20ms to match the wearers' head position. To achieve this low level of latency, the hardware components that will go into making a Daydream-ready phone will have been curated by Google and its partners experts.
The next version of Android, Android N has been optimized for mobile VR hardware and will include VR mode, a streamlined software development kit optimized for building VR apps. Google changed the Android build system to make it easier for developers to write highly optimized modules using fast, low-level programming languages C and C++ that run VR apps with very low latency. Google also added Vulcan, a low-level and fast open-source graphics library that lets developers squeeze more rendering from every cycle.
Google will announce its new Nexus product line at its annually expected September event. At least one phone will be Daydream-ready. Google has partnered with Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, Asus and Alcatel to produce Daydream-ready phones.
Rumor or proof of concept?
Googles curation and interaction with suppliers and the manufacturing supply chains may have been a false positive that inspired the Telegraph story predicting a Google-produced smartphone, based on the cited sources familiar with the discussions. Or Google may be building a prototype that performs faster, between the first Daydream-ready phones and the tethered Oculus and HTC Vive headset, as a proof of concept. That next step up in performance and capability is possible, like the Tango once was a proof of concept.
Google doesnt want to start a war with Apple, as the Telegraph story implied. If it did, huge investments would be required to create manufacturing and supply-chain operations. Google also wouldnt have sold Motorola. Instead, the company would have invested in expanding the former divisions scale and reach.
Google is an advertising and internet platform company. Despite Googles DARPA-like agility, it does not want to compete head on with Apple in its core competency with a copycat premium phone.
The VR and augmented reality (AR) category, which is predicted to explode, will be vital to Googles future. The company will profit from its share of VR and AR apps sold through its Google Play Store and from advertising in 360-degree video content.
Basingstoke and Deane votes to leave the EU
THE LEADER of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has pledged that racism will not be tolerated, after condemning an alleged racist slur affecting a BBC presenter.
This was after a majority across Basingstoke and Deane voted in favour of leaving the EU, following last Thursdays (June 23) EU referendum, with a turn-out of 78 per cent (full results below).
Local borough councillor, Clive Sanders, (East Woodhay, Con), who is also the council's leader, today (Tues) said he was shocked he said, to hear that journalist, Sima Kotecha, had suffered a racist slur during a recent visit to Basingstoke.
Mr Sanders said such behaviour was not in any way typical of the borough, while residents feedback revealed it to be an area where the majority felt those from different backgrounds got on well together.
Mr Sanders said: I am shocked and saddened to hear of the racist abuse suffered by BBC presenter Sima Kotecha in our borough. This behaviour has never been tolerated in Basingstoke, it cannot be justified and I wholeheartedly condemn it.
I am very proud that our borough is culturally diverse, with 112 languages spoken every day, helping to make our communities richer for everyone who lives here. We have a thriving Multicultural Forum that brings all different ethnic minority groups in the borough together and only last weekend was this work very happily celebrated by more than 2,000 people from all backgrounds at the annual World Party in the park.
I hope and believe that this is an isolated incident but I want to be clear that the strongest possible action will be taken against anyone guilty of racism. Every one of us has a duty to challenge racism and intolerance wherever it happens and people must report any incidents to the police so that they can be acted on.
On Monday (June 27), the Conservative MP for North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse, condemned disgusting racist incidents following last weeks EU referendum.
Kit Malthouse, who campaigned for a leave vote, was speaking after the nation elected to leave the European Union in an historic referendum on June 23 and said he was "Profoundly disturbed," by the "disgusting racist incidents," he said that had taken place over the weekend.
While immigration has undoubtedly been an issue in this campaign, it is a difficult and thorny one, and talk of curbs or controls will always give succour to racists and xenophobes," said Mr Malthouse.
It was possibly he said to engage with the referendum debate whilst being positive about immigration.
Immigrants are welcome in the UK, both from within and outside the EU, and we should all value their contribution culturally and economically," he said.
The number of votes in the Basingstoke and Deane voting area, as declared by counting officer Laura Taylor, were as follows:
Votes recorded:
Remain in the European Union 48,257
Leave the European Union 52,071
The number of ballot papers rejected was as follows
Number of ballot papers
Want of official mark 0
Voting for more answers than required 25
Writing or mark by which voter could be identified 2
Being unmarked or void for uncertainty 40
Total 67
The turnout was 78 per cent
EU referendum results across North Hampshire included:
Basingstoke and Deane:
Remain 48.1 per cent, Leave - 51.9 per cent
This was similar to the result for South East England:
Remain 48.2 per cent, Leave - 51.8 per cent
National figures were also similar:
Remain 48.1 per cent, Leave 51.9 per cent
Vietnam's annual economic growth slowed to an estimated 5.55 percent in the second quarter, the weakest for the three-month period in two years, the government said on Tuesday.
Vietnams economy expanded an estimated 5.52 percent in the first half of this year, down from the same period last year, the General Statistics Office said in its report on Tuesday.
The office revised up economic growth for the January-June period of 2015 to 6.32 percent, from 6.28 percent in its earlier estimate. Adverse weather, including drought in the Central Highlands coffee belt and salination in the Mekong Delta food basket, have affected industrial and agricultural productions as well as Vietnam's export and import sector.
Agriculture output dropped 0.8 percent in the first six months of the year from the same period in 2015, said the statistics office.
Vietnam's economy expanded 6.68 percent in 2015, the fastest pace since 2007 and extending growth momentum that started in 2012, when it had slipped to 5.25 percent from 6.24 percent the previous year.
The government has projected economic growth of 6.7 percent this year.
Related News:
>Prime Minister wants GDP at 6.7 percent this year
>Vietnam targets GDP growth of 7 percent over next 5 years
>Vietnam calls for $48.5 million to respond to worst drought in 100 years
>Vietnam looking to speed up public investment to curb slowing GDP
Ho Chi Minh City to have more financial and administrative independence: PM
Ho Chi Minh City is striving to develop into a smart and dynamic part of Asia, to become the talent hub of the country where investors and start-ups flock together, and to thrive on a sustainable market-based economy, said the PM on Monday at a meeting with the citys leaders.
Ho Chi Minh City covers just 0.6 percent of the country, but is home to around 8 million people or roughly 6.6 percent of the population and contributes 22 percent to Vietnams gross domestic product, and up to 30 percent of the state budget, the government's online news portal quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
The citys economy has expanded an estimated 7.47 percent in the first half of 2016, and is set to grow by 8-8.5 percent this year.
Vietnams gross domestic product rose 5.52 percent in the first six months of the year, down from the same period last year due mainly to adverse weather conditions, the General Statistics Office said in a report on Tuesday.
Ho Chi Minh City, which is dynamic, brash and commercial, feels more like Bangkok and less like the quiet northern capital Hanoi.
The city is 30 percent larger than Bangkok with the same population. However, the citys economic growth is about a third of Bangkok's, said the Prime Minister, referring to the fact that Bangkok attracts 3.6 times more international tourists than Ho Chi Minh City.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc says Ho Chi Minh City must become the pearl of the East Sea. Photo by Quang Hieu
Prime Minister Phuc suggested the southern commercial hub boost its economic growth with a focus on technological innovations and high-value services.
The city must become the pearl of the East Sea, added the Prime Minister.
Ho Chi Minh City, in order to realize its full potential and lead the countrys economic reform, should be given more freedom to act on its own.
Municipal authorities have asked for Ho Chi Minh City to have more control over its own fiscal budget, retaining more of its budget revenue for development projects.
The Politburo has agreed to delegate more financial and administrative powers to Ho Chi Minh City. In terms of public financial management, the city will have more budget independence, including more control over budget revenue and investment projects. [In terms of administrative management], the city can make its own decisions on human resources and [functional] organizations, the Prime Minister said.
He added that in some areas where the government has not adopted regulatory measures, Ho Chi Minh City has been encouraged to experiment.
Ho Chi Minh City reached annual growth of 9.85 percent last year, much higher than the countrys average GDP at 6.68 percent. According to the citys development goal, it plans to transform itself into the country's main social and economic drive.
Related News:
>HCMC Party chief: The City must become Shanghai-style special economic zone
>HCM City rakes in $21.7 bln as growth spikes in first six months
>Vietnam sets economic targets for 2017
Thailand's Central Group has signed a provisional contract worth $1.2 million with Binh Phu Fine Furniture Ltd for luxury wooden furniture for its six-star Park Hyatt Hotel, which will open soon in Bangkok.
Tables, sofas, mirrors, television cabinets and chairs made at a factory in Binh Duong Province will be shipped to Bangkok from the beginning of July.
Nguyen Thuy Trang, general director of Binh Phu Fine Furniture Ltd, said this is the largest order the company has received this, and a good opportunity for the company to introduce its products to Thai customers.
The six-star Park Hyatt in Thailand has placed an order for Vietnamese wooden furniture worth $1.2 million. Photo from hotelthailand.com
Jariya Chirathivat from Central Group said: Central Group has scouted for a potential supplier of high quality products around the world and Vietnamese enterprises, especially Binh Phu, are a good choice. Vietnamese furniture can conquer the global market.
Central Group is a leading retailing and real estate group operating and managing giant shopping malls hospitality properties and restaurants in Thailand and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, it holds a 49 percent share in Nguyen Kim Group and owns Big C Vietnam. It also has a chain of Robin stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Binh Phu has exports wooden furniture to many countries around the world including Europe and America
Vietnam welcomed some 4.7 million foreign visitors in the first six months of this year, up 21.3 percent from the same period last year, according to data released on Monday by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
The Southeast Asian country in June alone is reported to have received 700,446 international arrivals, down 7.5 percent from May but up 29.8 percent from last June.
The Vietnamese tourism sector has recorded some 32.4 million domestic travelers during the first half of this year, according to the General Statistics Office.
The country's total revenue from tourism services from January - June is estimated at around VND200.4 trillion ($8.9 billion), up 22 percent year on year, said the statistics office on its website.
Vietnam has set a target of welcoming 8.5 million foreign tourists and 60 million domestic travelers this year, which would help the country earn VND370 trillion or $16.5 billion in tourism revenue.
Vietnam has recently granted visa exemptions for U.S. citizens and tourists from five Western European countries to boost tourism.
Related News:
>Weak marketing hurts Vietnam's tourism growth
>Visa exemptions boost tourists from Western Europe
>U.S. citizens offered one-year visas to Vietnam
The board of directors of Vietnamese dairy firm Vinamilk has formally approved the removal of its 49 percent foreign ownership cap, paving the way for an expected flood of interest from overseas investors in a local company valued at $7.85 billion.
In a filing to the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange on June 28, the companys board of directors assigned the CEO to report its decision to relevant authorities in accordance with the law.
Vinamilk, or Vietnam Dairy Products JSC, has long been the country's most sought after firm among foreign investors due to its strong prospects and expansion plans. Vinamilk's share value has grown 18 times since it first listed in 2006 to VND146,000 ($6.54) as of mid-May, according to a Reuters report last month.
Foreign investors have been frustrated by Vietnam's lack of progress toward liberalizing equities following a surprise announcement last year that it would dismantle foreign ownership limits in many sectors, one of the country's boldest economic reforms yet.
Vinamilk products are displayed for sale at a Vinamilk shop in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters
"This is the most significant single development in the Vietnam market for close to 10 years and we expect a very positive reaction," PXP Vietnam Asset Management head Kevin Snowball said in a note to clients.
Vinamilk earlier this year dropped or adjusted some business lines that remain subject to foreign limits in a move analysts said was designed to prepare for the share cap removal.
The decision to open up Vinamilk is made more significant by the planned divestment of the government's 45 percent stake, held by the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) and worth $3.5 billion.
The SCIC has given no timeframe for the planned sale.
The largest foreign shareholder at present is F&N Dairy Investment, part of the Fraser and Neave conglomerate, with 11 percent. The firm is controlled by Thai beer tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, who has been making big inroads into Vietnam via his conglomerate Thai Charoen Corp.
Vinamilk's net income grew 28 percent last year to VND7.77 trillion ($348 million). Its first-quarter net profit in 2016 jumped 38.5 percent from the same period last year, Reuters said.
"We are very positive on the performance of the business, the earning growth is tremendous," said Andy Ho, managing director of VinaCapital, Vietnam's biggest fund and a shareholder in Vinamilk.
"The key is when will this (lifting the cap) happen ... hopefully very soon."
Related news:
> Vietnam's leading state owned giant Vinamilk says scrapping foreign ownership cap
> Vinamilk extends global reach with U.S. dairy firm acquisition
> Dairy giant Vinamilk opens $23 million plant in Cambodia
The United Nations pledges to work with the Vietnamese government to provide care and protection for the countrys at-risk children - a message delivered by Marta Santos Pais, special representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children during her recent three-day visit to Vietnam.
Pais met with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on her first day and also attended the fourth installment of the ASEAN Children Forum in Hanoi as she worked on the promotion of preventing and eliminating all forms of violence against children.
Children in Vietnam are particularly vulnerable to many forms of violence, both physically and via the internet, namely the persistence of cross-border trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and child labor, as well as the overuse of detention of child offenders, said Pais at a press conference held on June 22.
Pais said violence against children has high financial costs for society through its long-lasting impacts on child development, and for the budgets of the health, social welfare and criminal justice systems. "By investing in prevention we can strengthen Vietnams human and social capital, she said.
According to the UN, there are an estimated 3.3 million children in need of special protection and particularly vulnerable to violence, which accounts for about 12 percent of the total child population in Vietnam. Countless numbers of children are vulnerable to neglect, abuse, trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Children with disabilities remain particularly vulnerable and are three to four times more likely to be victims of violence, neglect and sexual abuse than their peers. Over 1.7 million are child workers, 172,500 are without parental care, 21,000 live on the street, 12,000 children are involved with the justice system, 2,381 are living with HIV/AIDS and 1,067 use drugs.
Children are increasingly exposed to the danger of being sexually abused or taken advantage of online. A recent poll in Vietnam shows that 41 percent of young people aged under 18 have witnessed their friends participate in risky behavior online, the UN reported.
Meanwhile, the number of child sex abuse cases in Vietnam has been increasing at an alarming rate in recent years. According to reports delivered at a conference to summarize the five-year Child Protection Program from 2011-2015 in Vietnam, there were over 8,200 child abuse cases with 9,920 victims, up by 258 children compared to the previous five years.
On May 12, the Bangkok-based NGO End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT) released a study on child sexual abuse, naming Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam as new child sex tourism destinations. It said sex tourism has spread around the world to countries that were previously inaccessible as tourism has boomed over the past 20 years and travel has become cheaper.
Disagreeing with the statement, Ngo Hoai Chung, a senior official of Vietnams Administration of Tourism, stated firmly that child sex tourism does not exist in Vietnam, mentioning that Vietnam has detected only a few cases of child abuse by foreign tourists and expats. Notable cases include Gary Glitter, a pedophile who was sentenced last year in Britain to 16 years in jail and a Canadian man named Vadim Scott Benderman who was jailed for four years last Janurary in Vietnam for sexually abusing homeless teenage boys.
Malaysian police detained a 50-year-old Vietnamese woman for pickpocketing in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zainol Samah said the suspect was apprehended by a boutique owner following the suspect's suspicious behavior and after a customer complained her belongings were missing.
"At 9.45 p.m., a customer realized her belongings were missing and immediately complained to the owner.
"The owner, who was already observing the suspect who was also in the shop, apprehended her with the help of members of the public," Zainol said in a statement today.
Police had already launched an investigation into the victim and her background before the incident.
"We discovered the Vietnamese woman had come to the country with her husband and rented a room in Cheras for a month.
"Police seized five handphones, two handbags and two scarves," Zainol added.
The suspect has been remanded and the case will be investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code for theft.
Family of British climber Aiden Webb reveals cause of his death
Aiden Webb, who died climbing Vietnam's highest mountain, plunged to his death after slipping down a steep waterfall, BBC on June 27 quoted his family as saying.
The backpacker, 22, from Norwich, set off to climb the Fansipan mountain alone on June 3. He called his girlfriend to say he had fallen, injuring himself.
It is understood he later fell down a waterfall while trying to make it to safety. His body was found on June 9.
Tests showed he died at about 7 a.m. on June 4, after falling 18m (60ft).
According to the BBC, in a message posted on Facebook on Sunday by Miss Baughan in both English and Vietnamese, the family said: "Aiden's body was found on the 9th of June by a team of seven comprising of Sapa police, military police and local men.
"An investigation was made following the recovery of Aiden's body. The findings show that around 7 a.m. on the 4th of June Aiden fell down an 18-metre waterfall, he died upon impact with the water of the plunge pool at its base."
His parents thanked those involved in the search and confirmed Webb's body had been returned home.
Webb, an experienced climber, had started his ascent of the 3,100m high mountain at about 6 a.m. and planned to climb it in a day.
He had gone to Vietnam with his girlfriend Bluebell Baughan, 24, of White Notley, Essex, and she was in contact with him by phone from the nearest town of Sapa.
Webb's body was eventually found by rangers near Sin Chai village at 12:50 p.m. local time on June 9.
Lisa Shaw Webb's post has been widely shared on Facebook. Photo from Facebook/Lisa Shaw Webb.
Fansipan, known as "the roof of Indochina", is a popular destination for Vietnamese and overseas trekkers.
This is not the first time an incident involving tourists climbing Fansipan has happened.
The previous tragedy occurred in 2013 when a Vietnamese university student named Pham Ngoc Anh, 20, disappeared on his way down from the peak. His body has never been found.
In 2001, a 17-year-old British girl fell 150m to her death on the mountain during a school trip to Vietnam.
Related news:
> Aiden Webb search operation under fire for being too slow
> The tough road to bring Aiden Webb home from the roof of Indochina
> British climber Aiden Webb died of exhaustion on Mount Fansipan
The idea was a part of the draft about modernizing the capital, which was presented at a conference of the Hanoi Municipal Communist Party Committee on June 27.
The draft said that Hanoi should gradually reduces the number of private vehicles and aims to stop operations of motorcycles by 2025.
Traffic jam in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh
Vu Cao Minh, secretary of Thanh Xuan District, claimed that Hanoians are using more and more electric bicycles and electric scooters, so the two types of vehicles should also be reduced by 50 percent by 2025. In addition, waterway transportation, for example on the To Lich River, (which is known for its high level of pollution), could be improved to facilitate travel in the city.
This isnt the first time Hanoi has set a target to limit the number of private vehicles in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion. However, no feasible measures have been introduced yet.
At a government online meeting, chairman of Hanois People Committee Nguyen Duc Chung asked for a plan to be developed to reduce private vehicles in the city. The chairman said that over the next four or five years, traffic in the city will only get worse. He predicted that Hanoi will have about one million cars and seven million motorbikes on it's streets.
Data from the citys Traffic Police Department for the first eight months of 2015 showed that Hanoi had about 140,000 newly-registered motorbikes in that period, taking the total to nearly five million, not to mention the number of vehicles from other provinces.
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.
Reporter
Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee).
Vietnam will delay the release date of its 2025 Penal Code, which was scheduled to replace the 1999 Criminal Code on July 1, due to errors in the drafting process, according to a VnExpress source.
On June 27, the National Assemblys Standing Committee held a meeting with provincial representatives to discuss the implementation process of the 2015 Penal Code. Although this set of laws was by the NA during the previous term and scheduled to take effect on July 1, lawmakers said some "technical" errors have made many that could be poorly interpreted, making it difficult to apply in practice.
About 90 errors have been identified, dozens of which need to be amended. From the authorities standpoint, if the law has errors it should not be released as it will affect the people, the source said.
Since there are only a few days left before the 2015 Penal Code 2015 comes into effect, the NA has not had enough time to convene a meeting in Hanoi to address the issue. Instead, voting cards, together with relevant documents, will be sent to deputies in a ballot to decide whether the Penal Code should be moved back a year to July 1, 2017. It results of the vote are expected to be announced after June 29.
On November 27, 2015, the revised Penal Code was passed by the National Assembly with the approval of 84.01 percent of deputies.
One of the code's most notable change was the abolishment of the death penalty for seven type of crimes, including mugging; manufacturing or trading in fake foods/foodstuffs; surrendering to the enemy; disobeying orders; sabotaging facilities; and illegally storing narcotics.
The code's Article 292 also sparked controversy and worried many startup businesses as it states that providing unlicensed services on the internet or through mobile networks is a criminal offense.
Related news:
> No old wine in a new bottle: Vietnam's business law revolution
> Vietnam in preparations to adopt common law
> Vietnam passes Access to Information Law
> Capital punishment scrapped for seven crimes
Reporter
Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Many testicular cancer survivors experience hearing loss after cisplatin-based chemotherapy, according to researchers at Indiana University.
The researchers, led by Lois B. Travis, M.D., Sc.D., the Lawrence D. Einhorn Professor of Cancer Research at the IU School of Medicine and a researcher at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, studied for the first time the cumulative effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy on hearing levels in testicular cancer survivors through comprehensive audiometry measurements. They found that increasing doses of cisplatin were associated with increased hearing loss at most of the tested frequencies, involving 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 kHz.
The research was published June 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"In addition to hearing loss, about 40 percent of patients also experienced tinnitus (ringing in the ears), which was significantly correlated with reduced hearing," Dr. Travis, also director of the cancer center's Survivorship Research Program, said.
Although this study was conducted in patients with testicular cancer, the authors point out that the general conclusions are likely applicable to patients with other types of adult-onset cancers that are commonly treated with cisplatin. They indicate that it will be important to follow patients given cisplatin-based chemotherapy long term to better understand the extent to which the natural aging process may further add to hearing deficits, as it does in the general population.
"The results show the importance of comprehensive hearing assessments, preferably both before and after treatments," Dr. Travis said. "Our findings suggest that health care providers should, at a minimum, annually query patients who have received cisplatin-based chemotherapy about their hearing status, consulting with audiologists as indicated. Patients should also be urged to avoid noise exposure, drugs having adverse effects on hearing, and other factors that may further damage hearing."
Co-first author Robert Frisina, Ph.D., added: "We are the first to show definitively that in a significant number of the cancer survivors, they have hearing loss above-and-beyond age-related hearing loss. They were of different ages -- 20s to 60s -- so this was a new analysis." Dr. Frisina is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, director of the Biomedical Engineering Program, and director of the Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research at the University of South Florida. He designed the auditory portion of the study.
Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today
Platinum-based cisplatin is one of the most commonly used drugs in medical oncology that also has toxic effects on the inner ear. Despite its use for more than 40 years, knowledge about the effects of cumulative cisplatin dose on hearing loss in survivors of adult-onset cancer has remained limited.
The researchers found that every 100 mg/m2 increase in cumulative dose of cisplatin resulted in a 3.2 dB impairment in hearing. The researchers also found high blood pressure was significantly related to hearing loss in these patients, even when cisplatin dose was taken into account. Thus, they emphasized the importance of high blood pressure control.
The researchers pointed out that because alterations in the highly successful testicular cancer regimens are unlikely for patients with advanced disease, their results underscore the importance of ongoing research aimed at the identification of genetic variants associated with cisplatin-related ototoxicity. An ultimate goal is to use the genetic results to develop effective agents that will protect the ear during the administration of cisplatin. For patients treated with cisplatin-based regimens for other types of cancer, it might also influence a physician to offer an alternative to those patients found to be genetically susceptible to the ototoxic effects of cisplatin after carefully weighing the risks and benefits of alternative treatments.
Lawrence Einhorn, M.D., Indiana University Distinguished Professor, Livestrong Foundation Professor of Oncology, and a physician scientist at the IU Simon Cancer Center, also was an author of the study.
In 1974, Dr. Einhorn tested cisplatin with two additional drugs that were effective in killing testis cancer cells. The combination became the cure for this once deadly disease. The results of this three-drug regimen were stunning. Tumors dissolved within days. Subsequent clinical research directed by Dr. Einhorn minimized the extremely toxic side effects of treatment; shortened the duration of two years of therapy to nine to 12 weeks; and established a model for a curable tumor, which has served as a research roadmap for generations of oncologists.
The researchers studied 488 men enrolled in the Platinum Study, which is open at the IU Simon Cancer Center and seven other cancer centers in the United States and Canada. The aim of the study is to gain new information that can benefit future testicular cancer patients and other patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Source: Indiana University
An increase in the level of the chemical isoprene may be the warning sign some dogs can detect in the breath of patients with type 1 diabetes who are reaching risky low levels of blood sugar, according to research by the University of Cambridge.
Diabetes detection dog called Magic. Courtesy of Cambridge University
The findings published by the journal Diabetes Care this week could give further insight into why dogs can be trained to detect the warning signs of low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia. The patient with low blood sugar may feel shakiness, light-headedness, sleepiness, disorientation and fatigue if they do not have a sugar in time. At its worst, the person can be more prone to injuries, accidents, coma or death.
How dogs can sniff out diabetes Play
Claire Pesterfield, a pediatric diabetes specialist nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust, is a patient with type 1 diabetes.
Patients with type 1 diabetes do not produce the hormone insulin to help them regulate their blood sugar. Claire uses insulin injections to help control her glucose and also has the support of a golden Labrador dog, called Magic, who is able to sense her low blood sugar levels. He has been trained to do this by the charity Medical Detection Dogs.
Low blood sugar is an everyday threat to me and if it falls too low -- which it can do quickly -- it can be very dangerous," "Magic is incredible -- he's not just a wonderful companion, but he's my 'nose' to warn me if I'm at risk of a hypo. If he smells a hypo coming, he'll jump up and put his paws on my shoulders to let me know." Claire Pesterfield, a pediatric diabetes specialist nurse at Addenbrookes Hospital and type 1 diabetes patient.
Scientists at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge investigated whether there were changes to the naturally-occurring chemicals in the exhaled breath of people with hypoglycemia that dogs were able to detect.
Eight women patients with type 1 diabetes and aged around their forties had their blood sugar levels lowered in a controlled environment. The chemicals in their breath were detected using mass spectrometry techniques.
The study found that levels of the chemical isoprene increased in all cases and it doubled for some people. The researchers concluded that the dogs may be reacting to the isoprene and that there may be an opportunity to develop isoprene detectors for patients with the condition.
Dr Mark Evans, Honorary Consultant Physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital, says: "Isoprene is one of the commonest natural chemicals that we find in human breath, but we know surprisingly little about where it comes from." He continued, "We suspect it's a by-product of the production of cholesterol, but it isn't clear why levels of the chemical rise when patients get very low blood sugar.
"Humans aren't sensitive to the presence of isoprene, but dogs with their incredible sense of smell, find it easy to identify and can be trained to alert their owners about dangerously low blood sugar levels. It provides a 'scent' that could help us develop new tests for detecting hypoglycemia and reducing the risk of potentially life-threatening complications for patients living with diabetes."
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre with support from the Cambridge NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility funded the research.
References
Vietnam is looking to strengthen its military muscle and Japan has emerged as a potential supplier. The Nikkei Asian Review cited a Japanese official as saying that the Vietnamese navy has informally asked to buy second-hand anti-submarine aircraft.
Vietnam has long wanted anti-submarine aircraft, and many experts predicted it would buy them from the U.S. following the lifting of the arms embargo on the Southeast Asian country. However, the problem is the hefty price tag that goes with U.S. defense gear. As an alternative, Vietnam is turning to Japan for cheaper second-hand aircraft.
But money is not the only reason why Vietnam is turning to Japan. Politically, Vietnam may feel more comfortable with the Japanese option as the two country have built an extensive strategic partnership in recent years amid rising tensions in the South China Sea (Vietnam's East Sea). Shortly after the 2014 oil rig stand-off, Japan and Vietnam announced a 500 million yen deal for six maritime surveillance vessels. Earlier this year, Japanese warships made their first-ever visit to Vietnams deep-water Cam Ranh Bay port, one of the most strategically important bays in Asia.
A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship makes a rare call in May at Cam Ranh Bay, one of the most strategically important bays in Asia. Photo courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
The Nikkei Asian Review reports that Hanoi is considering the purchase of second-hand Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C surveillance anti-submarine aircraft. While there are no specifics on the costs for an old MSDF P-3C, a brand-new aircraft would cost around $80 million, according to the Diplomat.
Japan has been replacing the propeller-driven P-3C planes with the cutting-edge P-1 maritime patrol jets since 2013, according to the Nikkei Asian Review, so there will be more second-hand P-3C aircrafts available for Vietnam to buy.
In addition, Vietnam hopes to receive training along with the delivery of the aircraft. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is considered to be one of the most capable operators of the P-3C aircraft in the world, and Vietnam might find it easier to learn from Japan with which it has political and economic ties.
A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft sits on Palawan Island in the western Philippines near the disputed Spratly Islands in June 2015. Photo by Reuters.
Vietnam has received the fifth of its six Kilo-class submarines on order from Russia since 2015 and, more significantly, its efforts to convince the United States to lift its long-standing embargo on lethal arms exports came to fruition last month when U.S. President Barack Obama visited the country and announced a full lifting of the embargo.
Reuters reports that Vietnam is expected to ask Lockheed Martin for formal pricing and availability data on four to six second-hand U.S. Navy P-3 Orions in the next few months.
Related News:
>Vietnam accelerates military build-up
>Vietnam strengthens naval muscle
>Russian shipyard to deliver two frigates for Vietnam in August, September
>Vietnam, South Korea may buy Lockheed planes amid Chinese buildup
Prof Conti & Prof Francesconi THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts
How common is appetite loss during illness and what impact can it have on patients?
Prof. Francesconi: Before I answer this question, I would like to define the meaning of appetite. Appetite, as a word, come from the Latin appetitus, meaning "desire for. Therefore, appetite can be defined as a pleasurable sensation or the desire to eat. This sensation is coordinated by several brain areas associated with reward processing such amygdala, hippocampus, ventral pallidum, nucleus accumbens and striatum, and others.
Coming back to the question, trigger elements that interfere with appetite probably act on such brain structures. Loss of appetite (anorexia) is frequently associated with a pro-inflammatory state. Although, almost all illnesses can impair appetite temporarily, are the chronic diseases that can make loss of appetite worse.
In severe illnesses anorexia and consequent weight loss is a serious problem associated to cachexia (Kachexia; kakos bad; exis condition. Anorexia-Cachexia is a major cause of weight loss and increased mortality and affects more than 5 million people in the United States.
Prof. Conti: It is extremely common. Indeed, I think it is difficult to encounter an individual that did not experience it at one point or another. It occurs primarily during bacterial and viral infections but also in other diseases like cancer.
Can appetite loss affect clinical outcome?
Prof. Conti: Yes, it can if it is prolonged leading to malnutrition and consequently to a weakening of the organism. Appetite loss during sickness is also a component and can possibly lead to cachexia, a wasting syndrome that includes, muscle atrophy, fatigue and weight loss significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight. This can be a concern especially in cancer patients and their ability to cope with chemotherapy.
Having said so, it is important to mention that biologists in particular have been debating on whether it is possible that loss of appetite during infection may actually have evolved to help the organism fight the infection. One hypothesis is that reduced nutrient intake could limit minerals or other nutrients that certain microorganism need to thrive. This was never conclusively demonstrated and remains an active topic of discussion.
Prof. Francesconi: Clinical data refer that in anorexia-cachexia syndrome in cancer, the weight loss is a complaint in 15 to 40 percent of patients and indicates poor prognosis. Interleukin induction has been well documented in cancer.
Comparable medical problems as a consequence of appetite loss are described for other severe illnesses such as cachexia associated with AIDS that is highly predictive of death. Interestingly, in older adults the loss of weight highly increases morbidity and mortality, probably due to excess cytokine elaboration.
In the last years the loss of appetite, during severe illness, has started to be considered a serious problem that needs to be taken in serious consideration. Unfortunately, the pharmacological interventions to target appetite stimulation has little efficacy and considerable side effects.
Therefore, nutritional therapy appears to be the logical step to combat inadequate nutrition. However, clinical trial data demonstrate weak benefits. New therapeutic approaches will be desirable to get rid the loss of appetite.
What did your recent research discover about the molecular mechanism that reduces appetite during illness? How does this build on what was previously known?
Prof. Francesconi: When Dr. Conti and I decided to initiate a collaboration on the effects of interleukin 18 (IL-18) on food intake, we already knew that this specific interleukin would be involved, as many other Interleukin, in reducing food intake.
Moreover, Dr. Conti and collaborators already demonstrated that intraventricular (i.v) injection of IL-18 was able to reduce food intake without inducing any other symptoms, as fever, usually associate with blood increase of other interleukin. Therefore, the pathway was already outlined.
IL-18 reduces food intake acting on neurons located in an unknown brain region. I suggested to investigate if IL-18 was acting on neurons located in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BST) to reduce food intake. Why despite of many brain regions involved in reward, we picked up the BST?
First, this brain region, as a part of the extended amygdala, is deeply involved in chronic stress and anxiety and also in the dependence from drugs of abuse. Second, I studied for many years the plastic changes of neuronal activity of BST neurons during the protracted withdrawal period from drugs of abuse (cocaine and heroin) and alcohol.
I proposed to study the effects of IL-18 on both the excitatory synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability recording neurons located in the BST using mice brain slices.
We discovered that IL-18 reduced the frequency of spontaneous excitatory current impinging on a particular type of BST Gabaergic neurons (type III). Statistical analysis of this reduction, revealed that IL-18 was acting at the level of presynaptic glutamatergic terminal, reducing the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate on type III GABAergic BST neurons, known to project to the Lateral Hypothalamus (LH).
Our study identified the brain region where IL-18 is acting to reduce food intake and the molecular mechanisms of its action. IL-18, reducing excitatory inputs on GABAergic BST-LH projecting neurons, has an opposite behavioral effect in respects to the one induced by the optogenetic stimulation of GABAergic fibers originating in the BST and projecting to the LH.
Prof. Conti: We discovered that one of the protein that is used by the organism to promote inflammation following infection or tissue damage, the cytokine interleukin 18 (IL-18), reduces appetite by acting directly on neurons that regulates appetite in a specific brain region with a complex Latin name: the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis.
Although it was previously known that loss of appetite during illness was mediated by molecules that are produced by the immune system, including IL-18, it was not clear by which mechanisms they can influence appetite.
What techniques did you use to elucidate the events regulating appetite?
Prof. Conti: We used a combination of pharmacological and genetic techniques and investigated the electrophysiological and behavioral effects of IL-18.
Prof. Francesconi: We used Molecular, Behavioral and Electrophysiological techniques. Molecular to first identify neuronal localization of IL-18 receptors in the BST. Behavioral to demonstrate the effects of IL-18 injection in the BST on food intake. Electrophysiological to identify which physiological neuronal properties were altered by IL-18.
Does your research point to any potential targets for treating loss of appetite?
Prof. Francesconi: I believe yes. During severe illness the level of IL-18 in the brain increases. IL-18 promotes inflammation without giving serious pathological symptoms except the loss of appetite. Therefore we can endeavor two serial processes: the IL-18 production or the IL-18 binding to its neuronal receptors.
Prof. Conti: Yes, in principle it suggests that reducing or blocking the central action of IL-18 during sickness can ameliorate the loss of appetite during illness.
What are the next steps in your research?
Prof. Francesconi: The first and most challenging step will be to identify the signal transduction activated following the binding of IL-18 to its membrane receptors in the BST.
Since IL-18 acts on presynaptic mechanism of glutamate release, we are interested in identifying which molecular component of the signal transduction pathway activated by IL-18, can be targeted to block the effects of IL-18 on presynaptic vesicle release at level of the BST. This will be an extremely exciting investigation.
It is known that IL-18R induces two major intracellular pathways, one involving the adaptor molecule MyD88 and the other inducing phosphorylation of STAT3. STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation inhibits presynaptic MAPK/ERK activity with reduction of synapsin I phosphorylation and reduction of glutamate release.
Prof. Conti: There is still a lot to be done. Among the most important things are:
Determine which molecular and biochemical changes are responsible for the action of IL-18 on the activity of the neurons that regulate appetite. Each can represent a drug target. Many Scientists consider feeding a sort of addiction: addiction to food. It will be interesting to investigate whether IL-18 can also regulate addiction to substances of abuse. In fact, the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis, was recognized for its role in addiction before it was in feeding. Investigate the mechanisms of action of other mediator of inflammation that can also contribute to appetite reduction It would be important to determine if IL-18 and the BNST have a role in the development of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders.
Could your research also provide a way to reduce appetite and thereby support weight loss for those with metabolic disorder patients?
Prof. Conti: Yes. Although, as we mentioned, loss of appetite during illness can potentially compromise clinical outcome, this is not always and inevitably the case. Thus, our research shows that investigating the mechanisms by which illness reduce appetite is a novel approach for the development of drugs that can regulate nutrient intake and those metabolic disorders that are caused or influenced by it.
Prof. Francesconi: Yes. IL-18 downstream signals can be target to reduce appetite. We know that deficiency of interleukin-18 (IL-18 KO) in mice leads to hyperphagia, obesity and insulin resistance. Housing the IL-18 KO mice in metabolic cages to measure food intake and energy expenditure, researcher demonstrated that IL-18 KO mice ate significantly more than the Wild type, although the metabolic rate did not differ between the strains.
What do you think the future holds for research into appetites?
Prof. Francesconi: National U.S. survey data suggest the Metabolic Syndrome affects about one-quarter of adults aged 20 to 70 years, with the prevalence approaching 50 percent in the elderly.
These National U.S. survey data together with the increase of number of publications on the central mechanism involved in food intake suggest a brilliant future in the field. Neuroscientists, in collaboration with immunologistsusing optogenetic toolscan depict the fine structure of neural circuits involved in food intake in normal subject and also in severe illnesses.
Prof. Conti: Several new discoveries, novel therapeutics and, as it is always the case, new challenges.
Where can readers find more information?
About Prof. Conti and Prof. Francesconi
Bruno Conti, PhD is an Italian-American Scientist and a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Physiology and of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
Dr Conti trained in Immunology at The New York Medical College and in Neuroscience at Cornell University before moving to The Scripps Research Institute in the year 2000. His area of expertise is neuro-immunology and his research focuses on the effects that mediators of inflammation have in the brain.
His current research is on the role of neuroinflammation in the onset and progression of Parkinsons disease and on the mechanisms of energy homeostasis, which include the regulation of nutrient intake and of energy expenditure.
Dr Conti cloned rodent IL-18 when at Cornell and later discovered its anorexigenic effects. Dr Conti is best known for having demonstrated that even small but prolong reduction of core body temperature prolongs lifespan.
Walter Francesconi, PhD is an Italian-American Scientist and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Chemical Physiology at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California.
Dr Francesconi trained in neuroscience at the Institute of Human Physiology at the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy and at the Max-Planck Institute for Hirnforshung in Frankfurt a.M, Germany before moving to The Scripps Research Institute in the year 2001.
His area of expertise is neuro-physiology and his research focuses on the effects that substances of abuse have on synaptic transmission, neuronal excitability and plasticity studied in brain slice preparation.
His current research is to study the mechanisms of action of the cytokines IL-18 and IL-13, on synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis and in the Ventral Tegmental Area, respectively. Dr Francesconi is also involved in studying the neuronal plastic changes underlying Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Fragile X syndrome.
One Medicine: how human and veterinary medicine can benefit each other
Professor Roberto La Ragione
News-Medical speaks to Professor Roberto La Ragione, Chair of Trustees at Humanimal Trust, about the concept of One Medicine and how human and veterinary medicine can collaborate, share knowledge, and initiate research for the benefit of both humans and animals.
What's Cool?
What's Not So Cool?
Competitors
Verdict
Ford Endeavour, an SUV that had Sunil Shetty as its brand ambassador once and a rather boxy look has come in a brand new avatar in 2016. From Sunil Shetty of SUV's, it's now the Salman Khan of SUV under Rs 30 lakh in India. We got the monstrous 3 Litre 4X4 automatic transmission Ford Endeavour 2016 and here's what we think about it.For starters, the new Ford Endeavour is massive. It's now sleek and has a lot of curves to it. The front nose is now more pointy and the grille has loads of chrome that gives it a magnanimous stature. The headlamps are redesigned with LED daytime running lights and projector beams. The 7-seat SUV has loads of space inside and comes with a lot of gadgets to play around with. You get 22 buttons on the steering wheel itself. The car's instrument cluster gives you loads of data points to churn and every button has a meaning to it.The list of interior features are endless and the touch of leather on the dashboard adds to the luxurious charm of the cabin. The riding position is as commanding as it can get on a massive SUV and there is enough leg room and thigh support for all the passengers in the car. The third row is a bit cramped but that, in India, is basically meant for your kids. The cabin is not at all claustrophobic thanks to the massive sunroof that the new Ford Endeavour comes with.The interior features include a massive touch screen infotainment system on the dash board, electronically adjustable driver seats, loads of airbags for safety, Ford's SYNC 2.0 for you smartphone connectivity, Automatic Climate control and 10 speakers that can put any pre-fitted music system in a car to shame. The cabin also has noise cancelling technology in it which makes it quiet and you won't hear the 3.2 litre motor inside it at all.The highlight of the new Ford Endeavour is the massive 3.2 Litre diesel engine that churns out 200 PS of power and 470 nm of torque. Couple that with a 6-speed automatic transmission and you have a monster under your command. The Ford Endeavour also comes with a 4X4 drive terrain and you also get a nifty little knob next to the gear lever to play around with the terrain management system. There are four modes on the terrain management on the Ford Endeavour. With just the rotation of the knob the SUV changes characters and can be ready to go offroad. There is Grass, Mud, Snow, Sand and also a Rocky terrain management system. This SUV is ready for any terrain that you can possibly imagine to go on. The rocky terrain management makes the car go in a low range 4X4 mode and delivers loads of power for you to negotiate the tricky rocks. The hill descent control on the Ford Endeavour also works like a dream, the driver just has to manage the speed with the buttons on the steering wheel.And if you think that parking can be a problem for such a huge SUV, don't worry the Ford Endeavour has even that sorted for you. The car comes with parking assist and can parallel park itself in tight spaces. All the driver needs to do is manage the gear shift and the brake pedal. The SUV maneuvers itself in park assist mode. One can write a book on the features that the Ford Endeavour comes with and still you won't be done with it.It's a powerful SUV to drive as well and comes with all the creature comforts one can desire in an SUV. It definitely has an edge over its existing competitors in the Indian market just based on the features that it comes loaded with.For such a powerful engine what one tends to lose on is fuel economy. The 3.2 lite engine gave us just 8.1 km to a litre of diesel we put in it. But Ford does have a 2.2 litre engine on the Endeavour now that comes with similar features to the 3.2 litre version. Another thing that was a bit disappointing was that the park assist on the Ford Endeavour only parallel parks and only towards the left side of the SUV. There is no perpendicular parking on the new Ford Endeavour.For almost Rs 30 lakh something as simple as a Start/Stop button is missing on the Ford Endeavour. You still need to turn a key to fire up the engine on such a beautiful beast. Plus, if you are living in Delhi/NCR, just forget to buy any of the version of the new Ford Endeavour, thanks to the diesel ban.The 2016 Ford Endeavour competes with the likes of Toyota Fortuner and the Chevrolet Trailblazer. While the Toyota Fortuner right now in India comes with basic features and the Ford Endeavour scores in every department over it. The Chevrolet Trailblazer is big on power and tech but the hydraulic power steering makes maneuvering it a pain over the Ford Endeavour.There are going to be new versions of the Toyota Fortuner and Chevrolet Trailblazer launched in India very soon. But if one looks at the under Rs 30 Lakh SUV segment in India, the Ford Endeavour is miles ahead of its competition and is the most desirable beast in the segment.Ford Endeavour 3.2 Litre 4X4 AT Price: Rs 29.19 lakh (Ex-Showroom Delhi)
In a historic decision on June 23, 51.3 percent people voted for Britain's exit from the European Union. But as the fallout of Brexit sinks in, many of them are wondering if there is any way to remain in the EU.In the hope of calling for a second referendum, approximately 3.9 million disappointed 'remain' camp voters signed an online petition calling for a do-over. But, of course, calling for a second referendum doesn't seem to be a practical option. The decision has been taken and now a new leadership is due to take charge in October and carry out fresh negotiations with the EU.PM David Cameron, gave a word of advice in his Parliament statement: "The nature of the relationship we secure with the EU will be determined by the next government, but I think everyone is agreed that we all want the strongest possible economic link with our European neighbours as well as with our close friends in North America, the Commonwealth and important partners like India and China".But the most interesting piece of advice on Britain's future options was given by this Brit immigrant living in India.In his intelligent Facebook post , Nick Booker-Soni, from Bath, UK, writes why Britain should forget everything and join India as her Union Territory.Read his post here on why he feels so:Dear Britain,Should you have voted to leave the EU by the time I wake up - dont worry - I have a solution that should relieve both 'remainers' and 'leavers' equally. A moment comes, which comes but rarely, when we step from the old to the new.Ive cracked the #Brexit conundrum!Cameron needs to immediately apply for Britain to become a Union Territory of the Republic of India.Whilst historically speaking it seems only right and proper to give India a chance to rule Britain for a few hundred years - it actually makes a lot of sense for the British too!Worried about jobs? Indias economy is growing 4x faster than Europes and will overtake the entire EUs sometime in the 2030s - becoming twice the size of the EU economy by 2050. In economic terms alone every young Brit should wish to replace their garish red EU passport with a classy blue Indian one ASAP.Worried about the future of the NHS? India already provides nearly as many Doctors to the NHS as the EU does - and that doesnt even include those of Indian origin, born or educated, in Britain. 25,055 Indian v 30,082 EU.Worried about diversity? With over 100 different languages spoken everyday and adherents of every religion - even Britains favourite materialist consumption - there truly is something for everyone here!Worried about being understood? English is one of India's two official languages - which will be a huge relief for all those have struggled to communicate with their continental neighbours for all these years.Worried about not being part of something bigger? India has more than twice the population of the EU. Half of which are under 35, so the bonus is no more worries about an ageing population!Worried about where to go on holiday? The Himalayas are nearly three times the height of the Alps and thousands of miles longer - there are more sandy beaches along Indias coastline than all the Costas you can dream of - and India has tropical rainforests and even a desert too! Plenty of visa free inter-railing adventures as well on the worlds largest railway network.Worried about not being ruled by an unlected bureaucracy in a far away land? Weve got that covered as well! Nowhere on the planet has perfected the shuffling of paper and writing of rules better than New Delhi - whats more Indias civil servants salaries are more than 10x lower than Brussels. Talk about getting more for less!British MPs, the whole of Whitehall and even the Royal Family (subject to the return of the Kohinor) can all be pensioned off at the fast expanding and internationally renowned Best Exotic Marigold Hotel chain in Jaipur.Which would free up the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and much of Central London to become a permanent Bollywood film set. With more viewers than Hollywood this is sure to help keep Londons tourist economy going - which within a decade or two will be mostly Indians in any case.Embrace the 21st Century. Swap Brussels for Delhi. Say Goodbye to Little Europe and Namaste to Incredible India!Yours in waiting,An Immigrant of British Origin,New Delhi, India
Yun mere khat ka Jawaab aya
Kejriwal ke sar pe gulaab ayaa pic.twitter.com/W7qZcCYZqF Pawan SinghA (@urbanpendu00) June 28, 2016
Waiting for Snapchat to file a lawsuit against Kejriwal... https://t.co/1Dx6ONaxXj Krishnan Iyer (@KrishIy3r) June 28, 2016
After Asharam Bapu ji, India has got a new Baba... Kejriwal Bapu ji.. pic.twitter.com/8LlvaXanuq Ankit (BJP) (@ankit1028) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal mujra karne ki taiyari me pic.twitter.com/cGHHohC86W (@OneAwanish) June 28, 2016
Seems like Kejriwal was caught at a rave party in Goa. https://t.co/llUElSeP8Z (@nihang) June 28, 2016
Guldasta Banne Ki Tyaari Karte #Kejriwal Ji pic.twitter.com/JLHBOeIZVo Abhinav Trehan (@BhaiiBhai) June 28, 2016
I bet Modi has not done this headgear yet. Kejriwal scores. https://t.co/Pb1Nhqks3W harmanpreet kaur (@kaurharmanpreet) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal with garden on head. https://t.co/ObF6nMSayl R (@astrorator) June 28, 2016
Shri Arvind Kejriwal accusing Cee Lo Green of stealing his flowers.
. pic.twitter.com/EcqVcdL5Au PhD in Bak*****! (@Atheist_Krishna) June 28, 2016
Reporter- Sir aap delhi me kya kar rahein hai ?
Kejriwal- Mast baharon ka mein ashiq Mein jo chahay yaar karun. pic.twitter.com/alGmwVJm7s Hun (@nickhunterr) June 28, 2016
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday arrived in Goa for a two-day visit as part of his three-state tour, to assess preparations for assembly elections due next year. But it's not the politics that is grabbing all the attention.During his tour of Goa, CM Kejriwal met members of the fishermen community who greeted him in their traditional style. He was also set to meet members of youth organizations.Later Kejriwal was clicked wearing a coronet of flowers. What was the occasion, and who made him wear the floral headgear was immediately not clear. But after the picture was shared, people on Twitter literally lost it.What was not lost was the confidence with which he was wearing the flowers. Some suggested it could be from the Sao Joao festivities in Goa where people wear flowers, get drunk and jump into wells while other said it was Snapchat filters, Kejriwal style.
Bengaluru: It was a tragic end to the inspirational life story of India's first female cab driver. Veerath Bharathi, who rode her city and dreams on wheels is dead, and the Bengaluru Police suspect she may have committed suicide out of depression and loneliness.
Questions are being raised from unlikely quarters on the reasons. As her LGBT community maintains silence, fingers are being pointed at a failed relationship that might have driven her to take the extreme step.
Neighbours found Bharathi's body hanging from the ceiling in her home in Nagashettyhalli around 7 PM on Monday.
Neighbours who alerted the cops said their suspicion grew when they saw her cab parked outside. Usually Bharathi leaves for work by 12 noon and is back only by late night, usually around 1 AM.
Police suspect it could be a case of suicide. There were no signs of a forceful break-in and no visible marks of assault on her body. There was not even a suicide note found.
"For a clearer picture we will wait till the post mortem report comes out," says DCP North district TR Suresh.
Her landlord however informed the police that Bharathi had been battling loneliness and depression. And that she had informed him that she was planning to shift to her native town. She was even trying to relocate her gas connection.
Her former colleagues at Sangama, where she worked for a brief period when she moved to Bengaluru and learned driving, informed on condition of anonymity that Bharathi suffered victimisation. And that could have led her to take such a drastic step.
In 2007, after moving to Bengaluru, she had started working for Sangama in different capacities. She later learnt driving, and with support from friends, she bought her first car, a Ford fiesta.
Bharathi was a female to male (transgender), and according to her friends and colleagues, she was in a relationship with a woman named Nimmi (Name changed). They were together for the past four years.
However there was some altercation between them and she recently left Bharathi for another partner. This infuriated her.
Bharathi was even physically assaulted once after which she decided to leave Bengaluru and move to her native place.
However, Nimmi allegedly assaulted her again - that too publicly. This time, there were many people from her community who claim they witnessed this incident. "That's what drove her to suicide," one of them says.
Bharathi had suffered several indignities because of her sexual identity, reveals her lawyer Bubbarjung Venkatesh.
All through her life she fought against it. Narrating a famous case he fought on her behalf and had managed to get an acquittal from a life sentence, Babbarjung says, It was a landmark case. For the first time a lesbian was implicated in a case of murder and Bharathi was the prime accused."
It was in 2006, and Bharathi and two of her friends were in Ooty on a vacation.
"It was a suicide pact. Unable to bear the harassment because of their sexual identity, the three people had decided to end their life," Venkatesh says
However, one of the three girls developed cold feet and opted out. Bharathi and the other girl went ahead with the pact. Bharathi survived, but the other girl didn't.
The dead girl's family filed a case and Bharathi and her friend were charged with murder. Bharathi even spent four to five months in Coimbatore jail and was finally acquitted in 2008.
"Six days back she had called me saying she wanted some legal assistance. She wanted to adopt a child. She said she was also very depressed. But didn't specify the reasons," Venkatesh says.
The Bihar Police revealed the identity of a rape victim on social media causing a major embarrassment to the force and the Nitish Kumar government.
The police released the name and address of the rape victim on the official Facebook page of the police force.
The Bihar government has said the matter will be investigated and all those responsible will be punished.
Meanwhile, the political parties are up in arms against the police for the lapse.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the police accusing them of jeopardising the probe into the case. "The procedure which should have been followed wasn't followed. Now it will affect the evidence collection. Action should be taken against all police officers who revealed her identity," BJP leader Nitin Navin said.
Janata Dal United (JDU), too, demanded action against those who caused the blunder. "Such cases are sensitive and call for great caution. It's a matter of investigation as to how it was leaked. Those responsible will pe punished," JDU leader Shyam Razak said.
New Delhi: With monsoon forecast to reach the national capital later this week, the Delhi government on Tuesday said it has fixed an hour-long deadline to deal with ensuing complaints of waterlogging.
Delhi PWD Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain said the government has set up a designated system to address such grievances.
"Under this system, complaints of waterlogging will be disposed within an hour of receiving the same through call centre set up by the government," Jain told reporters.
He said people won't have to face problems of waterlogging on roads during the monsoon season. Earlier in June, the AAP government had set up a unified control room to deal with complaints related to water-logging on roads.
People can register complaints on 1800118595.
"The unified control room will receive complaints related to waterlogging from the general public and will further assign them to the office/department concerned for immediate action and resolution," the official said.
The control room will work round-the-clock. In 2015 too, the AAP government had also issued a helpline to receive complaints of waterlogging in the streets.
A local commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit was killed on Tuesday in a gunfight between holed up terrorists and security forces in Kashmir's Kupwara district.
The HM commander has been identified as Sameer Wani, was killed in the encounter in Nagri village.
"Security forces had surrounded a residential house in the village following information about a group of militants hiding there," a police officer said.
The gunbattle between terrorists and security forces broke out in Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning and firing between the two sides is still on.
This is the seventh attack in Kashmir in less than a week and brings to the fore the sudden spike in militancy in the valley.
Last week 8 CRPF jawans were killed and around 20 were injured in Pampore after terrorists ambushed a convoy bus.
On June 23 around 6 terrorists were gunned down in two separate incidents in Kupwara.
3 terrorists were also killed in an encounter in Lolab.
A grenade attack was also reported on security forces in Sopore although no casualties were reported.
Post the Pampore attack, Home minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had strongly backed the security forces and asked them to give a befitting reply to the terrorists.
In a recent interview Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had said that the security forces have "full freedom to answer back" to the attacks by the infiltrators.
Sonu - who was kidnapped from Delhi was found in a shelter home in Bangladesh. We matched the DNA with his mother. The test is positive./1 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 28, 2016
Indian High Commission in Dhaka has obtained Sonu's custody. He will reach Delhi on 30th June. /2 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 28, 2016
I thank all those who looked after our young citizen in Bangladesh./3 Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 28, 2016
Thank u @awasthis @JournoPranay @raydeep and friends in the media who brought this matter to my notice on 24th May. pic.twitter.com/QR6EZD4unU Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 28, 2016
Indian boy Sonu, who went missing from Delhi six years ago, has been traced in Bangladesh and will be brought back to India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday."Sonu, who was kidnapped from Delhi was found in a shelter home in Bangladesh. We matched the DNA with his mother. The test is positive," Sushma tweeted.In another tweet she said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka has obtained Sonu's custody and that he will reach Delhi on June 30.Sonu, 12, is presently staying at a child rehabilitation centre in Jessore.Swaraj also thanked all those who looked after Sonu in Bangladesh and thanked a few journalists for bringing the matter to her notice on May 24.Swaraj thanked the people of Bangladesh who looked after him. She also thanked Network18 reporters Sumit Awasthi, Pranay Upadhyay and Kirandeep and others in the media for highlighting the issue.Sonu had gone missing from Delhi in 2010 and a man from Jessore recently contacted his family and gave details about the whereabouts of the boy.A senior official of the Indian high commission in Dhaka then went to Jessore in May to meet Sonu on the directive of Minister Swaraj.Details of how the boy had gone missing are not yet known.(With additional information from PTI)
After raiding their hotel room on June 27, Vietnamese police found hundreds of millions of dong, thousands of dollars and euros and a stash of ATM cards.
On June 25, Ke Qinying and three accomplices approached a 62-year-old Chinese-Vietnamese woman named Han at a market in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. They claimed to have miracle cure for all of her diseases.
The group persuaded the 62-year-old women to fetch gold from her home so that she could be blessed and freed of her diseases. After receiving the gold from Han, which they illegally exchanged for cash, they gave her a mysterious package and told her not to open it until she got home.
The group was already under surveillance by Vietnamese police, who arrested the four suspects the same day.
Chines suspects. Photo provided by the police.
On June 27, Vietnamese police checked their hotel room in Ong Ich Khiem Street in District 11, where they found hundreds of millions of dong, thousands of dollars and euros and a stash of ATM cards.
The four suspects testified that a Vietnamese man had invited them to Vietnam. The man covered their living expenses and taught them how to earn money by fooling others using the mystery 'cure'. They insisted that the money the police detected was theirs.
This huge amount of money could have been taken from many people, a police official said, adding that they are expanding the scale of the investigation.
Six terrorists on Tuesday barged into Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ghulam Mohammad Chopan's house in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir and snatched an AK 56 rifle from his personal security guard.
The terrorists overpowered constable Bashir Ahmed and also took away at least two magazines along with the rifle.
The incident took place in Panzan area of Chadoora in Budgam.
An alert has been sounded across the area and all entry and exit points leading to the village have been sealed. A case has been registered and massive search has been launched to nab the terrorists.
Authorities have also beefed up the security across Srinagar and south Kashmir.
Meanwhile, a local commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) was on Tuesday killed in a gunfight between terrorists and security forces in Kupwara in Kashmir. This is the seventh attack in Kashmir in less than a week and brings to the fore the sudden spike in militancy in the valley.
Last week, 8 CRPF jawans were killed and over 20 were injured in Pampore after terrorists ambushed a convoy bus.
She was lying in a pool of blood for more than 2 hours and no one turned up. Even the policemen reached the spot late. It was shocking for me and raises questions about the security of other woman commuters," rued the father.
It's been 5 days since 24-year-old Swathi was brutally murdered on June 24 in Chennai but the killer is still at large.
- K Gopalakrishnan, Swathi's father, in an exclusive interview to CNN News 18 has said that it is very unfortunate that no one came forward to help my daughter.While we learnt from police sources that the killer could be a stalker, Swathi's father has revealed that on May 10 Swathi had complained about a man who used to follow her."She also alerted the local shopkeepers about the stalker. We were concerned and used to drop and receive her from the railway station,"the Father said.He also added that the family is cooperating with Chennai police and says he is confident that the investigating team will track down the culprit.With no headway in the case, the BJP and the Congress staged a protest demanding justice for Swathi.The BJP State President, Tamilisai Soundarajan said, "CM has said in the State Assembly that the State is fine but we are worried about the safety of women in our state because of such incidents. In how many cases have the culprits been punished."Kushboo, Congress Leader and film star during the protest said, "It is very unfortunate that something like this has happened. Let this be the last incident. We as citizens have failed in our duty. There were so many bystanders but they did nothing. They were mute spectators. This is very shocking. I think they should have come forward. If anyone has shot a video or clicked pictures please take it to the cops as it will help them".But this brings to light the public apathy and also the fact that railway staff were not present at the crime site.Meanwhile, Police Commissioner, T.K Rajendran said, "Investigation is on in full swing and is on the right track based on information received from family members and friends of Swathi. We have initiated a special plan for this particular murder. I urge the public to give us information regarding the killer. 8 special teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused."This case was transferred from Railway police to State police after the Madras High court came down heavily on the Public Prosecutor. The High Court has given Chennai police a 2 day deadline to crack the case. It said it will take suo moto action if there is no headway in the case even after two days.
Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour. 3/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs. 1/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
was informed at 1315hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come.Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didnt start.returned 2 home 2/ M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment.4 M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) June 28, 2016
Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to enquire and take action on priority https://t.co/vwVwfPMKVf Ashok Gajapathi Raju (@Ashok_Gajapathi) June 28, 2016
Cognizance taken, CMD @airindiain to enquire into the incident.Thanks for the feedback. https://t.co/9ZcALplc1E Dr. Mahesh Sharma (@dr_maheshsharma) June 28, 2016
Livid over having to miss an "important" appointment after the pilot of an Air India flight to Hyderabad did not turn up, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday took to twitter to castigate the state-run carrier, which ordered an inquiry into the episode."Air India should explain how such things are happening. Transparency and accountability are the need of the hour," Naidu, the Urban Development Minister, tweeted.Sources said Naidu was going to Hyderabad to attend a meeting on the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign.The flight was scheduled to depart at 1345 hours but due to the non-availability of the pilot it could take off only at 1430 hours."I had to travel to Hyderabad by Air India AI544 which is to depart at 1315 Hrs... was told on time.. reached airport by 1230 Hrs," the minister said in another tweet."(I)was informed at 1315 hrs that flight was delayed as d pilot had not yet come. Waited up to 1345 Hrs, boarding didn't start. returned 2 home," Naidu said in a series of tweets."Hope Air India understands that we are in the age of competition. Missed an important appointment," he said.Soon after Naidu's tweets, the public carrier expressed regret for the inconvenience caused, while Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said he had asked Air India to conduct an inquiry and take action."Sir, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused due to flt delay. The pilot was stuck in traffic jam. Enquiry has been ordered," Air India tweeted.Raju said,"Service disruptions are unacceptable and have to be eliminated. Have asked AI to enquire and take action on priority.""Cognizance taken, CMD @airindia to enquire into the incident. Thanks for the feedback," said Raju's deputy Mahesh Sharma.
Here is what is making news on a Tuesday morning.
Bihar topper scam: I told Papa to get me passed but they went ahead and made me topper, says Ruby Rai
"Maine to Papa se kaha tha pass karwa dijiye, unhone ne to top hi karwa diya. This is what the Bihar board Class XII topper, whose result has since been cancelled after a retest, reportedly told her interrogators. Loosely translated, her assertion was, "I had only told Papa to get me passed but they went ahead and made me topper."
The Vaishali girl, a widely publicised TV interview of whom showed her struggling to answer basic questions and mispronouncing political science as "prodigal science", has been arrested. Facing an expert committee of the Bihar State Education Board that asked her to write a few lines on Tulsidas the poet, she had written one line: Tulsidas, pranam.
(Reported by The Indian Express)
Monsoon yet to grace city but dengue cases up to 28
Dengue is known to spike post-rains, but many cases have already been reported even though monsoon is yet to arrive in Delhi. The latest report from the municipal corporations shows eight cases of the mosquito-borne disease being reported in the city over the past week taking the total number of people affected to 28 this season.
Last year, the capital recor ded a staggering 15,867 dengue cases, the worst in 20 years.Municipal reports showed that the disease also claimed over 50 lives. During 1996, a severe outbreak of dengue had occurred in Delhi wherein 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were reported.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Man molests airhostess in selfie bid; chased, he locks himself in loo & smokes
A 29-year-old man from Gujarat has been arrested for molesting a Jet Airways crew member while attempting to take a selfie with her on board a DamamMumbai flight. I was walking in the aisle when the pas senger (Abubakar) caught my hand and said `Chalo na yaar , ekselfie lete hai (Come, let's click a selfie)'. Despite my objections, he repeatedly misbehaved with me during the journey , the air hostess said in her complaint.
He crossed all limits when grabbed me by my shoulder and forcefully took a selfie, she add ed. When he caught hold of the woman, other crew members rushed to her aid. A worried Muhammad Abubakar then locked himself in the plane's toilet and lit a cigarette. A probe is underway to determine how he cleared security check with a lighter.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Teacher climbs a mountain everyday to keep school going
Some walk, others cycle. Suresh B Chalageri scales a hill to get to school. For seven years and nine months, the dedicated teacher has trekked to reach his destination, sometimes carrying books and foodgrains, traversing a distance of 8 km. In fact, he is the sole reason the Byrapura Lower Primary School is still running.
Located atop the hill in Byrapura village of Gajendragada taluk in Karnataka's Gadag, the school was in a shambles when Chalageri, 50, was first posted there.While the famous Kalakaleshwar temple is situated at the foothills, the hilltop is home to scores of families from the Lambani tribe, who are largely shepherds. Most lambani children go to the government school.
(Reported by The Times of India)
People drag a turtle out of sea, hit it, stand on it for clicking selfies
An endangered turtle is receiving treatment after being beaten and stood on by people taking selfies on a beach in Lebanon.
The male loggerhead sea turtle was dragged out of the surf at Havana beach, just south of Beirut, according to the charity group Animals Lebanon. People then posed for photographs standing on the animal before hitting it with sticks.
The charity said it was now assisting the ministry of agriculture and civil defence to make sure the turtle does not die from this unnecessary , avoidable, and illegal cruelty.
(Reported By Hindustan Times)
'Emerging' issues a thorn in ties: China
China has said a mix of historical differences such as the border dispute with India and some emerging new issues po sea major challenge to the development of bilateral ties. Chinese assistant minister for foreign affairs Li Hui lai said Beij in g s position on New Delhi s application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) applies to all countries that are not signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and does not target any one nation.
(Reported By Hindustan Times)
SP is a party of goondas, says Amit Shah
BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) calling it a party of goondas and mafia and giving ample indications that the BJP was out to make the law and order its main poll plank in 2017 elections in UP.
He termed the recent merger and de-merger of Mukhtar Ansaris Quami Ekta Dal as a drama. He asked CM Akhilesh Yadav to clarify if he will also expel Atiq Ahmad, another mafia-turned-politician, from the party.
(Reported By Hindustan Times)
Gujarat NGO ad seeks upper caste sweepers, sparks protests
An NGO working for Dalit and tribal rights has triggered angry protests after it asked upper-caste people to apply for jobs of sweeper and cleaners, considered a preserve of lower castes in Indias deeply entrenched caste system.
The Ahmedabad-based NGO, Human Development and Research Centre (HDRC) run by St Xaviers Non-Formal Education Society, put up the job advertisement at its office in April to highlight caste-based discrimination in society and promote social inequality.
Majuli to be Indias first river island dist
A river island in Assam has been rewarded for electing the head of the states first BJP-led government. The Sarbananda Sonowal ministry, in its first cabinet meeting since taking charge on May 24, decided on Monday to grant district status to Majuli, a 400 sq km island in river Brahmaputra. Sonowal had won the assembly election this year from Majuli, a constituency reserved for scheduled tribes. The erosion-troubled Majuli, now a sub-division of Jorhat district, will become Indias first river island district and Assams 34th.
Khidki opens for viewers
Producer JD Majethia and director Umesh Shukla of OMG: Oh My God! fame have collaborated for a unique mini-series called Khidki. This show , which will air on Sony SAB, is about audiences telling their funny stories and reliving them with the world on television. The channel called for entries in March this year and received over 8,000 entries. Each story will be woven into three to eight episodes.
Khidki will have a set of actors including Sarita Joshi, Rajeev Mehta, Lubna Salim, Aishwarya Sakhuja, to name a few , along with narration by JD Majethia, who is also the series' host.
It's a clear evidence of Pakistan's doublespeak on "freedom" for Kashmir. A nominee for elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been disqualified because he refused to swear loyalty to Pakistan, documents accessed by CNN-News18 on Tuesday showed.
Aftab Ahmed's nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer of a constituency in PoK after he wrote that he believes in independence for Kashmir and not in the sovereignty of Pakistan,
The order issued by Muhammad Sajjad, the returning officer from Mirpur, clearly confirmed this. why Aftab was disqualified. Sajjad said Aftab had struck out three mandatory requirements in his nomination papers filed under the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Elections Ordinance 1970.
They are:
- The candidate must believe in the ideology of Pakistan
- The candidate must believe in the ideology of the State's Accession to Pakistan
- The candidate must believe in the integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan
After striking out these three pre-requisites, Aftab instead wrote he believes in the ideology of independence of Kashmir.
Defending his action, the returning officer pointed out that under Section 5(2)(viii) of The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Elections Ordinance 1970, a person shall be disqualified if he is against the state's accession to Pakistan.
Which means that Aftab Ahmed, who believes in Azad Kashmir, cannot contest elections in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir which Islamabad calls 'Azad Kashmir'.
It also shows Pakistan's shrewdness in blocking any opportunity for the electorate to exercise their voting rights freely.
As per its constitution, even a government which enjoys a majority can be summarily dismissed by the Pakistan government.
The Council in Islamabad, headed by the prime minister of Pakistan, has the final say on all PoK Assembly Elections. Dissent on support to Kashmir's accession to Pakistan invites political persecution.
Power in PoK is exercised through Pak Army Headquarters, Rawalpindi & Corps Command, Murree. Its constitution precludes all those who favour Kashmiri independence. High ranking officials including the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, Inspector-general of police, among others, are sent from Islamabad.
New Delhi: One of the main accused in 2008 Malegoan blast case Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was denied bail by the special NIA court on Tuesday.
The twin blast case had killed at least 7 people and injured around 80 people in Malegaon and Modasa on the evening of Navratri.
Preliminary probe had revealed the involvement of right-wing groups after which Sadhvi and 2 others were arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in October 2008.
Lt Col Shrikant Purohit too was arrested in connection with the case in Nov 2008.
In July 2009, a special court had dropped MCOCA charges against the accused but the Bombay HC restored the MCOCA charges in 2010.
In April 2015, the Supreme Court dropped the MCOCA charges against all the accused.
Almost eight years after the incident and constant flip flops by the investigating agencies, the NIA dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya in May 2016.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that India's efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as supreme objective but the forces have "full freedom to answer back" in whatever manner they have to.
"There are different types of forces operating in Pakistan. But the government only engages with a democratically-elected system. Our effort for that engagement is continuing. But our supreme objective is peace. Our supreme objective is to protect India's interests," he said.
"We keep making efforts towards that objective and sometimes our efforts are successful. As far as meetings and talks are concerned, we signalled right from the day I took oath and sent invitations for the oath taking ceremony, that we seek friendly relations but without compromising on our interests," he added.
"And that is why I have said that my country's soldiers have full freedom to answer back in whatever manner they have to and they will keep doing that," he said in an interview to a TV channel.
Asked what would be the 'laxman rekha' for talks with Pakistan, Modi said "The first thing is that with whom in Pakistan you will decide about laxman rekha--with an elected government or with other actors. So India will have to be alert and conscious all the time. There should not be any laxity and negligence."
Modi was asked what is the 'lakshman rekha' for holding talks Pakistan because in 2014 it was said it will be only talks between the two countries and not with Hurriyat, the second was 26/11 and now Pathankot.
He said because of his consistent efforts like the visit to Lahore or inviting the Pakistan Prime Minister here that he no longer has to convince the world about India's stand on terrorism.
"The world in one voice is praising India's role. Pakistan is finding it difficult to answer. The world is watching. If we remain an obstacle then we will have to convince the world that we are not like this.
"Earlier the world would not buy India's theory on terrorism and sometime it would even treat it as out law and order problem. Now the whole world is accepting what India says on terrorism. It is accepting the loss caused to India by terrorism, the loss caused to humanity by terrorism. I believe India will have to continue putting forth its view on this matter," the PM said.
To a question about his "uncompromising approach" towards Pakistan in May 2014 and about the killing of eight CRPF soldiers near Srinagar on Saturday, Modi said India has always wanted friendly ties with its neighbours over which there can be no debate.
"Those who have to work from the table, will work from the table and those who have to work at the border, will work at border with full strength. Each one will fulfil the responsibility entrusted to them. And our jawans are fulfilling their responsibilities. It's true that pressure on terrorists has increased, their schemes are proving unsuccessful," he said.
"The intent with which they move forward are foiled and they have to face major challenges. It is because of this disappointment that such incidents are taking place and our jawans are risking their lives and protecting the country. We are very proud of our Jawans," he said.
Modi said India will have to be "alert and conscious" all the time but wondered with whom in Pakistan red lines can be drawn for conducting talks--with the elected government or "other actors".
Yavatmal: In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the cleanliness drive, senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel on Tuesday said he should first set the Bharatiya Janata Party's house in order.
"It would be appropriate on the part of Prime Minister to cleanse the BJP first instead of making a propaganda about 'Swachh Bharat'," the former Union minister said.
His comments came in an apparent reference to allegations of corruption against senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse who resigned recently as Revenue Minister.
Patel claimed that no section of society is satisfied with the performance of the state and Central governments.
"It is unfortunate that BJP leaders like Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari have not brought any development to Vidarbha," Patel said.
He said the NCP would contest the forthcoming elections to the local bodies and municipal councils in the state on its own strength.
Patel alleged that no development in real terms came to Vidarbha despite the CM signing MoUs worth thousands of crores at various forums.
"Gadkari has performed 'bhoomipujan' (groundbreaking ceremony) for road development projects but not a single tender has been passed so far," the former civil aviation minister said.
He replied in negative when asked if NCP would extend its support to BJP in case Shiv Sena walks out of the coalition government.
When asked whether NCP is avoiding playing an aggressive opposition out of fear of action against its leaders facing the graft charge, Patel said, "Who has stopped government from launching probe or taking legal action against us. They are free to do so. We are ready to face any eventuality".
He said NCP would go with people's choice on granting statehood to Vidarbha.
New Delhi: Trouble is brewing for government in the Monsoon session of Parliament, which is expected to start in July, with main opposition Congress on Monday hinting at stacking up ammunition on issues like failure at NSG, terror strikes and diatribes of Subramanian Swamy.
"Parliament will have an interesting session this time," party spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters.
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a host of issues, especially India's failure at the NSG meet, he said that the Prime Minister should realise that "diplomacy is not a sound and light show".
"Our Prime Minister has no knowledge of diplomacy. It is not a Sound & Light show.
"Foreign policy is done with a sense of maturity. Diplomacy is conducted in very silent, sober manner. But, we see none of that," Sibal said, remarking that the "Prime Minister likes to be on TV".
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister over his remarks on the NSG issue, he wondered as to what was the point of saying Mexico and Switzerland were on India's side?
"We love Modiji, but we love India more. Do not lower its image in the international community by light and sound shows," he said, reminding the Prime Minister that the 123 agreement with the US was achieved by India during the UPA rule "without pomp and show".
He said that senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who was the External Affairs Minister in the NDA-1 Government, had wondered as to why India was pushing for an entry into the NSG when it has got the waiver way back in 2008.
Raising the issue of terror strikes, he alleged that "the product of Modi Government's foreign policy is Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Pampore. That's the reality on the ground".
Referring to Modi's surprise Lahore visit, he said that the Prime Minister during the UPA tenure never went to Pakistan to celebrate weddings and birthdays.
In fact, the Prime Minister in the UPA era made it clear that while India wanted talks, normalisation of ties with Pakistan was not possible till it cooperated in bringing to book those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, he said.
Claiming that 50 terrorists have crossed the Pakistan border in past five months, he said that they have continued attacking Indian soldiers. "We want to ask the Prime Minister till when are we supposed to suffer these attacks?".
Sibal also attacked the RSS for plans to hold Iftar parties. "While our security forces are getting martyred, RSS is busy holding Iftar parties for Pakistani diplomats," he said recalling the way Modi used to target the UPA on the issue.
Replying to a question on BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, Sibal wondered as to what is the use of the Prime Minister now disapproving Swamy's attacks when RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has already said no to a second term.
A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate group Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) has withdrawn its invitation to Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for an Iftar party after 8 CRPF soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush in Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir.
Basit was invited for an Iftar party which is to be held at Parliament annexe on July 2.
"We have cancelled the invite of Pak High Comissioner. We can't have iftar with them when our soldiers are being killed. We want to send a strong message that India will not tolerate this," MRM functionary Mohammad Afzal said.
In an extremely callous remark when questioned about the Pampore attacks, Basit insisted that people should rather focus on Iftar party during Ramzan. "It's the month of Ramzan. Let us focus on Iftar party. Let's not talk politics, we can talk about political party we have a lot of time even after Ramzan. This is Iftar party, let's enjoy ourselves," he had said.
Denying the invite to the Pakistani envoy, MRM added that Basit's remark on Pampore attack was "very insensitive".
The MRM has taken several initiatives and organised Iftar parties in various places including Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai among other cities. According to its website, the MRM is a group of nationalist Muslims and functionaries of the RSS, which was initially called "Rashtravadi Muslim Andolan-Ek Nayi Raah".
Even though the RSS does not include the MRM in the list of its 36 affiliates, the organisation was founded in 2002 by former RSS chief KS Sudarshan and has had close links with the Sangh.
With Vietnam welcoming a surge of South Korean tourists, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is concerned that Vietnam is stealing valuable tourism revenue from the country, which counts South Korea among its top-five East Asian tourist markets, according to the Bangkok Post
In 2015, South Korean tourist arrivals to Thailand grew 22% to 1.37 million, while Vietnam welcomed 114,740 South Korean travelers, a surge of 131%.
Vietnam has become a more and more attractive destination for international tourists, which may pose a threat to its neighbors tourism sector.
Thailand is seeking to use attractive travel prices and established infrastructure to lure South Koreans and tackle the threat, the Post said.
In the first quarter of 2016, Vietnam welcomed nearly 2.5 million tourists, up 20 percent from the same period last year.
Tram Mountain, Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Ngo Huy Hoa
Vietnam in June alone is reported to have received 700,446 international arrivals.
"Vietnam will be Thailand's key rival for the South Korean tourist market in the next five years. Its tourism infrastructure is developing so fast, its products are fresh and tourist safety is good. Moreover, Vietnam is an investment destination for South Koreans," Siriges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol, director of TAT's Seoul office, told the Bangkok Post
Ms Siriges-a-nong told the Bangkok Post that Vietnam is becoming a popular destination, especially as a beach destination, while many of Thailand's top beaches have deteriorated.
The downgrading of Thailand's aviation standards by the International Civil Aviation Organization is also a key obstacle because tour operators cannot use charter flights, she said.
"Safety is a major concern. If Thailand can solve this problem, it will boost inbound tourism significantly, not only from South Korea, but also other markets," Ms Siriges-a-nong said.
TAT is still confident that traveling in Thailand is more fun than in Vietnam, while the tourism situation is positive thanks to political stability.
TAT expects arrivals from South Korea to Thailand will reach 1.8 million in 2020.
Related news:
> Vietnam records 21 percent increase in foreign tourists
> Cam Ranh Airport overloaded as Chinese tourists descend on Khanh HoaCam Ranh
Whats Cool
Whats Not So Cool
Competitors
Verdict
LeEco, the China-based smartphone manufacturer known for having introduced the worlds first smartphone with a USB Type-C port, recently announced successors to its superphones the Le 2 and Le Max 2. The Le 2 is the affordable of the two and we find out whether it holds true to its title of being a superphone.First element of any device that drives your attention is the looks. The Le 2, with its slim, geometric but slightly curved on the edges design is impressive. The 5.5-inch FHD display gives an impression of being bezel free but it isnt truly so. The display is vivid and operating it is a smooth sail. The Android controllers at the bottom do not stay lit all the time adding to the charm. The LED indicator on the top too is very subtle.The phone comes with a responsive fingerprint sensor that has been placed conveniently in the rear right below the camera which only makes the unlocking process a little faster. The nuanced detailing makes the Le 2 a phone that is designed ironically to be non-intrusive. Overall the phone is slim, doesnt weigh much, and is easy to operate with one hand. But because of the smooth finish, you might want to snap on a case or cover to avoid slipping.From the looks to the core; LeEco is known to debut first of firsts features in its products and the Le 2 is no exception. It comes with a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa core processor clocked at 1.8 GHz and coupled with 3 GB LPDDR3 RAM. It is said to be the first phone in India to pack the newer Qualcomm processor. The chipset is powerful enough to help you use the device for basic to moderately heavy tasks smoothly. Be it gaming, photography, or video streaming, the phone doesnt disappoint in terms of performance. Due to it being a metal body device, one might feel the device getting little warm but it is not an alarming issue.Another highlight of the Rs 11,999 budget device is its cameras. The 16 megapixel rear camera with dual-tone flash and PDAF produces outstanding results making sure you dont miss out on a moment. The 8 megapixel front camera with 76.5 degree wide angle lens lets you shoot images in either 4:3 ratio or 16:9 depending on your preference. So whether you want a solo click or want to squeeze in your gang for a groupfie, the phone will not disappoint you. With a host of customisation options, from time lapse, slo-mo, filters, ISO, white balancing, and more, there is no scope for one to not go on a clicking spree. All the features only add to the sharp and vivid results. In terms of video capabilities, the phone lets you shoot in 4K and HD @30fps making the Le 2 a good option to consider for photography enthusiasts.The phone comes with a 3000mAh battery with LeEcos Le SuperCharge technology. It easily lasts a day on average use. Because of the subtle display customisation options which come with EUI 5.6, you can further save more power by tweaking the settings.It might be the future of smartphone audio technology but the new Type-C port for charging and audio might initially see less takers. The Le 2 is one of the first phones to do away with the headphone jack (the other device, the Le Max 2 also features the same connector) which does slim down the overall size of the device. LeEco is currently supplying the Type-C adapter in the box and giving away the Rs 1,990 priced new CDLA headphones with the phone. While the company is also giving you the freedom to use any standard 3.5mm earphones, it is a little restrictive because you cant use them without the Type-C audio adapter.One of the downers with the phone is that it comes with 32 GB internal storage with no option for further expansion. With a good camera and efficient processor, the storage feels a tad less. Even a support for a hybrid slot would have helped achieve an overall great budget device. Also, the device doesnt come with FM support which, depending on the consumers preference, might be another disappointment.The Le 2 competes with a host of budget devices in the under Rs 15K range from Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 , Huawei Honor 5C , Meizu M3 Note, to Moto G4 Plus and Lenovo ZUK Z1 . While some of these competing devices offer memory expansion, the Le 2 has an edge with the new processor, better front camera and also in terms of innovation with the Type-C audio support.At Rs 11,999, the 4G LTE powered Le 2 is all that one could have asked for. It comes with biometric security, good camera, more power, and dual SIM support. While more manufacturers are adopting Type-C port for charging as a standard, there still remains a larger section which wants to keep the charging and audio port separate. Overall, the phone packs more than what one usually expects of a budget device. So if you want a good looking phone with a good camera, fancy features like Type-C and also want a more secure device than Le 2 could become your next phone in a budget.
Sitting on the sofa in her familys Campbell County home, Jessica Kincaid removes items from the large, black stick bag she has just unzipped.
Inside, traditional drumsticks sit next to Becker Blues a xylophone mallet while her triangle beaters rest at her side. Mallets topped with rubber core-wrapped yarn balls in an array of colors lay in the next set of sleeves. Her triangle and technique books rest in one of the back pockets; theres also a tuning fork in the front.
You would use a harder mallet for more articulate stuff and fast passages, whereas you would use a bigger, fluffier mallet for softer, more ballad playing or rolls, says Kincaid, a musician, explaining the importance of the 35 different pairs she keeps inside the bag. Everyone always has different stuff based on what theyve needed in the past and what they will plan on using.
The 20-year-old percussionist could very well need them all at Greensboros Eastern Music Festival (EMF), a five-week internationally recognized music festival she left for last weekend.
Over the next five weeks, Kincaids days will consist of a whirlwind of orchestra and ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, seminars, master classes and performances, some of which she will perform in and some of which she will simply attend.
There are going to be people that are at her level. There are going be people that are below her level, and there are going to be people that are above her level, says Jauvon Gilliam, director of percussion studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, where Kincaid studies.
And its going to make her become a better person just by being around all of this sort of musical activity. Shes there all day, all the time, doing nothing but music and [is] completely immersed in music, nothing else.
Now in its 55th year, the Greensboro festival currently has about 65,000 alumni, says Executive Director Chris Williams.
Percussion alums of the program have gone on to play for symphony orchestras in Cincinnati, Utah and Seattle, as well as for The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band and on Broadway.
While Kincaid has participated in other music festivals that included learning intensives, the Eastern Music Festival was the first program that required an audition to get in.
Our goal is to attract nine percussionists, says Williams. This year, we probably had 40 or 45 applicants. So, maybe one in four, maybe one in five, makes the cut. Its really intensely competitive. The applicants come from all over the globe.
This year, Williams says, the festival will host students from 36 states and nine countries.
Over the course of their time there, these students will perform in anywhere from six to 10 concerts.
We have developed a reputation for being really well-focused and really student-focused, he says. Its about teaching and helping these kids advance. A summer at EMF is an awful lot like a year in a school setting because of the intensity.
Kincaid began playing the piano in fifth grade, but moved toward percussion when she joined band at Brookville Middle School, saying it spoke to her more than woodwinds.
As Kincaid puts it, percussion counts as anything in the back row of an orchestra. Snare bass and timpani drums, xylophones, marimbas, vibraphone tambourines, cymbals and even triangles Kincaid plays them all.
Theres a general technique across the board, but every instrument is a little bit different, she says. To me, theyre each unique. You can have two instruments that look basically the same, but they speak in completely different ways.
Growing up in Lynchburg, Kincaid played in high school marching band and all-district and all-state bands, as well as the senior regional orchestra. She took private lessons and participated in percussion intensives at music festivals.
Now at College Park, she performs in both the percussion and wind ensemble, rehearsing an hour and a half three days a week for wind ensemble and two hours twice a week for percussion. Plus, she practices three hours a day on her own.
Shes still got a ways to go as far as her schooling but even in the short two years, shes definitely taken a lot in and learned a lot about technique and core sound, which [are] the basics, says Gilliam. You cant run before you start to walk. And especially coming in as a freshman, I think its a more comprehensive approach to learning the instrument. Shes definitely jumped into that with two feet, which is great. Thats the best way to learn, to be a sponge and absorb everything around you.
Gilliam who, in addition to teaching, also serves as the principal timpanist for the National Symphony Orchestra in D.C. met Kincaid in 2013 during a summer program at Michigans InterLochen Academy of the Arts.
He became her mentor and served as a source of advice during the college audition process. When she arrived at College Park, Kincaid chose to study with him for three semesters.
In the last year, she has switched to a new professor in the percussion track, a standard element of the department that requires students to learn with as many teachers as possible.
This approach, Gilliam says, enables the students to experience different playing techniques and styles for a more well-rounded understanding of their instrument.
At the University of Maryland, Kincaid says she has found a program where students encourage each other to become their best, unlike the cutthroat environment of many music schools around the country.
We like to call it drumlove, says Gilliam. Its basically where everybodys all about making the same thing, which is great music. You put that forward, and things are bound to go well.
Kincaid does not know exactly where she wants music to take her after school. She still wants to train and grow as a musician, and her participation in the Eastern Music Festival will allow her to do just that.
Its those types of experiences that actually solidify the fact that people make entire careers out of this, says Gilliam. A lot of people see music as a hobby or a novelty. For a lot of people it is, but for some of us, we can make a living out of it. Its those types of experiences that make this a reality to a lot of students. My goal for her is that she solidifies that music is a really great way to make a living.
A planned apartment and townhome complex will expand rental options within Lynchburg, but some potential neighbors are concerned about the impact the development would have, particularly on traffic.
Maddox & Son Construction, Inc. proposes to construct a complex consisting of nine 28-unit apartment buildings and one townhome complex of nine units on more than 12 acres on Old Graves Mill Road, by the Lynchburg Humane Society.
The property would be similar to other developments owned by Maddox & Son, including The Gables of Cornerstone in Lynchburg and The Gables of Jefferson Commons in Forest, and would include amenities such as a 24-hour fitness center, a movie theater and swimming pool.
We try to create a community for our residents, Andy Maddox, president and owner of Maddox & Son Construction said.
The apartment and townhome complex on Old Graves Mill Road is contingent upon Lynchburg City Council approving a rezoning request.
Maddox & Son Construction is under contract to purchase the 12.75-acre parcel, which is currently zoned R-2 low-medium density residential. Maddox & Son is seeking the parcels rezoning to R-4 high density residential.
Access to the proposed development would be from Old Graves Mill Road. According to Maddox, the location appears to be a good place for the development owing to its proximity to the Lynchburg Expressway as well as nearby duplexes and patio homes.
Maddox & Son Construction conducted a neighborhood meeting earlier this month, which was attended by representatives of the Lynchburg Humane Society and a neighboring couple.
The rezoning was set to appear before the Lynchburg Planning Commission last week but was taken off the agenda through a mutual agreement between the city and the developer postponing it until the developer presents a traffic study.
As for a construction timeline, Maddox said the first step is to acquire the rezoning, which would be followed by an engineering phase. By early spring 2017, construction would begin.
The Lynchburg Humane Society purchased a portion of property earlier this year from the estate of Lillian Schenkel. The land purchased by the Humane Society was part of a larger parcel that includes the property that is under contract by Maddox & Son Construction.
Makena Yarbrough, executive director of the Lynchburg Humane Society, said she does not believe the development will change the societys expansion plans. She said the development firm is very reputable, takes pride in its work, and the property will be aesthetically pleasing.
Yarbrough spoke of potential traffic as a concern, adding it is difficult to pull out of the center at certain times of the day owing to traffic on Old Graves Mill Road.
Nonetheless, we do feel like they will be good neighbors, Yarbrough said. We have a great pool of potential adopters as well as volunteers.
Community members opposed to the rezoning are circulating a petition.
Among the concerns listed are an increase in current traffic issues; longer traffic wait times and delays; a lack of turning lanes; increased pedestrian traffic coupled with a lack of sidewalks or bike lanes; increased crime; and depreciation of home values.
Resident and petition signer Chris Stokes wrote in a statement to The News & Advance the community at large is opposed to the rezoning. Stokes wrote, citizens want the proposal to be declined and the property to remain at its current R-2 zoning. Old Graves Mill already has poor traffic conditions, roads need widening and a center turn lane is a necessity, he wrote.
For the City to move ahead and approve this would be an injustice to the community. As stated earlier, this proposal only perpetuates the already frustrating traffic conditions that the city has yet to address.
The petition will be presented to the Lynchburg Planning Commission, which will consider the rezoning during its July 13 meeting.
Maddox said Maddox & Son Construction has commissioned a traffic study, which was shared with the city. Maddox said he has not yet seen the study, but likely recommendations in the report would include a turn lane into the property and possibly a center turn lane. Maddox said such recommendations would be enacted at the companys expense.
The object is not to block traffic, Maddox said.
Nearly $600,000 from the federal government has been released for construction of the Lynchburg Regional Airports new control tower, slated to be finished by the end of the year.
Built in 1963, the existing tower is in need of replacement. According to Lynchburg Regional Airport Director Mark Courtney, the tower has outlived its usefulness.
With the combination of airline service, flight training and business jets coming in and out, the modern tower is essential to our mission and safety, Courtney said. Its really critical that we maintain our air traffic control service.
As part of the Federal Aviation Administrations air traffic control tower program, the money is the second part of appropriated federal dollars for the construction of the new tower. The FAA entitlement funds support movement of federally mandated communication systems from the old structure to the new one.
The existing air traffic control tower at Lynchburg Regional Airport is more than 50 years old and has been slated to be replaced for many years, Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Timothy Kaine said in a joint news release Tuesday. We are pleased that the City of Lynchburg will receive federal funds to help support construction of the new tower. These investments are critical to upgrading our nations air traffic control system, which is in dire need of modernization.
The cab of the old tower will be sold at public auction, with Liberty Universitys School of Aeronautics and at least one other party interested in purchasing it as of now. Construction on the new structure began in April, directly next to the location of the current tower. The entire project is expected to cost $4.69 million, which combines all of the preparation as well as construction costs.
This has been a long time coming, Courtney said. Its been about four years from doing an FAA site study, engineering and design, selecting the bid and finding a total cost be (that would be) something that we could have sufficient funding for.
In addition to the $600,000 released from the FAA entitlement funds both this year and last, the state is contributing another $1.8 million to the project. The airport is paying for the last section with about $1 million from airport traveler revenue, Courtney said.
The new tower also will service Liberty University, whose aeronautics students fly out of the airport.
The importance to us at the Liberty University School of Aeronautics and Freedom Aviation is that it will enhance safety and help prepare our students to operate within an advanced air traffic control system, said Dave Young, dean of Libertys aeronautics school.
The FAAs Contract Tower Program, which pays for the upkeep and operation of aircraft control towers, was on the chopping block for airports with fewer than 150,000 takeoffs during the 2011 government sequestration, but the program was never cut.
Congressman Goodlatte was a real leader in garnering bipartisan support for the FAA entitlement grants the airport could stay open, Courtney said.
In 2015, there were 101,870 takeoffs and landings at Lynchburg Regional Airport, according to the release.
From the 1700s when John Lynch used the bank of the James River as a ferry launch, to the downtown buildings sprouting above the river, Lynchburg and the surrounding area always have relied on water to fuel the economy.
While Lynchburgs mid-Atlantic location and versatile workforce are certainly attractive to big businesses, the abundance of water in the region is a draw for large manufacturing operations. Companies that produce food/beverage products, pharmaceuticals, and biochemical products all require large quantities of water to make their products.
One of our marketing tools is that we have an excess of 26 million gallons of water a day, said Megan Lucas, director of the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance. Part of my communications is that we are a resource-rich region and water is our most abundant resource. Anyone who uses water in their process, we target.
For Abbott Nutrition in Altavista, water availability was instrumental in its decision to move forward with a $34 million expansion which will be completed by the end of the year.
Our labor force is very adaptable, so combine that with having a natural resource like water, its invaluable to our region, Dennis Jarvis, Director for Economic Development in Altavista said. Its one of the reasons that a company like Abbott has been here for 40 years.
Altavista has a water treatment capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day, sourced from the Staunton River and an aquifer.
The regions excess water is calculated not from available resources but from the amount of water the system can treat at one time. The College Hill Water Treatment Plant in downtown Lynchburg can treat up to 14 million gallons per day and the Lynchburg Water Treatment Plant on Abert Road in Bedford County can treat another 12 million.
While the James River is the most visible source of water in the region, most of the water for the City of Lynchburg comes from the Pedlar Reservoir in Amherst County. The reservoirs watershed is located completely in the George Washington National Forest. According to Director of Water Resources for Lynchburg Tim Mitchell, the cleanliness of the water makes it easy to treat.
One of the things that industries like is the softer water from the reservoir instead of the harder water from just the James, Mitchell said. We have an exceptional treatment process. We produce water at least three times cleaner than the EPA requires and our water rates are very low. Our system is very efficient.
The cleaner water from the Pedlar Reservoir requires less chlorine to make it suitable for human consumption, and it flows into the treatment plant by gravity instead of needing to be pumped. This helps keep rates low for both residential and industrial customers, said Mitchell.
While Lynchburgs regional supply of water is certainly not unlimited, its a long way off from running dry at the current level of usage.
I dont anticipate we will meet 26 million gallons a day for the next century, Mitchell said. Even with the growth of the city, the use of low-flow appliances has greatly reduced the typical water consumption in the city. The capacity we have is actually increasing.
Lynchburg can draw 13 million gallons of water per day from the Pedlar Reservoir before needing to switch to water from the James River.
Historically, the region has not seen a drought severe enough to require water rationing. Nonetheless, Lynchburg College Environmental Studies Professor Tom Shahady is concerned about the potential for increased consumption.
Theres a lot of usage above us on the James, and if we were in an extended drought I dont know what option number three is for water usage, Shahady said. Just because weve only seen a certain drought in history doesnt mean we couldnt see a worse drought in the future. We have good data to say that we have really odd weather patterns from climate change.
According to Mitchell, we stay well below that number 95 percent of the time. When the system has to switch to the James, water quality drops and the city has to spend more money using more chemicals to adequately clean the water.
Water is [a] limited resource, Shahady said. If you bring water-intensive businesses to Lynchburg, were going to be draining the Pedlar dry for the rest of us. If you hook a really highly intensive water business into water system that drains the Pedlar, youre actively degrading the water supply for everyone else in the city of Lynchburg.
Despite these concerns, all of the companies and municipalities operating in Lynchburg are following EPA regulations for water quality, according to Lucas.
Water is relevant to economic development and to the region, Lucas said. We arent marketing anything that is detrimental to the region.
The Document is a first step to launch national and European debates about how to better connect the scientific and policymaking communities.
GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us.
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Learn about wheat and barley varieties in Boundary County at the Extension Office Field Day and Farm Tour June 28, 2016 Interested in learning which wheat and barley varieties do best in Boundary County?
The University of Idaho Extension office in Boundary County invites you to join them on Thursday, June 30, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., at the University of Idaho variety trial plots, located to the west of the home of Tim Dillin, 5285 Farm to Market Road.
The group will tour this years trials comparing new releases of spring and winter wheat as well as spring and winter barley.
Speakers from the University of Idaho will be discussing spring canola and mustard varieties, insect pests, and the market outlook for grain and brassica crops. Continuing education credits (2.5) and pesticide recertification credits will be available.
You're wondering about lunch? Lunch will be provided by Houck Farms, but you need to call to register with UI Extension at 267-3235 to be included in the head count.
The agenda for this Field Day and Farm Tour is available at http://wp.me/a6Ox1f-41.
Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
The biggest loser from Brexit is not Britain, but the European Union. By many measures, it is a failed institution. It has failed to provide economic growth and job opportunities for many of its citizens. Without the UK, it will be even weaker. It needs to modify to survive.
Economic Growth
Take economic growth, for instance, as measured by the World Bank. From 2010 to 2014, the latest data available, the average EU country, excluding the UK, grew at a rate of 1.0 percent per year. The UK grew at nearly double that rate2.0 percent per year. In cumulative terms, the EU, excluding the UK, has grown 5.6 percent since 2010, while the UK has grown 10.2 percent. For comparison, the United States grew 2.2 percent annually and 11.6 percent cumulatively over this period.
The UK is not the fastest-growing economy in the EU. Many of the newer, eastern European members grew faster. For instance, Estonia has outpaced the rest of the EU with 3.9 percent annual growth since 2010. However, among the western European countries which made up the original EU, the UKs 2 percent growth rate stands out. Among these original EU countries, only Luxembourg (3.1 percent annual growth) grew faster, while Germany (2 percent) and Ireland (1.9 percent) were roughly on par with the UK.
Seventeen out of twenty-six measured EU countries grew slower than the UK over this period. (Malta and Croatia were excluded from the analysis, the former due to insufficient data and the latter due to only having joined in 2013.) Five EU countriesGreece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Cyprushave seen negative average annual growth.
Western European countries are defined here as the original signing countries of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Unemployment
Then, consider unemployment. Jobs are a way that people can better themselves and, ideally, find some upward mobility. The UK has among the lowest unemployment rates in the EU, at 5.0 percent in the last quarter of 2015, the most recent period for which bloc-wide data are available, according to Eurostat. The only EU countries with lower unemployment rates were Germany (4.4 percent) and the Czech Republic (4.5 percent). For comparison, the United States had an unemployment rate of 5.0 percent during this period.
The average EU country, excluding the UK, had an unemployment rate of 9.4 percent. The worst countries were Greece (24.4 percent), Spain (20.9 percent), and Croatia (15.6 percent).
The UK fared slightly worse when it comes to youth unemployment (defined here as unemployment among people under 25). The UKs youth unemployment rate was 13.7 percent in the last quarter of 2015. Six countries in the EU had a lower youth unemployment rateGermany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Malta, the Netherlands, and Austria. The average EU country had a youth unemployment rate of 22.0 percent. For comparison, the US youth unemployment rate was 11.2 percent.
Innovation
The rate of innovation in an economy can be a path to higher productivity and growth. Fortune Magazine currently lists 174 unicorns, or private companies valued at over $1 billion. These unicorns are a good proxy for an economys level of innovation. The United States leads the world by this metric, with 101 unicorns. The United Kingdom has eight unicorns, compared with ten for the rest of the EU. Half of these ten are headquartered in Germany. Therefore, the UK represents 44 percent of all EU unicorns.
Nobel Prize Winners
The UKs record in innovation is reflected in its disproportionate number of Nobel prizes. Since 1993, when the modern EU was founded, EU countries, including the UK, have earned 70 Nobel Prizes. Twenty-three of these, or 33 percent, have gone to the UK. For comparison, the United States earned 105 Nobel Prizes over this period.
The UK has earned two Nobel Peace Prizes, representing all prizes in the Peace category awarded during this time period. The UK has also earned ten Nobel Prizes in Medicine, representing half the EUs total. The UK also punches above its weight in Economics (three prizes out of the EUs eight) and Chemistry (four prizes out of the EUs fourteen).
Conclusion
The EU should be asking itself why Britain has generated these superior results, and how it can emulate Britains performance. Britain is now a net purchaser of EU goods. As the dust settles and news of Brexit is absorbed, it is clear that the EU will benefit from more trade with Britain, rather than cutting its economic links.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former chief economist of the U.S. Department of Labor, directs Economics21 at the Manhattan Institute. You can follow her on Twitter here.
Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief.
Large turnout for PSWA elections
Voting at the 44 polling stations across the country began at 6 am and ended at 6 pm. Inspector Michael Seales of the Police Empowerment Party (PEP), who contested the post of President, said for the most part everything went smoothly but there was a challenge in the Eastern Division due to the large turnout of voters.
The Eastern Division only has one fixed polling station and the rest are roving stations.
Given the size of the division, its difficult to coordinate the times and places the officers will be, that is something that has to be looked at in the future, he said.
Seales voted at about 8 am at Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) in El Socorro. He told Newsday that after placing his vote that he felt confident he would be successful. He said his fellow officers have expressed their support for him in light of being charged last week with one count of sedition.
Ive received a lot of support from people I know and people I dont know, people called me and many said they prayed for me so, the victory that is to come is a victory for God, he said.
Standing at his side was former PSWA President Inspector Anand Ramesar who contested the post of Secretary.
He dubbed yesterday as PEP Monday and said that will transform into PEP victory. We are God-fearing men.
We have worked hard during our tenure and our campaign so we expect to be successful, he said.
A few hours later, Cpl Darlington Emmerson Francis of the Police For Police (PFP) slate voted at the Central Police Station, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain. Francis also contested for the post of President. He said he was surprised by the large turnout of officers to vote. I think this is the first time the issues that police face were raised during the campaign so that is why more people came out today, he said.
PFPs Cpl Sheldon Narine who contested the post of Secretary said he was hopeful that the large turnout of officers will work in their favour.
Last week, Francis called for Seales to step down from contesting the post of President after he posted two videos on social media in relation to his sedition charge.
Francis said Seales credibility has been eroded and while he served as Secretary under the previous executive, he failed to deliver to the membership.
The two other slates in the election were Transformers with Sgt Junior Marcel contesting the position of President and Vanguard with its presidential candidate Inspector Richard Taylor.
The votes were still being counted up till press time.
Poor parenting leads to out of control children
George was addressing a huge gathering for the 56 graduating students of the Moulton Hall Methodist Primary School at City Hall, Port-of-Spain.
I realise that teachers spend most of the time with children, more than the parents.
They spend eight hours a day sometimes more.
Parents I see your kids more than you...the little time you spend with them you need to have a positive impact on them. He continued, The little time you have with your children do something positive with them.
Right now teachers are doing double work in the nations schools. George said every parent claims to be the best, and questioned, if this statement is true why is society in this state? He said if there is to be a change in society, citizens must have respect for one another.In order for there to be a change in our society, people must have respect for one another. We need to show appreciation to others, be proud for others, he said.
George said most of the time when children are engaged in extra-curricular activities, parents do not know who are the facilitators of these activities.
You do not know who is the mad woman impacting your children, because parents are not taking time out to visit these camps to know who are these facilitators. The July/ August vacation is coming up and you, and parents are looking for a day care. He explained, You need to know who these people are and what impact they are having on your children. Outside there in society there are monsters. He told the students as they go out of Standard Five and into Form One, they must have a robust head on their shoulder to always make the right decision.
Central Bank... Insurance, Credit Union Bills vital
The Bank expressed this view in its 2015 Annual Report which was laid in the Senate on June 21.
In the report the Bank said the Insurance Bill 2015 was revised during the year and passed in the Senate on May 23, 2015. Thereafter, the Bill was laid in the Lower House but lapsed due to the dissolution of Parliament on June 17, 2015, the Bank said.
The report added, The Insurance Bill was intended to improve regulatory oversight of insurance companies and strengthen prudential requirements, corporate governance and market conduct. The Bank added that it plans to convert key regulations which accompany the Bill into guidelines. At last Fridays sitting of the House of Representatives, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said this Bill will be laid in the House on Friday
Thanks to FDA, Women Will
Be Told of Their Breast Density
Brexit supporters are now looking forward to a more prosperous future for the United Kingdom outside of Europe. Their hopes, however, rest on two highly questionable premises. The first is that the short-term economic and political costs of exiting Europe will be very much smaller than the long-term gains to be derived from being outside of Europe. The second is that the UK will now be in a political position to free itself from excessive European regulation and to undertake those economic reforms that might place the country on a faster economic growth path.
Developments in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote should be concentrating minds as to how costly the UKs exit from Europe is likely to be. In the space of just two days, sterling declined by around 11 percent making it by far the largest such two-day decline in the currencys history. Meanwhile, domestic and global equity markets became unhinged with around $3 trillion wiped off global equity valuations, while populist leaders in France, Italy, and the Netherlands argued that their countries too should hold exit referendums.
Equally troubling, the referendum has turned UK politics upside down. Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to resign, opening the way for a bitter Conservative Party leadership fight over the next two months. At the same time, the opposition Labor Party was thrown into disarray by a leadership challenge to Jeremy Corbyn. Meanwhile Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party, has given notice that a second Scottish independence referendum is very much on the table. She has also intimated that Scotland could precipitate a UK constitutional crisis by refusing to approve any decision by the UK parliament to formally begin the divorce negotiations with Europe.
Political turmoil is the last thing that the UK needs at a time that it will be negotiating its future relationship with Europe. These negotiations, which will take at least two years, are already seriously undermining household and investment confidence in the UK economy as they raise basic questions about the UKs future European relationship. There is also the risk that political uncertainty will only accelerate the London-based banks efforts already underway to relocate parts of their operations to Dublin, Frankfurt, and Paris in anticipation of their losing their European financial passports.
All of this uncertainty has to be highly concerning since it is occurring at a time that the UK is running an external current account deficit of 7 percent of GDP, which is the highest such deficit in the post-war period. The financing of that deficit requires that capital continue to flow into the country in very substantial amounts. This makes it all too likely that we are only at the start of a prolonged period of considerable sterling weakness.
If there would be a further major decline in sterling, there is every prospect that the UK would experience a deep economic recession as it has done on the occasion of previous sterling crises. It is also all too likely that sterling weakness would further unhinge global financial markets. That would constitute yet another headwind for the UK and global economic recoveries and it would put further wind in the sails of European populist parties.
Brexit supporters are certainly right to think that, freed from its European shackles, the UK would have the potential to deregulate its economy and to unleash its entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. However, the crucial point that they seem to be overlooking is that one requires the right domestic political conditions to be in place in order to successfully pursue policies of economic liberalization and reform.
The one thing that we should have learnt from recent European and US experience is that difficult economic conditions all too often give rise to political forces that are inimical to sensible economic policies and to economic reform. Sadly, the likelihood of a drawn-out UK economic recession greatly minimizes the chances that supportive political conditions will prevail. In which case, those who got their way with Brexit are likely to experience deep buyers remorse since the UK will have suffered the costs of Brexit without having reaped the long-run benefits. It will also have had UK politics upended for a long time to come.
Desmond Lachman is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He was formerly a Deputy Director in the International Monetary Funds Policy Development and Review Department and the chief emerging market economic strategist at Salomon Smith Barney.
Interested in real economic insights? Want to stay ahead of the competition? Each weekday morning, E21 delivers a short email that includes E21 exclusive commentaries and the latest market news and updates from Washington. Sign up for the E21 Morning Ebrief.
(Newser) It's illegal to import animals as "trophies" to the United States if they're on the endangered species listbut hunters, circuses, zoos, breeders, and theme parks can obtain permits to import, export, or sell animals on the list as long as they show that by doing so, they'll "enhance the survival" of the species. How can they prove that? Records show that, often, they do so at least partially by contributing a few thousand bucks to charity, Reuters reports. For example, after a $5,000 pledge, the US Fish & Wildlife Service allowed 10 endangered South African penguins to be transferred to a Florida theme park. Animal rights activists aren't happy about the "charity loophole," and last week, a congressman asked the Fish & Wildlife Service to put an end to it.
"We call it pay-to-play because thats what exactly whats going on, allowing these people to promise money in exchange for being able to harm endangered animals," says a lawyer for PETA, which last year sued the Fish & Wildlife Service over one of the permits it issued in 2014. Reuters reviewed a Fish & Wildlife Service document that notes, "Very few of the Endangered Species Act permits that we issue have direct benefits to the species in the wild. Most applicants provide an indirect benefit, such as monetary support, to meet the enhancement requirement." But a Fish & Wildlife official says charitable contributions aren't a requirement in order for a permit to be granted, and that many other factors are also considered. Click for Reuters' full piece. (Read more endangered species stories.)
(Newser) The Brock Turner controversy rumbles on: A defendant from a very different background than the former Stanford student received a much harsher sentence from the same judge in a similar case, the Guardian reports. According to court records, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky oversaw a plea deal earlier this year involving Raul Ramirez, a 32-year-old man from El Salvador who sexually assaulted his female roommate. Ramirez, who needed an interpreter in court, agreed to plead guilty in a deal that will see him spend three years in state prison, while Turner will spend just six months in county jail. Critics say that if Persky had treated Ramirez as leniently as he treated Turner, a white 20-year-old, the Latino man would have ended up with a much lighter sentence or even have avoided prison.
The deal "shows that Turner got consideration not available to other defendants who arent as privileged," says Michele Landis Dauber, a Stanford professor leading a campaign to recall Persky, who's a former Stanford student. Persky's days on the bench may be numbereda recent poll found that 66% of people in Santa Clara County would vote for his recall, Palo Alto Online reportsbut a group of Stanford law grads is urging Dauber to reconsider the recall campaign, the Stanford Daily reports. In an open letter, they argue that it will be more effective to fight for "educating future judges and jurors about the realities of sexual assault, or pressing for systemic changes in how these cases are handled." (Persky was removed from another sexual assault case earlier this month.)
(Newser) The arrest of a St. Louis-area man charged with eight counts of sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 15 has its roots in Nova Scotia, where an undercover officer was performing a simple demonstration. The officer, who is a member of the provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, was giving a demonstration in May 2015 about the horrors of online sexual predators when she decided to log onto a children's chat site and pretend to be a 12-year-old girl, reports the CBC. Within an hour of posting the short message, "This site is weird, LOL. But I'm bored," she had more than 130 replies, and five of the first 10 she opened were explicit photos. The officer focused on one Missouri man who allegedly sent her "a bunch" of photos and videos.
"Because I felt he was so insistent, I engaged him," she says. KSDK reports that the man sent the messages between May and August 2015 using an app called Kik and that he told the person he thought was "Molly" that "I just like younger girls I guess Lol I can't explain it." He also allegedly sent the agent a photo of a 13-year-old girl he said he'd had sex with. The officer gathered what she could on him and sent it to the main ICE unit in Ottawa, which forwarded it on to the US Department of Homeland Security. Earlier this month officers arrested Robert Alfred Lall, 26, who has worked as a kids' camp counselor and lead gym attendant at a recreation complex, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Lall, whose bail was set at $50,000, admitted to sending nude photos of himself to girls. (A huge bust in California suggests the "dirty old man stereotype" is obsolete.)
(Newser) The father of a Salt Lake City businessman who placed an Idaho newspaper ad seeking women interested in marrying his 48-year-old son has received about a dozen inquiries. Arthur Brooks had planned to meet potential candidates at a Coeur d'Alene resort, but son Baron Brooks told the Spokesman-Review on Sunday that its managers asked his father not to conduct interviews there after getting barraged with media requests. The younger Brooks previously called the $900 ad in the Coeur d'Alene Press "embarrassing" but said he'd let his 78-year-old father go forward. He says about 12 women from around the US expressed interest in the ad. Arthur Brooks will interview them in the coming weeks. Click for more from the ad. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
(Newser) Volkswagen would repair or buy back polluting diesel vehicles and pay each owner as much as $10,000 under a $14.7 billion deal the car maker has reached to settle lawsuits stemming from its emissions cheating scandal, a person briefed on the settlement talks said Monday. The figure would be the largest auto scandal settlement in US history and a huge step in Volkswagen's efforts to address the legal fallout from its admission that its vehicles were designed to fool emissions tests, the AP reports. The deal sets aside $10 billion to repair or buy back roughly 475,000 polluting Volkswagen vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines, and to compensate each owner with an additional payment of between $5,100 and $10,000, the person said. The person asked not to be identified because the deal will not be filed in court until Tuesday, and a judge has ordered attorneys not to talk about it before then.
How VW would repair the vehicles to bring them into compliance with clean air laws has not yet been finalized, the person said. Owners who choose to have VW buy back their cars would get the clean trade-in value from before the scandal became public on Sept. 18, 2015. The average value of a VW diesel has dropped 19% since just before the scandal began. In August of 2015, the average was $13,196, and this May it was $10,674, according to Kelley Blue Book. The settlement still requires a judge's approval before it can go into effect. Owners can choose to decline Volkswagen's offer and sue the company on their own. The settlement also includes $2.7 billion for environmental mitigation and another $2 billion for research on zero-emissions technology, the person said. VW is still facing billions more in fines and penalties over the emissions scandal, a lawsuit by state attorneys general, and potential criminal charges. (Read more Volkswagen stories.)
(Newser) French authorities opened a manslaughter inquiry Monday into the May crash of an EgyptAir plane that killed 66 people, saying there is no evidence so far to link it to terrorism. Prosecutor's office rep Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre says the inquiry was launched as an accident investigation, not a terrorism investigation, the AP reports. She says French authorities are "not at all" favoring the theory that the plane was downed deliberately, though the status of the inquiry could eventually change if evidence emerges to that effect. Investigators decided to start the probe before waiting to analyze the plane's flight data and voice recorders, based on evidence gathered so far, she said, without elaborating.
EgyptAir Flight 804, an Airbus A320 en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board, slammed into the Mediterranean on May 19. The reason for the crash remains unclear. The pilots made no distress call and no group has claimed to have brought down the aircraft. An Egyptian official at the ministry of civil aviation says Egyptian authorities haven't been notified of the French prosecutor's decision and that all scenarios remain on the table. "There is no evidence that backs up or rules out any of the possible scenarios of what caused the crash, including whether it is a terrorist act or technical problems," he says. (Both of the aircraft's black boxes have now been recovered.)
(Newser) Britain needs to negotiate an exit deal with the European Union and it is not going to be the result of cozy backroom deals, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned at a special session of the European Parliament on Tuesday. "We cannot allow a long period of uncertainty. There can be no secret negotiations. No notification, no negotiation," he said, per the BBC. Juncker said that as a European, he is saddened by the vote to leave, but the EU must respect the will of British voters. He turned on Brexit supporter and Independence Party leader Nigel Farage after Farage applauded the latter statement. "You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favor of the exit. Why are you here?" Juncker asked Farage. In other developments:
Farage was booed and jeered after making a speech in which he insulted his fellow members of the European Parliament and the whole European project, the Guardian reports. He told the MEPs that they were in denial about the EU and the euro failing, accused them of trying to bring in political union by stealth, and said none of them had "ever done a proper job" in their lives, let along created a job. He concluded by calling the Brexit vote a "seismic result" for world politics and predicting that the UK will not be the last country to leave the EU.
Reuters reports that despite President Obama's warning that the UK will be at the "back of the queue" for trade deals if it leaves the EU, the exit is unlikely to damage US-UK relations and US officials are now stressing that the "special relationship" will remain strong.
The Guardian reports that British PM David Cameron is in Brussels Tuesday for what will probably be very awkward talks with his European counterparts. He announced his resignation after the Brexit vote and is now widely expected to be gone by September.
Farage spoke to Fox News on Monday and slammed Obama as "disgraceful" for speaking out about the vote, unlike the "statesmanlike" Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.
The Washington Post looks at how the British vote highlights a crisis in confidence in democracies from Europe to Brazil to Japan. One of the biggest problems: People no longer believe things will get better.
The New York Times looks at the "chaotic paralysis" gripping Britain amid financial and political turmoil. There is increasing talk of forging a deal that would allow Britain to remain in a trading bloc with the EU, though EU leaders are expected to take a hard line in negotiations to discourage other leavers.
(Read more Brexit stories.)
(Newser) "Please take them out of the room." That was the stark statement Monday by Ikea USA President Lars Petersson to NBC News regarding 29 million of its dressers and chests, now the subject of a massive recall as Petersson admits they "could be a danger." The Consumer Product Safety Commission tells ABC News that six children under the age of 4 have been killed since 1989 by falling Ikea chests and dressers (three from units in its Malm line, three by other styles), including one toddler death in February, and at least 36 kids have been injured by the furniture, which is said to be "front-heavy" and with a tendency to tip if not anchored to the wall. A full refund is being offered to customers who bought affected units between 2002 and 2016; partial store credit will be available to those who bought affected furniture manufactured before 2002.
For customers who want to keep the recalled furniture, Ikea will send a crew to anchor the unit to a wallthe subject of a previous Ikea safety campaign some say was inadequate. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which has been reporting on furniture tip-over issues, notes that after two recent toddler deaths, Ikea offered a free wall-anchoring kit last summerbut CNNMoney reports that no design alterations were made and no products were taken off shelves. Then in February, 22-month-old Ted McGee of Minnesota was killed after a Malm dresser toppled onto him, and his parents said they'd never heard of Ikea's anchoring campaign. But while safety advocates applaud Ikea's move, others want more regulation in the furniture industry overall. The Inquirer notes that Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey has introduced legislation that would make stability standards for dressers mandatory. (Read more Ikea stories.)
(Newser) A third babyand the first in Floridawith Zika-related microcephaly has been born in the US, ABC News reports. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the birth Tuesday. According to the Miami Herald, the baby was born to a woman from Haiti who contracted Zika while outside the US. She traveled to Florida to give birth. It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state, and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child," the Orlando Sentinel quotes Scott as saying. Microcephaly causes babies to have unusually small heads and leads to problems with brain development.
Babies with Zika-related microcephaly have also been born in New Jersey and Hawaii. Both of the mothers contracted Zika while outside the US. In fact, there are still no known cases of mosquitoes spreading the virus in the US. With more than 200 reported cases, Florida has more Zika infections than any other state. Forty of those cases involve pregnant women. Scott has declared a public health emergency and made $26.2 million in state money available to fight Zika. (A tweeted photo from the CDC speaks volumes about the problem.)
(Newser) British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has lost a confidence vote among the party's lawmakers, the AP reports. The vote is non-binding, though, and Corbyn said Tuesday he won't step down as head of the main opposition party. He added that the vote has no constitutional legitimacy and said he will not "betray" his supporters by resigning. He has lost much of his support in the parliamentary ranks of the Labour Party after Britain voted to leave the European Union last week, but claims he still has support in the party's rank and file. British media reported 172 lawmakers voted against Corbyn while 40 voted in his favor. Many, including key members, have called for Corbyn to step down as party leader.
He has been criticized severely for his weak performance during the EU referendum campaign. The Labour Party backed staying in the bloc but many said Corbyn campaigned poorly. He may now face a formal leadership contest. Diane Abbott, the party's spokeswoman on health issues, said before the vote that a leadership contest is now inevitable to oust Corbyn, who offered lackluster support for Britain staying in the 28 nation bloc. Some 40 members of Corbyn's inner circle have resigned, accusing Corbyn of lacking the ability to lead the party. Corbyn's supporters say he will stand again for the leadership and will win again because of his strong standing with the party's grass roots. (Read more Brexit stories.)
(Newser) Three Lego figures are about to get closer to Jupiter than humanity has ever been. The Legosrepresentations of Galileo and the Roman gods Jupiter and Juno made out of "spacecraft-grade" aluminumare aboard NASA's Juno probe, which is scheduled to enter Jupiter's orbit July 4, the New York Times reports. According to ABC News, it's the culmination of a five-year journey covering nearly 2 billion miles. Over the next 20 months, Juno will orbit Jupiter 37 times, getting as close as 3,000 miles above its clouds. It will be the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter in more than a decade and get closer to the gas giant than any probe before it.
Juno, which was launched in August 2011, is approaching Jupiter over its north pole, which is a new angle than previous probes, according to NASA. The probe will slow down by 1,200mph in just 35 minutes to get into Jupiter's orbit. A three-second radio beep, expected at 11:53pm Eastern time on Monday, will let NASA know that's happened. Well be in orbit around Jupiter, and thatll be really cool, Juno's project manager tells the Times. The purpose of the $1.1 billion mission is to learn more about the largest planet in the solar system. NASA wants to know if Jupiter has a solid core, how deep its Big Red Spot storm goes, how it was formed, and more. (Read more Jupiter stories.)
Fairbanks, AK (99707)
Today
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 9F. Winds light and variable..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 9F. Winds light and variable.
New Delhi:
The prolonged slump in the real estate market has prompted the Gurgaon administration to reduce the circle or collector rates. With effect from Monday midnight, the circle rates have been brought down by 15 per cent across all segments. Gurgaon, which has been the hottest real estate market in India for last one and half decades, has witnessed the cut in the circle rate for the first time in a decade.
The reduction in circle rates was recommended by a district level committee headed by deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash in April this year.
We had sent the proposal to reduce circle rates by 15% in the month of April taking into account the slowdown. The proposal has been approved by the government and new rates will be effective from midnight today, Satyaprakash was quoted as saying by a leading national daily.
In the past two years, a substantial source of government revenue the registration fees of property has seen decline, following which the decision has been taken.
The circle rate in DLF Phase 1 was `77,000 per square feet and now after the reduction, it has come down to `65,450. Similarly, in DLF phase II,III, IV, Nirvana and South City 1, the circle rate now stands at `61,200, while in DLF phase III, the reduction is almost `10,000 at current rate of `56,100.
Circle rates in Huda sectors 14, 15, 17, 27, 28, 30, 31, 42, 43 have come down from `50,000 to `42,500 per square yard. Different sectors of Old Gurgaon have received a reduction of almost `5,000 to 8,000.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Releasing a book on late Prime Minister Narasimha Rao during whose tenure Babri mosque was demolished, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Monday said while the good that Rao did to the country lives after him, the harm too lives on and continues to extract a heavy toll.
The book Half-Lion, authored by Vinay Sitapati, defends Raos role at that time and seeks to debunk theories that the former Prime Minister deliberately did not act to stop the demolition. The author also alleged that Congress was unkind to Rao and put the blame on him to attract Muslim votes.
In a panel discussion that followed the book release and was attended by former foreign minister K Natwar Singh, senior journalist Shekhar Gupta, columnist and foreign policy analyst C Raja Mohan and political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Sitapati argued that Raos role was more serious in anti-Sikh riots of 1984 when he was the Home Minister and was directly responsible for taking action.
Sitapati said along with Babri, simultaneously Raos demolition was also attempted. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who was present among the audience, however, took strong objection to the charge his party tried to demonise Rao to attract Muslim votes and rued that Rao did not act in time to prevent demolition.
We tried to persuade the Prime Minister to wake up to the danger and the man refused to wake up to the danger, he said. Releasing the book, Ansari said two of its sections relating to the management of Parliament and to the demolition would invite commentary.
Quoting extensively from the book, he said, The first was a nightmare by any standard. The Congress was around 10 seats short of a majority. The Opposition was split between a right-wing BJP and a left-wing National Front. The Prime Minister was perceived to be weak. So his focus was on wide ranging consultations with the opposition to ascertain issues and seek a consensus on the parliamentary agenda.
This was facilitated by the extensive personal contacts he had developed over years. The nemesis came with the trust vote of July 26, 1992. Survival at all cost was the governments objective. Unethical tactics were resorted to. These were eventually also found to be beyond the pale of law. The authors judgement is unequivocal that it it was the worst political decision of Narasimha Raos career.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:
Outgoing UK Prime Minister David Cameron today hailed important partner India in his first Parliament statement since the country voted to leave the EU and said Britain must not turn its back on Europe or the rest of the world. In his official statement on the Outcome of the EU Referendum in the House of Commons, Cameron laid out the future course to be undertaken under a new Prime Minister after the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) last week.
The nature of the relationship we secure with the EU will be determined by the next government but I think everyone is agreed that we all want the strongest possible economic link with our European neighbours as well as with our close friends in North America, the Commonwealth and important partners like India and China, Cameron, 49, said to cheers from MPs.
Britain is leaving the EU but we must not turn our backs on Europe or the rest of the world, he said.
Cameron said he will go to Brussels for a summit tomorrow with EU leaders but will not invoke article 50 immediately.
He had announced his resignation in his first speech following the results of last weeks referendum on Friday.
The Conservative party has since confirmed that a leadership contest will open later this week, with a new leader in place latest by early September.
In contrast to his emotional resignation speech at the Downing Street doorstep, the outgoing premier adopted a light-hearted tone throughout todays Parliament speech, starting with a jibe at Opposition Labours leader Jeremy Corbyns ongoing crisis of having to replace the rapidly resigning members of his shadow cabinet.
Cameron triggered laughter throughout the Commons as he began by congratulating new Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan, who replaces London mayor Sadiq Khan as MP for Tooting in east London, by suggesting she should keep her mobile phone on as she might be in the shadow cabinet by the end of the day.
He admitted before MPs that a Brexit result was not what he had wanted but there can be no doubt about the result.
The decision must be accepted and the process of implementing the decision in the best possible way must now begin, he said, confirming the creation of a new unit of the best and the brightest officials and policy experts across government to work on delivering the outcome of the referendum.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
In more trouble for Salman Khan, a young woman from Hisar, who was gangraped by 10 men in Haryana, has slapped a legal notice on the actor. In the notice, the gangrape victim has asked Salman to apologise for his rape remark, which sparked huge controversy. She has also sought Rs 10 crore in damages from the actor for mocking rape victims.
She has sent the notice through her counsel to Salman at his Galaxy Apartments address in Mumbais upscale Bandra area. The victim has said in the notice that Salman joked about the plight of rape victims by comparing an difficult action sequence to the status of a gangraped woman.
Four years ago, 10 people had abducted and gangraped the woman in Hisar. The assaulters were awarded life term by a court, while the victim seeks death penalty for the accused. The gangrape victims father had committed suicide following the incident.
Asked how he felt after the shooting of Sultan, Salman had responded saying he felt like a raped woman and could barely stand straight after the shoot. The statement invited sharp criticism on social media after which the actors father Salim Khan apologised on his behalf.
For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Muneer, the main accused in the murder case of National Investigative Agency (NIA) officer Tanzeel Ahmed, was on Tuesday arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF). A former student Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), 35-year-old Muneer was wanted in two other murder cases.
The Aligarh Police and STF had nabbed Muneers close associate Atiullah Khan in a joint operation earlier on June 16. On April 13, Farzana Ahmed, the wife of Tanzil Ahmed passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
Farzana was battling for her life at AIIMS trauma centre after suffering bullet wounds and succumbed to her injuries. Two men in a bike had attacked Tanzil Ahmed, his wife Farzana and two children when they were traveling in a car. The family was coming back to Delhi from a family wedding in Uttar Pradeshs Bijnor district.
The attackers stopped their car and shot Ahmed 16 times. Ahmed told his children aged 14 and 11 to duck when the shots were fired. On April 12, The Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested two persons in connection with the murder and said domestic dispute was the reason behind the crime.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Srinagar:
An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Kupwara area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The security forces have gunned down one militant.
The security forces had besieged a house in Nagri village where a Hizbul militant was believed to be hiding. This led to a gunbattle between the two sides. Security forces surrounded the house after receiving information about militants hiding there, police said.
This comes just two days after the Pampore attack in which 8 CRPF men were killed and 22 others were injured during an encounter between the security forces and militants. Last week, 7 militants were killed in 3 encounters in the district.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Bengaluru:
A drunk Nigerian woman allegedly attacked shopkeepers and policemen at National Market in Bengaluru, which prompted the cops to tie her with a rope in order to restrain her.
The woman, in her late 20s, has been identified as Mariam. Authorities at K.C. General Hospital said that she had to be pinned down physically. Meanwhile, the African Students Association has alleged that excessive force was used on her.
According to witnesses, the woman created ruckus and broke glass pane as she turned violent. The Upparpet Police tied her hands with a rope and put her in an auto.
A witness at the hospital said, She was very angry. Her hands had been tied with a rope when she was brought in the auto. The man accompanying her had an injury near his eye. When she had calmed down a little, someone threw a hospital bed sheet over her and pinned her down before being given an injection.
For all the Latest Viral News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Thane:
A gang of about eight dacoits today allegedly looted the office of an ATM cash handling company here and decamped with nearly Rs 12 crore, police said.
As per initial information, the incident took place around 3 AM when the accused armed with weapons broke into the company office situated near Teen Hath Naka and looted about Rs 12 crore in cash, Thane police spokesperson Inspector Sukhada Narkar said.
The unidentified dacoits also unplugged the CCTV installed on the premises, he said. Soon after the incident, Thane CP Parambir Singh and other senior police officers rushed to the scene, where investigations are underway.
No case has been registered so far in this connection, police added.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Non-resident companies can now claim benefits of tax treaty by just providing personal details including, name, address and tax residency certificate, even without providing PAN.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come out with Rule 37BC, which gives relaxation to non-residents from furnishing PAN number in India while claiming TDS benefits. Non-residents include foreign partnership, foreign body corporates, besides foreign companies.
It said in the absence of PAN, a non-resident can now provide the prescribed information and will not be subject to higher rate of withholding tax on payments made by Indian companies for interest, royalty, fees for technical services.
Non-residents can now claim the beneficial provisions of the tax treaty by providing personal details - name, email-id, address etc; Tax Residency Certificate (TRC) and Tax Identification Number (TIN) or any other Unique Identification number obtained in the country of residence.
Non-residents can now take a sigh of relief, since the beneficial provision of the amended Section 206AA has become operational and treaty benefits shall not be denied by the tax authorities in the absence of PAN. Now a non-resident can claim the beneficial provisions of the tax treaty by providing his personal details, said Rakesh Nangia, Managing partner, Nangia & Co.
Section 206AA of I-T Act provides that in absence of PAN, the payer shall be liable to withhold taxes at the rate of 20 per cent or the rate of tax as per the Act or that as per tax treaty (whichever is higher) while making payment to a non-resident. Obtaining a PAN was thus made mandatory for every non-resident, causing hardship.
Section 206AA was amended in the last Budget to provide that higher rate of TDS shall not apply to any payment made to non-residents, provided certain conditions are satisfied.
In order to give meaning and application to the amended provision of section 206AA, CBDT has inserted new Rule 37BC.
KPMG (India) Partner Tax Vikas Vasal said the rule provides the much-needed clarity.
Vasal, however, said that since the transactions between foreign and Indian companies are increasing, the requirement of furnishing the TRC should be re-evaluated, and instead the TIN of the foreign company along with other information may be considered as sufficient compliance.
In the case of a non-resident...or a foreign company, and not having permanent account number (PAN) the provisions of Section 206AA shall not apply in respect of payments in the nature of interest, royalty, fees for technical services and payments on transfer of any capital asset, if the deducteefurnishes the details and the documents to the deductor, the CBDT Rules said.
For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Muslim Rashtriya Manch, a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) body, has withdrawn its invitation to the Pakistan High Commissioner for its annual Iftar party scheduled for July 2. The right wing body has withdrawn its invitation in the wake of a recent terror strike in Jammu and Kashmirs Pampore town that left eight CRPF personnel dead.
Terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Toiba had claimed responsibility for the ambush on the CRPF convoy on Saturday. It was the highest single-incident casualty in three years in the state.
Pakistan envoy Abdul Basits remarks on the Pampore attack had left the RSS and MRM fuming.
At the iftar party on Sunday, Basit said Kashmir is a disputed issue between both the countries when was he asked for his reaction to the attack.
In an attempt to redeem its anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan image, the right wing body had last week invited the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit for Iftar. According to reports, ambassadors of several other countries were also invited.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modis indirect snub to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, he took Twitter again to post what he felt like after PM's apparent rebuke. Taking a philosophical side, Swamy quoted Lord Krishnas words, The world is in general equilibrium. A small change in one parameter effects changes in all variables. So Krishna advised: Sukh Dukhe..., his tweet reads.
Though Swamy made no comments on the statement made by the Prime Minister in his interview on Monday but he posted some other tweets and also re-tweeted those of his followers.
PM Modi in his first interview since he took over the office disapproved off Swamy's attacks on Raghuram Rajan in a rather veiled manner, calling them inappropriate and stressed that Rajan is no less patriotic than us.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Colombo:
Sri Lanka today made it clear that it will pace up the proposed trade agreements with India in order to mitigate Brexit effects, notwithstanding opposition from political parties and trade unions.
We hope to fast track the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India and free trade agreement with China. We are also hoping to sign similar trade deals with Japan and South Korea, Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said.
De Silva was among those in the government delegation which was sent to the UK to campaign for remain in the EU. The move was criticised by the opposition.
De Silva, however, has defended the action as one done in the best interests of Sri Lanka. He told parliament that the UKs exit from the EU will impact Sri Lankas exports to the 28-nation bloc.
Sri Lankas opposition has criticised the proposed trade deal with India as an attempt to foreignise the countrys economy and demanded that the shortcomings in the existing free trade agreement should be sorted out before concluding the deal.
It said the agreement would be advantageous to India and inimical to Sri Lankan economic interests. The opposition demands that the agreement include goods, trade in services and investment.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has in the past said that his government will sign the proposed ETCA with India by the middle of this year notwithstanding opposition from political parties and trade unions. He said that it was a misconception that the country would be flooded with Indian workers.
The leave vote of the UK referendum has had an effect on global financial markets and the world economy faced new uncertainties post Brexit.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has threatened to again go on a protest if the Lokpal bill is not passed soon. "If the Lokpal bill doesn't happen then again I will head to Ramlila Maidan," he said during the unveiling of his biopic poster.
Anna Hazare launched the official poster of director Shashank Udapurkar's "Anna", a feature film based on his life. While Shashank is playing the titular role, Kajol's younger sister Tanisha Mukherji will be seen as a journalist.
The poster features Anna waving to his supporters. "At the age of 25, I had decided I will serve my country till my last breath. My age is 79 today but my determination is same. Nothing is impossible," Hazare told reporters at the poster launch here.
"For the sake of the society and country, someone has to sacrifice his life. I chose not to get married and serve for the society. In a way, I don't have a family but I have so many people (common people), who are my family," he said.
Presented by The Rise Pictures Pvt Ltd and produced by Mahendra Jain, "Anna" also stars Govind Namdeo, Sharat Saxena and Kishor Kadam. Hazare said besides his much-revered anti-corruption fight, "Anna" also features incidents from his childhood, something which people are not aware about.
"The makers have included incidents from my childhood as well as what I have done."
When asked if "Anna" will have someone playing now Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was once Hazare's associate during the fight, the activist said, "I don't know. I haven't seen the film yet. As it is there is nothing muc h between him and me.
"My road is of struggle and I will continue to follow that path for my country. I focus on my work," he said.
Hazare started a hunger strike in April 2011 to exert pressure on the Indian government for Jan Lokpal Bill, an ombudsman with the power to deal with corruption in public places.
For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Panaji:
Eyeing the upcoming assembly polls in Goa, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal today claimed that his party will repeat the stunning performance of Delhi in Goa and will win at least 35 of the 40 seats.
AAP will spoil the prospects of both the parties (Congress and BJP). Out of the 40, we will win minimum 35 seats (in Goa Assembly elections), Kejriwal told reporters in Vasco town after interacting with fishermen community.
The Delhi Chief Minister began his two-day visit to the state today. On a question on the chief ministerial face of the party in Goa, he said AAP will give this responsibility to someone from the state.
There are 20 lakh people living in the state. Goans have leadership capabilities. I am a small person here. I cant do much sitting in Delhi, he said.
Kejriwal is not important, the party is important, he said when asked whether his image is becoming larger than AAP. He claimed AAP will repeat in Goa the history created in Delhi as people will go for the party and reject Congress and BJP.
We will repeat the history. The reason is that people in Goa have witnessed that BJP and Congress are two sides of the same coin, they just fight on the face, but behind that they hold secret meetings with each other. They go along very well, but people suffer, he commented.
He alleged that both Congress and BJP are completely corrupt parties. People have realised that. But they had no option in the past. Now there is an option in the form of AAP, he claimed.
Kejriwal said, AAP is not a party, it is a revolution...a revolution against corruption.
Equating problems of fishermen in Goa to that of poor people in Delhi, he said the fight of the people is for the livelihood, which is being snatched by government.
Similar situation prevailed in Delhi when our government was formed. Poor people were fighting for their livelihood. Before the election, we had promised that we will not allow anyones livelihood to be affected or homes to be demolished. We are fulfilling the promise. We are constructing houses for the people living in huts, he claimed.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Foreseeing worsening situation of bad loans in the country, Reserve Bank today said the gross non-performing assets of the banks can rise to as high as 9.3 per cent in 2016-17 after hitting 7.6 per cent in March 2016. Banks gross NPA had stood at 5.1 per cent in September 2015, a report released by RBI said.
Gross NPAs of banks sharply increased to 7.6 per cent of gross advances from 5.1 per cent between September 2015 and March 2016 after asset quality review, according to the Financial Stability Report (FSR) released by RBI.
Net non-performing advances as a percentage of the total net advances increased to 4.6 per cent in March 2016 from 2.8 per cent in September 2015.
The report said macro stress tests suggest that under the baseline scenario, the GNPA ratio of banks may rise to 8.5 per cent by March 2017 from 7.6 per cent in March this year.
If the macro scenarios deteriorate in the future, the GNPA ratio may further increase to 9.3 per cent by March 2017 under at severe stress scenario, the report said.
RBI conducted asset quality review (AQR) during the second half of 2015-16 and it covered 36 banks (including all PSBs), which accounted for 93 per cent of the banks gross advances.
The sample reviewed in AQR constituted over 80 per cent of the total credit outstanding and 5 per cent of the number of accounts of the banking system reported through CRILC.
The main objective of AQR was to examine the assessment of asset quality at the bank level and at the system level as a whole and to uniformly deal with cases of divergence in identifying NPAs and additional provisioning across banks.
RBI said among the banks, PSBs may continue to register highest GNPA ratio.
Under the baseline scenario, PSBs GNPA ratio may go up to 10.1 per cent by March from 9.6 per cent as of March 2016. However, under a severe stress scenario, it may increase to 11 per cent by March 2017.
The report said the GNPA ratio of private sector banks, under the baseline scenario, may rise to 3.1 per cent by March 2017 from 2.7 per cent as of March 2016, which could further increase to 4.2 per cent under a severe stress scenario.
The report further said there was a sharp reduction in restructured standard standard advances ratio to 3.9 per cent in March from 6.2 per cent in September.
For all the Latest Business News, Economy News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
A 12-year-old Indian boy, who was abducted from Delhi six years ago, has been found in Bangladesh and is being brought back home. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka has taken custody of Sonu and he is being brought back to Delhi on Thursday. Swaraj said Sonus DNA was matched with that of her mother and it was found positive.
Sonu, who was kidnapped from Delhi was found in a shelter home in Bangladesh. We matched the DNA with his mother. The test is positive.
Indian High Commission in Dhaka has obtained Sonus custody. He will reach Delhi on 30th June, Swaraj said in a series of tweets. As per reports, Sonu was staying in a child rehabilitation centre in Jessore.
He was kidnapped from Delhi reportedly in 2010 and a man from Jessore recently contacted his family here and gave details about the whereabouts of the boy.
After the man from Bangladesh contacted the parents of Sonu, they approached the MEA seeking its help to rescue the boy. I thank all those who looked after our young citizen in Bangladesh, Swaraj tweeted.
For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
George Robert Atwood passed away with Cherie, his wife of 47 years, at his side on June 23, 2016 in Boise, Idaho.
George was born on May 21, 1930 in Ponca City, Oklahoma and was adopted at eight months by George and Minnie Atwood. For the first six years of his life, George lived in Texas until the family moved to Idaho. His father later found work in Elko, Nevada, where the three of them lived for a short time in a boxcar in Burner Basin on the south side of the tracks. George always aspired to make it to the hill on the other side, and, eventually he did.
He married his first wife, Eileen in 1951 before moving to Salt Lake City so George could attend Barber School. While there, his first child Chris was born. After graduating from barber school in 1953, they moved back to Elko where his other three children, Terri, Mickey and Danny were born.
George began work as a barber at the Stockmens Hotel & Casino until the fire in 1957, at which time he began working at and eventually owning the Commercial Barber Shop. This is where he would stay for the next 40 years, becoming a staple in the community -- a human monument according to some. Most of his grandchildren and many of his great grandchildren received their first haircuts by their Grandpa in that barbershop and the penny for the gumball machine that always followed.
George met the love of his life, Cherie and her four children; David, John, Richard and Cathy in 1968. They were married in 1969 and this began the love affair that George credits for keeping him alive for all these years. After raising their children, retiring and selling their house in Elko, George and Cherie would spend the next two years living in their cabin in Lamoille and spending winters in Arizona. In 2006, George decided it was time for a change of scenery and to be closer to family so he and Cherie moved to Boise, Idaho where the wonderful community of The Orchards embraced them. He found great happiness and joy in the friendships built there.
Many people touched Georges life and many more were touched by his. His mere presence commanded attention, but it was his generosity, contagious energy and zest for life that made people want to be around him. He will be remembered as someone who loved his wife deeply, took immense pride in his family, saw the poetry in the world and lived life to the fullest. He was often heard reminding people that life is good and his, most assuredly was.
George was preceded in death by his adoptive parents George and Minnie Atwood, grandson, William Harbison and step-son, John Cobb. He is survived by his adoring wife, Cherie; four children, Chris Atwood, Terri (Tom) Harbison, Mickey Martinez and Danny Atwood; three step-children, David (Jane) Cobb; Richard Cobb and Cathy Vega; 16 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, June 29 at 2:00 p.m., at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 2206 North Cole Road in Boise, Idaho. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Georges name to St. Stephens Episcopal Church Memorial Fund or a tree can be planted in his honor.
Condolences can be sent to www.bowmanfuneral.com.
The Wright family has continued the legacy of J.M. Capriolas saddlemaking company for six decades, taking the name to global recognition as well as upholding G.S. Garcias brand and craftsmanship in the same business.
Joseph Martin Capriola was born May 4, 1884 in Elko. He became an apprentice to G.S. Garcia where he learned leather craftsmanship from him until 1907, when Joe married Carrie Bellinger and moved to Lamoille Valley.
Capriola and his family returned to Elko around 1924 and started a leather repair and canvas shop. Five years later he expanded to saddlemaking, opening the J.M. Capriola Company. He and G.S. were friends and Elkos population was large enough to support both Capriolas and Garcias businesses easily.
Due to poor health, Garcia moved to California, where he died in 1933. His business relocated to Salinas, leaving Capriolas the main leather goods store in Elko. Joes son and daughter-in-law, Joe Ed and Rosie, became partners in the business in 1944. J.M and Rosie continued running Capriolas after the death of Joe Ed in 1947, and sold the business to Rosies brother, Frank Jayo. Joe later moved to California, where he died in 1967.
Paul and Betty Bear bought Capriolas in 1958. The Bears worked on ranches throughout Elko County and knew the needs of cowboys and ranch hands. They rebuilt the store in 1959 after a fire destroyed the original building and expanded their inventory to include western clothing and rodeo gear.
Their children, Bob, Bill and Paula, grew up in Capriolas learning everything about leather crafting and saddlemaking from their parents. They bought the company in 1973 and added a second story to the building for a workshop. Five years later, the family purchased Garcia Bit and Spur Company from G.S.s son, Les Garcia.
Paula and her husband, Doug Wright, became the sole owners of the company in 1985. Their son, John, became the third generation to work at Capriolas and become a saddlemaker. Over the years, Capriolas has become known worldwide through their catalogues and website selling Western gear, saddles and Garcia bits and spurs.
ELKO The Nevada Youth Training Center reported its sixth escapee this year on Monday, and the agency is slated to receive security recommendations from the state Thursday.
A 17-year-old male escaped at midnight Monday. As of Monday evening local authorities were still searching for the teen.
He is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 126 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He is missing the tip of his right-hand index finger.
The teen was committed to NYTC in January because of a parole violation. NYTC Superintendent Greg Thornton reported the escape to media at 1:30 a.m.
The Division of Child and Family Services, which runs NYTC, said it was not allowed to release any criminal information on the escapee because he is a juvenile.
At this time we have no reason to believe that he is a violent risk to the community, said Karla Navarro, DCFS systems advocate. There were no injuries with this escape. We do suspect that he may have had assistance from the community, but this isnt confirmed at this time.
The agency suspects he was helped by someone in the community because he is from Elko.
Anyone with information on the teens whereabouts should call Elko Central Dispatch at 777-7300.
The Nevada Department of Child and Family Services recently conducted a review of security at the facility east of Elko and at a similar center in Caliente after a rash of escapes. Recent incidents in Elko involved two escapees in March, three in January, and two last October.
Both facilities are run by DCFS.
After the numerous escapes DCFS convened a task force to review policy, procedures and security at the facilities. The facilities are staff-secure, meaning the inmates are supervised 24 hours a day.
The report was due to the Deputy Administrator Ross Armstrong on June 15. The report was delayed due to technical issues, but it will be finalized by Thursday, said Navarro.
It will be available to the public as soon as its out, she said.
In previous statements, the state was not considering infrastructure changes, such installing a fence around the facility. However, Armstrong told Navarro that he did not put limitations on the recommendations. This means staff could recommend infrastructure changes in the facilities.
The deputy administrator allows the staff on that task force to state any sort of recommendation that they see would help with the runaway situation to diminish the escapes, Navarro said.
Armstrong stated he will ask the facilities to start implementing the reports recommendations by Aug. 1.
ELKO The U.S. Supreme Court has told the Nevada Supreme Court to take another look at an Elko case regarding police stops and Fourth Amendment search and seizure law.
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt announced Monday that the Court granted the States petition.
February 2008 case in which Elko Police officer Jeremy Shelley stopped Ralph Torres of Ontario, California. Torres was stopped around 1 a.m. by an officer who saw him walking on the Fifth Street Bridge. The officer said Torres was exhibiting signs of being intoxicated and the officer thought he might be a juvenile violating curfew.
Torres gave the officer an ID which proved his age of 29 at the time, and the officer asked dispatch to validate the ID. The officer was told Torres was wanted on a felony warrant from California. Before the officer could search him, Torres told the officer he had a gun in his sweater pocket and he gave the gun to the officer, according to a Free Press article. The .22-caliber pistol was reportedly stolen.
Torres pleaded guilty to ex-felon in possession of a firearm in front of Elko District Judge Nancy Porter.
In 2015, Torres successfully argued to the Nevada Supreme Court that his continued detention while his ID was being checked violated his Fourth Amendment rights, and the state Court reversed Torres conviction.
The U.S. Supreme Court vacated that decision. On June 20, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision on a similar case Utah vs. Strieff, said Nevada Solicitor General Lawrence VanDyke. The Nevada Supreme Court will have to look at the Torres case again or it could send it back down to the Elko District Court, VanDyke said.
In Laxalts petition to the Supreme Court he states no one contests the officers initial stop of Torres on suspicion of violating curfew and underage drinking was lawful.
The disagreement is whether, after Torres produced an ID stating he was over 21, the officer was acting within the scope and purpose of the stop by asking dispatch to verify the IDs validity. The Nevada Supreme Court concluded he was not, holding that once the officer visually inspected the ID, the suspicion for the original encounter was cured and Officer Shelley no longer had reasonable suspicion to detain Torres. Laxalt wrote in the petition.
The AG states the Nevada Supreme Court acknowledged but gave little weight to the officers testimony that he very often gets fake I.D.s, altered information on I.D.s, [or] I.D.s that resemble the person but is not truly that person.
Instead the State court emphasized the lack of specific evidence or suspicion that Torress particular ID was fake or altered. Laxalt states the Nevada Supreme Court created a Fourth Amendment rule that absent particularized suspicion a specific ID is fake, validating an ID through dispatch exceeds the scope of a Terry stop, even when the legitimate purpose of the stop isas it was hereto verify an individuals age.
The Nevada Supreme Courts application of the Fourth Amendment is directly at odds with the law applied by other appellate courts, Laxalt wrote.
Nevadas petition asked the Supreme Court to review the case in order to determine whether briefly retaining an ID to validate its authenticity is an illegal seizure. Nevada also asked the Court to determine whether the discovery of an arrest warrant provided an independent basis to arrest and search Torres that cured any possible violation of the Fourth Amendment.
These Fourth Amendment questions have divided Nevada courts and others nationwide, and we are pleased by the U.S. Supreme Courts favorable ruling, said Laxalt. This case was brought to my attention at my first Law Enforcement Summit convened in 2015, and subsequently reviewed by my Office. Our hard-fought victory is a testament to the outcome that can result from law enforcement collaboration and the careful constitutional analysis and persuasive writing of attorneys within our Solicitor Generals Office.
The Torres and Strieff cases presented a very important and heavily debated question about how to apply the Fourth Amendment during law enforcement stops, said VanDyke. The U.S. Supreme Courts intervention became necessary to resolve national disagreement about how to analyze that question, and I am very proud of our offices leadership role in convincing the Court to provide much-needed new guidance on the application of the Fourth Amendment.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
On June 21, 2016, the Fairfield County Business Journal honored 40 Fairfield County professionals. The 12th annual "40 Under 40" winners were celebrated at the Dolce Norwalk.
From nearly 100 nominations, judges chose impressive winners who work in Fairfield County in banking, finance, insurance, real estate, technology, nonprofits and more.
Keynote Nate Checketts, a 2015 40 under 40 winner and a serial entrepreneur whose latest venture is Rhone, a men's active wear line based in Darien, opened the formal ceremony. Matt Scott, a meteorologist at Fox 61, was the master of ceremonies. The event will benefited The Kennedy Center Inc.
Stamford orthopedic surgeon Corinne VanBeek was among the winners. A specialist in shoulder and elbow conditions, Dr. VanBeek treats patients of all ages for upper extremity conditions in her office at Stamford Health's Chelsea Piers location.
Click through the slideshow above to see the winners.
"I'm fortunate enough to absolutely love what I do. I'm even more fortunate to work with a group of physicians, peers and my OR staff who really inspire me," said Dr. VanBeek, who received the award Tuesday night. "They're the ones who inspire me to really try and achieve and go beyond expectations and challenge mediocrity, so I thank them."
A graduate of Barnard College and Columbia University, Dr. VanBeek received her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her residency in orthopedic surgery at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University and her fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
Dr. VanBeek is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Arthroscopy Association of North America, Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society, Mid-Atlantic Shoulder and Elbow Society, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Connecticut Magazine recently released its annual list of 40 Under 40: "the state's up-and-comers in the arenas of television, art, business, sports, movies, philanthropy and more, as nominated by friends, family, co-workers, admirers and Connecticut Magazine editors."
Click through to see which southwestern Connecticut residents made the list, and visit Connecticut Magazine to see all 40.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
STAMFORD Executives of a major cybersecurity firm and city and state officials celebrated Tuesday the installation of the companys shark tank in downtown Stamford.
Tuesdays ceremony recognized the arrival of BlackStratus, a Piscataway, N.J. company, which opened offices at 9 West Broad St. in April to house marketing, sales and support staff to work on its new product, CYBERShark. A $5.5 million grant from the states Department of Economic and Community Development helped to finance BlackStratus expansion to Stamford.
Were truly excited to be part of Connecticuts thriving tech community and really excited to be part of Connecticuts extended and integrated ecosystem for doing business here, BlackStratus CEO Dale Cline told several dozen employees and public officials in the companys seventh-floor offices.
Twenty-three employees now work in the downtown center, which covers some 5,200 square feet and could accommodate up to approximately 80 employees.
This is exactly the kind of offering and exactly the kind of company that we think Connecticut has a real future with, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told company officials after touring the security operations center. Having you select Stamford to be the community that you are in and growing those jobs that you have committed to growing, with a relatively participation of ourselves (in state government) is very much appreciated.
The arrival of BlackStratus reflects the states commitment to bringing businesses to Connecticut, Malloy said. The state has given financial support, including grants, to more than 3,000 companies in the past five-and-a-half years, compared with such backing for only approximately 200 firms in the previous six years, according to Malloy.
Technology represents an increasingly important part of the local economy, said Mayor David Martin.
I hope you will bring some of your cyber-security expertise to our mid market, Martin said. It is surprising the number of tech-oriented companies that were hiding in lower Fairfield County, particularly in Stamford.
Other officials who attended the ceremony included Stamford state Reps. Livvy Floren and William Tong and Catherine Smith, the states commissioner of economic and community development.
CYBERShark was designed to extend to small- and mid-sized organizations the technology that BlackStratus has offered for years to identify, stop and fix cyberattacks for Fortune 500 companies and government bodies, Cline said. By putting the technology in the cloud, smaller businesses can share the cost of using the product. CYBERShark is a subscription-based service, with costs running as low as a couple-hundred dollars per month, according to BlackStratus chief marketing officer, Debbie Crum.
Cyber attacks can be devastating to mid-sized businesses, with a severe breach costing as much as approximately $500,000, according to Cline. Eighty percent of small- and medium-sized businesses that suffer a severe cyber attack will go out of business within 18 months, he said.
Mid-sized organizations, however, due to complexity, deployment cost, generally have been denied this type of protection, Cline said. It has been a problem for the mid market for many reasons. Greater than 70 percent of all cyber attacks are aimed at mid-market organizations. The data they have is just as valuable that resides in large organizations, and, quite frankly, theyre more vulnerable to being breached.
Founded in 1999, BlackStratus now manages more than 1 million devices.
pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
BIOX ALSO ANNOUNCES FINANCING TO FUND ACQUISITION AND BOARD CHANGES
TSX symbol: BX
TORONTO and BOSTON, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - BIOX Corporation ("BIOX") (TSX: BX) and World Energy, today announced a 50/50 joint venture to acquire and operate a 90 million U.S. gallon (USG) (341 million litre) biodiesel production facility in Houston, Texas. Each company has committed US$10 million to the World Energy BIOX Biofuels joint venture.
The facility, formerly known as Green Earth Fuels, is located within the Kinder Morgan Liquids terminal on the Houston Ship Channel and is the third largest biodiesel production facility in North America. The plant acquisition is scheduled to close by the end of June. Plant commissioning and start-up will ramp up over the third quarter of the year.
"This joint venture with World Energy and the acquisition of a 90 million USG facility provide BIOX an opportunity to significantly expand and diversify our production capacity in combination with a high quality partner. It is a large scale asset that is well positioned to supply biodiesel for compliance with the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard in the U.S. market," said Alan Rickard, Chief Executive Officer of BIOX. "As we see the distribution of our products from our facilities in Ontario shifting from the U.S. market to fulfill the mandates under Ontario's Greener Diesel initiative, this acquisition provides us with a strategically positioned production facility from which we can address the U.S. market in partnership with World Energy. World Energy's approach to sales & marketing is aligned with ours, as trusted producers and marketers that leverage their expertise, experience and relationships in the industry to provide optimal value to clients."
"World Energy and BIOX have been biodiesel industry pioneers dating from the very beginnings of the industry," said Gene Gebolys, Chief Executive Officer of World Energy. "This venture enables us to lever our collective strengths to serve customers better than ever before with unparalleled logistical access by rail, truck, barge, ship, and pipeline to the biggest biofuels markets in the U.S. and beyond."
BIOX Financing
In order to fund its US$10 million contribution to the joint venture, BIOX has secured a funding commitment from a group of its existing shareholders comprising Clearwater Fine Foods Inc. ("CFFI"), T. Robert Beamish and William Lambert (CFFI, Mr. Beamish and Mr. Lambert being referred to collectively as the "Private Placees"). Messrs Beamish and Lambert are also directors of BIOX. CFFI will provide a six month, secured bridge loan (the "Bridge Loan") for US$5 million. In addition, the Private Placees will subscribe for 5,000 units of BIOX for gross proceeds of US$5 million (the "Private Placement"), with each unit consisting of a secured note in the principal amount of US$1,000 (collectively, the "Notes") and 880 common share purchase warrants ("Warrants") exercisable at a price of $0.673 per common share (being 125% of the volume weighted average trading price for the common shares of BIOX on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the five-day period ended on June 24, 2016). The Bridge Loan and the Private Placement were approved by the independent members of the board. Material terms of these financings are as follows:
Both the Bridge Loan and the Notes provide for voluntary prepayments without premium or penalty.
Neither the Bridge Loan nor the Notes are convertible, directly or indirectly, into equity or voting securities of BIOX or any of its subsidiaries, or otherwise participating in nature; or repayable as to principal or interest, directly or indirectly, in equity or voting securities of BIOX or any of its subsidiaries.
The Bridge Loan and the Notes will be secured by a pledge of the interest held by a wholly-owned subsidiary of BIOX in the joint venture company formed to complete the acquisition of the Houston facility.
facility. The Notes will have an initial six-month term that will be automatically extended to June 30, 2018 if shareholders approve the Warrants as discussed below.
if shareholders approve the Warrants as discussed below. The Bridge Loan will bear interest at a rate of 12% per annum from the date of advance to August 31, 2016 , at 14% from September 1, 2016 to September 30, 2016 , at 16% from October 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016 and at 18% thereafter, payable monthly in arrears.
, at 14% from to , at 16% from to and at 18% thereafter, payable monthly in arrears. The Notes will bear interest at a rate of 12% per annum payable quarterly in arrears.
BIOX will convene a special meeting of shareholders to be held not later than December 31, 2016 to seek approval of the Warrants by shareholders other than the Private Placees. Until this dis-interested shareholder approval is obtained, the Warrants are not transferable or exercisable. If the Warrants are not approved, then:
The Warrants will terminate automatically.
BIOX will be obligated to pay an Exit Fee at the time the Bridge Loan is repaid in an amount equal to 2% of the face amount thereof if paid on or before September 30, 2016 or 3.5% of the face amount thereof if the Bridge Loan is repaid after September 30, 2016
or 3.5% of the face amount thereof if the Bridge Loan is repaid after BIOX will be obligated to pay an Exit Fee at the time the Notes are repaid in an amount equal to 2% of the face amount thereof if paid on or before September 30, 2016 or 5% of the face amount thereof if the Bridge Loan is repaid after September 30, 2016
BIOX Board of Directors Changes
With the establishment of the World Energy BIOX joint venture, the Board of Directors of BIOX has accepted the request of Robert Beamish to retire from the Board. To fill the vacancy created by Mr. Beamish's retirement, the Board has appointed Gene Gebolys, CEO of World Energy, effective as of the closing of the transaction. In addition, the Board of Directors has determined that it is an appropriate time to appoint Alan Rickard, the CEO of BIOX, to the Board of Directors.
"Mr. Beamish has provided a tremendous amount of experience and valuable advice as a member of the Board during the past nine years. On behalf of everyone at BIOX, I would like to thank him for his service," said Kevin Golding, Chair of BIOX. "With this first direct investment in the U.S. market, the Board concluded that Mr. Gebolys' unique perspective on the U.S. market would provide invaluable insight to the Board, while helping to unify the strategic direction of the joint venture with BIOX's plan for growth. Gene and Alan bring a great deal of industry experience from both a market and operations perspective."
Since 1996, Mr. Gebolys has championed biodiesel's development in the U.S. and throughout the world. He founded World Energy in 1998 which emerged to become an enduring and innovative force in the advanced biofuels industry over two decades. He was the founding Chairman of the National Biodiesel Political Action Committee and was a founding Commissioner of the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (BQ-9000). He was Chair of the National Biodiesel Board's Regulatory Committee for five years during the establishment of the industry's most critical public policy supports including the establishment of the Biodiesel Blenders Tax Credit and both Federal Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS1 and RFS2). He now co-chairs the industry's RFS Task Force that he has chaired since its inception in 2009.
Mr. Rickard has served as Chief Executive Officer of BIOX since October 2015. Mr. Rickard has more than 15 years of experience in the agri-food, energy and renewable fuels sectors. Prior to joining BIOX he served as VP Commercial Operations, Canada at Rothsay, a division of Darling International Canada Inc., and previously at Maple Leaf Foods Inc. in increasingly senior positions between 2001 and 2013.
About World Energy
World Energy (www.worldenergy.net) is an Advanced Biofuels supplier based in Boston with over 200 million gallons (600,000 metric tons) of production capacity in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas and over 16 million gallons of biofuels storage servicing major markets in North America and beyond.
About BIOX Corporation
BIOX is a renewable energy company that owns and operates approximately 450 million litres of nameplate biodiesel production capacity at plants located in southern Ontario and Houston, Texas. BIOX has an innovative, proprietary and patented production process that is capable of producing the highest quality, renewable, clean burning and biodegradable biodiesel fuel utilizing a variety of feedstocks - from pure seed oils to animal fats to recovered vegetable oils with no change to the production process. BIOX's high quality biodiesel fuel meets North American (ASTM D-6751) quality standards.
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking" statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, objectives or achievements of BIOX, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, objectives or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements relate to, among other things, the timeline for the World Energy BIOX Biofuels facility commencing production, the capacity of and anticipated upgrades to the facility and timing thereof, improvements to the facility's efficiency and range of feedstocks it will be able to use, anticipated production capacity increase from the acquisition, BIOX's long-term expectations for the biodiesel market in light of current market conditions, and the ability of BIOX to benefit from recent regulatory initiatives in the U.S. and Ontario and the satisfaction of all conditions of closing for the acquisition and the financing. These statements reflect BIOX's current views regarding future events and operating performance, are based on information currently available to BIOX, and speak only as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions and should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such performance or results will be achieved. Those assumptions and risks include, but are not limited to, the fact that BIOX's results of operations and business outlook are highly dependent on a mix of legislation and producer payment programs and tax credits and upon commodity prices, which are subject to significant volatility and uncertainty. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of BIOX to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including factors described in this press release and those discussed in BIOX's publicly available disclosure documents, as filed by BIOX on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) except as updated herein. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Unless required by applicable securities law, BIOX does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. To the extent any forward-looking statements herein constitute financial outlook, they were approved by management as of the date hereof and have been included to provide an understanding with respect to BIOX's financial performance and are subject to the same risks and assumptions referred to herein. There can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which these forward-looking statements are based will occur and readers are cautioned that any financial outlook information contained in this news release should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed herein.
SOURCE BIOX Corporation
For further information: Alan Rickard, CEO, BIOX Corporation, 905-521-8205 ext. 253, [email protected]; Brendan Marusa, Vice President, World Energy, 617-889-7320, [email protected]
Partnership with Entourage Phytolab Will Create Bedrocan Brazil and Conduct Clinical Trials Pursuant to Registration of Cannabis-Based Medicines
TORONTO, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX.V:CGC) ("CGC" or "Canopy Growth"), announced today the closing of an agreement with Sao Paulo-based Entourage Phytolab S.A. ("Entourage"), which will see its wholly-owned subsidiary Bedrocan Canada Inc. ("Bedrocan Canada"), Bedrocan International BV (formerly Bedrocan Beheer BV) and local Brazilian partners create a new company called Bedrocan Brazil S.A., which will facilitate the importation of Bedrocan's proprietary standardized cannabis varieties and know-how into the Brazilian market. Additionally, Canopy Growth will partner with Entourage to develop cannabis-based pharmaceutical medical products for the Brazilian and international markets.
Bedrocan Brazil will hold the sole local rights to use the Bedrocan brand, as well as the genetic material and cultivation technology of Bedrocan in Brazil. Initially, Bedrocan Brazil will import cannabis products into Brazil from Canada or the Netherlands, with a view to eventually establishing domestic cultivation facilities in Brazil.
"We are extremely excited to be launching this initiative to bring Bedrocan's world-leading cannabis genetics to patients in a market with a population in excess of 200 million," said Marc Wayne, President of Bedrocan Canada. "The team that comprises Bedrocan Brazil is well positioned to succeed. They have established themselves as legitimate players with the technical expertise required to advance Bedrocan's globally-recognized medical cannabis brand and world leading cultivation technology in Brazil."
In addition, Canopy Growth will partner with Entourage to use the medical cannabis provided by Bedrocan Brazil to develop innovative medical cannabis products for the Brazilian and international markets. Entourage will be responsible for developing the standardized cannabis extracts for pre-clinical and clinical trials. It is anticipated that product clinical trials will begin in 2016 and be completed by the end of 2017, targeting submission for market approval by ANVISA, the Brazilian health surveillance agency, by 2018.
Entourage has obtained authorization from ANVISA for the research and development of cannabis-based therapeutics, and has the ability to import cannabis flowers into Brazil for research and development purposes.
Through in-depth market research and patient outreach, Entourage has developed an unmatched understanding of the needs of Brazilian patients and looks forward to serving those needs with world-class products. Brazilians currently import their medical cannabis products from other jurisdictions, this partnership will eventually allow Brazilians to access their medication more efficiently by moving the production inside Brazil's borders.
"Brazil represents a large emerging market, and has a favourable regulatory framework for medical cannabis products as well as competitive clinical trial and production costs, and for those reasons it's a perfect market for the Bedrocan brand," said Bruce Linton, Chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation. "Through the Bedrocan International and Canopy Growth partnership, we've developed a unique offering of expertise here in Canada that's now recognized around the world, an advantage we will leverage as we continue to pursue global markets."
About Canopy Growth Corporation
Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis company, offering diverse brands and curated cannabis strain varieties in dried and oil extract forms. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Tweed, Tweed Farms, and Bedrocan Canada, Canopy Growth operates three state-of-the-art production facilities with over half a million square feet of indoor and greenhouse production capacity. Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names in Canada and abroad. For more information, www.canopygrowth.com
About Entourage Phytolab
Entourage Phytolab is the first Brazilian pharmaceutical research and development company focused on the creation of cannabis-based medicines. Its mission is to offer the therapeutic potential of Cannabis (cannabis sativa) and increase its accessibility for doctors and patients from Brazil and the world. The company's name is inspired by the called effect entourage - combined action of several plant compounds.
About Bedrocan International B.V.
With its headquarters in The Netherlands, Bedrocan International B.V. is the owner of the intellectual property on the standardized production techniques developed through decades of growing experience. It's the only company in the world currently producing standardized, whole-flower medicinal cannabis. Through a combination of stable plant genetics and proprietary, automated, high-tech production techniques, Bedrocan International has the capacity to grow varieties that contain consistent levels of cannabinoids and terpenes every time. Bedrocan International produces for a number of international governments which make the medicinal cannabis available under special access conditions as an unapproved drug. Bedrocan International strives to bridge the gap between patients' needs for cannabis and the quality standards of modern medicine. They do this through an active research program and a commitment to sharing their knowledge through scientific publication. They believe herbal cannabis can, and should, meet all of the existing regulations for medicines.
For more information, www.bedrocan.com
Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canopy Growth Corporation, Tweed Inc., Tweed Farms Inc. or Bedrocan Canada Inc. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Examples of such statements include future operational and production capacity, the impact of enhanced infrastructure and production capabilities, and forecasted available product selection. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and Canopy Growth Corp. does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Canopy Growth Corporation
For further information: Media Contact: Jordan Sinclair, [email protected], 855-558-9333 ex 309; Investor Contact: Tyler Burns, [email protected], 855-558-9333 ex 122; Director, Bruce Linton, [email protected]
WINNIPEG, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mint is celebrating Canada Day with fun activities for all ages.
Where : Royal Canadian Mint
520 Lagimodiere Blvd.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
When : Friday, July 1, 2016
9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
Activities:
Free self-guided tours of the Mint: Learn more about the fascinating world of coin production!
Token Striking: Create your own free souvenir by striking your own coin!
Kids Corner: Have fun with clowns and face painters!
BBQ Lunch Catered by Danny's Whole Hog Barbeque and Smokehouse: Priced to please from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.!
Shop: Browse the Mint's Boutique for memorabilia and a great promotion.
About the Royal Canadian Mint
Over the past 108 years, the Royal Canadian Mint has emerged as a global leader in minting. A few of its internationally-renowned "firsts" include developing a revolutionary coin-plating process, producing the world's thinnest bi-metallic coin, the purest 99.999% bullion gold coin and first coloured circulation coin in the world.
Established in 1976, the Winnipeg Mint is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a high-tech, high-volume manufacturing facility where Canada's circulation coinage is produced, as well as coins for countries around the world.
SOURCE Royal Canadian Mint
For further information: Alex Reeves, Senior Manager, Communications, Royal Canadian Mint, 613-949-5777, [email protected]
Luxury Cognac house revives Paris Golden Age to drive ongoing category growth
TORONTO, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - Just as the Cognac category continues its steady climb in Canada, world-famous Cognac house, Courvoisier, today announced the launch of stand-out new packaging designs for its entire Canadian range along with a national marketing campaign, inspired by the vibrant art and architecture of the Paris Golden Age, a period of innovation, optimism and creative exuberance (1870-1910). On March 31, 1889, Courvoisier was served to celebrate the official opening of the Eiffel Tower - one of the greatest occasions the world has ever seen.
The new pack and bottle updates are supported by a marketing campaign titled "The Toast of Paris," that includes new advertising, media and bartender educational tastings, and also highlights a series of new Cognac-based cocktails designed for toasting and celebration. These campaign elements support a long-term growth platform for Courvoisier, which will include Golden Age-inspired innovations and limited edition bottlings available through Travel Retail channels.
Courvoisier is targeting this brand transformation to accelerate growth in Canada, building on the already strong performance of the cognac category which is up +9.5% (Moving Annual Total (MAT) Volume).1 Courvoisier is experiencing similar growth at +9.4% MAT.
Deepti Gurkar, Senior Brand Manager for Beam Suntory's Luxury Portfolio said: "We are excited to launch a new campaign and fresh packaging to Canada and believe that the creativity and marketing support we are bringing to the iconic Courvoisier brand will help drive continued growth in the Cognac category. By sharing who we are and what we know in an honest and authentic way, consumers understand that Courvoisier is delicately crafted and is a brand with a rich, very real history."
Gurkar added: "Courvoisier played a crucial role in the renowned Paris Golden Age. It has won prizes and gold medals, including the Prestige de la France, it was everywhere from cabarets to the tables of royals across Europe, and was endorsed by Napoleon III. Everything that people around the world know and love about Paris, the architecture, the music, the art, the romance, the Eiffel Tower itself it's all from this Golden Age. The Belle Epoque is relevant to today's luxury consumer and Courvoisier is poised to celebrate that heritage."
PREMIUMIZATION
On an international scale, premiumization remains one of the leading influences on market trends, as consumers continue to trade up across categories and price points. This is driven by a growing middle class in emerging markets, increasingly discerning consumers in mature markets like Canada and the rising influence of Millennials across the globe.
Deepti Gurkar added: "Courvoisier aspires to be relevant to all luxury consumers, including millennials. Everyone has the power to shape the future luxury market, including the spirits industry, so it's crucial that luxury brands remain fresh and relevant, while also staying true to their distinct identity, heritage and craft. Through our brand transformation, Courvoisier is reinforcing its luxury credentials to meet the expectations of our modern consumer."
PARIS GOLDEN AGE TOUR
As part of its brand transformation, Courvoisier has also launched the Courvoisier Paris Golden Age Tour - a bespoke curated luxury tour through Paris, which takes visitors on a journey to experience one of the most extravagant and innovative eras in history. Taking you to the heart of some of Paris' most famous landmarks and areas, including the Alexandre III Bridge, the Lavirotte building and Saint-Germain-Des-Pres, the Tour celebrates Paris Golden Age art, architecture, innovation, science and haute couture, as well as Courvoisier's central role during the period.
For more information on Courvoisier, please visit www.courvoisier.com
About Courvoisier
Courvoisier has built an international reputation for producing one of the finest cognacs over almost two centuries. Its entrepreneurial founders, Louis Gallois and Emmanuel Courvoisier, founded the brand in Paris in the early 1800s. As the business flourished, it gained renown and acclaim citywide before becoming the supplier to Emperor Napoleon III.
The story continued during the Paris Golden Age, a time of glamour, optimism and decadence, when Courvoisier was one of the toasts of choice at the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. As a result it became a celebratory drink of choice during this innovative and progressive period.
Courvoisier continues its relationship with celebration today as it encourages consumers to take the time to mark their achievements and raise a toast.
About Beam Suntory Inc.
As the world's third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon brands and Suntory whisky Kakubin, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek bourbon, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka, and Midori liqueur.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.
_______________________________________
1 Aperity Data (April 2016 MAT% Volumes)
SOURCE Courvoisier
Video with caption: "Video: Courvoisier: the "Toast of Paris" since 1889". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160628_C2368_VIDEO_EN_723028.mp4&posterurl=http%3a%2f%2fphotos.newswire.ca%2fimages%2f20160628_C2368_PHOTO_EN_723028.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160628&cnum=C2368
Image with caption: "Courvoisier VS cognac (CNW Group/Courvoisier)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160628_C2368_PHOTO_EN_723005.jpg
Image with caption: "Courvoisier VSOP cognac (CNW Group/Courvoisier)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160628_C2368_PHOTO_EN_723008.jpg
Image with caption: "Courvoisier XO cognac (CNW Group/Courvoisier)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160628_C2368_PHOTO_EN_723003.jpg
For further information: For further information, interviews, video and photography assets, please contact: PRAXIS Public Relations: Alex Thomas, Account Manager, [email protected] / 416-617-4498
Kelowna International Airport Director Sam Samaddar named vice chair
OTTAWA, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Airports Council today announced that Howard Eng, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, has been elected as its new chair.
Howard Eng, who has served as the council's vice chair since 2014, succeeds John Gibson, President and CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority.
"Canada's airports are a key cornerstone of innovation and growth for the Canadian economy," said Mr. Gibson. "With more than 30 years in the airport industry, and experience managing and operating Canada's largest airport and North America's second largest gateway hub for international passengers, Howard brings a depth of knowledge and understanding that will be invaluable to the CAC as it continues to promote the importance of our airports to the Canadian economy. The CAC's membership is excited to move forward under Howard's leadership."
Prior to joining the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Howard served as Executive Director, Airport Operations at the Airport Authority Hong Kong, which operates Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). In his 17 years with HKIA, Howard played an integral part in moving Hong Kong onto the world's stage as a global hub that consistently enjoys top rankings. Over an 11-year span, HKIA won more than 40 Best Airport awards.
"It is an honour to take on this responsibility with the Canadian Airports Council," said Howard Eng. "The CAC will continue to reinforce the vital economic importance of Canada's aviation sector. We will also continue to work with government agencies to ensure that passengers are receiving the services required to keep Canada's business and tourism sectors growing."
New CAC Vice Chair and Addition of Regional Directors
Airport Director Sam Samaddar of the Kelowna International Airport has been elected as vice chair. He began his career at the Vancouver International Airport in 1988. In 1992, he assumed the position of Superintendent Airport Operations at the Kelowna International Airport and has since held numerous positions. He also sits on several boards, including the Canadian Airports Council.
In other changes to the board, Geoff Dickson, President and CEO of the Victoria Airport Authority, has joined as director.
About the Canadian Airports Council
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a division of Airports Council International-North America, is the voice for Canada's airports community. Its 50 members represent more than 100 airports, including all of the privately operated National Airports System (NAS) airports and many municipal airports across Canada.
SOURCE Canadian Airports Council
For further information: Josee Curry, Canadian Airports Council, 613-560-9302 ext. 15, [email protected]
OTTAWA, June 27, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories announced a Ministerial Special Representative (MSR) will be appointed for the negotiations with the Dehcho First Nations in the Northwest Territories. The MSR will facilitate the discussions between the negotiating parties in order to support the successful conclusion of land claim negotiations with the Dehcho First Nations.
Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament, on behalf the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, and Premier and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations for the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Bob McLeod, made the announcement at the Dehcho Annual Assembly.
The objective of the negotiations is aimed at resolving outstanding land, resource and governance issues. The appointment of the MSR who will report to Minister Bennett and Premier McLeod will address issues such as land quantum, land access and regulatory structures on the claimed territory.
The Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories will announce who will be the MSR in the coming weeks.
Quotes
"Ensuring the successful conclusion of negotiated land claims is vital for advancing reconciliation. The Government of Canada is committed to reaching our shared goals and is confident the appointment of a Ministerial Special Representative will assist us in finding solutions that reflect the spirit of reconciliation with the Dehcho First Nations."
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett,
Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, M.D.,P.C., M.P.
"The appointment of a Ministerial Special Representative will help identify options that can help us realize our shared goals, with workable solutions for all. The MSR will understand the issues and I am confident that this is the right step to take, and that the MSR will be the right person for the task. Advancing reconciliation means keeping a collective vision in mind, working through our differences and building on shared interests."
Michael McLeod,
MP, Northwest Territories
"With several land, resources and self-government agreements already being implemented here, the Government of the Northwest Territories remains committed to working with Aboriginal governments in the spirit of respect, recognition and responsibility. I believe there is an historic opportunity to further strengthen relationships with Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories through the settlement of remaining claims and am pleased to share in the upcoming appointment of the Ministerial Special Representative. I look forward to working with our partners to complete negotiations in the near future."
The Honourable Bob McLeod,
Premier and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations for the Government of the Northwest Territories
Quick Facts
Negotiations of a land claim and self-government agreement began with the Dehcho in 1999 leading to a Framework Agreement and an Interim Measures Agreement in 2001 plus an Interim Resource Development Agreement in 2003.
There are 10 Indigenous groups representing over 20 communities in the Northwest Territories that are negotiating comprehensive land claim or self-government agreements at various stages of the process.
that are negotiating comprehensive land claim or self-government agreements at various stages of the process. Since 1973, Canada and its negotiation partners have signed 26 comprehensive land claims and four self-government agreements. Of the 26 signed agreements, 18 included provisions related to self-government. Negotiations are ongoing at about 100 treaty and self-government negotiation tables across the country.
Related Products
The Dehcho First Nations Framework Agreement
The Dehcho First Nations Interim Measures Agreement
Northwest Territories Agreements under Negotiation
Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Information System
You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds or e-mail. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.aandc.gc.ca/subscriptions.
SOURCE Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
For further information: Sabrina Williams, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, 819-997-0002; Media Relations, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-953-1160; Andrew Livingstone, Senior Communications Advisor, Government of the Northwest Territories, (867) 767-9140 ext. 11091
OTTAWA, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the conclusion of the State Visit of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to Canada.
Through this visit, Canada has renewed its close ties with Mexico, one of our most valued partners in the hemisphere. Both leaders agreed that, while collaboration between our countries is already extensive, now is the time to do more to bring our students together, to deepen our business relationships, and to create sustainable economic growth for all of our people.
During their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister announced the lifting of the visa requirement for Mexican visitors. This important step will strengthen the ties between Canada and Mexico and will increase the flow of travellers, ideas, and business between both countries.
The two leaders also witnessed a historic signing of a memorandum of understanding on Indigenous cooperation that will allow our countries to share their experiences, their knowledge, and their best practices all to improve the quality of life for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and Mexico.
Moving forward, Prime Minister Trudeau and President Pena Nieto made a commitment to work in close cooperation to grow our cultural connections, expand our growing trade and investment relationship, and find solutions to the shared challenges of climate change.
Canada and Mexico both understand how important it is to have a productive and respectful relationship one that allows for greater trade, stronger growth, and more clean job creation.
Quote
"President Pena Nieto and I came together these past two days in a spirit of friendship and respect to deepen the relationship between our two great countries. Canada and Mexico are more than just friends we are partners and the agreements we reached today will spark the exchange of more travellers, goods, and ideas between our countries than ever before."
- Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Quick Facts
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a letter of intent to increase the exchange of information on development, as well as collaboration in the field in Central America and the Caribbean . Areas of interest will include, among others, women and girls, climate change, vector-borne diseases, and disaster preparedness and response.
and the . Areas of interest will include, among others, women and girls, climate change, vector-borne diseases, and disaster preparedness and response. During a discussion with Canadian and Mexican youth, the two leaders announced many new education partnerships between Canada and Mexico that will enhance two-way student and research exchange opportunities, and allow for closer collaboration on innovation and technology.
and that will enhance two-way student and research exchange opportunities, and allow for closer collaboration on innovation and technology. Canada and Mexico are each other's third-largest trading partners, and bilateral trade between the two countries, valued at $37.8 billion in 2015, continues to grow annually.
and are each other's third-largest trading partners, and bilateral trade between the two countries, valued at in 2015, continues to grow annually. By some estimates, Mexico's economy will rival Britain and France within 15 years. Its middle class is one of the world's fastest growing.
economy will rival and within 15 years. Its middle class is one of the world's fastest growing. Canada welcomes the decision by Mexico to lift its outstanding restrictions on Canadian beef and beef products by October 2016 .
Related products
Associated Links
This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office
For further information: PMO Media relations: 613-957-5555
OTTAWA, June 28, 2016 /CNW/ - On the occasion of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's official state visit, the Royal Canadian Mint has produced a commemorative silver medallion celebrating Canada and Mexico's longstanding ties as North American neighbours. The medallion was unveiled today by President Pena Nieto, Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu, the Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance and Sandra Hanington, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.
"For more than 70 years, Canada and Mexico's multi-faceted relationship has been characterized by deep people-to-people ties, rich cultural connections and growing trade and investment, whose importance has been fittingly recognized through an expertly crafted Royal Canadian medallion," said Minister Morneau. "As we continue to nurture our common bonds as North Americans, the Government of Canada looks forward to celebrating even more milestones in the Canada-Mexico partnership in the future."
"As the sharing of technology and innovation between Casa de Moneda de Mexico and the Royal Canadian Mint continues to grow, the Mint is keenly aware of the mutual benefits of engaging with our Mexican counterparts," said Ms. Hanington. "We are proud to have created a commemorative medallion which symbolizes the many common bonds between Canada and Mexico which are paving the way for future cooperation."
The Royal Canadian Mint's 99.99% fine silver commemorative medallion, of which only 200 have been struck to commemorate this special occasion, illustrates the theme of people being brought together by the common good of cooperation and an open embrace of cultural respect. Designed by Canadian artist Andrew Lewis of London, Ontario and painted in vibrant colour, the medallion features the renowned symbols of the flags of Mexico (the eagle) and Canada (the maple leaf).
The Royal Canadian Mint's long and proud history with Casa de Moneda de Mexico is one of many examples of Canada's deep relationship with Mexico. Together, these mints have partnered for export success and have maintained ongoing technical exchanges resulting in continuous innovation for both institutions and a strong commercial relationship.
About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is a commercial Crown corporation, wholly owned by the Government of Canada, which is responsible for the production of all circulation coins used in Canada and for the management of the supporting distribution system. Founded in 1908, the Royal Canadian Mint has become one the world's foremost producers of circulation, collector and bullion investment coins. Recognized as one of the most modern mints in the world, its coins are recognized internationally for their quality and technological innovation. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.
SOURCE Royal Canadian Mint
Image with caption: "From Left: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu, the Honourable Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance and Sandra Hanington, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint unveil a commemorative silver medallion celebrating Canada and Mexico's longstanding ties on the occasion of President Pena Nieto's official state visit (Ottawa, June 28, 2016). (CNW Group/Royal Canadian Mint)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160628_C3851_PHOTO_EN_723922.jpg
For further information: Christine Aquino, Director, Communications and Public Affairs, Royal Canadian Mint, Tel: (613) 993-9999, [email protected]
TORONTO, June 27, 2016 /CNW/ -- The MasterCard Foundation announced today that it would be committing nearly CDN $700,000 in funding to non-profit Canadian organizations. Ranging from War Child and Covenant House Toronto to the Aspire Change Foundation, it's marking its 10th anniversary by addressing needs that exist here at home and abroad through a special Giving Campaign. Each of its 68 full-time, permanent employees has been invited to direct CDN$10,000 from the Foundation to a registered Canadian charity or qualified donee of their choice.
"Our Foundation's achievements to date are due to our employees, whose passion and expertise have enabled the Foundation to get behind new ideas or scale effective ones to improve the lives of people living in poverty in Africa," says Foundation President and CEO Reeta Roy. "As a proudly Canadian organization, we recognize that many of our staff members are also personally engaged in addressing needs in our own communities and this Giving Campaign enables them to further our mission to advance education and financial inclusion."
Achieving a 100 percent participation rate, staff donated to Canadian organizations with operations at home in Toronto, across Canada and around the globe. Employees had the option of making one $10,000 gift or to share the gift between two organizations. The MasterCard Foundation partnered with Toronto Foundation, a leading organization that connects philanthropy to community needs, to ensure that all recipient organizations are working to advance the Foundation's charitable goals to improve access to education, learning and financial inclusion.
"Canada is a land of opportunity, that's why I have so much hope and dreams for young women in my community who are visible minority Francophone immigrants like me," says Dina Randrianasolo, a MasterCard Foundation employee who gave to Charite LEO (Leadership-Espoir-Opportunite). "Young women in particular face multiple systemic barriers that hinder their social and professional integration. This donation will give them a chance to build their leadership skills, have mentors and become transformative leaders in their communities."
Inspired by engagement in Indigenous communities across the country, MasterCard Foundation staff gave generously to these organizations. Nearly $120,000 was donated to Shannen's Dream, Indspire and the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre, among other organizations. These organizations provide opportunities and access to education and leadership development skills to Indigenous youth across the country.
"With this generous donation from The MasterCard Foundation, we are able to continue our efforts in supporting the education and leadership development of Indigenous youth, as they strive towards a better quality of life for themselves, their families, their communities and Canada," said Roberta L. Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire.
The MasterCard Foundation staff also focused on its roots in Toronto, where it invested $215,000 of its donations, giving to noteworthy causes such as Supporting our Youth (SOY) at Sherbourne Health Centre Corporation, the Nahom Berhane Scholarship for Leadership and Inclusion at Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, as well as special initiatives designed to support at risk youth such as the MLSE Foundation and Eva's Initiatives for Homeless Youth.
"The Mastercard Foundation is leading by example by empowering their staff to invest in the lives of young people in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond," said Orlando Bowen, Executive Director, One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization. "This contribution to One Voice One Team's youth empowerment work will have a significant, long-term, transformative impact. The donation will facilitate the delivery of programming that brings hope, ignites dreams and equips youth with tools that will catalyze them towards achieving success and towards excelling as leaders in their communities."
For the full list of recipient organizations, click here.
About The MasterCard Foundation
The MasterCard Foundation works with visionary organizations to provide greater access to education, skills training and financial services for people living in poverty, primarily in Africa. As one of the largest, private foundations, its work is guided by its mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. Based in Toronto, Canada, its independence was established by MasterCard when the Foundation was created in 2006. For more information and to sign up for the Foundation's newsletter, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org. Follow the Foundation at @MCFoundation on Twitter.
SOURCE The MasterCard Foundation
For further information: Isabelle Bourgeault-Tasse, Manager, Media Relations, Mobile +1.647.535.3681, http://www.mastercardfdn.org
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu yesterday urged Abia State residents not to panic after a court ordered him to vacate office immediately. In a ...
In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Enyinnaya Appolos, said Ikpeazu will appeal the judgmentThe governor noted that as an appointee of the Abia State Government from 2011 to 2014, when he served as the General Manager, Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest and Safety Scheme (ASPIMSS), and first Deputy General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) Aba and Environs, before his resignation in October 2014 to contest the governorship election, his taxes within the period were deducted at source. When he needed his tax clearance in 2014, he applied to the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue and was issued with his tax receipts for the period in question, he said.Ikpeazu maintained that he remained the governor, according to the law, and will await the final determination of the matter by the appellate courts.Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday voided Ikpeazus election on the ground that he was not qualified to have contested.The judge held that the evidence before the court supported the plaintiffs position that Ikpeazu made a false claim in relation to the information he submitted to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for onward submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).Justice Abang, who upheld arguments by plaintiffs lawyers Alex Iziyon (SAN) and Femi Falana (SAN), said having lied about his tax clearance certificates and personal income tax receipts, Ikpeazu failed to meet the requirement under Article 14(a) of the PDP Electoral Guideline for its primary elections.The judge said as against the requirement under Article 14(a) of the PDP Guideline, requiring a candidate for its primary election to provide evidence of his payment of personal income tax as at when due in the last three years, there was no reliable evidence before the court that Ikpeazu paid his tax regularly three years before he contested the partys primary on December 8, 2014.The judge spoke in two separate judgments in the suits by Dr. Samson Uchechukwu Ogah vs. PDP and Obasi Uba Eleagbara and 2 others vs. PDP and two others.He lied in his declaration to INEC that he fulfilled all requirements to stand election, whereas he did not. The issue before the court is disqualification to participate in the first defendant (PDPs) primary election for Abia State. It is not whether he was qualified under Section 177 of the Constitution to contest the governorship election.Since there is no provision for independent candidate, it is material that he must first meet the PDP requirement as stipulated in Article 14(a) of the PDP Electoral Guidelines, the judge said.The judge said since Ikpeazu was not qualified to contest the PDP primary by making false claim in his tax information submitted to his party, and which his party later submitted to INEC, he breached Section 31 of the Constitution.Justice Abang ordered the PDP to submit to INEC as its candidate for the last governorship election in Abia, the name of the aspirant with the second highest votes in the partys last primary because Ikpeazu, who came first, was not qualified to participate in the primary. He said the votes recorded in the primary by Ikpeazu were wasted votes.The judge, who identified several discrepancies in the tax documents Ikpeazu submitted to his party, noted that the three receipts bore the same date of July 4 for the annual income tax he claimed to have paid in 2011, 2012 and 2013.He noted that if, as he claimed that his annual income tax was deducted annually by his employer, being a civil servant, he ought to have simply obtained evidence of such payment from his employer and not obtain receipts form the State Tax Board, with similar dates and serial numbers. He noted that one of the receipts carried December 31, 2011 as its issuance date, but pointed out that the date was a Saturday, a no-work day in Abia State. He wondered why the receipt was issued on Saturday.Tax clearance certificate submitted by the 3rd defendant (Ikpeazu) to INEC is false. It is not tax clearance known to law. Ikpeazu was and is not a candidate of the PDP for the election held in April 2015. The plaintiffs claim deserves to succeed and judgment is given in his favour, the judge said.Justice Abang declared that Ikpeazus INEC Form 001 and the tax clearance certificate contained false information regarding his tax payment. He ordered his disqualification from the primary election.Having failed to pay his income tax as at when due, and having made false claim, he is not a fit and proper person to contest the election. Order is made disqualifying the 3rddefendant from contesting the election for submitting tax documents containing false information regarding his tax payment.It is declared that the person, who scored the second highest votes, Dr. Samson Oga, is the rightful candidate of the PDP for the election. Order is made directing the PDP to forward his name (Ogas) to INEC an its rightful candidate for the election, the judge said.The judge dismissed all the preliminary objections raised against both suits by the defendants and held, among others that his court has the jurisdiction to hear the cases, the plaintiffs posses the locus standi to institute the cases and that the issues raised for determination were not overtaken by event.
The European Parliament on Tuesday urged Britain to immediately trigger the divorce process from the European Union after the shock refere...
The European Parliament on Tuesday urged Britain to immediately trigger the divorce process from the European Union after the shock referendum vote by British voters to leave the bloc.The will expressed by the people needs to be entirely and fully respected, starting with an immediate activation of Article 50, said a resolution approved by MEPs at an emergency session, by 395 in favour to 200 against, with 71 abstensions.It is up to the British government to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that starts the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit.
Embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is facing trial for alleged forgery of the Senate Rules, accused President Buhari and...
He spoke of a government within the government of President Buhari, which has seized the apparatus of Executive powers to pursue a nefarious agenda.But the Presidency would not allow the allegation to go undenied.It challenged Saraki to name the cabal in President Muhammadu Buharis administration.The Presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Sarakis claim would have been more worthwhile if it had been backed with more information.He issued a statement, saying: If he had proceeded to identify those who constitute the government within the government, it would have taken the issue beyond the realm of fiction and mere conjecture.But as it stands, the allegation is not even worth the paper on which it was written, as anybody can wake from a troubled sleep and say anything.The Attorney-General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the state. It is within his constitutional powers to determine who has infringed upon the law, and who has not.Pretending to carry an imaginary cross is mere obfuscation, if, indeed, a criminal act has been committed. But we leave the courts to judge.To claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is anybodys stooge, the statement said, is not only ridiculous, but also preposterous.It is not in the character of our President, Adesina added.Saraki accused the Executive arm of the government of bring up trumped up charges against him.In a statement he signed, Saraki described his trial as a cross he was prepared to carry.The statement reads: Today, we the leaders of the Nigerian Senate reiterate our innocence against the charges filed by the Attorney General of the Federal Government of Nigeria at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on the allegations of forgery of the Senate Standing Rules document.In our view, the charges filed by the Attorney General represent a violation of the principle of the Separation of Powers between the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch as enshrined in our Constitution.Furthermore, it is farcical to allege that a criminal act occurred during Senate procedural actions and the mere suggestion demonstrates a desperate overreach by the office of the Attorney General.These trumped up charges is only another phase in the relentless persecution of the leadership of the SenateThis misguided action by the Attorney General begs the question, how does this promote the public interest and benefit the nation?At a time when the whole of government should be working together to meet Nigerias many challenges, we are once again distracted by the Executive Branchs inability to move beyond a leadership election among Senate peers.It was not an election of Senate peers and Executive Branch participants.Over the past year the Senate has worked to foster good relations with the Executive Branch. It is in all of our collective interests to put aside divisions and get on with the nations business.We risk alienating and losing the support of the very people who have entrusted their national leaders to seek new and creative ways to promote a secure and prosperous Nigeria.As leaders and patriots, it is time to rise above partisanship and to move forward together.However, what has become clear is that there is now a government within the government of President Buhari who have seized the apparatus of Executive powers to pursue their nefarious agenda.This latest onslaught on the Legislature represents a clear and present danger to the democracy Nigerians fought hard to win and preserve.The suit filed on behalf of the Federal Government suggests that perhaps some forces in the Federal Republic have not fully embraced the fact that the Senates rules and procedures govern how the legislative body adjudicates and resolves its own disputes.Let it be abundantly clear, both as a citizen and as a foremost Legislator, I will continue to rise above all the persecution and distraction that have been visited on me.In the words of Martin Luther King Junior, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy.I will remain true and committed to the responsibilities that my citizenship and my office impose on me.Without doubt, the highest of those responsibilities is the steadfast refusal to surrender to the subversion of our democracy and the desecration of the Senate.This is a cross I am prepared to carry. If yielding to the nefarious agenda of a few individuals who are bent in undermining our democracy and destabilising the Federal Government to satisfy their selfish interests is the alternative to losing my personal freedom, let the doors of jails be thrown open and I shall be a happy guest.
A secondary school teacher, Cosmos Ubaja, was on Monday arrested by the police in Lagos State for allegedly raping a 14-year-old schoolgir...
A secondary school teacher, Cosmos Ubaja, was on Monday arrested by the police in Lagos State for allegedly raping a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Ikorodu area of the state.The unnamed teenager had gone to Ubajas shop to make photocopies after school hours when the accused lured her into sleeping with her.The suspect, who owns a computer centre in the area, was contracted by the school to teach the junior pupils computer studies.According to the reports, the victim, a Junior Secondary School, Class 3 student in a public secondary school in the Owutu area of Ikorodu, had been allegedly raped by the suspect on several occasions in eight months and was always given peanuts such as N50, N100 and N30, each time.Ubaja, a father of one had been raping the girl for months and the girl kept the secret away from her parents.The last straw which broke the camels back was on June 1 when the girl complained to her mother that she had stomach pains and her menstrual cycle was affected.She was then taken to a private hospital where it was discovered that she had been raped several times.The teenager confessed that it was the computer instructor who raped her and he was arrested.The matter was reported at the Owutu Police Division and also to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, Alausa.The DSVRT team took the victim for a checkup at the Mirabel Centre, Ikeja.The groups Coordinator, Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, said the matter had been transferred to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command.According to her, The 14-year-old girl was raped by her computer teacher near the schools premises.The teacher and some individuals around the school initially pleaded with the girls parents not to report to the police. Fortunately, they rejected the plea.The perpetrator is in police custody and the case has been transferred from the division to the Gender Unit at the police headquarters, Ikeja. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has also requested the duplicate case file.Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said Ubaja has confessed to the crime and will be charged to court soon.
A prosecution witness, Ibrahim Mahir, has testified that retired Col. Sambo Dasuki authorised the payment of 40 million dollars in favou...
A prosecution witness, Ibrahim Mahir, has testified that retired Col. Sambo Dasuki authorised the payment of 40 million dollars in favour of One Plus Holdings.Mahir made this known when he testified in the case of Azibaola Roberts, cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.He said that Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser (NSA), instructed him to prepare a payment mandate of 40 million dollars in favour of the company.Roberts and his wife Stella were arraigned on June 8 on a seven-count charge of money laundering.Mahir, who was the first prosecution witness, told the court that Dasuki had endorsed a memo to him with details of the companys account.On Aug. 20, 2014, the NSA endorsed a memo to me which originated from the director of finance and administration in the office of the NSA giving bank details of a company called One Plus.The memo also gave details of the purpose for which the company was to be paid the sum of 40 million dollars.The NSA instructed me to prepare payment and my understanding of that was that I should prepare the payment mandate for One Plus for his signature.After I got the memo, I prepared the payment mandate, sent it to him, he signed and sent it back to me.The subsequent necessary action was for me to countersign, which I did and I sent it to the CBN for payment, Mahir said.Earlier, Roberts lead counsel, Mr Chris Uche (SAN), had applied for a short adjournment.Uche said the adjournment would give him time to meet with his client to prepare his defence.He said that when bail was granted, his team had difficulties in perfecting the bail conditions, adding that the conditions were only perfected last week.He said they needed more time to prepare their defence because there were some documents that they needed to subpoena from the office of the NSA.Uche also sighted indisposition as part of the reasons his team was asking for an adjournment.The prosecuting counsel, Mr Sylvanus Tahir, however, objected to the application on the grounds that they had a witness already in court who was stopped from going on lesser hajj on account of the trial.Tahir said that they had prevailed on the witness to postpone his trip and not allowing him to give his testimony would amount to a waste of effort.On the issue of indisposition, Tahir said the defence had about 19 other lawyers on the team and without the lead counsel, the trial could commence.The judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, agreed with the prosecution that trial should commence since the defence had sufficient time to prepare their defence.Diimgba adjourned the case till July 4 and July 5 for a continuation of trial.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday wrote the United Nations, European Union, United States Congress, European ...
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday wrote the United Nations, European Union, United States Congress, European Union Parliament, Governments of United States, United Kingdom and other foreign missions, over his trial for alleged forgery of Senate standing rules.Ekweremadu raised the alarm over what he described as attempt to truncate Nigerias democracy and silence him as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in the country, all in the name of prosecuting an alleged forgery case.The letter is a two-page document, entitled: Re: Trumped up charges against the presiding officers of the 8th Senate: Nigerian Democracy is in Grave Danger, a copy of which was sighted by our reporter in Abuja.Ekweremadu attached copies of the court summons and other relevant documents relating to the matter to his letter.The deputy Senate president noted that he wanted the international community, to after perusing the facts before them, decide whether or not the trial was justified, or one purely borne out of political vendetta.He insisted that neither his name nor that of the president of the Senate, featured in the petition filed by the aggrieved members of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF) or during the investigation of the petition by the police.
Prominent Nigerians and groups on Monday urged the Federal Government, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to inves...
Prominent Nigerians and groups on Monday urged the Federal Government, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to investigate the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, for allegedly purchasing $1.5m properties in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.Buratai and his two wives were reported last week to have owned $1.5m properties in Dubai.The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, while reacting to the story said Buratai should be probed over the allegation of the Dubai property scandal.He stated that The defence the army put up for him is so silly to be believed outside the barracks. All the earnings of Buratai since he joined the army, if all were saved, cannot buy a house in Dubai, let alone two.The army also exposed itself as a lying institution when it said Buratai was never in charge of procurement in writing. The investigation should make Buratai to let the country know that he did other businesses to buy the property in question so that the integrity of the anti-corruption war can be intact.The house could only come legitimately through other businesses outside his pay. The savings from the salaries of any army officer in Nigeria cannot buy a house in Dubai he told Punch.Also, the Executive Director of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Adetokunbo Mumuni said it was the duty of the EFCC and the ICPC to investigate Buratais claim that the houses purchased in Dubai were done with his personal savings.He said, The bulk stops at the table of the EFCC and the ICPC to investigate the COAS. Did Buratai and his two wives acquired the property in Dubai and paid for it in a single transaction? As a civil servant, how much has he received in salaries and emoluments? Are these big enough to acquire the properties? For the anti-corruption war to be seen as fair and not selective, the anti-graft agencies must investigate Buratai. It is their duty.On his part, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, slammed the Nigeria Army for defending Buratai over the Dubai properties.Falana said it was not the business of the Army to speak for Buratai on the allegations.He said, Buratai should willingly invite the CCB, the EFCC, the ICPC to look into the matter. If Buratai was alleged to have unjustly purchased the houses, he has to come out to defend himself. He must show how the money used to purchase the houses was transferred.
The School of Medicine has a new name: we now are the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. The Health Sciences Committee of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents on June 10 approved a proposal from the school for the new name to be effective July 1.
This name change can be viewed in a range of ways. It is, on one hand, a minor change, a one-word addition of Reno to our long-held name of University of Nevada School of Medicine that simply reflects our increasing engagement with the University of Nevada, Reno, the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area and northern Nevada. On the other hand, it signals the stunning and positive changes that are taking place as we build a full clinical and research campus in Reno in collaboration with Renown Health, the Sierra Nevada VA Health System, community physicians and other partners.
The School of Medicines name change and the associated logo change and new branding concepts that are coming very soon are the result of the hard work and commitment of KPS3, a local branding and marketing agency and our partner in this endeavor. They interviewed or surveyed more than 2,000 members of the School of Medicine community, including patients, students, residents, alumni, current and former faculty members, physicians and community leaders.
We recognize that, as with any renaming of any school, this change may not be universally popular. There is a strong attachment to the concept of a single public medical school serving the entire state, which is what the former name reflected.
A second public medical school based at UNLV is being created and hopes to be open in 2017. The future reality of a UNLV School of Medicine requires that our new name be more aligned with our sponsoring institution and our primary community. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine name reflects the community from which our resources derive and our partnerships grow. Our new name reflects the strong commitment we have to community engagement and service, even as we maintain selective teaching relationships across the state, both rural and urban.
I believe our new name represents all those goals and aspirations.
I could not be prouder to be part of this exciting time in the continued growth and development of the School of Medicine. As we take our 47 years of serving Nevada into a future both exciting and challenging, we can celebrate all that we have accomplished in training thousands of physicians, scientists and medical professionals. Our new name marks, more than anything, a rededication to our purpose of serving our community in partnership with the University, hospitals, healthcare agencies, physicians and many others.
Whatever we are called, we always will be committed to improving the health and healthcare of Nevadans.
Workers in Ekiti State have accused labour leaders of betraying them by agreeing to a one month pay out of the six months owed them by th...
Workers in Ekiti State have accused labour leaders of betraying them by agreeing to a one month pay out of the six months owed them by the state government.They described the failure of the union leaders decision to convince the government to pay at least three months as a coup against the long-suffering workers who had endured misery, hunger and hardship in the last six months.According to a bulletin released on Tuesday by the Enlightened Workers Forum (EWF), an interest group signed by the Coordinator, Mike Bamidele, the workers claimed that they have evidence that the labour leaders received N10 million bribe to end the strike.The group faulted the decision of the labour leaders to suspend the strike and agreed to monthly payment of N10 million to pensioners which it described as grossly inadequate doubting the governments capacity to access another bailout funds owing to the stringent conditions attached.Bamidele said it was a mark of failure for the leaders of the state councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) to hurriedly suspend the strike after being promised only one month pay by the government.He described as very irresponsible the directive issued to workers by one of the labour chiefs to resume work and await the payment of one month salary seven days after suspending the strike.The EWF boss revealed that the untold story of the whole saga was that the labour leaders only succeeded in negotiating their own welfare as we have evidence that six of them collected N10 million which eventually led to the sell-out which is already causing ripples among other leaders who were left out.Bamidele said: One wonders what gave Labour the impression that the Federal Government would again be willing to release another bailout to Fayose when the first one had not been accounted for.This is a mark of failure on the part of the Organized Labour and we in the EWF are not surprised about the development as we had anticipated this failure right from the onset.Against this background, therefore, it will be wrong and illegal for any Labour to attempt to coerce the workers back to work through the back doors without achieving anything. Negotiating one month salary on their behalf after about five weeks strike is not only anti-worker but also criminal.While denying the allegation, the state NLC Chairman, Ade Adesanmi, denied the workers allegation challenging anyone with evidences of bribery against them to come out with same.Adesanmi: I didnt sign the pact with government culminating in this resumption because I compromised, I signed because of the fear that this allocation may be spent without the payment of worker salaries.The same workers we were fighting for were coming to work during the strike to assist government in spending monies that could have been kept and added to the current allocation to pay workers. This is highest level of wickedness and prosperity will judge all of us.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State said it has uncovered plans by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to organise a rally against the ...
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State said it has uncovered plans by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to organise a rally against the anti corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari.In a statement issued and signed by the partys State Publicity Secretary, Omoba Abayomi Adesanya in Akure, the state capital, the party alleged that the governor had perfected plans with some youths and his political thugs to ground the state during the protest.According to the state, N3,000 each has been earmarked for the over 5,000 youths and some imported students from the South-South region that are participating in the rally.It is unfortunate that while workers are on strike for the unpaid six months salaries, Mimiko is planning to spend another tax payers money on illegal rally.We are informed that Mimiko was moved to stage the protest because he is scared of the wind of anti-corruption war which is sweeping all corrupt individuals in the country.We know that Governor Mimiko is scared. Since his colleague in Ekiti state has been alleged to have link with the Dansukigate.Maybe the Governor has some questions to answer in the ongoing investigations into the $2.1bn arms deal (Dasukigate), in the anti corruption war going on in the country.If Governor Mimiko has nothing to fear, there is no need for the plan rally against the Buharis anti corruption campaign.The Party is alerting members of the public, especially, security agencies to be alert and battle ready to combat these army of youths that the Governor is bringing to the state.The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade said the allegation was unfounded and coming from the pit of hell.Akinmade said it is an imagination of the originator of the statement, who is looking for cheap publicity and should be ignored by the public.The Commissioner said Mimiko would never support corruption but believes that fighting corruption must be done by following the due processes.
President Muhammadu Buhari broke his Ramadan fast last night by playing host to members of the business community at his Presidential Vill...
President Muhammadu Buhari broke his Ramadan fast last night by playing host to members of the business community at his Presidential Villa.Those in attendance included high ranking businessmen such as Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Tony Elumelu and Wale Tinubu.While addressing the business leaders, Buhari assured them that he would make Nigeria a self-sufficient state in rice production within the next 18 months.Also read: New IGP writes Buhari for immediate retirement of 30 AIGsOn the devaluation of the naira, Buhari stated that he is not yet convinced that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.What do we derive from that, how much benefit can we derive from this ruthless devaluation of the naira?I'm not an economist neither a businessman, I fail to appreciate what is the economic explanation, he said.See pictures from Buhari's dinner below.
The Embattled Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, stopped over at Abayi Primary School to inspect the ongoing reconstruction of Aba-Ow...
The Embattled Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, stopped over at Abayi Primary School to inspect the ongoing reconstruction of Aba-Owere road drainages.The governor was asked by the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday to step down as he was never qualified to run for the party primaries in the People's Democratic party as a gubernatorial candidate due to improper tax clearance.The governor who has already filed a notice of appeal and application for stay said during the inspection that he refuses to be distracted by the activities of detractors and enemies of Abia State who has continued to use minor irritants to undermine the good jobs of the governor.See photos:
Government Ekpemepulo, ex-militant leader better known as Tompolo, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to learn from the late President...
Government Ekpemepulo, ex-militant leader better known as Tompolo, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to learn from the late President Umar Musa YarAdua.Tompolo, who had earlier raised an alarm on the alleged seizure of the golden crown of Egbesu, an Ijaw deity, said a similar incident under YarAdua led to hostilities, which made the late president declare amnesty for militants.He alleged that a manhunt for him by the military led to a lot of atrocities in Gbaramatu kingdom.Today is exactly 31 days after the invasion of the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oporoza town, by your military led by Brig. General Faruk Yahaya of the 4th Brigade, Benin City, in search of me, with the allegation that I am the one behind the bombing and destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, and the incident happened in my absence, but I was informed that the army was on the loose, and committed so much abomination in the community, he said in an open letter.As I said in my previous publications, the military made away with the symbol of Authority of the Gbaramatu people from the Egbesu Shrine, [of] which I am the chief priest. They also made away with other valuables, worth several millions of naira, from the community.We are presently being treated like conquered people because of crude oil. Mr President sir, please permit me to quickly recall a similar incident that occurred in May, 2009, when this same military invaded several communities in Gbaramatu kingdom, under the command of late President Umaru Musa YarAdua.Traditional worship centres were desecrated, property were looted and above all, the multi-billion naira ultra-modern magnificent palace of the pere of Gbaramatu kingdom was burned down, and his golden crown was stolen by the military.As peace-loving people, the kingdom approached the courts and demanded compensation for the unlawful invasion and destruction of property, in which the court awarded 99 billion naira in favour of Gbaramatu kingdom. After seven years of that sad incident, the Federal Government is yet to pay the compensation. This incident also led to the declaration of the Presidential amnesty programme for peace to reign, as the government find out that military action is not the best way to address the Niger Delta question, and the rest become a history in the life of those who led that invasion. I believe Mr President should learn a lesson from the 2009 military invasion and do the needful.Tompolo also appealed to the president not to relocate the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, established by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.The establishment of the university has been a source of controversy, which reached its peak when two ministers in the current administration publicly disagreed with each other over the project.At a town hall meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transport, made a case for the relocation of the project, alleging fraud, but Ibe Kachikwu, the minister of state for petroleum, voiced his opposition, saying petroleum ministry will take over the project if Amaechi is not interested in it.Kachikwu subsequently visited Okerenkoko, and met with community leaders.However, Tompolo has asked the president to send some of his most trusted persons to the university in order to discover that those opposed to the project are not fit to be ministers.Your excellency sir, as they say, wonders shall never end. Am still in a great shock as the only developmental project, which is the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, that was established by the previous administration in 2014, in the coastal area of the Niger Delta region to meet the yearnings and the aspiration of the people is yet to commence academic session, even though all is set for the University to take off, he said in the letter.For instance, there are over 20 gigantic buildings of various sizes with complete furniture in the temporary site Kurutie town, which some mischievous people have given different narrations.Mr President sir, I wish to challenge you to send your most trusted persons to come and see things for you, and I bet you, you will discover that some of your ministers are not fit to work with you, because such ones are a clog in the wheel of progress as against your change mantra in which you rode into power.That is not all, there is a governing council and senate properly constituted and a management council headed by a very qualified Professor of engineering. What is more, even money was duly appropriated in the 2015 budget for the University to take off, but was withheld for no reason. This is pure injustice of the highest order.
Sen Ahmed Makarfi, contentious Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has urged the factional leader of the party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff...
Sen Ahmed Makarfi, contentious Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has urged the factional leader of the party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff, to explore dialogue over Edo governorship election.Makarfi gave the call in Abuja when he received the report of the partys gubernatorial primaries in Edo State.He said, Once again, I call upon the former chairman of PDP, my colleague and friend Sheriff and those associating with him to follow the path of dialogue.They should not do anything further that will cause PDP harm in Edo state.The former Kaduna State governor called for party unification ahead of the Edo State primaries because the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, had stated that it required 21 days notice to monitor any primary.This means validly and legally, no primary can be conducted apart from the one which we conducted and monitored by INEC.If the intention is not to cause the PDP to fail the election, any talk towards conducting other primaries in Edo by anybody either within or outside the state is supposed to have ceased by this time.I will continue to plead that what you cannot achieve through peace or dialogue, you cannot achieve it through the opposite, he added.
The alleged kidnapper and killer of Rev. Father John Adeyi of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, has been arrested.
The alleged kidnapper and killer of Rev. Father John Adeyi of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, has been arrested.The Benue Police Command on Monday said it apprehended one suspect in connection with the kidnapping and killing of the Vicar General.The Commissioner of Police, CP, in the state, Paul Okafor made this disclosure at a conference organized by the Inspector-General of Police with senior police officers in Abuja.Okafor said the police was working round the clock to apprehend other persons involved in the incident.According to him, Interrogation was made, somebody has been picked, I want to still get details before I will make more comments on the matter.This came just as the acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris assured he would strengthen the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in the 36 police commands and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to check incidences of kidnappings and other security challenges in the country.DAILY POST recalls that the Otukpa-born Catholic Priest, who recently celebrated his silver jubilee in the Priesthood, was abducted in April, along Odoba Otukpa-Okwungaga road.
A key member of the panel investigating the mismanagement of public funds by government officials has been arrested by the DSS on orders o...
Umar Muhammed
Mohammed Umar is known as a 'close ally' of President Buhari, reports say.Despite being his close ally and loyalist, Mr. Buhari okayed the arrest of Mohammed Umar, after perusing reports alleging that the retired Air Force officer ran a blackmailing and extortion cartel, officials said.Mr. Umar was arrested last week as operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) raided his Abuja home.Those familiar with the matter said before moving against the retired officer, the Director General of the SSS, Lawal Daura, met with Mr. Buhari where he tabled reports suggesting that the panel member had been busy using the name of the president and other top officials of the administration to intimidate, extort and blackmail individuals and businesses.The president became worried and jittery when he was confronted with the way a man he trusted had been behaving, a presidency source said. So he ordered that he should be picked up while the allegations against him are thoroughly investigated.Security sources told this newspaper that documents seized from Mr. Umars residence during a raid on June 19 included classified documents from the presidents office, details of government transactions from the Central Bank of Nigeria, and details of bank transactions belonging to the Office of the National Security Adviser.A document containing details of disbursements made to the Nigerian armed forces and security agencies was also recovered during the raid.Mr. Umar retired as an air commodore in the Nigerian Air Force in January 2014. While in service, he headed the Air Forces Holding Company as well as the Air Force Properties Limited.He retired into enormous wealth, officials involved in the investigations said.Currently, he has six companies, including a private jet company with a fleet size of 10 aircraft, officials said.Security sources also said he is also one of Abujas biggest property owners.Many top government functionaries live in his houses in Abuja, a security source said. He also has properties in Dubai and London.Mr. Umar became a close ally of President Buhari shortly after the 2015 elections.Armed with a cache of information on Nigerias security contracts during the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan, he soon became a key figure in the presidents investigative committee on arms procurement.He suggested most members of the panel, another presidential source revealed.However, investigators said Mr. Umars swift rise to relevance in President Buharis administration was beginning to raise concerns regarding whether the new administration failed to conduct a thorough background check on him, or simply ignored the mans past.Officials said Mr. Umar was one of the first military officers to be arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission just years after the anti-graft agency was established.He was detained for salary and procurement fraud in the Air Force, but the matter was later handed over to the military for trial, those familiar with the matter said.Our sources said Mr. Umar was compelled to make refunds, and the matter was brushed aside allowing the man to return to the force.Multiple officials revaled that Mr. Umars stupendous wealth has always confounded several of his colleagues.As far back as 20 years ago, when his annual salary couldnt afford a car, Mr. Umar had a private jet, one source said.Married to the daughter of a former Nigerian petroleum minister, Rilwan Lukman, Mr. Umar ran local and international businesses while he served in the Nigerian Air Force, one source said.According to court documents, Mr. Umar carried out his recent deals in cash only.Despite owning a private jet company and multiple real estates across the world, the total amount traced to his bank accounts was only N165 million.The total value of currencies evacuated from his residence during the raid was at least N300 million.Security officials believe he received the cash payments in breach of the money laundering law.Investigators are also trying to determine whether the cash were proceeds of illicit deals and influence peddling.Those close to him revaled that part of the cash taken from Mr. Umars home were payments for services rendered by his private jet company, Easy Jet Integrated Services Limited from two cargo flights from Nairobi to Houston and Nairobi to Hong Kong.Investigators said they are working to verify the claims.Other properties seized from the retired officers home during the raid include 13 luxury cars One Range Rover, two Rolls Royce, two Bentleys, one BMW 7-series, one Mercedes 5550, one Lexus Sports, one Audi R8 and one Porsche Panamera GTs.As of Monday, Mr. Umar was still held at the State Security Service detention centre in Abuja as security officials continued with investigations into the matter.The presidency refused to comment for this story saying it was within the scope of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
An umbrella body of all Muslim organisations in the South West geopolitical zone, Muslim Ummah of South West, yesterday called on some ...
An umbrella body of all Muslim organisations in the South West geopolitical zone, Muslim Ummah of South West, yesterday called on some of its members who attempted to enforce wearing of hijab on two private schools in Osun State to desist from the act saying they should leave the enforcement of the court order to the state government. The apex Muslim organisation, through its Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Dawud Noibi said yesterday in Ibadan, while speaking with newsmen, that it would not support such action. He said, as reported in the media last week, we learnt of the attempt by some Muslim parents and clerics to enforce the court order on hijab at St. Charles High School and Ife Oluwa Middle School, both in Osogbo, Osun State.We wish to use this medium to state that the action of those Muslims does not enjoy the support of the leadership of MUSWEN. No citizen has the right to take the law into his hands. We believe that barring any attempt to frustrate the enforcement of the court order, the government possesses the power to enforce all laws.
Most coverage of Donald Trumps recent speech in New York focused on his attacks on Hillary Clinton. Or the fact that he read the speech from a teleprompter. Or the fact that it came amid a period of disorder and change in his campaign.
But Trump included actual substance in the speech new policy proposals and promises that escaped many observers. In a series of pledges to take action in his first 100 days as president, Trump said he would move on trade, business regulation, energy, and several other topics.
One area in which Trump promised to take extensive and quick executive action is immigration, with a pledge to change immigration rules to give unemployed Americans an opportunity to fill good-paying jobs.
What Trump meant is that there are parts of U.S. immigration policy significant parts that could be changed through executive action, or regulation, or simply enforcing existing law. For example, there are programs for the admission of foreign workers the various alphabet programs like H-1B visas, EB-2 and EB-3 green cards, etc. that have weak or nonexistent requirements that businesses hire, or try to hire, an American first. Its a concept that has huge public support, but one the government does not enforce. A President Trump could change that, on his own authority.
A president could direct the Department of Homeland Security to promulgate rules that interpret immigration laws in ways that are more favorable to American workers, noted John Miano of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors more restrictions on immigration, in an email exchange.
Miano pointed to one provision of the law, 8 USC 1182(a)(5), which he said gives a president enormous leeway in pursuing an Americans-first policy. Any alien who seeks to enter the United States for the purpose of performing skilled or unskilled labor is inadmissible, the law reads, unless the Secretary of Labor has determined that ... 1) there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, qualified ... and available at the time of application for a visa and admission to the United States and at the place where the alien is to perform such skilled or unskilled labor, and 2) the employment of such alien will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers in the United States similarly employed.
Interpretation of the law has been inconsistent, Miano said. In this way: A later clause stipulates that the provision just quoted shall apply to certain types of green cards. The Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Naturalization Service have generally interpreted that to mean shall only apply to certain types of green cards, Miano wrote. Trumps team could change the regulations to interpret shall apply... as applying to any alien, as the plain text reads.
The result could be a decided shift toward government enforcing laws directing that jobs go to Americans before foreign workers.
Ron Hira, of Howard University, noted that for many immigrant work categories, a president could change the so-called recruitment requirement, that is, the requirement that businesses make a good faith effort to hire an American worker before hiring a foreign worker. Some immigration categories have weak and easily circumvented recruitment requirements, and some have none at all, Hira told me in an email exchange.
For almost all H-1Bs, there is no recruitment requirement whatsoever, Hira said. There are no recruitment requirements for L-1 workers. Ditto for B-1.
I think theres quite a bit of latitude for the next president to promulgate tighter recruitment rules for various work visas, Hira wrote. The upshot is that I think Trump could write much tighter (better) rules to ensure that the program operates more closely as it is intended.
Miano and Hira both listed other areas in which a president could make immigration and employment policy more American-friendly. Its an approach that many politicians, including Barack Obama, have said they favor but have not, in fact, pursued.
The immigration and work pledge in Trumps speech was all of 13 words long. But there was a lot of thinking behind it. It meant something. And it was just one part of a wide-ranging address; Trump placed his plans in a bigger context that could have real resonance in the general election campaign, especially in the rust-belt states which could play a big role in the outcome.
There is one common theme in all of these reforms, Trump said. Its going to be America First.
The United Nations humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien has announced the release of $13 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund t...
The United Nations humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien has announced the release of $13 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to provide life-saving assistance for victims of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigerias north-east.According to the UN, an estimated 250,000 people are in need of help because of the loss of property due to the insurgency.The UN also states that more than 50,000 people are in need of tools for the upcoming planting season, hence the CERF funding.The funds will support the provision of food, special child nutritional supplements, protection and health services to the most vulnerable people in the newly accessible areas through disbursements to other UN agencies.
Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the weekend said the nation expects great miracles to happen for national development a...
Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the weekend said the nation expects great miracles to happen for national development and peace.Osinbajo stated this in his brief remarks at the one-day crusade, with theme, Night of Extraordinary Wonders organised by the Deeper Life Bible at the National Stadium, Abuja.He asked God to intervene in the life of Nigerians by granting them personal miracles at the crusade, because God has the solution to all kinds of problem they may have.He said: I want to say how privilege we are to be here today on this night of incredible wonders and I pray that the Almighty God will give you your own miracle in the name of the Lord Jesus.I know that everyone here( crusade) is expecting a miracle from the Lord even our nation also looks forward to great miracles from the Lord and I know that tonight will be that night when the Lord will visit us in a special way.Over 80,000 people from all walks of life attended the crusade, including the Founder of Dunamis International Gospel Church, Pastor Paul Eneche and his wife, Dr. Becky Eneche, General Overseer, Gospel Light Redemption Ministry, Pastor Isaac Oriakhi, Comptroller General, Federal Fire Service, Engr.Garba Anebi, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, and other government dignitaries.In a sermon titled The Glory of the Lord, the Guest Preacher and General Superintendent, Deeper Life Bible Church, Dr. William Kumuyi, assured the participants of Gods glory returning to individuals, families and the nation.Kumuyi also maintained that the power of God would transform the life of participants into abundance of glory and lift the nation out of the present challenges if they could humble themselves and pray, and God will forgive them.But he warned them of the danger of the absence of Gods glory in their life, which would keep the glory of God away from them.After the ministration he (Kumuyi) prayed for participants with different health challenges and they were supernaturally healed and they also shared their experiences after the prayer. He has since left for Lokoja, Kogi State for another crusade.
Residents of Igbo Olomu and Ita Oluwo, Ikorodu areas of Lagos and Ogun states, who were displaced due to the attacks by militants, have ...
I wont return home because the militants are better armed than the security operatives
This came as indications emerged that the security personnel detached to the crises prone areas are having difficulty in having access to food items and portable water in the area due to the desertion of the towns.Meanwhile, as a means of preventing the spate of killings in the affected communities, some eminent Nigerians, including Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark and Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti have agreed to hold an emergency summit to nip the crisis in the bud. Some communities in Lagos and Ogun states have been deserted following series of attacks by some suspected militants.This has led to many residents seeking refuge in neighbouring communities until the situation is brought under control.Yesterday, soldiers and other security personnel were seen manning strategic places like Psychiatric, Ola Imam, Iyana-Igbo Olomu, Chemist, Kajola and Oke-Ayo.One of the displaced persons, who gave his name as Ayobami, said he will not return home until the government takes over the creeks by dislodging the militants just as it is done in other places. Ayobami said: I am in Isolo squatting with my elder brother, while my family has relocated to Egbeda, Ogun State.Though the places are not comfortable, it is better than being killed.Another displaced person, Ms Victoria Aarinola, revealed that she now stays in her office while her family stays in the church.Victoria, a school teacher said her colleagues and church members have donated clothes and food items to them pending when normalcy is restored.Narrating her ordeal, she said, We were in a vigil last Thursday when neighbours called to inform us that the militants have attacked again and I told my family to stay in the church while I sleep in the school.It was also gathered that hunger seems to be ravaging the communities such that the security personnel attached to the affected places could not get food to buy. Also, security presence in the communities has heightened as an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, has been stationed to Ereko, one of the hotspots. A combined team of military and para-military personnel have so been patrolling the area at press-time.
The Federal Government says it has saved 6.6 billion Naira on its payroll since November 2015.
The Federal Government says it has saved 6.6 billion Naira on its payroll since November 2015.The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, made the claim on Monday while giving a brief on the activities of the Efficiency Unit (E-UNIT) approved by President Muhammadu Buhari last November.On salaries, weve cleaned our payroll. As at last week, we had reduced our payroll amount by 6.6 billion Naira between when I started work in November and today.Adeosun, while speaking on Channels Sunrise Daily, said Nigerians should expect more civil servant protests, saying that the workers were reacting to governments unpopular decisions.She restated the governments commitment to cutting cost of running the affairs of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).By the nature of the job at the moment, I am cutting cost, I am taking people off the payroll (and) I am reviewing projects.The Finance Minister added that the implementation of the policy was across board (at both lower and higher cadre of the public sector), saying it would be unfair if it affects the junior workers only.
NEWARK -- Federal prosecutors never received the text messages written by Gov. Chris Christie and an aide during a key period before the government's Bridgegate investigation, prosecutors say in a brief filed late Monday.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman filed the brief in response to a request by Bridgegate defendants Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni to instruct jurors about the destruction of evidence.
Kelly's attorneys earlier this month asked U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in a court filing that when it comes time to instruct jurors, they should be told to assume that the missing text messages would have been favorable to her and Baroni. The "adverse inference instruction" revolves around deleted text messages in December, 2013, between Christie and Regina Egea, former director of the Authorities Unit in the governor's office.
The text messages -- a dozen in all, according to records subpoenaed from AT&T -- occurred as top officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey testified in late 2013 before a state Assembly panel about the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge that September. Christie and Egea have said they deleted the texts and that whatever was written was not significant to the Bridgegate case.
The brief filed Monday by Fishman says the government should not be sanctioned for failing to preserve text messages it never had and which may have been deleted before the federal investigation began in early 2014.
The government also says Kelly's attorneys offered no evidence that the text messages, had they been turned over to prosecutors, would have been information subject to her subpoena.
Adverse inference instructions are used to encourage the preservation of information in a legal case. If a party can show that information was destroyed or altered, it can ask the judge to instruct jurors to assume the missing information would have been to its benefit, according to the Fordham Law Review. In cases where the destruction of evidence is intentional, it says, a judge can preclude evidence or witnesses or impose other sanctions.
Fishman said, however, that it never had the information, let alone destroyed it.
"Here, the text messages were never in the government's control, and the government has not suppressed or withheld anything," the brief says.
It also says the defendants' argument that prosecutors "outsourced" its investigation to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher -- the law firm representing the governor's office -- is "completely unfounded and patently false."
Kelly's attorney, Michael Critchley, said Tuesday morning that he had not yet read the government's filing.
Wigenton earlier this year approved the filing of subpoenas by Kelly, the former deputy chief of staff to Christie and Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, as a way to ensure that they had all the information available to mount their defense.
Kelly and Baroni are charged with orchestrating the lane closures from Fort Lee, causing massive traffic tie-ups, as political retribution for Mayor Mark Sokolich's decision to not endorse Christie's re-election.
Gibson Dunn has a deadline today to file its brief in support of its motion to quash in part Kelly's and Baroni's subpoenas.
Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A discount airline will begin flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport later this year.
Allegiant Airlines will begin flying to four cities out of Newark in November.
Allegiant will offer flights to Cincinnati and Savannah, Ga., beginning on Nov. 16; the following day it begins service to Asheville, N.C. and Knoxville, Tenn. Fares start at $39 for the first two destinations and $41 for the others.
The Las Vegas-based airline announced its entrance to the area in a news release Tuesday morning.
It comes weeks after the federal government said it will lift the cap on the number of hourly takeoffs and landings at Newark. Newark is being re-classified from a Level 3 to a Level 2 airport, meaning it will no longer be limited to 81 slots per hour.
JetBlue was the first carrier to take advantage of the change when it said it would add six additional daily flights to Florida in the fall.
Allegiant previously served the region only out of Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pa. It says its base airfares are less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PALM BEACH, Florida -- A Westmont man has pleaded guilty to a number of misdemeanor charges as a result a joyride in a stolen limousine, according to the Courier-Post.
Anthony Almand, 56, who was arrested as a result of the December 2015 incident, admitting to trespassing, reckless driving and failure to obey commands, according to the report, which adds he was sentenced to nine months probation and 75 hours community service.
According to previous reports, Almand told police that he jumped in the limo -- carrying two women he did not know -- because he thought it would be "funny." The report adds that he later stopped the vehicle as a result of the screaming women inside, got out and went back to the club he had been at prior to going for a spin.
He was previously charged with kidnap/false imprisonment, grand theft auto and resisting arrest without violence. According to the report, Almand must also pay restitution to Presidential Leasing of Delray Beach, the owner of which let his girlfriend and her friends borrow the vehicle that night.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
VINELAND -- A 21-year-old man was flown to the hospital after a weekend shooting, according to police.
Vineland Police Department officers were dispatched Sunday around 11:30 p.m. to Melrose Street. When they arrived they found the 21-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his left thigh.
Authorities airlifted the man to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. His injuries were non-life threatening.
The shooting is under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Vineland Police Department by calling 856-691-4111 ex: 4556 or ex: 4155. Information can also be submitted anonymously through the department's Tip411 service.
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PATERSON -- State Senate President Stephen Sweeney isn't giving up on his plan to revise New Jersey's public school funding system despite Gov. Chris Christie's proposal to divert state aid from urban districts to achieve property tax relief for most of the state.
Hours before Christie held his first forum in Wall Township to promote his "fairness formula," Sweeney (D-Gloucester) on Tuesday reiterated that it's unlikely the Democratic-controlled Legislature would back the governor's controversial proposal.
"What I am focused on is my plan," Sweeney said during a visit to Paterson, where the school district would lose millions under Christie's concept.
Sweeney on Tuesday kicked off a statewide tour to promote his pitch for amending the 2008 School Funding Reform Act, a weighted formula that allocates state aid to districts based on student enrollment, demographics and other factors.
The potential 2017 gubernatorial candidate is calling for a four-member panel to study the formula and propose a series of tweaks, including the elimination of a special aid category that currently prevents districts from losing funding in a given year.
Those changes, plus $500 million in additional funding over a five-year period would allow the state to give every school district 100 percent of what it's owed under the funding formula, Sweeney said.
Currently, some districts get more than 100 percent of the state aid called for under the formula while others are shortchanged because the state has regularly underfunded the formula, sometimes by more than $1 billion a year, during Christie's administration.
"We have a formula that works," Sweeney said. "I don't see what's wrong with 100 percent funding."
Though Sweeney said he's "not even talking about the governor's formula," he was flanked by state, school and city officials who denounced Christie's plan.
Citing low graduation rates in districts like Camden, Trenton and Newark, the governor last week proposed giving every district a flat aid rate, $6,599 per student, and eliminating extra funding for students who are learning English as their second language and students from low-income families.
Urban districts would lose millions in state aid and that money would instead be sent to suburban districts to provide significant tax relief, as much as $3,000 on average in some communities, Christie said.
If that plan takes effect, Paterson Public Schools would lose about $213 million, said Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic).
"That would be a crippling effect to our entire educational system," Pou said. "That is a serious problem. We cannot allow that to go on without speaking from the mountain top right on down."
Paterson Mayor Joey Torres said equal funding is not the same as equitable funding and minority students would be hurt by Christie's proposal.
The district has improved its graduation rate to 78 percent, more than 20 percentage points higher than it was in the 2000s, said TJ Best, director of the Pasaic County freeholders and an administrator in the district.
Reducing state aid to the district now would put that progress in jeopardy, local officials said.
"It's just crazy," Best said. "It's absolutely insane."
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
403 Forbidden 403 Forbidden Code: AccessDenied
Message: Access Denied
RequestId: 6A0F6C886DD9BFCA
HostId: LpT+scEYRPEgANo75L1egi5s6KXZu9mWp7Ak22RDqZGm8YgU0w1/cepapyXNkWVxKiZT9xn4Seg= An Error Occurred While Attempting to Retrieve a Custom Error Document Code: AccessDenied
Message: Access Denied
To many New Jerseyans, all sand is not created equal.
Since Memorial Day weekend, leagues of shore-goers have returned to their preferred beach -- a spot chosen from more than 140 miles of the state's coveted shoreline.
And as thousands more will surely flock to the surf through the approaching months, we at NJ Advance Media are set to embark on our search for New Jersey's ultimate summer spot.
Below is a poll with all 40 of New Jersey's oceanfront properties, from Sandy Hook down to Cape May. Consider our criteria listed below and vote for your favorite beach.
Afterward, feel free to tell us in the comments why you love it most. And please be specific in where you like to lounge, i.e. 3rd Avenue Beach in Belmar or near the Bal Harbour hotel in Wildwood Crest.
Voting will close July 5 at 9 a.m., and the six top vote-getters will each be visited and judged on the same attributes listed below, with individual stories written and photos taken of said finalist beaches.
And before July's end, we will name the definitive best beach in New Jersey! Who deserves the title? Vote below.
BEST BEACH CRITERIA
- Quality of beach itself: sand cleanliness, swimmable water, etc.
- Quality and size of out-of-town crowds (less is usually more)
- Availability of boardwalks, food and recreation
- Cost of beach badges
POLL CAVEATS
- Only oceanfront beaches were included.
- Beaches are represented by the municipality in which they reside. For instance, Long Beach Township accounts for Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, etc.
- For sake of size and popularity, Sandy Hook (Middletown) and Island Beach State Park (Berkeley) were included as separate entries in the poll.
Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
stacey-dash-dash-america.jpg
Stacey Dash in 2014. The Fox News contributor advocates for a return to 'pro-family values' on her new website for Dash America, what she's calling a political movement. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Fox News contributor Stacey Dash is aiming to expand her political reach.
Dash, 49, an actress and former Paramus High School student, has launched a website called Dash America.
On her blog Sunday, Dash called the site "an exhilarating political movement that focuses on unity, faith, family values, and feminism."
The website's logo is a feminine silhouette crossed by two rifles -- Dash has been outspoken in her support for Second Amendment rights, recounting in her recently published memoir how she once fired a gun to scare away an ex-boyfriend who had assaulted her.
"I believe we can and must return to Reagan's Hollywood, a time when movies were pro-America, pro-freedom, and pro-family values," writes Dash, known for her role in the 1995 movie "Clueless," starring Alicia Silverstone. "We are going to make that happen by writing, producing, and distributing films that showcase what is great about America and show us how to achieve its potential."
The website's "about" section says it is "the 21st century's most exciting political movement," drawing on "American traditions -- love of country, love of freedom, and love of family."
The site calls Dash "one of America's most popular actresses," saying "acclaimed appearances in Clueless, Mo' Money, Renaissance Man, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Celebrity Circus are matched only by her insightful political and cultural commentary on Fox News' Outnumbered."
Stacey Dash Announces Exciting New Political Movement - https://t.co/jNIepCNg8M -- Stacey Dash (@REALStaceyDash) June 26, 2016
Dash became a regular Fox contributor after being deluged with critical tweets after expressing her her support for Mitt Romney's bid for president in 2012. She had tweeted a photo of herself in a red bathing suit in front of an American flag fronted by the "Dash America" tagline.
Under "21st Century Feminism," Dash's website lists three key points: "Women are Powerful and Intelligent," "Women are Attractive and Sexy" and "Women Create the Next Generation."
The "attractive and sexy" part is defined thusly: "Hiding our power and our intelligence behind the dumpy and frumpy clothes that so defined the women's lib movement in our lifetime is damaging to women. And it's damaging to the country. Our appearance should express our strengths. Let your fashion flag fly!"
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
-- Essex County Sheriff's detectives made separate arrests in Newark and Bloomfield that netted a stolen, loaded gun and heroin, authorities said Monday.
Narcotic detectives were conducting surveillance at Bloomfield Avenue and North 16th Street in Bloomfield on Saturday when they spotted an illegally parked Cadillac Seville, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura.
Detectives asked the driver, identified as 24-year-old Demetreous Lynch, to step out of the car and immediately noticed a loaded .45 caliber Millennium semi-automatic handgun on the floor of the driver's side, the sheriff said in a statement. The gun was reported stolen out of Charlotte, North Carolina in January 2009.
Authorities charged Lynch, of Irvington, with various offenses, including possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and receiving stolen property. He was also cited for illegal parking and having unsafe safety glass, the sheriff added.
In another undercover operation Friday outside a vacant building on North 9th Street in Newark, sheriff's detectives recognized 34-year-old Aquil Horn of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from past drug cases, according to Fontoura.
Horn went to an alley, opened an unlocked door and exchanged items in a plastic bag for cash after speaking to a man who walked by the building, the sheriff added. He also spoke to a woman before he went to his car and retrieved items that he exchanged with her for cash, Fontoura said.
Detectives suspected they saw two drug deals and detained Horn, according to the sheriff. In a bag in the alley, the officers found 75 envelopes of heroin, stamped with 'PASSION' in black ink.
According to Fontoura, a drug-sniffing sheriff's German Shepherd named "Yuma" indicated the possibility of other narcotics in Horn's car. Authorities said a further search was pending after they obtained a warrant.
Horn was ordered held at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail, officials said. Bail for Lynch was set at $45,000.
Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- Commuters in Hudson County aren't too happy about a bill that could increase the price of gas by nearly 25 cents per gallon.
Motorists filling up their vehicles at the 76 gas station on Routes 1&9 in Jersey City seemed upset and a bit confused over the proposed increase.
The state Assembly passed a bill early Tuesday morning to cut the sales tax by a penny while raising the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon to help replenish the state's ailing Transportation Trust Fund, NJ Advance Media reported.
The bill now must be approved by the Senate and then signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie.
"This will be tough for everybody," said Kala Singh, an attendant at the gas station. "They should be raising the minimum wage to help the working class, not tax them more."
Joseph Witte, 53, of Washington Township in Bergen County, said he will definitely feel the tax hike in his wallet. Moving or switching jobs could help minimize the impact felt by the gas tax increase, but they aren't realistic options for Witte, he said.
But not everyone was as concerned with the proposed increase.
Tom and Patty Benfer, of Summit, said that the higher gas prices would not have a significant effect on them. When asked how he felt about the reduction of the sales tax, Tom Benfer replied, "I'll believe that when I see it."
Nancy Bezies, a New York native who works all around New Jersey, looked on the bright side. She said compared to New York's current gas prices, a 23-cent increase is not that bad and if the gain in tax revenue will improve roads and transportation, she is on board.
Gas prices across the river in New York are stable at a price of 2.432 per gallon, according to AAA, while the price of gas at the 76 station was 1.99 per gallon today.
But for William Nin of Clifton, those without the extra cash to pay the increased price of gas will be affected the most.
"Taxing lower class workers should be the last thing to happen," said Nin, who has worked in Jersey City for 12 years. Among his main worries are being able to bring food to his family's table and not having to spend too much just to get to work.
Edgar Corrales, a driver for the C.R. England trucking company, said that the gas tax increase would definitely hurt truck owners in the state.
Meanwhile, many questioned the state's ability to budget "like a real person," and find the money for transportation by spending less on something else.
The Transportation Trust Fund, which is running out of money, finances road projects across the state.
SECAUCUS -- The annual count of New Jersey's homeless population shows homelessness in Hudson County has declined since last year.
NJCounts, a point-in-time tally of homeless residents conducted across the state in January, counted 829 homeless individuals from 660 households in Hudson County. This year's figures are down 9.6 percent from last year's tally, when 917 people from 728 households
The decline in Hudson County mirrored a similar trend across the state. A total of 8,941 residents statewide were recorded as being homeless this year -- a 12.4 percent decrease from last year's total of 10,211.
Cranford-based Monarch Housing Associates performed the count, which was funded by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. Monarch Housing Associates said the statewide initiative is "critical" to help identify homeless residents' "service needs and circumstances."
Of the homeless counted in Hudson, 147 were children under the age of 18. More than half of those counted reported having a disability, including substance abuse disorders, mental health issues and chronic health conditions.
At the time of the count, more than 27 percent of the homeless people counted in Hudson County -- 226 people -- said they were "unsheltered homeless," a 33.7 percent increase from 2015. Those considered "sheltered homeless" reported staying at shelters.
According to the report, homelessness across the state has declined an average of 8.8 percent each year for the past five years. With the state's number continuing to decline, Hudson County officials said last year's increase in homeless residents was a result of additional services and outreaches offered.
Despite having counted nearly 100 fewer homeless residents in 2016, Hudson County still comprises 9.3 percent of New Jersey's homeless population, the third highest county in the state. Essex County has the highest percentage of the state's homeless population with nearly 20 percent. Burlington County is second with 10.4 percent.
"This year's count shows a significant decrease of individuals experiencing homelessness in New Jersey," said Katelyn Cunningham, associate at Monarch Housing. "We hope that the information gathered from NJ Counts 2016 and our reports will help communities continue to work as hard as they can to implement best practices such as Housing First and Rapid Rehousing."
Hudson County Sheriff's office car.jpg
A Hudson County sheriff's officer who was suspended without pay after being charged last month with driving while intoxicated has committed suicide, Hudson County View reported.
(Journal File Photo)
A Hudson County sheriff's officer who was suspended without pay after being charged last month with driving while intoxicated has committed suicide, a law enforcement source confirmed.
On May 14, Alexander Ferrer, 41, of West New York, was accused of DWI after his Jeep Grand Cherokee slammed into a bar in the area of Avenue E and 18th Street in Bayonne, police said.
On Monday just before 1 a.m., Ferrer was found dead in his home, said the source, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the incident. The suicide was first reported by Hudson County View.
This morning, the Hudson County Sheriff's Office and West New York police redirected all questions about the investigation to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, which only confirmed that a 41-year-old sheriff's officer died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sheriff Frank X. Schillari later released a statement in the afternoon.
"All of us at the Hudson County Sheriff's Office are extremely saddened by the terrible news of Sheriff's Officer Alex Ferrer passing," he said. "Alex served in our Court Division and SWAT Team, and had been a member of our department for the past 4 years. We offer our deepest condolences and our heartfelt sympathy to his family and loved ones."
Nicholas J. Grillo, who came to know Ferrer and other sheriff's officers as a funeral director in Jersey City, called him "a wonderful guy and friend."
"I would never have assumed this would've happened," he said, adding that Ferrer "had a great sense of humor" and "loved being a police officer."
Grillo said he spoke to Ferrer a few weeks after the sheriff's officer was accused of driving while intoxicated. The funeral director said he tried to encourage Ferrer about the situation.
"He was upset that it happened, but he didn't seem so devastated that it would've led to this," Grillo said.
Matthew Gillen, a former Hudson County sheriff's officer who worked with Ferrer for about two years, said Ferrer showed him the ropes when he was a new officer.
"When I first graduated from the academy, he was always one of the nicer guys," said the 28-year-old, now a Bayonne firefighter. "He was a good friend to not only myself, but also to a lot of people in the Sheriff's Office."
Gillen said Ferrer "was all about the job" and "all about being a cop." Ferrer was "always reaching out to help without asking for anything in return."
In the crash on May 14, police said Ferrer was taken to Bayonne Medical Center, where he was treated and released. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and no other injuries were reported.
Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The Jersey City Free Public Library has partnered with the premier grant research source, Foundation Center, to provide grant research and tutorial information for its patrons, library officials announced.
For under $2,000 for the year, the library has been granted access to Foundation Directory Online, a suite of online services. Jersey City library patrons can use the services by going to the library's website.
Jersey City is the second public library in New Jersey to offer Foundation Directory Online to the public. The first was the Elizabeth Public Library.
The decision to partner with the Foundation Center came after Jersey City Free Public Library Director Priscilla Gardner attended a special granting workshop by the Foundation Center.
"I was so impressed with one aspect of the workshop that I got approval from the Jersey City Free Public Library Foundation board about becoming a partner with the Foundation Center," Gardner said. "The cost is $1,995 yearly. For this fee, network partners gain access to the Foundation Center's suite of products, including three database subscriptions and a collection of Foundation Center books and exclusive training."
On the library website, the grant resource links cane be found under the Online Resources section on the upper bar. Patrons can access three links to specific data sources -- Foundation Directory Online, Foundation Maps and Grants to Individuals Online.
The Foundation Center links are available in the in-library section of Online Resources, which means, they must be accessed while using a computer within the library system (Public Access or a personal laptop or mobile device). http://www.jclibrary.org/resources/online-resources
nypd
A 19-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with attempted murder for stabbing his ex-girlfriend in a New York City cafe yesterday morning, according to a report.
A 19-year-old Jersey City man has been charged with attempting to stab his ex-girlfriend to death in a New York City cafe yesterday morning, according to a published report.
Walter Xicay, 19, showed up at Koyzina Kafe -- where the 26-year-old victim works -- at about 7:30 a.m. and asked to speak with her in the back of the store, the New York Daily News reported.
Xicay then told the victim, who also lives in New Jersey, he was going to kill her and stabbed her in the stomach with a kitchen knife. The victim was slashed in the hand as well, according to the report.
The victim was brought to the hospital in serious condition, but her condition later improved to stable, the Daily News reported.
Xicay was arrested at the scene and is being held on a $400,000 bond or $100,000 cash bail.
Xicay and the victim were involved in another domestic dispute on Friday when the woman went to pick up her belongings from Xicay's home. The 19-year-old threw her stuff in the street, the report states.
founders-1
State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham and WomenRising Executive Director Roseann Mazzeo chat at WomenRising's 2016 Founder's Day celebration at the organization's Jersey City headquarters. The event honored WomenRising's more than 111 years of empowering women and families in Hudson County to lead safe, productive and fulfilling lives.
(Photo courtesy of WomenRising)
More than 50 supporters of WomenRising came together last month to celebrate the non-profit organization's more than 111 years of service to Hudson County. During the annual Founder's Day gathering, historical photos were featured and speakers included state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, WomenRising Executive Director Roseann Mazzeo and WomenRising Board President Mary Campbell.
The Jersey City-based organization runs the county shelter for victims of domestic violence and offers a variety of programs to empower women and their families lead safe, productive and fulfilling lives.
For information, go to www.womenrising.org or call 201-333-5700.
University of the Sciences recognized graduates as part of the University's 195th Commencement celebration in Philadelphia, Pa. on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. Brittany Mack of Jersey City received a doctor of pharmacy degree, and Reina Salazar who is also from Jersey City received a doctor of occupational therapy degree.
UW-MADISON ANNOUNCES SPRING DEAN'S LIST
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized students named to the Dean's List for the spring semester of the 2015-2016 academic year.
Kayla Roman from Jersey City from the School of Education made The University of Wisconsin-Madison Dean's List.
Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction. Most call the honor "dean's list", but some grant the "Dean's Honor List" and "Dean's High Honor List."
CHRISTINA MATHEW OF JERSEY CITY GRADUATES FROM WIDENER UNIVERSITY
Christina Mathew of Jersey City, N.J. graduated from Widener University recently with a master of business administration in health administration.
Widener held commencement ceremonies on May 20 and 21 for graduate and undergraduate students recognizing those who successfully completed their studies and all necessary requirements for graduation during the Summer 2015, Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters.
SAINT PETER'S PREP STUDENTS WIN MAGIS AWARDS
James C. DeAngelo, '85, Principal of Saint Peter's Preparatory School, has announced that eighteen freshmen of the 260 students in the Class of 2018 were selected as Magis Award winners at the end of year assembly in June. The Magis, or "the more" Award recognizes outstanding freshmen for their emerging leadership among their class. Several winners are from Hudson County:
Hoboken: Nathan Blumenfeld, '19, son of Lauren and Michael Blumenfeld, was recognized for his willingness to go the extra mile for his classmates and for his reasoned and well-formed opinions on world events.
Jersey City: Royce Flores, '19, son of Erin Jensen and Wilfrido Flores Cisneros, was cited for his aura of joyful compassion and energy.
Christian Madlansacay, '19, son of Armie and Fidel Madlansacay, was commended for his kind and generous heart, inquisitive nature, and openness to growth.
Willie Richardson, III, '19, son of Aretha and Willie Richardson, II, was recognized for a great work ethic, a friendly spirit, and resilient nature.
Secaucus: Maxim Geller, '19, son of Tatiana and Leonid Geller, was cited for his superb intellect, dedication to the swim team, and willingness to help others.
LOCAL RESIDENTS GRADUATE FROM BOSTON COLLEGE
The following local residents graduated from Boston College:
BAYONNE
Natalie Panariello has graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University's Robert J. Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences (major(s): Biology).
Michael Moazampour has graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University's Robert J. Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences (major(s): Economics).
Rebecca Vilardo has graduated cum laude from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University's Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education (major(s): Secondary Education, English).
JERSEY CITY
Darrien Bush has graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University's Robert J. Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences (major(s): Psychology).
Anudeep Alberts has graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University's Robert J. Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences (major(s): Biochemistry).
Commencement was held on May 23 in Alumni Stadium on the Boston College
campus in Chestnut Hill, Mass. There were some 4,000 undergraduate and
graduate degree recipients in the Boston College Class of 2016.
LOCAL STUDENTS GRADUATED FROM THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS
The following local students received degrees from the College of the Holy Cross at its 170th commencement on May 27.
Ryan Michael Norton of Bayonne received a bachelor of arts degree.
Samuel D. Rozano of Hoboken received a bachelor of arts degree.
TRUE MENTORS WELCOMES A NEW BOARD MEMBER
Tim Occhipinti moved to Hoboken in 2007 and in 2009 founded Hoboken Volunteers, a non-profit organization providing an online clearinghouse where local residents can connect with organizations, foundations, and groups who require the assistance of volunteers.
LOCAL STUDENT MADE THE DEAN'S LIST AT SUNY CANTON
Brianna Enge, a SUNY Canton Veterinary Service Administration major from Jersey City made the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester. Enge is a 2012 graduate of Auburn High School.
Dean's List recognizes full-time students who earned least a 3.25 on a 4.0 academic scale.
HCST FOUNDATION AIDS EXPLORE 2000 WITH TEAM BUILDING EXPERIENCE
Students at Explore 2000 Middle School took part in exercises to further develop their team building skills at Ring Homestead Camp, sponsored by The Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) Foundation.
Students from Explore 2000's sixth and seventh grade classes were led through a series of team building exercises by facilitator Carrie Rapport and staff at the Ring Homestead Camp located in Middletown, New York. Utilizing a ropes course, students were given various obstacles and challenges that encouraged collaboration, trust and group problem solving skills.
STUDENTS NAMED TO DEAN'S LIST AT WHEATON COLLEGE FOR SPRING 2016 SEMESTER
Dean's List honors are earned by undergraduate students who carry 12 or more credit hours and achieve a 3.5 grade point average or higher on the 4.0 scale.
Laura Pax of Hoboken, and Daniel Bennett of Jersey City were named to Wheaton College's Dean List.
AREA STUDENTS NAMED TO DEAN'S LIST AT QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY FOR THE SPRING 2016 SEMESTER
The following area students were named to the dean's list for the Spring 2016 semester at Quinnipiac University:
Courtney Kuhl and Donovan Sepulveda from Bayonne.
To qualify for the dean's list, students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower can C. Full-time students must complete at least 14 credits in a semester, with at least 12 credits that have been graded on a letter grade basis to be eligible. Part-time students must complete at least six credits during a semester.
ROWAN UNIVERSITY SPRING 2016 DEAN'S LIST
BAYONNE
Josue Johnson a Senior Radio/Television/Film Major
David Marko a Senior Planning Major
Sean Marko a Graduate Civil Engineering Major
Nicole Metro a Sophomore Accounting Major
Emily Szymanski a Sophomore Elementary Education Major
HARRISON
Mandy Jiang a Senior Health and Physical Education Major
JERSEY CITY
Ninoska Aguilar a Senior Psychology Major
Daysjia Black a Senior Athletic Training Major
Mariela Capellan a Senior Early Childhood Education Major
Jessica Greene a Junior English Major
Thai Nghiem a Sophomore Electric and Computer Engineering Major
KEARNY
Eduardo Acosta a Senior Public Relations Major
Anthony Oliveira a Senior Management Major
NORTH BERGEN
Maria Hidalgo a Junior Communication Studies Major
Alyssa Marrero a Junior Elementary Education Major
Emely Perez a Sophomore Journalism Major
WEEHAWKEN
Alexsa Clemente a Junior Health and Exercise Science Major
Mithin Nair a Sophomore Biological Science Major
WEST NEW YORK
Xin Liu a Sophomore Studio Art Major
LOCAL BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GRADUATED IN MAY 2016
Among the graduates were:
Alexander Chowdhury from Bayonne who received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Andy M. Ho, Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, Cum Laude, and Satya P. Patel, Bachelor of Science in Health Studies from Jersey City. Also from Jersey City, Jonathan Chang and Nikita M. Pandya
Peter Manda from North Bergen, who received a Master of Laws in International Business Law. Janelle J. Laignelet also from North Bergen.
Puneet K. Binepal, a resident of Secaucus.
UNION CITY RESIDENT GRADUATED FROM LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLAND
Flavio Bonilla, of Union City, received a BS degree in Biology at Loyola University Maryland's 164th commencement exercises on May 21, 2016.
ERICA SHAH GRADUATES FROM OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
Erica Shah of Jersey City graduated this spring from Ohio Wesleyan University. Shah earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.
LOCAL STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
Olivia Gonzalez from Bayonne
Jeselle Padilla from Jersey City
LOCAL STUDENTS NAMED TO UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD DEAN'S LIST
The following local students have been named to the Dean's List for Spring 2016:
Thompson Akele of Jersey City
Jon Rodney Lynch of Hoboken
Christopher Lin of Jersey City
Kelvin Okah of Jersey City
Thomas Ward of Jersey City
FIRST EVER STEVENS MATH OLYMPIAD
More than 300 middle and high school students gathered at the Stevens Institute of Technology campus in Hoboken on June 11 to compete in the first Stevens Math Olympiad.
Participants, ranging in age 10 to 18, were given 90 minutes to solve 15 problems considered average or above average, in terms of level of difficulty and respective of grade level.
FOUR MARKING PERIODS OF FIRST HONORS
The Bayonne School District's April Student of the Month is 9 year old fourth grader, Morgan Scott. She has been recognized for her achievement in Academics. The Washington Community School honoree is a 4 marking period First Honors student.
Morgan's proud family members are parents Shannon Mincey-Scott, Rodney Scott and baby brother Quinn.
WILLIAM GARNER HONORED AT UNION COLLEGE'S PRIZE DAY
William Garner of Jersey City was honored at Union College's annual Prize Day celebration.
Students were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance. Garner was honored with the Aime Simon Term Abroad Prize, to students of high academic standing and promise with strong interests in French studies, participating in a term abroad program in a French-speaking country.
SPRING 2016 DEAN'S LIST
The following students qualified for the Spring 2016 Dean's List:
Rawda Abdelmenam, Aaron Murphy, Damaris Pichardo, Kirthika Srivastava, Marielvi Reyes, Celeste Tankou, Anna Dominique, Noni Abdur-Razzaq, Brandon Baez , Nikolai Beleo, Arielle Bello , Luh-Anne Malagad, Kareema Boone , Amanda Cortes, Kaysia Thomas, Katherine Tuangco, Jeremy Del Castillo, Kristian-Andrew Gabot, Prateek Vij, Andre Viola, Melissa Vega, Atithan Kingsawat, Jair Jacome, Emmanuella Iwelumo, Chelsea Gutierrez, Julio Gonzalez, Jeremy Garriga, and Ana Kristina Gagarin from Jersey City.
Koby Garcia of West New York.
Joel Menendez, and Lilli Wofsy of Guttenberg.
To make Dean's List, students must have at least a 3.4 GPA and can get no grade lower than a C.
LOCAL STUDENT GRADUATES FROM WILLIAMS COLLEGE
Todd Madison Hall, son of Mr. Anthony and Mrs. Carolyn Hall of Jersey City, received a B.A. in political economy from Williams College at the college's 227th Commencement exercises on June 5. The Commencement address was delivered by Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.
Hall, during college participated in the following activities: Co-Chair of the Williams College Black Student Union, member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor's Society, and member of the Williams College Gospel Choir. Hall received the following honors and prizes: Magna Cum Laude, highest honors in political economy, Allison Davis Research Fellowship, Hufford Fellowship, Herbert H. Lehman 1899 Scholarship, Camille W. & William S.
WEICHERT, REALTORS' HOBOKEN OFFICE AND TOP ASSOCIATE
RECOGNIZED FOR REGIONAL AWARDS
Joe Cubias, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, announced that the Hoboken office received recognition for performance in May. The office led the region, which is comprised of offices throughout Morris, Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey and locations in Manhattan, for new home dollar volume.
In addition, sales associate Alvaro Morgado of the Hoboken office was individually recognized for his success throughout the month. As a top producer, Morgado led the sales region for new home dollar volume.
CHRISTOPHER PIECHOCKI OF WEICHERT, REALTORS' BAYONNE OFFICE RECOGNIZED FOR REGIONAL AWARD
Joe Cubias, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, announced that sales associate Christopher Piechocki of the Bayonne office was individually recognized for his success in May.
A top producer, Piechocki led the his sales region, which is comprised of offices throughout Morris, Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey and locations in Manhattan, for resale listings.
WEICHERT, REALTORS' JERSEY CITY DOWNTOWN OFFICE
AND TOP ASSOCIATE RECOGNIZED FOR REGIONAL AWARDS
Joe Cubias, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, announced that the Jersey City Downtown office was recognized for performance in May. The office led its sales region, which is comprised of offices throughout Morris, Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey and locations in Manhattan, for resale listings, resales, resale revenue units and resale dollar volume.
In addition, Jersey City Downtown sales associate Giuseppina Lopiccolo was also individually recognized for her success. As a top producer, Lopiccolo led the region for resales.
JERSEY CITY LOCAL STUDENT GRADUATES FROM KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Daniel Wise graduates from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science from the College of the Arts.
Wise is among nearly 4700 students who received bachelor's, master's, doctoral, associate and educational specialist degrees during Kent State's 2016 Spring Commencement ceremony.
LOCAL RESIDENT NAMED TO DEAN'S LIST AT NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL
Gary Ho Kai Yip of Jersey City has been named to the Dean's List for academic work completed during the 2015-2016 academic year at Northfield Mount Hermon.
LOCAL RESIDENTS NAMED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON SPRING 2016 DEAN'S LIST
Local residents were among 1,600 students named to The University of Scranton Dean's List, which recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2016 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the spring semester to make the Dean's List.
The students are:
Alexa Colangelo of Hoboken who is a sophomore economics major in the University's College of Arts and Sciences
Briana Jimenez of West New York who is a freshman psychology major in the University's College of Arts and Sciences
LOCAL STUDENT MAKES DEAN'S LIST AT LACKAWANNA COLLEGE
Two hundred ninety-six Lackawanna College students were named to the Dean's List for the Spring 2016 semester. A student qualifies for the Dean's List if they achieve a grade point average of 3.2 with a minimum of nine credit hours to qualify.
Justin L. Walker from Bayonne made the Dean's List.
JOSHUA CORDOVA NAMED TO SPRING 2016 DEAN'S LIST
Joshua Cordova from Jersey City excelled during the Spring 2016 semester, achieving a GPA of at least 3.5 to earn a spot on the Dean's List.
LOCAL STUDENT EARNS A SPOT IN PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE'S SUMMER MUSICAL THEATRE CONSERVATORY
Thomas Short from Jersey City was selected to be a part of the theater's prestigious Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory for 2016.
At the beginning of June, Whitehouse School in Whitehouse Station, invited well-known author John Bemelmans Marciano to spend a day as Author-in-Residence to encourage and inspire the students in their writing. In preparation for the author's visit, students
took part in a biographical "museum tour" curated by the school librarian, Valerie Zanardi,
which highlighted the author's links to both his famous grandfather Ludwig Bemelmans -- author of the "Madeline" series and winner of a Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Award -- as well as Marciano's community connection of growing up and attending school in the students' same Readington Township School District.
Rising third-grade student Natalie DiStefano of Whitehouse Station really absorbed this classroom lesson. Her mother, Carrie, stated, "I was amazed at all the information Natalie could recall. She related fact after fact from the lives of Ludwig Bemelmans and John Marciano." One of the details Natalie remembered was that the elder author emigrated from Austria and had served his new country of America during World War I. In fact, he felt so patriotic toward this new homeland that he chose to be interned in Arlington Cemetery upon his death in 1962.
The DiStefano family members were scheduled for a trip to Washington, D.C. and, at Natalie's insistence, they paid their respects to the Arlington Cemetery grave marker of Ludwig. The grandson of Bemelmans was very impressed when he heard this news and was honored to autograph a photo of Natalie at the tombstone by writing the inscription, "Inspiring!" How wonderful that Natalie and John Marciano could be mutually inspired by each other.
This item was submitted by Valerie Zanardi.
This July 4 commemorates the birth of our nation 240 years ago, and most folks will celebrate Independence Day with picnics, parades and fireworks.
I recently attended a family memorial at spectacular West Point and was struck by its convergence of natural beauty and our country's revolutionary war history.
Revolutionary War historic sites are scattered throughout New Jersey, and many of them are inspiring and beautiful. They are great places to learn a bit of history, celebrate our nation's founding and enjoy the landscapes.
New Jersey played a crucial role in the American Revolution and - located between the new nation's capital in Philadelphia and the British stronghold in New York - it was truly the "Crossroads of the American Revolution." General George Washington and the Continental Army spent more days in New Jersey than any other state.
Recognizing the state's significance, President George W. Bush signed legislation in 2006 establishing the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, which encompasses parts of 14 New Jersey counties where significant events took place.
The Heritage Area includes Morristown National Historic Park and sites associated with the Battles of Trenton, Princeton and Monmouth. The Heritage Area also helps to preserve the historic landscapes of New Jersey ... the farms, fields, hills and valleys of the Crossroads region.
Here are some ideas for places to visit:
Morristown National Historic Park
Jockey Hollow, the winter encampment of the Continental Army and General George Washington's headquarters in Morristown in 1777 and 1779-80, preserves both the lands and historic features.
The Continental Army used its timber resources for the construction of over 1,000 soldier huts. If you explore the twenty seven miles of hiking trails there, you can see evidence of the "log-house city."
Located in the headwaters of the Great Swamp Watershed, many of the park's trails crisscross the streams that provided Washington's soldiers with water.
Since the time of the Revolutionary War, the forest at the park has regrown into a secondary old growth tulip tree forest. There are up to 100 acres of old growth tulip trees now 150 to 220 years old, up to 42 inches in diameter and at least 120 feet tall.
Morristown National Historic Park includes three important Revolutionary War sites: Jockey Hollow, the Ford Mansion, and Fort Nonsense, the latter a hilltop fortification overlooking Morristown, including trenches, raised embankments, a signal beacon and fantastic views.
Battle of Trenton and Battle of Princeton
In the early months of the American Revolution, British forces had won key victories in New York and had driven the Continental Army to retreat into Pennsylvania. If it were not for Washington's daring crossing of the Delaware River on a stormy Christmas night in 1776 leading to victories in Trenton and Princeton, it's likely that the Revolution could have come to an early end.
You can see the site of the Delaware River crossing at Washington's Crossing State Park in Titusville. Originally preserved for its historical significance, the park is also well known for its trails and wildlife habitat. A wide variety of migrating birds use the stream and ravine for resting and nesting. A variety of spring and summer wildflowers can be found throughout the park, making it an idyllic setting for picnicking and hiking.
Not far away is Princeton Battlefield State Park, where on Jan. 3, 1777, Washington led his troops to Princeton for one of the fiercest battles of the Revolution.
General Hugh Mercer, Washington's close friend, refused to surrender to British soldiers and was bayoneted several times before falling next to a large oak tree. The tree was known thereafter as the Mercer Oak.
It survived to the age of 300 years before it was felled by strong winds in March 2000. A sapling grown from a Mercer Oak acorn was planted inside the old stump and now the young "new" Mercer Oak is thriving in the same location.
Monmouth Battlefield State Park
The Battle of Monmouth took place took place on June 28, 1778 when the Continental Army intercepted an army of British, German and Loyalist soldiers fleeing from Philadelphia to New York to escape an impending blockade of the Delaware River. While the British-led troops escaped, the battle established the effectiveness of the Continental Army and is considered an important strategic and political victory for General Washington.
The 1,800-acre park in Manalapan preserves a rural 18th-century landscape of hilly farmland and hedgerows that encompasses miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas and a restored Revolutionary War farmhouse.
To find more Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey, go to the Crossroads of the American Revolution or visit the Revolutionary War New Jersey.
For information about preserving New Jersey's land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation or contact me at info@njconservation.org.
Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation
OCEANPORT - A jellyfish with a wicked sting that has invaded New Jersey waters this summer is now responsible for the postponing and altogether cancelation of water-based events on the Jersey Shore.
The organizers of the Shore Paddle stand-up paddleboard event on the Shrewsbury River, which was scheduled to take place on July 9 to benefit Clean Ocean Action, became one of the first groups in New Jersey to choose the safety of their participants over hosting a planned event when they announced their event would be rescheduled for the spring of 2017.
The third annual event, hosted by the Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club in Oceanport, invited participants of all ages to take part in events ranging from a 5.5-mile WPA sanctioned non-points race to a free half-mile kids paddle.
Clean Ocean Action and the Shore Paddle Committee made the announcement on Friday via the event's website and social media accounts:
"As you may have heard, the invasive clinging jellyfish (Gonionemus vertens) has recently appeared in abundance in several of New Jersey's estuaries and bays. The sting of this jellyfish is severe to people and can cause serious pain and injury. Unfortunately, the most abundant population in N.J. has been documented in the Shrewsbury River, where there have been a few recent cases of individuals being stung and harmed by the jellyfish," the announcement said. "To ensure the safety of all paddlers and event-goers, Clean Ocean Action and the Shore Paddle Committee have decided to postpone the Shore Paddle until spring of 2017. The exact date will be determined in the coming weeks."
People who preregistered and/or prepaid to participate in the event are expected to receive an email early next week with addition information on registration options.
On Sunday, the board of the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association also announced it would be cancelling its River Rangers youth program this year due to the jellyfish, as well as Navesink River pollution.
"Over the past twelve years of successful River RangersSM programs on our local waters, we have made child safety and wellbeing our #1 priority. In the last weeks we have had to acknowledge two issues that impact our duty to keep your children safe - Navesink River pollution and an invasive Pacific Ocean jelly fish that, although very small, has a poisonous sting," the NMHA said in a release. "Because the River Rangers program is as much about being IN the water as ON it while studying our environment and having a good time, these reports led us to the decision to cancel this year's program."
The association said parents who already paid for their children to participate would receive complete refunds.
The dime-sized clinging jellyfish aren't new to the United States - having been introduced to the East Coast from the Pacific in 1894 in Woods Hole, Mass. - but they are new to New Jersey.
Paul Bologna, director of marine biology and coastal science at Montclair State University, told NJ Advance Media that a fisherman in Point Pleasant reported the first sighting in early June.
When news of that sighting spread, more people started reporting additional sightings.
A Middletown man was later hospitalized after being stung while swimming in the Shrewsbury River, the Monmouth Beach Office of Emergency Management reported in a June 15 alert.
The creature's sting can cause "excruciating pain", muscle weakness and serious medical problems, including kidney failure, experts have said.
Because they are small, the clinging jellyfish tend to stay in calm water, so they're not likely to be found in the ocean, Bologna said. They also generally inhabit the shallower water of bays, "clinging" to eel grass or seaweed during the day and surfacing to feed at night.
Any who sees the distinctive jellyfish in a local waterway is being asked to report it to the state Department of Environmental Protection by calling 877-WARN-NJDEP, and to also take a photo of the jellyfish from a distance.
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
052715_A_nicollBrothersRST130p
David Nicoll, second from left, former president of Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services, and his brother Scott Nicoll, right, leave Federal Court in Newark in 2013 after being charged with giving kick backs to physicians in exchange for their patients' blood tests. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman says the Biodiagnostic case has the largest number of medical professionals ever prosecuted in a bribery scheme. (The Record)
NEWARK -- The company that was used to operate what is believed to be the largest physician-bribery scheme ever prosecuted filed a guilty plea in New Jersey federal court Tuesday.
Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services of Parsipanny pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Federal Travel Act and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
Following the plea, Chesler sentenced the company, which must forfeit its remaining assets.
The plea agreement lists $56,000 in assets, including lab equipment, computers, furniture and office equipment. Two computer servers remain in FBI custody as evidence.
The company's plea is separate from the pending sentencing of David Nicoll, the president of the company or his brother Scott, an employee, who proescutors say led the scheme to bribe physicians and other personnel in return for directing their patients' blood samples to the lab.
The dates for their sentencings have not been filed in court.
According to Fishman's office, 40 people, including 26 physicians, have pleaded guilty in the case. A Bergen County physician, Bernard Greenspan, was charged in March with accepting bribes from the lab, which is no longer operational. He has pleaded not guilty.
David Nicoll, court records say, said the scheme netted more than $100 million in payments to Biodiagnostic Labs from Medicare and other private insurers. The lab's salespeople paid bribes in return for the blood samples from 2006 through 2013, prosecutors said.
Thus far, the investigation has recovered more than $12 million through forfeiture, prosecutors said.
Besides paying direct bribes, court records show, the company also created sham lease and consulting agreements to funnel money to physicians. The company also used "incentives" to induce physicians to order more costly tests than they otherwise would have needed, court records say.
The court record charging the company said physicians who took the bribes received payments that in some cases totaled more than $100,000.
Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 34-year-old man wanted for first-degree rape in Delaware may be living somewhere in New Jersey, according to an alert by Delaware State Police.
Joseph Genitempo (Delaware State Police)
Joseph R. Genitempo, of Felton, Del., was named as a suspect after an 11-year-old girl told her mother he had molested her over the course of a year and a half beginning in August 2014.
Anyone with information is being asked to call Det. Miller at 302-698-8435 or by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Anonymous tips can also be sent by text to 274637 (CRIMES), keyword DSP.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- A Newark man who went on a 36-hour crime spree that ended when he was shot while trying to run over a state trooper with a stolen minivan has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, authorities announced.
Steven J. Montgomery, 32, pleaded guilty in March to carjacking, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and eluding police, the state Attorney General's Office said.
Montgomery must serve 14 years in jail before being eligible for parole, under to the sentence by state Superior Court Judge Michael Raven in Essex County.
"Montgomery's violent two-day crime spree appropriately ended with him behind bars," acting Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a statement. "With this sentence, we have ensured that he won't be robbing innocent victims at gunpoint or threatening police for many years to come."
Montgomery's spree started in Newark in the early hours of Feb. 8, 2015. It ended the following morning when he was shot in the shoulder and wrist while driving the van erratically on an Irvington sidewalk, authorities said.
He was shot when he charged at a trooper with the stolen van, authorities said.
Among the crimes authorities said he committed between those two times:
* Donning a ski mask, he hijacked the silver Honda Odyssey minivan just before 1 a.m., while also stealing the driver's cell phone and several hundred dollars.
* He then drove the van to a nearby Sunoco gas station and stole $170 from an attendant at gunpoint.
* The next morning, he set out again in the stolen minivan and pointed the handgun at a woman cleaning snow off her vehicle, ordering her to "come over here or I will kill you." The woman locked herself in her car and called police while Montgomery banged on the window. He eventually retreated to the van and left the scene.
* He then returned to the same Sunoco gas station and stole another $350.
* A half hour later, four troopers driving in two separate cars saw Montgomery driving the van. which was known to be stolen and associated with several robberies. The troopers attempted to block the van on either side.
One trooper exited one of the cars with his gun drawn and ordered Montgomery out of the vehicle. But Montgomery instead hopped the curb and drove toward the trooper.
When the trooper saw Montgomery reach under the dashboard, the trooped fired two shots, striking Montgomery in the shoulder and wrist. Montgomery continued to flee but only made it about a mile before he crashed into another car at a stoplight in neighboring Irvington.
Montgomery then tried to flee on foot but was arrested by two other troopers nearby.
Troopers searched the vehicle and found a Sig Sauer handgun, a .177-caliber BB gun, and a black ski mask inside.
Montgomery later admitted to his role in the string of robberies, telling police he was on his way to buy crack cocaine and PCP when they tried to stop him, authorities said.
NJ Advance Media staff writer S.P. Sullivan contributed to this report.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
It was a date which will live in infamy for the state's Republicans.
I'm talking about that date when they got outsmarted by the state's Democrats.
Actually that happens just about every day the Legislature meets. So let me be more specific.
I'm talking about that date 40 years ago when the Republicans got suckered into imposing an income tax on New Jerseyans for the first time.
The ostensible goal was solving our perennial property-tax problem. Lawyers for urban school districts had gone to court to argue that the cities lacked sufficient tax ratables to fund their schools.
The state Supreme Court bought that argument. And when the Legislature failed to provide a new funding formula by the beginning of the new budget year, July 1, the court ordered the schools shut down.
That court was headed by a former Democratic governor, Richard Hughes, who had tried and failed to get an income tax passed during his two terms.
This time around he ordered Gov. Brendan Byrne, also a Democrat, to come up with the cash or he'd shut the schools.
When July 1 came without an income tax, the court made good on its order. The schools weren't actually open then, but Byrne insisted the new tax had to be adopted post-haste.
At this point the Republicans could have pointed out that the Democrats controlled both houses and that it was up to them to get the tax passed. But some Democrats refused to go along with their governor.
That meant Byrne needed some Republican votes. Tom Kean Sr., who was then the Assembly minority leader, tried his best to keep Byrne from getting the crucial 41st vote to pass the tax.
"They were willing to give almost any change to anybody to get that vote," Kean recalled when I phoned him yesterday. "They were giving away judgeships and this or that."
In return for that one vote, Kean said, the Republicans could have demanded a package that would have provided both suburban property-tax relief and improvements in urban education. Kean said he wanted to employ that leverage to force changes in the bill.
He recalled one South Jersey legislator who promised him he would vote for the income tax only "when Hell freezes over."
Alas, when the Assembly met on July 8, 1976, that Republican became the deciding vote for the Democrats. The guy later explained that when he'd opened his door that morning, Satan was standing there freezing, Kean recalled.
"We could have tied this to the science of what made schools better," said Kean. "They didn't put any of that in. They just put in more money and we just got more expensive failing schools."
He listed early childhood education, better teacher training and better evaluation of the schools as innovations he would have required.
Kean ran in the Republican primary the next year for the right to oppose Byrne. But he lost to state Sen. Ray Bateman.
Bateman, who died last week, was expected to win easily over the governor who was labeled "One-Term Byrne."
But Byrne had a few tricks up his sleeve, including a plan to put some of the new revenue into property-tax rebates.
"They sent the rebates out the week before the election," said Kean.
Not only that, but the Republicans had failed to realize that many of those rebates went to commuters. Those commuters were unaffected by the new income tax because their income was taxed by New York. But they still got those rebate checks. (State Senate minority leader Tom Kean Jr. has some interesting ideas on how we could get some of that tax revenue back onto our side of the river.)
Byrne was re-elected, but "The whole thing was flawed from Day One," said Kean, who went on to win the governorship in 1981.
The failure to include educational reforms meant that test scores in the cities kept dropping, he said. That permitted the urban districts to keep going back to court and getting an ever-greater share of the income-tax revenue.
Another area where the Democrats have outsmarted the Republicans is in redistricting. That has permitted them to extend their reach out into the suburbs.
"They're now a suburban party, not just an urban party, and they need to win the suburbs," said Kean.
That's the weakness Gov. Chris Christie was trying to exploit when he offered that plan to amend the state constitution to equalize state school aid between the cities and the suburbs.
Liberals howled in outrage. But the man who won the 1985 gubernatorial election by the biggest landslide in state history certainly knows politics. And that's exactly what this is, said Kean: politics.
This plan may not be perfect but it's a good start for negotiations, he said.
"What Christie has planted here is something I think the Democrats should be scared of," he said. "If a Republican candidate for governor takes a stand and makes this the issue, this is going to be tough on the Democrats."
It looks like the Republicans are finally wising up.
All I can say is, they sure took their time.
Menendez.jpg
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is one of the few hold-outs on a bipartisan rescue plan for Puerto Rico. (AP Photo | Julio Cortez, File)
Puerto Rico is on the verge of bankruptcy, and its fate may now lie in the hands of our own Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
An emergency bill, known as PROMESA, faces a key vote Wednesday. It is not a bailout, and will cost taxpayers nothing. It only gives Puerto Rico time to put its house in order by granting it temporary immunity against lawsuits from creditors, as a $2 billion debt payment comes due on July 1.
Here's the problem: A single senator could throw up hurdles to slow the bill's progress. And Menendez is gearing up to be that senator.
WATCH: Why cant #PROMESA be debated & improved? Heading to @SenateFloor to speak up for the people of #PuertoRico. https://t.co/xV0QFhEamm Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) June 28, 2016
He's called the bipartisan bill "blatant neocolonialism," because he says it would set up an unelected board that could trample on the autonomy of the Puerto Rican government.
His concerns are reasonable, but he and other critics, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, are playing with fire. The bill passed the House only after intense wrangling, and a deal between the Obama administration and Speaker Paul Ryan.
The Senate majority then sat on it, pushing the vote until just days before the deadline. Was that a tactic to run out the clock? Sure. But it doesn't change the political reality now: The House is on recess, and this rescue needs to go through by Friday. Otherwise, an island already suffering savage government cuts could see even more.
Without the stay on litigation that the bill puts into effect, a judge could immediately order Puerto Rico to pay some of its creditors rather than fund essential government services.
The island may have to pull back on efforts to fight the Zika virus, as its governor has warned. The government could have trouble buying fuel for police cars and fire trucks. The power authority has already cut off electricity to a hospital behind on its bill, and doctors are fleeing at a pace of at least one a day.
So delaying this rescue seems like a big gamble to take.
While destructive U.S. policies played a role in the crisis -- like awarding big tax breaks to businesses that moved to Puerto Rico, then phasing them out, killing half the manufacturing jobs -- it was Puerto Rico's government that started issuing tons of bonds to pay its bills, got hooked on the easy money and didn't make hard choices. It even wrote into its constitution that certain bondholders would be paid first, before funding basic services.
Now it's clearly in need of oversight, just as Atlantic City is here in New Jersey. Menendez doesn't disagree, but wants to add two seats to a federally-appointed oversight board that would be chosen by Puerto Rico's Senate and governor. That's a good wish list item, as is his call to ensure the board can't privatize services without the approval of Puerto Rico's government.
But his changes are unlikely to be approved before the July 1 deadline. And since Puerto Rico's appointees would tip the partisan balance of this oversight board in favor of Democrats, it's unlikely the GOP House would agree in any case.
Our hope is that Menendez swallows his objections, at least for now. We can't compare this to a perfect bill; we have to compare it to the likely alternative, which is inaction -- and consider how that could impact 3.5 million Americans in Puerto Rico.
As its governor has said, what's most important now is making sure we stave off default, and get the best qualified people possible on the board to help Puerto Rico out of this mess.
Menendez needs to climb aboard. There is no more time to waste.
MORE: Recent Star-Ledger editorials
Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter @NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
By Henry M. Paulson Jr.
Republicans stand at a crossroads. With Donald Trump as the presumptive presidential nominee, we are witnessing a populist hijacking of one of the United States' great political parties. The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism. This troubles me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American. Enough is enough. It's time to put country before party and say it together: Never Trump.
I'm not the first Republican to say Trump is a phony and should not be president, and I expect there will be many more to come. But as a former chief executive and treasury secretary, I hope to bring an additional perspective to the discussion.
Let's start by talking about his business acumen. When Trump assures us he'll do for the United States what he's done for his businesses, that's not a promise -- it's a threat. The tactics he has used in running his business wouldn't work in running a truly successful company, let alone the most powerful nation on Earth.
Every good businessman or -woman carefully analyzes all the available facts before making a decision. Trump repeatedly, blatantly and knowingly makes up or gravely distorts facts to support his positions or create populist divisions.
He excels at scorched-earth tactics in negotiations during bankruptcy proceedings. Here, the "Art of the Deal" businessman is a master at advantaging himself over his fellow stakeholders and partners. In essence, he takes imprudent risks and, when his businesses fail, disavows his debts. He has branded himself as a business genius by flaunting and exaggerating his wealth. He is adept at leveraging his brand through licensing agreements that enable him to slap his name on anything he can. But while marketing and self-promotion may translate on the campaign trail, they have little relevance in running our country. And although his business dealings have allowed him to increase his inherited wealth, none of us knows by how much -- we have only his word for it.
Now let's talk about Trump the prospective president. Are we to believe that Trump, with his intensely divisive rhetoric and behavior, could bridge our country's partisan divide? The American people are disgusted with business as usual in Washington, and it's not hard to understand why. They feel as though they are being left behind or are afraid that they will be. They aren't getting honest answers, and they believe that the most important problems are not being solved. This is not the fault of one political party; it's the fault of too many partisans and ideologues on both sides who are unwilling or unable to work together.
I can't help but wonder what would have happened if a divisive character such as Trump were president during the 2008 financial crisis, at a time when leadership, compromise and careful analysis were critical. The only reason we avoided another Great Depression was because Republicans and Democrats joined together to vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program -- a vote that they knew would be politically unpopular but in the best interest of our country. Critical to that effort was the leadership of President George W. Bush. As I led Treasury's efforts to fashion a difficult, imperfect, controversial but essential solution with bipartisan support, I was - and still am - grateful to have had President Bush at the helm.
Today's challenges include economic stagnation and disruptions in the labor markets -- driven to a large extent by technological advances moving at warp speed -- that are widening income disparity, destroying jobs and hollowing out the middle class. And populists on each side are playing to fears and frustrations, pointing fingers at scapegoats and creating boogeymen: blaming the banks, greedy companies or foreigners for our problems. But the politics of grievance is not the answer.
Now is the time for a bipartisan approach to policy solutions that address our most difficult domestic problems. This requires a president who exhibits an ability to compromise -- and basic civility -- neither of which Trump displays.
There are two key principles that the next president must address to maintain our economic competitiveness and security. Populists in both parties are demagoguing these principles, with Trump leading the way.
First, we need to maintain the United States' fiscal strength by reforming entitlements. There's no example of a nation continuing as a great power if its fiscal strength is lost. Anyone, whether Republican or Democrat, who has studied our entitlement programs and can do basic math knows they are unsustainable in their present form. If not fixed soon, they threaten our nation with a debt burden that would undermine the retirement security of young Americans and future generations. It doesn't surprise me when a socialist such as Bernie Sanders sees no need to fix our entitlement programs. But I find it particularly appalling that Trump, a businessman, tells us he won't touch Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Second, we need to welcome rather than shrink from trade and economic competition. Trump calls our current trade deals "disgusting, the absolute worst ever negotiated by any country in the world." This is simply false. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the average American household income is roughly $10,000 higher because of the postwar expansion of trade. Because of trade, we add jobs and foster innovation and competitiveness. That doesn't mean that people aren't losing jobs and suffering in certain industries. However, it is wrong to tell the American people that we can turn back the clock and win, with merely 4 percent of the world's population, by walling ourselves off from the remaining 7 billion people and the markets they represent. Instead, we need to fix the programs that help U.S. industries and workers transition to new and better jobs. We need better training, new education programs and a more robust safety net. The policies Trump endorses would destroy, not save, U.S. jobs.
Simply put, a Trump presidency is unthinkable.
As a Republican looking ahead to November, there are many strong conservative leaders in statehouses across the United States and in Congress, whose candidacies I am actively supporting. They have a big job to do to reinvent and revitalize the Republican Party. They can do so by responding to the fears and frustrations of the American people and uniting them behind some common aspirations, while staying constant to the principles that have made our country great.
When it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump. I will not cast a write-in vote. I'll be voting for Hillary Clinton, with the hope that she can bring Americans together to do the things necessary to strengthen our economy, our environment and our place in the world. To my Republican friends: I know I'm not alone.
Henry M. Paulson Jr. is chairman of the Paulson Institute and a former U.S. treasury secretary and chief executive of Goldman Sachs.
It was after midnight when the Assembly voted on a tax cut plan that would dig a $1.6 billion hole in the state's annual budget, at least.
No experts had testified. No committee had held a hearing. No one from the public had a chance to voice an opinion.
And as late as 11:30 p.m. Monday night, an hour before the final vote, Assembly members clamoring for a copy of the bill were told it was not yet ready.
But a half hour after midnight, in a perverse show of bipartisanship, they voted to pass the bill.
"An emergency was declared, a bill was put down, and we voted to give away $1.6 billion a year," says Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex). "There is no way anyone had time to read it."
If you cover New Jersey for 20 years, you see some sausage making that can turn your stomach. Zombie legislators follow their marching orders, as their bosses cut craven deals at the last minute, with only politics in mind.
But this one goes into the record books. New Jersey has the nation's second lowest bond rating. But watch out, Illinois, we are going for the gold!
This all started with Gov. Chris Christie, of course. This was his idea. It's part of his campaign to burn down Rome on his way out the door, and to sprinkle salt over the earth so that nothing should ever grow in its place.
It was mid-afternoon when Christie called Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto with a new brainstorm on funding the Transportation Trust Fund, which is a few weeks from going bankrupt.
The Senate had already moved a bill to raise the tax on a gallon of gas by 23 cents. At Christie's insistence, they larded it with nearly $900 million in tax cuts. More than half of that came from eliminating the estate tax, the governor's top goal.
But then Christie suggested he would veto the Senate bill. He wanted more.
He told Prieto in the afternoon that he wanted to cut the sales tax from 7 percent to 6 percent, a sudden shift away from the estate tax.
That would blow an even bigger hole in the budget. When paired with a second tax cut on retirement income, it would cost $1.6 billion or $1.7 billion, or more, depending on whom you asked Tuesday morning when the party cleanup began.
The governor's demand pushed this discussion from crazy, to really crazy.
"If they pass this, we'll need to borrow money from Atlantic City," says Sen. Dick Codey (D-Essex). "That's how bad this would be."
Yes, we all love tax cuts. Cutting the sales tax is more progressive than cutting the estate tax, and would probably juice the economy more, since the money would be spent quickly.
But this plan would dig the hole even deeper. And it's phased in over two years, instead of three.
"This is just disgusting," says Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), chairman of the budget committee and a co-author of the Senate's more modest plan.
Hard to argue. In fact, this joke gets even better - or worse, if you think hard.
Because earlier on Monday, the Assembly voted in favor of a Constitutional amendment to require full pension payments every quarter, even if a recession hits.
We can't afford that, either. And with this whopping tax cut layered on top, we are way into a fiscal red zone.
You might think, "Who cares? New Jersey's budget is always a mess. What's the diff?"
If you think that, go pour a bucket of cold water over your head and sober up.
The state has frozen aid to public schools for five years, and it's doing damage. Yesterday, the Assembly voted to cut funding for higher education.
Want to clean the lead out of our schools? Forget it, way too expensive. We'll have to keep poisoning our kids a while longer.
And no matter how tightly we close our eyes, the pension payments to retirees have to be made. Unless the secret plan is to break that promise, like a depraved corporate raider might, and leave those retirees destitute.
This is serious stuff. And it is obscene that the Assembly would stumble into this after midnight, just hours after the governor put these wheels in motion.
The Senate is very unlikely to buy this plan. So in the next few days, we'll probably have another round of wrangling past midnight, when nothing much good ever happens in the capitol.
Trenton was a mess long before Christie arrived, granted. But he doesn't seem to even give a damn about New Jersey anymore. He wants to cut school budgets in our cities by more than half. He's pressing for new tax cuts at every turn, damn the bond ratings.
Every day, it seems, he is bringing more and more of Donald Trump's brand of leadership to Trenton.
Democrats need to stop him. And with the Assembly caving in like this, the Senate is the only hope left.
Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com/Opinion on Facebook.
The phony banner on Madrid City Hall.
In September 2015, Madrid's mayor hung a large sign outside City Hall to show the capital's solidarity with the refugees fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere.
The message, displayed in large letters, in English, was Refugees Welcome, and it was meant to show that the Spanish capital was willing to take in asylum seekers.
Now, that sign has been humorously tampered with to reflect the recent Brexit vote that will take Britain out of the European Union.
The Photoshopped image of the landmark Madrid building draped in a huge sign reading British Refugees Welcome has drawn numerous comments from British netizens who appreciate the joke.
But the meme originated in Spain, not the UK. It began when a Twitter user named @camiloenmadrid uploaded the picture on Friday afternoon. A day later, he explained how he had subsequently seen the image shared on Imgur, the website that tracks the most popular snapshots on the web.
The doctored image made such waves that Snopes, which specializes in debunking phony news, felt compelled to post a story confirming that the whole thing was a joke and that British refugees fleeing Brexit will have to wait in line like everybody else.
English version by Susana Urra.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie really didn't want one of his vetoes to be overridden.
Just minutes before Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans were about to band together and decisively vote to overturn his repeated vetoes of enabling legislation (S969) to preserve open space, farmland and historical sites, the governor swooped in with a face-saving deal.
If Democrats would agree to fund the state's "Blue Acres" program, which purchases flood-prone properties, Christie would agree to stop using the tens of millions of corporate tax dollars voters had approved for open space preservation to help pay for general expenses, like state worker salaries.
The deal was struck shortly before 6:30 pm on Monday, hours after Christie extended an olive branch to Democrats, with promises to immediately begin funding open space preservation projects, ending years of logjam.
It then passed the state Senate 35-0, with no abstentions.
"Let's put it this way: The governor avoided an override by agreeing to this bill," said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen).
Christie has never been overridden by the Legislature in more than 50 prior attempts.
In 2014, 65 percent of New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment that would dedicate 4 percent of the state's corporate taxes toward open space preservation, and expanding that figure to 6 percent after 2019.
Although more than $100 million was raised to preserve land in the nation's most densely populated state to date, not a penny has been spent on preservation of green space, farmland or historical sites requested by voters.
When he struck down the enabling legislation in May, Christie cited the fact that "the bill inexplicably contributes nothing to the Blue Acres program," as the main reason for his conditional veto.
However, some $130 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds are currently available to fund Blue Acres land purchases, which can be carried out when the state believes an area has become so flood prone as to be uninhabitable in the event of hurricanes or Nor'easters.
By Monday evening, a bill (S456) sponsored by Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset) and Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) that was virtually identical to the enabling legislation Christie had vetoed had been introduced. The new bill would change the time frame for funding open space from 2016 through 2019 to 2017 through 2020.
Christie's repurposing of open space funds to pay for Department of Environmental Protection salaries had already been declared unconstitutional by the Office of Legislative Services. But by Democrats agreeing to include "Blue Acres" in the open space legislation, Christie would begin funding of open projects and cease to use the funds as his general fund piggy bank.
"Even though we have the votes, if we override him, he could just wait us out for the next 18 months and not fund any open space [initiatives]" explained one Democratic senator, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations that were still unfolding late Monday afternoon.
The deal was praised by environmentalists.
"Instead of overriding the governor's conditional veto they're coming up with a new bill that is an improvement," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
In order to pass the Senate, a minimum of three Republican senators would need to break ranks if all Senate Democrats voted for it. Three Republicans senators and two Republicans in the Assembly were expected to vote for the override.
Experts say Christie had little choice but to make a deal.
"It is no surprise that the governor is facing a rebellion on this issue from his Republican colleagues," said Krista Jenkins, director of the FDU PublicMind poll.
"With an approval rating in the 20s and his sights set on a place beyond New Jersey, Republicans have much to lose and more to gain by thinking of their own political futures."
Christie is under consideration to be GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's running mate, or at the least, for a cabinet post if Trump prevails.
With the compromise, he avoids a potentially damaging public display of frailty.
"Part of the governor's legacy has been tremendous party unity when it came to beating back veto override attempts by the Democratic majorities in the Legislature," said Ben Dworkin, director of The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Standing outside his office in the Statehouse well past midnight with just three days to sign a balanced budget, Gov. Chris Christie insisted "the last week of June is when magic happens."
Minutes earlier, the state Assembly had voted 53-23 to approve an increase in the gas tax that, at the suggestion of the governor, called for a reduction of the state sales tax by full percentage point over the next two years.
"This was my idea," said Christie, of the phased in sales tax reduction, which he called "the first broad-based tax cut for all New Jerseyans since 1994."
In 1992, Republicans reduced the sales tax from 7 to 6 percent. It was raised to 7 percent in 2006 by Gov. Jon Corzine.
Senate Democrats, who have not signed on to Christie's plan, noted that it would eventually blow a $1.7 billion hole in the next governor's budget.
But Christie dismissed questions about the reduction in revenue as "a false argument," saying that the economic boost of putting that money in the hands of New Jerseyans will be "noticeable."
"It's the people's money," said Christie, speaking uncharacteristically quietly in a near-silent Statehouse. "And they deserve to have it back."
The projected $1.7 billion shortfall will be "nothing we can't handle," the governor insisted early Tuesday, and acknowledged that there was "work to do" to bring a skeptical Democratic Senate on board.
The governor said that his thinking was informed by a desire for tax fairness, given that unlike an estate tax, a gas tax is paid by virtually all consumers, and felt the most by the poorest.
"We need to sort of make sure that fairness occurs," said Christie.
The governor argued that "20 percent to 30 percent of the gas tax, by best estimates, will be paid for by out-of-staters" whereas the sales tax "affects all New Jerseyans."
"Part of the reason was that I wanted all New Jerseyans to see tax relief if all New Jerseyans were going to pay a gas tax," explained the governor. "We're not deaf the idea that taxpayers are not a bottomless pit."
It was a sentiment that had been echoed by Assemblyman Anthomy Bucco (R-Morris) earlier in the evening when talking about the initial plan to trade the gas tax for cutting the estate tax and other levies.
"One of the complaints I got from a single mother I bumped into at the supermarket was, 'You guys want to raise the price of my gas, then give me a tax cut when I'm dead, and give me a deduction for a charitable contribution I can't afford to make?'" recounted Bucco on the floor of the Assembly ahead of the vote.
Bucco nevertheless voted against the Assembly measure on Monday.
Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie dodged the override to his veto of open space legislation Monday night, but experts and lawmakers said the close call showed how important keeping his perfect record over lawmakers is to the governor's future in a possible Trump presidency.
At the last minute, Christie reached a deal with Democratic state senators, averting what would have been the first successful override of one of his vetoes. Republican lawmakers had said they were ready to provide votes to overturn his May veto of enabling legislation for open space preservation.
The compromise sailed through the Senate unopposed, and the bill (A-4017) gained final approval in the Assembly just before midnight by a vote of 74-3.
In short, Christie agreed to stop using the tens of millions of corporate tax dollars voters had approved for open space preservation to help pay for general expenses if Democrats would agree to fund the state's "Blue Acres" program -- which purchases flood-prone properties -- using the same funds.
But even Republican legislators acknowledged this "compromise" was a really designed to spare the governor political embarrassment. Some $130 million was already available for Blue Acres under federal emergency management agency grants.
"That was our argument, originally," said Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset). "But he needs to come up with an argument to save face."
During his presidential run, Christie regularly bragged that he'd vetoed over 400 bills, and successfully survived 52 veto override attempts as proof that he could instill the same discipline in U.S. House of Representatives whose Republican majority is becoming increasingly feral and unpredictable.
"I know how to keep my Republican caucus together," Christie argued during an appearance on MSNBC last September. "You have to bring the same approach to Washington."
Trump, for his part, has said he wants a VP who is "somewhat political...because I want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed."
Reed Galen, a GOP operative who served as deputy campaign manager for U.S. Sen. John McCain's 2008 White House bid, said Christie is not in a position to appear as though his famous vise-grip on his fellow Republicans was slipping as Trump begins to make decisions on a running mate and who may be in his cabinet if he wins.
He said it's especially important because Christie's poll numbers are plummeting in New Jersey.
"It's less about this particular veto," Galen said. "And more about the fact that every politician has a trend line, and the for the last 120 days, Christie's trend line was headed downward."
Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- In a remarkable turn of events, the Assembly early Tuesday morning passed a bill that would slice New Jersey's 7 percent sales tax to 6 percent by 2018 while eventually raising the gas tax by 23 cents per gallon to fund road projects.
Gov. Chris Christie came up with the idea and convinced Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to back the sales tax rollback because it was something used by "9 million New Jersey residents."
The bill now heads to the state Senate. It replaces earlier measures that would have traded cutting the estate tax and increasing the Earned Income Tax for a higher gas tax.
Early Tuesday morning, Christie argued that the sales tax is "the people's money" and "they deserve to have it back."
Opponents of the measure say it would take too much from an already precarious state budget and force the state to make painful cuts in the future.
What do you think? Would you trade a gas tax increase for a sales tax cut?
Please vote in our informal, totally unscientific poll below.
Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Gov. Chris Christie's on-again-off-again collaborator and nemesis, said he woke up Tuesday surprised to learn that overnight the Assembly passed an 11th-hour sales tax cut and gas tax hike.
Just three days before the Transportation Trust Fund runs out of money, Christie and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto had scrapped a plan to balance a 23-cent increase in the tax on fuel sold in New Jersey with eliminations of the estate tax and cuts to income taxes for retirees and the working poor.
In its place, they struck a deal to cut the 7 percent sales tax to 6 percent over two years. The Assembly passed that funding proposal shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The Senate had adjourned hours earlier, with Sweeney declaring, "We have a bill already."
While he seemed to dismiss the governor's offer Monday evening, Sweeney said Tuesday at an unrelated event that while he considers the Senate plan more "reasonable," he would talk with the speaker and governor.
"I went to sleep with one plan and woke up with a different one, and I haven't had a chance to talk to talk to my Assembly colleagues," Sweeney said (D-Gloucester). "They made some changes to the bill last night that no one ever talked about."
In fact, they drafted an entirely new bill that despite raising the gas tax once passed would also represent the state's first broad-based tax cut in a quarter century.
He said his office is still reviewing the new bill (A12).
In the late hour, Prieto (D-Hudson) and Christie celebrated the new arrangement with glad-handing and a little soft shoe, but Sweeney left in doubt whether that twosome would become a threesome.
"It's not about outside looking in ... " the Senate president said. "At the end of the day, we are going to do what we think is reasonable and is possible."
While he hopes the Legislature and governor are able to settle on an agreement by Thursday, "But guess what? We might not," he said.
Lawmakers have been talking about swapping the gas tax for the estate tax for roughly a year and a half. Democrats hoped that plan would entice enough Republicans who think the state's uniquely slow threshold makes the state uncompetitive.
They sped up the estate tax phaseout, tacked on tax breaks for retirees and a tax deduction for charitable giving to recruit more Republicans and satisfy the governor's call for tax fairness. But Christie said the Legislature fell short.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Adam Clark contributed to this report.
Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Elizabeth Warren dismissed Donald Trump as an "insecure money-grubber." Trump responded by calling her a "racist" and a "fraud."
The feud between Warren, a Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts, and Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, reached new heights Monday as they tossed a fresh set of insults at each other.
It started when Warren went after Trump as she appeared at a rally in Cincinnati with his opponent, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
"He will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants," Warren said of Trump, a billionaire real estate mogul and former Atlantic City casino magnate. "That's who he is."
Warren -- a graduate of the law school at Rutgers University-Newark -- is considered one of the top contenders to be Clinton's pick for vice president.
Pundits say the progressive-leaning senator could give Clinton a boost attracting new voters, especially those who supported Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. So far, Warren has been Clinton's top attack dog against Trump.
"I just love how she gets under Donald Trump's skin," Clinton told the crowd at the rally about Warren.
Trump shot back in an interview with NBC News, once again drudging up his favorite accusation against Warren: That she once lied about being of Cherokee Indian descent.
"She made up her heritage, which I think is racist," Trump told the network. "I think she's a racist, actually because what she did was very racist."
"Elizabeth Warren is a total fraud," he added. "I know it. Other people who work with her know it."
The accusations against Warren stem from attacks Republican Scott Brown made against her in their contentious 2012 U.S. Senate race. Brown alleged that Warren listed herself as being Native American while she was a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard in an effort to further her career.
Warren has denied lying about her heritage to do so.
During his campaign, Trump has repeatedly referred to Warren as "Pocahontas" in a reference to the allegations.
Trump has fielded accusations of being racist for controversial comments he's made about illegal immigrations, Muslims, and a federal judge.
And though the businessman beat 16 opponents -- including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- to secure the GOP nomination, some advisers and Republicans have reportedly encouraged Trump to tone down his rhetoric to attract a broader audience in the general election against Clinton.
But Trump told NBC on Monday: "I do what I do."
"I've listened to this for a long time -- at the beginning of the primaries, 'He should do this, he should do that,'" Trump told the network. "I won in a landslide."
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
BRANCHBURG - Raritan Valley Community College has received a $760,812 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a new program to help train workers for careers in Commercial Energy Management.
The three-year Commercial Energy Management Technology project is designed to address a severe nationwide shortage of trained building technicians and educational programs in the Commercial Energy Management area, specifically in the fields of Building Automation, Commercial Energy Auditing, Building Commissioning and Retro-Commissioning, according to a news release.
"The NSF grant recognizes RVCC's ongoing commitment to providing students and current workers with the skills they need for long-term economic success through employment," said college President Michael J. McDonough. "As many HVAC technicians in commercial and industrial fields are beginning to reach retirement age, and the shortage of skilled workers continues, the grant will enable the College to partner collaboratively with local businesses to train workers for in-demand positions in highly desirable fields."
As part of the grant, the college will develop a new Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Energy Management Technology. The program will include an industry-aligned curriculum and practical experience, as well as general education requirements. The goal is to prepare students and current workers for careers in Sustainable Building Operations.
"The work that will be accomplished through the grant is very much aligned with Raritan Valley Community College's commitment to sustainability," said McDonough. "This spring, RVCC was one of only 11 colleges and universities in the nation to be honored with the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Postsecondary Sustainability Award for its leadership in sustainable education, programs, practices and facilities."
In developing the degree in Commercial Energy Management Technology, the college will work with industry experts in creating the program's curriculum. The goal will be to train skilled professionals whose expertise will result in more efficient operation of various building systems, thereby reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
The project also will include developing a series of professional development seminars for facilities managers and incumbent workers.
In addition, pathways for transfer to further educational opportunities and employment will be created for high school students, current workers and managers, with special focus on developing strategies to reach minorities and under-represented populations, according to the news release.
Raritan Valley Community College currently offers an Associate of Applied Science and a Certificate in Environmental Control Technology. For additional information, contact Paul Flor at 908-526-1200, ext. 8577 or 8617, or paul.flor@raritanval.edu.
UPDATE: Man charged with fatally stabbing his mother, grandfather: authorities
SPRINGFIELD -- A 27-year-old man is in custody in connection with the fatal stabbings of his mother and grandfather, a report says.
Police arrested him Tuesday morning at a restaurant in Springfield, the day after officials arrived at 74 Meckes St. to find 51-year-old Roth Brown and her 79-year-old father Thomas Brown stabbed to death, NBC 4 New York reported, citing a law enforcement source. NBC did not name the man.
A source told NBC 4 the Browns likely were killed Friday and each had multiple stab wounds. The source also said authorities found blood in almost every room of the house.
UPDATE: Son in custody after the stabbing deaths of his mom and grandfather, source tells @Brian4NY https://t.co/XuzIaVxBXt NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) June 28, 2016
The Union County Prosecutor's Office has not announced any arrests or charges in the case.
They said police responded early Monday afternoon to a request for a welfare check on the home and found the victims' bodies.
Roth Brown went to Jonathan Dayton High School in Springfield and then Howard University, according to long-time friend Charles Hackley. He said she was about to turn 52.
Thomas Brown used to be in charge of the funeral home Martin's Home for Service Inc. in Montclair, Hackley said. He said Roth and Thomas Brown lived in the Meckes Street house with Roth Brown's adult son.
Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Task Force Sgt. Michael Manochio at 908-966-2287 or Detective Brendan Sullivan at 908-966-0999.
Union County Crime Stoppers are offering up to $10,000 for relevant information, which can be given anonymously by calling 908-654-TIPS (8477), texting "UCTIP" plus a message to 274637 (CRIMES), or visiting www.uctip.org.
Staff reporters Tom Haydon and Kate Mishkin contributed to this report.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SPRINGFIELD -- The Union County Prosecutor's Office was continuing its investigation Tuesday of a homicide at a Meckes Street home, a spokesman for the agency said.
Police cordoned off the street Monday afternoon.
The prosecutor's office expects to release more information on the investigation later Tuesday morning, spokesman Mark Spivey said.
The county homicide task force was at the scene Monday. Police were in front of the house and in the backyard.
A woman lived in the home with her father and adult son, Charles Hackley, a neighbor, said. Hackley was friends with the family and attended high school with the woman.
News12 New Jersey is reporting that officials may have gone to the house after one of its residents did not arrive at work.
Authorities towed at least one car from the crime scene and looked at another nearby house, CBS New York is reporting.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEW YORK -- Yankees pitching prospect James Kaprielian flew to New York City to see team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad on Tuesday, a source told NJ Advance Media.
Kaprielian's right elbow still hurts, the source said. The team was still waiting for a full report on Ahmad's evaluation of the starting pitcher.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the 22-year-old's visit.
The 2015 first-round pick has been dealing with inflammation in the elbow and has been on the disabled list since April 26. He made three starts with High-A Tampa, going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA before getting shut down.
Kaprielian has been working out in Tampa.
The California native was selected No. 16 overall and given a reported $2.65 million signing bonus.
MLB.com ranks Kaprielian the Yankees' No. 4 prospect.
Yankees-StubHub: What you should know
Kaprielian recently spoke about his injury in a video on MLB.com.
"It's frustrating," Kaprielian said. "It's tough because I did work so hard this offseason and I think I was able to see a little piece of the results and it's good when you're able to see it so soon, but at the same time it's tough that I have to sit an watch every day, especially when you want to get out there and throw the ball and you put in a lot of work and time and dedication into your craft and stuff and I just want be there and be able to support the guys around me and my team."
He said he was pleased with his progress in the offseason.
"I felt pretty good, not going to lie," he said. "I think my fastball's improved a little bit. I had a good, strong offseason where I was putting some good work in and working to clean some things up in my mechanics and get stronger in the weight room. And all those things applied so when I took the mound this year in those short three outings, you could see the difference I think."
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
Pablo Iglesias (left) and Inigo Errejon. BERNARDO PEREZ
The leadership of Podemos is feeling disconcerted. A day after coming in third at a general election where it had been widely expected to take second spot, the anti-austerity party decided not to offer any explanations for its underperformance.
Opinion polls had been forecasting that the Unidos Podemos alliance would leapfrog over the Socialist Party (PSOE) at this fresh election, in what would have represented a historical moment in Spanish politics. Instead, the leftist coalition lost 1.2 million votes compared with the sum of each alliance members individual outcome at the original election of December 20.
The party has been hostage to childishness
Juan Carlos Monedero
The disappointment has opened up an internal dispute, especially between followers of Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias and supporters of number two official Inigo Errejon, two currents that were already divided over the issue of whether Podemos should have entered into a governing coalition with the PSOE after December 20.
Right now, nobody knows why the outcome was not what the surveys had been forecasting. Not even us, said Podemos executive committee spokesman Pablo Echenique, after meeting with other party leaders for over two hours. The party has commissioned a study to analyze what went wrong.
How did Podemos alliance with the United Left (IU), a federation led by the Spanish Communist Party, influence the result? Did it help contain a drop in votes that would have been even bigger had the party run alone? Were Pablo Iglesias and IU leader Alberto Garzon right to defend the pact? Did the problem lie with Errejon, who designed the campaign? Did Brexit play a role?
For now, there are no official answers to these questions. But Echenique has admitted that the internal debate has begun. Many opinions have been voiced in the executive: one thing and its opposite, he said.
Sign up for our newsletter EL PAIS English Edition has launched a weekly newsletter. Sign up today to receive a selection of our best stories in your inbox every Saturday morning. For full details about how to subscribe, click here.
The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that there were several factors, not just one, behind an outcome that brought Unidos Podemos 71 seats in Congress, just two up from the 69 that Podemos and its regional allies secured on December 20 without IUs help.
But the social media show that the blame game has begun. A message on Telegram posted by a group of Errejon supporters who call themselves Pueblo, Patria, Podemos reads: Last night, after a heartbreaking outcome and seeing that 5+1 do not make 6 but 5 or even less, Pablo Iglesias hastily told us that this road, this road that did not oust the Popular Party or the PSOE, was the right way. Why?
Do we want to go on being Podemos? That is the question that many of us must ask ourselves after listening to the words of our secretary general yesterday, the post went on to say.
Meanwhile, a group of Iglesias followers blamed Errejons campaign instead.
Perhaps the campaign was too dominated by contention, by attempts at not scaring people, and in the end we failed to provide reasons for voting, wrote a group called Los muchachos de la coleta (The ponytail boys, a reference to Iglesias hairstyle). We need to assess whether [the campaign] was aimed at reality or had its back to it; whether campaign leaders were not affected by the survey-fueled mirage produced by the adversarys media outlets.
Podemos co-founder Juan Carlos Monedero, who resigned in April 2015 following a financial scandal, is the only one who has openly criticized Podemos strategy. He says that the party has been hostage to childishness and believed the surveys that said it would bump the PSOE down on June 26.
It is not enough to offer hollow rhetoric adorned with matchless loquacity and embellished with the glitter of television, if you do not provide a clear alternative, he wrote on his blog, Comiendo tierra.
English version by Susana Urra.
More information Michelle Obama comienza en Liberia el viaje que la traera a Espana
US First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday announced a $27 million investment by the United States Agency for International Development to help girls access education in Liberia, where she is currently on a visit with her daughters Malia and Sasha.
Her three-nation trip will also take Michelle Obama to Morocco and Spain, where she will meet with Spanish Queen Letizia on Thursday.
The trip is part of the First Ladys Let Girls Learn initiative, which was launched in March 2015 to help promote education for around 62 million young girls around the world who are not in school.
President Barack Obama is also scheduled to visit Spain on July 9
I am happy to be able to announce these new investments in teenage girls education, said Mrs Obama in a press release. She described Liberian teens as very brilliant and anxious to learn.
The first lady landed at around 1pm local time and was received by representatives of the Liberian government. Michelle Obama met with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman voted in as head of an African nation.
On Wednesday, Michelle Obama will travel to the Moroccan city of Marrakech, where she will participate in talks with women and girls together with actresses Meryl Streep and Freida Pinto. The event is being organized by CNN, which is making a documentary about the education initiative.
The first lady and her family will arrive in Madrid on Thursday. President Barack Obama is also scheduled to visit Spain on July 9 on his way back from a NATO summit in Poland.
English version by Susana Urra.
Trial opens for man accused of murder, biting off ear during New Orleans East robbery
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP) The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Sefilyan was isolated in order not to hold action during Popes visit (video)
Levon Barseghyan, Chairman of Council of Journalists Asparez club NGO, is sure that Commander of Shushi special battalion Jirayr Sefilyan was isolated in order not to hold any action during Popes visit. He thinks that this case is false and fake. Some witnesses, who stammer, some testimonies, which fit neither the context of logic nor a fake case. The current authorities have proved for many times that they are a schemer, at any time when they consider it appropriate they start fabricating cases, isolating people, said Levon Barseghyan during the meeting with journalists. According to the Chairman of Journalists Asparez club, the regime doesnt give up its stance. The last proof of it is the abduction Shant Harutyunyans son Shahen Harutyunyan from Gyumri. Shahen wanted to show to Pope that there are political prisoners in Armenia. The police have given the last warning to Shahen, or else his suspended sentence will be replaced with detention. It is the dream of the regime; it is obvious that Shahen isnt naive, it is obvious that he knows very well the foreign toolkit, it is impossible to accuse him of felony, but the authorities have done it and will continue to threaten him. But the authorities dont take into account the genetics of Shahen, his grandfather, his father. Its impossible to silence that boy, added Levon Barseghyan.
Community
Its now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place.
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
Russian air defense wont shot down Azerbaijani aircraft
Today at the NA extraordinary session during the discussion of high-profile agreement on the Creation of a United Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasus Region of Collective Security between the RA and the RF, the Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction member Hrant Bagratyan, addressing the Deputy Defense Minister, said, If you state that it is really harmless and useful for Armenia, I am not against. The HAK faction member Nikol Pashinyan reminded Ara Nazaryan that Head of the RA Air Defense announced during one of his interviews that at present we dont have powerful aviation, Why dont we have those systems in these 25 years? Also, at present you directly say that Russia has powerful air defense systems and in case of necessity it will use them. Now, if the RA Air Defense gives a command to the Russian squadron to begin a flight, and Russia gives the opposite command, what will finally those aircrafts do? Ara Nazaryan, answering the first question, said that having such systems is a matter of capabilities for the state, according to the priorities, If there were capabilities, we would have. As for the second question I can say that such processes are not regulated only by giving commands; there are relevant documents for it, plans of usage, as in which cases they will be used. Nikol Pashinyan said that once again he wants to remind the high ranking officials that their responsibility is increasing the capabilities of the state, After Four-day war, there is no impulse that you have carried out that service. Simply say that the air defense of the Russian military base will not shot down an Azerbaijani aircraft, and that they are intended in case of the 4th and 5th world wars, where Armenia has no interest. In reply Ara Nazaryan refrained from answering, I couldnt understand your question, as you went to different poles.
After meeting with Putin the United Air Defense agreement again entered the NA (video)
The action near the entry of Demirchyan Street outside the National Assembly has ended. The activists are demanding from the lawmakers not to ratify the agreement, according to which the command of the RA air defense is handed over to Russia. The most dangerous thing is that initially you agree that in case of war the command of one division of you countrys defense will be given to another country. Such a concession is simply impermissible, activists Davit Sanasaryan told A1+. Doesnt Serzh Sargsyan, lawmakers of the NA understand it, he noted, I am sure that everybody understands what the matter is. It is another matter whether they can or not. Mr Sanasaryan also added, The issue of United Air Defense was included in the agenda of the previous session of the NA, but it was postponed. Then Serzh Sargsyan went to Russia, St. Petersburg, they had a private meeting with Putin, and after that this issue has again been included in the agenda. It is a trade, simple trade, which is being carried out. Already there are rumors that this agreement is ratified so that Russia gives USD 200 million loan.
SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders
PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces
There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan
Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia
Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair
Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan
I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General
I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox
UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS
There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur
EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay
An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".
UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022
Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully
Google Ad
The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces
LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN
This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan
Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments
Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan
Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement
With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building
OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens
ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
The NRL Rookie reaches its halfway point and now it is the time for each competitor to step their game up to the next level.
This is clear when the boys jet-set over the Tasman to New Zealand, where they will play the Warriors Under 20s Academy team in a nine-a-side fixture - showcasing some brilliant attacking footy.
The Captain's challenge proves to be the most difficult yet with only a handful of players crossing the finish line and the big question is whether Lou can make it four in a row?
A controversial decision in The Cut has Freddy questioning some of the rookies' honesty and he throws a curveball of his own.
At this stage of the competition the smallest flaws will be exposed and only the most consistent of the bunch will edge their way closer to the ultimate prize to be a part of an NRL Team and claim the title of The NRL Rookie.
Head to NRLROOKIE.COM to watch full catch up episodes of the NRL Rookie as well as online exclusive extras.
Follow The NRL Rookie on Facebook
Follow The NRL Rookie on Twitter
AUSTRALIAN BROADCAST DETAILS:
Each episode will air five times during the week on free to air television across the Nine Network:
PREMIERE Tuesday GO! 7.30PM (SYD/MEL/BRIS)
ENCORE 1 - Wednesday - CH9 10.30PM (SYD/BRIS)
ENCORE 2 - Saturday - CH9 1PM (BRIS)
ENCORE 3 - Sunday - CH9 2.30PM (SYD)
ENCORE 4 - Monday - GO! 11.30PM (SYD/MEL/BRIS/ADE/PER)
Please note: these time may vary from week to week so be sure to check your local guides.
A politically charged BET Awards delivered an exciting night of tributes for Prince and Muhammad Ali between calls for action over gun violence, civil rights and presidential politics. These are the top moments from Sunday's awards show held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
PRINCE PARTY
After BET dissed the Billboard Music Awards for their Prince tribute in May, the cable network lived up to that challenge by honoring Price in a show-long tribute.
The first of many performances was introduced by comedian Dave Chapelle, who said "that literally our hearts were broken" over the death of Prince on April 21.
Artists such as the Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Maxwell, Stevie Wonder and more gave a multifaceted reflection on the late artist's musical gifts.
Highlights included Bilal's falsetto singing and his wild, rolling on the floor performance, Jennifer Hudson's emotionally arresting rendition of "Purple Rain" with Wonder and Janelle Monae's rocking medley and Prince-inspired outfits.
But BET ended on a high note when drummer Sheila E., Prince's longtime friend, collaborator and onetime fiance, took the stage to close out the show.
POLITICAL TALK
There was no subtlety to the political messages during this year's award show with multiple references to the upcoming presidential election none of them in favor of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
JESSE'S TRUTH
After a long night of political speech, actor and activist Jesse Williams delivered the night's most powerful statement after receiving a humanitarian award honoring his work for equal rights.
Williams demanded an end to police violence against blacks, mentioning the names of several victims, and got a standing ovation.
"We know that police somehow manage to deescalate, de-arm and somehow not manage to kill white people every day," Williams said. "So what's going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country, or we will restructure their function in ours. "
But he also called out commercialization of black culture, armchair critics and "conditional freedom."
BEYONCE SURPRISES
When Beyonce's dancers paraded down the BET Awards red carpet prior to the show, the rumors of an unannounced performance solidified.
A barefoot Beyonce in a fringed black outfit opened the awards show with her song "Freedom" in ankle deep water with dancers splashing around beside her, in a preview of her popular Formation World Tour.
To top everything off, Kendrick Lamar emerged out of the floor and then danced together with Beyonce with the stage glowing red behind them.
Unfortunately, Beyonce was not on hand to accept her awards later during the show, as her mother explained that she had to immediately jump on a plane to London for her tour.
A DAUGHTER'S TRIBUTE
The BET Awards also paid tribute to another cultural icon the late Muhammad Ali with a heartfelt speech by his daughter, Laila Ali.
Known as the "Greatest of All Time," Ali had a huge influence on hip-hop artists either through his pre-fight speeches or through his personal struggles and spiritual convictions. He died on June 3 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
His daughter, also a retired boxer, got choked up as she stood in front of photo of her father holding her as an infant.
She closed her speech with a simple, but important request, saying, "If he was here today, he would ask you to pray not just for our family, but for all of mankind."
MICHIGAN CITY Police have secured charges against a suspected heroin dealer for his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking operation in the city.
Jimmy Thomas Jr., 22, of Michigan City, was arrested Friday at the Knights Inn, 201 W. Keiffer Road, on an unrelated warrant, according to a Michigan City Police Department news release.
Michigan City Police Departments Street Crimes Unit in May infiltrated the operation and made several controlled buys of drugs through the operation.
Police were able to establish probable cause following an investigation, leading to formal charged being filed Monday, according to the release.
Thomas Jr. faces one count of dealing in cocaine or narcotics, a level 4 felony, and four counts of dealing in cocaine or narcotics, a level 5 felony.
In May, Michigan Citys Fugitive Apprehension Street Team and SCU executed a search at his home in the 200 block of North Woodland Avenue for an unrelated warrant. Thomas Jr. was not there at the time, but police seized suspected heroin, drug paraphernalia and other items.
CROWN POINT A Crown Point man is accused of forcing a teen girl to perform a sexual act two years ago, according to court records.
Jake A. Duffy, 18, was charged last week with rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement and battery. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
A girl, who was 16 years old at the time, told detectives that Duffy, who was 17 years old at the time, during the month of July 2014 visited her at her Crown Point home and forced her to engage in a sexual act, according to the affidavit.
The teen told police Duffy pushed her, removed her shirt and pulled her hair as he forced her twice to engage in the sexual act, according to the affidavit. She told police she tried to fight back, but she was overpowered by Duffy.
He also threatened to post pictures of her on the internet during the attack, according to court records.
The teen later told a friend about what happened to her who in turn told her mother about the incident.
HAMMOND A night of drinking and playing cards in March ended in the shooting death of an Illinois man.
Searcy T. Boyd Jr., 26, of Hammond, was charged Friday with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Boyd is accused of shooting to death Craig Hatten Jr., 25, of Riverdale, Illinois, on March 14 in the 5500 block of Claude Avenue in Hammond. He was pronounced dead at 1:13 a.m. March 15 at Franciscan St. Margaret Health hospital in Hammond. The Lake County coroner's office previously identified him as Craig Hatton.
Police found Hatten unconscious inside a vehicle that was stopped in the 5600 block of Sohl Avenue. Hatten and the two other adults who were with him had stopped there and waited for police.
Witnesses told police they had spent the night playing cards and drinking at Boyd's home in Hammond. At some point during the night, Boyd argued with a woman there after she spilled her drink on a pool table, according to the affidavit.
As Hatten, the woman, another man and a child were getting ready to leave, the woman who spilled her drink began arguing with Boyd's sister outside the home. The women started arguing after Boyd's sister commented that the woman looked nervous.
Hatten got out of the car and tried to separate the women. Witnesses saw Boyd standing on the porch as he fired shots at Hatten, according to the affidavit.
Hatten was shot in his torso and managed to get inside the vehicle, according to the affidavit. The woman drove Hatten to the parking lot of a store where they waited for police and emergency medical workers to arrive.
Hammond officers initially had arrested Boyd after he surrendered to police, but he was not charged in the homicide until last week.
Detectives found two spent 9mm casings outside the home after the shooting, according to the affidavit. They also collected a .25-caliber handgun, three cellphones, a substance that appeared to be marijuana, counterfeit money and unidentified pink pills after they searched Boyd's home.
Boyd was on parole in Illinois when the shooting happened, according to court records. He previously had spent time in prison there after he was convicted of armed robbery.
As of Monday, Boyd was being held at the Menard Correctional Center in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
GARY Four people were wounded in three separate shootings Sunday and Monday, police said.
Gary police responded about 1:45 a.m. Sunday to the Dorie Miller housing complex for shots fired and a man down, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said.
Officers found a 28-year-old and 29-year-old, both of Gary, with gunshot wounds. One of the men told officers he was shot during an argument, police said.
About an hour later, police were dispatched to the area of West 21st Avenue and Taft Street for a man shot in the leg, Westerfield said.
A 35-year-old Chicago Heights man told police he was walking to his car outside a gas station when he was approached by a man asking for change.
The beggar then pointed a gun at the man and demanded money, police said. When the man again said he didn't have money, the suspect shot him in the leg, police said.
The suspect left, and the Chicago Heights man called police while driving himself to a hospital for treatment. The suspect was described as black with dark skin and about 6 foot 1 with braids, dark pants and a white shirt.
Anyone with information about the two shootings is asked to call Detective Sgt. Daniel Callahan at (219) 881-1210.
Early Monday, police were dispatched to the 2500 block of Maryland Street and found a 20-year-old Gary woman bent over in another person's arms with a gunshot wound to her back, Westerfield said.
The woman told police she was driving in the area of 26th Avenue and Jefferson Street when she heard gunshots and saw a man shooting at her.
The man was described as black with black pants and short, curly hair. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sgt. William Fazekas at (219) 881-1210.
Anyone who has information but want to remain anonymous can call (866) CRIME-GP.
CROWN POINT An alleged member of the Latin Counts street gang is expected to be sentenced to 37 years in prison after admitting to being involved in three shootings.
Martin Hurtado, 22, of Hammond, pleaded guilty Tuesday in three separate cases to two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted battery with a deadly weapon. The plea agreement calls for Hurtado to be sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Wearing a Lake County Jail uniform, Hurtado was soft-spoken as he answered Lake Criminal Judge Diane Boswell's questions during the hearing.
The first shooting happened June 6, 2013, in the 5400 block of Molesberger Place in Hammond. Hurtado admitted that he and two other Latin Counts drove around rival gang territories that day looking for a target.
Hurtado fired several shots at a Latin King gang member who was on the porch of his home, according to the agreement. The man was shot twice in the stomach and twice in the groin area.
Days after Hurtado's father, Martin Hurtado, was mistakenly shot to death, the younger Hurtado shot a woman who was considered a mother figure to a Latin King gang member, according to court records.
Hurtado admitted that on Oct. 30, 2014, he walked up to the woman who was sitting on her porch in the 400 block of Waltham Street in Hammond and began shooting at her, according to the agreement.
The woman had to undergo four surgeries because of the shooting. According to the agreement, she had a collapsed lung and had to have a hysterectomy.
On Nov. 15, 2014, Hurtado drove up to a vehicle in the 900 block of Carroll Street in Hammond and asked the people inside the vehicle if they were Latin Kings. According to the agreement, someone inside the vehicle told Hurtado they weren't affiliated with the gang.
Hurtado fired into the vehicle, wounding a man on his back and a woman on her buttocks, according to the agreement.
He previously was scheduled to stand trial in one of the shootings on July 11. His trial dates were vacated following Tuesday's hearing.
Boswell set a July 27 sentencing hearing in the case.
CALUMET TOWNSHIP A 63-year-old Gary man faces a charge of attempted murder based on allegations of shooting his brother Sunday during a physical dispute, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
John Ebeling told police he shot Richard Ebeling, 56, of Gary, after the two had been feuding.
Police arrived at the house in the 4400 block of Taney Street shortly before 5 p.m. and found John Ebeling standing in the living room holding his cellphone.
He was ordered to drop the phone and step outside, during which time officers found Richard Ebeling in a bedroom, police said. Richard Ebeling had suffered a gunshot wound, but reportedly was conscious and talking.
Richard Ebeling reportedly directed officers to the .380-caliber Ruger LCP handgun used in the shooting. He was transported to the hospital for treatment.
John Ebeling was treated for minor injuries to his wrist and was taken into custody, police said.
VALPARAISO The 14-year-old girl had to stretch forward to reach the microphone Tuesday afternoon as she told the jury how Eric Knowles repeatedly had sex with her from as young as her kindergarten through fourth grade.
It happened a lot, she said.
When asked by defense attorney Larry Rogers why she did not come forward earlier with the allegations, the girl said Knowles had threatened to kill her mother and brother if she told anyone.
I didnt want him to hurt my family, she said.
Knowles is on trial this week on allegations of molesting the girl and a boy, who also took the witness stand Tuesday. The 39-year-old Portage man faces four counts of child molesting, a level C felony.
Another jury found Knowles not guilty in August of molesting another boy, who was 3 at the time.
The girl described Tuesday how Knowles had sex with her in a few different rooms of a house, and had also fondled her on a few occasions while showing her pornography on the computer.
The girl said she resisted him.
I would push him on his shoulders and tell him to get off of me, she said.
When Rogers asked the girl why she told her grandmother she lied about the allegations, the girl said she feared Knowles would get out of jail.
Rogers told the jury last summer that that child molesting charge was based on little more than an allegation made by the boys mother, who is trying to keep Knowles out of her familys life.
What a better way Hes a child molester, Rogers said.
The jury trail continues today in Porter Superior Court II with Judge Bill Alexa presiding.
MUNSTER An 18-year-old Hammond man has been charged in connection with Sunday's shooting outside the Jewel-Osco in Munster.
Markdaniel Martinez was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of criminal recklessness, both felonies, according to a Munster Police Department news release.
A 26-year-old woman was wounded late Sunday when gunfire broke out between at least two groups of people outside the Munster Jewel-Osco, police said.
The woman was shot about 10 p.m. as she ran into the store at 716 Ridge Road seeking shelter from the gunshots, Lt. Ed Strbjak said.
Witnesses told police at least two groups of people exchanged gunfire in the grocery store parking lot, just as the nearby St. Thomas More Parish Festival drew to a close. Crowds were leaving the festival at the time, and the Jewel was busy, Strbjak said.
The woman had entered a vestibule at Jewel-Osco when she was shot, Strbjak said. She suffered a graze wound to the back of her head and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening wounds.
The front window at the Jewel-Osco was shot out, and at least three vehicles were hit by gunfire, Strbjak said.
The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation, he said. Police took a number of statements and brought people in for questioning.
Highland police and the Lake County Sheriff's Department Crime Scene Investigation Unit assisted.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Munster police detectives at (219) 836-6632. To remain anonymous, call (219) 836-1010.
Two years ago, police shut down the parish festival about 45 minutes early on its final night after an argument between two groups of kids escalated into a shoving match.*
Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
Correction: A story Tuesday contained incorrect information about a disturbance two years ago at the St. Thomas More Parish Festival. Police shut down the festival early two years ago. The Times regrets the error.
MERRILLVILLE A 21-year-old man is accused of leaving the scene of a crash in March that injured a couple who was riding a motorcycle.
Marcus K. Smith, of Merrillville, was charged Thursday with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in bodily injury and two counts leaving the scene of an accident.
Smith remained Monday in Lake County Jail where he was being held on a $30,000 bond, according to court records.
Smith on March 12 was driving a red Mitsubishi Endeavor near the intersection of 58th Avenue and Cleveland Street in Merrillville when he turned in front of a motorcycle. That caused the motorcyclist to crash into the SUV, according to the affidavit.
Jeffrey Wyllie was riding the motorcycle with his wife, Janice Berkman-Wyllie, who was in a sidecar. Both were transported to Loyola University Medical Center where they were treated for multiple injuries.
Wyllie had a skull fracture and was diagnosed with a concussion, according to the affidavit. He also had multiple rib fractures. Berkman-Wyllie's femurs were fractured and she had multiple leg fractures because of the crash.
When officers arrived at the scene, the Mitsubishi Endeavor had left the area, according to the affidavit.
A witness told police that there was an SUV with heavy front-end damage in the 2200 block of West 60th Drive in Merrillville that could have been involved in the crash.
When police arrived to the home where the SUV was parked, three men, including Smith, allegedly admitted to being part of the crash and leaving the scene, according to the affidavit.
Smith told police he left the scene because he was scared and so he could, "get his head straight and called the owner of the car," according to the affidavit.
The charges come weeks after Lake Criminal Judge Clarence Murray sentenced Smith to three years in community corrections after he admitted to violating his probation, according to court records. He had been serving a three-year probationary term after he was convicted of robbery, a Class C felony, in 2014.
LAPORTE The mother of a 2-year-old boy will serve a 10-year prison sentence for his beating death that occurred at the hands of her boyfriend.
Regina Brown, 27, of Michigan City, was sentenced Thursday in LaPorte Superior Court 1 for Class B felony neglect of a dependent.
Her son, Nizier Brown, died in 2013 after his spleen ruptured from a punch to the stomach and the autopsy revealed internal injuries from previous acts of abuse in the home on East 7th Street in Michigan City, police said.
Tommy Shannon Jr., 25, on June 13 received a 30-year prison sentence for Class A felony battery.
According to prosecutors, Brown knew the abuse was occurring but failed to do anything to stop it.
A Class D felony charge of obstruction of justice is still pending against Brown's mother, Derris Baylor, who allegedly tried concealing evidence of child abuse to protect Shannon, authorities said.
INDIANAPOLIS In an election featuring the two least-popular presumptive presidential nominees in major political party history, could the Libertarian Party emerge as the big winner of 2016?
Michael Sandridge, chairman of the Lake County Libertarian Party, and Porter County's Karl Tatgenhorst, Libertarian nominee for Indiana lieutenant governor, are among those hoping this will be the Libertarians' year.
"The presidential race is the Super Bowl of politics," Sandridge said.
"People pay more attention during the presidential race than any other of the four years. So this is a good time to get our message out."
The Libertarian presidential ticket is perhaps its most qualified for national office since the small-government party, which describes itself as "socially accepting and fiscally responsible," was founded in 1971.
At the top is former two-term New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a onetime Republican, who also ran for president as a Libertarian in 2012.
The vice presidential nominee is two-term former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, whose support for gay rights, same-sex marriage and medicinal marijuana makes him generally no longer welcome in the Republican Party.
Tatgenhorst said if Hoosiers and Americans take the time to seriously look at the Libertarian candidates they will find much to like.
"We have a very, very strong ticket," he said. "In all honesty, our ticket is more qualified than both of the other parties' at this point."
At the same time, Tatgenhorst and Sandridge acknowledged it's hard to get voters to break out of their traditional partisan divisions, and the Libertarians still are looking for the magic moment that can make it happen.
"People need to be challenged to actually do research on their candidates and not just vote for a party," Sandridge said.
Neither man honestly expects Johnson to be elected president this year.
But they contend that if he's allowed to participate in the presidential debates by achieving 15 percent support in three national public opinion polls more Americans will be exposed to Libertarian ideas, the party will gain automatic nationwide ballot access and grow toward future successes.
"None of us would be upset if he did win, but we believe using the momentum ... is important to growth and sustainability," Tatgenhorst said.
"The real goal is to become an actual sustaining member at the table for American politics."
In Indiana, the Libertarian Party is likely this year to have an impact on the closely contested governor's race, similar to 2012 when Republican Mike Pence's 81,664-vote margin of victory over Democrat John Gregg was less than the 101,868 votes won by Libertarian Rupert Boneham.
Sandridge believes Hoosiers deserve better than a rerun of that Pence-Gregg contest, and the Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Rex Bell, of Hagerstown, is the man who can make freedom ring in Indiana.
"I think people are definitely annoyed and done with Pence, and, to be honest, I hadn't heard of Gregg before last year, and he's just kind of like a Pence Lite," Sandridge said. "People are ready to have another option in this state.
"We don't want to waste your tax dollars. We don't want to bother you with who you want to marry or if you want to smoke a little pot after you get off work. We don't care, as long as you're not hurting other people that's our main philosophy."
Libertarian candidates also are running for 15 state legislative seats, though none in Northwest Indiana.
Donna Dunn, of Hammond, is the Libertarian opponent for U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville.
She got 3.3 percent of the vote in her 2014 race against the Region's longtime congressman.
CALUMET CITY Questions about mayoral term limits and municipal pensions will be put to voters in November, according to resolutions the City Council has adopted.
The first asks residents to join what City Attorney Burt Odelson called the local trend to limit a mayors potential time in office. The question in Calumet City would make any elected official mayor or alderman ineligible for the mayors seat if he or she has held office for four, full four-year terms.
The passage of a question of this nature allows the citizens and voters to change their form of government, Odelson said. This is a ballot initiative that if the people voted down, it doesnt go into place. If the people voted for it, it goes into place effective for the April 4, 2017, election and thereafter.
Odelson cited Lansing, Country Club Hills and Tinley Park as other local municipalities with term limits for elected officials.
If the referendum passes, Aldermen Leni Wosczynski, Thaddeus Jones and Nick Manousopoulos would not be able to run for mayor in April. Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush, who was first elected in 2003, would only be allowed one more term.
The question doesnt impact other offices, like clerk, treasurer or alderman. Odelson said Calumet City condenses much of the city governments power in the mayors position because it lacks a manager or administrator.
The aldermen and the mayor hold the power to hire, fire, set salaries, all of the powers given by the state statute, Odelson said. The clerk and the treasurer function according to the duties given to them according to the state statutes and by your ordinances. They have no legislative or executive functions.
The council voted 5-2 to put the question to voters. Jones and 1st Ward Alderman Eric Schneider voted against the measure.
I would implore my colleagues not to give the mayor the opportunity to have a free pass at another term in office, Jones said before the vote. Thats what this ordinance, if you vote yes, will do.
The question of whether an elected official should be able to receive two pensions through both the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and the Illinois General Assembly Retirement Fund also will be put to voters in November.
Jones represents the 29th District in the Illinois House in addition to being 3rd Ward alderman. He, Schneider and 4th Ward Alderman Ramonde Williams voted against putting the pension question on the ballot but it passed 4-3.
A third question about the closing times for bars on weekends also will be put to voters in November.
ST. JOHN Residents asked for it and the council last week hired a consultant to calculate a road impact fee for new developments in town.
At several recent meetings, residents said the council should pursue a road impact fee to cover the cost of improving roads, which they complained are already overburdened with traffic, to deal with developments already planned that will add more than 1,000 homes to the town in the next few years.
Taghi Arshami, principal of The Arsh Group, said the process of determining the fee for various types of developments will include a traffic study of the whole town and will look at how many trips are generated by each type of development. The fee is added to the building permit cost of new development.
"The people who create the need for the roads pay for it," Arshami told the council Thursday. "There's a significant process you have to go through."
The study will take about six or seven months with the help of a traffic engineer and cost a total of $211,000, which at the town's average growth rate of a couple of hundred new homes a year would be recouped in the first year. All the money collected has to be used for new roads and increasing capacity on existing roads to meet the demands of development and can't be used for maintenance.
St. John would be the first community in the area with a road impact fee, if it is adopted, but Arshami said several Indiana communities have such a fee and they range from about $1,000 in Zionsville to just over $2,000 in Westfield for residential. Noblesville has impact fees that range from $517 to $1,378 for different types of residential development.
The fee for nonresidential development also varies, but Town Manager Steve Kil said the council might not adopt one for commercial projects because it gets so few. Most of the development in town is residential.
Among the things the study will look at are traffic forecasts and patterns based on existing land use planning, identification of growth-related projects, the costs of the growth-related projects and developing a fee schedule for each land use. The study will look ahead 10 years, but the fee will lapse in five years unless the town goes through a similar study to recalculate the costs and the fees.
"An extensive part of the study is developing the model of the traffic generation," Arshami said. "The goal is to determine what is the cost of one trip to town."
Kil said a fee like this only works in a growing community like St. John. While the cost is significant, so are the benefits. Councilman Christian Jorgensen said the traffic study also could have other uses for the town.
"How much better is this than a wheel tax?" Jorgensen asked rhetorically.
As with park impact fees, the town could not start collecting the road impact fee until six months after it is approved. The council voted unanimously to proceed with hiring Arshami to do the study.
MICHIGAN CITY Brian Sadowski was out with his wife enjoying the sunset on Michigan Citys lighthouse pier Monday when suddenly he became a hero not once, but four times.
He saved two boys apparently caught in an undertow along with a man and woman who had fallen in at the rocks.
I dont know about the hero thing. I think most people would do it. At least you would hope so, said Sadowski, 47, an electronics technician at ArcelorMittal at Burns Harbor and lifelong resident of Michigan City.
According to authorities, the boys who appeared to be about 10 were swimming at Washington Park when the dangerous current below the surface took them out toward the lighthouse pier.
Sadowski jumped in off the pier and swam about 25 feet to the first boy he described as about to go under for the final time.
He barely made it to the rocks with the boy, who almost pulled both of them under while panicking.
Sadowski said he only had to swim back out about 10 feet to reach the second boy whose return to the rocks went much smoother.
A man and woman apparently trying to help slipped off the rocks and into the water.
They were being pounded against the rocks when Sadowski laid face down and extended his legs out into the water for the man, who didnt know how to swim, to grab and pull himself back onto the rocks.
He was helped by another man in getting the woman rendered helpless from exhaustion back on the rocks.
They were carried up the rocks and onto the pier by LaPorte County police Officer Andy Hynek and other emergency responders and taken to the hospital.
It was definitely a close call, Hynek said.
LaPorte County Sheriff John Boyd said the man suffered possible broken ribs from the battering while the woman did not appear to be hurt as badly.
Without help, he said the man and woman could have died from the pounding and the almost impossible task of getting back up because the wet, moss-covered rocks are so slippery.
That water is such a strong force and thats just a battle youre not going to win, especially when youre pinned up against something that is unforgiving and as jagged as those rocks, Boyd said.
Boyd said the boys were swimming despite red flags warning about the potential for undertows.
Red flags were up again Tuesday at Washington Park due to the potential for underwater currents.
Michigan City Parks Department Superintendent Shannon Eason said lifeguards are not on duty whenever red flags are posted because the beach is closed.
You just hope people heed that advice. That current can just get ahold of you and it moves very, very rapidly and its very deceiving, Boyd said.
Sadowski, who described himself as a strong swimmer, said he was 16 when he rescued a 15-year-old South Bend girl knocked off the lighthouse pier at Michigan City by 14-foot waves.
Its not my first experience, Sadowski said. I must have been there for a reason last night.
CINCINNATI Elizabeth Warren offered an impassioned endorsement of Hillary Clinton on Monday, vouching for her as someone who could be trusted to fight for workers and fend off Donald Trump.
The two most powerful women in the Democratic Party clasped hands and held them high overhead, offering a powerful visual and a preview of what could be a historic presidential ticket.
"Here's what it boils down to. Hillary has brains. She has guts. She has thick skin and steady hands," said Warren, a champion of the party's liberal base, before 2,600 cheering supporters at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. "But most of all, she has a good heart. And that's what America needs."
Later, in a speech in Chicago, Clinton turned to the issue that has dogged her for more than a quarter century: Her trustworthiness. She pledged to earn it and defended what some say are too-cautious statements that can sound calculated.
"I personally know I have work to do on this front. A lot of people tell pollsters they don't trust me," Clinton told the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, adding: "You can't just talk someone into trusting you, you've got to earn it."
The picture-perfect image in Ohio marked an important moment of party unity after Clinton's long-fought primary against liberal challenger Bernie Sanders, who has not yet endorsed his former rival. And with Warren under consideration to be Clinton's running mate, it may also be a glimpse of the party's future.
Warren showed how she could play attacker-in-chief against Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, calling him a "small, insecure money-grubber," ''a nasty man" and "goofy."
An unprecedented two-woman ticket would electrify the party's liberal wing, boosting enthusiasm for Clinton's campaign as she continues to face high unfavorable ratings.
Warren could also help Clinton combat the perception that the multimillionaire former first lady is disconnected from the struggles of working Americans an image promoted by Sanders during his campaign.
Her arm over Warren's shoulder, Clinton lavished praise on the progressive star, whom she called a "friend" and a "great leader."
"She is considered so terrific, so formidable, because she tells it like it is," she said.
Warren returned the compliment, saying of Clinton: "She just remembers who really needs someone on their side and she gets up and keeps right on fighting for the people who need her the most."
The two women have never been close, according to aides, who note their Senate service didn't overlap and they worked in different corners of the Obama administration. Clinton served as secretary of state, while Warren helped establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
At times, their relationship has seemed almost frosty. Warren wrote in a 2004 book that as a senator from New York, Clinton "could not afford such a principled position" on legislation that would make it harder for consumers to relieve their debt through bankruptcy laws. She also implied that Clinton was short-tempered and impatient with her staff.
There was little of that distance on Monday. Together, they slammed Trump, casting him as a small-minded, self-interested billionaire who would destroy the country's economy.
"Donald Trump is the guy who wants it all for himself," said Warren. "And watch out. Because he will crush you into the dirt to get whatever he wants."
She's taken his hits in return: He blasted her as "Pocahontas," Republicans claim that Warren fabricated Native American ancestry to help boost her legal career. Warren says she never used her background for unfair advantage.
"Crooked Hillary is wheeling out one of the least productive senators in the U.S. Senate, goofy Elizabeth Warren, who lied on heritage," Trump tweeted on Monday. Later, he called her "a racist" and "a fraud," in an interview with NBC News.
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican who lost his Senate seat to Warren in 2012, said Clinton "is considering making someone vice president who has very serious character flaws when it comes to honesty and credibility" in dealing with her heritage. Republicans say Warren fabricated her ethnic background to gain an employment advantage. Warren denies the accusation. Brown who moved to New Hampshire to run for Senate in 2014 and lost that race, too on Monday suggested Warren get a DNA test to clear up the heritage matter.
Warren's tough assault on Trump is valued by Clinton, who aides say particularly appreciates surrogates that don't mince words in their attacks.
"I do just love to see how she gets under Donald Trump's skin," said Clinton.
Warren has been trying to endear herself to Clinton in other ways. Days after a private meeting at Clinton's home, Warren stopped by her campaign headquarters in Brooklyn to deliver a pep talk to staffers.
She's being vetted by lawyers involved in Clinton's vice presidential search, and they've asked Warren for documents and to complete a questionnaire. The next step: a private interview with Clinton.
Other candidates under consideration include Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a well-liked lawmaker from an important general election battleground state; and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro of Texas, a rising star in the Democratic Party.
Disputes and confrontations over portions of the Pacific Ocean continue to grow. Indonesias government seized a Chinese fishing vessel on June 17 off the Natuna Islands, administered by Jakarta. That nations Vice President Jusuf Kalla accompanied the move with tough talk directed at Beijing.
On June 15, a China reconnaissance ship violated Japans waters. Six days earlier, another China vessel came near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. These tiny islands are under the jurisdiction of Japan.
In April 2014, Beijing authorities impounded the Baosteel Emotion, a freighter of Japans Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. The move was part of commercial claims resulting from World War II.
Last June, Vietnam news sources reported fishing boats from the nation were attacked by China in disputed waters. In the first incident, water cannon flooded a ship, and a fishermans leg was broken. In the second, a fishing boat was boarded and robbed.
This occurred near the Paracel Islands, claimed by both nations. In January 1974, China and South Vietnam fought a naval battle there, which underscored Beijings aggressive long-term efforts to control the islands.
More widely, China is constructing permanent artificial islands in the South China Sea, including putting military and civilian facilities on them. As indicated, this enormous effort aggravates already strained relations with other nations in addition to Vietnam.
A range of governments are engaged in contemporary maritime disputes in and near the Pacific, including Argentina, Britain, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. China steadily expands militarily, including strategic naval capacities. Traditionally, the nation has been cautious in using military force for aggressive moves, but that may be changing.
President Barack Obamas recent visits to Japan and Vietnam took place in the context of these continuing disputes. The Obama administration formally announced that greater strategic priority would be devoted to the Pacific.
Since World War II, the greatest concentration of U.S. Navy ships has been committed to this vast region. American forces have fought major wars in Korea and Vietnam. Washington has been sending military ships and aircraft into and near some disputed areas in the Pacific.
Great Britain, before World War II, was the paramount maritime power in the world and remains important. London is a global insurance industry center, populated by firms rooted initially in maritime salvage as well as shipping operations.
The Falkland Islands in the far southwest Atlantic was the site of a brief but extremely harsh war in 1982. Argentinas military regime seized the islands in a surprise move. The British recaptured the islands, demonstrating exceptional military effectiveness with vital U.S. logistical support.
Ocean commerce has generated deeply rooted and durable international law, which continues to be extremely important today. Maritime law indicates the practical utility as well as moral imperative of the rule of law.
Britain and the United States have an opportunity to collaborate and build a coalition of Asian nations regarding maritime conflicts. A case brought by the Philippines against Beijings South China Sea aggression will soon be decided by the international court in The Hague, Netherlands. The related Law of the Sea Treaty, completed in 1982, has been approved by much of the world but not the U.S. government.
This is an ideal time for members of the U.S. Senate to provide long-overdue bipartisan ratification of this important treaty.
CROWN POINT "I don't think there's a day I get up that I don't think about something going wrong."
As John Unterfranz said this, with sunlight bouncing off a nearby lake and illuminating the inside of his home, he wore a look of frustration, of worry, of resignation. But he also had reason to keep fighting. Several reasons.
"The thing that keeps me going is her," the 63-year-old said, motioning toward his wife, Jeanne, seated next to him at their kitchen table. "Also, my four kids. And the biggest one is my four grandkids."
A moment later, one of them, 4-year-old Jackson St. Germain, came down the stairs. Wearing a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" T-shirt, he started listing off what he wants to do when he grows up: A garbage man. An air-rescue pilot. An airplane pilot.
Whichever he chooses, his grandfather hopes to be there.
In 2014, Unterfranz got the news that he had early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The Times profiled him not long after. Since then, he's welcomed two new grandchildren to the world.
And while he forgets certain things and can't drive, he's still able to do most of what he could prior to his diagnosis. So life goes on, if different from before.
As America recognizes Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month, the number of Hoosier seniors with the disease is expected to grow to 130,000 in 2025 from 110,000 today. Indiana already spends nearly $1 billion a year in Medicaid costs to care for people with Alzheimer's, the sixth leading cause of death in the state. Caregivers gave 381 million hours last year tending to loved ones with the disease.
And with early-onset Alzheimer's on the rise, there are more and more people like Unterfranz: Those who are able to live mostly full lives but bracing themselves for the worst.
The advantage of early identification, however, is time.
"As you move past the emotions of receiving the diagnosis and getting past the nitty-gritty of care planning, we can focus on what is still possible, as well as the possibility of a cure," said Sarah Milligan, a social worker for the Alzheimer's Association in Northwest Indiana.
But at Unterfranz's stage of the disease, frustration often begins to set in.
"People become much more quiet. They don't talk as much. They may not want to go out with friends or do certain activities," said Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, a neurologist at Rush University Medical Center. "Also, activities of daily living become challenging. With the disease, the brain over time has difficulty putting things together, judging how big something is, judging orientation."
One area of hope is all the research surrounding brain disease. Unterfranz participates in a clinical trial at Rush where he receives an experimental Alzheimer's drug (or a placebo he doesn't know) designed to slow down the progression of the disease by growing more brain cells. He's open to doing other clinical trials in the future; there are so many studies these days that researchers are desperately in need of volunteers (both with and without Alzheimer's.)
Aggarwal said the most promising studies right now focus on prevention. A possible endgame is a vaccine that would, like the flu shot, be given regularly to at-risk adults.
For Unterfranz, many of the changes so far have been minor. He spills food on himself more often. On a recent day at his Lakes of the Four Seasons home, he had trouble remembering the name of the Illinois mayor arrested in his subdivision, called his grandson by the wrong name and was going to spray a wasp with OFF! insect repellent before his wife pointed it out.
He's a proud man, so he still tries to be a handyman around the house. But he sometimes forgets how to work a tool he's used a thousand times before. So his wife helps him out.
"A couple days ago, I was real frustrated. I couldn't do something I can usually do," he said. "And the White Sox were playing terrible so that didn't help."
His wife also acknowledged he's no longer the life of the party in social settings, in part because has a difficult time paying attention to what people are saying.
As Unterfranz played toy trains with Jackson the other day, it was obvious how much joy his grandkids bring him. But even Jackson understands something is wrong, as much as a 4-year-old can.
"What does Poppa have on his brain?" his grandma asked him, as he and his grandfather splashed around in a little, plastic pool in the couple's driveway.
"Owies," Jackson said.
Tuesday was a milestone for the 1.1 million students in the city's public schools - the last day of classes. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.
It's a day many kids at Russell Sage Junior High School 190 have been waiting for since September.
"No homework. We get to relax in our bed. I don't have to wake up early anymore," said student Keayanna Edouard.
She really doesn't. That's because classes are done for public school kids in town. So from neighborhoods like Inwood and Harlem to Forest Hills, it was all about saying goodbye to the books and hello to summer fun, though the final day was bittersweet for these graduates moving on to high school in September.
"It's a weird feeling because I'm so used to coming here every day, and now we have to go somewhere else, and we are going to miss all of those teachers and stuff like that," said student Theodora Anderson.
"I'm very sad, very sad. I'm missing all my friends because everyone's going away. But a new chapter in your life, it's a great feeling," said student Massiel Martinez.
Principal Marilyn Price Grant was there to wish a happy summer to her students and comfort nervous eight graders heading off to high school. She says they are always welcome to come back and visit.
"I feel that we have given them a good foundation so that they are prepared for whatever challenges they face," Grant said.
While summer vacation couldn't come soon enough for many students, more than a few admitted not showing up here five days a week for two months will be an adjustment.
"I've been making a lot of new friends, and I am really going to miss this school for another two months," said student Dante Meza.
That said, lots of fun stuff awaits these sixth, seventh and eighth graders in the coming weeks.
Meza: We're going to Ecuador.
Clark: Ecuador. Oh, that sounds like fun. What's going on there?
Meza: We're going to the Galapagos Islands.
Martinez: I'm hanging out with my friends and trying to catch up to get used to going to high school.
Clark: No trips, no beach?
Martinez: Yeah, the beach, the pool, obviously. I'm excited.
The fun and frolic may have to wait for students who need to go to summer school. That begins next week. Otherwise, public school students are expected back in the classroom on September 8.
The NYPD says it will continue to follow events in Turkey after authorities in Turkey responded to an attack at an airport in Istanbul.
According to the Associated Press, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 31 people were killed in the attack, while another senior government official told The Associated Press it could climb much higher.
The AP says the senior official at first said close to 50 people had already died, but later said that the figure was expected to rise to close to 50.
The attack happened earlier Tuesday at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
According to reports, three suicide bombers blew themselves up at the entrance of the international terminal after being fired on by police.
The U.S. consulate is working to determine whether any Americans are among the dead or wounded.
The NYPD says it will adjust deployments in New York City as needed.
In a statement, the Port Authority says it has "added high visibility patrols equipped with tactical weapons" at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports.
The White House also says President Barack Obama has been briefed on the attack.
In these final days leading up to Tuesday's Congressional primary, New Yorks most competitive contest the race to succeed Congressman Charles Rangel has gotten ugly, with accusations of voter suppression and racially charged attacks. Our Bobby Cuza has the very latest and a roundup of the rest of tomorrow's contests.
First came the fundraising email from a super PAC backing state senator Adriano Espaillat, describing how he can win if he, quote, prevents or suppresses the White Progressive and African American vote that would otherwise go to Assemblyman Keith Wright.
The community is most distressed about hearing something regarding the suppression of black votes. It brings up all of the ghosts of the civil rights movement, said Wright.
If theres any suppression, it has come from the Board of Elections, countered Espaillat.
Espaillat disavowed the email and instead hit back at Wright, who as head of the Manhattan Democratic Party, exerts some control over the troubled Board of Elections.
I think if he wants to send a message of good government the day before election, he should step down as chair of the countyof Tammany Hall Step down, Keith, Espaillat said.
The sniping was just one ugly turn in the crowded race to replace retiring Congressman Charles Rangel.
Saturday, the Reverend Al Sharpton used racially charged language to belittle candidate Clyde Williams.
They going to hire them some outsiders, throw them up on television with commercials. And youre supposed to be attracted to negroes you aint never seen before? shouted Sharpton during a speech at the National Action Network. I mean, they must have a laboratory to just create these negroes. Hi, my name is so-and-so, I walk through with thewhere do you come from?
Williams suggested fear was behind the attacks from Wright's allies.
Since my opponent has no ideas, and doesnt have the ability to communicate any information to people, then he has to go back to what people do all the time, which is try to say things to be divisive, said Williams.
Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Suzan Johnson Cook and Michael Gallagher are also on the ballot. This is one of seven Democratic primaries in the city, including one to replace retiring Congressman Steve Israel, while incumbents Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velazquez, Jerrold Nadler, Carolyn Maloney and Jose Serrano all face primary challengers.
Of course, the divisiveness of this race will be long gone by November, when the winner of Tuesdays primary is expected to coast to victory over the Republican candidate in this overwhelmingly Democratic district.
Kean University, home of the nascent Michael Graves College for architecture and design, has received permission from its board of trustees to purchase three of Gravess properties in Princeton, N.J. including his residence and studio, the Warehouse for $20.
Graves, a prolific architect, a standard-bearer of postmodernism in the 1980s and a popularizer of designer versions of teakettles and other everyday objects, died last year. Through his will, he donated the properties to Princeton University, his neighbor and longtime employer.
But Princeton rejected the gift.
We were grateful to be able to consider the possibility of accepting Michael Gravess properties, but concluded that we could not meet the terms and conditions associated with the gift, the university said in a statement.
Among those terms and conditions were preserving the houses and making them fit for educational purposes a cost that Kean said it was willing to take on. Dawood Farahi, Keans president, said that annual maintenance was estimated at $30,000 to $40,000, and retrofitting the buildings for student use would cost about $300,000. The three properties were appraised for a total value of nearly $3.2 million.
Frontline investigates reform within the Newark Police Department after a three-year Justice Department investigation. Dead of Summer goes back to camp in the 1980s, where scary campfire stories come to life. And Very British Problems returns, with James Corden and David Tennant.
Whats on TV
FRONTLINE: POLICING THE POLICE 10 p.m. on PBS. In July 2014 the Justice Department ordered the Newark Police Department to reform after a three-year investigation detected a pattern of unconstitutional practices. Its report said that the force had disproportionately stopped black residents, and that 75 percent of those stops had no legal justification; it also found that officers had used excessive force against residents, stolen their money and belongings, and arrested those who questioned their actions. Here, Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker follows the department as it tries to fix its relationship with the community after decades of mutual mistrust.
This isnt meant to scare you, but lets consider the absolute worst-case scenarios of Brexit.
All over the world, political scientists and financial professionals have been hunkered down trying to game out the economic implications of Britains surprise decision to leave the European Union. Many of them had already done various calculations, but now that the decision is real, a surfeit of new scenarios has emerged.
Most of the war-gaming has been focused on the direct economic blow to Britain. But the catastrophe-shouting there has almost certainly been overly loud: Yes, Britains economy is likely to suffer in the near term as the government reconstitutes and tries to negotiate its divorce with Europe. And yes, the pound will probably continue to lose value, and the uncertainty of Britains relationship with Europe will paralyze investment until new rules of engagement are put in place.
All of which will makes markets around the world shudder, shrug and generally behave like petulant teenagers. Stocks have entered a new realm of volatility, unlikely to abate anytime soon, according to a Wells Fargo research note issued on Monday. It warned, Get used to it.
But it would be wrong to focus exclusively on Britain when considering the possible financial ramifications and permutations. In a truly dire scenario, Britain is just the leading domino. Its the next dominoes most likely across the Channel that matter more.
In the race to replace Representative Charles B. Rangel, the buzz around two of the candidates, Adriano Espaillat and Guillermo Linares, has been heightened by their chance to make history: Each is seeking to become the first person born in the Dominican Republic to be elected to Congress.
That much would be true.
Both men have long laid claim to being the first from what is known as the Dominican diaspora to have been elected to various lesser offices, from the New York City Council to the State Legislature.
But exactly who was first at what is a question that hinges on the ingredients of ethnic identity, and how they apply to immigrants and their children.
Nine candidates are running in the Democratic primary on Tuesday in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx for the chance to replace Mr. Rangel, a powerful Harlem politician who is retiring after what will be 46 years in Congress. The candidates include Keith L.T. Wright, a state assemblyman who has Mr. Rangels endorsement, and Adam Clayton Powell IV, whose father, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., previously occupied the seat held by Mr. Rangel. Mr. Espaillat, a state senator, ran twice before in primaries against Mr. Rangel.
The board that sets rents for more than one million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City voted on Monday to freeze rents for one-year leases for the second year in a row.
By a vote of 7 to 0, with two abstentions, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board also decided to raise rents by 2 percent for two-year leases, a modest rise that mirrors last years. The vote, which came during a typically emotional board meeting, was in keeping with the historically low rent increases that the board had previously approved during the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who appointed the full board.
Board members said their decisions reflected the fact that most tenants in regulated units continue to struggle with housing costs. Keeping rents low also helps preserve the existing stock of housing that is below the market rate, which Mr. de Blasio has made a signature issue, along with building new affordable housing.
In the Great Hall at Cooper Union in Manhattan on Monday night, hundreds of tenants filling the meeting did not cheer the vote, because it came with an increase for two-year leases. At public hearings over the last month, tenants had asked for a continuation of the freeze on one-year leases, and even a rent reduction.
On Sunday, just three days after Britains shocking vote to leave the European Union, Spanish voters returned to the polls for the second time in six months to elect a government. In December, two upstart parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos, buoyed by a wave of voter frustration with the political establishment in a country hit hard by economic crisis and austerity, turned Spanish politics upside down, ending more than three decades of alternating governance by Spains two major parties, the conservative Popular Party and the Socialists. The resulting Parliament was too fractious to form a government, forcing new elections.
Sundays vote again denied any one party the 176-seat majority required to form a government. But there was no surge in support, as polls had predicted, for Spains populist upstarts. Instead, Spanish voters delivered 33 percent of the vote and 137 seats up from 123 in December to the conservative Popular Party of caretaker prime minister Mariano Rajoy. The Socialists won 85 seats, five fewer than in December. As for the upstarts, left-wing Podemos held steady at 71 seats, the same number it won in December. The other new party, the centrist Ciudadanos, saw its support drop; it won 32 seats down from the 40 it won in December.
The results leave Spain where it was before Sundays vote: in debilitating political deadlock, with Mr. Rajoy still in charge as a caretaker prime minister who must now cobble together a workable coalition. He is not particularly popular. While his austerity measures last year improved economic growth and reduced unemployment, his party has been rocked by corruption scandals.
Still, the bottom line is that Spain needs a functioning government. Creating one requires cooperation from the Socialists, who vigorously oppose Mr. Rajoy. Given the widespread anxiety and instability elsewhere in Europe, the Socialists should think twice before rejecting any accommodation with Mr. Rajoys party, Sundays clear front-runner. Mr. Rajoy should also put the welfare of Spain above personal ambition, and consider stepping aside to allow a party member more palatable to the Socialists to lead a government that will address Spanish citizens deep yearning for political renewal, transparency and equity.
Governments responded by limiting sales of the drug to hospitals or pharmacies registered with local authorities. Some states in Brazil banned misoprostol entirely. And while women could (and did) continue to obtain misoprostol on the black market, studies suggest that they used it with little knowledge of proper dosing or routes of administration, side effects or follow-up care. Some reported confusing misoprostol with other pills, like emergency and oral contraceptives.
Misoprostol use in the clandestine practice of abortion has largely developed on a trial and error basis, Joanna N. Erdman, assistant director and MacBain Chair in Health Law and Policy at Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, wrote in a 2011 article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. The question, she added, was how to reach women with safer-use information in restrictive legal environments.
The Uruguay Model offered a way forward.
Inspired by needle exchange programs aimed at preventing the spread of H.I.V. through injection drug use, Briozzo and his Uruguayan colleagues took a so-called harm reduction approach to the problem, framing abortion as, first and foremost, a public health concern. While acknowledging the penal codes prohibition of abortion as a crime in their country (with exceptions in the case of rape and incest and to preserve the health of the woman), they posited that abortion has a before and an after, and that, during these periods, health care providers were obliged to intervene.
At a before visit, a physician would confirm a pregnancy and its gestational age, identify any pathological conditions, and determine whether the woman qualified for a lawful abortion. If she did, abortion services would be rendered upon request. If not, the physician would provide the woman with an evidence-based overview of different methods of clandestine abortion; the risks associated with each method and their legality; alternatives to abortion, and available social support should the woman decide to continue the pregnancy.
Though the physician would explain how to correctly use misoprostol, he or she would provide no information on how or where to obtain the drug, because doing so was against the law. It was not advice, says Erdman. It was not prescribing or promoting, and it was this, she says, that allowed the Uruguay Model to operate within the law.
In a 2006 paper on the pilot program, Briozzo and colleagues described the before visit as an opportunity for women to be seen as citizens, with rights, who should be provided with information that guarantees that they will be in a better position to take the best decisions, according to their own situations, environment and values.
All women who attended the before visit were encouraged to come in for an after visit, for either prenatal or post-abortion care, depending on what they chose to do. For those who had chosen to have an abortion, the physician would with absolute confidentiality confirm complete termination of the pregnancy and address any complications. Uterine aspiration would be performed on women with an incomplete abortion. And all women would be offered contraception.
After traveling for five years and nearly 1.8 billion miles, NASAs Juno spacecraft will announce its arrival at Jupiter with the simplest of radio signals: a three-second beep.
NASA expects the beep, marking the end of a 35-minute engine burn to slow the spacecraft down and allow it to be captured by Jupiters gravity, to arrive at Earth at 11:53 p.m. Eastern time next Monday.
I can tell you when that completes, youre going to see a lot of celebration, said Rick Nybakken, Junos project manager, because that means well be in orbit around Jupiter, and thatll be really cool.
Daroco
It comes as little surprise that Daroco, the new design-forward Italian eatery in what was once Jean-Paul Gaultiers first store, attracted a star-studded crowd in its opening week. With much of the spaces original footprint left untouched (the same hulking door, exposed brick and stone, and expansive windows), it was transformed into a chic trattoria with mirrored ceilings, sleek velour banquettes and an open kitchen. From the mezzanine, diners can watch the servers in their Breton stripes (some in tops designed by Le Slip Francais, some in Saint James, both a nod to Monsieur Gaultier) maneuver the dining room below, carrying well-dressed plates of antipasti and pizza. And past the tables at the back, at the end of a dark corridor, craft cocktails designed by the French mixologist Nico de Soto, co-owner of New York Citys Mace bar, are available at the 45-seat corner bar.
This is a sign of the court saying to prosecutors, You are overreaching, said Leonard Goodman, a lawyer for former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2011 and is scheduled to be resentenced in August. They think they have unfettered discretion to take down any elected officials.
Current and former prosecutors strongly disagreed.
In Manhattan, a spokesman for Preet Bharara, the United States attorney there, said in a statement on Monday, While we are reviewing the McDonnell decision, the official actions that led to the convictions of Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos fall squarely within the definition set forth by the Supreme Court today.
Mr. Bharara has repeatedly said he remains committed to ending a pattern of corrupt acts by elected officials, and most recently, his office won the convictions of Mr. Skelos and Mr. Silver, a former State Assembly leader.
Still, there was agreement among legal experts on Monday that the ruling would make it harder for the government to win corruption convictions. For the second time since 2010, the court narrowed the avenues that prosecutors have to file such charges. The decision could even discourage some cases from being brought in the first place.
The bar is now higher in terms of what you have to prove, said Randall D. Eliason, a former chief of the public corruption section at the United States attorneys office in Washington. This will leave a lot of unsavory conduct unpunished.
KAKATA, Liberia Michelle Obama began a visit to Africa on Monday with a stop at a leadership camp for girls in Liberia, where she urged teenagers in one of the worlds poorest countries to keep fighting to stay in school.
With her own teenage daughters joining her, Mrs. Obama told the girls in the camp that she was just so thrilled to be here with you.
Im here to shine a big bright light on you, she said.
Education for girls is the central theme of the first ladys trip, which also includes stops in Morocco and Spain. She was welcomed on her arrival in Liberia with a red carpet and traditional dancers.
In connection with the visit, the United States Agency for International Development announced up to $27 million in funding in Liberia for Let Girls Learn, an initiative introduced by Mrs. Obama and President Obama last year.
MADRID While no party emerged with a clear mandate from Spains second round of national elections over the weekend, the results did demonstrate that it was possible, after all, to stop the advance of Europes protest parties.
Podemos, a radical left-wing party, suffered its first setback since it was formed two years ago with a goal of uprooting Spains two-party system. It was stopped in its tracks in Sundays vote by the Popular Party of Mariano Rajoy, the caretaker prime minister, which won the most votes. Mr. Rajoy is now in a strong position to remain in office, probably at the helm of a minority government, after six months of deadlock.
The vote in Spain was the latest test of whether a more radical generation of outsiders could unseat the political establishment, particularly after a world financial crisis that increased the wealth gap in most Western societies. A similar tussle has occurred ahead of the November election in the United States, while far-right leaders in countries like France and Austria have built their demands for political overhaul on growing fears of mass migration.
Podemos was in part inspired by the success of Syriza, a far-left party that came to power in Greece in 2015 and helped to almost wipe out the Greek Socialist party. Before Sundays vote, Podemos formed an alliance with United Left, another radical party, to improve its chances of leapfrogging the Socialists as Spains largest left-wing party.
BEIRUT, Lebanon Eight suicide bombers launched two waves of attacks on the Christian town of Al Qaa in northeastern Lebanon on Monday, killing at least five people and raising fears that violence from the civil war in neighboring Syria will further destabilize Lebanon, its fragile neighbor.
Four attackers blew themselves up in the town before dawn, killing five people and wounding a dozen others, according to local officials. Four more attacks took place at night as residents prepared for funerals to be held on Tuesday morning, wounding 11 more people, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Lebanon has so far managed to avoid large-scale violence, but the country has extensive political and sectarian ties with Syria and has struggled to insulate itself from the civil war. Some Lebanese have joined the fight across the border. Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite militia, is backing President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and some Sunni Muslims have joined the rebels seeking to topple him.
The country has also taken in about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, whose presence has stressed government services and put pressure on the economy.
Despite not being told exactly why, and though he had only a passing familiarity with Mr. Wests music, Mr. Desiderio made the trip from New York the flight was paid for and without even stopping at his hotel, was whisked to meet the rapper.
It was almost as if they were throwing a small surprise party for me, he said of Mr. West and his team. They were all smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Then they sat me down and asked if Id like to see what theyd been working on.
What followed was a voyeurs view of some of the most recognizable (and notorious) figures in American pop culture and politics Bill Cosby, George W. Bush, Chris Brown and others arranged in a tableau borrowed from Mr. Desiderios work (itself inspired by a Jackson Pollock mural commissioned for Peggy Guggenheim). He was elated.
I was almost in tears, Mr. Desiderio said. We just hugged each other.
Back at his studio in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., the artist, who is also a senior critic at the New York Academy of Art, discussed his impressions of Mr. West and the bridge between the art world and hip-hop. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
What was your initial reaction to the video?
As Im watching the thing, theyre smiling and filming my response, and all of a sudden, I realized that it is my Sleep painting: Holy [expletive]! Oh my God! I was really speechless. Kanye saw things in it that I dont know how he couldve seen. Kanye is truly an artist. Talking to him was like speaking to any of my peers in the art world actually, more like talking to the brightest art students that have their eyes wide open.
Calvin Trillin is 80, and his career is now largely in the hands of the repackagers. Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin, an anthology of his wittier journalism and poetry, appeared in 2011. That same year, the University of Texas Press issued Trillin on Texas, a collection that seemed to me to be carving the brisket a bit thin though not as thinly as Ecco has been slicing Charles Bukowskis old work into new books with titles like On Cats and On Love. In terms of Bukowski, Im holding out for On Schlitz.
Mr. Trillins new book is another raid on the archives of The New Yorker, where he has been on staff since 1963. It is titled Jackson, 1964: And Other Dispatches From Fifty Years of Reporting on Race in America. Not everything in it is top shelf. Some of the early articles are tentative and straightforwardly reportorial; Mr. Trillin was still finding his voice.
But everything in Jackson, 1964 resonates. The book builds, and the payoffs in some of its later pieces (the most recent is from 2008) are generous. The volume is more than a history lesson. The issues it considers police shootings, voter suppression tactics, race-based acts of terrorism seem taken from todays headlines. Weve come so far, yet we havent come very far at all.
This book appears at an interesting time. In April, Mr. Trillin got the gang-gong on Twitter after The New Yorker published one of his urbane and satirical poems, Have They Run Out of Provinces Yet? It poked fun at chasers of ethnic food trends, and read in part: But then food from Szechuan came our way/Making Cantonese strictly passe.
He schools us in three domains worthy of close study.
The first half of Chaos Monkeys takes us inside the world of venture capital. After leaving and litigating with one early-stage tech company to start another, Mr. Garcia sells out to Twitter, only to immediately abandon his co-founders for Facebook. Along the way, we meet the lawyers, angel investors, venture firms and associated institutions notably the Y Combinator, which plays an outsize role in securing financing from the most prestigious investors that drive this ecosystem.
The second half of Chaos Monkeys takes place at Facebook, and it concerns the handful of dominant companies that have emerged from this start-up culture. These companies (in addition to Facebook, notably Google and Amazon), whose market values start at more than $300 billion, are approaching (or in the case of Apple and Microsoft, managing) middle age. In addition to contrasting their collective ethos with that of the start-up world, Chaos Monkeys touches on the also-rans like Twitter who failed to break into this rarefied plane.
Beyond the authors personal story, what connects the two distinct halves of the book is his area of actual domain expertise: advertising. Mr. Garcia was a Ph.D. student in physics at Berkeley before joining Goldman Sachs to model prices for credit derivatives. He moved to Silicon Valley to perform the same magic in valuing the attention of internet users. And it is the explosion of digital advertising that has fed the emergence of the most recent crop of internet giants. In the course of describing his path from ad-tech start-ups to ad-targeting product manager at Facebook, Mr. Garcia provides fascinating insights into the nature of the online and offline advertising worlds both regarding what has changed and what has stayed stubbornly the same.
Two aspects in these central lessons make Chaos Monkeys a particularly compelling read, despite its faults. First, Mr. Garcia is not just a keen observer of corporate and social culture, but a thoughtful business and policy analyst armed with a highly refined detector for pretentious nonsense. Well before the investor Peter Thiel was revealed as the secret backer of the lawsuit that put Gawker into bankruptcy, Mr. Garcia was writing that the tech start-up scene, for all its pretensions of transparency, principled innovation, and a counterculture renouncement of pressed shirts and staid social convention, is actually a surprisingly reactionary crowd.
Even where Mr. Garcia completely mangles the facts as he does for instance in describing the mechanics of the Facebook initial public offering he manages to draw multiple fresh insights that somehow feel directionally correct. And in contrast to the self-serving verdicts rendered on his allies and enemies, his broader conclusions seem well balanced. The world he inhabited, Mr. Garcia reflects, is no worse than traditional industry and politics, but certainly no better either.
Mr. Petersson declined to comment on the lawsuits brought by families, which accuse the company of knowing about the deadly risks of its furniture and failing to do anything about it.
The death of a child is an incredible loss, he said. It should never happen. So our hearts go out to the families that have to go through this.
A child dies, on average, once every two weeks in accidents that involve the toppling of furniture or bulky television sets, according to the safety commission. Every year, about 38,000 people visit emergency rooms for injuries related to tip-over accidents, a majority involving children under 5.
In many cases, the children slide drawers out from a dresser and then try to climb them like stairs. In a moment, an everyday item becomes lethal.
The commission said all six of the children crushed to death by Ikea furniture were 3 years old or younger. It also received reports of 36 injuries to children, it said.
Ikeas recall applies to eight million chests and drawers in the companys popular Malm line, the style involved in each of the last three deaths from 2014 to 2016.
DETROIT For the public faces of Volkswagen in the United States the dealers the companys sweeping settlement actually settles very little.
The documents filed in federal court on Tuesday explain in great detail how Volkswagen plans to financially compensate the owners of the diesel cars it equipped with emissions-cheating software, many of which it will end up buying back. The deal is meant to pay owners the full market value of their cars before Volkswagen publicly admitted its cheating in September and to give them up to $10,000 in compensatory money on top of that.
But for the 600 Volkswagen dealerships around the country, stuck for months with tainted new and used Passats and Jettas on their lots that few people wanted, the company plans in some cases to pay compensation of only a fraction of their prescandal value about 40 percent, according to dealers the company briefed on Tuesday. After that, the dealers can choose to fix and try to sell them. But they have not been told whether they will also have the option of having Volkswagen buy them back.
And the dealers service departments will be obliged to fix any of the fume-spewing cars brought in by owners, rather than sell them back to Volkswagen. Trouble is, the precise nature of the fix has still not been determined by Volkswagen or approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Nobody wants to see anybody from the Takada family in charge at this point, said Koji Endo, an auto industry analyst at Advanced Research Japan. The Takada family, practically speaking, is being kicked out.
Until 2014, Mr. Takada served in a more ceremonial role as Takatas chairman. But he took over responsibility for day-to-day operations that year as the companys problems escalated, and its board named him to succeed a Swiss executive, Stefan Stocker, who was then its president.
Few seem to believe that Takata can weather the recall crisis on its own. The company lost 13 billion yen last year, or about $127 million, and had just 54 billion in cash reserves as of the end of March, against recall costs that specialists say may ultimately exceed 1 trillion. A committee of lawyers and other corporate-restructuring advisers appointed by the company this year said it risked bankruptcy if it did not find a rescue, and last month Takata hired the American investment bank Lazard to lead the search.
Takata and its bankers have held discussions with a range of potential white knights, according to news reports, including the American buyout fund KKR & Company, formerly Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and a Chinese car parts maker, Ningbo Joyson. Japanese automakers and banks, as well as the Japanese government, are also seen as potential contributors to a bailout.
The most crucial question for Takata, specialists say, is how much of the recall costs will ultimately be borne by its automaker customers, rather than by the company itself.
Fourteen carmakers have been affected by the airbag problem, in which the devices inflaters can explode with too much force, sending shrapnel flying into a vehicles cabin. The latest deadly incident, a crash on Saturday in Malaysia that killed a 44-year-old woman, involved a 2005 Honda City. The model had been recalled, but the vehicle had not been taken in to have the airbag component replaced, according to a spokesman for Honda Motor.
In the most recent report on the airbag problem last month, safety regulators in the United States said prolonged exposure to environmental moisture and wide temperature fluctuations could degrade the propellant that Takata used in its inflaters, making it unstable and prone to unexpectedly exploding.
James Green, a self-described activist scholar whose view of organized labors violent birth challenged conventional visions of America as a classless society, died on June 23 in Boston. He was 71.
The cause was complications of leukemia, his son, Nicholas, said.
Professor Green taught at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and wrote six books and countless articles, but taking his cue from a Yale mentor, C. Vann Woodward to pursue history with a purpose he did not confine his interests to the academy.
For decades, he participated in protest politics, including the civil rights movement, and organized community history projects and training programs for labor unions.
My purpose was to study the past to understand injustice in our society and then to explain how men and women who suffered from injustice gained the will to struggle against it and to strive for a better society, he wrote in an online autobiographical sketch.
Volkswagen solved one big problem stemming from its diesel emissions deception, agreeing on Tuesday to pay up to $14.7 billion to settle claims in the United States.
But the final financial toll once the company deals with a long list of fines, lawsuits and criminal investigations around the world may well be far higher. The continuing fallout could leave Volkswagen vulnerable to billions of dollars more in expenses at a time when profit is already under pressure.
So far, Volkswagen has set aside 16.2 billion euros, or about $17.9 billion, for costs related to its public admission last September that its supposed clean diesel cars had been deliberately designed to cheat on air-quality tests. Matthias Muller, Volkswagens chief executive, said less than two weeks ago that the amount was adequate.
But the American settlement with the government and car owners will consume a big chunk of that money. And Volkswagen faces even more scrutiny in the United States and around the world, most notably as authorities pursue criminal investigations.
Most of the new pans have smooth interiors and are sold preseasoned, which also explains their appeal to modern consumers. (There is a wealth of confusing and often contradictory information about seasoning online.) Each of the new makers has its own preferred system of cleaning and reseasoning, described on its website.
But the basic principle is simple: Treat the pan as if you were a 19th-century cook, because the way people back then cooked and cleaned automatically seasoned their pans. Instead of plastic polymers, their skillets had natural coatings formed by cooking with fat and bonding fat molecules to the metal surface.
So use the pan often, especially for projects like shallow frying or cooking bacon or browning chicken. Scrape the cooking surface clean with a stiff brush, a bench scraper or salt; rinse with very hot water and, if needed, a drop of soap; put it back on the stove over low heat until completely dry.
It is not necessary to make a science project of creating the patina: Under these circumstances, it will simply happen. (If the pan is long unused, however, even the loveliest patina will become sticky, rusty or both. Store dry skillets in a cupboard or the oven to protect them from dust, with paper towels between them if stacked.)
Image Ronni Lundy is a historian of the food of Appalachia, where cooking with cast-iron pans is part of the culinary heritage. Credit... Mike Belleme for The New York Times
Nostalgia for old ways of cooking is powerful, but in this case it is also practical.
Cast iron is not responsive, but it is relentless, said Nathan Myhrvold, the food scientist. No common cooking material has such a high thermal mass, or ability to absorb and store heat. Mr. Myhrvold, who runs a research center in Bellevue, Wash., called the Cooking Lab, which also produces the Modernist Cuisine books, said the common notion that cast iron is a good conductor of heat is a myth; in fact, the opposite is true. Cast iron grabs heat and holds on to it.
Paul Draper, who as winemaker and chief executive has led Ridge Vineyards for more than 45 years as it became one of the worlds most celebrated wine producers, is retiring, Ridge will announce on Wednesday.
Mr. Draper, who turned 80 this year, will hand over responsibilities to a team of executives who have been with Ridge for decades. Mr. Draper will continue as chairman of the board to oversee the transition. The executives who will succeed him Mark Vernon, Eric Baugher, John Olney and David Gates have already been running day-to-day operations at Ridge for some time.
The wines of the last 10 years are theirs, not mine, Mr. Draper said in a statement, so you already know the quality and style of the vintages to come.
Ridge is best known for its excellent zinfandel-based wines, primarily from two Sonoma County sources, Lytton Springs and Geyserville, which have always emphasized the characteristics of their sites over power and intensity. But its greatest wine is Monte Bello, a cabernet sauvignon-based blend produced in the historic Monte Bello vineyard high on a ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
To the Editor:
Re Justices Overturn Texas Abortion Limits (front page, June 28):
I breathed a small sigh of relief over the Supreme Courts vote to strike down Texas attempt to drastically limit legal abortion in that state. Thank you to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, but I am extremely nervous that my right to control my reproduction comes down to the vote of one man.
Our rights will never be secure until terminating a pregnancy is seen as a simple medical procedure, done in every hospital and given the same privacy as any other medical care. Remember that the pendulum can swing the other way, depending on who the next justices of the Supreme Court are.
DEBRA McMANUS
North Smithfield, R.I.
To the Editor:
Re Opinion Transforms Texas Abortion Landscape (news article, June 28):
The Supreme Courts ruling not only keeps Texas clinics open but has also erected a major roadblock in the dominant means by which anti-abortion activists across the country have effectively been chipping away at abortion access for over two decades.
This will force the movement to rethink its strategies and will fundamentally change the future of abortion politics. Its most significant practical and symbolic results, then, are best found not just within one state, but across the country as a whole.
LONDON Eight weeks ago, I was among those celebrating Sadiq Khans election as the new mayor of London. The victory felt symbolic: Mr. Khan, a state-school-educated son of a bus driver who immigrated from Pakistan, had been given the largest personal mandate of any politician in British history. I am the same age as Mr. Khan and Im also a state-educated son of Pakistani Muslim immigrants, and so his win felt especially validating for me. London had sent a message that it was open, tolerant and welcoming. This city, where I have lived for almost 20 years, was really a place I could feel comfortable and call home.
Thursdays Brexit vote was a bracing reminder that London is not England. While nearly 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the European Union, London voted overwhelmingly to remain. Twenty-eight of the citys council areas voted Remain, while just five all outer boroughs voted Leave. I live in Hackney, a neighborhood in north London where more than 78 percent of voters chose to remain in Europe just behind Lambeth, in central London, for the most Europhilic place in the country.
In the days since the result, I have visited London bars, coffee shops and restaurants. The prevailing reaction has been shock and disorientation. It reminds me of the days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales that sense of grief and a need to process what just happened. Everywhere I went people were discussing the result of the vote and its consequences: The Turkish waiter in my neighborhood cafe was reassuring an old Turkish man, who looked shellshocked, that he didnt need to worry. The bartender in the coffee shop was relating the latest plunge in the stock market to the woman who was buying a latte.
For many of us, Thursdays verdict is a reminder that we live in the London of Sadiq Khan but also the Britain of Nigel Farage, the leader of the nationalist U.K. Independence Party. While the referendum was technically about the European Union, the real issue was immigration, with the Leave campaign pushing xenophobic propaganda. Since the vote, there seems to have been a surge in racist incidents.
To the Editor:
In The American Tragedy of Vietnam (Op-Ed, June 20), Viet Thanh Nguyen comments that memorials to the civilian victims of the Vietnam War are rare, possibly because remembering their deaths might raise troublesome questions about who killed them.
An equally troubling question would be how those victims were killed.
In October 1965, I was in a California hospital recovering from an appendectomy when I watched a newsreel showing American B-52s dropping napalm on Vietnamese villages, while troops on the ground methodically set fire to thatched-roof huts.
Down the hall from my room were that nights victims of automobile accidents, and as I watched the newsreel I could hear their screams. A nurse explained to me that the accident victims were in pain because they could be given pain medicine only every four hours.
It immediately occurred to me that the Vietnamese villagers who were terribly burned by our bombs and napalm could not expect even that mercy. From that night to this day, references to Americas war in Vietnam evoke for me the screams of people in pain.
You may not know much about helium, except that it fills birthday balloons and blimps and can make even the most stentorian voice sound a bit like Donald Duck.
But helium is an important gas for science and medicine. Among other things, in liquid form (a few degrees above absolute zero) it is used to keep superconducting electromagnets cold in equipment like M.R.I. machines and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which uses 265,000 pounds of it to help keep particles in line as they zip around.
Heliums role in superconductivity and other applications has grown so much that there have been occasional shortages. The gas forms in nature through radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, but exceedingly slowly; in practical terms, all the helium we will ever have already exists. And because it does not react with anything and is light, it can easily escape to the atmosphere.
Until now, it has been discovered only as a byproduct of oil and gas exploration, as the natural gas in some reservoirs contains a small but commercially valuable proportion of helium. (The first detection of helium in a gas field occurred in the early 1900s when scientists analyzed natural gas from a well in Dexter, Kan., that had a peculiar property: It would not burn.)
SAN FRANCISCO Airbnb has charmed and strong-armed lawmakers around the world to allow it to operate in their communities. But two cities, Airbnbs hometown, San Francisco, and New York, the services largest United States market, have not been so compliant.
On Monday, Airbnb sued San Francisco over a unanimous decision on June 7 by the citys Board of Supervisors to fine the company $1,000 a day for every unregistered host on its service. If Airbnb does not comply, it could face misdemeanor charges.
The suit follows a bipartisan move by New York lawmakers who voted this month to heavily fine anyone who uses Airbnb to rent a whole apartment for fewer than 30 days, a practice that has been illegal in the state since 2010.
The actions show how Airbnb, despite aggressive lobbying efforts, has not been able to persuade some local legislators to play ball. And in the case of New York, the company has demonstrated a surprisingly tin ear for local politics.
At the federal level, the White House published a report on noncompete contracts in May that concluded noncompetes can impose substantial costs on workers, consumers and the economy more generally. The Treasury Department also issued a report this year criticizing the excessive use of the contracts.
The issue hits Massachusetts with particular force because of its technology heritage and failure to keep up with Silicon Valley. In the early 1980s, the Route 128 corridor outside Boston, birthplace of the minicomputer industry and long-gone tech giants like the Digital Equipment Corporation, was seen as the Silicon Valley of the East.
Noncompete pacts were only one ingredient in the recipe that worked against Massachusetts and to the advantage of Silicon Valley, where employees can depart and start their own companies mostly without fear of a lawsuit. But they mattered. In California, companies are generally prohibited from enforcing noncompete agreements because of a worker-friendly statute from the 19th century.
Its hurt our economy in the past, and its a statement of values about entrepreneurship and mobility that Massachusetts has noncompetes and California does not, said Stephen Kraus, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and president of the New England Venture Capital Association.
Noncompete arrangements, proponents say, can protect valuable trade secrets and motivate employers to invest in worker training because employees are less likely to leave.
Jesse Walker, the author of The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory, said fear, the human need to find patterns and tell stories, and the recognition that conspiracies are not impossible help fuel such theories. The stories no matter how outlandish can bring meaning and a measure of comfort in a world that can make no sense, he said.
False-flag theories have long been around. One focused on the assassination attempt in 1835 of President Andrew Jackson, during which the president fought off a gunman whose two weapons misfired. Conspiracy theorists at the time believed Jackson had hired the gunman as a way to drum up sympathy for himself, Mr. Walker said.
Unlike the 1800s, stories today benefit from instant delivery through the internet and social media. One of the better-known purveyors is Alex Jones, who hosts an internet show at the website infowars.com. The day of the Orlando shooting, he posted a video in which he asserted that the government had let the massacre happen so it could pass hate laws to deal with right-wingers and to disarm gun owners. He did not respond to an email seeking comment .
Mike Rothschild of Pasadena, Calif., who has researched and written about conspiracy theories, described the world of false-flag believers as a bank of awakened internet sleuths that has got it all figured out. They see it as their duty to warn others about secret elites in government who are plotting against citizens, he said.
If overwhelming concrete evidence debunks the theorists notions, it only reinforces their ideas, said Chip Berlet, a researcher of radical-right movements and retired analyst at Political Research Associates, a left-leaning think tank in Somerville, Mass. For conspiracy believers, explaining it away shows how smart the enemy really is, he said.
Rob Brotherton, a psychologist and science journalist who wrote Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories, said it is not just false-flaggers who seek connections and hidden meanings in world events.
It took just 16 minutes.
Emergency calls from inside the Pulse nightclub poured into the Orlando police in the early morning of June 12 from panicked and wounded revelers reporting the bloody scene as it played out. Dispatchers noted that they, too, could hear gunshots in the background, according to a police log that was among hundreds of pages of documents about the massacre released by the city on Tuesday.
The incident log gives a staccato narration, based on entries made in real time and time-stamped down to the minute and the second the most detailed account yet of what happened after Omar Mateen, 29, armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, walked into a bustling club with a mostly gay and Latino clientele and opened fire.
It shows the confusion as police officials tried to figure out what was happening, the horror of some victims reporting on their own gunshot wounds, and the abject fear of dozens of people trapped in pockets throughout the club, whispering into their phones, pleading for rescue, and hoping that the gunman would not come for them next.
Other documents released on Tuesday raised questions about whether one of Pulses exits might have been blocked.
WASHINGTON Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a federal spending bill that would have provided $1.1 billion to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus, saying Republicans had sabotaged the legislation with politically charged provisions. The move raised the possibility that no new money would be available soon to fight the disease as Southern states brace for a summer outbreak.
The stalemate, accompanied by a sharp war of words on the Senate floor, raised the prospect that the partisan divide in Congress was hindering the governments ability to respond effectively to a pressing public health emergency.
Democrats said they blocked the bill because Republicans were using the must-pass legislation to score political points, jam through unpalatable policy changes and cut money from other programs, including provisions that would hinder access to contraception for women and weaken environmental restrictions on pesticide use.
Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of manufacturing excuses for blocking the bill, but they did not dispute that some of the provisions favored Republican policy positions.
Based on evidence from the last three decades, polarization in American politics has eliminated landslide presidential victories.
But could Donald J. Trump trigger one again?
His extraordinary White House bid has raised the question. For Hillary Clinton, now leading solidly in the polls, it looms over strategic choices ranging from selection of a running mate to how she contrasts herself with the presumptive Republican nominee.
In theory, Mr. Trumps message of change, iconoclastic background and stances on issues from taxes to trade create the possibility of appealing broadly across a divided electorate.
In practice, his tempestuous persona, harsh rhetoric and thin preparation have repelled important segments of his own Republican Party as well as Democratic constituencies.
AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Washington DC - 28 June 2016 1. Various of members entering press conference 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina: After more than 100 witness interviews including more than 80 with witnesses no other committee in Congress talked to, and tens of thousands of pages of documents that is the single greatest impression that we are left with, that there are men and women who love this country enough and what it stands for and how it can inspire others to serve in dangerous places under dangerous circumstances, so I will respectfully ask my citizens to simply do this, read the report. Read the report and if you do read the report I think what will become manifest to you is what has become manifest to us which are two different images, the image on the one hand of what was happening in Benghazi during the relevant time period, and the image on the other hand of the decisions made and not made in Washington during that same time period. 3. Cutaway 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina: Nothing could have reached Benghazi because nothing was ever headed to Benghazi. No US military asset was ever deployed to Benghazi despite the order of the Secretary of Defense at 7:00 that night. So Washington had access to real time information but yet somehow they thought the fighting had subsided. Washington had access to real time information but somehow they thought these fighters were going to evacuate, even without the remains of the ambassador and without asking how was that evacuation supposed to be effectuated, how were you supposed to get from the annex to the Benghazi airport because it took you almost 3 hours to get you from the airport to the annex, who was supposed to take you? So those are the decisions being contemplated and discussed in Washington, and this mistaken belief that there was an evacuation that was eminent without asking the pretty fundamental questions, how do you expect us to effectuate this evacuation 5. Cutaway 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mike Pompeo, (R) Kansas: You cant begin to exercise the leadership you need to exercise if you dont understand whats happening on the ground and if you choose to put political expediency and politics ahead of the men and women on the ground and for that youll have to answer for yourself, I find it morally reprehensible and behavior that if it were your son or your daughter or one of your family members or friends who were on that ground that night and you will watch the actions in Washington, D.C., youd have every right to be disgusted with the response from the senior American leaders. This was a failure at the most senior level of government and one that I hope the recommendations that this committee presents will help making sure that something like this never happens again.
A second deadlock, in United States v. Texas, No. 15-674, effectively destroyed President Obamas plan to shield as many as five million immigrants from deportation. But it could have been worse for the president. While the tie vote left in place an appeals court decision blocking the effort, Justice Scalia, if he had been alive, would almost certainly have provided the fifth vote for a comprehensive rebuke to what Republicans say is a pattern of unconstitutional overreach by Mr. Obama.
The alternative to a deadlock was sometimes a muddle. In May, the court unanimously returned a major case on access to contraception, Zubik v. Burwell, No. 14-1418, to the lower courts for further consideration in the hope that the two sides could somehow settle their differences. The court expresses no view on the merits of the case, the unsigned opinion said.
If an eight-member court was deadlocked or toothless, it turned out that a seven-member court was prepared to take a major step. In Fisher v. University of Texas, No. 14-981, a long-running challenge to a race-conscious admission program at the University of Texas, Austin, the court was missing both Justice Scalia and Justice Elena Kagan, who had recused herself because she worked on the case as solicitor general.
The case had generally been viewed as a threat to affirmative action, particularly after the court agreed to take a second look at it last June. Instead, Justice Kennedy, abandoning his earlier hostility to race-conscious programs, joined the courts remaining liberals to endorse the Texas program by a 4-to-3 vote. If Justice Scalia had been alive, the case would almost certainly have ended in a deadlock.
Justice Scalia was a dominant presence on the court, and his influence could exceed the power of his single vote. But it is also possible that Justice Scalia played a role in pushing Justice Kennedy to the left. When the Fisher case was argued in December, Justice Scalias comments from the bench brought aspects of it into vivid relief. He said that some minority students may be better off at a less advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well.
I dont think it stands to reason, Justice Scalia said, that its a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible.
BANG BANG SCRIPT slow more dreamy music 00:02:08-00:02:16 In other places there are three types of military. Theres navy, army and air force. 3 types of armies in China. 00:02:16-00:02:23 But theres one more army in Chongqing than any other places in China. 00:02:23-00:02:26 TITLE: possible cut 00:02:32-00:02:37 The army of the Bang Bangs is to serve the people, to carry the goods. 00:02:37-00:02:48 We bring convenience to the bosses and to ourselves - because the bosses pay us for carrying goods. -end possible cut (PHONE RINGING) 00:03:07-00:03:17 Hello, Xiao He? Where to go? OK immediately. Where?! 00:03:19-00:03:26 Oh Ok yesterdays place. Ill be there ASAP. Ok, wait for me. 00:03:27-00:03:28 Are you coming? Fast music begins - - 00:02:34-00:02:44 Because Chongqing has a complicated topography they say The mountains are high but the roads are not even. 00:01:51-00:01:53 So the Bang Bangs job is to carry goods. 00:01:53-00:02:02 Sometimes we use the stick, sometimes we carry goods on the shoulder and follow the boss. 00:02:02-00:02:06 Sometimes you use the stick to carry. 00:02:06-00:02:09 Sometimes you carry on your shoulder, or use a trolley, like you saw earlier. 00:02:09-00:02:18 The goal is to deliver the bosss goods to its destination. 00:30:57-00:30:59 The Bang Bang are considered to be at the bottom of the society. 00:31:00-00:31:08 They are not citizens. They used to be farmers in the countrysides. 00:13:36-00:13:42 (Business is) a lot worse than 2-3 years ago. Now the business is hard. 00:13:44-00:13:51 I think its because Chinas economy is going down today. 00:15:15-00:15:17 It is a big difficult. 00:15:17-00:15:22 Because now, many bosses are having a hard time selling their goods. 00:15:22-00:15:29 If the bosses dont have good business, it affects us. If they have good business, we have good business. We are tied together. 00:23:21-00:23:23 And we are getting older. 00:23:24-00:23:26 Young people dont want to do this. 00:23:26-00:23:29 So theres less and less Bang Bang. OR 00:24:52-00:24:55 We are all old Bang Bang, theres no Bang Bang in the age of 20s. 00:24:55-00:25:01 If you walk on the street you will see, theres no 20s years old Bang Bang. 00:25:01-00:25:05 Normally they are in their 40s, 50s and 60s, they work as Bang Bang. 00:26:06-00:26:12 Emotionally, there will be something missing, if theres no Bang Bang anymore. 00:26:12-00:26:22 But it will be difficult to get a Bang Bang in the future, thats a problem.
BEIJING For decades, the Five Heroes of Langya Mountain have been presented as courageous examples of how the Communist-led Eighth Route Army fought for the Chinese people against the Japanese invaders in World War II.
The tale of how the five men fended off Japanese troops atop a mountain peak in Hebei Province, choosing to smash their weapons and leap three of them to their deaths rather than surrender, has been memorialized in museums, school textbooks, paintings, plays and movies. They were celebrated across China until a historian, Hong Zhenkuai, challenged the official narrative in two articles published three years ago.
But his questioning of what actually happened in 1941 landed him in a lawsuit, and on Monday, a court in Beijing ruled against him.
The Beijing Xicheng District Peoples Court said that Mr. Hong, a former executive editor of the history journal Yanhuang Chunqiu, had defamed the heroes, and that he should apologize publicly on websites and news outlets to the sons of two of the five men, who sued Mr. Hong last August.
This makes me sick as a man I cant stand this, one Weibo user said. Since you want women not to have premarital sex, then please tell all boys to do the same.
The publisher should name itself the 18th Century Publishing Group, another online user said.
In addition to fears about the harm such attitudes inflict on girls, the online reaction reflected concern about the lack of sex education in China. Teenagers often talk about how their parents explained to them as children that they emerged from armpits, or even from trash cans.
Anatomy is commonly taught as a substitute for sex education. In schools with rudimentary sex education, the message for girls is often abstinence, womens rights campaigners say.
The textbook, first issued to high school seniors in Jiangxi Province in 2004, is old and seems to have had a limited circulation. Apparently embarrassed by the outcry, the publisher, 21st Century Publishing Group, told Sixth Tone the book would be revised.
LONDON With their giddy celebrations of independence day having given way to political and economic turmoil, one thing has become especially clear about the former London mayor Boris Johnson and other leaders of the successful campaign to vote Britain out of the European Union: They had no plan for what comes next.
In the days since Britain voted to leave the bloc, the movements leaders have often appeared as if they had not expected to win and were not prepared to cope with the consequences. Faced with the scope of the decision, they have been busy walking back promises they made during the campaign and scaling back expectations. They have failed to show a united front or to answer basic questions.
Their faltering performance has added to the sense of political chaos in Britain and, arguably, to the turmoil in the financial markets. And it has undercut their credibility and authority as Mr. Johnson prepares his bid to become prime minister and lead Britain into a new relationship with the Continent.
The stakes are high for Mr. Johnson in particular, as he tries to build an impression as a capable leader amid the chaos that followed the vote in favor of a British exit, or Brexit. But the mixed signals coming from him and other proponents of leaving the European Union have left their intentions unclear on such basic issues as when and how they will seek to negotiate a withdrawal, and what kind of new arrangement they want. To the degree that they have signaled a direction, it has often been substantially different from what they promised during the campaign.
This scrutiny of technical minutiae has turned the European Union into a regulatory superpower, allowing it to help set norms and standards used around the world. But that tight focus has crippled its ability to grapple with big issues or to engage with many ordinary people. As the British vote showed, many people feel no connection with what began as an idealistic peace project after World War II, but is now widely viewed as a meddling and undemocratic bureaucratic machine.
One thing many in Brussels now agree on is that something has to change in the way the European Union works. But deciding what that is, exactly, will not happen swiftly, Frans Timmermans, the Dutch first vice president of the blocs executive body, the European Commission, cautioned Monday in a post on Facebook.
The Brexit vote is not an isolated incident and is not just about Europe, Mr. Timmermans wrote. It is also about a broad sentiment in Western societies that we have lost control of our destinies.
The search for some sort of answer will start on Tuesday at a previously scheduled two-day summit meeting of European leaders. It will be the first full gathering of the leaders, including the British prime minister, David Cameron, since last Thursdays referendum. The group will consider for the first time how to respond to the British vote.
LONDON Britains opposition Labour Party, already reeling after voters defied its advice and chose to leave the European Union, was plunged further into crisis on Tuesday when its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, overwhelmingly lost a no-confidence motion among his fellow lawmakers.
The measure, which passed by a vote of 172 to 40, opens the way for a challenge to Mr. Corbyns leadership. It technically changes nothing, as Mr. Corbyn has refused to step down, though it underscores his loss of authority among colleagues in Parliament.
I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 percent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning, Mr. Corbyn said after the vote by Labour members of Parliament. Todays vote by M.P.s has no constitutional legitimacy.
He added: We are a democratic party with a clear constitution. Our people need Labour Party members, trade unionists and M.P.s to unite behind my leadership at a critical time for our country.
There were no advance hints of the shake-up, and a terse announcement carried by state media gave no reason for it.
Image Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi in 2010. He was replaced as chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces on Tuesday. Credit... Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
On June 16, General Firouzabadi appointed a set of new advisers. He had been struggling with obesity and was rumored to have undergone at least one operation to lose weight. Health issues could be a reason for his dismissal, analysts said. General Firouzabadi will now serve as a senior adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, state television reported.
General Firouzabadi was one of the few military supporters of Mr. Rouhani, elected three years ago, and was among the first to speak out in favor of the nuclear agreement reached with world powers.
In his regular speeches, the general often echoed statements of Ayatollah Khamenei, who frequently warned against trusting the nuclear agreements Western partners, most notably the United States.
In 2012, the general verbally attacked Israels right to exist, saying, The Iranian nation stands for its cause, which is the full annihilation of Israel.
JERUSALEM The Israeli military has canceled a contentious directive known as the Hannibal procedure, which calls for the use of maximum force to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers, even at the risk of harming them.
A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in accordance with army rules, said on Tuesday that the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, had given instructions several weeks ago to revoke the decades-old directive. The official said the chief of staff had established a team to formulate a new procedure for such situations.
The Hannibal procedure was last invoked, with devastating consequences, during the war in Gaza in 2014. Palestinian militants ambushed Israeli soldiers soon after a truce took effect on the outskirts of Rafah, in southern Gaza, and dragged one of them, Second Lt. Hadar Goldin, into a tunnel.
At least 135 Palestinians were said to have been killed as Israeli forces unleashed a barrage of artillery and airstrikes meant to prevent the militants from taking Lieutenant Goldin deeper into the Gaza Strip. The episode became a focus of international scrutiny and condemnation. Amnesty International said there was strong evidence that Israel had carried out war crimes by bombarding residential areas of Rafah.
The government of Tanzania has gone to the dogs in its effort to stop the flow of ivory taken from elephants.
This spring four Belgian Malinois, Kyra-K, Messi, Yana and Max-Z, began patrolling the Julius Nyerere International Airport and the Port of Dar es Salaam, looking for smuggled goods.
The four dogs are part of the worlds first canine detection team trained specifically to sniff out illegal wildlife products in shipping cargo and airport luggage. Officials are hoping they will help take a bite out of the illicit ivory trade.
The dogs and their Tanzanian handlers completed a 10-week course at the United States Customs and Border Protections canine training center in El Paso, Tex., and a follow-up course in Tanzania. The Belgian Malinois were chosen for, among other things, their ability to work in extreme heat.
Ever since the mid-1980s, Thirstin Howl the 3rd had been saving everything: every photo of him and his friends, dressed in head-to-toe Polo; every last mention of his gang, the Lo Lifes, in a media publication, large or small. The clothes, the accessories, the ephemera. Over the years, his life became a museum.
Ive been documenting this story without even knowing I was documenting, he said recently, discussing the impending release of Bury Me With the Lo On, a thick, ostentatious and loving coffee-table book that captures the history of a certain subculture of Polo obsession, beginning with the Lo Lifes, the Brooklyn gang that he helped found that terrorized department stores from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.
All of the blueprints for hip-hops current obsession with fashion are contained herein: the laserlike focus on brand, the lifestyle aspiration, the subversion. Today, the genres stars collaborate with high-fashion houses or create their own clothing lines. None of that would have been possible without the Lo Life blueprint.
London British voters rejection of European Union membership in last weeks referendum has set in motion the biggest political crisis Britain has faced since World War II. The surprise is that the real storm has hit not the ruling Conservative Party, but the opposition Labour Party.
The immediate fallout was expected to be worst for the Tory leader, David Cameron, who had promised the referendum to pacify euroskeptic rebels in his ranks. Having in effect staked his job as prime minister on winning for the Remain campaign, Mr. Cameron announced his resignation. In Parliament on Monday, he conceded that a general election might soon follow a party leadership contest.
But it is the Labour Party that has fallen apart most spectacularly in the aftermath. By Monday afternoon, a full-scale rebellion was in swing. Most of Labours shadow cabinet its alternative government had resigned, and on Tuesday, Labour members of Parliament passed a no-confidence motion in the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, by 172 votes to 40. Mr. Corbyn has vowed to fight on, believing he retains the support of the partys wider membership, which elected him by a landslide last year, but his position hangs by a thread.
Many criticized Mr. Corbyns lackluster performance in the referendum campaign. But the real concern of Labour parliamentarians was not their leaders lukewarm effort for Remain, but the way large numbers of Labour voters defected from the party.
In another photograph, we see the printed image of a ship, torn so that the curve of the rip is like a huge wave that the ship peeks over, and we enter a strange little dream: The ripped paper is both a ship and a photo of a ship. Things in Ghirris pictures are rarely simply themselves; they look like themselves, or look like images of themselves, or bear their own names, or are framed like pictures. By this application of some slight conceptual pressure, he helps us realize this is also very much how the world is.
Intriguing work naturally summons analogy. In describing the artists who have guided him, Ghirri mentions Evans, but also Louis Daguerre, Diane Arbus, Jorge Luis Borges, Fernando Pessoa, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan, among many others. I find no mention of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop in Ghirris essays, but his work speaks to me in a way similar to hers. And if they have a shared language, it is a language Italo Calvino speaks, too. All three create a folkloric atmosphere; all have the gift of working in miniature without being trivial; all engage, very gently, the surreal comedy of the world looked at peculiarly.
Bishop was joyously obsessed with maps, and the four collections of poetry published in her lifetime, not counting The Complete Poems (1969), all made territorial allusions: North and South (1946), A Cold Spring (1955), Questions of Travel (1965) and Geography III (1976). These titles remind me of the abundance of globes, atlases, maps, monuments, tourist sites, road signs and postcards in Ghirris work. When I read Bishops 12 OClock News, for instance, in which the objects arrayed on the writers desk the gooseneck lamp, the typed sheet, the envelopes, the ink bottle become stand-ins for a mythical landscape, I cant help thinking of the still lifes of vases, jars and books that Ghirri photographed in the painter Giorgio Morandis studio. A section of Bishops poem, marked typewriter, reads in part as follows:
The escarpment that rises abruptly from the central plain is in heavy shadow. ... What endless labor those small, peculiarly shaped terraces represent! And yet, on them the welfare of this tiny principality depends.
What Bishop evokes here, and what Ghirris work confirms, is a sympathy with the lives of objects, the way the little things that surround us vibrate with accreted knowledge, as if they had been taking note of human behavior all along. In one essay, Ghirri writes about Daguerres ability to awaken the inanimate world through light. When an artist praises another artist, I pay attention: It often reveals what the one who praises would wish to be, or already is. Without question, Luigi Ghirris pictures awaken the inanimate world through light. This is why their magic never palls, and it is why I have kept Salisburgo, 1977 on my fridge for going on two years now. To get Ghirris photographs, in the sense of untangling the initial confusion about what they depict, does not exhaust their poetry. His photographs play with scale, symmetry, tourism and travel; they betray a love of the land and a wish to care for it; they return us to the schoolroom, restoring the enchantment of knowledge without naivete; and they somehow cut through the noise of our image-saturated environment to become, as he wrote, passwords for the ineffable.
Despite its title, Captain Fantastic, which opens Friday, July 8, couldnt be less like a superhero movie. It stars Viggo Mortensen, who has both the looks (the piercing blue eyes and jutting Kirk Douglas chin) and the buff physique of a Marvel type, but would probably prefer slow death to putting on a cape and tights.
In the movie, he plays someone so turned off by pop culture that he has moved off the grid entirely. His character, Ben Cash, is a former college professor raising his six children in a yurt somewhere in the woodsy Pacific Northwest. They hunt and fish, when not learning languages or practicing martial arts, and in the evenings they sit around reading heavyweight novels and listening to Dad inveigh against capitalism and corrupt politicians. For transportation, they have an old hippie school bus, and instead of Christmas they celebrate Noam Chomsky Day, when the children receive hunting weapons or, in the case of a 6 year old who has been asking where babies come from, a copy of The Joy of Sex.
Its hard to imagine a part tapping more deeply into the inner Viggo. Mr. Mortensen is himself not a back-to-the woods survivalist, exactly, but he knows his Chomsky and lives about as far off the grid as a major movie star can and still get work. He is famously picky about roles and makes only a movie or so a year without worrying too much about whether it makes any money. The rest of the time, he paints; takes photographs; writes poetry and music; and runs a small eclectic publishing house, Perceval Press, where he personally edits, proofreads and supervises the printing of all the books. (He also maintains a sort of personal bulletin board on the presss website, on which he posts leftish articles and pithy quotations from his voluminous reading: Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, Isaac Asimov; Power is not sufficient evidence of truth, Samuel Johnson.)
When I was 12, my family piled into a Honda Odyssey and headed west for a summer exploring the national parks. That trip changed my life. I tasted the freedom of the open road and experienced the wonders of Americas wild places. I was hooked.
Last August, I set out on an expanded version of that adventure, seeking to spend 10 months visiting all the national parks in the contiguous United States (I made it to 45 of the 47). I hoped the trip, which I chronicled on a blog, chasingcairns.com, would teach me more about wilderness, America and myself.
I knew I would learn from every moment and every mile, but only if I paid attention to what was happening around me. So I adopted a series of daily practices I called them my roadtripology rules to force myself to be as deliberate as possible about the trip.
This might seem paradoxical. Arent road trips supposed to be as spontaneous as possible? Of course. My rules sought to enhance spontaneity by making sure I noticed it when it happened. They made a big difference for my trip, and they should work for other travelers as well.
From Texas to Alabama to Wisconsin, more than a dozen Republican-run states in recent years have passed laws requiring that abortion clinics have hospital-grade facilities or use doctors with admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
Now, Mondays Supreme Court ruling that those provisions in a Texas law do not protect womens health and place an undue burden on a womans constitutional right to an abortion will quickly reverberate across the country.
It will prevent the threatened shutdown of clinics in some states, especially in the Deep South, that have been operating in a legal limbo, with Texas-style laws on temporary hold. But legal experts said the effect over time is likely to be wider, potentially giving momentum to dozens of legal challenges, including to laws that restrict abortions with medication or ban certain surgical methods.
The ruling deals a crushing blow to this most recent wave of state efforts to shut off access to abortion through hyperregulation, said Suzanne B. Goldberg, the director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School.
Adopting stringent regulations on abortion clinics and doctors that are said to be about protecting womens health has been one of the anti-abortion movements most successful efforts, imposing large expenses on some clinics, forcing others to close and making it harder for women in some regions to obtain abortions. Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who deplored Mondays ruling, argued that they were requiring clinics to be held to the same standards as other medical facilities.
Now, the court has ruled that any such requirements must be based on convincing medical evidence that the rules are solving a real health issue to be weighed by a court, not by ideologically driven legislators and that the benefits must outweigh the burdens imposed on womens constitutional right to an abortion.
Anti-abortion groups expressed anger at Mondays decision, insisting that abortion care is rife with unreported medical risks and malpractice, and vowed to press on. Americans United for Life, which has been a principal architect of the legislative strategy of putting requirements on clinics in the name of protecting womens health, said it would continue to fight to protect women from a dangerous and greedy abortion industry.
Im confident that the states will move ahead to fill the public health vacuum that the Supreme Court has created, said Clarke Forsythe, the acting president of Americans United for Life. This decision does not foreclose more narrowly tailored regulations, he said, promising that new ones will be developed state by state.
Since the Supreme Court has long held that women have a constitutional right to an abortion, anti-abortion groups over the past decade have turned to the states to pass hundreds of laws designed to discourage abortions, such as waiting periods, mandated fetal sonograms and parental consent requirements.
Most recently, promoting stringent regulations on abortion clinics and doctors has been one of the movements most successful efforts.
Since 2011, for example, nine states have passed physician admitting-privilege requirements, bringing the total, including Texas, to 11, though in several cases the laws have been temporarily blocked. Similar proposals are pending in five more states, according to Elizabeth Nash, a researcher with the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
The latest admitting-privilege law, though a weaker one than that in Texas, is due to take effect on July 1 in Florida. Gov. Rick Scott has said that he is studying the implications of Mondays Supreme Court decision. The Florida law allows clinics, as an alternative, to have a general transfer agreement with a nearby hospital, but it is unclear whether all of the states clinics can comply.
The clearest and probably quickest effect of the Supreme Court decision will be in the other states with admitting-privilege laws which mainstream medical groups say are medically unnecessary, and which clinics in some regions cannot meet because of hostility to abortion.
Such laws threatened to force the shutdown of four of five clinics in Alabama, three of four clinics in Louisiana and the sole abortion clinic operating in Mississippi. Given Mondays decision, none of the laws in those states, or in others where similar requirements are temporarily blocked, including Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, are likely to survive.
Edgar Castro wont have the kind of resources that lifeguards do along Orange Countys coastline: The 29-year-old Mexican surfer wont be able to rely on a network of other guards who have his back or have access to a boat to pluck people from the water. And he wont get paid to rescue swimmers in distress.
But Castro, from a beach town about 45 minutes from Cabo San Lucas, will take lifeguarding lessons he learned in Huntington Beach the past few weeks across the border to do what he can to save lives.
Thousands of lifeguards hit the water this week, including seasonal guards starting their first summer job, longtime lifeguards who know well what the summer madness brings and junior guards getting their first lessons in saving lives.
Among those in the water training Monday were Castro and three others from Mexico, who joined California State Lifeguards seasonal training and graduated with more than 40 other students.
While their classmates will be dispatched around California, theyll head back to Mexico, where lifeguarding is much different.
Its a great experience. Its a great opportunity to come over here, Castro said as he exited the water in Huntington Beach, carrying a yellow rescue buoy after jumping off a lifeguard boat and swimming to shore in challenging surf. All the things we learned, were going to apply it to Mexico. We dont have the same resources, but were going to do our best.
Where Castro comes from, earning a living as a lifeguard is rare. There are no paid lifeguards along his four-mile stretch of beach; the only ones who are paid work at the major hotels in tourist-rich Cabo. Its much like the early days in California and Hawaii when surfers like Duke Kahanamoku became watchers of the water.
Hes a local surfer who is in the water every day, and in the afternoon he works at the front desk at a hotel. He wont earn a living to help swimmers in distress and there are no towers for him to sit in to scan the waters like there are here but he knows his new knowledge is needed at his beloved beach.
There are many drownings. At our beach, theres a big problem in the springtime. And because of the tourism, theres a lot of tourists coming from the U.S., he said. Were going to get the knowledge, and if something bad happens, we are going to be there to help.
Castro and the three others were part of a training session near Cabo San Lucas a few months ago, where lifeguards from California went to teach skills to locals. The top candidates from their class were sponsored to come to Huntington Beach for a more intense training they could then take back to their hometowns.
Among the first items on his to-do list when he gets home are to make his own signs to warn beachgoers of dangers and to train other surfers in the lifesaving skills he learned here.
During the training, the foreigners had to get acclimated to a few things. The cold water was challenging. And then there were the nerves after a shark sighting Monday morning prompted instructors to move training from Crystal Cove to Huntington State Beach.
Were not used to it; theres no sharks there, he said with a nervous chuckle.
His most valuable lesson: CPR.
He also was blown away by how crowded the beaches are here.
I see why lifeguards are needed, he said. The beach is super big with thousands of people. Its a great culture.
Huntington State Beach lifeguard supervisor Ryan Gates said this group of trainees was tested in tough conditions, with back-to-back south swells slamming the region in recent weeks.
It was just brutal, he said.
About 65 seasonal lifeguards start the program, and about 20 drop out through the process.
Gates said it was great to have people from other areas of the world come learn lifesaving skills.
They go back to less. They dont have the resources we have here, Gates said. We try to recycle equipment to them. Boards that are older, we send down. Were always giving to fellow lifesavers.
While there may have been a bit of a language barrier during the lifeguard lessons, saving lives is a skill that transcends borders.
Theres not different distress signs of a swimmer. Its all pretty universal, Gates said.
Other trainees closer to home were excited to bring their lessons learned in Huntington back to their beaches.
Michael Young, a 17-year-old surfer from Ventura, said the idea of calling the beach his workplace was appealing. Not to mention, the wages are better than what most teenage jobs offer.
The pay is nice. I think its close to $15 an hour for a rookie, he said.
Junior lifeguards hit the water this week. Newport Beach Marine Safety Battalion Chief Brent Jacobsen said about 1,350 start the Newport Beach program Tuesday.
In response to the recent shark attack off Corona del Mar, lifeguards will remain vigilant by patrolling waters early in the morning, both for precaution and peace of mind for parents, he said.
Up the coastline, about 150 seasonal lifeguards kicked off their summer jobs last week at Huntington City Beach. Nearly 900 junior guards were getting their first taste of lifeguarding Monday.
Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said hes fielded many calls from parents worried about recent shark sightings. He said lifeguards have been sweeping the area in the mornings with personal watercraft and will take occasional scans from above via helicopter to keep a watchful eye out for sharks.
Its a wilderness area; theres wildlife out there, he said. The chances of being bit by a shark, according to experts, is real rare. But we want to make sure we let parents know were doing our part. If we see anything at all, we go through our process, posting signs or closing the beach.
Parents picking up their kids after their first day of junior guards didnt seem too concerned.
Wendy Snyder waited for her son Cameron as class let out at midday and said she hadnt even thought about the recent shark sightings.
If we werent doing this, we would be down at River Jetties surfing. Either way, hed be at the beach, Snyder said. Theres more people watching him here.
Huntington Beach mom Theresa Ramirez, mother of 11-year-old twins Luke and Evan, agreed.
Theyve always been here, they just have to report them now, Ramirez said. We have one of the best programs down here.
Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com
Economists and politicians are still trying to figure out the meaning of Brexit.
Not the meaning of the word. Most people have figured out by now that what sounds like a breakfast cereal is slang for the British exit from the European Union, approved on June 23 by a majority of United Kingdom voters, to the apparent shock of that nations elites.
The debate is about the implications of Britains withdrawal from the economic alliance with its European neighbors: what it portends for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for the EUs 27 remaining member nations. And whether it reflects an anti-establishment mood on the part of voters; and whether that would carry over to the U.S. election.
Our Question of the Week for readers is: Does Brexit mean more upheaval is ahead?
After Britons voted 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent to leave the EU, the first thought for many Americans was what it said about Donald Trumps chances of overcoming Hillary Clintons lead in the polls and winning the November election.
What are the lessons of Brexit for President Obama and other U.S. leaders?
Email your thoughts to letters@ocregister.com. Please include your full name and city or community of residence. If you prefer, share your views in the comments section that accompanies this article online.
BRUSSELS British Prime Minister David Cameron fended off anger from other European Union leaders at an unprecedented summit charged with uncertainty about the unions future without Britain. Leader after leader rejected Camerons pleas for favorable conditions for Britain once it leaves, while he frustrated them by refusing to initiate the divorce proceedings just yet.
At what may be his last EU gathering, Cameron sat at one end of the oval summit table in blue shirt sleeves, arguing for the best possible exit conditions for his island nation. Around the table, other EU leaders refused to negotiate, seemingly eager to kick Britain out as soon as possible to avoid further political and economic turmoil after the shock and emotion of the British vote to leave last week.
Europe is ready to start the divorce process, even today, without any enthusiasm, as you can imagine, said summit host, EU President Donald Tusk.
Outside the Council room, markets were still in upheaval as they sought to recover from the unexpected exit vote, which will rob the EU of its biggest military power, its second economy and a diplomatic giant.
In a special session of the EU parliament hours earlier, there had been cries of campaign lies from legislators regretting the loss of Britain, and taunting by leave campaigner Nigel Farage, who told his fellow members of European Parliament: Youre not laughing now, are you?
When the traditional family photo of the leaders at the summit was taken, few were smiling.
Realizing the threat of a rift further tearing at the unity of a bloc of more than 500 million people, Tusk said he was planning a special meeting of the EU leaders minus Cameron in Slovakia in September to chart a way ahead. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to use all her strength to prevent the EU from drifting apart.
Cameron was facing calls to start the exit talks as soon as possible, but he has said such negotiations should not be launched before October, when he resigns and a new British leader can lead the talks.
Britain will be leaving the European Union but I want that process to be as constructive as possible, Cameron said. After decades of being an obstructive partner in all so many ways as the EU sought more unity, his counterparts put little trust in those words.
As fast as possible, the U.K. must submit its notification to leave the European Union, French President Francois Hollande said.
We are not on Facebook, where things are complicated. We are married or divorced but not something in between, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel added.
Britains leave leaders hope the nation can still enjoy many perks of the EU internal market for business, while being able to deny EU citizens entry to the U.K. to address concerns about unlimited EU immigration. Merkel, head of the EUs biggest economy, made clear that isnt an option.
Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges, she said. We will ensure that the negotiations are not carried out with the principle of cherry-picking.
At the same time, unshackled from recalcitrant Britain, the other EU members need to plot a common way ahead. Yet differences between founding nations in the west and newer members in the east are increasingly tough to reconcile.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban railed against EU migration policies, which played a major role in the British referendum.
If the EU cannot solve the migration situation, then the challenges we experienced now in the case of the United Kingdom will grow, he said in Brussels.
Central European nations led by Hungary refuse to accept the imposition of EU refugee quotas. Further north, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Denmark have all tightened border controls in response to the arrival of more than 1 million migrants last year. Their entry overwhelmed Greece and Italy.
First, though, the EU needs to get rid of Britain.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and other European leaders insist they wont begin any talks until Britain invokes the Article 50 of the EUs Treaty of Lisbon, which sets in motion a two-year process to split from the group designed to unify Europe after the horrors of World War II.
I want the U.K. to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9 a.m., but soon, Juncker told lawmakers. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Juncker said he had banned his policy commissioners from holding any secret talks with Britain on its future until London triggers the exit clause.
No notification, no negotiation, he said to resounding applause.
The immediate reaction to the British departure in the EU parliament was emotional Tuesday. Farage, a member of the parliament and a leader in Britains leave movement, was booed and jeered when he urged Europe to give Britain a good trade deal when it leaves, saying jobs in Germanys auto sector might be at stake if it doesnt.
Why dont we just be pragmatic, sensible, grown-up, reasonable and cut a sensible tariff-free deal? he asked.
In a speech interrupted several times, Farage warned: The UK will not be the last member state to leave the European Union.
Bearing out his words, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called the British vote an extraordinary victory for democracy a slap for a European system based more and more on fear, blackmail and lies.
Associated Press writers Geir Moulson and Angela Charlton in Brussels and David Rising in Berlin contributed.
SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Brown announced Monday that he has reached a deal with lawmakers on proposed legislation to improve transparency and make other reforms at the embattled California Public Utilities Commission.
The proposal comes nearly eight months after the Democratic governor vetoed six bills looking to crack down on the commission, which regulates privately owned electric, gas and telecommunications companies, including their rates and safety practices. The agency also oversees railroad safety as well as transportation providers such as buses, limousines, airport shuttles, movers and ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft.
It has been accused of maintaining cozy relationships with the companies it regulates and responding slowly to safety issues.
Brown and three Democratic lawmakers who are pushing legislation related to the commission agreed to scale back its regulatory authority, including removing most oversight of transportation companies, and to require more public disclosure and participation in its proceedings. The lawmakers are Assemblyman Mike Gatto of Glendale and Sens. Jerry Hill of San Mateo and Mark Leno of San Francisco.
These reforms will change how this commission does business, Brown said in a statement.
Most of the legislation requires approval from both houses of the Legislature.
Under the proposed overhaul, the commission would shift responsibility for implementing and enforcing transportation regulations to other state agencies, including the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Highway Patrol. Authority for rulemaking would remain with the commission. Lawmakers hope removing transportation oversight will eliminate a distraction.
The attorney general would gain authority to enforce limitations on private communications between utility executives and Public Utilities Commission staff or commissioners. Emails made public in a lawsuit over the San Bruno explosion described then-commission President Michael Peevey holding private discussions with Pacific Gas & Electric officials on issues affecting the company.
A spokesman for PG&E, Donald Cutler, said the company is committed to dealing ethically with regulators and will review the proposal.
Polling in Great Britain clearly predicted the country would vote to remain in the European Union. Apparently polling in England is about as good as English dentistry.
The Brits shocked the world, and riled financial markets, when they voted to exit the EU. Citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world grew tired of having to pay for layabout countries like Greece.
Brits also didnt like the fact that 65 percent of regulations governing them come out of the bureaucratic morass in Brussels. Lastly, they did not like unchecked immigration imposed upon them by this power-hungry group whose incompetency grows with its size. Sound familiar?
When you are a strong financial country like Great Britain, being in the EU is like having your unemployed brother-in-law living in your basement for years, barking orders at you, and then telling you he wants to take a few unvetted immigrants into your house. Then he calls you a jerk when you say No.
Americans didnt know what Brexit was; many thought it was a new Hardees drive-thru meal promotion after breakfast but before brunch. We, too, were astonished when conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron resigned after miscalculating the outcome of this vote. Americans cannot fathom the concept of an elected official making a huge error in judgment and then actually stepping down. When our politicians make mistakes, they never step down they double down.
This was a U.K. government miscalculation. Americans would still be subjects of Great Britain had the British not made some bad government decisions, like dressing their soldiers in bright red uniforms to fight us in the forests.
EU government elites, who like their limos paid for with tax dollars, made the case for Great Britain to remain by embarking on a Project Fear, threatening Brits with terrible consequences if they voted to leave the EU.
Fearful of mutiny here in the U.S., Obama joined the establishment threats to British voters in an April speech. He cajoled and then threatened Great Britain, saying if the people did this they would have to go to the back of the queue for trade deals with the U.S. And with the way Obama runs government, he knows how to create queues: Obamadare, the VA, TSA, etc.
I explain it this way: The government elites are the pimps and we taxpayers are their hookers. When a hooker threatens to leave a pimp, there is always a public beat down of her. It keeps the other hookers in line and the money flowing upward, and it sends a message to anyone contemplating leaving the pimp. Its the same thing the media do here with any upstart candidate who espouses freedom and stands against a growing government. We saw it from U.S. federal agencies during the sequester or after any hint we might cut their budget.
There is only so much high-handed incompetence that people will endure. With the seemingly endless immigration of Muslim workers, blue-collar Brits rebelled. They also worried about their security and the world order of the West. We are as divided as ever on issues of terrorists, etc. ISIS beheaded a street mime recently, but that has been the only sign that the world was briefly on the same page.
Now, Great Britain will slow immigration forced upon it by the EU. Victims of violence, oppression, corrupt dictatorial government regimes, and weak economies fraught with bloodshed wont be as numerous. If they want more of these folks, they can just increase the number of direct flights from Chicago to Heathrow.
The Brits are now officially ballsier than us. They initiated a no-fly zone over Libya. Obama and France promised to help by providing refreshments. They also were quicker than we were to make gay marriage legal, allowing Prince Charles wife, Camilla, the freedom to stop wearing dresses and Elton John the right to do so.
The power-hungry, incompetent, burgeoning, central command-and-control government angered Brits. The EU became a coalition of the unwilling whose grumblings were ignored. This is not a surprise. Subjugating oneself to others is not the nature of most human beings.
The vote in the U.K. was about freedom, liberty, self-determination and free markets. Soon the U.S. will celebrate our 240th year of independence from Great Britain and our 7th year of dependency on our federal government.
A libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author, Rons a frequent guest on CNN. He can be contacted at Ron@RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.
SANTA ANA A man was shot to death in a granny flat behind a home in the 1000 block of West 2nd Street late Monday.
Our officers responded to reports of pops and possibly shots fired around 11 p.m., Sgt. Dominick Padillla said. The victim was found deceased inside of a back house.
Hed been shot in the upper body, authorities said.
The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Jesus Leon of Santa Ana, police said.
A suspect identified only as a 17-year-old man was taken into custody around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
A firearm was recovered when the suspect was taken into custody, police said. The suspect was booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder.
The homicide is not being investigated as a gang slaying, and the victim and suspect were acquainted, said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Police are asking that anybody with information about the shooting call Santa Ana Police Departments homicide desk at 714-245-8390.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227).
Staff Writer Scott Schwebke contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or jsudock@ocregister.com
LOS ANGELES The former second-in-command of the nations largest sheriffs department was sentenced Monday to five years in prison in a federal corruption investigation that also brought down his boss and 19 other members of the department.
Ex-Los Angeles County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka was sentenced in federal court in Los Angeles He was convicted in April of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
His attorney appealed the sentence just a couple hours after it was handed down by Judge Percy Anderson, who blasted Tanaka for his arrogance and gross abuse of public trust.
Tanaka was the ringleader of the departments efforts to hide a jail inmate after deputies discovered he was an FBI informant, prosecutors said. Tanaka played a key role in sending sergeants to intimidate an FBI agent in the case and threaten to have her arrested, they said.
In recommending that Tanaka get five years in prison, they said in court filings that he was the most culpable of everyone in the department.
Tanakas attorney, H. Dean Steward, said in court records that the government distorted the facts from the beginning and again laid the blame on Tanakas boss, former Sheriff Lee Baca
Baca pleaded guilty in February to lying to investigators. He faces up to six months in prison when hes sentenced next month.
Steward wrote that Baca was the true ringleader and called his plea agreement with the government a sweetheart kiss of a deal.
Mr. Tanaka was a fearless executive in the department who fought to weed out problem deputies, not encourage them, Steward wrote. The only culture he fostered was excellence and he made daily efforts to accomplish it.
Tanaka testified that Baca was angry at the FBI and choreographed efforts to hamper the federal agents. Tanaka said he was not involved.
Tanaka must begin serving his prison sentence Aug. 1.
Overall, 21 members of the sheriffs department have been convicted of federal crimes that include beating inmates, obstructing justice, bribery and conspiracy. The convictions stem from a grand jury investigation that began in 2010 into allegations of abuse and corruption at the downtown Mens Central Jail.
Baca had said he was out of touch with what was going on and denied knowing about efforts to stifle the probe by hiding the FBI informant.
ISTANBUL Turkey continued its diplomatic fence-mending Monday, apologizing for downing a Russian jet near its border with Syria last year.
In a letter to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, the same day Turkey announced a rapprochement with Israel, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret about the November episode, in which Turkish forces shot down a warplane that Turkey said had violated its airspace.
The downing infuriated Russia and paralyzed relations between the two countries: The Kremlin ordered sanctions on Turkish food imports, stopped visa-free travel for Turks and barred Turkish tour operators from offering Russian tourists vacation packages.
Erdogan has become isolated diplomatically after adopting an increasingly authoritarian stand, a combative position with Europe regarding the international migrant crisis, and a newly muscular foreign policy, including a failed strategy in Syria. The outreach Monday can be viewed as an effort to repair some of that damage.
Turkey had been going through a deep sense of isolation for the past few years, having switched from its famous zero problems with neighbors policy to a place where they had no neighbors without problems, said Asli Aydintasbas, an expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
In the case of Russia, economics trumped political posturing, Aydintasbas said. Trade between the two countries had been substantially in Russias favor, largely because it sells considerable amounts of oil and gas to Turkey. But Turkey also benefited: More than 3 million Russians visit each year, and their absence has taken a painful toll on Turkeys tourism industry.
In his letter to Putin, Erdogan said he would like to inform the family of the deceased Russian pilot that I share their pain and to offer my condolences to them, according to a statement from Turkeys presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin.
The effort to repair Russian relations began the same day that Turkey and Israel announced an agreement to resume full diplomatic relations, ending a six-year rift between the once-close allies. The two countries had fallen out over a 2010 Israeli military raid on a Turkish boat that was bringing aid to Gaza. Ten Turks were killed.
Going off-road doesnt always mean that you need to hit the aftermarket to make your ride more capable. Theres a good chance it already came from the factory offering features that will be useful where the pavement ends.
Downhill Assist Control/Hill Descent Control
These systems are offered on many trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. The basic concept here is that vehicle can manipulate the accelerator or brakes in order to prevent a vehicle from descending a hill too quickly or sliding on the way down, should the surface be loose. There are also hill-start control systems to prevent vehicles particularly those with manual transmissions from sliding backwards before ascending a hill.
Terrain Management Systems
Found on everything from Fords to Land Rovers, terrain management systems are used to adjust engine, throttle, brake, stability control, and transmission settings to best match a vehicle to the surface its driving on. Most of these systems will have settings for snow, sand, gravel, dirt/mud, and pavement. For example, a sand setting might hold the transmission in as low a gear as possible to keep the vehicle from bogging down as the wheels slide through a loose surface, while a snow setting might result in upshifts at lower engine speeds upshifts that will be more gentle to avoid wheelspin caused by a sudden jolt of torque.
Locking Differentials
One of the oldest and most basic off-road components is a locking differential, and vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon come standard so equipped. Other models, like third-generation Toyota 4Runners, will offer rear lockers as optional equipment. For those that dont know, a locking differential can lock to force both sides of the same axle to rotate at the same speed, thus helping improve overall traction in situations where traction varies greatly between two wheels. In some cases, the differential is centrally located along the transfer case, but the concept is the same.
4-Lo
Low-range for four-wheel drive isnt as prevalent a factory feature as it once was, particularly among vehicles that have all-wheel-drive systems as opposed to four-wheel drive. 4 Lo is basically a low range for the transfer case that enables a vehicle to crawl along the trail and its something that will be found on any hard-core trail-ready vehicle. Much like a mountain biker would go into a lower gear for climbing hills, 4 Lo serves the same function for trucks and SUVs that reduces wheel speed and allows the vehicle to crawl up or down a slope. 4 Lo is often considered a setting for uphill climbs only, but in reality is can be just as useful to carefully navigate a steep downhill section as well.
Adjustable Suspension
Some vehicles, like the Ram Rebel on the truck side or the Toyota Land Cruiser on the SUV side, offer air suspension systems that allow the driver to change the vehicles ride height from inside the cockpit, thus adding ground clearance if needed. The Rebel, for example, can be lowered for easier entry and exit and even has an aerodynamic setting (called Aero Mode) to provide better on-road fuel economy. The system can also be raised to provide additional ground clearance for the trail.
MORE OFF-ROAD STORIES
6 Jeep Pickup Trucks Over the Years
Tools Every Off-Road Explorer Should Have
7 New Off-Road Products from 2016 Overland Expo
Loading... OilVoice will be with you shortly...
MILLS COUNTY, Iowa For Deb Juarez, it was the lights. Bright, bold, stadium-like floodlights that flipped on at 5 a.m., almost every day of the week, shining right into her bedroom.
For Bob Spetman, it was the noise. All those dump trucks rumbling by so loudly that only the lawnmower could drown out the racket. For Ted Golka, it was the dust. So bad he and his wife couldnt have breakfast on their screened-in porch. Heck, they couldnt even see out of the dirt-filled screens.
The lights, the noise and the dust from the leveling of a hillside nearly drove these and other residents of this hilly postcard country crazy. Some complained to county officials. Some complained to the property owner, Cory Leick, who farms in the county and owns a landscaping company in Glenwood. Some finally complained to a judge, who said the county erred in giving Leick permission to dig. The judges ruling temporarily stopped the trucks.
But the dust isnt settled. Mills County needs fill dirt for development. Leick wants to provide it. And tonight, he will go before the Mills County Zoning Board of Adjustment to see if he can resume his dig.
This debate points to a deeper issue that the county faces about how it handles growth, a balancing act that can pit neighbor against neighbor as priorities and views compete.
Located south of Council Bluffs, across the Missouri River from Bellevue, Mills County offers both proximity to the Omaha metropolitan area and a scenic getaway. You can drive from downtown Omaha to Glenwood, the countys biggest city, in under a half-hour. And for part of that journey, you can drive through the Loess Hills on a road marked as a scenic byway.
Thus has the county been a draw for commuting Omahans eager to escape the crush of city life. Its how people like Deb and Tony Juarez, who left Millard 23 years ago, ended up with a farmhouse and barn on 25 acres where hollyhock runs rampant with pastel blooms. Tony could commute to his job at Offutt Air Force Base, and Deb could oversee the chickens, the horse and other animals theyve had over the years.
The Spetmans and Golkas also escaped from other places and have lived along the same stretch of Barrus Road for over 20 years. Bob is a cabinet maker. Ted raises waterfowl and sheep.
They are relative old-timers compared to all the newcomers, from Google executives to Offutt employees, who are building homes and settling here. More and more houses are going up. A lake development is advertising lots. Wedding venues have sprouted. Theres a winery and a brewery. And just last week, a $1 million nature conservation center opened. When you drive around Glenwoods quaint town square, the city banners describe this place as The best of both worlds.
More people are bound to come as the Interstate 29-Highway 34 corridor develops. Already, a new bridge across the Missouri River helps connect Bellevue to Mills County. The river bottomland in Mills County is ripe for commercial and industrial development. The county has hired a new economic development manager. But before any buildings can go up, fill dirt is needed.
Were not going to be able to develop it without dirt, said Darin Whatcott, the Mills County building and zoning official. Its got to come from somewhere.
Enter Leick.
Hes a 39-year-old native son who can trace his Mills County roots back to the 1856 homestead that is part of the 1,800 acres that he farms. His construction firm employs up to 55 people. And he has two dig sites one that is completed, on which he is growing soybeans. The other was begun but stopped by an Iowa district court judge whose ruling earlier this month overturned the Zoning Board of Adjustment permit.
The first dig site was on land that he described as a very steep erodable mess that he could do nothing with. So he applied for and got a special zoning permit to dig that hillside up and sell the dirt.
The countys term for it is resource extraction, and roughly between 2012 and 2015, Leick said he extracted 65,000 truckloads of resource, much of which went to Google for its data center in southern Pottawattamie County.
People need this, he said. You cant get it off Amazon, and youre not able to go to Walmart and pick it up.
Deb Juarezs property backs up to this parcel, and the soybeans growing there today are a lot quieter than diggers and dump trucks. In fact, the rural scene was so tranquil that I wanted to doze on her sunny back deck along with her three dogs. When the dig was going on, however, no one was doing much sleeping.
The lights went on early. Then all day, the property thrummed.
It was like having your house on 72nd and Dodge, she said. Which is probably quieter.
The second dig site is on a 70-acre parcel, a bit farther from her property, and thats where the trucks are currently idle. Leick said he plans to dig up about as much dirt there as he did on his first site less than 1 million cubic yards. This time, he said, the work would be less constant, depending on when the dirt is needed. Unlike the last dig, he said, so far theres not one major buyer but lots of little ones who would need less dirt at a time.
Leick said he learned lessons from the first dig and would make changes. He would manage extraction himself instead of going through a contractor. He would respond more quickly to complaints.
Id have more control over it, he said. Before, I sold just the soil. Now Ill sell soil and do all the maintenance.
He said the second site has more natural buffers and is less visible.
But that doesnt necessarily ease truck traffic on heavy extraction days or eliminate the dust and noise.
Bob Spetman, who lives along Barrus Road, said he once counted 175 loads on a single day.
The dump trucks would turn at the Golka place, where the screened-in porch faces that corner. Ted Golka said weekend work at the dig site meant an end to his lazy Sunday breakfasts on the porch.
You could forget about sleeping in, he said.
Golka said he had to power-wash his house and replace the screens on his windows.
Neighbors say their beef isnt with Leick, whose name is pronounced like. They like Leick, though they are testy about two points: The fact that Leicks own family moved from the first dig site to a home farther away. And they complain that Leicks presence on the five-member Zoning Board of Adjustment gives the appearance of a conflict, even though he abstains from voting on his own project.
Leick says he and his family moved because they outgrew their former house. And as a lifelong member of Mills County, he said, he wanted to better understand zoning and be of service.
Neighbors contend that Mills County isnt up to the job of managing all this change. Zoning is relatively new to the county, ushered in a decade ago after a strip club called the Playhouse went up near I-29. The five-member zoning board was created in 2007.
Its a learning curve, Whatcott said.
He said the county can control some but not all aspects of the dig.
In his ruling on June 8, Mills County District Court Judge Gregory Hulse said the zoning board failed in its duty to examine whether Leicks permit application met 12 various performance standards outlined in county ordinances.
Mills County Attorney Naeda Elliott, who recently replaced the attorney who had advised the zoning board, characterized the flawed permit as a problem with procedure, not intent. She said the zoning board will give Leicks new application a fair and impartial review.
The Board of Adjustment does want to be conscientious and take its responsibility seriously, she said.
People on both sides seem to want common ground. Leick said he has a personal stake in keeping his neighbors happy because he has to live here. Golka said no one wants to shut down Leick they want more regulation so the digs arent as bright or noisy or dirty as theyve been.
If they can figure that out, then maybe less dirt will fly in Mills County.
Many people will agree that teenagers today have more stress in their lives than their parents did when they were their age.
Teens are usually well-connected through technology, which takes up a large amount of their time, and they can get bullied anonymously. They have a tremendous amount of homework, and some have part-time jobs. Those young people planning to attend college must have a certain amount of volunteer work on their resumes.
Many of them attend church and want to be part of the youth activities there, so they continuously juggle their time to fit everything in. And sometimes they are misunderstood because they live in a world so different from the world of generations before them.
But Taylor Hogan, daughter of Preston and Tina Hogan, appears to thrive in her hectic pace. She is 16 years old and will graduate from Central High School in 2017.
Her freshman, sophomore and junior years were full of activities. As an academically gifted student, she took honor classes, has a 4.136 GPA and is ranked 69th in a class of 542 students.
Taylor is a quiet leader, said Dionne Kirksey, an assistant principal at Central. Because she is such a humble young lady, if left up to her, you wouldnt know about her many accomplishments.
Some of the honors she has received during her school career include being a member of the Purple Feather Honor Roll, playing first chair trombone, numerous musical awards, National Honor Society and All American Scholar. She excels at English, history and music and displays tremendous leadership abilities.
I consistently challenge myself, Hogan said, and I believe with hard work any obstacle can be overcome.
She has a diverse skill set, having been involved in the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the Spanish National Honor Society and the National Honor Society. She lettered in track and field, and was a district qualifier her freshman and sophomore years.
And so it should have been no surprise to her family and close friends when she was selected to participate in a program called Junior State of America.
The mission of the JSA and Junior Statesmen Foundation is to strengthen democracy by educating and preparing high school students for lifelong involvement and responsible leadership in a democratic society.
In the student-run Junior State and at JSA summer school and summer institute, participants learn statesmanship as they engage in political discourse. They cultivate democratic leadership skills, challenge one another to think critically, advocate their own opinions, develop respect for opposing views and learn to rise above self-interest to promote the public good.
Every summer the foundation conducts college-level summer schools on the campuses of Georgetown, Princeton and Stanford Universities, as well as offers the Summer Diplomat Program at Capital Normal University in Beijing.
Hogan was selected to participate in the three-week summer program based on her grades, her extracurricular activities and an essay. Her essay had to be on a political issue she was passionate about.
And if one took notice of some of the many places she volunteered for over the years including the Ronald McDonald House, Open Door Mission, Salvation Army, St. Frances Cabrini and Salem Baptist Church you can tell she has a benevolent heart.
The essay that ensured she was selected for this great honor came from an empathetic young lady. She wrote about the plight of Muslims in America and how so many people have a negative attitude toward them because they are slandered for what some others in their religion do.
Because of the stereotypes the black race has endured over the years, she could truly empathize with innocent Muslims, and her heartfelt essay came alive to the reader.
When the call came to tell Taylor that she had been accepted, she was busy with another event. Her grandmother, Linda Hill, was holding her phone, so she found out first that Taylor would be going to Princeton for the institute.
I was so excited, I didnt know what to do! Hill said.
Soon Hogan will be spending three weeks at Princeton having the experience of her life. She has truly earned this honor.
"No words could even begin to describe my feelings. It was just beyond words."
Have you ever heard those words before? Ill bet you have.
Thats how I felt at my oldest grandchilds Bar Mitzvah last month. I was proud beyond belief, and the love I felt for him was so great. I honestly could not describe my feelings then.
Having my family there in Overland Park, Kansas, with me and experiencing this happy event or simcha as we Jews say was as perfect of a time as I can ever remember. All my grandchildren were together. Everyone I truly love was present.
It was what Rabbi Aryeh Azriel would call a messianic moment. It is a time in your life when you feel happier than you could ever imagine. These moments dont come often in your life. Thats why they are messianic. They are the times we all live for.
I think its fortunate that these times dont come too often. This way we can truly appreciate these special moments, recognize them and keep them in our minds for all our lives. It doesnt have to be a wedding, a birth of a child or other usual milestones. These moments can be a childs dance recital, a dinner with someone you love or just about anything. It has to be messianic to you.
Just as these happy moments are messianic in scope, the flip side is also true. Unfortunately, there will also be sad moments in our lives where you cant describe your feelings.
Im thinking in particular of the events during the past couple of weeks, including the 49 people killed inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the death of a 2-year-old Omaha toddler at a Walt Disney World resort.
These are on all of our minds.
There are no words to describe the nations sorrow. Horrific, devastating, incomprehensible and other words of ultimate despair dont mean much. We just cant voice how awful we feel and how terrible those events were.
We think of all the innocent people who lost their lives. Most of us can put ourselves in the place of family members and realize how they will never totally never be the same.
If happy memories are messianic, what can we call these tragic moments? I dont know. All I know is how I felt 50 years ago when I heard the airplane my mother was on had crashed and there were no survivors. No words can describe how I felt and I still havent and will never heal completely.
We think of the survivors. It is their pain that is overwhelming to us all. I think of the family of Lane Graves in particular. Most everyone knows a 2-year-old. I have a grandson that age. I cant imagine how I would feel if he lost his life on a vacation to Disney World. The Graves family was totally innocent; they were just enjoying their family vacation together. No way could they ever have imagined what was about to happen.
It's the same with the people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. They were just having a good time on a Saturday night.
But thats the thing with tragedy. We never know when or where it will happen, who it will happen to and how it will happen. Unfortunately, people are no longer saying, It couldnt happen to me. We know it could. We know the world is not as safe as it used to be. We know upheaval can take place anytime and anywhere.
What else do we know? We know that messianic moments are times we should be extra grateful. Appreciate those moments, but never forget those who can no longer share those times with their families. They will never be forgotten.
***
Claire Flatowicz, is a mother of three, stepmother of two, grandmother of five, retired teacher, once divorced and currently happily married.
Ballantyne Strong, an Omaha digital technology firm, will close or sell two offices it operates in China, one in Beijing, the other in Hong Kong, the company said in a recent regulatory filing.
The move was approved by the firms board of directors.
Beijing-based Strong Westrex Technology Inc. and Hong Kong-based Strong Westrex Inc. are really one business, D. Kyle Cerminara, Ballantynes chief executive and chairman, told The World-Herald on Monday.
Its a low-margin business that also distributed other peoples products, Cerminara said. We are eliminating it to improve profitability.
The two offices employ about 20 people. Cerminara said some employees may be retained, but he would not say how many.
Ballantyne will continue to sell its products in China, including the specialty movie screens it manufactures at a facility in Quebec City, Cerminara said.
Its another step in streamlining the company, he said.
Ballantyne expects to incur a charge of about $1.2 million in the second quarter of this year as a loss in connection with the closing or sale of its operations in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Whether we sell or close it, we dont expect the purchase price to be material to the business, Cerminara said.
Ballantyne employs nearly 350 companywide, including 40 in its Omaha office at 13710 First National Bank Parkway.
The company, which was founded in Omaha in the 1930s the film era, began as a maker and seller of movie projectors and lighting equipment.
Cerminara, who became its chairman in May 2015 and its chief executive in November, has said hes renewing Ballantynes emphasis on cinema and digital media even as hes transforming it into a holding company with diverse interests, some related to the cinema and digital industries, some not.
Ballantyne stock is up about 8 percent so far this year, outpacing the broader stock market. Still, it fell nearly 2.6 percent on Monday to close at $4.97 for each share on the New York Stock Exchange.
WASHINGTON (AP) Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew on Monday warned of widespread consequences if the Senate fails to act before Friday on a rescue package for debt-stricken Puerto Rico.
The U.S. territory owes a $2 billion debt payment to creditors on July 1. The House already passed legislation to create a new control board and restructure some of the U.S. territorys $70 billion debt.
In a letter, Lew said the crisis in Puerto Rico will ratchet up to an even higher level if Congress doesnt act in the next four days. He said that if the island defaults on the July 1 payment, the government may be forced to lay off police officers, shut down public transit or close a hospital.
While we do not know the full ramifications if Congress fails to act before the end of the month, we know for certain that it is the 3.5 million American citizens who live in Puerto Rico who will be further harmed, Lew said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said the Senate will consider the House bill this week, but he will need support from both parties to surmount a certain 60-vote threshold to advance legislation. The House is out of session until July 5, so the Senate will have to pass the House bill unchanged for it to head to the presidents desk for his signature before the Friday deadline.
Last week, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said his caucus has serious concerns about the bill despite President Barack Obamas support for it.
Reid said Democrats may want to try to strike a provision in the bill allowing the Puerto Rican government to temporarily lower the minimum wage for some younger workers.
At the very minimum we need some amendments, Reid said.
A married couple fired 12 shots in front of a northeast Omaha motorcycle groups clubhouse in April after a woman was denied entry to the club, an Omaha police detective testified at a hearing Monday morning.
Authorities allege that Phillip K. Osby, 36, fired into a crowd 10 times with a semi-automatic handgun after his wife, Zabrina Dunn-Osby, 38, shot twice into the air with a revolver that Osby gave her.
Two members of the Thunderguards motorcycle club were killed: Allen D. McReynolds, 47, and Victor R. Beatty, 52.
Osby is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He is being held without bail.
Dunn-Osby is charged with terroristic threats. She posted 10 percent of her $25,000 bail on May 24 and was released from jail.
Both will stand trial, Douglas County Judge John Huber ruled at a preliminary hearing Monday.
A third defendant charged as an accessory in connection with the slayings, Lee Turner, 41, also will stand trial.
The shooting occurred about 10:45 p.m. on April 16 at the ZAC Riders motorcycle club at 1702 N. 24th St.
The club was hosting a party and invited other motorcycle groups, including the Thunderguards, Detective Ryan Hinsley testified Monday.
Witnesses at the club told Hinsley that a woman was not being allowed inside the club because of a problem that occurred a few weeks earlier.
The woman texted, called and sent Facebook messages to Osby, wanting him to come and be the muscle, Hinsley testified.
Osby arrived with Dunn-Osby and Turner and a fight broke out with Beatty, Hinsley said.
Dunn-Osby shot twice in the air with a revolver to stop the fight, she later told police.
Then Osby shot 10 times into the crowd, striking Beatty and McReynolds, according to a witness account, Hinsley said.
Beatty was taken to the Creighton University Medical Center, where he died hours later of a gunshot wound to the chest. McReynolds was shot in the back and the bullet lodged in his left side. He died at a hospital.
Osby, Dunn-Osby and Turner ran off.
Members of the group later told police that they are part of the Sin City Deciples (sic) Motorcycle Club, an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in criminal activity, according to the St. Louis Police Department and an FBI report on gangs.
The Sin City Deciples had not been invited to the party, Hinsley said.
A warrant was issued for Osby, Dunn-Osby and Turner on May 5. Turner was arrested that day. The couple were apprehended a day later after a traffic stop in Missouri.
Authorities searched their vehicle and found a bag of 9 mm rounds and a .357 revolver. A ballistics test comparing projectiles from the victims bodies and the gun from the car is pending, Hinsley said.
In an interview with police, Osby said he and his wife drove from Missouri to the ZAC Riders party. He told police the issue with the woman being denied entry to the party wasnt a problem it had been resolved earlier.
Before they arrived, Osby said he gave a revolver to his wife just in case something happened.
Osby said that when he got to the club he was surrounded by at least six Thunderguards and one started shooting. He told police that he was able to disarm the gunman and started shooting at other people to get away.
Hinsley said when authorities were trying to find Osby, he called the police from two phone numbers. Police say Osby later admitted that he used a false name, told police that he was a witness and gave them false leads.
There were about 45 people inside and outside the club when the shooting happened, and about 15 were still there when police arrived, Hinsley said. Only one witness offered her name with an account of what happened; others would not identify themselves.
Kristen Beatty, wife of Victor Beatty, attended the hearing with her brother Andrew Smith.
Smith urged people who were at the club during the shooting to talk to police so all the details are known.
You called him a friend, Smith said. If you mean that, then you would be doing something about it.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1068, alia.conley@owh.com
DES MOINES (AP) A judge has ordered the second trial on new charges for a former lottery official accused of fixing jackpots in several states to be held outside of central Iowa because of extensive media coverage.
A date and location for Eddie Tiptons trial will be set later, the Des Moines Register reported.
Tipton, formerly an information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, was convicted last year of fraud stemming from an attempt to rig a 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto drawing.
Tipton was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He has appealed and remains free on bail.
After his conviction he was charged with new counts of ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering tied to drawings in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Judge Bradley McCall decided to move that trial, citing defense lawyers concerns about media coverage that could taint a jury against Tipton, including nearly 500 pages of news reports.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WAYNE, Neb. (AP) Brad Weber isnt sure what to expect when former Wayne High School band students gather for the first time as an alumni marching band next month.
He doesnt know how many will be there or if those who come will have even picked up a musical instrument, much less marched, since they graduated.
The retired band director just expects it to be fun.
They may not be in step, but just keep a beat. Thats what musics about, just getting together and connecting again and hopefully sharing some memories, said Weber, who retired in 2013 after 27 years as the schools band director.
When Lindsay McLaughlin, executive director of the Wayne Community School Foundation, approached him about forming an alumni band to march in the Wayne Chicken Show parade on July 9, Weber was all in.
McLaughlin said that while organizing a first-ever all-class reunion for Wayne High alumni to be held in conjunction with the annual Chicken Show celebration, some alums said it would be fun to form an alumni band.
It only made sense, McLaughlin said, to ask Weber to be involved. Hed taught hundreds of kids over the years and was one of the schools most popular teachers.
Once they knew Mr. Weber was going to be involved with the alumni band, people got more interested, McLaughlin said.
Blake Lyon, a 2005 graduate who is now the band director at Westwood High School in Sloan, Iowa, was one of the first to sign up for the alumni band.
Weber said hes optimistic about how many alums show up.
I was hoping for a lot, anywhere from 50, 100, who knows, said Weber, who still teaches percussion as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State College.
The band will play a simple cadence and the Wayne High and Wayne State fight songs. Those who arent able to march will ride on a trailer with the band so they can play along.
If alums no longer have an instrument, no problem. Webers working with Wayne State College director of bands David Bohnert and current Wayne High band director Alex Wieland, another of his former students, to organize the band, and both have instruments alumni can borrow for the day.
Wieland, a 2005 Wayne graduate who also will be marching, said theres an excitement about the alumni band, even from people who will be unable to play in it.
Most people are thrilled with the opportunity either to perform in the band or watch them play, he said. Well make do with whoever we have.
He and Weber both hope that once people see the band marching in the parade, theyll want to take part next year.
Im excited about it, Weber said. Maybe this will be the beginning of something that can just kind of explode, each year get more and more.
This first edition of the alumni band, he thinks, will get the endeavor off on the right note.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday struck down Texas abortion restrictions that have been widely duplicated in other states, a resounding win for abortion rights advocates in the courts most important consideration of the issue in 25 years.
Justice Anthony Kennedy joined the courts liberals in the 5-3 decision, which said the states arguments that the clinic restrictions were to protect womens health were cover for making it more difficult to obtain an abortion.
The decision is the courts clearest pronouncement since 1992 on abortion and makes plain that states may not impose health regulations that severely restrict the right to abortion.
Though states have the authority to regulate doctors and hospitals to protect the health of patients, the Supreme Court has said states may not put an undue burden on pregnant women who seek an abortion.
This includes unnecessary health regulations, the court said in 1992.
The challenged Texas provisions required physicians who perform abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and said clinics must meet hospital-like standards of surgical centers.
Similar restrictions have been passed in other states, and officials say they protect patients. But the courts majority sided with abortion providers and medical associations that said the rules are unnecessary and so expensive or hard to satisfy that they force clinics to close.
Texas officials criticized the decision, describing it as judicial overreach that will endanger innocent lives.
The decision erodes states lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women and subjects more innocent life to being lost, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the majority opinion, and Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined it.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
Thomas wrote that the decision exemplifies the courts troubling tendency to bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion, or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.
Thomas was quoting an earlier abortion dissent from Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February.
The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office said the decision probably wont affect any current Nebraska statutes.
State Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha introduced a bill in the Legislature last year that would have required abortion clinics to meet the tougher licensing standards for ambulatory surgical centers. Nebraska Right to Life named the bill as its priority, but it never made it out of committee.
Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of the anti-abortion group, said Monday that the Supreme Court decision further imperils women.
Justice Clarence Thomas dissent in this case is very poignant and speaks to a court which is bending over backwards to protect the abortion industry, she said.
Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said the courts decision affirmed womens constitutional rights. She urged state lawmakers to stop playing doctor and focus on common sense measures like comprehensive sex education and access to contraception.
Three facilities perform the bulk of abortions in Nebraska Planned Parenthoods clinics in Omaha and Lincoln and the Bellevue Health Center, operated by Dr. LeRoy Carhart.
All three are licensed as health clinics and must meet state standards regarding patient rights, staffing, infection control, record keeping and building codes.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, said after the ruling: I will continue to work with lawmakers to look for new ways to ensure Nebraskas laws support a culture of life in our state that respects unborn life, protects our most vulnerable, and promotes a healthy respect for innocent life at all stages.
In Iowa, a bill introduced last year by State Sen. David Johnson, R-Osceola, would have required, among other things, that doctors doing abortions have clinical privileges at nearby hospitals. The bill didnt make it out of committee.
Breyer, in the majority opinion, wrote that each of the Texas restrictions provides few if any health benefits for women, poses a substantial obstacle to women seeking abortions and constitutes an undue burden on their constitutional right to do so.
The Texas law forced about half of the abortion clinics in the state to close and, if fully implemented, would have reduced the number from 40 before 2013 to nine, abortion rights groups said.
Alito read parts of his dissent from the bench to emphasize his disagreement.
This is an abuse of our authority, he said, holding up the thick packet of regulations. The court had no authority to strike down perfectly legal provisions.
He and Roberts said they would have returned the law to lower courts to tailor a more limited remedy that would have kept the law on the books.
President Barack Obama praised the ruling Monday, saying that the restrictions in Texas harm womens health and place an unconstitutional obstacle in the path of a womans reproductive freedom.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent for the country.
World-Herald staff writer Martha Stoddard contributed to this report, which includes material from the Tribune Washington Bureau and the Associated Press.
Food trucks should pay restaurant tax
The City of Omaha is simply wasting money to defend a stance that doesnt need defending (Lawsuit over food trucks should be tossed, city says, June 23 World-Herald). Omaha Food Truck Association President Kelly Keegan says members of the group would pay the restaurant tax if required.
That appears to be a win-win-win situation:
A win for the city with a new stream of tax revenue.
A win for the other restaurants by applying the tax evenly to all vendors.
A win for the taxpayers who, I am sure, would like to not be paying to defend an unnecessary fight.
How simple this is.
Jody Distefano, Plattsmouth, Neb.
The best and worst of Nebraska
The College World Series, an annual event in Omaha, showcases Nebraska at its best.
Unfortunately, the alcohol sales in the unincorporated village of Whiteclay expose the Good Life state at its worst.
The decision to have alcohol sales at the CWS was reached primarily in response to requests from fans and stadium officials.
But it was also added secondarily as a new revenue stream. There is only one vendor with a liquor license at the CWS. It is estimated a maximum of 8,800 drinks might be sold per game.
There are four liquor licenses for Whiteclay with a population of 12, located near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where alcohol sales are prohibited. Alarmingly, more than 13,000 cans of beer are sold every day. Alcohol is the primary source of revenue.
Whiteclay doesnt have the amenities of the CWS. Reports of prostitution, DUIs and suicide are the tragic end to the alcoholism perpetuated through these conditions.
Tragically, one in every four children born at Pine Ridge has fetal alcohol syndrome. Millions of dollars are being drained out of the federal health insurance coffers at taxpayer expense.
If this were happening at the CWS, the alcohol license would be revoked.
The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission should expect no less from the community of Whiteclay.
Alan Jacobsen, Denton, Neb.
More guns not the answer
Lou Totilas June 25 Public Pulse letter (LGBT community must protect itself) stunned me.
The solution to a mass shooting is to arm more people with guns? Has the writer not been watching TV? We dont need more guns, and the perpetrators of the vast majority of these massacres are not radical Islamic terrorists, they are American born.
Surely, the Second Amendment was not meant to authorize shootouts at clubs, schools and cinemas.
As for the recent circus at the U.S. Capitol, the liberal lawmakers holding a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives were trying to point out to their colleagues on the other side that 90 percent of the American people want some kind of reasonable, enforceable gun control.
David Wishart, Omaha
Voters should back Legislature on death
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Petersons confusing wording on the death penalty ballot issue (Death penalty ballot wording gets approval from judge, June 24 World-Herald) is yet another attempt to perpetuate a broken death penalty system.
It is a system that has cost Nebraska millions of dollars per execution and, due to the unavailability of the proper drugs, cannot legally be carried out in the future.
After careful and in-depth analysis of our death penalty and the available alternatives, our Legislature solved the problems of our broken system last year when it passed Legislative Bill 268, which replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment. Life means life. There is no option of parole.
Nebraska deserves better than a broken death penalty system.
In November, we need to vote to retain LB 268.
Terri Vincent, Omaha
Time for U.S. to quit the United Nations
The people of Great Britain have spoken: no mandates, no regulation, no unelected socialist blocking the will of the people (Britain opts to leave EU in historic referendum, June 24 World-Herald).
Now it is time for the U.S. to leave the corrupt United Nations and kick its headquarters out of New York.
Taxpayers in America are tired of supporting these democracy-hating freeloaders.
Lets vote on it.
Keith Janousek, Bellevue
By definition, agriculture is cyclical. Seasons come and go. The same applies to the ag sectors recurring challenges, from drought to crop-price fluctuations to dollar-driven export trends. The key need is to manage the challenges properly. As The World-Heralds Russell Hubbard reported Sunday, producers and bankers in our region are working hard to cope with the latest challenge: a protracted ag downturn.
One sign of the stress: The percentage of Nebraska farmland-secured loans 30 to 89 days past due stood at 0.08 percent in March. Thats up from 0.03 percent three years earlier. Those troubled short-term loans in March totaled $58 million.
The percentage of troubled loans was similar in Iowa 0.09 percent, more than doubling from 2013 equating to $76 million.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported this spring that over the past three years, net farm income nationally fell 56 percent. Corn prices have gone from topping $8 per bushel in 2012 to hovering of late around $3.86.
Producers and industry analysts note its unlikely the Midlands ag economy will repeat the horrific conditions of the 1980s farm crisis. Some fundamental factors are improved. Farmers debt levels overall arent as dire as in the 80s, for example.
While borrowing is up, USDA chief economist Rob Johansson told a U.S. House subcommittee in April, the level of bankruptcies and farm loan forfeitures remain at historical low levels because many farmers used the recent positive years to lower debt and build their bank accounts.
Another difference: Lenders now generally cap ag-related credit at a certain limit, with a ceiling around $4,000 to $5,000 per acre in Nebraska. Many farmers today also have more equity in their land, reducing the need for wholesale liquidation of the farm in the event of financial stress.
That said, the current burdens on the ag sector on producers, lenders, communities are serious and mustnt be minimized.
Among the biggest burdens are the difficulties for young or new farmers, plus the challenging market at present for the ag equipment sector.
Nebraska producers and communities deserve support as they aim for the goal described by Jim Farrell, president of Omaha-based Farmland National Services: a soft, slow landing.
Death of Bengaluru's first woman taxi driver- Foul play not ruled out
Bengaluru
oi-Vicky
Bengaluru, June 28: The death of Bharathi Veerath, Bengaluru's first woman taxi driver has sent shock waves. Although her death is being treated as a case of suicide, police also do not rule out foul play.
The 39-year-old was found dead in the third floor of her rented house. The incident occured at Nagashetty Halli in Bengaluru. Her landlord had found her car abandoned.
He then rushed to the house and saw her body hanging. While the police say that prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide, what has baffled them however is that the body was found in a sitting position.
[Woman cab driver found dead in Bengaluru]
Moreover there was no suicide note which has led them to also probing the possibility of foul play. The door was shut, but not locked, the police had also found.
The landlord had told the police that she had once informed that she wanted to return to her home town in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. She had moved to Bengaluru a decade back and worked as a tailor. Later on she learnt how to drive and then joined the taxi aggregator, Uber.
OneIndia News
Ola to invest Rs 350 crore in Haryana over 5 years
Business
oi-PTI
Gurgaon, June 28: Taxi hailing app Ola has signed an agreement with Haryana government to create over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the state with an investment of Rs 350 crore over the period of five years, the company said on Tuesday,June 28.
"We are proud to partner with the Haryana government to create more than 10,000 entrepreneurship opportunities across the state.To this end, we are planning to invest over Rs 350 crore in Haryana over the next 5 years," Chief Operating Officer, Ola, Pranay Jivrajka said in a statement.
Ola will work with the Haryana government to introduce innovative and customised mobility solutions like Ola Auto, Ola Bike, Ola Share and Ola Shuttle across the state.
"Ola's commitment to building mobility for citizens, by using mobile technology and by enabling entrepreneurship and skilling, will be invaluable for the state's growth," Sudhir Rajpal, MD of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation said.
Jivrajka said Ola will work with the government to train and provide the required skill set to thousands of men and women across Haryana in an effort to make them entrepreneurs.
"We will also improve access to mobility in cities across the state by bringing on-board innovative transportation use like Ola Auto, Ola Share, Ola Shuttle, Ola Bike and many more to complement the existing urban transportation system in Haryana," he said.
Ola is present in five cities in Haryana including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Panchkula, Kurukshetra and Ambala, and plans to expand its services in the region further, the statement said.
PTI
Jammu & Kashmir: 4 earthquakes in less than 6 hours
Know constituencies of UP Assembly polls 2017: KATRA
Feature
oi-Preeti Panwar
Uttar Pradesh will go to Assembly elections early in 2017. The state has an Assembly comprising 403 seats and a party/alliance has to win 202 seats to form the government.
In 2012, when the last state election was held in UP, the Samajwadi Party had won 224 seats to get a decisive majority. OneIndia will take one Assembly constituency a day and have a look at electoral information related to it: [Know constituencies of UP Assembly polls]
Constituency Name: KATRA
Constituency No. 131
District: Shahjahanpur
District Area: 4,575 sq km
District population: 3,006,538
District literacy: 61.61% (Male) 70.09% (Female)
2012 Assembly election result in Katra
Winner: Rajesh Yadav (SP)
Votes received: 51,025
Vote percentage: 27.51%
Nearest rival: Rajeev Kashyap (BSP)
Votes: 50,150
Percentage: 27.04%
Difference: 875
Margin: 0.47%
Total voters: 292,322
Turnout: 185,449 (63.44 %)
First election in Katra assembly constituency was held in 2012 after the "Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008" was passed and the constituency was formed in 2008.
Extant of Katra Assembly constituency is KCs Kheda Bajheda, Jalalpur, Katra, Khudaganj NP, Katra NP of Tilhar Tehsil & KC Paraur of Jalalabad Tehsil.
2014 Lok Sabha result in Shahjahanpur
Krishna Raj (BJP) defeated Umed Singh Kashyap (BSP) by 235,529 votes and by a margin of 20.83%.
About Shahjahanpur district
Tehsils of Shahjahanpur district are Powayan, Tilhar, Jalalabad, and Sadar.
Shajahanpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises of 6 legislative assembly segments. These segments are: Dadraul, Jalalabad, Katra, Powayan, Shahjahanpur and Tilhar.
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 17:19 [IST]
Congress should thank PV Narasimha Rao for helping it survive in turbulent times
Feature
oi-Shubham Ghosh
It matters little when he judge a dead man but still if we are doing so, it is better to give him his due and not drag his name into controversies.
But it was precisely what senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar did when he said the "pro-Hindu mindset" of late prime minister Narasimha Rao had encouraged the destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 on the eve of the latter's 95th birth anniversary (June 28).
Why demonise Rao for the Babri tragedy?
Arjun Singh's book exposes the writer, not Narasimha Rao" title="occasion to release Half Lion -- How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India by Vinay Sitapati, Aiyar said Rao felt he could solve the Ram Temple issue by talking to sadhus and saints and many others present on the occasion saw the demolition of the mosque as his "biggest failure". [Arjun Singh's book exposes the writer, not Narasimha Rao" />occasion to release Half Lion -- How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India by Vinay Sitapati, Aiyar said Rao felt he could solve the Ram Temple issue by talking to sadhus and saints and many others present on the occasion saw the demolition of the mosque as his "biggest failure". [Arjun Singh's book exposes the writer, not Narasimha Rao
Vice President Hamid Ansari, who was also present at the book-releasing event, said Rao's "harm" caused by Rao continus to take a heavy toll on the country's life.
Though nobody missed the opportunity to praise Rao for his initiatives to undertake economic reforms, but that is not something of an extra-ordinary act. What is more disappointing is to demonise the man for whatever his party had done in order to maintain the minority voters' trust.
Appeasing the majority was something that Indira and Rajiv Gandhi had started long before Rao
Ironical it may sound, but it was Indira Gandhi who had shown a tilt towards the Hindu vote-bank in the early 1980s. Post-emergency, Indira Gandhi's Congress faced with a new reality where the middle-class, buouyed by the late JP Narayan's revolution, was waking up.
Having tasted defeat to a conglomeration of the middle- and the propertied class in the form of the Janata Party in 1977, the Indira Gandhi regime now moved away from its Left populism of the early 1970s and flirted with the right-wing Hindu identity to wrest back the advantage from the opponents. She also stressed on the issue of national unity in these years, another means to reach out to the nationalist sentiments.
After her assassination in 1984, her son and successor Rajiv Gandhi also continued with the same stand and added another angle to the story: economic liberalisation. But though the Congress came to power with its biggest ever mandate in 1984, the subsequent goof-ups made by the Rajiv government in appeasing both the majority and minority communities (read Babri Mosque issues and Shah Bano case) and the Bofors scam caused the Congress massive damage and helped the BJP to cement its place in Indian politics.
BJP jumped to 120 from 2, thanks to Rajiv regime's goof-up
The Rajiv regime's failure saw the BJP's popularity rise among all strata of the Hindu society---the upper-caste, middle-class and of course, among the fanatics. This era saw the rise of a form of religiosity connected with business and politics and it perfectly suited the needs of a majoritarian party like the BJP. The result: BJP's MP count in the Lok Sabha rose from 2 in 1984 to 120 in 1991 and the Congress had lost both Indira and Rajiv by then.
With a hapless party under him, Rao had to show some leadership to help it survive
Thus, it was no wonder that as a leader of a minority government, Rao had his worries over survival. There were threats to a hapless Congress then through the rise of Hindu nationalism, the issue of backward castes and the rise of the regional parties. Rao's idea to liberalise the economy was one of the counter measures to tackle these issues for an open economy would see the governments garner more revenues with which the needs of the people could be met.
So, in a way, Rao was more a social democrat than a supporter of free-market who wanted to de-escalate polarisation in India's politics to save the Congress and also with it, the social unity of the country.
Manmohan Singh, Rao's finance minister who also played his part in liberalising the economy and became the next PM from the Congress in 2004, missed out on these points during his time to keep the nationalists of the BJP at bay.
Why isn't the Congress pointing to the Gandhis for the BJP's rise? Blaming a dead man is a far more convenient thing to do, isn't it?
Therefore, it is not entirely right to find a villain in Rao. The Congress showed its ugly face by demonising the man who did better than many members of the Gandhi family but yet doesn't much of renaming after him in the country's public life. He was leading the Congress when the Gandhis didn't exist (1991-98) but yet managed-not only in ensuring the party's survival but also its place in history by pioneering a change in India's economic and foreign policy.
Arvind Kejriwal calls for support for the fishermen community in Goa
India
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Panaji, June 28: It's said, if you want to get through to a Goan's heart, make sure there's fresh fish on his or her plate.
In a campaign mode, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder-convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday chose fish, or rather the lack of it in Goa, as the ice-breaker in his address to a gathering in South Goa's Vasco town.
AAP will win 35 of Goa's 40 seats in Assembly polls: Kejriwal
Kejriwal launched a scathing attack on Goa's Bharaitya Janata Party-led coalition government, which he claimed, was desperately trying to render fisherfolk homeless and snatching their daily bread.
"I would only ask you one thing, can Goans survive without fish? So if Goans cannot survive without fish, then Goa cannot survive without fishermen... So any government which works against the interests of fishermen, that government is working against Goa," Kejriwal said.
The sizeable fisherfolk community across the state, traditionally a vote bank of the Congress, has been up in arms about developmental projects along Goa's coastline, especially near Vasco and the Chapora river in North Goa.
Also read: Arvind Kejriwal dons a floral tiara, sends Twitteratti into a frenzy
Kejriwal's first meeting of the Goa Dialogues programme with fisherfolk was aimed at tapping the dissatisfaction in the community towards the government as well as a lacklustre and out-of-power Congress, according to party leaders.
"Goa's population is increasing, but its production of fish is decreasing, as a result of which price of fish is increasing," Kejriwal said, even as marine scientists have warned that overkill of fish and pollution in the waters around Goa could lead to a fish famine in the near future.
Kejriwal also said that the AAP would provide a lawyer for the fisherfolk community in Vasco, which has complained about a threat to their traditional fishing grounds due to an extensive dredging operation proposed by the Mormugao Port Trust, the only major port in the state.
IANS
Delhi govt issues notification on reservation of municipal wards ahead of civic polls
Delhi LG and CM greet people on Diwali, ask people to be mindful of pollution
Introduce currency notes with images of Ganesh-Laxmi': Kejriwal appeals to Centre
Kejriwal confident Delhi would choose AAP over BJP in MCD polls this time
Delhi LG approves Chhath ghats, warns CM against 'premature publicity' over it
BJP shreds Kejriwal's demand for Lakshmi on notes; calls it his 'new mask'
Arvind Kejriwal dons a floral tiara, sends Twitteratti into a frenzy
India
oi-Sandra Marina Fernandes
Panaji, June 28: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Goa on Tuesday and met the fishmen community in the state in a bid to woo them for the upcoming Goa Assembly elections.
Kejriwal was greeted by the fishermen community, who then welcomed him with a traditional floral headgear.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal meets family members of fishermen community in Panaji (Goa) pic.twitter.com/eqXrPY69S5 ANI (@ANI_news) June 28, 2016
Kejriwal and AAP workers were seen donning the floral headgear as they interacted with the community. However, in no time Kejriwal's picture with the floral tiara sent Twitteratti into a frenzy who then mocked at the Delhi CM.
Here is what some people said:
Shri Arvind Kejriwal accusing Cee Lo Green of stealing his flowers.
. pic.twitter.com/EcqVcdL5Au PhD in Bak*****! (@Atheist_Krishna) June 28, 2016
No this is not Snapchat, its for real
.@ArvindKejriwal having a dialogue with Fishermen in Goa pic.twitter.com/oXbZ4TcvI1 Aarti (@aartic02) June 28, 2016
When you don't know how to say NO. pic.twitter.com/Xa8m5Lm1fF Aisi Taisi Democracy (@AisiTaisiDemo) June 28, 2016
The pic proves that his head is full of shit, which has turned out to be fertilizer and we can see flowers growing. pic.twitter.com/hWJV76mZZL Lord STARK (@iamGunjanGrunge) June 28, 2016
Even BJP leader Nupur Sharma did not spare Kejriwal and said:
.@ArvindKejriwal is this an Ad for Ghazipur Phool Mandi to withdraw extortion complaint against Manish Sisodia? pic.twitter.com/haIGpL0nl2 Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) June 28, 2016
OneIndia News
Centre assures fund to set up textile park in Arunachal Pradesh
India
oi-PTI
Itanagar,June 28: The Centre has assured Arunachal Pradesh of funds for establishment of a textile park in the state. Union Textile Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar gave assurance to Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo for a textile park yesterday, an official release said.
Stating that the state government would be informed as and when the proposal would be cleared by the ministry, Gangwar advised government (of Arunachal Pradesh) to submit a detailed project report (DPR) at the earliest, it said. Gangwar has said he would be visiting the state next month to inaugurate the garment manufacturing unit at Pasighat in East Siang district.
During his visit, the union minister said, he would announce some developmental packages for the state in the textile and handloom sectors. During the meeting Dolo, who also holds the Textile and Handicrafts portfolio, expressed willingness to establish weaver service centre in Itanagar so that poor weavers of Arunachal, are benefited, the release said.
At present, the Weaver Service Centre at Guwahati has been providing services to the state. Manipur and Nagaland too have such centres.
The deputy chief minister informed Gangwar that permission for single brand under 'Make in India' programme has been obtained from the IKEA, a Sweden based company, for bamboo products and its technical advisor Pratap Goswami is working on the project.
Dolo also urged him to clear all the pending proposals lying with the ministry. Gangwar said the ministry would release the second installment under North Eastern Textile Promotion Schemes shortly after completing the required formalities. "The proposal for textile tourism at Poma near the state Capital will also be cleared," Gangwar said.
PTI
Drug problem in Punjab much less than in other states: Parkash Singh Badal
India
oi-PTI
Amritsar, June 28: Slamming the opposition for "defaming" hard working Punjabis by labelling them as "drug addicts", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday claimed the magnitude of the drug problem in the state was "much less than in many other states of the country".
Forces "inimical to the state" were hell bent on branding Punjabis as "drug addicts" only to portray a "wrong picture" of the state before the country, he said on the sidelines of a Sangat Darshan programme in Rajasansi Assembly segment here.
AAP MLA slams Asha Kumari's appointment as AICC general secretary incharge of Punjab
The Chief Minister said since time immemorial, Punjab had been the "sword arm" and "food bowl" of the country but ignoring this huge contribution of Punjabis, a malicious propaganda has been unleashed by some political parties to label these "patriotic sons of soil as drug addicts".
The SAD-BJP government in Punjab has already tightened the noose around drug peddlers by putting them behind the bars and opening a network of de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in the state, he informed.
Badal said he has urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to treat the Indo-Pak border in the state on par with the border in Jammu and Kashmir to enhance vigil on it to check cross-border infiltration.
He said the terror attacks in Pathankot and Dinanagar (Gurdaspur) have shown that Punjab was on the radar of anti-national forces.
The Chief Minister said the state government was in the process of establishing a "second line of defence" along the border, but the Centre must sanction more funds to modernise the police force in the state.
Badal described the AAP as a "water bubble" which would burst soon. Regarding an alleged incident of sacrilege in Malerkotla recently, the Chief Minister said some forces, "envious" of Punjab, were repeatedly making attempts to disturb the hard-earned communal harmony, peace and brotherhood in the state.
However, he said the government was committed to crush the ugly head of these forces, adding that the arrests in the incident show the state government was committed to the cause.
Slamming the Congress for its "anti-Punjab" stance, the Chief Minister said the party was "inimical" to the state from day one as it "denied" Punjab of its legitimate territorial rights in terms of capital and share in river waters.
Badal said the state government was making concerted efforts to make the youth aware of the glorious history of Punjab, adding that for the first time, unprecedented steps have been taken to perpetuate the cultural heritage of the state by constructing world class memorials at an expense of more than Rs 1,000 crore.
PTI
Consider paid if broken: Gujarat to not fine for traffic violation till Oct 27
Gujarat HC convicts 7 for murder in post-Godhra riots
India
oi-PTI
Ahmedabad, June 28: Overturning a trial court judgement, the Gujarat High Court has convicted seven persons for murder in a 2002 post-Godhra riots case in Viramgam town in the district.
The court has asked the seven who have been convicted for murder to appear before it on July 25, when it will pronounce the quantum of sentence to them.
There were total 10 accused in the Viramgam town riot case, out of which the trial court had in 2011 convicted two for murder, four of lesser offences while four others were acquitted.
The High Court also upheld the trial court order convicting two on charges of murder and acquitted another accused Devabhai Samatbhai Bharwad.
With this ruling, a division bench of Justice Harsh Devani and Justice Biren Vaishnav, in a judgement on Monday, has convicted a total of nine persons for murder and acquitted one in the riot case where three people were killed in Viramgam.
The court will pass order on their quantum of sentence on July 25. The seven who were found guilty of murder by the High court are: Satabhai alias Haider Gela Bharwad, Naranbhai Samantbhai Bharwad, Udaji Ranchhodbhai Thakor, Valabhai Gelabhai Bharwad, Viththal alias Kuchiyo Moti Bharwad, Mulabhai Gelabhai Bharwad and Merabhai Gelabhai Bharwad.
They were convicted for offences under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons), 325 and 326 (causing grevious hurt) of the IPC.
The case dates back to February 28, 2002, a day after Sabarmati Express train was burnt in Godhra killing 59 kar sevaks, triggering state-wide riots.
A mob of around 40 people had attacked a Muslim locality in Viramgam armed with sharp weapons and tried to demolish a dargah.
When Muslim residents tried to prevent them from doing so, they were attacked, leading to the death of three persons.
Dostmmohammad Bhatti, an eyewitness, had sought further investigation in the matter from the High Court before conviction, which in 2010 had directed the then Ahmedabad SP (rural) Sandeep Singh to re-investigate the case.
PTI
Hindu refugees from Pakistan will become Indian citizens on August 15
India
oi-Vicky
New Delhi, June 28: Ostracised in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the 2 lakh odd Hindus had no option but to come to India. Minister for Home Affairs, Rajnath Singh who had promised to grant the refugees citizenship has instructed that the same be done by August 15.
Officials from the home ministry were directed to hold discussions with the states where the Hindu refugees have settled. In the discussion held with the states it was said that the process of giving the Hindu refugees Indian citizenship or long term visas must be completed by August 15 this year.
Freedom for many:
A month long camp in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Delhi is being organised. Apart from citizenship the refugees are also likely to be given Pan, Adhar and Voter cards.
Further facilities to enable these persons to be self employed is also being considered. The state and the centre would jointly work on these issues.
The BJP had prior to the Parliamentary elections raised this issue. It had promised to address the problems of the Hindu refugees. It had also said that India is the natural home for these Hindus who have been tortured in countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Subject to radical extremism:
In Bangladesh and Pakistan, the Hindus faced the highest religious persecution. With Pakistan and Bangladesh upping a radical approach considerably, most of the Hindus in those countries have left out of fear and reached India.
The Indian government has decided that it would cater to all of them and give them the legal status to remain in India. Further an amendment to the Citizenship Act of 1955 will also give these persons the right to claim Indian citizenship.
Govt plans to simplify citizenship rules for Pak Hindus
There are radical groups that have targeted them several times. Worse they are looked down upon and treated as outsiders. While many dealt with being treated as outsiders, the trouble began when the radicals started to target them.
Most of them left Pakistan and Bangladesh and took refuge in India. There is a sense of fear, panic and insecurity among many. They feel that they are in no man's land. The government which has been talking tough on illegal immigration from Bangladesh has decided that it was time to make a difference and the protect the Hindus from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Officials say that it is a humanitarian approach and not driven by any agenda. We do not want them to feel suffocated and insecure. The proposal now is to amend the Citizens Act. Provisions of the Citizen's Act, Passport Act and Foreigners Act would be amended. Once these amendments come into force, these persons will not longer be called as illegal immigrants. They would also have the right to apply for Indian citizenship.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 10:00 [IST]
Chhath Puja fasting rules: What one must keep in mind during the 4-day festival
India ranks low at 105th on human capital index, Finland tops
India
oi-PTI
Tianjin, Jun 28: India was today ranked low at 105th position globally on a worldwide Human Capital Index, which measures countries' ability to nurture, develop and deploy talent for economic growth and was topped by Finland.
India ranks much below China's 71st position while Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are also placed higher on the index released today by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) in this Chinese city at its Annual Meeting of New Champions -- also known as 'Summer Davos' summit.
Pakistan ranks further lower at 118th place. Giving India 105th rank out of the total 130 countries included in the index, WEF said the country has optimised just 57 per cent of its human capital endowment -- placing it in the top of the bottom quartile of the Index.
India was ranked 100th last year out of total 124 countries included in the 2015 index.
"Although the country's educational attainment has improved markedly over the different age groups, its youth literacy rate is still only 90 per cent (103rd in the world), well behind the rates of other leading emerging markets," it added.
"India also ranks poorly on labour force participation, due in part to one of the world's largest employment gender gaps (121st)." On positive side, India has got better rankings on quality of education system (39th), staff training (46th) and ease of finding skilled employees (45th) indicators.
This suggests "a primary avenue for improvement for the country consists of expanding access to its numerous learning and employment opportunities".
The report also showed that India had the largest share in the "global distribution of tertiary degree holders" at nearly 78 million while it was second largest after China on global distribution of recent graduates in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at about 2.5 million.
Globally also, an average of only 65 per cent of the world's talent is being optimised through education, skills development and deployment during people's lifetimes, WEF said. Finland, Norway and Switzerland hold the top three positions, utilising around 85 per cent of their human capital.
Japan leads when it comes to 55 year-olds and over. "Today's transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, combined with a crisis of governance, creates an urgent need for the world's educators and employers to fundamentally rethink human capital through dialogue and partnerships," said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF.
"The adaptation of educational institutions, labour market policy and workplaces are crucial to growth, equality and social stability." On the global index, Japan and Sweden have moved up to 4th and 5th places and are followed by New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada and and Belgium in top ten.
Among BRICS countries, India is ranked lowest as against Russia's 28th, China's 71st, Brazil's 83rd and South Africa's 88th. Countries ranked below India include Nepal, Myanmar, Haiti, Malawi and Burundi while Mauritania, Yemen, Chad, Nigeria and Mali are placed in the bottom-five with below 50 per cent talent optimisation.
PTI
Kerala CM accuses Gov of 'acting as RSS tool' on his order to VCs to resign
Kerala backs out of GST commitment, says Mitra
India
oi-PTI
Kolkata, June 28: Kerala has backed out of its commitment to support the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers Amit Mitra said today.
"Finance Minister of Kerala Thomas Issac had supported the bill in the recent meeting held in the city, but now they said they were trying to arrive at a consensus," Mitra, who is also the West Bengal's finance minister told the State Assembly.
Speaking to reporters outside the House, he said that looking for consensus meant things were in 'doldrums'. He alleged that there was a state of complete contradiction and confusion in the Left Front on the issue.
In the June 14 meeting of the empowered committee of the state finance ministers, all states except Tamil Nadu had agreed to support the GST Bill.
The BJP government was confident of clearing the bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and the draft GST bill had also been circulated for public comments.
PTI
More local militants than foriegn terrorists in Kashmir for a second year in a row
India
oi-Vicky
New Delhi, June 28: In the year 2015 the number of local militants in Kashmir was 88 while the foreign terrorists were 54. This year the number of local militants are 91 while the number of foreign terrorists stands at 54.
It is for the first time in 2015 did the number of local militants in Kashmir surpass the number of foreign militants.
This is in fact a grave situation and looking at the number of terrorist incidents that take place on a daily basis, there is an urgent need to start taking this issue seriously and act before it worsens.
Were the warning signals missed?
Most of the local militants are part of the Hizbul Mujahideen while the foreign terrorists are either from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) or the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Both the Hizbul Mujahideen and the LeT seem to adopting to a similar modus operandi- spare the locals kill the security personnel.
Pampore attack- Intercept said, 'We have to attack security forces'
Not a day goes by when an incident from Kashmir is not reported. Militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen have taken it upon themselves to create havoc in the state on a daily basis.
The Hizbul Mujahideen in fact since 2015 has been adopting to newer strategies and one of their major successes lies in the fact that they have managed to capture the imagination of the youth. The appointment of Burhan Wani as the Hizbul Mujahideen commander was aimed at attracting the youth.
The commander in his early 20s is social media savvy and has managed to attain a great deal of success for his outfit. If one looks at the manner in which the number of local militants have been rising in Kashmir, it becomes quite clear that the signals were missed by one and all.
Propaganda and then kill:
The number of local militants is rising thanks to a false propaganda that these groups have been adopting. These groups thrive heavily on false propaganda against the army which leads to the youth turning violent.
In a bid to quell the violence when the army retaliates the scenario turns even worse and this becomes a recruitment tool for terrorist outfits.
The rise of Abu Dujana, Lashkar-e-Tayiba's face in Kashmir
Since January this year,security forces have killed 56 militants in Jammu and Kashmir while 37 have been arrested. Last year 108 militants were killed and 39 arrested. The other problem that is being faced by the security personnel is that these terrorists who die are being treated as martyrs.
There is a sense of arrogance among a lot of people in Kashmir when they turn up in large numbers at funerals of these terrorists. What is worse is that they even raise slogans against the army and this is a signal that the perception of the people is changing for the worse.
Experts feel that the coalition in Jammu and Kashmir is yet to settle down. Differences within the BJP-PDP coalition could be one of the reasons for this sudden rise in the number of local militants. One cannot expect Kashmir to be controlled from Delhi. It is the local government that needs to adopt a multi pronged approach to the problem and if this is done effectively then at least the local militancy could be reigned in.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 15:35 [IST]
NIA officer's murder cracked- How a two month chase led to arrest of main accused
News
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
After a two month chase the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested Muneer, the main accused in the murder of NIA officer Tenzil Ahmed. The UP police which had zeroed in on his location finally managed to apprehend the accused in the state.
The arrest of Muneer signals the cracking of the case. All other accused in connection with this case had been arrested and Muneer was the only one remaining. He is currently being questioned by the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh police.
The police had zeroed in on his location a month back. The location of Muneer was revealed by his close aide, Atiullah. The UP police had found the location of Muneer by June 9 itself. Atiullah who had been a close aide of
Muneer had splilled the details and also informed the police about the manner in which the gang operated.
During the course of the interrogation, Atiuallah has told the police that Muneer had visited him in March, the same month that the officer was murdered.
Atiuallah had been on the run since 2015 September ever since the murder of a student of the Aligarh Muslim University. After that the duo had not interacted much barring one meeting in Nepal. However according to Atiuallah, he had visited Muneer once again in the month of March.
Munir has been termed as the main accused in the case. There are a few motives that the police had attributed to this murder. While one angle was a property dispute, the other was personal rivalry. It may be recalled some members of Tenzil Ahmed's family too had been arrested earlier.
The police learnt that Munir had nurtured a grudge against the officer. Munir a resident of Bijnor was accused of murder. The NIA officer is said to have passed on information regarding his location to the UP police which forced him to flee the place and take shelter in Old Delhi.
During the probe the police also learnt that one of the officer's relatives Rehan too nurtured a grudge. He had told the police that he was humiliated by the officer. He said that he had taken the help of Munir to murder the officer. Munir was riding pillion and shot at the officer.
Chhath Puja fasting rules: What one must keep in mind during the 4-day festival
NSCN-IM chairman Isak Chisi Swu passes away
India
oi-Vicky
New Delhi, June 28: The co-founder and chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), Isak Chisi Swu passed away in Delhi today.
He was admitted to hospital last year and was being treated for a kidney ailment. He passed away at the Fortis Hospital at 12.40 PM today. He was 86 years old.
Swu the chairman of the NSCN-IM was one of the key members which held peace talks with the government. The Naga group was in peace talks with the government.
Despite being in hospital, he had kept a close watch on the developments relating to the peace talks. He had in fact wanted to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister last year, but was advised against it by the doctors.
He had been a key player since 1997 when a ceasefire agreement was reached between his group and the government in 1997.
When the Prime Minister initiated talks last year, he was excited and was keen on being part of the talks. However doctors advised him against it.
When the group completed the meeting with the Prime Minister, they returned to the hospital to take his signature on the peace agreement. He had gladly signed on the agreement, his aides had said. For him the peace agreement was a dream come true.
OneIndia News
PM Modi condoles death of Naga leader Isak Swu
India
oi-PTI
New Delhi, June 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Naga militant leader Isak Chisi Swu and said he will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace.
"My heartfelt condolences to the family and supporters of Mr. Isak Chisi Swu on his demise. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted. "Mr. Swu will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace," he added.
Modi said Swu had wished the best for the Naga people and aspired for peace. Swu, who led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades, died here today following multi-organ failure.
The 87-year-old Chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last around noon, Nagaland government spokesperson Kuolie Mere said.
In August last year, the NSCN-IM signed a Framework Agreement with the government which the Prime Minister had described as a "historic" step to usher in peace in the state.
The pact had been signed in the presence of the Prime Minister, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval by Muivah and government's interlocutor R N Ravi at the PM's residence here.
PTI
PM Modi lacking comprehensive policy towards Pakistan: Opposition
India
oi-PTI
New Delhi, June 28: Opposition parties today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not having a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan, saying diplomacy requires seriousness, gravitas and not "threatrics". The government's foreign policy lacks coherence, clarity and consistency, they said.
The remarks by Congress and CPI(M) came a day after Modi said that India's efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as the supreme objective but the forces have "full freedom to answer back" in whatever manner they have to.
"Nobody is against engaging with Pakistan but what we have questioned him (Modi) is about not taking the opposition into confidence," Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said. He said diplomacy does not require theatrics and needs seriousness, gravitas.
CPM leader Brinda Karat targeted the Centre, saying it does not have a comprehensive policy towards Pakistan. She said it is really a "show-based" policy rather than a serious diplomatic initiative to deal with a neighbour which undoubtedly has been encouraging terrorists groups against India.
"One day you say you are going to bomb Pakistan. The other day your Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) said you are not going to count the bullets that are going to be used against Pakistan," Karat said, adding that the Prime Minister had gone to Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif on his birthday.
Congress leader P L Punia accused the government of having a "dual strategy" on the issue of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan saying on the one hand it appreciated his work, but agreed with what Subramanian Swamy said and bid good bye to him.
"Today our economy is passing through such a time that requires stability. There was a need for (his) continuity," he said.
PTI
Man booked for tweets against Maha CM; has a history of such posts against leaders
Sadhvi Pragya Singh's bail rejected by Mumbai court
India
oi-Vicky
Mumbai,June 28: The Special National Investigation Agency Court at Mumbai rejected the bail plea filed by Sadhvi Pragya Singh an accused in the Malegaon 2008 blasts case.
The order was passed by Sripad Tekale the special judge in the case.
The order was passed after hearing at length all parties including an application filed by the father of one of the victims in the blast. The victims father had filed an intervening application against granting of bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh.
The NIA had however not opposed the bail plea. It had said that in its chargesheet that there was no proof to press charges against Sadhvi Pragya and hence it would not oppose the bail plea. It would however be the court which would finally decide if she can be discharged in the case or not.
Syed Nisar Ahmed a resident of Malegaon who lost his son Bilal in the blast had moved the court challenging the clean chit being given to her had also opposed her bail plea.
His advocate had argued that bail cannot be granted if the investigating agency is not opposing the same. He also argued that it was for the court to take a final call on the issue.
OneIndia News
Man booked for tweets against Maha CM; has a history of such posts against leaders
Shiv Sena mocks Amit Shah on posters, BJP warns of fitting reply
India
oi-PTI
Mumbai, Jul 28: The strain in the relationship between ruling allies Shiv Sena and BJP grew further on Tuesday with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party putting up posters mocking BJP president Amit Shah and setting afire the effigy of the party's city unit chief Ashish Shelar in South Mumbai.
Taking a stern view, BJP warned its belligerent ally of giving a "fitting reply" if Sena leadership fails to rein in its cadres.
Will not tolerate any 'twisted' alliance deal: Uddhav to BJP
Escalating the confrontation, Sena cadres put up posters depicting Shah and BJP chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari dressed in attires of characters from Bollywood movie "Sholay".
The effigy on Shelar was put on fire, days after he gave a veiled warning to Sena to keep away from burning effigies of BJP leaders.
The latest provocation was Bhandari's recent article in BJP publication "Manogat", which has not gone down well with Sena. In the write-up, Bhandari dared Sena, its sulking ally, to take "divorce" from power and compared Uddhav with comedy actor Asrani's famous character as a jailor in "Sholay".
In a sharp reply tonight, state BJP secretary and MLC Sujit Singh Thakur said, "BJP remained calm for past few days even after repetitive provocations from Shiv Sena workers. If anyone is taking it otherwise, they should understand it clearly that the BJP is strong enough to give a fitting reply".
Taking a strong objection to burning of effigy of Shelar, Thakur said, "We too can resort to burning effigies or burning newspapers. But, we have kept quiet keeping in mind the larger good. But, no one should test our tolerance.
If Sena leaders don't control their workers, they would be entirely responsible for any reaction arising from BJP workers".
He stated that BJP would henceforth not tolerate any derogatory remarks aimed at its national leaders. Some BJP leaders had recently called for burning of copies of Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" for pouring vitriol on BJP every other day.
However, Sena in an editorial condemned the BJP leaders' statement, saying that all those who want the daily to be burned were attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ideology.
PTI
The rise of Abu Dujana, Lashkar-e-Tayiba's face in Kashmir
India
oi-Vicky
Srinagar,June 28: In the month of May 2016 at the funeral of a terrorist in Pulwama Jammu and Kashmir, Abu Dujana called upon the locals to take the fight to the Indian army.
Lift up your guns and fight against the Indian army, he said before a crowd. Dujana the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba in Kashmir is currently a major headache for the Indian security establishment.
From masterminding the Udhampur attack to the the recent attack at Pampore in which 8 CRPF personnel were killed, the 26 year old Dujana has become a menace in South Kashmir.
The rise of Dujana:
An intelligence bureau dossier on Dujana states that he joined the Lashkar-e-Tayiba when he was 17. His rise in the outfit has been meteoric. A resident of Gilgit-Baltistan, he operates out of the Pulwama region in South Kashmir. His planing and style of execution had impressed his bosses who appointed him as a deputy to Abu Qasim.
Following the death of Abu Qasim, Dujana became the obvious choice to lead the outfit in Kashmir. His main target is the Indian army.
All his attacks are directed against the armed forces in Kashmir as he believes that it is the armed forces which is coming in the way of their so-called Kashmir struggle.
His name featured in several attacks which also include the ones at Pampore and Udhampur. In fact he was the one who had planned the Udhampur attack in which two BSF personnel had died. When Mohammad Naved one of the terrorists was caught alive, he confirmed to the police that the attack was masterminded by Dujana and Qasim.
The investigations being conducted into the recent Pampore attack has also found that it was Dujana who had masterminded the attack. There is currently a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head and a massive manhunt has been launched to track him down.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 15:13 [IST]
Uber to pay Rs 20K to passenger for missed flight due to driver's delay
Man booked for tweets against Maha CM; has a history of such posts against leaders
Case filed against filmmaker Kamal Kishor Mishra for hitting wife with his car | VIDEO
Wanted gangster Kumar Pillai extradited to Mumbai
India
oi-PTI
Mumbai, June 28: Wanted gangster Kumar Pillai, held in Singapore in February, was brought on Tuesday after the formalities of his extradition were successfully completed.
A police team carrying Pillai landed at international airport at around 10 PM in a flight from Singapore, a senior police officer said.
He had been taken into custody in Singapore after a Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against him by Interpol.
A police officer said that local cops mainly relied on a set of Pillai's finger prints, taken nearly 26 years ago, while preparing dossiers seeking his extradition.
The gangster has several cases against him in Mumbai, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion etc.
Before fleeing Mumbai in 1990s, Pillai was arrested only once and later jumped bail. Eastern suburbs of Vikhroli and Bhandup were used to be his strongholds where he started his criminal career and subsequently graduated into a dreaded gangster who used to extort money from builders in the suburbs.
Sources said the crime branch officials strongly believed that Pillai had had links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
PTI
Why army convoys in J&K are the easiest targets for terrorists
India
oi-Vicky
New Delhi, June 28: The Director General of Jammu and Kashmir, K Rajendra Kumar said that security convoys are sitting ducks during surprise attacks. The top cop of the state is absolutely right when he says this and the state has seen several attacks on security convoys thus exposing it vulnerability.
This year alone has seen three major attacks on convoys which includes the recent one at Pampore in which 8 CRPF personnel were killed.
Convoys travelling in isolated areas or highways are targeted by terrorists. There is a surprise factor in such attacks and hence it makes the convoys even more vulnerable.
On the Pampore attack, a senior journalist from Jammu and Kashmir told OneIndia that it was strange that the convoy did not have an escort.
Why are convoys soft targets?
It is a well known fact that the fight of the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is with the security forces. They feel that they can kill as many as possible if the attack is on a convoy. Moreover there is always this surprise element in such attacks which makes the operation even more dangerous.
The other aspect is that the buses that carry the soldiers are not bullet proof. A bullet proof vehicle could well act as the first line of defence in such attacks. Senior officials say that question of intelligence is one aspect.
Whether there is intelligence or not, the security for such vehicles needs to be high as army convoys and personnel are always the first targets for terrorist groups especially in Jammu and Kashmir.
Two terrorists killed ,five CRPF jawans martyred in Pompore attack
Major attacks:
In February this year militants attacked a security convoy at Pampore and killed two CRPF personnel. On June 3, 2016, three BSF troopers were killed by militants when their convoy was attacked at the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Bijbehara. The third attack this year was at Pampore on Saturday in which 8 CRPF personnel were killed.
Last year in the month of August 2 BSF personnel were killed in Udhampur. On June 24 2013, 8 army personnel died after their convoy was attacked at Hyderpora. On July 19 2008, 10 army personnel had died after militants blasted an army vehicle at Narbal Crossing.
OneIndia News
For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications
Story first published: Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 8:40 [IST]
With Isak Swu gone, Naga peace accord won't be easy
India
oi-IANS
By Ians English
New Delhi, June 28: Isak Chisi Swu, a veteran of many long marches to China with bands of Naga rebels, has died and left his comrade Thuingaleng Muivah in a bit of a legitimacy crisis.
Those of us who have seen the NSCN functioning closely know "Uncle Isak" was more into praying. He did offer his opinions on critical issues but all knew who called the shots: None other than Muivah.
But the NSCN is a divided house, much like the entire Naga separatist movement and the faction that Isak and Muivah led was called the I-M faction after their initials. This is easily the strongest NSCN faction and the government has been negotiating with it since 1997 for a final settlement of the Naga problem.
But this faction is largely made up, both its leadership and fighters, of Tangkhuls, who are Nagas living in eastern Manipur, mainly the Ukhrul district. Muivah is from Somdal village of this district and most of his comrades -- Rh. Raishing, Phungting and Angelus Shimray -- are from the Tangkhul tribe. Muivah's faction rivals like Khaplang, Khitovi Sema, Khole Konyak, Wangting Ao and P. Thikhak all allege that his is a Tangkhul outfit with little legitimacy in Nagaland.
Isak Swu, a Sema Naga and a Naga National Council (NNC) veteran, gave the NSCN (IM) that legitimacy in Nagaland. Now that fig leaf is gone.
For Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, much is at stake. By signing the "framework agreement" with the NSCN (IM), the government, like others before it, has accepted the primacy of the IM faction in the Naga peace-making process. That causes much heartburn.
If the Modi government can now work out a final settlement on the basis of the "framework agreement", it will have to ensure that this is acceptable to all factions. That is when both Muivah and Modi will miss "Uncle Isak". He was the one leader in the IM faction who could open a dialogue with the other factions, specially using his contacts in the Naga Church.
Against this, Muivah is a leader of many marches to China and survivor of many battles but is also a deeply divisive figure in the Naga separatist movement -- not the least because he authored a party document where he chest-thumped the Tangkhuls as "revolutionary patriots" and the Angamis leading the NNC as "reactionary traitors". Many Nagas feel he has much too much Chinese communist influence in him.
Isak represented the softer side of the faction and was perhaps its only hope in effectvely selling an accord that might finally have been signed with the Centre.
The Modi administration is already on thin ice because the other factions are not formally in the peace process and the Khaplang faction has already stepped up violence to undermine it. The central government has to realise that signing an accord with a faction may be good for some quick publicity, but its test lies in marketing it to all factions. With Isak gone, that will not be easy.
IANS
Britain exit leaves behind racial discrimination
International
oi-Pallavi Sengupta
London, June 28: Brexit may have been a democratic move by the people, but there are a number of things to worry about. For instance, hate crime and racial discrimination.
Experts believe that the numbers will take a toll on the country's socio-political stability with people indulging in rampant hate crime against the Asian, Muslims and the minorities.
In fact, voicing similar concerns are Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and former Equality commissioner Trevor Phillips. However, the former chairperson of the Conservative Party denounced the rise in hate crimes and requested the Brexit supporters to put their foot forward in such incidents and show a positive vision of a united country, which is both stable and secure.
The incidents though reported to be sporadic and isolated in nature, they are still a matter of great concern for the minorities residing here. Immediately after the referendum result was declared, a Muslim girl was cornered by a few men who shouted, "Get out, we voted 'leave'".
Security has been tightened especially in areas where the Asians, Polish, African and other minority community reside. Adding fuel to the fire were the editorials that appeared after the controversial referendum.
For instance, Trevor Phillips in an article wrote, "I can't say that every person of colour I know will be feeling quite so confident that they still have a FUTURE in Britain". This was to voice his concerns for Britain after the Brexit, but was misinterpreted in many quarters.
This happened in the wake of incidents where immigrants and their descendants are being stopped on the street and ordered to leave Britain.
Baroness Warsi urged the Brexit backers to assure the nation and its people that the Brexit would not bring any change in the way the country has been hosting them.
"I also want them to come out and say that the campaigning was divisive and was xenophobic and give a commitment that future campaigning and the way that they intend to run this country will be united, will make people from all backgrounds feel like they belong," she said.
She further added, "I've spent most of the weekend talking to organisations, individuals and activists who work in the area of race hate crime, who monitor hate crime, and they have shown some really disturbing early results from people being stopped in the street and saying look, we voted 'Leave', it's time for you to leave. And they are saying this to individuals and families who have been here for three, four, five generations. The atmosphere on the street is not good."
She further says, "This is what I said before the campaign - that long after the political bus moves on we leave problems on our street. So it is important for politicians to come out right now, talk about the vision that they have for the country, a united country and then take that forward for a positive vision of this country which is both stable and secure."
OneIndia News
EU's Juncker tells Britain to clarify position
International
oi-PTI
Brussels, June 28: European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker today urged Prime Minister David Cameron to clarify quickly when Britain intends to leave the EU, saying there can be no negotiation on future ties before London formally applies to exit.
"I will see the prime minister later this morning... to ask him to clarify the situation as rapidly as possible. We cannot get into a period of extended uncertainty," Juncker told the European Parliament, adding: "No notification, no negotiation".
Following Thursday's referendum in which a majority of Britons voted to leave the European Union, London has to invoke the so-called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting the clock on two years to negotiate the terms of the exit.
But Cameron, due in Brussels later today for probably his last summit of EU leaders, has said that London will not take this step yet, saying yesterday that Britain needs first to "determine the kind of relationship we want with the EU."
Juncker however, echoing the leaders of Germany, France and Italy after their meeting in Berlin on Monday, said that there could not even be informal discussions until London has formally filed for divorce from the 28-nation bloc.
"It cannot be that people now secretly seek to start negotiations," he said. "It is we who must decide what happens, not just those who wish to leave the European Union." Heckling Juncker in the European Parliament at one point in his speech was Nigel Farage, head of the UK Independence Party and a key "Brexit" proponent -- and an MEP.
"I am really surprised you are here," Juncker said. "You are fighting for the exit - why are you here?" "It's a pleasure," Farage retorted.
PTI
Pakistan not to back down from 'principled stand' on Kashmir
International
oi-PTI
Islamabad, June 27: Pakistan will not back down from its "principled stand" on the Kashmir issue which would be on top of the agenda whenever the bilateral dialogue is held with India, the country's top diplomat said.
Advisor to prime minister on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz was briefing journalists here on foreign policy and Pakistan's strategy to address emerging challenges in the region.
"Pakistan wants to have peaceful relations with India but will not back down from its principled stand over Kashmir," he said. Aziz said Kashmir will be "on top of the agenda" whenever the dialogue is held with India.
He said India was trying to dictate Pakistan on Kashmir which was not acceptable but he added that Islamabad was against any tension on the Line of Control (LoC).
The India-Pakistan bilateral dialogue ground to a halt after January's terror attack on the Pathankot airbase that was carried out by militants from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad.
PTI
At UNSC, US calls on world to tell Russia to stop its nuclear threats
US Senator seeks to end issuing visas to India, 22 others
International
oi-PTI
Washington, Jun 28: A top American Senator has asked the Obama Administration to discontinue issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas to citizens from 23 countries, including India and China, while alleging them of being non-cooperative in taking back illegal immigrants from the US.
"Dangerous criminals, including murderers, are being released every day because their home countries will not cooperate in taking them back," Republican Senator Senate Chuck Grassley said in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
In fiscal year 2015 alone, 2,166 individuals were released in the US because of this decision and the non-cooperation from recalcitrant countries; more than 6,100 were released in the preceding two years, Grassley, who is the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman said. Currently, 23 countries are labelled by the US as uncooperative, with the top five most recalcitrant countries being Cuba, China, Somalia, India, and Ghana, Grassley said.
In addition, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is monitoring another 62 nations where cooperation is strained, but which are not yet deemed recalcitrant. In the letter to Johnson, Grassley reminded him that, Congress addressed this problem when it enacted section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
"Under section 243(d), the Secretary of State is required to discontinue granting immigrant or non-immigrant visas to a country upon receiving notice from you that the country has denied or is unreasonably delaying accepting a citizen, subject, national or resident of that country," he said.
"This tool has been used only once, in the case of Guyana in 2001, where it had an immediate effect, resulting in obtaining cooperation from Guyana within two months," Grassley said.
PTI
After Bihar, it's Bengal: Class 8 student says name of country is West Bengal, state Bangladesh
Kolkata
oi-Shubham Ghosh
Kolkata, June 28: After Bihar, it's turn for West Bengal. A district magistrate (DM) in the state got the shock of his life when he asked a student of Standard 8 the name of the country and the state.
The DM of Burdwan district, Soumitra Mohan, who paid a surprise visit to a school along with his monitoring team on Monday, was told that while the name of the country is West Bengal, the name of the state is Bangladesh! In another school, a student said the capital of the country is Dhaka.
All hell broke loose when two state board toppers in the neighbouring Bihar failed to give correct answers in the media and were made to appear for re-examination. The topper in Humanities---Ruby Rai---was even arrested besides a few officials in connection to an entire topper scam.
The inspectors led by the DM visited a total of five schools. However, they also found satisfactory replies from students in some other schools and felt that these children should be nurtured properly. They also rewarded those younsgters.
The headmaster and teacher in another primary school were also showcaused after the latter failed to turn up for duty and the former tried to shield him.
The authorities have also taken steps to improve issues related to attendance of both students and teachers, usage of toilets, midday meals, cleanliness and others.
Oneindia News
In Times Now interview, PM Modi erred in calling himself "head of state"
New Delhi
oi-Shubham Ghosh
New Delhi, June 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an error while speaking to Times Now Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in an exclusive interview on Monday (June 27).
Answering Goswami's query on the country's foreign policy in which the PM has taken a proactive stand, Modi said it was important for the world to know the "head of the state" [watch 8.54 in video below] and it would have been baffling had the outsiders banked on the media's feedback and think who the real Modi is. He said it would have caused damage to the country and he didn't want "Modi" to become an obstacle on its way. [What PM Modi told Arnab Goswami]
"I, hence, had to meet those people myself and that's the reason why I became proactive in foreign policy," Modi told Goswami. [Comparison of Modi's interview to Times Now: May 2014 vs June 2016]
Difference between 'head of state' and 'head of government'
However, he erred in saying the "head of the state" for the Prime Minister of India is the head of the government---the de facto political leader---while the President is the head of the state, which is more of a ceremonial position.
Here is what the Constitution of India says about the President and Prime Minister of India:
The executive powers of the Union shall be vested in the president and shall be exercised either directly or through subordinate officers, in accordance with the Constitution.
Article 53(1)
The executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution.
Article 74(1)
There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the President who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice: Provided that the President may require the council of Ministers to reconsider such advice, either generally or otherwise, and the President shall act in accordance with the advice tendered after such reconsideration.
Article 75(1)
The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
In parliamentary democracies, head of government is the real head while head of state is a nominal head
In parliamentary democracies including constitutional monarchies, the head of government is the real political leader of the state and is answerable to the legislature. Although there exists a formal reporting relationship to a head of state, the latter usually acts as a nominal head who may act only as a chief executive on some occasions. India, which adopted its system from Westminster, has its president or the head of the state as the figurehead as like the monarch while the prime minister, elected by the people, is in the actual control.
In presidential systems, however, the head of the state is also the head of the government. Example: President Barack Obama of the United States.
Oneindia News
2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.
All rights reserved.
One News is a registered trademark
of One News Page Ltd.
by Graham Pierrepoint
Barely days after the results of the hugely divisive UK referendum where it was decided that the country would renege membership of the European Union after four decades the country, its citizens, its markets and media continue to be rocked by the implications for all financially, politically, philosophically and even existentially. While there continues to be mass speculation in tabloids and online, one factor still remains that Brexit cannot and will not happen for at least two years after what is known as Article 50 is used. This is a clause laid out by the EU in the event of any ountry wishing to leave the union and as this is the first time that any such event has occurred, what will happen next is all very much a grey area.
David Cameron who announced his resignation as Prime Minister of the UK advised that the activation of Article 50 which will effectively set the clock ticking for the UK to leave the EU will be taken on by his successor. With news that a successor is set to be found by early September, some argue that the country will not resign membership until at least September 2018 but other commentators are quick to point out that it may be even longer before the Article is activated. Boris Johnson, who is largely expected to lead the race for future Prime Minister and who spearheaded the Leave campaign has indicated that the process does not necessarily need to be rushed.
Certain EU representatives such as Germanys Angela Merkel are keen for the UK to use Article 50 as soon as possible. It is stated that, once the two-year countdown starts, the UK cannot take part in any negotiation within the EU but arrangements can be made during this time to prepare for leaving. It has been speculated that the UK will seek to informally discuss and arrange options for compromise ahead of activating Article 50 and that it is also noted that the referendum result is not legally binding, but rather a piece of advice from the public. In addition to this, it is stated that MPs must vote to repeal certain legislation before Article 50 can even be activated add this to the recent claims that Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon may be able to effectively block Brexit altogether, and you are left with a situation that has multiple endings.
For many, it is a time of economic uncertainty, and one which has allegedly seen a rise in race-hate crime in the UK as many propose that the referendum result has effectively provided far-right extremists with reason to racially profile and abuse members of the public. While, for many, it is a time of trepidation and concern, it is not yet as cut and dried as many media outlets have been speculating. 2016 will likely continue to be an awkward and divisive year for the UK and the clock is already ticking for MPs to decide on the best option for the countrys future.
Newsy 26 Oct 2022
Watch VideoAt 41 years old Barney Morris was thriving.
"I was a federal agent at the time, moving up the ladder..
Daily Star 25 Aug 2022
Dele Alli appeared in great spirits as he was met with a warm welcome by hundreds of adoring Besiktas fans after arriving at..
"60 Minutes" has learned of new information that undercuts its Oct. 27 account of an ex-security officer who recounted to Lara..
CBS News 13 Aug 2020
Euronews English 08 Jun 2021
Two businesses, two very different perspectives on how to cope with the lack of clarity around the EU-UK's future trading..
euronews (in English) 10 Oct 2022
Kyiv was hit by at least two missiles, while there are reports of strikes in Dnipro, Lviv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr and..
FOXNews.com 20 Oct 2022
The GOP was long a party dominated by White males, but this cycle is witnessing the most diverse class of candidates ever for House..
ODN 20 Sep 2022
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan says the UK will not be signing a post-Brexit trade deal with the US in the near future as Liz..
Gothamist 01 Dec 2021
Because today is now officially known as Online Returns Wednesday, here are your early links: Rust shooting investigation,..
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:
Citadel has hired Steven Lieblich as Chief Technology Officer of Citadels hedge fund business. Lieblich was most recently Morgan Stanleys Chief Information Officer. Lieblich will report to Citadels Founder and CEO Kenneth C. Griffin, and will join the firm this fall.
Before serving as Chief Information Officer for Morgan Stanley, Lieblich's tenure at the firm included leading the technology division of its Institutional Securities Group, which included investment banking and sales and trading operations. He previously led the Equity Technology Group and the technology team supporting cross-asset el......................
To view our full article Click here
Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:
With the UK deciding to leave the EU, new data are coming in is showing that hedge funds were hurt by the Brexit as stock sell-off hit them harder on a relative basis, research from Morgan Stanley said.
Authors of the study John Schlegel, Annie McNerney and Vasileios Prassas of Morgan Stanleys prime brokerage unit said that hedge funds long exposure in North America and Europe "fell faster than the market and faster than shorts on Friday." They added that the industrys losses were outpacing other major stock witnessed a day after the Brexit vote.
Hedge fund long exposure in Europe fell -9.7% on Friday while long exposure in the U.S. was -4.6% and in Asia down -3.2%. In comparison, most major large-cap indexes underperformed much less, with the exception of Japanese stocks. The S&P 500 index fell -3.59%, the FTSE 100 declined -3.15%, Nikkei 225 dropped -7.92% on the said day.
The reverberations of the vote will be heard around the world. Morgan Stanleys Chief European Economist, Elga Bartsch, said the leave would likely trigger a downturn, if not outright recession in Europe, and resurrect concerns about a euro break-up.
"Depending on how Europe responds to a vote to leave, the financial stress expected in the UK could spill over into the euro area. In particular, if concerns about eur......................
To view our full article Click here
Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:
Greenwich Associates said it plans to strengthen its Global Investment Management Practice with two key hires and the appointment of new regional heads in Asia and Europe.
Markus Ohlig is returning to Greenwich Associates as a managing director leading the firms investment management practice in both Europe and Asia and Mark Buckley is joining as a principal in Europe. Separately, managing director Paul Tan has been appointed head of the firms Asia business and managing director Dr. Tobias Miarka has been named head of European business.
Markus Ohlig will advise Greenwich Associates investment management clients in Europe and Asia leveraging his prior 11 years with clients in both regions. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, he re-joins the firm from Vontobel, where he served as head of corporate development.
Buckley will work with clients in the U.K. and Continental Europe. He joins Greenwich Associates from Aviva Investors in London, where he held the title of global head of client service. Prior to that, he was head of business development & marketing, institutional corporate sales, for HSBC in Europe.
"The talent and experience of Markus and Mark will further enhance the value Greenwich Associates delivers to its investment management clients in Europe, Asia and around the world," says Greenwich Associates CEO Steve Busby.
Greenwich Associates Investment Management practice helps investment managers achieve growth and bui......................
To view our full article Click here
How 100 Syrians, 200 Russians and 11 dogs out-witted ISIS and saved Palmyra
Franklin Lamb
Palmyra
Something just didn't feel quite right to Syrian army brass as they penciled in final plans to liberated Palmyra in early March 2016 and as they debated how best to drive Daesh (ISIS) out of Palmyra and deep into the surrounding unwelcoming Syrian desert. This, according to army intelligence officials and commanders who this week briefed this observer at various locations around Palmyra.
Some generals were puzzled. "Why did Daesh not do even more damage at the ancient ruins, given their widely broadcast iconoclasm and their targeting as heresy ancient pre-Islamic sites," one officer remembers asking his colleagues. Daesh (ISIS) certainly had the means and their perverted Koranic motivation to destroy the whole ancient ruins area. This puzzlement was widely held by officials and military strategists who increasingly wondered what was really going on as it became evident that Daesh's military positions at Palmyra were untenable and they surely would be driven out. Many archeologists and others wondered the same thing as the horrors shown on ISIS YouTube videos began to appear on the Internet.
The Syrian army was soon to learn the answer to their question of why didn't the Islamic State (Daesh) do more damage among the acres of ruins?
A bit of background. Before waging its final assault to re-take Palmyra, Damascus issued orders to the army not to shell near the ruins. The Syrian air force was similarly instructed not to bomb in the close-in area. So the army, at the cost of losing some troops, did not invade from the south into the area of the ancient ruins. Rather they surrounded the whole area and fought close-in street battles, mainly in the "modern" city area. "Tadmor, (Palmyra) was taken piece by piece to avoid damaging the ruins", one officer who took part in the fighting explained to this observer.
It is now known why sparing the "ruins area" from close-in fighting may have been alright with ISIS, for what they had carefully planned, as discussed below, was a deadly surprise for the anticipated and hoped, for more than for 1000 Syrian troops they calculated would soon arrive and advance into the ruins.
ISIS had correctly assumed that the Syrian military would not bomb Palmyra's National Museum, Syria's second most tourist visited collection of antiquities after the National Museum in Damascus. For this reason ISIS housed key leaders and its Sharia court and archives among the remaining statues inside Palmyra's museum and were fairly safe during their 8 month occupation of the "Bride of the Desert". This, as they methodically chiseled off the faces and hands of each of the 74 statue heads, including those in what people here refer to the Museum's "Head Room." It was in the basement of the museum that ISIS planned for the fate of the acres of our cultural heritage ruins.
See original here
"This is one of those rare cases for which the pardon power exists"
Edward Snowden's lawyer is renewing a push for clemency for the famous NSA whistleblower from the White House before President Barack Obama leaves office in January.
"It's not for when somebody didn't break the law. It's for when they did and there are extraordinary reasons for not enforcing the law against the person," Wizner said. "We're going to make a very strong case between now and the end of this administration that this is one of those rare cases for which the pardon power exists,"said Ben Wizner, head of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project and Snowden's legal advocate.
Wizner discussed his plans with the journalist Andrew Rice for a New York Magazine cover story about Snowden. Although Snowden admits that "much of Washington remains hostile to him," according to Rice's article, he "is optimistic that he will find a way out, somehow."
Rice continues:
"Maybe some Scandinavian country will offer him asylum. Maybe he can work out some kind of deal -- whether outright clemency or a plea bargain -- with the Justice Department. Wizner has been working with Plato Cacheris, a well-connected Washington defense attorney, but so far, there have been no official signals that the Justice Department would be willing to offer the kind of lenient terms Snowden would accept. And a window may be closing. He is unlikely to receive a more receptive hearing from Hillary Clinton, who has said he shouldn't be allowed to return without 'facing the music.' As for Donald Trump: He has called Snowden a 'total traitor' and suggested he should be executed. 'If I'm president,' he predicted last year, 'Putin says, 'Hey, boom -- you're gone.'"
The latest news isn't good for Snowden: on Monday, Norway announced that it was dismissing a lawsuit from Snowden's lawyers seeking safe passage for the whistleblower so that he could receive a free speech award in the country.
The U.S. government filed espionage charges against Snowden in response to his 2013 leaks, and he faces extradition if he travels outside of Russia.
"Oslo District Court has decided that the lawsuit from Edward Snowden against the State regarding extradition, should be dismissed," the court said in a statement.
Rice reports that Snowden told him "he would return [to the U.S.] and face the Espionage Act charges if he could argue to a jury that he acted in the public interest, but the law does not currently allow such a defense."
"These people have been thinking about the law for so long that they have forgotten that the system is actually about justice," Snowden said. "They want to throw somebody in prison for the rest of his life for what even people around the White House now are recognizing our country needed to talk about."
Indeed, only last month former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder admitted that Snowden "actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in."
In response, Snowden tweeted:
Reprinted from To The Point Analyses
Part I -- The Plan
Some Americans have decided that Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is a "moderate" who might have a restraining effect on GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. This might be because Ryan's language is less combative and contentious than Trump's. But this is dangerously misleading, for the Speaker's apparent moderation is an illusion. The truth is that regardless of his choice of words, what Ryan stands for is as disastrously radical as the positions of Trump and the rest of the right-wing Republicans.
America's "newspaper of record," the New York Times, has caught on to this fact. In an editorial on Ryan's "economic agenda," published on 19 June 2016, the Times tells us that Ryan's vision for the U.S. economy is centered around a single, allegedly cure-all idea: "roll back hundreds of federal regulations that protect consumers, investors, employees, borrowers, students, and the environment." The paper characterizes this as a "corporate wish list." Ryan claims that this radical vision of deregulation is in line with Donald Trump's own economic agenda. Thus, electing Trump and maintaining Republican control over the Congress would most likely result in Ryan's plan being realized. The Speaker thinks this would lead to a period of economic growth that would benefit everyone -- an economic utopia. However, this prognosis is also an illusion.
Part II -- Another "Gilded Age" Dystopia
In truth Ryan's plan would result in an economic dystopia -- a society characterized by human misery. This assertion is not based on simple disdain for Republican Party posturing. It is based on history -- a history of which Ryan apparently knows little. It is based on the fact that Ryan's deregulated economic experiment has already taken place and proved to be catastrophic. That is why the U.S. now has the regulatory system it does today.
What the House Speaker apparently wants to do is resurrect the so-called Gilded Age. That was the period of American history following the Civil War when the economy grew rapidly but in an unregulated fashion. If you will, the "Gilded Age" economy operated apart from the rule of law, unless of course you believe in the ideologically posited "laws" of capitalism and the mystical notion of Adam Smith's "invisible hand" guiding the marketplace.
During this period of U.S. history a small class of entrepreneurs got very rich (their mansions and palatial grounds can still be visited today). But they operated with no reference to the basic human needs, or safety, of the community they lived in. And so, in their own lifetime they were both envied and denounced, and soon became known as "robber barons."
The entire historical episode had a terrible dark side. If you think consumer vulnerability is a problem today, it was much, much worse in the era before regulation. For instance: most medicines ("patent medicines" often called "snake oil") were sold in adulterated condition; food products were also adulterated with cheapened or impure ingredients; child labor was widespread; unions were considered a form of restraint of trade; there was no minimum wage; there were no safety standards for workers; monopoly enterprises grew; banking practices led to one panic after another, running into the 20th century, and finally culminating in the Great Depression; there was rampant job instability; railroad practices ruined farmers in the Midwest; land, sea and air were polluted without restraint. This is the sort of conditions that arise in the absence of economic rules and regulations.
Paul Ryan acts as if he knows nothing of this dark side. And perhaps he really doesn't. He is an ideologue, and as such he cares more about his laissez faire ideology than he does about historic reality. He "knows" only what is filtered through the theoretical scheme to which he adheres. So it should come as no surprise that a free market ideologue such as Ryan has idealized, indeed has romanticized, the Gilded Age of economic expansion to such an extent that, for him, this distorted vision of the national past has been resurrected as a model for the national future. And how do we get back to this economic utopia? By eliminating all regulation and thereby turning the henhouse over to the foxes.
Part III -- America's Comfort Zone
The New York Times editorial asserts that "the American people are unlikely to be comfortable" with Ryan's economic plans. Of course, "American people" is an unwieldy generalization. Certainly many of Donald Trump's supporters are backing him because of what they perceive as government interference in their lives. These individuals exaggerate individual instances of conflict with this or that regulation into a near hatred of all regulation.
Many others will support Trump for different reasons and won't even bother to give serious thought to Ryan's economic scheme. Presently, Trump and Clinton are running nearly even in several key states. Will this continue? If so, could it be that the Times has misjudged what the majority of the voting public might find "comfortable"?
Part IV -- Conclusion
Never underestimate the power of dogma when propagandistically spread about among people who do not know much history. As the propaganda spreads out, dogma replaces reality. Thinking automatically narrows. Of course, the Democrats will try to counter the GOP worldview, but they also are opportunists. If Ryan's passion for deregulation catches on, perhaps the Democrats will come up with their own compromise version of the Speaker's scheme.
Next Page 1 | 2
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
The tax-eating Pentagon war machine may have something to do with America's mediocre showing on the list of the world's healthiest nations.
Not only are billions in U.S. taxes going down the drain to finance wars the public doesn't care about, (such as in Libya, for example,) but when the Pentagon gets 54 cents out of every discretionary tax dollar to make wars, the public is being cheated out of money that could be invested in medical research to extend human life.
According to the CIA's own "Factbook," the U.S. ranks 43rd in life expectancy on the list of nations at 78.74 years. That's just behind No. 42 Turks and Caicos Islands, at 79.69 years. FYI, Monaco ranks first at 89.52 years, followed by No. 2, Japan, at 84.74, and No. 3, Singapore, at 84.68.
Also ahead of America are No. 13, Australia, 82.15; No. 14, Italy, 82.12; No. 15, Sweden, 81.98; No. 18, Canada, 81.76; No. 19, France, 81.75; No. 20, Norway, 81.70; No. 30, Finland, 80.77; No. 32, Germany, 80.57; and No. 33, UK, 80.54.
A perennial killer of Americans is influenza, which claims about 36,000 lives annually, against which the U.S. spends about $250-300 million a year on research.
Much more important to President Obama, apparently, are deaths from biological warfare on which the U.S. spends about 10 times as much as on influenza. As germ warfare kills zero Americans each year, it raises the suspicions these dollars are going to advance the illegal, aggressive, germ warfare research the Pentagon is not advertising.
According to PBS, "Today"American scientists continue to conduct ongoing research on biological agents. Since 2001 the U.S. government has spent or allocated more than $50 billion to address the threat of biological weapons, including an effort to develop an even deadlier strain of the anthrax virus to test against current vaccines. Scientists are also working on vaccines against the smallpox virus, which has been eradicated worldwide since 1980."
PBS makes it sound as though Pentagon research is defensive by nature. If so, why is USG, (incredibly!) working to bring back smallpox if not for offensive use? As for anthrax, the last known user of this virus was someone inside the Pentagon's own Fort Detrick, Md., research center who mailed it out (Amerithrax) and killed five persons and infected 17 others to intensify the panic following 9/11.
Next Page 1 | 2
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
In the wake of the British vote to leave the European Union the Scottish First Minister has engaged with the broadcast and press media to threaten to take Scotland into a referendum to allow the nation to leave the United Kingdom and join the EU. This is an empty gesture and posturing by the ruling SNP to try to turn the Scottish dissatisfaction with the Brexit vote into a greater power for the SNP.
There are many reasons why the Scots might want to be independent but only one answer to this burning question. The answer is that if Scotland became independent it would be bankrupt in less than four months. The Scottish economy is a rather steep decline and has been so for several years. In the wake of the collapse of oil prices the Scottish GNP has declined and the country's trade balance and tax revenues as a whole has also been badly hit in addition to the decline in oil prices. At the time of the last Scottish referendum the SNP promoted itself as being economically self-sufficient. The SNP based its forecasts on oil at $110 a barrel and an income of 7.5 billion a year to the Scottish treasury. With the oil price having fallen to less than half that, and with oil revenues now about 35 million, this is the reality that the SNP refuses to face.
In a June 2016 report of the Scottish economy [i] , experts gave their overview. "In the latest Economic Commentary we note that Scotland's economy has recently flirted with recession with growth of 0.2% in 2015q4 -- the latest data point -- and
-0.1% in 2015q3. Scotland may yet fail to escape recession in the coming months as growth is set to slow further due to
slow investment growth,
the continuing effects of the fall in the price of oil on household incomes and spending,
a general slowing in household spending as the rate of household borrowing diminishes, wage income growth is weak, increasing job losses, and house price growth is moderating; and
a worsening demand for Scottish exports as global growth and growth in Scotland's key export markets slows."
Their view of the Scottish labour market was equally dire. "The latest labour market data revealed a significant deterioration in performance as the job shedding associated with the consequences of the oil price fall and deteriorating export performance began to bite.
In the quarter to March 2016 the numbers in work fell by 53,000 (-2.0%) to 2,578,000. The last time there was a fall in jobs of this scale was back in early 2010.
Unemployment rose by 8,000 (+4.8%) to 169,000 with the rate rising to 6.2%, compared to 5.1% in the UK, a gap that is now the largest since mid-2004. Over the year, Scottish jobs fell by -45,000, a fall of -1.7%. Unemployment in Scotland rose by 2,000 over the year, or by 1%.
The numbers inactive rose in Scotland in the quarter by 49,000 or by 3.1%, while over the year, inactive numbers rose by 59,000 (3.7%) in Scotland.
As a result of this downturn in the labour market, by the end of the first three months of this year the gap between Scotland's and the UK's employment performance had widened considerably with Scottish jobs as reported in the LFS household surveys 0.9% above their pre-recession peak, compared to UK jobs which were 6.3% above peak." [ii]
Even in the run up to the recent Holyrood election (for the Scottish Parliament), the decline in the Scottish economy was a factor in the inability of the SNP to keep its majority. The SNP won only 46.5% of the seats and garnered 41.7% of the electorate. Scotland's Nationalists like the idea of divergence from the rest of the UK -- but not of the sort displayed by data showing the Scottish economy growing just a quarter as fast as the UK as a whole. Third-quarter gross domestic product data posed many questions about the resilience of Scotland's economy. The SNP has not raised the prosperity of Scotland and has proved inept and incompetent in proposing a program of economic prosperity that has any chance of success. That is why it is banging on about its only appeal as a political party -- independence. This has such an emotional appeal to the Scottish voters that mere incompetence, lack of vision, and prevaricating and pretence by the SNP is overlooked.
The North Sea oil industry is in rapid decline. The North Sea oil and gas industry will lose a total of 120,000 jobs by the end of this year as a result of the market downturn. Last year the number of jobs supported by the UK's oil and gas industry fell by an estimated 84,000 to around 370,000, and are forecast to fall a further 40,000 by the end of this year. Companies across the breadth of the industry have been forced to make deep cuts to their job numbers in order to shore-up market-weakened balance sheets. The UK's largest oil companies, including Shell and BP, have posted record losses in the last year while smaller explorers wrestle with debilitating debt and the looming threat of insolvency. The risks facing oilfield service companies are particularly large because they rely on contracts with the cash-strapped producers for their own income. Advisory firm EY warned that a third of oilfield service firms could be wiped out from the sector by the end of the year as oil producers pull back from uneconomic ventures. Investment is expected to fall by almost 90pc this year as companies continue to slash spending and profitability has plunged to lows not seen since 1997. The Office for National Statistics shows that explorers active in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) have seen the rate of return on their investments become negative numbers. [iii]
Next Page 1 | 2
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
[Note to TomDispatch Readers: Patrick Cockburn has arguably been our premier journalist of the Middle East in these last years. For the Independent , he's produced a body of journalism about our wars in the Greater Middle East and their consequences that is simply superb. His latest book (just out in paperback), Chaos & Caliphate: Jihadis and the West in the Struggle for the Middle East, offers a panoramic look at his on-the-ground reportage from the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to Iraq in 2015. I recommend it highly. You can buy it directly from his publisher, OR Books, by clicking here.
In addition, let me remind all of you that, in return for a donation to this website of $100 or more ($125 if you live outside the United States), you can get a signed, personalized copy of any one of 14 books, from an impressive range of authors, including Nick Turse and me, at the TomDispatch donation page and help keep this operation rolling. Tom]
Here's an unavoidable fact: we are now in a Brexit world. We are seeing the first signs of a major fragmentation of this planet that, until recently, the cognoscenti were convinced was globalizing rapidly and headed for unifications of all sorts. If you want a single figure that catches the grim spirit of our moment, it's 65 million. That's the record-setting number of people that the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates were displaced in 2015 by "conflict and persecution," one of every 113 inhabitants of the planet. That's more than were generated in the wake of World War II at a time when significant parts of the globe had been devastated. Of the 21 million refugees among them, 51% were children (often separated from their parents and lacking any access to education). Most of the displaced of 2015 were, in fact, internal refugees, still in their own often splintered states. Almost half of those who fled across borders have come from three countries: Syria (4.9 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million), and Somalia (1.1 million).
Despite the headlines about refugees heading for Europe -- approximately a million of them made it there last year (with more dying on the way) -- most of the uprooted who leave their homelands end up in poor or economically mid-level neighboring lands, with Turkey at 2.5 million refugees leading the way. In this fashion, the disruption of spreading conflicts and chaos, especially across the Greater Middle East and Africa, only brings more conflict and chaos with it wherever those refugees are forced to go.
And keep in mind that, as extreme as that 65 million figure may seem, it undoubtedly represents the beginning, not the end, of a process. For one thing, it doesn't even include the estimated 19 million people displaced last year by extreme weather events and other natural disasters. Yet in coming decades, the heating of our planet, with attendant weather extremes (like the present heat wave in the American West) and rising sea levels, will undoubtedly produce its own waves of new refugees, only adding to both the conflicts and the fragmentation.
As Patrick Cockburn points out today, we have entered "an age of disintegration." And he should know. There may be no Western reporter who has covered the grim dawn of that age in the Greater Middle East and North Africa -- from Afghanistan to Iraq, Syria to Libya -- more fully or movingly than he has over this last decade and a half. His latest book, Chaos & Caliphate: Jihadis and the West in the Struggle for the Middle East, gives a vivid taste of his reporting and of a world that is at present cracking under the pressure of the conflicts he has witnessed. And imagine that so much of this began, at the bargain-basement cost of a mere $400,000 to $500,000, with 19 (mainly Saudi) fanatics, and a few hijacked airliners. Osama bin Laden must be smiling in his watery grave. Tom
The Age of Disintegration
Neoliberalism, Interventionism, the Resource Curse, and a Fragmenting World
By Patrick Cockburn We live in an age of disintegration. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Greater Middle East and Africa. Across the vast swath of territory between Pakistan and Nigeria, there are at least seven ongoing wars -- in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and South Sudan. These conflicts are extraordinarily destructive. They are tearing apart the countries in which they are taking place in ways that make it doubtful they will ever recover. Cities like Aleppo in Syria, Ramadi in Iraq, Taiz in Yemen, and Benghazi in Libya have been partly or entirely reduced to ruins. There are also at least three other serious insurgencies: in southeast Turkey, where Kurdish guerrillas are fighting the Turkish army, in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula where a little-reported but ferocious guerrilla conflict is underway, and in northeast Nigeria and neighboring countries where Boko Haram continues to launch murderous attacks. All of these have a number of things in common: they are endless and seem never to produce definitive winners or losers. (Afghanistan has effectively been at war since 1979, Somalia since 1991.) They involve the destruction or dismemberment of unified nations, their de facto partition amid mass population movements and upheavals -- well publicized in the case of Syria and Iraq, less so in places like South Sudan where more than 2.4 million people have been displaced in recent years. Add in one more similarity, no less crucial for being obvious: in most of these countries, where Islam is the dominant religion, extreme Salafi-Jihadi movements, including the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda, and the Taliban are essentially the only available vehicles for protest and rebellion. By now, they have completely replaced the socialist and nationalist movements that predominated in the twentieth century; these years have, that is, seen a remarkable reversion to religious, ethnic, and tribal identity, to movements that seek to establish their own exclusive territory by the persecution and expulsion of minorities. In the process and under the pressure of outside military intervention, a vast region of the planet seems to be cracking open. Yet there is very little understanding of these processes in Washington. This was recently well illustrated by the protest of 51 State Department diplomats against President Obama's Syrian policy and their suggestion that air strikes be launched targeting Syrian regime forces in the belief that President Bashar al-Assad would then abide by a ceasefire. The diplomats' approach remains typically simpleminded in this most complex of conflicts, assuming as it does that the Syrian government's barrel-bombing of civilians and other grim acts are the "root cause of the instability that continues to grip Syria and the broader region." It is as if the minds of these diplomats were still in the Cold War era, as if they were still fighting the Soviet Union and its allies. Against all the evidence of the last five years, there is an assumption that a barely extant moderate Syrian opposition would benefit from the fall of Assad, and a lack of understanding that the armed opposition in Syria is entirely dominated by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda clones. Though the invasion of Iraq in 2003 is now widely admitted to have been a mistake (even by those who supported it at the time), no real lessons have been learned about why direct or indirect military interventions by the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East over the last quarter century have all only exacerbated violence and accelerated state failure. A Mass Extinction of Independent States The Islamic State, just celebrating its second anniversary, is the grotesque outcome of this era of chaos and conflict. That such a monstrous cult exists at all is a symptom of the deep dislocation societies throughout that region, ruled by corrupt and discredited elites, have suffered. Its rise -- and that of various Taliban and al-Qaeda-style clones -- is a measure of the weakness of its opponents.
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 Consortium News
If the human species extinguishes itself in a flash of thermonuclear craziness and the surviving cockroaches later develop the intellect to assess why humans committed this mass suicide, the cockroach historians may conclude that it was our failure to hold the neoconservatives accountable in the first two decades of the Twenty-first Century that led to our demise.
After the disastrous U.S.-led invasion of Iraq -- an aggressive war justified under false premises -- there rightly should have been a mass purging of the people responsible for the death, destruction and lies. Instead the culprits were largely left in place, indeed they were allowed to consolidate their control of the major Western news media and the foreign-policy establishments of the United States and its key allies.
Despite the Iraq catastrophe which destabilized the Middle East and eventually Europe, the neocons and their liberal interventionist chums still filled the opinion columns of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and virtually every other mainstream outlet. Across the American and European political systems and "think tanks," the neocons and the liberal hawks stayed dominant, too, continuing to spin their war plans while facing no significant peace movement.
The cockroach historians might be amazed that at such a critical moment of existential danger, the human species -- at least in the most advanced nations of the West -- offered no significant critique of the forces leading mankind to its doom. It was as if the human species was unable to learn even the most obvious lessons needed for its own survival.
Despite the falsehoods of the Iraq War, the U.S. government was still widely believed whenever it came out with a new propaganda theme. Whether it was the sarin gas attack in Syria in 2013 or the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shoot-down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, U.S. government assertions blaming the Syrian government and the Russian government, respectively, were widely accepted without meaningful skepticism or simple demands for basic evidence.
Swallowing Propaganda
Just as with the Iraqi WMD case, the major Western media made no demands for proof. They just fell in line and marched closer to the edge of global war. Indeed, the learned cockroaches might observe that the supposed watchdogs in the American press had willingly leashed themselves to the U.S. government as the two institutions moved in unison toward catastrophe.
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney receive an Oval Office briefing from CIA Director George Tenet. Also present is Chief of Staff Andy Card (on right).
(Image by (White House photo)) Details DMCA
The few humans in the media who did express skepticism -- largely found on something called the Internet -- were dismissed as fill-in-the-blank "apologists," much as occurred with the doubters against the Iraqi WMD case in 2002-2003. The people demanding real evidence were marginalized and those who accepted whatever the powerful said were elevated to positions of ever-greater influence.
If the cockroach historians could burrow deep enough into the radioactive ashes, they might discover that -- on an individual level -- people such as Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt wasn't fired after swallowing the WMD lies whole and regurgitating them on the Post's readership; that New York Times columnist Roger Cohen and dozens of similar opinion-leaders were not unceremoniously replaced; that Hillary Clinton, a neocon in the supposedly "liberal" Democratic Party, was rewarded with the party's presidential nomination in 2016; and that the likes of Iraq War architect Robert Kagan remained the toast of the American capital with his opinions sought after and valued.
The cockroaches might observe that humans showed little ability to adapt amid very dangerous conditions, i.e., the bristling nuclear arsenals of eight or so countries. Instead, the humans pressed toward their own doom, tagging along after guides who had proven incompetent over and over again but were still followed toward a civilization-ending precipice.
These guides casually urged the masses toward the edge with sweet-sounding phrases like "democracy promotion," "responsibility to protect," and "humanitarian wars." The same guides, who had sounded so confident about the wisdom of "shock and awe" in Iraq and then the "regime change" in Libya, pitched plans for a U.S. invasion of Syria, albeit presented as the establishment of "safe zones" and "no-fly zones."
After orchestrating a coup in Russia's neighbor Ukraine, overthrowing the elected president and then sponsoring an "anti-terrorism operation" to kill ethnic Russian Ukrainians who objected to the coup, Western politicians and policymakers saw only "Russian aggression" when Moscow gave these embattled people some assistance. When citizens in Crimea voted 96 percent to separate from Ukraine and rejoin Russia, the West denounced the referendum as a "sham" and called it a "Russian invasion." It didn't matter that opinion polls repeatedly found similar overwhelming support among the Crimean people for the change. The false narrative, insisting that Russia had instigated the Ukraine crisis, was accepted with near-universal gullibility across the West.
A Moscow "Regime Change"
Behind this fog of propaganda, U.S. and other Western officials mounted a significant NATO military build-up on Russia's border, complete with large-scale military exercises practicing the seizure of Russian territory.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution calls for:
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The right of militias, which were made up of individuals in towns all over the thirteen colonies, to own guns makes a lot of sense when understood in historical context. The American Continental Army which fought valiantly for independence against Britain, an overwhelming military power, depended on militias to train recruits and to insure that they owned weapons.
For example, when Colonel John Paterson (later General Paterson) received notice that the first shots of the revolution had been fired, he summoned his Berkshire Massachusetts militia . The men secured their rifles, mounted their horses, and headed for Boston. Although they made the trip in record time they missed the battles of Lexington and Concord but later fought in many other major battles , including Bunker Hill, the crossing of the Delaware with George Washington for the successful surprise attack on Hessian forces loyal to the British in Trenton, New Jersey, and the victory in the battle of Saratoga, which was a turning point in the war.
If Paterson's militia, or other militias, had not brought their own weapons to the Continental Army they would have been unprepared for battle and would thus have been of much diminished military value.
Especially at the beginning of the war for independence the Continental Army did not have a highly organized military infrastructure with sufficient supplies of weapons, uniforms, or provisions to match the British. That's why soldiers in the Continental Army were often expected to bring their own guns: "Standard issue was unheard of." The most preferred combat weapons were the single-shot rifle and single-shot musket Here's a vivid description of frontier American volunteers joining the battle:
"Of all the guns of the Revolution, popular tradition has cloaked the rifle with an almost magical and glamorous quality, describing it sometimes as 'the gun that made victory certain in the American Revolution.' The first companies of frontier riflemen to be raised, dressed as they were in buckskin hunting shirts, with awesome knives and tomahawks in their belts, created a sensation as they proceed from Pennsylvania and Virginia to join the military units and state militia laying siege to the British in the Massachusetts capital."
Nevertheless, the Continental Army often lacked the weapons and supplies to effectively face off with the British:
"A shortage of arms was chronic. Little more than a year after the outbreak of the war, one quarter of the Continental Army had no guns."
The North Carolina Museum of History describes a prominent incident in which the lack of weapons and supplies thwarted a military opportunity:
"Often it was hard to get supplies, and the shortages hurt the war effort. The North Carolina troops planned an expedition to Georgia and Florida, but it failed for lack of supplies. One officer defended General Robert Howe of North Carolina, stating that the public was throwing a thousand reflections on the General and the army for not marching to attack the enemy and storm lines, without provisions and without ammunition."
Keep in mind that with the signing of the Paris Treaty in 1783, which brought an end to the revolutionary war, the thirteen colonies plus the land east of the Mississippi, ceded to America by the British in the Paris treaty, only constituted about a third of the present United States in North America. And that was still the landscape of America when the Constitution was ratified in 1788 and also when the first ten amendments were approved by the states in 1791. Potentially hostile armies of France, Spain, and Mexico surrounded America's western and southern borders. And the British occupied Canada and the far west, in what is now Oregon and Washington.
With dangers looming on all the borders, it's understandable that the Founding Fathers would include the Second Amendment to insure that militias would have sufficient weapons if they were called up for national defense. The amendment was particularly vital since following the revolution, "the United States reduced its standing army to only a handful of men, entrusting the state militias with the nation's defense." After the disbanding of the Continental Army in 1783, the United States army wasn't established until 1796, five years after the adoption of the Second Amendment. This means that for at least that five year period the United States was totally dependent on State militias for national defense. No wonder, therefore, that the Second Amendment called for armed militias.
But why didn't James Madison, brilliant author of the Second Amendment, spell out more details and definitions? These would have shut down today's debates about meaning and intention in the amendment. Indeed, why is the Second Amendment a skimpy twenty-seven words? Madison did not lack the ability to express ideas clearly and artfully. However, since everyone including the public clearly understood the crucial role of militias for national defense, he probably deemed additional explanation unnecessary. Militias were part of everyday life in the former thirteen colonies.
Next Page 1 | 2
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
"Our carceral state banishes American citizens to a gray wasteland far beyond the promises and protections the government grants its other citizens" When the doors finally close and one finds oneself facing banishment to the carceral state--the years, the walls, the rules, the guards, the inmates"the incarcerated begins to adjust to the fact that he or she is, indeed, a prisoner. New social ties are cultivated. New rules must be understood."--Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic
In a carceral state--a.k.a. a prison state or a police state--there is no Fourth Amendment to protect you from the overreaches, abuses, searches and probing eyes of government overlords.
In a carceral state, there is no difference between the treatment meted out to a law-abiding citizen and a convicted felon: both are equally suspect and treated as criminals, without any of the special rights and privileges reserved for the governing elite.
In a carceral state, there are only two kinds of people: the prisoners and the prison guards.
With every new law enacted by federal and state legislatures, every new ruling handed down by government courts, and every new military weapon, invasive tactic and egregious protocol employed by government agents, "we the people"--the prisoners of the American police state--are being pushed that much further into a corner, our backs against the prison wall.
This concept of a carceral state in which we possess no rights except for that which the government grants on an as-needed basis is the only way I can begin to comprehend, let alone articulate, the irrational, surreal, topsy-turvy, through-the-looking-glass state of affairs that is being imposed upon us in America today.
As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, we who pretend we are free are no different from those who spend their lives behind bars.
Indeed, we are experiencing much the same phenomenon that journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates ascribes to those who are banished to a "gray wasteland far beyond the promises and protections the government grants its other citizens" : a sickening feeling, a desire to sleep, hopelessness, shame, rage, disbelief, clinginess to the past and that which is familiar, and then eventually resignation and acceptance of our new "normal."
All that we are experiencing--the sense of dread at what is coming down the pike, the desperation, the apathy about government corruption, the deeply divided partisanship, the carnivalesque political spectacles, the public displays of violence, the nostalgia for the past--are part of the dying refrain of an America that is fading fast.
No longer must the government obey the law.
Likewise, "we the people" are no longer shielded by the rule of law.
While the First Amendment--which gives us a voice--is being muzzled, the Fourth Amendment--which protects us from being bullied, badgered, beaten, broken and spied on by government agents--is being disemboweled.
For instance, in a recent 5-3 ruling in Utah v. Strieff, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door for police to stop, arrest and search citizens without reasonable suspicion or probable cause, effectively giving police a green light to embark on a fishing expedition of one's person and property, rendering Americans completely vulnerable to the whims of any cop on the beat.
In a blistering dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted the court: "This case allows the police to stop you on the street, demand your identification, and check it for outstanding traffic warrants--even if you are doing nothing wrong" So long as the target is one of the many millions of people in this country with an outstanding arrest warrant, anything the officer finds in a search is fair game for use in a criminal prosecution. The officer's incentive to violate the Constitution thus increases..."
Just consider some of the many other ways in which the Fourth Amendment--which ensures that the government can't harass you, let alone even investigate you, without probable cause--has been weakened and undermined by the courts, the legislatures and various government agencies and operatives.
Americans have no protection against mandatory breathalyzer tests at a police checkpoint, although mandatory blood draws violate the Fourth Amendment.
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).
by Walter Brasch
Rally For Immigration Reform
(Image by ProgressOhio) Details DMCA
Compared to their inaction on other agenda items, the U.S. Senate is brilliant.
The one issue it had success with was to block President Obama's immigration plans by not allowing a hearing or a vote for the ninth Supreme Court justice.
President Obama by an executive order had allowed children born in the U.S. of undocumented parents and their parents to remain the U.S. The reasoning was that the children were born in the U.S., but the parents were still undocumented--some call it the children "anchor" babies--and by returning the parents to their native country, it would impact their children's lives.
Refusing to discuss the ninth justice left eight justices. The 4--4 vote, liberals v. conservatives, essentially defeated the President's executive order. The tie vote lets stand rulings by federal appeals courts. The vacancy was created with the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia in April.
If Donald Trump were to be elected, he would nominate a right-wing justice who would undo much of President Obama's policies, tilting the Court to a 5--4 conservative; all actions would probably be supported by the Republican majority of the Senate.
If Hillary Clinton were to be elected, she would nominate a justice who would tilt the Court liberal. However, with that 5--4 Supreme Court majority and the conservative majority in the Senate, the president's action would still be blocked or reversed.
Those who would be immediately affected in Pennsylvania would be about 136,000; about 19,000 undocumented children 16 years or younger when they came to the U.S. and 32,000 parents would also be affected, according to the Migrant Policy Institute (MPI). Most of the rest are undocumented workers without children and children born in the U.S., who are legal citizens.
In New Jersey are about 510,000 undocumented individuals, about 200,000 of them children under 16 and their parents.
The President's order affects about half of the 11.3 million undocumented immigrants. About 60 percent of undocumented immigrants live in six states: California, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois, and Texas. Most of all undocumented workers, 5 percent of the U,S. population, are employed and pay taxes.
The President's executive order directly affects those who have not entered the U.S. For the next seven months, those in the country would not be deported. However, the President's powers do include those who come to the U.S., and he has broad discretionary powers, all of which related to immigration would be reversed by Trump.
"In November," said the President, "Americans are going to have to make a decision about what we care about and who we are."
[Dr. Brasch is an award-winning journalist and a professor emeritus from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. He is the author of 20 books; his latest is Fracking America.]
Progressive Content Not Found
Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.
To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea Industry Report 2016
Global QY Research
http://globalqyresearch.com/global-and-china-sulfur-coated-urea-research-report-to-2020
http://globalqyresearch.com/download-sample/64750
http://globalqyresearch.com/checkout-form/0/64750
https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-qy-research
The recently published report titled Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea Industry 2016 Market Research Report is an in depth study providing complete analysis of the industry for the period 2016 2021. It provides complete overview of Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea market considering all the major industry trends, market dynamics and competitive scenario.The Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea Industry Report 2016 is an in depth study analyzing the current state of the Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea market. It provides brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea market provides analysis of market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape. Competitive analysis includes competitive information of leading players in market, their company profiles, product portfolio, capacity, production, and company financials. In addition, report also provides upstream raw material analysis and downstream demand analysis along with the key development trends and sales channel analysis. Research study on Global and China Sulfur Coated Urea market also discusses the opportunity areas for investors.View Full Report With Complete TOC, List Of Figure and Table:With 153 tables and figures, the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Download Sample this Report:6 Key Manufacturers Analysis of Sulfur Coated Urea6.1 Turf Care6.1.1 Company Basic Information6.1.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Turf Care by Type6.1.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.1.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.1.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.1.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Turf Care 2015 to 20166.1.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.2 The Andersons6.2.1 Company Basic Information6.2.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of The Andersons by Type6.2.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.2.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.2.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.2.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of The Andersons 2015 to 20166.2.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.3 Everris6.3.1 Company Basic Information6.3.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Everris by Type6.3.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.3.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.3.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.3.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Everris 2015 to 20166.3.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.4 Sun Agro6.4.1 Company Basic Information6.4.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Sun Agro by Type6.4.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.4.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.4.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.4.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Sun Agro 2015 to 20166.4.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.5 Adfert6.5.1 Company Basic Information6.5.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Adfert by Type6.5.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.5.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.5.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.5.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Adfert 2015 to 20166.5.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.6 Hanfeng6.6.1 Company Basic Information6.6.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Hanfeng by Type6.6.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.6.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.6.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.6.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Hanfeng 2015 to 20166.6.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.7 ArgUniv Fert6.7.1 Company Basic Information6.7.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of ArgUniv Fert by Type6.7.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.7.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.7.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.7.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of ArgUniv Fert 2015 to 20166.7.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.8 Wanxin Fertilizer6.8.1 Company Basic Information6.8.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Wanxin Fertilizer by Type6.8.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.8.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.8.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.8.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Wanxin Fertilizer 2015 to 20166.8.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.9 Luyue Chemical6.9.1 Company Basic Information6.9.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Luyue Chemical by Type6.9.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.9.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.9.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.9.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Luyue Chemical 2015 to 20166.9.4 Interviewee, Name and Contact6.10 Puyang Dahua6.10.1 Company Basic Information6.10.2 Sulfur Coated Urea Product Segment of Puyang Dahua by Type6.10.2.1 12-16 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.10.2.2 14-18 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.10.2.3 18-22 week release and Price in 2015 and 20166.10.3 Sulfur Coated Urea Sales, Revenue, Price of Puyang Dahua 2015 to 20166.10.4 Interviewee, Name and ContactTo Purchase this premium Report atGlobal QY Research is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QY Research holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Unit1, 26 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, London, E182AN, United KingdomEmail: sales@globalqyresearch.comFollow us:
Packaging Coatings Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=9833
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com
Packaging plays a significant role in every manufacturing process. Manufacturers and packers are paying noteworthy attention to packaging for ensuring product safety, ease in supply chain, promoting sales, and increasing consumer convenience. Hence, packaging coatings plays a major role in improving the packaging process with a view to attain the above mentioned attributes. Packaging coating not only helps enhance the packaging process by providing additional protection, corrosion resistance, and numerous chemical attributes, but also helps in improving the overall aesthetic characteristics of the packaging form. The growing application areas of packaging are estimated to benefit the global packaging coatings market. Changing lifestyle and food habits are estimated to be the major reasons for the rise of the food and beverages sector, which is a major application segment for the global packaging coating market. Rise in consumption and manufacturing of PET bottles is also estimated to be a major growth contributor for the global packaging coating market.The global packaging coatings market is primarily driven by the growth witnessed in the packaging industry. Global, the packaging industry is estimated to expand at CAGR of 4% over the forecast period. The growing scope of packaging in various products, especially in consumer goods and food and beverages industry, is estimated to further drive growth of the globally packaging coatings market in the coming years. The increasing need for maintaining original quality and taste and keeping a check on contamination are pushing manufacturers to use packaging coatings, especially in the food and beverages market. On the other hand, stringent government laws and regulations, especially in terms of food and beverages packaging, is expected to restrain growth of the global packaging coatings market in the coming years. Besides, increasing concern and awareness regarding the side effects of chemicals used in coatings of cans and bottles among both, manufacturers and end users, is anticipated to further restrain growth of the global packaging coatings market in the coming years.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Growth opportunity for players operating in the global packaging coatings market lies in the usage of environmentally safe and organic materials, which could be reuse and recycled, in the production of packaging products.The global packaging coatings market is segmented on the basis of packaging type, resin type, end use sector, and regions. On the basis of packaging type, the global packaging coatings market is segmented into rigid packaging coatings and flexible packaging coatings. On the basis of resin type, the global packaging coatings market is segmented into Epoxy, Acrylic, Phenolic, Amino, Vinyl, Polyurethane, Polyester, and others. On the basis of substrate type, the global packaging coatings market is segmented into glass, metal (cans, containers, and sheets), plastic (PET bottles, jars, and others), and paper. On the basis of end use sector, the global packaging coatings market is segmented into food and beverage sector, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, industrial goods, and others.On the basis of geography, the global packaging coatings market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. North America is anticipated to be the largest market for global packaging coatings due to rise in food packaging practices, especially in the can segment in the region. Asia is anticipated to contribute significantly towards growth of the global packaging coatings market in the coming years, due to the increasing demand for packaging coatings in the packaged food and consumer goods segments in the region. Latin America is estimated to be the leading consumer of packaging coatings after Asia Pacific. The Latin America market is expected to be followed by the Europe market. The Middle East and Africa market is estimated to exhibit sluggish growth in the global packaging coatings market.Some of the major players in the global packaging coatings market are PPG Industries, Inc., The Valspar Corporation. , Akzo Nobel N.V., Allnex Belgium SA/NV, Wacker Chemie AG, BASF SE, ARKEMA GROUP, Axalta Coating Systems, LLC, W. R. Grace and Company, The Dow Chemical Company, Mantrose-Haeuser Co., Inc., and Sun Coating Company.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact TMRMr.Sudip S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
EMPORIUM MELBOURNE TAKES OUT AIAS SIR OSBORN MCCUTCHEON AWARD IN COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE
www.buchan.com.au
Attracting a high calibre of entrants, the Victorian chapter of the annual Australian Institute of Architecture Awards program celebrates excellence in design and recognises the innovative work of Victorian architects.Managing Director Bruce Shaw said the award was testament to the unique and ambitious nature of the project and reinforces Buchans expertise in reimagining commercial and retail environments.We are incredibly proud to have received this award in recognition of our specialist knowledge and innovation in architecture and design, said Bruce.Our design for Emporium merges history with modern retail principles to deliver a truly memorable leisure experience to the Melbourne CBD. Every nuance and aesthetic subtlety employed in the design contributes to the destinational quality of the Centre. It was a pleasure working with the team on this collaborative design journey that has resulted in such a striking and iconic development.Emporium forms the final link in the pedestrian chain of Australias most powerful CBD retail precinct, linking Myer, David Jones, Melbourne Central, The Strand Arcade and Melbournes GPO. The design is characterised by an interconnected, vertical retail environment reflecting the character and shopping experience of Melbournes famous network of laneways.The jury described the project as mature, self-assured and elegant, with moments of joy found in the chocolate ripple ceiling and amenities.Winners were announced at the annual Awards Presentation Dinner on Friday 24 JuneWith 125 years of design excellence, The Buchan Group has a vast global reach extending across offices in the United Kingdom, China, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. With almost 400 professionals, the firm is recognised for its design excellence and depth of experience in retail, residential, hotels, mixed use, leisure and commercial developments.The Groups projects include: Wuhan 1818 (Wuhan, China), Sheraton Melbourne (Australia), Emporium Melbourne (Australia), Cloisters on Hay (Perth, Australia), Christchurch Art Gallery (New Zealand), Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City (United Kingdom), Chadstone Shopping Centre (Melbourne, Australia), DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (Japan), The Emerald (Melbourne, Australia) and Raffles City Chengdu (Chengdu, China).The Buchan GroupA Level 1, 696 Bourke StreetMelbourne VIC 3000AustraliaT +61 3 9329 1077F +61 3 9329 0481Huy ChauBusiness Development ManagerP: +61 481 133 257E: huy.chau@buchan.com.au
MHealth Monitoring And Diagnostic Medical Devices Market (Focus On Medical Devices With In-Built Plug-Ins For Connectivity With Devices Like Smartphones And Tablets)
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/197460
mHealth is an abbreviation for mobile health, a term used for the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices. The term is most commonly used in reference to using mobile communication devices such as mobile phones, tablets, computers and PDAs for health services and information. This report studies the current scenario as well as the future market potential for mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices (focus on medical devices with in-built plug-ins for connectivity with devices like smartphones and tablets) globally. The mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market has been segmented into seven major product types, namely, glucose monitors, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, cardiac monitors, sleep apnea monitors, multi-parameter monitoring devices and others (fetal monitors, neurological monitors) devices.The market for these devices has been extensively analyzed on the basis of factors such as healthcare and monitoring applications, geographic presence and technological developments. The market size and forecasts in terms of revenue (USD million) for each of these segments have been provided for the period 2013 to 2019, considering 2012 as the base year. The mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market report also provides the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for each segment of the market for the forecast period 2013 to 2019.Get Sample Copy Of This Report:Geographically, the mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market has been segmented into four regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The market size and forecast for each region has been provided for the period 2011 to 2019 along with the CAGR (%) for the forecast period 2013 to 2019. The study also includes qualitative analysis of the competitive scenario in these regions. The market overview section of the mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market report comprises a qualitative analysis of the overall market considering the factors determining market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities, along with Porters five force analysis and market attractiveness analysis. A PESTLE analysis has also been done while estimating individual geographies in order to provide current as well as future status.The mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market report also provides a highlight of the competitive landscape of the market, wherein the heat map analysis of the leading players in the market in terms of products offered by the companies has been discussed. A list of recommendations has also been included for new entrants as well as existing market players to help them establish a strong presence in the market and accentuate market shares. The report concludes with the profiles of major players in the mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices market such as AT&T, Inc., Bayer HealthCare AG, BioTelemetry, Inc. (CardioNet, Inc.), Boston Scientific Corporation, DexCom, Inc., Drager AG, F. Hoffmann La-Roche Ltd., Johnson & Johnson, LifeWatch AG, Masimo Corporation, Medtronic, Inc. and Omron Healthcare. Market players are profiled on the basis of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies adopted by the companies to ensure sustainability and maximize profits, product portfolio and recent developments.The global mHealth monitoring and diagnostic medical devices market is segmented as follows:mHealth Monitoring and Diagnostic Medical Devices Market, by Product Type,Glucose MonitorsBlood Pressure MonitorsCardiac MonitorsPulse OximetersSleep Apnea MonitorsMulti-parameter MonitorsOthersmHealth Monitoring and Diagnostic Medical Devices Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificRest of the World (RoW)Marketresearchreports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. Marketresearchreports.biz services are especially designed to save time and money of our clients.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
MHealth Market - Global Mobile Health Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2012 - 2018
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/138987
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/138987
The growth in mHealth market is primarily driven by the increasing adoption of smartphones, rising incidence of chronic diseases and growing number of mHealth applications. Mobile based healthcare services access is becoming almost ubiquitous worldwide. mHealth applications are rapidly gaining popularity due to growth in number of innovative solutions.View Full Report:The global mHealth market is segmented by services into: monitoring services, diagnostic services, healthcare system strengthening services and other services. Mobile operators, device vendors, content players and healthcare providers are the various participants of the mHealth market. The market has also been segmented by geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World regions. Market estimates and forecasts are made after critical analysis of various macro and micro economic factors which directly and indirectly affect the market growth. Inclusion of these factors has helped in accurate crunching of numbers and has extended the report purview. The report includes market size estimation and forecasts for the period of 2011 to 2018 for each of the mHealth segments.The report will support the strategy development of players across the supply chain including device vendors, mobile operators, content developers and healthcare providers. The trends in the mHealth market will help healthcare service providers in tapping the untapped segments and address unmet needs. The competitive landscape section will especially help content developers and healthcare providers in strengthening their position in the market.Request For Sample Copy:An in-depth research and market analysis will allow mobile application developers, marketing companies, healthcare providers, content developers, research and development agencies, network operators, and system integrators to make informed decisions about development, marketing, and growth strategies.Marketresearchreports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. Marketresearchreports.biz services are especially designed to save time and money of our clients.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Polypropylene Foam Market - Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Growth and Forecast, 2013 2019
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1980
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/
http://globalresearchanalysis.blogspot.in/
Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer which can be readily formed by catalytic polymerization of propylene. In foam form it is used for various applications such as packaging, automobile, construction, electrical and electronics, and medical industries. The polypropylene foam has witnessed an enormous growth in the past few decades and this trend is expected grow over the next few years. Growing demand from Chinas packaging industry and increasing demand for light weight vehicles are expected to be the major drivers for the polypropylene foam market. In addition, growing demand for recyclable products coupled with excellent quality, durability, energy absorbing and innovative techniques is expected to augment the polypropylene foam market over the next few years.Interpret A Competitive Outlook Analysis Report With FREE PDF Brochure :However, volatility of raw material prices and rising awareness regarding environmental issues may hamper the demand for polypropylene foam. This is because crude oil and natural gas are the major sources of primary feedstock required to manufacture polypropylene. Naphtha and ethylene are the basic raw materials from which propylene, a monomer of polypropylene, is manufactured. Hence, prices of crude oil and natural gas have a direct impact on the price of polypropylene. Shift towards developing bio-based polypropylene is anticipated to open new avenues for this market.Packaging is expected to be a highly attractive application segment for the polypropylene market in the next few years. In addition, consumption of polypropylene foam in the automobile industry is expected to rise due to the growing demand for light weight vehicles which not only increases fuel efficiency, but also reduces cost and carbon emissions to a greater extent.The demand for polypropylene is high in Asia Pacific, especially in food packaging, due to increasing population and changing lifestyles, as consumers are shifting towards easy-to-cook or ready-to-eat food. In addition, increasing number of nuclear families coupled with high disposable income has led to high demand for consumer products packed in smaller quantities. This is expected to boost the polypropylene foam market. In addition, Asia Pacific and Europe are expected to be the leading markets for polypropylene foam on account of the growing automobile industry in these regions.Some of the key market players include Armacell, BASF, SSW PearlFoam GmbH, NMC Group, Pregis and Sekisui Alveo among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. STransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Unified Communications Market size worth $96 Billion by 2023: Global Market Insights, Inc.
https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/unified-communications-market
https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/402
Unified Communications Market size is forecast to reach USD 96.0 billion by 2023; as per a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Rising adoption of mobile devices is expected to propel demand over the forecast period. The total mobile subscriptions by 2023 are forecast to exceed 9.5 billion, with smartphones leading growth and overall mobile data traffic.While developed markets of the U.S. and Europe will continue witnessing steady demand, smartphone subscriptions will largely be driven by Asia Pacific.To access sample pages or purchases this report titled, Unified Communications (UC) Market Size By Application (Education, Enterprise, Healthcare, Government), By Product (Hosted/Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), On-Premise), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016 - 2023, please click on the link below:Steady proliferation of hosted products will be one of the key unified communications market trends, with over USD 14 billion in revenue for 2015, and expected to surpass USD 49 billion by 2023. This product eliminates infrastructure cost and offers a centralized management system wherein services are provided by means of the cloud.Get sample pages from our latest research report @Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) market technologies include telephony, enterprise messaging and presence technology, video conferencing and online meetings. UCaaS provides flexibility and scalability along with high availability for core business tasks. Implementation in business has been augmented owing to numerous advantages such as cost-effectiveness, pay as per the need and requirement, and reduction of travelling time. It has also eliminated the limitation of synchronous operations of geographically dispersed units.The government sector has witnessed increased adoption of UC systems to cater the needs of citizens pertaining to public safety and permit processing. These solutions help governments to effectively deal with emergencies and crisis conferencing. This latest unified communications market research report analyzes revenue from this segment to exceed USD 20 billion by 2023.Moreover, implementation of these systems also helps governments to respond to citizen needs, while reducing the infrastructure costs. Further, they help enhance productivity by streamlining communication processes, automating manual processes, and consolidating communication applications.Cloud computing has been increasingly adopted by service providers owing to the flexibility it offers coupled with cost-effectiveness. Cloud-based UC applications allow organizations to eliminate capital spending and adopt an operational cost model for which they have to pay only on the basis of the required capacity.Additionally, the enhancement in cloud technology has resulted in it being able to offer solutions at par with the on-site solutions. Increased demand for real-time communication has resulted in vendors stressing upon providing Web RTC solutions, which are expected to facilitate faster video streaming and group chats in client devices.Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) signifies the connection of personal devices including tablets, notebooks, PCs and smartphones to an organizations verticals network. This helps the employees to gain admission to the network through their own devices. This provides a number of operational as well as financial benefits. Global BYOD market size is projected to surpass USD 365 billion by 2023.The lack of interoperability amongst the different platforms is expected to adversely affect unified communications market growth. Customers find it difficult to choose components from numerous vendors as interoperability becomes a key issue owing to the lack of compatibility between components and software.Key insights from the report include: Enterprises accounted for more than 60% of the UC market share in 2015. This can be primarily attributed to rising adoption of video conferencing and web based collaboration. Education sector is expected to grow at 13.7% CAGR from 2016 to 2023 owing to increasing demand for distance learning. North America unified communications market size was worth over USD 12 billion in 2015. The region has been driven by factors such as growing popularity of BYOD and presence of a number of major industry participants. Asia Pacific unified communications market share is forecast to reach over 29% by 2023. Growing emphasis on cost cutting as well as demand for collaboration is expected to drive regional demand over the next seven years. Raw materials required for manufacturing hardware components of these systems include microprocessors, Integrated Circuits (ICs), amplifier boards, and other electronic elements. Manufacturing activities primarily consist of assembly and testing. Companies either carry out such activities in their own manufacturing facilities or outsource them to specialized telecommunication component manufacturing firms. Key players include Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent and Avaya. Competition is fierce among major manufacturers, with high emphasis on achieving product differentiation on the basis of quality.Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Global Market Insights Inc.29L Atlantic Avenue, Suite L 105,Ocean View, Delaware, United States
Global Bio-based Butanol Market 2016 Share, Size, Trends, Sales, Demand 2025
http://goo.gl/DLSiqU
http://goo.gl/ZYbZEP
A market study based on the "Bio-based Butanol market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of QY Market research, is titled Global Bio-based Butanol Market 2016. The research report analyzes the historical as well as present performance of the global Bio-based Butanol market, and makes predictions on the future status of Bio-based Butanol market on the basis of this analysis.The report studies the market for Bio-based Butanol across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Bio-based Butanol market & dynamics of demand and supply of Bio-based Butanol into consideration.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :The ' Bio-based Butanol 'research study covers each and every aspect of the Bio-based Butanol market globally, which starts from the definition of the Bio-based Butanol market and develops towards Bio-based Butanol market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Bio-based Butanol market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Bio-based Butanol market. The geographical segmentation of the Bio-based Butanol market has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Bio-based Butanol is determined by evaluating the various market participants, production capacity, Bio-based Butanol market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Bio-based Butanol market worldwide.Read More Research with TOC :The global Bio-based Butanol market 2016 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Bio-based Butanol production volume, data regarding demand and Bio-based Butanol supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the market for Bio-based Butanol across the globe.About Us:QY Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact Us:Joel JohnDeerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Web: QY Market ResearchEmail: sales@qymarketresearch.com
Asia Pacific region fuel the demand for fluoroscopy systems and mobile C-arms market in coming years
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1485
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fluoroscopy-mobile-c-arm.html
Fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms are used in the study of human body parts providing live images, analogous to X-ray imaging. These equipments play major role in orthopedic surgeries, cardiac catheterization, lumbar puncture, biopsy, placement of interventional catheters into arteries and veins and interventional radiology procedures. Increasing preference of interventional radiology procedures is leading to faster growth of fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market. Interventional radiology is preferred because it causes less damage to tissues resulting in less pain and faster recovery.Download Report Brochure For More Info in research study:Increasing number of hospitals and diagnostic laboratories in the emerging economies is one of the major factors driving the fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market. According to the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, number of government hospitals has increased from 4,571 in 2000 to 11,993 in 2011 in India. Increase in number of hospitals lead to an increase in demand of the fluoroscopy equipment and mobile C-arms.Fluoroscopy equipment held major share of the market in 2012 in terms of revenue while in terms of volume, mobile C-arm is leading the market. Mobile C-arms are further segmented into full size C-arms and mini C-arms and it is expected that full size C-arms will grow at faster pace in global fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market during the forecast period. The growth of full size C-arms is attributed to its multiple applications and technological advancements. Prices of these equipment vary widely in different geographical areas, owing to difference in manufacturing cost and price-based demand which depends on the economic conditions of various regions.Demand for refurbished systems is restraining the market for new fluoroscopy and mobile C-arm equipment, as they cost much less than the new equipment. Therefore, demand for refurbished systems is high in developing regions such as China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Africa and Turkey. Although market for refurbished systems is growing, there are certain regulations governing the import and use of these equipment. As for instance, in Europe, only those equipment with CE mark are allowed to be marketed. However, relaxed policies in majority of developing regions are fueling the overall market for fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms.Geographically, the global fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market is differentiated into four regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America dominated the fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market in 2012, both in terms of value and volume, owing to the high awareness about medical imaging devices, acceptance of new and innovative products, financial capability to purchase expensive machines and high infrastructure investment supporting healthcare development. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a high CAGR due to presence of untapped opportunities, improving healthcare infrastructure and increasing awareness about medical imaging procedures and their application in diagnosis and interventional radiology procedures.The global fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market is characterized by the presence of few big market players including GE Healthcare, Hitachi, Ltd., Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthcare, Toshiba Corporation, Ziehm Imaging GmbH, Hologic, Inc. and OrthoScan, Inc. Competition among these market players is high which impels these market players to develop new technologies which provide better contrast images and user convenience with an array of applications.The global fluoroscopy and mobile C-arms market is segmented into:By ProductFluoroscopyMobile C-armsFull Size C- ArmsMini C-armsBy RegionNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the WorldBrowse Full Report:About Us:-Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Mr.Sudip.STransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) by Company Profile, Deals Type, Key Trends & Opportunities to 2022
Market Research Reports and Industry Trends Analysis
http://www.marketreportsonline.com/contacts/purchase.php?name=482605
http://www.marketreportsonline.com/482605-toc.html
http://www.marketreportsonline.com/cat/medical-devices-market-research.html
HighIntensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a highly precise medical procedure that applies highintensity focused ultrasound energy to locally heat and destroy diseased or damaged tissue through ablation. HIFU is one modality of therapeutic ultrasound, involving minimally invasive or noninvasive methods to direct acoustic energy into the body. In HIFU therapy, ultrasound beams are focused on diseased tissue, and due to the significant energy deposition at the focus, temperature within the tissue can rise to levels from 65 to 85C, destroying the diseased tissue by coagulation necrosis.This research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the HIFU manufacturers, research sites, preclinical research sites, clinical research sites, commercial treatment sites, treatment by indication. The report also brings together major distribution agreement, collaboration deals and partnership deals information in the HIFU market. Furthermore, each company have been profiled on the basis of various attributes such as company overview, HIFU products, latest developments, growth strategies and financial revenue.Recent advances in HIFU, which was developed in the 1940s as a viable thermal tissue ablation approach, have increased its popularity. In clinics, HIFU has been applied to treat a variety of solid malignant tumors in a welldefined volume, including the pancreas, liver, prostate, breast, uterine fibroids, and softtissue sarcomas. In comparison to conventional tumor/cancer treatment modalities, such as open surgery, radio and chemotherapy, HIFU has the advantages of noninvasion, nonionization, and fewer complications after treatment. More than 115, 000 cases have been treated throughout the world with great success till 2015.Company coverage of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Market: EDAP TMS, Sonacare Medical, Haifu Medical, Shanghai A&S Co., LTD, Mianyang Sonic Electronic Ltd., Insightec, Theraclion, Alpinion Medical Systems, FUS Instruments & Image Guided TherapyThe above 10 companies of the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Market are Detailed with:1. Company Overview2. HIFU Products3. Companies HIFU Revenue4. Latest Development in High Intensity Focus Ultrasound (HIFU) MarketPurchase a copy of this High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) by Company Profile, Deals Type, Key Trends & Opportunities to 2022 research report atHigh prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and cancer cases, rapidly growing aging population, rising number of new product launches, growing number of clinical studies regarding the applications of HIFU, and increasing focus of key players on the development of technologically advanced systems are the key factors driving the market growth of the HighIntensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). Moreover, emerging applications such as gynecology & obstetrics, neurosurgery, urinary disorders imaging, and removal of excess subcutaneous fatty tissue using highenergy sound waves would further propel the growth of the highintensity focused ultrasound market in the coming six years. However, the stringent government regulations for the approval of HIFU system, rising price pressure faced by market players and unfavorable of reimbursement scenario are the key factors restraining the growth of this market.Few points from List of Figures () provided in HighIntensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Market Trends & Opportunities 2022 Research Report:Figure 31: EDAP TMS HIFU Revenue (Million US$), 2001 2015Figure 32: EDAP TMS Forecast for HIFU Revenue (Million US$), 2016 2022Figure 33: Number of Patients Treated in Suining Central Hospital HIFU Center (Number), 2010 2013Figure 34: Number of Patients Treated in St. Peters Hospital HIFU Center (Number), 2012 2013Figure 35: Insightec Revenue (Million US$), 2010 2015Figure 36: Insightec Forecast for Revenue (Million US$), 2016 2022Figure 37: Theraclion HIFU Revenue (Million US$), 2013 2015Figure 38: Theraclion Forecast for HIFU Revenue (Million US$), 2016 2022Explore more related reports on medical devices market atMarketReportsOnline comprises of an online library of 2,50,000 reports and in-depth market research studies of over 5000+ micro markets. We provide 24/7 online and offline support to our customers. Get in touch with us for your needs of market research reports.Ritesh TiwariUNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZMagarpatta city, HadapsarPune, Maharashtra 411013, IndiaTel: + 1 888 391 5441E-mail: sales@marketreportsonline.com
Global Enabling Technologies for the Smart Grid Market to Benefit from Increasing Need to Curb Transmission and Distribution Losses
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/enabling-technologies-for-the-smart-grid.html
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com
The global enabling technologies for smart grids market is expected to exhibit a steady 7% growth till 2018. The global smart grid market is growing due to the rising demand for power that is supplemented by higher transmission and distribution losses. Furthermore, the global market for smart grid will also benefit from regulatory compliance, rising efficiency by optimization of the grid, and elevated reliability, quality, and security of power supply.Rising Number of Massive Electrical Blackouts Pressurizing Countries to Adopt Smart Grid TechnologyConventional electrical grids installed in several countries are now reaching the end of their lifecycle, which has resulted in massive electrical blackouts. Consequently, governments in many of these countries are experiencing huge losses in maintaining these traditional grids. These factors have attracted massive attention to smart grids. Several governments are focusing on new enabling technologies for smart grids that are more effective and efficient. Furthermore, these technologies are capable of generating higher quality power and are self-corrective. In addition to this, smart grid distribution can cut down carbon dioxide emissions by around 25%.On the other hand, the lack of interoperability and lack of common standards will suppress the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids. The high initial set-up cost of these technologies is also the other discouraging factor suppressing the growth of the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids.Sensing, Measurement, and Control Segment to Demonstrate Tremendous Expansion with an 85% CAGR till 2018Some of the core technologies used in the global smart grid market include advanced metering infrastructure, software and hardware, distribution automation (DA), communication technologies, cyber security, and transmission upgrades. By type, the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids is divided into grid scale energy storage systems, energy management systems (EMS), and microgrids.In 2011, the segment of distributed energy generation and storage held the largest share of approximately 76% in the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids. At present, the sector of sensing, measurement, and control accounts for a small share in the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids. However, this sector is expected to demonstrate the highest CAGR of 85% during the forecast period of 2012 to 2018.Microgrid Segment in the Global Market for Enabling Technologies for Smart Grids to Benefit from Rapid IndustrializationThe microgrid segment in the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids is expected to show healthy growth in the coming years. The global microgrid market is expected to soar at 20.7% CAGR during the forecast period of 2014 to 2020. In 2013, this enabling technology sector for smart grids was pegged at US$9,841.8 million, and by 2020 this sector is expected to be worth US$35,186.0 million. Factors such as the advancement in renewable energy technologies, rapid industrialization, and indirect and direct benefits of microgrid are augmenting microgrid deployment.The trend of prepayment of electricity will offer a good growth opportunity for market players operating in the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids. Some of the top companies operating in the global market for enabling technologies for smart grids are 3M Company, Alvarion Inc., American Superconductor Corp., Chevron Corp., GE Energy Management, Ambient Corp., Power Analytics Corp., Toshiba Corp., S&C Electric Company, and Schneider Electric.Browse Full Global Enabling Technologies for the Smart Grid Market Research Report With Complete TOC @About Us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact:Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Metolachlor Market Size, Shares, analysis & trends up to 2020
http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/market-analysis/metolachlor-market.html
http://goo.gl/RGriEW
http://goo.gl/jGSBV7
http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com
Herbicides are the chemicals used to get rid of unwanted weeds by interfering in the mechanism of the plant. Metolachlor is an organic herbicide derived from aniline. It is member of the chloroacetanilide herbicides and is extremely effective to grasses. Metolachlor is developed by Ciba-Geigy. Metolachlor inhibits the elongasses and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate cyclases that are part of gibberellins pathway. It is produced by condensation of methyl aniline (MEA) with methoxyacetone. Metolachlor is mainly adopted for the use of broadleaf weed control in soybean, sorghum, peanuts, cotton and corn. Metolachlor is utilized under the trade name such as Dual, CGA-24705, Bicep, Pimagram and Pennant.Browse Full Report @Metolachlor is formulated in blend with other herbicides such as cyanazine, atrazine and fluometuron. Metolachlor with Atrazine is used for restricting the growth of diverse unwanted weeds and carry out the growth of important weeds and grass without affecting it. Metolachlor is also used on turf, lawns and ornamental plants, shrubs, trees, vines, hedgerows and fencerows for inhibit the growth of weeds.The report provides a comprehensive view on the metolachlor market we have included a detailed value chain analysis. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the metolachlor market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein product segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness. The report also analyzes several driving and restraining factors and their impact on the market during the forecast period.Get Free Request Sample @Rapidly growing agriculture sector owing to rising demand for fresh fruits and vegetables drivers the growth for metolachlor market. Host of applications in agriculture sector and also in shrubs and vines, ornamental plants is likely to foster the growth of metolachlor market. However, strict regulations led by the government on the practice of metolachlor in green house or in other loamy soil or in enclosed structure due to its toxicity may hamper the growth of metolachlor market. Ongoing research for developed metolachlor and number of applications is likely to open new opportunities in the metolachlor market in the near future.The metolachlor market is segmented on the basis of region which includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Emerging countries such as China, India and other developing countries is anticipated to boost the growth of market. India and China emerged as potential region due to rising food demand and shrinking arable land. Furthermore, growing agriculture industry in India is anticipated to experience fastest growth for metolachlor market in the forecast period. Moreover, North America and Europe are also estimated to record strong growth owing to escalate the yield of crops.Get Illustrative Sample before buying:FMC Corporation, Syngenta AG, Shanghai Tenglong Agrochem Co. Ltd., Shandong Binnong Technology Ltd. and Bayer CropScience among others are some of the key players in the metolachlor market. Shandong Binnong Technology Ltd. promoted the manufacturing of metolachlor for garlic fields by controlling various weeds.Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries includsing energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact US3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442,USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@syndicatemarketresearch.comWeb:
Research on Global and China Plastic Bag Market 2016 Industry Analysis, Research & Forecast 2024
http://goo.gl/NkvkPy
http://goo.gl/nLLpQI
A market study based on the "Global and China Plastic Bag market" across the globe, recently added to the repository of QY Market research, is titled Global and China Plastic Bag Market 2016. The research report analyzes the historical as well as present performance of the Global and China Plastic Bag market, and makes predictions on the future status of Global and China Plastic Bag market on the basis of this analysis.The report studies the market for Global and China Plastic Bag across the globe taking the existing industry chain, the import and export statistics in Global and China Plastic Bag market & dynamics of demand and supply of Global and China Plastic Bag into consideration.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here :The ' Global and China Plastic Bag 'research study covers each and every aspect of the Global and China Plastic Bag market globally, which starts from the definition of the Global and China Plastic Bag market and develops towards Global and China Plastic Bag market segmentations. Further, every segment of the Global and China Plastic Bag market is classified and analyzed on the basis of product types, application, and the end-use industries of the Global and China Plastic Bag market. The geographical segmentation of the Global and China Plastic Bag market has also been covered at length in this report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Global and China Plastic Bag is determined by evaluating the various market participants, production capacity, Global and China Plastic Bag market's production chain, and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Global and China Plastic Bag market worldwide.Read More Research with TOC :The Global and China Plastic Bag market 2016 is also analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Global and China Plastic Bag production volume, data regarding demand and Global and China Plastic Bag supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, and market attractiveness analysis has been used in the research to present a comprehensive study of the market for Global and China Plastic Bag across the globe.About Us:QY Market Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact Us:Joel JohnDeerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Web: QY Market ResearchEmail: sales@qymarketresearch.com
Mobile Broadband In Southeast Asia: Adoption And Usage Trends And Operator Strategy
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/496788
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/496788
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/
"The Report Mobile Broadband in Southeast Asia: Adoption and Usage Trends and Operator Strategy provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"DescriptionMobile broadband traffic will grow rapidly in continental SE Asia, driven by the expansion of 3G and 4G networks and the proliferation of cheap smartphones; the fastest growth will come in the less developed markets. The regions 3G markets have had time to mature prior to the 4G launches, but 2G networks will give way to 3G and 4G over the next five years: we expect combined 3G and 4G subscriptions to make up 88% of the regional total by 2020. Mobile data usage per 4G subscription is substantially higher than that of 3G subscriptions, and we expect average data usage per subscription to grow at annual rates of 2040% over the next five years. Operators will rely on additional spectrum for rural expansion and capacity buildouts. Common approaches to driving mobile broadband adoption include data-centric bundles, zero-rated OTT apps and discounting of high-volume data plans. OTT services and social media are also important.View Full Report at:Key FindingsContinental Southeast Asia is a highly penetrated mobile region, with overall subscriptions surpassing 128% of the population in 2015. Pyramid Research expects mobile subscriptions to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% from 2015 to 2020, pushing the penetration rate to 139%. LTE will grow at a 54% CAGR over the period.The vast majority of subscriptions will be on 3G or 4G networks by 2020. Overall, 3G will make up 71% of all subscriptions, 4G 17% and 2G 12%.The region has an estimated 142m mobile broadband subscriptions at year-end 2015, and we expect that number to grow at a 14.3% CAGR to 292m in 2020, driven mainly by smartphone adoption and 3G and 4G network expansion. Annual mobile data traffic will total 1,747PB in 2015, increasing to 10,799PB in 2020. We expect average monthly data usage per user to climb from 1,236MB to 3,579MB over the same period.Operators in continental SE Asia are focusing on urban centers for their initial mobile broadband network deployments but for rural expansion and capacity buildout will rely on additional spectrum, particularly in lower frequencies.As revenue from voice declines, operators are turning to multiple service pricing and positioning strategies to drive data adoption and usage, including OTT partnerships, discounting of bulk data, bundling and smartphone promotions.Download Detail Report With Complete TOC at:SynopsisThis Telecom Insider Report, Mobile Broadband in Southeast Asia: Adoption and Usage Trends and Operator Strategy, by Pyramid Research offers a thorough analysis of the mobile broadband market in continental Southeast Asia, focusing on trends in mobile data usage, the forces driving the rising adoption of mobile broadband and the various strategies operators employ to drive data revenue. First, the report provides top-level context on the current state of the mobile broadband markets in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, highlighting demographic, regulatory and economic factors that affect mobile broadband usage and adoption, including information on the mobile spectrum regulatory environments and forecasts of mobile subscriptions for all six countries. The report then breaks down mobile data usage trends for each of the markets, analyzing total and average usage by technology generation and prepaid versus postpaid data users. It examines operator strategies for maximizing adoption and revenue from mobile data given the market environment in Southeast Asia, and it concludes with four operator case studies.What else does this Telecom Insider Report offer?Forecasts of mobile penetration by technology (2G, 3G and 4G) in each of Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.Forecasts of smartphone subscriptions for all six countries (2012, 2015 and 2020).Forecasts of mobile broadband traffic for the six countries (2012, 2015, 2020).Detailed discussions of the strategies used by operators to drive mobile broadband revenue.Four case studies of mobile operators: Maxis in Malaysia, MPT in Myanmar, Viettel in Vietnam and AIS in Thailand.Forty-five exhibits that provide information on topics ranging from licensed spectrum and data usage per user to pricing and differences between prepaid and postpaid data usage.Actionable recommendations of best practices for mobile network operators.Reasons To BuyLearn about the prospects for mobile broadband usage and adoption in the region, both from direct subscription and traffic forecasts and from an analysis of the demographic, regulatory and economic factors that affect these prospects.Get reliable information about the strategies operators in this diverse set of markets use to drive mobile broadband revenue strategies related to spectrum, service positioning, pricing, bundling, OTT partnerships and devices.Read detailed case studies showing what operators in four markets are doing to boost mobile data usage and adoption, with a particular look at the pricing strategies they employ.Get a clear view of how operators can use the popularity of OTT platforms to cost-effectively boost data adoption and drive overall data usage.Use the reports section of actionable recommendations to develop longer-term strategies for mobile broadband growth.The report is designed for an executive-level audience, boasting presentation quality that allows it to be turned into presentable material immediately.Browse all latest Press Releases of Market Research Reportsat:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. Nachiket90 Sate Street,Suite 700 Albany,NY 12207 USATel: +1-518-621-2074Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Singapore: Operators Invest In LTE Improvements And Multiplay Offers As Regulator Set To Increase Competition
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/496794
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/496794
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases
http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/
"The Report Thailand: Operator and Government Fixed and Mobile Investment to Drive Data-Centric Telecom Growth provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"The Singapore telecom market is among the most saturated and mature markets in Asia-Pacific and is estimated to generate telecom service revenue of $5.5bn by 2020. Mobile data will contribute nearly 37% of the total revenue, driven by proliferation of data-intensive apps, such as OTT and video. Operator investment in advanced technologies to boost indoor and outdoor LTE coverage will also be a major catalyst for growth of mobile data services in Singapore. The renewal of LTE licenses due for 2015 and 2017 will further extend the LTE coverage and enable operators to launch innovative offers. The corporate segment will be a key focus area for all three MNOs, and operators will launch services catering to business users needs, such as content delivery, cloud, managed services, cybersecurity and mobility management. Further, converged offerings will help operators to attract more customers in the coming years. Pay-TV operators will remain focused on expanding their content libraries by collaborating with content providers. Moreover, handset vendors will benefit from Singaporean operators device-bundle strategies and will leverage increasing data usage to drive up revenue.View Full Report at:Key FindingsWith one of the most mature and saturated telecom markets, Singapores telecom revenue will reach $4.8bn, or 1.6% of nominal GDP, by year-end 2015.Pyramid Research expects telecom service revenue to reach $5.5bn in 2020 (CAGR of 2.6% over 2015-2020) driven by operator investment in LTE network enhancement and fiber rollouts.The revenue mix will continue to be dominated by mobile services, due to ongoing deployment of HetNet networks to improve mobile coverage and pervasive demand for data. Fixed and mobile data penetration will increase subsequently and will account for 54.3% of total revenue in 2020, up from 46.4% in 2015.Download Detail Report With Complete TOC at:SynopsisSingapore: Operators Invest in LTE Improvements and Multiplay Offers as Regulator Set to Increase Competition provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Singapore today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2020. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into Singapores telecom market, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:An in-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony and broadband services, mobile voice and data services; a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by technology/platform as well as operator, average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in Singapores telecommunications markets.Reasons To BuyGain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of Singapores telecommunications market, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Singapores mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customers demand.Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of the Singapore telecom market.Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve the market share.Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Singapore.Browse all latest Press Releases of Market Research Reportsat:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. Nachiket90 Sate Street,Suite 700 Albany,NY 12207 USATel: +1-518-621-2074Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Global Acetylene Gas Market Size, Shares, analysis & trends up to 2020
http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/acetylene-gas-market-for-chemical-production-welding-z37892
http://goo.gl/Yjk5UR
http://goo.gl/58ZGOn
http://www.marketresearchstore.com
Zion Research has published a new report titled Acetylene Market for Chemical Production, Welding & Cutting and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 2020. According to the report, global demand for acetylene gas was valued at around USD 5.0 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach USD 6.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of around 3% between 2015 and 2020. In terms of volume, the global acetylene gas market stood at 500.0 kilo tons in 2014.Acetylene is a highly flammable gas obtained from calcium carbide. Acetylene is manufactured by partial combustion of methane. Acetylene gas is also obtained as byproduct of reaction between calcium carbide and water. Acetylene gas is also produced from hydrocarbon sources such as naphtha, crude oil and coal among others. It is also obtained as a side product in the ethylene stream from cracking of hydrocarbons. Acetylene is colorless and extremely explosive. Acetylene is mainly consumed as a fuel and chemical building block. It is also used in welding and metal cutting and many other brazing applications.Browse the full "Acetylene Gas Market for Chemical Production, Welding & Cutting and Other Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 2020" report atAcetylene market is primarily driven by strong demand from China. China accounted for large volume consumption of acetylene. Strong industrial growth in China has been resulted into rapid growth of acetylene in China. Acetylene is primarily used as chemical building block in the manufacture of 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Acetylene is also used in the manufacturing of other acetylenic chemicals such as vinyl ethers, other acetylenic alcohols, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, butynediol. However, volatile raw material prices are expected to be the major concern for the industry participants. However, an effort towards development of bio-based acetylene gas is expected to provide growth opportunity to industry participants.Chemicals, welding & cutting and other applications are key application markets for the acetylene. Demand for acetylene in chemicals production was dominating the global acetylene market with over 60% share in total volume consumption in 2014. 1,4-butanediol accounted for over 90% share in total volume consumed among all chemicals in 2014. Welding and cutting was the second largest segment for acetylene gas in 2014.Get Request Sample @Asia Pacific region was the leading regional market for acetylene gas with over 85% share in total volume consumed in 2014. China accounted for huge share of Asia Pacific. Growing industrial investments in the emerging economies like China is a major driving factor that contributed to the growth of acetylene gas market in the region. North America, Europe, Latin America and Middle East & Africa accounted for very small share of the global acetylene market.Some of the key industry participants in global acetylene market include, Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Linde AG, Airgas, Toho Acetylene, Xinju Chemicals, Gulf Cyro, BASF, the Dow Company, SINOPEC, ILMO, Xinlong Group, Lutianhua, Ho Tung Chemicals, Markor, JinHong Gas, Jiuce Grou and Praxair Inc. among several others.Get Illustrative Sample before buying:About UsZion Research is a market intelligence company providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Zion Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@marketresearchstore.comWebsite:
Wearable Electronics Market Boosted By Introduction of Innovative Products and Rising Applications in Clothing and Medical Field.
http://bit.ly/28ZwHLh
http://bit.ly/29jkYEe
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com
With rising miniaturization in technology and revolutionary developments in the field of wireless communication, electronics are finding increasingly new applications in the form of wearables for purposes such as monitoring, relaying, and communicating of real time data. Ongoing research in the field of wearable electronics has resulted in the development of a number of prototype devices in the fields of consumer electronics, textiles, footwear, and fashion accessories. As the array of such products continues to increase and lure todays generation enticed by the notion of everything available as an internet-enabled, connected point-of-contact, smart connectivity device the global smart wearable electronics market will also rise.Free PDF Sample For More Market insight can be Downloaded @The market for wearable electronics, a market featuring electronic devices that can be worn as clothes, accessories, footwear, or any other possible way is appealing todays consumers with interesting new products that are widening the boundaries of the digital world. While wearable electronics may be ubiquitous as of yet, the future of the market does look promising. With devices such as Google Glass and digital smart-wristwatches launched by technology giants such as Apple and Samsung, to active music instrument clothing, running shoes with sensors that can wirelessly communicate with the users smartphone or music player as the user runs, the market already boasts abundant examples of how interesting and appealing wearable electronics can become.Wearable Electronics in Clothing and Medical ApplicationsClothing and medical applications are undeniably two of the most promising platforms for the future of embedded communication and intelligence. The reach of smart clothing is envisaged to be far more extensive and far-reaching than just fulfilling the fashion demands. Analysts estimate that smart clothes will be able to entertain us, connect us with others, and will be integrated with health monitors that will directly integrate a users data with the larger medical ecosystem. The world of active and interactive clothing will capitalize on the rapid advances seen in the areas of material sciences and cloud connectivity. The ability of weaving electronic sensors, which has already been demonstrated by developers, is another development that will change clothing from passive to active, smart systems.Browse Full Market Report With Complete TOC @In the medical field, fitness/health monitoring electronics is one of the most sought-after fields of application of wearable electronics. Applications like blood-sugar monitoring devices, blood pressure watches, or shoes with inbuilt pedometers that can eliminate the need for carrying a separate device, are getting to the point where, with the help of wireless connectivity, one can get online access to health records and even health related alerts according to the data gathered.Global Wearable Electronics Market: DynamicsThe rising demand for such, and many other types of products, is the key driving force of the global wearable electronics market. As the world becomes more and more digitized and the concept of Internet-of-Things becomes a reality, the demand for wearable electronic gadgets with advanced features and increased level of interactivity will rise.With increasing consumer interest in the field, many new companies, along with many technological giants are experimenting with their products in the market. Some of the key businesses operating in this highly attractive and progressive field of electronics include Apple Inc., Google Inc., Adidas AG, Infineon Technologies AG, AT & T Inc., Epson Corporation, Imprint Energy Inc., Glassup SRL, weartech S.L., Nike Inc., and Shimmer Research Inc.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Mr. Sudip. S90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Access Control System in Bangalore
access control system, access control system dealers, access control system in bangalore
Eoxys Smart Solutions has powerful and advanced Access Controllers for single door and multi-door applications with complete security solutions. Our Access Controllers with many configurable features help our customers to get a healthy protective environment. The doors can only be opened by the controller if the authorized person shows his / her fingerprint / card to the reader.Access Finger: At any given point where the intruder is attempting to access the door on gun point, the Authorized Person will have to place the second finger, then the door will open and the system will alert the Siren / Hooter installed rooms.Proximity Reader: In general, most of the access controllers use proximity cards as authorization to allow the users in the restricted areas. The philosophy behind this is the details of the holders identity are stored in a chip and access that information whenever required.Proximity cards advantages over magnetic stripe cards and barcodes are:Higher level of securityNot prone to wearReaders are robustMaintenance freeAccess Control System ManufacturersEoxys Smart Solutions help access control system manufacturers sell their quality to products to different domains and industries.Access Control in Education Sector: Educational Institutions have lots of benefits from Access Controllers. A safe and friendly environment, for children, faculty members and other employees is one of them.Access Control in offices: Any possible office in any industry will have its visitors, temporary staff, field staff etc. Hence access controllers will help in ensuring that unauthorized people do not gain the access to valuables and sensitive information and also keep a track of who is in the office and who isnt.Eoxys Smart Solutions is an expert, recognized solutions provider for e-Security, Tablet Based Education, Smart Classroom and Smart Signage Solutions. Incorporated in the year 2010, Eoxys has attracted large no of customers in various verticals. We offer an exhaustive suite of solutions to help our customers better improve their experience, from procedure advancement through execution.Eoxys Smart Solutions#1564, 5th B Cross, 25th MainBTM Layout 2nd StageBangalore- 560076.Contact : 080-41200425Press Contact: Aariff
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Monitors Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 2019
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2323
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/
http://globalresearchanalysis.blogspot.in/
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors measures partial pressure or gas concentration with the use of two configurations namely, sidestream and mainstream. Mainstream CO2 monitors measure the respiratory gas directly from airway. Whereas, sidestream devices measure the respiratory gas through nasal or oral cannula. The global carbon dioxide monitors market is witnessing a significant growth owing to increasing requirements in patient monitoring and emerging new application areas. Capnography, recovery rooms, emergency rooms, post anesthesia care units, critical care units and others are various application areas of CO2 monitors. Of all the above mentioned application areas Capnography application segment accounts for the largest share.The global CO2 monitors market can be segmented as follows:By Product TypeEnd-Tidal Carbon Dioxide (EtCO2) MonitorsTranscutaneos Carbon Dioxide (tcpCO2) MonitorsGet FREE PDF Brochure For More Professional and Technical Insights :Increasing geriatric population, rising pollution levels and increasing breath related disorders are some of the key factors driving the growth of this market. In addition, technological advancements, favorable government regulations and increasing need for monitoring devices also propels the growth of CO2 monitors market. However, unfavorable reimbursement policies can restrict the growth of this market during the study period. End-tidal Carbon Dioxide monitorsegment accounts for the largest share in the global CO2 monitors market.Geographically, North America holds the largest share of the global CO2 monitors market owing to increasing geriatric population, rising awareness and technological advancements. However, Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period from 2013 to 2019. Factors such as rising adoption rate, increasing disposable income and product awareness accentuates the growth of CO2 monitors market in Asia-Pacific region.B.Braun, Criticare Systems, GE Healthcare, MIndray, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Nonin Medical, Inc., OSI Systems, Inc., Philips Healthcare and others are some of the key players engaged in developing and manufacturing CO2 monitors globally.This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. STransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Potassium Sulfate Market with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2026
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1534
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1534
http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/potassium-sulfate-market
www.futuremarketinsights.com
Potassium sulfate is a non-flammable and water soluble white crystalline salt which is predominantly used in the production of fertilizers. Potassium sulfate fertilizer is the most widely used chloride free fertilizer among all types of potash fertilizers manufactured and consumed globally. The quality characteristics that potassium sulfate fertilizers such as low salt index, draught resistant, suitability for saline soil and chloride sensitive crops make it a highly sought after fertilizer among all types of chloride free fertilizers. Moreover, potassium sulfate is used in the manufacturing of glass. Furthermore, potassium sulfate is used as a flash reducer in the artillery propellant charges as it reduces flareback, muzzle flash and blast overpressure. Potassium sulfate is widely available in different grades such as technical, food, agricultural and pharmaceutical for use in different applications. However, the agricultural grade is the highest consumed grade of potassium phosphate due to its dominant demand from the fertilizers industry. The growing demand for potassium sulfate from the fertilizer industry is expected to drive the global potassium sulfate market in the next few years.Global Potassium Sulfate Market: Drivers and RestraintsWater soluble fertilizers form the largest application group of potassium sulfate. The growing demand from fertigation application supported by rising adoption of micro irrigation systems is anticipated to propel the global demand for water soluble fertilizers. Moreover, the increasing demand for better yield due to decreasing arable land, rapidly rising world population and high demand for biofuels is predicted to further fuel the demand for water soluble fertilizers across the globe. Water soluble fertilizers are formulations of mineral fertilizers that are completely soluble in water. These fertilizers can be sprayed or applied on crops to improve the quality and yield of crops such as pulses, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Crops require several nutrients in varied concentrations as per different seasons. The water soluble fertilizers ensure a consistent supply of essential nutrients to crops. Water soluble fertilizers are applied using micro irrigation systems. Owing to its high solubility, potassium sulfate fertilizers are predicted to emerge as the fastest growing market segment of the water soluble fertilizers across the globe during the forecast period. All such positive attributes are resulting in an increase in the demand for potassium sulfate fertilizers which is further driving the demand for potassium sulfate across the world.Request Free Report Sample@Global Potassium Sulfate Market: SegmentationDepending on the application, global potassium sulfate market has been segmented into the following key market segments:AgricultureTurf ManagementIndustrialGlobal Potassium Sulfate Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific is predicted to emerge as the fastest growing market for potassium sulfate in the next few years. The main reason for this is the growing demand for water soluble fertilizes, especially potassium sulfate fertilizers, in China, India and South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam due to growing need for better yield for fulfilling the food demand of the rising population. Moreover, the countries such as Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Nigeria, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel are growingly focusing on improving the agriculture production. Furthermore, the U.S. and European economies are showing signs of recovery after a severe economic downturn. All these factors are creating a positive outlook for the global agriculture and fertilizer industry. Subsequently, the demand for potassium sulfate in fertilizer is predicted to rise in the coming years and therefore, the global potassium sulfate market is expected to record a significant growth in the near future.Request For TOC@Global Potassium Sulfate Market: Market PlayersSome of the major companies operating in the global potassium sulfate market are mentioned belowK+S KALI GmbHGreat Salt Lake MineralsBig Quill ResourcesPotash CorporationSESODAAkash Purochem Private LimitedSDIC XINJIANG LUOBUPO POTASH CO.,LTD.Qingshang Chemical (kaifeng) Co., Ltd.Browse Full Report@Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Leading healthcare asset management team joins Citrica
www.citrica.co.uk
Three leading and internationally recognised healthcare asset managers joining Citrica LLP, the asset and facilities business, as part of the firms continuing investment in the public sector market.Conor Ellis, who is currently the Head of Health Sector for ARCADIS in UK and Europe will join Citrica LLP as a Partner on 1st July 2016. Based in Manchester, Conors role will be to lead the firms work with healthcare providers and investors, both in the UK and internationally.Toby Banfield, a leading healthcare facilities planner, will join Citrica LLP as a Partner 1st August 2016. Based in Birmingham, Toby will lead the firms healthcare planning advisory services to clients in the UK and internationally.Maggie Bulman, a highly respected healthcare project manager with a background in clinical care, will join Citrica LLP as a Partner on 1st September 2016. Based in Leeds, Maggie will add significantly to the firms project management capabilities in both change management and built asset delivery.Both Toby and Maggie have worked with Conor for many years. All three are leading professionals in their chosen markets with international reputations for delivering successful capital projects and healthcare asset management. Their combined experience includes over 150 healthcare commissions with a capital value of more than 12 billion. They have particular experience with primary, community, social care and acute hospitals in major UK cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle. Additionally, they have international experience in more than 20 countries supporting investors in healthcare facilities and private hospital groups from feasibility assessment through to operational delivery of new assets.The team is recognised for its ability to deliver significant revenue saving expertise, often delivering 15 times return on investments to clients and freeing funds to support operational delivery or create additional assets.Combined with the firms existing capabilities, the addition of these professionals means Citrica LLP will have one of the UKs leading team of Design Quality Indicator facilitators, delivering proven government methodology to project appraisals.Conor Ellis commented: Once I decided to move on from ARCADIS, Citrica was the ideal home for me because of their values and collaborative approach to business. The firm has a number of very smart public sector propositions that link to the integrated care agenda and devolution, both areas where I have been working on for clients.Citricas Managing Partner, Paul Foster, commented: I have known Conor for many years and enjoy working with him. He brings a strong commitment to social enterprise and great technical capabilities. Im really pleased that both Toby and Maggie are also joining to support him, because together they are a great team.For further comment please contact: Conor Ellis, Partner (from 1st July 2016), on 07557 508840 or conor.ellis@citrica.co.uk Paul Foster, Managing Partner, on 07974 924780 or paul.foster@citrica.co.ukCitrica is a professional services and outsourcing business helping clients develop transformational solutions to manage built-assets and the public realm. Citrica provides advisory services, management services and delivery services to deliver exceptional outcomes.The firm is different because it has amassed a unique combination of capabilities and sector experts, led by thought leaders who enjoy helping clients. Everything Citrica does is designed to exceed our clients expectations.Citricas clients, the social responsibility of our business and the wellbeing of our people are the three most important issues for the Partners. The firm is fully committed to achieving the highest possible sustainability standards across our operations and to continually improving our health, safety and wellbeing of our people wherever we operate.Please view Citricas website atCITRICA50 BroadwayLondonSW1H 0RG
morelife LONDON Launched Car Accessories Redefined the value of money for accessories
http://www.morelifelondon.com/
It comes no shocker that when you would search for car accessories online you would find morelife LONDON taking the industry by storm with its exceptionally well priced products in the industry where car accessories come and go but these accessories are here to stay for sure.At the morelife LONDON online store we are providing astounding discounts over major car accessories from chrome grills to car chargers to many products you can find online so that you can buy up all your necessary accessories without giving a second thought to the prices, authenticity, delivery issues & easy returns. To cut it short morelife LONDON is the best place to buy your favourite Car Accessories.What makes morelife LONDON such a special place to shop for Car Accessories?Because we are here for the people that love car accessories & share our passion with the zeal of making the Automobiles look more wonderful & helping out with the utilities a car can help you with. Also, having low prices in the entire market makes us stand out in our competition & thus allow us to do what we love. Our team, our dealers & retailers follow one notion that is to maintain the best customer services across & the quality of the products should never be compromised with.We are dealing with major manufacturers, dealers, retailers online & when we say major we really mean it to the core of it. morelife LONDON store holds the best place for all car accessories enthusiasts to shop for all that they need for their cars. We keep our clients happy & satisfied because we have been on journey along with them & without them our journey would not have been the success what it is right now. We love our customers!Few of the features of our services are: Excellent customer service Secure transaction Request products you need Free product shipping Easy returns and refund policy Cash on deliveryHaving served for more than 5 years into the industry, we surveyed our clients & realized the fact that there is still the huge demand for certain car accessories products but the customers are not being happy with the current standards of the products we can find in the markets or online. That is because we have launched the best top selling accessories for the people we love. Presenting you the morelife LONDON Aux Cables, Smart Car Chargers & the Steering Wheel cover, it is pretty obvious that these products are being manufactured at our plants with the highest quality being the first preference. All our products comes with the 1 Year Warranty & if anyday any of our product is not working well then just contact our customer service department & it would be replaced with no questions whatsoever.We are getting massive response from the entire Car Accessories Market because we have literally taken the industry by storm.morelife LONDON Aux Cable for Audio DevicesSpecifications: Natural sound Gold Finished connector for best sound quality Tangle free plug into any 3.5mm AUX port Strain free high quality wire Sleek & Compact Designmorelife LONDON Car chargers:morelife LONDON Smart Car Charger with USB Cable : For AndroidSpecifications: Genuine 3.0 Amp chargers Dual USB ports 2A and 1A Supports all the Phones and Tablets Guaranteed fast charging Top quality micro USB cable High efficiency USB chargers Safe and Fastest charging 1 Year Warrantymorelife LONDON Smart Car Charger with Apple USB Cable: For iPhonesSpecifications: Genuine 3.0 Amp chargers Dual USB ports 2A and 1A Supports all the Phones and Tablets Guaranteed fast charging Top quality Apple USB cable High efficiency USB chargers Safe and Fastest charging 1 Year WarrantySteering Wheel Cover:We have also launched the supreme & high quality Steering Wheel covers. Being one of the best class of the steering wheel covers that would go well with all the car accessories enthusiasts, well it is the grip; the feel that makes the driving your car feel awesome. This wonderful accessory is perfect to make your steering wheel stand out to those who are riding along with you. These Steering wheel covers are being launched in the categories of both Ring Type & the Stitching Type.morelife LONDON Steering Cover Ring Type:Specifications: Genuine Anti-Slip Leather Material High Power Grip Crafted Using Finest Materials Durable and Classy Easy to InstallAbout morelife LONDON and Managing Director:morelife LONDON is owned by Mr. Vidit Agarwal, He is also a Director and Managing partner of several other consulting companies and other Joint Ventures under his name growing every quarter along with his dynamic team across the world. Moreover, In a very short span of time, He became a successful Venture Capitalist where he invested in some risky businesses which turned out to be a most profitable ventures in a couple of months and therefore emerged as a powerful Business Leader at a very young age.morelife LONDON is a India based B2B eCommerce platform and we also have best quality of own brand car accessories like Car mobile charger, AUX cable, and many more.Contact Information:Company: morelife LONDONAddress: 612, Aggarwal Cyber Plaza 1, NSP Pitampura,New Delhi, 110034, IndiaCall: +91 9711845733E-mail: marketing@morelifelondon.netWebsite:
PEFACO HOTELS COMMITS TO SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN AFRICA
Pefaco Hotels' campaign for a responsible usage of energy
www.pefacohotels.com
www.pefaco.com
http://www.pefaco.es/jgme_pefaco/
Pefaco Hotels launches an environmental awareness campaign for its employees to challenge energy wasting through the good management of energy resources, prerequisite to any sustainable economic growth.With the continuous improvement of its facilities, the African continent will be able to reach its goal of electrification. It is therefore vital to raise awareness to improve everyday habits. Cornerstone of the economic growth of these countries, the Tourism industry must lead by example with this responsible model.Pefaco Hotels is carrying out its environmental campaign in its hotels in Africa and is taking advantage of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), in Lome, to exchange ideas with key industry players about the opportunities that arise from expansion in Africa, and especially the challenges that it supposes.The campaign is an initiative of Grupo Pefaco, of which Pefaco Hotels is a subsidiary, and will be broadcasted throughout the companys network in Africa, targeting over 3 000 employees. The environmental campaign is a set of good practices to remind the employees of the importance of the responsible usage of water, electricity and air conditioning at work, healthy habits to optimize the overall energy consumption and have a positive impact on the environment. The founders of the Group, Francis Perez and Olivier Cauro, have set sustainable development as the core of their business model.About Pefaco HotelsPefaco Hotels, Hospitality subsidiary of the Grupo Pefaco, designs, finances, builds and operates luxury hotel complexes in Central and Western Africa. Pefaco Hotels currently boasts four hotel complexes: two operational, in the Republic of the Congo (Pefaco Hotel Alima Palace 5*, in Oyo, and Pefaco Hotel Maya Maya 5*, in Brazzaville) and two other complexes under development, Pefaco Hotel Prestige Brazzaville 5* (Republic of the Congo) and Pefaco Hotel Prestige Lome 5* (Republic of Togo).About Grupo PefacoGrupo Pefaco specializes in the Leisure & Gaming and the Hospitality industries. The group, headed by its founders Francis Perez and Olivier Cauro, has more than 3,000 employees in 13 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo, the Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, DR Congo, Rwanda, Togo, Paraguay, Spain and Portugal).Contact:Victor AZRIADirector of CommunicationsGrupo Pefacovazria@pefaco.com (+34) 686 536 522Complete gallery in HD on the following link:Pefaco Hotels is a hotel chain based in the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona and is currently managing and developing resorts in West and Central Africa.Pefaco Hotels offers you the opportunity to experience business and leisure travel as never before in Africa; modern building design with high-tech facilities and a service to match their guests highest standards.Our hotels offer the most prestigious installations of their destinations.PEFACO HOTELSCalle Muntaner 262, 608021 BarcelonaEspanaTelefono: (+34) 93 445 67 00Fax: (+34) 93 445 67 04
United States Population Health Management Software Industry Report 2016
Global QY Research
http://globalqyresearch.com/united-states-population-health-management-software-industry-2016
http://globalqyresearch.com/download-sample/66096
http://globalqyresearch.com/checkout-form/0/66096
https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-qy-research
The recently published report titled United States Population Health Management Software Industry 2016 Market Research Report is an in depth study providing complete analysis of the industry for the period 2016 2021. It provides complete overview of United States Population Health Management Software market considering all the major industry trends, market dynamics and competitive scenario.The United States Population Health Management Software Industry Report 2016 is an in depth study analyzing the current state of the United States Population Health Management Software market. It provides brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on United States Population Health Management Software market provides analysis of market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape. Competitive analysis includes competitive information of leading players in market, their company profiles, product portfolio, capacity, production, and company financials. In addition, report also provides upstream raw material analysis and downstream demand analysis along with the key development trends and sales channel analysis. Research study on United States Population Health Management Software market also discusses the opportunity areas for investors.View Full Report With Complete TOC, List Of Figure and Table:With 153 tables and figures, the report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.Download Sample this Report:7 Analysis of Population Health Management Software Industry Key Manufacturers7.1 AbilTo7.1.1 Company Profile7.1.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.1.2.1 Type I7.1.2.2 Type II7.1.2.3 Type III7.1.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.1.4 Contact Information7.2 Acupera7.2.1 Company Profile7.2.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.2.2.1 Type I7.2.2.2 Type II7.2.2.3 Type III7.2.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.2.4 Contact Information7.3 Athenahealth7.3.1 Company Profile7.3.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.3.2.1 Type I7.3.2.2 Type II7.3.2.3 Type III7.3.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.3.4 Contact Information7.4 AxisPoint Health7.4.1 Company Profile7.4.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.4.2.1 Type I7.4.2.2 Type II7.4.2.3 Type III7.4.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.4.4 Contact Information7.5 Canary Health7.5.1 Company Profile7.5.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.5.2.1 Type I7.5.2.2 Type II7.5.2.3 Type III7.5.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.5.4 Contact Information7.6 CareEvolution7.6.1 Company Profile7.6.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.6.2.1 Type I7.6.2.2 Type II7.6.2.3 Type III7.6.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.6.4 Contact Information7.7 Cerner7.7.1 Company Profile7.7.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.7.2.1 Type I7.7.2.2 Type II7.7.2.3 Type III7.7.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.7.4 Contact Information7.8 CliniWorks7.8.1 Company Profile7.8.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.8.2.1 Type I7.8.2.2 Type II7.8.2.3 Type III7.8.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.8.4 Contact Information7.9 Conifer Health Solutions7.9.1 Company Profile7.9.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.9.2.1 Type I7.9.2.2 Type II7.9.2.3 Type III7.9.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.9.4 Contact Information7.10 eClinicalWorks7.10.1 Company Profile7.10.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.10.2.1 Type I7.10.2.2 Type II7.10.2.3 Type III7.10.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.10.4 Contact Information7.11 Evolent Health7.11.1 Company Profile7.11.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.11.2.1 Type I7.11.2.2 Type II7.11.2.3 Type III7.11.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.11.4 Contact Information7.12 Health Catalyst7.12.1 Company Profile7.12.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.12.2.1 Type I7.12.2.2 Type II7.12.2.3 Type III7.12.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.12.4 Contact Information7.13 IBM7.13.1 Company Profile7.13.2 Product Picture and Specifications7.13.2.1 Type I7.13.2.2 Type II7.13.2.3 Type III7.13.3 Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue7.13.4 Contact InformationTo Purchase this premium Report atGlobal QY Research is the one spot destination for all your research needs. Global QY Research holds the repository of quality research reports from numerous publishers across the globe. Our inventory of research reports caters to various industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. With the complete information about the publishers and the industries they cater to for developing market research reports, we help our clients in making purchase decision by understanding their requirements and suggesting best possible collection matching their needs.Unit1, 26 Cleveland Road, South Woodford, London, E182AN, United KingdomEmail: sales@globalqyresearch.comFollow us:
Medical Robots Transforming Healthcare - Pricing & Cost-Benefit Assessment
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/medical-robot-transforming-healthcare-66468116.html
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=66468116
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=66468116
The report "Medical Robots Transforming Healthcare: Pricing & Cost-Benefit Assessment (Price Variation (by Product (Surgical Robots, Rehabilitation Robotics, Stereotactic Radiosurgery), by Application, by Geography), Reimbursement, Selection Criteria, Buying Cycle", analyzes and studies the price variation in medical robots of varied types, selection criteria of adopting medical robots from end-user perspective, buying cycle, price wars, and cost-benefits offered by the robots based on existing research studies.Browse 33 market data Tables and 21 Figures spread through 97 Slides and in-depth TOC on "Medical Robots Transforming HealthcareEarly buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.Selection of right medical robot (surgical/rehabilitation/non-invasive radiosurgery/hospital & pharmacy) is critical for hospitals/care centers/pharmacies and is dependent on number of factors such as capital equipment cost, maintenance and accessories/consumables cost, reimbursements, patient volume catered to, vendor reputation, peer review, and surgeon learning curve/ease of use, among others. Thus, selection of a robot is largely based on the organizations strategic plan and objectives for adoption of the technology.Read More | Get the PDF Brochure:Medical robots are high capital purchases with the most common robotic system in the market, the da Vinci system, costing more than USD 1.5 million. In addition, the annual maintenance cost of a robot is close to USD 125,000, and further sum up to the already high medical costs of a robotic surgery. To add to the high cost various other factors such as declining hospital budgets, improving quality of care delivered, and increasing patient awareness have led to conscious decisions to implement the robotic technologies.One of the most influencing factors that guide the purchase of the robotic technology is the patient volume that is to be addressed using the technology. Higher the patient volume faster is the break-even achieved. For instance, as per a study, 78 cases per year are needed to cover the costs of a purchased robot (da Vinci), while only 20 cases per year are needed if the robot is donated. However, profit is not feasible at centers performing fewer than 25 cases annually (Study Title: A da Vinci Robot System Can Make Sense for a Mature Laparoscopic Prostatectomy Program, PUBMED - PMC3016020).Talk To Our Research Specialist:Additionally, each technology has a life span of 6 to 12 years (average life span for all types of medical robots). The longer life-span of the equipment provides sufficient time for a healthcare provider to achieve cost-benefits. Contrastingly, the investment in maintenance & replacement of consumables hold-back the full capacity to reach the break-even. For instance, Gamma Knife a gold standard for removing brain tumors incurs additional expenditure on replacement of cobalt source in every 5 years as the radioactive material is subject to decay. Thus, the factor increasingly features in the consideration sets in the overall purchase mechanism of robotic technologies.About MarketsandMarkets:MarketsandMarkets is the worlds No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.M&Ms flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.Contact:Mr. RohanUnit No. 802, 8th Floor,Tower - 7, Magarpatta City SEZ,Hadapsar, Pune 411013,Maharashtra, India.Tel: +1-888-6006-441.
Propargyl Alcohols Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4566
http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/
http://globalresearchanalysis.blogspot.in/
Propargyl alcohol is a colorless viscous liquid organic compound containing an alkyne functional group. Propargyl alcohol is miscible with several popular organic solvents as well as water. It is produced as a byproduct of industrial synthesis of 1, 4-Butynediol or by copper catalyzed addition of formaldehyde with acetone. Propargyl alcohol is flammable and highly toxic liquid. Propargyl alcohol is usually used as an intermediate in the processing of various industrial chemicals. Propargyl alcohol is also used as a corrosion inhibitor component in the manufacture of several industrial products.Download And Get FREE Sample PDF File Of Propargyl Alcohols Market :As an intermediate, propargyl alcohol is used for the synthesis of pesticides, antibiotics, as an iron dissolution inhibitor in mineral acids, a precursor to fungicides amongst others. Propargyl alcohol also finds applications as a corrosion inhibitor during oil well simulation as an electroplating bath additive. The end-user industry where propargyl alcohol is extensively used includes oilfield solutions, furniture, paints and coatings, personal care and hygiene and paper amongst others. Propargyl alcohol is used in industrial as well as automotive paints and coatings across the globe. The demand for propargyl alcohol is anticipated to be mainly driven by the paints and coatings industry along with oil and gas industry. The demand for Propargyl alcohol is expected to run parallel to the demand for corrosion inhibitors across various industries. The growing demand for automobiles across the globe is expected to drive the market for automotive paints and coatings, thus consequently driving the market for Propargyl alcohol in the next few years. The growth in oilfield activities is also expected to drive the market for corrosion inhibitors in the next few years. New and upcoming shale gas reserves in North America and various other parts of the globe are anticipated to further drive the market for corrosion inhibitors and subsequently Propargyl alcohol. The demand for Propargyl alcohol from agriculture industry is also projected to show strong growth in the near future. Burgeoning population in Asia Pacific and other regions is anticipated to drive the demand for pesticides and agricultural products across the globe. With Propargyl alcohol being a key intermediate in the production of these chemicals, the demand for Propargyl alcohol is forecasted to show robust growth in the forecast years.In terms of demand Asia Pacific was the largest consumer of propargyl alcohols followed by North America, Europe and Rest of the World. In North America U.S was the largest market for propargyl alcohols followed by Canada and Mexico. The demand for Propargyl alcohol is largely driven by the paints and coatings industry in this region. The demand for propargyl alcohols is also projected to witness strong growth in European countries such as Germany, France, U.K, Italy etc. on account of growing automotive sector in these countries. The demand for propargyl alcohols is also anticipated to witness strong growth in the Asia Pacific countries such as China, India, Indonesia etc. With growing industrial and agricultural activities in these regions the demand for propargyl alcohols is also expected to grow on similar lines.This high demand for propargyl alcohols stems from the growing demand for agricultural products and automotive paints and coatings industry in this region. The economic conditions of Brazil, Russia and South Africa are on similar track and hence the demand for propargyl alcohols is also projected to be high in these countries.Some of the major companies operating in the global propargyl alcohols include BASF SE, Alfa Aesar and Ashland Inc. among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. STransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Smash Interactive Now Offers Local Search Engine Optimization Services Miami
Local Search Engine Optimization
http://smashinteractiveagency.com/
Smash Interactive, a Miami based Internet Marketing Agency has announced the launch of Local Search Engine Optimization services, continuing on with the tradition of providing the best solutions for all your internet marketing needs.After comprehensive and innovative services like Video Production and top-notch Digital Marketing, Smash Interactive now features all-inclusive Search Engine Optimization services with the purpose of elevating your website or product to the very top of local search engine listings. Smash Interactivesbrand new service aims to drive geographically relevant internet traffic to a business website, targeting a city, region or area specific customer demographic.We aim to cover any and all aspects of internet marketing and local Search Engine Optimization services Miami is the latest in our already impressive repertoire of services, said a spokesperson for the agency.This latest service puts another feather in the agencys cap as they continue to expand their services.They can now focus on specific locations with their intelligent search strategies, ensuring a steady output of external location signals along with social and on-page signals, inbound links as well as review signals to search engines about areas most suited to the business in question.A consistent monitoring of the sources of traffic on a businesss website and examination of data ensures a steady climb in local search rankings. Using a precise approach also effectively targets the audience in specific areas, optimizing visibility and ultimately the profitability of the business in a specific location. Such effective services are the trademark of Smash Interactive as they strive to make businesses more visible, now in geographically targeted markets as well.Our clients can now get top rankings in local search engine results, making sure that the area-specific market is being approachedas much as possible. This will help in building a solid customer and client base within their community or the city in which they live, added the spokesperson. The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to our margin of effectiveness and this new service is a step forward in making us the undisputed leader in internet marketing services.Smash Interactive is an online marketing agency based in Miami, providing Online Marketing as well as Web Development and Sales and Search Engine Optimization services. With 12 years worth of marketing experience catering to clients based both in Miami and the rest of the nation, it is the leading online marketing service provider in the city.ContactAddress(Miami Office):495 SW 75th Ave,Miami, FL33155.Phone Number: 786.899.2424Address (Broward Office):10100 West Sample Road,Coral Springs, FL 33065.Phone Number: 954.606.6411Email:info@smashtoday.comWebsite:smashinteractiveagency.comURL:Email: info@smashtoday.comSmash Interactive AgencyContact: 786.899.2424Address: 4955 SW 75th Ave Miami, Fl 33155
Poland Scenario Market Scenario Market 2016 - Global Market Analysis, Opportunities, Trends & Forecasts upto 2020
Poland Scenario
http://goo.gl/OQ9EvL
http://goo.gl/WCHcuf
http://goo.gl/ZxGj8b
In the last decade, Poland has become an important producer of ICT solutions, partly due to globalization of the ICT market and outsourcing of production to Asia, Mexico and Central Europe, as well as Eastern Europe. The inflow of foreign investments, European Union (EU) funds availability and new trends such as mobile applications and cloud computing are the major drivers of the ICT market. Administration, banking, financial services & insurance (BFSI) and telecommunications are major verticals which spend a lot on ICT solutions. The major companies in Poland, which provide IT services include HP Polska, ABC Data, and Flextronics International Poland.Do Inquiry Before Purchasing Report Here:The report provides an in-depth analysis of the IT market scenario with Industry Verticals, 30 Outsourcing companies (along with their key decisions makers IT speeding, IT initiatives and IT Vendors), Top-10 Key IT Service Providers, drivers, restraints as well as growth opportunities and best practices in the market. It also contains analysis and forecasted revenues, competitive landscape, company profiles and industry trends.In the early 1990s, after the end of decades of old communist rule and recession, the Poland economy started transforming and started to move towards privatization. Today, Polands economy is one of the fastest growing economy in the CEE region. The countrys economy boosted after it became the part of the European Union (EU) in 2004. The country is developing with the support from EU funds and government. Within a few years, after becoming the part of the EU, the countrys living standard has increased and development too. Today, the country visualizes itself to be fully digitalized by the end of this decade, i.e., till 2020 as it has received the highest EU funding. The country has become the preferred choice for outsourcing business due to its closeness to the big five European countries and similar time zones. Extremely talented workforce, low costs, and sound political and economic conditions are supporting factors for this growth. The country has a huge potential in the biotechnology and R&D sectors. In the coming years, it is assumed that the country will be fully digitalized with its current e-governance initiatives and will be the most preferred destination for research, IT, tourism and medical services.Download Free Sample Of Report:Upcoming technology trends in the country: Secure cloud based payment system in the BFSI sector Cloud based data management solution in aerospace and defense sector Smart factories in manufacturing sector Cashless payment in retail sector Agriculture Information Systems and smart climate control applications in agriculture sectorFew highlights of the study: Asseco SA, with its headquarters in Poland, is currently leading the Poland IT outsourcing market. Infosys is the largest Indian outsourcing company headquartered in Poland. Capgemini is the biggest employer in the Poland outsourcing market. The region gets maximum nearshore projects, mainly from UK, France, Germany and Nordic countries such as Denmark and Norway. The outsourcing companies are receiving maximum projects in BFSI, telecom and industrial sectors in the country. Maximum outsourcing companies support English, German and French languages. Cities such as Krakow and Warszawa have maximum number of outsourcing offices in the country. City Gdansk is now emerging as the new outsourcing destination in Poland.Visit Full Report With TOC :About Us:Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact US:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Website: Market Research StoreEmail: sales@marketresearchstore.com
Connected Cars Market 2016 is expected to reach $153.60 billion by 2020
Connected Cars
http://goo.gl/8g86Lb
http://goo.gl/7gXlMx
http://goo.gl/i4xIeJ
The connected car, which once was a concept and limited to science fiction movies, is a reality today. Cars are extremely well connected these days with extensive embedded hardware components combined with smart connectivity capabilities that use an array of protocols to deliver key electronic, monitoring and diagnostic functions. It has become an emerging market where everybody is trying to be a part of it considering the enormous potential the market holds.Do Inquiry Before Purchasing Report Here:The global connected car market is fragmented and it is in a growing stage where many stakeholders of the ecosystem are forging strategic collaborations to create connected car solutions. The market revenue is estimated to reach $153.60 billion by 2020, said Infoholic Research.Connected cars connects to other devices within the car or devices, networks and services outside the car including other cars, home, office or infrastructure. The major stakeholders of connected cars are automotive majors, wireless carriers and engineering IT service providers. Some of the features that are used today are music/audio, GPS navigation system, wireless connectivity to make and receive phones, parking apps using a smartphone, automobile diagnostics. The future of connected cars includes LTE data connections & Wi-Fi, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) & Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and autonomous cars. Two of the major hurdles that may hamper its rapid adoption are wireless connectivity infrastructure and consumers concerns of data safety & privacy. Some of the major market players include Apple, Google, IBM, GM OnStar, Daimler, Ford, QNX.The report provides unique insights into an in-depth analysis of global connected cars market, drivers and restraints as well as growth opportunities. It also contains analysis and forecast revenues, competitive landscape, company profiles and industry trends.Download Free Sample Of Report:Table of Contents1 Industry Overview1.1 Industry Trends1.2 Future Possibilities2 Report Outline2.1 Report Scope2.2 Report Summary2.3 Research Methodology2.4 Report Assumptions3 Market Snapshot3.1 TAM & SAM3.2 Global Connected Cars Market Revenue3.3 Global Connected Cars Shipment3.4 Connected Cars impact on Non-Automotive IndustriesVisit Full Report With TOC :About Us:Market Research Store is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Contact US:Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Website: Market Research StoreEmail: sales@marketresearchstore.com
ParkingAppSally.jpg
A slide from a presentation given by Sidewalk Labs to the Portland Bureau of Transportation illustrates how the company's parking app would give drivers parking choices.
(Sidewalk Labs/Portland Bureau of Transportation)
A Google sister company recently sought to integrate itself into Portland's parking and transit management.
The proposal came shortly after Portland was in March named a finalist in the U.S. Transportation Department's Smart City Challenge, a competition for a $40 million federal grant that ultimately went to Columbus, Ohio.
Google sibling Sidewalk Labs sent Portland and other finalist cities documents, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, that offer a rare look into the company's plans. It's also a glimpse at a future where cities are increasingly dependent on technology firms for services to help deal with urban congestion.
Sidewalk was a partner in the competition and offered temporarily free use of its technology to the winning city. That would include access to goodies like its digital information kiosks that double as gigabit internet hotspots, as well as its Flow apps for parking and transportation management.
The parking software would help drivers identify unused parking near their destination, direct them to it and facilitate payment. It leveraged Google's experience with mapping software and machine learning with the goal of easing parking pains and traffic.
Its transit-focused app, meanwhile, mirrored Portland's proposal for an app that would let users comparison-shop for trips around the city, weighing the cost and time commitment for options such as driving, public transit and biking.
But The Guardian, a British newspaper, reported Sidewalk was at least initially pushing cities toward tight integration with Google-owned apps, a move that could be difficult to unwind later.
And it also proposed directing government subsidies toward private services like taxis, Lyft and Uber and away from public transit. That, experts told the paper, could weaken cities' subsidy-dependent public transit systems and ultimately hurt low-income riders.
In a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Sidewalk chief operating officer Anand Babu said its goal was to make more data available to cities so they can make better policy decisions when it comes to transportation.
"Flow is about using data and analytics to help cities work with their citizens to increase the efficiency of road, parking, and transit use, improving access to mobility for all," Babu said in the statement.
Portland, for its part, said its proposal for the grant competition focused on open data that could be used by third parties. Though its proposal was similar to the technology promoted by Sidewalk, the city said it talked with multiple providers that offer similar services.
"We really would like to partner with Sidewalk Labs in the future," Margi Bradway, a transportation bureau manager who worked on Portland's Smart City Challenge application. "But we haven't determined how or why or when."
She added that any agreement with Sidewalk would have gone through an extensive public process.
-- Elliot Njus
enjus@oregonian.com
503-294-5034
@enjus
Woodlawn.jpg
Woodlawn School in Northeast Portland won a $1.5 million federal turnaround grant in 2014 to help it raise student achievement. To get the money, the school district had to agree to remove Principal Robin Morrison; it moved Andrea Porter-Lopez, who previously headed high-performing Rieke Elementary, into the Woodlawn principal's position.
The
U.S.
Department of Education
to help a handful of schools with persistently low student achievement to improve.
Roughly nine schools will be chosen in January to receive the money over the course of about four years, said Tim Boyd, director of district and school effectiveness. Only those who were put on a list of "priority" and "focus" schools based on poor performance in 2011 and 2012 are eligible to apply, he said.
Boyd said Oregon asked the federal agency three times for permission to give the money to schools with the worst performance problems now, not with the worst performance five years ago. But the feds said no, he said.
Oregon was among just 16 states that won the federal School Improvement Grants to help their worst performing schools. Boyd said Oregon applied early and more states will likely be awarded grants in the coming months.
Oregon already has six schools with past performance problems that are receiving extra money in hopes it will turn them around: Woodlawn School in Portland; East Gresham Elementary; Warm Springs Elementary; Margaret Scott Elementary in the Reynolds School District; Prescott Elementary in the Parkrose School District; and Richmond Elementary in Salem-Keizer.
With limited exceptions, schools that win the grants have to replace their principal with a new leader.
Oregon awarded those six schools about $1.5 million each to improve how well they teach students to read, write and do math. But the state has decided to make smaller awards of about $500,000 over five years this time around, he said.
In Oregon and other states, schools that improved while they were receiving large amounts of extra money had trouble sustaining the improvements after the grant ends and they "run off the funding cliff," he said.
-- Betsy Hammond
Performers from across the Great Lakes Bay Region will gather at 7 p.m. Friday at Creative 360 in response to the mass shooting that occurred in Orlando on June 12.
Many Hearts. One Pulse. is an event to raise donations for the OneOrlando Fund established by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Freewill donations will be collected during the show designed to foster healing and hope through song, dance and poetry. Those attending should bring their own beverages. Soft drinks and bottled water will be available for purchase. Admission is free.
The Dow Chemical Co. is cutting 4 percent of its global workforce, and 700 of those jobs will come from the Great Lakes Bay Region as the company transitions into full ownership of Dow Corning and tackles an impending merger with DuPont Co.
Two separate press releases from Dow contained information about the strategies being employed, including the closure of silicones manufacturing facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Yamakita, Japan.
Howard Ungerleider, Dow chief financial officer and the newly appointed chairman of Dow Corning, told the Daily News that the first goal for company officials is to let employees know of their job status as soon as possible.
At the end of September, the goal is to have everyone who is working for Dow and Dow Corning in the Great Lakes Bay Region to know their status, Ungerleider said. The tough reality is when youre dealing with two companies that have acted standalone as many years as theyve had you just dont need two of everything from a back-office perspective.
Ungerleider predicted those employees would know whether they had weeks, or possibly months, by the end of September. Some employees may still have roles to play in the next two years as Dow prepares for a $130 billion merger with Delaware-based DuPont.
The combined company known as DowDuPont will spin off into three independent businesses. Company officials have said the material sciences business will remain headquartered in Midland.
Of Dows current global workforce of 60,000 people, about 4 percent will be impacted by the restructuring. The 2,500 job cuts will be spread among departments of Dow and Dow Corning, though Ungerleider did not say what percentage from each company.
Dow Corning was Dow's former joint venture with Corning Inc, and became a wholly-owned Dow subsidiary June 1.
We dont really see it as Dow versus Dow Corning, he said, adding that the goal of a joint implementation team was to put the right people in the right role for the future of Dow.
The 2,500 job cuts will also include the business restructuring of the Dow solar business. It operates out of Michigan and includes a manufacturing site in California, according to Dow spokesperson Rachelle Schikorra. The solar business will change to a licensing model, and some jobs will be affected, she said.
One of the highlights of the announcement is that there are no plans to close any Dow or Dow Corning facilities in operations that are located in the surrounding area, Ungerleider said.
All the locations that have had the greatest local concern will remain open, he told the Daily News.
REGIONAL IMPACT
At least 700 people living in the counties that make up the region will know in the coming weeks that their jobs have been cut due to the restructuring. Company officials have prepared opportunities such as an online job portal, career fairs and an Entrepreneurial Fair that will take place in fall 2016.
Dow has partnered with organizations including the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development, Tata Consultancy, Accenture, Saginaw Future and Bay Future, Midland Tomorrow, along with local Chamber of Commerce groups to aid those affected by the job cuts.
We want to make sure the community not just continues to survive but really thrive and grow here, and our focus is really on growth in mid-Michigan, Ungerleider said.
Part of that growth includes philanthropic contributions. Ungerleider said Dow has no intention of dismantling the 35-year-old Dow Corning Foundation and that Dow Corning is a separate legal entity.
GLOBAL IMPACT
The job cuts will be accompanied by other actions such as harmonizing energy contracts at large sites, optimizing warehouse and logistics footprints, combining information technology service structures and leveraging existing research and development capabilities.
Silicones manufacturing facilities being closed in Greensboro and Yamakita will be followed by other administrative, corporate and manufacturing facilities, but no additional information was provided on where those facilities may be located.
We thought about it in terms of spending a lot of freight dollars moving product around the silicones grid, Ungerleider said about the decision to close Greensboro and Yamakita. The other silicones locations will likely experience growth to cover business demands.
Dows Gulf Coast operations have slowed down external hiring in the last six months, an intentional move, Ungerleider said. According to one of the press releases, hiring managers will head to Midland to discuss employment options there with impacted Dow Corning and Dow talent.
Company officials expect Dow to capture $500 million in combined run rate annual synergies as a result of these measures. The $500 million includes an increase of $100 million from the originally projected $300 million in cost synergies and another $100 million in growth synergies.
These moves are also expected to produce $1 billion in additional annual earnings before certain factors, at full run-rate. Dow is expecting $410 to $460 million in costs related to asset impairments, severance and other costs related to this announcement through the second half of 2016.
KEY POINTS
According to Ungerleider, there are three key points to the press releases from Dow: the company is moving forward on synergies, is putting a significant amount of effort to mitigate negative impacts that may be felt throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region, and one line in particular.
That sentence reiterates that construction will continue on Dows new corporate headquarters on its main campus off Patrick and Abbott roads in Midland. That tells local residents Dow is committed to the city where it was first created, Ungerleider said.
It tells you what we are trying hard to do, is communicate and emphasize that we are committed to the region, Ungerleider said. It doesnt mean for today, for Dow and Dow Corning, but also the materials sciences company we are building.
Michigan Blood is inviting Michigan residents to celebrate Michigan summers and saving lives during its statewide Love Michigan blood drive June 30 - July 4.
Every person who attempts to donate will receive a reusable Family Fare tote bag with Michigan-made products and coupons, including a t-shirt from The Mitten State.
Blood centers often see blood and platelet donations decline during the summer months. Join Michigan Blood and Michigan business contributors Family Fare, Old Orchard and Better Made Potato Chips to ensure that blood is available this summer for patients in Michigan hospitals.
Donors can donate at the following locations in the Great Lakes Bay Region:
June 30
Saginaw Donor Center, 1771 Tittabawassee, Saginaw, noon-7 p.m.
Dow Diamond Donor Center, 825 E. Main, Midland 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
July 1, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saginaw Donor Center 1771 Tittabawassee, Saginaw
Midland Donor Center (at MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland) 4005 Orchard, Midland
Saturday, July 2, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saginaw Donor Center 1771 Tittabawassee, Saginaw
Monday, July 4, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saginaw Donor Center 1771 Tittabawassee, Saginaw
Bay City Donor Center 1710 N. Johnson, Bay City
Dow Diamond Donor Center 825 E. Main, Midland
Blood drive dates and times vary by location. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred. Donors can schedule an appointment by calling 1-866-MIBLOOD or by visiting www.miblood.org. Any healthy person 17 or older (or 16 with parental consent) who weighs at least 110 pounds may be eligible to donate, although females age 18 and under must weigh 120 pounds or more. Blood donors should bring photo ID.
Michigan Blood is the sole provider of blood and blood products for the majority of hospitals in Michigan including Covenant HealthCare, St. Marys of Michigan and MidMichigan Health. Michigan Blood is currently in urgent need of O-Negative blood donations.
The Daily News will be running a weekly Political Round-up, highlighting the campaigns of candidates for both the 98th House and 99th House races. All five candidates have been contacted and asked to submit items for the round-up.
In the 98th House District, Republican Gary Glenn, R-Midland, will be facing Democratic challenger Geoff Malicoat in the Nov. 8 general election. The 99th House race will have Democrat Bryan Mielke squaring off against the winner of the Aug. 2 primary between Republicans Roger Hauck and Robin Stressman.
ROGER HAUCK
I am Roger Hauck, and am running for state representative in the 99th district, which covers Isabella County and 10 townships in Midland County: Mills, Hope, Edenville, Warren, Geneva, Greendale, Jasper, Porter, Mount Haley, and Ingersoll. This also includes the City of Coleman.
My top three priorities are education, regulation and taxation. Not all regulations are bad. Some are useful, like left hand turn lanes. A person cant just drive down a left hand turn lane to avoid traffic, because the lane is meant to take those who are attempting to turn left out of the way of those who are trying to go straight. But there are quite a few regulations that are not helpful to anyone, and hurt the economy in the process. When dealing with new regulations I want to ensure that the help outweighs the hurt.
I will be hosting a barbecue on July 20 at 6 p.m. at 1150 E. River Road, Mount Pleasant.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my website at www.rogerhauck.com or on Facebook by searching Roger Hauck for State Representative. I hope to earn your vote on Aug. 2.
Hauck also announced that the Michigan Chamber of Commerce has endorsed him for the 99th House.
BRYAN MIELKE
The Michigan AFL-CIOs Executive Council has endorsed Mielke in the race for the 99th House.
For more information about Mielke: bryanmielke.com
GARY GLENN
After opposing Glenn in the 2014 primary, Glenn was endorsed last week by the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP), an education reform organization funded by west Michigan billionaires Dick and Betsy DeVos.
We have found Rep. Glenn to be very thoughtful and measured in his approach to education legislation, and we are very pleased to endorse him this time, said Gary Naeyaert, the groups executive director. Gary Glenn is an outstanding public servant, a leader in the Michigan Legislature, and he deserves to be re-elected.
Glenn, who promoted education reform in the 1990s as president of School Choice YES and as a School Choice project director for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said he has not changed his position on any issue since 2014 and hopes to persuade GLEP to take its change of heart a step further.
As a matter of principle, Ive always shared GLEPs commitment to empowering all parents with the ability to choose the best and safest schools for their children, regardless of income or zip code, Glenn said. Hopefully, our positive relationship will help persuade GLEP to support my plan to ensure Michigan students are no longer saddled with unproven, untested educational standards, and instead adopt standards proven to be best in the nation. Michigan students deserve the best.
Glenn has introduced House Bill 5444 with bipartisan support to repeal so-called Common Core state educational standards in Michigan and replace them with pre-Common Core standards from Massachusetts, which produced the nations highest test scores in fourth grade reading, eighth grade math, and college and career-readiness categories. The legislation would allow local school boards the freedom to tailor those standards to local concerns. GLEP, which initially supported implementation of Common Core in Michigan, has not yet taken a stand on Glenns legislation.
For more information: GaryGlenn.US
GEOFF MALICOAT
This past week saw Geoff Malicoat, candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives for the 98th District, continue to receive major endorsements. Malicoat highlighted the endorsements of the Detroit Police Officers Association,the Michigan Association of Police Organizations, and the Michigan Professional Firefighters Union. To receive the endorsement of the brave men and women who charge into the buildings and situations that everyone else is running from is truly humbling. Knowing that over 30,000 police officers and firefighters are standing behind this campaign is so exciting.
Malicoat has continued his ongoing dialogue with law enforcement, social workers and healthcare professionals regarding the growing rate of opioid dependency in our community. Everyday we see mounting evidence that painkiller and heroin use has reached epidemic levels, even here in Midland and the rest of the 98th District. This problem is not going to go away on its own, and what we are doing now to stop it is just not working. This is going to take an all hands on deck approach to defeat, but as long as families are being torn apart by this horrible drug, we cannot give up that fight.
The Michigan AFL-CIOs Executive Council has also endorsed Malicoat in the race for 98th House.
Constituents may contact Malicoat to ask questions or schedule a meeting in the following ways: website: www.malicoatforhouse.com; Facebook www.facebook.com/geoff4us; or email: geoff@malicoatforhouse.com
A wave of unlawful activities has forced the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to close a section of state land in Midland County.
Of the 43,000 acres of state land in Midland County, the closure effects about 800 acres located off Dublin Road north of Letts Road, said Jerry Turner, forest fire officer in the DNRs forest management division. The closure is being enacted by a Director of the Department of Natural Resources Order, and will begin Friday.
The area will be open for hunting season from Sept. 14 to Dec. 31, and closed again from Jan. 1 to Sept. 13.
There will be a gate on the east trail, and the west trail will be closed completely, Turner said.
The closure is occurring because state officials cant keep up with the amount of illegal activities occurring there, everything from rampant littering, drivers tearing up the trails with mudder trucks and all terrain vehicles, and unattended fires, Turner said.
He said there were two fires on the state land section last year one on the east trail on March 28 which was ignited by fireworks, and the other on April 15 on the west side which was caused by a campfire.
Two trail systems come in here, we cant keep it clean, he said. Weve taken 300 cubic yards of trash out of there in the last six to eight years Its getting ridiculous.
The trash collection came about as a part of the DNRs Adopt-A-Forest program. In spring of 2012, Cub Scout Pack 3791 from Chestnut Hill Elementary School volunteered to conduct a clean up, collecting fast food wrappers and beer bottles, piles of clothing, the makings of mattresses and even television sets that had been used for target practice.
But enforcement efforts cant keep up with the illegal activities, Turner said.
Turner reminds that all Midland County residents are allowed to go to the dump once a month to dispose of up to 3 cubic yards of waste, which can include household refuse, construction or demolition material, yard waste and up to one appliance. Tires are excluded. Also, residents can recycle certain items through the Midland Recyclers, also located at the city landfill.
For more information about these services, go to the City of Midland website at www.midland-mi.org and the Midland Recyclers website at www.midlandrecyclers.org.
To the editor:
Have you ever grieved over the loss of a loved one or because of great disappointment caused by a loved one? Because of those experiences we should be able to understand the great grief that God feels due to his disappointment toward all of those who dont love him enough to listen to him. We know that at one time he grieved so much about mans behavior that he was sorry that he had made man (Genesis 6:6).
God is love. We love because he first loved us. We would not know how to love without experiencing his love for us. He has provided for all of our needs, even giving his own son for us. Have we reciprocated that love? Or are we continually rebelling against him? Jesus said that the one who has his commandments and keeps them is the one who loves him, and that those who love him will be loved by the father. How many people want to love (obey) God anymore?
We cant fool God, He looks at the heart. He knows the intentions of the heart. He searches our hearts and causes things to work together for good to those who love him. The writer of Psalm 119:11 said that he had treasured Gods word in his heart that he might not sin against him. The fool has said in his heart that there is no God.
How grieved is God today with the violence that occurs and with the current attitude that there are no boundaries for mans behavior? We need to read what God said to Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:9).
By the way, it was prophesied by many that once one barrier to sexual sin was taken away that many more would tumble. We now have gay weddings and confusion over restrooms. Evidently bestiality is now legal in Canada. Apparently at least one college has a co-ed dorm floor for nudists (great way for higher education to produce a better civilization). Before long, incest, pedophilia and nudity in public will be acceptable. A very small percentage of the population is advocating for these changes; when will we care enough and be intelligent enough to put a stop to it? Certainly these are not the only behaviors that need to be changed. Albert Einstein said, The world will not be destroyed by evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything. How long will God be patient with todays culture? Do you care enough about yourself to do what is right? We need to pray that we may strengthen each other. (FYI: 1.05 million abortions occurred in 2012; 20 million new STD cases occur in America each year.)
BARBARA PHILLIPS
Freeland
A 47-year-old Rochester Hills woman has been sentenced for her involvement in a Gladwin County killing that occurred last fall.
Stephanie Anne Livingston was sentenced earlier this month to serve one year in jail with credit for six days and be monitored for five years of probation on one count of being an accessory after the fact to a felony. She entered a guilty plea to the charge.
Livingston also is to pay $11,958.57 restitution.
She was charged after the murder of Daniel James Dombroski, 46, who was reported missing in early October.
Already serving a prison sentence of 35 to 60 years in the case is Chad Alan Ballard, 28, of Beaverton. He entered a no contest plea to a count of second-degree homicide.
Dombroski was reported missing in early October. Investigators working on the missing person case began to suspect foul play after there was no activity on his social media pages and no transactions made with his financial accounts.
Gladwin County sheriffs deputies, with help from the Michigan State Police, searched in the neighborhood where Dombroski was last seen, and south into Midland County including areas near the river in Edenville. The Billings Fire Department dive team also helped the Gladwin County Sheriffs Office check portions of Wixom Lake.
His body was recovered from a wooded thicket on the edge of a swamp in Beaverton Township in November, after a detective interviewed Ballard. Ballard gave the detective information about the location of the body.
Evidence presented during court proceedings indicated that Dombroski suffered 27 stab wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen.
In November, Ballard also was sentenced to serve between one year, eight months and 15 years in prison for the sexual assault of a young child. The offense occurred in Gladwin County on June 30.
Yokota shares Prime BEEF with JASDF
An Airman with the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron operates a Volvo G930 Motor Grader during an airfield damage repair demonstration at Yokota Air Base, Japan, June 16, 2016. The machine has an operating weight of approximately 21 tons and is used to level the flightline during repairs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David C. Danford/Released)
BLOOMINGTON Arpi Kossar came to a sudden halt during a recent walk at dusk in Bloomington.
Floating in his path were strange, flickering bugs.
What are those? asked the 19-year-old.
Theyre lightning bugs," said his host parent, Amber Gruenloh-Luecke. "Havent you ever seen them before?
He hadnt. Slovakia doesnt have lightning bugs.
Kossar left his home in Gabcikovo, Slovakia, in September to spend 10 months as a foreign exchange student in Bloomington living with Gruenloh-Luecke, her husband Jason Luecke and their Rhodesian ridgeback dog, Zeus.
Funny-looking bugs werent the only discovery during the teens first visit to America.
One of my favorite experiences here was the school system, said Kossar who attended Normal Community High School during his stay.
At home, I can only take classes like math, chemistry and physics. Here I can try more interesting subjects like commercial art and photography.
Another U.S. favorite of Kossar: the food.
Each month, on the anniversary of his arrival, the trio would try a new Twin City restaurant.
I liked all the Mexican food, especially Los Potrillos and Chipotle. I also liked Chick-fil-A and Steak 'n' Shake, he said.
When Kossar discovered and fell in love with Pop Tarts, Luecke went to the store to buy every flavor of the breakfast pastry for him to try.
But the couple did more than expose Kossar to Pop Tarts; they took him all over the nation.
Kossar tried deep-dish pizza and watched the sun set from Hancock Tower in Chicago. He admired the Mississippi River from the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. He stood on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City and enjoyed the west coast sun in Los Angeles.
I wanted to see what the towns and cities looked like compared to Europe. The streets here are wider and longer. You can walk everywhere in Europe but here its all by car, said Kossar.
Kossar is the third student the Lueckes have hosted. They also had Lukas from Germany and Diego from Spain, both boys staying for 10 months, through the CETUSA and PAX programs. Kossar was sponsored by the Normal Rotary Club.
The couple is in their early 30s with no children of their own, but Gruenloh-Luecke said they consider the exchange students their sons.
Her love for foreign cultures began when she studied abroad in college as an exchange student in Thailand.
It gave me a whole different perspective on the world. My interest in traveling was only confirmed, she said.
She and her husband have been around the globe since, including Cambodia, London, Venice, Germany, Paris and Mexico.
Souvenirs line the walls of their home. A cuckoo clock, purchased when the Lueckes visited Lukas in Germany, chimes in the dining room. Photos from trips with their 'sons' also are displayed.
The year before we started hosting, we would sit at home every night at watch TV, said Luecke. Now we are doing whatever we can to expose these kids to America.
Like any teenager, Kossar lived under the Lueckes' roof and by their rules. He wasnt allowed to drink, drive, take drugs or date. The couple asked that he only call his parents every two weeks to ease the transition. They also encouraged him to jot his thoughts each day on a calendar.
Kossars first month of journaling was done in single words each day. By the end of the stay, he was cramming as many memories as possible on each square of his calendar.
Kossar returned to Slovakia on Monday. Leading up to his final day, Gruenloh-Luecke had to hold back tears.
As with all of our sons, we take away a very deep relationship. Every time you say goodbye, its the saddest day ever. You pray to God you will find peace after a few days, she said.
She said the peace comes when they get a call from the boys, listing the little things they miss: late-night chats with the couple. Zeus. Chick-fil-A.
Gruenloh-Luecke said if a family is seriously interested in hosting a student, theyve already made the first big step.
I hear people say, Ive always considered that, but we have young kids ... but we have high school kids ... but were retired and we would have nothing in common. They say they are too busy at every stage of life, she said.
Thats everybodys life, said Luecke. You always have so much going on and you think you dont have the time to host a student but you make the time. You always find the time do the important things.
Its certainly not uncommon for a machinery technician to save the day during harvest season, but it is rare for one to literally save a farmers life.
BLOOMINGTON Bloomington police are investigating reports of gunfire in two separate incidents Monday on East Empire Street.
The first incident was reported at 6:26 p.m. Monday in the 2100 block. Officers arrived on the scene and canvassed the area, but found no evidence of shots being fired.
At 10:17 p.m., Bloomington police responded to the 2000 block for another report of shots fired.
No injuries were reported in connection with either incident.
Officers later discovered a parked, unoccupied vehicle was struck by a bullet in the 2000 block, and additional evidence was collected at the scene.
No arrests have been made in either incident and the investigations are ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bloomington Police Department at 309-820-8888.
If you wish to remain anonymous, call McLean County Crime Stoppers at (309) 828-1111. If your call leads to an arrest and indictment, you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
BLOOMINGTON A Bloomington man was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for his third sexual offense and sixth felony charge.
Curtis Vannote, 47, pleaded guilty in April to sexually assaulting a man who was unable to consent to sexual activity.
In his statement to Judge Robert Freitag, Vannote said the hearing marked "a difficult and sad day" for him. Participation in several programs in the McLean County jail while he waited for the completion of his criminal case has led to positive changes that could address his urges to commit new offenses, Vannote told the judge.
Vannote was convicted in 1994 and 2010 of criminal sexual abuse of a minor.
Assistant State's Attorney Brad Rigdon asked for the 20-year maximum outlined in Vannote's plea deal.
The defendant "has been continuing on his same path for multiple decades" and is a danger to society, said the prosecutor.
Rigdon said he was pleased with the sentence that "sends a stern message of deterrence to the community."
Defense lawyer Josh Rinker argued that Vannote took responsibility for the July 2015 sex assault and deserved a 12-year sentence. His conduct while in the jail shows that Vannote is committed to improvements "toward a new Curtis Vannote," said Rinker.
The judge commended Vannote for the remorse expressed in his statement and his work to begin rehabilitative efforts while incarcerated.
"You've done the right things while in jail waiting for the outcome of this case," Freitag told Vannote.
But Vannote's lengthy prior criminal history involving other sexual offenses, drugs and the most recent sexual assault were factors cited by Freitag in issuing the maximum term.
The judge said he took no pleasure in sending Vannote to prison for two decades but such a sentence was necessary, he said, "for the protection of other potential victims" of the defendant.
Vannot must serve 85 percent of the sentence.
BLOOMINGTON Help from Central Illinois is on its way as West Virginia cleans up after widespread flooding and as California battles ongoing wildfires.
Bloomington-based Midwest Food Bank will ship semitrailer loads of food, water and personal care items for families in West Virginia, Senior Operations Director Mike Hoffman said Monday. Midwest Food Bank is providing the supplies at the request of The Salvation Army.
Hoffman didn't know how many semitrailer loads will be shipped "but we anticipate several."
"They'll start rolling out within the next day or two" from food bank warehouses in Bloomington, Morton, Peoria and Indianapolis, Hoffman said.
"Salvation Army said this is one of the biggest disasters that West Virginia has ever had," Hoffman said. "Basically, the whole state was affected. We're ready to help."
Each semitrailer load will contain 800 boxes and each box contains food and personal care items for a family of four for four to five days. Volunteer drivers will deliver boxes to affected areas and Salvation Army will deliver them to families.
Meanwhile, American Red Cross Serving Central and Southern Illinois Region is among Red Cross regions providing volunteers to assist with the flooding and wildfires' response.
Jerry Olden of Tolono will assist with sheltering of California wildfire survivors; Dave Stoner of Princeville, transporting supplies in California; Kathi Knope of Taylorville, meeting with individual families in California; Pamela Hastings of Springfield, helping with disaster assessment in West Virginia; and Mary Atkins of Davenport, Iowa, a caseworker assisting West Virginia survivors.
More Red Cross deployments are expected, said Trish Burnett of Red Cross.
Twenty-three people have died in the West Virginia flooding and hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed.
In California, two people have died and nearly 60,000 acres have been scorched in six fires.
BLOOMINGTON Two transportation resolutions sponsored by Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner and Normal Mayor Chris Koos received unanimous support of more than 200 of the nation's mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis.
One resolution supports increased federal direct transportation funding to cities. The other is related to the Complete Streets philosophy that Bloomington-Normal city councils are considering to make their streets safer.
"Clearly, we've got lots of infrastructure problems, not just in Bloomington and Normal, but throughout the United States," said Renner. "We've neglected our infrastructure for decades."
The mayor added, "Resolution 108 was designed to place more emphasis on federal transportation dollars going directly to cities because we know better where those needs are."
Over the last year, Bloomington completed a $10 million street resurfacing bond program and is considering a $20 million to $30 million bond for street resurfacing. That would be followed by a $20 million bond for storm and sanitary sewer work.
"So we're trying, but it would be great if the federal government could help not just Bloomington and Normal, but cities throughout the country," said Renner.
"The basis of that resolution is that a lot of mayors feel that more dollars going directly to projects at the municipal level are more effectively spent," said Koos. "Projects come in cheaper and completed faster as a result of direct dollars going to the communities."
Both Twin City mayors, as members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' transportation and communications committee, drafted that resolution.
They were joined by Mayor Charles Hales of Portland, Ore., in drafting a resolution urging the U.S. Department of Transportation "to accelerate and expand its technical assistance" to support local governments as they attempt to adopt Complete Streets policies, said Renner.
Several issues related to law enforcement, including how to build relationships among police, minorities and residents of poorer neighborhoods, also were a focus of the conference, said Renner.
Among other speakers, Orlando, Fla., Mayor Buddy Dyer also addressed the gathering on the two-week anniversary of deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
"He kind of walked us through how he handled it and lessons learned from the crisis," said Renner.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson also spoke. Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump was invited, but did not attend, said Renner.
The Democratic politicians have tried for several decades to take away Americans second amendment rights. They use every gun tragedy to exploit their cause. One has to wonder what their long-term goal is. Their goal cant be to protect Americans because these are the same politicians who refuse to secure our borders, allowing thousands of criminals and terrorists into our country.
As a retired police officer, I believe every law-abiding citizen should be allowed to own any semi-automatic rifle or handgun. They should be allowed to carry concealed but must remember to be responsible for their actions.
In every mass shooting, if people were carrying concealed weapons, there may not have been as many victims. Restricting where you can carry a concealed weapon only puts the employees and patrons at an elevated risk of being a victim. Remember, the criminal and terrorist could care less when they see a no guns allowed sign; in fact, it makes for an easy target.
If a government takes away your semi-automatic rifles, your country can become a victim of an oppressive government. It can happen. Enforce the laws on the books and no more will be needed.
Bruce Bauer, Bloomington
The second case of a flesh-eating bacteria has been recorded for the month of June after a Texas man reportedly contracted it from a day at the beach during a Father's Day outing.
Fox News reported that the man, identified as Adrian Ruiz, took his family to a trip to Rockport. Doctors believe that is where he contracted the flesh-eating bacteria. The man reportedly had fever over the weekend and woke up with a rash on his leg. A few days later, he was taken to the hospital and ended up being in the ICU.
His wife, La Shelle, said in a statement that it is still unknown if her husband's leg is to be amputated. She shared that she is fearful for her husband possibly losing his leg adding, "I don't want to think that's going to happen, and I told him we are going to be very positive." Ruiz reportedly swam at Port Aransas.
La'Shelle continued to say that once the doctor looked at her husband's foot, the medical practitioner said that it might be cellulitis since they have told him that they have been to the beach. The doctor reportedly said that he is not trying to scare Ruiz but there have been reports of flesh-eating bacteria in Galveston and Port O'Connor.
Ruiz was not immediately admitted as they went back home. However, when Ruiz's leg started to blister, he was taken back to the hospital and was admitted on Monday afternoon at the ICU at Seton Hays. He was diagnosed with Vibrio Vulnificus, a flesh damaging bacteria.
As per the Facebook page of his family, a statement says, "Within a few hours after being in the water he was sick and is now battling this horrible bacteria which has caused a nasty, huge open sore wound on his right leg." The Vibrio bacteria is said to be naturally present in coastal waters but are in higher concentrations from May to October when the temperatures are warmer.
Just last week, another Texas man named Brian Parrott, 50, had his leg amputated due to contracting flesh-eating bacteria. He reportedly spent around two hours in the water at a Galveston beach with his family.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued recommendations to prevent vibriosis. They recommend that eating raw or undercooked oysters or shellfish could lead to the infection and that people should always wash their hands with soap after handling raw shellfish. If one has a wound, he or she should stay out of salt water. Cuts and scrapes should be covered before going into the water.
A former Ohio college student was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing her newborn baby at a sorority house at Muskingum University.
The former student and mother, Emile Weaver, 21, gave birth to her daughter in her Delta Gamma Theta sorority house back in April 22, 2015. Shortly after giving birth, she disposed of her newborn in a trash bag. The baby was found later by her sorority sisters later that day and was found out to have died of asphyxiation.
Weaver has pleaded not guilty initially by reason of insanity but the judge has ruled that she was mentally competent to stand trial for the murder. She also shared during her trial that she was in denial throughout her pregnancy and thought that the baby was added when she placed her in the garbage bag. She named the baby Addison Grace.
The defense attorney of Weaver claims that the baby possibly died before childbirth and that after being cross-examined by prosecutor Michael Haddox, Weaver admitted that she tried to cause a miscarriage after she drank alcohol and took supplements while she was pregnant with the baby. The argument of the lawyer of Weaver was proven wrong after Dr. Jeffrey Lee, the deputy coroner on the case, testified that the X-ray images showed that the baby was able to take several breaths after being born.
Weaver has been found guilty by a jury of aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of corpse. Prior to her sentencing this week, Weaver read a letter in court saying that she has asked for forgiveness from God and "...all I can do is ask for all of yours," The Columbus Dispatch reported. Despite the last minute attempt to sway Muskingum County Common Pleas Judge Mark Fleegle for a lighter sentence, the judge handling the case said that he did not believe Weaver was remorseful for her actions.
It was also found out that text messages from Weaver and the man she thought was the baby's father reads: "No more baby" and "taken care of." DNA tests showed that the man she sent the text to is not the father of her child.
Weaver plans to appeal her conviction.
A two-year-old girl died when she was left in the car for hours with temperature 90 degrees on top, on Tuesday. The father has been arrested and charged with manslaughter. Just a day later, another two-year-old was hospitalized with serious condition when her grandmother left her in the car under a 90-degree temperature. She's currently under investigation.
Reports on children left in the car always has resulted in tragedy and it usually happens every summer. Parents get distracted, the brain would sometimes go on autopilot and end up having parents or care takers leave children in a hot car. Experts and public safety officials constantly urge parents and caregivers to never leave kids in the car reiterating, "because the consequences can be deadly," said Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw in DentonRC.com.
Some parents would like to play it safe when caught. Saying they had to run errands so they left the kids in the car and reason out that the air conditioning is on. For law enforcement and child welfare advocates, it's still a bad idea to leave kids in the car alone even with the air conditioning on. Another danger of leaving a child alone in the car is that it could be fatal as the child may accidentaly put the car in gear or turn off the air conditioning.
There's no definite statute dealing with parents or caregivers when they leave a child unattended in vehicles. For instance, it will be the officer's perogative to charge an offender depending on their act, such as unlawful conduct toward a child. Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said his deputies might issue a warning or press a criminal charge depending on specific circumstances.
For instance, when a parent steps out of a vehicle on the verge of leaving a kid, they can issue a warning. But for anyone who has abandoned a child in their car, even for a short time, is a different matter. This already entitles officers to press charges.
Advocates say it's important for parents to build good habits to avoid such deadly mistakes. It may seem to be harmless to run errands leaving a child in a car but the consequences of such instance can be detrimental to both parent and child. In majority of cases, parents are distracted, leaving kids in the car said Michelle Dhunjishah, director of the Children's Law Center in South Carolina. She added that even when a vehicle is air conditioned, it's crucial to be vigilant and concerned citizens should get involved, as per Miami Herald.
"Fast and Furious 8" updates and cast news suggest that more than the actors who will be returning in the upcoming flick, fans should definitely pay close attention to the new cars used in the next installment.
Case in point, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's "Ice Ram". The former WWE star turned actor gave a glimpse of his special ride on Instagram recently, and teased fans on what they can expect from the new movie.
"EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: When its time to save the world in the snow, Hobbs becomes the Abominable Iceman in his ICE RAM. #FastAndFurious8 #F8 #NewMeaningToTheTermSnowBalls #TheIcemanCometh," the caption of the Ice Ram photo said.
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: When its time to save the world in the snow, Hobbs becomes the Abominable Iceman in his ICE RAM. #FastAndFurious8 #F8 #NewMeaningToTheTermSnowBalls #TheIcemanCometh A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Jun 24, 2016 at 7:21am PDT
Not a lot has been said about the plot of "Fast and Furious 8," but as it was previously reported, that the cast and crew were seen filming in Iceland with iceberg props. This somehow gives fans an idea that an icy car chase sequence might be underway, to which the Hobbs' Ice Ram makes perfect sense.
Apart from Iceland, "Fast and Furious 8" updates and cast news previously revealed, that apart from Iceland, the movie will feature scenes shot in Cleveland and Cuba, Cinema Blend noted.
Meanwhile, it looks like The Rock's character might get his own spin-off movie once the alleged "Fast and Furious" trilogy is over. As a consulting producer recently disclosed, they are now exploring the possibility of having a movie solely dedicated to Hobbs.
"I've been in the mix with Chris Morgan, the writer, really dialing in the Hobbs character, which is one of our all-time favorite characters," Hiram Garcia revealed to Comic Book. "We all are interested in it."
"I just had a big conversation with the studio. So we'll see," he continued. "I still think for me personally, we've created a little bit of space for him in 7 and the gauge is set for what the audience will want. That's my take on it, you know, but a lot of other people have to have input."
"Fast and Furious 8" is slated to hit the big screens on April 14, 2017.
Stay tuned for more "Fast and Furious 8" updates and cast news here!
When last year's "Ant-Man" concluded, viewers were teased about Hope van Dyne taking on the role of the Wasp, suggesting that the superheroine will play a huge part in the sequel "Ant-Man and the Wasp." Director Peyton Reed confirmed that Hope's Wasp will indeed have a main story arc in the follow-up, and she will not be a supporting character to Scott Lang's Ant-Man.
More Powerful Hope Van Dyne As Wasp In "Ant-Man and the Wasp"
In a recent interview with Modern Myth Media, Reed said Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope, will share top-billing alongside co-star Paul Rudd in "Ant-Man and the Wasp." The filmmaker also shared that the sequel will go beyond the professional relationship of the two lead characters, and will showcase the Wasp's "full power set and everything."
"For me as a comic nerd, I always thought of Ant-Man and Wasp as a team and that's a lot of what the second movie is really about is how they work together, what their personal and professional relationships are like. To show her finally fully formed in this movie is really exciting," Reed told the news outlet.
Prior to Hope, the Wasp identity was previously taken on by her mother and Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) wife, Janet van Dyne. She was presumed dead when she sacrificed herself during a mission with Hank. Janet has shrunk down into the Quantum Realm, a place where Scott also went to while fighting Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).
What To Expect On Ant-Man's Next Adventures
Reed also discussed the character developments that are in store for Ant-Man. According to the director's interview with Modern Myth Media, the fugitive-turned-superhero will encounter "some big leaps forward."
Reed said the screenplay for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" is still being written. However, he confirmed that the sequel's story will be heavily influenced by its comic book source material dating back to the early issues.
The director also hinted that Michael Pena and the rest of Scott's friends will appear in "Ant-Man and the Wasp." In addition, there were rumors that Sharon Stone would portray Janet van Dyne in the movie, SlashFilm reported.
Scott Lang rallied behind Steve Rogers' cause in "Captain America: Civil War." In the flick, the "Giant Man" version of the superhero was unleashed, though he was captured by Iron Man's forces and was put behind bars (again). That means Scott's identity has been compromised, a fact that "Ant-Man and the Wasp" will likely address, Nerdist wrote.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp" will bow in theaters on July 6, 2018.
Once more Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton fans get fresh challenge with report that the sister of the Duchess Of Cambridge could marry sooner than expected. Pippa Middleton will reportedly get a surprise, not from Prince Harry, but from race driver and "Made In Chelsea" star-related James Matthews.
The Daily Mail serves a damper to Prince Harry fans in reporting that James Matthews is dead serious about Pippa Middleton. James Matthews is reportedly planning a secret and elaborate marriage proposal for Pippa Middleton.
Perhaps partly to prevent Prince Harry fans from protesting, James Matthews reportedly chose prime resort Eden Rock at St Barts in the Caribbean to surprise Pippa Middleton. James Matthews is supposedly preparing a guest list of close friends, excluding Prince Harry naturally, to witness for him and Pippa Middleton at the event.
As when Prince William called on Middleton mom Carole when His Royal Highness proposed to the Duchess of Cambridge, James Matthews reportedly conspired similarly to ensure the Pippa Middleton surprise. James Matthews and Pippa Middleton are living witness that love can be sweeter the second time around as the brother of "Made In Chelsea" reality star Spencer and the sister of the Duchess Of Cambridge first dated in 2012, according to People.
That was just a year into Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton becoming an official love team, inspired by the wedding of the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge in 2011. Although Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton never acted upon their love team, their public appeal as pair continued.
Prince Harry had, in fact, chivalrously defended the honor of Pippa Middleton in protesting reports that His Royal Highness' interactions with the sister of the Duchess Of Cambridge are anything but aboveboard. According to The Telegraph, Prince Harry laid out a formal complaint and won against media insinuation that His Royal Highness kissed Pippa Middleton during the wedding celebrations for the Duke and Duchess Of Cambridge.
If, however, Pippa Middleton says "Yes" to her personal knight-in-shining-armor, James Matthews, Prince Harry fans will have to lay the fairy tale to rest. The hunt for a fresh princess-to-be for Prince Harry will continue when fans heal from the Pippa Middleton heartbreak.
A Michigan woman decided to sue her doctor after giving birth for wrongful conception after she was told that she was unable to conceive.
The woman was identified as Lori Cichewicz and she shared that the doctor told her that if she would ever get pregnant, her baby would also be suffering from Down Syndrome. Cichewicz pointed out that back in 2008, the now 50-year-old claimed she was to undergo a permanent birth control procedure but her doctor assured her that her fallopian tubes were blocked thus there was no chance for her to become pregnant.
Fox News reported that Cichewicz was also advised by her doctor to no longer use birth control but by 2011, she gave birth to her daughter Reagan. Her daughter has Down Syndrome but Cichewicz said that she never questioned about the matter noting that her daughter is full of life, loving, kind, and sweet.
The only reason that Cichewicz is suing her doctor is because she never wanted to be pregnant. She is now seeking damages for emotional distress caused by the unplanned pregnancy. The lawsuit wants to keep the doctor accountable for the supposed misguidance.
Cichewicz added, "I'm older, I don't know, will I see her graduate college? Will I see her go to college? Will I see her get married? Will I see her graduate high school? All this is going through my mind."
The Michigan Appeals Court has ruled last week that Cichewicz could not ask for financial award for the costs of raising a child with Down Syndrome but she can seek compensation for the stress associated with the unplanned pregnancy.
The doctor's identity has not been released. The case is expected to be under the scrutiny of a jury in Oakland Circuit Court. It is expected that a decision will be reached within the next few months.
The Texas Supreme Court has decided in favor of a family who was not teaching its homeschooled children because they were waiting for the rapture, or the second coming of Jesus Christ. The court ruled 6-3 in favor of Michael and Laura McIntyre.
According to a CBS DFW report, the court favored the McIntyre family based on a technicality. The McIntyres had reportedly said that Texas school district officials violated their 14th Amendment rights when the officials tried to verify that the McIntyre children were learning.
Michael and Laura McIntyre have nine children. The children were being homeschooled in the motorcycle dealership of the family in the El Paso district.
Texas family waiting to be raptured not teaching home-school children https://t.co/ReESJ6gbZT What about rights of children to an education? CampaignForChildren (@Campaign4Kids) June 25, 2016
Constitutionality Questions On Homeschooling
Q13 Fox reported that the Texas Supreme Court justices referred the McIntyre homeschooling case to the lower courts in the state, as questions on constitutionality did not pertain to educational policy . According to the report, the state's high court did not address constitutional questions on whether children who are homeschooled must be properly educated.
The Christian Science Monitor reported that Michael and Laura McIntyre had earlier sued the El Paso school district for their perceived violation of their rights. However, a Texas appeals court ruled against them in their homeschooling case and it was eventually turned over to the Texas Supreme Court.
Homeschooling In Different States
The Christian ScienceMonitor's report also said that there are around 300,000 homeschoolers in the states of Texas. This figure is said to be around one-sixth of the total number of homeschoolers in the United States.
Additionally, it was stated that among the different states, 24 have mandated that homeschoolers need to be assessed using tests or portfolios. Nine states mandate that test scores of homeschoolers be reviewed by the state.
Should the children continue to be homeschooled despite the parents' belief in rapture? Share your thoughts below.
Recent Kate Middleton news are not just focusing on the Duchess' relationship with her husband, Prince William, but also her deepening bond with his brother Prince Harry.
According to recent reports, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry have been really close lately, and as Celeb Dirty Laundry noted, it all started out when the two enjoyed nights having dinner and watching "Game of Thrones." Sources are claiming that Harry sees her sister-in-law as a trusted advisor and his true female friend.
The publication also claimed that Prince Harry sees the Duchess as a mother figure that fills the void left by his mother, the late Princess Dianna.
Perhaps one of the most courageous things Kate Middleton has ever done for her brother-in-law was to defend him from his stepmother Camilla Parker Bowles. A different CDL article claimed that the Duchess of Cornwall has been spreading lies about the true identity of Prince Harry, claiming he is not flesh and blood of Prince Charles.
Rumor has it that Princess Diana had an affair in the 80s and Prince Harry was the product of their forbidden love.
Previous Kate Middleton news claimed that the Duchess along with Prince William, stood against Camilla and her scheming ways. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have reportedly planned to fight back in honor of Princess Diana's name.
As for Prince Harry, he immediately rushed to Kate Middleton and Prince William's defense after Camila tried to belittle his brother's wife.
Stay tuned for more Kate Middleton news here!
The Oregon Community Foundation annual meeting theme was "we shouldn't be pointing fingers; we should be offering helping hands" as spoken by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof to emphasize the dissatisfaction of providing early childhood education in Oregon. The performance on educational outcome is below expectation despite the many accomplishments the state has.
Let's look at the economic issues at play. It's true that early childhood education is expensive but economists proved that the cost-benefit families' pay is worth many times over. Early childhood education has a lifetime benefit such as lower crime rate, lower cost for remedial education, increased academic success and higher productivity in adulthood, according to The Bulletin.
Another state calling for the need of early childhood education is the last in ranking, Oregon's neighboring state Idaho. Idaho is among the eight US states without a state-funded preschool program, 69 percent of 3 and 4-year-olds were not sent to school in 2012-14, as per Magic Valley.
Although parents play a deep-rooted influence on childhood development, parents' educational attainment play a crucial role. At age 3, toddlers' vocabulary maybe two or three times higher when parents are college-educated compared to those who didn't finish high school. At the age 5 or 6, children's brain architecture is 90 percent complete; sending a child to kindergarten is too late since the learning that takes place in preschool has a life-long impact, they may never catch up with their peers' vocabulary.
Another issue on hand is the lack of fund for early childhood educators, they earn far less than other teachers. For one, preschools need a lot of materials for the early childhood programs to raise educators pay. Karen Paciorek of Eastern Michigan University explains it with Michigan Radio.
The bottom line: Kids are a worthwhile public investment. Decades of research revealed that high-quality early childhood education prepares them and affects their ability to succeed later in life such as increase graduation rates and future earnings.
It's already a known fact that the U.S. education system has recently been plagued with several issues and challenges that need to be promptly addressed. However, political leaders failed to give proper attention and emphasis on education platforms and proposals.
In an open letter to the next U.S. president, The Gates Foundation Program president Allan Golston urged the upcoming leader of the nation to give importance to education sector since it's the country's "great equalizer." Golston also emphasized the need to provide better education programs, a previous Parent Herald report notes.
"America's unique strength lies in our diversity, because the right to equal opportunity and prosperity for all is woven into our nation's fabric," Golston wrote Black Enterprise quotes. "We know that the great equalizer in America is education, because it provides the surest path to opportunity and social mobility."
Since American political leaders and hopefuls failed to provide concrete education proposals, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine's John E. Butler and David G. Gerleman pointed out in their "Letter to the Editor" article that was published in The Des Moines Register that the United States could learn a lot from the education systems of other nations. In particular, Butler and Gerleman underscored the advantage of the education system in Germany.
What Americans Can Learn In German Education System
In the article, Germans are reportedly among the most educated while Germany is considered as one of the countries with the highest standard of living worldwide. That's why, Butler and Gerleman stressed that America could learn a lot from the German education system, which was instigated in 1840 and has been successful for more than a century.
"The advantage of the German system is its recognition of the diversity of aspirations and academic aptitude in a population and the need to match those with the needs of the society," Butler and Gerleman wrote. "America does not have a monopoly on knowledge or theories on the best way to teach our children. In a global environment, we need to benefit from developments in other countries, regardless of their political beliefs or system of government."
California Education Ditches Test-And-Results Driven Programs
In other related U.S. education news, California has reportedly rejected the national trend toward the use of standardized test to evaluate schools and teachers. According to Deseret News, the state eliminated specific data systems and the connection between "teacher evaluations and student test scores."
What are your thoughts on the U.S. education system? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx have been hitting the romance headlines for months, but the two have never confirmed the real score between them up until now. Recent reports have claimed that the former wife of Tom Cruise might have dumped her rumored boyfriend already as the "Django Unchained" actor was seen with another woman.
Katie Holmes dumped Jamie Foxx for daughter Suri Cruise
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx have reportedly been dating but the two never confirmed nor denied the rumors. Now, it seems like the two stars have already moved on from each other as the "Ray" actor was reportedly spotted dating another woman.
Radar Online has reported that Jamie Foxx was sighted in a Shelbourne Hotel in South Beach, Miami last week alongside an unidentified woman. According to sources, the rumored boyfriend of Katie Holmes has attended a charity event on Thursday, June 23.
Though no other details were made public about the recent sighting, fans are convinced that Jamie Foxx and the mystery woman are in a relationship as they were seen holding hands and very sweet together. Katie Holmes, at the time, is said to be in Canada working for her new movie called "The Kennedys: After Camelot."
Rumors are rife that Katie Holmes has decided to cut all her ties with Jamie Foxx as she is afraid Tom Cruise would get mad about her relationship with the "Annie" actor. According to insiders, the "Batman Begins" actress is afraid that Tom Cruise will use her relationship with Jamie Foxx against her to get Suri Cruise away from her.
Tom Cruise excited for Katie Holmes, Jamie Foxx wedding
Meanwhile, Parent Herald has previously reported that Tom Cruise has already given his blessing for Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx's wedding. In fact, it has been previously reported that the "Mission Impossible III" actor has sent a very touching letter to his ex-wife to wish them well in their upcoming wedding.
However, it seems like everything went south to the Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx boat as they reportedly sank already. Up until now, neither Katie Holmes nor Jamie Foxx has set the record straight regarding their rumored secret relationship.
Most people know that there are adverse effects to alcohol consumption, but a new study reveals that drinking alcoholic beverages does, in fact, increase your risk of getting cancer. What's alarming is that the results of this study do not only show higher risk of cancer in heavy drinkers, but even moderate drinkers also develop greater risk as a result of their consumption of alcoholic beverages.
This study, from the University of Otago, states that even those who consume less than 2 alcoholic beverages a day are at higher risk compared to non-drinkers. What's worse is that alcohol consumption increases the risk for two types of cancer that are among the deadliest types - breast and bowel cancer. The vocal tract and the rest of the digestive system can also be affected by this, as the study shows that those who consume alcohol should be wary of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, and liver.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, back in 2012 researchers from New Zealand found out that alcohol was responsible for 236 cancer related deaths in people who were aged 80 or younger. "About 60 per cent of all alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in New Zealand women are from breast cancer," says professor Jennie Conor, the lead author of this eye-opening study.
Not only would the reduction of alcohol consumption across an entre population be effective in reducing different types of cancers, but they will also provide many other health benefits. "Our findings strongly support the use of population-level strategies to reduce consumption because, apart from the heaviest drinkers, people likely to develop cancer from their exposure to alcohol cannot be identified, and there is no level of drinking under which an increased risk of cancer can be avoided," professor Connor.
Drinkaware has released a sobering video that shows how the consumption of alcoholic beverages affects a person's body over time. Hopefully, more campaigns like this will be released to reduce alcohol consumption and subsequently cancer risk.
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
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 44 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover an Apple invention that pointed to the coming indoor GPS trend that is about to come to market first with the Lenovo-Google Tango smartphone this fall. In our report covering the Lenovo phone we pointed to a feature that will be introducing augmented reality. To a certain degree this is covered in today's granted patent. Apple's technology discusses working with venues like a museum that could provide visitors with guided tours and beyond on a future iPhone. In 2014 we posted a report titled "Apple and Google Headed for an Indoor Location Services War," and indeed they are with Lenovo-Google taking the first shot. The second aspect of today's granted invention caused a massive roar from techies who were upset with the camera being able to block smartphone video recording at concerts.
Granted Patent: Systems and Methods for Receiving Infrared Data with a Camera Designed to Detect Images based on Visible Light
Apple's newly granted patent generally relates to infrared data transmission. In particular, this is directed to systems and methods for receiving infrared data with a camera designed to detect images based on visible light. To review this invention in more depth, review our original report here.
Museum Application
Infrared Signals to Block Concert Recording
Apple's granted patent 9,380,225 dates back to 2011. Apple's last filing, in the form of a continuation patent, was made in September 2014.
Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of granted patents with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any Granted Patent should be read in its entirety for full details. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating "some matters" relating to tech giant Apple Inc, the head of the anticompetition body said during a parliamentary hearing, without disclosing further details, reports Reuters. Yet Patently Apple reported on this a week ago with more specificity. According to the Korean press last week, "The nation's antitrust watchdog is investigating Apple Korea over the terms of its marketing contracts with local mobile carriers, sources said Tuesday. It is the latest in a series of probes into the Apple's allegedly unfair corporate activities in South Korea.
The report further noted that sources said that Apple Korea has pressed carriers into buying a minimum volume of promotional iPhones and sharing the burden of repair costs. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating mobile carriers over the exact terms of their contracts with Apple, and Apple Korea will also be looked into soon. For more on this, see our original report here.
About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
A very perceptive piece by Damon Linker about the recent referendum in the United Kingdom:
http://theweek.com/articles/632380/how-brexit-shattered-progressives-dearest-illusions
I was struck the other day by the British journalist David Goodharts distinction in the debate over Britains relationship to the European Union which I saw cited here between what he called somewhere people and nowhere people. By those terms, hes referring to residents of the UK who feel deeply English, profoundly connected to the traditions of their little island, its history, its culture, its villages, its peculiar traditions and institutions, as opposed to those who feel themselves fundamentally European. (As my Scottish seat mate not coincidentally, a backer of the Remain side approvingly put it to me the other day on our flight from Sweden into Edinburgh, younger people today feel no more reluctance to move from Scotland to Sweden, where his son has lived with a Swedish girlfriend for the past eight years and worked for a Swedish company, or to Germany, where his daughter works, than Americans feel about moving from Oregon to Washington, or from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.)
I like Goodharts distinction, and, although Ive only seen it referred to at second hand, I think it very insightful. It seems to me related, too, in subtle ways, to the decline in the importance of denominationalism in American religion; the relative weakness of the American family, the decline in the marriage rate, high rates of divorce, and the increasing age of first marriages; debates about same-sex relationships and the redefinition of marriage; the rise of the behemoth state in Washington (and in Brussels); and so forth.
I think of this famous passage from the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke (1729-1797), who is often considered the father of conservatism in the English-speaking world, which occurs in his Reflections on the Revolution in France:
To be attached to the subdivision, to love the little platoon we belong to in society, is the first principle (the germ as it were) of public affections. It is the first link in the series by which we proceed towards a love to our country and to mankind.
Ive always been wary of people who claim to love humanity; too many of them seem to have real difficulty treating their wives, children, landladies, and neighbors even minimally well. (See Paul Johnsons book Intellectuals for a parade of notable examples. And many others could be mentioned.)
Ive always been delighted to find local authors wherever I go. Writers who havent bowed the knee to Manhattan. I always seek out local restaurants and specialties, order local favorites.
Years ago, I read about a tee shirt worn by Larry McMurtry, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist and essayist based in Texas, which read Important Regional Writer. Thats how the New York Times had described him. I liked the implicit thumbing of his nose against the sheer unconscious arrogance of that compliment. Why is Texas a region, while New York City apparently isnt? Is the Pulitzer Prize not a national award? Is Jane Austen a merely regional writer because her novels tend to involve only small domestic stories in relatively rural areas? Sren Kierkegaard lived in the tiny country of Denmark, and wrote not in French or German or English or Latin but in the somewhat marginal language of Danish. But he treats the very biggest and most fundamental of issues.
In this regard, I came across a nice passage a couple of days ago from Hugh Walpoles 1930 novel Rogue Herries:
How shall I like this place? It is cut off from the world. There was an odd note of scorn in the little mans voice as he answered. It is the world, sir. Here within these hills, in this space of ground, is all the world . . . in every village through which I have passed since then I have found the whole world all anger and vanity and covetousness and lust, yes, and all charity, goodness, and sweetness of soul. But most of all here in this valley, I have found the whole world . . . You will find everything here, sir. God and the devil both walk in these fields.'
My inclination to localism is one of the reasons, I suppose, that I enjoy the writing of Wendell Berry and Victor Davis Hanson and the late Russell Kirk and that its deeply satisfying for me to be here in the Lake District, where so many fine authors have so wonderfully expressed their sense of attachment to particular places. (Years ago, I was delighted when a well-received collection of work by Montana writers appeared, entitled The Last Best Place. And, even before that, I was fascinated to learn about the group of prominent writers in the 1930s, centered in Nashville, whove come to be known as the Southern Agrarians.) I strongly believe in supporting local theater (e.g., our annual tradition of attending the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and our attendance at the Utah Festival Opera in Logan, and our season tickets at both Hale theaters). Im irritated that plays havent really arrived, in the view of some even if theyve already played at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles or the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis until they come to the (often quite unimpressive) theaters of Broadway.
I recall talking with a friend in Cairo many years ago who had been born and raised in New York City before he ventured off to do his undergraduate schooling at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and who was then working on a doctorate at Princeton (back up nearly to New York City). He told me of the one trip he had made Out West, to visit a girlfriend in Berkeley. As he flew over the United States, he told me, he realized that there was really nothing between the East Coast and the West Coast. It was so absurdly like the famous New Yorker cover by Saul Sternberg that I could barely keep from laughing. Youre right, I responded. Theres really nothing apart from Pittsburgh, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Salt Lake City, and a huge host of similar nowheres.
Im deeply committed to federalism for related reasons (but also because its clearly the Constitutions plan), to the idea that the states shouldnt be viewed merely as administrative departments of the national government in Washington DC. (Its to this extent, and to this extent pretty much alone, that I can feel some ideological sympathy for the Confederacy: Great man though he was, I still dont understand Lincolns insistence that states could not secede from the Union. If they came together to form it in the first place, why did they not have the right of secession?) I admire the Swiss attachment to their cantons, and their relative lack of interest in their federal government, as well as their disinclination to join the European Union in the first place.
These are, of course, very big issues, and Im just skipping along the surface of them. I need to head out into the Lake District!
A few words, by the way, about Damon Linker his own from an interview that he gave in 2015:
I was raised as a secular Jew in New York City. (No religious education at all, no Bar Mitzvah, etc.) In my undergraduate and graduate education, I learned a lot about Christian theology and always found it impressive as a system of ideas, though I never entertained the thought of converting. That began to change when I taught at Brigham Young University for two years in the late 1990s. I found the Mormon students and faculty there to be extremely impressive morally and intellectually serious. When I left the university (my non-tenured visiting position came to an end), I felt a loss, like something spiritual had been stirred up inside me that now lacked an outlet. I looked into my native Judaism, but by that point it seemed more foreign to me than Christianity, and especially Catholicism. (My wife is a cradle Catholic.) So I somewhat impulsively decided to convert. I was received into the church during the Easter Vigil Mass in 2001 at lovely St. Marys in New Haven, CT. (The long, involved homilies by the Dominicans at that parish spoiled me. Ive never encountered anything remotely that engaging in the years since.)
His relationship with Catholicism, though, is . . . complex: Im staying in Rome for now. If the church is a mansion, youll find me in the upstairs hall linen closet. Thats where they keep the tortured former atheist-Jewish converts. (This is for reasons, I might add, that would make conversion to Mormonism problematic and unlikely for him.)
Posted from Brockwood Hall, Cumbria, England
Before Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube made their entry in the media market, the PatnaDaily had already registered its presence in...
Patna: Police in Patna on Monday apprehended a man for raping his 5-year old step-daughter and then killing her before going underground to avoid arrest.
Authorities arrested Chandan Kumar of Phulharia Bagh in Patna City from his grandmother's house in Maner where he had been hiding since committing the heinous crime two days ago.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said that the mother of the victim who hails from Hajipur married to Chandan a year ago after her husband died two years ago. She worked as cook at various houses in Patna.
The crime took place in Loharwa Gali under Kadam Kuan police station.
On Sunday when she returned home from work, she found Chandan missing and her daughter's naked and lifeless body on the bed with blood on the bed sheet.
Other people in the area heard the mother's screaming and called the police.
Police arrested Chandan from his Nani's home in Maner. He was brought to Patna where he confessed of committing the crime, the SSP said.
Ailing Iranian Political Prisoner Denied Critically Needed Medical Care for Her Diabetes
06/28/16
Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
Held with Violent Criminals at Vakilabad Prison for Criticizing the Government on Facebook
Nahid (Omolbanin) Gorji
Political prisoner Nahid (Omolbanin) Gorji has been denied adequate medical care even though she is suffering from diabetes and heart disease, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Nahid used to take pills for her diabetes and heart disease before she went to prison...but now they wont even allow her family to bring her pills to prison, said the source. Shes also suffering from leg pain and her bones are losing mass.
Vakilabad Prison does not have the proper facilities to treat her and shes not being transferred to the hospital, added the source.
Political prisoners in Iran are singled out for harsh treatment, which often includes denial of medical care.
Shes sick and needs medical leave and she also has a young daughter whos living with relatives now, but the judge said he would not release her on furlough [temporary leave] until she serves 20 months of her sentence.
Gorji is being held with regular prison inmates, including dangerous criminals, because Vakilabad Prison does not have a ward for political prisoners.
Gorji, 50, has been in the Womens Ward of Vakilabad Prison in the city of Mashhad in Irans Khorasan Razavi Province since May 8, 2016. She was sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly posting content critical of the government on social media, especially Facebook, which is banned in Iran.
Gorji was arrested on October 12, 2014 at her home in Mashhad by security agents who confiscated her computer, mobile phone and other personal belongings. She was held for six months and released on bail on April 12, 2015.
Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad sentenced her to five years in prison for propaganda against the state and assembly and collusion against national security, but the sentence was reduced to three years in prison upon appeal.
Undercover informants to prevent women from using Caspian Sea beaches
06/28/16 Source: Radio Zamaneh
Undercover morality police will be engaged in Gilan-Iran for the establishment of a more spiritual atmosphere in the provinces beaches and preservation of moral values under a new plan called Pure Gilan, officials of the northern Iranian province announced.
(2010 file photo)
Provincial security officials say in addition to both regular and undercover police, roads will also be consistently patrolled to confront inappropriate behaviour adding that the actions are part of the larger plan for Healthy Beaches.
The Healthy Beaches plan was introduced after the Islamic revolution of 1979 with aim of creating gender-segregated water fronts. The women are separated from men. If women want to swim or play, they are forced to go to a separate beach which is segregated by tent-like structures.
The so called Healthy Beaches project takes effects each summer in the shores of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran which is one of the most popular domestic tourist destinations in the country.
It is mainly aimed at preventing women from swimming and using any part of the beach save the limited areas allocated for them. Each year the police use new methods of enforcing their restriction on women. These allocated areas are limited for women and families are forced to go to only certain beaches that segregation has been made possible.
(2010 file photo)
This year head of Gilan security forces told Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) that they will be working in unison with the Revolutionary Guards in the Healthy Beaches project adding that the Basij [plain cloth militia] will be assisting the police in establishing optimal security in the beaches. The Basij is the militia branch of Irans Revolutionary Guards.
The police have also called on ordinary citizens to support the plan and prevent the province and its Islamic values from being compromised by its detractors.
Since moderate president Hassan Rohani won the elections under a platform of greater social liberties for citizens, Irans conservative factions have further dug their heels over enforcement of strict social regulations such as hijab (Islamic dress code in public specifically for women to cover their hair). In early spring the police announced that it will engage Basij and volunteer forces in the cities as undercover patrols to inform the police of hijab violations in public.
President Hassan Rohani has challenged the plan, and his adviser on women and family issues, Shaindokht Molaverdi was quoted as saying that families are highly concerned about the adverse effects of the so-called undercover patrols.
The police have dismissed the opposition saying the public has in fact been asking for the deployment of the undercover patrols. Now it appears that the undercover informers are also patrolling the Caspian Sea shorelines.
Iranian President Rouhani urges firm action over Saudi embassy raids
06/28/16
Source: Press TV
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called for firm judicial action against the individuals involved in raids on Saudi diplomatic perimeters in two Iranian cities back in January. Addressing a ceremony that marked the beginning of the Judiciary Week in Iran on Tuesday, President Rouhani emphasized the importance of public trust in the judicial institution.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses a ceremony marking the beginning of the Judiciary Week in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2016. (Photo by
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses a ceremony marking the beginning of the Judiciary Week in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2016. (Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency
The reason why everyone can calmly go to sleep at nights in Iran is the presence of a capable judiciary, the president said at the ceremony, which was attended by the heads of the other two branches of the Iranian government as well.
Referring to the raids on the diplomatic Saudi perimeters, President Rouhani said, The public wants to know how the Judiciary deals with the perpetrators and those behind the move - who are well-known - and how the public is notified of verdicts.
The raids occurred on January 2, when demonstrations were held in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad - both of which were vacant at the time - over Saudi Arabias move earlier to execute a prominent Saudi cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Some angry protesters mounted the walls of the consulate in Mashhad while incendiary devices were hurled at the embassy in Tehran.
A day later, Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic ties with Iran.
Iranian officials had promptly condemned the attacks, and some 100 people were arrested over the acts of transgression.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C), is seen flanked by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (R) and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani during a ceremony marking the beginning of the Judiciary Week in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2016. (Photo by
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C), is seen flanked by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (R) and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani during a ceremony marking the beginning of the Judiciary Week in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2016. (Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency
In his Tuesday remarks, the Iranian President said every country is responsible for the provision of security for foreign diplomatic missions stationed in that country.
President Rouahni also emphasized the significance of the due application of justice, which he implied ensures psychological security for those seeking to invest in the country.
If foreign investment is made in the country, it is because of trust in a healthy and fair judiciary in it, he said.
Following a July 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, the Islamic Republic is considered a beckoning market for many foreign businesses. Many trade delegations have been visiting the country to discuss investments and make contracts since the deal was reached.
SHAHNAMEH Exhibitoin at Copenhagen's David Museum
06/28/16
Payvand.com - David Museum in Denmark has organized an exhibition to introduce various aspects of Shahnameh, the national epic of Persia. This exhibition gives the public an opportunity to experience an ancient, exotic, and dramatic world in pictures. The stories are played out through nearly 60 works of art, in addition to a display of weapons. Visitors will be able to study details in the Persian miniatures with a magnifying glass. Apart from one miniature, which is on loan, all of the works of art are from the David Collections own holdings.
Persian miniature depicts one of Shahnameh's stories / Source: David Collection Museum)
According to David Museum's press release: "Shahnama (The Book of Kings) has been a classic for centuries, especially in the Persian-speaking parts of the world, but also in India, Turkey, and the Middle East. Even in Germany, Great Britain, and the U.S.A., the old text has been translated and exhibitions of the epics countless illustrations have been held in recent years."
The Shahnameh was written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi and finished in the year 1010. In his enormous work - probably the worlds longest poem, with over 50,000 verses - he recounted the story of Persia (Iran) from a bygone mythical era to the 7th century, when Arab armies overran the ancient kingdom. As in the works of Saxo Grammaticus and Homer and in fairy tales, the Shahnama combines history, thrilling narratives, dramatic battle scenes, and love stories that often have no happy ending. The epic has always been exceedingly popular in the Persian-speaking part of the Islamic world and still plays an important role as a national symbol in Persia.
The exhibition Shahnameh will be on display until November 6th, 2016.
The best 2-in-1 laptop 2022: our picks of the best convertible laptops
These are the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy right now
Ransomware scam artists have a good thing going. They infect some computers and inflict a distastefulbut ultimately logicalchoice on the victims: Pay up or lose your data.
Ransoms can be an expensive lesson for most. Many consumers opt not to pay and rely on whatever backups they have. Businesses often payan act that may require dealing with Bitcoin markets as well as feeling like a chump. Yet, even the FBI has said it understands when victims pay.
Ransomware rules, broken
The fleecing of Kansas Heart Hospital may change that.
After the hospital paid ransom to get its data back, the criminals who had infected the hospitals network refused to give the business all the keys to the data. Instead, they asked for more money, and the hospitalafter consulting with its security advisorsdid not pay, according to an article in local media.
The policy of the Kansas Heart Hospital in conjunction with our consultants, felt no longer was this a wise maneuver or strategy, Dr. Greg Duick, president of the Kansas Heart Hospital, told Kansas television station KWCH. The hospital did not return a request for comment.
This attempt to double-dip has broken the unwritten compact between victim and data-napper. If paying the ransom doesnt result in a return of the stolen property, victims will quickly lose their incentive to pay.
A similar revision of the balance between victim and kidnapper took place following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, points out Christopher Budd, global threat communications manager at Trend Micro. The terrorists who hijacked multiple planes broke with the traditional hostage-for-ransom model, to say the least. Their actions inspired a no-tolerance attitude toward hijackings that took negotiation or ransom out of the picture.
One act changed peoples trust in hijackers, said Budd. Since 2001, there have been very few hijackings of airplanes.
The bad guys are breaking the rules in other ways as well, by threatening additional measures for those victims who dont pay. In other ransomware incidents, for example, attackers have claimed falsely, so far that they would publish a victims data. They have also delivered on threats to turn the computer of victims who do not pay into bots that are then used to conduct distributed denial-of-service attacks.
This underscores one of the reason that we say you do not pay the ransom, says Budd. At the end of the day, they are a criminals. You cannot trust them.
BitDefender Half of ransomware victims in the United States paid the ransom, according to a BitDefender poll, while 40 percent of all U.S. users would pay a ransom.
Currently, nearly half of potential victims believe they would pay a ransom, a number large enough to allow ransomware operators to continue to profit. A recent BitDefender study said that in the United States, half of all victims had paid in the past, and 40 percent of all users surveyed confirmed that they would pay.
Its unclear, however, how many victims actually follow through. In 2012, security firm Symantec analyzed a ransomware management server that gathered global data on 68,000 computers that were compromised in a single month. Symantec found that only 2.9 percent of those victims paid. At the time, however, few people trusted the criminals to pay up. Today, most groups have a reputation for at least trying to help victims recover their data, after theyve paid, of course.
Protecting against ransomware
Ransomware isnt dead yet, and you dont want to get hit. Heres how to protect yourself.
1. Back up, back up, back up
If you do only one thing, back up your data regularly. Backups prepare computer owners to delete their systems and reinstall, said Barry Shteiman, director of threat research at Exabeam.
We are still at a very early stage of ransomware, he said. It will become a ransom-worm very soon, where they try to encrypt as many computers as possible. When that happens, youll be grateful for that backup.
2. Harden your system against attacks
A variety of measures can help make systems more resilient to attack. Regular updates will ensure that no easy-to-exploit public vulnerabilities are poised like an open door to allow attackers into your system. While anti-malware software is nice, the domain-lookup based security increasingly included with such programssuch as Norton ConnectSafe or Comodo Secure DNS or OpenDNSs Umbrella servicecan block malware from being downloaded to your system.
3. Set up a good firewall
In addition, use an application firewall to be aware of whats communicating from your computer. While they can require some care and feeding at first, such security applications pay off in the long run. On the Mac, Little Snitch is a popular choice, and GlassWire or Zone Alarm are available on Windows.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are common in battery-powered sensor devices, but Qualcomm wants to also make LTE a common feature in such devices.
Qualcomm makes some of the most advanced modems for mobile devices, but the company is now tuning them for Internet of Things devices by lowering power consumption and improving performance.
The latest MDM9207-1 modem chipset, announced last year, is now available from the chip-maker. It is part of the MDM9x07 chipset family, for which Qualcomm has secured 100 design wins, although some of those products may not ultimately ship.
As we know from smartphones, LTE can drain battery life. The fast data transfers encourage the use of video services, online games, and apps, and they take a toll on the battery.
But the advantage of LTE is it can extend the communications range of devices. Right now, most IoT devices are limited to communication within the range of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
The new modem is one of Qualcomms first cellular chipsets dedicated to IoT devices running on batteries, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.
Qualcomm is designing its IoT modems to support many LTE standards around the world, which is a challenge it faces, McGregor said. Countries like China support different LTE standards than the ones used in the U.S. and Europe.
Over time, Qualcomm will integrate the modem into a single chip, much like it has done with its smartphone chips, he said.
Eventually, were going to see chips that have the modems, sensors and the microcontrollers integrated into one package, McGregor said.
The company claims the MDM9207-1 modem offers up to 10 years of battery life on two AA batteries and download speeds up to 10Mbps (bits per second). The chipset will be used in smart lights, industrial equipment, smart energy meters, medical devices, and asset tracking systems.
The chipset has an ARM Cortex-A7 application processor. The MDM-9207-1 supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Unique features such as end-to-end security and high reliability are offered for industrial IoT devices and machine-to-machine communications over LTE, the company said.
Companies making connectivity or IoT products will work with Qualcomm to integrate the LTE technology. Some partners are ZTE and Sierra Wireless.
Carriers are also preparing to use IoT devices on networks. AT&T is planning to deploy a Cat-M network specifically for IoT that could be used in data transfers between commercial IoT devices and wearables. Verizon is also working on products to support release 13 of the 3GPP LTE standard, which is used for low-bandwidth transfers.
Qualcomms MDM9206 modem chipset, also announced last year, is designed to support the standard and could be available in devices in early 2017.
Online backup company Backblaze made waves last year when it announced a beta test last year of B2, a new public cloud storage service that would be cheaper than competing offerings from Amazon and Microsoft.
B2 has now exited beta with some new features that may make it more appealing to business users. It now has a service level agreement guaranteeing 99.9 percent uptime for all data stored within it, matching the baseline offerings from Amazon Web Services S3 and Microsoft Azures Blob Storage service.
In addition, users can now purchase expanded support from Backblaze, which will give them guaranteed rapid responses to support questions and at the highest level access to a phone number for around-the-clock support.
According to Backblaze CEO Gleb Budman, the company has shifted away from trying to steal customers away from S3 and other storage services, and towards eliminating companies reliance on tape-based storage.
There are still just hundreds and hundreds of petabytes of tape that get deployed [inside companies], he said in an interview. And in almost all of those cases, everyone that uses them hates them, and has for a long time. Theres really nothing redeeming about tape, except for cost.
In addition, companies can now more easily get their data out of Backblazes cloud. B2 users can take advantage of a Snapshot feature that lets them select up to 3.5TB of files stored with Backblaze and get that mailed to them on a physical hard drive for US$189.
Its similar to a service that Backblaze already offers customers of its cloud backup service, which allows them to get files from their computer mailed to them in the event they need physical access to that information.
As part of this launch, Backblaze also revealed a quartet of partnerships for B2, including an integration with network attached storage provider Synology. New NAS models from Synology will be able to back themselves up to B2, and the storage hardware company will be updating many of its recent storage devices to support that capability, too.
Businesses that use Cloudberry to do their cloud backup can now also use B2 through that service, building on its integrations with other providers including Amazon and Microsoft.
Looking towards the future, Budman said that Backblaze is looking to launch another data center in California, near its existing facility. After that, the company is looking to expand its geographic footprint to another location in North America.
Companies that want to make sure they have their files stored in multiple data centers can still benefit from B2, according to Budman. In his view, companies will still end up saving money by storing one copy of their information with B2 in Backblazes California data center and storing another copy in another storage service like Amazon S3.
So far, 30,000 people signed up to try B2 during its beta period. With Backblazes partnerships, it has the potential to pick up many users going forward, but its going to face tough competition against the likes of Amazon and Microsoft.
After months of embracing malware-like tricks so nasty that some fearful Windows 7 users felt forced to disable updates completely, Microsoft is backing off its sneaky Windows 10 upgrade tactics and reverting to an interface that is far clearer and doesnt violate user trust.
The company plans to update the Windows 10 upgrade notification window that Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users see on their PCs, as first reported by ZDNets Mary Jo Foley late Monday.
The new interface will feature three buttons with clear options, including Upgrade now, Choose time (in other words, schedule the upgrade time), or Decline free offer. Microsoft also plans to restore proper behavior to the x in the upper right hand corner. Instead of being treated as consent for an upgrade, clicking the x will simply dismiss the window, as it should be.
On top of that, Microsoft says it will provide free tech support for anyone who needs help upgrading, or rolling back from Windows 10 to their previous operating system.
Since we introduced a new upgrade experience for Windows 10, weve received feedback that some of our valued customers found it confusingand this week, well roll out a new upgrade experience with clear options. Microsofts Windows chief Terry Myerson said in a written statement to ZDNet. We recommend people upgrade to Windows 10and take advantage of the free upgrade offer before it ends on July 29.
The story behind the story: Its great to see Microsoft responding to user complaints, but given the timing of this reversal it seems a bit hollow.
Microsoft recently lost a lawsuit over its Windows 10 upgrade practices. The monetary loss from that suit was insignificant for the company, but the price its paying in negative publicity and user frustration is substantial. Plus, theres only a month left in the free upgrade window anyway, and Microsofts already pushed Windows 10 on people who use Windows 7 and 8s default automatic update settingsa highly questionable practice thats given the company a significant boost in Windows 10 adoption rate. All things considered, cleaning up its act a month before free upgrades end probably wont cost Microsoft that much in potential user adoption, but it could go a long way to reducing user anger and frustration towards the company.
Robots are no strangers to the legal profession thanks to tools like LawGeex, but one has emerged recently that appears to be a Robin Hood of the modern world.
DoNotPay is the brainchild of 19-year-old Stanford University student Joshua Browder, and it has already successfully contested some 160,000 parking tickets across London and New York. Its free to use and has reportedly saved its users some $4 million in less than two years.
DoNotPay has launched the UKs first robot lawyer as an experiment, the site explains. It can talk to you, generate documents and answer questions. It is just like a real lawyer, but is completely free and doesnt charge any commission.
Joshua Browder
On Tuesday, the bot was acknowledged on Twitter by the commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
DoNotPays artificially intelligent software uses a chat-like interface to interact with its users. It can also be used to help passengers on delayed airplane flights obtain compensation. Reportedly, Browder plans to extend the service to Seattle next. Meanwhile, hes also working on helping HIV-positive people understand their rights and on a service for Syrian refugees.
All in all, Browder sees a bigger future for AI than the mundane tasks it typically handles today. As he said in a recent tweet, the value in bots is not to order pizzas.